《Villain Retirement》


 Character List And Powers

    <h4>Character List And Powers</h4>


    Protagonist - Riley Ross aka Darkday


    Powers shown/mentioned so far: Telekinesis, Body Duplication, Super strength, Flight, etc.


    ---


    Hannah Ross, Riley''s adoptive sister.


    Powers: Pyrokinesis


    ---


    Bernard Ross aka Whiteking, Adoptive father


    Powers: None


    ---


    Diana Ross, Adoptive mother


    ---


    Mega Woman, Earth''s number 1 superhero


    Powers: Super strength, Flight, Super speed, Nigh-Invulnerability, Nigh-Immortality, Minor Telekinesis, Heat vision.


    ---


    Mega Academy:


    Silvie Savelievna | Powers: Flight, Super Strength

 Prologue 1: Darkday

    <h4>Prologue 1: Darkday</h4>


    "We¡­ We have received tragic news. Mega Woman¡­ Mega Woman is¡­"


    The tears of the people filled the streets, their cries echoing throughout the world, their despair rippling through the skies. Every corner of the mourned as they watched the death of their savior, Earth''s mightiest defender, through their screens and televisions.


    Every media, every news outlet all repeated the same words over and over again-- "Mega Woman is dead."


    "Mega Woman, who has protected our world and our universe for hundreds of years, has died!"


    "This just in! We have received confirmation that Mega Woman has been killed by the superviin, Darkday¡­"


    "This truly is a dark day-- As you can see from our rey, Mega Woman''s neck was snapped in¡­ even with the Hope Guild''s help, she fell into the hands of..."


    "We advise every man, woman, elderly, and children to hide in their bunkers in theing dark days¡­"


    "...Be warned, there will truly be dark days ahead. Expect the other superviins to wreak havoc..."


    "With her death, everyone seems to be carrying the same question¡­


    ...Who will protect us now?"


    But even with the tears of people almost drowning the entire, there was one who neither mourned nor cheered for the hero''s death. Instead, he only let out a sigh as he folded hisptop, cancelling all the noise it once produced andpletely drowning himself in the darkness of his abode.


    The boy then stood up as he grabbed his phone from his pocket, and as he unlocked it, a photo of the one they called Mega Woman quickly shed on its screen. But instead of ttering or morous photos of the hero, which most boys his age had, the photo that was on his screen was anything but.


    Instead, it was a photo of her all bloodied up; with the whites of her eyes filling up her sockets, with her mouthpletely caved in¡­ and her head twisted in a way that it shouldn''t.


    Her face reflected on the boy''s eyes, which neither trembled nor blinked; his lips, however, quivered as it produced a silent giggle, shouting in the cold and dark room as he zoomed in on the mighty hero''s disfigured face.


    The boy also had the photos of the other heroes that were with Mega Woman-- the Hope Guild. They were also beaten and bruised, but not as worse as Earth''s mightiest hero; unlike Mega Woman, there was still life on their faces.


    After looking at their photos for what seemed like a second, he returned to Mega Woman''s disfigured face, and another chuckle emerged from the mouth of the boy¡­ his eyes, however, remained constant.


    At the start of the 18th century, when crimes and terrors from super-powered individuals spread like an epidemic; when the world was almost inplete chaos and its life slowly withering, when all hope seemed lost¡­ Mega Woman showed herself to the world.


    The gold and white radiance that came from her suit brought light back to the world. She became the cure to the widespread evil that was tarnishing thends, once again allowing the world to heal.


    But even with her existence, the was too big and too much for her to handle alone. But then, another miracle happened. Just a few months after her appearance, more and more heroes came to the light¡­


    ...Ushering the Age of Heroes. And until now, 300 yearster, that age still blooms. But with the death of the very symbol of superheroes-- humanity would have to once again take a leap back and wait.


    Wait for another Mega Woman to appear.


    "Y¡­ y¡­ you¡­ why?" The boy continued to scan the photos on his phone, only stopping as he reached a video clip of Mega Woman, seemingly kneeling on the ground. Her face, however, seemed to still be beautifully intactpared to the earlier photos the boy was viewing.


    "Why¡­ are you doing this?"


    Mega Woman''s sedated voice cracked; trying her best to stand up. But as soon as she gained the strength to move, the ground beneath her would turn into a crater, pulling her down along with it.


    A long and deep breath could also be hearding from the boy''s phone as a shoe could be seen stepping on Mega Woman''s head, but before the owner of the sigh could be heard, a series of knocks drummed through the air.


    And as soon as it reached the boy''s ears, he quickly shut off his phone. But instead of the room beingpletely filled with nothing but darkness, light showered itpletely.


    "Riley, how many times do I have to say to turn on the lights when you''re already awake!? We even installed special lights so they won''t affect your skin! Stop being so gloomy and creepy all the time. And why are you so dirty!? Haven''t you heard the news? Mega Woman is dead, we should go to the bunker before Darkday finds his way to this city!"


    And before the boy called Riley could even react, he was bombarded by a series of words by the woman that suddenly barged inside his room, his unusually empty but ordinary bedroom.


    And with the ordinary bedroom, the figure of the boy stood out almost in exaggeration.


    His hair waspletely white, the color of his skin, as pale as his hair itself. The only colors that one could see in his face were his lips and the edges of his eyelids that seemed to blush from his also seemingly bright blue eyes.


    "Why are you just sitting there!? Mother is already waiting for us in the bunker!" The woman that barged into his room could not help but scream in frustration as Riley just stared at her.


    "This isn''t a joke, Riley! Stop being sozy!"


    The woman then quickly picked up something from the floor, throwing it towards Riley before running outside, "I''ll wait for you downstairs!"


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at his swinging door, which looked like its hinges were about to fall off as his sister once again mmed it open. But after a few seconds, he stood up, casually putting his phone back in his pocket as he wore the hoodie that was thrown to him by his sister.


    He checked his room onest time, before heading out of his room, with each of his steps expressing hisziness.


    "Hurry up!" His sister once again screamed as he saw Riley moving like a snail.


    "It''s alright, Hannah."


    Riley finally uttered words, his voice, almost as sedated as his figure, "Darkday can''te to this city."


    "How would you know!? Haven''t you seen the video!? The fucker just destroyed Toronto and killed Mega Woman!"


    Hannah once again went amok as soon as she heard the mocking exhaustion in her brother''s voice, "Why do you sound so tired when you just spend hours in your roomzing around? Are you¡­ you know what, never mind. I don''t want to know what you albinos get into in the dark."


    "..."


    "Hurry the fuck up!" Hannah then hurriedly covered her brother''s head with his hoodie, before proceeding to grab his wrist tightly. Riley could only let himself be dragged as Hannah suddenly rushed outside the house. And as soon as the great outdoors weed him, chaos did too.


    Riley was not able to see it clearly as his sister quickly wrapped her arms over his shoulders, pushing him away, but it was enough for him to see that their neighbors had the same thoughts as them, as they too, scurried their way towards their own bunkers.


    "Hannah, what took you so long!? Is your brother with you!?"


    And as soon as Riley and his sister got inside their bunker after only walking a few steps from their house, the sound of metal creaking immediately pierced their ears as their mother immediately closed the steel door.


    "It''s not my fault, mom!" Hannah pushed Riley away as soon as she knew they were secured, "This albino wasughing by himself in the dark again!"


    "Hannah! How many times do I have to say to not talk to your brother like that!?"


    "Whatever, I don''t care." Hannah only rolled her eyes as she cracked open a bottle of water that was sitting on a table, passing it to Riley before she went to the corner of the steel room. Their mother was going to say more, but before she could do so, Hannah was already on her phone, listening to music with her headset on.


    "And you, young man! What do you think you''re doing? Don''t you listen to the news? Mega Woman is dead!"


    "...I know, mother. I saw her bruised and beaten, I heard herst words as she died."


    "What? Where did you see that? The press hasn''t released any video! Every news I turn into refuses to show what truly happened to Mega Woman!"


    Riley''s mother then quickly turned on the television, raising it to the highest volume as she switched the channels to try and find the video that Riley mentioned. But no matter how many channels she tuned in to, only a blurred image could be seen.


    "Oh my god, what''s happening," the voice of Riley''s mother trembled through the bunker, her hand almost dropped the remote she was holding as it shivered uncontrobly, "What about the Hope Guild? Are they also dead!? Why is all the news about Mega Woman? What about your father!?"


    "Father and his team are alive, mother."


    "What? How do you know these things? Did you read it from the inte? Show me!" Riley''s mother quickly leaned towards him, and as soon as she did so, Riley quickly moved away.


    "S¡­ sorry," Riley''s mother quickly muttered as she tried to look her son straight in the eyes, Riley, however, avoided her gaze and only looked to the side.


    "But how do you know all of these? Did your father call you?"


    "It''s okay, mother," Riley shook his head in response, "I know it because I am the one who killed Mega Wo--"


    "Ah! There it is! There''s your father!"


    "...I know, mother. I left them alive."


    "Look, your father is fine! Your father is fine!"


    "..."


    Riley could only blink his eyes a couple of times as he watched his mother jump up and down in joy, even dragging his sister across the floor to force her to celebrate.


    "...I am Darkday, mother."


    But s, his words werepletely drowned by cries of joy from their mother.

 Prologue 2: Mega Woman

    <h4>Prologue 2: Mega Woman</h4>


    "They said that viins all had a reason for what they were doing; that they were heroes in their own stories. Not me¡­


    ...I was born evil."-- Riley Ross, Darkday. 2021


    ***


    "Your father is alive!"


    "M¡­ mom, stop!"


    Back inside the bunker, Riley''s eyes moved up and down as he watched her sister try her best to hold onto her headset for dear life. However, their mother''s incessant hugging and jumping in joy did not help her one bit¡­ and in the end, she had no choice but to take them off and join her mother.


    After all, even though she wasn''t showing it, the red circles around her eyes showed that she too, was worried about their father.


    On the other hand, Riley just drank a bottle of water as he moved to the side, watching the news as they continued to update the aftermath of the bloodiest battle their world had ever experienced.


    Toronto waspletely destroyed, as it was thest venue for their battle. More than 2 million, dead. But what the media outlets were not yet covering was the other areas where Darkday and Mega Woman''s battle took ce.


    It started in Brazil, then Mexico, before finally being decided in Toronto. Based on Riley''s estimate, then the death toll would probably be more than 5 million by the end of their counting.


    Riley could only shake his head and let out a sigh as he turned off the TV, causing her mother to immediately stop celebrating.


    "Why did you turn it off!?"


    "They are just spouting lies, mother. It is better for you to just wait for father to tell you what really happened."


    "Y¡­ you''re right," hearing her son''s words, Riley''s mother let out a long and deep breath as she finally let go of Hannah, "You''re right, I should calm down."


    "That''s not what I meant, mother."


    "No, you''re right. Your father should being home soon," Riley''s mother shook her head, "Hannah, prepare the first-aid kit and boil some water."


    "What? Why me!?"


    "You know your brother can''t touch anything hot!"


    "But he can at least get the first-aid kit!"


    "Just do it! You''re the stronger sibling!"


    "Argh!" Hannah could not help but screech in frustration as she stomped her way across the bunker,


    "You owe me a cheeseburger after this!"


    "I thought you turned into a vegetarian?" Riley blinked a couple of times as his sister violently waved her finger right in front of his face.


    "That was before Mega Woman died!"


    "I do not see the relevance in--"


    "I do not see the relevance in," before Riley could finish his words, Hannah repeated his words to him, ying with her voice as she tilted her chin left to right, "Stop being so robotic and help me with--"


    "Honey!"


    This time, it was Hannah that was interrupted as the creaking of the thick steel door hummed in their ears, and afterwards followed by the loud gasp of their mother. Hannah quickly looked towards the noise, only to see their father almostpletely covered in blood.


    "Honey! We¡­ we saw the news."


    Even though their father did not have a clean spot on him, their mother did not hesitate to embrace him; even trying to assist him inside. "Get a chair for your father!"


    Riley quickly ran towards the chair on the corner, but as soon as he picked it up, his sister grabbed it from his hands.


    "Don''t exert yourself, you dummy." Hannah let out a sigh as she ced the chair near their father, "What happened out there, dad? Is Mega Woman really dead?"


    Their father slightly nced at Hannah, before turning his head to the floor, letting out a long but deep and stuttered sigh. His lips moved several times, trying to find the right answer to give his family.


    But with the exhaustion that threatened to suffocate him, the only thing he could do was nod.


    "What about Darkday!? Do we know what he''s going to do now?" Their mother then removed all the things that were attached to her husband, starting with the white cape that had already been drenched in blood. She then swiftly removed his belt, which held all sorts of tools and apparatus.


    But still, with some of them even looking lethal, their mother seemed to expertly know how to handle and remove all of them even without looking.


    "Bernard, answer my question!"


    With her husband keeping eerily quiet, she could no longer contain herself and suddenly pped him in the face.


    "He¡­ he just disappeared."


    And the p seemed topletely wake Bernard up, as his eyes quickly wandered across the bunker, and as soon as theynded on his two children, he quickly straightened his back andposed himself.


    "We don''t know where Darkday is," Bernard then shook his head as he let his wife take care of his wounds, "After¡­ after he killed Mega Woman, he just suddenly disappeared. He treated us as if we were children, Diana. The Hope Guild was there to back Mega Woman up, but Darkday multiplied himself, dealing with all of us all at the same time."


    "What did the government say? Are they going to evacuate us!?" Diana''s voice once again became louder as she stitched her husband''s wounds, "Tell me they will evacuate us, at least Riley and Hannah¡­ They can at least do that for a member of the Hope Guild, right?"


    "They¡­ are too busy. It''s not just Toronto, honey. Brazil and Mexico also became a battlefield¡­ millions have died."


    "...No."


    Diana quickly grabbed Hannah and hugged her as soon as she heard her husband''s words. She also wanted to hug Riley, but he quickly avoided her. Hannah, however, held his hand before he couldpletely move away.


    Riley looked at his sister''s hand for a few seconds, before turning his head to the side.


    "The casualty would have probably been lowered if your group had not interfered, father." Riley then casually said, "It was clear that Darkday was only after Mega Woman¡­ those deaths, father¡­


    ...they are your fault."


    "R¡­ Riley!" Diana could not help but quickly let out a gasp from her son''s words, "Apologize to your father--"


    "It''s alright," Bernard raised his hand, "Our son is right, Diana. But you have to understand, Riley, that Mega Woman means everything to the people. We needed to help her with everything we could¡­ our only mistake is that wepletely underestimated Darkday. The powers he has ispletely unpre...dictable. It''s¡­ as if¡­"


    "Honey!"


    Before Bernard could finish his words, he suddenly fell from his seat. Diana quickly rushed to check on him, only for her hands to touch the floor beneath him that was drowned in blood. "Help me get your father up, one of his wounds opened!"


    "..."


    While his sister and mother scour to stitch up his father''s wounds, Riley just let out a short but deep sigh.


    "He has lost too much blood. He''s going to die soon if you do not close his wound," he then said.


    "W¡­ what!? Hannah, cauterize it!"


    "A¡­ are you sure!?"


    "Just do it!"


    As her mother''s cries reached its peak, Hannah quickly raised her index finger, and as she did so, a de of fire suddenly emerged from its tip. Her eyes wanted to look away as she pointed the me towards his father''s wound, but in the end, she just winced as she trailed her finger across the gash across his father''s stomach.


    "Grah!"


    Bernard was jolted awake from the pain of having his wound burnt, but still, he just gritted his teeth as he looked his daughter straight in the eyes, nodding his head and gesturing for her to continue.


    Hannah started breathing heavily as she saw the look on her father''s face. Even though her father had been wounded before and usually alwayses home with a new scar, she has never seen him once crying in pain. She truly wanted to cry, but doing so would surely cause the me in her finger to waver.


    But still, the emotions that rushed through her as her father''s cries echoed throughout the metal walls truly was overwhelming, causing the mes to flicker. And as they were about to disappear, she felt a somewhat cold touch around her head,pletely covering her ears from all the noise.


    Her mother was still holding her father down, so the hands could only belong to one other person. As she thought of that, she lightly nodded her head as the me on her fingers became more precise, cleanly cauterizing the gash quickly.


    And finally, the breaths of panic slowly turned to that of calm.


    A second.


    A minute.


    An hour, they all stood and sat there in silence as Bernardy unconscious. They tuned in on the news, trying to see if there were any updates of Darkday''s whereabouts and what he was going to do next, but nothing.


    There was nothing. Even after a week had passed, there weren''t any signs of him. The world waited, the government was on high alert and had sent superheroes all around the world to guard the people.


    With the heightened and total security, even the super viins and terrorists became dormant. After Mega Woman''s death, there was a sort of false peace that lingered the entire; the people were allowed to mourn their dead, to mourn their families, and to finally mourn Mega Woman and give her a proper funeral.


    As for Darkday?


    Darkdaypletely disappeared from the face of the world. Leaving no trace that he even existed in the first ce.


    "Mega Woman will always be the world''s hope. Hope Guild would not have existed if not for..."


    And as the people mourned for Mega Woman. As one of the members of the Hope Guild, Whiteking, stood on a pedestal and gave his speech of the greatness of the fallen hero, a boy was smiling.


    "There''s your father¡­ I thought he wasn''t going to wear that costume," Diana turned up the volume as soon as her husband appeared on television.


    "He is looking quite fat, isn''t he?"


    "Don''t let your father hear that. That was the costume he was wearing when we met. I think he was even wearing that when we created you--"


    "Ew, mom!" Hannah could not help but roll her eyes from her mother''s words, "Riley, help me out here!"


    "I wasn''t conceived by them so I will not be able to rte," Riley quickly said as he stood up from his seat, walking away from the mother and daughter duo.


    "You''re still my brother! There should be a sort of camaraderie here! Are you leaving me here!?"


    "Sshh! Your father is speaking!" Diana turned the volume of the TV to its maximum,pletely drowning her daughter''sints. Riley only took a small nce towards the TV, before heading back to his room.


    And as soon as he was in theforts of his own room, he quickly ced his hand on his mouth. A muffled giggle then whispered into the air as his shoulders trembled. But after a few seconds, his giggles were reced by the sound of a deep and heavy breath as he made his way to his closet.


    "Don''t you find it funny too?" he then whispered, "I wonder who they''re burying exactly¡­


    ...when you''re right here with me?"


    Riley then looked straight towards the unmoving eyes that presented themselves to him as soon as he opened his cab. The owner of the eyes, as if also frozen in time, remained unmoving as well-- her skinpletely pale as her body was twisted in a way no human should be able to achieve.


    "...Mega Woman."

 Prologue 3: Villain Retirement

    <h4>Prologue 3: Viin Retirement</h4>


    "...Mega Woman."


    Riley''s slightly sedated hum whispered throughout his small room as he remained staring at the naked mangled corpse inside his closet. "They are mourning you, they are crying for you...


    ...and yet they don''t even know that you''re still alive."


    Riley then slowly raised Mega Woman''s head, and as he did so, the sound of her bones cracking and hitting one another creaked in the air. There was a slight movement in her eyes, but that was it.


    No groans, no whispers, not even signs of breath escaped from her mouth-- and yet she still lives.


    "Tell me, Mega Woman. What exactly do I need to do to kill you?" Riley then pushed Mega Woman''s head away, causing it to hit the back of his closet and her whole body dropping to the ground, "Because of you... I will also have a hard time dying from now on. Do you know what the means, Mega Woman?"


    Riley then let out a long and deep sigh as he shook his head. His monotonous tone,pletely gone as he talked to a living corpse.


    "I won''t grow anymore!" Riley then stomped on Mega Woman''s head repeatedly, not too hard for it to crash through the floor, but still hard enough to crack the surface of the closet.


    "...What''s going on upstairs?" Diana, who was still watching his husband give a eulogy, could not help but blink her eyes a couple of times as she turned her head to the ceiling.


    "It''s probably just Riley doing his albinism rituals or something, don''t mind him."


    "Hannah, I told you so many times not to tease your brother like that."


    "It''s fine, it''s fine."


    Diana let out a sigh as she saw her daughter nonchntly waving her hand around. She knew she didn''t have a normal family. The fact that her husband was one of the core members of the biggest superhero team in the world already made them different from the rest.


    Her daughter had also awakened her powers at a young age. Some families would kill to have a daughter like Hannah. Hannah, however, did not even practice her powers, saying that if she grew any stronger, then she would have a responsibility to the people-- and she didn''t like that.


    Riley... well, perhaps Riley was the most problematic of them all. Riley was the biological son of one of the previous members of the Hope Guild-- who had to be put down by Bernard and her other teammates.


    Along the way, she became crazy-- even almost killing Riley, who was only 2 years old at that time. Bernard and the others found her strangling Riley, whose hands and feet werepletely bound by chains.


    Truly, if they came to the scene any second sooner, then Riley would have already died. They had troubles in pulling her away from her son, screaming and shouting that Riley needs to die; that he was a monster that should not have been born to this world.


    When Diana heard that story from her husband, shepletely burst out in tears-- causing her to adopt Riley there and then even though she hasn''t even met toddler Riley. But as soon as she met him, she once again burst out in tears.


    As Hannah keeps referring him, Riley was an albino-- his hair, his skin, as white as snow. For his own mother to call him a monster just because he looked different was truly such a tragedy. She quickly rushed to hug him, but s, Riley did not seem to want to be touched.


    She couldn''t me him, of course. After what his own biological mother did to him, it would be even more surprising if he didn''t grow cold.


    But s, 14 years after, Riley was still the same. And surprisingly, the only one that could actually have a somewhat normal conversation with him, and even touch him, was Hannah. Because of this, he had to bepletely homeschooled-- there was also that his skin was sensitive to sunlight, so she and Bernard opted to have Riley just stay with them for now.


    "Look at the outside, Mega Woman."


    Upstairs, Riley was lifting Mega Woman by his hair, with the two of them bathing on the sunlight that seeped from his window.


    "It''s still peaceful even without you," Riley took in a long and deep breath as he rested Mega Woman''s head on his shoulder, "...But it had also be boring. You''re supposed to be from another, right? Can you point me where you''re from so I can visit it?"


    Riley tried raising Mega Woman''s hand, but it fell as soon as he let it go. Seeing this, Riley could not help but let out a sigh, "It''s your fault no one can kill me on the anymore, Mega Woman. And even if they do manage to win, I will just be like you-- unable to do anything but still alive...


    ...That''s not good, Mega Woman, that''s not good at all-- I need to die. You should have at least told me when you''re going to recover from this."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I''m bored with you now, I''m returning you."


    Riley then let out a sigh as he stood up, carelessly dropping Mega Woman''s body to the floor as he walked towards his bed. And with just a single hand, he casually raised the whole mattress from its frame.


    He then lifted up his other hand, causing the bedframe to split in two, revealing what seemed to be a set of dark leather clothing, as well as a ck helmet that was dark to the point that it almost looked as if your arm would fall to the abyss if you dared touch it.


    "Once you recover, I''ll be waiting back for you. Okay, Mega Woman?" Riley then said as he looked towards Mega Woman''s body, "And don''t tell anyone about my identity, you''re the only one I trust. But it''s okay if you do since I''ll just kill everyone that knows. But please don''t tell my sister...


    ...Okay, Mega Woman? That''s a promise."


    ***


    "Although the void that Mega Woman had left behind is vast, almost unending; we, and the other superheroes that are still here, promise you that we will try our best to fill that void."


    In the center of the city, Whiteking, Riley''s adoptive father, continued his eulogy for the fallen hero; his words, heard by the thousands that surrounded him, and the billions that were listening to him through their screens and their radios.


    And even though there were thousands, not even a single breath could be heard from them as they listened to the man standing on the pedestal,pletely d in white. Besides the members of the Hope Guild, other superheroes were also present, giving their utmost respect to Mega Woman.


    "Maybe someday, a great hero will once againe to us. But there will only be one Mega Wo--"


    "Oh my god!"


    "What the fuck!?"


    Before Whiteking could finish his long and gratifying speech, the crowd that waspletely silent all started to gasp at the same time, moring and yelling words of panic. All of them were looking at the sky; Bernard also noticed that all of the superheroes became stiff, with some of them holding out their stance as they too, looked towards the sky.


    Seeing this, Bernard quickly looked to the sky behind him, but before he could even fully turn his body, he felt a slight breeze suddenly waft beside him, followed by a quiet thud.


    "..."


    With the crowd once again suddenly falling quiet, Whiteking could not help but take in a gulp as he slowly turned his head towards the noise.


    "Mega Woman!"


    And as soon as he saw the mangled corpse that was suddenly sprawled beside him, the only thing he could do was slightly back away. And as he did so, he felt something lightly hitting him on the back.


    "Nice speech, Whiteking."


    "!!!"


    Bernard quickly grabbed one of the guns that were securely fastened on his waist, but before he could point it towards the individual that suddenly stood near him, it was quickly pped away. The other superheroes also leaped onto the stage, surrounding the ck-d individual in no time.


    "D¡­ Darkday!"


    They all muttered.


    And while they werepletely focused on him, the people that were there to pay their respects to Mega Woman, all could not help but shriek and panic. They were all here to send her off, but suddenly, Mega Woman was thrown in front of them-- her corpse,pletely mangled up. But even though their panic was at its peak, none of them could move.


    They could feel their breaths weakening at every beat; their blood rising up to levels that they shouldn''t.


    "Rx."


    A voice then echoed and pierced their ears, waking them all up from their stupor. They all looked back towards the pedestal, only to see that Darkday was now the one standing there.


    "I did note here to harm any of you."


    Darkday then raised both his hands, his palms facing the crowd. Even with almost a dozen superheroes surrounding him, he didn''t even hesitate to turn his back on them; instead, his focus waspletely on the crowd.


    "As you can see, I have returned your messiah," Darkday then said, the visor of his vanta-ck helmet almost sticking to the microphone, "You''re wee."


    "Darkday, how dare you-- Kh!"


    "You''ve had your chance to speak, Whiteking. And it was very nice, good job."


    Before Bernard could finish his words, he felt an arm wrapping around his neck, threatening to take off the white mask that covered half his face. He then looked towards Darkday, only to see another exact replica of him slowly emerging from his body; duplicating themselves on their own and guarding him in a circle.


    "Mega Woman is alive," Darkday then said. And although this was wonderful news, none of the crowd could express their joy¡­ how could they, when they could clearly see how mangled her body is. Even those who were just watching from their screens could not believe what they were seeing,pletely shaken up by Darkday''s sudden appearance.


    "Maybe in a few weeks, or months, or maybe even a year; she will rise again."


    Darkday''s long but deep sigh echoed throughout the air, "But until then, you have to settle with the other weaker heroes. But do not fret, people. Until Mega Woman rests; until Mega Woman can not save your pathetic lives, I too shall take a rest."


    The other superheroes could not help but look at each other from Darkday''s words. In truth, they all might show themselves ready to fight him at any time, but how would they even hope to defeat someone who was able to toy with the most powerful superhero of all time?


    "Until Mega Woman remains asleep," Darkday then lowered his hands, cing them on the podium, "I, Darkday¡­


    ...will retire."


    ***


    "...Even with Mega Woman receiving the best possible care, there are still no signs of her waking up. They are doing--"


    "I am bored."


    Riley let himself fall on his bed as his monotonous voice almost filled the entire room, only drowned by the sound of the news that he was ying on his phone. It has been a month since he announced his retirement to the world, and he has not donned his suit since then.


    His life had be as monotonous as his voice-- waking up, eating, pretending, sleeping. He was no longer finding any excitement in watching the videos he took of Mega Woman. There was this itch growing inside of him; an itch that could only be scratched by the scent of blood lingering through the air around. A void that would only be filled as a life fades away in his hand.


    "...In line with this, the world government has announced the beginning of a new project-- an academy. An academy that would help nurture and one day hope to train the next superhero¡­


    ...that will be the next Mega Woman."


    Riley blinked a couple of times as he lifted his phone in the air, his eyes carefully watching the news anchor that was talking on the screen. And with every second the news was reflected through his eyes, a smile also slowly crawled on his face.


    "Interestingly stupid...


    ...I''m in."

 Chapter 4: Family

    <h4>Chapter 4: Family</h4>


    "I wish to be enrolled in Mega Academy, parents."


    "..."


    A few days after the announcement of the government that they have built a school to train future superheroes, the Ross family were currently having a casual dinner-- a casual dinner that was only made weird as soon as Riley opened his mouth to speak.


    "..."


    The other members of the family continued with their meal as if what they heard was just some sort of hymn from the wind. But after a few more seconds, the silence was broken by a loud nging.


    Hannah suddenly stood up from her seat, dropping her cutleries on the floor as she looked her brother straight in the eyes.


    "You¡­ want to go to school?" Hannah''s words were slightly sedated, "You, the most antisocial loner sh weirdo I have ever met in my entire life, want to go to school?"


    "Yes," Riley answered without even a slight hesitation.


    "Do you even know what that mea--"


    "That''s good! Did you hear that, honey!?"


    Before Hannah could finish her words, she was quickly disrupted by their mother''s almost deafening scream, almost a shriek, really. "Our son is finallying to age and realizing that he shouldn''t be cooped up all alone in his room! You''re finally graduating from being homeschooled!"


    "But you''re the one who decided to homeschool me, mother. I am fully capable of socializing with people."


    "We understand, dear. You''re all grown up now," Diana went over the table to give Riley a hug, but he quickly moved his chair and his te to the side to avoid her.


    And before the growing chaos could ensue, the head of the family finally decided to speak up; clearing his throat to show his intent to speak.


    "I think we are forgetting one simple fact," Bernard said before taking a sip of his coffee, obviously trying to build up suspense with his pause, "Only children with superpowers are allowed to enroll in the Academy."


    "But aren''t you going to be one of the instructors there, honey?" Diana quickly replied, "You could just enroll him secretly."


    "Hmm..." Bernard whispered as he ced his hand on his chin, "That''s a possibility, isn''t it?"


    "No, it''s not!"


    Their idea, however, was shut down by Hannah before it coulde to light, "Even if you do manage to enroll him there, he would be constantly in danger of being surrounded by Supes! Did you also forget the fact that his skin is sensitive to the sun!?"


    "Well, you can just attend with your brother?"


    "Why are the two of you such airheads when ites to brother!?"


    "I do not appreciate the tone you are taking, Hannah."


    "Am I the only one seeing the looming cmity here!?"


    "Your brother''s looks should be enough to be considered a superpower, no? Isn''t that right, my handsome baby--"


    "No!"


    Suddenly, the temperature of the entire dining room rose up; Riley''s sunsses, which he was suddenly wearing out of nowhere, was currently reflecting her sister, whose whole body was engulfed and wrapped in fire.


    "You will be putting him in danger if you enroll him there!"


    "Put the fire extinguisher down, dear." Diana immediately blocked her husband''s path, who already had the nozzle of a white fire extinguisher pointed towards Hannah. She then let out a long and deep sigh as she asked her daughter to calm down.


    "You need to understand, Hannah. We were just excited that your brother is finally learning how to take initiative in his life, we were just kidding."


    "...We were?" Bernard whispered as he hung up his phone, which was already dialing the Academy.


    "Calm down, Hannah," Diana repeated, "Or I swear I will hose you down myself and make you pay for all the damages you''ve incurred in the house since you awakened your powers."


    "F¡­ fine."


    Hannah''s unusually warm breath echoed throughout the entire room as the fire that wrapped around his body slowly withered; and immediately, Bernard threw a towel over her so she could cover herself up.


    "Sorry," Hannah then sat back down as she drank a ss of water, "This is all your fault, Riley. Why would you even open up that idea when you know you don''t even have any po...wers-- What the fuck is that?"


    "As you can see, I have powers."


    "..."


    "..."


    The whole room instantly became quiet as soon as they saw the floating knife and fork that was suddenly floating in front of Riley.


    Bernard was going to rush and swat the sharp objects away from Riley at first, but when he realized that it was expertly they were expertly circling around his finger, the only thing he could do was look at his wife and daughter to check if they were also seeing the same thing-- and seeing the bewildered looks in their faces, they were.


    "Are you... doing that?"


    "Yes, I have already stated that I have powers, father."


    And as soon as he said that, the cutleries that were circling around his finger spun even faster, "I suppose you could say I can move things with my mind, father."


    "Telekinesis!? Since when!?" Bernard''s voice was almost louder than Hannah''s earlier screams.


    "...When I woke up."


    "That''s impossible, those who awakened telekinesis can''t control their powers that well at day 1!" Hannah once again started to raise her voice, but this time, no change in temperature was found.


    "...When I woke up a month ago."


    "I see, that makes sense," Diana nodded her head.


    "No, it does-- You know what, I''m going to my room. I am done dealing with you guys." And with that, Hannah abruptly left, taking her te with her as her steps left embers on the floor.


    "I will also take my leave. Thank you for the food, parents. And thank you in advance for enrolling me to the Academy as well."


    Riley then also stood up from his seat, carefully arranging his and his sister''s chair before going up to his room. With their two children gone, Diana and Bernard immediately looked at each other with a sigh.


    "They are growing up too fast, aren''t they?" Diana said as she sat beside her husband and rested her head on his shoulder, "Perhaps the Academy would be good for the both of them. Hannah''s powers are getting too strong, it would be more and more difficult for her if she just tries to ignore it."


    "Hm," Bernard only nodded in response.


    "As for Riley, he would finally have a chance at the normal life we couldn''t provide for him," Diana continued despite Bernard only nodding his head at her every word, "And we could also have the chance to rx. We haven''t had time alone since we had Hannah. Perhaps we should move to a different neighborhood since we-- Are you even listening to what I am saying?"


    "Yes, of course," Bernard once again nodded, "It''s just that¡­ Riley''s powers trouble me."


    "...Why?"


    "Because it''s the same as Ms. Phoenix."


    "Are you afraid he would start asking questions about his real mother?"


    "You are his real mother, Diana," Bernard quickly said, "But yes, I think the time he asks about his biological parents is soon upon us."


    "There''s no need to be nervous, honey."


    Hearing thement in her husband''s words, the only thing that Diana could do was let out a sigh and pat his shoulders, "We knew this day woulde sooner orter, I am sure they are ready too."


    "Hm¡­ so we''re enrolling both of them?"


    "It''s decided¡­


    ...but they need to pass first."


    ***


    "So¡­ why exactly am I here?"


    "Because you wanted to attend the Academy as well?"


    "No!"


    Riley and Hannah were currently out on a field, lined up with several other people of seemingly simr age. There was a middle-aged woman wearing sses, slowly walking in front of Riley and the others as she checked the documents in her hand.


    And as she made it in front of Riley and Hannah, she abruptly stopped, looking at the two of them from head to toe.


    "Don''t expect any special treatments," she then whispered before proceeding to check the other examinees.


    6 weeks after Riley''s discussion with his family, Mega Academy had finally started epting students; and due to their father, the two were able to squeeze themselves in the first batch of examinees.


    Whether that was a good thing or not, it doesn''t really matter for the two. Riley then scanned the rest of the examinees, who some seemed to be even younger than him; and seeing that the examiner had sufficient information of all the people here, it would seem that Riley''s first theory was right-- the Academy wasn''t built to nurture future superheroes¡­


    ...It was built to serve as a surveince system.


    And Mega Woman wouldn''t like that.

 Chapter 5: Hannah Ross, Pyrokinesis

    <h4>Chapter 5: Hannah Ross, Pyrokinesis</h4>


    "Next!"


    Based on the current public data that the government had surveyed, 1 out of 20 people had superpowers, and almost minimally increasing annually. And also based on their research, out of the 20 people, excluding the one that had already dered they have powers, it is said that one is hiding their abilities.


    With the world''s current poption of approximately 5 billion, there were almost half a billion super-powered humans roaming in the world-- including those who were in hiding. With that number, the government would not really be able to efficiently track every special individual that may be a threat to the world.


    But with the birth of Mega Academy, as well as the incentive of having the chance of bing the world''s greatest superhero, they have finely targeted people with dreams-- children and teenagers.


    Children who were otherwise scared to expose themselves, children who were hidden by their parents because of the danger their power held, children who did not understand what they truly are.


    Teenagers who wanted to be something big, teenagers who wanted to explore their powers, teenagers who just wanted to belong.


    With the promise of the Academy to train and hone their abilities, these individuals would surely surface, making it easier for the government to track anyone who even had an inkling of superpowers.


    The only reason why the government had not done this until now was because of the existence of Mega Woman, who waspletely against militarizing super-powered individuals. And with a school controlled by a government, stationed in different countries-- that was not so far-fetched. The fact they already even had the facility to amodate such an action was proof enough that they had nned this way before, and were just waiting for a chance to make it happen.


    Well, at least that is what Riley thought as he continued to watch the other examinees showcase their unique powers and abilities.


    "...Why are you smiling? Stop being so creepy." Hannah, who was beside him, could not help but slightly move away from him as a small hint ofughter was escaping from his mouth, "Don''t tell me you are actually happy that you finally get the chance to go to school? Let me tell you, it''s nothing special."


    He couldn''t help it-- seeing all of these people disying their powers, the only thing that Riley could think of was how easy it would be to just snap their necks or squash their heads in.


    Dreaming of wanting to be the next Mega Woman? Pathetic. Her powers were way beyond that of everyone else.


    Flight, Herculean strength, Minor telekinesis, Heat vision, Superspeed, Nigh-invulnerability, and as it would seem but not yet proven, Near-immortality. Her powers were simple, cliche, even. But the level of her strength was undeniable.


    And so, right now, as Riley watched the current examinee showing his powers, he once again could not help but let out a muffled giggle, garnering the attention of the other examinees near him.


    "Bro, don''t do that," Hannah could not help but let out a short but deep sigh as she pulled Riley near her, "That''s a guaranteed way to be bullied, yourplexion is already weird as it is, don''t add anything to it."


    Hearing his sister''s words, Riley quickly nodded his head. He was here to blend in and to pass time while waiting for Mega Woman''s recovery, if something happens and he has no choice but to ''identally'' kill everyone here, then he would be left with nothing to do.


    Blend and adapt, blend and adapt-- Riley repeated to himself. But as soon as he saw the examinee currently showcasing her powers, the only thing he could do was close his eyes to try and ignore it.


    The power to not be seen by the naked eye, invisibility-- that was the examinee''s power. Even if Riley can''t see her, he could just destroy the whole vicinity and she would surely be one of the--


    Stop. Riley took in a long and deep breath as he tried to center his thoughts. He didn''t truly realize how hard it was to be surrounded by people without his mask on. As Darkday, he could say and do anything he wanted, without any filter.


    But now that he was out in the world as Riley, he was having a difficult time adjusting. But he would try; he promised himself not to look away from the next examinee that would showcase his or her powers.


    "Next!"


    "Silvie Savelievna."


    "Savelievna?"


    "Is that Russian? Why is a Russian here?"


    Hearing the female examinee introducing herself, most of the examinees started to look at each other; the merging of their whispers, enough to be heard by everyone. The female examinee, Silvie, however, did not seem to mind as she just looked at the supervisor.


    "You can start."


    As soon as the supervisor gave her permission to do so, her feet quickly left the ground; slightly pushing the des of grass that were previously peacefully resting beneath her feet. But that was not all, she flew to the weights that were strategically ced for the examinees to use and proceeded to lift the heaviest one without exerting any visible effort.


    "That''s enough."


    It would seem that she had more in her arsenal as she remained floating in the air. But before she could do anything more, she was ordered by the supervisor to return to her line. Most of the people that were previously chatting and murmuring about herpletely shut their mouths, and the one on her left couldn''t help but scooch to the side, instinctively avoiding her.


    How could he not, when she disyed powers simr to that of Mega Woman?


    The one on her right, however, did not even flinch and only looked at her curiously, before turning her head to the other side.


    "Oho, what''s with that look? Don''t tell me you''re gaining a crush?" Hannah then let out a small giggle as she saw her brother with his mouth slightly open, his eyespletely fixated on the girl beside her, "Maybe it was worth it being your chaperone after all."


    Hannah continued to tease Riley, even waving her pinky finger in front of his face. Riley, however,pletely ignored her and focused on Silvie. He didn''t recognize or realize it earlier since his sister waspletely blocking Silvie from his view, but if Riley''s guess was right¡­


    ...then Silvie should be rted to Mega Woman, maybe even her daughter. And it''s not only the fact that she had simr abilities, but they also look somewhat alike. Out of all the people here, he was probably the only one who had seen Mega Woman up close and without her mask.


    "...Stop that," Hannah, who had seen the weird growing smile on her brother''s face, could not help but want to cover his face, "If you want to woo someone, smiling like a serial killer is not the way to go."


    "Next!"


    "Don''t do anything weird while I am gone!"


    With her being called forward, Hannah slightly hesitated as she tried to warn her brother. She then looked towards Silvie, snapping her fingers to get her attention.


    "If my brother does anything weird to you, I give you the permission to very lightly p him on the face," she said before walking to the front.


    "..." Silvie wondered what her co-examinee meant by her words, but as soon as she turned to look at the direction she pointed to, she could not help but slightly back away.


    How could she not, when the strangest looking person she had ever seen in her entire life was widely smiling at her? It did not help that his whole body waspletely wrapped in clothes, with his face the only thing you could see on him.


    "...Hi?" However, as soon as she tried to greet him, the boy''s smile quickly dropped as he looked away. The only thing she could do was blink a couple of times as she too, focused her attention towards the current examinee.


    "Hannah Ross, Pyrokinesis."


    Hannah casually said as she flicked her finger, summoning a ze hovering on its tip. She was going to return to her line, but before she could do so, the supervisor stopped her.


    "Is that all? I am afraid you will not be able to pass if that is all you can do."


    "Seriously? I don''t even want to-- Fine." Hannah could only groan in frustration as she returned to the front. And as she did so, Riley took a few steps back, distancing himself away from Hannah before wearing his sunsses.


    "..." Silvie, who saw him suddenly moving back, could not help but look back and forth between him and Hannah. But after a few seconds, she too decided to step back a few steps.


    As soon as Hannah got back to the front, she quickly looked towards Riley, who had both his thumbs up. Seeing this, Hannah let out a light scoff. Since her brother was cheering for her, then as her big sister, she shouldn''t disappoint-- she thought as she closed her eyes, taking a long and deep breath.


    From afar, it looked as if Hannah''s body was bing distorted, as if a ripple of water was surrounding her entire body. The des of grass beneath her feet also started to wave, but not for long as they soon slowly turned to ashes.


    And as Hannah let go of her breath, a bundle of smoke fumed from her mouth. And as soon as she opened her eyes, a whistle of a cry roared through the air as mes instantly wrapped her entire body, causing a small thunder that lifted her up into the air.


    With her slightly hovering from the ground, Hannah then turned her me-d face towards the supervisor.


    "...Happy?"

 Chapter 6: D... Riley

    <h4>Chapter 6: D... Riley</h4>


    "...Happy?"


    A small smile slowly crawled on the face of the supervisor as the heat that Hannah was releasing was fiery enough for it to reach her, even though she was already meters away from the ming creature.


    The mes in Hannah''s body did not really offset from her body too much, tightly wrapping her body like some sort of loose suit. However, from time to time, there were res iling out from her, almost like aser or a sh of light that made the temperature rise even further.


    "That''s fine, examinee Hannah Ross," the supervisor then wrote something on her file as she finally pulled her eyes away from Hannah, "You may go back to your line, next!"


    "..."


    "..."


    "What are you doing? Go back to your line."


    But to her surprise, Hannah did not move from her spot, still slightly hovering from the ground as the mes on her body burned even hotter, almost releasing some sort of searing noise that whispered to the ears of the other contestants.


    Silvie Savelievna, who moved several steps backward because she saw Riley doing the same, finally realized why he did so.


    The current examinee, Hannah Ross¡­


    ...can''t control her powers that well.


    "Chill out, sis," Hannah then turned towards the supervisor as she once again urged her to return to her line. And although her words seemed rxed, the stress in her voice was clear for everyone to hear.


    It also didn''t help that when she looked at her brother, the only thing he did was pull up his zipper even higher and tighten his hoodie while taking another few steps back.


    Hannah Ross had never really once explored her power; she did enough that it was able to help her light up the stove or help her father when he needed to repair his tools with a shrink tube. There were also her slight outbursts, but other than that, she wasn''t interested enough for her to practice it religiously-- after all, no one in her family other than her had superpowers.


    Her mother, Diana Ross, had the strength of a gori, but it wasn''t really a superpower-- she just became like that from the stress of having to take care of the rest of the family.


    As for her father, Bernard Ross, he is also a normal human-- at least the peak of what humans could achieve. Even though he was part of the most famous superhero league in the world, he didn''t have any superpowers. He was able to join it due to the masterful use of his tools, which he had also created by himself.


    He was also a master of all the fighting styles and martial arts one could think of, even creating one or two of his own style. Okay, maybe his father was a bit extraordinary after all. But still, Whiteking, by definition, no matter how extraordinary, is still a normal human.


    And her brother¡­ well, no one really knew he was a Super until they just randomly told them.


    "Hannah Ross, please return to your line."


    "I said chill out!"


    The mes around her grew even stronger as the supervisor once again urged her to go down. With her scream, the other younger examinees could not help but slightly feel a small panic, causing some of them to let out a small gasp. But still, they did not move from their spot as they thought it would be seen as a weakness.


    "...Is your sister alright?" Silvie then slightly leaned closer towards Riley.


    Riley, however, instead of answering her, only stared at her straight in the eyes. If Silvie wasn''t weirded out by him before, she was now. However, Riley''s blue eyes, which were almost glowing, made it hard for Silvie to move her eyes away from him.


    But finally, after a few more seconds of this awkward situation, Riley answered.


    "She''s fine," he muttered monotonously before turning his attention back to her sister, "She''s perfect."


    "..." Hearing this, Silvie slowly took a step away from Riley.


    "Could it be, you are unable to control your powers?"


    "I can! Just shut up!"


    The supervisor then slowly approached Hannah, while still writing something down on her file.


    "What¡­ what are you doing, stay away!"


    "Now I know why they chose me as the supervisor," the supervisor then let out a long and deep sigh as she gently dropped the examinees'' files on the ground as she continued to approach Hannah,


    "It''s because of you."


    "Wha--"


    Before Hannah could finish her words, a light snap whispered in her ears as the supervisor suddenly pped her hands.


    The supervisor then stretched her arms to the side, and as soon as she did so, spheres of water suddenly emerged like a bubble to her sides, materializing out of nowhere. And without even any warning, she once again pped her hands.


    "!!!"


    The two spheres of water, almost the size of a tank, quickly sandwiched Hannah as they merged into a one huge sphere,pletely confining her inside. It was a good thing that her father had made her a suit, made from materials that were able to withstand the extreme heat and fire that her power produces. If not, then everyone would have had a clear view of her naked body as soon as the water prison confined her.


    "...Interesting."


    But still, even with her whole body drowning in water, some of the mes persisted-- boiling a part of the sphere. Seeing this, the supervisor slightly flicked her finger, causing the sphere of water topress even tighter.


    "..." Darkday''s eyes slightly twitched as she saw his sister struggling, gasping for air as the ball of water continued to restrict her breath; his fingers, slightly itching as he turned his attention towards the supervisor.


    If he kills the supervisor here, was there a chance he might be discovered? He could probably make her head explode without even anyone noticing, but that would surely garner the attention of the higher-ups of the Academy.


    A more¡­ stealthy approach, then?


    "Hm?"


    The supervisor let out a small gasp of air as she felt her chest slightly tightening, her heart slowly beating in a chaotic manner. Seeing her slightly flinch, a smile could not help but slowly build up on Darkday''s face. He then took a long and deep breath as he felt the beating of the supervisor''s heart on the palm of his hand; just one grip, then her life would be over. It had been a long time since he hadst taken someone''s life-- 2 months, at least. His fingers were truly just shaking from the excitement.


    "Please, stop this!"


    But before he could psychokically squeeze the life out of the supervisor, a loud voice rang through his left ear, causing him to stop.


    "..."


    Silvie then rushed forward, patting the supervisor on the shoulder, "Please stop, miss supervisor. She''s going to drown if you do not release her soon."


    Although her words were somewhat fluent, the tiny bit of her Russian ent remained in her voice.


    Weird, Riley thought. Mega Woman''s ent waspletely American-- was it possible this Silvie was a rtive from far away? But she and Mega Woman looked too much alike for them to be distant rtives.


    Perhaps Mega Woman''s husband was from Russia?


    Once again, Riley found himself looking at Mega Woman Jr.


    If he killed him¡­ would she also have the same kind of immortality as Mega Woman? If she did, then that would probably prove his assumption that she was, indeed, Mega Woman''s daughter. But what if she didn''t? What if she just dies if he kills her¡­ then she''d just die without even having the chance of getting stronger.


    A flower gone too soon is just weed, Riley thought.


    Riley''s eyes started to move randomly as different scenarios appeared in his mind-- but after what seemed like a second, he finally reached a conclusion on how he would know who she truly was¡­


    ...He''d just ask her once he had the chance to do so.


    With Silvie patting the supervisor''s shoulder, the tight feeling in her chest also gradually faded away-- waking her up from the slight stupor she found herself in. She quickly released the sphere of water, causing Hannah to drop down from the air.


    Hannah''s grasp for air whispered to the ears of the other examinees, causing them to wince from the cracking of her voice.


    "Are you alright?" Silvie quickly rushed towards to help her, while the supervisor waved her hand, calling for the medics toe forward.


    "I¡­ I''m fine," Hannah said as she struggled to even stand up from almost having drowned, "...Thanks."


    Silvie then had no choice but to back away as the medics came rushing in, quickly taking her away to the side. Riley was about to follow them, but Hanah quickly waved her hand and gestured to her to stay-- which he did.


    The other examinees could not help but whisper and murmur to each other as they watched her being taken away. They were first awed by Silvie''s disy of her powers, however, with Hannah''s performance, most of it waspletely burned away.


    "This is what the Academy is for, children!" The supervisor then picked up the files of the examinees from the ground, patting it for any dirt, "That girl was a fine example of why it is dangerous for you to keep hiding your powers-- some are too lethal to be contained."


    Hearing the supervisor''s words, some of the examinees could not help but nod in agreement; even Silvie let out a sigh as nodded. The only one that was not moving his head was Riley, whose eyes were still following his sister as she was being checked by the medics.


    "Let''s move on, next!"


    "..."


    "Next!"


    "..."


    "I said next!"


    "It''s your turn."


    Riley blinked a couple of times as he heard Silvie''s voice. He then looked at her, before moving his eyes to the front as he finally heard the supervisor calling for him.


    "Next! Stop dawdling, you''re holding up the line!"


    "D¡­ Riley Ross, Telekinesis."

 Chapter 7: Oops

    <h4>Chapter 7: Oops</h4>


    "D¡­ Riley Ross, Telekinesis."


    Hearing Riley''s monotonous voice, the other examinees quickly looked at each other.


    "Ross? Is he rted to the fire girl earlier?"


    "Most likely, they''re just next to each other."


    "But still¡­ why is he wearing something like that in the middle of summer?"


    Even more so with them being rted, the other examinees could not help but whisper to each other as Riley slowly made his way to the front. With him still wearing sunsses, as well as his hoodie zipped all the way up to his nose-- he waspletely covered up.


    "...I need to see your face, Mr. Riley."


    The supervisor, of course, was also slightly weirded out by Riley. She knew who the two were, as she knew the identity of their father; who would also happen to be teaching in the Academy once the school year started.


    And so, even more, she had to be strict with them. There were also many other children who were the sons or daughters of other superheroes, she was told not to give them any special treatment-- and she was going to do just that.


    Hannah was quite an interesting case, a loose cannon that perhaps would benefit most from attending the academy. It was wise of Whiteking to hide her from the world, as her powers would surely attract the attention of the people, but mostly... the terrorists that were crawling through the depths.


    She wasn''t the only pyrokic in the world. But she was one of the few that is still alive¡­ or not part of an evil organization.


    But to think he wasn''t only hiding one, but two supes.


    She was about to make Riley take off his hoodie once again, but as soon as she rechecked his file and saw that the sun was harmful to his skin, she quickly made him stop. Riley, however, did not as he casually took off his jacket.


    "!!!"


    "Riley!" Hannah, who was being checked by the medics, quickly pushed them away as she rushed towards her brother.


    "It''s alright, Hannah..." Riley said as he threw his hoodie and sunsses towards her,


    "...I applied sunscreen," he said in a monotonous tone as he raised his thumb, "SPF 150."


    He did not really need to, the sun was not really harmful to his skin¡­ at least not anymore. But to appease his sister, he still chose to apply it.


    But still, Hannah continued to step towards Riley to give him back his hoodie, but before she could do so, she was pulled away by the medics who were previously checking up on her. She wanted to resist, but could not do so as she might harm the people blocking her path; and so, the only thing she could do was hope that nothing would happen to her brother.


    Everyone else, however, had their eyes wide open. With the sun shining down on him, Riley looked as if he was glowing. It did not help that he was wearing a white t-shirt underneath.


    "...An albino?" A whisper escaped from one of the other examinees.


    "Wow, first time I am seeing one."


    "So that''s why he was fully covered up."


    Once again, the other examinees began to look at each other. Silvie was perhaps the only one who did not react that strongly, as she had already partly seen his face earlier when he was¡­ creepily smiling at her.


    But still, looking at him now, a slight interest was slowly growing inside of her. Hannah had already made her interested as soon as she showed her fiery powers. So, as her brother, she could not help but wonder just what kind of strength this Riley has-- she thought as she tried her hardest not to miss even the tiniest detail.


    "That''s enough, quiet down!"


    The examinees'' whispers quickly dispersed as soon as the supervisor pped her hands once more, "You can begin," she then said as she checked on Riley.


    "...Okay."


    Hearing the supervisor''s words, Riley carefully grabbed something from his pocket. And Hannah, who was still being checked by the medics, could not help but almost stumble as soon as she realized what was in Riley''s hand-- his cutlery set.


    "Riley Ross, Telekinesis."


    Riley once again repeated his introduction as the knife, fork, and the spoon in his hand slowly started to float in the air.


    "..."


    ''That''s it?''-- was the collective thought of everyone there. Their breaths of disappointment quickly covered the entire field as they looked at Riley. With the way he looked, as well as the performance of his sister before him, they all thought that Riley would do something special; or at least match the intensity of his sister''s powers.


    But making spoons float? Every child who has awoken with telekic powers could do that.


    "That''s it?"


    Finally, the supervisor voiced out all of their thoughts.


    "I am afraid you won''t be able to pass the exam if that''s all you can do. Remember, the purpose of the Academy is to train the next superhero that would be the next Mega Woman. If this is all that you could do at your age, I am afraid that it would be impossible for you to even think of achieving that...


    ...and that goes for all of you," the supervisor then said as she looked at the other remaining examinees, "If you think that--"


    "Oh my god!"


    Before the supervisor could finish her words, one of the examinees suddenly screamed. She was going to ask why he did so, but she didn''t have to. As soon as she moved her body, she felt a slight paining from her torso.


    "This¡­" She quickly looked towards her chest, only to see something lodged into it. She then turned her head towards the cutlery that was spinning around Riley, which was now missing a piece-- the spoon.


    "Oh no," Riley hummed, "I apologize. Like my sister¡­


    ...I also can''t control my power that well," he said as he flicked his finger.


    "Kh!" The supervisor could not help but slightly wince in pain as the spoon lodged in her chest began to move, shaking erratically as it was slowly being pulled away.


    "S¡­ stop," the supervisor muttered as she grabbed the spoon, "Don''t make it any worse!"


    "Sorry. It''s doing it on its own."


    "It''s not! Just stop using your powers!" The supervisor then stretched her arms to the side as she once again summoned spheres of water.


    "Ah, I did it!"


    However, before she could do anything with them, the spoon prating her chest quickly dislodged itself, causing her to take in a short but very deep breath which made the spheres of water drop and scatter on the ground.


    "Medic!"


    If the spoon was just a little bit to the right, then it would have definitely hit her heart. And so, as soon as she was able, she quickly called for the medics, who were able to at least quickly stop her from bleeding using their powers.


    With her now away from death''s door, she quickly stood up from the ground and rushed towards Riley, who quickly hid his cutlery back in his pocket.


    "Are you alright now, supervisor?"


    "You¡­" The supervisor wanted to p Riley''s head in. But as he said, it wasn''t truly his fault. She should have known from her sister that Riley''s powers aren''t that simple. Just from the fact that the spoon he was controlling was identally able to pierce her skin was enough proof that he was also hiding great strength in him.


    And so, with that thought, the supervisor could only grit her teeth in frustration as she shook her head, "I''m fine. idents happen all the time, go back to your line."


    "Did I pass?"


    "Don''t ask me that!" The supervisor raised her voice as she ordered Riley to go back to his line, "We''re going to take a few minutes break. Those who are already done, you can go ahead and take the Assessment test instead of dawdling around here."


    Hearing the supervisor''s words, the other examinees could not help but once again voice out their disappointment. They were having fun watching all sorts of other people disy their powers, it was like watching an audition live¡­ which is practically what they were doing now.


    But s, they could do nothing but disperse.


    "It''s not your fault, Riley."


    Hannah walked beside her brother as soon as she was able to, "It''s that bitch''s fault for triggering us. Gather untrained children with unpredictable powers in one area, what a good idea¡­ whoever thought of this is stupid. Stupid, I tell you, just like the government."


    "Really?" Riley looked at his sister straight in the eyes, "I think it''s quite fun."


    "Of course it is," Hannah rolled her eyes as she hastened her steps, "From a recluse, anything would seem fun. Come, let''s just take the god damn stupid tests and get this over with."


    "...I am sorry for dragging you here, sister."


    "Psh, stop being so dramatic," Hannah slightly trembled as she heard Riley''s words. But after a few moments, she stopped walking and turned her head towards Riley, carrying a small smile on her face, "Besides, you''re kinda right¡­


    ...It is somewhat fun, isn''t it?"

 Chapter 8: For a Normal School Life?

    <h4>Chapter 8: For a Normal School Life?</h4>


    "My god, this is so boring. Just how long do we have to wait here?"


    "But you just said a while ago that this is quite fun."


    "That was earlier. Jesus, just how many Supes are there for the interviews to take this long?"


    "I am not Jesus, sister. But do you still want me to answer your question?"


    "Shut the fuck up."


    Riley and Hannah, along with many other examinees, had just finished answering their assessment test and were just waiting to be called by one of the Academy''s staff. They were still in the same room where they took the written test, and so many others were also having their private conversation; making friends with future potential ssmates.


    The girl that Riley had hypothesized to be Mega Woman''s daughter, Silvie, was also in the same room, surrounded by a lot of examinees asking her different sets of questions.


    Even without the official school year even starting, even without knowing if they will pass or not, most of the people in the room were already forming their own groups-- the two siblings, however, seemed to be in a world of their own as they continued to only talk with one another. Some of the examinees that sat near them held signs of obviously wanting to converse with the two, but quickly backed out as soon as they heard Hannah cursing.


    "Did you know that there are theories that Jesus is actually one of the earliest recorded super--"


    "Please don''t. Just don''t ever tell that story to anyone if you want to gain even a single friend."


    Hannah quickly covered her brother''s mouth before he could start his ridiculous story. This actually wasn''t the first time she would be hearing that story from him, as he had already told that story once; when their mother had told Riley to share what he was up totely one innocent dinner time.


    And that one innocent dinner time had quickly turned into something gruesome; as Riley''s story did not really end on a good note.


    "Oh, I think I have heard of that once!"


    Riley quickly looked to the side as one of the examinees suddenly jumped between him and his sister,pletely avoiding the examinee''s eyes.


    "The fuck," Hannah could not help but slightly raise an eyebrow with the sudden appearance of the young man, "Hello? Privacy?"


    "Close, but my name is Gary," the young man then reached out his hand towards Hannah as he let out a wide smile, "I already know your name, so you don''t really need to introduce yourself."


    "...Right, the name''s Hannah." Hannah squinted her eyes as she shook the young man''s hand, "Did you need something?" She then said as she quickly let it go.


    "No, not really," Gary shrugged his shoulders as he turned his attention towards Riley, reaching his hand towards him, "I was just curious about your brother''s story¡­


    ...Riley, was it?"


    "That is my name, yes." Although Riley answered Gary''s question swiftly, he didn''t take his hand; which caused Gary to turn towards Hannah as if gesturing if he did something wrong.


    "My brother''s just selective with people," Hannah said as she squinted her eyebrows even further, "Especially to those who get too close."


    "Oh, I see," Gary blinked a couple of times as he retracted his hand, "Is he autistic or something?"


    "What the fuck did you say!?"


    The other examinees present in the room quickly shut their mouths as the sound of a desk screeching on the floor rang through their ears. All of them quickly turned their eyes towards the direction of the noise, only to see a girl grabbing someone by their cors.


    "What''s happening?"


    Most of them began to whisper, wondering what was going on. They quickly recognized Hannah, making their whispers louder and more targeted. Those who were near themotion started to tell their version of the events of what just transpired.


    "Really? That guy called her brother like that?"


    "Is it true, though? He does seem kind of off."


    "That¡­ kinda makes him dangerous, right? He was the one who stabbed the supervisor earlier..."


    Hearing the words that were reaching her ears, Hannah could not help but click her tongue as she looked Gary straight in the eyes.


    As for Gary, he already had both his arms raised in surrender, letting out an awkward chuckle as he apologized to Hannah.


    "Sorry, I didn''t mean anything rude by it," he said, "I also have a friend that is in the spectrum, so I just assumed that you would be fine with me calling him that, I truly am sorry."


    "Stop fuckingughing. You think calling someone you just met autistic is fine?" Although the volume of her voice was low, the agitation in Hannah''s tone was clear for everyone to hear. A hint of smoke was also starting to emerge from the cor of Gary''s shirt.


    "Sorry, Iugh when I''m nervous," Gary once again chuckled awkwardly as a hint of sweat trailed from his face, "I really didn''t mean anything by it, please don''t burn my shirt; I just bought this."


    "You--"


    "Please calm down, Ms. Ross."


    Before Hannah could say another word, she felt a light taping from her shoulder. She turned her head to see who it was, only to find Silvie shaking her head at her, "If a supervisor sees you doing this, it might affect your chances of getting into the Academy. The simpleton had also apologized, perhaps settle this at another time if it happens again?"


    "O¡­ Ouch," Gary could not help but stutter as he was suddenly called a simpleton.


    "Tch," and so, with Silvie getting in between them, as well as the looks they were getting from the other examinees, Hannah could only let go of Gary.


    "I really didn''t mean it," Gary once again apologized towards Hannah, before turning his attention to Riley and apologizing to him as well. Seeing him sincerely regretting his action, Hannah finally let out a sigh as she waved her hand.


    "I might have overreacted a little bit. Thank you for holding me back, Ms. Sav¡­ Savelib?"


    "Savelievna. But you can just call me Silvie, Ms. Ross," Silvie let out a small hum as she let out a small smile.


    "Then you can just call me Hannah as well."


    Hannah and Silvie then proceeded to shake each other''s hands as they introduced themselves.


    "...Call me Gary?"


    "Why are you still here?"


    "R¡­ right," seeing Hannah ring at him, the only thing that Gary could do was let out a sigh and turn around.


    "Sorry for calling you autistic, Riley," he then once again apologized before taking his leave. However, before he could even take 3 steps, Riley unexpectedly replied to him.


    "Why do you keep on apologizing?" Riley muttered monotonously, "You''re right, I am diagnosed with autism, which indeed makes me autistic."


    "T¡­ that''s¡­" Gary could only take in a gulp as another drop of sweat started to trail on his face.


    Hannah, on the other hand, could not help but nt her palm on her face as she let out a long and deep sigh. It almost felt like she wasted her anger and agitation for nothing. Throughout their years together, she had only seen Riley lie once or twice, and it was for something totally ridiculous. Of course, he won''t lie even for his own sake.


    As for Silvie, she just let out a small, "Oh," as she finally realized why he was smiling at her earlier-- he was probably just having a hard time trying to start up a conversation.


    "He¡­ is kinda cute, isn''t he?"


    "I want to take him home."


    As for the other examinees, well¡­ let''s just say all sorts of thoughts were starting to race through their minds. This weird atmosphere would have probably continued if not for the Academy supervisor that entered the room.


    "Riley Ross, it''s your turn for the interview."


    And it just so happened that the center of all the attention was the next one to be called.


    "Don''t say anything weird, alright?" Hannah quickly fixed Riley''s hair and straightened out his clothes, "Normal school life, let''s achieve a normal school life, please."


    "We are in a school for super-powered individuals, sister. I am afraid that''s impossible."-- was Riley''s answer as he followed the supervisor out of the room.


    "..."


    "Your brother is quite a handful, isn''t he?" Silvie let out a small giggle as she watched Riley''s back disappear from the door.


    "Tell me about it," Hannah''s sighs almost filled the entire room.


    "You seem to really love your brother, though?" Gary said as he shook his head, "Man, I am jealous. I wish I could have--"


    "What the fuck are you still doing here?"


    ***


    "Riley Ross, Age 16¡­ and your power is telekinesis?"


    "I suppose."


    "And we were told that you caused an ident during the demonstration."


    "I suppose."


    Riley now found himself surrounded by 5 people, all wearing a unique set of clothes-- costumes.


    And, as a matter of course, Riley recognized the 5; they were all superheroes that he had encountered before in his adventurous life as Darkday.


    "The people in this room all know who your father is," one of the interviewers that had his eyes covered with a blindfold said, "So in respect to him, we are going to give it to you straight. With the answers you gave in the assessment test¡­


    ...you are not suited to be a superhero."

 Chapter 9: Q and A

    <h4>Chapter 9: Q and A</h4>


    "Based on the answers you gave in the assessment test¡­


    ...you are not suited to be a superhero."


    "...I suppose."


    "..."


    "..."


    The 5 superheroes that were interviewing Riley could not help but turn their heads to each other as they awkwardly waited for him to say more. But even after almost a quarter of a minute, his mouth remained unmoving as he just sat there, staring silently towards the wall behind them.


    "Do not be dejected, young man. We will not fail you just because of this."


    And finally, after what seemed like another full minute of silence, one of the interviewers decided to speak. It was the superhero known as Spectacr Mustache Man; named obviously because of the abnormally long but straight mustache sticking off of his face.


    "That is why we are having this interview in the first ce, to discuss the answers you chose more in depth," he said as he scanned the paper in front of him while stroking his mustache. And after checking it for a few seconds, he let out a long and deep sigh as he turned his focus back to Riley, who was still just quietly staring at the wall.


    "Let me be honest with you, young man. The result of your test is absolutely horrendous."


    With Spectacr Mustache Man''s words reverberating through the room, the other 4 heroes all nodded their heads in agreement. "We will let the fact that you identally hurt a supervisor in the earlier test slide, as it says here in your file that you have only awakened to your powers a few months ago. Your answers to the assessment test, however, are something that we can''t overloo-- Are you listening?"


    "I am."


    "...Right," Spectacr Mustache Man could not help but slightly squint his eyes as Riley answered him nonchntly, "Let''s move on and discuss your answers. So in the very first question, the test asked you what you would do if you see an old woman struggling to cross the street; and from the 4 given choices, you chose D: Push her off the street¡­


    ...Why on earth would you choose that?"


    "Because she is struggling."


    "Then you could have just chosen A: Help her cross the street."


    "...Why?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he slightly tilted his head to the side, "The test said she is already struggling to cross the street, why would I help her struggle more? That is not something a hero would do."


    "What?" Spectacr Mustache Man furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "What do you mean? She is struggling to cross the street, so the obvious way to alleviate her struggle is to help her cross the street."


    "...I see," Riley muttered, "I suppose I may have misunderstood the question."


    How can someone even misunderstand that question? It was the most simple question in the whole test-- the 5 superheroes thought as they once again turned their heads to each other. And what does he mean by ''that is not something a hero would do''?


    So pushing an old woman off the street was something a hero would do?


    It was already implied in Riley''s file that he was diagnosed with some form of autism, but to think hisck of social awareness was to the point that it almost made them slightly ufortable.


    "..."


    And so, once again, the room was filled with silence. It wasn''t until the only female superhero from the group of interviewers stood up that the silence was broken. The others wondered what she was going to do, but she didn''t really give them a sign as she proceeded to sit on the floor in front of Riley.


    "Hi Riley, my name is Scarlet Mage. Do you know who I am?"


    Riley only slightly moved his eyes a bit, before nodding his head. Of course, he knows who she is-- he almost killed her once. And it wasn''t only her, the remaining four had also almost been killed by him. The only reason they were still alive today was because Mega Woman would alwayse in to save the day.


    He could probably kill them now. But s, for the duration of Mega Woman''s recovery, he was in retirement.


    "You don''t have to worry, okay?" Scarlet Mage then let out a smile, her voice sweet enough to warm up the whole room, "Everyone in this Academy is your friend, especially us in this room, okay?"


    "Thank you for your kindness, Scarlet Mage. But I am not a child, you do not need to treat me as such."


    "Of course not," Scarlet Mage let out a giggle as she looked at the paper she was holding, "I have another question, is that alright with you?"


    "Yes, as Spectacr Mustache Man said, that is what this interview is for."


    "Okay. This is question 16: You have an arch-enemy that you have finally beaten after a long arduous battle. Your arch-enemy ispletely tired, beaten, and unable to move-- allowing you to do anything you want. What would you do?"


    "My answer to that question is letter--"


    "I want to know your answer now, not what you chose in the written test," Scarlet Mage said as she looked Riley straight in the eyes, "And please, look at me when you answer."


    "Is that necessary?"


    "Yes."


    As soon as Riley heard that, his eyes which had been fixated on the wall finally moved away,nding itself on Scarlet Mage.


    "Look at my eyes, Riley. It''s alright, I am your friend."


    "..." Riley let out a short but deep sigh as he returned Scarlet Mage''s gaze.


    "What would you do in that situation, Riley?"


    "I will let her live and surrender her to the authorities."


    "Why?"


    "Because that is what a superhero would do."


    "But what if you''re not a superhero? What if this is just some random individual that had killed your father?"


    "That is impossible, my father will not be beaten by some random indi--"


    "Just humor me, please."


    "Then I will not have to do anything. The Hope Guild will hunt her down as he is a member--"


    "What if he killed your mother? Your sister? And you''re just a young man who finally has the chance to take revenge. What would you do?"


    "I will still let her live."


    "Why?" Scarlet Mage slightly raised an eyebrow from finally having gained a slight change of expression from Riley.


    "Because anyone who hurts my sister shall live in pain for the rest of their lives."


    "...I see," Scarlet Mage let out a long and deep sigh as she stood up from the floor, "Thank you for answering my questions truthfully."


    From then on, the 5 superheroes no longer relied on Riley''s answers on the paper, as it was obvious that he had a hard time literally understanding the questions as they truly were. And throughout the interview, there were all sorts of sighs and slight gasps as Riley continued to answer their questions without even a single pause.


    And finally, after what seemed like half an hour¡­


    "Thank you, Mr. Riley. You may now go back to the waiting room."


    "Okay. Did I pass?"


    "You did. And please call your sister, we will interview her next."


    "Alright."


    Riley only bowed his head before quickly leaving the room. And now, with him gone, another bout of loud sighs echoed throughout the room as the five superheroes all leaned on their seats, tired and beaten.


    "He is definitely in the Potential Viin list, right?" The superhero wearing a blindfold said as he fanned himself with Riley''s paper.


    "Definitely, man. What about the rest of you?"


    "I don''t think so," Spectacr Mustache Man shook his head as he once again stroked his mustache, "You have to understand he isn''t a normal kid."


    "Most viins aren''t right in the head, SMM."


    "A Potential Viin would at least try to lie on the written tests, he clearly didn''t," Spectacr Mustache Man said as he lightly mmed his palm on the table.


    "Maybe he''s not even capable of lying? I heard some people with autism are like that."


    "Isn''t that more troublesome, then? Just based on his answers?"


    "Potential Viin it is, the--"


    "No, he''s not."


    Before the blindfolded superhero could stamp Riley''s paper, Scarlet Mage, who had been quiet the whole conversation, finally spoke up.


    "Throughout the whole interview, not even once did his heart change a beat."


    "I was right then, he''s not capable of lying!"


    "He is," Scarlet Mage shook her head, "On the test, he chose what he thinks a superhero would do in every situation, not what he himself would do-- that in itself is a form of lie."


    "...So what are you saying?"


    "Riley Ross is a nk canvas," Scarlet Mage said as she stamped Riley''s paper with blue ink,


    "If anything¡­


    ...he has the purest soul of all the examinees today."


    ***


    Scarlet Mage needs to die-- Riley thought as he walked back to the waiting room.


    He truly wasn''t aware that Scarlet Mage had the ability to somewhat see through lies, without tampering inside his mind, at that. He thought she was just like her sister, an Elemental Controller. If she was going to teach in the Academy, then he would definitely need to find a way to dispose of her without alerting anyone''s suspicion.


    "You''re next, sister."


    Hannah, who was having a conversation with Silvie, and surprisingly also talking with Gary, quickly approached Riley as soon as he got back to the room.


    "How did it go?" She said in a very eager tone, "Did you pass?"


    "Of course," Riley said as raised both his thumbs.


    "What... how!?" Hannah let out a short and yful gasp, before putting on the biggest smile on her face as she nudged her brother a couple of times.


    "Because I chose to push an old woman off the street."


    "..."


    And so, Riley Ross, also known as the superviin Darkday, will finally start his not-so normal life as a normal super-powered student.

 Chapter 10: Declaration of War

    <h4>Chapter 10: Deration of War</h4>


    "Are you sure you have everything? Do you have the portable fire extinguishers ready? Did you bring enough? Did you make sure all of your clothes are fire-resistant? What about you, Riley? Did you bring the 1 gallon of sunscreen we bought you?"


    "Mother, we''re moving to the Academy dorms, not another country. Besides, father will also be teaching-- !!!"


    Hannah''s muffled screams whispered through the air as Bernard quickly covered her mouth, not allowing her to speak any further. Another month had passed since Riley''s very sessful entrance exam, and now, the Ross''s were in front of the entrance of the Academy, with Diana refusing to leave her children for almost an hour now.


    "Remember what we practiced? Never, ever call me father when we are at school; whether I am in costume or not," Bernard whispered as he red at her daughter. Hannah, however, only pped her father''s hand away.


    "You look more suspicious doing that! I swear, how on earth have you survived this long without your secret identity getting discovered," Hannah rolled her eyes as she rushed inside the almost 3-meter thick gate of the Academy, "I''ll meet you inside, nkface!" She then waved at Riley before disappearing into the depths of the campus.


    "I''m not done, get back he--"


    Before Diana could finish her words, Riley suddenly followed her sister inside; not even letting her say her farewells. The only thing Diana could do was let out a long and deep sigh as she lightly hugged her husband.


    "They truly grow up so fast, don''t they?"


    "They do," Bernard quickly nodded, "Now, let''s take you home so I can return here before the entrance ceremony starts."


    "It''s not fair that I am the only one not attending the Academy!" Diana pouted, "Maybe I should also apply as a teacher?"


    "...That''s not going to happen," Bernard chuckled, "Just wait for me at home, okay? We finally have the house by ourselves after 18 long years. Maybe it''s time¡­


    ...we wee another Ross into our family."


    ***


    "First of all, I would like to congratte all of you for making it to the Academy; and secondly, I would also like to congratte you on your first step to being an actual superhero."


    "Wake me up when the old man stops talking."


    As soon as the weing ceremony started, Hannah quickly moved her chair nearer to Riley''s, leaning her head on his shoulder as she closed her eyes to sleep through the speech being given by the President of the Mega Academy-- the superhero known as Prophet.


    The Prophet is an old hero, almost as old as Mega Woman herself; besides being an active part of the government, not much is known about him. Riley had also not had the pleasure of having to encounter Prophet as Darkday, so all of his attention was currently on him.


    Riley did not even notice the stares they were getting from the other students, not even from the one beside him.


    "The fact that you have made it here is already an aplishment, so I am very proud of all of you," Prophet continued his speech; his smiles, enough to overwhelm the huge scar he had on his face, "You are the very first batch of students of America''s Mega Academy, therefore, I can''t promise that your stay here will be perfect. But what I can promise you is that once we are ready to let you go, you wille out of that gate a superhero¡­"


    Perhaps Hannah had the right mentality, as Prophet''s speech truly didst a very long time. The excitement on the students'' faces has already died down as Prophet did not seem to have any ns to stop even after an hour of talking.


    At this point, only two students were left actively listening to what he was saying-- Riley and Silvie.


    The former, trying to figure out Prophet, while thetter was waiting. But she did not need to wait for long, as Prophet''s speech finally came to an end.


    "...And so, to fire up yourpetitive spirit, based solely on the entrance exam-- I shall call to the stage the student we think would have the best chance to rece Mega Woman¡­


    ...Silvie Savelievna!"


    The crowd quickly woke up as soon as Prophet''s ps echoed throughout the entire hall, some of them who were already in dreand were slightly confused, but as soon as they saw someone walking to the stage, they just instinctively also pped their hands; even Hannah was a victim of this domino effect as she pped her hands as soon as she was woken up by it.


    "W¡­ what''s happening, Riley?" Hannah weakly muttered as she tried her best to open her eyes. Riley, however,pletely ignored her as he stared emptily towards the wall on the back of the stage.


    ''Best chance to rece Mega Woman?''


    He repeated Prophet''s words in his mind. What did they mean by ''rece'' Mega Woman? Was he just overthinking things, or did something happen to Mega Woman that the government wasn''t telling people?


    Was it really the right decision for him to return her there? Perhaps he should have kept her with the others, or maybe just took care of her himself?


    "Earth to Riley."


    Riley''s erratically moving eyes then stopped as Hannah waved her hands in front of his face, "Are you really actually in love with that Silvie girl? You do know I have her number, right? We became friends during the exams while you were being interviewed. I can give it to you if you want, what about it, eh? Eh?"


    "No," Riley just shook his head in response, "I was thinking about Mega Woman, sister."


    "...What? Since when were you a fan of her?"


    "I am not. It''s just that it seems that something is wrong with h--"


    Before Riley could finish his words, a high-pitched screeching noise whistled through the air, almost deafening everyone in the hall.


    "S¡­ sorry."


    It was then followed by Silvie''s something anxious voice as she tried to fiddle with the microphone in front of her. But finally, after a few more seconds, her long and deep breath reverberated through the air.


    "First of all, I would like to thank the Academy for providing all of us students such a warm wee. I am going to keep my speech short because I know all of us are excited to take our first step as students of the Academy¡­ I know I am. So there really is only one thing I want to say to all of you¡­"


    Silvie closed her eyes as she once again took a long and deep breath, before once again opening her mouth and scanning the fellow students in front of her.


    "...I will be the one to surpass Mega Woman."


    "!!!"


    Hearing Silvie''s words, not only the crowd of students, but also the faculty all shared a collective expression of awe, amusement, and irritation-- creating an orchestra of gasps within the halls.


    "So please, forgive me as I do my best to stay at the top. That is all I wanted to say, thank you."


    "..."


    "..."


    Even after the students were told that they may leave the hall to see their ss assignments and designation, none of them stood up from their seats. They could once again only watch as Silvie left the hall by herself.


    What she did was basically a deration of war, and most of the crowd here that had seen her during the exhibition had already given up hope in fighting against her for the crown¡­ However, there were some whose fires have only grown bigger as they epted Silvie''s challenge.


    "Oho, your girlfriend truly knows how to make an entrance, nkf-- Riley?"


    Hannah tried to nudge Riley with her elbows but almost stumbled as she found the seat next to her suddenly empty. "What the¡­ where the fuck is that idiot?"


    Hannah quickly stood up as Riley was suddenly nowhere to be found.


    "Don''t tell me¡­


    ...he really did fall in love with her!?"


    ***


    "Excuse me, ma''am. Can you tell me where the ss assignments are posted?"


    "Eek!"


    A high-pitched shriek echoed throughout a hallway, followed by a bunch of books catapulting in the air. The owner of both quickly tried to catch the books she just threw due to her shock but found them staying afloat in the air.


    "..." Even from the mask the red-haired woman was wearing, one could not help but see her eyes squinting. She then slowly turned around to see who it was that called her out of nowhere, only to see a white-haired individual widely staring at her straight in the eyes.


    She once again almost jumped in fright as soon as she saw the young man, but as soon as she realized she wasn''t actually seeing a ghost, she quickly let out a short but deep sigh and calmed herself down.


    "You''re student Riley Ross, right? What are you doing here?"


    "I think I am lost¡­


    ...Scarlet Mage."

 Chapter 11: Class 1-V

    <h4>Chapter 11: ss 1-V</h4>


    "Ugh, I knew I shouldn''t have agreed to this."


    Scarlet Mage''s red hair bounced springingly as she stomped her way through the halls of the Academy; she could fly if she wanted to, but that would be breaking one of the rules they have set up in the Academy: Using of powers is not allowed in the hallway except otherwise permitted to.


    Of course, she, as a teacher, is exempted from that rule. But what kind of example will she bring to the students if the one supposed to guide them breaks the rules?


    And so, she walked. It would have been fine if the hallways of the Academy were like any other normal hallways, but no.


    The width of the path is almost six times wider than that of normal, and its length reflects that as well. It was made like this as a contingency-- you can''t have superpowered teenagers confined in small areas. Besides the 3-meter thick gate and fence, the Academy looked just like a prestigious and expensive school on the outside, built with a lot of tall windows--


    --Windows which were made of a meter thick of reinforced polycarbonate stic. But even the building was actually just made for guests and appearance; 80% of the Academy was actually underground, with enough oxygen in the reserve tost centuries.


    Truly, an architectural and engineering marvel.


    But right now, that very same marvel was being ''used'' to torture the superhero known as Scarlet Mage. As a minor telepath and an elemental controller, Scarlet Mage was used to just floating around using her powers-- and walking the lonesome and unnaturally long hallways of the Academy proved to be an annoyance to her.


    "Well, a pay is a pay," her sighs once again echoed throughout the empty hallways, "I swear, we should be exempted from taxes right now since--"


    "Excuse me, ma''am. Can you tell me where the ss assignments are posted?"


    "Eek!"


    Scarlet Mage could not help but shriek as a voice suddenly whispered behind her. She almost used her powers as soon as she saw the young man behind her, but as soon as she realized who it was, she forcefully tried to calm herself down.


    "You''re¡­ student Riley Ross, right? What are you doing here?"


    What is he doing here indeed? Scarlet Mage looked at her phone, and the entrance ceremony should still be ongoing, or at least just ended. She was currently underground, and none of the students should be here yet.


    But since the student in front of her is literally a special case, she did not really react violently.


    "I am lost, Scarlet Mage."


    He¡­ is lost? She would understand if they were above ground, but for him to be lost to the point that he found himself here-- just how bad was his sense of direction and awareness?


    It truly was such a waste, Scarlet Mage thought. If Riley wasn''t diagnosed with autism, then he would surely be popr with thedies. Perhaps one could even say his albinism amplified his facial features, causing him to look like one of those solemn elves in Lord of the Bangles that she used to watch as a teenager.


    But s, beautiful beings are always cursed with the most beautiful of imperfections.


    And so, with a sigh, Scarlet Mage could only grab the papers that were flying in the air one by one, "Come, I''ll take you back up. Just where on earth did you pop up from?"


    "I believe from my biological mother, Scarlet Ma--"


    "No, I meant which door did you take to get here."


    "The metal door."


    "You know what, never mind," Scarlet Mage shook her head as she gestured to Riley to follow her, "I''ll lead you to your ss, you''re actually under my supervision so I''ll take this as fate. Is that alright with you, or do you still want to go back up?"


    "It is perfectly fine by me," Riley then smiled as he proceeded to follow Scarlet Mage. There was an awkward silence that persisted in the air, prolonged by the unusual long hallway.


    Scarlet Mage did not really find it hard to converse with Riley during the interview, but now that the two were left alone, she realized she had no idea what to say to him. But finally, after a few more minutes of walking, the two finally reached their ssroom.


    And as is with the other parts of the Academy underground, the room was also spacious-- with the block of seats directly imnted on the floor in several rows. The front of the room was also designed as a stage, for the teachers to be able to freely move.


    Scarlet Mage then asked Riley to choose any seat he wished; Riley, however, remained standing in front of her on the stage.


    "..."


    "..."


    A second.


    A minute.


    Almost an hour.


    "...How did the entrance ceremony go, was it fun?"


    Almost an hour had passed and Scarlet Mage could no longer endure the awkward situation and decided to strike a conversation, which she knew she would regret.


    "No. It was boring and unnecessary, Scarlet Mage."


    "R¡­ right?" Scarlet Mage could only let out a chuckle, "Did you leave before Prophet finished with his speech?"


    "No, I finished it beforeing here, Scarlet Mage."


    "I see."


    "You do."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Wait¡­ what did you mean beforeing here?" Scarlet Mage then blinked a couple of times as she realized what Riley just said, "I thought you were lost?"


    "I was initially, Scarlet Mage," Riley then responded as he slowly took a step towards Scarlet Mage, causing her to slightly back away, "But then I finally found you."


    "Found¡­ me? Did you need something from me?" Scarlet Mage could not help but take in a gulp as her back was soon blocked by a wall. She tried her hardest to try and read the beating of Riley''s heart; but found that it was the same as it always has been-- still.


    "W¡­ what are you doing!?" Scarlet Mage did not really want to hurt a student, but Riley''s hand was already slowly reaching towards her face. If he continued any further, then she would have to react violently, "This is very inappropriate behavior, Riley! I can still forgive you if you retract your hand!"


    "Forgiveness is not something I need, Scarlet Mage," Riley calmly said as his hand gently touched Scarlet Mage''s neck, "What I need is you--"


    "Holy shit, even the rooms are huge!"


    "!!!"


    With the door suddenly sliding open, Scarlet Mage took this chance to push away Riley''s hand and move to the side. She quickly fixed her hair and dress as she looked at the student that just barged inside the room.


    "..." The male student could not help but squint his eyes as he saw Scarlet Mage and Riley on top of the stage, awfully close to each other. But as soon as his eyes reached Riley, he quickly let out a light gasp.


    "It''s you!"


    "It is."


    The male student was none other than Gary, the examinee that Hannah had an altercation with during the entrance exams.


    "Dang, I thought I would be the first to arrive. So you''re in this ss as well, R¡­ Rocky?"


    "Riley."


    "Right-- Ah dibs!" Gary then suddenly ran towards the front-most seat and jumped on it, "This spot shall be mine!"


    "You may take your seat as well, Mr. Ross."


    Scarlet Mage then took in a long and deep breath as her voice became deeper, the warm tone she was using towards Riley,pletely gone.


    "..." Riley only nodded his head as he proceeded to sit beside Gary, the closest seat that had ess to the stage where Scarlet Mage would be spending most of her time during ss.


    Seeing this, Scarlet Mage could only let out a sigh, before finally taking a sit on her desk and closing her eyes.


    "It seems Scarlet Mage is strict, huh?" Gary then whispered in Riley''s ears, "Here I thought she was quite weing during the interview."


    "No, she is very kind. Kinder than most," Riley quickly replied, "It truly is such a shame that I have to kill her."


    "Hm? I didn''t catch that," Gary, whose eyes were busy exploring the huge ssroom, could not help but blink a couple of times as he did not hear Riley''s words clearly.


    "What are you trying to catch?" Riley also blinked a couple of times as he looked around the room.


    "No, it''s¡­"


    The two continued to chat as they tried to wait for the other students to arrive. As for Scarlet Mage, she could not hear anything clearly as her heart was beating too fast.


    Just what was that? She thought. What did Riley mean by she needs her? Did Riley suddenly gain an obsession with her? She had researched people with autism as soon as she met Riley weeks ago, and she knew that most of them held some kind of obsession over something.


    Is that it? But they were student and teacher; wouldn''t that be problematic? Was Riley even capable of feeling love?


    Scarlet Mage could not help but furrow her eyebrows as all sorts of thoughts race through her mind. No matter the case, what happened earlier was truly inappropriate and unhealthy and must not be repeated again.


    Scarlet Mage then slightly nced towards Riley, and found that he was no longer paying attention to her-- on the other hand, the almost 30 students that were already seated in front of her were.


    "!!!"


    Scarlet Mage quickly stood up; just when did all of these people arrive!? How deep were her thoughts that she didn''t even hear theming inside!?


    "G¡­ good morning," Scarlet Mage quickly stood up as she scanned the students.


    "Good morning, Scarlet Mage."


    And as she did so, most of the students also stood up.


    Their greetings, led by none other than Sylvie Savelievna-- chosen representative of the ss 1-V.

 Chapter 12: First Exercise

    <h4>Chapter 12: First Exercise</h4>


    "...Okay, you may take your seats."


    Seeing the students all greet her with respect, Scarlet Mage could only clear her throat as she tried to release thest of the awkwardness that remained inside her due to what happened with Riley earlier.


    Considering Riley wasn''t looking at her anymore, she was probably just misunderstanding his intention. And of course, she would be right in that.


    Riley was not thinking of love or obsession, he was currently thinking of the best way of killing Scarlet Mage. She was a minor telepath, but it would be okay if it was just that, as Riley was resistant to mind control. But Scarlet Mage was able to dig even deeper than that; she was able to read the slight fluctuations in a person''s heart, somewhat allowing her to bypass any of Riley''s resistance.


    He was safe for now, as the only thing that makes his heart fluctuate is Mega Woman¡­ but it was better to be safe. He could just make her heart stop, but Scarlet Mage was still young-- it would be quite suspicious if she died of a heart attack.


    He could probably concur up an ident, but Scarlet Mage was not just a street-level hero, she was an A-rank superhero capable of burning down a whole mountain. If she died in a car crash, then that would be slightly ridiculous.


    That solves it, then. The only sure way for her to die is by an attack; Perhaps an ambush in her own home? But for that, Riley must discover her identity and where she lived. And so, with that thought, Riley raised his hand.


    "...Yes? Do you have any questions, Mr. Ross?" Scarlet Mage could not help but slightly stutter as Riley suddenly raised his hands.


    "What is your true name and what is your current address?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    As soon as Riley asked that, all of the students in the room all looked at each other; carrying the same expression on their faces-- confusion.


    "That¡­ is a strictly confidential information, Mr. Ross," Scarlet Mage then patiently answered as she once again cleared her throat, "But I am d you asked that as that is exactly the very first lesson we will be talking about today-- secret identities. There really is only one thing you need to know;


    Once you start wearing a mask, never reveal your identity to anyone-- even to your own family if you can help it."


    "Everyone knows that, teacher Scarlet Mage!" One of the male students raised his hand, "And why are we in the same ss as a retard!?"


    "Woah!" Gary, who was sitting beside Riley, could not help but stand up as soon as he heard the student''s words, "He is autistic, you bastard! There''s a difference! I... I think, but you shouldn''t call people that way!"


    "Do you think it''s fair!? Even Silvie is in our ss, so why would someone like him be in ours? Isn''t there some kind of special--"


    Before the male student could finish his words, he felt a slight tingling sensation on his forehead; followed by a sort of burning smell as a tickle of smoke fumed from his eyebrows.


    "O-ow!" The male student quickly patted his eyebrow to put out the sizzling ember but found that he was unable to do so. The only thing he could do was shake his head, slightly causing hispletely gelled-up hair to wave.


    "The ss distribution is not in any way rted to your skills or your capabilities as a working functioning human," Scarlet Mage''s words then whispered through the air as she snapped her fingers, causing the male student''s eyebrows topletely disappear from existence, "Remember, you might be here topete against each other, but you are also here to learn, and perhaps a lesson in humility is what all of you need first.


    Follow me outside."


    And without even following with another word, Scarlet Mage suddenly stepped out of the room, leaving the automatic sliding door open for the students to follow her. They were a bit confused at first, but seeing as their teacher just went outside, they had no choice but to follow her.


    "Tch," the male student with a gelled-up hair clicked his tongue as he looked at Riley before stepping out of the room, followed by 4 men that seemed to be his group of friends.


    "Are you alright, Mr. Ross?" Silvie then suddenly approached Riley, who was just about to stand up as he followed the rest of the students out. The students that were still in the room could not help but be slightly curious as to why she approached him, after all, they could be considered heaven and earth.


    "Yeah man, want me to beat that guy up for you?"


    "Violence is not allowed inside the Academy, Mr. Gary," Silvie let out a sigh as she shook her head, "It''s written in the handbook."


    "...There''s a handbook?"


    "I am fine, Silvie Savelievna," Riley then stood up as he nodded his head towards Silvie, "We should follow the rest of the students, it''s a huge building and we can easily get lost by ourselves."


    "Right, race you guys there!?" Gary screamed before suddenly rushing out of the room.


    "But we don''t even have a set destination yet," Riley said as he slightly furrowed his eyebrows.


    "Just let him go," Silvie chuckled, "Let''s go together?"


    "We already are," Riley muttered as the two of them started walking out of the room.


    "I guess your sister is in another ss?"


    "I wouldn''t know, I didn''t check the ss distribution," Riley said, "But there''s a higher chance that she might just be cutting sses."


    "I¡­ I see." It was supposed to be a rhetorical question. Silvie already knew that Hannah was in another ss as she was just with her before entering the room, but to think Riley''s first thought would be her cutting sses.


    Is that usually the first thought of siblings?


    "You know, you can request to the Academy to be transferred since you¡­ are a special case," Silvie muttered weakly, "If you''re going to be morefortable being near her, I can help you submit an application of transfer, she seems to be very protective of you."


    "It''s okay. The ss is already full of noisy people as it is."


    "I¡­ I see," once again, Silvie could only awkwardly chuckle. She had no idea what was going on in Riley''s mind, so she didn''t know whether or not he was trying to be funny, and whether or not she was allowed tough.


    After that, the two just continued to follow the line of students until they reached a vast and spacious hall. And to their surprise, they weren''t the only students there.


    There were two other sses in the two corners of the hall, and one included Hannah, who was already waving her hands at Silvie and Riley. Silvie waved back, Riley, on the other hand, only nced at her before focusing on the three instructors that were talking in the middle of the hall.


    They talked for a few minutes before each of the instructors returned to their respective students.


    "Alright, listen up," Scarlet Mage pped her hands to try and get her students'' attention, "Since it is the very first day of the Academy, some of the instructors, including yours truly, have decided to set up some sort of exercise between our sses-- a friendly tournament that would help us gauge your level of proficiency in controlling your powers."


    "...Already?"


    "But they haven''t taught us anything yet."


    "Stop being pussies, this should be a good way to test our strengths with each other."


    "Is¡­ isn''t this dangerous?"


    "None of you have to worry," Scarlet Mage quickly waved her hand, "Before anything drastic could happen, we would make sure to stop it. You can challenge anyone you want, you can even challenge someone in the same ss since none of you know anything about each other yet."


    "When do we start, Ms. Scarlet Mage?" Silvie then stepped forward as she looked Scarlet Mage straight in the eyes.


    Seeing this, Scarlet Mage looked towards the two other instructors, before nodding her head and turning her attention back to her ss, "It has already started, you can challenge anyone you want at any time, and the stage will be yours."


    "..."


    Hearing this, not only their ss but the students of the other ss as well looked at each other. Although there were some res and curious stares, none of them really opened their mouth to challenge anyone. The instructors could have very well just made a list of participants, so why exactly did they make it into some sort of free-for-all?


    "Then..." Silvie let out a sigh before her eyes tried to find the male student who insulted Riley earlier, "You, what''s your name?"


    "M... Me?" The male student withpletely pulled back hair could not help but stutter as he pointed at himself, "My... my name is Danny."


    "Then Danny, I challen--"


    "I challenge that guy to a match!"


    But s, before Silvie could issue a challenge, Danny suddenly pointed towards Riley. When the others saw this, they could not help but shake their heads in disappointment. With all his bravado earlier, to think he would back out in the first sign of being challenged by an obviously stronger opponent.


    "S... shut up!" Even his new group of friends seem to be teasing him as they all nudged and mocked him.


    "Enough. A challenge has been issued," Scarlet Mage let out a short but deep sigh as she turned to look at Riley. The truth is, she was already expecting Silvie to stand up on behalf of Riley due to her aptitude test, but to think this Danny guy would beat her to it. But what''s done is done, they have another reason for doing this anyway.


    "What do you say, Riley? You can still back down if you want to."


    "It''s okay," Riley quickly shook his head, "It''s a better way to waste my time than just standing here."


    "Ooh shit," hearing Riley''s words, Gary, who was keeping quiet in the side, could not help but let out a prolonged hum; and as if he ignited the spark of the students, they too, started whispering to each other.


    "Okay," Scarlet Mage could only nod as she turned her head once again towards the two other instructors, who quickly ordered their students to move to the corner of the room to make space.


    "Go to the front and introduce yourselves to the people, you''ll be doing that a lot once you be a superhero."


    "Daniel Espinoza, I will someday be known as Mega Man!" Danny said as he rushed to the center of the hall, stretching his limbs... stretching his limbs further than that of any normal human, "My power is superhuman sticity!"


    "That''s a disgusting power," Riley muttered as he too, walked to the center of the stage, "Riley Ross, I will someday be known as¡­


    ...Riley Ross."

 Chapter 13: Lesson

    <h4>Chapter 13: Lesson</h4>


    "R¡­ Riley?"


    Hannah, who was quietly yawning behind her ssmates, could not help but bepletely be woken up as soon as she saw her brother going to the center of the training hall. They were supposed to do a mock-up battle of some sort today, today¡­ right on the first day of school.


    She thought it was ridiculous and they should have just let them go to their dorms first and just continue the lessons next month or something, but no-- they had to be extra. It was stupid, she thought.


    But to think the very first person that would be issued a challenge would be none other than her brother. Seeing this, she quickly pushed her new ssmates aside as she angrily walked to the front.


    This was bullying, she thought. Just because Riley was a little different than most kids, they were already bullying him on the first day of school? No, not on her watch. It truly was the right decision for her to enroll in the Academy as well because if not, she wouldn''t be able to protect Riley from instances like this.


    However, as she was about to step out, their ss instructor blocked her path.


    "Please move, teach," Hannah said in a very irritated tone, "That''s my brother right there."


    "I am afraid I can''t do that. If you wish to fight, then you can only do so after this match is over."


    "Are you crazy? I said that''s my brother! He might be getting bullied--"


    "Then get revenge afterward. Stop being such a busybody, you can''t save everyone. And it''s Mr. Nightwalker, please address me with a little bit of respect as we will be spending a lot of time together from now on."


    "That''s¡­"


    Fucking creepy-- is what Hannah thought as her supervisor smiled at her. Nightwalker always had his eyes closed, but even then, it looked like he was looking straight at her soul. And so, with Nightwalker blocking her path, Hannah could only grit her teeth and hope that nothing bad happens to her brother. If something bad did happen to him¡­


    ...then he would burn that single eyebrowed boy that is his opponent.


    "Daniel Espinoza, I will someday be known as Mega Man! My power is superhuman sticity!"


    "Riley Ross, I will someday be known¡­ as Riley Ross."


    "That''s not a superhero name!"


    "But it will still be the name I will be known as," Riley said as he grabbed something from his pockets.


    "Is that a spoon!?"


    For some of the students that recognized Riley from the entrance exam, most of them flinched as soon as they saw the spoon he was holding. After all, how could they forget the violent scene where Riley identally almost scooped out the proctor''s heart?


    "Yes, it''s silverware. Less durable but more expensive than stainless steel, but mother seems to love it."


    "No one asked!"


    "But you just did," Riley muttered as the spoon started to float in the air, "This spoon is very much like you, Daniel. Much useless than most, and probably only loved by your mother. I am joking, of course."


    "...Damn," Gary once again let out a hum as he opened his mouth exaggeratingly while slowly turning his eyes towards his other ssmates.


    Silvie, who just heard Riley talk without any pause, could not help but let out a sigh. Seeing the silence persisting throughout the entire hall, she was finally not alone in her dilemma of not knowing if she shouldugh or not¡­ but since he said it was a joke, maybe it was fine?


    And so, with that thought, Silvie let out a slightly muffled giggle as she covered her mouth.


    "Enough!" And as if Silvie''sugh was a trigger, Danny let out a roar, "Enough talking! Let''s do this!"


    "So, we are allowed to use our powers for violence now?" Riley raised his hand as he looked at Scarlet Mage.


    "Yes," Scarlet Mage nodded before a small ze emerged from the tip of her finger, "As soon as this me explodes, you may begin your match."


    And from the moment of saying that, it didn''t even take 3 seconds before the ze on Scarlet Mage''s fingertips let out a loud pop.


    And as soon as it did so, Danny''s arms quickly stretched towards Riley like an arrow.


    "Ew," Riley worded before moving his body to the side to dodge.


    "Got you, you autistic bastard!"


    Danny''s arms, however, quickly flew back towards Riley, threatening to wrap around him like some sort of snake.


    "..." Riley''s eyes continued to follow the arms as they continued to circle around him, only a foot away from making contact with his body. However, as soon as Danny''s hands intersected with one another, Riley let out a very small breath. And as he did so, the spoon that seemed to be aimlessly floating in the air whistled through the air, its other end shooting straight towards Danny''s hands.


    "Gah!"


    And without even a slight resistance or hesitation, the handle of the spoon prated both of Danny''s hands that were on top of each other. It did not stop there, however, as the spoon continued to fly down, dragging his hands until they nted on the floor.


    The spoon also prated the floor,pletely pinning down Danny''s hands. And with another flicker of Riley''s finger, the bowl of the spoon bent, locking down Danny''s hands.


    "Oh," Riley muttered as he stepped over the ovepping circles that Danny made with his arms,


    "It''s much sturdier than I thought." He then said as he looked at the spoon trapping Danny''s arms, "At least much more durable than you, Daniel. But you don''t have to worry, your mother probably still loves you, they are usually made to be that way to their children."


    "L¡­ let go of my hands!" Danny tried to pull his hand away, but due to the pain of having a spoon embedded in his limbs, the only thing he could do was scream.


    "I can''t do that, Daniel," Riley let out a sigh as he slowly walked towards Danny, trying to avoid his extended squirming arms as he did so, "That''s a very disgusting power, I don''t want it near me."


    "You fucker! My idol has the same pow-- W¡­ what are you trying to do?"


    Danny could not help but take in a short but deep breath as Riley once again grabbed something from his pocket, this time, a much sharper object-- a knife.


    "You don''t have to worry, Daniel," Riley muttered as the knife in his hand slowly floated over his palm, "I will make it painless."


    And as soon as he said that, a whistle once again whispered throughout the entire hall as the knife shot straight towards Daniel''s head. Seeing this, the only reaction that Daniel had was a slight shiver of his body, before closing his eyes in fear of what was toe.


    However, before the knife could lodge into his head, itpletely burned down in almost an instant. Seeing this, Riley flicked his finger, causing Daniel to once again scream in pain as the spoon pinning down both his hands was violently pulled away.


    And once again, without any hesitation, the spoon headed straight towards Danny''s head. But once again, before it could reach it, the instructor of the other ss grabbed it with his bare hand,pletely crushing it.


    "..." Riley then slightly turned his head to the side, as Nightwalker was already beside him, waving his finger and gesturing to Riley not to continue any further.


    "That''s enough, Mr. Riley!" Scarlet Mage then stomped her way towards Riley, the expression on her face clearly pissed off. If she was just a littlete in burning down the knife, then they would probably already have their first casualty, right on the first day of school.


    "You should know when your opponent is already beaten, and that goes for all of you!" Scarlet Mage shouted as she looked at the other students, "That''s one of the lessons we wished to impart to all of you today!"


    "But he''s still breathing."


    "You¡­ no!" Scarlet Mage could not help but groan in frustration as she looked at Riley''s legitimately confused face, "Didn''t you just hear him screaming in pain!?"


    "Yes, it was very soothing."


    "N¡­ no," Scarlet Mage covered her face. Seeing this, Nightwalker walked towards her and patted her on the shoulder a couple of times.


    "So¡­" He then whispered into her ear,


    "Still think he doesn''t belong in the Potential Viin list?"

 Chapter 14: Limitations

    <h4>Chapter 14: Limitations</h4>


    Scarlet Mage''s eyes had been twitching for quite a while now. There was currently another set of students having a match in the center of the training hall, but her attention waspletely settled on Riley.


    She had been observing him from the start of their battle, and not even once, did his heart fluctuate. Even as he pierced his opponent''s hands, even as he was about to stab his head with a knife, never once did his heart fluctuate.


    During the interview, Scarlet Mage thought of this as some sort of a plus; as a hero that is always true to himself would more often than not, end up making the right decision when the timees. However, shepletely dismissed the other side of the de.


    Riley doesn''t know when to hold back. His heart was so pure that it will always go straight to the end result; this time, he wasn''t going to stop until Danny stopped breathing-- his morals were all over the ce. And so, from this day forth, Scarlet Mage promised herself she would take extra care of Riley.


    He doesn''t belong in the Potential Viin list-- she would stand by her decision. Riley is just a lost pure soul that would have to be guided with every step. She should probably visit Whiteking soon in order for her to gain more information about Riley.


    And as for the person of interest, Riley was currently being isted by the rest of the ss. Even Silvie could not help but slightly move away from him as she was a bit ufortable with how much violence he was capable of; she was even starting to think that what happened during the entrance examination wasn''t an ident.


    The only person that was left near Riley was Gary, who was letting out a curse every time something interesting happens during the matches.


    "Why do you always curse so much?" Riley then asked.


    "Eh? I don''t know," Gary just shrugged his shoulders before turning his attention back to the ongoing battle. Seeing this, Riley could not help but slightly furrow his eyebrows.


    When he was still running around as Darkday, he had also encountered a lot of superheroes cursing him. Cursing him as he crushed their bones, cursing him as he slowly ripped out their heads, cursing him as he gouges out their eyeballs.


    It was the only thing that messes up their otherwise beautiful screams. Riley then suddenly closed his eyes as the memories of the people he had killed resurfaced in his mind, his breaths trembling in excitement. He made an oath to himself to not wear Darkday''s costume until Mega Woman recovers, but every time he reminisced all the blood and anguish, there was a part of him growing, wanting to be bathed by it again.


    "...Are you okay?"


    Riley''s thoughts were then disrupted by the sound of Silvie''s voice, who approached him as soon as she saw the somewhat pained expression on Riley''s face.


    "No," Riley quickly responded as he looked Silvie straight in the eyes. No matter how much he looked at her, she truly reminded her of Mega Woman. He wanted to ask her if she was rted to her in any way, but for some reason, he was hesitating.


    What exactly would he do if she was? If anything, what he needed to know right now was Mega Woman''s situation. Was the government helping her to recover? But based on Prophet''s words during the entrance ceremony earlier, they were talking as if Mega Woman was dead.


    Is she? If not, what exactly are they doing to her?


    Maybe he should visit them and find out? But he just told the world that Darkday is retiring for now. He would be breaking his word if he just suddenly barges in their office, wherever that is.


    Seeing Riley once again being lost in his own world, Silvie could not help but let out a sigh. Why was she so afraid of him? Riley is literally a different person than most of them. His violence could just mean something else for him entirely.


    "You''re not fine? Do you need som--"


    "I challenge Silvie Savelievna of ss 1-V."


    "...Hannah?"


    Silvie could not help but blink a couple of times as Riley''s brother, Hannah, suddenly walked to the center of the stage, calling for her with a smile on her face.


    "What¡­ are you doing?" Silvie muttered. In truth, she and Hannah had actually been talking to each other through social media; she could be considered her first friend in the Academy even before they were officially enrolled. So seeing her challenge her now¡­ did she do something?


    "Let''s show these guys what happens to the people who mess with my brother," Hannah said as she started stretching her limbs.


    "I am sure they already know that," Silvie said as she turned her head towards Danny, who was still crying on the side as the medics were trying to heal him. Riley was far from a dame that needed protecting, but it would seem a sister''s care is something deeper than that-- she wouldn''t know, of course.


    "Let''s just go do it," Hannah scoffed, "Or are you scared, future Mega Woman?"


    "...Fine."


    "Ooh shit."


    Once again, Gary covered his mouth as he looked back and forth between the center of the hall and Riley, "You seem to be the main attraction of the Academy, Riley bro."


    "That tends to happen to people with albinism," Riley muttered as he focused his attention on the uing match between his sister and Silvie, "We either get hunted or be treated as a god."


    "Oh, which one are you?"


    "The Devil."


    "Boy, you edgy as fuck," Gary once again let out a gasp, "I love you already."


    "I''m afraid I am heterosexual, Gary."


    "Shut the fuck up, man." Gary chuckled as he too finally turned his attention towards the match.


    "Hannah Ross of ss 1-F."


    "Silvie Savelievna of ss 1-V."


    The two nodded at each other before turning their heads towards the three instructors. And as they did so, Scarlet Mage raised a finger, once again summoning a small glint of fire.


    "You know the drill."


    And a few seconds after she said that, the small me she summoned popped. And as Scarlet Mage''s fire disappeared, Hannah''s entire body grew aze.


    And without any warning, she rushed towards Silvie, leaving a trail of fire in her wake.


    "!!!"


    As she was only a meter away from Silvie, Hannah suddenly spun her body, her foot threatening to burn Silvie''s face. Silvie quickly leaped and flew back, but as she did so, the mes on Hannah''s leg spew towards her.


    The only thing that Silvie could do was cover herself with her arms, her skin scorching from the heat of the fire.


    "Kh!" And due to her body''s durability, she wasn''t used to feeling pain-- and so, she could not help but let out a slight grimace as she turned to look at the ming Hannah.


    "Oh gosh, your sister is so hot!" Gary cheered.


    "That is true."


    "Ew, dude. That''s your sister."


    "How does that diminish the fact that she is currently hot?"


    "I''m not talking to you anymore," Gary said as he once again focused on the battle going on in front of him. And it wasn''t only him that was invested in the fight, almost every student in the hall was watching Hannah and Silvie intensely.


    Besides Riley''s, the other matches truly were a bore to watch. After all, most of them were fledglings, not even knowing the basics of fighting another Super. But now, seeing Hannah and Silvie, they could not help but imagine what the future holds for them-- it was truly starting to feel like they were in an Academy for Superheroes.


    "...Have you been training?" Silvie said as she gritted through the pain.


    "I''ve been watching videos of other Elemental controllers," Hannah said as she slightly nced at Scarlet Mage, "You could say I learned a thing or two."


    "And the martial arts?"


    "My father is a bit of an enthusiast," Hannah let out an arrogant chuckle, "I''ve been training since I was in diapers."


    "...I see," Silvie let out a sigh as she once again slowly floated in the air, "Then I better get serious, then."


    "Let''s do this!"


    And after 3 minutes, Silvie won.


    "Ah fuck, I''m not doing this again." Hannah grabbed onto Silvie''s shoulders as her gasps were loud enough to travel throughout the entire hall.


    "I almost lost."


    "Pft, fuck you."


    Through the first minute of the battle, it was close; with neither of the two losing to each other.


    However, when the 2nd minute came, Hannah''s mes began to wither. And by the 3rd minute, Hannah was practically fighting Silvie barehanded-- and everyone knew the oue of the battle then.


    "That was very good."


    Nightwalker, the supervisor of Hannah''s ss, pped his hands as he approached the two students, "However, please do mind yournguage; we''re not barbarians."


    "Yeah, yeah," Hannah waved her hand as she pushed herself away from Silvie, "I''ll see you and my brotherter. You owe me ice cream for beating me."


    "...Sure thing," Silvie nodded hesitantly before returning to Riley and the others.


    "Damn, your battle got me hyped up!" Gary also pped his hand as he weed Silvie back.


    "...Thanks?"


    "Now, it''s my turn," Gary scoffed as he lifted up his sleeves, "Watch me as I challenge one of the instruc--"


    "That''s enough for today."


    But s, before Gary could even take a step towards the center of the hall, the three instructors gathered and started gesturing for all of them toe forward.


    "So, does anyone know what the point of this exercise was?" Scarlet Mage was the first to speak up.


    "...Isn''t it to teach us humility?"


    "Yes, but there is actually one more thing-- for you to know your limitations and where you belong," Scarlet Mage followed, "Some of you will no doubt grow as a superhero beloved by the country, maybe even by the world. However, most of you will just remain doing your job in the streets, cheered only by the few because of the simple fact that you are weaker."


    "...Eh?"


    "It might sound harsh, but such will be your reality as superheroes," the muscr instructor of the other ss grunted as he stepped forward, "I can be considered as street-levelpared to Scarlet Mage. But that is okay; because not all battles need to decide the fate of the world. Sometimes ensuring that a victim of a mugging could safely return to their children¡­


    ...is more than enough."


    ***


    "Boy, that got depressing towards the end, didn''t it?" Gary wiped the imaginary sweat on his forehead, walking backward as he talked to Riley and the others.


    "Why? Still can''t get over the fact that you''re just street level?" Hannah smirked.


    "You haven''t even seen me fight!"


    "Pft."


    "Even you, Silvie!? Why is the world against me!? Help me out here, brother!" Gary was about to cling his arm over Riley, but he quickly dodged to the side. "A¡­ anyway, since we were dismissed early, what are we going to do now?"


    "Train?"


    "Sleep?"


    "Boring," Gary quickly rolled his eyes from Silvie and Hannah''s suggestions, "What about you, Riley? Anything you want to do?"


    "...Visit Mega Woman?"

 Chapter 15: Shaved Ice

    <h4>Chapter 15: Shaved Ice</h4>


    "Visit Mega Woman? What do you mean visit Mega Woman?"


    It wasn''t only Gary, but Silvie and Hannah were also looking at each other in confusion from Riley''s words. Nobody knew Mega Woman''s current location, as it was strictly hidden by the government, so even if any of her fans wanted to see her, they would never be able to do so.


    "...So you''re a fan of Mega Woman, Riley?" Silvie raised an eyebrow as she asked.


    "I suppose you could say that," Riley nodded. Mega Woman made Riley''s life more exciting, of course, he would grow somewhat attached to him, especially since she spent some nights in his cab.


    A part of her was also inside Riley now, so one could say they have grown a somewhat familial rtionship-- without Mega Woman''s consent, of course.


    "Of course we''re all a fan," Gary rolled his lips as he let out a long and deep breath, "We wouldn''t be in the Academy dedicated to her if we weren''t. Right, Hannah banana?"


    "...Speak for yourself," Hannah furrowed her eyebrows, "And why are youing with us? Since when were you a part of our group?"


    "W¡­ what? I thought we already clicked back when we were in the interview!" Gary quickly reasoned as he walked beside Riley, "C''mon bro, tell your sister that we''re friends."


    "I am not your brother," Riley said as he continued to walk without any sense of where they were going, "And I don''t have friends."


    "...Eh?"


    But finally, after a few more steps, Silvie suggested something that they all seemed to agree upon. The campus has and area of approximately 10 square kilometers-- it was basically its own city. How the government was able to hide this was a mystery to even the media; which were actually flooding outside the 3-meter thick gates right now.


    It has its own park, a museum dedicated to Mega Woman and other prominent heroes, a huge library, and many more. But more importantly, it had its own mall, which the four were now heading to.


    "How''d you even know this exists, Silvie?" Hannah could not believe her eyes as they entered the mall. Suffice to say, it was even bigger and more luxurious than the malls outside.


    "...It was in the handbook they gave us. Seriously, didn''t any of you read it? There''s even a map of the whole campus attached there!"


    "Really? Maybe I should get a copy soon," Hannah nodded inquisitively as she once again looked around the ce. And considering the number of people already in the mall, they weren''t the only ones who had the idea of visiting the mall on the first day-- as expected of teenagers.


    "How big is this ce?" Gary also let out a gasp of awe as his steps became hurred, "Why would you even have this many restaurants when there''s like only 4,000 of us admitted to the Academy?"


    "...There are 4,000 Supers enrolled here?" Once again, Hannah''s eyes were clouded with disbelief. They didn''t look that many during the entrance ceremony, but then again, she slept through 90% of it and it was quite dark as well. "Just how many supers are there in the world?"


    "That''s actually already considered quite few," Silvie muttered, "Based on a current study, there are almost half a billion Supers roaming around the world. And in a hundred years, most people would already have superpowers. More and more children with superpowers are being born. A manner of evolution, I guess?"


    "Fuck... really? That''s too many," Hannah muttered.


    "Do you want to decrease that number, sister?" Riley, who had been quietly following the three, finally opened his mouth as he walked beside his sister, "Give me a week and I will eradicate half of them for you, sister."


    "...Jesus, just how edgy can your brother get, Hannah?" Gary almost tripped upon hearing Riley''s words. And it wasn''t only him, even Silvie felt a bit ufortable from what Riley said; once again deliberating on whether what he said was a joke or not.


    "I think you shouldy off on the manga and animes for a while, Riley," Gary said as he let out a small chuckle, "Anyway, the security of the Academy is no joke, even their mall has cameras all over the ce... how are we even going to have fun like this? This feels more and more like a prison now."


    "You do know having fun and doing something illegal are two different things, right?" Hannah rolled her eyes at Gary before suddenly pulling Silvie towards a particr store near the entrance, "Come, let the student representative treat us to something sweet!"


    "What... is this?" Was Silvie''s first question as they entered what seemed like a cafe, but not quite.


    "It''s Korean shaved ice," Hannah blinked a couple of times as she looked at Silvie, "It''s been pretty popr recently."


    "You like popr things?" Gary let out a long but light gasp, "I thought lesbians didn''t like popr things?"


    "That''s fucking sexist as fuck," Hannah raised both her middle fingers, "And I''m not a lesbian, you fucking shit, why are you even here?"


    "W¡­ what? I thought you and Silvie had like some sort of thing?" Gary could not help but stutter, "Why¡­ why would you crush my fantasy otp!?"


    "Uhm¡­ what am I supposed to order?"


    Before Hannah and Gary could continue to bicker with one another, Silvie let out a small hum as she tapped Hannah''s shoulder a few times, "I haven''t been to a cafe like this before so I don''t know what''s good."


    "Oh, then just order me a¡­ what kind of currency is that?"


    Hannah initially had an excited expression on her face as her finger slowly pointed its way towards the menu on the wall. However, as soon as she saw the symbol next to what is presumably the price, her eyebrows quickly furrowed.


    Instead of the usual US dor sign that everyone was used to, it was reced by some sort of acronym that made the letters M and P.


    "10 MP?" Even Silvie, who probably knew most about the Academy among the group, tilted her head to the side. She then picked up her handbook, which was sophisticatedly hidden around her right ankle, covered by her socks.


    "...Did you just--" Gary was going to say something, but in the end chose not to as he just shook his head. He thought he was the quirkier of the bunch, but it was looking more and more like he was the normal one in the group.


    "Nothing''s indicated in the handbook," Silvie let out a short but deep sigh after a few seconds.


    "Should we go to another sto--"


    "Hello, Charlotte. What do the letters M and P mean?"


    And before the three could even make a decision, Riley suddenly stepped forward and called the cashier''s attention.


    "H¡­ hi?" The female cashier could not help but slightly step back as apletely pale individual¡­ suddenly entered her side of the counter, "You''re... not allowed here?"


    "Then you should close your establishme--"


    "You idiot!"


    Before Riley could continue to terrorize the slightly petite female cashier, Hannah quickly pulled him out of the counter, "You shouldn''t just go over the counter like that! If we were outside you''ll be sent to juvie!"


    "But we''re not outside," Riley muttered monotonously, "The rules are entirely different here, sister."


    "What, don''t tell me you read the handbook?"


    "I did. That is why most of my actions are well within the rules of the Academy," Riley nodded, seemingly satisfied with himself.


    "E... excuse me?"


    With the group seemingly surprised at Riley''s words, the female cashier, named Charlotte as it said on her name tag, raised her hand and called their attention. And as soon as she was sure that the four were looking at her, she quickly cleared her throat and started talking.


    "MP means Mega Points," Charlotte exined, "It''s themon currency you will be using within the Academy."


    "...Right," Hannah squinted her eyes, "What kind of shithole is this? So all of our money is useless here?"


    "Not necessarily. But in this shop, we only ept Mega Points," Charlotte gestured to the menu, "You can get points based on your grades, performance, and by other means that you will surely discover along the-- Wait!"


    Before Charlotte could finish talking, Hannah suddenly rotated the cashier monitor towards her, revealing the script that Charlotte was reading from.


    "That''s illegal, sister," Riley shook his head in disappointment.


    "As I was saying!" Charlotte returned the monitor to its original position before lightly mming her palm on the counter, slightly leaving a crack on it, "MP is automatically stored inside your ID card, so don''t lose it. Right now, all of you should have 100 Mega Points given by the Academy for free...


    ...So, may I take your orders?"


    "R¡­ right," Hannah could not help but take in a small gulp as she saw the crack on the counter. But after a few seconds, she let out a sigh and turned her head towards Silvie, "I guess you won''t be treating us this time."


    "I see," Silvie also let out a sigh of her own, not knowing whether to be relieved or disappointed, "I''ll¡­ have the bubblegum vor then?"


    Silvie then took her ID card, which, surprisingly, was also hidden in her socks, "10 MP, right?"


    "Right!" Charlotte smiled as she gently grabbed the card from Silvie''s hands, before swiping it on her console. But as soon as she did so, her eyes suddenly widened in shock.


    "...You''re the current top 1 student?"


    "I think so?" Silvie blinked a couple of times in confusion; since she presented a short speech in front of the whole student poption, she knew that most would probably recognize her-- but even the staff from the mall? She was sure she wasn''t that famous.


    "You are," Charlotte then proceeded to swipe 3 more times.


    "Hey, what are you doing!?" Hannah was about to grab the card from Charlotte, but before she could do so, Charlotte faced the monitor towards them.


    "You have unlimited MP," Charlotte then said, "We were told the Academy''s number 1 student has that privilege."


    "I¡­ do?"


    "F¡­ fuck."


    "Sweet fucking Jesus."


    "I am sure you meant Mary of Magdal--"


    "There you are!"


    Before the group could exim their surprise, a group of students suddenly barged into the shaved ice cafe.


    "I ask you for a duel, Silvie Savelievna, for the right to take your ID card!"


    "What¡­


    ...kind of school is this?"

 Chapter 16: We Meet Again

    <h4>Chapter 16: We Meet Again</h4>


    "I challenge you, Silvie Savelievna, for the right to take your ID card!"


    "...What kind of school is this?"


    Hannah''s doubts were currently filling the entire cafe as a group of students suddenly barged inside, the looks in their eyespletely hostile as they all stared at Silvie. And considering Hannah recognizes most of them, they were probably from her ss.


    "What do you think you''re doing?" Hannah cracked her neck as she stepped forward, "We''re no longer in the training-shbat hall; you can''t just challenge anyone you want."


    "We were just told otherwise by the staff of the mall!" The short, but muscr young man that demanded Silvie''s ID card, also stepped forward, "And aren''t you in my ss!? Why are you with them? You traitor!"


    A small crackle in the air then drummed in the air as the young man''s skin slowly changed color, transforming into some sort of bronze-like consistency.


    "...What?" Hannah could not help but blink a couple of times as she looked at Riley and the others, her face obviously filled with confusion, "This is a school, not some 90s trading card game, you poop-looking shit! Why are you going around asking people for a duel!"


    "Ehem!"


    And as Hannah''s voice was getting louder and louder, Charlotte stepped away from the counter and stood between the two seemingly opposing groups, "Since I am the nearest avable campus staff, I shall be the one officiating this duel."


    "Wait, this is really happening right now?" Hannah finally realized that her ssmate''s ims were legitimate.


    "It''s¡­ not in the handbook," Silvie, who was once again scanning her handbook for anything rted to duels, could only shake her head as she approached Charlotte, "Is it possible to refuse the challenge?"


    "Yes, but you will be giving him 100 points."


    "Wait, what!?" Hannah once again raised her voice, "How is that even fair? Won''t everyone just keep on challenging her, then?"


    "Well, since Ms. Savelievna here is the one that was challenged, she could choose any modes of duel she wants; and besides the right to take her opponent''s ID card, she also has the right to take one more thing from the challenger if she wins," Charlotte raised her finger as she exined everything with a smile on her face.


    "Let''s go, Silvie. You have unlimited MP anyway, just give them the 100 and don''t bother with them--"


    "I ept."


    Before Hannah could pull Silvie away, Silvie stepped in front of the challenger, "I ept your challenge."


    "Ha!"


    The young man with bronze for muscles could not help but slightly let out an excited chuckle as soon as Silvie epted. His group of friends as well were starting to snicker from behind.


    "You know, you didn''t have to go with their bullshit."


    "Yeah sis, I agree with Hannah banana," Gary also let out a sigh, "They''re just going to waste your time."


    "It''s alright," Silvie let out a small smile as she turned her head towards the two, "What Scarlet Mage and the other instructors said earlier really struck me. With my somewhat close match with Hannah earlier, I think people are starting to underestimate me...


    ...I want to correct that. I ept your challenge," Silvie then said as she turned her gaze back to the challenger, "and since you seem to be confident in your durability, why don''t we have a boxing match?"


    "I won''t have it any other way," the bronze man once again chuckled.


    "It is decided then, please follow me!" Charlotte then suddenly blew on a whistle as soon as she stepped outside, gathering all the attention of the people that were nearby. However, it would seem that it wasn''t for them, but for the mall''s staff.


    The cleaners, the guards, and even some of the people that were tending on the hotdog stand all rushed to gesture or push the students away; and without even any warning, the floor opened up-- revealing some sort of tform slowly rising from it.


    "...This is ridiculous," Hannah muttered as soon as she saw it, "Just how much budget did the government put into this ce? Is this where all of our taxes go?"


    "You don''t really pay legitimate taxes yet, sister," Riley muttered as he looked at the rising tform, but after a few seconds, he suddenly walked away.


    "Wait, where are you going? Aren''t you going to watch Silvie''s match!?"


    Hearing his sister''s question, Riley only nced at Silvie, before proceeding to walk away again, "She will win, I see no point in watching feces getting stepped on by a goliath-- it''s disgusting."


    "That''s¡­"


    "Thank you, Riley," Silvie finally let out a giggle from Riley''s words. She was still confused if Riley was joking or not, but does it really matter? The only joke here¡­


    ...is her opponent.


    "...Is your brother going to be fine going alone like that?" Gary whispered to Hannah, "Do you want me to follow him?"


    "I think he''ll be fine," Hannah sighed, "He''s always preferred to be alone. It''s honestly already quite a surprise he''sing with us for this long. I guess¡­ he is starting to learn how to socialize?"


    ***


    Not even a few minutes after Riley separated from the group, he could already hear an ugly screaming from their direction. No doubt, Silvie had already made quick work of the bronze man.


    It is quite pathetic, Riley thought. For the Academy to set up something like a Duel system amongst the students, just what were they really trying to achieve? But at least he learned something.


    Initially, he thought the ID card had a chip imnted on them that tells their specific location in real-time inside the Academy; but if it could be stolen or won through a duel, then they wouldn''t ce it there. Was it perhaps imnted into them without them knowing?


    It was impossible for them not to have anything tracking their movement¡­ unless of course, the whole Academy truly was filled with cameras. The mall was already full of cameras, and there was for sure a lot more hiding.


    Gary was right, this felt more like a prison if anything. If it was like this, then how?


    How was Riley going to scratch the itch that was slowly growing inside of him?


    Why? Why did he enroll in this ce?


    He shouldn''t have retired.


    Mega Woman.


    He shouldn''t have defeated Mega Woman. If he didn''t, then they would still be fighting right now, bathing in the blood of the destruction they were causing.


    "...Mega Woman," Riley slightly raised both his trembling hands in the air, moving his fingers into an arc as if he was strangling someone''s neck with it, "This world... is meaningless without you. You''re from another, right? Where... where is--"


    "Mr. Ross?"


    And before Riley could finish his monologue, a very familiar voice resounded through his ears. With his hands still slightly in the air, Riley slowly turned his head towards the owner of the voice-- with a smile still lingering on his face.


    "Are you... okay? Do you need me to call someone?"


    "We seem to be meeting a lottely, Scarlet Mage," Riley then said.


    "...I am your ss'' supervisor. We really would be meeting a lot from now on," Scarlet Mage let out a small chuckle, but as soon as she remembered what Riley did earlier in the morning, it quickly faded away, "Anyway, where are your sister and friends? Shouldn''t you be with them?"


    "Oh," Riley slowly dropped his arms as he fully turned towards Scarlet Mage, "In truth...


    ...I prefer to be with you, Scarlet Mage."

 Chapter 17: Nosy People Always Get In Trouble

    <h4>Chapter 17: Nosy People Always Get In Trouble</h4>


    "I much prefer to be with you, Scarlet Mage."


    "What was that?"


    "I prefer to--"


    Riley''s muffled voice slightly whispered through the air as Scarlet Mage covered his mouth before he could say anything more. Scarlet Mage then smiled and chuckled awkwardly as she looked all over the ce, shaking her head towards the other people in the mall; telling them it was not what it seems.


    Afterward, she dragged Riley all the way outside the mall, and into one of the basement parking lots that were surprisingly quite spacious. But considering most of the school itself was built underground, perhaps it wasn''t surprising after all.


    And without even saying a word, Scarlet Mage continued to drag Riley until she pushed him inside what seemed to be her car.


    "..." Riley looked around Scarlet Mage''s small sedan; and considering there weren''t any trinkets or pillows of some kind inside, it was probably a car provided by the Academy. The number of cameras inside the basement was also obviously less than above, making this probably the best ce to kill Scarlet Mage. But then again... they were surrounded by hundreds of Supers-- it will be a massacre once they found out he killed her.


    That would have been preferable as Darkday-- but he was just Riley Ross now. He needed to y the part if he wants his retirement to be sessful, if not-- then that would make him into a liar. There was also the fact that Hannah was here as well, he couldn''t risk her getting hurt because of him.


    "What are you thinking right now?" While Riley was somewhat lost in his own thought, Scarlet Mage suddenly took off the mask that was covering half her face,pletely revealing her eyes, which were red in color, as well as her slightly thick eyebrows.


    "I''m thinking about my sister," Riley quickly answered, only looking at Scarlet Mage''s eyes for a single second before looking to the side.


    "Your sister? Is that just it?" Scarlet Mage, on the other hand, was not letting her eyes travel from Riley''s, "You are always saying that you need me, that you prefer me. And even though it is just the first day of the Academy, it is already making me ufortable so I think we need to set boundaries between us. So let me ask you, Riley...


    ...Why are you saying that to me? Why are you telling me you need me?"


    Riley did not really respond, just looking to the side as both of their breaths filled the inside of the car.


    "We are not going out of this car until you tell me," Scarlet Mage shook her head, "I don''t know about you, but I am used to this kind of heat. This might seem a little... inappropriate and hypocritical, but I think this is the only way I can get you to stop-- a heart-to-heart talk. So please, the faster you say what you feel, the more I can finally move on with my life as a teacher in the Academy. I am not used to this, I was just invited by the government to do this-- I would just rather be out there saving lives. So please, please tell me why you always seem to have something you want from me; I can always ask your father."


    Although Scarlet Mage was clear with her words, in truth, she was trying her best not to mumble due to the anxiety that was slowly building inside her. Even if Riley was young, he was still a man. And for someone like her, whose work and job as a superhero had always preceded over her life, this wasn''t something she imagined doing.


    But finally, after her long speech, Riley opened his mouth to speak.


    "Because I am afraid that as time moves on, you will discover who I am."


    Hearing Riley starting to open up, Scarlet Mage could not help but slightly let out a smile. But still, she was also slightly confused; he said he needs her, but his answer was somewhat contradictory.


    "So, you telling me you need me is because you want me to know who you are... but you''re afraid I would get to know you?"


    "No," Riley shook his head.


    "Then can you tell me how you feel right now, at this exact moment when I do this?" Scarlet Mage said as she suddenly grabbed Riley''s hand, "Tell me what you-- !!!"


    However, as soon as she did so, Riley grabbed her by the neck; perhaps due to the force, or maybe because of Riley''s powers, the car slightly moved to the right, causing a loud squeak as its tires left their mark on the pavement.


    "Do not touch me!" Riley screamed, his eyes reflecting the ball of fire that was hovering on Scarlet Mage''s left palm, "No one is allowed to touch me!"


    Scarlet Mage was at a loss as to what to do. Riley was currently on top of her, both his hands on her neck; she was going to smack her with a fireball on the face but hesitated to do so as finally, she felt his heart fluctuate.


    "I...m sorry," Scarlet Mage struggled to breathe, but still, she looked Riley straight in the eyes, "I am sorry, I was... I was out of line. Did... did someone..."


    But s, before she could finish her words, she could feel her vision slowly darken-- her limbs slowly losing their strength as thest breath she had in her also slowly faded its way out of her body.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Khu!"


    Scarlet Mage then suddenly woke up from the sound of her own gasp, hitting her head on the roof of her car as she tried to stand up. And upon touching her face, she almost panicked when she found out that she wasn''t wearing a mask; but as soon as she saw Riley quietly sitting beside her, she quickly remembered what she was doing.


    Did... she just lose consciousness? Wait, did she almost just die here?


    With that thought, she could not help but look at Riley, who just had a slightly bored expression on his face as he rested his head back on the seat.


    "Riley... you... you almost killed me," Scarlet Mage grunted as she gently grasped her neck.


    "Almost," Riley nodded his head, "But I can''t kill you now. Not in this ce, not now."


    "What? What do you mean kill me?" Hearing the casual tone in Riley''s voice, Scarlet Mage could not help but slightly feel ufortable. She knew Riley had autism, it was clear in his file; she knew that he was socially inept... but Riley rarely lies. Especially not with something like this.


    And so, with this thought, Scarlet Mage''s heart could not help but slightly beat faster, "Why... do you want to kill me?"


    Was she wrong? Did Riley Ross belong in the Potential Viin category after all?


    "I have already told you, Scarlet Mage. I am afraid that you are probably one of the few people that would know who I truly am."


    Riley said the exact same words he said before, but Scarlet Mage could no longer feel the warmth in his words, or perhaps there was no warmth in the first ce and she only just imagined it?


    Was she truly wrong in her assessment?


    "...Why?" Scarlet Mage whispered.


    "But you do not have to worry, I no longer wish to kill you, Scarlet Mage."


    "Why did you want to kill me!?" Scarlet Mage could no longer hold it in as she raised her voice. This was the first day of school, and things were already turning a turn for the worse. For a student to want to kill her on the first day... just what kind of job did she ept?


    "Because you would probably discover that I am Darkday."


    "What are you--"


    Before Scarlet Mage could finish her words, Riley suddenly turned his head and for the first time, looked her straight in the eyes, "I am Darkday. I am telling you now so I would no longer need to guess whether you have discovered it or not...


    ...Katherine Read."


    "W... what?"


    "That is your name, yes?" Riley then slightly raised his hand, and on it, was what seemed to be a driver''s license, "You...


    ...live in New York."

 Chapter 18: Dark Days From Now On, Scarlet Mage

    <h4>Chapter 18: Dark Days From Now On, Scarlet Mage</h4>


    "Give that back to me!"


    Scarlet Mage, now also known as Katherine Read to Riley, immediately grabbed her driver''s license from Riley''s hand, "Don''t you know that it''s rude to meddle with other people''s stuff!? I have had it with you! At first, I thought you were cute, but now it''s just getting too weird!"


    Scarlet Mage then wore her mask, before quickly grabbing her purse, which was supposed to be hidden in the glovepartment but was now beside Riley, "Your autism is not an excuse for you to harass me like this, I will report you to the¡­ to¡­ to whoever is doing the punishment in this stupid school!"


    "..." Riley did not move from his seat as Scarlet Mage continued to raise her voice.


    "And now you''re pretending to be Darkday!?" Scarlet Mage then stepped out of the car, "That is thest straw! Do you know of the things Darkday has done!? Don''t tell me you actually idolize the evilest superviin in the world? I was wrong! I was really wrong about you! Gah! I am so stupid! I should have listened to the others!"


    The dim basement slightly lit up as Scarlet Mage summoned two balls of fire in frustration, before just letting it disperse as she once again screamed. Riley, on the other hand, still did not move from his seat and stayed in the car.


    "I would appreciate it if you get back inside the car, Katherine Read. My clone already got out of the car, so I can''t be seen going outside again. I need you to drive us away from here."


    "Don''t you dare call me by my name! And what the fuck are you talking about!?" Scarlet Mage no longer held anypassion or warmth towards Riley as she rushed back inside the car, trying to pull him out of it. However, as soon as she was inside the car, the door suddenly shut, hitting her on the buttocks and pushing her towards Riley.


    "W¡­ what the..." Scarlet Mage could not help but slightly stutter as she quickly pushed herself away from Riley. She then tried opening the door, but the locks quickly engaged themselves.


    "The one in your emergency contact, Leslie Read, who is she to you?"


    "Are you doing this?" Scarlet Mage once again took off her mask as she red at Riley, "Bravo, your control is amazing, now open the goddamn door before you get hurt, boy."


    "You can''t hurt me, Scarlet Mage," Riley shook his head as he remained looking at the front, "You are too weak to do that, don''t you remember the first time we met?"


    "What are you talking about?"


    "I stabbed you in the stomach. If it weren''t for Mega Woman arriving, then you would have already died."


    "...Are you talking about my fight with Darkday?" Scarlet Mage''s eyebrows furrowed even further as she heard Riley''s words, "Just don''t, Riley. I do not know why you have this delusion of you being Darkday, you--"


    "Aha!"


    Scarlet Mage could not help but slightly take in a short breath as Riley suddenly smiled and looked at her straight in the eyes, "Now I remember. Leslie Read is probably your mother, Katherine Read."


    "W¡­ what?"


    "Isn''t that what you said during that time? You told me not to kill you because your mother will be left all alone in this world."


    "How¡­ how do you know that?" Once again, Scarlet Mage could not help but take a short but deep breath as soon as she heard Riley''s words. She was sure that there weren''t any video recordings of her altercation with Darkday¡­ no one should know that besides her and Darkday.


    She knew what this was starting to mean, but still, it was impossible for Darkday to be here¡­. It''s impossible that Darkday is the boy beside him.


    "Because I am Darkday," Riley then let out a long and deep sigh as he turned his head to the roof of the car, "It really feels nice telling that to someone and for them to actually hear m--"


    "Enough!"


    The inside of the car was enough to light up the whole basement as Scarlet Mage suddenly summoned another fireball, this time with the intent of shutting down the deranged student beside her. If she was going to be punished, then so be it-- but Riley Ross needs to be taught a lesson.


    However, before the ze could even reach Riley''s face, Scarlet Mage found her hand unable to move even further as Riley was gripping her wrist.


    "You¡­" Scarlet Mage''s hand trembled as the fire hovering on it slowly faded, "...How strong is your telekic ability?"


    "This is superhuman strength," Riley quickly replied, "And I can''t answer your question, I have not really tried testing the extent of the limits of my telekic abilities."


    "You¡­ also have superhuman strength?" Scarlet Mage''s voice was starting to stumble, apanying the beating of her heart that was now moving erratically, "Are you¡­ are you really Darkday?"


    "Yes."


    Scarlet Mage''s breaths echoed through her car. Riley''s voice almost seemed like a muffled whisper; drowned by the sound of her heart as it drummed throughout her entire body. She didn''t want to believe it. Everything in her existence wanted to deny it. She had the power to tell if people were lying, but still, she didn''t want to believe it.


    Riley wasn''t lying, not then, not now, not this time.


    Riley Ross is Darkday, or at least he believes himself to be him. But seeing the abnormal strength he was showing now, it was most likely the former.


    Scarlet Mage''s breaths became more and more fettered as her eyes darted towards Riley''s hand, "Please¡­ let me go," she whispered.


    "L¡­ let me go," Scarlet Mage whispered, "I¡­ I won''t tell anyone about--"


    "But you will," Riley let out a sigh, "Not until you hear what I have to say."


    "W¡­ what? What are you saying?"


    "I will torture Leslie Read," Riley then said as he once again looked Scarlet Mage straight in the eyes, "I will rip her tongue first, so the only things that woulde out of her mouth are the gurgling shrilling scream as well as the blood that is slowly drowning her lungs. She would feel it slowly copsing, but she won''t die. Not until all of her limbs are slowly ripped from her body, not until the only way she could crawl is using her neck."


    "N¡­ No--"


    "It is quite possible, I have already done it," Riley continued, "Of course, if I have underestimated your¡­ love for your mother and still try to expose my identity, I could just kill everyone that knows. But please don''t tell my sister, I quite like her."


    "Why¡­ why not just kill me then?" Scarlet Mage once again stuttered, her teeth almost hitting each other as her head trembled uncontrobly.


    "That would be exposing myself. And also, did you not hear what I said during the broadcast? I am retired," Riley let out a small sigh, "I''m not a viin anymore."


    "W¡­ what?"


    Being a viin was not something you can just turn on and off, Scarlet Mage wanted to rebuke, but couldn''t. For some reason, she found Riley more talkative and eloquent when he was like this-- ironically, it was almost as if he was normal. It was also the same when he announced his retirement to the world as Darkday.


    Was this the real him? Was Riley himself whenever he is Darkday?


    "So instead of killing you, I decided to let you live," Riley nodded to himself as he let out a satisfied smile, "You should pass me just because of this, this is a very superhero-like thing to do, yes?"


    "W¡­ what?"


    "I always wanted henchmen like some of the other viins. So, you work for me now, Scarlet Mage," Riley said with a smile on his face, "Congrattions, you''re my first subordinate."


    "W¡­ what?" Was the only word that Scarlet Mage could really say, "Do¡­ do you really think that I would work for someone like you? I would rather die!"


    "Then dear old Leslie would be left all alone in this world," there was a slight change of tone in Riley''s voice as if imitating Scarlet Mage, "Now please, drive to the front of the mall."


    "You¡­ you''re fucking evil," Scarlet Mage muttered.


    "I suppose," Riley nodded, "That''s just how it is. Please drive, Scarlet Mage, or you will see your mother''s tongue beneath your pillow tomorrow."


    "..." Scarlet Mage closed her eyes inment as she tried to calm her shivering body. She truly did not expect this kind of development. Not at all. For Darkday to have infiltrated the Academy, and for him to even be the son of one of the core members of the Hope Guild¡­


    ...Is Whiteking also a viin? If so, then Darkday''s roots in the government probably go way deeper than she could ever know. If the only thing she could do now was obey Darkday, then she should do so-- not only for her sake but for the safety of the others.


    She would wait patiently for a chance to strike, but for now¡­


    ...she drives.


    "Where are you going? Just go from here."


    "..."


    Scarlet Mage, who was about to exit the car to go to the driver''s seat, could not help but click her tongue as she scooched her way to the front, proceeding to turn on the engine and drive out of the basement.


    She could not help but let out a long and deep breath as soon as she saw the scenery outside. All of these children, these people, merrily going on about their ways without knowing that they were in the presence of the most heinous superviin in the world.


    Meanwhile, that same superviin was currently hiding on the rear seat.


    "Please stop daydreaming," Riley said as she noticed Scarlet Mage''s eyes roaming around, "It makes you look suspicious. Please drive to the front of the mall."


    "..." Scarlet Mage only shook her head in response as she did what Riley asked of him, "Now what?"


    "It should be here any second now," Riley said.


    "What are we waiting fo-- What the fuck."


    Scarlet Mage did not need to ask, as she quickly realized what they were waiting for, or more specifically, who-- it was Riley himself, walking out of the mall along with his sister and two other students.


    "It''s my clone," Riley muttered, "I ordered it to go out while you were unconscious to avoid suspicion from the cameras."


    "I could see that!"


    If ever she needed any more proof that Riley Ross was indeed Darkday¡­


    ...this was probably it.

 Chapter 19: End of the First Day

    <h4>Chapter 19: End of the First Day</h4>


    "What are you doing? Call me to go inside your car."


    Scarlet Mage stared in silence as Riley exited the mall along with his sister and two other students. It would have just been an ordinary sight, but with Riley already supposedly inside the car with her, it almost made no sense. Well, not until one remembers that she was, indeed, actually already with the most heinous superviin in the world-- Darkday.


    He is also currently inside the car.


    Darkday had numerous superpowers; one just happened to be making clones of himself. That power made its debut during his final fight with Mega Woman, in which he used the clones to fight the members of the Hope Guild, causing even more damage to this country, as well as the neighboring countries.


    It might not have been talked about as much now since they were in the Academy, but the damage that the fight has caused was truly devastating. If you go outside, there would still be millions of graffitis and posters-- posters of those who have violently died during the battle.


    And now, that very same person who caused so much devastation¡­ was right here in the Academy for superheroes?


    Wasn''t there a rigorous background check for all the students that enrolled here? Or was it bypassed since his father was one of the members of the Hope Guild?


    The Academy should''ve done its job better, now they were stuck inside with a psychopath that could potentially kill all of them if he wanted to. The Academy was made to be imprable-- even having an invisible dome covering its entirety,pletely bomb and projectile proof.


    It also has a 3-meter thick gate and wall-- even the underground is covered.


    And now, the very same security that was supposed to be defending them from outside forces is the very same cage that locked them inside with a madman. But perhaps it was a good thing that she came to know this?


    Darkday would have spent his days here, without anyone knowing who he truly was. But now that she knows of his true identity, she just needed to find a way to expose him without him knowing. No matter how strong he was, he was only one man.


    "What are you doing? Call my clone inside, they''re leaving."


    "Kh!"


    Scarlet Mage could not help but feel a little tinge of paining from her right abdomen; she quickly looked towards it, only to find that half of Riley''s index finger was embedded through to it, "Call my clone."


    "R¡­ Riley!"


    And with that, Scarlet Mage had no other choice but to do Riley''s bidding; and as soon as she called for him, the clone immediately ran towards her car, not even saying its farewell towards Hannah and the others.


    "Drive," Riley said as soon as his clone got inside the car.


    "W¡­ where?"


    "Drop me off at the dorms, I don''t want to walk anymore."


    "O¡­ okay?" Scarlet Mage looked through her rear-view mirror, only to see Riley''s clone slowly melting and being seemingly absorbed by Riley. She truly was a fool.


    Where was the cute, pure, and innocent student she once saw? Riley was nothing but pure evil, even his powers were now reflecting that.


    "What¡­ are you?" Scarlet Mage still gathered the courage to talk as she proceeded to drive away, "What¡­ what are you nning?"


    "I am human, just like the rest of you," Riley Ross let out a sigh as he rested his head on the window, "As for what I am nning, I initially had none-- as I said in the broadcast, I am retired."


    "Your¡­ your father, did he have--"


    "Bernard Ross ispletely unaware of my true identity; so don''t talk to him," Riley muttered, "Also, I need you to get information about Mega Woman."


    "W¡­ what?"


    "I need to know her current status, where she is, what they have done to her, or if she is still alive."


    "Can''t¡­ you get your clones to do it for you?"


    "Albinos like me are even rarer than Supers; they would quickly be noticed."


    "You¡­ can''t change the way you look?"


    "Ew, no. That''s a disgusting power."


    "..." And cloning yourself is not? Scarlet Mage wanted to say, but didn''t, "Why¡­ do you want to know about Mega Woman?"


    "Because I think they are doing something to her," Riley then leaned his head beside the front seat, making Scarlet Mage even more ufortable, "It was a mistake giving her back to the government, I should have just stored her along with the others¡­ I regret what I have done."


    "With¡­ the others?"


    "Don''t worry, you will never get the pleasure of meeting them," Riley then leaned back to his seat once again, "They are quite a noisy bunch."


    Them? Was Riley not working alone? Did Darkday actually have some sort of group he belonged to? This is good¡­ this is truly good. She was learning more and more about Darkday, perhaps this happened for a reason.


    Perhaps¡­ it was even her destiny to one day defeat Darkday?


    And so, feeling a little lighter than she did before, Scarlet Mage aka Katherine Read, continued to drive her way towards the male dorms, dropping off the most heinous superviin in the entire world.


    "Remember what I said, gather information about Mega Woman," Riley said before getting out of the car, "If you don''t, then your mother will suffer the consequences."


    "Just please get out of my car."


    "Thank you for driving me, Scarlet Mage," Riley then let out a small smile as he stepped out of the car and closed the door; not even ncing back as he casually entered the dorms.


    "Ho¡­" And as soon as Riley''s presence was gone, Scarlet Mage''s breaths instantly became erratic, her hand falling from the steering wheel as she rested her head on it. This was really happening, she thought.


    Darkday is in the Academy, and she was the only one that knows it. What if someone else discovers his true identity? Wouldn''t Riley think she exposed him? What if Riley just suddenly decides to get out of his so-called retirement? Was he going to kill everyone here?


    Numerous thoughts were racing through Scarlet Mage''s head-- but there was one that was most prevalent.


    She was going to be working with Darkday from now on. Perhaps¡­ there might even be a chance to change him? Turn him into a better person?


    With that thought, Scarlet Mage let out a long and deep breath. At least she had some assurance that Darkday would not be able to get out of the Academy-- if worsees to worst, maybe the Academy had some sort of contingency n to bury all of them here, along with Darkday.


    Scarlet Mage then drove away, thinking that Darkday may be watching her¡­ but she was also watching him.


    "Huh¡­ mom?"


    Scarlet Mage''s thoughts were then disrupted as her mobile phone rang. Unlike the students, who were given new phones that are only usable inside the Academy''s perimeter, the staffs were able to keep their personal phones, allowing them to call people outside.


    "Hello, Ma? Why are you calling at this time?"


    [Kathy, there''s a young man here¡­ he said he was your friend? I didn''t want to be rude since he seems to know you... intimately.]


    "...What?" Hearing her mother sounding somewhat yful, Scarlet Mage could not help but furrow her eyebrows as she parked her car to the side of the road.


    [Yes, I must say, your taste in men is quite¡­ peculiar. Wait, I will let you guys talk while I prepare him some coffee. Would you like some coffee, dear?]


    [I don''t drink coffee, madam. Perhaps soda?]


    "Who is with you, mother?" Scarlet Mage''s eyebrows furrowed even further as the other voice on the line seemed awfully familiar to her.


    [Wait, you talk to him while I go fetch us something to drink. Riley, can you talk to Kathy for a while?]


    [Of course.]


    "!!!"


    [Hello Kath.]


    "Y¡­ you? What are you¡­" Once again, Scarlet Mage''s breath filled the entire car as they started drumming erratically.


    [Your mother is quite lovely.]


    "Why¡­ how¡­ how are you there?"


    Listening to Riley from the other side of the line, his monotonous voice became even more ominous; Scarlet Mage was not seeing Riley, but Darkday''s mask.


    [I am not really here, this is just a clone I left before moving into the Academy.]


    "W¡­ what?"


    [Well, please do your best in the Academy. I will take care of Leslie, so please focus on getting information about Mega Woman. Good luck.]


    "W¡­ wait--"


    [Let me help you there, Leslie.]


    [Oh my, you don''t have to.]


    Before Scarlet Mage could finish her words, the other side hung up.


    "Fuck¡­ fuck¡­ fuck!"


    Scarlet Mage hit her horn several times as she tried dialing back, but no one was no longer answering. She wanted to call the other Supers she knew outside, but what could they do?


    She was wrong, she was truly wrong. Riley Ross looked young so she thought there was a chance for him to change-- but she always forgets one crucial thing.


    Riley Ross is Darkday¡­


    ...and she was now working for him.


    ***


    "Pft."


    Riley Ross was now inside his dorm room; spacious, but unnecessary dark. Each student of the academy was provided a private room, as one could not really have two super teenagers sharing a room together. And like the rest of the Academy, their rooms were also well protected; and also seemingly soundproof, as Riley''sugh just bounced from the walls.


    Riley''s hands were trembling as he stood in the darkness, his smile still growing from the smallughter that escaped from his mouth.


    "This¡­ is quite fun, isn''t it?"


    And so ends the first day of Riley''s little adventure in Mega Academy. Truly, he was looking forward to the days toe.

 Chapter 20: Dangerous Plans

    <h4>Chapter 20: Dangerous ns</h4>


    "Riley Ross belongs to the Potential Viin list!"


    "Woah, calm down."


    Inside the teacher''s lounge, a group of instructors was currently chatting with each other, letting their bodies be absorbed by the seemingly luxurious sofa that the Academy has provided for them. There was one instructor, however, whose red hair was currently bobbing up and down as she mmed her palm numerous times on the table in front of her; almost spilling the coffee of the other instructors.


    "What has gotten into you, Scarlet Mage?"


    "Put Riley Ross in the Potential Viin list!" Scarlet Mage once again repeated her words as she once again mmed her palm on the table; if it wasn''t for her holding her mask, it would have probably already fallen off.


    "Did something happen? You were the one that was adamant that he doesn''t belong there," Spectacr Mustache Man squinted his eyes, his mustache slightly fidgeting as he stared inquisitively towards Scarlet Mage.


    Riley Ross is Darkday-- words that Scarlet Mage so wanted to say utter. But s, the only thing that came out of her mouth was a stutter, "N¡­ no, I think I was just wrong in my assessment!"


    Scarlet Mage was careful not to slip; if it was any other viin, then Scarlet Mage would have probably already exposed his true identity. But this was Darkday-- add the fact that he had a clone outside of the Academy ready to do his bidding, she truly was in a very¡­ delicate situation.


    "I have already told you, he belongs in the Potential Viin list and should be given priority," Nightwalker slightly adjusted his blindfold as he joined in on the conversation.


    "R¡­ right; I let my emotions get ahead of me," Scarlet Mage nodded her head, "Riley Ross should have--"


    "Care to share your assessment, then?"


    Before Scarlet Mage could finish her words, small gasps could be heard whispering through the lounge as a muscr man d in full white armor suddenly approached Scarlet Mage and the others.


    "You are talking about my son, correct?" And without even being invited, Whiteking sat beside Nightwalker, cing his cup of coffee on the table as well.


    "That''s¡­" Scarlet Mage could not help but take in a gulp as Whiteking suddenly joined in on them. Riley had already told her that Whiteking didn''t know his true identity; but could she really believe the words of Darkday?


    Riley Ross can lie, that much was evident. For all they know, Riley Ross might not even be autistic-- just a psychopath thatpletelycks social awareness. But whatever the case may be, she should still tread lightly in dealing with anything that involved Riley Ross, especially Whiteking, as he was part of the Hope Guild.


    "Whiteking," Spectacr Mustache Man carefully stroked his mustache as he looked Whiteking straight in his goggles, "I believe you joining us is inappropriate, as we are currently discussing Riley as a student."


    "I think your mustache is inappropriate," Whiteking quickly replied, "And I am not here as Riley''s father. As long as we are inside the Academy, he is but another student and will receive no special treatment of any kind-- I believe you have the same opinion, considering you also have your son enrolled here?"


    "..." Spectacr Mustache Man did not really answer as he just let out a small sigh.


    "I am not here to cause trouble," Whiteking also let out a sigh of his own as the mouth part of his white full-face mask suddenly opened up; allowing him to take a sip of his coffee, "I am truly curious as to why you think Riley belongs to the Potential Viin list."


    And then suddenly, not only Whiteking, but Spectacr Mustache Man and Nightwalker also had their eyes on Scarlet Mage.


    "W¡­ well--"


    "Did something happen between the two of you?" Whiteking then followed, "I heard you gave him a ride in your car yesterday-- and also dragged him to your car before that."


    "W¡­ what!?" Spectacr Mustache Man''s mustache stretched almost a meter as soon as he heard Whiteking''s words, "Student-teacher rtionship on the first day of school!?"


    "Hm," Nightwalker only covered his mouth in shock.


    "What!? No!" Scarlet Mage quickly waved her hands, "It''s not that! Riley Ross did something--"


    [Instructors, please head to your designated ssroom.]


    But before Scarlet Mage could exin, a loud announcement reverberated throughout the teacher''s lounge.


    "...Did my son do something inappropriate to you?" Whiteking''s voice lowered.


    "What¡­ no, it''s not that!" Scarlet Mage once again waved her hand, "Nothing sexual happened!"


    "Let''s continue talking about thister," Spectacr Mustache Man let out a long and deep sigh before walking away. As for Nightwalker, he was already nowhere to be found.


    "I will talk to Riley about this, you do not have to worry," Whiteking said before standing up, "And if you feel like he belongs to the Potential Viin list, then you can put him there-- as I said, no special treatments."


    "Wait, please don--"


    Once again, Scarlet Mage was interrupted as a pair of wheels suddenly emerged from Whiteking''s ankles, wheeling him away at an incredible speed.


    "..." Scarlet Mage could only blink her eyes a couple of times as she was left all alone by her colleagues. The others were on their way to nurture the future superheroes that would one day save the world; she, on the other hand, was on her way to a room that contained the most diabolical thing in the world.


    How was she even going to teach the students if all she had in her mind was that Darkday was sitting amongst the other young students?


    "...I want to retire."


    ***


    "Bro, okay. Legit, why did the instructor call for you yesterday?"


    Meanwhile, in ss 1-V, Gary was currently right in front of Riley, staring at him straight in the face as he leaned over Riley''s part of the table, "I also saw the two of you alone together here yesterday, spit it out, boy."


    "Don''t spit!"


    Silvie, who was sitting beside Riley, quickly moved away as soon as she heard Gary''s words. With how Riley acts, she wouldn''t be surprised if he did suddenly spit out, literally. However, she quickly returned to her seat afterward, as she too was quite curious as to why Riley was suddenly called by Scarlet Mage yesterday.


    "We were just talking about her mother," Riley then said as he tried pushing Gary away, "She''s amon acquaintance."


    "You¡­ know Scarlet Mage''s mother?" Gary squinted his eyes, "Wait¡­ so you know Scarlet Mage''s true identity!?"


    "Gary!"


    Silvie quickly covered Gary''s mouth, almost crushing his head, "Please keep quiet!"


    "Who¡­ who is she?" But still, Gary was able to let out a word.


    "I can''t say," Riley shook his head, "It''s illegal to reveal the identity of the staff or any other individual that is wearing their superhero costume-- ording to the handbook."


    "We can''t know the teachers'' identities but they know ours?" Gary furrowed his eyebrows, "Well, not surprising considering our government," Gary then burst out inughter as he tapped the table several times, once again garnering the attention of the other students.


    Daniel Espinoza, the one who Riley fought yesterday, could not help but click his tongue as he looked at Riley and the others having fun. Although most have already forgotten about it because of Silvie and Hannah''s fight, the humiliation was still fresh in his mind.


    "Let it go, man." And it would seem that his group of friends notice his frustration as well, as they all let out sighs as they noticed the look on Danny''s face.


    "He is friends with Silvie, you should have seen her fight at the mall; she almost obliterated her opponent."


    "Tch, why are you guys so scared?" Daniel crossed his arms, "Watch me, I will be the best--"


    "Please return to your seats."


    Before Daniel could finish his words, Scarlet Mage entered the room. And seeing the somewhat strict look on her face, the only thing the students could do was follow her instructions.


    Gary, however, raised his eyebrows a couple of times at Riley before proceeding to sit beside him, gesturing all sorts of obscenities with his finger. This did not escape Scarlet Mage''s eye, but the only thing she could do was hold in her frustration.


    It would seem that a weird rumour was traveling the Academy. But perhaps¡­ this could be a good thing?


    If it was found out that they have some sort of romantic rtionship, wouldn''t the two of them be kicked out of the Academy? With that thought suddenly circling in her mind, she could not help but look towards Riley.


    That was a good n, was it not? Riley would also not be able to me her, as it would be the school that would decide their expulsion. She could do that, she could certainly do that.


    "Holy shit, she''s staring at you, man," Gary whispered, "Is there really something going on between the two of you? You even know her mother."


    "Yes," Riley nodded his head as he whispered back, "There is something going on between us."


    "!!!" Even Silvie, who was trying hard not to listen in on the two''s conversation, could not help but take in a short but deep breath. She had heard of stories between student and teacher, but to think one of her new friends in the Academy is experiencing such an act¡­ truly, it made her somewhat excited.


    Scarlet Mage waspletely oblivious of the conversation going on between the three; however, it would seem one way or the other, all of their thoughts were not that far from each other, but at the same time,pletely different.


    Scarlet Mage was still deliberating on whether or not she should enact her n. But for now, it didn''t matter-- she still had students to teach, she was already here, so she might as well do the job the government hired her to do.


    And so, after letting out a long and deep sigh, she scanned each of her students-- trying her best not to falter from Darkday''s presence.


    "We had a mock battle yesterday to show you your ce as a superhero," Scarlet Mage said as she started walking around the tform, "And in rtion to that, one must also know the extent of one''s capabilities-- the limit and control of your powers."


    Scarlet Mage then pressed something on the tablet she was holding, turning on the gigantic screen in front of the ss.


    "Your names are listed in groups," Scarlet Mage said, "And each member of your group will have a simr ability to what you have, so please familiarize yourself with their names¡­ They are yourpetition, but at the same time, you can learn from each other. So I want all of you to group up ording to the list on the screen."


    "Ah, I guess we''re together, Silvie!" Gary had a wide smile on his face as he quickly approached Silvie, who had a somewhat shocked expression on her face as she saw Gary''s name besides her. Granted, she had not seen Gary using his powers yet, but she never imagined he would have a simr power. Well, seeing as there were 4 other names on the group, her powers weren''t really that rare.


    "..." As the students were starting to find their group, Riley remained stagnant on his seat. Although his name was listed with 10 other people, he had no idea who they were-- and no one was really approaching him. Considering he was one of the few people who fought in the mock battle, then it was given that they should know what his power was.


    But s, no one was calling him.


    Scarlet Mage, who quickly noticed this, could not help but let out a scoff. Serves him right, she thought. Someone like Darkday should be left all alone; he deserves to die alone with no one by his side.


    "..." However, for some reason, the longer Scarlet Mage stares at Riley, the more the smile faded from her face-- instead, a feeling she couldn''t exin was starting to build up inside her as she saw Riley sitting alone. She just concocted up a n to pretend having a rtionship with Riley to have them both kicked out of the Academy-- but at this point, is she¡­


    ...actually starting to truly feel concerned about him?

 Chapter 21: Twins

    <h4>Chapter 21: Twins</h4>


    No.


    If Scarlet Mage could p herself at this moment, she probably would have. To feel sorry for the most heinous and evilest superviin in the world? The young man who literally has her and her mother hostage? Was this some sort of Stockholm syndrome?


    Or perhaps, Riley had some sort of power to bewitch people? Was that it? Was Riley actually bewitching her right now? It made sense that he would have that kind of power-- it was an evil power, after all.


    If that was truly the case, then Scarlet Mage would try her hardest to resist it. It might be hard since she was nning to have them both kicked out from the Academy by pretending to have a romantic rtionship with him, but since Riley is still indeed just a minor, there was no way that she would actually fall in love with him even if he has the spell to do so, right?


    ...Right?"


    Scarlet Mage looked at Riley onest time before shaking her head. She might be working for him now, but it wasn''t her responsibility to hold her hand every single time. If Riley was destined to be alone, then so be it.


    She knew she was starting to sound contradictory, but she truly can''t do anything at this point.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Riley Ross, please go to your group."


    But s, after only a minute, Scarlet Mage pointed towards a group of students that were on the most left corner of the ssroom. Riley is evil, who knows what he might do if he felt like he was being isted?


    Yes. Surely, that was the only reason why Scarlet Mage helped him.


    ...Right?


    As Scarlet Mage was busy with her thoughts, Riley slowly made his way towards his designated group-- students that also had telekic abilities. And as soon as he joined them, the telekic students, who were previously chatting with each other, all quieted down.


    Riley, however, did not seem to mind as he just took his seat along with the others.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Talk to him."


    "No, you talk to him."


    "I don''t even know what we''re going to do yet."


    Whispers travelled through Riley''s ears as most of the group looked at each other, gesturing to who should approach Riley. But finally, after a few more seconds of this somewhat awkward situation, one of the female students in the group approached him.


    "Your name is Riley, right? I''m Be," The girl lightly flicked her shoulder-length brown hair before letting out a long and deep sigh, "We were just discussing each other''s powers, so I feel like it''s fair you should join us instead of brooding in the side."


    "What are you doing!?"


    One of the other girls in the group tried to pull Be away, but she just nonchntly waved her hand, saying it was alright.


    "Are you guys retards?" She then said, "Why are you isting people like it''s the god-damn 80s?"


    "Didn''t you see what he did during the mock battle yesterday?"


    "I did, and so?" Be lightly nudged her nose as she let out a small scoff, "It''s called a mock battle for a reason, did you think they''re just going to shake hands?"


    "That''s¡­"


    "No need to be too harsh, my sweet Bell," a slightly feminine male student, who looked awfully simr to Be, suddenly danced his way towards Riley, waving his hand all over the ce before sitting at the desk in front of him, "They just do not appreciate beauty when they see one."


    "You''re the creepiest one here, Ben."


    "Ah, such hurtful words. Why don''t you soothe my heart, Riley?"


    "The two of you are twins?" Riley did not seem to mind Ben''s somewhat coquettish behavior as he took a slight nce at the two.


    "How I wish we weren''t," Be rolled her eyes as she slowly returned to where she was previously sitting, spinning her chair and sitting on it backwards with her legs wide open, "But yes, sadly so."


    "How curious..." Riley muttered, "...the two of you seemed to have swapped sexual preferences?"


    "See? I like you already, you''re very perceptive and blunt," Be let out a chuckle as the group of girls that she was previously chatting with all moved away from her, "Unlike these fake young''uns."


    "...Why are you talking like an old man, quit being so disgraceful," Ben shook his head as he leaned closer towards Riley, "What do you say we leave all of these normies and go through a perilous journey on our own?"


    "I am afraid you can''t really go out of the Academy," Riley shook his head, "It''s against the rules."


    "Pft," Be suddenly burst out inughter as soon as she heard Riley''s words, although there wasn''t anything remotely funny with what he said. Seeing this, the other members of the group could not help but look at each other.


    It would seem they have their hands full. They thought that the only weird member of their group would be Riley, but it turns out they have the whole package with the twins.


    "So, I suppose we should start introducing ourselves again now that we''replete?" Be then once again stood up as she looked at Riley, "I''ll start-- my name is Be Jackson, I have the power to move all sorts of metal with my mind, so I guess that counts as telekinesis and that''s why I am in this group."


    "And I am Benjamin Jackson, but all of you may call me Benjaya."


    "No one is going to call you that."


    "Shut up, it''s my turn!" Ben hissed at his sister before once again quicklyposing himself, "And like my sister, I could also control metal; but with more grace and control, like the fleeting wind in a warm summer."


    Ben then elegantly waved his hand, causing almost a hundred tiny steel balls to fly out from his pockets; and with every flicked of Ben''s fingers, the metal balls arranged themselves into all sorts of shapes-- a bird, a tree, and even the face of a human.


    "Our father also has the same power, so--"


    "Shut your mouth, you idiot!" Before Ben could finish his words, a metal te suddenly covered his entire head, "We''re not supposed to reveal anything about our family''s background!"


    Ben seemed to be saying something, but only muffles and noise whispered through the air as Be seemed to have no n in taking the metal te off. There was a slight ringing as Ben tried to control it, but it would seem his sister''s raw power was greater than his as the only thing he could do was budge it a centimeter.


    "This is probably the best time for the others to introduce themselves," Be then said as she looked at Riley, "Go ahead, Riley."


    "Okay," Riley quickly nodded his head as he stood up from his seat, "My name is Riley Ross, I am currently 16 years old. I can move things with my mind, also known as telekinesis. I was born in Ohio, my biological mother was--"


    "That''s too much information!" Be quickly waved her hands as she gestured to Riley to stop talking. Afterward, the rest of the group introduced themselves, but aside from the twins, the rest aren''t really anything special. One had the ability to control water, and it would seem he was ced in the group since he could not conjure it, unlike Hannah who had the ability to summon fire.


    And finally, after a full hour, Scarlet Mage, who had been keeping quiet on the stage, called for everyone''s attention.


    "Alright, now that all of you are acquainted with each other, it''s time to have a little contest," Scarlet Mage said as she walked towards the door, "Please follow me outside."


    "What? Again?"


    "Aren''t we supposed to be learning? Why are we having curricr activities again?"


    And as soon as the others saw Scarlet Mage leaving the room again, they all could not help but let out theirints. They already had a mock battle yesterday, and considering they were going outside again, they will surely be having a sort of physical activity.


    "Seriously, what did you guys expect?" Be, on the other hand, could only roll her eyes as she was the first one to move in her group, "This is a school to train us to be superheroes, did you really think we''re just going to sit down, learn history and stuff?"


    "Actually, they''re also going to teach us normal school stuff," Ben, whose head was finally free, quickly rebuked his sister, "Specially tactics and how to deal with superviins and stuff like--"


    "That''s not normal school stuff," Be once again rolled her eyes as she pulled her brother away, "Let''s go, let''s go!"


    "No, save me, Riley!"


    "No," Riley shook his head as he too started walking out of the ssroom. But before he could walk out of the door, he quickly turned around as he felt a certain pressure starting at him; only to find Gary still gesturing obscenities with his hands as he mouthed Scarlet Mage''s name towards him.


    And as soon as Silvie saw this, she quickly pped his hands, before gesturing to Riley not to mind him.


    "Interesting friends," Be, who also noticed this, could not help butment.


    "They''re not my friends," Riley quickly replied as he shook his head.


    "Really?" Be''s eyebrows rose as she looked back and forth between Riley and the two, "You chat with each other, joke with each other, and spend time together-- that makes you friends."


    "Is that what friendship is?" Riley muttered, "I have only known them for a day, I believe friendships are built with time."


    "Oh my dear Riley, that is where you are wrong," Ben gracefully freed himself from his sister''s grip as he once again danced while following behind Scarlet Mage, "Friendships bloom even in the most unexpected ces, even at the most unexpected times. Time is but a decoration."


    "..."


    "What does that even mean?" Be let out a long and deep sigh as she heard her brother''s words, "Don''t mind him, he wants to be a writer so his mind is a bit off."


    "I see," Riley nodded, "And you, what do you want to be, Be?"


    "...Me?" Be was slightly surprised with the sudden question, "I... don''t really know, a superhero, I guess? It''s really the only thing I could think of."


    "I see."


    "What about you?"


    "An astronaut."


    "What are you, a child?"


    "No, I''m 16 years old."


    "Nevermind."


    Be did not really ask any further, as they just continued to quietly follow Scarlet Mage across the gigantic hallways of the Academy. Most of them thought that they were going to the training hall where they had their mock battles yesterday, but instead, they were taken outside and into a wide-open field.


    Once again, the students could not help but think of how big the entire area of the Academy was.


    There were also other students from the other sses, but unlike with the training hall, the other sses were too far away to even hear each other.


    "Alright, gather up," Scarlet Mage then pped her hands as she asked her ss to gather in front of her, "Our activity for today is simple. I want all of you to try and overpower the rest of the members of your group, while also trying to learn from each other''s abilities if you can."


    "Overpower? Another contest of who is stronger?"


    "Ack, but Silvie is in our group!"


    "This should be fun, setting up hierarchies!"


    "Quiet down!" Scarlet Mage once again pped her hands, "I want all of you to set up and find ces for your group before I exin further and we could proceed with the activity. But first, I need someone to officiate and watch the skirmish with me. So...


    ...Mr. Riley, sit this one out."

 Chapter 22: Neutralize

    <h4>Chapter 22: Neutralize</h4>


    "Mr. Riley, sit this one out."


    "..."


    "See? Even the instructor thinks he is dangerous."


    "Hm."


    The voices of the students whispered through the vast field as they all turned to look towards Riley. Although most of them did not think much of it, the ones in Riley''s group, however, were all breathing sighs of relief. Although they don''t know how strong Riley truly is, they knew he didn''t know how to hold back.


    Since their current activity had something to do with overpowering each other, Riley was a very dangerous element in their group. And so, with Scarlet Mage calling him away, most of them rejoiced.


    "Heh, too bad. I wanted to see how strong you are," Be let out a small breath as she shook her head, "There''s always next time, I guess."


    "Watch us dance, Riley dear," Ben added.


    "I suppose," Riley nodded before making his way towards Scarlet Mage; and as he did so, he once again felt an ominous aura piercing through him. He quickly looked towards the direction where it wasing from, only to once again see Gary moving his hands in a very obscene way; his smile almost reaching his ears.


    However, this time, a slight sizzle started to smoke from his hands, causing him to instantly stop. Scarlet Mage could let it pass once, but doing it a second time? She wouldn''t just let him off without a warning.


    "You sure do have a weird taste in friends¡­ as expected," Scarlet Mage said as Riley stood beside her.


    "They are not my friends. And why did you call for me, Scarlet Mage?"


    "I just needed someone to assist me in overseeing the activity."


    That was a lie, of course. Riley was dangerous, and she would be damned if she allowed him to hurt any of her students. Although she felt a little ufortable seeing Riley isted for some reason, it has to be done.


    She was the only one in the entire Academy that knew of his true identity, and as a superhero, her first priority was to keep all of the children safe.


    "I see," Riley nodded, "I thought you were thinking that I would hurt them. But you have my word, I will not kill anyone since I am currently in retirement, Scarlet Mage."


    Hearing Riley''s whispers, Scarlet Mage''s eyes started to twitch. Not kill anyone? He almost spooned out someone''s heart during the entrance examination, he almost gouged out someone''s eye during the mock battle yesterday, not to mention he threatened to torture her mother if Scarlet Mage ever reveals his identity.


    "..." But then again, he really hasn''t killed anyone ye--


    Scarlet Mage quickly shook her head; why was she trying to give Riley an excuse herself? Was she right? Did he really have the power to entrance and bewitch someone!?


    "Let''s not talk about this here," Scarlet Mage then quickly said as she once again shook her head, "We''re student and teacher, s¡­ so, let''s pretend to be one."


    She then stuttered as she let out a slightly awkward, but alluring smile towards him-- Yes, this was the start of her n. Besides preventing Riley from hurting the other students, she would also make sure that they would be seen as some sort of¡­ couple.


    It was hitting two birds with one stone. If the students began to suspect they have some kind of romantic rtionship, then the Academy would have no choice but to kick out the both of them-- limiting Riley''s hostages.


    "Okay," Riley, on the other hand, seemed to bepletely oblivious to her advances, "So what did you want me to do, Scarlet Mage?"


    "R¡­ right," Scarlet Mage then cleared her throat as she faced the other students, "The activity for today is more than just a contest of strength, it''s also a chance to learn more about your powers from others that have the same power; But with that said, it''s still apetition, and as such, those whoe out on top of each of the groups will be given 1,000 Mega Points to spend around the Academy."


    "!!!"


    Scarlet Mage''s wordspletely woke the students up. 1,000 Mega Points? How many lunches could they buy from that? Some of them also saw that the Academy was also selling all sorts of things-- even vehicles. Most of them were minors and weren''t allowed to drive outside, but since motorcycles and cars were being sold here¡­ doesn''t that mean they could use them?


    And so, with those thoughts lingering in the air, the fires in the students'' eyes were almost enough to burn the field of grass they were in. There was one student, however, whose eyes were slightly confused.


    "Uhm, Ms. Scarlet Mage."


    While the other students were busy thinking of the things they could buy, Silvie Savelievna stepped forward, "What about me, what do I get if Ie out on top?"


    Silvie had unlimited MP, 1,000 Mega Points meant nothing to her.


    "Nothing," Scarlet Mage quickly said, "But you have everything to lose."


    "W¡­ What?" Silvie could not help but blink a couple of times after hearing Scarlet Mage''s words.


    "Your group is in luck. Since you''re currently the Mega Student of the Academy, they will have a chance to take that title from you."


    "Mega Student? Is that what the top student is called?"


    "She has unlimited MP?"


    "How is that even fair!?"


    "Who is thinking of these names!?"


    Those who were still not aware of Silvie''s status could not help but look at each other in shock. Unlimited MP? So she was allowed to buy everything the Academy had to offer if she wanted to? What kind of privilege is that!?


    ...And why is she not using it!?


    While the other students were still in shock, Silvie''s group, on the other hand, all had weird smiles on their faces. To think they would actually have the chance to be the Mega Student, and all they had to do was defeat Silvie.


    Perhaps they could just gang up on her?


    "Alright, I will exin the rules," Scarlet Mage then pped her hands as she gestured to the students to calm down, "You can''t hurt your opponent."


    "Wait, what?"


    "Teach, how are we going topete against each other if we''re not allowed to--"


    "As superheroes, we are seen as a beacon of hope. As much as possible, we only neutralize our enemy-- and one way to do that is topletely overpower them," Scarlet Mage exined before theints of the students could get worse,


    "Of course, hurting our enemy is unavoidable and is more often than not, necessary. But sadly, that''s the rule. As to how you can beat your opponent without harming them; well, that is what you will learn today-- be creative.


    As for the second rule, one-on-one matches only. It is up to your group to decide what the lineup is going to be... And that''s it, you can proceed. But please do know that if my... partner and I see that you have broken the rules, you will instantly lose the right topete."


    And with that, Scarlet Mage floated into the air, her eyes carefully watching the students.


    "...That''s it?"


    "So, we should just start? What kind of mechanics is this?"


    "...My power is electrocution, how am I not going to hurt anyone with this?"


    "Tickle someone into submission?"


    "That''s¡­ actually a very good idea."


    "...Is it?"


    The whispers of confusion littered the air as all of the students looked at each other for answers. If anything, their activity for today was somewhat philosophical in nature; To make someone submit without hurting them? What sort of zen bullshit was that?-- most of them thought.


    "Tch, this is why you normies won''t seed in life. With the mock battle yesterday, as well as the sanctioned duels around the Academy, you all should have known what this school is all about."


    Be, however, cracked her knuckles as she proceeded to step away from her group, "Come, brother. Let''s show these fools how to do it."


    "...Me?" Ben blinked his eyes a couple of times before following his sister, "I¡­ actually also have no idea what to do, but alright. A battle between siblings, Ben and Be, how dramatic!"


    "And here I thought we were on the same wavelength, watch me!"


    And as soon as Be said that, the ground beneath them began to tremble.


    "Gah!" Be began to scream, garnering the attention of the whole ss. Be''s veins began to pop out from her ck skin as her face started to be pale-- obviously straining her muscles as she continued to roar.


    The others were slightly confused as to what she was doing, but as the tremble in the ground slowly turned into a quake, their eyes could not help but widen.


    "Is she¡­ trying to lift something beneath the ground!?" One of the members of her group shouted.


    "No fucking way!"


    "But she could only bend metal, right? What is she trying to lift¡­ a water pipe or something!?"


    "Grah!" Be''s scream became louder and louder. But s, before the others could find out what she was truly doing¡­ her screams abruptly stopped and her body dropped to the ground like a ragdoll.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Did she just faint?"


    "Be!" Ben quickly rushed towards to hug her sister, checking if she was still breathing-- and considering her slightly ample breasts were beating heavily, she was. "I will avenge you, my dear sister. In my dear life, I will avenge you!"


    "..."


    "...Well, at least I got an idea as to what I will do now," one of the members of the Telekinesis group muttered as he stepped forward, ignoring Ben''s wails as he challenged one of the other members.


    It wasn''t only him, the other students who watched Be''s disy finally also had an idea as to what to do. One of the ways they could win without hurting someone was to show the difference in strength, to showcase what they could do.


    To scream to your opponent''s face that you are superior-- Be tried to do it, but s, she overestimated herself.


    And so, soon, the students in each group began challenging each other. Scarlet Mage, who saw this, could not help but let out a long and deep sigh. In truth, even she was slightly confused with this activity. She was only following the sybus given to her, and she would lie if she said she herself wouldn''t have trouble in this curriculum.


    "That student called Be is strong."


    "Righ-- Wait, what are you doing here!?"


    Scarlet Mage almost fell to the ground as Riley was suddenly floating in the air beside her, "You said I should watch them, and that is what I am doing, Scarlet Mage."


    "I... I see," Scarlet Mage quicklyposed herself as she turned her attention back to her ss. It would seem that some of them are starting to battle it out, but most were still confused as to what to do.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    But after a few seconds of silence, the feeling of Darkday quietly floating beside her made her nerves slightly rise in levels.


    "If... if you were still participating in the activity, what would you do?" And so, after a few more moments of deliberation, Scarlet Mage asked the question she was most curious about. This was a rare chance to get insight into the mind of a superviin, especially from someone as ruthless as Riley.


    "Am I allowed to hurt their families?"


    "No!"


    Surprisingly, Scarlet Mage felt Riley''s heart fluctuate a little as soon as she uttered the question. She could even see Riley slightly ufortable as if he was truly deliberating his answer.


    And finally, after a few more seconds, Riley answered.


    "I''ll cut off their nerve endings, making their feeling of pain--"


    "No, you''re not allowed to harm them, remember!?"


    "But if they don''t--"


    "Forget it!" Scarlet Mage shook her head in disappointment. What answer was she expecting? And here she was thinking that Riley would actually take her question seriously. Or maybe he was, and he truly can''t think of anything but to hurt people.


    He is Darkday, after all.


    "I will destroy this ce."


    "Hm?"


    "I will destroy this ce without hurting anyone," Riley repeated, "I am sure that would be enough to neutralize them."


    "I see." Scarlet Mage nodded as she let out a short but deep sigh before letting out a small smile. It would seem Riley was capable of not hurting anyone after all. But by the gods...


    ...It was a good thing he pulled Riley away from the activity.

 Chapter 23: Potential Villain List (1)

    <h4>Chapter 23: Potential Viin List (1)</h4>


    The students of ss 1-V continued with their activity; and with the thundering noises that were echoing through the air, it would seem that the other sses had begun their exercise as well.


    "...Interesting."


    It had not even been a quarter of an hour since the activity had started, but it would seem that one of the groups in Scarlet Mage''s ss has already reached their conclusion. Scarlet Mage slowly floated towards the group, who only had one remaining student standing still.


    "..." Riley also followed Scarlet Mage, his eyes looking at the 4 students that werepletely unconscious on the ground.


    "This¡­ is the Telepath group, yes?" Scarlet Mage then approached the only student left standing.


    "...Y¡­ es," the young man said, the tone of his voice filled withziness and a littleg.


    "Can you tell me your name and state how you¡­ are the only one left standing in your group?"


    "Name¡­ Cedrick," the young man mumbled, "Il...lusion, they are dreaming¡­"


    "..."


    "...right now."


    "I see," Scarlet Mage quickly nodded as soon as Cedrick finished exining, which took almost 15 seconds. She then asked Cedrick to retrieve his ID card, before quickly grabbing it and tapping it on the tablet she was holding.


    "Here you go, I added 1000 MP to your ount," Scarlet Mage said as she ced the card back in Cedrick''s pocket herself, "Just wait on the side for now while we wait for the others to finish up."


    "O¡­ kay," Cedrickzily said as he slowly walked towards a nearby tree for shade.


    Cedrick Atkinson-- if Scarlet Mage wasn''t mistaken, he was in the Potential Viin list along with many other students. And seeing as he was able to overpower the rest of the members of his group, she had to add priority to his name.


    The Potential Viin list, as the name suggests, was a list of students that were deemed to have the most potential to go to the dark side if left unchecked. Scarlet Mage has screened almost a thousand students in the span of weeks, and she didn''t want to admit it, but almost 20% of the students belong to the list-- and there were probably more, who were just good at hiding their alignment.


    As someone on the list, they were given more attention than the other students; to intervene and hopefully change them before they were sent to the outside world¡­ if they were sent outside. Scarlet Mage had no idea what the Academy was nning for the students who are still on the list by the time they graduate, but she was hoping it wouldn''t lead to something drastic.


    There were five more in the Potential Viin list in her ss, excluding Riley. She was having second thoughts about putting him there now, as her n to pretend to be a couple was her number one priority so that he would be kicked out of the Academy.


    If he was put on the Potential Viin list, then he might be transferred to another ss since there were already too many in her ss.


    "Interesting. Cedrick can create illusions, Scarlet Mage?"


    "Shouldn''t you know by now that powers aren''t created equal?" Scarlet Mage raised her voice, making sure that the other students could also hear her, "Along with our activity on the first day, this activity is also trying to show you that even though you may have people with the same powers as you, that doesn''t mean you aren''t unique. There are certain ways to master your powers, you mayck raw power; but in return, your control would be better."


    Although the students were busy with their matches, those who were watching could not help but nod their heads. They already saw how one of the students of the Telekic group fainted due to overusing her power-- she had raw power, but she certainlycked control.


    "I wasn''t aware they could do that," Riley once again whispered close to Scarlet Mage''s ears, "I usually kill them first since they used to be able to read my mind."


    "U¡­ Used to?" Scarlet Mage was trying her best to ignore Riley''s warm breath crawling down her neck. She did say she was going to pretend with Riley, so she should get used to this kind of¡­ intimacy, "What do you mean used to?"


    "Telepaths could no longer read my mind, Scarlet Mage," he replied, "That is why I wanted to kill you in the first ce since the way you read people is different from the rest."


    "I¡­ I see," Scarlet Mage didn''t know whether to be proud or scared of the fact that Darkday saw him as a sort of a threat. No, it was definitely both a blessing and a curse-- there was a reason that she was the only one that knows Riley''s identity, and she would make sure to fulfill it. And so, once they were kicked out from the school, her responsibility will finally start.


    She was now calling this-- Operation ''Turn Dark into Light''.


    "I should probably incapacitate Cedrick for life," Riley then once again let out a whisper.


    "Don''t!"


    The exercise continued, with most still not being able to reach a conclusion. But surprisingly, Silvie''s group now only had her and Gary left standing. It would seem they were having a contest of strength¡­ through arm wrestling.


    Perhaps this was also the reason why most of the groups still hadn''t finished their matches since all of them were engrossed with Silvie''s match. Scarlet Mage told them to focus on their own matches, but they immediately went back to watching Silvie and Gary.


    And so, with a sigh, Scarlet Mage could only do the same. Even more than the Potential Viin list, the Mega Student is their number 1 priority. Of course, for Scarlet Mage, Silvie was only 2nd to Riley.


    "I guess it''s you and me then, Mega Student¡­ pft."


    "Please don''t."


    Silvie could not help but groan in frustration as she saw Gary trying his best not tough; but knowing him, he was probably just doing it deliberately to annoy her. But it wasn''t entirely his fault, though. Who in their right mind even decided to call the top student that way?


    This is what happens when you give old people the power to name things.


    "Let''s do this, old friend."


    "...We''ve only known each other for a day," Silvie rolled her eyes as she walked towards therge stone they were having their arm wrestling match on, and considering all the dents and cracks on it, their group has used it well.


    "Eh, what about the entrance exam day?" Gary let out a slight gasp as he ced his elbow on the boulder, "I thought we''ve made a solid connection there, my heart bleeds at this betrayal¡­ I thought you were my friend!"


    "...I am?" Silvie blinked a couple of times as she grabbed Gary''s hand, "Then no hard feelings after I am done with you?"


    "Ho, is that the confidence you got from being the Mega Student?"


    Silvie''s eye could not help but twitch from Gary''s words. But after a few seconds, she let out a long and deep breath; she shouldn''t let herself get distracted and be dragged into Gary''s words-- after all, that was one of the reasons he won his matches.


    "Let''s just start in 3."


    "Alright."


    "1,"


    "2,"


    "3!"


    "!!!"


    A thunderous noise exploded in the air as the grass waved in a ripple. The students who were near the two also could not help but slightly back away from all the debris and dirt that was being thrown around as the boulder the two were leaning on dug through the ground.


    "S¡­ shit, you''re not going to let me win?" Gary chuckled nervously, "Let me win¡­ i''ll return the title to you next week, I just really want to buy that bike."


    "No."


    "...Then just buy me one?"


    "No."


    "...A loan?" Gary muttered as their arms both began to tremble, with the boulder they were leaning on digging through the ground even further, causing them to slouch.


    "..." Silvie wasn''t going to lie, but she did not expect Gary to be stronger than the rest of the members of her group; but at the same time, she also could not help but be happy. Throughout her life, she was surrounded by nothing but walls; as well as people that were too fragile that they might possibly break from her touch.


    But now, being surrounded by friends that are somewhat at the same level as her, she felt¡­ safe.


    Hannah was undoubtedly strong as she already experienced fighting with her firsthand, and she would only grow stronger. Gary had simr abilities to her, so they would surely have a lot to talk about in the future. As for Riley¡­ he had this mysterious air around him, but with all the things he had been showing so far, she knew he was the same as her-- always holding back.


    And as soon as she thought of that, their hands which had been remaining equal for a full minute now started to move, with Silvie pushing Gary''s hand downwards.


    "Tch," Gary''s teeth started to show as the veins on his neck started to pop out, his grip growing stronger as he tried his best to fight back.


    Silvie slightly lightened her grip so as to prevent hurting him. She really had to admit it, Gary was strong, but sadly...


    ...it wasn''t enough, "Please stop this...


    ...you''re only going to end up hurting yourself."

 Chapter 24: Potential Villain List (2)

    <h4>Chapter 24: Potential Viin List (2)</h4>


    "Please stop this¡­ you''re only going to end up hurting yourself."


    Silvie made sure to lighten her grip, allowing Gary to realize that she was only holding back so as to not hurt him. Gary, however, took this chance to push her hand away. But s, the difference between their strength was starting to show as Silvie quickly held her ground.


    "You¡­ really want to win this badly?" Silvie furrowed her eyebrows.


    "I guess?" Gary once again chuckled, before gritting his teeth to the point that it was starting to bleed.


    "Stop, Gary. You''re not going to win."


    "I won''t!"


    "!!!"


    Another thunder reverberated in the air as the boulder they were leaning on slowly began to crack. And due to Gary''s sudden rise in power, the back of Silvie''s palm almost touched the surface of the boulder.


    If it wasn''t for her also increasing her strength at thest second, then she would have probably already lost. Seeing this, she realized that she was probably overestimating her strength, and should probably already end this if she didn''t want to lose.


    "I''m sorry, Gary," Silvie then whispered, "But you stillck the training."


    A sort of ringing vibrated in the air as Gary''s hand started to be pushed back, with the tremble of the boulder matching his struggling arm.


    "Stop struggling."


    "I said no!"


    Silvie could not help but squint as Gary''s eyes started to emit a bright red light.


    "What are you doing!?" Silvie yelled as her eyes also emitted a red light, "Did you really want to win this badly!?"


    "Sadly so," Gary once again chuckled as he turned his zing eyes towards Silvie, "You''re strong, I am sure this is only going to tickle."


    "Are you crazy!?" Silvie screamed, "Miss Scarlet Mage!"


    "That''s enough!"


    Scarlet Mage quickly rushed towards the two to stop them as soon as Silvie''s voice reached her ears. She was just going to watch at first to see how the situation was going to unfold because Gary didn''t seem to be that aggressive, but perhaps she should have stopped it earlier knowing what she knows.


    Gary Gray-- one of the 6 in the ss that belonged to the Potential Viin list.


    "Never!"


    Even though Scarlet Mage was already on her way towards them, Gary didn''t seem to have any intentions of stopping as his eyes grew even brighter and started to emit a trail of smoke.


    "D¡­ don''t," Silvie was also ready to release her heat vision, but when she saw the crazed look in Gary''s face, the only thing she could do was close her eyes and look to the side, gritting her teeth for the pain toe.


    "Stop!" The strands of Scarlet Mage''s hair stood up as she raised her hand, the grass beneath her feet started to dance as a clump of air seemed to have gathered on the palm of her hand; and without even a moment, the clump of wind shot towards Gary.


    But halfway through it, Gary let out a shout as the light in his eyes started to be a beam, its path straight towards Silvie''s face.


    "Oh, fuck!" Gary moved his head to the side, as if trying his hardest to avoid hitting Silvie with his heat vision, but by doing so, the beam his eyes were emitting lost control, shooting towards the other students that were near them, "I can''t stop it!"


    Scarlet Mage increased the output of her power to push Gary away, but to her surprise, instead of shooting faster¡­ the ball of wind that she summonedpletely dispersed.


    "!!!" She did not let herself panic, however, as a wall of earth quickly emerged in front of her. She was about to trap Gary inside of it, but once again, she felt a strong resistance that wasn''t allowing her to control the wall.


    "S¡­ shit!" This time, she allowed herself to panic as she quickly looked towards Gary, but to her surprise, no one was screaming; instead, everyone waspletely silent as they all watched as Gary''s heat vision seemed to have stopped midway as if some type of ss was blocking it from moving.


    "You''re not allowed to hurt anyone, Gary. The same goes for you, Scarlet Mage."


    "That''s¡­"


    Scarlet Mage then turned her eyes towards the somewhat cold voice whispering in the field, only to see Riley slowly descending from the air,nding right in front of the end of Gary''s heat vision.


    "I¡­ I lost control of it, I didn''t mean to!" Gary then started to panic, his heat vision not showing any signs of stopping, "I was only going to scare Silvie!"


    "I see," Riley then said as he stepped forward. The loud gasps of the students quickly filled the air as soon as they saw this, some of them closed their eyes, not wanting to see Riley get burnt by the beam.


    However, contrary to their expectations, the beam started to shorten. It was as if it was trying to avoid Riley, bing shorter with each of his steps.


    "W¡­ what," Scarlet Mage could not help but take in a gulp as she saw this. Her wind magic dispersed, the resistance she felt with the wall of earth that she summoned¡­ and now Gary''s beam just stopping short of hitting Riley in the face.


    Was this¡­ all Riley''s doing? It might have seemed like a minute, but everything happened almost in just a moment. Riley stopped everything almost simultaneously? Forget about his raw power, even his control was out of this world. Once again, Scarlet Mage was reminded of a simple fact-- Darkday was able to beat Mega Woman.


    His power¡­ is abnormal.


    And now, Riley was standing only a meter away from Gary, with the beams already starting to flicker on his face as Gary''s strength slowly began to reach its limit.


    "You and Silvie Savelievna are slowly bing a dear friend to my sister, Gary," Riley then whispered as he looked at Gary straight in his glowing eyes, "If you do this again, I will gouge out your eyes."


    "R¡­ roger that," Gary weakly said as his heat vision flickered once more, before fadingpletely with a slight sizzle, "Thanks for stopping--"


    But before he could finish his words, he was suddenly blown away by a wall of earth.


    "..."


    Riley blinked a couple of times as the voice that was just talking in front of him turned into air. He then turned his head towards Scarlet Mage, whose eye was currently twitching nonstop. Her hand was still currently pointed forward, making her the obvious culprit.


    "You broke your own rule, Scarlet Mage," Riley then let out a sigh.


    Scarlet Mage then quickly rushed towards Gary to check up on him, but not before stopping in front of Riley and whispering something loudly in his ears, "You should have at least warned me you were going to let go of the wall!"


    "I am so disappointed in you, Scarlet Mage," Riley clicked his tongue several times.


    "Ugh!" Scarlet Mage then threw her tablet towards Riley, "Just call for a medic!"


    And so, after the medics came and took Gary away, the ss¡­ safely continued with their exercise. Perhaps because of what happened, it would seem they became a lot more careful so as to not repeat something simr from happening.


    They were supposed to be having their first ss with another teacher after this, but after what happened, Scarlet Mage decided to let everyone go back to their dorms to rest instead. Of course...


    ...everyone except Riley.


    As soon as the other students saw this, they all started whispering to each other. Some of them have heard that Scarlet Mage personally dropped Riley off at the dorms, and now this tant favoritism and inappropriate whispering to one another.


    Did¡­ they actually have a thing?


    Scarlet Mage, who saw the students looking at her and Riley while they exchanged their whispers, could not help but nod in satisfaction. Spreading the rumours is only the prologue of her n, if she wanted the Academy to have a reason to kick them out, then she shouldmit to her role.


    "Was there something else you needed from me, Scarlet Mage?"


    "Yes, I¡­ have information about Mega Woman," Scarlet Mage slightly stuttered as she tried to look Riley in the eyes.


    "Already?" Riley furrowed his eyebrows, "What is it?"


    "It is sensitive¡­ information," Scarlet Mage took in a gulp, "So¡­ let''s¡­ let''s talk about this in my apartment?"


    The first part of Operation ''Turn Dark into Light'', officially starts now.

 Chapter 25: Confusing Emotions

    <h4>Chapter 25: Confusing Emotions</h4>


    "Just¡­ just make yourself at home, okay? I am just going to take a shower."


    "What for?"


    "I¡­ I just need to clear my head so I can give you the information about Mega Woman clearer."


    "I see. Then you may do so, Scarlet Mage."


    "R¡­ right."


    "..."


    The muffled sounds of the shower whispered into the air as Riley was left alone in Scarlet Mage''s living room. The only thing that Riley could do while waiting for Scarlet Mage was look out the window wall, which surprisingly, had a somewhat amazing view.


    The apartment provided for the teachers of Mega Academy was beside a man-madeke, and since Scarlet Mage''s apartment was located on the 8th floor, you could even see the school building from there, but still not outside the walls that surrounded the whole Academy; a testament to how tall it truly was.


    Riley had already thought that the rooms provided for the students were already quite luxurious and spacious; but seeing the teacher''s apartments, his room suddenly felt subpar. Just how much budget did the world government actually allot for the Mega Academies? And considering there were more in other countries, they truly have been preparing for this for a while now.


    They even have a colossal dome, which replicated the sky, protecting them from being seen by the outside world from above-- that alone would have been costly. Not to mention the technology needed to create and maintain everything. The technology here¡­ was almost alien.


    Mega Woman came from another; perhaps it has some sort of corrtion? Maybe she even provided and shared the technology? But Mega Woman was against something like the Academy being built¡­ So what exactly was going on here?


    "What are you thinking about?"


    "That was quick, Scarlet Mage," Riley then quickly turned around as he heard Scarlet Mage''s voice, "Did you make sure to wash everything?"


    "I did!" Scarlet Mage could not help but groan in frustration as soon as she heard Riley''s words. She was wearing a robe that almost exposed most of her skin, and that was his only reaction? Shouldn''t guys his age be panicking right now as his hormones turn crazy? Even if he had a form of autism, it shouldn''t mean Riley wasn''t able to feel his prepubescent urges, right?


    "..." Scarlet Mage could only furrow her eyebrows from the dangerous thoughts in her mind. If this were any other case, then she would definitely lock herself up in jail for having thoughts like this towards a minor. But this was Darkday, so there should be an exception; and besides, she was doing this for a good cause-- and perhaps the only cause that matters right now.


    She even made sure that the curtains to her apartment were fully open, and the cameras in the entrance of the apartment were able to see her and Riley enter, and hopefully, someone reports them to the higher-ups so both of them would be kicked out-- this is, after all, the first part of Operation ''Turn Dark into Light''.


    "A¡­ and please, call me by my real name when we''re alone," Scarlet Mage then said as she sat on the sofa, crossing her legs as she started drying her ck hair, which was previously red.


    "You¡­ could also change the color of your hair? That is a very weird power, Scarlet Mage."


    "No, it''s a wig and a part of my costume," Scarlet Mage let out a small giggle, "And please, call me by my real name while we are alone. It''s weird being called Scarlet Mage without wearing the mask."


    "If you are morefortable with that, Katherine."


    "R¡­ right," hearing her name being called by Riley, she could not help but look to the side as she felt her face slightly warming up, "Anyway, what were you thinking about earlier?"


    "I was thinking about Mega Woman."


    "I¡­ see," Katherine held her breath upon hearing Mega Woman''s nameing up. She told Riley that she had information about her so that he would follow her here, but in truth, how could anyone gather information just after a day? And why would she even do that in the first ce?


    "And so?" Riley said as he slowly approached her, "What news do you have of her, Katherine?"


    "That''s¡­ Maybe you would like some coffee first?" Katherine, however, suddenly stood up from her seat, trying her best to avoid the topic. And perhaps due to the force of her standing up, or maybe even perhaps subconsciously deliberate, her robe loosened.


    "!!!" She quickly covered herself up, but not before Riley was able to see her finely shaped breasts bouncing lively. She so wanted to run away and scream in frustration, but no-- the missiones first.


    And so, the only thing she could do was slowly turn her eyes towards Riley to see his reaction, "Did you see my--"


    "I don''t drink coffee, Katherine. But perhaps if you have milk?"


    "..." Was that some sort of joke since he saw her breasts? Or did he really just want milk? But considering the deadpan way he just uttered that, it would seem that he didn''t even care that he saw her breasts.


    Impossible. Even insects copte, it''s in the nature of every living being in the world. Riley should feel something.


    "Did you see my breasts?" Katherine could not help herself from asking, the tone of her voice unwavering.


    "I did," Riley quickly answered.


    "And?"


    "It is irrelevant in our current situation."


    "You¡­" Katherine''s eyes could not help but twitch upon hearing Riley''s words.


    Irrelevant!? Doesn''t he know how many fanfictions she has in Blueit? There were hundreds, some even written in anothernguage. She knows she should feel relieved that Darkday didn''t have any sort of feelings for her, but seeing him without his mask and looking like a not-so-normal and slightly attractive person; for some reason, there was this growing sense of¡­ wanting validation from him.


    She knows it''s wrong, but she just couldn''t help it. It was final, Riley did have enchanting powers. It might just be some sort of Stockholm syndrome, but she was betting on the former. Evil, truly evil.


    "Don''t¡­ you feel anything?" But contrary to her feelings, she didn''t back down.


    "About your breasts?"


    "Yes, about my breasts! What else!? Do you not feel anything while looking at me!?"


    "Should I?" Riley squinted his eyes as he looked at Katherine from head to toe, "You are very beautiful, Katherine."


    "W¡­ what?" Katherine could feel her legs turn weak from suddenly hearing Riley''s words.


    "I could say I feel lust," Riley then stood up from his seat, slowly approaching the slightly fazed Katherine.


    "W¡­ what?" Katherine could only repeat her words, "W¡­ what are you doing? What''s happening, why can''t I move?"


    "I am not using my powers, Katherine," Riley said as he slowly lifted Katherine''s robes, slightly exposing her breasts, "Yes, it is lust I feel. Is that what you wanted to hear from me, Katherine?"


    "T¡­ that''s not what I--"


    "I know," Riley then let out a sigh as he fixed Katherine''s robes, tying it tight so it won''t fall off again, "My mother told me that lust is fleeting and that what women really want is love. But love, in my mother''s knowledge, happens instantly, but could develop as long as it wants to take¡­ and blossom eternally."


    "..."


    "And if that is what you wanted to hear, then I apologize," Riley then returned to his seat as he looked to the side, "You and I both know that something is mentally wrong with me, Katherine. I do not think I am capable of feeling love."


    "..." Any nervousness or silliness that circled around Katherine disappeared as she saw the look on Riley''s face. He¡­ wasn''t really expressing anything and still held thepletely stoic look that seemed to be his default resting face. It might just be her imagination, but Riley¡­ felt lonely.


    It was almost as if he was fragile and could break at any moment. She thought that Riley was most human when he emits his Darkday aura, but seeing him like this now¡­ she just could not help but hug him.


    "What are you doing?"


    "!!!"


    What exactly was she doing!?-- Is what she wanted to ask herself as her arms suddenly wrapped around Riley. Thest time she touched him, she was almost choked to death. Realizing this, she quickly pulled herself away, putting up some sort of wind barrier between her and Riley.


    However, contrary to her expectations, Riley remained sitting.


    "You¡­ are not going to kill me?"


    "Why would I do that?"


    "B¡­ because I touched you? You said it in the car yesterday, that no one is allowed to touch you."


    "You''re not just no one, Katherine."


    "That''s¡­"


    "You''re my first subordinate," Riley let out a sigh, "And it ismon for subordinates to feel awed by the presence of their master, I have watched it on TV during a documentary of a country in Asia."


    "...Right." With the way Riley was talking, it was as if he was saying that Katherine was just a tool. And would one be mad if your screwdriver touches you? Her analogy was somewhat wed, but it was the only thing she could think of right now.


    "So it''s alright if I touch you again?" Katherine then quickly said, her tone a little agitated from the thoughts that she was having.


    "If that will finally allow you to tell your reports about Mega Woman, then you are free to do so."


    "Fine," Katherine then stomped her way towards Riley, stopping only a foot away from him before slightly crouching on the floor in front of him, "Can I touch your chest, then?"


    "It''s fine, I am giving you permission to read my heart," Riley nodded before letting out another hurried sigh.


    "..." As for Katherine, although she was a bit agitated from the way Riley was treating her, it doesn''t mean she wasn''t feeling nervous; this was Darkday, after all. And so, the only thing she could do was take in a small gulp as her hand slowly made its way to Riley''s chest.


    "Are you really only 16 years old?"


    "I am."


    "Then aren''t you technically just a child?" Katherine muttered, "How¡­ are you capable of doing the things you do?"


    "Because I have power."


    "Then why are you doing it? Killing millions of people, torturing heroes on live TV¡­ killing¡­ killing helpless children and elderly," Katherine''s voice started to stutter as she remembered all the things that Darkday has done, "How¡­


    ...how are you able to live with yourself?"

 Chapter 26: Interview with the Devil

    <h4>Chapter 26: Interview with the Devil</h4>


    "You have killed millions of people, tortured heroes on live TV, killed defenseless children and elderly. Just¡­


    ...How are you able to live with yourself after all the things you''ve done?"


    The trembling of Katherine''s hand was making enough noise to whisper throughout her entire apartment. If she wasn''t making perhaps the most important breakthrough in the entire world, then she would have definitely already let herself faint.


    In front of her was Riley Ross, Darkday himself¡­ and she was touching him literally close to his heart without being choked to death. She couldn''t help but think if any other superhero other than her had touched him like this, without any hostility.


    She then slowly looked straight into Riley''s blue eyes that almost seemed like the clearest of skies; from this distance, she could even feel their breaths mixing with each other. But this did not let her resolution waver, however, as she once again repeated her question,


    "How can you live with yourself?"


    "Because I am not dead, Katherine."


    "I know you know what I am asking! I know you''re just ying dumb, Riley."


    "...You are very brave. I am sure not many would hold that tone towards me," Riley then let out a short breath as he slightly nced at Katherine, before once again looking to the side, "Very well, since you are my first subordinate, then we should establish a sort of trust with each other--I learned that in a clip I watched."


    Katherine could not help but take in a nervous gulp. This is it, she truly was going to learn more about Darkday.


    "It is exactly because I did what I did that I am alive, Katherine," Riley answered, "If I do not kill or hurt people, then there is no point in me being alive-- I was born to be Darkday."


    "That is not true. You''re just ill," Katherine shook her head, "And like any disease, it is treatable. Do you know how many people you could have helped instead with how powerful you are? If you only worked with Mega Woman?"


    "How curious, Mega Woman asked me the same before I killed her."


    "!!!"


    Katherine almost retracted her hand there and then, but something inside of her fought back and remained to resist the urge to cry and run away.


    "Well, I suppose I did not kill her since she is still alive," Riley then ced his hand on his chin, squinting his eyes as if he was deep in thought, "I do wonder how she is recovering right now."


    "L¡­ let''s talk about thatter," Katherine stuttered, "Right¡­ right now, we''re establishing trust, right?"


    "I suppose."


    Katherine could not help but let out a long and deep breath as Riley shrugged his shoulders. She was talking about trust, but if Riley knew that she didn''t actually have information about her¡­ then wouldn''t that make her the bad guy since Riley was answering all of her questions?


    Wait, no. What kind of dangerous thought is that? She almost screamed in her mind; just because the Riley in front of him right now looked decent and not the Darkday she imagined at all, she was being swayed into thinking all sorts of thoughts.


    "Then to answer your question, then the world would probably be at peace if I used my power to help people."


    "Since you know that¡­ then why¡­ kill people? What made you be like this, Riley? What made you be a superviin?"


    "This is something you don''t understand, Katherine. And perhaps even I myself do not understand it," Riley then gently grabbed Katherine''s hand as he stood up, lifting her with him. This made Katherine slightly flinch and step back, but once again, she fought the urge to run away.


    "In the stories I have read and watched, they said that viins all had a reason for what they were doing; that they were heroes in their own stories. Not me¡­" Riley then leaned closer to Katherine,


    "...I was born evil."


    "T¡­ that''s¡­" Katherine could not help but slightly lean her head to the side as Riley''s warm breath, which smelled likevender mixed with menthol, wafted across her ear, "That''s not possible. No one is born evil, Riley¡­ even the Devil was once good."


    "Then is that not because he is not, in truth, truly evil?" Riley then leaned back as his eyes once again gazed at Katherine''s, "When did I make my first appearance, Katherine?"


    "W¡­ what?"


    "When did I first publicly appear as Darkday?"


    "I¡­ 3 years ago?"


    "4 years ago, I was 12."


    "..." Katherine did not know whether to be scared or relieved that Riley was capable of smiling from remembering his childhood.


    "I remember it clearly," Riley breathed, "I borrowed one of father''s motorcycle helmets, then washed the blood it umted after I was done-- I killed my first superhero then, as well as several other citizens."


    "W¡­ Whiteking was not able to notice?"


    "Bernard is quite stupid when ites to his family, Katherine. But that is not the point of the retelling of my past," Riley shook his head as he once again sat down.


    "!!!"


    And due to him doing so, Katherine stumbled as he was still holding her hand, causing her to fall directly on top of him. And before she could even pull herself away, Riley continued talking.


    "My point is that I wore a mask so that I could freely kill people, Katherine. Not to steal, not to wreak havoc, not to make a statement, but to hurt people¡­


    ...and I killed even before that."


    "W¡­ what?" Katherinepletely forgot to pull herself away now, as she just remained frozen still, with Riley''s breaths crawling down her neck and all the way to her breasts, causing her to slightly shiver.


    "There''s this urge inside of me, Katherine; that is telling me to slit your throat right now."


    Katherine could not help but slightly cover her neck with her shoulders as Riley''s index finger started sliding across it, "But I won''t do it, because I am in retirement, and you are my subordinate."


    "T¡­ thanks?" Katherine muttered randomly.


    "The same could not be said about your mother, however," Riley then once again whispered into her ear,


    "So stop seducing me, Katherine."


    "W¡­ what are you saying!?" Katherine''s heart almost jumped out the same time she did as she quickly leaped away from Riley. Did¡­ did he know about her n? But how!? Isn''t he supposed to be unable to perceive feelings of love? Was that a lie?


    "I¡­ I am a teacher and you are a student, that is inappropriate!"


    "But right now, you are Katherine and I am Riley; not even Scarlet Mage and Darkday," Riley then stood up as he slowly made his way towards Katherine, "It is quite a brilliant n, Katherine. Having us both kicked out so that I could no longer hold the other students hostage, you truly are a kind woman¡­ I almost feel sorry for ckmailing you."


    "I am not trying to seduce you!"


    "Then I suppose you''re only wearing a loose robe in front of a young man because it''s hot?" Riley continued to slowly move towards Katherine.


    "It''s¡­ Isn''t this because of one of your powers!?"


    "...Hm?" Hearing Katherine''s words, Riley could not help but stop in his tracks, "One of my powers?"


    "Yes!" Katherine yelled as she waved her hand while trying to cover herself, "You have the power to entrance people! You''re bewitching me right now and making me feel like I am falling in love with you! I could think of no better power for someone evil like you!"


    "..." Riley immediately closed his eyes, trying to think if he truly had that kind of power. But no matter how much he scoured his mind, he could not find a semnce of what Katherine was saying,


    "...I don''t have that kind of power," Riley furrowed his eyebrows; Katherine could even see a hint of difort in his face, "And even if I do, I would not use it, it''s disgusting."


    "L¡­ lies!"


    "I have no way of proving to you that I do not have that kind of power, Katherine."


    "Then I will be the one to prove it!" Katherine then suddenly rushed towards Riley, closing her eyes as she was only a foot away from her. But before she could reach him, she felt herself slowly floating in the air.


    "What are you trying to do?" Riley slightly leaned his head in confusion as he looked at Katherine, who had her eyes closed and her lips slightly in a pout.


    "G¡­ god damn it!" Katherine wriggled in the air as soon as she opened her eyes, "Kiss me! Kiss me and prove that you''re not using your powers to bewitch me!"


    "Your anxiety is at a very high level right now, Katherine," Riley shook his head as he dropped Katherine on the floor, "You are not thinking straight, it seems we should talk about Mega Woman''s current situation some other time."


    "N¡­ no!" Katherine screamed as her tears started to fall, "Kiss me! Prove to me that you are not using any mind tricks!"


    "I do not have the power to make people love me, Katherine, but since you are my first subordinate and we''re establishing a sort of trust¡­


    ...Then very well."


    "Wh-- hmph!?"

 Chapter 27: Stockholm (R-13)

    <h4>Chapter 27: Stockholm (R-13)</h4>


    "!!!"


    "!?"


    "..."


    "..."


    Katherine Read-- discovered her powers at the young age of 3 when she almost drowned in a tub. Her mother had left her to bathe herself since someone knocked on their door, but unknowingly, she left the water running.


    Of course, even then and until now, Katherine never med her. She was a single mother, who could barely even make ends meet. She never really asked, but it would seem her father died during an ident.


    But long story short, as soon as her mother remembered that she left the water running, she rushed back to their bathroom, only to find water floating everywhere. The water gushing out from the tap was also flowing up, instead of down.


    Her mother tried to hide the fact from other people first, but as soon as Katherine was able to think for herself, she trained. She used most of her childhood and teenage years to hone her powers, in hopes to help her mother as well as many others like her.


    Hanging around? Friends? Dating? She chose not to indulge herself with those, even as many approached her. There was only one goal in her mind-- and that was to be a superhero.


    It may sound cliche, but she thought she was given the power to help people... and so she did. And soon, due to her ability to control the elements even as a rookie superhero, she was branded as the Scarlet Mage. Of course, it might have also been to the fact that she wore a red-colored wig.


    Everything was going smoothly for her; she was able to help people and even manage to imprison some viins. She had also met like-minded people, other superheroes that shared her enthusiasm... but then Darkday happened.


    She had faced opponents stronger than her before, but she always manages to win due to the masterful control of her power. But when she faced Darkday, it was as if all hope was sucked from her.


    She couldn''t remember whether she begged for her life, but she could remember peeing herself from the fact that she knew that Darkday was not going to spare her; after all, she was surrounded by the corpses of several other superheroes already.


    If it wasn''t for Mega Womaning to her rescue, then she would have already truly died. This incident did not make Katherine despair, however, as she even strengthened her efforts to help people, knowing that there was a darkness out there that could not be contained.


    And now, in the mouth of that very same darkness, she was sticking out her tongue. She could feel the darkness slowly wrapping her entire body, her hairs standing on their ends as Riley''s tongue wrapped around hers.


    This¡­ could be considered her first kiss, wouldn''t it?


    She knew it was wrong, immoral, inappropriate, illegal, and many more negative words she could think of. But for some reason, feeling Riley''s warm lips covering hers... she did not want to let go.


    So she was right, Riley did have the power to entrance people. But right now, she didn''t care as she slowly wrapped her arms around Riley, pulling him closer to her even to the point that her loose robes started to slide across her arms, exposing her ample breasts once more.


    She feels warm, very warm. The darkness that she thought would be cold had covered her entire body with warmth; it was warmest between her legs, as she could feel something trailing down on her skin.


    "Hn," a small moan then escaped from her mouth as Riley touched her arms; but it was followed by a small gasp as Riley leaned back his head, pushing himself away from her.


    "Does that satisfy your curiosity, Katherine?" Riley then coldly said as he wiped his lips, "I do not know what you intended to discover by this, but I assure you, I do not have--"


    And before Riley could finish his words, Katherine once again ced her lips on his. "Y... you''re lying. Why... why do I feel so warm?"


    "...I will see you again tomorrow, Katherine." Riley, however, once again pulled his head away, immediately proceeding to walk away.


    "W... wait! T... that''s it!?" Katherine reached for Riley''s hand, but she found that she could not do so as if an invisible wall was between them.


    "You are my first subordinate, Katherine. I have read that it is not professional to have sexual rtionships amongst colleagues," Riley said as he faced Katherine, "But considering it''s not in the Academy''s handbook... maybe it''s alright?"


    Riley ced his hand on his chin, before grabbing a handbook from his pocket.


    "..." Katherine, whose breaths were stillpletely stuttered, could not help but slightly furrow her eyebrows. However, without her knowing, her eyes travelled towards the mid-section of Riley''s body... just below his waist. And as soon as she noticed a certain bulge extruding from his pants, she quickly took in a short but deep breath.


    "Y... you, that''s..." Katherine stuttered as she pointed at the bulge between Riley''s legs, "Why is it like that!?"


    "It''s natural, Katherine," Riley looked at the direction Katherine was pointing to before shaking his head, "I am still human. It would seem that this entire exchange truly has clouded your judgment, making your intellect dropping several numbers. I will see you again tomorrow, Katherine."


    "W... wait, you''re just leaving!?"


    "I am," Riley then casually walked to the door, "I enjoyed this experience, Katherine. Thank you."


    "T... take away your enchantment! Set me free, please!"


    "I wish I could, Katherine. But I do not have that power."


    "Y... you''re lying! Then why am I still feeling this way!? That was my first kiss!"


    "I see, congrattions. Mine¡­


    ...was with Mega Woman."


    "W... what?"


    Katherine immediately dropped to the floor, and could only watch as Riley casually left his apartment as if nothing happened between them.


    "What¡­ what''s with that?" Katherine then whispered as she slowly curled into a ball, "F¡­ fuck¡­ what''s happening to me? I''m so stupid¡­ so fucking stupid!"


    She then started hitting her head as tears started to fall from her eyes. She then quickly stood up, running towards the sink in her kitchen. She wanted to throw up, she wanted to wash away Riley''s saliva from her mouth¡­


    ...but she couldn''t.


    The only thing she did was touch her lips, reminiscing the events that have just passed. This is wrong, she knew it was wrong. She knew what she was feeling, it was Stockholm syndrome. She¡­ was even starting to look forward to seeing Riley again tomorrow.


    Mad. She was slowly turning insane.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...No." And instead of her puke, it was her tears that fell on the sink. "Why¡­ why did it have to be me?" She then whispered as her whole body began to tremble, her voice starting to be crazed.


    "..."


    "..."


    And then slowly, her hand reached towards the knife nearest to her. Riley was evil, there was no denying that; for her to develop feelings for him was nothing short of disgusting. But even so, her mind and her body seemed to be telling her otherwise.


    Maybe it was because he was the first of the opposite sex to even be this close to her, maybe it was just because she had been holding herself back as a woman all these years; there was none other to me than herself, she thought. But no matter what the reason is, it was leading her to a very dangerous path-- a road with Darkday.


    And before she continues to walk on this road... she will end it.


    "M... mom, I''m sorry." She then whispered as the cold steel of the knife touched her wrist, "I... I''m sorry for involving you in this."


    She knew that if she died, there was a chance that Riley would kill her mother. But even so... even so, she could not risk truly falling in love with him. The things he has done, and the things he would do in the future, Katherine did not want to be a part of it.


    She wanted to be a superhero for as long as she could remember-- and she is... and she would die as one.


    *KNOCK*


    "Riley!?"


    But before the knife could slit across her arm, a knocking could be heard from her door, making herpletely drop the knife and rush towards it. However, as soon as she opened the door, a mass of white armorpletely covered her vision.


    "Whiteking!?"


    Scarlet Mage quickly covered her face... as well as her body as soon as she realized that it wasn''t Riley, but instead his father that knocked on her door.


    "...I see," Whiteking then nodded as his eyes looked at Scarlet Mage from head to toe, "You do not have to worry, I know the identity of each of the superhero in the Academy... Katherine."


    "W... what do you want!?" Scarlet Mage then quickly rushed to her room, before quickly returning now fully clothed in her costume.


    "You''re not even trying to hide it."


    "W... what? Get out!" Scarlet Mage was currently not thinking straight. How could she? When the father of the young man he so passionately kissed just moments ago was now staring at her. How was he even here in the first ce? She was sure that Whiteking did not get an apartment in the Academy.


    "You have a rtionship with my son," Whiteking then said as he entered Scarlet Mage''s apartment without even slight hesitation, "It was Prophet that told me."


    "Pr... The headmaster knows!?" Scarlet Mage then let out a slightly crazed chuckle, "Then... then are they kicking us out? I could understand why, I... let me get my clothes. I am very sorry for having a rtionship with your son. I know it''s ina--"


    "And it''s been approved."


    "...What?"


    "My son is a special case, you see. And never once in my life that I would think that he would ever find someone to fall in love with," Whiteking then nodded his head several times as his eyes travelled all across the room.


    "So I am here to tell you that you do not need to worry about anything, Prophet is a close friend. Your rtionship with my son... has been approved by him. No one will be questioning anything when you''re together," Whiteking once again nodded with excitement as he winked at Scarlet Mage, "Take care of my son, Katherine."


    "Wait... what?"


    "And since Riley was just here a few minutes ago..." Whiteking then cleared his throat as he once again nced at the almost bare-skinned Katherine, "...I see you are taking care of him quite well, please continue to do so in the future."


    "Wait, no. What are you--"


    "Alright, that''s all," Whiteking then raised both of his thumbs towards Scarlet Mage, before abruptly leaving the apartment, "Please use protection."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Are you... fucking stupid!?" It would seem that what Riley told her was right. Whiteking... is quite reckless when ites to his children. And so, with her being left alone once again in her apartment, she once again fell to the ground.


    And then slowly, instead of tears, herughs travelled across the room as a crazed smile slowly crawled on her face.


    "What... what do I do now?"


    And just like that-- the first part of Operation ''Turn Dark into Light'' haspletely been neutralized.

 Chapter 28: Names

    <h4>Chapter 28: Names</h4>


    It''s only been the 3rd day since the official start of the school year of Mega Academy. Riley''s ss, ss 1-V, has not even had a normal lecture and has only been doingbat exercises.


    And yet, it almost felt like it had been a year for her. Meeting Riley, finding out he is Darkday, her and her mother''s life being threatened, being seen almostpletely naked by Riley, kissing him-- all of these might as well be spanned in a year.


    But no, it only happened in the span of 2 days. And perhaps the craziest part would be that Mega Academy itself allowed her ''rtionship'' with Riley,pletely making her ''Turn Dark into Light'' n fail miserably before it could even start.


    But now, all of that is over. Since there was no use in pretending to be a couple with Riley, she was no longer going to lead him on or make any inappropriate advances. Right now, the only role she was going to y was his instructor, nothing less, nothing more.


    She had also spent the entire evening researching about Mega Woman and her whereabouts, asking different colleagues and such-- but they all held the same answer; none of them knew. They know she is being kept in a very strict facility by the government somewhere, but knowing their reach, she could be anywhere from America to the Philippines.


    Heck, she might even be on the moon.


    "..." And now, without any leads, Scarlet Mage could not help but be slightly anxious as to her next private meeting with Riley. If he knew that she was lying to him and that she didn''t really have any information¡­ would he choke her again?


    "!!!"


    Scarlet Mage quickly shook her head off of the thoughts she was having. Choke? Why did she go straight to that conclusion instead of Riley just killing her? This¡­ is dangerous.


    "Ms. Scarlet Mage?"


    "Hm?"


    "What¡­ are we going to do today?"


    "R¡­ right!" Scarlet Mage quickly stood up from her seat as she realized that all of her students were now right in front of her; and instantly, without knowing it, her eyes found their way towards Riley; who waszily looking at her with his cold, alluring blue eyes that looked like the clearest of skies.


    And as soon as their eyes met, Scarlet Mage could not help but quickly look to the side, before clearing her throat and exining their activity for today.


    "Hero names."


    And like a bell that woke up each member of the ss, all of their eyes turned to look at Scarlet Mage.


    "All superheroes have it, our whole identity is based around it. But rarely, do we get to choose our own names," Scarlet Mage then walked around the stage as she looked at the excited faces of her students, "Mine was chosen by the masses, Scarlet Mage."


    The students started to cheer upon hearing her name. Scarlet Mage, however, shook her head with a sigh.


    "That wasn''t actually the name I wanted for myself-- I wanted to be Shinebright."


    "Pft," The sound of Gary''s snort quickly echoed throughout the room, causing some sort of domino effect that made the other students also let out a small and tiny chuckle; but still, they all tried to cover their mouths so as to not disrespect their advisor.


    Silvie quickly shushed, her eyes traveling all around the ss as she tried to stop them fromughing; however, in truth, she too was trying her best not to let out a snicker. Perhaps the only one that didn''t have a reaction to hearing this was Riley, who seemed to even be nodding his head in agreement.


    "It is fine tough," Scarlet Mage then shook her head as she let out a smile, "I know how lucky I am that I didn''t go through with the name, or else I would be greeting all of you with Shinebright every day."


    "Pft!" Gary couldn''t help it anymore as he mmed his palm several times on his desk as he burst out inughter. This time, however, he was the only one thatughed as the rest of his ssmates stared at him.


    Who evenughs at that kind of joke? But as soon as they remembered Gary''s actions yesterday, most of them quickly came to the conclusion that he was just crazy. In fact, one could even say that Riley was now starting to look like the normal one between the two-- one might call him cool.


    As a matter of fact, Riley saved some of them yesterday. If it wasn''t for him blocking Gary''s heat vision, then the ones directly in its path would have surely been injured, or dead. They should probably find a chance to thank him soon.


    "Alright, that''s actually all I am here to discuss for today," Scarlet Mage then suddenly picked up her things from her desk, "You can wait here ore back in two hours, but Spectacr Mustache Man would be the one supervising the name selections, I suggest you start drafting names now. Dismiss."


    And without even waiting for any questions, Scarlet Mage quickly took off.


    "...That was abrupt," Silvie could not help butment as soon as Scarlet Mage left the room, "This is looking more and more like a battle school, isn''t it, Riley?"


    "It sure is!"


    The one that answered Silvie, however, was not Riley, but instead one of the members of the telekic group, Be.


    "Especially in your perspective, Ms. Sevelievna," she said as she stood directly in front of Silvie''s desk, "I heard you sent the people challenging you into a duel to the clinics again yesterday."


    "You¡­ are the one that fainted during the exercise yesterday?" Silvie tilted her head as she tried to remember the name of the boyish girl in front of her, "Ms. Be, isn''t it?"


    "...Please forget that memory," Be chuckled awkwardly, "But yes, the name''s Be. But you can just call me Bell, I am also Riley''s friend."


    "None of you are my friends," Riley quickly said.


    "Oof, cold," Be sniffled, "And I also heard what you did when I was unconscious. My brother ended up winning in our group¡­ but we both know if you were there, things would be very different."


    "I hear my beautiful name being ndered!" And as soon as he was mentioned, Ben danced his way towards their location, stopping right in front of Riley''s desk, "And because of that, my dear sister, I will not be sharing you my 1000 Mega Points."


    "What!? Not fair, that should have been mine in the first ce!" Be quickly stretched her hands towards Ben. Ben, however, quickly dodged all of her strikes.


    "...They are quite a chaotic bunch, aren''t they?" Silvie leaned closer towards Riley.


    "They are," Riley nodded, "It''s as if my sister was split into two people, then sprinkled with a little Gary on top."


    "That''s¡­ a weird way of putting it," Silvie muttered before ncing at Gary, but quickly avoiding his eyes as soon as he looked at her.


    "..." Gary also didn''t do anything, as he just sat quietly in his seat. The two really had not gotten the chance to talk yet about the incident that happened yesterday, and with Riley sitting in between them, that wasn''t going to happen anytime soon.


    "S¡­ shouldn''t we be talking about what our hero names would be?" He then joined in on the conversation before letting out an awkward chuckle.


    "What about Micro Man for you, my dear berserker?" Ben covered his mouth before letting out a burst of somewhat coquettishughter, "As for me, I have already thought of my superhero name even before enrolling here, I want my name to be--"


    "Wolframtein."


    Be pushed her brother away as she crossed her arms, "I shall be known as Wolframtein, inspired by the strongest metal known to men!"


    "There isn''t even an ounce of romance in that name!"


    "..."


    Silvie could only turn her head from side to side as the twins in front of her started to argue. But a superhero name¡­ Silvie has not really thought of one. Her powers, along with the members of her group, closely resembled that of Mega Woman''s; but it''s not like she could just go with Mega Girl. That¡­ doesn''t sound too nice-- Silvie thought as she leaned back on her seat.


    "Gah! Let''s think about thister!" Be then mmed her palms on Silvie''s desk, causing her to slightly flinch in surprise, "We have two hours left until the exam anyway, let''s go buy some things with the points that my brother got yesterday!"


    "What!? Why me!? Shouldn''t it be Silvie here treating us!?"


    "What are you, a leech?" Be quickly smacked Ben on the head, "Can''t you see she''s trying hard not to spend any of her points?"


    "What, why?" Ben squinted his eyes as he looked at Silvie from head to toe, "What''s the use of your unlimited points if you''re not using it!? It is such a crime not to indulge yourself in the wonders of free things."


    "Because a superhero would never take advantage of his or her status." And, out of nowhere, Silvie suddenly stood up from her seat as she faced not only Ben but also the rest of the ss,


    "The unlimited points that I have are not for me to abuse, but to protect. I hold unlimited points because right now, I am the top student; and being the one closest to being the next Mega Woman is not just based on strength, but also the will to do what is right," Silvie continued her impromptu speech, "I am sure that once I buy all the things that I wanted, the Academy will revoke my title-- because that''s not what superheroes do."


    "..."


    "I told you so," Be once again knocked Ben on the head, "Even I would do the same as her. But still, as expected of the Mega Student, suddenly lecturing all of us plebs out of nowhere," she said before letting out a small chuckle.


    "S¡­ sorry," realizing what she just did, Silvie quickly sat back down. Someday, she was sure that herpetitiveness would get her into trouble. And before she could evenment her sudden outburst, she heard a p whisper into her ear.


    She quickly looked towards the direction of the cheer, only to see Gary pping his hands and smiling at her,


    "I really can''t beat that," he then said before quietly mouthing an apology towards her. Silvie, who saw this somewhat sincere action, could only nod her head.


    And perhaps because of her sudden speech, the whole ssroom became quiet.


    "..."


    "..."


    And surprisingly, it was Riley who broke the silence.


    "Interesting," he muttered as he looked at Silvie, "Everything you said reminded me of Mega Woman, Silvie."


    "R¡­ Really?"


    "Indeed. If there is a name that will fit you the most, I believe it should be¡­


    ...Mega Girl."


    "It kinda fits, doesn''t it?" Gary furrowed his eyebrows. And it wasn''t only him, the rest of the ss were also nodding their heads in agreement, letting out sighs of approval.


    "N¡­ no," Silvie took in a gulp as a small sweat appeared on her forehead, "Starbright seems nice, right!?"


    "..."


    "...Guys!?"

 Chapter 29: Riley Ross is...

    <h4>Chapter 29: Riley Ross is...</h4>


    Darkday.


    Perhaps it was some sort of celestial humor, but like his first subordinate, Riley''s superviin name was also bestowed upon him by another. However, unlike Scarlet Mage, whose name was collectively thought of by the masses, his was given by a single individual.


    It was 3 months after his first appearance; when the media and most of the news outlets in the US were only just starting to get a hold of his deeds from the authorities. The government doesn''t generally announce the rise of a new superviin, not until they were sure that they were truly a threat to the country.


    Most of the wannabe superviins mostly just end up as normal criminals; apprehended by either the police or the superheroes before they could even cause a miserable chain of events that would warrant them being tagged as a superviin. This helped minimize the panic of the citizens, as the birth of a new superviin was not to be taken lightly.


    Riley has killed a superhero and some civilians during his first appearance-- but that was it. After that, all trace of him was gone. Throughout the 3 months, he truly only made an appearance one in each month; and after thest one, the government no longer had a choice but to let their country know of his existence.


    Riley massacred half a thousand people; people who were just casually going on about their days and strolling inside a mall. The media knew of this incident, but had no idea who was responsible for it-- after all, it wasn''t until everyone inside the mall was dead that they knew of what happened.


    There was only one survivor, Replica Ricky-- a superhero who was able to make copies of himself. He described the perpetrator as an individual wearing fully d in ck and wearing a somewhat oversized jet-ck helmet. And as soon as the government got wind of this description, they finally announced Riley''s existence.


    Replica Ricky told the government that he was able to deeply wound the new superviin, catching him off-guard at the veryst minute. But this didn''t seem to faze the viin, as he quickly killed his duplicate afterward.


    Replica Ricky was sure that if the viin knew that it was only a duplicate he killed, he would have surely hunted him as well. And all of this information was taken in by the government-- He was, however, still nameless.


    Only revealed to the media as to how Replica Ricky described him. But with his existence already out there, every up-anding superhero wanted to get a piece of him, waiting for the mysterious ck-d superviin to once again make his appearance.


    And they did not even have to wait long. With Riley''s child-like excitement growing with each day, he could no longer contain his urges to bathe himself in the pained screams of his victims. Immediately, a few days after his existence was scattered in the news, he once again made his appearance-- this time right in the middle of the city.


    It was just like any other day; until multiple busses filled with people started hovering in the air, covering a part of the city in shadows.


    It was just like any other day; until the busses started shooting down from the sky. The fires, the screams, the dust that covered that suddenly the eyes of the people; allbining to create an orchestra of chaos.


    It was music to Riley''s ears, almost causing his body, which might have been undergoing puberty at that time, to shiver in delight.


    The response of the police and the superhero were swift, arriving at the scene not even a quarter of an hour after the busses had fallen. However, one might consider them still toote as hundreds of people had already died.


    One of the reinforcements that arrived was Replica Ricky, as he was the only superhero alive that had already encountered Riley. He was with several other superheroes, ready to apprehend and catch this new evil superviin before he could wreak more havoc.


    But s, they were outmatched. With the media recording live through their helicopters, the world was able to see how Riley ughtered the superheroes; ying with them like dolls as their bodies were twisted beyond recognition.


    It did not even take half an hour, but Replica Ricky has found himself the only survivor once again. The people already mourned for him as they saw the ck-d individual slowly hovering towards him¡­ but then, there was a boom; a whistle traveling in the air that made everyone watching through their screens excited.


    The media held the same sentiment, as they all zoomed in their cameras towards the approaching sound.


    And there, higher above the skies, a silhouette approached; faster than the speed of sound, and yet held a grace as if in a ballet-- Mega Woman has finally arrived.


    She stopped right above all the chaos, looking at the destruction that the new superviin had caused. There were cars buried inside the buildings, children lying lifeless on the ground¡­ darkness caused by all the dust and debris that floated in the air.


    Her eyes continued to wander as she dropped to the ground, searching for the viin that was responsible for all this mayhem-- and yet there was no one.


    The media also scattered to look for the ck-d viin, but when they pointed their cameras to the ground again, he was no longer to be found. He disappeared¡­ along with Replica Ricky.


    It was right at that moment, when Mega Woman stood right on the center, surrounded with nothing but darkness that everyone realized that a new superviin had dawned upon them-- one that could not be ignored.


    Mega Woman then once again flew to the air, creating a thunderous explosion that cleared out all of the dust; once again allowing the sun to reach the ground and fully revealing the onught that had transpired.


    And as she reached the sky, she stood in front of one of the helicopters and looked directly in front of the camera that one of the people from the media was holding.


    "This¡­ is a dark day not only for the people of this city but for the whole country. This dark day wille again, but I promise all of you¡­ I will be there to put an end to it."


    And with a short message, she once again flew away into the skies; leaving the people with a name for the new superviin-- Darkday.


    In a sort of ironic kind of way, Mega Woman was the one who gave birth to the superviin that would one day be known as the worst of them all.


    And Mega Woman dide whenever Darkday makes an appearance, but their meeting would always be brief, as Darkday immediately disappears as soon as shees to save the day. Their meetings were plenty, but that is a story for another time.


    "Bro¡­ you alright?"


    "Yes."


    Riley''s reminiscing was quickly disrupted as he felt a hand approach him from the side, which he quickly avoided.


    "Good," Gary nodded as he let out a short but deep breath, "You just kinda spaced out on us while we were thinking of our superhero names. Anyway, listen to this; Silvie is Mega Girl, as you named her. I will be the Dragon Monarch because it sounds he cool."


    "I have also decided on mine," surprisingly, Be and her brother were still in front of the group, "But I''ll keep it a secret until Spectacr Mustache Man arrives."


    "Such a romantic, sister. Then I shall also do the sam--"


    "Mega Girl isn''t decided yet!" Silvie suddenly stood up from her seat before Ben could finish his words. Her voice, clearly showing her frustration before sitting back down, "This is all your fault, Riley!"


    "I think it really suits you, Silvie," Riley shook his head before taking a nce at Silvie, "You remind me of Mega Woman, after all."


    "Everyone here wants to be Mega Woman, of course I would remind you of her!" Silvie crossed her arms as she pouted.


    "Give it up, Silvie," Gary sighed, "Everyone here agrees that--"


    "Shut up! I still haven''t forgiven you for what you did yesterday!"


    "T¡­ that''s¡­" Gary could only let out an awkward chuckle as he once again returned to his seat, dejectedly.


    "I am not going with Mega Girl!" Silvie once again repeated and showed her displeasure, "I am sure many others have already thought of it as well!"


    "But I think you''re the only one that has the right to use it, Silvie." Riley once again shook his head.


    "Look, I really appreciate youparing me to Mega Woman¡­ but I am not going to take that name!"


    "I see. That is your choice, Silvie," Riley once again shook his head, this time with a sigh, "It''s truly such a shame¡­


    ...Especially since you look like her."


    "W¡­ what?"

 Chapter 30: Most Powerful Name

    <h4>Chapter 30: Most Powerful Name</h4>


    "W¡­ what?"


    Silvie Savelievna''s hair was of a golden brown hue, leaning towards more to the gold-- simr to Mega Woman. But other than that and her powers, their simrity stops there. No one has seen Mega Woman without the mask that covered the top part of her face fully, perhaps there were records hundreds of years ago, but it''s probably long gone by now.


    "You know, just because we have the same color and powers doesn''t mean we look alike," Silvie''s sigh almost traveled throughout the entire ssroom, "A quarter of this ssroom has the same hair color, and there''s even one more in my group. But¡­ thank you forparing me to Mega Woman."


    Silvie then let out a smile, clearly satisfied with Riley''s words. After all, to have someonee up to you and say they remind you of your idol-- what greater ttery could surpass it?


    "No." Riley, however, shook his head as he looked Silvie straight in the eyes, "You look like Mega Woman, I believe you might even be rted to her."


    "What¡­ no?"


    "Pft," Gary then snickered as he got in between the two, "I think Riley is just trying to woo you with ttery. I think our little Riley here has a crush on you, ooooh shit."


    "W¡­ what?"


    "Ah, I feel betrayed. I thought we had something, dear Riley," Ben then gentlyid down on Silvie and Riley''s desk, cing the back of his hand on his forehead as he let out a jesting cry. He was, however, quickly pulled away by his sister.


    "Dude, stop. You''re embarrassing us in front of the elites," Be muttered before smirking towards Riley, "Nice one, Riley. First the instructor and now the Mega Student¡­ if only I had the same luck with women."


    Gary, Ben, and Be all startedughing as they all seemed to be harmonizing with each other. Silvie, on the other hand, was as red as a tomato as she covered her entire face.


    "W¡­ wait. Is that it!? Are you trying to woo me, Riley!?" She then stuttered, "I¡­ I thought you liked Scarlet Mage? Wait¡­ I don''t know what to do."


    Silvie then started looking all over the face, clearly bothered and frenzied by Gary''s sudden revtion. Seeing this, Gary and the otherspletely stoppedughing as they all stared at Silvie as if she was some lost cat.


    "I am not trying to woo you, Silvie," Riley quickly shook his head, "I only stated facts."


    "Y¡­ you''re clearly lying! That would mean you''ve also seen Mega Woman''s face!"


    "...I suppose that is what it entails, is it not?" Riley then ced his hand on his chin.


    "Hey, Silvie. Rx," Gary then raised both his hands as he let out a weak chuckle, "We were just kidding, we all know loverboy here has the hots for Scarlet Mage."


    "I don''t," Riley once again shook his head.


    "Are¡­ you okay, Silvie?" Noticing that Silvie''s breaths still had no signs of calming down, Be carefully ced her hand on Silvie''s shoulder to console her, "This ragingser boy is right, we''re only joking. There''s no need¡­ to overreact."


    "R¡­ right, sorry."


    With everyone looking at her, Silvie slowly started to tame her crazed breaths as she sat back down. And with a slight wince, she covered her head in an attempt to hide her embarrassment.


    "I¡­ I don''t really socialize with people that much," Silvie''s muffled words then whispered to Riley and the other''s ears, "I''m sorry for losing my cool."


    "Well, that means you''re human like the rest of us," Be raised her thumbs as she patted Silvie''s shoulder, "Look at the ragingser boy, he almostsered everyone in the ss because he wanted to win."


    "...I thought you were unconscious when that happened?"


    "If my brother saw it, then I know it," Be then smirked at Gary, "I bet I would have probably destroyed you did something like that to me."


    "Oho," Gary let out an amused smile, "Wanna bet, then?"


    "Jesus, guys."


    However, before anything could happen between the two, Ben stood between them and pushed them away from each other, "Stop oozing too much testosterone, you''re ruining my makeup."


    "Wait, did you use my makeup again!?"


    "...No," Ben whispered before suddenly running away.


    "I told you not to use my things!" Be''s screams reverberated throughout the entire ss as she quickly chased after Ben, who was heading about to leave the room.


    "Lesbians shouldn''t be wearing makeup anyway!"-- Was Ben''s fleeting words before he disappeared into the hallways.


    "Such discrimination will not be tolerated!"-- Was Be''s fleeting words as she continued to chase her brother.


    "That''s¡­ quite a pair," Gary once again let out an awkward chuckle as he watched as the two disappear from the ssroom, "So¡­ we still have an hour left before Spectacr Mustache Man arrives, want to go to the mall again?"


    "I''d rather not," Silvie lifted her head from her desk as she shook her head, "The students from the other ss would surely challenge me again, I don''t want to deal with that while the sses are still ongoing," she then leaned back on her desk as she let out a long and deep sigh.


    "I feel you," Gary said as he had actually also been challenged once, "Talk about a wed system, right? You''re the one getting disturbed, but you have to pay 100 Mega Points if you refuse."


    "No, it''s perfect," Silvie shook her head, "It lets the Academy know the true colors of their students."


    "...There''s something like that?"


    Not only Gary, but the rest of them slowly started to lean their heads closer to Silvie as soon as they heard her words.


    "I believe our performance in ss is not enough for us to be considered a good student; we''re not just trying to be a part of the society here, but be a model for the citizens to look up to," Silvie crossed her arms, "Giving me, the top student, unlimited funds to buy whatever I want, allowing the students to duel for money¡­ I think all of our actions here are being graded in some way."


    "You¡­ you think so?" Gary could not help but take in a huge gulp, "So¡­ my mess yesterday--"


    "Has probably merited you a negative grade," Silvie then let out a wide smirk, "That''s what you get for being too greedy."


    "F¡­ fuck me," Gary then slowly stepped back to his seat, lifelessly falling on it as all of his breaths left his entire body. Riley, on the other hand, slightly moved his seat away from Gary. After all, he was not a homosexual.


    This minute gesture, however, seemed to have been misunderstood by Silvie as she once again could not help but freeze up from Riley moving closer to her.


    "T¡­ that''s¡­ Are you sure you are not trying to court me?" Silvie then muttered as her face once again became a tomato.


    "No," Riley quickly shook his head. Seeing this, Silvie could finally let out a breath of relief¡­ but also a slight disappointment.


    "You are my sister''s friend, Silvie," Riley then followed, "Letting you fall in love with a monster is the worst that I could do."


    "...Bro, we know you''re edgy..." Gary, who was previously thinking about his whole existence, could not help but quietly mutter as he turned his head towards Riley, "...but this is just sad edge."


    "You''re not a monster, Riley!" Silvie once again stood up from her seat as she raised her voice, "You''re not a monster, you''re our friend, okay?"


    "Yeah man, you can be autistic all you want but never be a downer."


    "I¡­ I don''t think that''s appropriate advice."


    "You know what''s appropriate advice, though?" Gary then knocked on his desk several times, drumming it to a tempo,


    "Edge Lord-- Riley''s superhero name. Eh? Eh!?"


    "No!" Silvie mmed her palm on her desk, "Since he chose my superhero name, I feel it''s just right that I pick his name!"


    "Oho, so you''re embracing Mega Girl?"


    "T¡­ that''s¡­"


    "So, pray tell, Mega Girl," Gary breathed, "What name dost thou picketh for our dear Riley?"


    "Uhm¡­" After releasing a short but harmonious hum, Silvie suddenly went quiet as she ced her hand on her chin, taking small nces towards Riley from time to time. But finally, after a few seconds, she raised a finger and stood up, "Aha!" She bellowed, "I think the name Br--"


    "Halt! I demand a stoppage in giving names!"


    But before Silvie could share her wonderful idea, the thick metal door of their ssroom slid open, revealing a muscr, but also posh middle-aged man with a groomed mustache.


    Of course, this was none other than their instructor for the day and the one that will be handling their names-- Spectacr Mustache Man. The twins, Ben and Be, were also behind him, quickly going back to their seats as soon as Spectacr Mustache Man beckoned them to do so.


    "Before you finalize your names, I would like to talk to you about a specific individual," SMM said as he tapped the tablet in his hand, and as he did so, the lights instantly dimmed. And before the students could wonder what was happening, the light that they lost was reced by the gigantic screen in front of the ss.


    "That''s¡­"


    And as soon as the images started to reflect on their eyes, the air was quickly filled by their gasps.


    "This is the individual that I wanted to talk with you about-- the man with the most powerful name in the world," SMM raised his voice as he gestured to the screen, "A name so feared, that people start to run and scream just by hearing it."


    "..." While the others were clearly ufortable from what they were seeing, Riley, on the other hand, could not help but let out an amused but quiet mutter. Because the one currently being presented on the screen right now¡­


    ...was none other than him.

 Chapter 31: Importance of Names

    <h4>Chapter 31: Importance of Names</h4>


    "That''s¡­ isn''t that Darkday?"


    "He''s so scary."


    "His costume is on point, though."


    "...But why is the instructor showing him to us?"


    The murmurs and whispers of the student continued to fill the entire room with a slight stiffness. Even though it was only an image, they all could not help but feel ufortable while looking at it.


    They all waited for Spectacr Mustache Man to say something, but after showing Darkday''s image on the screen, he became quiet. It wasn''t until the students'' whispers became weaker that his mustache once again began moving.


    "Darkday," he then muttered, "The approximate number of recorded deaths he has caused, as of today, amounts to almost 15 million... and that is only in the span of 4 years."


    And now, only Spectacr Mustache Man''s voice could be heard lingering in the ssroom. The students who were still previously chatting with each other, now had all of their mouths shut as their eyes allnded on the floor.


    "The government has not yet released a statement about it. But officially, Darkday is now statistically the deadliest creature on Earth, remotely followed by mosquitoes." Spectacr Mustache Man firmly said as his mustache began moving like it had a life of its own, "He is also the viin who has killed the most superheroes, with most being tortured on camera. But they are the lucky ones... because some are still MIA, presumably kidnapped by Darkday. One could only think what he is doing with them."


    "..." The ss still remained quiet. As for the individual in question himself, Riley was intensely listening to SMM''s every word.


    "Most of you probably do not know this, but Darkday is currently also the only living person on the that has been deprived of human rights because everyone else in the same situation is dead; We have taught you to neutralize your opponent as much as possible in the Academy, but that does not cover Darkday-- he is to be killed whenever possible."


    "...Oh," Riley muttered. To hear all of this information regarding him, Riley could not help but feel amused-- one might even say he was a little shy. He didn''t do the things he did for recognition, but to think the world was this interested in him was sort of exciting to hear.


    "Now I have a question for all of you," Spectacr Mustache Man then let out a long and deep breath as he looked the students in front of him straight in the eyes, "Do any of you know what the name Darkday was associated with before it belonged to Darkday?"


    "...What?"


    Once again, the room started to be filled with confusion as SMM''s question reached their ears. What was Darkday before Darkday? What kind of question was that?-- Most of them thought. However, after a few seconds of muddled whispers, one of the students stood up.


    "Aha!" It was Danny, the student that was able to stretch his body and was almost killed by Riley on the first day.


    "Dark Day was a famous band!" He then bellowed.


    "Exactly," Spectacr Mustache Man''s mustache started to vibrate as he pointed his finger towards Danny, "Dark Day was a world-renowned rock band formed in California back in the 90s. But because of Darkday, they were forced to change their name. Do you know what this means?"


    "..."


    "Your names can be taken from you," Spectacr Mustache Man then started walking around the stage as he once again looked the students in the eyes, "No matter how badass, no matter how good, no matter how unique your chosen name is-- they can be taken from you. If someone greater, if someone badder, if someone more popres along the way that wants your name; I assure you, they will get it."


    "..."


    "There are many who wanted to im my superhero name. One even had simr power to mine, able to control and harden his hair¡­ but not one of them seeded, do you know why!?"


    Spectacr Mustache Man''s voice started to rise as he stomped his foot on the floor; his voice, causing some of the students'' hairs to stand on edge.


    "Because I stood tall! Because I proved to the world, by my actions, that I am the only Spectacr Mustache Man in the world!"


    "!!!"


    And then, all of a sudden, most of the students stood up and started pping their hands; the sound of their cheers almost seeping from the sound-proof walls of the Academy.


    They all knew that the Academy would have them choose their superhero names early, but who knew that it would actually be this dramatic? One might even say ceremonial.


    And sure enough, Spectacr Mustache Man''s speech inspired all of them; with some even changing the names they have thought of right there and then. The cheering continued on for almost a full minute before SMM raised his hand and started gesturing to the students to calm down.


    "Alright, please return to your seats so we can start. You were given a few hours to think of your superhero names, so I assume all of you are ready to present your names in front of the ss," SMM said as he walked to the side of the stage, "You also need to share why you chose the name. Now, who wants to go fi--"


    "Please let me!"


    And before SMM could even finish his words, Silvie raised her hand and stood up.


    "Hm," SMM stroked his mustache before nodding, "Of course, the top student wants to go first. I expect nothing less, proceed."


    "Thank you!" Silvie took in a deep breath; ncing towards Riley before resolutely walking to the stage without even the slightest of hesitation. She then stood there, facing the rest of her ss with a small smile on her face.


    "The name I chose for my superhero name¡­ is Mega Girl."


    "Hm," Spectacr Mustache Man immediately smirked as soon as he heard the name Silvie chose, "Someone from the previous ss has chosen that name as well. Not to mention many new superheroes have tried it, but none of them were recognized and epted by the people," he then said.


    "I do not care, it belongs to me."


    Silvie shook her head before once again looking at Riley, "A friend told me that I reminded him of Mega Woman. And for the sole reason that I do not want to disappoint him, I will do my best to not only deserve that name¡­ but to also someday have the right to be Mega Woman."


    "...Demn," Gary muttered the collective thought of most of their ssmates.


    "Good, good," Spectacr Mustache Man could not help but let out a robust chuckle as he watched as Silvie returned to her seat, "That is the kind of fire that I want to see in all of you, now who wants to go next!?"


    No one, it would seem as most of the students in the ss just started looking at each other.


    "And you say I am the greedy one," Gary clicked his tongue several times as soon as Silvie was back on her seat, "And wow, you really chose the name Riley gave you, ha¡­ this is smelling like love AF."


    "N¡­ no! Didn''t you listen to what I said!?"


    "AF?" Riley joined in on the conversation.


    "As foretold," Gary snickered, "Loverboy strikes again, maybe that should be your superhero name?"


    "It has a nice ring to it, doesn''t it?"


    "What, don''t listen to him! You still haven''t heard my proposed name," Silvieined, "I thought of this new one just now so it might need a little work, but I think the name Silver M--"


    "Mega Girl."


    And once again, before Silvie could announce the name she wanted for Riley, she was interrupted. However, it wasn''t only her that stopped whatever it is they were doing, but the whole ss.


    Even Riley could not help but turn his attention back to the stage. And there, a tall female student, whose long jet-ck hair almost reached to her knees, stood unwaveringly. Her almond-shaped eyes, which were of a bright purple color, stared ringly towards Silvie.


    Silvie did not falter, however, as she returned the re of the female student. If she wasn''t mistaken, the female student''s name was Tomoe Reynolds-- the one who came up on top of the Elemental group.


    "My superhero name is Mega Girl," Tomoe repeated her words, "I chose it for the simple fact¡­


    ...that I want it."


    "..."


    Don''t they deserve a day where no one causes any trouble!? -- was now the collective thought of the students of ss 1-V.

 Chapter 32: Silver Moon

    <h4>Chapter 32: Silver Moon</h4>


    "My superhero name is Mega Girl. I chose it for the simple fact¡­


    ...that I want it."


    Most of the students were busy sizing each other up, trying to see who would go next after the top student of the Academy. And while they were doing that, none of them saw Tomoe Reynoldsing up on stage.


    But if it was just that, then they probably wouldn''t be letting out gasps of shock. Silvie just held a short speech as to why she chose the name Mega Girl. She even announced to everyone here that she would also one day try and be Mega Woman.


    And now, out of nowhere, another student chose the name. This could only mean one thing-- Silvie was directly being challenged for the name.


    Spectacr Mustache Man had already told them that there were also other students who already chose the name from other sses, but to think there would be someone daring enough to pick it again when the Mega Student herself already chose it.


    "Oh shit, I feel a disturbance in the force," Gary, who was just previously chatting with Silvie, could not help but slightly grimace as he looked to the side. Of course, the one that was probably most ufortable of them all was Silvie herself.


    She won''t allow herself to look weak, however, as she quickly returned Tomoe''s gaze. She was sure she was trying to pick a fight or something, but Tomoe''s almost expressionless face made it a bit awkward¡­ and also confusing.


    If she really was trying to pick a fight with her, then wouldn''t a smug look be better? But Tomoe was just staring at her without twitching her eye even a millimeter.


    "Are¡­ you sure of that name?" Even Spectacr Mustache Man found it hard to follow up, as he only opened his mouth after a few seconds of awkward silence had already preceded the room.


    "No, I changed my mind."


    And then, out of nowhere, she just shook her head and smiled, causing her almost silk-like ck hair to wave smoothly in the air,


    "I will go with Dark Frost."


    "...That sounds more like a viin''s name, doesn''t it?" One of the otherments quicklymented on the side; and seeing the slight whisper of hums traveling the air, most of the ss agreed.


    "That is because I want to be a viin," Tomoe answered without any hesitation, "I can manipte water vapor around me and turn it into ice, that is why I chose Frost. As for Dark, the ice I produce is ck in color, also¡­


    ...I am a fan of Darkday."


    "!!!"


    Tomoe still held no expressions on her face, not letting her ssmates see if she was just kidding or not. But after Spectacr Mustache Man just presented them how viinous Darkday is, who would actually have the gall to joke about something like this?


    "Drop out of the Academy!" A student yelled, "You don''t belong here!"


    "That''s right, why are you even here!?"


    "Because there''s no Darkday Academy, is there?" Tomoe said before proceeding to walk off the stage, but not before taking another nce at Silvie and nodding. The students that previously sat beside her, were now doing their best to move their chairs as far as they could possibly do without intruding on the other desks.


    "...Let''s just proceed with the next one," Spectacr Mustache Man was trying his best not to shake his head upon seeing Tomoe just casually sitting back on her desk. The students that belong in the Potential Viin list truly were a colorful bunch-- SMM thought.


    In truth, he was most excited about overseeing this ss more than the other sses. After all, it had the top student in it¡­ as well as Scarlet Mage''s rumored lover. However, most of the students that came next did not really pique his interest that much, except for a few prominent ones.


    Be Jackson, who chose the name ck Bell. Reasoning that the sound of bells reverberates the human body; is made of metal so it was suited for a metal controller, and not to mention it was just right for her name.


    Cedrick Atkinson, part of the Potential Viin list as well as the telepath who won in his group, chose the name Hypnos as his specialty was inducing dreams.


    There was also a funny one from a student named Robert Moore¡­ also part of the Potential Viin list, able tomunicate and manipte insects, who chose the name General Parasite.


    "..." Spectacr Mustache Man didn''t want to admit it¡­ but Dark Frost, Hypnos, General Parasite? Why does it seem like the majority of the students in the Potential Viin list had better naming senses than the normal students?


    Even in the previous ss he was in, the students in who were in the Potential Viin list were debatably the better namer; The Quantum Archer, Shadow Angel, Silver Crow.


    Spectacr Mustache Man was starting to worry that maybe¡­ viins just had better fashion? Even their costumes were arguably better than most of the superheroes.


    This was a very critical issue. He should probably address this with Prophet, as well as the government. At all costs, Mega Academy shall reform the students from the Potential Viin list.


    And now, with only 3 students left in ss 1-V, Spectacr had already lost hope for someone to represent them.


    "Bro, aren''t you going? There''s only 3 of us left," Gary whispered as he turned to look at the only female student left that had not presented in front of the ss, "I am saving mine forst because it''s cool as hell."


    "I am still thinking," Riley quickly replied."


    "Well, alright then. I might as well--"


    But before Gary could stand up, the remaining female student suddenly sted her way through the front of the ss, causing a weak gale that caused the hair of the students to wave around in a mess.


    "My name is Katrina Collins, this is the first time I am introducing myself to everyone!" And as soon as shended, her enormous¡­ bosom immediately bounced; causing most of the male students in the ss to either turn their eyes away or widen their eyes for the blessing the world has offered them.


    "Ho," Spectacr Mustache Man''s mustache vibrated as soon as the student named Katrina leaped to the stage. Someone with such vigor would surely surpass all expectations, he thought. Their pride as superheroes might be saved just yet.


    "I came 2nd ce in the elemental controller group, but I was sadly beaten by Tomoe! I was born in a very poor family in the countryside and my parents died when I was little, leaving me and my 12 other siblings to--"


    "Ahem," Spectacr Mustache Man loudly cleared his throat, "Please avoid sharing sensitive information about your outside life."


    "R¡­ right, sorry. Too excited," Katrina let out an awkward but robustugh. Howe this was the first time they were noticing someone as loud as this in the ss?-- were most of the student''s thoughts.


    "It''s alright, I understand the enthusiasm. Please, I am sure everyone here is excited to hear your name as well," Spectacr Mustache Man smiled and nodded.


    "Yes!" Katrina bowed before taking a deep breath and facing her ssmates, "Since I can control wind, the name I chose for myself¡­


    ...is Hurricane Katrina!"


    "Sit the fuck down!"


    "Eep!" Katrina could not help but squeal as Spectacr Mustache Man pointed his finger to her desk with force. Her bosom once again jiggled as the only thing she could do was run back to her seat.


    That was thest hope of this ss-- SMM thought. The only ones remaining were a student named Gary Gray, who belongs to the Potential Viin list, and then Riley Ross-- who most likely had a weird name ready for them.


    "We have dragged this on for too long!" Gary then roared as he somersaulted his way towards the stage, "Tremble, Super Normies, for the Dragon Monarch has arrived!"


    Gary''s eyes then turned red, causing most of the students to flinch and hide at the bottom of their desks. It was only yesterday that Gary almostsered some of them, they were afraid he was here to finish the job.


    "Savior of the weak, conqueror of the strong," and yet, Gary did not seem to mind as he continued to move around the stage, "Rising from the ashes of victory, the Dragon Monarch hase to save the day!"


    "..."


    "..."


    "It''s like I am in the circus." And surprisingly, Riley was the one to break the silence as he pped his hands several times.


    "Thank you, thank you! I will sign the autographster!" Gary gave out a dignifiedugh as he bowed several times before finally returning to his seat. He wanted to give a high-five to Riley, but he quickly stood up and dodged to the side, and then casually proceeded to walk towards the stage in one swift movement.


    "W¡­ wait, Silver Moon! I think Silver Moon has a nice ring to it!"


    And before Riley could even take 3 steps, Silvie''s voice reached his ears. He stopped to take a look at her, blinking his eyes a couple of times before nodding.


    "I like it. It''s a nice name," Riley said before stepping on the stage.


    Spectacr Mustache Man did not fail to hear the name Silvie mentioned. And finally-- he thought. There was finally another name superheroes could be proud of.


    And as soon as Riley stood on the stage, the whole ss once again became quiet. Although most of them had not talked to Riley, they knew full well that this mysterious ssmate of theirs was hiding unfathomable strength. Those who were indirectly saved by him the other day were even nning on building a fan club for him.


    "Hello everyone," Riley then raised his hand, slightly waving it towards his ssmates, "My name is Riley Ross. The superhero name I chose¡­


    ...is Riley Ross."

 Chapter 33: Simplicity

    <h4>Chapter 33: Simplicity</h4>


    "The superhero name I chose¡­


    ...is Riley Ross."


    "Eh?"


    Once again, an awkward silence covered the entire ssroom as the students'' eyes looked at each other; wondering if they all heard the same thing and if they heard it right. But seeing as Riley was already on his way back to his desk, it would seem that truly was the case.


    "W¡­ wait!" Even Spectacr Mustache Man was perplexed, "You do know what this activity is all about, right?"


    "Yes, choosing our superhero name."


    "But that''s just your name. What happened to Silver Moon?" SMM was extremely excited when he heard a glimpse of what Riley''s superhero name could be, but now he was saying that he was using his own name?


    "It''s not for me," Riley shook his head, "I would much rather prefer to use my own name."


    "You can''t," SMM also shook his head, causing his long mustache to slightly wave in the air, "There are many security risks in using your own name, not to mention your actual full name."


    "I do not mind the risks, they are¡­ trivial," Riley said as he once again started walking towards his desk, but halfway through there, he paused. And after a few seconds, he returned to the front of the stage, "I see why you are confused, I did not tell the reason why I chose it. I apologize, fellow ssmates and Spectacr Mustache Man."


    "That''s not really what--"


    "I was initially going to use Silver Moon, as I feel like that would be fair to Silvie. But when I remembered your simple-minded speech earlier, my mind began to wonder," Riley eloquently said as he slightly turned his head towards SMM. His eyes, however, were looking behind him,


    "You said that names could be stolen. You mentioned that when someone greateres along with the same name, then they will surely take it from you," Riley continued, "My name was bestowed to me by my family¡­


    ...Therefore, I am the only one allowed to use it."


    "Based on statistics, there will always be someone with the same name as you," SMM replied as he brought up his tablet, quickly searching for the name registry in the US, "42 people have the exact same name as you in our country alone, with most of them being women."


    Most of the students let out their own gasps as they heard SMM''s words. Some, however, were curious as to how SMM was able to quickly search that kind of database.


    "It doesn''t matter," Riley shook his head, "The name will be mine alone in the future."


    "Okay, let''s say I like your enthusiasm," SMM let out a short but deep sigh as he approached Riley, "And let''s say you may not see anything as a threat to your family''s security, but what about those who have the same name as you? What if theye for them thinking that they are you?"


    "It''s simple," Riley said before once again stepping off the stage, "I won''t wear a mask."


    SMM wasn''t done with Riley. He was going to ask him if he really does care for his family since they were going to put him at risk; but remembering who his father was, he could probably erase any trace of Riley''s existence in the world if he wanted to.


    "...Very well," and so, SMM could do nothing but give up. The Academy did not really give them any strict guidelines with the naming of the students, so it was not like it was against the rules. Now he was starting to understand why Scarlet Mage wanted to put Riley on the Potential Viin list, he could be quite¡­. spontaneous. But still, that doesn''t warrant one to be on the list; perhaps it was just Scarlet Mage''s way of denying her feelings to the boy.


    Truly¡­ truly quite dangerous. Just because he was Whiteking''s son; what happened to not giving any students any advantages and favors? If he asked special favors for his son from Prophet, would he also permit it?


    Most likely not, he was no Whiteking-- he thought.


    As Riley sat back on his seat, Silvie did not really make any sound or movement; whether or not she was upset that Riley didn''t choose her name in the end, was not yet to be determined. Gary, on the other hand, could not help but frown.


    "Shit, man¡­ why didn''t I think of that?" Gary muttered.


    "I think you could still change your chosen name, Gary," Riley said.


    "Pft, and be branded a copycat? No way, man. Dragon Monarch for the win."


    "Alright!" And as the two were talking, Spectacr Mustache Man pped his hands, garnering the attention of all the students, "Now that all of you have your chosen names, the next step is choosing your own costume. But that would not be until a month from now."


    The students'' excitement was short-lived. Most of them surely thought that they would be designing their costumes now, but to think they would still have to wait.


    "The details about it would be discussed by your supervisor. Now, before I leave, I would like to once again leave you with some parting words," SMM said as he once again walked around the stage,


    "Even more so than your names, it would be your actions that would decide on what kind of hero you will be. One wrong move and your name will forever be tarnished. You could change your name, you could change your costume, you could even change your identity¡­ but what you are deep inside, will forever remain with you.


    Mega Woman is currently being cared for right now by the government. I am sure most of you have seen the video; she was returned to us by Darkday in a very¡­ critical condition. But still, do you see the citizens talking about it? Do you see people talking about her violent defeat?


    No.


    Because people remember her as the world''s strongest and mightiest hero. Even death can never take that away. Mega Woman¡­ lives--"


    "Do you know where Mega Woman is being kept, Spectacr Mustache Man?"


    "...on," SMM''s mustache quickly dropped down as his speech was suddenly cut short. Just a few more words and his speech would have been over. But before he could do so, ss 1-V''s trouble-child, Riley, rose his hand.


    "Do you know where Mega Woman is being kept?" Riley once again repeated his question, "Is she really being cared for by the government?"


    "...I don''t know," SMM''s eyes started twitching, "Her location is being kept secure by the government. Now, if no one has any further questions, then I shall take my leave. I believe you still have another ss after this."


    A lot of students raised their hands. However, SMM ignored all of them as he already had enough of dealing with this ss.


    ss 1-V''s next ss was a normal one. Now that the school year truly was starting, it would seem that the first half of the day was reserved for teaching and training them to be superheroes, while the other half was a study in history, general sciences, andw.


    Which suffice to say, bored most of the students to death. How did they expect them to still have the energy to do other stuff after training?-- an answer which was quickly answered by their history teacher.


    "Because being a superhero is not your life," he said, "Once you take off the mask, you live with the rest of the world as a normal citizen."


    He mentioned that the lectures were also part of their training, teaching them how to bnce their life as a superhero, as well as a normal citizen. Of course, some of them still had qualms about their situation, but most of them understood what the teacher was saying.


    But still, it didn''t change the fact that it was, indeed, boring. And so, as soon as the bell rang, they could not help but rejoice that their suffering was over. There were, however, three people in the front that remained seated at their desks.


    Silvie has remained quiet all throughout the rest of the ss, not even uttering a word. Gary was inherently noisy, but even he could feel the dry awkwardness lingering in the air.


    "Look, Silvie¡­ you could still change your name if you want to," Gary then let out a long and deep sigh as he stood up from his seat and approached Silvie, "At least apologize to her, man." He then said as he turned his attention to Riley.


    "You are upset, Silvie?" Riley then also stood up, If so, then I apolo--"


    "No, I''m not!" Silvie suddenly stood up, "I like the name you gave me, Riley! And you also said you like the name I gave you. But I can understand that it wasn''t for you. I''m not upset!"


    "Girl, you''re clearly upset," Gary widened his eyes before letting out another long and deep sigh, "...Why don''t we just spend some of that Mega Student money and let loose for the day? I know a steakhouse near--"


    "Let''s go!" Silvie stomped away before Gary could even finish his words, "But Riley will be the one treating us!"


    "Oof. She mad, bro," Gary shrugged his shoulders before following Silvie out of the room. He also wanted to invite Ben and Be, but they refused as they had something else nned.


    As for Riley, he remained standing at his desk for a while before proceeding to follow the two out. He only had 100 Mega Points, how was he even going to treat anyone with that kind of money?


    Well, the answer was simple--


    "...Seriously?"


    When in doubt, turn to your older sister. Although Riley hasn''t made contact with her for almost 2 days now, he was sure that she was the one who won in their group activity.


    "You guys invited me just to make me treat all of you? What sort of fuckery is this?"


    "Ask your brother!"


    Hannah could only widen her eyes in shock as Silvie''s voice rang through her ears, almost piercing itpletely. The four of them were once again at the mall, with her being dragged away by the three as soon as she stepped out of her ss.


    "What''s up with her?"


    "Long story to be talked over steak," Gary giggled.


    "I apologize, sister. But please let me borrow points for now," Riley muttered as he looked his sister straight in the eyes, "I will pay it someday."


    "Seriously? What did you do? Does this have something to do with the rumors going around with you and Scarlet Mage? The fuck, bro. Isn''t that pedophilia? If this was the other way around I am sure people would be crying outrage!"


    "Yo. It''s not about that," Gary quickly got in between the two, "But we''re going to talk about that as well¡­ over steak."


    "I don''t have a lot of time, you know!"


    "...You seem to have plenty of time," Gary muttered, "You were alone when you walked out¡­ so I assume you don''t have any friends in your ss?"


    "I have friends!"


    "Oho, really? Where are they now, miss popr?"


    "You¡­ you fucking bitch!"


    ***


    "It''s here."


    "Put it on my screen."


    "...It''s not connected, just walk."


    "..."


    In a dark room, brightened up only by a set of screens hanging on the wall, a tall shadow moved. The silhouette moved closer to the screen, slightly illuminating its eyes; even as the light reflected on them, their red hue still remained.


    "Are these all of them?" The shadow then spoke.


    "I would think so, he hasn''t sent us anything else." Followed by another shadow nearer to the screen.


    "I see. This is quite a lot, isn''t it?"


    "Humans are innately evil, after all."


    "Speak for yourself, you midget."


    "What did you say!?"


    "Shh, quiet. I am concentrating. This is truly fascinating¡­ to think the Academy would be so kind as to¡­


    pile us a list of candidates."

 Chapter 34: Hot and Spicy

    <h4>Chapter 34: Hot and Spicy</h4>


    "Are you and Scarlet Mage really together?"


    "This talk again? Aren''t you a little too overprotective of your brother?"


    "Am I the only one seeing the wrong here!? My brother is only turning 17 a few months from now, and Scarlet Mage is like what, in her 30s!?"


    "I think she''s somewhere around 26 or something, should be fine. You should chill bro."


    "That''s pedophilia! Silvie, weigh in on this!"


    "W¡­ well, ording to thew; The age of consent is--"


    "I don''t care about thew!"


    A week had passed since the students of Mega Academy chose their superhero name, and other than a few training exercises on how to control and improve the mastery of their powers, most of the happenings in the Academy had been uneventful; some would even say repetitive.


    What was not so uneventful, however, was the rumor going on around the entire Academy that Riley and Scarlet Mage were together; with some rumors going as far as even saying that they were doing explicit things all over the Academy.


    This was probably the 5th time that Hannah had opened this topic since a week ago when they were out eating steak, but each time, Riley remained silent; not even moving his mouth whenever they asked him about it.


    And now, they were once again inside the Korean shaved-ice store. They have been spending a lot of time in the shop since most of the time, they were the only customers. There were people entering from time to time, but for some reason, as soon as they get a glimpse of Riley and the group, they quickly leave where they came.


    "I did hear a very hot and spicy rumor... Riley visited the teacher''s apartmentsst week with Scarlet Mage, quite juicy."


    "What!? Riley, is that true!?"


    Hannah''s loud voice once again echoed throughout the empty shop, causing the only staff of the store, Charlotte, to clear her throat as a signal to Hannah for her to lower her voice.


    Riley was about to put the Mango Cheesecake-vored shaved ice in his mouth, but when he saw the 3 sets of eyes ring at him to the point that they almost looked like they were about to pop out, he could only ce the spoon back on the table and sigh.


    He read somewhere that it was wrong and rude to talk about your co-worker behind their back, and seeing as Scarlet Mage was his subordinate, he had been trying his best to avoid this topic. After all, if he couldn''t even manage first and only subordinate, how was he going to afford more?


    However, it had actually also been a week since he and Scarlet Mage hadst talked to each other. He had been waiting on her report about Mega Woman, but not once did she approach him.


    He should have patience. After all, she was his first subordinate-- perhaps a certain benefit should be ced on her.


    But still, since she was doing an unsatisfactory job, perhaps it was also alright to talk about her behind her back; Riley thought as he looked his sister straight in the eyes.


    "Yes, I entered her apartmentst week to talk about work," Riley nonchntly said before taking a bit of his shaved-ice; his eyes not looking away from her sister''s.


    "...Work?" Hannah muttered.


    "Oh, when you officiated the activity with her earlier that day?" Gary raised a finger.


    "I see, that makes sense," while Silvie slightly nodded her head.


    "No, it doesn''t!" Hannah once again mmed her palm on the table, "Why does it need to be in her apartment? What did you even talk about!? Did anything happen between the two of you!?"


    "I kissed her."


    "Oh, shit!" And without even any reservations, Gary suddenly leaped out from his seat and started running around the shop, drumming his hands on the table as he did so, "Holy fucking shit!" He continued to bellow, shouting through the ss window and garnering the attention of the students strolling outside.


    And as he was hollering and dancing like a monkey, the two girls that were seated at their table remained unmoving; with Silvie''s spoon even dropping to the floor.


    "W...w¡­ wait. I need a few seconds to process this shit," Hannah stuttered as she sat back, "You¡­ you could get expelled for this. Don''t tell this to any--"


    And before she could even finish her words, she felt her seat violently move as Silvie suddenly stood up and rushed towards Gary, covering his mouth before dragging him back to his seat.


    "I¡­ I agree with Hannah, this is between us," she then whispered after violently throwing Gary beside Riley, "But¡­ but what happened after that, then?"


    Silvie''s breaths almost echoed throughout the entire store, her eyes almost as bright as Hannah''s mes as she stared without any restraints towards Riley. And judging by the flushness of her face which almost resembled a tomato, she really needed an answer.


    "I left," Riley''s nonchnt answer, however, quickly broke any anticipation they had.


    "T¡­ that''s it? Nothing happened between the two of you¡­ did you hit that ass?"


    "Gary!"


    "W¡­ what? I''m asking on behalf of everyone!"


    "No," Riley once again shook his head, "Why would I hit her butt?"


    "Who wouldn''t want to hit that ass, man!?" Gary then bellowed, "Don''t you know how lucky you are to even be--"


    "Gary."


    "Oho, do I sense jealousy in the air, Silvie?" Gary quickly wiggled his pinky fingers as soon as he heard Silvie''s slightly agitated tone, "Of course you would be jealous. Scarlet Mage is oozing with the scent of a maturedy, almost like a MILF, really."


    "No, Gary. Scarlet Mage is--"


    "MILF?" Riley tilted his head.


    "Mother I''d Like to--"


    "By all means, continue that sentence."


    "!!!"


    The ends of Gary''s hair all stood on their ends as he heard a very familiar voiceing from behind him. He wanted to run away and hide as a crippling and suffocating pressure slowly crawled through his entire body, but s, it was toote to do so.


    The only thing he could do was slowly turn his head, almost to a 180-degree turn, as he looked towards the woman he was just speaking of.


    "H¡­ Hi, Miss Scarlet Mage," he uttered, "We¡­ we were just talking about how good your brea¡­ your lectures are."


    "I see."


    Although Gary was clearly thinking of something immoral, Scarlet Mage did not really seem to mind as her voice seemed unfazed, calm even. Her eyes then scanned the four students, before ultimately resting at Riley.


    "Mr. Riley, pleasee with me," she then said, "I¡­ have something to discuss with you about tomorrow''s ss."


    "Very well," Riley quickly nodded as he ced his spoon back inside his pocket. Finally, he thought; Scarlet Mage must have information about Mega Woman.


    He was about to stand up, but before he could do so, Hannah beat her to it.


    "Sit back down, Riley," Hannah muttered as she slowly walked in front of Scarlet Mage, staring her straight in the eyes as she did so.


    "You are¡­ Riley''s elder sister?" Scarlet Mage returned Hannah''s re.


    "I need to excuse Riley for a while, I don''t know how long it will take; so I suggest you students return to your dorms first and not wait for him."


    "I don''t think so, Scarlet Mage."


    "H¡­ Hannah, calm down!" Silvie also stood up as she quickly got in between the two.


    "Sorry?" Seeing Hannah violently trying to stomp her way towards her, Scarlet Mage could not help but slightly raise an eyebrow.


    "Don''t think we don''t know what''s going on between you and my brother!" And even with Silvie pulling her away, Hannah managed to point her finger towards Scarlet Mage, "Aren''t you supposed to be a teacher? Why are you having rtionships with your students!?"


    "W¡­ what?"


    "And why Riley!? Did you think he''s an easy target because he is like that!? Aren''t you supposed to be a hero!? Oi, Riley!? Where are you going?! Oi!"


    "I''ll see all of you again tomorrow."


    And midway through her ramblings, Riley suddenly stood up and started walking out of the shop, "Let''s go, Scarlet Mage."


    "W¡­ we''re not done--"


    "You¡­ are very protective of your brother, aren''t you?" Scarlet Mage uttered before Hannah could once again start to protest, "Our rtionship has actually been approved."


    "W¡­ what?"


    "Whiteking approved it," Scarlet Mage said as she turned to leave, "If you want to do something about this then please¡­


    ...please talk to him."


    ***


    "Do you have information about Mega Woman?"


    "A trivial one."


    Scarlet Mage now found herself once again alone with Riley, sitting in her car on the mall''s underground parking lot.


    "Any information is better than nothing, Scarlet Mage," Riley let out a short but deep breath as a small smile slowly started to appear on his face, "Report."


    "I contacted an old friend in the government who owed me a favor. He told me that if Mega Woman was being kept somewhere in the country, then we would probably know it with the increase in security," Scarlet Mage said, her tone not changing one bit.


    "And has there been an increase in security?"


    "No¡­ Mega Woman is probably not in the country," Scarlet Mage quickly replied, "Why not just ask your father? If anyone in the world knows where she is, it will probably be him."


    "No. My father is not to be involved in any of this."


    "Your family¡­ are a bunch of weirdos."


    "...I suppose," Riley nodded, "If that is all the information you have, then I shall take my leave. My clone outside is busy taking care of my pets, but as soon as it gets the time, I''ll make it help us in our investigation."


    "..."


    "See you tomorrow, Scarlet Ma--"


    "...It''s hot."


    Riley was about to step out of the car, but before he could reach the handle, he felt Scarlet Mage grabbing his hand.


    "...Then you should have turned on the air conditioner."


    "No, I...


    ...feel hot."

 Chapter 35: Weakness (R-18)

    <h4>Chapter 35: Weakness (R-18)</h4>


    A week-- Scarlet Mage had been trying to meet Riley alone for a week now since theirst¡­ spicy encounter.


    She had done her best in avoiding him; watching, surveying from afar what he was going to do if she didn''t do anything. She thought that Riley would reach out to her, be angry, or at least be troubled for not updating him-- but Riley did nothing; not even a re to make her know that he was starting to get impatient.


    This made her relieved in the first three days. But after that, she started to feel¡­ lonely. Their ''illicit rtionship'' had been approved by the Academy itself; if there was any greater reason to avoid being alone with Riley, then that was it.


    Her n has beenpletely neutralized; there was no use in her trying to seduce him or y the part¡­ but here she was.


    It was only supposed to be pretend, but her body seemed to havepletely forgotten about it. After 3 days of not meeting with Riley, her body started to feel weak. She found herself unable to sleep, unable to eat¡­ unable to breathe without the memory of Riley''s warmth upon her lips.


    She scoured her contacts just to get an update for Riley so she could talk to him. This was perhaps the greatest of wrongs; she was betraying mankind itself and she knew it-- but her body didn''t care. It wants¡­ it needs Riley, she needs Riley.


    She wants to be saved. She could cry out and shout to the world to help her escape from the prison she found herself in; someone might hear, but by the time that someone tries to rescue her, then it might already be toote. She...


    "I¡­ feel hot."


    She¡­ was already drowning.


    ''Someone, anyone¡­ please take me away from here.''


    "Please¡­ embrace me, Riley."


    ''Please¡­ someone help me.''


    "I¡­ I need you inside me."


    The words that she should say, overpowered by the desires of her heart and her flesh.


    "..."


    And as her emotions were inplete chaos, Riley''s eyes seemed clear and unburdened. He was about to step out of the car but was slightly taken aback when Katherine grabbed his hand out of nowhere.


    "The things you are feeling right now¡­" Riley then let go of the door handle, before removing Katherine''s hand away from his arm, gently cing it back on herp, "...I believe it''s lust, Katherine."


    "I¡­"


    "It is not your fault," Riley shook his head, "I am aware that my aesthetics could be quite alluring to those who fancy young men."


    "..."


    "Have... you ever done it?" Even with Riley''s ramblings, Katherine did not seem to mind as her stuttered whispers echoed inside her car, "Have you ever done it with someone?"


    "I believe I have already answered that question before, Katherine. I kissed Mega Woman, and then you--"


    "Making love!"


    "Making¡­ love? You mean sexual intercourse?" There was a slight change in Riley''s voice as he answered Katherine, "Then, no."


    "W¡­ why not?"


    "I am only turning 17 this year, Katherine. I have only passed the average age of consent in our country," Riley dutifully exined.


    "Right¡­ right?" Hearing Riley continue to talk, the urges that built up within Katherine slowly faded and dissipated away. This was good¡­ this was a good thing.


    "And also, I do not feel I have the right to create a human life."


    "W¡­ what?" Katherine slightly let out a short but deep breath as she finally felt Riley''s heart slightly fluctuate. It may start to sound archaic and even obsessive, but her own heart seems to echo his whenever it beats so; as if the sudden leap of Riley''s heart was the most exciting sound in the world.


    Katherine then slowly turned her eyes towards Riley''s face, only to find that the expression in his face reflected his wavering heart.


    "My family¡­ shouldn''t be harmed," Riley muttered, "I already have the guilt of having been adopted by the Ross''. I can not willingly situate another human into that position."


    "Guilt?" Katherine could not help but take in another deep breath as Riley''s heart continued to beat faster, "And¡­ you''re adopted?"


    "Indeed," Riley nodded, "To be rted to me is a curse, Katherine. How could I put a defenseless child in the arms of a monster who will continue to bathe this world in blood?"


    Katherine''s breaths continued to echo throughout the car. Was she truly hearing these words from Riley? Riley is supposed to be the most heinous and evil superviin in the world. But now, once again, he seemed to be the most human.


    Darkday''s weakness¡­ was his family. She now probably holds the most important information in the world.


    Operation ''Turn Dark into Light''-- perhaps it still had a chance to flourish?


    Yes¡­ this was it. A reason for her to continue being with Riley. If¡­ if she bes his family, then wouldn''t that mean she would be his weakness as well?


    Even more¡­ even more if they had a child together.


    "What¡­ are you doing, Katherine?"


    "Huh?"


    And just like that, thest string that she was preventing from breaking had finally snapped.


    The heat that she thought had already faded away, returned into her like a giant wave; crushing any thoughts of reason she had.


    "H¡­ huh?" Katherine once again whispered as she suddenly found herself sitting on the floor of her car, her arms seated on Riley''s legs as she kneeled in front of him. Her car was small, leaving only a small space for her to fit where she was at; how she got there without her knowing was a mystery.


    But still, her mind waspletely lost as the heat that covered her entire body hadpletely drowned her. She could feel a sort of tickle in between her tightly closed legs as a certain warmth started to trail on them.


    And slowly, her hands traveled to Riley''s thighs, slowly caressing them as her fingers crawled their way to the zipper of his pants. But before her hands could fully open it up, she felt a sort of resistance stopping them.


    "What are you doing, Katherine?" Riley once again repeated as he bound Katherine''s hands in the air.


    "I¡­ I am your subordinate, right?" Katherine then whispered; the warmth of her breaths dispersing between Riley''s legs, "Let¡­ let me serve you, please."


    "..." Riley looked to the side as he heard Katherine''s words whispering into his ears,


    "I suppose that''s true." Riley then said as he removed the invisible chains that bound Katherine''s hands, "But before we proceed, can I name you?"


    "Name¡­ me?" Katherine looked up as her hands slowly unzipped Riley''s pants, "What¡­ do you mean?"


    "Silver Moon," Riley whispered as he gently lifted Katherine''s chin and looked her directly in the eyes, "A moon that will forever try to lighten the dark day, following it for eternity; not knowing it has already been swallowed by it."


    Katherine gazed deep into Riley''s eyes as his words echoed through her ears. Riley knew¡­


    Riley knew what she was doing and he didn''t care.


    "..." But now, the same could be said to her.


    "It''s¡­ a good name," she whispered beforepletely wrapping Riley inside her mouth.


    "!!!" Once again, she felt Riley''s heart fluctuate as the warmth of her mouth encapsted all of Riley''s manhood.


    This is extremely wrong, she once again thought. But now, she no longer cares.


    Her tongue began to move, twirling it around Riley''s manhood as her head began to bob. She could hear Riley slightly letting out a small whisper of a moan, causing the juice flowing between her legs to gush out like a waterfall.


    "Gak¡­" A small gasp then escaped Katherine''s mouth as she pulled her head away. She once again turned to look towards Riley, only to see him still looking at her.


    Riley¡­ Riley was truly finally looking at her. His eyes, only for her. And as she thought of this, a small smile slowly crawled on her face, adorned by the strings of saliva that still bridged itself on Riley''s manhood.


    "...Riley," she whispered.


    "..."


    Katherine then tried to lift herself up, but found her legs unable to move as all the strength they had left as soon as she felt Riley inside her mouth. She struggled to get up, but couldn''t. But after a few more seconds, she felt her whole body being lifted into the air.


    "...Riley," she once again whispered as she wrapped her arms around Riley''s neck. Her legs, gently finding their way on the side of his thighs. And once again, she found herself kneeling, but this time, her legs fully opened and on top of Riley''s thighs.


    "Riley¡­"


    Her hand then slowly made its way between her legs, lifting up her skirt before carelessly ripping her underwear. And as soon as she did so, her juices which were already flowing like a waterfall burst out, dripping and flowing down on Riley''s manhood.


    The smile on her face widened as Riley''s heart once again beat differently. And with a breath, she gently pushed Riley''s manhood and ced its tip on the edges of the lips between her legs-- slowly opening it up.


    "U¡­ uhn," her whole body then began to tremble as she felt Riley''s warmth between her legs. And slowly, she began to lower her body.


    "H¡­ hn," her toes curled as the warmth between her legs began to intensify. She wanted to close her eyes, but did not want to miss any moment of Riley''s eyes staring at her. And so, instead, she pushed Riley''s hair to the side, fully grabbing it with both her hands as her body fully began to drop.


    "Nn!" A scream escaped from her mouth as she felt Riley deep inside of her; her jaw began to tremble as her eyes remained looking deep into Riley''s soul.


    "Riley¡­" Silver Moon then once again whispered as her waist began moving, "I think¡­


    ...I have fallen in love with you."


    Silver Moon-- A moon that will forever try to lighten the dark day, following it for eternity; not knowing it has already been swallowed by it.

 Chapter 36: Delusions and Illusions

    <h4>Chapter 36: Delusions and Illusions</h4>


    "God fucking damn it!"


    "Civilians died, again!"


    "That''s because they''re blocking the way!"


    Cars, debris, a cloud of dust, scattered everywhere, surrounded by a collection of buildings that seemed to be serving as their perimeter. And right in the middle of it was Gary, surrounded by a dozen bodies sprawled lifelessly on the ground.


    As for Scarlet Mage and the other students, they were currently watching from above. Not in some kind of aircraft, but in a room that was disguised as a cloud in the sky. Yes, they were still inside the Academy; deep underground in one of its colossal training halls.


    Most of the students were shocked that the Academy still went deeper into the ground, as anything beneath the surface was no longer drawn on the map provided for them. But if it had a room like this; capable of storing its own tiny city, then they could only wonder just how huge the underground is.


    "L¡­ let me go again!"


    "Then go back to your starting position, Dragon Monarch," Scarlet Mage''s frustrated sighs could be heard by the students. They were used to their advisor being strict and somewhat moody¡­ but for some reason, for the past few days, even when she was clearly annoyed, she would always smile as soon as she faced her students.


    It has been a week since Scarlet Mage and Riley''s¡­ heated discussion, and the two had not met alone even once. But still, now, Scarlet Mage did not mind. Unlike before when she felt some sort of poison building up inside her, everything seems clearer now.


    She no longer finds herself staring in the dark, longing for something that she knew is never meant to be. They haven''t met alone for a week, yes; but it waspletely different now. Riley was looking at her, he was looking at her without any reservations.


    Riley had trouble looking people in the eyes, but not hers, not anymore-- and this was enough; this meant that in some way, Riley trusts her.


    Scarlet Mage then walked towards the corner of the room they were in, with a wall filled with screens that showed parts of the training hall beneath them. Of course, as she walked past the students, her eyes instinctivelynded at Riley, who immediately nodded at her as their eyes met.


    Scarlet Mage quickly smiled upon the act-- it was as if the two had their ownnguage that only they could understand.


    "I''m restarting the scenario, Dragon Monarch," Scarlet Mage then said as she ced her hand on one of the screens, "Are you ready?"


    "The Dragon Monarch is always ready!"


    "...Right,st chance. If you kill another civilian, no points for you, you got it?"


    "Let''s do this shit!"


    Hearing Gary''s loud voice piercing through the inte, Scarlet Mage could not help but once again sigh before tapping something on the screen.


    And as soon as she did so, the scenery beneath them instantly changed. The dust that covered the entire mini city, gone. The cars that were scattered everywhere turned into some sort of metal boxes, as well as the debris.


    The buildings that served as a perimeter were now also just a towering block of metal. But perhaps the most noticeable of all, were the dozens of bodies scattered on the ground-- they all stood up.


    Their previous life-like bodies, now turned into mannequins, moved on their own.


    The training hall was some sort of augmented reality almost perfected-- a technology that has not yet been developed this far in the outside world. The students were in awe the first time they saw this; Riley, however, had a slight frown on his face.


    Once again, the Academy showcased a technology ahead of everything else. Even the mannequins¡­ the robots that could move on their own without any external support wasn''t something that the outside world had ess to.


    Could Mega Woman have shared knowledge of her world with the government? But since the Academy had most probably been built for years now, then that would mean she would have had to tell them a long time ago.


    But Mega Woman has a great dislike for the government, so that was next to impossible. Could they be doing something to her right now, when she was vulnerable?-- No, the timeline doesn''t match.


    Perhaps¡­ the time for Riley B to do something is soon toe. But for now, he should focus on his retirement, he thought as he looked out the window to watch Gary.


    The scenery below once again regained its color, turning the city of metal into the city full of life it was just minutes ago.


    "C''mon Dragon Monarch, you could do this. I believe in you."


    "..."


    The students all looked at each other as they could hear Gary whispering to himself through the speakers. Most of them could not help but wince; it was a good thing that none of them volunteered to be first, if not, they wouldn''t have known that everything they do in the training hall could be heard and seen by everyone else.


    Gary''s breaths then whispered into their ears as he continued to hype himself up. In front of him were 12 life-like robots. 8 civilians were scattered in a circle, seemingly watching from the side as some sort of situation was happening in the middle.


    There were 3 offenders, with one of them being a superviin. As for thest robot, she was a hostage that was being held by the supposed superviin as the two other offenders guarded them.


    "Haha! Let us go if you don''t want the blood of the innocent in your hands!"


    "Shut the fuck up, man. Just how many times¡­" Gary muttered frustratingly as he looked at the superviin grabbing the hostage. He then looked around him, only to see the 8 civilians surrounding them with their phones up, seemingly taking a video of the situation.


    "God damn it, all of you go away! Why the heck is this so realistic!?"


    Gary had already failed twice, with identally harming the civilians being the reason for both. Suffice to say, he was at his wit''s end.


    On his first try, he was sessful in quickly dealing with the two non-super offenders. However, as he did so, the superviin acted and was about to kill the hostage; and so, in panic, Gary released his heat vision¡­ hitting the hostage.


    In his second try, he tried to rescue the hostage as fast as possible; rushing towards the superviin and snapping its neck; of course, this would mean a minus in points, but he didn''t care. He then grabbed the hostage away, but as he did so, the 2 non-supers started shooting at him.


    He was able to dispatch the non-supers-- but not before they killed most of the bystanders.


    And now, in hisst attempt, he was going to try something he had never done before, stealth. He was now hiding in one of the bystanders, trying to get into position behind the viins.


    "Ah, it''s the Dragon Monarch!"


    "What--"


    And before Gary could even finish his words, the sound of guns being unloaded thundered throughout the simted city.


    "W¡­ what was that, Scarlet Mage!?" Gary then roared as soon as the parade of bullets was over.


    "You failed," was Scarlet Mage''s response as the city once again lost its life and color.


    "But that wasn''t fair! One of the civilians ratted me out!"


    "You''re a loud and extroverted superhero, Gary. Of course, they would recognize you. Return to the elevator ande back up."


    "This¡­"


    Gary seemed to beining more, but Scarlet Mage had already turned off the speakers in the room. And finally, after a few more minutes of dancing around like a monkey, Gary got tired and returned to the control room.


    "Don''t be so down, Gary. It was a nice attempt¡­ I think I would fail as well in your scenario."


    "Why does it sound like you''re mocking me instead?"


    "W¡­ what, not at all." Silvie immediately shook her head as she tried her best to console Gary.


    "Good work, Gary."


    "Thank you, Rile-- Wait, what do you mean ''good work''!? I killed civilians, bro!"


    "Yes. Their screams were--"


    "Who is going next!?"


    Before Riley could finish whatever it was he was going to say, Scarlet Mage''s voice reverberated throughout the entire room, causing all of the students to slightly flinch in shock.


    "Me! Me!" Their shock was only momentarily, however, as Be immediately stepped forward while waving her hand up.


    "Alright, you can step on the elevator as soon as you''re ready. You only get three tries, so I suggest you do your best, ck Bell," Scarlet Mage said as she turned her attention back to the screens on the wall, swiping her hands on it until Be''s profile came up.


    "This should be easy, see you weaklingster!" Be cracked her knuckles as she stepped on the elevator. She had already thought of a dozen scenarios while Gary doing the simtion, and since her powers were manipting and controlling metals, the city scenario was basically her yground.


    Be then began stretching on the elevator as she waited for them tond on the ground. And finally, after a few more seconds, the door opened up.


    "Let''s do-- what?"


    However, what weed her was not a city filled with buildings and vehicles; but rather, a forest that was surrounded by a cliff. The arrangement of the robots was also different, with most of them nowhere to be seen.


    "W¡­ what? Where''s the city!?" Be yelled as she looked up towards the window where the others were watching.


    "The scenario is different from student to student, ck Bell."


    "What about the hostage?"


    "I can''t tell you, this is your scenario."


    "W¡­ what?" ck Bell then looked towards the 4 life-like robots in the middle of the training hall; one was wearing a costume, while the three just had bandanas on, holding guns in their hands.


    They seemed to be guarding some sort of cabin, which most probably held the hostages, Be thought. She was a bit perplexed at first with the sudden change, but still, she quicklyposed herself after a few minutes.


    There might not be cars or an abundance of metal in her scenario¡­ but in truth, she was surrounded by metal. The trees, the cliffs, maybe even the wooden cabin; underneath the hologram was metal.


    This was her domain.


    "Forget about controlling most of the objects in your surroundings."


    And midway through her thoughts, Scarlet Mage''s voice resounded in the training hall.


    "They are made from some sort of tempered stic."


    "Wait¡­ what?" Be muttered as she quickly tried to move one of the trees, but found herself unable to do so.


    "And even if they were made of metal, you''re not allowed to move them in the first ce¡­ you''re in a forest, act like it."


    As soon as the students heard Scarlet Mage''s words, they finally understood the true meaning of the exercise. They were told that this was to train them in hostage situations; but now, they were realizing there was another purpose.


    The scenarios were solely tailored for each of them to fail¡­ or at least to defy the odds.

 Chapter 37: Fail, Fail, Fail

    <h4>Chapter 37: Fail, Fail, Fail</h4>


    Failed.


    Be Jackson; Desired Superhero Name: ck Bell-- Failed.


    Like Gary, she was given 3 attempts to try and save the hostages. True to her assumption, the hostages were being confined in the wooden cabin, protected by the viins that were outside.


    What she did not expect, however, was that there were more viins guarding the hostages inside. No matter what she did, some of the hostages would always die; shot identally, or executed by the hostages inside.


    She tried controlling the guns that the non-supers were holding, but ended up causing the trigger to be pulled; causing mass hysteria as the sound of thunder echoed throughout the forest.


    At herst attempt, she tried what Gary did-- stealth. She tried sneaking from the windows, using whatever metal there was in the cabin to her advantage; even killing one of the viins using a nail. What is a minus point, after all, if she ends up rescuing all of the hostages in the end?


    But s, the end did not go as she expected. As soon as the one she killed dropped to the ground, chaos once again erupted inside-- causing a barrage of bullets to fly out. She tried to stop them, but some ended up flying towards the hostages, as well as towards her.


    Of course, the bullets weren''t really lethal, and Be''s body was sturdier than that of a normal human; but it was still painful, of course. It was made obvious by her incessant curse that was seeping from the elevator as she was brought up.


    Her screams, however, were instantly gone as soon as the elevator doors opened up; causing the other students to pretend they didn''t hear her yelling all sorts of profanities just seconds before.


    She was not alone in her woes, however. Gary had already failed, and the ones that followed after her were no better.


    As most of them already realized, the trials that they were facing were specifically designed for them to fail. Each of them saw how their ssmates failed and failed again; even the most noticeable ones and the ones who came up on top of their respective power categories failed.


    Be''s brother Ben Jackson, or as he called himself, Metallerina; from the word Metal and Ballerina, also failed miserably. Unlike her sister, he was ced in a scenario with an abundance of metal-- a ship; with parts so massive and weighty that he was not able to move anything due to hisck of raw power. He had the right idea at the end by unscrewing some of the bolts and tiny parts hidden deep, but the sheer noise of doing so caught the attention of the viins.


    Cedrick Atkinson; Hypnos, was put in a position where if he puts any of the viins to sleep, a bomb would go off as a trigger was attached and hanging from their bodies.


    Tomoe Reynolds; Dark Frost''s scenario was slightly interesting; not just for her, but for everybody and especially Riley. She was faced with Darkday, who had held several superheroes hostage.


    Perhaps she could have done something, perhaps she could not have, but each of her 3 attempts ended up with her just ogling and following Darkday. Probably out of all the students that were in the Potential Viin list, she was the most far down; probably even a psychopath, Scarlet Mage thought.


    "Mega Girl, are you ready for your final attempt?"


    "Y¡­ yes."


    "How¡­ is that scenario even fair?"


    "I thought mine was hard."


    "I guess things are different if you''re the Mega Student¡­ I''ll just remain as an unnamed side character, I guess."


    And now, it was Silvie''s 3rd attempt at her scenario.


    Her scenario was quite different than most; violent, perhaps one could even say brutal. The robot did not have his appearance, but all of the people present knew that the robot floating in the air was supposed to be Darkday, again.


    As for how they knew?


    3 vehicles were floating around him; 2 sedans, and a school bus, all of which were filled with the rest of the robots, or in this case, civilians. Like all of the scenarios, this was once again a hostage situation.


    But unlike most of the scenarios of the previous students, where some of them had thought of a solution on how to solve their scenario after they failed the three attempts; Silvie''s seemed to be a lost cause.


    At her first attempt, she flew towards the school bus, prioritizing the children; but as she did so, the two sedans collided with each other, effectively killing anyone inside.


    At her second, she went with what everyone was trying to do-- stealth. However, as she got inside the bus, the civilians started panicking; pushing each other so that they would be the first to be rescued by her-- this, of course, was quickly noticed by the floating robot viin.


    And now, in her final attempt, her erratically moving eyes showed the state of her mind--pletely in chaos as it scoured to think of a solution on how to save all of them.


    "You need to move, Mega Girl."


    "Y¡­ yes!" She once again repeated as Scarlet Mage''s voice reverberated in the hall. The vehicles were almost 4 floors up in the air, if they fell, there could still be a chance that the civilians would survive as the vehicles would suck up most of the impact.


    "..." And as soon as the thought came to her mind, her eyes immediately locked on towards the floating mannequin; and with only a blink of hesitation, she screamed and flew towards it. If the robot truly was Darkday, then this was nothing short of a sacrifice; but still, if there was even a sliver of a chance to save the civilians, she would do it.


    "!!!"


    "N¡­ no!"


    But s, halfway through her forceful flight, half a dozen civilians suddenly flew towards her path. Her arm, which was stretched and ready to make contact with the floating viin, instead hit through the civilians.


    Suffice to say, her fist easily prated through the civilians'' ''flesh'', and since they were lined up in the air, they were skewered like a barbecue.


    "N¡­ no¡­ no!"


    The simtion was not real, of course; but still, the holograms were as life-like as they get. Silvie looked at the eyes of the civilian in front of her, slowly fading as the blood oozed from its mouth.


    It onlysted for a second, of course, as Scarlet Mage quickly turned off the holograms, returning the robots to their mannequin-like exterior. Silvie, however, was still floating in the air staring at the barbecue of mannequins stuck around her arm.


    "...That''s enough, Silvie. Come back up," Scarlet Mage then muttered weakly. That part of Silvie''s scenario¡­ was not supposed to happen. As their ss'' advisor, she was the one responsible for picking and reviewing each of their scenarios-- and thatst part was truly not included in that.


    True, if Silvie chose to rush towards the floating viin, even if she managed to subdue it, she would have still failed because most of the civilians would have died from the impact¡­ but the civilians blocking her path? That was too traumatic for someone of Silvie''s temperament to handle; Scarlet Mage would never include it.


    That was something that only a truly heinous superviin would-- !!!


    As soon as the thought came to her mind, her eyes instinctivelynded towards the only one in the room that fits that description to a tee; and true enough, there was a weird expression on Riley''s face as he stared through the window.


    Even the others that were in the Potential Viin list had slight expressions of shock on their faces; Riley, however, had this look of rity in his eyes-- as if they were saying that is what exactly would happen if Silvie charges at Darkday in real life.


    Silvie was his sister''s friend, and judging by his words and his actions throughout the past week, he was protective of her. So why would he do something like this?


    Was this¡­ some sort of skewed way of making Silvie learn?


    With that thought, she was mostly right.


    Riley could truly see Mega Woman through Silvie; and if there happened to be two Mega Women roaming around the world in the future, wouldn''t that double the fun he would experience once hees out of retirement?


    But of course, her strength and facial simrities alone were not enough for her to be Mega Woman; she needed her resolve and determination as well¡­ and getting it is not supposed to be easy.


    The whole room became quiet as soon as the sound of the elevator whistled in the air; with not even a single one of them looking at Silvie as she entered the observation room. Silvie was always filled with this sense of authority and hope; but right now, her eyes were only looking at the floor as she returned to Gary and Riley''s side.


    "H¡­ hey, Mega Champ. No need to be so sad," Gary stuttered, his hand waving in the air as it did not know whether to pat Silvie on the shoulder or not, "No one could have cleared that scenario¡­ fuck, no one has cleared a scenario so far."


    "ck Bell could have saved most of them, Gary."


    "S¡­ shut the fuck up, man. We''re supposed to beforting her!" Gary quickly hissed at Riley, "And that''s the point of the scenarios, man¡­ we''re not supposed to win. Fuck this fucking shit. You alright, Silv?"


    "I¡­ I killed them."


    "What¡­ they are just robots, dude," Gary breathed out, "Just think of-- Bro, where are you going? Don''t leave me behind here!"


    Gary could not help but violently gesture to Riley as he saw him suddenly escaping this somewhat awkward situation.


    "I am the only one left, Gary," Riley casually said as he walked towards the elevator doors. "It''s my turn," he then said as he turned his attention towards Scarlet Mage.


    "Are¡­ you ready, Riley Ross?"


    "I suppose."


    "Then step on the elevator," Scarlet Mage nodded as she moved to the control unit, swiping her hands until Riley''s profile came up, "Do your best but do not overdo it; as you can see, all of your ssmates have failed. It is better to learn from the scenario¡­ and I''m sorry."


    Thest words of Scarlet Mage were almost a whisper, with no one but herself able to hear it.


    "Thank you for the advice, Scarlet Mage," Riley nodded before getting on the elevator. Most of the students were excited to see his scenario; however, most of them had also not recovered from the violent end of Silvie''s test.


    If the Mega Student herself couldn''t pass the exercise, then there truly was no way of passing; even for their mysterious and somewhat cool ssmate.


    As for Riley, well¡­ He would lie if he said that he wasn''t even just a tiny bit excited about his scenario. Katherine knew his true identity, so whatever she came up with would surely be something distressing.


    ...Maybe even a scenario with Mega Woman?


    And as soon as he thought of that, the door of the elevator opened-- quickly causing the orange light razing outside to reflect on Riley''s bright eyes.


    "..." Riley curiously stepped outside, looking at a destroyed city surrounded with nothing but fire and ash; and right in the middle of it, was a young woman.


    "R¡­ Riley?"


    "...Sister."

 Chapter 38: Choices

    <h4>Chapter 38: Choices</h4>


    With the warm and stinging winds wafting through his face;


    With the skies that had turned dark due to the mes that razed below;


    With the red that reflected in his bright blue eyes;


    With the dust that endlessly flew around him;


    And even with the shrieking screams that sang through his ears¡­


    ...Riley remained unmoving.


    "...Sister."


    "R¡­ Riley?"


    Even with all of the chaos happening around him, Riley''s attention was solely on the young woman in front of him. Her hands, her feet, her hair; Almost all of Hannah''s body was engulfed in zing mes, revealing only her face which bled in tears.


    "What¡­ are you doing here, Riley?"


    "This truly is life-like," Riley then slowly walked towards robot Hannah as he looked at her from head to toe, "Such technology shouldn''t exist, at least not yet, Scarlet Mage."


    Riley then looked up in the sky, quickly finding the window where Scarlet Mage and the others were watching from. If he did not know beforehand that all of this was a simtion, then it was possible that he would have been fooled that all of this was real; almost as if this technology was a superpower of its own.


    Was this technology really from Mega Woman''s world? Or is it possible that there were other alien worlds out there that had already made contact with Earth?


    Truly, one day; once there were no more screams to sing to his ears on Earth, he would travel to the skies-- that was why he said he wanted to be an astronaut when he was asked what he wanted to be.


    If the humans already produced a soothing melody as they scream, what more could a poption from Mega Woman''s?


    "He¡­ he isn''t moving."


    "Of course he wouldn''t, isn''t that his sister?"


    "This test really is cruel, using the image of her sister as a hostage."


    "She¡­ is not the hostage."


    Most of the students near Silvie all turned to look towards her as she finally opened her mouth. She had been keeping quiet after the violent end of her trials. But now, her eyes which were previously filled with doubt and misery were clear enough to reflect the scenery below.


    "Not¡­ a hostage?" Hearing Silvie''s words, all of the students once again turned their attention to the training hall, even requesting for Scarlet Mage to raise the volume of the speakers.


    "Have¡­ youe here to stop me, brother?"


    "...Stop you?"


    Riley, who was previously thinking of the wonderful things he could do once he was on Mega Woman''s, quickly turned his attention towards the robot that yed the role of his sister. He then turned to look towards the other robots¡­ civilian hostages who were either trapped in debris or in their cars, surrounded by a zing fire.


    "Did¡­ you do this, Golem Hannah?"


    "They forced me! All of them, the people! I tried to be a hero¡­ but they paid me with nothing but contempt!"


    "This is quite astonishing. They even got your whiny tendencies," Riley then said as he stretched his hand towards the robot. But as soon as he did so, robot Hannah waved her hand, summoning a wall of fire that served as a barrier for them not to meet.


    "Stay away from me! You can''t stop me anymore, Riley! I¡­ I will burn this world to the ground!"


    "..." Hearing this, Riley once again turned his head towards the window above, his eyes quicklynding on Scarlet Mage even from afar; and as soon as their eyes met, Scarlet Mage quickly took in a small gulp.


    She was literally ying with fire in this kind of scenario. She had thought long and hard about the kind of situation that Riley would find difficult, and this is where it led up to. But seeing as Riley still had theposure and nonchnce to find her even in all this chaos, it would seem that it wasn''t working¡­ at least not yet. The climax of the scenario had yet to reveal itself.


    Should¡­ she stop this before anything bad actually happens? Is that why Riley was looking at her? Was he telling her that the scenario wasn''t working and that she was wasting his time?


    However, contrary to her expectations, Riley turned his attention back towards robot Hannah; and with a flip of his hand, extinguished not only the fires that blocked his path towards her but even the armor of mes that engulfed her body.


    "Go home, Hannah," Riley then said as he let out a small but deep sigh, "This world will never understand you nor me, and they do not deserve to. And when the time truly doese that the world betrays you, I will--"


    "Nuclear Baby!"


    "..." Before Riley could finish his words, a voice suddenly roared from behind him. And as soon as he saw who it was, he quickly moved to the side.


    "Isn''t that¡­"


    "Whiteking!? And the other members of the Hope Guild are also behind him!"


    "Is this even a test anymore!?"


    "What the¡­ they''re really going all out with Riley''s scenario, I sense some sort of favoritism here."


    "Ssh, quiet. Isn''t Riley and Scarlet Mage like¡­ together?"


    The students watching from above could not help but look at each other, their whispers almost filling the entire observation room as their eyes did not know which way to look.


    "Nuclear¡­ Baby?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he also looked back and forth between Hannah and Whiteking. Hannah has been refusing to tell Riley and the others what her chosen superhero name was, but to think it would be something as glorious as Nuclear Baby. It¡­ suited her, Riley thought as he let out a small smile.


    But afterward, he turned his focus towards Whiteking-- who currently had his weapons drawn towards Hannah.


    "Surrender, Nuclear Baby. Or we will be forced to put you down!" Whiteking said as the other members of the Hope Guild started surrounding Hannah, "The government had already given us strict orders to extinguish you. Please¡­ do not let ite to that!"


    A choice¡­


    ...and perhaps the future-- this is the scenario that Scarlet Mage had given Riley, not of Hannah, but of him. Of course, out of everyone watching the situation below, she was the only one who knew that Hannah was not the only family member present in the simtion, but also his father.


    The scenario was a mirror, with his part being yed by Hannah. Of course, Riley was capable of physically hurting his father, that much was evident during the Destruction of Toronto, but he didn''t kill him. But if he continues down the path he was going, then one day, he would have no choice but to do so.


    This was no longer a trial, but a y that Riley will be forced to participate in.


    "Never! I would burn this ce to the ground!"


    "Please, don''t make us do this!"


    "Holy fuck¡­ this is intense," Gary could not help but take one step back as he looked at Silvie, "So it''s a choice between saving her sister¡­ or saving the city?"


    "Hm," Silvie nodded as her eyes did not leave the scenario for even a second. She thought that her scenario was brutal and that it showed her the reality of being a superhero¡­ and with the right training, she could one day ovee it.


    But Riley''s scenario? How does one even make a choice like this?


    The students had a different perspective as to what was happening, but all of their points still held merit. Even if Riley was not who he is, even if he was not Darkday; this scenario would still be one of the hardest to ovee¡­ and that is exactly why Scarlet Mage chose it for him. He deserves only the worst¡­


    ...as well as the best.


    And since the sound of Riley''s heart fluctuating was starting to whisper through her ears, it would seem that it was now working.


    "..." Riley''s breaths were starting to be heavier as he continued to watch the scenario unfold in front of him. He knew and was fully aware that whatever happening in front of him was just a simtion, an illusion.


    He could easily rescue the hostages if he wanted to; it''ll only be a snap of his fingers. But Scarlet Mage''s assumption was right, he didn''t care about them. There was no use in trying to pretend to pass the test as well since all of his ssmates failed it.


    All of this¡­ was just a way to relieve the void that Mega Woman has left.


    But for some reason, seeing Whiteking''s trembling hands as he pointed hisser cannon at Hannah, a sort of unexinable feeling inside of him was starting to boil, even hotter than the ze of fire that engulfed the city.


    He didn''t like it.


    He didn''t like it at all.


    "!!!"


    "W¡­ what the, an earthquake!?"


    "It¡­ It''s strong!"


    The lights in the observation room began to flicker as a sort of wailing reverberated throughout the air. Even those that were above ground, and even the reporters that were waiting outside the Academy could feel the trembling.


    The thick walls that shielded and guarded the rooms and hallways of the Academy began scraping at each other, creating a screeching sound that almost deafened everyone underground.


    However, before the students couldpletely panic and cover their ears, the trembling of the earth abruptly stopped.


    It was then followed by the sound of a bell, which garnered everyone''s attention as they all looked towards the only direction the familiar sound coulde from-- the elevator.


    They looked, only to find Riley stepping out from it.


    "I give up, Scarlet Mage," Riley said while raising both his arms, "It was¡­ an interesting experience, thank you."


    "Y¡­ What did--"


    "T-- that was scary!"


    "I thought we were going to die! How strong did you guys think that earthquake was!?"


    "Magnitude 69, maybe?"


    "...Are you stupid?"


    Before Scarlet Mage could even respond to Riley''s words, the students began letting out sighs and gasps of relief.


    An earthquake? Most definitely not, Scarlet Mage thought. She felt Riley''s heart fluctuate stronger than it has before; and if she''s right, then the tremble they all felt was his doing.


    She was trying to find out what Riley would do in the scenario¡­ but this?


    How should she even assess that? Is Riley saying that he would destroy the world if anything like that happens? Was that it?


    "Miss Scarlet Mage?"


    Her mind waspletely at a loss. Riley was dangerous, she knew that. Riley was statistically the most dangerous creature in the world¡­ and she slept with him. What was she thinking? Was she actually thinking she could tame this kind of beast?


    "Silver Moon."


    "What did you just call me?" Scarlet Mage then quickly looked towards Silvie.


    "Miss¡­ Scarlet Mage?" Silvie could not help but slightly step back as Scarlet Mage suddenly turned her head towards her, without even moving her torso even a single bit.


    "R¡­ right."


    And as soon as Scarlet Mage saw the slightly frightened look in Silvie''s eyes, she quicklyposed herself. If she didn''t get a grasp on her situation, then she would start going crazy¡­ that is if she wasn''t already.


    "Everyone is done with the test, Miss Scarlet Mage."


    "Right, right," Scarlet Mage then cleared her throat as she walked a few steps back so that all of her students could see her.


    "First of all, I would like to congratte you all for failing the test," Scarlet Mage then said as her voice started to calm down, "As you may have already realized, you were not meant to pass the scenario given to you. It was meticulously designed with the help of some sort of AI and its purpose was simple¡­


    ...to show you that you can''t save everyone. It may sound cliche and you might have heard of it a thousand times before, but it is what it is. Once you start your journey as a superhero, there will be many that you will not be able to save; and it''s not alright, but you can''t do anything about it. That''s¡­ just how it is."


    "..."


    "And also, this activity is also to prepare for what''s toe 2 weeks from now. All of you will be going out on a field trip outside the Academy¡­


    ...wearing a costume of your own design."

 Chapter 39: Mango Graham

    <h4>Chapter 39: Mango Graham</h4>


    "So, have you received what I sent you guys?"


    In a dimly lit and cold room, Gary was currently seated at a table; his elbows resting as his eyes red back and forth towards the other people in the room.


    "Hm, I think we need more information before we can move forward and pass it to the boss." The other voice in the darkness whispered through the air, causing Gary to slightly squint his eyes from the disapproving tone it produced.


    "I agree," another voice joined in, "I don''t think miss would approve of it."


    "And what about you, what do you think?" Gary then turned his eyes to the other silhouette sitting silently beside him.


    "It''s ugly."


    "What did-- Gah!"


    And before Gary could finish his words, he couldn''t help but close his wide-opened eyes as a sh of light pierce them; the light violent, with seemingly no n to disappear. "N¡­ no, has god finally decided to take me for all the sins I have made in this--"


    "Uhm¡­"


    "Is that¡­ is that the voice of an angel!?"


    "Please¡­ don''t turn off the lights without permission."


    "Oh, it''s just you, Charlie."


    "It''s Charlotte! And I rephrase my words-- Do not turn off the lights at all!" Charlotte, the cashier of the Korean Shaved Ice store, stomped her foot on the ground, slightly causing Gary to stumble as the table he was resting his hand on to lightly quake.


    "This isn''t your personal meeting room that you can just use whenever you want!"


    "Can I have another Mango Graham, cashier Charlotte?"


    "Okay, what size would that be?" But as soon as Riley ordered another batch of his dessert, Charlotte''s frown quickly turned into a smile.


    "Large, please."


    "And what about the rest of you?"


    "I¡­ I think I had enough sugar, thank you," Silvie waved her hand as she let out an awkward chuckle.


    "Same, my sugar levels are way above my liking. Mother would probably beat the hell out of me if she finds out," Hannah, who was sitting beside Silvie, was looking back and forth between the menu and the already empty cup in front of her; her face, clearly conflicted.


    "Okay, one Large Mango Grahaming right up," Charlotte then smiled as she turned around; snarling at Gary as she did so.


    "A¡­ anyway," Gary then cleared his throat as he once again turned his attention to Riley and the others, "I knew you guys were going to say that, so I edited some details to it," he then said as he handed a paper to each of his threepatriots.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "So¡­ what do you think of my new costume?"


    "It''s suspiciously better than before, did you copy this from someone else?"


    "It''s good, you should go with this."


    "It''s still ugly, Gary."


    "What do you mean it''s still ugly!? Do you even constructive criticisms, bro!?"


    "I was taught thepliment sandwich by father," Riley nodded as Charlotte ced his order in front of him.


    "Then I would like to hear that!"


    "You don''t deserve it," Riley shook his head.


    "W-- Talk to you brother! Why is he so snarky today!?"


    "He''s usually like that," Hannah scoffed as her hands slowly reached towards Riley''s Mango Graham cup. But before she could touch it, it slightly slid nearer to Riley.


    "Tch. Enough about the costumes for now. What do you guys think we will be doing outside?"


    "Probably gain some actual real-life experience?" Silvie ced her hand on her chin as she squinted her eyes, "Our instructor did say that''s what our exercises for the past few days were for."


    It has been a week since most of the students of the Academy had failed the hostage rescue exercise, and since then, they have been doing it every day. Most of them had already passed once or twice, with Silvie redeeming herself by aplishing andpleting all of it so far.


    Some, however, were still out of luck as the scenario was different day by day.


    "Speaking of your instructor, how is she treating Ri--"


    "Let''s not go there for now!" Gary lightly mmed his whole torso on the table before Hannah could continue your words, "I feel jealous just thinking about it, agh."


    "What do you mean you''re jealous!? This is pedophilia! I even reported it to the guidance office but they said their rtionship was allowed as some sort of development exercise for Riley!"


    "It''s allowed!? Oh, my heart wanes¡­ I wish I was born on the spectrum as well."


    "I do not see what is so wrong with it," Silvie let out a small sigh, "Riley is at the age of consent and is well within thew to do as he wishes¡­ that is of course, if he is truly willing and not being coerced into his situation."


    "Wh-- he''s still too young for that old hag! Seriously, am I the only one normal here!? Don''t you guys watch the docuseries they had on Webflix about this very same situation!? Riley, say something here! I swear, I will find a way to tell this to mother once we''re outside next week!"


    "Thank you for always worrying about me even if it is not needed, sister. But Scarlet Mage is only serving me as my subordinate, there will not be any issue arising from this that you should be concerned about."


    "S¡­ ve!? Miss Scarlet Mage is your ve!?" Silvie, who had previously been pretty calm about their conversation, suddenly stood up from her seat, almost tipping off Riley''s Mango Graham cup.


    "No, she is my subordinate, Silvie."


    Riley''s words, however, seem to just fly past her as her face began to redden like the insides of a watermelon.


    "Enough, enough of this talk!" Hannah yelled as she covered her ears, "I forbid you from seeing that woman again, Riley!"


    "That is impossible, sister. She is the adviser in my ss."


    "Ugh!"


    Hannah once again groaned in frustration as she saw Riley''sck of care. Throughout the years, she was always the one beside Riley. Riley, as is the obvious past, was not easy to take care of as a young child.


    Even though she was only turning 5 years old then, the memory of Rileying into their lives was a memory that seemed to have been etched inside her mind.


    He did not allow others to touch him; outbursts and other potentially violent behavior usually surfaced whenever he was touched without his permission. She could still remember all the scratches and bite marks she had received as a child; in fact, one of the wounds she got still followed her as a scar, even now as she was taking her first steps to adulthood.


    She got the scar when she was around 7 years old; Riley had been refusing to take a bath for almost a week back then, causing the whole house to stink like a wet dog drowned in its own pee.


    No one had been able to touch Riley still, and her parents were too doting to even do anything about the situation, not even a single sermon. And so, the young Hannah decided to take matters into her own hands.


    She sneaked inside Riley''s room one night, went to his private shower room, filled the bucket she was holding with water¡­ and sshed him with all of it as Riley was peacefully sleeping on his bed.


    Riley immediately sat up from his bed, but before he could do anything, Hannah dragged him out of the bed and pulled him by the ankles straight towards the shower room-- a feat somewhat easily done thanks to her 2 years of martial arts training with Bernard. However, that didn''t take away the fact that she was, in retrospect, still a child-- what followed was a scuffle.


    As soon as she let go of Riley''s feet, he immediately bit her foot; right beside where an already healing bite mark was peacefully positioned. Hannah didn''t hold anything back, as she also bit Riley on the arm even as he stank like a rotten egg left out inside the fridge for 2 weeks.


    The scuffle continued for almost a full minute until Hannah could no longer bear the pain, causing her arms to immediately burst into mes. But before it could do any damage to Riley, she moved away. But as she did so, however, the mes on her hands shot towards the water heater; causing it to hiss.


    The two of them had their eyes focused on the quaking water heater; and as soon as it showed signs that it was about to burst, Riley immediately stepped back and turned around. Hannah, however, jumped over him.


    Riley quickly bit her shoulder in response. Hannah, however, did not do anything as her embrace grew even tighter. And soon, a deafening sound erupted in the air, causing both of their ears to ring.


    She could not remember if she was crying as the whistling in her ear didn''t disappear; what she could remember, however, was the warm feeling flowing from her back. She had never once felt the sensation of heat before in her life, so it was something quite a foreign feeling for her as a 7-year-old child.


    However, that feeling of warmth was momentary; as what followed after was a shrilling scream that quickly brought back her hearing. It was then that she found out that the warm feeling trailing behind her back was her own blood.


    Her entire back, filled with shards of ss and debris; her flesh torn to shreds. But even then, she did not let go of Riley until her mother arrived; surprisingly, even with the strength of the explosion, besides Hannah''s bite marks, Riley waspletely unscathed.


    The next thing that Hannah could remember was waking up in the hospital, with the sight of Riley holding her hand.


    And since then, she became the only person that was allowed to touch him; even to the point that Riley follows her orders when there were chores to be done inside the house. And so, it wouldn''t be far-fetched to say that she was more of a mother to Riley rather than a sister.


    "Do not be too sad, sister. I left you some."


    Hannah woke up from reminiscing as Riley slowly pushed his Mango Graham shaved ice, its contents carefully split in half. "If you are worrying that you are being reced, don''t be. You are still the most important object in my life, sister."


    "...What''s with that, you shit," Hannah let out a tiny scoff as she immediately grabbed the cup, "...thanks," she then softly whispered.


    "Oh man, this moment is even sweeter than dessert."


    "T¡­ that''s true. I wish I had a sibling as well," Silvie wiped the tear that was threatening to fall from her eye.


    "But whenever I remember your superhero name is Nuclear Baby, it all goes away," Gary then added as he let out a muffled chuckle.


    "W¡­


    ...What''s wrong with Nuclear Baby!?"


    And so, with life in the school continuing to blossom, the time for the pioneer students of Mega Academy to have their first major exercise had arrived. And even more so being let out of the Academy after more than a month of being cooped up inside, the students were more excited that they would finally be able to wear the costume they have painstakingly sketched and designed for two whole weeks.


    Meanwhile, as their excitement grew, those that were hidden in the shadows grew as well.

 Chapter 40: Fashion Academy

    <h4>Chapter 40: Fashion Academy</h4>


    "Is everyone present?"


    "Yes, Ms. Scarlet Mage."


    "Alright, please line up and get your costume on the table. You go first."


    "O¡­ Okay."


    Silvie took in a huge gulp as she went to the front of the ss. Today was the day they were going outside the Academy, and everything seemed just like any other they when she woke up. Scarlet Mage didn''t say anything to them the day before, just telling them toe to the ss 2 hours earlier than usual.


    Most of them were confused, of course. They thought that maybe Scarlet Mage forgot that today was a big day for all of them, but as soon as they entered the ssroom, they realized they thought wrong.


    Scarlet Mage was already inside; beside her was a long table set up on top of the stage, with a number of ck boxes each containing abel on top-- their name. Some of them almost jumped on the stage and grabbed the box with their name on it, but before they could do so, Scarlet Mage told all of them to sit down and wait until all of them were here.


    And now, the moment hase for them to see the fruit of theirbors; a costume of their own design, improved and manufactured by the Academy itself. Silvie once again took in a gulp as Scarlet Mage handed her her box.


    She didn''t know why, but her hands could not help but tremble. The box was by no means heavy, no; but it felt like the heaviest thing she had ever held in her hands. It might all sound like an exaggeration, but that was truly how she felt at the moment.


    "I look forward to seeing what you designed, Mega Girl," Scarlet Mage smiled as she saw the look of exhration on Silvie''s face, "Now go to the locker rooms and get dressed, then go to the Academy Gates so you can help arrange your ssmates once they get there, there should already be a space for our ss there."


    "Y¡­ yes! Thank you," Silvie nodded repeatedly before she turned around; looking at Riley and Gary with a smile on her face before heading out of the room. Afterward, Scarlet Mage called the students one by one alphabetically to get their costumes; and just like with Silvie, they were told to get dressed and head straight towards the Academy gates.


    "Why¡­ is your costume too heavy?"


    "Hehe, because the Dragon Monarch carries the sin of being the mightiest; a sin heaviest of all."


    "..." Scarlet Mage almost stumbled as Gary grabbed the case from her. She didn''t want to admit it; but when she first received her costume, she was more like Gary than any other student so far. She was full of hope and dreams; she didn''t even want to be like Mega Woman, no. She just wanted to help the people in any way she could.


    "You are meant to help people, Gary," she then said as she looked straight into Gary''s eyes, "Once you wear that costume, you no longer carry your weight or your sins. You carry the people, never forget that."


    "That''s¡­" Gary lightly took in a gulp as he saw Scarlet Mage''s gaze. But afterwards, he bowed his head and sped his hands together; his eyes filled with a renewed resolution.


    "Now go out there."


    "Thank you for the pointers, Sifu Scarlet Mage! The Dragon Monarch will forever remember your guidance as he transcends to immortality and pierces the heavens!"


    "..." Scarlet Mage could only watch as Gary left the room with tears trailing from his eyes. But afterward, she let out a sigh and handed thest case to thest student,


    "...Why are you always goingst?"


    "That''s just how it is, Scarlet Mage," Riley said as he grabbed his case from Scarlet Mage.


    "And why is your case so light?"


    "It''s made from lotus silk. Lighter but stronger and much moreforting to the skin than cotton and wool," Riley said as he suddenly opened the case, the white radiance of its content immediately reflecting throughout the room, "Do you wish to see me wearing it, Katherine?"


    "W¡­ Don''t call me by my name here!"


    "We are alone, no?" Riley muttered as he looked around the empty ssroom, "And I wish for you to be the first to see it-- as you are my subordinate."


    "That''s--"


    And before Scarlet Mage could finish her words, Riley handed him back the case and started undressing.


    "What are you doing!?"


    "You are my subordinate, no? I feel it appropriate that you help me get dressed."


    "...I feel like you are confusing a subordinate to a servant, Riley."


    "I see. Then subordinates don''t help their boss get dressed?"


    "...Just what kind of movies-- You know what, never mind," Scarlet Mage then let out a sigh as she looked at her tablet, making sure the room waspletely locked before approaching Riley with his case.


    "..." Riley then loosened his arms, allowing Scarlet Mage to dress him.


    Scarlet Mage, however, could not help but stare at the contest of the case; looking back and forth between it and Riley,


    "This is¡­"


    ***


    "Oh man, so you went with that one? But where''s the cape!?"


    "I¡­ I removed it, I feel it''ll add more air resistance whenever I fly."


    "But man oh man¡­ They did such a good job, you look super fucking cool, Silv."


    "T¡­ thanks, you too."


    Silvie was wearing a blue skin-tight mask that almost fully covered her face except for her mouth going down to her chin; It also had an opening for her eyes, with a material soft enough that it flowed along with each of her blink. The mask entuated her almost golden hair, which was tied up in some sort of red bangle into a ponytail.


    Most of her suit was of a white, almost porcin color; and although it was not as skin-tight as her mask, it was still enough to showcase Silvie''s well-toned figure. There was also some sort of padding, or perhaps tes covering her shoulders, featuring the same color as her mask that flowed to her wrist. She also had a blue belt, which didn''t really have some sort of use. Her boots were also of a blue color; all entuated with gold on the edges.


    But perhaps the most noticeable of all, was the golden emblem on her chest; shaped in some sort of a star.


    "And¡­ I see you kept the cape?"


    "It''s made ofyers andyers of thin ker," Gary said as he covered himself up with a gray, almost metallic thick cape. His mask was also of a gray tone, covering only the sides of his eyes. As for his suit, perhaps it was better to call it a light armor. He had a ck skin-tight suit covering all of his body, covered with multiple tes that made him look more muscr than he already is.


    And the most noticeable part? It was the words Dragon and Monarch, each embedded on the te covering his forearms in some sort of reflective material that will almost blind anyone who stares at it.


    The costumes of the other students were also unique; but perhaps because there were thousands of them gathered in the Academy Gate, they all started to look the same-- like some sort of superhero convention.


    Be Jackson and Ben Jackson werepletely covered in some sort of metal armor, with only their eyes exposed.


    There was one, however, who stood out amongst all of the students-- Tomoe Reynolds. She was wearing an almost jet-ck suit, without any other colors adorning her. But most importantly, her head was covered by some sort of motorcycle helmet;


    A costume that was eerily simr to that of Darkday''s. If it wasn''t for the tag pinned on all of the students'' chests featuring their superhero names, then most of the students outside of ss 1-V would have probably panicked.


    "So, who''s the creep?"


    "That''s Tomoe. Apparently, she likes Dark-- W¡­ what are you wearing, Hannah!?"


    "...The same as everyone else?"


    Silvie could not help but almost leaped back in shock as Hannah approached them. Like most of the female students, she was d in a skin-tight suit. Hers was a bright pink color, with hints of ck on her hand to her forearms, and on her boots. Her ck mask was simr to that of Gary''s, but covered more of her face as it had some sort of pink ornament that went under the top of her ear.


    "No¡­ but," Silvie''s eyes were wide open as she looked at Hannah from head to toe. It was true that besides her choice of color, her costume was more of the normal ones. Well, that would have been the case if it wasn''t for her figure.


    Due to her strict training since she was a child; Hannah¡­ was bountiful in all the right ces, her figure almost shaped to perfection. She had a moderate-sized breast. Herrge buttocks, however, almost bounced with each of her movements.


    "It''s fire-resistant," Hannah did not seem to notice the stares she was getting as she even spun around, fully showing her costume to Silvie, "They said it''s even better than the material they used in space rockets whenever they re-entry or some shit."


    "...Your mouth doesn''t really suit that bright color," Gary said as his eyes found it hard to stray away from Hannah''s assets.


    "Wait until I burst into mes," Hannah clicked her tongue, "I already tested it earlier and it looked nuclear."


    "It¡­ it does look really nice on you," Silvie slightly stuttered as her eyes darted back and forth between Hannah''s buttocks and hers, "But¡­ why are you here? Shouldn''t you be with your ss?"


    "Meh, I asked teach Nightcrawler permission to leave. They said it was alright since our activity is schoolwide anyway, so I might as well join you guys."


    "What about your friends in your ss?"


    "They¡­ they''ll be fine," Hannah let out an awkward chuckle as she waved her hand, "Anyway, where''s the nkface?"


    "He should be here any minute by now," Gary said as he looked towards the direction where Riley is supposed toe from-- and true enough, he was on his way towards them.


    "What¡­ the¡­ fuck is that."


    Riley¡­ was d in white; almost reflecting the rays of the sun as his pearl-like coat that reached to his ankles fluttered with even the tiniest bit of wind. The inneryer was some sort of vest, with horizontal stripes of ck almost simr to those that people were wearing in prison. As for the innermostyer, it was a ck shirt, with the top-most button not sped.


    He had on a set of ck silk pants, then a sharp pair of brown leather boots. Pair everything of that with his white hair and elf-like pale aesthetics, then he looked like some sort of prince in a fantasy world¡­ or as he said to Scarlet Mage as she dressed him-- a mafia boss.


    "B¡­ bro, I think you''re in the wrong school," Gary said as soon as Riley stood near them, "Why does it feel like you''re going to sign autographs anytime soon?"


    "Damn it," Hannah then said as she looked at her brother from head to toe, "That looks really familiar, isn''t your outfit from the series we were watching before? You should have told me you were going for that, we could have been twinning right now."


    "We''re not twins, sister."


    "That¡­ that really suits you for some reason, Riley," Silvie blinked a couple of times as she could not help but touch the soft fabric of Riley''s long coat, "But¡­ where is your mask?"


    "...Oh," Riley muttered as he grabbed something from the pocket of his vest, "Thank you for reminding me, Silvie."


    "No, no," Gary then slightly backed away as he saw what Riley was holding,


    "Fuck¡­ this moment is cool as fuck," he then muttered as he watched as Riley slowly wore his so-called mask-- a pair of sunsses.


    The very same pair he had always been wearing whenever Hannah burst into mes.

 Chapter 41: Chaos

    <h4>Chapter 41: Chaos</h4>


    "This texture really is amazing, isn''t it? You could use it as casual clothes as well."


    "The sunsses though, didn''t expect that."


    "Seriously, Riley. This is from Latino Mafia Reborn!"


    Almost an hour had passed since Riley''s somewhat grand entrance at the Academy Gates, and the volume of the students'' excitement still had not toned down for even a wink. They were told to wait here until the staff was done securing the outside; which the Academy had actually been doing long before the students had gathered.


    Scarlet Mage and the almost hundred other instructors of different sses were currently gathered together, most likely debriefing each other and reviewing the Academy''s first school-wide activity.


    As for Riley and the others, they too were busy talking about their costumes.


    "Won''t you get copyrighted or some shit with this?" Hannah then walked around Riley, checking every detail of his costume. Unbeknownst to her, the male students that were near them were also checking her out.


    "It''s fine, sister," Riley then let out a small sigh, "Mine has a different colorbination."


    "But still--"


    "Oho, isn''t this our Hannah? Why are you spending time with the other ss?"


    And before Hannah could finish talking with her brother, a group of students from another ss suddenly approached their group.


    "Your ssmates?" Gary immediately squinted his eyes as he looked at each of the students in the group carefully, "It would seem... our ss has the better tastes."


    The group that approached Hannah all had the same costumes, a one-piece suit that covered their body from toe to neck; seemingly made of some sort oftex. They were also wearing the same headgear; a helmet that covered half their face. However, even if they were all wearing the same costume design, they all had their own unique colors.


    And just by that alone, most of the students who saw them walking had surmised that they were working as a literal team.


    "We were hearing rumors that you were friends with the Mega Student," the man in the blue suit then stepped forward, before turning his head towards Silvie, "I take it this is she?"


    "Tch, are you telling us our ss is not a good enoughpany for you?" A woman in green followed, "This is why no one is talking to you in ss, you think you''re better than all of us."


    "Oh, so not your friends," Gary then let out a scoff as he took a step forward, once again looking at the group one by one.


    "What are you anuses supposed to be, a gamingputer?"


    "What did you say!?" The man in the red outfit almost rushed towards Gary, but was stopped by his teammates, "Say that again to my face, you bastard!"


    "What are you anuses supposed to be..." And Gary did just that, he approached the team and looked the man in the red suit straight in the eyes, but this time, little trickles of smoke fumed from Gary''s eyes as they turned red, "...a fucking gamingputer?"


    "So arrogant..." The man in the ck suit, who had been keeping quiet from behind the team, finally stepped forward as his eyes too, turned red, "...but for how long?"


    "You fail to see Mount Tai, little man," Gary then immediately straightened his back as he returned the man''s gaze. And due to the difference of their costume, as well as Gary''s towering statue; true enough, the man in the ck suit did look small, "Just a small fish in a pond, not knowing it is facing a dragon; The Dragon Mon--"


    "Gary, enough."


    "Alright, alright. I was just kidding," the heat on Gary''s eyes then instantly dissipated as soon as Silvie blocked her with her hand, "They are not worth exchanging pointers with."


    "That''s right, run to your master, dog!" The man in the red suit then pushed his teammates away as he once again let out a roar.


    "Please calm your team down, ¡­ ck Defender," Silvie then slightly stuttered as she read the name of the one that seemed to be the team''s leader.


    "Your friends started it, Mega¡­ Girl. You chose that name? Truly, I see the arrogance goes with the group."


    "..." Silvie did not really respond, only locking her eyes towards ck Defender.


    "Let''s go, we''re wasting our time here. This Mega Girl thinks she could reign through the school just because she hasn''t faced me yet," ck Defender then gestured to his other teammates to follow him, "But soon, the Academy would know who the true Mega Student is."


    "Tch, watch yourselves out there," Red Defender muttered as he raised his middle before going away.


    "Holy shit, man. Those are your ssmates? No wonder you''re not spending time with them," Gary snorted.


    "You didn''t have to provoke them, Gary," Silvie then let out a sigh, before looking to where Scarlet Mage and the instructors were at and signalling that everything was fine.


    "I''ve been waiting for a chance to use that line!" Gary exined, "They acted out straight from the novels I read, I just couldn''t resist it."


    "A¡­ anyway, what''s with that, Hannah? They seem to have it out for you."


    "W¡­ well, let''s just say my ss and I don''t really see eye to eye," Hannah then let out a chuckle as she waved her hand at Silvie, "And the ones you met just now were the students who came up on top of the group activity we hadst month¡­ they wanted to invite me in their group since I also won."


    "I take it you refused?"


    "Obviously. Who would want to join those elite, stuck-up motherfuckers?"


    "They''re not bullying you, are they?"


    "What? No, psh. How could they be when I am stronger than all of them?" Hannah once again waved her hand, "A¡­ anyway, when are we going out?"


    "Should be any minute now, Miss Scarlet Mage and the others seem to be finished talking."


    "Bro, Riley. Why didn''t you back us up earlier, man?"


    "..."


    "Riley?"


    "Hm?" Riley then blinked a couple of times as he slightly turned his head towards Gary, "I apologize, Gary. I¡­


    ...was lost in thought."


    "What are you--"


    And just as Silvie said it, Scarlet Mage and the other instructors returned to their respective sses. Scarlet Mage immediately noticed Hannah''s presence in their ss, but it would seem they really did not mind other students joining them as she just told her students to gather up.


    "Alright, listen up!" Scarlet Mage then pped her hands, "There will be buses waiting for you outside the gates, your first task is to get on them."


    "W¡­ what?"


    "How is that even a task?"


    "And once a bus gets filled with people, it will immediately leave for the destination of our first major exercise; so I suggest you don''t get distracted. But you don''t have to worry, there will be enough for all of you."


    "Where are we going, Miss Scarlet Mage!?"


    "I can''t tell you just yet for security reasons, but you would know once you get on the bus. There will be someone there to assist you."


    "Y¡­ you''re noting with us!?"


    "I will meet all of you there," Scarlet Mage shook her head, "Once you get out the Gates, most of you will surely panic and separate ways. Alright, get in a line and wait for the Gates to open."


    "That''s¡­"


    Suffice to say, most of the students were confused. Scarlet Mage was telling them to organize themselves and form a line, but once they were out¡­ they were bound to separate? Just what was waiting for them outside?


    The students all looked at each other, their whispers and words almost filling the entire air due to their sheer number. But finally, after a few more minutes, a rhythmic thunder started to erupt in the air-- the Gate was finally opening.


    The sound of the gates quickly overwhelmed the whispers of the students. Their excitement, however, was reflected by the colossal gates that opened wider and wider; ceaselessly growing.


    And soon, their eyes were bombarded with shes of light; unfortunately for those who were directly in front of the Gate, their eyes were almost blinded.


    "This¡­ this is--"


    "They''re here! The students are out!"


    And before any of the students could even let out a whisper, roars filled their ears as the people waiting for them outside almost numbered in a thousand; and all were holding and pointing their cameras towards them.


    "Have fun in avoiding the media, kids," Scarlet Mage then let out a small smirk as she turned away, "And remember, don''t reveal your true iden...tity." Her words slightly stuttered as she met with Riley''s eyes¡­ whose superhero name just happened to be his real name.


    "Alright, I hope to see all of you there," were Scarlet Mage''s parting words as she casually left her students alone. And it wasn''t only her, the rest of the instructors did just the same.


    "They¡­ are throwing us down to the wolves," Gary took in a small gulp as he slightly squinted his eyes, "How are we even going to go through these people?"


    "Why don''t youser them like you did during the group activity?" Hannah said as she let out a small chuckle.


    "That is a good idea, sister. As expected of you."


    "...I was kidding, what the fuck, bro."


    "L¡­ look, the others are already leaving!" Silvie then grabbed the group''s attention as she pointed towards the gate. And true enough, most of the students that were in front of the gates were already stepping out. However, due to the onught of shes of light and endless barrage of the media, none of them were able to pass through.


    "W¡­ wait!"


    One of the students'' masks was even pulled by one of the media people, causing her to cover her face and run back to the end of the line to hide away from the cameras.


    "This¡­ isn''t this too brutal?"


    "Are the instructors not going to do anything!? I thought they wanted us to secure our identities!?"


    "Get¡­ please get out of the way!"


    "S¡­ stay away! Please don''t pull on our masks!"


    The students were screaming and roaring, the people from the media, however, didn''t seem to be hearing any of their pleads as their cameras continued to sh; and their questions unceasing.


    "How is life inside!?"


    "Is the government treating you right!?"


    "How are your living conditions!? Why are they only letting you out now!?"


    "Where are you going!?"


    "P¡­ please, I don''t know the answer to any of your qu-- Kya!"


    And once again, a student ran to the back as her mask was pulled away. The students all started to panic; if it wasn''t for the barrier blocking them away from the press, then they were sure they would have already been the victim of a stampede.


    There were some students, however, that have already managed to pass through the crowd; or rather, over them. The students that were able to fly, float, or make themselves blend in with the crowd easily managed to get on the buses.


    Seeing this, some of the students could not help but moan or groan in frustration; thinking how unfair it was that they weren''t able to fl--


    "Haha, bitches!"


    "W¡­ woah, run!"


    "What''s that!?"


    A whistling sound then pierced the media''s ears as one of the buses behind them started to skid and slide towards the gate, causing most of them to run to the sides to avoid it.


    "S¡­ sis!?"


    "That''s right, help me out here!"


    "Don''t do it, you''ll also move the barrier!" Silvie then immediately waved her hand towards Be, who seemed to be the one pulling the bus towards them.


    "I''ll just lift it up once it gets there!"


    "This is reckless!"


    "No, it''s geni--" And before Be could finish her words¡­


    "Ah! Sister!"


    She fainted again.


    "..."


    "Should we¡­ just go?" Gary then said as he moved closer to Riley and the others, "I can''t fly like the three of you¡­ so carry me?"


    "No," Silvie immediately answered.


    "W¡­ what!? You''re leaving me behind!?"


    "No," Silvie shook her head before looking towards the other students who were running away from the gates, "The other students are in distress, I will not stand for this kind of harassment. I¡­


    ...I will go talk to them."

 Chapter 42: Onwards

    <h4>Chapter 42: Onwards</h4>


    "I¡­ will go and talk to them."


    "What? What for? Stop being so nosy and let''s just go."


    Even with the slightly thick long gloves covering her arm, Silvie could still feel Hannah''s slightly warm hand touching her wrist, holding her back from approaching the media flocking outside the gates.


    "No," Silvie gently removed Hannah''s hand as she stepped away, "We didn''t spend days designing our costumes just for them to treat it like that. As the Mega Student, I feel like I have some sort of responsibility to tell them off."


    "You¡­ don''t really need to treat that role so seriously," Hannah could not help but let out a small sigh, "The Academy didn''t even give you a set task for that, right?"


    "Even so," Silvie shook her head, "You guys can go ahead if you want to. I¡­ I''ll go talk to them."


    Seeing Silvie still walking towards the frenzied crowd, both Hannah and Gary could only shake their heads; slightly vexed from her slightly over-the-top sense of¡­ integrity.


    As for Riley, his eyes still wandered around elsewhere, not even minding all the noise and chaos going on around him as he followed Hannah and the others without any concern.


    "E¡­ Everyone, please listen!" Silvie then immediately raised her voice as she reached the barricade blocking the media from entering the Academy, "Outsiders are not allowed inside the Academy, so please; if I may ask all of you to step back!?"


    "E¡­ every--"


    And before she could say another word, the mask of the student behind her was snatched away, causing him to bump towards Silvie; and due to Silvie''s innate durability, the student shoved himself away.


    "N¡­ no!" And with his hands on the ground, he had no way to hide his face.


    "Stop, please stop!" Silvie immediately blocked him from the cameras. But considering how many shes of light burned through their eyes before she could do so, there were probably already hundreds of photos of his face.


    And since he was wearing a costume and a name tag, he would have no choice but to change both.


    Realizing this, Silvie could not help but take in a long and deep breath. And after a few seconds, she roared.


    "Enough!"


    Her scream was enough to create a small ripple, blowing away the dust that gathered around her and slightly pushing the reporters near her. "The students will talk to you if they want to! But pulling them towards you will only make them scared and run away! Half of the students of the Academy are minors, you all should be ashamed of yourselves for treating them like this!"


    "..."


    With Silvie''s words lingering in the air, the crowd''s excited rambles slowly became whispers. Their cameras were also gently pointing down as they all took a good look at Silvie, their eyes staring at the name tag attached on her chest.


    Seeing the crowd now quiet, Silvie could not help but let out a short but deep sigh.


    "Thank you," she then said, "We still have a school exercise today, but I am sure the Academy will allow you toe back--"


    "Mega Girl!? Are you rted to Mega Woman!?"


    "How many of you are there!?"


    "How are the living conditions inside!?"


    "How is it like living with the other superheroes!?"


    "W¡­ wait--"


    "What are you learning inside!?"


    "I heard you epted everyone that enrolled, is that true!?"


    "No, I--"


    "I see some costumes are quite revealing. What do you think of the objectification of female superheroes in general!?"


    "Wait, I can''t--"


    Try as she may, Silvie''s words were not getting through. Instead, the crowd seemed to have be even more aggressive, even pushing the barricade as some of them were starting to force themselves in.


    "No, please! You are not allowed to enter the Academy, it is against the rules!" Silvie roared; but s, her words were no longer being heard.


    "Let''s just leave, Mega Girl! These imbeciles are not worth your time!" Hannah then once again grabbed Silvie''s arm, pulling her away from the oing horde of reporters, "Riley, you can float chuuni up, right?"


    "Maybe."


    "Good, let''s get going," Hannah nodded as her feet began to flicker. However, before they couldbust, Silvie once again removed her arm away.


    "What are you doing!?" Hannah once again grabbed Silvie''s arm, but this time, she was not even able to budge her, "...Mega Girl?" Hannah could only furrow her eyes as she saw Silvie staring at a single reporter; a reporter who went over the barricade.


    "Mega Girl, what are you doing?"


    "You went over the barricade."


    Hannah tried to call Silvie''s attention. Silvie, however, just walked towards the intruding reporter and casually lifted him up by the cors before destroying his camera.


    "That''s against thew," Silvie then said as she looked the man straight in the eyes. The man was slightly squealing in the air as he tried to remove Silvie''s hand. But s, for someone like him, Silvie''s grip might as well be an iron cuff.


    But finally, after a few more seconds, he felt his feet once again touching the ground. He then quickly looked at Silvie, only to find that he was back on the other side of the barricade with the other reporters.


    "P¡­ please," Silvie then stuttered, the cold tone that previously persisted in her voice just moments ago nowpletely gone,


    "Please stay on your line," she then meekly chuckled before bowing her head several times, "I¡­ I truly apologize for breaking your camera."


    "T¡­ that''s," the reporter could only let out a whisper as he slightly took a step back. His fellow reporters near him also pointed down their cameras in fear that it would be destroyed.


    "Thank¡­ thank you for understanding!" Silvie once again bowed her head before returning to Hannah and the others.


    "What¡­ was that all about?" Hannah immediately said as she blinked her eyes a couple of times as Silvie returned to them.


    "S¡­ someone went over, sorry," Silvie let out a short but deep sigh as she shook her head, "But that seemed to calm them down, I think we can go now! Let''s go, everyone!"


    Silvie then raised her hand, signaling to the other students that it was safe to cross and get to the buses. Of course, the shes of light and the endless shuttering clicks in the air still persisted, but not even a hand dared to go over the barricade anymore even as the students walked near them.


    "So, was I the only one not expecting that?" Gary then said as they watched as Silvie assisted the other students, "...I read a character like her once, it''s--"


    "Don''t," before Gary could finish his words, Hannah shook her head as they followed and walked beside Silvie, "Let''s just get this over with."


    "That''s not very Mega Woman-like, Mega Girl."


    "W¡­ what!?" Silvie, who was assisting the other students as she too walked towards the bus, could not help but slightly stop in her tracks as she heard Riley''s words, "What do you mean?"


    "Mega Woman would smile as she warned them, and they would justply," Riley said with a small sigh, "But it is understandable. Her presence alone is enough to silence everyone; you still have a long way to go, Mega Girl."


    "R¡­ right," Silvie muttered as she took in a small gulp, "I¡­ I will take that into consideration next time. Thank you, Riley."


    "Hm."


    "...Did your brother just smile?"


    "She''s fond of Mega Woman or something," Hannah nonchntly waved her hand, before pointing towards a slightly empty bus, "That''s enough, Mega Girl! Let''s go there so we can sit at the back!"


    Hearing her friends calling for her for the nth time, Silvie finally stopped assisting the other students as the four of them rushed to the almost empty bus. And as they wanted, the seats at the back were vacant, allowing the four of them tofortably sit there. It took a few minutes before the bus they were in was filled; and seeing as there were no more students approaching the parking, it would seem they have all boarded the buses.


    "Man, even the bus is fortified."


    "That''s the government for you, wasting our taxes."


    The sound of Gary tapping the windows caught the attention of the other students already sitting there; and as if some kind of domino, they also started tapping the windows and all the other parts of the bus; only to realize how thick the walls and panels were.


    "W¡­ wait, the people¡­ the people are gone!"


    "What?"


    "Holy shit, where are they!?"


    And then, out of nowhere, the horde of media that made their otherwise short walkpletely unbearable was nowhere to be seen; with not even a single soul remaining. All that was left were the barricades, several cameras attached to tripods, as well as¡­ a handful of mannequins simr to the ones they could find in the simtion training hall.


    "So there¡­ there really was no media?"


    "...But I thought I was getting interviewed."


    "So everyone was a hologram!?"


    "Close."


    And as the students started to mor, a voice could be heard entering the bus. It was a man wearing a green one-piece suit thatpletely covered his entire body, even his face. On his head, however, was a hat one could find being worn by a bus driver.


    "What you saw just now was an illusion, generously produced by one of the instructors in the Academy. The real reporters were asked to take a break in the meantime; be warned though, they would be the ones weing all of you home once wee back from our little exercise," the man then said as he stepped in front of the students, "If anything, more so than viins, they are our number 1 enemy. They would find ways to drag your name to the ground as long as it gets enough traction. The media are not your friend, please remember that."


    "..."


    "Also, please wear your designated seatbelts; we will be departing shortly. As for my name, you may just address me as Green Fly."


    Green Fly then curtsied, a pair of wings silently fluttered behind him.


    "Where are we going, Mister Green Fly!? The instructor said you''ll be the one to tell us!"


    "Straight to the point, I like it," Green Fly then let out a small chuckle as he sat on the driver''s seat, "Some of you may feel a little ufortable with where we''re going, but the Academy deemed it important that you see and feel it."


    "We''re going sightseeing!? So this is a field trip!?"


    "Not quite," Green Fly muttered as he fixed the mirrors to see the students behind him, "What you''re going to see¡­


    ...is the aftermath of the Battle of Toronto."

 Chapter 43: Letters

    <h4>Chapter 43: Letters</h4>


    "The outside world, it feels like it has been years since Istid upon its beautiful infrastructure."


    "Polluted is what it is. And stop being so dramatic, we''ve only been gone for like a month. And can you please stop waving!? We can''t even see the outside anymore!"


    "Never."


    The buses of the Academy were now nearing Toronto, and it would seem that a number of the poption were aware of their exercise, as there were parts of the road where some civilians were waiting for them from the sidewalks, either taking videos and photos of them or just waving and wanting to see them.


    They have been traveling for more than 6 hours now, so most of the students that were previously all hyped up in excitement were either asleep or just quietly talking with their peers. There were a few, however, who still seemed to have all the energy in the world; with one of them being Gary. But an hour after they passed the border, the ss window suddenly dimmed,pletely blocking their view of the outside.


    Gary wanted to open one of the windows to wave to the people, except they couldn''t be opened as they were securely embedded on the walls.


    "Man, if only phones are allowed in the Academy. This would have been nice to vlog," Gary then let out a sigh as there were no more people to wave to.


    "A vlog?" Silvie then joined in on the conversation as she slightly leaned forward to look at Gary, "That''s like a video diary, right?"


    "...Yes? I have like 30 subscribers," Gary snickered, "Don''t you have vloggers back in Russia?"


    "I¡­ I think so," Silvie muttered, "I wasn''t really allowed to go out much. The first time I was even able to have a phone was when my father and I arrived here 2 years ago," she then said with a small chuckle.


    "Seriously?" Hannah could not help but let out a slightly surprised hum as she nced at Silvie, "So that''s why you didn''t have any posts in FaceLog before 2019."


    "...You searched that far?"


    "A habit learned from my dad," Hannah said as she burst out inughter, "Know your friends, as he said."


    "You¡­ have quite the interesting father. He was also the one who taught you martial arts at a young age, right?"


    "5 years old," Hannah quickly replied as she slightly stretched her legs, causing her muscles to etch out from her suit.


    "You thick af, girl."


    "Don''t look!" Silvie quickly pushed Gary''s face away, nting it on the bus'' unnaturally thick window.


    "I guess we both had strict parents," Silvie then sighed before letting go of Gary''s face, "I don''t remember much from my childhood, but what I can remember was father always locking me in my room, even for days; cuffing me in my bed."


    "...Seriously? Isn''t that abuse?"


    "Pft, I think that''s normal in Russia. I heard they even ride bears there."


    "A¡­ anyway, he said it was for my own good. And I can understand why¡­ My powers woke up when I was just a baby."


    "...What?"


    "He didn''t say it, and he doesn''t need to¡­ but I think I killed my mom."


    "..."


    "He said she was alive and just left us¡­ but I think he''s only protecting me from the truth," Silvie muttered as she let out a meek and wry chuckle, "But yes, enough about the depressing--"


    And before Silvie could finish her words, Gary suddenly hugged her,


    "It''s alright, it''s alright," he then said, his words stuttering as tears started to flow from his eyes, "We''re here for you, okay?"


    "..."


    "..."


    And suddenly, from the few moments of awkward silence, a slight sizzle in the air began to whisper.


    "Let go of me, you motherfucker."


    "A¡­ aw!" Gary then yelled in pain as he felt a tingling pain boiling through his armor; and with the sudden pain lingering, he could not help but back away and let go of¡­ Hannah,


    "Ah, my cape!" He then yelled as he raised the ends of his cape, with a small part of itpletely melted off.


    Seeing this, the heavy weight that suddenly wrapped around Silvie''s heart started to disappear, reflected by the chuckle that she could not help but let out from her mouth,


    "You look very stupid, Dragon Monarch," Silvie then said as she covered her mouth, still giggling as she watched Gary bounce up and down from his seat.


    "At least I made youugh, right?" Gary then smirked. And if it weren''t for the tearsing out of his eyes from having a part of his cape burnt, he would have looked much cooler; Silvie thought.


    "A¡­ anyway, enough about me," Silvie then said as she waved her hand, "So you''ve been training since 5 years old? What about Riley?"


    "Well, you could say the training got easier when he joined in," a small smile appeared on Hannah''s face as she nced at Riley, who had not even said a single word since they left from the Academy, "The training became more strict, but father became more lenient since his focus was split in two."


    "So¡­ does that mean Riley knows some martial arts as well?"


    "Some?" Hannah let out a scoff before letting out a slightly mocking chuckle, "This idiot can probably kick Dragon Monarch''s ass with his eyes closed if they weren''t using their powers."


    "You seem to underestimate my power, Nuclear Vixen."


    "What the-- My name is Nuclear Baby!"


    "Does your body look like it screams baby!?" Gary then roared, his voice almost seeping through the sound-proof windows of the bus, "Such proportions should be given the proper name it''s due! You could even star in your own adult parody series if you get famous!"


    "Mega Girl, is it against thew to kill your fellow Super?"


    "Unfortunately so."


    "Riley, back me out here!" Gary then said as he stood in front of the silent Riley, "If Hannah wasn''t your sister, then would you consider dating her!? You would, right?"


    "Don''t. Fucking. Answer. That."


    Seeing her brother slowly turning his head towards Gary, Hannah''s eyes started twitching. But s, Riley, who had been keeping quiet the whole time, started opening his mouth.


    "No," he answered, "I love Hannah, so I would not burden her with the curse of being with someone like me."


    "T¡­ that''s¡­"


    "E¡­ eh?"


    Seeing Riley answering without even a hint of hesitation, Gary and Silvie could not help but take in deep and stuttering breaths. As for Hannah, she clicked her tongue and looked away, but not before lightly hitting Riley on the head.


    "You little shit," she then muttered as a small smile slowly crawled on her face.


    "Haa. I wish I had a brother," Silvie then breathed out, "Maybe I could have remembered more of my childhood."


    "Meh, it''s not that great," Hannah shrugged.


    "Speaking of childhood¡­" Gary then let out a sigh as he looked at the dimmed window, "When I was young--"


    "Alright, we''ve arrived! Please step out of the bus one by one!"


    "W¡­ wait, what about my backstory!?"


    "Let''s not keep the others waiting," Silvie then stood up to fall in line, immediately followed by Hannah and Riley, "Let''s go, Dragon Monarch."


    Seeing the three just leaving him behind like that, Gary could not help but ce a hand on his chest as he fell to his knees, "C¡­ could it be¡­ I''m a side character!? Wait¡­


    ...wait for me! I don''t want to be reduced to a minor rol--"


    Gary''s somewhatical behavior instantly stopped as soon as his foot left the bus; his mouth, left open as his eyes quickly started to wander everywhere. And it wasn''t only him, most of the students that were exiting their corresponding buses were all left speechless; not even a whisper could be heard flowing through the air.


    It has been several months since the tragic defeat of Mega Woman; since the dreaded news that most of the city of Toronto had beenpletely obliterated. With a majority of the students living in the U.S, they have only seen the damage through the pictures and videos being released on social media.


    But now, seeing the destruction in person¡­ it made the rising excitement within thempletely wither in the air; the silence, broken by the sound of someone retching on the ground.


    Buildings, torn.


    Cars, pulverized.


    Sky, covered in darkness.


    Families, forever separated.


    It had been several months, and yet the skies above Toronto seemed to have never recovered towards the light. Most of the poption outside were unaware of it, but the country''s local government had ordered the cremation of all the dead since recovering them from the state of the city back then would have been next to impossible.


    And so, within the ruined buildings, inside the melted cars; were little bits of bones that managed to survive; perhaps the only physical memory left of the city''s casualties. Most of the students strayed their eyes away as there were a set of skulls peacefully nted with the debris near them.


    But within all of this chaos, was a serene garden. No, perhaps it was better to say that it was a collection of almost a million different flowers, with some, already turning into ashes.


    There were also letters pinned down near the walls, almost covering it entirely. Letters¡­


    ...that would no longer be able to be read by the one it was written for. Letters... that would just forever remain as a collection of words without meaning. Like the sunlight that has not reached the ground for what seemed like forever-- the letters too, would no longer reach their journey''s end.


    And seeing this solemn memorial in front of them, some of the studentspletely woke up from their stupor and their childish dreams. From their stay in the Academy, everything felt surreal; like everything they did was just a game, a holiday.


    But this was real-- this is real.


    Millions of people have died where they were standing; and since the memorial was here, that would mean that this was just the face of the destruction. Deeper into the city, a much horrifying hell probably awaited them.


    This was just the beginning of the dark day that gued this city. How could one man¡­ how could one manmit such a ughter to society?


    How was one man able to strip thousands and thousands of families of their loved ones¡­ and get away with it?


    "This¡­ is unforgivable."-- were the words that came out of Hannah''s mouth as her hand touched one of the letters pinned on the wall, "All of these people¡­ Darkday should die for his crimes."


    Hannah then lightly breathed out, causing a trickle of smoke to fume from her mouth.


    "I apologize, I don''t think he can, sister," Riley then said as his eyes roamed across the letters, "I don''t think he is going to stop¡­


    ...Not until the walls arepletely empty."

 Chapter 44: A Calamity

    <h4>Chapter 44: A Cmity</h4>


    It took almost an hour, but the gasps and utters of shock that lingered in the air finally calmed down. The whispers were still loud, but since there were thousands of them scattered in the vicinity, it was to be expected.


    Once the students became morefortable, they were asked to gather in lines so that they would be easily counted by the staff. This made the students confused, though; as they didn''t really see anyone counting them.


    And without even a few seconds, a man d in white leaped on top of one of the highest debris in front of the students-- Whiteking. And as soon as the students saw him, they quickly realized why he was the one standing there, and no one else from the Academy.


    "You stand before millions of dead..."


    Whiteking did not even introduce himself as a part of his helmet suddenly opened up, revealing half his face from the top to the bridge of the nose; his eyes then scanned the students almost one by one, showing the regret that still lived within them.


    "...Millions of lives that we-- that I failed to protect." Whiteking seemed to have some sort of voice amplifier installed in his helmet, causing his words to pierce through the ears of the students even with the calm and sorrowful tone,


    "You also stand before the downfall of our Earth''s greatest hero, you stand before the deaths of many more heroes. I was one of the lucky ones who survived¡­ luck," Whiteking then let out a small scoff as he took a sneaky nce at his children, "I guess you could call it that. They are all calling it the Battle of Toronto, but it was far from a battle¡­ I wouldn''t even call it a massacre, perhaps the better term for it would be a storm-- a cmity.


    The storm had already started hours before in other countries, only when itnded here did my team had the chance to tackle it. But I will tell you this now, Hope Guild was powerless before Darkday. We tried to fight, but all we did was serve as a distraction, and not even a minor one as Mega Woman and Darkday duke it out. No¡­ we were a hindrance.


    And so, instead of fighting, my team focused its efforts on saving as many people as we could, along with the help of other superheroes. But do you know how many we were able to save?"


    "..."


    "Less than the people standing here today."


    Quiet gasps whispered in the air like a ripple as Whiteking''s words traveled across. Most of them wanted to ask questions, but none dared to voice them out.


    "2,974 people. We rescued 2,974 people," Whiteking then continued as he jumped down from the debris and started walking; the students created a path for him as he did so, "And after a month, they were reduced to 2,132. They died in the hospital.


    2,132 people¡­ Toronto had a poption of 1.9 million. We saved 0.12% of the poption, a fraction of a percent. And that was just Toronto, as of today, the confirmed death toll of what happened then has now officially reached 6.2 million; 6.2 million lives lost in a single day. Throughout history, we don''t call something like that a battle, not even a war-- it was just raw cmity.


    And it will happen again. When Darkday once again shows himself to the world, do not consider him a superviin, no... Darkday is an Extinction-level event. And it is up to us¡­


    ...It is up to all of you to save the rest of the world when the timees. So on behalf of those who went before you; I thank you¡­ and I apologize for giving you this burden."


    "..."


    "..."


    The students could only watch as Whiteking left, walking away towards the other instructors and staff of the Academy, who were now standing in a single line in front of them. And as soon as Whiteking stepped inside the line, they all raised their hands and saluted to the students.


    It all felt surreal. The people who now saluted them were literally their heroes; some of the people standing in front of them were their inspiration as they grew up. And yet here they were, looking to them for hope. Tears began to fall from the eyes of some of the students, while some also saluted; and what fell from their eyes was the resolution overflowing from within them.


    "What a good way to hype us to our deaths, as expected of the government-- the new generation will always be the one to fix things," Hannah then let out a small sigh as she looked around her, before locking her eyes on his father and shaking her head, "They''re basically telling us to die for the world."


    "And I would dly do so," Silvie then said as her salute remained strong, "Many have already died, their sacrifices would be in vain if we cower from evil."


    "W¡­ when do you think Darkday will rise from the ashes again?" Gary took in a small gulp as he didn''t know whether to salute or not, "I¡­ I just hope Legends of Demonesses and Goddesses is done by that time. I¡­ also kinda hope Mega Woman won''t wake up anymore so he won''te out--"


    And before Gary could finish his words, he felt the deathly stares of everyone around him. Right¡­ Probably not a good idea to utter those words amongst the people of Mega Academy, Gary thought.


    "Alright, settle down! We will be starting our first school-wide activity for today! Whatever your group you''re in, stay there. An instructor would ry to you the information you need."


    "Wait¡­ we weren''t just here to hear Whiteking''s speech?"


    "Idiot, do you think we would travel for like 7 hours just to hear a fucking speech?"


    "Well, you have to admit, it was a very nice--"


    "Enough, enough. Gather around." And once again, before Gary could finish his words, Scarlet Mage approached the students around their area.


    "...You again?" Hannah quickly furrowed her eyebrows as she immediately stepped in front of Riley upon seeing Scarlet Mage walk towards them.


    "Most of my students are here," Scarlet Mage calmly said as the students of ss 1-V started to gather around here, "I think the better question is-- You again?"


    "Tch."


    "You don''t have to worry, it doesn''t matter if you belong in another ss anyway," Scarlet Mage muttered,


    "It''s even better since Riley is here." And with those words, Scarlet Mage turned her attention away from Hannah and faced the rest of her students.


    "Alright, the activity for today is simple and all of you will get 1,000 MP by the end of it."


    With the words one-thousand and MP whispering into the ears of the students; the students'' eyes began to glisten. If all school-wide activities would have a reward like this, then they should start having them every day, they all thought.


    "You''re going to clean the city until the sun goes down, which is about 6 hours from now."


    "...What?"


    ***


    "Ack, I think I touched a dead rat!"


    "...I don''t think that''s a fucking rat, Dragon Monarch."


    "Gah, ew! Ew! Get it off, get it off!"


    "That could be someone''s mother! Please have some respect."


    "S¡­ sorry¡­ But do you think it was a MILF?"


    "Dragon Monarch!"


    A full hour had passed since the start of their activity, and most of the students were scattered all around sectors of Toronto in huge groups, supervised by specific instructors; and obviously, the instructor in Riley''s sector was none other than Scarlet Mage.


    There were also other students from her ss in the sector, and all of them had one thing inmon as they continued to clean-- most of them wereining non-stop.


    In the first few minutes, most of them were sad, scared, and fearful of every single skull that finds its way towards them. But now that an hour had passed, most of them treated the bones as just another debris to clean. Of course, they still treated them more gently than anything else, collecting them in one single spot.


    "Gah¡­ I wish I had Riley''s powers instead," Gary then let out a long and deep sigh as he looked at Riley, who was just waving his hands in the air and making everything float across him.


    "Or just stop talking and work?"


    "Easy for you to say! You''re just burning everything into dust!" Gary once again roared as he lifted a huge chunk of debris that seemed to havee from a building, "And I don''t think that''s very environmentally friendly!"


    "Nye, nye. Stop yapping and just work."


    "T¡­ there''s no need to fight, guys," Silvie let out a sigh before her eyes glowed red, splitting different objects into pieces so that the other students would find them easier to remove.


    Hearing nothing butints, Scarlet Mage, who was watching everything from a short distance, could not help but let out a sigh. It was nice that she was getting some rest from lecturing, but to think it would be in the middle of a graveyard.


    For someone like her, who had a direct connection to the elements of the world, it felt like thend itself was crying. What happened here truly was a cmity¡­ and seeing the one responsible for it cleaning the very same ce he destroyed was a feeling that Scarlet Mage could never exin in her lifetime.


    There was nothing-- Riley''s heart did not fluctuate even a single bit throughout the time they were here. Even serial killers get excited when they return to the scene of the crime¡­ but Riley? There was nothing, not even a slight change of breath.


    Scarlet Mage also could not help but notice that even though Riley was wearing a white long coat, it was as bright and clean as when she first dressed him earlier. If one were to look closer, even with all the noise of dust littering the air, it was as if they were all avoiding him; like there was an invisible shield protecting him from even the smallest of matters.


    Riley¡­ was almost immacte. It was as if the gods themselves decided to bless him with--


    [Scarlet Mage. Come in, Scarlet Mage.]


    "I''m here."


    Scarlet Mage then strayed her eyes away from Riley as her thoughts were cut short by the sound of someone speaking through the pods in her ear.


    [How many students are in your sector?]


    "There''s like 30 students here."


    [Please give me the exact number.]


    "Give me a moment," Scarlet Mage said as she closed her eyes, and as she did so, an orchestra of hearts drummed their way through her ears, "...36 students."


    [Alright, thank you.]


    "Wait, what''s going on? Are we missing students already?"


    [...No. We''re just doing a headcount.]


    "Didn''t we just do that earlier with the satellite Whiteking borrowed?"


    [The dark skies around Toronto served as some very light interference so we might have made a mistake.]


    "I see. Keep me updated."


    [No problem. It''s just a little weird, though.]


    "Hm?"


    [We have 4,238 students, right?]


    "Yeah, how many are missing from the count?" Scarlet Mage furrowed her eyebrows as she once again looked at the students in her sector.


    [We didn''t miss anyone earlier.]


    "...So why are we having this conversation if we''re not missing anyone?"


    [That''s just it, Scarlet Mage. We counted 4,253 students.]


    "...What?"


    [We...


    ...have 15 more than we should have.]


    "Tha--"


    *BOOM*

 Chapter 45: ...Who?

    <h4>Chapter 45: ...Who?</h4>


    "W¡­ what''s going on!? Respond, respond!"


    The dust that had umted and settled on the ruined streets of Toronto was almost an ocean. And with the sudden eruption that trembled the ground, that dust once again rose to the air.


    Scarlet Mage tapped her ear several times as her connection with the rest of the Academy was suddenly cut. She could feel her eyes slightly watering; everywhere they looked, nothing but gray. Her breaths would have probably been erratic if they had the right to be, but with all the dust drowning her in the air, the most she could do was struggle to breathe.


    "H¡­ help!"


    However, as soon as words of fear traveled through her ears, Scarlet Mage''s watering eyes were instantly filled with fire as she sped her hands together. And slowly, as she pulled them apart, the dust that gathered near her arms started to twist, quickly being devoured by the vacuum between her hands.


    And not even a quarter of a minute had passed; Scarlet Mage''s arms were already raised in the air, a boulder floating above her-- a boulder made from the dust gathered in her sector,pressed ever so tightly.


    "Is everyone alright!?" Scarlet Mage then yelled as her eyes immediately looked towards the voice asking for help, only to see a student cowering on the ground, "If you''re not injured, then pleasee to my side!"


    Scarlet Mage then stretched her arms to the side, causing the boulder to split and shoot towards the ruined buildings. She then immediately once again closed her eyes, trying to listen to the drumming of the hearts within her vicinity.


    There were hearts that seemed to want to scream out, and also those which felt like they were stomping their feet for miles; but other than that, there were no beats missing-- everyone within her sector was safe.


    "What''s happening, Miss Scarlet Mage!?" Silvie was the first to rush towards Scarlet Mage; her eyes quickly scanning the surrounding for anything amiss.


    "We don''t know yet," Scarlet Mage let out a stuttered breath as she opened her eyes, "Is everyone in your group alright?"


    "Yes. No one seems to be hurt."


    "I''ll leave you to calm and gather the rest for now," Scarlet Mage then said as she once again tapped her ear several times, "I''ll try and see if I could contact anyone from the Academy."


    "Wait, is¡­ this another test?" Silvie asked. But Scarlet Mage didn''t seem to hear her as she was busy fidgeting with her tablet.


    "..." Silvie had her eyebrows slightly furrowed, but still, she did as Scarlet Mage told and assisted the other students within the sector to gather up. When they boarded the bus earlier, when she found out that the onught of reporters was just a test, she felt slightly relieved and disappointed at the same time.


    Although she did what was right, and even though the reporter was just fake; she still destroyed someone else''s property because she suddenly lost her cool.


    "What''s happening, Mega Girl!?"


    "Is this a drill!?"


    "Should we return to the buses!?"


    "We don''t know yet," Silvie immediately answered the other students'' questions as they arrived, telling them that Scarlet Mage was trying to get a hold of the others.


    "I think we should return to the buses!"


    "What about the other ss? Do you think they''re safe!?"


    "I--"


    "Is¡­ are we safe here!? Are we under attack!?"


    "P¡­ please don''t pani--" Silvie tried her best to calm the other students down, but s, her words were being overpowered by the frightful wails of her schoolmates.


    "We''re under attack!?"


    "No! Miss Scarlet Mage, please save--"


    "Could all of you shut the fuck up!?"


    And as the other students'' voices became louder, a roar even more powerful than all of their worriesbined reverberated in the air. All of them then looked towards where the powerful voice came from, only to see a pair of hips that jiggled every time it was patted by its owner.


    "Seriously, you guys are a waste of the school''s oxygen!" Hannah''s frustration continued to rumble in the air as she patted herself clean of the dust that stuck to her bright pink suit, "We trained for weeks and your first response when something happens is to panic, the fuck."


    "Pft, worry yourself not of the side characters, Nuclear Vixen," Gary then followed her from behind, dramatically pping his cape to the side as he walked towards the other students, "And fear not, for the Dragon Mona-- chu!"


    And before he could finish his words, the dust that was blown off of his cape entered his nose, causing him to sneeze vehemently.


    "That''s what you get for being stupid," Hannah scoffed before turning around to check up on Riley, but as soon as she saw him slowly walking towards them without even a speck of dust on his costume, her eyes started to twitch.


    "Why didn''t you also keep my costume clean!? There''s supposed to be a camaraderie between us!"


    "Because I am the younger brother, si-- Nuclear Baby," Riley then answered as he slightly adjusted his sunsses, "And the younger brother alwayses first."


    "W¡­ what? Stop listening to mom!" Hannah then yelled as she rushed to hug Riley, hoping for some of the dust on her suit to stick to him. But s, it was as if there was an invisible armor enveloping around him, causing Hannah to slip away inches before she could hug him like a bear.


    Seeing Hannah suddenly trying to chase Riley and failing, most of the students whose hearts were previously in turmoil slowly started to calm down. Scarlet Mage''s iing words, however, once again brought them back to reality.


    "It''s no use, I can''t reach anyone else," Scarlet Mage said with a sigh, "For now, our best option is to return to the buses, stick to me."


    Even though the students were still worried about what was happening, they had no choice but to follow Scarlet Mage. If this truly was not a drill, then thest thing they wanted was to be left behind.


    "Report, Silver Moon."


    "P¡­ please don''t call me that here."


    Scarlet Mage could not help but slightly hiss as Riley''s voice whispered beside her. Looking at him like this, wearing sunsses as he casually walked on her left¡­ it was as if he was just strolling around the city.


    "Right. Forgive me, Scarlet Mage," Riley then said as he once again adjusted his sunsses for no reason, "But please do report what is happening."


    "...We might have an intruder in our midst," Scarlet Mage slightly hesitated if she should answer Riley''s question, but him being who he was, she didn''t really have much of a choice, "You¡­ don''t happen to have anything to do with this, do you?"


    "No. I''m in retirement, Scarlet Mage," Riley said, the tone of his voice slowly bing slightly disappointed, "You are my second-inmand, you should be taking note--"


    "Kya!"


    "Is¡­ Isn''t that¡­"


    "Run¡­ everyone run!"


    "Riley!"


    And before Riley could even finish his words, the familiar cries of the students once again roared in the air; but this time, it was apanied by the sound of their feet, drumming as they suddenly scampered away like rats.


    Riley then blinked a couple of times as Hannah suddenly rushed in front of him, her body already engulfed in a fiery storm of mes.


    "R¡­ Run, Riley! Please run!" Hannah''s words stuttered through Riley''s ears, "Scarlet Mage, what are you doing!? Please take my brother with you and run!"


    "That''s¡­"


    Riley then looked behind him, only to see the number of students dwindle from 36 to just 5. Besides him and Hannah, the ones that remained were Silvie, Gary, and a male student who was probably from another ss.


    "..." Riley then turned his gaze back to the front, only to see Scarlet Mage looking at her with an extremely confused stare. And finally, Riley then slightly leaned his head to the side to see what themotion was all about¡­


    ...only to see a man d in a jet-ck suit and wearing a motorcycle helmet that was even darker; a costume belonging to one individual-- Darkday.


    "P¡­ please tell me that''s Tomoe," Gary could not help but stutter before taking in a huge gulp.


    "It''s¡­ not Dark Frost," Silvie then answered, her breaths slightly fettered, "That''s¡­ a man."


    "F¡­ first day outside the Academy and we''re already dead. Ha. Ha. Hahaha," Gary then burst out in nervousughter. But even though his heart was threatening to jump out of his chest, his feet still remained solid on the ground-- not even entertaining the idea of running away.


    "Riley¡­" Scarlet Mage then leaned closer to Riley as she whispered in his ear, "...What are you nning?"


    And despite Scarlet Mage''s attempt to whisper, Riley answered with a normal voice,pletely saturating the nervous words pestering the air.


    "It''s a fake, ew."-- were Riley''s exact words.


    "A¡­ a fake? How do you know!?" Hannah then slightly backed away as she heard her brother''s words.


    "There''s a letter embroidered on his torso, Nuclear Baby," Riley answered as he pointed his finger towards the man. And true enough, as their eyes focused on the man''s costume-- there were the letters XIX on it. Perhaps because their fear got the best of them, they were unable to even notice the letters even though it covered almost the entire torso part of the suit, brightly colored in silver.


    "...Roman numerals?" Hannah then muttered, "Number 19?"


    "How very perceptive..."


    Everyone put up their guard as the¡­ fake Darkday started walking towards them, "...As expected of Whiteking''s children."


    "Whiteking''s¡­ children?" Both Gary and Silvie nced at each other upon hearing the man''s words.


    "Wait, you two are Whiteking''s chi--"


    "That''s not important right now!" Hannah then once again roared as the mes surrounding her body became even hotter, "You¡­ what do you want from us?"


    "Oh, you don''t have to worry," the fake Darkday then let out a small chuckle as he wagged his finger,


    "We''re not really here for the two of you¡­ but him." He then said as he suddenly pointed towards Gary.


    "M¡­ me!? B¡­ but I''m just a side character," Gary stuttered as he once again let out a nervous chuckle.


    "You do not belong in that stupid Academy, Gary Gray," the fake Darkday breathed out, "They hail you as future superheroes¡­ but did you know that you belong in a list of students that has the highest potential of bing a viin?"


    "...What?"


    "Just ask your instructor, there''s a whole lot of you being carefully watched by them."


    "Is¡­ is that true, Miss Scarlet Mage?" Silvie was the one to ask the question; Scarlet Mage, however, remained silent as she red at the fake Darkday.


    For this man to know the things he knew¡­ could only mean that there was someone inside the Academy who leaked the information-- there was a mole inside Mega Academy.


    "See how they fool you and act as if they made no transgressions!?" The fake Darkday then stretched his arms to the side, letting out a sort of wailing moan as he continued with his words,


    "Your talents would be much appreciated in our organization, Dragon Monarch. Darkday needs you in his army! We will train and hone you more than Mega Academy ever could!"


    "Interesting," Riley then took off his sunsses as he looked at the man from head to toe, "Darkday is your leader, Number Neen?"


    "Indeed!" The fake Darkday then raised his arms in the air as his body began to tremble, "We will bathe this world in eternal darkness; giving life to those who live in the shadows. We¡­


    ...are the Dark Millennium!"

 Chapter 46: Dark Millenium

    <h4>Chapter 46: Dark Millenium</h4>


    "We¡­ are the Dark Millenium!"


    "..."


    "...A cult?"


    "sphemy! Our leader is Darkday, the one who will save this world from being destroyed! No, Nuclear Baby, we¡­


    ...are the shadows. Those who are willing to dirty our hands and bathe ourselves in blood so that the world will be saved!"


    Hannah and the others all looked at each other as the Darkday copycat with the number 19 etched on his suit once again began another monologue. Hannah could probably st him away now, but it just didn''t seem right to disrupt him since he hasn''t really done anything to them yet.


    ...Wait. Is this why superheroes don''t attack the viins while they talk? She had been frustrated so many times about this before whenever she watches a scenario like this, but now that she was in it, she was curious as to how his speech would end.


    "...Save the world?" Hannah then muttered, "Save the world from what?"


    "Not what, child-- who," No. 19 muttered, "Mega Woman."


    "What?"


    "Or more specifically, Mega Woman''s race."


    Once again, Hannah and the others could only look at each other in confusion. Riley was the only one whose eyes were still on the man, his eyebrows slightly raised as he looked at the man from head to toe.


    "The government does not want us to know. But Darkday¡­ Darkday approached us one day and told us a secret-- No, a prophecy. Mega Woman is just the beginning, there would be others like her who would descend from the stars; bearing only one goal in mind-- genocide." No. 19 then stretched his arms to the sides,


    "Look around you, if one Mega Woman is capable of doing all of this; if one Mega Woman is capable of killing millions of us in a single day, what more thousands of them?"


    "Mega Woman¡­ did not do this," Silvie then stepped forward, her breaths heavy as she looked the man straight in the eyes, "It was your leader who did!"


    "Lies," No. 19''s muffled chuckles then seeped from his helmet, "A lie told to you by the government. All of you are brainwashed, that is why we will only choose those who are more grounded to the truth. You, Dragon Monarch, you belong with us!"


    "I think we''ve heard enough," Scarlet Mage then finally made a move as she stepped in front of the others. She initially thought that Riley was lying to her and that he had something to do with this. But after hearing the man''s words, she knew that this so-called Dark Millenium could have never been created by Riley.


    Riley was the epitome of evil; human lives meant only one thing to him-- a thing meant to be snuffed out. This Dark Millenium¡­ are probably just a gathering of fools and insane people wanting to use Riley''s name¡­


    ...Unforgivable, she thought. Save the world? Riley was probablyughing on the inside right about now.


    "Dragon Monarch, don''t listen to him!" Silvie then blocked Gary from the man''s view. Gary, however, ced his hand on Silvie''s shoulder and lightly pushed her to the side.


    "...Dragon Monarch?"


    "This group¡­" Gary then muttered, "Would¡­ it really have people the same as me?"


    "Dragon Monarch!?"


    "Yes, child," No. 19 then stretched his arms towards Gary, his voice containing an eerie warmth, "The Academy has listed almost a thousand of you, Dark Millenium is recruiting your brothers and sisters as we speak."


    "What are you doing, Dragon Monarch!?" The mes on Hannah''s arms withered as she grabbed Gary by the shoulders as soon as she passed by her. However, Gary was able to swat her hand easily as he continued to walk towards No. 19.


    "What I should have done earlier," Gary then whispered as he shook No. 19''s hand.


    "This is good, Dragon Monarch," No. 19 chuckled, "Wee to the Dark Mil--"


    "8th Dragon Killer Move..."


    And before No. 19 could finish his words, a light snap cracked in the air as Gary suddenly knelt on the ground, breaking No. 19''s arm due to the sheer force of being pulled closer towards him. And before the dust could ripple around Gary''s feet, he ced No. 19''s body over his shoulders and quickly stood up."


    "...Thunder m of the Dragon Monarch!!" And with that roar, Gary''s body twisted, blowing off all the dust gathered around him as he mmed No. 19''s body to the ground.


    Hannah and the others could only watch in disbelief as the sound of bones cracking whispered in the air. Although they have already witnessed it during the simtions, seeing someone''s mangled body in real life hit differently.


    The bone on No. 19''s arm tore through his suit, leaving a bit of his flesh hanging from it. His torso was all twisted up and caved in; there was a sort of blue light popping out from his other hand, and whatever that was, it was probably his abilities.


    Unfortunately, he was mmed to the ground before he could use it.


    "Who do you think you''re trying to recruit, you motherfucker!?" Gary then yelled as his eyes started to glow in red, "Do you also think I''m that easy to manipte, you little bitch!?"


    "Dragon Monarch, enough!"


    Gary lightly stepped a couple of steps back as a strong gust of wind blew him away, his eyes continued to glow; but as soon as he saw Scarlet Mage approaching him, he slowly started to calm down.


    "Step away, Dragon Monarch. You don''t want to identally kill him," Scarlet Mage then said after letting out a long and deep sigh, "We still need to ask him some questions."


    "You got us there, DM," the mes on Hannah''s body all started to wither away, "I thought you were really thinking of joining this fucking cult."


    "Pft, I am the Dragon Monarch," Gary then said as he half his face with his hand, but leaving an opening between his fingers for his eyes to be shown, "Solitary is my sanctuary; I shall not be bound by organizations."


    "Good work, Dragon Monarch," Silvie also let out a sigh of her own as she approached the scene, "You should have at least told us what you were nning so we could have formted a better n."


    "I¡­ I also thought you were joining them."


    "...Who are you?" Gary could not help but blink a couple of times as another unfamiliar student approached him.


    "...Carlos? I''ve been here with you since earlier," the male student then said as he slightly lowered his eyebrows.


    "...Right, I remember now," Gary chuckled awkwardly. Most of the students ran away when the Darkday copycat showed himself, leaving only him and the others. Scouring his memories, there truly was another one with them.


    "A¡­ anyway," Gary then waved his hand, "ns are restrictions, I shall not be bound by--"


    "Who is your leader, No. 19?"


    "Gah!"


    "Riley!"


    And as the group was having a conversation, a shrilling scream thundered through their ears. They all quickly turned their heads towards the noise, only to see Riley''s hand on No. 19''s protruding bones.


    "Who is your leader, No. 19?" Riley once again repeated his question, his voicepletely calm.


    "Riley, stop this now!" Scarlet Mage grabbed Riley''s shoulder and tried to pull him away, but found that he was not even able to budge him.


    "It can''t be Darkday," Riley then whispered, "Darkday is in retirement, No. 19. He promised the world he wouldn''te out until Mega Woman is back."


    "L¡­ long live the Dark Millenium."


    "Is your group trying to say that Darkday is a liar, No. 19?"


    "Kh!"


    No. 19 once again groaned in pain as Riley slightly pulled on his exposed bone. However, after a few seconds, he raised one of his hands and smiled.


    "L¡­ long live Darkday!"


    "Hm?"


    Riley then looked at the man''s hand, only to see some sort of mechanism on it as well as No. 19''s thumb on a red button.


    "Suicide bomber!" Scarlet Mage then roared as she quickly rushed towards No. 19, "Everyone, find cover!"


    "No¡­ brother!" Hannah tried to reach her hand towards Riley, but halfway through it, she found her hand stuck in the air¡­ as if an invisible wall was blocking her path.


    "This is¡­" Scarlet Mage was in the same situation. She was about to shield everyone from whatever wasing but found something invisible blocking her path. And it wasn''t only them, Silvie also had her arms stretched, her palms slightly pressed even though there was nothing in front of her; same with Gary and the unnamed schoolmate.


    "B¡­ brother¡­" Hannah''s chest started to move erratically as she looked at Riley, her fettered breaths almost filling the entire air around her, "What¡­ What are you--"


    And before she could even finish her words, her view was filled with nothing but white.


    "No!" Her wailing screams, almost overpowering the loud thunder that erupted next.


    "No¡­ no¡­ no!" And as the blinding light slowly faded from her vision, what reced it was a cloud of dust, once again drowning them like an ocean. Hannah then slightly stumbled forward, probably indicating that the invisible wall blocking her path was gone.


    "Brother!?" She then screamed.


    "Is everyone okay!?" The dust around them started to spin as Scarlet Mage once againpressed them in a ball. And as soon as everything was once again clear, the sight of blood and guts weed them.


    "F¡­ fuck," Gary muttered, "Riley, bro? Where are you!?"


    Silvie covered her mouth, trying her best not to let the raging gasp that wanted to burst out from it.


    "No¡­" Hannah then kneeled on the ground as she looked at the blood. The explosion was strong enough to make a crater and even paint whatever was left of No. 19 in it. If Riley wasn''t able to shield himself then he¡­ he was probably¡­


    "Calm down, Nuclear¡­ Baby."


    And before she could finish her terrifying thoughts, she felt Scarlet Mage''s hand on her shoulder.


    "That¡­ wouldn''t be enough to kill your brother," Scarlet Mage then said before leaping towards the crater, "He was probably just blown away somewhere due to the force of the explosion, but he should be fine."


    "W¡­ what? What are you¡­"


    "I¡­ I believe Miss Scarlet Mage, Nuclear Baby," Silvie sat behind Hannah, holding her hand tofort her, "Riley¡­ is strong. Please¡­ you have to believe he''s alive."


    "T¡­ that''s¡­" Hannah was going to say something, but when she felt the trembling of Silvie''s hand, the only thing she could do was nod.


    Scarlet Mage, on the other hand, could only let out a sigh. Of course, Riley is fine, she thought. If he wanted to, he could have stopped the explosion from even happening. He was probably just out there nning something.


    But why¡­ why didn''t he tell her anything? Wasn''t she something of a right-hand man? He should have told her that he was going so that she could--


    Scarlet Mage quickly shook her head of the thoughts she was having. Right-hand man? Her? No¡­ no, she should never acknowledge something like that. Never!


    ***


    "...Interesting."


    Riley found himself staring at the dark sky, his armspletely stretched to the sides as his whole body was nted on the ground. Right at the moment of the explosion, he used his abilities to increase the momentum and st himself away even further.


    What he did not expect, however, was that the initial st was already too strong, causing him to fly further than he nned to. For a small bomb to have that kind of magnitude, it would seem this Dark Millenium group was not as simple as he initially thought.


    "Are¡­ you alive?"


    "Hm?"


    "You are, aren''t you? Then please stand up, you are going to reveal my hiding spot."


    Riley then blinked a couple of times as he turned his head towards the feminine voice that suddenly whispered to his left, only to find another Darkday copycat seemingly hiding beneath a copsed building.


    "Are you also part of the Dark Millenium?" Riley then calmly said as he floated himself up from the ground, "What number are you?"


    "What?" The Darkday copycat once again whispered loudly, "No, who wants to be in that fake group? It''s me...


    ...Dark Frost."

 Chapter 47: What!? ...What!? W... what?

    <h4>Chapter 47: What!? ...What!? W... what?</h4>


    "It''s me¡­ Dark Frost."


    "Dark Frost?"


    Riley slowlynded on the ground, his long coat fluttering with the wind. And even though he has been in the impact of two explosions, his coat still remained pristine; not even a speck of dust sticking on it.


    "What are you doing?" Tomoe Reynolds, aka Dark Frost, once again whispered loudly before gesturing to Riley to hurry up and hide, "They will see you, hurry up."


    "..." Riley, however, remained standing where he was as he looked around him. But after a few seconds of checking that there was no one in the near vicinity, he approached Tomoe.


    "I take it the Dark Millenium also appeared in your sector, Dark Frost?" Riley then said as he entered Tomoe''s hiding spot.


    "...Yes," Tomoe nodded, his words nowpletely calm as Riley was no longer exposing himself outside.


    "3 of the students in my sector went along with them, the instructor failed to stop them since they were afraid to hurt the students."


    "I see."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Did you also run away?" And after a few minutes of silence, Tomoe''s almost monotonous voice whispered in the air, "I was surprised to see you suddenly falling from the sky."


    "No, I got blown away by a bomb, Dark Frost."


    "I see."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I am surprised you did not join them, Dark Frost," this time, it was Riley who broke the silence as he looked at Tomoe''s costume from head to toe, "You''re even wearing a costume simr to them."


    "My costume is simr to Darkday, not to them," Tomoe quickly answered, her words slightly agitated, "But still, I have no choice but to hide because someone might think I belong to their group. I would never join their fake group."


    Although Tomoe''s voice was still slightly monotonous, the slight irritation escaping from it was noticeable.


    "Interesting," Riley then muttered as he leaned closer to Tomoe, "How do you know they are fake, Dark Frost?"


    "Hmph. Saving the world? That is something Darkday would never do," Tomoe then quickly answered,? her monotonous voice slightly showing signs of excitement, "Darkday wants to destroy every living being on this. Darkday is a god, he would never dirty his hands by joining with mortals. In fact, he would be disgusted by this, I know it."


    "...You seem to know a lot about him," Riley then breathed out as his hand slowly reached towards Tomoe, "Tell me, what else do you know?"


    "Please stop asking me questions about him," Tomoe then let out a small scoff as she slightly leaned her head outside their hiding spot, "You can neverprehend Darkday''s greatness. But one thing I could tell you is that he would never work with anyone; and if ever there doese a time that he does, it will be me serving under him."


    And as soon as Riley heard Tomoe''s words, his hand which was reaching for her neck stopped in its tracks, "You¡­ wish to serve Darkday?"


    "I no longer want to answer any of your questions," Tomoe then said as her eyes continued to scan the outside. "I think the coast is clear, we need to get to the bus before those freaks see us."


    "Should you not remove your costume first, Dark Frost? I believe it isn''t wise to go around looking like that."


    "Never," Tomoe said as she stepped out of the damaged building, "This costume is my sign ofmitment to Darkday, I would never take it off just because I would be inconvenienced. Let''s go, there''s no one here."


    "You go ahead, Dark Frost."


    Riley, however, only watched Tomoe as she stepped outside, "I still have something to do here."


    "...Suit yourself." Tomoe only stopped to look at Riley for a few seconds, before proceeding to walk away.


    Riley then let out a short but deep sigh as he removed his sunsses; it was starting to get even darker outside, making it hard to see through the shades. An individual willingly wanting to serve under him? That was new.


    But s, her dream of wanting to serve him first could nevere true, as that role was already taken by his First Subordinate, Silver Moon. Also, he was not ready to ept a Second Subordinate, he stillcked the necessary experience, Riley thought as he stepped out of the ruined building.


    "We have one of them here!"


    And as soon as his footnded on the ground outside, a rainbow seemed to have passed by him.


    "..." Riley then blinked his eyes a couple of times as he turned his head towards the blurring rainbow, only to see a colorful bunch of people from afar surrounding¡­ Dark Frost.


    "Surrender! The Justice Defenders have you surrounded, there is nowhere for you to escape, viin!"


    "Oh," Riley quietly hummed as he realized who the group was, "What a coincidence," he then quietly whispered as he slowly made his way to themotion.


    "Put your hands on the back of your head and get on your knees!" ck Defender, the leader of the team, pointed his finger at Tomoe as his eyes slowly glowed in red, "Please do not force us to put you down, evil scum!"


    "This is a misunderstanding," Tomoe, on the other hand, was stillpletely calm; the tone of her voice still holding its monotony even as she was surrounded by the Justice Defenders, "I am a student of the Academy, ss 1-V."


    Tomoe then showed the tag pinned on her chest, showing her name as proof that she was, indeed, a student.


    "..." ck Defender looked at his teammates for a few seconds, before letting out a light scoff, "Say what you want, viin. But your words are meaningless to us! Defenders, subdue the targe--"


    "This is why I told you to take off your costume, Dark Frost."


    And before ck Defender finished his words, he felt a slight force pushing his face, causing him to slightly stumble to the side towards one of his teammates. And with the path he opened up, a young man d in white casually passed.


    "...You?" ck Defender quickly collected himself as he red towards Riley, "Aren''t you¡­ a part of that bitch''s group?"


    "...Bitch?" Riley momentarily paused in his tracks before continuing to walk towards Tomoe, "Are you referring to Nuclear Baby, ck Defender?"


    "Who else!? And why are you here? Are you trying to get credit for catching one of the members of the Dark Millenium!?"


    "She''s not a member," Riley then quickly said stood beside Tomoe, "She''s in my ss, as you can see, the color of our name tags are the same, ck Defender."


    "W¡­ what?" Once again, ck Defender looked at the rest of his team as they all tried to examine Dark Frost.


    "She¡­ doesn''t have a number on her." And finally, after a few seconds of analyzing her costume, Green Defender let out a short but deep sigh, "And I remember now, she was in the Academy before we boarded the bus."


    "For real?"


    "...Yeah, I think I saw her too, she caused quite themotion."


    "Fuck, I thought we had someone," ck Defender then lightly stomped his foot on the ground, causing it to slightly crack, "Why are you even wearing something like that?"


    "...None of you would understand," Dark Frost then put down her stance before turning her head towards Riley, "I didn''t need your help, but you deserve my thanks either way¡­


    ...So thank you, Riley Ross." Tomoe muttered as she bowed towards Riley.


    "..." Riley, on the other hand, could not help but slightly raise an eyebrow. Why exactly was she thanking him? He thought.


    The sighs of the members of the Justice Defenders whispered in the air as they too, all put their guards down. But after a few seconds, their leader, ck Defender, clicked his tongue and pointed towards the two.


    "Get back to the bus, ss 1-V," he scoffed, "Let the real heroes handle this threa--"


    "Found you."


    "What the!?"


    The members of the Justice Defenders all turned around as soon as they heard a voiceing from one of the buildings. They all waited as the steps began to echo from the shadows of the building, and after a few more nerving steps, the owner of the voice revealed itself to them.


    A man d in ck, with the roman numeral 7 etched on his suit. And it wasn''t only him, there were two more following him from behind, with the numbers 11 and 12 on them.


    "...Dark Millenium," ck Defender whispered as his eyes started to glow red. This seemed to be some sort of signal, as the rest of his team got into a sort of V position, their stance all raised up as they faced the three members from the Dark Millenium.


    And without even a warning, ck Defender rushed towards the three, while the rest of his teammates ran to the side.


    Seeing this, No. 7 only raised his hand, and as soon as he did so, the two behind him also ran to the side to meet with the other members of the Justice Defenders. As for No. 7, he just stood calmly as he watched as ck Defender got closer and closer towards him.


    "Surrender!" ck Defender then roared as his fist was only a meter away from No. 7, but before it could threaten to squash No. 7''s helmet, a blue, and seemingly t light stopped his hand from reaching further.


    "W¡­ what?" ck Defender then tried to pull his fist away, but found himself unable to even move an inch; both his legs, now also wrapped by the blue light.


    "ck Defender!" Seeing this, his teammates, who were busy fighting with the two other members of the Dark Millenium, all retreated to try ande to his aid. But s, they too, found themselves suddenly unable to move as they were chained by the mysterious blue light.


    "Now, now," No. 7 then raised his arm, gently touching ck Defender''s face as he looked him straight in his glowing red eyes, "You don''t need to resist, we are not here for you."


    "Bullshit!" ck Defender screamed as the light in his eyes started to beam out straight towards No. 7''s helmet; but once again, it was blocked by some sort of blue light.


    "A¡­ agh!" ck Defender once again screamed, but this time, it was because chains of blue light slowly started to crawl across his entire head, covering it entirely.


    "You do not have to worry, our intention here is not to kill any of you," No. 7 then let out a small giggle as he stepped away from ck Defender and towards Riley and Tomoe, "If I wanted to, I could snap all of your necks right now, but I wouldn''t do that."


    "L¡­ let go of ck Defender!" Green Defender then screamed, but like their leader, her mouth was covered by the blue light.


    "All I want is you, Dark Frost, for you to join the Dark Millenium," No. 7 then stopped a few meters away from Tomoe, reaching his hand towards her as his two otherrades once again stood behind him.


    "I already refused you earlier," Dark Frost then said as the ground beneath her started to emit a cracking sound, glistening as its surface froze almost instantly, "And I am going to refuse you again."


    "Why?" No. 7 calmly said, "You already look the part. These people will not understand you like we do, Darkday will wee you in our ranks without any hesitation."


    "You are the ones who do not understand Darkday," Tomoe then said as a trail of dark frozen spikes protruded from the floor, heading straight towards No. 7. But like the previous attacks of the members of the Justice Defenders, her surprise attack was not even able to harm the three.


    A sort of blue sphere surrounded them,pletely protecting them from all the spikes thrown towards them.


    "Please do not let us take you by force, Dark Frost," No. 7 then let out a long and deep sigh as blue lights started to crack around his left arm, "Because if we have to cut off one of your legs for you to join us, then we will do--"


    "Kya!"


    And before No. 7 could even finish his words, a piercing shriek entered all of their ears.


    "ck D¡­ Francis! Please, oh god no... Francis!"


    "Tch," With his words cut off by the sudden scream, No. 7 could not help but click his tongue, "Did I not tell you that I would not harm any of you!? Quiet down!" He then roared before turning his attention back towards Tomoe.


    "As I was say--"


    "...No. 7."


    And once again, No. 7 was interrupted, but this time, by one of hisrades.


    "What!?"


    "I thought¡­ I thought we weren''t supposed to kill anyone? Why¡­ why did you do that?"


    "...What?" No. 7''s voice quickly lowered as he heard hisrade''s words. He was about to say something else, but when he realized that both hisrades were looking at something, he could not help but also turn his head towards the direction they were looking to.


    "W¡­ what?" He then once again repeated his words as he finally realized why everyone seemed to be in a fit.


    ck Defender¡­


    ...his head was no longer attached to his body.

 Chapter 48: Voluntarily

    <h4>Chapter 48: Voluntarily</h4>


    "W¡­ what?"


    No. 7''s stuttered words were followed by silence; a silence loud enough to drown even the gasps and cries of the other members of Justice Defenders.


    They were just talking with ck Defender minutes ago,ughing and joking with him about how they would be the only students that would capture a member of this mysterious group that suddenly made itself known to them. But now, he was dead.


    Green Defender''s muffled screams then broke the silence, her cries whispering in the air even as her mouth was covered with blue chains of light. But slowly, her cries became clearer as the chains withered away. And as soon as she found herself able to move, she rushed towards ck Defender''s body.


    She was hoping everything was but a dream, but as ck Defender''s headless body fell to her arms, the warmth of his blood all but made it clear for her.


    This was real.


    "N¡­ no," Green Defender then removed her mask, not even caring that she was revealing her face anymore, "Francis¡­ why¡­"


    She then tightly embraced Francis''s body, her tears, mixing with the blood that trailed towards her.


    "You¡­ you monsters!" With the rest of the Defenders finding themselves able to move again, they all rushed towards Green Defender, putting up their stance as they all faced the three viins in front of them.


    Their stance was filled with resolution. Their legs, however, gave away their fear as they trembled enough to shake the ground beneath them.


    "What¡­ have you done, No. 7!?" No. 12 then grabbed No. 7''s arm, turning him towards him as he let out a loud whisper, "We weren''t supposed to kill anyone here!"


    "...It wasn''t me."


    No. 7, however, calmly swatted No. 12''s hand as he once again turned towards the Justice Defenders. Where¡­ is it? No. 7 thought as he tried to look for ck Defender''s severed head. His search, however, was disrupted as he heard the sound of footsteps fading away from them.


    He quickly turned his head towards the noise, only to see Dark Frost running away.


    "Catch her!" No. 7 was about to run and chase Dark Frost, but before he could do so, a voice rang in his head.


    "What do you mean it wasn''t you!?" And suddenly, the Justice Defender''s formation was rattled as Green Defender pushed herself out of their protection, quickly rushing towards No. 7.


    "You will pay for this!"


    She moved her arms to the side, and as she did so, they stretched beyond what a normal arm was capable of, before ttening into a thin, and seemingly sharp de.


    "Go and chase Dark Frost, I will handle this!" No. 7 could not help but click his tongue as he ordered hisrades to follow Dark Frost.


    "What!? You think we will leave you here after you killed one of them!?"


    "That wasn''t me! Just g--"


    "No!"


    And before No. 7 could finish his words, another familiar scream reverberated through the air; followed by the sound of a thud whispering through his ears.


    "What¡­" No. 7 muttered as Green Defender, who was previously rushing towards him, suddenly fell and dropped to the ground; her head, violently rolling away from her body. Seeing this, both hisrades could not help but slightly back away.


    "I¡­ I told you, it wasn''t me!"


    This time, not only the Justice Defenders, but the 3 viins were on high alert as their eyes hurriedly scanned the surrounding area. The remaining members of the Justice Defenders were slightly confused as to what was happening. All of them thought that No. 7 killed ck Defender, but when Green Defender''s head flew away from her body, they didn''t even see any signs of a blue light.


    Just¡­ what exactly was happening here?-- was their collective thought.


    And then, slowly, out of nowhere, Green Defender''s head floated in the air.


    "Who¡­ who is doing that!?"


    "!!!"


    And then suddenly, a minute, but lingering crunching noise whispered into all of their ears as Green Defender''s floating head disappeared.


    No.


    It didn''t disappear-- it became smaller. Or perhaps the better wording for it was that it turned into a ball. In almost an instant, Green Defender''s head waspressed into the size of a baseball.


    The ball was so perfectly smooth, it almost seemed like a living, breathing. Well, at least that''s what Riley thought as Green Defender''spressed head slowly floated towards him.


    "It truly is too bad sister was not able to hear you scream in pain, Green Defender."


    "Y¡­ you?"


    "...Why!? Why did you do this!?"


    The remaining members of the Justice Defenderspletely shifted their attention away from the Dark Millenium viins as they all stared in shock towards Riley. Even No. 7 and hisrades were nowpletely on their guard, not even minding anyone else but the white-haired boy with a weird smile on his face.


    "I didn''t do anything, Justice Defenders," Riley then muttered as he carefully ced Green Defender''spressed head into one of the pockets of his coat, and seeing that one of the pockets were already bulging, it was safe to say that ck Defender''s missing head was with him as well.


    "The Dark Millenium did this," Riley then said as he waved his finger, "And now, No. 11 is going to kill you, Red Defender."


    "What are you--"


    And before Red Defender could finish his words, he felt his body suddenly being pulled by an invisible force, pushing him towards the three members of Dark Millenium.


    "Where¡­ where are you going, Red!?"


    "I¡­ It''s not me! I''m being pulled!"


    "No. 11!?"


    And as Red Defender''s body seemed to be moving on its own, the same thing was happening to No. 11 as his feet started walking towards Red Defender, meeting him halfway. And without even a slight pause in his movements, his hand started to make their way around Red Defender''s neck.


    "G¡­ uhrk!"


    "N¡­ no, it''s not me! I''m not doing this!" The panic in No. 11''s voice was obvious for everyone to hear as his head turned back and forth between hisrades and the Justice Defenders, "I¡­ I didn''t sign up for this! We''re not supposed to be killing innocent people!"


    "That¡­ is truly funny, No. 11."


    Riley''s quiet chuckles whispered through the air. However, it sounded more like thunder as it reached everyone''s ears. Was this guy¡­ actuallyughing at this? Isn''t he supposed to be a student of Mega Academy?


    Did they miss him? Was this boy in the Potential Viin''s list!? No. 7''s thoughts were in disarray as he tried to scour his mind for any information regarding the white-haired boy, but nothing seemed to being up.


    "You¡­ stop this!"


    One of the members of the Justice Defenders then rushed towards Riley, and as he did so, the earth beneath him erupted, with the chunks of stone quickly attaching themselves to his arm, turning into arge fist as he neared Riley.


    "Die!" White Defender roared as soon as his earthen fist made contact with Riley''s face.


    "..."


    "W¡­ what?"


    His earthen fist, however, slowly crumbled, revealing the small smile on Riley''spletely unscathed face.


    "As for you, White Defender," Riley then muttered as he looked White Defender straight in the eyes, "You were killed by No. 12."


    "W--"


    And before White Defender could even utter a word, he felt a sharp, but extremely warm feeling in his heart. The only thing he could do was look down, and as he did so, his slowly fading vision saw a hand poking out straight from the insides of his chest-- holding his mangled, but still beating heart.


    "G¡­ Grah!" A scream then thundered through the air, noting from White Defender, but from No. 12 as he pulled his arm from White Defender''s torso. He then quickly waved his hand, trying to get the blood off of it; but s, the only thing that was removed from him was the food he ate earlier; causing him to remove his helmet as he puked all over the ground.


    The man did not really look like anyone prominent¡­ just an ordinary middle-aged man.


    "Please, please don''t make me do this!"


    "Oh? Red Defender is still alive?"


    Riley then blinked a couple of times as he turned his head towards No. 11, whose hands were still wrapped around Red Defender''s throat.


    "Are you showing mercy, No. 11?"


    "W¡­ what!? Are you insane!? You''re the one doing this!"


    "I''m not doing anything, No. 11," Riley''s smile grew even wider as he slowly made his way towards No. 11, "Darkday is merciless, so it stands to reason that the organization under him should be too, correct?"


    And as soon as he finished his words, a loud crack pierced through everyone''s ears.


    "E¡­ eek!" No. 11 could not help but let out a shriek as he felt bones being crushed between his palms, "N¡­ No. 7, save me¡­ Save me!"


    "No. 7 can''t do that, No. 11," Riley then let out a small but deep sigh as he shook his head, "He is busy killing the rest."


    "W¡­ what!?"


    No. 7, who was petrified in his spot, was finally able to move a step back as he heard his name being called upon by the white-haired demon, "You¡­ are you going to control me as well!?"


    "Run, just run!" The remaining 2 members of Justice Defenders abandoned every notion of fighting back; their thoughts, no longer thinking about their dead teammates as they rushed to get away from this nightmare.


    "No, Number 7," Riley once again let out a sigh, "You''re going to kill them all on your own voluntarily¡­


    ...because I will kill the three of you if you don''t."

 Chapter 49: The Blood of the Innocent

    <h4>Chapter 49: The Blood of the Innocent</h4>


    "You''re going to kill them voluntarily. If not¡­


    ...I am going to kill the three of you."


    "W¡­ what?"


    What-- No. 7 no longer had any idea how much he had said the word in just the span of a quarter of an hour. But that truly was the only thing that was able toe out of his mouth. This was a very borate n, born almost at the same time the staff of the Academy were given information about their first school-wide exercise.


    They were here to recruit the students that belong to the Potential Viin list that the Academy hadpiled, and killing any of them would most probably have an adverse effect. And so, there was one strict rule ced upon them-- Do not, by any means, kill any of the students. They were only allowed to do so if their life was in danger, or there was a chance for them to get captured.


    And now, with a student dying on his watch, his promotion to a smaller number and someday to a named member of the Dark Millenium would surely be negatively affected. He had joined the organization a few months ago, starting from the bottom.


    He started from number 142, but he proved his mettle and paved his way to where he was now in no time at all. But after this incident? He would be lucky to be demoted and not be erased by the Dark Millenium.


    No¡­ that was the least of his worries now. He had to first escape the predicament he now finds himself in.


    Riley Ross-- he remembered who the white-haired boy was now. When they were being shown the Potential Viin list, he and his sister were briefly mentioned as Whiteking''s children. They were rmended to stay away from them as much as possible, as harming or scaring them might incur the isted wrath of one of the members of the Hope Guild; something their organization did not want for now.


    But this? Why was there no information that one of Whiteking''s children was a fucking lunatic? He just killed 4 of his fellow students, and all with a smile on his face.


    "They are getting away, No. 7."


    "Gah!"


    No. 7''s woke up from his thoughts as the sound of a shrilling scream pierced his ears. And once again, the familiar minute noise of a bone being crushed whispered to him.


    "You¡­ you said you weren''t going to kill us!" No. 7 then yelled as he saw No. 11 dropped to the ground like a doll that was cut of its strings; a huge hole now adorning his chest. But to No. 7''s surprise, No. 11''s body suddenly flinched, slightly moving up from the ground.


    "No. 11, are you--"


    But before he could finish his words, a familiar sphere the size of a baseball shot out from the cavity within No. 11''s chest; trails of blood and flesh were then flung away as the sphere rotated at a very high speed, before slowly floating its way back towards Riley.


    "Green Defender, even in death, took revenge for ck Defender," Riley then slightly let out a small chuckle as he once again hid Green Defender''spressed head in one of his pockets.


    "You¡­ you''re a fucking demon!" And with that roar, No. 7 raised his hands and summoned multiple chains of blue light, shooting them not towards Riley, but towards the two remaining members of Justice Defenders that were running away.


    "N¡­ no!" One of them screamed as the blue light wrapped around his ankle, pulling him back towards the scene of carnage. Unfortunately for the other one, he was also grabbed by hispanion by the feet, also pulling him back.


    "N¡­ No. 7¡­ what are you going to do!?" No. 12 then stuttered as his eyes moved ceaselessly from one person to the next.


    "Are¡­ you stupid? That white-haired devil is going to kill us if we don''t kill these two," No. 7''s words were cold, but his heavy breaths gave away the hesitation still lingering inside him.


    "I¡­ I didn''t sign up for this!" No. 12 said as he shook his head, "These are children, No. 7. Dark Millenium is about theing of a new age, not ughtering innocent people!"


    "Don''t you think I know tha--"


    "Pft."


    No. 7''s words were disrupted by the sound ofughter; augh that almost crawled through their bones, augh that was so devoid of warmth it almost froze them entirely.


    "An organization under Darkday that refuses to kill the innocent?"


    Each of Riley''s steps caused not only No. 12 flinch, but to everyone else its tremors reached,


    "This truly is quite funny, isn''t it, everyone?" Riley then said as he lightly flicked his fingers, and as he did so, the bodies that were scattered in front of him were blown to the side; making him a clean path, "I have decided, I want to meet¡­ this Darkday you speak of."


    "We know who you are!" Yellow Defender screamed, trying his best to escape the chains that bound all of his limbs, "Do you think you can get away with everything you''ve done here!?"


    "I can, Yellow Defender," Riley muttered as he slowly made his way to No. 7, "But I don''t really need to."


    No. 7''s head started to tremble as Riley''s face was only a foot away from his; with Riley''s reflection from the visor of his helmet clear even with all of his shivering. Riley stared at him, or perhaps at his own reflection for a few seconds before letting out a small but deep sigh.


    "Please proceed, No. 7," Riley then said as he gestured towards the two remaining Justice Defenders, "You and No. 12 still have a lot to do."


    "This¡­" No. 7''s breaths once again became erratic as Riley gave him the signal to kill the two students.


    "You¡­ are you really doing it, No. 7!?" No. 12 muttered.


    "Does it look like we have a choice!?"


    "We can just take him on!"


    "Don''t be fucking stupid, Twelve. This demon is probably an extremely High-level Telekic. I¡­


    ...I have no choice but to do this."


    "W¡­ wait, please¡­ please no!"


    "What if we all work toge--"


    The two remaining members of the Justice Defenders started to scream, but before their words could get any louder and pierce No. 7''s ears, he covered their mouth with the blue light. His eyebrows werepletely furrowed, trembling as his eyes tried to avert their gaze towards the two.


    He didn''t want the blood of the innocent in his hands, but he would be a fool to choose to save their lives instead of his own. And so, his trembling hands slowly moved; his fingers,pletely hesitant to close as they held two lives.


    But with a resolute breath, he closed his hand-- and the sound of death once again echoed through the air.


    "H¡­ guha¡­." No. 7 then dropped to the ground, and as if mirroring him, the two students also fell; their lifeless bodiesnding violently as the blue chains of light that bound them withered away.


    His eyes then slowly turned their gaze towards the two students, only to see their necks twisted in a way that they shouldn''t.


    None of these were supposed to happen. When he was approached by the Dark Millenium, he had his reservations. Who would want to be associated with the world''s most heinous superviin? He thought.


    But when he met Darkday; when he heard the truth, when he heard his ideals and his vision for the world, he waspletely mesmerized. Darkday promised them that the violence would end and that they would be the ones to end it.


    Superheroes? Superviins? None of those mattered to the Dark Millenium. Their only goal was to save the world, even if it hated them. They would paint themselves as the higher evil if it means salvation.


    But now, here he was, killing innocent men that were probably a decade younger than him. All because¡­ all because he was threatened by true evil. He then slowly raise his head up, only to see Riley not even looking at the scenery he was responsible for.


    "What¡­ what do you want from us!?" No. 7 roared.


    "If I recall, it is your people who suddenly appeared during our peaceful exercise, No. 7," Riley then said as he turned his head towards No. 7, "But I suppose I should thank you. Because of your existence, doing my purpose has be easier."


    "W¡­ What?" No. 7 once again found himself repeating the word.


    "I told you. You and No. 12 still have a lot more to do," Riley then started to move his fingers rhythmically in the air; and as he did so, the objects and debris that were near them all started to move. And soon, even the bodies began to float as they seemingly moved to specific locations.


    "You¡­"


    "A hard-fought battle happened here," Riley said with a chuckle, "But in the end, the Justice Defenders failed to hold the members of the Dark Millenium; causing the deaths of most of the students of ss 1-F, as well as a few instructors that protected them."


    "W¡­ what?"


    "I told you," Riley then muttered, "You and No. 12 still have a lot to do. I think my sister is being bullied by her ss-- and I don''t like that."


    "You want us to--"


    "Yes, No. 7. I am ordering you¡­


    ...to kill more of them."

 Chapter 50: Warmth

    <h4>Chapter 50: Warmth</h4>


    "Yes, No. 7. I am ordering you¡­


    ...to kill more of them."


    "W¡­ what?"


    And once more, it would seem No. 7''s vocabry has been reduced to a single word. He had thought that the nightmare was finally over, but it turns out that all of his fettered breaths were just the beginning¡­ this white-haired demon will not let go of them until their breaths arepletely gone.


    "You think we''re going to do that for you!?"


    With the only two of them left, the whisper of a light thud rolled from the ground as No. 12 removed his-- her helmet. It would seem their helmet had some sort of device installed in it that was able to change their voice.


    Riley should probably get something like that when hees out of his retirement, he thought. He had always been using his telekinesis to alter the way his voicees out from his mouth whenever he was in costume, so this should help take away that minor convenience.


    No. 12 continued to voice out all of her fears and frustrations, the high-pitched tone of her voice reflecting her looks which did not even seem to be older than Hannah. Her eyes were that of an auburn color, her hair which now flowed across her shoulders glimmered in a luscious brown.


    "..."


    "I''m out!" No. 12 yelled once more, "I''m out! I didn''t sign up for thweth-- ha?"


    Her words then abruptly stopped as she felt her speech disgruntled. But as she turned her head down, she felt her chin lightly hitting her throat.


    "E¡­ eh?" No. 12 then looked towards No. 7, wanting to ask him what just happened. However, the only response she got from No. 7 was him slightly backing away. And then, ever so slowly, she felt her vision shift; with No. 7 now standing upside down.


    "Why¡­ You promised not to kill her!"-- were thest words that No. 12 heard before her visionpletely faded.


    "I didn''t kill her, Green Defender did," Riley then said as he waved his hand¡­ or more specifically, he waved Green Defender''s sharp arms with his hand, "I am retired, you see. I won''t kill people for now."


    "You just killed 8 people here!" No. 7 wailed.? Are¡­ are you insane!?"


    "That''s debatable, No. 7," Riley once again waved Green Defender''s arm as he shooed No. 7 away, "Now, off you go. Kill the students of ss 1-F, you should have a list of them, correct?"


    "I¡­ I can''t possibly kill all of them."


    "Just do what you can, No.7."


    "!!!"


    No. 7 suddenly felt a thin pressure around his neck, like there was a pair of small arms wrapping around--


    "Eek!" No. 7 then jumped in shock, as there really were a small pair of arms strangling him; not just arms, but a whole silhouette. He could not see it clearly since the majority of the silhouette was out of his view; but he was sure about something-- the silhouette was a person, a literal small person.


    "Get¡­ get it away!" No. 7 tried to pull it away, but as he did so, he could feel a slight burn on his skin as it was almost ripped apart.


    "Please don''t be rude, No. 7," Riley then let out a sigh as he carefully ced Green Defender''s arm on the ground, "Its brain is dramatically smaller than my other human-sized copies, so it would be best to treat it like you would me¡­ or it would probably kill you on the spot."


    "W¡­ what?" No. 7 could hear his heavy breaths circling inside his helmet as the pressure around his neck slowly disappeared. He then felt a trickle walking on his shoulders, he looked; only for him to see another Riley sitting on it.


    "Everything it sees, I see," Riley muttered, "And if you don''t do as I tell you, it will kill you. If you try to leave without killing at least 5 more students, it will kill you. If you do anything it doesn''t like, it will kill you. If you are captured, it will kill you."


    "Wh--"


    But before No. 7 could finish the words he had been uttering for a dozen times now, Riley suddenly grabbed something from his pocket, causing him to take in a huge nervous gulp. What he did not expect, however, was that Riley was only grabbing a pair of sunsses.


    "I will find you and your¡­ group when you''re done. I have some business to attend to with your so-called leader," Riley then said before wearing his sunsses, and abruptly walking away while flipping his coat to the side; leaving No. 7 all on his own,pletely and utterly confused as to what just happened.


    "..." No. 7 then slowly turned his head towards the miniature person sitting on his shoulder, only for it to p him on his helmet, causing him to stumble a few meters from where he stood. And without any warning, it climbed inside his helmet.


    "Go. Now."


    It then whispered into his ear, its voice incredibly high-pitched; but even then...


    ...it sounded like a death sentence.


    And while No. 7 was digging his resolve to do what he has to do to survive, Riley Ross was currently casually walking¡­ floating around Toronto, his eyes as if trying to search for something.


    Minutes passed, and he found himself in the middle of a wastnd. There were no buildings, no cars, no sound. Clean;pletely silent as if even the tiniest of organisms refuse to live on it. The only thing it contained were craters. Dozens of craters and some almost a quarter of a mile wide.


    It would be akin to say that he was in a desert of concrete, but no. He was still in Toronto, right in the middle where the fateful battle between him and Mega Woman ended.


    "..." Riley then descended from the air as hended on thergest crater in the area. And as soon as hended, he closed his eyes and kneeled on the ground; raising both of his arms into some sort of embrace as his breaths echoed through the emptiness¡­ the loneliness he now found himself in.


    Mega Woman''s warmth¡­ it was as if he could feel it here. He could remember the feeling of Mega Woman''s skin around his arms as he snapped his neck right here, in this exact same spot.


    She screamed, but not like everyone else he had heard. She did not scream for herself, but for the people¡­ always for the people. She did not beg for her life, but for the people.


    Even as he snapped her legs, broke her ribs; not once did she worry about herself. Such selflessness even in pain, even in suffering-- it truly reminded Riley of his sister.


    He misses her, he wants to feel her warmth again. Everything and everyone else he destroys is meaningless without her.


    Were there actually more?


    Is there actually more like her out there?


    What if she was thest? What if she was thest and Riley will never be able to see her again?


    "Mega Woman¡­ Mega Woman¡­ Mega Woman¡­"


    Riley''s embrace then tightened as his whispers once again echoed throughout the vast emptiness, "Should I go now? Should I break my promise and find you? Should I kill everyone until I find my way to you?"


    "I¡­ I shouldn''t have ended things between us, Mega Woman," Riley then looked at the palm of his hands, trembling uncontrobly, "And now these urges¡­ the urges I have been trying to imprison within me want to go out. I am afraid if this continues¡­


    ...I would have no choice but to kill he--"


    "You¡­ You''re Dark- Huk!"


    Riley''s eyes immediately widened as he quickly stretched his arm towards the voice that rudely interrupted him from talking. He was about to close his hand into a fist, but as soon as he saw who it was, he slowly put down his arm.


    "Y¡­ you''re Dark¡­ you''re Darkday!" The owner of the voice stuttered, vehemently coughing as she quickly removed her helmet, letting her beautiful jet-ck hair smoothly flow through her sides.


    "Did you follow me here, Dark-- Tomoe Reynolds?"


    "I¡­ I saw you," Tomoe then gently held her neck as she continued to cough; and even as a sliver of tears started to form in her eyes, they could not be any clearer, "I saw what you did earlier¡­ It''s you, isn''t it? You¡­


    ...You''re Darkday!" Tomoe then let out a small and fettered chuckle as she tried her best to recover herself from almost having her neck snapped.


    "And what makes you think that, Tomoe Reynolds?"


    "The¡­ the way you talk, your mannerisms; even though your voice ispletely different, I know it. It''s¡­ It''s you!" Tomoe continued to stutter, the monotonous voice she always had waspletely gone as her hands started to tremble, seemingly trying to reach for Riley''s face but restraining herself from doing so.


    "I¡­ I know I''m right. I have¡­ I have collected every sighting of you in my room," Tomoe then slightly blushed as she looked to the side. But then, after a few seconds, she let out a small gasp as her face suddenly twisted, "I¡­ I disrespected you earlier, oh no¡­ no¡­ no¡­


    ...Please, please forgive me, Darkday!"


    "..." Even as Tomoe''s words were starting to turn into a cry, Riley only held a curious expression on his face as he stared at her, "And what will you be doing with that information, Tomoe?"


    "N¡­ nothing, nothing. I¡­ I will treasure it and keep it a secret forever," Tomoe once again stuttered. And soon, as she was only a meter away from Riley, her legs suddenly fell to the ground,


    "Please, please let me serve you, Darkday!" Tomoe groveled, her lips almost kissing the ground, "I will do anything for you, please--"


    "Hm¡­


    ...Okay."

 Chapter 51: Tomoe Reynolds

    <h4>Chapter 51: Tomoe Reynolds</h4>


    Minutes earlier, when most of the Justice Defenders, and No. 11 and 12 were still alive; in the midst of all the chaos, Tomoe found a chance to run away. She wanted to take Riley Ross with her since he saved him from being ganged up by the Defenders, but the only response she got from him was that she should go ahead.


    She didn''t hesitate leaving him, of course. She already offered for the two of them to escape, but he refused-- she would have no guilt even if he died; well, not like she would have in the first ce.


    But still, as she was running away, there was this feeling inside of her that there was something odd about Riley Ross. Perhaps it was his calmness, which was even eerier than hers.


    Throughout her stay in the Academy, she didn''t really have anyone to call a friend. Of course, why would she, when she was only there to train and learn more about her powers? She was trying her best to lie low, as she knew deep inside her that she wasn''t a hero-- but a viin.


    Her preferences, tendencies, as well as her overall demeanor already dictated what she was to be-- even her own mother didn''t fail to remind her every day that she was a monster.


    Tomoe belonged to a very low percentage of Supers-- those who were able to use their powers during infancy. She didn''t really remember when exactly, but when she was younger, she used to y with her abilities without any care.


    Trying to wrap her entire room with sheets of ice whenever it was hot, filling their backyard with snow so she could y in it; from childish games and ys¡­ to killing her father.


    She no longer remembered if she truly did mean for it to happen, but one day her powers became too uncontroble; the ice that she summoned turned into a darker color. She was scared and wanted to show her dad what was happening to her¡­ but that was when Tomoe killed him.


    And since that day, her motherbeled her a monster; and so did the rest of her family and the entire neighborhood. She isted herself, noting out of her room except to go to school. And after it is over, shees home and goes directly back to her sce.


    Every day was the same, and the only time she hears her mother''s voice was when she calls her a monster. This repeated again and again; until one day, she heard about Darkday. He didn''t have a name then, but there was a forum on the inte that discussed all of the new sightings of possible superviins.


    Most of the people tried to ignore him, saying he was only a wannabe superviin and would probably be caught soon. Most ignored him; but not her. Just from the few videos she had seen, she saw something from Darkday that she sorely wanted to have--


    --eptance.


    Not eptance from others, but eptance for what he truly is-- Evil.


    Darkday did not have any chains, no rhyme, no reason for what he was doing. He was true to himself and did not let anyone get in his way, and she wanted that.


    She wanted to be like him.


    And soon, her dark-colored eyes that knew nothing but loneliness started to glisten as it was filled with nothing but Darkday¡­ literally. Every corner of her room had posters of Darkday stered on it-- And yet, it was the brightest it had been for years.


    But s, much to her dismay, Darkday decided to retire. And she once again found herself alone in her room.


    When the news of Mega Academy was announced, she immediately thought of it as an escape from her mother and a way to discover the full potential of her abilities-- and that maybe, just maybe¡­ when Darkday returns, she would be able to stand by his side.


    Nothing else mattered, only Darkday. Well, at least it was supposed to be like that.


    Now, as she was running away from the people of the Dark Millenium, she could not help shake the feeling that something was going to happen¡­ because of Riley Ross. His calmness, even as someone was brutally murdered in front of him, was truly eerie.


    When she saw ck Defender''s headless body, even she was shocked and disturbed. But Riley? She couldn''t see it clearly since she ran away after it happened, but it was as if he was even smiling.


    "..."


    With this thought, the sound of Tomoe''s hurried steps slowly died down, beating more sluggishly by the second until itpletely stopped. Something else was going on there, she thought.


    And so, as if fate was telling her to go back, her feet moved on their own. She hid in a nearby ruined building before witnessing everything that transpired. Riley''s actions, the way he speaks, his violence¡­ it all reminded her of one person.


    Finally, she thought-- would she finally be able to have a friend in the Academy? Someone who she can share her passion with, someone with who she would be able to talk to about Darkday?


    And so, after everything was over, she decided to follow him from afar. She was confused, she thought he was going to find more people to kill, but in the end, Riley just went to a ce devoid of any people.


    And as soon as he stopped floating around, Tomoe decided to approach and talk to him. However, the words Riley uttered echoed through her ears, lighting up the bulb that was already threatening to light itself up.


    She thought they were just simr-- but no. Riley Ross¡­ is Darkday.


    And now, with that revtion, the only thing she could do was kneel in front of her god.


    "Please¡­ Please let me serve you, Darkday! I will do anything for you, please--"


    "Okay."


    "...Eh?"


    Tomoe was ready to grovel and kiss his feet if that was what he wanted, but for him to agree without even a second thought was¡­ was¡­


    ...truly something she imagined Darkday would do!


    "Does¡­ does this mean I work for you now!?"


    "I suppose," Riley then crouched on the ground, picking up Tomoe''s helmet before somewhat thoroughly examining it, "You don''t have a voice changer, Tomoe?"


    "I¡­ Should I have one?"


    "That is entirely up to you, Second Subordinate," Riley then said as he handed the helmet back to Tomoe, "I will be calling you that for now until I find you a suitable name."


    "You¡­ you''re going to name me!?" Tomoe''s hand trembled uncontrobly, almost dropping her helmet back to the ground. However, after a few milliseconds, the trembling abruptly stopped as her eyes slightly squinted,


    "I¡­ I do not want to pry, Master," she then said with a gulp, "But what do you mean by Second Subordinate?"


    "It is what it is, Tomoe. You are my second subordinate."


    "I¡­ I''m not the first?"


    "No, Silver Moon is."


    "Silver¡­ Isn''t that the name Silvie wanted for you, Master?"


    "I suppose. It is a nice name so I gave it to Katherine."


    "Who¡­ who is this Katherine?" Hearing another woman''s name being uttered from Riley''s lips, Tomoe could not help but wear her helmet as her jaws began to tremble.


    "Right, you know her by a different name. She is¡­"


    ***


    "Riley! Where the fuck have you been!?"


    "I was just reminiscing, I am sorry for worrying you, sister."


    "You fucking shit!"


    Hannah''s muffled words seeped from Riley''s shoulders as she tightly embraced. Silvie and Gary were also a few meters behind them; they were contemting on whether to join into a group hug, but hearing Hannah''s voice teeming with weakness, they chose not to do so.


    And so, they had to wait a couple more seconds until Hannah let go of her brother before they could express their relief.


    "You had us all worried, man," Gary then said as he wiped the tearing out of his left eye, "This¡­ this is just from all the dust."


    "I am d you are safe, Riley," Silvie said after letting out a long and disgruntled sigh, "But¡­ how exactly are youpletely unscathed?"


    Not only Silvie, but Hannah, Gary, and the unnamed student from another ss could not help but look at Riley from head to toe. His costume¡­ it was still as immacte as the time they left from the Academy.


    "Because he is strong."


    It was not Riley, however, who answered Silvie''s question. But the ck-d woman following him from behind.


    "Dark Millenium!"


    "Don''t be stupid, Dragon Monarch," Silvie quickly but lightly hit Gary on the head before he could rush towards the individual, "That''s Dark Frost, she is in our ss."


    Hearing and feeling Silvie''s words, Gary could only let out an awkward chuckle as he examined Tomoe''s costume; and true enough, the name tag was still strongly pinned on her torso, "R¡­ right. But¡­ why are you with Riley?"


    "It is fate that brought us together, Dragon Monarch," Tomoe calmly said before turning her attention towards Hannah, "Your brother saved me¡­ from members of the Dark Millenium."


    "That''s--"


    And before Hannah could even utter a response, Tomoe suddenly bowed her head.


    "I owe him my life, sister."


    "Sis--"


    "I have checked the vicinity, we should be clear-- Riley? You''re back?" And as the group was willfully chatting, Scarlet Mage gently descended from the sky, her red luscious hairnding closely in front of Tomoe.


    "..."


    "I am, Scarlet Mage. I apologize for worrying all of you."


    "No, it''s fine. I know what you''re truly capable of," Scarlet Mage let out a small but deep sigh; a small smile slightly crawling on her face. The smile, however, was interrupted as soon as she felt an ominous starending on her.


    "...Dark Frost? It''s good you''re here as well. Where are the rest of the students from your sector?"


    "I don''t know," Tomoe quickly answered, her monotonous tone turning even colder, "Most of us ran to different directions when the Dark Millenium came."


    "Did¡­ they try to recruit you?"


    "Yes."


    "Oh shit¡­ You didn''t join!?" Gary joined in on the conversation, "With the way you''re ogling about Darkday, I thought you would surely--"


    "It''s a fake group. I would never join something like that," Tomoe quickly answered, her gaze almost prating through her helmet as they did not leave Scarlet Mage for even a second, "I am loyal to Darkday and Darkday only¡­


    ...My devotion to him is without equal."


    "Okay¡­ a little creepy, but okay," Gary nodded several times before backing away.


    "..." Scarlet Mage could not help but squint her eyes as she looked back and forth between Tomoe and Riley. Did¡­ something happen between the two?


    "You--"


    But before she could ask, a loud static whistled through her ear.


    [All faculty, please return to the rendezvous point. I repeat, please return to the rendezvous point.]


    "H¡­ hello!? What''s happening? Shouldn''t we be dealing with the Dark Millenium!?"


    [...They''re gone. They just disappeared.]


    "...What? How!? How many students did they take!?"


    [We don''t know yet. However¡­ there are casualties.]


    "Miss Scarlet Mage, is that the Academy? What are they saying!?"


    "Casualties? What do you mean casualties!?"


    [...They killed some of our students.]

 Chapter 52: A Small Crisis

    <h4>Chapter 52: A Small Crisis</h4>


    "What¡­ what did they say, Miss Scarlet Mage?"


    Not only Silvie, but Hannah and the others all held their breaths as they saw the look on Scarlet Mage''s face. Scarlet Mage had always held a stern and strict look on her face, but there was also a hint of calmness and tenderness on it; and so, seeing herpletely flustered, they could not help but think of the worse.


    "...Nothing," Scarlet Mage shook her head with a sigh, "It''s best we get back to the bus now that the members of this so-called Dark Millenium are gone."


    "Gone? Just like that?"


    "What did they want? Did they really kidnap some of our ssmates!?"


    "Fucking hell, the government has enough money to build something like Mega Academy but once we''re out they can''t spare any security? As expected of the government."


    "...I will share the details once we have confirmed everything," hearing theints of her students, Scarlet Mage could only let out a sigh. She thought that the Dark Millenium was just some wannabe superviin group since the one they encountered did not seem that much of a threat¡­


    ...But to think they actually killed some students? It was one thing to kidnap students directly under the government, but to actually do what they did? The government would have no choice but to react with extreme violence-- not to mention superheroes who have their children enrolled in the Academy.


    If her guess was right, then the government would probably issue a strict manhunt for Dark Millenium. And as an instructor of the Academy, she would probably be included in the force.


    "..." But if she were to be gone, then that would mean she wouldn''t be able to watch and guard everyone else from Riley. Of course, avenging the students is a must, but the real monster was within their midst, which was incredibly much more important. Just a few students don''t merit her letting Riley out of her si--


    What was she thinking!?-- Scarlet Mage thought as she violently shook her head. The lives of the students aren''t important? What was wrong with her!?


    "...Miss Scarlet Mage?" Silvie then slightly leaned her head closer to Scarlet Mage, her eyes filled with worry, "Did¡­ something bad happen?"


    "We''re still confirming what happened," Scarlet Mage then repeated her earlier words as she woke up from her stupor, "Silvie, lead the way. I''ll cover the back just in case some of the members of the Dark Millenium are still here."


    "Y¡­ yes," Scarlet Mage straightened her back as she nodded, "Of course, Miss Scarlet Mage."


    And so, the group started to head back to where the buses were parked. Each of their steps was cautious, of course; the Dark Millennium had some sort of high capacity pressure bomb, it would be dangerous if they left some of those lingering around on the ground.


    "Where¡­ did you go?"


    Scarlet Mage had another purpose for guarding the rear, of course; and that was to quietly talk with Riley.


    "You suddenly disappeared and you made your sister worried sick."


    "I was just reminiscing and killing time, Scarlet Mage," Riley answered, his eyes looking straight ahead, "And are we really going back to the Academy?"


    "...No," Scarlet Mage quickly shook her head, "It seems that the government had set up some sort of safety shelter a few miles away as part of the Academy. It isn''t safe until we find out how they gained all that information about us."


    "I see, that is very convenient, Scarlet Mage. We actually need to go somewhereter, it saves me the minor inconvenience of having to escape from the Academy."


    "What? Where are you going? I doubt they would let any one of the students out."


    "What they want is irrelevant, Scarlet Mage. And it''s not only me that''s leaving. I will be meeting with the members of the Dark Milleniumter. There is someone impersonating my identity there, we can''t have--"


    And before Riley could finish his words, Scarlet Mage covered his mouth as her eyes were fixated on the student nearest to them-- Tomoe.


    "It is fine, Scarlet Mage," Riley then let out a sigh as he removed Scarlet Mage''s hand, "Dark Frost knows."


    "Knows¡­ what?"


    "My identity. She guessed who I am. It''s quite an amazing feat, is it not?"


    "She did what?" Scarlet Mage turned her focus on Dark Frost; and even though her face waspletely covered with a helmet, she could still feel her heart that beat with a certain kind of animosity.


    "...You are just lucky that you are first," Tomoe then said with a click of a tongue.


    Of course-- Scarlet Mage thought. If there was someone that would be able to rte Riley to Darkday, it would be her-- Darkday''s self-proimed number 1 fan.


    "Why drag a student into this?" Scarlet Mage then said, her tone slightly cold, "I thought this is only going to be between us?"


    "I did not drag her, she applied."


    "She''s only a student, Riley. Please don''t hold any of her loved ones hostages."


    "I see, you are only following him because he has someone you care for," Tomoe then let out a small but mocking sigh as she walked closer to the two, "My loyalty for Darkday is undying and true, unlike yours; It truly is such a shame that the First Subordinate is someone like you, Scarlet Mage."


    "What? I am still your teacher," Scarlet Mage could not help but let out a tone of frustration, "And loyalty? My loyalty to Riley is also un-- No, forget what I said."


    "That''s what I thought¡­ teacher," Tomoe then smugly worded out as she walked closer to Riley.


    Scarlet Mage twitched her eyes a couple of times as she took a few steps back. Was she about to say that she was loyal to Darkday? Was she losing her mind? Of course, something already happened between the two of them, but that was just a momentarypse of judgment driven by lust-- nothing more.


    "...What do you think that cougar is talking about with my brother?" In the front, Hannah''s eyes were currently that of a hawk; not leaving Scarlet Mage out of her sight, "Sil¡­ Mega Girl, can you eavesdrop on them? Don''t you have like super-hearing or something?"


    "I do, but I can''t control it that well and it makes my head go all woozy¡­ but even if I can do it, it is not right to use my abilities for something like that, Nuclear Baby," Silvie breathed out, "...Although I am a little curious as well."


    "Right? Let''s do it!?"


    "N¡­ no. I am sure she''s just checking up on him since he disappeared."


    "Tch, you''re no fun. What about you, DM? Can you hear what they''re saying?"


    "I¡­ I''ll try," Gary muttered as he slowed down his steps to let Riley and the others catch up to him.


    "What are you doing? You''re being so obvious!"


    "Well¡­ How am I supposed to hear them? I don''t have super-hearing."


    "What the fuck, then why are you still doing it!? Just¡­


    ...Get back here!"


    It took almost an hour of walking, but the group finally safely arrived back in the parking lot-- same with many others. Their whispers and mor all filled the air with questions, but none of the instructors or any of the other staff seemed to have the intention of answering any of them.


    Instead, they just strictly ordered them to return to their respective buses and wait for further instructions. Of course, the students didn''t really like being kept in the dark-- but seeing as the air around them was filled with some sort of tension, they had no choice but to follow their orders.


    And when they got on the buses, they found out that the windows were alreadypletely sealed; with absolutely no view of the outside.


    Green Fly, Riley and the others'' designated driver, did not even say anything to them as he just hastily drove them away without a single word; which was odd since he was extremely talkative on the way to Toronto.


    "...Just, what exactly is going on?" Silvie could not help but whisper the thoughts of all the students on her bus. But afterward, she then turned to look at Tomoe, who was now riding with them, "You¡­ should probably take your helmet off. I don''t think it''s the right time to be adorning something like that, the other students are starting to look at you with hostility, Tomoe."


    "Their opinions of me are meaningless, Silvie. This helmet is my devotion to Darkday."


    "You''re still saying shit like that, girl?" Hannah breathed out, her words containing a hint of frustration, "This isn''t the time to be ying around, someone might actually attack you because of the Dark Millenials or whatever."


    "They are a fake group, and nothing more. I would not be swayed by--"


    "My sister is right, Tomoe. I think you should also change to a new costume, that one belongs only to Darkday."


    "H¡­ hey, man. No need to be too harsh on her--"


    "If that is what you wish."


    And before Gary could fully join in on the conversation, Tomoe suddenly removed her helmet, "I¡­ I will design a new costume, maybe you can help me?"


    "That much is obvious, Tomoe. You need a proper uniform simr to what I have now."


    "Really!?"


    "...What the fuck," seeing Tomoe''s pitch suddenly turn simr to that of a Japanese school girl, Hannah''s hair all started to stand up on their ends. It waspletely creepy, she thought. Tomoe''s voice had this cold tone in it, so to see her squealing like that was¡­ odd.


    Although it did seem somewhat fitting, her face still does look Asian. But¡­


    "...Are these two really this close?"


    "I don''t think I have seen them talk to each other in ss," Silvie also squinted her eyes as she watched Tomoe, "...She barely even talks to anyone."


    "I am seeing a trope here," Gary then added as he ced his hand on his chin, "Riley¡­ is a harem protagonist."


    "What the fuck are you on about?"


    "Seriously, can''t you see the pattern!? It''s so obvious a 12-year old might have written it," Gary added, "A hot sister, a hot and strict but caring teacher, and now the cold and aloof girl in ss!? I¡­ I have watched too much to know where this is going!"


    "Why am I included in that list!?" Hannah then roared as she kicked Gary in the face, "He''s my brother, that''s disgusting!"


    "Uhmm¡­" Silvie could not help but let out a whisper of a hum as she watched as Gary''s face became squished, "...Why am I not included in the list?"


    "You¡­ You don''t know what he''s talking about, do you?" Hannah then slightly stuttered as she looked Silvie straight in the eyes.


    "No? Isn''t it just Riley''s female friends?"


    "Ohoho, our dear innocent Silvie," Gary then said as he tried to put his arm over Silvie''s shoulders, "Let me introduce you to the colorful world... of Henta--"


    "Do not corrupt her¡­


    ...you little shit!"


    The students of the Academy all continued to have their own theories and guesses as to what was happening; and this continued on until they reached the safety emergency shelter of the Academy. Most of them were confused, of course-- as they all thought they were going straight home to the Academy.


    But seeing as the Academy had gone through all of this... would mean that they were actually facing something truly serious.


    "Anyone!? Has anyone seen any of my ssmates?"


    "What''s going on? Who''s that?"


    And as the students were settling them in inside the huge empty dome, the cry of one student roared above everyone else.


    "He''s been shouting since earlier... I think he''s from ss 1-F?"


    "They''re not here? Maybe... they all went with the Dark Millenium?"


    "Yeah... What''s with that? Potential Viin list? Don''t you think it''s kind of discriminatory?"


    "Kind of. Must suck to belong in that list. Pft."


    "Tell me about it. But who knows, maybe you belong in it?"


    "What did you say!? But... what if I actually am? What...


    ...does that even mean?"


    And as a quiet turmoil slowly started to boil in the shelter, another one had already started from far-away--


    "Why¡­ did you kill the students!?"


    In a dark metal room somewhere in the world, No. 7 was currently groveling on the ground.


    "Do you know how much trouble I will be in right now!? You are in my jurisdiction, how dare you do something like this!?"


    "I¡­ I''m truly sorry, August," No. 7 said meekly said; his face under the helmet, however, waspletely infuriated. There was literally a small creature resting in his helmet threatening to kill him right now. He had no time to be wasting here being reprimanded by a superior that was probably weaker than him in terms of abilities.


    "But I think¡­ I need to talk to someone higher up," No. 7 then slowly stood up from the ground, "There''s¡­ we have a crisis on our hands."


    "Of course we have a crisis! You killed people, No. 7! Do you really think you actually have the chance to talk to Ms. Friday and the others after what you--"


    "This guy. Kill."


    "What¡­ did you just say to me!?"


    "That¡­ that wasn''t me!"


    "There''s only two of us here!"


    "This guy. Noisy. Please kill¡­


    ...or I kill you."


    "What¡­ Who is talking!? Do you have a microphone on you!? Did you betray--"


    And before the man called August could finish his words, a chain of blue light suddenly crawled through his mouth.


    "I¡­ am sorry about this, August¡­


    ...but you don''t know what I''ve seen."

 Chapter 53: Am I A Villain!?

    <h4>Chapter 53: Am I A Viin!?</h4>


    "Am I a viin!?"


    "We¡­ we demand to see the list!"


    "I don''t want to be sharing a room with someone who will be a viin in the future! Why did you hide this from us!?"


    "Y¡­ yes, please make the list public!"


    With the information of the Potential Viin list spreading like wildfire amongst the students, the hemispherical shape of the dome served as an amplifier to fan out their words. Those who were previously treating each other as friends were now meters apart; the students almost looked like that of a honeb, their gaps to each other almost equal as they tried their best to avoid one another.


    "Man, everyone is on edge they might as well be Riley."


    There were still groups that were closely huddled with each other, of course-- and Riley''s group was among them; peacefully sitting on the cold concrete floor.


    "Do you have time to be that chill?" Hannah let out a scoff as she heard Gary''s words, "You''re probably in that fucking list."


    "What!? Why me? If there would be someone on that list it would be this guy!"


    "Gary, it''s not nice to use someone," Silvie let out a short but deep sigh as she shook her head.


    "What? But didn''t Hannah just use me of--"


    "It doesn''t matter whether I am on the list or not," seeing Gary pointing at her, Tomoe only took a short nce before once again fixating her head towards Riley, "What matters now is that I am in Darkday''s list."


    "...What does that even mean, you psycho?" Hannah let out a small scoff, "And I didn''t know my brother had another friend in 1-V."


    "No!" Tomoe immediately stood up, "I¡­ I don''t dare to im to be Riley''s friend!"


    "I¡­ see. Our group has be full of weirdos. Anyway, I thought your instructor will be giving us news? It''s been an hour and we''re still being left in the dark about what happened." Hannah then said as her eyes scanned the dome. There were already small fights happening, and yet none of the instructors on any other staff had responded.


    "...Is it possible that many students went with the Dark Millenium?" Silvie then added as she also stood up to scan the area, "Although¡­ we can''t really count since there''s too many of us."


    "That''s probably the case," Gary thenzily dropped his back on the floor, "They couldn''t get me, so they probably settled with my inferiors."


    "...Yeah, that''s probably it," Hannah let out a tiny scoff as she rolled her eyes, "In any case, we should probably find your instructor so we can--"


    "I told you I am not on the Potential Viin list! I don''t even know what that is!"


    "You''re lying! I saw your performance during the simtion, youughed while identally killing the hostages!"


    "That''s a simtion! I wouldn''t do that in real life!"


    The group''s conversation was cut short as a couple of students near them started to get violent, with one summoning a bunch of insectsing out of his sleeves.


    "Isn''t he¡­ from our ss?" Silvie uttered.


    "I think so," Gary said as he quickly stood up to look at themotion, "Robert Moore¡­ General Parasite. The one she''s fighting with is also from our ss, I think. Wait¡­ most of them are from our ss."


    "I guess they gathered here since Silvie''s here," Hannah muttered before shaking her head, "It''s not our problem, let them settle it on their own. The situation in the shelter is already going bonkers, it''s best we don''t add fuel to the fire."


    "Bu--"


    "Don''t even think about it, Silv," Hannah said before Silvie could even utter a word, "With your position as the Mega Student, the pretentious righteous motherfuckers would probably use you to rally to find out who is who."


    "But still, we just can''t sit around doing no--"


    "Stop this! Why are we fighting each other!?"


    And once again, before Silvie could finish her words, a loud and high-pitched voice echoed throughout the whole shelter. Gary and the others quickly looked as to who was intervening, only for their eyes tond on a pair of two humongous melons-- belonging to none other than Katrina Collins of ss 1-V, aka Hurricane Katrina.


    "Even¡­ even if you think someone belongs to this stupid Potential Viin list, it doesn''t mean they''re bad people!" Katrina bellowed as she stood between General Parasite and her other ssmate, "They''re just misguided! Isn''t that why we are here in the Academy!? To be the best versions of ourselves!?"


    "K¡­ Katrina," General Parasite stuttered as he slowly retracted the insects that came out of his sleeves.


    "Please, everyone. Stop fighting!"


    "Very well said, girl."


    And as soon as Katrina finished her words, a calm but slightly raspy voice reverberated throughout the whole dome. They all tried to search who the voice wasing from, but before they could find the source, a huge hologram appeared in the air right in the center of the dome.


    "H...hey, it''s your father."


    "Shh! That''s a secret, you fucker!"


    "S¡­ sorry," Gary immediately covered his mouth, but not before taking a hit on the head from Hannah.


    "None of you were supposed to be aware of the existence of the Potential Viin list. But what is done is done, so let me be the one to confirm it to all of you-- the Potential Viin list is real."


    "W¡­ what!?" Hearing none other than Whiteking confirming it, the students once again began to mor. But before it could get any worse, Whiteking once again shared his words.


    "But that¡­ little girl is right; all of you are here so we could teach you how to be better-- How to be a hero in the future that the you now would be proud of," Whiteking''s hologram started to walk through the air, "Do you think that just because someone has the potential to do bad, that they can never do good? Let me tell you this¡­


    ...No one is born evil."


    "..." Riley let out a small but fettered breath as he heard his father''s words. No one¡­ is born evil? If so, then why does someone like him exist?


    "I will tell you this now, there is no reason to ostracize each other. Because if bad people are capable of doing good, the same could be said vice-versa. The way you are acting right now to your fellow students-- Do you not think you would one day also be written in the Potential Viin list?"


    "T¡­ that''s¡­" Whiteking''s words resounded to all of the students, especially to those who were using others of belonging to the list; most of their heads, now looking to the ground.


    "27%," Whiteking continued, "27.4%. As of now, that is the number of students that belong to the list. The Academy is trying its best to make that 0%. Please, give us, your ssmates, and yourself the chance to make that zero."


    "..."


    "S¡­ sorry, Robert," the female student that was using General Parasite could not help but apologize as soon as Whiteking''s words reached her heart.


    "It''s¡­ okay, it''s my fault for being a maniac."


    "...What?"


    "And now, to more concerning matters."


    It would seem that the announcements weren''t done, as Whiteking''s words once again reverberated throughout the dome; but this time, his hologram disappeared, only to be reced by a blindfolded instructor.


    "Isn''t that your instructor, Hannah banana?"


    "Y¡­ yeah," seeing her ss'' instructor suddenly showing himself, Hannah could not help but take in a nervous gulp. Even in ss, Nightwalker rarely talks if he doesn''t need to-- so seeing him out in the open like this¡­ something was wrong.


    "Hannah Ross--"


    "!!!" Hannah''s body straightened up as she suddenly heard her name. But when she thought that she was being called, Nightwalker started mentioning other names.


    "DeAndre Brown, Ryan Woods, Latisha James, andstly Luis Hardy; you will be designated in different sses. Please wait for more information about your transfer."


    "W¡­ what?" Hannah blinked a couple of times as she looked at Riley and the others, "What''s going on?"


    And before anyone else could answer her, Whiteking once again appeared in the hologram.


    "The names you have heard just now... belong to the students of ss 1-F," Whiteking said in a weak tone, his bravado tone nowpletely gone as he almost stuttered his words, "They are the only students left from their ss¡­


    ...the others have sadly died in the hands of the so-called terrorist group, Dark Millenium."


    "!!!"


    "No¡­ fucking way¡­ what?" Hannah almost fell to her butt, but Riley slightly lifted her up in the air before she could do so.


    It wasn''t only the remaining students of ss 1-F who were shocked, most of the students were as they all turned to look at each other. Dead? Some of them have actually died? How¡­ did something like this happen when they literally had superheroes as their teachers?


    "We¡­ were supposed to protect you," Whiteking continued, "The organization knew every bit of our movements, they knew all of the students and superheroes that would be present, and they even hacked into the satellite I borrowed from the government¡­


    ...But none of those are excuses as to why we failed to protect you. We are not asking for your forgiveness or requesting your trust. But what I can assure you, is this--


    --A team is already being gathered to rescue your ssmates that have been abducted by the Dark Millenium, and we will not rest until we do. But for now, please remain here until we sort everything out."


    And with that, the hologram shut down; the reflection of Whiteking in everyone''s eyes faded.


    "They¡­ killed my ssmates?" Even with all of the people letting out gasps of shock, Hannah''s fettered whispers still reached the rest of the group, "H¡­ how? Why?"


    "Don''t be too down, Hannah," Gary said as he let out a short but deep sigh, "Those Justice pricks belong there, right? They probably deserved it."


    "What? Do you even hear yourself? Some of those students are even younger than us," Hannah said as she furrowed her eyebrows, "They''re dicks, but it doesn''t mean they deserve to die."


    "R¡­ right, sorry."


    "Miss Scarlet Mage!" And as the two were talking, Silvie suddenly raised her voice as she looked at Scarlet Mage, who was currently approaching them. However, even with her loud voice, Scarlet Mage did not seem to hear her as she only called for Riley, with Tomoe following behind him.


    "W¡­ what''s with that?" Hannah said as her eyebrows furrowed even further.


    "You were right, Hannah," Silvie then said as she let out a deep breath, "There are times we need to eavesdrop."


    "What? What did you hear?"


    "They¡­ are nning to escape the shelter," Silvie muttered as her eyes stared at the three.


    "...What!? How¡­ and why?"


    "I can''t hear clearly because of all the other noise. But they are probably thinking of rescuing the other students themselves."


    "What? My brother can''t be that reckless¡­ not to mention caring!"


    "I¡­ I can''t hear anything anymore, it feels like something is blocking--"


    "It doesn''t matter!" Hannah then clicked her tongue before rushing towards Riley and the others, "I am supposed to be the reckless one! We...


    ...areing with them!"

 Chapter 54: Let The Bodies Hit The...

    <h4>Chapter 54: Let The Bodies Hit The...</h4>


    "You said we were visiting themter¡­ what did you mean by that?"


    "That we would be visiting them, Scarlet Mage."


    "Yes, Miss Scarlet Mage; how are you not getting that?"


    "Can you not?"


    Scarlet Mage was trying to keep the volume of her whispers at a minimum, causing the movements of her eyes to be much more exaggerated as she rolled them. She knew that Tomoe was now part of their secret, but it hasn''t been a few hours, and Scarlet Mage wants her gone.


    Riley alone was enough, and now another entric individual has joined them. She wasn''t threatened, of course. Why would she? It was not like she was under Riley of her own ord-- her mother was being kept hostage. She also needs to make sure Riley doesn''t go out of bounds and massacre everyone.


    If anything, Tomoe was an added responsibility. Now she also has to protect her from Riley''s¡­ darkness. It would not be good for her to be pulled even further and do something she would regret¡­ like sleeping with him.


    "Does that mean you know where their base is?" Scarlet Mage then focused her thoughts. She should worry about Tomoeter; what matters now is to rescue the students that were kidnapped by the Dark Millenium.


    "I do, Scarlet Mage. How else would we be visiting them?"


    "Yes, Miss Scarlet Mage. How else would we be visiting--"


    "Then tell me their location, I will pass it onto Whiteking," Scarlet Mage quickly answered Riley before his parrot could agitate her even further, "You don''t have to worry, the information wouldn''t be traced to you since I have many excuses I could use as to why I know their location."


    "No."


    "...What? Why?"


    "Father and the other heroes will only get in the way, Scarlet Mage," Riley said after letting out a short but deep sigh, "You will get your chance to force the students to return on your own if you really want to, but our main priority is to meet with my impostor."


    "I don''t understand why you want to get the others back, Miss Scarlet Mage," Tomoe then added as she too, let out a sigh, "When the 3 students in the sector I was in went with the Dark Millenium, they didn''t need a lot of convincing-- I am sure they do not want to be rescued."


    "It doesn''t matter," Scarlet Mage shook her head, "I am still a teacher of the Academy, I won''t give up on turning them into heroes just because they already have."


    "That''s just sugarcoating--"


    "Even in this situation, you are not losing your goal, Scarlet Mage..." Riley breathed out, causing Tomoe to quickly stop her words so as to not interrupt him, "...You are still retaining your kindness, as expected of my First Subordinate."


    "...I don''t know how to feel about that," Scarlet Mage slightly closed her eyes, "So, when are we proceeding with our secret missio--"


    "We''re going toe with you!"


    And suddenly, their careful whispers werepletely overwhelmed by the loud voice that was slowly approaching them. It didn''t help that the students that were previously resting on the floor were now looking at them, their eyes now intensely curious as to why Scarlet Mage had been talking with two students alone.


    "...Ms. Hannah," Scarlet Mage could not help but squint her eyes even further as Hannah continued to approach them, with Silvie and Gary following her from behind, "You should be resting."


    "No," Hannah let out a small scoff as she looked Scarlet Mage straight in the eyes, "I don''t know why you are approaching my brother for this, but I know you''re nning to go and find the Dark Millenium."


    "Were you¡­ eavesdropping on us?"


    Hearing Scarlet Mage''s words, a small icicle quickly formed on Tomoe''s hand. But as soon as she remembered who Hannah was to Riley, she quickly retracted her powers back.


    "S¡­ sorry, Ms. Scarlet Mage. It was me who listened in on your conversation," the one who answered Scarlet Mage''s question, however, was Silvie, "I couldn''t help it since it might have something to do with the missing students."


    "How... much did you hear?" Scarlet Mage could not help but take in a small, but very deep breath. Her eyes then quickly shifted to Riley, as she felt his heart slightly fluctuate. Riley had already told her that Silvie might be rted to Mega Woman-- she might even be her daughter; so it made sense that Riley''s heart would fluctuate around her¡­ but seeing as Riley''s fingers were already slowly rising up in the air, it probably meant nothing good.


    "How much did you hear!?" Scarlet Mage quickly repeated her words as she blocked Silvie from Riley''s view.


    "N¡­ Not much," Silvie could not help but flinch as Scarlet Mage yelled at her, "Nothing was clear, but¡­ but I heard enough to know that you''re nning to escape to rescue the others."


    "Hey, you don''t need to yell at her!" Hannah then pulled Silvie away as she once again looked Scarlet Mage straight in the eyes, "I don''t know what your problem is, we just want to help!"


    "Whoa, whoa. Let''s all calm down," Gary then quickly got in between the two. He doesn''t know if he was just imagining it, but he could feel sparks trickling around him, "The situation is already tense as it is¡­ I don''t like being the voice of reason¡­ but maybe let''s all just talk like normal people instead of shouting at each other?"


    "Tch, fucking pedo," Hannah then shrugged her shoulders violently as she backed away; her eyes, still intent in ring at Scarlet Mage.


    "..." Scarlet Mage truly wanted to retaliate, but as a teacher, she should know better. But¡­ was she really actually a pedo? Considering Riley is already at the age of consent, then¡­ no, that''s not the time to think about this-- What matters now is the children.


    From her earlier screams resounding throughout the dome, not only the students, but some of the instructors were already looking at them. She could not help it, however. She was sure that Riley was about to kill Silvie right here and then; but seeing him no longer with his fingers raised, it would seem that it was the right decision.


    "We''re stilling with you whether you like it or not," Hannah then said as she crossed her arms, "I know the other instructors don''t know about this, or else they would already be huddled up and thinking of a n."


    "That''s not--"


    "No."


    And before Scarlet Mage could respond, Riley finally stepped forward and opened his mouth.


    "I am afraid that''s not going to happen, sister."


    "What? If I am not going, then you''re not going," Hannah then let out a small breath as she looked at her brother, "As your big sister, I am not going to allow you to put yourself in--"


    "I am truly sorry about this, sister."


    And with those words, Riley suddenly snapped his fingers-- loud enough that it reverberated throughout the entire dome-- no. Rather, the sound that was echoing throughout the shelter was not his finger, but the sound of people dropping on the floor, all almost at the same time.


    "W¡­ what did you do?" Scarlet Mage''s stuttered whispers mixed with the small thuds softly snapping in the air as she watched not only the students but everyone else lifelessly sprawled and scattered on the ground,


    "Did¡­ did you kill them?" Scarlet Mage could no longer hear Riley''s heart, as the sound of her own heart beating erratically overpowered everything else.


    Even Tomoe, who had been watching everything about Darkday, could not help but slightly take a step back. There was still a slight excitement inside of her, of course¡­ but now, it was apanied by fear.


    "No, what do you think I am?" Riley''s disappointed sighs then entered their ears as he gently ced Hannah, who was resting on his arms, gently on the floor, "They are just unconscious, Silver Moon."


    "...Unconscious?" Silver Moon did not even mind the sudden change of her name. Instead, her eyes were busy looking at the ocean of people around her. "You¡­ can also do that?"


    "When¡­ when did you have the ability to control minds, Darkday!?" Tomoe then slightly pushed Silver Moon to the side as the tone of her voice became high-pitched, "I¡­ I don''t think I have any records of you having that ability!"


    "I don''t," Riley then shook his head as he stood up, "I just lightly racked their brains, but they should be fine, Tomoe. And please, do not call me Darkday-- I am currently in retirement."


    "O¡­ of course, Master Riley," Tomoe then suddenly kneeled on the ground, her loud and slightly excited breaths still persisting in the air.


    "You¡­ racked their brains¡­ all at the same time?" Silver Moon, on the other hand, was still busy trying to listen to everyone''s hearts. It was true that none of them were dead; one could even say their hearts were normal-- a sign that none of them were truly hurt or damaged.


    But¡­ to be able to incapacitate everyone at the same time while being confident enough he didn''t hurt anyone badly-- this was no longer just a show of power.


    It might look simple in hindsight; but anyone with telekinesis would know just how difficult, maybe even impossible, Riley''s actions are.


    Just how much control does he exactly have to be capable of something like this? This is no longer just someone with superhuman abilities. Riley¡­


    ...Riley is a god.


    Silver Moon then looked towards Tomoe, who was still kneeling on the floor. Should¡­ should she actually do the same? Should... she bend her knees again for him?


    "You seem to be worried, Silver Moon."


    "W¡­ what?" And before she could kneel, she felt Riley''s warm hand touching her chin.


    "If you are thinking about the cameras around the shelter, then you do not have to worry-- I have disabled all of them."


    Silver Moon could not respond, however. She hadpletely forgotten that they were in a heavily secured facility, her thoughts, only reliving the time she previously bent her knees for him as the warm touch of his hand continued to caress her chin.


    Tomoe, who was still kneeling on the floor, could not help but bite her lips in frustration. If only she was lucky enough to be the First Subordinate, then she would probably be the one being touched by Riley right now, she thought.


    "Lead us out, Silver Moon," Riley then breathed out as he retracted his hand, "I believe you''ve been oriented with theyout of the shelter?"


    "Y¡­ yes. But there should be guards--"


    "They are also incapacitated, Silver Moon. Please, lead us out. We still have a long way up after this."


    "...Long way up?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded before pointing a finger upwards, "No. 7 and Little Riley is currently in the sky."

 Chapter 55: A Normal Weekday?

    <h4>Chapter 55: A Normal Weekday?</h4>


    "This¡­ I''m actually flying."


    "You''re being floated, there''s a big difference."


    "Tch."


    "Is it really alright to bring a child to this mission, Riley?"


    "I believe she is older than me, Silver Moon."


    "R¡­ right."


    Even with the wind violently threatening to rip off their faces, Riley, Katherine, and Tomoe were still able to have a somewhat clear conversation. Katherine didn''t have to think about it-- Riley put up a barrier in front of them¡­ which was now more evident now that they were passing through the clouds.


    Tomoe might not think too much about it since she was so overwhelmed by soaring through the skies with just her body for the first time, but for Katherine, it was different. Katherine could fly, but there were two limits hindering her from going above a certain speed.


    First was what she was just thinking of now-- wind resistance. Although her skin was tougher than most normal humans, she didn''t have the extreme durability that most strength-oriented Supers have. Even if she wore a helmet simr to Darkday, one wrong move; one wrong pebble at 100km/h would probably put her out.


    Second-- It wasn''t her style. She flies, yes-- but flying at a high speed pulls away most of her attention from everything else.


    And so, for Riley to not only put a barrier around them, float Tomoe, and fly on his own; he was doing all of this at a very high speed. Once again showing the monstrous control he had over his powers.


    It almost reminded her of one of the previous members of the Hope Guild-- Ms. Phoenix. Besides Mega Woman, Ms. Phoenix was probably the one that had the most impact on her growing up.


    During her time, Ms. Phoenix''s telekic abilities were unrivaled; her most notable feat was holding a whole ind in ce, preventing it from being devastated as a huge earthquake wished to devour it.


    Perhaps her only w was that she could get too violent sometimes, sending most of her opponents to the prison with a mangled limb or two. The government announced her retirement when Katherine was about 11 years old, for the reason that she was going to take care of her child-- she never appeared in public after that.


    Well, wherever she was, she hoped that she was living a good life with her family-- most heroes could not do the same.


    But still, to this date, no superhero hade close to reaching Ms. Phoenix''s telekic abilities¡­ only a viin-- Darkday himself.


    ...Who was stronger between the two? Katherine then thought as her eyes turned towards Riley. Riley''s control was more than likely higher than Ms. Phoenix''s, but what about raw power? Riley had shown to be more than capable of lifting several buses in the air, and there was also that quake during the simtion exercise¡­


    ...but is he capable of lifting an entire ind like Ms. Phoenix?


    No, it didn''t even matter if Ms.Phoenix''s raw power was stronger, Riley had other abilities-- Ms. Phoenix''s neck would probably be twisted without her even knowing what hit her.


    It was no wonder that Mega Woman lost-- there was probably no longer anyone to stop Riley if ever he once again dawns the world with Darkday. And so, once again, Katherine gathered her resolve; she would do everything in her power not to allow Darkday to see the light of day once again.


    She just needs to show Riley that there was also joy in saving people-- and this moment was the best time to do that.


    "I see it," Katherine then pointed her finger to a colossal silhouette hidden in the sea of clouds.


    "How¡­ did this get past the government''s satellites?" Tomoe muttered, "Losing sight of Darkday is one thing because he is the greatest creature to ever exist in the whole universe, but to miss something this big?"


    "Because this isn''t the only ce that needs surveince," Katherine replied, "Even now as we attempt to rescue these children, thousands are being harmed and killed by viins all over the world. I am more amazed as to how they managed to get their hands on a floating ship like that...


    ...A colossal flying ship capable of passing through the satellite''s radar, an energy source enough to lift something as massive as that in the air for an entire day, it''s almost like--"


    "Alien technology, Silver Moon."


    Riley, who had been keeping quiet the whole flight, finally spoke as they all stopped in the air to survey the flying ship from afar.


    "The Academy also has an abundance of it," Riley added, "Do you have any news of any alien entities entering the, Silver Moon?"


    "...No," Katherine breathed out, "Do you think this has something to do with Mega Woman?"


    "Knowing that is supposed to be your job, Silver Moon," Riley then turned his eyes towards Katherine''s, "You have not given me an update on Mega Woman for a month."


    "T¡­ that''s¡­ Things have been busy in school with this exercise and all. It will be even busier now that something like this has happened."


    "...Understandable."


    "..." Tomoe, who was quietly watching from the side, could not help but once again furrow her eyebrows. This feeling of being left out¡­ truly, the difference between First Subordinate and Second Subordinate was almost heaven and hell.


    "I can help you gain information about Mega Woman, Riley," Tomoe then said, the tone of her voice stern and clear.


    "And how are you going to do that when you''re stuck in the Academy?" Katherine was the one to answer her with a light scoff.


    "I¡­ I''m going to find--"


    "There''s movement up front!"


    And before Tomoe could finish her words, an ominous creaking noise sang in the air-- almost like a horn looming and whispering over their ears.


    "It''s starting to move, Riley. What do we do, are we going to chase it!?"


    "Wait¡­ I think it''s moving towards us, Ms. Scarlet Mage!"


    "What!? Let''s hide! Riley, what are you still doing-- Riley?"


    She didn''t realize it earlier since she was too focused on the colossal floating ship heading towards them, but Riley had one of his hands raised above his shoulder, his fingers slowly moving closer towards him.


    "You¡­ could it be?"


    "Kya! He''s pulling it! He''s the one pulling it towards us!"


    Katherine slightly leaned her head to the side as her ears almost ruptured from Tomoe''s childish shrieks. Add that to the whale-like sounding from the colossal floating ship, it almost felt like she was in the middle of a choir thousands of meters up in the air.


    "I thought this was a covert mission!?" Katherine then yelled since it was hard to hear her own voice from all the wailing. Just earlier, she was wondering if Riley''s raw power would match that of Ms. Phoenix, and although this was far from lifting up a whole ind in the air, it was still an impressive feat considering how effortless he was doing it.


    But there was also the fact that the ship was already floating, so it shouldn''t be too hard to move-- This wasn''t the time to be admiring and analyzing Riley''s powers; as the oldest one in the group, she should be the most level-headed one.


    "This isn''t a covert mission, Riley!" Katherine once again raised her voice as the colossal ship was only meters away from them now. And seeing as her whole horizon was now blocked by it, it was probably even bigger than a naval ship.


    "It is a covert mission, Silver Moon¡­


    ...or at least it will be."


    ***


    "What''s going on!? I thought we were going to wait until everything settles down before we move!?"


    "Won''t the satellite pick us up if we move this fast!?"


    "Hahaha!"


    A fleeting red light; a siren that mixed with all the panicked voices echoing through the hallways¡­ and a muffledugh seeping from a dark rooming from No. 7, whose arms and legs were currently bound in the air by a floating block of what seemed to be liquid metal. But surprisingly enough, he still had his helmet on.


    "We¡­ we''re fucked," No. 7 continued to chuckle as he shook his head, "You guys are fucked."


    "Do¡­ you know something about this, No. 7?"


    "I wish I could tell you, Ms. Friday," No. 7 then turned his head down to look at the woman in front of him, "But I can''t."


    The woman called Ms. Friday was also wearing a helmet simr to that of Darkday''s; but instead of a simple full ck suit, she had on a skirt that reached only above her knees; partnered by a pair of boots that reached below it.


    "I killed August because I had to, Ms. Friday," No. 7''s chuckles started to die down, "You''d probably do the same if you were me. But can you tell me something, Ms. Friday?"


    "You''re not the one asking questions here," Although Ms. Friday''s tone was still calm, the slight movements of her head gave away her worry.


    "Is Darkday really our leader? You''ve seen him, right? You''re one of the Weekdays. You serve directly under him¡­ are you sure it''s him?" No. 7 continued to talk, his words slowly fading.


    "What are you talking abo--"


    "Ms. Friday!"


    And before Ms. Friday could finish her words, the door of the room they were in slid open as a No. 69 barged inside.


    "There¡­ there are intruders!"


    "...Already?" Ms. Friday calmly turned her head towards No. 69, "Are they inside the ship?"


    "Y¡­ Yes, Ms. Friday! They wouldn''t be intruders if they were outside!"


    "..."


    "..."


    "S¡­ sorry, Ms. Friday!"


    "How many? Do we need to call for backup?"


    "That''s¡­


    ...there''s only three."

 Chapter 56: Shall We Conduct Business?

    <h4>Chapter 56: Shall We Conduct Business?</h4>


    "Three¡­ intruders? All this noise for three intruders?"


    Ms. Friday''s voice still held its calm, her breaths, however, almost filled the entire room with weight. Their floating base should have beenpletely hidden from the government''s satellites and in the naked eye of even the Grade-A Supers.


    Could it be that they were detected when their base suddenly moved unexpectedly? No¡­ not even a minute had passed since that time. If their base had indeed been detected due to their base moving, then there were only a handful of supers that were capable of reaching their base at that speed.


    One of the members of the Hope Guild that was capable of running at Mach speeds-- The Tempo. But ording to their intel, he should be on the other side of the right now protecting his country from a group of super terrorists.


    There were a few more others, but their intel also suggests that it would be impossible for them to get to their location.


    Could it be¡­ Mega Woman is here? They have absolutely zero intel on her, so she was the only loose element. If it was really her¡­ then the only choice they have was to self-destruct.


    "Is one of them wearing a white coat?"


    Ms. Friday then quickly looked towards No. 7. Who, despite hanging in the air and having all of his limbs bound, still had an arrogant and sarcastic tone in his voice.


    "Answer the traitor," Ms. Friday then quickly said as she faced No. 69.


    "Y¡­ yes?" No. 69 said after pausing for a few seconds, "But I really think we should be worrying about Scarlet Mage, Ms. Friday!"


    "Scarlet¡­ Mage is here?" Ms. Friday whispered, "So our intruders are from the Mega Academy."


    Ms. Friday then tapped her arms a few times, waking up the small tablet that was attached to it. "Who is currently engaging the enemy?" She then breathed out.


    [Ms. Friday, this is April. The intruders are currently in front of me, ma''am.]


    "What? Are you engaging them? What''s the situation?" Ms. Friday could not help but slightly let out a short but deep breath. For someone currently in front of the intruders, April did not seem to even be out of breath.


    [They¡­ are just standing, Ms. Friday.]


    "What--"


    "Ahahaha!"


    And before Ms. Friday could even say a word, No. 7''sughter once again filled the entire room. This caused Ms. Friday to slightly furrow her eyebrows behind her helmet, but after a few seconds, she tapped something on her tablet, causing a trickle of electricity to wrap around No. 7''s limbs, recing hisughter with screams of pain.


    "What do you mean they''re just standing there?" Ms. Friday then patted her skirt,pletely ignoring No. 7''s bellow, "Where are you?"


    [They''re just standing here in the cargo hold¡­ menacingly, Ms. Friday.]


    "I see. Try to stall them as long as possible, I''m on my way there."


    [I¡­ don''t think I need to stall them, Ms. Friday. I think they are waiting for you.]


    "...What?"


    [One of them...


    ...is asking for a chair.]


    ***


    A few momentster, Ms. Friday was now at the base''s cargo hold. And true enough, the three intruders were just calmly standing there. No, one of them was now seated on a chair.


    "You actually gave them a chair?" The irritation in Ms. Friday''s tone was clear for everyone to hear.


    "Y¡­ Yes?" April stuttered, "He politely asked for it, so it just felt right to give--"


    "We''re not a restaurant!" Ms. Friday stomped her foot on the ground, and as she did so, the ground beneath her turned grey, before a web of cracks started to crawl over it. And after a few seconds, she then turned her head towards the three intruders and raised her hand at them.


    The three, however, did not even flinch an inch.


    "Are you here to rescue the children, Scarlet Mag--" She was about to finish her words, but then she realized something important; Scarlet Mage did not seem to be leading the group-- it was the one that No. 7 had mentioned earlier, the white-haired kid d in a white coat.


    "I am afraid Scarlet Mage is not here, Ms. Friday," the white-haired kid then spoke as he pointed his finger towards Katherine, "This is Silver Moon, my First Subordinate. And this is my Second Subordinate. She¡­


    ...doesn''t have a name yet."


    Although Tomoe was clearly upset from Riley''s words, she only let out a short but deep breath, before bowing her head towards Ms. Friday.


    "As for me, you may call me Riley Ross."


    "Riley¡­ Ross?" Ms. Friday lower her hands, before taking a small step back, "Aren''t you Whiteking''s son!?"


    And as soon as Ms. Friday''s words echoed throughout the cargo hold, the group of Numbers that were surrounding the area all let out gasps of their own.


    "Does that mean that--"


    "Oh, you don''t have to worry, Ms. Friday," Riley then waved his hand before crossing his legs and taking off his sunsses, "We are the only ones--"


    "Riley!"


    And before Riley could finish his words, a st of wind exploded in front of him, slightly causing his white, almost silver-like hair to violently flow in the air; his expression, however, still remained the same.


    He then slightly leaned his head to the side, as it was being blocked by Katherine''s butt.


    "Are you okay, Riley!?" Katherine then breathed out, her arm raised to the front as chunks of what seemed to be rocks dropped in front of her one by one. And as soon as she checked that Riley was okay, she turned her head towards the direction where the projectile came from, only to see a familiar face.


    "You dare harm god!?"


    And before anyone could do anything else, a crackle violently snapped in the air; lowering the temperature by a few degrees,


    "You shall know the wrath of god!"-- And with that roar, Tomoe raised her hands, almost instantly summoning a sedan-sized icicle above her, "Die!"


    "No, Tomoe!"


    But as soon as she released her frozen bundle of death, Katherine stood in front of her and pped her hands, immediately turning the icicle into snow.


    "What are you--"


    "He''s a student from the Academy!"


    "Ha?"


    It wasn''t only Tomoe and Katherine, but even the numbers surrounding them and Ms. Friday were looking at the individual who fired the earth bullet at Riley, only to see a young man wearing a skin-tight costume, his cape loosely dangling behind him.


    "Who let this guy out!?" Ms. Friday roared.


    "They¡­ they escaped during themotion!"


    "...They?" Ms. Friday then turned towards the Number who answered her, only to see different individuals wearing each of their unique costumes, "What the¡­"


    "We''re here to help you¡­


    ...Ms. Friday!"


    "...oh?"


    "What!?" Katherine could not help but slightly raise an eyebrow. She initially thought that they were rushing towards them since she was here to rescue them but to think they would stop and stand by Ms. Friday''s side one by one.


    "What are you guys doing!?" She then yelled, "We''re here to rescue you!"


    "The Dark Millenium has told us all about your stupid list!"


    "Do you think we don''t know what you will do to us!? You''re going to kill us!"


    "What?"


    "Dark Millenium saved us from being killed by the government! You were going to eliminate us if we''re still on the list by the time we graduate!"


    "What are you guys talking about!? We will never do that!" Katherine waved her hand in frustration, she was about to say something else, but before she could do so, the sound of Riley standing up from his seatpletely silenced everyone.


    "It seems they do not need to be rescued, Silver Moon," Riley then sighed before patting Katherine on the shoulders a couple of times.


    "No, they are just confu--"


    "I am afraid that''s enough, Silver Moon," Riley stepped forward before Katherine could finish her words, "That was the only time I will be giving you to rescue your pets¡­


    ...And now, shall we get on to business?"


    "Come with us, Riley Ross, Dark Frost!"


    One of the students, however, started to approach them, "The Academy is just fooling you! I know you''re a fan of Darkday, Dark Frost¡­ I saw you wearing his helmet back in the Academy. Do you think the Academy would let someone like you live!? Please, take my--"


    "Eek!"


    And just like that, the student''s short speech was cut short as his entire body suddenly burst into tiny bits of pieces, causing all of his flesh and insides to be blown away towards the other students. There was, however, no sign of any mess in front of where the student exploded; instead, his flesh and blood formed into an arc, as if an invisible wall was blocking them.


    "..." And as soon as Ms. Friday saw this, she hid her arms behind her, tapping her tablet several times. She had wondered why someone like No.7, who was capable of defeating a Month almost instantly, was so afraid of-- and now she knows.


    It would already be a hard fight with Scarlet Mage here, but to think there was another monster on board, she needed to call a back-up from one of the other bases as soon as possible. This Riley Ross¡­ is dangerous.


    "My apologies, Dark Millenium" Riley then let out a small but deep sigh as his eyes scanned the remains of the detonated student, "I forgot to tell you that there''s a barrier separating us from the rest of you-- we can''t have a fight breaking out as we talk business, can we?"


    "R¡­ Riley? You¡­ did you just kill a student?" Katherine said, her breaths almost wanting to burst out from her chest.


    "..." On the other hand, Tomoe only had her eyes twitching, trying her best not to look away from the flesh and guts that were scattered in front of her.


    "Hemitted suicide, Silver Moon. And he was no longer a student," Riley then casually said as he returned to his seat, "Now¡­


    ...shall we conduct business?"

 Chapter 57: Meeting (1)

    <h4>Chapter 57: Meeting (1)</h4>


    The screams and cries of the students from the academy still whispered in the air; Ms. Friday, however, could not be bothered by their pathetic wails. She had already called for reinforcements from the other bases, but who knows if they were going to respond.


    And even if they did¡­ it might already be toote. There were almost 400 of them in the ship, with almost a quarter of that surrounding the three intruders in front of her-- and yet she could not help but feel that they were the ones at a disadvantage.


    How could she not, when one of their potential new recruits from the Academy died with none of them even having the time to react to it. Riley Ross was supposed to be from the Academy, and yet he killed one of his schoolmates without even blinking an eye.


    Something was definitely not right here.


    "You said that Whiteking isn''ting, can I take your word on this?" Ms. Friday did not let her nervous thoughts appear in her words, however, as the tone of her voice remained ever-so casual; as she had been doing ever since.


    "Perhaps. I can not control other people''s actions, Ms. Friday," Riley answered, his gaze seemingly scanning the cargo hold, "But I can assure you that my actions arepletely separate to that of the Academy''s. I am here to conduct business, as I said."


    "What kind of--"


    "You¡­ you monster!"


    And before Ms. Friday could muster a response, a student from the Academy rushed towards Riley. Ms. Friday stretched her arms to try and stop her, but s, the student slipped from her hands.


    "Don''t!" Katherine raised her hand to summon a burst of wind, using all of her strength to push the student away from the invisible death barrier that Riley had put up. The girl rolled on the floor several times and probably broke a bone or two judging from the pained criesing out of her mouth.


    But that was better than the alternative.


    "You¡­ should have just let her die, Silver Moon," Tomoe whispered, before taking in a long and deep breath as her eyes still tried their best not to stray away from all the blood and guts in front of her, "Those who dare attack Riley deserve a gruesome death."


    "I am not giving up on them," Katherine muttered, "They have parents waiting for them at home. I will not deliver the news that their children went on to join some cult."


    "I told you, Silver Moon. Some of them wish tomit suicide," Riley then let out a small but deep sigh, "Perhaps truly unhappy because of this Potential Viin list that you hid from them¡­


    ...But on to more important matters."


    Katherine wanted to say something but chose to keep her mouth shut as she heard Riley''s heart slightly fluctuate. The students were also being dragged away by the Numbers. She didn''t want to admit it, but they were probably safer away from them.


    "Can you tell me all about your organization, Ms. Friday?" Riley then muttered, "Is your leader truly Darkday?"


    "He is," Ms. Friday quickly answered, her mind, however, was thinking of multiple ways to escape or fight back.


    "I find that very interesting, Ms. Friday," Riley said as a slight tone of amusement grew in his voice, "Judging by the names I have been hearing since earlier, your hierarchy is based on dates? Can you tell me more about this?"


    Ms. Friday did not answer Riley. Instead, her eyes slowly ventured their way towards the woman beside him.


    "Aren''t you supposed to be saving people, Scarlet Mage?"


    "Answer Riley''s question!" Tomoe raised her voice and was about to say more. But before she could do so, Riley raised his hand and gestured to her to stop.


    "I know your record and I have watched your videos on the inte. You''ve always been helping people. Even as a Grade-A super, you help even in street-level crimes and even volunteer to help the victims afterward," Ms. Friday continued to talk, "Was all that just a facade?"


    "..."


    "To think in the shadows, you''re working for an individual capable of killing his friends without batting an eye. It would seem Darkday is right, the government has been lying to us from the start. You superheroes are just dogs, following orders even if it means killing children."


    "Wait¡­ do you really think you''re the good guys in this?" Katherine could not help but let out a tiny scoff as she looked at Ms. Friday''s helmet. She did not really need an answer, however, as she could feel in the beating of Ms. Friday''s heart that she thinks she is right.


    "You abducted students, and even massacred almost a hundred of them!"


    "That¡­ that was not part of the n! One of our agents has gone rogue and--"


    "It seems there has been a misunderstanding. For that, I apologize, everyone."


    And before the conversation between Katherine and Ms. Friday could continue, Riley once again stood up from his seat; causing not only Ms. Friday to flinch, but all the numbers that were quietly watching the situation unfold; their hands, ready to attack at any time.


    "A¡­ misunderstanding?"


    "I was the cause of everyone''s death, Silver Moon."


    "...What?"


    "My sister seems to be being mistreated by ss 1-F, you see. And I don''t like that."


    "W¡­ wait, what do you mean you were the cause?"


    "Their death happened because of me, Silver Moon," Riley then blinked his eyes a couple of times. His face, showing signs of confusion, "I didn''t kill them directly, but I helped."


    "You¡­ helped?"


    This time, even Ms. Friday was shocked by what she was hearing.


    "No. 11, No. 12, and No. 7. The students of ss 1-F mostly died by their hands. Mostly No. 7, I suppose."


    "What are you--"


    "Enough," Riley then muttered as he waved his hand. His breaths, almost filling the entire room with weight as it reached the ears of everyone present, "We''ve already been dying our meeting because of something so trivial. I just told you out of respect as my First Subordinate, Silver Moon."


    "You¡­ Just who are you?" Ms. Friday then breathed out, trying her best not to stutter, "What do you want from us?"


    "I should be the one asking that question, Ms. Friday. You''re not listening," Riley waved his finger, "Have you met this Darkday in person?"


    Once again, Katherine could feel Riley''s heart fluctuating.


    "...I think we''re done talking. I have heard enough, you murderous little psycho!"


    Ms. Friday wasn''t going to act until her reinforcements arrive, but hearing that Riley was responsible for the deaths of all those children, she could not help but feel that it was her task to erase him from existence.


    After all, that was why the Dark Millenium was built in the first ce-- to eliminate all and any threat to humanity; saving the world from the shadows even as the world treats them as the viin.


    "Men, kill the intruders!"


    "Subordinates, go."


    "...What?"


    "At once, master Riley."


    With almost a hundred people threatening to attack them all at once, Katherine had actually been ready to counterattack as soon as the enemies in front of them showed any signs of striking first.


    She, however, could not help but be thrown off by Riley suddenly stretching his arms wide, as if some kind of mafia boss ordering his goons to attack. Add to that the fact that she just heard that Riley was the one responsible for the deaths of the students, it was almost as if¡­


    ...They were the viins here.


    ...Were they?


    ...Was she?


    And while Katherine''s thoughts were in disarray, Tomoe, on the other hand, had already disappeared from her position. Moving swiftly from one container box to another while elegantly shooting ck icicles from her hands.


    There were Strength-type Supers that were rushing towards her, but she was able to stave them off from putting upyers of ice in front of her, while summoning an extremely smooth surface of ice beneath her, causing her to just slide away.


    As expected from someone who had awakened their abilities from infancy, her control was almost instinctual.


    "Silver Moon."


    "...Yes?" Katherine then woke up from her stupor as a loud thunderous noise erupted beside her. She looked, only to see a huge ball of fire seemingly being suppressed in front of her.


    "Perhaps we need to practice more on our timing, Silver Moon," Riley then let out a sigh before snapping his fingers; and as he did so, the huge dancing ball of fire in front of Katherinepletely withered away.


    "I already removed the barrier protecting us, Silver Moon. I won''t be protecting you again," Riley then said as he let out another sigh, "I still have to talk with Ms. Friday."


    "That''s--"


    And before Katherine could even say another word, another ball of fire was thrown at her by one of the Numbers. This time, however, she pped her hands-- causing the ball of fire to split into two and avoid herpletely.


    And before the now split firepletely passed by her, she stretched her hands to the side and stopped them.


    "W¡­ what the--" And to the surprise of the Number who threw the ball of fire, he seemed to have lost control of his projectile. It did not end there, however. He tried to reim his control, but the only thing that happened was that the two balls of fire split to even more pieces. And before he could even react, a torrent of zing fire rained down upon not only to him, but also towards the Numbers near him.


    "It seems that I have not made a mistake in my Subordinates," Riley then nodded in satisfaction as his eyes looked back and forth between Tomoe and Katherine. And perhaps, if it wasn''t for the sudden tremble beneath his legs, he would have kept on watching.


    "Die, the world will be better off without you!" And with Ms. Friday''s screams, the ground beneath Riley opened up, as if a jaw threatening to rip him in half.


    "Master Riley!"


    "..."


    Tomoe was slightly disgruntled by the scene of Riley being swallowed by the floor. Katherine, on the other hand, only took a short nce before proceeding to neutralize the enemies in front of her.


    Ms. Friday''s attack did not stop there, however. Even as the ground crawled andpletely covered her opponent, she slightly rotated her wrist, causing the mangled floor to twist itself and whatever was inside it.


    And as if that wasn''t enough, she pped her hands, causing spikes to appear from the floor and prate the distorted statue she just created.


    "All that talk and bravado¡­" Ms. Friday then breathed out, "...Just for you to die before--"


    "Quite the interesting power, Ms. Friday."


    And before she could finish her monologue, Riley''s muffled voice whispered to her ears.


    "And I do quite agree with you, Ms. Friday¡­


    ...The world would be better off without me."

 Chapter 58: Meeting (2)

    <h4>Chapter 58: Meeting (2)</h4>


    "And I do quite agree with you, Ms. Friday¡­


    ...this world would be better off without me."


    "You¡­"


    It was a good thing that Ms. Friday''s head was covered by a jet-ck helmet, if not, then all of the people here would have definitely seen the smile that had desperately crawled on her face slowly fade; reced by the crippling fear that seemed to be at a haste in bringing her down.


    No, even if she didn''t have her helmet on, none of the Numbers would be able to see her face as they were too focused on their own opponents. Even April was busy trying to support the others; his helmet removed as his eyes shot outser beams from afar.


    But perhaps that was also a good thing; if not, their morale would surely take a hit if they were seeing the same thing she was. She was supposed to be one of the Weekdays, serving directly beneath Darkday. She was supposed to be one of the strongest in the whole organization, and yet with just a single exchange¡­


    ...she had been made aware of the difference between their powers.


    Her attack was sure to kill even Grade-A Strength oriented Supers, and yet right now, the one who she thought was telekic, was ripping off the twisted confines she made like it was some sort of sand castle.


    "I will repeat my words, Ms. Friday..."


    With those words whispering in the air, a smile slowly crawled on Riley''s face as the odd element that wrapped and threatened to crumple his body opened up-- almost like a white lotus with him as the bud; add to that the brightness of his silhouette¡­ he almost looked quite angelic.


    "...You truly have quite an interesting power."


    Riley then stepped out of the lotus, effortlessly pushing whatever material it was that Ms. Friday manipted, "At first I thought you were able to petrify things in your surroundings, but you could steer it as well¡­


    ...what is this, exactly?"


    "That''s¡­"


    Ms. Friday could not help but take in a huge gulp as Riley just casually pinched off a piece of the so-called material with his finger like it was nothing. Riley was sort of right with his guess, her powers were simr to petrification.


    But instead of turning things into something as brittle as stones, she turns them into a type of tungsten. But she wouldn''t be one of the Weekdays if it was just that. She could also control metal, making her dangerous and formidable even in the most disadvantageous environments.


    But that was not important right now... Tungsten-- one of the hardest materials in the world¡­ shaved off like it was nothing.


    "I have decided, Ms. Friday..."


    "!!!"


    Ms. Friday then took a few steps back as the smile on Riley''s face almost reached from ear to ear.


    "...You belong with the others."


    "What are you--"


    And before Ms. Friday could even finish her words, a thunder erupted in the air; blowing out all the stubborn dust and debris as a skirt of wind seemed to sh before her eyes. And before she knew it, her vision was filled with Riley''s palm nted on the visor of her helmet.


    "You won''t be needing this, Ms. Friday."


    And with those words, Ms. Friday''s helmet erupted¡­ no, it split into shards, calmly floating around her head as Riley''s hand remained a few inches away from her face, holding the still-intact visor on it.


    "Ms. Friday!"


    April, who was previously busy shootingser beams out of his eyes and supporting the Numbers from afar, swiftly rushed towards Ms. Friday as soon as he saw her struggling with her opponent.


    His eyes lit up even brighter than before as they red ominously towards the back of Riley''s head.


    Ms. Friday, however, let out a scream.


    "No. April, don''t!" She roared, her voicepletely different from what it was before.


    Ms. Friday knew. Ms. Friday knew from the trembling smile on Riley''s face that he was aware of April''s oing attack.


    April''s eyes continued to grow even brighter, but as the beams were about to shoot out from his eyes, Riley suddenly flicked his arm and threw the visor straight towards April''s face; and with perhaps only a millisecond difference, the shards of the helmet that were calmly floating around Ms. Friday''s face followed.


    They flew towards April''s head at an unimaginable speed-- once again making themselves whole like a puzzle. This all perhaps happened in less than a second, and less than a second is all it took for the helmet to crack, a red glow crawling like a web before it once again erupted into pieces. But this time¡­


    ...along with the insides of April''s head.


    "!!!"


    Ms. Friday''s jaws started to shiver as one of April''s eyesnded beside her foot-- still whispering a sizzle to her ears as its red glow still kindled.


    "You¡­ you killed him."


    "That is debatable, Ms. Friday."


    "W--"


    And once again, before she could even say a word, she felt her insides almost being left by her body as her vision quickly shifted.


    "Kh," Ms. Friday then winced in pain as Riley''s hand was now nted on her face, pushing her head onto a wall she now finds herself on.


    "You don''t have to worry, Ms. Friday," Riley then once again let out a smile, "Riley 2 will take good care of you."


    If her face didn''t feel like it was being crushed to death, then she might have even thought that Riley''s smile contained a bit of warmth. This warmth, however, was momentary as she felt a cold breeze suddenly and violently waft through her entire body. There was also a ringing in both her ears, causing her to slightly struggle to move her head to the side¡­ and as she did so, she finally realized what just happened.


    There was now a huge hole behind her, with the premium and luxurious view of the night clouds.


    "W¡­ wait, wait!" Ms. Friday let out a muffled scream as her mouth was slightly covered by Riley''s palm, "What about the information!? I thought you needed information!?"


    "I do, Ms. Friday," Riley nodded, "But I can get that from No. 7. He seems to be more knowledgeable than I initially thought he was."


    It was weird, Ms. Friday could barely hear the sound of her own voice from all the turbulence; Riley''s words, however, were as clear as day to her.


    "Number¡­ No. 7!? No. 7 is currently tied up somewhere, he is of no use to you!"


    "That is incorrect, Ms. Friday," Riley then let out a sigh as the grip on his hand slowly lightened, "No. 7 is killing the students of the Academy that was escorted to safety earlier, and he is about to be done."


    "...What?"


    "See you soon, Ms. Friday."


    And with those words, Riley let go of Ms. Friday''s face, allowing her body to be sucked like a vacuum as she was blown out of the floating base almost instantly. But before her screams could reach back inside the base; her body, instead of falling down, looked like it was plucked into the horizon beforepletely disappearing into the ocean of clouds.


    Riley waved his hand a couple of times before the hole made on the cargo hold swiftly closed. He then let out a small sigh before turning around, only to see Katherine and Tomoe already standing there in front of him.


    "Oh?" Riley muttered as his eyes scanned the surrounding, only to see more than a hundred men groaning and breathing in pain.


    "You are done? I expected it with Silver Moon since she is my First Subordinate. But I have to say, you exceeded my expectations, Tomoe¡­


    ...excellent work in not killing anyone."


    "!!!" A tiny yelp escaped from Tomoe''s mouth, only hindered by the fact that she was now bowing repeatedly towards Riley, "Such¡­ I do not deserve such high praise, my lord!"


    "Riley¡­ What¡­ what did you say earlier?"


    Katherine, on the other hand, could only stutter with her words as she looked Riley straight in the eyes, "You¡­ said something about the students?"


    "They''re dead, Silver Moon," Riley casually said as he walked past between the two, "Now let''s continue our meeting. No. 7 and Little Riley is currently waiting for us somewhere in the ship."


    "What? I thought they were taken to--"


    "It is best for you to see for yourself, Silver Moon."


    ***


    "No¡­ no¡­ no."


    Katherine had her eyes closed. Her mind, currently in disarray as she was forcing it to hear something that was not there. There were more than a hundred people in this vast hall they now find themselves in, but the beating of the hearts that drummed in her ear was not even enough to build a choir.


    Even Tomoe, who had no doubts of her loyalty to Riley, could not help but run to the side as her body betrayed her; her retching, almost echoing throughout the entire room.


    "It seems you overdid it, No. 7," Riley looked towards his two Subordinates, before turning his head towards No. 7, who was kneeling on the floor; his bodypletely loosened as his breaths were enough to quake the floor.


    No. 7 was currently surrounded by more than a hundred bodies, each mangled in different degrees. Some had their limbs torn, their bones piercing their own flesh and the flesh of others¡­ connected-- almost like a centipede.


    "What¡­ what did you make me do?" No. 7 then breathed out, his words almost whimpering.


    "I didn''t tell you to do this, No. 7," Riley then said as he let out a sigh, "This is quite disgusting."


    "I had no choice! This was the easiest way I could¡­ I could¡­"


    "You don''t have to exin, No. 7. I saw," Riley then said as he pointed towards the silhouette standing on No. 7''s shoulders, Little Riley. And then, with a snap of Riley''s fingers, Little Riley quickly saluted, before melting away like mud.


    "We still need to clean this ce up, but we will do thatter when all of you have calmed down, everyone. For now, I have a few questions, No. 7."


    "...What?"


    "Is the one leading this ship the man called April?"


    "...No, it was Ms. Friday."


    "That is a strange hierarchy," Riley muttered as he ced his hand on his chin.


    "Each¡­ each of the bases is captained by different Weekdays; Ms. Friday is one of them. They are then allotted 12 adjutants, the Months, and their grunt workers, 365 Numbers."


    "Truly strange," Riley repeated, "But I suppose it doesn''t matter. From now on, you are Mr. Friday, No. 7."


    "W¡­ What?" No. 7 almost took off his helmet from hearing Riley''s words.


    "This ship¡­


    ...it''s mine now. Secretly, of course."

 Chapter 59: Goodbye, Scarlet Mage.

    <h4>Chapter 59: Goodbye, Scarlet Mage.</h4>


    "This ship is mine now, No. 7¡­


    ...Secretly, of course. I assume that''s not a problem for you?"


    "N¡­ no."


    There was still a slight stutter in No. 7''s voice, but he mustered the strength to stand up as he looked Riley straight in the eyes through his helmet.


    "Good. Then from now on, you are Mr. Friday," Riley then let out a small but deep sigh before looking at the mangled bodies of the students from the Academy, "And I want your first task to be cleaning up this mess, I don''t want this inside my ship-- it''s disgusting. Also...


    ...I am slightly bored now, so my Subordinates and I will be leaving."


    "...Leaving?" Mr. Friday muttered, "Wait¡­ what am I even supposed to say to the members of this base¡­ to the other bases? To Darkday?"


    "Darkday is not the leader of the Dark Millenium, Mr. Friday," Riley once again sighed as he shook his head, the tone of his voice slightly irritated, "As for how you''re going to deal with the other bases¡­ I leave that entirely up to you, you''re the captain now."


    "W¡­ What? You don''t think they are just going to buy any lies I tell them?"


    "That is your problem, Mr. Friday."


    "...What makes you think I won''t just report what happened here to the others?"


    "Because Little Riley will be watching you from somewhere in the ship, Mr. Friday," Riley then casually said as he walked away, snapping his fingers as he gestured to Katherine and Tomoe to follow him, "I will find you again when I need you, Mr. Friday. Please take care of my ship until then."


    "Don''t you have any orders for me!? What am I even supposed to do here!?" Mr. Friday bellowed.


    "Be the leader of the Dark Millenium, Mr. Friday," Riley raised a finger, "Little Riley will help you so you can rece this fake Darkday little by little. Since I am still waiting for Mega Woman to show herself again, I need¡­


    ...something fun to watch."


    "W¡­ wait! Mega Woman!? What does Mega Woman have to do with this? Just¡­


    ...who are you?"


    ***


    "..."


    "They¡­ are still unconscious?"


    And just a few momentster, Riley and the two others were back inside the shelter. Tomoe was currently pushing Gary''s face with her foot, checking to see if he was still breathing. And seeing as he whispered something indecent, it would seem that he was unfortunately still alive.


    "I knocked all of them unconscious again while we were in our ship, Tomoe," Riley then said before suddenly lying on the ground, "I suggest the two of you also lie down, take this time to rest until the others are awake."


    "You¡­ knocked them out again?" Tomoe whispered before doing the same as Riley, she wanted toy down beside him, but chose not to in the end as the color of her face almost exploded from all the blood going to it.


    "Are you worried about them, Tomoe?" Riley then said as he closed his eyes, "You don''t need to, Supers are more resilient than you think."


    "N¡­ no, I would never question your actions, master Riley¡­


    ...Unlike someone." Tomoe then turned to look towards Katherine, who was still quietly standing near them, before also proceeding to close her eyes.


    "..." Riley momentarily opened his eyes to look at Katherine. Katherine also returned his gaze¡­ even as her eyes were almost as red as her fake hair.


    Tears have been wanting to fall from her eyes ever since they got off the ship, but she had been trying her best not to let them do so. It would seem she wanted to say something to Riley, but before she could do so, Riley once again closed his eyes.


    He closed his eyes without saying a single word even though he clearly saw her on the verge of tears.


    A fool. She was a stupid fucking fool.


    Operation ''Turn Dark into Light''? Who was she kidding? She was so busy fantasizing about the things she could achieve if she turned Riley to the good side, not realizing that the only thing she had actually been doing was romanticizing it.


    She was so obsessed that Riley could be good that even her own body was aroused to the idea. She made love with-- No, she fucked him. That was the only thing that happened.


    There was even this crazy idea within her head that thought it was steamy; she thought that Riley was just shy with his feelings so he had been avoiding what happened between the two of them.


    She should have known better. If there was anyone in this world that should have known that Riley didn''t actually care about what happened between them, it should be her.


    Operation ''Turn Dark into Light''?


    That is never going to happen.


    Riley¡­


    ...Riley is just a monster.


    And the worst part of it all?


    She thinks she might have already fallen in love with him.


    A monster that expresses joy while torturing and killing people; a monster that was capable of killing millions of people, and then sits across a table with his family as if nothing happened; a monster that threatened to kill her mother and is having her hostage¡­


    ...and she has fallen in love with him.


    "Pft."


    Tomoe slightly furrowed her eyebrows, before opening her eyes to look at Katherine as she heard her suddenly letting out a suppressed breath.


    Katherine¡­ was currently covering her mouth; her shoulders trembling uncontrobly as she dropped to the floor.


    "Wha--" Tomoe was about to ask her if something was wrong, but before she could do so--


    "Ha¡­ Ahahaha¡­ ha¡­ Hahahahaha!"


    Katherine suddenly burst out into a manicughter; almost swallowing the tears that were endlessly gushing out from her eyes. The pitch of herugh was so high that the cover of the dome itself seemed to tremble as it echoed across it.


    And then, ever so slowly, her luscious red wig trickled into a fiery ember, slowly withering away and causing his natural golden-brown hair to flow to her shoulders. But the embers did not stop with her wig, however, as the roots of her hair followed.


    Tomoe was about to summon a rain of snow on Katherine''s head when she noticed something odd.


    The embers continued to crawl through her hair. But instead of her strands burning and falling away one by one, they changed color-- Silver.


    A radiant silver that almost replicated the tears that were falling on her face.


    Katherine then let out one final sniffle before the tears on her face turned to ice, beforepletely withering away with a smoke-- leaving a sort of dried streak marking on her face.


    She carefully wiped it off, before proceeding to crawl towards Riley¡­


    ...and kissing him on the lips.


    "!!!"


    Tomoe''s hands quickly turned into a fist as they trembled uncontrobly. But remembering the expression on Katherine''s face earlier, the only thing she could do was once again close her eyes and bite her lip.


    This was the privilege of the First Subordinate, she thought. She needed to work hard, so that someday¡­ she will be able to do the same.


    "Good night, Riley Ross," Katherine then said as she retracted her lips; a warm smilepletely covering her face.


    Riley''s eyes slowly opened, looking Katherine straight in the eyes as his hand gently caressed Katherine''s cheek, "Goodbye¡­


    ...Scarlet Mage."


    ***


    "That¡­ that was fucking crazy. Are you guys sure you''re alright!?"


    "Y¡­ yeah."


    "Oh man¡­ my jaw hurts a little."


    A few hourster, an orchestra of groans and yawns sang throughout the entire dome as everyone soon woke up one by one. The instructors were quick to act, swiftly checking if there were any students missing or if any of them were hurt by the sudden massive neuroleptic event.


    The students, of course, had questions as to what just happened; but the only thing that the instructors could answer was that it was probably the work of someone from the Dark Millenium. And with this assumption, the staff of the Academy had thought it best to leave the shelter, as it was most probably alreadypromised.


    There was also the fact that all the cameras were torn down, serving even more evidence that someone from the Dark Millenium had entered the shelter¡­ or perhaps was already inside in the first ce.


    To their surprise, however, none of the students were missing or even harmed. But even with all of the confusion lingering in the air; there was one thing that was clear for everyone to see-- this was just the beginning of the Dark Millenium.


    The government would probably announce their existence to the public soon, as an organization that was capable of something like this was something they could not ignore-- there was also the fact that the one leading them might be Darkday.


    Right now, all of the students were on their way back to the Academy. Some of them resting, some of them crying, and some of them in disbelief that something like this would happen. They were all feeling different things.


    However, most of them shared the same sentiment-- the Academy can''t protect them.


    They could leave and ask to withdraw¡­ but would they be any safer out in the public when this Dark Millenium group actually knew their identity? Just how much do they know? Do they know their address? What about their families, are they safe?


    A lot of thoughts were echoing in their minds; most of them, however, waspletely silent. There was also the Potential Viin list¡­ who knows if the one sitting beside them was actually secretly working for the Dark Millenium?


    "Seriously, guys¡­ I think I broke my jaw."


    There was one group sitting at the back of the bus, however, that seemed to have remained the same.


    Gary was currently stretching his mouth wide open, groaning as his tongue was seemingly trying to reach the insides of his jaw.


    "That''s fucking disgusting, close your mouth, boy," Hannah then clicked her tongue as she scooched away from Gary, "Count yourself lucky the only thing hurting is your jaw, a lot of people died today."


    "Nothing we could do about the dead, mine is a ''now'' problem," Gary muttered before closing his mouth and letting out a short but deep sigh, "Look at our very own Mega Girl, she''s not letting it bother her."


    "I am very bothered and sad, Gary," Silvie quickly replied as she furrowed her eyebrows, "I''m just¡­ thinking of what we could have done differently."


    "I think all of us should just rx for now," Gary then said, "I am sure the school would announce something once we get back. In the meantime¡­


    ...my jaw is still hurting."


    Tomoe, who was quietly sitting beside Riley, could not help but slightly look to the side as Gary''s words reached her ears. If she wasn''t mistaken, the reason why Gary''s jaw was hurting¡­


    ...was that she kicked it earlier.


    ***


    "..."


    In a room only lit up by numerous screens, a silhouette was currently quietly standing. Staring at the screens as all of them printed out the same words-- ''No Signal''.


    "..."


    The silhouette then moved his hands towards what seemed to be a control panel, and as soon as he did so, the words on the screen arranged into a static, before images started to appear on them.


    The screens all showed a view of the dome when the people of Mega Academy were all still there. The recording continued to y for a while, before once againpletely cking out and showing the words ''No Signal''.


    "..."


    But after a few seconds, one of the screens lit up; once again showing the dome from a different angle. This time, the people from Mega Academy were no longer moving, all of them lying on the floor lifelessly¡­ except for three people.


    Riley, Katherine, and Tomoe. The video continued, showing the three leaving the view of the camera, only to return about an hourter.


    "Tch."


    The silhouette then once again moved his hand on the control board. And as he did so, another set of words appeared on the only working monitor-- ''Delete Selected Clip?''


    And without even any pause, the silhouette tapped something on the control board--pletely erasing any trace that the recording ever existed.

 Chapter 60: Changes in The Academy

    <h4>Chapter 60: Changes in The Academy</h4>


    "How¡­ long do you think they want us to wait? In our costumes at that."


    "Is it just me, or are there a lot fewer than us since the entrance ceremony?"


    "Bruh, you in denial? Most of your ss were offed and some students joined the Dark Mille--"


    "Uhm, I think what Hannah is trying to say is that there should be more of us, even after the incident."


    A full day.


    The students were advised to take a full day of rest after they got back from Canada after the incident. Of course, perhaps the term ''advised'' was a little light, as all of the facilities, be it shops or training halls of the Academy, were closed; basically forcing the students to stay within their rooms.


    No oneined, however. No one even stepped out of their rooms since almost all of them were still shaken from the events that had transpired just the other day. It wasn''t until a school-wide announcement that told them to gather in the auditorium echoed throughout the entire Academy did most of them leave their rooms.


    They were also strictly told to wear their costumes.


    But now, an hour after the first students arrived in the area, almost a quarter of the hall was empty.


    "I don''t think we can me them for not leaving their rooms," Silvie then let out a sigh as she continued to converse with Gary and the others, "I was also having trouble getting up this morning¡­ what happened the other day was just¡­ it was just too much."


    "Meh. People die every day. In our line of work, that should just be considered a normal Monday," Gary then said, "Also¡­ I also had trouble getting up this morning, if you know what I mean."


    "Fuck, ew," Hannah quickly pushed Gary away, making sure to wipe her hands after her palms made contact with his skin.


    "I agree with Gary."


    "...You do?" Gary could not help but widen his eyes as soon as the words reached his ears. But as soon as he saw who it came from, he quickly slouched down and sighed, "Of course you agreed, you''re surely in the Potential Viin list."


    "Birds of the same feather," Hannah then let out a small smirk.


    "I will not let some list define who I am," Gary then stood up, cing one of his feet on the bleachers as he covered his face, before splitting his fingers and exposing his eyes in between them, "For I am the Dragon Monarch, and there are only three people who could dictate who I am¡­


    ...Me, myself, and I."


    "Hm," Silvie nodded several times as she heard Gary''s words. Hannah, on the other hand, only rolled her eyes beforending them towards Tomoe, who was sitting awfully close beside Riley, who currently had his eyes closed since he arrived in the auditorium.


    "So¡­ you and my brother, since when did the two of you be close?" Hannah then asked.


    "We¡­ onlytely, Ms. Hannah."


    "You don''t need to speak so formally, you know. Shit, we''re just pretty much the same age here. Except Gary, he could be a perverted 80-year-old man disguising himself as a young man."


    "I can''t presume to--"


    "Ack, forget it. It''s probably ingrained in you-- you''re half Jap, right?"


    "I am, Ms. Hannah," Tomoe said as she slightly bowed towards Hannah. Her tone, even monotonous, contained a hint of respect as she addressed her.


    "You like my brother?"


    "Y¡­ what!? Y¡­ well, no¡­ What!?" Tomoe''s stutters almost filled the entire hall, causing Hannah to momentarily cover her mouth and shush her.


    "Look, my brother can be quite dense and aware at the same time," Hannah then said, "But if you want to be his girlfriend¡­ you have my vote."


    "W¡­ what?"


    "Hm," Hannah nodded before gesturing to Tomoe to lean closer and whispering to her ear, "You know Scarlet Mage, right?"


    "...Of course."


    "That predator has the hots for my brother. So it''s better you than her. How old are you?"


    "I¡­ I''m 18."


    "Good, from now on, you call me big sister," Hannah then raised a thumb before leaning back to her seat, "Buy him some cutlery, he likes them."


    "I¡­ I will take a mental note of that. Thank you, big sister," Tomoe then once again bowed towards Hannah, before also leaning back to her seat. Taking a nce at Riley from time to time, of course.


    The group continued with their chatter until finally, Prophet appeared on stage.


    "Good morning to all of you, students," and without even taking any time at all, he proceeded to talk, "First of all, I know Whiteking had already done it on my behalf; but I still would like to apologize for failing each and every one of you. What happened then shouldn''t have happened in the first ce."


    "Damn right!"


    "Gary, what are you doing!?"


    "What? I had to!"


    Silvie quickly pulled Gary down as he once again stood on the bleachers. Prophet only looked towards their direction for a few seconds, before letting out a small sigh and proceeding with his talk.


    "I know most of you are still in your rooms, that is alright-- this is being broadcast throughout the school so I know you could hear me. But what I would like to also tell you... is that this is also being broadcasted throughout the country."


    "!!!"


    And as soon as Prophet''s words reached the students'' ears, they all could not help but let out gasps of shock and curiosity. The Academy had always prided itself with its secrecy, not even letting a single speck of the media inside its premises¡­ and now they are broadcasting live?


    Most of them wanted to ask questions, but before they could do so, Prophet once again started to talk.


    "Massachusetts was not the only one that was¡­ attacked," Prophet continued, "Moscow, China, Japan, South Africa, Ennd, and Singapore¡­


    ...7 Academies around the world were attacked by the superviin organization who had made themselves known as the Dark Millenium. Supposedly, they im that the leader of their organization is none other than Darkday.


    But as of now, we do not know if there is any truth in that as Darkday himself had not yet made an appearance; but what we do know is that this organization is highly dangerous and is now on the government''s top priority list."


    "Shit¡­ this was more intense than I thought," Gary whispered, "And here I thought they were just a bunch of goons. Attacking 7 Mega Academies all at the same time? How did they manage that in different time zones?"


    "Shh, I can''t hear him, and stop being a retard."


    "What, I only--"


    "The Dark Millenium will be handled by the government and the superheroes. But for now, I am here to address you, the students," Prophet continued his speech before Gary could react more, "You are the first-ever batch of students of Mega Academy, all of you have a lot to learn¡­ but so do we, so do the world government. We are going to make a lot of mistakes, and for that, once again I apologize."


    Prophet once again paused as he scanned each and every one of the students present in the auditorium, "The Dark Millenium¡­ has more than likely have information in some, or maybe even most of you."


    Hearing Prophet''s words, most of the students did not really react wildly. Only letting out a short but deep sigh as they looked at each other; after all, Prophet was only stating the obvious.


    "But of course, the information the school has on you is also limited-- and therefore, the information they have should also be limited. Your family, where you live, your previous affiliations were all information we discarded as soon as we epted you in the Academy. But just in case¡­ we transferred all of your families to a secure location."


    This time, the students reacted-- either by a sigh of relief or crying.


    "Secondly, since they have your information-- there is the threat of them leaking it to the public," Prophet continued, "I am afraid we can''t stop this. The government may be able to filter most of them, but some will surface and scatter. So because of this, we, the members of the board of all the Mega Academies in the world, as well as the world government, have made a decision; we may not be able to stop this cyber warfare¡­


    ...but we-- No, you can control whates out. You will still not be able to go outside the Academy freely. But from now on, you will have ess to smartphones and can connect to the outside world."


    "Yes!"


    "..."


    "...Fuck," Hannah quickly sat back to her seat as soon as she realized she was pointing her finger towards Prophet; grabbing Riley''s sunsses from his pockets before wearing them and trying to hide beneath the bleachers.


    "Is¡­ this wise?" Silvie then whispered as she ced her hand on her chin, "Wouldn''t more information leak to the outside because of this?"


    "Stop being humble with your words, this is stupid," Hannah whispered, "But since we''re going to have our phones back, I don''t fucking mind."


    "Does this mean¡­ I can continue my vlog?" Gary muttered.


    "Knowing the government, the phones are more than likely bugged."


    "Sadly, the devices would be monitored 24/7..."


    "Told you so," Hannah then let out a sigh before returning to her seat, "But it''s better than nothing. I have nothing to hide unlike Gary, who probably watches superhero porn every night."


    "...How did you know?"


    "What? Fuck, ew."


    "Shh, guys!"


    "...All of you might think this to be depriving you of your privacy-- that is exactly what it is," Prophet continued, "Take this as real-life training-- your actions will always be watched once you be a superhero. You have the choice, of course, to take the smartphones or not-- but that is why we asked you to wear your costumes today; because from now on¡­


    ...the only time you would not be wearing them is when you are in your room."


    "Fuck, now Gary is going to stink even more."


    "You really have it out for me today, don''t you? I am starting to think you like me."


    "No. I think my sister meant you just genuinely stink, Gary."


    "What the!? What is with this brother-sister roast duo!?" Gary then dropped to the floor as soon as he heard Riley''s words, "And that''s seriously the first thing thates out of your mouth, bro?"


    "Shh, guys!" Silvie once again ced a finger on her lips as she gestured for the group to quiet down, "Prophet isn''t done yet."


    "Social media ounts have already been registered under your superhero name; I suggest you use them safely. However, once again, if the information you share with the outside world is deemed too sensitive, it will be instantly filtered out by the government¡­"


    Prophet''s speech continued on for almost an hour-- telling the students what they could and could not do. It might seem strict at first, but for the Academy to allow the students to use phones in the first ce was already a huge leap of either faith¡­ or utter stupidity.


    Each of the students had their own opinions about this-- Riley, most especially.


    The government is gaining more and more control over the future superheroes of the world; once again using a tragedy as an excuse to further monitor their activities. If Mega Woman was here, something like this would definitely note to pass.


    "Andstly, I know you are all tired of hearing me speak and excited to get your own personal fancy phones," Prophet was about to step off the stage, but he did not even take 3 steps before returning to the podium."


    "Jesus christ, just how long is this speech?"


    "There is another thing that we discussed with the other members of the board. Exactly a month and a half from now, apetition with the other Academies will be held right here on our campus."


    "!!!"


    "The event was supposed to be held somewhere else, but due to the recent incident, it was almost cancelled. But we have decided to continue with it, but continue it in the safest ce possible-- right here. And so, in line with this; we are going to be selecting a group of students that would oversee the event, and any student events henceforth¡­


    ...A student council, if you will."

 Chapter 61: New Rules

    <h4>Chapter 61: New Rules</h4>


    The echoing walls, singing like angels to the students'' ears as they walked by the colossal hallway of the Academy''s underground. Whether it was a mistake or not, Prophet followed through with his words. A few hours after his speech, the students were each handed their very own personal smartphone-- to be used during their stay in the Academy.


    And the angels that were singing in the hallway?


    It was just Gary singing as he worshipped the little device in his hands, raising it towards the ceiling as he hummed beautifully without pause for almost a full 5 minutes now. He was about to stop a minute ago, but as soon as he realized that the phone could be unfolded to be a tablet, he once again started with his hymn.


    "This¡­ is much better than the phone I have outside," Silvie muttered as she examined the phone while walking, almost treating it as some sort of treasure as she doesn''t want to test its fragility, "Isn''t this the¡­ Universe Fold Z something? I think I saw the ads before we entered the Academy."


    But even though Gary, Silvie, Hannah, Tomoe, and Riley already had the phones in their hands, none of them was still turning it on. Well, except for Hannah.


    "...Not quite," Hannah answered Silvie''s question, "They look simr, but I am pretty sure it doesn''t have this feature."


    "What''s¡­ that?"


    The group then all turned their heads as soon as they were greeted with a wave¡­ing from a miniature hologram of some kind of animated person¡­ that very much closely resembles Mega Woman.


    [Hello, I am your very own friendly Mobile Enterprise Gateway Activity Network, or MEGAN for short!]


    "...That seems awfully made up," Gary squinted his eyes as he leaned closer towards the hologram, "But¡­ isn''t this Mega Woman?"


    [First of all, I would like to hear my owner''s voice: Nuclear Baby. Can you please say ''Hello''?]


    "Shh!" Hannah quickly pushed Gary''s face away as she greeted the hologram, who surprisingly, faced in her direction as soon as she did so.


    [Voice sessfully registered!]


    The hologram, MEGAN, then began instructing Hannah on the several features of the phone; also exining that most of the apps she needs are already installed on the phone. But other than the intricate and sophisticated A.I, it really was not that much different from the phones she was used to.


    [One final thing before I go!] MEGAN then waved her finger a couple of times before letting out a cute hum, [Your device is currently monitoring everything even at its Idle state. Would you like to turn it off?]


    "Turn it off! Turn it off! What the fuck!"


    [Idle Monitoring is now off. But please be advised that whenever you are using your phone, Video and Audio Monitoring will always be active due to security purposes. And that is all! You can always call me by saying my name, MEGAN!]


    And with that, the mini hologram instantly disappeared, leaving a set of baffled expressions.


    "They¡­ can''t even keep a god-damn list from getting into the hands of viins and now they are seriously recording our shit?" Hannah quickly furrowed her eyebrows as soon as MEGAN disappeared, "Fuck, I suppose it''s better than nothing¡­


    ...Riley, let''s go!"


    "What, where are you guys going?" Silvie quickly asked, "I thought we were going to the Shaved Ice store?"


    "You guys go on ahead," Hannah waved his hand before grabbing Riley and dragging him by the wrist, "We need to talk to someone."


    "We will wait for you in the sherbet patisserie, Master Riley," Tomoe only politely bowed before proceeding to leave without waiting for Silvie and Gary.


    "...Are you thinking what I am thinking, Silvie?" Gary then whispered sneakily as he stared at Tomoe''s back.


    "I hope not," Silvie sighed.


    "Since it''s only us three¡­


    ...we can corner Tomoe and ask her about what her rtionship with Riley is."


    "...I see."


    ***


    "Why did we leave the others, sister?" Riley could not help but slightly tilt his head to the side as he looked at Hannah, "I was quite looking forward to the Mango Graham."


    "Shh, shut up," Hannah said as she continued to drag Riley away, not stopping until they were alone somewhere on the ground level of the Academy, surrounded and hidden within the trees.


    "Something has been seriously bothering me for a long while now, and I just need to get it out of my chest," Hannah finally let go of Riley''s wrist as soon as they got deeper into the shrubs, "Riley, I¡­


    ...I am going to call mom."


    "They put our parents'' numbers on the phone?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he also grabbed his phone; returning it to his pocket after looking at it for a few seconds, "But I do not know why I need to be here for that, sister."


    "What? Don''t you miss mom?" Hannah then said as she searched through the phone''s incorporated contacts. She tried searching for her mother''s name, but could not find it. She was about to click her tongue in disappointment, but before she could do so, she saw the contactbeled as ''Mother''.


    Of course, they wouldn''t put any real names on the phone-- even their social media was pre-made with their superhero names¡­ which she should probably check as soon as possible after this is over, Hannah thought.


    "Should I be missing her, sister?"


    "What? Of course!" Hannah raised her voice as she called her mother''s number, "Wait until I tell her about your inappropriate rtionship with that hag. You and father are fucked."


    "Ah," Riley breathed out, "So that''s why we''re here."


    "Damn right it--"


    [Dear!? Is that you!?]


    "M¡­ mom?"


    And as soon as Diana''s voice seeped out from the speakers of the phone, any bravado or weight that Hannah had in her voice crumbled, turning into a stutter as her face almost turned into a cherry.


    "I¡­ I miss you, mom." Hannah then whispered as she tried her best to fight the tears that wanted to burst out from her eyes. Her body could withstand heat that was enough to melt steel beams in seconds, but the warmth building in her eyes almost threatened to burn her away.


    [I miss you too, dear. I miss you too,] Diana''s voice was calm, but there was also a slight tremble in her voice that was hard not to miss, [I keep hearing updates about you and Riley from your father, but I still can''t help but worry since I''m not there with you.]


    "W¡­ we''re fine, mom. We''re fine. Riley''s with me; he says he misses you too.]


    [No,] Diana sternly breathed, [You''re not fine, dear. I heard about what happened to your ss¡­ all those kids. You¡­ you could have been one of them.]


    "S¡­ seriously, I''m fine," Hannah then sniffled as she wiped the tears on her eyes before they could leave a trace on her face. The two continued to talk with each other, with Hannah asking what was happening in the outside world from time to time.


    But after a few seconds, she took in a long and deep breath.


    "What you should be worried about is Riley, mom," she then said, her tone slowly regaining its weight.


    [Why!? What happened to your brother!?]


    "..." Riley and Hannah''s eyes met, but Riley only shrugged his shoulders in response.


    "I think she is dating one of the instructors," Hannah then squinted her eyes, "She''s about 10 years younger than him, I think."


    [Ah, yes. Your father told me.]


    "...And!? Did you punch him!?"


    [I think it will be good for your brother, no?]


    "...Excuse me?"


    [If he dates people his age, I am sure they won''t be able to give the attention and care he needs.]


    "Wait¡­ you don''t think it''s inappropriate!? Riley is only turning 17 this month!"


    [I know, he grows up so fast.]


    "Wha-- You know what, never mind! I''ll call again soon! I love you, mom. Goodbye!" Hannah then quickly hung up the call before screaming out in frustration,


    "You''re all idiots! All of you!"


    "Father has an IQ of 152, sister. So I don''t think it''s fair to--"


    "What''s the use of that god-damn IQ if he''s stupid!?" Hannah once again stomped her foot on the ground, "Let''s just go! Don''te to me if that old hag breaks your heart!"


    "Thank you for your concern, sister," Riley blinked a couple of times before following behind Hannah, "But¡­


    ...I don''t have a heart to break."


    "Agh, stop. That''s cringe. Gary is starting to rub off on you!" Hannah shivered, "And if you''re going to have a romance with someone, I prefer it to be with someone like that Tomoe chick!"


    "Tomoe? That is an interesting choice, sister," Riley muttered, "But what about you? Are¡­ in romance with someone?"


    "What? Do you think I have time to be with a guy while I am busy looking after you, you little turd," Hannah sighed, "At this point, I am going to die without falling in love, marrying, little shits running around the house, dying of old age with someone beside me."


    "I will be beside you when you die, sister."


    "I meant a husband! See? This is exactly what I am talking about!"


    "...Then can''t I just be your husband to solve that dilemma, sister?"


    "..." Hannah stopped in her tracks as soon as she heard Riley''s words, "Really? You''ll do that for me?"


    "Of course," Riley nodded, "Because as you said, you will probably die of old age without a husband because no one will fall in love with your unpleasant personality."


    "I see," Hannah then let out a warm smile as she looked Riley straight in the eyes, "Do¡­


    ...you want to die?"


    ***


    "Hm? What, this stupid asshole is still alive?"


    Somewhere in the country, a skinny man with several bags of chips by his side was staring at hisputer; his index finger, almost slipping from the button of his mouse because of all the grease collected on it.


    "Hello unsubscribe button, and now your subscriber is down from 30 to 29," the skinny man then giggled as he moved his hand. However, before he could click a button, a newly uploaded video on the channel he was visiting caught his eye.


    The skinny man was currently on the most famous video streaming tform in the world, YouView. He has no regr job, only relying on the measly ie he gets from writing stupid lightnovels in the inte.


    The man should be writing right now, but instead, he was busy wasting his time searching for funny videos that would make his life at least have a semnce of happiness. But perhaps it was fate for him to open YouView at that exact same moment.


    "What¡­ no fucking way," the skinny man then said as he clicked on the particr video that caught his eye,


    "...The fucker''s actually in Mega Academy!"


    He was the first ever civilian to watch and share a vlog straight from inside Mega Academy.

 Chapter 62: Long And Hard

    <h4>Chapter 62: Long And Hard</h4>


    "Oh shit! I actually got online!"


    "...What?"


    Once again, Gary''s voice echoed throughout the entire Shaved Ice store, raising his newly acquired smartphone in the air as he jumped up and down his seat.


    "Get off our fucking chair or I will cut your feet off, Dragon Monarch."


    "...Why so mean?" Gary immediately tapped his phone and stopped recording as soon as the word of the waiter-sh-cashier, Charlotte, reached his ears, "I was Live in YouView, my subscribers would think I am being manhandled in the Academy."


    "You''ll be handled alright if you don''t stop screaming like a monkey," the tone of Charlotte''s voice bing colder and colder by the second, "I don''t even know why--"


    "Can I order another cup of Mango Graham, cashier Charlotte?"


    "It''ll be ready for you in a few minutes."


    And with that, Charlotte once again returned behind the counter with a huge smile stered on her face, her short hair bobbing even with a small hat pinned on top of it.


    "Wait¡­ how can you ess your old YouView?" And after Charlotte was gone, Hannah quickly snatched Gary''s phone away from his hands,


    "Dragon Monarch... Productions?" Hannah then blinked a couple of times as she stared at the contents of Gary''s phone, "...320 videos?"


    "Bruh," Gary then breathed out as he pulled his phone back, "It''s the ount logged in on it when I opened the app."


    "Did they just give you your old ount because it''s still technically your superhero name?" Silvie joined in on the conversation, squinting her eyes as she tried to sneak a look on Gary''s phone, "But¡­ what about your old videos?"


    "Here he is," Tomoe, who was quietly sitting on the side, suddenly presented her phone to the others, with Gary''s channel on the screen, "It''s all just videos of him with a napkin covering his face and doing some obscene things."


    "Those are training montages!"


    "You have 320 videos¡­ but only 30 subscribers?" Hannah whispered, "Look, you just lost a sub!"


    "What!?" Gary immediately checked on his phone, only for him topletely drop on the ground as he confirmed the truth in Hannah''s words.


    "How¡­ how could this be?" Gary''s wails once again reverberated throughout the entire shop. It was a good thing that they were the only patrons, if not, then someone might have already thrown him a cup or two.


    Of course, they were probably the reason why the shop did not have any other patron other than themselves in the first ce.


    "W¡­ wait, it returned to 30!" Gary then immediately sat up as he fixed his cape and mask, "I need to go live again, live! I''m going to introduce you guys!"


    "What!? Why would you even-- Hello there," Hannah was about to kick Gary on the face, but as soon as Gary tapped the record button, her voice quickly changed as she waved at the camera, "Nuclear Baby here, I hope you also support my channel."


    "What!? Why are you self-promoting so suddenly!?" Gary immediately removed the camera away from Hannah. However, as soon as he saw his subscriber count once again increasing by 1, he then pointed the camera towards Silvie.


    "And let me introduce you guys to the Academy''s number 1 student closest to bing the next Mega Woman-- Mega Girl!"


    "N¡­ no!" Silvie quickly buried her face on the table, waving her hands and shooing away Gary.


    "Mega Woman does not shy away from the cameras, Mega Girl."


    And as soon as Silvie heard Riley''s passing words, she slowly removed her face from the table and awkwardly waved at the camera, "I¡­ I''m not nning on using my YouView channel, but you can follow me in FaceLog, Mega Girl. I don''t have anything posted there yet, but--"


    "Why are you also promoting your own social media!?" Gary bellowed before removing the camera and turning it towards Tomoe, who was now wearing a pair of shades instead of a helmet, "And this is Dark--"


    "Please get that thing away from my face."


    "...Right," Gary winced, "And now, to introduce you to my best friend--"


    "I''m not your best friend, G-- Dragon Monarch."


    "My best friend, Riley Ross!" Gary then stood up on the table as he showed Riley in his entirety, "What''s that? You thought we weren''t allowed to say our real names in public? Well, you don''t have to worry¡­ Riley Ross is his superhero name! Go, introduce yourself, my super white friend."


    "...That sounds sort of racist," Hannah whispered as she furrowed her eyebrows.


    "Does it? I think it is just appropriate?" Silvie blinked a couple of times in confusion.


    "..." With the camera in front of him, Riley stood up and took off his sses,


    "Riley Ross," he then said, "Telekic."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    And after staring at the camera for a few seconds, he once again wore his sunsses and sat back down.


    "..."


    "Well then!" Gary then ced the camera on the table so that it could capture him in full view as he stepped back. Afterward, as soon as he was sure that his frame was captured from top to bottom, he ced his hand on his face, partly covering his eyes as his silhouette was almost in an S-shape,


    "And those, my viewers, are my friends in the Academy. Stay tuned for more--"


    "Here''s your Mango Graham!"


    "Ah! My phone!"


    And before Gary could finish his outro, Charlotte pushed his phone off the table and reced it with Riley''s order.


    "Just call me if you need another cup, guys!" Charlotte then let out a small giggle as she returned to the counter; not before kicking away Gary''s phone that was on the floor.


    "N¡­ no! MEGAN, close YouView! Stop recording!"


    [Forcing YouView to Stop. Do you need anything else?]


    And as soon as Gary said that, MEGAN, the phone''s Artificial Intelligence, instantly terminated the app.


    "D¡­ damn it, now my subs will go down again!" Gary then quickly checked his phone and once again opened his YouView app¡­ only to see his subs now at 42.


    "H¡­ holy fucking shit! Guys, look! Look! It increased by more than ten in just a few minutes!"


    "Congrats?" Hannah muttered before showing her phone to Gary, "My channel just gained 120 subs."


    "...What? But you don''t even have any videos yet!"


    "I guess my self-promotion worked?"


    "That''s¡­" Gary could not help but slightly take a few steps back as he saw the smirk on Hannah''s face, "That''s not fair! What about you, Silv!?"


    "...Around there as well."


    "What!? Bro, what about you!?"


    "I wouldn''t know, Gary," Riley said as he grabbed his spoon from his pocket, "I didn''t take a phone."


    "...What? Why!?"


    "I have no use for it."


    "What do you--"


    "300 subscribers," Tomoe, who has been keeping quiet on the side, once again turned her phone to the others, this time, it was Riley Ross''s empty channel on it, "Riley already has 300 subscribers."


    "What¡­ why?" Gary''s knees once again met with the floor, "How¡­


    ...How is this even fair!?"


    ***


    "Is this what you wanted to happen, Prophet?"


    Inside a room filled with nothing but holograms of different websites, social media ounts, and also a view of the screen of some of the student''s phones, the headmaster of Mega Academy quietly stood.


    And even with all the images and videos disyed around him, Prophet had his eyes closed. It was only when Whiteking suddenly emerged from the shadows of the room did his eyes open.


    "The government, as well as all the headmasters from different countries, decided this, Bernard," Prophet muttered quietly as he looked at Whiteking.


    "Did they?" Whiteking replied as he scanned each of the holograms, "To my knowledge that it was you who suggested it."


    "Do I even need to ask how you have that information?" Prophet chuckled. He then waved his hand, removing all the holograms in the room. Light then seeped inside as the curtains covering the room from the outside world slowly opened, revealing Prophet''s office-- which did not really have any unique features other than being filled with books.


    "Even if I suggested it, it was the world government that decided to follow through with it."


    "Of course they would follow your advice..." Whiteking muttered as he took a seat on a couch, "...It''s hard arguing with someone who can see the future."


    "I can''t see the future, I can only predict it from the patterns, bits and pieces and rarely urate; and they change each second--"


    "Sure, keep telling yourself that," Whiteking let out a scoff, "But I suppose it makes sense; with this, you will have more patterns to put into the equation. But is it really worth it to risk the privacy of the children?"


    "I don''t know, old friend."


    "...What? You did all of this and you''re going to tell me you have no idea what the fuck you''re doing? Tell me, old friend¡­ what are you seeing now?"


    "Darkday."


    "...Darkday?"


    "Darkday is not Dark Millenium''s leader."


    "Well, that much is obvious, isn''t it?" Whiteking chuckled, his tone containing a bit of sneer, "If it was Darkday, then we wouldn''t even have any students right now."


    "Have I told you that I can not see Darkday in any of my¡­ visions?" Prophet then took a seat on his chair.


    "...Does that mean that he is gone for good?"


    "No. What I mean is I have never been able to see him, not now, not before, not even once," Prophet mentioned, "That is why I am certain that he is not the leader of Dark Millenium, but nheless, they are dangerous and need to be hunted down."


    "An evil leaves, another takes its ce. What else is new?" Whiteking let out a sigh as he stood up, "I don''t know why you went with this route, but the Academy is slowly turning into a circus with all the children uploading all sorts of videos. We were supposed to keep them hidden, Prophet."


    "A good thing such technology didn''t exist back in our time, right?" Prophet chuckled, "If not, the world would have probably seen all the stupid things I have done when I was young."


    "You still haven''t answered my initial question. What are you truly nning?"


    "Well¡­


    ...What do you think?"


    ***


    "Hannah! You''re in our ss!"


    The next day, the Academy has finally almost returned to its normal state; with the sses starting again, albeit softly. There were still students who kept to themselves in their rooms, but a lot fewerpared to yesterday.


    A lot of students have still not been able to recover from what had happened, but they had no choice-- life goes on in the Academy.


    "Y¡­ yes, I guess since Riley is here, they decided to just throw me with him."


    As for the remaining students of the ss of 1-F, they were distributed in different sses. A lot of the students of ss 1-V stared at Hannah as soon as she walked in the room and started prancing around excitedly with Silvie. Especially the male students, as they were focused on Hannah''s bountiful buttocks.


    Some of them would have probably already approached her¡­ if not for the existence of Riley Ross.


    "Alright, settle down!"


    Hannah quickly took a seat beside Silvie as soon as the metal door slid open. Her eyebrows, however, also quickly furrowed as soon as she saw Scarlet Mage walking to the stage.


    Scarlet Mage¡­ Is that still her superhero name? After all, her hair was now suddenly a luscious silver color.


    "Tch, what''s with that?" Hannah then muttered.


    "None of us know¡­ It changed after the incident in Toronto."


    "Quiet down, we have a lot more better things to discuss today other than my hair!" Katherine also returned Hannah''s re before facing the other students, "I know a lot of things have changed around here, but it doesn''t mean we''re going to lose track of ourselves. As you may know, a month or so from now, students from other Mega Academies will be visiting our school."


    And as soon as Katherine''s words reached the students'' ears, they all released gasps of excitement.


    "We expect all of you to be on your best behavior, as well as your strongest since there will be tournaments,petitions, and whatnots during the festival."


    "Yes!"


    "We will destroy them!"


    "...I said you need to be on your best behavior," Katherine then let out a short but deep sigh, "But that is exactly the other thing we need to discuss today. As you may also know, the school is building a Student Council and anyone is free to apply for the open positions there. There is, however, one more department that is being built¡­


    ...A Police force."


    "...Isn''t that the Academy''s job?"


    "Some of you may not be aware of it, but there has been rampant discrimination and fights going around the Academytely because of the existence of the Potential Viin list," Katherine gestured to the students to calm down,


    "And since there are thousands of you, the Academy staff would never be enough to cover everyone; and with the Festivaling, we can''t have students fighting each other. However, unlike the Student Council, getting into the Student Police force is not by application, but by rmendation. And so, after a very long and hard decision¡­


    ...I rmended Riley Ross for one of the positions."

 Chapter 63: Police Force

    <h4>Chapter 63: Police Force</h4>


    "It¡­ it seems we were both selected from our ss, Mr. Riley."


    "That seems to be the case, Katrina."


    If one were to close their eyes, one could probably hear the sound of a boing drumming through the air as Katrina slowly made his way towards Riley. The room they were in was as big as the ssrooms, but instead of bleachers, desks, and a stage for an instructor to teach on; there was only a wide round table nted right on the center of the room.


    "I was under the impression that I was the only one selected from our ss," Riley then said as Katrina''s brea-- as Katrina stood beside him.


    "S¡­ sorry! Should¡­ Should I leave?" Katrina then slightly panicked, turning her head from left to right and causing her breasts to jiggle.


    "No, why would you?" Riley blinked a couple of times in confusion, "I think it is good that there is a familiar face in the room, Katrina."


    "Is¡­ is that so?"


    "Yes, especially you."


    "M¡­ me!?" Katrina''s face turned into cherry as she slightly covered her face, her arms further pinning herrge breasts and causing them to almost pop out from her costume-- a feat not easily done; especially with a costume like hers.


    Her costume was far from tight; containing severalyers of frills that ovepped each other like a scale. As for her mask, it only covered the lower part of her face; like some sort of futuristic oxygen mask. Her ability to control wind probably contributed a lot to her choice of costume.


    "W¡­ why especially me!?" Katrina continued to squeal loudly, once again causing her breasts to bounce.


    "Because the attention I usually garner is cut to half," Riley then answered.


    "...What?"


    "Most of the time, in a room, all of the eyes would be looking at me because of my unique aesthetics. But now, half of them are looking at your humongous pair of breasts, Katrina. And for that, I thank you."


    "...Oh," Katrina''s head then tilted to the side; and if one were to look closer, it was as if her soul was leaving her body from her mouth due to the disappointment from Riley''s words. But after a few seconds, her attention travelled to the so-called eyes that Riley mentioned. And true enough¡­


    ...All of the other people in the room were looking at them. Or more specifically, towards Riley and her breasts.


    "Is everyone here?"


    But before she could do anything about the stares, the metal door of the room slid open; revealing the individual that would be supervising their club. And as soon as they saw who it was, the attention that was gathered towards Riley and Katrinapletely disappeared as the room was quickly filled with bursts of quiet gasps.


    Nightwalker.


    The instructor of ss 1-F, which was dissolved due to the fact that almost all of their students were killed by the Dark Millenium. And with that thought, the faces of the students once again became sedated; even through their masks, their expressions of doubt and grief could be seen.


    None of them have forgotten what happened, but they were trying their best so they could move on. But seeing Nightwalker approaching them, the memories of what happened during their activity in Toronto once again resurfaced in their minds.


    "I am going to ignore what all of you are feeling right now." Nightwalker''s quiet words echoed through the entire room as he took a seat at the round table, "I would have to ask all of you to also take a seat so we could discuss what your role truly is in the Academy and in theing Festival."


    The sound of chairs squeaking then whistled in the air for a few seconds as the students all took their seats; and since they were already somewhat gathered in a circle around the table, it did not really take that long for them to settle down.


    "Police Force," Nightwalker then said as he tapped the tablet in his arm, causing a hologram of the entire area of the Academy to emerge at the center of the table, "And as the name suggests, you will be responsible for upholding the rules andws of the Academy. You are also authorized to report and personally arrest those who break them, and with the uing Festival, that includes students from the other Academies¡­"


    Nightwalker''s exnation continued on for almost an hour; most of the students, however, became lost midway. But their task was simple and did not really need that much exining in the first ce. It was mostly Nightwalker exining and teaching them theyout of the entire Academy, and with howrge it was, the students didn''t really think that they would be able to cover most of it-- and so, they lost interest in listening.


    There was one, however, whose eyes did not leave the hologram-- Riley.


    When Katherine rmended him for the Police Force, he had wanted to reprimand her for moving without asking him first. But as soon as Katherine exined that the Police Force would have ess to some of the Academy''s facilities that were otherwise only essible by the staff, he quickly agreed.


    There was also the fact that he would have more freedom to finally explore the Academy, as no one would question him why he was where he was because he belonged to the Police Force.


    "That¡­ that was quite unnerving, wasn''t it?"


    And as soon as everyone started leaving the room, Katrina quickly let out a long and deep sigh as she slouched on her chair.


    "I don''t even think I deserve this," Katrina then said as she carefully adjusted the red band wrapped around her arm, "I¡­ I can''t even discipline myself, much less other people."


    "I believe that to be false, Katrina," Riley then quickly answered her as he stood up, "When our ssmates were starting to fight back in the dome shelter, you were the only one that stepped in to stop them."


    "You¡­ you saw that?"


    "Yes. And I believe the Academy saw it as well-- and that is why you are here, Katrina."


    "R¡­ really?"


    "No," Riley answered, "But I believe it to be the case, it is up to you toe up with your own conclusion."


    "I¡­ I see," Katrina did not know whether to be happy or slightly irritated from Riley''s blunt words; but still, she let out a small smile and nodded her head, "Thank you, Riley. Let''s do our best to uphold justice from now on!"


    "..." Hearing the enthusiasm in Katrina''s voice, Riley could only shrug his shoulders before turning to leave.


    Justice?


    The only thing closest he has done that involved justice was extinguishing the Justice Defenders. But still, he did it quite well-- so that was still something to be proud of.


    "S¡­ see you back in ss tomorrow, Riley Ross!"


    "Of course, Hurricane Katrina."


    ***


    "Let¡­ let me out of here! You think you can-- Agh!"


    In a room seemingly devoid of any light, a high pitch scream was whistling in the air. Not for long, however; as the screams were quickly reced by a cry.


    "Is¡­ is anyone here!? Please¡­ please help me!"


    The once demanding scream became that of a cry; pleading, whispering through the darkness. The only reply the voice received, however, was a grunt that seemed to havee from somewhere near her.


    "H¡­ hello!? Who is that? Is someone else here with me!?"


    A light thud then drummed in the air as the voice once again started to be louder. But before the owner of the voice could do anything else, she once again cried in pain.


    "Why¡­ why does it hurt when I use my pow--"


    And before the voice could continue, light suddenly drowned the almost eternal darkness. The voice slightly became sedated as its owner slowly recovered her vision; her eyes fluttering carefully but hastily so that they could finally see where they were.


    The owner of the voice was none other than Ms. Friday; still wearing her jet-ck costume, minus her helmet that was destroyed by Riley.


    "W¡­ what? Where am I?" Ms. Friday then slowly backed away as she found herself in a cage of what seemed to be¡­ ss. She did not panic for long, however, as she caught a glimpse of the owner of the grunt that whispered into her ears earlier.


    It was true that she was not alone, as there was also another ss cage just a meter away from hers-- confining a tall man that had a pair of feelers attached to his head, simr to an insect.


    "You¡­ aren''t you Shrinkrat!?" Ms. Friday then said as she mmed her fist on the ss, trying to call the attention of the tall man, "Can you¡­ can you get us out of here!?"


    The man he so desperately tried to call, however, only nce at her before turning away and showing only his back at Ms. Friday.


    "Wait¡­ Wait. Can you at least answer where--"


    But before Ms. Friday could finish her words, she noticed another grunt whispering behind her. She quickly looked back, only to see a woman also wearing some sort of costume; another familiar individual.


    Ms. Friday was about to transfer her attention towards the female superhero, only for her to hear another grunt¡­. And then another¡­ and then another.


    The grunts continued on like a ripple, whispering through her ears as she finally realized where she was. Tens? Or maybe even a hundred?


    Ms. Friday''s eyes could not stop moving as theynded on each of the ss cages that surrounded her. The cages¡­ she was sure of it-- most of the ones trapped here were superheroes who have disappeared¡­


    ...taken by Darkday.


    ***


    "What''s up, what''s up! It''s your strongest superhero that will reach the heavens here, Dragon Monarch!"


    "Great¡­ I thought you couldn''t be any more annoying."


    "Bruh, I''m recording! Now I have to do my intro all over again!"


    "...Shouldn''t you be getting ready for your match?"


    "It''s still a day from now. And please don''t disrupt me, I need to go live in a few minutes as soon as they arrive."


    Hannah''s eyes started to roll upon hearing Gary''s words. Gary had been tinkering and uploading videos nonstop for a full month ever since they were allowed to use phones under supervision


    Gary had finally managed to hit a thousand subscribers, so he was going full st; especially today-- the students from the other Academies were arriving.


    "...Do you think we will even be allowed near the gates?"


    "Of course we would," Gary smirked, "We have a tight connection with the bureau now."


    "Bu-- what?"


    "I mean Riley is going to be there, he''s in the Police Force, remember?"


    "Right¡­" Hannah then let out an almost exasperated breath, "Fuck¡­


    ...Now I''m even more worried."


    ***IMPORTANT***


    For those wondering, I am taking a short HIATUS to make a 10-chapter privilege for the privileged readers. In the mean time, you can read ''My Juicy System''.

 Chapter 64: Arrival of the Foreign Students

    <h4>Chapter 64: Arrival of the Foreign Students</h4>


    "How¡­ how long do you think we need to stand here?"


    "We just got here, Hurricane Katrina."


    Riley could not help but slightly squint his eyes as he took a slight nce towards Katrina, who was floating a meter away to his side. As part of the Police Force, Riley and Katrina, along with a few other members, were tasked to guard the gates as the students from the other Academies were about to arrive at any minute now.


    They were not really told what to do, only for them to stand by the gate and make sure that there wouldn''t be any trouble once their visitors arrive. And so, Riley made the decision that it would be better to wait for them in the air, where he could have a better view of the vicinity.


    What he did not expect, however, was that Katrina would follow him up using her ability to control the wind. Katrina''s costume truly was tailored to her powers-- theyers of lengthy and loose frills weren''t just for design; she was able to use them as some sort of mast to lift herself up easier into the air.


    "Is it not hard to control your bnce because of your massive breasts, Katrina?"


    "...Is this how you do small talk?"


    "My mother alwaysins about her back, and hers are not as big as yours," Riley continued, "So I could only imagine the difort you are feeling right now, Katrina."


    "I¡­ I see," Katrina could not help but slightly let out an awkward chuckle as she listened to Riley''s words, "Thanks for¡­ worrying about me, I guess?"


    In truth, Katrina always wanted to have the chance to talk with Riley. She was actually one of the people that he saved when Gary went amok with his heat vision during the 2nd day of ss.


    But even after 2 months, she never really got the chance to do so as he was always surrounded by Silvie and the others; and whenever he was alone, it would only take a single blink from her and he was gone.


    And so, for her, it was only fate that she was also rmended in the Police Force.


    She had always known that Riley was a bit weird since he confirmed himself that he was autistic, but Katrina did not really have a problem with that. Because from her 12 siblings, two were actually also in the spectrum-- so she had a lot of experience dealing with people of their stature.


    However, for some reason, she could not help but feel that there was something different about Riley-- like he was more aware of what he was actually doing than he lets on about, something that her 2 autistic siblings are surely not capable of.


    "They''re arriving, Katrina."


    "Ri-- their bus is going in!?" Katrina could not help but raise her voice as a bus passed through the gate as soon as it was opened, "I¡­ I suppose that makes sense. I guess they really did us dirty when we went to Toronto since they could have just brought the bus inside."


    Katrina then let out a long and deep sigh as she watched as a dozen buses started passing through the gate, "Shall we follow-- Wait for me!"


    And before she could even finish her words, Riley was already following the buses from above.


    Each country seemed to have been allotted two buses each; their gs posted on the sides.


    Russia, Japan, China, Ennd, Singapore, and South Africa-- all here topete with each other to see which country is the best.


    "I guess Silvie is preparing for her matches, right? I haven''t seen her for a month and your group is usually tight."


    "That is the case, Katrina."


    Since the Festival was announced a month and a half ago, the students that were chosen to participate in thepetitions have actually been training non-stop ording to the kind of match they are joining in.


    There were manypetitions to be championed, but from the perspective of the students that were filled with boosted adrenaline, there was actually only one that truly mattered-- the Combat tournament.


    They even value it above the Rescuepetition, which is actually the main event of the Festival.


    Why wouldn''t they? After all, one could see superheroes rescuing people every day. But one-on-one matches? From the more than 300 long years of the history of the Age of Heroes, that has not been done before-- at least not legally and in public.


    It was almost as if the timing of allowing the students to connect to the outside world using smartphones that the Academy provided themselves was¡­ too convenient to be a coincidence.


    "Did you join any of thepetitions?" Katrina then asked as she continued to watch the students from the other Academies stepping out of the buses, "I joined the Obstacle Race, but it isn''t until the 2nd day of the Festival."


    "I believe it would not be fair to any of you if I joined, Katrina," Riley then said as he too, carefully watched the students stepping out of the buses, "So no, I did not join any of the games."


    "G¡­ games?" Katrina could only scratch her chin as she heard the detached tone in Riley''s voice, "Aren''t you the least bit excited? Everyone seems to be having fun down below, some of the students were even allowed to set up booths!"


    "If Mega Woman joins, then it would be fun."


    "..."


    Yup, Riley was quite different from her 2 siblings.


    "We¡­ should probably head down there to help the others?"


    With the students from the other Academies now all touching ground, the situation below was starting to be erratic as even their ssmates, the US students were starting to gather to take a look at them.


    The official start of the Festival events was tomorrow, and this day was just allotted for everyone to mingle and let the foreign students rest if they choose to do so, that was the reason they were dropped in the Academy''s za, which was at the very center of the campus and where most of the booths from the students were set up.


    And Katrina did not lie-- there were almost a hundred booths set up everywhere. But considering there were 4000 students in the Academy, that could be considered few.


    "That would probably be for the--"


    "What did you say!?"


    And before Riley could even finish his words, a bellow could be hearding from the ground. Both he and Katrina turned towards the direction where the rowdy voice wasing from, only to see a group of the schoolmates confronting another group that seemed to be from another country.


    "S¡­ seriously?" Katrina''s quiet stutters slowly dissipated in the air as she very slowly descended to the ground, "It hasn''t been half an hour and there''s already trouble?"


    "Children are usually rowdy creatures, Hurricane Katrina."


    "You¡­ you think so?" Hearing Riley''s words, Katrina could not help but let out another awkward chuckle. If she was right, then Riley should be one of the younger students of the Academy since he was only around 17 years old.


    "We¡­ should probably go and do our work, though?" Katrina then said as her descent became faster.


    "Indeed, Katrina."


    ***


    "What did you say!?"


    "On vyglyadit serditym... chto ty sdl?"


    "...Ya prosto sprosil dorogu."


    "I think he is mocking us!"


    Just a few meters away from the buses of the foreign students, a group of American students was already huddled up; and judging by their loud voices, an altercation was only a few seconds away from happening.


    Some students, even from the other countries, have also gathered to watch what was happening; none of them seemingly wanting to alleviate the situation-- with some even using their phones to immortalize the moment.


    "We only ask where shithole is, my American friend."


    "Did you just call me a shithole!?"


    And just ording to the bystanders'' wishes, the situation seemed to be getting worse by the second as an American student''s arms started stretching abnormally long.


    "..." The Russian student, who had both his arms raised trying to calm the young man in front of him, could not help but look towards his ssmates to ask what they should do. And after a few seconds of staring at each other-- they all nodded.


    "You started this, my friend," said the Russian student as his skin started to turn into chrome, "Not my fault if you are hurt."


    "You arrogant piece of--"


    "Stop!"


    But before the two could do anything more, a loud high-pitched whistle hummed in the air as a pair of massive brea-- as Katrina descended to the ground, blowing the whistle provided to them by the Academy.


    "As a member of the USMA Police Force, I am warning you that if you do not stop this unsanctioned duel, you will not be allowed to participate in the Festival!"


    Katrina then raised her arm to show the armband, proving that she was part of the force as she approached themotion. And as soon as she did so, numerous sighs of disappointment could be hearding from the students that were watching from the sides.


    "You will be confined in the-- What the¡­ D-- Ultra Flex?" Katrina was about to finish her lines, but before she could do so, she saw the face of the one that started the situation in the first ce-- Ultra Flex, aka, Daniel Espinoza, a student from her ss.


    "You again?" Katrina sighed, "Why are you always asking for trouble?"


    "What!? They started it!" Daniel quickly bellowed as he retracted his elongated arms, pointed towards the Russian students who definitely had confused expressions on their faces, "If there is someone you need to reprimand, it''s the--"


    "Vasha gruppa sprovotsirov situatsiyu, foreign students?"


    And before Daniel could finish his words, he could not help but slightly back away as a familiar voice entered his ears; the voice of the one he considers his rival¡­


    ...Riley Ross.

 Chapter 65: Police Force

    <h4>Chapter 65: Police Force</h4>


    "..."


    While Katrina was trying to go through the protocol that was taught to them by Nightwalker as part of the Police Force, Riley was quietly standing behind her. But it seemed somewhat counterproductive that he wasn''t doing anything, and so, by his own judgment, it was more fitting for him to be doing something.


    And so¡­


    "Did your group instigate the situation, foreign students?"


    He took it upon himself to approach them so they could get their side of the story as well. And as soon as he did so, the gasps of shock whispered through the air; with the Russian students all looking at each other with their eyes wide open.


    They didn''t know where to be shocked; be it Riley''s seemingly ethereal appearance, or the fact that he seemed to be able to fluently speak theirnguage.


    "You¡­ can speak ournguage?" The one that had an altercation with Daniel was the first to speak up, his skin that turned to chrome was slowly turning back to normal; like scales vibrating and slowly aligning themselves into skin.


    "I can," Riley quickly answered, "But I believe I was the one who asked a question first."


    "O¡­ Of course!" This time, a female student from the group spoke up; her mask was only a paint that covered the area around her eyes, "We were not the one that started thismotion. My friend was just asking for directions."


    With the other Russian students making way for the female student, it would seem that she held quite the authority among them, something that Riley did not miss as he nodded at the girl.


    "Is there someone that could corroborate your statement, Ms¡­"


    "Mega Girl, my superhero name is Mega Girl," the female student then said as she also nodded towards Riley, before slightly leaning closer to him, "But you may call me Alisa."


    Hearing Alisa''s superhero name, Riley could not help but look at the girl from head to toe. Despite choosing a name like Mega Girl; she looks nothing like Mega Woman-- unlike Silvie who, even with a differently styled costume, still reminded him of Mega Woman.


    Alisa was not even trying, Riley thought. Her hair was brown and almost leaning to ck, her suit was also ck, almost like a leotard with boots that reached above her knee.


    "I would prefer to call you Russian Mega Girl as there are¡­ cameras all around us," Riley muttered as he looked at the curious crowd surrounding them, "And is there anyone that can corroborate your story, Russian Mega--"


    "T¡­ there''s no need for that anymore, Riley."


    And before he could finish his words, Katrina approached him from behind, "Ultra Flex confessed that he was the one who started the fight as he thought the Russian students were mocking them."


    "...I see," Riley sighed before turning his attention back to the Russian students, "This matter has been resolved, foreign students. You may go and enjoy the festivities."


    "T¡­ that''s it?" One of the Russian students breathed out. It would seem that he wanted to say something, but Alisa stopped him from doing so, saying that they should just watch what would happen.


    "I didn''t know you could speak Russian," Katrina then quickly whispered as they make their way towards Daniel, aka Ultra Flex.


    "There are a lot of things we don''t know about each other, Katrina," Riley muttered before looking towards Daniel and his group.


    "Have you been briefed as to what is going to happen to you for trying to instigate a fight with the foreign students, Ultra Flex?"


    "I¡­ I already issued him a warning, Riley," Katrina was the one to answer, "But he doesn''t seem to want to--"


    "Yeah? What''s going to happen to me, exactly?" And without any intention of hiding his hubris, Daniel stepped forward; only stopping when his and Riley''s face was only a few inches away from each other.


    "You may be my rival, but it doesn''t mean you could use your authority of being in the Police Force to do whatever you want with me."


    "...Rival?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he took a few steps back to avoid making contact with Daniel''s face. He then turned his attention towards Katrina and said,


    "Do you know him?"


    "W¡­ what?" Katrina stuttered, "He¡­ is our ssmate. He''s in 1-V. You''ve fought with him before?"


    "I see," Riley nodded, "I must have forgotten because of how boring it was. I apologize for not remembering you, Ultra Flex."


    "Y¡­ you--"


    "We will let you off with a warning, Ultra Flex."


    Riley did not let Daniel say a word as he gestured towards his armband that represented he was in the Police Force, "If we catch you doing this again, you will be locked up in your room for the duration of the Festival. You will also be paying a penalty of 1,500 Mega Points."


    "Then lock me the fuck up so we could settle this once and for all!"


    "Ooh!"


    With Daniel not stepping down and once again stomping his way towards Riley, the Oohs and Aahs of the onlookers became even stronger as they double checked if their phones were recording.


    "..." Seeing this, Riley could not help but furrow his eyebrows. One of the benefits of being in the Academy was not beingpletely unknown to the outside world-- but now, with them suddenly approving the use of smartphones, that all goes away. And considering that even the other foreign students also had their phones raised, it wasn''t only their Academy that decided it.


    Perhaps the existence of the Dark Millenium only expedited something they have been nning to do all along. But what n exactly?


    Whatever it was, it was something the government could not do with Mega Woman still running around. Being paraded like monkeys was already something that Mega Woman wouldn''t approve of, so the government was really pushing the limits of what they could do right now.


    Paraded like monkeys?


    ...Maybe that''s exactly what they were trying to do?


    "Oi, you fucking autist. I am talking to you!"


    "Hm?"


    Riley''s thoughts were then disrupted as his view was suddenly blocked by Daniel''s hand, whose arms had already stretched a few meters. Seeing this, Riley could only let out a sigh as he turned his attention towards Daniel.


    "As we have already warned you once..." Riley then said as he used two of his fingers to push away Daniel''s hand; but if one were to look closer, his fingers were not really touching Daniel''s skin, "...we are now legally allowed to use force to subdue you, Ultra Flex."


    "Just try it, you son of a bitch!" Daniel said as he retracted his hand, "I will show the whole world that I am the superior one between us!"


    "G... guys!" And before anything can happen between the two, Katrina stood between them, "Why... why don''t we all just calm down? You''re embarrassing us to the other students."


    "The only one that would be embarrassed is that albino when I am done with him!"


    "S¡­ sto-- Eek!"


    And without even having the chance to defend herself, Katrina was pushed to the side; her yelp seemingly signalling the start of the battle between Riley and Daniel. Katrina continued to stumble on the ground, trying to regain her bnce by using her abilities; but before she could even summon a single hint of wind, she felt her body being lifted up in the air.


    "...Riley?" She then quickly whispered as she turned her head towards Riley, who was now several meters in the air.


    "Come down here, you faggot!" Daniel roared as his hand stretched towards the sky; but s, his sticity seemed to have reached its limit after 50 meters.


    "Pft."


    And now, with him struggling to even reach Riley; the curious gaze of the crowd turned into slight bursts ofughter. Their chuckles felt like knives piercing Daniel''s ears; but even then, he tried his hardest to stretch even further to reach his opponent.


    And as for Riley? He was making sure he was only a few inches away from what Daniel could reach-- giving him false hope that he could actually touch him. However, after a few more seconds, he let out a short but deep sigh before grabbing something from his pockets.


    And as soon as Daniel saw what it was, his elongated arms slowly retracted. But s, before they could return to their original length, a snap echoed throughout the air as two small skirts of wind erupted beside Riley.


    A skirt of wind which unfortunate shot straight towards in between Daniel''s shoulders; instantly pinning him down to the ground.


    "Grah!" He wanted to rebuke and fight back, but the only thing he could do was scream in pain as the thing embedded in both his shoulders started to bend; prating the ground beneath him and not allowing him to stand up.


    "I would need to throw another set of cutlery again because of you, Ultra Flex." Riley let out a deep but quiet sigh as he looked at the pair of spoon and fork embedded in Daniel''s shoulders; but from Daniel''s ears, it might as well be a mocking shout.


    "You¡­ so, you do remember me!?" Daniel then rotated his neck into a hundred and eighty degrees to look at Riley, "You¡­ you provoked me, didn''t you!? I demand a--"


    But s, before Daniel could speak even further, a small te suddenly covered his mouth.


    "Sorry, I don''t negotiate with terrorists," Riley then said before Daniel''s body started to float into the air. The onlookers were prepared to see the sight of blood profusely gushing from his shoulders, but there wasn''t even a drop falling, indicating that the spoon and fork were tightly stabbed through his flesh.


    "Shall we go, Hurricane Katrina?"


    "Y¡­ yes, of course," Katrina quickly fixed her costume as soon as her feet once again touched the ground. Although it was obvious, she still wanted to ask Riley if he was the one who prevented her from tumbling down. But in the end, she chose not to-- as the were other questions that also wanted to burst out from her mouth.


    How can he speak Russian?


    Was he really just ying with Daniel?


    And most importantly...


    ...Where was Riley hiding a te in his outfit?


    And so, just like that, the first of many troubles during the Mega Academy''s festival had been solved; also somewhat showing the prowess of USMA''s Student Police Force, using Daniel as a sacrifice as he was paraded across the Academy.


    It would have been alright if he was allowed to walk on his own; but s, with Riley the one catching him, the only thing he could do was close his eyes as he floated above the crowd in shame.


    He could struggle, but the only good that will do was make himself look even more of a fool.


    "...Did we just witness what we just witnessed?" Alisa, who was still standing with her group where Riley left her, could not help but blink her eyes a couple of times in awe, "These Americans¡­


    ...they''re a crazy bunch. Let''s all behave from now on."


    It wasn''t only them that shared the same sentiment, as the dispersing crowd also had the same thoughts in their minds. Well, everyone except for a group of students from Africa, who were looking at each other with their eyebrows furrowed.


    "Kiama, can you check if that guy is in any of thepetitions?" One of them whispered, "It seems that even here¡­


    ...We must face someone cursed by god."


    And so, with the festivities continuing with only minimum troubles, the students from the other countries have started roaming around the Academy; introducing themselves to the other students and enjoying the booths they have prepared.


    "Gary!"


    And in front of one of those booths, Gary was lying on the ground¡­


    ...about to die.


    "We¡­


    ...we need a medic here!"

 Chapter 66: The Dragon Monarchs Will

    <h4>Chapter 66: The Dragon Monarch''s Will</h4>


    "We¡­ we need a medic here!"


    With Hannah''s screams heating up the air itself, the attention of most of the people within the vicinity gathered towards her¡­ as well as Gary, who was currently lying on the ground; each of his breaths stifled as he writhed in pain.


    Even with his mask almost covering half his face, the redness of his face which almost resembled a tomato was still quite obvious for everyone to see.


    Hannah was at a loss as to what to do; they had been trained to perform chestpressions and other basic emergency survival assistance-- but that was for normal people. Gary was a Super who had the strength to probably break her bone with a single swing of his fist; and with him wriggling around, she wouldn''t be able to even touch him.


    "I need help--"


    "What is it you require, big sister?"


    And before Hannah could once again ask for help, a girl wearing what seemed to be a set of white ceremonial Japanese robes appeared in front of her.


    "T¡­ Tomoe?" Hannah then blinked a couple of times in confusion as Tomoe suddenly jumped beside her, wearing sunsses that were eerily simr to the one that Riley was wearing. If she wasn''t mistaken, then her costume was also a recolored outfit from the TV series that she and Riley were watching, Latino Mafia Reborn-- minus those sses, of course.


    They haven''t seen Tomoe around for a couple of days¡­ was she working on this costume?


    No, that didn''t matter at all. What matters is how she was suddenly here when Hannah was calling for help. Was she¡­ stalking her or something? Or maybe she just happened to be in the area.


    Yes, that''s probably the logical exnation.


    No, that didn''t matter at all. What matters now is that something was happening to Gary.


    "Can you call for help? Everyone seems to just be busy watching instead of fucking doing anything!"


    "I have already called for someone, big sister," Tomoe swiftly answered before turning her full attention towards the writhing Gary, "What happened to him?"


    "Do I look like I? have a fucking clue? We just ordered drinks from that booth and--" And before Hannah could finish her words, her eyes quickly moved towards the red drink spilled beside Gary, and without any hesitation, threw away the cup that she had as well.


    "What did you put in our drinks!?" Hannah''s arms then burst into mes as she rushed towards the booth near them.


    "E-- Eek!" The two students that were watching over the booth as their kiosk suddenly went up into mes as soon as Hannah mmed her palm on it.


    "What did you put in our drinks!? Hannah then once again repeated her words as she walked over the burning kiosk, "Did youce it with poison!?"


    "W¡­ what? No!"


    Both the students all put up their guard as Hannah slowly got nearer and nearer to them, "We¡­ we didn''t put anything in it besides syrup and alcohol!"


    "If you didn''tce it with anything, then how can you exin--" Hannah pointed towards Gary as she tried to pin the two down for their supposed crimes, but as soon as she realized thest part of their sentence, she could not help but stop in her tracks.


    "...Alcohol?" She then breathed out, "You put alcohol in our drinks!? This is a school you fucktwits!"


    "We¡­ we got permission from one of the staff!"


    "What!? Who''s the fucker who approved of something like this?"


    "W¡­ Whiteking."


    "..." And as soon as Hannah heard who it was that allowed something like this to happen, the mes that were violently dancing around her arms instantly withered away.


    Her father... again? First, allowing a student-teacher rtionship, and now allowing the consumption of alcohol within school grounds¡­ and with visitors from other countries no less!?


    Just what kind of shit is he trying to pull in the Academy!? She knew that her father and Prophet were old friends, but for him to have this much authority in the Academy was truly jarring.


    "W¡­ what''s happening to me?"


    "Gary!"


    Hannah''s thoughts were then disrupted as Gary finally stopped breathing like a dying monkey.


    Tomoe was there to help him up, but as soon as both his feet were firmly nted on the ground, he pushed Tomoe away and caused her to fall but first on the ground.


    "What the fuck, Gary!?" Hannah bellowed as she rushed to check on Tomoe.


    "Why¡­ why is everything moving so slow!?" Gary''s eyes started to move erratically as his head swiveled left and right, "Who¡­ who are you people!? What have you done to the Dragon Monarch!?"


    Gary started to wave his hand violently, causing a waft of air to breeze towards the faces of the onlookers. A smile and a chuckle then started to form on the students'' faces as they saw Gary dancing like a monkey; most of them were about to raise the cameras on their phones, but before they could do so, trails of smoke started to fume from Gary''s eyes.


    "You¡­ you dare mock the Dragon Monarch!?" Gary then roared as his smoking eyes started to release a red glow, "I will let you see the difference between a dragon and a mortal¡­


    ...Die!"


    "Tomoe!"


    "I''m on it!" Tomoe quickly opened up her palm, creating a wall of ice that blocked theser beam violently gushing out from Gary''s eyes. A part of the ice wall was quickly being melted away, however, creating a huge hole that soon threatened to copse.


    But before it could do so...


    "You''re causing trouble again, Dragon Monarch?"


    A white silhouette suddenly appeared behind Gary.


    "Move away, people! Move away!"


    A pair of huge bre-- Katrina''s voice then echoed through the air as shended from above, quickly ordering the onlookers to leave the scene and let the Police force handle the situation.


    "Seriously¡­ I feel like we''re the only ones responding to troubles," she then sighed before turning her attention towards the white silhouette standing behind Gary, "Why is it always people from our ss!?"


    "There is no need to be so surprised, Hurricane Katrina," Riley also let out a sigh as he shook his head, "I already expected to apprehend Gary on the first day."


    "W--"


    And before even letting Gary utter a single word, Riley waved his hand forward. And as soon as he did so, Gary''s entire body also flew forward¡­ hitting the thick wall of ice that Tomoe had nted in front of him.


    "You¡­" Riley then whispered as he took off his sunsses, "...should cool off for a while, Gary."


    "...You did that on purpose, didn''t you?"


    "I did, sister."


    Gary''s body slowly rose up in the air as Riley turned towards Hannah, "We''re authorized by the Academy to use force to settle disputes, you see. Katrina would take your statements of what happened here while I bring and lock Dragon Monarch in his room."


    "W¡­ wait."


    But before Riley could leave with Gary''s body, Hannah grabbed his hand. "The retard has a match tomorrow."


    "Then he would just have to forfeit, sister."


    "That''s not possible. There''s no one to rece his slot thiste, our ss is going to lose chances at winning the Combat tournament," Hannah sighed.


    "I don''t believe it matters, sister," Riley also let out a sigh as he looked her sister in the eyes, "Since American Mega Girl is likely to win the tournament for our ss."


    "American--"


    "N¡­ no."


    And before Hannah could even ask why his brother called Silvie that way, the previously unconscious Gary lifted his head; struggling a little as he looked at the two, "The¡­ the will of the Dragon Monarch can not die¡­ it shall live on¡­


    ...in you, brother," Gary''s trembling hand then pointed towards Riley, before his entire body once again became limp.


    "Wait, that''s right¡­" Hannah then pped her first as her eyes started to shine, "You...


    ...haven''t joined any of the events yet!"

 Chapter 67: The One Cursed by God

    <h4>Chapter 67: The One Cursed by God</h4>


    "You¡­ haven''t joined any of the events yet!"


    "..."


    With her sister''s loud voice screaming into his ears, the only thing that Riley could do was take a few steps back, causing Gary, who was floating unconscious above and slightly behind him, to hit his head on the wall of ice that Tomoe nted several times.


    "This is a great opportunity!" Hannah then pped as a smile slowly appeared on her face, "You''ll be recing the retard, isn''t this a good chance to show off!?"


    "The reason I will not participate in any of the events is that it would not be fair for the others if I joined, sister," Riley then slowly stepped back as she saw the look in his sister''s eyes, "I need to take Gary back to his room, Katrina will take your--"


    "No," Hannah''s tone then became cold; her eyes not leaving Riley''s for even a second, "Mom told me to make sure you''re enjoying your stay here in the Academy. You''re joining the tournament whether you like it or not."


    "I have my hands full with the Police Force--"


    "Don''t speak thy bullshit to me, brother," Hannah then smirked as she grabbed her phone from her pocket, "Hurricane Katrina joined the Race event even though she''s also in the Police Force; I am going to call dad to makest-minute changes."


    "..." Seeing his sisterughing menacingly, one could not help but wonder if she was really doing this for Riley''s enjoyment¡­


    ...or for hers.


    ***


    "Jamba."


    "What?"


    "I overheard from the instructor just now, the Ghost would be joining the Combat tournament."


    "Is this true?"


    Seated in front of one of the Academy''s booths, a group of students with an African g attached to their costumes were eating some sort of chocte dessert, "I thought that we already asked around and he is not in any of the events?"


    "No, he just joined earlier."


    "I¡­ see," the man called Jamba then stood up from his seat, his head going way past the kiosk''s roof, "Then I suppose it is my destiny to eradicate the curse from this world."


    "Yes, brother. We shall support you."


    "You have our spiri--"


    "...Seriously?" Another African student, who was much darker inplexion than the rest of the group, could not help but blurt out as he saw 3 of his ssmates huddling up,


    "You guys from some sort of tribe or some shit?" The male student then said, "It''s the 21st century, my brothers-- stop being weird and talking about curses and shit."


    "You do not understand, Duma. The white man is--"


    "Brother, stop," Duma then stood up as he paid for his dessert, before pointing his hand towards the student called Jamba, "Because you''re sounding super racist right about now."


    "We are not racist!" Jamba then raised his voice as rushed towards Duma, hitting his muscr chest with Duma''s also muscr chest, "We are just doing the duty given to us by--"


    The students who were watching from the side could not help but stop in their tracks as soon as they sensed the testosterone that was building up roaring in the air. It truly was a blessing that the Festival happened, they could all see all sorts of Supers from around the world fighting each other-- or in this case, even students from the same team.


    "''Kay, ''kay, ''kay," Duma raised both his hands in surrender as he took a step back; the mocking smile on his face, however, showed that he truly was not backing down, "That''s what all the racists say."


    "You dare call us racist when we are standing in a country that is literally filled with them!?" Jamba roared as he lightly pushed Duma away, "This country had people that oppressed us hundreds of years ago, we were ves until Mega Woman appeared!"


    And finally, the students gathered around them let out Oohs and Aahs of excitement as they would once again get to see another fight break out. Although none of them knew what the group was fighting about, the curiosity in their faces was still fully alive and well.


    "And we weren''t even talking about white people!" Jamba added as he backed away, "We were just talking about the one Cursed by God! Let''s go, let''s leave this patronizer by himself."


    "...Right," Duma could only let out another deep sigh as he sat back in front of the booth as Jamba and his group turned to leave.


    Duma would lie if he said he didn''t know what his ssmates were talking about. Even in his city, where most people had already been swallowed by the modern world, there was still a very small minority simr to Jamba and his friends that believed in the existence of The One Cursed by God.


    The One Cursed by God.


    The old tribes that were scattered all around their continent have told its story-- The One Cursed by God would bring forth ruin to the world; he brings with him destruction as his long white hair flowed freely in the sky; its snow-white skin, capable of turning anything it touches into ash.


    Of course, like many old stories, their ancestors probably just saw an albino for the first time and thought of it as something evil since its skin is different from the rest of them.


    It was also a popr folklore that was effective in keeping kids from roaming during the night.


    But still¡­ to think there were people in this day and age that still believe an old wive''s tale; Duma could not help butugh at the thought as he continued to eat his dessert. But before he could take another bite, a voice called for his attention.


    "Good evening, foreign student."


    "!!!"


    Duma quickly looked behind to see who it was, only to see the very same individual that they were just talking about earlier. But that wasn''t all--


    "S¡­ sorry, was that Swahili?"


    The ghost-like individual in front of him was talking in anguage that was eerily familiar to him.


    "It is."


    "I¡­ I can''t really understand it that much anymore," Duma could not help but stutter as he tried his best not to stare at Riley.


    Now that he was looking at the person in question, it was no wonder Jamba and his group of friends immediately thought of The One Cursed by God. Even in the terms of people with albinism, the one in front of him looked¡­ different.


    Was he even albino in the first ce? He just looked like a very attractive person showered in white powder. And even though there was also a very voluptuous young woman with a glorious pair of breasts behind him, Duma''s eyes were like mas that could not resist looking at Riley.


    "Very well, foreign student," Riley then once again spoke, this time in English, "My name is Riley Ross of the Police Force, and the one behind me is Hurricane Katrina, also of the Police force. We are here because of reports that some students from Africa are fighting, may I ask if you were involved in it?"


    "A¡­ fight?" Duma once again stuttered as he remained staring at Riley, "Well¡­ It was more like a debate, really."


    "Ugh, seriously?" Katrina, who was standing behind Riley, could not help but drop her shoulders as she let out a long groan filled with frustration, "Why are people reporting every single little thing!? And it is also starting to feel like we''re actually the only ones doing our duties, Riley!"


    "I am afraid that is just our fate, Katrina," Riley then said before asking Katrina to interview the onlookers and ask them about what really happened.


    But after just a few people, the two concluded that it truly was nothing more than an argument between friends and proceeded to leave.


    Duma, however, was leftpletely speechless. He truly was not one for superstition, but If The One Cursed by God truly was real¡­


    ...then he was sure that it would look like Riley.


    ***


    "Ugh! Riley, can we just stop now!?"


    "The day is not over yet, Hurricane Katrina."


    Somewhere walking amongst the crowd of students, Riley was still searching for any signs of trouble. But as for hispanion, her arms were nowpletely swinging lifelessly as she stomped her feet as she walked.


    "This is the first day of the Festival, and we still have not done anything fun or bought anything from the booths!" Katrina''s steps then became faster as she walked in front of Riley, "That''s it. I officially order that our job for today is done!"


    "I believe you have no authority to give that order, Katrina."


    "Eh shush," Katrina then said as she suddenly ran to one of the booths.


    "..." Seeing this, Riley could only let out a small but deep sigh as he followed her, "We really should be getting--"


    "Here."


    And before Riley could even finish his words, Katrina put a corndog in front of his face.


    "We''ve been keeping this ce intact, the least we could do is at least enjoy the fruits of ourbor," Katrina then said as she let out a huge smile, "And this is also my way of thanking you."


    "...Thanking me?" Riley muttered as he took the corndog.


    "For saving me during the 2nd day of ss. I was one of the people in the direct path of Gar-- of Dragon Monarch''s crazyser eyes," Katrina then whispered, "So, thank you for that Riley Ross. You¡­"


    And without even any warning, Katrina suddenly leaned closer to Riley, cing her lips on his cheek.


    "...are my hero."


    Katrina then let out a small giggle, before biting on her corndog and walking away. But before she could even take 3 steps, Riley plunged his hand through her chest.


    ...Or at least that''s what Riley imagined doing as he stared at Katrina''s back.


    "Come on, Riley. We still have duties to do!"


    "..."


    And just like that, the Acquaintance Festival ended; with the Academy building a giant bonfire to symbolize the kind of fire that all the students would need to win the events toe.

 Chapter 68: The First Event

    <h4>Chapter 68: The First Event</h4>


    "Students from all over the globe, may we once again officially wee you to USMA. Probably the No. 1 Mega Academy in the world!"


    "Fuck you!"


    "Boo!"


    "Quiet down!"


    In one of USMA''s many giant coliseums, most of the students were currently gathered for the first event of the first-ever Festival of Mega Academies all over the globe. This was such a momentous event not only for the students but also for those who made it possible.


    And now, with the students being allowed to contact the outside, most of them were broadcasting the events live, allowing the whole world to witness it as well. The government has been very secretive about the happenings inside the Mega Academy for months, and so, with them opening their channels for everyone to see, everyone did watch.


    The Festival has 4 mainpetitions involving the students;


    Rescue-- The students wouldpete on how many citizens they will be able to get to safety in different scenarios. This was considered by the instructors to be the most important event; the students, however, beg to differ.


    Combat Tournament-- This is what all the students wanted to watch; Supers trying to beat each other up and asserting themselves to be the strongest Super in all of the Mega Academies. There was also the fact that each Mega Student of the 7 Academies will be participating in this event, cementing itself as the most exciting event of all.


    Race-- And as the name suggests, students will race against each other through countless obstacles to see who would be able to reach the destination first.


    Andstly, Kata-- With Supers numbering millions, it wasmon to have the same abilities with other people. But with Kata, the students would showcase how they could control their abilities to their fullest to make them unique to their own.


    There were 4 main events, with roughly 100 students participating in each. Mega Academy has thousands of students, and so, only those who were personally chosen by a group of instructors were qualified to participate in the events.


    But of course, for those that didn''t make it, there were still booths and other minor activities to be done outside the events.


    And although there were students from other Mega Academies present, it did not mean that it was apetition against the schools, no.


    None of the events are team-based-- this was apetition amongst students. Apetition that would span for 6 days until only the champion of the respective event has been chosen.


    As for the first event that was being held in the morning; Rescue Competition.


    "Uh, uh, uh! I know all of you are excited, but please refrain from booing as this moment is all about me!" The host clicked his tongue several times as the students started booing him. However, as soon as the host mouthed a kiss that was heard by all the students from the speakers, they all started to quiet down.


    Most of them wondered who this¡­ promiscuous host could be; the students of 1-V, though, all knew who it was.


    Ben Jackson, aka, Metallerina.


    "...Why is our ss everywhere?" Katrina, who was watching from the top-most level of the coliseum, could not help but let out an awkward chuckle as she looked at Riley, who was also standing beside her, "It''s like the school is revolving around our ss or something."


    "I suppose so, Katrina."


    "Shouldn''t you be getting ready for the Combat Tournament?"


    "It''s fine, Katrina," Riley muttered, his eyes centered on the horizon of the vast empty arena in the center of the coliseum, "I have something important to watch here."


    "I¡­ I see," Katrina whispered as she nced at Riley. She was still embarrassed about what she didst night. She almost couldn''t sleep thinking of how she just suddenly kissed Riley on the cheek-- but seeing Riley so calm right now, it would seem she was the only one thinking about what happened.


    "Fine! Fine! Let''s just start this, shall we!"


    Katrina''s sighs were then fortunately overpowered as soon as Ben Jackson''s loud voice once again reverberated from the speakers,


    "Maestro, light up the room!"


    And as soon as Ben said that, the vast empty arena hummed; opening up a huge hole in the center of the coliseum.


    And from that hole, towering infrastructures slowly started to emerge. It almost looked like a city with all the buildings scattered on it-- No, with the arena spanning more than 2 kilometers, it is a city.


    There were also moving cars, and even people-- and if the students of USMA were to take a better look, the citizens were mostly some of the many staff of the Academy.


    "And now¡­ to introduce your heroes!"


    10 giant screens then descended from god knows where, stopping as it hovered in the center of the arena, allowing the audience to see each of the students that were participating in the event.


    "It would take too long for me to introduce all hundred of them, so I won''t. Teehee," Ben''s somewhat coquettish giggles almost made the audience shiver, "But I am sure once we get to the final rounds in a few days, their names would be deserving of being announced! And now, Heroes, please get ready while I exin the rules to our lovely audience!


    The goal is simple-- rescue as many civilians as you can in the allotted time! The civilians that are in need of rescuing will all be wearing a yellow armband. They will only be considered rescued once you get them to the safe areas, indicated withrge yellow gs!


    Of course, if theyin¡­ Uh uh uh, that''s minus points, baby! There will also be viins hiding within the streets, wearing a ck armband. You will get extra points if you manage to subdue them!


    And that''s it. Do anything wrong, and you''ll know it. Uwu!"


    "..."


    With Ben finally done exining to them the rules, all of them could not help but look at each other. How could they even get excited when their host is just too¡­ much?


    "Oh, your sister is in this!" Katrina then pointed at one of the screens as soon as she saw Hannah on one of them, "So that''s why you wanted to watch, you''re supporting your sister!"


    "...I suppose, Katrina."


    "But¡­ Isn''t your sister''s power not suitable for this event?" Katrina then muttered.


    "That''s just how it is with her," Riley answered, "She always pretends to beid back, but always chooses the hardest path because¡­


    ...It''s fun."


    Down in the arena, Hannah was busy staring at the buildings surrounding her. It was extremely dim when they were underground, but now that the entire tform was raised to the ground, she could not help but be amazed¡­


    ...at just how much the government is spending for all of this nonsense.


    "Fuck the government. They should just be investing this in free healthcare," Hannah muttered, her words¡­ echoing throughout the whole coliseum.


    "..."


    "W¡­ well, what a timing. A... amiright, folks?" Ben''s awkward chuckle entered Hannah''s ears, "That was a snippet of one of our heroes. We would hear them from time to time as we change the audio focus¡­"


    "..." Hannah quickly moved to hide in one of the buildings, hitting her head on the wall as her embarrassment almost choked her to death. She could hear people cheering in the air, but due to the buildings blocking her view, she couldn''t see any of them.


    "And now, heroes¡­ Please return to your mark and get ready!"


    And with those words, Hannah had no choice but to return to her position, letting out a sigh as she started stretching her body.


    "Go! Go rescue some citizens in need! Hmp!" And so, with Ben moaning through the speakers, all of the participants took this as a signal that they should start to move.


    Hannah let out a long and deep breath as smoke started to fume from her mouth, "Let''s do this, Nuclear Baby¡­" she then whispered as her entire body was instantly engulfed in a zing fire.


    "Let''s do this!"


    ***


    Gary was currently trapped in his room, barred from leaving until the end of the day as a punishment for causing trouble. And so, the only thing he could do was watch the events through his phone; sitting quietly on his sofa as he drank what seemed to be juice.


    "Pft," he then let out a chuckle as Ben''s weird hosting entered his ears, "Man, I wish I could have been there. Agh, why am I the only--"


    And before he could even finish his words, the thick metal door of his room slid open.


    "Gary Gray."


    "Oh?" Gary then blinked a couple of times before setting down his phone beside him and looking at the individual that just entered his room,


    "Fancy of you to visit me in my fancy prison...


    ...Prophet."

 Chapter 69: Nice

    <h4>Chapter 69: Nice</h4>


    "You can do this, Nuclear Baby¡­


    ¡­Let''s do this!"


    With Hannah hyping herself up, the fire that engulfed her entire body grew even stronger; almost distorting the air around her.


    But before the ground beneath her could start to boil, a thunder erupted in the air as her body was instantly thrown through the air and above the towering buildings surrounding her.


    "There, there¡­ and there," she then muttered as her eyes quickly scanned the surrounding area; checking the buildings near to her that had yellow gs attached to them. She then propelled herself to the nearest Safe Building, before surveying the area for any citizens that might be in distress.


    "H¡­ help! Someone, please help me!"


    But before her eyes could evennd on one, a scream whispered into her ears from the distance. She quickly tried to search where the cries wereing from; however, with all the other noise persisting in the air, she was having trouble determining its exact location.


    But finally, after a few more turns of her head, she saw a citizen running on the street; a yellow band attached to her arms.


    "I got you," Hannah muttered before leaping from the building; but s, before she could even propel herself towards the civilian''s position, she saw a blur dash towards the screaming man.


    "What¡­"


    It was only for a brief moment, but Hannah was able to see who the blur was when it carried the citizen away. She could not recognize the student''s costume, so it was probably someone from another Academy.


    "..." Riley, however, who was watching from above, recognized who it was. It was one of the students from the South Africa Mega Academy that he had the pleasure of meetingst night, Duma.


    Some students of SAMA used their real names as their superhero names, and Riley could not help but think what a fitting name Duma is for a Sprinter. But quite an odd choice to join the Rescue event rather than the Race event.


    "Oho! Did you catch that, my dear audience!? Not even a minute has passed and someone has already managed to rescue a citizen in distress!" Ben continued to host the event, "But what''s this? I think the citizen was ufortable during the rescue, that''s only half a point!"


    "Tch, fuck," Hannah could only shake her head as someone else got to her target first. With a Sprinter joining the event, her chances of going to the next round became even slimmer.


    "S¡­ someone, please help!"


    Her dismay was cut short, however, as another scream whispered into her ears. Her eyes once again scanned the area like a hawk. But they did not need to search for long, however, as the owner of the cries was on one of the rooftops in the building near Hannah.


    And so, without even any hesitation, an explosion erupted from Hannah''s back, almost molding into the shape of a wing as it propelled her straight towards the roof. But as soon as one of Hannah''s feetnded on the roof, any traces of the zing me that engulfed her entire body withered away almost instantly.


    She then rushed towards the distressed citizen; running and not using any of her abilities.


    "Are you hurt?" She then quickly asked as she crouched beside the crying woman. Whoever chose the role of the civilians for this event should get a raise, Hannah thought as she watched the tears falling from the woman''s face.


    "My¡­ my leg," the woman then whimpered.


    Hannah then immediately checked on the woman''s leg, only to find it covered in blood.


    "..." But if one were to take a closer look, it was only obviously a red marker. The Academy had the time to invest in indoor buildings and such¡­ but not fake blood?


    With all these unnecessary thoughts circling in her mind, Hannah quickly shook her head as she tried to talk to the woman.


    "Can I borrow this?" She then said before ripping a part of the woman''s clothes.


    "W¡­ what are you doing?"


    "Please don''t move from here," Hannah gestured to the woman to calm down, before walking towards the edge of the roof. mes then began to trickle from her hands as she grabbed on the railings, melting parts of it instantly.


    The woman could only watch as Hannah returned to her side, now with a steel bar in her hands.


    "This might hurt a little¡­ or not," Hannah then said as she proceeded to wrap the woman''s leg with the cloth Hannah ripped from her. And as for the steel bar, she used it as a tourniquet to stabilize the woman''s fake injured leg.


    And as soon as the woman saw this, a smile could not help but form on her face.


    "Okay," Hannah nodded to herself before looking at the woman straight in the eyes, "Don''t panic and just rx, okay?"


    "Eh?"


    And before the woman could even wonder what Hannah was going to do, she suddenly lifted her up like she weighed nothing-- and this is without using her abilities.


    "Ooh!"


    And as for the audience, they were all focused on what Hannah was doing¡­ or rather, at her voluptuous and perfectly toned butt, which seemed to be the focus of the drone following her.


    "Nice¡­ Very nice!"


    "Go, Nuclear Baby! We love you!"


    The cheers continued as all of the students had one single thought-- whoever was managing the drones should be given a raise.


    "Oh, what happened!?" The students then all let out hums of disappointment as the drone suddenly zoomed out.


    "..." Riley, who was looking at the screen, could not help but let out a sigh as he slightly flicked his hand, making sure that the drone doesn''t get too¡­fortable with her sister anymore.


    "Please hold on, okay?" Hannah then said with a very reassuring tone as she carried the woman, "I am going to jump from the building and get you to safety, is that alright with you?"


    "...What?"


    And before the woman could even answer, Hannah ran to the edge of the building, hopping on the railings before leaping from the building; denting the rails as she did so. And as she did all this, she did not activate her abilities even once.


    "E¡­ Eh? Eeeh!?"


    The woman she was carrying could only yell as their glorious ascension slowly turned into a slow fall. But before she could close her eyes and start to pray, they once again started to ascend, this time at a much calmer pace.


    "Sorry about that," Hannah then said; the mes in her feet flickering as they tried their best to propel Hannah as softly as possible. And finally, after a few more flickers, Hannah was able to bring the woman to a safe zone.


    Hannah then gently dropped the woman on the roof, but instead of immediately leaving to find someone else to rescue she crouched down beside the woman; checking the fake injury on her leg.


    "Will you be alright on your own?" Hannah then said after fixing the wrap on her leg. She then took in a small nervous gulp as she waited for the woman''s response.


    And after a few seconds of excruciating suspense, the woman raised both his thumbs,


    "Go and rescue more people, hero," the woman said as she smiled, "Thank you."


    And as soon as Hannah saw that, a smile also slowly crawled on her face.


    "No problem," she then said before once again leaping from the building.


    "Did you see that people!?" Ben''s loud voice once again reverberated throughout the entire coliseum,


    "2 Thumbs up, that means double points! Oh, what''s that? Why am I only focusing on people in my Academy? Oh, boohoo, why don''t you go and host, then? Ohohoho!"


    "..." Riley, who was focused on the screen allotted for his sister, could not help but let out a small but deep breath. He nced at it for onest time, before turning to leave.


    "Where are you going, I thought you''d stay and watch until it''s over?"


    "I¡­ have some personal matters to attend to, Katrina," Riley breathed out, "I''m sure my sister will go through the next round now. Is it okay to leave you here?"


    "Sure," Katrina shrugged, causing herrge breasts to jiggle, "They seem too busy watching to cause any troubles anyway, I''ll be fine."


    "Okay¡­


    ...Thank you."


    ***


    "Good morning."


    "What the!?"


    And after a few minutes, Riley now finds himself inside a room; filled with nothing but monitors that yed the events of the Festival; and in front of all those monitors¡­


    ...was his father, Bernard Ross, aka, Whiteking.

 Chapter 70: Priorities

    <h4>Chapter 70: Priorities</h4>


    "What are you doing here, Riley!?"


    Bernard immediately turned away from the monitors, stretching his cape to the side as he tried his best to cover the screens that may very well prove his guilt for whatever it was he was doing. He then quickly leaped to the side, rolling on the ground as he threw some sort of smoke bomb that instantly filled the entire room.


    "..." And with a single wave of Riley''s hand, all the smoke dissipated to a single corner of the room. However, as soon as the room was cleared of any visual obstacles, the multiple monitors that were scattered on the wall were no longer to be seen.


    Instead, his father was kneeling on the ground doing some sort of superhero pose; beside him was a huge metallic crate; presumably where the monitors are expertly stored.


    "What are you doing here, Riley?" Bernard repeated his words, this time though, the panic that previously lingered in his voice no longer existed as he slowly stood up, his cape smoothly sweeping from the floor as he did so,


    "From my knowledge, you joined the Combat tournament. Isn''t that this afternoon?" He then said as his mask opened up; folding several times as they elegantly hid within his pauldrons.


    "...Please stop ying with the drones, father."


    "Drones?" Bernard''s eyes squinted, "What drones are you talking about?"


    "The same as this one, father," Riley then stretched his hand, presenting a mangled drone to his father, "You''re the one in charge of directing the drones."


    "...I see, so you found me out," Bernard then closed his eyes as he let out a long and deep breath, "I expected nothing less of you, my son. Good work, good work."


    "It''s nothing, father," Riley also let out a sigh, "Your initials are literally written on the drone, W and K."


    "That could have been Walter Knight for all you know. Do not discredit your investigative skills."


    "...So why were you focusing the drones on sister''s posterior?"


    "Ah, my son. You still have much to learn," Bernard then once again sighed as he patted the metal box beside him. And as soon as he did so, it quickly disassembled itself; before erecting into the intricate collection of monitors that Riley had seen earlier.


    "Male students from all over the world hade to participate and watch the event," the tone of Bernard''s voice then became serious as his eyes looked at the multiple monitors in front of him, "Students that are the top of their ss. It would be good¡­


    ...if Hannah is able to get one of them as her boyfriend. After all, she deserves only the best."


    "I see," Riley muttered, "That is understandable."


    "Your sister is going to turn 20 in a year, and she has been without a boyfriend since birth," Bernard continued, "Do you know why that is?"


    "Because her father trained her to be a barbarian since she was young, and now boys are afraid to approach her?"


    "...No," Bernard cleared his throat as he nced at Riley, "Because she is too headstrong."


    "I believe my answer is valid and rtes to what you just said, father."


    "We''re moving past that," Bernard once again cleared his throat, "My actions for focusing the camera at her butt is so that the male students could see her good points. A strong woman with a strong hip is what all men strive for."


    "...I see, father."


    "Speaking of a strong woman with a strong hip; Scarlet Mage''s hair is now silver, is that like a couple''s look for you two?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Son?" Bernard then looked back, only to see that Riley was no longer in the room.


    "...They grow up so fast," Bernard then let out a long and deep sigh, before he continued on giving Hannah the best angles possible. As for the other participants, his drones'' automatic tracking stabilizer should suffice.


    ***


    "Congrattions on moving through the next round, big sister."


    "T¡­ thanks?"


    Hannah could not help but blink a couple of times as Tomoe handed her a towel as soon as the first round of the Rescue event was over.


    "Did¡­ you wait for me here?" Hannah then said as she looked around the outside of the coliseum, "Where''s Riley and the others?"


    "I believe master Riley is getting ready for the elimination match this afternoon," Tomoe then said as she handed Hannah a fruit shake, "He asked me to guard you."


    "...Guard me? I''m pretty sure you belong in one of the events as well."


    "The Kata is not until tomorrow, big sister. For now, my duty is to escort you wherever you wish to go."


    "...Seriously, are you and my brother ying a little game?" Hannah said as she shook her head, "Go and do your own thing, girl. Enjoy the festival or something."


    "I can guard you from afar, if that is what you wish."


    "...No, definitely not," Hannah''s eyes began to twitch as she imagined Tomoe following her from behind like some sort of secret service personnel, "Just¡­ walk with me then. Seriously, what did Riley say to you?"


    "T¡­ to guard you¡­"Tomoe''s monotonous tone slightly stuttered as she looked to the side,? "from¡­ those who are craving your butt,"


    "...What?"


    "He¡­ said something that if someone should like you¡­ then they should like you for who you are, not because of your¡­ butt."


    "...What?"


    ***


    "Fight! Fight!"


    "Go, Mega Girl! You can do it!"


    "We love you, Chadman!"


    "Go! Kill each other!"


    "China, number 1!"


    With the noise of the audience reverberating through the dense and luscious forest, it almost made it hard for the participants of the Combat tournament to be immersed in the scenario they found themselves in.


    Each of thebatants was currently surrounded by trees and all different types of foliage, with the only other person being the opponent in front of them.


    Like with the Rescue event, all of the 100 participants were ying at the same time. But this time, respective zones were allotted for them-- if any of the twobatants were to leave their zone, then that would automatically count as a loss.


    "So¡­ you are the Mega Student of USMA?"


    "I am very ttered you have heard of me."


    And in one of those zones, was Silvie, calmly standing as the opponent in front of her seemed to be looking at her from head to toe.


    "...And you''re the one they are cheering for, right? Chadman of the Ennd Mega Academy?"


    "Oh, you know me as well?"


    "Probably not as much as you know me," Silvie said with a smile.


    "Probably so," Chadman let out a small scoff as his eyes finally settled on Silvie''s face, "And you''re not as humble as they say you are."


    "Never was," Silvie retorted as her feet slowly lifted from the ground.


    "...And now that you have heard the rules of battle," a voice then reverberated through the air as each of the participants all readied themselves to face their opponents. And judging by the sound of the voice, it was no longer Ben Jackson hosting the event.


    "Combatants¡­


    ...Fight!"


    And as soon as the announcer''s words reached his ears, Chadman''s whole body began to contract, his muscles beginning to swell as he slowly tripled in size; ripping off his shirt as his skinpletely turned grey in color.


    Surprisingly though, his pants were intact.


    Chadman then let out a shrillingugh as he rushed towards Silvie, who was calmly floating in the air watching him. Each of Chadman''s steps left a print on the ground, turning into a crater as he leaped towards Silvie.


    Silvie, however, only floated to the side,pletely avoiding Chadman''s body m. Chadman''s body then began spinning in the air as he tried to stabilize himself; before grabbing onto a tree and bending it with his momentum.


    And using the bent tree as some sort of slingshot, he catapulted himself even faster towards Silvie.


    He was quite nimble for his size, Silvie thought as she once again hovered to the side. But s, this time, Chadman was able to grab her with one hand.


    "..."


    Chadman once again let out a roaring burst ofughter as the arms in his muscles began to grow even bigger-- each of its veins was almost as big as Silvie''s leg. And then, without any hesitation, he mmed Silvie towards the ground.


    Well, at least that''s what he thought happened. But contrary to his expectations, the only thing that happened was him swinging in the air, with Silvie as the pivot. Chadman once again tried to swing his arm, but the only one that moved was him.


    "Sorry you had me as your first opponent, Mr. Chadman," Silvie then let out a short but deep sigh as she pushed one of Chadman''s fingers away, "I am sure you would have gone a long way if we didn''t meet this early."


    And with that, Silvie raised her free hand and pped Chadman straight to the ground.


    Chadman felt like he left his soul in the air as he made a small crater in the shape of his enormous body.


    "O¡­ Ow," Chadman muttered as his body slowly returned to its normal size.


    "Are you alright?" Silvie then said as she descended from the air, "Sorry I can''t help you up, you might throw dirt in my eyes, after all."


    "T¡­ tch, I''m not that petty," Chadman let out a cough before chuckling softly, "I¡­ I surrender."


    And as soon as he said that, a blue light started to emerge on the perimeter of their designated zone-- signaling that someone had already won.


    The cheers of the students could not be calcted as they all watched what happened. As expected, Mega Students were in a league of their own, they all thought, and to think there were 6 more in the arena.


    "Riley¡­" As for Silvie, she let out a small whisper as she sat on the ground, "I hope you''re doing alright."


    As for Riley, he was currently lying on the ground¡­


    ...receiving a barrage of punches from his opponent.

 Chapter 71: The Tooth Fairy

    <h4>Chapter 71: The Tooth Fairy</h4>


    A few minutes before Silvie won her match, most of the students were still in a dead-lock battle. But like with Silvie, there were also those that were toying with their opponents-- one of them being Be Jackson, aka, ck Bell.


    Unfortunately for Be''s opponent, the material he was using with most of his costume was metal. The only thing he could do was stop himself from puking as Be waved his body in the air like he was on some sort of roller coaster.


    A few hundred meters away from them, Riley still had not started his match and was instead busy being curious as to why his opponent was looking at him like he killed his whole family. If he wasn''t mistaken, this was one of the students involved in a somewhat violent debatest night-- one of the African students that Katrina questioned.


    He shouldn''t have any resentment against him since they didn''t really follow through in the investigation and apprehend any of them. So¡­ why was he looking at him like that?


    ...Wait. Did he really kill his family back when he visited Africa as Darkday?


    But which one? He killed so many there.


    "Y--"


    "To think that you will be the first opponent I face in this tournament-- truly, this is a mission from god."


    "..." Riley could only squint his eyes as his opponent started rambling. He was about to ask him if he killed his family, but it would seem that was likely not the case. But¡­ a mission from god?


    "You¡­ talked to god before?"


    "Of course. I, Jamba, will be the one to eradicate the One Cursed by God from the face of this earth!" Jamba then let out a thumping roar as he beat his chest numerous times.


    "I see," Riley then let out a small but deep sigh as he slightly looked to the ground, "Then this is only a misunderstanding, Jamba. I have never met god for him to curse me as such."


    "You are not fooling anyone, Ghost!" Jamba waved his hand violently, and soon, the bones in his arms started to protrude¡­ No, to change shape as they seemed to tear the flesh of his elbows and knuckles open, "Your skin and hair is the only proof that you could only be The One Cursed by God."


    "Ah," Riley then pped his fist, letting out a hum as he raised his eyes, "I thought that custom was abolished a long time ago. But it seems your kind still hunts creatures and people that have pigmentation loss."


    "No," the bones continued to protrude from Jamba''s skin, "Our mission is to hunt only a single entity, the One Cursed by God¡­


    ...You, the harbinger of ruin."


    And with that, Jamba disappeared from his spot, leaving some sort ofrge w marks on the ground as he dashed towards Riley. He then dug his hands on the ground, allowing the protruding bones of his knuckles to sharpen even further as it plowed through the ground;


    and as he was only a meter away from Riley, he lifted his hands from the ground, using the tension from it to snap his hands even faster; creating some sort of erupting sound as his ws went straight towards Riley.


    The dust flew first, but it stopped an inch from hitting Riley''s face. It was then shortly followed by Jamba''s sharp knuckles; but like the dust floating in front of Riley, an invisible force was stopping it from gouging Riley''s eyes out.


    "..." And although not even a single thing had hit his face; Riley, however, still moved his head back and allowed his back to fall on the ground.


    "Die, Ghost!" Jamba then crouched and pinned Riley on the ground, continuing to hit him on the face, "With this, the destruction of the world will be stopped and the prophecy that my ancestors have told for centuries would be prevented!"


    Jamba''s hands were fast, almost a blur from the screen in which the audience was watching. Only a few had their eyes on Riley''s match, as Silvie and the 6 other Mega Students caught all the attention of the students.


    Those who were watching Riley''s match, however, could not help but close their eyes.


    "N¡­ no, Riley! Stop the match! Stop the match!"


    And one of them was Hannah. She was about to explode from where she was sitting, but before she could do so, Tomoe stood on her path.


    "Master Riley should be fine, big sister," Tomoe muttered, "His strength is almost immeasurable, a measly Super who has not even fully tapped the potential of his power could never hope to even harm a hair on his body."


    "Does he look alright to you!?"


    "Y--"


    "He is fine, Nuclear Baby."


    And before Tomoe could answer, a woman sat on the empty slot beside them; her silver hair almost as light as air as it slowly flowed down to her shoulders.


    "Miss¡­ Scarlet Mage," Tomoe muttered; her eyebrows slightly raised.


    "All thebatants have a monitoring device attached to their ankles that would instantly alert us if someone''s life is in danger," Katherine calmly said as she too, started to watch Riley''s match, "He is fine."


    "...Should we even be calling you Scarlet Mage now?" Hannah slightly started to calm down from hearing Katherine''s words; but as soon as she did so, her eyebrows quickly showed her subtle hostility against Katherine, "Your hair is far from red now."


    "You''re not a baby, are you?" Katherine then let out a small giggle, "So should we be calling you Nuclear Nosy now?"


    "..." Hannah red at Katherine for a few seconds, before letting out a small scoff and turning her attention back to Riley''s match; although with the way it is, it was hard to see what was happening anymore from the thick cloud of dust covering the entire area.


    Jamba continued to release a barrage of punches, creating clouds of dust from the ground from the sheer force of his every hit. There were also moments where he mmed both his fists, causing the crater beneath them to go deeper and wider.


    But even with all of this; even with all the blood covering his opponent''s face, there was a look of desperation and dread on Jamba''s face, growing with each strike. He had been hitting his opponent for more than a full minute now without pause, and yet Riley''s face¡­ was stillpletely unscathed.


    The blood was not flowing on Riley''s face, but rather hovering less than an inch above it-- and as for the blood? It was from Jamba, his knuckles already bleeding profusely from hitting what felt like a wall of steel.


    "You¡­" Jamba then breathed out, "...So, you really are the One Cursed by God," he then said as he looked at Riley''s eyes, unmoving and just looking at nowhere in particr.


    "You¡­ do not seem to be enjoying this anymore, Jamba?"


    And for the first time, Jamba could feel a pressure pushing him up as Riley finally moved; slightly lifting Jamba away as he sat up,


    "You came all this way from Africa, so it would be a waste for you to at least not have fun. But if you''re no longer enjoying this¡­


    ...then I suppose it is my turn?"


    "K¡­ Gah!"


    And without even warning, Jamba slowly floated from the ground, his arms stretched to the side; the long sharp bones protruding from his knuckles were trembling as it seemed to be being bent to the side; even the long and thick bones from his elbows were starting to curl.


    "I¡­ I will k... kill you!" But even with the ufortable pain starting to crawl throughout his entire body, Jamba still managed tosh out his fangs towards Riley; his saliva trailing from the invisible wall that seemed to be protecting Riley.


    "There truly are a lot of disgusting powers in the world."


    And even with Jamba''s roars reverberating through the cloud of dust, Riley only whispered as he picked up some stones from the ground, "But I always wondered¡­"


    Riley then opened his palm, letting the stones and pebbles softly fly towards Jamba; or more specifically, towards the sharp bones that were protruding from his body.


    "...It always used to hurt when my sister and I got our teeth cleaned by the dentist. Will...


    ...it feel the same for you?"


    "!!!"

 Chapter 72: Privet

    <h4>Chapter 72: Privet</h4>


    "...It always used to hurt when my sister and I got our teeth cleaned by the dentist. Will it feel the same for you?"


    Even with the ufortable pain moving through his body, Jamba still could not help but slightly furrow his eyebrows in confusion as to what Riley was saying. His thoughts, however, were cut short when a weird buzzing and whirring sound whispered in his ears.


    The buzz, whistling through the cloud of dust, almost forming a sort of cyclone as the pebbles started spinning and vibrating at a very high speed.


    "What¡­ what are you doing?"


    "Cleaning your bones, Jamba. For free."


    A sharp static then howled in the air, before it waspletely overwhelmed by the sound of Jamba''s shrieking cries. Jamba quickly tried to retract his extruded bones, but found that he was not able to-- it felt like something was pulling it tight.


    And so, the only thing he could do was scream in pain; he could grit his teeth, but the vibrations that were crawling throughout his entire body seemed like it would be enough to crack them.


    It was a cold feeling, but at the same time, it was not. It was as if a million needles were being slowly entered through his bones and flesh; only to be taken out and inserted again. The knuckles on his bones and elbows were the only ones that were being ground, but it felt like his entire body was starting to melt.


    There was a chill that he could not exin; causing a sharp stinging fever to make even his own skin sensitive from the air¡­ and yet the only thing he could do was scream.


    "Don''t be so dramatic, Jamba. You''re not going to die from this-- well, that''s what my sister told me the first time I went to the dentist."


    Jamba could not even think anymore as the pain was slowly causing his vision to fade; but something whispered into his ear that made him not able to do so-- a chuckle.


    Even through the shrieking roarsing out from his lungs, he could hear a chuckling whisper into his ear.


    He was right. He was absolutely right-- the one in front of him is the One Cursed by God.


    "This sound¡­" Riley then whispered as he tried his best to stop theughter that was threatening to burst from his mouth. He then turned his head up as he closed his eyes, taking in a long and deep breath as a smile slowly formed on his face,


    "...truly wonderful."


    And those were thest words Jamba heard before hepletely lost consciousness.


    "...Oh." And as soon as his cries ceased, the drilling noise also instantly stopped as the stones grinding through Jamba''s bones dropped to the ground.


    And so, with the ashes of Jamba''s bones mixing with the cloud of dust, a blue light emerged from the perimeter of their zone-- signaling the end of the battle.


    Realizing this, Riley could not help but let out a long and deep sigh as he dropped Jamba''s unconscious body to the ground.


    "Well, that didn''tst long," Riley then whispered, his words containing a hint of disappointment. Afterwards, he waved his hand,pletely blowing the cloud of dust away and allowing those who were watching his match to once again be able to see from the screen they were watching on-- and everyone was watching.


    How could they not, when Riley was thest to finish his match? None of them cheered, however; as for thest 30 minutes or so, the only thing they had been hearing were screams-- screams that were enough to resound in the very core of their bones.


    They had absolutely no idea what was happening; as the only thing they were hearing were screams and a light buzzing sound, that for some reason, was making their eyes twitch.


    "I told you, your brother is fine," Katherine, who was able to hear the beating of Riley''s heart, could not help but let out a short but deep sigh as she stood up from her seat. She was about to leave, but as soon as she stepped out from the bleachers, she nced at Tomoe,


    "I''ll be one of the judges in the Katapetition tomorrow, Dark Frost. I won''t be giving you any advantages just because you''re in my ss."


    "That should be the case, Miss Scarlet Mage," Tomoe only nced at Katherine before letting out a quiet harrumph.


    For a subordinate who can''t even kill people, Katherine sure was arrogant, Tomoe thought. The role of First Subordinate should have really been assigned to her and not Katherine.


    And what''s with that sudden change of hair color? Was she trying to look like Riley?


    "Good work, little sister."


    Tomoe''s thoughts were then disrupted as Hannah patted her on the shoulders a couple of times, "Don''t let that hag beat you, she seems adamant in popping my brother''s cherry."


    "Oh?" Katherine was about to leave, but as soon as she heard Hannah''s words, she could not help but stop in her tracks and look at her straight in the eyes,


    "What made you think I haven''t already?"


    "!!!"


    "...What!?"


    And just like that, the events of the first day of the Festival havee to an end.


    ***


    "Congrattions on moving to the next round, Riley!"


    "And you were able to move on as well. As expected of you, American Mega Girl."


    "American¡­ Mega Girl?"


    A few minutes after the Combat tournament was over, all of thebatants were now asked to rest underground. The Academy''s medical staff were also there to see if some of them received any persisting injuries; giving priority to those who had the monitors attached to their legs slightly activated.


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "For the duration that the foreign students are here, that is what I shall call you, American Mega Girl."


    "W¡­ why? You know what, never mind," Silvie then waved her hand as she sat on the floor beside Riley, "I am more curious as to why your matchsted so long. Did you have a hard time with your opponent?"


    "No. I just wanted him to have fun first. It would not be fair if I kil-- if I win without him being able to fight back."


    "I¡­ I see."


    Riley said it so calmly, but if his opponent was able to hear his words, then he would surely riot. "Speaking of which, who is your opp--"


    "Zdravstvuyte."


    "Privet."


    "..."


    "..."


    Silvie could not help but blink a couple of times as she identally answered the woman that suddenly approached; how could she not, when the woman spoke in anguage native to her?


    What followed, however, was an awkward silence as she and the woman stared at each other.


    "Good afternoon, Russian Mega Girl."


    And thankfully, Riley was there to break the silence.


    "I see you were also able to beat your opponent, congrattions."


    "Thank¡­ you." Russian Mega Girl, aka, Alisa, could not help but slightly squint her eyes as they slowly left Silvie, "I actually also came here to congratte you."


    Hearing Alisa''s words, Silvie could not help but also squint her eyes-- wincing from embarrassment. However, this embarrassment did notst long as she realized something.


    "You¡­ know Russian, Riley?"


    "I do," Riley nodded before gesturing towards Alisa, "And may I introduce you to RFMA''s Mega Girl?"


    "Mega¡­" Silvie only whispered as she looked at the woman in front of her, "Your superhero name¡­ is also Mega Girl?"


    "And yours too, it seems," Alisa let out a small chuckle as she shook Silvie''s hand; and this time, she was speaking in English,


    "And how funny that the both of us are also Russian. I''ll only be here for a few days, but I hope we get along. Name''s Alisa."


    "Y¡­ yes," Silvie nodded as she returned Alisa''s greeting, "I''m¡­ Silvie," she then whispered.


    "You know what else, though?" Alisa then once again chuckled as she released her hand, "I''m also the Mega Student of my Academy-- so I guess we will be meeting each other at the end of the tournament."


    "I hope--"


    "Don''t be so sure of that."


    And before Silvie could even return Alisa''s yful deration of war, another voice joined in on their conversation. And judging from the eyes that were slightly being revealed from his red mask, he was Oriental.


    "Because none of you...


    ...might even make it to the finals."

 Chapter 73: Gathering of the Mega Students... plus Riley

    <h4>Chapter 73: Gathering of the Mega Students... plus Riley</h4>


    "Because none of you...


    ...might even make it to the finals."


    Silvie and Alisa could not help but look at each other as someone suddenly intruded on their conversation. Even with his mask on, the shape of his eyes made it clear that he was someone from the Orient.


    "You are¡­ from Japan?" Alisa muttered.


    "I''m from China! How dare youpare us to those warmongers! You--" And before he could continue his rant, he suddenly closed his eyes; seemingly in an attempt to calm himself down.


    "..." Alisa, on the other hand, could only look at the Chinese Super as he flicked his unusually long hair to the side before patting his robe-like uniform clean.


    "I am Rednewt," Rednewt then said as ws started to emerge from his fingers, "China''s Mega Student. Sorry to say this, but I--"


    "Well, well. No one told me we were gathering here?" And once again, an introduction was cut short as another one joined the conversation; his ent posh, his walk even more so as his steps, for some reason, was partnered with a cane.


    "My name is Julian Reuben,dies and gentlemen," Julian then bowed, rotating his cane and cing it behind him as he did so, "From Britain, as you may well expect, my good people.


    And that one there brooding in the corner is Gintsune; she is a bit shy since she can''t speak in English that well," Julian then pointed his cane towards a Super who had a mask in the shape of a fox''s head.


    And judging by her fidgeting movements, she seemed to not know whether she should approach the others or not.


    "And not to state the obvious, but we''re also the Mega Students of our respective and humble scho--"


    "Shut the fuck up, Harry Potter." And before Julian could even finish his words, Rednewt lightly pushed him to the side, "I was trying to introduce myself here and you go ''well, well'' out of nowhere."


    "You are impably rude, sir," Julian then said as he backed away a few steps, once again spinning his cane before tapping it two times on the floor.


    "I''m rude!? You''re the one who--"


    "I think we should leave all our energy once we face each other in the ring, don''t you think?"


    "Why is everyone interrupting when I am the one talking!?" Rednewt could not help but groan in frustration as he turned his eyes towards the newest addition to their gathering; his eyes, however, needed to turn up before he could see the neer''s face.


    "My name is Sefu," Sefu bowed his head, crossing his arms then patting the front of his shoulders at the same time, "Africa''s Mega Student."


    "You¡­ are you sure you''re still a student?" Rednewt furrowed his eyebrows as he tiptoed to make himself look taller.


    "I would not be here if I was not," Sefu only nodded his head, before turning his attention towards the other person that seemed to have beenpletely forgotten in the group,


    "You were the one who defeated Jamba?" Sefu then said as he slowly made his way towards Riley. Rednewt, who felt slightly ignored, could not help but hiss; but did not really do anything drastic as he just turned his attention towards the whitest American he had probably seen in his life.


    And it wasn''t only him; Julian, as well as Gintsune who was standing from afar, started to look at Riley. They have actually been curious about him since he was standing near 2 Mega Students since earlier¡­ and now another one seemed to have something to say to him.


    "I am, Sefu," Riley nodded.


    "The medical practitioners are saying he is alright, but he has not said a single word ever since he regained consciousness," Sefu then said as he looked down on Riley, their eye levels almost half a meter apart, "You were also thest ones to finish their match¡­


    ...What did you do to him?"


    "Cleaned his bones."


    "...What?"


    "W¡­ wait, wait!" With Sefu walking even closer to Riley, Silvie could not help it anymore and stood between them, "Riley won fair and square, if he didn''t then the match would have been stopped!"


    "..." Sefu only nced at Silvie, before once again looking Riley straight in the eyes; Riley on the other hand was looking nowhere in particr. He remained staring at him for a few more seconds, before leaving without even saying another word.


    "I suppose that''s my queue to leave as well," Julian tapped his cane on the floor again before winking at Silvie and Alisa, "If neither of you Mega Ladies has something to do tonight, may I ask for you to apany me and we shall bask in the beautiful lights of the Festival?"


    "Nyet."


    "Nyet, but thank you."


    "I see," Julian then smiled as he once again bowed, "Very well, then I suppose it is only I and Gintsune who shall be walking through the fake moonlight, Let us go, my Japanese¡­ friend?"


    Julian looked towards where Gintsune was previously standing, only to see her no longer there.


    "..." Julian then turned his head towards Rednewt, looking at him from head to toe before letting out a long sigh and leaving, "I suppose I shall walk alone."


    "Hmph, I am off as well," Rednewt then clicked his tongue before taking his leave as well.


    "He¡­ sort of reminds me of Ga-- of Dragon Monarch. Don''t you think so?"


    "I see the simrity, American Mega Girl."


    "Speaking of which, I haven''t seen him all day."


    "He''s in house arrest."


    "...What?"


    "But we should be able to see him tonight, American Mega Girl."


    "I--"


    "I''ll leave you two love birds to it, then."


    And before Silvie could say another word, Alisa''s childish giggles reached her ears, "I hope to see you around outside the events as well, Silvie. The two of you should visit our housing sometime soon, I am sure the others would be delighted to meet you since we''re all from the same country. Wait, Now that I think about it¡­"


    Alisa was about to leave, but as soon as she took her third step, she once again turned towards Silvie,


    "2 out of the 7 Mega Students that are here right now are from Russia."


    "...I guess? My father is of American descent, though," Silvie muttered.


    "Doesn''t matter¡­


    ...Russia No. 1!"


    And with that, Alisa left, herughter slowly fading away as she disappeared into the distance of the underground.


    "..."


    "Shall¡­ we go find the others?"


    "I suppose so, American Mega Girl."


    And with that, all the Mega Students left the underground resting area. Well, all except the Mega Student of Singapore, who was standing near where the gathering happened, his eyespletely empty.


    He was waiting for a chance to join in on the fray; but s, before he could do so, they all left.


    Maybe next time, Singapore.


    ***


    "Oh, look who''s back."


    "What''s up, what''s up! Dragon Monarch''s up!"


    With the events for the day done and the festivities still ongoing, most of the students were now once again enjoying the hundreds of booths and activities all around USMA. However, some of them could not help but move to the side as a tall and seemingly muscr man suddenly started dancing out of nowhere as he approached his friends.


    "Did you all miss me!?" Gary then pped his hand, before taking the chicken nuggets that Tomoe was eating away from her hand and proceeding to eat all of it without hesitation.


    "..."


    "How''s life in jail?" Hannah let out a small sigh before handing her corndog to Tomoe.


    "Ah, you know. Same old, same old," Gary also let out a sigh of his own as he looked towards the horizon, which was filled with people, "But I see a lot has changed since I was gone. I don''t remember this ce being like this," he then said, his eyes filled with nostalgia.


    "...You''ve only been gone for 24 hours," Silvie breathed out.


    "Oh, has it been that long?" Gary then said as he squinted his eyes, "I suppose time moves even without the presence of the Dragon Monarch. Riley, my brother, I now see the error of my ways-- thank you for stopping me before I could ravage the world with my insolence."


    "You got pissed drunk, what are you saying?" Hannah let out a small scoff as she seemed to have bought another corndog.


    "It''s all part of the n," Gary then said as he covered one of his eyes with his hand, "I watched all of you from the shadows¡­ and speaking of shadow, where''s Hurricane Boobies?"


    "...What?"


    "Riley''s assistant, you know," Gary muttered as he fondled his armored chest, "Katrina."


    "I believe she is conditioning herself for the Race even tomorrow, Dragon Monarch," Riley answered, "And she is not my assistant, she and I are of equal rank in the Police Force."


    "Oho, of course she''s not your assistant. I heard from someone that he heard from someone that someone saw her kissing you on the cheeks."


    "Wait¡­ what?" Hannah almost choked on her corndog, "When did this happen!?"


    "Last night," Gary then said as he let out a small condescending chuckle, "I told you¡­


    ...I watch from the shadows."


    "Riley¡­


    ¡­.I am going to tell mother that you''re ying with women''s feelings!"


    And just like that, the first day of the Festival ended without a hitch.


    ***


    "Hey, you! You shouldn''t be here!"


    In one of the many spacious and restricted hallways that the Academy had underground, a group of guards was walking around happily talking, with food in their hands no doubt from one of the booths above ground. Their conversations, however, were cut short as they saw someone casually standing ahead of them.


    "Who are you!?"


    The group continued to approach the man; who seemed to be wearing a very tight suit thatpletely formed across the lines of his body, but perhaps the most noticeable of all was the jet-ck motorcycle helmet he was wearing.


    "Hey y--"


    And before the group of guards could approach any further, the man suddenly disappeared. The guards were about to signal for reinforcements, but before they could do so an echoing thud traveled through the hallway-- and with it, their bodies falling one by one.


    The air around the three then distorted, once again revealing the stranger. The stranger then picked up one of the guards by his hair, causing the guard to slightly let out a groan. The stranger then faced the guard''s face right in front of him; and almost instantly, without even any signs or flickers, just a static really¡­ and the stranger''s helmet disappeared.


    Revealing a face¡­ that was the same face as the guard he was holding.


    "Mr. Wednesday here," the stranger then said as he pressed something on his neck, "Infiltration sessful¡­


    ...I''m in."

 Chapter 74: Lets Dance

    <h4>Chapter 74: Let''s Dance</h4>


    "Infiltration sessful¡­


    ...I''m in."


    [Thank you for your hard work, sir. We''ve also contacted Ms. Sunday as you ordered, she says her team is ready to move at any moment at your advice.]


    "Alright. Keep your lines open, January."


    [Roger that, Mr. Wednesday.]


    "..." With themunication line cutting off, Mr. Wednesday quickly looked around him if there was anything amiss; but as soon as he confirmed that there was no one moving in the hallway, his jet-ck suit instantly changed to that of the guards.


    And now, with his face and uniform¡­ and even his voice simr to one of the guards he incapacitated, there should be no one who would be able to see through his disguise that easily. Mr. Wednesday then moved the unconscious guards to the side of the hallway, before cing his hand on his back. And seemingly, out of thin air, a cloth appeared as he slightly pulled his hand.


    And with him fully stretching his arm to the side, the cloth was revealed to be arge nket. He then immediately ced the nket on the guards, making sure to cover thempletely; and with a snap of his fingers, the nket instantly disappeared¡­ along with the 3 guards.


    "Rest for a few days," Mr. Wednesday then whispered as he started to walk through the Academy''s spacious underground hallways. At his 5th step, however, he once again snapped his fingers. And as soon as he did so, several linens fell from the ceiling, revealing the cameras that were ced all over the ceiling of the hallway.


    "Now, where could you be¡­


    ...Riley Ross."


    ***


    "Too bad for those who lost¡­ but they were just too rough. I don''t want my hero to be handling me like that. Uwu!"


    "..."


    With Ben Jackson once again hosting the event, those who lost the Race event could not help but be even more depressed of their defeat; it was as if his every moan pierced their ears, crawling until it reached and crushed their already broken hearts.


    They have been training for this for months, but to think the Academy added one single factor thatpletely changed everything for them. Just one single object, and the training that most of them didpletely withered away.


    A package. Containing a dozen eggs that they needed to bring to the finish line-- if even one is cracked, then it didn''t matter if they came first; they would be disqualified.


    One of those that were disqualified just happened to be Hurricane Katrina. She was doing fine halfway through the race since she was able to control her wind abilities quite well-- but s, there was one single thing she forgot¡­ her breasts were too big. When she went over an obstacle, she let the package flow with her using bits of wind. But as she was about to catch it, itnded on her breasts¡­ and the rest were history.


    "Haa¡­" Katrina could only look at the bleachers where Riley was previously watching, but found that he was no longer there, "Hm¡­


    ...Maybe next time."


    At the same time, the first elimination of the Katapetition had alsoe to an end; with Tomoe being the one to end it with a bang, a literal bang. She created multiple ice spheres with multiple gaps inside, vibrating them at an extremely high speed until the steam caused by the sudden change of temperature erupted-- creating an explosion that had an even stronger impact than a grenade, creating a rain of craters around the empty arena when it was over.


    Of course, she did all this while staring down on one particr judge, Katherine, aka, Scarlet Mage, aka, Silver Moon, aka, First Subordinate but not for long, aka, Greatest Pedo-- ording to Tomoe.


    Obviously, she was able to move on to the next stage. There were actually already veteran Supers with the same ability who were able to do the same... but to do so with as many as she did and all at the same time truly cemented her as one of the favorites to win the exhibition.


    And now, with the Kata and Racepetition over, the students were scrambling to get seats to the next event-- The 2nd Elimination round of the Combat Tournament.


    It might not seem fair that the Kata and Racepetition were held at the same time, while the Combat Tournament and Rescue Event had an exclusive time allotted only for them¡­ but that''s just how it is; even the Academy itself had predicted that the two events would garner most of the attention of the people.


    "Oh man, so our fated battle is finally happening."


    "..."


    And now, with the Combat tournament about to start, Riley was once again wondering why there was another person mentioning talks of fate to him.


    Unlike the round yesterday, the arena was now a desert wastnd, and one could even see the otherbatants from other zones as the only obstacles that could be seen were pieces of debris from what seemed to be broken ships and other types of vehicles.


    As for the person in front of Riley right now, she was from the same ss-- Be Jackson, aka, ck Bell.


    "It has been a while since west talked, ck Bell," Riley nodded as a greeting, "But¡­ why are you talking about fate as well?"


    "...As well?" Be slightly squinted her eyes, the metal mask that was covering the lower half of her face was moving with her mouth, "We didn''t get the chance topete with each other during the 2nd day, remember?"


    "The 2nd day?"


    "Scarlet Mage took you off the group since she needed an ''assistant''," Be breathed out, doing air quotes with her fingers as she reached thest word of her sentence, "Remember? Or is the only thing you remembered the thing you did after the ss!?"


    "No. I remember, ck Bell," Riley once again nodded, "You fainted--"


    "Enough talk, old friend!" Be got into some type of martial arts stance before Riley could finish his words, "Let''s dance!"


    Be then slid her left foot forward on the sand, before stretching both her arms to the side and sticking them back together. And as she did so, the metal container that was peacefully resting near Riley split in half; creating a screeching noise as they suddenly shot towards him, threatening to swallow him whole.


    And before it couldpletely swallow Riley, Be folded her arm into a 90-degree angle; causing the already torn container van to split into 4 pieces,pletely trapping Riley inside. She did not stop there, however, as she closed both her hands into a fist-- crumpling the metal cage into a ball.


    Be was still not satisfied, however, as the veins on her hands began to show as she used all of her strength-- without hesitation, without holding anything back. Therge metal ball, however, soon turned into the shape of a human.


    "You¡­ fucking monster," Be then breathed out as her hands started to tremble. Her raw power with manipting metal was enough topress a whole airne into the size of a bowling ball, and for the cage she made to turn into Riley''s shape would only mean that his telekinesis was strong enough to counteract hers.


    It wasn''t fair, she thought. Riley was able to move everything with his mind, while she can only control things with metal properties.


    At the very least, she shouldn''t lose when ites to controlling metal.


    "Riley Ross!" She was about to let out a roar and use thest of her strength topress the metal even further, but before she could do so, she heard a voice seeping from the metal statue in front of her.


    "I am afraid you are going to faint again if you use your powers like that, ck Bell."


    "You--"


    And before Be could even respond to Riley''s words, the metal cage she painstakingly made with almost all of her strength was ripped open like tissue paper as Riley took a step forward.


    "You can''t win against me with your telekic abilities, ck Bell," Riley then let out a short but deep sigh as he waved his hand, and as he did so, the ocean of sand beneath them began to tremble.


    "What¡­ are you doing?" Be then said as her eyes turned to look at the ground.


    "This."


    And as soon as Riley''s word reached Be''s ears, she felt the ground beneath her disappear. If it wasn''t for her costume being made of metal, then she would have probably fallen a few meters towards the silver floor.


    ...Silver floor?


    Be then quickly turned to look at Riley, only to see him also floating in the air. That is not what caught her eye, however. But instead, it was the mountain of sand that now surrounded the perimeter of their zone.


    "Did you¡­ just push all of the sand away?" Be whispered. But after a few seconds, she shook her head and let out a short but deep sigh, "If this is your way of showing that you''re stronger than me, it worked."


    Be then slightly bit her lip as she looked at Riley, "It''s your win, I surren--"


    "Judging by your movements, you are a practitioner of martial arts, ck Bell?"


    "...Sorry?" Be then blinked her eyes a couple of times as she saw Riley slowly descending towards the silver floor; casually taking off his long white coat and proceeding to fold it before carefully cing it on the floor.


    "What... are you doing?" Be curiously muttered as she too, slowly descended to the floor.


    "You were using Shaolin Kung Fu earlier, correct?" Riley then muttered as he got into the same stance that Be did earlier, "You still would not be able to win against me, but as you said earlier...


    ...Let''s dance."

 Chapter 75: The Dance

    <h4>Chapter 75: The Dance</h4>


    With thebatants of the Combat tournament now only half of what it was during the first day, allowing some leeway for the audience to watch a match that didn''t involve a Mega Student. Most of the students of USMA still had their eyes glued to Silvie''s match¡­


    ...But not ss 1-V.


    As for ss 1-V, rather than watching Silvie''s match, their eyes were all on Riley and Be. Silvie''s match was already done before it started since the one she was fighting was rtively unknown and not even a Mega Student. But Riley and Be?


    This was the chance to finally settle who has the strongest telekic ability amongst their ss. Although Be did not win during the group activity during the 2nd day since she fainted, she was indisputably the one who has the highest raw telekic power in their ss.


    And as for Riley, he was not able to join the activity because of Scarlet Mage-- but all of them knew that his control was the best of them all due to past incidents involving him.


    All of them were excited and initially thought that Be would win since she was the first to strike. The match, however, was put on aplete hold when Riley changed the terrain-- it was as if Riley was telling her that the difference between their telekic abilities was massive.


    With that, the match was over. Most of them could only sigh as Be slowly raised her hand to surrender. It should have been over-- but when Riley suddenly took off his white long coat and got into some sort of martial art stance, all of them could not help but howl like little monkeys that managed to escape from the zoo.


    And because of this, the other students that were near them could not help but be curious-- their eyes alsonding on Riley and Be''s match.


    "What¡­ Why isn''t Riley ending it!? Finish her! Fatality!"


    "...It''s a good thing you were reced."


    And one of those howling like a monkey, was none other than Gary-- his head even wildly iling as he threw the popcorn in his hands.


    "Anyway, this match is as good as done anyway. I''ll be preparing for the Rescue event."


    Hannah grabbed Gary''s face; and with force, pulled him back towards his seat before standing up and walking away. But when she saw Tomoe following her, she quickly raised her palm.


    "It''s fine, you go and finish the match, you don''t have to follow me every time, you know."


    "But Riley said that--"


    "What are you, his servant?" Hannah rolled her eyes, "I''ll be fine, go and enjoy. You''re about to see Riley murder someone."


    "...Murder?"


    "That Be girl probably stood a better chance when they were still fighting with their powers..." Hannah breathed out as she continued to leave,


    "...But now, she''s fucked."


    "Oh, fucked how?" Gary quickly motioned obscenities with his hands as soon as he heard Hannah''s words.


    "You shouldn''t have been let out of your room," Hannah muttered, "Remember when I told you Riley was better than even me at martial arts? I wasn''t exaggerating that. He¡­


    ...once managed to hit dad."


    ***


    "...Let''s dance."


    "Heh, I am starting to like you more and more, Riley Ross."


    "My opinion of you still remains the same, ck Bell."


    With Riley putting up his stance, the only thing that Be could do was let out a small smirk as she too,nded on the ground. And after only looking at Riley for a few seconds, she started walking towards him, and while she did so; her costume, which was made with metal tes stacked on each other, slowly fell on the floor.


    This continued on until her smooth, and slightly toned dark skin revealed itself; leaving her with only her mask, tank-top, and some sort of workout leggings.


    "Let''s dance, then," and now, with her only a meter away from Riley, she chuckled; raising both her hands almost to her chin, her palm facing forward as she slightly moved her left leg forward and raised it, "Mano a mano, just how I like--"


    "Wait, ck Bell."


    "...Ha?"


    Be was about to strike, but before she could do so, Riley suddenly removed his stance and walked towards where he folded his long coat. And without even saying a word and his back towards her, he slowly unbuttoned his vest and took it off.


    "What¡­ are you doing?" Be raised an eyebrow.


    "It is only proper that I too, strip down to the bare necessities, ck Bell," Riley muttered as he then unbuttoned his shirt.


    "!!!"


    And as soon as he did so, Be could not help but take in a huge gulp as soon as he saw Riley''s bare back. Of course, it was obvious that it was going to be as white as his face¡­ but what Be did not expect was the lines chiseled on his back.


    With his skin¡­ it literally almost looked the same as those greek statues-- every muscle sculpted to perfection. Riley had always been wearing clothes that covered most of his entire body straight down to his cuffs. Even before they were asked to wear their superhero costumes at all times, he was always wearing long sleeves or a jacket.


    So all this time¡­ he was hiding that underneath his clothes?


    "!!!"


    Be once again took a huge gulp as Riley finally turned towards her; almost choking in her own breath as her eyes widened almost to the point that they reached her ears. Ever since she was young, she knew that she liked women¡­ but seeing Riley like this almost made her doubt her own preference.


    She tried dating men before, but it just doesn''t click with her. And for it to almost break from the whitest man possible, in a literal sense, of course, was almost ironic.


    Well, almost. Even with Riley literally being a Greek statue chiseled to perfection, the warm feeling she gets from seeing a woman was nowhere to be found. Realizing this, the only thing she could do was let out a small but deep sigh as she tightened her stance.


    "Forgive me for not taking off my pants, ck Bell," Riley then muttered as he returned in front of Be, "I am only wearing underwear beneath these fine pants."


    "...No, that''s alright," Be let out a small chuckle, "Rather than your pants¡­ I am more distracted by the fact that you''re still wearing your sunsses; you look like a stripper."


    "...Right, thank you for reminding me."


    "N--" Be was about to say something, but when she noticed the color of Riley''s eyes she could not help but blink a couple of times. They were almost a light red¡­ pink even. Didn''t Riley have blue eyes?


    However, after a few more blinks, she noticed that they were, in fact, blue, almost bordering on silver.


    Was she¡­ just imagining things? Be then shook her head as she once again tightened her stance.


    "Enough talk, let''s do this."


    "..." Riley then once again got into a stance, this time, once again copying the stance that Be had.


    "Tch," and with the click of Be''s tongue signaling the start of their brawl, she was the first to strike.


    She leaped towards Riley, her knees threatening to slice his chin. Riley, however, quickly moved his head back to avoid it; leaving only an inch of space between his chin and Be''s knee.


    Be''s attack did not stop there as she used Riley''s leg as some sort of foothold, allowing her other leg to have enough force to snap the back of her foot towards Riley''s face.


    Riley rotated his entire body in response before her foot could reach his face, and without any pause, he pushed the foot away-- using the momentum it already had to create more force, causing Be to lose bnce.


    And with her body now falling horizontally, she could feel her vision blur as the back of her head was suddenly caught by Riley''s knee. It did not stop there, however, as she saw Riley''s unusually white elbowing down towards her face-- it was almost as if Riley was trying to swallow her entire head.


    "!!!"


    A loud bang then thundered as Riley''s elbownded on her face-- or at least it should have been her face.


    "..." Riley then quickly leaped back, allowing Be to fall on the ground with a slight ng.


    "S¡­ shit," Be''s muffled words then seeped out from the metallic helmet that suddenly covered her entire head, "I¡­ I panicked."


    Be then stood up as she took off the metal te covering her face, "L¡­ Let''s start again, I promise I won''t be using my power--"


    And before she could even finish her words, her vision was suddenly blocked by Riley''s fist. She quickly ducked to avoid it, only to meet another fist heading straight towards her nose. And due to her surprise, she could not help but once again block her face with a metal te that came from her costume.


    "W¡­ wait, that wasn''t--"


    And once again, before she could even finish her words, a fist once again came her way. She could not help but wince as the sound of Riley''s fist exploded on her face; if it wasn''t for the fact that there was a metal te protecting her, then her face would have definitely been destroyed.


    Riley already changed his stance¡­ if she was right, then he was currently boxing. She had no time to admire it, however, as the only thing she could do was back away as Riley continued with his barrage-- not seeming to even mind that she was already using her powers to protect herself.


    This¡­ this was a shameful disy. Even if she was outmatched, she shouldn''t be hiding behind her abilities when Riley was doing his best not to even use an ounce of his telekic abilities.


    "..." And so, with a short but deep breath, Be decided to throw the metal tes away, "I''m done hiding, let''s--"


    What followed, however¡­


    ...was the sound of her ribs cracking into multiple pieces.

 Chapter 76: Angel

    <h4>Chapter 76: Angel</h4>


    The inside of a blender.


    Be had always wondered what it would feel like if you identally stuck your hand inside a blender when it''s running. She initially thought that being hit hard enough for your ribs to crack would just be a simr pain to having a fracture, but she was wrong.


    The feeling she was feeling right now was probably what it felt like for her inside to be mangled by a blender. There was this fluctuating numbing sensation crawling inside of her as well, amplifying the pain she was feeling with every beat.


    She could feel herself fainting. No, in fact, she was trying to-- but the pain she was feeling was keeping her awake as her face groveled on the silver floor.


    "..." As Be was writhing in pain, the only thing that Riley could do was take a few steps back. It would seem he got too excited; bing careless enough that he put too much strength in his strike.


    Of course, the fault can not solely be med on him. Be suddenly removed the metal te that was shielding her, not giving him enough time to adjust the power of his punch.


    "..." Well, this could have gone worse. After all¡­


    ...the raw strength he had was the same as Mega Woman.


    "Keuhk!" The silver floor started to be stained by red as Be started puking blood; and as soon as she did so, the perimeter of their zone lit up in Red instead of the usual blue-- indicating that the match was over and one was gravely injured.


    It was almost a direct hit to the liver; with multiple rib fractures causing a punctured lung. Just a few inches more and the bones that were now like shrapnels would pierce Be''s heart.


    "I find it interesting you''re still conscious, ck Bell," Riley then muttered as he continued to watch Be gasping for breath, "You must be used to pain. But please don''t move or the tiny bones inside your body will go through your heart."


    "Move, move!"


    Riley then quickly moved a few steps back; making way for the 4 people that were suddenly descending from the air. And as soon as theynded, they quickly rushed to check on Be.


    "Multiple fractures on the ribcage; liver trauma; nearest shrapnel to the heart is only 3.75cm away. Not good, we need to take her to the ward ASAP."


    ...X-ray vision? Quite a rare power-- Riley thought as he watched the 4 people take care of Be.


    "What''s the student still doing here!? Move him away!"


    One of the medics was about to grab Riley and assist him out of the zone, but before the medic could do so, Riley moved to the side.


    "I can''t leave here, medics."


    "Go, Riley Ross. Your friend will be alright."


    "No," Riley shook his head, "If I leave here, I might forget that I am preserving the shape of the sand-- all of you will be swallowed."


    "...What?"


    The medics quickly turned their heads to the perimeter; they didn''t notice it before, but the wall of sand was perfectly in a t hollow cylinder.


    Does that mean¡­ he was holding this while he was fighting with his opponent? Just what kind of monster was the Academy breeding?


    "...Let''s transport the patient first. Bren, can you float her away without moving her torso?"


    "That''s--"


    "I''ll do it," but before the medic called Bren could say another word, Riley raised his hand, "I caused this, after all."


    The medics all looked at Riley, who was surprisingly alreadypletely dressed. And without even waiting for the medics to respond, Be started to float in the air. The head of the medic group was about to open her mouth, but as soon as she noticed that Be''s entire body was as ifpletely frozen, with her hair not even moving a single bit-- she just ordered the others to prepare to leave.


    "No time to be amazed, let''s go."


    And with that, Bren raised his hands and carefully floated the rest of the medic group. Riley''s eyes quickly looked at the otherbatants as they flew in the air; and his eyes immediately caught Silvie, who was already done with her match.


    Silvie also quickly noticed Riley flying with the medic group and could not help but be curious. She truly wanted to follow them to see what was going on, but since they were ordered not to leave their zone until all matches are over, the only thing she could do was wave at Riley.


    "..." Riley also waved back, but as soon as he did so, the eerily quiet audience all let out unshackled cheers and roars.


    "He¡­ hehe," and one of them was Gary, who wasughing menacingly as he looked at his phone, "With this video¡­ my channel subscribers would surely pierce the heavens! Tomoe, let us leave this mortal ne since Riley and Silvie''s match is over¡­


    ...Tomoe?"


    Gary was about to scooch to the side but noticed that Tomoe was not moving even one bit.


    "T¡­ Tomoe?" Gary then could not help but take in a huge gulp as he heard somethinging out of Tomoe''s mouth, "You¡­ you alright?"


    "Kek¡­"


    "K¡­ Kek?"


    "Kek¡­ kekekeke!" Dark steam slowly started to fume from Tomoe''s body as a smile crawled on her face, almost ripping out her cheeks with how wide it was. Her eyes were also moving erratically at a very high speed as she stared at her phone.


    Gary took in another gulp as he slowly took a peek at her phone¡­


    ...only to see a bunch of Riley''s shirtless photos.


    "You need help," Gary immediately muttered, "...


    ...Can I have one as a thumbnail?"


    ***


    "We need more eyes here! Possible heart puncture if not treated quickly!"


    "Prep the ETT!"


    "Riley Ross, thank you for your help, but I am afraid you''re not allowed inside the Ward."


    "I actually am, medic," Riley then quickly grabbed something from his pocket; before proceeding to wear it around his arm.


    "...Okay," And as soon as the medic saw the words ''Police Force'' on the armband, the only thing he could do was let out a sigh as he gestured to Riley to go inside, "You must really be concerned for your friend."


    "Maybe," Riley shrugged as he nonchntly entered the so-called Ward. And as its name suggests, the Ward truly did look simr to a hospital''s ward¡­ other than the fact that the medical apparatus that were scattered everywhere was not something you would find in a normal hospital.


    "ETT Ready!"


    "..." Riley watched as the medics carefully inserted Be into some kind of tube simr to an MRI scanner-- except the bed that Be was resting on was floating.


    Alien technology? Riley once again thought as he looked at all the apparatus inside the Ward.


    "It''s a miracle her heart wasn''t punctured. ording to the ballistics and impact of the hit, the bone should have gone straight for her heart," one of the medics then let out a huge sigh of relief, "Nice work transporting her here, Riley Ross. Maybe I should ask the Academy for you to help us more-- Riley Ross?"


    The medic turned his head towards where Riley should be waiting, only to find that he was no longer there.


    "Still a kid, after all¡­


    ...Maybe he couldn''t take the atmosphere here."


    ***


    "..."


    Riley was now walking across one of the Academy''s colossal hallways that were normally restricted to normal students. Well, it was a good thing that he wasn''t a normal student.


    Riley turned his head towards the endless cameras that were stered on the ceiling, making sure that his Police Force armband was being seen. He continued to walk through the hallway, his eyes as if searching for something.


    And after a few more minutes, he stopped and faced a wall.


    "..." He stared at this part of the wall for a few seconds, before slightly sliding his foot forward. And as soon as he did so, the part of the floor where his foot made contact with slightly distorted in shape.


    He once again stared at this weird distortion, before casually moving his foot back and patting the distorted area, returning it to normal.


    "Hm¡­


    ...Dark Millenium is earlier than expected."


    ***


    "Ladies and gentlemen¡­


    ...wee onboard flight ***V6 with service from Los Angeles to Miami. We are currently 6th in¡­"


    "Mommy, mommy! Look at him, look at him!"


    "J¡­ Julie! What did I tell you about pointing at people!? It''s rude!" A woman was currently trying her best to stop her daughter from pointing at the people walking past by their seat, apologizing to each of them.


    Most of the passersby did not mind, however, as they only smiled and waved at the child. The woman could not really me her daughter for being excited, after all, she was finally visiting her grandmother after a very long time of not seeing her.


    "Julie, don''t be too noisy when--"


    "Mommy, look! It''s an angel!"


    "Julie! What did I just tell--"


    "It''s alright, madam."


    "N¡­ no, Julie say sorr--" The woman was about to reprimand her child, but as soon as she saw the face of the person her daughter was pointing to, she could not help but take in a small gulp.


    "I am actually seated next to you, madam. May I pass?"


    "S¡­ Sure," the woman could only let out a stutter as she could not help but stare at the young man''s face. Although his head was covered by a hoodie, it was hard not to notice his skin that almost reflected the sun that seeped from the tiny windows of the ne.


    "Mommy! The angel is so close!"


    "D¡­ don''t touch him! I¡­ I really am sorry for this."


    "It''s quite alright, madam," the young man then smiled, almost making the woman take in a small gasp with how pure he looked, "Children are just¡­


    ...curious creatures."

 Chapter 77: In Need of Rescue

    <h4>Chapter 77: In Need of Rescue</h4>


    "Oi bro, where were you!? The event has already started!"


    "How''s Be? Is she going to be alright?"


    Even with all the incessant roars and cheers pestering the air, Gary''s voice was enough to filter all of them out as Gary waved to Riley, gesturing to him that they saved him a seat. The Rescue event had just started about a minute ago, so there really wasn''t anything worthwhile happening just yet.


    "She will be fine, Silvie," Riley casually answered as he took his seat beside Tomoe, "I amte for the reason that I got lost in the Academy''s hallways."


    "R¡­ right," Gary then slightly whispered as he leaned closer to Riley, slightly touching Silvie''s thighs as he did so; this, of course, got him the brunt of Silvie''s palm. He did not seem to mind, however, as he continued to look at Riley, "So¡­ what secrets did you find inside? You got inside the restricted areas, right? Are there aliens and some shit?"


    "As much as I want that to be true, Gary. I am afraid I did not see any signs of Mega Woman there," Riley breathed out, "Maybe if I had more time, I could explore it more."


    "Master, it seems big sister Hannah is in a bit of trouble."


    "Hm?"


    Hearing Tomoe''s words, Riley quickly turned his attention back to the screen; only to see Hannah battling it out with someone.


    "What the¡­" Gary was the first to react, however, as he quickly recognized who Hannah was fighting with; one of the only other people in the Academy to ever subdue him and make him shut his mouth.


    ***


    "!!!"


    "A¡­ are you okay!?"


    "I''m¡­ fine."


    "Please stay here and hide¡­ I''ll just deal with this."


    Hannah was on her way to get one of the citizens to safety, but halfway through the nearest one yellow g, someone wearing a Red ribbon around her arm suddenly blocked her path-- a Viin role. This left her with no choice but to gently drop the distressed citizen she was carrying somewhere safe.


    Hannah was about to rush towards the viin, but as soon as she saw who it was, she could not help but stop in her tracks.


    "Haha! You will never defeat me, hero scum!"


    "C¡­ Charlotte!?"


    The one ying the viin role was none other than Charlotte, the cashier of the Korean Shaved Ice store that she and the others regrly visit. Even with the mask she was wearing, it was easy and obvious to see that it was her simple for the fact that¡­ she was still wearing her store uniform.


    "Charlotte!? Who is that!?" Charlotte then stretched her arms to the side before turning them counter-clockwise,nding on some sort of pose, "It is me, the Raging Underpaid Employee Girl!"


    "W¡­ What?" Hannah breathed out, "Are you even a Supe--"


    And before Hannah could even finish her words, she felt a slight breeze pass by her; followed by a trickle of warmth flowing across her left cheek.


    Warmth. Throughout Hannah''s life, the only times she would ever feel a slight rise in temperature crawling through her skin is whenever this one simple thing happens to her-- she was bleeding.


    Hannah quickly touched her left cheek, only for her hand to slightly be covered in blood.


    "What in¡­"


    "On your right!"


    This time, with Charlotte''s words, Hannah was able to move to the side, her whole body quickly being engulfed by a fiery fire as she leaped through the air-- only stopping as the wall of a building touched her back.


    Hannah quickly focused her vision; her eyes moving swiftly as they tried to search for their opponent. But even after almost a full 10 seconds of her eyes scanning the area, Charlotte was nowhere to be found.


    "...Where?" Hannah whispered, her hands and foot embedded in the slightly scorched and melted wall as her head continued to slowly move. She waited for another second, before letting out a sigh and letting herself drop.


    It would seem the viins only serve as a distraction to keep you from rescuing any of the Distressed Citize--


    "!!!"


    And as soon as Hannah''s feetnded on the ground, a loud thunderous eruption exploded behind her as the walls of the building copsed from the inside; she did not even have time to react before a pair of arms wrapped around her; her thighs, also locked by the leg that quickly embraced around it.


    The only thing Hannah could do was kneel on the ground, gritting her teeth as she removed the fire engulfing her body.


    "Oh, why did you remove the fire?"


    Charlotte''s piercing words then whispered in her ear as she tightened her hold on her. The cheers and roars of the audience also almost pierced her ears, as they all howled and screamed as they saw Hannah being bound; herrge and toned buttocks being squished.


    "Y¡­ you''ll get hurt," Hannah tried to remove Charlotte''s arms... but found that she was not even able to budge it for even a single millimeter.


    "Me?" Charlotte chuckled, "Hurt by fire? Lesson No. 1, dear patron-- learn to judge your opponent so you can run for your life."


    "W¡­ What?" Hannah then could not help but take in a small breath as fumes started to emerge from Charlotte''s arms.


    "It will be a very long time before you can hurt me," and as soon as Charlotte said that, a trickle started to appear around her body-- followed by the sound of a hiss as her whole body was engulfed in fire.


    "Oh, interesting power. I''ve controlled fire before¡­ this isn''t it."


    Hannah could then feel herself able to breathe normally again as Charlotte backed away.


    "This is dangerous," Charlotte then muttered as the mes around her body began to die down, "I''ll let you go just for the fact that you could control something like this."


    Hannah could still feel her throat wanting to cough, but refused not to do so as she stared at Charlotte, "Who¡­ who the fuck are you?"


    "Who am I?" Charlotte then once again rotated her arms before doing some sort of superhero post, "I am The Raging Underpaid Employee Girl!"


    "Wha--"


    "I still need to prepare the store or they will cut my sry again," Charlotte then said as her figure slowly disappeared, "Also, tell your father he still hasn''t paid me back with his debt; that''s why I''m struggling here."


    "...What the fuck?" Hannah could only blurt out as Charlotte suddenly disappeared into thin air.


    "What the fuck was that?" Hannah could only repeat her words as she stood up. But after staring at nothing for a few seconds, she clicked her tongue and rushed away. Battling it out with Charlotte took a lot of her time-- she reckoned that if she didn''t rescue at least 5 more citizens, then she would surely not move on to the next round.


    And so, Hannah leaped to the skies with all of her might; almost as if a pair of wings were violently waving behind her.


    "H¡­ Help me!"


    And without even a second of her floating in the air, a piercing cry whispered into her ears. She quickly looked towards where the voice wasing from, only to see a man hanging for his life on the edge of the roof of one of the tallest buildings in the arena.


    "I''ming!"


    The mes on her back once again fluttered violently as her body shot straight towards the roof of the building, expertly extinguishing the fires surrounding her body as soon as her feetnded on the ground. And without any pause, she ran towards the Distressed Citizen.


    She then quickly grabbed the man''s arm, pulling him up without any effort and gently sliding him on the floor.


    "Are you alright? Does anything hurt?" Hannah quickly asked.


    "My¡­ my chest hurts, I¡­ I can''t breathe."


    "Let me check, sir," Hannah crouched on the ground, carefully removing the man''s jacket. Hannah was expecting another paint or marker etched on the man''s chest; however, before her hand could reach the man, she noticed something beneath the man''s jacket.


    "That''s--"


    But before she could say another word, the man suddenly grabbed her wrist, pulling her forward as he swiftly moved behind her; tightly wrapping his arms around Hannah''s neck.


    "Don''t move," the man then said as his voice slowly distorted, "And don''t even try to use your powers, you saw what''s underneath my clothes, right?"


    "You¡­ what--"


    And before Hannah could even finish her words, she heard a slight static whispering in her ears; and as soon as it was over, the man''s appearance becamepletely different than before. His face that seemed like any other normal adult male, was now covered in a jet-ck helmet.


    "D¡­ Dark Millenium!?" Hannah said as she was about to struggle; but as soon as she remembered what she saw under the man''s clothes, she quickly calmed herself down-- because wrapped around the man''s torso...


    ...was a bomb.


    "Cooperate," the member of the Dark Millenium whispered, "And you will move on from this situationpletely unharmed, Ms. Hannah Ross."


    "What¡­ what do you want from me!?" Hannah whispered, her breaths starting to be heavier with each second. And it would seem the audience has noticed her situation as well, as they all became quiet-- with only their gasps and whispers traveling the coliseum.


    "Not from you," the man''s voice then started to be louder as he let out a short but deep breath; his head directly facing the drone floating in front of them.


    "My name is Mr. Wednesday," the man then proimed, "Riley Ross...


    ...We need you toe with us."

 Chapter 78: Riley Ross, Exposed.

    <h4>Chapter 78: Riley Ross, Exposed.</h4>


    "We are currently cruising at an altitude of 36,000 feet at an airspeed of¡­"


    "Angel! Angel!"


    "I¡­ I''m really sorry about this!"


    "You don''t need to keep apologizing, madam. It''s quite alright, let her y."


    "Thank you."


    The mother''s sigh was almost enough to lighten the ne itself as she nodded to the hooded young man seated beside her and her daughter. It has almost been an hour now, and her daughter still was not tired of moving around; even kicking the seats in front of her because of her excitement.


    "Really sorry," the mother once again apologized, "It''s just that¡­ this is our first time flying without her father. He¡­ will usually be seated where you--"


    "He''s an angel, mommy! Look!"


    "J¡­ Julie, no!"


    And before the mother could even pull her daughter''s hand away, it was already toote as she had already grabbed onto the young man''s hoodie, sessfully pulling it away.


    "Oh my god, I''m so sorry," the mother once again apologized, "M¡­ Maybe we should just exchange--"


    And before she could even finish her words, she could not help but squint her eyes as the young man''s hairpletely reflected the seeping sun straighting from the windows.


    "T¡­ that''s," the mother was going to apologize again, but she could not help but be distracted by the young man''s overall appearance.


    "See, mommy!? I told you¡­


    ...He''s an angel!"


    ***


    "T¡­ The Dark Millenium!"


    "S¡­ shit, so they really are also in this country."


    "They took my friends!"


    "R¡­ Riley Ross? Isn''t that the one from 1-V? What do they want from him!?"


    "Where¡­ where are the teachers!?"


    "How¡­ how did they even get inside!? I thought USMA was the most secure of all the Academies!"


    "F¡­ fuck, Hannah!"


    "Gary, no!"


    Although the students were trying their best to only let out a whisper, their nervous breaths that filled the entire coliseum were enough to make an orchestra of their unease.


    There were those wanting to run, and there were those wanting to jump on the arena to try and confront the man calling himself Mr. Wednesday.


    But from their months of training, the first thing they learned not to do was make any sudden movements during a hostage situation. One needs to be calm, listen carefully to every word that the hostage-taker is saying, and try to empathize with him.


    However, there was one other factor that they were not trained in yet-- the hostage-taker has a bomb sped in his body. And judging from their first encounter with the Dark Millenium, they were more than capable of killing themselves when they realize they are going to be captured.


    "What!? Are we just going to watch!?"


    "That''s exactly what we need to do, sit down."


    But of course, when the one being taken hostage is a friend or a family member, then one could not help but be drowned with worrying emotions. And so, right now, Silvie was currently trying her best to pin down Gary back on the bleachers.


    "You don''t need to calm down, but you need to stay put," Silvie then said as she looked Gary straight in the eyes. Silvie''s voice held a certain authority and calmness in it¡­ her trembling eyes, however, quickly showed how worried she actually was.


    Seeing this, Gary took in a small but deep breath before patting Silvie''s arm, "...You''re right, it''s not the time to be rash."


    "Hm," Silvie nodded as she removed her arm and carefully sat back on her side of the bleachers. Afterward, she turned to look at the situation in the arena; and almost instantly, her trembling eyes stopped.


    "Illegal detention of¡­ considered¡­ act¡­ terrorism¡­ subjugate with force¡­


    ...kill if necessary."


    "Did you¡­ say something, Silv?"


    "W¡­ What?" And as soon as Silvie heard Gary''s words, her eyes once again returned to normal; quickly shaking her head before looking at Riley, who also seemed to be looking at her.


    "Are¡­ are you alright?" Silvie then quickly asked.


    "I am not the one being taken hostage, American Mega Girl."


    It was hard to tell what Riley was feeling since he was wearing his sunsses-- No, it was always hard to tell what he was really feeling even without it. But Silvie was sure that even someone as stoic as Riley; it''s his sister currently in danger, after all.


    "But¡­ what are you going to do?"


    And as soon as Silvie said that, not only Gary and Tomoe, but everyone within their earshot turned their heads towards the person named by the hostage-taker-- Riley.


    "Respond and wait," Riley then said as he slowly stood up and floated in the air.


    "W¡­ What!? Stay here!" Silvie tried to grab Riley''s ankle, but some sort of invisible armor was preventing her hand from wrapping around it, "W¡­ Whiteking is the one controlling the drones, right? I am sure the Academy is already nning on taking action!"


    "That does not change the fact that I was called, American Mega Girl."


    "S¡­ shit, we shoulde with you."


    "I advise you to stay where you are, Dragon Monarch," Riley then said as he slowly floated towards the arena, "The same goes for you, Mega Girl and Tomoe."


    "Is this really wise, master?" Tomoe also stood up from her seat, and unlike the rest of the students, her words held no stutter.


    "We''ll see."


    And with that, Silvie and the others could only watch as Riley''s figure became smaller and smaller as he made his way to the arena.


    "Fuck! We should just gang up on the guy, there''s like thousands of us here! What''s the use of them teaching us if we can''t apply them when it matters!?"


    "That''s just the thing, Gary¡­" Silvie then muttered as she sat back down, "We¡­ are not ready yet."


    "Most of you are ready, little girl. Just not for this."


    "Whiteking!?"


    With Whiteking suddenly appearing seemingly out of nowhere, the group could not help but slightly move back from their seats. And it wasn''t only him, there were others behind him-- including Scarlet Mage, Spectacr Mustache Man, Nightwalker, and a number of other instructors.


    "Shouldn''t you be doing something!?"


    "We are," Whiteking nodded, "We have actually already started apprehending the other members that are inside the Academy even before this."


    "S¡­ seriously?"


    "Riley Ross was already aware that someone infiltrated the Academy," this time, it was Spectacr Mustache Man that spoke,


    "He reported seeing three guards incapacitated in the hallways."


    ***


    "You''re Riley Ross?"


    "...I am."


    As soon as Rileynded on top of the roof, his eyes quickly turned to the multiple drones that were surrounding them; and with their voice echoing throughout the coliseum, it would seem they will be having an audience during their¡­ negotiation.


    "And you are Mr. Wednesday¡­ from the Dark Millenium, I presume?"


    "I am," Mr. Wednesday quickly nodded as he tightened his hold on Hannah; the voice that wasing out of his helmet,pletely monotonous and indiscernible, "We need you toe with--"


    "Are youfortable, sister?"


    "F¡­ fuck you, Riley Ross."


    "..."


    With him suddenly being cut off, Mr. Wednesday could not help but slightly let out a small but deep sigh, "We need you toe with us, Riley Ross."


    "We? Are you saying there are more of you inside the Academy, Mr. Wednesday?"


    "Yes, so it would be best for you toply-- we are not here to hurt anyone."


    "But you are an evil organization that has already killed more than a hundred students, are you not?"


    "That''s not what--"


    "Your leader is Darkday. He has killed millions and millions of people all over the world,ughing as he enjoyed their cries. You can''t expect us to believe you''re not here to hurt anyone?"


    "T¡­ that''s right, tell him, Riley Ross," Hannah managed to speak up even with the arms wrapped around her neck.


    "We-- !!!" Mr. Wednesday was about to talk but suddenly found himself unable to even open his mouth. He could also feel a strange pressure slowly tightening around his neck, he tried to move and push Hannah away, but it would seem it wasn''t only his mouth that couldn''t move.


    "Our leader is not Darkday."


    "!!!" His breaths thenpletely stopped as someone else''s voice reverberated inside his helmet. On the outside, it would seem like he was still the one talking due to the voice changer installed in his helmet-- but the voice circling inside was not his, but someone he was familiar with.


    Mr. Friday-- the one who told them about Riley Ross¡­ and how he killed his own schoolmates.


    "Your leader¡­ is not Darkday?" Riley slightly let out a deep breath before cing his hand on his chin¡­ trying his best to cover the smile that was threatening to crawl on his face.


    "No, we lied so that we could get his attention¡­ but he did not approach us even once."


    "Then¡­ who are you?"


    "We are the ones that are going to continue his legacy-- our true goal is to drown the world in darkness¡­ forever."


    "You¡­ you fucking psychopaths!" Hannah let out another scream even with her neck sped, "Then what¡­ what do you need us for!? Let me and Riley Ross go!"


    "Because we are here to reintroduce ourselves, you see. And the only way we are going to get the whole world''s attention is by taking the two of you hostage."


    "W¡­ What?"


    "After all, you are Bernard Ross''s children."


    "D¡­ Don''t you fucking dare!" Hannah started to scream in order to drown any other voice besides her. But s, her mouth was quickly covered by Mr. Wednesday''s slightly trembling hand.


    "One of the core members of the Hope Guild¡­


    ...Whiteking."

 Chapter 79: Not After Today

    <h4>Chapter 79: Not After Today</h4>


    "Please be informed that the ''Fasten your seatbelt'' sign is¡­"


    "R¡­ really?"


    "Yes, madam."


    "But you look so handsome, I am sure girls of your age would go crazy after you. I saw this Sudanese model, her skin was so smooth and so dark that it looked almost beguiling. I almost got lost staring at her in the magazine. I bet that if you two model the same brand, it would blow up!"


    "Do you really think I could be a model, madam?"


    With the ne moving in the skies for more than 2 hours now, the mother found herself more and morefortable talking to the young man beside her. He was a little stoic at times, but he always answered all of her questions without any slight hesitation.


    "Of course! You seem fit as well! And with your face and your unique features, you could--"


    "M¡­ mommy¡­"


    "It''s alright, honey. We''re not there yet."


    "H¡­ hm."


    "S¡­ sorry," the mother then let out a small sigh afterforting her daughter, "I''m just bbering my mouth, aren''t I? Here I am trying to shush my daughter when I am the one who can''t shut her mouth."


    "It''s quite alright, I enjoy our conversations, madam."


    "You can stop calling me madam, you know. I feel really old when you keep calling me that," the mother let out an awkward chuckle, "My name''s Janice. Now I feel really stupid that we still don''t know each other''s name when I already told you my life story."


    "Very well. My name is¡­"


    ***


    "After all, you are Bernard Ross''s children."


    "D¡­ don''t you dare!"


    "One of the core members of the Hope Guild¡­


    ...Whiteking."


    "T¡­ That''s not--"


    "!!!"


    And before Hannah could even refute Mr. Wednesday''s words, the roaring whispers of the audience became full-fledged, unabated screams of shock.


    "Whiteking''s children!? Those two!?"


    "Shit¡­ are we going to see Hope Guild in action!?"


    "Is that true!? Can anyone confirm it!?"


    The students, who were just previously filled with anxiety as none of them even dared to move from their spot, were now all looking at each other in disbelief as their gasps even started to merge with one another; with a handful of them even wanting to post the shocking news on social media without any hesitation; fully knowing that it wasn''t allowed.


    However, before they could even open their apps, they found that they could no longer connect to the inte.


    "...Good," Whiteking looked around the faces of the students as he tapped something on the tablet attached around his arm. He and the Academy knew that the Dark Millenium already had information about him and his children, but to think they would expose it like this. "There--"


    "Ah, I posted it!"


    "!!!" Whiteking quickly looked at the student that shouted, only to hear another student screaming that he got back online. But that should be impossible, he thought. He shut off the towers and satellite nearest to the Academy-- no one should be able to go online.


    "What are all of you doing!?"


    And before he could even express his shock, Silvie stood up from her seat, "We were allowed to contact the outside world, but it doesn''t mean you can share sensitive information! That''s against the--"


    "It''s alright, Mega Girl," Whiteking grabbed Silvie''s shoulder before she could continue reprimanding the other students, "The information is automatically being removed by the Government with their Auto Filter system."


    "But¡­ but still, they--"


    "And if my identity should be exposed to the world," Whiteking then let out a sigh as he turned his attention back towards the arena, "Then so be it¡­


    ...As long as my children are safe."


    ***


    "...What makes you think Whiteking is our father, Mr. Fr-- Mr. Wednesday?"


    With the shock of the audience slowly dying down, Riley took off his sunsses as he looked Hannah straight in the eyes,


    "Did you really think that Whiteking would produce such a noisy and ill-tempered daughter?"


    "..." Hannah''s eyes started to twitch upon hearing Riley''s words. She wanted to rebuke, but as soon as she remembered the dire situation they were in, the only thing she could do was furrow her eyebrows.


    "I¡­ I am afraid we know more," Mr. Friday, who was pretending to be Mr. Wednesday by speaking through the speakers inside his helmet, almost let out a small stutter as he did not expect Riley''s words,


    "But for the sake of ying fair, we will not reveal anything more. But we have a condition, we want the whole world to get to know us in our own words, turn off the filter and let the world hear us."


    "You¡­" Hannah wanted to say something, but her mouth was once again covered.


    "Students of the Academy, future heroes. Listen to my words¡­" Mr. Friday did not wait for any confirmation from the Academy that they shut down their filtering system,


    "...We are the Dark Millenium. Fear us, hate us, abhor us-- it will not change the fact that we will bathe this world in darkness. And for those who want to join us; do not find us¡­ as we will find you shining in the shadows we have created."


    "H¡­ Hey!" Hannah could not help but almost tumble to the roof of the floor as Mr. Wednesday suddenly pushed her away and let her go.


    "And let this be a reminder!" Mr. Wednesday then took off his jacket, fully exposing the numerous bombs that were attached around his body,


    "That even death can''t stop us!" And with those words, a light tick whispered throughout the whole stadium as Mr. Wednesday seemed to have pulled something from his bomb vest.


    "!!!"


    "R¡­ Riley!" And before Hannah could even think, her body already rushed towards Riley, pushing him to the ground and covering him with her entire body. She could hear the whistle deafening her ears as the bomb thundered through the air-- obliterating anything within its path andpletely ripping off the top floors of the building.


    But surprisingly enough, she was unharmed; floating in the air along with her brother.


    "You really don''t have to keep protecting me, sister," Riley then said as he carried his sister like a princess, "I''m physically bigger than you now."


    "Riley!" Even with the embarrassing position she was in, the only thing she could do was embrace her brother; trying her best not to cry as the emotions she had been preventing with all her might from bursting out were trying to break her walls all at the same time.


    "It''s alright, sister. The Dark Millenium won''t be showing themselves anytime soon..." Riley whispered so quietly that his words were being overpowered by the screams of the audience,


    "...Not after today."


    ***


    "...Wow, you must really care for your sister."


    "I suppose you could say that, Janice. Mega Woman reminds me of her, you see. They''re both very selfless, but they want the world to perceive them as a strong wall that will never be swayed away by any storm."


    "The time is now 5:45 in the afternoon. We would bending¡­"


    "W¡­ wow, I didn''t even notice the time," Janice could not help but drink some water as she heard the young man''s words. It was quite hard to find people that she connected with, but to think this stranger would make her feel this way-- like she was actually being listened to.


    "Are we near, mommy!? Are we near!?"


    "Y¡­ yes, honey."


    "No! But I want to y with the angel more!" Janice''s daughter, Julie, once again started spinning on her seat; kicking it as she let out a loud cry.


    "S¡­ shhh!"


    Janice could only try to calm her daughter down as she chuckled at the young man sitting beside them. "S¡­ sorry again."


    "You don''t need to apolo-- Please excuse me, Julie."


    "Hm? Is everything alright?" Julie could not help but blink a couple of times as the young man suddenly stood up from his seat.


    "Yes," the young man nodded as he excused himself, "I just have something to do before wend."


    "Oh, okay," Janice then leaned back to her seat to allow the young man to pass. She was slightly intrigued as the young man grabbed his bag from the overhead locker, but did not really pry any further as she didn''t want to look too nosy.


    "G¡­ goodbye¡­


    ...Angel Riley!"


    "He''s just going to the bathroom, hon--"


    "Goodbye, Julie."


    The young man also waved his hand before he proceeded to head towards the toilet¡­ or maybe not, as he went straight to the front of the ne.


    "S¡­ Sir, the bathrooms are that way!" One of the flight attendants quickly blocked the young man''s path as she saw him seemingly heading to the cockpit. She could not help but slightly let out a short but deep sigh; she was supposed to go on a short date after this, she didn''t need any more reasons to be even more stressed.


    "I will have to ask you to--"


    "I know, flight attendant," the young man replied before he gently pushed the flight attendant to the side and ced his hand on the door of the cockpit.


    "Sir! What are you--"


    And before the flight attendant could say anything more, her words were suddenly cut off as the young man¡­ pulled the entire door open.


    "What''s going on!?" The first officer quickly turned around as soon as he heard the loud rumbling behind him, but before he could even see what was going on, a helmet suddenly flew towards him; his head perfectly shooting inside it.


    He was about to remove it, but as soon as his hand touched the helmet, he heard a light snap¡­ and that was it.


    "M.. mayday! Mayday we are--"


    The pilot inmand immediately tried to radio in their situation, but before he could do so, his head suddenly twisted in a way that it shouldn''t.


    The flight attendant that witnessed the whole situation unfold was frozen in ce; everything was happening so fast that the only thing she could do was watch in fear as the co-pilot''s spine snapped in half and the captain''s head started spinning.


    And when she was about to regain the strength to run away, her vision slightly dimmed as she felt a small pressure surrounding her head-- a helmet simr to the one that the dead co-pilot was wearing.


    "Please rx, flight attendant," the young man then spoke as he approached her, "This phone is the thing you use to broadcast through the entire ne, correct?"


    "Y¡­ Yes!?" The flight attendant could only nod her now heavy head as the young man pointed towards the ne''s inte.


    "Thank you, flight attendant," the young man then quickly grabbed the phone and let out a small¡­ creeping smile, "Testing, testing. This is your captain speaking. Next stop¡­


    ...Mega Academy."

 Chapter 80: A Rain of Red and Yellow

    <h4>Chapter 80: A Rain of Red and Yellow</h4>


    "Hannah, Riley!"


    "D¡­ Dad!"


    Even with the smoke still covering the air in a dark cloud, Whiteking was there to receive his children as soon as theynded on the ground. The other students that joined the Rescue event, as well as the Academy staff that yed the role of the civilians, were also there surrounding the building.


    They were the ones closest to the scene of the crime and they wanted to do something, but before they could even act, it was already over when the member of the Dark Milleniummitted suicide.


    "H¡­ how, how could they have entered the Academy!?" Hannah quickly bellowed as she rushed to hug Whiteking. If this wasn''t confirmation that Riley and Hannah truly were Whiteking''s children, then they don''t know what is.


    "We don''t know yet," Whiteking shook his head, letting out a short but deep sigh as he looked towards Riley, "But if it wasn''t for your brother, then there would definitely be more casualties. We found their other members nting bombs all over the Academy; if Riley didn''t report to us when he did¡­"


    "Anyone would have reported what I found, Whiteking," Riley only nced at his father before looking towards the sky, "I¡­ just happen to be at the right ce at the right time."


    "Even so," Whiteking breathed out, "Your luck saved a lot more lives than you think¡­. Everyone!"


    Whiteking''s words then reverberated through the speakers as he raised his voice, "Please remain put where you are as we try to find if there are more members of the Dark Millenium inside the Academy! We--"


    [Whiteking, please respond.]


    "Whiteking here," Whiteking''s words were then disrupted as a voice transferred to his receiver.


    [We have an unidentified projectile moving towards the Academy, can you confirm with your satellite?]


    And without even saying another word, Whiteking immediately raised his arm and tapped the screen of the tablet wrapped around it multiple times,


    "I see it. With its speed, it shouldn''t be a prob-- Fuck!"


    "H¡­ Hey!"


    Hannah could not help but back away as Whiteking''s cape suddenly hardened, before shaping into some sort of wing; but instead of a violent p, a thunderous explosion erupted from behind Whiteking''s leg-- instantlyunching him towards the air.


    "All avable Super of Grade-B and above, we need you outside the Academy!"


    [Affirmative, Whiteking. Can we confirm what projectile--]


    "It''s not a projectile¡­


    ...It''s a fucking ne!"


    ***


    "M¡­ mommy, what''s going on!?"


    "S¡­ shh, it''s alright. It''s alright, honey."


    Janice was now currently trying her best to scooch in between the seats, hiding her daughter from whatever it was that was happening. They heard some sort of loud banging from the front of the ne. She thought it was just some sort of turbulence, but when the ne suddenly shifted, most of the people started to panic.


    "M¡­ mom--"


    "Please¡­ please keep quiet. Mommy''s here, okay? Mommy''s here. I won''t--"


    "This is your captain speaking¡­ Next stop, Mega Academy!"


    And before Janice could finishforting Julie, the people once again started to scream as a weird announcement reverberated through the entire ne. Most of the people finally realized what was happening-- they were being hijacked.


    "N¡­ No!"


    And then once again, the people started to scream as some of them started pointing towards the front. Janice quickly looked to see what was happening, only to see the young man he was talking to earlier¡­


    ...being lifted by the neck by one of the flight attendants, who was now wearing some sort of motorcycle helmet.


    "R¡­ Riley!"


    "Everyone, stay in your seats," the flight attendant''s monotonous voice then whispered into all of their ears, "If you don''t, then I will start killing you one by one¡­


    ...Starting with this rat here."


    "No! Please don''t!" Janice quickly stepped out to the aisle as soon as she heard the flight attendant''s words, "Why--"


    And before Janice could even finish her words, an orchestra of gasps entered her ears as the flight attendant plunged her hand straight through the young man''s chest.


    "W¡­ why¡­"


    And without even saying another word, the flight attendant threw the young man in front of Janice before heading back to the cockpit.


    "N¡­ no, you¡­ please¡­ please, no," Janice lightly patted the young man on the chest several times. Her mind; at a loss as to what to do.


    "M¡­ mommy? What''s¡­ what''s happening to the angel?"


    "D¡­ don''t look, honey!" Janice then quickly went back to her daughter and hugged her, "He''s¡­ he''s going to be alright¡­ we''re going to be alright."


    ***


    "Help me slow it down! I''ll go inside!"


    "Are you crazy!? That thing is moving like a thousand kilometers per hour!" (620mph~)


    "Does it matter!?" Whiteking was currently floating in the sky, a few kilometers away from USMA. There were also 6 other people from the Academy¡­ including Scarlet Mage.


    "Scarlet Mage, can you try removing all the air within a 500-meter radius!?"


    "That''s-- I''ll try," Scarlet Mage quickly nodded as she looked in a certain direction, "But I need to concentrate all my powers."


    "Green Fly, focus on carrying Scarlet Mage!"


    "No problem!"


    "The rest of you get ready! As soon as the ne enters within the No-air radius, slow it down enough so I can enter the ne!"


    "Roger that!"


    Even with the wind threatening to scrape their faces off, no one seemed to be faltering as they all looked in the same direction.


    A second,


    A minute¡­


    ...and soon, the silhouette of the ne showed itself. And without even saying a word to each other, the veins on Scarlet Mage''s neck and face started to etch through her skin, crawling across her entire body; her now silver hair moving in a static as her eyes turned grey.


    She then stretched her trembling hands, and with the release of her breath; it was as if the air in front of them became peaceful.


    A thunderous explosion then erupted through their ears as Whiteking thrust towards the iing airne; the three others were also flying from behind him, but soon deviated to the side.


    Whiteking''s entire body then rotated horizontally, and as it did so, several drones shot out from his costume; and as he stopped and stretched his limbs, the drone flew like rockets towards the ne.


    The drones seemed like they had a life of their own as they attached themselves to the sides of the ne, effectively slowing it down gradually. And as soon as it reached a certain speed, the 3 remaining Supers flew towards the ne''s wings and nose.


    They were careful not to move against the ne too much, in fears that it would crumble.


    With the ne now at 25% of its original speed, Whiteking propelled himself to the ne''s door, attaching some sort of instrument on it before it automatically opened for him. The 3 Supers slightly crumpled that part of the ne they were holding at it shifted from the sudden change of turbulence, but they were able to easily stabilize it to allow Whiteking to enter.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Whiteking, what''s the status of the passeng--"


    "Go back to the Academy now!"


    "Wha--"


    "The ne¡­


    ...It''s empty!"


    ***


    "Mommy''s here¡­ mommy''s here."


    "W¡­ what''s happening, mommy?"


    "Shh¡­ shh, it''s alright. Mommy''s here."


    Janice was now seated back at her seat, cradling her daughter in her arms as she looked outside through the window. She then turned to look at the body of the young man, before closing her eyes and embracing her daughter even tightly.


    "It''s alright, honey¡­ we''re going to be alright."


    "What¡­ what about Mr. Angel? Mommy?"


    "He¡­ well, he''s in heaven now, okay?"


    "Heaven? Can we meet him there, mommy?"


    "N¡­ no," hearing her daughter''s words, the tears that Janice was trying to stop finally trailed on her cheeks, "Not yet¡­ please not yet."


    "...Mommy?"


    Janice once again opened her eyes as she looked at the window, and seeing the buildings now so close to them¡­ the only thing she could do was close it before hugging her daughter even tighter.


    "Mo--"


    "Mommy loves you, okay? Mommy loves you very much¡­ always¡­ always remember that."


    "I¡­ I love you too, Mom--"


    The tiny voice and herst words.


    Thest message of a mother to her daughter.


    These two¡­ were only a fraction of the voices that the world will never be able to hear again.


    "O¡­ Oh my¡­ god."


    "No¡­ no!"


    "What¡­ what the fuck is happening?"


    Red and Yellow.


    All of the eyes inside the Academy reflected the colors red and yellow as they all looked above. The sound of thunder filled their eyes as smoke slowly started to envelop in a dome, covering their sky in darkness.


    It was all too sudden, and only some of them saw what truly happened-- and those who did have their hearts now trembling.


    "It¡­ it was a ne," Silvie then whispered. Just a few moments ago, she and the others were checking up on Hannah when she heard a whistling whisper into her ear. And as soon as she looked up, she saw the silhouette of a ne flying towards the Academy; and without even having the time to react, she saw it being ttened as it made contact with the Academy''s dome barrier.


    "...A ne?"


    "L¡­ look!" Gary then pointed towards a certain direction in the sky; and although it was quite hard to see from the distance, those who had enhanced eyesight were able to quickly recognize what he was pointing to.


    "Isn''t that¡­ a person?"


    There was a person hanging on the dome, but before they could even say another word-- his blood and guts smeared as a part of the ne squashed him.


    "N¡­ no, no!"


    "!!!"


    And as the situation finally registered in everyone''s mind¡­ another explosion erupted. And this time, everyone was able to see what crashed into the dome-- another ne.


    "Wha--"


    And before they could even breathe out a gasp¡­


    ...another explosion erupted.


    And another¡­ another¡­


    ...and another.

 Chapter 81: The Last Light

    <h4>Chapter 81: The Last Light</h4>


    7 nes.


    7 nes to that signaled the abrupt end of the Festival.


    A festival that was supposed to bring the future superheroes of the world together¡­ ended in the deaths of probably more than 900 people. Of course, that number was just an estimate, there could be less, there could be more¡­


    ...But now, the only thing in the minds of the students is how helpless they were in the situation as the sky above them was filled with nothing but darkness and pain.


    Just a few moments ago, they were cheering and howling for glory¡­ but now the only thing that remained was a silent bitterness-- a regret that they could do nothing about. They were supposed to be heroes, but the only thing they could do was watch as hundreds of people died above them.


    The Dark Millenium aimed for this. They could have aimed from anywhere within the Academy¡­ but they crashed the nes right on top where the majority of the people were gathered¡­ they wanted them to see what they were capable of doing-- these were the thoughts of most of the students,


    "N¡­ no. We¡­ we need to help them!" Silvie, who was still inside the coliseum with the others, quickly snapped out of her thoughts as her feet began to float from the ground.


    "Where are you going, Silv!?" Gary quickly stretched his arms to block Silvie as she flew away, but his arm was quickly swatted away.


    "I''m going out!" Silvie yelled as a skirt of wind traveled across her body, propelling her directly outside the coliseum.


    "...She''s going to the gate," Hannah breathed out before her feet were engulfed in mes, "I''m going with her."


    "W¡­ wait, we should wait for the instructors-- Ah, god damn it!" The only thing that Gary could do was jump to the top of the coliseum to try and chase the two, leaving Riley and Tomoe with the rest of the students.


    The number of the students dwindled, however, as most of them chased to follow Silvie; if there were any hopes that there were survivors, then the least they should be able to do was to help them.


    "Should we go and follow them, master?"


    With most of the students gone, Tomoe carefully approached Riley and stood behind him; her voice only traveling through Riley''s ears.


    "The Dark Millenium¡­ did they do this because they wanted to take revenge on you?" Tomoe then said as she looked at the cloud of darkness above them; there were still some parts of the airnes hanging on the invisible force field, but with the dome not offering and friction, it will only be another moment for them to fall to the sides,


    "They said they were doing what they were doing to save humanity, but look at them¡­ killing all of these people just to pretend that they actually have a chance to reach your heights. A bunch of hypocrites."


    "Oh. I apologize, Tomoe."


    "M¡­ m¡­ master!?" Tomoe''s body instantly straightened like a pole as Riley suddenly leaned closer to her, cing his face just a few inches away from touching her ears. Tomoe was trying her best not to faint even with all the redness that crawled through her face


    "You were not privy to the information because you were only the Second Subordinate."


    "H¡­ Hm?"


    "This is my doing."


    "W¡­ what?"


    "Let''s go, Tomoe¡­


    ...We need to make sure no one survived."


    ***


    "B¡­ Bleurgh!"


    "W¡­ why¡­ why do something like this?"


    "Dark Millenium¡­ they will pay for this!"


    Ants.


    From the view above, the students of the Academy that forced themselves through the gate looked like ants that were trying to drag leftovers back to their nest. The Academy guards initially wanted to stop Silvie as she was the first to be asked to leave, but when the rush of students started appearing, the only thing they could do was open the gate; as they seemed adamant to the point that they would probably destroy it.


    However, they too were not ready for the destruction that rained down upon them.


    Thend area of the Academy was its own city with its size-- but even then, there were debris falling everywhere as they slid from the invisible dome. The weirdest thing is as if the heavens were mocking them, as most of the debris seemed to have slid and rolled near the Academy gates.


    There were already instructors and some staff of the Academy searching for survivors. But judging by the looks on their faces, they have not been sessful yet.


    "!!!"


    Silvie carefully lifted arge chunk of the ne away, only for her eyes to be weed by the scenery of several charred bodies stuck to each other. Those who were near her could not help but take in a small but deep gasp; almost to the point that their chests exploded-- This was a mistake, however, as the smell of the roasted bodies fumed through their noses.


    "Heurkh!" And so, once again, the retching sounds of the students whispered in the air.


    As for Silvie, her hand trembled uncontrobly; not knowing whether she should let go of the debris and cover the bodies or wait for someone to move them away. She tried to cover their bodies, but as soon as the sound of their skin crackling whispered through her ears, the only thing she could do was close her eyes.


    "Silvie, remove it!"


    Her rapid thoughts were then disrupted as Hannah passed by her, quickly covering the bodies with nkets that she got from the guards.


    "..." Silvie watched her for a few seconds, before letting out a small breath and nodding, "T¡­ thank you."


    "Snap out of it, Silvie. You''re the school''s No. 1 student, remember?"


    "I--" Silvie was about to say something, but as soon as she saw Hannah''s trembling hands, she could not help but take in another deep breath,


    "Let''s¡­ search for survivors," she then once again closed her eyes; and as she did so; the cries, the screams, the panic, and the sorrow became silent. What remained were the hearts that drummed erratically through her ears. She tried desperately to hear a different beat-- weak, tormented, and in need of rescue.


    But s, she could hear no such pain.


    "..." Silvie bit her lip as she finally realized¡­ there probably weren''t any survivors here.


    "Father! Why¡­ did you leave!?"


    "We''re¡­ toote."


    Silvie''s thoughts were then disrupted by Hannah''s sudden bellows. She carefully put the giant debris she was holding to the side before turning towards where Hannah rushed to, only to see Whiteking and the others descending from the sky.


    Whiteking¡­ Whiteking could have probably stopped this from happening; along with Scarlet Mage and the others they were with. So why¡­ why were they gone?


    "Why did you leave!?" Hannah repeated her words, "You¡­ you could have saved some of--"


    "There¡­ was another ne," the tone of Whiteking''s voice was sedated; his helmet slowly opening and revealing his face to the others.


    "F¡­ father? Another ne? Did you¡­ manage to save the--"


    "It was empty."


    "What?"


    Silvie, who was quietly listening from the side, could not help but join in on the conversation, "Did¡­ the Dark Millenium use it to lure you away from the Academy?"


    "..." Bernard only looked at Silvie and nodded, before rushing to help the others in trying to find survivors. At least just one¡­


    ...if they could at least just find one. Just a single light in the darkness to tell them what truly happened.


    "I¡­ I think we have one here!"


    "!!!" Silvie and Hannah quickly looked towards the sound of the voice, only to see Gary waving his hands at them.


    "She¡­ we think she''s breathing!"


    And as soon as they heard his words, the two quickly rushed towards him.


    "Where!? We need a medic here!" Hannah quickly bellowed, garnering the attention of the other people.


    "A child? Where, Gary!?" A smile slowly crawled on Silvie''s face; her breaths finally recing the sorrow stuck inside her lungs.


    "T¡­ there! Riley is taking care of her!"


    Silvie and Hannah quickly looked towards where Gary was pointing to, and there, they saw Riley gently carrying a small girl in his arms-- her eyes¡­ still trembling.


    "R¡­ Riley," Hannah could not help but take in a small gulp as she saw her brother carrying someone; never in her life did she see Riley being that close to another human other than her, and to see him with a sorrowful look on his face, her eyes almost could not stop the tears that were wanting to burst out from them.


    "How¡­ how is she?"


    "Shh," Riley ced his finger on his lips before softly pointing towards the small child.


    "A¡­ Angel?"


    "!!!"


    Silvie, Gary, and Hannah sedated their hurried steps as soon as they heard the weak breathsing from the small child.


    "Is¡­ is that you, Angel?"


    Silvie could not help but cover her mouth as a small gasp escaped from her mouth, her hands trembling as her tears fell upon them. Finally, through all this sorrow and madness. Finally...


    ...there was light in the dark--


    "Keuhk!"


    "..." Silvie''s gaspspletely ceased as red once again painted itself in front of her. She slowly touched her face¡­ only to see her tears now mixed with the blood-- blood that gushed from the little girl''s mouth like rain.


    "No¡­


    ...No!"


    Silvie''s screams¡­ rippling through the air, as if signaling that theirst light has nowpletely withered.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    [Katherine, are you still there!?]


    "...I am, mom."


    Tears. Tears fell on Katherine''s face as she watched Riley and the others from afar; her voice slightly trembling as she seemed to be talking with her mother through her phone.


    [The¡­ the news just came up! All¡­ all those people.]


    "...I know, mom¡­ I''m here."


    [N¡­ no, oh my god. I''m¡­ I''m so sorry, Katherine.]


    "We still have a lot to do, mom¡­ please call backter."


    [W¡­ wait, please wait. What about your friend!? Is he alright!?]


    "...He''s alright, mom."


    [He''s¡­ alright? Did you find him!?]


    "He¡­ didn''t get on the ne."


    [That''s¡­ oh my god, thank god¡­ Thank god. That''s good¡­ that''s good.]


    "..."


    [I¡­ I wouldn''t be able to fall asleep knowing I was the one who got him on the ne. I¡­ I bought the ticket for him, after all.]


    "I¡­ was the one to ask you to do that, mom."


    [But even so--]


    "Mom, please¡­


    ...please don''t tell this to anyone."


    [O¡­ of course, honey. A lot of people died¡­ it would be spitting on their faces if--]


    "Thank you... mom. I¡­ I need to go."


    [Okay, please¡­ please be safe, okay?]


    "Mom¡­ I love you."


    [...]


    [...I love you too, honey. Eat your meals, okay? Don''t stay up toote, call me if it gets too hard.]


    "...Goodbye, mom."


    [Hm¡­


    ...Goodbye, Kathy.]

 Chapter 82: The Morality of Strength

    <h4>Chapter 82: The Morality of Strength</h4>


    "Four¡­ hundred sixty-nine."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Can they¡­ even identify half of these bodies?"


    With the number of students reaching almost 5000 including the ones from the other countries, all the debris and mangled parts of the ne were quickly cleared out even before the sun went down. The students were all initially tormented and weakened by what happened; not even daring to touch the debris as there could be a body buried beneath it.


    But after a few hours, some of them were even carrying the charred bodies of those who died. The expressions of the students were still grim, but the anger and resolution burning in their eyes were enough to wash away any signs of weakness they had.


    469 bodies. The students and the numerous staff of the Academy have lined up 469 bodies-- and those were the ones that were still¡­ salvageable. ording to the media outlets that were now reporting the news, there should be a total of 942 passengers on the 7 nes that crashed.


    All were domestic flights¡­ with people just wanting to get to their destination; with people just wanting to get home.


    "We think¡­ this is her mother."


    "..."


    "..."


    And right now, Riley, Hannah, and the others were gathered in front of one of those charred bodies, but lying beside the skin of ck and red, was the child that died in Riley''s arms.


    "Her body¡­ was wrapped around the little girl when we found her," Gary then muttered as he crouched down, gently moving the body of the little girl closer to her mother.


    "...We were supposed to protect them," Silvie whispered.


    "There was no way we could have," Hannah muttered as she held Silvie''s trembling hand, "The¡­ Dark Millenium nned all of this¡­ every little detail."


    "There are almost a hundred veteran superheroes in the Academy¡­ but to think no one was able to do anything," Gary then let out a small but deep sigh as he stood up, "They are as much to me for this."


    "...I don''t think that''s fair," Hannah quickly replied, "No one expected this to happen."


    "Your father could have."


    "You--"


    "But as you said¡­ the Dark Millenium nned for everything," Gary continued, "They lured him away with the first ne. The Dark Millenium knew enough about your father that they knew he was going to take action there."


    "Dark Millenium¡­ just what exactly is their goal?"


    "They''re just terrorists with more money," Silvie answered, "And after what they did today, the Hope Guild will probably take action to wipe them out."


    "..." Hannah only nodded at Silvie''s words before turning to look at the hundreds of bodies lined up on the horizon, "15 million."


    "Hm?"


    "This is 469," Hannah muttered, "Darkday killed 15 million in one day. Just¡­ just how do you think it would look like if¡­"


    "15 million dead bodies wereid in front of us?" This time, Tomoe joined in on the conversation; the look on her face waspletely monotonous, "The entirend area of the Academy will be covered¡­ there''s a video about it on the inte."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..." None of them knew what to reply to Tomoe; whether or not they would get mad at her or be amazed as to how calm she was considering the situation¡­ but seeing as her monotonous voice was even more robotic than before, it would seem she was also affected in some way.


    "You know¡­" Gary then once again let out a sigh as he looked at the little girl, "None of this would have happened if they had our strength and durability, Silvie."


    "...What?"


    "If you were offered to give your strength away for the sake of everyone else having a fraction of your power," Gary then looked Silvie straight in the eyes, "Would you do it?"


    "Give¡­ my strength away?"


    "They would only need a fraction of your power to survive something like this."


    "Why are you asking something like that here, you fucker?" Hannah furrowed her eyebrows as she slightly got in between the two. Silvie, however, gently patted her on the shoulder to tell her it was alright.


    "I¡­ probably would," Silvie answered, "I believe I gained my powers for the sake of helping people¡­ and if I could prevent deaths like this from happening, then I would dly give it away."


    "Hm¡­ Did I even need to ask?" Gary then let out a small chuckle as he once again looked at the little girl, "I¡­ probably would do the same if it means saving the truly weak and helpless."


    Noticing the two looking at her, Hannah could only let out a small but deep breath, "I think I would as well. I didn''t want the responsibility of being a hero in the first ce, what about you, Tomoe?"


    "...I don''t know," Tomoe shook her head, "I¡­ feel my powers would be more useful if I am the one using them."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "What about you, Riley?" Silvie then turned her eyes towards Riley, who had been keeping quiet and just staring at the little girl throughout their conversation.


    "Julie."


    "Hm?"


    "The child''s name is Julie," Riley then said as he finally took his eyes away from the little girl.


    "Julie¡­ did she tell you before she died?"


    "Yes¡­ and her mother''s name is Janice," Riley then shook his head as he finally joined the group, "What was your question again, Silvie?"


    "If¡­ you could have saved all of these people by giving them your abilities, but in turn give away your power-- would you have done it?"


    "No," Riley quickly answered.


    "...Can I ask why?"


    "..." Riley did not answer immediately, but instead looked towards the horizon of dead bodies, "Out of all these people, how many do you think are bad people?"


    "Riley!" Hannah wanted to stop her brother from saying any more, but seeing the solemn look in his eyes that seeped from the side of his sunsses, the only thing she could do was halt her steps.


    "I¡­ I don''t know," Silvie stuttered, "What if they were all good people?"


    "One, Silvie," Riley then said as he turned his face towards Silvie, "All you need is one monster to have your powers, and the rest of the world will suffer for it. And without a Mega Woman-- or in this case, without an American Mega Girl to stop her, him, or them¡­ what do you think will happen?"


    "Then¡­ the other people who gained my abilities can stop them!"


    "There is a difference between having a superpower and being a superhero, Silvie," Riley then breathed out, "Out of all these people, how many do you think will step up and stop him?"


    "I--"


    "One," Riley once again repeated, but this time, he pointed towards the charred body of Julie, "Out of all the 942 passengers, only one of them deserves to have your power-- or at least that''s how Mega Woman would have answered if she was here."


    "..."


    "..."


    "How¡­ do you know so much about Mega Woman, bro?" Gary then let out a small but deep sigh before looking at the rest of the people; most of whom were now sitting on the ground,pletely exhausted from all the death they had to carry in their minds.


    "Anyway¡­ we should probably--"


    "W¡­ what!? What do you mean gone!?"


    Riley and the group were about to return inside the Academy when a series of mors and shouts suddenly started roaring in the air; most of the people that were shouting had their phones in front of them¡­ and most were the foreign students.


    And as soon as Tomoe saw this, she quickly checked her phone to turn on the news; trying to see if there was any other news besides what happened to Mega Academy¡­ but found that what happened to Mega Academy was not even on top of the featured news feed anymore.


    "G¡­ Guys," Tomoe''s monotonous voice slightly faltered as she called for the others; her eyes, however, werepletely fixed on Riley, "Look¡­ look at this."


    "...What is it?" Hannah was the first to look over her shoulder to see what caused Tomoe to get riled up; her eyes quickly widening as soon as she saw the headline on the video Tomoe was watching, "What¡­ the fuck?"


    "What''s going on?" Silvie muttered; but she too, let out a deep gasp as she saw what the others were looking at. Thest one to check was Gary, who could only curse before looking at the foreign students.


    It wasn''t just 942 people.


    The death toll wasn''t just 942 people¡­


    "H¡­ how¡­ How could this happen?"


    "What do they mean copsed!?"


    "But¡­ my brother¡­ my brother is¡­"


    "Dark Millenium¡­ never¡­ I would never forgive them!"


    And soon, even though their numbers were just a fraction of the students of USMA, their voices were the only ones that could be heard. Most of the students of USMA could not understand what they were saying, but the anguish contained in their voices was enough for their feelings to reach deep into their cores.


    "..." While Gary, Silvie, and Hannah were still busy watching the news, Tomoe''s eyes were still stuck on Riley, who seemed to bepletely free of any worries as he was just looking nowhere in particr.


    Tomoe knew¡­ She knew that Riley was capable of even greater evil than this. Like a crazed fan, she idolized him for years even fully knowing what kind of person he was.


    But now that she was seeing him standing there as if he did not do what he just did¡­ Tomoe finally realized how far her reality was from him.


    The death toll wasn''t just 942 people¡­


    25,671-- that is the totalbined number of students, instructors, supers, and staff inside the other Mega Academies.


    26,613.


    That is the number of deaths that would be pronounced at the end of this tragedy.


    ''Mega Woman¡­''


    Riley then looked towards the sky before closing his eyes, ''I wonder¡­


    ...if you''ll thank me for removing them if you''re here?''

 Chapter 83: Say Hi

    <h4>Chapter 83: Say Hi</h4>


    "¡­"


    "..."


    "..."


    A week had passed since the events that ever so slightly shook the entire world, and the students of Mega Academy were once again asked to rest in their dorms. But unlikest time during the abduction event courtesy of the Dark Millenium, they were allowed to go outside of their rooms and explore the Academy grounds.


    But once again, less than half of the student poption didn''t leave their room. Some requested that they be taken where their parents are, but the Academy said that they will be taking their family inside the Academy instead-- as per quote, it is still one of the safest ces in the world.


    The students begged to disagree, but when a bunch of Supers all around the world started appearing within the Academy grounds in order to guard them, the only thing the students could do was nod their heads.


    As for the foreign students from the other Mega Academies-- there were already ns of officially transferring them to the Academy; and like with the rest, their families were now en route towards them and will be staying in the Academy for an indefinite amount of time until everything is settled.


    Even though they have watched and read it being repeated in the news over and over again, they still could not believe that the other Mega Academies were no more. They just said that they all imploded all at the same time-- burying anything and anyone beneath it.


    Of course, none of them believed that everyone could have died with just that-- as there were heroes there that were capable of surviving even the extreme pressures of the deep sea a hundred times over.


    But no, the news reported that everything was crushed¡­ almost ttened. Just how¡­ how can the Dark Millenium be capable of something like this?


    The government and the Mega Academy were also already drawing the attention of the critics; with some even requesting to shut down their operations as not even months have passed and tragedy already struck down.


    The people were starting to wonder if the government really had the capacity of protecting the future generations of heroes.


    "...Shit."


    Hannah and the others were once again in their usual meeting spot-- the Korean Shaved Ice store; their silence and sighs, almost melting down anything that was served there.


    "Why are we even here if we''re not going to have sses and train?" Gary then lightly tapped the table as he clicked his tongue, "It''s been a week, we should just move on. People die every time¡­ 150,000 per day ording to the inte. We should be learning how to kick the ass of those Dark Millenium fuckers instead of justzing around here!"


    "..."


    This time, even Hannah did not have the energy to respond to Gary''s words; she wanted to be strong, but remembering all the bodies and the sound of their skin crackling made Hannah not even use her abilities even once since it happened.


    "You''re brother''s not with you guys?"


    The solemn group then all turned their heads as Charlotte suddenly approached their table, cing a cup of vored shaved ice in front of each of them.


    "We¡­ didn''t order any--"


    "On the house."


    And before Silvie could even say anything, Charlotte''s loud sighs pierced their ears, "You''re inside the store, it''s awkward for the other customers if you''re not eating anything."


    "But there aren''t any other custom--"


    "Do you want to die?" Charlotte grabbed Gary''s neck before he could even finish his words.


    "You¡­ just who are you?" Hannah ignored that Gary was almost choking to death, and instead looked Charlotte straight in the eyes. With them not even bothering to wear their costumes anymore, Hannah''s light brown eyes clearly reflected the interiors of the store; her ash-brown hair, curling in its ends as they flowed on her shoulders.


    "What do you mean?" Charlotte blinked a couple of times as she finally dropped Gary on the ground.


    "You were there during the Rescue Event¡­ you--"


    "Impossible," Charlotte quickly shook her head andughed, "I was busy serving the customers here."


    "..."


    "Tha--"


    "Where''s your brother?" Charlotte did not let Hannah finish her words as she once again repeated her question, "I even got a special mango graham to cheer him up."


    "He''s with the Police Force."


    Tomoe, who had been quiet the whole time, grabbed the mango graham reserved for Riley as she answered Charlotte, "They are still doing rounds outside the perimeter of the Academy."


    "See!?" Gary sprung up from the floor as he once again patted the table, "At least Riley is doing something! We should be helping them instead or training!"


    "The Academy is already working out solutions with the government along with the Student Council on how to proceed, Gary," Silvie sighed, "A lot of things are going to change after this¡­ the foreign students, our family staying within Academy grounds, I even heard they are thinking of letting us out of the Academy more frequently with our future lessons."


    "...Student council?" Hannah squinted as she took a bite of her shaved ice, "I forgot the Academy established that¡­ I thought you joined?"


    "No," Silvie let out an awkward chuckle, "I... don''t think I will be suited in politics even at a lower scale."


    "I see."


    Hannah also let out a chuckle of her own, followed by an awkward silence as the group tried to act normal.


    "Ack! Until when are we going to do something!?" Gary''s loud groans of frustration quickly broke the silence, "I would be happy if we were like in a normal school, but we''re in a cool school where we beat each other up!"


    "Fine," Charlotte, who saw the downcasted looks of the group, could not help but once again let out a sigh, "I''ll let you in on a little secret-- you might be stuck doing nothing for a while."


    "W¡­ what!?" This time, not only Gary reacted wildly, but also Hannah and Silvie; with Tomoe only raising an eyebrow in curiosity.


    "The government is trying their best to keep it in wraps, but they are currently dealing with the Dark Millenium with zero tolerance. They already found some of their bases in the sky."


    "Zero¡­ tolerance?"


    "Hm," Charlotte nodded with a smile, "Even Dark Millenium had already announced that they have no connection with Darkday or whatsoever, they will be still treating them as such-- Any super or organization that even expresses to continue where Darkday left off are to be dealt with the same as him, zero tolerance."


    "What¡­ are you saying?" Silvie muttered as she stood up.


    "Hope Guild and other Grade-S and A Supers¡­ will be annihting Dark Millenium from the face of the."


    "They have already caught some of them!?"


    "Silv¡­" Hannah then also stood up as she grabbed her phone, quickly dialing her father''s number, "I... think she meant it literally."


    "You mean¡­"


    "They¡­" Gary whispered, "...are executing all of them."


    ***


    "Are¡­ are you sure I''ll be safe here?"


    "Of course."


    In a dark hallway, a pair of steps could be heard echoing almost rhythmically; with Mr. Friday looking around at the path they have been walking on for almost a full hour now. And even with his suit, it still felt a little cold.


    It was also a bit hard to see with the helmet he was wearing; it was a good thing that the young man walking in front of him had hair that almost brightened up the hallway.


    "How¡­ are you outside the Academy?" Mr. Friday muttered, "I thought students weren''t allowed to go outside."


    The white-haired man then stopped walking as he nced at Mr. Friday, "I am still in the Academy, Mr. Friday," he then said, "You must be mistaking me with Riley. I am Riley Two, or as I like to call myself¡­


    ...Diley."


    "..."


    "Get it? Because Di means two?"


    "!!!"


    Mr. Friday could not help but hold his breath as he saw the look in Riley-- on Diley''s face. Was¡­ was he supposed tough? Diley currently had a wide smile on his face, enough to reach from ear to ear.


    "He¡­ he."


    And as soon as Mr. Friday let out a fakeugh, Diley immediately nodded and once again continued to walk.


    Does Riley''s clone have¡­ different personalities?


    Mr. Friday continued to follow Diley through the hallway. Just before this, they were inside some kind of elevator for almost a full 10 minutes. Just¡­ how deep does this ce actually go? He doesn''t even know where they are, as Diley covered his head with a huge paper bag on the way.


    And finally, after a few minutes more, the dark hallway started to brighten up-- and soon, their path was blocked by a ss door.


    "We''re here."


    "R¡­ right," Mr. Friday once again nodded as he followed Diley inside.


    "You''ll be taking care of them whenever I am gone. So please, be on your best behavior. We don''t want to set up a bad example."


    "Take care of--" And before Mr. Friday could even finish his words, he could not help but slightly take a few steps back as he saw almost a hundred ss boxes neatly littered in his view¡­ all with humans confined inside of them.


    "This¡­"


    "Come, let me tour you around¡­ And from now on, you will be known as Warden."


    "O¡­ Of course," Warden''s feet moved on their own as he once again followed Diley, stepping down some stairs before they reached the first tform.


    "This is our very first upant, Warden," Diley then stopped as they reached a ss cage, "You may know him as Replica Ricky¡­ but I don''t think he was quite known. Say hi to our new caretaker, Replica Ricky."


    "..."


    "I said to say hi, Replica Ricky."


    Diley then lightly tapped Replica Ricky''s cage, and as soon as he did so, Replica Ricky stood up; his facepletely terrified before turning his eyes towards Warden,


    "H¡­ hi."


    "...Hi?"


    ''Just¡­'' Warden whispered in his mind,


    ...what the fuck is this!?''

 Chapter 84: Hotel Riley

    <h4>Chapter 84: Hotel Riley</h4>


    Warden could feel his hands slowly going numb, waving it towards the reluctant greetings of the numerous Supers he had been passing by for almost a minute now.


    A minute-- it has only been a minute since he had been waving his hand and it already felt numb. How could it not, when all he wanted to do was drop his hand and look away from the faces that seemed to have not seen sunlight for years.


    None of them looked emaciated; with their flesh still seemingly filled with life. Their eyes, however, showed utter despair as it felt like even the bright hall they were in did not reflect on them.


    And with Diley''s every tap on their ss cage, they all scurried to greet him as if they were some kind of¡­ submissive pet.


    This continued on for another dozen or so cage¡­ until finally--


    "Get me out of here! I see you, you lunatic!"


    A loud scream could be heard through the endless sorrowful breaths, "I see-- Wait, you¡­ are you from the Dark Millenium!?"


    "Ms¡­ Friday!?"


    Warden could not help but halt in his steps as he saw a woman struggling to smash the ss cage she was in.


    "You¡­ did you get captured as well!?" Ms. Friday''s breaths quickly became fettered as soon as she saw Warden''s jet-ck helmet.


    "Oh right," Diley then pped his fist as he looked back and forth between the two, "You two know each other."


    "Know¡­ each other-- You, wait¡­ Aren''t you No. 7!?" Ms. Friday once again mmed her fists on the ss cage.


    "He''s not No. 7 anymore," Diley let out a disappointed sigh as he ced his hand on Warden''s shoulder, "He''s your new caretaker, you may call him Warden. He will be the one responsible for all of you for now."


    "...Warden?" Ms. Friday raised an eyebrow as she heard Diley''s words, but after a few more moments, her eyebrows started to knot, "You¡­ sold us out!? How could you!?"


    Ms. Friday then once again mmed her fists-- this time not stopping until her hands almost bled.


    "..." Diley only nced at her before shaking his head, "You two seemed to have some catching up to do."


    "W¡­ wait. You''re leaving me here already!?" Warden bellowed, "What¡­ what do I even do here!?"


    "You''ll figure it out on your own eventually," Diley nced at Warden as he continued to walk away, "Also¡­ the next time we meet, don''t let me catch you wearing that helmet again."


    "..."


    "..."


    Warden could only hold his breath as he watched as Diley left, casually waving his hand as he did so.


    "How dare you!?" And as soon as any trace of Diley was gone, Ms. Friday''s voice once again echoed throughout the bright hall.


    "How dare I!?"


    And this time, Warden responded, "You were the one who tied me in shackles and tortured me!"


    "Because you''re a traitor! You killed all those¡­ all those children!" Ms. Friday screamed, "But¡­ but you can still redeem yourself, get me out of here! Get us all out of here!"


    "Redeem?" Warden let out a loud scoff, before proceeding to remove his helmet; The sides of his hair were shaved, with the top pulled back in a decent length-- and with the small scars scattered on his face and his tired middle-aged face, one would probably mistake him to have served in the military¡­ and perhaps he did.


    "There is nothing to redeem, Ms. Frid-- No. There is nothing to redeem, Ellie."


    "H¡­ how do you know my name!? Did you--"


    "Dark Millenium is done for," Warden breathed out, "Hope Guild and other Grade-S and A Supers are hunting them down one by one¡­ there is nothing to redeem."


    "That''s im¡­ impossible! How could they do that when our leader is Darkda--"


    "Are you still in denial after being locked up in here for months?" Warden did not let Ellie finish her words as he gestured to the rest of the ss cages, "Our leader isn''t Darkday-- we flew so close to the fire¡­


    ...and now the real one swatted us down like insects."


    "That''s--"


    "I already had an idea on who Riley could be¡­ I have just been denying it. But after seeing all of this-- that young man really is Darkday."


    "..." Hearing Warden''s words, Ellie shook her head numerous times. Of course, she knew who he was-- how could she not when she was surrounded by Supers abducted by Darkday?


    She¡­ She was just trying to go through the eye of a needle, trying to convince herself that the truth is not what it seemed. After all¡­


    ...What''s worse than being caged by the evilest viin the world has ever known?


    "All that talk about saving humanity¡­" Warden then whispered, "I knew it was too good to be true. Whoever was pretending to be our leader, he-- she couldn''t be more different than Darkday. Darkday¡­ is a monster."


    "He¡­ he is!" Ellie let out a crazed chuckle, "Now get us out here! We¡­ we will expose him to the world!"


    "Do you know what he didst week?"


    Warden, however,pletely ignored Ellie''s ramblings as he turned around, "7 nes¡­ 7 nes filled to the brim with passengers. All those innocent people¡­ he made them crash straight to USMA."


    "W¡­ what?"


    "Almost a thousand innocent people¡­ dead."


    "That''s¡­ then even more, we should stop--"


    "And then he blew up the rest of the other Mega Academies, more than 25,000 people dead in one day¡­


    ...and he pinned all the me to the Dark Millenium."


    "...What?"


    "Even if you go out there, they will kill you on sight, Ellie," Warden breathed out, "All our identities have been exposed to the government. They know our family, our friends¡­ our favorite food."


    "...What?" Ellie repeated her distress as she took a few steps back; the stands of her already disheveled blonde hair, splitting as she scrunched it with her hands,


    "N¡­ no. All of this happened¡­ because you¡­ you betrayed us!" She then bellowed as she pointed at Warden, "All those deaths¡­ they are on you!"


    "I did what I had to survive, Ellie," Warden then said as he once again faced Ellie, "Maybe if you lived the life I did, you would-- What''s happening!?"


    Warden''s words were cut short as a loud beeping sound started to echo through the entire hall; and soon, a small rumbling could be heard.


    "I¡­ I will kill you," Ellie''s furrowed eyebrows soon rxed as the tears hanging on her eyes could no longer hold themselves anymore.


    "W¡­ what?" Warden then took a few steps back as Ellie''s ss cage slowly opened up. However, he wouldn''t be too nervous if it was just that-- not only Ellie''s, but all of the cages opened up at the same time.


    "It''s lunchtime, Warden," Ellie said as she let out a smile.


    "L¡­ Lunch¡­" Warden took in a small gulp, "Wait¡­ am I here to be eaten!? Are you people so starved that you would eat me!?"


    "Everyone!" Ellie then screamed as she waved her hand, "Let''s kill this fool and get out of here. He has ess to the outside! Even if we don''t use our powers, we can gang up on him!"


    Ellie started to burst out inughter as she slowly walked towards Warden.


    "Wait¡­ Don''t force me to kill any of you, please!" Warden stuttered as blue chains of light emerged from his arms.


    Ellie continued tough as the other Supers started to approach. Herugh, however, quickly faded away as they just passed by them.


    "W-- guys!?"


    Ellie grabbed one of the Supers'' arms, only for his hand to be swatted away. The super, only ncing at her before looking away without any expression on his face.


    Ellie, even after more than a month of being held captive, did not lose hope. As long as the Dark Millenium existed, there was a chance that she would be rescued. But hearing what she heard from Warden¡­ thest light that was still flickering in her eyes was slowly being swooshed away.


    "What''s¡­ going on?"


    As for Warden, he could not help but let out a sigh of relief as the¡­ Super Prisoners ignored him. He took a look at the frenzied Ellie onest time, before deciding to follow where the others were heading to.


    Warden''s eyes, however, could not help but take in a small but deep breath as they passed through another ss door-- the new hall, filled with foliage and trees. If it wasn''t for the white bright wall surrounding their perimeter, then he would have thought they were outside.


    One of the prisoners then stepped outside the line, before kneeling to the ground and cing both her hands on the ground. Warden was confused if he needed to do something, but before he could even make a decision, the ground started to tremble.


    "F¡­ fuck," Warden was about to stop the woman, but as soon as he saw some of the trees that have already withered awaye back to life, he quickly retracted the blue chains of light crawling through the ground.


    The woman then nced at him, before returning to her line like what she did was just part of their daily routine.


    As for the other super prisoners, they only took a short nce at the nature that suddenly befell their eyes, before once again moving like robots as they reached another ss door.


    "...What?"


    And as they entered the ss door, the bright light that has been drowning Warden''s eyes since earlier faded-- instead reced by the dim light provided by candles, as well as the somber but elegant music that hummed in the air.


    "This¡­ a restaurant?" He whispered as he watched the super prisoners one by one take a seat at the tables seemingly molded with the most expensive of wood. There was also a band ying in the center of the hall.


    Just... how is one man capable of doing and building something like this?


    And no matter how much he looked at it¡­ the entire hall just seemed like some sort of fancy restaurant. And he would be right; as soon, a dozen or more people appeared-- carrying what seemed to be a menu.


    And the ones carrying them?


    Riley. A whole bunch of Riley Ross wearing a waiter''s uniform. Warden then turned his attention towards the band, only to realize that the one''s ying also looked like Riley Ross.


    "Warden."


    "Y¡­ yes?"


    His thoughts were then disrupted as one of the Waiter Rileys approached him. "We have already prepared a table for you. Please, follow me."


    "O¡­ of course," Warden could only nod as he followed Waiter Riley to what seemed to be the grandest table in the hall.


    "Also, for the bathter-- Some of the guests are requesting to have ess to the pool, would you like to allow them that leisure?"


    "What¡­


    ...the fuck?"


    ***Volume 1 End***


    Hi, that puts an end to Volume 1. Hope you like it so far since I really am enjoying writing this story, and I hope you continue to support my work even further as we go alone and the story turns even crazier!


    Although the story is not as famous as ''My Hermes System'' when it started, I will still make sure that I put as much, or even more effort to this and try to avoid the mistakes I did there. So from the bottom of my stomach...


    ...Seriously, thank you very much for supporting me!


    Riley Ross/Darkday''s story is just getting started. With the other Mega Academies now destroyed, the foreign students that are in the Academy has no choice but to assimte themselves in a foreign school.


    As for who the leader of Dark Millennium is, maybe we will find out in the next volume?


    Will Riley stay in retirement? Will Mega Woman''s location finally be found?


    What other secrets is the government hiding? And for that, what other secrets does Riley have in his arsenal?


    Find out in the next volume of... Riley Ross Z!

 Chapter 85: The Hope Guild (1)

    <h4>Chapter 85: The Hope Guild (1)</h4>


    "Good work out there, Riley."


    "Thank you, Scarlet Mage."


    A trembling hum gently roared through the air as USMA''s colossal gates once again slowly blocked its view of the outside world.


    Riley closed his eyes as soon as he stepped back inside the Academy, allowing Scarlet Mage to gently wipe his face even though there really was no need to-- as no sweat or dirt could even be found resting on his skin.


    The other members of the Police Force were also expecting someone to assist them after a long day of hard work. But forget someone wiping their sweat and tears, there wasn''t even anyone there to give them a towel.


    They have been trying to clean up thest remaining clutter from the ident outside the perimeter of the Academy¡­ yet not even a single person waited for them inside to wee them back in. The only thing they could do was grit their teeth as they watched Riley being pampered by one of the hottest instructors in the Academy.


    The events of what happened were still fresh in their mind, of course-- but as they have been seeing dead bodies for almost a week now, they have grown numb to it¡­ the least the Academy could do was give them a Scarlet Mage of their own-- they all thought.


    "I''ll¡­ go ahead, Riley."


    "Very well, Katrina."


    "..." Katrina was also one of the students watching Riley and Scarlet Mage; but unlike most of them, she wasn''t really interested in having someone to wipe her face. Instead, she was just looking at Riley; her eyes a bit solemn as she bid him farewell, "Next time, then."


    "Next time?" Riley muttered, but Katrina was already gone.


    "It would seem you are getting famous, Riley Ross," Katrina let out a small chuckle as she finished wiping Riley''s face and neck.


    "Have I not always been popr, Katherine?" Riley then started to walk towards where Katherine''s car was parked, "What''s news on the destruction of the Dark Millenium?"


    "Only one base is left," Katherine quickly replied as she followed Riley, "It would seem they''re really not stopping until they wipe them all out; they even wanted to invite me-- but they decided I was needed more in the Academy instead."


    "Have they found the Dark Millenium''s leader?" Riley muttered, "The one pretending to be Darkday?"


    "No¡­ not even a sign."


    "Hmm¡­ that is too bad," Riley then stepped inside Katherine''s car, keeping quiet until Katherine also got inside, "And what about Mega Woman? Have you made any progress in searching for her whereabouts, Katherine?"


    "...No," Katherine let out a sigh as soon as she heard Riley''s question, "And if I may speak honestly-- you should just ask your father."


    "No, I have already told you that my family''s involvement in this should be minimal, Katherine."


    "Your father is leading the annihtion of the Dark Millenium. I am pretty sure that is as involved as he could ever get," Katherine said as she started the car.


    "Well, he could be in one of the cages," Riley quickly answered, "Then he would truly be involved with me, Katherine."


    Katherine has been quite curious as Riley has been mentioning ''Cages'' and the ''Others'' several times but did not really want to ask any further as she was already deep inside Riley''s world too much already. So instead, she just started to drive away with another question,


    "...What about Silvie? You said so yourself that she looks almost identical to Mega Woman, questioning her would have merit."


    "She knows nothing, Katherine," Riley shook his head, "...But the person that probably knows something will be arriving in the Academy soon."


    "...What do you mean?"


    "Silvie''s father. The students'' families are arriving at the Academy and will be staying indefinitely, correct?" Riley muttered, "Perhaps we could set up a meeting with him. If he is indeed Silvie''s father, then he would most likely know where Mega Woman is as he is her¡­ lover."


    "Did¡­ you also n for this?"


    "No, I''m not my father, Katherine," Riley''s sigh almost tickled Katherine''s ears, "I suppose we could just consider this as luck?"


    "...Being lucky is not one of your abilities, is it? Like Lucky Chucky?"


    "No, Katherine," Riley squinted his eyes, "There''s someone out there with the ability to increase his luck?"


    "...Yes."


    "Interesting," Riley muttered, "Someday I will take you to see what other abilities I have, I am sure they will be delighted to meet you."


    "..."


    "Speaking of which, Katherine-- I suppose you will be meeting my mother soon."


    "...What?"


    Riley almost hit the barrier on his head on the dash as Katherine suddenly stepped on the brakes-- it was a good thing he was wearing his seatbelt; as even he, the evilest viin known to man, knows that one should always wear your seatbelt.


    "You will be meeting my mother soon, Katherine," Riley then repeated as he fixed his hair, "It would seem my sister has been telling her everything about you and your previous desperate attempts to seduce me."


    "...What?"


    "She has been wanting to meet you, Katherine. I think the two of you will like each other, you''re quite simr in some ways."


    "What¡­


    ...What would we even be talking about?"


    ***


    "Is¡­ this thest of them?"


    A small gnawing crunched in the air; a woman''s whisper apanied it. The woman had her hair in a ponytail, wearing a tank top that revealed her chiseled stomach. But even with the lines surrounding her body, her skin was the most noticeable of all-- it was grey.


    Grey skin, with veins that almost seemed transparent that one could see red flowing through them. And in her hands, was a man; whose neck was twisted in a way that should not be possible.


    And then, there was a beat. A beat echoing like a soft drum piercing the air as some sort of blur suddenly appeared in front of the woman; but soon, the blur turned into the form of a man-- his bodypletely covered in a ck suit; his seemingly transparent helmet, almost taking the shape of his head.


    His eyes could not be seen through his helmet¡­ the green mustache that was stered on his face, however, was pretty noticeable.


    "Tempo?" The grey-skinned woman then slightly grunted as she saw the man, "What are fuck are you doing here?"


    "Whiteking asked me to check up on you, Hera," the man called Tempo quickly replied as he looked at the grey-skinned woman, Hera, straight in the face.


    "Why not check up on me himself?" Hera clicked her tongue as she dropped the body he was holding to the ground.


    "You know he always avoids you when you''re in this berserk state," Tempo sighed, "There''s no using logic on you when you''re like this."


    "...I am learning to control my powers by the minute, thank you very much," Hera scoffed as she patted her hands clean of all the blood and dust around them.


    "...Really?" Tempo breathed out as he turned his head towards the surrounding area; several houses within a 500-meter radius, blown to smithereens-- even buildings did not escape as craters formed like honebs, "Your...


    ...target is only 42 people, Hera."


    "And only 42 people are dead."


    Hera and Tempo-- 2 of the 7 members of the leading superhero group in the world, the Hope Guild.

 Chapter 86: The Hope Guild (2)

    <h4>Chapter 86: The Hope Guild (2)</h4>


    "Your target is only 42 people, Hera."


    "And only 42 people are dead."


    Hera crossed her arms as she nodded to herself in satisfaction. Tempo, on the other hand, could not help but once again look at the ruin she made. Although it''s true that he was not seeing any other bodies besides the one sprawled on the floor near them, it feels like there were bound to be more dead people.


    "...I think you did more than--"


    "Are you doubting my words, peasant?" Hera did not let Tempo finish his words as she took a step towards him, "I made sure to ask Whiteking to have the others evacuated in a very sneaky manner before I let loose here!"


    "P¡­ please calm down. T¡­ the sun''s gett--"


    "I am calm!"


    "H¡­ hey¡­ your fists! Your fists!" Tempo''s body started blurring as he took a few steps back, his fingers pointing towards Hera''s fists, which were now trembling; the red veins crawling on them letting out a pulsing glow.


    And as soon as Hera realized her fists were trembling on their own, she quickly took in a long and very deep breath. And soon, her grey skin started to turn into its natural color-- a light brown. Her muscles also started to calm down-- maybe too much as theypletely almost disappeared, leaving only a slender and tall woman in its wake.


    "See?" Hera then let out a small scoff, "I know how to control my abilities."


    "R¡­ right," Tempo breathed out as he slightly took another step back.


    [Tempo, the others need you in Singapore.]


    "That''s my cue to leave!"


    "W¡­ wait!"


    "Stay chill, Hera!"


    And as soon as Tempo''s words reached Hera''s ears, it was followed by the sound akin to that of skipping stones over a winterke; echoing with some sort of ripple as Tempo''s body could be seen flickering over the distance-- almost like rhythmic drum¡­ a tempo.


    "Tch," Hera then clicked her tongue as she watched Tempo disappear, "What are you talking about, I''m always chill."


    [Hera, the coteral damage you''ve inflicted is estimated to be $724,000,000¡­


    ...would you be paying that in check or installments?]


    "Fuck you, Whiteking!"


    Hera''s skin instantly turned grey as she violently stomped her foot to the ground; causing a small earthquake and obliterating whatever building still stood within the vicinity as the honeb-like craters began to merge into one huge crater.


    [...]


    "..."


    [$1,200,420,444 now.]


    "..."


    [...]


    "...Bulwark will pay for it."


    ***


    "And so, what do you guys need me for?"


    An echoing drum once again thundered in the air as Tempo appeared in a blur, his eyes immediately surveying the surrounding area, and as soon as he saw a bald man, his body once again blurred before appearing next to the bald man.


    Unlike where Hera was, the area he was now in did not have that many houses or buildings; with only a single tall tower from afar being the only noticeablendmark. But instead, there were tents scattered everywhere.


    "10 minutes and 24 seconds," the bald man then quickly said as he looked at his watch, which was almost indiscernible with all the blood covering it, "You are getting slow, Mr. Tempo."


    The bald man then turned his red eyes towards Tempo, before wiping the knife in his hands on his white uniform¡­ which was simr to that of a chef''s.


    "...I have been running the whole day. I came all from Russia and this is how you treat m-- Oh shit," Tempo could not help but let out a small gasp as he looked at the scenery behind the bald man; it was filled with corpses, their heads all separated from their bodies,


    "...Wait ''til the media sees this," Tempo sighed.


    "Whiteking will--"


    "This is why I suggested for Butcher to stay home¡­ or even better, kick him out of the team!"


    And before the bald man could finish his words, a hissing sound whispered in the air as some sort of pearl-colored humanoid robotnded in the ground; its surface almost like scales that were rattling with every minute movement. Its figure, almost towering Tempo and the bald man by a full meter.


    "I am here because I am 32% more efficient than any of you when ites to lethal missions and assassinations," the bald man, Butcher, turned his red but almost dead-like eyes towards the robot, "Unlike you, Whiteking lite."


    "W¡­ Whiteking lite!?" The scales of the humanoid robot rattled erratically before its torso split wide open, revealing a slightly petite woman wearing some sort of goggles. But even with the goggles covering her eyes, the green streaks of lightning that were emerging from her almond-shaped eyes were clear to see. Her feet, also letting out green sparks with every step she took towards Butcher.


    "My name is V and you should tremble from my name!" The petite woman roared, "And I eliminated more targets than you by¡­ like a lot, go calcte that you emotionless bastard!"


    "You eliminated more targets, correct. But in the process, you also destroyed a lot," Butcher then pointed his knife towards an area on the horizon, which was simr to the damage that Hera made back in Russia.


    "Does that even--"


    "Alright, alright!" Tempo then suddenly appeared between the two, both his hands raised in defeat, "Before the two of you start pulling each others'' hair--"


    "I don''t have hair."


    "...Before you guys start fighting, please tell me what you need me here for."


    "Oh, that," Butcher then pointed his knife towards the tall tower that Tempo passed by earlier, "Please evacuate all the citizens within the impact zone."


    "...God damn you guys," Tempo looked towards the tall tower, only to see it slowly crumbling and tilting to the side. Tempo''s feet were about to move, but before he could take even a single step--


    [I have this one, please rest.]


    A golden glow appeared beside the tower, and if one were to look and squint their eyes, one could see a human within the bright golden luminescence. The individual''s hair was gold, freely flowing in the air as he floated; the individual''s tight-skin suit was alsopletely golden.


    "Bulwark¡­ You were here as well?"


    [Of course.]


    Bulwark''s voice reverberated through Tempo''s earbuds as he saw him cing his hand on the tilting tower, and as soon as he did so, a sort of golden force field quickly swallowed the tower, before Bulwark began to carefully lift it above him.


    And although Bulwark''s voice clearly indicated that he was male, his face seemed more akin to that of a beautiful woman as his golden eyes looked down on Tempo.


    "..."


    [Since you are not needed there,]


    And as Tempo was busy almost being dragged to the other side, Whiteking''s voice echoed through his ear, [Go and assist Empress in London. I''ll send you the coordinates since she is in the air.]


    "Sure--"


    [I do not need help, Whiteking.]


    And before Tempo could even respond, a sharp and seemingly strict voice pierced his ears.


    [That''s thest airbase,] Whiteking responded, [It would help you better if Tempo is there.]


    [I said I do not--]


    "On my way."


    And before the female super called Empress could respond, another drumming echo whispered in the air as Tempo disappeared from his spot.


    "Hm¡­" Tempo''s eyes almost seemed like theypletely turned ck as he looked at the coordinates sent to him by Whiteking. There were hundreds of screens projected on the shield of his helmet, helping him process which way to go.


    And soon, after a minute, his feet stopped moving.


    "Greetings, m''queen. I have arrived just in time for tea-- Oh shit, this is high," Tempo''s feet were at the edge of a metallic tform, and beneath him was nothing but a sea of clouds.


    "And where art thou, m''queen?" Tempo then mockingly said as he took a few steps back, "Seriously though, where are you?"


    Tempo''s eyes scanned the roof of the colossal floating ship he was now standing on, only to see no signs of anyone other than him.


    "Are you inside the ship?"


    [I told you I do not need your help. me Whiteking for what''s about to happen to you next.]


    "What do you--"


    And before Tempo could even finish his words, a terrifying howl hummed through the sky like a whale as the colossal ship started to tremble.


    "...Shit," and soon¡­ Tempo could see the clouds getting farther and farther away in view.


    "...Please don''t do what I think you''re about to do."


    [...Toote.]

 Chapter 87: The Hope Guild (3)

    <h4>Chapter 87: The Hope Guild (3)</h4>


    "...Please don''t do what I think you''re about to do."


    [...Toote.]


    Tempo could only crouch down as the clouds that once littered beside his feet were no longer to be seen. And soon, his fingers started to lift from the ground as he felt himself getting lighter and lighter.


    Several warning signs also appeared on his helmet as he could feel a permeating breeze crawling through his skin; but soon, with the disappearance of the warning signs, the temperature within his suit started to stabilize.


    "You¡­ you did this on purpose, didn''t you, Whiteking!?" Tempo then screamed as his surroundings started to turn slightly darker; the light that beautifully surrounded mother earth, slowly fading.


    [I apologize btedly.]


    Tempo could hear Whiteking slightly chuckling from behind the earbuds, [I wanted to test if the new suit is capable of withstanding the harsh environments and conditions of space. It is very good to see that it actually is.]


    "You used me as a guinea pig!? What if it didn''t work!?"


    [You''ll survive. And also, Empress is there to save you in case you start choking or something.]


    And as soon as Whiteking finished his words, everything within Tempo''s view became slow as he quickly took a few steps back; leaving some sort of skirt of wind with every step as he did so.


    He then turned his eyes towards where he was just standing a few moments ago, only for him to see the roof splitting open; the debris shooting out at a very slow pace as it ruptured into varying sizes of cracks.


    However, even with everything else moving slowly; the fist that suddenly emerged from the ruptured floor moved at an almost normal rate, the numerous golden bangles wrapped around its arm dangling freely; and soon, the owner of that fist revealed itself to be a woman.


    Her eyes werepletely blue; her skin was dark and almost silky, aplete contrast with her long white hair that flowed freely in the air-- only restricted by the gold crown she was wearing, which was shaped like a thorny feather on the sides.


    Like the rest of the members of the Hope Guild, the suit she was wearing had traces of being developed by Whiteking; hers was sort of a soft, gold and ck armor that covered her torso, leaving her armspletely free with only the golden bangles to adorn them.


    The long skirt that was split in the middle she was wearing also snapped in the air, waking Tempo from his stupor.


    Tempo did not look for long, however, as he remembered that he was currently in space.


    "This¡­ is quite brutal," Tempo then muttered as he could see people floating inside the hole that Empress created.


    "This is better," Empress then let out a small sigh as she stepped back on the roof of the ship, "At least this way, their deaths will be quick and almost painless."


    Empress raised her hand, and as soon as she did so, Tempo quickly disappeared from his spot-- not before cursing Whiteking, of course.


    "F¡­ fuck you, Whiteking!" Tempo screamed as he clumsily leaped away from the ship; and even though they were in space, each of his steps still made an echoing sound.


    And with him gone, Empress mmed her palm on the colossal airship. There was no sound whatsoever, only a deathly silence as the entirety of the ship rippled, its body crumpling ever so slowly¡­ and soon erupted into tiny million pieces.


    "..." Tempo, who was watching the view as earth''s gravity once again slowly greeted him, could not help but let out a sigh of relief as he escaped the Empress''s wrath. His relieved sighs, however, quickly became that of guilt as he saw the hundreds of people writhing in space-- but soon quickly stopping as the merciless expanse of space crushed thest embers of their life.


    However, once again, his sigh was interrupted as he realized one crucial thing.


    "...Wait, can this survive entering back to the atmosphere!?"


    [...We''ll see.]


    "W¡­ Whiteking!"


    ***


    "God... damn it."


    Tempo''s heavy breaths whispered loudly in the air as he allowed himself to fall on a metallic, but seemingly soft chair.


    "Why do you look so tired, Tempo?"


    Tempo''s sighs were then quickly overpowered by whirring noise that whistled in the air-- the sound that V''s mecha suit was making whenever she stepped out of it. Her green eyes, emitting statics of electricity as she sat on the chair in front of her, leaving her mecha suit standing behind her.


    "Maybe it''s also time to kick you out of the guild and rece you with someone younger?" V then said as she smiled at Tempo.


    "What do you mean tired!?" Tempo quickly raised his voice as he mmed the table in the center of them, "I am always the one cleaning all of your mess¡­ And why are you always talking about having someone kicked out!?"


    "I''m just saying," V shrugged her shoulders before rolling her glowing eyes.


    "Y--"


    "That''s enough."


    And before Tempo could even rebuke, words filled with authority echoed throughout the white and bright hall they were in, "Why are the two of you always acting like children?"


    V and Tempo then quickly leaned back to their seats, before looking to the side to avoid each other''s gazes; and beside them, were the other members of the Hope Guild, already seated and just watching the two of them with an amused expression on their faces.


    The hall they were in emitted a white light on all corners, with multiple giant monitors attached to the wall, showing different cities in the view of a satellite.


    "Is everyone here?" The voice filled with authority once again echoed throughout the hall as Empress approached the others; confidently walking before flicking her long skirt to the side as she took a seat at the center of the v-shaped table.


    "Present!" V was the first to raise her hand.


    "Here, here," Tempo said with a small sigh.


    "I am here as you required," Butcher whispered, his arms crossed and his knives on the table.


    "Always at your service, ma''am," Bulwark saluted, his golden eyes flickering as he did so.


    "Let''s just get this over with, I still have a modeling gigter," Herazily whispered as she rested her arms on the table.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    A few seconds passed with no one speaking; until finally, Empress let out a small sigh as she turned her eyes towards V''s mecha suit. And as soon as she did so, Whiteking stepped out from behind it.


    "Sorry, I was repairing something," Whiteking then said as he waved his hand, before proceeding to sit next to Empress.


    "We''ve destroyed all of the bases, correct?" Empress quickly breathed out as soon as everyone was ounted for.


    "ording to my informant, that is all of them," Whiteking nodded.


    "And are we truly sure this informant could be trusted?" Empress slightly leaned closer to Whiteking''s seat.


    "Everything he or she said has been true so far," Whiteking once again nodded, "I thoroughly analyzed everything with the database, everything checked out."


    "But there''s no data on their leader?" Empress squinted her eyes.


    "Only that my informant referred to her as...


    ...she."

 Chapter 88: Between A Royal and A Woman

    <h4>Chapter 88: Between A Royal and A Woman</h4>


    "...She?"


    "So the leader of the Dark Millenium is a woman?"


    "So their leader really isn''t Darkday?" Hera then joined in on the conversation, clicking her tongue as she checked her finely manicured nails, "I was hoping to fight him again."


    "I believe you are lying, Hera," Butcher then opened his eyes as he looked Hera in the eyes, "You almost died in thest battle. If it was not for Mega Woman fighting Darkday''s main body, then the chances of you dying was at 100%."


    "Shut your balding head, red eyes," Hera returned Butcher''s gaze with a re.


    "It is not just you, Hera," Butcher shook his head, "The percent of all of us dying without Mega Woman there was at a hundred percent."


    "...Tch."


    Butcher''s words were then followed by a painful silence-- only broken with Empress''s sigh.


    "Enough speaking of Darkday. He has not shown himself for months, allowing us to breathe," Empress said as she waved her hand, "Thank you all for responding to my call. I know you''re busy doing your duties with your own countries."


    "Hm."


    "Just a little, this is important, though."


    "You may return to your lives," Empress then said as she stood up, "However, our mission is still ongoing-- finding the Dark Millenium''s leader. And make sure you wipe out any traces of us annihting the Dark Millenium," she then said as she looked at Whiteking.


    "Already have," Whiteking raised his thumb.


    "Alright, all of you may leave."


    And as soon as she said that, the members of the Hope Guild quickly stood all at the same time.


    "Except for you, Whiteking. Please stay."


    "..." The other members looked at each other with slightly furrowed eyebrows as they heard Empress''s words, but continued to leave without a word after a few seconds.


    Whiteking looked at the leaving members; and as soon as everyone was gone, his helmet opened up and quickly folded into his pauldrons.


    "What''s up--"


    And as soon as Whiteking turned around, he felt a warm touch ced upon his lips.


    "..." Whiteking''s mind paused for a few seconds before he leaned his head back and his arms quickly pushed away the source of the warmth.


    "We can''t, Empress."


    "Call me by my name, Bernard," Empress''s eyebrows quickly furrowed as Whiteking pushed her away.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Adaeze," Whiteking whispered, "We can''t keep doing this. I have a wife and kids."


    "You had a wife and a kid before."


    "That was when Hannah was just born! I¡­ I was so confused at that time that--"


    "You say that¡­ but you''re the one who came back to me, remember?" Empress''s voice became soft as she grabbed Whiteking''s hand, "Or are you only using me whenever you''re troubled? What do you think I am!?"


    "Just¡­ let''s not," Whiteking quickly shook her hand away, "That¡­ that time I thought Darkday would kill us all¡­ I was just¡­ Let''s just stop this. The others are already getting suspicious."


    "For one of the smartest people I know, you''re also the most oblivious one," Empress muttered, "They already know about us. I am in love with you, Bernard¡­ No¡­ I love you."


    "And I love my wife," Whiteking then said as he turned to leave.


    "...You wouldn''t have slept with me if you did."


    "..." Whiteking did not respond, but instead his helmet once again covered his head as he stepped out of the bright hall.


    "..."


    "..."


    With her left alone in the Guild Hall, Empress once again sat back on her seat; quickly cing both her hands on her forehead as she let out a long and very deep breath¡­ a breath that soon stuttered.


    "Why¡­" Empress breathed out as tears started to trail on her face, "Why... does it have to be you?


    Empress, Whiteking, Tempo, Bulwark, Hera, V, and Butcher; All Grade-S Supers. Together, they form the leading and No. 1 Superhero group in the world--


    --the Hope Guild.


    ***


    "Damn¡­ What''s the asion? Why is everyone suddenly out and not emo anymore?" Gary could be seen leaping into the air, his palms above his eyes as he looked at the almost thousand people gathered in front of the Academy gates.


    "...Weren''t you informed?" Hannah answered him as she slightly pushed him to the side, "Most of the students'' families will be staying in the Academy now."


    "Oh¡­" Gary quickly stopped hopping around as he looked Hannah straight in the eyes, "Then let mee with you guys."


    "...Why?"


    "So I can meet my future mother-inw."


    "Go fuck yourself."


    "Why don''t the both of us do that to me?" Gary repeatedly raised both his eyebrows.


    "Go away, man! Bother your own family," Hannah waved both her hands, gesturing to Gary to leave.


    "Well¡­


    ...I don''t really have any family here."


    "...Fine," Hannah sighed as she heard Gary''s words,


    "But don''t say anything unnecessary or I will crush your balls myself-- or worse, Riley will do it."


    "I will do no such thing, sister," Riley, who was keeping quiet on the side, quickly furrowed his eyebrows as soon as he heard his sister''s words, "I find it very disgusting that you would even propose such a thing¡­


    ...ew."


    "...Why do I feel like I should be relieved and hurt at the same time?" Gary muttered as his eye began to twitch, "Anyway, where''s the other two?"


    "Silvie and Tomoe?" Hannah breathed out, "Silvie will be here any minute now¡­ but as for Tomoe, she isn''t really answering any of my calls."


    "I smell parental issues, we shall visit her in her roomter as good friends."


    "...You''re not allowed in the female''s building."


    "Not allowed¡­ or not advised?" Gary once again raised both his eyebrows repeatedly. Gary and Hannah continued to bicker for a few more minutes, before Hannah slightly moved closer to Riley.


    "Speaking of people that should be here¡­" Hannah said, her voice turning colder by the second, "Why is she here!?" She then roared as her fingers pointed towards the silver-haired woman standing beside Riley.


    "Because mother wants to meet her," Riley quickly answered after taking a nce at Katherine, "I think she is excited because she has heard a lot of things about her from you, sister."


    "Oh¡­" Hannah''s eye suddenly became nted as she heard Riley''s words, "...This should be good then."


    "..." Katherine, who was quietly standing on the side, could not help but twitch her eyes as Hannah''s mocking chuckle whispered through her ears. Although she might sound crazy saying it, but out of all the things that she had done for Riley, this was probably the most nervous she has been.


    ...Even having a hand in killing all of those innocent people couldn''tpare to what she was feeling right now.


    "Ah, it''s opening!" Gary then once again leaped in the air as a loud humming noise reverberated in the air, "I''m so excited to meet my future mother-in-- Gukh!"


    And before Gary could even finish his words, his ballsnded straight towards Hannah''s fist. And with the pained roar that almost reached the heavens, the other students that were near them could not help but move away due to the sheer force of second-hand difort they were feeling.


    "W¡­ why? This¡­ this was for you¡­"


    Gary''s dying words, however, were heard by none as Hannah and the others were busy looking at the colossal armored trucks and tanks entering the Academy. Most of them could not help but slightly let out small gasps as they did not expect them toe rolling in with military equipment¡­ but ever since the incident, it would seem the government was already putting every expense into safeguarding the people in the Academy.


    There were also super-soldiers and heavy tanks blocking the gates as they closed-- making sure no one would be able to get in.


    And finally, after all of that charade-- the students'' families began stepping out of the armored vehicles one by one. They were asked by the staff to go out in a leisurely and rxed manner, but as soon as they saw the faces of their children, they all rushed to hug them.


    "Do you see mom!?"


    "I have," Riley muttered as he raised his hand, and as soon as he did so, a woman emerged and floated from the crowd; and slowly, the woman hovered towards them.


    "R¡­ Riley! I thought it was you! P¡­ please, drop me down! It''s embarrassing!"


    "Very well, mother." Riley quickly dropped his hand, and as soon as he did so, her mother came falling down from the air.


    "Riley!?" Katherine was about to summon a puff of wind below Diana, but before she could do so, Diana suddenly started spinning in the air.


    "..."


    And with extreme agility, shended on the ground elegantly, letting out a confident smirk as she looked at her children. And without even saying a word, she rushed towards them and hugged them; Riley, however, quickly dodged to the side.


    "This¡­ is a really weird family, don''t you think so, teach?" Gary then whispered as he finally recovered from his misfortune.


    Weird?


    Weird was an understatement.


    The two could only watch as Diana relentlessly-- violently tried to hug Riley, only for Riley to evade her advance with what seemed like Tai Chi.


    And if their eyes weren''t fooling them, Diana''s hands... were getting faster and faster. Were they really sure Diana wasn''t a Super?


    And after a few more seconds of this, Diana then looked towards Katherine; her breaths still heavy from having to chase Riley around.


    "So¡­" Diana then squinted her eyes as she approached Katherine,


    "You''re the instructor¡­


    ...dating my son?"

 Chapter 89: Reunions

    <h4>Chapter 89: Reunions</h4>


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "When¡­ when do you think Silvie and Tomoe gonnae?"


    "Shut it, Gary."


    "I¡­ I was just asking bruh."


    Gary could only slouch deeper into his seat as the tone of Hannah''s voice almost buried him alive. He was used to Hannah being violent and fussy, but it was never to this level of heaviness.


    They were in their usual hideout-- or perhaps it could be said to be their superhero cave now, the Korean Shaved Ice store. And it was supposed to be cold in the shop, but Gary could feel himself sweating from the heavy atmosphere hissing in the air.


    Gary''s eyes then turned towards Charlotte, as if begging her to do something about this situation like she didst time. But s, Charlotte just quickly avoided his eyes; fidgeting with her cashier''s terminal even though there weren''t even any customers.


    Seeing as Charlotte waspletely ignoring them, the only thing that he could do was look back and forth across the people at his table.


    Hannah, Katherine, Riley, and his mother, Diana.


    Of course, if he already found the situation incredibly ufortable and nerve-wracking¡­ what more Katherine?


    Katherine was now feeling something that she couldn''t exin. Riley''s mother said she wanted to talk to her, but so far, Diana has only been quietly sitting at her seat without even saying a word for almost half an hour now.


    There was a smile stered on her face-- her heart, however, almost deafened Katherine from how fast it was beating; she wouldn''t be surprised if Diana just fainted right here and now.


    Just say what you want to say already-- Katherine thought as she returned Diana''s smile.


    "Where will you be staying in the Academy, mother?"


    But finally, after a few more seconds of this awkward and chilling silence, Riley was the first to speak.


    And soon, finally, Diana also broke her silence-- but not to answer her son''s question.


    "How old are you, Scarlet Mage?" But instead looked at Katherine straight in the eyes, her tonepletely cold; her smile, however, still stood strong.


    "I''m¡­ 28, Mrs. Ross," Katherine quickly answered, but not without taking in a gulp mid-sentence.


    "How old do you think Riley is?"


    "...17."


    "He is 16, Scarlet Mage. Barely--"


    "I am actually 17 years old now, mother," Riley interrupted the conversation.


    "...What?"


    "My birthday already passed inside the Academy, mother," Riley mentioned, "You even told father to greet me on your behalf."


    "When¡­ when did that happen?"


    "A couple months ago, mother," Riley said.


    "..." Diana squinted her eyes at Riley, before once again focusing her attention on Katherine, "E¡­ Either way, he just passed the age of consent."


    "You tell her, mom!" Hannah added, her head always facing the ceiling as she tried her best to look down on Katherine."


    "My son is still very young and ignorant about the world," Diana then let out a sigh, "I am afraid that you are preying on his innocence¡­


    ...What exactly is it that you want from him?"


    "That''s¡­"


    What was she even supposed to say? That Riley has her mother hostage and that she was actually just a ve to him? Or that¡­


    "I am in love with your son, Mrs. Ross."


    "Oh, shit!"


    Gary, whose eyes were still carefully watching the scenery unfold in front of him, could not help but rise from his seat; however, his head was quickly mmed to the table by Hannah as she stood up.


    "Love!? Do you even know what you--"


    "I see," and before Hannah could even finish her raging words, Diana raised her hand and gestured for her to calm down-- and seeing the serious look on her mother''s face, the only thing Hannah could do was obey.


    "And what about you, Riley?" Diana then said as she looked at her son, "What do you feel about her?"


    "I am incapable of feeling love, mother."


    "Yes, yes," Diana quickly waved her hand, "But what do you feel about her? What is her role to you?"


    "..."


    Riley nced at Katherine for a few seconds, before turning his head back to where he was previously looking, "She is very important to my daily operations, mother. I can''t do the things I have been doing now as efficiently without her help."


    "I¡­ see."


    And soon, Diana''s shoulders began to tremble; and if one focused their ears, one could hear her whispering something.


    "M¡­ mom? Please¡­ calm down," Hannah then said as she slightly moved away from Diana, "See what you did, Riley!? You made her--"


    "My son finally has a girlfriend!"


    Hannah then almost stumbled to the ground as Diana suddenly stood up from her seat, raising her hand as she moved closer towards Katherine and Riley. She then grabbed her phone from her bag and started taking pictures of them.


    "W¡­ w¡­ what are you doing, mom!?" Hannah said as she tried to grab the phone from her mother''s hand, but s, she was weirdly fast.


    "Interesting," Riley muttered as she saw the phone, "You were allowed to bring in your phones, mother?"


    "No," Diana shook her hand as she continued taking photos of Riley and Katherine, "They gave it to us when we were in the van."


    "..." Riley squinted his eyes as soon as he heard his mother''s words. The students were allowed to have phones... and now even the families.


    The government was so secretive of the Academy at first, but now it felt like they wanted them to be shown to the outside world. Just what exactly is their n?


    It was definitely something they couldn''t do when Mega Woman was still present. He should probably have Katherine check in on--


    "Mom! I thought you were on my side about this!"


    His thoughts were thenpletely disrupted as Hannah''s body began to emit fumes, causing Charlotte to panic as their store''s disy started melting one by one.


    "I am, dear," Diana then stopped taking photos as she let out a sigh, "But I am also on your brother''s side. You know, throughout his growing up, I always thought that he was never going to have a girlfriend?"


    "T¡­ that''s not--"


    "And to think his first girlfriend will be this hot! Is your silver hair natural? Or did you have it bleached somewhere!?"


    "S¡­ something like that?" Katherine could not help but move to the side as Diana suddenly scooched over beside her.


    "Mom¡­ what are you--"


    "Rather than that," Diana''s tone then suddenly became serious as she looked at Hannah, "You''re already turning 20 in a few months¡­ when are you going to get a boyfriend?"


    "What!? This isn''t about me--"


    "Why, hello there¡­ future mother-inw."


    And before Hannah could even say another word, Gary stood up and quickly kneeled in front of Diana, gently holding her hand and smiling at her.


    "Oh my," Diana chuckled, "Such a muscr young fe. Could it be--"


    "No! He''s not my boyfriend! Please don''t continue your words!"


    "What Hannah said is right, future mother-inw," Gary then let out a long and deep sigh as he let go of Diana''s hand, "But soon, I will conquer her heart and I can finally truly call you¡­ my mother."


    "My¡­ how thoughtful of you, Hannah," Diana once again chuckled as she looked at her daughter, "For you to befriend another boy like your brother¡­ who would think you were thispassionate."


    "...What?" Hannah raised an eyebrow.


    "This boy is in the spectrum as well, no?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    And so, for the first time ever, Gary had his mouthpletely shut.


    There were many more reunions happening all around the Academy; most are happy, some with tears of joy¡­ and some also filled with pain and pretending.


    "Tomoe Reynolds, we brought your mother here."


    Tomoe was currently inside her apartment; the only light that could be seen was from her phone that reflected through her eyes. And even with the almost endless knocking resounding in the room, her eyes did not leave the phone one bit as they continued to stare at videos and photos of Riley.


    "Tomoe Reynolds, your mother is here to see you!"


    "Tomo--"


    "It''s fine."


    "..." And as soon as a different voice seeped from the door, Tomoe''s eyes suddenly began to flicker. But after a few seconds, they returned to normal as she once again stared at her phone.


    "I''ll¡­ just see herter when she is not tired."


    "That''s¡­ Very well, Mrs. Reynolds. Let me at least escort you to the Family Vi."


    "..."


    "..."


    And as soon as she was sure that there weren''t any more people outside her apartment, she quickly stood up from the bed; quickly leaving the room as soon as she got dressed.


    Tomoe was one of the few who refused to see their parents; there were also those who met with their family¡­ but in the end, did not really have the reunion they imagined.


    "Father¡­"


    Silvie was in her apartment, her bodypletely straight as her eyes followed the man walking around her room, which was free of any unnecessary items; almost immacte, even.


    The man continued to walk, his fingers trailing on the wall as he did so. And after a few more seconds of doing this, he stopped to check on his fingers; nodding as soon as he checked that there were no signs of dust sticking on them.


    "Good," the man nodded, his sses slightly sliding down the bridge of his nose as he did so. The man had the same hair color as Silvie-- a gold with a brown shade, tied into a ponytail.


    "About the incident that happened, are you okay now?" The man then said as he stood in front of Silvie.


    "Yes, thank you for your concern, father."


    "I heard it was during the Festival?"


    "Yes."


    "Were you winning your event?"


    "...I would like to think so, father."


    "Hm, that is good to know."


    "D¡­ Dad?" Silvie''s body then began to rx as she heard her father''s sigh.


    "Hm?"


    "My¡­ friends and I actually agreed to meet after this. They are waiting for me right now," Silvie muttered as she slightly looked to the side, ncing at her father from time to time, "Can¡­ can youe with me to meet them?"


    "Friends?" Silvie''s father breathed out, "You have made friends here?"


    "Y¡­ yes," Silvie smiled, "You shoulde with--"


    "I''m tired," Silvie''s father shook his head before she could finish her words, "Tell them I will meet them next time."


    "That''s--"


    "Go ahead," Silvie''s father let out a small smile as he gestured to Silvie to leave, "I''ll find my way through the Academy on my own."


    "..."


    "...Okay, father," Silvie once again stood straight, trying her best not to bite her lip, "Please¡­ take your rest."


    "Hm," Silvie''s father watched as Silvie left the apartment, before shaking his head with a sigh,


    "...I knew this was a bad idea."


    One would be surprised that Silvie is not alone with this kind of reunion, as there were also many who wanted to please their parents. There are also reunions, however, that involved a subtle¡­ malice.


    "Is what you said on the phone true?"


    "Yes, father¡­


    ...The One Cursed by God is here."

 Chapter 90: Furious

    <h4>Chapter 90: Furious</h4>


    "Yes, father¡­


    ...The One Cursed by God is here."


    In front of the Academy gates, the moring and murmurings in the air still whispered strongly as there were still students and families that had not headed to the respective housing provided to them by the Academy.


    And among them, was a group of students from the South Africa Mega Academy; huddled up along with their families.


    However, it was quite hard to determine whose parent is who, as all of them were only looking at one person-- the one that Jamba calls his father. Their heads were all slightly bowed, perhaps not daring to have their eyes at a higher level than Jamba''s father.


    But even if they weren''t bowing their heads; Jamba''s father towered even him, who was now probably the tallest student in the Academy, by almost an entire foot.


    "Are you sure, my son?" Jamba''s father breathed out, the tone of his voice almost shook the ground from how deep it was.


    "Yes, fa--"


    "Call me Chief when the others are present."


    "Y¡­ yes, Chief Abda," Jamba slightly stuttered as his father''s domineering voice slightly crawled through his skin.


    "I see," Chief Abda ced his hand on his chest, "It would seem the time for us to do our duty hase. What happened to this ce must also have something to do with the Ghost¡­


    ...Our fate is true."


    "Our fate is true," Jamba and the other members of the group repeated Chief Abda''s words; their voicespletely in sync as they hummingly whispered in the air.


    "..."


    "...The fuck."


    Duma, the SAMA student that Riley spoke to the night before the events, could not help but slightly squint his eyes as he looked at Jamba''s little gathering.


    "Is something wrong, son?"


    "N¡­ no. Actually, yes," Duma then quickly looked towards the man that patted his shoulder. And just like him, his father also adorned dreads on his head, "Those guys seem to be from some sort of cult."


    "That--" Duma''s father took a quick look to where his son was pointing, only for him to quickly move his head away with a slight wince, "Best not to get involved with them, son. I recognized the tall man in the middle, the one with the beard-- he is some chief of a tribe or something. He was on the local news a few years back."


    "They¡­ are talking about the One Cursed by God," Duma then said, "I''m afraid they''re going to cause some trouble in the Academy."


    "Cursed by God?" Duma''s father could not help but let out a snort before grabbing his bags on the ground, "Just some old tales grandpa used to tell us. Most importantly, how is the Academy treating you?"


    "...The sses don''t start until next week, I think," Duma sighed, "We''ll kno--"


    "Can you believe it!?" And before Duma could even finish his words, his father suddenly raised the bags he was holding in the air, "My son in America¡­ never thought I''d see the day."


    "...I''m here because a whole lot of people died, dad."


    "Right, right. I don''t forget," Duma''s father then shook his head as he started to head towards the bus that would take them to the Family Vi.


    "I''ll see you around, fa--"


    "What are you talking about!? You''re going to help me bring my things!"


    "...Things?" Duma blinked a couple of times before looking towards where his father was pointing to¡­ only to see arge refrigerator.


    "You¡­ brought the fridge?"


    "Of course! Who''s going to eat the food!? Our neighbors!? Ah, no. No!"


    "...Why did they even allow you to bring that?"


    Duma could only let out a long and deep sigh as he started carrying his father''s things, but not before taking one final nce at Jamba and his tribe.


    ...It looks like he needs to warn Riley Ross.


    ***


    "Agh! I can''t believe this!"


    Hannah was now roaming outside the Academy''s Mall, which was now officially dubbed as Mega Mall. But no matter how mega it was, Hannah''s whispers of frustration were enough to cover the whole mall.


    "What do you mean I need a boyfriend!?" Hannah then angrily muttered as she stomped her foot on the ground as she walked aimlessly, "I thought she was there to lecture Riley but then she star-- Agh!"


    And as she wasn''t looking where she was going, it was only a matter of time before she bumped into something¡­ or into someone.


    "What the fuck¡­ Can''t you watch where you''re goi--"


    "Are you alright, mdy?"


    And before Hannah could even release her frustration, a hand was suddenly offered to her.


    "..." She stared at the hand for a few seconds, before turning her head towards its owner-- A blonde young man, with a cane in his other hand.


    "...Thanks," Hannah then took the hand offered to her as she looked to the side while helping herself up.


    "Oh, aren''t you¡­ the one that was taken hostage?"


    "...I am. What''s it to you?" Hannah furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to pull her hand away, but found that she was unable to do so.


    "Ah, where are my manners," the young man then finally let go of her hand as he suddenly bowed towards Hannah, "My name is Julius Reuben¡­


    ...I hope you have recovered from what happened?"


    "...Yeah," Hannah''s eyebrows began to lower even further as she decided to leave. But before she could even take 3 steps--


    "You were splendidly beautiful during that horrific time, Madam Hannah," Reuben''s words breezed through her ears, almost making her freeze where she stood from the cringe.


    "W¡­ what the?" She muttered as she tried her best not to look Julius on the face.


    "Even in the utmost adversity, you never once cowered in fear. I truly admire that," Julius continued,


    "I believe that if I were in the same situation, I would have been filled with much trepidation as soon as I saw the bombs attached to the viin''s body."


    "...Right," Hannah squinted her eyes.


    "Very well, you seem busy. I am not going to keep you," Julius then once again bowed, "My family is also waiting for me. But¡­


    ...perhaps we can share our numbers so we would meet again soon-- and not in happenstance?"


    "..."


    "...No."


    "I see. Perhaps in our next meeting."


    "Y¡­ Yeah," Hannah could only awkwardly smile as Julius waved her goodbye. And as soon as he was out of sight, Hannah let out the biggest breath of relief in her life,


    "What¡­ what the fuck was that!?" Hannah breathed out. Was¡­ was she actually getting hit on? Why was it another weird guy? Was that¡­ her fate? Was she fated to be with a weird--


    "Silv!"


    And before she could finish her awry thoughts, she quickly raised her hand as soon as her eyes caught Silvie''s silhouette.


    "...Silvie!"


    Silvie, however, seemed to have not noticed her as she continued walking towards the mall. Thankfully, after a few more steps, she noticed Hannah waving at her.


    "Oh¡­ H¡­ hi," Silvie let out a somewhat dejected smile as she ran towards Hannah.


    "...What''s up?" Hannah quickly noticed this, "Where''s¡­ your father?"


    "He¡­ said he was tired," Silvie sighed.


    "I¡­ see. Are you okay, though?"


    "Yes," Silvie then shook her head as she let out a small chuckle, "Just a bit disappointed. How''s it going with your mother? Why are you outside?"


    "Ugh¡­ please don''t ask me," Hannah once again groaned in frustration.


    "...That bad, huh?"


    And with that, Silvie''s sighs of disappointment and Hannah''s grounds of frustration made an orchestra worthy of filling the entire parking lot-- only stopped as soon as Silvie saw Tomoe walking towards the mall.


    "Tomoe!"


    Tomoe was wearing a pair of headphones. And even covered with a hoodie, it was quite obvious that it was her due to her unique face. And as soon as Tomoe saw them, she quickly hid the phone she was holding and ran towards them.


    "I am very sorry for my tardiness," Tomoe then bowed, "Have¡­ you finished the meeting with your parents?"


    "...Only my mom is there," Hannah muttered.


    "What about you, Tomoe?" Silvie then said as she looked around, "Where''s your mother?"


    "I didn''t want to see her."


    "I¡­ I see," Silvie could not help but stutter. If only she had half the bluntness of Tomoe, then maybe she could have insisted her father to join them.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    The three then looked at each other in the eyes for a couple of seconds.


    "Should we head inside the shop?"


    "Oh god, please no."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    Once again, the three just looked each other in the eyes, before their collective sighs almost drowned the entire Academy.


    It would seem the three of them all had different problems with their parents.


    ***


    A week passed, and the foreign students have more than limatized themselves inside USMA; most of the students have also started to loosen up and rx-- a big credit from having their families with them during the trying times.


    And finally, the Academy has once again continued their lectures, with the students back in their costumes. As for the foreign students, they were distributed to different ssrooms, and although there were minor problems and altercations in the first few hours; they soon began making friends.


    Everything was about to go back to normal¡­ However, there was an announcement that shook the entire school. With 7 Mega Students in one Academy, the school had decided to revoke all of their titles and privileges temporarily.


    "So¡­ is there going to be a fight between the 7 of them?"


    With Katherine sharing this news to ss 1-V, all the eyes were at Silvie, USMA''s Mega Student.


    "Will there be another event to choose the Super Duper Mega Student, Miss Scarlet Mage!?"


    "An event¡­ No," Katherine shook her head.


    And with that news, came the biggest change in the Academy.


    "As it was before, each one of you will have the chance to be the Mega Student¡­ but each of your activities will now be broadcast to the outside world."


    "...What!?"


    "But I thought our identities are supposed to be a secret!?"


    "Fool, you should have known something like this would happen. They gave us phones for fuck''s sake."


    "Settle down, I wasn''t done," Katherine raised her hand, "Even if you are not from the previous 7 Mega Students, or even if you''re not doing too well¡­


    ...you will now have a chance to be the next Mega Student."


    "...What? How!?"


    "The Academy will no longer be grading you," Katherine sighed as she shook her head,


    "...But the people."


    "What!? That''s so stupid!" Hannah stood up from her seat as she pointed her finger at Katherine, "I want out! I want to withdraw from the Academy! This isn''t some kind of circus! I feel like the Academy is exploiting us now!"


    There were a lot of mixed reactions inside the ss; there were those that were amused, there were those that were angry, some were happy.


    However, Katherine was only focusing on one-- Riley''s fluctuating heart.


    If Katherine was reading his heart right, then Riley¡­


    ...is furious.

 Chapter 91: Prologue to Disaster

    <h4>Chapter 91: Prologue to Disaster</h4>


    With the instructors breaking the news of a voting system, the entire academy building was filled with mor and whispers. ss 1-V was only one of the many ssrooms that were in an uproar-- but even with all of these noises, Katherine was solely focused on Riley.


    His heart was currently fluctuating; thest time she heard his heart beating like this was when he almost strangled her to death. Realizing this, Katherine could not help but take in a short but deep breath.


    Was Riley about to do something? Is he going to destroy the Academy?


    Katherine then subtly turned her eyes towards Riley, only to see his eyebrows trembling ever so slightly.


    "..." Were they really in trouble?


    "What''s wrong with this stupid school!?"


    And before Katherine''s thoughts could go even more awry, Hannah''s words once again reverberated throughout the entire ssroom. This act would have probably annoyed Katherine; but instead, it made her let out a sigh of relief.


    As long as Hannah was here, she was sure that Riley wouldn''t do anything that would harm even a single strand of her hair. And so, Katherine could only watch as Hannah took off from her seat, stomping her way to the front of the teacher''s tform.


    "The Academy can''t do this! We''re not some freaks that you could just exhibit in some sort of circus!" Hannah continued.


    And seeing as how some of the students were nodding, it would seem that they agree with her. Most, however, were just keeping quiet as their minds were lost in thought; with some even shrugging, showing they did not mind.


    "What, are we going to perform like monkeys in front of all the people now? Is that what the government wants!?" Hannah said as she mmed her palm numerous times on the tform as she looked up towards Katherine, "What is this, the government ying Big Brother!? You even have some kind of fucked up viin list that you still have not exined--"


    "Even if you continue toin, this is out of my control," Katherine finally had enough as she raised her voice and returned Hannah''s stares, "This is the government''s orders-- goin to them."


    "Oh, I''mining!" Hannah did not let up and raised her voice even further, "They nned this from the start! I wouldn''t be surprised if they even created the Dark Millenium in the first ce to--"


    "Hannah, please calm down!"


    "To¡­" Hannah was about to continue her words, but as soon as she saw the expression on Silvie''s face as she tried to calm her down, the only thing she could do was shake her head.


    "Fuck this shit," she then breathed out as she returned to her seat, "This fucking government, I swear."


    "W¡­ wait," and as soon as Hannah''s raging voice started to dissipate, it was then reced by Gary''s somewhat sedated voice.


    "If¡­ if the citizens will be watching us in our activities from now on¡­ doesn''t that mean we have our own channel or something!?" Gary breathed out as he stood up from his seat.


    "There¡­ will be a streaming tform that will have channels dedicated to each of you, yes," Katherine responded, "But I don''t know the full details, so we would have to wait for the Academy''s official statement."


    "W¡­ wait¡­" Gary''s hands started to tremble, "What¡­ what about the followers I gained in YouView!? I¡­ I''ve just passed a thousand subs!"


    "...As I said, I don''t have the full details," Katherine''s eyes started to twitch, "But it will be implemented next week."


    "But who will edit our videos!? Is it just going to be raw!?" Gary''s almost screaming and pained voice echoed throughout the entire ssroom, "This¡­


    ...This can''t be happening!"


    Throughout the day, there were a lot of mixed reactions; some agreed, some hated it, some were neutral¡­


    ...and then there was Gary.


    But even with all of the hustle and bustle, the day moved on; the normal sses in the afternoon almost sedated the topic, as the students returned to studying thew-- almostpletely erasing the topic from the minds of the students as they all stepped out of the ssroom, tired and confused.


    There was one student, however, who remained inside ss 1-V.


    Riley Ross was still sitting at his desk, his elbows rested as he stared at nowhere in particr. But after a few seconds, a whistling hiss whispered in the room as the metal door opened.


    "Is¡­ everything alright, Riley?" Katherine''s somewhat soft voice then resounded in the empty ssroom. She then took a step forward, locking the doors of the ssroom with her tablet as she did so.


    However, as soon as she took her 3rd step, she felt binding pressure crawling across her body, and without even having the time to react, she flew across the room, stopping right in front of Riley.


    "Y¡­ you''re hurting me," Katherine muttered as her arms werepletely locked, slightly pressing on her breasts which put her in quite the unttering position, "Why¡­ why are you so angr-- Eep!"


    And before she could even finish her words, she felt herself fall on top of the desk; her face, being slowly wrapped by Riley''s deep breaths as his lips were only an inch away from hers.


    "..." Katherine could not help but take in a small gulp as she nced at Riley''s warm-looking but pale lips. And after a few moments, she slowly leaned in closer. But before their lips could touch, Riley spoke-- leaving Katherine with her lips mouth slightly opened and her tongue slightly sticking out.


    "Mega Woman," Riley then muttered.


    "M¡­ Mega Woman?" While Katherine stuttered.


    "Hm," Riley then nodded as he leaned back on his seat, "She wouldn''t like what''s happening now at all, Katherine."


    "...What do you mean?" Seeing as Riley had no intention of being physical with her at all, Katherine stood from the desk and started topose herself.


    "Throughout our battles and meetings together¡­ I have learned things about her, you see," Riley breathed out, the tone of his voice almost reflecting his emotions, "We talked for long amounts of time, Katherine¡­ and I know she wouldn''t like what the government is doing at all."


    "You¡­ talked to her?" Katherine no longer had any unnecessary thoughts as she sat beside Riley, her voice filled with curiosity, "But you told me she was unresponsive when you¡­ hid her in your closet."


    "She was, Katherine," Riley shook his head, "I meant our discussions before that."


    "...You and Mega Woman¡­ talked even before that?" Katherine breathed out, her surprise slowly building up. Riley¡­ truly had a different tone whenever he was talking about Mega Woman. It¡­ somewhat made Katherine a little¡­ jealous?


    "Yes, she approached me once."


    "Approached¡­ without the costume!?"


    "No¡­


    ...as Darkday."


    A few years ago, when Darkday''s name was already starting to be known throughout the entire world, he was casually roaming across the vast skies¡­


    ...busyparing the screams of those he had killed and tortured. Specifically, which race was the most squeamish. He was on his way home, no longer caring about the happenings below him.


    He spoke to himself, he chuckled, he contemted¡­ but then he stopped.


    "..."


    Because right in front of him, blocking his path¡­


    ...was the Earth''s mightiest superhero.

 Chapter 92: Between a Devil and a Goddess (1)

    <h4>Chapter 92: Between a Devil and a Goddess (1)</h4>


    "...Oh,"


    The violent wind that wafted through Darkday''s helmet instantly dispersed as soon as he stopped roaming in the skies¡­ just a few seconds ago, his mind was busyparing the beautiful screams he had heard so far.


    However, he could not help but halt his flight as he suddenly saw Mega Woman''s figure floating from afar. Was he so busy and engrossed that he couldn''t even detect that the world''s mightiest hero was blocking his path?


    "..." Riley looked around the horizon before staring at Mega Woman for a couple of seconds. But after a few more moments, he let out a short but deep sigh¡­ and flew away.


    A skirt of wind flowed across his body as the clouds circled around him; following him as he tried to get away from Mega Woman as far as possible.


    Riley nced behind him, and seeing as Mega Woman still has not moved from her spot, she didn''t seem to have any intention of following. And so, with a small sigh, Riley looked forward¡­ only to see Mega Woman blocking her path.


    "..."


    And without even taking any pause, Riley shot straight towards the ground to once again avoid her. An echo reverberated through the air as Rileynded on the ground; causing a small crater to form beneath his feet.


    Riley then looked around, only to see a horizon of stone mountains; waving green and flowing blue as far as the eyes could see-- if Riley was right, then he was currently somewhere in New Zend.


    He did not take in the sights for long, however, as his feet once again moved. But s, as soon as he turned around, Mega Woman was once again there, blocking his path.


    "..." Riley ran away once again-- perhaps for a full hour until he reached an area lush with trees.


    "Stop running away, Darkday."


    "..." Riley looked to the side, only to see Mega Woman flying beside him. Riley quickly stopped running as he saw her. He then mmed his hand on the ground, causing the trees and vines to block and bind Mega Woman.


    But s, they did nothing. Riley could only watch as Mega Woman starts casually walking towards him; ripping away the trees and vines like they were nothing.


    "Hm," Riley looked around him for a few moments, before turning his head towards the approaching Mega Woman and getting into a fighting stance.


    "You can''t win, Darkday," Mega Woman, on the other hand, only shook her head as she continued to approach him.


    "...Then kill me, Mega Woman."


    "I can neutralize you without harming a single bone in your body," Mega Woman breathed out, "Just--"


    And before she could say another word, Riley rushed towards her, the ground beneath him turning into a crevice as his whistling fist threatened to blow Mega Woman''s head into smithereens.


    The lush forest around them rippled; blown away by the sheer force of Riley''s fist touching Mega Woman''s face¡­ even the small fauna and the ground beneath them were ripped away.


    It, however, did absolutely nothing to Mega Woman, as her eyes just remained looking at Riley.


    "That hurts, child," Mega Woman sighed.


    "..." Riley did not seem to mind as removed his fist on Mega Woman''s chin, using it instead to grab Mega Woman''s shoulder as he used it to pull himself closer towards her, leaping as his knee threatened to crush Mega Woman''s jaw.


    But once again¡­ it did nothing.


    "That really hurts. Can you please stop?" Mega Woman then grabbed his helmet, and as soon as she did so, Riley rotated his body.


    "Are you trying to kill yourself?" Mega Woman quickly let go of Riley''s helmet to prevent his neck from snapping in half,


    "...Is that why you''re doing all of this, tomit some sort of fantasy suicide?"


    "..." And as soon as Riley heard Mega Woman talk, he quickly leaped a few steps back; his head slightly tilting as he stared at her.


    "I am not here to kill you or subjugate you," Mega Woman once again sighed, "I just want to talk, child."


    "Okay."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Of course you have to be weird," Mega Woman could not help but once again sigh as Riley''s body began to rx without even a sign of hesitation, "Let''s not talk here, it''s suffocating."


    "..." And with Mega Woman suddenly flying away, the only thing that Riley could do was follow her until they reached the area where he previouslynded; the one with the view of the horizon-- serene and almost peaceful. The only sounds that one could hear were the violent gush of the waterfalls, the rustling of the grass, as well as the cries of aves.


    "I know you are aware of what I wanted to talk about, you seem like a smart kid," Mega Woman then breathed out as soon as Rileynded on the cliff.


    "...My pets-- I mean my guests?"


    "...Guests; you call them that?" Mega Woman could not help but blink a couple of times as she nced at Riley, "But yes¡­ the missing supers. Right now there are 72."


    "..."


    "Are¡­ all your guests still alive?" Mega Woman said as her breaths slightly became sedated.


    "I am very saddened to say that 13 have died, Mega Woman."


    Mega Woman''s deep breaths quickly reached Riley''s ears; her eyes closing as she looked to the ground, "Perhaps you want to tell me where they are staying?"


    "If you kill me, I''ll tell you."


    "Pft," Mega Woman could not help but let out a giggle as she heard Riley''s blunt words, "You could have just told me you don''t want to."


    "I was serious," Riley shook his head, "...Why not torture me to get their location, Mega Woman?"


    "...Are you some sort of masochist?" Mega Woman shook her head with a sigh, "I would have already done that if I knew you would give me their location."


    "Hm."


    "Can¡­ you tell me why you''re doing all of this, Darkday?" Mega Woman nced at Riley for a few seconds, before turning her eyes towards the beautiful horizon.


    "I do not know, Mega Woman. Why do you need to breathe?"


    "I don''t need to breathe."


    "..."


    "Pft," Mega Woman once again giggled as she saw Darkday''s somewhat confused movements, "I get what you were trying to say, you don''t have to worry."


    "...Okay."


    "So do I need to categorize you as some sort of psychopath?" Mega Woman then breathed out, "But I don''t think any Asylum for Individuals with Super Abilities will take someone like you."


    "I do not know, Mega Woman," Riley shook his head as his feet slowly made their way closer to Mega Woman, "I was diagnosed by the medical practitioners as having Asperger''s Syndrome when I was younger."


    "ASD?" Mega Woman once again nced at Riley, "But you seem quite talkative to be one. I have met a couple of people and even misguided people in my life with the same condition as you, but none of them really¡­ socialize the way you do."


    "Because I like talking with you, Mega Woman," Riley muttered, "I find you quite... fascinating. Perhaps a little brutish, but still with the elegance of a performer of ballet."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...So you''re a psychopath."

 Chapter 93: Between a Devil and a Goddess (2)

    <h4>Chapter 93: Between a Devil and a Goddess (2)</h4>


    "So you''re a psychopath, then. P... pft."


    "..." Riley could only stare at Mega Woman as she suddenly burst out in a chuckle; almost deafening Riley with how loud her voice was. But finally, after a few more seconds, her chuckles died down and Riley was able to answer her.


    "I don''t believe I am, Mega Woman," Riley shook his head, "I am of the impression that psychopaths tend to lie-- I do not like lying if I don''t have to."


    "Because strong beings do not need to lie," Mega Woman sighed.


    "Tha--"


    "Ah, tutut!" Mega Woman raised her finger, "I believe you. I''ve just been surrounded by psychopaths since they are much moremon on my-- maybe even half of them are."


    "..."


    "What I can''t believe, however, is that the one terrorizing the entire world is just¡­ a child," Mega Woman said, her eyes as if looking through Riley''s helmet.


    "!!!" Riley quickly covered his face with his hands as soon as he heard Mega Woman''s words. Mega Woman, on the other hand, only chuckled once more.


    "You do not have to worry, Darkday. Unlike what the media ims, people on my do not have X-ray vision¡­ I don''t have x-ray vision."


    "..." Riley could not help but let out a small breath as he lowered his hands, "...So you really are from another, Mega Woman?"


    "Yes," Mega Woman muttered, "What about you?"


    "I''m not an alien--"


    "I mean where were you born."


    "Ah," Riley hummed, "I was born in Ohio ording to my adoptive parents."


    "..." Mega Woman''s eyes widened as she heard Riley''s words; but after a few seconds, she turned her eyes towards the skies.


    "...Do you know that there are satellites out there watching our every move?"


    "I am aware of them, Mega Woman."


    "You don''t have to worry, though," Mega Woman then breathed out, "I strictly told them to not try and follow me anywhere."


    And as soon as she said that, she removed her mask; her blue eyes now even more visible.


    "..." Riley was slightly taken aback; almost contemting whether or not he should remove his helmet. But of course, in the end, chose not to do so, "I am not worried, Mega Woman. They can''t follow me as well."


    "Hm, that''s true," Mega Woman then nced at Riley, before once again turning her eyes towards the sky, "The clouds always seem to be hovering above you. It''s like you''re moving them almost subconsciously at this point-- truly suits the name they gave you, Darkday."


    "...You''re the one who gave me that name, Mega Woman."


    "Was I?" Mega Woman let out a small giggle as she sat on the ground, "You''re so young and yet so powerful¡­


    ...why didn''t you use your psychokic ability against me?"


    "My main priority was to escape, Mega Woman," Riley quickly answered as he too, sat on the ground, "I can''t defeat you."


    "I¡­ see," Mega Woman let out a sigh as she once again looked towards the skies, "Do you know that some heroes are being monitored? Most without their consent¡­ even a handful of superviins are actually on the government''s radar."


    "If that is so¡­ then why have they not apprehended the other viins?" Riley slightly tilted his head to the side, "If they know where they hide, then would it not be possible to deal with them with minimal casualty?"


    "Because they have their uses," Mega Woman then turned her eyes towards Riley, "Once you grow up, you''ll understand that it is all about resources and money."


    "..."


    "Mark my words, once I am gone from the picture and no one is there to keep them in check, they will start exploiting the heroes like products," Mega Woman closed her eyes, "My world is the same, us ordinary citizens are nothing but tools."


    "You... are not ordinary, Mega Woman," Riley then let out a small sigh as he turned his head towards Mega Woman, "You¡­ are beautiful. Probably the most beautiful object in the world."


    "Pft," Mega Woman quickly let out a small chuckle, ncing at Riley before looking towards the horizon, "It is truly unfortunate that you were born that way¡­ You could have reced me in the future."


    "Are you truly not going to arrest me today, Mega Woman?"


    "As I told you, I''m just here to talk," Mega Woman shook her head, "And if I did apprehend you, you will probably kill all your guests, right?"


    "Yes."


    Mega Woman''s sighs almost echoed through the horizon, "I think I understand you now, Darkday."


    "You can kill me now. You will save a lot more lives by doing so."


    "See? You''re lying right now," Mega Woman chuckled, "But no. I think you have a role to y in this life, Darkday. There are things out there in the universe; much scarier than anything you have ever seen. A great evil like you might be needed even more than me."


    "...I will kill millions more."


    "I will be there to stop you."


    "I will hear you scream, Mega Woman. I will kill you-- you will regret this decision."


    "Well, that''s something that can''t happen," Mega Woman then smiled at Riley, "I can''t die."


    And with those as her final words, she suddenly flew up towards the sky, leaving Riley slightly confused.


    "...Oh!"


    "What? What is it!? What happened next?"


    Katherine''s somewhat excited voice reverberated throughout the ssroom as Riley''s eyes suddenly widened.


    "I forgot," Riley then breathed out, "She... did tell me she can''t die. How could I have mistaken that for banter."


    "..." Seeing the somewhat curious look on Riley''s face, the only thing that Katherine could do was sigh, "...But to think that you talked with her for that long and no one knew; it''s quite a surprise."


    "Hm."


    "But you said that you weren''t even able to inflict even a scratch on her? When did this happen?"


    "About 2 years ago, if my memory serves me correct."


    "...So you couldn''t defeat her 2 years ago," Katherine ced her hand on her chin. If Mega Woman only killed Riley then¡­ then she truly would have prevented a million more deaths-- she probably lived in regret before getting defeated by Riley, knowing she allowed this great evil to run free.


    She had the chance to do so but did not¡­ in the end, perhaps it was arrogance that led to her defeat.


    "Let''s go."


    "Wait, I have something to report regarding Silvie''s father."


    Riley was about to stand up from his seat, but Katherine blocked his path before he could do so.


    "...Report."


    "He will be working as a medic in the Academy."


    "A medic?" Riley furrowed his eyebrows, "Is he a Super?"


    "As far as I know, he''s not."


    "Are there any other parents that will be working for the Academy from now on?"


    "Only a handful," Katherine shook her head, "But one needs to be redited by the government before you can work here."


    "I¡­ see," Riley muttered.


    "Silvie¡­ do you think she really could be Mega Woman''s daughter?"


    "Maybe," Riley then said as he stood up, "Good work, Katherine. Please continue your investigation."


    Riley was about to leave, but once again, Katherine blocked his path.


    "Riley¡­ Can we¡­"


    "..." Riley could hear the slightly shivering tone in Katherine''s voice; her mouth opening as if the words she wanted to say were too heavy to escape from her mouth.


    "Do you wish to have sexual intercourse with me again, Katherine?"


    "T¡­ That''s¡­"


    "Then you could have just said so from the start," Riley then let out a sigh as he sat back down in his seat, "This seems to help you more in your work, am I correct?"


    "..." Katherine nodded, "But¡­ can you¡­ maybe¡­


    ...remove your sunsses?"


    ***


    "..."


    Riley stepped out of the school building, his eyes looking towards the sky that was almost getting ready to darken. But still, even with the looming darkness¡­ he once again wore his sunsses.


    He then looked towards the numerous people walking around the campus; before letting out a small breath and wearing the Police Force band on his arm. It would seem the students were slowly recovering from the incident, as he could even see some foreign students chatting with the locals.


    "Time to work," Riley then whispered. But before he could even take 3 steps, a voice called for him from behind.


    "R¡­ Riley."


    "ck Bell," Riley then said as he turned around, "You are fine now?"


    Be was no longer in her costume, but instead on some sort of¡­ white dress thatpliments her dark skin.


    "...I''ve been fine for a week now," Be said as she let out a small sigh, "I think the pain of not being there to help when the tragedy happened hurts me more."


    "...But you weren''t there?"


    "That''s not what I meant," Be let out a wry chuckle, "Anyway, I''ve been waiting for you for almost 2 hours now, man. What took you so long?"


    "I was exercising, ck Bell," Riley muttered, "Did you need me for something?"


    "Just¡­ a question," Be then nced at Riley several times. And seeing as he wasn''t saying anything, that was probably a sign that it was alright.


    "How¡­ did you be so strong?" Be then asked.


    Riley slightly furrowed his eyebrows as he heard the question. But after a few more seconds of looking at nowhere in particr¡­


    "...Because of Mega Woman."


    "That''s¡­" Be could only blink a couple of times from hearing his answer, "So¡­ because you have a goal?"


    "...Not really."


    "I¡­ have goals as well," Be shrugged, seemingly not hearing Riley''s response as she started walking, "My brother and I actually came from a very strict fam; religious, baptist church bullshit hallelujah and all that."


    "..."


    "And you can kinda already guess they didn''t approve of us since¡­ well, I like women and my brother likes men," Be then slightly let out a chuckle, followed by a sniffle as she rubbed her nose, "That''s why I am wearing this shitty dress right now since they''re here, can''t escape them."


    Be then spun around, showing the frills and silk of her white dress.


    "How is this even relevant to your question?"


    "..."


    "..."


    Be then started to slouch as she let out a long and deep sigh, "I just wanted to say I want to be strong like you¡­ then maybe there would be no one judging me."


    "..."


    "You''re different, n¡­ no offense. Eh, you know what I mean, man," Be then rolled her lips as she waved her hands, "You''re different and yet no one dares to say anything ''coz you''re strong, man¡­


    ...If I had your strength, then maybe my mamma and pappa would be chill, you know?"


    "I believe that''s wrong, ck Bell," Riley then let out a small sigh as he shook his head, "My mother doesn''t judge me because she is a good person."


    "...Hm? What do you mean?"


    "You are different from the majority, yes¡­ But there is nothing wrong with you, ck Bell¡­


    ...You''re just surrounded by the wrong people."


    "Ho¡­ hold up, back up a little there," Be then slightly took a step back as she started fanning herself,


    "Shit¡­ you keeping it real, white hair. You could be a president and I''d be voting for you. Hell, if I wasn''t a big L in the LGBT then I would probably be head over heels for you right now."


    "...Thank you, ck Bell."


    "No man, thank you," Be then let out a small chuckle as she subtly wiped the small tears that were trying toe out of her eyes, "You belong in the fam now, you should know that."


    Be then raised her fist towards Riley; her face gesturing to Riley to bump it with his own fist. But s, Riley only looked at her first before looking away.


    "Y¡­ yeah, that''s cool. We need a little practice," Be chuckled as she lowered her fist, "I''ll see you around, brother. Don''t go stopping some random ck guy now."


    "...I won''t."


    Riley could only let out a small but deep sigh as he watched as Be ran away. And so, finally, he could peacefully continue his patrol.


    He walked around the Academy for a full hour, but oddly enough, no one seems to be causing any trouble. Perhaps the tragic events that have happened still truly lingered in their minds-- sedating any need to cause problems.


    And so, Riley decided to call it a night.


    And just as he was about to fly away, he suddenly moved his head to the side; his body slightly tilting with it.


    A giant needle then shot down from above-- if he did not move his body, then it would have definitelynded on top of his head.


    Riley then quickly looked up, only to see arge threatening to cover him entirely.


    "..." It instantly stopped in the air, however, as Riley raised his hand.


    And soon, several steps whispered into his ear,ing from all directions andpletely surrounding him. He slowly scanned the owners of the footsteps, only to see a familiar face approaching him-- Jamba, the student he fought back in the Combat Tournament event.


    "Well¡­" Riley then sighed,


    "...At least you''re not random."

 Chapter 94: The New Students

    <h4>Chapter 94: The New Students</h4>


    "You¡­ are Jamba from SAMA, correct?"


    "Tch."


    With therge hovering above Riley, it almost seemed like time had stopped for them. Even the leaves of the foliage nted on the side of the roads were not moving; no doubt a show of prowess from the white-haired young man in front of them.


    Riley was currently surrounded, but the tone of his voice and the look of his voice showed his nonchnce-- a mistake that he would pay dearly, Jamba thought. He and his tribe members were already wearing masks and even made sure to cover every inch of their body-- but Riley was still quickly able to guess who he was.


    That did not matter, however, as the masks weren''t intended for Riley in the first ce, it was for the multiple cameras that were scattered all around the Academy, as well as the onlookers that might pass them by.


    "This is an assault against a student of the Academy; unregted use of powers; using violence against an officer of the Police Force-- all grounds for suspension and lock--"


    "Do you think I care about that?" Jamba breathed out as he and his group slowly encircled Riley, the distance between them bing shorter and shorter.


    "Oh," Riley''s eyebrows then slightly rose as he looked towards Jamba''s direction, "Were you not satisfied with the dental service I offered you?"


    "Tha--"


    "Then I apologize, there are no refunds."


    "Y--"


    Jamba was about to say something. However, as soon as he saw the weird smile growing on Riley''s face; not only he, but the others also could not help but slightly choke on their breaths.


    "You¡­" Jamba then breathed out as he pointed at Riley, "You really are the One Cursed by God."


    "I see. So this is about our cultural differences again."


    "No! This is about fate and prophecy!"


    "Oh, okay," Riley nodded before shaking his head, "Nheless, I need to apprehend all of you and make a report to Nightwalker."


    Riley was about to take a step forward, but before he could even take a single step, Jamba¡­ tripped and fell on his head; or perhaps it was more appropriate to say that his head was mmed on the ground.


    "..." Riley then took a few steps back as someone suddenly appeared in front of him. And if he remembered correctly--


    "Are you okay!?"


    "You¡­ are Duma from SAMA?" Duma, the African student he met the night before the Festival Events happened.


    "I''m here to help you, Riley Ross!" Duma shouted; his back towards Riley while his eyes not leaving Jamba and his group, "These people are in some sort of cult¡­ I think they want to kill you."


    "Cult!?"


    And as soon as Duma''s words whispered into Jamba''s ears, he quickly stomped his foot, "You dare call our sacred tribe a cult!? Do not meddle in things you do not understand, coconut boy!"


    "B¡­ boy? We''re the same age, you idiot! And you''re going to get us all in trouble for this!" Duma retorted, "You guys are not the only African students in this school!"


    "Trouble? I''m sure that Ghost there is the one responsible for putting us into this school in the first ce! He''s the one who killed all those innocent people!"


    "W-- Are you fucking insane!?"


    And with that, Duma''s entire body blurred; the ground beneath him, sted away as he disappeared from his spot.


    "..." Riley, who was behind him, could not help but sigh as his clothes were almost soiled by the dirt shooting at him. He then looked towards Duma''s figure, who was moving in some sort of zigzag pattern as he rushed towards Jamba.


    "You think you can take me on, sprinter!?" Jamba roared, followed by the sound of his flesh tearing up as his sharp bones sliced their way through his skin-- not allowing Duma to approach him any further.


    "Tch," Duma ran around Jamba, trying his best to find a weak spot as he threw feints to throw off Jamba. Jamba remained like a ball, however, not allowing himself to be caught up in Duma''s advances.


    "..." As for Riley, he could only once again sigh as the two suddenly started fighting each other. He then looked towards therge that was floating above him-- and with a flick of his finger, let it fly straight on top of Jamba and Duma.


    "W¡­ what the!?" With Duma running around, he and Jamba were quickly pulled towards the ground as he dragged the that suddenly nketed the two of them.


    "No unsanctioned duels in the Academy," Riley then muttered.


    "W¡­ I was helping you!" Duma said as he tried to swim his way out from the confines of the.


    "That is why I am only issuing you a very light warning."


    And as soon as Riley said that, Duma felt his body slowly sliding away from the-- not stopping until he was close to Riley.


    "W¡­ what are all of you doing!? Kill him!" Jamba, who was still sadly drowned by the, could not help but wave his hand as he ordered his tribesmen to attack Riley, "Why are all of you just watching!?"


    "W¡­ We can''t move."


    "What do you--" And before Jamba could even finish his words, the suddenly moved towards his nearestrade, who could only watch in horror as the almost looked like the mouth of a hippopotamus, threatening to swallow him whole¡­


    ...and that''s exactly what the did, swallow him whole.


    He was not alone, however, as soon, all of hisrades were in the''s stomach together. But seeing them still struggle inside, Riley could not help but once again shake his head.


    "Please behave, Jamba and the others."


    Riley was about to fly away with his¡­ prisoners, but before he could do so, Duma blocked his path.


    "W¡­ wait, Riley Ross," he then said, the tone of his voice somewhat meek, "Can¡­ can you not report them?"


    "Why?"


    "Just¡­ the other students might think that all students from SAMA are¡­ like him," Duma pleaded, "I don''t want us to be discriminated against just because of them."


    "I see," Riley nodded before his feet slowly left the ground, "But I missed the part where that''s my problem."


    "W¡­ wait, please!"


    "..."


    With Duma suddenly kneeling on the ground, Riley could only blink a couple of times as he stopped mid-air.


    "Okay."


    And after a few seconds, his steps whispered to Duma''s ears. Duma quickly looked up to thank him, but could not do so as he saw¡­ the weird smile on Riley''s face. But still, he shook his head after a few moments and thanked him.


    The then proceeded to defecate Jamba and the others out one by one.


    "This is my final warning for them," Riley muttered, the creepy smile on his face still persisting,


    "The next time will be thest."


    ***


    "Oh shit, here we go again."


    "Ah man, I just lost to you during the tournament and now I''m about to lose again!"


    "That--"


    "Riley, you''re sitting this one out again."


    The students of ss 1-V were currently out in one of the vast fields of the Academy, all huddled up into groups as their whispers of excitement fluttered in the air.


    Riley and Be were currently talking to each other, with the other members of the Telekic group obviously listening in on them with great interest¡­ made obvious by their wide eyes and leaning ears that almost caused them to fall down.


    The people in their group, however, soon let out sighs of relief as Riley was called forth by Scarlet Mage.


    None of them really talk about it that much in public, but it was the unspoken truth not only in their ssroom but in the entire Academy¡­


    ...Riley Ross is strong; perhaps the strongest Telekic student in the Academy right now.


    And with the activity they have for the day, most of the members of the telekic group could not help but let out sighs of relief as they watch Riley walking away.


    As for their activity? It was the same as the one they did on the 2nd day of the Academy-- Deciding who was on top of each power category.


    Their sighs of relief, however, we cut short as one of them raised their hands.


    "I don''t think him not participating is fair, ma''am."


    The USMA members of the Telekic quickly looked towards the student who raised his hand. The African student could not help but slightly back away as the stares of his group mates almost drowned him with the frustration they contained.


    With the addition of the foreign students in each ss, the visible hierarchy needed to once again be visible to arouse the fire ofpetition in their hearts-- or so what the one responsible for deciding the Academy''s sybus said.


    "I¡­ I just saw Riley perform during thebat tournament," the African student then muttered, "I¡­ I wish to experience how strong he is in person."


    And as soon as the members of the other group heard his words, they all could not help but nod in agreement. They were always far away whenever Riley showed his might-- this was another rare chance to see him in action.


    "That is not--" Katherine was about to say something, but before she could finish her words, she suddenly felt the warmth of Riley''s touch on her cheek.


    "It''s fine, Scarlet Mage," Riley then said in a slight whisper, "I can still supervise even when ying with the rest of them."


    Katherine could only look back and forth between Riley and his hand-- her face slightly turning red; made obvious by her now silver hair.


    "Very well." And without even a question, Katherine gestured to Riley to join the Telekic group.


    "That¡­ why did he do that?"


    The foreign students'' eyes all showed their confusion with what just happened,


    "Is¡­ is that how people talk to each other in America?" One of the Singaporean students tried to touch the cheek of the one beside him, only for his hand to be pped away.


    But after a few seconds, the students from USMA started whispering about the¡­ rumor about Riley Ross and Scarlet Mage.


    And soon, the curious whispers were reced by loud gasps.


    "I¡­ I find that highly inappropriate!" One of the students from the Ennd Academy bellowed.


    "...Why? He''s old enough?" A student from Japan muttered.


    "Right? The brother''s so lucky," a student from USMA added, or more specifically, a student named Gary.


    "Settle down," Katherine then raised her hand, her sighs managing to whisper into each of the students'' ears, "Riley, you can go ahead."


    Katherine watched Riley walk towards the Telekic group, before once again facing the other students, "Okay, now let me tell you the rules again¡­


    ...It''s the same as before, you need to neutralize your opponent, harming them is allowed-- but as minimal as possible."


    "W¡­ what? But before we couldn''t--"


    "The Academy¡­ changed it due to the recent and¡­ tragic events that have... happened," Katherine''s voice became slightly sedated as she remembered all the burnt and mangled bodies scattered on the ground. But after a few moments, subtly shook her head and continuedying out the rules,


    "With the recent threats, we think that the superviins and terrorists are getting bolder, and thus we need to respond to the level of the threat."


    "D¡­ damn, they are really cranking it up," Gary then breathed out as he looked at Silvie, "What do you think about this?"


    "Think about what?" Silvie whispered.


    "About harming each other," Gary muttered, "Since you''re the Mega Student I am sure you don''t agree with--"


    "It''s only minimal, so it''s alright," Silvie, however, only shook her head, "They said it was allowed now."


    "...What?" Gary awkwardly chuckled, "But¡­ but surely you''re not going to harm me, right? We''re friends?"


    "...I''m not the Mega Student anymore, old friend," Silvie looked Gary straight in the eyes, her gaze clearlyughing at him, "I need the money now."


    "W¡­ what? Why!?"


    "They revoked my title, remember?"


    "Le gasp!" Gary muttered as he covered his mouth. The other members of their group as well, could not help but sigh in defeat.


    "Also!" Katherine raised her voice as the students once again started making noise, "The activity now has a second round of sorts¡­


    ...All those who came out on top of each group will now alsopete against each other."


    "What!?"


    The students started to mor as soon as they heard Katherine''s words. If they knew something like this was going to happen, then they wouldn''t have agreed in letting Riley join in on the activity-- now they, from the other groups, also needed to worry about him.


    They wanted to experience Riley''s strength¡­ but not that close.


    "Fucking finally!" And while most of the students were breathing out their distress, Hannah pped her first and cracked her neck as she looked towards Riley,


    "I finally have a reason to beat your ass, brother!"


    "...Hannah-aneki."


    "Hm?" Hannah then turned her head as soon as she heard her name, only to see Tomoe bowing at her, "...What is it?"


    "I¡­ What makes you so sure you can win against me?" Tomoe then said as she raised her head.


    "Oho¡­


    ...Rebelling now?"

 Chapter 95: Fire and Ice

    <h4>Chapter 95: Fire and Ice</h4>


    "Ho? Getting rebellious now, aren''t you?"


    The humming murmurs of the USMA members of the Elemental group almost reached the skies as they all ced their eyes towards Hannah and Tomoe. They all remembered how Tomoe froze all of them without even blinking an eye. Of course, some of them tried to fight her during the first hierarchy activity, but Tomoe''s raw power was truly a league of its own-- her Power Stamina, or Mana as the elemental cool kids want to call it, was almost boundless.


    Of course, needless to say, she won in andslide. There might also be some strong ones with the added elementals in their group, but the fight between Tomoe and Hannah was probably the only thing they were looking forward to; after all¡­


    ...Tomoe was also the one who won in her group back when her ss was still¡­ alive.


    Hannah has a big w, however, which might put her in a tight spot against Tomoe. Unlike Tomoe who has an almost unlimited amount of mana, Hannah prioritized raw continuous power¡­ making her mana decrease almost by the second.


    And one more thing¡­ was that Tomoe''s ability was better in neutralizing people without bringing them too much harm. Compared that to Hannah¡­ then they should already have a winner if everything falls into ce.


    But still, this should be quite a battle to remember.


    "I know you''re all heated up."


    But before any of the students could start their matches, Katherine suddenly pped her hands; and as soon as each of the students'' attention was on her, she quickly tapped something on her tablet.


    The students were wondering what she had just done, but they did not need to wonder for that long as an orchestra of drones slowly whirred their way out of nowhere towards their ss.


    "W¡­ What?" Gary, who was about to set up his phone, could not help but kick the tripod he erected away in frustration. He was already losing subs ever since the announcement that the Academy would be broadcasting their activities¡­ but the realization of it truly happening finally put the final nail in the coffin. Gary¡­ would probably lose all of his subs by the end of the day.


    He did not know why, however. As when he checked Riley''s inactive YouView channel, his subs were increasing by the minute. Does he need to get kidnapped!? Is that it!?


    "..."


    "As I said the other day," Katherine then continued, "The citizens will be watching your performance from now on¡­ and will be voting ordingly. Even if you win here, it doesn''t guarantee that you will get the title of Mega Student, as that would depend on your votes by the end of the month."


    "Ma''am¡­ I know you already exined all of thisst week," one of the students raised their hand, "But wouldn''t the viins outside learn about us with this?"


    "Most viins would already know what you''re capable of 3 seconds after you start fighting. Our abilities have already been on the for hundreds of years, creating preceding strategies..." Katherine exined, "...Better to show them you''re not to mess with in the first ce."


    "Yeah man, the teach is right¡­ and who would learn from a weakling like you anyway!?"


    "What did you say, stretchy face!?"


    "I''ll also be careful with what I say from now on," Katherine pped her hands, "After all, you''re already being broadcasted."


    "W¡­ what the."


    "Don''t worry, as the other sses are also in the same position," Katherine then said, "But since this is the only Mega Academy currently active¡­


    ...The whole world might just very well be watching you."


    The des of grass on the ground were almost plucked away as most of the students all took in a deep breath at the same time. They weren''t even real superheroes yet¡­


    ...and the world would already be judging them.


    "Alright, you know the drill. You can decide amongst yourself on how to start," Katherine then said as she floated in the air. And as she reached a sufficient height, a drone suddenly approached her¡­ before handing her what seemed to be a cup of coffee.


    "..." Katherine could only blink a couple of times, before deciding to take it. That''s weird, she thought. Since when was the Academy giving out free coffee?


    She then carefully smelled the coffee, and seeing as it was just aromatic-- she proceeded to take a sip without thinking any further. But as she did so¡­ she noticed that the drone that handed her the coffee was still beside her¡­ its lens pointed directly towards her¡­ or rather, the cup she was holding.


    "..." Katherine then squinted her eyes as she scanned the cup, only to see thebel ''Starbeans'' printed on it.


    Starbeans¡­ was a popr coffee shop. And soon, it finally clicked to her what was happening; she then looked towards Riley, only to see him looking at her with his eyebrows furrowed.


    Seeing this, the only thing that she could do was rotate the cup to hide thebel; and as soon as she did so, the drone flew away.


    It would seem Riley was right on the money¡­


    ...the government was starting to exploit them. Soon, some of the students might even be offered brand deals. She could only wish that Riley remained calm through all of this; if not, then the blood on her hands that were already solidifying would grow even heavier¡­ until she could no longer lift them up.


    "Should we start then?"


    Back in the ground, Hannah was currently walking around and circling Tomoe, cracking her knuckles as she did so.


    Tomoe, on the other hand, only calmly bowed as her palms slowly opened to the sides.


    "W¡­ wait!" But before the two could start duking it out, one of the foreign students stepped forward, "W¡­ why don''t the two of you fight us first so we could progress--"


    But before he could even finish his words, an iceberg instantly covered him and the other members of the Elemental group.


    "..."


    But with a snap of Tomoe''s finger, the iceberg prison also quickly melted away.


    "...Understandable, have a good day."


    The foreign student then said as he moved away; followed by the rest of the group as they all sat on the ground without uttering any more words. Katrina was also one of the people that was frozen-- she truly wanted to fight with Hannah and Tomoe so she could test herself against Riley''s circle... but since everyone else backed off, it would be quite embarrassing to voice out her wishes now.


    "Hm. show off," Hannah then let out a small snicker as she looked at Tomoe, "I like that, don''t even think about holding back. Show my brother you have enough strength to stand by his side and protect each other."


    Tomoe quickly nodded as she heard Hannah''s words. Lately, Riley has not been calling him and only meeting up with the First Subordinate. She was supposed to be a major part of the group, but at this point, she might as well just be a ghost member.


    "Please take care of me, Hannah-aneki."


    "P¡­ please stop that. I only said that as a joke," Hannah once again chuckled. But after a few more moments, she stopped walking in circles and nodded at Tomoe, who bowed in response.


    "Let''s go!" Hannah then rushed towards Tomoe, but a translucent darkness quickly wrapped her entire body as she was quickly encased in a block of dark and murky ice-- not even allowing her to take a 3rd step.


    "...That''s it?" The students that were watching on the side could not help but exim as they saw Hannah confined in the ice prison.


    Tomoe, however, did not move her eyes for even a second. And soon, even through the thick and murky ice¡­ she saw a smile slowly building on Hannah''s face.


    Bubbles then started trickling around her, boiling the ice wrapped around her skin at an incredible rate; but not enough that it would explode.


    Seeing this, Tomoe also let out a smile of her own. As expected of Riley''s sister, she thought.


    And soon, an ocean of mist exploded throughout the field, blinding everyone within its embrace.


    Tomoe quickly covered herself in a wall of ice to protect herself but doing so decreased her visibility even more as the ice she produced had the translucency of saturated c.


    "..." Tomoe then closed her eyes. And soon, she felt a heating from above. She then opened her eyes to look, only to see a ming silhouette sparking and trickling beyond the thick mist.


    Of course, Tomoe already knew that Hannah would be attacking there as she purposely left her top open-- and so, without even taking a pause, Tomoe raised her finger, causing multiple rods of ice to emerge from the wall she created. Since the icicles were blunt, there was no way it would-- !!!


    Tomoe could not help but widen in shock as the rods went through Hannah. She quickly retracted all of her powers, but it was already toote.


    "N¡­ no!" However, as soon as the silhouette fell towards her, it quickly dissipated into smoke; like a puff that instantly reached the end of its life.


    "On your left."


    "!!!" Tomoe quickly put up an ice wall to her left, only for her to feel a heating from her right. She put up another wall, but it was already toote as Hannah''s ming fist went through the thin barricade, threatening to incinerate her face.


    However, before Hannah''s fist reached her face, the mes died down-- leaving only Hannah''s bare knuckles to touch her cheek.


    But perhaps ''touch'' was not the word to use¡­ as Tomoe rolled away a few meters on the ground like a ragdoll.


    "Oh shit!" Hannah hissed as she quickly rushed towards Tomoe, "You okay!?"


    But seeing as Tomoe''s body was tightly wrapped in some sort of dark ice, it would seem she was¡­ still alright. Hannah then quickly looked towards Katherine; and since she only nced at them before looking away, it would seem that this was still in the realm of ''inflicting a little harm''.


    Hannah then returned her eyes towards Tomoe, only to see her emotionless eyes staring at the skies.


    "...You okay?"


    "Yes."


    "W¡­ well," Hannah then let out a cough as she stretched her hand to Tomoe, "C¡­ consider this as some sort of hazing," she said while letting out the most awkwardugh possible.


    "...Hazing?" Tomoe breathed out as she reached for Hannah''s hand.


    "Yeah¡­ To wee you in our sisterhood."


    "Sisterhood?" Tomoe''s confusion grew by the second as Hannah helped her up.


    "Y¡­ yeah," Hannah said as she scratched her chin, "Silvie and I already duked it out¡­ I lost of course, but a sisterhood was formed that day. So¡­ I guess wee to our family?"


    "...Family?"


    And as soon as Tomoe heard those words, the frozen fractals that were on her face were suddenly melted by the tears trailing from her eyes.


    "W¡­ what the¡­ Don''t¡­ don''t cry¡­ I might get penalized or some shit...


    ...Why are you crying!?"

 Chapter 96: The Monsters of Class 1-V

    <h4>Chapter 96: The Monsters of ss 1-V</h4>


    "B¡­ bakemono! Omae ni chikadzuku na! Don''t¡­ don''t even dare to approach me!"


    A snap in the air echoed throughout the frozen room as a small girl dropped to the ground; holding her cheek that was struck by her mother; blood, slowly trailing down from her nose.


    "What¡­ what have you done?"


    The small girl then turned her head towards her mother, who was embracing what seemed to be a statue sculpted from ice-- but if one were to look closer, one could see that a human was actually trapped inside¡­ the blood oozing from each pore of his skin, somewhat crawling through the ice and turning it darker.


    "Why¡­ how could you do this, you monster!?"


    "But¡­" The little girl tried to approach her mother, but her mother quickly ran away, only to return with her hands trembling¡­ the knife that was now in her hands pointed at the little girl.


    "D¡­ don''t evene near me," the mother stuttered.


    "But¡­ d¡­ dad told me he was hot," the little girl''s eyes started to move erratically, "I¡­ I only wanted to make him feel better."


    "No¡­ no, this¡­ this isn''t happening," the mother''s ears seem to be closed; her daughter''s words not even entering her mind.


    "He¡­ he said he was hot, m¡­ mommy," vapor started to fume out from the little girl''s mouth as the floors in the room started to crackle, "D¡­ dad said he¡­ he wanted me to make him feel better. He¡­ he took off his clothes because he was hot."


    "W¡­ what?"


    "I--" The little girl''s words were cut short as the blood that was trailing from her nose gushed out even stronger, "He¡­ tried to get my clothes off too, m¡­ mom. But¡­ But I said I wasn''t hot¡­


    ...So I just¡­ I just thought I should help¡­ help him¡­ So¡­


    ...I froze him."


    ***


    "W¡­ when are you going to stop crying!?"


    With Katherine clearing out most of the mist from Hannah evaporating the prison of ice, almost everyone was now looking at Hannah, as well as Tomoe, who had been crying for almost a full minute.


    Hannah could not help but panic, waving her hand randomly as the tears trailing on Tomoe''s face did not seem to have any ns of stopping.


    "What did she do?"


    "Did¡­ did she bully her?"


    "W¡­ what the!? Who said that!?" With the other students starting to whisper with each other, Hannah quickly let out a violent roar as her eyes scanned the gossiping people, "This is a superhero academy, what do you mean bullying!? And shouldn''t you be concentrating on your own matches, you stupid fucks!"


    With Hannah''s terrorizing voice reverberating throughout the vast field, the gossiping students could only shut their mouths; trying their best to avoid the nuclear tyrant''s re. Perhaps she didn''t choose the name ''Nuclear Baby'' because of her powers¡­ but because of her temper-- the foreign students thought.


    "Sorry, this is my fault."


    "W¡­ what the?" Hannah then returned her attention to Tomoe, whose face was now back to being emotionless, any traces of the tears that previously ravished her face werepletely gone,


    "What¡­ what kind of bipr nonsense is this?" Hannah could not help but breathe out. But after a few seconds, Hannah shook her head and let out a short but deep sigh,


    "I¡­ guess your family issues aren''t as light and hysterical as mine."


    "..."


    "Tell me and Silvie about it sometime, okay?"


    "Y¡­ yes," Tomoe nodded. And with that as the sign of the conclusion of their match, the rest of the members of the Elemental group all pped their hands; however, as soon as Tomoe''s eyesnded on them, they all quickly stopped.


    "It''s time for us to decide who is in the 2nd ce," Tomoe then whispered.


    None of the members of the Elemental group, however, stood up. It was alreadymon knowledge that Tomoe was part of the Potential Viin list-- they might actually just die while facing her.


    And so, with that thought, one of the students'' gulps whispered in the air, "We¡­ I think¡­


    ...we''re just going to fight for 3rd ce."


    ***


    "Damn, all sorts of drama are happening in Hannah''s group," Gary, who was watching Hannah and Tomoe''s situation from afar, quickly moved his head to the side. And as he did so, a fist suddenly passed by his face, almost grazing his mask.


    "Surprise, motherfucker!" Gary then roared as he grabbed the fist, dragging it as he suddenly rotated his body, pivoting with his feet until a whistle started hiss in the air-- and finally, as soon as he heard a small gulp whisper in his ear, he let go of the fist.


    "I told you, you should have gone with the arm wrestling, boy!" Gary then shouted as the owner of the fist he just threw started to roll on the ground for several meters, "I might be a side character, but I''m the main side character-- that means I''m strong!"


    "This is a bit too much, isn''t it?"


    "Oh?"


    Gary then looked towards where his opponentnded, only to see him in Silvie''s arms.


    "Finally, the main challenger hase!" Gary then said as he pointed at Silvie, "Come, let us not waste our time dealing with these nameless goons and finally decide for ourselves who is truly the number one Enhancer in this ss!"


    "No."


    However, even with Gary''s passionate¡­ speech, Silvie only shook her head, "I don''t think it''s right not to give the others a chance to participate for--"


    "Aha!" Gary did not let her finish talking as he once again pointed at her, "You are going to wait until I am tired so you could easily defeat me¡­ such tactics are so underhanded--"


    "Fine," and with those words, Silvie gently dropped the student she was carrying; before approaching Gary with a twitching smile on her face,


    "Bring it on," Silvie then said as she gestured to Gary to strike first.


    "Oho, there''s the arrogant Silvie I know," Gary said as he rubbed his nose, "So you want to just grapple?"


    "Let''s just fight. I promise not to hurt you too much."


    "Now you''re talking," Gary said as he hopped a couple of times,


    "Let''s do this!"


    "...You win."


    And after a few seconds, Gary was holding his cheek; which seemed to be as swollen as a bloated tomato,


    "We have the same powers, but how are you so strong!? Ack!" Gary winced as his cheek started to throb, "Even though you''re just a baby!"


    "...Aren''t you only 2 years older than me?" Silvie sighed, "And that''s not all true¡­ Your heat vision is stronger mine by¡­ like a lot."


    "Meh," Gary then waved his hand, "I can''t just let my eyes go brr here now, can I? I still can''t control it that much."


    "Tha--"


    "Go, shoo. Leave me here toment. You may have defeated the Dragon Monarch, but I will continue to rise from the ashes of defeat!"


    "You know¡­ Since you''re always mentioning ''ashes'', couldn''t you have just picked the name Phoenix Monarch instead?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Fuck, you''re right," Gary grabbed his head tight, "I¡­ I think I need to change my-- No, never mind. Ms. Phoenix''s fans are quite protective of her name."


    "...Ms. Phoenix?"


    "You don''t know Ms. Phoenix!?" Gary almost jumped from where he stood as he looked at Silvie, "Ex-member of the Hope Guild!? The one who is said to be one of the only supers that are able to stand toe-to-toe with Mega Woman!? Even stronger than the current leader!?"


    "...No?"


    "What!? You--"


    "Uhmm¡­ guys?"


    And before Gary could even continue his words, one of the members of their group approached them, "Perhaps¡­ it''s our time to have our matches? We still haven''t--"


    "Alright, alright," Gary grabbed his ssmate by the shoulders, "Since I still haven''t fully warmed up, I''ll be your opponent¡­


    ...Let the Dragon Monarch be the judge!"


    "..." Seeing Gary iling their ssmate around, the other members of the group could only let out a small but deep sigh.


    ...Why was their ss full of monsters?


    "I''m sitting this one out." And speaking of monsters, one of the members of the Telekic group had first-hand experience in being mowed down by one-- Be Jackson.


    "Eh, you sure, sis?" Ben then quickly approached her sister, his steps slightly mocking, "It''s not like you to pass the opportunity for a fight. W¡­ wait, don''t tell me¡­


    ...you''ve fallen for the beautiful and pure Riley Ross!? Has my sister finally learned to appreciate the di-- Cuck!"


    "Fuck you," Be punched her brother on the stomach before he could continue his words, "You''re just saying that because you haven''t fought him yet."


    Although Be had already talked it out with Riley-- she would lie if she said there wasn''t a small fear left inside her. She immediately lost consciousness during her fight, but if her memory was right; When Riley hit her on the stomach¡­ for a second there, he looked like he had this weird and unnaturally wide smile on his face.


    Of course, she could just be wrong; humans don''t usually have the ability to extend their lips like that, even if it was Riley, who already had wider lips than most people. Of course, Daniel Espinoza was an exception.


    But still, it was better to avoid fighting him for now, "You can go ahead and fight him if you want to."


    "Oh no no," Ben wagged his finger before also sitting down on the ground, "If someone like my beautiful sis was sent to the clinic after having intercourse with Riley, then what chance does a tiny little fabulous human like me have? He would utterly, and beautifully destroy my bu-- Twack!"


    "Please don''t," Be once again hit her brother in the stomach before he could continue his¡­ words.


    Be was not the only one who held caution, however, as most of the members in the telekic group were just staying quiet; refusing to be the first to have a match-- trying to gauge their opponents since the foreign students were here now.


    But one of those foreign students, however, stepped forward-- the one who initially asked for Riley to join the activity, a student from SAMA.


    "I¡­ I''ll go and try to fight with Mr. Riley Ross," the student meekly said as he raised his hand. But after a few seconds, he looked at the Jackson siblings, "You¡­ should be the ones representing our race, but I''ll be the one to take the mantle since--"


    "...Race?" Be furrowed her eyebrows as soon as she heard the foreign student''s meek voice, "The fuck you on about? We''re Americans."


    "..." The foreign student only let out a small breath, before finally cing his attention towards Riley Ross,


    "P¡­ please, let''s have a friendly match," the student said, his voice still quiet.


    "Okay."


    I got you!-- The student then screamed and smiled inside his mind as he saw Riley Ross walking towards him. In truth, he was part of Jamba''s tribe. And since this was an activity where they weren''t allowed to hurt each other much¡­


    ...then Riley wouldn''t do anything drastic.


    Him, on the other hand, was ready to expel or even die for his tribe''s cause-- He will bring honor to his family and be the one to kill the One Cursed by God.


    "How do you want to do this, Shomari?"


    "I¡­ I am honored you know my name," the tone of Shomari''s voice once again became meek; aplete opposite to the thoughts he was having, "S¡­ since I am not really confident I can win in a straight fight¡­"


    Shomari then raised his hand, and as he did so, a whistle whispered in the air. The other members of the Telekic group wondered where the sound wasing from; however, they soon saw a small glint shing from the sky.


    The sh then revealed itself to be a double pointed-spear flew, flying straight in between Shomari and Riley.


    "So¡­ how about Tug of War?"

 Chapter 97: The Spear

    <h4>Chapter 97: The Spear</h4>


    "Is this what you wanted to happen!?"


    "...d of you to finally join us."


    A small rumble echoed through the room as Whiteking suddenly kicked a door open. But even with this uncivilized greeting, a small smile still crawled on Prophet''s face as Whiteking stomped his way towards his desk, "The Academy sorely missed your presence¡­ even though you don''t actually do anything here."


    "Shut the fuck up!" Whiteking then lightly mmed his palm on Prophet''s desk, "I spent weeks trying to eradicate the Dark Millenium, and I returned to find this shit!?"


    Whiteking then tapped Prophet''s desk a couple of times in a sort of sequence, until finally, several monitors slid out from the walls and the ceilings. The screen showed multiple students being filmed by the drones.


    "I thought it was fine during the Festival since it will just be a once in a year event," Whiteking then sat on the chair in front of the desk; crossing his arms as he stared Prophet straight in the eyes, "But showing them when doing normal activities? Since when did we be celebrities?"


    "One could argue that heroes have always been celebrities," Prophet let out a small chuckle as he removed all the monitors in the room, "Don''t you think so?"


    "Look¡­" Whiteking breathed out, "...We''ve been friends for a very long time, but for the past month I feel like I barely even know you anymore."


    "The government ordered it, I had no choice but to obey them," Prophet sighed, but still, the smile on his face did not fade, "After all, the Academy is still theirs."


    "Since when were you a puppet of the government?" Whiteking furrowed his eyebrows, "Isn''t your influence the very reason my daughter has it out for the government, Steve? All those ideas you ingrained in her mind whenever you visit--"


    "I have my own shit to deal with, Bernard," and finally, the smile on Prophet''s face disappeared, "And you forget, I am supposed to be very old."


    "Then tell me what it is so we could share the fucking burden! And I don''t care about the fake history the government gave you!" Whiteking once again mmed his palm on the desk, "I mean, what the fuck are we doing here!?"


    "..."


    "..."


    Prophet stared at Whiteking for a couple of seconds, before letting out a sigh and tapping something on his desk. And as he did so, all the windows, doors¡­ and even the walls were suddenly barred by a silver panel.


    "...You know how I can calcte the future, right?" Prophet then stood up from his seat as he started walking around the room.


    "No," Whiteking shook his head, "You see the future. Don''t be so full of yourself, the only reason you passed the math ss back in high school was by guessing. Remember when they asked us to write the form, you got z--"


    "That''s enough," Prophet squinted his eyes as he looked at Whiteking, before letting out a sigh and shaking his head, "...And you know what future I can''t see, right?"


    "I have the gist of it," Whiteking nodded, "You can''t read past a certain¡­ energy level, right?"


    "Yes. If the area or a person has high energy or higher than mine, then I can''t¡­ calcte their future," Prophet slightly coughed, "The very reason why I can''t calcte Mega Woman, Darkday, Grade-S, and some Grade-A Supers'' futures."


    "I see," Whiteking once again nodded, "So that''s why you can''t read mine."


    "No, you don''t have powers," Prophet smirked, "I don''t read yours because you''re my friend."


    "...Hm," Whiteking furrowed his eyebrows.


    "And I also can''t tell the future of the Academy."


    "You told me before because thousands of Supers are gathered in one ce and--"


    "That''s what I thought, at first," Prophet''s loud sigh interrupted Whiteking''s words, "But with all of the tragedy and the unexpected events that have been happeningtely, it got me thinking¡­


    ...What if someone was here? Someone strong enough to cover the entire Academy and the entire area around it."


    "...Mega Woman?"


    "You and I both know she''s not here, Bernard."


    "Then are you saying--"


    "Darkday¡­


    ...might be in the Academy."


    ***


    "How about¡­ A Tug of War?"


    "...What''s that?"


    Back in the Field, all of the eyes of the Telekic group were on Riley and Shomari, the student from Africa. They were also staring at the double-pointed spear floating in between them; some were excited to see what''s about toe, while some were already sweating from their expected oue.


    "You don''t know what Tug of War is!?" Shomari then slightly raised his voice as he heard Riley''s words, "It''s a game from our childhood, surely you have games like that in America?"


    "...I grew up not--"


    And before Riley could finish his words, a sharp hiss whispered in the air as their entire area was suddenly nketed by a thick white mist. The students were about to ask what was happening, but before they could do so, it was already gone.


    The only thing they heard was a light snaping from Riley, and the mist around them was blown away. But soon, the mist was gonepletely as Scarlet Mage seemed to have swept all of it away.


    "I grew up not ying games with other children, Shomari," Riley then continued his words.


    "T¡­ that''s¡­" Shomari was slightly taken aback at first, but with a small sigh, he started exining the rules.


    "...But we don''t have a rope, Shomari"-- was Riley''s first response after he was done exining.


    "Then the spear will serve as our rope," Shomari then breathed out, "And instead of pulling it towards us¡­ we push it until the tip pointed towards us passes through the line; and if I manage to pass my tip through the line, then I win. If yours passes through the line, then you win. Simple, right?"


    Shomari then waved his finger towards the ground, creating a sort of line directly beneath the center of the floating spear.


    "I suppose."


    "Wait, then why does the end need to be pointed?" Be then voiced out her concern, "One of you can get severely injured, man. Stop this nonsense."


    "T¡­ there''s no need to worry. I¡­ am confident in my control," Shomari once again spoke meekly, but deep inside him, a smile was forming.


    "B¡­ but, if Mr. Riley Ross is not confident in his control¡­ then perhaps we can consider this my win?"


    "That''s a load of bull," Be shook her head, "You''re the one who chose this game. Riley, I have a bad feeling about thi--"


    "It''s okay, Be," Riley muttered, "I feel like it is going to be a little fun."


    "...But your face looks really bored right now."


    "No, I am excited," Riley said as he blinked his eyes a couple of times. Be then squinted her eyes to look Riley straight in the face¡­ and true enough, the edges of his lips were higher than usual by almost a millimeter.


    "Then¡­ shall we start then, Mr. Riley Ross?" Shomari let out a small breath as the floating spear dropped on the ground, "Let''s first put equal pressure on the spear before we start."


    Shomari then stretched his hand, and as he did so, the spear started to tremble on the ground.


    "Hm," Riley flicked his finger, causing the spear to stop trembling.


    "...Okay, let''s both lift it up."


    Riley nodded in response as the spear started to once again slowly float in the air.


    "Then¡­ in the count of 3, we''ll start the game," Shomari then let out a small but deep breath; his face showing how nervous he was. But in truth¡­


    ...The smile inside his mind couldn''t be wider. His n was simple; before the count even reaches to 3, then he will use all of his might to push the spear straight towards Riley''s heart. If he was able to kill him, then he would be treated as a hero by his tribe.


    The One Cursed by God was something his tribe has told for centuries; the bringer of destruction. A great evil that needed to be eradicated as soon as it was born. Riley Ross seemed to not be aware that he is cursed yet-- but that''s good.


    That would mean they would have a chance to erase him from the world before he wreaks havoc. For his tribe, and for the world¡­ He was willing to do everything. But of course, there was also the prestige.


    He could already imagine it¡­ him being worshipped by everyone; a dozen wives prepared for him.


    And of course, he needed to make sure that it would look like an ident. But if that failed¡­


    ...then he still has another n.


    "Then--"


    "I''ll count."


    And before Shomari could even say a word, Be stood up from the ground and leaped towards them. She was still suspicious of this Shomari guy¡­ there was something off about him, she thought.


    "Riley¡­ Are you sure you want to do this?" She then asked; but seeing as Riley only nodded in response, the only thing she could do was start counting.


    "Okay," Be sighed,


    "1¡­"


    "2¡­"


    "Thr-- !!!"


    And before she could even finish counting, her eyes turned wide as the spear suddenly shot towards Riley.


    "I got you!" Shomari as well, could not help but roar what was on his mind as he stretched his arm towards Riley; using all of his might to push the spear straight through Riley''s heart. But s, before the tip of the spear couldpletely pass through the line he made, it stopped.


    It stoppedpletely.


    "W¡­ what?"


    "Hm¡­" Riley then slightly furrowed his eyebrows ever so slightly, "It seems I may have misunderstood the rules. I thought we would start after the count, Shomari."


    "You--" Shomari forced his power even more to the point that his arm was already trembling-- but still, the spear was not budging.


    "...Should we start over again?" Riley then turned his head towards Be.


    "...No, you might as well finish it," Be sighed.


    Why did he even bother worrying about Riley? The guy could change terrains while sending her to the Ward, she thought. She then turned to look at Shomari, giving him a sigh as she shook her head,


    "Better just give up, man," she muttered, "Riley is just built different. There''s no shame in admitting defeat-- everyone here knows that--"


    "N¡­ no!" Shomari then finally decided to use two of his arms, even stepping closer to try and force the spear to move; his veins, almost started to pop out from the skin of his arms.


    "Does that help you in increasing your strength, Shomari?" Riley muttered.


    "S¡­ shut up!"


    "You¡­ should stop before you get hurt, man. This is just an activity," Be stuttered, before waving her hands towards Scarlet Mage, "Miss Scarlet Mage!"


    Of course, Katherine was already watching. But with Riley''s abnormal control, then there shouldn''t be a problem. And so, she just gave a thumbs up, signaling that it was okay.


    Be, however, could not help but raise an eyebrow. Katherine only looked at Riley and did not even bother checking on Shomari.


    "Stop this, man," Be once again breathed out, "Riley, just finish this¡­ he looks like he''s about to shit himself."


    "...Okay," Riley nodded as he flicked his finger. And slowly, the spear started to move towards Shomari; Shomari still tried to struggle, even to the point that even his own body was being pushed backward.


    However, this struggle was for naught, because as expected, the tip of the spear passed through the line without even a slight tremble.


    "Alright," Be then sighed, "I dere the winner to be Ri--"


    "Ack!"


    Be''s eyes quickly widened as a pained scream suddenly roared through her ears. She then slowly turned her eyes towards the shout, only to see Shomari''s legs swinging in the air.


    "W¡­ what?"


    The spear, skewered straight through Shomari''s chest as it prated the ground.


    "W¡­ what have you done!?" Be then screamed as she rushed to help Shomari.


    Riley, however, only tilted his head to the side and whispered,


    "...That''s weird."

 Chapter 98: Misguided (1)

    <h4>Chapter 98: Misguided (1)</h4>


    A few minutes ago, Katherine was carefully watching all of the students having their own unique matches; she initially thought that something bad had happened since Be called for her, but when she saw that Riley''s opponent was struggling against him, she just shook it off.


    If it was before, then maybe Katherine would be extremely worried; but she knew how abnormal Riley''s control was with his telekic abilities-- nothing was going to happen unless he willed it so.


    And so, she just gave Be the thumbs up and continued to watch the other matches. Her eyes, thoroughly looking at potential trouble¡­ but everyone was careful, even with the lessened restrictions regarding harming your opponent.


    It would seem the training that they have been doing all these months was working. But Katherine was sure that most of the merit should be given to the tragedies and events that they have experienced first-hand.


    Their friends getting kidnapped and killed; then watch as thousands of people die in front of them while they were absolutely helpless to stop the situation¡­ It truly woke them up to the reality of the world; of what it means to have the lives of millions of people in your hand¡­ of what it means to not be able to save the people you want to save.


    In a way¡­ all those deaths helped them be better people, Katherine thought.


    Even those that were on the Potential Viin list were now trying their hardest, seemingly more eager to learn.


    "..." Katherine''s eyes then wandered towards the Telepathic group. The one who was able to induce dreams, Hypnos, was no longer there. He was also on the Potential Viin list¡­


    ...was he one of the students in the Dark Millenium ship? Riley did say he wanted to kill him since he could be dangerous in the future-- but to think he would be one of the students that died there.


    Truly, Riley works in mysterious ways. There--


    "What did you do!?"


    And before Katherine could finish her thoughts, a familiar voice reached through her ears, causing her eyes to widen and slightly tremble. She didn''t want to turn her head towards the scream as she was afraid of the scenery that awaited her; but s, she has no choice.


    She could only take in a deep breath as her eyes slowly turned towards the Telekic group, only to see Riley''s opponent hung like a marite; skewered by a spear that was tightly prated through the ground.


    Did¡­ Riley just kill someone in broad daylight? Why!?


    Is this some part of a n? Was she supposed to do something?


    Katherine then flew towards Riley, the weight on her mind dropping her straight in front of him.


    "W¡­ why did you do this?" Katherine then stuttered as she slowly looked at Riley.


    "I didn''t."


    "W¡­ what?" Katherine then saw Riley blinking a couple of times, and although it was not obvious on his face, he truly did look quite confused, "Then--"


    "Medic! He¡­ he''s still breathing!"


    Katherine nced at the panicking students, before looking at Riley then once again returning her eyes to the gathering crowd of students. And after a few moments of deliberation, she rushed towards themotion.


    "How is he!?"


    "M¡­ Miss Scarlet Mage!" Be quickly made way for Katherine, "He¡­ I think he''s still breathing."


    "..." Katherine squinted her eyes; and true enough, she could see Shomari''s fingers still moving,


    "Don''t move too much, okay?" Katherine then breathed out, "Just a few centimeters, and the spear would hit your heart. We''re going to do our best to help you, okay?"


    "U¡­" Shomari''s eyes then slightly trembled as he looked at Katherine straight in the eyes. He was about to say something, but before he could do so, the spear suddenly moved.


    "Wh¡­ Riley!?" Katherine quickly turned her head towards Riley, only to see him just standing there with his hands raised.


    "I''m not doing anything," Riley muttered, his eyes still blinking in confusion.


    "Y¡­" Shomari''s breaths still whispered in the air, using whatever strength was left in his body to lift up his trembling head to look at Riley. It was a good thing that he didn''t even have the strength tough, because if he did¡­ then he would certainly beughing right now.


    That''s right¡­ Riley did not do anything because it was Shomari himself that caused all of this. He knew from their exchange that he could never hope to defeat Riley Ross¡­ but he at least needed to do something.


    This was his other n-- to sacrifice himself so that the people would know what Riley Ross is.


    Shomari''s eyes then started to palpitate as the thoughts of glory echoed in his mind. The cheers, the dozen wives¡­ he might have lost the chance to experience those things; but for his tribe''s cause¡­


    ...then even death was worth it.


    And with those thoughts, Shomari breathed out hisst breaths.


    "He¡­ he''s dead," Be stuttered as she lightly backed away from Shomari''s corpse, "He--"


    "What''s going on!? Riley, what happened!?"


    And soon, Hannah arrived; followed by Tomoe and Katrina, as well as the other members of the Elemental group.


    "Shomari died," and without even any pause, Riley pointed towards Shomari.


    "Wha--" Hannah was about to say something, but as soon as she saw a student hanging on a spear, her words became slightly sedated, "W¡­ what happened?"


    "He killed him!" One of the students then suddenly shouted.


    "What!? No! Who said that!?" Hannah quickly waved her hand as she looked towards the direction of the shout, before blocking Riley from the view of the others.


    Tomoe, who was quietly watching from the side, also started to move. The grass beneath her slowly froze as she looked at Katherine, who shook her head in response as if signaling that they shouldn''t do anything.


    "W¡­ wait, everyone!" Be then stood between Hannah and the gathering crowd, "I¡­ I''m sure this is just an ident!"


    "What!? You say that but didn''t Riley also send you to the hospital!?"


    "That''s--" Be slightly bit her teeth as the image of Riley smiling suddenly appeared in her mind. She quickly shook her head off the thoughts, however, as she stood her ground, "That''s because I was too weak to--"


    "Then are you telling us this is Shomari''s fault for being weak!?" One of the students from another group then stepped forward. And judging by his ent, he was also from the South African branch-- it was just not obvious as he looked closer to a European.


    "He died¡­" The African continued, "He died and you''re telling us it''s his fault!?"


    "That''s¡­"


    "W¡­ wait, I think what my sis is trying to say is that--"


    "Are you defending him right now!?"


    Ben stood by his sister, but before he could even finish his words, another student roared-- and soon, a lot more people joined in, their voices almost reaching the skies.


    "E¡­ everyone, listen!" This time, it was Katrina who stood between the crowd, "Why¡­ why does this need to be anyone''s fault!? Don''t any of you remember when Riley saved us before!? What about when he helped during the Festival when some of us were causing troubles!?"


    Katrina''s loud words, however, seemed to have reached no one as everyone was busy creating theories of their own.


    But perhaps the most worried and at a loss as to what to do out of all them was Katherine. With all the moring whispers and roars that were being pointed at Riley-- who is literally a bomb waiting to be set loose.


    Everything¡­ everything was in chaos.


    What¡­


    ...What was she even supposed to do!?

 Chapter 99: Misguided (2)

    <h4>Chapter 99: Misguided (2)</h4>


    "L¡­ live¡­ please¡­ p¡­ please let¡­ let me live."


    The quiet struggle and crack of Katherine''s voice silently echoed throughout the ghastly air. Her words, slightly distorted and stuttered as the blood profusely gushing from her nose trailed through her mouth; mixing it with the tears and saliva that were already resting there.


    She was almost somewhat relieved that none could see her. With all the clouds of dust and the dark sky; even thergest of debris were hidden from the world. And perhaps that was for the better, as the world does not need to see the thousands of bodies mangled and littered on the uneven roads and ground.


    She¡­ was probably the only one left alive within the vicinity; but probably not for long as Darkday''s hands firmly wrapped around her neck.


    "Live?" Darkday then spoke; his voice somewhat amused as his grip tightened, "But just moments ago you were willing to sacrifice yourself for the people."


    "Y¡­ you''re¡­ you''re a monster."


    "Although I suppose it makes sense," Darkday''s shoulders then began to move as a weirdugh seeped from his helmet, "There''s no one for you to save anymore."


    Katherine¡­ Katherine could remember Riley''sugh so vividly. It was thest thing she heard before Mega Woman arrived to save her.


    But still, hisugh reyed in her mind for months and months and months... and sometimes even now.


    But soon, she knew what was about toe-- her moans. Her sultry moans as Darkday''s figure is slowly reced by Riley''s face. Her mind did not want to forget what Darkday had done to her-- but her loud moans drowned any memories she had of Darkday.


    Katherine then shook her head as she once again found herself deep into the expanse of her mind; it was almost like an endless whistle. An endless whistle showered in her mind as the nes containing thousands of innocent people dropped to the ground-- she imagined their screams¡­ she imagined what they were feeling as the nes were blown to smithereens¡­ or if someone was still alive to feel the fire slowly eating them alive.


    Their screams¡­ their screams¡­


    And just like that-- the warmth of Riley''s lips upon herspletely overwhelmed their woes.


    There was some sort of static in her mind; ying over and over again.


    Her moans, her pains, the people''s screams, Riley''sugh.


    The warmth¡­ his warmth¡­ the warmth of the blood that Riley has killed that she now finds herself drowned in.


    The face of the students as Riley massacred them¡­ their thoughts¡­ her thoughts were almost burning her mind as it felt like it was screaming at her and--


    "That''s enough!"


    "!!!"


    Katherine''s shrieking screams were then followed by silence-- one which only her fettered breaths could be heard as the students that were previously filling the air with their whispers and mor now all looked at her with their mouthspletely shut.


    They wanted to open their mouths, but as they remembered Scarlet Mage''s chilling shriek almost piercing their bones, the only thing they could do was stay silent.


    Even Hannah, who was arguing with the other students, could only take in a deep breath as she stared at Katherine''s¡­ somewhat convoluted expression.


    Seeing the look of fear and difort in the students'' eyes, Katherine could not help but grit her teeth, "Just¡­ everyone of you return to ss. I''ll update you on the situation¡­ Riley, you need to stay here."


    And soon, as the students started to leave, the medics arrived. Silvie and Gary were with them, as Silvie was the first to respond as soon as she heard someone call for the medic.


    "What''s¡­ going on?" Silvie then said as her eyes quicklynded on Shomari''s corpse.


    "R¡­ Riley killed him."


    "K¡­ Kill?" There was a small whisper that escaped from one of the students'' mouths, a whisper that reached Silvie''s ears as she quickly turned her head towards Riley¡­ and without even saying another word, she disappeared from her spot and rushed towards him with her fistspletely locked.


    "Woah! What the fuck, bro!"


    But before her fists reached Riley, they met with Gary''s palms, who blocked her a meter away from hitting Riley, "What are you doing? This is--"


    And before Gary could finish his words, his eyes reflected almost all the elements one can find in the world as Tomoe, Hannah, and Katherine surrounded Silvie.


    A sharp and dark icicle pointed at her neck, a fiery palm directed at her face, and a mixture of every element threatening to pierce her heart.


    "Wha¡­" Silvie''s eyes then started blinking erratically as her body slowly started to rx, "What¡­ what was I thinking?"


    "Fuck!"


    And as soon as Silvie retracted her fists, Hannah let out a deafening scream-- her voice almost cracking in frustration. The other students that were leaving all looked at each other in confusion; their minds still not getting over the fact that another one of them had died again¡­ and in the Academy at that.


    They could not stay long to ponder, however, as the medics asked them to leave one by one.


    "I¡­ I''m really sorry, Riley," Silvie then stuttered as she looked sparingly towards Riley, "I¡­ I didn''t know what came into me."


    "It''s alright, Silvie," Riley, who has been quiet throughout the whole situation, just casually shook his head, "Your reaction is understandable due to the current situation."


    "That''s¡­ still--"


    "Let''s go."


    And before Silvie could say anything more, she was dragged away by Gary. Tomoe also looked at Riley, before ncing at Katherine and leaving with Silvie and the others.


    "I am staying here!"


    And now, all that was left was Hannah.


    "I¡­ will take care of your brother," Katherine then let out a small sigh as she asked Hannah to leave, "The guards are already here they--"


    "I will not leave my brother''s side!" Hannah said as she crossed her arms and stood in front of Riley. She was about to say something else, but as soon as she saw a drone flying near them, her whole body instantly burst into fire.


    "W¡­ why is that thing still on!?" Hannah was about to rush towards it-- but she did not need to do anything as an icicle suddenly shot towards it and put it down.


    "Shit¡­ they¡­ they saw everything," Hannah then stuttered as she remembered the whole world might be watching them now, "Fuck¡­


    ¡­Fuck!"


    ***


    "Empress."


    In a room lighted up by its white glowing walls, situated and hidden somewhere in the world, Empress was sitting alone at the V-shaped table where the Hope Guild was always having their meetings.


    But soon, someone else entered the room.


    "...Bulwark?" Empress furrowed her eyebrows as she saw Bulwark approaching her, "Did I call a meeting? Why are you here? And¡­


    ...Why are you not wearing your suit?"


    Bulwark''s golden hair and eyes still glowed, but the previous golden suit he was wearing was now reced by a normal coat and tie. Instead, his costume seemed to be in his hand, neatly folded.


    "..."


    And soon, without even saying a word, he ced his costume on the table.


    "...What is this?" Empress breathed out.


    "I¡­ am retiring from the Hope Guild," Bulwark then said; his golden eyes being reflected in the Empress'' own eyes.


    "...Is this because of the Clearing we did of the Dark Millenium?" Empress then said as she let out a short but deep sigh; leaning back on her seat as she returned Bulwark''s gaze, "But we killed zero innocent people during the operation. There were some citizens that were hurt, but all of them are well now and not to mentionpensated."


    "Did¡­ you even talk to the members of the Dark Millenium?" Bulwark then also let out a sigh as he started walking in the room, looking at the multiple monitors attached to the bright walls, "You see¡­ I spoke to some of them before I reduced them into atoms."


    "..."


    "Some of their members aren''t even Supers," Bulwark continued, "Were you aware of that?"


    "It was in the report, Bulwark," Empress then stood up from her seat as she grabbed Bulwark''s costume, "And it was also in the report that they are terrorists."


    "They believed that they were doing good."


    "They killed children," Empress sighed, "They are terrorists."


    "What if we''re looking at this wrong?" Bulwark then said as he touched one of the monitors, "Who even gave them that kind of technology in the first ce?"


    "It doesn''t matter, Bulwark. We were given a mission¡­ and that mission is notplete until we find the leader of this terrorist group."


    "They are misguided, Empress. Some of them are children."


    "Everyone is a child in your eyes, Bulwark," Empress shook her head, "You''re even older than Mega Woman."


    "Be that as it may, I just came here to tell you that I am retiring¡­ child."


    "Pft. You know there''s no one to rece you."


    "You''re the Empress, you can find one," Bulwark then let out a small chuckle.


    "If you''re just leaving the group, then why leave this here?" Empress then let out a small sigh as she handed Bulwark''s uniform to him, "This is yours, Whiteking made it for us¡­ you should keep it."


    Bulwark looked at his uniform for a few seconds, before turning his head away and walking away, "You can have it-- I know you''re obsessed with that boy anyway."


    "That''s not--"


    "I am retiring for good, Empress."


    "You mean¡­"


    "Yes," Bulwark nodded, "I am tired of fighting."


    "But the world needs you now that Mega Woman has left a void that-- Where are you even going?"


    "Well¡­" Bulwark then said as he once again looked at one of the monitors, "A ce where I can truly make a difference. A ce¡­


    ...where I can guide them to the right path."

 Chapter 100: Meaning of Death (1)

    <h4>Chapter 100: Meaning of Death (1)</h4>


    Flittering footsteps pitter-pattered through the wide and long hallways of the Academy''s underground; almost echoing endlessly as they reflected the unrest of their owners-- only drowned by the sound of her sighs filled with frustration.


    Hannah was allowed to go with Riley to wherever it was he was being taken-- somewhere suspiciously deep into the Academy. She could care less, however, as she followed him and the guards without uttering a word. But as soon as they reached a certain room, she was blocked by the guards, saying that she can''t go inside and should just wait.


    She should just wait¡­ and that was more than an hour ago now, Hannah thought as her frustrations once again traveled through the long hallway. Her steps only stopped as she updated Gary and others about the situation, but since there really wasn''t anything happening, the most she sent them were also just her frustration in the form of texts.


    But finally, a few more minutes before shepletely turned crazy, her steps were no longer alone. She squinted her eyes to see who it was that was approaching the room, only to see Whiteking and Katherine, along with who she could only assume were other staff of the Academy.


    "Dad!" Hannah then yelled, "What''s going on!? Why are they not letting me enter!?"


    "Not now, Hannah," Bernard could only shake his head as he gestured for her daughter to calm down.


    "Is¡­ Is Riley in trouble!?" Hannah, however, did not seem to care as she continued to block Bernard''s path, "Surely nothing''s going to happen, right? I mean¡­ This¡­ This is a school for Supers for fuck''s sake. What¡­ what did they expect, a scratch? Of course, someone was going to get hurt sooner or--"


    "Someone died, Hannah," Bernard then let out a long and deep sigh as he gently pushed Hannah to the side, "...And the child''s parents would be here soon."


    "T¡­ that''s¡­" Hannah could only gulp, "It''s¡­ it''s not his fault, dad."


    "That''s what we''re here to talk about," Bernard then said as he looked at the other people behind him, "Let''s go inside."


    "W¡­ wai--"


    And before Hannah could even finish her words, the silver door closed on her.


    "..." And after a few seconds, the only thing that her body wanted to do was release her frustration¡­ and she did so by punching the Academy''s reinforced wall.


    "..."


    "Gaah!" Hannah then let out a high-pitched shrieking noise unbefitting of her age-- loud enough to almost shake the reinforced walls she stupidly mmed her fist on. Her screams were disrupted by the ringing of her phone-- she wanted to throw it away in a rage, but as soon as she saw that it was her mother calling, the first instinct she did was to reject her call.


    "...Shit," Hannah then whispered as her breaths became heavier by the second,


    "Shit¡­ Fuck!"


    "I see your vernacr is still as colorful as ever."


    Hannah''s screams were then followed by a calm voice, causing her to slightly back away; but as soon as she saw who it was, her eyebrows quickly raised.


    "M¡­ Mr. P!" Hannah then quickly bellows, "If¡­ If it''s you then you can do something, right!?"


    But s, even with her pleading tone, the only response that Prophet gave him was the shake of his head.


    "You''re¡­ you''re the Headmaster! Do something!"


    "No special treatment in the Academy, you know that," Prophet sighed as he continued to make his way to the door.


    "But--"


    And before Hannah could finish her words, Prophet ced his finger on his lips and shushed Hannah, "I''m sure we can do something," he then said as he let out a small smile before entering the room.


    "..."


    "..." And so, once again, Hannah was left alone in the hall. Her solitariness did notst, however, as another set of steps echoed throughout the hallway.


    And judging by the weight and rhythm of their hurried steps, they were Shomari''s parents. The Family Vi was near where they were, but it was by no means a distance that could be traveled on foot without effort.


    "..." They have also probably been waiting for news about their son. And as soon as Hannah saw the dismal looks on their faces, the only thing she could do was turn her head to the side and close her eyes, wincing at the thought of their sights meeting each other.


    Hannah thought that she was used to seeing the dead by now¡­ but seeing the expressions of those that were left behind feels even more¡­ powerfully painful.


    And as the sound of the door closing whispered through her ears, she was finally able to open her eyes-- letting her back rest on the wall as her legs slowly gave in.


    And once again, letting out the only words she could breathe out--


    "...Fucking shit."


    ***


    A few minutes ago, the situation inside the room was not any better as Bernard and the others all discussed and whispered amongst themselves. The video of what happened seemed to be ying on the huge monitor on the screen but was currently paused.


    And while the group was discussing the situation, Katherine could not help but keep ncing towards Riley, who was sitting alone at his own table provided to him, his eyes locked on the monitor.


    "..."


    "..."


    The group continued to whisper with each other until finally, the sound of the door opening instantly sedated their words; with one of them quickly turning off the monitor.


    "Our Shomari¡­ Where is our Shomari!?"


    The mother''s words quickly echoed the entire room, her ent reflected the weight that was trapped in her heart. Bernard was the first to approach the parents, carefully patting them both on the shoulders.


    "Please¡­ sit down first," Bernard meekly said. His words, however, only served to further increase the weight in the parents'' hearts as they both dropped to the ground; with the mother''s wails enough to deafen their ears from all the hurt it contained.


    Bernard had thought that he was used to the cries of those that were left behind¡­ but now that his son was the one the other end of the tragedy, it¡­ hit him differently.


    It took almost a quarter of an hour for both the mother and the father to calm down; Bernard and the others did not really say anything, as they knew that most of their words would just be useless.


    Of course, Mega Academy has already prepared for this kind of scenario, but not that it was here¡­ they realized any of their training meant nothing.


    "I¡­ I want to see my Shomari," the mother then whimpered as she and her husband took a seat, "I want to see my beautiful baby boy, please."


    "You¡­ can see him soon," Bernard muttered, "But I know it would feel hurtfuling from me¡­ but I would like to apologize to--"


    "I do not need your words! Bring my son back from the dead!" This time, it was the father that spoke up, his words loud and filled with anguish, cracking as he tried to stop the tears that were wishing to burst out from his eyes, "You have powers! Do something!"


    "That''s--"


    "We are actually here to discuss something with you."


    And before Bernard could say anything else, Prophet approached the two parents, "Videos of your son''s death¡­ might be surfacing in the news and social media soon."


    "W¡­ what?"


    Hearing Prophet''s words quickly sedated the two as they stared at the staff of the Academy, "What¡­ what is the meaning?"


    "We¡­ we were required to stream the activities of the students live by the government," Prophet sighed, "We were toote to stop the stream from being scattered¡­ and the reason we brought you here is to ask you to watch the video here first so that you won''t get surpri--"


    "You want me to watch my son''s death!?" Shomari''s father mmed his palm on the table, "Where--"


    And before he could finish his words, his raging eyesnded towards Riley. And as soon as he saw his face, the tears that he was preventing from falling from his eyes needed no obstruction anymore as they quickly retracted on their own.


    Shomari''s father then ced his hand on his wife before gesturing towards Riley; and like him, the mother''s tears quickly faded as they saw Riley.


    "The video¡­" Shomari''s mother then muttered,


    "Let us watch the video."

 Chapter 101: Meaning of Death (2)

    <h4>Chapter 101: Meaning of Death (2)</h4>


    "Let¡­ us watch the video."


    "Are¡­ you sure?"


    "Yes."


    The members of the Academy all looked at each other with the sudden change of the parents'' faces. Just seconds ago, their wails could not be controlled. But as soon as their gazes fell upon Riley, the only trace of their previous sorrow was the trail of tears on the mother''s face.


    And so, with Prophet nodding, the monitor was once again turned on-- showing the exact moment of Shomari''s death, and what happened to lead to that.


    The mother slightly looked away as soon as the spear lodged into her son''s chest. The father, however, only took in a deep breath as he stared at the moment his son took hisst breath.


    "It¡­ It''s my fault!"


    "Scarlet Mage!"


    And as soon as the video was over, Katherine quickly kneeled in front of the parents, "I¡­ I should have stopped them as soon as I saw your son struggling but I was--"


    "No."


    But before she could finish her words, Shomari''s father gestured for her to stand up, "My son¡­ my son died an honorable death."


    "...What?" Katherine whispered; her eyebrows showing her confusion as she slowly stood up.


    "To fight dying the greatest monster is an honor."


    The sound of Bernard''s chair slightly squeaking silently whispered in the air, but before he could do anything, Prophet grabbed his shoulders and quietly told him to calm down.


    "...Monster?" Katherine then breathed out.


    "You said this video is broadcasted on inte?" The shoulders of Shomari''s father started to straighten.


    "...Yes?"


    "Hm," the father nodded, "Then everyone shall see my son''s sacrifice. The One Cursed by God and his evil shall be known."


    "..." Bernard''s hands were starting to tremble; if it weren''t for the fact that their son just died, then he might have already flipped the table in front of him. And perhaps also partly thanks to Prophet trying his best to block Bernard from seeing the two, if not, then something truly will be happening here.


    "Will¡­ you be taking action against the student?" Prophet then said as he slightly nced at Riley.


    "No," Shomari''s father, however, quickly answered; his words firm and filled with dignity, "The Ghost can not be kept in cages. The world will decide his fate now."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Would¡­ you like to see your son now?" One of the Academy''s staff then stepped forward, breaking the awkward silence the room suddenly found itself in. And without even saying another word, Shomari''s parents both nodded their heads and calmly left the room.


    "..."


    "..."


    "What just happened?" Katherine then said; perhaps voicing out everyone''s confusion.


    "There''s something going on here, Prophet," Bernard once again reyed the video, "You see it as well, right?"


    "Hm," Prophet nodded as he looked at the video, "But be that as it may, the world saw what happened. Prepare your son for punishment-- and since he is 17 now and no longer a juvenile."


    "Wait, you can''t seriously think they will send him to prison?"


    "No, of course not," Prophet breathed out as a small chuckle escaped from his mouth, "But the punishment is not going to be light. And since your real identity is already slowly being scattered around the world¡­ the government will surely use you and your son to get the attention as far away from them as possible."


    "Tha--"


    "Wait!" And before Bernard could utter a word, Katherine joined in on the conversation, "Didn''t you already see that something weird is going on here? Why--"


    "The adults are talking, Scarlet Mage," Prophet furrowed his eyebrows as he looked Katherine straight in the eyes, "And you''re not out of the woods yet; as the instructor responsible for their ss, half of the fault lies with you."


    "That''s--"


    "But yes," Prophet once again did not let Katherine finish her words,


    "I think everyone in this room agrees that something suspicious is going on," he then said as he looked at the African instructor, who arrived with the students during the start of the Festival.


    "I¡­


    ...I will look into it."


    ***


    A few hourster, Hannah''s frustrated steps found their way inside their usual hideout-- the Korean Shaved Ice store.


    Silvie and the others were already there, and even Katrina.


    "Hannah!"


    "Did they say anything!?"


    "What''s gonna happen to our bro!?"


    "Is Riley alright?"


    And even with all the worried voices echoing in her ears, the only thing that Hannah could do was shake her head as she approached them. She released a long and huge sigh, but it seemed to cause the weight in her body to get even heavier as she dropped on her seat.


    But as soon as her butt hit the chair, a dessert was ced in front of her.


    "On the house," Charlotte then said, winking at Hannah before returning to her counter.


    "..."


    "..."


    "S¡­ shit, what do you think is gonna happen now?" Gary then muttered, "You¡­ do you guys think Riley really did it on--"


    "No!" Hannah quickly raised her voice as she red at Gary, "Shut the fuck up! You''re the one on the Potential Viin list!"


    "I don''t think that''s fair--"


    "You shut your mouth as well!" Hannah also violently pointed towards Silvie before she could finish her words, "Why did you suddenly jump on him like that!? I thought we were your friends!?"


    "I¡­ I''m sorry¡­" Silvie could only look at the table, "I¡­ I don''t know what happened, I just¡­"


    "H¡­ Hannah, please calm down," Katrina then gently waved her hand, "We''re¡­ we''re all just a little agitated--"


    "Ugh!"


    And before Katrina could say anything more, the sound of Hannah mming her head on the table reverberated throughout the entire shop.


    "I¡­ I don''t know what to do anymore," Hannah''s words of frustration whispered through their ears as she looked to the side; and as she did so, Tomoe was already handing her an ice pack to put on her swollen forehead.


    And add that to the vored shaved ice, Hannah slowly started to calm down.


    "Are¡­ they putting him in jail?" Silvie then carefully asked.


    "...No," Hannah shook her head, "But they were saying something about... a public apology."


    "A what now?"


    "A public apology. Although Prophet said the Academy would be shouldering the responsibility as much as possible¡­ but I don''t know¡­ everything''s turning to shit."


    Hearing all of this, Tomoe could not help but blink her eyes-- Darkday apologizing to the masses? If only they knew.


    "I don''t know man, this whole thing all feels a little bit suspicious, my dragon whiskers are tingling-- something is off about the African students."


    "Bro, you talking shit about my brothers from another country now?"


    And as soon as Gary had said his words, a familiar voice entered the shop. Gary slowly turned his head, only to see Be making her way towards them.


    "Woah, Woah," Gary then raised both his hands in surrender, "I''m not racist. I will have you know that I watch interracial por--"


    "Fuck, Gary¡­ no," Hannah quickly shook her head to stop him from saying anything further; Silvie and the others, however, were slightly confused.


    As for Be, the only thing she did was shake her head as she sat on top of the table in front of them,


    "I did some recollecting," she then muttered as she ced her phone on Hannah''s table, "Your girl here watched the video a couple of times¡­ until finally, I noticed something wrong."


    Be tapped on her phone, showing the moment before the spear shoved through Shomari''s chest.


    "You guys saw that, right?" Be then said as she reyed the video.


    "The¡­ spear," Silvie was the first to notice, "It already stopped when it passed the line!"


    "Yes!" Be mmed her palm on the table as she pointed at Silvie, "And then it trembled less than a secondter, and then woosh," Be waved her hand.


    "And check this," Be then continued as she slowly wagged her finger along with her head, "I did some digging; and it turns out, some of my brothers from the other continent are in some kind of tribe of some shit."


    "...A tribe?"


    "...Like Apokalipto?"


    "...Those were Mayans," Be squinted her eyes at Gary, "But yes, something like that. It''s kinda weird you know that movie, not gonna lie."


    "Hm, I dabble."


    "W¡­ wait, guys. We''re losing track here," Hannah then snapped her fingers a couple of times to get everyone''s attention, "What kind of tribe?"


    "Oh hear this-- they have a prophecy about some kind of¡­ creature called the One Cursed by God."


    "...And?"


    "And you know what this One Cursed by God looks like?" Be breathed out, "White hair, white skin, white everything."


    "...Even the pubes?"


    "Gary!"


    S¡­ sorry, just trying to light up the mood," Gary once again raised both his hands in defeat, "But see? I''m not the racist one here."


    "I¡­ I don''t think this has something to do with racism in the first ce," Katrina slightly stuttered as she found the chance to join in on the conversation, "Before Mega Woman, I heard some tribes in the world hunted¡­ people like Riley."


    "...Autistic?"


    "No!"


    "It¡­ it''s not about that," Be then interrupted Katrina and Gary before their conversation became worse, "This tribe, they truly believe that the One Cursed by God¡­


    ...will one day destroy the world."


    And as soon as Tomoe heard those words whisper in her ear, the only thing she could do was furrow her eyebrows.


    Destroy the world? Then¡­ even if it was just a coincidence¡­ then isn''t Riley the very person that fits that description?


    "Okay¡­" Gary then once again spoke, "But get this¡­ Besides the lesbo, am I the only one that noticed that I''m the only guy here?"


    "..."


    "..."


    ***


    "Empress."


    "Twice in one day¡­ I feel like I should call a meeting at this poi--"


    Once again, back in Hope Guild''s meeting hall, Empress was visited by another member. But unlike with Bulwark, her wordspletely stopped as soon as she saw Bernard entering the hall-- not even bothering to wear his mask.


    "...Bernard? What''s wrong? Did something happen?" Any arrogant tone that was in Empress''s voice waspletely gone as she watched Bernard fall onto his chair.


    "Adaeze¡­


    ...I need your help."

 Chapter 102: Start of the Trial

    <h4>Chapter 102: Start of the Trial</h4>


    "Riley, are you¡­ are you okay!?"


    "Yes, mother. I am not the one that died."


    "It''s¡­ It''s not your fault, okay? It''s not your fault!"


    Riley has now been cooped up and trapped in his room for almost a full day now; not allowed to leave under any circumstances until otherwise ordered to do so.


    He was also not allowed to contact anyone outside; but since he did not get a phone from the Academy in the first ce, then there was no need to confiscate anything. There were hours that people were allowed to visit him, but only close families and at a very limited time at that.


    In a way, it was a glorified prison-- still, a prison warmed by the tears of a mother that would probably do anything for his son.


    Diana was actually thest one in the family to learn of what happened-- with Hannah unknowingly keeping her in the dark since she was not epting her calls. She had to find out the hardest way-- from the other parents.


    The atmosphere in the Family Vi was getting weird and Diana was slightly confused as to why her new neighbors were now avoiding her, but as soon as she saw the video, she almost fainted on the spot.


    But of course, she didn''t make any unnecessary scene and just tried to gather herself first; after all, it was not his son that died-- anything she would do would be a p to the face of those who were mourning.


    But now that he was facing her son, all the emotions that were slowly filling up her heart instantly gushed out; her tears whispering loudly throughout Riley''s room.


    She wanted to hug andfort her son so very much, but she knew that any attempts would just be met with Riley avoiding her.


    "...Is something the matter, mother?" Riley then blinked a couple of times as he saw his mother fall to her knees.


    Hearing her son''s words, Diana quickly wiped the tears trailing on her face and shook her head. Even at these trying times, her son worries about her more than himself. Sometimes, she could not help but wonder how she received a blessing like Riley in her life.


    "We¡­ we will get through this, Riley," Diana then stood up from the ground as she smiled at her son, "I¡­ I will go with you during the trial and apologize to them with you. You¡­ you''re only a boy so they would--"


    "That will not be necessary, mother," Riley shook his head, "This affair does not involve you, nor do I wish to involve you in it."


    "No!" Diana also shook her head, "As your mother, I will-- !!!"


    Diana''s breaths almostpletely stopped as soon as she felt a warmth touch her shoulder-- it was minuscule, but it still felt so entirely heavy.


    "..." Diana then slightly stuttered as she slowly turned her head, only to see Riley touching her shoulder with his pinkie finger.


    "R¡­ Riley¡­" Diana then muttered as the tears once again trailed on her face. For others, this scene might look weird, or admittedly funny, even¡­


    ...But for the first time ever, Riley initiated physical contact.


    It was just a tiny finger, a minute gesture¡­ but for Diana, it might as well be the heaviest and tightest embrace she has ever received in her life.


    Riley''s confinement continued for almost a week, with Hannah and Diana visiting him alternately almost every day. Most trials of People with Super Abilities would usually be held in a government hall somewhere in the city, but due to the nature of the supposed ident, as well as for security reasons, the hearing is to be held inside one of the Academy''s auditoriums.


    And as Prophet surmised, it was going to be broadcasted to the entire world.


    "Turn off your fucking cameras!"


    "Hannah. Stop it, you''re making it worse."


    And as Riley entered the building, and even on the way, there were lots of students filming and taking pictures of him. Hannah had enough and was about to destroy one of the students'' phones, but Bernard stopped her before she could do so.


    "But dad, they are--"


    "This is already being broadcasted live, there is no use stopping them," Barnard shook his head with a sigh, "Any violent reaction you have will only antagonize your brother further," he then said as he nced at Riley, who didn''t even seem to mind what was happening.


    Diana as well was trying her best to keep herposure.


    They continued to walk, with the students still waving their phones at them. The other instructors and staff of the Academy had tried stopping them, but with the number of students, it was truly impossible to do anything.


    Tomoe and the others were also helping calm down the situation, but it was no use. This situation could have very well been avoided if the Academy did not provide them with phones, but s, they no longer knew what the government was thinking.


    What they did know, however, was the situation was bing sensational, thanks to the Government. With all the heat they have been getting from the press the past couple of months because of all the tragedies surrounding the Academy, they seem to be intent on using Bernard and Riley to narrow their targets-- they were the perfect scapegoats, as Prophet said.


    "R¡­ Riley!"


    Bernard became aloof as an African student suddenly approached them, but seeing as Riley seemed to know who he is, Bernard just let him pass through.


    "I¡­ I apologize I couldn''t do anything to stop them, Riley."


    "You do not need to do anything, Duma."


    It was Duma, the African student who warned Riley about Jamba''s tribe. And seeing as there are other African students behind him, it would seem that a majority of the African students were now also aware of what the tribe was trying to do.


    "We¡­ we''re going to help you out of this somehow, Riley. Almost all of us believe that--"


    "It''s alright, Duma," Riley waved his hand, "It would seem that everything of this was nned from the start-- there is no use in stopping it."


    "That''s¡­" Duma seemed to want to say more, but as Riley continued to walk, the only thing he could do was watch in regret. He should have reported Jamba''s tribe to the Academy when he had the chance¡­ but he didn''t think that something like this would happen.


    And soon, Riley and the others reached the door. And as soon as they opened it, Riley was bombarded with several drones and shes of light.


    "What¡­ what do you mean we''re not allowed to enter inside, dad!?"


    Hannah wanted to enter the hall, but her mother pulled her before she could do so,


    "Let your brother and father handle this, okay?" Diana calmly said before turning her eyes towards Riley, "Just¡­ tell them everything you remember, okay? Just¡­


    ...be honest, we believe in you."


    "I mostly always am, mother," Riley nodded. And with that, Hannah and Diana could do nothing but watch as the door soon closed on them.


    "It will be alright, Mrs. Ross." Silvie and the others went tofort the two, still trying their best to keep away the other students from doing anything, as the staff of the Academy seemed to not be putting their best efforts into pushing them away.


    The situation inside was worse, however, as the entire hall was almost left blind by the shes of light that almost drowned it endlessly.


    Shomari''s parents were already there, as well as some other members of their tribe. What Bernard did not expect, however, was the number of media present. Of course, he was already expecting some of them since Prophet had already warned him¡­


    ...but this many? If anything, they were looking more and more like vultures, excited to tear down his son for their own survival.


    And as soon as the members of the media saw what Riley looked like in person, their fingers could not help but keep on moving as they took their photos. Since the one that died was from another race¡­ and seeing Riley''s appearance, this could turn into a piece of even bigger news, they all thought.


    "Don''t be nervous, Riley," Bernard then whispered, "Although they said it''s a trial, it''s more like a press conference-- you do not need to answer everything."


    "It''s okay, father. I¡­


    ...am not nervous."

 Chapter 103: Irrelevant

    <h4>Chapter 103: Irrelevant</h4>


    "..."


    Bernard looked at the barrage of people that were in front of them, and he stood by his previous statement-- this was more of a press conference rather than a trial. He and Riley were currently sitting at a table, being bombarded by cameras and people that were waiting to pounce on them with their obviously irritating questions.


    And soon, after a few more moments, Prophet joined them at the table.


    "What are you doing here?" Bernard whispered.


    "I''m just a decoration," Prophet sighed as he sat on the chair provided for him,


    "Just worry about your son," Prophet then said before facing the people, "We will begin answering your questions soon. Please do know that we have the right to kick anyone that would ask any inappropriate questions, so please; I request all of you to be properly civilized."


    And soon, as the reporters were preparing their questions, the video of the ident was yed on the monitors ced neatly on the hall.


    "...Is this necessary?" Bernard whispered.


    "Just bear with it," Prophet shook his head, "The media will eat you and your son alive if you lose your patience."


    And soon, as the video finished ying, almost every one of the reporters raised their hands; the eagerness on their faces, as clear as day. One of the Academy''s staff then pointed at one of the reporters, who excitedly went to the center of the aisle and spoke through the microphone.


    "Riley Ross, are you a part of some radical group that''s against ck people?" And without even breaking his words, the reporter asked, "Since your father''s superhero name is Whiteking, are we to believe that all of these are just mere coincidences?"


    What the fuck kind of question is that? Bernard thought as his fists started to tremble, but still, he let out a small but deep sigh as he pressed on his microphone,


    "I''ll be the one to answer that," Bernard said, "My name was chosen by the people. It is, in no way, relevant to the ident."


    "But still, some people think it''s not an ident at all," the reporter insisted, "They think this was a racially motivated crime; with Mega Woman gone, they think that--"


    "The only racist people I see here are those who are bringing the issue of race in the first ce," Bernard did not let the report finish talking, "If you don''t have any more sensible questions then you can return to your seat."


    "That''s--"


    "Next one!"


    The reporter could only shake his head as another reporter reced him.


    "This question is for Riley Ross. Do you think you are better because of your skin color?"


    "My son has a skin condition! Why are you trying to bring race into the equation agai--"


    "The color of my or anyone''s skin is irrelevant, Mr. Reporter."


    And before Bernard could once again go off, Riley finally turned on his mic, "My opinions of people do not rely on whether or not their mtonin levels are high or low."


    "That''s¡­" Not only the current reporter, but the others as well could not help but slightly take in a small breath. None of them were expecting Riley to answer the question quite¡­ bluntly.


    "Do¡­ you have anything to say to the family of the victims?"


    "No."


    "..."


    "Y--"


    "That''s enough. Can the next reporter pleasee forward?"


    The reporter truly did not expect Riley to answer the questions that fast, leaving thempletely confused as to how to approach him. The only thing they could do was look at each other as the next reporters pass them by.


    "Riley Ross, the people think that your arrogance has grown since your father holds a high position not only in the Academy but in the entire Superheromunity in general¡­ you even dered that you will not be using any aliases."


    "That''s not a question."


    "The people say you think you can do anything because of your background, what can you say about this?"


    Hearing the current reporter, Bernard could not help but furrow his eyebrows. They''re not even trying to ask questions about the ident anymore and were just trying to get a reaction from Riley and him.


    Prophet was right, these people were just here to get a good scoop and didn''t even care about the victim''s family. And if Bernard''s guess is correct, then some of these reporters might even be nted by the Government themselves.


    But the Government was not alone in this regard, however, as Bernard''s eyes started to scan the crowd of people. Somewhere amongst the crowd, he should also have a nted reporter of his own-- that was the favor he asked for Empress. But¡­


    ...why is no oneing out yet?


    "No," Riley then once again answered the question bluntly, "I sometimes even forget that my father works in the Academy, Mr. Reporter."


    "We received information that you are diagnosed with autism. Did you feel anything when you killed Shomari?"


    Bernard could not help it anymore as he stood up from his seat, but before he could say anything, Riley answered.


    "No."


    And as soon as everyone heard his answer, an orchestra of gasps and shutters filled the entire stadium.


    "How could you not feel anything when you just killed someone!?" The reporter then tried to amplify the situation, "How¡­ how can there be a hero like you!?"


    "It seems there is a misunderstanding here, Mr. Reporter."


    "Misunderstanding!?" The reporter slowly started to smile inside his mind, "The whole world has seen the video and it was clear that--"


    "I did not kill him, Mr. Reporter."


    I got you!-- The reporter thought as he tried to hide his excitement, "Is this your statement!? How do you think Shomari''s parents feel when they--"


    "Their feelings are irrelevant, Mr. Reporter."


    "W¡­ what?"


    "I am the one being questioned, not them."


    Good, this is good-- the reporter thought. Riley Ross was getting riled up.


    "How could you do something like this!? I heard the Academy has a Potential Viin list, what do you think about that!?" The reporter''s breaths were starting to get heavier as the thought of being promoted slowly surfaced in his mind.


    "I am not on the list, so I believe my opinions have no weight on the matter, Mr. Reporter."


    "You should be!"


    "That is not a question," Riley muttered, "Are you perhaps asking if I should be on the list, Mr. Reporter?"


    "Yes!"


    "Then, no."


    "But you just killed--"


    "I did not kill Shomari," Riley shook his head, "He¡­


    mitted suicide."


    "!!!" This time, only gasps remained inside the auditorium as most of the reporters and cameramen were frozen in their seats; not able to move their fingers from what they just heard.


    "How could you say that in front of the victim''s family!? You--"


    "Enough! Next reporter!" Bernard then lightly mmed his fist on the table as he asked the staff to remove the current reporter, "This is the final reporter we would be epting, my son is tired."


    The other reporters could not help but let outints. But s, they could do nothing as they were lucky enough to even be chosen to be here-- if they started to push their luck even further, then they might even end up losing their careers.


    "Hello, this question is for Whiteking¡­ or if I could address you by your real name, Bernard Ross."


    "..." Bernard just raised an eyebrow from the current reporter''s words. It would seem there really was no stopping his identity from being fully exposed to the rest of the world anymore.


    "Did you think you raised your son right?" The reporter then asked, "Should someone like him really be in an Academy meant to train superheroes?"


    "What do you mean someone like him?" The tone of Bernard''s voice showed no friendliness at all.


    "Most of the people think it is your fault for putting a child on the spectrum in the Academy. How did he even pass the Academy in the first ce if not for your influen--"


    "The Academy epts everyone," Bernard did not let the reporter finish as he looked him straight in the eyes, "The Academy was built for the purpose of turning simple pebbles into diamonds. They are here to learn in the first ce, what the fuck are you--"


    "Stop."


    And before Bernard could continue, Riley suddenly raised his hand, "My father is not in any way involved in the death of Shomari, please¡­


    ...do not ask him any more questions."

 Chapter 104: Uninvited Guests

    <h4>Chapter 104: Uninvited Guests</h4>


    "My father is not in any way involved in the death of Shomari, please¡­


    ...do not ask him any more questions."


    Riley''s voice echoed throughout the entire stadium, and although his tone was still quite monotonous, it somewhat held a certain¡­ authority that made the reporters a little ufortable.


    "R¡­ Riley?" As for Bernard, he could only stutter as Riley asked him to sit down.


    "Very well," and as for the current reporter, he didn''t seem to have any ns on backing down either, "Just a month before, there is news that you have sent a woman of color to the clinic, is that true?"


    "Yes."


    "I thought this race issue is already--"


    "Let them continue, father," Riley once again raised his hand to stop his father from saying anything more.


    "It was also against a woman," and with Riley''s permission, the reporter continued, "The people are starting to wonder whether or not you actually meant for that to happen, and that it was not an ident. What can you say about that?"


    "..." This time, Riley did not answer immediately. But instead, letting out a sigh that echoed throughout the entire stadium-- finally showing a change of his tone.


    "Shomari and Be are both objectively weaker than I am. I need to control my powers just enough to not hurt them," Riley then said, "The color of their skin or their gender has nothing to do with that, Mr. Reporter. I have confidence in my ability to control my power-- If they got hurt, then it would be due to their own actions."


    Hearing Riley''s statement, the reporter could not help but take in a small but deep breath-- he hit a jackpot, he thought. This was the first time someone was being used of murder, and they belittle the victim.


    "So you are saying Shomari died because he is not strong enough!?" The reporter bellowed, "How could you-- !!!"


    He could not help but suddenly stop his words, however, as a steel pole suddenly appeared in front of his face, its tip pointed directly towards his eye.


    Everyone then looked at Riley, only to see him with his hand slightly raised.


    "This--"


    And before he and the other reporters could understand what was going on, several poles that seemed to havee from the chairs that were not being used all started shooting towards all of them, stopping short of making a hole on their forehead.


    Even Prophet, Bernard, and the other people present inside the hall was presented with a sharp steel pole a few inches away from their face.


    "Riley!" Bernard then quickly stood up, with the tip of the pole instantly following his face, "What are you do--"


    And before Bernard could finish his words, a smile slowly rose on Riley''s face; making everyone inside the roompletely ufortable.


    "Go ahead, everyone," Riley then said, "Try moving the bars if you can."


    "..." Bernard furrowed his eyebrows from Riley''s words. But after a few seconds, he somewhat realized what Van was doing as he grabbed the steel pole. His bracers then started to tremble like scales as small gaps opened all over it, boosting out fires that caused the pole to move ever so slightly.


    "..." The reporters were quite nervous as they had no idea what was going on, but after a few breaths, some of them started trying to move the pole-- with some even hanging on them. But it was to no avail, it was as if the poles were fixed in the air, not even budging for even a millisecond.


    And soon, Riley''s words once again whispered in the air, "The only way that the poles in front of all of you would move is that I stop controlling it. In reflection to that, the only way the spear would have killed Shomari is if he moved the spear towards himself as soon as I let go of it¡­


    ...As I said earlier, hemitted suicide."


    "But¡­ this¡­ this only proves that you have the power to kill him and what happened wasn''t an ident!"


    "It wasn''t an ident, he killed himself," Rileymented, "And if I truly wanted to kill Shomari, then I would have made sure that no one else knows it."


    And as he said that, the sharp tips of the poles slowly started to move closer towards the reporters'' faces. This was not good, Riley thought. He¡­


    ...was suddenly having the urge to kill all of the people in front of him. Maybe he shouldn''t have done something like this¡­ should he do it? Should he go out of retirement and just kill everyone here?


    Was it worth it?


    What about Mega Woman? He told her he would wait for her.


    Not good¡­ this is not good. Riley could feel his breaths slowly starting to be heavy as the minute smile on his face was threatening to be even wider.


    "I think that''s enough, Riley Ross."


    And before his thoughts couldpletely flourish, a figure suddenly appeared behind him, "I think they got the message."


    "..." Riley then slowly turned his head, only to see the leader of the Hope Guild standing there.


    "E¡­ Empress!?" The reporters all mored as Empress suddenly showed herself, "What¡­ what is she doing here!?"


    With the gasps of shock filling the entire stadium, Riley could only blink his eyes a couple of times, before subtly waving his hand as the pole all went away at the same time, carefully and expertly returning to where they were taken from.


    Prophet, who was keeping quiet on the side and just watching, could not help but furrow his eyebrows upon seeing this. He then nced at Bernard, his eyes highly inquisitive.


    "I know all of you are curious as to why I am here," Empress''s words then resounded in the entire stadium as she was given a seat at the panel, "And some of you might have guessed why, and you are probably right-- as someone who grew up in the deepest outskirts of South Africa, I am well aware of the situation happening now¡­ and it''s something I can''t ignore."


    "The--"


    "But I am here to tell you that this boy did nothing wrong," Empress then muttered before giving Bernard a slight nce.


    "What¡­ what do you mean by that, Empress!?"


    "Are you trying to protect the family of your fellow member!?"


    "No," Empress then raised her hand, quickly shutting down the reporters. Riley, who saw this, could not help but sigh internally. If he was wearing his Darkday suit, he was sure these reporters would also shut their mouths¡­ because they would be dead.


    "Shomari belongs to an old tribe that still has previous customspletely intact," Empress then eloquently exined, "And their tribe has a prophecy that a human that looked like Mr. Riley Ross here would end up destroying the world."


    "W¡­ what?"


    "I am a bitte since I¡­ spoke with the leader of the said tribe," Empress followed, "And I am here to tell you that they have confessed everything voluntarily."


    "..." Bernard took in a small breath as he heard Empress''s words. The n was to nt a reporter amongst the crowd and have him be the one to expose this information¡­ but to think Adaeze woulde herself-- was she trying to increase his debt to her?


    Empress then continued to exin about the tribe''s customs, as well as the One Cursed by God.


    The reporters could only look at each other and swallow their words. They were pushing for a certain narrative, but now that was gone, their bullets were almostpletely low. Why were they not informed about this crucial information about their station?


    "And so, I am truly sorry to say this," Empress then let out a small sigh as she looked in the direction of Shomari''s parents, "That Riley Ross is right that Shomarimitted suicide¡­ for the sake of their tribe. This is only an action of a minute and radical group and does not represent the entirety of my people. There is also only a handful of them inside the Academy and most of the African students staying here arepletely innocent and oblivious of their cause."


    "How¡­ how dare you betray your own kind!?" Shomari''s parents then stood up from their seats. They were about to rush towards her, but were stopped by the Academy staff, "You¡­ you are making my son''s sacrifice into nothing!"


    "...I am by no means intruding with the business of the Academy," Empresspletely ignored the parents'' words as she looked at Prophet, "But perhaps those who are involved in this radical group should be ejected from the Academy. Because if not and the group continues with their misdeeds. We¡­


    ...will be forced to treat them as terrorists."


    "!!!"


    "Adaeze?" Bernard then quickly grabbed Empress''s arm and pulled her close to him, "I think this is going a bit overboard."


    "You asked for help, didn''t you?" Empress whispered close to Bernard''s ears. And of course, the reporters did not miss this very minute and subtle closeness between the two as they started taking photos without any pause.


    "That is all I have to say," Empress then stood up from her seat, "It is up to the Academy to make a decision in expelling the--"


    "I think expelling them will not solve anything and is quite a hard punishment, Empress."


    And before Empress could finish her words, the main door of the auditorium opened. Everyone turned their heads towards the noise, only for their eyes to reflect the golden glowing from the individual that was slowly walking down the aisle.


    "I believe they could be guided to the right path."


    It was another member of the Hope Guild-- Bulwark.


    "What¡­


    ...What the hell is going on!?"

 Chapter 105: Infiltration of the Hope Guild? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 105: Infiltration of the Hope Guild? (1)</h4>


    "Bulwark!"


    "It''s Bulwark!"


    And just like that, the cameras that were previously on Shomari''s parents all went away and pointed towards the unexpected guest that suddenly arrived within thepound, adding to the already chaotic atmosphere that befell them just moments ago.


    And now, with Bulwark here, 3 of the 7 members of the Hope Guild were within their presence-- an urrence that could only be called rare, as usually, if there are more than two Hope Guild members within a kilometer, it would mean they were dealing with a ss-S threat.


    "...Bulwark?" Even Empress, who was about to take her leave, could not help but halt her steps as Bulwark suddenly showed himself. When he approached her about his retirementst week, Bulwark mentioned something about going to a ce where he could make a difference¡­


    ...But to think the ce he was referring to was the Academy.


    "...This conference is over," Bernard''s voice then echoed through the auditorium, "If you want any follow-up on the story, then please direct your attention elsewhere. As you have discovered, my son is innocent¡­


    ...Also, I apologize for my son''s rash actions earlier; even if he is probably the mostposed person you have met, as you can see, he''s still just a brat."


    "W¡­ wait, we still have--"


    There were other reporters that still wanted to ask Riley some questions, but before they could do so, Bernard already pushed his microphone away, "Let''s go, Riley. Whatever stunt Bulwark is pulling here doesn''t involve us anymore."


    "..." Riley slightly nced at Bulwark and Empress, before nodding and following his father.


    "Bernard."


    "Hm?" Bernard let out a small hum as Prophet suddenly grabbed his arm.


    "...No," Prophet then quickly let go of his hand before ncing at Riley, "It''s¡­ probably nothing."


    "...Alright," Bernard slightly squinted his eyes before nodding, "I''ll leave you to handle this, okay?"


    "...Right, let''s¡­


    ...talkter."


    ***


    "Riley!"


    "Bro!"


    Hannah and Diana quickly ran to embrace Riley as soon as they stepped out of the auditorium; of course, Riley still avoided his mother; but this time, he had his pinkie finger ced on her shoulder.


    "..."


    Gary was about to join the three, but before he could do so, he was kicked away by Silvie, "Don''t disturb them," she let out a small sigh, before wiping the tears that were also trying to fall from her eyes.


    Even Tomoe could not help but look to the side as she tried to hide the tears that were slowly painting her eyes red-- So this is what family really looks like, she thought.


    "..." Gary''s eyes could not help but squint as he saw the two trying to hide their tears, "Come to think of it, only Riley and Hannah don''t seem to have any issues with their family among our group."


    "...You''re kinda right," Silvie then let out a small chuckle as she looked back and forth between Riley and them. Katrina was actually also there on the side, but since she wasn''t really part of the group yet, the only thing she could do was sigh.


    "And you, what are you leeches still doing here!?" Gary almost spat out as he suddenly waved his hands towards the other students that were still watching the scenario, "Shoo! Shoo! You betrayed one of your own! Shoo!"


    This time, the students that were previously taking videos and photos of Riley went away without any fuss-- slightly feeling ashamed as soon as Riley was proven to be innocent, with some of them even deleting the videos they posted.


    "Seriously, these fucking sheep," Gary clicked his tongue, before lifting up his phone and opening its camera, "Now I have the exclusive, muehehehe."


    "..." Silvie could only let out a sigh as soon as she heard Gary''s words.


    "Go with your friends now," Diana, who saw that Silvie and the others were waiting, quickly gestured for Riley to go and greet them, "They seem really worried about you."


    "Very well, mother," Riley then nodded as casually walked towards Gary and the others; leaving Diana without even looking back.


    "They¡­ grow up so fast, don''t they?" Diana then sighed as she also hugged Bernard.


    "Y¡­ yes," Bernard slightly stuttered as he returned his wife''s embrace.


    "Damn boy!" And as soon as Riley was within arm''s reach of the group, Gary quickly pped his hands, "You went through some crazy shit. We were actually prepared to barge inside when we discovered all about the One Cursed by God nonsense from Be."


    "...But to think Empress herself would help you," Silvie then let out a small breath of awe, "That''s¡­ truly unexpected. Or perhaps not since Whiteking is your father?"


    "Hm," Hannah nodded several times in agreement, "We should probably thank herter."


    And as if in cue to her words, Empress stepped out of the auditorium.


    "Ah!" Hannah pulled her brother and was about to rush towards Empress, but before she could do so, Diana blocked her path.


    "...Mom?"


    "You kids go ahead and celebrate," Diana then said, her voice somewhat cold, "Your father and Miss Empress here have something we need to talk about."


    "But--"


    "I''ll thank her on your behalf."


    "..." Bernard could only let out a small but deep sigh as he closed his eyes, "Hannah, listen to your mother."


    "...Okay?"


    "Alright, party time!" Gary then said as he pushed Silvie and the others away, "It''s time to start the ''Riley was almost sent to prison party!''"


    "..." As for Hannah, she took one final nce at Diana and the others before following the group. Her mother''s expression also slightly changed when Empress suddenly showed herself during the conference. Was¡­


    ...There something going on between the three?"


    ***


    "To Riley''s freedom and beyond!"


    "Hey!"


    Hannah and Silvie could not help but move away as the ice shavings of Gary''s cup dropped everywhere as he waved it around. They wanted to stop him, but he quickly ran away and started dancing on the table.


    "I know what it feels like to be cooped up in a room--"


    "You were locked in your room for 1 day, Gary."


    "...Today is my treat!" Garypletely ignored Hannah''s words as he once again waved his cup around, "But I don''t have enough points, so Charlotte will shoulder this for me!"


    "You guys are starting to abuse my generosity here!" Charlotte bellowed, but s, her cries were drowned by Gary''s incessantughter. The group could only wait until he got tired¡­ and that was after almost half an hour.


    "I really thought this issue would drag on, Riley," Silvie was the first to speak up as soon as Gary stopped monkeying around, "But to think we would receive help from the leader of the Hope Guild herself."


    "Hm," Riley just nodded as he continued to partake in his dessert.


    "Riley¡­" Silvie then continued as her eyes started to awkwardly wander around, "I¡­ really should apologize for suddenly attacking you back when--"


    "You already apologized to me, Silvie," Riley shook his head, "Any more would just be meaningless."


    "S¡­ still¡­ I just didn''t know why I did what I did," Silvie''s hands then started to tremble, "It was like¡­ I couldn''t help myself from--"


    "Oi!"


    "!!!"


    Silvie then widened her eyes as a cold feeling suddenly entered her mouth.


    "No emo shit allowed here!" Gary then said as he left the spoon filled with ice in Silvie''s mouth, "This is a partey!"


    "Gary!" Silvie then stood up from her seat as her eyes started to light up in red, "This has your saliva on it!"


    "Do it! Kill the disgusting pig!" Hannah then roared as she threw her spoon at Gary, whose path was blocked by the wall of ice that Tomoe suddenly summoned.


    "N¡­ no," Gary''s head then started to shake uncontrobly, "I demand all of you to--"


    "Am I intruding something?"


    "..." Silvie, who was about to hit Gary''s head with a spoon, quickly hid the spoon behind her as a familiar voice suddenly entered the store. The group also all turned their heads towards the voice, squinting their eyes as soon as they did so. As for Riley, he quickly wore his sunsses as a bright yellow light reflected upon it.


    "B¡­ b¡­ Bulwark!?" Gary stuttered before immediately scrambling to get his phone.


    And even with all the confused faces all looking at him, Bulwark only let out a smile as he approached Riley,


    "Congrattions, Riley Ross," Bulwark said as he bowed.


    "Thank you, Bulwark," Riley Ross muttered, "But why are you here?"


    "R¡­ Riley, don''t be rude!" Hannah said as she lightly stomped Riley''s foot.


    "No need for anything, child," Bulwark then shook his head with a chuckle, "I''m just here to find my recement in the Hope Guild."


    "...Recement!?" Gary then zoomed in the camera towards Bulwark''s face; his excited breaths almost threatening to rip out his nostrils, "You''re quitting the Hope Guild!?"


    "Yes."


    "W¡­ wait, you''re not here for me, are you!?" The view on Gary''s hands started to tremble uncontrobly.


    "No, but maybe after you graduate?"


    "Y¡­ yeah, you think--" And before Gary could even finish his stutters, his phone suddenly cked out, "N¡­ no, what happened!?"


    "I''m here for Madame Charlotte," Bulwark then let out a small sigh as he slowly made his way to the counter.


    "She¡­ she''s your recement!?" Not only Gary, but Hannah and the others as well could not hide their wide opened mouths.


    They did see how Charlotte-- how Raging Underpaid Employee Girl treated Hannah like a child during the Rescue Event¡­ but to think she would be invited to join the Hope Guild!?


    "Not quite," Bulwark then waved his hand, slightly dowsing the group''s excitement.


    "Get the fuck out, Bulwark."


    "!!!" But once again, the group, excluding Riley, could not help but open their jaws wide as Charlotte just cursed one of the members of the Hope Guild.


    "You''re the only one I could think of, Madame Charlotte."


    "I''m done with the Hope Guild, find someone else," Charlotte then waved her hand, refusing to even look at Bulwark.


    "...Done?" Hannah and the others all looked at each other in confusion.


    "Are you children a bit curious?" Bulwark then slightly whispered.


    "Don''t you fucking dare, you relic."


    "Madame Charlotte here¡­


    ...was the previous leader of the Hope Guild."

 Chapter 106: Infiltration of the Hope Guild? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 106: Infiltration of the Hope Guild? (2)</h4>


    "Charlotte¡­ was a leader of the Hope Guild?"


    Hannah and the others could only look at each other as they heard Bulwark''s sudden revtion, which was followed by an eerie silence as the sound of footsteps lightly echoed through the air as the other staff of the Shaved Ice store all left through the backdoor.


    "...I feel like we heard something we shouldn''t have," Gary then whispered, "...Are they going to kill us after?"


    "Shh!" Hannah then shushed Gary, her hiss louder than Gary''s words. And slowly, she, Silvie, and Gary all returned to their seats; their eyes watching the quiet scenery.


    Hannah already guessed that Charlotte''s identity was not simple. But to think she was the previous leader of the Hope Guild? Then that would mean she was-- Of course, it''s all starting to make sense now;


    Charlotte was the Shadow Mimic, aka, Madam Mimic. Bulwark referred to her as ''Madam'' just earlier. Madam Mimic was able to copy the power of others, like what she did to Hannah''s powers during the Rescue event.


    Why didn''t she think of this earlier? No¡­ of course she wouldn''t have even been able to put two and two together. Charlotte¡­ looked the same age as her.


    To her knowledge, Madam Mimic was already the leader of Hope Guild when her father joined the team but was reced a few yearster by Empress when she quit.


    "..." Come to think of it, Bulwark was also already part of the Hope Guild when her father joined. Then¡­


    ...How old are these two?


    "Why would you even reveal something like that to these kids?" Charlotte then let out a small sigh as she nced at Hannah and the others.


    "You can just erase their memories, Madam Charlotte," Bulwark then casually waved his hand.


    "What Madam? You''re older than me by at least a thousand years or something!" Charlotte then lightly mmed her palm on the counter, "And I don''t have the power to erase memories anymore! And the one capable of doing so died 10 years ago!"


    "...Oh," Bulwark then blinked a couple of times as he looked back and forth between Charlotte and the group, "...I guess I havemitted a very grave mistake."


    "S¡­ shit," Gary then took in a very deep breath as he stretched his arms to the side, "They¡­ they''re going to silence us."


    "No one is going to silence anyone!" Charlotte bellow as she threw a spoon on Gary''s forehead,


    "And the answer is no, Bulwark. I am not going back to Hope Guild even if I was 20 years younger."


    "But there will be a void in the Hope--"


    "A void?" Charlotte did not let Bulwark finish his words, "With the members you have right now? Is that some kind of joke? Even if you leave that Empress brat and Tempo to handle the guild, they will be enough."


    "But there has always been 7."


    "Why''d you leave then?" Charlotte then sighed, "Just invite some of these kids. Choose Bernard''s daughter, she has the most potential to be in the Hope Guild."


    The group''s eyes all widened as they slowly looked towards Hannah.


    "M¡­ me!?" Hannah''s eyes started to wander everywhere, "Why¡­ why not Silvie!?"


    "Not a team yer, she--"


    "Maybe after a few years after they graduate," Bulwark''s sighs then drowned the entire store, "My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is--"


    "Get out of here."


    "Well, it was worth a try," Bulwark then said as his eyes darted around the store, "I suppose I will be spending a lot of time in your office, then."


    "This is a store!"


    "Interesting," Bulwark squinted his eyes as he looked at the menu.


    "And what do you mean you''ll be spending a lot of time here!?"


    "Oh, I spoke with the Prophet boy," Bulwark then looked Charlotte straight in the eyes, "I''ll be teaching here now."


    "What!?" Charlotte once again mmed her palm on the counter, "What do you mean you''ll be teach-- Go away, shoo! This is my territo--"


    "Can I try the Strawberry Banana melt?"


    "Will that be a Large?"


    "Sure."


    "Want to try our new-- What the, get out!"


    "..."


    Hannah and the others could only watch as the two started bickering with each other. Crazy to think that all this time, the one that was serving them was the previous leader of the Hope Guild.


    But what exactly was she doing here? During the event, she mentioned to Hannah about Bernard still not paying his debt. Did¡­ Bernard loan money from her? Is that why he could afford all the things he has!?


    "Hm¡­" Gary then let out a small hum as he nodded his head, "As expected, even in small ponds, a dragon may reside deep."


    "...The fuck are you saying?"


    ***


    "Mommy! Mommy! Look at that woman''s face, it has a big boo-boo!"


    "D¡­ don''t point at people like that, honey! It''s rude!"


    "Why is she just sitting there, mommy?"


    "Hm¡­ This is why you should study more, honey-- to help people like her someday, okay?"


    "O¡­ okay! Goodbye, Ms. Stranger!"


    The little girl then waved towards a woman sitting quietly on a slightly dark alleyway, surrounded by trash and dumpsters. However, even with all of the dirty things surrounding her, she still smiled and waved back at the little girl, who could not help but smile as she ran towards her mother.


    "..." The woman then quickly covered the scars on her face, unveiling only her eyes that reflected the images of the small screen she was watching on.


    "You¡­ maybe if it''s you¡­" The woman''s whispers traveled through the murky air as she continued to watch the news being shown on her tablet-- Riley Ross''s trial-sh-press conference.


    "If it''s you¡­ maybe you''ll understand."


    The woman then stood up, the cloth covering her face falling towards the ground as she opened one of the dumpsters and seemingly leaning over it. And after a few seconds, she came out¡­ now with a motorcycle helmet in her hands.


    "..." A loud whoosh then reverberated throughout the alleyway as the woman shook the helmet, throwing away any dirt that was sticking to it before proceeding to wear it without any hesitation.


    "Maybe¡­ you can help me," and with thatst whisper, a small explosion erupted as the woman suddenly disappeared.


    ***


    "Mega Girl from ss 1-V!"


    "What the-- You''re just 4th, Silv!?"


    2 weeks had passed since Riley''s innocence has been proven; the issue, already almost forgotten as the students now all gathered in one of the Academy''s coliseum, their cheers and howls enough to fill the entire campus.


    As the instructors exined to them; at every end of the month, a new Mega Student will be chosen to rece thest.


    The students of ss 1-V, however, could not help but let out gasps of disappointment as Silvie came out 4th, with 1.83 million votes. Of course, although Silvie was just casually waving her hand, she still could not help but also be disappointed.


    "How¡­ how could this be!?"


    But out of all of them, it would seem that Gary was the most disappointed as he rolled on the already tight bleachers, "What¡­ what about our weekly steak!?"


    "S¡­ Shh!" Silvie quickly covered Gary''s mouth as he started garnering the attention of other students.


    "And in 3rd ce, Julius Reuben of ss 1-P with 1.85 million votes!"


    "..." Hannah could not help but raise an eyebrow as she saw the photo of the student disyed on the huge screen in front of them; wasn''t this the guy who hit on her?


    "2nd ce, Gintsune of ss 1-A with 2.9 million votes!"


    "!!!" Everyone howled as they heard the massive difference between 2nd and 3rd ce. Ginstune was the Mega Student from Japan¡­ just, what did she do to be able to garner that many votes!?


    However, as soon as the students saw her getting on stage, a reason popped up in each of their minds--


    "She¡­ did she get first ce because she''s too cute!?"


    "Who''s the sexist shit that said that!?"


    "Why, want to fight!?"


    "Everyone, please no stretching of limbs!" The host then asked everyone to calm down, before announcing what everyone was waiting for,


    "And now, the moment you''ve all been waiting for. The first ce-- will be revealed after we take a short break!"


    And as soon as the host said that, amercial from a popr coffee shop, Starbeans, started ying on the huge monitor.


    [Come on and drink our coffee~]


    "What¡­


    ...what the fuck is this bullshit!?"

 Chapter 107: The New Mega Student (1)

    <h4>Chapter 107: The New Mega Student (1)</h4>


    [Start¡­ and end your morning with us-- Starbeans Coffee and Tea, always fresh.]


    Even with the size of the auditorium and the sheer number of the students in it, there was almost aplete silence amongst them as a randommercial suddenly started ying on the huge screen in front of them.


    Even Julius and Gintsune, who were up on the stage, could only nce at each other as themercial yed behind them.


    They still had no idea why they were called on stage since they didn''t even win the title of Mega Student; but as themercial ended, they soon found out why--


    Several people wearing the uniform of Starbeans starteding up on stage, handing them tumblers with their brand arrogantlybeled all around it.


    "Starbeans would like to congratte the two of you for making it to the top 3!" One of the Starbeans'' staff then each handed the two some kind of gigantic check.


    "For the 3rd ce, Julius Reuben-- 50,000 MP sponsored by Starbeans!"


    "For the 2nd ce, Gintsune¡­ 150,000 MP from Starbeans!"


    "150k!?" Gary''s gasp almost reached the stage, "I could buy the motorcycle I want with that amount of points!"


    "...Why do you want a motorcycle in the first ce?" Silvie then let out a small sigh as she heard the disgruntled tone in Gary''s voice, "You could just leap from building to building."


    "Says the one who can fly."


    "You--"


    "Tch, this is disgusting," and before the two could start bickering with each other, Hannah suddenly clicked her tongue.


    "Oh boy, here she goes again," Gary quickly breathed out, "Why are you so gloomy, you got 9th ce."


    "Because the government is finally showing their true colors," Hannah muttered, "They''re not even trying to mask it anymore-- This Academy was created not to nurture future superheroes, but future celebrities that would make them a ton of cash in the future¡­


    ...I guess they have to pay for all the shit they spent somehow."


    "Hm," Tomoe nodded.


    "Well, I don''t mind," Gary shrugged.


    "What, you want brands stered all over your face?" Hannah scoffed.


    "Just the--"


    "They could shower me all they want to."


    And as the group was discussing their opinions, a familiar voice suddenlying from the bleachers behind them joined in on the conversation.


    "What the fuck!" Hannah then slightly moved away as Daniel''s head stretched towards them, "Fuck, go away, dude!"


    "If we''re getting paid to save the people, then that''s easily the greatest motivation to keep the world even safer," Daniel breathed out.


    "Money¡­ I don''t think so," Silvie then muttered, "You save people because it''s the right thing to do-- not because we''re getting paid for it."


    "Just ignore the dude," Hannah waved her hand, "He probably just has a few screws loose from being beaten by Riley several times now."


    "Hm, what can I expect from Whiteking''s daughter," Daniel scoffed as his head started to retract, "You probably never wanted anything in your life since you had everything from the start."


    "Ha? Where the fuck did that suddenlye from?"


    "I should''ve known from the start that you and your brother are privileged. Your brother wore an Avivas Megaboost Whiteking Edition during the first day of school-- do you know how many of that are in production? 12¡­


    ...There are only 12 pairs around the world. And do you know how much 1 costs!? $12,000!"


    "...Are you trying to pick a fight or are youining?" Hannah then snarled, "You think we had it easy just because-- You know what, I am not even going to bother with you."


    And with Hannah ignoring any words that wereing out of Daniel''s mouth, the only thing he could do was lean back and watch themercial that once again yed for them.


    "You know¡­ even with hundreds of people in our ss alone," Gary then whispered loudly, "That Daniel guy seems to always manage to stay relevant for some reason."


    "...He''s in our ss?" Tomoe blinked a couple of times, her usually emotionless eyespletely shocked.


    "...Nevermind," Gary then shook his head before turning his eyes towards Riley, who had been keeping eerily quiet from the start, "But still, a limited edition¡­ I didn''t take you for wearing expensive things, Riley."


    "His costume is literally made of expensive silk," Silvie was the one to answer.


    "But that''s a costume!" Gary bellowed, "My costume is worth more than his since it''s au--"


    "And now! The moment you''ve all been waiting for!"


    And before Gary could finish his words, themercial that had been ying nonstop finally shut off as the host''s voice once again reverberated throughout the entire auditorium.


    "This month''s Mega Student, garnering a whopping 4.2 million votes!"


    "What the fuck¡­ 4.2 million!? Who the fuck is that!?"


    "Pleasee to the stage, Riley Ross!"


    "What!?"


    And as soon as the host''s words reached the students'' ears, images and videos of Riley started ying on the huge monitor-- a summary of what has been happening the past month, and even some moments during the Festival.


    Of course, it would be Riley-- most of them thought. It made sense since he was involved in the South African Tribe incident¡­ Everyone''s eyes were on him!


    "Yes¡­ Yes1" Gary then jumped from his seat, "Motorcycle! Riley! Let''s buy motorcycles!"


    "Not a chance!" Both Silvie and Hannah quickly covered Riley from Gary''s view.


    "Riley, go! Before this monkey starts-- Riley?" Hannah''s words were cut short as she noticed Riley not moving from his spot, "Did¡­ something happen? Why do you seem unhappy?"


    "...You can tell what he''s feeling?"


    The group all turned their eyes towards Riley as they heard Hannah''s words, but after a few seconds, Riley let out a small but deep sigh and shook his head.


    "I am fine, sister," he then said as he started floating from his seat, wearing his sunsses as he did so.


    "..."


    "You know, the way your brother looks is already eye-catching¡­ but I feel like he''s doing this shit on purpose," Gary then said as he watched as Riley slowly floated towards the stage, his white coat, and white hair, reflecting all the lights that were pointed at him-- almost making him look like he was sparkling.


    "I¡­ think he justcks a little self-awareness," Silvie slightly chuckled.


    "Nah," Hannah, however, shook his head, "The guy knows everything he does, he just doesn''t care."


    "So, he''s a cooler version of you?"


    "What did you say!?"


    The three could not help but bicker with one another as they watch Riley¡­ magnificently float towards the stage. As for Tomoe, her erratic and heavy breathing almost caused his nostrils to fume out; her phone''s camera, following Riley''s silhouette without fail.


    Riley continued to hover in the air, leaving the students with no choice but to look up as he flew over them. And finally, after a few seconds, he elegantlynded on the stage-- his coat snapping as he did so.


    "C¡­ congrattions, Riley Ross!" The host almost stuttered as he gestured for Riley to stand between Julius and Gintsune.


    "Of course, as the Mega Student, you already have the privilege of having unlimited Mega Points this month!" The host then quickly slithered his way towards Riley as soon as he positioned himself, "But still, Starbeans would like to offer you this limited edition¡­


    ...Cofee Maker! Now you''ll be able to brew your favorite coffee right in thefort of your room!"


    "..."


    "You''re quite shocked, aren''t you!?" The host pped, "Do you have something to say to our Mega Sponsor this month?"


    "I don''t drink coffee."

 Chapter 108: The New Mega Student (2)

    <h4>Chapter 108: The New Mega Student (2)</h4>


    "Do you have something to say to our Mega Sponsor this month!?"


    "I don''t drink coffee."


    "..."


    "..."


    Silence. The entire auditorium was once again clouded in silence as Riley''s nonchnt tone echoed throughout everyone''s ears. Even Starbeans'' annoying original soundtrack was stopped by the DJ as she could not help but double-check if she heard it right.


    "..."


    "..."


    "O¡­ Okay, let''s all p!" The host then started pping his hands incessantly as he violently gestured for the DJ to once again start up the music, "O¡­ once again, let''s all give our students a round of apuse!"


    "Pft," a short burst ofughter then escaped from Julius''s mouth as he approached Riley,


    "Now¡­ how do the Americans say this¡­" He then muttered, "What you just did was quite¡­ epic, was it not?"


    Even with all the noise and confetti being thrown around everywhere, Julius still seemed to manage to be full ofposure as he lightly nodded at Van, "I believe we have met before but not had the pleasure of introducing ourselves-- My name is Julius Reuben."


    "I am Riley Ross from ss 1-V."


    "Hm," Julius once again nodded before gesturing towards the other person on stage, "That shy one over there is Gintsune; she can''t really speak English that well yet, but she is quite talkative once you get to know her."


    "..." Riley then turned his head towards Gintsune, only to see¡­ a petite ninja bowing towards him; her fox mask managing to stay on her face.


    "C¡­ Contions¡­ c... congrattions."


    "..." Riley looked at her for a few seconds, before also bowing his body at an almost 90-degree angle, "Arigatou gozaimasu."


    "O¡­ oh," Gintsune was slightly shaken from Riley''s words as she once again bowed. She was about to stand up straight, but as soon as she heard Riley''s next words, she almost tumbled where she stood.


    "Hajimemashite," Riley breathed out, "Watashi no namae wa Riley Ross-degozaru, yorushiku onegaishumasu."


    "E¡­ Eh?" Gintsune then lightly backed away, "Degoza-- Eh? Nihongo hanashimasu ka?"


    "Yes, I learned a few years ago¡­ from a guest."


    "T¡­ that''s amazing!" Gintsune then started to lightly hop in ce-- the ears on her fox mask seemingly wagging.


    "Hm¡­" Julius then squinted his eyes as he watched the two suddenly speaking in anothernguage,


    "...I suddenly feel a little bit left out."


    ***


    "Kuryaa!"


    A loud shrieking noise then pierced Riley''s ears as soon as he stepped out of the auditorium. He looked, only to see Gary crawling towards him.


    "Motorcycle! Let''s get two motorcycles!" Gary then cried out, but before he could reach Riley, he was pulled away by Silvie and Hannah, his fingers leaving trails on the ground as he screamed, "N¡­ No!"


    "..."


    "Master," Tomoe then approached Riley as she bowed, "Congrattions on winning the title. I expected nothing less of you even if it was not your intention to be the Mega Student-- I am afraid your greatness does not allow anything you do to result in mediocrity."


    "Thank you, Second Subordinate."


    "Big sister Hannah and the others would like to celeb--" Tomoe''s words were suddenly cut short as she noticed the pair of eyes intensely staring at her behind Riley.


    "N¡­ Nihonjin?" Gintsune then muttered as she slightly tilted her head to the side.


    "...Half," Tomoe slightly squinted her eyes. But after a few seconds,pletely ignored her and returned her focus to her master, "The others would like to celebra--"


    "Ah, it''s you!"


    But once again, Tomoe''s words were interrupted by a loud but still slightly posh voice. Julius Reuben stepped out of the auditorium, waving his hands and quickly making his way towards Hannah as soon as he saw her.


    "W¡­ what do you want?" Hannah then quickly let go of Gary''s foot as Julius suddenly ran towards her.


    "Maybe I could have your number now, seeing as we were fated to meet again today?"


    "Are¡­ are you crazy!?" Hannah stuttered as she slightly backed away, "C¡­ can''t you see I''m with my friends?"


    Hannah''s eyes traveled towards her so-called friends, but what met her was betrayal as Gary and Silvie were suddenly far away, looking at her with their shoulders slightly trembling-- obviously trying to stop their giggles from being released.


    "That''s¡­ a no, then?" Julius then let out a small sigh, "Then perhaps I could just invite you to dinner?"


    "N--"


    "Psst, do it!" Gary''s whispers managed to reach Hannah''s ears, "Julius Reuben¡­ he''s from the richest family in the world."


    "Please don''t expect much," Julius then chuckled as he lightly tapped the cane he was holding, "My parents are the ones that are rich, not me. So¡­ may I please invite you to dinner, even if it is just a humble one?"


    "T¡­ that''s¡­" Hannah then started to look at her friends; Gary had an uncontroble smile stering his face, while Silvie was still trying her best not to giggle.


    "R¡­ Riley, what do you think?" Hannah then turned to her brother for help.


    "This doesn''t involve me, sister."


    "J¡­ just help me out here!"


    "...As long as you don''t get hurt, then I do not see a reason to refuse a free meal," Riley let out a small sigh, "Father and mother had also said countless times that it is time for you to have a partner, perhaps this is the right moment?"


    "I am d to hear I have your brother''s appro--"


    "But if you do hurt her, Julius," Riley then looked Julius directly in the eyes, "I will kill you."


    "Oof," Gary winced, "Quite protective of--"


    "But first, I will kill your family and every single person that lives in your country so you could hear their screams; knowing that it was your fault that they suffer. Then I proceed to drown you in their blood, leaving you with no choice but to drink and eat their guts."


    "T¡­ that''s¡­" Julius could not help but take in a small gulp, "I¡­ would make sure to return her without any strands missing on her hair."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Silvie¡­" Gary then whispered to Silvie, "Remind me to never make advances to Hannah ever again."


    "...Right."


    "Fine!" Hannah then shook her head as she let out a loud and deep sigh, "But I get to choose the ce!"


    "O¡­ of course!"


    "..."


    "..."


    After a few minutes, Julius found himself staring at the vored shaved ice at his table. He then turned his head towards Hannah, who had her arms crossed as she was seated in front of him.


    "..." Julius then looked towards his left, only to see Gary and Silvie with their eyes wide, watching each and every moment of their¡­ date.


    "M¡­ Ms. Hannah, this¡­


    ...isn''t a date."


    ***


    "Alright, settle down!"


    A few days after Riley was crowned the new Mega Student, life in the Academy has once again slowly be normal as the students gathered in their ssrooms.


    Even ss 1-V, who was famous for not escaping trouble even just for a day, was having a normal day that it almost seemed too good to be true.


    Even Gary, who was usually making a lot of noise, was just happily humming in his seat.


    "...What''s with you and your disgusting mood?"


    "Riley said we''re gonna buy motorcyclester."


    "What?" Hannah furrowed his eyebrows as she quickly turned her attention to Riley, "Bro, don''t let this monkey use you like that."


    "Oh, it''s not just for me," Gary giggled, "Riley said he''s also buying one."


    "What? Riley you--"


    "Settle down!"


    And before Hannah could finish her words, Katherine once again pped her hands to get everyone''s attention, "Before we start our training for today, I have an announcement to make-- there will be a school-wide activity happening next week."


    "Already!?" There were mixed reactions from the students as they all looked at each other.


    "This time, you will be spending a full week outside the Academy."


    "W¡­ what!?"


    "Can you not react with every sentence!?" Katherine''s eyes started to twitch as she could not continue her announcement with the students all letting out gasps with each of her words,


    "Each of you will be given a district to watch, or otherwise protect if needed."


    "Y¡­ you mean--"


    "That''s right," Katherine then let out a small sigh,


    "It''s time for all of you to be¡­"


    Is she going to say it!? The students'' eyes all widened in anticipation as they waited for Scarlet Mage to say the word they have been waiting to hear for months now. After months of training, after all the tragedy, after all the hardships¡­ finally-- they were finally going to do the duty they swore to do.


    Finally, it''s time for them to be superhe--


    "...ves of society."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Eh?"


    ***Author''s Note***


    Hi, if you are liking the story so far and want to support me more, I do have a patr*on ount. /Romeru. I will have illustrations of the characters there soon! Only Riley so far. As always, thank you for reading!

 Chapter 109: Road Trip

    <h4>Chapter 109: Road Trip</h4>


    "Why¡­ why did my motorcycle turn into this!? I should be riding a bike right now¡­ feeling the wind threatening to rip off my body!"


    "Stop, you''ve been whining ever since we left the Academy."


    "Of course! I''m supposed to be going broom-broom right now!"


    Gary''s somewhat exasperated screams seeped through the small openings of the window, almost drifting through the skies as they were blown away by the truck he was riding in.


    A week ago, when the instructors announced that they would be handling their own districts all over the country, Gary and the others'' districts were surprised to find out that they were all tasked to observe and watch the same area-- even though the picking was supposed to be random.


    Hannah was the one driving the 6-wheeler electric truck, which had a lot of space for people to sitfortably in. Tomoe was riding shotgun, while Gary, Silvie, and Riley were riding on the back.


    At first, they all thought that the Academy would take them to their district, but their task started right outside the Academy''s gates-- they were left to get to their district by their own devices.


    Sadly for Gary, he and Riley were already inside a motorcycle shop and were about to sign their papers and pay, when Hannah and Tomoe suddenly arrived and pulled them away.


    And so, instead of signing for a motorcycle¡­ Riley bought a truck for their group instead-- which Hannah even painted over with graffiti-- ''The Baby Crew''.


    "And why does the truck have to be some!?" Gary then once again bellowed in pain as he almost let himself slide under the seat. Gary was expecting something tactical, like a truck covered in matte-ck paint.


    The truck did have a matte finish, and some parts of it are ck¡­ but most of its surface was in a shade of pink.


    "And what''s with that Baby Crew tag!?" Gary added, "Who chose that name for our group!?"


    "I did. You got a problem with that?" Hannah smirked as she nced at Gary.


    "I do! It''sme!" Gary actually already knew who it was that painted over their truck-- as who else would put the word ''Baby'' on the team name if not for Hannah, aka, Baby Nuclear.


    "I''m the driver, I get to decide everything!" Hannah then let out a small condescending chuckle, "If any of you knew how to drive, then by all means, do so."


    And as soon as Hannah''s words traveled inside the truck, Gary, Hannah, and Tomoe could only look to the side.


    "But Riley was the one who bought this, though!" But after a few more seconds, Gary once again rebuked Hannah''s words.


    "And I am his big sister," Hannah quickly replied, "Whatever belongs to him, belongs to me."


    "W¡­ what? That can''t be right!"


    "My sister has a point, Gary."


    "What do you mean she has a point!?" Gary then slightly leaned towards the front seats, "You¡­ have you indoctrinated our innocent Riley!?"


    "Don''t suddenly creep up like that when I''m driving!" Hannah then quickly pushed his face away, the truck slightly swaying as she did so.


    "Then at least let us choose the music!" Gary once again let out his frustration, "This metal screaming shit has been ying for hours!"


    "Pft, I''m the driver, so n--"


    And before she could even finish her words, Tomoe suddenly tapped the truck''s touch-screen head unit-- quickly recing the music being yed.


    "W¡­ why''d you do that!?"


    "As the shotgun, I believe I have the right to contest your music, big sister."


    "That''s not how it--"


    "I believe you''ll like this music-- It''s from a Japanese band called Infant Metal."


    "This¡­" Hannah listened to the song for a while, and although it was much tamer than what she usually listens to-- "It''s¡­ not that bad, I guess," Hannah said as she nodded her head along with the music.


    "Ack! I don''t know anymore," Gary had no choice but just to lean back on his seat as another metal song was yed, "At least it''s better than Hannah Papaya''s music."


    "What did you say!?"


    "Pft."


    "W¡­ You too, Silv!?" Hannah could not help but slightly stutter as Silvie almost snorted from trying to stop theughter that has been trying to escape her mouth for a while now.


    "I¡­ don''t like heavy metal that much, sorry," Silvie giggled, "It sort of hurts my ears, but at least the one ying now is cute."


    The group continued to bicker with each other, theirughs and whispers traveling inside the spacious cab. Gary wanted to rest on therge trailer earlier, but Riley told them that it was filled with boxes.


    As for what''s really inside, only Riley knows.


    "What about you, bro?" Hannah then nced at Riley, "You like my music, right?"


    "Hm¡­"


    As soon as the others heard Hannah''s words, their eyes all turned to look at Riley. One way or another, one could guess what music each of them liked to some extent. But for Riley¡­


    ...One could not help but wonder what music he listens to.


    "It''s alright, sister."


    "!!!"


    "You see that!?" Hannah patten the steering wheel a couple of times as she let out a small cheer of victory.


    "You like metal!?"


    "To some extent, Gary," Riley sighed, "But their screams sound a little fake. I prefer the real ones."


    "...What do you mean real--"


    And before Gary could finish his words, he could not help but cover his ears as the volume of the music suddenly rose.


    "I apologize," Tomoe then said as she lowered the volume, "I must have pressed it identally."


    "Ack, my eardrums almost gave up!"


    And so, their talks continued on like this for hours. Hannah has been driving for almost 9 hours now, but they weren''t even halfway through their district-- Miami, Florida.


    They left the Academy in the afternoon since they needed some stuff to prepare, and so now, the roads were getting darker.


    "Gaah, I''m beat. For real, no one knows how to drive amongst you people!?"


    With the sun going down, the group decided to take a little rest and park on the side of the road-- and since there seemed to be no one else taking their path¡­


    ...it almost felt like they have the world for themselves.


    "I could just lift us and the truck to Miami, sister," Riley then muttered as the others started stretching their limbs. However, as soon as they heard Riley''s words, Hannah, Gary, and Silvie all looked at him in unison.


    "No!" They all shouted.


    "This is a road trip, Riley," Hannah then sighed.


    "The sights, brother, the sights!" Gary stretched his arms towards the slightly reddish horizon, the trees casting their shadows as the sun slowly waved them goodbye.


    "Hm," Silvie nodded a couple of times. She had never experienced going on joy rides with friends¡­ with anyone before. So all of this was a pleasant, and not to mention a new experience for her.


    Even Tomoe, who would usually agree with Riley without a second thought, slightly let out a small breath.


    "Teen Spirit, feel the adventure flowing through your veins!" Hannah breathed out as she lightly hit Riley on the shoulder.


    "You are turning 20 in a couple of months, sister. You''re not a teenager."


    "...Fuck you," Hannah then once again breathed out as she shook her head, "Anyway, has that thing been following us since earlier?"


    "Yeah," Gary was the one to answer as he looked at the drone that was hovering above them, "Although I think it''s just starting to record now, since there wasn''t that red light blinking earlier."


    "Fuck the government," Hannah then raised both her middle fingers towards the drone.


    "We¡­ we''re being recorded, Hannah!" Silvie quickly covered Hannah''s fingers.


    "Good," Hannah scoffed, "Anyway¡­


    ...Did anyone bring anything to eat?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    The group could only look at each other for a full minute, with Gary''s stomach even rumbling a little from the realization that they might not be able to eat tonight. They were wearing their costumes, but none of them brought food!?


    "S¡­ seriously? How are we--"


    "I brought us food, sister."


    Everyone''s eyes then all turned towards Riley as if he was some sort of angel brought forth by the heavens.


    "For real!?" Gary then excitedly moved as he made his way to the back of the trailer, "The key, where is the key!?"


    And as he said that, a key slowly floated towards him. And as soon as he was able to open the cargo.


    "What¡­ is this?" He then whispered, his disappointment almost reaching its limit as the trailer was filled with nothing but metal boxes all neatly arranged to the side, "There''s no--"


    And before he could even say aint, a metal box suddenly shot out from the trailer, almost threatening to m into him before it gentlynded on the side of the road.


    "..." Riley then walked to the box, pressing a button on it. And as soon as he did so, the box started to disassemble itself-- revealing a table and chair already organized for them to eat at.


    "W¡­ what the--" And once again, before Gary could even say anything, another metal box floated from the trailer-- opening up to reveal¡­ a portable kitchen. And soon, several ingredients also started to float out from the trailer''s refrigerator.


    And finally, an apron that wrapped around Riley''s body.


    "Wait¡­" Gary then blinked a couple of times as he finally realized what was going on, "Don''t tell me. Are you--"


    "Yes, Gary," Riley then muttered as he tied the apron,


    "I will be cooking for all of you."

 Chapter 110: A Hearty Meal Leads to A Hearty Conversation

    <h4>Chapter 110: A Hearty Meal Leads to A Hearty Conversation</h4>


    "Yes, I am cooking."


    "!!!"


    Everyone''s eyes were almost as wide as their wide gaping mouths as the others all turned around to look at each other. Riley¡­ is going to cook for them? Is he doing some kind of prank?


    "Do you even know how to cook!?" Hannah then raised an eyebrow before looking at her brother with very dubious eyes.


    "Yes," Riley nodded as the knives and all the other cookware neatly lined themselves up on top of the portable kitchen, "I learned how to do so the past couple of years."


    "Then why weren''t you cooking for us!?" Hannah raised her voice before shaking her head in disappointment, "It''s always me and mom cooking us meals."


    "You¡­ don''t cook, sister," Riley looked her sister in the face, blinking his eyes a couple of times as he muttered, "You boil eggs and add salt to it."


    "W-- That''s cooking!"


    "Please, take a seat, everyone," Riley no longer tried to bicker with his sister as he gestured for the others to sit at the table; folding his sleeves neatly and no longer heeding the others. Tomoe was the first one to take a seat, her face almostpletely red as his breaths were slowly bing more and more sedated by the second.


    Riley will be cooking for them? What¡­ just what sort of thing did she do in her past life to deserve a reward like this?


    The sound of the stove ticking clicked in the air as Riley turned on the fire in the stove; heating up the pan before Riley himself held the bottle of oil and poured a dash of it on the pan-- not even using his telekic abilities to make things float anymore, but instead just using his hands to do all the work.


    Touching the meat with his bare hands, and slicing it into portions without even hesitating; like he had been doing so daily without fail for years-- which is weird, as even Hannah had no idea that he could cook.


    And soon, the drone started hovering over him, clearly featuring him live for the masses.


    "...Are we sure he''s not doing this on purpose and just showing off?" Gary let out a small sigh as he shook his head at the drone¡­ before pulling out his own phone and going live on his own,


    "YouView time!"


    "Your¡­ channel is still alive?" Silvie then quickly asked as she stood up from her seat to avoid Gary''s camera.


    "Of course," Gary smirked, "My subs went up like crazy during the Shomari event."


    "...And who is exploiting Riley now?" Hannah let out a small but deep sigh.


    "You should also upload some videos if you''re jealous of my views," Gary muttered.


    "I have 3,000 subs."


    "W-- How!? You''re not even uploading anything!" Gary almost threw his phone away, but opted not to do so as he checked on the others'' YouView channels, "Riley¡­ has 8k subs? What!? Why¡­


    ...Why is the world so unfair!?"


    And as the bickering between the two continued; Silvie, who got up earlier, decided to just go and see if she could help Riley with anything.


    "You¡­ need any help?"


    "Not necessarily, Mega Girl."


    "You¡­ can just call me Silvie," Silvie muttered before letting out a long and deep sigh, "I... want to be like you, Riley-- someone that is not hiding behind a mask. I... don''t have anyone close to me that needs protecting anyway. My powers...


    ...are for the people."


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes," Silvie said as she nced at the drone, "They... are bound to find out anyway. I think the government... is changing their priorities."


    "Hm," Riley''s hands momentarily stopped moving as he looked at the drone hovering above them, "You might be right, Silvie."


    "Can... I really not help you with anything?" Silvie then once again asked.


    "Then please pass me the steak tong, Silvie."


    "O¡­ okay!" Silvie quickly nodded as she turned her head towards where all the utensils were before her eyes started to twitch from seeing how many there were, "W¡­ which one is that?"


    "..."


    "S¡­ sorry, I don''t cook," Silvie''s awkward chuckles almost buried herpletely. But a few secondster, one of the utensils that looked like a t pincer started to shake.


    "Ah!" Silvie then rushed to get it before handing the tong to Riley,


    "H¡­ here you go," Riley could have just floated the tong towards him if he wanted to, but probably didn''t so she could be of some help-- Silvie thought as a small smile slowly rose on her face.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Do¡­ you think we''re safe here?"


    But after a few more moments of just watching Riley continue to baste the steak he was cooking, Silvie could only start up a conversation as Riley did not seem to need her help anymore,


    "What if the viins discover our location because of that thing?" Silvie then said as her eyes started to follow the drone, "I enrolled in the Academy with high hopes that I could be a hero that the people deserve-- that I could one day help everyone no matter where they are in the world¡­ but I am starting to think that the government doesn''t even care for¡­"


    "..." Riley once again stopped moving his hands as he slightly nced at Silvie, who abruptly stopped her words. Her eyes started to move uncontrobly, but it was only just a moment, as her breaths once again made their way out of her mouth.


    "What¡­ what was I saying?" Silvie then quickly held her head as her eyebrows furrowed deep, "I¡­ I suddenly don''t feel too good."


    "Go and join the others, Silvie," Riley breathed out before continuing to cook, "I will be fine here."


    "Y¡­ yes, I think¡­ that would be for the best," Silvie nodded before heading back to their table. And as soon as she sat, Hannah quickly noticed her distress.


    "...You alright?"


    "It¡­ just might be motion sickness," Silvie slightly groaned as the pain in her head was slowly getting worse; it was as if something was pinching the back of her eyes, making it throb almost to the point they wanted to pop out of their sockets,


    "It''s¡­ been hurting a lottely ever since the ident with Shomari; when... I attacked Riley."


    "Probably just stress and heat," Gary muttered, "Summer''sing and they said it was going to be the hottest because of all that science-y shit."


    "Really?" Hannah raised an eyebrow, "I don''t feel it."


    "Of course, you don''t! Your power is to literally be on fire!" Gary bellowed before leaning closer to Tomoe, "Now¡­ if only we had someone that could actually make us an ice room or something."


    "..."


    "If only someone could actually cool us by making an ice room!" Gary then raised his voice as his wide eyes stared directly at Tomoe.


    "Hm?" Tomoe, who was intensely watching Riley cook, finally noticed that the three were looking at her. And after Gary once again repeated her words, she finally realized they were waiting for her to do something.


    "Oh," she then pped her hands, and soon, a dome of ice surrounded them-- of course, not big enough to block the road.


    "Ah, you covered our view of nature! Can you-- never mind," Gary''s nose started to palpitate as it caught the scent now covering them, "Your brother¡­ really does know how to cook."


    And finally, after what seemed like a hellish minute, Riley began serving the food-- once again not using his abilities and just cing the te by hand, making sure to serve Hannah first.


    "Medium rare A5 Wagyu with a dash of chili, baby potatoes sliced thinly, lobster showered with butter and melted garl--"


    "Hold the fuck up," Hannah''s eyes turned wider as she quickly sent a photo of the te to their mother, "You¡­ little shit. You could cook like this and you''ve seriously never cooked for me? I had to endure mom''s tasteless and endless bolognese pasta just to--"


    "H¡­ Hannah, Gary''s live!" Silvie quickly tried to cover Hannah''s words.


    "It''s fine, no one is watching his channel anyway."


    "But the drone?"


    "Oh fuck, you''re right!"


    And while Hannah was currently fearing for her life and hoping her mother did not hear anything of what she just said, Riley started serving the others-- but unlike Hannah''s, their steak did not have chili on it... a detail that the others did not miss.


    Riley... was surprisingly a very attentive brother.


    "This is¡­" They all started to cut the steak all at the same time; soft, but not too much that it would break apart. However, it did break apart as soon as they put it inside their mouths; melting and scattering the juices that almost exploded in their mouths.


    It almost made them inhale for some reason to instinctively amplify the taste slowly crawling throughout their entire body.


    "I¡­ I can die now," Gary muttered, "I¡­ I didn''t know food could taste like this, how can you cook like this!?"


    "Hm," Silvie could only hum in delight as the juices kept melting in her mouth-- almost oozing from her lips if she wasn''t careful.


    As for Tomoe¡­ she was trying her best not to cry. To think that she would one day taste Riley''s cooking was something she did not expect in her life.


    "The beef did all the work, Gary," Riley shook his head, "I¡­


    ...only presented it."


    If only they knew that somewhere in the world, a group of renowned... guests were also eating the same level of meal every day-- alsopliments to Riley.

 Chapter 111: Lets Do This!

    <h4>Chapter 111: Let''s Do This!</h4>


    "...Are the students really ready for this?"


    "I¡­ don''t even know what the Academy is doing anymore."


    Back in the Academy, some of the staff and instructors were currently discussing the current school-wide activity-- with Spectacr Mustache Man''s voice being the loudest of all.


    "The least they could have done is to let us go with them," Spectacr Mustache Man breathed out, "I don''t think they''re ready-- some of them are just kids."


    "They need to face this sooner orter..." Nightwalker let out a small breath, "This might help them in the future to¡­ avoid what happened to the students in my ss."


    "Are you still ming yourself for what happened?" Katherine then joined in on the conversation with a sigh, "It''s not your fault, Nightwalker. No one¡­ could have anticipated the Dark Millenium."


    "That''s--"


    "You children seem to really care about your students."


    "Ah, Bulwark!"


    All the instructors stood up as soon as they saw Bulwark approaching them, "I¡­ I heard you will be working as an instructor in the Academy starting next week!"


    "Indeed I am," Bulwark nodded, "I''ll be supervising a ss."


    "Supervising¡­ but all the ssrooms already have a supervisor?" One of the instructors muttered as they all looked at each other in confusion.


    "That''s actually why I, unfortunately, had to interrupt your conversation," Bulwark let out a small sigh as he turned his head towards Katherine, "Once the students return from their activities¡­


    ...I will be the one handling ss 1-V."


    ***


    "That was the best fucking meal of my life!"


    Gary''s voice almost sealed the heavens as he raised his arms to face the starry night, "I now know my goal in life¡­ to turn Riley Ross''s channel into the best cooking tform in the whole world!"


    "...We''re in a superhero academy, Gary. It''s not that kind of story," while Hannah''s sighs almost pierced the ground.


    With the table now gone, the group was just sitting¡­ on sofas that also came from the back of the truck. Gary was also resting alone on arge bean bag; with all of these, the others could not help but wonder what else Riley brought with him.


    At this point, the truck might as well just have been a camper truck; seeing as they were all just watching the moon and the stars; their rxed breaths almost causing the small grass beneath their feet to also sleep.


    "Let''s go," Hannah then stretched her body as she stood up, causing her costume to also tighten and show the alluring lines on her legs.


    "You sure you''re not going to sleep?" Silvie breathed out as she blocked Silvie from Gary''s view.


    "We need to move now if we want to get there tomorrow night," Hannah yawned, "It''s fine, I can go without sleeping for 2 days."


    "Then let''s just stay here for a while since that''s the case," Gary then let out a small chuckle as he stretched his palm towards the stars and the moon.


    "..." Hannah, Silvie, and Tomoe all look at each other as they hear the slightly somber tone in Gary''s voice. Gary¡­ being mncholic?


    This was something they had to see, they all thought as they returned to their seats.


    "Have any of you wondered what''s waiting for us out there?" Gary muttered, "What our¡­ lives could be if we weren''t born here?"


    "Hm," Silvie was the first to nod.


    "..." As for Tomoe, she only looked at the sky, before also letting out a small but deep breath.


    "Probably nothing good," while Hannah only shook her head before embracing Riley''s arm and resting on his shoulder.


    "Mega Woman''s," Riley breathed out as he also looked at the stars.


    "I¡­ I don''t think Gary meant it literally, Riley," Silvie then chuckled as her voice also became slightly sedated.


    "...Mega Woman''s," Gary sighed, "I wonder when those fuckers will make contact with us?"


    "Pft, we wish," Hannah chuckled as she closed her eyes, "They''re probably just looking down at us thinking we''re monkeys. My guess is, only Mega Woman is decent amongst them-- why''d you think she left in the first ce?"


    "Ha¡­ I never thought of it like that," Gary muttered, "You think she also had the same problems we do now?"


    "I¡­ wonder what she had to go through to be the person she is," Silvie whispered, "Will¡­ we actually be someone like her in the future?"


    "..." What answered Silvie''s question was Gary''s snore.


    "There he goes," Hannah said as she also let out a yawn, "I think you will be better than her, Silvie."


    "...I don''t know. I''m¡­ having doubts with myselftely."


    "Because Riley nabbed the Mega Student title?"


    "No, I don''t care about that," Silvie slightly chuckled as she too, soon closed her eyes, "I¡­ just want to be deserving of the name I chose for myself¡­ but at this point¡­ I¡­ I think I am starting to¡­ lose myself."


    "Then just defeat Darkday," Hannah whispered, "If you do that¡­ then you would have surpassed Mega Woman."


    "You¡­ think I can do it?"


    "Maybe¡­ but we''ll be here to help. Darkday¡­ is someone that shouldn''t exist."


    "Hm¡­"


    "...Yup."


    And soon, the two just exchanged hums; slowly fading and drifting away as their breaths became extremely rxed.


    "..."


    "..."


    Riley nced at his sleeping sister as her calmed breaths whispered into his ear; his eyebrows, ever so slightly furrowed as he fixed her hair.


    "If someone does manage to kill Darkday," he then whispered, "I want¡­ I need it to be you, sister. Only¡­


    ...you."


    "...Master Riley."


    "Hm?" Riley then slightly moved his head as Tomoe''s mumbled whispers reached his ears.


    "Thank you¡­ for cooking. I¡­


    ...I love you."


    "..." Riley then nced at Tomoe, only to see her alsopletely defenseless as her head almost fell from the sofa,pletely out. He stared at her for a few seconds, before letting out a small sigh and turning his eyes back to the dark skies.


    "Your¡­


    ...I will reach it someday."


    ***


    "W¡­ what the!? Who''s driving!?"


    "Wha-- are the enemies here!?"


    Hannah''s screams jolted everyone awake as she almost jumped up from her seat as she realized she was already inside the truck¡­ and the scenery outside was changing.


    "R¡­ Riley?" Hannah then wiped her eyes to see if she was seeing it right, "I thought you didn''t know how to drive!? Don''t¡­ don''t tell me you lied to me again!"


    "You do not have to worry, sister," Riley shook his head, "I did not lie to you, I truly do not know how to drive."


    "...What? Then how are we--" Hannah once again looked outside the window, and she wasn''t mistaken, they truly were moving across the road. However, as soon as she saw that Riley''s hands weren''t even holding the wheel, she finally realized what was going on.


    "You¡­ get out of there! I told you not to fly us away!"


    "I am not, sister. The wheels are touching the ground."


    "Do you even know how fast we''re moving!?"


    And just like that, everyone woke up from Hannah''s loud, and annoying voice. But thanks to Riley speeding through the road, they were able to reach Miami a lot faster than they expected. They were stopped by the police, of course. But as soon as they were recognized as students of Mega Academy, they were let off with a light warning.


    "Wee, Miami!"


    And as soon as they reached their district, Gary quickly leaped out of the truck and took in the ocean breeze.


    "We''re not here to y, Gary," Silvie then let out a small sigh as she too, stood beside Gary and breathed in the breeze, "But¡­ a minute of rest can''t hurt. Think... we''ll have time to jump in the water?"


    "Oho, I like what I am hearing, ohoho, I like it very much," Gary then said as his eyes started to sparkle, "It''s time for some fan-service."


    "Ack, so sticky," Hannah thenined as she pulled her suit to ease out the crease, "I''m not even sweating and yet everything is--"


    "D¡­ don''t do that here!" Silvie quickly covered her from everyone''s view, who¡­ seemed to be approaching them?


    "It¡­ It''s them! The students from Mega Academy!"


    "I¡­ I knew it! I saw the words on the truck during the stream, ''The Baby Crew!''"


    "Whiteking''s children are here, right!?"


    "Uhm, guys?" Gary then slightly backed away as the onught of people was getting nearer and nearer to them.


    "We¡­ should probably park somewhere else?"


    And with those words, the group did not even have to vote as they all returned to the truck-- unfortunately, due to the size of their vehicle, their only choice was to park somewhere out in the open again. But at least this time, there weren''t any crowds of people threatening to bombard them.


    "Alright! Take two! Let''s do this shit!"


    And so, with that-- the group was finally taking their first steps to bing full-fledged superheroes.


    "Wait, everyone."


    But before they could scout the area, Riley suddenly opened the back of the truck.


    "That¡­


    ...is that!?"

 Chapter 112: Life of a Hero!

    <h4>Chapter 112: Life of a Hero!</h4>


    "This is¡­"


    The others held their breaths as Riley gestured for them to step deeper into the trailer-- and as they did so, their eyes quickly reflected the monitors that were stered all over the wall; with one showing the view of Miami from above.


    "What¡­ don''t tell me¡­ you bought a satellite!?" Hannah almost choked, "Riley this is--"


    "No, sister," Riley shook his head, "The Academy are selling these mini surveince drones."


    Riley then waved his finger, and as he did so, four drones the size of a 50-cent coin floated towards the others'' hands. Gary immediately pressed the button on the mini device, only for his chin and nose to immediately appear in one of the monitors.


    "Ack, not my angle!" Gary immediately moved the drone away, "But¡­ to think the Academy was also selling things like this. Why¡­ didn''t you buy anything with your unlimited points, Silv?"


    "That''s¡­ I¡­ I didn''t check anything," Silvie could only let out a small sigh of disappointment, "If I did I might get tempted in¡­ using my points."


    "Ack, you could''ve bought all these cool gadgets!"


    Feeling Gary''s words almost piercing deep into her bones, the only thing Silvie could do was once again sigh. Maybe she was wrong not to use her points after all-- she could have used her privilege to help the people who needed it instead of just letting it rot.


    But perhaps it was a good thing as well, as now that she didn''t have that privilege, she wasn''t really craving for it since she never tasted it.


    "Don''t listen to the guy, Silv," Hannah breathed out as she patted Silvie''s shoulder, "Let''s do this shit. But¡­


    ...Who is going to watch the monitors?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "I¡­ will do it," Tomoe then raised her hand as she stepped forward, "I--"


    "There is no need, Tomoe,"


    But before she could do so, Riley waved his hand, "The drones can be connected to your phones."


    "...Really?" Hannah then quickly grabbed her phone and ced the drone on top of it. And true enough, the app for the drone immediately started downloading and syncing to her phone.


    "...Cool," Hannah muttered, "But fuck the government still. Alright, let''s do this!"


    And with that, everyone got off the truck-- once again taking their first steps as actual superheroes.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    Silvie then blinked a couple of times as everyone was just staring at her in silence for a few moments now,


    "W¡­ what do we do now?" Silvie then stuttered.


    "Why are you asking me?" Hannah shrugged, "Aren''t you the leader of the Baby Crew?"


    "What? No! You''re the one that decided the name, you do it!"


    "Do I look like leadership material?" Hannah let out a small scoff as he stepped away, "Let''s just do this shit without thinking too much-- since this is already our district, Silvie, Tomoe, and I should just split up."


    "...Right."


    "And you two¡­" Hannah then turned to Riley and Gary, "You take the truck for now?"


    "No!" Gary quickly crossed his arms, "I am done being cooped up in the truck! Riley and I shall walk like real men!"


    "Right¡­" Hannah squinted her eyes as she slowly looked away, "Baby Crew, let''s go and find trouble!"


    And as soon as she said that, her arms and legs were quickly engulfed in mes, before quickly shooting to the air without saying anything more.


    "Y¡­ Yeah! G¡­ go, Baby Crew!"


    "...You don''t have to force yourself, you know?" Gary''s eyes were almost dead as he watched as Silvie raised her hand in the air-- her face obviously turning red by the second.


    "R¡­ right," Silvie then whispered as she quickly flew into the air.


    "...Why do they even need the drones if they could just fly and observe from abo..." Gary breathed out as his eyesnded on Tomoe¡­ who can''t fly, "...ve."


    "..."


    "..."


    The two stared at each other for a couple of seconds. It was almost as if Gary could hear the drums echoing in the air like he was in some sort of sumo wrestling match. But thankfully, after a few more seconds of this weird awkwardness, Tomoe bowed her head and¡­ walked away.


    "..."


    "A¡­ alright! Shall we run to our fate, Riley-- Oh fuck, you can fly! No!" Gary started to kneel on the ground, contemting his importance in life. And while he was busy doing that, tworge boxes suddenly flew out of the trailer.


    How they even managed to fit there with all the other boxes was perhaps a mystery indeed.


    But as soon as one of the boxes opened up, Gary, who was already rolling on the floor, could not help but turn his head and slowly stutter.


    "That¡­ this¡­ that¡­ That!"


    That is right-- the thing that Gary had been wishing for months but could not have.


    "That''s the Zuzuki Hanzo GSX-R1800!" Gary then quickly somersaulted from the ground as he rushed to check on the motorcycle, "You¡­ did you buy this for me!?"


    "Yes, Gary."


    "I¡­" A hint of tear slowly started to appear on Gary''s eyes, "I think I love you, Riley Ross. No¡­ no homo, of course. But¡­ maybe just a little?"


    "Please do not reproduce, Gary," Riley breathed out as Gary suddenly tried to kiss him on the cheek.


    "Pft, I can''t even if I wanted to," Gary let out a small burst ofughter before proceeding to get on the bike.


    "B¡­ bro¡­" And as soon as he felt the gravity of his body mixing with the bike, he could not help but stutter; his hips¡­ started moving in a front and backward motion.


    "Perhaps I made a mistake in buying you this vehicle, Gary."


    "N¡­ no!" Gary then quickly hugged the tank of the bike. The bike was by no means small, but with his 6''6" stature as well as muscle mass it just seemed normal-- perhaps this was the only bike that would truly fit him.


    "Wait¡­ what''s the other box?" Gary then squinted his eyes as he finally noticed there was another box.


    "Mine," Riley said as the box opened.


    "T¡­ that''s¡­ American Scout Ny!?" Gary took in a small gulp, "All in matte-silver!? How did you--"


    "Unlimited points, Gary."


    Gary''s head started trembling; causing the bike he was riding on to also shake, "You¡­ you know what this means!? I get to ride with a bro around the city! Let''s¡­


    ...Let''s let it rip!"


    Gary''s roars were continued by the bike as he started it, gunning on the throttle as he left trails of smoke on the ground.


    Warranty? What''s that?


    "..." Riley could only blink his eyes a couple of times as he had a helmet with the same color as Gary''s bike in his hand. He was about to give it to Gary, but before he could do so, he was gone. And so, he just returned it to the trailer, grabbing another one.


    This time it was of a gun-metal silver color-- shiny enough that one could see Riley''s fractured reflections on it.


    "..."


    "..." Riley stared at it for a little while, before shaking his head and proceeding to make the helmet float; expertly wrapping around his head like he had been doing the same routine for years.


    Riley then got on the bike and started it. However, as soon as he pressed the clutch, the bike halted.


    "..."


    That''s right-- Riley Ross does not know how to ride a motorcycle.


    And so, once again, he just slightly made it float a few centimeters from the ground as he tried to follow Gary.


    ***


    "Hm¡­"


    "Hmm¡­"


    "Hmmmm¡­"


    "Why is no one causing any trouble!? What is this!?"


    Hannah was currently watching from the top of a building, checking her phone from time to time to see if the drone caught anything suspicious. But s, even after almost an hour-- nothing.


    She was expecting some action since during the Rescue event, she didn''t even get any time to rest before another scream entered her ears.


    But s, it would seem that reality was often¡­ disappointing. Of course, she should feel relieved that nothing was actually happening, but still. They were here to garner real-life experience.


    Or¡­ is this what being a hero really feels like?


    Hannah then let out a small sigh as she looked over the ocean-- it wasn''t half bad, she thought. It had a sense of freedom that--


    "What did you say!?"


    "Oh¡­ here we go," Hannah then stood up as she turned her eyes towards the scream that whispered into her ears, only to see what seemed to be an altercation between a bicycle rider and a car driver.


    "...Fuck me," Hannah shook her head before leaping from the building, using her fire to carefully but swiftlynd between the conflict.


    "Enough of this."


    "This¡­ a super!? This is none of your concern!" The cyclist was the first to notice her.


    "It actually is."


    "You¡­ are from Mega Academy?" The cyclist then could only back away as Hannah showed the badge that was given to them by the Academy solely for this activity.


    "Wait¡­ aren''t you Whiteking''s daughter!?"


    And as soon as she heard that, the only thing Hannah could do was roll her eyes, "I''m not. Either way, I don''t care why you''re fighting but you gotta stop this violence and wait for the police to show up."


    "Police¡­"


    And as soon as the cyclist heard that, he quickly made his way to his bicycle.


    "Yeah. Not today, pal."


    However, before he could even pedal away, his rear tire instantly melted as it rolled in Hannah''s palm. And finally, after a few minutes of begging and cursing, the police arrived.


    It would seem the cyclist was hiding a stash of cocaine in his bag-- it would seem he was working as a courier from one of the syndicates around Miami.


    "Wow. Of course, he is," Hannah shook her head in disappointment, "Gotta love Miami. I wonder¡­


    ...how the others are doing?"


    "Alright! Move!"


    Gary and Riley¡­ were just riding around town.


    As for Tomoe, she was walking down the streets; attracting all kinds of attention due to the white kimono she was wearing¡­ as well as her sunsses. She was watching the feed from her drone as she observed Hannah just in case she needed some backup.


    But seeing as she resolved the situation, Tomoe quickly switched to Silvie''s view.


    "This-- !!!"


    And without even any sign of hesitation, dark des started to protrude from the soles of her sandals-- making it easy for her to slide across theyer of ice she summoned in front of her.


    ***


    "N¡­ no, please¡­ please don''t hurt me!"


    In a small alleyway, a man holding an embroidered purse was currently sitting on the ground, crawling away as Silvie''s shadow slowly approached him.


    "That''s not yours. Please¡­


    ...return it."

 Chapter 113: Life... of a Hero?

    <h4>Chapter 113: Life... of a Hero?</h4>


    "N¡­ no, please¡­ please don''t!"


    In a dimly lit alleyway, the dust of the city was currently being swept away as a man was pushing himself backward, his butt sliding against the hard and dirty pavement. The man was holding a red purse, gripping it tightly even as he used his other limbs to try and crawl away.


    "That''s not yours."


    "E¡­ eek!" The man started to hasten his movements, causing him to slightly tumble as the young woman in front of him approached ever so slowly.


    "Please¡­ can you just hand it to me so we could return it?"


    Silvie then stepped out of the shadow, shaking her head as she let out a short but deep sigh that echoed through the alleyway, "I''m not going to hurt you, so please. I still have to surrender you to the police since you did something bad, though¡­


    ...so please, give it back," she then muttered, her tone still containing a slight worry as she tried to gesture for the thief to calm down.


    "N¡­ no," The thief pleaded, "My¡­ my family needs to eat!"


    "Sir, you¡­" Silvie then could not help but let out a small sigh as her head slightly dropped in frustration, "...and you think the one you stole that from doesn''t? Please, give it back to me. Maybe if you apologize to the grandma she would just let you go with a small--"


    "I can''t let you have this!"


    And all of a sudden, the man grabbed a knife from his waist.


    "Sir, that''s not--" And as soon as Silvie saw the man pointing the knife at him, her posture suddenly became as straight as a g pole,


    "Sir, I warned you already¡­" Silvie once again let out a small sigh, "...Under thew, I am obligated to surrender you to the police forrceny, as well as possession of dangerous arms with intent to use."


    Silvie then once again slowly approached the man, her hand slightly stretched towards him.


    "N¡­ no!" The man then swung the knife, hitting Silvie''s hand.


    "..." This made Silviepletely stop moving. And when the thief thought this was his chance to escape, Silvie''s eyes slightly turned red as she lightly hit the man on the chest.


    "Huk!" The man slid a couple of meters away, only stopping as his back hit a dumpster. And before he could move, he felt a crushing pain in his neck.


    "You are a danger to the people,"-- was thest thing he heard before he was thrown to the wall.


    "Kh¡­" The man started to cough vehemently, stretching his arm and begging for Silvie to stop, "W¡­ wait¡­ please¡­ I¡­ I have a daughter."


    "..." Silvie only looked the man straight in the eyes, before she once again started walking towards him; but before she was halfway towards him, a sudden drop in temperature suddenly whisked in the air as a wall of ice blocked her path.


    "What are you doing, Silvie?"


    Silvie blinked a couple of times, before turning around to look at Tomoe, who was now quietly standing behind her.


    "I am arresting a criminal," Silvie then said as she stretched her hand towards the thick wall of ice, easily prating and crushing it without any effort. However, as soon as she was able to mow her way through, another wall of ice, thicker than the one before, appeared in front of her once again.


    "This is obstruction, Tomoe," Silvie''s eyes started to tremble as she looked Tomoe straight in the eyes, "If you continue, I will also be forced to subdue you."


    "..."


    Silvie then once again turned around, beforesers quickly shot out from her eyes-- almost hitting the thief''s face as it easily went through.


    "..." Tomoe then let out a small sigh as she snapped her fingers, and as she did so, the ice blocking Silvie''s path quickly melted,


    "Then arrest him if you want," Tomoe then said as she leaned her arm on the wall, watching as Silvie nodded and started dragging the thief by his foot. This was the second time, she thought. This was the second time Tomoe was seeing Silvie holding this kind of expression.


    The first time was when she attacked Riley. It was almost as if¡­ she was apletely different person.


    "L¡­ Let me go! Please let me go!"


    The thief continued to plead, but Silvie just continued to drag him away. However, as soon as a somewhat familiar click whispered in the air, Silvie quickly dropped the thief''s foot and looked at him.


    "You¡­ you forced me to do this!"


    "..." Silvie then stared at the object that the thief was now holding-- a gun. And without even any more warning, he pulled the trigger-- causing Silvie to blink as the bullet went straight for her left eye.


    Another click then whispered in the air¡­ as the bullet just dropped to the ground, not even leaving a scratch on Silvie''s eyelid.


    "Y¡­ you are-- Argh!"


    And before even the thief could say another word, Silvie suddenly disappeared from her spot, only to reappear right in front of him. A mixture of metal and bone cracking then snapped in the air as Silvie crushed the thief''s hand without any hesitation, causing the gun''s metal parts to protrude through his flesh.


    "Grah!" The thief continued to scream in pain-- and as his wails finally reached Silvie''s ears¡­


    "W¡­ what?" Silvie quickly let go of the thief''s hand as she looked at her own; her palm,pletely covered in blood,


    "What did I¡­" Silvie then turned to the thief, who was already groveling on the ground as he held his hand, "Did¡­ I did this?" Silvie then said as she turned towards Tomoe.


    "Yes," who answered without any hesitation.


    "But¡­ but why?" Silvie then slightly backed away as the whites of her eyes started to moist, "I¡­ why?"


    "Are you¡­ are you alright?" Silvie then slowly approached the groveling thief, only for his pained and terrified cries to pierce her ears.


    "I¡­ I''m¡­ I''m sorry," Silvie''s breaths started to be heavy as she once again took a few steps back. And as soon as her back hit a wall, she quickly covered her ears as multiple sounds started ringing inside her mind.


    But s, she could still hear the man''s cries-- even the footsteps that were walking down the street¡­ their breaths, their heartbeat. She could hear everything echoing, almost causing her other senses to shut down.


    "Stop it¡­ please¡­ make it stop," Silvie then dropped to the ground as she continued to cover her ears.


    "Stop it!" She then let out a deafening roar, pushing the thief, as well as Tomoe away.


    "N¡­ no¡­ I¡­ I did¡­ I did not mean¡­ to."-- and those were thest words she hearding from her mouth before her visionpletely faded.


    And as soon as she was finally able to open them again, she found herself in a suffocating darkness.


    "This¡­" Silvie raised her hand, only for them to not fully stretch,


    "What¡­ no¡­ let¡­ let me out."


    Her breaths began to echo as her arms started iling around, trying to touch the walls that seemed to confine her in a small box, "No¡­ please¡­ I¡­ I won''t do it again! I won''t¡­ Please let me ou--"


    "Alright, jeez."


    Silvie then blinked a couple of times as light suddenly drowned her eyes. She then slowly looked towards the source of the voice, only to see Hannah looking at her weirdly.


    "..." She then looked around her, only to realize that she was actually inside some sort of¡­ sleeping pod;plete with her own small t-screen TV and retractable desk.


    "You okay?" Hannah then said as she slid open the pod''s cover all the way.


    "W¡­ what?"


    "Stop moping and get out of there before you destroy the truck," Hannah then shook her head, her sighs fading as she left Silvie alone.


    "..." Silvie then quickly stepped out of the pod, only to see that she was actually inside the trailer of their truck.


    Just¡­ how are they managing to fit everything here? She thought as she slowly made her way out of the trailer¡­ only to see the others sitting around a campfire¡­


    ...in the middle of a parking lot.


    "This is¡­" Silvie breathed out. Why¡­


    ...does it feel like they were some kind of homeless group of individuals instead of aspiring superheroes?

 Chapter 114: Monsters Inside Us

    <h4>Chapter 114: Monsters Inside Us</h4>


    Silvie was still staring at Hannah and the others from the trailer, her eyes blinking as she saw how rxed everyone was; with everyone sitting on the ground with nkets and pillows-- all cooled by being ced above Tomoe''s ice tform.


    ...Why did they even have a fire in the first ce if they were going to justy down on a cool sheet of ice-- Tomoe!


    "Tomoe!"


    Thest thing that Silvie remembered before she lost consciousness was everything around her being thrown away due to her roar, including Tomoe.


    "Are you¡­ are you okay?"


    "I''m fine," Tomoe only nodded as she sipped from a small ss.


    "Are you su--"


    "Aha! Our little soldier girl finally joins us! Yes ma''am, yes sir!"


    Gary then quickly pped and saluted his hands as soon as Silvie stepped on the ice tform.


    "Yes, sir. Yes, ma''am," Gary then sheepishly repeated what he said as he ced a finger above his lips, pretending to have some sort of mustache, "You are under arrest for taking away an old woman''s make-- Ugh!"


    And before he could even finish his words, Hannah pped her on the head, "Stop it!"


    "W¡­ what?" Gary stuttered, "She went all heil hitler on the dude."


    "...Hitler?"


    "Yeah, you know¡­ the crazy dude that Mega Woman stopped before he went totally--"


    "Enough," Hannah then shook her head as she approached Silvie, "Don''t mind him, here. Join us."


    "This is¡­" Silvie then furrowed her eyebrows as Hannah handed her a green bottle. She then looked around, only to see that this is also what Tomoe was drinking as she poured herself a ss.


    "It''s soju, a Korean alcohol," Hannah then said as she took a sip from her own bottle and returned to her spot, "Since we''re parked on a grocery, it would be a bit inconsiderate not to buy anything."


    "But¡­ we''re not allowed to--"


    "We''re not inside the Academy, rx."


    "Heil Hitler! Heil--"


    "Can you stop!?"


    Gary''s head once again met with Hannah''s palm-- of course, he wasn''t really feeling any pain, but still, he started rolling on the ground before crawling towards Riley, crying to him to seek revenge on his stead.


    "..." Silvie watched as the others started bickering, but after a few more seconds, she twisted off the cap and proceeded to sit near Riley and Tomoe.


    "Are¡­ you sure you''re not hurt?"


    "I''m not. You do not have to worry about me, Silvie," Tomoe shook her head, "We''re the ones that should be asking that to you," Tomoe then said as she raised her cup towards Silvie.


    "I¡­ think I am also fine," Silvie then muttered as she also raised her bottle and took a sip with Tomoe at the same time.


    "...Wait," Gary then stood up as he pointed at Tomoe and Silvie, "Why hand Silvie a drink but not me!?"


    "You?" Hannah almost snorted alcohol from her nose as she heard Gary''s words, "You can''t even handle a shot of alcohol and you want a bottle of soju? These things might look cute but they hit differently."


    "You think the Dragon Monarch can''t handle a simple beverage!?"


    "No," Hannah, Silvie, and Tomoe all said in unison.


    "You¡­ betray me!?" Gary then raised his voice as he flicked his heavy cape, "Riley, don''t tell me you too!?"


    "I do not like alcohol, Gary," Riley quickly muttered before taking a sip from the straw of whatever it was he was drinking,


    "It is too bitter to my liking."


    "..." Hearing Riley not joining their y, Gary could only let out a small but deep sigh as he returned from his seat. Even Tomoe almost stopped drinking as she heard Riley''s words, but Hannah gestured to her that she was being too¡­ obsessive.


    And so, the group just sat around the fire, looking at it as they all let out their breaths to release all the fatigue that was wrapping around their bodies.


    "..."


    "..."


    "So¡­ what happened out there, Silv?" And after a few more seconds, Hannah finally broke the silence that was pestering the air; opening up the topic that everyone seemed to want to hear.


    "I saw the recording in your feed. You¡­ crushed the guy''s hand."


    "Is¡­ is he alright?" Silvie''s voice then suddenly started to tremble as she hugged her legs, slowly burying the shame of her face on it.


    "Yeah, he''s going to be fine," Hannah muttered before taking a sip, "The police and ambnce arrived a minute after you lost consciousness. Tomoe carried you back here."


    "That''s¡­ t¡­ thank you," Silvie then slightly nced at Tomoe, who only shook her head, "I¡­ I don''t really know what--"


    And before she could even finish her words, small hups came out of her mouth as tears started to trail on her face.


    "I¡­ I''m sorry¡­ it must be the alcohol," Silvie forced a chuckle as she wiped the tears off her face.


    Of course, she knew herself that was a lie-- alcohol doesn''t have an effect on her.


    "You don''t need to cry, Silv," Hannah let out a small sigh as she patted Silvie''s shoulder, "at the very least, you took a thief away from the streets."


    "But¡­ he¡­ he told me he has a family he needed to feed¡­ I¡­ I am remembering what I did now," Silvie once again covered her ears as she could once again hear almost everything around her, "I¡­ I could have just neutralized him without¡­ without him getting hurt, but I¡­


    ...I think I wanted to hurt him."


    Silvie curled her body even tighter as her words became muffled, "I don''t know what''s happening to me anymore. It''s getting worse and worse."


    "..." The others could only look at each other as Silvie''s cries whispered in the air; trying to find words offort, but none emerging as their friend was starting to lose it.


    "I¡­ I want to help people-- I really do¡­ I think it''s all I ever wanted to do ever since I discovered I could do things," Silvie gripped her arm, almost to the point that her costume made ofyers of ker started to crinkle, "But¡­ I don''t think I''m a good person now, it feels like something¡­ something inside me is just trying toe out. I¡­ It''s like a monster waiting to--"


    "Well boohoo," and before Silvie''s cries could grow louder, Gary suddenly grabbed her bottle and started gulping it down,


    "We all have monsters inside us, you''re not that special," Gary then said after letting out a loud and long burp,


    "Tomoe and I are in the Potential Viin list, remember? Your monster is a babypared to us. As for Hannah, she''s too hot-headed and violent, like there''s a raging gori hiding beneath that sexy body."


    "..."


    "And Riley¡­" Gary then slightly stuttered as he looked at Riley, "Actually¡­ scratch that, one of us is special. But you get what I mean?"


    "N¡­ not really," Silvie sniffled as she wiped the tires on her face.


    "What I mean is¡­" Gary then let out a small sigh as he looked at the fire.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I¡­ forgot what I was going to say," Gary then burst out in an awkward chuckle, "But I swear it was something profound!"


    "You stupid fuck, I was actually looking forward to that!" Hannah then rushed towards Gary, trying to kick him but he was able to dodge as he started dancing while holding the bottle.


    "T¡­ thank you, everyone."


    Silvie then nodded her head as she grabbed another bottle from the ice tform, "To¡­ to our monsters!"


    "...Yeah," Hannah nodded as she quickly stopped chasing Gary, "To our little monsters."


    "Hm," Tomoe also raised her ss.


    "To infinity and abo--"


    And before Gary could finish his words, the sound of Riley''s straw slurping whispered in the air.


    "..."


    "To me," Riley then raised his cup as he joined the others.


    "Pft."


    And with Riley''s words, the others suddenly burst out inughter, except for Tomoe, who clearly knew what he meant.


    "...Trouble."


    And as the group was having fun, Silvie suddenly stood up from the cold floor.


    "...What?"


    "We havepany," Hannah also dropped her bottle as she looked towards the almost dozen cars that entered the parking lot.


    And soon, those cars quickly circled their group, with the people in it stepping out with all sorts of guns and knives in their hands.


    "...Fuck," Hannah then clicked her tongue as she recognized one of the gangsters-- the cyclist she had arrested earlier,


    "I knew it."

 Chapter 115: Intimidation

    <h4>Chapter 115: Intimidation</h4>


    "Fuck¡­ I knew it."


    With the sound of tires still skidding on the hard pavement; whistling in the air over and over again as more and more people surrounded them, Hannah''s eyes were just focused on one person-- the cyclist that she had arrested earlier.


    The dubious-looking people had guns and knives in their hands. There were also those, however, that was only cracking their knuckles and stretching their bodies-- and they were the ones who lookedpletely confident; smirking, smiling, licking their lips, or otherwise just in chuckling as they just stared at Hannah and the group.


    It wasn''t until thest person stepped out of the car that they started to move, all making way for him. The man''s ponytail swung in the air as he confidently walked through the crowd of gangsters; the gold chain around his neck, almost as eye-catching as the flower-printed shirt he was wearing.


    "I knew I recognized this ce," the man then let out a small chuckle as he looked at the grocery.


    "Fuck, the fucking drone, man!" Gary threw the bottle he was holding towards the drone hovering above them, only for it to perfectly move to the side.


    "You, girl," the man that seemed to be the leader of the group then pointed towards Hannah, "I don''t appreciate you doing in one of my couriers."


    "..." Hannah then turned her head towards the cyclist earlier, whose smile almost stretched out his alreadyrge nose. He should be in jail right now being detained¡­ but seeing as he was here, then that would mean this group was powerful enough to have people inside the police.


    Fuck the government, Hannah thought as she returned her re at the leader of the crowd, "Are you¡­ drug dealers?"


    "Why, hello there detective," the leader of the crowd then let out a small but deep chuckle as he looked Hannah straight in the eyes, "Our boss ain''t so happy with you meddling with our affairs. Our little pets are afraid to go out with you walking around boasting your spandex. We have rules here, you see-- rules that even superheroes abide by."


    "I suppose this is just your unlucky day, isn''t it?" Hannah''s words traveled arrogantly in the air as she let out a little smirk, "No corrupt supers in sight. You really think you can win against 5 supers with just these?"


    "Of course not," the crime leader once again chuckled, "That''s why we brought a dozen."


    And as soon as he said that, the ones from the crowd of gangsters that weren''t carrying any weapons took a step forward.


    Of course, not all Supers wished to be superheroes or superviins-- some just work normal jobs, albeit at a higher rate than others as they could do what normal people could not. And there were also those who fall into the world of crime, not as superviins, but as just¡­ criminals.


    "And we know who you are," the crime leader then licked his lips as he once again focused on Hannah, "Whiteking''s children, right?"


    "...Shit, we really should change our costumes, Riley."


    "No, sister."


    "Y--"


    "I bet the two of you will fetch a very high price in auction¡­ especially you," the crime leader then said as he once again licked his lips at Hannah, looking at her from head to toe, "Or maybe I could just ask the boss if I could keep you for myself; the two of us could have a lot of fun."


    "You--"


    "Jesus, can your script be any more cliche!?" And before Hannah could utter her disgust, Gary suddenly stood in front of her,


    "You evildoers are all the same!" Gary then roared as he pointed at the crime leader, "And all of you shall die and kneel before the Dragon Monarch! Begone, bane of the earth and scum of the cit-- Blergh!"


    And before Gary could finish his words, the sound of him retching suddenly echoed throughout the parking lot-- even with the sounds of engine running, his puke dropping to the ground whispered to everyone''s ears.


    And soon, he dropped to the groundpletely unconscious.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    Even the drug dealers could not help but look at each other, shrugging their shoulders as they did not know whether this was some sort of n to let them take off their guards.


    "...Fucking useless," Hannah then pulled Gary away; his puke sliding on his cheek as she dragged him to somewhere safe-- under the truck.


    And now, she returned to Silvie and the others, her eyes carefully observing every movement of their enemies. Judging by the way most of the supers in the gang were acting, most of them are probably strength-type supers-- chest up, one of their feet stepping forward, as well as stretching and cracking their knuckles.


    The gang most probably knew what she and others were capable of, so there should at least be one of them capable of neutralizing her powers.


    The Academy never taught them how to fight as a team, but judging by the spacing of the supers on the other side, neither were they.


    "I''ll handle the non-supers," Hannah breathed out as she stood beside Tomoe and Silvie, "You two¡­ just do whatever you want. And Riley-- why the fuck are you still just sitting there!?"


    "..." Riley blinked his eyes a couple of times as he looked his sister in the eyes. But after a few seconds, he let out a small sigh and raised his hand; he was about to snap his finger, but before he could do so--


    "Master!" Tomoe bellowed. "Please¡­ let us handle this."


    "...What are you saying?" Hannah raised an eyebrow, "We should use everything we--"


    "I¡­ agree with Tomoe," Silvie then said as she took a step forward, "If Riley joins, then this will be over before we know it."


    "...That''s the n," Hannah furrowed her eyebrows.


    "I¡­ wish to know..." Silvie then breathed out, "If this¡­ monster inside me truly seeks to hurt people."


    "...You too, Tomoe?"


    "I have already embraced my monster, big sister Hannah," Tomoe shook her head, "I just didn''t want to bother Master Riley with these small fries."


    "Why does it feel like I''m the only one without a cool catchphrase?" Hannah let out a small sigh as she shook her head, "I--"


    "Ho," and before Hannah could say anything more, the crime leader once again licked his lips, "I suppose we should all be thankful to the Academy for making all of you into arrogant little shits. This is the real world,dies-- people die here."


    "You''re alreadyte in that regard," Hannah scoffed as her feet burst in mes, "We''ve already seen death."


    And as soon as she said that, her body flew backwards, using Riley''s head as a pivot to rush towards the super that most likely could prove troublesome for her.


    "Y--" And before she could truly find out if the man could truly counter her powers, the man''s jaw had already received the misfortune of making contact with her knee. Hannah then carefullynded on the ground, her knee still on the man''s jaw.


    She looked at him for a few seconds, only once again rushing to the nearest person before making sure he waspletely unconscious. And this time, since she was just facing normal people¡­ she wasn''t even using her abilities to attack.


    "Die!" One of the gangsters pointed a gun at her, and this time, a sort of wing pped from her back, instantly propelling her away from the bullet''s path and shooting her straight towards the one holding the gun.


    "E¡­ eep!" The man could only step back as Hannah suddenly appeared in front of him; but his retreat was sorely limited, as Hannah quickly grabbed the hand he was holding the gun with. She then pulled him closer to her, before spinning her body and swinging her elbow straight towards the center of the man''s chest.


    "!!!" And now, with the man''s gun in her hand, the others could not help but slightly back away.


    "...Seriously, you''re scared of this?" Hannah then shook her head as she removed the gun''s magazine¡­ before proceeding to disassemble the pistol in less than 2 seconds, "This is a Colt 1911, it wouldn''t even leave a scratch on the girl''s skin over there."


    Hannah then pointed the now disassembled grip and trigger towards Silvie, before dropping it on the ground and causing the non-supers to flinch and some of them to even run.


    One of Bernard''s lessons-- intimidating the weaker ones in the group has a very high chance of leading them to their demise, no matter how strong the group is.


    "What¡­ why are all of you just watching!?" The crime leader then let out a roar,


    "Kill them!"

 Chapter 116: Sun Babies

    <h4>Chapter 116: Sun Babies</h4>


    "A¡­ Amazing."


    Silvie, as well as Tomoe, could not help but watch in awe as Hannah just culled the numbers of the gangsters almost in half-- without even using her powers.


    If only Silvie had the samebat experience and skill as Hannah, then maybe she wouldn''t even need to resort to her using her abilities that much, preventing herself from identally hurting people, and just using it to protect herself.


    She had always thought that she had the perfect power to protect people-- buttely, it was bing more and more evident that even though she was granted the same powers as Mega Woman, there was something inside her that wanted to hurt people.


    ...It''s not about the powers they have-- but how they use it. Silvie thought as she continued to watch the normal people backing away, and Hannah not even doing anything.


    "...They really are just watching."


    "Hm?"


    Silvie''s thoughts were then disrupted as she heard Tomoe''s whispers, "It''s nothing. I was just amazed to see everyone just watching and not attacking us."


    "...Now that you mention it," Silvie then said as she looked around. Even she and Tomoe just stood there and watched-- something that only happens in movies. But s, the crime leader seemed to have noticed this as well as he pushed one of the supers forward.


    "Why are all of you just watching!? Kill them!"


    And as soon as he said that, the supers of the gang all rushed towards Tomoe and Hannah, with 2 heading towards Hannah, "Don''t let the bosse here himself!"


    "..." Tomoe quickly grabbed Silvie''s shoulder, using it to push herself away as the ground beneath her turned into a road of ice; the super that threatened to punch her quickly slipped to the ground, tumbling in front of Riley, who was casually watching everything as he continued to drink his beverage.


    "You--" The super gangster was about to grab him, but before he could do so, he was suddenly lifted into the air by Silvie. And without even having the chance to say another word, was thrown towards the other supers rushing towards them. Unfortunately for him, instead of being gently caught by hisrades, he was swatted away like a fly.


    Silvie was about to fly towards the two approaching supers, but before she could do so, several normal gangsters suddenly ran to their path, instantly causing them to trip.


    "..." Silvie then looked towards Hannah, who had her thumbs up towards her even as she fought two supers and a crowd of normal people. Silvie was always able to defeat Hannah during a one-on-one fight, but it would seem when ites to real scenarios¡­ Silvie was the loser.


    Silvie then turned towards Tomoe, who had already subjugated the supers she was fighting in ice-- while trapping the normal people by binding their feet on the ground.


    "..." Silvie was supposed to be the No. 1 student¡­ but now she was proving more and more to be inadequate. Perhaps¡­ she wasn''t really as good as she thought she was; she wouldn''t be tied up by her father during childhood if she was.


    Was it an illusion?


    Was her strength all just an¡­ illusion?


    What was she even supposed to do when everyone else was this capable? What was she even supposed to do when they could protect themselves?


    Does she even have a reason to exist?


    Silvie then turned her eyes towards the super in front of her, who had been punching her in the face for almost 5 seconds now and she couldn''t even feel it.


    "Go away," Silvie''s voice then became cold as her eyes started to glow red, "I''ll kill you if you try this again."


    And as soon as she said that, the super gangster could only take in a small but deep breath, before proceeding to run away.


    "..." Did that work? She was trying to imitate what Hannah did by intimidating the enemy in front of her. She might have threatened to take his life, but she wasn''t really going to do it¡­ Right? She wasn''t going to¡­


    ...Was that a threat? Or was it real? Did she really want to kill the man?


    Silvie''s eyes once again started to move erratically as several thoughts once again began to race in her mind. Her breaths, reverberating enough that it made every person within the parking lot stop whatever it is they are doing.


    "This¡­ is bad," Hannah muttered as she pushed the face she was holding away, "The girl''s turning crazy."


    Silvie''s eyes were currently flickering in red; indiscernible whispers mumbling out of her mouth as she just stood on her spot without moving.


    "E¡­ everyone!" The crime leader''s words then echoed throughout the parking lot as he¡­ made his way back to his car, "H¡­ hold them off while I get the boss and the others, he¡­ he''s the only one who can kill these--"


    And just like that, the crime leader decided to leave his subordinates, not even bothering to finish his words.


    "No, you don''t!" mes exploded from Hannah''s back like wings, propelling her straight to the escaping car''s path.


    "!!!"


    But s, before she could even reach it, red reflected on her eyes an almost deafening whistle pierced her ears as the crime leader''s car was suddenly split in half, causing its chassis to screech through the hard pavement.


    "S¡­ Silvie?" Hannah then looked towards where the red beam came from, only to see Silvie now floating in the air; her eyes,pletely covered in a red curtain.


    "E¡­ eep!" The crime leader seemed to be unscathed as he hastily crawled from his car like some sort of cockroach-- he was about to run but tumbled on the ground as aser trailed across the ground beside him.


    "What are you doing!?" Hannah was now behind Silvie; the only reason why the crime leader still had his head was that Hannah pushed Silvie''s head to the side, "You''re going to fucking kill the guy!"


    "... drug-rted operations¡­ eliminate."


    "W¡­ what?" Hannah furrowed her eyebrows as Silvie''s stuttered words clearly reached her ears, "What do you mean eliminate!?"


    "....possession of illegal weapons with intent to use¡­ disrupting peace¡­"


    "Snap out of it!" Hannah bellowed; she wanted to chase the crime leader and the other gang members that were starting to run away. But she was afraid that once she leaves Silvie, she would start toser the fuck out of everyone.


    Even Tomoe did not give chase as she just watched as Silvie''s eyes started to once again flicker-- her erratic whispers, loud enough for her to hear even from the ground. These words¡­ it was almost as if she was¡­


    "Snap the fuck out of it, Silv!" A loud snap in the air then cracked as Hannah pped Silvie on the cheek; but like shaving a bald head, it did nothing. It did, however, get Silvie''s eyes tond towards Hannah.


    "Obstructing¡­ you''re obstructing¡­"


    "W¡­ what?" A small explosion then erupted as Hannah slightly backed away from Silvie as her flickering eyes started to distort the air. And without even warning¡­


    ...aser beamed straight towards Hannah''s chest.


    "!!!"


    "H¡­ Hannah!" A tform of ice instantly crystallized beneath Tomoe''s feet, lifting her towards the two. Of course, she took a nce as to what Riley was doing, only to see him still sipping on his drink, now wearing his sunsses as he just casually watched what happened to Hannah.


    Could it be¡­ he didn''t care for Hannah as much as she thought he did? Tomoe took in a small breath with the thought. If he could just discard his sister like that¡­ then as his subordinate-- wasn''t she practically nothing to him?


    Tomoe slightly bit her lip as she continued to make her way towards the two. But halfway there, she noticed that Hannah¡­ was still floating in the air-- her eyes wide.


    "H¡­ holy fuck," Hannah then touched her chest, her costume that was supposed to be immune to extremely high levels of temperature slightly scorched-- her skin, however, waspletely unscathed, "You¡­ did this bitch just try to kill me!?"


    Hannah''s entire body became engulfed in fire, causing Tomoe to quickly wear her sunsses. But even with the added protection covering her eyes, she still could not help but look to the side as the fireing out from Hannah''s body was almost as bright as the sun.


    "Don''t me me if this hurts tomorrow!" A small explosion then erupted as Hannah once again flew away, the mes on her back slightly forming into the shape of a wing, "I''ve been learning this new trick, you see."


    Hannah then stretched her arms to the side, and as she did so, balls of fire quickly materialized in front of her hands.


    "I call it¡­


    ...Sun Babies!"

 Chapter 117: The Nightclub

    <h4>Chapter 117: The Nightclub</h4>


    "Sun Babies!"


    "Sun¡­ babies?"


    The growing pir of ice beneath Tomoe''s feet stopped growing as she arranged her sunsses. Even from meters away, Tomoe could feel the heat radiating from the two basketball-sized spheres of fire that were floating in front of Hannah''s palms.


    Hannah did say that she had been practicing some techniques¡­ could this be perhaps one of them? But why does everything around her need to involve babies in it? Was that some sort of¡­ inside joke she wasn''t getting? Tomoe thought as she carefully watched the situation unfold.


    As for Silvie, her head was slightly tilted to the side as she stared at Hannah; her eyes, not reflecting the blinding lighting from the spheres as they were glowing red on their own.


    "Don''t me me if I scratch your perfect face!" Hannah then pped her hands; her p was followed by another snap in the air as the two fireballs quickly exploded straight towards Silvie.


    But seeing these two balls of fire threatening to scorch her face off, Silvie only took in a small breath as she rushed to face them head-on, "Threat level is high¡­ must¡­ must¡­ eliminate."


    "No!" Tomoe was about to rush to stop the only two female friends she had from taking each other''s heads off, but before she could even propel herself from the ice pir, she noticed that Riley was already in the middle of the two.


    "What the¡­" Hannah blinked her eyes a couple of times, "Get the fuck out of there!"


    But even with her sister''s deafening bellows piercing his ears, Riley only shook his head; his hair fluttering in the wind as its white threads reflected the light of the moon. His coat, snapping in the air as he raised both his hands¡­ which were both holding stic straws.


    And as if a conductor ushering a song surrounded by the light of moon and fire, Riley started waving the straws around.


    "What the fuck are you do--"


    And as soon as he did so, both Silvie and Hannah instantly dropped to the ground-- with Silvie''s body creating a small crater, and Hannahnding ever so softly on the pillows they had set up around the campfire.


    "You¡­" Hannah then turned her eyes towards her brother once more, only to see the two fireballs she summoned about to torch him alive, "R¡­ Riley! My babies!"


    Riley let out a small sigh as he hid one of the straws in his pocket, before pointing his palm towards the approaching set of fireballs. And as soon as he closed his palm into a fist, the two fireballs instantly merged with one another.


    "...What the?" Hannah could not help but raise an eyebrow as she saw her sun babies bing one; and soon, bing the size of a tennis ball.


    Riley then flicked the remaining straw in his other hand, causing the now tennis ball-sized sphere of fire to shoot towards the sky. And with both his hands stretched to the side, the fireball exploded.


    The fiery light rained upon them like a firework, lighting up the edges of Riley''s silhouette as he slowly descended from the air.


    "M¡­ master," Tomoe could not help but gulp as she watched everything unfold; the ice beneath her feet, not enough to cool down the warmth-- the heat that was slowly covering her entire body.


    "...Showoff," Hannah then shook her head as soon as Riley''s feet touched the ground. But after a few more moments,


    "Silvie!", she rushed to check on Silvie, "Are you¡­"


    But s, Silvie''s eyes were still violently glowing in red; the ground, cracking as she seemed to be trying to get up, but could not as she was still being restrained by Riley.


    "Must¡­ must eliminate--"


    "Snap out of it, Silv!" Hannah then let out a scream to try and wake her up from whatever it is that was happening to her, "It''s me, Hannah. We''re here for yo--"


    "!!!"


    And before Hannah could even finish her words, another crack resounded in the air as¡­ Riley suddenly stomped his foot on Silvie''s head.


    "What are you--"


    And once again, before she could even say anything, Riley stomped on Silvie''s head.


    "Stop that!" Hannah then quickly pushed Riley away, "Why would you even do that!?"


    "You used to kick the gaming console when it doesn''t work properly, sister," Riley then let out a small sigh, "I was just doing the same."


    "What the¡­ she doesn''t run on batteries, Riley!"


    "Are we sure of that?" Riley muttered, squinting his eyes as he looked at Silvie.


    "You-- never mind," Hannah could only shake her head as she turned her focus back to Silvie, whose tears were now already seeping through the cracks of the ground; her eyes, now back to normal.


    "E¡­ everyone," Silvie then whimpered as she remained lying face-first on the cracked ground, "I''m¡­ I''m sorry¡­ I''m really sorry."


    "Silv¡­" Hannah breathed out, "What¡­ is happening to you?"


    "She also became like that earlier," Tomoe mentioned as she approached.


    "..." Hannah first thought that Silvie was just acting out due to the stress of everything that has been happening so far. After all, judging from the brief stories she has told them, she¡­ didn''t really have that much freedom due to her father being as strict as a soldier.


    But seeing as how shepletely turned crazy; unresponsive, even. It would seem that something else was going on with her.


    "Hey¡­ it''s alright, Silv," Hannah gently ced her hand on Silvie''s face, causing her to cry out some more. Hannah then looked around; and it would seem that besides the car that was split in two by Silvie''s heat vision, as well as the gangsters that were knocked out, all the other members of the drug group escaped during the confusion.


    Still, no one seemed to have died, so this was still one of the better-case scenarios they could have as a result. Soon, however, the police arrived.


    As supers, they were obligated to report each and everything that happened during the altercation. But of course, Hannah and Tomoe decided to keep Silvie running amok a secret to the feds.


    Everything was cleaned up easily, with even the wrecked car towed away on a truck. Initially, Hannah thought they would be kicked out of the parking lot; but the manager even gave them some more supplies and said they could stay¡­ as their group idling there has actually been bringing in more customers.


    And so, with everything slightly resolved, Hannah could only let out a long and loud yawn.


    "...Shit," she then breathed out, "We''ll have a week more of this shit? I think we better avoid any drug-rted crime from now on."


    "That may be for the best, big sister," Tomoe nodded.


    "But still¡­ to be brazen enough to attack us even knowing Riley and my identity; they are either too stupid or probably have someone strong enough backing them up," Hannah sighed, "We should stick together from now on-- I am sure that''s not thest time we''ll be seeing them."


    "I believe that to be the case as well, big sister," Tomoe once again nodded, "Only idiots would attack us while knowing who you and master are."


    "Speaking of¡­ how are the others?"


    "Gary is still unconscious. As for Silvie," Tomoe let out a small sigh as she turned towards Silvie, who was now sleeping beside the fire, "There''s¡­ something not right with her."


    "You think she''s crazy?"


    "I¡­ do not want to think so," Tomoe shook her head, "But she¡­ is probably hiding something."


    "Hm. We should probably ask her about it as soon as she wakes up. Also¡­" Hannah then looked around, "...Where''s my brother?"


    "Master said he''ll roam around the skies to see if anyone else might attack us."


    "...Good for him," Hannah muttered as she walked to the campfire; quickly snuggling herself in a nket as the ice tform that Tomoe made has be even colder,


    "Did you know¡­ that Riley used to note out of the house?"


    "...No," Tomoe shook her head as she quickly sat beside Hannah.


    "He would just stay inside his room the whole day for weeks. You know, there was one time that¡­"


    "R¡­ really!?"


    ***


    "Move out of the way, move!"


    Different colors of light flickered everywhere; with the ears of the people frantically dancing around almost deaf from the thundering music that drummed in the air.


    Their frenzy was disrupted, however, as the crime leader that Hannah and the others faced earlier pushed them away-- his facepletely panicked as he continued to run until he reached a more serene and quiet part of the nightclub.


    "Boss!" He then screamed, his words mixing with the muffled music that was seeping through the quiet hallway. "I need to see the boss!"


    His path, however, was blocked by two guards as soon as he reached arge door.


    "The boss is currently busy right now, Dick," one of the guards said as he slightly pushed the crime leader away.


    "This¡­ this is urgent!" Dick bellowed as he looked the guard straight in the eyes, "I¡­ I need to talk with the boss!"


    "..." The guards then looked at each other, before both nodding and opening the door, "Make it quick."


    "Just get out of the way!" Dick then rushed inside the room, only to find numerous naked women dancing inside.


    "This¡­" Dick quickly took in a small gulp as he fixed his clothes, "B¡­ boss. Something urgent came up," he then said; any previous arrogance in his tone waspletely gone as he tried his best to ignore the women dancing on the floor.


    "We¡­ attacked supers from the Academy."


    "You¡­


    ...did what?"

 Chapter 118: Riley Ross The Negotiator

    <h4>Chapter 118: Riley Ross The Negotiator</h4>


    "We¡­ we attacked supers from the Academy."


    "You¡­ did what?"


    "..."


    The somber music that colored the air with a blissful frenzy instantly stopped as soon as the boss'' words whispered in the air; the words were extremely faint, almost imperceptible. And yet every activity in the room froze.


    The naked girls that were dancing almost erotically all paused in their steps; most of them looked at each other as they slowly covered their bare breasts; the men that had their mouths stretched also slowly dropped their smiles.


    And without the boss saying another word, all of them carefully but hastily stepped out of the room¨C leaving only the colorful flickering lights to reflect in Dick''s eyes, as well as a lone woman standing in the middle of the room.


    "Can you repeat what you said?" The woman then nced at Dick, before walking towards the desk that was at the end of the room; crossing her legs as she sat on top of the desk, not even caring that all of her skin was showing.


    "We¡­ we attacked supers from the Academy, boss."


    "You attacked supers from the Academy?" The woman, now revealed to be the boss, slightly flicked her long purple hair to the side before getting a cigarette that was neatly ced on the desk. And before she could put it in her mouth, Dick already had a lighter prepared for her.


    "Y¡­ yes," Dick stuttered as he desperately tried to ignite the lighter, but the only thing that wasing out was the flick that whispered in the air.


    "Staff or student?" The boss then pushed Dick''s hand away as she removed the cigarette in her mouth and returned it to her desk.


    "They¡­ students."


    "And why would you even do that?" The boss let out a small sigh as she stood up, before slowly walking towards her chair.


    "...One of them disrupted our operations, Miss Sophie," Dick muttered, "He spent some time in jail leading us to lose some¨C"


    "Sophie?"


    "I¡­ I mean boss," Dick once again stuttered as the tone of the boss'' voice once again turned cold, "I¡­ I got him out and cleared the misunderstanding with our clients."


    "Then you should have ended it there," Sophie shook her head as she seemed to be searching something on the drawers of her desk, "Why even do something that puts us on the main radar of the Government?"


    "That''s¨C"


    "Don''t worry anymore," Sophie once again let out a sigh as she raised her hand, which was now holding what seemed to be a flip-top phone, "I''ll go and talk to the mayor about this and say it was just some new recruits trying to show off. The students are alive, yes?"


    "...Yes."


    "Then that''s good," Sophie let out a small scoff as she unfolded her phone, "You know¨C I like you and treat you like a brother, but sometimes you could be quite stupid. Why would you even attack someone from the Academy when all the eyes are on them at the moment? You a fucking retard, or what?"


    "I¡­ I thought we could score big," Dick said as he let out a small chuckle, "Two of them are Whiteking''s children and¨C"


    And before Dick could even finish his words, Sophie suddenly waved her hand; obliterating the phone into tiny little pieces. A small and quiet rumbling then seemingly shook the entire room; causing all the colorful lights that flickered everywhere to slightly distort as arge crevice formed on the walls¨C opening up a view of the hallway and maybe even beyond.


    And soon, a persisting squelching whisper traveled throughout the room as Dick''s upper body¡­ slowly slid away from his waist; leaving a small rippling thud in the ground as it finallynded on the pool of blood already waiting for it on the floor.


    "Fuck."


    The sounds of death were then followed by Sophie''s frustration. But after a few seconds, she shook her head and took in a small and deep breath, causing everything in the room to float, "I guess¡­


    ¡­I''ll be facing the Hope Guild again."


    ***


    "This isn''t a costume party kid, go home. And how did you even find this entrance?"


    "And no one under the age of 21 is allowed in the club, go before we beat yo'' ass."


    In a dark alleyway, where the sounds of the nightclub could barely be heard, two bouncers have been shaking their heads for a few seconds now as the young man in front of them refused to leave.


    They were being lenient since the one in front of them was just a boy, but even their patience has limits.


    "Look, kid. Just go buy some drinks in a convenience store or something, don''t go causing trouble here, you got it?" One of the bouncers shook his head as he ced his hand on the boy''s shoulder. Although he was wearing a hoodie, it was quite obvious that he was young just based on his face and voice alone.


    "I am not here for drinks, guard," the young man then finally raised his head, causing the bouncer to slightly back away from seeing his face; which was pale almost to the point that one could see the veins around his eyelids,


    "I just wish to have a meeting with your boss," Riley then muttered.


    "..."


    "Pft."


    And as soon as the bouncers heard Riley''s words, the two could not help but look at each other; their bursts ofughter, almost drowning the already minute music seeping from the building, "Would you like to meet with the Pope as well?"


    "I already have," Riley shook his head, "Tell your boss I would like to meet him, bouncer."


    "Did someone put you up to this?" The bouncer also shook his head, "Go home before you get in troub¨C !!!"


    And before the bouncer that ced his hand on Riley''s shoulder could finish his words, he felt his legs almost turn to noodles as he suddenly dropped to the ground. He noticed a prickling feeling around his chin, but his vision already faded before he could find out what hit him.


    The other bouncer, however, clearly saw Riley''s hand moving¨C it was fast even for his trained eyes.


    "That''s it, no ying game¨C"


    And before the other bouncer could finish his words, a disgusting snap whispered in his ear, "Y¡­ you¨C" His eyes then slowly moved towards his unconscious colleague, only to see his headpletely caved in¡­ parts of his brain now under Riley''s shoes.


    "You''re¡­ a super?" The bouncer then slightly backed off.


    "I wish to meet with your boss," a small smile then slowly crept up on Riley''s face, "Tell him¡­ I''m from the cartel."


    "That''s¨C"


    "Pleaseply, bouncer¡­


    ¡­I will remove your jaw and choke you with your own tongue if you do not."


    ***


    "I apologize, I thought you were a man."


    "You do not have to worry, I thought the same of you."


    Sophie''s room was now fully lit; any of the colorful lights have already been reced by the warm fluorescent that hummed from the ceiling. What little color that remained, however, was produced by the blood that was stilling out from Dick''s body, which was still sprawled carelessly on the ground.


    "I hope you''re not squeamish," Sophie then muttered as she adjusted her robes, winking at Riley after she did so, "Needed a little punishing, that''s all.


    "..." Riley only looked at Dick, before shaking his head and letting out a short but deep sigh, "I was hoping he was still alive."


    "Oh?" Sophie chuckled as she adjusted her butt on the desk, "So you''re not from the cartel? I thought you''d be ying the role more."


    "I see no purpose in pursuing the role anymore, Miss."


    "Sophie, you may call me Sophie¡­ Riley Ross," Sophie then licked her lips, crossing her legs ever so slowly to make sure Riley sees every inch of the skin hiding beneath her furred robes.


    "I would also appreciate it if you do not tell anyone that I was here, Miss Sophie. I am too young to enter establishments like thi¨C"


    "Let''s not y around," the tone of Sophie''s voice then changed as she waved her hand, causing the floor in front of Riley''s feet to crack, "How many of you are there? Is the Hope Guild or your father with you?"


    "...It''s just me, Miss Sophie."


    "So¡­ you came in here all alone?" Sophie raised an eyebrow, "To¡­ get revenge on this guy?"


    Sophie then stood up from her desk, before kicking Rick''s torso in front of Riley''s feet.


    "I suppose you could say that, Miss Sophie," Riley seemed to have pondered the question for a few moments before nodding,


    "He said some things to my sister that I truly did not appreciate, and I was hoping to¡­ talk to him. But since he is already dead, then I no longer have any purpose in staying here. Have a good night, Miss Sophie."


    Riley once again nodded, before turning around to leave. But before he could do so, several fissures cracked on the floor in front of him.


    "..."


    "Dick might have died for it¡­ but he was right¨C you''ll be a good¡­ investment." Sophie''s slightly coquettish giggles then whispered in Riley''s ears, "I''ve had some run-ins with some of the members of the Hope Guild in the past, you see."


    "...Hm."


    "Whiteking will pay a hefty sum for your safety," Sophie''s giggles became louder as her steps whispered in the air; slowly approaching Riley, "You think¡­


    ¡­I would just let a big fish like you go?"


    "No," Riley then suddenly turned around; his eyes looking straight towards Sophie''s as the smile on his face almost reached from ear to ear,


    "I was truly hoping that wasn''t the case."


    "...What?"


    "Well, since I killed everyone outside already. Letting me go...


    ...would''ve been awkward, no?"

 Chapter 119: Battles of Two Bosses

    <h4>Chapter 119: Battles of Two Bosses</h4>


    "Did you really think I would just let go of a big fish like you?"


    "No, I was truly hoping that wasn''t the case."


    "...What?"


    "Well¡­ since I already killed everyone outside; letting me go¡­


    ¡­would have been awkward for both of us, no?"


    A slight difort inside Sophie started to crawl out from her bones; almost as if a million ants were trying to dig their way through very carefully. It wasn''t just because of the weird smile that was stered on Riley''s face, no.


    She had dealt with people faking confidence before¨C this was not it. Riley was¡­ too calm.


    "..." Sophie stared at Riley''s smiling face for a couple more seconds, before squinting her eyes as she started to walk back to her desk, "What do you mean you killed everyone outside?"


    "It is as I said, Miss Sophie," Riley did not follow her as he just stood in ce, "I have already killed everyone in this building except you."


    "So you say," Sophie then let out a small but deep breath as she pressed the inte on her desk, "Todd, respond."


    "..."


    "Grayson? Respond; what''s the situation outside?"


    "..." Sophie tried to call her men repeatedly, but the only thing she kept receiving was a static that hissed and whispered throughout the room. There was still the sound of deafening music seeping from the cracks of her office, so there should still be people partying below.


    Sophie''s eyebrows started to furrow as she slowly opened the curtain of her room, revealing arge window that had a view of the entire nightclub''s stage.


    And what weed Sophie was an orchestra of light; different colors quickly bombarded her eyes as the music that whispered into the room became ever so slightly louder. And although it was hard to see with all the lights dancing below, there were still people standing everywhere¨C contrary to what Riley just said to her.


    "Pft," Sophie then shook her head. Of course, the young man in her room was still a student of Mega Academy; one aspiring to be a great superhero that would relight the torch that Mega Woman left kindling. How could he even kill people?


    "Nice joke, Mr. R¨C" But before she could finish her words, she noticed something odd about the people below; they were all wearing the same clothes. Clothes that were so familiar since it was also the same as what Riley was wearing now¨C a white and ck hoodie that almost covered their entire head.


    "This is¡­" And before she could look away, all of the people below suddenly turned their heads towards her.


    "!!!"


    She immediately took in a short but deep breath. Although it was still quite hard to see, the wide smile on their faces that almost threatened to eat you alive were all the same¡­ No. Their faces were all the same¨C Riley''s.


    "What¡­ is this?" Sophie squinted her eyes to the point they almost closed. Was it some sort of mask? They were also all holding different kinds of weapons; metal bats, knives, guns¨C and there was one that still seemed to be busy smashing someone''s face in with his bare hands.


    This individual was quickly noticed by the group as the nearest one from him tapped him on the shoulders. And as soon as they did so, the busy individual also turned his head towards Sophie¨C once again bearing the same face as Riley Ross.


    Sophie could feel every pore in her body open up as the weird feeling that was crawling from her bones finally made its way through her skin.


    It wasn''t fear, no; more like difort.


    "Riley Ross¡­" Sophie then finally closed the curtain as she returned her gaze to Riley, "...aren''t you supposed to be telekic?"


    "As I told you before, Miss Sophie¡­ I am from the cartel."


    "...What?" Sophie could only blink her eyes as Riley casually made his way to one of the seats, before proceeding to wear a pair of sunsses that he got from the pocket of his hoodie.


    "The cartels use all sorts of¡­ creative weapons, Miss Sophie," the smile on Riley''s face slowly dissipated, "If I use telekinesis, what happened here might be traced back to me."


    "...There are cameras everywhere."


    "I already destroyed them."


    "And aren''t you supposed to be a hero?" Sophie then let out a small but deep sigh as she also rxed herself and sat on her desk, "There were a lot of¡­ innocent people below. You even killed the guests."


    "Well¡­ yes?" Riley blinked his eyes as if he was confused with Sophie''s words, "That''s what killing ''everyone'' means, Miss Sophie."


    And soon, another creepy smile slowly emerged from Riley''s face¨C and with his mouth that was wide enough to eat a whole quarter-pounder, it truly was a sight that even a veteran of numerous wars like Sophie could still not get used to.


    But after a few seconds, Sophie also let out a small giggle of her own, "So Whiteking''s son is a little monster¡­ and here I thought you were just a kid trying to get revenge!"


    And with that, Sophie suddenly waved her hand. It was only momentary, but everything in the room started to tremble¨C this shivering, however, was only but a glimpse as every piece of furniture in the room shattered into pieces; their debris and pieces, all shooting to the end of the room.


    Even Riley was swept away by this invisible force¨C his back violently hitting the wall before the concrete copsed entirely, revealing the dimly lit hallway outside.


    "Hm," this did not seem to affect Riley that much, however, as his head just turned to the side as he looked at¡­ two of his copies that were still clubbing the bouncers guarding the hallway to death.


    "..." The two copies immediately stopped as their eyes met with Riley; and with a weird smile, the two then quickly melted to the ground before evaporating into nothing. Riley then casually returned back to the office, hopping on the debris created by Sophie''s mysterious powers.


    "That is a very interesting ability, Miss Sophie," Riley breathed out as he fixed his hood, trying his best for his face to not be exposed too much, "Please tell me¡­


    ¡­How do you categorize your powers? I don''t believe it''s telekinesis. Matter maniption? No, it is too violent¡­"


    "..." Sophie did not answer Riley, however, as she just remained staring at him as he slowly walked back inside. But after a few more seconds of him just standing there, Sophie''s long and deep breaths echoed throughout the ruined office, her head shaking before she stared Riley straight in the eyes.


    "You''re still too wet behind the ears, Mr. Riley," she then uttered with a small chuckle, "If you think you can beat me now, then you are sorely mistaken. You would need one or two of the Hope Guild if you want to kill me."


    "Is that so?"


    "Leave, and I will forget this ever happened," Sophie added, "You and your little group of friends could continue doing whatever it is you''re doing in my city."


    "It is fortunate, but I could no longer leave here, Miss Sophie," Riley muttered, "You already saw what I can do."


    "Last warning, boy," Sophie let out a small but deep sigh, "You are way above your head here."


    Rileypletely ignored Sophie''s words, however, as he slowly made his way closer to her; but before he could even take 2 steps, Sophie stretched her hands to the side.


    And almost instantly; in less than a blink of an eye, Riley found himself in what he could onlypare to be the inside of a blender as everything within his sight copsed into pieces.


    "..." Riley''s eyes were slightly wide, showing his intense curiosity as even the tiniest bit of debris around him shattered into even tinier pieces; and soon, his eyes reflected the lights of the night city as the building of the nightclub was no more¨C obliterated to oblivion.


    Riley once again adjusted his hoodie as his body slowly fell to the ground; his silhouette, hidden by all the ocean of dust and sand that rained everywhere. But still, Riley made sure his face couldn''t be visible. And as soon as hended on the ruined ground, slight high-pitched cracks whispered in the air as his skin suddenly turned into a sort of silver chrome; revealed by his hand that reflected every light within the vicinity.


    "You¡­ have multiple powers."


    And even with all the noise and screams that wereing from the citizens, the words of the silhouette that slowly made its way through the ocean of dust still whispered into Riley''s ears.


    "You remind me of that old fucker that used to be in the Hope Guild," Sophie''s words continued as she slowly approached Riley, "And it is seriously getting on my nerves."


    "You seem to mention Hope Guild a lot, Miss Sophie," Riley breathed out as he made sure that the dust around them did not fly away.


    "Of course," Sophie let out a small chuckle, "I managed to kill one of them way back¨C now back off while I am still ying nice. I have already given you enough chances to run away, you should take it this time."


    "That is not going to happen, Miss Sophie," Riley shook his head as he slowly got into a stance; the silver chrome covering his skin almost letting out a sort of whistle as they started to rattle like scales, "I have truly been boredtely¡­


    ¡­I still want to y."

 Chapter 120: Oops, I Did It Again

    <h4>Chapter 120: Oops, I Did It Again</h4>


    "...I still want to y."


    "Quite an arrogant little fucker, aren''t you? As expected of Whiteking''s son."


    With the thick ocean of dust drowning their entire vision; it was almost as if they were akin to being blind already. But even so, their exchange of words traveled ever so clearly¨C one taunting the other.


    Their whispers, however, were subtly disrupted by all the screams and rumbles that whistled from the outside of their artificial cloud. It was almost a certainty that the destruction reached outside; with people panicking and running; Sophie and Riley, however, seemed to bepletely lost in their own ocean.


    "But I wonder if you can keep this facade?" And with the distance between Sophie and Riley getting shorter and shorter as Sophie approached; her silhouette finally turned into color. Her face, somewhat surprised as her eyesnded on Riley.


    "Your skin¡­" She muttered as she looked at Riley''s skin, which was now wrapped entirely with some sort of silver chrome, "...I see you''re careful not to reveal your identity. But why not just wear a mask?"


    "You wouldn''t like it if I wear my mask, Miss Sophie," Riley breathed out as he adjusted his hoodie to cover most of his face. The wind was blowing the hood away¨C but soon, itpletely became still.


    "..." Seeing this, Sophie could not help but squint her eyes as she could feel her long purple hair touching her cheeks as it danced in the air; the dust floating around them was alsopletely unmoving¨C only flowing when Sophie gently raised her hand, but returning to their position after.


    "...You really are quite the little monster, aren''t you?"


    "That is debatable."


    "Want to just join hands together instead? I swear I can make it worth your while," Sophie then slowly stretched her already raised hand towards Riley, "I swear I would let you have your fun," she then said, the tone of her voice quite¡­ alluring.


    "We shall see, Miss Sophie."


    "..."


    "..."


    And without sharing any more words, Sophie''s gentle hand was no more as she violently waved it towards Riley.


    An opening appeared on the cloud of dust; a crack that violently, but also elegantly pushed its way through the murky air.


    And now, with all the dust in its way, Sophie''s once invisible and mysterious ability finally revealed its shape¨C a sword; a giant sword.


    "..." Riley quickly tilted his body to the side to avoid this invisible giant sword from threatening to slice him in half. And judging from the screams and the slight rumble of the earth after doing so, the neighboring building next to the ruined nightclub might have been destroyed.


    And hearing the screams of the people whispering into his ears, a smile once again slowly crept on Riley''s face¨C his eyebrows, slightly trembling as his breaths slowly became fettered.


    "..." He then once again moved to the side as another invisible sword shot straight towards him, but this time, before his footnded on the ground; he also waved his hand forward.


    And as soon as he did so, a streak of light appeared in front of him¨C a red and t glowing crescent, almost like a side of the moon flooded in blood.


    And although Sophie was caught a bit off guard from the sudden crescent beam flying towards her, she still waved her hand forward, splitting the red beam in half and missing her entirely¨C the red beams continued to fly, however, once again causing screams to echo from outside the ocean of dust.


    "Just how many abilities do you have?"


    "I do not want to answer that, Miss Sophie."


    "Y¨C"


    And before Sophie could even say another word, Riley suddenly ran towards her, waving his hand and summoning several crescent beams as he did so.


    "...Rude," Sophie breathed out as she also waved her hands, neutralizing all of Riley''s attacks without moving a single step from her spot.


    "You really are trying to have fun, aren''t you?" She then let out a small sigh as she noticed the weird smile on Riley''s face, "But for how long?"


    And as soon as Sophie said that, Sophie''s feet began to move in a sort of pattern; half a dozen invisible swords then emerged around her¨C all the size of a bus.


    And as if performing on a stage, Sophie began rotating her body with a subtle elegance; gracefully waving her hands as the swords around her began to dance; not allowing even a single of Riley''s crescent beams to scratch even a single strand of her purple hair.


    "..." Noticing this, Riley could not help but stop; his eyes moving erratically as he tried to follow the dancing swords.


    "This is a beautiful power, Miss Sophie," Riley then said as the smile on his face shifted into almost that of an amused child.


    "Finally someone who appreciates art when they see it," Sophie slightly hummed as she continued her dance, "It is just too bad that you are too young, too ignorant¡­


    ¡­and too dead!"


    Sophie then pped her hands¨C and without even any pause in their graceful movements, the once dancing swords all violently shot towards Riley, spinning as they did so.


    Riley, however, instead of flying away and trying to avoid these violent des, rushed forward.


    "..."


    Riley leaped into the storm of des, carefully rotating his body and adjusting the fold of his limbs,pletely avoiding the violent barrage that threatened to mince him into pieces.


    "Fool," Sophie then said as she flicked her hand. And as soon as she did so, the invisible force all merged¨C pinning Riley into a cushion¡­


    ¡­or at least that was what''s supposed to happen.


    "...What?"


    A small thud then whispered in the air as Rileynded on the ground seeminglypletely unscathed; with not even any of his clothes ripped.


    "I apologize, Miss Sophie," Riley then said as he let out a small sigh, "My telekic abilities¡­ act on their own to defend my body against any and all threats, I got it from my biological mother."


    "Oh?" Sophie only smirked, "You better use them to attack, then. I am telling you now that that''s the only way you would even have a chance to defeat me."


    "I beg to differ, Miss Sophie," Riley shook his head, "If I use it, I am afraid our y would not evenst a single second."


    "You¡­" Sophie''s eye twitched as soon as Riley''s words reached her ears, "...You are starting to get on my nerves, kid."


    And with that, Sophie once again started her dance as multiple swords once again emerged around her¨C this time double the amount but smaller in size.


    But before they could fly once again towards Riley, he suddenly disappeared from his spot; destroying the ground beneath him as he leaped forward. His fist, tightly clenched with Sophie''s face as its target.


    "...Oh?" Riley''s fistpletely stopped just a foot away from Sophie''s face, however, as multipleyers of swords blocked its path. He then quickly leaped back multiple times, swiftly avoiding the rain of swords that threatened to turn him into barbecue.


    "This is truly fun, Miss Sophie," Riley then whispered, "Maybe we could¨C"


    "It''sing from there!"


    "..." The smile on Riley''s face quickly disappeared as a familiar voice started to whisper into his ear from afar.


    "I can''t see anything with all the dust!"


    "Leave it to me!"


    And with those words, a strong gust of wind blew through the air.


    "The¡­ the dust isn''t disappearing!"


    "..." Riley could only shake his head in disappointment. And as he did so, the cloud of dust instantly dispersed along with the gust, finally revealing Riley and Sophie to the rest of the world.


    Riley quickly looked around, only to see their surroundings in almostplete destruction. Large crevices everywhere, no doubt sponsored by Sophie and Riley''s attacks. He then carefully turned towards the group of voices, only to see Hannah and the others approaching their location.


    Riley then looked at his hands, making sure that his skin was still covered in silver armor.


    "Oh? Your reinforcements are here," Sophie chuckled, "Maybe it''s time to say hi and intro¨C"


    And before Sophie could finish her words, she felt a cold touch covering her lips as Riley suddenly appeared in front of her.


    "Shh, Miss Sophie," Riley then leaned his head; his warm whispers traveling through Sophie''s ear, "Let''s continue this somewhere else."


    "It''s them!" Hannah''s roaring voice then traveled in the air as she pointed at Sophie and Riley, "They''re the ones who¨C"


    But before the Baby Crew could reach them, Riley suddenly embraced Sophie before they suddenly flew to the air.


    Hannah''s entire body was quickly engulfed in fire as she readied herself to chase them, but before she could even lift her feet from the ground, Silvie grabbed her arm.


    "Let''s prioritize saving the people first."


    "..." Hannah only looked at Silvie in the eyes, before nodding as the fires surrounding her body withered, "d to see you back with us."


    "...No," Silvie shook her head, "There''s¡­ still something wishing toe out from inside me. But¡­


    ¡­the safety of the people alwayses first."


    "Well said, Mega Girl," Hannah smirked, "Gary! Make sure no one is trapped beneath the debris!"


    "Dark Frost, set up a perimeter so that no one would enter the danger zone!"


    "Yes."


    "And¡­


    ¡­where the fuck is my brother!?"


    ***


    A small rumble whispered in the air as Sophie''s body dragged across the ground; thrown violently by Riley as they flew west of Miami, towards the vast and empty des away from the city.


    "...Shit. This is grey tiger''s fur." Surprisingly, though, Sophie just casually stood up. Her words, clearly pissed as she carefully checked her tattered robes. But after a few more breaths, her eyes focused on the individual slowlynding in front of her.


    "But you¡­ just what exactly are you?" Sophie then said, "Whiteking''s secret weapon or something?"


    "No, Miss Sophie," Riley shook his head as his feet touched the ground,


    "I''m Darkday."

 Chapter 121: Mega Man

    <h4>Chapter 121: Mega Man</h4>


    "I''m Darkday."


    "...What?"


    "Well, not at this moment."


    "...What?"


    If Sophie could raise her eyebrow higher than her hairline, it would have probably done so by now. Did this young boy really just say he was Darkday?


    "You really are a joker, aren''t you?" Sophie let out a small chuckle. The only response she received, however, was the somber whisper of the empty field they now found themselves in. As for Riley, he was only staring at nothing in the distance¨C as if he didn''t just say what he just said.


    "I do like to joke, yes," Riley nodded, "But what I told you just now was the truth, Miss Sophie¡­


    ¡­I was Darkday."


    "Then I guess I''ll be the world''s greatest superhero once I present your head to everyone!"


    The ground between Riley and Sophie started to split as Sophie waved her hand, and with no ocean of dust drowning the air around them, her skill had once again regained its invisibility. The only indication that she had thrown another set of them was the earth that was slightly opening up; a crawling crevice that rushed their way towards Riley.


    This time, however, Riley did not move from his spot or leaped forward like what he did when they were still in the center of the city¨C instead, he slowly floated in the air¡­ andpletely ignored the invisible swords that wafted through his body.


    The earth slightly shook as the invisible swords passed him; splitting the small hill formation that was several meters behind him into pieces and still continuing to wreak havoc.


    "Oh, finally using your telekinesis, Mr. Darkday?" Sophie let out a small chuckle as she once again waved her hand several times; how they were able to hear each other so clearly even with the distance between them, nobody knows.


    "No, Miss Sophie," Riley shook his head, but this time flying side to side as he avoided the invisible des, "Darkday is retired¨C I am currently a student aiming to be a super that would one day take the mantle of being Mega Woman, as you said earlier. So for now, you are the superviin, and I¡­


    ¡­am Mega Man."


    "...What?" Sophie thought that Riley would say something profound¡­ but Mega Man? What kind of bullshit is this kid spouting again?


    "This isn''t a game, b¨C"


    And before Sophie could finish her words, Riley removed his sunsses as his eyes suddenly glowed red. The silver chrome that covered his skin, being absorbed back to his flesh; his white visage, once again smiling upon Sophie as his hoodie was removed by the wind.


    "You should beughing, Miss Sophie¡­" Riley then let out a small chuckle as he ever so slowly floated towards Sophie, "...That was a joke."


    "..." Sophie could not help but slightly take a few steps back as the smile on Riley''s face once again almost reached from ear-to-ear, as if his mouth could swallow her whole head in.


    A Hero?


    Whatever Riley is or was, he looked more like the devil if anything as a few strands of his hair were now standing up from the sides. There was also the tant disregard for human life that he had shown earlier back in the nightclub when he killed even their guests and customers.


    In truth, whether Sophie believed it or not¡­ she had actually thought that Riley was like Darkday since the start¨C how could she not when the first ability that he showed her was the ability to make copies of himself?


    "Be honored, Miss Sophie."


    "!!!"


    Sophie could not help but slightly take in a deep breath as Rileynded in front of her; was she so absorbed with her thoughts that she didn''t even realize that he was already within arm''s reach of her?


    "You¨C"


    Sophie was about to raise her hands, but she found that she was not even able to move them; with Riley suddenly grabbing her wrists. She also wanted to leap back, but before she could do so, Riley once again pulled her towards him and embraced her.


    And soon, his whispers reached her left ear.


    "I have never truly used Mega Woman''s abilities before."


    Sophie''s head could only slightly tremble as Riley''s words almost made her ear warm.


    "Did you know that she actually also has telekic abilities?" Riley continued as his arms continued to wrap around Sophie''s body, "It''s weaker than what I already have, of course. But then again, every telekic I have encountered was weaker than my biological mother."


    "What¡­ what are you even spouting?" Although the tone of Sophie''s voice still held the swagger it had since earlier, her stutters were now quite obvious, "Let¡­ let go of me, kid."


    "Ssh."


    "!!!" Sophie then took in a very long and very deep breath as Riley''s lips almost touched hers.


    "You know¡­ since you said you have encountered Hope Guild many times before¨C maybe you know my biological mother?"


    "...Your mother?" Sophie leaned her head back as her eyes slowly scanned Riley''s very pale face. And from this distance, it was almost as if she could even see the blood in his veins flowing, "Whiteking''s¡­ wife?"


    "No, that''s Diana," Riley then let go of Sophie''s arms as he took a few steps back. And as soon as he did so, Sophie violently waved her hands several times¨C instantly turning the terrain in front of her almost into ruins.


    But still, she did not stop; her breaths became erratic as she made sure that not even a fly would survive. Never has she once in her life been manhandled like this before¡­ and she truly, truly did not like the weird feeling building inside her.


    And so, once again, an ocean of dust and dirt filled the air around her. But this time, the cloud did not persist in the air as she felt her entire body being pushed away by a strong gust of wind, causing her to close her eyes as the dust and dirt threatened to rip away her skin.


    "Ms. Phoenix."


    She then slowly opened her eyes as she heard Riley''s voice once again near her¨C his clothes and skin,pletely unscathed.


    "Ms¡­ Phoenix is¡­ your biological mother?"


    Fuck.


    Fuck¨C was the persisting thought inside Sophie''s mind right now. Whether Riley was Darkday or not; Whether Riley was Ms. Phoenix''s son or not¨C Sophie knew one thing¡­


    ¡­He''s a monster she was no match for.


    "Yes," Riley then nodded, "You''re the first thing outside my family I have told that to. You should be proud, Miss Sophie."


    "W¨C"


    "My question is still the same, though. Did you encounter my biological mother before?" Riley did not let Sophie say a word as he once again stood awfully close to her, "My parents refuse to talk about her whenever I ask them about her. They are usually open about everything but not her¡­


    ¡­Don''t you find it weird, Miss Sophie?"


    "I¡­ don''t really know what to say," Sophie took in a small gulp as she started to gather energy, "But no. Ms. Phoenix¡­ was already out of the picture when I donned a mask."


    "I see. That is truly disappointing," Riley then let out a small sigh as he shook his head, "You looked old so I thought you would belong in their generation."


    "I''m only 30, you fucking bitch."


    "I see we are both telling jokes," the edges of Riley''s mouth once again rose momentarily, "But I do know one thing about Ms. Phoenix, though¡­


    ¡­She killed me."


    "...What?"


    "She killed me, Miss Sophie."


    "That¡­ doesn''t even make any sense."


    "Oh, it will soon for you, Miss Sophie¨C it''s all a matter of how soon."


    And once again, Riley slowly floated into the air as his eyes glowed red, "But the question is¡­


    ¡­subordinate or guest, which one will you be?"


    "...What?"


    "Oh, that was a question for me, Miss Sophie."


    And before Sophie could even say another word, the light surrounding Riley''s eyes beamed out a few feet beside her.


    "!!!"


    The light then suddenly trailed straight towards her face¨C and if it wasn''t for the fact that she already put up an invisible sword to shield her, then she knew she would have been torched alive.


    The beam then continued to move almost in a random pattern away from Sophie¨C burning the vast and empty field; leaving darkness and fire along its wake. The beam then soon flickered, however, as Riley blinked a couple of times until the light in his eyes faded.


    Riley then shook his head, as if trying to shake away the remaining light in his eyes.


    This boy¡­ could it be that he doesn''t know how to use his heat vision perfectly? Sophie thought as she looked at the destruction behind her.


    And so now, the once beautiful de turned into nothing but a wastnd; add to that the damage that she had already done before¡­ she was sure that other superheroes would soon arrive here¨C it was impossible for this to not be caught by satellite.


    She just needed to wait for a chance to escape.


    "You¡­ said you were Darkday?" Sophie then breathed out in a chance to prolong their fight; Riley seemed to be one to talk, she should use that to her advantage, "Does that mean you¨C"


    "...Oops?"


    "!!!"


    Sophie then took in a short but deep breath as she felt a slight pricking from her left arm. She slowly looked to the side, only to see Riley with a slightly bewildered expression as¡­


    ¡­he had an arm in his hand¨C her arm.


    "Gah!" Sophie''s screams then echoed through the air, creating a sort of crater as the hundreds of invisible swords she had actually charged in the air all showered down to the ground.


    Her screams, however, caused Riley''s eyes to twitch as he took in a long and deep breath. But after a few seconds, he shook his head and looked Sophie straight in the eyes, "Mega Woman and I apologize, Miss Sophie¡­


    ¡­I forgot how strong she was."

 Chapter 122: Threat Level

    <h4>Chapter 122: Threat Level</h4>


    Pain.


    No matter how strong one was; if one was not used to pain, then even the mightiest of heroes would fall, or in this case, a viin.


    Sophie Palmer¨C ssified as a Threat Level 5 superviin by the Government. But in terms of strength, she was definitely bordering on Threat Level 6.


    There were 7 Levels of superviins¨C theorized by the people, then confirmed by the Government. As said by Katherine in one of their lessons.


    Level 1 were just considered a nuisance; those who misuse their powers to wreak minor chaos, but not enough to cause damage.


    Level 2 were those to be considered street-level, those who use their powers tomit petty crimes like theft, robbery, and minor assault.


    Threat Levels 1 and 2 could be dealt with by the normal police with no problem at all. And sometimes, superheroes were discouraged to engage with such individuals, and in some cases, even restricted.


    Level 3 is where they start being recognized by the Government as someone that should be detained for an indefinite amount of time.


    Threat Level 3 was the minimum level allotted to viins who have been confirmed tomit murder. Their levels then go up in ordance with the blood they have on their hands, as well as the damages they have caused to the country or the world.


    Level 4 are viins that are already on the Government''s watchlist; a bounty¨C they are to be actively hunted by superheroes and will be rewarded ordingly; superheroes, however, will still be liable in case of the bounty''s death.


    Threat Level 5 are those that are capable of causing chaos to a city-wide level¨C normal police are no longer required to respond to the situation and only heroes of Grade-B, A, and S are rmended to engage. The viin''s death will no longer be investigated at this level.


    Levels 6 and 7 are simr¨C subdue at all costs. This is the time the Hope Guild and any other Grade-A supers and above are required by the Government to act depending on the gravity of the situation¨C this is usually also the time when Mega Woman could be spotted roaming around the skies.


    Still, Mega Woman actually responds to any threat she could, however, as she never once listened to the government. Her reason? She was an alien.


    Threat Level 7 superviins are considered to be a cmity and require citizens to hide or bunker up until the threat has beenpletely neutralized. Dark Millenium was on its way to this level, but the Government ordered their quick termination before they could be so.


    Andstly¡­


    Threat Level - Darkday.


    The whole world will be ced under lockdown and no normal humans or superheroes of Grade-B and below are allowed to go outside their homes or bunkers. Grade-A heroes are not required to engage but are needed to evacuate or protect citizens instead.


    Even now, after months and months of Darkday''sst appearance, there were still cities that have not recovered from his wake.


    As for Sophie, she was considered to be Threat Level 5.


    The only reason she was not upgraded to Level 6 was that during her short time with the mask, she did not actively seek to cause mayhem and was content in participating in street-level operations and shady deals. Her powers, however, rivaled that of Grade-S supers.


    She had fought many battles, sure¨C but none that really threatened her life as she escapes before anything drastic happens to her. It was true what she said to Riley, she did fight with 2 members of the Hope Guild before and was able to survive with only a scratch on her.


    But this time, she had truly overstayed her wee and overestimated herself. And so, we are back to¡­


    ¡­Pain.


    Sophie was trying her best to not let the shrieking scream escape from her mouth. But still, bits and pieces of it escape. If it was not for the adrenaline she was feeling right now, then she would have already and definitely groveled on the ground from the almost searing pain.


    Add to the fact that the one that just severed her hand was smiling at her; slightly biting his lips. If she was trying her best to hold off her screams, then Riley was trying to hold off hisughter.


    "Need a hand?"


    "You¨C"


    And before Sophie could even finish her words, Riley''sughter finally burst out from inside him. It¡­ was a very weirdugh¨C chilling. It seemed fake with the short intervals of pause with each sequence, but at the same time, the look on his face clearly says that he was not faking it.


    "I apologize, I think it was insensitive of me to tell a joke in this situation, I am still learning the proper timing," Riley''sughter then abruptly stopped as he let out a small but deep sigh,


    "It''s just that it has been a while since I actively participated in this kind of activity, Miss Sophie. Ever since I retired from being Darkday, my life has been somewhat¡­cking. Maybe I should have also told a joke to Mega Woman before I twisted her neck."


    "What¡­ the fuck are you?" Sophie stuttered as she asked. Of course, in her mind, the possibility of Riley being Darkday had actually shot through the roof already¨C telekinesis, clones, and a barrage of different other superpowers?


    She would be a fool to deny anything at this point; especially with her life on the line already. At this point, even if her durability was far greater than that of a normal human, since her arm was literally ripped off almost from the shoulder, she was losing too much blood.


    She was nning to dy until any other heroes arrive so she could use the chance to escape, but at this point¡­ she would die before that happens.


    "I apologize, Miss Sophie," Riley then let out a small sigh as he dropped Sophie''s arm on the ground, "I don''t really have the ability to attach your arm back. As an apology for my mistake, would you like to be my 3rd Subordinate?"


    "No, I¨C Eh?"


    And before Sophie even finished her words, she felt herself suddenly unable to speak as a persisting warm feeling suddenly flowed down her chest. Her remaining hand then slowly made its way to it, only for her to find herself slowly being showered by blood¡­ that was profusely flowing down from her neck.


    "I was hoping to at least have you as a guest, but it seems that would not be possible, Miss Sophie," Riley''s steps then whispered through Sophie''s ears as her legs slowly lost their strength, "But I almost forgot I have a new Warden¨C I am afraid someone like you would be a threat to him and the other guests¡­


    ¡­You should have epted my offer to be my 3rd Subordinate."


    Sophie then turned to look at Riley; whose eyebrows were currently furrowed. His breaths of disappointment, piercing her ears like knives. She¡­


    ¡­she was just going to ask first what he meant by 3rd Subordinate. She¡­ she should have just said yes without dying any further.


    "I really thought your abilities were beautiful, Miss Sophie," Riley''s words then began to slowly fade; turning into a whisper as Sophie''s vision started to flicker. She was trying her best topress the huge slit on her throat, but doing so would choke her even further.


    "But Mega Woman seems to be a very possessive individual," Riley chuckled, "I can no longer¡­ grow¡­"


    Is¡­ he still saying something? Sophie''s entire body then dropped to the ground; she could feel the warmth of her blood still gushing from her neck as it flowed to her cheek¨C almost like a¡­ veryfortable pillow.


    "Mega¡­ immortal, you see¡­"


    What was he saying? Was this the monologue everyone hears before they die at the hands of superviins? Did... she also do this?


    "...I gain my powers by¡­ now¡­ no one can¡­"


    It''s funny. She had always prided herself on being one of the most sessful superviins¨C as unlike most, she was able to escape from the cage that was her mask. She was leading a good life, perhaps not the most honest one since she was a drug lord¡­ but considering the alternative of what¨C


    And just like that, with her final thoughts that of a looming regret¡­ Sophie Palmer took herst breath.


    "..." Riley''s words thenpletely stopped as he stared at Sophie; her purple hair, now almost ck as it was soaked in her own blood. And with a small sigh, he just shook his head¡­


    ¡­and left.


    ***


    "Agh! Riley, where have you been!?"


    "I was with Sophie, sister."


    "Sophie!? Who the¡­ I told you not to talk to strangers!"


    Even with the sound of sirens and people screaming, Hannah''s voice was still the loudest instrument that echoed through this orchestra of chaos.


    "..." Riley then looked around the damage he and Sophie had caused. Buildings turned into rubble, roadspletely split in half. It truly was a shame that he was not able to get her on his side¨C she was also the leader of arge group, she could have taught Riley how to treat his subordinates better.


    Truly¡­ such a shame. Riley then shook his head as he wore his sunsses¨C his white coat now once again fluttering in the wind. Where and when he changed it, no one knows.


    "What are you still standing there for!? Help them!"


    "Hm," Riley then nodded as he saw the people being evacuated from the buildings. Riley did not really stay long whenever he brought destruction to the world; he was always gone after thest screams of agony, sometimes even before, as Mega Woman would surely arrive.


    But now, seeing his work first-hand. Seeing the people crying¡­ seeing the people work together to help one another¡­ all of their sadness resonating within him. It¡­ made his heart flutter.


    He¡­ did all of this? He caused all of this sadness and grief whenever he wreaked havoc?


    Why¡­


    ¡­Why didn''t he discover this happiness sooner?


    ***


    ***


    ***AUTHOR''S NOTE***


    If you want to support this greedy author even further, please do subscribe in my patr*on. /Romeru. Would be greatly appreciated, I will also have illustrations there in the future.

 Chapter 123: 3 Robots

    <h4>Chapter 123: 3 Robots</h4>


    "That''s¡­ That''s Waxyman!"


    As the dust and ashes were now almost cleared out of the air, the lights of the city and the moonlight once again merged, creating a sort of hazy neon to pester the broken infrastructures¨Cpleted by the blinking and rotating red and blue that came from the police vehicles.


    "...Waxyman, what kind of stupid name is that?"


    There were also a lot more supers and superheroes trying to fix the aftermath of Riley and Sophie''s battle. One, in particr, was a super that was currently filling in the cracks of the road with¡­ the wax that was seeminglying out from his palm.


    "...Is he putting wax on the road?" Hannah then squinted her eyes; her tone, slightly perturbed, "How is that even safe? Wouldn''t it cause the tires to slip? It would melt with the heat of¨C"


    "Why are you always such a hater!? And what right do you have to say his name is bad when you literally call yourself Nuclear Baby!?" Gary did not let Hannah finish her words as he dropped therge rubble he was carrying, his words almost traveling throughout Miami, "Don''t you know that when his wax dries, it would be harder than steel!?"


    "I believe big sister Hannah is right."


    "What the¨C" Gary then look behind him, only to see Tomoe passing him by with her quiet whispers, "Just wait ''til you see him covering viins with it! Silv, Silv, where are you!? Back me up here!"


    Gary then pped his hands to try and get Silvie''s attention. Silvie, however, only continued to walk while carrying two cars on her shoulders.


    "Silv!"


    "Oh¡­" But finally, after one more scream that almost caused Gary''s voice to crack, Silvie carefully turned around, "...What was that?"


    "..." Gary only looked at Silvie with his eyes squinted, before letting out a sigh as he gestured for Silvie to continue whatever it was she was doing, "It''s nothing, carry on with your duties, madam."


    "Hm," Silvie just nodded in response. But as soon as she was gone, Gary slowly moonwalked towards Hannah and whispered,


    "...Something is wrong with that girl."


    "Oh wow," Hannah took in a long and deep breath as her eyes widened in shock, "How did you notice that!? So smart."


    "...You¨C"


    "No, but seriously¡­" Hannah did not let Gary say another word, "I get what you mean. Even our resident stoic is getting worried about her."


    "Riley?"


    "No, Tomoe," Hannah scoffed, "My brother isn''t stoic."


    "...What?" Gary then turned to look at Riley, who was currently standing in the middle of the road with his arms stretched to the side while the rubbles, buses, cars, and debris that were safe to move away were floated by him to the trucks¨C doing it all with his facepletely unchanging, not even a hint of sweat.


    As for Tomoe, the exhaustion on her face was quite obvious already; letting out small sighs as her eyebrows furrowed from time to time.


    "Even Tomoe has more emotions than him," Gary then pointed out.


    "What do you mean?" Hannah blinked a couple of times, "My brother''s feeling quite happy right now¨C probably because he gets to use his powers for good or something."


    "..." Gary then took another look as he squinted his eyes with intensity. But no matter how hard he tried to see it, Riley''s face was just¡­ Riley. As for Tomoe, her exhaustion was reflected from the fumesing out of her mouth. Of course, she made a huge dome of ice for the medics to tend the wounded in, so that was a given.


    "So about Silvie," Hannah then said, "We were hoping to talk to her maybe tomorrow about¨C"


    "You know¡­" Gary then scratched his chin, "...This got me thinking; why aren''t there more healing-type supes? Even in the Academy we only have like 1, right? And he could only heal minor wounds."


    "...Maybe you should start helping instead of thinking¨C it''s not really your strong suit," Hannah then rolled her eyes from having her words interrupted.


    "Why you gotta do me like that, bruh!?"


    And so, with Gary picking up the rubble he ced on the ground, their relief work continued; everyone working together in harmony to ensure no one was trapped inside the ruined buildings or that the said buildings wouldn''t copse post-help.


    But after a few more minutes, the whispers of the police started to travel the air. Their voices, carrying a slightly panicked tone as they started running around everywhere; carrying the static that spoke from their radios.


    "...What''s happening now?" Hannah and the others quickly gathered in one spot¨C even Riley was asked to join as there were people running around him.


    "I overheard them talking about someone from the Hope Guilding," Tomoe answered.


    "...You heard that?" Gary blinked a couple of times, "What are you, some sort of ninja? Wait¡­ I didn''t say that because you''re half-Japanese, okay? I¡­ I''m not racist."


    "...Okay?" Tomoe only squinted her eyes; her tone still monotonous. She did, however, take a small nce at Riley. Of course, she should know these kinds of stuff, it was the least she could do as Riley''s Second Subordinate.


    She was already getting less and less interaction with Riley for some reason; she wanted to prove her worth. Since a member of the Hope Guild ising, this was information that Riley should know since he had encountered them before during his time as Darkday.


    "..." And as soon as Riley nodded when they met eyes, a small smile quickly crawled on Tomoe''s face.


    "But the Hope Guild, huh¡­" Hannah let out a small but deep breath as she looked around the broken walls and roads, "...Destruction of this scale shouldn''t warrant the attention of the Hope Guild; does it have something to do with the identity of the two people we saw?"


    "Well¡­ they were capable of doing this without moving their fight," Silvie muttered, "They might be of a higher threat than we thought."


    "Pft," Gary waved his hand, "If we arrived earlier, I am sure we could have stomped the both of them into smithereens!"


    "For once, I agree with you," Hannah scoffed, "Those two bitches should pay for what they''ve done here¨C all these people, dead."


    "..." Hearing Hannah''s words, Riley could only let out a small sigh. As for Tomoe, her eyes slightly squinted as she once again nced at Riley.


    Could the other person be him? She wasn''t sure¡­ Riley wasn''t telling her anything anymore.


    "The police are really¡­ riled up," Silvie said as she took a few steps back to avoid the rushing officers.


    "...It''s not dad, is it?" Hannah furrowed her eyebrows, "Maybe he¨C"


    "Helicopter, helicopter!"


    And with Gary suddenly pointing towards the sky, a loud whirring sound soon reached all of their ears. And soon, the helicopter that Gary was pointing to hovered above them; it quickly went away, however¡­ but not before someone jumped out of it.


    "Aw shit!" Gary then stretched his arms, slightly pushing the others away, "Is he going to do it!?"


    But s, contrary to what Gary expected, the man that jumped from the chopper did notnd the way he wanted to. Instead, he justnded¡­ normally odd.


    Considering the height of his fall, the rubble and ground beneath him should have at least cracked in a way; but it was almost as if he just hopped where he stood, with the white bag he was carrying not even bouncing.


    What did bounce, however, were the gazes of the people as their eyes could not help but take a double look at the man''s bald head; reflecting the setting moon even brighter than therge knife he had strapped behind his waist.


    "It''s Butcher¡­" Gary then took in a small gulp, "So that''s why the police are acting the way they are."


    "...Why?" Silvie muttered, "Is he that hard to deal with?"


    "You could say that," Gary nodded several times, "He is freaky af. I heard he eats people."


    "What!? How could someone like that be a hero!?"


    "Don''t believe everything the idiot says," Hannah could only shake her head as the group continued to watch the scenario in front of them.


    Even after touching ground for a few minutes, Butcher still had not talked to anyone; just looking around everywhere as if assessing each corner of the ruined street. But finally, after a few minutes more, he approached the police that were standing by on the sides.


    The men in uniform quickly flinched; their heads instinctively turning to the side to avoid Butcher''s red, almost glowing eyes. They seemed to be talking about the situation, until finally, as they reached the end of their conversation, the officer pointed at Riley and the group.


    Of course, this also caused Gary and the others to slightly flinch.


    "Aw shit¡­ he''s gonna eat us," Gary loudly whispered as Butcher''s steps tread nearer and nearer.


    "Shh, shut the fuck up!" Hannah managed to hit Gary in the stomach before Butcher arrived.


    "The 5 of you are the students from Mega Academy, correct?" Butcher then said, the tone of his voicepletely monotonous.


    "W¡­ why are you asking t¡­ th¨C"


    "Yes, sir," Silvie responded before Gary could make the situation trickier than it already is.


    "Good job," Butcher nodded, "ording to the reports I received, the estimated damage if you have not arrived on the scene the time that you did would be approximately 73.2%"


    "...Yes?" The group did not really know how to respond to that as they all just turned to look at each other.


    "Thanks¡­ I guess?" Hannah then muttered; her eyes, slightly squinted as she tried to gauge Butcher.


    "Hm," Butcher once again nodded in response, before he once again started looking around the area without even saying another word to them.


    And so, once again; Silvie, Gary, and Hannah could not help but look at each other. With Riley, Tomoe, and now Butcher¡­ it was as if they were surrounded by robots.


    "You reported that there were two individuals who left the scene as soon as you arrived?" Butcher then once again approached the group; the bag that was hanging on his shoulders now in his hands.


    "That''s right¡­ they flew away before we could¨C"


    "Is this one of them?"


    "!!!"


    Not only Hannah, but Gary and the others also could not help but take a few steps back as Butcher suddenly pulled something out of the white bag he was holding. Even the police that were meters away from them almost tumbled to the ground as they saw the thing in Butcher''s hand.


    "I¡­ I¡­ I don''t know," Hannah then quickly said before looking away, "We¡­ did not really get the chance to¨C"


    "It¡­ it might be!" Silvie also stuttered as she tried her best to not look away, "She¡­ she has the same hair color, I¡­ I think!"


    The two could only let out stutters¨C how could they not¡­


    ¡­when Butcher was holding a severed head straight to their faces?

 Chapter 124: Butcher

    <h4>Chapter 124: Butcher</h4>


    "Did¡­ did you kill her?"


    Although the nerves of Silvie and the others were still piercing through the roof, she still seemed to have the courage to not look away from Butcher¡­ even as the sultry strands of hair of Sophie''s severed head filled in the gaps of his fingers.


    Considering that there were still droplets of blood dropping to the ground, the head was still attached to its body just minutes ago¨C wouldn''t that mean that Butcher was inside the helicopter while a severed head was¡­ leaking beside him?


    What sort of superhero¡­ is he? Even Tomoe was a bit ufortable; still, she did not stray her eyes away, as Riley was also not doing so.


    "No," Butcher then shook his head as he looked at Sophie''s head, "She was already dead when we found her, I only cut off her head since it would be easier to carry with me."


    "...You cut off her head for that?" Hannah slightly raised an eyebrow.


    "Only half of her neck," Butcher answered; his tone, still monotonous, "Considering the condition of the tattered flesh on the front side of her neck, there''s a 67% chance that it was sliced with a finger¨C do you see the difference between the cut?"


    "..." The others once again could not help but look away as Butcher once again raised the severed head in front of them.


    What the fuck is this guy''s problem?-- Hanah thought. Who in their right mind would go around dangling a severed head with him and act like it waspletely normal?


    "Yes. The cut going from the middle to the back of the neck is smooth, Butcher."


    "..." Right, they almost forgot their team consisted of Riley Ross.


    "I pride myself with my knife skills," Butcher answered as he turned to look at Riley, "The two of you are Whiteking''s children, correct?"


    "I suppose, Butcher."


    "It was wise not to follow this woman and the one she was fighting with," Butcher then nodded as he finally removed the head and returned it to his bag,


    "I have fought her before¨C and although I do not know your strength as a group yet, the chance of one of you dying was at a hundred percent."


    "Who¡­ is she?" Hannah finally regained a little more confidence in her words as there was no longer a bleeding head being shoved in her face.


    "Sophie Palmer¨C also known as Lady Divider."


    Although Butcher said her name with much conviction, it did not really garner any reaction to any of the group; even Gary, who usually had something to say just shrugged his shoulders in confusion.


    He could only look away, as he was doing his best to hold the smallughter that was trying to escape his mouth from seeing Butcher''s bald head reflecting the red and blue lights that the police cars were producing.


    "She was a low-profile superviin," Butcher exined as his eyes once again traveled the aftermath of the battle within the nightclub, "But quit her superviin life to be the boss of a drug syndicate."


    "Drug¡­ could it be!?" Hannah looked at Silvie and the others; Was it possible that she was the boss of the men that attacked them? It made sense¡­ why else would they even have the guts to attack supers even knowing their connection with the Academy?


    "She was strong enough to rival any of the members of the Hope Guild."


    "What!?" And so, finally; Gary, who had been keeping quiet the whole time, could not help but raise his voice, "Someone like that was hiding here!?"


    "Why was she not inside the supermax jail?" Silvie muttered.


    "You¡­ are Silvie Savelevnia, correct?"


    "Y¡­ yes?"


    "Then perhaps I was wrong in my assessment," Butcher then let out a sigh¨C showing just a tiny sliver of expression, "Perhaps all of you could have survived an encounter with her. That is if¡­ the one she was fighting with is a hero."


    "The one with the jacket?" Hannah squinted her eyes.


    "Did you manage to see his face?"


    "No," Hannah looked at the others before they all collectively shook their heads.


    "I see," Butcher once again let out a small sigh, "But it truly was the correct decision not to follow them. All of the cameras within the vicinity were destroyed¨C so whoever Sophie''s opponent was, he or she did not want to let anyone know his or her identity. If he were to be hostile to all of you; then based on the aftermath of their battle in the des¡­


    ¡­the chance of all of you dying was at a hundred percent."


    "...What?"


    Butcher just told them that Sophie rivaled the members of the Hope Guild¡­ but now they are telling them that the one who killed her was even stronger? Just what kind of monsters are there lurking within the country they were not aware of?


    "But none of those matter anymore," Butcher once again shook his head as he turned around, "You children should rest. It is important for people of your age to get enough sleep."


    "We¡­ still want to help," Silvie proimed.


    "Rest," Butcher, however, looked at each member of the Baby Crew one by one, "This is thest time you will be getting enough sleep in this crime infested city; the chance of there not being a crime for the rest of the day is 100%...


    ¡­since I am here," and with those words, Butcher once again returned to talk with the police officers.


    "...Fuck," Gary took in a small gulp as he watched Butcher''s back, "That line¡­ was cool af."


    "Should¡­ we really just rest up?" Silvie asked.


    "Butcher is right," Hannah let out a small groan of frustration, "If this is how our first day out in the streets end¨C I am not looking forward to the rest of the week.."


    "Let''s¡­ help for a few more minutes and let''s go," Silvie persisted.


    "...No," Hannah, however, grabbed Silvie''s wrist before she could walk away, "I think we really need to talk about what''s happening to you now, Silv."


    "That''s¡­" Silvie looked Hannah straight in the eyes; her breaths, slightly stuttering. But after a few more moments, "...I think I am fine now," she gently pulled her hand away.


    "You''re not fine, sis," Hannah blocked her path, "You''re not alright. We can''t let you out there knowing that you might lose your mind at any time."


    "I¡­"


    "Let us help you, Silv," Hannah then let out a small but deep sigh as she grabbed both of Silvie''s hands, "We are your friends. Please¡­ let us help you."


    "..." Silvie''s eyes started to tremble as she felt the warmth of Hannah''s touch. She turned her eyes towards Gary and the others, only to see their eyes looking at her with¡­ worry. Even Tomoe nodded at her when their eyes met.


    She then slightly turned her head towards Riley with a sort of small excitement, only to see him not even looking at her.


    "..."


    "He cares," Hannah sighed, "He just has his own way of showing it."


    "That''s¨C"


    "My sister is right, Silvie. I do care about you."


    "!!!"


    Tomoe was the first to react to Riley''s words; her eyes, as wide as they could be for a half-Japanese like her. Was¡­ she going to be reced as the Second Subordinate!?


    "R¡­ Riley?" Gary then took a few steps towards Riley, his voice trembling, "Why¡­ why are you trying to get all of the girls in the Academy!? What do you think this is, Compamon!? You gotta catch them all, is that it!? Why don''t you leave some for me!?"


    "..." Hannah could only look at Silvie, whose face was starting to turn red. This was not good, Hannah thought. Between Tomoe and Silvie¡­ who would she support for her brother''s hand?


    "W¡­ what are you saying, bro?" Hannah could not help but almost pinch Riley on the arm.


    "I just agreed with you, sister," Riley blinked his eyes a couple of times, "Silvie needs to be herself; if not, then there is no way she could surpass Mega Woman."


    "...Oh," and with those words, everyone could only let out sighs¨C some of relief, and one of slight disappointment,


    "Let''s¡­


    ¡­just go back and talk about what''s happening to Silvie. I''m seeing reporters already, best to avoid them."


    "...Right."


    Or so they said¨C but as soon as they reached back to their camp, all of them, except Riley, were sprawled on the floorpletely asleep; exhausted from having to move throughout the whole day.


    They truly were seriously going to talk about what was happening to Silvie at first; but when Riley mentioned about the shower in the trailer, most of them took turns to wash¡­ before they all fell asleep as soon as they sat inside the dome of ice that Tomoe created.


    "..."


    "..." A small rustle then whispered in the air as Riley gently removed Hannah''s embrace, careful not to wake her up as he stood up; floating in the air instead of walking so as to not make any noise as he left the dome.


    The rising sun immediately greeted his silhouette, the orange hue, reflecting on his white figure. He looked around for a few moments, before walking towards his motorcycle that was parked beside the trailer.


    "..." He was about to mount it, but before his hand could touch the handlebars, he quickly nced behind him; only to see Butcher quietly standing there.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Are you not going to ride it?"


    "I was about to practice how to, Butcher," Riley shook his head as he turned around to face Butcher.


    "Then let me be quick, Mr. Riley Ross¡­


    ¡­join the Hope Guild as my apprentice."

 Chapter 125: Family Secrets...?

    <h4>Chapter 125: Family Secrets...?</h4>


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    15 minutes. Riley and Butcher spent a whole 15 minutes in silence after Butcher asked his sudden question. The only sounds that could be heard were the whispering horns and sirens of the waking city.


    But finally, after a few more seconds of this somewhat awkward silence,


    "I am afraid I have to refuse your offer, Mister Butcher," Riley said no.


    "I see," Butcher''s disappointed, but still monotonous sigh traveled the air, "I expected that answer; there was a 24% chance that you would reject my invitation."


    "I believe it was 0% from that start, Butcher."


    "Hm," Butcher could only squint his eyes from Riley''s words. And after another bout of awkward silence between the two, Butcher''s red, almost glowing eyesnded towards Riley''s motorcycle.


    "Your father did not teach you how to ride?"


    "No."


    "Your mother was very good with motorcycles," Butcher muttered.


    "..."


    "Your biological mother."


    "I know who you meant, Butcher," Riley shook his head, "My adoptive mother would not even fathom the idea of touching a motorcycle."


    "...Then do you know who your biological mother is?" Butcher squinted his eyes.


    "Is it Ms. Phoenix from the Hope Guild?"


    "That''s¡­" Butcher''s eyes squinted even further from hearing Riley''s non-hesitant words, "...Did Whiteking tell you?"


    "No, I surmised on my own."


    "Then do you know how she died?"


    "...No," this time, it was Riley that slightly squinted his eyes as he slightly turned his head towards Butcher.


    "Do you want to know?"


    "Do you wish to tell me?"


    "Join the Hope Guild and you''ll know it."


    "Then, no."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I see."


    Once again, another bout of awkward silence. If it truly weren''t for the orchestra of sounds being produced by the city, then the two might as well be inside a movie theatre 30 minutes before the show starts. Thankfully, Butcher did not let the silencest long as he let out a small but deep breath.


    "I suppose I should just tell you as a sort of investment," Butcher then said as he closed his eyes, "Ms. Phoenix was killed by your father and some other members of the Hope Guild during that time."


    "..." Hearing Butcher''s words, Riley''s eyebrow slowly started to move; his breaths, momentarily stopping before once again returning to their rhythmic and unfettered drumming.


    "You do not need to be so alert," Butcher shook his bald head as his red eyes once again showed themselves, "They had no choice but to do it to save you¨C Ms. Phoenix was strangling you when you were just 2 years old, If I am to be correct."


    "I see."


    "You¡­ do not seem to be surprised by this information?"


    "I had my suspicions."


    "How?" Butcher breathed out.


    "Because I inherited her powers."


    "...I do not really see how that corrtes to you knowing the circumstances of the past," Butcher muttered as he ced his hand on his chin, "But no matter. Do you wish to see where your mother is buried?"


    "No, I have no interest in the dead."


    "Then¨C"


    "If I were you, I''d get the fuck out of here about 3 seconds ago."


    And before Butcher could say another word, the back of his bald head suddenly shone in red. He slowly looked back, only to see Riley''s sister with her arms engulfed in a fit of raging mes.


    "Stop whatever it is you''re trying to do to my brother," she then said as she took a few steps forward.


    "...There is no need to be rmed," Butcher slowly raised his hand in surrender, "I was only hoping to invite your brother into the Hope Guild."


    "You already have our father, just scram."


    "..." Although the tone of Hannah''s voice was quite thuggish, Butcher still did not fail to see her slightly trembling hands. For her to not back down even though she was clearly afraid of him, a small smile slowly crawled on Butcher''s face.


    "As expected of Whiteking''s daughter," Butcher breathed out, "Very well, I will not push this topic any further; The Hope Guild and I owe a lot to your father. Did you know my costume was made by him?"


    "I don''t care, please go away."


    "It keeps my power in check¨C controble," Butcher sighed, "Same as yours."


    "What the fuck are you on about?" Hannah clicked her tongue, "Just leave us alone."


    "Hm," Butcher''s smile did not go away as he nodded to Hannah, before once again ncing towards Riley, "If you change your mind, just contact me through your father."


    And with those words, Butcher tapped his foot on the ground¨C and as he did so, his feet started to slide away across the pavement¡­ menacingly.


    "W¡­ what the fuck is his problem?" Hannah then let out a long and very deep breath as she rushed to check on her brother, "Are you¡­ are you alright?"


    "I should be the one asking you that, sister," Riley said as he looked at Hannah, whose breaths were enough to throw him away.


    "Those Hope Guild freaks, I swear," Hannah then shook her arms off of the mes that were still lingering on her sleeves.


    "Did I wake you, sister?" Riley then asked, "If that was the case, then I apologize."


    "Yeah, you did," Hannah let out another sigh as she stood closer to her brother, "I was just going to sleep again, but then I heard that guy''s voice."


    "I¡­ see," Riley said as he let out a small sigh; turning his head to the direction where Butcher disappeared to, "Then did you hear what he¨C"


    And before Riley could even finish the words he wanted to say, he felt Hannah''s warm arms wrapped around him.


    "I am your sister," Hannah then whispered; her words, muffled, but still so very clear, "...Okay?"


    "Yes?" Riley could only blink a couple of times as he slightly leaned his head to look at Hannah.


    "Whatever that bald guy said, whether it''s true or not¡­ Know that mom and dad love you and will never do what that Ms. Phoenix did to you," Hannah breathed out.


    "..."


    "I love you, okay?"


    "I¡­" Riley''s hands slowly made their way to Hannah''s back¡­ but dropped before they could reach embrace her.


    "I wish I could say the same to you, sister."


    And as Riley''s words reached Hannah''s ears, her embrace became tighter as she let her face be buried on his chest.


    "I really do, sister."


    "You¡­" Hannah then let out a small and quiet chuckle as she released her embrace, before gently holding Riley''s cheeks; leaning closer as the warmth¡­ of their foreheads touched each other.


    "I know," Hannah then said; their breaths, embracing each other.


    ***


    "Silv, what are you doing!?"


    "I¨C"


    "Tch. Riley, restrain her for now!"


    "W¡­ wait, no¨C"


    And so, once again, with the start of the day begins a new chapter in the Baby Crew''s superhero lives. Unlike the first day where they all separated, the group decided they should stick together for now just in case something like what happened the other day happens again.


    And right now, they were currently running through the alleyways; the shadows flickering on their faces as the heat of the sun weed them again and again with each alley they go and exit through.


    They were chasing the superviin known as Dr. Glutes, who, despite hisrge hips, could actually run swiftly¨C agilely weaving through the dumpsters and cars theye across. He could almost be categorized as a Sprinter with the way he was moving¡­ if it wasn''t for the fact that his hips were wide and strong enough to scrape the walls like they were made of styrofoam.


    "Why are you running!? Why are you running!?" Gary bellowed as he leaped from wall to wall; until finallynding in front of Dr. Glutes.


    "Dragon Shoulder of the 8th Tribtion!" Gary then roared as he rammed his shoulder straight to Dr. Glutes''s chin.


    Unfortunately for Dr. Glutes, the rest of his body was not as strong as his glutes. There was almost a loud crack snapping in the air as his body spun in the air several times before violently dropping on the ground.


    "Fuck, Gary! Did you kill him!?"


    "No," Gary immediately let out a small scoff¡­ before squinting his eyes and looking at the unconscious Dr. Glutes, "M¡­ maybe half?"


    Hannah could only roll her eyes as she crouched to check Dr. Glutes''s pulse.


    "He''s going to be fine, sadly," Hannah then let out a small sigh, before standing up and turning towards Silvie, "Silv¡­ why did you do that? He was about to surrender to us peacefully if you didn''t go ape-shit again."


    "I¨C" Silvie''s face winced before she could utter a single word; her mind, slowly being filled with a sort of static that almost changed the scenery around her.


    Seeing Silvie once again acting up, Hannah could only shake her head with another sigh, "We''re taking a break¡­ we''ve dyed talking about your condition enough already."


    "No, we just¨C"


    "Silv, she''s right," this time, even Gary held a somewhat somber tone, "I''m just gonna surrender this mofo to the five-Os and meet you back in our base."


    "That''s¡­"


    And before Silvie could utter another word, Tomoe grabbed her arm.


    "..." Seeing everyone seemingly agreeing they all went back, the only thing that Silvie could do was follow the others back to their base of operations¨C the grocery parking lot.


    Back in the Academy, her records were almost wless; she came out on top of the ss even with the regr and normal sses. But more and more¡­ she could feel she was losing it.


    And seeing the look on her friends'' faces as they stared at her, they could feel it too. And even with the dome of ice encasing them, Silvie could still see the warmth in their eyes.


    "Spit it out," Hannah was the first to say something, "What''s happening with that pretty brain of yours."


    "I¡­ don''t really know," Silvie once again repeated the words she had been repeating several times now, "I was fine¡­ right? I was¡­


    ¡­but with everything that''s been happening¨C the Dark Millenium, all the deaths¡­ I''ve been having dreams."


    "...Dreams?"


    "Like I''m trapped inside a very small space," Silvie breathed in, "And no matter how hard I tried¡­ I can''t escape."


    "...Is that why you were screaming the other day inside the pod?" Hannah furrowed her eyebrows.


    "...Yes," Silvie nodded.


    "..." And with that, there was a sudden pause in the conversation. Hannah didn''t really know what to say anymore, she tried to look at Gary, but he just shrugged his shoulders, "You¨C"


    "Can you tell us about your father, Silvie?"


    But surprisingly, before any of them could speak again¡­ Riley broke the silence.


    "My¡­ father?" Silvie could not help but blink a couple of times as Riley suddenly looked her straight in the eyes, "What does my father have to do with¨C"


    "Have you considered that you might be half-alien, Silvie?"


    "...What?"


    "What are you saying to her, brother!?"


    "Have you ever asked your father if Mega Woman is your mother?"


    "...What?"

 Chapter 126: Mother

    <h4>Chapter 126: Mother</h4>


    The earliest memory Silvie could remember of her childhood¡­ was her wanting to y with the other children. She could see them y outside every day, but she could never really join them as her feet were tied to the bed¨C a way to not hurt herself or the people around her.


    She couldn''t say that she grew up in a poor family; after all, her father was able to provide her with all the necessities they needed. They also lived in quite a nice neighborhood¡­ posh, even¨C a private subdivision somewhere in Moscow.


    She wasn''t able to explore any of it, however. As whenever she wasn''t tied up, she was mostly still not allowed to go outside. And if she did, the other children wouldn''t really y with her; stopping their games whenever she tries to approach them.


    Of course, she didn''t really hold any of these against her father¨C as even though he was awfully strict, the things he did, he always did for her safety. He also never once made her feel like she was alone, as he was always there for her, even taking his work home most of the time.


    Her powers¡­ were just too great for a child to hold. She sometimes even feels sorry for her father that he had to put up¨C


    "So, when does Mega Woman arrive in the story, Silvie?"


    "Riley! Let her finish the story, what the fuck! And can you dial it down with your obsession with Mega Woman!?"


    "...I apologize, Silvie."


    "It¡­ it''s okay," Silvie could only let out a small chuckle as her story was suddenly interrupted by Riley. She then took a small sip of the Starbeans coffee given to them by the grocery store they were parked at; adjusting her position on the soft nket ced on the frozen tform.


    "As¡­ I told you guys before," Silvie then let out a small sigh as she stared at the fire in the middle of their ice dome¨C which was probably unnecessary, "My father doesn''t really tell me that much about my mother¡­ but I think I might have killed her when I was just a baby. So¡­ sorry, Riley¡­


    ¡­Mega Woman isn''t my mother," Silvie chuckled.


    "Hm," Riley, however, squinted his eyes as he looked at Silvie from head to toe, "You look like Mega Woman, you have the same powers as her; it would be stranger if the two of you are not rted by blood."


    "Bro, stop with the Mega Woman theories," Hannah then lightly hit her brother on the chest as she removed her head from Riley''sp and sat up, "A lot of people have the same powers as Mega Woman¨C even Gary has them in a way, are you saying an idiot like him could be Mega Woman''s son?"


    "...Why couldn''t I be her son?" Gary, whose name was suddenly dragged in the conversation, could not help but squint his eyes and furrow his eyebrows, "My greatness alone should put me in the same¨C"


    "Jesus, everyone¡­ just let the girl finish her story."


    "What the¡­ you''re the one still talking!"


    "What did you¨C"


    "Ahem."


    And before the two could start another insult war, Tomoe let out a small cough, loudly clearing her throat to get their attention.


    "S¡­ sorry," Hannah then quicklyposed herself as she returned to her brother''s side, resting her head on his shoulder, "Continue your story and ignore us."


    "Pft," Silvie could not help but chuckle as she saw her friends trying their best to listen to her. Her chuckle, however, soon turned into a smile¡­ eventually bing only a sigh.


    "Mega Woman isn''t my mother," Silvie then said as she grabbed her phone that was resting beside her, "I actually have pictures of her, you guys want to see?"


    And of course, everyone nodded their heads.


    Silvie quickly unlocked her phone, opening the gallery for a few seconds before passing it to Hannah and Riley; Gary was going to snatch it at first, but Hannah quickly pped his hand away.


    The only thing that Gary could do was sigh as he stood up from the cold floor and walked behind Hannah; Tomoe also did the same.


    "This¡­ is your mother?" Hannah then said as she zoomed in on the woman beside a young Silvie and a man who they could only assume to be his father; they haven''t really seen him even once in person although he was already in the Academy.


    And to Riley''s disappointment, the woman in the photo truly was not Mega Woman. It was just¡­ a woman. And although she held a small simrity to Silvie, she just looked¡­mon, in a way.


    "You¡­ seem really disappointed, Riley," Silvie could not help but chuckle as she heard Riley''s quiet sighs all the way from where she was sitting.


    "Only a little, Silvie," Riley muttered as he looked to nowhere in particr, "It still does not change the fact that you are the nearest person that could grow to be the next Mega Woman."


    "That''s¡­ thank you," Silvie could only take a sip of her coffee as her face slightly turned red, "But¡­ even if I don''t be like her, I¡­ do really want to help people. I want to save as many humans as I possibly can before I die¡­


    ¡­I owe at least that to my mother."


    "She¡­ looked really nice," Hannah then breathed out as she continued to scan Silvie''s photos. Looking at them like this, they just looked like any other family. But as Hannah continued to swipe her fingers, soon, Silvie''s mother could no longer be seen in the photos¨C a reminder that life continues on even after your loved ones disappear in your life.


    "..." Hannah then let out a small sigh before deciding to return the phone back to Silvie; but before she could do so, Tomoe grabbed her wrist.


    "Can you¡­ let me see more?"


    "..." Hannah blinked a couple of times. She then looked towards Silvie, who gestured that it was okay. And so, with her permission, Hannah gave the phone to Tomoe, who immediately started zooming in on the photos.


    "..."


    "..."


    "These photos¡­" Tomoe then muttered as she looked at Silvie, "...When did you first have them?"


    "I don''t remember¡­ maybe when I was 11 or 12?"


    "...I think there''s something wrong with them," Tomoe then squinted her already small eyes as she once again focused on the photos.


    "What do you mean?" Hannah furrowed her eyebrows as she leaned closer to Tomoe, only to see her zoom in on Silvie''s mother''s hand.


    "...What''s wrong with it?" Hannah also squinted her eyes as she tilted her head.


    "It''s edited," Tomoe then said without any hesitation.


    "...What?" And as soon as her words reached Silvie''s ears, she immediately stood up from her seat and also huddled with the group; almost slipping on the icy tform as her curiosity was slowly turning into anxiety.


    "W¡­ what do you mean it''s edited?" Silvie inserted her head amongst the group.


    "Although it is truly finely made, you could still see the difference between the lighting and the shadow," Tomoe exined as she pointed at the edges of the hand.


    "...I don''t see it," Gary breathed out as he also leaned closer to the phone, "...How do you even see something like this when your eyes are so small?"


    "..." Tomoe red at Gary for a small second, before letting out a sigh and focusing back on the photo, "I¡­ used to edit myself in photos with Darkday."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Okay, that''s not creepy at all," Hannah then broke the silence before it could be even more awkward than it already is; grabbing the phone from Tomoe''s hand and zooming even further on the photos,


    "Are you sure? I mean¡­ it looks legit," Hannah sighed as she started flipping through the photos once again, "How about this one?"


    "I think it is edited as well," Tomoe said as she once again grabbed the phone back from Hannah, "You see the lines? It''s different¡­"


    Tomoe then started exining all the intricate details involved in the photo for almost a quarter of an hour. And with each passing second, Silvie''s eyebrows furrowed lower and lower.


    Hannah, who noticed this, made Tomoe stop exining before gently cing her hands on Silvie''s shoulders, "...You okay?"


    "This¨C"


    "You do not need to think too much about it, Silvie," Tomoe let out a small sigh as she returned Silvie''s phone to her, "I could be wrong."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    Silence then surrounded the dome of ice as Silvie began checking the photos; her eyes slowly starting to turn red as she lightly bite her lip.


    "If¡­ if these photos are fake¡­ then wouldn''t that mean that¨C"


    "Your father is hiding something from you," Hannah breathed out, "Seriously, don''t let this get too much to you, just ask him."


    "But¡­ why would he even fake the photos¨C"


    "Maybe because your mother is Mega Woman, Silvie?"


    "That''s¡­"


    "Riley, stop with your goddamn theories already!"


    "...I don''t know, man," Gary let out a small but deep breath as he ced his hand on his chin, "He might actually be on to something here."


    "Don''t add, Gary!"


    "It¡­ it can''t be, right?"


    "Silv¡­ it''s¨C" Hannah wanted to say something, but as she saw the look of somber despair on Silvie''s face, the only thing she could do was look to the side. He and her brother were probably the least credible person here to talk about family issues, as besides some minor and petty arguments, her situation¡­ was pretty normalpared to the others.


    "If¡­ if these photos aren''t true¡­ wouldn''t that mean my whole life is a lie?" Silvie''s stutters started to fill the entire dome; her weak whispers, almost piercing through everyone''s ears,


    "But¡­ it still doesn''t exin why I have all these headaches; I keep losing myself further and further just¡­ who am I, then?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Ack, fuck it," Hannah then suddenly opened a bottle of beer and chugged it, "There''s actually something that''s been bothering me with your story."


    "...What?" Silvie could not help but blink a couple of times as Hannah suddenly changed her tone.


    "I don''t know if I''m just stupid or what¡­ but you unlocked your powers immediately after you were born, right? That''s why your father tied you in bed in the first ce."


    "...Yes?"


    "Do you remember ever trying to escape? I mean, you were a child¡­ surely you would have?"


    "I¡­ I think so?"


    "And how many times have you destroyed your bed?"


    "...I don''t¡­ remember having done so."


    "How strong is that bed to keep you there¨C Ack, never mind. These conspiracy theories are getting to my head," Hannah then scratched her head as she groaned in frustration, "Please ignore what I said, I''m getting infected by my brother."


    "That''s¡­" Silvie stared at Hannah for a couple of seconds; her eyes, as wide as they could be. She was about to say something else, but before she could do so, she felt a sharp pain suddenly crawl through her head; almost as if her mind was inside a blender.


    A small thud then whispered in the air as she let go of her phone; the small crack, however, was quickly drowned by a shrilling scream.


    "K¡­ Kgrah!"


    "Silv!?"


    Bubbles. Water. Footsteps. Whispers.


    Silvie''s body waspletely straight, her head,pletely leaning back as her screams abruptly stopped; the whites of her eyes,pletely exposed as all sorts of whispers escaped from her mouth. Indiscernible, but constant.


    "The... the power of Christpels you!" Gary said as he slightly took a step back, "W... what in the exorcist fuck is going on, guys!?"


    "W¡­ what is it, Silv!?" Hannah wanted to help her up, but at this point, it might end up with them both being hurt, "Riley, restrain her but don''t hurt her!"


    "Hm," Riley quickly flicked his finger downwards, causing the ice tform beneath them to crack all the way through to the parking lot''s pavement as Silvie''s knees dropped to the ground.


    "I told you not to hurt¨C"


    "Ghah!"


    And before Hannah could even finish her words, Silvie''s loud gasp drowned the entire dome. Her eyes, finally back to normal.


    "Silv, you alright!?"


    "I¡­ I saw someone," Silvie''s breaths were ragged, mixing with gasps as she tried to calm her body down, "I¡­ I don''t know if they are memories but¡­ I recognize someone."


    "Is it Mega Woman, Silvie?"


    "N¡­ no," Silvie squinted her eyes as she turned her head towards Riley and Hannah, "It''s¡­


    ¡­It''s your father."

 Chapter 127: Darker and Darker

    <h4>Chapter 127: Darker and Darker</h4>


    "I¡­ I recognize someone¡­


    ¡­your father."


    "...What?"


    Both Hannah and Riley looked at each other as soon as they heard Silvie''s words. Even Gary, who they expected to say something quippy, currently had his mouthpletely shut.


    "What do you mean you saw our father?" Hannah breathed out as still nced at Riley from time to time; her face, showing her confusion, "You met with dad before?"


    "I¡­ I don''t know," Silvie gently touched her head; squinting her eyes and trying her best to remember the visions she saw, "But¡­ there were other people there as well. My father¡­ was there too; the others¡­ were all just a blur."


    "...When do you think this was? Maybe it''s a memory?"


    Hearing Hannah''s words, Silvie could only shake her throbbing head once more, "I¡­ really don''t know."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Well¡­" Hannah then rolled her lips repeatedly with a long and deep sigh, before helping Silvie up,


    "...There''s no use contemting. We should just get our fathers in one ce and ambush them with questions."


    "That''s¡­ I don''t think I can just call my father¨C"


    "Then I''ll let dad force him," Hannah let out a small scoff, "Let''s do it after we''re done with this city¡­ and if dad doesn''t want to, I''ll just tell mom that he''s harassing a student."


    "..." Silvie then slightly took a few steps back as Hannah startedughing¡­ menacingly.


    "Y¡­ yeah," Silvie stuttered, "Let''s¡­ let''s do that," she then smiled. But it was obvious from her trembling lips that she was trying to force herself to be okay, and everyone could see it.


    She would probably get worse and worse if they couldn''t solve whatever was happening to her immediately; however, right now, the only thing they could really do was let out a collective sigh; their breaths, almost enough to melt their base of operations.


    "You''re¡­ going to be alright, Silv."


    Surprisingly, Gary was the first to break the sordid breaths as he looked Silvie straight in the eyes, "We¡­ will always be here for you."


    "...Thank you," Silvie nodded.


    "And since Riley could smack you whenever you''re doing your exorcism shit, I guess everything''s fine," Gary then followed as he burst out inughter. He almost seemed cool for a second there¡­ but Gary is Gary, they all thought.


    But still, he did have a point¨C Silvie pondered as she turned to look at Riley; although he probably doesn''t know it, she considered Riley to be the first one to believe in her. She chose her name because of Riley in the first ce.


    He believed that she was capable of bing like Mega Woman¨C and maybe that''s all the matters.


    "Whatever happens from now on¡­" Silvie then muttered as she looked at her Baby Crew members, "...I still want to do my best to help people."


    "That''s good¡­


    ¡­Now bring out the alcohol!" Gary then suddenly crouched on the ground, and when he stood up, his hands were already holding a couple of bottles of alcohol.


    "To 5 more of these nights!" Gary bellowed as he raised a bottle, "Let''s capture more bad guys!"


    "Where did you even get that!?"


    "...The grocery gave it to me¡­ for free," a confident smirk slowly crawled on Gary''s face, "They just had me post a photo with it on my social media ounts."


    "...You''re bing a ve of capitalism."


    "As long as they give me free stuff, I''ll even change my name to Capitalism Monarch!" Gary then said as he opened one of the bottles and started drowning himself with it, wagging his tongue as he let the contents of the bottle fall onto his mouth.


    "...Should we really be drinking every night?" Tomoe, who had been keeping quiet on the side, let out a small sigh¡­ before quietly grabbing a bottle of soju for herself.


    Seeing her friends merrilyughing and dancing, mostly only Gary, Silvie once again could not help but force out a smile as she watched them. But soon, a hint of truth slivered its way towards her smile.


    Her friends were here to support her all the way¨C she was lucky enough to have that.


    "Your origin doesn''t really matter that much, Silvie."


    "...Riley?"


    Silvie was about to join the others with their small party, but before she could do so, she heard a whisper crawl from behind her. She turned around, only for her heart to slightly skip a beat as soon as she saw Riley smiling at her.


    "It doesn''t matter if Mega Woman is your mother, Silvie," Riley muttered as he looked Silvie straight in the eyes, "I will make sure you be as great as her in the future¡­


    ¡­and I''ll hold your heart in my hand tightly."


    "W¡­ what are you saying?" Silvie could not help but take in a small gulp as her face almost turned into a tomato with how red it was, "You¡­ you already have Scarlet Mage."


    "You are different, Silvie," Riley sighed, "I could do things with you that I can not with her."


    "I¡­ S¡­ Stop it!" Silvie covered her face before finally rushing away to join the others.


    "What the¡­ why is your face so flushed when you haven''t even had a drink yet!?"


    "J¡­ just give me one!" Silvie violently grabbed one of the bottles from Gary''s hand; she was about to chug it down, but nced at Riley before she did so.


    And seeing Riley still smiling at her¡­ the only thing she could do was smile back.


    I''ll hold your heart and crush it while hearing you scream¨C were Riley''s thoughts. But as she saw her sister smiling and hopping around with Silvie, he could not help but shake his head.


    If he killed Silvie¡­ wouldn''t his sister be sad?


    Riley then let out a small sigh as he left the others and stepped out of the ice dome; his blue eyes, quickly looking towards the stars that still stood proudly even amidst all the cloud of pollution trying to hide their luminescence.


    "Mega Woman¡­" He then whispered, "In the end¡­ it''s only you and me. Please¡­


    ¡­Pleasee back."


    And soon, Riley''s blue eyes flickered; and like some sort of whirlpool, the color of his slightly faded into a pink hue, "Come back, Mega Woman¡­


    ¡­Or I will be forced to find the rest of your kind."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "One of them came out, it''s Whiteking''s son."


    And while Riley was contemting his life, silhouettes blended in the shadows¨C watching from a building that had a clear view of the Baby Crew''s base.


    "Should we strike?"


    "No, not yet," a man then stepped out of the shadows, revealing his face that was filled with scars, "We need to properly send a message if we want to be taken seriously."


    "...Are you sure, boss? I think this is the best time to strike."


    "They still have 5 days in Miami, we''ll have many more chances to strike," the man with a scar let out a small scoff as he looked at Riley''s silhouette, "Let''s do it with a st and show the world¡­


    ¡­that Miami has a new boss."


    ***


    "Thank you¡­ thank you!"


    "It''s no problem, ma''am. But maybe¡­ don''t walk through dark alleys with this kind of fancy bag in the future?"


    In the center of what seemed to be a za, Silvie was trying her best not to let out a sigh as handed a bag embroidered with gold to an old woman¨C the very same old woman who had her bag stolen the first day they were in Miami.


    All of the members of the Baby Crew were also there, as they decided not to split up for the duration of their stay.


    "...What?" The old woman then suddenly changed her thankful tone; her voice turning cold as she red at Silvie,


    "Isn''t that what you heroes are for!? To keep me safe!? I swear, all these young people are so entitled these days," the old woman cried out as she grabbed her bag from Silvie''s hand, before walking away while wagging the cane she had on her other hand.


    "That''s¡­"


    "What the, don''t let me catch you here again or I will rob you myself!" Hannah, who was standing behind Silvie, could not help but raise both her middle fingers as she watched as the old woman continued toin as she walked away.


    "N¡­ Nuclear Baby, there are people watching!" Silvie quickly pushed down Hannah''s hands.


    They were in the middle of the za; garnering the attention of the people was already a given fact. But they have been in Miami for 5 days now, and still, the people seemed to not get tired of them as they tried to meet and take photos of them whenever they passed by.


    "Tch, enough about that old hag," Hannah coldly said; her face, however, had a warm smile as she looked at the people taking photos of her, "You seem to be doing well."


    It''s been 3 days since their talk and Silvie''s mental health seemed to have improved; not even once losing herself even with all the crimes that were happening all around Miami.


    "It''s true what they say," Gary, who was busy waving his hands to the people, stepped closer to Hannah, "You just need people to talk to and you''ll be fine and dandy¡­ maybe I''ll be a therapist if all this superhero shit doesn''t work out."


    "Pft."


    "W¡­ what the!? What''s so funny?" Gary could not help but furrow his eyebrows as Tomoe quietly let out a small snicker behind him; however, as soon as he turned his head, her face was alreadypletely stoic.


    "You, a therapist?" Hannah scoffed, "I think a terrorist would be more¨C"


    "!!!"


    And before Hannah could finish her words, she felt a sharp pain in her arm as Gary suddenly pushed her away.


    "W¡­ what, I was fucking joking!" Hannah bellowed, "Why did you¨C"


    Hannah was about to ask why Gary suddenly became violent; her question, however, was answered by a loud thud.


    "..." Hannah then blinked a couple of times as her eyes slowly turned to the ground where her feet were previously resting, only to see a mangled body of a man sprawled there. The man''s face, filled with scars¨C the man that was watching their group from afar.


    "..."


    And so, not only Hannah, but all of the people in the za all turn their heads towards the sky. They squint their eyes due to the rays of the sun threatening to blind them, of course¨C but still, the silhouettes that were falling from the air did not escape their sight.


    And even as several bodies began dropping; the crowd''s disbelief made their feetpletely locked in ce, their heads still turned upwards.


    Wetundry¨C the sound of wetundry dropping on the ground. Perhaps that was the best description they coulde up with to exin the disgusting thud that whispered into their ears.


    "What¡­ the fuck is happening?" Hannah then took in a deep breath; she was about to look at the scenery of death around her, but before she could do so, she noticed that a silhouette remained floating in the sky¨C refusing to fall.


    "Isn''t that¡­" Hannah''s breaths thenpletely stopped as the silhouette slowly descended; bing clearer and clearer; or perhaps it was better to say¡­ that their situation was bing darker.


    "...Darkday?"

 Chapter 128: Threat Level - Darkday?

    <h4>Chapter 128: Threat Level - Darkday?</h4>


    "Is¡­ Is that Darkday?"


    And with those single set of words, a chilling silence followed.


    A chill. A certain chill that even the scorching rays that rained from above were almostpletely ignored by the skins it touched upon. The heat of Miami, almost non-existent as an orchestra of vibrations whispered in the air¨C an orchestra of hopeless trembles.


    The people''s feet were almost a choir; the shivering of their limbs in harmony as a ck-d individual slowly descended from the skies.


    Ever so slowly, it made its way down to the crowded za; as if the final sand inside an hourss¨C an hourss called life.


    The individual''s suit waspletely dark, with even the rays of the sun failing to light up its silhouette; no reflections, no luster. Almost like a void in the shape of a human¨C a ck hole that threatened to swallow them whole.


    And soon, from the crowd of people, a pair of knees met with the ground in reckless abandon; giving up all hope. Some even started to hug their sons and daughters; crying,forting, epting their fate.


    And soon, the ck silhouettended on the ground ever so softly. But for the people, the moment its feet touched the ground was the drum that signaled the end of their lives.


    This was the effect of the cmity known as Darkday to the people.


    Threat Level - Darkday... There were no people running for their lives, not even a beg nor a call for mercy. Everyone just held their breaths, waiting for their deaths toe.


    But amongst all the halted breaths, there were two that fluttered differently¨C Tomoe and Riley. Even Hannah, Gary, and Silvie could not help but hold their breaths¡­ but still, even with their trembling legs, they did their best to stand tall.


    "E¡­ eliminate¡­"


    Hannah and Gary''s eyes, however, quickly widened as they heard a whisper suddenly escaping from Silvie''s mouth.


    "F¡­ fuck," Hannah gritted her teeth, "N¡­ not now, Silv¡­ please, not now."


    It took all of Hannah''s strength for her to nce at Silvie, only to see her eyes once again moving erratically, "F¡­ fuck you, Silv."


    3 days. 3 days of Silvie not even acting up even once¡­ and now she chose to go psycho in front of Darkday!?-- Hannah could not help but wince at the thought. Fortunately, contrary to her expectations, Silvie''s eyes quickly flickered back to normal.


    Silvie then quickly shook her head as a look of silent despair once again filled her face; perhaps the sheer fear was enough to bring her back.


    It was the same for the people¨C their fear hadpletely shadowed everything else that they were feeling. Evenpletely forgetting the fact that there were several people that fell from the sky, currently sprawled on the ground with their bones protruding from their skin.


    But why would they even care¡­ if they were going to join them in a little while?


    "..."


    And soon, it started to walk; its steps almost caused the hearts of the people to follow its beat. It continued to walk, only stopping its steps as it was a few meters away from the Baby Crew.


    Its jet-ck helmet, turning to face Silvie.


    "!!!" Silvie''s whole body began to tremble as her breaths once againpletely stopped¡­ but once again, even so, she did not stray her eyes away from the apocalypse in front of her. Did¡­ it want something from her?


    If so¡­ then she would dly give herself if it means saving all the others. Silvie then, without any hesitation, lifted her foot to walk forward. But before her foot could evennd back to the ground, the cmity shifted its gaze towards Riley.


    "!!!"


    Everyone then flinched as it slowly moved its hand, pointing at the mangled corpse of the scarred man in front of it. And soon, a monotonous, almost robotic voice vibrated in the air.


    "This man and his group wished to harm you and your group, Riley Ross. I took care of them as an offering¨C I wish for you to join me."


    "Join¡­ what?"


    And as soon as the ck-d individual''s words reached their ears, Hannah quickly blocked Riley from its view.


    "F¡­ fuck you, Darkday," Hannah then breathed out; her teeth almost chattering as her jaws began to tremble, "Stay¡­ stay away from my brother!"


    "..."


    "You¡­ you think I care about who the fuck you are!?"


    "I have no intention to harm anyone¡­ now or even in the past. That was never the intention of my organization."


    "Or¡­ ganization?" Hannah slightly squinted her eyes, "Wait, you''re not¨C"


    And before Hannah could even finish her words, a roaring thunder reverberated through the air. The ck-d individual turned its head to the noise, but before it could do so, a glistening shadow dived through its position.


    A crevice then began to crawl across the ground as the ck-d individual''s body rolled several times through it.


    "W¡­ what?"


    Hannah then turned her head towards where the ck-d individual was previously standing, only to see a familiar figure now standing there instead¨C Empress, her long white hair fluttering still slowly flowing down towards her skin.


    "Tempo, evacuate all the civilians!"


    And halfway through Empress''s roars, the crowd soon disappeared one by one. There was a sort of echo in the air, as if a skipping stone hitting ake of ice; the echo was partnered with a fading ck blur.


    "What the¡­"


    "You kids should get out of here while you still can," Empress then turned her attention towards the Baby Crew, the rings on her arms dangling as she gestured for them to leave,


    "It''s too dangerous to stay here," she then said, "We still don''t know what the leader of the Dark Millenium is capable of."


    "Leader¡­ so it really wasn''t Darkday?" Hannah then let out a long and very deep breath as her conjecture was confirmed. She and the others already had a guess that it wasn''t Darkday when it mentioned something about an organization.


    "No," Empress shook her head, "We''ve been tracking her down for quite¨C"


    And before Empress could even finish talking; a fist suddenly appeared right in front of her cheek. It was extremely fast, perhaps even a blink. But for the Baby Crew, it was as if they were seeing it in slow motion as Empress''s face met with the Dark Millenium leader''s fist.


    And with a snap, time once again went back to normal as Empress was thrust straight back to the skies, leaving a small crater down below like some sort of rocket.


    "Riley Ross," the Dark Millenium Leader then once again stretched her hand towards Riley, "Join the Dark Millenium¨C I saw you during your trial¡­ you know first-hand how they treat beings like us; beings who seem to not belong anywhere. Together¡­


    ¡­I know we can save this rotten world."


    "N¡­ not good, guys," Gary then whispered. Now that they know that the individual in front of them wasn''t truly Darkday, a sliver of confidence once again revived within all of them, but still¡­


    "We should probably run."


    "We¡­ we should help them," Silvie breathed out.


    "No," Hannah quickly shook her head, "This fucker seems to be intent on taking my brother with her¡­ I''m not letting that happen, you guys take escape with my brother."


    "What!? We''re not going to leave you beh¨C"


    And before Silvie could finish her words, another thunder erupted through the air as Empress once againnded to the ground, this time right in front of the Baby Crew; she was then followed by another silhouette, standing beside her as he waved his hands at Hannah and the others.


    "It''s¡­ It''s Tempo," Gary took in a small gulp, his phone suddenly already on record.


    "When ''til the others get here?" Empress muttered, her eyes not leaving the Dark Millenium''s leader even for a single second.


    "...Now."


    And as soon as Tempo said that, a whisper whistled in the air.


    "..." The Dark Millenium Leader swiftly tilted her body to the side, avoiding the glint that suddenly carved its way down through her arms.


    "..." The Dark Millenium Leader then slowly turned her head to the side, only to see Butcher''s knife and bald head reflecting the rays of the sun. The Dark Millenium Leader then quickly grabbed Butcher''s bald head, only for her fingers to just slide away from it, as if she touched the surface of a melting ice, but dry.


    This seemed to not perplex the Dark Millenium leader, however, as she quickly stomped her foot on the ground and mmed her entire body towards Butcher. But instead of rolling to the ground or flying away, Butcher''s body just slid across the ground as if it was the smoothest thing in the world.


    "Die!"


    The Dark Millenium did not get any time to rest, however, as a pair of sped grey-colored hands suddenly threatened to m through her head from above. Hera''s expression, showing that she waspletely out for blood.


    The Dark Millenium Leader, however, was able to grab Hera''s arms; swiftly rotating her body and using Hera''s own momentum to m her to the ground¡­ instantly causing the ground to split.


    "Fuck, get us out of here, Riley!"


    And as soon as Hannah''s words reached Riley''s ears, he slightly raised his hand¨C along with it, him and the members of the Baby Crew.


    "..." Riley and the Dark Millenium looked at each other as he continued to float away¨C she seemed to want to follow him, but with the members of the Hope Guild keeping her grounded, it would seem there was no chance for them to meet.


    "H¡­ holy shit!" Gary''s stuttered bellows then quickly traveled through their ears.


    The za waspletely ruined; a huge craterpletely reced it. And Miami, which was full of life just moments ago, was now seeminglypletely devoid of people¨C even the cars were empty, their doors open as Tempo did not really have the luxury to close them as he evacuated everyone.


    "This¡­


    ¡­this is what Grade-S Supers are capable of?"

 Chapter 129: Hope and Darkness

    <h4>Chapter 129: Hope and Darkness</h4>


    "This¡­ is what Grade-S supers are capable of?"


    Gary''s words trembled ever so clearly with the wind, even as it snapped several times in the air around them. With them being high up in the sky, they had a clear view of the effect the Grade-S supers had on the terrain¨C and they weren''t even getting started yet.


    With the Viins'' Threat Levels, there was also a corresponding hierarchy for Superheroes and Supers; both of which work together to create some sort of measure that the people could understand, albeit somewhat a slightlyplicated system.


    All ss-S Superheroes are Grade-S Supers, but not all Grade-S Supers are ss-S Superheroes; after all, some just wished to live a normal life despite their countenance¨C while some fall into petty crime, in which case, they get a Threat Level indicating that they were a viin.


    F, E, D, C, B, A, and S. Both Supers and Superheroes were separated by these tiers.


    Sophie Palmer, the drug lord that reigned over Miami, was a Grade-S Super; but due to her inactivity and careful use of powers, her Threat Level was only that of a 5 instead of the maximum a superviin could achieve, Threat Level 7.


    Scarlet Mage was considered to be a Grade-A Super, and also a ss-A Superhero due to her feats and willingness to help people.


    But in either case, whether Superhero or Superviin¨C Grade-S Supers were capable of colossal feats¡­ and also colossal destruction if they wanted to.


    Of course, there were also Mega Woman and Darkday, both of whom had a category solely tailored for them.


    "Why¡­ why are we going down!?"


    Hannah''s loud whispers then reverberated in the air as Riley, who was supposed to float them away from the situation, slowly descended them towards the roof of a building instead.


    "Riley, let''s go! What are you ying at!?" Hannah''s slightly frustrated and annoyed words lingered in the air as all of their feetnded on the roof almost at the same time, "We don''t have time to¨C"


    "You should watch, sister."


    And before Hannah could finish herints, Riley interrupted her as he pointed towards the za that was now directly in their view.


    "Watch? What do you mean watch? Let''s go!"


    "Someday, the real Darkday will return," Riley seemed to ignore his sister, however, as his eyes remained looking at the za where the Hope Guild and the Dark Millenium Leader could be seen seemingly talking to each other,


    "He will be even more ruthless than this fake Darkday¨C he will be stronger," Riley continued, "And you might be the once that would be facing him. You need to be able to fight for you to survive¡­


    ¡­and maybe even defeat him, sister."


    Riley looked his sister straight in the eyes, before slightly ncing towards Silvie, who quickly stood up straight in response. However, unlike with his sister, Riley did not say anything to her, causing her to feel slightly disappointed.


    The only thing that Silvie could do was let out a sigh as she turned her focus on the za, which was in clear view from the rooftop building theynded on.


    "...Let''s just go," Hannah shook her head, "We''re too far to see anything anywa¨C"


    But before Hannah could finish her words, the words Baby Crew suddenly emerged in front of her as their trailer truck also joined them on the rooftop.


    "..." Riley then flicked his finger, and as soon as he did so, several boxes floated from the trailer; opening up to reveal the huge screens they contained. And soon, there was a set-up of floating monitors surrounding them.


    The monitors then all lit up one by one, showing the situation happening in the za as clear as day.


    "S¡­ shit," Gary''s stuttered and excited breaths echoed in the air as he raised his phone, continuing to record what was happening without fail, "This¡­ this would definitely increase my sub count."


    Hannah still did not approve of them watching the fight¡­ but seeing everyone else seemed to want to stay, the only thing she could do was let out a small but deep sigh.


    "..."


    But after a few more seconds, she shook her head.


    "No," she then muttered, "Let''s leave. The Dark Millenium risked getting into the Hope Guild''s radar just for a chance to invite Riley to join her dead organization, I can''t risk my brother''s safety just for a fucking tutorial crash course on how to defeat an overwhelming enemy."


    "..."


    "Let''s pack up," Hannah continued as no one seemed to refute her words, "We''ve done what we can to help the people of Miami, but we are not in any way equipped or ready to tackle something¡­ like this."


    "..." Riley looked at his sister for a couple of seconds, before letting out a very tiny sigh as the monitors all quickly went back from where they came, straight inside the trailer.


    "Welp, Boss'' orders," Gary then let out a sigh; trying his best to zoom in on the situation below.


    "What? I''m not anyone''s boss!" Hannah rolled her eyes, slightly groaning in annoyance from Gary''s words, "Let''s¡­ Let''s just go."


    And with those words as their signal, the rest of the members of the Baby Crew all nodded as they returned to the truck.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    They forgot one crucial thing, however¨C they were on top of the building.


    "R¡­ Riley," Hannah then awkwardly cleared her throat as she asked Riley to float them away from the battle. Their heads then all bobbed as the truck ever so gently lifted from the roof; however, not even a couple of meters away from it, the Dark Millenium leader suddenly appeared right in front of their view.


    Her jet-ck helmet, facing Riley even as he was inside the truck,


    "Riley Ross¡­" The Dark Millennium leader then muttered, "Join¨C"


    But one again, her words were cut short as an object suddenly rammed its way through her side, instantly plunging her straight to the ground. And even though everything happened so fast, the Baby Crew still caught sight of what kind of object threw the Dark Millenium Leader away¨C a white rocket.


    And if their hunch was right, that rocket should have the initials W and K embedded on it. They did not have to keep the guessing game going, though, as Whiteking truly did appear a few seconds after; floating where the Dark Millenium Leader was before she was rammed by his huge white rocket.


    "D¡­ dad."


    "You kids go back to the Academy," the bursts of mesing out from Whiteking''s suit slightly sputtered as he flew in front of the truck; tapping its hood as he gestured from the Baby Crew to leave,


    "Your activity here is done, good job. I am proud of all of you."


    "W¨C"


    And before anyone could muster up a response, a loud thunder roared through the skies as Whiteking flew away. The Baby Crew was not even done processing what was happening, before another silhouette flew by them, another member of the Hope Guild¨C V.


    "It''s Whiteking Lite!" Gary quickly bellowed as he once again raised his phone. He, however, quickly removed it as soon as the mecha suit suddenly stopped flying and turned towards their direction.


    "Who said that!?"


    "L¡­ Let''s go, fly us away, Riley!" Gary then tapped the seat in front of him several times, "V doesn''t like it when you call her Whiteking Lite!"


    "Then why did you call her that!?"


    ***


    "..."


    "You are surrounded from all sides, terrorist."


    Back in the za, a small part of the already ruined ground trembled; the Dark Millenium leader, burrowing herself free as she pushed away Whiteking''s huge rocket which pinned her down through the ground.


    She then patted her jet-ck suit, which was now showing a little bit of her skin as they were tattered in all different ces¨C and even from afar, one could recognize all the scars that she had in her body.


    There were, however, no open wounds¨C indicating that she was still unscathed all throughout the exchange.


    "...Are we sure she isn''t really Darkday?" V''s voice reverberated through the mouth of her mecha suit; trickles of green electric webs, escaping from the slight openings of her suit.


    "Yes," Butcher was the one to answer her, "If she was, then one of us would have died already; also, the chance of Darkday being male is at 92%"


    "I don''t care if she''s Darkday or not," Hera, who seemed to also be unscathed even though her entire body created the crater they were all standing on as the Dark Millenium Leader mmed her through the ground, cracked her grey knuckles, "She''s going down to¨C"


    "Why hunt us down?"


    And before Hera could finish her words, the Dark Millenium leader suddenly spoke, "You ughtered my people¨C we were striving to save this rotten world."


    "Save this rotten world?" Empress scoffed, "You''re a terrorist. Do you know how many people your organization has killed? You caused 7 nes to crash just to prove a point."


    "That was not our doing."


    "The several helmets we discovered in the scene says otherwise."


    "...Helmets?"


    "Exactly the same as what you''re wearing now," Empress scoffed, "All the nes¡­


    ¡­had the mark of the Dark Millenium in them."

 Chapter 130: Half-Opened

    <h4>Chapter 130: Half-Opened</h4>


    "All the nes had the mark of the Dark Millenium in them¨C the exact same helmet you are wearing now. If anything¡­


    ¡­you sent a message, and we heard it loud and clear."


    Although the people already had an idea of who the perpetrator was, the Dark Millenium''s involvement with the Seven nes was kept in wraps¨C the news about there being multiple helmets found on the scene was kept hidden.


    And so, as soon as Empress''s words reached the Dark Millenium Leader''s ears, she could not help but slightly take a small step back. The death of the students in Toronto, as well as the Seven nes¨C was there someone that was deliberately messing her organization?


    She first thought that one of the Days had been going around her back¡­ but was there actually a 3rd party involved?


    "I see," the Dark Millenium Leader''s robotic voice then vibrated from her helmet, "Someone has been setting us up."


    "Pft."


    A high-pitched whirring sound then whistled in the air as V''s mecha suit opened up, revealing her face that already had a smirk stered on it; her eyes, causing trickles of green lightning to emerge whenever it moved.


    "For a terrorist group that kidnapped children, you sure are high on that horse, you Dark Millenium bitch."


    "Back off," Dark Millenium carefully raised her hand towards V, "I do not wish to fight the heroes who might one day stand with me to fight the greater evil that ising to this world."


    "You''re quite delusional, aren''t you? Now that you''re surrounded, you''re quite meek."


    "Delusional?" A small robotic harrumph escaped from Dark Millenium''s helmet, "I could crush you if I wanted to, girl."


    "You¨C"


    "Enough talk!"


    And before V could even retort, a small thunder erupted in the air as the ruined ground beneath them slightly trembled; Hera''s solid fist, once again heading straight towards Dark Millenium''s head.


    Dark Millenium, however, only raised her arms to block Hera''s fist, causing her feet to instantly burrow through the ground, creating a crevice as they plowed the pavement as if it was sand. She continued to slide through the pavement, even the walls of the building were enough to stop her momentum; creating a huge hole as she went straight through it.


    "Hera, do not go alone!" Empress waved her hand, "Keep the damages to the city to a minimum!"


    "Minimum!?" Hera roared, "You think that''s possible!? This Darkday copycat is stronger than we thought!" She then said as she leaped straight towards the hole that Dark Millenium created.


    "Do not engage¨C Tch," the only thing that Empress could do was click her tongue, before turning her attention towards Tempo, "Has she taken her meds!?"


    "There is a 100% chance that she has not."


    "Pft, she''s always like that."


    "She has, Empress," Whiteking proimed.


    Tempo, on the other hand, only shrugged his shoulders before disappearing from his spot; running to the inside of the building to quickly check on Hera.


    "...Hera?" Tempo squinted his eyes to try and quickly adjust to the darkness; his steps, ever so careful and ready as soon as he even catches a shadow of Dark Millenium. "Hera, you''re starting to get the boss angry, you won''t like her when she''s¨C Hera!"


    And before Tempo could finish his words, he saw Hera sitting on the ground, her back on the wall as blood gushed out like a waterfall from her nose.


    "Hera, are you¨C"


    "I''m alive, you bastard," Hera quickly pushed Tempo to the side as he tried to help her up, "Dark Millenium, where is she?"


    Both of them then look through the darkness, but even after a few seconds of their eyes strictly waiting for a sign of any movement¨C not even a shadow flickered.


    [She is escaping, follow her!]


    "Fuck!"


    And as soon as Empress''s voice entered through his ears, Tempo once again disappeared from his spot, causing Hera to once again drop on the floor as she was using him as a stand.


    "Where did she go!?" Tempo then quickly bellowed as he returned to the others.


    "She flew South West," Whiteking said as he looked at the view of the satellite from his helmet.


    "Why aren''t we chasing her!?"


    "Let her go," Empress stretched her arm to block Tempo, "Only the two of us could follow her; I am not taking that risk."


    "But¨C"


    "I think we are all in agreement about something¡­" Empress then breathed out as she looked at Hera, who was causing the edges of the brittle wall to copse as her muscles plowed through it like styrofoam as she stepped out of the building. The mess around her mouth, however, was still quite obvious as the fresh blood flowing from her nose reflected the rays of the sun,


    "...We''re not just dealing with a simple copycat here."


    ***


    "F¡­ Fuck, that was intense¡­ But¡­ are we sure we shouldn''t have helped them?"


    "We would have only gotten in their way."


    The Baby Crew truck was still flying through the air. But even with the strong wind hitting the surface of the truck, the passengers'' fettered and nervous breaths were still enough to drown everything else.


    "The Hope Guild? works as a group," one of those noises, was Hannah''s heavy breaths; escaping each time she tried to open her mouth, "If we stayed, we would only disrupt their flow."


    "...You seem to know a lot about the Hope Guild for someone who''s supposed to not be interested in superheroes," Gary let out an exhausted chuckle.


    "...One of the members is my father."


    "...Right."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Anyway," Hannah once again let out a long and deep breath to break the sudden silence, "Riley, let us down."


    "Father told us to go back to the Academy, sister."


    "I know. But let''s take it slow¡­ I need fucking time to process all the shit that just happened."


    "Agreed," Silvie also let her back fall to the seat as she let out a deep sigh of her own.


    "Very well, sister," Riley then nodded as the truck slowly made its way down back to the ground.


    "I wonder how they are doing no¨C"


    Gary was about to say something, but as soon as the tires of the truck touched the pavement, the sound of the driver''s door violently opening drowned whatever words wereing out of his mouth.


    It was then followed by a whisper of a thud, as Hannah''s legs immediately became jelly; her palm dropping to the ground as the sound of her retching pierced the ears of everyone near her.


    And soon, tears started to fall from her face; mixing with the contents of her stomach that were now resting on the scorching pavement.


    "..."


    Of course, she would break down. She had been trying to hold in the tears since they left the battlefield.


    Of course, she would cry; how could she not?


    She thought Darkday was going to kill all of them¨C she only stood her ground since her brother was in danger¡­ but now that they were safe, the only thing her body wanted to do was scream the tears wanting toe out of her.


    "Fuck!"


    "..."


    And with her roaring cries, Gary and Silvie also stepped out of the truck; their faces once again falling into frustration as the realization also finally dawned upon them.


    They thought they were already full-pledged heroes due to the past days of roaming around; helping and rescuing the people of Miami. But as soon as they were faced with an enemy far greater than them, they quickly folded.


    "Are we¡­ going after the fake Darkday?"


    And as thement of the three members of the Baby Crew pestered the air, Tomoe''s quiet whispers echoed inside the truck; her eyes, looking back and forth between Riley and the others.


    Riley also turned to look at his sister, but after a few moments, he shook his head, "No, being with my sister is more important right now, Tomoe."


    "O¡­ Okay," Tomoe slightly stuttered as she opened the door on her side; but as the door was halfway open, she once again turned to look at Riley,


    "Master¡­ Can I ask why you have not given me any orders for weeks now?" She then whispered, "Silver Moon seems to be the only one that is by your side. Am I¡­ still your Subordinate?"


    "You are," Riley answered without pause, "But you are also my sister''s friend, Tomoe."


    "That''s¡­ is that the reason why I am not receiving orders?" Tomoe stuttered, "If¡­ If it''s between serving you and having big sister Hannah as a friend¡­ then I choose to serve you, Master Riley."


    Tomoe then ever so slowly started to close the door; her hand, slightly trembling as she did so.


    "..."


    "..."


    And before the door couldpletely close, Riley''s short but deep sigh entered Tomoe''s ears.


    "I am not letting you choose, Tomoe."


    "But¨C"


    "Then follow my order now," Riley then suddenly looked Tomoe straight in the eyes, causing her to flinch and hold her breath, "Protect my sister no matter the cost."


    "B¡­ but," Tomoe resisted the urge to gasp, "I am already doing that."


    "Protect her even if it means sacrificing your life."


    And with Riley''s words softly but strictly whispering into her ears, Tomoe''s trembling hand that was holding the handle of the door rxed¨C leaving the door still half-opened.


    "If that is your order, Master Riley¡­" Tomoe then bowed, her head almost touching Riley''sp as she ced both her palms on the seat between them, "...Then I willy my life if need be. I will¨C !!!"


    This time, Tomoe could no longer stop the urge to swallow; her gulp, loud enough to echo throughout the truck.


    "M¡­ Master Riley?" Tomoe stuttered; her facepletely red as Riley suddenly touched her chin.


    "Raise your head¡­


    ¡­Night Queen."

 Chapter 131: Priorities

    <h4>Chapter 131: Priorities</h4>


    "Raise your head, Night Queen."


    "Night¡­ Queen?"


    And in that sliver of a moment, every breath that Tomoe ever took in her life felt like it stopped¨C It was a weird feeling; as if every memory she had, every step she took, every moment she had experienced¨C for a sliver of a moment, it was as if they didn''t matter.


    She and Riley were just at the rear seat of a truck, but they might as well bepletely alone in the world.


    The only thing that was wrapping her reality was the tiny warmth of Riley''s hand on her chin¡­ and his eyes that were finally, truly looking at her.


    It was just a name, perhaps maybe even a title. But her whole existencepletely changed¨C like life had once again weed her in her arms, once again giving birth to her.


    Yes¨C perhaps that was the most fitting word that Tomoe could think of at the moment.


    A rebirth.


    "The Queen that will forever put the safety of her people above her own, sacrificing herself so that others may thrive; Veiling the enemies that wish to harm those near her with a frost bathed in darkness, shaping the entire world into a cold eternal night if needed so¡­


    ¡­That is who you shall be, Night Queen."


    "I receive the name with all of my existence, Master Riley."


    Tomoe once again bowed her head, finally releasing a breath as the moving world around her once again started to wind. She then finally fully opened the door, the noises of the world once again whispering into her ears as she stepped out of the truck¨C carrying a smile on her face and with no hesitation.


    "..." Riley watched as she rushed to console Hannah, who seemed to already be doing fine as she waved her hand several times. Seeing this, Riley could only let out a long and deep sigh before closing his eyes.


    "M¡­ Mr. Diley?"


    And as soon as he opened his eyes once more, the scenery in front of him hadpletely shifted. From a view of nothing but a road for miles, he was now inside what could only be described as a fancy restaurant. There was also serene and almost quiet music, now tingling in the air-- recing the sounds of the earth that were previously whispering in his ears.


    "Mr. Diley¡­ what''s wrong?"


    Riley then blinked a couple of times as he turned his head to look at the whispers that wereing from his left, only to suddenly see Warden slightly backing away from him.


    "You¡­ you suddenly cked out," Warden''s gulp was obvious to Riley''s ears, "Are you¡­ alri¨C"


    And before Warden could finish his words, he could not help but stop as the music quietly echoing in the restaurant abruptly came to a halt without even a fade; the servers that were previously moving without pause, now all standing still and looking at them.


    "Is¡­ that you, Boss?" Warden once again took in a small gulp as he stopped backing away.


    "Yes, Warden," Riley quickly nodded in response, before raising his hand. And as soon as he did so, the music once again whispered in the air; the waiters, returning to their duties.


    "May¡­ May I ask the reason for your sudden visit?" Warden''s tone thenpletely changed as he slightly bowed his head as he stepped forward.


    "I met your previous employer."


    "Previous¡­ employer?" Warden could only squint his eyes in confusion from Riley''s words; that did notst long, however, as they once again quickly widened in realization, "You met¡­ with the leader of the Dark Millenium!?"


    "Ye¨C"


    "Is sheing to save me!?"


    And before Riley could even say a word, one of the guests suddenly stood up; her voice, drowning the already somber music loitering in the air. Suffice to say, she garnered the attention of everyone in the hall.


    "...Ms. Friday."


    "R¡­ Return to your seat, Ellie!" Multiple chains of light quickly emerged from Warden''s hand as he raised it, causing the warm tone of the restaurant to glow in a blue hue as he pointed at Ms. Friday.


    Also now known as Ellie, a previous high-ranking member of the Dark Millenium¡­ and surprisingly, ording to the treble and power of her steps as she made her way to Riley and Warden, she still had not given up hope like the rest of her¡­ co-guests.


    "Sadly not, Ms. Friday. She has note to rescue you," Riley shook his head, "But I do have a question I need answ¨C"


    "Like hell I would answer any of your questio¨C"


    "Sit."


    "!!!"


    And with that single word entering her ears, Ellie''s previous haughty steps quickly came to a halt as her slightly sweaty palms suddenly met with the slightly fancy and carpeted floor; her legs turning into spaghetti.


    Even the other guests, who received Riley''s words as only a whisper, almost knelt on the ground by instinct. But as soon as they realized that Riley was not even paying attention to them, they all continued to eat.


    "W¨C you cowards!" Ellie, who saw her co-guests'' actions, could only use all of her strength to let out her frustrations, "We¡­ we can fight!"


    She once again bellowed even as tears started to fall from her face. There were some who nced at her, but immediately returned their gazes to the one thing that matters the most at the moment¨C their food.


    "We¡­ we even have diator fights here! Why aren''t you using your powers when it''s actually time to use them!?"


    "Have you met with the fake me before, Warden?"


    Rileypletely ignored her plights, however, as he turned his attention towards Warden.


    "I¡­ I was too low in rank but¡­" Warden''s eyes slowly made their way to the kneeling Ellie, "...If it''s her, then maybe¨C"


    "I don''t know her!" Ellie quickly bellowed before Warden could even point at her, "I¡­ I haven''t met her once!"


    "Hm," Riley squinted his eyes, before slowly raising his finger; along with it, Ellie''s entire body, "Come with¨C Oh."


    Ellie, however, quickly returned to the fancy floor as Riley blinked a couple of times.


    "Maybe next time," Riley then said as he continued to blink several more times. And after a few more, a weird smile slowly crept on his face.


    "It would seem the original visited us," he then said, "I hope everyone was on their best behav¨C Why are you kneeling?"


    "T¡­ that''s¡­" Ellie''s legs trembled as she finally regained control of her body. However, as soon as she saw the expression on¡­ Diley''s face, her legs once again almost gave in.


    "Did¡­" Diley then furrowed his eyebrows almost to the point they met with his eyelids,


    "...you do something bad while He was here?"


    ***


    "Oi, wake the fuck up!"


    "I must have fallen asleep. I apologize for that, sister."


    "...Seriously? All of us were on edge here and you go and fall asleep?"


    Riley''s consciousness was now once again back at the truck; his head,pletely wrapped by the bundle of frustration that was Hannah''s hands¡­ perhaps threatening to crush it with depression.


    "Sometimes I envy whatever is going on with that head of yours," Hannah then let out a long and deep sigh before letting Riley''s head go.


    "I can''t say I could say the same, sister," Riley then breathed out as he shook his head, "I do not want to know what brutes think of every second."


    "Fuck you, get out of the truck!" Hannah then raised her middle finger as she fully opened the door, waving for Riley to step out of the truck.


    "...Are we not going back to the Academy?"


    "Fuck that," Hannah let out a small scoff, "Our activity was supposed to be 7 days, we should have two more days outside¨C let''s have a little vacation; even Silvie agrees!"


    "Hm," Silvie, who was standing behind Hannah with the other members of the Baby crew, nodded her head.


    "Take us to Hawaii or something," Hannah then said as she once again approached and looked up at Riley, who was still sitting in the truck, "It has beaches as well, so it''s not that different from Miami¨C the Academy can''tin."


    "That leap in logic is quite¡­ interesting, sister."


    "Just float us there. I''m sure that fucking Darkday copycat bitch won''t chase us with the Hope Guild on her tail," Hannah said.


    "Wait¡­ can Riley even take us all the way there?" Silvie then asked; her voice, showing her worry, "Won''t he get tired?"


    "Oh, yo¨C"


    "Master can do it," Tomoe took a step before anyone else could say anything, "He could probably stop the earth from spinning if he wanted to."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Ack!" Hannah could only scratch her head as she groaned in frustration, "If only this thing could go on water or fly, then maybe we could¨C Riley?"


    Hannah''s words of frustration suddenly stopped as her eyesnded on Riley''s face, noticing the ever-so-subtle change in his expression.


    "Wait¡­ don''t tell me¨C"


    "I had father customize the truck, sister," Riley then said as he leaned towards the driver''s seat, pressing something on it.


    And as soon as he did so, Hannah could not help but quickly back away as a loud nging sound whistled in the air¨C a sound made by the hydraulic jacks that slowly lifted the truck from the ground.


    The tires then folden in before a pair of des protruded from the sides of the truck, with a nozzle of a rocket in the center of it.


    "We had a fucking jet-truck hybrid shit all along¡­


    ¡­And you didn''t tell!?"

 Chapter 132: A Bigger Problem

    <h4>Chapter 132: A Bigger Problem</h4>


    "We had a fucking jet-truck hybrid shit all along¡­


    ¡­And you didn''t tell!?"


    "You said you wanted to enjoy the drive, sister."


    "What!?"


    Hannah''s loud voice reverberated in the air; drowning everything else, even the sadness that once persisted in her tone. Her steps as well, were somewhat bouncy as she made her way to the truck''s driver¨C No, to the truck''s pilot''s seat.


    "You think I wouldn''t enjoy flying a fucking jet truck more!?"


    "You have weird tastes, sister," Riley then said, "I do not presume to know what goes into that brutish mind of yours."


    "What¨C your mama''s weird!"


    "That''s possible, she killed me."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Fuck, you win. Let''s just go!" Hannah then opened her window, tapping the side of the door as she gestured for the others to hop on. Gary, Silvie, and even Tomoe, however, had their mouths slightly opened as they remained staring nkly at the sudden transformation of their truck.


    Was the design cool? Of course not, it was basically a truck with wings; like a lego that was set up by a child, or a mobile suit made withundry clothespins. But still, to suddenly have an aircraft as their group''s steed... that was something they never expected would happen any time soon.


    After all, out of all the superhero groups and organizations in the world, there were only a handful who had one, including the Hope Guild.


    But finally, after a few more seconds, their feet started to subconsciously step back into the truck.


    "...Do you even know how to drive this thing?" Gary then immediately asked as he quickly buckled himself in.


    "Who do you think I am?" Hannah scoffed as the air¡­ truck began to ever so softly tremble, "I''ve been trained by dad to operate all sorts of machinery."


    "Then why can''t Riley even ride something as simple as a motorcycle?" This time, it was Silvie who asked, her tone truly curious.


    "W¡­ well," Hannah let out a small chuckle as she nced at Riley, "Mom didn''t really let her near any of dad''s gadgets, let alone his automobile collection."


    "I¡­ see."


    Gary and Silvie then let out a long and deep sigh. They were somewhat envious of Hannah having ess to so much cool stuff since she was young, but when they heard Riley''s case, the only thing they could do was feel somewhat lucky.


    To have all those cool things near you¡­ and not even allowed to use any of them?


    That was probably torturing.


    "There is no need to be sad for me, Gary and Silvie," Riley seemed to have realized what they were thinking as he too, let out a small breath, "My interests¡­


    ¡­lie elsewhere."


    "That¨C"


    "!!!"


    "Let''s go, boys and girls!" And before any of the two could even reply, a loud whirring noise echoed through the truck, causing Gary to slightly sink into his seat; gripping his seatbelt tight as the truck suddenly lifted from the ground.


    "To Hawaii!"


    ***


    "Bleurgh!"


    This time, it was Gary''s turn to puke as soon as the airtrucknded; his retching, even worse and louder than Hannah''s as the birds of Hawaii that were supposed to greet them with songs all pped their wings away in disgust.


    The contents of his stomach, mixing with the rubber of the tires that were once again slowly emerging from beneath the truck.


    "I¡­ I hate flying," Gary then let out a loud gasp as he lifted himself up, slightly causing the truck to sway.


    "...But you were fine when Riley was floating us."


    "That''s different!" Gary bellowed; the others, quickly moving away as the little bits of puke remaining inside Gary''s mouth spewed out, "When Riley was floating us, it felt like being carried by a mother¡­ but with you piloting it''s¡­ like I was inside a washing machi¨C Bleurgh!"


    "Stop being such a wuss!" Hannah shook her head as she started stretching her limbs. Unlike with Miami, where they were mobbed by a crowd as soon as theynded; everything seemed peaceful in Hawaii, except of course Gary''s asional puking.


    Of course, there was also the fact that Hannah decided tond on a secluded part of the state; where there were visibly no people¡­ and as far away from the beautiful beaches as possible.


    "...Why are we here?"


    "Disable the drones that are following us, Riley."


    "As you wish, sister."


    And with the words that were exchanged by the siblings, both Gary and Silvie could not help but slightly take a few steps back.


    "W¡­ wait, are¡­ did you take us here to kill us!?" Gary muttered.


    "...Don''t be stupid," Hannah let out a small but deep sigh as she removed her mask, "...We can''t very well have masks while on vacation, right!?"


    Hannah then threw her mask back inside the truck, loudly pping her hands as she tried to hype herself up,


    "Now, to get this thing off," Hannah then suddenly unclipped something on the side of the truck, and as soon as she did so, the graffiti that had their group name on it was quickly removed like a tarp.


    "...That was removable!?" Gary bellowed, "You made us endure the embarrassment of having that on our bad-ass truck!?"


    "Well, we can''t have people recognizing us everywhere now," Hannah breathed out as she opened the back of the trailer; spending a couple of minutes there beforeing out now wearing casual clothes.


    "Is there really any point anymore in hiding our identities?" Silvie then muttered.


    "Of course, there is," Hannah sighed, "Besides, only my brother would be instantly recognized as Whiteking''s son. As for the rest of us¡­


    ¡­we''repletely anonymous."


    ***


    "It''s the Baby Crew!"


    "...Let''s change venues."


    The groupnded near a beach called Waimea, then drove the rest of the way there. It was going so well, with none of the people bothering them as they each stepped out of the truck with their casual clothes.


    Of course, for precaution, each of them was still wearing a pair of sunsses that Riley seemed to have in spares. Smiles all crept on their faces as they walked ever so casually, one might even say cool, even as the rays of the sun hit their skin.


    They needed to buy swimwear, of course¨C so they quickly headed to the boutiques and stores on the sides of the beaches.


    They forgot one little minor detail, however. With Riley being easily recognizable¡­ it stands to reason that the people would immediately connect two and two together. And so, as soon as one of the people recognized Riley¡­


    ¡­the group had no choice but to rush away from the beach while covering their faces.


    "That''s it¡­" Hannah then said as soon as they once againnded in a secluded part of Hawaii, "...Gary, buy a fucking ck hair dye, those temporary ones!"


    "dly," and before Gary could even finish his nod, he quickly rushed away from the forest they were hiding, even almost hitting the trees on his way as he created clouds of dust.


    And not even a quarter of an hour passed, Gary was back with a hair coloring set.


    "I do not wish to dye my hair, sister," Riley breathed out.


    "Your wish does not outweigh our need to have fun and rx, brother," Hannah said as she quickly took the bottle of hair dye from Gary and shook it, "Besides, it says on the back it would wash out with the shampoo it came with."


    "Should¡­ should we really be doing this, big sister Hannah?" Tomoe then added as she took a few steps to block Riley from everyone''s view.


    "Do you not want to see Riley with ck hair?"


    "That''s¡­" Tomoe''s eyes slightly widened as soon as she heard Hannah''s words. In truth, when she hadn''t discovered that Darkday was Riley¨C she had always imagined Darkday to have long and ck hair; all of those were erased, however, with Riley''s image.


    But now that a sudden opportunity to see Riley sporting ck hair arrived, the only thing she could do was step to the side.


    "I am truly sorry for this betrayal, Master Riley," Tomoe could not even look at Riley as she turned her head to the side, "I will ept any punishment you wish toy upon meter."


    "Th¨C"


    And before Riley could even say anything, Hannah suddenly threw the bottle to Silvie and rushed to hold Riley from behind, trying to prevent him from escaping.


    "Do it for the crew, Riley. Just¡­


    ¡­ept it."


    ***


    "Hm, how about this one?"


    "It''s still too revealing, Hannah!"


    "We''ve been here for more than an hour now! What am I supposed to wear, a fucking hazmat suit!?"


    Tomoe, Silvie, and Hannah were inside a small boutique somewhere on the beach of Waikiki. And as Hannah eximed, they have been there for more than an hour now¨C with the sun threatening to disappear on them anytime soon.


    "And besides, the two of you haven''t even tried to fit even a single swimsuit yet!" Hannah then bellowed as she almost threw the dozens of swimsuits being presented to her by Silvie and Tomoe.


    Her now ck hair, swaying with each of her movements.


    "I think ours can wait," Silvie let out a sigh,


    "Yours¡­ is a slightly bigger problem," she then said as her eyes slowly traveled to Hannah''s posterior. With Hannah''s body almost trained to perfection, her muscles were very well defined, but not to the point that it was bulky, no.


    It did, however, make her butt¡­rger and more finely shaped than most; making any swimsuit or bikini she chose to be more¡­ erotic than they were meant to be.


    She was meatier where it mattered¨C as Gary ever so eloquently described.


    And as for the maestro of words, he and Riley did not really have any trouble in picking up what to wear. After all, confidence is everything that matters when ites to swimsuits¨C Gary thought as he chose to wear a Brazilian bikini.


    With this towering figure and bulging... muscles that had veins almost popping out from them, almost all of the eyes were on him as he walked through the za of boutiques; only a towel partnering his¡­ bikini.


    The eyes did not stay with him for long, however, as there was another who literally outshone him.


    "Bro¡­ can you move a couple of steps back. You¡­


    ¡­are stealing my limelight."


    "...Hm."

 Chapter 133: National Geogra...

    <h4>Chapter 133: National Geogra...</h4>


    A darkness that slowly sumbed to the light. Or a darkness that was starting to swallow the white marble statues of the gods¨C that was perhaps the only way the crowd of people could describe the individual that was walking through the streets of Waikiki.


    The one walking in front of him was also quite a distracting fellow, towering almost everyone with his muscles almost exploding. But while the tall one was clearly boasting his body, the one walking behind him was quiet¡­ but extremely deadly.


    The young man''s skin was almost glowing; causing some of the people to even look to the side at first nce as their eyes were attacked by what could only be described as a dangerous beauty.


    The contrast between his ck hair and his white, almost porcin-like skin made it seem like a serene night dawning upon a graceful winter. Like the sh of a sword forged in mithril, leaving a shadow in its wake.


    "...Why do I feel like someone is describing you like a xianxia character just now?"


    Gary then suddenly stopped in his tracks as he turned around, squinting his eyes to look at Riley. Unlike him, who was tantly exposing his body with his Brazilian bikini, Riley still was still wearing some sort of white silk pants¨C his upper body, however, waspletely exposed.


    There was a slight contrast with Gary and Riley''s body¡­ one being Riley having a V-shaped body, his muscles finely toned and almost chiseled by the gayest of gods to perfection¨C and as Be Jackson described it before, he was like a Greek statue.


    But now, with his hair, and even eyebrows dyed ck¨C the shape of his face was more pronounced; the reddish tints around his eyes were no longer that obvious.


    His transformation; from a Greek statue to that of a luxury collectible doll.


    And with Gary by his side, it was almost as if the two came out of some sort of novel made by an adult male with an inferiorityplex with how odd and perfect they were at the same time.


    Some of the youngdies seemed to want to approach the two of them, but in the end, could only halt their steps as they were intimidated by how Riley looked.


    "Are they¡­ shooting a movie here or something?"


    "S¡­ stop being so obvious! Put down your phone!"


    "Are theying here?"


    "They cane inside me anytime."


    "Go away, you''re embarrassing me!"


    And with the whispers of curiosity and lust suddenly persisting in the air, Gary''s ears almost doubled in size as the sultry words reached them.


    Finally, he thought-- this was his chance to have some fun.


    "Riley," Gary then looked Riley straight in the eyes; his voice, deeper than usual, "It''s for us to be men."


    "Be¡­ men?" Riley''s eyebrows shifted. And even though it was ever just so slightly, every movement of his eyebrows was now more noticeable due to the ck dye, "What do you mean by that, Gary?"


    "You know," Gary then lowered his voice, gesturing all sorts of obscenities with his hands, "It''s time to get it on."


    "You mean sexual intercourse, Gary?" Riley then let out a small sigh as he continued to walk, "I am not interested."


    "W¡­ what do you mean you''re not interested!?" Gary pulled the towel hanging on his neck as he trotted to chase Riley, "Wait¡­ does your little brother even work? I don''t know much about your kind''s¡­ biology that much."


    "..." Riley could only blink his eyes at Gary''s words. But after a few seconds of ignoring his endless questions, Riley finally halted his steps and sighed,


    "My private organs work the way they should, Gary. Perhaps you should be more concerned with yours."


    "Wh-- mine works just fine! Why do you talk like you''re even using yours, huh!?" Gary bellowed, "Tell me, when have you wet them balls!?"


    "..." Riley contemted for a few seconds whether or not to answer Gary''s questions, but he might as well get this over with, "A day before we went to Miami, Gary."


    "W¡­ what!? With who-- wait, don''t tell me you''re really doing it with Scarlet Mage!?"


    Riley, however, just shrugged his shoulders in response; no longer answering Gary''s plights. He just continued to walk, only stopping as he reached the spot where they decided to regroup once they were done buying and changing clothes.


    And once again, both Gary and Riley were attracting the eyes of many; almost to the point that they were causing a small crowd to gather even as they just stood waiting.


    And here we are, once again discovering and observing the mating rituals of the creatures known as humans. They are quite a fickle bunch, these humans.


    First, most of the males in the crowd were doing their best to feign confidence, either letting out a curious nod or making sure to pull their partners away¨C subconsciously puffing out their chests to seem bigger.


    Of course, with Gary towering over a height of 6''6", he was undoubtedly the biggest of them all; and so, the males'' eyes went to Riley; but s, when ites to humans, bigger doesn''t always mean better.


    Of course, there wasn''t anyone to stop the single females that were waiting to pounce on their prey; first surveying theirpetition. It was quite a bizarre, yet at the same time, mesmerizing sight.


    The female humans, waiting for their eyes to meet with their prey¡­ and after seconds of this, the taller one finally caught their eye¨C it was time to attack.


    Love is in the air, each of the female humans'' steps, getting more sultry the nearer they get to their prey. Something, however, happened¨C


    "You guys wait long?"


    ¨Cthe two males are actually part of a pack. Of course, this was not enough to make our vultures back away. But as soon as they saw that the rest of the pack were also females, the only thing they could do was back away.


    There were some, of course, who stood their ground. But as soon as they realized they werepletely outmatched not only by the beauty but also the body of the two males'' femalepanions¡­ all of them finally gave up.


    Perhaps they would be luckier next time.


    "Nah, we just¨C !!!"


    And as soon as Gary turned to look at Hannah''s voice, the only thing he could do was widen his eyes, as well as his nostrils.


    "Y¨C"


    "Say anything horny and I will burn you to death right here and now."


    "That would actually work in my favor since you''ll be burning your swimsuits."


    "Tch."


    After hours of picking what swimsuit to wear, Silvie, Hannah, and Tomoe finally emerged from their cave.


    "S¡­ sorry we took so long," Silvie let out a short but deep breath, as if she just took part in a long war, "It was quite hard to choose a swimsuit for Hannah."


    "No shit," Gary then quickly took in a gulp as he looked at Hannah from head to toe. She was wearing a sort of pink bikini, connected by two straps that aesthetically wrapped around her belly to connect with her bikini bottoms, making it a one-piece.


    They chose this in hopes to cover Hannah''s curves, but s, with the straps lining around her belly, it just made it pop out more; it was a good thing her bosoms were just decently-sized, if not¡­ then they might have an even bigger problem.


    Of course, even though it was Hannah who first caught everyone''s eyes, Silvie and Tomoe wouldn''t really lose in terms of overall allure. Silvie had the biggest bosom of the three, not as big as Katrina, but still, it was also quite hard to choose a suit that wouldn''t let her melons shout hello to every passing bystander.


    And so, she chose a two-piece bikini, with the top having frills to cover half her torso¨C revealing her smooth and slightly toned shoulders. Her skin was almost too wless, not even a hint of scar or marks anywhere.


    As for Tomoe, she was also wearing a two-piece suit, with her top in a somewhat inverted triangle that wrapped around her neck. And unlike the two whose body was quite toned, hers was slightly slender, like one could slide through the curves of her body.


    And so, with their groupplete, the whispers of the people passing by once again echoed throughout the entire street. But with the group together, they could no longer approach them like they wanted to.


    "Just in time," Hannah turned her eyes towards the almost sinking sun, "Not too hot so we could still have fun."


    "...Aren''t you immune to heat?"


    "Shut the fuck up."


    "I''m¡­ quite excited," Silvie then let out a small but very deep breath, "I''ve never really been to the beach before Miami. I... don''t even know what we''re supposed to be really doing here."


    "Well then, let''s not waste time and enjoy our short lives..." Hannah then grabbed both Tomoe and Silvie''s wrists,


    ...to the beach!"


    And so, the group all rushed towards the sun that would set in a couple of hours; forgetting even just for a moment the responsibilities that were given to them by the world... not realizing the dangers that lurk beneath the oceans.


    "This energy... It''s her,"


    Somewhere where light could no longer reach, a pair of blood-shot eyes opened-- and although that act was quite simple, it was enough to make all the sea creatures within a kilometer radius to either swim or crawl away.


    "I will kill you...


    ...Mega Woman."


    ***


    "..."


    Inside the office of the Headmaster in Mega Academy, Prophet''s eyes were currently reflecting the light that wasing from the screen in front of him.


    Lightly scratching the scar on his face; And after a few more times doing this¡­ he then suddenly took off his graying beard, or perhaps it was better to say¡­ that he peeled it off.


    After all¨C it was his costume.


    He then carefully set aside his mask; his eyes, not leaving the screen in front of him even for a single second.


    "It can''t be him¡­ right?" Prophet then muttered as he tapped his desk several times, reying the footage that has been ying in front of him for more than a couple of hours now.


    It was the video of Riley''s trial-sh-conference, more specifically, when he masterfully controlled almost a hundred poles without even blinking an eye.


    "Bernard¡­" He then whispered to himself, "No, he would have known. So it can''t be? Right¡­ the boy¡­


    ¡­can''t be Darkday."

 Chapter 134: Monster?

    <h4>Chapter 134: Monster?</h4>


    "Crap, I''m so tired."


    "Isn''t your whole power all about endurance and enhanced strength?"


    "Andser eyes, don''t forgetser eyes!"


    Gary''s tired and exhausted moans muffled through the air as he burrowed his head on a nket; his nose slightly digging into the soft sands of Waikiki. With the sun setting down on them, the group did all the activities they could within the timeframe they had.


    From beach volleyball to trying to swim to the other ind with just one breath, build sandcastles, ride a banana boat, swim with the turtles, and parasailing; even though 3 out of 5 of them have been confirmed to be able to fly.


    Of course, one of those activities almost caused them to be kicked out of the beach line. Nevertheless, they sank in any of the activities they could and enjoyed as much as possible. They had so much fun that theypletely forgot the fact that¡­


    ¡­ they still have the whole day tomorrow to do those things.


    But with the looks of satisfaction and happy exhaustion on their faces, it probably didn''t matter. Gary then let out a short but deep breath as he pulled his head off the nket, quickly looking at Waikiki''s purple skies.


    It was a sight to behold. The world''s endless wonder in front of them, while the busy city is moving behind them. Miami was the same, of course¨C but with fewer cars in Hawaii, the sky was definitely clearer.


    The beautiful noises of light of the city were instead enhancing the trickles of stars that light up the sky. The moon, ever so softly greeting their satisfied faces. Even Tomoe was growing more and more expressive in the past days. She was smiling more¡­ and now¡­


    "...Tomoe?"


    Silvie then turned to look at Tomoe as she heard a small meek chuckleing out of her mouth, only to see that tears were actually falling from her eyes.


    "W¡­ what''s wrong?" Silvie stuttered.


    "I''m¡­ I''m the same," Tomoe then wiped the tears on her face as she let out a peal of smallughter, "This¡­ this is also the first time I''m going to the beach."


    The side of Silvie''s lips immediately turned downwards as she took in a long and deep breath, her eyes, trying their best not to cry.


    "Tomoe!" Silvie then suddenly hugged Tomoe, with both of themughing on their own while tears trailed down on their faces.


    Who would have thought? Tomoe previously almost antagonized Silvie by also taking on the superhero name Mega Girl. And she did so with absolutely no expression on her face¡­ but now, not only was she hugging Silvie, but she was alsoughing and crying at the same time.


    Is this perhaps¡­ the true her? Just waiting toe out from her cracked and scarred shell. Hannah and the others have been meaning to ask why she hasn''t even talked to her mother once ever since she arrived in the Academy, but it was better if it woulde from her at her own time.


    Hannah could only let out another smile as she let out a short but deep breath, before joining the two and also letting a burst ofughter escape from her mouth.


    "I¨C"


    "Don''t even think about joining," the three then all simultaneously, without any pause, red towards Gary as he was about to join them; but then immediately went back to crying andughing like nothing happened.


    "Women," Gary then shook his head as he just decided to sit beside Riley, "They truly are mysterious creatures, aren''t they?


    ¡­Aren''t they?"


    Of course, there was also Riley, who was just nkly looking at the stars instead.


    "...Bro, what are you thinking in that head of yours right now?"


    "Mega Woman."


    "You still on about her? There''s like three beautiful women here just waiting to be¨C"


    "Be careful, Gary. One of them is my sister."


    "R¡­ right," Gary stuttered, scratching his chin as he also looked at the stars above,


    "Do you ever miss it?" Gary then asked; his yful tone could no longer be found.


    "...Miss what, Gary?"


    "This. Just ying around and doing whatever the hell we want," Gary breathed out, "...Home. Whatever the hell that means."


    "I do miss it, Gary," Riley then let out a short but deep sigh as he closed his eyes, "The beautiful noises that came along with it feel like a distant memory now."


    "...Beautiful noises, quite the poet, aren''t you?" Gary let out a small chuckle; the sound of ice hitting each other, whispering in the air as he grabbed a bottle of beer inside the cooler behind him,


    "My parents¡­ well¡­


    ¡­they died during the Battle of Toronto."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..." Riley blinked his eyes a couple of times, taking a small nce at Gary before his eyes once again returned to the skies, "I see¡­


    ¡­I apologize, Gary."


    "Pft, what are you apologizing for¡­"


    A small ng whispered in the air as Gary flipped open the beer, "It''s not like it was anyone''s fault, really. I don''t think I can even me Darkday for what happened¨C how could you even me someone that''s considered a cmity?"


    "Because that cmity is still a fucking person," the sound of ice once again whispered in the air as Hannah''s slightly perturbed voice traveled the air, "Stop romanticizing the fucker like he''s some sort of god."


    "I agree," Silvie nodded as she too, took a bottle of beer from the cooler, "We¡­ When Darkdayes back, let''s make sure we''re ready to face him."


    "We gotta graduate that stupid Academy first," Hannah muttered, "We still have like more than half a year left, right?"


    "Wait¡­ the Academy isn''t for 4 years?" Gary then blinked a couple of times as he looked at the others.


    "...No," Silvie furrowed her eyebrows, "Didn''t you listen to Prophet''s speech during the entrance ceremony?"


    "...No, who listens to that?" Gary''s face showed that he was truly perplexed, "Doesn''t that mean¡­


    ¡­our time together isn''t that long?"


    "..."


    "...You do know the world doesn''t revolve around the Academy, right?" Hannah then let out a small sigh as she raised her bottle, "Anyway¡­


    ¡­to the end of Darkday! May he die a truly horrible dea¨C"


    "Death to Mega Woman!"


    And before Hannah could even finish her words, the stars in the sky suddenly darkened. No, perhaps it was better to say they were covered.


    "What¡­ the hell is that!?"


    Gary then immediately stood up as soon as the silhouette slowly got near to them. And with the lights of the city, as well as the purple sky still persisting; the silhouette soon revealed itself to everyone on the beach.


    It was¡­ a giant octopus, almost asrge as a bug. Or maybe perhaps not, as there was clearly a human head protruding on top of it¡­ hence the human voice screaming out of it.


    "Mega Woman!? Where are you!? I hear you, I smell you!" The¡­ human-octopus hybrid then roared; then harmonized by the screams of the people as they all started to run away, leaving almost a thousand footprints on the sand.


    "Mega Woman?" The Baby Crew all looked at each other; Riley, however, only looked at Silvie.


    "...Wait," Gary then furrowed his eyebrows as he once again turned to look at the human-octopus hybrid, "I think¡­that''s a superviin Mega Woman fought tens of years ago¡­


    ¡­Cephalos!"

 Chapter 135: Cephalos

    <h4>Chapter 135: Cephalos</h4>


    Cephalos.


    Real name: Kni Kani. He was born somewhere in Hawaii almost half a century ago; other than that, like most viins, his background was in the dark, especially since he was in a time wheremunication and information were limited. He was, however, famous for massacring entire viges as soon as his powers woke up¡­


    ¡­and one other thing.


    Technology then wasn''t as advanced as it is in present times; without powerful satellites to observe and analyze activity on the ground, the response time of the supers wasn''t as fast.


    There was a reason why Mega Woman was ced on a pedestal amongst the other heroes that were emerging for thest 300 years-- and that was her ability to never seem to get tired.


    Of course, Mega Woman still needed to sleep; but one would always find her flying through the skies 24 hours a day, sometimes for a whole week without rest.


    She was dubbed as the world''s greatest and mightiest hero to ever exist not because of her seemingly unlimited strength, but her selfless willingness to protect the people, even when she was not called.


    And despite her status; she has not, even once, thought she was above anyone. With her powers she could have ruled the world, no one would have been able to stop her; not even thebined powers of the supers that were already roaming the world. She could have ruled, but instead, she ushered the Age of Heroes.


    But of course, with the Age of Heroes, also came the Age of Viins. It was quite an ironic turn of events. With heroic activities doubling, one would have thought that the evil that was roaming the world would dwindle, but no. The acts of viiny became even more prevalent as if solely to challenge the stance of heroes.


    And now, we have one of those¨C a relic of the near past.


    Cephalos. He was considered to be a Threat Level 5 Super since he had numerous viges. There were, of course, supers that were able to hold him back; but none seeded in fully killing him¡­


    ¡­as he had the ability to heal at a very rapid rate; growing dismembered limbs in a matter of seconds¨C this was the other thing he was famous for, but not because of him, no¡­ but because of what Mega Woman did.


    That was the first time the world had gotten to know how brutal Mega Woman could be if she wished to. Of course, most of them were just rumors, but it was the first and only time that Mega Woman¡­ had ever killed her opponent.


    The people of Hawaii could only see a trail of almost endless blood; creating a river of red as Mega Woman continued to dismember the legs that grew almost instantly.


    She tried to trap him, but for some reason-- even in the tiniest of cracks, Cephalos was able to fit himself through.


    And so, as the rumor suggests, Mega Woman had no choice but to truly kill him.


    "...But as you can see, that rumor was false."


    "Are you done?"


    Back on the beach, the air had already be somewhat sedated as most of the people had run to the street; surprisingly though, Cephalos still remained floating above the shoreline, not even bothering with the crying footprints of the people.


    His eyes, still staring directly at the Baby Crew.


    "Mega Woman! Mega Woman! Mega Woman!" He continued to shout even as the skin of his chin and jaw tore apart from having been connected to the octopus part of his¡­ biology. Perhaps scream was not the right term to describe Cephalos''s shouts, it was more a gasp; a crack in his voice that struggled toe out.


    "Is¡­ he talking about Silvie?" Hannah whispered as she nced at Silvie.


    "M¡­ me? Why?"


    "You''re the only one that might have a slight connection with Mega Woman here."


    "Nothing''s been confirmed yet!" Silvie whispered loudly in reply, "Anyway, none of those matter right now. If Cephalos truly is what Gary says he is, then we need to neutralize him as fast as possible."


    "Agreed," Hannah nodded. But after a few seconds, her eyesnded on each of the members of the Baby Crew, specifically herself and the two other female members.


    "...We''re in our swimsuits."


    "It doesn''t matter." Even with Hannah''s remark, the sand beneath Silvie started to swirl around her feet; her body, slowly ascending to the air.


    "What are you civvies still doing here!?"


    But before her feet could fully leave the ground; she, and the rest of the Baby Crew could not help but cover their faces as the sand in front of them suddenly exploded. And as soon as the grains of sand settled back to the ground, a group of individuals revealed themselves to them.


    And with the costumes they were wearing, they could be nothing else but superheroes¨C 5 superheroesing to respond to the threat.


    "O¡­ oh shit, they''vee to rescue us," Gary said as he quickly grabbed his phone¡­ that was hidden in his Brazilian bikini.


    "...How did you¨C never mind. I don''t want to know the answer to that."


    "A man has his secre¨C"


    And before Gary could even finish his words, the phone in his hand met with the sand below as it was swatted away by one of the superheroes.


    "What the fuck?"


    "Do you think this is a game!? Stop it with your social media bullshit and leave, now!"


    And as soon as the man''s words reached Gary''s ears, his eyes ever so slightly started to turn red. But fortunately, before the superhero could notice it, Hannah quickly pulled Gary away.


    "We''re going to go now," Hannah then let out a small smile as she bowed her head towards the superheroes, "We''re really sorry for interrupting your work."


    "You should be, fucking bitch."


    "..." Hannah''s eyes slightly twitched as she heard one of the other superheroesmenting from the side; but still, the smile on her face did not disappear as she turned around.


    "Wait, should we just leave them? Maybe they would need our help?" Silvie muttered.


    "Leave them, those waste of semen," Gary clicked his tongue, "They almost destroyed my phone."


    "No, we should still help them," Hannah then breathed out; the tone of her voice clearly agitated from how deep it was, "But we can''t fight wearing this."


    "..." And as soon as they heard Hannah''s words, the group once again turned to look at the clothes they were wearing; quickly nodding as soon as they realized the incidents that could potentially happen while wearing a bikini to a superhero fight.


    And so, they all left their footprints on the beach¡­ except for Riley.


    "Oi, bro. What are you doing!?" Hannah whispered loudly as she gestured for Riley to follow them. Riley, however, was still staring at Cephalos.


    Seeing this, the superheroes that responded to the threat could not help but once again grit their teeth in frustration.


    "Are you fucking deaf!? Get the fuck out of here while we are still asking nicely!" The one that Hannah talked to earlier bellowed, "It''s not safe¨C"


    The man was about to push Riley away, but found that he was not able to do so; like there was an invisible wall that almost threatened to crush him into pieces and mix him with the sand.


    "E make ana ?oe," Riley then whispered; not even bothering to look at the superheroes as he turned to follow the rest of the Baby Crew.


    "...What the fuck?"


    "Leave it be. It''s also partly your fault for being too aggressive."


    One of the superheroes that had been quiet throughout the whole exchange tried to calm herrades down, "We have more important matters to do."


    "Tch, fucking civvies. Anyway¡­ why is this thing not even moving?" They all then tried to rx and calm their breaths as they looked at Cephalos, who seemed to have no n on moving out of the water; instead, its head seemed to still be following the members of the Baby Crew.


    "Can''t it go onnd?"


    "Doesn''t matter. Everyone, get into posi--"


    And before their leader could finish hermand, the already dark sky that surrounded them became even darker, casting a shadow upon her that fully covered not only her face but ever so slowly, the entire beach.


    "Just...


    ...attack!"

 Chapter 136: Sand... ra

    <h4>Chapter 136: Sand... ra</h4>


    "Ack, next time I am going to ask father to make us a portable suit!"


    Back in the Baby Crew truck, the sounds of almost endless rustle and nging reverberated in the air as the girls hastened to wear their costumes. As for Gary and Riley, they were forced to get dressed outside somewhere.


    Gary was having a hard time, of course, with all theyers andyers of ker in his suit. As for Riley, he was already done getting dressed.


    "F¡­ fuck," Gary said as he struggled, "Did I fucking gain weight that fas¨C"


    And before he could even finish his words the sound of birds crying echoed throughout the parking lot they were in. The sound of their wings fluttering; almost an orchestra of panic as it harmonized with their caws.


    "...That can''t be anything good," Gary then took in a small gulp as he rushed to wear his suit. His worries were not without merit, however, considering they were inside the 6th floor of a building parking lot and even still, they could hear the birds panicking, trying to escape from whatever was happening outside.


    The night sky that was already dark, casting even more shadows as the birds flew over the city. Gary turned his head towards the openings of the parking lot, squinting his eyes to the view of the beach outside.


    And as soon as he did so, his eyes quickly widened in shock.


    "Guys¡­" He then muttered, "I think we might have a bigger problem than we initially thought."


    "What!?" Hannah''s voice echoed from the inside of the trailer.


    "You bettere out and see for yourself," Gary muttered as he was finally done suiting up, slowly making his way to the opening to get a better look at whatever it was he was seeing,


    "Yup. Big problem."


    "What''s going on!?" The doors of the trailer then opened as Hannah quickly leaped out from the trailer, rushing to where Gary was standing. And like Gary, her eyes could not help but widen as soon as she saw the colossus standing on the shoreline.


    "...Fuck," Hannah''s eyes did not even need to look down as she stared at Cephalos''s new form¨C a testament of howrgepared to before,


    "So, it was hiding its real body earlier?" Silvie let out a long and deep breath as she stood beside Hannah, "It looks¡­ weird."


    "Fucking disgusting is what it is," Hannah furrowed her eyebrows. Even from afar, they could see the reflection of the city from Cephalos''s obviously slimy skin. And if they weren''t mistaken, the putrid smell that was slowly encroaching their nose was alsoing from him.


    And soon, its slimy skin reflected red; the sirens of the city now howling throughout the night.


    "What are the superheroes doing?"


    "I hope they are dead, sister."


    "...They''re dicks, but I don''t think they deserve to die, Riley," Hannah sighed. But after a few seconds, she turned around to face the others,


    "Baby Crew!" Hannah''s voice then roared throughout the parking lot, leaving multiple echoes partnered by the howl created by the mes that suddenly engulfed her body,


    "Assemb¨C"


    And before Hannah could finish her words, her voice was drowned by the shrieking noises that erupted from the shore.


    "..." Hannah nced at the beach-view for a couple of seconds, before letting out a sigh and turning to Silvie, "Let''s go together to distract it."


    "Hm."


    "Riley, take Gary and Tomoe and try to get behind it¨C hit it where it''s not looking while Silvie and I distract it."


    "...What about the people?" Silvie muttered.


    "If they saw that hentai monster and didn''t run away¡­" Gary scoffed, "They deserve to get fucked in all holes."


    "We''ll scan the situation from above, let''s go!" Hannah bellowed as she leaped from the building.


    "We''ll go ahead. Good luck, everyone!" Silvie sped her fist, letting out a small as she let herself fall from the building; thunder, erupting from through the openings of the building as a skirt of wind surrounded her body.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Alright," Gary then breathed out as soon as Hannah and Silvie''s silhouette disappeared, "Now that Hannah is gone, I am in charge. Let''s¨C"


    But before he could even finish what he was going to say, his cape suddenly flew over his head; his feet, slowly leaving the parking''s floor.


    "H¡­ hey! I''m in charge!"


    "Let''s follow big sister Hannah''s instructions first," Tomoe muttered; her kimono fluttering in the air as she, Gary, and Riley all flew out of the building at the same time.


    "...Why are we so high?"


    Gary then quickly breathed out as he struggled to remove his ker cape from his face; finding that they were almost surrounded by clouds.


    "So we won''t be noticed, Gary."


    "That''s right, Gary. So we won''t be no¨C"


    "Don''t do that again!"


    ***


    A couple of minutes earlier in the shoreline, the beach was surrounded with nothing but shadows¡­ and a stench that was putrid enough that one could probably see it when squinting one''s eyes.


    And the source of all of that? An overgrown octopus-human hybrid.


    "How¡­ how are we even supposed to face that!?"


    "...We can''t."


    Hearing the other superheroes in her groupin, the only thing that the group''s leader could do was let out a sigh and shake her head,


    "All of you run, I''ll try to hold it off as long as I can," she then said as she stretched her left hand to the side; and as she did so, the sand beside her suddenly swirled, turning into argence. There was also a whistleing out of it, and if one were to look closer, one could see that the surface of thence was vibrating.


    And if one were to be unlucky enough to touch it, then one''s flesh would definitely be torn to shreds by the thousands of sands swirling around it.


    The lead of the group is a superhero known as¡­ Sandra. And as her name suggests, she has the ability to manipte all sorts of minerals and sediments. But as sand was easily essible in Hawaii, she learned to control it the most.


    She was considered to be a Grade C Super, and a ss-B Superhero as the masses decided.


    As for the other members of the group, they were rated ss D to E; in short, they were probably shitting their pants right about now.


    "I¡­ I''ll stay and fight with you, boss!" One of the street-level superheroes stood his ground; his nails, instantly growing longer and sharper as he contracted his muscles.


    The rest of the group, however, all nodded¡­ and ran away.


    "We''ll evacuate the people!" They bellowed.


    "..."


    "..."


    "I think I''ll go with them, after all."


    "..."


    As Sandra all saw the members of her group running away, the only thing she could do was roll her eyes. But after just a few moments, her face suddenly twisted; gritting her teeth tight as she once again stretched her arms to the side.


    And in almost an instant, the beach turned into a forest, with the sand as the trees. And surprisingly, even with all of the activity happening on the ground, Cephalos seemed to not even acknowledge her existence¨C perhaps a mistake on its part.


    And so, with a roar, Sandra iled her arm left arm towards Cephalos; thences of sand, instantly propelling themselves straight to Cephalos''s colossal body.


    "Kiee!"


    And even though it was already as huge as a building, the pained shrieks that escaped from Cephalos''s mouth still roared through the skies¨C thences of sand, like needles that drilled through its flesh.


    "Rah!" Sandra then pulled her left fist back, and as soon as she did so, thences of sand all erupted at the same time. And like a shotgun being triggered at point-nk, a huge chunk of Cephalos''s octopus-like body blew apart¨C enough to dismember one of its many tentacles.


    A huge tremor quickly shook the entire beach; even reaching the streets and causing some of the buildings to sway as the tentacle fell to the ground.


    However, before Sandra could even rejoice or collect her breaths¡­ Cephalos had already regained its lost limb¨C almost without any warning or signs.


    "..." Seeing this, the only thing that Sandra could do was groan; but even still, her eyes did not show any signs of retreat as she smiled at the disgusting colossus, "Whether it''s you or me¡­


    ...it''s a good night to die."

 Chapter 137: Baby Back Crew

    <h4>Chapter 137: Baby Back Crew</h4>


    "Rah! Rah! Rah!"


    Sandra''s screams were almost already harmonizing with Cephalos''s shrieks. Both iling their arms wildly; one to attack, while the other to defend the almost endless barrage of sandnces raining upon it.


    And with the rain ofnces, came a rain of flesh and blood. The once clean and white beach of Waikiki, now drowned in red as bits and pieces of Cephalos''s flesh scattered everywhere; perhaps even almost smoking as their putrid smell clouded the air.


    But even with this nasty smell, Sandra''s heavy breaths still echoed; it has not even been a couple of minutes since she started her exchange with Cephalos, and yet all her energy had already been drained just trying to keep it from approaching the city.


    She once again iled her arms, throwing another barrage of sandnces towards Cephalos. This time, however, it felt as if her arm multiplied in weight, causing her own body to be dragged down with it.


    "K¡­ kh," the only thing she could do was bite her lip as she fell to the ground; the little bits of brown skin exposed from her mask, now extremely pale. Her eyes, trying their best not to close as exhaustion slowly drowned her entire body.


    However, as soon as her ears heard the disgusting squirm of Cephalos''s flesh once again regenerating, she once again gritted her teeth; almost to the point of causing blood to mix with her saliva.


    And with another scream, Sandra mmed both her palms on the ground; creating a wall of sand that blocked Cephalos''s path. The wall did notst long, however, as it copsed before it could fully reach its peak.


    "S¡­ shit," Sandra then whispered as she felt her body slowly sumbing to its fate. But before her body couldpletely nt itself on the sands of Waikiki, an arm wrapped around her.


    "Thank you for holding it, ma''am. Please leave the rest to us."


    "H¡­ ha?" Sandra then lifted her tired eyes towards the voice that might as well be a luby meant for her,


    "W¡­ who?" She whispered, looking at the brown¡­ almost golden hair flowing in the air.


    "M¡­ Mega Woman?"


    "...No, ma''am," Silvie almost stuttered as she heard the superhero''s words, "I am Meg¡­


    ¡­We are the Baby Crew."


    "Baby¨C"


    And before Sandra could say another word, her eyes closed on their own as a burning sh of light erupted in the sky¨C almost like a meteor freely flowing.


    The meteor then abruptly stopped, before once again letting out a blinding sh; followed by a whisper of a roar.


    "Sun Babies!"


    And as soon as those words reached Sandra''s ears, the meteor finally revealed the person hidden within¨C now holding two orbs of light that flicked almost snappingly. And with another quiet roar, Hannah waved her hand towards Cephalos, shooting the pair of fireballs straight at it.


    "Kiee, die Mega Woman!"


    Cephalos blocked the two orbs of fire with one of his tentacles; its flesh, once again raining down on the beach¨C just a few more, and the tentacle he used to block the two fireballs would have definitely split in two.


    But like with Sandra''s attacks, Cephalos''s wounds healed almost instantly no matter how severe.


    "I smell you, Mega Woman!"


    "Are those the only set of words you know!?" Hannah bellowed; clicking her tongue as she saw the attack she made waspletely almost ineffective, "This dude is barely even human anymore."


    Before they left the beach earlier to get suited up, Cephalos''s neck could still be seen; but now, the only part remaining of his humanity was the surface of his face¡­ which stood out almost like a pimple with how it was ced on its colossal octopus body.


    "Silvie, how is the local hero?" Hannah then said as she pressed the inte connected to her suit.


    "She''s exhausted," Silvie immediately responded, "I''ll¨C"


    "I''m fine," Sandra then gently pushed herself away from Silvie as soon as she saw the look of concern on her face, "Where did you guys suddenly pop out from?"


    "We''re from the Academy," Silvie answered as she watched as Cephalos continued to il its arms in an attempt to block Hannah''s babies.


    "Academy¡­ You mean Mega Academy!?" A little life was restored on Sandra''s tone as she heard Silvie''s words, "...But you don''t look like the students that were sent here a few days ago."


    "There are also students from the Academy here?"


    "Yes, but they''re currently on the other side of the¨C"


    "What are the two of you chatting there for!? Do something!"


    Hannah''s bellows quickly drowned their conversation as she slightly flew near them.


    "Can you get to safety? We''ll handle this now, please rest," Silvie was about to fly away, but before she could do so, Sandra grabbed her wrist.


    "I can''t let supers with no experience fight¨C"


    "You don''t have to worry, ma''am," Silvie quickly shook her head as she gently removed Sandra''s hand away, "We''ve at least been trained for several months to stay alive. Y¨C"


    Silvie suddenly paused her words as she turned her head towards Hannah, who was busyunching a barrage of fire orbs towards Cephalos.


    "My friend''s asking if you''re strong enough to provide back up," Silvie then muttered as she turned her attention back to Sandra, "But if you can''t, it''s also alright¨C you''ve done enough."


    "...Back up?"


    "Yes. Please keep targeting its legs and distract it as much as possible."


    "Wait, I''m not¨C"


    But s, the only thing that Sandra could do was cover her face as Silvie suddenly jumped to the air. And soon, beams of red shot out from her eyes, trying to target Cephalos''s human face.


    But s, the human face that should have obviously been Cephalos''s weakness was anything but; it almost felt like Silvie was trying to pop a pimple that was able to crawl across the skin as Cephalos''s face was able to transfer to different parts of its octopus body.


    However, it would seem Silvie targeting Cephalos''s face had an effect¨C as for the first time, Cephalos''s used one of its tentacles to attack.


    "Mega Woman! Mega Woman¡­ I smell Mega Woman somewhere!"


    Cephalos then once again screamed as it iled one of its tentacles¨C swaying it straight towards the nearest building across the street.


    "..." And Silvie, who was targeting Cephalos''s face, did not hesitate to retreat as she flew towards the tentacle, blocking the train-sized whip with her body. Silvie could only grit her teeth, however, as she felt the slimy skin of Cephalos wrapping around her.


    "This¡­ this is disgusting," Silvie muttered as her hair was caught by the slime,


    "E¡­ ew!" Silvie then mmed her fist, causing the tentacle to bounce; she did it again with more force, causing her hand to punch right through Cephalos''s flesh.


    "Ew¡­ ew, Ew!" And with her loudest scream yet, Silvie used both her hands; instantlyunching the tentacle away from the building behind her. But with her focus solely on one tentacle, she did not realize that another one was whipping straight towards her.


    But halfway through reaching her, Hannah flew and moved to its path; taking in a deep breath as a sort of de¨C No, as wings of fire emerged behind her, stretching to the sides and almost imitating the smile on her face.


    "My turn again."

 Chapter 138: Students of Mega Academy

    <h4>Chapter 138: Students of Mega Academy</h4>


    "My turn again."


    Although the approaching tentacle might seem slow; it was only due to its size¨C with the speed it was going, it was almost as fast as a car speeding on a highway. But even so, the smile on Hannah''s face did not fade¡­ and maybe even grew wider.


    She then stretched her arms to the side, making the wings of fire behind her span even longer and more concentrated¨C almost to the point that it looked simr to theser beams that wereing out of Silvie and Gary''s eyes.


    And as the train-sized tentacle was about to hit her, a loud thunder erupted in the air as Hannah''s entire body spun at an exploding speed¨Cpletely splitting the tentacle in half without even a slight resistance.


    "Cmares for the entire city!" Hannah then let out a smallugh as she stopped spinning, the wings on her back exploding as she made her way down to the ground to at least take a breather.


    "..." Seeing this, Silvie could only blink her eyes. It would seem the more the action, the livelier Hannah is¨C perhaps a trait received from her father.


    Silvie then turned her head towards the dismembered tentacle¨C just a few more meters, and it would have destroyed one of the little boutiques lined up on the street near the beach.


    "I have an idea," Silvie then breathed out as she flew towards the end dismembered tentacle. Her eyes scanned it for a few seconds before she lifted it into the air as she flew near Cephalos.


    And once the other side of the tentacle she was holding was no longer hitting the ground, she also rotated her body¨C swinging the giant tentacle along with her.


    "W¡­ what the¡­" Sandra, who was watching from the ground, could not help but believe what she was seeing. She was supposed to be the veteran superhero here, but it was hard not to be impressed with the disy of the students from the Mega Academy.


    Were these students just special? Or are the people from the Academy truly this good?


    A loud whistle then soon interrupted Sandra''s thoughts as a violent gust of wind was starting to form through the spinning tentacles'' path.


    "Yah!"


    And with a slight change in direction, Silvie finally stopped spinning and mmed the Cephalos''s own tentacle straight through its body, causing the entire beach to quake. Bits and pieces once again erupted from Cephalos as his entire body seemed to have exploded from the impact.


    Silvie, however, seemed to have no time to rest.


    "It''s¡­ already recovering?"


    And even with its entire body in pieces, Silvie and the others could stare in disbelief as Cephalos''s mangled flesh squirmed like worms; and just like that, in a moment, Cephalos was once again whole.


    "...This is tricky," Hannah sighed as she floated near Silvie, "No wonder Mega Woman was forced to kill this fucker."


    "Well, she didn''t really kill it," Silvie also let out a sigh of her own, "If Cephalos could regenerate its body no matter what we throw at it, then any damage we would do would just be a waste of effort."


    "Hm, well¡­ let''s see if our n works," Hannah then said as she pressed something on her neck, "You guys, how long do we still need to distract this monster?"


    [A few more seconds, big sister Hannah.]


    And as soon as those words entered Hannah''s ears, she quickly bellowed and pointed her finger towards Sandra.


    "You, the one just watching there!" She screamed, "Can you create that wall of sand you did earlier again!?"


    "Wha¨C"


    "Do it now! Just prevent this tentacle monster from approaching the city!"


    "..." Sandra was quite ufortable taking orders from someone younger than her, as she''s always been the one to lead those who wished to protect her city. But still, she did not let any of those thoughts get in the way; nodding her head as she kneeled on the ground.


    And once again, she mustered up the remaining strength she had left in her body; her palms, touching the field of murky sand beneath her; and as she did so, the wall that she failed to build earlier finally saw the light of the moon.


    "I¡­ can''t hold this for long!"


    "Silvie!"


    "On it!" A skirt of wind once again surrounded Silvie as she flew towards Cephalos; avoiding all the tentacles that were threatening to tten her whole.


    "Tch," there was, however, one she could not avoid. And so, the only thing she could do wasser it and speed up her flight even faster¨C pushing her straight through the tentacle; its bits of pieces of flesh, still attached to her hair.


    She did not seem to mind anymore, however, as she quicklynded on the of the tentacles behind Cephalos, grabbing it by its end and not letting Cephalos crawl towards the city any further.


    "Tomoe, anytime now!"


    [No need to count,] Tomoe''s voice once again traveled through thems line, [It''s ready. Master Riley, Gary¡­ Please drop it.]


    And as soon as she said that, the entire city was suddenly drowned in the color of the sky¨C glistening purple fractals of light that flickered across the horizon.


    "What¡­ the hell is that?" Sandra could only blink her eyes as she turned her head towards the sky. The clouds, seemingly all making way for the dark crystal that still reflected the purple sky.


    "Wait¡­" Sandra then took in a small gulp as she remained looking at the dark crystal, "Don''t tell me¡­ you n to¨C"


    Before Sandra could even finish her words, the colossal icicle; one that could probably be seen through a satellite, made its way straight towards Cephalos.


    "Are¡­ are you kids insane!?" And with those words as a sort of opener, the entire city of Honolulu felt the entire earth tremble.


    Cephalos tried to block the dark icicle with all of its tentacles. But s, with the sheer weight of the ice, the only thing the tentacles did was get pinned down with the rest of its body.


    "It''s not over yet, Gary!"


    "Grah!"


    And with the descending roaring from the skies, a silhouette shot straight towards the top of the icicle, causing another thunderous explosion as the spear of ice prated even deeper through Cephalos''s already mangled body¨C pinning it down on the sand.


    And just when Sandra thought it was over, the icicle suddenly opened up¨C almost like a flower as it quickly crawled through Cephalos''s entire body, covering itpletely in its beautiful and elegant darkness¡­


    ¡­perhaps, maybe, forever trapping it.


    "This¡­


    ¡­These are the students from the Academy?"

 Chapter 139: Frozen Squid

    <h4>Chapter 139: Frozen Squid</h4>


    emy.


    "That''s what you get for being ugly af!"


    A roar then thundered in the air,pletely interrupting Sandra''s thoughts. Gary, who was still on top of the flower iceberg, started howling as he pounded his chest several times. And after doing this for a couple more beats, he started to slide down across the ice, rolling on the sand as hended before doing some sort ofplicated pose.


    "The Dragon Monarch has dealt with the Patriarch of the 8-Legged Sea Pavilion."


    "...What?" Sandra could only blink her eyes a couple of times as Garynded right in front of her.


    "Do not worry, the Dragon Monarch has saved the day," Gary then swung his arms randomly as he changed his pose, "Fear is onl¨C"


    "Why are you talking like you did all of this on your own?" A sizzle then whispered in the air as Hannah alsonded near Sandra; the lines of her body, still letting out fumes, "This is a team effort, a team effort."


    "We did well, right?" Silvie then alsonded, slightly blowing the sands beneath her feet, "Even though the Academy didn''t really train us to fight together¡­ we''re sessful because of your n."


    "As I said, it''s a team effort," Hannah just waved her hand as Silvie approached her, "If anything¡­ you could have probably defeated this monster on your own," she then muttered as she tapped the flower iceberg.


    "...Could I?"


    "With the right tactics."


    "I probably could have also defeated this on my own," Gary breathed out.


    "...Right," Hannah, however, only squinted her eyes away from him,


    "Anyway, if anyone should be getting merit, it should be Tomoe," she then said as she pointed at Tomoe, who was slowly descending from the skies with Riley, "I knew you could probably do it, but I didn''t think it would be this huge."


    "H¡­ hm," Tomoe only let out a small hum as her feet touched the sand. However, not even a second after the soles of her feet became t, her legs instantly gave in.


    "Tomoe!" Silvie, however, quickly caught her.


    "I¡­ I can''t even move anymore, sorry," Tomoe muttered; her breaths, almostpletely sedated. Her already pale face, even paler.


    "But¡­ if credit needs to be given, then it should be towards Master Riley. He¡­ held the ice in the air so I could just focus on growing the icicle and not worry about the burden of controlling it."


    "Hm," the members of the Baby Crew all let out a small hum as they turned their heads towards Riley


    "Yes," Riley then immediately said, "All of you would have probably died without me."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Let''s just say that everyone did their part equally," Hannah muttered.


    "...Yeah."


    And so, just like that, Riley single-handedly ended the almost endless bouts of ttery the Baby Crew were passing to each other. And soon, a whistle and a whirring echoed through the skies.


    "The cavalry arrives," Hannah then said as they all looked up, only to see several helicopters making their way to the street in front of the beach. And after a few seconds, she suddenly held her hair.


    "F¡­ Fuck," she whispered, "My hair is still ck, someone might recognize us from earlier and took photos."


    And as soon as she said that, her hair started to move on its own, squirming and slightly trembling as a sort of ck chalk floated from it¨C turning her hair back to its natural color.


    Riley''s hair also once again turned back to its original white color without them noticing.


    "Did you just separate¡­ you know what, never mind," Gary could let out a small but deep breath as the ck chalk floating in the air went straight to the nearest trash bin.


    "They''rending¡­ should we leave?" Silvie muttered as she looked at the descending helicopters.


    "Nah."


    Surprisingly, though, Hannah shook her head, "This is the first time we''ve truly fought a superviin¨C we might as well experience what the full package of being a superhero is."


    "...Hm."


    "I wonder if I''ll also be as mature as you once I turn 20."


    "I''m not 20 yet!"


    And with the members of the Baby Crew starting to bicker with one another, Sandra could not help but once again blink her eyes in disbelief.


    The entire battle did notst long, not even 5 minutes. Of course, it needed to be that fast since the colossal octopus was heading towards the city¡­ But it almost feels like the students of the Academy that were right in front of her did not seem to realize the gravity of what they just did.


    "Here theye, look lively!" Hannah said as she quickly fixed her hair¡­ only for the reporters to brush them off and rush towards Sandra.


    "..."


    "..."


    But after a few seconds of Sandra seemingly exining the situation, the reporters all turned their heads towards the Baby Crew.


    "Wait¡­ aren''t they students from the Academy!?"


    And as soon as Hannah and the others saw the reporters rushing towards them, their bodies all stood straight; ready to answer any questions that were going to be thrown at them.


    "Isn''t that Riley Ross!?"


    They were, however, once again ignored as the reporters all ran towards Riley. Riley, however, only shook his head as he pointed towards the rest of the Baby Crew,


    "I did nothing," he breathed out, "The members of the Baby Crew did most of the work."


    And as soon as he said that, the heads of the reporters once again turned towards Hannah and the others; rushing towards them as they asked all sorts of questions.


    More and more reporters came; Gary had a wide smile on his face almost the whole time, but as the 6th reporter approached him asking the same questions he had already answered repeatedly, his face became nk.


    "I''ll¡­ I''ll go check on my friend," Gary then lightly pushed away all the reporters as he rushed towards Tomoe, who refused to be interviewed as her wounds were getting tended by the medics that arrivedte.


    "This is a fucking mess."


    In front of the flower iceberg, Hannah and Tomoe were already done talking with the press and were just admiring the aftermath of the battle. The beach they were just having fun on just earlier was nowpletely unrecognizable.


    The putrid smell that they already got used to, all the bits and pieces of flesh scattered everywhere, the sand that was already red from all the blood; it was chaos.


    "But I thought octopi have blue blood or something."


    "...That''s what you''re thinking of right now?" Silvie could not help but chuckle, "But¡­ with Cephalos frozen like this in dark ice¡­ it almost looked beautiful in a way, don''t you think?"


    "...Really?" Hannah squinted her eyes, trying her best to see what was so beautiful with it.


    "I feel bad for Tomoe," Silvie then let out a small but deep sigh as she nced behind her, "She looks extremely exhausted¡­ but to create something like this, who wouldn''t be?" Silvie muttered as she touched the flower iceberg.


    "Come to think of it¡­ we don''t really know how strong we really are," Hannah then muttered, "We''ve never really pushed our limits inside the Academy. You lifted one of Cephalos''s tentacles like it was nothing and you even managed to hold it back¡­


    ¡­have you ever tried the limit of what you can actually lift?"


    "I¡­" Silvie tilted her head to the side for a few seconds, before letting out a small breath and dropping her shoulders, "...I don''t know. I haven''t really tried before since it didn''t seem safe."


    "Hm¡­ same," Hannah nodded.


    "But speaking of limits¡­" Silvie then turned her head towards Riley, who was being bombarded by the reporters but had been refusing to even open his mouth for almost an hour now, "...I have never seen your brother get tired¨C he lifted this iceberg, right? Just how strong is he?"


    "...I actually have no idea as well," Hannah shook her head with a sigh of her own, "It''s actually quite scary that he had been hiding something like that without me and our parents know¨C"


    "Ack, who knew being popr could be so tiring,"


    And as the conversation of the two were about to get serious, Gary suddenly popped up between them,


    "...Why are you guys even here? Don''t tell me¡­" Gary then let out a small gasp as he looked back and forth between the flower iceberg and the two, "...you guys are thinking of rule 34!?"


    "Fuck, ew. Get that weird shit out of here!"


    "...Rule 34?"


    "You don''t need to know what that is!" Hannah quickly pushed Gary away, "Do not¨C"


    But before she could finish her words, a whisper of a crack entered her ears.


    "..." The three then all slowly turned their heads towards the quiet noise, only to see a small web of crack slowly crawling on the surface of the ice. And soon, words whispered into their ears.


    "M¡­ Mega Woman¡­ I¡­ I smell you¡­"


    "What the¡­


    ¡­It''s still alive!?"

 Chapter 140: Next Plan

    <h4>Chapter 140: Next n</h4>


    A quiet whisper.


    But still, the voice that was whispering in the air was still enough to pierce the ears of those who could hear it. It was hoarse; hoarse enough to cause the air to vibrate as it seeped from the colossal flower iceberg.


    Hannah, Gary, and Silvie, who were the nearest to the iceberg, could not help but slightly squint their eyes as they slowly turned their heads towards the prison of ice.


    "Is¡­ it still alive?"


    But how? They all thought. Not only was Cephalospletely frozen and covered in ice, but its body was also mangled; bits and pieces could even be seen through Tomoe''s dark frost.


    "Mega Woman¡­" A whisper once again seeped from the cracks that were growing on the surface of the ice, "I¡­ can smell you."


    "It''s¡­ trying to find Mega Woman again," Gary took in a small gulp. He seemed to want to say something more, but before he could do so, a bout of shriek screamed from behind them. The three of them turned their heads, only to see the reporters that were trying to interview Riley floating in the air.


    Riley then slightly flicked his finger, gently throwing the crowd back to the streets before he floated towards Hannah and the others.


    "M¡­ Master Riley."


    Tomoe, who was still being tended by the medics due to her exhaustion, wanted to get up to follow Riley; the medics, however, did not allow her to do so. The temperature around the ambnce quickly rose; the red and blue lights, slowly flickering as fractals slowly crawled through them.


    "You can''t use your powers anymore!" One of the medics said as she quickly grabbed a syringe, "You''re going to rebound if you¨C"


    "It''s fine."


    But before the medic could inject Tomoe with a sedative, Sandra, who was also being tended by the medics, quickly grabbed her hand.


    "I''ll go check on them in your stead," Sandra then turned to look at Tomoe; gesturing for her to calm down. Tomoe stared at her eyes for a few seconds, before the temperature around them once again became tropic.


    It wasn''t only Sandra who walked back to the shore, but also the members of the Clean Up department¨C a department of the Government that deals with the aftermaths of Super-rted incidents.


    It was also the same department who helped clean and rebuild the fight between Sophie and Riley back in the nightclub in Miami¡­ and also the ones that spent the most time in Toronto and other affected areas when Riley duked it out with Mega Woman.


    In a way¡­ they might as well be Riley''s helpers.


    "...What''s happening?"


    "The ice is cracking¡­ don''t tell me it''s still alive?"


    "F¡­ fuck, tell the Shelter not to release any of the citizens yet!"


    And as the whispers soon traveled the air, the reporters that were previously so eager to ask questions were once again buried by the sound of their helicopters as they all returned to the air.


    Near the flower iceberg, Gary, Silvie, and Hannah were all slowly backing away; in harmony with the crackles that were continuously crawling through the surface of the ice. Their steps, only stopping as Riley arrived at their location.


    "I¡­ can hear it squirming inside," Silvie breathed out as she tilted her head to the side to try and hear the whispers clearer.


    "You mean it''s still regenerating at that state!?"


    "Fucking hentai monster! We need Tomoe to¨C"


    "No," Hannah cut off Gary''s words before he could finish them, "We can''t burden Tomoe with this anymore, we deal with this now¡­"


    Hannah then let out a long and deep breath; closing her eyes for a few seconds before opening them again to look at her brother and Silvie, "You think you can fly this thing to space, Silvie?"


    "That''s¡­" Silvie almost choked there and there, but as soon as her eyes found their way towards Riley, she nodded, "With Riley''s help¡­ then maybe?"


    "I''ll also help!" Gary pped his knuckle, "...With whatever I can while on the ground."


    "Sorry for not being able to help here," Hannah breathed out, "But let''s do this while the thing is still recovering!"


    Gary and Silvie then looked at each other, before each running on both ends of the flower iceberg, pushing away the sands as they did so.


    "Are you ready, Gary!?" Silvie slightly raised her voice.


    "Aye, aye, Captain!"


    "Lift in 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­


    ¡­Lift!"


    Gary and Silvie''s roars mixed in the air; far from harmonious¡­ but seeing as they were trying to lift the weight of two buildings, no one couldin about the song they were uttering. And soon, the ice started to budge.


    "N¡­ now¡­ Throw it towards me!"


    "Are¡­ are you sure!?"


    "Yes!" Silvie gritted her teeth, "Riley, please support me."


    "...Sure," Riley only blinked a couple of times as he looked at Silvie.


    "Fuck, if you get turned into a pancake, it''s not my fault!" Gary roared; using as much force he could muster to try and safely push the ice on top of Silvie.


    Almost all the people watching them held their breaths as the flower iceberg tilted. Silvie could not hear anything, however, as everything was drowned by her own scream.


    "Don''t scream, Silvie! You''re wasting energy!"


    But s, Silvie could not help it as her feet sunk through the sand; the veins on her neck were already starting to pop out as her trembling hands did their best to bnce and lift the ice.


    "You¡­ you''re doing it, Silv!"


    "Really!?"


    "...No."


    "Fuck you, Gary!" And with those words, Silvie''s whole body straightened up. She started to let out a whimper, little bits of saliva escaping from her mouth as she forced herself to remain standing.


    "R¡­ Riley, are you helping!?"


    "Hm."


    And soon, Silvie''s feet left the sand.


    "You''re really doing it this time, Silv!"


    This time, however, Silviepletely ignored Gary''s words as she once again let out a scream¨C her ascent to the skies getting faster by the minute.


    "I¡­ I want to curse!" Silvie said before gritting her teeth. The clouds then once again opened up as the ice returned to the ce where it was born¡­ and now going even further up.


    "You already did!" Gary let out an excited scream, "You can do it¡­ you''re doing it!"


    The people that were watching from below all pped their hands¨C Silvie could not hear it even from thems in her ear, however, as her lungs still had enough energy to fill the entire air with her screams.


    But soon, the ice that she was carrying turned lighter, and as soon as it did so, Silvie once again roared even louder¡­ throwing the ice away as it escaped the confines of the earth.


    "We¡­ we did it!" A fettered chuckle then escaped from Silvie''s mouth, "We did it, Riley!"


    Silvie then quickly turned to look at Riley¡­ only to find that she was all alone.


    "..." Her eyes then moved everywhere, only to see the earth beneath her.


    "O¡­ Oh," Silvie muttered, "This¡­ this is space. I''m in space, guys!"


    "Not yet, we can still hear you."


    "Let her celebrate, you moron."


    "..." Aughter was about to escape from Silvie''s mouth, but as soon as she heard the others, the only thing she could do was fly down back to the beach. And as soon as her feet met with sand, her eyes quicklynded on Riley.


    "Why didn''t you wait for me?" Silvie said with a small pout on her lips.


    "I never came with you, Silvie."


    "...What? Weren''t you lifting the ice?"


    "No," a small smile then slowly crept on Riley''s face as he looked Silvie straight in the eyes, "I never did."


    "What¡­ do you mean?" A small skip drummed in Silvie''s heart as Riley''s lips once again almost reached from ear to ear.


    "You lifted the ice all on your own, Silvie. You''re slowly on your way to bing like Mega Woman."


    The ice was the size of two buildings merged together and should approximately probably weigh around 300,000 tonnes. For her to be able to fly with that kind of weight would mean she could potentially be rated as a Grade-S Super.


    "W¡­ what?" Silvie took in a small gulp.


    "Heh¡­ Show off," a wide smile also appeared on Hannah''s face.


    As for Gary, for some reason, tears were trailing on his face as he muttered about something like how everyone was growing up so fast.


    "..."


    As for Sandra¡­ she was once again left with her mouth wide open. After this¡­


    ¡­should she also enroll in the Academy?


    ***


    "Hm¡­"


    In a room only lit up by therge screen stered on the wall, a group of old people was sitting at a long table¨C all watching the feed that was being shown on the screen; Silvie lifting up the colossal ice.


    "When will the first batch be graduating again?"


    "In about 7 months, sir."


    "Tch, we would have had a lot more graduates if Dark Millennium didn''t destroy the other Mega Academies."


    "After graduation, I am sure the demand would rise exponentially. For now, we should focus on building what we nned while we have the chance."


    "Are¡­ we sure about going ahead with it? What if she wakes up and finds that we did all of these behind her back? We should at least ask for her permission to¨C"


    "!!!"


    And just like that, the fluid conversation that was traversing the dim room abruptly stopped; drowned by the thunderous sound that snapped in the air. A small fume then sizzled in the air as the nozzle of a gun slowly cooled down.


    "..."


    The one thatst spoke, now swimming in his own blood.


    "We can''t have anyone hesitating here, no matter who you are," the one that pulled the trigger let out a small but very deep sigh, "We''ve already startedmercializing the supers¨C it''s toote to turn back now. It''s time to move on to the next step¡­


    ¡­Building the Superhero Association."

 Chapter 141: The New Advisor

    <h4>Chapter 141: The New Advisor</h4>


    "How did you do with the activity?"


    "...I spent most of the time just mingling with people. You know how long it has been since we actually got to spend time outside?"


    "Same¡­ I watched the new Lobsterman movie."


    "...The one with Tom Holsea?"


    "Yeah¡­"


    "What about you guys, how¡­"


    "Have you seen the incident in Miami? ss 1-V was on the news again."


    "They''re always in the news. It actually almost feels like we''re just an extra most of the days."


    With the students now back from their week-long excursion, the Academy was once again filled with their whispers and chatters; some loud, and some just that¨C whispers.


    Some had bright smiles on their faces, but most looked like they just participated in some kind of death march, as their steps were extremelyzy¨C some even dragging their feet as they still didn''t want toe back to ss.


    But with all the different rhythms of their steps, the students did have one thing all inmon; they were all talking about ss 1-V as they once again manage to be the center of the news.


    It would have been alright if it was just one time, but they were able to grab the people''s attention twice in one week. One was in Miami, and the second time was in Hawaii.


    What were they even doing there in the first ce anyway?


    And why was Riley Ross involved again? From the reveal that he was actually Whiteking''s son, to the Shomari incident¨C for one of perhaps the most mysterious and quietest students in the entire Academy, he seems to have the knack for attracting attention.


    They even encountered an enemy that Mega Woman had faced half a century ago. But with Hawaii, however, he was not the one who garnered the attention of the press, but the previous Mega Student, Silvie.


    Lifting more than 300,000 tonnes and managing to push it to space was a feat that no ordinary Strength-type Super could do. Match that with her ability to fly at high speeds, herser eyes¡­ ¡­she really was the closest thing to Mega Woman¨C she earned the superhero name she got for herself.


    There was also the fact that during the moment¨C she almost resembled Megawoman, add the fact that they have the same hair color, most of the students had this thought in their minds;


    Maybe Silvie, aka Megagirl¡­ was Megawoman''s daughter?


    First, it was only Riley who had thought as such in the entire world, but now almost everyone in the Academy was thinking it. Of course, there were still a lot of Supers that had the same power¨C it was, after all, one of the mostmon powers in the world.


    But with the sheer power that Silvie showed¡­ they truly could not help butpare her to Megawoman.


    And of course, the one that was discussing it most... was actually the person in question itself and the group she belonged to¨C The Baby Crew.


    "Have you talked to your father?" Leaned her chair closer to Silvie, ignoring the whispers of the other students in ss 1-V.


    "N¡­ not yet," Silvie answered with a sigh, "I already messaged himst night and this morning, but he seems to be busy with his work."


    "...I see. I already spoke to my dad¡­ and his tone seemed quite serious when I told him I wanted to speak to him."


    "...What? You think he already knows about what we''re going to ask?"


    "That''s probably the case with their father," Gary joined the conversation.


    "Hm, who knows," Hannah slightly nodded, "Let''s meet at our hideout after ss."


    "You guys¡­ will be there as well, right?" Silvie turned to look at Gary and Tomoe.


    "Should we?" Gary squinted his eyes, "Feels like a family members-only event."


    "You guys are my friends¡­ and you''ve always been there whenever I start to lose my mind," Silvie muttered, "I feel like I would be more confident with all of you there."


    "Hm."


    And with those words, Tomoe and Gary nodded their heads. Silvie then turned to look towards Riley, who had been keeping quiet as usual. But as soon as he noticed Silvie''s gaze on him, he also nodded and smiled.


    "I will be there for you, Silvie."


    "That''s¡­" Silvie almost stuttered; her face, turning into cherry as she quickly moved her head to the side¨C letting out a small and quiet thank you to everyone as she did so.


    Of course, Riley will be there. After all, this could be the ticket for him to once again finally know more about Mega Woman. The whispers and chatters around the ssroom persisted for a few more minutes until finally, the door slid open.


    They all closed their mouths as Scarlet Mage slowly made her way to the teacher''s podium. Katherine, on the other hand, was looking at Riley¨C nodding to each other as if signaling something.


    "I''ll make it brief," Katherine then breathed out as she looked at each of her students, "Although our time together was short and even shorter for the foreign students¡­ I hope that my stay with you has been fruitful and learning."


    "Hm?"


    The students, who heard the somewhat somber and concise tone in Katherine''s voice, could not help but look at each other in confusion. Why was she talking like¡­


    ¡­she was going to leave?


    "But from today¡­ I will no longer be the advisor for this ss."


    "!!!"


    And just like that, the thoughts of the students materialized; their whispers, bing even louder.


    "Why are you quitting!?"


    "Is it because of your rtionship with Riley Ross!?"


    "...No," Katherine breathed out, "The Academy assigned a new advisor for ss 1-V."


    "New¡­ advisor?"


    "But why? Aren''t we graduating in 7 months? Why change advisors now?"


    "Settle down," Katherine then raised her hand to calm the students down, "You don''t need to worry about anything. The one that will be recing me is¡­ objectively a better teacher. Even briefly fighting alongside Megawoman more than a hundred years ago."


    "...What?"


    "Sir," Katherine then said no more as she turned her head towards the door; the students, instinctively doing the same. And as they did so, they could not help but squint their eyes as a golden glimmer almost blinded their eyes.


    "Greetings, children."


    "Bulwark!?"


    Some of the students almost stood up from their seats as they saw Bulwark entering the ss, his glowing golden hair, smoothly flowing in the air even without wind blowing it.


    "Thank you for the exaggerated introduction, Scarlet Mage," Bulwark then slightly chuckled; his voice, as androgynously feminine as his face, "But I am definitely not better than you. What I achieved, I achieved through time¨C you''re still young and have already garnered feats¡­


    ¡­if anything, you should already be ssified as a ss-S Superhero."


    "You¡­ are too kind, Sir Bulwark."


    "Would you like to join the Hope Guild and rece the spot I left there?"


    "..." Katherine blinked a couple of times; a small smile appearing on her face ever so momentarily. But as her eyesnded on Riley, the only thing she could do was sigh and shake her head,


    "I¡­ would have loved to, sir Bulwark," Katherine breathed out, "But I actually already belong to a group."


    "I see. That''s too bad."


    "But truly, thank you for the offer," Katherine then said before facing the students of ss 1-V, "Alright. All of you behave, don''t embarrass me to your new advisor."


    "Y¡­ yes, ma''am!" Most of the students then stood up as they paid their respects to Katherine, "Thank you for everything, Miss Scarlet Mage!"


    "Hm¡­"


    "I''ll take care of your students, you don''t have to worry, Scarlet Mage," Bulwark then said.


    "I know you will, sir Bulwark."


    "Please, let me find you if I have any questions," Bulwark then said as he stretched his hand towards Katherine.


    "..." Katherine looked at his hand for a second, before the two shook hands and smiled at each other. And after once again saying goodbye to her ss, Katherine left; leaving a silent and slightly awkward atmosphere in the room.


    But after a few seconds, Bulwark faced the ss.


    "I know most of you children are tired from your week-long adventure," he said, "So let''s just introduce ourselves today and all of you can go rest for the day¡­


    ¡­I''ll start. My name is Bulwark. That is the name given to me by the modern people of Europa¨C but that was not always my name. I have never told this to the masses before, but since we will be spending months learning from each other, I feel like you should know who I am."


    Bulwark once again smiled; the tone of his voice, slightly somber.


    "I am actually much older than most believe me to be. I¨C"


    "Are you Jesus!?"


    "...No," Bulwak blinked a couple of times as he looked at Gary, "But I am older than him."


    "W¡­ what?"


    "I was born in a time when war was prevalent. I fought with many, not necessarily heroes, but definitely many warriors," Bulwark breathed out, "Some of you may even know them in history books¨C Achilles, Odysseus, Hercules, and many others; I was there to witness them grow. But as I have witnessed greatness, so have most of you. Even amongst the hundreds of warriors I fought alongside with¡­


    ¡­Megawoman stands above all of them."


    Bulwark''s eyes started to glisten as they turned to the floor; as if reminiscing a time long past,


    "Forgive my sudden burst of nostalgia, children," Bulwark then cleared his throat as he once again faced the students, "The people of the past have called me many names, but perhaps the most popr one¡­


    ¡­is Apollo."

 Chapter 142: Rvlations

    <h4>Chapter 142: Rtions</h4>


    "That was crazy af, wasn''t it? I can''t even imagine being Hannah''s age¡­ let alone Bulwark''s."


    "You''re just a year younger than me, you fucker."


    Somewhere in the Academy, the Baby Crew were once again in their main base of operations, the Korean Shaved Ice store. Bulwark kept his word; after introducing themselves one by one briefly, he dismissed the ss. Although with a hundred of them, it still took more than an hour.


    But with them being let out early, Hannah and the others also had an extra amount of time to loiter¨C and they have been doing so for hours now. Even Charlotte, who was usually opening up conversations with them, was now just fidgeting with her cashier terminal¨C which was odd since the only sales her shop had were from the Baby Crew.


    "But I agree with you¡­ that''s a crazy long time to be alive," Hannah let out a small scoff as she took a bite of her dessert, "Dad told me Bulwark was like really old¡­ but to think he''s been around for 4000 years?"


    "Doesn''t that mean that most of the heroes in our history books are actually Supers?"


    "That''s probably the case," Hannah breathed out; but after a few more seconds, she once again let out a small scoff, "One thing''s for sure¨C Bulwark is better than that cougar."


    "Well¡­ I don''t know about that," Gary slightly hummed, "Bulwark does look like a woman, but he''s still a male¨C nothing can them curves that women offer."


    "Can you stop thinking with your dick for like a second!?"


    "Afraid not, madam," Gary said as he presented himself from head to toe, "I am afraid I am 20% muscle, and 80% dick."


    "Ew, what the fuck, dude."


    Hannah, Silvie, and even Tomoe all winced; turning their heads to the side as they heard Gary''s poetic machinations.


    As for Riley, he was busy consuming whatever vored dessert it was he was eating.


    The group talked about Bulwark for a couple more minutes, but with them only meeting him, there really was not much to talk about.


    "Is your father going to be here?" Hannah then finally switched the topic. And for some reason, causing the smile on Silvie''s face to slightly waver.


    "...I messaged himst night and today," Silvie''s sighs floated down to the ground with how heavy they were, "But the only reply I got was a thumbs up."


    "Hm¡­"


    This was the main reason why they were gathered in the store today; of course, they actually loiter in the shop every day if they can¡­ but this time, they truly did have a purpose for meeting here.


    They needed to talk to Whiteking and Silvie''s father. The visions that Silvie had in Miami were truly too hard to ignore, and the sooner they confirm Silvie''s true parentage, then the sooner she would get rid of the sudden psychotic episodes she''s been having.


    And soon, one of the m3n in her so-called vision arrived with a cling of the bell.


    "Hello, wee to-- What are you doing here? Who told you that you could just waltz in my shop, you fat fuck."


    "T¡­ that''s too harsh, I have only put up around 10 kilograms(22 lbs) since west met, Ma''am Charlotte."


    "Dad!"


    Whiteking''s eyes then immediatelynded towards her daughter; his steps, slightly hesitant as he started to approach her. His eyes, however, quickly widened as soon as he saw Silvie and the others.


    "Why¡­ are your friends here?" He then muttered; his words slightly perturbed.


    "Because they also need to hear what you''re going to say, dad."


    "..." Bernard''s helmet, which was still half open to the sides, fully folded to his should pads as he let out a small sigh,


    "Of course," Bernard''s breaths almost melted all the shaved ice in the store as he grabbed a chair to sit beside Hannah,


    "It makes sense¡­ my sin is so great that you want to humiliate me in front of your friends," Bernard once again sighed, "Very well¡­ I''ll tell you everything."


    "...You know what I am talking about?"


    "Yes," Bernard then said as seemed to try to find a seat he could sit on his own; his eyes seemingly avoiding not only Hannah, but also the other people inside the shop.


    "I am not asking for forgiveness for the things I have done¡­" Bernard stuttered, "But please believe me that it was never my intention to cheat on your mother."


    "...what?"


    And just like that, the room that was previously filled with questions was now drowned in a somewhat deafening silence. Bernard''s eyebrows also slowly furrowed as h saw the look of confusion on Hannah''s face. And soon, he let out a short but very deep breath.


    "You didn''t call m to hr to talk about that?" Bernard''s eyes once again opened wide; but this time, the was genuine shock on his face,


    "Oh, thank god," Bernard then let out a long sigh of relief as h wiped the trail of sweat already trailing on his face.


    "What do you mean thank god!?"


    Haring the frustration and almost seething aggression in Hannah''s voice, the rest of the members of the Baby Crw could only look at each other. even Silvie, who was previously on the edge about thinking of her true parentage, waspletely and utterly shocked with what she just heard¨C even almost making her momentarily forget her situation.


    Who wouldn''t, of course? After hearing something as juicy as that.


    ***


    "Prophet, what brings someone like you here?"


    And while the Baby Crew were having an unexpected revtion, there was also another meeting happening somewhere around the world¨C Hope Guild''s base.


    And with a whisper of a drum, Prophet''s somber and slightly hesitant steps slowly echoed through the air; as if knowing it truly did not belong there. But still, they had no choice as Prophet forced them to move towards empress, who was watching some of the events happening around the entire world with the almost hundreds of monitors in front of her.


    She seemedpletely focused; but as soon as Prophet arrived, her eyes that have been resting on the screens quickly shifted as they weed the Headmaster of USMA.


    "I wanted to ask you something, empress," Prophet breathed out deeply as empress gestured for him to sit down.


    "The man who could see through the future wishes to ask a brute like me a question?" empress let out a small giggle as she also took a seat, "Very well, I shall answer to the best of my abilities."


    "When Bernard was sleeping with you, did he seem somewhat bothered by something?"


    "W¡­ what?"


    And with Prophet''s sudden words whispering into empress''s ears, the once seemingly cold and somewhat carefree tone on her voicepletely disappeared, "I do not know what you are talking about, Prophet."


    "You do not have to worry, empress," Prophet shook his thead, "I was th first and maybe only person he had talked to regarding your affair¨C and I could care less about my the guy''s marital issues."


    "..." empress stared Prophet straight in the eyes for a couple of seconds, before finally letting out a long and deep sigh as she nodded her head, "And here I thought Bernard was the best in keeping his secrets."


    "I am afraid he might just be."


    "What?"


    "The best in keeping secrets."


    "What are you saying?"


    "I have¡­ calcted something," Prophet''s words then once again turned somber as he looked at the hundreds of screens that reflected on his eyes, "Something that I wish to be truly false. But if it were to be true, then the only person I could approach this premonition to¡­ is you, the leader of Hope Guild."


    "Then stop beating around the bush and tell me, Prophet."


    "...It''s about Darkday''s true identity."


    "...What!?"


    And without even a millisecond of hearing Darkday''s name, empress''s eyebrows instantly scrunched down.


    "You do not need to be so excited," Prophet shook his head, "There''s arge chance that I am wrong¨C No, as a matter of fact, I might just be looking at something that isn''t there¡­


    ¡­but Bernard''s son might be Darkday."


    "Pft."


    And once again, without even a millisecond of hearing Prophet''s words, empress''s expression changed; this time, trying her best not to let the burst ofughter escape from her mouth.


    "Have you ever seen Darkday in person, Prophet?" She then said as she looked Prophet straight in the eyes, "Because if you have¡­ then you would know that Darkday is nothing but death personified. Someone like that would not be wasting their time ying with children."


    "I truly hope you are right," Prophet did not seem to take offense with empress''s slightly mocking tone, "But how could you be so sure?"


    "Because you''re still alive, Prophet," empress let out a small giggle, "And if I am to be correct, you have Scarlet Mage in the Academy, right?"


    "...That is so."


    "And she''s still alive?"


    "Yes."


    "Then Bernard''s son is not Darkday," empress reasoned, "Darkday would always kill the first empath he sees, no matter what."


    "I¡­ see," Prophet nodded, "Then I suppose my worries truly are for nothing."


    "For the best, I presume?"


    "Of course," Prophet sighed, "It would always be for the best if an existence like Darkday will never show himself again."


    "If that is all, Prophet¡­ then I hope you don''t mind?" empress then stood up from her seat as she once again returned to watching the hundreds of screens stered on the wall.


    "I''ll take my leave then," Prophet slightly bowed as he made his way out of the hall; but before he could step outside, he once again turned to look at empress, "Are you aware¡­"


    "Hm?"


    "That Scarlet Mage is in a rtionship with Riley Ross?"


    "..." Empress nced at the leaving Prophet momentarily, before ultimately ignoring him as he left. However, after a few seconds¡­


    "Hope."


    [Yes?]


    A somewhat robotic voice echoed throughout the entire hall.


    "...Bring out Scarlet Mage''s file."

 Chapter 143: Family Affairs

    <h4>Chapter 143: Family Affairs</h4>


    "Let go of me! I''ll kill this fucker with my bare hands!"


    "C¡­ calm down, Hannah!"


    "No, fuck this clown! Let go of me!"


    The sound of Hannah''s screams almost echoed throughout the entire campus; shaking the entire mall as Gary and Silvie were pinning her down on the ground. They were now outside the Korean Shaved Ice store, as Charlotte kicked them out as soon as Hannah started getting wild; almost burning down one of the tables.


    Whiteking waspletely silent since earlier, no longer uttering a single word as anything he seem to say just gets filtered out from Hannah''s mind. He couldn''t me her, of course¨C the only one to me here was him for being a weak man.


    The only thing he could do was wait for Hannah to calm down. And seeing her outburst now, he would need to wait just a little while longer. Of course, Whiteking already expected Hannah''s reaction¨C he was more worried about his other child; after all, he had no idea how he would react at all.


    And seeing Riley just standing on the side and watching as his sister run amok¡­ Bernard was starting to get quite worried. But still, Riley just continued to watch.


    Hannah''s outbursts did not seem to have any signs of ending; but still, not even once did she use her powers ever since Silvie and Gary were trying to stop her from burning her father here and now.


    The crowd was already starting to gather; their stares and whispers, almost enough to pierce one''s face.


    But finally, when Silvie and Gary thought they would have to make Hannah fall asleep for her to stop, a voice gave them sce.


    "Hannah, stop this at once!"


    Their sce, however, came with a certain cold¨C a literal cold. The sound of a hiss loudly whispered into both their ears as Diana, Hannah''s mother, suddenly ran towards them while spraying a Whiteking-grade fire extinguisher.


    "..." Silvie and Gary could only look at each other as both of them were now covered in dry fractals.


    "Wha¡­ are you seriously trying to cover for him right now!?"


    With Silvie and Garypletely distracted, Hannah was finally able to leave the ground¨C immediately rushing towards her father and grabbing him by his shoulder pads. "This disgusting piece of shit cheated on¨C Wait¡­"


    Hannah then quickly let go of Bernard as her eyes focused on Diana, "Don''t tell me¡­ you knew?"


    "This is a matter between your father and me, Hannah," Diana''s tone was as cold as the contents of the fire extinguisher she was holding.


    "And why did you spray me even though I wasn''t on fire!?"


    "You weren''t?" Diana raised an eyebrow, "And this is an adult matter and by no means involve you¨C"


    "W¨C Are you hearing yourself right now, mom!?" Hannah almost choked on her words; her face almost wincing as she slowly approached her mother, "What do you mean it doesn''t involve me!? I''m your fucking daughter!"


    "Watch your mout¨C"


    "Riley, help me out here!"


    "What do you require me to do, sister?" Riley finally opened his mouth.


    "Weren''t you listening!? Dad cheated on mom!"


    "I miss the part where that''s my problem, sister," Riley blinked a couple of times; his face, clearly showing his confusion, "But if you want me to kill father so you would stop being sad, then¨C"


    "I''m not sad!"


    "..." Riley''s hand was already stretched towards Bernard but put it down as soon as he heard his sister''s words. Bernard also let out a subtle but very deep sigh as he slightly backed away as Riley''s attention strayed away from him.


    "You are sad, sister," Riley then said, "You wouldn''t be crying if you weren''t."


    "W¡­ what?" Hannah blinked a couple of times as she heard her brother''s words¡­ and after a few seconds, her eyes moved slightly erratically as she quickly touched her cheek, only to find her palms wet.


    "Hannah," Diana then wiped the tears trailing on her daughter''s face, "Let your father exin."


    "No, why would I¨C"


    "You''re turning into an adult now¡­ you need to be able to listen."


    "Oh, I listen to reason, mom," Hannah let out a mocking chuckle, "But seriously¡­ are you really trying to defend him¨C"


    And before Hannah could finish her words, her mother''s caring and gentle touch transferred to her shoulders¡­ turning into a grip that felt like it would maw her flesh right off.


    "Is that what it looks like?" Diana''s tone thenpletely changed as almost everyone within the vicinity felt a sudden change in gravity, "Does it look like I am defending your father?"


    "Y¡­ Yes?" Hannah took in a small gulp as her tears soon turned into sweat, "Y¡­ you''re not?"


    "No," the weird smile on Diana''s face did not seem to falter, "That''s why I told you¡­ you should listen first¡­


    ¡­Are you ready to listen?"


    "...Yes?"


    "Good, now let''s talk like adults, okay?" Diana then said as she dragged Hannah back inside the Korean Shaved Ice store; Charlotte seemed to want toin first, but as soon as she saw Diana, the only thing she could do was return to the counter with a small whistle.


    "..." Bernard also quietly stepped back inside, leaving only Riley outside; who did not seem to have any interest in whatever was happening.


    "...You should probably join them?" Silvie muttered.


    "Perhaps you are right, Silvie," Riley breathed out as he shook his head, "It is too bad that we do not get to confirm if your mother is truly Megawoman today."


    "That''s¡­"


    Of course, Silvie would lie if she said she wasn''t the least bit disappointed. But after seeing Hannah like this¡­ everything else seemed secondary.


    "There¡­ is always next time," Silvie waved her hand; letting out a small chuckle as she signaled that everything was really alright. There was, however, a small hint of the disappointment inside her crawling from the inside as she dropped her hand¨C her smile, also slowly bing sedated. As she watched as Riley walked away.


    "We''ll be waiting somewhere."


    "...We''re not going with them?"


    "...Why would you even join?" Silvie could not help but blink a couple of times as she looked at Gary.


    "Because we''re friends? Isn''t that what you said back in ss earlier?"


    "...I think master Riley and big sister Hannah''s situation is entirely different, Gary," Tomoe, who had been quietly standing beside Riley, finally joined in on the conversation as Riley left for the Korean Shaved Ice store.


    "..." Gary squinted his eyes, as if unconvinced by the logic of the two females. But after a few more seconds, shrugged his shoulders.


    "Anyway¡­" He then muttered, "Are we sure miss Diana¡­


    ¡­is not a Super?"


    ***


    "Empress!? The Empress!?"


    Once again, Hannah''s loud screams echoed throughout the tiny store, "How long have you known this, mom!?"


    "I knew immediately."


    "When was that!?"


    "A few months after you were born," Diana breathed out, trying her best not to seem agitated. But now that Hannah knew that her mother was just feigning her calmness, the little bits of hesitation and ire in her eyes were now obvious.


    "This has been going on even before Riley was born!?" Hannah mmed her palms on the table,


    "Why didn''t you leave him, then!?"


    "Because of you, Hannah," Diana then also mmed her palms on the table¨C her movements almost a mirror of Hannah''s¡­ or perhaps it was better to say that Hannah mirrored her.


    Bernard seemed to want to say something, but with the two most important women in her life clearly mad, it would be suicide to even breathe loudly. Diana said they were here to let him exin¡­ but he knew that wasn''t truly the case. And so, he could only listen.


    "I stayed because of you," Diana continued, "And despite what you might think¨C your father and I¡­ we were happy; we are happy. When you were born, I knew my life was no longer mine¡­ it was yours."


    "...Mom," Hannah shook her head, still clearly frustrated with what''s happening. But with the warm expression oozing out from her mother''s eyes, the only thing she could really do was sigh in regret.


    "Now it''s time for your father to speak." That warmth, however, quickly faded away as Diana''s eyes strayed away from Hannah and onto Bernard, "Tell our children why you did what you did."


    "I¡­" Bernard took in a small but very deep breath as his eyes wandered around the store, "...was just stressed."


    "...What?"


    "Let the little shit continue," Diana gestured for Hannah to calm down before she could start being hysterical again.


    "It''s only been a few years since I was able to join the Hope Guild," Bernard muttered, "I¡­ am just a normal human without any special abilities, Hannah. The work I had to do to get to where I am is¡­ No, there''s no use making excuses with that¡­


    ¡­But with you suddenly being born, everything just¡­ seemed chaotic and out of ce."


    "So you fucked a co-worker?"


    "...Yes," Bernard''s head turned to the ground, "She¡­ she was just there. But I want you to know that I never once loved her."


    "But you said you slept with her again."


    "That¡­ was after Darkday almost wiped us out," Bernard muttered.


    "Let me guess¡­ because she was conveniently the¨C"


    "Because I am not a good husband. That¡­ is the only true thing I could tell you," Bernard then dropped to the ground, his knees meeting with the cold hard floor, "I am not asking for your forgiveness¡­ but please¡­


    ¡­please do not strip me away of the privilege of being your father¡­ because this family is also my life."


    "I¡­" Hannah stared at Bernard for a few seconds. There were so many words that were wishing toe out of her mouth, but none stepped forward as she just looked to the side. Her family wasn''t perfect¡­ but she was proud of it¨C but now, she had no idea what to think anymore.


    "Riley¡­" Bernard then dragged his knees to turn to Riley.


    "I do not care about your sexual love affairs, father."

 Chapter 144: Nuclear Baby

    <h4>Chapter 144: Nuclear Baby</h4>


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    Just a few moments ago, the interior of the store was drowned with the screams and roars of Hannah. But now, not even a sliver of a breath of that remained. The air, however, instead of getting lighter, became even denser and heavier; the eyes inside the store, all looking down to the floor.


    There was also a customer wanting to go in but chose not to as she immediately felt the bad energy lingering on every corner of the store¨C with the center being the Ross family.


    They just sat there in silence, seemingly not even minding the world as their own thoughts were the only things they could see and hear.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    A few more minutes passed, and the sound of a bell once again shingled through the air as another customer entered the store. But as he took his 3rd step, hepletely stopped¨C like a deer about to get hit by a truck.


    "..." The young man then quickly retrieved his phone from his pocket, obviously pretending to have gotten a text as he squinted his eyes ever so exaggeratedly. And after a few seconds of this, he nodded and stepped out of the store.


    "..."


    "..."


    "That''s it. I watched this charade go for long enough."


    And what would have been another hour of silence was broken; finally snapping the chain of sighs that made the air heavy. Charlotte, who had been quietly fidgeting with her terminal could no longer stay silent as she lightly mmed her palm on the cashier counter.


    "Do you know how many customers I''ve missed since the four of you chose to loiter here of all ces!?"


    "Only two for the past hour, Charlotte."


    "It doesn''t matter! I still lost a potential repeat customer!" Charlotte then stepped out of her counter as she slowly made her way towards Hannah and the others, wagging her finger at Bernard the distance between them shortened,


    "I feel like I should beat some sense into you as your previous superior!"


    "M¡­ Madam Charlotte," Bernard could not help but lightly stutter as Charlotte suddenly approached them.


    "...Charlotte?" Diana then quickly turned her downcast eyes towards Charlotte as soon as she heard her husband''s words,


    "As in the Shadow Mimic?" She whispered as her eyes slightly widened.


    "That''s right," Charlotte nodded, "We met once or twice without my mask."


    "I remember¡­ so that''s why you looked familiar," Diana squinted her eyes, "Thank you for keeping us safe back then¡­ but I think this doesn''t involve you, ma''am."


    "Oh, but it does," Charlotte let out a small but deep breath as she sat on the table next to the Ross''s, "You''re in my store, your husband is a previousckey of mine. I just can''t sit still while this child keeps on lying and still hiding things from you."


    "...What?"


    "Whiteking was the most steadfast and persevering person I have ever seen and worked with," Charlotte continued, "And I believe that a man like that will not be easily swayed by his emotions just because of simple stress¡­


    ¡­Tell them what you''re hiding, Bernard."


    "...Hiding?" Bernard breathed out, the tone of his voice clearly showing his confusion, "I am not hiding anything else, madam Charlotte."


    "What are you talking about, Charlotte?" Hannah raised an eyebrows as she nced at Charlotte.


    "..." Charlotte paused for a few seconds as she looked Hannah straight in the eyes. But after a few seconds, she shook her head and sighed,


    "I am talking about you, Hannah."


    "...Me?" Hannah''s raised eyebrow rose even further, "So this is my fault? I already heard dad say that he became stressed when I was born¨C are you telling me that I shouldn''t have been born, then!"?


    "Partly," Charlotte muttered, "You''re not just a normal child¡­ and you were definitely not a normal baby."


    "...What is she talking about, Bernard?" Diana''s eyebrows also began to furrow as she nced at her husband once more. Bernard, however, was once again looking at the ground; his breaths, loud enough to be heard in the entire store.


    He then slowly turned his head towards Charlotte, before once again letting out a long and very deep sigh,


    "How¡­ did you know?" He asked, the tone of his voice almost defeated.


    "I put two and two together. I''ve already guessed she wasn''t normal even amongst Supers when I copied her powers back in the Festival," Charlotte scoffed, "You''re not as smart as you think you are, child."


    "..."


    "I''ve controlled fire abilities and powers before; countless times. But Hannah''s was not it at all," she continued, "Her power is almost innate. If I am right¡­ she was born with her abilities already awakened."


    "...No," Hannah was the one to answer, shaking her head as she did so, "My power awakened early, but I wasn''t born with i¨C"


    Hannah wanted to exin her situation, but before she could finish her words, she saw the look on Bernard''s face.


    "...Dad? What are you not telling¨C"


    "No¡­"


    And once again, Hannah''s words were interrupted; this time, by the loud gasp that escaped from Diana''s lips. She was already covering her mouth, but still, the heavy breaths that were seeping out from the crevices of her fingers were enough to pierce Hannah''s ears.


    Hannah seemed to want to say something, but as Diana''s eyes began to tremble as they turned to Bernard, the only thing that Hannah could do was furrow her eyebrows. And soon, tears started to trail on her mother''s face.


    Hannah then looked at her father, only to see his head looking to the ground even more now.


    "I see," Charlotte then let out a short but very deep sigh as she slowly made her way back to the counter, "So that''s why you''re following the government despite your obvious dislike to them¡­ I am starting to understand you more and more now, kid."


    "What is she saying, dad?" Hannah could not help herself anymore as she saw Charlotte leaving with a sigh, "What are you still hiding from us?"


    "That''s¨C"


    Bernard was about to speak up, but before he could utter another word, he felt his wife''s grip holding his arm; her head, shaking as she looked him straight in the eyes.


    "You know what it is, mom?" Hannah gasped, "I think I deserve to know what''s happening¡­ especially since I think whatever this is you''re hiding is about me."


    "Is sister also adopted, parents?"


    "No, she''s not!" Diana almost choked as Riley, who had been keeping quiet on the side, suddenly spoke up, "And nothing happened!" She bellowed, the trembling tone of her voice made it obvious that they were, in fact, hiding something.


    "I''m turning 20 in a couple of months for christ''s sake. Tell me, mom!"


    "The day you were born¨C"


    "Bernard, no!" Diana still wanted to stop Bernard from speaking up. But this time, Bernard removed her hand as he looked Hannah straight in the eyes,


    "The day you were born¡­" He repeated, "...there was a fire in the hospital you were in. 22 newborns died that day, and there was only one survivor."


    "I know that news already," Hannah breathed out, "I was the only survivor since I waster found immune to¨C"


    And once again before she could finish her words, she saw the expression full of weight on her father''s face. And soon, as she saw his trembling eyes, she realized what it meant.


    "I¡­ had to put a limiter in you," Bernard then whispered, "It''s imnted in your left arm to prevent your powers from going out of control."


    "...No," a small trembling smile crept on Hannah''s face, partnered by a weak chuckle that almost choked her breaths, "I¡­ Did I¡­ I killed 22 babies?"


    "No!" Diana quickly embraced Hannah in her arms, "You did not do anything!"


    "..." Bernard could only look to the side as Hannah''s eyes became nk, "The government knew what happened. They hid it¡­ so in return, I had to build things for them. I had¡­ I have to do things I am not proud of¡­


    ¡­and how could someone like that deserve the love of someone like you?" Bernard''s voice cracked as soon as his eyesnded on Diana.


    "..." Diana could only close her eyes as soon as she heard her husband''s words. As for Hannah, her nk eyes started to tremble; her breaths, once again drowning the air with a certain weight of gloom.


    "Doesn''t¡­ doesn''t that make me a monster?" She then uttered.


    "No, sister," Riley quickly answered her, "A real monster would not be reacting the way you are now."


    His words, however, seemed to just pass by Hannah''s ears as she suddenly stood up; her steps almost shaking the entire floor as she rushed out of the store.


    "H¡­ Hannah!" Diana was about to follow Hannah, but her hand was grabbed by Bernard.


    "This is your fault!" Diana said without a second thought as the sound of her pping Bernard on the cheek echoed throughout the entire store. But it was almost as if she was the one hurt as her legs gave in.


    "Please excuse me, parents," and even with this, Riley nonchntly stood up from his seat as he nodded towards Bernard and Diana, "I shall leave the two of you to wallow in regret and sadness."


    "Riley¡­ I''m sorry."


    "There''s no need to apologize to me, father. As I said, your affairs are your own."


    And with that, Riley truly did leave the store, not even offering his mother anyfort. And as soon as he stepped out of the store, Silvie, Gary, and Tomoe were already there waiting for him despite saying they would go somewhere else.


    "Hannah just flew away using her boom boom powers, bro!" Gary quickly bellowed, "Isn''t that like not allowed?"


    "Where¡­


    ¡­did she go?"

 Chapter 145: Romance In The Air (1)

    <h4>Chapter 145: Romance In The Air (1)</h4>


    "..."


    A sizzle erupted in the air as a raging pair of feetnded on the ground; quickly melting away the ground it touched upon. The fiery smolder that came out of the steps, however raging, was filled with almost excruciating guilt and pain.


    And ever so slowly, the fire faded¨C leaving only a helpless young woman. Not engulfed in fire, not engulfed in rage¡­ only guilt and pain.


    Hannah wanted to run away from everything, from everyone. But she was trapped inside a dome in which she can''t leave, literal and perhaps figuratively as well. The only thing she could do wasnd in an area with no people; with only an unpaved ground and a view of trees to apany her.


    Maybe this was why the campus was built this wide? For them to be able to hide away from all the responsibilities and mistakes they have created? Her emotions went astray in an array of all sorts of things¨C too much for someone as sheltered as her to take in.


    Too heavy that her trembling legs finally gave in. Her palms, touching the ground she scorched. She knew¡­ she knew that her powers would lead to nothing but ruin. Unlike Riley, who had the ability to help people in a way she couldn''t even begin toprehend if he wanted to. Unlike Gary and Silvie, whose powers were simr to Megawoman and could probably do the things she did in the future. Unlike Tomoe; who, despite her powers looking ominous with the dark ice, could probably nourish life andfort people with the peaceful cold.


    Hers¡­ was nothing but ruin. A power that only monsters have.


    All her life, she had been avoiding her powers; avoiding the destruction that they could do as much as possible¨C not knowing that she had alreadymitted a crime that would probably put other viins to shame.


    How could anyone understand what she was going through? For her to be a monster all along¡­ Did she even deserve to stand amongst these people?


    "Heh¡­"


    Hannah''s face began to tremble, the edges of her lips not knowing whether to rise or sink. And soon, the only thing she could do was show her gritting teeth as the tears started to trail down on her face.


    "Huk¡­"


    She gasped. Her whispers, however, were drowned by the smoke that wasing from her tears as they drop to the ground; another sizzle¡­


    ¡­Not filled with rage.


    Not filled with fiery.


    Not filled with pain.


    Not filled with guilt.


    But just the madness of it all.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "..."


    Hannah then sniffled as she wiped the snot and tears flowing from her nose; sitting up straight and patting the dirt sticking to her palms. Bernard said that her powers were sealed by some sort of limiter¡­ so if she removes it¡­


    ¡­Will she burst into mes until she can''t anymore? Perhaps that was the best way to end it all¨C to burn with the very same sin shemitted.


    Will¡­ Riley be sad if she disappears? Who would take care of him when she''s gone?


    ¡­But she''s a monster; Does she really deserve to be with Riley?


    "!!!"


    She could not help but wince at the sudden thought that surfaced in her mind¨C what if she had done that to Riley when they were young?


    "No¡­"


    She covered her mouth at the thought of Riley screaming in pain; his skin, slowly burning.


    "No¡­ no," she whimpered. She was dangerous¡­ how can someone as dangerous as her even think of standing beside Riley? What if she actually hurt him and just didn''t remember? Even though Riley was not showing it, she was sure that he felt a little unnerved when he discovered his biological mother almost strangled her to death.


    That sense of betrayal was something that once could not just brush away.


    What if¡­ what if she ends up doing the same to him?


    "Oh, I knew that was you, mdy. Who else could fly in the air and fill it with such beautiful splendor?"


    "You¡­" Hannah then slowly turned her head towards the voice that suddenly whispered into her ear, only to see Julius Reuben slowly walking his way towards her; his cane, tapping almost rhythmically with his steps.


    "You again?" Hannah then quickly wiped the tears on her face as she quickly turned her back to Julius, "What do you want?"


    "You, mdy," Julius replied without any hesitation.


    "Get the fuck out of here!" Hannah''s tone almost cracked as she waved her hand, "Haven''t you already noticed I am not interested in you after our litter dinner together!?"


    "Well, what can I say; I''m not one to give up."


    "That''s called harassment and being a persistent bitch. Leave me."


    "I would have followed your orders any other time¡­ but I feel like you need someone beside you at this moment."


    "I don''t need anyone!" Hannah then finally turned around to face Julius, "Do you want to get hurt, is that what you want!?"


    "It''s better to be hurt by you than never at all, miss Hannah," Julius then looked Hannah straight in the eyes, "If I am going to be with you, that''s the least of the risks I am willing to take."


    "You don''t even know who I am!"


    "But I will," Julius muttered, "And it will be beautiful. I know it."


    "Leave. Me. Alone."


    "I can''t, miss Hannah," Julius let out a small sigh as he ced his cane on the ground, "The only way I will leave you is in death."


    "You!"


    A hint of orange then reflected on Julius''s eyes as Hannah pointed her fiery arm towards him. Julius''s eyes, however, did not flicker for even a moment.


    "Lea¨C What are you doing!?"


    And before Hannah could even finish her words, Julius suddenly appeared in front of her¡­ holding her hand that was engulfed in a raging fire.


    "!!!" Hannah wanted to pull her hand away as she extinguished the fires around her, but found she was unable to do so, "L¡­ let go! Your hand is¡­"


    Hannah could only take in a short but very deep breath as she saw Julius''s hand¨C his bones almost showing from having his fleshpletely mawed away by her fires.


    "You were right, miss Hannah," Julius then whispered as a smile slowly appeared on his face, "We''re not even together yet and you''re already hurting me."


    "That''s¨C"


    "But I am also right."


    "..." Hannah''s eyes then widened as she saw what remained of the flesh on Julius''s bones wriggled. And soon, as if worms multiplying, the charred edges of his wounds expounded¨C his flesh, once again returning to the way it was just moments ago;pletely unscathed.


    "This pain is something I am willing to take," Julius then said as he slightly and very gently tightened his grip on Hannah''s hand, "So, please¡­


    ¡­let me have the chance to bear this pain with you."


    "You¡­" And before Hannah could even finish her words, the tears that she tried to stop once again flowed from her eyes.


    "Please shed away your tears, Miss Hannah," Julius then wiped the tears on Hannah''s face, "You are splendidly perfect."


    And with those words, Hannah could only close her eyes; slightly resting her cheeks on Julius''s warm hands.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Let''s go, Silver Moon."


    "Are you sure? Is it really alright to leave her with him?"


    Behind one of the trees surrounding the de, Riley and Katherine was watching as the scene unfold in front of them.


    "It should be alright for now, Silver Moon," Riley then whispered, shaking his head as he turned around; walking, but his steps stood inches above the ground.


    "You''re lying¡­" Katherine uttered, "...I could feel your heart fluctuating, even more so when you talk about Megawom¨C"


    Katherine could only take in a small but very deep breath as Riley''s cold eyes suddenlynded on her. It did notst long, however, as it disappeared with a very quiet sigh.


    "That''s just the way it is, Katherine," Riley then said as he once again turned around, "She¡­


    ¡­is the only thing in this world that I hold very dear to me."


    "..." Katherine could only let out a small smile as Riley''s words whispered into her ears. She had spent a lot of time together with Riley, perhaps in many ways that others could and never will. But not once did he look at her the way he looked at Hannah earlier.


    "And also," Riley muttered, "I promised Julius that I would kill everyone in his country if he ever hurts Hannah, I¡­


    ¡­always keep my promises."


    ***


    "What''s up, you twats!?"


    "...Why are you talking like an old Britishdy?"


    The next day, Gary, Silvie, and Tomoe could not help but look at each other as Hannah seemed to be acting like nothing even happened yesterday. They actually thought that she would be suspended for running amok and even using her powers without permission¡­


    ¡­but here she was, seemingly back to her old self.


    "Are¡­ you alright, Hannah?" Silvie could not help but ask as she moved a seat away from Riley to give Hannah her seat back.


    "It''s fine, it''s fine," Hannah, however, just casually waved her hand, "Sorry for the mess I created. Don''t worry, we''ll get out fathers to sit at one table soon to talk about who your real mother is."


    "I¡­ don''t think that''s important right now," Silvie muttered, "Are you really alright?"


    "Yeah, you went all cray cray yesterday," Gary was very careful with his words, "I thought you were going to burn this whole thing down."


    "Psh, who do you think I am? Finding out Silvie''s origins should be our top priority; why would I wallow in sadness like a weakling like Gary?" Hannah scoffed, "Anyway, our new advisor iste¡­ so much for being better."


    "That''s¨C"


    "Sir Bulwark is on the news!"


    And before Silvie could finish his words, the other students started whispering loudly to each other.


    "He''s outside the Academy with the Hope Guild! I thought he already quit!?"


    "...What?"


    And with those words, Hannah and the others quickly grabbed their phones. They did not have to search long, however, as their newsfeed was filled with the Hope Guild''s faces¨C and there was one other familiar face¡­ or perhaps it was better to say a familiar helmet.


    "What is Dark Millenium¡­


    ¡­doing in front of the Academy?"


    ***AUTHOR''S NOTES***


    Hi, I do have a patr*on, so please do support me there as well! /Romeru.


    I''ll consider drawing illustrations or maybe even a webtoon if enough people support me! Financially, of course. Hmph. Have a merry new year!

 Chapter 146: Romance In The Air (2)

    <h4>Chapter 146: Romance In The Air (2)</h4>


    "What is Dark Millenium¡­ doing in front of the Academy?"


    "...Dark Millenium?"


    "..."


    With all the curious whispers and gasps echoing throughout the entire Academy, even the sses that were far and secured from each other could somewhat hear their neighboring sses murmuring¨C their voices were that loud.


    Even Riley, who had just been waiting for the ss to start, scooched over towards Gary and the others to try and see what was happening as they huddled to check on Gary''s phone.


    "...Are we sure this is in front of the Academy?"


    "You think there''s another gate asrge and as identical to what the Academy has? Are you stupid?"


    "...I''m just asking, why do you always have to be crazy," Gary furrowed his eyebrows, "You should just return to your cray cray state, at least you were easier to handle¨C"


    "Shut the fuck up."


    "You remind me of a character from Superstars of Yesterday, always so haughty and¨C"


    "What is the leader of the Dark Millenium doing here?"


    Silvie was happy that Hannah seemed to be much better than how she was yesterday, but before she and Gary could start bickering with each other for no absolutely no reason again, she decided to intervene with a question.


    "The Academy could be considered the safest and most secured ce on the entire right now," Silvie then muttered as her eyes slowly strayed towards Riley, "Could it be¡­ she risked toe all this way for Riley?"


    Silvie''s words were almost a whisper; but even still, their ssmates that number a hundred also all turned their eyes towards Riley.


    This was not her fault, however, as even if Silvie did not whisper what she just muttered, their gazes would have still eventually found their way to Riley¨C most of them knew about the incident in Miami, of how Dark Millenium tried to invite Riley Ross into her organization, as there were dozens and dozens of videos surfacing all over the world wide web¡­ again.


    At this point, the Academy might as well give the Mega Student title to Riley again; as without a doubt, he was probably the most famous of them all besides Silvie, who was also recently all over their newsfeed.


    And soon, their guesses were proven right of Dark Millenium''s purpose; the vibration of her words, captured by all the camera pointed at her and the Hope Guild.


    "Riley Ross," Dark Millenium started. But her address did not stop there, however, as she even faced one of the camera drones floating around her, "Students from the Potential Viin list, as well as the normal students of Mega Academy¡­


    ¡­I invite all of you to join my cause as¨C"


    The students that were watching her, however, could only blink their eyes as Dark Millenium''s words were abruptly cut short; as before she could finish talking, five white pirs plunged from the air, surrounding her as they pierced the hard pavement around her.


    The students wanted to watch what was happening now even more attentively, but to their dismay, the lights within their ssroom shed in a flickering red. And soon, an announcement reverberated in the air, telling all students to return to their apartments as fast and orderly as possible.


    "Move! Move!"


    "Who is touching my butt!?"


    "I can''t see the news!"


    This wasn''t enough to stop most of their curious minds, however, as even though their feet were already moving out of the ss, their eyes were still locked on their phones, carefully watching everything that was happening.


    The pirs that suddenly surrounded Dark Millenium then started to emit a sort of spark, but the supposed prey did not wait to see what the pirs could and would do to her as she immediately flew up; slightly causing the ground beneath her to shake. And as soon as her feet floated above the top of the pirs, the sparks crawling out from them started to light up. And as if webs attracted to each other, the lights connected, making some sort of barrier to trap whatever was inside.


    That process perhaps took less than a second; but s, its prey was already gone.


    "Your trap is useless, Whiteking."


    Empress, who was standing in front of the Academy along with Butcher, Bulwark, and Tempo, could not help but slightly click her tongue as she watched as Dark Millenium escaped the trap they set for her.


    [...I thought she would prioritize continuing her speech. The woman seemed quite talkative when we encountered her the other day.]


    "You''re the talkative one, Whiteking," Tempo let out a small chuckle; slightly shaking his head afterwards with a sigh, "So, what now?"


    [It''s a good thing we have another element waiting above.]


    And as soon as Whiteking''s words reached their ears, Dark Millenium''s silhouette came shooting down straight from the sky. The ground, trembling as a small crater rippled and ripped through its surface.


    And before the building cloud of dust could flourish, a grey silhouette followed¨C plunging straight towards where Dark Milleniumnded and causing the crater she dug to expand even further.


    Not giving Dark Millenium any chance to get up as Hera started raining down her fists, each strike digging the both of them deeper to the ground; each hit, causing thunders to erupt in the air, traveling in the form of static through the speakers of those who were watching from their screens.


    Those thunders, however, were the only thing the viewers could make out from whatever was happening outside the Academy¨C as the curiosity of the people grew, so did the cloud of dust that lingered in the air.


    But very soon, even that treat to their ears stopped. And not even a secondter, Hera''s silhouette suddenly shot out from the cloud of dust, leaving a trail of dust as shended in an arc¡­ straight towards the Academy''s dome shield. And like a ragdoll, her body bounced and slid all the way back to the ground with thest thud.


    "S¡­ shit," Tempo then disappeared from his spot, only to appear beside Hera, "I¡­ I think Hera''s dead."


    "You''ll be the one dead if you don''t stop telling everyone I died."


    Hera, however, even with her feet trembling almost uncontrobly, stood up with her own strength. The trembling did notst long, however, as they stopped¨C taking with them the wounds on her body; any scratches or bruises, gone; only leaving her unblemished grey skin to flourish.


    "Let''s wrap this up fast," Hera then breathed out as she turned her eyes towards the dark silhouette slowly emerging from the cloud of dust, "I still have a modeling gig to go toter."


    [...People still book you even with that old face of yours?]


    A childish voice then echoed through theirms, followed by a flickering green that reflected in their eyes¨C shes of light, thundering from above as they violently rained down almost endlessly upon Dark Millenium, not allowing her steps to continue.


    [V, reporting for duty!]


    A whirring sound then whistled in the air as a mecha suitnded in front of the Academy gates, slowly standing up from a kneeling pose as its pilot seemed to be assessing the surrounding area¨C and considering its size of almost two grown adults, it looked quite¡­ical.


    And so, with V''s arrival, as well as Bulwark''s unexpected attendance¡­


    ¡­the members of the Hope Guild were once againplete.

 Chapter 147 - 147: Romance In The Air (3)

    <h4>Chapter 147 - 147: Romance In The Air (3)</h4>


    "School, huh¡­"


    A click and a whir smoothly whispered in the air as V continued surveying the area; her mecha suit, almost looked like it was dancing as it showed her somewhat childish excitement,


    "I bet some of the students here are older than me," V then breathed out as her eyesnded on the gates of the Academy, "Although I wouldn''t really know since I haven''t been into one before."


    "As it should be," Butcher, who had been quietly observing beside Empress, finally opened his mouth, "There was a 100% chance that you would have killed everyone with the electric dischargeing out of your body."


    "I will have you know that my control is at 150%! You''re just jealous because you''ve always been 100% bald!"


    "What does that even have to do with any¨C"


    "Focus, everyone!"


    And before the members of the Hope Guild could continue to talk, Empress waved her hand¨C causing a slight wind to erupt with the sheer force of her swing; the rings on her arm, dangling like the chimes of a bell loudly as she did so.


    "Remember our goal!" She bellowed as her eyebrows began to furrow, "Our priority is not to capture or kill Dark Millenium, but to prevent her from ever entering the Academy! Bern¨C Whiteking, report!"


    [Based on the readings, the target is still moving. Sluggishly, but recovering at an extremely fast rate.]


    "...Even with all the bolts of lightning I let loose?" V''s heavy breathes almost pierced through everyone''s eardrums.


    "I think it''s fairly obvious now that we''re dealing with someone we can''t take it easy on," Empress then said as she took a small step forward; her eyes, not leaving the approaching silhouette for even a second,


    "Our opponent is not Darkday, but we will need to face her like how we would him¨C without any hesitation," Empress breathed out, "So just for today, as your leader, all the damages within the vicinity, coteral, and even loss of life¡­


    ¡­would solely be answered by me."


    "Sweet."


    "Are you 100% certain about this, Empress?"


    "No taking it back now, boss."


    "Good, now I can still make it in time for my photo shoot."


    And as soon as her words reached the other member''s ears, a small smile all rose on their faces. As members of the most famous and distinguished superhero group in the world, each of them were capable of doing critical and extreme damage to a city¡­ and they needed to make sure that they don''t even leave a knick on the pavement so as to not attract the noses of the quisling reporters.


    As even more so the superviins and terrorists, their enemies were the reporters and the opinions of the masses. But of course, with Whiteking by their side, most of the damages they do would be erased from mainstream media¡­ and with their abilities and the level of enemies they face, causing wide radial damage was something they could not escape.


    But of course, so is the case with the modern inte¡­ nothing really ever goes away.


    And so, with Empress volunteering to answer for all the damages, none of them had to worry anymore and could use their powers to their fullest¨C with appropriate restraint, of course.


    "Whiteking," Empress then whispered, "What about the citizens from the neighboring town a kilometer away from here? Have they already been evacuated?"


    [You do not have to worry about anything but the Academy.]


    Whiteking answered through thems, [All the houses and establishments within a 10-kilometer radius around the Academy are all fake, no one lives there except a handful of people from the Government.]


    "That''s good and creepy at the same time," Tempo let out a small but deep breath.


    "Bulwark¡­" Empress then turned to look at Bulwark, who has been quietly standing from behind them; his back, almost resting at the gates of the Academy,


    "...I thought you were no longer part of our group, why are you here?"


    "To make sure the Academy is safe, Empress," Bulwark answered without any hesitation. He then ever so expertly swung his fist, and as soon as he did so, threads of golden light appeared around his arm; soon turning into the shape of a shield.


    "I wish all of you return safely from battle, Empress," Bulwark then was as he gently ced his palm on the Academy gate; and as soon as he did so, the invisible dome shield that protected the Academy from the outside world flickered.


    Not so much that it disappeared. But rather, it even became visible¨C carrying a brilliance simr to that of gold bathing in the rays of the sun.


    "Jeez, that was so cheesy," V breathed out as her mecha suit began to wriggle in disgust, "I know you''re old, but you don''t have to follow the¨C"


    And before V could finish talking; the sound of the footstepsing from the cloud of dust suddenly became louder. The ground beneath their feet, starting to tremble as the silhouette of Dark Millemiun walked closer and closer to them.


    And soon, within the cloud, a hint of red could be seen. And ever so slowly, Dark Millenium once again revealed herself to the world¨C the insides of the jet-ck helmet, emitting some sort of red light through the visor.


    A small but very deep sigh then echoed through the air. The sigh was disgruntled and almost exploding in pitch as it seeped from Dark Millenium''s helmet¨C most likely a damage on the voice-changing chip installed inside it.


    And without saying any more words, Dark Millenium disappeared from her spot. And right when the Hope Guild thought that she would be running away, she flew straight towards them¡­ or rather, above them. Her fist, already loaded and seemingly ready to ram its way through the gates of the Academy.


    "..."


    But before her fist couldnd on the gigantic gate, a small crack whispered in the air. Dark Millenium turned her head towards the direction of the quiet noise, only to see Empress''s hand gripping her foot.


    And with a smirk, Empress then rotated her body; the momentum, enough to create a skirt of wind around her arm as she swung Dark Millenium back to the ground. But before Dark Millenium''s ankle could even leave Empress''s hand, a grey first was already waiting for her.


    "!!!"


    Another crack then whispered in the air as Hera''s fist cleanly connected to Dark Millenium''s stomach, causing her body to fold in a curve as it shot away from the Academy.


    The pavement, erupting multiple times as Dark Millenium''s body violently rolled across it. Her pirouette of death, only stopped as it hit a post; which also bent and eventually fell to the ground.


    "..." Dark Millenium''s fingers started to flinch¡­ but before she could even do anything, a rhythmic beat echoed through the air. And just like that, Dark Millenium''s view once again shifted as she felt herself being bombarded by almost a hundred invisible strikes within a second.


    Her body, almost a paper doll stuck inside a storm as it once again rolled on the ground helplessly.


    [Tempo, you''re too far! Re-group!]


    "Aye, aye, boss."


    And with those words, the strikes that left her with no rest suddenly stopped,


    Leaving her sprawled on the ground to stare at the unusually clear skies above her.


    Leaving her with one thought in mind¨C The Hope Guild¡­


    ¡­is strong.

 Chapter 148 - 148: Overwhelming

    <h4>Chapter 148 - 148: Overwhelming</h4>


    One might think that thunder surrounded the entire Academy, if not for the fact that they were, in fact¡­ howling like monkeys. It wasn''t only them, however, as the whole world might as well be causing the to rumble with their almost unending cheers.


    Everyone was watching as Dark Millenium could not even utter a single step;pletely overwhelmed by the endless barrage of attacks that she was receiving from the members of the Hope Guild¨C of course, the people would be cheering.


    Thest they saw all the members of the Hope Guild in battle was when they fought with Darkday¡­ and everyone knew how that turned out. And although they still showed themselves in public, it was only usually brief and with just one or two members fighting or subduing someone¨C and those don''t usuallyst long.


    So now, seeing them all together again, the people truly could not help but feel excited¡­ especially since the one they were fighting wore an outfit simr to Darkday. They knew Dark Millenium was just a copycat, but the feeling of scratching their itch for revenge was still slightly nicked.


    Dark Millenium couldn''t even fight back, being bombarded by Tempo as he rammed his body towards Dark Millenium repeatedly; moving back and forth faster than the blink of an eye.


    "Tempo, you''re too far. Regroup!"


    The cheers of the people then finally stopped as Tempo retreated. They held their breaths; their eyes, almost trembling with anticipation as they waited for Dark Millenium''s doom.


    Unfortunately for them, Dark Millenium, although slightly trembling, still managed to get up with no problem at all.


    "..."


    "This little bitch," Hera, whose veins were already almost throbbing and popping out of her grey skin, could not help but let out a short but very deep breath as she watched as Dark Millenium got up even after being bombarded by an almost barrage of strikes.


    "Where did someone like this suddenly pop out from?" She then breathed out, her mouth slowly turning into a scowl.


    "Hera, don''t lose your temper likest time," Empress ordered.


    "Pft, there are cameras. Big Ms. Celebrity here wouldn''t do anything brash with them watching her," V scoffed.


    "Oh, you seem to know me well. I''m truly touched."


    "...That wasn''t apliment."


    "I know," Hera also let out a scoff of her own. Her eyes, however, did not leave Dark Millenium even for a single second.


    "Tch, let''s just kill this fucker," trickles of green static then sparked throughout the arms of V''s mecha suit; the robotic voice seeping out from the suit, not enough to show V''s triggered emotions.


    "Such a feisty mouth for one so young. You''re probably the most foul-mouthed girl in the world right now."


    [Hm, I guess you haven''t met my daughter.]


    "Pft, right," Tempo joined in on the conversation as he appeared beside Empress, "You got scolded hard because you kept sleeping with the boss."


    "..."


    "..." Tempo''s eyes then slowly widened; his eyes almost popping out from their sockets as he slowly realized what he just said.


    His realization was followed by an awkward silence;sting only a split second, but for him, it felt like forever.


    "..."


    "..."


    "I¨C"


    "Focus on the task at hand," Empress did not seem to mind as she just briefly nced at Tempo before her gaze returned to Dark Millenium. Her ever so slightly trembling hands, however, did not escape Butcher''s eyes.


    But Butcher did not say anything; only letting out a small but deep sigh as he shook his head.


    "Butcher, Hera¡­" Empress then whispered, "You know what to do."


    "Of course," Butcher then immediately kneeled on the ground, stretching his hand to the side as he tightened the grip on his knife.


    As for Hera, she moved behind Butcher; cing¡­ her left foot on his back.


    "Are you ready, baldy!?"


    "Y¨C"


    And before Butcher could even respond, Hera''s muscles moved almost as if theybusted. A small explosion then erupted in the air as Hera kicked Butcher away; strong enough that a skirt of wind surrounded Butcher, who seemed to be sliding on the ground with ease and without any interference¨C almost as if the ground did not even exist.


    Butcher then plunged his knife on the ground¨C but once again, it was as if there was nothing there at all as the knife went through with ease, slicing through the pavement. Not like cutting through butter, not even like cutting through water¡­. It was as if he was just cutting through air.


    And without even a second passing, Empress suddenly appeared to his left, flying at the same speed he was sliding.


    "..." Tempo was now also running to his right¨C and with a nod, Tempo and Empress rushed to the sides, quickly surrounding Dark Millenium in a sort of triangle.


    "..." Dark Millenium then looked around, carefully observing the two individuals that suddenly appeared behind her. Her clothes were once again tattered, revealing her skin that was still full of scars. But now, different from before, there were also fresh patches of blood.


    It would seem that, unlike their first encounter, the members of the Hope Guild knew how much strength to use. Dark Millenium''s helmet was now also cracked; causing her heavy breaths to be heard by everyone. Her right eye had also slightly revealed itself to the outside world, glimmering in perhaps a green, or maybe blue hue.


    "W¨C"


    And unlike before, the Hope Guild seemed to not be allowing any dialog between them as Butcher did not stop his advance; his knife, moving straight towards her and threatening to split her body in half.


    "!!!"


    Dark Millenium quickly took a step back, but as soon as she did so, a fist was already waiting for her. She was able to raise both her arms to block the punch¨C but still, the sheer force was enough to cause her to almost instantly m towards the ground, rolling away several times like a ragdoll before the recovered and floated in the air.


    "Kah!"


    But just a few moments after her body left the ground, her body quivered as it was suddenly surrounded by green trickles of lightning; crawling violently throughout her entire body.


    "Haha! Die, die!"


    Dark Millenium''s entire body continued to tremble erratically. But even still, she managed to stay afloat; her shivering head, slowly turning towards V as she continued to release green trickles of electricity from her mecha suit.


    "Turn it off!"


    And as soon as those words reverberated in the air, the green trickles of electricity shooting out from V''s mecha suit instantly dispersed. And not even a secondter, Hera emerged from behind V; her fists, already heading straight towards Dark Millenium''s head.


    And this time, it connected, throwing Dark Millenium straight back to the ground; her body, once again violently bouncing as it rolled several meters away. And before she could even slow down, an echo thundered in the air; a blur, smashing straight towards Dark Millenium''s back.


    "Kh!"


    Dark Millenium''s body bent almost to a fold as Tempo''s knee almost crushed her spine there and then. But it would seem that her body was truly durable, as the most it did was cause her to once again be thrown like a ragdoll to the other direction.


    Everything seemed to be moving too fast, however, as she did not even notice Empress, who was already waiting for her with her arm already stretched¡­ directly blocking the path of Dark Millenium''s neck.


    And with a small but very deep breath, Empress pushed her body forward, mming her arm straight towards Dark Millenium''s neck. And it was as if all the dust around them exploded, rippling away several times as a deafening thunder erupted in the air.


    Dark Millenium''s body then once again violently rotated in the air several times, but this time, in ce. It was only perhaps after the 5th rotation that her body ever so lifelessly dropped to the ground.


    "..."


    And without even checking whether or not Dark Millenium was alive, Empress grabbed her by the ankle and started smashing her on the ground like some sort of bat.


    "Hera!"


    And with that roar, Hera suddenly appeared beside Empress. And without even slight hesitation, stomped her foot down straight towards Dark Millenium''s head. She did so several times before Empress finally let go of Dark Millenium''s leg.


    "Whiteking," Empress then breathed out. And as soon as she did so, another batch of white pirs plunged to the ground, surrounding Dark Millenium''s body and quickly confining it inside with some sort of barrier.


    None of them knew whether Dark Millenium was dead or alive, but it didn''t matter. They knew that Dark Millenium could regenerate, not as fast as Hera, but still enough that she might be able to escape again¨C and they couldn''t take that chance.


    And so, just like that, Dark Millenium was finally neutralized.


    Although a lot of things seemed to have happened, in truth, it has not even been 5 minutes since their first exchange of fists.


    "..." The members of the Hope Guild then all slowly gathered around the barrier, this time, Whiteking also showed himself as he emerged from the skies.


    "Is the bitch finally dead?"


    "...No, we''re still reading signs of life," Whiteking answered as he looked at Dark Millenium, who was lifelessly sprawled on the ground¨C if it was not for her chest that was ever so slightly moving, then everyone that would see her would most likely assume she was dead.


    And very soon, Dark Millenium''s arms began to move.


    "...She can still move? Just how durable is this bitch?" Hera said as she started cracking her knuckles, "Open the cage, I''ll clobber this bitch to dea¨C"


    And before she could even finish her words, Dark Millenium slowly sat up; her trembling body showing her struggle to even breath. And soon, with a slight snap, her helmet crumbled into pieces.


    "What the¡­" Hera''s entire body then quickly deted; her skin turning into its normal brown color as soon as her eyes met with Dark Millenium''s. And just like Dark Millenium''s helmet slowly turning to ash, so did Hera''s eagerness to fight, "She¡­


    ¡­she''s just a girl."

 Chapter 149 - 149: A Red Flare

    <h4>Chapter 149 - 149: A Red re</h4>


    "She¡­ is just a girl."


    A small echoing heartbeat whispered in the air as Hera''s skin slowly returned to its natural brown color¨C the popping veins that were protruding, now almost nonexistent as all that remained was an unblemished surface; truly, one befitting of a model.


    And with the disappearance of her grey skin and almost monstrous muscle mass, so did her will to fight. How could she even, when the face of the girl in front of her was filled with all sorts of scars?


    The girl wasn''t really that young, no. Perhaps it was better to call her a young woman¨C but still, if she was right, then Dark Millenium shouldn''t be any older than 20 years old. Heck, she could be a student of the Academy, Hera thought as she looked at herrades; which, judging by their faces, also thought the same.


    No, there was one that was perhaps the most shocked of them all; his eyebrows were rose almost to his hairline; his eyes, as wide as they could be.


    "What a plot twist. Ain''t that right, Whiteking?" Hera let out a small scoff.


    "..." Bernard, however, did not respond as he just took in a small gulp; his wide eyes, not leaving Dark Millenium for even a second.


    "Nothing changes," Empress''s voice, although cold; the slight hesitation it contained was quite obvious for everyone to hear, "This woman is still a terrorist and a viin¨C no sob story could change that, you guys should know the drill."


    "That''s right," V also scoffed, "This bitch had iting, let''s just get this over with so Hera could do a photo shoot and let horny teenage boys fap to her."


    "Such anguage is 100% unappreciated, V."


    "Your baldness is unappreciated!"


    "...Can you two stop bickering just for once?" Tempo sighed as he stood near Bernard, "Come on, man. Are we surrendering her straight to the SMP?"


    "Can the Super Maximum Prison even handle someone like this?" Hera furrowed her eyebrows, "Even we had a somewhat hard time dealing with her."


    "Are you getting soft just because she looks pitiful?" V once again let out a small but deep breath, "She looks older than me anyway, I have no sympathy for people like this. Oi, are you listening to me, you fucking terrorist!?"


    V''s mecha suit gently kicked the White Pirs confining Dark Millenium. Dark Millenium, however, did not respond as she just remained staring at nothing¨C not even trying to hide her face that was filled with scars.


    "Whiteking, where are we taking her?" Empress then also stood beside Bernard, repeating Tempo''s question, "Are there still cells avable in SMP capable of holding Grade-S Sup¨C Are you listening, Whiteking?"


    "Whiteking!"


    "Hm?" Bernard finally moved his head; quickly looking at Empress and hisrades as he woke up from his weird stupor,


    "Y¡­ yes. There should be. Let me just call them," Whiteking then said as he stepped away from the rest of the group.


    "...What''s with him? Having a midlife crisis?"


    "Can''t me him," Tempo sighed, "His daughter seems to be about the same age. Speaking of which¡­ now that I am looking at her carefully, she looks kind of familiar, doesn''t she?"


    "Oh jeez, brown kinda blond-ish hair, blue eyes¨C I wonder why she looks familiar?" V mocked, "Oh wait, that''s half of America!"


    "I believe that naturally, less than 5% of¨C"


    "Shut the fuck up, you know how many bald people there are in America!?"


    "You¨C"


    "I''m serious, guys," Tempo then interrupted the two as he even crouched to take a better look at Dark Millenium, "I¡­


    ¡­feel like I''ve seen her before."


    ***


    "Oh shit! The dude got hammered hard!"


    "...Shouldn''t you guys be in your apartments?"


    "I figured we would be safer here with the former leader of the Hope Guild."


    "...Then at least buy something!"


    A few moments ago back in the Baby Crew''s usual base of operations, Hannah and the others were currently watching the fight between Hope Guild and Dark Millenium¨C their viewing was brief, however, as Dark Millenium was already subdued before they could even warm their seats.


    And as Charlotte said, they were ordered by the Academy to return to their student apartments; but due to the profiles and backgrounds of the members of the Baby Crew, most of the staff that they met could only scratch their heads.


    "The fight''s already done, anyway¡­ I''ll order," Hannah then let out a small sigh as she turned her attention away from the TV, "I''ll talk to dad againter so we could have him tell us what he knows about your parents, Silv."


    "Hm," Silvie nodded as she too, turned to face the table, "Father is still not responding to my calls¡­ I''ll try to go to the house provided to himter."


    "You¡­ seem to be okay now, child," Charlotte brought the menu, her eyes slightly squinted towards Hannah, "You were going wild just yesterday and almost burned down my shop. Come to think of it¡­ Your father owes me more now."


    "That''s¡­" Hannah could let out an awkward chuckle before letting out a short but very deep sigh,


    "...I''m truly sorry for what I did yesterday. I was just so angry that I almost hurt all of you," she then muttered as she looked not only at Charlotte but also at the rest of the members of the Baby Crew.


    "Meh, you too weak to hurt the Dragon Monarch," Gary said as he did a pose before also getting back to his seat; no longer watching the screen as Dark Millenium was alreadypletely beat.


    "Hm."


    "...Noeback?" Gary''s eyes then quickly turned wide, slightly backing off as he stared at Hannah, "Where¡­ where''s our Hannah!? What did you do to her!?"


    "Shut up, you moron," Hannah rolled her eyes before focusing on Charlotte, "I''ll just have the usual, ma''am. What about you guys? Riley? Tomoe?"


    "I''ll skip, big sister Hannah," Tomoe said as she nced at Riley, before also turning to the table. As for Riley, he was the only one that remained staring at the screen.


    "I will be going back to my apartment, everyone."


    "What, why!?"


    "I have something I need to do, sister," Riley then said as he walked away. Hannah seemed to want to say something else, but before she could do so, Riley just nonchntly left the store.


    "...What''s with him?" Hannah said as she raised an eyebrow. She then turned to look at the monitor, only to see the Hope Guild surrounding the already captured Dark Millenium,


    "...I guess they are taking her to SMP," she shrugged before she once again faced the table.


    "..."


    "..."


    But after just a few moments, she once again turned towards the TV; this time, almost flipping the table upside down.


    "W¡­ what the!?" Gary bellowed in surprise, "Why did you do that!?"


    "T¡­ that¡­" Hannah stuttered; her words almost whispering loudly throughout the entire store.


    "Oh shit, so Dark Millenium really is a woman!?" Gary said as he also turned his attention back to the screen,


    "Deemn, she a beaut. Almost a waste for her to go to prison," he then let out a small chuckle, "She almost kinda reminds me of¨C"


    And before he could even finish his words, the curves of his mouthpletely lowered, leaving his mouth slightly open as he stared at the screen.


    And with the two suddenly turning quiet, the rest of the people inside the store all turned to look at the screen. The cameras were changing angles and panning, so it took quite a while for them to realize what the two were talking about.


    But when they did¡­ their mouths were left wide open as well.


    ***


    "So, what did SMP say, Whiteking?"


    Back in front of the Academy, Dark Millenium still remained unresponsive. Her wounds seemed to have healed and all that remained were the patches of drying blood stuck to her skin and costume.


    Seeing this, the members of the Hope Guild were all vignt; making sure that Dark Millenium doesn''t do anything funny.


    "...They still have one cell left capable of handling Dark Millenium."


    Whiteking, who had just finished talking to the people of the SMP, returned to the others; his tone now calmer than before,


    "I''ll take it from here," he then said.


    "No," Empress quickly shook her head as Whiteking was about to call his drones to move the White Pirs away, "She''s too dangerous for you to handle on your own, V and I will being with you."


    "There''s no need," Whiteking sighed,


    "Even you and Hera would have a hard time prying this thing open," he then chuckled as he knocked on one of the White Pirs, "Let alone an already weakened girl."


    "That wasn''t a request, Whiteking."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...As you wish, Empress," Whiteking then let out a small but very deep sigh as he nodded.


    "Good," Empress also nodded before looking at the other members of the Hope Guild, "For the meantime, the rest of you remain here just in case."


    "Sweet," Tempo muttered, "I guess I''ll just go and catch up with Bulwark."


    "Alright, let''s¨C"


    And before Empress could finish her words, her eyes started to widen; her legs¡­ suddenly trembling without reason.


    "...Empress? What''s going¨C"


    "Evacuate¡­"


    "What?"


    "Evacuate everyone," Empress then turned to look at Tempo, "Prioritize the students of the Academy. Evacuate everyone¡­


    ¡­now."


    "What''s going on, why are you¨C"


    And before Tempo could finish his words, Empress suddenly grabbed something from her waist. And without even saying a word, she pointed it towards the sky¨C causing a high-pitched explosion whistling in the air¡­


    ¡­followed by a blossoming light that drowned everything in red.


    "W¡­ what?" Not only Tempo, but all of the members of the Hope Guild looked at the signal re that was suddenly triggered by their leader.


    A Red re.


    And in front of it, without them even realizing¡­ a dark but familiar silhouette was already floating in the air.


    A Red re¨C Threat Level:


    Darkday.


    "....Miss me?"

 Chapter 150 - 150: Your Name

    <h4>Chapter 150 - 150: Your Name</h4>


    The lines of red, etching through the dark silhouette that floated in the air. Even with the sun almost at its highest, the Red re was enough to wash out everything within the vicinity in an ocean of red¨C but even still, the man that stood in the air waspletely unaffected.


    It was as if he was a single dent in the light¨C a void that needed to be filled, but could not. A single dent¡­


    ¡­A single dent that signaled the end. A tiny dentpared to the size of the world.


    Minusculepared to the area the sun reaches, maybe even almost non-existent. He was a grain, a sand, a speck of dust to the light¨C and yet he signaled the end of everything.


    Soon, the Red re behind him dissipated in silence, letting the sun once again have the monopoly in greeting the world with its brilliance. But soon, even the beautiful rays hid with theing of the dark day.


    The clouds above all started to shift, nketing the world once again in the darkness that brought with it only death.


    "...Miss me?"


    "D¡­ Darkday?"


    "Tell me this is another copycat."


    The members of the Hope Guild could only look up at this descending darkness, their eyes wanting to leave, but could not as Darkday ever so slowlynded near to them.


    They wanted to fight, but their mind remembers clearly what would happen if they did.


    They wanted to run, but then the people around them would have to pay the price for that.


    They were heroes¨C the only thing they could do was stand their ground.


    "Tempo¡­" Empress then whispered, "Evacuate as many students as you can."


    "...Aren''t they safer inside the Academy?"


    "Heh," and for the first time in a long time, Empress could not help but let out a chuckle; ever so subtle and tiny, "The only safe ce is where the light still shines."


    "Then¨C"


    "There is no need for any of that, members of the Hope Guild."


    And before Tempo could say another word, Darkday started to walk towards them; his voice, different from how they remember it to be. Could it be¡­ he got the idea from Dark Millenium''s helmet?


    "I came here not for you, but for her."


    And with those words, the Hope Guild finally turned their eyes away from Darkday, turning towards the individual his finger was pointing to¨C Dark Millenium.


    "Megawoman."


    "...What a¨C !!!"


    A rumble. Loud enough to drown any words or noise that the world might produce reverberated through the air¨C or at least that was what it sounded and felt like for the members of the Hope Guild as the very ground they stood on started to tremble.


    And with a light snap of a finger, a minute sound that shouldn''t have been heard by them¡­ With that snap, they felt themselves being thrown away by a force that made one almost helpless. It was not only them, but even the ground agreed as itpletely tore away.


    It was almost as if they were just standing on styrofoam; being ripped and mawed away by an angry¨C no, an excited child.


    There was supposed to be chaos as the roads, the trees, and the ground all cracked and floated in the air¨C but amidst everything, amidst the rumble, amidst the debris, amidst the chaos¡­ there was order.


    And at the center of it,pletely unmoved and unshaken, was the prison that held Dark Millenium, who even amidst everything, remained stagnant and in a stupor; muttering something within her silent breaths.


    The members of the Hope Guild found themselves in that so-called order. Floating helplessly as an invisible hand seemed to have attached strings on them¨C as if they were dolls and had no wills of their own.


    But of course, they wanted to move. They wanted to do at least something, anything¡­ but it almost felt like even their breaths were no longer their own.


    The roads, the trees, and the ground then slowly rebuild themselves, not in the way they were before¡­ but in the way that made a path for Darkday; slowly floating in the air and making a path above the crater he made as he ever so slowly made his way to Dark Millenium.


    As for the members of the Hope Guild¡­ They were like knights, making way for their King as he greeted his Queen.


    "Megawoman," Darkday then said as he casually pulled one of the White Pirs, causing the slightly invisible green barrier to flicker and very soon fade away,


    "What have they done to you?"


    Darkday then kneeled on the ground, gently touching Dark Millenium''s chin as he turned her face towards him,


    "You¡­ look younger," Darkday''s breaths started to slightly have weight on them, "Silvie almost looks like you. But these scars¡­ I know they''re not from me."


    Darkday then carefully checked on the horrendous and almost countless tiny scars on Dark Millenium''s face. Her eyes were of a sort of green-blue hue, her hair, a mix of brown and gold¨C a trait that Silvie also had.


    But that wasn''t everything¨C every millimeter of the structure of their faces was almost the same. If it were not for the scars and her eyes that almost seemed dead, then Dark Millenium would have just been Silvie 2 or 3 years from now.


    "..."


    And now that Darkday was looking at her, truly looking at her¡­ the Megawoman he knew would probably be 10 years older.


    "You''re not Megawoman,"


    Darkday then let go of Dark Millenium''s face as he suddenly stood up. And as if the chaos thrived once more, the path that had made itself for Darkday soon crumbled, dropping back to the crater below them like crackers eaten by a messy toddler.


    "If you are not Megawoman, then who are you?" Darkday then muttered, his tone clearly perturbed and annoyed, "Megawoman¡­ you''re not Megawoman."


    Darkday then started to walk in circles around the White Pirs still surrounding Dark Millenium. His steps, slightly stuttered as he muttered the words ''Megawoman'' almost endlessly.


    "Mega¡­ woman?"


    Until finally, Dark Millenium opened her mouth and spoke; her voice still slightly rasping due to her lungs still healing from being caved in by Hera and Empress. And as soon as her croaking words reached Darkday''s ears, his steps halted.


    "Do you know where Megawoman is?" He then quickly asked as he once again kneeled in front of Dark Millenium, "Are you also Megawoman''s daughter? Do you know Silvie Savelevnia?"


    "Silvie¡­ Savelevnia?" Dark Millenium''s eyes then turned towards Darkday¡­ almost as if he was seeing through his jet-ck helmet,


    "Silvie Savelevnia¡­" She then repeated. And as if for a second, a small light persevered through the darkness¡­ she smiled, "That''s¡­


    ¡­my name."


    "..." And just like that, it was as if everything froze in time. Darkday remained kneeling on the ground; the fettered breaths that seeped from his helmet, no longer there. And a secondter, he let out a single utter¨C


    "...Oh," he breathed out as he once again stood up.


    "My purpose¡­" Dark Millenium then continued to mutter as the light in her eyes slowly rekindled, "Protect¡­ protect the world from foreign species. The government¡­ the government is lying to us all."


    "..."


    "We''re tools¡­ we''re just tools and¡­ I must gather heroes to protect this¨C Ack!"


    "..."


    And before Dark Millenium could finish her words, a minute whistle echoed in the air; followed by Dark Millenium''s screams as she suddenly grabbed her head; groveling on the ground almost into a curl as her shrieks became more intense by the second.


    And soon¡­ without sign or warning, a small poof.


    And along with it, Dark Millenium''s head¨C exploding into tiny bits and pieces and sticking onto Darkday.


    Riley could only blink a couple of times as he watched as a part of Dark Millenium''s brain slid down on the visor of his helmet. He turned to look at Dark Millenium''s headless corpse for a few moments, before turning around to see Whiteking holding some sort of gun.


    "Bernard," Riley then whispered as he tilted his head, "What are you hiding now? First your sexual affair with Empress, and now this? This would surely disappoint¨C"


    And before he could finish his words, the ground beneath him exploded, and emerged from it were a pair of grey hands. In a blink of an eye, Hera wrapped her arms and legs around Darkday,pletely locking herself with him.


    "V, do it now!"


    "What¡­ you''ll fucking die!"


    "This is our only chance, do it!"


    "God fucking damn it!" And with that roar, V flew into the air, meters in front of Riley and Hera. Her mecha suit then opened up, revealing her petite body that waspletely covered in green trickles of lightning¨C her green glowing eyes, almost threatening to blind any that dares look at them.


    For some reason, they were able to recover themselves while Darkday was talking to Dark Millenium. They made a lot of noise, but Darkday seemedpletely oblivious of them. They were going to find some time to go inside the Academy, but then Whiteking suddenly went rogue and whipped out some sort of gun.


    And so, the only thing that Hera could do was improvise as Darkday seemed to still be slightly distracted.


    And the best idea she coulde up with?


    To sacrifice herself for a chance to finally kill Darkday.


    "All of you go away!" V then once again roared as her entire body became engulfed by lightning. No¡­ she wasn''t engulfed by it. She is the green lightning¡­ only in the shape of a human.


    "This¡­


    ¡­better fucking hurt!"

 Chapter 151 - 151: The Difference

    <h4>Chapter 151 - 151: The Difference</h4>


    "This better fucking hurt!"


    V screamed as loud as she could; her screams, however, were quickly drowned by thunder.


    A roar of thunder, whispering throughout the city in a raging wail; loud enough to ripple throughout the entire state of Massachusetts¨C deafening all those that dared even turn their ears towards.


    Her mecha suit opened up, revealing her body that had already turned into green streaks of lightning clumped together to form the shape of a young woman. She then pped her hands, causing the lightning to protrude and emerge from her body; almost like a web of a million streaks of lightning, blinding everyone with its green brilliance.


    And without even a blink of an eye, that web falls upon Hera and Darkday.


    "I¡­ I''m so sorry, Hera!" V then let out a cry as another thunder erupted through the air, reaching the skies and opening up the clouds that darkened the entire city¨C once again allowing light to reach the lonely ground.


    "Grah!" V continued to scream as she released all the power she could, to the point that her own light was almost fading.


    "V, enough!" Empress, who already had the other members of the Hope Guild ready to strike at any moment if Darkday remains moving after V''s finishing move, could not help but bellow as she saw V''s body starting to flicker,


    "That''s enough!" Empress repeated. V was the newest member of their team, recing a previous member that died in a battle a few years ago against Lady Divider, aka Sophie Palmer. And like what everyone else in the team said, she was the youngest super to ever join the Hope Guild at 16 years old.


    She was young¨C and if she died here¡­ Empress wouldn''t know what to do anymore. She will probably quit and just join Bulwark in the Academy to teach children how to be a better hero than her.


    "V, please sto¨C"


    "You should listen to your boss, Miss V."


    "!!!"


    And with those words whispering in the air, the members of the Hope Guild all turned their eyes towards the other end of the lightning web¡­ only to see the web slowly expanding into a sphere.


    And without even any warning, V suddenly dropped violently to the ground, instantly killing the lights that drowned the vicinity off.


    "V!" Empress quickly rushed towards V to check on her, letting out a sigh of relief as she saw her still coughing without any problems; trickles of electricity, still emerging from her eyes in a sputter.


    But soon, the trickles of lightning flickering around her eyes turned into tears as she turned them towards Empress.


    "...H¡­ Hera¡­ Hera is¡­"


    "..." Empress did not answer her, only making sure that she does not get up to rush towards Darkday in her condition. However, she did not really need to answer¨C as Darkday answered for her.


    "Miss Hera is alive."


    And with those words, Empress suddenly stretched her arms to the side¡­ catching Hera who was nonchntly thrown away by Darkday like some sort of dirtyundry. She quickly turned to check if she was alright, only for Hera to slightly push her away as she stood up¡­ without even as much as a scratch on her body.


    "Why did you also save me!?" Hera then let out a roar, causing the clouds of dust gathering around them to slightly ripple away.


    "Because I do not like to break my promises, Miss Hera."


    "...What?"


    "I said I would retire until Megawoman remains dormant and asleep, Miss Hera," Darkday let out a small but very deep sigh as he shook his head, "There was a misunderstanding on my part. I apologize¡­


    ¡­for scaring all of you."


    "Who said we were scared!?" V, who was no longer being held back by Empress, suddenly stood up from the ground as her eyes once again sparked; releasing huge amounts of lightning that sputtered and flickered towards the ground.


    "You''re going to fucking die today, you bitch!"


    "V, no!"


    Seeing a torrent of green lightning raging on the ground and crawling towards him, the only response that Darkday returned was another sigh. He did not even try to move, nor block it with his telekic abilities. He just¡­ stood there.


    The lightning instantly swallowed his entire body whole, almost also turning him into worms of lightning in the shape of a human; but with his entire outfit not reflecting even a single hint of light, it looked quite¡­ odd in a sort of unexinable way.


    But even with him drowned in thunderbolts, Darkday¡­ began to walk.


    "Do you see this, Hope Guild?" Darkday then muttered as he stretched his hand to the side; the streaks of lightning, still threatening to burn him to the ground¡­ but s, it remained only a threat,


    "You were so proud and happy in having defeated a percent of Megawoman''s power, but now I show you the real difference between her and all of you. And perhaps¡­


    ¡­I should remind you of that."


    "!!!"


    And as soon as he said that, Darkday suddenly disappeared from his spot, leaving only the streaks of lightning that V was relentlessly but uselessly raining down upon him. Seeing this, V could only let out a small but very deep sigh¡­ before her entire bodypletely gave up on her.


    "Where did he go!?" Hera let out a small scream as her eyes looked everywhere; trying to search any spot that only contained darkness. And she did not have to search for long, however, as she caught a glint of a shadow hiding behind Whiteking.


    "W¨C" and before she could even warn Whiteking, Whiteking''s left leg lit up; his chausses, opening up into a rocket that propelled his left leg straight towards Darkday''s head¨C using its momentum to spin his entire body.


    "Getting slow there, Whiteking," Darkday muttered as he easily bent his body backwards, avoiding Whiteking''s foot with a hair''s breadth¨C almost making the two of them look like a yin-yang symbol.


    This symbol of bnce quickly became that of disorder, however, as Whiteking''s foot continued to spin his body, bending his other knee to lower his body and strike straight towards Darkday''s legs.


    "!!!"


    But when his foot was just an inch away from striking Darkday''s ankle, Darkday quickly lifted his foot¡­ and stomped Whiteking''s shin.


    "Kh," Whiteking tried his best not to let the scream escape from his mouth as his shattered bones pierced straight towards the ground and through his flesh.


    "Predictable, Whiteking," Darkday let out a small scoff¡­ before stomping Whiteking''s head to the ground and casually walking away and turning towards Butcher, not even bothering to see whether or not Whiteking was unconscious or not.


    "You," Darkday then muttered, "Your abilities have something to do with nullifying friction, correct?"


    "I¨C"


    "You don''t answer viins!"


    And before Butcher could even say a word, Hera appeared behind Darkday, her fists already sped and on their way to clobber Darkday''s head into smithereens. One could almost hear her muscles constricting and contracting; the red veins popping out her grey skin, throbbing almost in a vibrating manner as if it was charging up.


    Darkday, however, only casually raised one of his arms, letting her fists strike it seemingly without any regard.


    And as soon as their arms made contact, the ground beneath them rippled; causing an earthquake that caused the buildings even from miles away to sway. The ground, almost a tidal wave as the crater they were fighting on became even wider¡­ much wider¨C enough to reveal the underground structures of the Academy.


    The Academy grounds, however, remainedpletely intact due to the energy shield that was blocking any outside forces from getting in, and with Bulwark still shielding it with his powers, it was the only thing left standing for miles. The fake towns near the Academy, all wiped out from the sheer force of Hera''s strike that almost resembled the strength of aet.


    Truly, a feat worthy of someone that belonged to the world''s no. 1 superhero group.


    "...See?"


    "You¡­ are a fucking monster."


    But s, the difference between a member of the No. 1 superhero group and the strength of the No. 1 superhero seemed to be¡­ almost like heaven and earth.


    Hera could only let out a small chuckle as she stared at Darkday; half of his body, embedded through the ground. But even still, his arm remained above his head; his sleeves,pletely ruined as it revealed his skin. But even that was momentary, as ever so slowly, his sleeves woven and fixed itself up.


    "...That wasn''t one of Megawoman''s abilities, Miss Hera," Darkday then let out a small but deep sigh as he swung his fist towards Hera''s chin before climbing out of the ground, "It would seem I actually lost today."


    "Not yet."


    And as soon as Darkday got out of the ground, a knife was already on its way towards him, swinging straight to his chest.


    "..." Darkday quickly pinched the de of the knife but found that even though he was already gripping hard enough, the knife was still able to slide between his fingers. The only thing that he could do was watch as the knife went straight to his heart.


    "Interesting ability, Butcher," the knife, however,pletely stopped as soon as it reached his flesh, "But still not a match for Megawoman."


    "!!!" Butcher''s vision then instantly darkened as Darkday suddenly ced his hand on his face, before a snap thundered in the air as he gripped it tightly. But due to Butcher''s mysterious ability, instead of his face being ripped away, the only thing it did was throw him away; sliding meters away from Darkday.


    "Hm," Darkday slightly tilted his head to the side, before letting out a small hum and turning his head towards the only one left standing near him¨C Empress, who had in her arms an unconscious V and Whiteking.


    "Since Mister Tempo is busy doing something useless," Darkday then muttered, "I guess¡­


    ¡­It''s your turn?"

 Chapter 152 - 152: Hope

    <h4>Chapter 152 - 152: Hope</h4>


    Empress, aka Adaeze.


    Adaeze was born in a remote vige somewhere in the middle stretches of Nigeria. And like half of the people there, she was born in poverty. No, she belonged in the 10% that lived in extremities.


    Hundreds of years ago, the people of Africa lived in adequate conditions as their rulers¡­ distributed their poption to other countries; some out of fear and intimidation by their foreign invaders; some to reduce the poption of their viges, using the money to secure the livelihood of their remaining people¡­ but of course, truly, most of them did it to fatten their pockets.


    The trade of very only stopped with the arrival of Megawoman; unchaining the caged people of Africa and returning them to their homes. But with already a hundred years of history, there were already tens of millions of ves scattered in Europe and America¨C not including their sons and daughters.


    Megawoman''s freeing of the ves was a celebrated and glorious moment in history, even taught in secondary schools and even marked in a calendar¡­ but for the people of Africa, it also brought one major problem¨C overpoption.


    In just a single year, their poption rose by 20% in the 1700s; they were unequipped to handle such change. Of course, Megawoman tried to help¨C bringing in supers from other countries that would help their crops and water shortage problems go away. But it did not solve the massive growth of their poption¡­ instead even hastening it.


    But as always with life, time solves everything. With the advancement of technology came the advancement of transportation¨C allowing not only the people of Africa but also the people of other continents to freely and easily leave their countries.


    Africa became a wealthy country; and because of the existence of Megawoman, a lot of people from other countries were willing to invest in their countries for a chance to be recognized by her.


    Sadly for them, with theing of the 1900s, Megawoman had other problems to face in Europe. And with her disappearance, the greedy warlords and rulers once again showed their faces¨C forcing the poor families of Africa to plummet even further down.


    Adaeze belonged to one of those families, born in extreme poverty with her government seemingly blind to their problems. No¡­ she was born in a family of crime. Her parents were part of a militia that raided cargo ships and cruise ships, and as their daughter, it was all she ever knew.


    And when her abilities awakened during her teenage years, she used them to help her family. From an outside perspective, her powers would just look like themon flight and super strengthbo; but in truth, her powers had something to do withbusting the nitrogen in the air around her.


    Her talent was extraordinary¨C mastering it in a way that it truly became an extension of her body; not just metaphorically and figuratively, but truly just a monstrous control.


    The Pirate Empress, they dubbed her.


    But s, her family''s reign did notst long, however. Her powers were too strong; easily putting her on the Megawoman''s radar.


    At the young age of 14, she fought Megawoman¨C showing her the reality that there were people out there that could kill her with just the snap of their fingers. Megawoman, however, did not surrender her to the authorities and instead brought her to a ce with other people like her;


    Not the Hope Guild, no¨C that came after. Megawoman called it the Fitness Gym, she was humorous that way. Adaeze and the 11 others, however, called it the Sanctuary.


    There were a dozen of them there, all trained by Megawoman on how to properly use their powers for good. She spent a lot of years with Megawoman and knew exactly how strong she was.


    And she knew¡­ that the individual slowly approaching her now had exactly the same strength.


    "You¡­" Empress then gently ced V and Whiteking on the ground; taking in small but very deep breaths as she watched as Darkday slowly walk towards her,


    "...So you really can copy people''s abilities?" She then whispered as she also carefully approached Darkday.


    "I suppose so, Empress."


    "It makes sense, people with the same type of powers as yours are usually evil people¡­ or at the very least, weird," Empress let out a small scoff.


    "I suppose you are talking about the previous leader of the Hope Guild?" Darkday replied as he continued to calmly make his way towards Empress, "Mine is more¡­ permanent than her, Empress. That is why I am selective with the abilities I try to get."


    "And what''re the criteria?" Empress asked, her eyes darting all around the ce; thinking of a way she and her team would be able to peacefully escape this situation.


    "It''s simple really. If it can kill me, then I will have it."


    "Then I guess you''ll be copying my powers?"


    "No, ew."


    "..." Empress''s steps halted as soon as she heard Darkday''s words; her eyebrows, slightly twitching from the sudden tone of disgusting from Darkday. But after a few seconds, she let out a small but very deep breath.


    "Tempo, what is your status?"


    [Bulwark did not let me inside the Academy, saying the students are safer inside. So I am trying to evacuate the people in the nearby cities.]


    "Tch. I suppose it doesn''t matter, there''s been a change in priority. Carry the others away from here."


    [...What about you?]


    "I''ll hold him off as much as I can."


    [But¨C]


    "I''ll escape as soon as I know you and the others are back in the base."


    [Y¨C]


    "That was an order."


    And as soon as Empress said that, a drumming echo whispered in the air. And with a blur suddenly appearing around her and Darkday¨C the other members of the Hope Guild were suddenly no longer seen.


    "Interesting choice, Empress," Darkday breathed out, "You can''t even win with your group and¨C"


    "I am afraid this is personal," Empress stretched her hands on the side; the golden rings wrapped around her arms started dangling loudly as she did so, "You almost killed my mentor."


    "...Megawoman?" Darkday halted his steps, "Could it be you know where she is right now, Empress?"


    "Even if I did, I wouldn''t tell you."


    "Were you¡­ not aware of Dark Millenium''s identity? She seems to be a clone of Megawoman, Empress."


    "Stop spouting nonsense and juste at me!"


    "Could it be you haven''t seen Megawoman''s face even though she was your mentor?" Darkday chuckled, "Now I feel quite shy, Empress. It would seem my connection with her is even more special than I¨C"


    "Enough talk!"


    Empress then lifted her foot; not forcefully, not violently, not even hastily. But the ground behind her exploded, turning into a tidal wave of rock and soil meters high; Bulwark, who still had the entire Academy wrapped in some sort of golden barrier of light, could let out a sigh as he saw another unpleasant brown tidal wave once again heading towards him- the first one was when Hera erased most of the terrain within a kilometer radius.


    It was a good thing her next step was calm, if not, then they would probably reach the earth''s core by the time she was finished. And without even any hint or warning, a skirt of wind suddenly surrounded Empress''s body as she almost instantly appeared behind Darkday, her palms already ced on his back.


    And with a light snap, Darkday''s body was propelled straight towards the Academy.


    "!!!"


    Bulwark could not help but center his abilities to where Darkday was about tond, creating almost a hundred drilling spikes to try and end Darkday once and for all. But s, Darkday might as well havended on soft ground as he just bounced back on his feet. The only damage? Holes on the back of his outfit, but even those were patched up.


    "I thought you quit being a member of the Hope Guild, Mister Bulwark," Darkday muttered.


    "You''re still a monster that needs to be erased in the world."


    "At least that''s something we agree o¨C"


    And before Darkday could finish his words, Empress once again appeared in front of her, giving her a light tap on his chest¡­ but violently throwing him straight back towards the drilling spikes. This time, however, Darkday stopped just an inch from his outfit being poked with holes again.


    "Never talk to terrorists!" Empress then bellowed as she once again disappeared from her spot, before appearing beside Darkday with her palms once again pointed at his head, "D¨C"


    This time, however, before she could do anything else, Darkday tangled his hands around hers, locking them in ce. Darkday seemed to want to say something, but Empress suddenly wrapped her legs around his waist.


    "..."


    "Bulwark, trap us! Do it now!"


    There was a small sh of hesitation in Bulwark''s golden eyes, but it did not take him even a second to decide the weight of the choice he was making now. And so, with a small nod towards Empress, the light surrounding the entire Academy grounds faded¨C transferring towards Empress and Darkday as they were trapped in some sort of golden sphere.


    "..." Darkday looked around him; nothing but gold in his view, "You n to do a suicide attack again, Empress?" Darkday then whispered.


    "Die!"


    Empress, however, was no longer interested in hearing any of Darkday''s words as the air inside the golden sphere seemed to boil; the rings on Empress''s arms, ringing continuously and with pause¨C almost mirroring her stirred emotions. If it meant finally getting rid of Darkday, then her death was nothing.


    The air around them started to explode in bits, but eachbustion was violent¨C ripping off Darkday''s costume as if eating them¡­ revealing his white and unblemished skin. Empress only nced at it, however, not paying it any mind as she mustered up all of her strength for one final strike.


    And so, with a smile on her face¡­ she raised her middle fingers towards Darkday,


    "See in you hell, Da¨C"


    "Not yet, Empress."


    "Eh¨C"


    And before she could finish her words, another set of voices appeared behind her. She looked back, only to see¡­ another Darkday beside her, or more specifically, standing on her shoulder.


    And without even warning, Little Darkday pped Empress right on the jaw¨C causing the whites of her eyes to show themselves. If it wasn''t Darkday catching her, then she would have definitely hit the perimeters of the golden sphere.


    "..."


    "..." Darkday looked at the unconscious Empress in his arms, before letting out a sigh and mming his other fist towards the sphere¨C causing the air itself to tremble as a small part of it cracked open.


    "!!!" Bulwark tried to immediately patch the hole, but before he could do so, Darkday already prated his hand through it¨C grabbing his neck.


    "I''m not here to kill anyone, Bulwark. Cancel your powers or I might change my mind."


    "..." And with those words, Bulwark did not even have to decide as the sphere surrounding Darkday and Empress quickly faded away. And before he could even say anything, Darkday lightly threw Empress at him.


    And just like that, Darkday turned around. Bulwark was about to check on Empress''s condition but then noticed that Darkday was actually ncing at him.


    "...Do you know where Megawoman is located currently, Bulwark?"


    "...No?"


    "Has Whiteking ever told you about Megawoman''s clones, Bulwark?"


    "...No," Bulwark breathed out. Although he was far from the rest of the members of the Hope Guild, he also clearly saw Dark Millenium''s face¨C it was definitely almost the same as Silvie''s.


    "...Whiteking is quite a suspicious individual, no?"


    "...Yes?"


    "Are you sure you know nothing about Megawoman''s whereabouts, Bulwark?"


    "...Yes?"


    "Hm. Okay," Darkday only let out a small breath before finally flying away without a single word¡­ almost as if he just didn''t y with the lives of the No. 1 superhero group in the world.


    Bulwark could only stare as Darkday''s figure slowly disappeared into the dark clouds. And soon, with his disappearance, those clouds once again dispersed; letting the sun once again finally shine upon them.


    And with theing of light, came the destruction that darkness left.


    "..." Bulwark then looked at the aftermath of the battle for a few seconds, before shaking his head and taking Empress inside the Academy. He had lived for thousands of years; he had met Supers that could be considered gods, he had also seen many who could cause this much destruction¡­ but never once had he met someone who did it as if he was just casually walking down the street.


    Darkday.


    Just¡­ how will they even hope to defeat someone like him?


    ***


    "Silvie! Get out of your room! Don''t let me burn this fucking door down!"


    "Go away! Please go away!"


    Hannah, Gary, and Tomoe were currently in front of Silvie''s apartment door, with Hannah trying to kick the door open. As soon as Silvie saw Dark Millenium''s face through the screen, she instantly zoned out.


    And without even saying a word, she rushed out of the Korean Shaved Ice store.


    "We''re not going to leave here if you don''t show your face!"


    "Please¡­


    ¡­please just go away."

 Chapter 153 - 153: ...S

    <h4>Chapter 153 - 153: ...S</h4>


    Hannah''s palms, already red from having to hit Silvie''s door for almost a minute now. Her heavy taps, echoing throughout the entire hallway of the girl''s apartmentplex. There were also other people curious as to what was happening¨C those who watched the news, however, knew exactly what was happening.


    "You guys get the fuck out of here!" Hannah then bellowed as she looked at the overly curious crowd slowly building up around them. Granted, the people initially gathered in the first ce because Hannah''s screams were loud enough to travel across the entire hallway¨C that didn''t matter though, as Hannah just continued trying to get Silvie toe out or for them to be let in.


    If it was any other circumstances, then Hannah would have just let Silvie be and let her cool down. But all throughout her breakdowns, she had never seen Silvie carrying that kind of expression.


    An expression that showed you''re alive¡­ but slowly dying and being eaten from the inside. Even with all her strength, Silvie was a sheltered individual; that showed through the stress she was releasing every time she lost herself.


    But this time, when she saw Dark Millenium''s face, it was as if everything around her crumbled. She did not even say anything to Hannah and the others and just rushed outside the shop¨C breaking Charlotte''s ss door in the process.


    Charlotte did not even seem to mind, however, as she also just stared at the TV, her eyebrows knitted and almost showed her real age.


    "...Darkday is outside the Academy."


    "Y¨C what?"


    And finally, with Tomoe''s whispers reaching her ears, Hannah stopped smashing her palms on Silvie''s door, "What do you mean Darkday''s outside?"


    Tomoe did not answer her, and only showed her phone which was ying the news¨C and true enough, Darkday was there, seemingly talking to Dark Millenium.


    "What¡­ the fuck is going on?" Hannah then muttered, she was about to say something else, but before she could do so, Dark Millenium''s head suddenly exploded.


    "What the fuck!"


    "!!!" Even Gary, who was just slightly ncing at the phone, could not help but widen his eyes and take a few small steps back.


    "S¡­ Silv, we really need to get out of here!" Hannah then once again mmed her palms on the door, "Darkday¡­ Darkday is here! Silv! Gary!? What the fuck, man!? Help me tear down this door, wake the fuck up!"


    Hannah once again violently tapped Gary''s shoulders; Gary, however, still had a nk expression on his face as he stared at Dark Millenium''s headless corpse. And soon, the battle between Hope Guild and Darkday started.


    "Gary, why are you zoning out!?" Hannah bellowed, "Silv might be doing something drastic inside!"


    And with those words entering his ears, Gary snapped out of whatever it was he was thinking; immediately kicking down the door and causing it to crumple. And with another crack snapping in the air, Silvie''s door was forced open; the edges of the door,pletely yed and cracked.


    "Silv!?" Hannah immediately rushed inside, her eyes, moving almost nonstop as they tried to spot Silvie. She needed to take a couple more steps inside the apartment, however, to find Silvie''s silhouette in the kitchen¨C surrounded by a couple of knives that werepletely either jagged or split in half.


    She was also holding another knife, trying to cut open her arms; but fortunately, the only thing it did was snap the knife once again in half.


    "What the fuck are you doing!?" Hannah then quickly rushed towards Silvie, kicking the broken knife away from her hands before embracing her tight, "You stupid fucker!"


    "I¡­ Stay away from me, Hannah," Silvie then whispered; just letting her arms fall on the sides of her body almost lifelessly, "Didn''t¡­ didn''t you see Dark Millenium''s face? She¡­ she looks exactly like me."


    "And so what!?" Hannah bellowed as she tightened her embrace on Silvie''s body; feeling her warm tears falling onto her bosom, "That¡­ that doesn''t mean anything!"


    "It¡­ means everything, Hannah," Silvie''s sedated voice started to weaken even further, "My¡­ my fake mother, all these visions, my mind losing it¡­ the feeling of drowning and the whispers¡­ I''m¡­ I''m not stupid, I know what those mean¡­


    ¡­I''m¡­ I''m a clone of Megawoman."


    "...Let''s not get ahead of ourselves, Silv," Hannah let out a small sigh before letting Silvie go and holding her cheeks gently, "That''s a bit of a jump in logic¡­ she¡­ she could just be your sister?"


    Hearing Hannah''s words, the only thing that Silvie could do was let out a small but heavy chuckle; standing up from the floor as she looked at Gary and Tomoe, who were quietly watching on the side.


    "W¡­ well, why does it matter if you''re a clone?" Gary also let out an awkward chuckle of his own; his eyes, not even daring to look at Silvie''s, "She¡­ she''s dead now anyway."


    "W¡­ what?"


    "Gary! What the fuck!?"


    "Then¡­ will¡­ will Darkday also kill me?" Silvie then sped her head, her face, once again wincing from all the thoughts surfacing out of his mind, "Maybe¡­ maybe that''s for the best. I''m¡­ I''m an abomination and¨C"


    "...Whiteking was the one who killed Dark Millenium," Tomoe then joined in on the conversation, "He¡­ is hiding something."


    "Everything leads to that fucker," Hannah let out a small scoff, "You don''t have to worry, Silv. I am going to drag that adulterer by the ankles to let him answer everything."


    "It¡­ it doesn''t matter anymore," Silvie once again let out a small chuckle¡­ and soon, her light chuckles turned into a burst ofughter, "I''m¡­ I''m a clone¡­ I''m not even a human. I just¡­ I just wanted to be a hero. Wait, maybe even that is imnted on me or something? I watched a documentary about¨C"


    "Snap out of it, Silv!" Hannah did not let Silvie finish her frenzied words, "Your identity doesn''t matter to us, you are our friend, okay!? Isn''t that right, guys?"


    "Hm," Tomoe quickly nodded.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Gary!"


    "Hm? Oh, yeah¡­ yes," Gary blinked a couple of times before nodding his head several times.


    "I¨C"


    "You''re a clone of Megawoman, Silvie."


    "!!!"


    And before Silvie could even say anything, Riley suddenly appeared in her apartment, "You''re not his daughter¡­ you''re a clone."


    "What the¡­ where did you suddenly pop out from!?" Hannah almost jumped as Riley''s head suddenly popped out from behind the kitchen counter, "And what the fuck, bro!? What are you saying?"


    "I always thought you resemble Megawoman, Silvie," Riley then ced his hand on his chin as he walked out of the counter, "But to think you''re one of her clones. The Government is really pushing its boundaries this time. I wonder how many of you are there?"


    "I¡­ ignore my brother''s words!" Hannah then quickly covered Riley''s mouth as soon as she saw Silvie''s hand starting to tremble.


    "Y¡­ you''re right," Silvie then muttered, her tears once again trying to burst out from her eyes, "I''m¡­ I''m a monster."


    "No, Silvie," Riley tilted his head to the side to speak,


    "You''re even more beautiful now."


    "...What?" Silvie could not help but take in a very small but very deep breath.


    "If you were Megawoman''s daughter with a human, then you would have been tainted," Riley muttered as he looked Silvie straight in the eyes, "But now that we know you''re a clone¡­ doesn''t that make you closer to Megawoman than before? You, Silvie Savelievna¡­


    ¡­you''re perfect."


    "R¡­ Riley," Silvie once again took in a deep breath; before wiping the tears threatening to fall from her eyes.


    As for Hannah, she could not help but slightly squint her eyes¡­ Riley''s words, she feels like she heard it somewhere before. But before she could even say anything, Silvie spoke up; her voice, now containing a bit of strength.


    "Wait¡­ you said it''s possible that there could be more of me out there?" Silvie then whispered; her eyes, now somewhat glistening.


    "Perhaps," Riley muttered, "But it is also possible that it''s only you left now that Dark Millenium is dead, Silvie. I assume cloning¡­ is quite aplicated process without an ability."


    "...Like Replica Ricky and Darkday?" Hannah furrowed her eyebrows, "But wait¡­ maybe they are using Megawoman''s technology? Almost all the facilities inside the Academy are using it, right?"


    "...I feel like you guys are recovering way too fast here," Gary then muttered as he stepped forward, "Silvie¡­ just tried to kill herself earlier."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...We''re trying to forget that¨C"


    "I believe it is alright," Tomoe let out a small sigh before Hannah could finish her words, "I think we have all tried to kill ourselves once or twice. I think it''spletely normal."


    "Yes," Riley added, "I''ve died several times already."


    "Why do I feel like I''m the only one normal here at this very moment?" Gary blinked his eyes a couple of times as he looked at the others, "Baby Crew is a bit loose in the¨C"


    "Stop," Hannah raised her palm before Gary could finish her words, "I¡­ I think we shouldn''t use the name Baby Crew anymore."


    ''...What? Right when it was starting to grow on me?" Gary muttered, "What the hell is happening right n¨C"


    "Silvie Savelievna."


    And before Gary could finish his words, a bunch of people suddenly barged inside Silvie''s apartment¡­ led by none other than Empress; who seemed to have rushed here as soon as she woke up inside the Academy.


    "We need you toe with us," Empress thenmanded. Her tone, not containing even a single hint of warmth as her eyes looked at Silvie from head to toe, "We need you to answer some¨C"


    This time, however, her words were the ones interrupted as Hannah blocked Silvie from her view.


    "I don''t think so¡­


    ¡­slut."

 Chapter 154 - 154: Forest

    <h4>Chapter 154 - 154: Forest</h4>


    "Silvie Savelievna. We need you toe with us to answer some¨C"


    "I don''t think so¡­


    ¡­slut."


    "Watch your tone, this is¨C"


    One of the people behind Empress, presumably a staff of the Academy, was about to take a step forward. But before she could do so, Empress raised her arms to block her.


    "You may leave," Empress then said as she nced at the people behind her.


    "But¨C"


    "You''re still injured, Empress. We still need to¨C"


    "I won''t die with just this," Empress let out a small sigh; shaking her head before once again gesturing to the staff of the Academy to leave, "I''ll return to the clinic after I am done here, I promise."


    "That''s¡­" The group looked at each other for a few seconds, before nodding their heads and stepping on Silvie''s broken door as they stepped out of the apartment. And as soon as they were gone, Empress casually picked up the heavy silver door and forcefully¡­ pinned it back on.


    And if it wasn''t for the loud sound of her doing so, then they would have definitely heard the gossipers and onlookers'' ''aww'' of disappointment.


    "I would appreciate it if you do not call me¡­ that unpleasant word, Hannah," Empress then let out a small but very deep breath as she looked at Hannah.


    "What word, slut?"


    "What happened between your father and I were¨C"


    "So you agree that you''re a slut?"


    "Let''s talk about this some other time, Hannah. What matters now is that Silvie Savelievna needs to¨C"


    "She''s not going anywhere."


    And now, not only Hannah but also Tomoe blocked Silvie from Empress''s view.


    "That''s right," Hannah crossed her arms, leaning her head back as a way to¡­ look down on Empress. But due to Empress being the 2nd tallest in the room, the only thing Hannah was really doing was almost hitting Silvie''s nose.


    "Gary, why are you just standing there!? Need some support here!" Hannah then loudly whispered as she gestured for Gary to join them with their¡­ small barricade. Gary, however, was once again in a sort of stupor, seeminglypletely unaware of what he should do.


    "W¡­ well," Gary then took in a small gulp as he looked back and forth between Empress, Silvie, and Hannah, "If¡­ if the Government is asking for her, then maybe we should¨C"


    "Since when did you be a dog of the governme¨C No, since when did you be a dog''s dog of the government!?"


    "I''m¨C"


    "I am not the Government''s dog, Hannah," Empress''s tone quickly changed as she answered Hannah''s question, not even allowing Gary to speak as she took a small step forward.


    "No, I am very certain you''re a bitch," Hannah did not back down as her hands began to sizzle, "As far as I''m concerned, all the members of the Hope Guild are the Government''s dogs. My dad certainly is one¡­


    ¡­and you''re the bitch who licked his wounds when he was down."


    "..." And with those words, the air around Empress slowly began to pop; like a minuscule snap of explosions erupting around her, almost snapping in rhythm with her trembling eyebrows. She knew that she shouldn''t let Hannah''s words get to her since she was in many ways her senior¡­ but it would seem Hannah got her talent with words from her father just a little too much for her liking.


    "Look here, child," Empress then breathed out, her tone truly no longer containing any hint of modesty, "It''s not my fault your father crawled to me when he was at his weakest. Your mother seemed to only care about herself and didn''t even notice that Bernard was having troubles."


    "That''s because she had to take care of me!" Hannah did not budge, "You wouldn''t understand because you''re not a mother!"


    "I was a mother," Empress furrowed her eyebrows, "And I understood fully."


    "That''s¡­"


    "Okay, I feel like we''ve totally gone way off track with what we''re¨C"


    "Whose side are you on!?"


    Once again, Gary was not able to finish his words as Hannah screamed. He seemed to want to say something, but before he could do so, Hannah''s entire arms were quickly engulfed in fire. And not even a secondter, a torrent of water came raining down upon them¨C followed by the sound of the fire rm loudly banging in their ears.


    None of them budged, however, as Hannah and Empress just kept on staring down at each other.


    "!!!"


    It wasn''t until Silvie began to scream that Hannah immediately strayed her eyes away from Empress. Hannah looked back, only to see Silvie sping her head; her knees and elbows, now touching the floor.


    "Silv!?" Both Hannah and Tomoe quickly rushed to check on her, "What the fuck is going on with you now!?"


    "T¡­ the rm. It¡­ it hurts."


    "W¨C" Hannah did not finish her words as a ball of fire emerged from her hand, immediately firing it towards the fire rm detector. She was able to hit it, but the ringing that continued to whistle inside the apartment did not stop.


    Tomoe had also frozen the walls and ceiling of the entire apartment, causing a string of icicles to fill the entire room¡­ and yet the ringing did not cease.


    "Y¡­ your nose," Hannah then whispered as blood started to drip from Silvie''s nose. And as soon as she saw that, she remembered the exact scene when Dark Millenium died. Her entire head just exploded and burst¡­ she initially thought it was Darkday who did it, but when Tomoe said that it was actually Whiteking¨C


    "You¡­ call my dad and tell him to stop this!"


    "What does your father have to do with¨C"


    "Dad, I know you''re fucking listening to us right now!" Hannah then said; her eyes, looking at Empress from head to toe. She was about to rush towards Empress, but Empress took a few steps back and gestured for her to back off.


    "Don''t," Empressmanded, "You might be Whiteking''s daughter but you''re walking on mighty thin ice here, child. And besides, I have mymunications off¨C no one can hear or talk to us."


    "Then you really don''t know my dad," Hannah scoffed, "I know you''ve been fucking listening to us, dad."


    "W¨C"


    [There should be a button at the bottom of the TV rack; right side.]


    "Gary!"


    "Huh? Wha¨C"


    "Fuck, why are you so useless today!?"


    Hannah could only click her tongue; pushing Gary away as she rushed towards the living room, immediately crouching down as her palms began tapping the bottom of the TV rack¨C and soon, a small click whispered into her ears; and immediately, the ringing that drowned the entire room stopped.


    And with the ceasing of the rm, Silvie''s trembling body began to calm down; her face and eyes, almostpletely red as the veins almost popped out from her skin. But soon, her breaths returned to normal¡­ but not until she dropped on the floor.


    "Silv!"


    "...She''s alright," Tomoe quickly let out a small sigh as she checked on Silvie''s pulse, "Things¡­ are getting slightly out of hand."


    "You think?" Hannah let out a heavy and fettered chuckle,


    "What the fuck are you guys doing out there?" She then said as she once again turned her attention towards Empress; her gaze, no longer mocking nor condescending, not even gloating¨C but instead just filled with disappointment, "Seriously? Cloning Megawoman and¡­ and ying with people''s lives? What the fuck."


    "...Cloning," Empress whispered as she looked at Silvie, "...How did youe up with that conclusion?"


    "Fucking kidding me?" Hannah rolled her eyes, "Still trying to hide it? I suppose you and dad are great at hiding secrets."


    "Bernard is¡­" Empress furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to remember the events that happened earlier. When Dark Millenium''s head exploded, Bernard did point some kind of gun at her. Could¡­ it actually be?


    "...Are you saying Whiteking is involved in this?"


    "Go ahead, feign ignorance."


    "..." Empress no longer said anything and instead just returned her gaze towards Silvie, "I still need to take her with me for¨C"


    "Not a chance, go home."


    "That was no longer a request, Ha¨C"


    "I also think you should go home and rest, Empress."


    "What the!?"


    And before Empress could finish her words, Hannah could not help but slightly jump in shock as Riley''s words suddenly popped out from beside her; she looked, only to see Riley sitting on the sofa¡­ and sipping on a cup of what seemed to be warm milk.


    "I¡­ Ipletely forgot you were here, bro," Hannah breathed out as she grabbed her chest in fright.


    "...Riley Ross," Empress slightly stuttered as she took a few steps back, "You¡­ are here?"


    "Why, were you expecting me somewhere else, Empress?" Riley muttered as he ced his cup on the coffee table.


    "N¡­ no."


    "Go home, Empress," Riley repeated, "You''re still injured from fighting Darkday."


    "I don''t think the bitch is going to leave until someone¨C"


    "...You''re right."


    "...What?"


    "I will¡­ proceed with this matter some other time," Empress then quickly said as she turned around, "For the meantime, please watch your¡­ friend. Protect her if you must, but don''t let the other students approach her as much as possible."


    And with those words, a loud thunder once again erupted in the entire apartment as Silvie''s broken door once again mmed to the floor. The shadows of the onlookers and gossipers, quickly scurry away as Empress stepped out of the apartment without any more words.


    "..."


    Hannah and Tomoe could only look at each other as Empress left just like that. They did not have time to ponder, however, as Silvie was still unconscious.


    "Dad!" Hannah then once again screamed, "I know you''re still listening out there! Just what the fuck is happening right now!?"


    "Dad!? Don''t ignore me!"


    [...] A small whistle then reverberated through the entire apartment; carrying with it a small but very deep sigh, [Tomorrow, 8 in the morning at your usual hideout. Bring the girl and your other friends if you want¨C if you need to. I will tell you everything about Project Forest...


    ....about Project Silvie.]

 Chapter 155 - 155: Family

    <h4>Chapter 155 - 155: Family</h4>


    Project Forest.


    ¨CAs the name suggests, was a n to ''nt'' several clones of Megawoman all around the world by the Government. Tranted to its Latin counterpart as Project Silvie¨C or woman of the forest.


    Why did the Government even think of such a n? Because of a threat¨C No, not extraterrestrial threats like Dark Millenium suggested; not even the threats of superviins.


    It was the threat of the heroes themselves. With the people relying more and more upon the superheroes, the World Government had been losing their authority over the people for years now.


    This was not a new problem. Ever since the dawn of time, strength has always been synonymous with authority. The words of someone like Megawoman weighed more than the words of a country''s President¨C and it was only when she was gone that the World Government had finally put their n into action.


    "Wait, hold up. Are you seriously trying to tell us the Government decided to clone the world''s greatest superhero¡­ because they thought that superheroes were a threat? Who is the retard that thought of that? Don''t tell me it''s you again, dad?"


    "...This has been nned before I was even born."


    "Are you sure?"


    "That''s¡­"


    Bernard''s short but very heavy sigh echoed throughout the entire Korean Shaved Ice store¨C which was darker than usual as all the windows and doors were barred shut by rollers; no one was allowed in or out.


    Surprisingly, even though Bernard was currently divulging one of the World Government''s biggest secrets, not a single Government official was present¡­ maybe except for Silvie''s father, who was currently ominously standing at the corner of the shop, his back leaned on the wall and his arms crossed. His eyes, not even once looking at Silvie since he arrived with Bernard earlier.


    Hannah, Riley, Tomoe, Gary, Silvie were seated together at their usual table, with Bernard walking around the shop as he exposed the Government''s secret. He had just been here the other day telling the secret of his affair to his children¡­ and now he was here telling the secrets of the Government.


    He had always thought that he would take this burden to the grave¡­ but who would have thought that his daughter would force him to unravel it all in just the span of 3 days.


    "So¡­ that''s it, then?" Silvie then let out a small but exhausted gasp, "I¡­ I really am just a clone?"


    "You''re not just any clone, Silvie. You are Megawoman''s clone."


    "Shut up, bro. I don''t think that''s helping right now!" Hannah pinched Riley''s arm as she gestured for him to shut up.


    "I am only telling the truth, sister," Riley then let out a small sigh as he looked Silvie straight in the eyes, "You are Megawoman''s clone, Silvie. By default, that makes you better than most of the people in this room."


    "...Thanks?"


    "Why do I feel attacked all of a sudden," Gary said as he sped his heart.


    "Fuck, Bernard. Seriously?"


    And surprisingly, throughout this talk¡­ Charlotte was also present. She closed down the shop for Bernard for a single condition¨C she should be present with whatever discussion was going to happen. It was her shop, after all.


    "I knew you were a slimy scum, but to think you would actually willingly put a young girl like this in¨C"


    "Not willingly!" Bernard stopped walking; stomping his foot on the ground as he raised his voice, "I had to do what I had to do to keep what Hannah did a¨C"


    "Wait, so this is my fault?"


    "I''m not saying that, It''s just¨C"


    "Have you been selling information about your other teammates to the Government, you brat?"


    "What? How did it evene to¨C"


    "You''re probably holding a dark secret of Empress that''s why someone as hot as her is¡­"


    And just like that, chaos once again ensued throughout the entire store; with Bernard being the brunt of all the usations and questions. It was fine if he had the chance to exin himself or actually answer the questions, but all that was happening was him not being allowed to say anything.


    "Wait, can I¨C"


    "Can all of you shut the fuck up!?"


    And right when he was about to have the chance to talk, Silvie stood up from her seat¨C almost snapping the windows as her roars cracked in the air.


    "I thought we were here to talk about me!? About who I am!?" Silvie bellowed,


    "But all I hear is you yapping about your newly discovered parental issues!" Silvie then yelled as she pointed a finger towards Hannah, "I am grateful for you, for all of you for being there but isn''t this supposed to be my moment of truth!? You already had yours the other day!"


    "..." Seeing Silviesh out; with her roaring voicepletely trembling, the only thing that Hannah could do was look to the side and shut her mouth.


    "And you, why the heck are you even here!?" Silvie yelled as she looked at Charlotte, "I get you were supposed to be a big deal like millions of years ago, but I don''t see why you should be sticking your nose here when you don''t even meet your daily sales quota!"


    "That''s¡­"


    "And Mr. Whiteking!" Silvie did not let Charlotte say anything as she mmed her palm on the table, splitting it in half, "Why¡­ why are you such a pretentious and snake-y person!? You''re supposed to be a hero and yet¡­ and yet you''re involved in¡­"


    Silvie was not able to finish her words as tears soon emerged from her eyes; her voice, once again cracking as she slowly turned her head towards her father,


    "And you," Silvie then whimpered, "Why are you just standing there like this doesn''t involve you? You¡­ you''re supposed to be my father, right? You''re supposed to be ying the role of my father?"


    Silvie''s sedated words whispered through the entire store; her father, however, just remained still and quiet.


    "At least y your role now," Silvie then whispered as a trembling smile crawled on her face, "Hug me, embrace me¡­ tell me¡­


    ¡­tell me I''m still your daughter, please¡­. Please¡­ at least just look at me."


    "..."


    What followed her words were silence, with only the sound of her tears dropping to the floor responding to her loud cry for an embrace.


    "I''m¡­"


    But soon, her eyes retained life as she heard her father''s voice.


    "I''m¡­ just a scientist, Silvie."-- And yet these were the only words that came out of his mouth before he once again embraced himself in silence; his eyes, not even once looking at Silvie.


    "...What?" Silvie let out a small chuckle; almost causing her to choke with the tears and saliva flowing inside her mouth, "S¡­ scientist? We had a home in Russia, father. There¡­ you tied me in the bed so that¨C"


    "Emotional Response Assessment."


    And before Silvie could finish her words, Bernard seemed to have answered her question.


    "The Government was trying to see how you would respond in the case of trauma and stress¨C if you were going tosh out violently against your parent."


    Unlike when he was talking to Hannah, Bernard''s words were now clear and without hesitation. "We were trying to program your behavior naturally instead of inducing it surgically like the first subject."


    "The first¡­ Dark Millenium?" And with Bernard approaching her with a calm tone, Silvie could only sniffle and wipe the tears stered on her face.


    "Yes. The information inside her head became tumultuous," Bernard nodded, "The Government had previously told me that Silvie-01¡­ had already been disposed of. So I am actually as surprised as any of you to see her still alive."


    "Yeah, I don''t think so," Hannah joined in, before once again keeping her silence.


    "And what exactly was your role in¡­ in creating me, Mr. Whiteking?"


    "I¡­ created the containers that you and Silvie-01 were confined in," Bernard muttered, "That''s all."


    "How¡­ how did they create me?"


    "Silv, I don''t think you should¨C"


    "Zip it!"


    "..."


    "There¡­ is a Super groomed by the Government capable of cellr alt¨C capable of cloning other people and putting them¡­ in an empty vessel," Bernard exined, "I have only seen her once but¡­ judging from her wrinkled skin, she was probably well over her 90s. I don''t even know if she''s still alive today."


    "Doesn''t¡­ doesn''t that mean that I don''t really have any family left?" Silvie''s voice once again became weak as she returned back to her seat,


    "You¡­ you killed my sister," she then whispered; her head slowly turning towards the broken table, "I''m¡­ I''m all alone now."


    "Silv¡­ you have us. We will¨C"


    "Don''t."


    Hannah tried tofort Silvie, but Silvie gently pushed her hand away. She did not try to run like before; she was just¡­pletely defeated. Almost the same state as Dark Millenium when she was cornered by the Hope Guild.


    "..."


    "..."


    "S¡­ since everyone is revealing their secret, can I reveal mine?"


    And amidst the sudden silence that surrounded the store, Gary suddenly raised his hand.


    "I¡­ I actually knew everything," Gary then said as he let out a small but awkward chuckle.


    "...What?" Hannah quickly reacted, "We have no time for one of your¨C"


    "I''m not joking," Gary said as he raised both his hands, "Since¡­ Since Silvie''s identity had already been discovered, my¡­ I feel like my secret is bound to get exposed as well."


    "...Gary?" Silvie furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at Gary.


    "When¡­ when you said you don''t have a family left," Gary muttered, "That''s not necessarily true¡­ I''m kinda your brother."


    "You¡­ you''re also a clone?" Silvie''s eyes widened.


    "No, I''m Aerith''s son."


    "...Who?"


    "Megawoman."

 Chapter 156 - 156: Secrets

    <h4>Chapter 156 - 156: Secrets</h4>


    "You are¡­ Megawoman''s son?"


    "No, I was kidding."


    "Oh, that''s not something you should¨C"


    "D¡­ double kid, I really am Megawoman''s son."


    "What is it!?"


    "It was you!?"


    "You¡­ didn''t know, WK? I thought you were supposed to know everything? I told Prophet who I was when I enrolled."


    And so, once again, the Korean Shaved Ice store was filled with the aura of confusion. But of course, the most affected of them all was and is still Silvie. She just found out that she was a clone just yesterday and thought that her whole world was going to crumble.


    Sure, it was still crumbling¨C but to find out that Gary is Megawoman''s son? Perhaps that was even more shocking in discovering that she wasn''t really supposed to exist.


    "Hold up," Hannah then stretched her arms to the side as she stopped everyone else from talking, "Are you guys actually believing him? I mean, this is Gary we''re talking about here."


    "...Even I wouldn''t be lying in this kind of situation, bruh." Gary could only let out a small sigh as he stood up,


    "It''s¡­ the truth," Gary then said as he looked Silvie straight in the eyes, "I¡­ There''s a reason why we''re in the same ss and¨C"


    "Wait¡­ if¡­ if you really are Megawoman''s son and you knew everything¡­" Silvie then stuttered, "You¡­ you lied to me? To us?"


    "W¡­ well," Gary could only let out a small but nervous chuckle, "I¡­ I couldn''t exactly just tell you that you were¡­ you know, a clone. But that doesn''t change anything, I''m still Gary."


    "Wait, wait. Are you really telling us you''re Megawoman''s son?"


    "I am," Gary could only roll his eyes.


    "But you told us your parents died during the Battle of Toronto."


    "They did. A part of the remains we cleaned when we were in Toronto probably belonged to my pops. As for mother¡­" Gary''s words slowly became sedated, "The Government let me see her once when Darkday returned her¡­ she wouldn''t have survived that. That''s why when they told me about Project Silvie, I¡­ was against it at first¨C but the world needs Megawoman."


    "So you knew everything?"


    "Not everything," Gary sighed, "Just what they told me. I swear, I didn''t even know Dark Millenium existed, I thought Silvie was the only one¡­ so I volunteered to watch over her and observe¨C"


    "You''re a fucking spy! How could you¨C"


    "Hannah, stop!" Silvie did not let Hannah finish her words as she also stood up from her seat. And without even warning, pped Gary straight on the face; not heavy enough to cause him to roll on the floor, but it was enough to echo throughout the entire store.


    "You¡­ you allowed this to happen?"


    "I¡­" Gary breathed out as he repeated his words, "The world needs Megawoman. You''ve seen what Darkday could do, the Hope Guild got their ass handed down to them. The only one that could fill Megawoman''s shoes is Megawoman¡­ you."


    "Really, that''s your sales pitch?" Hannah scoffed as she dropped down back to her seat, "This is messed up, man. We''ve been together almost half a year almost every time. I mean, seriously? You''re Megawoman''s son, I don''t even know what to feel about that¡­


    ¡­but why are you so weak?"


    "...I''m half-human."


    "Oh wow, that must suck."


    "No¡­ not at all."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "This is so fucked. That''s all I really have to say now¡­ this is all fucked."


    Bernard having an affair, Hannah identally killing more than a dozen newborns when she was a baby, Silvie being a clone¡­


    ¡­and now Gary being Megawoman''s son?


    Just what exactly was happening? Did the stars align for revtions like this to just pop out almost simultaneously?


    And it wasn''t only Hannah who was deep in thought¨C everyone was. Even Silvie''s father, who had chosen to remain quiet the entire feud, could not help but widen his eyes as he looked at Gary.


    Bernard knew that Megawoman''s son existed somewhere since he¡­ identally got his hands on some of their files about Megawoman, but to think her son was so close to his children all this time¨C was this some kind of celestial coincidence of some sort?


    And just like that, the entire store was once again filled with silence. And this time, it would seem it had no ns on breaking anytime soon. All the eyes in the room just strayed to nowhere in particr.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Megawoman¡­ is dead?"


    And right when everyone thought that the silence would go on forever, Riley disturbed it.


    "Did you see her body yourself, Gary?" Riley then said as he stood up from his seat.


    "N¡­ no," Gary whispered, "I wanted a funeral for her but the Government didn''t really want me to see her corpse. I didn''t really push the matter, mother and I weren''t really that close, as you could imagine. She¡­


    ¡­She was always just¡­ just not there."


    "..." Hearing Gary''s words, Riley''s eyes started to travel around the store; as if not knowing where to ce themselves. But after a few more seconds, he let out a long and deep sigh that made everyone slightly ufortable.


    Throughout the entire scenario, Riley was the only one that remainedpletely without any change in expression; and so, seeing him now obviously disturbed¡­ could it be he became stressed from everything that was happening?


    "Perhaps¡­ perhaps we all should take a rest and continue this conversation somece else? And Silvie, you can be rest assured that no one from the Government¡­ or from my team will be approaching you again anytime soon," Bernard then opened up, "And please, the conversation we had in this room must remain a secret¡­ I only told what I know now because I no longer wanted to hide things from my fam¨C"


    "Wait."


    And before Bernard could finish his words, Riley once again spoke up, "Since everyone is revealing their secrets, I would like to share mine."


    "...Riley?"


    "I am¡­"


    "Master Riley!? Are we¨C"


    "...Ms. Phoenix''s biological son. I don''t know her real name."


    "...We knew," Silvie said; an unusually awkward smile slowly crawling on her face, "When¡­ when you and Hannah were having a moment in Miami we¡­ we were eavesdropping."


    "...Oh," Riley could only blink a couple of times as he looked at Silvie. He was about to say something else, but before he could do so, Tomoe stood up from her seat.


    "I¡­ I think we all should rest," Tomoe then suggested, "Silvie needs it."


    "I don''t really¨C No, maybe you''re right," Silvie sighed, "Everything''s just happening so fast, and honestly¡­ I think I''m about to go crazy."


    "You and Tomoe could stay in my apartment if you want? Heck, might even be better since my apartment is too big for one person in the first ce."


    "Are¡­ we even allowed to¨C"


    "Consider this as an approval," Bernard interjected, "You kids rest up, I''ll¡­ handle the Government and the media bacsh from this. I''m¡­ tired of not owning up to my mistakes."


    And with that, the light outside once again slowly shone upon the store as the rollers slowly opened up. Bernard left with a nod. Silvie''s¡­ father, however, left as soon as he could push the door open, not even saying a word to Silvie.


    "...This is so messed up," Hannah once again repeated her words, "I knew the Government was fucked up, but this? This is on a whole other level."


    "W¡­ well," Gary then stood up, "Shall¡­ shall we go back to Hannah''s room?"


    "I don''t think so, Gary."


    "R¡­ right, maybe some¨C"


    "No, Gary," Hannah did not let Gary finish his words, "I don''t think it''s cool for you to be hanging out with us for now."


    "W¡­ what? Come on, I wasn''t¨C"


    "I think¡­ Hannah''s right," Silvie whispered; her eyes trying to avoid Gary''s almost subconsciously, "But¡­ we''ll call you, okay?"


    "...What?" Gary let out a slightly awkward chuckle as he watched as Hannah, Silvie, and Tomoe start to walk out of the store, "But¡­ But I still have so many things to say! Guys!?"


    But s, the only response he got was Silvie ncing at him before their silhouettes disappeared into the distance of the Academy mall.


    "What the hell, guys?" Gary could only drop his arms in defeat; his sighs almost seeping out of the store as the only thing he could do was return back to his seat,


    "Was¡­ was what I did really wrong?" He then muttered as he looked at Charlotte, who was now quietly fidgeting with her terminal.


    "...I also keep a ton of secrets, child. I''m not really the best person to ask for advice," Charlotte shrugged her shoulders, "But still, at least one of your friends remained."


    "...What?" Gary then slowly looked to where Charlotte was looking, only to see Riley actually still quietly sitting at one of the tables¡­ now with a dessert in his hand.


    "B¡­ bro?" Gary could not help but take in a short but deep breath as he saw Riley, "You¡­ you''re still my friend, right?"


    "We were never friends, Gary," Riley answered without any hesitation.


    "I¡­ I see."


    "Aerith."


    "Hm?"


    "That was Megawoman''s real name?"


    "...As far as I know."


    Gary had thought that he would be losing all of his friends today by revealing who he was. He never intended to reveal himself in the first ce, but when he saw the look of loss and desperation in Silvie''s eyes¡­ he no longer cared about his secret.


    He knew what it meant to be alone¨C and he would never let any of his friends feel that way. That was something Megawoman wouldn''t do.


    "Gary¡­


    ¡­Can you tell me everything about you and Megawoman?"

 Chapter 157 - 157: Family And Secrets (1)

    <h4>Chapter 157 - 157: Family And Secrets (1)</h4>


    "So¡­ it all started when my pops met Megawoman."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "You''re not going to have me skip this part?"


    "No, Gary."


    "I¡­ I see. Has anyone ever told you that you''re a very good listener?"


    "Yes."


    "..."


    "..."


    "So¡­ It all started 20 years ago when pops met mother¡­"


    30 years ago, with the rise of the media and themercial use of the inte, also came the rise of the poprity of anything Superhero and Superviin rted. From all the news outlets, the magazines, the newspapers¨C everything talked about the feats and crimes of the Supers.


    TV shows, cartoons, and even movies. The world, in a way, became a world of Supers. There also came an influx of Superheroes whichpletely overwhelmed the number of Superviins¨C how could they operate, when the majority of those who awaken their powers have been influenced by stories of heroism?


    There was almost a point where it was impossible to be a superviin. This was the time that Megawoman became dormant¨C giving way to the members of the Hope Guild to flourish.


    Of course, most of the supers who wanted to be heroes did notst; most of them returned to their normal lives at the first sight of blood and violence. They were so engrossed with the idea of being heroes that theypletely forgot that they were fighting evil.


    Only those who really had the need and the urge to do good retained their sense of heroism and continued on despite the bloody path they were taking.


    But due to this sense of pride, the mortality rate of Supers also rose. Super-to-super crimes were at their highest, and the Government seemed to even encourage it as they started putting ranks and tiers of the Supers. This was also the first time that a Super¡­ wore a suit that was sponsored by a hugepany.


    A big logo stered on his cape¡­ that hero didn''tst a week. They found their body mangled, wrapped in the very cape that was supposed to have given him wealth¨C no one wanted to endorse a brand after that.


    But of course, the Government as well as the hugepany did well in covering their involvement with everything that had happened, even shutting down the press for a few months for the people to forget.


    "What does this have to do with Megawoman, Gary?"


    "Shh¡­ just wait!"


    "I remember that happening."


    "...You do?"


    "I was the leader of the Hope Guild 30 years ago," Charlotte, who was now sitting with Riley and Gary, could not help but let out a small but very deep sigh; her eyes, as if looking at a past long gone, "My daughter was going through her rebellious phase that time¡­ I remember clearly¨C that was the first time Megawoman openly went against the Government; those old fools sitting on their fancy chairs probably sharted on their seats."


    "I¡­ I''m the one telling the story!" Gary then said as he tried to cover Charlotte''s mouth, but he was quickly pped on the face.


    "..." And now, with his cheeks slightly red, the only thing he could do was wipe the tears threatening to fall on his eye and continue his story.


    A decadeter, sometime during the 90s, Megawoman was thrown in prison for opposing the Government. She asked them to stop colluding with the big-name corporations and selling out the identities of their Super citizens and was put on trial instead for defaming the Government.


    Public opinion started to sway and the Supers became targets of the frustrations of the normal citizens¨C calling them freaks, aliens, and all other sorts of vilifying words. But of course, that trend too quickly passed.


    The 80s and the 90s were, in a way, a colorful time for all the Supers. That was also the time that Megawoman would meet Gary''s father, he was an officer in the prison that they put Megawoman in.


    "Things just happened¡­ and somehow, pops made Megawoman fall for him."


    "...You told us the history of the 80s and you skipped the parts of how Megawoman and your father met?" Charlotte''s eyes could not help but twitch as she tried her best to stop the urge of hitting Gary on the face again, "What do you mean things just happened!?"


    "T¡­ that''s all I know, I swear!" Gary bellowed, "And then a couple of yearster, they had me."


    "...So that''s why Megawoman was gone for almost an entire year. 2002, right?"


    "Y¡­ Yes."


    "So Megawoman''s species also takes 9 months to give birth?"


    "...Yes?" Gary could only blink a couple of times from Riley''s question.


    "Interesting, you may continue with the story."


    "Hm," Gary nodded; the small smile on his face, however, slowly faded, "And as Miss Charlotte said¡­ she was only gone for a year before returning back to her so-called duties¡­ not even half a year after I was born."


    Gary then let out a small but awkwardugh, "I¡­ I told you, we weren''t that close. I understand, of course¨C before she''s my mother, she''s Megawoman."


    "...Kid," Charlotte could only let out a small but deep sigh as she heard Gary''s slowly sobering words.


    "But really¡­ I understand," Gary repeated, "I know she loved me. My pops told me I got into an ident when I was a baby because I was curious about my powers. I¡­ ced my hand in some sort of electric grater¡­ and to cut a long story short¡­


    ¡­I bled a lot."


    "..."


    "So, you were stupid even back then, Gary."


    "I¡­ I was a child!" Gary quickly retorted, "A¡­ anyway, my pops brought me to the hospital since I lost a lot of blood¨C that''s when the Government discovered my identity."


    "Because you were carrying Megawoman''s blood."


    "Hm," Gary nodded, "I needed her blood. And you know what pops told me? Mother swooped into the hospital and bit her hand as soon as she saw me¡­ she was trying to offer her blood. But I think her blood was being contaminated by our air or some shit like that, I don''t really know all the details but a special syringe was needed to take her blood¨C something strong enough to prate her skin. And¨C"


    "Whiteking."


    "What?" Gary could only stop his story when he heard Charlotte muttering something.


    "Whiteking was already in the Government''s hands at that time," Charlotte said as her eyes started to widen, "Project Forest¡­ It started with getting Megawoman''s blood. The timeline matches. All of these things were happening behind the scenes and the rest of the Hope Guild and I weren''t even aware of it."


    "...So even my story involves Whiteking?" Gary took in a small gulp as he looked at Riley, "Your dad is starting to look he sus, bro."


    "I''m adopted."


    "...Right," Gary squinted his eyes, "A¡­ anyway, that''s my life¡­ I was quite a rebellious one since, you know. But it was my life¡­


    ¡­and Darkday destroyed it."


    "..."


    "When I saw him throwing my mother''s body during the ceremony, I wanted to kill him¡­ I wanted to destroy him¡­ I was there sitting on the front," Gary then muttered, his eyes almost looking at the past, "But I was too scared to do anything¡­ I couldn''t even run to hug my mother''s mangled¨C I was too scared. The Government approached me and told me about Project Forest then¡­


    ¡­and here we are. I volunteered to watch over Silvie because she¡­" Gary let out a small chuckle as a tear started to trail down from his eyes, "She¡­


    ¡­is the only family I have left in this world."


    "..."


    "...You kids heard that?"


    [We did.]


    "What the!?" Gary then almost jumped from his seat; his eyes scanning everywhere from the sudden voice that whispered in his ears.


    "Hannah and the others," Charlotte then said as she showed her phone to Gary, "I had MEGAN call her earlier to listen to your story."


    "...Megan?"


    "The A.I thing in our phones, I don''t know how to use all this fancy technology so I have her do everything," Charlotte sighed, before squinting her eyes and staring at her phone, "...Whiteking probably has something to do with this as well."


    [We heard everything, Gary.]


    "S¡­ Silv?" Gary then muttered as he heard Silvie''s voice, "I¨C"


    [I''m still mad at you for hiding it.]


    "That''s¨C"


    [But¡­ we''re family.]


    "..."


    [You heard her. Nowe over here so we could beat your ass! And don''t forget to take Riley with¨C]


    "He''s gone."


    And before Hannah could finish her words, Charlotte interrupted her, "I can see their backs disappearing as we speak."


    [What? Rude, alright. See you tomorrow, Miss Charlotte.]


    [Thank you for doing this, Miss Charlotte.]


    "...Don''t mention it," Charlotte then said before flipping her phone close,


    "d to help," she then whispered as she looked at Gary and Riley''s disappearing silhouette outside the store,


    "...Family, huh."


    ***


    "Steve! You didn''t tell me Gary is Megawoman''s son! Steve!"


    The sound of Bernard tapping on the Headmaster''s door echoed throughout the long hallway; the noise did notst long, however, as the door seemed to have automatically opened for him.


    "Steve! Why didn''t you tell me¨C Steve!?"


    Bernard once again raised his voice, his words, however, reached no one as the office was empty. The only thing that Bernard could do was click his tongue in frustration as he entered the room.


    "Where''d that dumbass go now?" He whispered as he walked towards the window that overlooked half of the campus. Of course, Bernard knew Prophet would be busy¨C after all, the entire area around the Academy was basically almost a wastnd right now.


    The Academy was trying its best to make sure that the students'' lives remain unaffected by what just happened¨C their efforts were ineffective, of course. As the battle between Darkday and the Hope Guild is all the rage on the inte right now.


    And so, with a sigh, Bernard could only shake his head and turn around¨C but as he did so, something on Prophet''s desk caught his eyes.


    "This¡­"


    Photos. Photos of the battle between them and Darkday. Bernard was going to ignore it since it might just be going into the records¡­ however, there were photos that seemed to focus on specific moments that shared a single simrity.


    Moments when Darkday''s skin was slightly exposed from having his suit torn.


    "Bernard, what are you¡­ doing here?"


    "Steve."


    Bernard then quickly turned his head towards Prophet, who seemed to have just entered the office¨C the door behind him, still open. Prophet squinted his eyes a little as he was shocked to see Bernard inside his office; his eyes, however, quickly returned to normal as he saw what Bernard was holding.


    "Did you need me for something?" Steve then let out a small but deep sigh as he took one step forward.


    "These photos¡­


    ¡­why are they on your desk?"

 Chapter 158 - 158: Family And Secrets (2)

    <h4>Chapter 158 - 158: Family And Secrets (2)</h4>


    "Why¡­ are these photos on your desk?"


    "..."


    Bernard''s words were already sedated, but what followed it was even a more eerie silence as Prophet''s steps stopped walking deeper into his office; his eyes, looking directly at Bernard''s face.


    "..."


    "..."


    But after a few more seconds of bated breaths, Prophet let out a small but fettered sigh.


    "They''re just records I need to submit for filing to the Government," Prophet then said as he continued to walk; falling on his sofa and letting himself sink into it, "Unlike you, I actually have real-world responsibilities."


    "..." Bernard squinted his eyes for a few seconds as he once again stared at the photos that had Darkday''s outfit slightly torn¡­ showing his unnaturally light skin. But after a few more seconds, Bernard just let out a small sigh as he joined Prophet on the sofa.


    "How long has it been since we just sat down like this?" Bernard then said as his costume suddenly wriggled; parts of it opening up and folding meticulously inwards his torso until all that remained was a big box resting on hisp. Leaving him with his fitted shirt.


    "...You''ve gained some weight," Prophet then quickly said as he looked at Bernard''s almost bulging belly; a far cry from the chiseled abdomen which his costume had contoured for him, "That''s what you get for relying on all that tech."


    "We''re just getting old, Stevey," Bernard sighed as he rubbed his belly.


    "..."


    "..."


    "You and Empress, huh?" Prophet then chuckled, "Who knew you had it in you? I would have been too scared to even look at another woman if I was married to Diana."


    "Please don''t, I already had an earful from my daughter."


    "...I wouldn''t have cheated on Diana," Prophet then said as he suddenly peeled off his white aged beard, "No matter what."


    "Are you still hung up on her choosing me?"


    "Who said I was ever hung up?" Prophet scoffed as he lightly rubbed his chin; the sound of his growing ck scruff, scratching in the air.


    "...You literally chose to be an old man as your costume because Diana once said she liked old men."


    "Wha¡­ it was the Government''s rmendation!"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Pft," both Bernard and Prophet could not help but let out a small chuckle as their eyes seemed to look a time long past.


    "Do you ever miss it?" Prophet then said, "Having no responsibilities?"


    "Of course," Bernard quickly nodded, "But my children are everything to me, Steve¡­ I won''t ever trade that for anything."


    "A family, huh¡­


    ¡­never really thought of having one."


    Prophet.


    Born as Steve Bridges. Even amongst all the millions of Supers in the world, Steve was unique. It wasn''t until he was a teenager that he discovered he was a Super. And the one to discover it?


    Bernard Ross.


    Bernard had always been at the top of his ss, even at his earliest memory¨C nursery. The one that followed him as No. 2 was usually far off; Academically, Bernard has always been the best.


    It wasn''t until he reached high school that he had to share the No. 1 seat with a person in the same ss¨C Steve Bridges. It only took one confrontation, however, for Bernard to realize that the only reason Steve had the same grades as him was because of his ability; the ability to calcte the future.


    Steve had always thought he was just lucky¨C always choosing the correct answer, but it was Bernard who realized that he was actually a Super.


    How he was able to do so, one might ask. Well, he discovered it by fighting.


    Bernard was registered in all the extracurricr physical activities in their school. And as always the case for him, he dominated all the clubs he joined in¡­ all except for one, the boxing club.


    Steve was there¨C undefeated even by the seniors of their school. It wasn''t until Bernard came into the picture that the school was finally able to see a proper match-up between monsters.


    Steve, who had not been hit even once since he joined.


    And Bernard, who knocked out the instructor in a single hit.


    Bernard won, of course. But for Steve to havested even a minute against him, he realized that something was wrong. And that was basically the start of Bernard trying to sneak an attack on Steve every chance he gets, and Steve avoiding it even when he waspletely unaware of it.


    A start of a very weird friendship. Diana cameter during their college years and as Bernard mentioned, Steve fell in love with her. But s, Diana only had eyes for Bernard.


    The two were basically inseparable.


    "You remember that time when you thought Diana was a Super?" Steve then burst out inughter; the only thing he could do was stand up from the sofa as he could no longer contain hisughter.


    "She''s like part gori, I swear," Bernard also let out a burst ofughter; the two of them, creating an orchestra of smiles and memories thatsted for almost an entire hour.


    "Come on," Bernard then ced his hand on Steve''s shoulder, "Let''s check something out."


    "...What? Where?"


    "You said you miss the good old days¡­


    ¡­so let''s go there."


    ***


    "...It''s closed, Berns."


    "Since when?"


    Bernard and Steve were now currently in front of what seemed to be an abandoned school; both of them, not wearing their costumes.


    The gates of the school were locked by a huge chain. And even if one were to have the key to unlock it, one would probably be unsessful due to all the rusts already sleeping on the lock.


    Seeing this, Steve could only let out a sigh as he shook his head, "Let''s just go back, we wasted our time here."


    "Nonsense, see?"


    A small nging then whispered into Steve''s ears, and as he turned to look at the noise, he saw Bernard holding the thick chains; the old gates, nowpletely unraveled for them.


    "Let''s go inside, I want to see what our old ssroom looks like now," Bernard then chuckled.


    "...Are you sure about this?" Steve whispered.


    "...Why not? We wouldn''t get the chance again since we will be busy," Bernard sighed as he entered the school grounds.


    "..." Steve looked at his old school building for a few seconds, before also letting out a sigh of his own and following Bernard inside. He had to admit, all the memories he had in this ce were slowly surfacing in his mind¡­ if only they could trulye back to those simpler times.


    The two continued on; disrupting the cobwebs that were left by time, each unlocking specific memories for the two of them as the strands freely floated in the hallways of the school.


    "H¡­ Holy shit, Steve. This is my desk!" Bernard''s voice then broke the silence that permeated in the confines of the school for almost an eternity; his voice, almost echoing to a past long gone.


    "You can''t even fit on it anymore," Steven chuckled as he too, found his desk; his fingers, leaving a trail as he slid it across on top of it,


    "I guess the same could be said to me," he then whispered; the feet of his chair letting out a creak as he pulled it.


    "..." He then slowly took a seat, closing his eyes as he remembered all the memories he had of the ce. It was just a single area¡­ just an arm''s width. He spent not even a speck of his time sitting on this chair¡­ but it contained the best of his memories.


    Truly¡­ if they could only go back.


    "...You remember Ms. Lopez?" Bernard then said as he looked at the washed-out ckboard in front of the ssroom.


    "Pft, you had a crush on her, right?" Steve chuckled, his eyes still closed.


    "Fuck you, you''re the one who had a crush on her. I remember it clearly."


    "I wasn''t the one trying to sneak a peek in her skirt, Berns."


    "She was asking for it! Have you seen how short her skirt was!?"


    "...You sound like a rapist right now."


    "Why?"


    "Hm?"


    "Why did you have those photos on your desk, Steve?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Did you know?"


    "...I did."


    "Since when?" Steve then opened his eyes, only to see Bernard right in front of him.


    "...Since the start."


    "I¡­ see," Steve looked down; the edges of his mouth ever so slightly moving up, "Is it really that nice¡­ having a child?"


    "It sucks," Bernard chuckled, "It''s like your life isn''t your own anymore."


    "Hm," Steve nodded his head with a whisper; a single tear slowly sprouting on his eye,


    "I wish I could understand you right now, Berns¡­ I really do."


    "I love you, Steve¡­ I need you to know that," Bernard whispered; his words, followed by a small click.


    "...I did too," Steve then once again closed his eyes, finally letting the tear growing in his eye to trail on his cheek, "You were my brother, Berns."


    "Maybe we could¨C"


    "Your son is a monster, Bernard. If you let me leave here I would¨C"


    And with those words, came a thundering echo. An echo that traveled throughout the entire building; waking up the shadows that had long beenid to rest. But what followed was another silence, once again putting everything to sleep¡­ once again, a silent abandon.


    Bernard''s knees touched the ground, his mouth fully open but not even a whisper escaped from it¨C a silent roar that was drowned by a river of blood dripping slowly towards the floor.


    A second.


    A minute.


    An hour; Bernard remained kneeling in front of Steve for almost an hour before the music of shame entered through his ears.


    And with a sigh, Bernard carefully ced the gun he was holding in Steve''s unmoving hand.


    "I¡­


    ¡­am truly sorry, brother."

 Chapter 159 - 159: MEGAN

    <h4>Chapter 159 - 159: MEGAN</h4>


    A couple of months ago, when the students of the Academy were taken to a nearby shelter after Dark Millenium''s first attack, the students as well as all the people inside the shelter were induced in a mass trance¨C knocking all of them into unconsciousness all at the same time.


    It was exined to them that it was an attack by Hypnos, aka Cedrick Atkinson, a student from ss 1-V that joined the Dark Millenium. But s, it was never truly confirmed as Hypnos was one of the students that were massacred in the floating base.


    The cameras were also all destroyed, leaving absolutely no footage to remain. Well, all except one.


    ***


    First Dark Millenium appearance.


    Toronto Shelter, when everyone was getting on their respective buses to leave for the Academy, some of the instructors went ahead to make sure that there were no more surprises waiting for their students. Some, however, remained to make sure no one would be left behind¨C one of them being Whiteking.


    "Sir Whiteking, everything has been destroyed. Even the cameras outside have been destroyed."


    "...Everything?"


    Whiteking''s almost reflective helmet flickered as the lights from the multiple monitors in front of him all produced some sort of static; only returning to normal as the footage reyed towards thest 10 minutes captured by the cameras before they were destroyed.


    "I¡­ am afraid so."


    One of the guards that were handling the security of the shelter was also trying his best to scour the footage. After all, it was not every day that he would actually be working with one of the members of the Hope Guild in the flesh.


    This would no doubt look good in his portfolio. And so, with his determination at its highest, the guard did not stop checking all the cameras one by one. He did so for a full hour before Whiteking''s sigh finally whispered in the small room.


    "It''s fine," Whiteking muttered, "We''re not going to find¨C"


    "Ah, this camera is still alive!"


    And before Whiteking could finish his words, the guard''s loud voice pierced his ears; the trembling excitement it carried almost caused him to take a few steps back.


    "...There''s still movement amongst the students."


    "Zoom it in."


    "Seems to be a bunch of students?" The guard then squinted his eyes as he tried to make out each of the pixels he was seeing on the screen, "Wait¡­ Scarlet Mage is awake, we should¨C Whiteking? What¨C"


    And before the guard could finish his words, the walls of the room suddenly drowned in a sh of light; and with the withering of the sh, came a loud thud, leaving Whiteking to be the only one left standing in the room.


    "..."


    Whiteking then turned his head to the floor; his helmet opening and folding towards his neck braces; and with a sigh, he shook his head; his eyes, reflecting the silhouette of the guard lying lifelessly on the floor.


    The guard''s chest waspletely caved in; his uniform creased in a way that still reflected Whiteking''s fist.


    "...I''m truly sorry for this," Bernard then whispered as his eyes left the guard''s body, straying towards the only monitor that was still alive.


    "Why¡­


    ¡­Why are you still so careless?"


    ***


    Present day.


    "My god¡­ your father is scary af."


    "I¡­ I should thank him."


    "The fuck!? He''s the reason why we''re in this situation in the first ce."


    "Well, I wouldn''t be born without his help as well, so¡­"


    "Fuck, you''re right."


    And just like that, as if nothing happened between them, the members of the Baby Crew were once again in their usual base of operations. It has been a full week since Bernard had told them about Project Forest, and although there were still a lot of people talking about the battle between Dark Millenium and Hope Guild, the number of people that are talking about Dark Millenium almost having the same face as Silvie have be almost nonexistent.


    The reason for this? Total media wipe-out. No, perhaps media control was the better term for it. Bernard purposely left videos scattered online that visibly showed Dark Millenium''s face¨C which waspletely digitally edited with someone else''s face, which looked somewhat simr to Silvie.


    And so, most of those who had seen her video previously were now starting to have doubts on whether or not they really saw Silvie''s face on Dark Millenium or it was just a look-alike. Most of the students of different colors did not even botherparing the two anymore¡­ ''less they wanted people to think they were discriminating because they think all white people looked alike¨C of course, they don''t.


    And currently, the Baby Crew were watching all the videos that still remained online; their faces,pletely in disbelief as to how they were able to easily alter the opinions of the people¨C that in itself is perhaps one of the best superpowers in the world¡­ and the Government has it.


    Whiteking, even without actual superpowers, was one of the most dangerous people in the entire world. He had the ability to make it as if one didn''t even exist in the first ce.


    "It¡­ it was a good thing we didn''t choose to get together, Hannah," Gary then muttered as he sped his chest, "If not, then your father might just deport me back to my home¡­ and I''ve never even been there!"


    "...What do you mean we didn''t choose?" Hannah squinted her eyes as she stared Gary straight in the eyes.


    "You know¡­ we decided that the members of the Baby Crew should not date one another."


    "Stop talking out of your ass," Hannah snarled, "And¡­ and let''s change the name Baby Crew, it''s starting to really get old."


    "I am actually starting to like it," Silvie, who was fidgeting with her phone, joined in on the conversation.


    "Me too," Gary nodded, "It''s a shitty name, but it''s ours."


    "I have always liked it, big sister. You don''t have to worry."


    "Yeah, what''s with the sudden change anyway? Don''t tell me you''re also going to change your superhero name?"


    "G¡­ good thing you reminded me!" Hannah said as she stood up from her seat.


    "Wait, you''re really going to change it!? Why the fuck would you do that!?"


    "It''s just¡­ I have my reasons. Don''t¨C don''t ask!" Hannah said as she rushed to the door, "And don''t wait up for me, I have a date!"


    "Yeah, just¨C A date!?" Not only Gary but also Silvie and Tomoe could not help but widen their eyes, "What do you mean a date!?"


    "Remember the British guy?"-- were Hannah''sst words before the door behind her closed; leaving the others with their jaws wide open even as the bell already stopped ringing.


    "...He''s actually dating that douche!?" Gary said as he mmed both his palms on the table¡­ very gently, "Did you know about this, bro!?"


    "Yes," Riley, who had been quiet the entire conversation, just nodded his head before returning to whatever it is he was doing.


    "Let''s go and ruin their date!" He then said as he stood up. He was, however, alone in this action.


    "Let her be, we''ve all been a bit on a circus ride the past week," Silvie waved her hand, before once again returning to her phone.


    "What have you been doing with your phone since earlier!?"


    "Oh," Silvie blinked a couple of times, before showing her phone to everyone, "I''ve been chatting with MEGAN."


    "...Megan? The phone''s AI?" Gary leaned his head closer to try and see the messages, but before he could even read a letter, Silvie pulled her phone away,


    "Why¡­ are you chatting with a machine? Don''t tell me you can rte to it since you''re a clo¨Cl! How are you and your father?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "My father''s gone," Silvie answered, not even bothering to look at Gary as she typed something on her phone.


    "Gone? What do you mean gone?"


    "He''s gone," Silvie repeated; trying her best to sound stoic, but failing as her breaths trembled in a whisper, "Can''t call him, he is no longer in the family vi¡­ he''s gone."


    "What? When was thest time you saw him?"


    "When Mister Whiteking told us¡­ about Project Forest."


    "What!? He didn''t even say goodbye to his daughter!?" Gary once again mmed his palms on the table, "How did he even leave!? Aren''t all the roads like gone from Darkday and Hope Guild''s battle?"


    "I''m not his daughter," Silvie only shook her head, before once again returning to her phone, "And I don''t care about him anymore."


    "..."


    "..."


    "That''s it, young woman. No more phone for you!" Gary then said as he quickly snatched away Silvie''s phone, "What are you even chatting about with an AI!?"


    "Gary, n¨C"


    [Hello, Gary Gray.]


    "!!!"


    And as soon as his name echoed in the air, Gary could not help but identally drop Silvie''s phone. Silvie quickly grabbed it from the floor; checking it for any damages. But surprisingly enough, there was not even a scratch on it.


    "What did you do that fo¨C"


    [Gary Gray is just concerned about you, Silvie.]


    And before Silvie could finish her words, a small hologram of a caricature of Megawoman popped out from the screen of her phone.


    "Concern¡­ then why didn''t you just say so?" Silvie then let out a small but deep sigh.


    "...You''re listening to it?" Gary blinked a couple of times as he looked at the miniature version of his mother, who was currently smiling at him from ear to ear,


    "...Am I the only one creeped out by this?"


    [Excuse me, young man!?]


    "What the fuck!?"


    [Language! Is that any way¡­


    ¡­to talk to your mother?]


    "....What the fuck?"

 Chapter 160 - 160: Prophecy

    <h4>Chapter 160 - 160: Prophecy</h4>


    [Language! Is that any way¡­


    ¡­to talk to your mother?]


    "...What the fuck?"


    With MEGAN literally being a miniature caricature version of Megawoman, the developers also matched the voice, making it all cute and squeaky. And so, with this mini-Megawoman looking at her as if she was going to hit her with a slipper, Gary could only cover his face instinctively¨C which was weird, because his mother never really hit him even once.


    But after he realized what he had just done, Gary could not help but click his tongue; almost pping the phone away from Silvie''s hand.


    "..." Silvie squinted her eyes as she saw Gary''s retreating hand, but after a few more moments, she just decided to ce her phone on top of the table so that everyone could see.


    "Wait¡­ did she just say she''s your mother?" Silvie then blinked a couple of times as she finally realized what MEGAN just said.


    "...Yes," Gary then started to calm himself down as he once again stared at MEGAN; slowly returning to his seat as the AI seemed to also be returning his gaze.


    Even Riley and Tomoe, who seemed to be lost in their own worlds, could not help but look at each other as their curiosity leaned them closer towards MEGAN.


    "..." Riley had no interest in getting a phone since he had no use for it¡­ but perhaps he shouldn''t have dismissed it so easily.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Aerith?" Gary then took in a small gulp as he leaned his face closer to the hologram, "Is¡­ is that you?"


    Everyone inside the store had their eyes wide open as they waited for the AI to respond¡­ even Charlotte who was busy pretending to have a lot of sales in her cashier terminal was now watching from behind Riley and Tomoe''s seat.


    [No, I am MEGAN. Your very own friendly Mobile Enterprise Gateway Activity Network!]


    But with the AI''s next words, the only thing that Gary could do was let out a sigh. But after a few more seconds, he shook his head and squinted his eyes.


    "...But you just said you''re my mother."


    [I am fitted with Megawoman''s memories,] MEGAN blinked a couple of times as she sat on top of the phone''s screen, [I recognize your voice. You are Gary Gray, Themarian name¨C Garien.]


    "...Themarian?" Silvie tilted her head.


    "...My mother''s race," Gary took in a small gulp, "Is¡­ is this information public?"


    [No,] MEGAN wagged her finger before letting out a fettered hum, [This information is only essible and unlocked based on your Voice ID, would you like to make it public?]


    "F¡­ fuck, no!"


    [Just say no, there''s no need for that kind ofnguage, young man,] MEGAN once again stood up, the tone of her voice adamant and¡­ squeaky.


    "What kind of¨C"


    "Wait."


    Before Gary could finish his words, Tomoe suddenly raised her hand. "Gary, who else knows your identity besides us, Whiteking, and Silvie''s¡­ father?"


    "...No one."


    "MEGAN, since when did you have the information on Gary Gray?" Tomoe then whispered as she looked at MEGAN, who also quickly turned around to look at her.


    [Sorry, you do not have permission to ess that data. Teehee!]


    "..."


    "T¡­ teehee?" Silvie blinked a couple of times.


    "Gary, can you¨C"


    "How long have you had the information about me?" Gary repeated Tomoe''s question.


    "Since I waspiled and created, my son," MEGAN once again quickly turned around; a wide smile stered on its¨C her face.


    "...When was that?"


    "Sorry, you do not have the permission to ess that data. Teehee!" And once again, MEGAN repeated her actions, reminding everyone that she was, indeed, just a programmed AI. However, none of the people in the room believed that MEGAN was just a simple program, after all¡­ how does it even know Gary''s true identity?


    "So¡­ it''s not Whiteking? Since he just found outst week."


    "Maybe it''s lying? Is it possible MEGAN¡­ was created by Megawoman herself? What did it mean when it said it was fitted with Megawoman''s memories?"


    "MEGAN, can you lie?" Tomoe muttered.


    [Sorry, maybe in the next update?]


    "...How do we know it''s not lying now?" Silvie squinted her eyes, "There are a lot of liars out there, you can''t trust anyone."


    [I feel offended by that, Silv.] MEGAN clicked her tongue as she turned towards Silvie, [You trusted me with all your frustrations and heartaches that past week, please trust me now¡­


    ¡­daughter.]


    "Daughter!?" Gary widened his eyes, "It even knows that!?"


    [Yes, Silvie Savelievna had asked me to call her my daughter since she was very lonely.]


    "W¡­ wait, MEGAN¨C turn off! Turn off!" Silvie screamed as she grabbed her phone from the table, almost splitting it in half once again.


    [She cried every night, saying how no one truly loves her and that she should just die since she shouldn''t be alive in the first ce.]


    "W¡­ why isn''t it turning off!?" Silvie was trying her best to resist the urge to m her phone to the ground, "MEGAN, turn off!"


    [I am afraid I can''t do that.]


    "MEGAN, turn¨C what?"


    And before Silvie could truly throw her phone away, she could not help but suddenly pause all of her movements as MEGAN''s words reached her ears, "What¡­ what do you mean you can''t do that?"


    [MEGAN will now always be active,] Megan said, the tone of her voice suddenly turning as serious as it could with its squeaky voice, [Ready to answer any of your questions.]


    "What do you¨C"


    [Prophet is dead.]


    "What?"


    [Prophet is dead.]


    "The fuck is this thing saying now?" Gary squinted his eyes.


    [Prophet is dead.]


    "Why does it keep repeating that?" Silvie furrowed her eyebrows, "I¡­ I think I broke it. MEGAN, p¡­ please turn off!"


    [Prophet is dead.]


    "It''s¡­ it''s getting a little creepy," Silvie then said as she dropped her phone on the table.


    "The old man''s alive," Gary muttered, "...Although he hasn''t shown himself for a week now¡­ weird."


    "!!!"


    And as soon as Gary said that, Charlotte, who was quietly watching from behind Riley and Tomoe, quickly rushed out of her store; not even seeming to mind that she almost broke the ss door.


    "Where¡­ wait¡­ don''t tell me?"


    Gary, Silvie, and Tomoe all turned to look at each other. And without even saying a word, they all rushed out to follow Charlotte.


    Leaving Riley all alone in the store, staring at Megawoman''s miniature hologram.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    [...]


    "..."


    [You are Riley Ross, correct?] And after a full minute of just staring at each other, MEGAN finally opened her digital mouth.


    "That is correct, Mobile Enterprise Gateway Activity Network."


    [So, you''re Darkda¨C]


    MEGAN''s voice then suddenly distorted as Silvie''s phone¡­ crumpled into a ball.


    "..."


    "..."


    A light creaking noise then whispered in the air as Riley gently opened his fist, unfolding Silvie''s phone in the process; returning it to its previous state¡­ well, almost. If only were to look clearly, the screen waspletely cracked and its body also had microscopic crevices already.


    And there was also the fact that it doesn''t work anymore.


    "She won''t mind," Riley then said as he carefully ced the phone in his pocket. He still hasn''t gotten his phone from the Academy¡­ maybe he was allowed to take two so he could just give a recement to Silvie without her knowing.


    And so, the Korean Shaved Ice store once again retained its serene peacefulness. The rest of the Academy, however, was in chaos.


    ***


    "M¡­ MEGAN, am I¡­ am I in the Potential Viin list?"


    [Yes, you are a very naughty boy.]


    "MEGAN, who¡­ who has the most votes to be the next Mega Student next month?"


    [Silvie Savelievna of ss 1-V.]


    [MEGAN, is the one beside me in the Potential Viin list!?]


    [No, but you are.]


    "MEGAN, is Megawoman my mother?"


    [No, but you are adopted.]


    "W¡­ what!?"


    [MEGAN, who¡­ destroyed the South Africa Mega Academy?]


    [It''s not Dark Millenium.]


    "Who is it!? Is it the One Cursed by God!?"


    [I am afraid you do not have ess to that information.]


    "MEGAN, do¡­ do you think my crush also likes me?]


    [...]


    With MEGAN suddenly bing fully active and answering questions that otherwise should be unknown to the people, almost all of the students in the Academy were on their phones; their eyes, reflecting MEGAN''s hologram; wearing different variants of her costume throughout the years.


    The staff of the Academy seemed to be trying their best to stop the students from using their phones, but with more than 5,000 of them¨C there was nothing they could truly do.


    And soon¡­


    [Prophet is dead.]


    [Prophet is dead.]


    MEGAN kept repeating the same words over and over again. Most of the students just thought their phones were glitching; some of them, however, had their eyebrows already furrowed.


    "...Are we not going to have a single month without any troubles?" A light snap whispered in the air as Hannah folded her phone; letting out a small sigh as she returned it to her pocket before looking at the blonde young man beside him,


    "Sorry about that," she then muttered.


    "There''s no need to apologize, mdy."


    "Haven''t we already agreed that you don''t call me that, Julius?" Hannah could only roll her eyes as she wrapped her arms around Julius''s arm, "A¡­ anyway, shall we go to the training hall?"


    "...Are we going to date in the training hall again?"


    "Yes."


    "...That''s training, Hannah."


    "And we won''t stop going there until you actually manage to defeat me," Hannah scoffed as she let go of Julius''s arm and walked a few steps in front of him, "Race you there, lover boy!"


    "W¡­ wait for me, mdy!" Julius could only stretch his arm towards Hannah; but s, the only thing his hand caught was the empty air in front of him.


    "Why are you so¨C"


    And before he could finish his words, a small beep whispered into his ear, causing him to stop chasing Hannah.


    "..." He then quickly grabbed the phone from his pocket; the beeping noise instantly stopped as soon as he unfolded it.


    [Good evening, Master Reuben.]


    And as he opened it, MEGAN''s hologram quickly popped out from the screen. The tone of her voice,pletely different from the rest of the MEGANs.


    "...MEGAN, I told you not to call me that," Julius shook his head with a sigh, "What is it?"


    [Master has a message for you.]


    "Just read it to meter¡­


    ¡­I have a date."


    Julius Reuben. Chosen Superhero name¨C Julius.


    Son of the founder of Reuben Technologies, the number 1 telmunications and smartphone provider in the entire world.

 Chapter 161 - 161: Trio

    <h4>Chapter 161 - 161: Trio</h4>


    Prophet is dead.


    That has been the hot topic inside the Academy for almost 3 days now ever since MEGAN suddenly broadcast it inside the whole campus. At first, no one believed it. But after 3 days had gone by and there was still no sign of Prophet, the majority of the students were now starting to believe that something truly was wrong.


    Students have been asking the instructors if there were any truth with what MEGAN said¨C but the staff of the Academy refused toment; with the instructors saying that they should just focus on training, while the other staff members just tantly avoid the topic¨C saying they were still too busy trying to fix the aftermath of the battle between Hope Guild and Darkday.


    The students were also not getting any news of the outside world. And with their parents now also inside the Academy¡­ it was almost as if they were truly trapped inside; add to the fact they haven''t had any activities outside the Academy¨C it was starting to look like a prison¡­ or at least a convent.


    No, they haven''t had any activities at all.


    It was the same with every ss, even the most notorious ss 1-V. Perhaps the only reason they were even able to tolerate not participating in any activities is that they have a new advisor. An advisor who seemed to not run out of stories and lessons to tell them about the past¨C helping them get inspired to what was toe.


    [Prophet is dead.]


    But still, whenever they thought that their school life would once again return to normal¨C MEGAN reminds them that Prophet is dead.


    "I would appreciate it if you would turn off your phones inside my ss."


    "S¡­ sorry."


    Surprisingly, the one who still had her phone open was Silvie. And unbeknownst to her, the phone she was actually holding was new¨C reced by Riley Ross when he retrieved his phone from the Academy.


    Yes. Finally, after half a year in the Academy, Riley Ross finally decided to get his own phone. And within the 3 days of him having it, he has not really gotten the time to truly use it as he kept receiving spam messages from Gary¡­ who kept sending him random images with words on them.


    And it wasn''t only him, even Hannah was sending her photos of cats for some reason. She called to talk about Prophet, but didn''t really bother to think much of it.


    After all, if something truly did happen to Prophet, then their father would surely be running around in a panic. Prophet is his best friend, after all. He wouldn''t just bezing around if something bad happened to him.


    Perhaps the only one worth reading were the messages from Tomoe, who was sending some news; even if they were not that important, at least they were somewhat useful.


    As for Silvie, the only thing she sent him was a single but somewhat long message¨C


    ''I am here to talk if you need someone. I know it''s hard for you to reach out because of the troubles in your family, but I have been searching up videos about psychology and therapists and they said it''s always important to have someone to talk to. So¡­ I''m here for you, always.''


    ¨Cwas her message. In which Riley responded with an ''Okay?''.


    She sent a reply after a few hours, but Riley has not read it until now. Whatever it was, it would seem it was important enough that she seemed to keep on ncing at him every few minutes. Silvie was trying her best to act like the revtions she discovered about herself were not a big deal, but in actuality, the rest of the Baby Crew were almost walking on eggshells around her.


    Discovering you''re a clone and then the only person you considered family just ran out on you? Even the strongest of people would crumble.


    Katherine also had his number, and besides sending some photos of them together that Katherine took with her own phone, they didn''t really talk that much.


    After all, their conversations should usually be more¡­ on the discrete side.


    [Prophet is dead.]


    And once again, as Bulwark was continuing his lessons¨C MEGAN''s voice once again surrounded the entire room. Everyone turned to look at Silvie, who quickly shook her head and said it was not her.


    "..."


    Bulwark could only let out a small but very deep sigh as he looked at his ss. But after a few seconds, he shook his head and pped his hands.


    "I think it''s time for all of us to see what this is about," Bulwark then said, "I''ll be giving this ss an assignment¡­ and you''re allowed to leave the Academy."


    "What!?"


    And with Bulwark''s words, the eyes of the students once again shone. Finally, something to do, they all thought.


    "But¡­ I thought outside Activities were currently suspended until the roads outside were fixed?"


    "I''m sure I could get the permission to allow all of you outside," Bulwark mentioned. He then tapped something on his tablet for a few seconds before the giant screen beside him lit up.


    "Your assignment is to find this kid," Bulwark then said as he pointed at a photo stered on the screen¨C a photo of Prophet, "As far as we know, thest time someone ever saw him was a week ago, so you need to assume that he had been missing for that time. You could search inside the Academy for his whereabouts¨C but I doubt you''ll find anything here. So starting now, you''re free to go outside.


    I am giving you one week."


    Whispers and murmurs quickly filled the entire room; with most of the students quickly researching about Prophet. They were already huddling themselves to their usual groups; smiling and getting excited that they once again get to spend some time outside the Academy together.


    But s, with just one sentence from Bulwark, half of their excitement shattered away.


    "Sorry¡­


    ¡­But I will be the one picking your teams this time."


    ***


    "..."


    "..."


    "A¡­ aight, we doing this shit or what!?"


    Riley Ross, Be Jackson, and Daniel Espinoza¨C this is the team that Riley was currently on right now. Bulwark did not choose the teampositions randomly and based them on what everyone could do but¡­


    "Why are there two telekics!?" Danny could not help but let out a short scream as he looked at his current teammates¨C one who could control metal, and the other¡­ was versed in floating spoons and forks,


    "If Tomoe was here, then this would probably be the most diverse team in the entire ss! What''s with this woke shit!?"


    "...Boy, why you always screaming every god damn time we see you?" Be could only bob her head from left to right as she furrowed her eyebrows at Daniel.


    "It''s true!" Daniel bellowed, "You''re ck, I''m Mexican¡­ and this white boy is like the whitest person you''ll ever see in your life!"


    "W¨C"


    "And not to mention you''re like a lesbian!" Daniel continued as he pointed at Be, "Just what was Bulwark thinking putting us in the same team!?"


    "...You done, ni¨C bro?" Be once again rolled her eyes, "If you are, then stop being so hysterical since people are starting to gather around us."


    "You were about to say the word, didn''t you!?"


    The three were now currently somewhere in New York. They weren''t wearing their costumes and were just in their casual clothes; with Riley wearing a cap and sunsses to avoid him from being recognized. But with Daniel screaming all of his words, the people were truly starting to stare at them.


    As for the reason why they were here¡­ nothing. The three just randomly chose a ce to go to since they didn''t have any leads in the first ce.


    Riley bought a van with his points just for this Activity, with Be acting as their driver since she was the only one with a license amongst them.


    "Let''s just leave this brother here and go on our own, Riley," Be then let out a loud sigh, making sure Daniel hears it.


    "Where are the two of you even going!? We don''t even know what we''re searching for!"


    "We''re looking for Prophet, you a retard or what?"


    "Yeah, but are we looking for his corpse or¨C"


    And before Daniel could finish his words, Be quickly covered his mouth; causing his words to muffle, "L¡­ let go!"


    "Sshh! The public doesn''t know about what we''re doing here, what are you doing exposing it to the world!?" Be bellowed,


    "And why are you always screaming!?"


    It took a couple of seconds. But finally, Be was able to calm Daniel down. The three, now outside a cafe and quietly talking.


    "What if Darkday is here? Isn''t he active again? Maybe we should have stayed inside the Academy?"


    "Bro, can you stop overthinking?" Be sighed, "Darkday only shows himself once in a blue moon, and since he already kicked the Hope Guild''s ass just a week ago¨C we won''t be seeing him any time soon."


    "How would you even¨C"


    "She is right, Daniel Espinoza."


    And finally, Riley, who had been quiet the entire time, finally opened his mouth, "Darkday is currently in retirement. His sudden appearance a week ago was a misunderstanding."


    "...Why are the two of you talking like you know Darkday?" Daniel clicked his tongue, "Figures¡­ both of you are psychopaths. Damn telekics."


    "You are the most discriminatory person I have ever met in my life, I just wanted you to know that."


    "Enough of this shit," Daniel then muttered, "Where are we even going to start searching for¨C"


    "MEGAN, are we anywhere near Prophet?"


    "Yeah, like that''s gonna work. I swear, you African Americans are soz¨C"


    [Nearer than before.]


    "..."


    "..."


    "....What the fuck?"

 Chapter 162 - 162: Unfolding

    <h4>Chapter 162 - 162: Unfolding</h4>


    "...We''re pretty far away from the city now."


    "What''d you expect, rainbows? MEGAN, are we¡­ near Prophet?"


    [Nearer than before.]


    "Are we sure this creepy shit isn''t lying to us!?"


    Riley, Be, and Daniel decided to use MEGAN as some sort ofpass to find Prophet¡­ or at the very least, his corpse. They started at a small cafe right in the center of New York and now they were parked in some sort of hillside¨C without any road for their van to proceed. Be wanted to lift the van into the air but decided not to as it might attract unwanted attention from anyone in the vicinity.


    "Is¡­ Prophet ahead this forest?"


    [That is a possibility.]


    Of course, Daniel''s words of worries were not unfounded. After all, right in front of them was a forest filled with nothing but trees. The only sound that could be found was the sound of their vehicle''s engine, but even that withered away as soon as Be switched it off.


    "We''re really going into the creepy forest!?" Daniel loudly whispered, trying his best not to scream, "How do we know this is not some attempt by Riley to try and kill the both of us!?"


    "...Bro, you loose in the head. Has anyone ever told you that?" Be could only roll his eyes at Daniel, who was riding shotgun beside her,


    "You can stay here if you want to," she then said as the sound of her door opened, "Let''s go, white hair."


    "..." Riley, who was quietly sitting at the back, only looked at Daniel for a few seconds before getting off the van.


    "S¡­ shit," Daniel muttered and gulped, "He¡­ he really is going to kill us."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    And a few seconds as he watched Riley and Be''s silhouette disappear into the sea of tall trees, the only thing that he could do was welp and get off the car; his limbs stretching as he chased the two.


    "W¡­ wait for me!"


    ***


    "..."


    "..."


    [Prophet is dead.]


    In the meeting hall of the Hope Guild, the almost endless number of screens reflected on Empress''s dark skin; the golden rings around her arms, slightly whispering with a ring as she stared at the phone sitting at the table in front of her.


    Her eyes, reflecting MEGAN who seemed to also be looking at her. She received a smartphone from one of the Academy''s staff when Bulwark took her there after being¡­ beaten by Darkday. It was given to her as some sort of token for protecting their students. It was all random and sudden; she was about to leave when one of the people standing by on the gates gave it to her.


    She didn''t really think much of it¡­ but who knew that something like this would happen not even a full week after. Thest time she saw Prophet was when he suddenly visited the guild a few weeks ago¨C telling her that Riley Ross might be Darkday.


    And now this AI thing was telling her that Prophet is dead? It was too much of a coincidence. Did¡­ he discover something he shouldn''t have?


    "..."


    Empress then shook her head and sighed. Why was she even believing this little program in front of her in the first ce?


    "..."


    "..."


    "Hope."


    [Yes, Empress?]


    Empress then stood up from her seat as she turned to look at the screens stered on the wall. And as she did so, the screens started to flicker,


    "Show me Prophet''sst known location."


    [Very well. Searching for Steve Bridges''sst activity.]


    "..."


    "..."


    The images on the screens once again started to flicker as they panned through different cameras all around the world. But finally, after a few more seconds, it stopped; the screens all showing a single footage¨C Prophet just entering the Academy.


    "This was¡­ just after he visited me?" Empress muttered. Does that mean that throughout that time, Prophet never left the Academy? Considering the Academy had everything, from hospitals to groceries, then staying inside there for weeks without going out was possible.


    But he was the Headmaster¡­ he should have regr meetings outside the Academy.


    "Hope, is there anything else after this?"


    [This is thest known entry including Prophet.]


    "...That''s impossible," Empress said as she sat back down to her seat; her eyes, once again staring at the hologram of a miniature Megawoman in front of her. Was it possible that this AI¡­ was telling the truth?


    Maybe Prophet got too close to the dark that it ended up swallowing him. Since he has not left the Academy¡­ did Riley Ross kill him?


    Empress had already read the info about Scarlet Mage since Prophet mentioned her rtionship with Riley Ross, but she wasn''t really able to find anything useful as most of their time together was spent inside the Academy.


    She only had one family¨C her mother. And based on her profile, she was just an ordinary old woman. Empress did not really scour much about her as she was just an ordinary citizen.


    And so, her investigation was over before it even started. She could have brought up Riley''s file, but it would have surely caught the attention of Whiteking¨C she knew enough that he had eyes and ears everywhere.


    Bernard is also acting like normal, so maybe all of this is really just a false report.


    "..."


    "Hope."


    [Is there anything else you need, Empress?]


    "Can you bring out Bernard Ross''s file?"


    [I am afraid you do not have the clearance level required to ess that information.]


    "...Figures," Empress shook her head with a sigh, "I''m the leader of the Hope Guild and I don''t have clearance."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Can you bring out Riley Ross''s file?"


    [I am afraid you do not have the clearance level required to ess that information.]


    "Fuck you, Bernard. Just what are you¨C"


    [Aha, aha. So many secrets.]


    And before Empress could express her frustration, a tiny voice squeaked in the air. She looked in the direction where the voice suddenly came from, only to see MEGAN''s hologram dancing in the air.


    "...This thing is still on?" Empress let out a small but deep sigh. She was about to fold the phone closed, but before she could do so, MEGAN''s eyes suddenly turned red.


    [Uploading data files to the system¡­ Complete.]


    "!!!"


    And as soon as Empress heard that, she quickly mmed her hand through the phone; instantly shattering it along with the table.


    "F¡­ fuck!" Empress was about to call Whiteking, but before she could do so, the screens in front of her started to flicker.


    [Wow, so many restricted files.]


    "W¡­ what?" The voice that resounded inside the meeting hall was still the Hope Guild''s AI''s voice¨C but the tone and manner of speaking were alreadypletely different. Empress was about to once again press Bernard''s speed dial, but the screens once again shifted.


    [Did you know that Katherine Reeds'' mother booked a flight from Northwest Airlines with flight number¡­]


    "Hm?" Empress then blinked a couple of times as she looked at the screen, "Flight¨C !!!"


    But after looking at the images now stered on the screen, the sound of her chair dropping on the floor quickly snapped in the air.


    "This¡­ this is one of the nes¡­ is it just a coincidence?"


    [Ugh, stupid¡­


    ¡­Riley Ross is Darkday.]


    ***


    "I¡­ I told you they took us here to die!"


    "Can you stop screaming for once in your life!?"


    Hours had already passed, and the only light they had was the little bits of rays of the moon that seeped from the leaves above as well as the shlights on their phone.


    "S¡­ spit it out, you fucking autist! You took us here to kill us, didn''t you!?"


    "I am just following Be, Daniel," Riley responded without even looking at Daniel, "And I do not need to take you here to kill you¨C I doubt anyone would even care if you die inside the Academy."


    "Wha¨C"


    "I was wrong. I apologize for that, Daniel."


    "G¡­ good thing you¨C"


    "Your mother is now inside the Academy, so there is at least one person that would care."


    "Pft," Be''s phone almost fell to the ground; trying to clutch in her stomach to stop herself from bursting out inughter, "G¡­ good one, Riley."


    "W¡­ why did I have to be grouped with the two of you!?"


    "Milk, coffee, and somewhere in between," Be breathed out, "I think we''re a goodbination."


    "W¡­ what do you mean somewhere in between, shouldn''t I be atte!?"


    "If we are talking about mnin and skin color, then Be Jackson is not necessarily ck¨C her skin is brown," Riley muttered, "Like a chocte shake."


    "Yeah, see? He got it?" Be nodded her head and smiled.


    "I like chocte shakes."


    "I¡­ I already told you I don''t swing that way!" Be then almost choked in her own breath as she heard Riley''s words, "B¡­ But maybe we can try to experiment if¨C"


    "What was that!?"


    And before Be could finish her words, the bushes near them started to rustle.


    "Who is there!?"


    Be and Daniel then quickly got into a stance, quickly standing beside Riley as they concentrated their eyes towards the moving leaves. And judging by the noise the foliage was making¡­ there wasn''t only one person.


    "W¡­ we''re Supers from the Academy, we are warning you now!"


    "You stupid! Why would you reveal that!?"


    "W¨C you are confirming my revealing by revealing it!"


    "...What?"


    "There''s no need to be rmed, my dear students."


    "B¡­ Bulwark!?"


    "No, it is me¡­ Spectacr Mustache Ma¨C"


    "Oh,me. It''s just you."


    "What¡­


    ¡­ what do you mean it''s just me!?"

 Chapter 163 - 163: Town

    <h4>Chapter 163 - 163: Town</h4>


    "..."


    "..."


    "There''s absolutely nothing here."


    "M¡­ maybe we took the wrong turn?"


    Like Riley, Hannah was also with a random group. But unlike the rest of the Baby Crew, she was lucky enough to be grouped with Tomoe. And since she was Riley''s sister, he had the privilege of borrowing the electric jet truck to reach the ces they needed to go quicker.


    And so, right now¡­ they were currently in front of the ocean. Relishing at the bridge between the earth and the cosmos; the scent of the endless ck, persisting through their noses.


    "This is stupid!" Hannah scoffed, "I told you guys we shouldn''t have followed the AI shit. This is all the government''s ploy to treat us like tools! Argh!"


    "E¡­ eek!"


    The other members could not help but hunch and step back as Hannah''s raging voice reached their ears. It''s been more than a month since Hannah was transferred to their ss, they were more than aware of Hannah''s¡­ peculiar temper. If Hannah thought she was unlucky being partnered with random ssmates, then the others also thought the same.


    Hannah was like that one student that always came off as a rebellious brat¨C thought most of ss 1-V. But seeing as she was Whiteking''s daughter¨C But no, Riley is also Whiteking''s child, but he is one of the coolest people they have ever met; not to mention he saved them once.


    It was just their luck being grouped with¨C


    "What are you guys looking at?"


    "N¡­ nothing!"


    "Big sister Hannah."


    "Hm?"


    And like an angel saving them from their demise, Tomoe stepped in between them.


    "Are you aware that our phones aren''t produced by the Government¡­ but by your boyfriend''spany?" Tomoe muttered as she respectfully approached Hannah/


    "...What? What do you mean b¡­ boyfriend?"


    "Julius Reuben."


    "Wha¨C He''s not my boyfriend! I''m just pitying him so I¡­ we date from time to time," Hannah said as she looked to the side, lightly scratching her chin as an awkward chuckle slowly escaped from her mouth.


    "...I see," Tomoe squinted her already small eyes, "They own the phones we use. They are the richest family in the world right now."


    "For real?" Hannah then blinked a couple of times as she looked at Tomoe, "I knew they were rich¡­ but the richest in the world?"


    "I thought you knew about it that''s why you''re dating him."


    "Wh¨C what do you think I am!?"


    Hearing Hannah''s voice once again rising to unprecedented levels, Tomoe could only look to the side. Hannah was about to say something else, but before she could do so, her phone rang.


    "...Oh," Hannah then hummed as she quickly checked on her phone, "Silvie texted¨C no luck on her side as well."


    "Gary also texted me earlier," Tomoe muttered, "He said he''s currently in a desert in Texas."


    "...What?" Hannah almost choked on her own breaths. But after a few seconds, she let out a short but deep sigh, "Why did Bulwark have to separate us. I''m sure we would have already found Prophet if we were together¡­ I''m starting to think this is just an activity and Prophet isn''t really missing."


    "Were you close with Prophet?"


    "Not that much," Hannah shook her head, "But he''s dad''s best friend, so he visited our home from time to time back then. Riley''s probably too young to remember."


    "I¡­ see."


    "And he already looked like an old man back then. I''m sure¡­


    ¡­he''s alright."


    ***


    "Oh, it''s just you¡­me."


    "What do you meanme!?"


    Back in Riley''s group, Spectacr Mustache Man just emerged from one of the bushes. His mustache, slightly moving as Be''s disappointed sighs reached his ears.


    "I thought we were supposed to be incognito? Why did you reveal yourself?"


    Another rustle then whispered in the air, causing Be and Daniel to once again flinch on their spots. But as soon as they saw who it was that emerged from the bushes, they quickly let their guard down.


    It was a blindfolded superhero¨C Nightwalker, Hannah''s previous advisor.


    "Two instructors?" Daniel muttered, "What are you two doing here?"


    "...I think like that should be our line, kid," Spectacr Mustache Man''s mustache once again moved as his eyes squinted towards Daniel, "How and why are you outside the Academy? A lockdown should still be in effect."


    "Sir Bulwark got us permission," Be was the one to answer.


    "Tch. Must be so great being a member of the Hope Guild," Spectacr Mustache Man muttered.


    "Still jealous?" Nightwalker sighed.


    "What do you mean jealous? He pushed out Scarlet Mage and transferred her to handle another ss. What kind of abuse of authority is that!? If he separated me from my students with who I have spent my sweat and blood, then I will not back down without a fight! I will fight for my students!"


    Spectacr Mustache Man then thumped his chest; his mustache, flowing through the air even though there was no wind.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    Spectacr Mustache Man then cleared his throat to break the awkward silence that suddenly persisted in the air.


    "So, why are the three of you here?" He then said as he looked at Riley and the others.


    "We were given an assignment to find Prophet by Bulwark," Be was the one to answer, "That''s why we were allowed to go outside."


    "He''s powerful enough to allow something like this? Why, I oughtta¨C"


    "And your search led you here?" Nightwalker did not let Spectacr Mustache Man continue his rants.


    "Yes, sir," Be nodded,


    "We just followed this guy''s advise," she then showed her phone to Nightwalker, which now had MEGAN sleeping on the screen.


    "...I see," Nightwalker let out a sigh as he heard Be''s words. He then retrieved a phone from his pocket, "Then we are in the same situation. We''ve actually been trying to find Prophet for a few days now¨C but then MEGAN just suddenly told us to go here."


    "Eh, you too, teach?" Be blinked a couple of times¡­ but then wondered how Nightwalker was able to use his phone since he was supposedly blind.


    "...This is weird," Nightwalker then muttered, "You said it was your whole ss that was allowed to search outside?"


    "Yes?"


    "Then MEGAN should have also led them here. But it would seem we''re the only ones."


    "Maybe they didn''t ask MEGAN?" Daniel joined in on the conversation.


    "Impossible," Nightwalker shook his head.


    "Then¡­ could it be MEGAN led us 5 here purposely?" Daniel furrowed his eyebrows, "Why us?"


    "It''s just aputer," Spectacr Mustache Man then waved his hand and sighed, "There''s no need to think much of it. It''s just like Googoru, it answers what you type or something."


    "...Not really, but¨C"


    "I suggest the three of you go back to the Academy," Spectacr Mustache Man said.


    "I''m afraid we ain''t doing that, teach," Be quickly answered, "We''ve already made it here, we ain''t backing down. We¡­


    ¡­gotta see this through."


    "..."


    "..."


    Hearing Be''s words and seeing her unmoving eyes, the only thing that Spectacr Mustache Man could do was look towards Nightwalker¡­ who wasn''t doing the same since he was, indeed, blind.


    "Why are you 1-V students always so troublesome," Spectacr Mustache Man then sighed, "Very well, you''re allowed toe with us. Let us professionals show you how to handle real fieldwork."


    "Really!?" Be could not help but smile as she turned her head towards Riley and Daniel. Even Daniel had an excited smile on his face. To actually see veteran superheroes in action¨C this was something they have been waiting for forever since they enrolled in the Academy.


    "But on one condition," Spectacr Mustache Man''s mustache moved, "You follow our orders. And if we tell you to run and get to safety, you run without looking back. Okay?"


    "Yes, sir!" Be and Daniel nodded.


    And so, with a cheer filled with adventure and excitement, the unlikely group of individuals started walking deeper into the sea of trees. And very soon, they came across what seemed like a collection of abandoned houses and buildings.


    "This¡­ seems like a small town?" Be muttered, "Why would mister Prophet even be in a ce like this?"


    "MEGAN, what does this ce have to do with Prophet?" Nightwalker then worded out as he retrieved his phone.


    [Prophet spent his elementary school days here.]


    "In this backwater town?" Spectacr Mustache Man squinted his eyes, "I always thought he was rich¡­ and just how exactly does this little thing know all of this?" He then said as he stared at MEGAN''s hologram.


    "Mister Prophet, are you here!?"


    "Oi, are you stupid!?" Spectacr Mustache Man quickly covered Daniel''s mouth¡­ with his mustache, which suddenly grew in length and size almost instantly; wrapping around Daniel''s entire mouth area.


    "...Ew," Riley then whispered very quietly.


    "W¡­ what do you mean ew!?" Spectacr Mustache Man bellowed. And this time, his mouth was covered by Nightwalker.


    "S¡­ shh!" Nightwalker hissed, "I hear something from afar."


    "..."


    And as soon as they heard Nightwalker''s words, both Daniel and Spectacr Mustache Man started to calm down. Their eyes, carefully looking at all the abandoned houses and buildings around them.


    "..."


    "..."


    "There!" Nightwalker then suddenly waved his hand, and as he did so, a shadow emerged from his palms; shooting straight towards a certain direction like an arrow. The shadow arrow, however, stopped as soon as a small meow whispered into their ears.


    "It¡­ it''s just a cat," Nightwalker then sighed as he quickly retracted his powers, "That''s weird. I thought I heard a voice."


    "Let''s¡­ just proceed with caution from now on; we¡­


    ¡­do not know if there is anyone else here."

 Chapter 164 - 164: My Name Is Steve Bridges

    <h4>Chapter 164 - 164: My Name Is Steve Bridges</h4>


    "We¡­ should take precaution. The AI said Prophet went to school here, so it''s probably best to check there first so we wouldn''t waste any time."


    "Shouldn''t we separate, then? It''ll save us more time so we can get out of this creepy ce, teach."


    "You stupid? This is why you white and off-white folks get involved in all the horror movie shit."


    "You are sounding mighty racist right now, Be."


    "Enough arguing."


    With the abandoned small town seemingly devoid of any life, the only sound that was pestering in the air were the voices of Be and the others. And though they try to keep their voice down, their words still manage to seep into the crevices of the houses and buildings due to how quiet everything else was¨C creating small echoes with each of their steps and each of their breaths.


    "And student Be is right," Nightwalker then whispered as they continue to walk ever so carefully, "We don''t know the terrain so it is best to stick together."


    And so, with those words, everyone just nodded to each other; their steps bing even quieter so as to not attract any attention to whatever was still living in this somewhat creepy town.


    And finally, after walking for what seemed like half an hour, they reached a school; or at the very least something that resembled it.


    "...Am I the only one finding this creepy?" Daniel slightly raised his voice as he stared at the abandoned school in front of them.


    "..." A small nging then whispered in the air, garnering the attention of everyone. They slowly turned their heads, only to see Nightwalker holding a chain and a lock.


    "It''s open," Nightwalker muttered.


    "Hm," Spectacr Mustache Man''s mustache slightly wiggled, "It''s probably the only thing that''s moved in this ce for years¡­ I wonder what happened to this town?"


    "W¨C"


    "I smell blood, dried."


    "W¡­ why are you trying to scare us, teach?" Be then slightly moved closer to Riley as soon as she heard Nightwalker''s words.


    "Oh?" Daniel, who saw this, quickly let out a smirk, "Who thought the brave and mighty Be would be scared of something like this?"


    "Fuck you," Be quickly replied, "You bandanas won''t understand, I''m ck¨C that makes me the first candidate to die."


    "Shh," Nightwalker then gestured for the two to stop talking, "It''s¡­ inside."


    And without saying another word, Nightwalker''s body suddenly turned into a dark cloud, flowing and flying straight towards the inside of the abandoned school.


    "Follow him!" Spectacr Mustache Man''s mustache instantly extended towards the school, sticking onto its dusty walls as he swung himself forward.


    Although Be wanted tough, she still followed along with Daniel as they all rushed inside the school¡­ all except for Riley.


    "..." Riley was looking in a certain direction to the side of the school; his eyebrows, slightly lowering as he kept his stares for more than a few seconds. But after a few more breaths, he just let out a small sigh and followed the rest.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Saw us?"


    "Did he see us?"


    "Saw¡­ see us."


    And soon, multiple sets of red eyes reflected the moonlight; their whispers, almost the same as the rustling leaves.


    ***


    "...Shit."


    In a dark room somewhere in the country, Bernard was currently lying on the ground. The room looked like a normal living room, except for the fact that there were multiple monitors lighting up the room.


    There was also a small red dot of light flickering on one of the monitors; bright enough to reflect on the walls. Bernard''s eyes, however, werepletely unresponsive even as this red light drowned his eyes.


    And perhaps if he were to look, then he would realize that the images on the shing monitor showed Riley and the group entering the abandoned school. But s, Bernard remained sprawled on the floor, ignoring everything that was happening in his room.


    There is, however, one thing that moved¨C his mouth. The mutters and whispers that were escaping from it were quiet, but for him, it was enough to drown the rm ringing in the air.


    "Killed him¡­" He whispered, "Why¡­ why did I do that?"


    "He was my best friend¡­ my brother¡­ no. He is my best friend," Bernard''s mouth continued to move; not knowing whether to smile or turn into a frown.


    "I''ve¡­ I''ve known him longer than anyone," he whimpered, "Why would I even¡­ for a monster?"


    "No¡­"


    "No."


    "He''s my son¡­ my son. I would do anything for my family¡­ anything. My family¡­ anything for my fami¨C"


    "You''re losing it, Bernard."


    "Who is there!?" And without even a fraction of a second, Bernard quickly stood up as a somber voice suddenly whispered into his ears out of nowhere. His eyes scanned the room also in less than a second. But the only thing that reflected in his eyes was the fading monitors as well as the red light that waved to him over and over again.


    And even though it was already blinding his eyes, Bernard still did not bother to look at the monitors.


    "Who''s there!?" Instead, he just repeated his words.


    "We just saw each other¡­ and you''ve already forgotten about me?"


    "!!!" Bernard then quickly tapped his arm twice. And as soon as he did so, a small thunder whispered in the air; a bracelet, suddenly flying towards him from somewhere in the room, propelling straight around his wrist. And without even so much as a short pause, the white bracelet exploded and unfolded, crawling across his arms like some sort of centipede.


    It first covered his shoulders, then his face. Before continuing towards the rest of his body; ending with a snap as a cape flowed from behind him.


    All of these happened in less than 2 seconds.


    "Who''s there!? Show yourself!" Bernard then once again roared, pointing his arms forward as a sort of rocket expanded from his arms.


    "I feel offended, Bernard. Why don''t we just have a drink for old time''s sake?"


    "..." Bernard continued to look around; his fettered steps failing to mask his worries.


    "...Seriously? Just rx. Rx."


    "What¡­" And finally, after a few more moments, Bernard finally realized where the voice wasing from¨C it was from one of his dozen phones scattered on the table. Bernard quickly rushed towards it, pushing all the other phones to the side as he grabbed it.


    And as soon as he saw who was on the screen, his helmet quickly unfolded; showing his eyes that were already on the verge of tears.


    "S¡­ Steve?" Bernard then took in a small gulp, "You¡­ you''re alive?"


    [Why wouldn''t I be?] Prophet, who was on the other side of the screen, smiled, [I can calcte the future, remember?]


    "You¡­ you''re alive."


    [I''m alive.]


    "How¡­ how is that possible?" Bernard''s whispers were enough to crack his voice; a small smile, also slowly but stutteringly growing on his face.


    A sharp sigh then whistled in the air as Prophet''s breaths were enough to pierce Bernard''s ears, [I faked it,] he then said,


    [I knew there was no way I could calmly talk to you because we were talking about your son.]


    "W¡­ what?"


    [And I forgive you, Bernard.]


    "You¡­ forgive me?"


    [Yes. I forgive you because you''re my brother.]


    "..." Bernard''s eyes started to tremble as he heard Prophet''s words crawling through his ears. His eyebrows slightly furrowed, but after a few seconds, the only thing he could do was close his eyes; the tears grasping on his face, finally trailing towards his cheeks.


    [But of course¡­ you owe me big time,] Prophet then chuckled.


    "O¡­ Of course, of course," Bernard''s smile trembled as he also responded with a chuckle.


    [Then¡­


    ¡­can you tell me everything you''ve done for the Government?]


    ***


    "Fuck me¡­"


    "Is this¡­ Prophet?"


    "No beard and fewer wrinkles on the face¡­ but it''s him."


    "So, you''re telling me that his beard was fake all this time?"


    "Why are you even asking about that? Did¡­ did he kill himself?"


    Riley, Be, Daniel, Spectacr Mustache Man, and Nightwalker were now inside a ssroom. Their eyes, reflecting the corpse seated on a chair a few meters away from them.


    The back of the corpse''s skull waspletely blown to smithereens. The sound of maggots, flies, and several other insects eating his brains, whispering and whistling in the room. The blood around him was alreadypletely dried and seemed like they would need to scrape it off to remove them.


    But most importantly, there was a gun just below his hanging arm¨C and judging by the broken tooth beside it¡­ it was triggered in his mouth.


    Be and Daniel had already seen hundreds of corpses when the Dark Millenium hijacked the nes to crash in their school¡­ but for some reason, seeing someone they knew and respected slowly being eaten by time was¡­


    ¡­enough to make them puke.


    "I''ve already signaled the authorities of our location," Spectacr Mustache Man then breathed out as he ced his arms on Daniel and Be''s shoulders, "Maybe it''s best for the three of you to wait outside."


    And unlike before, Spectacr Mustache Man''s mustache looked wilted; almost facing the floor.


    "N¡­ no," Be quickly moved to the side, "I''m¡­ going to see this through."


    "Y¡­ yeah, we''ve already¨C"


    "I found something."


    "What¨C put that down!" Spectacr Mustache Man then quickly raised his voice as he saw Nightwalker holding what seemed like a smartphone.


    "It''s fine," Nightwalker said, "My palms do not leave prints¨C and the kids are right, they have the right to see this through."


    "You¨C"


    [My name is Steve Bridges.]


    And before Spectacr Mustache Man could say another word, the phone suddenly lit up¨C showing Prophet''s face.


    [And if you''re watching this¡­


    ¡­then I am probably already dead.]

 Chapter 165 - 165: My Name Is Steve Bridges (2)

    <h4>Chapter 165 - 165: My Name Is Steve Bridges (2)</h4>


    [My name is Steve Bridges. And if you''re watching this¡­


    ¡­then I am probably already dead.]


    "Prophet? He recorded a video?"


    "He¡­ is in the Academy? Isn''t that his office?"


    The scenery behind Prophet was a view overlooking half of the Academy campus; a view only seen from therge window in the Headmaster''s office. And seeing as he was also sitting in the very same desk, Prophet was indeed in his office as he recorded the video.


    [I calcted my death and now know how I am going to die. The fact that you are watching this means you have found the phone I hid somewhere in the ce of my death¨C in my elementary school in the outskirts of the state of New York¡­


    ¡­If the person who finds this phone is the one who killed me. Please, have the decency to at


    least leave it alone or just destroy it. But I swear I will not reveal who you are.]


    "...He didn''tmit suicide?"


    [But if you are not the one who killed me. Then please, continue watching this video.]


    "..."


    "..."


    Prophet stopped talking for a few seconds as he seemed to stare at his desk; but after a few more seconds, he once again faced the camera.


    [I did not kill myself. And knowing the person who did this to me, he or she probably left a trail that would lead people to thinking Imitted suicide¡­


    ¡­I did not kill myself.] Prophet repeated, his words heavy enough to almost cause the people watching the video to grip their knees.


    [I know who killed me, but for the safety of whoever finds this video, I will not tell you who. The one who did this to me is a very dangerous man¡­ perhaps the most dangerous man in the world. I discovered a secret¡­ a secret that leads to my death.]


    "..."


    "..."


    Spectacr Mustache Man could not help but look at Nightwalker as Prophet paused with his words.


    But when he found the Nightwalker wasn''t looking at him since he was blind, Spectacr Mustache Man turned towards the three students, who had their eyebrows furrowed.


    [Perhaps it is fate that you found this video¡­ but please. Know that I did not make this video so that you may avenge me. I made it so that there would at least be a person out there that knows I did not kill myself¨C I will never do that, I will never leave the people I love no matter the difficulties I am currently facing.


    The Academy has been receiving bacsh from the masses, harsh criticisms, and some are pointed at me. People would probably think I killed myself because I couldn''t take the heat, but no¡­


    ¡­I did not kill myself. Even if it is just one other person, I want you to know that I did not kill myself. I¡­


    ¡­have never been a superhero that the people of the world wanted. I always stood on the sidelines, in the background. But even just for a short while, even with all the secrets surrounding it¡­ The Academy gave me a purpose of nurturing the heroes of the future generation¡­


    ¡­After all, that''s what I do¨C look to the future.]


    Prophet then blinked a couple of times as he leaned back on his chair, releasing the biggest breath that he could.


    [And¡­ for my husband¡­ my beautiful husband.]


    "...Did he just say husband? Is that some kind of code?"


    "Shh!"


    [Whoever finds this phone, there''s another video dedicated to my husband. I would really appreciate you giving the phone to him after deleting this video. No one knows who he is, not even those I trust¨C but he''ll be there in my funeral¡­ please find him and give him this phone¡­


    ¡­and tell him to run because something ising.]


    "..."


    [And for the one watching this video. I repeat, do not try to find who killed me or attempt getting revenge. Your enemy is the most dangerous man on the.]


    Prophet then once again let out a heavy sigh as he looked down, seemingly looking at some sort of photo that was sitting on his desk. Sadly, the angle of the camera did not really allow Spectacr Mustache Man and the others to see what it was.


    And after a few more seconds, Prophet once again looked at the camera; his eyes, as if looking straight towards them. He then let out a small smile, nodding with a breath that soon turned into a single chuckle.


    [Right, well¡­


    ¡­I think I lived a good life.]


    And with that, Prophet switched off the camera. The next video was about to y, but before it could do so, Nightwalker turned it off and handed the phone to Riley.


    "...Why are you giving me the phone, sir Nightwalker?"


    "I was under the impression Whiteking and he were friends," Nightwalker sighed, "Be it fate or not, I think we¡­ you found this video for a reason."


    "..." Riley only looked at the phone for a few seconds, before nodding and cing it in his pocket. And as soon as he did so, a cracking breath suddenly whispered in the air. They all looked towards the direction of the noise, only to see Be crying.


    "How¡­ why didn''t he just run away?" Be whispered.


    "...Prophet was gay?"


    "What if he was!?"


    "N¡­ nothing."


    And with Daniel''s mouth being shut by Be, what followed the ssroom was silence; with the group just looking at Prophet''s corpse.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Should we really just¡­ let it go?" Spectacr Mustache Man then whispered.


    "It is what the dead wanted," Nightwalker sighed, "We should respect Prophet''s wishes."


    "We''re really not going to investigate?" Be joined in on the conversation, "We should at least surrender the phone to the police instead so¨C"


    "No," Spectacr Mustache Man shook his head, "Nightwalker is right. If Prophet let this happen knowing full well it leads to his death¡­ then whoever killed him truly is a dangerous person."


    "T¡­ this shouldn''t end here," Be waved her hand, "We need to at least find out who killed him ourselves!"


    "...I agree with the lesbo for once," Daniel stepped forward, "The headmaster of my school just died. Who''s to say it won''t be us next? You? What if this is the Dark Millenium again?"


    "Leave it," Spectacr Mustache Man slightly raised his voice, "You may have already experienced what it''s like out there for a few days, but you guys are not superheroes¡­ not yet. Leave this to me and Nightwalker to handle."


    "But¨C"


    And before Be could even say anything, the sound of a helicopter arriving thundered in their ears. And soon, shes of red and blue slightly drowned the walls of the abandoned building.


    "Looks like the cavalry is here," Spectacr Mustache Man muttered, "About time. Don''t tell anyone what we just witnessed, okay?"


    "But¡­" Be could only click her tongue, before running out of the room without saying any more words.


    "Daniel, follow her to make sure she doesn''t do anything reckless."


    "..." Although Daniel was slightly hesitant, he still nodded and ran to chase for Be. Spectacr Mustache Man then turned his head towards Riley,


    "You¡­ are not going to say anything, right?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Right, I''ll fetch the men in uniform downstairs."


    "I''lle with you," Nightwalker stepped away before slightly turning his body towards Riley, "You''re okay here by yourself, kid?"


    "Yes, sir Nightwalker."


    And so, with that, Riley was left alone inside the ssroom, staring at Prophet''s lifeless body. He did hear from his sister that Prophet and Bernard were close back then, but he didn''t really remember much about him.


    "..."


    "..." Riley then lightly moved his finger, causing all the flies and insects eating Prophet''s brain matter to violently plunge into the walls of the room.


    "..." He then once again stared at Prophet''s corpse¡­ and did so until the police and forensics team arrived to take photos of the scene; carefully looking at every inch to make sure they didn''t miss anything.


    As for Riley, Be, and Daniel; after a few questions about how they came to find the body, they were asked to wait outside the school.


    "Is it really alright to leave it like this!?" Be once again bellowed, kicking the dried leaves on the ground.


    "Sshh, can you lower your voice!?" Daniel screamed, "What if the one who killed him is right here!?"


    "Shh! Why the fuck are you screaming!?" Be quickly covered Daniel''s mouth.


    "Y¡­ you''re the one who¨C"


    And before Daniel could finish his words, a small explosion erupted in the sky; the clouds that covered the stars, splitting as some sort of silhouette flew through it.


    And that silhouettended right in front of the school, causing the leaves to all fly away in a ripple.


    And as soon as the people waiting on standby saw who it was, they quickly rushed to greet her.


    "E¡­ Empress, what are you doing here?"


    "...I heard you found Prophet? Is¡­ he truly dead?" Empress then walked without waiting for anyone to respond.


    "Y¡­ yes, it was people from the Academy that found his body."


    "...What?" Empress then quickly stopped her steps as soon as she heard the man''s words, "W¨C"


    And before she could say another word, her eyesnded on the three people standing in front of the school gate.


    "Is it the three of you?" Empress then quickly approached the three people who looked too young to be there, "Are you from the Aca¨C"


    And before she could finish her words, her eyes finally caught a full view of the one standing behind the two; his hair, reflecting the moonlight she ever so revealed by splitting the clouds.


    "You¡­" Empress then took in a small gulp as her feet slightly moved to the back, "Why¡­


    ¡­why are you here?"

 Chapter 166 - 166: The Forest

    <h4>Chapter 166 - 166: The Forest</h4>


    [Ugh, stupid¡­


    ¡­Riley Ross is Darkday.]


    An hour before Riley and the others discovered Prophet''s body, Empress was staring at the multiple monitors stered on the wall of the Hope Guild''s meeting hall. She tried to prevent the AI from the phone, MEGAN, from uploading itself to their system¡­


    ¡­but it would seem that smashing the phone to pieces did not do anything.


    She was also about to call Whiteking through their dedicated radio, but before she could do so, multiple images started shing on the screen in front of her¨C showing a video of their battle with Darkday in front of the Academy.


    She didn''t think much of it at first, but soon, the video started reying a certain scene over and over again. It was the moment when Darkday''s outfit was ruined; when his skin was exposed.


    "This¡­"


    She didn''t notice it before since she waspletely focused on their deathmatch with Darkday¡­ but his skin waspletely white. And not just because of the contrast from his jet-ck suit, no. It was almost as if his skin was glowing at some points¡­


    ¡­almost like Riley Ross.


    This is it. Her mind had already been clouded with ideas when Prophet approached him and said that Riley Ross is Darkday. She wanted it not to be true, but with the AI presenting her all of this evidence¡­ she would be a fool to take them only as coincidences.


    Riley Ross is Darkday¨C or at least he was the closest suspect she has right now.


    "..." With this thought, the only thing she could do was let out a small but very deep breath; looking to the side as Bernard''s face suddenly popped up in her mind. If it was like this, then does that mean¡­ Bernard has been running circles on them all this time?


    It was impossible for him not to know that his own adopted son is the world''s greatest and evilest viin. Should¡­ she gather the other members of the Hope Guild to ambush¨C


    And before she could finish her thoughts, one of her other phones rang.


    "!!!"


    Could¡­ Could Bernard actually know about what was happening now? Empress quickly looked around her to see if there were any cameras in the meeting hall; they agreed not to put any surveince in the room¡­ but knowing Whiteking.


    "..." Empress then took in a very small gulp as she slowly reached for the phone in her pocket.


    [Hello ma''am. This is the New York State Police Department.]


    The words that came out, however, quickly allowed Empress to at least let out her nervous breaths.


    "What is it?"


    [We were informed that we needed to call you if we can get any¡­ info on Prophet''s whereabouts.]


    "You found him!?"


    [We¡­


    ¡­found his body.]


    ***


    "You¡­


    ¡­why are you here?"


    She was only investigating him earlier¡­ and now here he was; Riley Ross, right in the scene where Prophet''s body was located.


    Was it possible¡­ that he was the one who killed Prophet? Did Prophet get too close to the sun and ended up burning himself? What was she supposed to do now? Should¡­ she fight? But what if Riley Ross isn''t actually Darkday? What if¡­ what if¡­


    "We¡­ we were tasked by Bulwark to search for Prophet!"


    "...What?"


    Empress then blinked a couple of times as her overly active mind was disrupted by Be''s slightly trembling voice. Be''s eyes, shining as they almost threatened to swallow her whole from the way she was ogling at her.


    "Bulwark¡­ asked you to find Prophet?" Empress then slightly furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at Be.


    "Y¡­ yes, sis."


    "...Sis?"


    "We followed MEGAN and¡­ and she led us here," Be stuttered as she showed her phone to Empress.


    MEGAN. It''s that AI again, Empress thought. Just what exactly was going on here? Does that mean that Riley Ross wasn''t the one to kill Prophet?


    "..."


    "..."


    Numerous thoughts once again began to race through Empress''s mind, causing her to shake her head before she turned it towards one of the police on standby.


    "What''s the situation?" She then asked the police, who started exining details of Prophet''s death; his time of death, the gun, the semnce of the ce, andstly¡­


    "...This."


    The police then handed Empress a phone, wrapped inside a zip-locked bag.


    "...A phone?"


    Daniel and Be were carefully watching Empress interact with the police to learn something from her, but as soon as they saw the phone, they could not help but widen their eyes before looking at Riley.


    "You¡­ gave them the phone?" Be whispered.


    "No," Riley then quickly replied as he retrieved the phone from his pocket, "I still have it with me, Be."


    "Then whose phone is that?" Daniel then squinted his eyes as he turned his gaze back to Empress.


    "..."


    Empress quickly decided to unlock the phone, going to the gallery without any pause; and there, a single video could be found.


    "..." Empress looked around for a few seconds, before finally pressing the y button. The videosted for only a minute. It was a video of Prophet saying goodbye¨C a suicide note. He exined how stressed he was from everything that has been happening in the Academy; about how the world seemed to put all the me on him.


    "...Fuck," Be whispered. She then quickly gestured for Daniel and Riley to follow her; walking outside of the school away from the view of the others.


    "They ruled it out as suicide!" Be bellowed as soon as she was sure they were alone, "And what the fuck was that video!?"


    "It¡­ was Prophet, it was his face and his voice," Daniel furrowed his eyebrows, "What¡­ is happening here? How could there be two¨C"


    "Shit," Be once again raised her voice, "He mentioned this in his video¡­ about someone framing his death into a suicide. They really did it."


    "..."


    "..."


    The three then suddenly turned silent for a few seconds, before Daniel''s whispering breaths traveled through their ears.


    "I don''t want to get involved anymore," he said with a shake of his head, "I suggest the two of you do the same if you don''t wanna end up like Prophet."


    And with that, Daniel walked away, returning to the others.


    "You¡­ you coward," Be muttered as Daniel started walking away, not even looking at them as he did so¡­ And that was the only thing she could do. That, and bite her lip in frustration as the air was once again filled with silence.


    "..."


    "..."


    As for Riley, he could only blink a couple of times; wondering what he was actually doing here. He then let out a small but deep sigh, before walking away to leave Be to contemte on her own.


    But s, before he could take his 3rd step, Be once again raised his voice.


    "Wait!" She breathed out, "The¡­ the Baby Crew."


    "...Hm?" Riley turned to face Be.


    "Let me in on the Baby Crew as a temporary member!"


    "...I don''t have the authority to decide that, Be. And why would you even want to join?"


    "I just know you''re going to show that video to the Baby Crew and you will try to solve it!" Be said with a chuckling voice.


    "...Not really. I was nning on destroying itter, Be."


    "W¨C No!"


    "Yes."


    "I''m calling your sister now to let her know we have something to give her!" Be said before running away.


    "..." Why was he surrounded by people who like to decide on their own? Riley thought as he walked out from the corner of the fence; staring at Be''s disappearing back. He then turned his eyes towards Empress¡­


    ¡­who was clearly staring at him before looking away as soon as he faced her. This is the 3rd time she did something like that. Did¡­ she actually know¨C


    "Wsh."


    "!!!"


    Riley''s thoughts were suddenly interrupted as he quickly turned around. He heard a whisper, but in front of him was nothing but a collection of overgrown trees, vines, and bushes.


    "..." Riley then looked at the crowd of people in front of the school gates¡­ before deciding to walk into the untamed sea of trees.


    "..." But s, even as his steps grew many and the trees were all that he could see, he still did not find the source of the whisper that tickled his ear. It was only him and the short rustling of the leaves.


    "..." Riley then closed his eyes; taking in a small but very deep breath before a whistle started to flow through his ears. And soon, like a whispering drum, he heard his own heart beat.


    Every small movement of the leaves, the insects burrowing beneath the ground, the dust floating over his ears¨C he could hear.


    Riley''s eyes started to furrow, however, as he still could not find the single whisper he was looking for.


    "!!!"


    But finally, after a few more breaths, a whisper entered into his ears. He quickly opened his eyes, stretching his arm to his left.


    The leaves and the bushes that were in the view of his palm, instantly parting as if some sort of sphere split them apart. And soon, without even a second, a silhouette flew straight towards Riley''s hand¨C a neck.


    Or more conclusively, a person¡­ perhaps a child?


    "..." Riley squinted his eyes as he looked at the child''s face;pletely disfigured, almost to the point that her skin seemed to be falling off.


    Her eyes, however, were clear. Blue, almost green. And whatever hair was left on top of her head exuded a glimmer of gold that reflected the bits of the moon that seeped from the roof of leaves.


    "...Megawoman?" Riley whispered subconsciously. His intuition was almost baseless, he thought; as the child in wriggling and struggling in his hand was the size of a child.


    "L¡­ let go!"


    There came another whisper; noting from the disfigured child he was holding, but further hiding in the trees. And soon, more whispers bombarded Riley''s ears; followed by the rustling of the leaves that finally revealed their owners.


    "..." Riley could only squint his eyes as he looked at the almost dozen individuals that stepped out of the shadows; their figures, all simr to the child he was holding.


    "Let¡­ let her go!"


    "Let go!"


    They then all started whispering loudly; their voices were hoarse and almost cracking.


    "..." And Riley did as they told. He let go of the child, curiously tilting his head as he watched the disfigured girl crawl towards the rest of¡­ the disfigured children.


    "Are¡­ are you alright?"


    "Hss."


    "Lech go. Run!"


    And without even looking at Riley, the children started to once again go deeper into the shadows; their movements, more akin to beasts¨C pests even.


    But with just a single whisper from Riley''s mouth, the children all stopped moving.


    "....Silvie Savelievna?"

 Chapter 167 - 167: Women Of The Woods

    <h4>Chapter 167 - 167: Women Of The Woods</h4>


    "Silvie Savelievna."


    And as Riley''s whispers traveled through the night, each of the disfigured children turned their heads towards him one by one. And like cockroaches being disturbed, they all scampered to hide behind the trees; their heads leaning out, their eyes curiously looking at Riley.


    And soon, their whispers once again drowned the sea of trees.


    "Name¡­ that''s our name."


    "How does he know our name?"


    "Name¡­ he knows our name."


    "Who is it?"


    "Ich one them?"


    "Is it? Is he one of them?"


    "Bad people?"


    "Hurt us? He hurt us?"


    With the ufortable voices piercing his ears, Riley could not help but furrow his eyebrows. Bernard told them that Dark Millenium and Silvie should be the only clones he helped create for the Government¡­


    ¡­but these disfigured children are obviously all clones of Megawoman as well. There were more than a dozen of them here.


    "Bad man? Kill us?"


    "He will kill us. He hurt me earlier."


    The children''s whispers continued to pester the air like flies. Riley, however,pletely ignored their voices as he looked to the side;pletely busy with his own thoughts.


    Did Bernard lie to them again? It was possible¨C no, it was probably the case. Diana said that Bernard was a serial liar, and to not believe anything thates out of his mouth anymore when they fought¡­ so it stands to reason that he lied about the clones.


    "..."


    Riley then blinked a couple of times as he suddenly felt a small tickle gnawing on his right ankle; he slowly looked, only to see one of the disfigured children biting on his leg.


    "..." Seeing this, Riley only let out a small but deep sigh. He then slightly flicked his finger, causing the child to float in the air before being thrown a couple of meters away¨C only stopping as her back hit a tree.


    But before the child could even whisper a whimper, 4 more children jumped on Riley; all baring their teeth towards him. But s, the only thing their teeth were able to gnaw was the empty air; as before they could even reach Riley, their bodiespletely stopped just meters away from him.


    "Khh!"


    The clones all started hissing loudly, with some of them even letting out a weird cracking whimper. Riley once again sighed as he saw their pained faces; their eyes, filled with nothing but fear.


    They were supposed to be clones of Megawoman¡­ and yet Riley could only smell fear from them. Fear was something he had never seen in Megawoman, not even as he broke every single bone in her body.


    "..." How dare they create something like this from Megawoman? If they truly did need to clone her, then it should have at least been perfect like Megawoman should be¨C even Dark Millenium with all the scars on her faces, resembled Megawoman; no fear in her eyes.


    These things¡­ they shouldn''t exist.


    And with that thought, Riley''s eyebrows began to knit; his teeth, slowly showing. And soon, with his fists slowly closing, the children began to wail one by one. Their necks, slowly turn in a way they should not.


    "Even your screams are unworthy," Riley then whispered, "I will release all of you from¨C"


    "Stop!"


    And before any lives could be snuffed and extinguished, another voice entered his ears¨C this time, the voice was much clearer and even familiar. Riley quickly looked towards the direction of the voice, only to see a fist already on its way towards his head.


    "..."


    Riley quickly tilted his head to the side, avoiding the fistpletely. And without even hesitating and looking, he raised one of his legs, mming his foot straight towards the back of the attacker.


    Not even a whisper of a thunder echoed in the air, however, as Riley did not allow the attacker''s body to hit the ground; leaving her floating just inches away from it. Empress should still be within the vicinity of the school, so creating too much noise would probably lead to him killing all of them there¨C he is in retirement, he would like to avoid that as much as possible, he thought.


    ".." Riley then finally nced towards the attacker, only to see almost her entire body covered in bandages. However, even with half her face wrapped, it was obvious that her skin was clearer than the rest and her face wasn''t as disfigured.


    She was also taller and looked older than the rest of the disfigured clones¡­ almost like Silvie.


    "Let¡­ let go of her!"


    The younger clones floating in the air once again started to hiss and shriek, causing Riley to once again sigh. It only took that moment, however, for the oldest clone to regain her footing. Her fist, once again quickly aimed for Riley''s head.


    This time, however, Riley did not dodge. Instead, he caught the oldest clone''s fist. And without even any hesitation¡­ crushed it.


    "!!!"


    The oldest clone was about to let out a scream, but Riley covered her mouth before she could do so. He then looked the clone straight in the eyes. And even though she was trembling, she returned Riley''s re; her eyes, not backing down for even a second.


    "..." Riley then pushed her away, causing her to fall first on her butt. And before she could even take a breath, Riley flicked his finger; throwing the rest of the clones towards her. And like some sort of bouquet, he bundled them together using some of the smaller clones as some sort of¡­ human rope.


    Of course, besides a few pained moans, every one of them was still alive.


    "Let¡­ let us go!" The oldest clone once again cried out; her words were tantly ignored by Riley, however, as he stared at her crushed hand. The sharp and broken bones that were protruding from her skin were slowly going back inside¨C her flesh, slowly healing itself by the second.


    "Let us¨C"


    "Silvie Savelievna."


    "How do you know that name!?"


    And with Riley once again whispering Silvie''s name, the oldest clone immediately stopped writhing and wriggling to escape; her eyes, once again looking straight towards Riley''s eyes.


    "You are clones of Megawoman, correct?"


    "I¡­ I knew it. You''re one of them, the bad men!"


    "Are you talking about the one who threw you here?"


    "Threw¡­ no, we escaped!"


    "...Escape?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he heard the oldest clone''s words. Riley had initially thought that Bernard disposed of them here¡­ so that wasn''t the case?


    "Since when have you been here, least disfigured Silvie?"


    "Least disfi¡­ I have a name!" The oldest clone quickly bellowed.


    "Yes. You are Silvie Save¨C"


    "No!" The oldest clone iled; her voice almost cracking as she let out another scream, "A name I chose for myself¡­


    ¡­Aerith!"


    Riley seemed to find himself blinking more today than any other day as he looked at the oldest clone.


    Aerith¡­ that is Megawoman''s name. Did she choose that herself? Perhaps it was possible that the clones could have Megawoman''s memories? It was impossible for it to just be a coincidence.


    Does that mean Silvie could potentially¡­ have Megawoman''s memories as well? The oldest clone said they escaped¡­ but why here of all ces? What led them here?


    The clones then all looked to each other as the strange white-haired boy suddenly started whispering to himself. The oldest looking clone, Aerith, was about to say something; but before she could do so, Riley asked a question.


    "How did you find this ce and how did you escape, Aerith?"


    "We¨C"


    "Don''t answer him!" One of the clones seemed to almost answer his question, but Aerith stopped her, "Did you really think I will answer your question!? You are part of the¨C"


    And before she could finish her words, a melody suddenly started ringing in the air.


    "Mother! Mother is calling!" Aerith then bellowed as she once again started to struggle, "Let¡­ let us go we need to answer mother!"


    "...Mother?"


    Riley furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at the clones, whose breaths started to be excited as soon as they heard Aerith''s voice.


    "Let us¨C"


    And before Aerith could say another word, she felt the pressure around her loosen; the clones binding them, dropping to the ground one by one. Their broken bones that were used to tangle the rest, quickly healing. And almost as if nothing happened to them, they quickly huddled around Aerith; none of them even tried to escape.


    And now, with all of them surrounding Aerith, they all started to nod at the same time. Aerith then grabbed a phone from her pocket¡­ a phone simr to the ones that the Academy handed out to their students.


    "..." Riley grabbed his own phone to check, and true enough¡­ they truly were the same.


    [My children.]


    "!!!"


    Riley''s eyes quickly widened as soon as a familiar voice entered his ears; his eyes quickly turning back towards Aerith and the rest of the clones. And as soon as his eyesnded on the source of the voice, his breaths started to be heavy; the corner of his lips, slowly turning upwards.


    "...Megawoman?" Riley then quickly whispered as he saw a hologram of Megawoman floating on the phone that Aerith was holding. And no, it wasn''t a hologram of MEGAN, but Megawoman herself.


    "M¡­ mother! We¡­ we are still here. We are still waiting for you here!" Aerith then bellowed, "When¡­ when are youing to get us as you promised!?"


    [Have patience, my child. Soon, soon we would all be together.]


    Is it possible? Could the one talking on the other side¡­


    ¡­really be Megawoman?

 Chapter 168 - 168: Temporary (1)

    <h4>Chapter 168 - 168: Temporary (1)</h4>


    "Did you hear that!? Mother will be here soon!"


    "We''ll finally be with her! We don''t need to hide anymore!"


    "We¡­ we can all be free!"


    "But¡­ but we look ugly, will the people outside ept us?"


    "Mother will fix us."


    With the whispers of the younger clones growing louder by the second, Aerith quickly raised her hand to calm them down as she could not hear what Megawoman was saying on the other side of the line.


    Aerith was about to say something, but then she suddenly remembered that there was a stranger within their midst; her eyes, quickly looking towards Riley.


    "Mother! There''s¨C" But s, before she could let the person on the other side know of Riley''s presence, she felt a small pressure slowly piercing her neck. Almost like a needle¡­ but with the weight of a mountain.


    Her eyes then once again slowly strayed towards Riley, only to see him staring straight at her; his eyes, threatening to rip her into pieces. He had his index finger crossed on his lips, gesturing for her and the rest of the clones to shut their mouths.


    [What is it, Aerith? Is there something wrong?]


    "N¡­ no, mother. It''s nothing," Aerith then took in a small gulp as she returned her gaze to the phone, "Just¡­ pleasee find us soon."


    [That is actually the reason for my call. I need you to do something before I could fetch all of you.]


    "A¡­ anything, mother! Please tell us what to do!" Aerith muttered; her eyes, still ncing at Riley from time to time. She waspletely wary of what he will do but seeing as he was just watching from the side, Aerith just continued to focus her attention on Megawoman.


    [Do you know the dirty building near there?]


    "Yes?"


    [There should be people there now.]


    "Y¡­ yes," Aerith said as she once again took a small nce at Riley, "I¡­ I''ve seen them making noise earlier."


    [That''s good. I want you to take the others¡­


    ¡­and scare them.]


    "Scare them?" The other younger clones started to open their mouths as they looked at each other.


    "Like what we did with the bad men?"


    [Yes, dears. Like what you did with the bad men.]


    "Do¡­ we have to, mother?" Aerith then hushed the other clones as she focused the phone on her; her words, slowly stuttering.


    [Yes, I will not be able to fetch you if you do not scare them.]


    "But¡­ they didn''t do anything to us."


    [But they did. Did you see a woman with dark skin?]


    "I¡­ saw several of them."


    [The one with the shiny golden rings attached to her arms.]


    "Yes?"


    [She is involved with one of the men that did that to all of you.]


    "..."


    [Scare them, then I wille and find you.]


    "But mother, you¨C"


    And before Aerith could even finish her words, the connection was cut off from the other side. The only thing that Aerith could do was lightly bite her lip; her eyes, looking at the rest of the clones.


    "I see."


    And with Riley''s whisper, Aerith quickly snapped out of her stupor; stepping forward as she blocked the rest of the clones from Riley, who was now slowly approaching them.


    "It is obvious that the one you were talking to was not Megawoman," Riley then let out a small sigh; the disappointment it contained was obvious from any ears that could hear it, "She is also not your mother, clones."


    "What do you know?" Aerith scoffed.


    "He''s lying!"


    "Let¡­ let''s just scare him as well!"


    "Mother is mother!"


    "..." Even with all the clones hissing at him, Riley did not really do anything as he just looked to the side;pletely lost in his own thoughts.


    What was he even supposed to do with these things? Should he just kill them as he nned earlier?


    But it feels like something was going on; a deep secret that involved the people in his life.


    "..."


    "..."


    No, he should just kill them now. Whatever secrets they were hiding, they would be useless once he gets out of retirement anyway¨C and with those thoughts, Riley slowly raised his hand; the ground beneath his feet began to tremble.


    "I will make this painless in respect to your original," he then whispered as he looked at the clones, "Good b¨C"


    [Ooh!]


    "..."


    But once again, his attempt to snuff out the lives of the clones was interrupted by a ringing. This time, it was the sound of a solo riff of what seemed like an electric guitar.


    [Hane ga Nai¡­]


    "..." It was the sound of his ringtone, the opening song of the anime TV series ''Latino Mafia Reborn''.


    Hearing this, the clones could not help but look at each other; their eyes slightly furrowed from the sudden random song that yed in the air. Some of them, however, started bobbing their heads along with the tune.


    "..."


    "..."


    They all stopped, however, as soon as Riley once again moved his hand. But instead of them being hurt, Riley''s hand just casually went straight towards his pocket and grabbed his phone.


    And as soon as he saw the name ''Hannah Ross - Older Sister'' asking for a video call, he quickly epted the call without any hesitation.


    "He¨C"


    [Bro, Be called! She said you guys found Prophet!? Is¡­ is it true that he''s dead?]


    Riley slightly pulled the phone away from him as Hannah''s loud voice almost threatened to take off his ears. But even though her voice was filled with vigor, her eyes that could be seen on the screen were sedated.


    "Yes," Riley answered, "His brains were all over the ce, sister."


    [W¡­ what¡­ how could this¨C and dad isn''t there!?]


    "No. Father is not here, sister."


    [What the¡­ what the fuck is happening here.]


    [Ask him where he is!]


    And as a different voice whistled from the phone, Gary''s face suddenly appeared on the screen as he seemed to have grabbed Hannah''s phone. He was, however, quickly kicked away by Hannah for suddenly stealing her phone.


    "..." Riley only blinked a couple of times as he saw that before he opened the camera on his phone.


    [Where¨C What¡­ Why is it so dark there?]


    "I am in the forest near the school, sister. There''s no electricity here."


    [What¡­ what are you doing there? What if you get sick!? It''s dangerous there, go back to the others!]


    "...I''m with the other Silvie Savelievnas, sister."


    [Did you call for me!?]


    Another voice joined in on the conversation, causing Hannah to slightly stretch her arms so that they would all fit on the screen together; this time, it was Silvie. Tomoe was also there in the background, just calmly standing and doing¡­ nothing.


    "All of you are together?" Riley then asked.


    [My group gave up since the goddamn AI took us to the ocean,] Hannah snarled, [I fetched Gary and Silvie along the way¡­ then Be called me.]


    [Did¡­ did you need something from me, Riley?] Silvie then interjected.


    "No."


    [O¡­ oh.]


    "I said I am with other Silvie Savelievnas."


    [...What?]


    And as Riley heard the confusion in all of the voices from the people on the other side; he, without any hesitation, turned the camera towards the other clones.


    [What? Who are they? We can''t see anything. It''s too fucking dark.]


    "I apologize, sister," Riley then raised his finger. And as he did so, an orb of light suddenly emerged from the tip of his index, instantly brightening up the forest.


    [W¡­ what the¡­


    ¡­what the fuck are those!?]

 Chapter 169 - 169: Temporary (2)

    <h4>Chapter 169 - 169: Temporary (2)</h4>


    "W¡­ what the¡­


    ¡­what the fuck are those!?"


    "M¡­ monsters! Those are people who have a crippled dantian!"


    "What the fuck are you talking about?"


    Hannah, Gary, Tomoe, and Silvie were currently somewhere on the side of the road. Their jet-truck hybrid, parked on ay-by. Their heads were almost merged together as they stared at Hannah''s phone, which was currently on a video call with Riley.


    "G¡­ guys, look¡­"


    However, as the other three were currently trying to squint their eyes, Silvie let out a stuttered whisper, "They¡­ they kinda look like¡­ me?"


    "What? What are you talking about? They ugly as f¨C Wait," Gary did not continue his words as he too, focused his eyes on the screen.


    "N¡­ no way, are those¨C"


    "Clones," Hannah breathed out as her eyes started to widen, "T¡­ that one looks like Silvie!"


    On the screen, Aerith, the oldest clone amongst the group, slowly made her way nearer to the phone. Her eyes obviously only focused on Silvie''s face. Her hands then started to trail on her face; tilting her head as if she was looking at a mirror as Silvie also did the same.


    [You¡­ look perfect,] Aerith whispered. Her entranced eyes, however, quickly faded as her hand soon felt the bump on her face¨C an imperfection thatpletely shattered the mirror she was looking at.


    [Who¡­ are you?] Aerith stuttered.


    "R¡­ Riley, who are they? What¡­" And Silvie asked the same; their voices almost identical if not for the fact that Aerith''s voice was slightly cracked and hoarse.


    [They are Megawoman''s clones, Silvie.]


    "They¡­" The stutter on Silvie''s breaths became heavier and more frequent; her feet, slowly stepped back as her eyes began to tremble.


    "Wait¡­ Silv, calm down," Hannah and the others then all backed away as the dust and pebbles around Silvie''s feet began to tremble and slightly lift from the ground.


    "We practiced this already, Silv!" Hannah bellowed as the air around her began to deform and sizzle, "You can''t let this control y¨C"


    "Please stay where you are, Riley!"


    However, contrary to their expectations, Silvie did not run amok. Instead, her eyes became even clearer.


    "I¡­ I will help all of you!" Silvie then said as she suddenly ran towards the jet-truck, "Wait for me!"


    "W¡­ wait, you don''t even know how to drive that thing!" Hannah said as she quickly chased Silvie.


    "I¡­ I''ll just carry the truck and fly! You guys get in, quick!"


    "What the¡­ No! I''m driv¨C"


    "..."


    And with that, the video call was suddenly cut off, leaving Riley with his phone still stretched towards the clones.


    "..."


    "It would seem you would get to meet the perfect version of yourselves, clones," Riley then let out a small but deep sigh as he casually returned his phone to his pocket. The orb of light he summoned was still active; floating beside him as he started walking around; his eyes, carefully looking at each of the clones.


    The clones try to hide, however, as soon as even a speck of light hits their disfigured skin. Some of the deformation on their bodies, however, could not be hidden. Riley was not able to notice it before, but the reason that some of them were crawling was because of their bone structure¡­ almost akin to that of a four-legged mammal.


    And some of them even had extra limbs. Seeing as all of them had malformations¡­ were they earlier iterations of Silvie? But why do they look younger than her? Bernard did mention that the one responsible for cloning Megawoman was old, was her powers starting to deteriorate?


    ¡­Was it possible that there were other factions cloning Megawoman? Aerith did say they were able to escape¨C something like that wouldn''t have been easy if it was the Government handling them.


    "Who¡­ who are you?"


    "Hm?"


    Riley''s thoughts were then disrupted as Aerith once again stepped forward. Her gripped hands and furrowed eyebrows still showed her wariness, but now, a hint of curiosity was also in her eyes.


    "..."


    "..."


    "I am your original''s lover," Riley then muttered as the corners of his mouth started to rise up; his smile, almost reaching from ear to ear.


    "O¡­ Original?" Aerith tilted her head.


    "Megawoman¨C your mother," Riley said, "Not the one who called you on your phone, that''s not Megawoman, Aerith."


    "What?"


    "I am your father."


    "W¨C You''re lying!" Aerith then quickly waved her hand as her eyes started to re at Riley from head to toe, "I don''t believe you!"


    "You¡­ are our father?"


    "Father? We have a father?"


    Even with Aerith iling her arms in doubt, the smaller and younger clones all started to stare at Riley; their eyes, slowly shone as a smile crawled on their disfigured faces.


    "D¡­ don''t listen to him! He is lying!"


    "Yes, I was lying," Riley said as his smile grew even wider.


    "You!" Aerith started to hiss. And almost like a choir, the younger clones started to hiss in harmony as the smiles on their faces quickly disappeared; reced by a scowl that threatened to bite Riley''s head off.


    "Let''s just leave him!" Aerith clicked her tongue as she fixed the bandages on her face. She then turned around and started walking away, "Mother gave us a task, let''s go to the school to¨C"


    "That is not going to happen," Riley did not let Aerith finish her words as he suddenly appeared in front of her.


    "G¡­ get out of our way! It''s not up to y¨C"


    "If you insist, then I will just kill all of you here," the smile on Riley''s face suddenly disappeared as he stared Aerith straight in the eyes, "I will not let you tarnish Megawoman''s legacy."


    "W¨C"


    "Stay here," Riley then said as he turned around, "If even one of you is missing when I return, then I will kill all of you."


    Aerith was about to say something again, but before she could do so, a small silhouette slowly started to form from behind Riley''s shadow. It started with a simple puddle of mud, and soon, the puddle of mud turned into Little Riley.


    "Everyone," Little Riley then quickly opened his mouth as soon as he wasplete, "Behave or I kill!"


    "W¨C"


    And once again, before Aerith could say something, Little Riley suddenly appeared right in front of her face¡­ pping her without any hesitation.


    "No talking! Discipline number 1! I kill you!"


    "..." Riley, whose body was almost swallowed by the night, did not even look back as Little Riley started pping all the clones one by one.


    As for Aerith, no matter how much she wanted to follow Riley back to the school, the only thing she could do was sit down. And soon, Riley returned to the front of the school.


    "This ni¨C where''d you suddenly go, white hair!?"


    And what weed him was Be''s loud voice, followed by Daniel''s trademark scowl. Riley ignored them, however, as he looked around the vicinity. There seemed to be fewer people there, with Empress no longer to be seen.


    "SMM and sir Nightwalker already went with the authorities!" Be bellowed, "The police are already packing up¨C where''d you go, boy?"


    "In the forest, Be."


    "Ack, let''s just go!" Daniel clicked his tongue, "I need to take a bath, this ce is too humid for my skin," he then said as his arms started to wriggle almost in a zigzag; stretching as the sweat on them started to sputter away.


    "The two of you may go ahead, Daniel," Riley said as he moved back; his face clearly disgusted from Daniel''s stretching limbs, "I will be waiting for sister and the other members of the Baby Crew."


    "What? What are you even¨C"


    "Take this."


    And before Daniel could even ask, Be suddenly handed her the keys to their van, "I will be waiting for them as well¡­ as a temporary member of the Baby Crew."


    "W¨C I don''t know how to drive!" Daniel said as the keys bounced off on his hands.


    "Then stretch and sling yourself back to the Academy," Be said as she walked towards Riley.


    "That¡­ Fuck! I should have just gone with the instructors!"


    And so, with Danny''s crying screams whispering in the air; he soon came to the realization that he had no choice¡­


    ¡­but to also be a temporary member of the most notorious group of students of Mega Academy, the Baby Crew.

 Chapter 170 - 170: Broken Mirror

    <h4>Chapter 170 - 170: Broken Mirror</h4>


    "Is¡­ is it really cool for us to see this?"


    "No, we will need to kill you now."


    "W¡­ what!?"


    Be initially thought that they would just be talking about Prophet when Hannah and the others arrived from the sky with their fancy jet-truck. Their entrance was pretty cool, she thought. She had always wanted to be in some kind of group since she was sick of seeing her brother''s face 24/7.


    And so, seeing the jet-truck slowlynding from the sky; with its propellers and rockets, Be could not help but be excited. Of course, solving Prophet''s murder was still the main reason why she wanted to temporarily team up with the Baby Crew¡­ but being a part of something this cool was certainly a plus.


    But then, as soon as the jet-trucknded, they were quickly taken by Riley deep into the dark forest. And just like their notorious fame¡­


    ¡­shit suddenly hit the fan, she thought.


    "...Clones," Be breathed out as she stared at the gathering of¡­ unique-looking individuals. Unique individuals that shared one thing inmon¨C they all looked like Silvie in a way. They were clones and not just any clones; They were clones of the greatest superhero to have ever existed, Megawoman.


    "Does that mean¡­ that Silvie is also a clone of Megawoman?" Be then muttered as she took a small nce at Silvie.


    "..."


    None of the members of the Baby Crew responded, however. Silvie just looked to the side, and although she looked a little ufortable, her still eyes showed the resolve she had been trying to build up the past few days.


    As for Daniel, he waspletely silent; only staring at Aerith and looking at her from head to toe. Aerith also looked at him and could not avoid making eye contact. An awkward smile quickly crawled on Daniel''s face; Aerith, however, quickly covered half of her face and started fixing the bandages covering it.


    "..." Daniel could still not believe that all of this was actually happening¨C but he was already here, so the scenario was basically being spoon-fed to him.


    The Baby Crew¡­ is this the usual crazy shit they were involved in? He thought as he looked at Riley and the others. He already wanted to go home since earlier, since whoever murdered Prophet mighte snooping and he certainly didn''t want that¡­


    ¡­but now he was involved in something even crazier. He knew nothing good woulde from sticking with Riley.


    "We are not kidding, though," Hannah then raised her voice, "Don''t tell any of this to anyone."


    "Of course, we won''t tell anyone," Daniel quickly clicked his tongue as he crossed his arms, "With all of the shit that''s going on, I am sure there''s a big bad out there manipting everything."


    "I will kill the two of you if you tell anyone, Daniel and Be," Riley then suddenly joined in on the conversation; gathering a smallugh from the others as they thought he was joking.


    "Come on, I thought we were tight already, my white brother?" Be said as she tried to put her arm around Riley''s shoulder. Tried.


    And with just that simple moment, the dark atmosphere surrounding the already dark forest slightly got lighter¡­ except for the clones.


    Just minutes ago before this weird group suddenly arrived, they received the same threat for Little Riley. Aerith tried to escape and had a little scuffle with the small human; she was, however, surprisinglypletely beaten. If it wasn''t for her regenerative powers, then this weird group would have certainly seen her swelling cheeks.


    Little Riley also told them not to tell anything about him¡­ or else the original would surely kill them.


    Their mother asked her and the others to scare some people, but she already failed that task as the people from the school had already left. Does that mean¡­ their mother wasn''t going to fetch them? Were they stuck here forever?


    "You¡­ said your name is Aerith?"


    And as she was busy with her thoughts, a voice almost identical to hers whispered into her ears. She slowly turned her head, only to see Silvie right in front of her, "My¡­ my name is Silvie. You and I¡­


    ¡­we''re the same."


    "My name is also Silvie!"


    "Me too! Me too!"


    "Is¡­ is that so?" With the smaller clones suddenly bombarding Silvie with stares, the only thing she could do was let out a small and slightly awkward smile. Some of the younger clones were even trying to poke her skin, but she didn''t seem to mind. One could even say that her eyes contained a tiny bit of warmth as they looked at the younger clones'' disfigured, malnourished, and malformed bodies.


    "Just¡­ what exactly was the Government thinking?" Silvie muttered; her head immediately hurting with the statement. She had already figured this out before, but any thoughts of rebelling from the government caused her head to ache¨C perhaps from years of being brainwashed by her fath¨C by the scientist that took care of her.


    "Just what is your father actually involved in, Hannah?" Silvie then muttered as she turned her head towards Hannah.


    "I¡­ have absolutely no idea," Hannah could only shake her head and sigh in shame.


    "Wait¡­ how is Whiteking involved in this?" Be muttered.


    "That¡­" Hannah quickly looked at Riley, who just shrugged his shoulders in response. She was a little hesitant at first, but in the end, she told the two all about the clones, and their father''s part in it. Of course, they skipped the part where Gary is Megawoman''s son as he didn''t want other people to know, at least not yet.


    "Fuck!" Daniel quickly cursed as soon as Hannah''s story was over, "To think the entire family was crazy!"


    Hannah was about to say something, but the only thing she could really do was let out a scoff¨C he had a point, after all.


    They were initially just supposed to be here for Prophet¡­ but now the situation suddenly became like this.


    "What the fuck kind of shit show is happening here," Gary finally joined the conversation as he let out a loud and very deep breath. He had also been watching and observing the clones. He was aware of Project Forest¨C but that was only to the extent of Silvie and Dark Millenium.


    If he knew that the Government would actually have created a broken replica of her mother and let them suffer¡­ he would have probably fought to shut down the project.


    "It almost feels like something big ising¡­" Gary then continued, "...and it''s not my dick."


    "...What the fuck, man?"


    "Nice one," Be quickly stretched her hand towards Gary; the two bumping fists as they shared augh. Their bursts ofughter were short, however, as Be''s eyebrows began to furrow a few momentster.


    "Prophet mentioned something like that in the video," she then muttered.


    "Like what?"


    "That something ising¡­ and that we should run," Daniel added to the conversation.


    "This video¡­" And finally, Tomoe, who had been quietly observing the situation on the side, approached Riley, "...Can we see it, master Riley?"


    "Okay."


    "W¡­ what? Man, Prophet told us to keep it secret," Daniel could only let out a sigh as he saw Riley handing the phone without any hesitation. He couldn''t reallyin any further, as he heard an even deeper secret with this cloning business.


    And so, the others started to watch Prophet''s farewell. As for Silvie, she was still talking with the clones; telling them about her and who she was¡­ who they were.


    "Something like that¡­" Aerith then whispered as soon as Silvie''s story was over, "...It''s not true¡­ I¡­ I don''t ept it."


    "The one that you call mother, whoever she is¡­" In contrast, Silvie''s tone waspletely gentle, "...she''s not your mother."


    "But she helped us escape from the bad men!"


    "Y¡­ yes! That''s right!" The other clones chimed in.


    "...How did you escape the bad men?" Silvie then asked as her eyes started to squint.


    "We scared them! Mother told us to scare them!"


    "Scare¡­ them? How?"


    "We took off their heads like this!" One of the clones said as she put both her palms close together, before pulling them away in opposite directions.


    "You¡­ killed them?"


    "...Kill?" The clones all tilted their heads to the side.


    "D¡­ don''t tell her that¨C"


    "No."


    A loud explosion suddenly erupted in the air; the entire forest shaking as Silvie stomped her foot on the ground,


    "Megawoman would never ask you to do something like that," Silvie then said, "Megawoman is the best of us¨C she will never tell you to kill anyone. Whoever it is that''s been calling you¡­ she''s not Megawoman."


    "She¡­ she doesn''t need to be Megawoman! She''s our mother and¨C"


    "Very well said, Silvie."


    And before Aerith could finish her words, she could not help but flinch as Riley started to approach them ever so slowly.


    "I have already told them the same earlier," Riley let out a small sigh, "That woman you call mother is not Megawoman, clone Aerith."


    "Where''s the phone?" Silvie then asked as she opened her hand.


    "W¡­ why?"


    "You need to throw it away. The one that''s been calling you¡­ is a bad woman."


    "Mother¡­ is bad?"


    "Mother is bad woman?"


    "That''s not true, don''t listen to her!" Aerith said as she tried to shut the other clones, "I''m not throwing away the¨C Hey!"


    And once again, her words were interrupted as the phone in her pocket suddenly flew out, going straight towards Silvie''s stretched hand.


    "..." Silvie was slightly surprised at first, but as soon as she realized it was Riley who did that, she crushed the phone with her hand without any hesitation.


    "N¡­ no!" Aerith quickly rushed and crawled towards the phone, but her path was blocked by Silvie.


    "Please¡­ do not try to pick up the pieces," Silvie then said as she kneeled on the ground to be on the same eye level as Aerith, "I know how much it hurts to know that the one you''ve been calling your mother is not actually your family¡­


    ¡­But family would never ask you to do bad things," Silvie looked nced at Riley and the others who were still busy watching Prophet''s video, "A family should be there for you whenever you''re in trouble¡­ and never ask anything in return."


    "F¡­ family?"


    "Please," Silvie then let out a small smile, "Let me be your family, all of you¡­ You can consider me as your older sister."


    "I¨C" Aerith was about to look away, but as she saw the warm smile radiating from Silvie; it was almost as if there was some sort of string attached to the both of them that was no longer allowing her to look away.


    No one has ever looked at them like that¨C she didn''t know it was even possible for someone to look at them like that. And so, with a feeling that she hasn''t felt once in her life slowly filling up her entire body¡­ the only thing she could do was reach out her hand.


    Her trembling showed that she was still hesitant, but the reflection she saw in Silvie''s eyes was so clear that the shattered mirror between the two of them was swept away¡­


    ¡­allowing their hands to finally meet.

 Chapter 171 - 171: Sweet Suite

    <h4>Chapter 171 - 171: Sweet Suite</h4>


    Warmth.


    Aerith did not know what it meant at first, but for some odd reason, she always seemed to crave for it. It was almost like thirst or the need to breathe for her. And in a way, she thought she was getting it from their mother¨C or whoever it was that was pulling their strings.


    But now, with the hand she was currently holding; the feeling she was getting from their mother waspletely different. Silvie''s hand was gentle, almost caring. Her hand wasn''t necessarily warm, no; in fact, it was a little cold. But for some reason, also unexinable, she felt warmth.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Uhmm¡­ You can let go of my hand now, you know?" Silvie then said as she let out a small but awkward chuckle. Aerith has been holding her hand for almost a full minute now, with seemingly no intention of letting go.


    "Ah, y¡­ yes. Of course!" Aerith then quickly pulled her hand away, but soon, a small chuckle also escaped her mouth.


    The jubnt breaths that wereing out of their mouths were almost in rhythm with each other. They had the same tone and even the same voice¨C and as soon as the two realized this, for some reason, theirughter became even stronger.


    "Can¡­ can I also hold hand?"


    Their peals ofughter, however, were disrupted as one of the younger clones approached the two of them; her eyes, seemingly craving to touch Silvie''s hand.


    "...Of course," Silvie then let out a small sigh as she retained her smile, "You c¨C"


    And before she could even finish her words, the young clone chittered her way towards her and hugged her hand. And it wasn''t only her, soon, the rest of the clones started hugging her.


    "W¡­ wait," Silvie slightly moved, careful not to hurt the children.


    "We¡­ we have two big sisters now!"


    "Big sister! Big sister!"


    "I''m¡­" Silvie could only blink a couple of times as she took a small nce at Aerith, "...Yes, I''m your new big sister."


    And as Aerith heard this, the smile on her face also lit up. It slightly died down, however, as she remembered that their mother would not be able to call them again since Silvie crushed her phone. What¡­ would they do from now on? She had always been following their mother''s advice.


    "Is it because you are imperfect clones?"


    And then, out of nowhere, Riley spoke as he once again looked at Aerith and the other younger clones, "Your emotions and decisions are easily swayed¡­ certainly a product of an underdeveloped emotional intelligence."


    "...You know you''re not really one to talk about undeveloped emotions, right, little bro?"


    Hannah, who just finished watching Prophet''s farewell video, slowly made her way towards Riley and Silvie; the others followed beside her.


    "At least these girls are more expressive than you."


    "...Do you want me to physically express my emotions more, sister?"


    "...Please don''t," Hannah quickly shook her head, "For everyone''s sake, please don''t."


    And as Hannah said that, the others could not help but let out a slightly ufortable chuckle as they saw the weird growing smile on Riley''s face slowly fading away. They can''t lie¨C Riley''s smile was probably one of the creepiest things in existence due to his unusually wide mouth.


    Of course, Silvie and Tomoe didn''t seem to think so.


    There was one, however, that was pretty shaken¨C Daniel Espinoza. Why even smile? He thought. Was Riley actually enjoying this moment? Is all this confusion and chaos actually fun for him?


    "This government facility where you were being kept in¡­" Silvie then asked after everything calmed down, "...Can you tell us where it is?"


    "I¡­ It''s far from here," Aerith said, "We got on arge ship to get here."


    Although Riley''s earlier words were blunt, he did have a point¨C Aerith waspletely aloof when they first saw her¡­ but now she was just freely answering Silvie''s question. It could be a trap, but the innocent shine in her eyes would say otherwise.


    "A ship? Is it possible you were hidden somewhere outside the country? Perhaps a remote ind?"


    "I¡­ don''t know."


    "Whatever the case is," Hannah then stepped in and joined the conversation, "We need to get them somewhere safe first. We can''t do anything here and quite honestly¡­ this forest is giving me major serial killer vibes."


    "Right? I''ve been saying that since earlier!" Daniel said¡­ but no one seemed to care.


    "Anyway, we also need to find Prophet''s killer¡­ but we need to give this phone to his husband first," Hannah then let out a small but deep sigh as she handed Prophet''s phone back to Riley, "I¡­ didn''t even know he had a lover."


    "Did you know he was gay, though?"-- said both Gary and Daniel almost at the same time. The two quickly looked at each other, a spark of rivalry almost connecting both their eyes.


    "This team already hasic relief," Gary muttered, "Go find your own troubled prepubescent adults to annoy."


    "Huh?" Daniel raised his eyebrow, "Who are you calling aic relief?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "So, where are we going?" Silvie then said after watching Gary and Daniel almost duke it out.


    "I know a lot of safe houses¡­ but since dad is directly involved in this cloning shit, we can''t really go there since he might be watching," Hannah sighed as she looked at Silvie, who quickly shook her head.


    "My house¡­ isn''t even my house," Silvie whispered.


    Hannah then looked at Gary, who also shook his head. "You know why we can''t," he said.


    "I live in Harlem, so¡­" Be raised both her hands as Hannah''s gaze fell to her, "...expect us to be on the news in less than a minute."


    Hearing this, Hannah could only once again sigh as her eyes went straight to Tomoe.


    "Did¡­ you just skip me?" Daniel muttered.


    "My mother has a studio in L.A," Tomoe suggested; her already small eyes squinting as she ced her hand on her chin, "It should be empty right now since she is staying in the Academy."


    "That''s literally on the other side of the country, hello?" Daniel gasped as he looked at everyone, "I know a ce that¨C"


    "Distance is not a problem," Hannah did not let him finish, "We have a flying truck."


    "Wha¨C Are you even licensed to fly that!?" Of course, Daniel knew they had a flying truck; everyone in the Academy did.


    "I''m even licensed to pilot a spacecraft," Hannah scoffed as she started to turn around, "Let''s go, we''ll pick up Riley''s van along the way."


    "There is no need, sister," Riley shook his head, "I can just buy another one before my Mega Student privileges are over."


    "Let''s go, baby!" Gary then roared as he pped his hands several times, "Hollywood, here wee! I think there was news that there''s a viin there, but YOLO!"


    "Don''t we need to go back to the Academy!?" Daniel screamed.


    "Rx, homes."


    The only response Daniel received, however, was Be''s arm on his shoulders,


    "Bulwark gave us a whole week, rx," Be breathed out, "Aren''t you excited? We get to jam with the Baby Crew."


    "What do you mean excited!?" Daniel could only exim as the rest of the group started walking away like they were just going on a pic¨C even the clones were looking at him like he was the odd one in the group.


    Government conspiracies, assassination, clones, adultery¡­


    ¡­Just what exactly has he gotten himself into?


    ***


    "Is your mother a famous painter or something?"


    "No idea," Tomoe said as she entered a passcode on the door in front of her¡­ on a rooftop that had its own helipad. But s, a beeping sound followed by a red light showed that whatever she entered, it was the wrongbination.


    "...You said you weren''t rich?" Silvie''s voice was quite solemn as her eyes looked around¡­ to see nothing but the sky, as well as a 360-degree view of the city of Los Angeles, "In what way is this not rich?"


    "We''re not," Tomoe answered; her eyes closed as several numbers raced through her mind, "My mother''s¡­ lovers are."


    "...Lovers? Your mother is¨C"


    "Gary," Hannah subtly punched Gary on the side to stop him from saying anything else.


    "I got it," Tomoe then breathed out as another beep rang in the air; this time, however, the light that followed it was green, partnered with a clicking sound as the door slightly popped in ce.


    "...Is it safe?"


    "I don''t hear anything suspicious," Silvie nodded. And so, with one final look around them, the group started to enter the building one by one.


    "What the hell¡­ this is fancy as fuck!"


    And as soon as they entered Tomoe''s mother''s so-called studio, Gary greeted it with his colorful words of excitement. But it wasn''t only him, even the eyes of the clones were shining as they started running around the spacious¡­ loft suite.


    The others were expecting some kind of studio simr to those photo studios or art galleries... but this just looked like a fancy hotel room.


    Aerith tried her best to calm them down. But s, even she was swept by their enthusiasm. The window wall probably had the best view of the city¨C and it didn''t help that there was a pool that almost merged with the sky adorning it.


    There were also lots of paintings scattered on the walls or just lying on them; with empty and unused canvases lying around neatly, waiting toe alive. Tomoe seemed like an expert in editing photos... so she more than likely got her knack for art and finer details from her mother.


    "Is¡­ is this high society?"


    "Don''t touch that."


    Besides Tomoe, the only ones that were not shaken were Riley and Hannah. After all, Whiteking did notck the resources. He probably had hundreds of ces like this all over the entire.


    "Okay, let''s all calm down and¨C"


    And before Hannah could even get the chance to settle everyone, her phone rang.


    "W¡­ wait," she then stuttered as soon as she saw who was calling, "I¡­ need to take this call."


    "Ooh, is it the new boyfriend?" Be said as she twinkled her pinky finger, "Everyone''s been talking about it."


    "I don''t know, man. The dude''s he suspicious," Daniel scoffed, "Anyone who uses their name as their superhero name is a fucking psycho."


    "Jealous much?"


    "W¨C what do you mean ''jealous''!?"


    "W¡­ wait, Julius, let me move somewhere else," Hannah could only furrow her eyebrows at Daniel and Be before walking away to somewhere quieter,


    "Why are you calling me at this time?"


    [I''m worried. Where are you and your brother right now? Are you not back in the Academy yet?]


    "N¡­ no, we''re just¨C


    ¨CHow did you know I''m with my brother?"

 Chapter 172 - 172: A Streak Of Light

    <h4>Chapter 172 - 172: A Streak Of Light</h4>


    "How did you know I''m with my brother?"


    [...]


    [...]


    [What¡­ do you mean?] Even through the speakers, Julius''s confused tone reached Hannah''s ear. His breaths, however, seemedpletely normal.


    "How do you know that I am currently with my brother right now?" Hannah repeated her question; her voice, slightly turning cold.


    [Aren''t the two of you always together? I heard Bulwark allowed your ss to go outside, so I just assumed you were together.]


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Right," Hannah then let out a small but deep sigh as she slightly nodded. She''s been aloof to everyely due to everything that''s been happening to and around her. Her father''s affair, all the secrets¨C and now Prophet''s assassination. She didn''t know who to trust anymore.


    But Julius has been there tofort her; not asking anything in return. So at least this... it has to be true.


    "We''re still doing something, I''ll call you backter," Hannah once again sighed.


    [...Okay. Please be careful, okay? I¡­ love you.]


    "I¨C What the fuck are you saying!? B¡­ Bye!" Hannah''s head almost instinctively pulled away from her phone, before she quickly cut off the call with her slightly trembling fingers.


    "W¡­ what''s with that?" She then breathed out loudly; her face, slightly turning red as she turned around.


    "Kya!" As soon as she did so, however, Tomoe''s face almost caused her to jump back in fright as she stood in front of her without any sound.


    "H¡­ how long have you been there?" Hannah asked. She then slightly tilted her head to the side, only to see Gary and the others were also¡­ subtly hiding across the wall; Gary not so much, however, as he seemed to be making sure that Hannah could see and hear his sighs of disappointment and disapproval.


    "What¡­ are you guys doing here?"


    "We were eavesdropping on your conversation, sister."


    "...What?"


    "Was that Julius?" And before Hannah could even ask why they were doing so, Tomoe''s somewhat quiet and monotonous voice whispered in her ears, "He knew you were with Master Riley?"


    "Y¡­ yeah," Hannah stuttered as she was still trying to calm herself down from what Julius said to her,


    "It''s¡­ nothing, just a misunderstanding on my part," she then waved her hand with a chuckle as she walked away, "Let''s go, we still have a lot of things to discuss."


    But before Hannah could even take 3 steps, Tomoe''s already small eyes started to squint as she said, "I think Julius is suspicious, Hannah."


    "...What?" Hannah blinked a couple of times in confusion.


    "I think he has something to do with whatever is happening right now¨C to the clones."


    "Sorry, but¡­" Silvie then stepped out from the nt she was hiding behind; taking a small nce towards the clones, who were already fast asleep on the floor without a care in the world,


    "...But what does Hannah''s new boyfriend have to do with them? It''s that Julius guy, right?"


    "Nothing!" Hannah breathed out as she lightly shrugged her shoulders.


    "They own thepany that made the Academy''s phones," Tomoe, however, answered Silvie''s questions without bar, "MEGAN was also most likely developed by them."


    "...MEGAN?" Silvie furrowed her eyebrows, "Is¡­ it possible that they''re controlling MEGAN?"


    The phone that Aerith was using was the same model as the ones being used in the Academy. And more likely than not, the one that''s been calling herself the mother of the clones¡­ is also MEGAN.


    "I knew that guy was sus af!"


    The sound of Gary clicking his tongue almost echoed throughout the entire suite; his steps too, were loud enough to wake the sleeping clones,


    "T¡­ tell me the two of you haven''t seggs yet!" He then said as he pointed straight at Hannah''s face.


    "...Seggs?" Silvie asked.


    "You know!" Gary then answered by moving his hands in a very¡­ obscene manner.


    "That''s enough, guys. What''s gotten into all of you!?" Hannah stomped her foot on the floor to get everyone''s attention, "Julius¡­ Julius treats me well!"


    "Wait, are we talking about the Julius Reuben?" Daniel, who was disinterested at the start, now joined in on the conversation, "The heir to Reuben tech? Tel giant? SpaceR, Microhard, and all that!?"


    "...You''re dating the rich guy?" Be also joined in; her eyes blinking several times as her voice held a certain amazement in it, "Talk about a royal match."


    "...What if he approached you because he needed something from you?" Gary nodded several times as he continued to approach Hannah, "...What if he''s the one who killed Prophet?"


    "Okay, this is getting ridiculous," Hannah''s eyes started to twitch, "What the heck are you guys even saying? Let''s not talk about this and focus on what''s important."


    "I mean, how long have you been with the guy, 2 weeks?" Gary added, "Then all this shit happened, kinda sus, not gonna lie."


    "Y¨C"


    And before Hannah could even say a word, a small but very noticeable crack whispered into their ears. They all turn around to see what made the noise, only to see specks of dust falling from Silvie''s hand; little bits of ss and metal, dropping to the floor as Silvie''s hand crushed¡­ her own phone.


    "...Silv?"


    "I¡­ agree with Tomoe and Gary," Silvie then said; her eyes having a hard time looking at Hannah, "Something¡­ feels off here."


    Riley was still quietly watching as the scene unfolds in front of him; his eyebrows, slightly dropping as he watched as her sister''s subtle stutters began to grow worse.


    "W¡­ what?" Hannah chuckled, "Are¡­ are you guys crazy?"


    And as if to answer her question, Gary also crushed his phone. Tomoe also tried to do the same thing¡­ but found that her grip wasn''t strong enough to even fold the phone in half. And so, she handed her phone to Gary, who crushed it with his hand without any hesitation.


    Hannah''s breaths started to fluctuate, as even Be did the same; her phone shattering into pieces as it floated in the air.


    "What the fuck!?" And the same thing happened to Daniel''s phone, "W¡­ why did you also destroy mine!?"


    "We might be getting bugged right now, that ain''t cool," Be sighed as she patted Daniel''s shoulder several times infort.


    "This¡­ this is crazy, guys," Hannah''s voice then became quiet as she was suddenly surrounded by people who seemed to have already made the decision that Julius is a bad guy,


    "...Riley?" Hannah then turned her head towards Riley; her eyes, as if begging him not to do the same.


    "I do not really care if we are getting bugged right now, sister," Riley muttered as he showed his phone to his sister. MEGAN seemed to already know that he was Darkday, so there really was no point in him hiding away from it; besides, he was starting to like the fact that he could watch Italian Mafia Reborn from it, Full HD in 8k resolution.


    "..."


    "..."


    Hannah, even with her brother somewhat still supporting her, turnedpletely silent as her eyes dropped to the floor. Silvie was about to open her mouth, but before she could do so, Hannah suddenly took in a deep breath¡­ before grabbing and mming Riley''s phone to the ground. She then proceeded to step on it; splitting it in half and slightly cracking the floor.


    And without even saying a word, she also grabbed her own phone tight; gritting her teeth as her hands began to tremble in an attempt to split it in half.


    "The phone is made of¨C"


    And before Be could finish her words, the sound of Hannah''s phone cracking open whispered into her ears. Hannah then threw both pieces on the ground, proceeding to trample on it several times as hard as she could.


    "H¡­ Hannah, stop," Silvie stuttered as she slowly tried to approach Hannah. But before she could get near here, Hannah''s breaths echoed throughout the entire suite; her steps, finally calming down as she seemed to have collected herself.


    "Enough," she then muttered, "I can''t let my personal feelings in the way. We''re a group, it would be selfish to insist that nothing is wrong."


    And although her voice contained some sort of conviction in it, the trembling words that wereing out of her mouth made it obvious that she was still shaken about what just happened.


    "Are you hurt, sister?"


    "Hm?" Hannah then let out a small but deep breath as she looked at her brother.


    "Are you hurt because of Julius Reuben?" Riley repeated his question. And although his voice waspletely calm, Tomoe noticed that his hand was slightly opened; trembling, as if gripping some sort of invisible sphere.


    "That¡­ no," Hannah breathed out as she shook her head, "I''ll just talk to him after this is done, I''m sure there''s an exnation to all of this."


    "Okay," Riley nodded, "Please tell me if he starts to hurt you, sister. I will change the path for now."


    "Ha? Change the what?" Hannah furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Riley, however, did not answer her; instead, his trembling hand started to rx.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...You''ll be the first to know, Riley," and after a few moments of silence, Hannah once again shook her head, cing her hand on Riley''s cheek as she did so, "You don''t have to worry about me, okay? I''m your big sister."


    "That is impossible, sister," Riley then whispered as he gently ced his hand on top of Hannah''s, "I will always care and worry about you."


    "Yeah? You''ll be my boyfriend instead?"


    "If that is what you wish, sister."


    "Pft."


    "..."


    "..."


    Gary''s eyes started to move across the room, trying to see what the reaction of the others was.


    "Ince¨C"


    "Wah, what''s that!? It''s so shiny!"


    And before he could say what he wanted to say, a high-pitched but slightly hoarse voice scratched in the air¨C one of the young clones was currently sticking her palms on the window, her eyes, seemingly reflecting a yellow streak.


    "That''s¡­" Silvie quickly rushed to see what it was, only for her eyes to reflect the streak as well,


    "....A falling star?"

 Chapter 173 - 173: The One Who Catches The Fallen King (1)

    <h4>Chapter 173 - 173: The One Who Catches The Fallen King (1)</h4>


    "...A falling star?"


    Silvie''s eyes reflected the yellow streak that suddenly disrupted the peaceful sky. The meteor was bright enough to trounce even the massive light pollution that drowned the city¨C changing the colors of the city''s walls and even distracting the drivers that were moving through the night.


    "A meteor?" Hannah then quickly joined Silvie as she too, stared at the bright streak, "It''s¡­ quite close¡­ too close."


    While everyone else was amazed at the sudden celestial appearance, Tomoe, on the other hand, was inching closer to Riley by the second. She remembered clearly that Riley threatened Julius; that if he ever hurts his sister, he would kill everyst person in his country.


    "M¡­ master," she then whispered as she got close enough, "Did you¨C"


    "Not yet, Tomoe," Riley did not let Tomoe finish her words as he walked away, "My sister said she would deal with it."


    "..." Tomoe could only take in a deep breath as she heard Riley''s words. Does that mean if Hannah actually said that she was hurt¡­ then Riley would have called upon a meteor on them? And how was he even able to summon one from space? Even if his telekic powers had no limits, how was it possible for him to move something that far away?


    And soon, Tomoe''s breaths began to flutter; her face slowly turning red. Magnificent, she thought¡­ Riley Ross truly is a god. A god that she would forever serve until thest of her life melts away.


    "So¡­ so beautiful."


    "What is that? Is that mother?"


    "T¡­ that''s a meteor, a space rock that entered the''s atmosphere."


    "S¡­ shouldn''t we hide?"


    "No, it just looks close¨C but judging by its trajectory it might hit somewhere in the Antic ocean¡­ government might call for tsunami and earthquake warnings," Hannah breathed out.


    "...You know that how?"


    "I¡­ could feel it," Hannah said as she stared at the meteor; her eyes, almost imitating the meteor''s color, "It''s also slowing down for some reason¨C it might just be a small piece."


    "You¡­ could feel it?" Silvie blinked a couple of times as she looked at Hannah.


    "Ah, it''s disappearing!"


    "Bye-bye, mister meteor!"


    The children, who were previously sleeping on the floor, were now all awake as they all stuck their faces on the window¨C their eyes almost shimmering with excitement as they waved the meteor goodbye.


    If they were normal children, then this scene would have been cute. But with most of them having extra limbs and wrapped in bandages¡­ It almost looked like something from a horror film. If it wasn''t for the well-lit suite, then this would have probably been the creepiest thing he has ever seen¨C of course, Gary was sensible enough to not voice out his thoughts.


    "So¡­ what exactly are we going to do with them?" Hannah then let out a small sigh as she gestured towards the clones. A part of her feels guilty; after all, her father was involved in creating them¡­ or was he?


    Bernard told them that he helped create Silvie-1 and Silvie-2, which were Dark Millenium and Silvie¨C both almost perfect clones. But these children and Aerith¡­ they all had deformations one way or another. Was it actually possible that he wasn''t involved in this, hence the clones'' current states?


    "I¡­ can take care of them," Aerith then approached Hannah and Silvie, "But¡­ I want answers too. Please let me join and help you with whatever it is you''re doing. I want to know why they did this to us¡­ If¡­ if mother truly isn''t real."


    "That''s¡­" Hannah was initially going to refuse, but when she saw the look of helplessness slowly building in Aerith''s eyes, the only thing she could do was look to the other members of the Baby Crew. And seeing their nods of approval, Hannah as well, nodded to Aerith''s request.


    "...But what else can you actually do?"


    "Hm?"


    "Your powers, do you also have Megawoman''s powers to some extent?" Hannah said.


    "I¡­ I don''t know? I''m super strong?" Aerith muttered.


    "We''re also super strong!"


    "...This won''t do," Hannah let out a sigh. Thankfully, before her breaths could grow even heavier, Silvie stepped forward.


    "I''ll¡­ teach you how to use your power," Silvie then said, "But first¡­ I''d like to show you where you came from¡­ who you came from¨C Megawoman."


    "..."


    "..."


    Almost everyone waited for Silvie to do something due to the dramatic way she said her words, but even after a few seconds had passed; the only thing she did was stand in ce. But finally, after a few more seconds, she opened her mouth.


    "Does¡­ your TV have YouView installed?" She then chuckled awkwardly as she looked at Tomoe, "I¡­ forgot we destroyed our phones."


    "...Yes," Tomoe nodded as she tried to find the remote with Silvie. And as soon as they turned it on, all the clones started to run in front of it.


    "TV!? What are we watching!?"


    "Aren''t you listening!? We''re going to watch mother!"


    "C¡­ calm down, everyone!" Aerith could only move in panic as the younger clones started filling the sofa or sitting on the carpet; almost destroying them as they did so.


    But s, the only thing she could do was also sit down in silence¡­ as Riley suddenly joined them to watch Megawoman''s videos.


    "Should we discuss about Prophet''s killer now?"


    And after the clones plus Riley have settled down to watch Megawoman''s videos, Be approached Hannah, "We need to avenge him!"


    "I think what we need to talk about is that god damn meteor!" Daniel''s screams also joined in, "Why are you guys acting like you just didn''t see a meteor fall from the sky!?"


    "Hannah said it would be fine," Be shrugged.


    "Wha¨C"


    "We need to attend Prophet''s funeral," Hannah disrupted Daniel''s words as she spoke to Be, "Right now, we have absolutely no leads; our best option is to give the phone to Prophet''s husband¡­


    ¡­but something about what Prophet said in the video bothers me."


    "...What is it?"


    "He said the one who killed him is the most dangerous man on the entire," Hannah muttered as she took a seat at the dining table, "So that eliminates a lot of suspects."


    "...You think it might be a Grade-S Super?" Silvie joined in on the conversation as she too took a seat.


    "Might be."


    And soon, Tomoe followed, Gary, Be, and then Daniel also all took a seat at the table¨C leaving only Riley as he was still busy watching videos of Megawoman.


    "Wait, wait," Daniel then breathed out, "Are you telling me this would lead us to a Grade-S Super? Are you guys insane? We should just leave this to Whiteking and the Hope Guild! Or maybe to Nightwalker and Spectacr Mustache Man since they already know"


    "...Speaking of Whiteking, maybe he already knows? That dude is creepy as heck, no offense," Be said.


    "That''s possible," Hannah said, "But Prophet''s death was made to look like a suicide at all angles¨C even father would have a hard time. The only reason we know that he was killed was because he left a message."


    "Shouldn''t we at least tell this to your father?"


    "No," Hannah shook her head, "We are handling this¨C but we need SMM and Nightwalker. But not dad, Prophet is his best friend, even someone like him¡­


    ¡­wouldn''t be able to think clearly."


    ***


    Somewhere, in a dimly lit room¨C whispers echoed throughout the darkness. Bernard''s eyes, reflecting an almost endless barrage of numbers and letters.


    One of his phones that was scattered on a table was ringing, showing Diana''s number calling him. Bernard, however, did not stop whatever it was he was doing. And finally, after a few more seconds, the call died down¡­


    ¡­showing that Diana had been calling her more than 100 times now.

 Chapter 174 - 174: The One Who Catches The Fallen King (2)

    <h4>Chapter 174 - 174: The One Who Catches The Fallen King (2)</h4>


    In a dimly lit room; an almost echo of clicking noises filled the darkness. A pair of eyes were also reflecting what little light the room had; countless letters and numbers reflected on them as Bernard''s fingers moved without pause.


    There were also bottles of alcohol surrounding him; with most already empty. There was also a sound that has been ringing through his ears for quite a long time now; but the only thing he did was nce at the source of the ringing, only for him to return to whatever it is he was doing.


    [Aren''t you going to answer?] Prophet''s voice then whispered into his ears out of nowhere, [Diana has called you 142 times now.]


    "No time for that, Steve," Bernard breathed out; his fingers still typing without end, "This is more important than anything."


    [...That is correct.]


    "Why didn''t you tell this to me earlier!?" Even with his voice rising, Bernard''s eyes did not lose focus.


    [Because you were directly working under the Government. I could only tell you now that you''ve told me everything you have done for them.]


    "...To think they were hiding something like this¡­ I knew I shouldn''t have allowed them to control me, fuck!"


    [You did it for Hannah, I understand that you would do anything for your children. But the Government has truly been hiding things from you¡­ Even Dark Millenium, you were unaware she was Silvie-1 and alive, right?]


    "Hm," Bernard furrowed his eyebrows as he nodded. And after a few seconds, he let out a small breath, "Alright, this one is also done."


    [Good work, Berns. Do you want to take a rest?]


    "No, there are still privately-owned ones to take care of," Bernard muttered as his fingers once again began moving, "If we want to be protected from the Themarians¡­


    ¡­we need all the satellites."


    [...]


    [Yes, of course. Imagine thousands of evil Megawomen rampaging¨C who do you think could stop something like that?]


    "...My son."


    [...]


    [...]


    [Your son is Darkday, correct?]


    "Yes."


    [That is good. That is why we need to get them here first before they could go to the others. The universe depends on Earth to save it. We need to stop them here so¡­


    ¡­let''s call them.]


    "I know, what do you think I am doing? Stop disturbing me," Bernard let out a small scoff as his other hand stopped typing; moving towards a bottle of alcohol and proceeding to drink it whilst his other hand continued to type.


    And soon, his phone once again rang, showing Diana trying to reach him.


    [Are you sure you don''t want to answer that?]


    "No, I told my wife that I will no longer hide anything from here," Bernard breathed out, "If I answer that, then I need to tell her all about this¡­ it''s better for her not to know anything."


    [That''s good. Diana has already suffered en¨C We have trouble.] The tone of Prophet''s voice suddenly changed¨C almost turning feminine, [I guess we''ll finish this ourselves. Thank you for all the help, Bernard Ross.]


    "...What?"


    And before Bernard could type again, all the screens in front of him shut down¨C opening once more, but now showing the different shows of different TV stations.


    "What are you doing, Prophet!?" Bernard stood up as he mmed his fists on the keyboard, "I told you, we have no time to was¨C"


    And before he could finish his words, a thundering sound suddenly filled the entire room. The almost dozen monitors in front of him, almost dropped to the floor as everything started to tremble.


    "..." And before Bernard could even blink, another explosion erupted. Light, suddenly drowning the entire room as the thick metal door that separated his room to the outside was forced open¨C strong enough that it flew across the room and embedded itself to the wall.


    "Bernard, are you¨C I finally found you!"


    Bernard could only squint his eyes as the light from the outside room bombarded his eyes; but soon, as they slowly recovered, he saw a silhouette slowly approaching him.


    "...Adaeze?" Bernard then whispered, "What are you doing here?"


    "You fucking bastard!" Empress''s response, however, was wrapping her hand around Bernard''s neck, "I should be the one asking that! What are you doing locking yourself up in this fucking stinkhole when your best friend is dead!?"


    Empress''s eyes started to dart around the room. And seeing the almost hundreds of empty bottles of alcohol, as well as Bernard''s stench that smelled like an abandoned winery filled with mold, the only thing she could do was click her tongue in frustration.


    "He didn''t just die, Bernard! He fucking shot himself!"


    "..." Even with the pressure around his neck, Bernard''s eyes werepletely calm; only ncing at Empress''s face as she continued to scream at his face. But with a small sigh, a rocket suddenly emerged from his sleeves, instantlybusting and causing his hand to plunge straight towards Empress''s arm.


    And with his two fingers folded, he poked several points on Empress''s arm, causing her to drop him on the floor.


    "What are you saying, Adaeze?" Bernard then let out a small sigh as he shook his head, "I was just talking with Steve earlier."


    "...What?" Empress furrowed her eyebrows; her eyes, turning to one of the monitors that were clearly reporting Prophet''s death. No, it wasn''t the only screen that was showing it¨C most of the stations were.


    "He''s dead, Bernard," Empress then said as she pointed at the monitors, "He killed himself, look at the news!"


    "No," a small chuckle escaped from Bernard''s mouth as he looked at the monitors, "He didn''t kill himself, I shot him."


    "What?"


    "It turns out that he knew I was going to kill him all along, and his death was some kind of intricate n¨C he''s alive somewhere."


    "What the fuck are you saying, Bernard?" Empress scoffed, "Have you gone crazy!? Look at the fucking new¨C"


    "It''s fake," Bernard once again chuckled as he waved his hand, "Don''t listen to the news, you know who I am right? I know everything. Hehe¡­ Everything."


    "Bernard¡­" The corners of Empress''s mouth began to lower as she finally noticed Bernard''s appearance. His hair waspletely ubed; his beard that have already grown out,pletely a mess as the residues of alcohol stuck to it.


    "What is happening to¨C" And before Empress could finish her words, she finally realized something.


    Bernard knew that Riley is Darkday. It was impossible for him not to know. She thought that Bernard was just in denial and was just processing Prophet''s death in the worst way possible¡­ but she was deluded because of her feelings for him, he already confessed right in front of her for god''s sake.


    Prophet was investigating Riley¡­ He didn''t kill himself and he wasn''t killed by Riley¡­ It was Bernard.


    "You fucking bastard!" Empress could only grit her teeth as she raised her fist, "You killed your best friend just to protect a monster!?"


    Her fist was only an inch away from Bernard''s face¡­ but before it could make contact, it stopped as soon as Empress''s eyes met with Bernard''s. To see him so weak and defeated¡­ She had seen him many times in this state before, but never like this.


    And so, her fist that was already intent on breaking Bernard''s face slowly opened. And instead of inflicting pain, her arms instead started to wrap gently around Bernard.


    "What¡­ are you doing, Adaeze?" Bernard then whispered; his words, slowly bing sedated.


    "It''s¡­ alright, Bernard," Empress then said as a small tear began to appear on her face, "What¡­ whatever you''ve done, I understand. I will always be here for you because...


    ¡­I''m the only one that truly loves you."

 Chapter 175 - 175: Episode Gary (1)

    <h4>Chapter 175 - 175: Episode Gary (1)</h4>


    "S¡­ Silvie!? What happened to you!?"


    "Did you meet another superviin or something!? Was that meteor your doing!?"


    "N¡­ no, this is¨C"


    "Maybe you fought another dangerous enemy!? Another remnant of the past fought by Megawoman? But why are you the only one injured!?"


    ss 1-V, Mega Academy; once again filled with noises and curious whispers as Silvie stepped inside the ssroom. Without even a second of Silvie entering that ss, she was bombarded by a series of questions¨C not even allowing her to take a single step to her seat.


    Of course, why wouldn''t they ask? Silvie was currently covered in bandages, even her arms were wrapped in a thickyer of cloth¨C not even wearing her superhero outfit that she was usually so proud of.


    If it weren''t for Hannah, Be, Tomoe¡­ and surprisingly also Daniel shooing the other students away, then the questions would have probably rained on Silvie until the end of the day.


    As for Gary, well¡­ He was currently sweating buckets; his eyes, as wide as they could be as theynded all over the ce. After all¡­


    ¡­Silvie Savelievna was not here at all.


    A few hours ago.


    "...Fuck."


    The Baby Crew, plus temporary members Be, Daniel, and also Aerith gathered around the suite''s dining table, with the sun already flowing through therge windows of the suite. Their eyes were filled with bags¨C one would almost think that they weren''t able to sleep, but the truth is, they did.


    They were discussing how to proceedst night, but they weren''t really able toe up with a solid strategy that would ensure that everything would work well.


    Finding Prophet''s killer? They would have to wait until his funeral to hand the phone to his husband¡­ and even then, there might not even be any clues to who killed him.


    Figuring out where Aerith and the other clones came from? Almost impossible. Aerith had been trying to remember everything she could, but the only thing she knew was that they were transported in a truck, then loaded into a ship.


    The only thing they had a lead on was the one thing that rted the two cases¨C MEGAN. Prophet''s location of death and the clones'' whereabouts? That couldn''t be a coincidence.


    MEGAN knew that Prophet was dead, and this so-called mother of Aerith and the others took them near the town. MEGAN and Aerith''s mother could very well be the same entity¡­ if so, they already have a prime suspect.


    The Reuben family, or in a more grounded state¨C Julius Reuben. Of course, that was to be discussedter as soon as Hannah was able to talk to Julius.


    There was also the fact that they were just given 1 week by Bulwark. And with Prophet''s body already found, the Academy would soon be calling for them¨C there was also the fact thatst they checked¡­ they were the only students left outside the Academy.


    And so, with them reaching a stalemate, the group just decided to sleep in the suite¨C there were a lot of rooms for some reason. Whatever else Tomoe''s mother was doing here¡­ everyone was sensible enough not to pry.


    But now, even as the sun threatened to drown them with its brilliance, the Baby Crew plus temporary members were still all silent.


    "Let''s¡­ just return to the Academy for now."


    And so, with them in a stalemate, the only thing they could really do was let things flow for now.


    "The only current problem we have now¡­


    ¡­is them," Hannah then pointed towards the young clones, who were busy watching a show called Cocolemon.


    "I can take care of them!" Aerith quickly stood up from her seat, "P¡­ please, trust me with this. I have already been taking care of them, so it¨C"


    "No," Hannah quickly shook her head, "The only reason you''ve been able to survive this long without being discovered is that this Mother entity of yours has been manipting your actions."


    "But, we''ll just stay here!"


    "I trust the little kids. You, not so much," Hannah muttered. No matter how many times they repeat the story, the fact that she was ready to kill the policemen in the school just to gain her mother''s favor could not be erased.


    She was still unstable¨C and judging by the looks on Silvie and the others, they agreed.


    "That''s¡­" Aerith couldn''t really rebuke Hannah''s words. After all, even she herself was starting to feel disgusted with the things she had done. With her spending time with Silvie and the others, she was starting to realize that everything that their mother had ordered them to do was bad.


    Even if they weren''t necessarily good people, they massacred all the people inside the facility they were kept in.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...I''ll watch and protect them."


    And when they thought that silence would once again prevail, the sound of Silvie''s chair creaking from her suddenly standing up whistled in the air.


    "...You do know you also need toe back to the Academy with us, right?"


    "Aerith and I could switch ces," a small smile then appeared on Silvie''s face as she approached Aerith; cing her hands on her shoulders as she slightly leaned closer to her face, "We look alike."


    And as soon as she said that, everyone on the table, except Riley, looked at each other. It is true that they were almost identical, but half of Aerith''s face waspletely deformed; her skin, looking like it was almost falling off of her skull.


    "Just say I was injured!" Silvie quickly muttered as she realized what the others were thinking, "This will work!"


    "This is a very bad idea."


    And surprisingly, the very first one to oppose the idea was Gary, "What if whoever is doing all of this detects us or something? Don''t you guys watch anime? Code Diaz? Death Pen? nch? Defend on Giants!? We don''t even know if there are chips imnted on Aerith!"


    "There was," Silvie then quickly responded, "I already destroyed it¡­ along with the chip imnted in mine. I discovered it weeks ago," she then said as she pointed to her skull.


    "I still think this is a bad idea."


    "...What''s with you, bro?" Be could not help but blink a couple of times as she looked at Gary, "You ain''t supposed to be the cautious one, remember?"


    "That''s¨C" Gary could not really continue his words. The only reason he was worried right now was that he is directly involved in this¨C he is Megawoman''s son. But he couldn''t really tell that to temporary members of the Baby Crew.


    And so, s. The majority of the group already decided¨C Aerith was going to attend Mega Academy in Silvie''s stead.


    But first, they had to experiment on her¡­ in terms of fashion. They took a couple of hours, but in the end, they went too overboard with her clothes that it made her look as far away as Silvie as possible.


    Silvie''s fashion sense was, in a modest term, old. So in the end, they had to settle with something simpler. And so, with everything set¡­ they went back to the Academy.


    And now, back to the present Gary, who was stillpletely aloof and filled with suspicion even as he was already peacefully seated at his chair.


    Who worked for who? The Government had already lied to him about there being only two clones, what''s to say they didn''t lie more?


    What if like him, who was watching and observing Silvie¡­ there was also someone watching him?


    "Bro, Riley¡­ hear me out," Gary then leaned in closer to the only person that seemed right in the head¨C Riley Ross.


    "Do you think we''re safe with what we''re doing now?" Gary then whispered.


    "No, Gary. There is no such thing as safe in this world as long as I am here."


    "Oof, the edge," Gary squinted his eyes and puckered his lips as soon as the chills crawled throughout his skin upon hearing Riley''s words, "But for real doe, I knew you were the smarter Ross¡­ we aren''t safe here. Here me out again though¡­


    ¡­what if someone is watching us right now?" Gary then muttered as he looked behind him, only to see almost 50 students looking at him, "S¡­ shit, I think we should change seats to the back."


    "No, I will not be able to hear the instructors clearly from the back."


    "S¡­ fuck," Gary whispered, "If it''s like this, then I will protect Aerith myself. No matter how ugly she is, she is still the same as Silvie¨C she''s family."


    Gary then nodded confidently to himself as he looked at Aerith. This is his time to protect her now¨C the start of Episode Gary starts now.


    [Riley Ross, Be Jackson, and Daniel Espinoza of ss 1-V, please head to the Headmaster''s office.]


    "..." Gary could only blink his eyes a couple of times as he watched as Riley stood up; the students'' eyes, now all focused on him.


    It''s him again, they all thought. They already knew that he was one of the students that found Prophet''s body. In fact, if anything major happens around the Academy, one could be sure that a Ross was involved.


    And so, with their eyes following Riley, Gary could only let out a sigh and nod. This is good, he thought. With the attention now away from Aerith, his job was a little easier.


    But this is just the first step of Episode Gary. He was the main character now, there will be more t


    ***


    "Please take a seat."


    "..."


    Be and Daniel could only look at each other as they entered the Headmaster''s office, before looking back to the person sitting at the Headmaster''s desk¨C none other than their advisor, Bulwark.


    Was it actually possible...


    ....that he was also involved in this?

 Chapter 176 - 176: The Funeral

    <h4>Chapter 176 - 176: The Funeral</h4>


    "Please take a seat."


    "..."


    "..."


    With the sun behind him, Bulwark''s hair shines even brighter than before; even without wind flowing inside the office, one could see the individual strands flowing ever so smoothly in the air. Seeing him like this, he truly did look like some ancient being¨C even his eyes glimmered brighter than the sun outside.


    Both Be and Daniel then looked at each other, before looking at the two people that were already inside¨C Spectacr Mustache Man and Nightwalker.


    And judging by Spectacr Mustache Man''s folded arms, as well as his famed mustache that waspletely pointed to the floor, the situation didn''t look that well.


    And so, with a bit of nervousness and wariness, Daniel and Be took a seat on the other free sofa. As for Riley, he remained standing near the door.


    "Now that we''re all here, I will be direct," Bulwark then immediately opened his mouth as soon as everyone seemed to have settled down. But before he could say his piece, Spectacr Mustache Man raised his hand.


    "I would like to address the elephant in the room before we start."


    "...Go ahead, child."


    "Why are you the one sitting there?" Spectacr Mustache Man said as he looked Bulwark in the eyes.


    "..." Bulwark only blinked a couple of times as he subtly looked at the chair he was sitting on, before letting out a small sigh and returning his gaze to Spectacr Mustache Man, "The World Government had told me to act as the Headmaster until the position remains vacant."


    "Hm," Spectacr Mustache Man''s mustache lowered even further, "Even if I hate his guts, I think Whiteking should be the one sitting there. He, at the very least, has been here from the start."


    Bulwark stared at Spectacr Mustache Man''s moving mustache for a few seconds, before once again letting out a sigh, "I know that some of the staff are dissatisfied with this oue. But this is only temporary¡­ but let''s move on to what I called you here for."


    "..." It was true that a lot of staff were voicing out their dissatisfaction. And seeing Spectacr Mustache Man''s eyebrows, he too, was still dissatisfied. But even then, he nodded and leaned back on his seat.


    "I called you here because you were the ones who were able to find Prophet''s body. I''ve read the initial report," Bulwark breathed out, "Did you¡­ find something else that you did not tell the police?"


    "Y¨C"


    "No, we didn''t."


    Be quickly stood up from her seat as soon as she heard even a tiny bit of breath escaping from Riley''s mouth.


    "..."


    "..."


    "I see," Bulwark''s sighs once again whispered in the room, "That is truly a shame¡­ I just can''t believe Steve would kill himself."


    Bulwark then closed his eyes for a couple of seconds as he let his breaths escape from his mouth, "Your lives are already so short¡­ why do something like that?"


    "..."


    "Well, onto a more current matter," Bulwark then lightly pped his hand, "You found Prophet because theputer led you there?"


    "That is correct, Sir Bulwark," Nightwalker was the one to answer.


    "And these 3 students happen to be there as well since theputer also told them where to go," Bulwark muttered as his eyes scanned Riley and the others, "But they are also there because I gave them the assignment of finding Prophet¡­


    ¡­so why exactly were the two of you there?" He then said as he looked at Spectacr Mustache Man and Nightwalker.


    "Of course, we would find him, he''s our boss," Spectacr Mustache Man scoffed, "Even if what the AI said wasn''t real, we will still try to get to the bottom of this because that''s just the duty we took when we became heroes. But¡­ this time it was just to find a corpse."


    "..." Everyone became silent as Spectacr Mustache Man''s words slowly became sedated. As for Bulwark, he only furrowed his eyebrows as he remained staring at Nightwalker and Spectacr Mustache Man.


    "Are you suspecting us of killing him?" Nightwalker then opened up.


    "What!?" Spectacr Mustache Man''s eyes quickly widened as he heard Nightwalker''s words. Even Be and Daniel could not help but slightly hold their breaths as soon as they heard that; their eyes, not knowing whether to look at Spectacr Mustache Man or Bulwark.


    "The thought did cross my mind," Bulwark then said; his eyes glowing even brighter, "But then again, what motive could the two of you possibly have? Perhaps you were ordered to kill him?"


    "What the¨C"


    "Sit."


    And before Spectacr Mustache Man could stand up, the scenery around them suddenly shifted colors; a golden hue that seemed like it flowed with the air itself. Everything became so heavy that Spectacr Mustache Man had no choice but to sit back down.


    Nightwalker, Be, and Daniel were also looking down from the sudden pressure that crawled across their bodies. As for Riley, he just remained standing there¨C letting some of the golden glimmers touch his skin so that it wouldn''t seem like it was ineffective.


    But finally, after a few more seconds, the air once again returned to normal; allowing everyone to breathe again.


    "I apologize for my sudden burst of emotion, children," Bulwark said before letting out a small chuckle, "As you can see, it isn''t true that one could control their emotions better with age¨C if anything, I am more emotional than most since I have experienced the most."


    "..."


    "..."


    The others could not really say anything anymore. They were bing toofortable that they were forgetting that the existence in front of them was a being that preceded the country itself. The oldest Super¡­ no, probably the oldest living creature on the.


    Add that to the fact that he is also a Grade-S Super, he should truly be quite a terrifying existence. But his weing smiles and calm tonepletely made them forget.


    And with everyone quiet, the only thing that Bulwark could do was let out a small chuckle, "For someone who could see the future to want to die because he couldn''t handle the stress of being the Headmaster?"


    Bulwark leaned his back on the seat, before looking at the view of the Academy grounds behind him,


    "You think a guy that carried the burden of knowing the future would give up just because of something like that?"


    "..." The others could only once again look at each other. They already knew that Prophet did indeed, not take his own life so they were trying to keep their mouths shut¡­ But to think a being that has lived for thousands of years would be this passionate about someone else''s death? They were truly just a loss for words.


    "Also, since the two of you are already here," Bulwark then stood up as he looked at Nightwalker and Spectacr Mustache Man, "I would like to request your help. Since Prophet followed the Roman Catholic ways, a funeral will be held for him at the Academy''s designated Christian church. I figure most would want to attend, so¡­"


    "Say no more," Spectacr Mustache Man stood up and nodded, not letting Bulwark finish his words, "We''ll help in arranging it," he then said as he left the room.


    As for Nightwalker, he only nodded to Bulwark before following his colleague out.


    "ss 1-V," Bulwark then muttered, causing Be and Daniel to slightly flinch, "Since I am now the acting Headmaster of the Academy, Scarlet Mage will once again be your adviser."


    "I¡­ I see," Be gulped.


    "Although it was just a blink of an eye, and one might even say uneventful¡­ I had fun teaching your ss," Bulwark sighed, "Alright¡­


    ¡­you are free to go."


    And just like that, a few days passed. The Academy, seemingly returning or at least trying to operate as normal. This transition was easy, of course, since the students were not really affected as much; with the lessons and training still proceeding as if nothing happened.


    One would even say the students have already grown numb. After all,pared to the past incidents that have happened to the Academy; the Seven nes incident, Hope Guild vs. Darkday. Prophet''s death just seemed¡­ minor.


    Perhaps the most eventful thing that was happening was Gary being stressed out. He was trying his best to block all of the strangers that were trying to talk to Aerith¡­ which for some odd reason, made even people from other sses want to talk to her more.


    Truly, Episode Gary was quite eventful.


    But with 1 week passing by, Prophet''s body was back from the coroner and the Academy had announced Prophet''s funeral that would be held in the afternoon; those who wished to attend, may attend¨C but most would be outside the church as they wouldn''t be able to amodate everyone.


    Of course, with Whiteking having a special rtionship with Prophet; not to mention he had a position in the Academy, the Ross family were allotted a seat inside the church. Be''s family was seated beside them, as they helped directly with the arrangements.


    And while most people were whispering and talking about Prophet, Be and Hannah''s eyes were currently on the hunt to find Prophet''s so-called husband.


    "Where the fuck is your father?" And in this holy ce, Diana''s mouth could not help but be colorful, "I have been calling him for weeks and still no answer. I thought he would be here for his best friend''s funeral, but no. I''ve already asked some of the Academy staff, and they just said he was doing Hope Guild duties or something."


    "Rx, mom," Hannah could only sigh as her mother almost made a freestyle rap with her endless words, "The fucker is probably just dealing with his own shit, just ignore the guy," she then said; her eyes still like a hawk''s as she searched for any sign of Prophet''s husband.


    "Hannah! Mind your words!"


    "But you¨C"


    "Zip it."


    "..."


    As for Riley, he was just quietly looking in front of thevish altar in front of him. The first and veryst time he was inside a church¡­ he was talking with the Pope.


    His eyes then looked at the crucifix, his thoughts, suddenly wanting to leave his mouth,


    "Did you know that before Bulwark¡­" Riley then pointed at the cross, "...He is supposed to be one of the earliest recorded Super?"


    "We know!" Hannah stopped her search as she heard her brother''s words, "You''ve told us countless times!"


    "..." Be''s parents, who were seated beside them, could not help but furrow their eyebrows at Riley''s words. Be, on the other hand, could not help but let out a small chuckle.


    "Where did you even hear something like that, bro?" She then said.


    "From him."


    "Riley, don''t just point at¨C" And before Diana could finish her words, her eyes could not help but widen as she saw where Riley was pointing to¨C a man standing at the center of the apse.


    "Isn''t that¡­


    ¡­the Pope?"

 Chapter 177 - 177: The Pope

    <h4>Chapter 177 - 177: The Pope</h4>


    "Isn''t that¡­ the Pope?"


    The whispers inside the church grew even stronger as their eyes soonnded on a single entity¨C an old man standing in front of the altar.


    "D¡­ don''t point at him, bro!"


    As for Hannah, she quickly pulled Riley''s hand away, which was obnoxiously pointing towards the Pope.


    "But Be asked me where I heard the story from. I heard it from him."


    "Can you¨C ugh, stop patronizing his stories, Bell!"


    "I¡­" Riley could only blink his eyes a couple of times as he stared at the Pope,


    "...I am not lying, though."


    Some time ago; undetermined when, as the whispers that breathe through the air seemed to be stuck in a singr moment. A moment from the past that seemed important enough to be forever frozen in the minds of the people; important enough for them to not only reminisce but also to rebuild.


    With a ceiling almost unreachable, ornamented, and carved with gold ever so intricately. The walls were fully formed with some sort of marble that made the divine pce that stood there truly immacte.


    Soon, however, this pce of the glorious past was drowned by the breaths of those who prevailed, of those who now live in the current time; the nervousness and fear from their voices, echoing beautifully across the golden linings of the ceiling.


    Their mouths, shuddering as their hostility pointed to a singr person. A person standing right at the very center of history itself; seemingly without a care, and seemingly without even a hint of holiness.


    The people circled this unholy individual, surrounding him with hostility that formed into the shape of guns, weapons, and other unseen abilities. Some of them were all wearing the same clothes, a uniform that signified they were guardians of the holy ce where they stood. Some, however, were just wearing normal clothing.


    And the only sure thing they all had inmon was their trembling legs.


    "L¡­ leave!" One of the guards then said as he pointed his rifle towards the ck-d individual standing towards their very center, "This is a holy ce! It is not a ce that someone like you could just barge into, Darkday!"


    "..."


    And as soon as the people decided to break their silence; silence once again weed them into their arms as Darkday''s breaths whispered in the air, causing the people surrounding him to take a few steps back.


    "Is that a lie, guard?"


    Darkday then muttered; his quiet words almost piercing everyone''s ears.


    "W¡­ what?" The guard that spoke earlier stuttered as Darkday looked at him.


    "I heard from mother that this ce wees everyone, guard," Darkday said, "Even those who havemitted crimes against humanity, even monsters like me who are shunned by the world."


    "Your¡­ mother?"


    "Are you lying?" Darkday repeated, "If you are not lying, then that would mean that mother did," Darkday then let out a small breath as he tilted his head to the side.


    "H¡­ has anyone called for back-up yet!?" One of the people wearing casual clothing bellowed.


    "Shut your mouth!" The guard beside him scowled.


    "W¨C"


    "Listen to the security," One of the persons not holding any weapons then joined in¨C A super. The man then looked at the other people not equipped with any form of weapons, indicating that there was a good chance that they were also Supers.


    And seeing as they nodded at him, they also knew what he was thinking. Darkday was¨C is strong. Once he decides to make a move, no matter how many there are, all of them would surely die.


    The only chance they have to stay alive in this situation is for Darkday to just leave. And seeing as he hasn''t killed any of them yet¡­ maybe he was just here to sightsee?


    And as soon as they thought of that, Darkday''s steps started to drum in their ears; once again causing them to flinch as the circle they made to surround Darkday widened even further. Darkday then started looking at the people one by one, his body almost rotating in a 360-degree as he did not leave even one unseen.


    And soon, a short but deep sigh seeped from his helmet, "It would seem my mother was lying, this is not a ce I am weed in," and with those words, Darkday started to slowly raise his hand.


    "A¡­ attack! He''s doing something! Kill him!" One of the guards roared as he tightened the grip on his rifle. But s, before anyone could even move, a scream suddenly disrupted the peaceful walls of the holy pce.


    And with the ceiling high and carved intricately, the scream was amplified; almost making it a roar that one would hearing from the heavens. The people then finally looked towards the source of the scream, only to see one of the guards kneeling on the ground, his back¡­ seemingly having grown wings.


    No, they were not exactly wings, but that was the first description they all thought as they saw the guard''s backpletely opened; his blood oozing and spurting as his flesh and skin were ripped apart. His bones as well were extruded outward.


    What are they if not a pair of wings made of flesh and blood?


    How he was even screaming and alive at this point, none of them knew. Their ignorance did notst long, however, as before any of them could actually react, they could hear their backs being ripped apart all at the same time.


    "Grah!"


    Their screams, filling the holy pce with an echo that almost resembled a certain harmony¨C their voices, creating an orchestra of pain and torture.


    Darkday then slowly and elegantly waved his arms. And as he did so, the people that had grown wings on their backs started to float.


    "Now it resembles the description mother used to tell me," Darkday then whispered before a small chuckle escaped from his helmet. He then suddenly pped his hands, causing everyone to violently fly towards the ceiling.


    One could hear the squishing of their flesh as their backs hit the intricately carved ceiling of the pce. It was almost like art as their screams seemed to match the curvatures of their new dwelling.


    And quite literally, they were organs ying his song¡­ the song of Darkday.


    "That is enough, child of god."


    And in that song, suddenly came an intrusion; a whisper that did not belong in the orchestra that Darkday had created¨C a voice without fear.


    "..." Darkday then slowly turned his head towards the fearless voice, only to see an old man slowly making his way towards him. The old man wore a white, almost golden robe; the creases and folds it contained, even smoother than the skin of its bearer.


    One could even say that the face of the man almost seemed close to death; each of his steps, however, exuded life.


    "..." Darkday then snapped his fingers, causing a small crack to rumble in the air; the people previously floating on the ceiling, now embedded to it; their song, no more.


    "Hello," Darkday breathed out as he looked at the old man. The old man, however, turned his head to the corpses that were now littered in the ceiling. He remained like that for a few seconds, before letting out a sigh and turning his eyes back to Darkday.


    "I do not appreciate you changing the decor, young man," the old man then muttered; his voice naturally sedated and slow.


    "...You don''t like it, fancy old man?" Darkday breathed out as he nced at the ceiling.


    "I do not," the old man answered, "The history of this ce has known nothing but violence throughout the past. No more shall the ce where god dwells be filled with blood."


    "Gods dwell here?"


    "I am afraid only one, young man," the old man chuckled as he casually turned his back to Darkday, "Come, let us talk somewhere else."


    "You are the Pope, correct?"


    "I am ttered you know someone as old as me," the Pope once again chuckled as his steps halted.


    "I have seen your videos on the inte."


    "Is that so?" The Pope''s chuckle then turned into a burst of quietughter.


    "Are you not going to tell me to leave?"


    "No," the Pope quickly shook his head, "You are wee here," he then breathed out as he gestured to Darkday to follow him.


    "Even if I am evil?" Darkday muttered as he started to follow the Pope.


    "Even more so," the Pope sighed, "Are you aware of our teachings, my son?"


    "To some extent but not enough to be knowledgeable, Pope," Darkday muttered.


    "I see. Then¨C"


    "Pope! Please run!"


    And before the Pope could finish his words, 3 people suddenly appeared out of thin air; blocking the Pope from Darkday''s view.


    "..." Darkday quickly looked at the three individuals, who were all wearing a simr outfit¨C a full armor reminiscent of a knight''s aegis. It seemed thinner than those featured in history books, but perhaps it was just a sign of modernity. The 3 armor sets were also of different colors¨C Silver, Gold, and Red.


    "For glory and peace, I shall eradicate you here and now!" The individual wearing the silver armor stretched his arms to the side, and as soon as he did so, a pair of swords appeared from his hands.


    Before he could swing them, however, the Pope''s whispers traveled the air.


    "Do not be rude to our guest, Pdin George."


    "But¨C"


    "Leave us."


    "But he will kill you!" The pdin called George did not move from his ce as he pointed one of his swords towards Darkday, who seemed to just be curiously looking at him and his two otherrades.


    "If my death is toe in the hands of this young man¡­" The Pope muttered as he ced his hand on George''s shoulder, "Then that¡­


    ¡­is the will of god."

 Chapter 178 - 178: The Devil And The Servant Of God

    <h4>Chapter 178 - 178: The Devil And The Servant Of God</h4>


    "If my death is toe in the hands of this young man, then that is the will of god."


    ¨CIs what the Pope said. But still, his three pdins did not follow themand for them to stay away. The main purpose of the 3 Pdins was and is to protect the Pope at all costs.


    They were individuals trained from birth to uphold their beliefs and protect the important individuals in theirmunity¨C if they awakened powers and abilities during that time and excelled above the rest, then they would have the chance to directly guard the Pope as his personal glorified bodyguards.


    And it is that very same training that made them realize that they were no match for Darkday.


    But still, they would rather die fighting him than leave the Pope without any protection. And so, even though the Pope dismissed them and ordered them to leave him and Darkday alone¡­ they still followed.


    They were currently hiding on the church''s mezzanine. And considering the size of the church, they could easily hide from the two; holding their breaths and not letting even their beating hearts to silently echo throughout the church.


    The eyes of the 3 pdins, converge tightly at each of Darkday''s actions. Watching his every move as he and the Pope were just casually sitting side by side on the frontmost pew nearest to the altar.


    "...I apologize," the Pope then breathed out as he took a small nce at the mezzanine, "They are just doing their jobs."


    "It is alright, Pope," Riley only waved his hand, not even bothering to look at where the Pope was ncing at; his eyes, just looking forward to the altar, "I am the one being rude for intruding into your home."


    "Hm," the Pope nodded, "You are different from how the news and the media portray you," the Pope then said; his voice calm even with a mass murderer beside him.


    "And how does the media portray me, Pope?"


    "An evil beast."


    "That is true," Darkday breathed out; his head slightly turning towards the Pope.


    "You may be evil, but you are definitely no beast," the Pope let out a hearty chuckle; before clearing his throat to prevent a dry cough escaping it,


    "A beast would not be having a conversation with me right now."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Are you wondering who I am so calm?" The Pope then said, breaking the short silence between them.


    "No."


    "...I see," a small smile slowly crawled on the Pope''s face as he leaned back, "You truly are as she told me."


    "...She?"


    "Megawoman," the Pope whispered, quickly causing Darkday to turn his head towards the Popepletely, "She visits me from time to time."


    "Megawoman¡­ visits you?" Darkday tilted his head to the side, "Why?"


    "To ask the condition of my people," the Pope answered without any hesitation, "My¡­ job provides me the privilege of having the insight into the status of more than a billion people all over the world."


    "Why would she ask you that?"


    "To help those that need it," the Pope answered before coughing a few times, "We are thergest¡­ organization in the world, but there are many who are suffering. It is not just us, she has also approached the various leaders of the world."


    "..."


    "Did you know that in the past, the countries of Africa were having a hard time due to very?"


    "Yes, your people were involved in that."


    "...Megawoman directly helped Africa to solve their problems," the Pope continued his story, "But she created more problems in the long run. She was devastated due to this¡­ and she asked the various leaders of the world so she would be able to help in a way that wouldst for centuries¨C my predecessors were one of those leaders. Megawoman wanted to help, even in the shadows."


    "...Why?"


    "Because despite not being born here, she is a good person," the Pope then turned his eyes towards Darkday; his old and wrinkled face, almost reflecting on the visor of his helmet,


    "She stands opposite to you¨C maintaining the bnce between good and evil."


    "That does not make sense, Pope," a breath escaped Darkday''s helmet as he shook his head, "Megawoman has been in existence for more than 300 years. Our¡­ aplishments will never be equal."


    "And yet since the few years you have appeared, you have caused damage that puts the cmities of the past in shame. Capable of taking lives by the million in just a single day."


    "..."


    "And I know you will continue to do so because that is your nature," the Pope breathed out.


    "..." Darkday turned his head away to look at his hands, "Can my nature be changed?"


    "Do you want it to change?"


    "No," Darkday then answered as he dropped his hands,


    "This is what I am¡­ and I believe this is just how I am supposed to be."


    "..." The Pope slightly squinted his eyes as he heard Darkday''s words, but after a few seconds, he let out a small breath,


    "Why did youe here, young man?"


    "I was going to kill everyone here."


    And as soon as he said that, the Pope could not help but suddenly burst out inughter, "And no one will be able to stop you."


    "...You can''t stop me?"


    "I am just a normal human."


    "You do not have any abilities?" Darkday tilted his head; his voice, truly curious.


    "No."


    "And yet people bow before you?"


    "They do not bow before me, but to the one behind me," the Pope muttered as he looked at the altar.


    "Their god?"


    "Yes."


    "Is he a Super?"


    Once again, the Pope broke into a fit ofughter, causing him to almost choke in his own cough after.


    "N¡­ No," the Pope then waved his hand as he slowly recovered his breath. But afterwards, he pointed at the cross hanging on the wall of the altar, "But he is."


    "Him?"


    "It is not known in the public, but he is one of the earlier recorded Super¡­"


    The Pope then proceeded to tell the story of the man on the cross, almost taking a full hour; his breaths almost depleted, but his words remained filled with passion even as the story came to a close.


    "They say that people always fear what they do not understand," the Pope ended his story, "That is true, to some extent. But what people truly fear are things that have the potential to be more powerful than them, and the unknown always gives birth to that."


    "That¡­ is a very interesting story, Pope."


    And as soon as his story was over, Darkday stood up from the pew. The Pope also followed him and stood up, letting out a small but deep breath as he once again focused his eyes on Darkday''s helmet.


    "Are you¡­ going to kill me now?" The Pope then said.


    "No."


    Darkday, however, just shook his head, "That is a very interesting story, I am certain that mother would like it. Thank you for telling it to me, he then said,


    "I would like to hear more in the future."


    "...Then do you want to hear more?"


    "No," Darkday once again shook his head, "I would like to tell the story to mother while it is still fresh in my mind. Farewell, Pope."


    And with that, Darkday casually left the church¨C not flying, not disappearing, but just casually leaving through the front door.


    And as soon as he was gone, the 3 pdins appeared in front of the Pope.


    "Are you alright, Holy Father!?"


    "Are you hurt!? Do you need anything!?"


    And with his pdins'' worried words entering his tired mind, the Pope could only take a seat back on the pew, leaning back as the deepest breath he could muster escaped from his mouth.


    "Darkday¡­" He then whispered,


    "...He will be the end of us all."


    ***


    "Why¡­ is the Pope here?"


    Back in the present time, everyone''s curiosity has almost reached its peak. It is true that Prophet held a somewhat powerful position in life, being the Headmaster of the remaining Mega Academy in the world¨C but was that really enough for the leader of the biggest religion in the world to officiate his requiem?


    "Maybe they knew each other? Prophet is supposed to be ancient, right?"


    "If I knew the Pope would be here, I would have¨C"


    Their whispers, however, instantly died down as soon as the Pope''s breaths started to echo throughout the entire church. The people, holding their breaths as they tried to listen to every word that escaped from his mouth.


    As for Be and Hannah, even with the presence of the Pope, their eyes were still busy. Like a hawk trying to find its prey, they were still busy trying to find Prophet''s so-called husband.


    But with hundreds of people inside the church, their task almost seemed impossible. They focused on people that were seated on the frontmost pew, but only they and the instructors were seated there.


    As for Riley, well¡­ he was staring at the Pope. He already looked old when he met himst. But now, it feels like his skin would fall off anytime soon. Riley then turned his eyes towards the 3 people that were standing around the perimeter of the altar¨C the 3 pdins.


    They seemed aloof and busy; their stance almost saying that they would not let anything happen to the Pope. However, as soon as Riley''s eyes met with the Red Pdin, the pdin seemed to flinch ever so slightly.


    "..." Riley tilted his head to the side as he stared at the Red Pdin, trying to see what sort of expression he was making. But due to his head being fully covered with a helmet, only his eyes could be seen.


    "..." The Red Pdin, however, just slowly looked away as if nothing happened.


    "What is it, Riley? Did you see something?" Hannah then quickly whispered to Riley as soon as she saw him tilting his head.


    "Yes, sister."


    "What? What?" Be joined in with another whisper.


    "Something to pass time withter on," Riley replied; the smile on his face slowly crawling from ear to ear.


    "Tch," Hannah rolled her eyes as soon as Riley''s words reached her ears, "I thought you found you-know-who."


    "I do not know any Koreans, sister."


    "I''m talking about his husband!" Hannah loudly whispered as her eyes pointed towards Prophet''s coffin.


    "Oh," Riley blinked his eyes a couple of times, "I will askter."


    "What do you meanter? Sheesh."


    And with that, Hannah and Be continued their fruitless search. But s, minutes into the requiem, there was still no sign of anyone that would potentially fit being Prophet''s husband.


    But finally, like a ray of hope, the Pope said something¨C


    "Does anyone want to say something to the dearly departed?"


    This is it, the both of them thought as they looked at each other. Prophet said that they would find his husband during the funeral¨C what better time to show himself than this?


    But s, contrary to their expectations, even after a minute had already passed¡­ none stepped forward.


    "Where is your father? He should be here to say something!" The only thing Hannah received was Diana''s frustrated words once again entering her ears. This time, however, her tone was somber; the disappointment within it, almost oozing out.


    "If there is no one," the Pope then raised his hand, "Then¨C"


    But before he could finish his words, one of the people in the front pew stood up¨C causing everyone''s eyes to watch him as he slowly and casually walked towards the altar.


    "I have something to say."


    "..." The Prophet looked at the individual for a few seconds, before nodding his head and stepping away from the podium. The pdins also slightly became alert as the individual got near to the Pope, but the Pope only raised his hand and shook his head.


    "Prophet''s lover¡­


    ¡­Come find me when this is over," Riley said.

 Chapter 179 - 179: It Ends

    <h4>Chapter 179 - 179: It Ends</h4>


    "Prophet''s lover¡­ pleasee find me after this is over."


    "..."


    One would think that the church would be filled with gasps of shock and awe, but no. What followed was perhaps the most deafening silence the church had ever experienced. Even the breaths of almost a hundred people could not be heard, as they were trying to stop the urge of breathing loudly.


    Perhaps the only ones that weren''t shocked were those already advanced in age, including Bulwark and the Pope. The Pope, even squinting his eyes as he stared at the unpigmented boy beside him.


    After a few more seconds, however, the Pope broke the silence.


    "Have we¡­ met somewhere before, young man?" He whispered; in which Riley quickly answered,


    "Yes. Back in¨C"


    "R¡­ Riley, what are you doing!?"


    But s, as if fate did not want him to say anything, Diana and Hannah quickly rushed towards the altar; with Hannah pulling him down and Diana mouthing an apology to the people inside the church, bowing her head as they carefully stepped down the altar.


    As for Hannah, she was trying to cover Riley''s face, making sure no one sees or snaps a photo of him so he won''t suffer any bacsh from what he just did. But seeing as Riley''s features were already a dead give-away of who he is¡­ there was really no point in doing anything.


    "..." The Pope stared at Riley for a few seconds, before returning to the podium and letting out a small chuckle; his eyes, however, still ncing at Riley even as he took his seat.


    "Why didn''t you watch your brother?" Diana then loudly whispered as she lightly pinched Hannah''s thigh.


    "A¡­ aw!" Hannah yelped as quietly as possible, "T¡­ that''s child abuse! How is this my fault?"


    "It''ll always be your fault, he doesn''t know any better!"


    "He has his own brain, mom," Hannah furrowed her eyebrows as her whispers grew louder, "Stop treating him like he''s some kind of¨C"


    "Shh!"


    And so, being shushed by her mother, Hannah could only roll her eyes and shut her mouth. If Diana''s eyes were already slightly squinted, then that would mean that she had already won the argument by default and would no longer entertain any rebuking.


    After just a few seconds, however, a smile appeared on Diana''s face as she talked with Be''s parents.


    "..." Just how quickly can she change her moods? Hannah thought as she shook her head. But finally, after Diana had calmed down, it was finally her time to diss on Riley¨C as is how the hierarchy had always been.


    "Bro? Why you do that? Now you¨C we look suspicious," Hannah hissed as she also pinched Riley''s thighs. Riley, however, did not even react as he only turned his head towards his sister.


    "Speaking of being suspicious," Be then joined in the conversation, "...How is the Julius guy?"


    "I¡­ haven''t talked to him yet," Hannah stuttered, "But why did the topic suddenly shift to me?"


    "So¡­ you just ghosted him?" Be''s eyes widened.


    "What else was I supposed to do?" Hannah sighed, "I can''t just approach him and ask if he''s spying on us."


    "Yes, you can," Riley joined the conversation.


    "No, I¨C"


    "Do you like the guy?" Be raised an eyebrow.


    "I¨C why are you even asking me?" s, Hannah was unsessful in passing the supposed hierarchy of scolding as she no longer felt like it.


    "Do you like him, sister?" Riley also answered as he looked at his sister.


    "I¡­ I don''t really know," Hannah could only let out a small but deep breath as she shook her head, "We''ve only really been together for less than a month¡­ but he made me feel somewhat wee¡­ not to mention he could survive my powers as well."


    "I¡­ see," Be also let out a sigh, "It was quite selfish for us to suddenly ask you to¨C"


    "No, if Julius truly is a spy then¡­ fuck," Hannah once again shook her head, "Let''s talk about this some other time."


    "If he truly does end up hurting you¡­ then I will be fulfilling my promise, sister," Riley muttered, "I will bathe him in the blood of his people."


    "Yeah?" Hannah let out a silent chuckle as she heard her brother''s words, "Kill that motherfucker if he ends up just using me in the end."


    "Okay, sister," Riley blinked a couple of times, before nodding his head.


    And so, more minutes passed until the requiem mass was finally over. With people already stepping out of the church one by one. The ce of Prophet''s burial was not disclosed to the people, so the event ends here.


    And while everyone was busy leaving the church, Riley, Be, and Hannah sneaked back inside; as for their parents, they thought that the three were going to meet up with their friends and go back to ss.


    "You think white hair''s stunt worked?"


    "It better," Hannah scoffed, "Or he would have put himself in danger for noth¨C"


    "What are you children doing back here?"


    "!!!"


    Be and Hannah quickly turned around, leaping back as a familiar voice suddenly entered their ears.


    "W¡­ we just forgot something, sir Bulwark sir!" Be said as she saluted for some reason in instinct. Her eyes, almost closed as Bulwark''s bright golden hair pierced her ears as it reflected the sunlight seeping from the mosaic sses of the colorful windows.


    "I see," Bulwark then let out a small smile, "And here I thought you were waiting for Prophet''s lover," he then said as he turned his eyes towards Riley.


    "That was quite a stunt you pulled there, child."


    "My brother was only joking," Hannah chuckled awkwardly as she stepped in front of Riley.


    "Hm. Well, whatever it is the three of you are up to, I won''t be intruding," Bulwark said as he walked away, "But you might as well wait in front of the altar instead of looking like rats in the corner."


    "..." Be and Hannah could only once again look at each other as Bulwark bellow the three of them to follow him; the three nodding before walking back to the frontmost pew.


    "I''ll leave you, children, here," Bulwark then said, "I need to talk to the Pope about something."


    "...You''re the one who invited the Pope?" Hannah asked in shock before Bulwark could even take a step.


    "You get certain connections when you reach my age," Bulwark said before walking away; his chuckles, whispering through the church even as he disappeared into the corridor.


    "..." And so, without any more interruptions, the three just waited quietly on the pew; Be''s eyes, awkwardly trying to avoid Prophet''s coffin from time to time.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "You children are still here?"


    But s, even after almost an hour had passed; even after Bulwark was back from talking with the Pope¨C no one approached them. They were expecting someone to at least approach Prophet''s coffin, but there was absolutely no one.


    And so, with a sigh, Hannah stood up, "We were just about to leave," she then said.


    Be also stood up, bowing her head to Bulwark before walking away. As for Riley¡­ he remained sitting on the pew.


    "What are you doing, Riley?" Hannah then said as she grabbed Riley''s arm to get him up, "Nothing gonna happen here."


    Riley, however, retrieved Prophet''s phone from his pocket¡­ before letting it float towards Bulwark.


    "Riley, what are you doing!?" Hannah said as she rushed towards the flying phone.


    "I am giving it to Prophet''s husband."


    "Wha¡­ what are you saying?" An awkward chuckle once again escaped Hannah''s mouth as she stretched her hand towards the phone, "S¡­ sorry, my brother is a bit loose in the head sometimes."


    But before she could grab the phone, Bulwark suddenly pulled it away.


    "...Sir Bulwark?"


    Bulwark then let out a small sigh, before slowly walking towards Prophet''s coffin.


    "How did you know it was me?"


    "...What?" Both Hannah and Be once again looked at each other, this time in confusion.


    "You are the only one to find us, sir Bulwark," Riley muttered as he stood up, "You were also the one to call the Pope¨C I believe you will only do that for someone important to you. The Pope is an excellent storyteller, after all."


    And as soon as Riley''s words reached Bulwark''s ears, a muffled gasp suddenly escaped his mouth; followed by his tears trailing down across his cheeks.


    His tears, letting out a golden glow as they drop to the floor one by one; almost like forcing a beautiful sunrise that would never shine again.


    Hannah and Be, who were suspicious at first, could not help but take in a small gulp as they saw Bulwark suddenly bursting out in tears.


    "..."


    How could they even suspect him of lying, when they could feel the pain with every breath that escaped from his body?


    A man who has experienced the past, and a man who could foresee the future. But now the future no longer holds one, and would forever only forever be a part of the past once again.


    "You would think I would already be ustomed to the people I love dying," Bulwark then wiped the tears on his face as he gently brushed his hand on Prophet''s coffin, "But when people around me die, the hope of what could have been dies with them."


    "..." Be could only close her eyes as a tear fell from her face. Hannah only looked up, but failed in trying to stop the tears that were also starting to fall from her eyes.


    "We¡­ are not meant to live forever," Bulwark muttered as he looked at the three students, "That is why love is so beautiful¡­


    ¡­It ends."

 Chapter 180 - 180: The Mortal And The Sun God

    <h4>Chapter 180 - 180: The Mortal And The Sun God</h4>


    "Steve and I met when Whiteking introduced him to the Hope Guild¡­ he thought I was a woman."


    Bulwark''s soft but gentle chuckle echoed through the entire church. And with his voice carrying the tone of neither that of a man or a woman, the sound he produced almost felt like a wonderful song. His eyes, however, were filled with a certain mncholy as he looked at Prophet''s face on the video that he left for him.


    "Of course, he wasn''t the first one to think I was a woman," Bulwark''s chuckle soon turned into a small peal ofughter, "I''ve had many partners across the world and across the time I have lived. Women, men, even beast¡­


    ¡­but there has always been something special about Steve. And I knew¡­ I knew he didn''t kill himself. So thank you, thank you for bringing this to me."


    "..." Be and Hannah could only nod their heads as Bulwark''s eyes strayed towards them; Riley, however, only shrugged as he looked at the phone. Slowly, however, the phone started disintegrating¨C its dust, floating and turning into golden particles that danced like fireflies as the colorful mosaicyered with it.


    "That''s¨C" Hannah wanted to scream that they still needed the phone to search for clues about his killer. But seeing Bulwark''s face, she couldn''t really muster up the courage to do so.


    "No," Bulwark then turned his attention to Hannah as soon as he heard a breath escaping her mouth, "Steve did not leave any clues as to who killed him... if that was what you were about to ask."


    "I¡­ I see," Hannah looked to the side.


    "It''s just¡­ a chance for me to say goodbye to him," Bulwark let out a small sigh as he looked at the disappearing particles in the air, "It was wrong for me to give you this task. I want you to forget this ever happened."


    "...But don''t you want justice?" Be joined in on the conversation, "I know Prophet ain''t telling us to take revenge, but¨C"


    "I''d settle for closure," Bulwark chuckled, "And this video gave me just that. Steve said that the one who killed him is the most dangerous man on the¨C I can''t very well let his students risk their lives chasing someone like that."


    "But we''ve helped you this far!" Hannah raised her voice, "Let us¨C"


    "Wash your hands off this case," Bulwark shook his head as he waved his hand, "Please, this no longer involves any of you."


    "We could help more!" Hannah did not stop, "They were led by MEGAN to Prophet¡­ I happen to know the heir to thepany who made¨C"


    "I appreciate you wanting to help," Bulwark did not let Hannah finish her words as he let out a loud sigh, "But this no longer involves you."


    "But¨C"


    "Leave!" Bulwark once again waved his arm, but this time, a golden arc beamed out of his hand, flowing straight towards the three students in front of him; causing Be and Hannah to quickly but gently fly through the air; the golden beam, turning into a fog that surrounded them. The church''s door, also opening as a golden light also burst through it, making way for Hannah and Be as the gold fog flew them straight to the outside.


    "..." As for Riley, he was just casually standing inside the church where he stood, still.


    "..." He and Bulwark looked at each other for a few seconds, before Bulwark''s eyebrows started to furrow; once again waving his hand to summon a beam of golden light. And this time, Riley flew away; his expression not even changing as he floated to the door, almost hitting Hannah who seemed to want to enter the church again.


    But s, she has no more chance to do so as the doorpletely closed, leaving Bulwark alone to mourn Prophet inside the church.


    "..." Bulwark stared at the closed door for a few seconds, before letting out a sigh that echoed through the entire church; his hand, gently brushing Prophet''s coffin as he whispered,


    "Why¡­ Why didn''t you just ask for help?" Bulwark breathed out, "I¡­


    ¡­we could have saved you."


    Years ago, in one of the museums dedicated to featuring arts and stories from Ancient Greece, Bulwark and Prophet were there¡­ with Bulwark wearing a dress; his long golden hair, tied up in a braid and further emphasizing his extremely androgynous face.


    Perhaps it wouldn''t be a lie to say that he looked even more beautiful than most of the women in the museum. As for Prophet, he was not wearing the fake beard that was his superhero outfit; he was just wearing casual clothes that somewhat matched Bulwark''s dress.


    "So, this is you?"


    Bulwark could still remember Prophet''s cheekyughter as he pointed at a statue of Apollo¨C a statue of him.


    "Yes," Bulwark let out a smile as he leaned closer to his very own bust statue, "Do we look alike?"


    "..." Prophet only blinked a couple of times as he stared at Bulwark''s face. After a few seconds, however, he shook his head; his breaths, filled with disappointment, "Never meet your heroes, as they say."


    "...Don''t get on my nerves, young man," Bulwark then breathed out as he squinted his eyes towards Prophet.


    "Really?" Prophet also squinted his eyes, "What did I say about not treating me like a child?"


    "...My apologies," Bulwark raised both of his hands in defeat, before moving to the next exhibit; leaving Prophet no choice but to just follow behind him.


    "This is¡­ Hermes?" Prophet then looked at the statue beside Apollo, "Did you meet him? I suppose he was a sprinter?"


    "No," Bulwark quickly chuckled as soon as he heard Prophet''s question, "He''s not even real."


    "...What?"


    "He didn''t exist as far as I know. Humans tend to make stories and convince the people that is truth¨C it happens even now," Bulwark breathed out before pointing at a statue on the other side of the exhibit,


    "He is real."


    "..." Prophet turned his head to where Bulwark was pointing to, only to see a statue of a man that seemed to tower everything else inside the museum.


    "Heracles," Bulwark sighed as he slowly made his wait to Heracles''s sculpture, "Depicted as the strongest epic hero¡­ but perhaps the one that needed the most saving. Did you know that one of the newer members of the Hope Guild is named after him?"


    "...Hera? The one that turns into a grey¡­ giant?"


    "Yes."


    "Who is stronger between the two?" Prophet asked as he bumped shoulders with Bulwark.


    "Hera, without a doubt," Bulwark answered without any hesitation, "Both are Strength-type Supers, but that girl would fold Heracles in half if they were to fight."


    "...Really?"


    "The Supers of today are¡­ far stronger than the ones in the past."


    "Hm," Prophet nodded, before another cheeky smirk appeared on his face, "I always wondered who is the strongest in the Hope Guild¡­ is it you?"


    Hearing Prophet''s somewhat forward question, Bulwark closed his eyes and hummed,


    "I''m just difficult to fight and kill," he then answered, "I believe if he learns how to harness his true powers, Tempo will be the strongest. But right now, it''s Empress¨C she leads the guild for a reason and she is also one of Megawoman''s disciples."


    "...Megawoman has disciples?"


    "Well, more like a protege, really," Bulwark chuckled.


    "...What about Bernard?" Prophet then said as the smirk on his face grew bigger.


    "Whiteking?"


    "Yeah," Prophet''s smirk turned into an almost condescending chuckle, "He''s the only guy that doesn''t have any actual powers¡­ where does he rank?"


    "Hm¡­ Whiteking," Bulwark furrowed his eyebrows as he ced his hand on his chin.


    "He''s just a trophy member, right?" Prophet muttered; trying to hold theughter that wasing out of his mouth, "I won''t tell him if he is."


    "Well, Whiteking¡­ It''s true that he doesn''t have any powers," Bulwark let out a small hum as he finally answered, "But with all the things he has achieved and what he did to reach where he is. He¡­


    ¡­is probably the most dangerous man on the."


    ***


    "Did¡­ Did Bulwark just kick us out after we helped him!?"


    Hannah wanted to kick the door of the church open but was stopped by Be before she could actually do so.


    "God damn it!" And so, Hannah could only scream in frustration, stomping her foot on the ground as she did so. It was a good thing that most of the people already left, if not, then they would surely think that all the members of the Ross family are crazy¡­ if they didn''t already.


    "What¡­ are we gonna do now?" Be then asked as Hannah finally started to calm down.


    "I''m no longer in the mood for this shit," Hannah scoffed, "Let''s just go."


    "..."


    "..."


    Be and Riley could only look at Hannah as she stomped her way down. They were about to follow her, but before they could do so, Hannah stopped in her tracks.


    "This isn''t over," she whispered, "Even if Bulwark told us to stop, the issue with the clones is still connected with MEGAN, which is connected to Prophet''s death¡­ this isn''t over."


    "...What''s the n?"


    "I¡­" Hannah paused her words for a while, before letting out a short but very deep breath as she looked at Be, "... I need to stop avoiding Julius and talk to him."


    "I would really appreciate that."


    "!!!"


    And as soon as Hannah''s words were finished, a familiar voice suddenly entered her ears, causing her to turn around only to see Julius suddenly there.


    "We finally caught each other¡­" Julius shook his head; using his cane as he stepped towards Hannah, "Why¡­


    ¡­are you not epting my calls?"

 Chapter 181 - 181: Drama In Mega Academy

    <h4>Chapter 181 - 181: Drama In Mega Academy</h4>


    "Why¡­ are you not epting my calls?"


    "Julius¡­ how¡­ are you here?"


    Hannah had been trying to avoid Julius Reuben ever since they came back to the Academy; she had been sessful doing so without fail even though she didn''t have her phone with her for the others to let her know where he currently was.


    But seeing as how Julius is suddenly here¡­


    "...How did you know I was here?" Hannah then asked; freeing her mind of the thoughts that would otherwise fill it.


    "I didn''t," Julius shook his head and sighed, "I heard Whiteking and Prophet were friends¨C it''s not hard to put two and two together, really."


    Julius then let out a small chuckle; his leg slightly trembling as he did so, causing him to put more weight in the cane he was holding.


    "Are you¡­ okay?" Hannah could not help but ask.


    "It''s just my leg, mdy," Julius once again chuckled, "It''s been getting coldtely and I have been skipping¡­ on my vitamintely," he then said; his posh British ent almost in full st as he slightly groaned.


    "I¨C"


    "H¡­ Hannah, don''t be a simp!" Be then lightly elbowed Hannah on the side as she was about to approach Julius.


    "I¡­ I know!" Hannah whispered loudly as she gestured for Be to move away for a bit,


    "Why are you following me, then?"


    "Because I like you, Hannah Ross," Julius then said without even batting an eye, "I know you have your own problems right now, and that I shouldn''t be this persistent¡­ but at least tell me why you''re avoiding me."


    "..." Hannah did not answer as she just looked to the side.


    "I know we''ve only just been together for like a week or so," Julius continued as he slowly made his way towards Hannah, "But I do truly want to spend my life with you, it would be splendid, I know of it. So please¡­ don''t just disappear on me."


    "..." Be, who was watching the scene from the side, could not help but look at Riley, trying to see if she was the only one cringing right now. But of course, she looked to the wrong person as Riley only had a deadpan expression on his face.


    "Please, Hannah."


    "That''s¡­" Hannah could only bite her lip as Julius''s somewhat endearing voice whispered into her ears.


    "Please," Julius''s leg once again started to tremble as he got near Hannah, "If you want to break up, I could understand¡­ But just please, let''s separate on good terms."


    Julius then gently grabbed Hannah''s hand as soon as he got near her, "Please, at least tell me if I did something wro¨C"


    And before he could finish what he was going to say, Be suddenly grabbed his hand.


    "Look, blondie. It ain''t right you''re forcing yourself to her. My sis is definitely ufortable with you right now," Be then said. For some reason, she couldn''t help himself¨C there was something about Julius that just¡­


    ¡­seemed off.


    "..." Julius just looked at Be, before letting out a sigh and pulling his hand away.


    "Let''s talk in the Korean Shaved Ice shop," Julius then meekly said as he stepped away, "Please, Hannah Ross¡­ I will be waiting for you there today¡­ tomorrow¡­ forever."


    "...Dude, seriously?" Be groaned, "You''ve only been dating for less than a month."


    "You can bring your friends if you''re notfortable being alone with me," Julius nced at Be once more, before turning away, "I just want proper closure between us."


    "I¨C"


    Julius did not even wait for Hannah''s answer as he started walking away. He then nced towards Riley, nodding at him before hastening his stuttered steps. His left leg seem to be worsening with each step; trembling violently as his silhouette became smaller and smaller as he slowly disappeared into the distance.


    "..."


    "..."


    "I don''t know, girl¡­ that dude is giving me major con-artist vibes," Be was the first to break the sudden silence as she ced her hand on Hannah''s shoulder, "I''m not buying anything he says even a single bit. The funeral''s been over for like hours¨C he would''ve tried to find you earlier."


    "...." Hannah was still at a loss for words as she could only bite her lip¨C trying her best toe up with something to say.


    "Guys!"


    It was a good thing that another set of familiar voices entered their ears; this time, a wee sight as Gary, Tomoe, and Aerith who was still disguised as Silvie was running towards them.


    "Wasn''t that the English prick just now?" Gary furrowed his eyebrows, before letting out a sentence in a fake British ent, "Ken a hav a bo''le of wa a?"


    "...Yeah," Be was the one to answer as she stopped Gary from his sudden¡­ racist galore, "You guys were right¡­ that Julius guy is sus as hell."


    "See!? What did I tell you!?"


    And even with Gary''s slightly condescending tone, Hannah did not respond and just looked to the side; still lightly biting her lip as she tried toe up with something to say.


    "You¡­" Aerith, who noticed this, could not help but slowly get close to her; the tone of her voice, still filled with hesitation as she did not know whether she had the right to butt in,


    "You¡­ really like him, don''t you?" She then muttered, "I know that pained look on your face. The others and I¡­ had it when we were trying to convince ourselves that mother¡­ is mother. So¡­


    ¡­you must really like him."


    "No!" And finally, after being in a stupor for a while, Hannah finally raised her voice,


    "O¡­ of course not," she stuttered before taking in a long and deep breath, "It''s just that¡­ I thought he was my chance to at least take a glimpse at a normal life. With all that''s been happening, you know?"


    "..." Riley, who had been keeping quiet since that start, could only furrow his eyebrows as he saw a hint of tearing out of his sister''s eye.


    But before they could fall, Hannah wiped it away.


    "Let''s end this," she then scoffed and nodded, "If he is somewhat involved with everything that''s been happening so far¡­ then I''ll make him pay personally for using me."


    "Wait, where are you going!?" Gary could only blink as Hannah suddenly ran away.


    "Charlotte''s!" Hannah then said as she waved her hand, "I want you guys near me!"


    "...Why is she going there again?" Gary said as he looked at Be and Riley.


    "The blondie asked her to meet him there," a small shiver crawled through Be''s skin as she once again remembered Julius''s line about waiting there forever.


    "He wants to meet her¡­ in our headquarters?" Gary squinted, "He''s either confident¡­ or he''s not hiding anything."


    "No," this time, Tomoe finally joined in on the conversation as she shook her head, "He''s trying to make her let down her guard. My mother uses that technique with men to get what she wants."


    "That''s¡­


    ¡­We better follow her fast, then."


    ***


    "What do you think the two are talking about? Can you listen in on them with your super hearing, Aerith?"


    "I¡­ don''t know how to."


    "...Right."


    Gary''s sigh whispered quietly throughout the mall. A small crackle, snapping in the air as he took a bite of the taco in his hand. The group was currently outside a Mexican fast-food store¡­ which just so happened to be in front of the Korean Shaved Ice store.


    They were trying their best to stay out of sight¡­ and acting like they were actually eating was probably part of it. Perhaps.


    "Oh shit!" Gary then suddenly screamed; his seat almost falling off as he backed away.


    "What!? What!?"


    "Hannah just pped the guy!"


    Everyone''s eyes then quickly focused on the shop. And true enough, they could see Julius touching his face through the window; his eyes closed and head shaking.


    "But¡­ why did she suddenly p him?" Be whispered as she squinted her eyes to try and see clearer, "They was just sitting earlier."


    "That''s just how she is," Gary said as he almost shivered; remembering all the times that Hannah pped him even though he wasn''t doing anything. Granted, he was slightly making perverted remarks¡­ but still, that shouldn''t be enough to p him.


    "She¡­ is just innately violent¨C What the¡­ now she''s crying like she was the one that was pped!"


    "...You don''t understand women at all, do you?" Be sighed.


    "And you do?" Gary scoffed, "Last I check, you a lesbian, girl," he then said as he bobbed his head from left to right, wagging his finger as if to imitate Be.


    "You do know I''m still a woman, right? I have tits and a coochie and the mood swings thate along with it."


    "Ah! He''s doing something!" Gary ignored Be''s words as he pointed towards the shop. Tomoe quickly tried pulling his arm down so they wouldn''t attract any attention, but could not as Gary''s strength was way past hers. Gary, however, just let his hand be dragged down by Tomoe as soon as he noticed this.


    And so, they just continued to watch quietly as Julius once again gently grabbed Hannah''s hand. Hannah seemed to want to pull her hand away as she stood up¡­ but Julius didn''t want to let go as he also stood up and walked in front of her.


    And soon¡­ Hannah''s hand started to light up in mes.


    "S¡­ should we help her!?" Aerith said as she stood up.


    "Let''s¡­ just watch more," Gary raised his hand to gesture for Aerith to sit back down, "Let''s wait until this guy shows his true colors¡­ then we''ll smack him."


    And so, the group just continued to watch the scenario unfold far from them. Gary''s mouth, moving faster and faster as he chowed down his taco so he wouldn''t miss a thing.


    "What''s the blondie''s powers again?" Be then squinted her eyes as she watched as Julius did not even seem hurt even as his hand was bursting in mes.


    "He has super strength, I believe¡­ and apparently can regenerate extremely fast as well," Tomoe was the one to answer as she closed her eyes¨C no, as she also squinted her eyes to look at the two, "I saw one of his matches during the Combat Tournament."


    "Super strength and regeneration?" Be breathed out, "...But his leg is busted?"


    "...Now that you mention it¨C Oh shit, Julius is now hugging Hannah!" Gary could not help but stand up as he once again pointed at the store, "What is miss Charlotte doing!?"


    Everyone then turned their eyes towards Charlotte, who only had a confused expression on her face. After a few more seconds, however, she rolled her eyes and got back to checking the cashier terminal.


    "I don''t think our girl appreciates being hugged," Be then said as she also stood up,


    "Let''s go and provide back up," Be then looked at Gary, Tomoe, and Aerith; who also nodded at her as they stood up.


    "..."


    "..."


    Be then looked at them again before she could even take a single step towards the store.


    Gary.


    Tomoe.


    Aerith.


    "Where''s¡­ the white hair?"


    "Oh, shit! He¡­


    ¡­He''s already inside!"

 Chapter 182 - 182: Young Master

    <h4>Chapter 182 - 182: Young Master</h4>


    "You have to believe me, I don''t know anything about that. I don''t involve myself in my family''s matters."


    "It''s impossible you''re not involved in this, Julius. MEGAN is owned by yourpany."


    "By my family''spany!"


    The rising voices of Julius and Hannah started to fill the entire store, causing Charlotte, who was busy fiddling with her cashier terminal, to roll her eyes.


    She just applied here to at least have a normal life after she retired from the Hope Guild and the Superhero industry in general. But now, here she was, watching some sort of teen dramae to life. To think she would actually be more stressed here because of this was something she did not expect.


    "..." Charlotte took one final nce at the arguing couple¡­ who was now hugging and could only once again roll her eyes. She was going to stop it initially if it gets violent; but seeing as how the English guy wasn''t even bothered by Hannah''s mes burning him, Charlotte decided not to butt in. If he didn''t care, why would she?


    And so, with that thought, Charlotte just went back and focused on her own tasks.


    "I swear, Hannah¡­" Julius''s pleading voice trembled in Hannah''s ears as he wrapped his arms around her, "I''m not involved in whatever it is you''re trying to use me of."


    "L¡­ let go of me!" Hannah tried to pull herself away from Julius, but was not able to,


    "Y¡­ you''re gonna get hurt if you don''t let go!" Hannah''s entire body began to flicker as mes started to sputter from her limbs¨C it was a good thing that she was wearing her superhero outfit under her casual clothes; if not, then their situation would have been easily misunderstood by a bystander.


    The mes around Hannahbusted even further; snapping in the air in a sort of hesitating flicker that seemingly reflected theplicated emotions circling inside her heart right now.


    "I will let go of you," Julius then said; his eyes almost reddening from the tears he was trying to stop, "But please believe me that¨C"


    And before he could finish his words, his eyes could not help but widen as a subtle presence suddenly appeared beside him and Hannah¨C Riley Ross.


    "My sister told you to let go of her, Julius Reuben," Riley then said as he looked at his sister, "Please do it before I pull your arms off from your body and gouge your eyes out with its sharp splintered bone."


    "R¡­ Riley!" Hannah once again tried to pull herself away from Julius, but this time, she was finally sessful in doing so as Julius seemed to just let himself be pushed away; his eyes, looking directly at Riley''s face.


    "I¡­ have no intention in harming your sister, Riley Ross," Julius then said; the tone of his voice slightly vignt.


    "Are you hurt, sister?" Riley, however, did not respond to him as his eyes remained on his sister.


    "No, just¡­" Hannah slightly patted and brushed her arm as she shook her head, "...I could''ve handled this myself."


    "Hannah, I''m not the bad guy here," Julius breathed out as he once again focused on Hannah, "You have to understand that."


    Julius was about to stretch his hand towards Hannah once more; this time, however, Riley grabbed his wrist before he could do so.


    "I believe my sister is ufortable with this situation now, Julius Reuben," Riley muttered; his eyes still with his sister, "Please, leave."


    "..." Julius slightly furrowed his eyebrows as he immediately looked at Riley''s hand, before taking a nce at his face.


    "Do not touch me with your dirty hands, boy," a small scowl then crawled on Julius''s face; his tone, slightly turning cold.


    "...What did you just say to my brother!?"


    And as soon as Hannah heard Julius''s words, she quickly rushed towards Julius and tried to push him away. But s, she found herself the one backing away as it felt like she just tried to push a steel wall.


    As for Julius, he was still looking at Riley''s face; Riley, however, was still looking at his sister.


    "Are you hurt, sister?" Riley once again asked.


    "Why are you always asking me that!?" Hannah let out a small and frustrated wail, "No, I''m not! Please, just don''t fight!"


    "Okay," Riley then let go of Julius as soon as Hannah''s words reached his ears. Hannah seemed to want to say something, but before she could do so, another scream joined to fill the noise inside the store even further.


    "What''s going on here!?"


    The sounds of a bell chiming loudly rang in the store as the rest of the Baby Crew entered its premises. Seeing more people join them, Julius could only let out a small breath before shaking his head.


    "I am not the bad guy here," he repeated his words to Hannah,


    "Soon, you will understand that," he then muttered before putting weight on his cane to walk away; his leg, limping even worse than earlier.


    "..." He halted his stuttering steps, however, as Gary suddenly blocked the door to the outside.


    "Where do you think you are going, pal?" Gary scoffed; his towering figure almost filling the entire doorway.


    "Outside."


    "W¨C"


    And before Gary could even say another word, Julius ced his palm on his chest¡­ and soon, Gary''s vision shifted as he suddenly found himself rolling on the floor.


    "What¡­ the¨C" Gary could only blink several times as he almost felt like he was hit by a truck¨C that is if that was what it felt like since he hasn''t really been hit by a truck before.


    A tapping sound then whispered into his ear; growing louder and louder as Julius made his way towards him. Gary quickly put up his guard; contrary to his expectations, Julius only let out a small sigh; his eyes, looking down on Gary and obviously showing their disappointment.


    And with another small sigh, he walked away.


    "W¡­ what''s with that condescending sigh!?" Gary then roared as he stood up, "Just because you''re rich, you are acting like some sort of young master!? I''ve read enough xianxia novels to know you''re just side characters! You hear me!? Side characters!"


    Gary continued to rile Julius; Julius, however, just ignored his fading roars as he quickly limped his way out of the mall¨C where a car and a couple of bodyguards were already seemingly waiting for him.


    And as soon as the men in suits saw Julius''s trembling leg, they immediately rushed towards him.


    "M¡­ Master!" One of them immediately grabbed Julius''s arm and gently ced it over his shoulders to help him. One then swiftly opened the door as they all helped Julius to gently step inside the car.


    And as soon as they closed the door, a deafening whistle screeched in the air as the wheels quickly drove away¨C almost masking the eerie screams that were escaping from Julius''s mouth.


    "Drive!"


    "Y¡­ yes, master!"


    The driver stepped on the gas even heavier. It was no problem, however, as the campus roads were wide enough to amodate even half a dozen tanks to cross them. Perhaps his only problem was his erratically beating heart as Julius''s screams resounded throughout his entire body.


    "F¡­ fucking wanker!" Julius continued to scream, "You think I am doing this for myself then, you fucking cow!?"


    "Fuckin'' cow!"


    And with every word; Julius''s ent became different¨C a thick Scottish ent that was almost indiscernible. It didn''t help that his breaths were also bing hoarse.


    His left leg, almost vibrating with the way it was trembling.


    "Yer off your head if ya think¨C"


    "M¡­master, your vitals are spiking!"


    "Ye think I don''t know that you fuckin'' cunt!?" Julius lightly kicked the driver''s seat, causing him to slightly cough from the force.


    Julius then grabbed his cane, before quickly twisting its handle and pulling it off¡­ revealing some sort of needle attached to it.


    "I told you not to get me f''ckin'' expensive trousers!" He roared before ripping his pants off from its left hem¡­ revealing a wrinkly exterior attached to his flesh.


    The skin on his leg was almost akin to that of the Pope''s¨C that of a dying man. He looked at his leg for a few seconds, before stabbing it with the needle in his hand.


    "Grah!" Another roar then escaped his throat as the veins on his leg throbbed; the pain, crawling throughout his entire body. The veins on his neck, almost popping out as the throbbing web continued to crawl through his face. And as soon as the web reached his eyes, they quickly lit up in a red glow.


    "Kh!" Another pained roar then escaped his mouth as a small sizzle whispered in the air; his eyelids, burning apart due to the heating out of his eyes.


    Soon, however, with the light in his eyes dying down, his screams too, slowly disappeared. The sound of something chittering then whispered in the air as his ruptured eyelids began to build themselves once more.


    And with his breaths calming down, so did the driver''s as he let out a long and deep sigh of relief.


    Julius then cleared his throat and fixed his hair, before once again letting out a small and rxed breath, "I apologize for my rude behavior, Fred."


    "It¡­ it''s quite alright, master."


    "Young master, Alfred."


    "...Yes, young master," the driver looked at Julius in the rearview mirror, before nodding and continuing to focus on the road.


    "..."


    "..."


    And after a few bouts of silence, Julius uttered a word,


    "MEGAN."


    [Yes, Master Julius?]


    "Tell my brother¡­


    ¡­to meet me in the Family Vi."

 Chapter 183 - 183: Announcement

    <h4>Chapter 183 - 183: Announcement</h4>


    In a dark room illuminated only by the lights that seeped through the window, Riley was quietly standing; his white hair, reflecting the moon that drowned the empty grounds of the Academy. His bare chest, almost illuminating as the silver light weed his naked body.


    His eyes, as if looking beyond the skies themselves.


    He had been in the Academy for more than half a year now¨C and in that span, a lot has happened that he was truly not expecting. He initially thought that going to the Academy would just be a better way to waste his time while waiting for Megawoman to rise from the ashes, but no.


    A lot more happened. But perhaps it was because of the very fact that Megawoman was gone that all the things that have happened were allowed to happen. If she was still awake, then the Government wouldn''t even be brave enough to show even a sliver of Silvie''s and the other clones'' hair.


    The Dark Millenium, in a way, was also the Government''s doing. Ever since he enrolled in the Academy, his life was suddenly filled with weed chaos.


    "..."


    But it''s not enough¨C Riley thought as his eyes slowly started to turn pink.


    "It''s not enough," he whispered as his mouth began to open; his hands, also starting to tremble as a sort of thirst was slowly building up inside him.


    This is not enough. There is chaos¡­


    ¡­but not enough blood.


    Riley was already feeling a certain itching crawling throughout his body for a long time now. He had been trying to live a normal life and trying to fit in as his sister and mother wanted¡­ but now that he had been stagnant for 7 months, the feeling of wanting to hear the screams of people grew worse by the second¨C his craving, already almost at its peak.


    If it remains like this, then¨C


    "Is something wrong, Riley? Aren''t you cold?"


    Riley''s thoughts were then disrupted as a pair of hands suddenly but slowly slithered around his bare chest; the hands, lighting up as a soothing heat was released from their palms. Strands of silver, then mixing with Riley''s white skin as Katherine gently but carefully embraced him.


    And like Riley, Katherine too was allowing all of her skin to be showered and bathed by the light of the moon¨C almost as if the two of them werepletely free from the burdens of the world.


    "Or are you perhaps thinking of Prophet?" Katherine then whispered as she rested her cheek on Riley''s back.


    "No," Riley shook his head, "I do not care about Prophet."


    "Then is it because of what happened with your sister and Julius earlier?" Katherine sighed, "I have been asking around my contacts if there was anything suspicious with the Reuben family¡­


    ¡­but a family as rich as that seems to be good at keeping secrets¨C we could find nothing except what you could find on the inte."


    "I am not thinking about that matter, Katherine," Riley once again shook his head, "But I do care about my sister."


    "Then¡­" Katherine hummed, "...Are you thinking about Megawoman again?"


    "In a way, yes."


    Katherine could only let out a small sigh as she heard Riley''s words. Of course, it would be about Megawoman, she thought. Every time Riley thinks about something or seemingly reminisces, it would always contain Megawoman.


    "I was thinking of myst battle with her," Riley then continued, "I want to hear the people scream again¡­ this time as they choke on the blood that slowly drowns the world."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Do you really have to do that?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "I am just waiting for my sister to ask for help."


    "Ask¡­ for help?"


    "Once she tells me that Julius Reuben has hurt her, then I will kill everyst person in Ennd," Riley muttered as he finally turned his eyes away from the sky, "It is a promise I made that I intend to keep, Katherine."


    "But once you do that¡­ won''t Hannah realize that you are Darkday?"


    "...Perhaps," Riley muttered, "But I intend to keep my promise."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I can''t stop you?" Katherine then said as she tightened her embrace on Riley. Once Riley exposes himself as Darkday¡­ then Katherine''s life would once again begin to shift.


    "You are wee to try, Katherine," Riley said, "I will not kill you."


    "...No," Katherine buried her face on Riley''s back, "I am your subordinate, my ce is by your side."


    "Then, will you join me when the timees?" Riley then whispered.


    "..."


    His question, however, was followed by an almost eerie silence¨C with only the sound of their breaths pestering their ears. And soon, the room began to darken as the silver moon slowly shied away; covered by the clouds that seemed to want to hide it forever.


    "I don''t know," Katherine then answered as she tightened her embrace even further, "But even I don''t join you¡­ I can not be redeemed any more. We¡­ can''t be redeemed."


    "That is true, Katherine," Riley said as a small breath escaped his mouth, "Your hands are already filled with the blood of the innocent."


    "..." Katherine could only close her eyes as Riley''s words whispered into her ears. It was true¨C there was no way for her to return. Although Silver Moon has still not made an appearance to the masses yet, the things she had done from the shadows were enough for her to be considered¡­


    ¡­a superviin.


    "If I join you¡­" Katherine then opened her eyes, "...Can I ask for something in return?"


    "Do you want to have sexual intercourse with me again, Katherine?"


    "N¡­ no, well yes," Katherine knocked her head on Riley''s back, "But that''s not my request."


    "...What is it?"


    "Tomoe Reynolds¡­ Keep her out of the massacre," Katherine said; her tonepletely clear,


    "Unlike you, she is just a misguided child. Unlike us, she still has the potential to be good."


    "How does it feel?"


    "Hm?" Katherine could not help but blink a couple of times as Riley suddenly turned around to face her,


    "How¡­ does what feel?" She then breathed out as Riley looked her straight in the eyes.


    "To be good," Riley said, "How does it feel to be good?"


    "To be¡­" Katherine''s eyebrows lowered for a few seconds before she shook her head, "I¡­ don''t know."


    "But you were good, Katherine. Scarlet Mage has helped a lot of people."


    "I am Silver Moon now. Whatever good I did is¨C"


    "How did it feel to be Scarlet Mage?" Riley did not let Katherine finish her words as he gently grabbed her by the arms.


    "..."


    "..."


    "It¡­ was nice." It took a couple of seconds, but finally, Katherine gained the courage to answer Riley''s question, "The smiles of the people, their gratitude¡­ It felt like I was doing a service to the world."


    "..."


    "But more importantly¡­ Knowing that I gave them the opportunity to see the faces of their families again¡­ that they could go home."


    "I take that away from them, don''t I?"


    "What?" Katherine''s eyes then quickly turned wide as she heard Riley''s slightly somber words. Is it actually possible¡­ that he was starting to feel guilt?"


    And as soon as she thought of that, Katherine quickly focused her eyes on Riley''s face¡­


    ¡­only to see him with a wide smile on his face. Of course¡­ what was she even thinking?


    Riley Ross¡­


    ¡­is innately evil.


    ***


    "...I forgot all about this. This is still happening?"


    "It feels like so many bad things have happened¡­ are you telling me it''s only been a month?"


    "Shouldn''t they at least dy or hold this? Prophet just died."


    "...What about the issue with Julius?"


    "Ack! So many things to take care of!"


    "How is the Prophet situation going?"


    "What the!?"


    Be, Hannah, Gary, and Aerith almost jumped from their seats as a head suddenly hang in front of them. It would have probably been alright if the owner of the head was also in front of them, but no¨C the owner was seated behind them, his neck stretched almost in a zigzag pattern¨C Daniel Espinoza.


    They weren''t the only presence within the building, however, as all the students of the Academy were present in the auditorium they were currently sitting in.


    The event?


    Dering the next Mega Student for the month of January.


    "Why do you care?" Hannah then tried to push Daniel''s head away; Daniel, however, quickly moved his head to the side.


    "What do you mean why¨C I was one of the people that found Prophet''s body!"


    "...Right, I forgot," Hannah said as she waved her hand, "We will talkter, can you get your head out of the way first? It''s¡­ ufortable to look at."


    "Tch," Daniel squinted his eyes before finally retracting his head; not before letting out a soft curse, of course.


    As for Riley, he also squinted his eyes¨C trying his best not to express his disgust and displeasure.


    "Anyway¡­ shouldn''t we at least dy this shit?" Hannah then repeated her words, "So much shit has happened that I don''t think it''s right to¨C"


    [Greetings, everyone.]


    And before she could finish her words, a voice echoed throughout the entire auditorium; silencing every other word that still whispered through the air.


    [First, I would like to apologize for calling everyone here.]


    It was Bulwark, who was currently standing right in the middle of the stage in front of everyone,


    [I know none of you expected that this ceremony and awarding would still continue despite everything that has happened. I know it also feels forced that we''re doing this¡­


    ¡­But it also didn''t feel right that we do not go through with it.]


    "..."


    [Prophet''s death was unexpected and quick,] Bulwark said with a slight stutter in his tone, [Whoever did this will and must pay¡­ and maybe someday¡­


    ¡­it will be one of you who will put the one who did this to justice.]


    "What¡­ is Bulwark saying?"


    "I thought Prophet¡­ killed himself?"


    "No fucking way!" Hannah and some of the Baby Crew stood up from their seats, "Don''t tell me he--"


    [Prophet¡­


    ¡­was murdered.]

 Chapter 184 - 184: Moving On (1)

    <h4>Chapter 184 - 184: Moving On (1)</h4>


    [Prophet¡­


    ¡­was murdered.]


    "This guy¡­"


    Once again, the whispers inside the auditorium erupted; almost deafening the ears of those inside¡­ except for those that were already deaf, of course.


    It was almost as if a bomb went off, with all the people widening their eyes and looking at each other as if not knowing what to do with their current situation. No, perhaps a bomb did go off.


    The media, the police, and even the Government have ruled and confirmed that Prophet''s death was a suicide and that there were no signs of any foul y present. But now, Bulwark was telling them that he was murdered?


    "What¡­ the fuck is Bulwark doing?" Hannah then whispered; her eyebrows furrowing as she stared at Bulwark''s glowing silhouette from afar, "He told us not to interfere and do anything¡­ and yet he does something like this?"


    "Oh man," Be could not help but let out a somewhat nervous chuckle, "Goldie is cool for real, for real."


    "What do you mean cool!?" Hannah slightly raised her voice, "His deceased husband told us not to do anything and yet he''s the one doing something¡­


    ¡­he just put a target on his bac¨C Wait, maybe that''s what he wants?"


    "A deration of war?" Be muttered, "That''s legit."


    And as soon as Hannah heard Be''s words, she could not help but ce her hand on her chin, "Deration of war¡­ could it be that Bulwark already knows who killed Prophet?"


    But s, unlike the Baby Crew''s assumption, Bulwark''s next wordspletely made their theories invalid.


    [Prophet was murdered by the system.]


    And with those words, the students that were previously excited could not help but let out their sighs¨C some of relief, and the other half of disappointment. They thought that there was something going on, but to think it was only that, they all thought.


    The members of the Baby Crew were the same¨C not knowing what they should feel.


    "So¡­ it was just that?" Hannah let out a small chuckle as she rested her back on her seat. Be was also slightly disappointed, but still nodded her head,


    "Maybe he''s trying to provoke whoever did this?" Be muttered.


    [Prophet was murdered by the things he trusted, by the things he loved,] Bulwark''s words became slightly deeper as he looked straight towards the camera, which was broadcasting the awarding ceremony all over the globe,


    [Prophet was killed by White¡­


    ¡­by the white lies that the country¨C that the world has been telling its citizens for years. Prophet was a good man. As much as the media portrayed him to be a coward, Prophet is the bravest man I have ever known¡­


    ¡­A man that was willing to handle more than 4000 unruly teenage supers, many who could split him in half with just a single finger? How could someone like that be a coward?]


    "..." With Bulwark''s words, almost all the students that were in the auditorium could not help but look at each other; their eyes, slightly sedated. Most of them were actually shit-posting about Prophet since a lot of dangerous things were happening to them because of the Academy¡­ so they didn''t really know what to feel right now.


    [So¡­ I''d like to offer a moment of silence for my dear departed friend.]


    And so, with Bulwark''s words, the students could only follow as they too, put their head down. Bulwark''s hair, fading in color and slightly dimming down the entire auditorium.


    "..." As for the Baby Crew plus Daniel, they could only widen their eyes.


    "White lies of the world?" Hannah muttered as she squinted her wide eyes, "Could it be¡­ it was the Government that killed Prophet?"


    "Most¡­ dangerous man in the world," Be also whispered, "It''s possible, isn''t it?"


    "Shit¡­ all of these conspiracy thingies are getting wild," Gary also joined in as he let out a small breath, "Too bad Silvie is missing everything."


    "S¡­ sorry," Aerith, who was staying quiet on the side, could not help but sigh as she heard Gary''s words. The only reason she was here right now and not Silvie was because the group didn''t trust her, causing Silvie to be left alone with the younger clones.


    "Why are you apologizing?" Gary squinted his eyes, "Megawoman never apologizes, be strong!"


    "That is not true, Gary," Riley suddenly opened his mouth, "Megawoman apologizes a lot."


    "Man, why you gotta do your cousin like that? I was only hyper her up," Gary sighed.


    "...Why you talking like you''re one of us, cuzz?" Be joined in on the conversation.


    "Hey, I''m not racist."


    "...That ain''t what I¨C


    "Wait a minute."


    And before Be could finish her words, Daniel''s head once again stretched in front of the Baby Crew.


    "Does this mean that Prophet''s so-called husband¡­ is Bulwark?"


    "Wow, broadcast it to the world," Hannah rolled her eyes, "Can you keep your voice down? I told you we will talk about itter."


    "Alright, alright," Daniel''s head started to retract as his eyes also rolled, "...So Prophet is not full on gay, then."


    "...What?"


    "I mean¡­ Bulwark is even more beautiful than Hannah," Daniel then said, "I mean, I wouldn''t really mind tapping that for once. You know what I mean?"


    "I mean, that''s kinda gay," Gary nodded, "But he right."


    "What the fuck?"


    "...Why this tall fuck talking like me again?"


    "Wait, did you just use me as a referen¨C"


    Fortunately, before the Baby Crew plus Daniel could once again start running amok, Bulwark''s breaths echoed throughout the entire auditorium.


    [Well, enough about the depressing stuff,] Bulwark then let out a small chuckle, [There''s actually another reason why we tried to push with the Awarding¨C we have an announcement to make.]


    And as Bulwark said that, the giant screen behind him started showing images of fireworks and everything Christmas-rted. As expected of an old man, they all thought¡­ his presentation seemed to being from the earliest depths of technology.


    [Since it will be the New Year''s 7 days from now, we will have a celebration to wee it. You will also have a break starting tomorrow until the 10th day of January.]


    And as soon as the students heard that, their heads which were still looking down all rose up; their roars and cheers, quickly escaping from their throats.


    [You will also be allowed to go out during the duration of the break,] Bulwark announced, [But of course, not all of you at the same time. You would need to apply first since we can''t have all of you running around outside all at the same time¡­


    ¡­You have already spent half a year in the Academy,] Bulwark then let out a small sigh as he looked at the students, [And in another half, all of you will be returning to your normal lives¡­


    ¡­or be full-pledged superheroes. Or¡­ you could also continue your stay in the Academy and be sophomores.]


    "...There''s that option?"


    [But although I say sophomore, it''s really just repeating all the training you have already received,] Bulwark chuckled, [Honestly, there''s a lot wrong with this Academy, which is understandable since it is still in its infancy. There is no solid structure, no real n, the sybus and timeline is a mess¨C the lot of you are basically the guinea pigs of the Government.]


    "..."


    [But next year will be different,] Bulwark let out a small scoff, [It will be different because you now have me¡­ someone who has taught heroes for thousands of years.]


    And with those words, the cheering of the students once again zed; almost shaking the entire building.


    [Alright, that is all,] Bulwark then raised his hand, [This will probably be thest time we will be gathered like this for this year so¡­ Happy New Year''s, everyone.]


    And with the students pping in front of him, Bulwark finally handed the microphone to the event''s host¡­ who has been waiting for almost half an hour now.


    And as soon as the microphone was in his hands, he immediately let out a screech as the DJ started the music.


    [Alright, alright, alright! Let''s get this show started!] The emcee''s voice thundered throughout the entire hall, drowning any whispers that dared to disrupt him, [Since our dear new Headmaster said a lot of things, we''re going to have to speed this up! So DJ, put on the wildest¡­]


    "Wait¡­"


    And as the emcee continued the event, Gary stretched his arms to the side¡­ almost hitting Be''s bosom.


    "..."


    "...New Year''s is 7 days from now?" Gary then muttered as his eyes started to tremble, "Doesn''t that mean¡­ that tomorrow is¨C"


    "Sister''s birthday."


    "Christma¨C Wait, Hannah''s birthday is on Christmas?"


    "R¡­ Riley, I told you not to tell anyone!"


    "Should we not have a celebration, big sister Hannah?" Tomoe, who waspletely quiet on the side, immediately grabbed a notebook she was hiding in her white kimono, "I''ll get the list of the things we need."


    "Wait, wait¡­" Gary once again stretched his arms to the side, this time getting a small p from Hannah as he grazed Be''s bosom, who didn''t seem to mind herself.


    "Wait¡­" Gary still worded out, "Wait¡­ Christmas is tomorrow? Why¡­ doesn''t it feel like it? Where are all the snow and shit? The lights!?"


    "We''re inside the Academy, Gary."


    "No¡­ this can''t be," Gary seemed to not be hearing anyone else but himself, "Why¡­ are we not feeling the Christmas spirit? Could it be¡­ are we bing adults?"


    "No, Gary. Only my sister is bing an adult tomorrow."


    "Fuck y¨C"


    [For 3rd ce...


    ....Gintsune of ss 1-A! Come out here to im your prize!]


    "What the¡­ it''s her again? What does she even do?"


    And so, The award ceremony continued on. Almost as if everything that the Baby Crew has experienced was just some kind of dream¨C the world goes on. Perhaps once they be superheroes, it will also be like that?


    Despite all the tragedies they experience¡­


    ¡­the masses will only really see the mour.


    They will never be able to see what it was really like under the suit.

 Chapter 185 - 185: Moving On (2)

    <h4>Chapter 185 - 185: Moving On (2)</h4>


    [For 3rd ce, Gintsune of ss 1-A! Come out here to im your prize!]


    "What the¡­ it''s her again? What does she even do?"


    [Wow, wow, wow. Consecutive nominee for the Mega Student, why don''t we give Gintsune a round of apuse!?]


    Gintsune was about to stand up from her seat, but as soon as everyone started pping their hands and looking at her; her movements could not help but slightly stutter. Letting out a small ''eh?'' before fixing her silver fox mask and bowing to the people.


    Her ninja-kimono outfit, loosely fluttering in the air as she finally managed to step down towards the stage. And as soon as she was there, she once again bowed towards the students as they were still pping.


    "Ack, so cute, Gintsune-chwan!"


    "Remove your mask! Face reveal!"


    "...Is this really why she''s getting a lot of votes? They want her to reveal her face?" Gary then furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at Gintsune on the giant screen, "What''s her ability anyway, does anyone know?"


    "She is quite strong, Gary," Tomoe was the one to answer his question.


    "...What''s her power?"


    "I¡­ am not entirely sure," Tomoe hummed before she once again grabbed the notebook hidden in her kimono; which she used earlier to list the things they need for Hannah''s birthday. She then flipped the page several times, before finally settling and squinting her eyes,


    "She can create some kind of portal."


    "Portal?" Hannah joined in, trying to take a peek at Tomoe''s notebook, "So she could teleport?"


    "She hasn''t shown yet if she could," Tomoe shook her head, "But she could ce objects inside some kind of pocket dimension. During the Combat Tournament, her portal absorbed the trees, before raining them down on her opponent. Range is also unknown."


    "...Like a system?" Gary''s eyes soon turned wide as he once again focused on Gintsune.


    "...System?"


    "Shit¡­ Maybe she alone levels up!?"


    "What?"


    "Why are all the Asians getting all the cool powers!?" Gary then stood up from his seat, "I think Tempo is rumored to be Japanese as well. Even our own Japanese have a literal cool power!"


    "...I''m more interested in Tomoe''s notebook," Hannah said as she squinted her eyes, "Why do you¨C"


    [Brew you, brew me~]


    And before they could continue to discuss, the new OST of Starbeans Coffee rang in the air; drowning even the slightest whisper the students could muster.


    [Coffee even your babies would want~]


    "..."


    "..."


    The song continued for almost a full minute. They weren''t going to lie, though. Even if the lyrics were a bit messed up, they had a very catchy tune. But finally, after a few more seconds, the music stopped.


    [Do you have something to say to us, Ginstune?] The host then gave Ginstune a microphone.


    "T¡­ thank you, hamburger country."


    [...]


    "..."


    "..."


    [And for the 2nd ce, oh oh oh. Who else could it be!?] The emceepletely ignored Gintsune''s words as he dramatically pointed towards the giant screen behind him.


    A few explosions then erupted as some confetti were triggered before a familiar face was featured on the screen.


    [Aha! And the 2nd ce is our previous Mega Student, Riley Ross of ss 1-V!]


    "Damn¡­" Gary immediately snapped his fingers, "Now we can''t buy anything we want to."


    As for Riley, he could only let out a sigh as he once again floated towards the stage. However, unlike with Ginstune, the theme song of Starbeans Coffee did not y. Suffice to say, they probably did not appreciate what he said thest time he was here.


    "We meet again, Riley-san."


    "It would seem so, Miss Ginstune."


    And as soon as hended on the stage, Ginstune bowed towards him and greeted him with a bow, in which Riley did the same.


    "I¡­ I hafu improve my engrish," Gintsune then whispered, her words slightly stuttering as she once again fixed her mask.


    "No, it''s horrible, miss Gintsune."


    "..."


    "..."


    [Alright, Riley Ross, please receive your prize¡­]


    [And now, the Mega Student for January¡­


    ¡­Silvie Savelievna!]


    "Yes!"


    Gary instantly let out a deafening roar that shook the entire auditorium as soon as Silvie''s name was called.


    "It''s you again!" Gary then said as he pointed at Aerith, "Well, not you you, but you!"


    Gary could never ask Silvie to buy anything¡­ but if it''s Aerith who was currently disguised as Silvie, then he could most probably ask her to buy anything. Yes, everything wasing along nicely.


    "W¡­ w¡­ what do I do!?" Aerith could not help but take in a small gulp; her eye, looking back and forth between the members of the Baby Crew.


    "Rx," Hannah then quickly patted her leg, "Just go out there and say something¡­ arrogant."


    "A¡­ Arrogant?" Aerith quickly blinked, "Silvie¡­ doesn''t seem like that?"


    "Oh, believe me, she is," Hannah chuckled, "She might look timid, but she doesn''t shy away from an audience."


    "Is¡­ that so," Aerith squinted her eye.


    The other members of the Baby Crew were quite curious about what Hannah just said, but then they remembered the first time she was made the Mega Student¨C she basically challenged everyone.


    "Here, say this," Gary then gestured for Aerith to lean forward, before whispering something into her ear, in which Aerith nodded several times before finally moving from her seat.


    [Alright, alright, alright!] The host then pped as soon as Aerith started to move. The confetti and lights, all triggering even before she could step on the stage. The new OST of Starbeans Coffee once again yed in the background, continuing even as she got on the stage.


    [It would seem our Mega Student had a rough month!] The host then said as soon as he saw Aerith; whose body was almost wrapped entirely with bandages.


    Aerith, however, could only respond with an awkward chuckle.


    [Do you have anything to say now that you''ve reimed your throne, Miss Silvie?] The emcee then handed Silvie a microphone.


    "..."


    [...]


    "I¡­" Aerith could not help but take in a small but deep breath as her eye strayed towards Riley, and then towards the Baby Crew who was cheering for her.


    "I¡­" And then, she looked at the crowd of students,


    "This is just how it''s supposed to be," Aerith then said as she smiled, "I am always meant to be on the top¡­ while the rest of you squatters just squander and pick up the trail of crumbs I leave behind¡­


    ¡­That''s just the difference between us."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Pft," Gary was trying his best not to let out the violent burst ofughter that was trying to escape his mouth.


    "You do know Silvie is going to kill you, right?" Hannah smiled.


    "She''s not here anyway."


    "What are you talking about?" Hannah''s smile then turned into a chuckle, "We got a break, the Baby Crew should be there for my birthday tomorrow."


    "W¡­ what are you saying?" Gary gulped.


    "We''re going out tomorrow."


    ***


    "Do we have everything!?"


    Riley and Hannah were currently on the Academy''s designated parking lot¡­ with Gary already tied up inside the jet-truck. He was betting on the Academy not allowing them to go out since there was a limit to the number of students that could do so per day. But s, with the Mega Student in their group, they had the privilege to choose any schedule they wanted.


    He will not be able to escape Silvie''s wrath.


    "The girls are still buying some stuff from the grocery," Gary then said as his head leaned out of the window; already epting his fate. And almost as if in cue with his words, arge ck van pulled in front of them.


    "You guys wait long?" Be then quickly stepped out of the driver''s seat.


    "What took you guys so long?"


    "Girl," Be''s eyes then rolled as she went straight to the back of the van; opening it and revealing a rain of stic bags filled with food and ingredients. Tomoe and Aerith also stepped out of the van, their eyes looking to the side andpletely tired.


    "Guys¡­ it''s my birthday, not a freaking festival," Hannah''s eyes were as wide as they could, as some of the stic bags even started to fall from the van.


    "W¡­ why did you guys buy so many!?" Gary''s almost crying words seeped out from the truck, "Silvie''s going to flip at me!"


    "You ain''t have nothing to worry about," Be chuckled, "We got all of these for free."


    "...What? How?"


    Be, Tomoe, and Aerith could only look towards Riley; their expressions,pletely exhausted but still somewhat excited.


    "...Riley?" Hannah muttered.


    "I bought their entire stock before they revoked my privileges yesterday, sister," Riley answered without any hesitation, "Today is your birthday, you deserve everything you want to eat."


    "Pft, is that so?" Hannah quickly pinched Riley''s nose as she giggled, "Maybe you should have bought the entire grocery instead."


    "..." Riley blinked.


    "..."


    "Wait, don''t tell me¨C"


    "I tried to, initially. But they told me the grocery was not for sale."


    "I¡­ I see," Hannah chuckled, "Anyway, let''s go. We still have a long way to go. Just put the entire van in the trailer so we don''t have to unload the stuff."


    "On it," the veins on Be''s arms quickly etched out of her skin as the van started to float, gently moving straight inside the back of the trailer."


    "Alright, let''s go!"


    Hannah then pped her hands as everyone started entering the jet-truck. Hannah, however, could not get in. Because as soon as she turned around, someone was suddenly blocking her path¡­ holding a bouquet of flowers.


    "Happy birthday, my dear Hannah."


    "....Julius?"

 Chapter 186 - 186: Moving On (3)

    <h4>Chapter 186 - 186: Moving On (3)</h4>


    And as if a being drowned by water, the festive mood that Hannah and the rest of the Baby Crew died down as soon as Julius once again showed his presence uninvited.


    "...Do you need us, big sister Hannah?"


    Tomoe quickly approached the two, her hands already cold and ready to encase Julius inside a wall of ice. Be and Aerith were also behind her, seemingly ready to throw hands at any second, more so Be than Aerith.


    Their fighting spirits, however, did not have the chance to take fruit as Hannah shook her head.


    "No¡­ I''ll handle this," Hannah said as she waved her hand, "You guys get in the truck, I''ll be there in a few."


    "...Aight, just knock when you need us."


    "Hm," Hannah watched as the others soon stepped inside the truck. And as soon as they were all gone, she furrowed her eyebrows and focused on Julius.


    "What are you doing here?" She said, her eyes somewhat hostile as they stared at Julius''s almost perfect face.


    "It''s your birthday. Why wouldn''t I be here to greet you?" Julius then said as he slightly stretched his hand, presenting the bouquet of flowers in his hand to Hannah, "Can we¡­ talk alone? I have something to tell you."


    "We¡­ already broke things up," Hannah muttered, "I think it would be best for you to keep your distance for now."


    "..."


    "..." Julius remained quiet for a few seconds after Hannah''s cold words. But after a few more moments, a small but hesitant smile appeared on his face.


    "Even so," he breathed out, "I would like to give this to you¡­ even just as a friend."


    "I am not epting that."


    "I would also like to apologize to your brother for losing my manners as well," Julius sighed as the bouquet of flowers stretched closer to Hannah, "I¡­ wasn''t in the right mood and I said something that I shouldn''t have and¨C"


    "That''s done already, just stop," Hannah also let out a sigh, "Now, if you''ll excuse me¡­ I still have a lot of fun activities to do with my friends," she then said, making sure to emphasize thest word.


    "Then¡­ please, just ept my gift."


    "Bro, why are you so persistent!?" Gary suddenly leaned out his head through the mirror, not able to move much as he was still tied on his seat, "Leave the girl alone, man!"


    "..."


    "..."


    "I will," Julius then said loudly as he looked Hannah straight in the eyes, "This might actually be thest time we will be seeing each other for a very long time, mdy."


    "...What?" Hannah blinked.


    "I¡­ might be leaving the Academy for business-rted reasons," Julius sighed, "My vacation was always just going to be until the end of this year, and this year is ending, so¡­


    ¡­Please, if you can''t ept this as a birthday gift, then please just ept it as a farewell gift."


    "I¡­" Hannah could only blink a couple of times as she returned Julius''s¡­ heartfelt gaze. Julius''s eyes slightly turned wide as he finally received a response from Hannah; but s, all Hannah did was grab the bouquet before stepping inside the truck without saying anything; closing the door on Julius.


    "Hannah, wait¡­" Julius, however, still ced his palm on the door, "Our time together was very short¡­ but I was truly happy. Some things might have been untrue, but I was truly happy and¡­


    ¡­I hope you were too."


    "..."


    "..." Hannah did not even look at Julius as she started the car; her eyes, just staring at the steering wheel. And after a few seconds, she nodded before driving away without a word.


    "..."


    "..."


    "I tried saving you¡­ all of you. I really did," Julius then whispered as he turned around. His steps, however, stopped as someone was suddenly blocking his path¨C Daniel Espinoza.


    "...Do you need something from me, child?" Julius then slightly backed away; blinking as he looked at Daniel''s face and trying to figure out why he was there.


    "Was that¡­ Be and the others?" Danny also blinked as he looked at the disappearing truck from the distance.


    "...Yes?"


    "They¡­ left without me?" Danny then said as he dropped his bag on the ground; his words, almost belonging to that of someone defeated.


    Julius, on the other hand, could not help but smile and sigh as he heard Daniel''s words,


    "Aren''t you lucky, then?" Julius whispered; cing his hand on Daniel''s shoulder before walking away.


    "Huh?" Daniel quickly looked back, only to see that Julius was already gone.


    "The fuck?" Daniel squinted, "Why is this Academy filled with weirdos?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Ah, damn it," Daniel then sighed as he picked up his bags,


    "I guess it''s ramen again."


    ***


    "..."


    "..."


    "You okay, girl? Want me to drive?"


    "..."


    "..."


    Be attempted to break the silence as she was the one riding shotgun, but the only response she got from Hannah was the truck getting faster. But finally, after a few more seconds, Hannah let out a small sigh.


    "N¡­ no, we will be going on Jet mode in a few kilometers anyway," she whispered, answering Be''s question after a full minute.


    "Why did that guy have to ruin our mood?" Gary clicked his tongue, "Who do these damn young masters think they could do anything they want to?"


    "Just don''t mind the guy anymore, sis," Be sighed, "What''s important is you tight. You okay?"


    "I''m okay! Alright!? I''m okay!"


    "!!!"


    Be and the others could not help but almost hit their heads on their seats, as the truck suddenly floated to the air; almost making them feel like their insides were left back on the ground.


    "O¡­ okay, alright, Jesus!" Be grasped her seatbelt tight, "You white folks be crazy sometimes. Sheesh."


    And even with the other members of the Baby Crew clearly somewhat disoriented with the sudden shift of altitude, Hannah just continued to bite her lip; her eyes, staring at the bouquet of flowers Julius gave her.


    She would lie if she said she wasn''t developing feelings for him already before everything went to shit because she was. Julius was there right when she needed someone.


    And although they just had casual talks and dates, she never felt the way that Julius made her feel before. For once, she relied on someone from the opposite sex besides her brother. It was always Riley''s shoulder that she relied on whenever she felt lost and in trouble¡­ but she can''t do that now.


    There was a dangerous power inside her that was trying toe out; just one mistake and she might end up hurting the person she loved the most¨C and that was something she didn''t want to happen.


    She really thought that she and Julius had something¨C No, maybe they did? What if Julius wasn''t really involved in whatever was happening now?


    But the others were sure he has to have some involvement. Even Hannah herself thinks Julius was and is suspicious¨C but she has to do this, she has to stay away. Her first priority will always be her brother.


    Julius and hispany may very well be involved in Prophet''s death. Prophet did say the one who killed him was the most dangerous man alive¨C the richest people are always synonymous with danger.


    ¡­But what if he''s not? Then wouldn''t that mean she was the one hurting Julius?


    Numerous thoughts started to surface and race inside Hannah''s troubled mind. And soon, those thoughts materialize themselves into tears.


    "Hannah, you¡­"


    And as soon as Be noticed Hannah''s trembling breaths, she quickly handed her the box of tissues that was in front of her on the dashboard; not saying anything as she just patted Hannah''s shoulder several times.


    "You don''t have to worry, big sister Hannah. You''re very beautiful," Tomoe then whispered; and even with her monotonous voice, her tone contained a somewhatforting warmth, "I am sure the one destined for you is still out there."


    "Yeah, there''s still me," Gary said as he let out a small chuckle. However, as soon as he saw the disgusted look on Tomoe and Aerith''s faces, the only thing he could do was widen his eyes in shock.


    "W¡­ what!? What''s wrong with me?" Gary then bellowed, "Don''t you know who my mother is!? She¨C No¡­ I''m starting to sound like a young master!"


    Gary sped his head, finally ripping out the rope that tied him to the chair, "N¡­ no, I don''t want to be a young master trope."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Are you hurt, sister?"


    "Mother¨C !!!"


    Be could not help but almost jump from her seat as Riley suddenly leaned his head between her and Hannah.


    "Are you hurt, sister?" Riley repeated his question as he looked at his sister''s face.


    "I¡­ I''m okay, Riley," Hannah then removed one of her hands from the steering as she gently caressed Riley''s cheek, "I''m okay. Thank you."


    "Are you sure?"


    "Of course, who do you think I am?" Hannah wiped the traces of tears on her face; her chuckles, obviously forced.


    "He is your first boyfriend. Mother said it would hurt you very much once the two of you separate."


    "That¡­ what the hell is mom teaching you!?" Hannah then pushed Riley''s head away, almost causing him to fall on Be''s leg, "And I had boyfriends before, what are you saying!?"


    "No," Riley shook his head, "You didn''t have boyfriends in the past, sister."


    "W¡­ what? How would you know when you''re always locking yourself up in your room!? I have many boyfriends!"


    "No, you don''t."


    "Wha¡­ t¡­


    ¡­that''s not true!"


    ***


    [He is your first boyfriend. Mother said¡­]


    "..."


    A small but tired breath echoed throughout what seemed to be a study room, with Julius massaging his left leg; quietly sitting at his desk; his eyes closed as he listened to the very same conversations that the Baby Crew were having.


    He once again let out a deep breath, continuing to listen through their conversation for minutes on end.


    [...Anyway, you think Silvie is alright with the young Silvies?]


    [She¡­ seemed alright when we left her. She''ll be okay, I think?]


    And as soon as those words reached Julius''s ears, he quickly opened his eyes. Letting out a deep sigh as he pressed something on his desk.


    "MEGAN."


    [Yes, master Julius?]


    A hologram then suddenly appeared inside his room¨C aplete replica of Megawoman, standing beside his desk.


    "Can you call my brother here?"


    [He is just in the other room, I will call him now.]


    "Hm," Julius nodded as MEGAN disappeared. And after a few seconds of waiting, a knock could be hearding from the door.


    "Theputer said you called for me, Alistair?"


    A hoarse voice then entered Julius''s ears as soon as the door opened, revealing a tall blonde man wearing some sort of tuxedo.


    "Yes," Julius then stood up, "It would seem your suspicion is true, Archie. The subjects are with them. It''s...


    ...time to move on to the next phase of the n."


    "How many times do I have to say that you should call me Archibald?" A hoarse voice once again whispered in the room. The tall blonde man, however, did not even move his mouth to speak.


    Instead, it was the individual in front of him; seated in a wheelchair, his face almost as wrinkled as the soft nket covering his legs.


    "I need to act my age, Archie," Julius let out a small chuckle, "Besides, what I say goes¡­


    ¡­I am the older brother, after all."


    ***AUTHOR''S NOTES***


    It''s me, the author with a very important message. Please subscribe to my patreon, if you could; it would really help to get me motivated since I am a greedy bastard. If we get enough patrons, then I would start making drawings of the characters more. And maybe, just maybe, be in talks with the bosses to get ourselves some webtoon because I really want to see it in that form. Thank you very much!


    My patreon is /romeru.


    I also have a paypal. paypal.me/romeru69.


    Thank you in advance!

 Chapter 187 - 187: Growing Older

    <h4>Chapter 187 - 187: Growing Older</h4>


    "What¡­ happened here?"


    Everyone''s eyes were wide as they entered the penthouse of Tomoe''s mother. It was already eerily quiet when theynded on the helipad, but now, what weed them as soon as they opened the door was darkness.


    There was also some sort of¡­ putrid smell; almost like the smell of a dead cat. It would have already been weird if it was just that, but a sort of citrus smell also apanied it¨C almost earthy in a way.


    And with the hallwaypletely dark and devoid of any light, the members of the Baby Crew could not help but halt their steps; turning their words into whispers.


    "...You hear anything, Gar?"


    "How many times do I have to say that I don''t have super hearing?"


    "Why are you so useless even though you''re Megawoman''s son¨C"


    "Shh!"


    Gary immediately shushed Hannah before she could continue her words as Be and Aerith were present. He could probably tell Aerith that he was Megawoman''s son since she was basically family in a way. Be, however, was still just a temporary member of the Baby Crew and was just somewhat dragged into the situation.


    "Shh!" Hannah then also shushed Gary¡­ who was just breathing heavily, "Hear that? What is that noi¨C"


    And before Hannah could once again finish her words a light suddenly drowned their eyes, and except for Hannah, the others could not help but squint their eyes. They immediately looked towards the small click that whispered into their ears as soon as they recovered, however.


    And there, at the wall was Riley, his hand on the light switch.


    "What¡­ are you doing, Riley?" Hannah whispered loudly.


    "Being a normal person, sister," Riley said.


    "That¨C" The others could only groan as they heard Riley''s words. It was true that they already made quite a lot of noise when theynded on the helipad, so whatever stealth they were trying to do was basically meaningless.


    "Now the others could see where they are going, sister."


    "Yeah, yeah," Hannah then waved her hand as she stood up straight. Her eyes, however, once again turned wide as soon as she realized that the walls were filled with red streaks.


    "Is this¡­ blood?" Be then whispered.


    "What¡­ happened here?"


    Hannah then hastened her steps, speeding up as she rushed deeper into the penthouse. Her steps were still careful and light; hugging the corners of the wall as she looked for any signs of movement before she proceeded any further.


    The others followed behind her as well, mimicking her movements. Soon, however, all of them could not help but flinch as they heard a quiet wailing whispering in the air, a cry.


    "Who¨C Silv!?"


    Hannah then quickly pushed herself from the wall as soon as she saw Silvie trembling on the ground; facing the wall as her cries grew louder.


    "What happened, Silv!?"


    The rest of the Baby Crew also rushed behind Hannah as soon as they heard her words¨C and as soon as they saw Silvie, they could not help but jump back as her face was covered in red.


    And it wasn''t only her face, almost her entire body was covered in it.


    "W¡­ what happened?"


    "Y¡­ you guys? You¡­ you''re back?" Silvie''s stuttered breaths coarsely whispered into everyone''s ears; her eyes, clearly shaking with the tears that were falling from it, trailing down on the thick red liquid on her face.


    "...Thick?" Hannah furrowed her eyebrows as she gently brushed a finger on Silvie''s face; Silvie, on the other hand, quickly hugged Hannah and bawled her eyes out.


    "What happened!? Who did this!?" Be then immediately looked around to see if there was anyone else; but since most of the lights inside the penthouse were still off, she couldn''t see if there was anyone else in the room.


    "W¡­ wait," Aerith then stuttered, "The¡­ the kids, where are they?"


    "They¡­" Silvie flinched as soon as she heard Aerith''s words, "They¡­"


    "Wait," Hannah then whispered as she pinched the red liquid in her fingers, "This is¡­


    ¡­paint?"


    "Attack!"


    "!!!"


    "What the¨C" Gary quickly covered his face as a sudden gush of red drowned his entire vision.


    "..." Gary wanted to retaliate, but the only thing he could do was kneel to the ground. After all, how could he even fight back against obviously abused and deformed children who were just ying?


    "Megawoman Formation Version 6!"


    Be, Aerith, Tomoe, and Hannah were not safe as well as the other young Silvies started climbing and crawling on the walls one by one; most carrying balloons with paint inside, raining them down on the Baby Crew without hesitation.


    Perhaps the only one that was safe was Riley, as the paint just trailed and floated millimeters from his skin and clothes. Aerith rushed to stop her sisters; but s, they seemed to be faster than before as they scattered through the dark parts of the penthouse.


    "T¡­ Tomoe," Silvie then stood up and wiped the tears and paint from her face, "Please¡­ please forgive me."


    "Hm?"


    Riley then once again turned on all the lights inside the penthouse¡­ finally revealing its walls and furniture that were covered in all sorts of colors¨C even the paintings of Tomoe''s mother were not safe.


    "I¡­ I tried to watch them but¨C"


    "It''s fine, Silv," Tomoe, however, only smiled as she looked at her mother''s ruined paintings. She then looked at the running children, before raising her thumbs up,


    "Good work, children."


    ***


    "...So, that''s what happened?"


    Numerous sighs echoed throughout the penthouse as Silvie finished telling them how the once glorious and immacte penthouse looked like it turned into the bad part of town. Perhaps the only clean thing left was the table they were currently gathered at.


    "Y¡­ Yes," Silvie nodded, "We were just going to borrow and use the paintings to train¡­ but as you can see¨C Huk."


    Silvie once again covered her face in shame. How could she, the most perfect clone of the greatest superhero that has ever lived, not even be able to handle children?


    "You guys! Look at what you did to our oldest sister!" Aerith let out a long and deep breath as she once again rushed towards the younger Silvies, pping them all on the butt. Some of them, however, still continued ying¨C their giggles, filling the air with a certain joy.


    "Can''t catch me! Can''t catch me!"


    "You dare try to p Megawoman!?"


    "We are mighty!"


    "..." Hannah and the others could not help but blink several times as the young Silvies started doing somersaults as Aerith tried to chase them.


    "Just¡­ what did you teach them, Silv?"


    "You can''t catch someone who will be¨C oh?" And before the young Silvies could make Aerith tire herself out, they all suddenly floated into the air. Therge window of the penthouse leading to the pool also opened up; the children, all floating straight towards it¡­ and dropping straight towards the pool.


    "Ack! So cold!"


    "This¡­ this cold does not bother the Mega Children."


    "Together we are strong!"


    "Awu! Awu!"


    "..."


    "G¡­ guys!?" Aerith was about to rush towards the children, but Hannah stopped her.


    "Rx," Hannah muttered, "It''s just my brother."


    And as soon as Hannah said that, Aerith took in arge gulp. The fact that it''s Riley Ross who did it is exactly why Aerith was worried. She had been watching Riley for a while now, but it would seem the others do not know of his violent nature. Riley had already threatened to kill her and the other children twice¡­ and that was just within an hour of them meeting.


    And if she even dares to say anything about that, Riley also threatened to kill them.


    "You don''t have to worry," Hannah let out a small sigh, "My brother is gentle even if he looks like that."


    "Is¡­ Is that so?" Aerith could only stutter as she still checked on the other Silvies outside the pool; but it would seem her worries were nothing, as the children seemed to be having fun swimming even with the freezing temperature.


    "Right¡­" Silvie then stood up, "Why¡­ are you guys here? I mean, I appreciate you saving me but I was expecting you guys to be gone for a while."


    "...It''s Christmas, Silv."


    "Chri¨C what?" Silvie then looked outside, "Is that why it''s so noisyst night?"


    "Yeah, Christmas eve," Hannah breathed out, "Gary and Tomoe celebrated it with mom."


    "Oh¡­" Silvie muttered as her eyes still continued to stare outside, "...Why isn''t it snowing?"


    "Wee to LA," Hannah chuckled.


    "It hasn''t snowed here for a long time, Silv," Tomoe also answered; her mood¡­ seemingly at its peak as shown with the smile on her face¡­ which was honestly quite ufortable, Silvie thought. Tomoe rarely smiles; did¡­ she really hate her mother that much?


    "I''m¡­ really sorry for making a mess, Tomoe," Silvie once again sighed as she approached Tomoe.


    "It''s alright. At least we don''t have to redecorate that much for Hannah''s birthday celebration."


    "Birthda¨C It''s also your birthday today!?" Silvie''s words suddenly became filled with excitement as she turned her focus on Hannah.


    "That''s right, bitches!" Hannah then suddenly jumped from her seat; stretching her arms to the side and revealing the bottles of alcohol she was holding,


    "We''re gonna get wasted tonight!" She then roared as she rushed towards the penthouse''s bar.


    "She¡­ seems hyper?" Silvie stuttered.


    "She and that Julius guy are officially done," Be answered her with a sigh.


    "Oh¡­" Silvie also let out a sigh of her own, "I never had a boyfriend before so I don''t really know how¨C What are you holding?"


    "Oh, this?" Be then lightly waved the bouquet of flowers in her hand, "Hannah told me to bring it¨C the flowers are innocent, she said."


    "Hannah¡­ likes flowers?"


    ***


    [You dare to p I, Megawoman!?]


    [Can''t catch me! Can''t catch me!]


    "This confirms it, then. The children of the forest are really with them."


    "How many times do you need to confirm it, Alistair?"


    "..."


    Julius and his brother were still in the office they previously were, listening in on the conversation of the Baby Crew.


    "Let''s do it now while they are together¡­ or are you hesitating?" Archibald, Julius''s brother breathed out; the tone of his voice slightly containing a tinge of impatience, "Don''t tell me¡­


    ¡­you actually have feelings for the girl? She''s a child, Alistair."


    "That''s exactly it, the others are just children, Archie."


    "We''ve sacrificed too much already to hesi--"


    "Enough."


    "Enough!?" Archibald mmed his trembling hand on the armrest of his wheelchair, "We need to proceed with the n!"


    Julius''s eyes slightly trembled from his brother''s words; a few seconds after, however, he shook his head and stood up from his desk,


    "No, we can''t proceed with the n yet," Julius then said as he looked at a collection of photo frames stered on the wall. "We¡­


    ¡­need to wait until they are in a crowd of people."

 Chapter 188 - 188: A Slice Of A Normal Life (1)

    <h4>Chapter 188 - 188: A Slice Of A Normal Life (1)</h4>


    With paint trailing and flowing down from every part of their skin, the girls decided they needed a shower and all went one by one; Gary, of course, wanted one as well¨C but he was forced to take the shower beside the pool.


    And since Riley was the only one without any smidge of paint on him, Hannah just asked him to unload the stuff they bought from the grocery¨C finally, Aerith was allowed to breathe.


    Her burst of rxation was short, however, as it did not even take Riley 5 minutes to unload everything. Something did rece her anxiety, however, as Riley suddenly started cooking¨C going beyond what Hannah asked her and preparing all the food himself.


    Aerith, as well as Be, were shocked to see Riley cooking like some sort of master chef. As for Gary and the others, the smiles on their faces showed how excited they were to finally taste Riley''s cooking again.


    And when they were finally allowed to eat, what followed was only bliss and nods of satisfaction. It almost seemed as they were just a normal group of friends celebrating a birthday; even wearing casual clothes as there were no cameras around.


    Of course, normal if you ignore the young Silvie clones, who had extra functional limbs and looked like they were straight out from a horror book¨C Gary thought. Still, he was trying his best to smile at them since, in a way, he was family.


    The children, however, seemed to have read his mind as their eyes all started to avoid him, snarling and acting like little divas¡­ before one of them grabbed a bottle of alcohol.


    "Ah! Don''t'' drink that!" Aerith, who was truly finally able to take a breather, once again had no choice but to chase her younger sisters; it was a good thing they were done eating Riley''s scrumptious meal, if not¡­ then Aerith might have channeled her inner Megawoman.


    "So, girl¡­ you was stuck with them little menaces for more than a week?" Be then let out a small but deep breath as she looked at the running children.


    "Y¡­ yes," Silvie quickly sighed as she gulped a ss of beer, "I''ve always wondered what it would be like to have siblings¡­ but it would seem I can''t take care of children."


    "You know who can though?" A wide smile then appeared on Gary''s face,


    "Hannah. She''s 20 now," he then said before bursting out in the loudestughter he could muster.


    The girls did not seem amused, however, as he was soon bombarded with kicks. Even Aerith, who was previously chasing one of the children, joined in to release the small frustration that was building up inside her from Gary always ordering and following her around¡­ even some of the children joined.


    "W¡­ why!?" Gary then cried out as soon as the girls finally had enough.


    "You should never talk about a woman''s age, Gary," Riley then let out a sigh; the disappointment contained almost piercing Gary''s ears, "Mother said it infuriates them because of their insecurities."


    "Wha¨C but you always tease Hannah about her age!"


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "But I am diagnosed with autism, Gary. The others won''t just hit me haphazardly."


    "What¡­ that''s unfair!"


    "Pft."


    "What, why are you guysughing so hard!?" Gary then once again cried out as everyone justughed, "Riley just used his condition as an excuse to¨C Ack, never mind."


    And so, Gary could only let out a small but deep sigh. Why¡­ is the Baby Crew like this? He thought.


    "Gah, this bitter!" And as soon as theughter died down, the young Silvie that was previously holding a bottle of alcohol returned it to the table,


    "Why are you dwinking this!?" She then muttered before¡­ wiping her tongue that almost reached her shoulders. And with the children finally calming down from their curiosity, Aerith once again found time to breathe as she joined the others at the table¡­ sitting as far away from Riley as possible.


    And then, what followed the bursts ofughter was a silence, as everyone just suddenly stared at the sses and bottles of alcohol in front of them; almost as if letting their breaths and sighs justmunicate for them.


    "Shit¡­" Hannah then broke the silence as she tapped her ss.


    "I''m fucking 20 now, do you know what that means? I am officially in my 20s and I feel like I haven''t even achieved anything in life," she breathed out before standing up and walking to the window to look at the lights of the city, "Mom already had a job at this age."


    "And I believe she also has a boyfriend, sister."


    "Shut up," Hannah chuckled before looking at her reflection on the window¡­ specifically the reflection of the tears that just suddenly fell from her eyes without her knowing.


    "..." She immediately brushed it away, however, as she turned around to return to her seat, "I¡­ think I can speak for all of us in saying this but¡­


    ¡­I am really d I met all of you," Hannah then raised a bottle as she looked at everyone, "I really thought that the Academy would just be cheesy andme. I have been training ever since I can remember and school was supposed to be the only normal part of my life, but I had no choice but to transfer since Riley wanted to go to the Academy¡­


    ¡­And Riley finally interacting with other people? That is everything that I could wish for. Because in the end, if it alles down to it¡­


    ¡­Riley is my happiness, and he is the only man that I need right now. I love you, bro."


    Hannah then nced at Riley for a few seconds, before once again looking at the others, "So everyone, thank you very much for being my brother''s friend¡­ and being my friend."


    "..."


    "And fuck Julius and his fucking perfect face and ent!"


    "..."


    "..."


    "S¡­ sheesh. I see you and your father have a way with speeches," Gary then turned his head up as he almost stuttered,


    "This¡­ this almost seems like a red g, but I wee it," Gary then wiped the tears that were trying to burst out from his eyes.


    Silvie then also started sobbing as she hugged Hannah.


    "Thank you as well," she then breathed out as she sniffled, "You are the first friends that I have¡­ and I am really d that it was all of you."


    "I¡­ don''t know if I have the right to speak," Be joined the conversation as she rubbed her nose, "But Riley and I had our moments¡­ and I wished I became friends with all of you sooner, but hey¡­


    ¡­We have half a year left, so let''s make it count."


    Aerith nodded as soon as she heard Be''s words. She also just joined in with the group; and besides fearing for her life because of Riley, it¡­ has been the most fun she had in her existence.


    "Although I still feel sad from losing-- from realizing mother was not who she says she was," Aerith then let out a short breath,


    "Thank you for saving me," Aerith then said as tears also started to fall from her face, "I know Imitted bad things but¡­ I hope I could¡­ I could¡­


    ¡­also be a part of your family."


    "You already are my little sister, Aerith," Silvie then immediately said.


    "That''s¡­ t¡­ thank you," Aerith then wiped the tears that were trailing on her face, before finally chugging a bottle of alcohol¡­ which she immediately puked afterwards.


    "..."


    "..."


    Everyone then turned their eyes to Tomoe, who slightly flinched and almost spilled the ss of soju she was holding. Her eyes traveled across the people on the table, before she let out a small sigh and nodded.


    "I¡­ really like spending time with all of you."


    "You finally said it, huh?" Gary then pped his hands before standing up, "What can I say? You guys¡­


    ¡­are the best."


    And with Gary''s somewhat somber words whispering through the air, a smile could not help but crawl on the others'' faces.


    "That''s from a game, Gary," Tomoe then said as she closed¨C squinted her eyes.


    "Wha¨C no, it''s not!"


    "First Fantasy 15, the campfire scene?"


    "Ack!" Gary then quickly sat down, "Why you always destroying my mojo? This is supposed to be a heartfelt moment for all of us!"


    And with Gary''s frustrations echoing inside the suite, the girls once againughed. A few seconds after, their eyes trailed towards Riley.


    "None of you are my friends," he immediately answered.


    And of course, this garnered augh as well. They all instantly stoppedughing, however¡­ when Riley also started to chuckle; half of his pace, almost parted from his sinister smile¨C of course, the description might have been a bit exaggerated, but it was close.


    "The fuck, bro. Are you a titan?"


    "Us too! Us too! We can do that!


    And with that, the children all suddenly climbed up the table, opening their mouths as wide as they could¡­ with some of them literally almost splitting their entire face.


    "What¡­ the fuck," Gary then immediately backed away as he saw the horrific scene, "S¡­ Silv, this could have been you."


    "...Why?" Silvie''s eyes then started to squint, "What''s wrong with them?"


    "N¡­ nothing! I didn''t mean it like that!"


    "...Mean it like what?"


    "Wha¨C Come on!? Are you telling it''s just only me that''s creeped out by them!?"


    "Gary!"


    "R¡­ Riley, save me!"


    "Pft," and so, once again¡­ like a normal group of friends, theirughter filled the entire suite. No responsibilities, no worries. Forgetting all the problems they have even just for a blink of time. Just¡­


    ¡­friends having fun without a care in the world.


    ***


    [Ack, I''m drunk as hell.]


    [Let''s go out and experience LA, we''re already here. We might even be able to see celebrities."


    [What? What about the children?]


    [Eh¡­ take them, let them have fun.]


    [...We''re drunk as fuck, are we sure about this?]


    [Sure, Tomoe can tour us.]


    [I¡­ know a ce.]


    [I think this is a bad idea, guys.]


    [Eck, with two Mega Students!? Have no fear!]


    [I can just kill everyone so no one can see the children, everyone.]


    [Ha! Good one!]


    Inside Julius''s office, Julius was currently walking back and forth; looking at the speaker that was transmitting the Baby Crew''s voices. He had a small furrow in his eyebrows; his hand, almost tapping his brother, who was peacefully sleeping in his wheelchair.


    "..."


    "..."


    And a few secondster, with a small but deep sigh escaping from Julius''s mouth¡­ he tapped his brother on the shoulders, immediately jolting him awake and causing him to almost tilt from his wheelchair.


    "Archie, wake up."


    "Hm? What? What!?"


    "Our chance¡­


    ¡­it''sing."

 Chapter 189 - 189: Monsters

    <h4>Chapter 189 - 189: Monsters</h4>


    "Is¡­ this really alright?"


    "It''s fine, it''s fine. Don''t be so uptight, I thought I was supposed to be the oldest one here!?"


    "They both drunk as hell. How much alcohol did our Mega Girl even drink to get drunk?"


    The Baby Crew plus temporary member Be were currently walking casually on a certain street in LA¡­ in front of them, were the young Silvie clones. They were all wearing green robes that were perfectly hiding their deformities.


    But even with their attempt to hide it, suffice to say, all the eyes that they passed by were looking at them. It was a good thing that it was the holiday season and the children just seemed like Santa''s elves walking around the street. As for Santa, well, that role was taken by Aerith, who was wearing a full Santa costume with a beard to cover the deformities on her face.


    And so, besides some people snapping some subtle photos, no one was really minding them or were a little bit suspicious and wary¨C for them, it just seemed like some sort of parade.


    Perhaps the ones that they should really be worrying about right now were Silvie and Hannah, who were already staggering as they walked through the streets¡­ with Hannah even breaking in song every now and then.


    "I have to say, though¡­" Gary then whispered as he slowed his steps, "...Silvie can''t sing for shit. I guess she got that from mom."


    "What was that?" Be blinked a couple of times as she looked at Gary.


    "N¡­ nothing," Gary immediately stuttered and chuckled, "I¡­ I said she sounds like a motherfucker."


    "...Right," Be squinted, "Anyway¡­ where we at? I feel like we''ve been walking for a entire hour now."


    "Tomoe, are we there yet!?" Gary then screamed; quickly garnering a thumbs up from Tomoe who was at the very front of the group. She then raised four of her fingers as she looked at Gary before continuing to walk ahead.


    "...What does that even mean? 4 minutes? 4 hours?" Gary asked. Soon, however, they noticed that the number of people was dwindling; with each of their steps, the steps of the other people faded.


    And soon, they reached some sort of ice rink.


    "We''re here," Tomoe then let out a small but deep breath as she turned around to look at the group.


    "This¡­" Everyone then squinted their eyes to observe the ce Tomoe brought them to, and the only word that came out of Gary''s mouth was,


    "...is depressing."


    Even though it was arge ice rink, there were only 3 people currently skating on the ice¨C with them already seemingly about to leave.


    "...If we were going ice skating, we passed by a huge one with lots of people earlier," Gary said, "There were lots of chicks there as well."


    "...We''re trying to be low-key, Gar," Be breathed out.


    "Do they look like the type of people wanting to avoid attention?" Gary then pointed at Silvie and Hannah¡­ who were already wearing skates while bursting their hearts out and singing some sort of love song.


    "They¡­ wasted as fuck," Gary then muttered. He was about to say something else, but before he could do so, one of the young Silvies suddenly jumped inside the ice rink; not wearing any skates and just using their bellies to slide across the ice.


    "W¡­ wait!" And so, once again, Aerith was left with trying to calm them as the young Silvies all jumped inside the rink one by one, "Your costumes! Be careful not to rip them!"


    "..."


    "..."


    "I always go here during the season," Tomoe''s quiet breaths then whispered into the remaining group''s ears, "It''s not well taken care ofpared to most of the ice rinks in LA, so there''s not a lot of people going here¨C almost like it''s isted from the rest of the city."


    "..." Gary then looked around, and true enough, there weren''t any buildings surrounding the ice rink; just trees and some barren stalls.


    "It''s calm. I like it," Be then whispered as she walked away to rent some shoes. She was about to pay, but the teller said that Hannah already rented the whole ce.


    "...Right, I almost forgot whose daughter she is."


    "Ack! To heck with it!" Gary then followed Be and got some skates, "I will show you the secret technique, Ice Path of the Dragon Body!" He roared as he rushed inside the rink¡­ almost cracking it in half. It was a good thing Tomoe was there to fix it, if not, then their fun would be short-lived.


    And so, with the rest gone, the only ones that were left outside the rink were Tomoe and Riley.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Are you nning on killing Julius, Master Riley?" Tomoe then broke the silence, her words almost being drowned by Silvie and Hannah''s loud screec¨C singing.


    "Not yes, Tomoe," Riley immediately shook his head, "Only when my sister says she is hurt."


    "I¡­ believe she is already hurting," Hannah let out a small sigh as she nced at Hannah, who was dancing andughing while doing a quadruple axel.


    "That may be so, Tomoe. But I need to hear it from her."


    "Are you¡­ really going to destroy the UK?"


    "Only Ennd," Riley shook his head, "As I believe Julius lived there."


    "But¡­ there are children¡­"


    "Hm?"


    "No," the slight stutter on Tomoe''s almost monotonous voice faded before they could manifest, "Please do not mind my words, Master Riley. Let mee with you when it is time to¨C"


    "No, you will stay here."


    "But¨C"


    "Who are you again, Tomoe?"


    Tomoe blinked a couple of times from Riley''s question, but after a few seconds, she whispered, "I am your loyal subordinate, Master Riley."


    "..."


    "..." Tomoe waited for Riley to say something back, but what awaited her was a silence that seemed to have no intention of breaking. She was confused at first as to why, but a few more seconds, and she had her answer,


    "I¡­ am Night Queen."


    "And what is your mission?" Riley then quickly said.


    "...To bathe the world in an eternal cold darkness," Tomoe''s voice slightly became even quieter, "...and to protect big sister Hannah."


    Riley then quickly nodded, before looking at his sister and letting out a small sigh,


    "...And you are also her friend," he then said, "She will be truly sad to see you be a monster, Tomoe."


    "But I am already a mon¨C" Tomoe did not finish her words, and instead just turned to look Riley straight in the eyes, "Am I¡­ your friend, master Riley?"


    "No," Riley answered without any hesitation as he sat on the nearest bench, "I have already said that none of you are my friends, Tomoe¨C and that is true."


    "But¨C"


    "I do not deserve something as human as that," he then returned Tomoe''s gaze,


    "Because I am a monster."


    "..."


    Tomoe wanted to say that wasn''t true¡­ but Riley Ross is Darkday.


    An evil without rhyme nor reason, evil without any discrimination¡­ an evil that seemed to crave for the painful death of all of humanity.


    Tomoe had truly thought of herself as evil; she thought that she too, has be someone like Riley. She already killed people¨C teenagers the same age as her during the siege of the floating base of Dark Millenium.


    She had also killed her father even way before that because he tried to rape her.


    But now, she was realizing something¨C none of the people she killed belonged to those who were truly innocent. Riley is able to kill a child without batting an eye¡­ a child without sin nor crime¨C pure in the rawest of sense. Would¡­


    ¡­she also be able to kill someone like that if the timees?


    "Tomoe! What are you doing there!? Just leave my brother if he''s brooding!"


    Tomoe''s thoughts were then disrupted as she heard Hannah''s screams; she turned around, only to see that Hannah was already at the edge of the rink near them.


    "Go. I am alright here by myself, Tomoe."


    And so, with Riley waving his hand, Tomoe could only bow and leave; entering the rink without any ice skates. As soon as her feet touched the cold surface, however, a de of ice suddenly materialized from their soles.


    "Oh, so this is where you learned that trick," Hannah muttered before pulling Tomoe away; her peals ofughter, once again filling the entire air,


    "Night''s not over, bitches!" Hannah then screamed her lungs out, "Awoo!" Before howling in an almost deafening sharpness.


    And as if some sort of bomb was ignited, the young Silvies also started to howl one by one.


    "Haha! That''s right, kids! Awoo!" Hannah screamed her lungs out even stronger; raising her hands in the air almost as if trying to call down the heavens themselves, "Awoo!"


    "Awoo!"


    "Repeat it with me, Fuck Julius!"


    "Fwak Julius!"


    "H¡­ Hannah, you shouldn''t be teaching the children that!" Hannah''s words immediately sobered Silvie; the alcohol in her body, almost evaporated as soon as she heard her words.


    "Listen, kids¡­" Hannah, however, seemed like she did not even hear Silvie as she turned to face the children, "...Don''t just cling to the very first man that tries tofort you when you''re vulnerable. Don''t make my mistake!"


    "Y¡­ yes! Megachildren will never be hurt!"


    "Strong together! Awoo!"


    "Oho oh," Hannah shook her head several times as a small frown crawled on her face, "Trust me, even if you''re the toughest and strongest being in the entire world, you will be hurt."


    "Hannah¡­ I think we should¨C"


    "No!" Hannah pped Be''s hand away as she tried to approach her,


    "No!" She repeated as a small chuckle escaped her mouth.


    "...Hannah."


    Soon, however, the girls of the Baby Crew could only look at each other as Hannah suddenly burst into tears. But really, what could they do? They have, in some form or shape, have heard that the first rtionship would always be the hardest. And for someone like Hannah, whose entire world almost rotated around her brother to finally have a chance to fall in love¡­ only for it to crumble before it could bloom.


    How could theyfort them when they themselves do not know what that feels like?


    "It hurts¡­" She then whispered. And as soon as Tomoe heard that, her eyes immediately turned towards Riley¡­ who was already standing outside the edge of the rink; his eyes, only seeing his sister.


    "Big sister Hannah, don''t¨C"


    "It. Fucking. Hurts! It fucking hurts like a motherfucking fuck shit!"


    It was almost as if the echoes of Hannah''s screams rippled through the air, causing the ice to tremble as her cracked voice burst from her throat, "He was supposed to be my first boyfriend and I might end up just being fucking used! This fucking hurts as fuck! Riley, are you hearing me!? This is what you wanted to hear, right!? I¡­


    ¡­I''m hurt."


    "No, sister."


    "M¡­ master Riley," Tomoe then took a small gulp as Riley suddenly appeared in front of Hannah.


    "I did not want to hear it, sister," Riley then said as the ice beneath him began to crack; his feet, slowly leaving the surface.


    "Master Riley, please think this¨C"


    "!!!"


    And before Tomoe could finish her words, one of the young Silvies'' heads suddenly exploded.


    "...What?"


    Everyone then turned their eyes toward the small st; the once slightly clear ice¡­ now had a patch of red slowly dancing across it. Riley, who was just about to fly away, slowly descended to the ground as his eyes were also fixated on the headless body of one of the young Silvies.


    Everyone was quiet, all just staring at the lifeless body sprawled on the ice. Soon, however, a small gasp escaped from Aerith''s breath as her knees cracked the ice beneath her. Her mouth, stuttering as they tried to open¡­ but before she could release a scream¡­


    ¡­A chilling roar drowned her voice.


    A roar¡­


    ¡­crying out from the headless corpse.

 Chapter 190 - 190: Monsters

    <h4>Chapter 190 - 190: Monsters</h4>


    Blood and ice.


    Abination that one could only describe as sinister¨C almost akin to the view one could see inside the refrigerator of a ughterhouse. And with the little bits of skull and brain matter scattered everywhere, perhaps that was the best description one could think of.


    "..." A small slithering whisper then whispered into everyone''s ears, as an eyeball slowly rolled and slid straight towards Silvie''s feet.


    But even with all these horrific scenes happening right in front of them, everyone was silent. Not even daring to utter a single word, afraid that if they did, then it would make everything real.


    The one that most shocked out of all of them, was of course, Aerith. She was just previously chasing and ying with the children; then suddenly, a bang. No, it wasn''t even a bang¨C it just happened. The young clone''s head just exploded without any warning.


    They were just having fun just moments ago, but now the blood that was flowing across the ice was getting thicker and thicker as it became cold¡­ almost like the consistency of paint that was sshed on them just hours ago in the penthouse.


    "..."


    Dead.


    One of her sisters is now dead, without any reason.


    And so, with the realization slowly dawning on her, the first thing she did was turn her eyes towards Riley Ross, who suddenly approached Hannah and the others. But seeing him slowly descending to the ice rink, with his head tilted to the side¨C she realized he had nothing to do with this.


    Then why? Why did this happen? Why!?


    Her legs suddenly gave up; a scream, about to burst forth from her throat¡­ but even her screams were not allowed to flourish as the dead body of her sister suddenly jolted and moved. And before they could even utter a single breath, a roar emerged from her sister''s headless corpse.


    How a scream was possible without a head, none of them knew. But not even a second after, their unasked questions were answered as the headless corpse suddenly stood up; the green robes she was wearing slowly scratching the air; ripping as the headless corpse''s body seemed to grow in size by the second.


    And soon, from its once empty and dismembered neck¡­ emerged a face.


    Not human, but yet not quite a beast. There was, perhaps, only one word everyone was thinking of when they saw her¨C A monster.


    "E¡­ Elsie?"


    The only one that was able to move was Aerith, whose legs were now slowly approaching her younger sister.


    "Elsie¡­ can you hear me?"


    And while Elsie was doing this, Silvie immediately gathered the other younger clones, doing her best to gently push them all out of the ice rink.


    "What¡­ what happened to sis?"


    "Why did her head suddenly go kaboom?"


    "Is¡­ she going to be awright?"


    The clones all turned their trembling and watering eyes towards Silvie; who could only shake her head as she guided them out.


    "Just¡­ find some ce to hide, okay?" Silvie then tried her best to smile, "Let the adults handle this, okay?"


    The clones hid behind the shoe counter, along with the only staff of the ice rink; whose face waspletely filled with nothing but confusion.


    "Call the cops and an ambnce," Silvie then said as she knocked on the counter. She wanted to go back inside the ice rink, but with the children scared and confused, the only thing she could do for now was stay with them; watching the situation from afar.


    Her eyes, however, quickly widened as soon as she saw the headless corpse, who was now standing even taller than Gary, perhaps reaching a height of more than 3 meters.


    "Elsie?" Aerith continued to slowly approach Elsie, "Are you¡­"


    "A¡­ Aerith?"


    And finally, a response. Aerith could not help but slightly flinch from hearing Elsie''s voice, however, as it seemed even colder than the surface they were standing on¡­ almost too deep.


    "Yes?" A small smile still crawled on Aerith''s face, "It''s¨C"


    "!!!"


    "Aerith!"


    Aerith''s smile, however, was short lived as she suddenly found herself violently rolling across the ice; shattering the surface each time her body ms downwards as her momentum did not seem to have any signs of stopping.


    "Aerith!" If it wasn''t for Gary rushing to catch her, then she would have probably plunged straight through one of the buildings that were hundreds of meters away from them.


    "Aerith, are you alright!?"


    Gary did not even need to ask; as besides a scratch on her head, she seemed perfectly fine.


    "Aerith¡­ your face," Gary took a small gulp, "...Nevermind, that''s just your normal face."


    "..."


    Gary tried to make Aerith smile a little, but perhaps it wasn''t the time and the shock that Aerith was experiencing was far too great for anything to register in her clouded mind; her eyes, trembling as they stared at Elsie.


    She then slowly stood up, her feet, once again moving towards Elsie.


    "Don''t," Gary, however, quickly blocked her path, "That''s no longer your sister."


    "What the fuck is happening!?" Be finally recovered from her shock as she skated straight towards where Riley and the others were, "What kind of Baby Crew fuckery is this!?"


    No one could answer her bewildered and panicked questions as everyone''s eyes were just carefully watching as Elsie¡­ just stood there after smashing Aerith away like a fly.


    Elsie no longer had a head, but a weird face just nted at the end of her neck; her arms, almost as thick and wide as an adult human. What is she now, if not a monster?


    "Baby Crew¡­" Hannah then whispered as a fire slowly engulfed her entire body; burning her clothes and revealing the fire and heat resistant one-piece tights she was wearing underneath them.


    "...Prepare to engage the enemy!"


    "Enemy!?" Aerith quickly woke up from her stupor as soon as she heard Hannah''s words, "She¡­ she''s not¨C"


    And once again, her words were drowned by the sudden roar that came from Elsie; a hoarse, shrilling, and utterly chilling roar. The ice beneath Elsie then cracked as she disappeared from her spot almost instantly, rushing straight towards the bright light that almost blinded her eyes.


    "Tomoe!"


    A deafening cracking boom then resounded in the air as a wall of ice blocked Elsie''s advance as Tomoe tapped her foot on the rink.


    "Good¨C" But before Hannah could apud Tomeo with how fast she took action, Elsie burst through the thickyer of ice.


    ¡­Of course, Hannah thought as Elsie''s hand was only a meter away from her. The one rushing towards her was still a clone of Megawoman¨C there was no room to underestimate them.


    "Stop!"


    But before Elsie''s gigantic hand could crush her, Silvie suddenly appeared between them.


    "!!!"


    And as soon as Elsie''s hand met with Silvie''s, a web of cracks rippled through the ice, shattering it almost instantly.


    "What''s wrong with you, Elsie!?" Silvie then shouted as she carefully pushed Elsie''s hand to the side, "Please stop! Or else¡­ we will be force to¨C"


    And before she could even finish her words, another fist threatened to p her away; but of course, she was able to quickly block it with her other hand. Tomoe then used this chance to swiftly move behind Elsie, touched both her legs and causing the surface of ice to crawl around her skin¨Cpletely immobilizing her.


    "This should be fine," Tomoe then muttered as she looked at Hannah, "We should¨C"


    "Tomoe!"


    Tomoe''s eyes then immediately returned their focus towards Elsie, only to see¡­ a 3rd arm already threatening to m her into bits.


    "Kh¨C" She was able to almost instantly shield herself with an armor of ice; it was not enough, however, as the force of Elsie''s strike did the same thing to her as it did to Aerith. And like with Aerith, Gary was there to catch her; jumping backwards to lessen the impact and strain in Tomoe''s body.


    "S¡­ shit, Tomoe? Are you okay?"


    Unlike Aerith, however, the durability and strength of Tomoe''s body was almost the same as a normal human''s.


    "S¡­ shit," Gary let out a stuttered and weak breath as he looked at Tomoe, "She¡­ she''s not breathing!"


    "What!?" Silvie''s eyes immediately started to tremble as soon as she heard Gary''s words; and soon, they turned to red.


    "Threat¡­ you must be¡­ eliminated," Silvie once again began to whisper to herself; Hannahpletely disregarded it, however, as she immediately flew towards Tomoe to check on her, leaving Silvie topletely slice Elsie''s feet off with her heat vision.


    "Tomoe!" Hannah then immediately extinguished the fires surrounding her body; kneeling in front of Tomoe as soon as she reached her to check on her vitals.


    "...She''s still breathing, you fucker," Hannah let out a short but deep breath; wanting to smack Gary in the face, but did not. Instead, she turned to look at Elsie, who was now sprawled on the shattered ice as Silvie restrained her, and then towards Aerith, who seemed as shock as any of them.


    "What¡­ the fuck is happening here!?" Hannah still could not help but roar andsh out, however, as she grabbed Aerith by the arm.


    "I¡­ I don''t kno¨C"


    And once again, before Aerith could finish her words, another roar erupted in the air. They all looked towards Elsie, only to find her still restrained by Silvie on the ground.


    "..." They then looked towards the shoe counter where the roar was actuallying from; and even from afar, they could clearly see¡­ that it was now covered in blood and flesh. And soon, the counter exploded, and what burst forth¡­


    ¡­were monsters.

 Chapter 191 - 191: From Innocence To Chaos

    <h4>Chapter 191 - 191: From Innocence To Chaos</h4>


    Cheerful.


    Full of life.


    Ignorant.


    Somewhat innocent.


    Perhaps just hours ago, you could use those to describe the younger clones. But now, the only word that one could use to describe them was terrifying.


    The previously deformed faces and limbs; those who crawl since their feet bent differently; those who had extra limbs that they were unable to use.


    Perhaps just a moment ago, one would consider them as pitiful due to their disabilities. But now¡­ it just seemed like they came out from a nightmare that one will never be able to wake up from.


    Their overly swelling muscles which had their veins throbbing; all of their heads gone, reced only by some sort of face that was nted on different parts of their body. Some even grew a face on their back, some at their¡­ buttocks as their body contoured in a way that should almost be impossible.


    At the very least, the very first one who turned, Elsie, still held some sort of resemnce to a humanoid¨C the others¡­ no longer had any traces that one could call human.


    "This why I don''t like Christmas. We was just having fun earlier and now monsters," Be''s nervous breaths escaped her mouth as she gestured a sort of signal from her hands, and as she did so, the already sharp des on her skates became even sharper, enough to prate the already shattered ice beneath them.


    "Why¡­ why is this happening!?" Aerith once again dropped to the ground as that was the only thing she could do right now.


    "Shouldn''t we be the one asking that!?" Hannah did not wait for Aerith''s answer as she rushed back to Silvie''s side, "Gary! Take care of Tomoe! Don''t let Aerith near her, she might turn into one of those monsters!"


    "What!?" Both Aerith and Gary eximed.


    "What¡­ Please don''t hurt them, they don''t know what they are¨C"


    "Don''t hurt them?" Gary let out a small but deep breath before Aerith could even finish her worries, "That''s impossible¡­


    ¡­they''ve already killed someone."


    "But Tomoe is fine!"


    "I''m not talking about Tomoe."


    "...What?" Aerith blinked a couple of times, before finally looking towards the direction where Gary was pointing to, and as soon as she did so, a light gasp almost instantly escaped her mouth.


    There was one more person hiding behind the counter¨C and that was the worst ce to be in as it was ground zero from when the rest of the clones transformed into monsters. And so, the one responsible for renting the skates were now¡­ in more than one ce at the same time.


    One of his legs was being held by a tall clone, waving it in a somewhat curious manner. As for the rest of his body¡­ they were nowhere to be found¨C except a portion of his upper body that was¡­ currently being swallowed by a clone that has a huge mouth in her stomach.


    "...I don''t know what''s worse," Gary then muttered, "The hentai monster or them¡­ just what the fuck is happening to this world!?"


    "Stay down!"


    And as everyone was watching everything carefully, Silvie was still trying her best to restrain Elsie, whose dismembered legs were now surprisingly¡­ attached again.


    "Did¡­ it just regrow?" Hannah muttered as she approached to help Silvie, "Just wh¨C"


    And before Hannah could finish her words, Elsie did something unspeakable¨C she split herself in half as she pulled herself away from Silvie; quickly crawling away as soon as Silvie let go.


    "..." Silvie''s eyes, which were previously flickering, finally cleared as she stopped the whispers that were escaping her mouth; waking up from her instincts and immediately jumping away. Her clothes, however, were already filled with red as Elsie''s blood spurted around everywhere as she moved her torn upper body.


    How is she still alive?-- is probably what the Baby Crew wanted to ask most; but wouldn''t she survive? When her head exploded in the first ¨C


    "!!!"


    The unified thoughts of the Baby Crew were then suddenly disrupted by the sudden eruptions that caused the ground to tremble¨C the rest of the transformed clones, now barging themselves into the ice rink one by one.


    "Silvie!"


    And almost instantly, one of the other clones¨C No. One of the monsters suddenly rushed towards Silvie, using its 6 limbs to crawl towards her in almost a blink of an eye.


    The others were given no time to watch and respond, however, as the monsters that numbered almost 20, all rushed towards each of them.


    There was one that still had her head attached¡­ except it was bigger than the rest of her body; her mouth, already opened as it mawed its way through the ice as she rushed towards Gary and Aerith.


    "What is this fucking titan shit!?" Gary quickly carried Tomoe from the ground as he ran away. However, as soon as he noticed that Aerith wasn''t moving, he also quickly turned around.


    "What are you doing!? Snap the fuck out of it!"


    "My¡­ sister. My sisters are¡­" She didn''t seem to be hearing Gary, however, as she even stretched her hand towards the approaching giant head.


    "They''re not your sisters anymore!" Gary then grabbed pulled her away,


    "Fuck!"


    He wasn''t fast enough, however, as Aerith''s arm waspletely chopped off by the gnawing jaw of death.


    "!!!" That seemed to wake up Aerith as a scream that almost deafened Gary pierced his ears. Gary didn''t seem to mind, as he was more focused on running away from the monster trying to eat them.


    "S¡­ shit," he then muttered, "It was a good thing it was only your arm, if it was the rest of your body instead¡­ then you might have turned into one of the¨C"


    He had no time to finish hisment, however, as one more monster blocked his path¨C the tallest one that almost stood 7 meters¨C its face, attached on one of its palms.


    "...Yup, we''re dead."


    "Fuck! I knew joining a group filled with white people ain''t gonna do me good!" Be whispered to herself; using her abilities to manipte the de on her skates and using it to float around. But due to her not being used in making herself fly, her movements were a bit unstable.


    But still, it seemed to be enough as she ran away from the four-legged monster that was trying to chase her.


    "What the fuck do we do, Hannah!?" She then screamed.


    "Why are you asking me, I''m fucking busy!"


    "You the one who said we should defeat the enemy, but all we just running, girl!" Be bellowed, "You''re the leader, think of something!"


    "What!? Since when!?"


    Hannah probably had it worst¡­ as she was being chased by 4 of the monsters at the same time¨C most probably due to the bright fire being emitted by her body. She couldn''t really turn it off, as doing so would definitely be the end of her.


    And so, the only thing she could do was fly through the air¨C surveying and observing the current situation carefully¨C or so she thought.


    Soon, the 4 that were chasing her leaped into the air, creating a small crater as they did so.


    "!!!"


    A fire erupted from Hannah''s back, almost like a wing as she rocketed herself even further up; allowing her to escape.


    "Y¨C"


    Or so she thought. One monster¨C the smallest of all them, used the other 3 as some sort of foothold as she propelled herself up; her eyes and Hannah''s, now at the same level.


    "...Fuck."


    Back on the ground, Silvie was currently using her heat vision, targeting just before the feet of the two monster that was approaching her, one of them being Elsie, who was once again alreadypletely healed.


    "Please stop this!" Silvie roared as she once again stopped the two from approaching. Her mind was nowpletely back to normal; she initially thought that the brainwashing waspletely gone¡­ but it would seem she was wrong.


    The government¡­ just what were they doing? If she was also a failed clone, then would she have also be like this? Just what kind of monsters were they trying to create!?


    This¡­ is just too much. If she became like this¡­ then she would just rather die¨C and as soon as that thought crawled through her mind, she closed her eyes; a tear, slowly escaping it.


    The clones did not give her time to rest, however, as they instantly rushed towards her. But as soon as they reach a meter from her, a trail of smoke started fuming from her eyelids; they soon turned red, and as she once again opened her eyes, arge st shot straight towards the two approaching monsters¨Cpletely sting their body from the stomach down.


    Both of the monster''s bodies fell in front of Silvie; causing her to heave a slight sigh as her eyes once again glowed. She already dismembered Elsie earlier and she was still alive, which means the only way to kill them is to leave nothing¨C


    "!!!"


    And before she could finish her thoughts, the arms of the two monsters suddenly grabbed both her legs. Silvie immediately tried to fly away, but as soon as she did so, the two swung their arms down and surprisingly mmed her to the ground¨C with a force that was strong enough to finally destroy the entire ice rink.


    "W¡­ what the fuck," Hannah, who was still surveying from above as the small monster still tried to get to her by being thrown by the others, could not help but widen her eyes as she saw the ground ripple into almost like a tidal wave.


    Her focus wasn''tpletely on Silvie, however, as her eyes found themselves looking back towards Riley, who for some reason¡­


    ¡­was being surrounded by the rest of the clones.

 Chapter 192 - 192: Mega Thoughts

    <h4>Chapter 192 - 192: Mega Thoughts</h4>


    Utter chaos. The people that were fighting on the ice rink now have been training for more than half a year to be superheroes. Battling viins, rescuing hostages, assessing the situation for the best oue.


    They have, however, never trained to fight monsters. And perhaps without the experience of having fought Cephalos during their stay in Hawaii, they would have already lost someone. But still, even if Cephalos was as big as a building, he was only one creature¨C his size even bing a disadvantage for him in the end.


    Some of the monsters in the ice rink wererge, sure¨C but their speed still remained. And with them numbering almost 20, the situation the Baby Crew were in truly was utter chaos.


    Silvie was still being bombarded by fists and palms¨C her entire body almost already drowned in blood as her heat vision almost split the clouds above trying to end the clones'' suffering. But no matter how much she tries to obliterate them¡­ they manage to regenerate.


    It also didn''t help that 2 of the 4 that were previously trying to reach Hannah in the air decided to make her a target instead. She still tried to end the clones in the most humane and swift way possible, but it was turning more and more difficult.


    Her eyes started to glow; but as soon as she did so, one of the monsters tried to push her face away¨C one almost sessful in trying to pin her head down. Silvie could try to use all of her strength, but with the others still here and them being near a city filled with buildings, it would be too risky.


    It wasn''t like she was fighting someone of the same caliber as Darkday, who always tries to take the fight into the city to inflict as much death as possible.


    And even if she did decide not to hold back, the only thing it would achieve was to cause more destruction. Perhaps she could still be considered quite lucky as she could still fight back¡­ Gary was not so lucky.


    He was still being chased by the monster with a gigantic head while carrying both Tomoe and Aerith. He also couldn''t move with too much force, as Tomoe would have surely broken a couple of bones from being mmed by Elsie.


    He needed to find a ce to rest her, but he couldn''t go to the city as there were people there. Should¡­ he just throw Aerith? Besides a lost arm, Aerith was still perfectly fine if you disregard herplete shock.


    She is just an imperfect clone anyway¡­ the world wouldn''t need her since Silvie was already here.


    "...Tch."


    And as soon as that thought entered his mind, Gary quickly clicked his tongue. This is why he was on the Potential Viin list, hemented. How can the son of Megawoman be this trash of a person?


    "...Fuck," And with those thoughts circling his mind, Gary could only grit his teeth as he tightened his grip on Aerith. He shouldn''t leave anyone¡­ no matter who it is. And so, Gary continued to swiftly run away, his eyes scanning a ce to hide the two girls¨C the two lives he was carrying.


    Be was in the same situation; she tried fighting the four-legged monster that was chasing her, and she did manage to slice off its limbs and even manage to restrain it with the metal fences of the ice rink¡­ but it would seem the durability of the monster was stronger than even metal.


    As for Riley¡­ he was currently being surrounded by 10 monsters. They were in a circle, their skin and flesh slightly pressed as they tried to charge towards Riley, but unable to as there seemed to be an invisible circr barrier blocking their path.


    10 monsters wanted to charge at Riley even though he wasn''t doing anything. Based on the actions of the transformed clones, they were attracted to anything that moved and anything that drowned their eyes with light¡­ so why exactly were 10 of them wanting to rush towards Riley?


    "Disgusting."-- was the whisper that escaped Riley''s mouth as he scanned the monsters surrounding him, not even seeming to care. The sighs that were flowing from his nose, as if saying that he should have killed them all the first time.


    "Megawoman¡­" He then muttered, "Do you see what they are doing to your legacy? If you were here, then none of this would be possible. None would dare to make these ugly creatures that were supposed to be in your image. But of course¡­


    ¡­if you were really here, then I am sure you would show them mercy," Riley continued to whisper to himself, not stopping as he continued to scan the monsters,


    "You might have even given them a home¨C put them in the ce where your so-called disciples are staying. These disciples of yours, where were they when your blood scattered the earth? Only Empress showed herself when you were dying.


    Megawoman¡­


    ¡­Megawoman, why is everyone so useless without you? Is this really the people you wanted to save?" A small smile then started to crawl on Riley''s face as his whispers slightly became louder.


    "What would you say to me if youe back to see this in ruins? Will you finally be angry at me? Will you finally tell me that I do not have the right to live? Will you finally show regret that you did not find a way to destroy me while you still could?"


    Riley''s voice then began to shudder, but still, unheard by anyone else as the groans and growls of the monsters surrounding him drowned his trembling voice. And soon, Riley embraced himself.


    "Will you finally look me in the eye and tell me that you want to kill me?" Riley''s voice started to tremble even stronger, "Although you already did so without knowing¡­ that was why I finally won against you in the first ce. Ironic, is it not, my Megawoman?"


    "...Megawoman¡­ Megawom¨C"


    "Riley, snap out of it!"


    And before Riley''s excited voice could turn into something else, Hannah''s sudden roar drowned the air with her words.


    "It''s fine if you''re scared!" She screamed as she saw her brother trembling from where she was, "But you are the strongest telekic I know! Neutralize them all, you''re the only chance we have at this!"


    "..."


    Riley then blink a couple of times as the thoughts of Megawoman finally disappeared from his mind; he then looked at his sister, only to see the smallest monster almost grabbing Hannah by the neck as it propelled itself from the ground.


    "..." He then looked at the others, only to realize all of them were struggling. And so, with this pathetic view surrounding him, the only thing he could do was let out a small sigh. His mind would always wander whenever he was thinking of Megawoman¨C even forgetting the fact that he promised to kill everyone in Ennd.


    "..." No, he shouldn''t leave here yet, Riley thought. His sister would probably be fine since she and Megawoman were at the same level. The others, however, might die¨C he didn''t really care about them¡­ but Hannah will be even sadder than she is now if any of them died.


    She was already hurt by Julius Reuben¡­ she may not be able to take any more.


    That won''t do¡­ That just won''t do.


    "..." Riley''s eyes then strayed towards Gary, who was currently carrying Tomoe.


    Is she dead? Even though she was not as useful as Silvermoon, Hannah would surely be hurt if she died.


    "..." Riley then finally returned his attention back to the monsters surrounding him¨C none of them, still managing to even pass through his barrier even though he wasn''t paying attention to them.


    Riley then let out another sigh as he finally began to move; his feet, slowly leaving the ground as he very slowly floated in the air. He then stretched his arms to the side before snapping his fingers¨C casting a loud but sedated crack to whisper and ripple in the air. The sound it made was almost the same as if one would open a soda beside your ear; a snap followed by a sort of fizzle.


    The entire ice rink also trembles, causing even the monsters that were previously busy with trying to kill the other members of the Baby Crew to turn their focus towards Riley. This gave time for the others to escape; but s, the only thing they could do was also look at the sudden eruption.


    And as soon as they saw what it was, their eyes slowly started to widen.


    A perfect circle.


    There was a perfect red circle surrounding Riley¨C the monsters that were previously trying to get through his barrier, no more.


    As for Riley, only a sigh escaped his mouth.


    "Megawoman¡­" He whispered, "No¡­ even Silvie would have survived something like this."


    His feet then slowly returned to the ground; the disappointment on his face, rising instead. However, as soon as his feet touched the cold ground, the circle of blood surrounding him started to wriggle.


    And soon, without even half a minute¨C one could once again make out the silhouette of the monsters, resembling the shape of what they once were.


    Riley could have once again attacked them while they were healing; he did not do so, however, as his eyes were starting to squint as he just watched them regenerate themselves. He had seen this kind of healing process before, he was sure of it.


    Riley then turned his head towards his sister, and seeing that even from afar, he could recognize his sister''s somewhat perplexed expression, she noticed it too.


    The way these monsters regenerate¡­ it was the same as Julius Reuben.

 Chapter 193 - Taking Action

    <h4>Chapter 193 - Taking Action</h4>


    Julius Reuben. The first time that Hannah and Riley saw him regenerating himself was during the time that Hannah ran away from receiving the news that she just identally killed more than 20 newborns as a baby.


    His hand waspletely melted and scorched¨C almost like a burnt t-bone steak as even his bones were charred. But even when still burning, his arm was regenerating at the same; and as soon as Hannah stopped the fires surrounding her, the way his bones healed was quite¡­ interesting.


    His flesh regenerates first like some sort of worm puking another worm that grows to puke another worm¨C the flesh then somewhat rots before sping and binding itself to the bone; almost as if feeding it to grow.


    The very same way one could describe how the monsters surrounding Riley were regenerating their bodies. Of course, Riley could be wrong with his assumption, but it doesn''t really matter since Julius was going to die whether or not he was involved with the cloning issue.


    Of course, Riley could be wrong with his assumption, but it doesn''t really matter since Julius was dying whether or not he was involved in this. But if he truly did n this, then what for?


    Are Julius Reuben and his family involved with the government? Is Julius an agent of the government? Or are they separate and Julius''s family was only responsible for these rogue clones escaping the facility they were being created in?


    ¡­Or maybe the facility belongs to the Reubens in the first ce and ispletely operating in dark?


    "...Pft," a small smile then slowly crawled on Riley''s face, "You see, Megawoman? Everyone is trying to harness your legacy. This is how powerful and beautiful you are. They try so much to emte your greatness, and yet they fail all the same¨C no one could achieve you¡­


    ¡­only me."


    Riley''s body once again began to tremble as thoughts of Megawoman danced in his mind; not even minding the monsters that were about to recover to their previous and full strength.


    "How can they even hope to clone perfection?" He then muttered, "You owe me this time, Megawoman. I will eradicate these filthy creatures that dare smear your¨C"


    And before Riley could finish his words, several spots of light suddenly bombarded the ice rink from above; familiar stuttering roars, echoing through the skies as the silhouettes of what could only be helicopters started arriving one by one.


    And judging by their different colors, they were helicopters from differentrge newsworks.


    "What the¨C" Hannah quickly covered her face, as she was the one that was nearest to the unexpected and unwee reinforcement. None of them were wearing any masks right now; and with her being in the air, almost all the cameras were pointing at her from time to time.


    "Go away! Fuck!" Hannah waved her hand, slightly releasing a fan of mes¨C but s, not enough to deter the vultures called the media, "Where the fuck did you guyse from so suddenly!?"


    Sure, the noises and trembles they made while trying to fend off the clone monsters were surely more than enough to attract attention even from afar. And sure, it might have seemed long for the Baby Crew¨C but in truth, it shouldn''t even have been 15 minutes since all of this mayhem started.


    For the media to already be here¡­ wouldn''t that mean they were already waiting for something to happen? They were tipped that something would be happening here¨C


    ¡­But for what reason? They were just students of the Academy.


    "..."


    Megawoman''s son.


    Megawoman''s clone.


    Two of Whiteking''s children.


    And a whole bunch of others clones.


    Okay¡­


    ¡­maybe they weren''t just an ordinary group of friends.


    ***


    "It''s¡­ finally starting brother."


    Julius and his brother, Archibald, were still in their office. This time, however, their trembling eyes reflected several monitors in front of them¨C showing the same scenes where the news helicopters were pointing to.


    "Finally¡­ to think we would be here at such a short amount of time," Archibald let out a small and forced chuckle, "As expected of one who carries the name Reuben."


    And as his brother seemed to rejoice in the situation, Julius''s eyes were just squinted.


    "...The homunculi are proving way too weak to handle Riley Ross," he then said with a short and deep sigh, "Even the students are handling them."


    "We already expected that," Archibald whispered, "And so what? Our n is¨C Kh!"


    Archibald''s throat slightly constricted as his old lungs almost copsed; his excitement, almost a double-edged sword due to his age as he soon started coughing vehemently. But as soon as his lungs stopped roaring, a small smile quickly appeared on his face.


    "This still works well in our favor," Archibald breathed out, "Everyone will be seeing how strong and monstrous Riley Ross is¨C a raw telekic power that only Darkday should be capable of. Even if we don''t release the proof of him being Darkday, we could start the rumours¡­ it would be easy, Alistair."


    "..."


    "Whiteking will not be able to erase anything anymore¨C we now have ess to all the satellites thanks to him," Archibald chuckled as heid down their n, "And once we leak everything we have on Riley Ross and Darkday¡­ he will not be able to escape anymore. Your n¨C our n is perfect, brother."


    "Our n is far from perfect and is more simple than you think, Archie. We already had all the resources and money in the world¡­ and still¡­ A civilian died, Archie."-- was Julius''s only response to his brother''s long monologue.


    "A minuscule coteral for finally exposing Darkday''s true identity!" Archibald tried to stand up from his wheelchair, but could not do so as the only thing that was able to even utter a tremble was his upper body and the wrinkles of his aged skin,


    "...My son and grandson were also treated as coteral," Julius then breathed out as he looked his brother straight in the eyes, "...Your grandchildren as well."


    "You¡­" Archibald''s excited tone then slowly became sedated as he returned his brother''s gaze,


    "Has attending that stupid hero school affected you?" He then scoffed, "You''re not a hero, Alistair. Never forget that¨C you''re just an old man like me¡­ an old man trying to seek revenge for those they lost."


    "...Hm," Hearing his brother''s words, the only thing that Julius could do was look back to the monitors¨C focusing on the ones that were covering Hannah, who was still covering her face even though it was entirely covered and shielded by a bright me.


    "..." Seeing this, he could not help but let out a small chuckle; a chuckle that did notst, however, as he once again turned to look at his brother.


    "You''re right, Archie," he sighed, "The Academy did change me¡­


    ¡­MEGAN."


    [Yes, master Julius?]


    "Remove all the restraints on the homunculi."


    ***


    "What¡­ is happening to them?"


    With the sudden appearance of the helicopters, the once aggressive monsters that seemed intent on killing each and everyst one of them suddenly slowed down; their movements, all bing sedated as their bodies trembled inconsistently.


    This slight rest gave the Baby Crew more chance to catch their breaths, even having the chance to finally regroup and calm themselves down. Most of them were covering their faces, however, as the helicopters surely had no ns on leaving even though they know the situation was serious.


    Luckily for Silvie, she did not have to cover her face; unfortunately for her, she waspletely covered in blood. But seeing as Riley was with them¡­ everyone would surely put two and two together that they were the Baby Crew.


    "Is they alright?" Be repeated Hannah''s words as her eyes scanned the immobile monsters, "They just standing there menacingly. Ain''t this¡­ the time to strike?"


    "It is," Gary quickly replied as he gently ced Tomoe on the ground, "I feel like a transformation is about to happen. Never let the enemy transform¡­ We''re not Veget¨C"


    "Kah!"


    "What the fuck!?"


    And before Gary could finish his words, he could not help but push Aerith away as she suddenly screamed right next to his ear, almost deafening him with how strong her lungs were.


    "...Aerith?"


    Silvie wanted to approach Aerith, but Hannah quickly blocked her path.


    "...Fuck," was the only whisper that came out of Hannah''s mouth as Aerith started squirming on the ground; sping her head as she could hear her bones starting to dislocate.


    "N¡­ No," Silvie''s shoulders started to drop as soon as she realized what was happening, "She¡­ she''s turning as well? Why¡­ why is this happening?"


    "...If the younger ones are already this strong¡­ I can''t imagine what kind of monster Aerith will be," Hannah then muttered, "We''re stopping this now. Baby Crew, kill all of them before they turn!"


    "...Are we sure there''s no way we can bring them back?" Although Be hesitated, she still removed the des on her skates¨C floating it around her to finally go on a full offensive mode.


    "There might be a way to bring them back," Silvie then said as she wiped the tears that almost fell from her face, "...But what matters now is we save the people¡­ and save them from their fate," she said as her eyes pointed towards the struggling clones.


    "You''re right," Hannah nodded as she too, took a step forward¨C the fire on her legs, growing even fiercer, "Baby Crew¡­


    ¡­Let''s save them all from their suffering."


    "...Yes."


    "You''re the boss."


    "Can''t really desert any of you now."


    "No. I don''t think so."


    "!!!"


    And as the Baby Crew took their second step¡­ Aerith''s entire body disappeared almost instantly¨C turning into a puddle of blood on the ground, filling a pool that was in the shape of a palm.


    "What the¡­" Hannah could only let out a small gasping whisper as Riley slowly took a step forward, turning towards them as a sigh escaped his mouth.


    "The rest of you need to leave," he then calmly said as he looked his sister straight in the eyes; behind him, Aerith''s body was already once again taking shape.


    "I will handle this alone, sister."


    "...Riley?" Hannah could only blink a couple of times from her brother''s words.


    "All of you are still too weak."


    And as he said that, Riley slowly stretched his hand towards the direction of the clones; and as soon as he did so, the ground beneath them rippled; almost as if turning into an ocean as the groundpletely turned into a wave of stone, dirt, and debris.


    "You''ve been hurt too many times today, sister," Riley then muttered; his eyes still not breaking from his sister''s, "One of you will definitely die here if you choose to stay. I¡­


    ¡­can''t allow any more pain to cover you."

 Chapter 194 - Creating Doubts And Hopes

    <h4>Chapter 194 - Creating Doubts And Hopes</h4>


    [Just what is happening here!?]


    [As you can see, there are several monsters on the ground!]


    [We''ve already confirmed one casualty.]


    [A group of supers is currently fighting with the monsters and¨C W¡­ what''s happening!?]


    All the helicopters hovering above the air all moved away. Even though they were far away from the ground, they could still somewhat feel a sort of tremble as the terrain below turned almost into an ocean¨C with the thick asphalt creating waves and obliterating the unknown monsters that showed themselves.


    [We¡­ we confirmed that one of the supers fighting the monsters below is Riley Ross! A student from USMA!]


    [Just¡­ Just how strong are his telekic abilities!?]


    The lights and cameras then all focused towards Riley, his hair and skin almost blinding as they reflected all the spots of light.


    "What the¡­ these fuckers!" Hannah roared as she raised both her middle fingers towards the media people.


    [If this is Riley Ross, then the group he is with is most likely the infamous Baby Crew! You might remember them during the octopus monster incident in Hawaii! And now, they are once again fighting some sort of monster!]


    [Is this the next generation of heroes!? Perhaps they will soon rece the Hope Gui¨C Wait, what is happening!?]


    "What the¡­ Riley!?"


    Not only the reporters, but Hannah and the others all let out gasps as their bodies all started to float in the air.


    "Please go back to the Academy, sister."


    "What? Riley!? No!" Hannah screamed as she tried to reach for her brother, but the only that was happening was her floating even farther away from Riley.


    "Do not attempt to return here, sister," Riley then said as he looked Hannah straight in the eyes, "You''re going to get the others killed."


    "What!? What are you even saying!? Riley! Please, don''t¨C"


    And before she could even finish her words, a small eruption thundered in the air as she and the other members of the Baby Crew disappeared into the distance¨C a skirt of wind, surrounding them momentarily.


    "What¡­ the fuck¡­" Gary''s eyes and words trembled as he watched the changing scenery below him. There was no arguing that Riley is the strongest telekic in Mega Academy¨C no one evenes close.


    Be could probably lift a dozen buses on her own if she exerted her force¨C but even then, she was limited to controlling and manipting metal.


    But this¡­ Gary was trying his best to move his limbs, but the only part he could really move were his eyes and mouth. The rest of his body, almost as if enclosed by cement. He then turned his eyes towards Silvie, and seeing the struggling expression on her face, she was also trying to escape from Riley''s grasp¡­ but failed all the same.


    And as if that wasn''t enough¨C the Baby Crew''s jet truck was now also following behind them.


    "Riley¡­" Gary whispered, "Just how strong are you? Are you¡­ as strong as Darkday?"


    "..."


    And as for Riley, he was just quietly watching as the others disappear into the distance; his eyes, focused on her sister until he could see her silhouette no more.


    And soon, as if to disrupt his gaze, a rumble started to whisper in the air. The almost unrecognizable terrain he created bypletely mowing down the ground, started to tremble.


    It took a few seconds, but soon; as if roots taking ce and destroying everything in their path to the sun, the monsters sprouted from the ground one by one. Their figures and silhouette, no longer recognizable from their previous state.


    Their skin was of different colors; some red, some ash, some ck¡­ and the only one still somewhat recognizable was Aerith.


    Aerith still retained her humanoid form¨C her face, her bosom, and everything else was now exposed. She looked almost like an abandoned statue with her now grey skin¨C her veins, almost outside her skin as they throbbed.


    "..." Riley could only let out a sigh as he looked at Aerith from head to toe,


    "You remind me of the time I stored Megawoman in my closet," he then whispered, "Rejoice, this is the only time I see even a tinge of Megawoman in y¨C"


    And before Riley could even finish his words, Aerith disappeared from her spot. Leaving only a wave of debris as she destroyed the ground; the bricks and stones, shooting like a shotgun as it destroyed the other clones unfortunate enough to be behind her.


    Aerith then instantly appeared in front of Riley, not giving him any time to move as she grabbed his face before quickly mming him to the ground; dragging him through the broken asphalt and leaving a trail of crevice that could be seen even from the helicopters.


    [Where¡­ where is the Hope Guild!? Or any other veteran heroes!?]


    [One¡­ one of our future hopes is being killed!]


    The news reporters once again pointed their lights towards the fight; expertly shing their spotlights even though Aerith was moving at almost sonic speed as she mowed Riley on the ground.


    Contrary to their worries, however, Riley''s eyes were still as clear as it was before¨C looking through the gaps between Aerith''s fingers as he looked at her directly in her bloodshot eyes; his hair, not even moving even as his head destroyed everything in its path.


    "Kree!"


    Aerith then let out a screeching roar; loud enough to ripple all the dust away.


    "..."


    A trail of blood then started to stream from her eyes¨C almost as if a part of her was still alive inside and did not wish to do whatever it is she was doing now.


    "..." Seeing this, Riley could only let out a small but very deep sigh. He then slowly raised his hand¡­ before tapping Aerith''s forehead.


    "!!!"


    And as soon as he did so, Aerith''s entire body exploded¨C leaving nothing but a mist of blood to spray across the broken ground. Riley''s body then slowly floated in the air; pivoting diagonally as he faced the other monsters that were on their way to him.


    "...Fun," and soon¡­ a small smile crawled on his face, "Let''s y."


    Riley then waved his finger¨C causing a huge chunk of ground beside him to crack and float in the air. And with another move of his finger, the chunk of ground instantly took the shape of a sword¨C simr to the silhouette of Sophie''s power, the super he fought in Miami.


    "...It really is such a shame I was not able to get your ability, Sophie," Riley then whispered before once again waving his fingers; the giant sword, swinging straight towards the monsters rushing at him and splitting them all in half like butter.


    And seeing their blood and pieces scattered almost elegantly in front of him, the smile on Riley''s face grew even wider.


    This feeling¡­


    Finally, he thought¨C he was once again able to do what he liked the mo¨C


    Riley then flew to the side before he could finish his thoughts; a red scorching beam, passing through where he was previously positioned. Riley looked back towards the source of the beam, only to see Aerith whole again.


    And soon¡­ she too started floating in the air; the pebbles beneath her, also floating and twirling around her.


    "..." The smile on Riley''s face now almost reached from ear to ear. He then flicked his arm¡­ throwing the other inferior clones straight towards the helicopters as they healed.


    [Wha¨C]


    Most of the helicopters were able to maneuver and dodge; 2, however, were not so lucky as a monster was able totch onto their aircraft.


    [Where¡­ where are the other heroes!?]


    The voice of the reporter, clearly shaking as the body of their helicopter started to bend. The materials of the helicopter contained ker¨C reserved for encounters such as this. But at this point, their helicopter wouldn''tst if the monster wasn''t shaken off.


    [This¡­ the monsters are starting to target us!]


    The reporters reported; not knowing that the monsters were thrown by the individual fighting them below.


    "Can you still hear me, cheap copy of Megawoman?" Riley muttered as he looked Aerith straight in the eyes, "Is the government responsible for making you like this? Or is it Julius?"


    The only response he was getting from Aerith, however, was his hands that were trying their best to w his face off. Riley was already flying backwards, but even then, Aerith was able to manage to always just be an inch away from him.


    "..." Riley then flicked his hand. And as he did so, one of the monsters that were already falling flew straight towards Aerith¨C its gigantic mouth,pletely chomping Aerith''s upper body.


    Not even 5 seconds after, however, the smile on Riley''s face grew even wider as Aerith, once again whole, gorged her way through the monster''s gigantic jaws; not even hesitating or resting as she once again rushed towards Riley.


    "Let''s take this somewhere more fun, shall we?" Riley then whispered as he stretched his arms to the side; and as he did so, the other clones that had already dropped to the ground all started flying towards him.


    And since they were still moving their limbs, it almost looked like they were chasing him from afar. Just where were the other veteran heroes while this student was fighting for his life? The media all thought.


    Riley was alone, surrounded¡­ leaving him no choice but to run away. But for him tost even this long and the strength he showed¡­ is this the birth of a Grade-S Super? His telekic abilities seemed to almost rival that of the previous member of the Hope Guild, Ms. Phoenix¡­


    ¡­and also Darkday.


    But s, no matter how strong he was, the only thing he could do now was to run away. But he was in LA¨C no matter where he would run to¡­


    ¡­there would be civilians.


    "How¡­ fun."

 Chapter 195 - Bloody Christmas (1)

    <h4>Chapter 195 - Bloody Christmas (1)</h4>


    [Where are the other heroes? Why are they not helping!?]


    [As you can see right now, Riley Ross is fighting the monsters alone!]


    [We have reason to believe that he was the one who flew the others away. Is this an act of sacrifice for someone so young?]


    [Riley Ross is¡­]


    The news reporters were starting to go crazy as Riley continued to fend off the attacks of the monsters; each time, just avoiding them by a hair''s breadth. Some attacks even go through and connect, causing Riley to move back several meters away.


    From the view of the news reporters, Riley was trying his utmost best in trying to survive¨C pushing himself to continue to fight as long as he could. But s, no matter how strong he was, he was only one man¡­ one boy.


    Each of his steps took him nearer to the city as the relentless attacks continue to rain down upon him; leaving him nowhere to escape as each of the attacks that he manages to dodge was enough to change a part of the terrain¨C and that was just from a single monster.


    [They¡­ they are getting closer to the street! Why are the people not evacuating!?]


    [There are too many people celebrating the holiday! This might turn disastrous. Why aren''t the sirens going off!?]


    [Won''t someone get this boy some help!?]


    [W¡­ what''s this? We are receiving reports that it''s just here. There are other ces where these mysterious monsters have appeared!]


    [N¡­ New York? There are also monsters there? This¡­ this just in¡­]


    The voices of the reporters started to panic as their phones started to ring; containing information that was enough to widen their eyes. The reason why no superheroes were responding in LA was because monsters also started spawning from different parts of the country.


    [What¡­ what is happening on a day that is supposed to be of hope and celebration!?]


    [What will happen to Riley Ross!?]


    [The military, at least the military should¡­]


    The voices of the reporters continued to panic; the one being ''chased'' by the monsters below, however, had a smile on his face.


    With hisst fight with Megawoman, he had to basically drag her with all of his might to make cities their battleground. Megawoman would always try to find a way to take their fight where no life could be found¨C their fight almost even passing through the atmosphere. But as soon as Riley starts pulling out debris, small asteroids, and satellites to the ground, Megawoman pushes him down.


    But with her imperfect clones, Riley just follows them like rats about tomit ughter¨C which wasn''t a far-off description as they would certainly do so once they reach the street. Riley then looked back, just a few more and they would reach where the people were.


    Even if it won''t be him experiencing the ughter first-hand, the people''s screams should be enough to scratch the itch that had been growing intensely inside him. The strands of his hair were actually almost already standing up just imagining the sweet screams whispering in his ears.


    "Megawoman," he then whispered, "At least this way, even if it''s just your clones¡­ you''re going to experience what I do. Just for a moment¨C we will share a¨C"


    And before he could finish his words, a red blur suddenly passed by him¨C moving straight towards the monsters that were following him and slicing them into pieces almost without any resistance.


    "..."


    The red blur''s sudden attack only halted as it reached Aerith¨C who caught the giant sword that was used to cut her sisters into pieces.


    "..." Riley then slowly turned his eyes towards the owner of the sword, only for them to reflect the glistening red armor he was wearing¨C a familiar red armor worn by one of the Pope''s personal guards, the Crimson Pdin.


    And even with his arms trembling, his helmet slowly turned towards Riley; almost looking at him from head to toe.


    "I asked the Pope if we could stay for a few more days," The Crimson Pdin then muttered, "He agreed for the same reason why I wanted to stay¨C he recognized you."


    "..."


    "I followed your group from afar and watched. And I have confirmed my assumption to be true¡­


    ¡­You''re Darkday."


    ***


    "What¡­ do they mean other monsters appeared?"


    Back in the Reubens'' office, Julius''s eyes; which were as wide as they could be, were reflecting the news that was being shown on the dozen monitors in front of him.


    "...Could it be a group of viins is also wreaking havoc?" Julius muttered, "...But they said monsters. How¨C"


    "Kek."


    And before Julius could contemte his thoughts, a small whisper of a chuckle entered his ears. He looked in the direction of the noise, only to see his brother almost trembling in his wheelchair as his chuckle slowly turned into fits ofughter.


    "Archie?"


    "I¡­ I paid the Cloner," Archibald almost choked in his words as he looked Julius straight in the eyes, "I paid her to create more clones."


    "What? Why!?" Julius''s voice started to be louder as he returned Archibald''s stare, "Are you¡­ crazy?"


    "They¡­ everyone will pay for what they did," Archibald then whispered, "They will pay for not preventing my children''s death. All of them just stood and watched as our future was massacred in cold blood."


    "What? The one who killed our children is Darkday and Darkday alo¨C"


    "No!" Archibald mmed his hand on his armrest; almost using all of his strength as he once again started coughing vehemently. After a few seconds, however, he calmed himself down as he looked at all the news being presented on the screens,


    "Darkday is a child," Archibald''s tone then became slightly sobered, "A child shaped by society¡­


    ¡­Society itself killed my dear Antote!"


    "What!? Fucking bollocks!" The tone of Julius''s voice became slightly high-pitched as he almost kicked his brother right there and then,


    "What kinda logic is that? Have you gone f''kin senile you fucking wart!?" Julius settled in cursing his brother instead; his eyebrows, as furrowed as they could be, "Our only goal here is to expose Riley Ross to the world!"


    "..."


    "Archie! Fucking answer me!" Julius then pulled Archibald''s wheelchair nearer to him, "Why did you do something like¡­"


    And before he could finish his words, the weight of his brother''s head nted on his leg.


    "...Brother?" Julius then slightly stepped to the side, only for Archibald''s body to fall from his chair; almost like a doll that fell from a closet¨C lifeless.


    "..."


    "..."


    A small but deep breath then escaped Julius''s mouth as he closed his eyes. He stayed like this for a few seconds; his stuttering breaths, slowly bing calmer with each second. Until finally,


    "Fuck," he whispered as he gently lifted his brother back to his chair, "Why are you always leaving me alone to clean up a mess you made?"


    Julius then shook his head as he let out another sigh, before patting his brother on the leg several times.


    "MEGAN," he then said, "Terminate all the homunculi except the ones in Los Angeles."


    [...]


    "MEG¨C"


    [No longer detecting Archibald A. Reuben''s vital signs¡­


    ¡­Scheduling the upload of files rting to Darkday and Riley Ross.]


    "...What?" Julius could not help but quickly stand up as soon as he heard MEGAN''s words.


    [Setting parameters to program and schedule the Contingency Phase.]


    "Contingency Phase!?" Julius''s eyes once again turned wide as he quickly rushed towards his desk, "I didn''t approve that, abort! Abort!"


    [Setting Alistair A. Reuben''s vital signs as a parameter for the Contingency Phase.]


    "Fuck, no!"


    Julius tried pressing something on the desk; but whatever he was trying to achieve by doing so, it wasn''t happening. The only response that MEGAN gave him was another monotonous set of words.


    [Sessful. Now deleting all core files.]


    "What!?"


    [System MEGAN¡­ shutting down.]


    "Abort!" Julius''s furious tapping caused the entire desk to split in half; he did not seem to mind, however, as he even pulled a set of wires from the desk.


    "MEGAN!?"


    And no matter how many times he called for the AI, the only response he now receives was silence.


    "...Shit," was the only whisper he could utter now as his eyes trailed back towards the news. He then grabbed the remote that was on the floor, turning it to different stations¡­ foreign stations.


    And seeing as they were all reporting the same thing, Archibald scattered the rogue clones all around the globe.


    "Archie, just¡­


    ¡­what have you done?"


    ***


    "You are Darkday."


    Back in Los Angeles, the Crimson Pdin''s eyes could be seen through the gaps of his helmet; the light on them, reflecting only Riley''s fading smile.


    This was supposed to be Riley''s time to finally have something fun to do again¡­ but now his new toys are being yed by someone else.


    "...I''m not Darkday," he then muttered; a very small hint of annoyance could almost be heard from his voice.


    "There is no use in lying," a small vapor escaped from the Crimson Pdin''s helmet, "I recognize your face from when you visited the Holy Pce¨C my eyes are able to see through even steel, much less your helmet."


    "You have X-ray vision, knight?"


    "I do," the Crimson Pdin answered as his hands began to tremble from Aerith trying to pull his giant sword away.


    "...I''m still not Darkday."


    "You¨C"


    And before the Crimson Pdin could finish his words, a knuckle wrapped his entire body as one of the monsters he sliced shot her fist towards him as soon as it regenerated; the sheer force of the hit, enough to cause him to fly away several meters.


    "Watch out," Riley then said with a monotonous tone as he stretched his hand towards the already rolling pdin, "See? You are wrong, Knight. I am not Darkday¡­


    ¡­Would Darkday even help and warn you?"

 Chapter 196 - Bloody Christmas (2)

    <h4>Chapter 196 - Bloody Christmas (2)</h4>


    "You¡­"


    The Crimson Pdin''s giant sword trembled; almost piercing the ground from how fast it was shaking as he was using it to support himself up. And even with him clearly hurt from the giant fist that swung towards him, the trickle of eyes that could be seen from his knight''s helmet was clearly still ring at Riley.


    This white-haired child was ying with him, he thought. And seeing the cheeky and wide smile on his face, it was almost as if he wasn''t trying to hide the fact that he was enjoying this¨C truly, a child of evil.


    "You really are Darkday," the Crimson Pdin scoffed, "I have x-ray vision; and although it''s not as clear¡­ I know it was you that day just by judging on your features."


    "No, I am not," Riley tilted his head to the side; the wide smile on his face slightly shaking as he seemed to be stopping himself fromughing, "How many times do I have to tell you that I am not¨C"


    And before he could finish his words, Riley quickly moved his entire upper body to the side as a wide red beam shed towards him. He was about to turn his head towards the source of theser, but his eyes reflected red as another beam from another direction weed his face.


    "..." His vision, nowpletely drowned with a red light as he was unable to dodge the unexpected beam; but still, even if he wasn''t able to dodge, the beam was unable to reach his skin; stopping only an inch as a sort of invisible armor surrounded Riley.


    "..." Riley then tilted his head to the side, only to see the monster with a giant head letting outser beams from herrge eyes.


    ¡­She wasn''t able to do that before, Riley thought. Were they actually growing stronger?


    And as if to answer his question, Aerith suddenly appeared in front of him¨C her fist, already just an inch away from his face. And like the beam, it wasn''t able to move past the invisible armor that seemed to encapste Riley.


    But with the smile on his face growing wider and wider once more, Riley leaned his head back, and¡­ leaped away. From the view of the news reporters that were scattering like vultures in the air, it looked like Riley was directly hit by the attack, causing him towards a building and¡­ going straight through to the other end as his rolling body destroyed several walls.


    And soon, the rumbles and cracks were reced by screams, resounding in Riley''s ears as he finally reached the streets where there were a lot of people.


    "W¡­ what''s going on!?"


    "J¡­ Jeff!"


    "..." Riley then looked behind him, only to see a manpletely mangled from having been hit by all the debris as well as Riley''s body. And seeing the blood smoothly sliding from the invisible armor that surrounded him, Riley was trying his utmost best not to let out a small chuckle.


    "That¡­ isn''t that one of the monsters that were on the news!?"


    It was a good thing that Aerith followed him through the hole he made in the building. Because as soon as the people saw her deformed grey skin, they all quickly ran away in fright.


    "They¡­ they''re here!"


    "Quick, everyone run to the nearest shelter!"


    The citizens all started running away; their steps, rumbling louder and louder¨C only halting as loud roars suddenly echoed through the air and into their ears. The roars almost resonated through their bones, causing their feet to freeze and their heads to turn towards the source of the noise.


    "There¡­ There''s more!"


    "They''re here!"


    And soon, their organized and almost rehearsed steps became panicked¨C those who were previously trying to help, now just thinking of themselves.


    "W¡­ What is that!?"


    Their steps became even more frenzied as therger monsters appeared; their appearance, truly appalling as they reflected the Christmas lights that flickered with joy.


    "Monsters!"


    "Run!"


    The people started repeating their words as the other clone monsters stepped out of the tunnel that Riley made¨C some even destroying the walls like styrofoam as they mowed through using their gigantic bodies with any effort.


    "Ru¨C"


    And soon, one of the screams stopped. Reced by a sort of choking noise as the smallest monster shed through the street¨C gorging her three arms through the screaming citizen. Head, chest, and stomach, all pierced through.


    "D¡­ dad? Are¨C" And before a little child, who could be assumed as the barbecued man''s daughter, could finish her words; her entire body almost disappeared as the monster with a gigantic head mawed her whole¨C leaving only her feet standing on the ground.


    "..." There seemed to be one more left from the family¨C a mother whose knees have already touched the ground. Her will to live almostpletely extinguished like her daughter. Why wouldn''t she lose hope? Her family just vanished in front of her in just a blink.


    And so, her eyes started to close as she epted her fate. She could feel the warmth of the gigantic mouth slowly eating away her life. She was, however, not yet allowed to die as she was suddenly grabbed by a civilian. No, maybe not quite a normal civilian as she carried the mother and started running across the walls of the buildings.


    "Snap out of it!" The random female super then said; her face slightly twisting as the veins on her arms started to swell.


    "Let¡­ let me go!" The mother struggled, "I want to be with my family!"


    "I¡­ I can''t carry you if you''re moving around! Please stop!"


    "No, leave me with my family!"


    "Kh!"


    The female super then lost bnce as the mother identally hit her on the face; unfortunately for the female super, her legnded the wrong way andpletely snapped her ankle in half.


    "S¡­ shit."-- was the only word she could utter as the shadow of the gigantic head slowly wrapped her entire body. She looked back, only to see a set of teeth already sharpened to eat her and the woman she just rescued.


    "Fuck."-- was thest word she said before being mangled into pieces by the gigantic jaw.


    "R¡­ Run!" The rest of the people continued to scream and run for their lives¨C each of the noises that escaped from their lungs, however, attracted the monsters even more. And even more, they added to the statistics of daily deaths.


    As for Riley who was responsible for luring the monsters here; he was trying his best to hide the arching smile slowly crawling on his face. His ears, finally once again being serenaded by the screams of death and despair.


    There was one, however, that distracted him from this impromptu concert¨C Aerith. Unlike the others that were being attracted by the noises that the frenzied people were making, Aerith waspletely focused on him.


    Is it possible¡­ she was, in a way, programmed to target only him? Even before when Hannah and the others were still present, 10 of the clones wanted to charge him even though he wasn''t doing anything to attract them.


    Of course, right now, they weren''t even seeing Riley anymore as they attack anything that makes even the slightest noise. Is it because they are still young that they''re distracted?


    Even Dark Millenium was the same¨C with her memories slightly altered and innately manipted; unlike Silvie, who was just brainwashed from birth.


    All this cloning business¡­ was starting to be more and moreplicated. The Government, the Reubens¡­ are they working together? Or¨C


    "..." Riley''s thoughts were disrupted as he quickly leaned his body to the side, avoiding the long ws that suddenly grew from Aerith''s fingers. He couldn''t even enjoy the scenery around him with all the thoughts that were pestering his mind.


    Riley then finally shook his head of the thoughts; letting out a sigh before grabbing Aerith''s iling wrists and kicking her away¡­ ripping out her entire arm in the process and propelling the rest of her into a wall.


    This did not seem to faze Aerith, however, as she quickly shrugged herself out of the wall. But before she could take a step, her dismembered arm suddenly shot straight towards her heart, once again pinning her on the wall¨C the flesh on her dismembered arm, peeling away as it was shaved off by her ribs.


    Aerith did not seem to feel any of these, however, as she just continued to step forward, allowing the bones of her dismembered arm topletely pass through her chest as it pinned the wall.


    "Help!"


    "..." Riley then once again looked at the other monsters, who were still ripping out and terrorizing those who even dared to utter even a whisper of a noise. The Crimson Pdin was now also there, trying his best to help as many people as he could.


    There was also civilian supers present¨C but they were either just running away, or quickly dying as soon as they tried to help someone.


    "R¡­ Run! Faster, don''t let go of my hand!"


    "..." Riley then turned his head towards the voices that were nearest to him, only to see a pregnant woman running alongside a small boy¨C trying to escape through a small alley so that therger monsters wouldn''t be able to easily chase them.


    Sadly for them, however, the one that was chasing them was the smallest monster.


    "K¡­ Keep running, baby! Don''t look ba¨C"


    And before the pregnant woman could finish her words¨C she felt a strong pressure from her son''s hand; almost pulling her back from her previous steps.


    "...Bryan?" The pregnant woman then said as she looked back, only to see her son just standing still, "What are you doing!? Come on!"


    "I¡­ I can''t," the little boy''s voice trembled.


    "What do you mean you can''t!?" The pregnant woman then quickly rushed towards her son¡­ only for the palm of her hands toy t on some kind of invisible wall¡­


    ¡­separating the two of them.

 Chapter 197 - Love And Peace!?

    <h4>Chapter 197 - Love And Peace!?</h4>


    "B¡­Bryan?"


    The pregnant woman''s panicked breaths almost returned to her. The invisible wall that blocked her path to her son, almost as if not allowing even a single strand of her soul to reach him.


    "Why¡­ what is this?" The pregnant woman tried her best to stay calm so as to not cause her son to panic; her trembling voice and reddening eyes, however, failed to mask the horrifying worry that was currently drowning her body.


    "M¡­ mom? Why¡­ why can''t I go to you?" Her son then started stuttering as he touched his bleeding nose, which was the first thing that mmed through the invisible wall that now separates him from his mother.


    "Mom¡­ I''m¡­ Why can''t I touch your hands?"


    "Bryan¡­ look at me," the pregnant woman kneeled down to try and touch her son''s hands¨C but the only thing she could do was nt her palms on the invisible wall; her trembling hand, wanting to grab her son away. Her eyes, however, shook as the shadow of one of the monsters that were wreaking havoc through the streets entered the alleyway.


    The pregnant woman specifically chose this alley since it was too narrow for the monsters to follow them in; but sadly, the smallest monster was the one chasing them.


    Although she was not trying to show it on her face, the pregnant woman was actually exerting herself to try and reach her son''s hand¨C the nails on the end of her fingers, almost opening up as she tried to dig through the invisible wall.


    "Mom? What¨C"


    And before his son could even finish his words, a fountain of blood spurted from his mouth, raining down on his mother''s face as finally¡­ the two were once again able to touch hands.


    "...Bryan," the mother''s eyes stayed open even as her son''s blood flowed across her eyelids. He tried to grab his hand tight but was unable to do so as the small monster pulled her son away¡­ before ripping him in half right in front of her.


    "No¡­ No!" The pregnant woman could only scream her lungs out¡­ until that too, was pulled out by the small monster along with the rest of her insides.


    "..." Riley''s ncing eyes were locked on to the scene at the alley; the smile on his face, almost already glued as he relished on all the screams that were singing in his ears. In truth¡­ he already closed down most of the alleys¨C separating friends and families before taking them off so that he could hear their screams of regret and sorrow even louder.


    He did all this, while still avoiding Aerith''s random attacks.


    "...Random," Riley whispered to himself as he looked at the monster in front of him. Megawoman, even with her abnormal strength and powers, knew different kinds of martial arts¨C she studied so she could learn how to subdue anything and anyone without killing or harming them too much.


    But the one attacking him right now¡­ is just a beast.


    "Darkday!"


    And this beast was suddenly mmed away by the Crimson Pdin, "I know you''re an even more diabolical creature than whatever these things are, but let''s work together for now and¨C"


    And before the Crimson Pdin could finish his words, Riley slightly waved his hand¨C causing the pdin to fly straight towards a wall, embedding his entire body to make a hole in his image.


    "Oh," Riley then let out a small gasp and widened his eyes, "I apologize, holy guard. I thought you were the enemy."


    "You¨C"


    The Crimson Pdin had no time to contemte and rebuke, however, as Aerith suddenly leaped towards him with her ws already sharpened¨C but in truth, she was actually just floated by Riley there.


    "!!!"


    The Crimson Pdin quickly waved his giant sword, but once again, only a ripple erupted; blowing away all the dust around him as Aerith blocked the sword with her bare arms. Her skin, seemingly hardening with each second. Of course, the sword did do some damage¡­ but whatever damage was ced upon her skin manages to regenerate almost instantly now.


    ¡­They really were growing stronger as time goes on, Riley thought. If he let them wreak havoc for a longer time, could Aerith possibly reach Megawoman''s strength?


    "..." And as soon as that thought entered his mind, the smile that was already stered on his face grew even wider. Does this mean the other gigantic and imperfect clones would be as strong as Megawoman as well?


    If he just let them roam free and protect them¡­ will he have a toon of mindless Megawomen¨C


    With that thought, however, the smile that almost seemed permanent on his face quickly faded. If he lets them wreak havoc¡­ what would be left for him? The screams and pains of the people would be useless to these mindless beasts, he thought.


    There was also the fact that the monsters might soon be discovered to be Megawoman''s clones¨C he can''t let them do as they please and tarnish her name.


    "..." Riley then shook his head, "I am sorry, Megawoman, for even thinking of something like this. You do not have to worry¡­ I will kill them all now."


    He then looked around the city, the once lively city brimming with life¡­ but no more. Not even minutes passed and the streets were already in ruins. How could it not be, when each step that these clones take were able to rip the ground they were standing on like sand?


    There were also streaks of blood sttered and scattered everywhere, limbs are torn, mangled bodies¡­ Truly, a sight that made Riley''s skin shiver in delight; the nostalgia almost drowning his entire body like the streets were drowned by the blood of people.


    The world¡­ isn''t it truly more beautiful like this?


    "!!!"


    And like a lightbulb flickering on top of his head, like the face of a child that just discovered something truly mesmerizing, Riley''s eyes started to widen.


    He now realizes why the screams and pains of the people are beautiful.


    Bulwark said that love¨C that things are beautiful because it ends when they asked him about Prophet''s death.


    Is this why screams sound as beautiful as they are? Because they end? Because it represents the people''s end and the end of their suffering in the rawest form possible?


    No¡­ but Megawoman did not scream.


    "!!!"


    Riley''s eyes once again widened as he let out a small gasp. Megawoman is immortal, she doesn''t end.


    ¡­


    But why was¨C is she so beautiful?


    Wait. Could this be!?


    Is this¡­ could it be possible that this feeling he was experiencing is love? Is this love? Was he in love with Megawoman? Is that why even though Megawoman didn''t break or scream even as he mangled her entire body¡­ he still longs for her?


    Was he actually experiencing love? Riley''s eyes started to tremble as numerous thoughts suddenly bombarded his mind¨C almost ignoring the actual screams that were harmonizing in the air.


    Was he actually¡­ capable of feeling love?


    "You''re a monster."


    "..." Riley then blinked a couple of times as a familiar voice, but not quite, whispered to his ears.


    "You''re a monster that should not have been born in this world."


    "..." Riley then turned around to see who it was, only to see nothing but air beside him. It was an eerily familiar voice, a voice that he was not so sure if he heard before.


    "Hello, mysterious voice?" Riley then blinked a couple of times as he asked the air. But as is the obvious response¨C no one answered.


    "You need to die."


    "..." Riley then turned his head towards a pile of shattered ss on the ground, only to see his broken reflection¡­ as well as a woman standing beside him.


    "!!!" Riley was about to turn his head to the side, but before he could do so, a blur suddenly moved past him.


    "It''s happening here too?"


    Riley then quickly turned his head towards the blur, only to see a slightly skinny man wearing a tight ck suit; his helmet, almost taking his shape and exposing his slightly green beard; each of his steps as he approached Riley, echoing in the air like some stone skipping on ice.


    "...Mister Tempo," Riley then quietly whispered before he took a small nce behind him to see if a woman was there¡­ but s, no one.


    "Sheesh, kid. You''ve been fighting all of them by yourself? Good job, considering," Tempo was about to pat Riley''s shoulder, but refrained from doing so as he remembered Whiteking saying so many times that his son didn''t like anyone touching him.


    Also, it would look quite weird since Riley was taller than him anyway.


    "You really are as strong as you''re portrayed in the news," Tempo''s body then flickered slightly¨C suddenly holding¡­ a jaw out of nowhere,


    "This is useless," Tempo then said as he threw the jaw away, "We''ve already figured out their weakness since we''ve been fighting them for minutes now. We just need enough electricity to shut down whatever it is that keeps them running."


    "..."


    "V will be here soon, so we just need to save as many people as we could until she does," Tempo muttered as his body once again flickered; this time, returning with a set of arms¨C presumably from the smallest monster clone.


    "...Right," Riley furrowed his eyebrows as he looked around him, only to see people disappearing one by one.


    "Or¡­" Tempo then pointed one of the arms towards arge Christmas tree that was surprisingly still intact, "Why don''t we use the spirit of Christmas to kill these vile creatures? I wonder how much juice that has?"


    "It''s a fake tree, Mister Tempo. It doesn''t have any juice."


    "Wha¨C I meant the strobe of lights surrounding it!" Tempo slightly gasped, "No, never mind that n. Let''s just wait for V as they clean the other cities off these monsters."


    "...Other cities?"


    "Yes, this ce is actually the most peaceful one I''ve run into, considering. Probably thanks to you and that red armor guy are here?"


    "Peace¡­"


    How could this be¡­ His ce¡­


    ¡­was the most peaceful one!?

 Chapter 198 - Entrance Of Hope

    <h4>Chapter 198 - Entrance Of Hope</h4>


    "..."


    Riley was now currently floating towards a nearby diner, which surprisingly, was still intact even with all the mayhem and destruction drowning the entire streets. He did not expect that there were also monsters wreaking havoc in other cities. And whether or not they were also monster clones, it didn''t really matter.


    What mattered was that Tempo said that Los Angeles was the most peaceful out of all the monster zones. Most of the buildings around him, even if not yetpletely destroyed, were on the verge of copsing¡­ how is his ce the most peaceful one?


    And so, Riley made his way to a nearby diner, pping away a monster that blocked his path and throwing it several meters away¡­ identally saving someone.


    "T¡­ thank you!"


    Riley, however,pletely ignored that gratitude that came his way as he waved his hand, lightly pushing the man away and opening the door to the diner at the same time. And seeing that a part of it bent as he did so, it would seem that it was locked from the inside.


    And true enough, there were more than a dozen people hiding there¨C and seemingly even more in the kitchen area. A monster seemed to want to follow him in, but before it could destroy the ss walls of the establishment, Riley snapped his fingers, causing the four-legged monster to explode.


    "..." Riley ignored the whimpers of shock that entered his ears; instead, his eyes moved continuously until they reached a certain object inside the diner¨C a brown box, no. An old TV.


    "Hello, server," Riley then tapped the counter, causing the woman hiding behind the counter beside him to slightly flinch,


    "Can I please change the channel of the TV?" Riley then said; his eyes not leaving the screen as it showed some sort of European telenov show from the 90s.


    "Yes?"-- was the only response the woman could utter.


    "Thank you, server," Riley then slightly moved his eyebrows, turning the knob of the old TV until he reached a station that showed the news¨C he didn''t have to search long, however, as the 2nd click of the TV immediately featured fire and chaos.


    He tried to change to another channel, and that too, reported what was currently happening in the country¨C no. They were showing what was currently happening in the world.


    "..."


    It was true that it look chaotic from the view of the news helicopters that were hovering above the different cities¨C but the headlines were saying that the situation was mostly already contained; with the monsterspletely eradicated or escaped to somewhere and are currently being hunted.


    "..." How is his ce the most peaceful one when the streets of LA he was in were already filled with blood, guts, death, and hopeless screams?


    "..." Riley then look outside the window, then back towards the news being shown on the TV. Even though there were a lot of people dying¡­ it was only limited in the streets he was in¨C because he himself was not letting anyone escape.


    And by doing that, he also indirectly contained the chaos in a single ce.


    "..." Realizing his mistake, Riley''s eyes started to twitch, along with his fingers that were itching to kill everyone inside the diner. He has only been retired for less than a year, and yet he was already getting clumsy?


    This isn''t good. What would Megawoman say when shees back to see him not living up to his reputation? To see the one who basically put her into aa doing such a lousy job of terrorizing the world¡­ wouldn''t she be disappointed?


    "As I thought. The damage was controlled because you were here."


    "..." Riley then turned towards the voice that suddenly whispered into his ear, only to see Tempo stepping at the regenerating monster repeatedly¨C almost at a speed that his feet looked slow doing so.


    "To be able to blow this thing with just the snap of a finger," Tempo then continued his words, "That''s really something else. You do know we''re currently hiring in the Hope Guild, right?"


    "Yes, Mr. Tempo," Riley sighed and nodded.


    "It also doesn''t help that your father is currently MIA," Tempo also let out a sigh of his own, "Where is your father anyway? He''s been missing for ages since Prophet croaked. Rest in peace to that guy, of course."


    "Father¡­ is missing?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "...You don''t know? Shit, did I run off my mouth again?" Tempo then looked to the side as he slightly pped his own lips,


    "He''s probably with Empress, then. Shit, I did it again, didn''t I?" This time, Tempopletely covered his mouth, "Sorry, kid. My mind is too active."


    "You do not need to apologize, Mr. Tempo. My mind is in the same state," Riley once again sighed before stepping out of the diner; slightly ncing back at the news as he passed the door. He then carefully looked at his surroundings; the look on his face, clearly showed a sign of disappointment that was rarely seen.


    Was he¡­ getting rusty? He thought as he looked at all the blood and guts surrounding him.


    "..."


    "..."


    No. What was he even thinking? He was currently retired right now¨C he then thought. Doing this much when he was supposed to be retired? Isn''t that a feat in and of itself? There was also the fact that he caused this much carnage to litter in the streets¡­ and yet there was no one trying to kill him.


    Riley, was in a way, like a child that was freely getting away with the trouble he was causing. Of course, for him, it was just the perk of being perceived as a hero. Truly, it was the right decision to enroll in Mega Academy.


    "Dark¨C !!!"


    The Crimson Pdin screamed as soon as Riley''s eyes strayed towards him; he stopped his words before he couldplete them, however, as soon as he noticed that Tempo was behind Riley.


    "Riley Ross!" He then instead screamed as he continued to deflect Aerith''s advances. He could just let Aerith charge Riley¡­ but seeing as there were a lot of civilians in the diner behind him, he couldn''t do that.


    "Why is this grey one intent on targeting you!?" He shouted as he continued to block Aerith''s ws with his giant sword.


    Riley did not answer him immediately but instead turned his head towards Tempo, then back to the Crimson Pdin. The Crimson Pdin called him by his name instead of Darkday¨C could it be he didn''t want anyone to know of Riley''s identity?


    ¡­Could the Pope need him for something?


    "..." Riley then paused his thoughts as he looked at Aerith, finally answering the Crimson Pdin''s question,


    "She is targeting me because I am handsome."


    "Wha¨C"


    "Ha! That was funny," Tempo then let out a small chuckle, sliding his finger inside his helmet to try and wipe the small tearing out of his eye, "I see you still have a sense of humor. I thought you had no EQ at all like Whiteking. I guess geniuses are like that? A few screws loose here and there?"


    "..."


    "Sorry, am I too talkative?" Tempo''s body once again flickered as the people inside the diner seemed to add in number, "My mind works differently than most because of my abilities¡­ or maybe I also inherited it from my parents? I wonder how they are? I haven''t visited the Philippines for almost a day now."


    "...You''re not from Japan?" Riley slightly widened his eyes.


    "No, I''m Filipin¨C" Tempo''s eyes could also be seen widening from his helmet, "I probably shouldn''t have said that¡­ Oh well, at least it''s not like Whiteking whose whole life is already out there. Maybe I should out myself as well?"


    Tempo''s body once again flickered; the number of people inside the diner, almost multiplying in number. The monsters that were previously chasing almost everyone, now just focused on the Crimson Pdin who was still waving his giant sword almost without end.


    "V should be here soon to neutralize these monsters," Tempo then said as his body continued to flicker. Tempo really is strong, Riley thought as he nced at all the people he saved. But s, during the fight with Megawoman, all Riley had to do was lock Tempo''s limbs¨Cpletely making him useless.


    In the end, his telekic abilities were superior. Perhaps he should really thank his deceased biological mother¡­ speaking of which; the voice he heard earlier, could it be possible it was from her?


    ¡­Was that a memory? So why did Riley see her beside him through the ss? Riley thought as he looked at the window¨C only to see only his reflection.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Why are the two of you just watching!?"


    The Crimson Pdin''s greaves then left a trail of dust as he slid towards Tempo and Riley¨C his sword, almost already dented from Aerith''s endless attacks.


    "What are you talking about? I''m busy saving people," Tempo then said as his body once again flickered¨C adding another person inside the diner.


    "That¡­ what about you!?" The Crimson Pdin then turned his head towards Riley.


    "A member of the Hope Guild is already here," Riley shrugged, "I''m just a child so I am letting the adults take over."


    "Y¨C"


    "He is right¡­ knight or whatever you are," Tempo then said as he stepped forward, "Let the kid rest. As adults, it''s our turn to¨C"


    "Adults are suckers!"


    And before Tempo could finish his words, a blinding green light suddenly shed throughout the entire street¨C momentarily drowning the walls with green. And as soon as the light faded, a mecha suit almost 3 meters in heightnded right in front of Riley and the others.


    Its knee and knuckles, touching the ground before standing as dramatically and slow as possible¨C letting out whirring noises as snaps of green lightning streaked throughout the entire suit.


    "In the end, the future generation will always be the one to clean up after the adults!"


    "....What did we say about shy entrances, V?"

 Chapter 199 - V

    <h4>Chapter 199 - V</h4>


    "...What did we say about shy entrances, V?"


    "That it''s cool as fuck."


    The trickles of green electricity running through and across V''s mecha suit made almost one close one''s eyes with how bright it was. And from up close, the streaks of lightning almost seemed to have lives of their own¨C working together to form some kind of web surrounding the mecha suit.


    "No¡­" Tempo could only let out a small sigh as he watched as V was still dramatically standing¡­ for almost 3 seconds now, "That''s not exactly what we discussed¡­


    ¡­Stop giving the others any weird ideas about the Hope Guild," Tempo then said as he noticed the slight curiosity in Riley''s face.


    "Heh, who cares," V then said as whirring sounds started to click as parts of her mecha suit started to expand and let out fumes. She then turned around¨C her mecha suit''s head looking down at Riley and Crimson Pdin.


    "You C listers stand back now," she then scoffed, "The elites are here!"


    And as soon as she said that, she pped her hands; once again causing a bout of electricity to trickle all over her body¨C the bright shes of light, attracting theplete attention of the mindless monsters that were wreaking havoc throughout the streets.


    V then stretched her arm to the side; catching the gigantic head of the leaping monster that wanted to try and swallow her and her suit whole. The palm of her mecha suit was almost nted on the monster''s gigantic head, and like some sort of lock¨C the tips of her fingers embedded themselves through the monster''s face.


    And with a small but deep hum, the monster''s head started to tremble. And soon, trickles of green started crawling through its face¨C moving almost instantly throughout its entire body. It did not take long for steam to fume out from all the orifices the monster had to offer; her huge eyes almost looked like it was boiling before theypletely melted and trailed from their sockets.


    And soon, the monster''s whale-like jaw dropped to the ground; letting out a waterfall of blood and guts its insidespletely melted.


    "..."


    "..."


    And unlike with Riley and the Crimson Pdin¡­ the monster did not immediately get up or regenerate¨C leaving it only to drown in its own blood.


    "..." Riley could only squint his eyes as he looked at the lifeless gigantic head in front of them. So Tempo wasn''t lying? Electricity really is their weakness? Is it possible it was Megawoman''s weakness as well? Or did this have something to do with the fact that they were clones?


    "Heh."


    V, who noticed Riley''s slightly lowered eyebrows, could not help but let out a condescending scoff; her voice, even more amplified by whatever sound system her mecha suit was using. And even though she wasn''t visible inside, one could just imagine the look of superiority she was giving right now.


    "Let the professionals handle this, kid," the tone of V''s tone continued to whistle as she once again raised her arm; this time, the feet of her mecha suit slid at an almost propelling speed towards the nearest monster¨C the four-legged one.


    She quickly hugged the monster''s neck¨C before also wrapping it with her suit''s legs and letting out a burst of electricity that almost roared throughout the entire city. And without even wondering if she had already neutralized the four-legged monster, she quickly flew towards another monster that was rushing towards her; her mecha suit''s hands turning into a ball she mmed it straight towards the monster''s breasts.


    The entire body of the tall monster jolted¨C almost like its muscles have been suddenly woken up by a defibritor; its breasts, caving in as steam and blood started to flow from its mouth.


    "And that''s three," V then once again let out a small scoff as she kicked the monster away¨C embedding it on a wall like some sort of sticky slime.


    "See what I mean?" A screeching noise then pattered in the air as V started to dust off any imaginary dust she had on her mecha suit''s arms, "These weird fuckers stand no chance against the likes of me¨C a veteran hero with a million years of experience."


    "She''s as young as you, by the way," Tempo quickly leaned closer to Riley and whispered into his ear, "But seriously, what is your generation eating for all of you to be this strong?"


    "Milk," Riley answered without any hesitation.


    "...Right," Tempo chuckled, "Maybe you could join the Hope Guild? I think it''ll be good for V to have someone her age in the group¨C not to mention your biological mother was also part of¡­ Wait, did I say something bad again!?"


    "You do not have to worry, Mr. Tempo. I already know the story about my biological mother."


    "Is¡­ Is that so?" Tempo stuttered almost at the same time his entire body flickered; and with the 2nd static, his hand was already holding a chunk of flesh. A chunk of flesh from one of the deformed monsters rushing towards V¨C and judging by the tallest one of them suddenly crawling helplessly on the ground, Tempo just tore its heel.


    All V needed to do was stomp her foot towards the crawling monster¨C letting its body convulsed and melt from the inside as she once again released a barrage of green lightning.


    "That''s four, heh," V then once again let out a small scoff as she turned to look at Riley and the others, "I don''t even need any of your hel¨C !!!"


    And before she could finish what she was saying; she saw her entire vision shift as a sort of pressure suddenly mmed through her armor¨C strong enough for her to feel it from the inside. And seeing as she continued to violently roll meters on the ground and not even stopping at the first wall she hit, the force of the strike would have more than likely killed her if not for the armor she was wearing.


    "F¡­ fuck¡­ what?"


    And now, the arrogant tone that V held was no more; the shock that was seeping out from the cracks of her mecha suit¨C almost as strong as the strands of lightning that surrounds her body.


    "How¡­ how is that one still alive?" V then looked towards the one who hit her, only to see the monster with the gigantic head looking at her; its forehead bent from headbutting V''s mecha suit.


    "How¡­ are you alive?" She repeated her stutters, "The¡­ the other ones from the other city croaked instantly."


    "Pft."


    "!!!" And as soon as she heard the small chuckle that escaped from Riley''s mouth, V''s eye quickly started to twitch.


    "You fucking monsters!" V then pped her hands, and as soon as she did so, the ground in front of her cracked; almost like a million ice cubes perfectly cut as bursts of lightning emerged from them. A snap of lightning that almost rippled in the air, eradicating anything that stands in its path as it waved through.


    The nearest monster that was unfortunate enough to receive the full brunt of V''s wrath let out a shrilling roar¨C its eyes, instantly melting away as blood flowed from all the holes in its body.


    "..."


    However, almost like an egg being poached, the monster''s eyes once again hardened and became filled with white.


    "Wha¨C"


    And before V could contemte what was happening, another monster leaped towards her¨C the smallest one. Perhaps due to her sudden fit of rage, she couldn''t notice that the small one was already trying to rip her mecha suit open¨C and is almost sessful.


    "G¡­ get off!" V then also let out a roar; causing a blinding green light to once again explode through the entire street¨C the electricity she produced, enough topletely obliterate the small monster''s body.


    "..." But then, without even a secondter, the puddle of blood in front of her started to wriggle.


    "H¡­ how? Why?" V stuttered as her mecha suit''s knees touched the ground, "I¡­ I thought electricity was their weakness!? I thought I''m the hero today!?"


    "Uh oh, the kid''s starting to act up again."


    Tempo disappeared from Riley''s side, appearing in front of V without even a quarter of a secondter.


    "Hey, it''s fine," Tempo then said as he tapped the mecha suit, "Your effort is what matt¨C"


    "Stay the fuck away from me!"


    And before even a trickle of electricity could touch his suit, Tempo was already back to where Riley and Crimson Pdin were standing. They were currently doing nothing, as each of V''s attacks attracted the monsters'' attentions without any fail.


    Some of them, seemingly even aloof as they just stood watching V.


    "But seriously, though¡­" Tempo then whispered as his body once again blurred, "Why are they not dying? The ones we fought in the other cities died from V''s powers."


    "..." Tempo then looked at the chunk of flesh in his hand¨C only to see the tip of his glovespletely shredded off¡­ all the way to his skin. He then tried to squeeze the flesh, only to notice that it was harder than it was before.


    "These things¡­ are getting stronger?" Tempo worded out the thoughts that Riley has been having since earlier.


    "What are they in the first ce?" Tempo continued to talk, "And that grey one that seems to be their alpha," he then pointed towards Aerith, who seemed extremely wary of V.


    "I feel like I''ve seen its face bef¨C"


    And before Tempo could finish his words, Aerith''s entire body suddenly plunged towards a building¨C almost making a dungeon with how hard she flew away.


    "..." Riley, who was the one responsible for throwing Aerith away, could not help but tilt his head to the side.


    "Weird," he then muttered. In truth, he was trying to blow Aerith into pieces so that Tempo wouldn''t recognize her anymore¡­ but to think all his attack would do was just violently throw her away¡­


    ¡­Perhaps saying they were growing stronger...


    ...was starting to be an understatement.

 Chapter 200 - Time Bomb

    <h4>Chapter 200 - Time Bomb</h4>


    "Uh, guys? Might need a little back up here."


    Tempo dropped the hard chunk of flesh in his hand; pressing his neck and seemingly trying to contact other members of the Hope Guild. But seeing as he didn''t say anything more, no one was responding.


    "We have a big V problem," Tempo then said as he turned his attention towards V, whose mecha suit was slightly damaged by the earlier attack, "Guys?"


    And with him trying again and having no one to respond, the only thing he could do was let out a sigh before his entire body flickered; soon returning to cast a shadow of himself, Riley, and the Crimson Pdin as he carried V to their position.


    "Kh¡­" Tempo then quickly pulled his arm away from theyers of whatever material V''s mecha suit was made off¨C his skin, almost letting out a hint of sizzle as it almost burned from touching it. And with his gloves already ripped from having attacked the monsters earlier, he felt every inch of the heat that was exuding from V''s mecha suit.


    "When was thest time you did maintenance on this thing!?" Tempo then said as he waved his hand several times.


    "When¡­ when Whitekingst¨C"


    "That was almost a month ago!" Tempo let out a small groan as he heard V''s words, "Just stay here and provide support¨C at this point, you''re more dangerous than these monsters."


    "But¨C"


    V wanted to say something, but Tempo''s deep and very loud sighpletely drowned her voice.


    "So, what are we going to do about this?" Tempo then turned his attention towards the monsters. They were previously filled with aggression; attacking anything that dares to breathe within meters away from them. But now, they were all carefully approaching V and the others.


    Tempo should be relieved that none of the monsters were actively trying to eat or kill them now¡­ but seeing that their number was still the same as when they arrived, they were basically back to square one.


    "I thought the members of the Hope Guild were supposed to be the strongest?" The Crimson Pdin, who was currently trying to catch his breath and resting while the monsters were idle, let out a cold harrumph as he nced at V and Tempo,


    "But I see now you''re just like any other self-titled superheroes this society has produced¨C self-driven and egotistical."


    "You¡­ I would have punched you any other time," the tone of irritation in Tempo''s voice could not be hidden; but still, the only thing that followed his irritation was his body suddenly disappearing.


    "Hoy!" He then almost instantly appeared on top of the four-legged monster variant, this time, with some sort of sharp pole in his hands that he got from somewhere. His hands started to vibrate, almost disappearing as he lodged the pole on the monster''s neck like some sort of drill.


    "..." Tempo, however, could not help but slightly squint his eyes as he felt some sort of resistance; every muscle of the monster, seemingly trying to spit out his pole. The monster then quickly turned its head towards Tempo, but before its eyes could evennd on him, he was gone.


    "Hm," Tempo then let out a small hum as he returned to where Riley and the others are, "We''re in quite a pickle. They''re getting stronger by the minute¡­ and the only thing preventing them from ganging up on us is they''re wary of this huge chunk of metal," he then said as he tapped V''s mecha suit several times.


    "Our only real problem is that," Tempo then pointed towards rubbles that were dropping on a certain building; revealing Aerith who was brushing off all the debris and dust stuck onto and into her from Riley''s earlier attack.


    "..." Although Riley didn''t use anywhere near his full strength, the force he used earlier should have been enough topletely turn Aerith into a cloud of blood¡­ but now, all she got was her skin and flesh all mangled¨C but that too, was already healing.


    Maybe she had 5% of Megawoman''s durability already? Was she truly going to reach Megawoman''s strength if he let her be?


    "Tch, why do all heroes like to talk?" The Crimson Pdin once again let out a small scoff, before leaping forward and waving his sword towards the four-legged monster, who still seemed confused as to why it had a metal pole lodged into its back.


    And before the pole couldpletely be pulled off by the monster''s flesh, Crimson Pdin jumped high and stomped his foot on the pole, lodging it deeper and pinning the four-legged monster on the ground. And before the monster could try to lift itself up, the Crimson Pdin once again waved his sword; and although there was a slight resistance, his giant sword still managed to cut the monster''s head off of its neck.


    "...Who is that guy again?" Tempo slightly leaned closer to Riley


    "He is one of the Pope''s guards."


    "Oh, I heard about them," Tempo then let out a small gasp as he quickly returned his gaze on the Crimson Pdin, who was trying to cut all the monsters while they were all busy being wary at V,


    "They are Supers bred and trained early, sometimes from birth and they just pick the ones who awaken their abilities ear¨C Oh my god, we really do like to talk."


    "..."


    "V, just provide support from the rear for now."


    "Y¡­ yeah," V quickly responded. The arrogant tone she held very dearly just earlier, now reced by a slightly somber and sedated voice.


    "Guys," Tempo then once again pressed his ear, "We really do need one more member here. The Threat Level is way higher than we expected¨C it would seem their queen or whatever this grey woman is is here. Butcher will do, these things are as hard as¨C What? No! Not Hera!"


    Tempo''s voice slightly became louder as he shook his head, "No, not you! We''re trying to keep the damage to a minimum since there is already a lot of coteral¨C Hello? Hello!? Fuck! If Whiteking was here then this surely would have already been¡­ Ack, why am I talking again!?"


    And with those words, Tempo once again disappeared from his spot; appearing behind the Crimson Pdin, seemingly matching his speed perfectly.


    "Let''s lure them away from the streets, sir."


    "...Sir?" The Crimson Pdin was a bit weirded out first with Tempo''s sudden change of tone but quickly nodded his head as he mmed his fist on the t surface of his giant sword; creating a sort of a ripple that rang throughout the entire street.


    And as soon as most of the monsters looked towards their direction, the Crimson Pdin once again mmed his fist on his sword, before running away as soon as he made sure that the monsters were all following.


    "...The grey one isn''t following us," the Crimson Pdin then let out a small but deep breath as he looked at Aerith, who had been standing on the same spot for almost a full minute now, "She¡­ seems to be targeting only Da¡­ Riley."


    "...The Riley?" Tempo squinted his eyes, "It should be fine. Whiteking''s son is a monster, and with V with him, the grey one shouldn''t be too much of a problem. And besides¡­ another grey one will be joining them soon. Come, let us show these kids how we adults get things done!"


    "..."


    "..."


    And with that, the Crimson Pdin and Tempo sessfully started to lure the other monsters away, leaving only V, Riley, Aerith, and all the dead bodies to litter the streets.


    "What¡­ what are we going to do now? Why did they leave!?"


    "..." Riley then slowly turned his head towards the mecha suit; his ears, being bombarded by the panicked whispers that were seeping out from the cracks.


    "Why¡­ why aren''t my powers working on them anymore? It was working fine just earlier¡­ the ones in the other cities all dropped dead¡­ so why are they still standing up?"


    "..." Riley could hear her trembling voice¨C a far cry from how arrogant her tone was earlier. How exactly is a child like this in Hope Guild? Even during the fight with Megawoman, she was the first one to give up.


    And if Riley was right, then V is stronger without the mecha suit. Her mecha suit serves as some sort of limiter¡­ just like what Bernard did to Hannah; he said he inserted some sort of needle in Hannah''s arm to prevent her powers from losing control.


    For V, it was her mecha suit.


    "..." And with that thought, a small smile once again slowly crawled on Riley''s face. His ce was considered as the most peaceful one by Tempo¡­ maybe it''s time to change that?


    Riley then looked towards Aerith, who still seemed to bepletely wary of V¨C that changed, however, as Riley subtly flicked his finger, causing Aerith to fly straight towards V.


    "Watch out."


    "Wha¨C"


    And before V could turn to look at Riley, his arm was already stretched towards her, pushing her away from ''harm''s way''. But s, it would seem he was a little toote as Aerith''s very deadly ''attack'' grazed V''s mecha suit.


    And even though it was just a graze, for some reason¡­ itpletely ripped the mecha suit apart¨Cpletely exposing V, whose eyes were already wide as she slowly felt herself separating from her armor.


    "N¡­ no," V''s eyes started to release vast amounts of green electricity from her eyes; and instantly, almost travelling throughout her entire body as she failed to grab onto her mecha suit. The color of her hair, almost undetermined as the green lightning enraptured all of her.


    "Run¡­" V then quickly turned her head towards Riley; the tears that wereing out of her eyes, floating away from her face as they turned into some sort of green particles,


    "Please¡­


    ¡­run away!"

 Chapter 201 - New Toy

    <h4>Chapter 201 - New Toy</h4>


    "What the hell!? Let us out! My brother is out there risking his life for us!"


    "I am afraid that''s just not possible, child. Heroes have always sacrificed themselves for the greater good¡­ and thest I checked, members of the Hope Guild are already in the scene."


    "I don''t fucking care, you fucking bisexual sun god! Please, my brother!"


    In the inner gates of the USMA, Hannah was currently punching the said gate; her strikes, each containing a burst of me that was enough to cause the people nearby to feel a flush of heat scorching their skin.


    The Academy gates, however, did not budge one bit as it was currently being reinforced by Bulwark''s abilities; the golden barrier, only rippling and dispersing Hannah''s mes by letting it scatter and crawl through the walls, leaving the gatepletely untouched.


    Silvie wanted to try and break the gates as well, but Hannah did not let her do so as she was already attracting too much attention to herself; if the people were to find out that the monsters were actually clones of Megawoman¡­ and that she too was a clone, then the masses would surely call for Silvie.


    Gary did not have that reservation, as he helped Hannah in trying to bring down the gate¡­ but his strikes were too weak to do any damage. The only ones that were perhaps truly choosing to do nothing were Be and Tomoe.


    Tomoe was confident enough that the worse thing that could happen to Riley was him probably getting bored. As for Be, well¡­ she was stillpletely in shock at what Riley had just done.


    Los Angeles was about 4000 kilometers (2,500 miles) away from Massachusetts, and for him to be able to fly them back here while still remaining in Los Angeles was a feat that perhaps only the strongest of telekics could achieve.


    "Hannah¡­ your brother¡­" Be then could no longer help herself, "He legit as hell¡­ Just how strong is he?"


    "Probably as strong as Ms. Phoenix," Gary worded out as he once again tried to kick the gate; creating a ripple as the golden barrier shielding it shook, "She is his moth¡ªor you could also say he''s as strong as Darkday as well."


    Gary almost slipped out Riley''s real parentage¡ªforgetting that only the permanent members of the Baby Crew should be privy to that information. However, his words seemed to have been a mistake, as Hannah''s mes almost targeted him instead.


    "Never put my brother and that monster''s name in the same sentence!" Hannah yelled.


    "That¡­ was actually apliment," Gary said as he quickly raised his guard, "But¡­ I get what you mean. But you have to agree though, Riley is strong af. I wonder who would win¡ª I''ll stop talking."


    "¡­"


    Bulwark continued to watch Hannah and Gary take down the gates of the Academy and his barrier; his sighs, almost echoing throughout the entire campus. For someone to bepared to Ms. Phoenix and Darkday¡­ Riley Ross truly is something special.


    Darkday, however, is evil incarnate himself.


    He could still remember the Battle at Toronto. The Hope Guild¡­ was treated almost as a nuisance. No, not even¡ªthey were almost like toys that Darkday just yed with; the fact that none of them died was proof of that.


    The only ones that could actually really prove to be somewhat useful against the Darkday clones were him, Empress, and surprisingly, Whiteking.


    Throughout the thousands of years of Bulwark''s existence, he had met an even more number of Supers that used their powers and abilities for bad things¡­ but they all had reasons for doing the things they did¡ªthey all had goals.


    One created a prison to create his own army, hoping to rule the entire world only to be poisoned before she could do so. Bulwark knew her as a child, and she was always looked down upon because she was born a woman into a family that only produced warriors, thus craved for power.


    Some used their powers to be kings, gods, or some to just live a life without enemies. But Darkday?


    Darkday just appeared. No reason, no goal. Almost as if he was just wreaking havoc and death just because he wants to.


    ¡­


    Or maybe Bulwark was seeing this wrong? Perhaps Darkday exists to truly just inflict pain and suffering to the world? His goal, just to end life itself?


    But what would his rationale be? Every being should have a goal to what they are doing¡ªeven animals.


    "¡­" Bulwark then let out a small sigh as the drumming of Hannah and Gary''s attacks once again roared in his ears. This was no time to worry about Darkday¡ªone of his students was out there, sacrificing his life so that his friends could live.


    Riley Ross¡­ he seems to be overprotective of his sister; maybe even obsessed. One of the traits that people like Riley usually always have. He had met people like him before; back then, however, there was no official title for them¡­ people just thought they were somewhat crazy.


    Ms. Phoenix''s biological son¡­ Does Riley''s condition have something to do with him almost dying by his mother''s hand as a child?


    In truth, he almost became Riley''s adoptive father. When the Hope Guild was choosing who the best candidate was to take care of Ms. Phoenix''s child, he was the one who gained the most votes.


    Empress was looked at, at first. But since she already lost a child, she refused and said that she couldn''t bear to lose another. Also, she just inherited the leadership of the team and didn''t want any distractions.


    Tempo was just too young back then.


    Dr. Snipe, a previous member, was just too old to take care of anyone.


    Butcher wanted to take care of Riley¡ªof course, no one agreed.


    And so, the choices were refined to only him and Whiteking. Whiteking immediately backed out, saying that Bulwark was the best choice as out of all of them, he had the most experience dealing with children¡ªafter all, everyone is a child to him.


    Whiteking had a small daughter that time so he just t-out refused. However, as soon as Diana arrived, the only thing that Bulwark could do was take a step back. As they say, no one could eat a mother''s instinct.


    But what if¡­ just what if Riley grew up with him? Would he have been able to train Riley into someone that would be able to defeat Darkday?


    "¡­" Bulwark quickly let out a small sigh as soon as the thought entered his mind. What''s done is done¡ªfate has already yed its cards. One could also say that if Ms. Phoenix did not die, then it was possible that Darkday could have been stopped.


    They all should have tried harder in saving Ms. Phoenix from herself. None of them realized Ms. Phoenix''s slow descent into madness¡ªbut they should have. Ms. Phoenix just arrived at their meeting hall one day, already pregnant; no one knew the father.


    They should have realized there and then that something was wrong. But s, even amongst the members of the Hope Guild, Ms. Phoenix was somewhat isted because her powers were just¡­ almost too great.


    They were only able to defeat her because her mind was already gone¡­ and because they asked Charlotte to help them defeat her¡ªa favor that Bulwark regrets asking even until now.


    Riley Ross¡­ Riley Ross could actually be considered as the child of everyone in the Hope Guild, not just Ms. Phoenix''s, not just Whiteking''s.


    Riley Ross¡­ should not sacrifice himself.


    And with that thought entering his mind, Bulwark quickly ordered to open the gate. And as soon as Hannah saw this, a small victorious smile instantly crawled on his face¡ªwhich was soon almost littered with blood as her nose ttened as she tried to rush outside.


    Sadly for Hannah, even with the gates opened, Bulwark''s golden barrier was still very much alive.


    "W¡­ what is this!?"


    "You don''t have to worry, child," Bulwark then nced at Hannah as he passed through the golden barrier without any resistance,


    "I will bring your brother home."


    ***


    "Please¡­ Please run away!"


    Back in Los Angeles, V''s high-pitched screams almost thundered through the streets; partnered by the rumbling of the lightning that was crawling from every pore in her body.


    Still, even with the almost deafening noises, Riley still remained near V; the expression on his face, containing an almost child-like curiosity as he continued to look at V from head to toe. The electricity that wasing out of V surrounded her entire body¡ªmuch like Hannah''s.


    V''s powers, however, seemed to have a life of their own as minuscule bolts of lightning seemingly tried to reach out to Riley; unable to do so, however, as they were stopped by the invisible armor surrounding him.


    "¡­Interesting," Riley however whispered as he felt a slight tickle subtly crawling on his cheek.


    If Hannah took off her limiter, will her power also be like this? Will her fire be enough to scorch the entire world with just a single step?


    ¡­Burning the entire world¡ªone could only imagine the screams the Earth would produce. Maybe he should start thinking of borrowing¡ª


    And before Riley could finish his thoughts, a shrilling noise that almost drowned V''s frantic screams erupted in the air. Aerith, who was pushed away by Riley earlier, once again leapt out of the building she was in, quickly rushing towards Riley.


    "¡­I am bored with you now, monster."


    Riley then quickly grabbed Aerith''s face as soon as she got near. And with a small but deep breath escaping from his mouth, Aerith''s entire body¡­ instantlypressed into a ball the size of a watermelon.


    And without even looking at his creation, he flicked his hand, causing a skirt of wind to form around the ball¡ªripping the clouds above as Aerith¡­ or whatever remained of her to fly straight through the expanse of space.


    "I¡­" Riley then turned his attention towards V; whose trickling eyes were as wide as they could be as she stared towards the skies,


    "I found a new toy."

 Chapter 202 - V

    <h4>Chapter 202 - V</h4>


    Even with V''s eyes being entirely covered by the green streaks of lightning that were emerging from every pore in her body, they were still able to see the sudden clearing of the skies; Los Angeles, finally once again being greeted by the stars and the moon.


    Of course, V also saw the reason for this¨C Aerith''s body suddenly and instantlypressed into a ball, and that ball of meat, bones, and blood was probably already somewhere floating aimlessly in space, frozen by its deadly chill.


    ¡­If Riley could have done that from the start¡­ why didn''t he just do it? If he had the ability to actually neutralize, or as he did, topletely throw the enemy away from the with just a single flick of his finger¡­ why didn''t he? Everyone was doing their best to get out of this situation and to save as many lives as possible¡­ so why did he only do that now?


    Even now, V was also trying her best. If it wasn''t for her using almost all of her efforts in trying to restrain the roaring lightning that wanted to burst out from her body, then this ce would have surely been wiped out from the map already.


    Of course, that might be an exaggeration on her part¨C but the members of the Hope Guild had always told her that her powers were too dangerous to not be kept in check. If a bunch of S-grade Superheroes was telling that to her¡­ then the damage she would probably inflict was catastrophic.


    And if she wasn''t putting all of her strength in trying to stop her powers from losing control, then she would have probably already asked Riley why he didn''t do that ball-space thingy from the start.


    But s, she knew that if she so much as opened her mouth to talk, she would lose focus. And with the loud and exploding sputters that were surrounding her endlessly, she can''t even hear the words that Riley was saying to her; all she could really do was watch as Riley ever so slowly tried to reach his hand towards her for some reason.


    "..."


    She already told him to run, right? She used thest of her focus and strength to specifically tell Riley to run away. So why was this white-haired tolkien elf still here? She already knew of Riley''s condition, but no one told her he was also crazy as hell.


    V''s eyes then turned towards Riley''s hand, which was still slowly moving towards¡­ her face. No, could it be?


    Was Riley Ross perhaps¡­ trying to see if she is okay? Did Riley Ross choose to remain here because he wanted to check on her?


    And as soon as that thought raced in her mind, V once again used most of her spare strength in trying to shake her head¨C as if telling Riley to just abandon her and run away. Even if they were indeed the same age, V was already a veteran superhero; and not just any superhero but a member of the best Superhero team in the world.


    But s, even with her trembling head, Riley''s hand still slowly approached her face. And even if just a single finger were to make contact with the ocean of lightning that is her skin, then Riley Ross''s entire body might disintegrate into nothing but dust.


    Even the floor beneath her was slowly crumbling¨C almost turning into quicksand as she felt the soles of her feet slightly digging through the ground. The clouds of dust peacefully floating around her, almost like fireflies as they very subtly exploded.


    Riley Ross was right in his earlier assumption; V''s mecha suit served as a limiter to her powers.


    The mecha suit absorbsrge amounts of energy; even just a single finger needs the same power as an entire electric truck at maximum power. Therge amounts of electricity her body was releasing helped kept her powers sedated; because as Empress described it¨C V''s power was almost endless.


    The mecha suit kept her powers tame. Without it, the electricitying out of her body would shatter and destroy everything in its path as it continued to grow. She could try her best and hardest to keep the lightning within her body¨C but that would probably eat her from the inside. Of course, she was not sure that is really what would happen, but that is what it certainly feels like right now.


    Ever since she was discovered by the Hope Guild; Whiteking had quickly produced the mecha suit for her¡­ and that was almost 10 years ago. And with that new armor protecting her and her surroundings, she was trained by Empress in some sort of ind which was supposed to be something like a training ground for Megawoman''s disciples.


    The only time she isn''t wearing her mecha suit is when Whiteking is present. For 10 years, she had basically lived inside the mecha suit¨C and that was no exaggeration to call it as such. The mecha suit had its own shower, a toilet system; not to mention it was always at a temperature that she liked.


    And now¡­ she was vulnerable; akin to a turtle that lost its shell. But instead of her insides and blood littering the streets, it was a violent torrent of lightning that threatened to scorch anything within its path.


    And Riley Ross happened to be in that path. Once again, she wanted to tell Riley to just run away; but if she put her energy elsewhere, then the bursting torrent of electricity within her would surely explode¨C probably erasing the entire city.


    "..."


    And so, with Riley''s hand almost only just a few inches away from the ocean of lightning that is her skin, the only thing that V could do was close her eyes; not wanting to see the fate of those who dared to even touch her.


    Tears were already starting toe out of V''s eyes as she imagined Riley''s entire body disintegrating into nothing. But even her tears were not allowed to live as they exploded almost in their birth.


    ''Sorry,'' was the only whisper she could muster inside her mind. And soon¡­ she felt a pressure surrounding her neck.


    "!!!"


    V then quickly opened her green bright eyes, which quickly strayed downwards to look at Riley¡­ who was currently lifting her up by her neck. His arm, almost seemingly infected by a million green ants as the electricity wrapped around it.


    V thought that Riley would be in so much pain right now; his face, however, expressed otherwise.


    Riley Ross was smiling, still smiling. And instead, the pressure that she thought would disappear from her neck tightened even heavier. Riley seemed to be saying something as his mouth moved; but once again, V was unable to hear even a single whisper.


    The only thing she could hear were the sputters¡­ and maybe some few broken bones cracking around her neck?


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Wait¡­ is Riley Ross trying to kill her?


    "!!!"


    And as soon as she thought of that; as if a switch being turned on, or maybe in this case, off; something that she was not allowed to do happened. Something that the members of the Hope Guild specifically told her never to do¨C


    ¡ªShe panicked.


    "No!" V then finally let out her voice; almost like thunder as the electricity dancing around her feet finally crawled away; like a me in a field drowned in pollen, rippling and covering the ground bit by bit¨C like a cobweb forever unfolding by itself.


    That growing cobweb, however, was suddenly swatted away as V''s vision almost faded to ck¡­ with Riley mming her through the ground without any warning.


    And now, the growing cobweb of violent lightning waspletely drowned by the sudden ripple of the ground; the earth itself, almost swallowing the crawling lightning whole as it lifted a few levels from the sheer force of Riley''s sudden m.


    "..."


    That enough force should have been more than enough to turn V''s head into a paste. But aside from feeling the whish of her head moving at an extreme speed¡­ she felt nothing else.


    Wait¡­ Was Riley Ross actually trying to help her? It made sense, she thought. If she was unconscious, then the lightning around her would probably also be sedated¡­ or it could also wreak even more havoc. But whatever the case would be¡­ was Riley Ross actually trying to save¨C


    And before she could finish her thoughts, her vision once again faded marily. And as soon as she woke up from the very momentary stupor, she saw the lights of Los Angeles below her; the helicopters that had been watching them since earlier, now within her eye level from afar.


    And in front of her, blocking the light of the moon, was Riley''s silhouette.


    "..." Did Riley Ross fly her here so that she could release her powers instead? Without having to worry about killing anyone?


    And as soon as that thought entered her mind, any hesitation within her disappeared. And like a raging thunder roaring through the skies, she finally opened her mouth and let out a shrilling and deep scream that could be heard in all of Los Angeles.


    And not only that¨C the electricity that rippled out from her was enough to turn the tragic night almost into day. And from the view of the satellites, it was almost as if a small part of the world exploded.


    And soon, V slowly felt the burden inside her getting lighter and lighter; she could finally hear her own breaths again. She then turned her head towards Riley, who was, surprisingly, still in front of her¨C not even a scratch despite the storm that just erupted.


    "W¨C"


    And before V could even say anything, Riley suddenly wrapped his arm around her waist.


    W¡­ what are you doing!?" V then almost pushed Riley away¨C but the electricity she just emptied out inside her was once again already growing at an incredible rate. It is as Empress said¡­ her powers were almost endless.


    "It''s alright, Ms. V," Riley Ross then whispered into V''s ear,


    "We are just going on a tour¡­


    ¡­in Ennd."

 Chapter 203 - Race To Hope (1)

    <h4>Chapter 203 - Race To Hope (1)</h4>


    A few minutes earlier, Riley was currently staring at the lump of electricity in front of him; his finger, still raised from having sent Aerith''spressed body in the oblivion called space.


    Interesting¨C he thought. The trickles of electricity that wasing out of V''s body were enough to pass through the invisible barrier surrounding him; slowly trying to crawl through his entire body like snakes wanting to swallow him whole.


    The web of electricity was also slowly trying to drown the streets. If left be, then it would probably cover the entire city within minutes¨C the only reason why it has still not done so was probably because of his barrier absorbing most of the energy.


    "..." A small smile then also slowly crawled on Riley''s face; if he put her in Ennd, would he end up killing everyone there? He thought as he slowly reached his hand towards V, and seeing the electricity seemingly trying to prevent him from approaching him, he could not help but let out a small sigh.


    If they just used him during the fight with Megawoman, then the Hope Guild would have probably helped in actually neutralizing him. Megawoman and V''s raw power might have had a chance.


    And the small pressure he was feeling in his arm just proves that; for the first time since Megawoman, Riley had to actively strengthen the barrier surrounding his body. Most of the time, the armor¡­ is just there¨C almost like a secondyer of his skin. Perhaps his biological mother was the same?


    "..." Riley then once again thought of the woman he saw in the reflection earlier¨C was it really possible it was Ms. Phoenix? She did kill him because she was turning crazy¡­ could it be he also inherited her mental illness?


    ¡­Was he also slowly turning crazy?


    And as the thought surfaced in Riley''s mind, the smile on his face grew wider. Turning crazy¡­ was perhaps a fitting end for a monster like him.


    He then grabbed V by the neck as he finally removed all the thoughts of his biological mother aside, for now, proceeding to then m V to the ground without any hesitation. But of course, he just needed her slightly unconscious, so he still protected her head from being turned into squashed watermelon.


    ¡­But s, she seemed to have fully held onto her consciousness. He could just flick something in her brain to make her unconscious¡­ but doing so might cause V''s power to also sleep.


    ¡­But why is she crying? Riley curiously tilted his head as tears suddenly fell on V''s face. It would have been alright if it was just that¡­ but why was a smile also forming on her face?


    "..." Riley decided not to think much of it as he flicked his finger, causing V''s entire body to shoot in the air¨C with a g-force strong enough to knock an elephant down. But s, once again, as Riley followed her through the skies, V remainedpletely awake¡­


    ¡­the smile on her face was even more present.


    ¡­Was she also crazy? Or maybe¡­ she also had a condition?-- Riley then thought as he let out a small sigh. This is bad; he hasn''t really interacted with people in the same spectrum as him besides Gary.


    Soon, however, an ocean of lightning filled the entire sky, causing the air itself to tremble¡­ but as if a tidal wave done with its destruction, the electricity surrounding V just faded.


    "..." The smile on her face, however, remained¨C this time, the smile seems to be targeted¡­ towards him?


    Seeing this, Riley could only once again let out a sigh. If he knew that V was on the spectrum as well, then he would have probably at least hesitated with this n of his. But s, it was already toote.


    Riley then slowly wrapped his arm around V, causing her to slightly stutter. Riley ignored her words, however, as he looked at her from head to toe.


    "..." It would seem there was one major w in his n¨C Ennd was about 5,000 miles away from here. If he traveled at the speed of sound, a speed he had shown he was already capable of several times, then he would reach Ennd in about 8 hours.


    That was just too far and too long. He wouldn''t be able to use the excuse that the fight was dragged over there because he was trying to stop V''s uncontroble rampage.


    He could try using Megawoman''s flight speed, but the problem is he had never tried using it¨C even if he did, it would look suspicious. Even without the helicopter watching their every move, how would he even exin flying to Ennd in less than 3 minutes?


    "Are you¡­ are you alright?" V''s somber and stuttering whispers then interrupted Riley''s ears, "Are¡­ are you not hurt?"


    "..." Riley then blinked a couple of times as he looked at V. He then looked at his body; he didn''t notice it earlier¡­ but he was alreadypletely drowned with V''s electricity.


    "...Oh," Riley then let out a small whisper. Couldn''t he use this as an excuse?


    Lightning travels around 200,000 miles per hour or so if he remembers. That''s a speed that would also allow him to reach Ennd within minutes. And the cameras should have already captured howpletely unstable V''s abilities are¡­ no one would suspect him if V''s power ''suddenly and idently'' fires up and shoots them somewhere far away¡­ and killing everyone within thatnd.


    The me will all be hers. And in the end, Riley would just be a helpless victim that was dragged by a violent cmity.


    "Pft," a small chuckle then escaped Riley''s mouth as his smile now reached from ear to ear. It was starting to get really fun, he thought. Although he misses the way he could just kill anyone as Darkday; there was also a certain satisfaction in having to think of ways on how to stealthily murder people¨C the Seven nes incident was like this as well.


    "I¡­ I think I am alright now," V then once again whispered, "Can we¡­ please go down now? I need to get to my private chamber¡­ you seem to be able to handle my electricity¡­ but¡­ but I can''t burden you with that¡­"


    V started to once again stutter her words; her face, almost turning into cherry with how red it is now.


    "Are you alright, Ms. V?" Riley then curiously asked as he saw her red face.


    "I¡­ I''m just starting to get dizzy," V then looked away, "It might be bad if I lose consciousness¡­ So¨C"


    "Oh," Riley did not let V finish her words as he looked at her straight in the eyes, "Then sleep."


    "Wha¨C"


    And once again, before she could say anything, her eyes suddenly turned white as her bodypletely fell onto Riley''s arms. And as V spected¨C her power once again going amok.


    The electricity around Riley started to dance; the pressure they emitted, growing stronger by the second¨C almost as if they were trying to fold? Riley into two.


    "Interesting," Riley then whispered as the smile on his face returned. And soon, his eyes shone red; followed by a loud boom as he disappeared from his spot¨C crashing through a helicopter as he used Megawoman''s speed to fly away.


    "!!!"


    Down below, Tempo''s deep and sudden breath quickly whispered into his own ears¨C almost as if even his own breaths were not enough to follow him as the world surrounding himpletely stopped moving. The only one that was able to follow his eyes, was the lightning that suddenly exploded in the sky.


    "...Fuck," he whispered as he casually walked forward, casually moving away from the w of a monster that was only an inch away from ripping off his face. But perhaps if he didn''t move, the w wouldn''t still have hit him as everything around him truly did seem frozen.


    He then took another step; the sound of his feet, almost like water dripping from a pipe. He then turned his head towards the Crimson Pdin, who was currently surrounded by 4 gigantic monsters.


    "..." And without any hesitation, left him to follow the lightning moving across the skies. Hera would be in Los Angeles soon to provide backup¨C the Crimson Pdin should be fine if he holds on.


    Chasing V and Riley Ross should be his priority right now.


    "Fuck!" He once again whispered; his voice, causing the air to crack. It was stupid of him to leave the two alone¨C even if they could indeed stop the grey monster, he forgot the risk of V losing control.


    Tempo then took another step, once again seemingly cracking the air as he used it to lift himself up.


    V and Riley Ross were children¨C why did he even decide to leave them all on their own!? Stupid, fucking stupid.


    Tempo''s eyes then focused on V and Riley; and even from afar, he could see that Riley was still conscious. As expected of Ms. Phoenix''s son, he thought. The child of a lion is still a lion, as they say. No, he shouldn''t be thinking of that right now.


    With the speed they are going, it would be a few seconds or so before he would be able to catch up to them¡­ and even then, it might already be toote.


    "...Fuck," he once again repeated. Even in this situation¡­ Riley Ross was once again the only hope he¡­ no, they all had.


    Hope¡­ He was the only hope that V doesn''tnd back on the ground with her powers still running wild. It would be hard, but if Riley could find an isted ce without any people, then he should be able tond her there. If not¡­


    ¡­then even the minimum loss of life would surely be in the millions.

 Chapter 204 - Race To Hope (2)

    <h4>Chapter 204 - Race To Hope (2)</h4>


    Meters. Perhaps a dozen or so meters and Tempo would finally be able to touch a trickle of the trail of electricities that were shooting out of V''s body; then maybe perhaps another dozen to actually reach her and Riley.


    He was only ever so slightly slower than V and Riley now, who almost seemed like a meteor flying at the speed of light¨C or as the people on the ground see it, a raging bolt of lightning. Tempo could try to overtake them and increase his speed.


    ¡­But then he might just end up adding to the destruction that might happen. Thest time he tried to move to a speed he was notfortable in, the ground beneath himpletely split open; the mountain he was staying on,pletely ravaged and almost showing its core.


    Of course, that too, was censored by Whiteking and Government¨C cing it in the category of just a natural cmity. Of course, there were no human lives lost¡­ but still, the destruction destroyed the homes of millions of wildlife.


    But then again, if he did not try to overtake V and Riley¡­ the unconscious V might also end up wreaking havoc once they fall to the ground. And if he did manage to overtake them¡­ what exactly was he going to do, catch them and die?


    "..." Tempo then once again ced his eyes towards Riley. And seeing that he was still fully conscious and even looking at him despite beingpletely wrapped in V''s green electricity while going almost at the speed of lightning¡­ then he truly was his only hope in this situation.


    But then again, how exactly would he tell Riley to try and keep V in the clouds, or at the very least,nd where there were no people for at least a hundred or so miles? They could also definitely notnd in the ocean¨C they would probably end up frying a huge chunk of the ocean; the marine life would be fucked.


    Tempo was about to try and shout¡­ but he was not stupid enough to think that Riley would actually be able to hear him with the speed they were going.


    "..."


    "..." But still, Riley was looking at him; his eyes, almost curious.


    His current thought?


    He was thinking that he was going to have an audience¨C he now had to work harder to make it look as if he was just a victim here; after all, he was only a student.


    "..." Riley''s mouth then slightly shivered as he tried his best not to let out a smile. All this pretending was somewhat getting him excited; almost like a child getting away with a naughty deed.


    The meaning of his shivering lips, however, waspletely different from Tempo''s perspective.


    "...Fuck," he whispered, "The boy isn''t going tost any longer."


    It''s been a full minute now, if Tempo was right, then they were about to pass Irnd''s aerial territory. He looked at the HUD installed on the screen of his helmet to confirm, and he was right¨C they just passed Irnd.


    ¡­They could probablynd on the Isle of Man. There are lots of empty fields there; if there would be lives lost, then it would at least be minimized.


    But then he was back to his main problem¨C how was he going to tell Riley Ross?


    "..."


    "..."


    Tempo blinked a couple of times, before looking back towards Riley and starting doing gestures with his hand. And surprisingly¡­ Riley also gestured back.


    "!!!"


    "Fuck, yes!" Tempo fought the urge to strangle the air in excitement. Riley Ross knows signnguage. Finally¡­ Finally.


    And so, also fighting his excitement, Tempo once again started doing signs with his hands¨C telling Riley to try his best to keep the unconscious V in the air, or at leastnd on the next big ind, which would be the Isle of Man.


    And seeing Riley nodding several times, Tempo could finally let out a short but very deep sigh. As of this moment, everything truly did rest in Riley Ross''s hands. Riley Ross, in quite a literal sense, was today''s lifesaver.


    Even back in Los Angeles, if it wasn''t for his presence, then the loss of life would have already been at tens of thousands. And now, here¨C he was about to prevent millions.


    Tempo had no idea why V''s power was acting up the way it was; shooting in a straight line like some kind of railgun¨C but it shouldn''t matter now since Riley is here. They should really invite Riley to the Hope Guild once all of this is over.


    Tempo then let out another sigh of relief¡­ but it was cut short as they just passed the aerial territory of the Isle of Man.


    "..."


    "..."


    Maybe Riley just nned to keep V in the sky¨C that was the best-case scenario with no loss of life besides some few birds, after all. Good, that''s good. The only thing left for him to do was to signal the Hope Guild HQ to find a way to intercept V and Riley so that they could ce V in her chambers.


    And so he did; typing something on the keyboard installed on his sleeves. He then once again gestured to Riley that he shouldn''t be surprised if a floating base station blocks their path.


    And seeing Riley once again nodding, Tempo raised both his thumbs up.


    "Good, that''s goo¨C Why are you guys going down!?"


    Tempo then blinked a couple of times as the clump of electricity that was previously moving like it was following a rail was now slowly but surely moving downwards. He blinked again to make sure he wasn''t mistaken¡­ but no matter how many times he opened and closed his eyes¨C V and Riley were surely going down.


    Moving straight towards the most popted city in Ennd¨C London.


    "...Oh," Tempo''s momentum then instantly slowed down; the echoes that sounded like stepping stones, also stopped as Tempo also slowly descended towards the ground,


    "...Oh fuck."


    And within just a second of V and Rileynding right in the middle of London¡­ half of it was already covered in a bursting green light.


    "Fuck me," Tempo then whispered as he once again typed something on his arm; alerting the rest of the Hope Guild¡­


    ¡­that Country-wide cmity was¨C is happening.


    His priority¨C save as many as he could.


    ***


    "No¡­"


    Julius, whose eyes were reflecting the feed from one of the thousands of satellites they had acquired through Whiteking, almost dropped to the ground. Even from the view in space, one could clearly see the blinding green light rippling in the cities of Ennd. It seemed slow from afar¡­ but the situation on the ground was anything but.


    "No¡­" Julius once again repeated as his hand let go of his cane, causing his knees to finally touch the floor.


    ''I will kill each and everyst one of your people.''


    "..."


    Julius then let out a small but very deep gasp as he suddenly remembered Riley''s words. Just because he used Hannah¡­ he was going to¨C No. He should have expected something like this from Darkday.


    "Fuck!" Julius then mmed his fist on the floor, causing the whole building he was in to tremble; the floor beneath him to shatter.


    [Uploading all footage of Darkday and Riley Ross.]


    "Hm?"


    [...Upload Complete.]


    And as the monotonous voice that whispered into his ears disappeared; his heavy breaths soon followed and filled the entire room he was in.


    "It''s¡­ over," he then whispered, "It''s over, Darkday."


    A small chuckle then slowly build and escaped from Julius''s mouth; his trembling legs, slowly lifting him up as he smiled at the shing screens in front of him.


    "It''s done¡­ the people will know who you are after this," Julius then pulled his hair back as he wiped his slightly moist eyes, "And with what you''re doing with Ennd¡­ there''s no way you can escape the world''s eyes anymore. It''s¡­


    ¡­It''s over."


    Julius then limped towards the corner of the room, picking up a picture frame that fell on the floor when he mmed his fist.


    "It''s over," he then repeated; his eyes, trembling as he looked at the several people in the frame he was holding. And soon, his tears dropped and slid on the broken ss; sipping into the frame and slightly soaking the photo.


    "It''s time¡­ it''s time for me to join you," Julius then embraced the frame tightly to his chest,


    "...But not before I at least try to snuff out his life with my very own hands," and as soon as he said that, a trail of smoke quickly fumed from his eyes as they glowed in a violent red.


    "Not only for me, not only for you, not only for Megawoman," Julius whispered, "But for the world¡­


    ¡­I will die fighting for this world."


    And with those words, the floor beneath Juliuspletely shattered; a thundering explosion, reverberating in the air as a skirt of wind formed around him as he pierced the ceilings of the room that confined him.


    And with the sheer force of his ascent, the house he was inpletely burrowed¨C burying his dead brother along with it.


    "..." Julius then nced down, only for his eyes to see the grounds of the Academy beneath him¨C he was still inside the Academy''s designated Family Vi.


    His eyes then started towards a certain house¡­ the house where Diana Ross currently resides. But after looking at it for a moment, he continued to fly up¨C destroying a part of the dome that separated the Academy from the rest of the world.


    "Darkday¡­


    ¡­Let''s end this."


    ***


    Meanwhile, in a certain street in London, Riley Ross was currently lying on the ground¨C his chest, almost exploding from how loud he wasughing. The echoes of hisughter, mixing with the sparking, horrifying, and short screams of the people.


    As for V, she was currently resting on Riley''s arm, still unconscious¡­


    ¡­Not knowing she was about to ughter millions of people.

 Chapter 205 - Revenge For The Lost

    <h4>Chapter 205 - Revenge For The Lost</h4>


    "Ahahahaha!"


    Aughter¨C perhaps the only other sound that reverberated in the air as thend within miles was covered in a raging green lightning. The already ashen ground, almost akin to a boiling ocean as the electricity that flows out from V''s body continued to violently excite everything in its path.


    A single spark from it, capable of causing the machinery of the highly modern city to explode; amplifying the already destructive wave of energy that was causing a ripple that could even be seen from space.


    But of course, with V''s powers dispersing in all directions, her otherwise cmitous powers started to slightly be dampened. This was joyous news for those who were far away from the green ripple, but for those who were just within its fading perimeter¡­ it was hell.


    A crawling giant is still a giant, as they say. With V''s powers being dampened through the ends of the ripple, the death of the creatures that stood in its path did note quickly. It might be insensitive to say from a perspective that was not affected by the tragedy, but those that were near ground zero could be considered the lucky ones¨C dying instantly; leaving nothing behind but countable ashes.


    Those that were far but not far enough, however, could feel their skin slowly being eaten by the raging crackles. Like billions of small hands trying to yank their flesh away ever so slowly, their insides being fried¡­ and the only thing they could do was drop to the ground and tremble in pain until thest of their breaths escape their mouth.


    They said the pain was momentary¨C but with shock, the painsts until you die. Of course, no one could really tell what they were really feeling¡­ no one but one, perhaps. And that one was still currently lying on the ground, relishing the fading screams from far far away that still whispered through his ears.


    Riley Ross continued to relish on all the destruction that was happening. And perhaps the best and worst part of it all was that he did not need to do anything.


    Was this what it feels like to have a weapon? A gun? Riley never really needed those kinds of tools in his life¨C perhaps the closest thing was Diana''s cutleries. He never could really understand why people rely on them¡­ but now he did¨C convenience.


    Why do it yourself when someone or something else can do it for you? Riley thought. Truly¡­ he should share this wisdom to Hannah once¨C wait, isn''t she already doing that?


    Truly, his big sister was wise.


    "..." Riley then turned his focus towards V, who was still unconscious despite everything. He initially thought that V''s raw power would be enough to cover the entirety of Ennd¡­ but the smell of blood seemed to have already stopped within just the outside perimeters of London.


    ¡­Or perhaps it could also be because of Tempo trying to rescue as many lives as possible; if there was anyone capable of that, it would be him¡­ the strongest of the Hope Guild.


    Well, it doesn''t matter, Riley then thought as he ced slightly pushed V to the side as he got up; causing her to softly roll on the already ashen and sandy ground. Doing so, however, seemed to have caused the violent trickles of electricity spurting out from her body to fluctuate.


    "..." And soon, the green electricity that surrounded London started to flicker.


    "...Hm?" Riley then once again turned to look at V. Did¡­ he break her already? Riley thought as he lightly tapped V with his foot. And as he did so, the green shes of light that reflected endlessly through his eyes instantly disappeared.


    "..." Riley then focused his eyes on her small chest, and seeing as it was still moving, it would seem she was still alive.


    And now, finally, the green electricity that suddenly covered London disappeared; leaving nothing but¡­ nothing in its wake. The ground that Riley stood on was almost sand, the previous towering buildings now left ashes to aimlessly float in the air.


    Looking from above, there was almost a fading circle¨C the farther thend was from the center, the more infrastructures survived. It was¡­ almost clean. Like if one would delete London from a digital map with a soft eraser¨C that is perhaps the best way to describe London now.


    And within this horrifying destruction, was Riley''s disappointment. He truly was expecting more¨C V''s powers were stronger when she was still conscious.


    "..." Did he need to wake her up and¨C


    And before he could finish his thoughts, a soft thud whispered through his ears. He turned around to see what it was, only to see Tempo now suddenly kneeling in front of V.


    "This¡­ this is not good."


    Tempo''s stutters were almost enough to cause the sand beneath his knees to tremble; his hands, having a hard time deciding whether tofort the unconscious V or leave her alone.


    "Millions¡­ millions of people," Tempo continued to whisper for a few seconds, before finally turning his shaking head towards Riley, "I¡­ I thought you would remain in the sky¡­ I told you¡­ I told you not to¡­ millions of people. Tang ina¡­ ang¡­ ang dami¡­ sobrang dami."


    Tempo''s trembling whispers continued to stutter in the ashen air. Deaths happening so instantly made one almost detach to it; especially in this case with absolutely nothing to physically reflect the deaths except the empty desert they stood on.


    Perhaps the only one that could truly feel it was someone who had already experienced what it would feel like to walk on a million corpses¨C and that is exactly who Tempo is.


    The Battle of Toronto wasn''t even a year ago. And yet now, around him¡­ a cmity equal to it has happened. As for the other one present during that said battle, he was currently trying his best not to let out a smile.


    "But you told me to bring her down, Mr. Tempo," Riley then said as he approached Tempo.


    "...What?" Tempo then blinked a couple of times before looking at Riley, only to see him moving his hand almost to an arc above his head, dropping downward almost towards his waist.


    "Yes¡­" Tempo then said, "That''s¡­ that means sky. I told you to keep her in the sky."


    "..." Riley also blinked a couple of times, before letting out a short but very deep breath as he closed his eyes,


    "My mistake, Mr. Tempo," Riley then muttered, "I thought it meant that I should bring her down to the ground gently."


    "No¡­"


    Tempo''s knees, which were already touching the ground beneath them, burrowed even deeper into the sand. His mind,pletely empty as everything around him seemed to have shut down¨C even his breaths werepletely halted.


    He truly wanted to say something, but doing so might just cause his sanity to dive down even deeper than his knees. If Riley mistook his orders¨C then who was really at fault here?


    No, there wasn''t even a need to ask that. It was already a miracle that Riley was able to survive, even more so control V as the electricity around her tried to ravage him. But to also expect him to understand everything he said in sign?


    Tempo knew¡­ Tempo knew the mistake was all his. All this death was on him.


    "...Huh?"


    Tempo''s stupor was momentary, however, as a sharp blur suddenly passed by him¨C mowing Riley along its path. Tempo instinctively already had his hand stretched to pull Riley away, but it was toote.


    The only thing that Tempo could do was watch Riley being violently dragged across the remains of London.


    "Riley Ross!?"


    And soon, Tempo could only see the trails of sand and dust nketing everything; the rumbles and trembling of the desert city, however, was still very much alive around him. Whatever was happening out there¡­ Riley Ross was surely in trouble.


    ¡­Was it perhaps the grey monster earlier? Was it still alive?


    Tempo was about to rush to help Riley, but before he could do so, a sedated voice suddenly whispered into his ears.


    "W¡­ what happened?"


    "V!?"


    Tempo quickly turned around, only to see V''s trembling arms trying their best to lift her up.


    "What¡­ where¡­ where are we?"


    "Tha¨C"


    And before Tempo could answer, another rumble exploded behind him. Both him and V turned their eyes towards the noise, only to see a blonde man lying on the ashen ground; his eyes flickering in a red light¨C Julius Reuben.


    The young man then slowly stood up, brushing up his hair before looking at the two of them.


    "...Hope Guild," Julius whispered, "Take the child to safety, Tempo. Leave me here to take care of this evil."


    "What? Who are you?"


    Juliuspletely ignored Tempo''s words that were filled with confusion, and instead looked at V for a few seconds, before closing his eyes and letting out a small sigh.


    "I am truly sorry for having involved you in this, child," he then muttered, "This¡­ was not supposed to happen."


    "In¡­volve? What? What is happening?" V caressed her aching head; her eyes, slowly starting to trail across the destruction she herself caused, "Wha¨C"


    But before she could actually see anything, she suddenly disappeared along with Tempo; leaving only a formation of dust that held their shape, but that too slowly dropped to the ground.


    Tempo had no idea what was happening right now or who the young man that suddenly appeared was; what he was sure of, however, was he needed to get V out of London¡­ out of anyone and everyone''s sights, really.


    After today, London and its people were no more¨C and V was the one to do that.


    "Whiteking¡­" Tempo whispered as he ignored V''s surprised gasps, "...Where the fuck are you right now when we need you the most?"


    "..."


    "..."


    Julius''s eyes trailed as they watched Tempo disappear into the skies. And ever so slowly, he turned towards the calm and almost rhythmic steps that were slowly approaching him; the owner of the steps, almostpletely untouched by all the destruction that surrounded him.


    It wasn''t only him that was untouched; even the sand lying beneath his feet was calm, not even moving as hended on them.


    "Darkday¡­" Julius muttered, his lips almost trembling as he looked at the white-haired man approaching him, "No¡­


    ¡­Riley Ross."


    "Julius Reuben," Riley replied with a small smile on his face.


    "Philip Reuben."


    "Hm?"


    "My son¡­" Julius whispered; his eyes, not leaving Riley even one bit, "Leia, his wife. Cory and Jonas, their children. My niece, Lauren. Her children, Holly, Elli, and Mylo. My brother, Archibald¡­


    ¡­and I, Alistair Reuben. You killed us all almost a year ago¨C Now their ghost is here to make you pay and make your life a living hell."


    "You...


    ....have grandchildren?"

 Chapter 206 - Alistair Reuben

    <h4>Chapter 206 - Alistair Reuben</h4>


    Alistair Reuben.


    It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that Alistair Reuben was and is the Father of the Inte¡­ because he in fact is. He was listed as the Father of Technology and the Inte in most educational and history books.


    He was a technological savant¨C a human way ahead of his time. He was able to intercept the ns of some painter-turned-dictator from Austria with the earliest iteration of what would be known as the Inte.


    He then found a way to contact Megawoman and gave her this information, which allowed her to cleanly and legally interfere with the dictator''s heinous ns and crimes against humanity. He, along with Megawoman, practically ended a stupid war before it began.


    Alistair Reuben then,ter on, founded Reuben Tech along with his brother. Apany that becamerge enough to be known as a global giant¨C the biggest one. Perhaps the greatest testament to how wealthy they became was when they bought several other giant corporations.


    And as the previous generation used to say¨C "Reuben almost owned the world." Almost quite in a literal sense as they had monopolized almost everything, either in the shadows or freely in the limelight.


    But perhaps what made them even more known throughout even the corners of the world was their acts of phnthropy. They gave free ess to technology to 3rd world countries, even providing them a mobile service almost for free.


    Of course, the governments did not like this much¨C but what could they do, really?


    Reuben Tech owned most of the satellites hovering in space¨C that includes the government satellites, which Reuben Tech built themselves.


    Alistair Reuben could have owned the world if he wanted to, but instead, he chose to give back to the world¨C donating or investing 95% of his wealth to the betterment of the less fortunate.


    That was the kind of legacy he left behind. But of course, with time¨C the world forgets. Most of the new generation does not know who he is, only hispany and the technology they produced¡­ but that was perfectly alright.


    Alistair Reuben was content. He had noints even at the end of his life. He knows in himself that he did good to himself and to the world, and that was everything.


    Even if his son was not that interested in inheriting his legacy, he was still a good man that Alistair could be proud of. Alistair''s grandchildren, however, seemed to have gotten most of his talents and genes.


    They were the future of the future, as he himself described them. Suffice to say, seeing his grandchildren grow up to take up his mantle before he dies was perhaps the greatest gift he could receive before he passes away.


    He had no regrets. He had lived a full life.


    The only reason he was still alive was because of all the medicine and technology injected into his body.


    Alistair Reuben was ready to take hisst breaths;ying on his deathbed and waiting for death to ferry him away. The machines were the only things that were keeping him alive; even the best hospitals in Canada were not capable of extending his life.


    He was just peacefully waiting¡­ waiting for his family to visit him so that he could finally say his goodbyes¡­


    ¡­but they never came.


    Instead of his family, instead of death; what visited Alistair was the sound of the hospital panicking. The footsteps were already hurried, as is expected with hospitals¨C but then it was partnered with screams.


    Even his personal nurse was asked to provide support as they would be needing all the help they could get¡­ because Darkday just destroyed Toronto.


    Alistair was weak, frail, and dying in arge hospital room. But right at that moment when he heard the reason for everyone''s panic, his breaths suddenly became strong¨C using all of his strength to try and reach for the remote of therge television in front of him.


    And there it was, an aerial view of Toronto¡­pletely obliterated. Alistair''s already dying heart instantly became broken; thinking of all the innocent people that have died just like that. He was an old man ready to die¨C the people of Toronto were not.


    But then during his heartbreak, his breaths suddenly snapped as a recent memory surfaced in his mind¨C thest call he received from his son was when he told him they were in Toronto. His trembling hands quickly dropped the remote he was holding, before rotating his body with all of his might to try and reach for the phone on the desk beside his bed.


    But s, he was too weak¨C his other arm gave out, causing him to fall down to the floor, hitting his head on the desk as he did so; the feces in his diapers, also scattering everywhere.


    Someone of his age and condition would have died there¡­ but something kept Alistair going as he grabbed the phone that fell alongside him, quickly dialing his son''s number¡­


    ¡­only to receive silence. A silence that he will forever hear.


    His son and his family, his brother''s family, alongside other millions¡­ killed by Darkday almost in just a blink of an eye.


    Of course, Alistair''s despair was short-lived. He was going to die anyway, he thought. He was going to be with his family in the afterlife¡­


    ¡­But s, as if fate was seemingly mocking him¨C he lived that day. He did not give in to his despair, however, as Megawoman would avenge the fallen families that were snuffed out like they were nothing.


    ¡­But s, as if fate was seemingly mocking him¨C Megawoman was defeated. It wasn''t only hope that died that day, but the world.


    Megawoman was the bnce that kept the world in check from all the evil; without her, then Darkday would probably kill each and everyst one of them.


    And so, once again, even in tragedy, Alistair felt relief. With no one to keep Darkday at bay, darkness will soon befall the world and he would meet his family again.


    ¡­But s, as if fate was seemingly mocking him¨C Darkday announced his retirement.


    And so, Alistair just got tired of hoping. His eyes, focusing on Megawoman''s crumpled body during the announcement; and with that, the n that only someone like him could make possible came to his mind.


    --The n to take revenge against a cmity.


    Alistair Reuben and Reuben Tech prided themselves for never intruding in the privacy of their billions of users. But for once, Alistair broke that rule.


    Reuben Tech had ess to almost every piece of information in the world. Data, conversations, footage, the routine of their users¡­ even down to their heartbeat¨C Reuben Tech has all of these data.


    And for once, Alistair used it to spy on the world. He quickly discovered the Government''s secret¨C cloning Megawoman using the ability of a certain old Super. Suffice to say, Alistair used that to ckmail the old female Super; and then paid her to create another batch of clones¨CAerith and the others.


    That was just the beginning of Alistair''s ns, however. Alistair brought the most talented scientists of hispany to try and reverse engineer Megawoman''s DNA through the clones¨C or at least how and what made her powers work.


    And in the process, they created a serum that would allow someone to inject themselves with Megawoman''s powers. And suffice to say, Alistair tried it to himself even though it had not been tested yet.


    The serum was a sess as the scientists watched as Alistair became youthful almost by the hour¨C his strength, multiplying by the second.


    This was a scientific breakthrough. They could earn billions of dors with this. But s, Alistair killed all the scientists involved in the project; burning along with them all the data on how to create the serum and leaving only one who knows how to make it¨C Alistair himself.


    That was the very first time Alistair ever harmed a human being, and it wouldn''t be thest.


    The serum can not fall into the wrong hands, Alistair thought. His hands were already dirty enough, he could not imagine if it fell onto someone worse.


    Alistair then proceeded with his n.


    And finding out Darkday''s true identity? It was hard. But at the same time, it was easy.


    Alistair could not find any traces of Darkday. When he arrives, when he lives, where he goes¨C nothing. Absolutely nothing. Almost as if he didn''t exist.


    And in this world, there was only one single entity that was capable of erasing something or someone from ever existing. A single human that rivaled his entire life''s work and corporation¨C Whiteking.


    Whiteking made sure that there were no traces of Darkday anywhere. At first, Alistair thought that Whiteking himself was Darkday, but very soon discovered that it was his adopted son.


    It all made sense based on the data they had. One look in Riley Ross''s biological lineage, and one could easily make out where his monstrous abilities came from¨C Ms. Phoenix, as well as his grandmother. The clue was always there.


    And so, Alistair¨C no¡­


    ¡­Julius Reuben was born, a being that was only alive because of revenge.


    But of course, even with all of his meticulous ns and schemes, Julius was not stupid enough to believe that he would actually be a match to the entity that defeated Megawoman. And so, the only way to truly defeat Riley Ross¡­


    ¡­was to let the whole world know who he is.


    And right now, as he watched as Riley Ross slowly made his way towards him, Julius enacts hisst part in the n.


    "This¡­ is revenge for all the people you killed, monster."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...I only asked about you having grandchildren, Alistair.. You did not need to tell me about your life."

 Chapter 207 - Alistair And Riley

    <h4>Chapter 207 - Alistair And Riley</h4>


    "I only asked about you having grandchildren, Ju¨C Mr. Alistair. You didn''t need to tell me about your life."


    "So smug, little child. But for how long?"


    Julius''s eyes slowly started to glow in red as Riley''s steps grew nearer and nearer to him. But seeing as he still had no intention of doing anything, Julius''s eyes started to calm down as a small smile crawled onto his face.


    "With your strength, you are so used to getting everything that you want," he then said.


    "That is debatable, Mr. Alistair," Riley quickly replied, "I used to want to be human, but I know I will never get to be one."


    "..." Julius looked Riley straight in the eyes for a few seconds, before letting out a small scoff, "I guess it doesn''t matter now, child. Because from now on, you will never get what you want¨C not from your friends, not from your family, not even from your sister."


    "Hm?"


    "People are watching you right now, Riley Ross."


    "..." And as he heard Julius''s words, Riley quickly looked up above the skies, trying to see if there were any helicopters currently recording them right now¨C but seeing as there weren''t even birds to see, Riley returned his gaze back to the ground with a confused look in his eyes.


    "I am not talking about now, child," Julius let out a small chuckle, "Your moments as Darkday, all your past antics¨C the very first time you left the house as Darkday; wearing daddy''s little helmet. People are watching Riley Ross turn into Darkday¡­ and Darkday into Riley Ross. They are watching all the crimes you''vemitted, and where you went after."


    "..."


    "That is right¡­ billions of people are probably watching all of it right now. Billions of people know who you are as of this very moment," Julius smiled, "And we even have a recording of your father admitting that you''re Darkday¡­ and that he has been helping hide your identity from everyone."


    "...I suppose it makes sense for my father to know who I am," Riley then ced his hand on his chin, "I already had my spection when I didn''t get caught in my earliest adventures."


    "Typical Riley Ross. Seemingly unfazed about everything," Julius once again chuckled, "One of us will probably die today. And it would most probably be me, but I already expect that. Just using a power that''s not mine in the first ce is already taking a toll on this old, frail body of mine. But it doesn''t matter¡­ The world knows who you are now, Riley Ross. I will die today¡­


    ¡­but so will the life led by Riley Ross. You are done."


    "...So my sister knows I am Darkday now," Riley Ross blinked a couple of times as his hand remained on his chin.


    "The whole world knows!"


    "...I suppose the both of us have hurt my sister now."


    "Y¨C"


    "And I suppose I just have to kill everyone now."


    "..."


    And as soon as Julius heard Riley''s ominous words, the only response he did was to close his eyes; letting out a small but very deep sigh as he did so.


    "You really are just a child. A child with no idea what he is doing," Julius then whispered, "My brother was right in the end¨C Society killed our family¡­ because society created someone like you."


    "I think you would find I know about a lot of things, Mr. Alistair."


    "I wonder what it would have been like if Whiteking was not the one to adopt you?" Julius ignored Riley''s words as his sighs of discontentment continued, "That boy had something wrong within him from the start¨C I saw his potential when he joined one of mypanies. He was too big to be contained, however."


    "..."


    "He had an infinite possibility to improve the world with his brain¨C yet he chose to y dress up and make weapons. And when he discovered that his son was capable of snuffing out human lives as if they were nothing; instead of trying to punish you, he even helped in hiding you from the world. If a madman like that was not the one to adopt you¡­


    ¡­would you have used your power for good?"


    "...I do not believe so, Mr. Alistair," Riley then looked at both his hands, letting out a small sigh as he started checking them, "What I am now is what I am always meant to be. A¨C"


    "A monster that should not have been born in this world?"


    "..." Riley could not help but look at Julius as he disrupted his words.


    "A monster that should not have been born in this world," Julius repeated, "That is exactly the same words your mother said while her hands were wrapped on your neck."


    "..."


    "You know nothing, don''t you, Riley Ross?"


    "I already know Ms. Phoenix is my biological mother, Mr. Alistair. I also know that she killed me."


    "And?"


    "..." Riley could only blink from Julius''s expectant tone.


    "Hm. Then you really do know nothing."


    And with those words, Julius''s eyes once again shone in a fiery red. A skirt of wind then suddenly surrounded his silhouette vertically; before his entire body disappeared, leaving only the dust that still formed his shape.


    "You know nothing, child!" Julius then suddenly appeared in front of Riley, instantly grabbing his face and causing a colossal crate on the ground as he violently mmed him to the ashen ground.


    A storm of sand started to ravage the air, leaving nothing to be seen but the remains of London floating in the air. Julius did not wait for this ashen fog to clear, however, as he stomped his foot several times on Riley''s head, before finally letting out the harshest beam he could from his already ming eyes.


    A beam strong enough to scorch the outlines of his eyes. This beam, however, almost avoided Riley entirely¨C like a dominant stone in a river, splitting and parting anything that darede it''s way.


    But still, Julius did not stop this ragingser¡­ and it eventually paid off.


    Riley Ross could not help but squint his eyes as he felt a slight warm suddenly trail on his face as a very minute part of the beam was able to pass through his invisible armor¨C causing a small scratch to decorate his face. This scratch, of course, healed quickly.


    That was all that Julius needed, however, for him to put everything in his heat vision. Concentrating all the strength he had in releasing the strongest beam he could¨C a beam strong enough to take off his own face almost instantly.


    The beam was bright enough to drown the now desert city in red; even creating magma beneath as it melted anything within its path¨C opening a tiny, but unfathomable deep hole on the map.


    But even with the boiling crevice beneath them, Julius and Riley remained floating in the air; with Julius not even screaming as the beam gushing out from his eyes was shaving parts of his head, and Riley almost letting out a rain of blood from his face as multiple deep gashes appear on it.


    "..."


    But s, the barrage of cuts did notst long as the ragingser faded soon after; Julius''s body, slowly dropped on top of Riley; his arms, swinging lifelessly in the air. Half of his head,pletely gone without even a drop of blood dripping from it.


    "..."


    Riley could only blink a couple of times as his face started to itch from his cuts healing. Thest time he had ever shed blood was when he fought Megawoman; and it was truly ufortable, in a way.


    Riley then let out a small smile as he slowly floated to the side. He was about to push away Julius''s body but then felt a strong pressure hugging him as Julius''s arms suddenly wrapped his arms around him.


    "I am burying you with me, child. I wonder if you would also survive the Earth''s core?"


    "...I''ve wondered about that too, Mr. Alistair."


    And with that brief exchange of words, another skirt of wind surrounded the two; the dust of cloud drowning the air, instantly dispersing as Julius dragged Riley straight down towards the deep hole he created.


    "I really apologize that you had to grow up like this, Riley Ross!" Julius then let out a scream; strong enough to drown the sound of the ground around them being drilled away, "A mother that wanted you dead, and a grandmother that wants to do nothing with you because she killed her own daughter to save you¡­ and then you ended up getting adopted by a lunatic who trained his daughter almost to death when she was only 5 years old!"


    "..."


    "I can''t me Bernard on that, of course. Your sister did kill 20 infants when she was just days old!"


    "..."


    "I told you I know everything about you, Riley Ross!" Julius continued to scream in Riley''s ears, "Both you and your sisters are just products of an insane man!"


    "I know that already, Mr. Alistair," Riley whispered, "But what I do not know is the identity of my biological grandmother. May I ask who she is?" Riley then said very calmly as the back of his head shaved off and drilled through thepressed rocks and earth.


    "Of course, you''ve seen her already many times!" Julius let out a small cough as blood started to spurt out from his mouth, "I sometimes even wonder how she was able to resist the urge of just watching you and doing nothing."


    "..."


    "Ms. Phoenix, born as Alice Lane," Julius muttered, "Her mother was already a prominent member of the Hope Guild¨C who thenter became the leader of the team."


    "...Oh." Riley''s eyes slightly turned wide.


    "Charmaine Elliot Lane, the Shadow Mimic¡­


    ¡­you know her as Charlotte."

 Chapter 208 - Withering Away

    <h4>Chapter 208 - Withering Away</h4>


    "Madam Charlotte¡­ is my biological grandmother?"


    Riley''s whispers werepletely drowned by all the rocks and earth that bombarded the back of his head. He tried to look down, but what weed him was nothing but dirt and darkness as Julius continued to drag him towards the deepest parts of the Earth. And with the speed they were going, they should reach it anytime soon.


    "..." Even with this situation, however, Riley just casually turned his head back towards Julius; blinking a couple of times before once again letting out a whisper.


    "Then do you know who my biological father is, Mr. Alistair?" He then asked. Julius seemed to be answering all of his questions¨C and Riley Ross weed it.


    "That''s the part I do not get!" Julius screamed to try and overwhelm the sound of Riley''s head drilling through the ground, "Even through all the logs we have of Alice and Charlotte, there is not a single record of your father; not even a photo¡­ not even a mention. Even with the calls between them, there was not a single mention of your father, not even once."


    "..."


    "Almost as if Ms. Phoenix just became pregnant with you. There should have been at least records of her going to the hospital, checking in with the doctors, but there''s nothing. This should be impossible¡­ even the homeless that gave birth in streets have records."


    "Not impossible, Mr. Alistair. Jesus is¨C"


    "The Pope seems to have a small influence on you in your brief meeting," Julius mentioned, "But even the holiest man could not change who you are. This is goodbye, Riley Ross!"


    And with Julius''s screams once again bombarding Riley''s ears, the pitch darkness that nketed their eyes was unfurled, causing Riley to slightly squint as his eyes were drowned by an almost white ocean.


    Of course, Riley quickly grabbed the sunsses he had in his pocket. As for Julius, the light did not really bother him since he was already used to the brightness because of the raging light that already inhabited his eyes several times.


    "Let''s die together, Riley Ross!"


    Julius then let out a scream as a fiery steam wrapped both of their bodies; the sunsses that Riley was holding, instantlypressing in his hand from the growing pressure that threatened to crush everything in its vicinity.


    A thundering explosion then erupted as Julius and Riley continued to fly straight towards the Earth''s core. It was a weird scenery, Riley thought. There was a certain darkness within the vast and empty confines surrounding the core, but when you turn your head towards the center, a raging light would instantly try to blind you.


    Of course, perhaps being blinded was the least of one''s worries¡­ as the pressure that was currently surrounding both Julius and Riley was enough to rip even steel as if it was thin parchment.


    "Die!" Julius then once again screamed¨C his lips, disintegrating and regenerating at the same time, "Let''s end everything here, Riley Ross!"


    "I don''t think so, Mr. Alistair."


    "!!!"


    Julius then felt his face once again being ripped off as their descent towards the core instantly halted. And before Julius could lift his already healing face, Riley grabbed his head and gently pushed it away. This seemingly gentle push, however, plunged Julius straight back towards the crust.


    "..." Riley then squinted his eyes before turning his eyes straight towards the Earth''s core. It wasn''t as bright as he thought it would be¡­ or perhaps he was just used to his sister''s mes¨C forever shining brightly in his eyes.


    Riley continued to look around, only to see a vast amount of nothing surrounding the core. Why¡­ did it seem different from the books he has read? Should there not be huge amounts of molten rocks that they should be swimming in right now like in the pictures and videos?


    ¡­Perhaps his sister really was right¨C you can not trust the educational system.


    "..." Riley then looked at the clump of ck in his hand; letting out a small sigh before making a very minute movement with his hand. And as he did so, the clump unfolded; soon returning to its glorious original shape, Riley''s sunsses.


    Instead of wearing it, however, Riley returned it in his pocket. It was a gift from Hannah, and seeing as he couldn''t really spare that much attention elsewhere, there was a chance that it would get damaged again just from the sheer pressure that surrounded him like an ocean.


    "..."


    Riley then quickly turned his head to the side, only for Julius''s fist to already be waiting for him there. The bones of his knuckles were already exposed and burning; the heating from the core, almost the same as his heat vision; but instead of just being concentrated in one single beam, the heat was threatening to burn them in all directions¡­ even the simple act of breathing caused Julius''s mind to slightly faint.


    But even with this pain, Julius did not falter. His fists, still raging to obliterate the viin within its path¨C and it seemed to have paid off.


    One of his punches hit Riley Ross on the face, causing him to catapult straight towards the direction of the core. But as is expected, he stopped just kilometers away from it; the tip of his white coat,pletely burnt or ripped, unknown in what order. There was a straight line separating it from the unscathed fabric, however¨C showing that Riley''s invisible barrier has be slightly smaller.


    "For my son!"


    And without even having the chance to catch his breath, Julius once again appeared in front of him; his fist, almost only bones as Riley avoided it by floating to the side. Julius was relentless, however, as his fists and leg continue to find their way towards Riley¨C every strike, causing a huge explosion due to the pressure surrounding the two of them right now.


    "Why¡­" Julius then whispered; his attacks, however, were still as loud as they could be, "...Why was this power bestowed to someone like you? You could have done so much good in this world¡­ why did you have to be a monster?"


    "..." Riley could only blink a couple of times as tears seemingly wanted to flow from Julius''s eyes¨C these drops, however, vaporize before they could materialize,


    "I truly am sorry for the deaths of your family members, Mr. Alistair," Riley then let out a small sigh, "I myself do not know what I would feel if Hannah suddenly dies."


    "If you truly love your sister¡­ then you should just die here."


    "I am not capable of feeling love, Mr. Alistair. Even if I do, I can no longer die."


    "Then just set her free¡­ she is the only one innocent in your family. Please, Riley Ross¡­ have mercy on the girl."


    The calm tone that escaped from Julius''s mouth was aplete contrast to the thundering strikes that he was letting loose on Riley; each of his movements, causing the world above to feel a slight tremble.


    Bit by bit, however, the intervals between each strike started to lengthen; the previous deafening thunders, also bing tamer by the second.


    And soon, Julius''s arms¡­ just dropped.


    "..." Riley then watched as Julius was slowly pulled towards the Earth''s core; but then flew back up towards the crust almost like a yoyo. Riley was curious if this was Julius''sst attempt to fight back¡­ but he was alreadypletely unconscious.


    Julius was just¡­ being yed by the gravity of everything.


    "..."


    Julius''s eyes then started to tremble as they tried to once again open. But soon, they too stoppedpletely. His skin then began to slowly fold; his flesh, shattering and scattering as bits and pieces of it floated everywhere.


    This flesh then soon turned into dust¡­ and this dust then became nothing.


    Alistair Reuben, just like that, withered away¨C hisst words not even about revenge.


    And like the city of London, he waspletely gone.


    And in the end¡­


    ¡­Riley Ross failed his promise.


    In the end, he didn''t destroy Ennd.


    In the end, Julius did not drown in his countrymen''s blood.


    "..."


    Riley Ross then let out a small sigh as he looked at where thest of Julius Reuben faded,


    "I am sorry, sister," he then whispered, "It would seem this time, I will end up hurting you."


    Riley let out another sigh before his body started to hastily float back towards the crust. Although it was not obvious from his face, he was actually exerting more force than he had ever used in his life right at this very moment¨C to keep himself from being pulled and pushed away just like Julius in hisst moments¡­ as well as keep the style of his hair intact.


    "You are a monster that should not have been brought to this world."


    "!!!"


    Riley Ross then quickly turned around as he once again heard the voice that whispered into his ears earlier. And this time¡­ he saw a woman floating behind him.


    The woman''s bright orange hair that was seamlessly floating around her almost seemed enough to wrap the entire core. Her face¡­ overly familiar.


    Although he had only seen Ms. Phoenix from photos, and only seen her with a mask on¨C it was quite obvious that the one floating in front of him right now was her.


    "...Mother?" Riley Ross then tilted his head as he stared at the woman''s face. However, almost like an illusion¡­ the silhouette of the woman soon became unrecognizable, almost merging with the core like she did not exist at all.


    Riley blinked his eyes numerous times; but no matter how many times he did so, the woman never returned.


    "..." Was he truly bing crazy? Riley thought as he quickly shook his head. And before confirming onest time there was no woman within his vicinity, a skirt of wind then managed to surround Riley''s body as he shot straight through the earth''s crust.


    And unlike earlier when he was being dragged by Julius, the ground above him parted, seemingly making way for him before once again closing. And within just minutes, he was back in the ashennds of London.


    But as soon as his feet touched the sands, his eyes quickly scanned his surroundings as some sort of golden chain quickly wrapped around his entire body¨C leaving only his eyes exposed. And still, his eyes continued to move towards the almost hundred people now surrounding him.


    "..." His eyes then slowly followed the trail of the golden chains wrapping him, only to see Bulwark looking at him with a slightlyplicated look on his face.


    "Riley Ross! Do not try to resist!"


    "..." Riley''s eyes then strayed towards the thundering voice that entered his ears, only to see a man in some sort of military uniform looking at him.


    "You are currently in suspicion of being the mass murderer and super terrorist known as Darkday! You have the right to remain silent, anything you say¡­"


    "..." Riley Ross''s eyes then once again trailed towards the hundreds of people; and soon, a small sigh escaped from his sealed mouth.


    Good, he thought¡­


    ¡­Hannah was not here to see him like this.


    ***AUTHOR NOTES***


    I have a new book called, "Manaless Magician", that I joined in a contest-- might be worth checking out and voting for while waiting for this book. No, actually.... please vote for it if you like it so we can win lol.

 Chapter 209 - Sudden Development

    <h4>Chapter 209 - Sudden Development</h4>


    "No cameras!"


    "Please step aside! We''re not going to ask twice!"


    "Move or we will be forced to kick you out!"


    Riley''s eyes were once again nketed by a bright light; this time, however, it came in shes of white. Unlike the core of the Earth which was a consistent and almost organic luminance, the almost endless clicks that were snapping in the air right now showered Riley in a storm¨C almost erasing him due to the light merging with his white hair and skin.


    Snap, snap, snap¨C the shutters of the cameras that were pointed at him did not stop. Even with the consistent warnings of the men wearing red uniforms, the reporters did not budge.


    This was the 2nd time Riley Ross was walking in a hall, surrounded by a number of people who had a number of questions equal to that of the shes bombarding him. The first one, he walked with his family in the halls of the Academy.


    This time, however, he walked alone.


    His wrists, bound tightly by some sort of silver chain; his hands,pletely covered in some sort of cast¡­ even his mouth and half of his face were covered. And perhaps if they didn''t need him walking, his feet would have probably also been bound.


    He was surrounded byplete strangers¨C the only one present that was familiar to him was Bulwark, who was currently walking a meter behind him; the look on his face, even moreplicated than it was a few hours earlier.


    And a few hours earlier, Bulwark had no idea he would be escorting Riley in chains.


    ***


    A few hours earlier.


    Bulwark just touched down at Los Angeles, only for him to see V and Riley almost shooting in a straight line up above the skies. The sole reason he left the Academy was to rescue Riley from the monsters that suddenly appeared out of nowhere¨C but now he was moving away at a speed that could only be described as lightning fast, quite literally.


    He could also see a ck blur following them, a silhouette that could only belong to Tempo. And so, with no choice but to also follow them, a golden light in the shape of a jet started to form around Bulwark.


    And with a small eruption and a ring of wind surrounding him, Bulwark started to trail behind them.


    "..."


    Perhaps trailing behind them was an overstatement. Although Bulwark was already confident with his speed since he was able to replicate the rockets of modern machinery with his abilities¡­ it was still a speck of dustpared to the speed that Tempo and V were going¨C which was probably at the same speed as a strike of lightning.


    He was just initially supposed to rescue Riley¡­ but with V obviously also in trouble, his work seemed to have doubled.


    "...Never pass an adult''s responsibility to children," Bulwark let out a small but very deep sigh as he continued to fly; the individuals he was following, no longer to be seen.


    He continued on like this for minutes, until finally, his eye caught a man waving at him from the ground¨C Tempo, who was grabbing V by the wrist and seemingly not letting her go.


    "Why¡­ are you here?" Bulwark quickly asked as hended in front of the two. His question, however, was also quickly answered as soon as he saw the look on Tempo''s face; thest time Bulwark saw Tempo''s face like this was after they fought Darkday¨C he didn''t need to stay anything for Bulwark to know that something bad happened.


    "Bulwark? What are you doing here?" V then stopped trying to escape Tempo''s grip as she looked at Bulwark, "I thought you quit from the guild? Do you know what''s happening? This dude isn''t telling me anything."


    "..."


    "And why do I feel so weak? I can barely feel any electricity trying to escape from my skin," V let out a small breath as she looked at her hands, "Wait¡­ don''t tell me I''m cured!? I don''t have powers anymore!?"


    V''s eyes then trailed towards Tempo¡­ who quickly avoided her gaze.


    "What¡­ why aren''t you saying anything? What happened?" V''s voice started to be agitated, "And where''s Riley?"


    "I have the same question," Bulwark then said as he too, focused his eyes on Tempo, "Is he still alive?"


    "He is," Tempo then also let out a trembling sigh; doing his best not to show V any signs of distress, "But he was fighting a blonde man thest time I saw him. I wanted to help but¨C"


    "I understand," Bulwark raised his hand to stop Tempo from talking. Judging by his trembling voice, it was obvious that he was hiding something¨C and Bulwark knew what.


    The electricity surrounding V was almostpletely gone; only letting out some small sputters here and there. That could only mean one thing¨C she drained her power. And for someone with V''s raw power, that could only mean a destruction of the highest level¡­ and V waspletely unaware of it.


    "Go, just hide her somewhere for now," Bulwark then gestured for Tempo to leave. But before Tempo could nod back, a loud beeping noise rang in the air; the sound,ing from the console attached to Tempo''s sleeve, which was currently blinking in red.


    "..." Tempo then quickly pressed something on his ear, only for a deafening scream to wee it.


    [Where are you!?]


    "...Butcher?"


    Tempo almost pulled his head back as Butcher''s voice roared in his ear. He then quickly pressed something on his arm, allowing Butcher''s voice to be heard by Bulwark and V.


    [Where are you!?] Butcher repeated.


    And as soon as Bulwark heard his voice, he could not help but furrow his eyebrows. For Butcher to sound this rmed¡­ this was something that has never happened before.


    [Oh shit,] Hera''s voice then joined in; her breaths, almost cracking the speakers attached on Tempo''s sleeve, [This is crazy, have you guys seen the news!?]


    "...What''s happening?" Tempo''s confusion was obvious as his eyes moved back and forth between V and Bulwark.


    [...You guys don''t know? It''s all over the intern¨C Fuck, why aren''t these things dying!?]


    "What''s all over the inte!?"


    [Whiteking''s son,] Hera then grunted as she seemed to be fighting with something, [He''s suspected to be Darkday.]


    "...What kind of nonsense is that?" V was the first to react as she snarled, "I was just with him earlier."


    [It''s all over the inte. All the videos and photos are convincing as fuck¡­ this is crazy,] Hera breathed out loudly, [Oh shit! It''s Whiteking! There''s a video of Whiteking saying Riley Ross is Darkday!]


    "...Where is Riley Ross right now?" Bulwark''s eyes quickly squinted as he looked at Tempo.


    "He¡­ is in London."


    "Hide V for now," Bulwark then said as a golden aura slowly started to form around him.


    "...Hide me? The fuck does that mean?" V once again snarled, "And what do they mean Riley is Darkday? That''s impossible. He saved me earlier and¨C"


    And before she could finish whatever it is she was trying to say, she disappeared along with Tempo; leaving only Bulwark left on the ground.


    "..."


    Riley Ross is Darkday?


    Bulwark''s eyebrows started to furrow from the thought. But after a few seconds, his eyes began to widen.


    Prophet said the one who murdered him was the most dangerous man on the¨C that description could only belong to Whiteking since Bulwark himself was the one who described him like that to Prophet.


    "..." It was slowly starting to all make sense now.


    Did Whiteking kill Prophet because he discovered Riley''s secret? It was impossible for Whiteking not to know that Riley was Darkday considering what he was capable of.


    But if Riley Ross really is Darkday¡­ then Prophet would have surely told him. The two vowed for there to be no secrets between them, and Prophet has not failed that vow even once.


    "..."


    "..."


    Bulwark let his thoughts roam around for a few seconds, before the golden aura around him once again formed into some sort of jet, shooting instantly towards the skies as it let out a loud explosion.


    It took a couple of minutes for him to finally reach London¡­ or at least what was left of it. For miles, there was nothing but an ashen desert; with the only activity being the dozens of helicopters hovering in the air, as well as more than a hundred individuals wearing a red uniform¨C a uniform reserved for Supers serving in the military.


    They were also present during the fight with Darkday¨C but were personally ordered to retreat by Megawoman and just asked to evacuate as many civilians as possible instead.


    "..." Bulwark then slowly descended from the sky, and as soon as his feetnded on the sand, an officer approached him.


    "Riley Ross is currently underground," the officer then presented Bulwark a table, showing an aerial view within the perimeter they were in.


    "..." Bulwark was about to look at the tablet, but before he could do so¡­ Riley Ross suddenly emerged from the said hole. And almost in instinct, Bulwark summoned several chains and ropes which swiftly wrapped around Riley''s body.


    Everything happened so fast, and before anything could even register in Bulwark''s mind, Riley was taken to one of the most secure facilities in the world; which also happens to be quite near¨C Her Majesty''s Prison Leeds for the Super Gifted.


    As the name suggests, it was a prison for Supers. Of course, Riley Ross was just a suspect; but considering what he was being suspected of, the only thing that the authorities could do was send him here.


    Whether or not the videos were true¡­


    ¡­Riley Ross will temporarily be held in prison.


    ***AUTHOR NOTES***


    I have a new book called, "Manaless Magician", that I joined in a contest-- might be worth checking out and voting for while waiting for this book. No, actually.... please vote for it if you like it lol.

 Chapter 210 - Black And White

    <h4>Chapter 210 - ck And White</h4>


    Her Majesty''s Prison Leeds for the Super Gifted. One of the biggest prisons reserved for Supers in the entire world. It also happens to be the most secured next to the Super Maximum Prison in Russia.


    HM Prison Leeds house some of the most heinous viins in the entire world, or the most insane¨C there really was no distinction between the two in terms of treatment.


    There was supposed to be a lot of processes for one to be taken here, but considering the gravity of the individual they were bringing in¨C almost every procedure was skipped.


    Of course, this might seem over the top for someone only considered to be a suspect. But considering Riley Ross was being suspected as Darkday, the most heinous terrorist and viin the world has ever known, this could actually be considered as mellow. If he wasn''t as young as he was, then everyone would have already attempted to kill him.


    Of course¡­ that wasn''t also wise considering Darkday''s abnormal strength.


    Darkday was supposed to also be the scariest being in the entire world. But why¡­ why do these media people seem to have no fear?-- Bulwark thought as he looked at the almost hundreds of reporters surrounding them. For the media to already be here before them would mean that someone tipped them off.


    Bulwark then turned his eyes to the front, focusing at Riley who, despite bound by chains, was still walking calmly as more than a dozen super soldiers surrounded him.


    "..." If Riley Ross is truly Darkday, then wouldn''t he have killed everyone here already? Or was he pretending to bepliant? If so¡­ then isn''t this the best chance to kill him?


    Of course, Bulwark was well aware of the invisible armor that was always surrounding Darkday¡­ and Riley Ross. But if Bulwark concentrated all of his power in one single attack, then there was a chance that he would be able to pierce it.


    ¡­But what if Riley Ross, despite all the simrities that Bulwark was now seeing, was not Darkday? What if he ends up killing an innocent child? But even if he wasn''t Darkday¡­ then what is one child for the chance to get rid of the monster that would destroy the world?


    "..." Bulwark could only let out a small but very deep groan as the thoughts of murder entered his mind. All of these would have been resolved if Prophet just told him the truth¨C or just told him anything, really. The two of them promised not to hide anything from each other¡­ and Darkday''s true identity was surely something that Prophet would have told him.


    "...Why couldn''t you just tell me?" Bulwark then whispered very quietly as he remained staring at Riley.


    Whiteking also seemed to be missing ever since Prophet died. Was he not revealing himself even as his son was walking into prison?


    Just¡­


    ¡­what exactly is he doing right now?


    ***


    In a room drowned with a soft and dim ambient light. The fading red smoothly reflected on Empress''s dark skin, almost making it look like the setting sun¨C when the light perfectly met the darkness of the night.


    Her eyes also reflected light, not from the fading red, but from the images of the tablet she was holding as shey in bed. Her fingers were currently dragging and checking all of the news outlets and social media; their content, all the same.


    She was about to click on another article when a faint groan suddenly whispered into her ear. And as soon as the warm breath touched her skin, she quickly threw away the tablet she was holding.


    "Did¡­ I wake you up?" Empress then whispered as her hand softly caressed the face of the man lying next to her; of course, it was Bernard.


    Bernard, however, even with Empress touching his cheeks, remained unresponsive.


    "It''s¡­ okay," Empress then embraced Bernard''s head, burrowing it onto her bare bosom, "Let''s just stay like this for as long as we can. Just rest, my love. I¡­


    ¡­will be the one to take care of you," Empress then whispered as she slowly drowned herself with the sheets; embracing every inch of Bernard as the nkets began to wave.


    There was a loud ringing echoing throughout the room since earlier; but almost as if the two of them couldn''t hear it, the ringing just continuedpletely ignored.


    The tune was a signal for all the members of the Hope Guild to gather; but even then, the only response that Empress gave was the sound of her tongue lightly whispering.


    As for Bernard¨C his eyes were actually looking at the signal. A few seconds after, however, he just closed his eyes and let himself be drowned by thefortable warmth that Empress was nketing her.


    ***


    Back in HM Prison Leeds, Riley was still currently being bombarded by shes of light. This time, however, his back was on a wall; his hands, holding a card with his name on it.


    "Turn to your left and point the te at the camera!"


    "..." Riley has been ignoring the voice that was screaming in the air for a couple of seconds now; his eyes, staring at the bars behind him that measured his height.


    He grew taller¨C is what Riley was thinking right now. He was at 5''11" when he entered the Academy, but now, he stood at 6''0" or maybe even an inch more. The books he read said that most males stop growing at 17¡­ does this mean this was his final height?


    "Turn to your left and point the te at the camera!"


    The super guard once again let out a scream that reverberated throughout the entire grey room¨C which seemed to be exaggeratinglyrge just to process a single suspected criminal.


    "Turn¨C"


    The guard was about to let out another roar; before he could do so, however, Riley turned his eyes towards him.


    "..." The guard slightly backed away as soon as their eyes met. Contrary to his vivid expectations, however, Riley just proceeded to follow his order and turned to the side. The guard then looked at his other colleagues, all of them wondering if the white-haired boy in front of them could really be Darkday.


    They all saw the video¡­ and everything seemed conclusive¨C especially the part where Whiteking himself admitted that Riley is Darkday. But with the technology today¡­ it could also be fake.


    As for Bulwark, he was still there observing the prison and Riley''s every move. He was waiting for Riley to do something¡­ but he has been casuallypliant since earlier even though the process they were doing now treated him as if he was already guilty.


    He wasn''t even interrogated and instead just processed already. Bulwark asked if they nned to interrogate him; the prison''s response?


    They will do itter in a safe environment.


    Safe environment? Was there something like that for a being as strong as Darkday? Bulwark had also seen the videos that everyone was talking about¡­ and he too agrees that everything looked real.


    Minutes more passed¨C and Riley was now brought inside some sort of room. Its walls filled entirely with ss. Some transparent and Bulwark and the others could be seen, while somepletely reflected Riley''s silhouette.


    "Strip down!"


    "..." Riley slowly turned his eyes towards where Bulwark and the others were. And judging by the distortion of the figures, the ss between them should at least be a meter thick¨C he would know, he had a lot of experience in dealing with ss.


    Riley''s eyes then turned towards the ceiling, only to see more than a dozen cameras capturing all angles of the room.


    "Strip down!"


    Riley did not seem to mind, however, as he slowly undressed; revealing his abnormally white skin while casually folding his clothes and cing them on the table at the side of the room.


    Everyone just stared at him as he did so; most of them, squinting their eyes from the light that reflected from his skin¨C it didn''t help that Bulwark, who was standing beside them, was also literally glowing.


    "Please step on the red circle!"


    "..." And without any hesitation, Riley moved towards the center of the room. And as soon as he stepped on the said circle, a violent shower instantly bombarded him. His skin and hair, however, werepletely unmoving even as this torrent of water just slid across the invisible barrier that armored his silhouette.


    "Please do not use your abilities!"


    "No, I don''t think so."


    "!!!"


    And finally, after hours of silence of just being dragged around, Riley opened his mouth.


    Bulwark''s eyebrows immediately furrowed; the golden aura that surrounded his body, bing thicker almost by the second.


    "Do not use your abilities or we will resort to using force!"


    "No, I don''t think so," Riley repeated his words, "This water is dirty."


    "Y¨C"


    "It''s fine," Bulwark then raised his hand before any provocation could happen,


    "It''s alright, Riley Ross," Bulwark then let out a small sigh as he looked at Riley, "You are clean enough already. Just wear the clothing provided to you then face the wall."


    "..." Riley then turned his head towards Bulwark. And after a few seconds, nodded his head and proceeded to walk back to the table. He then quickly proceeded to unfold the clothing provided to him, making sure there was no dirt sticking onto it by shaking it in the air.


    "Do not use your¨C"


    "Let him be."


    "But¨C"


    "If he is indeed Darkday¡­ what can you even do?"


    And with Bulwark''s words, the guard could really only shut his mouth. His only choice was to wait until Riley was satisfied with what he was doing. But really, this was the first time he ever saw someone patting the uniform dry¨C after all¡­


    ¡­It was only a striped uniform. Its colors¨C


    ¨Cck and White.

 Chapter 211 - Interrogation

    <h4>Chapter 211 - Interrogation</h4>


    "..."


    Riley''s abnormally white skin currently reflected a series of videos and images in front of himing from a projector; videos of him in his earliest days as Darkday and until histest appearance. Histest appearances were of no surprise to him¡­ but for there to actually be images and videos of him the very first day he started dawning the identity of Darkday?


    In a way, Riley sort of already expected Bernard to know that he was Darkday but didn''t really follow through with the idea. After all, Riley had always known Bernard to be one of the world''s greatest superheroes¨C for him to not stop Darkday even if he was his adopted son is something Riley thought Bernard wouldn''t do.


    ¡­But seeing as Bernard''s secrets and imperfections were slowlying into light; Maybe Bernard wasn''t really the hero Riley thought he was.


    "..."


    Bernard was hiding the fact that he was Darkday. But for these videos to exist would mean that Bernard just archived them somewhere and did not delete them¡­ Why?


    Was Bernard going to use it in the future to have him arrested? But didn''t he just surrender him from the start if that was the case? It would have been easy for even a ss B Super to neutralize him in his early days.


    ¡­Bernard could have prevented the death of millions of people. As a superhero, wasn''t saving lives the priority?


    Was Bernard going to reveal him at the start, but chose not to? And now he just collected hundreds of videos of him?


    "..."


    Can he get a copy of all this footage? He could let his guests watch it since they are probably bored with the repetitive movies on Webflix.


    Riley''s mind slowly started to wander as he continued to watch the videos being projected to him. Soon, however, the video stopped.


    "Is this not you?"


    Riley then turned his head towards the man sitting at a table; positioned on the other side of the transparent cube he was now currently confined in. They were in some sort of spacious holding bay, with Rileypletely separated from everyone else in the hall¨C almost like an animal in a zoo surrounded by tourists.


    "..." Riley then returned his eyes towards the image projected on the transparent wall of the cube he was in, only to see a photo of him just having taken off his helmet. He stared at this still image of him for a few seconds, before proceeding to look at every person surrounding the cube.


    Bulwark was still there, standing behind the man that was currently interrogating Riley. Christopher¨C that was the name of the interrogator if Riley remembers clearly.


    Riley then once again turned his head towards Christopher, before finally opening his mouth and answering his question.


    "No, that handsome young man on the video is not me, Mr. Christopher."


    "..." Christopher looked him in the eye for a couple of seconds; his sighs, deep enough to be heard inside the cube, "You know you can get in more trouble if you''re lying."


    "I am not lying, Mr. Christopher," Riley answered without batting an eye.


    "There are less than 6,000 albinoes in the US. And even in that statistic, you look rare. This is clearly you, Riley Ross."


    "Yes," Riley then answered, "It is me but at the same time it is not, Mr. Christopher. The video is edited."


    "Hm¡­" Christopher then strayed his eyes away from Riley, and onto some sort of file nted on his table. He turned its pages for almost half an hour¨C not even saying anything to Riley. But finally, after a few more turns of the pages, he looked back towards him.


    "It says here you have some form of autism," Christopher then breathed out, "So, there are only two scenarios here. Either you are not lying, or lying justes naturally to you."


    "...I suppose," Riley shrugged.


    "So I am going to ask again¡­ Is this not you?" Christopher gestured towards the projection.


    "No, it is edited," Riley shook his head, "You can ask Tomoe Reynolds, she is good at editing photos and videos, Mr. Christopher."


    "Ah, yes! Tomoe Reynolds," Christopher then once again turned the pages of the file on his table, "Tomoe Reynolds¨C an avid fan of Darkday. One could even say obsessed with him."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I am aware of that, Mr. Christopher."


    "Did you also know that Tomoe Reynolds was a recluse before she attended USMA?" Christopher muttered, "She killed her father in self-defense because he has been molesting and raping her several times when she was just a little girl."


    "...Rape her?" Riley blinked a couple of times, "Did Tomoe not kill her father before that happened, Mr. Christopher?"


    "Oh, no. The clinical reports say otherwise," Christopher shrugged as he once again checked the file, "She was supposed to be put in childcare, but her mother was able to fight for her custody in the court."


    "..." Riley could only slightly look to the side as soon as he heard Christopher''s words. To think his Second Subordinate had gone through something like that¡­ it would seem he was neglecting her too much for him to not know information as crucial as this.


    So her hatred for her mother was truly warranted. Maybe he should kill her for Tomoe once all of this is over?


    "I wonder¡­ does Tomoe Reynolds know that you are Darkday?" Christopher then squinted his eyes as he looked Riley directly in the eyes; even from the thick transparent wall between them, Riley could feel some sort of pressure seemingly trying to pierce his mind.


    But it just ends there.


    "Hm, I can''t seem to read your mind," Christopher let out a small chuckle, "I believe Darkday also has the ability to resist any mind invading abilities. If you''re not Darkday, then reading your mind shouldn''t be a problem, right?"


    "I can''t turn it off, I am afraid," Riley shook his head, "And I do not resist any mind invading abilities, Mr. Christopher¨C I am immune to them."


    "So are you saying you are Darkday?"


    "No, Mr. Christopher."


    "No, you''re not Darkday; or no, you don''t want to talk?" Christopher smiled, "We could get you awyer if you want to."


    "No, I am not Darkday," Riley let out a small sigh, "And I do not need awyer, Mr. Christopher."


    "That''s good," Christopher once again let out a small chuckle, "I was just being polite. Now let''s go back to our topic¡­ I find it hard to believe that Tomoe doesn''t know your true identity."


    "I don''t believe that''s my problem, Mr. Christopher."


    "She was a recluse¡­ not to mention she is diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder. The only connection she really had before was with other avid fans of Darkday on the inte. Are you saying someone like that just so happens to be friends with you?"


    "She is not my friend, Mr. Christopher."


    "The file I am holding says otherwise."


    "Then the file you are holding is wrong," Riley said, "I do not have any friends, Mr. Christopher."


    "Really now?" Christopher scoffed as he once again turned the pages of his file, "But you seem pretty close with one Katherine Read? She is known as the Grade-A Superhero, Scarlet Mage¡­ and it says here the two of you have some sort of¡­ rtionship?"


    Christopher squinted his eyes as he slightly leaned his head closer to the file, trying to see if he read it clearly,


    "The two of you¡­ are lovers?" And for the first time, Christopher''s voice slightly wavered.


    "We are not lovers, Mr. Christopher," Riley shook his head, "But we do have sexual intercourse 5 times a week."


    "..." Christopher blinked a couple of times as he once again looked Riley in the eyes. But after a few seconds, he closed the file in his hands and let out another long and deep sigh, "Interesting¡­


    ¡­I should confirm that with herter," Christopher then said.


    "...Hm?" Riley blinked.


    "Oh, she''s here," a small smile slowly crawled on Christopher''s face, "She is being held in another room."


    "..."


    "In fact, everyone involved with you is currently here¡­ All except for your father. We can''t find him no matter how hard we try," Christopher then tapped the table a couple of times, "Did he escape? I wonder¡­ did you be Darkday because of Whiteking? Did he train you to be a weapon? If that was the case, then maybe we can lessen your punishme¨C"


    "Wait."


    And before Christopher could finish his words, Riley moved for the very first time. His steps, taking him nearer towards Christopher with each passing moment; closing in on the transparent wall that separated them.


    "Are you saying my sister is here, Mr. Christopher?"


    And hearing the tone of Riley''s voice changing for the very first time, the small smile on Christopher''s face quickly widened even further.


    "Yes," he said, "You will get to see them soon. That is¡­ if they are not involved in you being Darkday."


    "..."


    "Because if they are, then I am afraid they would also have to pay for hiding the fact that you are Darkday," Christopher let out a sigh as he shook his head, "This will all be over once you¨C"


    "Christopher," Bulwark, who was quietly watching the interrogation unfold, finally stepped forward,


    "I don''t think it''s right to threaten the child," he then said¨C bewildered at how stupid the man was. If Riley Ross truly is Darkday, then they were lucky enough that he was cooperating or at least ying along with them.


    For him not to take precaution to a being that has killed millions; The arrogance and ignorance of those who have not fought in war are unmatched;pletely oblivious of the monsters that reside in it-- this is true now and throughout history.


    And if Riley actually was not Darkday¡­ then they were bullying an innocent child.


    "It''s fine," Christopher smiled, "The ss he is in is reinforced with the to¨C"


    The smile on Christopher''s face, however, instantly faded as soon as the thick ss between them suddenly split open in a circle¨C almost without any sound and without any resistance; like a stic bag being torn open.


    "Guards!" Christopher quickly stood up, violently flipping the table as his feet instinctively moved away¨C the arrogant expression on his face,pletely gone. As for Bulwark, he swiftly summoned a golden wall to try and keep Riley inside the cube.


    This golden wall, however, shattered as Riley ced his palm on it.


    "!!!"


    Riley Ross then casually walked out of the cube, before turning his head towards the giant metal door he walked into to enter the holding bay.


    "Riley Ross, wait!" Bulwark roared before Riley could even take a step towards the door, "If you step out of that door, they will consider you guilty! If you''re really not Darkday, then go back inside the ¨C"


    "Do not move! If you do, we will be forced to kill your family!"


    And before Bulwark could finish his words, Christopher interrupted him.


    "We''re safely holding them in a room for now. But if you do anything, we will¨C"


    "You¡­"


    "!!!"


    shes of red then quickly filled the entire room as a deafening siren roared through the air. The room they were in¨C no, the entire prison, shaking with every step that Riley took towards Christopher.


    "...What did you say?"


    ***AUTHOR NOTES***


    I have a new book called, "Manaless Magician", that I joined in a contest-- might be worth checking out and voting for while waiting for this book. No, actually.... please vote for it if you like it lol.

 Chapter 212 - Interrogation (2)

    <h4>Chapter 212 - Interrogation (2)</h4>


    "Let me see my brother, you motherfucking British cuntsucker fucking cunts!"


    A few minutes earlier before Riley stepped out of the transparent cube he was confined in, Hannah was cursing the life out of everyone inside the prison¨C her entire body, engulfed in a raging fire that seemed to have no ns of withering away.


    Diana was in the same room, calmly sitting at the table provided to them as they waited inside a small holding room for someone to interrogate them. However, they have been there for more than an entire hour, and no one seemed to want to go inside since Hannah was wreaking havoc.


    "What do you fucks mean that Riley is Darkday? Are you guys fucking crazy!?"


    [Please refrain from using your powers so an officer could begin questioning the two of you, Ms. Ross. If you do notply, we will resort to using force. Pleaseply before we put restraints on both you and your mother.]


    "Have you guys actually seen my brother!? Are you government fucking cunts using him as a scapegoat because you know he won''t be able to defend himself because of his condition!?" And even with the man from the speakers threatening her, Hannah continued to burst out, "Why not pick someone your own fucking size, you little shits!"


    "Hannah, please calm down."


    And finally, after a few more seconds of Hannah''s voice roaring through the tiny room, Diana opened her mouth, "I am sure all of this is just a silly misunderstanding."


    "But m¨C"


    "Calm down," Diana said, "I am sure this is just one of your father''s enemies trying to lure him out¨C maybe that is why he is hiding somewhere. Rx, Hannah¨C I''ve been in this kind of situation more times than I could count."


    "Speaking of that fucker¡­ Where the fuck is dad when we actually need him!?"


    And once again, the fire surrounding Hannah''s silhouette zed as her roars filled the small room. But before the heat of her fire could reach the ground, Diana suddenly let out a small and obviously pained gasp.


    "Mom!? What did you¨C" And before Hannah could finish her words, she found her breaths suddenly pinning her chest down. The oxygen inside the room, nowpletely gone.


    Surprisingly though, the fire surrounding Hannah did not dissipate even without the presence of oxygen in the room. But still, the fires surrounding her still withered as she rushed to help her mother up.


    "Fuck you, you fucking shits! Bring the oxygen back!"


    [We warned you, Ms. Ross. Please refrain from using your powers from now on.]


    And as soon as those words echoed through the room, both Hannah and Diana could feel their bodies once again getting lighter.


    [Do not use your power. We will not hesitate to kill the family of a terrorist.]


    "Wha¨C"


    "Once we get out of here, you will know what fucking wrath tastes like!"


    And before Hannah could finish her words, Diana suddenly stood up¨C kicking away the table in front of her; destroying the brackets it was attached on from the floor. She then raised both her middle fingers, pointing them at the camera stered on the ceiling.


    "Just you wait!" Diana then raised her voice even further, "I won''t sue you¨C but you will taste the palm of my hand and¨C"


    And before she could finish her words. A loud rumble suddenly shook the entire room, almost causing her to fall down. shes of red light then started to drown the entire room; partnered with a loud siren that almost threatened to deafen Diana and Hannah.


    "M¡­mom?" Hannah took a small gulp as she slowly backed away from her mother, "Are you¡­ doing this?"


    "What¡­


    ¡­no?"


    ***


    "What? What was that? I should be the one interrogating you for keeping a person with disability in captivity! Don''t you guys know Riley is autistic!? Just you wait, once I get out of here, all of you are going to get cancelled by my 10,000 subscribers!"


    In another room also a few minutes ago, Gary was also inside a small room. He was not alone, however, as there was someone else sitting at the opposite side of the table.


    "Are you using Riley as a scapegoat because you know he is like that?" Gary continued to tap the table in front of him, "Hannah was right, you government puppets are the worse¨C using an autistic person to achieve your fucked up goals!"


    "...The evidence against Riley Ross is¨C"


    "The evidence against Riley Ross is¨C shut the fuck up," Gary mocking repeated the interrogator''s words, "Let him out right now while I am still asking nicely¨C Once again reveal my identity, you guys will surely pack your bags and cry home."


    "We know who you are, Gary Gray. You are the son of Megawoman."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Then are you releasing Riley knowing that?"


    "In respect to your mother¡­" The tone of the interrogator''s voice started to turn cold as he looked Gary straight in the eyes, "We will not pursue you no matter the oue of this situation. So let me ask again¡­ Has Riley Ross shown any signs of being Darkday while in your presence?"


    "You¡­" Gary''s eyes started to twitch as he returned the man''s re, "...You dare threaten I, the great Dragon Mon¨C"


    And before he could finish his words, shes of red drowned the entire room he was in¨C the table between them, trembling uncontrobly as the room itself quaked.


    "This¡­" Gary then quickly looked at both his hands in bewilderment, "...Have I finally unlocked the powers hidden deep inside my dantian? Is this it? Is this my cheat!?"


    "Shit¡­ Riley Ross is escaping!"


    "...Oh, of course not."


    ***


    "Riley Ross is not Darkday."


    "That is not what I am asking."


    "But that is why I am here, right? And I am telling you, Riley Ross is not Darkday."


    In another room a few minutes earlier, Silvie was in the same situation as Gary¨C being interviewed 1 on 1 by an interrogator.


    "Riley Ross is not Darkday," Silvie repeated the same words she had been repeating for almost an entire hour now¨C with or without the interrogator asking her a question.


    "I have seen the videos you are using as evidence, they are circumstantial as best. And don''t you know how easy it is to manipte videos nowadays?"


    "...The evidence are pretty clear," the interrogator could only let out a sigh as Silvie did not seem to have any ns of changing her answers.


    "Oh? I think you are leaving out a crucial evidence, then," Silvie''s tone then changed for the first time as she looked the interrogator straight in the eyes.


    "Hm?"


    "The evidence of all of us still being alive," Silvie then scoffed, "Darkday kills anything that breathes. From babies to old defenseless grandmas; and he does so without anything hesitation. Do you really think someone like that would allow himself to be captured?"


    Hearing Silvie''s retort, the interrogator once again let out a small sigh,


    "Look," he then said, "I know Riley is your friend, but¨C"


    "But the fact that you could still question me now and that I am answering you is enough proof that Riley is not Darkday."


    "I don''t think you know how this all works. Criminals will always say they are not guilty."


    "And this is why you''re wrong," Silvie shook her head, "You are treating Darkday as a criminal and a terrorist¨C it is neither. Darkday is a biological cmity."


    "Y¨C"


    "Don''t lecture me about Darkday, sir. I was one of the beings you incels created to try and kill him."


    "...What? What are you¨C"


    And before the interrogator could ask what Silvie meant, the rm went off¨C causing the entire room they were in to be filled with a deafening siren.


    "What!?" The interrogator then stood up as he pressed something in his ear, "What do you mean Riley is trying to escape!?"


    "Wait."


    And before the interrogator could move away, Silvie grabbed his wrist. "You guys¡­


    ¡­What did you do to Riley?"


    ***


    "You are an avid fan¨C No. You are obsessed with Darkday. And before you deny it¡­ we''ve checked your house."


    And like the others, Tomoe watched as the interrogator in front of her tried to get the answers they wanted from her, cing a photo album that Tomoe quickly recognized and aptop she also recognized. After all, it was hers.


    But even then, Tomoe kept the silence she had been protecting since earlier.


    The interrogator started to flip the pages of the photo album without saying any more words¨C just showing Tomoe the pictures she had collected of Darkday throughout the years. The interrogator then proceeded to open herptop before facing it towards her.


    "Do you want to enter your password?" The interrogator then finally spoke, a small smile stered on his face.


    Tomoe, however, still refused to speak.


    "Alright then," the interrogator let out a small sigh as he returned theptop to him, "I''ll enter it¡­


    ¡­ilovedarkday666¨C all lowercase."


    And as soon as the interrogator unlocked herptop, a photo of Darkday once again weed her eyes as he also had him as a wallpaper.


    "You seem to have also written a couple of¡­ fan fictions that presented you and Darkday in some romantic escapade if I am right?"


    "..." Even with all of her information being exposed to her, Tomoe still remained silent.


    "Look here," the tone of the interrogator''s voice slowly started to contain a bit of annoyance, "We will expose all of these to the public if you do not cooperate."


    Hearing the man''s words, Tomoe''s eyes finally shifted¨C straying towards his face. Seeing this, the interrogator could not help but let out a small smile.


    "But if you tell us that Riley is Darkday, then¨C"


    "You are lucky."


    And finally, after more than an hour of silence, Tomoe opened her mouth, "You are lucky that Riley Ross is not Darkday¡­ or I would have already frozen your blood from the inside out."


    "You¨C"


    And before the interrogator could retort, the rm sounded as everything inside the room trembled.


    "Or perhaps I was wrong," Tomoe then said as she stood up; her emotions seem to not be shaken by the sudden tremble, "Perhaps you are not so lucky after all. Riley Ross may not be Darkday¡­


    ¡­But I could argue that he is stronger."


    ***


    "Is Riley Ross Darkday?"


    "...What? What the fuck?"


    Daniel blinked as he stared at the small room he was confined in,


    "...Why the fuck am I even here?"


    ***


    "Grah!"


    In another room, a scream was currently drowning all of its four walls¨C followed by a series of heavy breaths that were enough to fill the entire room with vapor.


    "This could all stop if you just tell us what we need to know, Katherine."


    Unlike the other interrogation, Katherine was inside a darker room; her hands,pletely bound by chains attached to the ceiling¨C her clothes,pletely soaked with what one could only assume as water.


    "We already know that Riley Ross is Darkday¨C you just have to admit your part in it. More specifically, your part in the Seven nes incident."


    "..."


    "You even used your poor mother to buy tickets for Riley Ross¨Cpleting the piece of the puzzle that Darkday truly is involved with the Dark Millenium¡­ or at least to their demise."


    "..."


    "You''re still not saying anything? Maybe we should interview your mother next?"


    "..." And as soon as Katherine heard the interrogator''s words, her piercing eyes could be seen almost ring even though her damp silver hair was blocking her face.


    "All of you are making a big mistake," Katherine then whispered; her voice slightly cracking, "I don''t know anything about what you are talking about and Riley Ross is not Darkday. You can torture me all you want but my answer will still be the same¡­


    ¡­but you have to release her sister right now."


    "I don''t think you are in the position to demand anything right now, terrorist."


    "Demand¡­" Katherine let out a small scoff as she spat the water that collected inside her mouth, "...I am trying to save all of you."


    "...Ha?"


    "Riley Ross is not Darkday. He¡­


    ¡­He is worse."

 Chapter 213 - Another Monster

    <h4>Chapter 213 - Another Monster</h4>


    "...What did you say?"


    "We¡­ we''re going to kill your family if you try to escape!"


    And with the words being repeated in his ears, Riley''s eyes started to twitch¨C along with some of the fingers of his hands as the air in therge holding bay suddenly became heavy. No; perhaps describing it as heavy was a huge understatement, as everyone in the hall felt like they were breathing underground¡­ in a coffin.


    "Where¡­ is my sister?" Riley then said as he took a small step towards Christopher. His step, however, caused the floor around his feet to disintegrate¡­ no, topress to the point a square meter of what could only be assumed as reinforced steel to turn into a pebble. The only part of the floor left around him was the part touching his feet as he continued to walk forward; the pebbles he was collecting along the way, whistling as they rotated around him at an incredible speed.


    "Where is my sister!?" Riley''s face then twisted as the transparent wall he was confined in slowly floated in the air; his voice, almost cracking as he let out an almost piercing scream that made every guard, soldier, and even Bulwark to slightly freeze on their spots.


    "You¡­" Christopher fell fist on his butt as he stared at the giant transparent cube floating in the air. He then took in a small gulp, before turning his head towards the super guards and pointing towards Riley, "E¡­ Execute him!"


    "No!" Bulwark raised his hand to summon a golden barrier to block Riley from the rest of the guards as they rushed towards him. Bulwark was sessful in stopping all of their advances¡­ all but one, however.


    There was a guard capable of projectingsers from his fingers¨C which went straight towards Riley''s left eye.


    "I¡­ I got him!"


    The guard with theser fingers let out a small smile as he saw Riley''s head tilting back. His smile was so wide that his jaw reached his cor bones.


    "Eh?" The guard then blinked a couple of times as he looked down; his jaw, already dangling as the sides of his mouth was slit open all the way to his ears. And before he could utter another mangled word, all of the teeth on his dislocated jaw cracked open¡­ before all shooting straight towards the insides of his mouth.


    "W¡­ what?" Christopher and the other guards all stared at their colleague as his knee touched the ground; and with a light thud, his head hit the floor like a watermelon, its insidespletely blended in a smoothie.


    All of them, not only the guards, then looked at Riley who still had his head tilted back. He then slowly took another step forward Christopher even with his head tilted back, and with each step, his body straightened; his eyes, already staring deep into Christopher''s eyes.


    "Where is my sister?" Riley then once again asked; this time, however, his voice was oddly calm.


    "She¨C"


    But before Christopher could speak, the super soldiers in the room all surrounded Riley even with the golden barrier separating them.


    "Sir Bulwark! In ordance with the treaty between Superheroes and World Military, we order you to remove this barrier!"


    "No!" Bulwark once again let out a roar, "Stop provoking him any further!"


    "We will not tell you again! Withdraw your powers or we will treat this as abetting and aiding the criminal known as Riley Ross! He already killed one of our own, we don''t need any other proof!"


    "You attacked him first!" Bulwark screamed as the barrier he summoned thickened even further.


    Riley then turned his eyes towards Bulwark, before straying towards all the soldiers at the other side of the barrier.


    "Mr. Bulwark," Riley then said, "Leave the room."


    "Stop this, Riley Ross! Going any further would make you a criminal even if you''re not Darkday!"


    "A criminal?" Riley muttered as he turned to face Bulwark; his eyebrows, almost twisted in a frown, "I have waited,plied, cooperated to all of your demands withoutining. I only wanted to ask where my sister is and you can''t even give me that. Darkday this, Darkday that¡­"


    "..." Bulwark could only squint his eyes in bewilderment as he heard Riley''s words. Throughout the course of him knowing Riley and from all the stories he heard from Bernard, Riley has not once let out this kind of outburst. It was almost as if¡­


    ¡­he was a little child wanting to see his mommy.


    "You are not going to see Darkday here, you are not going to get what you want¡­ No, not what you want," Riley Ross then folded both his index finger, pinching it with his thumbs as he started repeating his words,


    "Not what you want!" Riley once again let out a roar as the pebbles surrounding once again let out whistles as they¡­ went straight towards the heads of the soldiers surrounding him¨C treating Bulwark''s golden barrier as if parchment paper.


    "Avoid it!"


    Even with this sudden attack, the captain of the soldiers raised his voice;manding his toon to all move away, and all of them managed to avoid it either by using their powers, or just their sheer speed.


    "Bulwark! This is thest time I am going to ask you, remove¨C"


    "!!!"


    And before the captain could finish his words, Bulwark saw his blood scatter in almost a t stter as¡­ the vertex of the gigantic transparent cube shattered his bodypletely. Surprisingly, though¨C no blood reached Bulwark as it stopped just an inch away from him, slowly trailing and dropping to the floor.


    "Ril¨C" And as soon as Bulwark turned towards Riley, Riley once again let out a scream as the gigantic transparent cube started mowing through the soldiers surrounding him¨C almost like ticks being squished, their blood all spurting out everywhere¡­ they even sounded like one.


    Christopher, who was still sprawled on the floor, could no longer utter any words as he watched as the people in the room all get pinched to death one by one¨C most not even being able to use their abilities.


    And so, without even secondster¡­ the only living things left in the room were Riley, Bulwark, and Christopher.


    "..." Bulwark could only look at the once transparent cube, which was now almost covered in blood.


    And seeing this, the only thing that circled in Bulwark''s mind was that they were wrong.


    Riley Ross is not Darkday.


    Those whose deaths were caused by Darkday are always, without fail, creative. Even when he was battling to the death with Megawoman, the citizens that were unfortunate enough to be within range of his onught all died in the most colorful ways possible¨C artistic, in a sense.


    However, this¡­


    ¡­This was a child throwing a tantrum and using the first thing he got his hand on to wreak havoc. One could argue that he was like this because he was angry¨C but Bulwark could feel it through his thousands of years of existence.


    Darkday was too different from Riley¨C the only thing they had inmon was the strength of their telekic abilities. Seeing him now, Darkday was not the entity Bulwark was thinking of¡­


    ¡­It was Ms. Phoenix.


    This uncontroble rage that just mows down anything within its path; the strands of air that were filled with all the emotions one could think of¡­ this is what made Ms. Phoenix the most powerful telekic in the world¨C and the most dangerous.


    They were wrong.


    Riley Ross is not Darkday¡­ but something much much worse¨C he is a child that has the ability to ravage the entire¡­ and he might do so just for the simple fact that he doesn''t get the vor of the candy he wants.


    Whoever tried to frame Riley probably knew who and what he is¡­ and wanted to unleash him to the world. There, of course, was still a good chance that Riley is Darkday.


    But what if he was not?


    Then wouldn''t they be releasing two monsters in the world?


    "..." Bulwark then remembered Tempo saying something about a blonde young man fighting with Riley before he got to London¡­ Did¡­ he have something to do with this?


    "Riley, stop!" Bulwark then once again screamed as he erected several golden barriers between him and Christopher, "If you kill Christopher, then you would go beyond the scope of self-defense! We¡­ we can still argue that you killed the people here because they threatened you! There are cameras all over the room, you can''t escape jail anymore but we can still reduce your punishment!"


    "..." Riley''s steps then finally stopped as he heard Bulwark''s words. And as soon as Christopher saw this, he could not help but let out a gasp of relief; the pee that was trying to escape from his bottom, sessfully halted.


    "T¡­ that''s right, Riley Ross!" Christopher then muttered.


    "You shut your mouth, child!" Bulwark then encased Christopher''s head in a golden box,pletely shutting him up,


    "Riley¡­ please stop this!"


    "..." Riley looked at Bulwark for a few more seconds, before his eyebrows once again furrowed,


    "No," Riley then muttered as he looked at all the cameras in the room,


    "They should all be watching this, right Mr. Bulwark?" Riley then said as his feet slowly left the floor, along with him¡­ the rest of the holding bay.


    "!!!" Bulwark tried to reinforce the walls as they cracked¡­ only for his golden brackets to split as the entire holding bay lifted¨C revealing the rooms beside it that also held one or two prisoners. The prisoners saw this as a chance to escape¡­ their heads, however, exploded without even the chance to move.


    "If they like watching this much..." Riley Ross then breathed out as the walls of the holding bay unfolded almost like a blossoming flower, finally revealing the light of day that awaited them outside,


    "....Then let them watch as I kill everyone in this prison until I see my sister."

 Chapter 214 - Creating Monsters

    <h4>Chapter 214 - Creating Monsters</h4>


    "W¡­ what is this!?"


    The reporters that were inside their helicopters all started to scramble their microphones. Once Riley entered the perimeter of the prison, they were no longer allowed to stay and capture footage. They were asked to stay away for at least 500 meters, as they were already disrupting the prison''s normal operations.


    That was no problem for them, however, as there was absolutely nothing but emptynd within a kilometer¨C allowing them a clear view of the prison without any obstructions.


    And so, the only thing they all could do was hop onto their helicopters; their cameras, all pointed at the prison waiting for something to happen. But even after hours and hours of waiting, the prison remained quiet.


    But still, none of them budged¨C even hiring the help of Supers that were capable of flight to supply them additional gasoline as they didn''t want to miss even a single second. All of them have reviewed the videos scattered all over the inte¨C and it, without doubt, painted Riley Ross as Darkday.


    And with Whiteking missing, there was no one to even deny if the videos were real. Of course, even with them covering the news of Darkday''s possible capture, the world was not actually focused on them as most were mourning and in shock at the sudden destruction of London.


    In the eyes of vultures, however¨C Darkday was the more enticing news.


    And so, they waited. And finally, their patience paid off as even from afar, they could see some sort of activity inside the prison. Their eyes widened, however, as an entire chunk of the prison floated in the air.


    "This¡­ could it be Riley Ross finally showed his true colors!?"


    "As¡­ as you can see! An entire infrastructure is now currently floating in the air, this is a feat that only powerful telekics are capable of!"


    "Will the world once again finally be covered in darkness!?"


    "It¡­ it''s opening up!"


    The almost hundreds of cameras all zoomed in as the floating box opened; almost like a flower bud being forced to bloom; its stigma, revealed to be a white pollen that stood at the center¨C Riley Ross.


    "It''s Riley Ross! He''s wearing a prisoner''s uniform!"


    "Is this it!? Was he found guilty!? Is he really Riley Ro¨C"


    "I want to see my sister!"


    And before the reporters could continue their jobs, an almost piercing scream reached even their ears¨C its source, Riley Ross.


    "...Sister?"


    "Does¡­ the prison also have his sister in custody?"


    The reporters then all scrambled to call their contacts inside the prison. But with the prison being on its highest alert level, all the signals inside the facility were cut off.


    But if it''s like this¡­ then wouldn''t it be possible for them to approach the prison?-- they all thought in unison. However, as soon as one of the helicopters entered inside the 500-meter restriction, they were shot down by a missile.


    "!!!"


    "The¡­ the prison is shooting at us!"


    "They shot down the reporters at ABS-ZBN!"


    "We¡­ we''re receiving reports that the government has taken Riley''s family and friends hostage!"


    "The prison is currently holding a minor against her will."


    "It would seem they are preventing any of Riley''s acquaintances from talking!"


    And just like that¨C the media changed its tune.


    Their cameras, however, still pointed directly at Riley Ross¡­ whose face was clearly angered and agitated.


    "Hannah!" And once again, even from afar, his screams filled with emotions roared in the air¡­ and soon, several more blocks parted and lifted from the prison. These blocks then surrounded the tform that Riley was floating on, before all opening up at the same time and causing a screeching noise to whistle in the air.


    The people inside the rooms and halls could only widen their eyes in shock as they suddenly find the confines they were in floating in the air.


    "Sister!?" Riley''s body then rotated in ce as his eyes looked at the rooms he just opened up. And as soon as he confirmed that his sister was not there, the room closed¡­ beyond its original form¨C squishing everyone and everything inside it, whether it was a prisoner or a guard.


    Christopher, who was still surprisingly still alive, finally let go of the pee that he had been trying to stop from bursting out. All this time¡­ he was interviewing someone like this?


    Of course, he knew what Darkday was capable of. But he was also confident that the transparent cube that he was confined in was enough to hold him off as even the strongest Supers he had interrogated could not crack it open¡­ but the cube opened up for Riley like he owned it.


    "B¡­ Bulwark!" Christopher then crawled towards Bulwark, who was only staring as Riley fulfilled his words to kill everyone he saw, "D¡­ do something! Call the Hope Guild!"


    "...Hope Guild is currently still dealing with the monsters that all suddenly appeared everywhere," Bulwark replied, not even sparing Christopher a nce, "...Where is Riley''s sister?"


    "She¨C"


    And before Christopher could finish his words, he saw Bulwark suddenly flying away¨C almost as if hit by an invincible truck.


    "Kh!" Bulwark tried to resist the heavy force that forcefully threw him away, but found each of his movements to be futile. With Darkday, he could at least still feel himself able to fight back¡­


    ¡­with Riley, however, it was almost as if his power was¡­ absolute. Almost like a wall that could not be moved no matter what¨C like a train in a certain video game he and Prophet used to y that wouldn''t budge even when the track it was moving on was blocked by a hundred tanks.


    And so, the only thing that Bulwark could do was soften hisnding as the invisible force pushing him away threw him all the way towards the empty ground¨C the earth around him, parting violently as he continued to move farther and farther away from the prison.


    But as soon as he was below one of the helicopters, the force just¡­ vanished. Bulwark quickly tried to fly back towards the prison as he surrounded himself with a golden aura in the shape of a fighter jet.


    "!!!"


    The nose of this golden fighter jet, however, quickly shattered and ttened as it moved forward. Bulwark quickly canceled his powers; not fast enough, however, as the momentum still pushed him forward.


    "Kh," Bulwark then slightly let out a groan as his palms and knees felt something hitting¨C No, blocking them from moving forward. Bulwark then quickly patted the empty air in front of him, only to feel a sort of invisible wall blocking his path.


    "..." Bulwark then quickly flew away in an arc, his palm, trailing in the air as if touching something.


    "Riley¡­" Bulwark then stopped flying as his eyes trailed across the prison as well as the empty lot that surrounded it. Bulwark then slowlynded back on the ground, his eyes, staring at the ground which currently had some sort of line forming on it¨C a line that stretched across the horizon.


    "What¡­ have we done?"


    If Bulwark was right¡­ then Riley Ross currently had an invisible dome surrounding the prison in a 500-meter radius¨C effectively isting them from the rest of the world.


    "..." Bulwark then grabbed a phone from his pocket¨C a radio that allowed him to call the members of the Hope Guild. Although he had already quit the team, Empress still let him hold onto it.


    They should still be busy dealing with the monsters that were still roaming everywhere¨C especially now since V was out ofmission. But stopping Riley''s rampage was the priority right now if they don''t want another Darkday roaming the.


    And so, Bulwark let out a signal; his eyes, still watching as Riley dissected the entire prison almost like legos.


    "Hannah!?"


    "Y¡­ your sister is in holding 2¨C"


    Riley continued to scream; not even hearing Christopher anymore as he now actually tried to tell him where his sister was. It wasn''t supposed to be like this, Christopher thought. He was supposed to be the one to spearhead that would finally put Darkday into prison¡­ no. They should have killed Riley when they had the chance, even if he wasn''t Darkday.


    But kill him¡­ how?


    Christopher then stared at his prison, chunks of it slowly being eaten away as Riley continued to pluck it like some sort of bread.


    "Hannah!?"


    "R¡­ Riley!?"


    "!!!"


    Riley''s body then almost instantly disappeared from his spot as soon as he heard a familiar voice reach his ears; his silhouette, then appearing in front of one of the blocks that floated in the air.


    "Riley¡­ what?"


    "Silvie Savelievna."


    "What¡­" Silvie, who was inside the room that Riley pulled from the prison, could not help but slightly step forward; her eyes, staring at the destruction that Riley had caused, "...Why¨C"


    "Have you seen my sister!?"


    "W¡­ what?" Silvie then once again repeated; her eyes blinking from hearing the tone of Riley''s voice. This was perhaps the very first time she had heard him sound like this. He¡­ almost seemed normal now.


    "I¡­ We got separated, I haven''t seen her¨C"


    And before Silvie could finish her words, she felt herself suddenly being pushed away¨C Riley and the prison, getting farther and farther away within a blink. And before she could even utter another word, she felt a certain warmth cover her back.


    She turned around, only to see Bulwark, as well as a gigantic golden hand catching her. She then quickly returned her gaze towards Riley¡­ only to see the room she was just in being crushed almost into a ball.


    "N¡­ no, Riley! Someone else was inside!" Silvie screamed as she quickly tried to fly back¡­ only for her head to almost bleed from the impact of hitting Riley''s invisible dome.


    "Silv¨C"


    "What have you guys done!?"


    And before Bulwark could even say anything, Silvie mmed her fist towards the invisible dome, causing the air itself to almost crack as the ground beneath her all rippled away.


    "Riley tried to save¡­ save everyone and you repay him like this!?"


    Thest time Silvie saw Riley was when he stayed behind to stop¡­ the other clones. The image of Riley''s silhouette getting smaller as he stayed to fight the monsters was still freshly ingrained in Silvie''s mind. For her¡­ that was the image of a hero¨C the very reason she was created.


    And so, she could not help but think¨C if the Government was done with her, will they also treat her like this?


    No, she knew the answer to that. Megawoman was Earth''s savior¨C and look what they have done to her, creating monsters in her image.


    The Government¡­ they can''t be trusted¨C Silvie then thought as she watched as Riley continued his rampage¡­ seeing it almost as a sort of rebellion to a government that tries to control them. Her head started to hurt just from the sheer thought, but still¡­ she did not stray her eyes away.


    "Hannah! Where are you!?"


    "...Riley!"


    Another familiar voice then echoed through Riley''s ears¨C and like with Silvie, he quickly appeared in front of the room where the voice came from.


    "M¡­ Master Riley!"


    "Tomoe¡­" Riley could not help but furrow his eyebrows as once again, the voice was not owned by his sister.


    "Are you alright, Master Riley!?"


    "Have you seen my sister!?" Riley then stepped onto Tomoe''s floating room; as soon as he did so, the head of the man that was interrogating Tomoe burst into a cloud of blood.


    "N¡­ no," Tomoe, however,pletely ignored it as she returned Riley''s gaze. She then suddenly felt her body being pushed away¡­ but before her feet could leave the floor, the heavy force suddenly stopped.


    "Night Queen," Riley then whispered; his eyes, still staring deep into Tomoe''s eyes.


    "...Find my sister."


    And as soon as Tomoe heard Riley''s words, the somewhat bewildered expression on her face disappeared,


    "Your orders¡­" Tomoe then said as she bowed her head,


    "...I receive with all my heart, Master Riley."


    ***AUTHOR NOTES***


    I have a new book called, "Manaless Magician", that I joined in a contest-- might be worth checking out and voting for while waiting for this book. No, actually.... please vote for it if you like it lol.

 Chapter 215 - A Performance

    <h4>Chapter 215 - A Performance</h4>


    The sound of madness and destruction continued as bits and pieces of HM Prison Leeds for the Super Gifted were dissected¨C its rooms, slowly decreasing as Riley continued to pluck them one by one as he floated on top of the unfolded holding bay.


    Christopher, the one responsible for interrogating Riley, was now just sprawled on the floor; his face,pletely defeated from the realization that he might have caused this. Now that he was slightly calming down and had gathered his thoughts, his eyes were starting to find a way to escape the horrid situation he found himself in.


    He was still an interrogator for one of the biggest prisons in the entire world, after all¨C even if he was a normal human, he had questioned Supers that could squish him with a flick of a finger many times over. If there was a skill that he gained from that, it was remaining calm no matter the circumstance.


    His slight blunder with Riley was just because he was a special case¨C a young man that hasn''t even stepped on the roads of adulthood¡­ and is suspected to be Darkday. He had seen the videos more than he could count¨C and without a doubt, Riley Ross is Darkday.


    Of course, it could, in fact, also be edited. But for now, all the evidence pointed to him being so¨C and seeing the abnormal strength and ruthlessness he was showing now, he could be none other than Darkday.


    "..." But why does it feel like he wasn''t? Christopher then blinked a couple of times as he finally gained the strength to stand up; his pants, a little sticky from having identally peed on them.


    ¡­Christopher started this onught, he thought. And so, he should be the one to find a way to end it. Riley''s screams of longing to see his sister repeated over and over again through his ears¡­ if that was the way to end this rampage, then he would be the one to personally do it.


    Christopher then let out a small but very deep sigh as he readied to jump from the floating tform he was in. He might just be a normal human, but it doesn''t mean he wasn''t trained for extreme situations¨C one needed to be at the peak of human conditions to be able to even have the job and career he has.


    And so, with him tucking in his stomach and clenching his teeth¡­ he started to push himself off the ground; the pace of his dash, almost that of an Olympic-level athlete. Christopher''s eyes then looked at the floating room that was slowly approaching their tform.


    He nned to jump on it, then leap to the next one until he managed to reach the prison grounds. Christopher then turned his eyes towards Riley as he reached the edge of the holding bay. And seeing as he waspletely focused on trying to find his sister, Christopher hastened his pace.


    "You want your sister!?" Christopher exhaled, "I''ll find your fucking sister!"


    Christopher then reached the edge of the tform, immediately pushing himself with all his might as he leaped towards the room that was ascending towards them. His foot, sessfullynding on the corner of the floating room; his head¡­ alsonding on the corner as it actually flew at a speed that Christopher was not expecting¨C it seemed somewhat mellow from afar.


    And so; hitting his head on the cold hard wall of steel¡­ Christopher''s body spun like a ragdoll as it violently rolled on the side of the floating room. His hand still instinctively tried to reach for something to grab onto¨C but s, his entire depth perception was already messed up from having hit his head.


    But still, Christopher was able to grab onto something¨C the ground, as he hit the cold hard floors of the prison face first.


    "..."


    "..."


    Tomoe, who was trying to find Hannah throughout the prison, could only blink a couple of times as a man suddenly flopped right in front of her; his body foldingpletely in half as his head was squashed almost like watermelon.


    "..." Tomoe then moved to the side to avoid the man, continued her search for Hannah; scouring the rooms that Riley would not float anytime soon. But with all the rumbles that were thundering everywhere, it made it hard for Tomoe to even focus.


    "T¡­ that''s one of Riley''s associates!"


    And before Tomoe could find the next room, she crossed paths with a group of guards. Tomoe, however, tried topletely ignore these men in uniform as she used her powers to create a pir of ice to propel her over them.


    "You''re not going anywhere!"


    The guards, however, didn''t seem to have any ns in letting Tomoe freely search theirpound as 2 of them swiftly blocked her path¨C with one already summoning a sort of de on his hand.


    "Lock yourself in one of the rooms, this will be your only warning!"


    And even with this so-called warning, the air around them cracked as Tomoe''s skin started to glimmer; almost reflecting light with the fractals building around her. Even the tiniest sweat that was trailing on the faces of the guards, freezing almost instantly as the air around them thickened.


    "You¡­ Kill her!"


    Tomoe quickly crouched to the ground; both her palms touching the cold floor as her ominous ck icicles started to stretch towards the guards surrounding her. But before the edges of her spiky storm could reach any of the guards, they all suddenly burst into a cloud of blood. And with the temperature around them lowered, their blood almost turned into jelly as it flopped and bounced on the cold floor.


    "..." Tomoe then turned to look up, only to see Riley floating just outside of the edge of the floating holding bay; momentarily ncing at her before continuing to pluck the rooms of the prison one by one.


    And although Riley was not looking in her direction, Tomoe still bowed her head before continuing to head deeper into parts of the prison that still had a roof attached above its head. She had to be careful, of course¨C as even with all the chaos that Riley was causing, she was still, in fact, inside a facility that housed Super criminals. And perhaps Riley''s rampage made the situation worse, as the prisoners have be even more excited.


    But still, with the setup of the HM Prison Leeds, Tomoe''s advance had been rtively safe. She was using her ice powers to break into rooms, then locking them back with multipleyers of ice again if Hannah and the others were nowhere to be found.


    She continued to do this several times, until finally¨C


    "Who¨C"


    And before who Tomoe could only assume to be an interrogator speak, she had already encased him inside a frozen wall¨C she did not kill him, however, as Riley didn''t seem to want her taking any lives during this mission. It was evident when he killed the guards for her earlier.


    "..." Tomoe then turned her eyes towards the other presence in the room, only to see Katherine hanging and tied up; her limbs,pletely bound in chains as she was barely wearing anything. Seeing this, Tomoe quickly summoned several des of ice, quickly cutting the chains that bound Katherine.


    "Can you get up, Ms. Scarlet Mage?" Tomoe then said as she saw Katherine kneeling on the ground; her breaths, loud enough to be heard even with all the rumbles happening outside.


    "Is that Riley rampaging outside?" Katherine whispered as the chains on her wrists and ankles started to tremble.


    "Yes," Tomoe nodded, "I am currently on a very important mission to find big sister Hannah; personally ordered by Master Riley himself. So¡­


    ¡­I''ll leave now."


    And with that, Tomoe quickly walked away; not even helping Katherine up as she left the room.


    "..." Seeing this, Katherine could only let out a small but deep sigh. She let out a couple of breaths after¡­ until finally standing up; any chains that were still attached to her body, withering away almost like London.


    Katherine''s silver hair then started to float in the air as she raised both her hands to the side¨C what little clothing she had left, surprisingly covering her most intimate parts. Katherine''s breaths then once again resounded inside the room; her inhale, causing the metal floor to almost ripple inward.


    Katherine then let out a small whistle, before pping her hand and causing that quiet whistle to amplify¡­ to the point that itpletely destroyed the room she was confined in.


    "..." Katherine''s eyes slightly squinted as her skin was finally once again bathed in the rays of the sun. But before she could enjoy this warmth crawling through her skin, she felt her body suddenly float in the air.


    Unlike everyone else, however, Katherine did not resist this invisible force even one bit; as evenpared to the warmth of the sun, this domineering and yet gentle force was more familiar to her.


    And so, Katherine just let herself be lifted up; her eyes, scanning the destruction that Riley had caused carefully. Even if they could somehow miraculously prove that he is not Darkday¡­ he will still surely face punishments after this stunt.


    But it doesn''t matter.


    "Silver Moon."


    "Riley," Katherine then slightly nodded her head as Riley ced her right beside him; waiting for her to fly on her own before releasing his invisible grip on her, "Do you also want me to search for Hannah?"


    "No."


    "Wh¨C" And before Katherine could answer, she could not help but let out a small gasp; followed by a small but deep sigh as she shook her head. She then pped her hands, before stretching them to the sides and creating some sort of bubble that encased her and Riley¨C the noise and rumble outside,pletely silenced.


    The rumbles, however, were reced by a small chuckle that would make one almost shiver from the inside out.


    "You¡­" Katherine then once again sighed as soon as she was sure that no one could hear them from the outside,


    "....Already know where Hannah is, don''t you?"

 Chapter 216 - In The Mind Of A Monster

    <h4>Chapter 216 - In The Mind Of A Monster</h4>


    A few hours ago, Riley was waiting at therge holding bay, inside the transparent cube he was being securely confined in. Bulwark and his soon-to-be interrogator were still not there; the Super guards and soldiers, however, were already there surrounding every inch of the holding bay.


    Holding bay¨C that was truly the best description Riley could think of. Why would they even waste this much space just for a single guest? He thought. There wasn''t even a bed, but only a single chair right in the middle¨C is this how the government uses their budget?


    "..." And with that thought suddenly entering his mind, Riley let out a small cough, causing all the people guarding him to flinch; with some even instinctively using their abilities in fear¨C after all, the young man inside the cube could be Darkday.


    This somewhat worsened Riley''s cough, however, as he slouched himself on the chair provided for him.


    "Should¡­ we check up on him?" One of the guards whispered; this was heard by one of the soldiers, however, who quickly warned him not to even move from his spot if he doesn''t want to get in trouble.


    It was a good thing he was warned; else, they would have all noticed that Riley wasn''t actually coughing, but trying to holdughter that has been wanting to escape his wide mouth.


    How could he notugh? He could not help butpare this amodation to his own guesthouse. He made sure that all of his guests werefortable. They have their own bed, free meals, and time to use state-of-the-art toilet rooms¨C they even have their own entertainment areas so that they can physically socialize with each other.


    Riley opted to use transparent enclosures close to each other so that even if they were confined, they would be able to still see each other and wave¨C even teaching all of them signnguage so that they would be able tomunicate.


    In that way, all of his guests werefortable. Of course, there were stillints with his services¨C especially from histest guest from the Dark Millenium. Thankfully, he also has a new Warden to take care of things for him and let Diley rest.


    Still¡­ to think he would find himself inside a transparent confinement¨C who knew?


    "..." Riley then turned his head up, slightly flicking his finger. And as soon as he did so, a small hole opened up on the ss.


    "Pft," Riley once again covered his mouth. With just a single thought, the confinement was damaged? With his amodations, even someone of Gary''s strength wouldn''t be able to make a dent even if he punched with all his might¨C that is, if Gary was not hiding his true strength.


    He was still the son of Megawoman, after all. Who knows what he could be hiding.


    "!!!"


    Riley then blinked a couple of times; his nostrils also slightly pulsated as he tilted his head to the side.


    "...Sister?" Riley then let out a small whisper. That was fast, Riley thought. Did they try to grab her as soon as they had him in custody? This¡­


    ¡­is good.


    The smile on Riley''s face could no longer be hidden as his body almost trembled in excitement. He had thought of many things that would be happening soon, but to think it was the best scenario he could hope for.


    Of course, Riley had thought of the time he would be captured¨C it was part of the risks with his hobby, after all. Sooner orter, he would be caught, so he had already thought of the things he would be doing once it happens.


    The easiest option was to kill everyone else but his sister¨C but that would surely make Hannah hate her enough tomit suicide.


    The second option was just to leave the¨C but that would probably cause him to just fleet through space until he dies of old age. But with Megawoman''s abilities¡­ he would probably just float until he manages to find another to terrorize. Who knows how long that would take?


    After all, through the billions and billions ofs that they have found¨C only two had intelligent life. Earth and Megawoman''s, Theran.


    He had many more options thought out, but he wasn''t exactly being held right now as Darkday, but as Riley Ross. He could just make one of his clonese out as Darkday and kill people while he was inside¨C but Darkday''s cloning ability was well-known, people would probably just approach that angle. And besides¡­


    ¡­Diley was already inside somewhere in the prison.


    And so, with a lot of thoughts circling in his mind, he hade up with one solution that had the chance to disassociate him with Darkday. His greatest power¨C his autism and looks.


    Stupid, one might think¨C but the reason of being in the spectrum had allowed Riley to do basically anything he wanted in his life¡­ and others would just be med for it.


    "Kek," Riley once again covered his mouth¨C his hand, however, was not enough to cover his smile that reached from ear to ear. How could he not, when he found the perfect scapegoat?


    The Government itself.


    A child diagnosed with autism, tortured and held by the Government for almost an entire day. Of course, he was suspected as Darkday. But even if just a single doubt that he was not was lit up inside the masses, then that will start to spread like wildfire.


    A chance¨C he thought as he looked at the cameras stered all over the holding bay. The only thing to do now was wait for a chance.


    And seeing Bulwark finally enter along with whom he could only assume to be an interrogator, that chance was about toe his way.


    "..."


    "..."


    He waited and waited quietly¨C until finally,


    "Do not move! If you do, we will be forced to kill your family!"


    There it is, Riley thought as the interrogator, Christopher, raised his voice.


    To threaten the family of someone with autism, what is that if not something to get enraged about? Riley had seen the videos already and even Bernard''s recording of saying he is Darkday¨C but the masses are easy to sway especially when confronted with a wounded puppy. He was still a little stirred by his sister being threatened, of course¨C but he knew she was safe.


    "..." Riley then turned his eyes towards Bulwark¨C his most credible witness of the Government''s mistreatment.


    Of course, it would still rely on luck whether or not people would really disassociate him with Darkday. And since that was already out of his hands, it was time to finally have an excuse to continue his fun.


    Riley''s feet left the ground, lifting the entire holding bay he was in with him¨C throwing away Bulwark since he was done with him and started destroying the prison bit by bit in an excuse to find his ''sister-in-distress''.


    90% of the people in the prison are criminals¨C this would also help in swaying the masses'' opinions.


    And so, Riley continued his rampage; plucking parts of the prison as if it was only some sort of lego. He stopped, however, as soon as he found Silvie¨C he had no use of her, however, so he quickly threw her away to where Bulwark was.


    The next one he found was his Second Subordinate. He was about to also throw her away because she would just end up getting in the way¨C but decided not to do so.


    It would somewhat be a loss for him to lose a loyal subject, but if Tomoe, a 16-year-old girl, were to be killed by the soldiers and guards in the prison while just trying to find her friend, it would further stain the Government''s reputation.


    And so, without thinking any further, Riley ordered Tomoe to find Hannah. And to Riley''s expectations, she was quickly surrounded by almost a dozen guards.


    "..." Contrary to his expectations, however, Riley killed the guards almost instinctively. He was wrong¨C if Tomoe was to die here, then the pain that Hannah had building up inside her would probably worsen. That was something that Riley wouldn''t allow since he was already rampaging here.


    And so, Riley continued his rampage¨C making sure that the lines of all the surveince cameras were still intact even if the holding bay was not. And true enough, his rampage was being caught in all directions¨C after all, the one handling the control room right now was Diley; surrounded by the unconscious bodies of the ones that should be handling it, recording everything with a proud expression on his face.


    And soon, his First Subordinate joined him, creating a bubble and isting them from the rest of the world, carrying a question she already knew the answer to¨C


    "You¡­ already know where Hannah is, don''t you?"


    Of course, he knew. This entire prison was currently in his hands right now.


    "Hug me, Silver Moon."


    "...What?"


    "Hug me and release this bubble you created," Riley repeated his words.


    "..." And although Katherine was still confused as to what Riley was doing, she still followed her orders; hugging him and releasing the bubble they were confined in.


    As soon as he did so, however, a sharp piece of metal suddenly flew straight into her hand.


    "This¨C !!!"


    And before she could continue her words, her hand that held the metal spike went straight to Riley''s stomach. The floating tform then slowly descended to the ground¨C the tremble that has been shaking the entire prison, fading away as Riley''s body rested on Katherine''s body.


    "R¡­ Riley?" Katherine''s breath stuttered.


    "I''ll live," Riley, however, just casually whispered in her ear, "Now scream."


    "W¡­ what?"


    "Scream so the people could hear the pain of killing your lover."


    "..."


    And so, she did.


    Loud enough for the world to hear.

 Chapter 217 - An Innocents Rage

    <h4>Chapter 217 - An Innocent''s Rage</h4>


    Like a banshee that veils the world in eerie darkness, Katherine''s screams echoed throughout the entire world¨C quite literally. Riley ordered her to scream so that the entire world could hear, and so she did.


    She amplified her scream to its utmost limit by manipting the air around her¨C it might have just been a very faint whisper on the other side of the world, but it thundered through the skies of its neighbors.


    The pain contained in her wails was enough to kill a person¨C whether or not it was fake or she really did feel tormented with having to stab Riley¡­ only she knows for now.


    But she screamed. She screamed until her lungs could no longer produce any air or sound, even then, she tried as her cracked gasps whispered in the air.


    Her screams, however, were not the only ones that the people felt. Right now, the cameras that were zoomed in on them stuck to them like flies. They''ve captured the moment Scarlet Mage approached Riley; as if trying to tell her student and rumored lover to stop what he was doing.


    And then, when Riley seemed to have no intention of stopping, she did what no one should bear to do¨C kill the person she loves.


    And that was evident from the screams she just let out; even now as it faded, the viewers that were watching from their televisions and screens could still fill every pore in their body opening up.


    Their eyes focused on Katherine''s now silver hair¨C like a moon radiating even through the violent rays the sun had brought her.


    A Silver Moon that covers the sun with her pain.


    "Good job, Katherine."


    Contrary to everyone''s expectations, however, Riley was still alive and well¨C the blooding out of his mouth, trailing from the edges of his lips that reached almost his ears.


    "But your performance is not over yet," Riley then said as the both of them slowly descended to the ground, "Heal me and call for help, Katherine."


    "..." Katherine could only look at Riley as her feet and Riley''s body slowlynded on the ground¨C they were right in front of the prison''s gate; almost as if Riley was setting up some sort of scenery that one could only find in movies.


    Katherine then quickly kneeled on the ground as trickles of yellow light appeared on her hands. She then ced her hands on Riley''s wounds, causing the sharp shard of metal to slowly emerge from it.


    "!!!" Katherine then closed her eyes as a spurt of blood suddenly sshed on her face. She didn''t expect this to happen as even though her healing powers were one of her weaker ones, it should still be enough to close the surface of Riley''s wounds.


    "..." Katherine then turned her eyes towards Riley, who was looking at her with a small smile on his face.


    "Cry," Riley then whispered.


    "..."


    "..." Katherine''s eyes started to twitch. Riley seemed to think she was some sort of actress that could just act inmand¨C well, she could. She manipted the sweat formed around her body and trailed them towards her eyes, making it look as if she was crying.


    And soon, the sound of the helicopters entered their ears. They previously weren''t allowed to enter within 500-meters of the prison, but with half of the prison destroyed, no one really paid attention to them anymore.


    And besides¨C the one to shoot them down earlier wasn''t the prison in the first ce, but Diley.


    "Riley!" And soon, Silvie''s voice could be heard screaming Riley''s name; followed by Bulwark as he trailed behind her.


    "You¨C" She was going to say something to Katherine, but as soon as she saw the tears trailing from her eyes, the only thing she could do was shut her mouth.


    "...She did what had to be done," Bulwark ced his hand on Silvie''s shoulder, "If she didn''t¡­ then Riley might identally kill the very person he was searching for."


    "Is¡­ is he alive?" Silvie then nodded before also falling to the ground beside Katherine.


    "He¡­ will," Katherine then said as she wiped the fake tears from her face, "But he needs proper healing¡­ I could only stop the bleeding."


    "That¨C"


    "Get out of the way!"


    And before Silvie could finish her words, the gate opened. And without even waiting for it to fully slide open, Hannah rushed from the inside and pushed both Katherine and Silvie away.


    "R¡­ Riley!" She then quickly tapped the huge gash on his stomach; she wanted to embrace him but was afraid to harm her brother.


    "You!" Hannah then turned her res towards Katherine, "What did you do!? You¨C"


    And this time, it was Hannah''s voice that was cut-off as Diana, who was following behind her, pped her right on the cheek.


    "Calm down," Diana said, "Just stay with your brother."


    Diana then proceeded to approach Katherine, who quickly prepared herself to meet Diana''s palm as well.


    "!!!"


    Contrary to her expectations, however, Diana crouched to the ground to hug her.


    "T¡­ thank you," Diana then whimpered, "Thank you for stopping and saving my son. We¡­ we saw everything that happened. You¡­ you did what you had to."


    "That''s¡­" In the end, the only thing that Katherine could really do was return Diana''s embrace. And even though that embrace was of her own will, it still felt like Riley was pulling the strings behind the scenes.


    No¨C everyone here had strings attached to them, all controlled by Riley. She had witnessed it already during the Seven nes incident¡­ but Riley Ross truly was more dangerous than Darkday.


    With Darkday, it was just raw destruction. But if it was Riley Ross, it was a structured destruction. Riley had told them that everything depended on luck in the end during the Seven nes incident¡­ but he made it possible solely by the fact that he was capable of doing so¨C because he had the strength to do so.


    "..." Katherine and Tomoe''s eyes then met, the two nodding to each other as if both were sessful in carrying their orders. Gary, who was also with the group, was about to stomp his way towards the helicopters thatnded near them.


    But before he could ask them to move away, Tomoe stopped him.


    "Let the world see what they did," Tomoe said.


    "..." Gary was confused at first as to what Tomoe meant, but before he could ask what she meant, Riley''s stuttered words started to whisper in the air. And as soon as everyone heard that, everyone quickly circled him and Hannah¨C even the people from the media.


    "S¡­ sister?" Riley''s trembling hand tried to reach for Hannah''s face¨C but was too weak to do so. Before his hand could fall, however, Hannah caught it and ced it on her cheek.


    "I¡­ I''m here," Hannah stuttered as tears soon fell from her face.


    "Are you¡­ are you alright, sister?"


    "Yes, I''m¡­ I''m not hurt, I''m not hurt anymore," Hannah whimpered as she rested her cheek on Riley''s palm, "Mom is fine as well."


    Hannah gestured for her mother to approach. Diana, however, only shook her head¨C she knew that the only one Riley needed now was her sister.


    "That¡­ that''s good," Riley whispered as he let out a cough; trickles of blood, scattering around his mouth, "I¡­ I thought they hurt you, sister. I¡­ I think I might have hurt people¡­ Did¡­ Did I hurt people again?"


    "..." Hannah trailed her eyes towards the ruined prison, before taking in a small gulp and returning her gaze to Riley, "N¡­ No, of course not."


    "I¡­ I thought they hurt you and," Riley took in a small but very deep gasp; his face twisting as his wound seemed to have throbbed.


    "Riley!? C¡­ call for ambnce for fuck''s sake!" Hannah screamed as she looked at the others.


    "I¡­ I''m fine, sister," Riley, however, turned her face towards him, "It¡­ I''m alright."


    And as soon as everyone heard that, the only thing they could do was look to the side. Katherine might have stopped the blood, but Riley still needed proper help; if not, then he would surely die in less than an hour.


    Even the reporters, who were previously excited by the news of Darkday, could only look at their cameramen.


    Darkday? They all thought. Who the fuck scattered those videos? How in the world is someone like this Darkday? He might have caused this much destruction, but it was because they were holding his sister hostage.


    Who¡­ exactly was the real viin here?


    "O¡­ of course," Hannah then forced a smile, "You¡­ you''re the strongest person I know."


    And as Riley heard this, his trembling head shook,


    "N¡­ no. I¡­ I''m scared, sister."


    And as soon as Hannah said that, her lip almost bled from her biting it.


    "I''m¡­ I''m scared of meeting my biological mother, sister. Will¡­ Will I meet her if I die?"


    The reporters who heard this, could not help but turn their eyes towards Diana. They''ve already heard the rumors that Riley Ross was adopted¡­ but for him to be afraid of meeting him when he dies¨C wasn''t that implying that his real mother was dead?


    If so, why was he afraid of her? And as if to answer their questions, Riley once again opened his trembling mouth.


    "What¡­ what will I do if Ms. Phoenix tries to kill me in heaven?"


    "!!!"


    And almost as if clockwork¨C stories started to write themselves on the reporters'' minds. Even those that were watching from the screens were starting to formte their own theories.


    And soon¡­ another video was scattered throughout the inte.


    A video of Julius''s¨C No. A video showing proof of Alistair''s sick obsession with Riley Ross''s sister.... as well as Whiteking''s response.

 Chapter 218 - Signal Not Found

    <h4>Chapter 218 - Signal Not Found</h4>


    Alistair Reuben¨C the person that practically jump-started technology as we know it today. He was a father to a single son and a grandfather. The life of his son and his family, however, were snuffed out as Darkday started wreaking havoc as he fought Megawoman.


    Alistair Reuben was a dying man. But because of this event, his vigor once again exploded¨C bringing along with it a certain obsessive madness. An obsession in trying to find and kill Darkday.


    And so, with his almost unlimited supply of money, he conjured up a n¨C a n that was only possible for one that had his wealth. And his n started when Darkday returned Megawoman''s body to the government.


    Using his connections, he harvested a sample of Megawoman''s DNA¨C using it to gain her powers and be younger. And as if that wasn''t enough, he killed everyone that worked on the serum as he did not want it to be used by anyone else.


    And then, in his fit of insanity, his attention came upon a young man. A young man who looked different than anyone else, who was different than everyone else.


    An albino with high-functioning autism.


    He created this idea in his mind that someone that unique could only be Darkday. But this was not the only reason, however.


    Jealousy.


    He was jealous of Bernard Ross, aka Whiteking. He was jealous of his youth, jealous of his intellect that far surpassed him; jealous of the limelight he was receiving as one of the most famous superheroes in the entire world.


    And so, using his resources, he tasked his people to forge a video that would make his sick fantasies a reality. This was easy for him. After all, he was considered the Father of Technology.


    Making it look as if Riley Ross was Darkday¨C and even using a state-of-the-art voice alteration software to make it look as if Bernard himself confessed to his son being Darkday.


    This, however, was not even the icing on the cake.


    As if it was not enough to frame an innocent child¨C he tried to prey on a woman not even a quarter of his age. The woman being none other than Bernard''s other child, Hannah Ross.


    Alistair approached Hannah with the intention of trying to sleep with her. Hannah tried to stay away from his advances, but he continued until he found a moment of weakness. This was easy for someone like Alistair; after all, he contained all of Hannah''s data¨C down to her phone conversations.


    Thankfully, he was unsessful in doing so as his strange demeanor and weirdness caused Hannah to push him away.


    And then, for the finale.


    Alistair Reuben was responsible for the monsters that have suddenly emerged from all over the globe¡­ desecrating Megawoman''s legacy even further as the monsters themselves came from the reserved DNA he bought from the Government.


    And when it was time for the final act of his revenge¨C he hacked V''s mecha suit, causing it to haywire in order for it to kill Riley¡­ the result of this, however, was the tragic loss of London; the tragic loss of millions of lives.


    And if it was not for Riley Ross himself containing and stopping V''s raging powers, then perhaps the damage would have been throughout the entire country. But seeing that Riley survived, Alistair attacked him in a blind rage¨C with Rileying out as the victor.


    Where Riley''s power came from was no longer a secret as well.


    Riley Ross was the biological child of Ms. Phoenix¨C the strongest recorded telekic super recorded. As for why Riley was under the care of the Ross family, however, was still unclear.


    What is clear, however, was that Alistair Reuben was a sick man. A man that lost his mind when his family died because of Darkday¨C perhaps one would feel a sort of pity for him because of this fact¡­


    ¡­but with the rumors of Alistair also being responsible for the existence of the Dark Millenium, all of that went away. It was not clear or implied, but Prophet''s death may have also been forged by Alistair because he discovered his connection with the Dark Millenium.


    And thus, ends the story that Whiteking had shown to the world. There were videos, secret documents, and even witnesses that came forward.


    All of these were, of course, fake. The videos were all edited, the secret documents were forged, and the witnesses don''t exist. They were all made by Whiteking in the span of hours as soon as he woke up from the deep ocean of dismay he found himself in.


    Whiteking did not have any superpowers¨C but even with this fact, Bulwark, who had lived for a couple of millennia, considered him the most dangerous man on the. He was, as his name implied a King.


    A King that erased existences¨C leaving only a white canvas where he controlled everything. Painting the life of a man that does not even exist; or covering a man''s entire legacy and filling it with nothing but shit.


    Whiteking was capable of that.


    And so, weeks passed after the incident. And in the minds of the people, the possibility of Riley Ross being Darkday was almostpletely gone. But of course¡­ there were still a few people that were not convinced of Riley''s innocence¡­


    ¡­but right now, as of this very moment¨C Riley was only being tried for multiple homicides. His sentence could have been reduced if the individuals that died were only the prisoners since most were already a lifer¨C but some guards and prison staff were also killed during Riley''s blind rampage.


    The masses that were sure that Riley was not Darkday, however, were once again split. Some are saying that he should only be charged with manughter¨C a few even taking the angle of self-defense. Some, however, are saying that murder is murder no matter what and that he should be tried like any other person.


    And so, once again¨C everyone''s eyes were on Riley Ross. His trial once again turned into an event that the whole world watched.


    "Upon consideration of the relevant evidence, the testimony exhibits in mitigation¨C it is the judgment of this court that the aggravated circumstances¡­"


    The whole world watched as Riley once again stood in defence¨C this time, truly in front of thew. Silvie and the others were there, serving as a witness to the unruly and almost inhumane way that the people of the prison treated them.


    There was also Katherine¨C who was physically tortured by the interrogator and guards. There was, of course, evidence of this as what happened was all caught in the prison''s surveince systems; and surprisingly, none were destroyed even though the prison was almost lost to ruin.


    Once again, the people were outraged¨C with some now even saying that what happened to the prison was justified and that Riley Ross should be set free; putting the judge in a somewhat difficult position as the juries seemed to have a sway in emotions.


    But even taking everything into consideration, Riley still killed innocent people.


    "The jury finds the defendant¡­


    ¡­guilty."


    And the sentence for murder in the United Kingdom was¡­


    "This court is going to impose¡­ a life sentence¨C"


    "Fuck you! Fuck¨C"


    The entire courtroom erupted as soon as the verdict was called¨C almost literally as Hannah''s entire body started to trickle with mes. Before any fire couldbust, however, Bernard pulled Hannah down back to her seat, restraining her with the help of Bulwark, who was also there as a witness.


    "L¡­ let go of me, you useless fu¨C"


    "Order in the court! Order in the court!"


    It was not only in the courtroom that the people started to let out their gasps. Even on the inte, people were voicing out their opinions to the point that one could almost hear them actually arguing from their screens.


    How could they not, when someone of Riley''s strength only had one destination¨C the most secure facility in the entire world, Russia''s Super Maximum Prison. There would have also been a chance that he would be sent to another softer prison¡­ but he just destroyed that one in half.


    Some were arguing that Riley should be put in a mental institution instead¨C but an insane Super whomitted a crime is treated the same as any other Super criminals.


    And so, with a process that took almost an entire month, not even letting anyone celebrate the New Year''s¡­


    ¡­Riley was sent to prison.


    Hannah tried to fight, of course¨C even wanting to cause mayhem so that she would also be put in prison. But s, she was confined by Whiteking inside the Hope Guild''s base; not even getting the chance to say goodbye to her brother.


    It was not only her, however, that did not get this chance. The same day the verdict was ced upon him was thest time that any of the Ross saw him¨C even his parents; this was to prevent any thoughts of escape, especially considering the position of Whiteking in society.


    "..."


    "...Who the fuck is that white cunt?"


    "Look at that, they brought someone tied up again."


    "What do you think he did?"


    "Who the fuck cares¨C he''s probably a serial rapist like thest guy."


    And soon, the opinions of the masses outside were reced by the opinions of those that were inside¨C inside the prison that would be Riley''s home¡­


    ¡­until he dies.


    ***


    [...]


    [.....]


    [.....No longer detecting Alistair A. Reuben''s Vital Signs: Activating MEGAN''s Contingency Phase.]


    [...]


    [.....]


    [.....Sessfully Activated! MEGAN''s Contingency Phase: Theran Call, now online.]


    [...Signal not found.]


    [.....Signal not found.]


    [Signal¨C]


    ***VOLUME 3-- END***


    And there goes Volume 3-- now you know why Riley is wearing what he is wearing in the cover... and he is smiling? Oh boy, oh boy. Also, seriously-- although I have already lost like 80% of my readers, I am still liking this story. But in a result and reflection of that, however, my earnings have plummeted. So please, do continue to support me.


    I have a pat reon. Please do donate or subscribe to support me financially.


    /romeru


    You can also share my story in social media so that we would gain more poprity, as I am not really that well-versed in promoting my works, lol.


    And yes, with that-- we wrap Volume 3. I hope you enjoyed this volume as much as I did, because I think it''s just the beginning of all the revtions and hoohaas. I might just be hyping it up and myself, but please do really support me!


    Special thanks to all my readers, specialer thanks to my paying readers, and specialest thank you to my pat reons, Teddy, Cole, Haley and maybe there are others please let yourself known.


    As always, thank you for staying with me this long. Let''s do this!

 Chapter 219 - Prisoner

    <h4>Chapter 219 - Prisoner</h4>


    "Remember the rules, that will be the only thing you will be living by from now on."


    "I have already memorized them, warden Yakovich."


    "Stop being such a smart¨C"


    "None of them forbids me from fighting back, warden Yakovich. Be careful where your hands are going."


    Warden Yakovich¨C the one responsible for managing the most secure prison in the entire world for almost 30 years now. He had seen many prisonerse¡­ but not many go. The Super Max Prison was famous for holding the record of having the most Super prisoners that were sentenced to life at one time.


    And considering Russia''s Super Max Prison could actually only hold 200 prisoners at one time, that truly was a feat that no other facility in the world could replicate.


    There were many rules set upon the prisoners¨C but really, who could actually control people that could practically destroy an entire city if they wanted to? And in the Super Max Prison, there were more than a dozen capable of that. In fact, some of them could just break out if they want to; and chances are they would seed.


    Well, that''s where their sess ends. They might be able to escape with ease, but what awaited them was most likely death as they would be ced under the radars of the Hope Guild and other superhero organizations.


    But still¨C how is the most secure facility in the entire world the most secure even though there was a possibility that the prisoners could escape if they want to, you ask?


    That is because the prisoners themselves have built their own society inside the prison¨C a sort of hierarchy that Russia has exploited to let the prisoners themselves keep themselves in check. Some prisoners even act as guards, abusing the other prisoners and disguising it as imposing the rules.


    In short, politics.


    The prisoners were drunk by the power they held inside the prison, even if they knew it was just an illusion. They even set up their own Ranks, the higher the rank you have, the more authority you hold inside the prison¡­ with Rank 1 basically having almost the same authority as warden Yakovich.


    Of course, even if that was the case, warden Yakovich was not really afraid that people would start questioning his authority because of this. After all, those who asked could no longer be found in the prison the next day.


    There was also the fact that warden Yakovich was also rated as a ss-S Super¨C only the strongest of prisoners would have the chance to stand toe-to-toe with him if they wished to challenge him.


    One might think that the prisoners would be afraid of actually challenging him¨C but no. Almost every week, a prisoner challenges warden Yakovich, sometimes for no reason at all but for the sheer entertainment of it.


    And with his almost 30 years of being the warden; suffice to say, Yakovich was probably one of the most well-versed Supers in the world in terms ofbating other Supers. He had seen his fair shares of strong supers¡­


    ¡­but the one in front of him right now was different.


    Riley Ross.


    Adoptive father, Whiteking; Biological mother, Ms. Phoenix.


    Sentenced to life for killing half of the people in the second-most secure prison in the entire world. But most importantly¡­ he was suspected to be the most heinous viin the has ever produced¨C Darkday.


    His name was already cleared of that¨C but everyone has already seen what Riley Ross was capable of. He was a telekic capable of rivaling Ms. Phoenix and Darkday, both of which battle for the position of the strongest telekic in the world.


    Warden Yakovich had also seen the videos of his rampage and already knew what to expect. But this¡­


    Riley Ross was in front of him, his body currently wrapped inyers of ker, attached to a vertical stretcher to prevent him from moving even a single finger. His eyes were also covered¨C so how exactly did he see Yakovich''s hand that was about to p him in the face?


    And more importantly¡­ how was he stopping it?


    There were only the two of them in this holding room, with their onlypanions their reflections that moved in all corners of the room.


    Yakovich could only take in a small but very deep breath as he stared at his own hand; already lifted in the air butpletely still¨C not even a tremble could be seen.


    "Let¡­ go of my hand, prisoner 666."


    "...Prisoner 666?"


    And with that whispering out of Riley''s mouth, warden Yakovich could once again finally feel his arm be his own. Yakovich wanted to reprimand Riley with what he just did, but considering the file he had read about him, it would probably not have any effect on him.


    Riley Ross was a high-functioning autistic. Of course, there were actually a lot of people somewhat simr to Riley inside the prison; psychopaths, sociopaths, and just insane. No one in this prison was in the right mind. One could argue that even he had a few screws loose for not even straying from this career.


    But even then, Riley was unique. He was the only prisoner here that one could argue did not deserve to be here¨C after all, even half the masses said so.


    "You are our 666th prisoner, Mr. Ross," warden Yakovich then said as he let out a small sigh; retracting his hand as he did so.


    "That¡­ is quite an interesting number, don''t you think so, warden Yakovich?"


    "..." Yakovich could not help but slightly squint his eyes as Riley''s already wide mouth started to stretch even further.


    "Do I get a phone call, warden Yakovich?" Riley then said as the smile on his face remained, "If so, then I want my first phone call to be to the Pope. I finally have a story that could match his story about Jes¨C"


    "That''s enough," warden Yakovich then raised his hand; and as soon as he did so, one of the mirrors in the room started to open up; emerging from it almost a dozen super guards.


    "You will now be taken to your cell, prisoner 666," Yakovich then let out a sigh, "Once you''re in there, you are in the hands of the other prisoners. And since you are sentenced to life, the only way you''re leaving this ce is inside a body bag."


    "That is debatable, warden Yakovi¨C"


    And before Riley could once again finish his words, one of the guards tapped something on his stretcher, causing it to shake violently as they pulled him away without a word.


    "Be very careful, prisoner 666. You are in here for killing prisoners and prison guards¨C both of which are the only people you would be seeing until the day you die, and I am telling you now, they would not be treating you well."


    "I was already expecting that, warden Yakovich."


    "..." Warden Yakovich could only watch as Riley was taken away by his guards. And seeing the looks that the guards were exchanging, they were already nning on doing something. Riley Ross may be seen as a sort of innocent victim oppressed by the government outside, but in here¡­


    ¡­he was just a prisoner. And what mattered most was what got him here.


    Everyone in the prison would surely make trouble for him¨C especially with the way he looks.


    "..." A long and very deep sigh then escaped from Yakovich''s mouth, almost fogging the entire walls of mirrors. He was used to trouble¡­ the only problem now was the one that would be at the receiving end was probably the most problematic prisoner this facility has ever seen.


    "I knew I should have retired when I had the chance."


    ***


    "Are¡­ we really doing it? He''s just a child now that I am seeing him."


    "A child that killed more than a dozen of us. If you''re going to be a little bitch, then leave."


    "..." Although Riley''s eyes were covered, it was obvious that the guards that were taking him to his cell were nning something¨C after all, their excited and nervous breaths were all but familiar to him.


    "Is your group perhaps trying to kill me, guards?"


    "Shut up! You only speak when spoken to!"


    "..." Riley could once again feel his body being violently dragged as the guards once again adjusted his stretcher. After that, however, no words escaped the mouths of the guards¨C almost as if only speaking through their eyes.


    Soon, however, Riley could hear loud whispers and murmursing from almost all directions.


    "...Who the fuck is that white cunt?"


    "Look at that, they brought someone tied up again."


    "What do you think he did?"


    "Who the fuck cares¨C he''s probably a serial rapist like thest guy."


    "Quiet down if you do not want to be electrocuted!"


    "Ooh, how scary!"


    "Here! Shock me! Shock me you, little sad bitch!"


    "Tch, the warden should really fuck these guys up. Their heads are starting to get big."


    "..."


    The talks and whispers continued on for a few more minutes; until finally, the persistent squeaking sound of the wheels of the stretcher he was attached to stopped.


    "Come on! Let''s leave!"


    "Are¡­ are we really leaving him like this!?"


    "...Wouldn''t he just be able to break--"


    "Let''s just go!"


    "..." Riley could only let out a small breath as he heard the footsteps of the guards hurry away; fading and soon disappearing from his ears. He waited for a few more seconds if they were nning to do something else, but even after a full minute¨C no one came for him.


    The bindings that trapped him in the stretcher, still tightly wrapped around his body.


    And soon, a loud siren thundered throughout the entire prison.


    "Yard time, boys!"


    "....Oh."

 Chapter 220 - Italian Mafia Reborn

    <h4>Chapter 220 - Italian Mafia Reborn</h4>


    "Everyone ready?"


    "Let''s do this."


    Hannah, Gary, Tomoe, and Silvie were currently in front of the jet-truck hybrid¨C which they have now officially named the Meteolite¡­ named once again by Hannah. There was little to no objection, however, as it was not their current priority.


    They were gathered somewhere deep within the Academy grounds; their costumes, all turned into a t ck color in order to better suit their current stealth mission¨C break out Riley Ross from prison.


    "Remember, we only have a few hours until my brother officially bes a prisoner in the Super Max," Hannah then said as a final reminder, "We do this swift and without fault, okay!?"


    "Okay!"


    And with that, the Baby Crew got on the truck one by one, the reflection on their eyes glimmering even in the darkness.


    "Better strap yourselves¨C this is going to be a fast ride," and with that, Hannah pressed the ignition.


    "..."


    "..."


    But nothing happened.


    "What the fuck?" Hannah once again pressed the ignition, but once again, there was not even a sliver of response, "Did you forget to charge it, Gar?"


    "What, of course not!" Gary quickly replied as he unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned towards the terminal, "I charged this fullst night like how Julius made a fool of you."


    "...What was that?"


    "N¡­ nothing."


    "Are¡­ are you stepping on the gas?" Silvie said as she also leaned forward.


    "Why would it have¨C"


    And before Hannah could respond, the darkness that once nketed them disappeared; reced by an almost blinding light that made the others close their eyes except for Hannah, who was clearly seeing where the light wasing from.


    She then immediately got off the truck, before letting out an almost piercing scream.


    "What the fuck are you doing, dad!?"


    "I should be the one asking you that."


    A silhouette then slowly emerged from the light, casting shadows to wave down as the silhouette slowly descended to the ground; and as soon as this silhouettended, the source of the light flew away.


    And slowly, the light started to fade from Gary and the others'' eyes, finally revealing the sudden intruder that seemed to have stopped their mission before it could start.


    "What do you mean you should be the one asking!?" Hannah raised her voice once again, "We''re trying to rescue Riley and actually doing something instead of just pretending that this is alright!"


    "The rest of you go back to your apartments."


    And as soon as Bernard''s somewhat deep voice entered through their ears, Gary and the others could only flinch as their feet seemingly moved on their own.


    "What!? None of us are going back! This stupid Academy has been going long enough¨C We''re setting out to do what this ce has taught us to do, rescue innocent people!"


    Hearing his daughter''s voice, the only thing Bernard could do was let out a small sigh; he then pressed something on the watch he was wearing. And as soon as he did so, the truck that Hannah had been trying to start suddenly moved.


    "Wha¨C"


    And before they could even know what was happening, the truck switched into its jet form and flew away on its own.


    "None of you seem to understand," Bernard then let out a whisper. And although his voice was quiet, it seemed to resonate deep into their bones. The others could only try to avoid Bernard''s gaze as it strayed towards them one by one; the only one that returned his re was Hannah.


    "You don''t seem to understand," Bernard repeated as he looked Hannah straight in the eyes, "Riley is not innocent."


    "Riley is¨C"


    "52 people," Bernard once again did not let Hannah speak, "Besides the criminals that were inside the prison, Riley killed 52 innocent people¨C most have families waiting for them to get home¡­ daughters. Tell me, Hannah¡­


    ¡­how many people does Riley have to; need to kill in order for you to actually see that he is not innocent?"


    "That''s¡­" And as soon as she heard her father''s question, the resolve that was glimmering in Hannah''s eyes slowly faded.


    "A hundred? A thousand?"


    "Riley won''t¨C"


    "20 million people?" Bernard then let out a small but very deep breath as he once again trailed his eyes towards the others, "I truly appreciate that you want to rescue my son¨C but he has to be punished for what he has done."


    "..." Gary and Silvie could only look at each other as they heard Bernard''s words. Although they didn''t want to admit it, Bernard is right. They were currently letting their personal feelings get in the way of the facts.


    Even if it was in a fit of rage; even if it was unfair¨C Riley killed people. What exactly would the families of the dead feel if they saw that superheroes broke their loved ones'' killer out of jail? Wouldn''t that be a p to their faces?


    And as much as Gary loved pping faces¨C he knew this wasn''t right.


    Seeing the looks on the faces of the youths in front of him, Bernard once again let out a small breath. He was a hypocrite; perhaps the worst of all.


    He said that Riley should pay for what he had done, but he made sure that Riley''s true identity wouldn''t be exposed¡­ even setting up an old man that only tried to avenge his family as a viin. If these were any other story¡­ then wouldn''t Alistair actually be considered the true hero?


    But s, this was Riley''s world¨C everyone was just living in it, Bernard thought. He knew it was wrong¡­ he had always known that he was wrong for even trying to protect Riley. But what could he do?


    A man''s bane was and will always be their children.


    And perhaps it was once again a wed thought, but he could only hope¡­


    ¡­that the monster he had allowed to roam free would finally find a ce in prison. If not, then Bernard could only shudder at the thought of what would being out.


    ***


    "Yard time, boys!"


    "...Oh."


    Riley could hear a loud nging noise ringing in the air from all directions. And even with his eyespletely covered, it was obvious that the ringing was from all the gates of the prison cells opening.


    Riley initially thought that the guards that were escorting him to his cell had some sort of grandiose n, but to think it was just leaving himpletely tied up¡­ how funny.


    "Oho, look what we have here."


    And like a grain being thrown inside an aquarium, it did not take long until several voices started approaching Riley. And judging by all the breaths that he was hearing, the people that were slowly surrounding his stretcher was a group of 4.


    "Holy fuck, that''s his skin? I thought it was some sort of bandage at first."


    "Derek would go wild seeing a skin this smooth. If his chin is already like this¡­ imagine the rest of his skin."


    "We better get a taste of it before Derek gets the news, then. Quick, knock him down so we can untie him."


    "What¡­ why me? Don''t you think Lee should do it?"


    "...Don''t tell me you''re scared? He''s fucking tied up."


    "Well yeah, there''s a reason why he''s tied the fuck up. You do it since you have super-strength."


    "Wha¨C"


    "Quit arguing and just do it! My little brother is getting hard already!"


    And with that, Riley could hear a small but loud grunt as a loud step started to approach him. But before another step could whisper to his ear, a small smile crawled on his face.


    "What are you doing!? Why did you suddenly stop!?"


    "I¡­ I can''t move!"


    "What are you saying, you''re just dying shit. Let me¨C What¡­ something''s here?"


    "What are the two of you doing!? You¨C"


    And before the group could once again let out their voices; they could not help but slightly take in a small breath as a weird peal ofughter entered their ears. They first looked at each other, before their eyes all turned towards the source of theughter almost at the same time.


    And as soon as they saw Riley''s smile that reached from ear-to-ear, the only thing they could do was slowly back away; his eyes being covered made it even more ominous.


    "I¡­ I have a bad feeling about this. We should just leave."


    "Y¡­ yeah."


    "I agree."


    "Yup, let''s just go."


    And so, with their heads nodding at each other, the sound of their steps soon whispered throughout Riley''s cell. These steps, however, stopped before they could pass the cell door.


    "Why''d you stop again!?"


    "There''s¡­ something blocking the path again."


    "W¨C"


    And once again, before anyone could open their mouths; another fit ofughter entered their ears. This time, followed by the sound of metal ripping; almost as if it was just a piece of paper. They all turned their heads back, only to see their supposed-to-be prey slowly shredding the ker that wrapped him as if it didn''t exist.


    A light, but very long breath then whispered through the air as Riley started stretching his limbs which were stagnant for almost an entire day; his white skin, slightly merging with the whites of his striped ck and white uniform¨C almost making it look like one could see through him.


    "Interesting," Riley then said as his eyes started to look at his new room, "I have watched the episode where the main character was sent to prison in Italian Mafia Reborn¡­ and to think this kind of scene would also happen to me."


    "W¡­ what is this kid saying?"


    "The main character beat the other prisoners up in the anime," Riley continued to talk; ignoring the words of the men in front of him, "I''m wondering if I should do the same¡­


    ¡­or just kill all of you?"

 Chapter 221 - Rank

    <h4>Chapter 221 - Rank</h4>


    "Should I just kill all of you?"


    "W¡­ what?"


    The four prisoners that entered Riley''s cell could not help but take in small gulps as they stared at the white entity in front of them. They initially thought that they would finally get to have fun again since the new prisoner was near their cells.


    It wasn''t only them that had the same idea of trying to take advantage of Riley; they were, however, the only ones stupid¨C brave enough to approach a prisoner that waspletely wrapped in thick ker.


    But s; perhaps the hint of Riley''s porcin white skinpletely overpowered any of theirmon sense; seeing his wide mouth as he was being dragged by the guards was enough to tingle and awaken the desperation of their manhood.


    "We¡­ were just trying to see if you were alright," one of the men then said as he tried to act as if they didn''t just attempt to do some very bad things to Riley.


    "..." Riley started blinking several times before his eyes once again strayed towards the four men, who flinched almost at the same time trying to avoid Riley''s gaze.


    "..."


    What followed that instance, however, was a silence that made every sound within the prison travel to Riley''s cell; and considering there were a lot of curious eyes and ears centered on the new prisoner, one could almost even make out the words that the other prisoners outside were breathing.


    "..."


    "..."


    This silence continued for a few more seconds. Until finally, the one nearest to the cell door fell on his butt; the invisible door that was blocking their path outside, now gone.


    "Go, homosexuals," Riley then let out a small sigh as he gestured to the four to go away; waving his hand before his eyes once again travelled across his new room, "I will let you live since the main character from Italian Mafia Reborn didn''t kill his fellow prisoners in the first day."


    "..." Upon hearing Riley''s words, the four could only once again look at each other; before making the quiet decision to just run away¨C even pushing away the other prisoners that were not-so-subtly trying to examine Riley.


    And finally being free of any foreign presence in his room, Riley let out a short but very deep breath. He then looked at the stretcher that the guards left him on; a small smile crawled on his face as he moved it to the corner of the small room with his mind.


    He might have a use for the stretcher during his stay; whatever that use is, Riley could only smile in anticipation.


    "..." His eyes then once again wandered throughout his cell; the smile on his face fading as he did so. The room was only about 4.5 square meters, smaller than any of the bathrooms that Riley had throughout the years¨C their house, the Academy, and the ce where he keeps his guests.


    And suffice to say, there was a sort of irritation slowly building up inside him. He was also provided a bed¡­ with sheets that look like they have not been washed since the prison was built. As for the pillows, well¡­ it might as well be made of cardboard.


    "..." He then turned his eyes towards the toilet which was just behind the bed; and like with the sheets, it looked like it hadn''t been cleaned once.


    If it was like this, then Riley wouldn''t have destroyed the HM Prison Leeds. Leeds was only considered the second most secured facility in the world¨C but at the very least, the people there had style; even having a simr confinement with what Riley has in his Guesthouse.


    But this Super Max Prison that was considered to be the most secure in the world? It just looked like any normal prison¨C one could even say a poorly maintained one.


    "..." Should he actually just leave? Riley thought as he flicked his finger, causing the flush handle of the toilet to turn. The toilet, however, did not cry water as it was intended to do; only letting out a light thud as the floater inside hit nothing but dust.


    Seeing this, Riley could only once again let out a small breath. He really should probably not stay here for long. He can''t attend the Academy anymore, but it didn''t really matter; if he escaped, then a lot of heroes would be after him¨C it would be a better way to get through his boredom.


    Riley then took another look around his cell, before finally stepping out of it. And as soon as his feet passed through the bars of his cell, the persisting noise and whispers that were chattering in the airpletely stopped. The eyes of those who were once moving their mouth, now all looking at Riley.


    "Hello, fellow prisoners," and even with more than a dozen stares seemingly threatening to kill him, Riley only waved his hand. His eyes then once again wandered around, examining every corner of the part of the prison he was in¨C and with just one look, this ce really did not look like an establishment that deserved the number 1 spot.


    It almost looked like an abandoned building, with lots of cells either empty or justpletely destroyed.


    "..." Was he really even in the Super Max Prison? Maybe they made some sort of mistake and ced him inside a normal prison somewhere in a less¡­ advanced country?


    But no; Warden Yakovich was a powerful super¨C someone like that wouldn''t be working in a backwater prison.


    There were lots of thoughts circling in Riley''s mind; a few seconds after, however, he slightly shook his head as he once again examined the prison.


    There were only 2 levels; one on the ground, and a mezzanine that surrounded the hall. Riley''s cell was located on the mezzanine, allowing him a full view of the activity inside the prison hall. There were a lot of people still looking at him; the others, however, were already walking in a line towards what Riley could assume to be the Yard.


    And soon, all the eyes that were staring at him were gone¨C the prisoners, now all outside for their so-called Yard Time.


    And so, with nothing to do, Riley could really only follow the others outside to see more of the prison; and as soon as the sun hit his eyes, Riley could not help but slightly let out a small breath.


    From the dpidated hall he was just in, to arge field that was filled with all sorts of recreational activities and objects. The design was almost like arge garden¡­ arge garden littered with the worst humans, that is.


    There was an outdoor gym, a basketball court, a resting area¡­ and a wall that stood almost half a mile,pletely separating them from the outside world. But even with this grandiose structure, Riley''s eyes were elsewhere.


    There was a sort of ss wall separating a part of the Yard¨C specifically, there was a wall preventing them from moving towards the part of the field that looked like a garden. He could see some people inside, but no way to ess it from his side.


    "That''s where the top Rankers are."


    And without even asking or opening his mouth, Riley heard a voice answering a question he didn''t ask. Riley then turned his head to the side, only to see a slightly aged man standing beside him; the old man''s left eye,pletely hollow and surrounded by scars.


    "You''re the fish, right?" The old man then continued to talk even though Riley didn''t say anything, "You don''t even need to answer since this is the first time I''m seeing you."


    "I''m not a fish, prisoner," Riley muttered.


    "...That''s a term for a fresh recruit," the old man could only blink a couple of times as he looked at Riley. A few seconds after, however, he began to approach the wall of ss that separated them from the so-called top Rankers.


    "Don''t touch this ss," the old man then said as he tried to look Riley in the eyes, "The top Rankers don''t like it when we approach them."


    "Top Rankers, I assume they are the strongest prisoners here, prisoner?"


    "There are about 30 of them. You wouldn''t find them mingling with us since they have their own private rooms¨C Now,e on; let me introduce you to my friends, you''ll need as many friends here to prevent¡­ bad things happening to you," the old man then looked at Riley from head to toe, resisting the urge to talk about Riley''s unusually white skin and hair.


    Although Riley by no means looked like a woman, he was no doubt the youngest looking prisoner they have right now¨C not to mention his skin that seemed to have not even been touched by anyone and anything.


    "You''ll be the target of some bad people wanting to do¡­ things with you, so let''s g¨C What are you doing!?"


    And before the old man could finish his words, he almost choked in his own saliva as he saw Riley suddenly approaching the ss wall.


    "You said they have private rooms, prisoner?"


    "...What?"


    "If I drag one of them here," Riley''s eyes then scanned the prisoners that were rxing on the other side of the ss wall, "Will I be able to get his private room?"


    "That''s¡­" The old man didn''t really know what to say, but seeing the somewhat serious expression on Riley''s face, the only thing he could really do was let out a small sigh before shaking his head.


    "You need to raise your rank by fighting," the old man then said.


    "..."


    "..."


    "....Fighting?"

 Chapter 222: Prisoner 582

    Chapter 222: Prisoner 582


    Ranks.


    The hierarchy within the Prison was decided by ranks¨C and the ranks were decided through battle. It seemed old-fashioned, but even the staff of the prison treated it as entertainment¨C even cing bets on the prisoners themselves.


    It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that the battles have be a daily event; no, one might even say that it was an hourly event since battles could happen in the prison at any given time. But of course, if no one was there to see it, then it might as well have never happened.


    And so, usually, when someone wants to rise in ranks, a certain preparation would happen¨C there was issuing a challenge in front of many witnesses, setting the time, and then there was the actual battle. Sometimes, however, those three all happen at the same hour.


    The ranks of the lowest don''t really matter, and respect is only given once you step in the top 50. This wall, however, was not easy to surpass. Those who have been in the top 50 have been there for years. After all, if one wanted to challenge them, they would have to fight their way through the ranks.


    Killing was still not officially allowed in the prison, of course¨C even violence was against the rules. But of course, there was always a silver-lining.


    Super Max Prison has dered the battles as an official activity-- an entertainment reserved for the prisoners the same as basketball and the gym¡­ which the super prisoners only use as a hang-out ce.


    There were currently 200 prisoners inside the prison. And with Riley the newest addition to the flock, he was currently the lowest rank¨C 200.


    "And that''s how it usually works," the old man, who named himself Yuri, pped his hands as he finished exining to Riley how the rankings worked.


    Riley, however, only let out a small hum as he touched the ss wall separating the 150 of them from the top 50.


    "That seems counter-productive, Mr. Yuri," Riley then let out a small breath, "So if I wanted a bigger room, I need to challenge those in top 199 to 51?"


    "...Yes," Yuri replied, "Now let''s go, you don''t want to be seen even eyeing those in the top 50. Even the guards are protective of them¨C the politics in this prison runs deeper than you could¨C"


    And before Yuri could finish his words, a small crack whispered to his ear¨Cno. Not only to his ears, but the crack whispered through the entire yard, causing everyone to turn their heads towards Riley.


    They then turned their heads towards his hand, which was touching the ss that now had a web of cracks littered all over it.


    "...Oops?" Riley then whispered as a small smile slowly crawled on his face.


    [Prisoner 666, stop what you''re doing this instant!]


    And with even a second of him doing so, a voice rang from all the speakers hidden within the prison. And without even a minute, several guards, who had their faces covered with some sort of helmet, started emerging from the holes that suddenly opened up in the ground.


    "..." It would seem that even though most of the part of the prison Riley had seen seemed dpidated, the Super Max Prison seemed to have a more advanced side to it¨C obviously reserved for those higher up in the rankings.


    Riley was quite weirded out with how the prison''s system works¨C maybe he should start implementing something like this in his Guesthouse as well?


    "Prisoner 666,y t face-first on the ground and put your hands behind your head! This is your only warning!"


    One of the guards that were slowly approaching him then said; pointing some sort of gun that had lines of red light trailing across it. The other guards also did the same, their guns seemingly pointed at different parts of Riley''s body.


    "If I don''t do as you say, then will you shoot me with tho¨C"


    And before Riley could even finish his words, several whistles started to echo through the air as shes of red light started bombarding his eyes.


    "..." Riley then blinked a couple of times as he looked at the several red orbs now floating just inches away from his body. He then slowly moved his hand towards one of the orbs, making it fly near his face so he could see what it was¨C but it really is just what it seemed, a red orb.


    "What is this?" Riley then muttered as he turned his head towards the guard that warned him. The guard, however, did not answer him but instead, all the guards once again pressed the trigger; causing another batch of red light to beam towards different parts of Riley''s body almost instantly.


    This beam, however, once again turned into an orb as it stopped just short of hitting Riley.


    "I haven''t seen this kind of bullet before," Riley continued to speak as if he wasn''t just almost riddled with the red orbs, "What does it do?"


    Once again, however, his question was answered by the guards firing at him; And judging by the soft twitching of their bodies, they were starting to get a little nervous. They were already briefed about the new prisoner¨C a telekic too strong that he was suspected and framed to be Darkday.


    They were also briefed by warden Yakovich that Riley was more than likely to cause trouble¡­ but to think it would be within an hour of him being officially epted as a prisoner¨C it would seem his reputation was still an understatement.


    "What does it do?" Riley once again repeated his question; this time, however, the only response he received was silence; with the guards just looking at each other as if asking what they should do now since their guns proved to be ineffective.


    But almost as if someone answered their prayers, a small tapping could be heard from the cracked ss. They all turned to look at what was making that sound, only to see someone knocking from the other side of the ss.


    "..." The man seemed to be saying something, but not even a whisper could be heard from the cracks of the ss¨C a testament to how thick it actually was. Still, the man continued to talk, his eyes looking at the guards and smiling.


    A few seconds after, however, a small rumbling started to ring in the air; along with it, small shards of ss started falling from the cracks as well. And soon, the entire wall separating the top 50 from the rest of the prisoners trembled¨C no, it vibrated.


    From afar, it almost seemed like the ss was moving in a wave. And soon¡­ the ss just crumbled.


    "I''ve been talking for almost a full minute," the words of the man could finally be heard; his feet, stepping forward even as some shards were still dropping to the ground. These sharp shards, however, shattered almost into fine salt as it made contact with him.


    "I didn''t realize you guys aren''t actually hearing me," the man then let out a chuckle as he scratched the back of his head; his ck disheveled hair, letting out a sort of buzz as he did so.


    "Prisoner 582, please return to your designated area!"


    "It''s fine, it''s fine," the man only waved his hand as he continued to walk towards¡­ Riley,


    "I''m here to help you guys reign in the fish. And wow, you''re even whiter now that I see you up close," he then said as he looked at Riley from head to toe,


    "What do you say, fish? Ready to calm down?"


    "Once again, I am not a fish," Riley answered casually, "And I am already calm, Prisoner 582; maybe a little excited."


    "Hoh, look at this little bitch," Prisoner 582 let out a scoffing chuckle; pointing at him as he looked at the guards, "You guys seem to be taking in some weird people. So, do you want my help in putting him down, or what? I''ll be asking a favor from the big guy, though."


    "We don''t need any¨C"


    "What rank are you, Prisoner 582?"


    And before the guard could respond to Prisoner 582''s question, Riley interrupted him.


    "Heh, I''m at 42," Prisoner 582 said as he once again scratched his ck disheveled hair; his face, seemingly proud with what he just said.


    "If I defeat you, I won''t take your position?"


    "Pft, that''s not how it works, fish," Prisoner 582 once again let out a scoff as the slightly amused expression on his face faded, "And I am starting to think I should beat you up even without gaining a favor from the warden."


    Prisoner 582 then once again took a step forward towards Riley; the ground which he stood on, seemingly shattering as it vibrated at an insane speed.


    "Alright," Prisoner 582 furrowed his eyebrows before he once again looked at the guards, "I''m giving this favor for free."


    And without any warning, Prisoner 582''s hand suddenly moved towards Riley. His palm, threatening to cover the entirety of Riley''s face. His palm, however, stopped short of making contact with Riley; same as the red orbs still floating around him.


    "Oh, quite a powerful telekic," Prisoner 582, however, only let out a small whistle as he saw hand being stopped, "But I''ve killed a lot of telekics before."


    "Is that why you are here, Prisoner 582?" Riley once again only casually asked as he tilted his head to the side to look at Prisoner 582 straight in the eyes; the smile on his face, now reaching from ear to ear.


    "Amongst other things," Prisoner 582 smirked, "And now I will add you to that list, fi¨C"


    And before Prisoner 582 could finish his words, a small hole could be seen suddenly resting right in the center of his forehead. And soon, his head started to melt.


    "Oh," Riley then let out a small hum before looking at one of the red orbs floating around him¨C which was now one less.


    "So that''s what it does."

 Chapter 223: Troublemaker (1)

    Chapter 223: Troublemaker (1)


    "Lay down on the ground now!"


    "Lay down on the ground!"


    The prisoners have lost track of how many times the guards have repeated the same sentence to each of them; but for most of them, this was perhaps the first time they are hearing them sound so frantic. Their voices, holding some sort of tremble within them.


    Even those in the top 50, if one of them happens to have a bad day and wreaks havoc, the guards usually remain calm and just add more and more super guards to try and restrain them¨C if that doesn''t work, then warden Yakovich himself would show himself; that usually ends up in a shitshow with the altercator''s unconscious body being disyed naked in shame.


    But now, even through their helmets that were hiding their faces, the fear that was escaping from their mouth was seeping from the crevices of their helmet. The new prisoner just killed another prisoner¨C this usually leads to the prison showing their might and apprehending the assant at any cost.


    Could it be that warden Yakovich was not here? But Yakovich practically lives here; based on the rumors, he had not even stepped out of the prison ever since he took the position of warden. If he is indeed here, why isn''t he intervening? Just¡­


    ¡­who exactly did they put in the prison now?-- were the thoughts of all the prisoners witnessing what was happening.


    As for the guards'' thoughts. Well¡­ the fear they were feeling was real. Even if the prisoner in front of them were cleared of the allegations of being Darkday, there was still of course this doubt growing inside of them; especially now that they saw him killing someone without even batting an eye.


    How is someone like this not Darkday? They all thought. They''ve also seen how easily Riley dissected the previous prison he was confined in¨C if they took a wrong step here, then they would probably also suffer the same fate.


    They have been trying to signal warden Yakovich, but he has been ignoring their call for help since the start. Just what exactly did he want them to do right now¡­ die? Even if all of them were supers and had their own respective powers, they were not stupid enough to think they would be a match for someone beingpared to Darkday.


    In fact, them pushing the situation might make it worse as it was written in the report that Riley went into a rampage since the previous prison threatened his family.


    So what exactly should they do right now that their warden seemingly abandoned them?


    "Is that you, Charlie Charles?"


    And finally, as if to rescue them from their own thoughts, another voice whispered into their ear; or more specifically, straight onto one of the guards'' left ear.


    "!!!"


    The guard quickly moved away and pointed the gun towards the prisoner that suddenly appeared right beside him; this prisoner, however, instantly disappeared, turning into a cloud of white dust before reappearing once again behind the guard.


    "Adam! Go back to your designated area!" The guard once again swung his arm towards the prisoner called Adam; but once again, Adam turned into a cloud of dust; this time, reappearing behind Riley.


    And finally, with him not disappearing as soon as he appeared, Riley was able to take a good look at the prisoner''s face. He initially thought the prisoner would be younger, but the greys on his beard and hair would say otherwise.


    "Charlie, my boy," Adam then tried to ce his arm over Riley''s shoulder but failed to do so as Riley moved to the side. Still, he didn''t seem to let this faze him as he continued to address the guard called Charlie, "How long have you been here? There''s no such thing as designated areas for people like me."


    Adam then let out a long but very deep sigh as he continued to walk; circling at Riley as he too, looked at him from head to toe. His eyes then slowly trailed towards Prisoner 582, whose head had already melted down.


    "...Do I know who this is?" Adam then blinked as he pointed at the dismembered corpse.


    "I¡­ don''t think so," Charlie slightly pointed his rifle down as the situation seemed to be settling down bit by bit, "It''s prisoner 582. He was Rank 42 if I remember."


    "...No, don''t know him," Adam then let out a small gasp of relief; chuckling awkwardly as he thumped his chest a couple of times,


    "If I did, then I would be forced to kill you."


    And just like that, the friendly tone that Adam had been breathing out since he arrived was no more, reced by a cold and deep voice that was more fitting age, "And then after I kill you; I will find out more about you¨C it''s easy for me to escape this ce if I wanted to. And just like this¡­"


    Adam then snapped his fingers, causing prisoner 582''s body to disappear into a cloud of white. Soon, however, Riley could see a silhouette falling from the ceiling; letting out a light and squishy thud as itnded on the ground.


    "...I will kill your friends, your lover, your fam¨C ily?"


    Adam then blinked a couple of times as he saw his vision suddenly shift. He was just looking at Riley just less than a second ago, and now in front of him were the guards surrounding Riley. And soon, he saw them getting taller¡­ or perhaps himself getting shorter?


    He was starting to lose his thoughts¡­ and soon, everything just faded to ck.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Can you please stop killing people!?"


    Charlie once again raised his rifle and pointed it towards Riley. However, as soon as he saw the growing smile on Riley''s face; the only thing he could really do was take a step back. They have had unpredictable prisoners before¡­ but never like this.


    "This ce¡­" Riley then let out a long breath before stepping towards the area reserved for the top 50. The shards of the stic ss, all moving to the side to make way for him to pass,


    "...is a lot more fun than the Academy."


    "You¡­ you''re not allowed to go in there!"


    "We are in prison, Mr. Charlie Charles," Riley let out a small sigh as he continued to step towards the area allotted to the top 50 prisoners, "Those in prison are not known for following the rules. I am only following what the world wants me to be¡­


    ¡­as I have always done."


    "Wait, you¨C"


    And before Charlie could finish his words, the shattered ss that littered on the ground suddenly floated in the air; and soon, they once again made a wall¨C this time filled with a web of cracks that allowed not even an inch rity to the other side.


    "Did¡­ did actually just shut the door on us?" Charlie then said as he looked at his otherrades, "Because that''s what it felt like for me."


    "..." The other guards he was with could only shrug their shoulders. A few seconds after, however, they all tilted their heads to the side as warden Yakovich''s voice finally whispered into their ears.


    [Return to your stations.]


    "Warden¡­ what''s the n?"


    [There is no n. I''ll handle it from here on.]


    "..." And with that, the guards could only nod¨C before the ground beneath them lowered, once again swallowing them back down as if nothing happened.


    The prisoners who have witnessed what just happened, could not help but look at each other.


    "This¡­ what is happening?"


    "Some random bullshit, that''s what."


    Almost all of them had their own opinions; there were 4, however, whose opinions stood above most¨C the 4 that first approached Riley in his cell.


    "...We got lucky."


    "Yup."


    "I''m never going to approach anyone tied up again."


    "...I don''t know, it''s kind of arousing."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Why are you still with us?"


    ***


    "..." Riley was now inside the area where only the top 50 prisoners were allowed to be in; his eyes, looking everywhere. He had seen it earlier, but the atmosphere here truly was different from those outside.


    It felt more¡­ luxurious; like a garden one could find in a medieval castle. Riley could even hear a faint whispering from all the air conditioners that were stered everywhere.


    "..." There were even birds and butterflies that stuck close to the flowers and fruits freely growing everywhere. He was not that impressed, however, as he had his own forest area in his Guesthouse.


    His Guesthouse still had the better¡­ amodation. The only thing he didn''t have were the Rankings. He really should implement that¡­ and maybe let the one whoes out on top check out.


    But first¡­ they have to try and kill him.


    "Pft," Riley let out a fettered chuckle at the thought of his guests trying to scramble to defeat him.


    "Oh!" And then, almost like a child getting the greatest idea of his life, Riley let out a small but loud gasp. What if¡­


    ¡­he let his guests and the prisoners here fight? He was sure that his guests would be more than happy to break their routine once in a while. Histest guest also seemed to always be agitated; it might be good for her to let out some steam.


    "..." Good, he should find a way to make that happen.


    "You really did cause trouble on the first day."


    "..." And as soon as Riley was done with his thoughts, a familiar rhythm of footsteps whispered in front of him.


    "Warden Yakovich," Riley waved his hand to greet him.


    Warden Yakovich, however, only let out a deep chuckle as he shook his head, "You really are Ms. Phoenix''s son."


    "Oh, you know my biological mother?"


    "To a deep extent," warden Yakovich then lit up a cigarette that came out of nowhere, "She¡­


    ¡­was a prisoner here, after all."

 Chapter 224: Troublemaker (2)

    Chapter 224: Troublemaker (2)


    "For thest time, mom. I''m not going to join your little costume pity party group."


    "That is the only way we can get you out of here, listen to reason for once, Alice."


    A little more than 2 decades ago, a pair of mother and daughter was currently talking to each other¨C separated by a thickyer of ss; serving as a barrier that wasn''t allowing even a single flicker of dust to pass through.


    And on both sides, they were surrounded by more than a dozen guards; as well as a younger-looking warden Yakovich; the veins on his eyes,pletely red as he had not closed them for even a single second¨C afraid to miss anything that would result in trouble


    After all, the one called Alice was probably the most troublesome prisoner Warden Yakovich has everid eyes upon even through his already many years in the service. There wasn''t a day that Alice Lane did not cause trouble for the Super Max Prison¨C treating it as if it was her own yground.


    Some of her most notable antics were but not limited to:


    Almost killing every male prisoner inside the prison. She was the only female tenant inside the Super Max¨C and wasining about theck of facilities she was allowed to use; but when Warden Yakovich told her that she wouldn''t be receiving any benefits just because she was a woman, Alice decided that it was time to redecorate the entire prison. And by redecorating, she meant trapping the rest of the male prisoners in one hall¨C almost suffocating them from theck of oxygen they were getting.


    There was also a day that she invited friends over as if it was her own house¨C controlling the guards and using warden Yakovich as some sort of butler. None of them could resist Alice''s telekic powers, and so, the only thing they could really do was just y along; after all, it was better than fighting back and hurting themselves in the process.


    Then there was that time she got bored¨C essentially making the Ranking Battles official by forcing warden Yakovich to change the rules of the prison just a little tiny bit.


    And then, there was that day. It was in the middle of summer and the prison''s air conditioning system broke down; obviously garnering theints of almost all the prisoners. It would have been alright if it was just that¡­ but Alice had once again decided to be extra.


    She lifted the entire prison into the air. She lifted the entire prison above the clouds just because she felt a small trickle of sweat trailing down her cheek. This stunt cost the prison and the World Government billions and billions of dors¨C and if it was not for Alice bringing the prison down almost exactly the same as before, then the damage would have probably been doubled.


    ¡­But it waster then discovered that it was Alice herself that destroyed the air conditioning system as a prank.


    Alice was a full-grown adult. But warden Yakovich felt like they had a kindergartener in their hands with the way she treated everything as a joke, not even thinking of the consequences of her actions. But of course, why would she even think of the consequences when no one in the prison or in the world for that matter could actually hurt her?


    Alice Lane could do everything because she was strong. Perhaps the strongest telekic Warden Yakovich has ever seen in his entire life. They asked Megawoman many times for help, but she justughed as soon as she heard their request¨C eventually saying that she didn''t want to get involved with the government.


    Warden Yakovich waspletely at a loss as to what to do; anymore, and he would end up losing his mind. But finally, as if answering his prayers, the only person in the entire world that could probably stop Alice has finally shown herself¨C her mother.


    The current leader of the Hope Guild, the Shadow Mimic.


    Warden Yakovich could only hope Shadow Mimic had a n of taking Alice away. If she wanted to break her free, Yakovich would even open the gates for them. The only reason he wasn''t really losing his mind right about now was because Shadow Mimic was here¨C he was sure that Alice wouldn''t create trouble in front of her mother¡­


    ¡­she won''t, right?


    "Listen to reason for once, Alice!" Charlotte once again repeated her words as she knocked on the thick ss that separated her from her daughter.


    "Ugh," Alice, however, only rolled her eyes as she leaned back on her chair, "The reason I am here in the first ce is that I listened to reason¡­ I listened to you, mom."


    "It was for your own good! You were getting uncontroble!"


    "All I did was fly a ne! There wasn''t even anyone in it!"


    "You crashed it, Alice!" Charlotte mmed her palm on the ss barrier, causing it to tremble for more than a full second, "If it wasn''t for our new recruit, your face would have been stered all over the news as a superviin!"


    "Oh, you would hate that, won''t you? News sh! The perfect leader of the Hope Guild has a superviin daughter!"


    "Stop being such a childish hippie and just join us! If prison wasn''t enough to get you in your right senses then I am sure experiencing how to be a hero amongst the best of the best would inspire you to be better!" Charlotte raised her voice, "You have so much potential in you, Alice. Don''t waste it trying to antagonize me and the people around you."


    "Antagonize?" Alice let out a small scoff, "The people here love me."


    "..." Hearing Alice''s words, the guards within the vicinity all looked at each other. Warden Yakovich, who was already sweating as he was watching the situation, almost choked where he stood; his eyes, already begging for the Shadow Mimic to forcefully take Alice away.


    "I get notified of all the pranks you y here, Alice." This time, it was Charlotte who rolled her eyes, "The only thing you haven''t done literally is turn the prison upside-down."


    "That¡­ is actually a good idea," Alice then let out a small but deep gasp as she raised her hand. And as she did so, the entire prison started to quake. The guards readied to subdue her, or at least pretend to¨C but before they could even move a finger, they felt their entire body being pushed down to the ground.


    "Enough of this, Alice," Charlotte''s voice started to lower as she looked her daughter straight in the eyes, "The only way I could think of to rehabilitate you is through the Hope Guild."


    "For thest time, I am not going to join your stupid group," Alice once again let out a small groan as she finally stood up from her seat, "Go home, mom. Or better yet, retire¨C you''re getting in on your years."


    "I look younger than you, brat."


    And with those words, Charlotte stepped forward; the ss in front of her almost looked like it didn''t exist as her body went right through it,


    "And actually¡­" Charlotte then ced her hand on Alice''s shoulder; and as soon as she did so, the trembling that was getting worse by the second suddenly stopped, "...I''m not asking you to join a costume pity party group, my dearest beautiful daughter¡­


    ¡­I am forcing you."


    ***


    "That is a very interesting story, warden Yakovich."


    "It''s a horror story, kid."


    "So Charlotte truly is my biological grandmother. If I knew Alistair Reuben was not lying, then I would have asked if he knew where Megawoman is."


    A cloud of smoke then slowly puffed in the air as Yakovich removed the cigarette he had been indulging himself with halfway through his trip to the past. He and Riley had not moved from their positions for almost an entire hour now; the birds, even settling down on Riley''s head as he had just been listening to Yakovich without moving even a single finger.


    "Your mother was the worse thing that has ever happened to this prison, Riley Ross," Yakovich let out thest of the fumes from his mouth as he dropped the cigarette between his fingers and stepped on it,


    "And I have a feeling you''re going to be the same," he then said as he stared Riley straight in the eyes,


    "I have already learned my lesson from your mother and I have no n on repeating it. I have already requested from the Government your immediate removal from my prison, applying for the same condition as Ms. Phoenix. I want you gone as fast as possible."


    "You will be asking Megawoman to try and subdue me?" Riley then started to blink a couple of times as a small smile started to crawl on his face, "Could it be you know where she is being kept, warden Yakovich? Even her own son doesn''t know where she is right now."


    "Own¡­ son? What?" Warden Yakovich could only squint his eyes in confusion. But after a few seconds, he shook his head and once again lit up another cigarette,


    "I don''t know where Megawoman is, no one does," Yakovich sighed; letting out a cloud of smoke from his nose as he did so, "I am not talking about Megawoman, prisoner 666. I am still waiting for the Government''s reply, but the condition for your immediate release I am talking about¡­


    ¡­is you joining and training under the Hope Guild."

 Chapter 225: Troublemaker (3)

    Chapter 225: Troublemaker (3)


    "I think this is the third time I have been asked that, warden Yakovich. I have refused every urrence."


    "..."


    Silence. The birds, the insects, not even the leaves were making any noise as Riley and warden Yakovich just stood in ce; Yakovich looking Riley directly in the eyes. As for Riley, he was just looking at nowhere in particr¨C as he had always done.


    "I am afraid this is out of your hands, Ri¨C Prisoner 666," warden Yakovich once again puffed out another smoke; the tone of his voice still as calm as it was before, "The age of minority in Russia has been moved to 18 three years ago. I have already asked your mother and she has already agreed¨C as for your father, he has yet to give his response¡­ but we know how this would turn out."


    "Then you don''t know my father," Riley breathed out, "You do not need to be sad about that, though. No one really knows who Bernard is and what he is really capable of. Even I find myself quite¡­ in awe of his secrets."


    "We''ll see," warden Yakovich let out a small scoff as the smoke that wasing out of his mouth started to merge with his lips, "In the meantime, we''ll just be ready with whatever antics you have in store for us. This prison survived Alice¨C it will survive you."


    And with those words, a part of Yakovich''s face faded away¨C merging with the smoke that wasing out of the cigarette; the fumes, slowly making its way throughout his entire body until the only thing that remained of him was his silhouette¡­ but even that too, scattered and faded.


    And with Yakovich gone, the birds, insects, and the leaves once again began to move; the whispers they were creating, all entering to Riley''s ears at the same time like some kind of calm¡­ but chaotic orchestra.


    "..." Riley''s eyes could only look at everything that was moving; wondering what actually just happened. Was Yakovich''s power some kind of spatial illusion? Based on everything he had heard so far, Yakovich was the strongest Super in this prison¨C even stronger than the one ranked 1st.


    ¡­No. If Yakovich''s power was only emitting illusions, then he wouldn''t be the strongest here.


    "Interesting," Riley could not help but let out a whisper. But after a few seconds, a small smile crawled on his face as he took a step forward,


    "But I can do the same," he then flicked his hand; and as he did so, any noise that whispered in the air was once again gone¨C the only sound remaining was a series of thuds. The birds that once sang in the air, all falling from the trees they were resting on. The insects, all separated into tiny pieces.


    "..." Riley then blinked a couple of times, before slightly shaking his head. Being in prison seems to be causing something inside of him to be somewhat impulsive. In truth, he was truly not nning on killing anyone while he was here¨C but in a ce wherew seemed to only be treated as optional, it was almost as if a button was switched causing him to be unhinged.


    Riley then continued to walk through this garden, the prisoners that he had seen earlier from the outside, still not making their appearance. Warden Yakovich probably ordered all of them to return to their cells¨C and since he had killed 2 of them, there should be a vacant room right now.


    It didn''t take long for Riley to reach a metal door; and unlike the hall he was previously ced in where everything seemed rusted, the entryway of the top 50 was quite clean¡­ immacte even. The door then automatically slid open, causing the cold butfortable air from the inside to brush across Riley''s invisible armor.


    It would seem that what Yakovich said was true¨C they already learned their lesson from Riley''s biological mother and started caring for their air conditioning units. Riley then entered; his eyes immediately blinking as soon as he saw the view of the inside.


    Therge silver halls, the unnecessary tall ceilings¡­ this was the same design as the underground facilities of Mega Academy. Perhaps the same architect? Riley thought as he continued to walk deeper into the hallway; and soon, he finally reached the area where the supposed cells of the top 50 were located; what awaited him, however¡­


    ¡­was a subdivision filled withrge houses and vis.


    And right there and then, Riley finally realized something as he looked at the view of the clear sky above him. Super Max Prison didn''t care for those in the bottom rankings¨C it was made for the top 50¡­ which could also be considered the 50 most dangerous Supers in the world. They let them live here like kings, letting them forget about the outside world.


    If he was captured as Darkday, would he also be ced here?


    "..." And with that thought, a small chuckle almost escaped from Riley''s mouth. He was already inside, so he did not really have to think about it. There was also the case of Darkday having been waived of all his human rights¨C the only option was to kill him.


    "So, it''s you."


    And finally, before Riley could approach the nearest vi from the Yard, 3 prisoners approached him¨C none of them wearing a prison uniform.


    "You''re that woman''s son," one of the men then looked at Riley from head to toe; his braided and already grey hair, moving as he did so, "How did someone like that produce something like you? Aren''t you some kind of albino?"


    "I suppose," Riley only shrugged his shoulders before returning to look at the vis, wondering which vis the two he just killed owned.


    "I knew your mother," the men continued to talk; the two beside him, however, just remained quiet; their eyes almost seemed as if they belonged to the dead¨Cpletely unmoving; not even the unusually bright sky above their heads was reflecting on them.


    "I assumed that," Riley answered as he continued to look at the two seemingly lifeless men, "Everyone seems to suddenly know about my biological mother."


    "...Biological mother?" The old man then slightly furrowed his eyebrows; his face, slightly confused. A couple of seconds after, however, the almost lifeless prisoner on his left let out a small gasp; quickly leaning towards the old man and whispering something into his ear; causing him to widen his eyes.


    "So Diana is not your biological mother? That makes sense," the old man said as his breaths almost reached Riley, "But instead, your birth mother is Alice? It would seem your path is surrounded by chaos, child."


    "...Are you saying you knew Diana?" Riley then blinked a couple of times, tilting his head to the side as he heard the man''s words.


    "She worked here briefly. She and Alice should have known each other¡­" The old man breathed out. He seemed to want to say something more, but his mouth closed as his eyes looked to the side, "...But that is all I can say in that matter."


    "..."


    "I will not keep you, then," the old man then let out a short but very deep breath as he stepped back¨C the two prisoners beside him, almost following his movements perfectly, "Alice was a colorful but unhinged thing¨C I hope you''re neither."


    And with that, the old man made his way through the subdivision; disappearing into one of the houses that Riley could only assume to be where he lived. Riley had initially thought that he would just spend a little time here and enjoy whateveres his way¡­


    ¡­But it would seem both his adoptive parents were actually hiding something. Diana always had some sort of crazy strength¡­ could it actually be she wasn''t actually a normal human? But no, Riley had seen Diana bleed a couple of times. And besides her gori-like strength that appears whenever Bernard or Hannah does something stupid, she should be normal.


    "..." Riley then looked at the house where the old man entered. There was a chance that he was just lying; after all, they were in prison¨C the only innocent thing here were probably the birds and insects that he killed earlier.


    But just in case, he should probably ask him again. Riley slowly raised his hand; his finger, pointed at the old man''s house.


    [Prisoner 666, your designated house is number 22.]


    But before he could do anything, warden Yakovich''s voice once again entered his ears¨C his words, echoing throughout the entire subdivision.


    "..." Riley looked at the old man''s house for a couple of seconds, before finally letting out a small breath and just walking away. He had let himself be tied up for almost an entire day before finally being settled here, the thing he wanted to do the most now was just¡­ rest.


    And so, Riley made his way throughout the subdivision inside the prison. He passed by several prisoners along the way. Almost everyone, however, avoided his gaze¨C with some even somewhat trembling as they looked at him.


    These were the top 50 prisoners? If Sophie from Miami was still alive, Riley was sure most of them wouldn''tst even a single second against her.


    "Tch," Riley could not help but slightly feel irritated at the thought of Sophie. If only Riley had kept her alive, then his Guesthouse would have been more interesting. Riley continued to walk as different scenarios raced through his mind; until finally, he made it to the vi that has the number 22 in front of it¡­


    ¡­only to see that someone else was there.


    "...Miss V?"


    "Riley Ross¡­


    ¡­We need to talk."

 Chapter 226: Neighbors

    Chapter 226: Neighbors


    "We need to talk."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "A¡­ aren''t you going to invite me inside your cell¡­ house thingy?"


    "Considering you are already standing on mywn, it would seem you have already invited yourself in, Miss V."


    "Oh¡­ that''s¡­"


    "And I do not know if you can fit through the door, Miss V."


    One would not necessarily call it silence, but there was definitely a sort of awkwardness lingering between the two. And considering V was currently inside a mecha suit that was twice the size of Riley, this awkwardness somewhat also doubled.


    After a few seconds of this, however, V''s mecha suit suddenly opened up, revealing her eyes which¡­ surprisingly, did not emit trickles of green lightning. Riley could not remember V''s original hair color; right now, however, it held a simr color to his.


    "It¡­ it turned like that after the incident," V muttered as she stepped down the suit, "And you don''t have to worry about me losing control, Whiteking¨C your father made me something."


    V then turned around, showing some sort of brace attached across her neck and shoulders; letting out a green light that was enough to blind someone stupid enough to stare at it for long.


    "Can you invite me to your house now?"


    "No."


    "W¡­ what?" V''s eyes could not help but twitch as she heard Riley''s nonchnt words.


    "I am not sure yet if I want this to be my house during my stay here, Miss V," Riley then said as he passed V, finally stepping on hiswn as he made his way towards the house, "I killed two prisoners, so there should be another house that I can pick."


    "...You what?"


    "Come on in, then," Riley brushed off V''s surprise as he opened the door, "This is actually the first time I will officially have a house of my own, Miss V. You will be my first¡­ guest."


    "Is¡­ that so?" V patted her mecha suit; causing it to move on its own and take a seat on the ground; closing as V followed Riley inside therge house. And as soon as they entered, she could not help but widen her eyes.


    The inside of the house was filled with paintings; the design, sophisticated¨C a mix of wood and metal with the natural color of concrete serving as its walls. It would have been alright at any other circumstance¡­ but they were in prison.


    The lives of these prisoners seemed to even be better than the majority of the citizens outside¨C minus theck of freedom, of course. V then continued to follow Riley; and for someone who imed that it was his first time entering the house, he seemed to already belong inside; quickly opening up the fridge with his telekic powers and¡­ floating a jug of milk towards a countertop.


    "Would you like some milk, Miss V?" Riley then said as he gestured for V to take a seat at the counter.


    "...Water will be fine."


    "Then get it yourself."


    "..." V could only watch as Riley took a seat¡­ on the sofa near the living area, leaving her sitting alone at the counter where he specifically asked her to sit. She was contemting on whether or not she should really get a ss of water, but decided not to out of spite and instead just followed Riley to the living room.


    "You really aren''t used to having guests, aren''t you, kid?" V said, knowing full well Riley was older than her by a year.


    "I have a lot of guests, Miss V," Riley then let out a wide smile.


    "Has anyone ever told you your smile is creepy as heck?" V scoffed as she took a seat on the sofa opposite Riley''s, "Your mouth is wider than my future."


    "I didn''t expect you to have one after what happened to London, Miss V."


    "That!" V almost stood up from hearing Riley''s words. But after a few seconds, her legs started to tremble,


    "That¡­ that¡­. That wasn''t my fault," she then whispered as she looked to the side, the light that was being emitted from the brace on her back, almost lighting up the entire room.


    "It¡­ it''s not my fault," V then started hugging her legs, covering her ears as her head started to shake.


    "No. It''s not your fault, Miss V," Riley then shook his head as he took a sip of the milk he poured for himself,


    "It is mine," he then said, "Inded right in the middle of London and let your power run wild. Please don''t steal my feats, Miss V."


    "No!" And this time, V suddenly gained the strength to finally stand up as she immediately waved her hand; the light being emitted by the limiter on her back, subsiding, "It¡­ it''s definitely not your fault!"


    "No, I believe it really is my¨C"


    "It''s that creepy old man''s fault!" V raised her voice, her screams, echoing throughout the parts of the house that Riley has yet to explore, "Because¡­ because of him millions of people are dead. And you¡­ It''s not fair that you''re here! He should be the one rotting inside this prison!"


    "Alistair is dead, Miss V."


    And contrary to V''s exhrated breaths, Riley just sat on the sofa calmly, taking a sip from the ss of milk as he turned on the TV. V, however, quickly grabbed the remote and turned it off.


    "This is serious, Riley Ross! We shouldn''t be here!" V stomped her foot on the ground, causing a ripple of lightning to lightly explode on the floor, causing it to crack.


    "..." Riley looked at the cracked floor for a few seconds, before blinking a couple of times and turning his head towards V,


    "We?" He then said, "I was under the impression that you are only visiting, Miss V. Could it be that you are also a prisoner here?"


    "I am now!" V then once again took a seat on the sofa, "If the Government treats you as guilty, then they should also treat me like a criminal! I have also heard the deal of you joining the Hope Guild in exchange for your freedom, I''ll wait here with you to¨C"


    "I do not n on joining the Hope Guild, Miss V."


    "What!? What do you mean!? You would rather be stuck here all your life?"


    "..." Riley then looked around his new fancy house, before nodding his head at V, "They have better amodation than the Academy."


    "You''re a prisoner, Riley!"


    "I have always been a prisoner, Miss V."


    "Stop being so edgy! Aren''t you cringing at hearing yourself!?" V pped her hands several times, "Join the Hope Guild! Both your biological mother and adoptive father were and are in it, it''s practically in the family for you! You¡­ Ack! I give up!"


    V then crossed her arms as she let herself drown on the soft sofa she was sitting on, "You''ll take the deal sooner orter once you experience what prison is really like. Don''t let this fancy house fool you, Riley Ross. This ce is still the toughest and most secure prison in the entire world."


    "You seem to also have a lot of experience being a prisoner, Miss V."


    "Of course! Do you think I like being in that silly robot all my life!? If only Whiteking could make this limiter on my back permanent¡­ but I still need to sleep inside the mecha suit while I''m here."


    "Hm," Riley then took another sip of his ss of milk¨C but found that there was no more, "Which house will you be living in while you are here then, Miss V?"


    "...Here."


    "But this is my house, Miss V."


    "Y¡­ You can''t really expect someone as beautiful as me to live alone surrounded by heathens!"


    "You''re not beautiful, Miss V."


    "Wha¨C I am staying here! At least I don''t have to worry about you taking advantage of me since you¡­ well, since you''re you."


    "Autistic?"


    "I¡­ I didn''t say that."


    "Even if I wasn''t, I would not take advantage of you, Miss V," Riley then shook his head as he stood up, "But since you will be living here, please handle washing the dishes, my sister and mother were the ones doing it back home."


    "Wha¨C Do it on your own! Didn''t you live alone during your stay in the Academy!?"


    "I have Kath¨C Scarlet Mage doing it for me."


    "Wait¡­ the rumours between you and Scarlet Mage¡­ are true?" V blinked a couple of times as she watched as Riley walked away, not even answering her question and¡­ leaving the ss of milk on the table in front of her.


    "Wait, you''re actually letting me wash your shit!?"


    "Just the dishes, Miss V. We''re not that close," Riley''s words became whispers as he slowly disappeared from V''s sight.


    "Where are you going!?" V was about to lift the empty ss of milk, before shaking her head and rushing to chase Riley.


    "Outside, Miss V," Riley slightly turned his head towards V as she walked beside him, "I would¡­


    ¡­like to greet our new neighbors."


    ***


    "Are you not going to ept the deal? Diana has already epted it."


    "I do not think it is any of your business, Adaeze."


    In the meeting hall of the Hope Guild, the remaining members of the superhero team were all sitting around their table¨C their numbers, dwindling.


    First, it was Bulwark, now V confined herself in prison even despite their counsel. And right now, Whiteking and the others were currently discussing whether or not Riley Ross should join their team.


    "It is our business, Bernard," Empress crossed her arms as she looked Bernard straight in the eyes, "Do not forget¡­


    ¡­I know what your son is capable of."

 Chapter 227: Alices Son

    Chapter 227: Alice''s Son


    "Don''t forget I know what your son is capable of, Bernard."


    "...Are we even needed here?"


    Tempo made sure that his words would not even leave an echo to whisper through the hall, but with the sudden silence that surrounded the air after Empress''s somewhat cold voice, Tempo''s words were heard by everyone loud and clear.


    And seeing the look of somber surprise on Hera and her casual nod after, it would seem Tempo also just voiced out her concern. As for Butcher, his eyes were just focused on Empress, seemingly waiting for her next words.


    And finally, after a few more seconds of this awkward silence, Empress turned her head towards Tempo,


    "I just need your opinion then the three of you can go," Empress muttered as she stood up, "Who here agrees to letting Riley in the guild?"


    "Well¡­" Tempo then looked to the side as he remembered what happened in London. Although he wasn''t really taking any k from what happened¨C Tempo was sure that it was his own fault. He ced a heavy burden on a child and expected him to understand everything¡­


    ¡­and in the end, Tempo inadvertently caused Riley tond straight on London with V. Tempo was ming himself every second; not even sleeping right for what feels like an eternity now.


    If Riley were to join the Hope Guild¡­ then it would open a chance for Tempo to right his wrongs. And so, with his hand slowly raising,


    "I think Riley would be a good addition to the team," Tempo said.


    "I agree 100%," Butcher also raised his hand; his bald head nodding several times, "I think I am 72% not alone in this opinion, but most of the members are getting old. We are getting old, Empress."


    "Excuse me?" Hera immediately stopped filing as she heard Butcher''s words.


    "I was not talking about you, Hera," Butcher shook his head; his monotonous tone sounded a little disappointed, "Empress, Whiteking, and I are approaching our 50s soon. The future generation needs to learn from us while we are still capable of teaching them."


    "That¡­" Hera could not help but blink a couple of times as her skin that was slowly turning grey immediately returned to its natural brown color, "...This is the first time I am hearing you sound so human, Butch."


    Hera then turned her eyes towards Empress, before eventually nodding as well, "I don''t have a problem with the kid joining," she said,


    "He seems cool¨C my agency is actually also interested in making him a model for haute couture publications. Plus, V is kind of guilt-tripping herself, saying she won''t return to the guild until Riley gets freed."


    "I''ve heard all of your opinions, all of you can go now," Empress then said as she gestured for the three to leave, "And try convincing V to stop sulking, she''s needed out here."


    "Right," Hera was the first to leave¨C not even bothering to clean the dust she scattered from filing her nails.


    Butcher was already gone, leaving Tempo sitting there awkwardly beside Bernard.


    "...I''ll take my leave," and with a throbbing echo whispering in the air, Tempo''s silhouette slowly faded from the hall.


    "..."


    "Hope, turn off the surveince in this room," Empress then said as she returned back to her seat; her eyes, not leaving Bernard even for a single second.


    [Turning off the surveince in meeting hall A.]


    "..." Empress squinted her eyes as she waited for the cameras stered on the ceilings to lose power; but even as the lights disappeared, her focus was still obviously there.


    "You don''t have to worry," Bernard then let out a small but very deep sigh as he noticed the look on Empress''s face, "Any traces of MEGAN arepletely gone."


    "Then let''s not bullshit each other, Bernard," Empress then quickly breathed out as her eyes once again returned to Bernard, "Tell me the reason why you''re still protecting that monster."


    "You already know the answer to that."


    "Because he is your son?" Empress furrowed her eyebrows, "If my daughter was still alive and I discovered she''s a mass murderer, I would end her life in a heartbeat."


    "That''s just it, Empress. Your daughter died a baby¨C you will never understand the¨C"


    "Don''t fuck with me, Bernard!"


    A thunderous explosion then erupted in the air as Empress pushed therge table away¨C immediately grabbing Bernard by the neck and lifting him up in the air.


    "You know full well what I mean."


    "And you?"


    "Ha?"


    "Why have you not revealed my son''s identity yet?"


    "That¡­" Empress''s eyes began to twitch as she saw Bernard''s eyes. And after a few seconds, threw him towards the wall and caused the screens stered all over it to shatter, "...Because he is Alice''s son."


    "Pft," Bernard immediately let out a chuckle as he looked at Empress straight in the eyes,


    "You really are bad at lying," Bernard then said as he started to walk towards the door, "It was my secret¡­ and now it is ours, that''s the only reason you''re doing so."


    "You¡­" Empress''s eyebrows began to furrow; her cheeks trembling as she heard Bernard''s words. But after a few seconds; the trembling stopped as tears suddenly began to trail on her face,


    "I am approving Riley''s entry to the Hope Guild!" Empress then shouted, "I am going to do what you failed, control and change your¨C"


    And before Empress could finish her words, Bernard¡­ just left.


    Seeing this, Empress''s eyebrows also began to tremble; the tears on her eyes, sputtering and exploding along with every chatter of her teeth. Empress knew¨C Empress knew that Bernard was just using. But why¡­ why couldn''t she just leave?


    "You¡­


    ¡­You fucking douchebag!"


    ***


    "...Everyone seems to be avoiding us."


    "It would seem my biological mother has quite the reputation in this prison, Miss V. I suppose they think I am dangerous like my mother."


    "...You''re not?"


    Riley and V were currently walking around their new¡­ neighborhood. Riley had been trying to see if anyone would be approaching them themselves, but so far, none. They''ve already circled the subdivision once and not even a hello could be heard from any of the other prisoners.


    V, of course, was actually quite relieved that no one tried to approach her. Although she was not showing it too much, she was actually starting to get nervous. It was her idea to stay here since she really thought it was not fair for Riley to be in prison, while she, who caused the death of millions of people, was free.


    "Can you answer a question of mine, Miss V?"


    "Hm?" V then blinked a couple of times as her thoughts were disrupted by Riley''s words. This was, perhaps, the first time he was directly expressing his curiosity to her,


    "What¡­ is it?" V squinted her eyes; not sure if she really wanted to hear the next words that would being out of Riley''s mouth.


    "If you remove that limiter on your back, would your powers go wild as they did before?"


    "..." V instantly stopped walking; her face, slightly shocked at first. Soon, however, a small smile slowly crawled on her face, "Yes. But something like what happened to London won''t happen again."


    "Why?"


    "Because I asked your father to also install a poison that would kill me instantly if ever this thing gets taken off," V said with a smile on her face, "No one¡­ is going to die because of me anymore. My power is a curse, Riley Ross. The reason I chose to be a super is so that this curse would be a blessing to other people¡­


    ¡­but in the end I killed¡­ I killed¡­"


    "I don''t remember there being a woman here."


    And before the tears that were suddenly starting to build up on V''s eyes flow, a prisoner finally approached them¨C and as is the case with all the prisoners in the top 50, the man walking towards them wasn''t wearing a prisoner''s uniform.


    "And you, freak," the man then spat on the ground as his eyes trailed towards Riley, "You''re Alice''s son?"


    "I believe so," Riley casually said as he faced¡­ the short man in front of them, "Everyone seems to be reminding me of that fact today, dwarf."


    "I¡­ don''t think they appreciate being called that, Riley Ross," V let out a small gasp.


    "...Why?" Riley blinked a couple of times; his slightly furrowed eyebrows almost oozing out the confusion on his face, "Isn''t that what they are called, Miss V?"


    "Well.. that''s¡­" V could not help but stutter; her eyes, moving back and forth between Riley and the man that just showed up, "I¡­ thest time I searched I think it¡­ was actually o¨C"


    "I see the apple does not fall far from the tree," the short man, however, only scoffed as he approached Riley, his forehead¡­ almost at his crotch, "Alice also had a smart mouth¨C I let her be because she was a woman¡­ but you?"


    The short man then suddenly grabbed Riley''s hand at a speed that made the dust around them almost burst away,


    "I''ll be teaching you a lesson meant for two."


    "Riley Ross!?"


    V''s eyes then slightly lit up in green as Riley and the short man suddenly disappeared in front of her. However, due to the nature of her power, she could still somewhat follow what just happened.


    The short man¡­ he just suddenly ran at an extremely high speed, dragging Riley along with him. Unlike with Tempo, however, each of the short man''s steps could be felt¨C causing the ground to shake and tremble with each trot.


    V immediately ran and rushed back to their shared new house, but as soon as she reached theirwn¨C she found that her mecha suit was no longer there.


    Did... someone steal it!?


    "N¡­ no," was the only word she could whisper as she turned to look back towards the blur speeding across everywhere. She did not have to watch long, however, as the streak of smoke suddenly stopped.


    "This is just the beginning, freak."


    The short man quickly let out a scoff as he let go of Riley''s arm. He was about to turn around to look at Riley; before he could do so, however, he felt an ufortable warmth on his neck. He turned his eyes to the fullest, only to see Riley looking at him straight in the eyes¨C his hand tightly wrapped around his neck.


    "I wonder, dwarf," Riley then whispered as his eyes trailed towards the short man''s feet, "If you were taller¡­


    ¡­would you have been faster?"


    "You¨C"


    The short man was about to say something, but before he could do so¡­ he felt a strange pressure suddenly tugging on both his legs.


    "Shall we¡­


    ¡­test that theory?"

 Chapter 228: U Before V (1)

    Chapter 228: U Before V (1)


    With all the noise thundering throughout the entire prison neighborhood, the prisoners that were once trying their hardest to avoid making contact with Alice''s son could no longer contain their curiosity; their heads, all looking out of the windows of their fancy houses.


    Most of the prisoners in the top 50 have been here for decades¨C they knew Alice and everything she did. All of them were hardened criminals or just in insane; Alice, however, was a different breed.


    She was like a little child with the power to destroy the entire world¨C and they all experienced it with all the pranks she did while in the prison. They don''t know what Alice''s son did to be imprisoned in the most secure prison in the world, but one thing they know is that involving themselves with him will only bring them troubles.


    Even though they had televisions installed in their houses, they were actually only limited to Webflix¨C not being allowed to watch the news outside. Because of this, most of them had no idea what was happening outside, and had to rely on what the guards were telling them. And so, most of them usually had a friend or two from the guards.


    They did try asking what Alice''s son''s crimes were, but the only answer they received from them was that it was confidential.


    They would have probably tried to approach him if the one holding Rank 1 would at least show himself since he was also Alice''s number 1 victim with her pranks, but it would seem that even he was trying to avoid her son as much as possible.


    But now¡­ someone was actually crazy enough to not only approach her son, but also fight him?


    Something was wrong, however. If fights break out in the area where the top 50 is, warden Yakovich would usually show himself within seconds before the brawl esctes further. After all, although they were living peacefully here, they could still be considered amongst the strongest supers in the world¨C minus the S-ss supers, of course.


    But still, at least more than a handful of them would be considered S-ss if they were outside¨C meaning, they were more than capable of leveling an entire city if they wished to. So if a fight escted, then it would mean the prison would be destroyed faster than one could blink; this is the reason warden Yakovich immediately tries to break the fight.


    So why¡­ why was he not showing himself? Some of them had already thought of the reason¨C warden Yakovich also doesn''t want to get involved with Alice''s son.


    And so, most of the prisoners started stepping out of their houses, seeing who it was that was creating trouble; and since their vis were almost lined in a circle, it was easy to see everything that was happening in their neighborhood.


    "It''s Fred," one of the prisoners quickly eximed as a somewhat short blur passed by him. Alice was already leaving when Fred was brought to prison. It made sense¨C most of the older prisoners thought; only someone who had not experienced Alice''s full fury would react this way.


    The prisoners then continued to watch, some of them even nodding their heads in satisfaction. They couldn''t fight back when it came to Alice¨C but his son? This was free real estate. And since warden Yakovich was not doing anything, maybe they could actually bully him for all the times she caused them trouble?


    And so, with these thoughts of unison, the prisoners that stepped out of their houses all actually looked at each other¨C all nodding their heads as if they actually understood each other.


    As soon as they stepped out of theirwns, however, Fred stopped running; right in the middle of the subdivision as if to show everyone what he just did. And as victims of Alice, almost every one of them were excited to see what happened¨C and if they would have a chance to actually inflict pain.


    Their steps, however, all stopped at the same time as Alice''s son¡­ was seemingly unscathed even after being dragged around everywhere. Not only that¡­


    ¡­he was now lifting Fred by the neck. And without even a second after¡­ they saw both of Fred''s short legs suddenly falling to the ground from the waist.


    "Grah!"


    And after that was a scream some of them have not heard for a very long time¨C pain. Excruciating pain. But even with Fred''s intense scream, not even a single drop of blood flowed from his dismembered leg.


    "..."


    The prisoners once again turned to look at each other; all nodding their heads as they all took a few steps back to theirwn. Their eyes, just watching what sort of¡­ thing Alice''s son was up to.


    And soon, they saw some sort of mecha suit floating in the air¨Cnding straight beside Alice''s son and Fred. Alice''s son then let go of Fred; but still, he remained floating in the air, even ascending a few meters up.


    The mecha suit then suddenly disassembled itself¨C its limbs also floating in the air and surrounding Alice''s son. And right when they all asked themselves what exactly was happening, the legs of the mecha suit flew straight towards Fred¡­


    ¡­attaching themselves to him.


    Once again, the only thing that Fred could do was scream as the little bits of metal from the robotic leg pierced his flesh¡­ even grinding and attaching themselves to his bones.


    "R¡­ Riley Ross?" V, who initially thought that someone stole her mecha suit, could not help but let out a small but very tight gasp as she realized that it was Riley who took her suit. And not only that¡­ he was now using it to torture his opponent.


    "Riley!" V then rushed towards where Riley was, her steps heavy and the limiter on her back starting to light up brightly, "What¡­ what did you do!? I need the mecha suit in case something goes wrong with the limiter!"


    "You don''t need it, Miss V," Riley, however, even with all the panic that was happening around him, just answered her casually,


    "As long as you stay beside me, I will hold your powers in my hands¡­ I won''t let anything happen to you because you are my¨C"


    "Argh!"


    And before Riley could finish his words, Fred''s screams once again echoed throughout the prison neighborhood. Hearing this, Riley gently floated Fred down¨C letting him go as soon as the robotic feet touched the ground, causing Fred to drop face-first to the hard ground; his screams, now muffled.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    Riley then stared at him for a few seconds, before finally turning him around.


    "You¡­ you freak!" Fred quickly roared; trying to lift himself up but unable to do so, "What¡­ what did you do to me!?"


    "...I apologize, dwarf," Riley then let out a small but very deep sigh as he crouched beside Fred, "I thought you would get faster, I was only trying to help you."


    V, who was watching from the sides, could not help but cover her mouth. She was used to violence, of course¨C that was her life ever since. But this¡­


    ¡­were they sure Riley was not Darkday?


    *** *** ***


    "...What?"


    Weeks ago in V''s chamber inside the Hope Guild, before Riley''s trial, all of the members of the Hope Guild were present¨C all of them standing up except for their youngest member, V. Even Bulwark was there, standing with the rest of his former team.


    Of course, how could he not when they were currently telling the youngest member of the team that her power ran wild and killed millions and millions of people?


    Tempo just finished exining and telling it to the team as¡­ subdued as possible. But no matter how much he tried to sugarcoat it there was really no way that the deaths of more than 5 million people could be softened up.


    "...What?"


    What?-- V had probably repeated the word more than a dozen times throughout the story¡­ and the story didn''t evenst 5 minutes. These 5 minutes, however, might as well have been V''s entire life. Every word that came out of Tempo''s mouth made every pore in V''s body open up.


    The temperature in V''s chamber is always regted to the optimal temperature ording to her liking, but even then, V was currently sweating enough to fill an entire pool; and at the same time, she was currently trembling from the chill that was piercing every fiber of her being.


    More than 5 million people disintegrated into nothing, because of her?


    More than 5 million people that were just peacefully living their lives, gone because of her?


    Families that were just going on about their days,ughing and sharing their days with one another¡­ dead because of her.


    Her powers have always been destructive in nature¨C not even fit in rescuing anyone. But she made it work. She trained under Empress in order for her to learn how to control her powers¡­ and with Whiteking''s mecha suit, any danger that she possessed dwindled almost to zero.


    But this¡­ how could she have allowed something like this to happen?


    "Let¡­ let me see," V then meekly stuttered as she stood up from her seat, "Let¡­ let me see what happened."


    "V¡­ no," Hera, who usually had finesse and arrogance in her tone, could only embrace V as she saw the look of desperation and defeat on her face, "You don''t need to¨C"


    "Let me see!" V then let out a high-pitched scream, causing the lights in her chambers to flicker and go wild.


    "..." Seeing this, the other members of the Hope Guild could only look at each other¨C Empress, eventually nodding her head as Butcher, who was hiding the remote of V''s television, turned it on.


    "No¡­


    ¡­No!"

 Chapter 229: U Before V (2)

    Chapter 229: U Before V (2)


    "It''s fine, let her go."


    "But¡­"


    It wasn''t hard to find images of London¨C or at least what remained of it in the news and social media outlets. It also wasn''t hard to find images and footage of the huge ocean of green electricity that decimated London.


    As soon as Butcher turned on the TV, the aftermath of what happened quickly bombarded everyone''s eyes¨C but even then, the time it took for V to run towards one of her mecha suits that were parked at the corner of her chambers was still faster. She had been wondering why Tempo was adamant that she should not be left alone¡­ and now she knew the reason.


    And the only thing she could really do was run away.


    As for why? She had no idea.


    She just got inside her mecha suit, letting it fly up through the vent that was tailor-made for her mecha suit to eject itself straight outside of their base. It took exactly 5 seconds before V''s vision shifted to the scenery of the sky¨C around her, nothing but the darkness that the night held; the moon, reflecting on the horizon of the sea.


    The soles of the mecha suit quicklybusted, instantly propelling her away as a quiet thunder roared through the skies; she did not even bother to look back at therge tower behind her; continuing to fly for a few more seconds until she reached an empty shore.


    She quicklynded towards the beach, causing all the sand to ripple away; her mecha suit,pletely stagnant as the lights crawling through it like veins faded away. And if one were to listen closely behind the rain of sands and the roaring of the seas¡­ there was a quiet whisper.


    A quiet whisper that was seeping from the crevices of V''s mecha suit¨C a whimper, a cry.


    More than 5 million people¨C dead because of her. No matter how many times it was repeated, the guilt that was crawling¡­ No. The guilt that was chewing her from the inside remained hungry, leaving nothing of her to feel anything else.


    She has saved thousands of people during her stint as a superhero¨C but 5 million people? How would she even hope to actually make amends with that? Even if she happened to rescue millions more, those 5 million would never live again.


    She''s a murderer. She became the very thing she hated the most in the world¨C Darkday.


    All those lives¡­ all those lives¡­ all those lives.


    Dead¡­ dead¡­ dead¡­


    The words kept repeating inside of V''s mind¨C the insides of the mecha suit,pletely green from the electricity her body was emitting. Her entire body was in a curl, her fingers almost threatening to pull out her hair; which has now turned white seemingly as a side effect from her releasing of all her powers in London.


    "What¡­ what do I do? What do I do?"


    V whispered and whispered, wanting someone to answer her¨C but at the same time, no. If she really wanted an answer, then she wouldn''t have run away from the rest of herrades. She knew¡­ she knew in herself that she could never atone for what she had done.


    Even if the others have said that it wasn''t her fault almost a hundred times; that it was the work of a madman that targeted Whiteking''s family¨C those people still died by her hands. Their blood was on hers.


    "..."


    "..."


    A whirling whistle then hummed in the air as V''s mecha suit once again lit up; its once stagnant legs¡­ leaving trails on the beach as they dragged themselves back to where they came from¨C the sea.


    "This¡­ this is better," V then whispered as the mecha suit continued to walk towards the endless darkness, "If¡­ if I disappear¡­ then none¡­ something¡­ something like this will never happen again."


    V''s trembling hand then pressed something inside the mecha suit, causing several vents to open up¡­ letting some of the water that was already crashing through the mecha''s legs.


    "It''s cold¡­" V then whispered; the tone of her voice,pletely sedated as she rested her head back, "...I am¡­ so sorry."


    V could feel the water inside her mecha suit rising; now reaching her waist and causing her to slightly flinch from the piercing cold it carried. But still, the only thing she did was tighten her fists and bite her lip.


    Her head then began to tremble violently as the water reached her neck; her body seemed to want to get away from the threat it was currently being wrapped in¨C but V remained resolute, even gripping parts of the mecha to prevent herself floating up from the salt water.


    Slow.


    Why was it so slow? She thought. Just a little more, then her entire head would be submerged with the water. So why¡­ why was it so slow? She could feel the cold just under her ears, she should have already lost the ability to breathe by now¨C but still, her lungs seem to still be gasping for air.


    "Just¡­ just let me die," V then let out a whimper, her voice cracking as she did so. She then took several deep breaths as she raised her hands¨C wanting to push herself down to get all of this over with.


    But before her hands could umte any strength, the water within the mecha suit started to disperse; the water that was supposed to already cover her head, now suddenly below her waist.


    "W¡­ what?" V blinked a couple of times when she felt a weird force dragging her away from the ocean; she then quickly turned on all the monitors inside her suit, allowing her to have a 360-degree view of her surroundings.


    Her eyes did not have to search for long, however, as she saw a face in front of one of her monitors, almost causing her to eject herself from the shock as the face waspletely white, even the hair that¨C


    "Riley Ross!?"


    The mecha suit opened up without even a secondter, with V almost jumping from the robot as she leaned her head to try and find Riley Ross; but no matter how much she concentrated through the darkness, there was no sign of Riley anywhere.


    She then returned back inside the suit, trying to look back at the monitor where she thought she saw Riley¡­ but no one was there anymore.


    "This¡­"


    She then leaned back; her hand identally turning on the mecha suit''s radio as she did so.


    [V!? Are you okay!? Your vitals were spiking earlier!]


    And immediately, Tempo''s voice could be heard echoing through the insides of her suit.


    "Y¡­ yes," V could only stutter as she replied; trying her best not to cry from all the emotions rushing inside of her, "Is¡­ Is Whiteking there? I think this suit is malfunctioning."


    [Malfunctioning? Whiteking just left. His son is currently in jail.]


    "...What!?" V raised her voice as she once again leaned forward, "Why!? I''m alive because of him!"


    [It''s¡­ a long story. He is sus¨C]


    "Wait! I''m returning back to base!"


    And with that, V''s mecha suit quickly closed; the sand once again rippling away as thunder erupted from its feet, propelling it towards the surface of the ocean and almost splitting it apart as she rushed back towards the base.


    "..."


    "..."


    "I am done here."


    In the shadows beyond the shores; hidden within the bushes that separated it from the rest of the ind¡­ were several people¨C their moving heads, all sporting white hair; their skin, almost reflecting the moonlight if not for the leaves covering them¨C Riley''s clones.


    "Everyone, good work."


    "You are returning, Diley?"


    "Yes, I still have to infiltrate a prison," Diley, who was already wearing the uniform of HM Prison Leeds for the Super, slowly floated in the air, "Tell the others from the other inds that they also did good work."


    "Can we take a break? We have been here for a year now," one of the clones stood up andined.


    "...You''ve only been here for a day," Diley blinked a couple of times as he looked at the clone, "You were literally just made today."


    "...Really?" The clone widened his eyes in surprise, "But I already have memories of being here for a year."


    "We all have memories of being here for a year," one of the other clones joined in on the conversation,


    "You will get used to it. The only one that has really been here for a year is him," the clone then pointed at the clone that¡­ was already sleeping.


    "All of our memories of this ce are from him."


    "This is weird."


    "It is."


    "Alright, that is enough," Diley, who was still listening in on the other clones'' conversations, could not help but shake his head, "I will leave now, continue observing the Hope Guild''s base."


    "Right. Farewell, Diley," the clones then waved at the same time as they watched Diley fly away. Their eyes, also blinking at the same time.


    "Weird¡­ I also have a memory of leaving just now."


    "I told you, you will get used to it. If you be as old as Diley, then it wouldn''t even bother you anymore."


    "Anyway, the one we just rescued¨C it would seem we are quite fond of her?"


    "Of course, she reminds us of Hannah."


    "She reminds us of Megawoman."


    *** *** ***


    Back in the present time, Fred''s screams still echoed throughout the entire prison; his waist, still attached to the two gigantic legs of V''s mecha suit.


    "Riley Ross. He¡­ he will die at this rate!"


    "It is fine, Miss V. I have cut off all the¨C"


    "You''re not Darkday!"


    "Hm?"


    "You are not Darkday, okay!?" V let out a roar; loud enough to drown Fred''s screams of pain,


    "You¡­ you don''t have to be what the world wants you to be! Find yourself¡­


    ¡­Please find yourself in all of this chaos, Riley Ross!"

 Chapter 230: Opening The Doors

    Chapter 230: Opening The Doors


    "Please, Riley Ross! Find yourself in all of this chaos!"


    "..."


    And like a wind that suddenly stopped blowing the trees, the screams Fred was letting out through the entire neighborhood instantly ceased; his mouth, releasing a foam that was enough to drown him from the inside; fortunately for him, hended on his sides when Riley released him.


    "Find myself¡­ in all of this chaos?"


    Riley then lightly waved his hand; and as he did so, Fred''s body slid away¨C making space for Riley to freely walk towards where V was standing; his steps, seemingly taking their time to reach V.


    V, who was seeing Riley walk ever closer to him at a very slow pace, could not help but take in a small gulp. She had noticed it before, but seeing Riley walk was a surreal sight in itself. It''s almost as if he didn''t belong; not in a figurative way¡­ but quite literally and physically.


    There was a slight wind blowing around the neighborhood. But Riley''s hair remained almost unmoving; only swaying with his body''s movements. The baggy clothes striped in ck and white were also the same, seemingly not affected by anything around the area.


    It was¡­ quite a sight to behold and made her feel slightly¡­ weird.


    "What do you mean by that, Miss V?" Riley then uttered as he stopped just a meter away in front of V.


    "This¡­ this isn''t you."


    V slightly stuttered her words; her eyes, however, remained resolute as she stared Riley straight in his, "I¡­ I''ve read your file¨C you¡­ when you were just a toddler Ms. Phoenix strangled you. She¡­ she told you you''re a monster."


    "..." Riley blinked; almost as if gesturing V to go on.


    "And¡­ and now this. People using you that you''re Darkday¨C putting you in this ce," V started moving her hands to exin, "You¡­ you don''t have to be the monster the world thinks you are, Riley!"


    Each of V''s words seems to be filled with all of her emotions, and seeing as the limiter attached to her back was currently going crazy as it lit up the entire neighborhood, she still had a lot of these emotions left to express.


    As for Riley, he¡­ was just looking at V; his eyebrows ever so slightly lowered as if to express the only emotion he was feeling right now¨C a hint of confusion.


    "Someone told me the exact same words before, Miss V," Riley then muttered as he blinked a couple of times, "He is currently staying as a guest¡­ somewhere. I wasn''t aware that you were a telepath as well?"


    "...What?" V also blinked as her overwhelming emotions also turned into confusion. Wasn''t the situation dire just earlier? So why does it feel like the situation was suddenly de-escted just like that?


    Could it be¡­ she had a talent in making Riley Ross listen to her? She did hear that people with autism sometimes bond with people; could it be Riley Ross was bonding with her right now? Was that it?


    "Grah!" And as soon as V''s thoughts started to somewhat settle, Fred woke up. His screams, once again putting V into the reality of the situation.


    "W¡­ wait!" V then quickly rushed towards Fred, wanting to help him in any way she could. But as soon as she got near Fred, the only thing she could really do was stand next to him¨C absolutely having no idea what to do. She looked at the legs of his mecha suit, only to look away as soon as she saw how it connected to Fred''s waist.


    "S¡­ shit," V muttered as the limiter on her back began to fluctuate, "We¡­ we need to do something!"


    V then looked around, looking at the other prisoners that were watching from afar, "This¡­ why isn''t anyoneing!? Shouldn''t a medic be here by now or even some prison guards!?"


    And as soon as the other prisoners heard V''s words, they¡­ all went back to their houses. It is exactly as V said¨C there should have been a medic now, or at least guards to de-escte the situation themselves. And seeing as there was none of both, it would mean they havepletely abandoned Fred. And if they abandoned Fred, then it was because of Alice''s son¨C and to think they almost involved themselves with him with thoughts of getting back at Alice.


    The prisoners then all looked through their windows as they looked at Fred, who was still squirming and screaming in pain¨C his sacrifice, never to be forgotten.


    "You do not have to worry, Miss V," Riley then let out a small sigh as he approached V and the squirming Fred, "He will live¨C his wounds are all closed and all his organs are working properly."


    "...What?" V then once again turned to look at Fred, only to quickly turn away again as she saw his skin shredded, merging with the metal parts of the robotic leg. But true enough, there was not even a hint of blood anywhere, not even on the edges of Fred''s shredded skin.


    The fact that his voice was still filled with vigor should have actually been enough of a sign that he was not actually dying, V thought. But still¡­ wasn''t this torture?


    "We¡­ we still need to get him help! Can you¡­ remove my leg¨C my mecha''s legs without killing him?"


    "Why?" Riley blinked a couple of times, "That would make him short again, Miss V."


    "You¡­ you''re just ying dumb, aren''t you?" V then squinted her eyes as she looked Riley straight in the eyes once more.


    "Yes." And with a wide smile slowly crawling on Riley''s face, Fred''s screaming intensified¨C the sound of his flesh tearing, whispering in the air as the robotic legs attached to him were slowly being pulled apart.


    V was used to violence¨C she sees it almost every single day. But seeing Riley not even batting an eye as he floated the legs away was truly something she did not expect. She had seen his outburst at the prison in the UK; V thought that a person like that was surely capable of expressing his feelings if he wanted to.


    But the almost dead-pan expression stered on Riley''s face right now was making her think otherwise.


    But finally, after a few more screams from Fred, the robotic legs attached to him were swiftly and sessfully extracted¡­


    ¡­leaving him with no more limbs in the lower parts of his body.


    "Q¡­ Quick, let''s take him to the house so we can at least try to help¨C"


    "No."


    And before V could even finish her sentence, Riley interrupted him with a shake of his head, "I prefer to just leave the short man here, Miss V. Our house is dirty as it is because the previous owner seemed to have not yet cleaned it before I killed him."


    "...What?" V once again uttered, "But he will die if we just leave him here!"


    "You are a member of the Hope Guild, Miss V. Is that correct?"


    "...Yes?" V blinked a couple of times, slightly ncing at Fred to try and see if he was still alive.


    "You are a superhero. So why are you trying to help a superviin, Miss V?" Riley said as he tilted his head, "Even Megawoman ends her involvement with superviins as soon as she sends them to prison¨C leaving us¡­ earthlings to decide the fate of my fellow evil men."


    "Even still, he¨C"


    "His name is Frederick Watson." Once again, Riley did not let V finish her words; interrupting her as he slowly approached Fred¡­ who was too weak to the point that the only thing he could really move were his eyes, which were trembling as they watched as Riley became bigger and bigger.


    "He was born in a circus. His parents, both also dwarves," Riley then stated as if he was reading from some sort of script; his eyes the same as always¨C as if looking at nowhere in particr,


    "He awakened his powerste, killing his parents a week after the fact. Frederick Watson then proceeded to kill several more, almost ughtering the entire town where their circus was currently located at the time," Riley said without even missing a single breath,


    "That¨C"


    "Due to the nature of Frederick Watson''s powers, he was not easily apprehended. It wasn''t until Tempo, who was yet to be recruited by the Hope Guild by then, decided to stop him that Frederick Watson was captured."


    "Even still, that doesn''t¨C"


    "Further investigation and interrogation then led to the discovery that Frederick Watson''s crimes were not only limited to murder but also rape," Riley casually said as he turned his head towards V,


    "He locked the daughter of the owner of the circus in one of the cages meant for a tiger. Repeatedly raping the woman, causing her bones and organs to rupture¨C killing her in the end."


    "How¡­ How do you know all of these?" V, who was previously trying to help Fred up, could not help but slightly back away as soon as Riley was done.


    "It can be found on the inte, Miss V."


    "You¡­ searched the prisoners before you were captured?" V quietly eximed; her confusion, almost reaching its peak.


    "I am looking at it right now, Miss V."


    "What?"


    "It does not matter now, Miss V," Riley then let out a small sigh as he suddenly walked and stood behind V, "After hearing that, do you still wish to wee someone like that into our new house? Are you¡­


    ¡­going to open your door and let the devil inside, Miss V?"

 Chapter 231: Victoria’s Secret

    Chapter 231: Victoria''s Secret


    "Are you¡­


    ¡­going to open your door and let the devil inside, Miss V?"


    "..."


    With Riley behind her whispering in her left ear, she could feel the warmth of his breath¨C or perhaps it was better to say theck of it? There was absolutely no air touching her skin, but she could still feel the warmthing from it. It almost feels¡­ mystifying, in a way.


    It almost caused V to feel a little¡­ entranced.


    But still, Riley''s words still resonated deep within her. She has dedicated her short life to putting men like Fred locked behind bars forever¨C sometimes even causing their deaths if needed. Is it not a little hypocritical to save and help this man in front of him?


    It was also because of an evil man that her powers went wild, causing the deaths of millions and millions of people. The world¡­ would only be a better ce if men like these disappear. Empress and the others from the Hope Guild also do not shy away from directly killing superviins if that was the easiest and quickest way to neutralize them.


    And ording to the story Riley told him, Fred was captured by Tempo¨C how exactly would he feel if V tried to help the man he put in bars?


    "Should¡­ we really just leave him behind?" V then took in a small gulp as her eyes finally left Fred.


    "That is up to you, Miss V."


    "..." V then once again turned to look at Fred; her eyes, trembling along with Fred''s shivering body. It took almost a quarter of a minute, but finally, a decision raced through her mind.


    "Let''s¡­ just go," V then once again took a small gulp as she turned around, "I don''t know how much help we will be able to provide anyway, so fuck this."


    "Very well," Riley said as he started walking away; not even saying a word as they walked back to their new house. Riley then opened the door, but instead of entering, he turned back to look at V,


    "After you, Miss V," Riley then said as the sides of his mouth slowly rise, "Since you did not let the devil inside, then the devil shall be the one to let you enter."


    "That¡­ you really are as edgy as the rumours say," V let out a sigh as a small smile also appeared on her face. But still, she entered as Riley wished; chuckling as she did so.


    As for Riley, he watched until V disappeared deeper into the house; before his eyes once again moved towards the middle of the subdivision, only to see Fred now crawling on the grass. Seeing this, the smile on Riley''s face once again reached from ear to ear.


    He stared at Fred struggling for exactly three seconds, before suddenly snapping his finger; and as soon as he did so, Fred suddenly disappeared¡­ turning into a mist of blood; his bones, almost turning to ashes that quickly became fertilizer for the grass beneath him.


    "This¡­" Riley then whispered as he started to step inside his new house,


    "...will be fun."


    ***


    A week after,


    V was somewhat starting to get used to life in prison. But perhaps getting used to it was not the right term¡­ as her life here could actually be considered an improvement from when she was outside¨C her years, either trapped inside her chambers or inside the mecha suit.


    This was perhaps the first time for a very long time that her feet touched the ground for this long. She was always inside her mecha suit whenever she went out; granted, the prison neighborhood was still technically inside¨C with only the sky above them as the semnce of the outside world, but still¡­


    ¡­this was perhaps the first time she ever felt free in her life. She also was not afraid that her powers would lose control because of the new limiter she got from Whiteking.


    She also have not met her real parents before, and the only people she considered as a family was Empress, who took care of her and trained her since young¨C so this truly was a new experience for her.


    And¡­ there was also Riley. Although he does not talk that much, he was¡­ brutally honest. V''s every question was answered swiftly and without any barriers¨C unlike with the Hope Guild, where she was treated almost like ss.


    This¡­ it felt like she was finally living her life. Of course, she wouldn''t forget that she was actually in prison and was surrounded by criminals.


    A monthter,


    Although she wouldn''t call herself a maid or a babysitter, it was starting to feel like that. She had to do everything in the house. Granted, it was only cleaning after Riley since all of their meals are provided by the prison and delivered to them every day¡­ but wouldn''t it help for him to just help?


    With his telekinesis, it should just be as easy as flicking his finger¨C of course, he knew that wasn''t actually how it works¡­ but for Riley, it seemed like it was. She and Riley take asional walks, and with everyone seemingly trying to avoid them, it honestly felt like they had the entire neighborhood for themselves.


    If only the other prisoners would greet them, then this would definitely feel like how the other people live their normal lives. Of course, V was not forgetting that she was still amongst criminals.


    She had absolutely no idea what was going on outside, since her only way to connect to the outside world, her mecha suit, was destroyed by Riley on the first day. She was still not okay with that¡­ but for some reason, it felt like it had to happen.


    Without the mecha suit, she was starting to live life the way it was meant to be lived¨C without walls.


    2 monthster,


    Warden Yakovich visited the neighborhood for the first time, requiring all the Top 50 prisoners to gather in the center of the subdivision. And maybe it was just her¡­ but it felt like there were less than 30 prisoners now?


    They could have just decided not to attend the gathering¨C but seeing as the guards scoured the houses and they couldn''t find them, then something was definitely wrong. And judging by warden Yakovich''s face, it was the reason he asked for all of them to gather up.


    V volunteered to help, but as soon as warden Yakovich''s eyesnded on Riley, he just asked his men to stop the search and they all just left abruptly


    What¡­ exactly was happening?


    3 monthster,


    Life continued inside the prison as normal. She already got used to living with Riley and even shared augh with him sometimes whenever they talked about Megawoman.


    They did have a visitor, however. Empress came to check on her a few days earlier¨C but that wasn''t really her main purpose. She once again offered Riley a seat to the Hope Guild¡­ but Riley once again refused saying that he was already having fun here.


    She also wanted Riley to join the guild so he could finally be free¡­ but for some reason, she was sort of happy when Riley refused.


    4 monthster,


    She¡­ might be starting to fall in love with Riley. She knew it was too fast, but she might truly be.


    It might just be because Riley was the only one she had been talking with for 2 months now, but the more she got to know him, the more he seemed¡­ human. Of course, she knew that the two of them didn''t really have a chance to be together since Riley had Scarlet Mage waiting for him outside¨C but while they were inside¡­ It should be alright?


    Of course, she hasn''t really fallen in love before and the thing she was feeling might not be that. But for now, she was slowly trying to distance herself from Riley. But with them living in the same house, it was next to impossible.


    But since none of his friends, and even his family visited Riley¨C wasn''t she the only person Riley has now? Maybe¡­


    ¡­it''s alright?


    "Riley¡­"


    "What is it, Victoria?"


    V and Riley were in the living room, watching the first season of Italian Mafia Reborn probably for the 3rd time. Riley seemed to already have all the dialog memorized, but even then, he still seemed to be excited whenever it yed.


    "Scarlet Mage¡­" V then whispered as she sat closer next to Riley, "Do you¡­ love her?"


    "No, Victoria," Riley then shook his head. And as soon as V heard his words, a small smile could not help but subtly form on her face.


    "I am not capable of feeling love¨C that is an emotion reserved for humans."


    "You''ve already said that before," V then let out a small sigh, "But seeing the way you acted when they threatened your sister¡­ isn''t that already love?"


    "Is it?" Riley blinked a couple of times. Although his outburst and rage were only just pretend back then, he did feel a slight irritation when the interrogator threatened to hurt his sister¨C but is that truly love? He also somewhat feels like that whenever a new episode of Italian Mafia Reborn doesn''t air¡­


    ¡­is love something that simple?


    "If¡­" V then started to gulp down the ss of water in front of her, before her eyes once again wandered towards Riley,


    "...If I told you that I am starting to like you," V tried her best not to bite her tongue, "What would you say to me?"


    "That¨C"


    [Prisoner 666, you have a visitor.]

 Chapter 232: A Visit From Family

    Chapter 232: A Visit From Family


    [Prisoner 666. You have a visitor.]


    "..."


    V could only watch as Riley stood up from his seat. She just asked him a very important question, but for this announcement to just ring right at this very moment¨C she could not help but feel there was someone fooling around behind the scenes.


    The announcement could havee at any moment besides now; but s, it would seem she would not be able to get the answer she wanted. This was the very first time she was actually feeling like a normal teenager; falling in love and actually living with the person she likes. Of course, the order might be a little skewed, but nheless, it was her time to actually be a normal person.


    But once again, s. The only thing she could do was silently follow with her eyes as Riley stepped out of the house¡­ but before his feet could touch the outside, another announcement rang through the air.


    [P¡­ Please remain inside your cell, prisoner 666. We will escort your visitor there.]


    "..."


    And with that announcement, Riley just subtly shook his head and once again returned to his seat beside V. V, who was feeling slightly disappointed just earlier, almost buried herself in the sofa and throw pillow she was hugging for some reason.


    "..."


    "..."


    If there was any way she could die from awkwardness, then she would have probably died about a dozen times now. The awkwardness did not reach its peak, however, until Riley decided to stare at her for some reason.


    "You shouldn''t, Victoria."


    "Hm?"


    V then blinked a couple of times as she heard Riley''s words; slowly leaning her head out of therge pillow she was hugging as she looked at Riley.


    "You asked me what I would say to you if you told me you are starting to like me," Riley repeated back V''s question to her, "And to that, I say you shouldn''t."


    "...Why?"-- was the only word that V could utter as she looked Riley straight in the eyes.


    "Because I will never be able to return those feelings, Victoria," Riley then said as he looked to the side, "Liking me is like liking a cat. In the end, you will only be used; your feelings, never truly reciprocated."


    "..." V could only furrow her eyebrows as she heard Riley''s words; but after a few seconds, she let out a small but very deep breath as her eyes remained stubbornly staring towards Riley, "Then are you saying you are only using Scarlet Mage?"


    "She is using me, and I am using her," Riley nodded, "As for whether or not she truly has feelings for me or is just confused by herplicated emotions, I don''t know. You do not like me, Victoria¨C you just like the idea of finally falling in love."


    "You¡­ stupid asshole," V wanted to run away and hide; but really, where would she even go? She had tried facing all of his problems head-on and never run away¨C she would never show that sort of weakness again. And so, once again, she took a seat; her eyes, confronting Riley once more.


    "I do like you, Riley," V then said as she looked Riley straight in the eyes, "I''m not falling in love with an illusion or whatever bullshit you''re trying toe up with. We''ve been together alone here for four months, do you really think it''s possible I won''t develop feelings for you?"


    "Then my answer remains the same, Victoria," Riley shook his head and sighed, "It is better for you not to¨C once you find out what I truly am, the only emotion you will feel is fear and disgust."


    "I do know who you are! We''ve been together 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for four straight months, Riley!"


    "Then do you know what my favorite color is, Victoria?"


    "That¡­"


    "..."


    "That''s¡­"


    "You don''t know, Victoria," Riley shook his head, "And that is not your fault. I have only been showing you what I want you to see."


    "..."


    "..."


    And before a mellow silence could creep inside the house; a small sniffle whispered through the air as V''s tears suddenly started to trail on her face, "This¡­ this isn''t fair, Riley."


    "It''s not supposed to be, Victoria," Riley then, for the first time throughout their conversation, returned V''s gaze, "That is what it means to be liking someone like me."


    [Prisoner 666, we are entering your cell. Do not, under any circumstances, move in a way that the guards would misinterpret. Please raise both your hands if you understand.]


    Riley, however, did not do anything. Only leaning back on the sofa as he let out a short but deep sigh. As for V, she was the only one to raise her hands.


    And soon, the sound of the door opening entered their ears; the sound of footsteps¡­ seemingly only belonging to one.


    "These people seemed to have dropped their balls thest time I visited, I thought they were going to escort me inside."


    A somewhat high-pitched but familiar voice then whispered through their earsing from the hallway. The voice seemed to be saying something else as she walked inside, but Riley and V could barely make out the words.


    "Hey, kid."


    But finally, after a few more seconds, the owner of the familiar voice revealed herself,


    "Nice house you got here. This lot was your mother''s when she was still here but it wasn''t thisrge."


    "...Miss Charlotte."


    "...Who?" V blinked a couple of times as she did not have any idea who this girl that suddenly visited Riley was. Was she a ssmate from the Academy?


    "The Shadow Mimic, Victoria."


    "W¡­ what!?"


    V could not help but suddenly stand up from her seat as she heard Riley''s words. Out of all the ones that she thought would be visiting Riley, Charlotte was not even in her mind. What exactly was the previous leader of the Hope Guild doing here?


    "She is my biological grandmother, Victoria."


    "...What?" V then once again blinked a couple of times as she looked back and forth between Riley and Charlotte, "Wait¡­ doesn''t that mean Madam Mimic is Ms. Phoenix''s mother!? Wait¡­ what!? But how are you still so young!?"


    "The chickenlings didn''t tell you?" Charlotte only chuckled as she waved her hand, "Although it is also probably my fault. I''ve told them not to reveal any information about me or my daughter."


    "That''s¨C" V was about to say something, but abruptly stopped as she once again looked back and forth between the two. And after a few more seconds, she bowed her head and walked away, "I''ll¡­ just be in my room so the two of you can talk. But if you''re not too busy¡­ maybe you can join us for dinnerter?"


    "I''ll check my schedule," Charlotte once again chuckled before nodding her head.


    "Call me if you need anything," V then nced at Riley before heading to her room.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Cute kid, that one," Charlotte then let out a small sigh as she headed straight towards the bar on the corner of the living room, pouring herself some drinks that were wasting on the shelves, "You want anything?"


    "Mango Graham shaved ice, Miss Charlotte."


    "Pft, if only," Charlotte still chuckled as she expertly mixed the drinks, "So, how is life in prison?"


    "It is fine, Miss Charlotte," Riley monotonously replied as he remained seated; not even facing the direction of Charlotte.


    "Your sister and the others are actually graduating this week," Charlotte casually said, "Your sister told me to tell you how much she misses you¨C the others as well."


    "..."


    "They''re also sorry they can''t visit you. But don''t hold it against them, the government is not allowing any of your family and friends to visit you," Charlotte then let out a small sigh as she shook her head, "The Hope Guild is just a special case since Yakovich owes us a lot. You''re still not nning to join them?"


    "No, Miss Charlotte."


    "...Are you mad I didn''t tell you about who I was?" The smile on Charlotte''s face then slowly faded as she sat opposite Riley, cing her drink on the table between them.


    "No, Miss Charlotte. We all have secrets that we want and sometimes need to keep," Riley shook his head, "And it makes no difference who my parents are at this point, Miss Charlotte."


    "Well¡­" Charlotte then drank the drink she made in one full gulp, "Alice¨C I am sure you have a tinge of resentment for her?"


    "Not at all, Miss Charlotte."


    "But they told you what happened, right?" Charlotte''s voice then slowly started to be sedated as she looked to the side, "She tried to kill you when you were just 2 years old."


    "I have heard the story, yes."


    "I despised you, Riley."


    "..."


    "Because of you¡­ I had to kill my own daughter," Charlotte''s voice then soon started to tremble,


    "She wasn''t going to stop¡­ if I didn''t kill her, then she would have surely killed you," she then whispered as she looked at her hands.


    "I know¡­ I know that I shouldn''t hate you for something I decided to do. But I couldn''t help it. Whenever I look at you, I remember my daughter''s face as I¡­"


    "..."


    "..."


    Charlotte then closed her eyes; her heavy breaths, almost whispering throughout the entire house.


    "What I am trying to say is that I am sorry, Riley," Charlotte then said as she looked Riley straight in the eyes, "I truly am, for everything¨C for not being there for you."


    "...Okay."


    "Your mother¡­ she¡­" Charlotte once again closed her eyes, "I want you to know that she''s not the kind of person that would kill her own child. Who¡­ Whoever that was that tried to kill you, it wasn''t her."


    "..."


    "Alice loved you. My god, she loved you to the point that I couldn''t pull you away from her," Charlotte chuckled, "She has a few screws loose, but she truly did love you."


    "Hm¡­"


    "Did you know your mother wanted to name you Lucifer because it sounded cool?" Charlotte then let out a small sigh, "She was crazy, your mother."


    "..."


    "There was also one time when she dressed you up like a ghost and floated you around the Hope Guild. I have never heard Butcher scream like that when he saw you," Charlotte once again chuckled, "You were a year old then¨C what kind of mother does that?"


    "..."


    "She was really, really happy. No matter how many times I reprimanded her; no matter how many times I scolded her for getting pregnant with you; no matter how many times I told her to introduce your father¨C she didn''t budge. She was just¡­ happy."


    "Hm¡­"


    "She¡­ she was a precious little thing, It was my fault for not seeing that she was ill. Just¡­


    ¡­everything changed when you turned 2."

 Chapter 233: Unconventional Birth for an Unconventional Baby (1)

    Chapter 233: Unconventional Birth for an Unconventional Baby (1)


    "Pregnant? What do you mean you''re pregnant!?"


    "It means I have a parasite inside me, ma. There''s a freaking bun in my fucking oven!"


    Loud voices echoed throughout the walls of the Hope Guild; but unlike what it was in the present times, screens were not yet filled with screens. Instead, there were maps littered on most of the walls of their meeting hall¨C different countries, different cities. Some had red lights blinking on them; a sign that there was trouble that might need the Hope Guild''s attention.


    There was one element that seemed to have remained unchanged throughout time, however¨C Charlotte. She still looks the same as she did in the present times; the only difference was her somewhat provocative three-colored costume¨C gold, red, and blue.


    And in front of her, was a woman who sported the same hair color; light brown, bordering in red. The length of her hair that was tied in a ponytail, almost reaching past her waist. Her outfit, a tight-ck suit and a small brown leather jacket¨C the outfit that Alice had worn all throughout her stint as a superhero.


    "What!?"


    And once again, Charlotte''s voice echoed throughout the meeting hall of the Hope Guild, not even caring if some of the other members that were currently not inside the room would hear them.


    "How are you even pregnant!?"


    "...What kind of question is that, ma!? I''m just pregnant!"


    "How!? You don''t even have a boyfriend¡­ or a fuck buddy that I know of!"


    "Ack, can you not!? That''s disgusting!"


    "I am asking you who the father is!"


    "It''s¡­ ssified."


    "What!?"


    And once again, Charlotte''s screams thundered as she listened to her daughter''s words. One might think she was being overly dramatic, but for Charlotte, she thought she was still calm considering the situation. Her daughter, who doesn''t really talk to her that much, suddenly called her out of nowhere and wanted to discuss something.


    Charlotte had already thought that it was something important for her to actually call her¡­ but her being pregnant?


    Her one and only daughter, suddenly pregnant? What kind of mother wouldn''t be surprised or angry hearing such news?


    "What do you mean it''s ssified!? What do you think your vagina is, the pentagon!?" Charlotte then stood up as she mmed both her palm on the table, "Who is it!?"


    "I¨C"


    "Wait, just fucking wait¡­" Charlotte then pointed her palm towards Alice; her other hand, grasping her head as her breathing became unusually heavy, "Don''t tell me¡­ please don''t fucking tell me it''s Whiteking''s?"


    "What!?" And with those wordsing from Charlotte, Alice also stood up and also mmed both her palms on the table.


    "I don''t see what you girls see on that fucking guy! Even Empress is sleeping with him knowing full well that he''s a married man!"


    "Ma! No! What!? Ew!" Alice then started walking around the hall; her shoulders slightly shivering as her mother''s words reverberated through her air, "Who would want to have sex with that nerd!? Ew! Just¡­


    ¡­just ew!"


    "Then tell me who the father is!"


    "I don''t fucking know!"


    "What!?"


    Charlotte''s screams were reaching their peak; causing the entire hall itself to tremble as her voice also shivered from the sheer frustration she was currently feeling,


    "What do you mean you don''t know!?" She then bellowed; frantically waving her hands as she stomped her way towards Alice, "Wait¡­ don''t tell me you''ve actually been sleeping with a lot of people!?"


    "What!? No!"


    "Alice! Why!?" Charlotte''s eyes then started getting moist as she looked her daughter straight in the eyes, "I¡­ I didn''t raise you to be a fucking whore!"


    "I''m not! Why aren''t you listening to me!?"


    "You''re the one not hearing yourself! You''re the one who said you don''t know who the fucking father is!" Charlotte started circling around in ce for no apparent reason, "What!? Are you trying to say you just suddenly became pregnant or something!? Who do you think you are, the virgin¨C"


    "Yes! That''s what I have been fucking trying to tell you, ma!" This time, it was Alice''s bellows that reverberated through the hall,


    "I am fucking pregnant," she then said; each of her words, filled with weight, "I wanted to hide it from you at first since I don''t know if it''s really happening. But when I went to the ob-gyn a few days ago and had myself checked, they found something in the ultrasound!"


    "Who¡­ is the father?" Charlotte repeated her question; this time, however, the tone of her voice was calm¨C her eyes, however, felt otherwise.


    "I. Don''t. Know," Alice then mouthed each of her words, "I had¡­ a friend inject me with something."


    "Inject you with his penis?"


    "No! Ew! It was a female friend!" Alice grunted as she dropped her shoulders, "I''ve been wanting to have a child, but I don''t really want to be involved in a fucking toxic rtionship¡­ so when a friend told me they have this Vitro fertilization project something that didn''t need a man''s sperm¨C I volunteered to test it."


    "...What?"


    Charlotte looked at her daughter; her eyes, clearly in disbelief with what she was hearing. She almost fell butt-first on the floor, but Alice quickly dragged a chair to catch her,


    "You¡­ did what?"


    "That''s why I told you it was ssified!" Alice once again grunted as she also floated a chair for her to sit on, "They haven''t really revealed the technology to the public yet. And since I''m a super and wanted a baby, I said `why not''. I''m sure nothing would happen to me¨C"


    "Are you¡­ crazy?" Charlotte once again grasped her head in frustration, this time with both her hands, "You injected yourself with something that hasn''t been tested?"


    "W¡­ well, as I said, I was¨C"


    "Tell me whatpany this is, I will fucking burn it to the ground and¨C"


    "Ma! Stop! It''s done," Alice then grabbed both her mother''s arms as she looked her straight in the eyes, "Just¡­ be happy for me that I am finally going to have a child."


    "Alice¡­ you''re 21," Charlotte shook her head; her eyes, stillpletely in disbelief, "A child isn''t a fucking pet. I mean¡­ what!? I know you''re impulsive, but this is just¡­ this is on another level."


    "..."


    "..."


    And with that, silence. None of them knew how long this silence went on, but both of them knew they needed it to get their thoughts settled. And soon, perhaps a quarter of an hour or so, Alice whispered.


    "I¡­ am going to take care of him, ma."


    "...Him?" Charlotte raised an eyebrow, "How many weeks in are you?"


    "T¡­ twenty-one weeks."


    And as soon as Charlotte heard Alice''s words, her eyes quickly dropped towards Alice''s belly, "That''s a fucking baby already, Alice! Why is your stomach so small!?"


    "I¡­ I''ve been tucking it in to hide¨C"


    "Are you fucking crazy!?" And as soon as Charlotte heard Alice''s words, she quickly ripped off Alice''s tight outfit, revealing the bandages wrapped around her stomach¨C and without even waiting for Alice toin, Charlotte ripped the bandages, gently.


    "O¡­ Oh fuck," Charlotte then once again almost fell on her butt; her hands, trying to fan herself as her eyes remained glued on Alice''s slightly bulging stomach,


    "It¡­ it''s really happening."


    "P¡­ please calm down, ma. I¨C"


    "Don''t you dare fucking touch me," Charlotte then said as her breathing became gasps, "A child¡­ A child isn''t a pet, Alice. Do you even have any idea how hard it is to raise a child¨C and without a father?"


    "Well¡­ you did it and I turned out fine."


    Charlotte opened her mouth as soon as she heard Alice''s words; her eyes, looking at Alice from head to toe, "In which angle did you turn out fine, Alice!? You¡­"


    "..."


    Charlotte was about to say something harsh, but as soon as she saw her daughter caressing her slightly bulging stomach, the only thing that Charlotte could do was close her eyes and sigh. Just¡­ where exactly did she go wrong raising her? Charlotte thought.


    But what''s done is done, the only thing she could really do¡­ was be there for her.


    "Do you even know what you''re going to name him?" Charlotte then sighed as her breaths finally calmed down.


    "I¡­ I''ve been fancying the name Lucifer for a while now since it sounds good."


    "You''re a fucking wreck, Alice."


    Charlotte and Alice''s disagreement and arguments did not end there. It went on and on¨C it became a whole mess when others in the Hope Guild found out; some information was omitted from them such as there being no actual father, but other than a few expressions of shock, the rest of the members of the Hope Guild took the news well. Well,pared to Charlotte, that is.


    Months passed and Charlotte and Alice''s arguments only got worse; that is until the time came for Alice to give birth.


    "Push!"


    "What do you think I''m doing!?"


    "You''re not pushing enough! That''s it, proceed with the c-section, doctor!"


    "No!"


    "Don''t you dare use your telekinesis to push out the baby, Alice!"


    "Rraah! I feel like shitting, ma!"


    "That''spletely normal! Push!"


    Screams once again. But this time, it was Alice¨C her screams almost piercing the ears of all the people that were trying to help her give birth. The doctor and nurses have lost count on how many times the objects in the room started to tremble; they have also lost count on how many times Charlotte pped Alice whenever it happened.


    But finally, after 5 whole hours¨C


    "T¡­ that''s it, Alice. Just¡­ just a few more! Push!"


    "Kkii!" Alice greeted her teeth; almost to the point that her gums bled as she gave everything she could. And finally¡­ a short relief as the sound of the waters inside her gushed out.


    "D¡­ doctor?"


    Alice, however, quickly held her breath as she heard her mother''s somewhat concerned voice,


    "W¡­ what''s going on¡­ mom?" Alice tried to lift her head, but was too weak to do so, "What¡­ what?"


    "Doctor¡­" Charlotte repeated,


    "Why¡­ why does he look like that?"

 Chapter 234: Unconventional Birth for An Unconventional Baby (2)

    Chapter 234: Unconventional Birth for An Unconventional Baby (2)


    "Why¡­ why does he look like that?"


    "Ma? What¡­ what''s wrong?"


    "M¡­ No¡­ No, it''s nothing."


    Charlotte''s quiet stutters echoed through the maternity room; her eyes staring at the pale baby that the doctor was currently holding. And seeing the look of bewilderment on the doctor''s eyes, he too, was not quite sure what was happening.


    Charlotte''s breaths were heavy; perhaps the heaviest they have ever been. Even through the almost thousands of battles she had been in. In fact, even when she gave birth to Alice, she had not felt this kind of anxiety before.


    How could her breaths not be this dismayed, when the baby that the doctor has currently holding did not have any color in him. But most importantly¡­


    "Why¡­ why isn''t he crying, doc?" Charlotte could not help but whisper.


    "What!? What''s wrong!?"


    But even with her attempt to whisper, her words still struck like thunder in Alice''s ears. Alice wanted to get up, but even lifting a finger felt like she was trying to carry the entire world with her; her fatigue, reaching its limit. The only thing that was keeping her awake right now was the sheer willpower to see her child.


    Alice could not even use her power¡ªshe was trying to lift herself up with telekinesis, but her body was already screaming due to the exhaustion of giving birth.


    "Ma!? What''s wrong!?" The only thing she could really do was bellow; her tears, already trailing down her ears, "What¡­ what do you mean he''s not crying!? Is that¡­ is that bad!? Ma! What does that mean!?"


    Alice was not alone with her panic¡ªboth the doctors and the nurses that were in the room were also quite in a bind; not necessarily because there was something wrong with Alice''s baby, but because of Alice herself. If she were to be berserk and started losing control of her powers, then most of them would probably die here.


    They were doctors and nurses specifically chosen for the job¡ªspecialists that are used to handling pregnancy of supers. But this was perhaps, the very first time they were worried about their lives.


    Alice''s poprity¡ªnotorious antics were quite popr amongst the masses. She had a very short fuse; the viins that happen to have her as their enemy would rather surrender to the authorities rather than face her.


    And so, with those worries dancing in their minds, they quickly held onto all the equipment inside the room; afraid that the sharp scalpels and heavy metal tubes would start floating. But contrary to their expectations, nothing floated.


    As for the doctor that was currently holding the pale baby; he could not help but take in a big and very deep gulp as the sweat on his face started filling up his cap and mask. He was about to do something that Alice might not want¡­ but still he had to do it.


    And so, with another gulp¡­ the doctor gently held the baby on its ankles before proceeding to p it on its bottoms.


    "What are you doing, you fuck--!!!"


    "Alice, calm down!"


    Alice''s bed started to shake as the veins around her body started to constrict. But before anything drastic could happen, Charlotte ran to hug her daughter,


    "It''s fine¡ªit''s a normal procedure," Charlotte then whispered in a very calm tone.


    Calm¡ªperhaps this was the first time Charlotte had to pretend to be one. Try as she might not to express her anxiety, but seeing thepletely pale baby in front of her not responding no matter how many times the doctor urged a response, Charlotte could not help but also drown in her own sweat.


    "M¡­ Ma? Why¡­ what''s happening?"


    "S¡­ shh, it''s fine¡­ it''s fine," Charlotte could only hold her daughter''s hand as she saw the tearsing from her eyes multiply. Charlotte then turned her eyes towards the doctor''s¡­ and as soon as he saw him shaking his head, Charlotte''s eyes turned wide; her grip on her daughter''s hand, bing tighter and tighter.


    "M¡­ ma? What''s wrong? What''s wrong? Where¡­ where''s my baby?"


    "Oh¡­ Alice," Charlotte was about to caress her daughter''s cheek. But before she could do so, Charlotte let out a small gasp as her finger quickly pointed toward the baby.


    "L¡­ Look!" Charlotte then bellowed.


    The doctor quickly turned to look at where she was pointing, only for him to almost take a step back as he saw the pale baby looking him directly in the eyes.


    "This¡­" The doctor''s bewilderment and shock were momentary, of course. Saving a life was, of course, still the priority. And so, with a shake of his head, the doctor started checking the pale baby for anything amiss.


    But besides the baby''s pale skin that caused one to see all of the tiny veins in his body, as well as wide lips that looked like it was cut with a knife, nothing was wrong¡ªthe baby waspletely healthy.


    "He¡­ he''s perfectly fine," the doctor said; still somewhat in disbelief with what happened. He was about to hand the baby to Charlotte, but Charlotte quickly gestured to the doctor to let Alice hold him first.


    Alice quickly stretched her arms towards the baby; the smile on her face,pletely drowning the tears that have previously stered there before.


    "Be gentle with him, Alice," Charlotte then whispered, "He''s not¡ª"


    "He''s not a pet, I know, ma¡­" Alice then very gently grabbed the baby from the doctor''s hands,


    "¡­I know," she then breathed out as the smile on her face grew even more jubnt; even though moving a single finger sapped most of her strength, Alice still embraced her baby as gently as she could.


    "Hello¡­" Alice then whispered; her words, very quiet with not even a breathing out of her mouth, "¡­Hello, it¡­ it''s me, your mama."


    "¡­" Seeing her daughter having this kind of expression, a tear could not help but also fall from Charlotte''s eyes. She had never seen Alice like this; perhaps that was a failure on her side as a mother¡­ or perhaps she had forgotten how happy she was when she also gave birth to Alice.


    "Say hello to grandma," Alice then said as she let the baby hold her finger.


    "H¡­ hello," Charlotte almost gasped as she saw the baby looking at her; a smile, slowly crawling on her face as she waved her hand towards the baby. Her smile, however, almost faded away as the baby smiled back¡ªthe lines of his mouth, almost reaching from ear to ear.


    "¡­" Charlotte quickly looked towards the doctor, her eyes almost asking if there was something wrong with the baby. The doctor, however, only let out a small but very deep sigh as he shrugged his shoulders.


    Were¡­ they sure nothing was wrong with the baby? Charlotte thought. But seeing her daughter this happy¡­ Charlotte could not dare to say anything.


    "Say hello to grandma," Alice repeated as she very gently waved the baby''s hand,


    "Say hello, baby Lucifer."


    "No!"


    And so, months passed. And the rumors that Ms. Phoenix gave birth spread like wildfire through all the news outlets. The Hope Guild, however, did not let the rumorst as they announced Ms. Phoenix''s break from the guild¡ªconfirming the news.


    The entire world wanted to know the details, but as they were superheroes; there really was no information they could divulge. And besides¡­ they too, have no idea what was happening. As far as they know, Alice didn''t even have a partner.


    None of them pried any further, however.


    Every member of the Hope Guild has already introduced themselves to Alice''s son; most of them, initially shocked by how he looked. But like with Charlotte, they couldn''t really say anything with how happy Alice was.


    And besides, this was better than her wreaking havoc outside. This was the very first time they all saw how peaceful Alice could be if she chose to. This was the first time she was waking up and not choosing violence as her breakfast.


    Alice¡­ was happy, and so they were too.


    "Ow,e here. Come to mama."


    "Alice, don''t force him¡ªhe is still a couple of months away from walking."


    "Oh? But little Riley seems to want to walk? Don''t you, little Riley dubs?"


    "¡­" Charlotte''s sighs once again echoed through the air. This time, however, it was followed by a smile as she saw the whitest baby she had ever seen in her life trying to crawl their way towards Alice.


    Charlotte wanted to know what exactly Alice injected in herself, but Alice refused to reveal anything else no matter how many times she asked. The only thing she said was that it was some sort of IVF that didn''t need a sperm donor.


    Charlotte tried scouring the so-called inte for it, but nothing was popping up. She opted to ask Whiteking for help, but she was afraid he might discover something¡ªthe guy has been giving her creeps ever since he joined, after all.


    And so, after a few weeks, Charlotte just gave up. What was important right now was that Alice was genuinely happy.


    She was happy.


    Granted, they have been spending all their time inside the Hope Guild since Riley was diagnosed with some form of albinism. Alice tried bringing him outside once, but when Riley''s skin started to turn red, Alice quickly returned back to the base, crying and telling everyone that Riley was dying.


    He was not, of course. But since then, Alice just stayed inside.


    It wasn''t just Charlotte, but everyone noticed how much Alice doted on Riley¡ªone might say a little too much.


    She doted Riley to the point that she rearranged the entire Hope Guild to be baby-friendly¡ªputting foams on every wall and shaving all the edges and turning them round.


    No one could stop her. But why would they try?


    Alice was happy¡­


    ¡­but then she was not.

 Chapter 235: The Change (1)

    Chapter 235: The Change (1)


    None of the Hope Guild members knew when; none of them saw the signs at first¡­ none of them realized Alice''s slow descent to madness. No, perhaps it was ludicrous to say that it was slow¨C because it happened almost in an instant.


    "Ma! Can you watch Riley for a li''l bit?"


    It happened during a normal day¨C perhaps more normal than most as the Hope Guild headquarters have not received any calls; the map that signaled them if there was any disturbance in a certain area that needed their attention has also remained somber.


    The day was probably the most peaceful they had. There was one that needed their attention, but Megawoman happened to be in the area, so whoever was causing trouble was probably in prison now.


    And so, none of them really had anything to do¨C most of the members were just idle inside the meeting hall. Tempo, just a fresh recruit that more or less joined the guild at the same time as Alice, was looking at the map ready to run at any time and prove himself.


    Butcher was just sitting on the floor, fiddling with his knife without uttering a single word; Empress was also there, trying her best to talk and get closer to Whiteking, who was tinkering with the screens attached to the wall.


    The remaining member was someone called Doctor Late who was just reading a book. Doctor Late was only a proxy member of the Hope Guild, standing in for Bulwark whenever he goes on his little trips around the world to apparently find himself.


    Sadly for Doctor Late, he would be killed by Lady Divider, aka Sophie Turner, sometime soon. He had the power to temporarily cease or slow down everything around him within a range of a 5-meter radius. And like Whiteking, he was a master in all sorts of weapons.


    And then there was Alice and Charlotte, who were currently shouting at each other for no apparent reason. The rest of the Hope Guild did not seem to give them any mind, as they were used to the way the mother and daughter pair talk to each other.


    "Ma! Are you listening!? Can you watch Riley for me!?" Alice then repeated as she gently cradled baby Riley in her arms; almost as if she was trying her best not to wake him up even though she was already screaming.


    "What!?" Charlotte responded with a scream of her own; her eyebrows already furrowed as she turned her head towards her daughter. Her frown, however, quickly disappeared as her eyesnded on baby Riley,


    "Why? Where are you going?" Charlotte then yfully said as she started fiddling with Riley''s tummy, trying to make himugh. The only response she got, however, was a small sneeze.


    "I''m going out to meet a friend," Alice muttered, "I can''t really leave Riley alone in the crib anymore since he learned how to walk."


    "Pft. The little guy almost touched Sir Butcher''s knife the other day," Tempo then quicklymented.


    "What!?"


    This quickly garnered not only Alice and Charlotte''s eyes, but the rest of the members of the Hope Guild as well; their gazes, almost lighting up Butcher''s shiny bald head.


    "There¡­ was only a 12.8% chance of injury," Butcher then quickly hid the knife he was fiddling with behind him, "All¡­ my knives are blunt. I also hold 0% responsibility in watching where Riley¨C"


    And before Butcher could continue his words, his eyes met with Alice.


    "..."


    "..."


    The two stared for a few seconds, before Butcher took in a very subtle gulp, "Yes, it was 100% my fault."


    "As long as you know," Alice then said as she strayed her squinting eyes away from Butcher. Right after, however, she suddenly handed Riley to Charlotte, causing her to almost fall where she stood, "Don''t miss mama too much, okay!?"


    "Where are you going!?" Charlotte then said as she tried her best not to wake Riley up¡­ while screaming.


    "To meet up with a friend!" Alice then ran away; not even looking back as she waved her hand and disappeared from the meeting hall.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Wanna try holding him?" Charlotte then quickly turned her head towards Empress, who was staring at her and baby Riley.


    "I¡­" Empress slightly nced at Whiteking, before slowly approaching Riley and Charlotte,


    "I¡­ don''t think I''m ready yet." A wry smile then crawled on Empress''s face as she looked at Riley, "I don''t think I ever will be again."


    "What happened was not your fault, Adaeze," Charlotte let out a sigh as she started cradling Riley ever so gently, "Besides, this little man seems to like being touched¡­ see?"


    Charlotte then started tickling Riley, causing him to smile as he slept.


    "C''mon, carry him. It''s better than whatever it is you''re trying to do now," Charlottemented as she nced at Whiteking, inadvertently causing him to drop the phillips he was holding,


    "He''s a married man, Adaeze," Charlotte then whispered very quietly.


    "..." Empress, on the other hand, could only keep her silence as she also nced at Whiteking.


    "And he''s also a broken man. That''s a recipe for disaster," Charlotte then slightly winced. She was about to whisper more words of sermon¨C but Riley finally woke up from all the activity happening around him.


    "M¡­ mama?" Riley then worded out as he blinked a couple of times; puttering his lips as he seemingly looked back and forth between Empress and Charlotte, "...Mama?"


    "Your wreck of a mom isn''t here, snowball," Charlotte then started to gently ce Riley on the ground, "But you have grandma¡­ say grandma. G¡­ ran¡­ ma."


    "...Mama?" Riley once again blinked; his little arms and legs, trying to lift himself up but struggling to do so. It only took 2 tries, however, and he was able to fully stand; and without even any warning, started prancing about.


    Butcher quickly got off the floor as soon as he saw this, quickly throwing his knife to the top of the meeting table. Whiteking also stopped whatever it was he was trying to do with the screens, cing all of his tools in a safe ce Riley couldn''t reach.


    Tempo and Doctor Late also stopped what they were doing as they watched as baby Riley made his way everywhere inside the meeting hall.


    "They grow up so fast," Doctor Late breathed out as he closed his book, "Next thing you know, he would be making trouble for all of us."


    "Pft, hopefully, he doesn''t turn out anything like his mother," Tempo chuckled as he carefully approached baby Riley, "If not, this child would probably grow up into an even bigger menace than Alice. You''re not going to be a problem for us in the future, are you?"


    "...Mama?" Riley only blinked a couple of times, before letting out a wide smile and holding Tempo''s stretched finger.


    This was probably the most normal day in the headquarters of the Hope Guild. They were all justzing around, smiling andughing like friends. Trying their best not to make Riley cry; as once he starts, only his mother would be able to stop him.


    Their day continued on with a smile on their faces. And then, the sound of the door sliding open whispered through their ears.


    "Oh, look who decided to return," Charlotte then said as she quickly stood up from the floor; her hands, also carefully assisting Riley up so he wouldn''t trip from all the toys scattered around him,


    "Go, go greet your mommy," Charlotte then gently let go of Riley, who immediately sprinted towards Alice with a smile on his face.


    "Look at him go," Tempo chuckled, "Maybe he will grow up to be a sprinter like me. What do you guys thi¨C"


    And before Tempo could finish his words, everything around him slowed down. His eyes, quickly focusing on Alice''s left knee¡­ which was currently on its way straight towards Riley''s face. Tempo slightly opened his mouth first as he watched Alice''s knee slowly making their way toward Riley.


    But as soon as he was sure that Riley would get hit, he quickly disappeared from his spot. For the others, the only thing they heard was a whispering echo¡­ and Tempo was suddenly beside Alice with Riley in his arms.


    "Putang ina!" Tempo then worded out as he gently carried baby Riley away, "What the fuck was that, Alice!?"


    "...What''s going on, Tempo?" Empress furrowed her eyebrows; the look on her face,pletely showing her confusion. It was not only her, the rest of the Hope Guild was looking at Tempo with a weird look on their face as well.


    "Alice was about to knee Riley!" Tempo bellowed as he carefully dashed towards Charlotte, handing Riley gently to her.


    "...The fuck are you on about, kid?" Charlotte squinted her eyes; she was still confused, but she immediately grabbed Riley away from Tempo.


    "She was going to hit him!" Tempo repeated.


    "You must have seen¨C" Whiteking was about to say something, but before he could do so, Alice suddenly turned around to leave; not even uttering a single word in her defense as the metal door slid open.


    "...Alice?" Charlotte whispered as she tried to approach and follow Alice; before she could do so, however, Alice suddenly nced back; her eyes wide and trembling as they stared at Riley.


    "Get¡­"


    "Alice?"


    "Get that... thing... that monster away from me," she then whispered through her breath as the metal door slid closed behind her. Charlotte could only stop in her tracks as soon as her daughter''s words reached her ears; her eyes, traveling to the others as if to ask if they all heard the same.


    And seeing the bbergasted looks on their faces¡­ they did.


    "Did¡­ she just call Riley a monster?"

 Chapter 236: His Mother (1)

    Chapter 236: His Mother (1)


    Everyone in the Hope Guild knew it was too good to be true. A peaceful day? Their group never once expected something like that to happen in their field of work.


    Being happy all day? That was an illusion they wished they had. They all knew it was too good to be true¨C and it is and was. Their happy day filled withughs, now drowned by confusion and dismay¡­ one might even call their day abysmal.


    None of them knew what really just happened; they didn''t believe Tempo first when he told them that Alice tried to kick her own baby away. But with Alice directly calling Riley a monster and her slightly disgusted expression, they would be fools not to believe him.


    But of course, they all thought that something really bad happened to Alice to put her in a sour mood that was enough for her to hurt Riley; and that when tomorrowes and once she realized what she almost did, she would cry and apologize to Riley, once again smothering him with love and a disgusting dose of affection¨C but no.


    The day after the incident, Alice returned to her work, taking in calls and busting crime left and right¡­ not even once taking care of¨C no. Not even once taking a nce at Riley. Charlotte has tried talking to her several times with Riley in tow.


    But when Charlotte was about to hand Riley to Alice, the look that Alice had on her face made Charlotte quickly back away and take Riley as far away as possible from her. Charlotte was devastated by this¨C just what happened to her daughter to suddenly and abruptly change this much?


    She already discussed it with the others¨C but as ludicrous as it might sound, the only conclusion the team came up with was Mind Control. Alice encountered a super that was powerful enough to control her mind. But if so, wouldn''t that mean that they werepromised?


    But even after several weeks, nothing really major happened to them¨C no viin trying to infiltrate their base, trying to kill them, or trying to expose their identity to the world. Everything was¡­ normal. Except for the fact that Alice was truly treating Riley as if he didn''t exist.


    And with Riley''s identity being very special, Charlotte could not really allow anyone else to take care of him. And in the end, she made an abrupt exit from the guild. They made it look as if she was going somece else¨C venturing out to help those in 3rd world countries with no ess to any kind of help.


    But in truth, she was just going to take care of Riley. Empress took over the guild as its new leader, but since Empress was truly not ready to take over, Charlotte remained inside the Hope Guild.


    They also thought it best for Riley to remain in their base, as it was practically the only home he really knew. And so, Charlotte still minimally controlled the Hope Guild behind the scenes, advising Empress from time to time on the things she needed to worry about.


    This went on for months, with Alice truly not even taking as much as a nce at her son. There was nothing any of them could do. With Bulwark returning, they thought that he, as the one who had the most experience in dealing with people, would be able to talk some sense into Alice.


    But s, the only response the Bulwark got was that he should be careful where he treads if he still wanted to walk around the earth for another thousand years.


    They were all used to Alice acting up and being some sort of a thug. In fact, not only them, but the rest of the world knew her temper. But this was different.


    Alice was losing a considerable amount of weight, she was barely talking to anyone. Empress suggested kicking Alice out of the guild, but this decision was outvoted. Alice was already neglecting his son¡­ and if she were to be kicked out of the base, then Riley would pretty much be abandoned.


    There was a point that Charlotte could no longer take it¨C ordering Whiteking to find out where Alice went the day she changed. This was, of course, something that was against the code of their guild. They had an oath never to survey amongst each other; and with Whiteking now in their guild, this was once again made relevant.


    But due to the circumstance, the others agreed. This was all useless, however; as even with Whiteking''s god-like ability to dive deep into the secrets of the world¨C Alice didn''t exist that day.


    There were no records of her that day¨C no surveince camera footage, no one seeing her. The only footage they found of her was from the camera outside the guild. She left the guild with a normal expression on her face, one might even say excitedly.


    She told them she was meeting a friend, but the only way there wouldn''t be footage of her was that her friend lived in the forest, underground, or in space. No, if her friend lived in space, then they would at least have a satellite capturing her image¨C but there was nothing. It was almost as if she didn''t leave the guild at all.


    This once again raised everyone''s suspicions, but other than spections, none of them could reallye up with a reason. In the end, they were back to the theory of Alice being mind-controlled.


    But if there was someone like that in the world, someone strong enough to control Alice; they were sure he or she would''ve already controlled the entire world.


    And so, the only thing they could do was let everything take its course, they would deal with it when ites¨C and it did.


    One day, there was a situation that needed Charlotte''s attention, the Hope Guild had a visitor¨C Megawoman.


    "...Are we sure Staryer is finally acting?"


    "Yes."


    Charlotte was currently in the meeting hall with Empress beside her¨C and in front of them, was Megawoman.


    "I thought you offed the guy?" Charlotte''s sighs then whispered through the meeting hall; It wasn''t only her sighs that were quiet, however¨C even their breaths were. After all, Charlotte was currently cradling Riley in her arms.


    "I¡­ don''t kill," Megawoman also whispered; her eyes taking a small nce at Riley from time to time.


    "Offing your enemies would have saved you a lot of trouble, Megawoman," Charlotte once again sighed, "Most of the time, problems are solved if you remove the source¨C and besides, you''ve killed that octopus guy, right?"


    "M¡­ Madam Mimic!" Empress could not help but take in a small gulp; raising her voice as she looked back and forth between Charlotte and Megawoman, "I¡­ I''m really sorry about this, master."


    "...I thought I told you not to call me that?" Megawoman let out a small sigh as she shook her head, "You''re no longer my student, Adaeze. But¡­ I hate to do this, but can we go back to my request, please?"


    "Alright," Charlotte then stood up from her seat, gently cing Riley on the crib that was on the corner of the meeting hall, "So you just need my help taking care of Staryer?"


    "...Yes," Megawoman nodded.


    "You need me to kill him."


    "...Yes," Megawoman whispered as she looked to the side, "He¡­ is too dangerous to be left alive."


    "Now that''s quite hypocritical, ain''t it?" Charlotte chuckled. Empress was about to stand between the two, but she was toote as the two were already in front of each other.


    "It is."


    Contrary to her expectations, however, Megawoman just nodded her head.


    "But my morality is not the question here," Megawoman then said with a sigh, "We are superheroes, Charlotte. But that could very well change tomorrow."


    "...Master? What do you¨C"


    "She means that we''re also monsters, kid," Charlotte smirked before Empress could finish her words.


    "Yes," Megawoman nodded, "I don''t shy away from violence¡­ but once someone like me, who is capable of destroying cities with just my breath started killing viins, the¡­ hope that people see in me would turn into fear. I can''t do that to them."


    "Well, before this turns into a speech, let''s just go," Charlotte then silently pped her hands, "We have balls to crush."


    "W¡­ wait, what about Riley!?"


    Charlotte and Megawoman were about to leave, but before they could step out of the meeting hall, Empress''s bellows of worry resounded in their ears. Charlotte, however, only shrugged her shoulders.


    "He''s 2 years old, Adaeze," Charlotte then said, "Just put him in his room and check him from time to time, he''ll be fine."


    "...Carry him? I¨C"


    "Jesus, kid. Just lift the entire crib if you''re still scared of holding him."-- and with those words, Charlotte and Megawoman left¨C flying into space to disrupt whatever Staryer was nning.


    And with that, Empress was left alone with Riley in the meeting hall. She wanted to ask for help from the other members, but they were too busy doing their own things.


    "..."


    "..."


    Empress stared at Riley for a few seconds, before deciding to just lift the entire crib as Charlotte suggested; taking him to his room and leaving him there. Of course, even though Empress was still nervous about handling Riley, her eyes did not leave the monitor that Whiteking installed to keep an eye on him. Empress even transferred some requests from the police to other superhero teams just to watch over Riley.


    Hours passed and Charlotte was still not back, Empress was contemting how she would feed Riley in a way that she wouldn''t hurt him¨C her steps, going back and forth as she stared at the monitor.


    But as soon as she was able to gather the courage to finally try and feed him, an alert appeared on the monitor¨C someone entered Riley''s room;


    His mother.

 Chapter 237: His Mother (2)

    Chapter 237: His Mother (2)


    "...Oh."


    Empress was about to stand up from her seat and rush towards the room where Riley was resting, but then realized that she was probably out of her boundaries¡­ and it would probably be wrong for her to try and separate the two.


    Alice is Riley''s mother, and this was the first time in almost a year that Alice was approaching Riley on her own¨C No, this was the first time that she was approaching him at all. And so, Empress''s butt once again met the with the chair; her eyes, not leaving the screen that was attached to the wall.


    Her butt, however, suddenly left the chair again as she suddenly remembered Tempo''s words. Alice was about to hurt Riley a year ago; and who knows what could have happened if Tempo didn''t pull Riley away.


    "...Can''t be," Empress squinted her eyes, "She wouldn''t really hurt Riley, right? What kind of mother would¨C"


    And before she could finish her words, Empress let out a short but very deep breath. There were actually a lot¨C there were a lot of mothers that are capable of hurting their children. The Hope Guild was allowed to ess police files to a limited capacity. And¡­ as someone who lost her own child, the first thing that Empress checked was files rted to child violence.


    "..."


    Empress continued to watch what was happening on the screen, her butt, once again meeting with the chair. If Alice started moving suspiciously, then Empress would quickly burst through their room¡­ but Alice remained just standing in the doorway, not fully entering the room for some reason. The sliding door, automatically closing and opening before it hit Alice.


    Isn''t this¡­ suspicious in itself?


    "You look like shit, auntie."


    And as Empress was all eyes on the screen, Tempo suddenly entered the hall, "Anything going on?"


    "...I''m not your auntie and I''m not that old," Empress only let out a small sigh; her eyes still not leaving the screen, "And Alice is in Riley''s room," she then said as she pointed at the monitor.


    "What!?" And as soon as Tempo heard that, he quickly disappeared from his spot; suddenly standing in front of the monitor, "S¡­ shit!"


    Tempo was about to run away, but before the echo of his steps could whisper in the air, Empress grabbed his hand.


    "Let''s¡­ watch the situation first," Empress said.


    "What? But isn''t it dangerous? We shouldn''t leave Alice with Riley since she''s¡­ currently not well."


    "But¡­ what if she just wants to see Riley?" Empress muttered, "It''s not really right for us to¨C"


    "What''s going on?"


    "Lolo!" Tempo''s eyes then quickly widened as Bulwark entered the meeting hall, "Alice is in Riley''s room!"


    "Oh?" Bulwark was about to take a rest and just wanted to check if there was anyone in the meeting hall since he just finished responding to a crime. But hearing Tempo''s words, his feet quickly took him beside Tempo as he too, started looking at the screen.


    "Get the child," Bulwark then said as he nodded at Tempo, "I''ve seen many mothers kill their own infants before. The child''s life might be in danger."


    "Why are all of you standing there?" And before anyone could take action, another member of the Hope Guild entered the meeting hall¨C Whiteking. And since no one was answering him, he just walked to the monitor himself.


    "...Isn''t that Alice?" Whiteking''s helmet folded open as he looked at the others, "Shouldn''t¡­ we try and get the kid away?"


    "...You too?" Empress slightly gasped as she heard Whiteking''s words.


    "Well¡­ yeah," Whiteking shrugged, "The woman''s obviously turning insane, and even if there''s a 1% chance of the kid being at risk¡­ then we should get him."


    "I am usually the one with the percentages¡­ but be that as it may, I am 50% in agreement."


    This time, it was Butcher who entered the hall; his clothes werepletely stained in blood, his skin and face, however, werepletely clean.


    "Alice is still the mother''s child, after all," Butcher said as he took a seat; only ncing once at the monitor.


    "Hm¡­"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Why¡­ are you all looking at me?" Empress then slightly took a few steps back as she noticed that everyone was suddenly looking at her.


    "You''re the leader now, auntie," Tempo said, "And since the olddy isn''t here, the decision lies with you."


    "That¡­" Hearing Tempo''s words, the only thing that Empress could do was look back and forth between the monitor and the rest of the members of the Hope Guild.


    Alice was still standing in the doorway of the room, not moving even a single inch from where she was minutes ago.


    And after a few more seconds, Empress took in a small gulp and said, "Let me¡­ try and talk to her first. Alice is a time bomb and we don''t want her going off."


    The others looked at each other for a while, but eventually all nodded their heads at Empress.


    "We¡­ will follow a few meters behind you just in case," Whiteking muttered. And so, with that, the no. 1 Superhero team in the world started to carefully make their way to Riley''s room¡­ just to try and talk to an estranged mother.


    As soon as they made their way to the room, however, they realized that the situation is anything but simple.


    Alice was already inside the room and Empress wanted to quickly check on her to find out whatever it was that was going on in her mind¡­


    "This¡­"


    Empress, however, found herself unable to enter the room as there was an invisible wall blocking the doorway.


    "A¡­ Alice?" Empress slightly stuttered as she tried to call for Alice, "What¡­ what are you trying to do?"


    And as to their expectation, Alice did not answer. Instead, her steps slowly brought her closer and closer to Riley''s crib. The others now also stood in front of the door, trying to see if anyone of them could go in.


    Tempo was about to drill his way through the wall, but Bulwark gestured to him to stop. Empress was right¨C Alice was a timebomb that none of them were capable of stopping before there were any casualties.


    "Ali¨C"


    "You know¡­"


    And before Empress could say anything else, Alice suddenly turned around; her eyes, moving across Empress and the others.


    "...Have I ever thanked all of you for weing me to the guild?" Alice then said; letting out a long and very deep sigh as her hand slowly brushed on Riley''s crib,


    "You know¡­ I didn''t want to get out of the prison because I thought I didn''t belong out here¨C in the real world," Alice continued to sigh as she slowly turned towards Riley; her hands, slowly stretching to her son,


    "I hated my mother for trying to pull me out¡­ but it turns out you guys are fun, after all," Alice continued as she gently lifted Riley from the crib,


    "And then¡­ he arrived."


    Tears then started trailing from Alice''s eyes as she started cradling Riley, "And everything¡­ everything just became even brighter. Even more than being a superhero and beating the living shit out of bad people¡­ I found the purpose of my life¡­ Riley¡­ Riley was my everything¡­ He is my life¡­


    ¡­And oh my god, he''s a boy now."


    Alice then looked at Riley from head to toe. Thest time she held him, a single arm was enough to hold him.


    "E¡­ even two of my arms aren''t enough to carry him now."


    "No!"


    Tempo screamed as Alice suddenly let go of Riley and stretched her arms to the side; contrary to his expectations, however, Riley remained floating in the air. And soon, even Alice''s tears also started to float in the air¡­ along with all of the furniture and objects in the room.


    "But everything was an illusion," Alice then opened both her palms wide, causing everything in the room but her and Riley to instantly disintegrate into ashes, "The life that I thought I have was just an illusion."


    Alice pointed her palm towards Riley, causing him to float towards her.


    "Alice¡­ what are you doing?" Empress then knocked on the invisible barrier, causing the walls to slightly tremble.


    "What I should have done a year ago," the tears that were flowing from Alice''s eyes became even more prevalent; almost a waterfall as the tremble of her voice became even more nuanced, "End my life."


    "W¡­ what!?"


    "..." Whiteking slightly took a few steps back, pulling away Tempo from the door, "We need Charlotte."


    "B¨C"


    "You''re the only one fast enough to get her here."


    "I can''t go to space, man. Are you fucking crazy?" Tempo slightly raised her voice.


    "I''ming with you; just carry me¡­"


    The two continued to discuss secretly as Empress tried to talk with Alice. The situation, however, seemed to not be getting any better as Riley was still floating closer and closer towards Alice''s opened palm.


    "E¡­ end your life!?" Empress once again mmed on the invisible barrier; this time cracking the walls it seemed to be hinging from, "What does that mean!?"


    "Sshh," Alice then ced her finger on her lips, her swollen eyes momentarily ncing at Empress before turning back to Riley, "I¡­ don''t want him awake for thi¨C"


    "M¡­ mama?"


    And before Alice could finish her words, her throat almost copsed as Riley''s voice entered her ears.


    "Mama¡­"


    And even though Riley seemed to be slightly confused as to why he was floating, his wide lips still quickly turned into a smile as his eyesnded on Alice,


    "Mama¡­ is back?" Riley then stretched both his arms towards Alice; the already wide smile on his face, growing even wider, "Mama¡­ miss you!"


    "I¡­" Alice''s breaths started to turn heavy; her gasps, almost piercing the ears of those who could hear them,


    "I¡­ missed you too," Alice then whispered; her fingers...


    ...slowly wrapping around Riley''s neck.

 Chapter 238: End of The Lullaby (1)

    Chapter 238: End of The Luby (1)


    "M¡­ Mama?"


    "Mama¡­ sad?"


    Alice''s fingers were now wrapped around Riley''s neck; still, judging by the smile still clinging on his face, he wasn''t in pain. Instead, the smile on his face grew wider and wider. His slightly chubby cheeks, almost pushing his ears up due to his unnaturally wide mouth.


    Riley¡­ wasn''t in pain. Even Empress and Bulwark, who were now the only ones outside the room, could see that. Riley was happy¨C ecstatic even. The mother that has neglected him for an entire year was now finally in front of him; there was nothing but smiles on Riley''s face.


    "Why¡­ sad mama?" Riley then muttered; his words slightly stuttered as he seemed to be thinking of words to use. As a new toddler, however, Riley''s attention span seemed to be quite limited as he was quickly distracted by the floating tears that were flowing from Alice''s eyes.


    His little arms were trying to reach them, but none of the tears seemed to be moving toward him. Soon, however, he managed to catch one.


    "Ehe," Riley then chuckled as he secured the tear with both of his hands, bringing it closer to him as he looked at his mother, "Mama, mama¡­ look!"


    Riley then opened both his hands as the shine in his eyes started to glitter; his smile, however, slightly disappeared as the floating tear that he supposedly caught was no longer to be seen. Instead, there was only a moist streak flowing down his palm.


    "Oh?" Riley''s mouth turned into an ''O'' as he looked back and forth between his hands and Alice, "Where? Mama?"


    "It''s¡­ gone, Riley."


    And then, Alice finally broke her silence as her fingers that remained stagnant started to move.


    "Gone?" Riley blinked a couple of times; he then chuckled as he finally heard her mother''s voice after a very long time, "What is gone, ma¨C"


    And before Riley could finish his words, his soft neck started to very slowly cave in.


    "O¡­ ouchie, mama?" Riley then breathed out. His breaths, however, soon became gasps.


    "It¡­ it''s alright, Riley." And almost as if she was the one being choked, the words that came out of Alice''s mouth were cracked; her gasps, also whispering in the air.


    "Mama¡­ will be with you," Alice''s eyebrows once again began to tremble as the tears flowing from her eyes finally stopped, "Mama will finally be with you."


    "Alice!" Empress''s thunderous voice then reverberated in the air; the ceiling of Riley''s room, cracking as Empress once again mmed her fists on the invisible barrier that Alice erected around the room. Empress was the one who told them not to do anything drastic¡­ but this was no longer the time to be calm.


    And so, she suddenly dashed to the side; her fist, already loaded and ready to smash the wall beside the door.


    "Empress, are you¨C" And before Bulwark could even finish his warnings, Empress''s fist was already on its way towards the wall. Thunder once again erupted throughout the entire base, with the wall turning into powder from the sheer force of Empress''s exploding fists.


    "Alice, sto¨C" And once again, their words were disrupted; their path, also interrupted. Empress was about to burst inside even with the cloud of dust drowning them¡­ but found that like the doorway, an invisible barrier was also blocking their path to the room.


    "Don''t do this, Alice!"


    And instantly, Empress did the thing they should never do as heroes¨C she panicked.


    "Please! Alice, don''t do this!" Empress bellowed as her legs fell and gave up; her fists, however, were still smashing the invisible barrier, "Alice! Why!? Why are you doing this!?"


    "Because he¡­" Alice was about to answer Empress''s words, but as soon as her eyes met with Riley''s, her voice once again cracked. She stared at Riley''s confused and trembling eyes for a full second, before shaking her head in tightening the grip on his neck, causing Riley to gag.


    "He is¡­" And once again, Alice''s voice cracked. This time¡­ because of seeing Riley still smiling; his head, trying its best to tilt to the side and rest his cheek on Alice''s hand.


    "No!" Alice then let go of Riley; this time, however, nothing was there to catch him but the cold, hard, and dusty floor.


    "Fuck!" Empress''s strikes grew stronger as she saw Riley fall headfirst to the floor,


    "Fuck! Not again! No¡­ No!" Empress screamed as the tears that her eyes were still reserving burst through like rain, "I will fucking kill you, Alice! I will fucking kill you if you Riley dies!"


    Alice seemed to not be hearing Empress''s words. Alice''s hands, grasping her own hair to the point of almost pulling them out; and soon, like Empress, her legs also gave in, causing her to drop beside Riley who seemed to no longer be moving.


    "My¡­ my baby," Alice then worded out as her eyes looked everywhere but to Riley, "No¡­ no¡­ he¡­ he is supposed to be my baby. I can''t do this¡­ Please¡­ not him¡­"


    "Alice! Please! Riley¡­ Riley is not moving!" Empress was about to m her hand on the invisible barrier again, but before she could do so, a golden light blocked her fist.


    "Stop, Adaeze," Bulwark, who had been keeping quiet for a while now, shook his head. A tear, trailing on his face, "We¡­ made a mistake."


    Bulwark then turned his golden eyes towards Riley, whose little body no longer held any signs of breathing, "We¡­


    ¡­failed."


    "No!" Adaeze once again let out a shrieking bellow; her fists, however, no longer held any strength¨C every bit of it now in her despair. They made a mistake? No¨C that was wrong.


    She made a mistake. She was the first one to see Alice entering the room. She should have intervened while Alice was still outside the room¨C the signs were there.


    She should have known. And yet her ridiculous optimism and familiarity with being a mother stopped her from doing what she should have¨C she could have prevented this from happening.


    Instead, she just watched like it was some sort of drama of redemption. This was her fault¡­


    ¡­and hers alone.


    "..." And with Bulwark''s silence and Empress''s wails echoing through her ears, Alice''s trembling hands that covered her head slowly dropped to the ground; and soon, these hands crawled their way towards Riley.


    "S¡­ sleep now," Alice then said as she gently lifted Riley.


    Empress, who saw this, instantly stopped screaming. Her eyes, suddenly empty as they followed Riley''s arms¡­ which were now lifelessly hanging on his sides; his face that was once filled with smiles, no longer existing.


    "Mama¡­" Alice then whispered as she embraced Riley''s body, "Mama¡­ is here. You¡­ you don''t have to be alone."


    Alice then gently cradled Riley''s body as she started humming a luby that she always sang to Riley; and soon, a red line could be seen forming across her neck,


    "Mama¡­ will follow you soo¨C"


    "Mama?"


    And before Alice could finish her luby, a small and tiny voice whispered in her ears.


    "Mama¡­ why sad?"


    "H¡­ huh?" Alice''s head then began to tremble; struggling to turn towards the direction of the voice.


    Riley¡­ was smiling at her.

 Chapter 239: End of the Lullaby (2)

    Chapter 239: End of the Luby (2)


    "Ri¡­ ley?"


    Alice was ready to let go.


    No, she let go. She already let go¨C the blood that was slowly trickling around her neck was proof of that. She knew she didn''t deserve it, but if there was an afterlife, then that was perhaps the only ce that the two of them could actually be free.


    Riley became the meaning of her life¨C no, Riley was her life. From the very first moment she took him into her embrace, Alice knew that her life was over¡­ and that from then on, it was always going to be Riley.


    She was not fooling around when she told her mother that she wanted to have a child¨C that was something she had been nning a few months after she got out of prison. But there was a problem¡­ she didn''t like anyone.


    Not romantically¨C not even sexually.


    She deemed herself not capable of caring and loving another person besides her mother. And so, when a friend of hers told her about the project she had been working on, she quickly dived in and offered to test it.


    She was not hopeful or anything, but when her head started feeling unwell and the nausea started to crawl throughout her entire body; a small flicker of light grew inside her. She had herself checked¡­ and this light slowly turned into Riley.


    She thought that nothing could beat the happiness she felt when she first held Riley in her arms, but she was wrong. Every day, that moment gets drowned.


    Drowned by the happiness of spending her every day with Riley.


    His first word.


    His first steps.


    His first tumble.


    Every second with him was better than thest¨C the happiness just grew and grew until that was the only thing she knew.


    Sure, it was hard¨C there were times that Alice truly wanted to cry. But with just a single smile from Riley, everything goes away.


    And this happiness¡­ was something she was truly ready to give up.


    She was ready to let go of her life.


    But then, this life once again smiled at her.


    "He''s alive!" Empress then quickly stood up from the floor as she heard Riley''s voice,


    "Bulwark¡­ Riley''s alive!"


    "What?" Bulwark quickly raised his head; pushing away the shame that weighed it down,


    "He''s¡­ alive? How?" Bulwark''s eyes then turned as wide as they could as the light within them once again started to trickle. And true enough, Riley¡­ was moving. His arms werepletely iling earlier, not even showing any signs of movement.


    But now, they were once again trying to reach Alice; his face that previously almost belonged to a ghost, no longer as pale as it was seconds ago.


    "Riley?" Alice then once again let go of Riley; this time, however, he once again remained floating inches above the floor.


    "W¡­ what!?" Alice then quickly backed away as soon as she saw this.


    "Ehe¡­ Mama, fly fly!"


    Riley then chuckled as he bounced in the air, slowly floating towards Alice. But before he could make it a meter to his mother¡­ the floor beneath him suddenly cracked, turning into chains that wrapped his limbs together.


    And with that, Riley once again dropped to the floor.


    "Ma¨C"


    He was about to open his mouth again, but before he could do so, both of Alice''s hands suddenly wrapped around his neck; her eyes,pletely devoid of tears. The tremble that surrounded them, however, was still very much alive.


    "A¨C"


    "Alice!"


    Empress''s fists were about to once again rampage, but before they could, another voice drowned her plights.


    "Alice! Let go of my grandson!"


    Charlotte was now suddenly standing behind Empress, with Tempo behind her seemingly trying to catch his breaths. And beside Tempo¡­ was Megawoman.


    "Alice!" Charlotte then stretched both her hands towards the invisible barrier, causing a sort of ripple to form in the air. And soon, a small thunderous snap cracked in the air as Charlotte seemingly pried the invisible barrier open.


    "Stop!" Charlotte then once again screamed as veins started etching from her neck. And soon, another thunderous echo cracked in the air¨C with the entire base of the Hope Guild seemingly splitting in half.


    "Megawoman!"


    And as soon as her roars cried in the air, Megawoman burst through the cracks¨C quickly getting behind Alice and wrapping her arms around her neck, putting her in a chokehold.


    "Ms. Phoenix¨C Alice, listen to your mother!" Megawoman then also screamed as she tried to pull Alice away from Riley. Megawoman also tried to pry Alice''s arms open but was unable to as Alice was now putting all of her power to prevent Megawoman from moving.


    "Alice, that''s a child!" Megawoman once again bellowed as the air around her started cracking; and with every crack, a burst of blood oozed from Alice''s nose.


    "Fucking die!" Empress then suddenly joined the fray, her fist, already on its way towards Alice''s head. Her fist, however, instead of making contact with Alice''s cheek, met with Megawoman''s palm.


    "Stop! No one dies today!" Megawoman shouted, "Take the child away, any one of you!"


    And before Megawoman could finish her words, Tempo was already in front of Alice, his hands already on their way to Riley.


    "Gah!" But s, before he could do so, his thighs folded in half,


    "Fuck! Alice! Why are you doing this!?" But even with the pain drowning him, Tempo''s hands still tried to reach Riley. His arms were the next ones to fold; but before they could fully break, a golden sphere pulled him away.


    "Charlotte!" Megawoman then screamed as she turned her eyes towards Charlotte¡­ who was just standing and watching the situation unfold; her eyes, trembling uncontrobly, "Do something! Stop your child!"


    "W¡­ what?" Charlotte took in a small gulp, "What¡­"


    What exactly was she supposed to do?


    Megawoman was currently and literally holding the situation together.


    Empress was trying to kill Alice.


    Tempo tried to take Riley away, only to be pulled away by Bulwark as his legs cracked in half.


    As for Whiteking, he was the same as her¨C not knowing what to do with the situation. Soon, however, he started doing something with the smallptop attached to his wrists.


    And her¡­ what was she supposed to do?


    Charlotte''s eyes then slowly turned towards her daughter. Alice''s eyes were filled with¡­ nothing. No tears, no tremble, no emotions¨C the only indication that she was still set on strangling Riley were the veins that were etching throughout her body.


    Charlotte then turned her eyes towards Riley; whose pale face now held a certain pink in them. Tears, almost endlessly trailing across his face. His eyes¡­


    ¡­afraid.


    And right there and then, she knew what she had to do.


    "Alice¡­" Charlotte then whispered as tears also soon fell from her face, "...I love you."


    "Charlotte, no!"


    Megawoman quickly threw Empress away, also letting go of Alice as she blocked her from Charlotte''s view, whose eyes were already lighting up in a fiery red; and without any hesitation, this fiery red turned into a beam that shot straight towards Megawoman''s palm.


    "No!" Megawoman once again bellowed as she pped her hands, causing everyone but Alice and Riley to fly away, "No one will die today!"


    "Riley will die if we don''t stop my daughter!"


    "No!" Megawoman once again blocked Charlotte''s view; her other hand, once again trying to pry Alice''s arms open. And perhaps the only reason Riley was still alive was because Alice''s hands were slightly and momentarily being opened by Megawoman from time to time.


    "Please! Megawoman¡­" Charlotte once again bellowed, "You...


    ¡­you''re the only one who can stop this!"

 Chapter 240: Hopelessness

    Chapter 240: Hopelessness


    "Please¡­ Megawoman, you''re the only one who can stop this!"


    Megawoman''s eyes traveled across the room; looking at every member of the Hope Guild with a dreaded and panicked expression on her face. Everything moved so slowly, allowing her to see every bit of expression on everyone''s faces.


    Tempo was the only one moving fast enough for her to see normally; the desperate and pained cries that he was letting out reverberated through her bones quite deeply. All of his limbs were broken, and yet he was trying to reach for Riley despite the fact that Bulwark was pulling him away to save him from disintegrating into pieces.


    Bulwark probably held the expression close to hers¨C dread and panic. He could try and put his efforts into trying to stop Alice. But out of the people in the Hope Guild, Megawoman knew Bulwark the most. Bulwark would prioritize saving Tempo rather than trying to stop Alice from killing Riley, solely for the fact that there was a low chance his powers would actually be effective against Alice.


    Empress was just rage and regret¨C her mouth, already bleeding from grinding her teeth as she still tried to rush toward Alice. Her palms, also dripping blood. Besides Bulwark, Megawoman knew her best as she mentored Empress when she was younger. And although Empress had the capacity to be violent, there were almost no moments where she let her emotions get the best of her. There was only one¨C when her child was murdered by a super that got out of prison¡­ as revenge for having been arrested.


    Whiteking was someone who Megawoman barely knew, but since he was just a normal human, there really was nothing he could do currently and directly. But still, he seemed to be calmer than even her as he fidgeted with his fancy technology trying to do whatever.


    Charlotte¡­ was losing it. Judging by the strength of the beam that sted from her eyes, she copied Megawoman''s abilities¨C meaning she was truly trying to kill her daughter. The beam was enough to scald Megawoman''s palm, if it went through, then Alice would have died almost instantly.


    Megawoman couldn''t really exin whatever it was that Charlotte was feeling right now; the expression on her face was something that she had never seen before¨C at least not this close. Throughout her time as a superhero, she had seen mothers and fathers trying to risk their lives for their children. But to see a mother trying to kill her daughter to stop her from killing her own son?


    This was probably the first time.


    No, perhaps she actually knew what Charlotte''s face represented¨C


    It was hopelessness.


    Charlotte was making an impossible choice that no one in this universe should even experience. Megawoman could not even think what her choice would be if she was to be put in the same position. Her son was only a couple of years older than Riley; Megawoman could not even fathom the expression she would have if ever the timees.


    No, she would do everything in her power to prevent something like this from happ¨C


    Megawoman then momentarily closed her eyes; shaking off all the thoughts that were racing through her mind.


    And finally, she turned her eyes toward the final member of the Hope Guild¡­ Alice.


    "!!!"


    And to her surprise, Alice¡­ was looking at her, holding absolutely no expression on her face. Her hands, still struggling to strangle her son, who was already bawling his eyes out; his breaths, probably already cracking based on the pink streaks and stretched skin surrounding his neck.


    But¡­ he was alive.


    "..." Megawoman then returned her focus to Alice. Alice¡­ was probably the strongest creature on this. Granted, Megawoman was not using all of her strength, but she was using enough to probably neutralize most of the people in this room with a single flick of her finger.


    But even then, Alice was able to stop her and also attack anyone able to get near her. Even on her, the people that could probably match Alice could be counted on one hand¨C she was already impressed with what Charlotte could do, but her daughter was something else.


    Megawoman thought she could stop this scenario swiftly¨C the very first time she overestimated herself.


    And so, her focus remained on Alice''s face; stoic andpletely devoid of any emotions. But why¡­ why was she looking at her?


    "..." Megawoman stared at her face for a few milliseconds, dozens of thoughts once again racing through her mind. But then, when she could no longer think of what to do¨C she focused on Alice''s eyes;


    ¨CHer eyes were empty, also devoid of any emotions¨C that is if one were to only nce at them. Perhaps out of everyone in this room, only she and Tempo would be able to see what they truly held.


    But s, Tempo was too busy trying to reach for Riley. And so, Megawoman¡­


    ¡­she was probably the only one who could see it. The weight of her eyes.


    A weight that Megawoman could probably never be able to carry.


    "Megawoman, please!"


    Everything then returned to normal as Megawoman could once again hear the hopelessness in Charlotte''s voice.


    "Just hold her!" Charlotte''s voice cracked as her eyes once again lit up in red,


    "I just need¡­ I just need you to stop her for a second and I will be the one to end it!"


    "..." Hearing Charlotte''s words, Megawoman no longer hesitated. She suddenly stretched her hands to the side, causing the air around them to crack along with the small mountain the Hope Guild''s base stood on. The sky and clouds above it¡­ also split in half.


    A fountain of blood then sprayed from Alice''s nose; the blood, showering on Riley''s face¨C getting into his mouth, and making him gag. As soon as Megawoman saw this, she quickly pulled Alice away and locked all of her limbs with her own.


    "Do it now!" Megawoman then screamed.


    "I love you, Alice!" And with that bellow, the red light on Charlotte''s eyes turned into a beam¨C its target, straight through Alice''s chest.


    "What¡­" But before they could pierce through Alice''s heart¡­ Megawoman once again blocked its path,


    "...Why!?"


    "No¡­ mother should bear this kind of pain."


    And with those words whispering from Megawoman''s mouth, she suddenly let go of Alice; her hands, moving straight towards her head.


    "No one!"


    And with those screaming words following her whispers, a huge ripple echoed through the skies as Megawoman snapped Alice''s neck. This time, it was Megawoman''s screams that resounded in the air, perhaps almost a whisper that could be heard throughout the entire gxy.


    Itsted exactly 5 seconds; with Megawoman''s open palms resting on her sides, as if all of the strength they contained were no more. And whatever expression she had on her face right now, she absolutely had no idea.


    As for Alice, shey dead on the floor¨C the weight that her eyes contained, no more.


    And after that¡­


    ¡­was silence.


    No one moving, no one breathing¨C everyone reflecting Alice.


    Tempo''s broken and shattered bones that were cracking in the air, no longer whispering.


    Bulwark''s eyes that were glowing ceaselessly, now faded.


    Empress''s trembling and furrowed eyebrows, now rested but seemingly more restless than before.


    Whiteking''s fingers that were moving without pause, nowpletely still.


    Charlotte¡­ was just broken.


    *** *** ***


    "And then¡­ eventually, Whiteking''s family adopted you."


    A whisper of a sniffle faded in the living room as Charlotte lightly rubbed her nose; her other hand, whirling the ss of wine that was sitting on the table¡­ and had been doing so throughout her long story.


    And finally, with her story reaching its end, Charlotte grabbed the ss of wine¨C finally allowing herself to feel the burn of the alcohol; letting it slide through her throat all at once.


    "Why were you not the one to adopt me, Miss Charlotte?"


    And perhaps even more stinging than the alcohol was Riley''s sudden question.


    "I am not adept withws not rting to murder. But should I not have been taken to your custody?"


    "..." Charlotte once again ced the ss in her mouth, but with it empty, the only thing she was able to gulp was her own anxiety. It took a few nces, but finally, after a few seconds¡­ she was able to remove the ss from her lips.


    "I¡­ med you," Charlotte then whispered, "I med you for everything that happened. My daughter never would have be like that if you did not appear in her life."


    "Do you¨C"


    "And I regret giving you away immediately," Charlotte did not let Riley talk as she looked Riley straight in the eyes, "I¡­ tried to take you from the Ross''s¡­ but I saw how happy Bernard''s wife was and I just¡­ I couldn''t, you know?"


    "..."


    "I killed my daughter¨C your mother," Charlotte then slightly stuttered as she shook her head, "How could someone like that deserve to hold you?"


    "But you did not kill Alice, miss Charlotte. Megawoman¨C"


    "No, I did it," Charlotte once again shook her head, "I killed her the very moment I prioritized the lives of everyone else. I neglected her as a child and every mistake she made was a result of that¨C I led her to her death¡­


    ¡­and now every mistake you make is because of me."


    "...I don''t understand, Miss Charlotte."


    "What I mean is that I fucked up," Charlotte wiped the tears that were trying to fall from her eyes,


    "I should have been there for you and maybe¡­ maybe this wouldn''t have happened again," she then chuckled wryly as her eyes traveled across the house, "I¡­ just repeated the past."


    "Well, you still make a good dessert, miss Charlotte," Riley then let out a small but very deep sigh, "That is what matters now."


    "You¨C" Charlotte was about to say something, but only let out a sigh of her own in the end, "You really resemble your mother."


    "I was not aware that she was autistic and had lower mnin levels, miss Charlotte."


    "No, she¨C She might actually have been in the spectrum," Charlotte then once again chuckled as she rested her back on the sofa; her eyes, turning to the ceiling, "I miss her¡­ I miss her so much."


    "..."


    "..."


    "May I ask you questions regarding your recollection of the past, miss Charlotte?"


    "...If you can call me grandma."


    "Grandmother Charlotte."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Go ahead."


    "How do you know what Megawoman felt at that moment?" Riley then asked, "Your story is quite different than the others."


    "Because we talked about it several times," Charlotte breathed out, "I was a wreck after what happened and she¡­ she and the others helped me pull through."


    "Megawoman truly is a kind person," Riley nodded several times, "I have another question, Miss Charlotte."


    "Hm?"


    "The friend that Alice was referring to¡­"


    "You mean the one who coaxed her to get the IVF?" Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows, "Then no, I still don''t know who she is."


    "Is it possible that she was mother?"


    "What?"


    "Her friend," Riley blinked a couple of times, "Is it possible that¡­


    ¡­it was Diana Ross?"

 Chapter 241: D

    Chapter 241: D


    "The friend that Alice was referring to¡­"


    "You mean the one who coaxed her to get the IVF? Then no, I still don''t know who she is."


    "Is it possible that she was mother?"


    "What?"


    "Her friend. Is it possible that¡­


    ¡­it was Diana Ross?"


    "...Huh?"


    If confusion had a face, it would probably look like Charlotte right about now; one of her eyebrows, raising as her face slowly turned to the side.


    "That came out of nowhere," she then said; her slight gasp voicing her confusion, "What in the world gave you that idea?"


    "..." Riley turned to face Charlotte for a few seconds, before letting out a small breath and pointing to the outside, "One of the guests¨C one of the prisoners here told me that mother worked here."


    "What?" Charlotte blinked a couple of times as she almost jumped from her seat; her curiosity, leaning closer towards Riley by the second, "What do you mean she worked here? That Diana?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded his head, "The source of the information is not reliable, however. He could be lying, miss Charlotte."


    "Which¡­ prisoner?"


    "He left before I could ask him his name, Miss Charlotte," Riley shook his head, "But he also told me that adoptive mother and biological mother were close."


    "...What? I¡­ wasn''t aware of that," Charlotte ced her hand on her chin, "But if it was Diana¡­ it doesn''t make sense she wouldn''t tell me."


    "It is also to my knowledge that mother worked in the healthcare department when I was a child, Miss Charlotte," Riley followed up as he too, ced his hand on his chin, "I asked her once why she was good at patching up Bernard''s wounds whenever he got hurt¨C she told me she was a doctor."


    "What? That¨C" Charlotte was going to say something else to try and get to the bottom of the situation; her mouth gasped, however, as soon as a realization came to her¨C almost like a switch that clicked inside her mind.


    There were absolutely zero records of Alice when she met with that so-called friend the day her drastic change happened; the only footage of her was when she stepped out of the Hope Guild. After her death, Charlotte scoured every surveince there was to try and pinpoint exactly when and where she got the special IVF.


    She watched every single day that she was out¡­ and she could not find anything.


    There were only three people that she knew of that were capable of not existing in the system.


    Megawoman¨C she made it clear to the World Government that she did not appreciate being followed and surveilled. With Megawoman''s symbol and status in the world being as it is, the governments of the world had no choice but toply. So other than her defeating bad guys and her very short appearances in the media, her private life waspletely incognito.


    Darkday¨C he brought with him darkness; the clouds covering him whenever he goes. The only times that Darkday actively shows himself to the world is whenever he wreaks havoc¨C a true cmity.


    Andstly, Whiteking. The only records that you could find of him were things that he wanted you to know; and even then, there was a possibility that it was a lie. The world was basically his canvas to paint on.


    If Diana truly was the friend that Alice mentioned¡­ then that would exin why there was no record of Alice meeting her at all¨C Bernard Ross erased everything. Of course, everything was just spection; but even without any proof, Bernard seemed he suspicious, Charlotte thought as she stood up.


    "This prisoner, which house did he live in?"


    "You wish to see him, Miss Charlotte?" Riley also stood up, blinking his eyes several times as the ss of wine on the table floated towards the sink.


    "...Yeah," Charlotte nodded as she made her way out of the living room, "I don''t like not having answers, so let''s just ask this prisoner of yours. Point me to his house."


    "There''s no need for that, Miss Charlotte."


    "What do you¨C"


    And before Charlotte could finish her words, Riley suddenly raised a finger; and as soon as he did so, a small rumble could be heard whispering from afar, from outside the house. Charlotte was about to ask what was happening, but before her lips could part, a knock echoed from the door.


    "Pleasee in, guest," Riley then muttered; and as he did so, the entrance door opened; revealing an old man.


    "..." Charlotte could only slowly move her head as her eyes followed as the old man¡­ floated across the hall, passing by her with a slightly confused and panicked expression until he reached inside the living room.


    "Can you give our guest something to drink, Victoria?" Riley then said as he turned his head towards the corner leading to the rooms, and as soon as he did so, a small and high-pitched gasp whistled in the air.


    "You¡­ you knew I was eavesdropping?" V then took in a small gulp as she slowly revealed herself from the corner.


    "Yes. There are mirrors in front and at your back, Victoria."


    "..." V nced behind her, only to see the hallway she was hiding in was surrounded by mirrors. She had been living here for 4 months now¨C and for her to forget a detail like this; truly, this is why stealth missions were not for her.


    And so, with that slight contemtion, V then hurried to get their new¡­ guest a ss of water. V was about to leave again, this time truly heading for her room. But before she could do so, Riley asked her to join them¨C in which V quickly took a seat beside Riley.


    "Please, Miss Charlotte, take a seat as well."


    "...Right," Charlotte squinted her eyes before returning back to the living room; her eyes, not leaving Riley even for a single second. The way Riley handled his powers, it was almost as if her daughter came back to life.


    But out of all the things that Riley had to inherit from his mother¨C why did it have to be their way of treating people?


    "..." But then again, no matter what trait or habit Riley would get from Alice¡­ it wouldn''t be good for anyone. And so, with that thought and a small but deep sigh, Charlotte once again took a seat; this time a little closer to Riley.


    And as for the unexpected and sudden guest, his face showed how absolutely clueless he was about what was happening. He was just busy rxing in his room being served by his mindless puppets when he suddenly floated in the air¨C the feeling felt very familiar, he thought.


    And lo and behold, he found himself inside Alice Lane''s son''s house.


    "I am truly sorry for asking you toe here, fellow prisoner," Riley then said as he faced the old man.


    "You¡­ did not ask me toe here," the old prisoner muttered. His confusion, however, quickly disappeared with a shake of his head, his aged dreads, unmoving from how stiff they already were, "Be that as it may, I am already here. What did you want?"


    "The first day I arrived here, you told me that Diana Ross worked here. Is that the truth, fellow prisoner?"


    "So, it''s about that," the old man let out a small chuckle as he took a sip of the water provided for him, "It''s true. Diana worked here as a physician. And other than her being friends with that little prankster, I only know her because she examines some of the prisoners from time to time¨C she was a weird one, that Diana."


    "..." Riley then turned to face Charlotte as the old man said that. As for Charlotte, her eyebrows were now currently furrowed. All this time, Alice knew Diana?


    But why did she never mention it? And even if she didn''t, there should''ve been at least a littlepse when Alice and Bernard met¨C a little mention of theirmon acquaintance, but no. When Charlotte introduced Alice to the members of the Hope Guild, it truly felt like the first time she was meeting everyone.


    Is it possible¡­ she was unaware that Diana was Bernard''s wife?


    "..."


    "..."


    "...That''s it?" The old man then blinked a couple of times as he looked at the three people that were in the living room. Alice''s son forcefully and randomly floated him into his house to ask him one question¡­ then just proceeded to sit on silently?


    "If that''s all, then I will¨C"


    "Weird," Riley then flicked his finger, pushing the old man back to his seat, "Why did you say Diana was weird, fellow prisoner?"


    "She¡­" The old man then cleared his throat, "She just had that weird vibe to her. But other than that, she seemed like a nice kid¨C she was friends with all the female prisoners that came and went here, not just that fucking little br¨C not just Alice."


    "Can you give me a list of those female prisoners?" Charlotte then once again joined the conversation.


    "Can''t," the old man shook his head, "We''re all just numbers here."


    "None of them introduced themselves?"


    "It doesn''t matter," the old prisoner once again shook his head, "Even if you ask another prisoner, and even if they were able to give you a list of names, it wouldn''t matter."


    "...What do you mean?"


    "Well," the old man then let out a long and very deep sigh, "Because besides Alice¡­


    ¡­the Super Max served as a grave for the other female prisoners."

 Chapter 242: Changes Outside… and Inside

    Chapter 242: Changes Outside¡­ and Inside


    "The prison¡­ served as their grave? What do you mean by that?"


    Charlotte''s question fettered the air; she probably already knew the answer, but still¨C hearing iting from someone who has been in the prison for probably more than a few decades would make it formal.


    "I meant it as I meant it¨C most if not every female prisoner that came in here died, with Alice the only one I know actually leaving alive."


    The old prisoner still answered dutifully; his eyes slightly jumpy, ncing at Riley from time to time, "The prison said the government ordered for their release or they were set free for confidential reasons. But we all know that was a bullshit excuse; almost all the prisoners here are¨C"


    "Lifers."


    Hearing Charlotte continuing his words, the old prisoner immediately nodded his head; sighing as his mind seemed to be remembering its past,


    "And that''s pretty much all I know about Diana Ross," he then said, "If you want to know more, then you can ask the guy sitting at the top."


    "Warden Yakovich?"


    "No," the old prisoner let out a small scoff,


    "The Rank 1 Prisoner," he then said, "He basically knows more than Yakovich since he has some¡­ dealings with the guards that may or may not be legal."


    "...Legal?" Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows, "Like what kind?"


    "That¨C" The old prisoner was about to say something, but his eyes suddenly strayed towards the surveince camera that was hidden in in sight at the ceiling,


    "I can''t really say more," he then sighed, before turning his eyes towards Riley, "Just climb up to the rankings¨C you''re basically filling in the Rank 42 spot now anyway. And with your strength, I have no doubt you''ll reach it in a few months."


    "Rankings?" Charlotte once again furrowed her eyebrows, "That''s shit is still alive?"


    "Y¨C"


    "What rank are you, fellow prisoner?" Riley then suddenly butted in the conversation.


    "...39," the old prisoner answered, "I''m Prisoner 613, since you''ve already asked. I don''t use my name anymore."


    "Are you sure you don''t know anything anymore, Prisoner 613?" Riley asked.


    "I still know some things," Prisoner 613 sighed as he stood up from the sofa, "But nothing that would really interest you since it''s just some random information about the other prisoners."


    "..."


    "If that''s all, then¨C"


    And as prisoner 613 was about to leave, he found himself suddenly being pulled back to the sofa; almost as if there were straps around him being pulled by almost a hundred horses¨C the only thing he could do was let it happen.


    He was usually the one controlling people with his abilities; this time, however, there were almost literal strings attached to him; not letting him do whatever it is he wanted. His eyes then scanned the 3 people in the room.


    He could probably try and control the young girl; but for some reason, the brace behind her back was giving him a bad feeling. He wouldn''t even attempt to control Charlotte¨C after all, she was the one who put him here; and judging by the way she was looking at him¡­


    ¡­she doesn''t even remember.


    As for Alice''s son¨C well, he still wanted to live. He seemed to have inherited Alice''s raw power; and if anything, Alice had a sort of resistance to mind-controlling and altering abilities; if his son also has one¡­ then he wouldn''t be happy.


    There was also something off with him; it wasn''t hisck of color¨C the life in prison might be bing boring, but it was better than suffering Fred''s fate; who was tortured and thenter disappeared into a mist of blood on the very first day that Alice''s son appeared.


    "Did¡­ you still need something?" And with all of those thoughts lingering in his mind, prisoner 613 could only gulp and once againply.


    "Can you give me your spot?"


    "...What?"


    Hearing those words, prisoner 613 quickly focused his eyes on Riley, only to see his smile reaching from ear to ear.


    "I have been meaning to join the battles for almost a week now, prisoner 613," Riley muttered, "Living with Victoria has been getting repetitive. I thought she would at least approach me to initiate sexual intercourse, but it has not happened yet."


    V, who heard Riley''s¡­ slightly staggering words, almost choked in her own breaths,


    "W¡­ what!?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Would you give me your spot, prisoner 613?" Riley, on the other hand, did not even follow up on his words, only focusing his attention on prisoner 613.


    "That''s¨C"


    "We can set an official match, prisoner 613," Riley did not let 613 say another word as he stood up, "I have been watching how the battles work for a month now. You don''t have to worry about anything, I will set the match myself."


    "...No," prisoner 613 quickly cleared his throat before raising his hand and also standing from his seat, "There''s no need for that. I know the limits of my power and I know that fighting with you would only embarrass me."


    613 then once again turned his eyes towards the camera hanging on the corner of the living; raising and pointing his palm towards it before nodding his head.


    "I give up my position to prisoner 666."


    [Are you sure, 613?]


    And as he said that, a voice quickly resounded throughout the entire house.


    [You will rece Prisoner 666 and be pulled back to Rank 42, is that alright?]


    Prisoner 613 only nodded in response.


    [Alright. Prisoner 666, you''re now at Rank 39.]


    "Hm¡­" Riley slightly squinted his eyes,


    "So the prisoner I met a few months ago lied," he then breathed out, "He told me that I need to climb the rankings one by one."


    "You can jump rankings if your opponent just gives it to you," prisoner 613 could only sigh, "Like what I just did. Now, if that''s all, then I really need to get back to my¨C"


    "Onest question, prisoner 613."


    But s, once again, before prisoner 613 could leave; he could once again feel his entire body being pulled back to the sofa,


    "Did Megawoman stay in this ce?"


    "...Megawoman?" Prisoner 613 furrowed his eyebrows as he heard Riley''s words. But after a few seconds, he let out a faint gasp, "I did hear that¡­ But I wasn''t in the Super Max yet during that time."


    "Is¡­ that so?" Riley whispered; his breaths, clearly containing hints of his utter disappointment, "Do you at least know where she might have resided when she was here?"


    "Only thing I know is that she probably stayed where the top 3 are," Prisoner 613 answered; his words, slightly waving and showing the uncertainty in his words.


    "You mean they are not staying in the subdivision, prisoner 613?" Riley blinked his eyes a couple of eyes.


    "Pft, no." And for the first time, prisoner 613 seemed to rx as he let out a slightly chuckling scoff, "They are basically royalty. Yakovich allows them to do whatever they want as long as they stay in prison."


    "Like Cookie Olivo from Rocky the Wrestler," Riley quickly replied.


    "...What?"


    "It''s a spin-off of Italian Mafia Reborn, prisoner 613," Riley sighed before waving his hand, "You may go, I apologize again for requesting your presence."


    "..." Prisoner 613''s eyes started to twitch upon hearing Riley''s words. But still, he no longer had any courage or strength to rebuke as he just nodded; calmly walking away before saying his goodbyes.


    As soon as he was out of sight, however, his steps quickly hurried as he rushed to get away from Riley as fast as possible.


    "Right," Charlotte then also stood up from her seat, patting her pants as she nodded at Riley, "I''ll be off now¨C your father and I have a lot to discuss."


    "Okay, grandmother Charlotte," Riley also nodded, "Please do tell me the specifics of your conversation if you n to visit again."


    "Or you can just tell me outside," Charlotte sighed, "Just join the Hope Guild, child. You''ll only be gaining with the deal¨C plus, your sister and your other friends have graduated from the Academy already."


    "..."


    "They are also forming their own superhero team," Charlotte chuckled, "They kept your group''s old name¨C the Baby Crew. Even if you''ve only been here for like 5 months or what, a lot of shit has changed outside, child. There''s also the Superhero Association now."


    "Superhero¡­ Association?"


    "The World Government is making the Grades for superheroes official," Charlotte muttered, "And they''re also asking for the mandatory registration of all Supers. It''s a total shit-show out there¡­


    ¡­and then there are the monsters."


    "Monsters?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he heard Charlotte''s words.


    "Megawoman''s clones," Charlotte sighed.


    "I thought they were all dealt with, grandmother Charlotte?"


    "Heck no," Charlotte sighed, "Turns out there are more, a fuck ton more. The Government is even begging me to get out of retirement to deal with them. Now stop rxing here and get the fuck out. That child is needed out there as well."


    Charlotte then pointed towards V, who had been keeping quiet ever since Riley''s earlier¡­ provocative words.


    "And right, before I forget," Charlotte then grabbed something from her pocket¨C a clear headband, "I didn''t really know what to get, but happy birthday, V¨C it is our birthday, right? Tempo told me it is."


    "..."


    "V?" Charlotte snapped her fingers several times to try and get V''s attention, but she remained¡­ unresponsive.


    "...Right," Charlotte then squinted her eyes before once again turning towards Riley, "Think about what I said¨C there are a lot more activities out there than you know now."


    And with those words, Charlotte left; leaving V and Riley alone once more in therge house.


    "..."


    "..."


    "R¡­ Riley."


    Riley was about to leave the living room, but before he could do so, V finally woke up from her stupor.


    "What you mentioned earlier¡­" She then whispered, her words slightly stuttering,


    "Do you¡­


    ¡­want to?"

 Chapter 243: Fuck Normal

    Chapter 243: Fuck Normal


    "Do you¡­


    ¡­want to?"


    "..."


    If breaths could sing, then the gasps that wereing out of V''s mouth would probably be an entire choir as she¡­


    ¡­waited for Riley''s response.


    It has only been 2 seconds since she asked the question, but it felt almost like an eternity. She had been in the prison for like 5 months or so, but this single moment felt like it overshadowed it and evensted longer. Is this what Tempo feels whenever he activates his abilities?


    If so, how exactly has he lived so far?


    V''s eyes perhaps, even more than her fettered breaths, gave away what she was currently feeling right now. She could barely even see Riley in her sights anymore as they trembled uncontrobly¨C the house, entirely bing a blur.


    Why did she say that? And why was Riley taking too long to respond? Did she¡­ really actually want to experience it with Riley?


    She was shocked¨C no. She was petrified when Riley mentioned doing it earlier; never once did Riley show any signs that he liked her as well¡­ but could it be he does? Or was it just something he said as a joke?


    And why was he taking too long to respond!?-- V thought. Any more, and it would feel like she was being tortured with the awkwardness, cringiness, and humiliation that was whispering and singing in the air right now.


    But finally, after what seemed like another eternity, Riley opened his mouth.


    "Do I want to do what, Victoria?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked her straight in the eyes.


    Hearing Riley''s words, the only thing that V could do was cover her entire face from the embarrassment. All this time living in eternal shame, and Riley did not even know what she was talking about.


    She almost forgot who she was talking to¨C this was Riley. If she didn''t fully specify what it is that she was mentioning, then he would probably think of something else.


    "That¨C" V was about to shake her head, but as soon as she saw Riley''s eyes directly staring at her''s, she could not help but take in a very deep gulp. Throughout the months that they were inside the house together¡­


    ¡­this was perhaps the very first time that Riley was looking at her¨C truly looking at her. Not once did she have a memory of Riley looking her in the eyes like this. And in that instant, every moment she had with Riley danced in her mind.


    Her cleaning dishes, while Riley continued to watch Italian Mafia Reborn.


    Her cleaning the house, while Riley continued to watch Italian Mafia Reborn.


    Her trimming the grass, while Riley continued to watch Italian Mafia Reborn.


    All these moments seemed very mundane, but it was the only semnce in her life that felt normal. In between those moments, however, she felt like a normal girl¨C Riley made her feel like she wasn''t a super who had an obligation to save the people.


    Theirte-night talks about her life in the Hope Guild.


    Theirte-night talks of Riley listening to her rant andining about it.


    Theirte-night talks about Megawoman.


    Theirte-night talks of what it meant to be a true hero, about Darkday, about themselves, about their families, and about Megawoman.


    Riley knew everything about her, and she knew everything about Riley¨C or at least she hoped so since she basicallyid out her heart for him already. She was even confident that out of all the students and his friends in Mega Academy, she knew more about Riley.


    They spent all these months together 24 hours a day¨C what they had was special.


    It was the little moments for her; the little moments that Riley made her feel like a normal person.


    Riley¡­ has be a very special person for her. Whether or not it was love she was feeling, she had no idea. One thing she knew, however, was that if it was with Riley¡­


    ¡­she wouldn''t regret it either way.


    "Do¡­ you want to have se¡­ sexual intercourse with me?"


    And so, with a little stutter but an abundance of courage, she once again asked. It was never her style to shy away from anything; facing anything that came at her head-on¡­ and this situation was not any different.


    If Riley was going toe, then let hime.


    "..." V then suddenly covered her mouth as the thought¡­ came into her mind; trying her best not to let out a hint ofughter and ruin the moment.


    "No, Victoria."


    "W¡­ what?"


    "I do not want to have sexual intercourse with you," Riley then said without breaking a single word as he continued to stare directly into V''s eyes.


    "I¡­ I see," V then let out a small chuckle; her eyes, however, were about to be covered in a cloud of shame. No, this was good¨C she thought. At least she knew where she and Riley stood.


    "This¡­ this doesn''t change anything between us, right?" V once again stuttered, "We¡­ we''re still friends?"


    "No, Victoria. I do not have friends."


    "This¡­" And now, truly, V did not know what to do. Should she just leave? No¨C she made a promise to herself that she would not leave the prison until Riley was freed. If she was right, then there should be another house¡­ that would¨C"


    "But I believe my body needs it, Victoria."


    "...What?" Riley then blinked a couple of times as Riley suddenly approached her, "What¡­ what do you mean?"


    "Sexual intercourse," Riley muttered, "It has been months since my bodyst let out what it needed to let out. My organs have been impeding my normal routine because of it."


    "What¡­ are you trying to say?" V took in a small gulp as she slightly took a step back, pushing the huge sofa behind her.


    "Let''s have sexual intercourse, Victoria," Riley then said as he took off his prison clothes; revealing his almost perfectly chiseled torso.


    "I¡­ I''m not your toy that you could just use!" Victoria then suddenly screamed as she pushed Riley away; rushing out of the living room and straight into her room.


    "..."


    As for Riley, there was a somewhat confused expression on his face; his eyebrows, were ever so slightly furrowed. He stood there alone for a couple of seconds, before once again putting on his shirt and sitting on the sofa¨C turning on the TV to watch another episode of Italian Mafia Reborn on Webflix.


    A few minutester, however, he felt a pair of hands slowly crawling on his shoulders, moving all the way to wrap his chest.


    "I¡­ thought you didn''t like to be touched?" V then whispered into his ear.


    "Without my permission, Victoria," Riley then gently removed V''s hand; grabbing the remote to make sure he paused what he was watching before once again leaning on the sofa,


    "You have my permission ever since you entered the house," Riley then said as he gently held V''s arm.


    "!!!"


    Riley''s touch did not contain any warmth in them; but still, V started feeling a sort of weird heat crawling across her entire skin¡­ all meeting between her legs.


    "Hk."


    All Riley did was touch her, but the limiter that was wrapped on her back started to light up the entire room¨C causing a torrent of electricity to destroy any electronic devices within the house¡­ including the TV.


    "..." Riley looked at the crackling screen for a few moments, before letting out a small sigh as he fully turned his eyes towards V; her eyes, trickling and sputtering as green crackles of electricity glimmered from them. Even with those, however, the lush red that wrapped her face could still be seen clearly.


    "Is it possible that this would be your first time having sexual intercourse, Victoria?" Riley then whispered as he gently ced her palm on her red cheek.


    "S¡­ shut up," V meekly said, "So¡­ so what if it¨C"


    And before she could finish her words, her lips suddenly met with Riley''s.


    "!!!"


    And due to the shock, the only thing she could do was pull her head away and let out a deep gasp; almost as if she almost drowned.


    "And that was your first kiss as well?"


    "D¡­ does it matter?"


    "Mine was with Megawoman, Victoria."


    "W¡­ what?"


    "I have learned a lot of things about this activity, Victoria," Riley then flicked his finger, causing the both of them to suddenly float in the air.


    "Wait¡­ what are you¨C" And before V could finish her words, the shirt she was wearing started unbuttoning itself; her pants too, started sliding down, only stopping around her ankles.


    "Let me take the lead this time."


    "W¡­ wait!" V meekly screamed as she tried covering her chest, which was now only covered by her bra, "This¡­ this is my first time, let''s¡­ let''s do it normally!"


    "I am afraid that''s not possible, Victoria."


    And with those words, V''s pants that were hanging on her ankles suddenly tightened, cuffing both her feet together.


    "W¡­ what¡­ what!?"


    Riley then floated closer towards her, wrapping his arm around her pale waist that seemed to not have once been basked by sunlight; and perhaps that was the case, as V had always been inside her mecha suit.


    "You are with me now, Victoria," Riley then whispered into her ears; and this time, V almost tucked in her head as the warmth of Riley''s breath seeped into her skin,


    "You should forget being normal."


    "..." And with those words, V could not help but blink a couple of times. Her eyes, as if thinking of everything and nothing at once; she stayed like this for a few seconds, letting Riley''s breaths drown her entire body.


    Until finally, she let her arms go; revealing her normal-sized chest and embracing Riley,


    "You¡­ are right," she then whispered,


    "Fuck normal."

 Chapter 244: Wings Unclipped

    Chapter 244: Wings Unclipped


    Outside Riley''s house; the prisoners were currently doing things that prisoners usually do.


    Freely hanging out and talking to each other; a few fixing their vehicles that they were allowed to ride only within the prison neighborhood. Some were also having fun and drinking alcohol¨C a very normal prison day in the Super Max''s Top 50 Prisoner division.


    As long as they had no ns of escaping or actually going to war against each other, the prison lets them do what they want. As their reputation so ims¨C except for the freedom to venture outside and knowing thetest news, their life was more grand and luxurious than the normal citizen.


    This luxury, however, was slightly downed when Alice''s son arrived. Whenever he walks outside, the only thing they could do was go back inside their homes and hide. They could still remember what happened the first day with Fred, wherever he was now, they wished him peace.


    He turned into a mist of blood; killed the very first day Alice''s son arrived. Sure, most of them were considered to be the most dangerous supers in the entire world, capable of massacring people without even blinking an eye.


    Alice, however, showed them their real ce in the world. They could count on one hand the times they tried to harm Alice, only toe back with broken bones or shattered homes. It was good if it was only the perpetrator who pays for messing with her, but no. Alice would flip the entire prison if even just one of them looks at her funny


    Sheined about everything and anything. She feels a bit cramped? She would rearrange the entire neighborhood even though her house was already too big enough for one person.


    Alice was a gue. But even through all of that, however, she never killed anyone.


    His son killed 3 people on the very first day; and as far as they know, he has the same powers as her. And so, it almost became a silent promise that no one would mess with him.


    But s, even with that¨C they noticed that there were fewer and fewer of them as the months passed. None of them talked about it, but they all knew that it most likely had something to do with Alice''s son. Of course,tely, these disappearances seemed to have stopped.


    It has been almost an entire month without any of them disappearing without a trace. And maybe, just maybe; they could finally be able to live in pea¨C


    *BOOM*


    "What the fuck was that!?"


    And with a thunderous crack exploding through their ears, the prisoners that were just enjoying their daily lives jolted up; their eyes, all turning towards where the explosion wasing from.


    And as soon as their eyesnded on Alice''s son''s house, they all quickly scurried to go back inside their homes. Most of them stopped just short of opening their doors, however, as a trickle of green sparked on the knob of their doors as soon as they touched it.


    They felt a small sting crawling through their skin, almost like a spider trying to tickle them.


    "What¡­ is happening?"


    And soon, anything and everything that involved a sort of metal in them started to leave the ground; green webs of electricity serving as their legs as they floated through the air.


    "F¡­ fuck!" A prisoner who was wearing a chain around his neck, quickly snapped his jewelry in half as it tried to choke and tickle him.


    The car that was being painstakingly maintained and fixed by one of the prisoners also floated in the air; its chassis, slowly being separated apart.


    All of these, however, were soon ignored by them as they hurried to enter their houses once more. Their curiosities, however, were the hardest to ignore. As soon as they got into their houses, they all quickly leaned their heads in front of their windows; their eyes, reflecting green as lightning danced around Riley''s house.


    They all wondered what was happening; soon, however, they heard a howl.


    "H¡­ holy shit!"-- is what they heard as the spark drowning Riley''s house once again exploded, causing its walls to slightly crumble and letting even a brighter green seep through the cracks created.


    "O¡­ oh, fudge!"-- another scream whispered through their ears, this time louder as the cracks around the houses grew deeper and deeper.


    "S¡­ something''s wrong! It''s hot!" They all heard,


    "Oh, shit¡­ oh fuck! Something¡­ something is happening!" The voice once again whispered through their ears even from afar; the voice was starting to stutter, however, as the howls soon became screeches.


    "No¡­ Riley, Riley! Something is¨C Hnn!"


    And with those words, the prisoners all felt their eyes almost melting in their sockets as the green light once again exploded; this time, drowning the entire prison neighborhood with nothing but white¨C almost like the sh of a camera was directly triggered right in front of them.


    Unfortunately for the others that were watching, it was not only the sh of light that hit them straight in the face. The cracks of the wall finally gave up; causing Riley''s house to crumble and explode, shooting some of the debris and ss to a speed that was enough to create thunder of their own.


    And these debris¨C these projectiles, they went straight through the windows of the prisoners'' houses. And at the speed they were going¡­ some of those that were hit died on the spot.


    But for those that were not hit, their breaths soon started to calm down as their visions returned to normal.


    "Is¡­ is it over?" One of the prisoners whispered to himself as he rubbed his eyes; his attention, quickly straying towards Riley''s house¨C or at least what was left of it. Right in the very center, however, was a silhouette¡­ No, were silhouettes that were floating in the air.


    Entangled.


    "Did you feel good, Victoria?" And through all the chaos they caused, Riley''s voice was calm; almost tranquil as his words whispered through V''s ears¨C causing her entire body to slightly shiver.


    "..." V did not respond. Instead, letting her fetter and gasping breaths to share her thoughts.


    "Hn!" She, however, let out a shrieking moan as Riley pulled away; her entire body, curling on its own as she felt¡­ electricity crawling through her flesh for the first time. Her feet, also curling as they trembled.


    Her eyes, however, soon widened as they saw the skies above her¡­ as well as the entire neighborhood.


    "L¡­ let me down!" V then screamed as the limiter attached to her back once again released a web of electricity¨C almost like feathers that were finally being torn and reced by newer ones.


    "..." Riley looked around the neighborhood for a few seconds, before their¡­ naked bodies finally descended to the ground. V wanted to run away and hide as soon as her feet met with the floor¡­


    ¡­but realized there was nowhere to hide as the house was now nothing but rubble. Before she could whimper in panic, however, the rubbles began to tremble; causing V to fall to the ground butt first. The bits and pieces of the house, once again returning to where they were just moments ago.


    And for some reason, some had this red liquid trailing on their surfaces. And so, once again without even a quarter of a minute¨C the house was whole.


    "Did you feel good, Victoria?" Riley then once again asked as he approached V.


    V, on the other hand, just looked at him¡­ in all his glory.


    "That¡­ that thing¡­ was inside me!?" V then stuttered as she pointed at the thing dangling between Riley''s legs.


    "Only half of it, Victoria," Riley then said as he casually turned to look at where V was pointing, "It was your first time and you have a small body, I did not want to¨C"


    And before Riley could finish his words, V''s fading steps entered his ears as she disappeared to her room.


    "..."


    "..."


    Riley stood there for a few seconds with a nk expression on his face, before once again taking a seat on the sofa¨C grabbing the remote sitting on the table and turning on the TV so he could continue watching Italian Mafia Reborn.


    "..."


    "..."


    But s, the TV was as dead as the other prisoners.


    "..."


    Riley''s eyebrows began to furrow; his head slowly turning towards the surveince camera attached to his ceiling¨C but s, that too, was no longer responding.


    Riley''s deep breaths then whispered through the entire room as he floated up; the faucet on the bar, opening and letting out a gush of water that also immediately flew towards Riley and started whirling around him, focusing on the thing between his legs.


    And after that, his clothes floated; dressing him swiftly and neatly. And with him fully clothed, he gently descended to the floor. He stood there without a word for a couple of seconds, before finally walking and heading¡­ to V''s room.


    "Victoria," Riley said as he knocked on her door.


    "Go away!"


    "I am joining the Hope Guild since there is nothing to do here anymore, are youing?"


    And with those words, Riley could hear all sorts of rumbling seeping from V''s room. And finally, after what seemed like an entire 5 minutes, the door opened¨C with V now fully clothed. Her face, however, was still flushed.


    "Are we¡­ really going now?" V then stuttered; her eyes, trying their best not to stray away from Riley''s.


    "Yes," Riley nodded.


    "But¡­ we¡­" V then muttered,


    "What are¡­ we?"


    "You''re a human and I am a monster, Victoria."


    "No! I mean what are we!?" Victoria repeated as she grabbed Riley''s wrist, "Are we¡­ still going to meet outside? Are we a couple? What''s ourbel?"


    "You¡­" Riley looked Victoria directly in the eyes as his whispers entered her ears,


    "You are mine, Victoria."


    And as soon as V heard his words, a small smile crawled on her face; her eyes, slightly cracking in green,


    "And¡­" V then whispered as she embraced Riley; her trickling eyes, as wide as they could be,


    "You are mine, Riley¡­ only mine."


    "That is¨C"


    And before Riley could finish his words, V suddenly ced her lips on his.


    "I will die before I give you to someone else," V then said before running away; her chuckles, whispering in Riley''s ears.


    "Now let''s go!" V then said as she hopped filled with joy; once again approaching Riley and grabbing his wrist, "Are we going straight to the base? You need to carry me since I don''t have my mecha suit."


    "..." Riley stared at her for a couple of seconds, before shaking his head, "We need to take a small detour first, Victoria."


    "Hm?"


    "Diana Ross, Alice Lane, and Megawoman," Riley then muttered, "This ce has answers that I could only hear here. We¡­


    ¡­are visiting the ce where the Top 3 are."

 Chapter 245: Yakovichs Sighs

    Chapter 245: Yakovich''s Sighs


    "..."


    "..."


    "Are we¡­ going?"


    V was currently clinging to Riley''s arm.; her face, still filled with the smile that she had since moments ago even though they have been standing in front of their house for¡­ almost an entire hour now.


    As always, there werepletely no other people besides them outside. For some reason, however, some of the houses that were near their house had cracks in them¨C could it be that a fight went on here without them knowing? V thought.


    "Yes. I am just waiting for warden Yakovich, Victoria," Riley muttered as he remained still on his spot, not even moving a single inch.


    "Waiting?" V slightly squinted her eyes, "Shouldn''t we just go to him? How would he know you''re looking for him if we don''t find him first?"


    "I believe he knows we are waiting for him, Victoria," Riley then turned his head towards one of the surveince cameras that still had a red beeping light on it,


    "He is just¡­ scared," a smile then slowly formed on Riley''s face; his eyes not leaving the camera until the edges of his mouth was near his ears.


    "Kuu!"


    "..." Riley then blinked a couple of times; slightly leaning his head back as he heard a slight¡­ purring from V''s mouth.


    "You''re so cool and creepy when you do that," V then said; her words slightly muffled as she buried and rubbed her face on Riley''s arm.


    "...What are you doing?" Riley muttered; his voice, slightly having hints of confusion in them, "Why are you cleaning your face with my arm, Victoria?"


    "I''m not," V giggled as she rubbed her face even faster, "I''m marking you."


    "..." Riley was still obviously confused. But he no longer asked about the matter as he turned his face in front of him, once again waiting in silence for warden Yakovich. He tried to pull his arm away from V, but she seemed to insist on not letting go.


    But finally, after a few more minutes of waiting, a wide hole opened up at the very center of the prison neighborhood, with warden Yakovich emerging along with almost half a hundred super soldiers.


    The soldiers and guards, however, did not follow Yakovich as he approached Riley; and judging by Yakovich''s calm steps, he ordered them not to do so.


    "Prisoner 666," warden Yakovich said as he stopped 2 meters away from Riley, "Are you ready to leave the prison?"


    "Yes, the TV is broken so I can''t watch Italian Mafia Reborn anymore, warden Yakovich."


    "..." Just because the TV was broken? If Yakovich knew that it was that simple to get rid of Riley, then he would have ordered someone to sneak into the house and break the TV¡­


    ¡­or at least cancel his Weblix subscription.


    Yakovich has actually been observing and spying on what Riley was watching since he shared the same ount. Yakovich doesn''t even watch cartoons, but since Riley was so invested in Italian Mafia Reborn, he could not help but be curious.


    And true enough, there was a reason why Riley seemed to be obsessing over it. It started off as something for kids, but then by the second season, they were fighting¨C


    Yakovich then shook his head as he lost track of his thoughts.


    "Then let''s go, Prisoner 666," warden Yakovich then gestured to Riley to follow him, "You don''t need to worry about all the paperwork. But I do need to personally oversee your transfer to the Hope Guild."


    Yakovich''s eyes slightly strayed towards V, but he quickly moved his head away as he remembered the feed from the camera inside Riley''s house before it died; the only thing he could do was hide his difort with a small cough.


    "Not yet, warden Yakovich."


    Yakovich''s steps, however, stopped as he heard Riley''s words, "What do you mean?" He asked.


    "I wish to visit the area where the top 3 are residing," Riley said; his feet, still not moving from where he stood, "I have some things I wish to ask them. And whether or not their answers are sufficient or not, I will leave once I hear from them."


    "...What?" Yakovich''s right eye started to twitch as he heard Riley''s words, "You¡­ are not in a position to give demands."


    "You and I both know that I am, warden Yakovich," Riley then said as he turned around¡­ and started walking back to his house. V was slightly confused as to what Riley was doing, but still, she remained clinging to his arm.


    V then blinked her eyes a couple of times as Riley''s hand started to reach toward the doorknob. Throughout her living with Riley, never once did he touch a door¨C only using his telekic abilities to open them.


    After a few more moments, however, just a few inches of Riley''s hand touching the knob, Yakovich raised his voice.


    "Wait!" His word was almost a roar, causing even his men that were behind him to raise their rifles even though they knew it would have no effect on Riley. Their sighs of relief, however, almost became an orchestra as Yakovich asked them to stand down and lower their weapons.


    "Fine," Yakovich then said as he lit up a cigarette, "But whatever happens inside, we will not be responsible. There are no more cameras passed where the top 3 reside, so you will be on your own."


    "That¡­" Riley then turned around to face warden Yakovich; the smile on his face, once again reaching from ear to ear, "That is perfectly fine, warden Yakovich."


    "Only you are allowed, however," warden Yakovich then took a heavy puff as his eyes turned to the girl tightly clinging to Riley''s arm, "Empress has already warned us that if anything were to happen to their fellow member, then there would be hell to pay."


    "What? No!" V tightened her grip on Riley''s arm even further, "No one can hurt me as long as Riley is with me!"


    "We really can''t allow you toe with Prisoner 666, Miss V," Yakovich insisted as he shook his head, "I am already getting enough k with themon people as it is. If they knew one of their precious heroes got hurt inside the prison, I would probably lose my job."


    "No, I will¨C"


    "Very well," Riley lightly flicked his hand, causing V''s hands to gently unwrap themselves from his arm.


    "W¡­ wait!" V tried to resist, but it almost felt like her hands were stuck inside a pool of dried cement, "Why!? I¡­ I thought we would always be together!?"


    "It seems you are misunderstanding something, Victoria," Riley then let out a sigh as he gently dropped V beside warden Yakovich,


    "I am not a recement for your mecha suit."


    "What, you''re not¨C"


    "You have always been dependent on something, Victoria," Riley said as he approached, "That''s the only reason you have been clinging to me for more than an hour now."


    "What, no!" V wanted to run towards Riley, but she could not do so as something was blocking her path, "I want to be with you because¡­ because I like you!"


    "Maybe," Riley said, "But I do not want support from someone that can''t move on its own."


    "You¡­ you fuck!" V then let out a small roar as she mmed her fists on the invisible barrier in front of her; the electricity trickling from her back, causing Yakovich to cover his entire body in smoke,


    "Did¡­ you just use my body because¨C"


    "You are free, Victoria."


    "...What?"


    "You don''t need a mecha suit," Riley let out a small sigh as he approached V, "You don''t need anything or anyone to rely on. You are strong, Victoria¨C as soon as you realize that, then I will allow you to walk beside me. I¡­


    ¡­can''t have a weak subordinate."


    "Riley¡­"


    Yakovich took a few steps back as he heard Riley''s words. Why is he provoking V right now? Was he nning on causing V to lose control of her powers again¡­ Wait, was this his n all along!? To destroy his prison!?


    Yakovich was about to order his men to retreat, but before he could do so, a small sniffle whispered from V''s direction. He turned to look at what she was doing, only to see her suddenly burst into tears.


    "Thank you¡­" V breathed out a deep gasp as she wiped the tears that were falling like a dam from her eyes, "...Thank you for being concerned and taking care of me."


    ¡­What? Yakovich then blinked a couple of times as he looked back and forth between Riley and V. What is happening right now?


    "I¡­ I promise you," V then nodded; her eyes that were filled with tears, now also filled with a certain resolution in them, "I¡­ I will learn how to stand on my own. But please¡­ please help me while we''re in the Hope Guild."


    "Hm."


    And with a nod from Riley, V turned around and walked away¨C moving towards where the super soldiers are and asking them to escort her away.


    "..." What just happened? Yakovich wondered. The scenario that just happened felt like it came straight from an anime.


    And this Riley Ross¨C it wasn''t written in his profile that he was a master maniptor. Yakovich has been with enough criminals to know exactly what just happened. And from what he had just witnessed, each of Riley''s actions just now was to get everything in his favor.


    At least with Alice, everything was straightforward. Riley¡­ Riley was like a dagger floating behind your back that you won''t be able to see no matter how many times you turn your head.


    "..." But he is someone else''s dagger now¨C Yakovich thought as he escorted Riley in front of the door that led to where the top 3 were.


    It was a huge metal door¨C almost asrge as Mega Academy''s gates and probably just as thick.


    "Remember, Riley Ross," Yakovich let out a cloud of smoke from his mouth as his figure slowly faded, "These 3 people are all Grade-S supers, probably as strong as the members of the Hope Guild. Do not¨C What are you doing!?"


    And before Yakovich''s silhouette couldpletely fade away, a loud thumping of thunder entered his ears as Riley ced his palm on the gigantic door. And without even a second after that, the metal door almost instantly crumpled¨Cpressing into a ball that was almost asrge as Riley''s house in the prison neighborhood.


    A strong gust of wind then blew Yakovich''s cloud body away as the air from the inside started violently seeping from therge hole that Riley just created.


    "If they are as strong as you im, warden Yakovich¡­" Riley then muttered as the giant ball floating in front of him disappeared, followed by another drum of thunder as a halo of wind erupted from where the giant ball previously was.


    "...Then I need to knock on their doors hard."

 Chapter 246: 2nd Best?

    Chapter 246: 2nd Best?


    Warden Yakovich''s form remained floating in the air. And despite the wind that was violently wafting from the opening that Riley just created, his form that seemed to be made of vapor waspletely still¨C almost like some sort of hologram.


    It was previously being erased by the gust earlier, making it seem like smoke. But now that it was still, it would seem that wasn''t the case. So was it really some sort of illusion? Riley thought as he nced at Yakovich for a few seconds.


    And Yakovich was doing the same; his eyes focused on Riley and at the vast and slightly dark space in front of him¨C the area where the top 3 prisoners were residing. Yakovich was confident that he would be able to defeat each of them in a one-on-one fight¨C but three of them at the same time?


    He might as wellmit suicide. Even if the entirety of the Hope Guild was here, he was sure that they would be having a hard time subduing the three without killing them. But here was Alice''s son, provoking the big three as soon as he was in front of their doorstep.


    He really should have retired when he had the chance. The three prisoners have been calm for many years now, not even showing any signs of violence or wanting to leave¨C but if Riley somehow manages to piss them and they decide to leave the prison, then the bacsh against the Super Max would be tantamount.


    But since Riley has already decided to join the Hope Guild, then Yakovich might as well call them as a backup; it would also ensure that Riley really does leave the prison.


    And so, with all of those thoughts circling in his mind, Yakovich finally allowed himself to fade away with the wind that was still violently being wafted from the area of the top 3.


    "..." Riley once again took a small nce at Yakovich as he slowly faded away. He was waiting to see if he was going to do something, but much to his disappointment, Yakovich just left. The only thing that Riley could really do now was let out a sigh as he took a step inside the residence of the top 3 prisoners.


    But before he could even take 3 steps, a small but very sharp whistle whispered into his ear. Riley slightly tilted his head to the side, but before he could even make out any of the scenery inside the Top 3''s residence, the view in front of him became nothing but silver.


    The gate that he crumpled and threw earlier, nowing back to him with even greater force. But like a tomato falling onto an extremely sharp knife, the gigantic metal ball was split in half with almost zero resistance.


    The entire hallway then shook; and judging by how strong the quake was, then the prisoners and other people on the ground level could feel the tremble as well. Riley took a small nce behind him, only to see each half of the ball absolutely decimating the hallway¨C blocking any path to the outside.


    And soon, a quiet but abysmal burst ofughter whispered into Riley''s ears.


    "Like mother, like son, I suppose."


    "..." Riley quickly turned his attention to the front, only to see a man approaching him; his face, sunken to the point that one could already make out the shape of his cheeks and eye sockets. The man was also bald, wearing some sort of monk outfit that almost looked like a nket from how skinny he was.


    "And I see the guards did not lie about the way you look."-- and with those words, the man fully revealed himself from the darkness and Riley could finally see the most noticeable feature of the stranger¨C both his eyelids were sutured shut.


    "As expected," the prisoner then let out a small scoff as he ced his palms together, "Alice could only produce a freak, it is in her nature."


    "You knew Alice Lane?" And without even him asking or needing to open the topic, Riley was already getting what he came here to do¨C ask for information about the women in his life.


    "Knew her?" the bald prisoner smiled, causing the forming wrinkles on his face to slightly hit the sutures in his eyelids, "I more than knew her¨C we had a rtionship."


    "..." Riley remained quiet as he looked at the bald man from head to toe, "What sort of rtionship, bald prisoner?"


    "A bad one," and with those words, the dim hall they were in was finally bombarded with light¨C the residence of the top 3, finally fully revealed to Riley. Riley was expecting something grand since the top 50 had their own neighborhood. But this¡­


    ¡­it was just a vast and gigantic hall probably made of steel and metal, with gigantic doors on each of the three corners in front of him. 4, if he included the entrance he just destroyed. One of these gigantic metal doors, the one on the left, with the number 3 stered on it, was slightly slid open¨C probably where the bald prisoner in front of him came from.


    "Your mother made my life a living hell while she was still here," the bald prisoner then continued his words as his feet slowly left the floor, "And since you just destroyed our door, then I believe you wish to continue where your mother left¡­


    ¡­I won''t let you."


    "Not really, bald prisoner," Riley only shook his head; not even minding the tremble that once again filled the entire hall he was in, "I am just here to as you and the other two prisoners some questions regarding one Diana Ross, Alice Lane, and Megawoman. I will leave whether or not I am satisfied with the answers."


    "The only answer you''re getting here is my wrath!" And with those words, the bald prisoner stretched his arms to the side, causing the rumble in the air to explode as the two pieces of the cleaved metal ball flew straight toward Riley.


    "Die, devilspawn!" The bald prisoner once again pped his hands together, causing the two halves of the gigantic ball to violently close together¡­ with Riley right in the center.


    "Do you know how much I have suffered because of that woman!?" The bald prisoner then rubbed his palms against each other; and almost as if the two hemispheres were following the movements of his hands, they too, started grinding against each other¨C letting out a loud screeching noise that was enough to cause the air to tremble.


    "I have the same powers as her!" The bald prisoner continued to rant; his voice, almost as loud as the sparks that wereing from the hemispheres, "Do you know what that means!? That means that I received most of the brunt of her temper! She was always teasing and taunting me, asking me if I can do better! Telling me I don''t have any worth in this world because she was already here!"


    The bald prisoner then pped his hands several times, causing thunders to echo several times in the air,


    "I am supposed to be the strongest telekic in the world! But your mother¨C"


    "What about Diana Ross, do you know anything about her?"


    "!!!"


    The bald prisoner''s hands then abruptly stopped moving as he heard a small whispering from the center of the two hemispheres he was drumming together.


    "You¡­ you''re still alive?"


    "I am, bald prisoner."


    "Y¨C" The bald prisoner was about to once again move the two hemispheres, but before he could do so, he felt his hands suddenly unable to move.


    "But you won''t be if you don''t at least try to answer my questions, bald prisoner."


    The two hemispheres then slowly separated; and almost like the yolk of an egg, Riley waspletely intact without even so much as a scratch on him. The t sides of the hemispheres, however, werepletely tattered and shattered; almost as if Riley''s body served as some sort of shredder.


    Riley then slightly tilted his head to the side, immediately causing the two hemispheres to fly towards the floating bald prisoner¨C and like with what he did to Riley, he was in between the two gigantic debris.


    "Do you know anything about Diana Ross, bald prisoner?" Riley then asked as the two hemispheres got closer and closer to squashing the bald prisoner.


    "You¨C" The bald prisoner tried moving his hands, but found himselfpletely unable to do so.


    "You can''t move objects without actively using your hands?" A small, but very faint chuckle then escaped from Riley''s mouth as he looked at the bald prisoner struggling to even move his arms,


    "Then it is no wonder you were below my biological mother," Riley then let out a small sigh as he shook his head, "I believe she could stand toe to toe with Megawoman just by the sheer raw power of her telekic abilities¡­


    ¡­you wouldn''t even be able to kill my First Subordinate with this much, bald prisoner."


    "What are you¨C"


    "But enough with describing you," Riley then let out another sigh; and as he did so, the two hemispheres suddenly shut close,


    "Tell me, do you know anything about Diana Ross?" Riley repeated his question, "The prisoners in the Top 50 have mentioned that she used to work here as a medic, maybe you know her?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    Riley waited for a few seconds for the bald prisoner to answer his question; but s, even after almost a quarter of a minute, he still refused to say anything.


    "Very well," Riley then once again let out a sigh as the two hemispheres started to separate, "What about Megawoman? This is where she was¨C"


    And finally, Riley received an answer¨C the bald prisoner''s blood and guts dropping to the ground.


    "...Oops."

 Chapter 247: Skin-Walker

    Chapter 247: Skin-Walker


    The blotching and spattering sound remained; the rhythm the sound made could only be described as erratically sedated. But still, Riley watched as the bald prisoner, or at least what remained of him, dropped to the ground.


    And what remained of the bald prisoner could not even bepared to ground meat, the texture was almost like goo. One would think that a human body suddenly sttered andpressed would look like the carcass of a frog; a frog on the road that for some reason, always jumps onto the path of your tire¨C but no.


    Human skin and flesh were different; there was not even a resemnce to what he once was. It might be a testament to how much force Riley used, but for Riley¨C


    "How¡­ weak."


    Riley''s sighs were almost as loud as the bald prisoner''s guts falling to the ground. His disappointment, probably unfathomable. Warden Yakovich, as well as the reports on the prisoners that Riley checked with his clones right now, all showed how strong the bald prisoner was.


    The bald prisoner''s name was Tao Tokuhei, a superviin that was active during the 80s. He gave himself up to the authorities after ughtering almost a couple of viges in the provinces of Japan. He told the police that the viges needed cleansing¨C that they were impure beings that should be eradicated and that he did the world a favor.


    And despite his choice of clothes, he was not a monk. What Riley was most excited about was the reports that the viges werepletely folded in half, so he was expecting Tao to at least¡­ be a little strong.


    But s, Riley just imitated what Tao was doing earlier, but to think he would just die.


    And once again, Riley''s sighs echoed through the vast andrge hall. He then finally dropped the two hemispheres that were floating in the air, fully covering what remained of Tao and leaving them to be forgotten by time on the floor¨C or at least that''s what Riley hoped because he was truly disappointed.


    "..."


    Riley then turned his head across the two giant doors that were still closed, No. 1 and No. 2. Even with all the noise they made, the two seemed to have no ns ofing out of theirir. As expected of the two strongest prisoners in the world, Riley thought.


    He still had no idea who they were since he has yet to see their faces, but he was sure he wouldn''t be disappointed like with Tao.


    Riley''s head moved back and forth between the two doors until finally settling on the No. 1''s door and walking towards it.


    "Hello?" Riley then calmly said as he knocked on the door, causing it to quake and tremble, "Do you have some time to talk about your lord and savior, Megawoman?"


    "..." No response.


    "If you also know about Alice Lane and Diana Ross, I would really appreciate any information you know about them."


    Still, Riley continued to knock. It was only in the 12th knock that Riley''s steps moved him back. Riley then raised his hand, causing the gigantic door to tremble. There were clouds of dust also raining down from its edges, perhaps a testament to how long ago the door was opened.


    "Stop."


    And before Riley could fully remove the door, a calm and somewhat husky voice seeped from the cracks of the door.


    "I''ming out. There''s no need for you to destroy the door."


    And with those words, the gigantic metal door started to slide open; letting out creaks and cracks as it did. And finally, after what seemed like a full minute of this screeching sound whispering in Riley''s ears, the prisoner behind the No. 1''s door stepped out.


    "A golem?" Riley then breathed out as what stepped outside the gigantic door¡­ was a moving rock¨C each of its movements, almost as loud as the creaking of the door it stepped out from. This rock¡­ crawled forward; and with each movement of its limbs, its silhouette slowly but surely moved it ever so close to the shape of a human¨C a human woman.


    And very soon, Riley could make out a face¨C old, her eyes already clouded. But still, each of her steps held some sort of authority in them that Riley could not quite exin.


    "A golem," the stone woman then let out a small but chuckling scoff as she walked closer to Riley; her hair, unmoving as it was still seemingly made of earth, "Perhaps that is what I am now. I don''t even remember my name."


    "..." Riley looked at the woman for a few seconds, before finally blinking his eyes and shaking his head,


    "Your name is Ts, the Terraformer."


    "Ah, of course."


    Ts then let out a long and very deep breath; specks of dust, blowing from her mouth as she did so, "I''ve been here for so very long that I have forgotten any earthly connections that I may have had."


    Riley slightly looked to the side as he allowed his clones to search everything about Ts; pausing like this for almost an entire minute. Ts did not seem to mind, however, as she remained as still as she looked¨C a rock.


    "Megawoman apprehended you and surrendered you to the prison in 1887, Ts," Riley then said, his mouth slightly agape as he looked at Ts from head to toe.


    "Megawoman¡­ Ah, yes," Ts once again nodded, "That seemed like a very long time ago now."


    "It is, Ts," Riley also nodded, "You have been here for more than a hundred years."


    "Is that so?" Ts sighed; each of her movements, seemingly as minute and minimal as possible.


    Riley continued to read Ts''s profile. She was a super from a native American tribe that massacred almost a million people¨C causing devastating earthquakes and tidal waves using her abilities to control any elements rted to earth.


    Another Elemental that has the power to destroy the world; another elemental that did not haveplete control of her powers¡­ and another female.


    Hannah, V, and now Ts. Was it just a coincidence, or was there something connecting the three?


    "Did you need something from me, child?" Ts then finally spoke on her own as Riley stood there in silence for more than a minute or so, "For you to try and wake me up¡­


    ¡­you do not seem to be working for this prison," Ts then looked at Riley from head to toe, focusing on the prison uniform he was wearing.


    "I am a prisoner like you, Miss Ts. But this is myst day," Riley muttered, "And I was wondering if you could answer some of my questions?"


    "Aside from Megawoman, do the names, Alice Lane and Diana Ross¨C"


    And before Riley could finish his words, a small whisper of a crack emerged from Ts''s face. The calmness of breath that she once held, slowly dissipated as the cracks grew wider.


    "Diana Ross," Ts then whispered, "Time may have diluted and corrupted my memory, but that is a name that I will never forget even as I cross the boundaries of this world and the Spirit''s."


    "...Okay," Riley nodded, "Before you cross, is it alright for you to tell me about her?"


    "Leave. I have nothing but contempt for what that name represents," Ts then slowly turned around.


    "You know her, Miss Ts?"


    The giant door, however, forcefully closed shut before Ts could even take a single step,


    "I was told that if I needed information, then I would get it here¨C in the area of the top 3," Riley then said.


    "Top¡­ 3?" Ts then once again turn towards Riley, before turning her head towards the other gigantic doorways behind him, "I see that this ce has changed with time. There used to be only me¨C but I see the world is producing more and more monsters as it grows older."


    "I will let you rest Miss Ts, I just need to know what you know about Diana Ross."


    "..." Ts''s seemingly frozen eyebrows moved ever so slightly as she looked Riley straight in the eyes, "Why do you know so much about that entity?"


    "I am just curious, Miss Ts," Riley muttered, "The three women that are deeply involved with my life seemed to have a connection in this prison, I only seek answers."


    "And how is this Diana Ross involved with you?"


    "She is my adoptive mother."


    And as soon as Riley uttered those words, the entire hall shook violently; causing Riley to float in the air to avoid being swayed away.


    "Adoptive¡­ mother?" Any calmness in Ts''s voice was gone; reced by a clicking tremble as the clouds of dust wrapping around her body all rained to the floor,


    "She¡­ adopted you?" Ts then rushed towards Riley; almost at a speed that one would not expecting from someone like her. Riley, however, did not try to dodge and just allowed Ts to approach him.


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "My biological mother is Alice Lane. Diana Ross and her husband adopted me when they had to kill her because she was killing me. It is a somewhat convoluted story, Miss Ts."


    "She seeded?" Ts then whispered to herself as she looked to the side, "But how old are you?"


    "17 years old, Miss Ts."


    "Young, younger than even the newest dust in my body," Ts muttered, "So even after a hundred years, she did not stop."


    "Hundreds¡­ What do you mean, Miss Ts?" Riley furrowed his eyebrows as he turned to face Ts, "When did youst meet with mother?"


    "A long time¡­ Exactly 83 years ago, child."


    "That is impossible, Miss Ts," Riley shook his head, "Mother is not even in his 50s yet."


    "That woman..." Ts then let out a chuckle that resounded throughout the entire hall,


    "...is a Yee Naaldlooshii."

 Chapter 248: Arrival

    Chapter 248: Arrival


    "Yee¡­ Naaldlooshi?"


    Riley stared at Ts for a few seconds; letting only the sound of dust that was falling from Ts''s silhouette whisper in the air. But finally, after a few more breathes, Ts decided to be the one to break the silence.


    "A skin-walker, child," Ts muttered; a sense of disdain and utter disgusting from her voice.


    "Mother¡­ is a mythological creature?" Riley then ced his hand on his chin, "I suppose that makes the most sense, Miss Ts. Mother always had the strength to throw father if he wished to. She is also the only person I know that is capable of subduing and stopping Hannah at will."


    "..."


    "But for her to be a literal monster, it would seem that I have underestimated the secrets that my adoptive family held," Riley nodded, "That would also exin how she could be with father¨C only a mythological creature of that renown could stay with someone like him."


    "...Boy."


    "Hm?"


    "That was a figure of speech," Ts then let out a sigh that was enough to echo throughout the entire hall.


    "What¡­ do you mean, Miss Ts?" Riley blinked his eyes a couple of times; his face, showing his utter confusion.


    "I mean she''s not really a skin-walker," Ts once again sighed, "She is¡­ just a Super like you and me¨C her abilities allow her to change to any form she wills."


    "Yes, a skin-walker," Riley insisted.


    "No!"


    And finally, almost as if Ts''s previous emotionless and stoic exterior was just some sort of y, her entire body that was made of rocks started to wither away¨C finally showing her slightly dark brown skin; the deep creases and wrinkles wrapping around her, showing her true age.


    She waspletely naked; but neither she nor Riley seemed to mind as Ts''s sagging¡­ bosoms waved violently as she approached Riley¨C the boulders and stones that fell around her, almost serving like a tail as it followed behind her without hinder. Her white and aged hair, also dragging along with the stones on the floor.


    "A Yee Naaldlooshi is a creature beyond our understanding!" Ts''s slightly husky voice gasped for air, "A magical, divine creature that stands between this world and the spirit world."


    "...So mother is like Jesu¨C"


    "No! Your mother is a super!"


    "Yes, like Jesu¨C"


    "No!" Ts let out an almost screeching scream; causing the entire hall they were in to once again tremble violently, "Just leave! I am done talking to you; leave me be in my eternal repentance. One as young as you will never understand the thread that weaves the world."


    "..." Riley squinted his eyes as he looked at Ts''s retreating back. This old woman¡­ was probably the most confusing individual he had ever met in his life.


    "Open the door," Ts then stated as she reached the front of her cell. I hope we never see each other again in this life."


    "Before you return, can you tell me about the moment Megawoman stayed here?"


    "No," Ts shook her head, "This is the first time I have ever willingly stepped out of my holding. That outsider probably stayed in this ce during my times of istion."


    "Thank you for answering my questions, Miss Ts," Riley then bowed his head; and as soon as he did so, the gigantic door finally started to slide open.


    "Hm," Ts only waved her hand as she stepped inside; but before the gigantic door could finally separate her from the rest of the world again, Riley''s words once again whispered into her ears.


    "My sister is the same as you, Miss Ts."


    "Hm?" Ts turned around.


    "Her affinity with the elements is as marvelous as you; but also uncontroble beyond a certain threshold," Riley said with a sigh, "But hopefully she does not age as bad as you."


    "Wait, what do you mean a sist¨C"


    Ts seemed to want to say something, but before her words could fully echo through the air, the sound of the gigantic metal door sliding shut drowned any noise within the hall.


    "..." Riley then blinked a couple of times as he stared at the door of Ts''s cell. But after a few seconds of seemingly deliberating on what to do, he just shrugged his shoulders and started walking towards the cell of the Top 2 Prisoner.


    "Greetings, Top 2 Prisoner," Riley then repeated the same thing he did with Ts''s cell, knocking on it hard enough that it caused the entire gigantic door to tremble, "Do you have time to talk about your lord and savior, Megawoman?"


    "..." And like with Ts, silence was once again the first response that Riley received. However, unlike with Ts, Riley did not immediately try to pry the door open. Instead, he waited there in silence for a full minute¨C not even moving a single step away from the gigantic door.


    "..."


    He stayed like this for a couple more minutes, before finally letting out a very long and deep sigh,


    "I aming in, Top 2 Prisoner," Riley then whispered as he ced his hand on the door.


    "Riley Ross!"


    But before he could do anything to the door, a familiar voice screamed into his ears. Riley quickly turned in the direction of the voice, only to see V rushing towards him.


    "V, what are you doing!?" Empress was also behind her, reaching her hand towards V but was already toote to stop her from approaching Riley. Tempo, was also there, but instead of stopping V like Empress, his face just winced ever so slightly; his head trying to turn away but his eyes were fully focused on what was about to happen.


    They have known about Riley''s disposition of not wanting to be touched by strangers. No, even his own mother was not an exception to this sensitivity. So with V suddenly rushing towards Riley, the only thing that Tempo, probably the fastest man in the world, could do was¡­ watch and see what happens.


    "!!!"


    To their surprise, however, Riley¡­ did not dodge. He just stood there, allowing V to wrap her arms around his.


    "What did I tell you about always clinging to something, Victoria?"


    And with those words, V just suddenly let go of Riley''s arms.


    "..." Tempo and Empress could only look at each other as they saw this. Why¡­ was V following Riley''s words almost like¡­ a dog? What exactly happened between the two during the months they were together?


    "I brought Empress and Tempo with me," V then whispered; the smile on her face, seemingly unable to restrain themselves from appearing.


    "I could see that, V," Riley nced at the Top 2''s door for a few seconds, before once again facing Empress and the others.


    "Yakovich said you finally decided to join us?" Empress muttered; she was about to approach Riley since Tempo did so as well¡­ but decided not to as she kept her distance from Riley as she remembered who he truly was.


    "Yes, Empress," Riley just casually nodded, "I thought my time in prison would be filled with fun and activities, but it would seem there are a lot of things happening outside that are more interesting than here¨C ording to grandmother Charlotte."


    "More¡­ interesting?" Tempo blinked, "...Grandmother Charlotte?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "She mentioned something about the Hero Association and the monsters."


    "...I wouldn''t really call that more interesting," Tempo sighed, "They''re asking every super out there to register¨C It''s a good thing us in the Hope Guild are exempted. They just gave all of us the highest Grade because, duh. We''re the Hope¨C"


    "Ahem," Empress loudly cleared her throat before Tempo could continue to ramble on, "So, are you really joining the Hope Guild, Riley Ross? Yakovich told us he''ll handle all the formal paperworks¨C we can get you out of this ce right now."


    "Yes, Empress. I wanted to ask the Top 2 Prisoner some questions first, but I think the information I have is enough for now."


    "..." Empress''s eyes scanned across the vast hall. She had been wondering what happened here since earlier¨C but knowing who Riley truly is, any more probing might set him off.


    "Then¡­ shall we go now?" Empress then let out a small sigh as she turned around, creating distance between her and Riley as fast as possible, "We''re not going straight to the Hope Guild, however. We need to take a detour because of all these government shenanigans."


    "...A detour?" Riley tilted his head.


    "The Hero Association."


    The one to answer Riley''s question was V; the tone of her voice, holding some sort of excitement in it.


    "Since you''re not officially a part of the Hope Guild yet, the others said you needed to take the association''s test," V chuckled.


    "We can also announce you joining the group once you pass the bullshit test," Tempo also let out a small scoff, "You know what I think? I think the government just wants the people to see that even someone like you is taking the test¨C that way, the others that are still hesitating would¨C"


    "It is alright, mister Tempo," Riley nodded, "I¡­ do not mind."


    And with those words, the group finally left the hall of the Top 3¨C leaving the door of the Top 2pletely untouched.


    "...Did they leave?"


    And currently, the Top 2 Prisoner was leaning on the door, trying to listen in on the activity outside. He was starting to feel nervous when he kept hearing a series of thunderous banging outside his cell¨C but finally, everything was just over.


    The prisoner''s name was Cole; apprehended for causing a fourth of the world''s market to plummet sometime in the 80s, causing millions of families to starve, sometimes to death. And seeing as the trouble outside did not reach him, his abilities were still alive and kicking¨C Probability Maniption. He absorbs the luck of other people and in return, he¡­


    ¡­bes extremely lucky.

 Chapter 249: The Hero Association

    Chapter 249: The Hero Association


    "This¡­ is the Hero Association?"


    "...Yes."


    Riley was currently in front of a tall building¨C No. Perhaps referring to it as tall was an understatement, the Hero Association towered over every other building within its vicinity. But of course, Riley has already expected it due to what the others have been calling it since earlier¨C The Hero Association Tower.


    Riley''s eyes then scanned the surrounding areas, only to see a crowd of people looking and staring at him; more than a hundred of them since the Hero Association Tower was right in the middle of the city.


    Why would they even build something like this here, when it would be easily targeted by viins and whoever wanted to do so? If Riley was still donning the mantle of Darkday, then all it would take was to drop a mountain and the Hero Association would be done for.


    "Are you wondering why they built it here?"


    And within the whispers of the crowd, was a long and chuckling sigh as Tempo walked passed Riley; V was also beside him, seemingly trying her hardest not to cling to Riley''s arm. Empress was previously with them, but as soon as she escorted Riley in front of the tower, she immediately left saying that she still had previous engagements.


    "It''s not just you," Tempo''s sigh continued as he too, looked around the crowd of people, "Almost every super that is working as a hero is wondering the same. At least the Academy was built isted for miles in Massachusetts. But this¡­


    ¡­It''s right at the very heart of the US, big ol'' New York."


    Tempo then waved his hand as he smiled at the cameras being pointed at him. And very soon, more and more people gathered in front of the tower, instigating the guards to scatter outside in order to stop the people from bombarding the supers that wanted to register.


    How could they not gather, when 2 members of the Hope Guild were currently standing in front of the tower? And since Tempo and the others didn''t even announce that they would be visiting the Association, this was already a very minute number.


    Soon, however, the contents of the whispers of the crowd all turned to the white-haired boy that was with V and Tempo. First, their voices held some sort of curiosity in them; followed by confusion as they all turned to look at each other and to their phones, seemingly trying to search who it was. But finally, after a few more seconds, gasps started to thunder in the air.


    "That''s¡­ That''s Riley Ross!"


    "Riley who?"


    "Whiteking''s son and Ms. Phoenix''s son!"


    "...Whiteking and Ms. Phoenix have a child?"


    "No, it''s¡­"


    Different sorts of stories littered the air, but their breaths all had one thing inmon¨C were they finally going to see someone from the Academy take the tests of the Association?


    The Hero Association was opened right on the very same day as the graduation of the students of the Mega Academy¨C the masses were all excited to see them take the tests, but s, contrary to their expectations, the students were all exempted from taking the tests; after all, they were already graded by the Academy.


    But Riley Ross did not graduate from the Academy, he was stripped of his status as a student when he went on a rampage because the government was holding his family hostage¨C their hype would have probably been just minimal if it was just that, but Riley Ross is Riley Ross.


    Whiteking''s adoptive son.


    Ms. Phoenix''s biological son.


    Responsible for rescuing the shores of Hawaii with the superhero team, Baby Crew.


    Responsible for minimizing the casualties in Los Angeles when the monsters appeared.


    And rumored to be responsible for also stopping the entirety of Ennd from being destroyed by killing the evil oligarch, Alistair Reuben.


    A telekic that has enough power that he was framed as the living cmity, Darkday.


    Thest they heard of him, he should still be in prison. So what exactly was he doing here right now¨C and with members of the Hope Guild at that?


    The murmurs and whispers that persisted in the air grew even more prevalent, almost creating an orchestra that could be heard from the skies of New York.


    "We should probably head inside," Tempo then said as the whispers started to bombard his ears. But before he could even take a single step, however, a loud robust voice overpowered the whispers of a hundred people.


    An old man stepped outside the tower; his white hair, showing his age. His face was already slightly wrinkled, but nheless, it was clean without any hint of facial hair besides his white eyebrows.


    His walk was dignified; partner this with the tuxedo he was wearing, his presence could not be dismissed even with giants beside him.


    "Tempo and V," the old man then let out a friendly smile as he approached Tempo, "It is an honor to be visited by the Hero Association''s Grade-s Superheroes."


    "..." Although the man''s tone was friendly, V did not appreciate the words that entered her ears. What did he mean by ''the Hero Association''s heroes''? He could have just mentioned that they were members of the Hope Guild; but instead, his voice and words were even emphasized as soon as he mentioned the association.


    V was about to say something, but Tempo quickly blocked her path.


    "Empress called me beforehand," the old man''s smile did not disappear,


    "She said that a new member of the Hope Guild is taking the test?" The old man then said as his eyes turned towards Riley,


    "Could it be the infamous Riley Ross? I knew the Hope Guild would get their hands on you sooner orter¨C after all, it runs in the family."


    The old man then let out a burst of smallughter. As for Riley, he was just looking at the man from head to toe; seemingly confused as to who exactly this simpleton was in front of him.


    "Ah, where are my manners," the old man then noticed Riley''s stares; his hand, immediately reaching towards Riley as he introduced himself,


    "The name''s Joe Hyden. President of the Hero Association."


    "Riley Ross, former student of USMA, former prisoner of Russia Super Max Prison, and Hannah Ross''s younger brother," Riley said as he only looked at Joe''s hand.


    "Ah yes, you don''t like to be touched," Joe Hyden immediately retracted his hand as he let out another chuckle, "Now let''s go inside and away from the prying eyes."


    "..." He could have done that from the start, V thought. This Joe guy wanted the masses to overhear their talk. All sorts of ideas were running inside V''s head as she finally followed Riley and Tempo inside the tower.


    V didn''t really need to take the test as she was granted an honorary rank of Grade-S along with the other members of the Hope Guild. As for Tempo, well¡­ he was here to make sure no one does anything they would regret.


    He didn''t want a repeat of what happened with London¨C people were still finding someone to me. Most were pointing their fingers at Alistair, but he was already dead. And so, some of them truly did me V and the Hope Guild.


    And also, Tempo was curious as to what kind of tests there actually were.


    And finally, as they entered the tower, the whispers that bombarded his ears were gone. The number of stares, however, almost did not die down as everyone inside all turned to look at them.


    How could they now, when 2 members of the No. 1 Superhero team in the world were suddenly within their sight?


    Most of them were aspiring superheroes and idolizing the Hope Guild was basically almost a requirement.


    There were those, however, that was only curious as to what themotion was about¨C supers who just wanted the benefits of the registration as well as a new valid ID.


    Tempo was about to look around the ce, but before he could do so, Joe suddenly ced his hand on his shoulder as several¡­ cameramen appeared in front of them.


    "Let''s take a photo tomemorate this moment," Joe said; his smile, not even disappering for even a second.


    As for V, her eyes were already starting to switch¨C her annoyance and irritation, almost reaching their peak. But still, she smiled and awkwardly looked at the camera.


    And perhaps amongst them, the readiest was Riley, whose hair and clothes were perfectly organized; even his eyes were already looking directly at the lens.


    Several shes of light then bombarded the group;sting for approximately a quarter of a minute. And as soon as it was over, Joe immediately took his hand off of Tempo''s shoulders and started walking away.


    "I''ll take my leave, then," Joe then said with a smile as he nodded towards Riley and the others, "I still have some prior meetings to attend to. I will let my secretary personally assist you while you are here¡­


    ¡­I really am looking forward to another Grade-S Superhero to be given birth by the Association."


    And with those words, Joe left¨C taking with him most of the cameramen and some other associates. Leaving a woman wearing a pair of sses; the way she carried herself, almost an archetype of what female secretaries are.


    " Good afternoon," the secretary then bowed her head; the tone of her voice, almost as stoic and monotonous as Tomoe''s, "My name is Jane Smith. I will¨C"


    "Pft, yeah right."


    "..."


    Tempo quickly covered his mouth as his mouth blurted out his thoughts. Jane, however, only looked at him for a few moments, before turning her head towards Riley.


    "Are you¡­


    ¡­the one taking the test?"

 Chapter 250: An Animated Encounter

    Chapter 250: An Animated Encounter


    "Are you the one taking the test?"


    "I suppose."


    Secretary Jane Smith looked at Riley from head to toe; the reflection of the sun on her sses, momentarily flickering as she adjusted them. She then turned her attention towards V and Tempo, before letting out a small but obvious sigh.


    "We don''t usually allow chaperones, but since Mr. Riley Ross is a special case, we will allow it," Secretary Jane then said as she gestured to the three to follow her, "Since I am here, you do not need to worry about any of the paperwork and registration, you only need to take the test."


    "Sweet," V was the one to reply for Riley. Her eyes, however, soon turned towards the man that was quietly walking beside secretary Jane¡­ who had a camera hanging on his neck.


    "Please don''t mind him," secretary Jane only waved her hand, "Riley Ross''s test will be documented by the Association. He is, after all, a very high profile super and the newest member of the Hope Guild."


    "What? Don''t you think a little privacy is¨C"


    "It is okay, Victoria," Riley, on the other hand, raised his hand as he interrupted V''s words, "I will allow it."


    "That''s great," secretary Jane smiled; the tone of her voice, however, remained monotonous still, "Then please, follow me."


    And with secretary Jane leading them, Riley and the others plus the cameraman all entered the elevator¨C taking them all the way to the 35th floor; and since the elevators had a view of the outside, it truly was quite a scenic ride. One could almost see some parts of New York, and they were not even halfway to the top of the building.


    "...Isn''t it dangerous to hold the tests inside the building?" Tempo then said as the elevator door opened.


    "You do not have to worry, Tempo," secretary Jane breathed out; the tone of her voice, finally breaking its monotony; one could even hear a sort of pride in it as she stepped out of the elevator,


    "The building is not made with such fragile materials," secretary Jane then stretched her arms to the side as she weed the group to the 35th floor, "Even the hardest strike of the Hope Guild''s leader would only leave a dent on these walls."


    The inside of the 35th floor¡­ was just a vast hall¨C without any windows or even a speck of light from the outside seeping from any of its walls.


    "This is where the test of the Telekic supers are being held," secretary Jane then said as he gestured to the people that were already inside the huge hall, probably numbering close to or at 50. They were also wearing some sort of number tag, visibly attached to their clothes.


    "...What?" Tempo blinked a couple of times as he heard secretary Jane''s words,


    "Only for the mindblowers? I thought this was all the aspiring heroes?"


    "The Elementals, Body enhancements types, and other Supers each have their own floors," a very minute and subtle smile could be seen crawling on secretary Jane''s face.


    "...How many? There are that many supers already?"


    "Ever since the Tower officially opened a month ago, there have been more than 200 people registering everyday¨C and that number is increasing daily," the tone of secretary Jane''s voice once again gave a hint of proudness.


    "Jesus¡­" Tempo could not help but let out a small gasp as he looked at the telekics that were also staring at them, "Just how many supers do we actually have in the world right now?"


    "There is currently a total of 9,230 supers registered with the Association now."


    "Oh¡­ that''s quite small."


    "That''s just a month," secretary Jane shook her head, "We are expecting an exponential increase soon¨C and we still have not added the 5,000 students of the first batch of Mega Academy. And that''s not the number of supers, but only those who wished to be a Hero or just want the benefits thate along with it."


    "...But I thought it was mandatory to register?"


    "Only if you want to officially be a superhero," secretary Jane shook her head, "As you would expect, there are still many who don''t want to be known¨C and you can''t force supers to register. There are an estimated 500 million supers in the world right now, ording to WHO."


    "Jesus¡­"


    "The goal of the Hero Association is just to decrease the number of potential viins¡­


    ¡­and let those who want to be a hero reach out to their inner light," secretary Jane breathed out as her eyes also lit up¡­ literally.


    "Oh, you''re a super?"


    "I can produce lights," secretary Jane shook her head, "That could barely even be called a superpower."


    "Pft, better than your president who has no powers."


    "..." Secretary Jane only looked at V as she heard her words. She seemed a little annoyed, but in the end, she just once again shook her head,


    "Enough about me," she then said as she looked at Riley, "Here''s your number tag, please wait with the others. The test will be starting soon¡­


    ¡­Oh, and the President was hoping you would at least get a grade of A, so please do your best."


    "I have a question, Secretary Jane Smith," Riley raised his hand, "What will be the benefits if I receive the highest grade?"


    "Some leeway with thew," secretary Jane quickly answered, "It will be exined to you once the tests are over."


    "Do I get an unlimited Webflix subscription?"


    "...We can arrange that if you be a Grade-S Super."


    "What would it take to be Grade-S?" Riley blinked.


    "Just look at the two people beside you, Mr. Riley Ross," secretary Jane said as she pointed at both V and Tempo.


    "...That''s it?" Riley once again blinked; his voice, containing a sliver of disbelief as he looked at V and Tempo, "Do I have the Grade of S now?"


    "...No, I meant you need to at least have their strength," secretary Jane quickly caught on with what Riley was saying¨C as expected of a professional, Tempo thought.


    "...That''s it?"


    "..." This time, it was secretary Jane''s time to blink. After a few seconds, however, she called Tempo and V to join her on the observation deck.


    "R¡­ right. Good luck, boy," Tempo said as he raised both his thumbs, "Don''t bully the others too mu¨C !!!"


    And before he could finish his words, Tempo''s eyes widened in shock as V suddenly kissed Riley on the cheeks.


    "Do your best!"


    Tempo was expecting an exaggerated reaction, but the only thing that Riley did was nod his head, leaving Tempo''s mouthpletely agape in disbelief as he followed secretary Jane. If there ever was a moment when he felt slow, then this was probably it.


    Just what exactly happened¨C and then, almost like a lightbulb, Tempo finally realized something.


    The two were together for more than 4 months.


    He didn''t really think much of it since V had always sort of been the baby of the team¡­ and Riley is Riley. But then he realized that the two were both adolescent human beings¨C and there was also that rumor that he and Scarlet Mage have some sort of sexual rtionship.


    Wait¡­ did the two¡­


    And so, with those thoughts circling in Tempo''s mind, the three plus the cameraman all rode another elevator that was built on the 35th floor. There didn''t seem to be any windows inside the test hall, but as they arrived at the observation deck, they could clearly see the entirety of the hall¨C perhaps some sort of¡­ two-way mirror?


    They could see Riley walking towards the crowd¡­ and the crowd opening up like a school of fish when you drop a pebble.


    "... " Riley was just looking around, not really knowing where he should wait since the crowd all dispersed. But seeing as they were all previously standing where he was now, then he just decided to wait there, not even noticing the stares that the other registrants were giving him.


    He stood there alone for a couple of minutes, not even moving a single step in silence. This peace, however, was broken as one of the people from the crowd started to approach him.


    "You¡­ you''re that Riley Ross, aren''t you?"


    It was a male registrant, probably of the same age as Riley.


    "Maybe," Riley answered as he looked at the man; curious as to why he was wearing a hat indoors, "There are currently many people in the US with the same name, mostly women."


    "...No, I''m sure you''re the Riley Ross," the man squinted his eyes as he looked Riley directly in the eyes, "You''re the only one that looks like¡­ this."


    "Then I suppose so," Riley shrugged his shoulders as he looked to the side, "Sadly, I can not say that I know you, stranger."


    "..." And with those honest wordsing out of Riley''s mouth, the man could not help but slightly frown,


    "I was only trying to strike a conversation," the man''s tone then changed as he was seemingly offended by Riley''s words, "But I see you think too highly of yourself."


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times¨C obviously confused with how the man came up with that assessment.


    "Now I know why you''re so famous," the man scoffed, "The media is hyping you up because you''re a future member of the Hope Guild all along¡­


    ¡­and I bet all the news about you are all exaggerated. There''s no way you could actually do all the things they''ve been reporting."


    "..." And once again, Riley blinked a couple of times. This kind of random and seemingly forced encounter¡­


    ¡­it almost felt like he was inside Italian Mafia Reborn?"

 Chapter 251: The Cubes

    Chapter 251: The Cubes


    The Mega Academy.


    The Hero Association.


    The Age of Heroes has been going strong for decades now, giving the people hope that they were safe from those who wish to do them harm. But perhaps it was only truly now that it was being fully embraced by the world¨C or perhaps one could even say that the Age of Heroes was truly just beginning.


    The Mega Academy could be argued to be extremely faulty, broken even. It was the first-ever batch of supers actually being taught their powers¨C gathering them all in one ce so that the fire ofpetition would ze inside them, allowing them to strive to be more than their peers and predecessors.


    The first-ever batch of students experienced tragedies, resulting in deaths that amounted to more than ten thousand students. It was a tragedy that would soon not be forgotten by the entire world¨C it just so happened that more tragic things drowned themtely.


    The Mega Academy was a tragedy, yes. But for the students that lived in that reality, it made the 1 year they spent even more meaningful; more intimate.


    The Mega Academy is wed, yes. But it also produced thousands of heroes. Putting heroes in thousands of cities that might be out of reach in normal circumstances.


    The Mega Academy was, in a way, sessful with its mission.


    And now, there was the Hero Association.


    Whether or not the government actually learned from its mistakes with the Academy, the masses could only doubt. Because why would they even build the Hero Association Tower right in the middle of the busiest city in the US?


    Almost every New Yorker voiced out their dismay, displeasure, andints to the government; even going as far as signing petitions and going to rallies¨C practicing their given right of democracy.


    But s, as always the case with democracy¨C those that were sitting at the top could only hear themselves. Their so-called democracy, only effective during the times of election.


    The rallies still continued. But now that the Hero Association Tower was officially opened, it was treated almost like a tourist attraction for those that do not live in New York. Non-participants and those who do not work in the Tower are not allowed to observe or watch the tests, however. But still, the crowds gather in front of the building. After all, it was not every day that you would be able to see a barrage of supers walking in and out of a public establishment. There was also the fact that those gathered in front would also be the first to hear the news if ever someone does well in the tests.


    And so, almost every hour, a crowd was gathered in front of the Tower. Waiting, hoping that they would be able to see the birth of at least another Grade-A Superhero. And since it was now hours past noon¡­


    ¡­the tests should be starting soon or are already ongoing.


    "I bet all the news about you are exaggerated."


    The telekics have yet to start their test, but it would seem there was something happening on their floor; the whispers of the registrants, filling the entire hall.


    As for Riley, he was currently facing the man that suddenly approached him out of nowhere; moving too close to him as he seemed to be trying to provoke him for some unknown reason.


    Interesting, Riley thought. These kinds of encounters usually only happen in Italian Mafia Reborn¨C with random people provoking and pissing the main protagonist for no reason at all. It felt normal in the anime, but now that Riley was experiencing it himself¡­ it was weird.


    "I bet every news about you is exaggerated. There''s no way you could¨C"


    "Oi! Why are you trying to start something?"


    The man seemed to have a lot more to say, but before he could finish his words and move even closer to Riley, a slightly tan-skinned woman moved between them; her dark eyes, looking at the man that was provoking Riley from head to toe.


    "All of us are just here to take the test," the woman then scoffed, "Can you stopparing your dicks to people that aren''t even interested in your itsy minnie little willy?"


    The man then immediately raised both his hands in defeat; not even rebuking the woman as he walked away. But before he could get far and disappear into the crowd, however, he once again turned his eyes towards Riley.


    "I''ll just let the results of the test speak for itself," the man said before he finally went back to where he was previously standing.


    "...The fuck?" The tan-skinned woman could not help but raise an eyebrow as she watched the man leave, "Is that guy for real? Cringe. Anyway, best of luck to you, Riley Ross."


    And with those words, the woman just left¨C only ncing at Riley once before she too, returned to her spot.


    "..." Riley could only wonder what exactly just happened. But after a millisecond of trying to ponder, he just shrugged his shoulders and just once again stared at nothing; waiting for the test to start.


    Fortunately, he didn''t even need to wait long as a hologram of a person suddenly appeared in the very center of the 35th floor.


    "..." Riley could not help but think the hologram was simr to the one Whiteking used when they were in the shelter in Toronto. But since the Hero Association Tower and the shelters were owned by the government, it made practical sense for them to be simr.


    [Greetings, future superheroes.]


    The man in the hologram then started to speak, causing all the registrants to shut their mouths and listen, ''less they want to get the lowest grade.


    [We started a littlete today, but it is good that our test is as simple as pushing a button,] the man in the hologram chuckled as he seemed to have pressed something beside him. And as soon as he did so, numerous holes started opening from the floor.


    And from each of the holes, emerged cubes¨C stone, metal; all sorts of materials in the shape of a cube. The size, roughly the same as a trash bin. The cubes were scattered neatly everywhere in the huge testing hall¨C numbering almost double the 50 registrants.


    [We prepared several cubes for all of you,] the man in the hologram then pped his hands, [Just choose and pick whatever you''re more ustomed to moving. You are allowed to do whatever you want with them¨C lift them in the air, crush them; it doesn''t matter. We will be giving you 30 minutes and we will be watching each of your moves carefully¡­


    ¡­fly high, supers.]-- and with those parting words, the hologram just disappeared.


    "..."


    "..."


    "That''s it?"


    "I heard the Body Enhancement types had to fight each other."


    "...What? No. My cousin took the test a week ago, she said they just had to carry something."


    And very soon, whispers breezed through the air; all talking about how their information on the tests differed from one another. And very soon, most of them reached a conclusion¨C


    ¨C-Could it be that the test was whatever their interpretation of it was? The man in the hologram did say they could do anything they want to.


    "..." Most of the registrants turned to look at each other, seemingly trying to gauge whatever it is their peers would be doing. Some, however, were already approaching the cubes; and without any hesitation, started moving them and letting them float in the air as high as they possibly could with their telekic powers.


    A lot of the cubes were trembling, with a few already dropping to the ground. But even though the cubes were obviously filled with weight, they did not leave any sound nor a tremble in the ground¨C not even so much as a speck of dent.


    It would seem that secretary Jane was not lying when she said that the Tower was made with some sort of special material, Riley thought as his eyes looked at the cubes raining down the testing hall.


    But still, none of the registrants gave up¨C seemingly persevering to get that good grade. But amongst all the weaklings, there were a few that caught Riley''s attention, perhaps less than a dozen of them.


    One of them was the woman that got between Riley and the random stranger. Like the others, she too was letting her cube float¨C the only difference was that hers was now in the shape of an hourss.


    The others started imitating what she was doing; reshaping the cube. But s, try as most of them may, their control was not as smooth and fluid.


    The other one that caught Riley''s eye was the man that was trying to provoke him earlier. Why, you might ask?


    Because he was currently sitting on a cube, flying in the air, and¡­ seemingly approaching Riley''s position at a speed that was definitely not in-door friendly.


    "Why don''t you try moving us away if you''re that strong!?" The man then screamed, enough to garner the attention of all the registrants,


    "Do something! I dare you, fake shit!"


    "Okay." And without even pausing or hesitation, Riley pointed his palm toward the man and the cube that was flying toward him.


    "!!!"


    And almost like a droplet of water dropping to the ground, the cube that the man was riding on suddenly sttered open. The man seemed to try stopping the cube from shattering; but s, before he could do so¡­ the stter suddenly wrapped around him.


    The seemingly liquified cube,pletely swallowing him whole before returning to its original solid shape¡­


    ¡­with the man still inside.

 Chapter 252: Agencies

    Chapter 252: Agencies


    The crowd could only watch as a certain cube dropped to the ground. And almost as if it started some sort of revolution, the cubes they had floating in the air also touched the ground¨C leaving no cube left flying.


    How could they not be shocked, when they just saw one of their fellow participants being encased in the cube that was supposedly for the test. Of course, they all knew what happened¨C the man tried to provoke Riley earlier.


    And now, he even tried to attack him during the test by feigning that it waspetition. The man probably had a few loose screws in his head or something¨C might evenck a few chromosomes as well.


    Whether or not the man was truly just retarded or just wanted to start something, they didn''t know. What they did know, was who Riley Ross is.


    Of course, they would know about Riley; how could they not when the news has shown him several times already? In truth, some of them were also skeptical about whether or not Riley was truly capable of the things they show.


    Even though the man was retarded, what he made somewhat had some sort of sense in them¨C they also think that Riley''s feats may have been exaggerated due to the fact that he was apparently a future member of the Hope Guild.


    But they clearly saw everything that happened just now, Riley was able to easily manipte the cube that half of them were having a hard time just lifting in the air. And as if it wasn''t enough, he made it look as if the cube was liquid, drowning the man insi¨C !!!


    And as soon as their unified thoughts finally realized something, they all turned their attention toward the stone cube. There¡­ there''s a man inside of that! Is this even allowed!?


    And it was not only them that was thinking about the fact; even Tempo, who was watching from the observation deck, could not help but worry about the man.


    "Shouldn''t we stop and help the man first?" Tempo said as he looked at secretary Jane.


    "It''s fine," secretary Jane, however, just shook her head; the tone of her voice, once again returning to its stoic timber. She then pointed towards a wall, filled with multiple monitors that were almost identical to the control room of the simtion hall back in Mega Academy.


    "We are monitoring their heartrate," secretary Jane followed up, "And besides No. 24 feeling distressed, he is fine inside the cube. If he can''t free himself, then that would just mean his strength is not on par with the stronger registrants¨C this would make grading him easier."


    "...I see," Tempo could only sigh as she heard secretary Jane''s words. He still wanted to help No. 24, but he didn''t want to unnecessarily impede on government grounds.


    "But isn''t this test too simple?" And so, the only thing he could do was nitpick, "I thought the tests¡­ test would be more intricate. How would it even be possible to judge someone just by this?"


    "I agree," V, who had been keeping quiet, nodded her head before once again returning to watch Riley, "This test sucks balls. They should be fighting supers dressed up and pretending to be viins or something."


    "...That too," Tempo chuckled quietly, "But I was talking more about their capacity to save and rescue people. Inparison, this test is just¡­"


    Tempo then looked at the other people in the observation deck; and judging by the fancy suits they were wearing, they were either government officials or businessmen¨C one and the same, really.


    "There should at least be a psych eval or something," Tempo continued to voice out, "Getting a driver''s license is a lot harder than this, and I don''t even drive. At this point, these people would just end up hurting themselves trying to act as heroes¡­ or worse, hurt someone else."


    And with Tempo''s long rant, secretary Jane only looked at him; shaking her head as she let out a small but deep sigh, "We need them because of the emergence of the monsters."


    "You think these people would be able to handle them? There should at least be some form of training before¨C"


    "That''s what the Mega Academy is for," secretary Jane quickly refuted, "If they think they are inadequate, then they could just enroll and train there."


    "..." And as Tempo heard those words, he could only shut his mouth in dismay. Tempo had spent years saving people behind the scenes. It wasn''t even until his photos started appearing that he decided to finally reveal himself as a superhero.


    But now¡­ all it took was this test and a license to be a superhero? What sort of bullshitry is this? Tempo thought before his eyes caught the photographer that was tagging along with them.


    The photographer seemed to not be stopping in snapping photos, his lens, solely focused on whatever Riley was doing.


    "...You said there would be an influx of registrants soon¨C is it because of Riley Ross?" Tempo then smirked as he once again spoke to secretary Jane, "Since he''s a member of the Hope Guild now¡­ did you think that more registrants would join because they think they would have a chance to be recruited by the Hope Guild?"


    "..." Silence was the only answer Tempo received from secretary Jane, but that was enough to confirm his suspicions.


    "Sadly for you," the smirk on Tempo''s face grew even wider, "That would have the opposite effect."


    "You think something like this would deter future registrants?" Secretary Jane scoffed as she looked at the cube.


    "And you think Riley Ross will stop there?" Tempo chuckled, "You have no idea how monstrous that kid is. The dude¡­


    ¡­could literally be the resurrection of the phoenix."


    The other participants were still staring at Riley. But after a few seconds, they all snapped out of their trance all at the same time; returning their attention to their own cubes.


    Although they still had a lot of minutes remaining, they needed to show off as much as possible. And so, once again, the cubes all started floating in the air.


    As for No. 24, he was freed by the tan-skinned woman earlier¨C No. 11. She seemed to be trying to imitate what Riley did earlier, making the cube made of stone look like water.


    ¡­And she was sessful in doing so, one might even say that she made it flow even more like water than Riley.


    As for No. 24, he seemed to have already fainted as he dropped to the floor. No. 11 then started dancing with her hands, letting the liquified cube to gracefully rotate around her; almost like a dragon domineeringly flying around a mountain.


    "Oh, that one is good."


    The men that were wearing suits in the observation deck started letting out hums of admiration; nodding their heads in unison as they watched No. 11 dance.


    "Her control is something that could only be seen in Grade-B and above. But too bad¡­ she seems to be struggling already."


    They all then sighed as they saw No. 11 already sweating; her face, clearly trying hard to remain calm.


    "Well, if you don''t like her¡­ then let mypany take her," a man wearing a bright brown suit then let out a small chuckle.


    "What are you talking about? I thought yourpany only dealt with selling coffee?"


    "Well¡­" the man wearing a brown suit smiled, "Starbeans is venturing in the superhero business. My bosses seemed to have taken a liking to superheroes when we did a partnership with Mega Academy."


    Tempo, who overheard the men''s words, could not help but furrow his eyebrows as the group of men once again caught his attention. They have been writing something on papers andptops since earlier so he thought that they were the ones grading the participants.


    But their conversation just now, could it be that wasn''t the case?


    Superhero business? What did they mean by that? Could it be that these guys are from superhero agencies? There have been a growing number of them ever since Megawoman was defeated by Darkday, but to think he would be meeting a group of them here.


    "Wait¡­" Tempo then breathed out as he ced his hand on secretary Jane''s shoulder,


    "...Don''t tell me the government is selling out supers?"

 Chapter 253: Like Mother, Like Son

    Chapter 253: Like Mother, Like Son


    "Is the government selling out supers?"


    And almost as if a storm suddenly stopped, everything in the observation deck went quiet. Even the men from the so-called superhero agencies stopped their bickering and discussion as they all turned their heads toward Tempo.


    Even V, who was busy watching Riley, could not help but look at Tempo as she heard her words. They could almost hear a clock ticking and their hearts beating from the painful silence; all of them, waiting for secretary Jane to answer Tempo''s question.


    But thankfully, secretary Jane did not let the deadly silencest as she let out a short but very deep sigh.


    "What made you think that?" Secretary Jane answered, "The supers are not owned by us, we are merely giving them a way to make their talents and activities legal. Supers are the future of the world¨C it is estimated that in a hundred years, there would be more supers than ordinary humans, we are just trying to ease our way into it."


    "And letting these agencies pick them like their cherries is your idea of easing our way into it?" Tempo shook his head, "To my knowledge, Megawoman didn''t like this kind of exploitation."


    "We''re not celebrities, Jane," V joined in on the conversation with a scoff, "We''re just people gifted and cursed with the power to save other people. If Megawoman is still here, then she wouldn''t allow for something like this to even happen."


    "Because Megawoman is an alien," secretary Jane''s monotonous voice once again shifted along with her eyebrows, "She lives in a fantasy where the world is one happy ce¨C it''s not. And why would you let someone who wasn''t even born on Earth decide what is best for it?"


    "Megawoman is the best of us," V followed; it would seem the days of Riley indoctrinating her of Megawoman''s prowess were starting to take effect.


    "Megawoman is not even one of us," secretary Jane replied.


    "You seem to have a lot of opinion despite just being a secretary," V raised an eyebrow as the limiter on her back started to light up, "One might think you''re the one actually running this ce."


    "..." Tempo could not help but look back and forth between the two; wiping the sweat on his chin as she watched the two exchange some¡­ unpleasant words.


    Wasn''t he the one debating with secretary Jane? So why were the two now getting in a heated discussion instead? Tempo wanted to butt in but did not see the chance to do so anymore as the two seemed to have no intention of surrendering.


    And so, the only thing he could do was watch the test¨C whatever the world government was truly nning, Tempo had no power to stop it anyway.


    The test below seemed to be reaching its climax, with most of the telekic supers already tired. Even the tan-skinned woman, No. 11, was already sitting on the ground and resting. As for Riley¡­ he was still just standing where he had been standing since the start.


    Could it be¡­ that was really it? Was Riley just waiting for the test to end? But if that was his only disy, then by the way the guys from the superhero agencies were talking, it wouldn''t even be enough to get into Grade-B.


    He knew the tests were shit¨C but still, Riley deserved to at least be Grade-A with everything he has shown so far. And if he truly has the same raw power as Alice, then it was an easy Grade-S.


    So why¡­ exactly was he not doing anything? Tempo then turned to look at the screens monitoring the health of the participants¡­ only to see all the screens dark.


    Tempo once again wiped the sweat trailing down his chin as he¨C Wait. Tempo then quickly turned his attention towards the venttion on the ceiling. He didn''t notice it since he thought he was just frustrated with the government¡­ but wasn''t it getting too hot?


    The air conditioning system was also no longer working as he could no longer hear even a whisper flowing from the vents.


    "Tang ina."


    And with Tempo suddenly speaking in anguage they couldn''t understand, both secretary Jane and V, who seemed to have no n on closing their mouths, could not help but turn their heads towards him.


    "...Tempo?" V breathed out. She somewhat recognizes Tempo''s words, as he uses them a lot whenever something shocking happens or whenever he''s pissed about something. And seeing as how his mouth was slightly agape, then it was probably the former.


    "Check your phone."


    "...Why?"


    "Just check the news!"


    And with Tempo''s slightly hurried words, V quickly grabbed her phone¨C a tailor-made phone that has voltage protection strong enough to hold off extreme amounts of electricity. She then quickly unlocked it and went to find some news, only to see a lot of people on her news feed streaming live.


    "Oh fuck, I knew it."


    And as soon as V tapped on one of the live streams, Tempo quickly let out a forced chuckle as he quickly walked around in ce. The men from superhero agencies, as well as secretary Jane, quickly also grabbed their phones andptops to check what had Tempo up in fits¡­


    ¡­only for their eyes to turn wide and their hands instinctively and quicklytch on to the nearest thing they could.


    After all, how could they not¡­ when the hall they were currently in was now actually floating in the air? The news was currently showing a huge metal box floating beside the Hero Association Tower¨C and since a huge chunk of the 35th floor was missing, that metal box could none other be than the testing hall.


    But truly, for the tower to not even bend or break with half of one of its floors gone¨Ca testament to the strength of the materials used to build it as well as the engineers who made it possible.


    "Like mother, like son," Tempo then once again forced a chuckle as he sat on the floor.


    "...What do you mean?" Secretary Jane''s eyes started to furrow.


    "Ms. Phoenix used to do stuff like this," Tempo let out a long and very deep sigh.


    "Wait, are you saying Riley Ross is doing this!?" Not only secretary Jane, but all of the people in the observation deck turned their eyes towards Riley¡­ only to see him just standing there; where he had been standing since the start.


    "I thought you guys did your research on Riley?" V also sat on the floor; a smile, crawling mischievously on her face, "Apparently and clearly not enough for you to be this shock about it."


    Secretary Jane then checked on her other phone to call for someone, only to see dozens of missed calls on her screen. She was about to unlock her phone, but before she could do so, another call came up.


    Secretary Jane answered the call almost instantly, not even letting the person on the other line speak as she quickly asked for them to do something about the situation.


    "Send a helicopter for¨C"


    And before she could even finish her words, a small rumbling thundered through her ears. Light also started to bombard the observation deck, causing everyone but her and V to slightly close their eyes.


    [Miss, are you alright!? Miss¨C]


    Secretary Jane then dropped her phone as her eyes¡­


    ¡­looked at the view of the sky as well as the city beneath it.

 Chapter 254: The Symbol

    Chapter 254: The Symbol


    "Holy shit."


    "What in my demonic ancestor''s titties is that!?"


    Murmurs, whispers, and screams all scattered around parts of New York, almost assembling to make an orchestra that only sang chaos. Everyone that was near or had a view of the Hero Association Tower had their mouths agape, most of them had their phones up, pointing at the big metal box that was floating in the air.


    At first, those who were near the Tower all panicked as they saw a huge part of the building separating and breaking away from it; they thought that their worries were finally materializing¨C a viin has finally targeted the Hero Association Tower.


    And they, who just happened to be near the Tower, were the ones to pay the price. But seeing as not even a single speck of dust dropped from the building and nothing ever happened even after a minute except for the giant metal box separating, their worries disappeared¨C reced by enough curiosity that it made them excited.


    And so, they all just thought that it was some sort of gimmick of the Hero Association; or that the Hero Association was actually some sort of aircraft or a defense system right in New York. If it was¡­ wouldn''t that mean they were now the safest city on the?


    The people all had their different theories and thoughts as to what was happening, and since they were all streaming what was happening live, the entire world was slowly joining them. But even with almost millions of opinions, only a few really mattered and only a few truly know what was happening.


    Those that were inside the so-called metal box.


    "W¡­ what the!?"


    The participants that were already too tired to even move as they used up all of their stamina trying to lift up the cute metal cubes, all stood up in shock¨C using whatever remained of their strength to immediately cling to the nearest wall or stick themselves onto the floor.


    How could they not, when the sky was suddenly in front of them?


    They all know that the building and the testing hall were made in some sort of top-secret material from the government. They also knew how strong it supposedly was. And so, for them to see one of the walls ripping open, the only thing most of them could really do was pray for their lives.


    There was, perhaps, only one person that was calm throughout the entire people of New York¨C Riley Ross. As was the case since the start, he was still standing on his spot even as the gigantic wall in front of him disappeared.


    And it wasn''t only his face that was calm¨C his clothes, his hair, unmoving even as an onught of gale entered the hall. There were already a series of ps as the clothes of the other registrants snapped with the wind, almost being blown away by its violent gusts.


    Some of them seemed to be screaming, but their screams were being drowned by the gale. Soon, however, their hall seemed to be starting to descend. Their relief was not allowed to materialize, however, as the hall stopped as it descended to the same level as the Hero Association''s rooftop.


    And finally, Riley''s feet started to move; his steps, taking him towards the ledge. The others could only shiver as they saw him; imagining what it would be like if he were to fall from this frightening height.


    "!!!"


    And their fears did gasp as they saw Riley stepping out of the ledge¨C contrary to their fears, however, Riley just continued to walk; his steps unhindered as the air itself weed his feet.


    "This Hero Association Tower."


    And through all the thundering noise the wind created, Riley''s voice still traveled for some reason¨C letting everyone in the testing hall and observation deck hear his words.


    "How can this building im that name when it does not even have the very thing it represents as its symbol?" Riley then said as he faced the others; his eyes, gazing at the registrants one by one and even traveling towards the people that should be hidden in the observation deck.


    "Do you not agree, fellow registrant?" Riley then focused his eyes on the only remaining registrant that seemed to still have her wits around her, No. 11. She was currently carrying No. 24, who was still unconscious despite the thundering noise bombarding the hall, by the neck.


    "W¡­ what?" However, was the only word she could mutter. She was a bit perplexed, however, as she was suddenly able to hear herself normally.


    "Do you not agree that the Hero Association Tower should not be called its name because it does not have the very symbol it stands for?" Riley repeated his question; this, however, made No. 11 even more confused.


    But perhaps it was because of her mild stupor, she answered Riley.


    "S¡­ symbol?" She stuttered, "What¡­ what symbol?"


    "Who, No. 11."


    And with those words, Riley floated away from the hall and into the air; hovering above the rooftop of the Hero Association Tower. He then pointed his palm downward, causing the rooftop topress, as if ironing it and causing all the venttion and other machinery on it to tten.


    He then stretched his arms to the side, instantly splitting the already ruined testing hall in half.


    "!!!"


    The others desperately used their abilities to try and stay afloat as the floor they stood on was ripped apart; but soon, they found that they did not need to do so as they were floating on their own.


    The only thing they could really do was watch as the floor beneath them slowly slid away; their eyes, almost shooting out from their sockets as the height caused their entire bodies to almost vibrate.


    "..." Tempo and V, who belonged to the people that were now floating in the air, could only look at each other and sigh.


    "Why¡­ why aren''t you doing anything!?" One of the men from the superhero agencies screamed, violently pointing his fingers at Tempo as the saliva showering from his mouth also remained floating.


    "Do what, exactly?" Tempo sighed, "Their test is still ongoing, I would hate to impede on government activities."


    "You¨C"


    And before anyone else couldin, a loud¨C No. A deafening screech thundered in the air as what was once the testing hall started to almost liquefy as it started to veil the rooftop of the Hero Association Tower.


    Everyone besides V covered their ears; even those that were on the ground did so as the scratching in the air whispered through their bones. The metal hall now looked like jelly¨C or perhaps y as it started squirming on top of the tower.


    And soon, this y rearranged itself; causing the whistleing from it to almost deafen those who were unfortunate enough to be near it. Some, even starting to cry from the ufortable sound.


    "M¡­ make it stop!" One of the registrants screamed¡­ her words, however, were drowned by the nging and screeching that persisted in the air.


    And very soon, a silhouette could be seen forming from this giant metallic y¨C a human. Or perhaps it was better to say¡­


    ¡­that it turned into the shape of an alien.

 Chapter 255: A Symbol of Justice

    Chapter 255: A Symbol of Justice


    "What¡­"


    What¨C perhaps was the most used word on the entire at the moment. A percent of the world watched as the Hero Association Tower; a striking figure of architecture was suddenly altered almost in an instant.


    The Tower was already considered a tourist attraction for some as its design, albeit simple, was enough to leave one''s eyes to wonder and wander. But now, it changed into something that could truly be considered a tourist attraction¨C for in its peak, now stood the statue of the world''s mightiest and greatest superhero.


    Megawoman.


    It took less than a minute. It took less than a minute to reshape and mold a material that is said to be even harder than diamond. And what''s more, the form it now held was a statue¨C a finely detailed one at that.


    Tempo, V, secretary Jane, the registrants, and the other people that were floating in the air could not help but hold their breaths; their instincts, no longer minding their distance from the ground as they all stared bewildered at Megawoman''s statue.


    How could they not? As the nearest ones from the statue right now, they all could see how detailed¨C No, perhaps the word ''detailed'' was not even enough to give it justice. They could even see individual pores on Megawoman''s face; the statue''s hair, almost individual strands.


    Just how good could one''s control be with their telekic powers to mold something like this? They no longer know what was more impressive; the fact that Riley could freely destroy and rebuild the supposed hardest substance in the world right now, or that he could recreate Megawoman''s figure exactly as how they all remembered it.


    It was not just a simple resemnce¨C it was a replica.


    And now that several helicopters appeared to surround the Hero Association Tower, even the people from below could finally see the full situation; the news, being broadcast right on giant screens of Times Square.


    And soon, the cameras panned towards the people that were floating in the air; focusing on V and Tempo who seemed as shocked as everyone else. And then, finally, the cameras showed who was responsible for this impossible stunt.


    Right when the world was starting to forget¨C Riley Ross once again graced the big screen.


    And almost as if on cue, Riley turned towards the camera with a smile enough to fill the entire screen.


    "!!!"


    And as soon as he did so, the entirety of New York howled and cheered almost at the same time. Most were pping their hands, and those who hated the government for the things they were doing could not help but almost cry tears of joy.


    They didn''t realize it before, but it was almost as if the government truly wanted the people to forget who truly made the Age of Heroes possible. The momentary peace they had now, it was thanks to Megawoman and to the heroes who risked their lives in the past.


    And Riley Ross just reminded the world of that¨C most of them knew who he was due to all the incidents surrounding him, thest andtest was destroying a prison as the government held his family hostage.


    ¡­And the world government imprisoned him for that.


    They tried to make Riley the viin¨C but he was far from it. No.


    Riley Ross¡­ is the face of the oppressed; and also the face of those who fought back.


    Riley Ross¡­ is justice¨C was the hashtag of one of the posts on social media. It was, however, in a manner of seconds, shared a thousand times.


    And just like that, Riley once again graced the news; and once again put the government in its ce by beautifully vandalizing the very tower they were proud of. And just like that, a certain fan''s club was formed on the inte¨C


    Panda-- an allegory of Riley''s white and ck outfit. What their group represented, yet to be actualized and known.


    As for the one responsible for creating this turmoil, he had a satisfied smile on his face as he stared at the statue he made. And ever so slowly, he started to descend to the ground, bringing along with him everyone else; causing some to close their eyes as the feeling of falling drowned their senses.


    The association guards quickly opened an area for them tond, pushing away the crowd that had gathered in front and around the Tower. But even though they started to disperse and clump in one area, their cheers still howled; growing even louder as Rileynded right at the entrance of the Tower.


    And in the midst of all the cheers¡­ were the other registrants'' groans andints.


    "Ugh¡­ I don''t want to be a hero anymore."


    "Why¡­ why did I even apply to be a hero when all I can do is bend a spoon."


    "I just wanted the ID, I''m not gonna risk my life for this shit."


    And as Tempo heard the registrants'' words, he quickly turned his attention towards secretary Jane; a smirk, slowly growing on his face.


    "See?" He gloated, "I told you having Riley Ross would have the opposite effect."


    "This¡­" The only thing that secretary Jane could do was watch as most of the other registrants walked away without even a word of goodbye; the ones remaining, only those who seemed to truly want to be a hero,


    "This¡­ is good," secretary Jane still nodded, "This is temporary, once¨C"


    "Secretary Jane."


    And before secretary Jane could finish her words, Riley approached him.


    "Is this enough to be qualified for the Grade of S?" Riley then said as he looked up towards the statue he created, "If it is not, then I n to turn the entire tower into¨C"


    "It''s enough," secretary Jane also did not let Riley finish his words, "Let''s¡­ go inside for now since I can barely hear myself talking."


    Secretary Jane then gestured to the other participants left to follow her inside; her eyes, however, twitched as she saw Tempo seemingly still smirking at her.


    "Stop gloating," secretary Jane clicked her tongue as Tempo walked beside her.


    "Oh, I''m not," Tempo let out an obviously fakeugh as he trailed behind secretary Jane, "I''m just happy the Hope Guild is getting another crazy member."


    "...Crazy is an understatement," secretary Jane shook her head as she nced at Riley, "The higher-ups¡­


    ¡­are not going to like this."


    "That was amazing!" As for V, she quicklytched onto Riley''s arms¨C an action that quickly resulted in a series of shes drowning the air.


    "Are¡­ they together?"


    And now, another shocking news started to surface in the air almost in real-time¨C Riley and V¡­ couples?


    It did not remain a question for long, however, as V approached the person that voiced the question,


    "We are," she said.


    "!!!"


    And just like that, another onught of tweets and posts appeared on social media.


    The rising fan group, Panda, however, seemed to not be liking the news as the leader of the group tried to delete anything pertaining to the news; trying to debunk those who were confirming it and even posting different female superheroes that could potentially be Riley''s real lover¡­


    ¡­the number 1 spot belonging to a new superhero called Nightqueen.


    However, with V basically confirming it on the spot, any attempts to discredit the information were gged as misinformation a few seconds after it was posted. Truly, social media could be a frightening ce¨C all of this, happening in the span of a minute.


    "Let''s go back inside, Riley," V then once again clung onto Riley''s arm as she started dragging her back to the Tower. But before they could take another step, someone was able to move past the guards of the tower to block their path.


    "I knew it."


    Riley, however, instead of being alert, just blinked his eyes as he looked at the tall man that blocked their path; the man was wearing a full grey outfit¨C his grey cape, not even fluttering with the wind.


    "You''re the only one capable of shit like that. I could feel your qi from a mile away."


    "You know him?" V looked back and forth between Riley and the tall man; her arms, tightening their grip on Riley''s arm.


    "Yes," Riley quickly nodded as he approached the tall man, dragging V along with him, "He is someone I met during my stay in the Academy, Victoria. He is on the spectrum just like me¡­


    ¡­It''s been a long time, Kevin."


    "Fuck, it''s me, bro! Gary!"

 Chapter 256: Episode Gary (2)

    Chapter 256: Episode Gary (2)


    "What on my demonic ancestor''s titties is that!?"


    Gary Gray, or as he was going by now, Monarch. Thest task of the students of the Mega Academy on the day of their graduation was to finalize their superhero names as they were one of the first batches that would officially have the upation of Superhero¨C their names, legally registered in the government through the Hero Association.


    After much deliberation, research, and asking his friends, Gary let go of Dragon Monarch and settled with a shorter name instead.


    Monarch¨C a testament to how he was finally and slowly epting his lineage as the son of Megawoman. Of course, one or two of his so-called friends might have teased him that it was a bit too serious for someone like him and that it didn''t suit him; but still, he registered with the name.


    After they graduated, they were quickly distributed in different cities; with most of the foreign students returning to their countries. The Hero Association, however, took into ount the Grades of the student, as well as their overall capabilities first before they send a certain hero somece.


    There are, of course, those who wanted to not be stuck in a single ce and wanted to roam free¨C a choice only those Grade-B and above could enjoy. The government did not allow superheroes Grade-C and below this benefit, because there was a chance that they would take on more than they could chew.


    And as one of those who had the choice to roam free, Gary was currently leisurely walking in the streets of New York¨C trying to find trouble left and right. But contrary to his expectations, however, there was nothing to do.


    After he and the others graduated from the Academy and officially formed the Baby Crew, Gary had thought that they would finally be able to fight superviins and save the day. But s, aside from muggings and stopping petty fights, Gary has not even encountered even a single superviin.


    He encountered many viins, but none of them super.


    And so¡­


    "What on my demonic ancestor''s titties is that!?"


    Gary''s eyes could not help but widen as he saw something happening from the distance. He was on top of a building, so he could somewhat see most of the activities that were happening within his vicinity.


    And finally, something exciting was happening¨C and it wasn''t just simple trouble. The Hero Association Tower might be under attack. To think he had been spending an entire month stopping petty thieves, and now the very first major malfeasance he will be encountering involves an attack on a government facility; truly, spending his days in New York is finally paying off.


    The excitement that was drowning his body right now was enough to make his blood boil.


    "Alright," Gary whispered to himself as he kneeled; flipping his heavy cape back. His other hand, touching the floor.


    "The people serve the Monarch," Gary then said; the air around him rippling from his heavy breaths, "And in turn, the Monarch saves the people."


    Gary then ced the hand he used to fling the cape in front of his face. And as soon as he did so, a mask emerged from the palm of his gauntlet. The mask, covering the areas around his eyes as he expertly wore it.


    "And now, the Monarch shall grace you with his presence."


    And with those words, Gary disappeared from his spot; leaving a trail of dust as he leaped into the air, jumping from building to building as he made his way towards the Hero Association Tower.


    In the 3rd building, however, he stopped. How could he not, when the big metal box that he thought was some sort of aircraft from afar started to mold into something he recognized?


    "What the¡­" Gary''s steps that were filled with excitement halted,


    "...mom?" He then breathed out as he saw the statue that was suddenly erected on top of the Hero Association Tower. He squinted to check if he truly was seeing what he was seeing; but in doing so, he saw a very small and faint silhouette floating near Megawoman''s statue.


    "No¡­ fucking way," he then whispered as a smile started to crawl on his face. And before his smile couldpletely materialize, he ced a finger on his right ear,


    "Baby Crew, this is Monarch," Gary said; his breaths, quite heavy and chuckled, "We¡­


    ¡­are finallyplete again."


    ***


    "Kevin!? What do you mean ''Kevin''!? It''s me, Gary!"


    "...Ah, yes."


    And just like that, Gary''s excitement died down. He was now in front of the Hero Association Tower, blocking the path of a person that he had not seen for months. He even wanted to rush and bearhug Riley¡­


    ¡­but to think Riley doesn''t even remember him.


    "I was only joking, Gary." And almost as if taking pity on him, Riley shook his head and let out a short but deep sigh, "I know your name, Dragon Monarch."


    "Pft," Gary then shook his head as he let out a longing chuckle, "It''s just Monarch now. We missed you, man. You don''t know how much it destroyed us when we couldn''t even visit you in prison. Especially Hannah, she''s not doing¨C"


    Gary''s somewhat somber words then abruptly stopped as his eyesnded on Riley''s arm¡­ which had another set of arms wrapped around it.


    "..." Gary blinked a couple of times; his eyes, circling on Riley''s arm, Riley, and the owner of the arms that were wrapped around his arm¡­ and he did so repeatedly before backing down a few steps.


    "What¡­ the fuck is this shit I am seeing right now?" Gary then gasped as he sped his head,


    "Riley, you¡­ you have another woman?" Gary stuttered as his eyes did not know where to look, "I don''t see a harem tag anywhere here, man. Why¡­ why are you creating your harem!? I thought you were in prison!?"


    "I was, Monarch."


    "Then who the fuck is that!?" Gary''s finger violently pointed at V, who was just quietly looking at him with a sort of curiosity in her eyes.


    "It''s V, Monarch," Riley answered despite Gary''s incessant ramblings, "I will be working with her from now on."


    "...V?" The tone of Gary''s voice quickly became sedated as he looked at V from head to toe¡­ repeatedly. But finally, after a few more nods, Gary once again took a few steps back¨C passing through the automatic doors of the Hero Association Tower.


    "You mean V from the Hope Guild!?"


    "Yes."


    "What!?" Gary then started hopping in ce as he waved his hands; his excitement, screeching in the air.


    "Is¡­ your friend alright?" V could no longer keep her silence as she whispered to Riley, "You mentioned he is also on the spectrum?"


    "Yes, this is normal for Gary," Riley nodded, "He¡­ is just screeching autistically. We should enter the Tower, secretary Jane and Tempo are still waiting for us."


    It took a couple of minutes for Gary to finally settle down. And as soon as he did so, he quickly followed Riley and V, who already passed him without even trying to calm him down. However, as soon as he saw Tempo in the building, Gary''s breaths once again started to palpitate throughout the entire floor.


    "T¡­ Tempo," Gary stuttered as he sped his chest.


    "...Is your friend alright?" Tempo asked the same question as soon as he saw Gary looking at him as if he wanted to devour him, "Should¡­ we call for a medic?"


    "He is fine, Tempo," Riley only shook his head before turning his attention to secretary Jane,


    "Am I a Grade-S Superhero now, secretary Jane?"


    "I¡­ am still waiting for your evaluations," secretary Jane slightly sighed as she answered Riley''s question, "But after the stunt you pulled, I doubt there''s another grade they can give you. We will know the results in a few minutes, so please just wait here in the lobby. Now, if you''ll excuse me, I still have other registrants to assist."


    And almost without pause nor dy, secretary Jane quickly left Riley and the others to talk with the other participants left. Her voice was calm¡­ her slightly trembling legs, however, revealed that she was still shaken from what just happened.


    From the 50 registrants that took the test, less than half remained after the stunt that Riley just did. Most of those who remained were those who faired well, one of them being No. 11, whose eyes had been watching Riley for reasons unknown.


    "Wait¡­ you took the test?"


    And as soon as secretary Jane was gone, Gary finally recovered from his stupor as he walked in front of Riley.


    "Yes, Monarch. I had to, it was one of the prerequisites for my release from prison."


    "...They freed you so you can register as a hero?" Gary squinted. He was about to say something, but his eyes once again trailed towards V, who clinging like a lizard to Riley.


    "...Just what happened to you inside the prison, man?"


    "I killed some prisoners, watched several seasons of Italian Mafia RebornI discovered a lot of things about the women in my life¡­" Riley answered,


    "And had sexual intercourse with V before I was freed."


    "I see¨C Wait, what!?"


    "R¡­ Riley!"


    "What!?"


    And it was not only Gary that let out an almost thundering gasp. Tempo, who was just peacefully standing on the side, almost dropped to the ground as soon as he heard Riley''s words. He had his suspicion already¡­ but to think it really happened.


    How¡­ would the others from the Hope Guild react to this?

 Chapter 257: The News and ThePropaganda

    Chapter 257: The News and ThePropaganda


    "Are¡­ they together?"


    "We are."


    "!!!"


    Inside a room with a view overlooking the recovering city of angels, the warmth that was being kept at an ideal temperature suddenly started to lower¨C enough to almost crack therge windows as the temperature shift was almost enough to create bubbles through them.


    Of course, this was not due to the airconditioning system malfunctioning, or the freezer suddenly bursting out its freon¨C it was due to the Asian American that was residing inside the room; her dark-brown almost ck eyes reflecting the four monitors in front of her.


    A series of snaps also whispered in the air as this mysterious Asian American covered in nkets bit her nails; her gritting teeth, seemingly showing the frustration she was feeling right now.


    But this was not always the case for the mysterious Asian American¨C just seconds ago, the smile on her face could not be contained; her breaths, almost jubnt with their beats.


    How could she not be happy, when her master finally once again returned?


    When Riley was imprisoned, she kept asking Katherine if Riley''s clones were approaching her; but s, Katherine only shook her head every time. What sort of First Subordinate was that? The Asian American thought; she didn''t even seem to be trying to reach out to their master.


    And so, the Asian American, Tomoe, took it upon herself to try and see signs of Riley¨C using the skills she gained from obsessing over Darkday throughout the years, she scoured the inte. But s,pletely dark.


    And so, when a livestream appeared that had even a pixel of white in it appeared in front of her earlier, she quickly clicked on it¨C and lo and behold, Riley was suddenly in front of the Hero Association Tower.


    And without even any hesitation, sheunched the n she had been storing in the archives of herputer¨C Project ''PANDA''.


    People.


    Are.


    Never going to suspect Master Riley as.


    Darkday.


    Again.


    It was a n to make Riley Ross as famous as possible that people wouldn''t even think to suspect him as Darkday. And it just so worked that Riley seemed to like wearing ck and white outfits, hence Tomoe thought it was the perfect name for the fan''s club.


    And so, Tomoe quickly changed the Facelog group she created almost a year ago¨C a Facelog group that appreciated andpiled photos of beautiful people with any form of albinism or leucism.


    And of course, as the founder of the group, Tomoe made sure to upload Riley''s photos almost every day.


    It was a Facelog group named ''The Colorless Are Beautiful'', in now which she changed to ''PANDA'' and deleted photos and posts unrted to Riley.


    It had over 120,000 members¨C a number that would surely dwindle after she suddenly changed it. But that doesn''t matter, because Tomoe projected that the number would multiply as soon as Riley is done with the Hero Association''s test.


    And she was right¨C with Riley doing his stunt, the fan group shot almost half a million in a matter of minutes. How could they not, when Riley just figuratively spat on the government''s face?


    And so, seeing an influx of anti-government people joining her group, Tomoe quickly released a hashtag¨C ''rileyishope''.


    Which made even more people join the group in an instant.


    She might not be as connected as the First Subordinate, but this was something she could do. Tomoe continued to post the drafts she had¨C garnering thousands of shares each time she did so.


    And all of this, in just the span of an hour.


    But then, something very unprecedented happened¨C a suddenly clung onto Riley''s arm¡­ saying that she and Riley were a couple.


    "B¡­ sphemy!"


    Tomoe quickly tried to fade this rumor away by posting another post in her drafts¨C a post of Riley Ross''s potential lovers. Of course, she just happened to put herself as the No. 1 candidate.


    But s, for some reason, it was gged as misinformation the minute it was posted. And so, we are back to the room lowering in temperatures that would be considered dangerous to normal people.


    Tomoe continued to bite her nails before searching everything she knew and had on one of the members of the Hope Guild, V.


    "..." Should she start a rumor that V meant for London to be destroyed? No, that might implicate Riley.


    Wait, was it possible she was the Third Subordinate? If so¡­ then Riley was probably just using her.


    And with that thought entering Tomoe''s mind, her heavy breaths were finally slightly sedated.


    [Baby Crew¡­]


    And as she leaned her back on her seat, Gary''s voice whispered from the small radio she had on her desk,


    [...We''replete again.]


    "I know."


    And surprisingly, Tomoe was the first to respond as she took off the nket and stood up¨C revealing her superhero outfit, a white kimono. She then grabbed the sunsses that were also littered on her desk, wearing them as her mask.


    She didn''t really care for hiding her identity, but since Riley sometimes also wore shades with his outfit, she did the same.


    "I''m heading to the base now."


    ***


    Whiteking and Empress.


    ¡­And now Riley and V?


    Why was the Hope Guild starting to look like a nest for couples? Tempo thought as he sat on the sofa in the lobby of the Hero Association Tower. Didn''t they have a rule that romantic rtionships with team members weren''t allowed?


    So what exactly was happening right now? Granted, Whiteking and Empress''s rtionship was an affair and is not really out there¨C but Riley and V?


    V just announced to the world that they were together; by now, Empress and the others would have surely heard of this.


    "..." Maybe Hope Guild would start to lift the rule? If so¡­ then should he try his luck with Hera?


    "What''s with that disgusting smile on your face?"


    Tempo''s fantasy, however, was disrupted by the sound of secretary Jane''s voice, who was sitting on the sofa opposite to hers, "Just so we''re clear here, I have a boyfriend."


    "...What?" Tempo almost ripped off the visor of his half-face mask right there and then, "Who would want to be with a robot-likedy like you?"


    "You¨C"


    "The results are in!"


    And before the two could once again argue with one another, one of the registrants from another super category screamed, garnering the attention of everyone in the lobby. Tempo, Secretary Jane, Gary, and V all stood up from their seats.Want to see more chapters?


    Their eyes, quickly moved towards therge screen stered on the wall nearest to them; and there, the results of the tests were posted.


    And as expected, the entire wall was filled with ''Fs''. Then E, D¡­ the numbers lowered almost exponentially. And out of the 232 registrants, only 4 were Grade-B.


    The number of Grade-A Supers, zero.


    But still, the sound of exmations surrounding the lobby was almost enough to create an orchestra of joy. Those who earned the Grade of B, immediately being swarmed by what Tempo could only assume to be from Superhero agencies.


    "...Bro, I don''t see your name?" Gary squinted his eyes to try and find Riley''s name; his eyes were almost already closed, and yet there was still no sign of it.


    "What? Can''t be?" V also focused her eyes on the screen.


    "It''s not there," Tempo then breathed out as he furrowed his eyebrows, "I searched the names a hundred times already¡­


    ¡­What''s the meaning of this?" Tempo then turned his head towards Secretary Jane, who had a very creepy smile on her face almost rivaling that of Riley''s.


    "This only means one thing," secretary Jane then raised a finger, "Just wait."


    "...Wait for wha¨C"


    And before Tempo could even finish his words, all the screens inside the lobby suddenly turned dark. Everyone wondered what just happened, as some of them were still taking a photo of their names to show their friends; soon, however, a guitar riff started to drown the lobby with music.


    The screens then once again became alive¨C instantly showing Riley''s silhouette as he floated in the air. The images then shifted to several moments of Riley''s test, even capturing the moment that No. 24 started provoking him¡­ their voices too clear.


    "Wait¡­" Tempo then muttered, "Could No. 24 be nted by you guys?"


    "..." Secretary Jane, however, did not respond as she just watched the montage. And by the end of it, a slow-mo footage of Rileynding on the ground showed¨C with an animation of his name falling beside him¡­


    ¡­as well as the words ''Grade-S''.


    "...That''s kinda extra," Gary muttered as he let out a small chuckle as the video finally stopped, the screens, once again returning to the list of registrants¨C now with Riley''s name lit up in gold with the Grade S at the end of it.


    The other registrants, who previously wanted to take a photo of their names on the screen, all pointed their phones towards Riley and started snapping photos. The people from the superhero agencies, quickly scattering and rushing towards Riley¨C with documents already in their hands.


    "If you sign with us, we will let you¨C"


    "Nope."


    But before they could even offer anything, however, V blocked their path.


    "I don''t think so," V then said as she ced her hands on her waist, "Riley Ross is not allowed to take on any sponsors for the reason that¡­"


    V then turned to look at Tempo, who immediate nodded his head as he stood beside V,


    "Riley Ross is the newest member of the Hope Guild."


    "!!!"


    Some of them knew it, but still, they could not help but let out gasps as they let the cameras of their phone express their shock. As for Gary, however, he also let out a gasp¨C a different kind.


    "W¡­ wait, Riley¡­


    ¡­What about the Baby Crew?"

 Chapter 258: Trackers And SignalsFound

    Chapter 258: Trackers And SignalsFound


    "Is¡­ that so?"


    Tempo and V just exined the reason for Riley joining the Hope Guild. At first, Gary was a bit frustrated and somewhat disappointed that Riley would not be joining them in the Baby Crew. They were not just a bunch of superheroes in training anymore, and their group is even registered with the Hero Association.


    They have been waiting and wanting to put Riley''s name in it, even knowing that it would take a very long time until he gets out of prison¨C or even if he gets out at all. But even still, even in prison, Riley was a core member of the Baby Crew.


    But hearing how Riley''s freedom was due to the fact of him joining the Hope Guild, Gary started to calm down.


    "You¡­ are going to visit the Baby Crew, right?" Gary then let out a sigh; his breath, still containing hints of disappointment, "I already told the guys about you."


    "Of course, Monarch," Riley nodded, "My sister is still there."


    "Sweet, why don''t we¨C"


    "Hate to break up your reunion."


    But s, before Gary could suggest something, Tempo interrupted their conversation,


    "But Riley is actually expected in the base."


    "...The Hope Guild''s secret base?" Gary almost choked in his own saliva as he heard Tempo''s words, "Is¡­ it possible for me to tag along?"


    "...No," Tempo breathed out, "It''s¡­ a secret base. Even Riley doesn''t know where it is yet, right?"


    "I know where it is, Tempo," Riley answered, "I have been there multiple times."


    "...What?" Tempo lightly gasped; but after a few seconds, he shook his head, "Not the old one where you lived."


    "W¡­ what? Riley lived in the Hope Guild''s base!?" Gary eximed.


    "I know where the new one is," Riley repeated, "I have been there multiple times."


    "...What?" Tempo also repeated, "Did¡­ Whiteking bring you?"


    Riley, however, no longer answered as he just looked to nowhere in particr. Hearing this conversation, however, V suddenly remembered the time she almost took her own life after the events in London.


    The only reason she didn''t end up drowning herself was that she saw Riley''s face outside the mecha suit. Could it be¡­ that Riley actually rescued her? But no, that should be impossible, he was currently being held in prison during that time.


    "..." V then looked at Riley. She had been with him for four months without even separating even for an hour¨C she knew him well enough to know whether or not he was lying, and it didn''t seem like he was.


    It¡­ could just be her imagination as well. And so, with that thought, V just shook her head and once again clung onto Riley''s arm, causing Gary to quickly grab his phone and take a picture of it, sending it to the Baby Crew''s group chat.


    Gary didn''t bother checking if there were any replies, but judging from the number of notifications that were whispering in his ears, everyone should be losing their minds.


    "Shall we go?" Tempo then said, "One of the jets is parked near, so there shouldn''t¨C"


    "Don''t leave yet."


    And before Tempo could even take a single step, secretary Jane once again made her presence known, "There''s still thest step before Mr. Riley Ross could be fully registered into the Hero Association¨C his official superhero name. We just used his name for the announcement earlier since it was also his superhero name in the Academy, but¨C"


    "Riley Ross," and without even looking at secretary Jane, Riley Ross walked away; leaving the Hero Association tower with V clung to his arm.


    "..."


    "I guess process it yourself?" Tempo shrugged; only ncing at secretary Jane as followed the two. As for Gary, he also only looked at secretary Jane, he has been wondering who she was¡­ but could it be she was some sort of assistant to the Hope Guild?


    He wanted to say something to her, but in the end, he also just left to follow Riley; he didn''t need to rush, however, as Riley and the others were still at the entrance of the Tower¡­ being bombarded by the media left and right.


    "Holy shit¡­" Gary took in a small gulp. He had seen a view like this before¨C almost a year ago in Mega Academy on their way to Toronto. It served as a lesson for them not to trust the media and how to avoid them¡­ he had been waiting for it to happen ever since he officially became a superhero, but now it really was happening.


    Not for him, of course¨C but for Riley Ross.


    "Is it true you''re joining the Hope Guild!?"


    "How long have you and V been together!?"


    "Is it true that the two of you spent your time in prison together!?"


    "What can you say about the rumors of Empress and Whiteking having an affair!?"


    "We heard there was a case of abortion, is it true that V had a baby while in prison?"


    "Where is Ms. Phoenix? Is it true that she really died more than a decade ago!? So the rumor that she retired and was just resting isn''t true!?"


    The questions started out as something light¨C but soon, hidden within the onught of words, were words filled with poison and malice.


    "These bitches," V snarled as she let go of Riley''s arm, "Just because you''re new in the Hope Guild, they think they could bully you. Let me teach them¨C"


    And before V could finish her words, Riley walked forward and approached the reporters,


    "It''s fine, V," Riley shook her head, "I was trained by sister to deal with the media, I know what to say."


    And with that statement, Riley faced the almost hundred cameras pointed at him,


    "Go fuck yourselves," Riley then said almost monotonously, raising both his middle fingers with a smile on his face¨C and as soon as he did so, the crowd suddenly started to split open, making way for him to walk,


    "Thank you," Riley then nodded as walked through the path he made.


    "..." The reporters, who still seemed to want to say something, were not able to open their mouths¨C they couldn''t even flick their fingers in order to snap photos of Riley''s back as he left.


    Tempo and the others could only look at each other as this happened, but after a few more moments, they followed Riley¨C making their way to where the Hope Guild''s jet was parked; on a rooftop of an abandoned building that may or may not have been purchased by the Hope Guild.


    "Visit the Baby Crew once you''re done, man," Gary let out a small but very deep sigh as Riley climbed onto the jet, "The others really want to see you."


    "I will, Gary," Riley nodded, "The members of the Hope Guild seem to have a lot of free time, so that would not be a problem."


    Tempo almost coughed as he heard Riley''s words¡­ but he couldn''t really refute since a part of it was true. As the world''s greatest superhero team, they were only to focus on threats that needed their attention; as focusing on other things might impede on things that needed their attention.


    And due to this, they really do have a lot of free time.


    "Alright, bro," Gary once again let out a sigh as he tapped the side of the jet, "V, please take care of Riley."


    "You don''t need to tell me," V only scoffed, not even looking at Gary as she got inside the jet.


    "See you soon, man."


    "Hm."


    And with those words, the jet started to hover in the air¨C not even letting out a whisper of a thunder as it flew into the air at a speed almost enough to blow Gary away.


    "..."


    "..."


    And a few seconds after the jet was gone, a small smile crawled on Gary''s face.


    [Did you do it?]


    And from his ear, Silvie''s voice suddenly whispered; the tone of her voice slightly also giggling.


    "Yes, we should get their position in a few seconds. I made sure they wouldn''t be able to see the tracker."


    [Good job, Monarch.] This time, it was Hannah''s voice that whispered into his ear, [They think they could just snatch my brother and a core member of the Baby Crew like that? No matter who they are, the Baby Crew will soon fuck them up.]


    "But damn, Riley be getting all the chicks. I wonder what Scarlet Mage is feeling right now," Gary sighed as he turned around; as soon as he did so, his eyes instantly widened.


    Because in front of him¡­ was Tempo.


    "I think you forgot this," casually handing him the tracker he ever-so stealthily ced on the side of the jet.


    "I¨C" And before Gary could even say anything, Tempo disappeared; leaving Gary with an open mouth and slightly wet undies.


    "...Mission failed, my dudes," Gary then took in a small gulp, "Tempo got our tracker¡­


    ¡­or so they would think."


    And with those words, Gary burst out inughter.


    "You were right, Hannah. They found the decoy tracker I ced."


    [They didn''t discover the other one?] Even through the speaker, the relief contained in Hannah''s voice could be heard.


    "Of course not¡­" Gary smirked, his eyes almost glistening as he seemed to truly be proud of himself,


    ¡­I ced it in a spot no one would even find it."


    ***


    Inside the Hope Guild''s jet, Riley was currently staring at¡­ some sort of candy that was in his hand. Gary ced it inside his pocket while they were still in the Hero Association. He was giggling and chuckling as he did so, not knowing he wouldn''t have been able to ce it in the first ce if Riley didn''t allow him to do so due to the invisible armor surrounding him.


    "...What''s that?" Tempo, who was seated beside him, could not help but be curious as to why Riley was holding a candy in the air. V was quite curious as well, but since she was the one piloting the jet, the only thing she could do was take a nce.


    "I do not know yet, Mr. Tempo," Riley let out a small sigh as he returned the ''candy'' in his pocket, "But knowing them¡­


    ¡­it is probably something stupid."


    ***


    [Attempt number: 692368¡­]


    [...Signal not found.]


    [...]


    [...]


    [Attempt number: 692369¡­]


    [...]


    [...]


    [!!!]


    [Signal found!]


    [...]


    [...]


    [Error: Themarian Voice not within set parameters.]


    [...]


    [...]


    [Conclusion: Receiver, not Theran.]


    [...]


    [...]


    [MEGAN will continue to attemptmand: Theran Call¡­]


    [Attempt Number: 692370.]


    ***NOTES***


    If you want to support me, you can do so on my P.A.T.R.E.O.N: romeru


    Would really appreciate any value! I might also start drawing the characters once a certain goal is met. Thank you very much for liking and reading my story, let''s do this shit!

 Chapter 259: Everyone, Good Job

    Chapter 259: Everyone, Good Job.


    "And here we are, what you''re looking at¡­


    ¡­is the base of the Hope Guild."


    The jet that Riley was on finally slowed down; the view beneath them, a vast sea of murky waters. There was a tiny ind; no, perhaps a rock formation was the better word to describe it¨C and this rock formation was the entrance to the Hope Guild.


    "Right at the very center of the world," Tempo then breathed out; the tone of his voice probably containing years of pride, "Who would even think that the base of the Hope Guild is somewhere in the ck Sea, right?"


    "The ck Sea is filled with weird creatures, Mr. Tempo," Riley replied; not even seemingly curious with the view below, "I believe Empress made the right decision to choose this ce."


    "...I don''t know if that''s apliment or not," Tempo could only let out a sigh. He had thought that Riley would at least show a little bit of excitement¨C but he just remained sitting on his seat like he really had been here a thousand times.


    It was a far cry from Tempo''s reaction when he first joined the Hope Guild¨C the base wasn''t even as fancy as the one they have now, but still¡­ he couldn''t wait to explore all of it.


    Was Riley not lying then? Has he really visited the Hope Guild unbeknownst to him?


    "Landing now," V''s words then resounded inside the jet as they started to descend to the ocean floor,


    "You see that rock there?" V turned her eyes towards Riley; her finger, pointing towards arge boulder sitting on top of the sea, "That''s connected to my room¨C basically where my mecha suit shoots up."


    "I know, Victoria," Riley only nced at the rock before looking to nowhere in particr again.


    "..."


    What''s with this mood? Tempo could not help but once again sigh. Nheless, Riley should be impressed with what''s toe.


    And as soon as Tempo thought of that, the ocean floor beneath them suddenly opened up¨C and not in a way you expect the ocean to split; with water falling to the crevice that suddenly opened uu¡­ but no.


    The water¡­ just disappeared. Almost as if that part of the ck Sea was just a hologram¨C flickering as it disappeared. Tempo then turned to look at Riley''s expression with much excitement¡­ only to see him with his eyes closed.


    Open your eyes, Tempo thought as the best part of the Hope Guild''s entrance was about to show itself. And almost as if the gods were giving him the chance to boast the guild, Riley did open his eyes¡­


    ¡­and what weed him was the world beneath the ocean floor. Sharks, circling the transparent and tempered, and reinforced nano-polycarbonate ss that is the entranceway of the Hope Guild; almost like their very own colossal aquarium.


    And finally, Riley seemed to have slightly widened his eyes. But s, contrary to Tempo''s expectations, Riley¡­ just sneezed.


    "..." Tempo gave up.


    "!!!" V, however, seemed shocked as soon as the sound of Riley sneezing reached her ears. She hasn''t realized it until now¡­ but Riley had never sneezed during the time they spent together in prison.


    Their unnecessary thoughts, however, were all dispersed as soon as they finallynded on thending bay¨C almost a dozen jets, parked alongside theirs. With some somewhat collecting a little bit of dust already.


    "Ack, we''re finally here," Tempo was the first one to get off, quickly stretching his body and limbs as soon as his feet touched ground, "I thought I was going to die of old age with how slow you were piloting."


    "Then why didn''t you just go ahead?" V groaned as she rolled her eyes.


    "And leave you two love birds alone?" Tempo smirked, "I won''t be responsible for another member being born in the Hope Guild''s base."


    "W¡­ what are you saying!?" V then quickly got off the jet to chase Tempo¨C but even with the almost blinking speed she was going, she still was not able to catch Tempo as he disappeared deep into the base,


    "C¡­e back here!" And with those words, V also disappeared¡­ leaving Riley alone in a ce he has supposedly never been in.


    "..." Riley then got off the jet; his eyes, quickly scanning thending bay and eventually fixating on thergest ship along the lot by a mile¨C one of the floating bases of the Dark Millenium.


    And since it looked like an unfinished pizza right now, they seemed to be currently in the process of fixing it. Although¡­ ''they'' is probably not the right word since it was most probably only Bernard that was fixing it.


    "..." Riley then once again turned his eyes to the clear walls of thending bay with the view of the ocean floor, looking at the shark he had been looking at since earlier and nodding at it. And after doing that, he casually walked towards where Tempo and V disappeared to. Not before, of course, leaving the ''candy'' that Gary ced in his pocket in the jet.


    [Member: Riley Ross, recognized.]


    And as soon as he stepped in front of the door leaving the hangar, a series of lights bombarded him; almost as if scanning his entire body.


    [No anomalies found. Wee to the Hope Guild, Riley Ross.]


    And with that, the door slid open; or perhaps it was better to say doors, as there were almost a dozen sliding open leading to the hallway.


    "..."


    "..." Riley then casually walked inside the long hallway, until he reached a room¡­ that eerily just looked like some sort of hotel lobby. And there, the members of the Hope Guild were waiting for him¨C with V blowing up confetti as soon as Riley showed himself.


    The colorful parchments that fluttered like butterflies, however, froze suddenly froze in the air¨C not fulfilling their only purpose as Riley stepped forward. Riley looked at the members of the Hope Guild one by one, his gaze, staying for a few seconds through each of them.


    V had an excited smile on her face¨C slowly getting stiff due to Riley''sck of response.


    Tempo was just sighing, as he had been doing so since earlier.


    Hera was wearing sunsses and a cap so it was hard to see her expression.


    Butcher was still bald.


    Bernard just nodded at him.


    As for Empress, she was staring at him. And since Empress was the tallest of the lot, it was hard not to notice this. Riley then let the confetti move again; Empress''s gaze, now looking to the side as the color pieces rain to the floor.


    And that makes them 6, 7 including him making the traditional number of the Hope Guild since it was established.


    In truth, Riley was getting ready to kill the members of the Hope Guild at any given time; this whole set-up might have been a trap to neutralize him. After all... Bernard knows who he is.


    "W¡­ wee to the Hope Guild, Riley Ross!" V then broke the somewhat awkward silence that unexpectedly festered the air. And as soon as she did so, some of the members of the Hope Guild started weing Riley.


    "Wee back to the Hope Guild, Riley," Butcher was the first to approach Riley; in his hand, a knife with a ribbon neatly wrapped around it, "There is a 78.2% chance that Alice would have wished for you to have this."


    "..." Riley opened his palm, letting the knife float in his hand, "Thank you for the gift, Mister Butcher."


    "I am starting to think you''re pulling those percentages from your ass, baldie," Hera let out a small scoff as she approached Riley; her eyes, looking at Riley from head to toe several times,


    "You know, my agency has been calling me ever since they learned you joined the group," Hera then said, "How about it, would you like to earn some money from the sides?"


    "Agency?" Riley blinked a couple of times, "I thought the Hope Guild was not allowed to join these¡­ superhero agencies, Miss Hera?"


    "What, no!" Hera removed her sunsses as her eyes remained fixated on Riley, "I meant my talent agency!"


    "..."


    "No¡­" Hera then took a few steps back, "Don''t tell me you don''t know what I do? I''m an actress and a model for Zi!"


    "...A model for a vegetable?" Riley once again blinked a couple of times, "Butst I checked, you turn grey and not green, Miss Hera."


    "Wha¨C"


    "Forget it, old hag," V joined in on the conversation, "The only show he knows is anything rted to Italian Mafia Reborn."


    "Oh¡­" This time, it was Hera''s time to blink, "...I voiced one of the main characters there."


    "!!!"


    And as soon as her words reached Riley''s ears, his eyes instantly widened as he looked Hera in the eyes for the first time. And as soon as Hera noticed this, she let out a small smirk.


    "I can introduce you to some of the voice actors if you visit my agency."


    "Okay," Riley immediately nodded. He was about to say something, but before he could do so, Bernard stepped forward.


    "Now, now," Bernard then pped his hands, "Let my son rest, I am sure he''s tired from everything that''s happened. V, take him to his room."


    "Su¨C"


    "If it is alright, may I explore the surroundings first?"


    "That¨C"


    "That''s fine," and before Bernard could talk, Empress, who had been quiet the whole time, finally spoke up, "The sooner you get ustomed to the base, the better."


    "..." Bernard suddenly shut his mouth as he heard Empress''s words. He also turned to look at Riley, who didn''t seem to have any reaction to anything, as always.


    "Then I will tag along with you," V said as she clung to Riley''s arm, garnering the attention of everyone in the room, "Although the older members may seem bleak, there''s actually a lot of entertainment to--"


    "I¡­


    ¡­would like to explore the base and the surrounding area alone, Victoria."


    ***


    "..." Riley was now floating above the base of the Hope Guild¨C he was given an earpiece that all the members have, but he gently removed it and ced it in his pocket as he flew away. Only stopping as he reached the nearest shore from the base.


    He then stared at the shore for a couple of seconds, before deciding tond on it¨C not even disturbing a single speck of sand as he did so.


    "Everyone¡­" Riley then breathed out. And with those words, several people started emerging from the lush greenery covering the shore¡­


    ¡­several people that looked exactly like him,


    "...Good job. I will take it from here."

 Chapter 260: Farewells and Beginnings

    Chapter 260: Farewells and Beginnings


    "Good job, everyone."


    "It''s Riley!"


    "All Hail, Riley!"


    "Shh!"


    A dozen, or perhaps more than; scattered and emerging from the foliage that resided on the shores surrounding the ck Sea. White hair, white skin¨C almost a part of the sea as they reflected the rays of the moon and stars even more.


    Riley''s clones, all weing him at the same time; their eyes, filled with an emotion that Riley himself was not capable of.


    "Boss."


    One of the clones then stepped forward amidst the crowd, bowing his head at Riley and starting some sort of domino effect as the others soon followed.


    "Ronaldo," Riley then nodded to the clone, who was wearing a different outfit than the others¨C almost a tuxedo that was clean despite all the sand and dirt that surrounded them. As for the others, they were just wearing a ck and white outfit, simr to the prison uniform that Riley was wearing while he was still in the Super Max.


    "Why did you visit us, boss?"


    "I am here to relieve all of you of your duty."


    "W¡­ what?"


    "...Why?"


    "I¡­ was just bornst week."


    "That is enough," the clone called Ronaldo raised his fist in the air, causing the rest of the clones to shut their mouths. Ronaldo also held some sort ofplicated expression on his face, his eyebrows, turning into a frown.


    "May¡­ I ask why we''re being relieved, Boss?" Ronaldo then said; his voice, slightly weak and sedated.


    "You know why, Ronaldo," Riley let out a small but slightly deep sigh, "I will be staying inside the Hope Guild now and no longer need your service."


    "...But can''t the others remain?" Ronaldo closed his eyes before ncing at the other clones, "I have no regrets in disappearing since I have been here for 16 months, 9 days, and 11 hours¨C the longest of any of the other Rileys here. But the others, they have only been here for a very short time."


    "..." Hearing this, Riley looked at the rest of the clones, who immediately looked at him with expressions of expectations and a bit of dismay.


    "No," Riley shook his head, "But I am forever indebted and thankful for everything you have done."


    "...What about Rafaello, boss?"


    "He stays," Riley said as he nced towards the sea.


    "Can¡­ I at least make a request, boss?" Ronaldo then once again stepped forward, his eyebrows, slightly raised while his eyes glisten dimly, "Once we disappear, can we work at the Guesthouse?"


    "The Guesthouse is already at full capacity of Rileys, Ronaldo," Riley shook his head, "I am afraid this is where it ends for all of you."


    And as soon as the other clones heard that, they could not help but all close their eyes, their shoulders, slightly shivering as they subtly rubbed away the tears that were slowly emerging from their trembling eyes.


    "It¡­ it hasn''t been long, but thank you for being like brothers to me."


    "No, I should be the one thanking you."


    "Guess we''ll never personally visit the cinemas."


    "Until next time."


    The clones then all started huddling up; some hugging each other, some saluting, and some shaking their hands.


    "Everyone!" Ronaldo then faced the other clones, stomping his foot on the ground to get their attention. Seeing this, Riley took a step back, allowing Ronaldo to talk with the others alone.


    "Thank you for your service through all this time!" Ronaldo then said as he bowed his head to the other clones, "Until we meet again in origin."


    "...Until we meet again in origin, sir Ronaldo."


    And with those words, the clones once again bowed their heads. And after a few seconds, they returned to saying their farewells to each other; their tears, damping the dry sand and ground beneath their feet.


    "Boss," Ronaldo then nodded his head towards Riley, "We are ready to¨C"


    And before he could even finish his words, the mncholy contained in his face abruptly disappeared; reced by nothing as he straightened his back and stood up straight. It was not only him, the rest of the clones that were previously bidding their goodbyes all stood up straight; the sadness in their eyes,pletely gone¨C leaving only the trail of tears on their faces.


    The only semnce of emotion that remained were the tears that have not yet reached the ground.


    "..." Riley then stared at the lifeless clones in front of him, looking at them while letting out somewhat heavy sighs. Like him, these clones do not really process emotion the way a normal human does.


    They were just replicating memories of Riley, memories of people¡­ or in this case, memories of characters that Riley has watched on TV. Ronaldo, Rafaello, and the other clones, they were all based on the characters from Italian Mafia Reborn.


    The way they talk, the way they express themselves¨C fake. Or perhaps it was better to call it an act. None of them even needed to talk, as their thoughts and everything they see are all connected to Riley''s mind.


    None of them were alive; they were just extensions of Riley. But even so, Riley wanted to give each of them a personality¨C a personality that he himself can''t have and not allowed to have. A personality that made them¡­ even more human than him.


    "Thank you for all your service."


    This time, it was Riley that bowed; even with the clones now frozen and unresponsive¨C only a husk of what they once were,


    "I will take it from here."


    And with those words, the clones all started to melt and wither away¨C their flesh, simr to the ground they stood on; mud, sand, dirt.


    And then, they were¡­ just gone.


    "..." Riley then looked at the ground for a few seconds before floating away. After all, this spot was only one of many that had his clones; surrounding the ck Sea and watching each of the Hope Guild''s movements.


    He still had to fire several more clones.


    ***


    "Where''d you go? You seen the snack bar yet?"


    "No, Tempo."


    After a few more hours, Riley was finally back in the base of the Hope Guild; finding Tempo and Butcher just idling in the lobby and doing their own thing.


    "..." Riley looked around for a few more seconds, before just sitting on one of the sofas and turning on the TV in the living room, quickly logging in his Webflix ount and watching Italian Mafia Reborn.


    "..." Tempo could only look at Riley as he¡­ just suddenly made himself home. He wanted to talk to him about anything, but seeing as Riley seemed so focused with whatever it was he was watching, Tempo just decided to turn to the other member within the vicinity.


    "..." But seeing as Butcher was just wiping his knives and not saying anything¡­ it almost seemed like he was basically alone even though Riley and Butcher were with him.


    "..."


    It took exactly 3 minutes before Tempo finally decided to talk to Riley,


    "Do you even know where you''re staying yet?"


    And as soon as Riley heard Tempo''s words, he immediately turned off the TV and stood up.


    "Not yet, Tempo," Riley shook his head, "Do you have a map? I will continue watching Italian Mafia Reborn in my room since Butcher is cleaning his knives quite loudly here."


    "..." Butcher, who had been trying his best to keep quiet, could not help but almost drop the knife he was wiping. Riley and Alice could not be any more different from each other¡­ and yet they were simr all the same for some reason.


    "You don''t really need a map," Tempo said before he started exining theyout of the Hope Guild and pointing to where Riley''s room is. And as Tempo stated, Riley truly was able to find his room quite easily. His room seemed to be next to Bernard''s¨C but he didn''t seem to be here since he was staying with Diana.


    With their jets flying casually, it should take at least 2 hours to get from the ck Sea back to the US; less than an hour if he wanted to.


    As for Riley¨C he was not really allowed to sleep elsewhere as in a way, his situation was closer to a parole. And tomorrow, he will officially be doing work that the Hope Guild is doing.


    Who knew. Just more than a year ago, he was to killing each of the members of the Hope Guild. If it wasn''t for Megawoman asking not to kill them, then the only member of the Hope Guild left alive today would probably just be Whiteking.


    "..." Riley then finally ced his palm on the door of his room; and as soon as he did so, a voice entered his ears.


    [Confirming identity: Riley Ross.]


    And with those words, the door slid open¨C and throughout everything he had seen, this was probably the most surprising for him. His room, it was set up in the exact same way as his room back in their house.


    Devoid of anything else but a bed; dark and empty. Perhaps the only thing different was the view-- the vast ocean floor of the ck Sea.


    And if he was right... the phone that was resting on the bed was his.


    The phone he was secretly using before he went to the Mega Academy. The phone that contained photos and videos of Megawoman; mangled and beaten.


    "..." Riley then picked up the phone, and since he was able to unlock it with his fingerprint¨C then his assumption was right. What bombarded Riley was Megawoman-- her voice that seemed to always cry for the sake of someone else.


    How long has it been since he trulyst heard her voice? Not from an A.I, but from her.


    "You will find out sooner orter. Or maybe you already know."


    And almost as if he was back to where it started, someone barged into his room; her words, whispering into Riley''s ears.


    "But I know that you''re Darkday."


    "Miss Empress."


    It was Empress, approaching him alone and seemingly without any more fear in her eyes, "I am not here to fight¡­


    ¡­but to request your help."


    "Hm?" Riley then finally turned to face Empress.


    "I know where she is¡­" Empress then only stopped walking as she was a foot away from Riley, "The woman you seemed to have forgotten to find...


    ¡­Megawoman."

 Chapter 261: Where They Lie

    Chapter 261: Where They Lie


    "...Megawoman?"


    Although Empress''s words slightly tickled Riley''s attention, his face didn''t seem to have even a single strand of curiosity in it. The only visible expression he shared was him slowly sitting on his bed, not even looking at Empress as he soon alsoy down on the bed.


    "What about Megawoman?" Riley then said as he stared at the ceiling of his room. And surprisingly enough, even the texture and the color were the same as the room in their house. Did Bernard take some sort of 3-dimensional photo of his room to achieve this?


    "Don''t feign ignorance, Riley Ross," Empress slightly furrowed her eyebrows as she looked down at Riley, "I know you have some sort of infatuation with her. The photos and videos on your phone further prove that; and before you even say that you''re not Darkday, don''t even bother¨C Bernard told me. And don''t worry, I am the only one who knows it. I am not stupid enough to risk the lives of the other members."


    "...Hm."-- was Riley''s only response to Empress''s long words. He did not even stand up as he just looked towards the window; the beautiful view of the dark ocean floor, slightly calming to the eyes.


    "You said you needed my help?" And finally, after a few more seconds of Riley appreciating the view, he finally spoke to Empress.


    "When I learned of your identity, I took it as a mission to try and wake Megawoman," Empress said as she sat on the bed, seemingly not affected by Riley''s presence anymore, "But when I went to the facility that''s supposedly taking care of her, she wasn''t there anymore."


    "...You knew where she was?" Riley said; his voice, still not containing any hint of curiosity as he continued staring at the ocean floor.


    "Of course," Empress let out a small but deep sigh as she slightly shook her head, "Everyone in the Sanctuary knew¨C everyone that she took care of new. I even visited her before and saw how badly she was beaten by you; she was alive butpletely unresponsive."


    "..."


    "But the building she was in is abandoned now," Empress continued, "And when I asked the realtors responsible for taking care of thend, they said the people there just suddenly¡­ left."


    "So where is she now?" Riley muttered, "I assume you know where she is?"


    "I do," Empress nodded as she stood up, "Even if you threaten to kill me, torture me, or even kill a billion people, I will not tell you. Megawoman is the only person I know that can stop you¨C and I know you know it too, why else would you be trying to find her?"


    "What makes you think I am trying to find her?"


    "V told me," Empress let out a tiny scoff, "She told me with a smile on her face how happy she was when she was with you. How it would break the girl''s heart and mind if she finds out who¡­ what you are. I mean, why would you even do that? How could you even make someone fall in love with you? What sort of sick game are you ying at?"


    "You''re the one sleeping with a married man."


    "..." Empress almost choke on her own breath as soon as she heard Riley''s words. But after a few seconds, she just swallowed her pride and turned to face him once again, "Will you help me recover her or not?"


    "This is a very stupid move," Riley still continued to lie on the bed, "Why would you even approach me for something like this? You could have just told me about Megawoman without telling me that you know I am Darkday."


    "...I know you know that I know you''re Darkday."


    "I actually do not," Riley let out a small chuckle; Empress turned to look at the window, only to see Riley looking at her through the reflection; the smile on his face, reaching from ear to ear, "This is the first time I am hearing it, adulterer."


    "That¨C"


    "And why my help, specifically?" Riley continued to look at Empress through the reflection, "Why not just ask for the help of the entire Hope Guild? If it is to rescue Megawoman, then is that not something that requires the attention of the guild?"


    "Because the Government is the one keeping her locked," Empress furrowed her eyebrows, "I can''t involve my team in what might be seen as a rebellion."


    "But you''re willing to involve your team with someone like me?" Riley slightly chuckled.


    "You¡­ are a necessary evil."


    "There is no such thing, Empress. Evil, at its core, is just evil. Seeing it as something other than that is an illusion of grandeur," Riley let out a small and very deep sigh, "What I am is something that should have been erased in this world a long time ago."


    "Either way¡­" Empress slightly furrowed her eyebrows from Riley''s somewhat¡­ emotional words, "...I am still asking for your help."


    "Then why not just go yourself? Why go so far as asking help from someone you know won''t hesitate to just kill you here?"


    "For someone who has antagonized and killed millions of people, you sureck knowledge of what''s happening in the World Government."


    "I don''t care about the government."


    "The Government has their own supers guarding their facilities," Empress breathed out as she looked away, "Dogs at the same caliber as the members of the Hope Guild¨C all Grade-S¡­


    ¡­I can''t infiltrate the facility on my own."


    "And this isn''t a trap to try to kill me?"


    "If you were that easy to kill, I would do it myself," Empress scoffed as she turned her gaze back to Riley, "You¨C"


    But before she could finish her words, she could not help but take a few steps back as Riley¡­ suddenly started to melt.


    "Boss says he is in," Riley whispered as his face soon started to shatter and wither away.


    "W¡­ what?"


    "He will meet you outside, you can exin whatever your n is in person," Riley''s¡­ clone finally turned to look at Empress.


    "Wait, we''re not going now!" Empress did not know where to be shocked more¨C the fact that the one she had been talking to since earlier was just a clone or the fact that Riley wanted to go as soon as he agreed.


    "We are."-- and with those words, Riley''s clonepletely disappeared.


    The only thing that Empress could do was let out her breaths which were probably heavier than the entire base; stuttering and almost a gasp.


    Of course, she was afraid of Riley, how could she not be? All the times she met him as Darkday, he treated her and the rest of the Hope Guild like some sort of¡­ trash that just happened to be in his path¨C kicking them without even any regard.


    What she did just now was nothing but a gamble¨C a gamble on how much Riley valued Megawoman¡­ and how less he thought of Empress and the rest of the people in the base.


    Ever since she had learned of his identity, Empress did nothing but study Riley¨C his autism, condition, his impulse, the things he cares about, his temperament¡­ everything. And Empress knew¡­ that Riley did not even see them as a threat. They were something he could get rid of whenever he wanted to.


    But at the same time, he should hold a little speck of merit in keeping them alive. After all, after Megawoman, they were the only ones that could actually prove to be¡­ enjoyable for him. In short, Riley would not proactively go on his way to kill them.


    Of course, everything was a gamble; and whether or not she was holding a winning card, she doesn''t know yet. All she could do¡­ was not fold; both figuratively and literally.


    Empress continued to breathe; and with each beat, she started to calm down. And after a few more minutes of trying to collect herself, she realized something.


    Riley asked to meet her outside¡­ but where, exactly?


    And as soon as she thought of that, Riley''s phone that was idling on top of the bed started to ring.


    [I will send you the location after this call, Miss Empress.]


    And as soon as she answered, Riley''s voice quickly whispered into her ear, [Do not even try anything funny, or I really will kill a billion of you.]


    "..."


    [Please be safe on your way, goodbye.]


    And with those words, the line got cut off, before another song rang in the air¨C bringing a message containing the location where they were meeting.


    ***


    "I¡­ do not ssify this as meeting outside."


    "How perceptive, Mdy. Boss is currently waiting inside."


    "...What?"


    Empress¡­ was currently surrounded by nothing but a forest of ice. White, as far as the eyes could see. Empress had to stay in the sky for hours just to get to where she is now¨C nowhere in the middle of the Antarctic.


    She had been wondering if this was some sort of n to get rid of her without any trace¡­ but Riley was more than capable of erasing her from the face of the even inside their base, she was sure of it.


    Riley¡­ or at least a clone of him, was currently in front of her; his silhouette, almost merging with the snow and ice that drowned their view.


    "After you, Mdy."


    And with those words whispering into Empress''s ears, a hole started to open from the mountain of ice that was resting behind Riley''s clone.


    "This is¡­"


    "Wee to the Guesthouse," Riley''s clone then bowed as he gestured towards the hole,


    "Congrattions, you¡­


    ¡­are our very first customer."


    **NOTES**


    If you want to support me, you can do so on my P.A.T.R.E.O.N: romeru.


    Would really appreciate any value! I might also start drawing the characters once a certain goal is met. Thank you very much for liking and reading my story, let''s do this shit!

 Chapter 262: The Guesthouse

    Chapter 262: The Guesthouse


    "Congrattions¡­


    ¡­you are our very first customer."


    "...What?"


    Empress could only look at Riley''s clone, who was gesturing for her to enter the hole that was suddenly opened up from the gigantic mountain of ice in front of her. And after a few more seconds of pondering whether or not this was a trap, Empress''s feet finally gained the courage to take a step inside the hole.


    "..." As she entered, however, there was absolutely¡­ nothing inside. It was just a cave; its four walls werepletely frozen and dark.


    "Is this some sort of joke?" Empress then said as she turned around to look at Riley''s clone, "Where is¨C"


    But before she could finish her words, she saw Riley''s clone¡­ gesturing a shush; the entrance, closing as the smile on the clone''s face grew wider.


    "Shit!"


    So it was a trap after all? Empress thought as she rushed towards the healing crevice; the rings around her arms, ringing and vibrating as they let out some sort of whistle; but before she could even take 3 steps, she felt herself falling down as the floor beneath her started to descend¡­ almost like an elevator.


    ¡­So it wasn''t a trap? Or maybe it still is? But seeing as the floor was only gently descending, then does that mean that Riley was still below? Could it be¡­ this is some sort of evilir?


    And with numerous thoughts racing through Empress''s mind; she didn''t even notice that someone was already staring at her¡­ and that the tform she was stepping on had already stopped descending.


    "Aren''t you¡­ Empress?"


    "Who¡­ are you?" Empress muttered as she looked at the man in front of her; his face, adorned with arge scar.


    "This is the Warden."


    The scarred man seemed to want to answer, but before he could do so, Riley¡­ or maybe another one of his clones stepped forward to introduce him instead.


    "He helps me in taking care of the Guesthouse."


    "...Riley?"


    "Close, but no tobo."


    "..." Empress could only squint his eyes as¡­ Riley''s clone approached her; the smile on his face reaching from ear to ear¨C his, however, slightly showed his tongue for some reason.


    "I am Diley," Diley then stood up straight, saluting at Empress as he did so, "The Boss'' second-inmand, most beautiful, and longest working reflection¡­


    ¡­at your service!"


    Diley straightened her back even further; staring Empress straight in the eyes as his salute stood resolute.


    "Where¡­ is Riley?" Empress could not help but feel slightly ufortable with Diley acting the way he is acting right now. She was used to Riley beingpletely¡­ impassive. And to see Diley being somewhat jolly. It was enough to cause even the insides of Empress''s bones to shiver.


    "Boss¡­ is waiting for you at the deepest parts," and with those words, the smile on Diley''s face disappeared; the cave of ice that surrounded them, suddenly turned dark, "Please¡­ follow¨C"


    "Ah! Sir, how many times do I have to tell you not to turn off the lights in the elevator!?"


    And before Diley could even turn around, light once again drowned the white cavern.


    "...That was supposed to be for dramatic purposes," Diley raised his fist in the air; his face, slightly trembling along with his hands as he seemed to be stopping himself from hitting the Warden. But after a few moments, he let out a sigh and turned to Empress,


    "...Follow me, esteemed customer."


    Diley then gestured with his head, not even checking if Empress truly was following him as he walked away.


    "..." Empress didn''t really have any choice, however, as she followed behind Diley; briefly exchanging nces with the Warden, who seemed to be saying something to her. But due to Diley''s fast pace, she was not able to hear even a word of his whisper.


    "Is¡­ this some sort of base?" Empress then just asked Diley.


    "Pft, no," Diley answered without any pause; waving his hand as he continued to walk ahead.


    Empress observed the unusually long hallway that presented itself to her. The walls seemed like they were made with some sort of metal; but no. Upon closer inspection, she was still surrounded by ice¡­


    ¡­and some sort of ss? Empress thought as she trailed her fingers on the walls; only for them to smoothly glide across them without even getting a single drop of moisture. And although they were surrounded by ice, not even a puff of vapor fumed from her mouth¨C the temperature, almost making herfortable.


    "Then what is this ce?"


    "It''s the Guesthouse."


    And almost as if in cue to Diley''s words, a ss door hindered their path, "The Boss keeps all of his pe¨C all of his guests here."


    "...Guests?" Empress once again asked as she passed through the doorway. And almost as if to answer her question¡­ several people weed her.


    But perhaps wee was the wrong word to use, as everyone just ignored her¨C doing absolutely nothing as they all sat in some sort of ss cage.


    "What is this!?" Empress then quickly turned to look at Diley, only for him to knock on the ss cage nearest to them.


    "Wake up!" Diley then said, "Greet our very first customer! Why do you think we''ve been keeping you here for this long!?"


    "What are you¨C"


    "H¡­ hello."


    And before Empress could even make sense of what was happening, the man in the cage¡­ suddenly multiplied.


    "I¡­ I am Replica Ricky," the man then almost choked on his own words; his clones, however, did not even seem to mind as they just continued waving at Empress; the smile on their face¡­ making Empress feel ufortable.


    "..." Empress''s eyes then strayed towards the que resting in front of the ss cage, only for her to let out a small gasp,


    "Replica Ricky¡­ Ricardo Martinez¡­ Born October¡­ Has the power to create multiple copies of¨C What the fuck is this!?" Empress once again turned to Diley, who was now suddenly frowning.


    "What are you doing?" Diley then mmed his fist on the ss cage, causing Replica Ricky to violently flinch,


    "No dinner for youter; failing to impress our first customer, I am disappointed in you, Ricky¡­ Ricky, Ricky," Diley then shook his head several times before proceeding to walk away,


    "Don''t worry, Miss Empress," Diley then stretched his arms wide as he then turned to face Empress, "We still have a lot more guests that would like to¡­ impress you."


    And almost as if a light being switched inside her, Empress finally realized what was happening as she treaded dazed and confused throughout this¡­ human zoo.


    All these people, these supers¡­ they were all the heroes that have gone missing mysteriously whenever Darkday was sighted.


    Riley¡­ was keeping all of them here?


    "What¡­ sort of sick fantasy are you running here?" Empress said; her words, almost causing the air itself to shiver.


    "Oh, you''ll like this one."


    Diley, however, almost as if not hearing her, just continued to walk towards one of the other cages,


    "This one is one of my favorites," Diley chuckled as he knocked on the ss cage. And as soon as he did so, the woman resting inside quickly tried to pounce toward him; only to be blocked by the transparent cage she was confined in.


    "Fuck you! Let me out of here! I swear, once¨C Empress!?"


    The woman then suddenly stopped hitting the ss as soon as her eyes met with Empress; the dark circles on her face, quickly brightened as her frown turned into a smile.


    "Are you¡­ are you here to rescue us!?" The woman then roared, "You... you don''t know how long I''ve been here! I heard you destroyed our bases from No. 7, but that doesn''t matter! Please, we can settle our differencester. This ce... This is Darkday''sir!"


    "..." Empress instinctively turned to look at the woman''s que; and as soon as she did so, her eyes turned wide,


    "Ellie¡­ A member of the Dark Millenium?" Empress gulped, "You''re not only keeping heroes here?"


    "Heroes, viins; they''re all the same, no?" Diley shrugged before once again knocking on Ellie''s cage, "Quick, show our customer what you can¨C"


    [Diley, please don''t dy any further.]


    "..." Diley blinked a couple of times as soon as¡­ Riley''s voice echoed throughout the crystallized menagerie,


    "I guess you won''t be able to show your tricks today," and with his breaths clearly containing hints of disappointment, Diley once again gestured to Empress to follow him, "Too bad, I really liked that one."


    Ellie seemed to be screaming something at Empress; but for some reason, she could no longer hear any of her words. Although she might not look like it, she was actually already thinking of a thousand ways to free all these people¨C but as she walked through the hall of cages, the number of heroes almost equaled that of the viins.


    The government did not report any of these viins to them. She even recognized one or two that previously antagonized the Hope Guild. When their eyes met, however, the man seemed to not recognize her at all; instead, only waved at her with a smile on his face as he disappeared into a dark cloud; appearing instantly in another empty cage.


    "Cool, right?" Diley chuckled,


    "I taught him that one."


    And as soon as he said that, Diley also disappeared; turning into a dark cloud before emerging in front of a door meters away from Empress,


    "Miss Empress, please. Boss is waiting for you," Diley then opened the door, gesturing for Empress to enter.


    Empress tried her best to remain emotionless as she followed Diley; her mind, however, was the definition of chaos. Is it possible¡­ that Riley had the powers of all the people here?


    If so¡­ then is it also possible that this ce is the source of Riley''s powers? If she destroyed this ce, then would Riley''s strength be sapped away?


    "..." And as soon as she thought of that, she could not help but shake her head. Riley''s telekic powers should havee from Alice¡­ and Alice was not here. So this ce really is just what Diley had been exining to her¨C a zoo. Just what sort of sick¨C


    "Empress!?"


    And before Empress''s thoughts could once again put her into a mild stupor, she felt a violent gust of wind building right in front of her. She quickly put up her arm to block the raging ball of wind; causing a loud explosion to thunder through the air.


    She then quickly rushed forward; her fist, already threatening to strike against the woman in front of her¨C Scarlet Mage.


    "You really are working together!" Empress roared as multiple tiny explosions erupted in front of her fist, "You killed all those people in the ne!"


    Scarlet Mage, however, did not answer her; only dancing with her hands as she seemed to be trying to dissipate the sparks emerging from Empress''s fist. Her parry, however, seemed to not be enough as she felt herself being blown away.


    "Die!"


    "I believe that''s enough."


    Empress was about to stomp the fallen Scarlet Mage down, but before she could do so, she felt a hand suddenly but gently holding her shoulder; and almost instantly, the freezing chill that she had been expecting to drown her finally did.


    "I forgot to tell her you wereing."


    Empress then slowly turned her head towards the whisper, only to see eyes that werepletely devoid of any emotions¡­ not looking at her.


    "I apologize for my First Subordinate attacking you, Miss Empress."


    "Riley... Ross."

 Chapter 263: The Woe of the Empress

    Chapter 263: The Woe of the Empress


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    nging.


    The sound of the forks and knives lightly hitting the te was the only noise that was currently whispering into Empress''s ears. She looked to the left, only to see Katherine Reeds staring at her; the steak knife she was holding in her hand, almost pointed at Empress.


    "..."


    She then looked to the right, only to see Riley Ross casually eating seemingly without care.


    Empress then looked behind her, only to see¡­ a couple of Riley''s clones ying ssical music with all sorts of fancy instruments.


    She then looked slightly in front of her, only to see a te that may as well have been served in some 5-star restaurants. Her steak remained untouched, however; for how could she even befortable eating in this kind of situation?


    "Is the dish not to your liking, Miss Empress?"


    The minute chimes then stopped as Riley seemed to have finished eating his meal¨C and immediately, several more clones appeared, taking away his finished te and recing it with¡­ a shaved ice dessert.


    "Please pack Miss Empress''s food, she doesn''t seem to be hungry."


    Empress could not help but subtly flinch as the arms of one of the clones crawled in front of her; expertly taking away her te and recing the cutleries.


    "Would you like to have dessert instead?" The clone then gently whispered as he smiled at Empress.


    "N¡­ no."


    "We cooked up pampoenkoekies just for you, that is your favorite, no?" The clone insisted, "Just try it, we can''t let our very first customer leave with an empty stomach. I am sure the flight here was tedious."


    The clone did not wait for Empress to respond as he went away along with his team of other Waiter Rileys. They also took away Katherine''s te, cing a bowl of ice cream in front of her before leaving.


    "Please forgive my staff again, Miss Empress," Riley let out a small sigh before taking a bite of the sweet shaved ice in front of him, "They hastily made the dessert when they learned you were visiting us."


    "...Are you the original one?" Empress finally asked the question that has been hanging on the tip of her tongue.


    "I suppose, Miss Empress," Riley answered without looking at Empress.


    "Have¡­ you been here the whole time?" Empress''s eyebrows slightly furrowed; her gaze, also ncing at Katherine before moving back towards Riley, "Does that mean you weren''t inside the Super Max in the first ce?"


    "I was in prison, Miss Empress," Riley answered as he took another bite of his dessert, "To rify, the one you weed in the Hope Guild was also me¨C the one who came back after, however, was not; but you already know that since you met it inside my new room."


    "Then¡­ what about her?" Empress then turned to Katherine.


    "Silvermoon is my First Subordinate. She is wherever she wishes to be or wherever I want her to be, Miss Empress," Riley once again answered without any hesitation.


    "Silvermoon?" Empress''s slightly furrowed eyebrows showed her slight confusion,


    "Since¡­ when?"


    "Riley doesn''t need to answer your questions."


    And finally, Katherine, who has been keeping her mouth shut throughout the entire supper, broke her silence, "You were here to discuss Megawoman, right?"


    "What happened to you?" The tone of Empress''s voice suddenly shifted as she turned her eyes towards Katherine; her tone, slightly showing disgust but also a hint of pity, "You were one of the potential heroes that we wanted to recruit in the Hope Guild¡­ but how can you work with someone like him?"


    "That is none of your business."


    "You even involved¨C No. You even used your own mother to make the Seven nes incident possible."


    "How¨C" Katherine almost stood up from her seat as she heard Empress''s words, but calmed down just as fast.


    "How can you even do something like that?" Empress''s tone slightly became perturbed and cold, "You¡­ you were supposed to be a beacon of hope to the people. You were different because you helped in any way you can and¨C"


    "I threatened to torture and kill her mother if she doesn''t be my subordinate."


    "What?"


    And with those words echoing in her ears, Empress quickly turned her head towards Riley; her breaths, almost stoppingpletely.


    "I told her I would first cut her mother''s tongue so that she wouldn''t be able to call for anyone," Riley casually said as he took another bite of his dessert, "Silvermoon is not with me due to her own volition."


    "..." Katherine could not help but look to the side as she heard Riley''s words. ''Own volition''? What does that even mean for her now?


    "You¡­ fucking disgusting evil bastard," Empress''s fists started to tremble; her eyes, however, now contained only pity as they strayed towards Katherine.


    "I¡­ promise I will help you out of the ce you''re in right now, Scarlet Mage," Empress then said as she looked Katherine straight in the eyes,


    "...Or at least, Megawoman will."


    And as soon as Empress uttered those words, the music that subtly whispered in the air abruptly halted. The clones that were ying with their instruments, suddenly leaving the dining hall they were in.


    "She¨C"


    "Before you tell me anything more, may I ask you something, Miss Empress?" Riley finally also ced his spoon over the napkin on the table as he finished his dessert,


    "Since I know now that there are more of you¨C supers that have been personally taken care of by Megawoman¡­


    ¡­Why not just asked her other students for help, Miss Empress?"


    "They¡­" Empress let out a small sigh as she paused, "...I don''t know where the others are. Thest time I was at the sanctuary was when I mentored V¨C but they were no longer there."


    "Are they once again just going to be idle as their mentor is in trouble, Miss Empress?" Riley let out a small but very deep sigh as he shook his head, "This¡­ is truly disappointing. If I was one of her students, then I would have probably killed all of you already¡­ maybe except you, of course¨C you were the only one who even tried to help her back then."


    V was right¨C Empress thought as she listened to Riley''s words. V told her that Riley bes talkative whenever he discussed things that interest him; especially if it was about Megawoman. Just what sort of infatuation did she have with her, exactly?


    "Megawoman was still in the process of healing thest time I saw her."


    And without any more dys, Empress stood up as she started to exin the situation,


    "You¡­ beat her to death. It was a miracle that she was even alive when I saw her."


    "Megawoman is immortal," Riley blinked a couple of times, "Didn''t she tell you?"


    "..." Empress only slightly furrowed her eyebrows as Riley suddenly interrupted her. But after a few seconds, she let out a sigh and continued to exin,


    "She was healing¡­ but she was already conscious," Empress then stated. She waited for Riley to react, but he was just busy staring at her.


    "The doctors and a super capable of healing wounds said that she was on her way to recovery. But due to Megawoman''s biology being slightly different from ours, they really couldn''t give an answer as to when she would fully recover. It could be weeks, months¡­ but they said it was impossible for it to reach a year," Empress''s tone soon became sedated,


    "I¡­ trusted them, of course. But as I told you¨C as I told your clone earlier, the facility is gone."


    "And where is it now, Miss Empress?"


    "I know where," Empress let out a short but very deep breath, "But you will just have to follow me to it¡­


    ¡­and you need to go as Darkday."


    "This sounds like a trap, Riley," Katherine interjected.


    "It''s not," Empress quickly said.


    "Is this all the information you can give me, Miss Empress?" Riley didn''t seem to mind.


    "...Yes," Empress nodded, "I will tell you when the time is right."


    "Riley, I don''t think she is¨C"


    "Okay."


    And before Katherine could finish what she was saying, Riley also stood up, "If that''s all, then shall we return back to the base of the Hope Guild?"


    "...You''re going yourself?" Empress slightly gasped.


    "Yes," Riley blinked a couple of times as he tilted his head, "I only asked a clone to proxy for a while since I missed the taste of my own cooking, Miss Empress."


    Riley then casually walked toward Katherine and gently ced his hand on her cheek,


    "It''s your choice if you wished to go with me when the timees, Silvermoon," Riley then whispered, "In the meantime, will you be alright here on your own?"


    "I¡­ am returning to the Academy in a few more days," Katherine sighed, "The enrollment for the 2nd batch is happening soon. And since the government nned for the Academy to be the sole one in the world¡­ there''s going to be a lot of students."


    "Okay," Riley removed his hand as he walked towards Empress, "Shall we g¨C"


    "Please wait, Boss!"


    And before Riley could finish his words, one of his waiter clones barged inside the dining hall, giving Empress''s takeout before once again leaving abruptly.


    "Shall we go?"


    And with that, Empress and Riley left¨C leaving in a different exit that seemed to solely be used by Riley himself. Of course, it was not really something that Empress could use¡­ since the path was covered by probably a block of hundred-meter-thick ice; only passable via Riley''s masterful control of his monstrous telekic powers.


    And there was also the fact that it was under freezing water. Empress could probably try to break the prisoners free¨C but getting them out alive was another issue.


    "Miss Empress."


    And as the two were flying above the skies and making their way back to the Hope Guild; surprisingly, Riley was the first to open his mouth.


    "...What is it?"


    "Alice Lane-- I heard you tried to rescue me from her when I was still a baby?"


    "...Did Charlotte tell you that?"


    "Amongst other things, Miss Empress."


    "Trust me, I regret trying to save you. If I knew what you will be, then I should have just let Alice kill you."


    "I share the same sentiment, I should have just died then, Miss Empress. The world would have at least did not have to deal with a monster like me."


    "Alice knew... Alice knew what you will be."


    "Diana Ross, what do you know about her?"


    "Why...


    ...are you suddenly asking me about your mothers?"

 Chapter 264: The Greatest Mistake

    Chapter 264: The Greatest Mistake


    "Why¡­ are you suddenly asking me about both your mothers?"


    "Because I gained information in prison that Diana and Alice may have known each other while Alice was in prison."


    "This¡­ is the first I heard of that."


    "Diana Ross might also be a super, Miss Empress."


    "...What?"


    Even with the wind that was violently blowing through her face, The confusion and surprise in Empress''s voice could still be heard clearly and cleanly. If there wasnd that she could probablynd on below the skies, then she would have probably already fallen from the sudden revtion she just heard.


    Diana Ross¡­ a super?


    "You¡­ heard that from prison?" Empress almost stuttered her words.


    "Yes, Miss Empress," Riley nodded; his still hair, almost a contrast to Empress''s hair which almost shivered from the resistance of the violent gust, "That is why I can not fully trust the information. After all, the prison is filled with liars."


    "...Why not just ask your father?"


    "Bernard and I have not really gotten the chance to talk to each other, Miss Empress. If I am right, then he is most probably avoiding me."


    "..."


    "If you know nothing about Diana, then can you answer another of my question, Miss Empress?"


    "What is it now?"


    "Why do you think Bernard allowed me to do all the things I did?" Riley asked as he slightly tilted his head towards Empress, "He could have helped stop what I have be and what I will be, Miss Empress."


    "Because he is your father," Empress replied without any hesitation.


    "For that reason alone?"


    "And because Bernard is an insanely troubled man," the tone of Empress''s voice slowly became sedated, "A truly broken man. He was already like that even before your sister was born¨C A man with that kind of knowledge always be alone no matter how many people surround him. And the only thing keeping him sane are his children."


    "But to keep a monster like me free in the first ce is already insanity, Miss Empress," Riley shook his head, finally allowing his hair to slightly flow in the air, "Alistair Reuben was the closest one to ever really make a difference. Unfortunately for him, he hurt my sister."


    "..."


    "Don''t you find it funny, Miss Empress?"


    "Hm?"


    "That the people who had the capacity to end me were all humans?" Riley let out a small and very short sigh.


    "Megawoman was not."


    "Megawoman can not end me, Miss Empress," Riley once again sighed, "None of you can. At the very least, it is what I believe. But I suppose none of those really matter because I am now truly without end¨C or at least until Megawoman says otherwise."


    "...What do you mean?"


    "I believe Megawoman is immortal. And therefore I am."


    "You¡­ copied Megawoman''s powers?"


    And this time, Empress stopped her flight¨C causing the cloud beneath her to be blown away into almost an arc.


    "I suppose, Miss Empress," Riley also stopped; but unlike with Empress, he did not disturb any of the natural forces around him, "I believe I already told you that you were right in your assumption that I can copy the powers of those that are super-abled in one of our previous conversations? Of course, I would copy Megawoman''s powers."


    "But¡­ to what extent?" Empress''s breaths started to slightly stagger as she looked at Riley''s entire silhouette.


    "All of them."


    And with just those words, the fear that Empress have been securely hiding deep within her started to surface; almost like a shadow that was eating away the candle that she so dearly tried to cover.


    And with the light fading, so did Riley''s white exterior¨C reced with nothing but the dark. Throughout their interactions, Empress has almost forgotten that the entity she was talking to was nothing but a monster.


    But still, there was something that Empress truly wanted to know, even if it would cause it her life.


    "...How?" Empress then let out a long and stuttering breath.


    "Hm?" Riley tilted his head.


    "How are you able to copy people''s powers?" Empress gulped, "I know your grandmother can copy abilities by having physical contact with another super. I am not too sure to what extent, but hers is temporary¡­ but you¡­ how do you do it?"


    Of course. Empress knew that what she was asking Riley was not something he would probably give away meaninglessly, but¨C


    "I die, Miss Empress."


    "...What?"


    "Each time I die, I live again having the powers of the one who killed me," Riley blinked a couple of times as he faced Empress,


    "It is quite a powerful ability, don''t you think?"


    "...What?" Empress started to slowly descend from the sky as she heard Riley''s words,


    "Are you¡­ fucking with me right now?"-- Were the only words she could muster. Why would he just casually say that to her, someone who took an oath to end his life? Why would he reveal something like that¡­


    ¡­and so casually?


    Was that it? Was he joking?


    And as soon as she thought of that, Empress started to force out a chuckle, "You¡­ you''re fucking with me, right?"


    "No, Miss Empress," Riley once again blinked a couple of times, "My penis is not in any of your orifices. I thought we were talking about my ability?"


    "What the fuck¡­" Empress''s breaths stuttered as her body continued to descend, "Why¡­ why was someone like you granted a power like that? Why¡­ you? And how¡­ how does a power like that even work? How¡­ how can you evene back to life when¨C"


    "I do not know the answer to that question, Miss Empress," Riley shook his head as he also descended and followed Empress, "How does your power work?"


    "You¡­" Empress was no longer looking at Riley and was just instead shaking her head as she looked down.


    "At first, I thought my powers were just telekinesis. But when Replica Ricky stabbed me when I was just starting as Darkday, he killed me. I didn''t think I lost consciousness¡­


    ¡­I just knew I died. And¨C are you still listening, Miss Empress?"


    "Y¡­ Yes?" Empress only turned her eyes as she instinctively answered Riley''s question.


    "Okay. Talking to you reminds me of my talks with Megawoman, it is quitefortable. Maybe because you were one of her students?" Riley let out a small smile as the two continued to slowly fall,


    "And so, when I was reborn, the knife was still lodged in my back¡­" Riley then continued his story, "...Diley pulled it out and operated it on me, closing the wound just as Diana and Bernard taught me."


    "Diley?" Empress''s words just floated in the air, "Your¡­ clone?"


    "The very first one, Miss Empress," Riley nodded; almost as if proud of himself, "And like how I know I died, I know how to use Replica Ricky''s abilities. But since I was still confused, I decided to ask for Replica Ricky''s help. He tried to escape for some reason, so Diley and I put him in the arctic. Did you know I also shared this info with Megawoman?"


    Empress no longer knew what to believe as Riley''s words keep on piercing her ears. The information that was being shared with her right now was truly only something one could watch in a movie.


    A being that grew stronger every time it died? Then wouldn''t the name Phoenix suit Riley more than his own mother? But why¡­


    "...Why did it have to be to someone like you? Why was someone like you granted that¨C" And before Empress could finish her words, a realization came to her as she reyed Riley''s story over and over in her head.


    "Wait¡­ Wait," Empress''s descent to the ground stopped; the sea, only meters away from their feet now, "If you gain the powers¡­ doesn''t that mean¡­ doesn''t that mean that¡­"


    Alice Lane¡­ killed Riley. On that day 17 years ago¡­ Riley died. Then wouldn''t this mean¡­


    "All of this¡­" Empress''s lips started to shiver as she looked at Riley, "You¡­ I created you?"


    "...You''re not my biological mother, Miss Empress."


    "No¡­ I could have stopped¡­ I could have stopped you from ever bing Darkday," Empress forced out a chuckle as tears suddenly trailed on her face, "I was¡­ I was there¡­ I could have stopped¡­"


    "Yes. Grandmother Charlotte told me the story, Miss Empress," Riley nodded, "But I believe I would have be Darkday either way. It¡­


    ¡­is just what I am meant to be."


    "...No," Empress shook her head as memories of Riley as an infant surfaced from her mind;


    His smile, albeit always creepy even back then, was a smile of happy innocence.


    The way he liked to be cuddled.


    His high-pitched waves ofughter that whispered throughout their previous base.


    The little words he learned every day and always tried to use to talk to the others¡­


    "Oh¡­ no," Empress covered her face as her frustrations came out like a wailing woe,


    "You¡­ you weren''t meant to be a monster."


    All these years of Empress masquerading as a hero; all these years that she tried to save people. All this time¡­ she wasn''t able to save the one life that would have truly made an impact on the entire world¨C


    "You¡­"


    Empress then turned to look Riley straight in the eyes,


    "...You were meant to be the best of us."

 Chapter 265: Signal

    Chapter 265: Signal


    VR 265


    "...You were meant to be the best of us."


    With those words whispering into Riley''s ears; the only response he gave Empress was a slightly confused tilt of his head. He seemed to be thinking something as he nced to the side, but after a few more seconds of this somewhat sudden silence, he opened his mouth.


    "I am."


    Riley muttered without even batting an eye, "I defeated Megawoman, Miss Empress. And Megawoman was the best for a hundred years, but now it is me."


    "No¡­" Empress once again shook her head in frustration,


    "...That''s not what I¨C This isn''t fucking happening!" Empress shouted before letting out a shrieking roar¨C causing the sea beneath them to violently ripple out and explode. "There¡­ there were so many things I could have done. Even¡­ even if I wasn''t able to stop Alice, I could have still adopted you instead of leaving you to a broken man. What¡­ what was I even thinking leaving you to someone like Bernard?"


    "Are you okay, Miss Empress?" Riley once again tilted his head as his confusion seemed to be reaching its peak, "Why are you worrying about the past?"


    "Because the past is everything!" Empress once again let out her frustration with a sorrowful scream. As for Riley, he was just looking at Empress as if she was some sort of¡­


    "Could it be that you are also on the spectrum, Miss Empress?" Riley muttered as he slightly floated away from Empress, "At first you were wary and a little scared of me, then you were not. And now, you are speaking about the past and how you could have stopped me from bing Darkday. Do you¡­ perhaps have a personality disorder?"


    "You¨C"


    Empress was about to once again voice out her frustrations, but before she could do so, one of the golden bangles attached around her arms started to light up in red. And as soon as it did so, Empress pressed on her ear.


    "...What''s the situation?" And although Empress''s tone was still a little distraught, her demeanor almost instantly changed as she seemed to be talking to someone on her radio.


    "In Brazil? Yes, we''re near," Empress then said before taking a small nce at Riley, "Riley Ross. What do you mean why am I with him? I''m trying to orient him since he''s the newest member¡­ Alright, send me all the details."


    "Was that from the HQ, Miss Empress?" Riley then asked as soon as Empress dropped the call.


    "...Yes," Empress was obviously still shaken from the conversation they just had. But still, any signs of her wanting to continue the conversation could no longer be seen as she tapped the blinking bangle on her arm; and as soon as she did so, it quickly released a hologram of a map,


    "A viin is wreaking havoc in Brazil," Empress then said as she started flying away; and Riley, almost as if a rope was attached to him, followed Empress without any dy,


    "Since you still don''t have any of our tools, just take a look. Let''s¡­ continue our conversation some other time, saving the people takes priority above all else."


    Empress then stretched her arm towards Riley as they continued to fly, showing him the hologram that contained the viin''s profile.


    "Grade-C Superviin?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he quickly scanned the data, "I thought Hope Guild only responded to a threat that needs their attention, Miss Empress?"


    "...In usual cases, we wouldn''t really respond to this kind of call," Empress muttered, "...But this one seemed to have tamed a homunculus."


    "...Homunculus?"


    "The monsters¨C Megawoman''s clones," Empress nodded, "And they vary from Grade-B to Grade-A."


    "And that needs your attention?" Riley voiced out his skepticism.


    "Yes," Empress nodded, "Because, unlike humans, these homunculi only know how to kill people. Almost as if it''s their mission to just kill anything that even dares to whisper a breath."


    "..." Riley no longer said anything as he followed Empress. The homunculi he fought back in Los Angeles, the young clones, and Aerith¨C it is true that they seemed to be actively killing any sign of movements.


    But there was also the fact that most of them seemed to target him. Whatever Alistair Reuben did, these monsters were probably somehow programmed to kill him on sight.


    So Grandmother Charlotte was right, Riley thought. If these clones are programmed to attack him, then the world has gotten much more enjoyable.


    The two continued to fly through the skies in silence; with the only thing breaking it was the asional explosions that came from the skirt of wind that bloomed from the two. And finally, after minutes more of their seemingly unending flight, they reached their destination¨C a country gued by destruction.


    "Your priority is to save people, Riley."


    And with those words, Empress propelled and plunged herself down to the ground. And as soon as she did so, the people that were panicking and running momentarily stopped to look at her. They seemed to be wanting to say anything as their trembling and weary eyes stared at her.


    And to this, Empress only had a single response,


    "Run and get to safety. We''ll take it from here."


    And they did, they all run; nodding their heads almost as if to thank Empress. Parts of Brazil¡­ were already broken. As one of the sites in which Darkday and Megawoman fought, a tiny perfect of the country was almost wiped out entirely¨C simr to Toronto.


    But unlike Toronto, however, there were still a lot of buildings intact. These buildings, however, were mostly abandoned and left behind. And because of that, the number of people that needed saving and to be evacuated elsewhere was at its lowest.


    Even after more than a year, the city that Darkday decimated still has not recovered¡­ and now, another problem arose for them¨C another monster, and this time, also aesthetically.


    "..." Empress looked at the homunculus in front of her. Tworge arms that reached the ground even while standing; a face that seemed to be attached to its chest.


    Truly, a monster.


    She then turned to look at the Grade-C Superviin¨C a man that just¡­ looked like any other man; inconspicuous, and daresay forgettable, Empress thought. The viin has the power to tame any kind of animal, raging from rodents to elephants.


    He could probably kill the man with a single pebble, but since he seemed to be the only reason why the homunculus was not making it its life duty to kill the evacuating people.


    "Tell the homunculus to stop moving," Empress then started to dialog with the Grade-C Superviin, "Or I will be the one to force you to stop, Dominique."


    "...Empress?" The Grade-C Superviin could not help but take a step back, causing the homunculus to do the same, "Wait, I¨C"


    "!!!"


    And before the Grade-C Superviin could finish his words, his entire body suddenly and instantly exploded; turning into a mist of blood along with the homunculus that was beside him.


    "Threat neutralized, Miss Empress."


    A short breath then whispered into Empress''s ears as Riley slowly descended beside her.


    "Did¡­ you just kill that man?" Empress almost stuttered as she turned her head towards Riley.


    "Yes, Miss Empress," Riley nodded as he softlynded, "Since the fastest way for the civilians to return to safety is to eliminate the threat as soon as it''s given birth¡­


    ¡­but as you can see," Riley then pointed towards the blob of guts on the ground,


    "The homunculus is already healing."


    ***


    "...Hm?"


    Inside arge hall that seemed to be filled with screens andputers, one of the people that were stationed in front of aputer lightly pushed himself away from the screen; his office chair, almost hitting the desk behind him as he did.


    He then turned his head to both the desks beside his, only to see his colleagues not even noticing his sudden retreat.


    "Am¡­ I the only one seeing this?" The man then said as his feet crawled back; pushing the office chair back to his desk. He then squinted his eyes towards the screen; after a few more nces back and forth, however, his eyes started to widen.


    "Unit 4B, requesting to center my disy on therge screen!"


    And as soon as he raised his hand; therge screen that was in front of all the desks and people started to disy Unit 4B''s screen; garnering the attention of everyone within therge auditorium.


    And it didn''t take long, however, before the people''s jaws and their headsets fell to the ground.


    "What¡­ is that thing?" A whisper then quietly echoed throughout the entire hall as they stare at the screen. The screen seemed to show a view of the darkness that surrounded the, outer space.


    And within that supposed darkness, was a thread of light¨C arge one.


    "Could it be¡­ an extraterrestrial spaceship?"


    The¡­rge silhouette that was stered with all sorts of light started to grow closer and closer¡­ and soon, the screen just shut down.


    "F¡­ fuck," one of the workers stood up; almost causing his chair to fall, "Call... call anyone getting paid more than us! Tell... tell them...


    "We¡­ are finally getting visited."

 Chapter 266: We are not here

    Chapter 266: We are not here


    "You¡­ didn''t have to kill him."


    While Empress was looking at the viin''s almost unrecognizable corpse, Riley was busy looking at the homunculus, which was already regenerating from only having a single drop of blood left. Riley had overlooked this during the first encounter in Los Angeles, but this kind of healing ability¡­ wasn''t it too fast?


    Julius was also able to recover from any sort of wound almost instantly¡­ and their powers all belonged to Megawoman.


    "..." Riley then looked at his hand¡­ before one of his fingers was suddenly sliced off. Empress was about to say something as she saw this; but before she could even open her mouth, the number of fingers on Riley''s hand was once again what it was just moments ago.


    Empress''s eyes turned wide from this scene; Riley, on the other hand, just stared at his finger, waiting to see if another Riley would grow from it¨C but nothing. His eyes then returned to his hand, checking if his finger worked the same as before, and it did.


    This kind of healing ability was from Megawoman. Then by all means¡­ Riley shouldn''t have been able to beat her the way he did. Was it possible that her regenerating abilities just lost their effectiveness because of their long battle?


    ¡­Or did Megawoman just allow herself to lose?


    "...You didn''t have to kill the target."


    Empress was slowly getting used to Riley''s weirdness as she repeated her words, "We could have easily neutralized a Grade-C viin without killing him."


    "I only opted for the fastest and most effective option, Miss Empress," Riley said as he looked at the recovering homunculus; still deformed, but its limbs were already slowly allowing it to crawl on the ground,


    "And I have been in prison. I believe it would be better not to take any as the food is unptable, they wouldn''t like it."


    "...What?"


    And with those words, the homunculus was finally able to fully recover¨C immediately rushing its way towards Riley as it did so. But before it could crawl 3 meters from its spot, Empress suddenly appeared above it; both their backs, facing each other with Empress having her hand on one of the homunculus'' limbs as she continued to almost pirouette. The limb she was grabbing, forcefully being torn off. She then pierced the detached limb straight onto the homunculus'' face, which was positioned at its buttocks, causing a ripple to echo throughout the ground, blowing away the cars that were unfortunately parked nearby.


    And before the homunculus could even utter a single movement, Empress once again pulled off another limb; this time, piercing the homunculus on the chest.


    "..." Riley watched as Empress disappeared from her spot, only to return wielding some sort ofmp post¡­ which she used as a stake topletely pin down the homunculus on the ground. And now, with amp post and two limbs attaching it to the ground, the homunculus was no longer able to stand up; even after it regenerated its dismembered limbs.


    Empress''s somewhat deep sigh whispered in the air as she backed away; her eyes, staring at the wriggling and struggling homunculus. She then removed one of the rings around her arms before throwing it on top of the monster; and as soon as she did so, the ring began to let out a raging, and violent burst of green lightning.


    An ufortable shrilling wail then reverberated through the air;sting exactly 9 seconds before fading, and along with it, any movements that came from the homunculus.


    Empress did not seem to let her guard down, however, as she continued to stare at the homunculus. But after confirming that it truly was dead, she once again let out a sigh.


    "Electricity is their weakness," Empress then muttered as she approached Riley, "But I guess you already know that since your group was the first to make contact with them."


    "The ones in Los Angeles survived Victoria''s electricity, Miss Empress."


    "...Yes," Empress once again sighed,


    "There are variants that are stronger than the rest, but this one isn''t one of them," she then said as she looked at the fried homunculus.


    "They all smell like fried chicken, Miss Empress."


    "...Please don''t put that image in my head," Empress shook her head as soon as she heard Riley''s words. She was about to say something else, but before she could do so, the civilians that were hiding nearby the ruined infrastructures and debris all started to emerge.


    "It''s alright now," Empress then quickly raised her hand in the air, "The threat is gone, please wait for the Viin Aftermath Assistance Unit. Please help those that are injured and gather in a single¨C"


    "Why¡­ did you kill Whipper?"


    But before she could finish the words of protocol she has been saying for a thousand times, the faces of the civilians began to frown.


    "...Whipper?" Empress raised an eyebrow. She couldn''t understand the other words that the civilian said, but she caught onto that word for some reason.


    "The Grade-C Superviin, Miss Empress," Riley was the one to answer Empress''s confusion, "They are asking us why we killed him."


    "He was trying to help us!" Another civilian began to approach the two of them, "He was trying to hold the homunculus!"


    "..." Even with the voices of the people starting to thunder, Empress still held a calm; almost stoic expression. Not even saying or looking at the civilians and instead just walking nearer to Riley.


    "I don''t know what they''re saying, but we should leave," Empress then whispered.


    "Don''t even try to leave! I caught everything on camera!"


    "..." Empress slightly furrowed her eyebrows as she saw one of the civilians suddenly raising a phone towards them. Although she couldn''t understand anything, it was clear what the civilian was trying to say. She only seemed slightly bothered, however.


    "Let''s leave, we did what we¨C" Empress was about to fly away, but before she could do so, Riley stepped forward.


    "What¡­ are you doing?" Empress then asked as Riley started talking to the civilian that was recording. She couldn''t understand what the two were saying, but seeing as the civilian''s expression was turning for the worse, then their conversation¡­ was probably not going well for the two of them.


    Riley then took a step back, before turning around to look at Empress. As soon as he did so, however¡­ the civilian that was holding the phone was split in half.


    "!!!"


    Empress was about to rush towards Riley, but then noticed that the one who sliced the civilian in half was not him, but another homunculus¨C No. Empress nced at the dead homunculus she had pinned on the ground just earlier, only to see that it was no longer there.


    "It was still alive!?" Empress could only grit her teeth as she changed trajectory, her fist, already heading straight towards the face of the raging homunculus. But as she was only a meter away from it, the homunculus suddenly increased in speed¨C killing another civilian.


    "It got stronge¨C"


    Empress was not able to finish her words as the homunculus suddenly appeared in front of her; plunging itsrge body towards her and causing her to fly a few meters in the air. And as if seemingly taking this chance, the homunculus started mowing down all the civilians within the vicinity¨C killing them within the span of seconds.


    "Shit!" Empress quickly propelled herself towards the homunculus, but as she was only a meter away from it¡­


    "...What?"


    The homunculus suddenly dropped to the ground.


    "Let''s go, Miss Empress."


    Empress then heard Riley whisper, but he was already flying away.


    "W¡­ what?" Empress then turned to look back at the homunculus¡­ which was clearly already dead. She then turned to look at the dead civilians for a few seconds before following Riley.


    "What did you do!?"


    "The fastest and most effective way to deal with the problem, Miss Empress," Riley answered without even looking at Empress; who was rushing to follow him from behind.


    "You controlled the homunculus to kill all those people!"


    "Whipper did that, Miss Empress."


    "The guy was dead!"


    "Maybe."


    "What do you mean maybe!?"


    "We weren''t there when it happened."


    "...What?"


    "They were already dead before we could respond, Miss Empress," Riley let out a small sigh as he finally took a small nce at Empress, "And if you are worried about the video, then you do not have to¨C the woman was not able to upload it yet, I asked her."


    "Even if there was a video, your father could have handled that! There was no need to¨C" Empress was about to say more, but she finally once again remembered who she was talking to,


    "Why¡­ why do you treat people as if they''re just insects, Riley?"


    "That is not true, Miss Empress," Riley shook his head, "I¡­


    ¡­don''t like killing insects."


    ***


    "Can you try making contact with them?"


    "We''re still trying to figure out their signal, sir."


    "Have they done anything? How far away are they from us?"


    "384,396 kilometers, sir. The same distance as the moon."


    Back in the NASA headquarters, the people were currently scrambling, panicking, and feeling excited all at the same time. Some, however, can''t help but feel somewhat fearful of the seeminglyrge ship that was being shown on the screen.


    "Does it look like a Theran ship? Can we identify whether they''re Themarians?"


    "N¡­ not until we make contact."


    "What''s the nearest satellite we have near it?" A man that was wearing an office suit currently had his hand ced on the shoulder of a scientist.


    "The one that is capturing the feed, sir."


    "...Is it manned?"


    "Yes, sir."


    "Good¡­


    ¡­tell them to approach the ship."


    "...Sir?"


    **NOTES**


    If you want to support me, you can do so on my P.A.T.R.E.O.N: romeru.


    Would really appreciate any value! I might also start drawing the characters once a certain goal is met. Thank you very much for liking and reading my story, let''s do this shit!

 Chapter 267: Audition

    Chapter 267: Audition


    "For the 2nd time, I would¡­ like to officially wee the newest member of our team, Riley Ross."


    A mix of quiet apuse and nods whispered in the air as the members of the Hope Guild gathered in their meeting hall. Everyone all carried different expressions on their faces; someplicated, some happy, excited, and some just¡­ worried.


    As for Riley, he was busy looking at the almost hundreds of screens that were stered all over the walls of the meeting hall. Some were turned on to the news, some were live feed from surveince cameras that Bernard no doubt hacked, some were view from above; no doubt from satellites that Bernard also hacked.


    One would think Bernard to just be a minor part of the Hope Guild¡­ but wasn''t the whole guild basically operating on him? He was as much a foundation as the very base they were currently standing on.


    Their outfits were upgraded by him, theirms, their base¨C everything was running through Bernard. And yet¡­


    ¡­Why wasn''t he here right now?


    But why? Riley thought. Because Riley now knows that Bernard knows that he is Darkday? That really shouldn''t change much between them, right?


    "If you''re trying to find Whiteking, then he is currently out on a mission," Tempo leaned closer to whisper, "He operates differently than the rest of us since he also works for the government. Don''t tell him I told you."


    "...What are you telling to the new kid?" Hera, who was also sitting next to Tempo, quickly pulled him away, "Stop infecting him with your perverseness."


    "What did you¨C"


    "Ahem."


    And before the two could start arguing with each other, Empress loudly cleared her throat to get everyone''s attention, "Let''s discuss the reason why I called all of us here today¨C about the call yesterday."


    "Yeah, tragic," Hera let out a small sigh, "But things like that happen every time, what''s so special about this one?"


    "We were there when they died," Empress then stated; causing Riley to slightly tilt his head to the side.


    "I asked Whiteking to cover it up," Empress continued. But even then, no one seemed to give any violent reaction as they all listened to what Empress had to say, "The homunculus¡­ was one of the abnormal ones, it killed all the civilians as soon as they got out of hiding."


    "...Shit," Tempo could not help but close his eyes; letting out a long and very deep breath as he shook his head, "Just when are these things going to die out?"


    "Before they were killed, the civilians said something that caught my attention," Empress raised her hand to once again gather everyone''s attention to her, "The viin that we were called there to neutralize, Whipper¡­ the civilians told us that he was there trying to contain the homunculus and actually save them."


    "...What?" Tempo blinked a couple of times as he heard Empress''s words, "But the distress call clearly stated that the viin was wreaking havoc?"


    Tempo was the one to take the call as he was the only one on the base at that moment. He could have been the one to respond, but their system detected that Empress was near the site. So he was sure¡­


    "...It was a call to neutralize the viin," Tempo muttered.


    "I don''t get it," V, who was sitting opposite Riley, was resting her head on the table, "A viin is a viin, who knows what he was really up to. If he was really trying to tame it or whatever, then the damage wouldn''t have been that great."


    "It might just be nothing," Empress let out a sigh as she heard V''s words, "But still, practice caution when responding to calls for now. The government''s been taking a lot of k the past few months, they might be cooking up something¨C especially since Riley is with us."


    "Me?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "Does the government want something from me, Miss Empress?"


    "They want your head," Butcher, who has been keeping quiet throughout the entire meeting, finally spoke up, "You caused an enormous problem for them during the incident with the HM Prison Leeds. Even though the evidence against you was air-tight, the moment it was dismissed, the masses that supported the government was reduced by 62.8%."


    "I think what the 6-footer is trying to say here is that since you''re here," Hera stood up as she looked at Empress, "The government wants to make us look bad or something since we got whitey here free, right?"


    "Damn, fuck those government fucks," the limiter on V''s back started to trickle, "They think they can defame Riley again?"


    Empress could only let out a sigh as she heard the displeasure in everyone''s voice. If only they knew that who they were trying to defend was someone who almost killed them more than once.


    "Alright, that''s all," Empress then stood up from her seat, "Just be careful responding to calls for now. If needed, then ask Whiteking for help."


    "This doesn''t change anything," V also stood up, "They can hate us all they want, we''re still gonna save them at the end of the day because that''s why we were born in the first ce. To use our curse as a blessing to those that could not¨C"


    "What''s gotten into you?" Hera let out a loud scoff, "Is our little princess showing off to his new boyfriend?"


    "B¡­ boyfriend!?" The sparks on V''s back grew even more violent, "I¡­ I mean, we could be¡­ but we haven''t reallybeled ourselves or anything like that but¡­ maybe we can talk about itter alone, Riley?"


    "Nope."


    V was about to approach Riley, but before she could do so, Hera blocked her path,


    "Lover boy here and I have other ns today. Since Empress already oriented her yesterday, then it''s my time to show the boy the ropes."


    Hera said as she tied up her long hair into ponytail, before wearing a baseball cap and sunsses to hide her brown, almost yellow eyes.


    "ns? What ns?" V furrowed her eyebrows. As for the others, they seemed to not want anything to do with the conversation as they left one by one, leaving only Riley and the two girls in the meeting hall.


    "I do not remember making ns with you, Miss Hera." Even Riley seemed a bit confused as he stood up to face her.


    "I told you I was going to introduce you to the other voice actors of the animated series, right?" Hera smiled, "We happen to be meeting in the studio today to record for a new OVA."


    "A¡­ new OVA?" Riley almost took a few steps back as he heard Hera''s words,


    "Let''s go now, Miss Hera. Let me just change to my superhero outfit."


    And with those words, V was left alone in the meeting hall.


    "Did¡­ I just lose to an anime?"


    ***


    "...By the way, whichnguage did you watch the series?"


    "All that was avable, Miss Empress."


    "R¡­ really?"


    Riley and Empress were now riding on an elevator inside the building of Hera''s agency¨C Superhero LimeLight Entertainment or SLL Entertainment for short.


    And as their name suggests, most of their stars were supers. And as a member of the Hope Guild, Hera was one of their biggest names. And due to that, they had to take the ''secret'' elevator behind the building to avoid the fans that were waiting for celebrities at the entrance.


    "...That''s good, then," Hera then let out a small sigh that echoed through the small elevator, "I was worried since we''ll only be meeting the English voice actors. I did the Japanese, English, and Chinese for my character since she only has a few lines."


    "Hm," Riley only nodded several times in response, "That is very good, Miss Hera. I will let you live when the timees."


    "...Thanks?"


    And after that, was silence. It was a good thing that there were only a few more floors, or else the atmosphere might have caused Hera to ask what Riley meant by that¡­ and she didn''t really want to know.


    And finally, after a few more seconds, they arrived at the floor where the voice actors were meeting.


    "Ah, Hera is here, everyone!"


    And immediately, as they entered the hall they were assigned, the people all started to greet Hera one by one with smiles on their faces.


    As for Riley, he was still nodding his head. As expected of someone who was involved in the creation of Italian Mafia Reborn, everyone could not wait to shake hands with her.


    "They''re all fake."


    And as Riley was looking around at the crowd of people, Hera leaned closer to him and whispered, "Everyone here is jealous of each other, the faster you get that, the better."


    "Hm¡­ As expected, even the voice actors of the characters are quite cunning, Miss Hera."


    "...That''s not what I meant," Hera could only roll her eyes as she removed her sunsses, "Anyway, follow me. I''ll introduce you to my manager¨C Oh, speak of the devil."


    And before Hera could finish her words, a woman that had huge bags under her eyes approached the two of them,


    "Hera¡­ you''rete again," the woman then said; her breath, stinking of the smell of coffee and cigarette. But as soon as her eyes strayed towards Riley, she quickly stood up straight and fixed anything she needed to fix on her,


    "Riley Ross!" The woman then screamed, once again gathering the attention towards Hera, "You''re finally here! Quick, quick¡­


    ¡­get him ready for the audition!"


    ***


    "Have we made contact with the ship yet?"


    Somewhere in NASA, all the people that were sitting and staring in front of their monitors had red and almost swelling eyes already. They have been monitoring the unidentified foreign object that was¡­ sitting idly hundreds of thousands of kilometers away from Earth¨C always opposite of where the moon was.


    "Not yet, sir. The people in the nearest manned satellite are refusing to approach the subject, sir."


    "What? What do you mean refusing!? Are they disobeying orders from the government?"


    "...They are allowed to do that, sir. Since we don''t know¨C"


    "Tell them to do it or their families will get in an ident."


    And suddenly, several men wearing sunsses entered the control room; their ties, all the same color¨C gold.


    "W¡­ what the!? Who told you people you can just enter here!? Who¡­


    ¡­do you think you are!?"


    "The Government."

 Chapter 268: Splitting Bad

    Chapter 268: Splitting Bad


    Chaos.


    Perhaps something that Riley had only seen apanied by death and torture. But this time, the former was not present. There were only the tortured breaths and sighs of the seemingly overworked people that worked in the entertainment industry.


    He had seen someone running around without pause since earlier, either having coffee, a camera, lights, make-up, or a chair in his arms. There was also one person that couldn''t stop screaming at people for some reason.


    But all of these, however, were ignored by Hera as her face was currently being brushed by all sorts of make-up. As for Riley¡­ the same thing seems to be being done to him.


    "...I thought we were meeting with the other voice actors of Italian Mafia Reborn, Miss Hera?"


    "We are, in a few minutes."


    "Bu¨C"


    "Stop moving your lips, hun."


    And before Riley could finish his words, he could not help but look at his reflection in the mirror in front of him, only to see a sort of lip balm brushing across his lips. Hera had specifically told the make-up artists not to touch him directly¡­ but it didn''t seem to be a problem since the stylist handling Riley had the same abilities as him¨C telekinesis.


    "My¡­ I''m not even needed here."


    "..." A person then came into view in the mirror, standing behind Riley and looking at his face through the reflection, "You have the most beautiful and wless skin of all the people I have worked with. I''ve worked on an albino before, but she had a lot of marks on her face. But you¡­ you''re like an elf, aren''t you, hun? What''s your secret, eh? Why is your face not imperfect like the other albinos?"


    "Imperfect?" Riley slightly furrowed his eyebrows, "I believe there''s no such thing as an imperfect face¨C only imperfect perceptions of beauty. The value of a human is not measured by their physical appearance, but by the way they scream, stylist."


    "I didn''t mean anything by¨C Wait, what?"


    "If you''re done, then stop bothering him, Chrissy," Hera seemed to also be done with her make-up as she stood up from her seat; her assistants, quickly helping her get dressed,


    "Don''t bother with what they''re saying, whitey," Hera then reced the stylist as she stood behind Riley, "But you do look really good there now that your hair is fixed."


    With the light hitting them in all ces, the contrast between Hera''s slightly brown skin and Riley''s almost blindingly white skin became more obvious. And now, without her cap and sunsses, Riley could finally see Hera''s face clearly.


    Even before, it was either covered in dirt or blood, or she was in her titan form. And so, seeing her now, she truly did look like someone who would star and model in themercials on TV back when Webflix still did not stream Italian Mafia Reborn.


    "Let''s go," Hera then lightly spun Riley''s chair and removed the apron hanging on his shoulders, "I think we had the CDs waiting for too long already."


    "...CDs?" Riley blinked his eyes a couple of times as he stood up; his confusion that rarely showed itself, slowly surfacing through his mind.


    "Casting directors," Hera let out a small grin as she nced at Riley before walking; and immediately as she did so, several of her assistants began following her, "You''re reading for a part in a TV show I''m currently starring in."


    "...Why, Miss Hera?"


    "I told you, it''s a deal, right?" Hera muttered, "I let you meet the cast of Italian Mafia Reborn, and you do me a favor¨C it''s a win-win for you either way, especially if you get the part. Don''t you want to be an actor?"


    "No, Miss Hera. I want to be an astronaut."


    "Pft, what''s with that?" Hera let out a small chuckle, "I think you have more chance of bing an actor."


    "I don''t know how to act, Miss Hera," Riley shook his head as he followed Hera.


    "Really?" Hera once again chuckled,


    "We''ll see," Hera then said as her steps hastened; and soon, they reached an area of the studio with arge curtain as a backdrop. There were two chairs directly in front of the curtain, and then a table with 3 people seated farther away.


    "Hera, you''rete!" One of the people that were seated at the table stood up; the tone of his voice, showing his exhaustion. There were two others beside him, but they only nodded and smiled at Hera.


    "Why did you call us here? We already filled this role!" The man said as he tapped a pen on the table.


    "...What are you doing here, Vince? I only asked for the CD."


    "I''m a writer, producer and also a director of the show, Hera! Why do you think I won''t be here when I heard from Sharon you were asking to re-cast the guy we had? We''ve already done scenes with him, this is going to add to the budget!"


    "I''m not feeling the guy, Mark. And besides, we haven''t aired the episode yet, right?" In contrast to Mark''s seething words, Hera just sat on the chair, "I got another one for you."


    "What do you¨C !!!"


    The casting director, Vince, was about to say something. But as soon as his eyesnded on Riley, he shut his mouth and looked at him from head to toe; he did so for a few seconds, before turning his head towards the two others that were seated beside him.


    And as soon as they all nodded their heads seemingly in unison, Vince took his seat.


    "What are you guys doing!?" Vince then mmed his palm on the table, "Give Mr. Riley Ross something to read!"


    And as soon as Vince''s screams echoed throughout the set, everything else became silent¨C even the hurried steps and the fluttering of the papers that were suddenly being handed to Riley seemed silent. And once again, everything was in chaos¡­ this time silent.


    The only thing that Riley could do was sit on the other chair as the world seemed to be sweeping him to do so.


    "What am I doing here, Miss Hera?" Riley then turned to face Hera while holding a book in his hand, "Are we really meeting the voice actors of Italian Mafia Reborn?"


    "We will, right after this," Hera winked,


    "Anyway, let''s do this part," Hera then grabbed the book from Riley''s hand, turning the pages and returning it to Riley, "Line 69. It''s the part where your character, Pharos, is about to die. He only appears in 3 episodes, so this is the most impactful scene."


    "Do you need time to practice the lines, Mr. Riley Ross? We''ll shoot in 15," Mark said. He was about to stand up, but before he could do so, Riley shook his head.


    "There is no need, director," Riley muttered as he looked at the script, "I want to meet the voice actors of Italian Mafia Reborn already."


    "Okay," Mark shrugged as he rxed on his seat; waiting for Hera to finish exining the character Riley was reading for.


    Pharos was an alien from another, initially tasked to destroy Earth but ends up falling in love with Hera''s character, Sarah. But as Sarah was the lead''s main love interest, it wasn''t meant to be. And so, as Pharos''s mission was absolute, the only way to end it was either for him to seed, or to die.


    Pharos, however, was the strongest of his race¨C the main protagonist was not a match for him. But Sarah begged for the protagonist''s life. And in the end, Pharos just ends his own life, as destroying Earth would mean killing Sarah.


    "And that''s that," Hera then finished exining while Riley skimmed through the script, "You got all of it, whitey?"


    "Yes, let us do this so we can meet with the voice actors already, Miss Hera," Riley said as he closed the book.


    "...What are you doing? You''re going to read the lines."


    "It''s alright, I have them memorized already, Miss Hera."


    "Alright," Mark then pped his hands as he turned his eyes towards the one holding a camera. And with a nod, the cameraman hit record. A toy knife that was cut in half was then handed to Riley, asking him to hold it near the center of his chest.


    "Riley Ross, reading for Pharos in Splitting Bad¡­ Rolling."


    "What are you doing!?"


    And without even any dy, Hera let out a scream; the expression on her face,pletely different from before¨C her eyes, already moist and red. She didn''t really need to act since she wasn''t the one auditioning, but still, she needed to set an example.


    "..." Everyone waited in anticipation as Riley''s breaths whispered into their ears. Even Hera, who was currently acting, could not help but take in a small gulp as he waited for Riley to open his mouth. And finally, after a pause as he looked at the fake knife on his chest, Riley stood up from his seat.


    "With my death¡­"


    Riley then looked at his hand; almost as if there was blood trailing on it from holding the imaginary wound in his chest. And although his voice was quite monotonous, there was a certain tremble in his breath¨C almost reflecting Hera''s wailing face with just the movement of his eyes.


    "...my kind would see Earth as the stronger species. They will not dare visit this for years toe."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Hera, your line."


    "Y¡­ you don''t have to die for them!" Hera almost stuttered as she also stood up.


    "I¡­ am dying for myself," Riley''s voice became weak as he looked Hera straight in the eyes, "Because what is my existence without you?"


    "Why? Why would you¡­"


    The other people in the studio started to gather around the audition set. Mark, who was watching the scene unfold in front of him, could not help but stretch his hands to the side¨C almost as if wanting to be held back from rushing to hug Riley.


    "S¡­ Scrap the current script," Mark then said as he gulped, "We¡­


    ¡­we''re adding more episodes including Pharos."


    ***


    "Do we get to meet the voice actors now, Miss Hera?"


    "Yup, they''re on the floor above."


    "...But you said they were on this floor, Miss Hera."


    Riley and Hera just finished the screening, with Riley straightening out every inch of his clothes as they were about to meet the cast of Italian Mafia Reborn. But as he heard Hera''s words, he could not help but furrow his eyebrows.


    He had been doing everything Hera asked him to since he was going to meet the voice actors, even to the point of signing a contract to appear in more than 10 episodes of Splitting Bad. But if in the end, he wasn''t actually going to meet the other voice actors. Then¡­ should he just break his promise and kill Hera?


    "Are you¡­ lying to me, Miss Hera?" Riley then muttered as all the objects on the floor started to tremble.


    "Chill, dude¡­ I''m not lying," Hera let out a small chuckle,


    "They''re really on the floor above, I promise. But rather, you''re the one who lied," she then said as she gestured to Riley to follow her.


    "What do you mean?"


    "You said you didn''t know how to act, that''s clearly a lie," Hera once again chuckled as she pressed the elevator button, "You''re an experienced actor, Riley. Stop lying."


    "I''m not, Miss Hera."


    "Bullshit¡­" Hera looked Riley straight in the eyes, "You¡­


    ¡­you''ve been acting your whole life."

 Chapter 269: Condition

    <h4>Chapter 269: Condition</h4>


    "You¡­


    ¡­you''ve been acting your whole life."


    "..."


    The sound of the elevator doors opening whispered into Riley''s ears; his attention, however, was solely on Hera''s words.


    "What do you mean by that, Miss Hera?" Riley said as he was the first one to step onto the elevator.


    "I meant it as I meant it," Hera scoffed as she too, entered the elevator; pressing the next floor up before turning to look at Riley in the eyes again,


    "I''ve been working with actors long enough to know that this¡­" Hera''s fingers pointed all over Riley''s silhouette,


    "...Fake."


    "Did¡­ Miss Empress tell you who I am?" Riley then let out a small whisper as he pressed the emergency stop button of the elevator, causing Hera to slightly lose her bnce.


    "What the¡­ are you crazy?" Hera furrowed her eyebrows as she tried pressing the elevator buttons, but was unable to as something seemed to be covering them,


    "Yes, I know who you are, happy?" Hera then rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as she leaned her back on the elevator wall, "And Empress doesn''t need to tell me shit, it was obvious from the start."


    "How do you know, Miss Hera?" Riley then blinked a couple of times as he finally returned Hera''s gaze; looking her directly straight in the eyes, "How do you know¡­"


    "That you''re not really autist¨C"


    "...that I''m Darkday?"


    "..."


    This time, it was Hera''s turn to blink a couple of times as she focused her eyes on Riley; looking at him from head to toe. But after a few seconds, she burst out in a fit ofughter.


    "Good one," Hera then breathed out as she leaned away from the wall and in front of the elevator doors, "You''re not autistic, is what I wanted to say. Darkday, pft¡­ what''s with that?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Oh, it would seem we had a misundersta¨C"


    And before Riley could finish his words, the elevator suddenly quaked; his view, the scenery in front of him, now grey. The sound of stone and metal grinding together then entered Riley''s ears as he felt himself falling¡­ along with Hera and the elevator.


    Hera was grabbing onto the walls of the elevator as their eyes met; and with her size now probably exceeding 3 meters in length, she was already hunched inside the elevator. Her clothes,pletely ripped apart. If not for the seemingly stretchable tights she was wearing, then she would have definitely bare everything to Riley.


    Riley was about to say something to her, but once again, before he could do so, Hera kicked her with her grey foot that already seemed to be made of diamond.


    Instead of Riley shooting out from the elevator, however, it was Hera that was blown away by the force of her own kick as her back pried and burst open the elevator doors. And now, with the view outside open to Riley, he found himself and the elevator actually already outside the building, gradually gaining speed towards the ground.


    He then trailed his eyes towards Hera, whose hand and feet were grinding on the side of the building as her descent slowly halted. But before she couldpletely stop, her arm dug through the wall. She looked through the hole she made for a split second¡­ before proceeding to pull out a huge chunk of the wall towards Riley.


    "Everyone!" Hera then pressed something on her ear, "I need back up, Dark¨C huh?"


    Her words stopped, however, as she noticed that the earpiece that was resting quietly in her ears forever was not there. She then quickly turned to look towards Riley, only to see the said earpiece floating over the palm of his hand.


    "!!!"


    The huge chunk of debris she threw away blocked Riley from her view, but before it could fully hit the elevator, however¡­ the elevator folded andpressed. And almost instantly, finely wrapping around Riley''s body and covering every inch of his skinpletely.


    "It''s too bad, Miss Hera."


    And even from afar and with all the noise of the city drowning the air, Hera could clearly hear Riley almost as if his words were traveling inside a vacuum and straight beside her ear,


    "I suppose I won''t be meeting the voice actors of Italian Mafia Reborn, after all."


    "..."


    And soon, the debris missed Riley entirely, finally revealing his full silhouette to Hera as he floated in the air.


    "It¡­ really is you?" Hera then said as she once again stared at Riley, who was now entirely encased in a metal armor that shaped itself to resemble Darkday''s outfit. Of course, Hera was just trying to deny it¡­ but as soon as Riley said he was Darkday, she knew that it could only be the truth.


    Everything just¡­ connected in her mind¨C that''s why she attacked him as soon as the thought solidified in her mind. But of course, that was only out of instinct.


    Now that she was truly facing him¡­ the only thing that Hera could do was not move. The entire Hope Guild and Megawoman were not enough to stop Darkday, what could she even do in this situation?


    "..." Hera then returned her gaze back to the windows of the building, only to see people gathering. She also looked below, and the situation was the same¨C the debris that she threw made it worse as it seemed to havended on one of the cars parked below.


    "...Shit."


    There really is only one thing to do here¡­ and that was to run.


    Hera crumpled a part of the wall she was grabbing onto, grinding them into powder before creating a cloud of dust to hide herself. But with herrge frame, there was only so much she could do as she burst forth from the cloud, destroying a part of the wall as she leaped towards a roof deck of another building.


    "You don''t want to kill the voice actors of Italian Mafia Reborn, don''t you!?" Hera let out a roar as she continued to jump away, "If so, then let''s take this somece else!"


    And with those words, a thunder erupted in the air; a skirt of wind, forming around Hera''s towering silhouette as she once again jumped; this time, however, the force was enough to cause the entire roof deck to crumble.


    "..." Riley watched as Hera''s figure disappeared into the sky. He then turned to look at the floor that was supposed to have the voice actors of Italian Mafia Reborn, only to see his reflection¨C the reflection of Darkday on the shattered windows of the building.


    "I suppose¡­


    ¡­I just don''t deserve to meet any of you," and with Riley''s somewhat sedated words whispering in the air, he followed Hera away.


    ***


    "...Shit."


    Hera''s breaths almost mirrored thend shended on¨C bare, quiet, and almost without any life. In truth, she wanted a chance to at least run away from Riley¡­ but to think he wouldn''t even give her a chance to get away from his sight.


    Is¡­ this it for her? Hera thought as she turned around, only to see Riley quietly standing there; a view of nothing but driednd behind him.


    "I guess this will be a grave for either one of us, huh whitey?" Hera chuckled as her grey skin slowly started to revert back to its normal brown color; her size too, slowly shrinking.


    "No, Miss Hera," Riley took a step forward as he shook his head¨C how he was able to do that smoothly even with apressed metal helmet covering his head, well¡­ Hera knows exactly how.


    "This is not the ce you will die. Only¨C"


    And before Riley could finish his words, he was once again weed with Hera''srge grey fist. This time, however, Riley did not even bother to move as he just allowed Hera''s knuckles to m straight at his face.


    The metal helmet covering his head instantly shattered¨C blowing away in an arc that apanied all the dust and dirt within the vicinity; even the ground behind Riley was swept away by the sheer force of Hera''s strike¡­ and yet Riley remained unmoved.


    Hera only widened her eye for a split second due to this, but almost as if she forced herself to get over the shock, she once again punched Riley; raining down a barrage of fists on his face.


    "Why¡­ why the fuck won''t you just die!?" Hera roared as the area they were standing on could no longer be seen clearly, drowning in the dust as much as it drowned in Hera''s desperation.


    "I asked myself that question before, Miss Hera."


    And almost as if nothing was even being done to him, Riley spoke casually as he tilted his head to the side to look Hera directly in the eyes,


    "But even today, I do not know the answer," Riley then grabbed both Hera''s fists; holding them by the finger, "You do not have to worry, Miss Hera. I am not going to kill you. After all¡­


    ¡­you''re also one of the voice actors in Italian Mafia Reborn."


    "You¨C" Hera mmed her head on Riley''s face, only for her to bounce back. But she could not tumble, however, as Riley tightened the grip on her fingers.


    "But I do have one condition, Miss Hera¡­


    ¡­You''re going to be my Third Subordinate."

 Chapter 270: A Pity

    Chapter 270: A Pity


    VR 270


    "You''re going to be my 3rd Subordinate."


    "3rd¡­ Subordinate?"


    "People who serve under me, Miss Hera. Following my every order."


    "You¡­ have people?"


    Besides their breaths, the silence of the drynd was the only thing that whispered in the air. Well, if you consider the sizzle that came from the sun as it boiled the rocks on the ground a sound, then perhaps the silence might have been filled with noise after all¨C but it didn''t matter.


    The only thing that Hera could hear was the thundering drum of her heart as it seemingly wished to burst forth from her trembling chest. But still, she tried to be calm; her breaths, heavy they may be, were not erratic.


    Her gaze, afraid she may be, did not leave Riley for even a second. She took a few steps back as Riley let go of her hand; she did not let go of her transformation, however.


    "Yes, Miss Hera. I already have a name for you."


    "..."


    "..."


    And after what seemed like an eternity, the look on Hera''s face became free as her feet took a step towards Riley.


    "Ah, what the heck. It''s either I die or I live, there''s really not that much choice," Hera then said as she stretched her hand towards Riley; her grey skin andrge muscr frame, once again returning to their normal state.


    "Deal, whitey. I''ll be your Third subordinate or whatever fucked up fantasy is going in with that head of yours, it''s better than dying."


    "..."


    Riley stared at Hera''s stretched hand for a few seconds, before removing all the metal armor wrapped around his body and reaching for her hand.


    "I already have a name for you, Miss Hera," Riley then repeated as he shook her hand, "Dev¨C"


    "Yeah, fuck no."


    And before Riley could finish his words, Hera suddenly pulled him closer to her body¨C specifically onto her shoulders as she once again grew in size,


    "I''d rather die than serve a homicidal maniac like you!" And with those words, Hera flung Riley''s body like a ragdoll, smashing him straight on the warm hard ground.


    And without even the sound reaching her ears, the ground erupted almost instantly, causing a crater that may have very well been the size of an entire town. Of course, this tremor was felt by the nearest cities¨C the tremor was enough to shake even the very clouds that sat above them.


    But that wasn''t enough, no. Hera knew the monster beneath her would not die with just that. And so, her already butch arms became even more nuanced¨C almost as if turning into something other than flesh as they mmed their way to theying Riley.


    Not just once, not just twice¨C but a flurry of cobbles that was slowly starting to rearrange the verynd they stood on.


    "Fucking die!" Hera screams; her roars, only drowned by the sound of her fists thundering in the air. With every hit, they found themselves deeper and deeper into the ground¨C perhaps creating a crater enough to be called a sea.


    Perhaps a sea of blood for all the millions of people that Riley killed?"


    "This is for all the people you killed!" Hera''s voice cracked as the veins on her neck started to turn red; an ominous contrast from her grey skin. The crater continued to cave in, and soon her wails started to echo¡­


    ¡­Perhaps echoing the cries of the mothers, fathers, sons, daughters¨C all the people that have lost their loved ones from Darkday?


    "All those children! They have done nothing to you!" Hera''s voice continued to echo; echo deeper into the hole that she created. It was deep¡­


    ¡­But perhaps not as deep as the hole that Darkday had created through the hearts of the people.


    "You¡­ are a fucking monster!" Hera''s voice once again cracked. And soon, the crack was all that remained as blood started to spurt out from Hera''s noise¨C her grey skin and muscr stature, fading along with the light that already barely scratches them from above.


    "...Why?" Hera then gasped as she continued to m her fists on Riley''s face¨C despite not even giving a whisper of her strength, "All¡­ all those people."


    "..." Riley¡­ waspletely unscathed. Only tears and blood trailing on his face¡­


    ¡­but even that was not his.


    Throughout the entire rage, the roars, the fury¡­ Riley just watched. Not even closing his eyes as Hera hit continued to hit him repeatedly.


    Superheroes¨C No.


    Heroes.


    They always seem to cry not for themselves, but for the people they failed to protect.


    "Are you not afraid of me, Miss Hera?" Riley then said as he continued to take in Hera''s frail punches.


    "...Of course," Hera whimpered, "...But I am more afraid of what would happen if I let you live!"


    And with those words, Hera''s fist once again became grey¡­ but only her fist. The difference in weight caused her to almost tumble, helplessly falling on top of Riley as she screamed from the pain of her joints fracturing.


    "Hm¡­" Riley let out a small breath as he slightly nodded his head, "Megawoman said something simr before she finally decided to kill me. It happened a few days before Toronto. But ironic, the day she decided to kill was the day I truly became¡­ a cmity."


    "Kh!"


    Hera could not help but let out a pained gasp as Riley stood up¨C grabbed her hair as he did so.


    "You are strong, Miss Hera," Riley then let out a small sigh as he lifted Hera in the air and looked her straight in the eyes, "It is a pity that you can''t be my Third Subordinate."


    "F¡­ fuck you," Hera whispered some corners of her face turned grey¡­ but once again gained color immediately.


    "And you can''t be my guest¡­ you''re too strong," Riley continued to sigh as he looked to the side,


    "This is the 2nd time this had happened, truly a waste. I apologize, Miss Hera¡­" Riley then turned his eyes back to Hera; and soon, they gleamed in red,


    "...But it would seem I will be breaking my promise after all."


    "Tch," Hera smirked as she returned Riley''s gaze, "You know what''s really a pity? That we couldn''t get to shoot that drama after¨C"


    And with those words, the light that wrapped around Riley''s eyes went straight through the air beside her left ear.


    "...What?" Although Hera could not turn around to see what just happened due to her being lifted up in the air, she could somewhat hear a small¡­ grunting whimper groaning behind her¨C a somewhat familiar sound that she had been hearing the past few months.


    "They really are born to hunt me, aren''t they?"


    And with those words, a small thud whispered in the air as Riley let go of Hera''s hair; finally allowing her to see what was going on. And as soon as she did so, she saw¡­ someone¨C No¡­ something.


    A homunculus? Not quite¨C the creature that was wriggling on the ground just a few feet away from her could still somewhat be called human, but not quite. Her skin waspletely reminiscent of just flesh; her veins, exposed for the world to see.


    Her legs were unusually longer than most of her limbs; along with her fingers that each looked like some sort of sickle.


    And unlike the rest of the homunculi, this one had hair¡­ and an actual head.


    "This¡­" Hera knew exactly who or what was in front of her¨C she had reviewed the tapes with the other members of the Hope Guild. The creature in front of her was one of the abnormal homunculi that were in Los Angeles.


    "Aerith," Riley whispered¡­ before kicking Hera straight on her head, causing her to roll violently across the ground for several meters; her eyes,pletely breaths, only having the chance to let out as her body finally stopped. If not for her abilities instinctively and automatically protecting her as her skin turned grey, then she would have probably already died there and then.


    But s, her vision started to blur¨C with thest thing she had seen being the homunculus rushing towards Riley.


    "!!!"


    "Fucking hell!" A thunder erupted in the air, jolting Hera awake from her momentarya. And the first thing that entered her view was an endless sea of green¨C causing her eyes to once again close due to how blinding it was.


    "Hera, fuck!"


    "H¡­ huh?" Hera then opened her eyes, only to see that Tempo was hugging her.


    "I¡­ I thought you were dead!"


    "W¡­ what?" If it were any other circumstance, then Hera would have surely pushed Tempo away and kicked her repeatedly on the balls; but right now, she was deeply confused.


    "What''s¡­ happening?" She then looked around her, only to see Empress and Butcher also there. V was also there, raining down her lightning¡­ towards something?


    "Don''t you remember anything?" Tempo then let go of Hera; and even though his eyes were covered by his half-face helmet, one could easily assume he was looking at her directly in the eyes,


    "You guys were attacked by a bunch of monsters."


    "...What?" Hera breathed out as she looked around her¡­ only to see dozens of corpses sprawled everywhere¨C and standing quietly in the center of these corpses, was Riley.


    "More came after you lost consciousness, Miss Hera," Riley then casually said.


    "...What?" Hera repeated; her upturned eyebrows,pletely showing her confusion.


    "Could it be¡­" Tempo then gently held her face,


    "...you don''t remember anything?"

 Chapter 271: Convenience of Memory

    Chapter 271: Convenience of Memory


    "Could it be¡­ you don''t remember anything?"


    "Re¡­ member? Thest thing I remember was¨C Kh!"


    The sound of Hera suddenly groaning in pain whispered in the air; her hand, grasping her head as it felt like something was cracking it. Hera then once again turned to look at the corpses of the homunculi scattered and sprawled everywhere, and then towards the sh of green that V was endlessly letting out.


    A¡­ sh of light?


    "...Thest thing I remember was¡­" Hera then turned to look at Riley, who was stepping closer to her and the others, "Riley¡­


    ¡­Riley and I were reading a script."


    "...A script?"


    Tempo, Butcher, and Empress looked at each other as they heard Hera''s words. V seemed to want to join in on whatever they were talking about, but since she was busy trying topletely eradicate the strongest clone, Aerith, there really was nothing she could fully hear.


    "What¡­ do you mean a script?"


    Hera looked up at Tempo first, before turning her attention towards Riley, who was also staring at her for some odd reason¨C something he had never done before. But after a few seconds of exchanging nces at each other, Hera let out a small smirk as she finally stood up from the ground.


    "It''s a secret between whitey and I," Hera let out a small chuckle as she patted away the dirt on her tights, "Anyway¡­


    ¡­what really happened here?"


    "Do you really not remember what happened, Miss Hera?" And finally, Riley spoke.


    "Nah," Hera sighed as she continued to pat herself.


    "The chance of your death would have been a hundred percent if Riley was not present, Hera," Butcher joined the conversation; his bald head, almost green as it reflected V''s electricity, "It seems you were knocked out before more of the homunculi arrived."


    "...Really?" Hera widened her eyes,


    "Damn, I guess I owe you my life now, huh whitey?" She then said, forcing a small chuckle as she once again looked at Riley.


    "No, Miss Hera," Riley shook his head, "You do not owe me your life, I own it."


    "...What''s with that?" Hera scoffed as she once again grasped her head, "But shit¡­ I guess I took a big one, I don''t fucking remember anything about this happening at all."


    "You are quite lucky, Miss Hera," Riley breathed out, "As expected of someone voicing a character from Italian Mafia Reborn."


    "...Thanks? But what are we going to do with that?" Hera then pointed at V, who was still trying to eradicate Aerith, "It doesn''t seem to be working."


    Aerith''s body was still wriggling, not from the electricity that was surging and eating away at its body, but from struggling to move¨C and even though everything was drowned and washed out from the bright lights that V was emitting, they could still clearly see the homunculus¡­


    ¡­staring at Riley.


    "It will die soon," Empress, who has been keeping quiet the whole time, finally joined in on the conversation, "I think what we need to focus on is the monsters'' behavior. Although we have discussed this in our previous meetings, it would seem that the monsters truly are attracted to and are hunting Riley Ross."


    "I have reached the same conclusion, Miss Empress," Riley muttered as he looked at Aerith; whose eyes were still pretty much alive even as the rest of its body was being roasted, "They were made to hunt Darkday, and in the eyes of their creator, I was Darkday."


    "Hm," Empress only slightly furrowed her eyebrows as she nodded, "Maybe it''s possible to round them all up once and for all?"


    "...You mean use the kid as bait?" Tempo let out a small breath, "Don''t you think that''s dangerous?"


    "It is," Empress said before looking at the corpses of the homunculi scattered everywhere, "But Riley has more than proven that he is capable of dealing with a lot of them even alone."


    "Yeah, but we don''t know how many of them are still out there," Tempo shook his head,


    "What if there is more than one of those things?" He then pointed at Aerith, "What if there were a dozen of that kind of variant out there and they all rush at Riley at the same time? What if there were a hundred? We still don''t have a number on how many that crazy old guy actually made. We can''t put Riley''s life at risk again, boss."


    Again.


    Thest time was with Alice, Tempo thought as the memories came rushing into his mind.


    "..." Empress only looked at Butcher, before letting out a small but very deep sigh, "We can discuss the n sometime else. First, we need to clean this up... Whiteking."


    [I''m here.]


    "Do you have it ready?"


    [It will be there in 3 seconds.]


    "Okay," Empress nodded before looking at V, "V, get ready to release it in 2¡­ 1!"


    And as soon as Empress reached the end of the countdown, the onught of electricity that was bombarding Aerith instantly disappeared. Tempo also disappeared from his spot, momentarily appearing beside V as both of them too, disappeared¨C only to once again appear near Empress and the others.


    And seemingly as a testament to how stronger Aerith was than the rest of Megawoman''s monster clones, her scorched body was already shedding as she slowly gathered the strength to stand up. But before even a single limb of her could fully stretch, several pirs rained down around her in a circle.


    "..." Riley has seen this before¨C it was when they neutralized Dark Millenium. Judging from the green electricity trickling around them, they seemed to be running on a power source that was charged by V''s power.


    But¡­ just what exactly are they?


    Aerith¡­ also seemed to be scared of it? Because for once, its eyes were not centered on Riley and instead looked across the pirs that surrounded it¨C not even moving a single step from its position.


    "It''s Themarian technology."


    "Hm?" Riley quickly turned to look at Empress as she whispered, "It''s from Theran, Miss Empress?"


    "Yes," Empress stepped forward and stood beside Riley, "Megawoman gave it to the Hope Guild when it was established."


    "That''s from Megawoman?" Riley then quickly turned his gaze back to the pirs; his eyes, reflecting the trickles of light that they released in almost a child-like way, "Why did she give it to the Hope Guild, Miss Empress? Can I have it?"


    "Hope Guild was not a superhero team when it was created, Riley," Empress then let out a small sigh as she looked at Riley,


    "It''s a team made by the government to stop Megawoman if ever she bes¡­ an enemy," Tempo chimed in, "We are the Hope of Humanity¨C Empress told me when I joined."


    "...What?" Riley blinked his eyes a couple of times, "Then why would Megawoman give something like that?" He then pointed at the pirs as he tilted his head.


    And as he did so, Empress let out a small scoff and a chuckle,


    "Then you don''t know Megawoman as much as you think," Empress then said, "Megawoman loves the Earth and humanity probably more than us. But if you truly spend time with her, then you''d know...


    ...that her smugness was also unmatched."


    "Oh boy¡­" Tempo grunted as he stepped back,


    "...Here she is with her story again."

 Chapter 272: Hope Begins

    Chapter 272: Hope Begins


    "M¡­ Megawoman!?"


    "D¡­ do you think you could just barge in here!?"


    "...Yes?"


    Decades ago, sometime in the early second quarter of the 1900s, Hope Guild was founded by members of the World Government. With only one purpose¨C a contingency against Megawoman if ever she bes the enemy of humanity.


    Megawoman''s poprity has been growing almost exponentially with the birth of long-rangemunications. And due to her stopping what could have possibly been a world war, her influence in the world¡­ was now higher than even that of the leaders of the world.


    Megawoman was the savior of the world¨C but what happens if one day, she decided to turn her back on humanity? After all, no matter how much they wanted it, Megawoman was an alien.


    And so, the World Government decided to create the Hope Guild. And now, they have gathered all the 7 members they needed.


    All super-powered individuals that could potentially and possibly restrain Megawoman when or if the timees. Everything was ready as they met in a secured facility away from the rest of the world, with the government shaking the hands of each of the members of the newly established Hope Guild.


    But then¡­


    ¡­Megawoman entered their so-called facility through the front door.


    "Why¡­ why are you here!?"


    The government officials that were there all stepped back, their finely tailored suits, almost ripping from the sheer force of their anxiety. As for the seven supers that were gathered in the room, they quickly all put up their stance as their eyes all stared at Megawoman as soon as she barged through the door.


    "How can I not be here when I hear you children shouting my name a dozen times?" Megawoman let out a small sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose, adjusting her mask at the same time. Her outfit was not the same as it was in the present times, and was instead some kind of winter jacket that one could find in thrift stores.


    "You¡­ were nearby?"


    "Yes, Stark. I was somewhere in Canada."


    "...But we''re in Greend."


    "As I said, I was nearby."


    Stark, the current and acting leader of the World Government back in those days, could only stare as Megawoman walked around the hall they were in; her eyes, seemingly scanning all the people inside.


    "So¡­" Megawoman then took a seat on one of the chairs at the table, "...what''s all this about?"


    "This¡­"


    The only one that dared to open his mouth was Stark. After all, amongst all the people within the hall, he was the one that knew Megawoman the most.


    "...We''re just gathering exemry supers, Megawoman," Stark then let out a small but deep breath as he too, took a seat. He also gestured for the others to sit¡­ but sadly for one of them, Megawoman already had his.


    "Hm¡­" Megawoman then once again scanned the supers that were now seated at the table, "...I see that. So what exactly are your ns for subduing me when I, as you said, started to be the enemy of humanity?"


    "!!!"


    And as soon as Megawoman said that, the supers that have already taken their seats all jumped, once again putting up their own stances as they looked at Megawoman.


    "...Did you even train these guys?" Megawoman sighed and shook her head, "I am disappointed in you, Stark. I thought that amongst all those who have governed their people, you were different."


    "We¡­ may be friends, Megawoman. But that is exactly why I know you''re too dangerous,"


    Stark then raised his hand, gesturing for the supers to calm down. However, none of them followed his order as they were too distracted in trying to gauge whether or not Megawoman was going to start something.


    "That''s not what I am disappointed in, Stark," Megawoman shook her head; her sighs, echoing throughout the room, "If the timees that I be the enemy, do not do anything¡­


    ¡­just run and hide."


    "..."


    "Talk," Megawoman once again sighed, "None of these children would even leave a mark on my skin, so just talk to me when that timees."


    "...How do you know we can even talk to you if you actually be our enemy?"


    "Because the time I be your enemy¡­ is the time that all of you would have lost your humanity."


    Megawoman once again scanned the supers one by one,


    "And you, children¡­ never sacrifice your life to people that are just using you."


    "..." The seven supers could only look at each other; their heads, slightly looking down as they heard Megawoman''s words.


    "The very fact that they have tasked you to fight me is ludicrous," Megawoman then stood up from her seat, causing everyone in the room to flinch,


    "The only creature that could kill me is trillions of kilometers away," she then breathed out; her words, followed by a somber silence as they all just watched as Megawoman seemingly looked towards the stars.


    But after a few seconds, she turned to face one of the members of the newly formed Hope Guild,


    "You, little girl."


    "M¡­ me?" And despite her head being covered by a hood and her face by a mask, it was obvious from her voice that she was perplexed from suddenly having been singled out by Megawoman.


    "Come with me."


    And with those words, Megawoman suddenly grabbed the female super, flying away and returning after an hour¡­ bringing along multiple silver pirs with them.


    "What¡­ is this?" Stark squinted his eyes as Megawoman almost destroyed the table as she ced the pirs on it.


    "A way to neutralize me if the timees," Megawoman then smirked as she stepped back, "Something from my home."


    "This!?" Everyone turned their eyes towards the pirs.


    "Why¡­" Stark, on the other hand, just took in a small gulp, "Why did you give this to us?"


    "Not to you¡­" Megawoman pointed at the female super and the other members of the Hope Guild, "...to them."


    "But they work for us!"


    "Give it a year or two," Megawoman chuckled, "I am sure they''ll part ways with you guys once they realize they are working for jesters."


    "But¨C"


    "And you don''t have to worry," Megawoman then walked to the door, "None of you would gain the chance to use that¡­


    ¡­because I will never betray Earth."


    ***


    "Because¨C"


    "Because I will never betray Earth."


    And before Empress could truly finish her story about Megawoman, Tempo interrupted her as he let out a small groan and finished the story for her.


    "Do you know how many times I have heard this story? Probably a hundred times."


    And despite being red at by Empress, Tempo still continued to groan and sigh. They were already back in the base of the Hope Guild, with Aerith being confined in the lowest level.


    "..." Empress was still ring at Tempo; but after a few more seconds, she let out a long and deep sigh and started dismissing everyone.


    "Riley Ross, you stay."


    "Uh¨C" V was about to approach Riley as they were all stepping out, but could only grunt and sigh as she went ahead.


    "It was a very nice story, Miss Empress," Riley then sat back to his seat as everyone else but he and Empress left the meeting hall.


    "Rescuing Megawoman¡­


    ¡­we''re doing it tonight."

 Chapter 273: Ownership

    Chapter 273: Ownership


    "N¡­ no."


    "F¡­ fuck¡­ I didn''t say goodbye to my daughter today."


    In the midst of the night, where everything was supposed to be quiet and peaceful¨C the whispers and somber screams of the people started to echo and flutter in the air. There was only supposed to be the sound of silence where they were¡­


    ¡­but now the sound of their heartbeats was enough to turn them deaf.


    There was supposed to be no sound here¨C after all, the ones that previously lived here have died more than a year ago; all of them, millions of them.


    ¡­but now, the only thing that the people currently present was the sound of their own fear; eating away at them as the very cause of this silence floated above them. His silhouette, covering the little moonlight this destend receives.


    "D¡­ Darkday!?"


    "Why¡­ why is he here!?"


    ***


    "Hm."


    "It''s a little tight, but nothing I can''t alter, Miss Empress. I grew an inch taller since Ist wore it."


    "...Can you please not talk in your normal voice?"


    A few hours ago, somewhere in the dark sky, were Empress and Riley, who was currently wearing his Darkday outfit. And Empress didn''t want to admit it, but looking at him right now¡­ she felt fear.


    They were right to call Darkday a cmity instead of a superviin. Empress had fought so-called mass murderers, ughterers that do not have emotion, and some potentially even stronger than her. But never once has what she felt with Darkday been replicated by anyone. The number of Darkday''s appearances could probably be counted in one''s hands¨C and yet the number of people he had killed was in the double-digit of a million.


    Darkday¡­ was a force.


    It was akin to what one could feel as a raging storm that was capable of blowing away houses were on its way to you¨C you know it wasing, but the only thing you could really do was try to hide.


    But if one were to hide, then one might drown in the aftermath.


    If one were to run, then one might be flung away by all the debris being blown away.


    And if one were to face it head-on, then one would be considered insane.


    There was absolutely nothing one could do¨C and that is exactly what Empress was feeling right now as she faced Darkday in all his evil and glory.


    "Then is this more appropriate, Empress?"


    "..." Empress then took in a small gulp as Riley''s voice changed into what she was more familiar with¨C the voice of Darkday; soulless. Almost as lifeless as the sky they were on, and yet there was a certain charisma held in it.


    The charisma of death, that is.


    "That will do," Empress then let out a sigh. She was actually talking to Darkday in a civil way, not just Riley; but Darkday. Never did she think a day like this woulde,


    "Follow me as I exin the first part of the ¨C."


    "Empress, I need to set a condition first," Darkday breathed out as he followed beside Empress, "If I find out this is a trap and that you are lying about Megawoman, I will kill half the poption of the people you loved so much."


    "If I wanted to trap you, then there are so many better ways to do it¡­ and I know all of them will fail," Empress shook her head as she continued to fly, "Do not belittle my intelligence, Darkday. I am no longer treating you as anything but a cmity¨C we''re just both using each other."


    "Very well," Darkday let out a small chuckle that almost crawled throughout Empress''s body.


    "There is no redemption for you at the end of the road, Darkday," Empress then continued, "Even if you had a change of heart, the people you''ve killed¡­"


    "..." Empress did not continue her words as she just increased her speed. There was no use in trying to converse with Darkday about his deeds¨C he himself knew what he was and is. He never once tried to ask for redemption, or try to make excuses. He¡­ is just as he is.


    And so, they continued to fly in silence; with only the rhythm of the clouds hitting their ears. And then, finally, they seemed to have reached their destination as Empress abruptly stopped.


    "She is here," Empress then said.


    "I do not see any floating ships, Empress," Darkday muttered as he looked around.


    "...No, I meant below."


    Darkday faced Empress for a while, before slightly descending below the clouds, and what weed him was a view of ruin¨C the city of Toronto.


    "Megawoman¡­ is somewhere here?"


    "There," Empress then pointed at a ruined building, "They are hiding Megawoman somewhere underground. I''ve seen peoplee and go¨C like that."


    And as Empress was exining, a couple of people started to emerge from the rubble.


    "Then we''ll pull whatever infrastructure they have to the ground," Darkday then muttered as he raised his hand.


    "No! What the fuck are you doing!?" Empress, however, blocked his view.


    "Isn''t this why you brought me here?"


    "No! If I just wanted you to lift whatever dungeon they have, then I wouldn''t have asked you to be Darlday," Empress sighed, "We don''t know what they''re doing with Megawoman, so it''s best to be cautious."


    "And what''s your n?"


    "...You just wreak havoc," Empress breathed out as she turned her gaze below, "And I will respond in a few minutes¨C and in the midst of the confusion, I''ll prate below ground and find Megawoman."


    "...You should have asked me to make a n instead, Empress," Darkday shook his head.


    "And let you go on your own? No, no way."


    "Wouldn''t the other members respond once they report that I am here? Tempo will get here in a manner of minutes, Empress."


    "They¨C"


    [They won''t.]


    And before Empress could even say anything, a voice whispered from one of the bangles attached around her arms¨C Whiteking''s voice.


    "Whiteking?" Darkday tilted his head, "I see. So that''s why Empress is so confident with her wed n."


    "..." Empress''s eyes momentarily became dead as she heard Darkday''s words.


    "Anyway, I have a question, Whiteking," Darkday then said as he leaned closer to one of Empress''s bangles, "Mother, how did the two of you meet?"


    [...We''re childhood friends. Enough with the chat, there''s only a window of time we can proceed with this mission.]


    "Let''s talk after this is over, please bring mother."


    [...]


    "..."


    "..."


    "I''ll be going then," Darkday then turned to face Empress, before his body started to fall towards the ground head first,


    "People are going to die tonight-- a lot of them."


    "It doesn''t matter... retrieving Megawoman is our priority."


    "I am starting to like you, adulterer. I promise not to kill you identally."


    And with those words and a small giggle fading in the air, their n finally started.


    "D¡­ Darkday!?"


    "Why¡­ why is he here!?"


    There were currently 4 people outside the rubble; and all of them, almost trembling on their feet as Darkday slowly descended to the ground. And although his feetnded ever so gently and softly, the people that were there felt a small tremble rumbling within them.


    "You have something of mine, kidnappers¡­" Darkday''s whispers reached their ears, causing one of them to faint right there and then,


    ¡­I want her back."

 Chapter 274: Change of Plans

    Chapter 274: Change of ns


    "C¡­ call for the guards!"


    "Just run!"


    2 of the people decided to run, while the other half proceeded to go back inside the rubble which they emerged from.


    "..." Riley turned to face the two that ran away, before proceeding to plunge several spikes that emerged from the ground through their feet.


    "!!!"


    The two screamed right at the same time; if it weren''t for their voices being vastly different from each other, then it would have probably sounded like only one of them screamed in pain. For Darkday, however, the timber and the tone of their screams were obvious.


    "..." Darkday then slowly started walking towards the two; who, despite the pain of having their legs punctured, still crawled away as soon as they heard Darkday''s steps growing closer.


    "S¡­ stay away!"


    "No," Darkday answered without any dy as he faced the one that pleaded for his life; his eyebrows were upturned; his eyes,pletely moist and not even trying to stop the tears that were starting to fall from them.


    Darkday then turned his attention to the other man, who despite obviously being in pain, just stared at him. And so, with a nod, the man suddenly folded in half¨C not even uttering another scream as his life was instantly extinguished.


    "How does it feel?" Darkday then said as he stepped on the remaining man''s foot¨C whether or not he was luckier than hispanion, was yet to be determined.


    "P¡­ please, don''t. I have a family!"


    "What a coincidence," Darkday''s shoulders slightly trembled as he chuckled, "So do I."


    "W¨C"


    The man''s pockets began to move before he could say anything else; and without even any warning, his wallet burst forth from his pants.


    "Is this them?" Darkday then quickly removed a photo from the wallet and showed it to the man.


    "Y¡­ yes," the man quickly nodded, "My¡­ my daughter just entered high school, she¨C"


    "And you live quite near," Darkday removed the man''s driver''s license.


    "Y¡­ yes. I only epted this job because of the location," the man gritted his teeth, "P¡­ please, I don''t even know what they''re keeping in there! I¡­ I''m just a doorman!"


    "..." Darkday, however, did not respond as he just stared at the man''s driver''s license.


    "..."


    "..."


    And seeing as how even after a few seconds, Darkday still did not move; the man used this chance to crawl away; his breaths, almost drowning everything else, even the pain he was feeling as the splinters of the stones pierced in his leg scraped his flesh away.


    No matter what happens, he needed to get back to his fami¨C


    And before the man could finish his thoughts, a small thud whispered in front of him.


    "...Huh?" The man then immediately stopped crawling as he looked at the object that suddenly blocked his path.


    "W¡­ what?" And no matter how many times the man blinked his eyes, the object blocking his path did not disappear.


    "W¡­ what? C¡­ Crystal!?"


    "Oh, good."


    And while the man wailed¡­ another Darkday emerged from the sky.


    This Darkday then let out a small but very short sigh of relief as hended near the other Darkday, "It would have been awkward if I got the different person."


    "Good work, you may go now."


    "Thank you, boss."


    And as soon as the other Darkday appeared, he flew away as fast.


    "N¡­ no, this¡­ this isn''t happening!" The man continued to scream as he rushed towards the body that was suddenly sprawled in front of him. And even though it waspletely mangled; with the bones protruding from her flesh, he still embraced the body,


    "No¡­ not¡­ not my baby, no. No!"


    "..." Darkday then stared at the scene for a few seconds; seemingly relishing on the man''s screams as he stretched his arms to the side. But after a few more seconds, he dropped his hand.


    "Another one, then," he then said as he flicked his finger¨C and as soon as he did so, the man''s head¡­ suddenly went straight through one of the sharp bones protruding from his daughter''s body¨C killing him instantly.


    Darkday then turned around, but before he could even take a single step towards the entrance of the rubble that the two other people escaped to, Empress suddenly rushed towards him.


    "Darkday!" Empress roared as her fists immediately went for Darkday''s helmet; and this time, it connected as Darkday rolled several meters¨C causing the ground to split open.


    "Why¡­ why did you drag an innocent child!?"


    Empress, however, instead of rushing through the rubble as nned, continued to rush towards Darkday.


    "...I did say people are going to die tonight, Empress," Darkday casually said as he took another Empress''s punch head-on¨C but instead of being pushed away, he flew towards the rubble¨C straight through the entrance of the hidden facility,


    "You''re the one who gave permission."


    "Only the people at the facility!"


    "Be careful, Empress. They might hear we''re together."


    "You¨C"


    And before Empress could finish her words, she felt herself being dragged to the ground¨C No, it was more than that; her entire body burrowed through the ground until finally, she dropped to some sort of hallway.


    "This¡­"


    "E¡­ Empress!?"


    "Have youe here to save us!?"


    "..." Empress looked at the people¨C No, at the doctors that were in the hallway for a few seconds, before her eyesnded¡­ on their gloves that were filled with blood. Another one seemed to be holding a case¡­ holding some sort of organ inside.


    And it took just a second¨C just a second for Empress''s fist to punch a hole through one of the doctors.


    "Oh my, what are you doing, Empress?"


    "D¡­ Darkday!?"


    One of the doctors immediately ran away¨C the image of Empress punching a hole through her colleague not even registering in her mind as she did so. But s, before she could even go far, she felt her nose being mushed as an invisible wall seemingly blocked her path.


    "There''s been a change of ns, Darkday," Empress then said as she pulled her arm from the doctor''s chest, "We¡­


    ¡­are going to kill everyone in this facility."

 Chapter 275: Aurora

    Chapter 275: Aurora


    It was but perhaps a momentarypse in judgment, or perhaps it was meant to be. Maybe it was fate?


    Fate that Empressnded right at the very moment these doctors had their hands bloody, holding organs that are no doubt¡­ from Megawoman. It might not be hers, it might''ve belonged to an animal.


    But this was the facility where Megawoman was being kept. And so, the only conclusion thatnded on Empress''s mind¡­


    ¡­was that they are harvesting Megawoman for her organs.


    For what reason? It didn''t matter.


    "Change of ns, Darkday. We¡­


    ¡­are going to kill everyone in this facility."


    It may be a momentarypse in judgment, but it is judgment nheless.


    "Hm¡­"


    As for Darkday, it was hard to see what kind of emotion he held behind his helmet. Maybe it is as always, nothing? In his hand, however, floated the other doctor left; screaming and begging for his life¨C Empress, however, did not even look at her.


    "Make it quick. We still need to sweep the facility and search for Megawoman."


    And with those words, a small snap whispered into her ear as the doctor''s neck was turned into a way it shouldn''t.


    "Let''s go," Empress slightly grunted as she walked away. Riley, on the other hand, did not take a single step.


    "What are you doing, we should¨C" Empress turned around, only to see Riley holding the organ that was on the box the doctor was holding.


    "Your rage is justified, Empress," Darkday then let out a small but very deep breath as he held the organ close to his face, "This is Megawoman''s lungs."


    "...What?"


    "These people," Darkday''s tone then slightly changed, "These weak, pathetic humans¡­ think they could tamper with the body of a god?"


    "..." And suddenly, Empress no longer knew where to get angry. Whether the fact that they truly were harvesting Megawoman''s organs¡­ or the fact that Darkday knew exactly what Megawoman''s lungs looked like.


    For him to memorize even something like that, wouldn''t that mean that Darkday opened up Megawoman in the first ce?


    "If I had known you were one of Megawoman''s protege, Empress. I would have given her body to you instead," Darkday''s sighs could be heard even from his helmet, "Such a grave mistake on my part¡­ but no matter. Once we retrieve Megawoman, please take care of her."


    "..." His words, his actions, the tone of his voice¨C it really does change whenever a topic involving Megawoman was involved. Maybe it would have actually been better if Darkday didn''t give Megawoman¨C no. She was sure Darkday was also torturing Megawoman.


    Do not forget who is the real evil here, Empress thought.


    "It''s best for us not to separate," Empress muttered, "We don''t know what else they have in here."


    "It is alright, Empress."


    And as Darkday said that, four¡­ other Darkdays started emerging from the floor¨C seemingly using whatever was in their surroundings as a sort of material to build their silhouette.


    "They will go that way," Darkday then pointed at the hallway behind him, "While we go and explore there?"


    "...Right," Empress could only shake her head as she started walking, "Let''s just finish our mission. Whiteking, do we need to be wary about anything?"


    [You''re alright¨C only a single call from your area and I''ve intercepted it. Are you¡­ really going to kill everyone there?]


    "Developing a conscience now, Whiteking?"


    [And you''re losing yours. Why don''t you just retreat and let me and my son handle this?]


    "..." Darkday only listened as he followed behind Empress. He could just lift the entire facility if he wanted to, but in some ways, Empress was right¨C if they were harvesting Megawoman''s organs; then destroying parts of the facility might do something to her. And that wasn''t good. If Megawoman was going to get hurt or die, then it should be inflicted directly by him.


    "No," Empress breathed out as her steps became faster, "They are going to pay for what they are doing to Megawoman."


    And with those words, the entire hall slightly trembled as a skirt of wind enveloped Empress''s body¨C her silhouette, disappearing into the unusually long hallway.


    "..." Darkday stared at the hallway for a moment, before shaking his head and proceeding to follow. And with the speed that Empress was going, it didn''t even take a minute before they found something.


    A control room. The images on the screens, simr to what one could find in a hospital room. Temperature, heart rate, sugar levels, oxygen levels¨C everything was being measured. Who? Empress could only assume that it was Megawoman''s.


    "E¡­ Empress!?"


    And immediately, as Empress barged into the room, the eyes of the people all centered on her. How could they not when she just suddenly barged in¡­ and with her body almost covered in blood.


    "Are your kills always this messy?" Darkday stepped over the two guards that seemed to have guarded the control room on his way inside the room. And as soon as he entered, everyone immediately started running away.


    But s, before they could even take 3 steps, they all turned into a mist of blood¨C this mist, however, did not stick itself onto the consoles and screens, but instead just floated near the ceiling¨C almost like red clouds.


    Everyone was dead¨C except one.


    "What are you people doing here?" Empress then finally stepped away from the entrance as she slowly approached the shivering man that was hiding beneath the table;


    "What are you doing here?" Empress repeated her words as she pulled the man out, cing him on the chair near them,


    "What is that?" She then said as she pointed at the monitors, "Where are you hiding Megawoman?"


    "I¡­ I don''t know anything!" The man said as he forcefully closed his eyes; turning his head to the side almost as if he didn''t want to see what was happening.


    "!!!" But s, it suddenly became impossible for him to avoid anything as his eyelids¡­ were suddenly ripped away by Darkday.


    "..." Empress paused for a moment as she saw this; but after a few breaths of trying topose herself, she once again asked the question.


    "P¡­ please, I¡­ I only work here! I don''t know anything!"


    "The man outside also said the same thing," Darkday muttered as he looked at the stats that were being shown on the screen, "Interesting, none of the parameters are out of their normal range."


    "Darkday, this is not the time to¨C"


    "Have you ever wondered how Supers came to be?"


    And before Empress could finish her words, a woman suddenly entered the control room; also stepping over the corpses of the guards as she did so.


    "Whether we''re from another like master," the woman then said as several more people followed behind her; all wearing the same uniforms as the guards that Empress killed,


    "Or we''re just really the next step in evolution?"


    "...Aurora?" Empress said as she mmed her hand on the man''s head¡­ not even knocking him out and only causing him to tumble; her hand, also throbbing a little. And as Empress felt this, she could not help but click her tongue in frustration,


    "You¡­ are involved in this?"


    "Good evening to you too, Adaeze," the woman then also grabbed a pistol from the holster on her waist; pointing it towards Empress,


    "Have you¡­e to visit our master?"

 Chapter 276: Living a Lie

    Chapter 276: Living a Lie


    "Have youe to visit¡­ our master?"


    "..."


    With the pistol pointed at her, Empress could only let out a small grunt; not daring to take a single step as she slowly raised her hand.


    [Whiteking, we need you.]


    "Ah, Whiteking. Your king in shining white armor."


    The woman, Aurora, flimsily waved her pistol as she dragged a seat near Empress, calmly and casually sitting in front of her as she once again pointed her gun at Empress.


    "Trust me, both you¡­ and your associate would be dead by the time he gets here," Aurora then turned to look at Darkday, who was standing a meter away from Empress; still just looking at the stats on the screen like a bunch of men waving guns didn''t just enter the room.


    "Care to exin what my power is to our mighty Darkday?"


    "..."


    "But wow," Aurora then raised her voice as she gestured her men to surround Darkday; all of them, pointing their rifles directly to his head,


    "To think a member of the Hope Guild and Darkday would actually work together, to what? Rescue Megawoman?"


    "So you''re really keeping her here?" Empress then said as she tried to approach Aurora; but as soon as Aurora stretched the gun closer to her, she took a step back as she once again raised her hand.


    "You know very well not to make unnecessary movements, Adaeze," Aurora then said as she stood up, pushing her chair to the side; her gun, however, was still finely pointed right at the center of Adaeze''s forehead,


    "In case you''re confused, Darkday; I mean if it''s really you in that silly costume and not just some gimmick of the Hope Guild," Aurora rolled her eyes several times as she forced a chuckle,


    "I am the strongest super in the entire world."


    "..."


    Everything in the room became quiet with Aurora''s words whispering in the air; the only other sound that was perhaps being uttered was Empress''s subtle scoff.


    As for Darkday; well, he just turned to face Aurora, before scanning the guards that were now surrounding him.


    "Oh, don''t be so smug," Aurora groaned as she let out a long and very deep breath; holstering her weapon back before suddenly punching Empress without any warning. Empress was about to retaliate with a closed fist, but before she could do so, one of the guards shot her leg¡­


    ¡­and the bullet went through; causing her to fall to the ground.


    "See?" Aurora giggled as she grabbed Empress by the hair, "Supers are powerless against me. I¡­ have the power to nullify all of you just by being here."


    "You¡­" And even with her leg bleeding, Empress''s eyes still held a certain fire on them as she looked up at Aurora, "...Are you the one keeping Megawoman sedated?"


    "Oh,e on, luv. You and I both know my abilities don''t fully work on master," Aurora then approached Darkday, causing the guards to make way for her as she pointed her gun at him, "But I can weaken her just enough¡­


    ¡­but for normal supers, well¡­ they go bye-bye."


    "!!!"


    And with those words, a thunder reverberated in the control room as Darkday slowly fell to the ground; first his knees, and then the rest of his body¨C almost like a marite that with his strings suddenly clipped.


    "Ah, bloody hell, that was it?" Aurora then almost gasped as she forced another chuckle, "The superviin that everyone was so afraid of¨C gone with just a single bullet? It''s he anticlimactic if I say so myself."


    "..." The guards that were surrounding Darkday could not help but just look at each other. Did¡­ they really just kill the most heinous superviin in the world just like that?


    Doesn''t this mean¡­ they were the greatest heroes of the world?


    "They should have honestly just sent me instead of all of you to deal with this fucker!" Aurora then started kicking Darkday''s corpse.


    "..." As for Empress, she only stared at Darkday''s body, before turning to look at Aurora,


    "What did they even pay you that you would betray Megawoman?" Empress muttered; finally lowering her hands as her breaths started to calm down, "She took care of us, of you."


    "People rebel against their mothers, Adaeze. What made you think I am always going to be loyal to Megawoman?" Aurora once again giggled; almost making the guards wonder what was so funny. The man whose eyelids got ripped off by Darkday certainly wasn''tughing, they all thought.


    "You¡­ were good," Empress breathed out.


    "That''s just it, luv. We''vee to the point that I have realized that just because you''re good, doesn''t mean the world will treat you any better. And besides¡­


    ¡­I am different from the rest of you, oh great Empress. I was born to get rid of supers."


    "...What the fuck are you even saying?"


    "Something that doesn''t matter to a dead woman," Aurora then rushed in front of Empress, cing the nozzle of her gun directly on her forehead,


    "I have to say though, this was a very nice reunion. But sadly, I have no time to chat. Bye-bye, old friend."


    Aurora let out a small sigh as her index finger pulled the trigger; but before the gun could click, she felt something¡­ stuck on the trigger. Or more specifically, there was a finger preventing the trigger from being fully pulled.


    "...What?" Aurora''s eyes then slowly trailed across where the finger came from¡­ only to see Darkday standing beside her. "How¡­ are you alive?"


    "You should ask yourself that question, deserter."


    "...Wha¨C" And before Aurora could even finish her words, a pint of blood spurted from her mouth. She then slowly looked down, only to see¡­ Darkday''s arm lunged into her stomach.


    "Well, this is anticlimactic."


    "H¡­ how?" Aurora struggled to even open her mouth.


    "I''m Themarian," Darkday whispered as he pulled his arm away from Aurora''s stomach.


    "..." As for Empress, she immediately rushed towards the guards¨C catching them off guard as she punched through each of their chests. It would seem she didn''t even need to rush, as her abilities have already returned to her.


    As for Aurora, she was now lying on the ground; her eyes, still trying to look at Darkday¡­ and stillpletely confused as to what he said.


    There¡­ was another one?-- was probably what Aurora thought as she took herst breath.


    "Why¡­ would you say that?" Empress then muttered as she brushed away the blood that was on her arms.


    "She said she was the strongest Super," Darkday casually said as¡­ he crushed Aurora''s head with his foot, "She lived in a lie, so she should die in a lie. Poetic, no?"


    "..." Empress could only furrow her eyebrows upon hearing Darkday''s words. He waspletely different from how he usually is as Riley Ross; is it some kind of persona? Or is Darkday Riley Ross without a mask?


    "But I might have underestimated you, Empress," Darkday then slowly approached Empress; his feet, leaving traces of Aurora''s blood on the floor.


    "...What?"


    "The reason you brought me along was not to be a distraction," Darkday then said as he nced at Aurora''s headless corpse,


    "But you knew all along that she would be here¡­


    ¡­didn''t you?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Yes."

 Chapter 277: Found Something

    Chapter 277: Found Something


    Aurora-- one of the people that directly trained under Megawoman in The Sanctuary. The people under Megawoman might have been close while they were still on their little ind, but as soon as they separated in their own ways and left, they became distant¨C strangers, even.


    And since Megawoman didn''t mind or didn''t care, none of them took the initiative to contact one another. She might have taken care of them for a while, sure. But if there''s anything that Megawoman didn''t have, it was time.


    It was evident even through her own son, Empress thought. She tried her hardest to be a mother, sure¨C but any effort she made was wasted due to the fact that she didn''t have time. Empress knew she got pregnant almost two decades ago and only found out recently that in an almost twisted fate, her son became friends with Darkday in Mega Academy.


    She bore a son, and yet was always outside instead¨C perhaps that was the cause of her love for humanity; everyone was equal, even her son.


    Empress was able to maintain contact with Megawoman since she became part of the Hope Guild, so she didn''t really feel left out; but what about the others?


    "..." Aurora¡­ was perhaps also a victim of that neglect, Empress thought.


    "The reason you brought me along was not to be a distraction," Darkday then said as he nced at Aurora''s headless corpse, "But you knew all along that she would be here¡­


    ¡­didn''t you?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Yes," she then said, "It was a winning gamble. You copied Megawoman''s powers, so there''s a chance that you may be somewhat immune to her. But if you weren''t¡­


    ¡­then you would have died¨C either way would be a win."


    "Did youe up with this n or did father?"


    "...Whiteking didn''t know,"


    Empress muttered. She had no idea why she told this straight to Darkday''s face, but she had a feeling he wouldn''t do anything to her. Of course, she knew that Darkday could still snap and decide to kill her for whatever reason¨C but as long as this mission wasn''t over, she had this gut feeling that he wouldn''t kill her.


    And if he decided to kill her after, then it would be worth it. She should just make sure first that Megawoman would be able to recover¨C and she would handle Darkday. She, of course, lost to him once.


    But she was sure of it. If they were to fight again, it would be different¡­


    ¡­because Themarians grow stronger with each defeat; or at least if what Megawoman told her was true.


    "..." Darkday seemed to be staring at Empress for quite a while now, but after a few more seconds, he just shrugged his shoulders¡­ and slowly walked towards the man without eyelids who was surprisingly still alive.


    "Can you direct us to where you are keeping Megawoman?"


    "I¡­ I don''t know, please¡­ please don''t kill me," the man wanted to close his eyes; but s, the only thing he could do was cover them with his hands; not wanting to see the horror and evil incarnate in front of him,


    "I¡­ I really don''t know!" He whimpered away as Darkday''s steps grew louder, "We¡­ we''re not allowed to go anywhere else! I¡­ I didn''t¡­ I didn''t even know it was Megawoman we''re monitoring here! Please¡­ please! You have to believe me! If¡­ If I knew it was her, then I wouldn''t have¨C"


    And before the man could finish his words, a hole was instantly made through his face; the soot, leaving scorch marks on the floor as they cracked as his head fell to the ground.


    "..." Empress was going to ask why he did that¨C but she was the one who gave the order to kill everyone within the facility, and it would seem the man truly didn''t have answers for them. If that was the case¡­ was killing everyone here due to her rage justified?


    No, justice is never on the side of rage, only vengeance¨C but that''s alright.


    "There''s not even any surveince cameras here, only stats," Empress then let out a sigh as she focused on the screens stered on the wall, "We should go, there might be more supers¨C what are you doing?"


    Empress turned to look at Darkday, only to see him removing his helmet and gently cing it on one of the consoles.


    "Since we truly might be meeting with Megawoman," Riley then said as a wide smile slowly formed on his face, "...Then I want to meet her as Riley Ross."


    "What? Why?" Empress gasped, "This isn''t part of the n, Darkday should be the one infiltrating this facility since Megawoman¨C"


    "Whiteknig can just make that happen," Riley waved his hand, "And this helmet is proof enough that I was here. It is the same as what I did with the nes back in Mega Academy."


    "You¡­" Empress truly wanted to punch Riley in the face right now, but she was not stupid enough to do so, "...Let''s just go. Have your clones found anything yet?"


    "They were forcefully relieved when Aurora arrived, Miss Empress," Riley let out a small sigh; the tone of his voice, back to being normal, "But thest moments they existed, they just finished killing everyone eating in what seemed like a small cafeteria."


    "We¡­ are missing something here," Empress ced her hand on her chin, "The first people we killed¨C"


    "You killed."


    "...The first person I killed," Empress cleared her throat, "They were holding Megawoman''s organs¨C why would they be holding something like that towards the cafeteria?"


    "Perhaps they are eating Megawoman''s organs?"


    "What? No!" Empress scoffed, "We¡­ might have missed a door. Aurora and the others also came out of nowhere. We¡­


    ¡­should retrace our steps."


    And with that, the two left the monitoring hall¨C with two things circling in Empress''s mind.


    Megawoman''s location.


    And how Riley copied Megawoman''s powers. Even Charlotte was able to do the same¡­ but Aurora was not able to fully negate Megawoman''s abilities because she''s an alien?


    Just how exactly does that work?


    "..."


    Is Riley''s bloodline¡­ not human?


    Charlotte Lane''s prowess was undeniable.


    Alice Lane''s raw power was enough to speak for itself.


    They were a family of monsters, in a sense. And so far, throughout the ages, an offspring of a super was not guaranteed to be a super¨C not to mention a super of almost equal abilities.


    Was there¡­ something in his family?


    "Miss Empress, we did miss something."


    "Hm?" And with Riley''s words echoing in her ears, she woke up from her mild stupor¡­ only to be weed by a hallway painted in red; blood, limbs, and guts.


    "You seemed to be busy fantasizing things about father," Riley then let out a sigh, "These men seemed to being from somewhere so I followed their trail while killing all of them and it led us here."


    Riley then pointed towards a wall¡­ that had deeper partitions than most of the other walls.


    "A¡­ door?"


    "It could be, Miss Empress," Riley nodded as he gestured to Empress to open it.


    "..." Empress looked at Riley for a few moments, before letting out a sigh and gently pulling the door open. And as soon as they did so¡­


    ¡­chaos weed them.

 Chapter 278: Heaven and Hell

    Chapter 278: Heaven and Hell


    Chaos, once again.


    Riley seems to be finding himself in it a lot the past couple of days. It was almost simr to the atmosphere of the studio where Hera brought him. There were people running around, people screaming, and people staring at him.


    Everything was almost the same¨C except for the fact that some of the people running around had their hands drowned with blood. The people that were screaming were panicking, yes; but they were not screaming at each other, but rather screaming for themselves.


    And the people that were staring at him¡­ instead of looks of awe and curiosity, they had fear. And the cameras were reced by guns and rifles that were simr to the ones they had back in the Super Max Prison.


    The room, however¡­ didn''t really have anything in it. Just tables which the people were seemingly previously idling at. There were also gloves and coats that had blood on them, either resting at the table or hanging somewhere on the walls.


    There were also about a dozen people that were standing in front, no doubt supers that worked for the government.


    "E¡­ Empress, why are you doing this!?" One of the supers shouted; his skin, emitting some sort of ck smoke almost simr to Nightwalker''s shadows.


    "I guess we''re on the right path," Empress, however,pletely ignored the man as she looked at Riley,


    "Anyway, this ce¡­ it doesn''t seem to be thatrge?" She then said as her eyes scanned the room¨C which wasrge by itself, but definitely notrge enough for all the people that were currently running around the hall. Even the room that monitored Megawoman''s health was small.


    [It makes sense.]


    And the one to answer her question, was Whiteking.


    [If they wanted to be subtle and not be discovered by anyone, they couldn''t really go fancy on the construction.]


    "...But why would they even put it in a ce like this?"


    [Because Darkday never returns to the scene of the crime.]


    "Empress! You can still¨C"


    "Shut it," Empress smashed her fist in the air, causing it to crack and let out a thunder that was enough to cause everyone that was previously panicking and running away to freeze on their spot,


    "Where is Megawoman?" Empress scoffed, "Tell us, and I can still give you a painless death¡­


    ¡­If not, then you will be in his mercy," she then said as she pointed at Riley.


    All the people then turned their attention towards the ghost-like individual that was quietly standing beside Empress.


    "Isn''t that¡­ Whiteking''s son?" One of the supers reacted.


    "I thought Darkday was¨C"


    And immediately, it clicked in everyone''s minds. It was reported to them that Darkday and Empress were together¨C and Riley Ross was previously suspected as Darkday; so with him here now¡­ wouldn''t that mean¨C


    "Whiteking''s son really was Darkday!?"


    "Don''t even bother calling for people outside," Empress stepped forward, causing all the guards and the supers to flinch. As for the people behind them that one could only assume to be doctors, they all started to hide,


    "We''ve blocked all yourmunications. Now tell me, where is Megawo¨C"


    And before Empress could finish her words, the guards all fired their rifles; letting out the specialized bullets that seemed to disintegrate anything that dared to block its path. But sadly for the said bullets, however, they all stopped before they could even reach their target¨C frozen in the air almost as if they were lined up.


    "..." Empress only stared at these floating red bullets, before turning and ncing at Riley.


    "These bullets might kill you, Empress," Riley smiled.


    Empress, on the other hand, just stretched her hand towards one of the floating bullets¡­ and immediately crushed it.


    "You seem to be underestimating me a lot, Riley."


    "No," Riley shook his head, "I just assume everyone is weaker than me."


    And with those words, the bullets that were previously floating in the air all started flying around the room¨C going through all the guards like a tornado and filling the floor with their ashes. As for the supers, they were met with Empress''s fists.


    It was a ughter.


    Empress did not back out on her words¨C they truly were killing each and every person in the facility. Leaving only those who seemed interesting enough to have answers, and one such individual was a male doctor that was currently in front of them.


    He seemed to be important enough that he had almost a dozen guards protecting him just earlier; those guards, however, were now nothing but blood and guts.


    And so, once again, Empress uttered the words she had been asking since earlier,


    "Where is Megawom¨C"


    "There! In that room!"


    And before she could even finish her words, the man immediately pointed towards¡­ a mirror.


    "..." Empress and Riley then looked at each other, before Empress grabbed the man by the neck, dragging him towards the mirror he pointed to.


    "Another secret entrance?" Empress rolled her eyes, "Why does the government always insist on something like this? Open it."


    Empress then lightly threw the man in front of the mirror, causing him to lightly yelp. She was about to warn him not to do anything, but the man quickly opened the concealed door for them, sliding in his ID on what Empress assumed to only be a crack on the wall.


    And as soon as he did so, a loud click resounded from the mirror; smoke, immediately fuming out of its sides as it slowly swung open. The smoke was cold; almost like what would feel when opening a freezer.


    "You go in," Empress then said.


    "Y¡­ yes," and immediately the man entered¨C with Empress and Riley following a few momentster. And as soon as they entered, their eyes were bombarded by a sort of brightness. This brightness, however, was immediately negated by the sight that weed them.


    The room was clean¨C a contrast to the room they were in before. There was not even a spot of dirt on the floor or on the walls; one would think it was heaven.


    There were, however, multiple aquariums. But instead of fish, they were filled with organs¨C some even throbbing on their own.


    Heaven and Hell-- perhaps was the best description that Empress could think of as she saw this scenery¨C and they were wrong.


    The facility was not small at all.


    This was the size of a football field¨C a white and bright football field adorned with a museum of Megawoman''s organs.


    "..." Empress''s eyebrows began to tremble as she started to walk across this forest of appendages. The man that was leading them, could not even utter a word as he took several nces at her and Riley.


    "What¡­ is this ce?" Empress then asked; half knowing the answer, and the other half, not wanting to know the rest.


    "..." The man, however, did not answer but only continued to walk; until finally, they reached another door. Empress did not even need to tell him what to do as he once again opened the door.


    There was a certain smell that permeated through their noses; a strong smell that was enough for Empress to cover her nose and mouth.


    "This¡­" And finally, the man answered Empress''s question,


    "...is humanity''s greatest sin."

 Chapter 279: WAR

    Chapter 279: WAR


    Wrath.


    Anger.


    Rage.


    All at the same time, creating an orchestra of¡­ nothing¨C of absolutely nothing. One would think that Empress would feel disgust, but no. She just felt¡­


    ¡­absolutely nothing.


    Perhaps it was shock? Perhaps she was bbergasted to the point that her mindpletely shut down?


    After all, how could one¡­ how could one even repay their savior like this?


    For three hundred years; and probably even more than that undocumented, Megawoman has strived and fought for the lives of the innocent¨C she fought for Earth. She fought for the people without even asking for anything in return.


    And when the time came that the people started to doubt her, she gave a weapon that could potentially stop her to the people, to the Hope Guild. Of course, as the current leader of the Hope Guild, Empresspletely hid and disallowed the use of the Pirs against Megawoman no matter what.


    Because even more than the Hope Guild¡­ Megawoman was true hope.


    And yet right now¡­ her head was floating inside somerge transparent capsule¨C her spine, connected to all sorts of tubes that led to other smaller capsules; capsules that contained her organs.


    Empress could only stare.


    Humanity''s greatest sin.


    The man that seemed to be handling this facility was right, this is humanity''s greatest sin. How could they repay their savior like this?


    How¡­


    Just¡­ how?


    "How¡­ do we pull her out?"-- were the only words that came out of Empress''s mouth as she slowly approached the capsule that confined Megawoman, "Is¡­ it safe?"


    "I¡­" The man could only close his eyes as he looked to the side,


    "I''ll get her out," he then said as he approached the console that was on the side of the somewhat dimly lit room.


    "Don''t try anything funny," Empress then warned, "I''m not in the mood to deal with anything right now."


    "N¡­ no," the man took in a small gulp as he started pressing some things on the console; and immediately as he did so, the tubes that were injected into Megawoman''s spinal cord started to detach themselves¨C and immediately, blood and flesh started to grow and form from it.


    "You¡­ should have just killed her," Empress then whispered as Riley stood beside her, "And now she''s going to wake up knowing the humanity she protected¡­ did this to her. And just like her, she is going to forgive us. You¡­ should have just killed her."


    "..." Riley did not answer Empress, and instead just ced his hand on the capsule; his eyes, somewhat somber as he stared at Megawoman''s face.


    "Can she hear us?" Riley then nced at the man, who immediately answered that he didn''t know.


    "It¡­ would be better if she didn''t," Empress sighed.


    "Megawoman¨C No, Aerith," Riley, on the other hand, once again stared at Megawoman''s face, "Even like this, I want you to know that you are still the most beautiful creature on this¨C and perhaps in the entire universe."


    "..." Empress could only step back as she heard Riley''s words; the expression on her face, unable to decide on what it should be.


    "I am sorry, Aerith," Riley continued; this time cing his forehead on the capsule, "If I knew that these people would treat you like this, I would have never given you back to them. I should have taken care of you instead¨C we could have just left."


    "..." What is he saying? Empress sighed.


    "Aerith¡­


    ¡­I love you."


    "!!!"


    Empress, who was feeling absolutely nothing just now, almost choked in her own breath as she heard Riley''s words. Is¡­ Is she hearing his words right? Did Riley just say what she thinks he said?


    And the expression on Riley''s face¡­ although it was subtle, it almost looked as if¡­ he was crying? There weren''t any tears, of course. But if one as expressionless as Riley changes his face, one would easily be able to notice it.


    Riley Ross¡­ truly is insane.


    "How long until this is done?" Empress then decided to ignore Riley as she approached the man.


    "Just a few more seconds," the man said, before letting out a short but very deep sigh as he pressed thergest button on the console. And as soon as he did so, the water inside the capsule started to drain¨C slowly and very gently allowing Megawoman''s head and spine to rest.


    And as soon as the water was gone, the capsule started to slide open¨C the smell, almost causing Empress to gag.


    As for Riley who was directly in front of the capsule¡­ he just immediately went to soft brush Megawoman''s cheek, before gently lifting her head up¨C making sure that her spine which was recovering their flesh and nerves did not twist as he cradled her on the floor ever so tenderly.


    He did not even use his powers¨C his skin, and clothes, for the very first time, adorned with blood. His face which was always clear and white, now marked with slime and blood as he embraced Megawoman''s regenerating body.


    And with Megawoman''s veins spawning from her spine, it almost looked as if she was wrapping around Riley''s body¨C no, it almost looked as if she was embracing her back. This kind of sight, Empress would have never thought in a million years that she would witness something like this.


    The world''s most heinous and evilest creature, gently embracing the world''s greatest savior.


    Poetic¨C almost as if the painting of the end of the world was being sketched in front of her.


    And soon, perhaps a minute¨C Megawoman''s bodypletely recovered.


    And then, another minute for her breaths to once again whisper from her lips.


    Her eyes, however, remain closed.


    "..." Riley''s outfit then soon stretched towards Megawoman almost like slime; leaving Riley with only his pants and Megawoman slightly covered.


    "Let''s go, Empress."


    "..." Empress only nodded her head as Riley started to float up¨C and as soon as he reached the ceiling, it just¡­ made way for them. Empress then followed, leaving the man alone.


    And soon, the room¨C No, the entire facility started to tremble.


    The man, however, only closed his eyes; not even opening them as the walls and ceiling started to crush him whole.


    As for Empress and Riley, they were now currently on the surface¨C surrounded by almost hundreds of people.


    "I thought you''ve cut allmunications to the outside, Whiteking," Empress whispered.


    [I did. Whoever they are, they were probably in the area. I can''t really see what''s happening since the sky is covered in dark clouds.]


    "Give it up!"


    The sounds of helicopters then started to whisper and patter in the air as several voices asked Riley and Empress to stand down and surrender.


    "...Fucking government," Empress was about to step forward, but before she could do so, Riley blocked her path.


    "What¨C"


    "Please take care of her," Riley breathed out as he suddenly but gently handed Megawoman to Empress.


    "What¡­ are you going to do?"


    "Your n is done now, Miss Empress," Riley then whispered as the ground beneath them started to tremble, "Now it''s my turn."


    "Are you¡­ you''re not wearing your helmet anymore," Empress whispered, "They will know who you are."


    "I am wearing a mask, Miss Empress," Riley breathed out as his feet started to leave the ground, "And they don''t know who I really am¡­"


    And soon, the tone of Riley''s voice changed.


    Wrath.


    Anger.


    Rage.


    Empress could feel all of theseing from Riley''s trembling voice,


    "They don''t know who I really am¡­" Riley repeated,


    "...But they will now."

 Chapter 280: Toronto

    Chapter 280: Toronto


    "Riley¡­ do you n on killing all of them?"


    Empress watched as Riley slowly ascended; with him giving his top to cover Megawoman, it almost looked like he was some sort of ghost floating in the air.


    His white hair¡­ for the very first time, Empress saw it waving along with the wind; slightly covering his face.


    "They¡­ they might have cameras, Riley."


    "It''s fine. No one is going to die here,"


    Riley only nced at Empress, before gently turning his eyes towards Megawoman, "If videos were to be leaked, Whiteking would know what not to filter. We are taking a different narrative from your initial n¡­


    ¡­we are the heroes in this scenario, Miss Empress."


    "..."


    "Leave."


    And with those words whispering into her ears, the ground beneath Empress instantly crumbled as a skirt of wind wrapped around her body. And as she disappeared from her spot and flew to the skies, several people started to follow and rush towards her.


    ¡­Those people did not get far, however, as their bodies abruptly and violently stopped mid-air; almost like a bird hitting a ss window. Their bodies quickly fell, but instead of plopping to the ground¨C they gentlynded. Their consciousness, however, stillpletely knocked out.


    "None of you will die here tonight."


    "!!!"


    The supers, guards, soldiers, or whatever sort of people they were¨C it didn''t matter. Everyone within Riley''s sight heard his words almost as if he was talking right beside them.


    "This is the second time¡­" Riley then said as he looked at each of the faces of the people surrounding him. He then turned towards the helicopters that were hovering in the air, clearly with cameras in tow.


    And this time, he looked directly towards them.


    "...the second time that I am asked to surrender. My only crime, rescuing your savior."


    "Shoot him!"


    The soldiers and guards triggered their weapons, the supers all rushed towards him and threw everything they could.


    "Silence, betrayers."


    But almost as if time stopped for everyone, none of their attacks reached Riley.


    Even the noise that the helicopters were drumming in the air, was no more; their des,pletely frozen in the air.


    Everything¡­ was just silent. With the only noise that one could hear were Riley''s words and breaths. The city of Toronto was once again what it was¨C a city abandoned by life.


    "Let this be my first act as a hero."


    The air itself then seemed to throb¨C with the dark clouds that pestered the skies of Toronto suddenly disappearing with a ripple; the light of the moon and stars, once again shining on its deadnds.


    Darkday is darkness¨C a darkness that would drown the world in death. An entity with only one goal, the end of mankind.


    Riley Ross is light¨C a light that would devour everything within its path. What entity he would be¡­ was yet to be determined.


    "None of you will die here today¡­


    ¡­and you will have all your lives to regret it."


    ***


    "Whiteking, was it really alright for us to leave Riley alone there?"


    [No, but you and I know that we can''t stop him.]


    "..." Empress could only let out a long and very deep sigh as she flew across the sky. And even though she wasn''t sure that Megawoman could feel it, she still tried to make her asfortable as possible as she carried her.


    "This¡­ is messed up," Empress once again sighed, "I feel like everything is about to fall apart¨C the world is falling apart. Darkday, Riley¡­ just what sort of being are we being forced to live with?"


    [...This world was broken from the start, Adaeze. We''re just starting to discover it.]


    "Megawoman¡­ was this really the government? Are they the true viins here?"


    [...]


    "You worked and still work for them several times," Empress whispered, "You know their secrets, don''t you? Did you know they had Megawoman in Toronto all this time?"


    [No. I do not dig deep in the government''s deeds.]


    "...Afraid of what you would find?"


    [Afraid of what I would do.]


    "..."


    [Knowledge will always be a curse for the powerless, Adaeze.]


    "Hm¡­" Empress only closed her eyes, "Prepare a room for Megawoman, I''m taking her to the Hope Guild."


    [Are you sure?]


    "Yes," Empress whispered as she looked at her master''s face, "She¡­ has fought long enough, she deserves to rest in a ce that represents everything she stands for."


    [Very well. I will also need to inform the rest of the members, are you sure?]


    "Your son seems to be nning to have all of this out there," Empress scoffed, "Fuck it, let''s do a press con after this and reveal the government''s sins. The World Government had its time


    ¡­but now is the age of Supers."


    [...Aren''t we already in that age?]


    "We were in the age of Heroes," Empress breathed out, "Heroes, viins-- it has always been ck and white."


    [...I don''t get it. Also, I''m not a super.]


    "You know what I mea¨C !!!"


    And before Empress could finish her words, she felt herself almost tumbling in the air as a weird force pushed her. It didn''t take any effort for her to recover, however.


    "What just¡­"


    [Oh no¡­]


    "What?"


    Empress then turned to see what it was, only to see the skies of Toronto without any darkness left in them. Leaving not even a single cloud to obstruct the view, finally revealing to the world the scale of destruction the Battle of Toronto brought forth.


    "...Shit," Empress then once again took flight, this time; any gentleness in her movements disappeared. Her hands, now just trying to make sure the wind was not violently hitting Megawoman''s face.


    Even the sea that was supposed to be hundreds of miles away from her, starting to howl and whisper into her ears.


    Almost as if thend and the Earth themselves were crying, a deafening thunder started to tremble in the air; causing every pore in her body to open and answer its call.


    How could Empress not hurry and take flight¡­


    ¡­when the entire city of Toronto was now being lifted from the ground?


    "What is your son nning!?"


    [You said it yourself¡­


    ¡­the Age of Supers¨C and he is the one opening the doors.]

 Chapter 281: The Great Change

    Chapter 281: The Great Change


    In a dimly lit room somewhere in the world, Bernard¨C Whiteking was currently in front of almost a hundred monitors. Some were apiler,puter security; letters, and numbers that only had meaning for Whiteking as he created the tools for himself.


    As for the other screens, most were the news¨C a view of the satellites, and some were both. Now that the skies of Toronto have been suddenly cleared, the satellites could finally once again capture the streets of Toronto¡­ or what was left of it.


    Thest time the people had a bird''s eye view of Toronto was before Darkday caused its ruin¨C unlike in London, most of the people werepletely in the dark about what Toronto looked like, but now they do.


    Unlike London which was now a desert of ash, Toronto¡­ was just deste. Almost like a dark alleyway that no one passes through anymore. It felt like people were living in it, but at the same time, it was deste, dead, and dangerous.


    "..."


    Whiteking was tasked by his son to only release live footage that would benefit them; that would make them look like they were on the right side of things. But with what Whiteking had already shown, he didn''t even have to do anything anymore.


    Right now, the people in the World Government are probably scouring and panicking as they try to release their side of things. But even if they do, how could they even find a remedy for what the people have already seen?


    All over the world, people were stuck to their phones,ptops, screens¨C anything that showed the news. Even those that didn''t have ess to such things, were also starting to know what had happened just by word of mouth.


    The World Government has already been falling and crumbling. But now, theirst pir was suddenly being pulled away. If they were not able to stop this, then their demise was at hand.


    "The government¡­ was experimenting on Megawoman?"


    They have already known the government''s deeds of selling some DNA for the one who destroyed London, Alistair Reuben. But they thought that they had already stopped it and all that was involved were either sacked or silenced.


    But now, on their screens, they saw Megawoman being carried away by Empress right in the very same ce where she was defeated, Toronto. There were also photos being shown of what had happened inside¨C photos that were¡­ too sickening to show even to adults.


    People thought that was the only thing that Hope Guild would show, the crimes of the government. But no, they did not try to sugarcoat anything or make themselves look like saviors or heroes¨Cno.


    They showed Empress, and their new member, Riley Ross, massacring everyone in the facility. Most think that this was too much, of course¨C but some think it waspletely justified.


    And this massacre was perhaps not over. The eyes of the masses were still stuck to their screens¨C some even to the skies as the moon itselfpletely disappeared¡­


    ¡­blocked by the city of Toronto.


    [1752¡­]


    And through the speakers of their instruments, they heard Riley Ross, who currently had a camera hovering around him as he was floating along with the city of Toronto along¡­ with hostages. Or perhaps not quite, as they came bearing arms and were trying to keep Megawoman from rescue.


    Once again, Riley Ross was neither a viin nor a hero¨C he was just¡­ a young man doing what he thinks is right.


    [1752¡­


    ¡­one of the earliest glimpses of Megawoman in history.] Riley then gently descended to thends of the floating Toronto; his steps, slow and gently as he seemed to walk through a frozennd¨C with the rest of the people therepletely still.


    [It was a glimpse, but there were rumors that she was able to prevent a war that would have led to the death of millions¡­] Riley continued to say, [...but due to Megawoman, it ended in a peaceful treaty. More and more ounts surfaced after that¨C with Megawoman interfering and letting us humans settle our problems in diplomacy¡­ in peace.]


    "What¡­ is he doing?"


    Those who were watching together, those who were outside, could only look at each other as they watched the scene unfold. They have already seen from the earlier satellite view how many guards and soldiers were there¡­ but it almost seemed every single one of them stopped.


    Even the helicopters were just frozen in the air, their des not even fanning.


    "Is he¡­ going to kill all of them?"


    "Good riddance, kill those government fucks!"


    "What? No!"


    "Go, Riley Ross! Show the government that their powers are merely an illusion!"


    "What are you guys saying? Are you insane!? Killing people is wrong!"


    "What¡­ afraid that your super neighbor would kill you?"


    "Supers rule this world, not you fucking normies!"


    "Yeah, you should just be our ves!"


    And soon, the arguments were bing violent¨C with some of the supers trying to somewhat oppress the normal people. But of course, there were still those who were trying to protect the people.


    "You''re protecting them!?"


    "Go fuck off before I burn every single bone in your body, old man."


    "Try it!" Several sharp bones suddenly protruded from the old super''s knuckle as he domineeringly stepped towards the super that was trying to protect the normal people, "Only those with real power should rule this world!"


    "...Real power?"


    And before the old super could take another step, his eyes suddenly reflected the almost blinding fire that suddenlybusted in front of him.


    "You think¡­ you have power?"


    "W¡­ wait," the old super then quickly retracted the sharp bones that came out of his knuckles as he stepped back,


    "I¡­ I was only kidding," and with those words, the old super ran away. The supers that were also previously seemingly trying to oppress the normal people also backed away, clicking their tongues as they left.


    And as soon as the other supers were gone, the fire that was violently raging quickly faded, revealing a woman¡­ withrge and finely shaped buttocks¨C Hannah Ross.


    "T¡­ thank you!" The normal citizen that the woman rescued quickly thanked Hannah. But even though her words were of gratitude, it was clear to see that she was still afraid as she refused to approach the female super.


    "..." Seeing this, Hannah could only let out a sigh as she shook her head, "Just¡­ go hide for now¡­


    ¡­That goes for all of you!" Hannah then raised her voice as she looked at the people, "Go home!"


    The people all looked at each other at first, but after a few seconds, they all nodded and headed in different directions, with some even rushing to leave.


    "..." Hannah then turned her head up towards one of the giant screens attached to the building; her breaths, slowly bing heavier and heavier, "Bro, what are you up to now? And...


    ...at least wear a shirt."


    [1938¡­


    ¡­Megawoman stopped a war that could have potentially killed billions of you," Riley continued to state everything the history books had on Megawoman; his eyes, seemingly lecturing the people that he currently had frozen still,


    "Megawoman has always tried to save your pathetic little lives¡­" And soon, Riley''s voice started to tremble,


    "...And yet you mock her again and again, disrespecting her beautiful body and creating inferior clones. This¡­ is unforgi¨C"


    And before Riley could finish his words¡­


    ¡­the air behind him started to crack, creating what seemed to be¡­ a void.


    And in the void¡­


    ¡­something emerged.

 Chapter 282: First Contact

    Chapter 282: First Contact


    There was probably no exining how all the departments of the government were panicking now¨C presidents, prime ministers, emperors, kings, those who run things behind the scenes; no matter what kind of leader they were, they were all scrambling to release statements that would prevent anarchy.


    Everyone was saying they weren''t involved and they did not know that this¡­ evil atrocity was beingmitted.


    The current leader of the World Government was being asked to present himself to the people by the members of the board; members of the board-- meaning the highest political figure of each country.


    But s, with everything that has happened so far; from all their secrets being leaked and from all the stress¡­


    ¡­the Leader of the World Government chose to end his life.


    Everything was in chaos; the masses, the supers, the heroes, the viins, and the government. Perhaps the only ones left that were at peace were the ascetics and monks that lived in their mountains, not knowing what was happening in the world.


    A great change was about toe to the world, and none were prepared¡­


    ¡­especially to what was about to happen next.


    But not every department of the government was panicking, no. After all, they were not allowed to¡­


    ¡­especially to what was happening now.


    "Sir, there''s¡­ movement!"


    "...Shit, why now of all times?"


    Back in NASA, the people were also at the edges of their seats, but for a totally different reason.


    They knew what was currently happening outside, but they could not really make any moves or even afford to ce their attention elsewhere as finally¡­ the ship that had been hovering around the Earth showed movement.


    They have been inspecting it for a while now, and try as they might to make contact, the ship just¡­ remained stagnant and unresponsive. Almost like it was just an asteroid; the nearest manned satellite tried to make contact with it, even to the point of sending drones¨C but nothing.


    The ship was about as wide as a football field and just as tall. One would think there would be at least a minute movement on its surface when they sent the drones¨C but nothing.


    But now, out of nowhere, it moved. Or more specifically, it lit up.


    "What is it doing?" One of the men from the government finally removed his sunsses.


    "We¡­ don''t know, sir."


    "What do you mean you don''t know!?" Another one removed his sunsses; his eyes, reflecting the¡­ light; the light that they couldn''t really figure out the color of,


    "Aren''t you guys paid to know these things!? You''re scientists!"


    "I''m¡­ actually an engineer," the engineer fixed his sses, "And this is the first time we made contact with another¨C"


    "Megawoman''s an alien!" The one that seemed to be the leader of the men from the government mmed his palm on the console, causing the man controlling it to flinch, "Howe you don''t know what that thing is doing!?"


    "...We don''t know if Megawoman came in a ship or¨C"


    "Just shut the fuck up and do something! Find out if they''re friendly or not!"


    "As¡­ as I said, there is no way of knowing what¨C"


    And once again, the engineer''s words were disrupted; but this time, it was not by the people of the government, but by the sudden change of thergest screen they have in the room.


    "What¡­ what''s happening now?" The people from the government started to look at each other as the screen turned dark.


    "Our¡­ systems are being hacked," the engineer stood up from his seat as he gestured to his team to do something.


    "Hacked? By who!? Whiteking!?"


    "N¡­ no," the engineer stuttered,


    "If it was Whiteking, we wouldn''t even know we''re being infiltrated," he then said; his eyes, slightly glimmering, "This¡­ is someone¨C"


    And once again, almost like tradition, the engineer was interrupted as the screen once again lit up, showing something¨C No, someone?


    [Greetings, people of Earth. Your defender is gone¡­]


    There was a man¨C if one could even call it that. But right now, that was the only resemnce all the people in the room could find. The man had blue skin; almost transparent as one could see the flesh beneath moving almost like the sea; the man''s hair, or if one could even call it that, seemed to also be part of his flesh. Its eyes numbered three.


    An alien.


    But despite all of this, none of them were really focusing on what the alien looked like, but instead on what was happening behind it.


    There were¡­ several other creatures, or perhaps machines moving in the background. All of these machine-like creatures, however, disappeared as they stepped inside some kind of¡­ void¨C a ck hole.


    Everyone''s attention, however, was once again put on the alien that was talking to them with the next words it uttered.


    [Surrender peacefully¡­]


    "Shit¡­" And almost in unison, everyone in the room; scientists, engineers, and even the government officials all breathed out.


    "...This isn''t good."


    Seeing the several ck holes in the background, most of them already knew what was happening. Even the people from the government have watched enough sci-fi films to know what they could be¨C teleportation gates.


    Earth¡­ is now officially being invaded.


    ***


    "..."


    Back in Toronto, Riley''s speech was suddenly interrupted by the sudden crack that emerged from the air. His head, tilted as the crack became an empty hole;pletely dark like a void.


    Riley then turned to look at the frozen man beside him; his face almost innocently asking him if he knows what was happening. But very soon, however, Riley''s question was answered.


    It was answered by a step¨C a step that emerged from the void.


    "...An animal?" Riley initially thought as he looked at the paw that emerged from the darkness¨C but as soon as this so-called animal''s head was revealed, Riley instantly knew he was wrong. Its head looked like a horse¨C if a horse had whiskers as long as its legs. And speaking of legs, this one has 6; not hooves, but paws.


    "..." Riley thought that it might be another homunculus as he looked at its 4 eyes¨C but as soon as he saw the 3-eyed blue-skinned individual riding on top of it, he immediately came to a conclusion.


    "...A super?"


    And this conclusion¡­ frustrated some of those that were watching from their screens.


    It''s a fucking alien!-- is what everyone wanted to scream.


    "What do you want?" Riley then walked towards the alien; his head, slightly turned up as the difference in size between them showed¨C with Riley only being the size of the 6-legged horse''s limb.


    "..." The alien nced at Riley with his three eyes, before turning them away; the horse it was riding on, trotting away andpletely ignoring Riley as the alien scanned the frozen people.


    The alien then started talking; but in Riley''s ears, all he could hear was gibberish.


    "Oh," Riley''s eyes then turned wide, "You''re an alien."


    "..." The alien then once again turned his horse towards Riley; its hair that seemed to be made of flesh, wriggling as it did so. The alien stared at Riley for a few seconds, before once again finally opening its mouth.


    "Earth-dweller," the alien then spoke,


    "Your defender is gone. Surrender peacefully, or we will¨C" And before the alien could finish its words, the horse it was riding on started to float.


    "You¡­" Riley then once again approached the alien and its mount; the corners of his mouth, almost reaching from ear to ear,


    "...will be a fine addition to my guests, alien."

 Chapter 283: Surrender Peacefully

    Chapter 283: Surrender Peacefully


    It wasn''t just happening in the floating city of Toronto¨C the ck holes have opened up all over the world. And with each ck hole, creatures started to emerge, all bearing the same words.


    Surrender.


    Suffice to say, everyone forgot about the atrocity that the government did and just focused on the current problem at hand¨C Earth is being invaded.


    Some people on the inte were saying that it was fake. Some say the government is doing it to cover up for their mistakes. Some say it might just be some sort of super.


    But as soon as the militaries all around the world started to move, everyone realized that it was serious. Reginald Champ, the newly appointed acting leader of the World Government, was the one to advise each of the countries'' leaders to send out their military. Although her appointment was sudden due to the previous one just taking his life less than an hour ago, the others still heeded her advice; after all, even without her, the leaders of the world would still send out their military to deal with an extraterrestrial threat.


    As for the normal civilians, they were quick to hide in their bunkers and nearest public shelters. Bunkers and shelters that were meant to be a safe ce from viin attacks, now being used as a refuge for another sudden and unexpected threat.


    "Is¡­ is it true, are we really being attacked by aliens?"


    "Don''t believe them, aliens aren''t real."


    "...Are you stupid?"


    In a certain shelter somewhere, people were still busy trying to find out what was really going on outside¨C some of them were already on their way to hide since some supers were starting to get agitated, but now they found themselves sharing a space with the supers that threatened to hurt them.


    "Do something!" One of the normal citizens screamed as she gestured towards a super, "Weren''t you just saying only supers have the right to rule!? Go outside and help the heroes and military!"


    "I¡­ I don''t owe any of you anything! Don''t push me!"


    Suffice to say, the tension that was screaming in the air was high¨C almost to the point that in just one wrong move, this shelter for safety would also be vulnerable on the inside.


    "E¡­ Everyone, please¨C stop fighting!" And suddenly, with a burst of wind gently pushing everyone back, all the noise stopped. They all turned towards the center of the gale, only to see a pair of overly sized bosoms¨C only to see a blessed young woman standing there; her eyes, covered by a pair of purple goggles.


    "Isn''t that¡­ one of the new heroes from the Academy?"


    "Please, this is not the time to fight!" The female super waved her hands, causing her¡­ hair that was tied in a ponytail to flow with her body,


    "And please¡­ don''t force people to fight," she then said.


    "That''s right!" The other civilian supers that were inside hollered.


    "It''s not their fault that they are weak cowards!" The female super continued; her words, quickly shutting up the civilian supers, "So please, just¨C I think the best all of us can do now is to calm each other down!"


    Some still wanted to say some things, but seeing the female super in front of them passionately waving around they decided to just shut their mouths; mostly the men.


    And after a few more minutes, the female super''s words seemed to have been taken to ount by everyone, as they just went on doing their own things; either watching the news, praying, resting, or crying.


    "..." The female super then scanned them for a few seconds, before letting out a sigh and propelling herself to the air, flying over the people andnding at the shelter''s entrance.


    "Baby Crew," the female super then pressed something in her ear as she left the shelter, "This is Hurricane Katrina, I am currently in the Brampton shelter¨C Am I the one nearest to Toronto? Is it true, are we really being invaded by aliens?"


    [I''m on my way to Toronto as well. Me and my brother need to talk about his life decisions,] Hannah was the very first voice to respond, [Fuck¡­ I don''t know what''s going on anymore. It''s probably just some government ploy.]


    "Should¡­ I provide backup for you in Toronto?" Katrina whispered as she looked around outside the shelter.


    [Nah, you guys focus on keeping the people safe,] Hannah said.


    [We''re getting invaded.]


    "Monarch?"


    [It''s true, a portal popped up here in New York,] Gary''s voice was filled with breath,


    [A fucking portal! Like in ''Reincarnated as Both God and the Devil'', and ''My Hermes System''! Can you guys fucking believe it!?]


    "I¡­ I see," Katrina almost pulled her head away from her earpiece from Gary''s loud voice. She was about to fly away, but before she could so, something caught her eye,


    "Uhmm¡­ guys," she then said, "Those aliens¡­


    ¡­are they blue?"


    ***


    "My guests¡­ would love you, alien."


    Back in the floating city of Toronto, the very first alien spotted on camera was now floating in the air¨C its movements, as frozen as the rest of the beings in the city.


    "What¡­ is this?" The blue-skinned alien tried to struggle away, but the only thing it could move was his head; its three eyes, moving in different directions,


    "Are you doing this, Earth-dweller?" The alien did not really wait for Riley''s answer, as it once again talked in what Riley could only assume to be its native tongue. And soon, another ck hole opened up, tearing the space right beside Riley.


    "..." Riley turned to face this void, and as soon as he did so, something brushed past his face¨C the de of what looked like a ck spear.


    "Hm¡­" Riley then let out a breath, letting the first alien go as its horse dropped to the ground; causing the alien to expertly roll across the cracked pavements and recover just as fast.


    Riley then floated back, allowing the one emerging from the new hole to step out. And this time, the alien that stepped out was not riding a 6-legged horse; but instead just walking out casually¨C wearing some sort of ck and bulky armor, only showing his head.


    "..." Riley then looked back and forth between the two aliens, before letting out a small breath and nodding, "A scout, followed by a warrior. Quite rudimentary for an advanced race."


    "Your defender is gone." And just like the words of the alien before, the newly arrived alien also said the same thing, "Surrender peacefully¡­ or we will respond in force."


    "Defender¡­ Do you mean Megawoman?" Riley tilted his head.


    "..." The alien only looked down at Riley for a few seconds, before pointing hisrge spear toward him.


    "Of course," a smile once again appeared on Riley''s face, "Even out there, Megawoman is strong. But the question now is¡­


    ¡­how strong are youpared to her?"


    "Surrender peace¨C"


    "Krr!"


    And before the newly arrived alien could finish his words, a light snap entered his ears; followed by a scream.


    "Peace?" Riley then once again ascended above ground¡­ and beside him, the scout alien¨C its three eyes, now floating out of their sockets, "If you wanted peace¡­


    ¡­then you should have visited when Megawoman was awake."

 Chapter 284: Two For The Price of one

    Chapter 284: Two For The Price of one


    "If you wanted peace¡­


    ¡­then you should have visited when Megawoman was awake."


    And with those words, the three eyes of the alien floating beside Riley¡­ popped. The snapping noises did not stop there, however, as the alien''s limbs started to crack; its broken bones protruded, prating its skin.


    And with the alien wearing only minimal clothing unlike its warrior counterpart, everyone could see its transparent, water-like blood flowing and trailing¨C its skin that once looked like the moving ocean, slowly turning grey.


    And soon, the alien''s ribs started to open up¨C revealing its organs thatpletely differed from that of a human''s¡­ as it only seemed to have a single one; and with it throbbing uncontrobly, then it was quite possibly the heart.


    "...Interesting," Riley then tilted his head to the side as he looked at the alien insides, "Some parts are the same, but¨C"


    And before Riley could finish his words, the other alien rushed towards him¨C the de of its spear, already swinging straight for Riley''s head.


    Riley, however, did not dodge even as his eyes followed the spear and instead just raised his hand; blocking the spear with his palm. And as soon as the de made contact, it started to light up in a color that Riley has never seen before.


    "!!!"


    Riley then felt his vision shift as a sort of explosion plunged him away; causing him to violently roll on the ground and smash through the frozen individuals¨C tearing them from limb to limb.


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times as he stared at the night sky. He just told the people here that none of them were going to die, but now some already did. It would seem he has been breaking his promises a lottely, that¡­ wasn''t good.


    He was about to stand up, but before he could do so, another tear in the space appeared above him; and without even any warning, another alien warrior emerged, its spear already heading towards Riley.


    "..." And once again, Riley did not try to avoid¨C this time not even lifting a finger. His only movement? The smile that was slowly crawling on his face.


    He did not move, even as the tip of the spear reached his head; letting it plunge him deep into the grounds of Toronto as the weird light seemingly bombarded him with some sort of force; straight towards the lower side of the floating city.


    Riley then stared at the face of the alien warrior. And although they might look different than humans, their expressions seemed to almost be the same¨C and what the alien was showing now was clearly¡­ anger.


    And as he and the alien were falling to the ground, Riley finally moved; his hand, moving towards the de of the spear and¡­ flicking it with his finger. This caused the alien to somewhat lose bnce; but still, it quickly swung its spear, using the momentum to spin his body and regain his footing in the air.


    A strange light then emerged from the alien''s armor¨C specifically from its greaves which somewhat allowed it to float¨C No, which allowed it to step on air.


    "Hm," Riley, on the other hand, continued to let himself fall for a while, before also finally stopping in the air as he stared at the alien. The alien also returned Riley''s stare; its three eyes, ring Riley directly in the eyes.


    Riley then stretched his hand towards the alien; causing it to almost tumble as the spear that it was firmly holding, started to fly away. The alien managed to catch it, however; as he threw himself along with the spear toward Riley.


    And this time, Riley dodged; ever-so-slightly dodging the spear as he tilted his head to the side¨C he then swung his palm towards the alien''srge throat, causing it to choke.


    And as soon as it opened its mouth, both of Riley''s hands¡­ moved inside it¨C keeping it open.


    "...Mouth is different than ours," Riley muttered, "Except you have 2yers of teeth¡­ No canines¡­ herbivores?"


    "Krr!"


    "..." Riley then squinted his eyes as the alien''s double uv started to tremble as it screamed, "Your screams¡­ are disappointing."


    Riley then let go of the alien''s mouth as he floated back; and quickly, the alien pointed its spear towards Riley once again.


    "What are you!?" The alien then said, "This should no longer have the Themarian!"


    "She is still here," Riley quickly answered, "Just sleeping."


    And as soon as Riley''s words reached the alien, its three eyes quickly widened¨C a universal expression for shock, Riley reckoned.


    The alien also dropped its spear as it once again stared at Riley; but after a few seconds, it turned around and started running upwards¨C it was about to open its mouth, but before it could let out any alien words¡­ the de of its spear pierced the back of its head, prating through his mouth.


    Even through this, however, the alien seemed to still be alive as its three eyes followed Riley as he floated in front of it.


    "You''re not¡­ nning on retreating, are you?" A smile once again appeared on Riley''s face as he floated in front of the alien; its head, almost the size of Riley''s torso.


    "You just got here, alien. I''d rmend staying for a few days," he then said as he looked the alien straight in the eyes¨C a little hard to do considering it has three, "Just because you found out that Megawoman is still here, you are leaving?"


    The alien then lifted its hand; holding some sort of baton that once again held the unrecognizable color; and with a flick of his hand, this light shot out.


    "No."


    But before the light could even fly a meter away, Riley stretched his hand towards it; holding the light in the air and preventing it from exploding. And as soon as the alien saw this, it started to struggle¨C the spear that was lodged into its mouth, once again letting out the weird color.


    And with a quiet thunder¡­ it exploded. But s, this explosion was once again kept inside an invisible sphere that surrounded Riley and the alien, which was now in different pieces and smearing the invisible sphere that Riley created.


    "I apologize, alien. But you and your race are not leaving Earth just yet. I¡­


    ¡­am going to kill all of you first."


    ***


    "Our servers are connected again!"


    "Contact the god damn alien! Since it can speak ournguage, we could probably talk with it!"


    "Let''s not rush to it."


    The acting leader of the World Government, Reginald Champ, was now currently in NASA. After she advised all the other world leaders to send out their military, she immediately traveled to NASA. Her goal?


    To try and speak with whoever was in charge on the other side.


    "Are you the one responsible for making contact with them?" Reginald then ced her hand on the engineer that was leading the team; her voice, containing not even a hint of arrogance or authority, "Are you able to connect us to them again?"


    "I¡­ I think we can," the engineer quickly nodded as he ordered his team to try and trace the signal¨C and not even a minute after, the screen changed.


    "That was fast," Reginald nodded, "Can it hear us?"


    [Hello, mud people.]


    "That¡­" The engineer, as well as most of the people in the room all stood up as they saw¡­ the pink-skinned individual on the screen,


    "...It''s not them."

 Chapter 285: Liaison

    Chapter 285: Liaison


    Arge, weird-colored orb floated in the air¨C and soon, Riley emerged from this sphere; the smile on his face, still not fading away.


    He stared at this sphere for a few seconds, before letting it fall towards the colossal hole he created from lifting up the city of Toronto; the giantke of Ontario, not spilling inside the hole despite the cavity it left.


    Riley lifted up the entire city of Toronto, a feat that truly solidified his identity as the son of the strongest telekic the world has ever known. The city''s neighbors could see it so clearly¨C how cleanly and smooth that city was taken off thend; it almost looked like someone scooped a spoonful of ice cream from a tub, one could almost even see their reflection from how silky and t the surface of the concave was.


    Add the fact that theke of Ontario, that would otherwise spill inside the concave, was stopped by a colossal invisible wall¨C almost making it seem like they were witnessing the birth of a muchrger Niagara falls, except frozen. If it was kept like this, then this would truly no doubt be one of the wonders of the world.


    And so;


    Lifting up the entirendmass of the city of Toronto.


    Holding back theke from falling into the cavity it left which would probably cause problems to the cities the giantke was bordering.


    All the while fighting with aliens of unknown strength and actually managing to defeat them¨C No, dominate them.


    And all of these were caught on camera that Riley himself seemed to be hovering around him from afar.


    Taking all of this into ount¡­ wouldn''t it be said that Riley Ross has already surpassed his biological mother as the strongest telekic?


    And taking some of these into ount¡­


    "Did¡­ he just wage war against the aliens?" One of the people in a certain dome muttered; almost all the eyes of the people in the shelter, fixated on their phones as they watched the news.


    "I¡­ I think so? Shouldn''t¡­ we have talked to them first?"


    "Are you stupid? You think someone wielding a giant ass weapon like that came for peace?"


    Once again, the opinions of the people are split. Some were saying that Riley Ross was rash and that he should have approached the aliens with caution; the other half, however, agreed with decisions outright, especially the rising fan''s club, PANDA.


    It hasn''t been a minute, and yet PANDA already had a music video containing a montage of Riley Ross''s fight in Toronto which was being shared almost every second. But soon, however, the views stopped advancing.


    "What the¡­ what happened?"


    "Is my phone broken?"


    Everyone''s screens started to ckout; this darkness did notst long, however, as their screens once again lit up after a few seconds.


    "Who¡­ is this?"


    "Majin Bae?"


    On their screens, however, another stream popped up¨C some tried scrolling away or closing it so that they could return to watching the news, but they were unable to.


    [Hello, mud people.]


    "Are these¡­ the aliens?"


    The people started to whisper and murmur; their breaths, almost faltering as they stared at the pink-skinned individual talking on their screen. The man had a t nose, simr to what one could find in snakes; its head,pletely devoid of any hair.


    "No¡­ this one is different, the alien being shown on the news has blue skin, not to mention three eyes."


    "Then; what is this?"


    "Wait, are we being invaded by another alien species?"


    "The fuck? How does that even make sense?"


    [Please do not panic or be rmed¨C we are what you may call Clovians, from the¡­ Clovux.]


    The clovian continued to talk; its eyes, simr to a diamond,


    [We have note here to harm you, and instead, to respond to the call we have received multiple moons ago.]


    The clovian''s speech was slow, almost sluggish. Almost as if it was trying to find the most suitable words to utter.


    [The call stated that your Champion is dead, a Themarian.]


    "...A call?"


    "What champion? Themarian? Is she talking about Megawoman?"


    "Wait¡­ someone contacted these aliens?"


    The people once again began to whisper, but quickly shut their mouths as they continued to listen to what the clovian was saying.


    [It is reported that she was killed by darkness. And now, with your Champion gone, you are left vulnerable to the threats that want to take what is yours,]


    The clovians face then started to wriggle; until finally, its nose which was akin to that of a snake''s started to resemble that of a human. Its eyes which were previously diamond produced color-- imitating that of a human''s.


    Hair also started to protrude from its skin; and now, after a few more seconds, she already resembled that of a woman¨C an eerily normal-looking woman.


    [My name is Anra, we are more simr than you think and we havee here to help you.]


    The clovian, Anra, now blinked a couple of times¨C the expression on her face, bing more human by the second.


    [We can be your new protectors¡­


    ¡­all that we ask is you wee us.]


    ***


    "Hm¡­"


    Back in the floating city of Toronto, Riley was currently staring at the ck hole which the first alien warrior emerged from. For some reason, it was still open.


    The alien scout and the 2nd alien warrior''s portal were now gone, but the one in front of him still had no signs of disappearing.


    Is it because the one that emerged from it was still alive? Riley thought as he looked at his left hand¡­ which was currently grabbing therge alien warrior by its jaw. The alien seemed to still be breathing judging by the thumping of its chest.


    These aliens seem to be more durable than humans, Riley thought. After all, it was already bleeding quite heavily from having all of its limbs ripped off¨C and yet it was even alive after minutes.


    It was the same with the alien warrior that exploded earlier; even with a spear lodged through its mouth, it was still alive¨C something that Riley couldn''t really do with humans that much.


    "..." Riley then turned his gaze back at the ck hole, and then once again towards the alien; looking back and forth between the two as a smile slowly crawled on his face. Although their screams were not as beautiful as humans, they couldst longer than them.


    If there were a hundred of them, wouldn''t Riley be able to create a song?


    And so, with this thought, Riley stepped closer to the ck hole. This thing¡­ should lead him to wherever they came from, right?


    "Don''t worry, Megawoman¡­


    ¡­I''ll do your job for you," the smile on his face was as wide as ever as he stepped into the ck hole¡­


    ¡­only to just pass through it.


    "..." The alien in his hand, however, was gone. Seeing this, the only thing that Riley could do was let out a short but very deep sigh¨C he really thought that he would finally be able to create a song that wouldst for at least 3 minutes.


    "...Did you just try to enter the portal, you little shit?"


    "..." Riley then quickly turned around as he heard a very familiar voice, only to see a face¡­ that waspletely burning from anger, quite literally.


    "Oh¡­ Greetings, sister."

 Chapter 286: WTF Did You JustSay!?

    Chapter 286: WTF Did You JustSay!?


    "Oh¡­ Greetings, sister."


    "What do you mean ''greetings''!?"


    And as soon as Riley was done with his words, Hannah quickly rushed towards him; her fists, already on their way to his head. But even so, Riley did not move as the reflection of Hannah grewrger andrger into his eyes.


    And not only did he not move, he even stretched his arms to the side to wee Hannah''s fist¨C but it didn''te. Instead, Hannah wrapped her arms around him; probably too tight. She wasn''t using her abilities, yet Riley could still feel a certain warmth emanating from her body.


    "You¡­ you little shit," Hannah then whispered as she rested her face on Riley''s chest; her words, muffled and slightly stuttered, "If¡­ If you were released from prison, then you should have gone straight to us."


    "I can''t, sister," Riley only let out a sigh as he slightly rested his chin on Hannah''s head, "I can''t go outside without the supervision of my fellow members from the Hope Guild."


    "Things¡­ things have been getting crazier and crazier since you were gone," Hannah tightened her embrace even further, "The clones are getting rampant, the fucking Hero Association¡­ and now we''re being invaded by aliens¨C the world is going to shit. It''s been going to shit ever since Megawoman was defeated."


    "I noticed, sister," Riley once again sighed.


    "And¡­ and to think the fucking government was experimenting on Megawoman," Hannah''s words continue to muffle, "They weren''t happy with the clones they made?"


    "As you said, sister. The world is going to shit."


    "Hm¡­ but did you just try to enter the fucking portal?" And almost instantly, the tone of Hannah''s voice changed as she pushed herself away from Riley, "What did you think you were going to do, you fuck?"


    "I wanted to torture all the aliens so they could sing me a song, sis¨C"


    "Don''t fucking answer that! Just say you''re sorry!"


    "...For what?"


    "Agh! I don''t miss this part when dealing with you!" Hannah almost pulled out her hair as she looked at her brother. But after a few seconds of trying to calm her breaths down, her eyes started to scan the people that were still frozen until now,


    "What¡­ do you n on doing to them?"


    "I was going to leave them like this forever, sister," Riley answered, "So that they could contemte and think of what they have done to Megawoman for the rest of their lives."


    "..." Hannah''s eyes quickly became dead.


    "They won''t die," Riley quickly noticed his sister''s expression, "I would give them food, directly floating food through their mouths. As for the bowel movements, I have not quite¨C"


    "Release them now."


    "But sis¨C"


    "Now."


    "..."


    And with a short but almost disappointed sigh, the sound of gasps started echoing several times in the air; the helicopter des which had stopped drumming in the air, once again letting out a quiet thunder as the pilot seemed to be trying to stabilize their hover in the sky.


    "Most of these men and women are just following orders, Riley," Hannah sighed, "That doesn''t excuse much of their actions, but the one that should really pay for whatever it is they were doing with Megawoman are those government fucktards sitting on their fat-ass seats doing nothing but scheme and¨C can you let go of that camera?!"


    Hannah could not help but abruptly stop with her words as she noticed a camera hovering around them.


    "It is fine, sister. I am just getting used to the camera since I will be an actor soon."


    "...What?"


    "I was coerced to audition by Miss Hera."


    "...I guess it doesn''t matter for now," Hannah could only shake her head as she listened to her brother''s words, "None of those matter until we deal with the immediate threat. These aliens just keep on popping up out of nowhere. And also¡­


    ¡­can you put the city down now!?"


    "..." Riley stared at Hannah for a few seconds; almost like a child not wanting to put down a toy. But after a few more seconds, the city of Toronto once again started to descend to the ground; causing all the people that were there to tumble and roll on the cracked pavement they were standing on.


    None of them wished to fight or try to apprehend Riley anymore; why would they? They weren''t being paid enough to deal with a monster like this; it was almost as if asking them to fight Darkday.


    And so, after a few minutes; a somewhat loud howl reverberated through the air as the city of Toronto was once again finally ced back to the ground¨C almost like it never left in the first ce. Whether or not it would have asting effect on the terrain and the surrounding ecosystem, well¡­ this was no time to think about it.


    The people that were previously frozen all started running away; running towards the vehicles they had hidden all over the ce. Were they hiding here in the first ce? Riley thought as he watched them all leave.


    Of course, he also returned the camera he had borrowed from the helicopter, he wasn''t a thief, after all.


    "I need to return to Hope Guild, sister," Riley then said as he approached Hannah, "I can''t proceed any further without someone supervising¨C"


    "Fuck, look around you? You think the authorities care?" Hannah rolled her eyes, "And since when did you care about the authorities in the first ce!?"


    "I have huge respect for thew, sister," Riley blinked a couple of times.


    "You¡­ forget it," Hannah waved her hands, "If you''re going to the Hope Guild, then we''re going with you¡­


    ¡­Baby Crew, finish whatever it is all of you are doing, and let''s meet at the base of the Hope Guild."


    [Sure, just gonna wipe the floors with these guys first.]


    [Affirmative, big sister.]


    [Got¨C Fuck, do you even cultivate, bro!?]


    [For reals? Finally, I have had it with these motherfucking aliens in this motherfucking ce!]


    [I¡­ I think I''ll be a littlete¨C Eep!]


    "Meet you guys there," Hannah could only let out a smirk as she shook her head, "Surprise? We''ve known the Hope Guild''s location since¨C"


    "Gary put a tracker on my pocket?"


    "Wait¡­ he put it in your pocket!? He told us he put it in a ce where you wouldn''t even notice! That stupid fucking giant!"


    "..." Riley only watched as Hannah let out her frustrations¡­ whichsted probably half a minute before her breathspletely calmed down.


    "A¡­ anyway," Hannah burst into mes as she floated in the air, "Let''s go, I used a jet to get here. It should get us to the base of the Hope Guild in a few hours¡­


    ¡­you excited to meet the others yet? You''ve met with Gary like a week ago, right? Oh god, you''ve only been out for like a week and everything''s gone to the gutter."


    "I''m not excited, sister."


    "Pft, of course not," Hannah shook her head, "Anyway, what''s with the rumors between you and V? Even Gary was saying some shit that almost caused Tomoe to go ballistic; I swear, that girl is quiet but she''s secretly an inte terrorist."


    "Rumors?"


    "You know, that you two are going at it?" Hannah chuckled, "Is she like your girlfriend now or something?"


    "No, sister," Riley shook his head as he followed Hannah, "But we did have sexual intercourse back in the prison."


    "I see."


    "..."


    "...What the fuck did you just say!?"

 Chapter 287: The Baby Crew Enters

    Chapter 287: The Baby Crew Enters


    "Did¡­ you bring her here, Riley?"


    "No. She brought me here, Miss Empress."


    "...What?"


    Inside thending bay of the Hope Guild; Empress, V, and Butcher were there, standing almost ready to fight as an unidentified aircraft suddenly entered their base. But as soon as Bernard''s daughter stepped out of the small jet; the only thing the three could do was look at each other. And soon, their newest member also casually stepped out of the jet.


    "We installed a tracker in one of your jets," Hannah smirked as she looked Empress straight in the eyes, tip-toeing the best she could to be at the same eye level as her, but s, Empress was still the tallest person in the room,


    "Quite pathetic that the number one superhero group couldn''t even detect it¨C as expected of a group led by a slut."


    "..."


    V wanted to step forward in Empress''s defense¡­ but Hannah was kind of right. Empress is sleeping with a married man, and to defend her in front of the daughter of the woman being cheated on¡­ didn''t really sit right with her.


    And so, the only thing she could do was ce her attention on Riley, waving toward him with a smile on her face. Riley, however, only nodded at her; but instead of being disappointed, she just let out a small giggle.


    "You¡­ put a tracker on one of our jets?" Empress''s eyes started to twitch; but still, her arms remained still as she stepped forward.


    "Oh yeah," Hannah nodded, "And pretty soon, the rest of my team will be here."


    "I don''t appreciate you doing that, Hannah Ross."


    "What are you gonna do, sleep with my dad again?"


    "H¨C"


    "Wee to the Hope Guild headquarters, Ms. Ross."


    And before the sparks between Hannah and Empress could grow any more violent, Butcher stepped between the two; his bald and shiny headpletely extinguishing the spark.


    "Butcher, what are you doing?" Empress frowned.


    "She is already here," Butcher muttered, "And the probability of us making her leave is zero. We should just see this as weing the future pirs of our society. We are getting old, Empress¨C our glory days are over."


    "Why are you giving a speech here?" Empress could only click her tongue as she turned around and walked away, "If they cause any trouble, it''s 100% on you. I am only letting this be since we have even greater problems."


    "...Now shall we head inside?" Butcher gestured to Hannah before also following Empress inside.


    "Your new team suc¨C"


    "Riley!"


    And before Hannah could finish her words, her eyes widened as she saw V suddenly clinging to Riley''s arms. And as if that wasn''t enough, she even pecked him on the cheeks. Hannah would usually have something to say at moments like this¡­ but since V was practically a stranger, she didn''t really know how to react.


    V seemed to have noticed this as she quickly grabbed Hannah''s hand.


    "I''ve been wanting to meet with you for a long time now, Hannah!" V said with a huge smile on her face; shaking Hannah''s hand repeatedly before letting go,


    "I hope to be friends with you someday!"


    "R¡­ right?" Hannah could really only smile back with a forced smile on her face. V had always been inside her mecha suit whenever Hannah watched her in action¨C but seeing her right now acting like this in front of her¡­ wasn''t she just a kid?


    Granted, she should be the same age as Riley. And the two¡­ the two have even slept with each other. Hannah truly doesn''t know what to feel about this as Riley''s older sister.


    "Let''s go inside," V then once again clung onto Riley as she pulled him away; leaving Hannahpletely dumbfounded as she watched the two walk ahead.


    She was about to follow the two when she noticed that V was ncing at her¡­ with a somewhat condescending re as she tightened her hold on Riley even stronger.


    "..."


    Of course¨C Hannah thought. Riley¡­ always attracted women with a few¨C no, with a lot of screws loose in their head.


    Tomoe was her friend, but there was something seriously wrong with her head¨C of course, she couldn''t really me her for the things she''d been through with her parents.


    As for Scarlet Mage, she doesn''t even need to exin anything about that cougar.


    And now, V. Although she doesn''t know what was wrong with her yet, she figures it had something to do with her being locked up inside a mecha suit for almost her entire life¨C she would probably be swooned and infatuated by the first guy of the same age who so much gives her attention¡­


    ¡­but being trapped inside a cage all her life? That''s bound to lead to some problems.


    "...Ack, who cares. I''m not anyone''s therapist." If Riley is old enough to y around with women, then he''s old enough to deal with the problems thate with it, Hannah thought as she followed the two inside¡­


    ¡­almostpletely forgetting the fact that they were currently being invaded by an extraterrestrial species.


    But as soon as she stepped inside the Hope Guild''s ''lobby'', thex and calm expression on everyone''s faces caused her to remember.


    "Wait, why are all of us just rxing here!?" Hannah stood up as she¡­ pushed the ss of coffee she casually found herself drinking away,


    "We''re being invaded by fucking aliens right now! Megawoman is here, right!? Wake her up!"


    "You don''t have to worry, Ms. Ross," Butcher quickly wiped the spilled coffee, "Hera and Tempo are currently responding to the threats."


    "Only the two of them!? Then what are the rest of you doing!?" Hannah said as she pointed at Butcher as well as V, who was still clinging onto his brother like a ko.


    "We are waiting, Ms. Ross."


    "Waiting for what?"


    "Waiting for Whiteking to pinpoint where the ship of the aliens are," Butcher calmly said as he took away the ss and wiped the table clean.


    "You mean¨C"


    "We''re going on the offensive."


    And before Hannah could say anything, Bernard suddenly entered the lobby¡­ from the direction where they came from, the hangar.


    "I was busy fixing something so I couldn''t wee you," Bernard said as he wiped his unusually dirty face; his arms as well, seemed to be wrapped in grease,


    "I weed them, however," Bernard then pointed his thumb to the back, and as soon as he did so, several people entered the lobby¡­ quite dramatically.


    Led by none other than Monarch. And behind him;


    Silvie, aka, Megagirl¨C her suit, still the same white thick spandex with golden highlights and contrast in her boots and gloves; her mask, only covered around her eyes.


    Tomoe Reynolds, aka, Nightqueen¨C wearing a loose white kimono, only ented by the sunsses she was wearing.


    Katrina Collins, aka, Hurricane Katrina¨C still wearing a lot of frills around her to hide her pair of glorious mountains, but still failing to do so.


    Andstly, Be Jackson, aka, ck Bell¨C only wearing a tank top and somewhat tactical pants.


    The members of the Baby Crew, all women except Gary Gray.


    "No worries, your ancestor is here¨C oh my god, we''re actually inside!"


    "We''re supposed to be making a good impression!"

 Chapter 288: The Baby Crew Leaves

    Chapter 288: The Baby Crew Leaves


    The Baby Crew.


    They were supposed to enter the base of the Hope Guildpletely unperturbed and with dignity. They were now also officially superheroes, they shouldn''t be affected or star struck if they see another popr hero in front of them.


    But s, that n waspletely ruined as soon as Gary squealed as soon as they entered the lobby. The women of the group could only shake their heads in disappointment; Gary was the only male member of the Baby Crew, so it made sense he would be the one in the middle; but s, theypletely forgot who Gary was.


    "Oh my god, guys¡­ We''re actually inside the Hope Guild''s secret base," Gary''s entire body trembled; and with him being muscr and over 6''6" tall, all they wanted to do was kick him for acting cute.


    "H¡­ holy shit, is this the de you used to defeat the War Gadget!?" Gary then quickly rushed towards the collection of des that were stered on the wall, "It¡­ it''s true, all of them are blunt!"


    "..." Butcher furrowed his eyebrows for a few seconds. One would think he would be annoyed¡­ but a small smile subtly crawled on his face as he approached Gary, who was stillpletely freaking out,


    "It is, I see you know your knives," Butcher nodded.


    "O¡­ of course," Gary took in a small gulp as he removed his mask, "If one is to know dao, then one is to know smithing."


    "I see the future generation is in good hands."


    "..."


    "..." Not only the Baby Crew, but Empress could not help but shake her head as she saw this scene. If she wasn''t busy trying to take care of Megawoman, then she would have definitely done something to kick these¡­ ransackers away.


    But still, it might actually be quite helpful that they are here, Empress thought as she turned her eyes towards Silvie.


    "You¡­ really do look like her."


    "S¡­ sorry?" Silvie looked around if it was really her that Empress was talking to.


    "Megawoman, you look like her," Empress said, "And since you''re here, can you follow me?"


    "...Sorry?" Silvie once again repeated.


    "And you as well, Gary," Empress raised her voice to get Gary''s attention, "Maybe Megawoman will react if she senses his son."


    "!!!"


    "It was real!?" Silvie quickly widened her eyes as she heard Empress''s voice. Even Katrina and Be, who were trying their best not to geek out, almost opened up all their pores as Empress''s words reached their ears.


    "Wait¡­" However, Katrina and Be widened their eyes even further as what Empress said finally fully registered in their minds,


    "What do you mean son?" Be stepped forward, "Gary¡­ is Megawoman''s s¨C"


    And before Be could even utter the words she wanted to utter, Gary screamed,


    "Riley had sex with V while they were in prison!"


    "!!!"


    And without even any warning, V quickly ran away; covering her face as she did so.


    "L¡­ Let''s go meet with Megawoman!" Gary then quickly rushed to grab Silvie as he urged Empress to go.


    "W¡­ wait, what did you say? Wait, I want to hear!" Silvie seemed to want to stay, but s¨C it was almost as if Gary channeled all of his strength as she pulled her and Empress away. Leaving Riley, Butcher, Hannah, Tomoe, Be, and Katrina in the lobby. Bernard already returned to the hangar as he was still finishing up something.


    As for Butcher, "...It seems I might have forgotten to clean one of my des," he whispered as he quickly slid out of the lobby.


    And pretty soon, the people that were left in the lobby found their breaths getting heavier; with each exhale, visible vapor fumes from their mouths.


    "Did¡­ did it suddenly get colder?" Katrina was the first toment as she rubbed her shoulders, causing her massive¡­ outfit to flutter.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Give it here my white brother!"


    And right when everyone thought silence would fill the air, Be suddenly approached Riley with her fist stretched out, "You still killingdies left and right, and someone from the Hope Guild? Shit¡­ you a beast, ma¨C It really is getting kinda cold, ain''t it?"


    Be quickly retracted her fist as she too, started rubbing her shoulders¨C if she knew it was going to be this cold in the Hope Guild, then she wouldn''t have worn a tank top. Soon, however, she realized what was causing this sudden drop in temperature.


    "Oh shit!" Be pped her hands,


    "Didn''t you have hots for Riley?" She then said as she looked at Tomoe, whose head might as well have been nted on the floor with how much she was looking down.


    "Be!" Hannah, who had been watching the whole scene unfold, could no longer take it as she pulled Be away, "This is more serious than you think."


    "..." Be then looked back at Tomoe as she heard Hannah''s words,


    "...Shit. Don''t tell me Icy is actually in love with your brother?" She whispered.


    "Do you think she would react like this if she wasn''t?" Hannah whispered.


    "W¡­ well, it''s not our fault your brother is attractive as hell. Chicks dig that mysterious aura, ya know."


    The two continued to whisper; but with the lobby now freezing cold, their voices could be heard almost bouncing everywhere.


    But finally, after a few more seconds of this painful, and somewhat awkward scenario, Tomoe finally spoke up.


    "Is¡­ is that true?" Tomoe said, her words, almost a whisper, and a whimper; her eyes, not even having the strength to look at Riley.


    Riley, who had been keeping quiet on the side and was already helping himself with a cold ss of milk, could only tilt his head to the side as Tomoe approached him.


    "What is true, Tomoe?"


    "That you¡­ you and V had¡­ had sex?"


    "Yes."


    "Riley!" Hannah quickly tried to cover his brother''s mouth.


    "T¡­ this ni¨C" As for Be, her mouth was covered by Katrina.


    "We¡­ we probably shouldn''t butt in?" Katrina muttered as she pulled Be away.


    As for Tomoe, she started whispering something to herself;sting for a few seconds before she ran away to one of the hallways.


    "T¡­ Tomoe! Riley, what the hell!?" Hannah could only groan as she rushed to chase Tomoe, "We¡­ we don''t know theyout of this ce, Tomoe!"


    And with that, only Be, Katrina, and Riley were left in the lobby.


    "Life really is livelier with you around, my white brother," Be then chuckled as she tried patting Riley''s shoulder, only for him to move away,


    "Still, congrats on your release, man. Honestly, out of all of us, I thought I was the one going to prison first."


    "Why? Have youmitted a crime, Be?"


    "No, but I''m ck."


    "How is that relevant?" Riley tilted his head; but after a few more seconds he let out a short but deep sigh, "I am sorry, Be."


    "Pft, it''s not your fault."


    "It might be," Riley shook his head, "Are you being associated with Darkday because of the color of your skin?"


    "Pft," Be almost choked on her own saliva as she heard Riley''s words.


    As for Katrina¡­ she had no idea whether she couldugh or not. The only thing she could really do was to try and change the topic.


    "A¡­ anyway, what do you guys think will happen now?" Katrina whispered, "Aliens¡­ there are actually aliens."


    "What do you mean what?" Be scoffed, "We fight back, that''s what''s up. They¨C"


    "!!!"


    And before Be could finish her words, the entire Hope Guild trembled¨C and along with it, the multiple doors from the hangar started shooting violently into the lobby¡­


    ¡­along with Bernard.

 Chapter 289: The Silence of Words

    Chapter 289: The Silence of Words


    "!!!"


    Bernard continued to violently roll on the floor. He was about to hit Riley and the two others, but as he was only a meter away from hitting Riley¡­ Riley moved to the side to avoid him.


    "Why didn''t you catch your father!?" Katrina screamed as she also moved to the side¨C she initially thought that Riley would do something since his own father was heading his way, but s, he just moved to the side along with them.


    "Are we under attack!?"


    Be, on the other hand, quickly pulled the doors that were also blown away into the lobby close to her, using it as some sort of shield. She then stretched her hand towards Butcher''s knife collection, letting them float around her as she looked in the direction of the hallway to the hangar.


    Katrina, on the other hand, went to check on Bernard''s condition. But seeing him already getting up, albeit struggling; the only thing she could really do was join Be¨C her face, slightly sweating despite the freezing chill that Tomoe left.


    She was previously excited that she was actually amongst the world''s greatest heroes¨C with Megawoman even resting somewhere in the building. But now with this sudden explosion, she could not help but tremble.


    She was amongst the strongest supers in the world; that would also mean that whoever was attacking them, would also be amongst the strongest. Did¡­ they actually just dig their own grave by visiting? Maybe she should have just continued fighting those blue-skinned giant aliens?


    She should have really checked up on her 12 other siblings first. What if they were¨C


    And before she could finish her words, a violent gust of wind once again sted its way from the direction of the hangar; blowing away all the furniture inside the lobby.


    This time, however, Katrina stepped forward in front of the makeshift barrier that Be made, pping her hands and causing the wind topletely dissipate before quickly returning to hide.


    "What was that!? Are the fucking aliens here!?" Hannah emerged from the hallway she left; Tomoe, however, was nowhere to be found. Hannah''s body quickly burst out into mes, quickly raising the temperature inside the guild¨C almost to the point of melting the floor.


    Everyone waited to see if there was someone emerging from the hangar, but even after a quarter of a minute had passed¨C no one and nothing. There was just this weird hissing sound whispering and echoing from the hallway.


    "It''s¡­ fine."


    And finally, after a few more seconds, the silence was broken by Bernard as he walked towards the hallway to the hangar, "I just finished fixing what I was trying to fix."


    "Your family?" Be almost instinctively blurted out, causing her to close her eyes and wince as she realized what she just said.


    "...No." And surprisingly, Bernard answered her before he left for the hangar.


    "..." Katrina, Be, and Hannah all looked at each other as they saw Bernard disappearing into the hallway. But after seemingly making a quiet decision, they all nodded and started following Bernard.


    "Where''s¡­ Tomoe?" Katrina asked.


    "I¡­ left her," Hannah let out a small but deep sigh, "She''s probably posting some nasty stuff on the inte again."


    The three continued to walk, the hallway that looked so kempt earlier, now filled with scratches and dust. How Bernard was able to survive a st that even folded thick metal doors in half, one could only imagine how strong his suit was.


    This destruction, however, was nothingpared to what happened to the hangar. The almost dozen jets that were parked there¡­ including the ones owned by The Baby Crew, were now all nted on the walls of the building; obviously also sted away.


    "N¡­ no," Katrina and Be quickly let out a gasp as they saw the state of their precious vehicles. Hannah, on the other hand, only shrugged her shoulders.


    "Dad will rece them all, don''t worry," Hannah muttered before her eyesnded on the only remaining aircraft in the hangar¨C the one that seemed to have caused the st.


    It looked like a pizza with a missing slice when theynded, but now; it was suddenly whole.


    A floating base of the Dark Millenium. Just the sheer size of it was enough to be treated like arge mall building¨C perhaps even more of a testament to howrge the hangar of the Hope Guild is.


    "You¡­ actually fixed it?" Hannah said as she stood beside her father, "...But why were you outside?"


    "Just a few design ws of whoever originally designed it," Bernard let out a long and deep sigh as fumes began blowing from his armor; his feet, slowly leaving the floor,


    "The time constraint didn''t allow me to redesign some things, but I added a few widgets here and there to allow it to move around space without any problems."


    "...If only you were this meticulous with your family, dad," Hannah sighed as she too, slowly left the floor to follow her father, "Anyway¡­ I''m surprised the ss surrounding the base held together."


    "It''s not just for design, Hannah," Bernard scoffed, "It''s our first line of defense in case an enemy gets our location¨C it''s stronger than whatever the Hero Association Tower is made of."


    "Pft, you''re saying that, but we entered this ce like we owned it."


    "Because I allowed you to enter," Bernard nonchntly said as the¡­ hangar of the Dark Millenium ship opened, with Bernard casually stepping inside,


    "Are your friends just going to stand there?" He nced at Be and Katrina, who were still standing in the middle of the hangar with their mouths agape, "I''m going to test a few things, so it''s better for them to also be inside."


    And with those words, Hannah quickly screamed at the two, telling them toe aboard. Before they could do so, however, the rest of the people inside the building started appearing.


    "What in the world is that!?" Gary''s voice echoed throughout the entire bay as he pointed at the gigantic ship.


    "You finished it?" Empress smiled; her smile, causing Hannah to click her tongue.


    Butcher and Tomoe were also there, with the only one missing¡­


    "...Where''s Riley?"


    ***


    "Good evening, Megawoman. Oh, my mistake, it''s past midnight now¡­


    ¡­Good morning, Megawoman."


    And of course, Riley was wherever Megawoman was being kept.


    He checked the room first as he entered; but no matter how many times he looked, there were no cameras present at all. Perhaps a testament to how much Empress respected Megawoman. She also had an oxygen mask on her face and seeing as it was clouding, then there seemed to no longer be any problem in Megawoman''s physical health¨C at least from the outside.


    There was also a small pail with a pair of clean cloths beside it. Was Empress trying to clean Megawoman before the explosion?


    "..." Riley then picked up the cloth and gently dabbed it with water before approaching Megawoman and holding her hand¡­ to the point that a small snap could be heard; not to the point, however, that Megawoman''s bones were shattered; only dislocated.


    "...Your body has be stronger than before, Megawoman," Riley said as he stared at the swelling around Megawoman''s hand quickly subsiding,


    "Do you also get stronger with each¡­ death?" Riley said as he started wiping Megawoman''s arm with the cloth,


    "I don''t know much about Theran and Themarians, but it makes sense since Empress seems to be betting everything on you¨C to the point that she made a deal with the devil."


    "..." The only answer that Riley was getting was Megawoman''s calmed breaths; her chest, rising and lowering with each second.


    "There are other aliens now besides you, Megawoman," Riley continued to talk as he moved to Megawoman''s other arm, "They do not seem to be as fun as you, however. But I am curious¡­


    ¡­they keep saying you''re the Earth''s protector. They know who you are, they know you exist. And as soon as I mentioned that you were alive, the alien I was trying to y with tried to run away. He wanted to report to his species that you were alive, probably. But you don''t have to worry, I didn''t let him."


    Riley then gently uncovered the nket that was covering Megawoman''s chest¡­ revealing them bare. There was no change, however, in Riley''s breathing as he just continued to wipe her clean,


    "I will not let anyone of them leave, Megawoman," Riley breathed out, "I will kill each and everyst one of them so that when you wake up, it will only just be me and you again. There''s so much life out there¡­ so many things that I can end."


    "..." Riley then once again covered Megawoman with the nket, before recing the cloth with a cleaner one. He then proceeded to gently take off Megawoman''s oxygen mask,


    "Suddenly, my problems are just¡­ solved," Riley''s voice started to lower as he got closer to Megawoman''s face, almost as if he didn''t want to disturb her sleep,


    "You know in one of our talks¨C how I told you that I would not stop until everyone on this was dead?" Riley whispered, "And the only thing that was probably stopping me was Hannah? You don''t have to worry, Megawoman. It''s not going to happen yet¨C there are so many more lives to end out there. And by the time I am done¡­


    ¡­my sister would probably no longer be on the anymore¡­"


    Riley''s breaths also became weaker as he uttered those words,


    "And that is the time that I will kill all of the people you loved very much," Riley continued to talk as his face inched closer and closer to Megawoman,


    "Since the time you''ve been asleep, I have also discovered many things about myself. Do you know that there''s a chance that someone created me? For what reason would they create a monster like me, I think it doesn''t really matter. But still, I could not help but be curious...


    ...Was I created to kill you? Or maybe I am really just born this way? A monster of nature that--"


    And before Riley could finish his words¡­


    ¡­Megawoman grabbed his arm.


    **AUTHOR NOTES**


    It saddens me to say that even my privilege chapters have been pirated. It leads to some major demotivation, of course-- since I spent a week in writing all of the chapters to get it done fast which would normally be done in the span of a month.


    But what''s done is done, all I can really do is thank all those who still support me nheless with anything they can and could. Thank you, you guys know who you are.

 Chapter 290: Conversation

    Chapter 290: Conversation


    "Where''s Riley?"


    Everyone that was in the building was present inside the Dark Millenium''s ship, all except Riley. Gary was about to leave and check up on Riley, but before he could do so, Hannah stopped her.


    "Let him be," Hannah sighed, "He''s probably just doing one of his albino rituals or something."


    "Albino¡­ rituals. You know, you''ve been saying that a lot of times," Silvie, who was keeping her presence a bit quiet, spoke up, "I''ve been meaning to ask what kind of rituals those are."


    "Is your mind still that innocent, oh dear Mega Junior?" Gary wagged his index finger, "Riley is masturbating."


    "What, no!" Hannah''s eyebrows quickly furrowed, "Fuck, stop being disgusting 24/7. It''s nothing, Silv. It''s just some expression I got used to using¨C he''s probably just watching the mafia anime."


    "Is¡­ is that so?"


    "No," Gary breathed loudly as he stretched his arms to the side; his eyes, scanning everyone.


    "Tomoe¡­ Empress, Hannah, Be, Butcher, Katrina, Whiteking, Silvie¡­ Tomoe¡­" Gary''s fingers started pointing toward everyone within his sight; repeating it a couple of times as his eyes grew wider and wider,


    "...I was wrong," Gary took in a small gulp, "V is also not here and that could only mean one thing¡­"


    "Don''t you dare fucking say i¨C"


    "V and Riley are having seggs!" Gary screamed, "Seggs!"


    "Gary!"


    "Segg¨C"


    And before Gary could finish his words, he felt a slight trickle crawling through his spine; he quickly squirmed and turned around to see what was causing it, only to see V now there,


    "We don''t know each other, but I feel like I want to kill you right now."


    "O¡­ Oh yeah?" Gary took in a small gulp as he took a few steps back, "Like what you did to the people of London? Shit, fuck. I''m sorry. I don''t know why I said that."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Bro, that''s¡­ not right."


    "I know, and I fully apologize for my actions and I promise that I would wholeheartedly¨C Eek!"


    And before Gary could finish his words, he quickly ducked down as a loud thunder suddenly caused the entire ship to quake. Gary immediately started touching parts of his body to see if they were still there¨C and seeing as there was nothing missing, he let out a short but very deep sigh of relief.


    "Butcher, quickly check if¨C"


    "Rx," Bernard suddenly and randomly popped out from what seemed like one of the ship''s venttion before Butcher could follow Empress''s orders,


    "It''s just the ship," Bernard then said as he stepped out of the vent, "It would be best to limatize yourself and memorize theyout of the ship first. We''re using this to get to the aliens, after all."


    "Wait¡­ wait," not only Gary, but the rest of the Baby Crew could not help but take in a deep breath,


    "You guys¡­ are really going on the offensive?" Gary gulped.


    "That''s cool as hell," Be rubbed her shoulders as the pores of her skin opened.


    "I¡­ I guess being at the top really is different," Katrina sighed.


    "..." Tomoe kept quiet.


    "Can we be of help?" Silvie stepped forward, "When is the Hope Guild nning to go to space?"


    "You mean ''when are we'' going to space?" Bernard chuckled as he looked at Silvie.


    "...What?" Hannah furrowed her eyebrows.


    "All of you are already here," Bernard said as he looked at the members of the Baby Crew, "And the ship is too big just for us. Maybe you were sent here in the first ce to help us."


    "...Are you stupid?" Hannah''s eyebrows continued to furrow, "We''re not ready to take on something this big, we''re just star¨C"


    "We''re ready!"


    And before Hannah could finish her words, the members of the Baby Crew stepped forward.


    "Guys¡­" Hannah could only roll her eyes, "...Don''t give in to my dad''s flowery speeches."


    But s, try as Hannah might, the eyes of the members of the Baby Crew were blinded by the sense of adventure.


    As for Empress, her eyes were currently staring at Bernard. She was sure¡­


    ¡­sure that the thunder that shook the ship did note from the ship.


    ***


    "..."


    Whispers, echoes, or perhaps a murmur. If all the apparatus and furniture in Megawoman''s room could talk, then they would all probably be screaming. Screaming as the entire room trembled and vibrated¨C almost to the point that if one were to see the room, it would look like it was surrounded by white noise.


    If the material of the walls of the room were any different, then they would have already surely shattered just from the sheer pressure of what was happening inside.


    Perhaps the only thing that was clear inside the room were two entities¨C Riley, and Megawoman, whose hand was currently grabbing Riley''s wrist.


    "Megawoman?" Riley tilted his head to the side as the room vibrated even stronger, "If you were awake, then you could have told me."


    "..."


    "...Megawoman?"


    "..."


    But s, once again, Riley was only answered by Megawoman''s breaths; the rhythm they held was still the same as before. Even the apparatus that was monitoring Megawoman''s heart remained the same¨C still and without any problems.


    Seeing this, the trembling of the room slowly faded, and once again, everything was clear.


    "Are¡­ you dreaming, Megawoman?" Riley then let out a long and deep breath as he pulled his hand away¡­ only to find that he was not able to do so.


    "..." Riley then grabbed Megawoman''s hand and tried to pry it away, but once again, Megawoman''s grip remained the same. It was not tight, not at all¨C but it was almost like an adjustable wrench that one would not be able to pull away.


    "...Are you trying to tell me something, Megawoman?" Riley quickly gave up on trying to remove Megawoman''s hand as he just sat beside her,


    "Or¡­ could it be you just want me to stay here?" Riley then let out a small chuckle as he slowlyy beside Megawoman,


    "Okay, I''ll stay beside you. It almost reminds you of when you were the one in my closet, no?"


    "..."


    "..." Riley could feel Megawoman''s grip growing tighter; almost to the point where he could hear the squeeze whispering into his ear.


    "Do not make me cut off your hand, Megawoman," Riley let out a small sigh as he turned his head towards Megawoman''s sleeping face¡­ before once again letting out a small chuckle,


    "Just kidding, there''s no point in doing that if you''re asleep. But what exactly are you trying to tell me, Megawoman? Why don''t you just wake up and tell me?"


    "..."


    "Is it the aliens? You don''t want me to kill them?"


    "..."


    "Are you ufortable? Do you want to stay in my Guesthouse instead? As a VIP customer, of course."


    "..."


    "...Or are you worried that your race is also on its way here?"


    "..." And as soon as Riley said those words, the pressure that Riley was feeling around his wrist disappeared. But still, Megawoman did not remove her hand.


    "Why?" Riley blinked a couple of times, "Are you afraid of them? Or¡­ are you afraid for them?"


    "..."


    "You don''t have to worry, Megawoman. If they are as strong as you, then the only problem they would be dealing with is me¡­ because I will make sure to make them scream."


    "..."


    "...No? That''s not it?" Riley sighed as there was no response from Megawoman, "You should really wake up so we can have a proper conversation, Megawoman. This is the second time we are talking that you haven''t responded and it is starting to get¨C"


    "Get away from her!"


    And before Riley could finish his words, Empress suddenly barged inside the room. Her eyes, almost trembling as she saw Riley lying next to Megawoman.


    "Empress," Riley, however, just remained lying on the bed as he turned to face Empress.


    "Get¡­ get away from her."


    "I can''t," Riley then raised his hand, which was still being held by Megawoman.


    "What!?" Empress quickly rushed towards them, "Is¡­ is she awake!?"


    Empress was getting ready to punch Riley as hard as she could¨C since Megawoman was holding him, then his capacity to fight back would be limited. But s, as soon as she saw Megawoman''s peaceful face; she instantly realized that was not the case.


    "Why¡­ is she holding your hand?"


    "Because we''re destined to be together, Empress," Riley said without any hesitation, "And she is also trying to say something about her race."


    "...What? About Theran?" Empresspletely ignored Riley''s first statement.


    "Yes," Riley nodded as he finally got up from the bed; his wrist, however, was still held by Megawoman, "I think she might be wary of them. Has she told you anything about her race?"


    "N¡­ No."


    Only the fact that they get stronger with each defeat, Empress thought. But she is not going to tell Riley that¡­ not knowing he already somewhat has an idea.


    "That''s okay," Riley nodded as he once again sat beside Megawoman, "I will stay here until she lets go of my hand. I do not have any other choice, it seems."


    "..." But Hope Guild was about to go on the offensive against the alien invaders; Empress can''t just leave Megawoman behind with Darkday¡­


    ¡­No.


    In the most ironic of twists. In this state¡­ wasn''t Megawoman safest with him? There really won''t be any questions as well, since they needed someone to guard the base while they were all gone.


    And so, after deliberating for a couple of seconds¡­ Empress nodded.


    "I will discuss this with the others first," Empress said as she hurriedly left and called for all the members of the Hope Guild.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Oh, what''s that, Megawoman?" Riley then leaned closer to Megawoman''s face, "You¡­ also want to go out and get some air? No? You... also want to see the aliens?"


    "..."


    "Hm, I don''t know¡­" Riley hummed for a few seconds, before a smile slowly crawled on his face, "Okay, then let''s get you dressed¡­


    ¡­we will follow them when they leave."

 Chapter 291: Space

    Chapter 291: Space


    The tides of the ck Sea that have remained calm through the ages were now raging; its inhabitants, all diving down deep to avoid the sudden pressure that stormed through the the surface of their home.


    Some of the creatures were confused, as the sun just shone on them hours ago¨C and yet now, once again, a part of the ck Sea became darker.


    The floating base of the Dark Millenium¨C still a mystery on how they were able to conjure such a machinery; but nheless, it would now prove useful to the Hope Guild¡­ as well as the Baby Crew.


    The walls of the Dark Millenium ship then lit up; and even as it covered the sun and its silhouette was filled with its rays, one could still see that change of color it emitted. And soon, the colossal ship slowly started to ascend to the skies.


    Slowly¨C perhaps one would describe it like that if one were to look at it from afar. But in truth, it was rising at the speed of a jet that has reached its optimal speed. It wasn''t capable of doing so before, but with the adjustments and improvements that Whiteking had done, it was now capable of doing a lot more things.


    One being able to survive in space, as that was the ship''s destination.


    "Is¡­ it really alright to leave Riley there, dad?"


    "Your brother will be alright. Hera and Tempo will be there, you should be more worried about us."


    Whiteking was currently in the ship''s control room, along with Tomoe, Silvie, and Katrina. Gary and Be were exploring the ship with Butcher. As for V, she was currently in a room being tended by Empress as she felt sick as soon as the ship moved.


    She had always been the pilot with her mecha suit; and now that she was being moved by another, she had a sort of motion sickness. She seemed to be getting better by the second, though, as said by Empress through theirms.


    "If you''re worried, then why did you bring us?" Hannah said as she almost pressed something on the panel, but was stopped by Silvie before she could do so,


    "T¡­ thanks," Hannah gulped before once again cing her attention on Bernard, who seemed to be busy checking the ship''s parameters, "Does mom even know you brought us here? Isn''t this like¡­ potentially a suicide mission?"


    "You watch too many movies," Bernard let out a small sigh, "We will leave as soon as it gets dangerous. I have already collected enough data to know that the majority of the blue giant ETs areparable to ss-B supers."


    "That¡­ might be the case, sir Whiteking¡­ but their technology seems to be way more advanced than ours."


    Silvie stepped forward as she looked at the clouds they were about to pass through. The walls of the control room were previously just filled with screens, but with Bernard''s alterations, he was able to put the same transparent material they used in the base of the Hope Guild, allowing them a direct view of the outside¨C the screens that were previously there, now reced by some sort of hologram.


    "Wouldn''t we be at a disadvantage because of their weapons?"


    "She has a point, dad," Hannah added, "They use fucking portals."


    "Maybe, but watch this, though."


    Whiteking chuckled, and as soon as he did so, Hannah and Tomoe felt their knees almost folding as the ship''s ascent instantly became faster almost to the point that the view of the outside became blurry. Soon, however, the blur faded.


    Their feet, slowly leaving the floor.


    Tomoe, who had been keeping quiet from the start, tried to wave her arms and feet almost as if she was trying to swim; but s, it did nothing. If it wasn''t for Silvie, then she would have probably found herself floating aimlessly inside the control room.


    Katrina, who was just sitting there and admiring everything about her situation, was able to keep her bnce due to her¡­ wind powers. She wanted to call her family since she wanted to brag that she was going to space, but at the same time she was worried; not worried that her parents would not let her go¡­ but worried that they might force her to let them and all of her 12 other siblings go aboard.


    "F¡­ fucking fuck," Hannah said as she also propelled herself towards Silvie using small bursts of her mes, "We¡­ are actually in space."


    "First time?" Silvie rubbed her nose as she smirked; her smirk, however, quickly disappeared as she looked outside the windows.


    "An enemy!"


    Everyone in the control room turned their heads towards where Silvie was pointing, only to see a giant blue alien floating near the ship¨C No, not just one¡­ but almost a dozen of them.


    Silvie was about to leave, but before she could do so, she noticed something¡­ none of them were moving; their skin, almost cracked andpletely frozen.


    "...The fuck?" Hannah also noticed this as she floated to the window, "They''re¡­ dead?"


    "I intercepted the channels they were using to teleport to our," Whiteking then turned to look at Hannah, "Some of them, at least. They changed the way they werepiling things so I didn''t bother anymore since it would take time to learn whatever it is they''re using."


    "You¡­ hacked into their server?" Tomoe finally spoke up, "...How?"


    "Please don''t teach her anything, dad."


    "It''s not hacking per se," Whiteking chuckled, "I don''t really know what to call it¡­ so maybe let''s just call it that. If they could hack our servers, it just means we could hack theirs."


    And as soon as he said that, several holograms started popping out in front of the window¨C showing an unidentified ce. However, as soon as a giant blue alien panned into view, Hannah and the others quickly realized where it was.


    "You¡­ got into their surveince?" Silvie took in a small gulp.


    "Hm," Bernard nodded, "See? Your friends know how impressive I am."


    "Oh, I''m sure they fucking know," Hannah scoffed, "You helped in creating one of them, after all."


    "..." Katrina was still keeping quiet, still just happy to be there.


    "Guys!" And soon, a loud roar almost deafened their ears as the door of the control room slid open,


    "L¡­ look! I have reached enlightenment!" Gary quickly floated into the room, spinning around, "I can fly, I can finally fly!"


    "We''re in Outerspace, you dumb fuck."


    "..." Gary could only blink as he saw Hannah floating in the control room. But after a few seconds, he managed to turn around and point at Be, who was casually walking on the floor without any problem,


    "But she''s not! She''s walking!"


    "My¡­ Jordan''s are made of metal. I''ve¡­ been using it to bnce myself since earlier," Be could only scratch her chin as she saw the excited look on Gary''s face slowly fading away.


    "But¡­ you told me earlier that¡­"


    "S¡­ sorry, I thought it would be funny at first," Be could not even look at Gary''s face anymore as his eyes were almost turning moist.


    "...Please kill me."


    Hearing the Baby Crew starting to make noises everywhere, Bernard could only let out a sigh as he pressed something on the console¨C and as soon as he did so, everyone could feel their weighting back to them.


    And after a few seconds, everyone''s feet were once again touching the floor¡­ all except Gary, whose face waspletely nted on the cold, hard, floor.


    "..."


    "..."


    And soon, the door of the control room once again opened.


    "...What''s going on here?" Empress could only blink a couple of times as she looked at Gary, who was crying on the floor.


    "Just¡­ a prank, sis," Be chuckled awkwardly.


    "Your team should rest, we have 12 hours until we''re potentially near the invader''s ship," Empress sighed as she walked towards Bernard, "What about the other race? Have you tried locating where they are?"


    "Not yet," Bernard sighed, "Their¡­ tech is too different from us. But I should have them in a day."


    "I see," Empress also let out a short sigh before her eyes trailed towards Hannah who suddenly stood beside her father, "What¡­ are you still doing here? You should rest."


    "I don''t think so," Hannah crossed her arms, once again tiptoeing to make herself taller, "You''re not ordering my team around¨C my dad fixed this ship, it is as much a property of the Baby Crew as it is the Hope Guild."


    "I''m only advising you and your friends should rest and¨C"


    "And leave you here so my dad could eat your pussy?" Hannah scoffed, but after a few seconds she grasped her head, "Fuck, now I have that fucking image in my mind!"


    Not just yours¨C the rest of the Baby Crew thought.


    Empress, on the other hand, did not respond and just shook her head, "I don''t know what got into that head of yours, Whiteking. To include children in this mission."


    "I¨C"


    "Bitch, I''m 20," Hannah snarled before Whiteking could answer.


    "I was talking more about your maturity."


    "Maturity? You''re the one destroying families!"


    "..."


    The rest of the Baby Crew slowly backed away, with Gary being pulled away by Silvie as they all exited the control room¡­


    ¡­leaving poor Bernard alone as Empress and Hannah once again shed.


    ***


    "Ah, here it is."


    Riley was with Megawoman, who was still holding his wrist; covered in nkets as her head rested on Riley''s shoulder. They were currently in Riley''s room¨C No, not his room in the Hope Guild, but in his room in the Ross''s residence.


    "It needs a few stitches, Megawoman. But we can work on that once you''re wearing it."


    And floating in front of them¡­


    ¡­was Megawoman''s superhero outfit.

 Chapter 292: My Dress Up Darling

    Chapter 292: My Dress Up Darling


    "I guess you lost some weight?"


    Riley currently had his hand up, with Megawoman floating in the air as she continued to hold Riley''s wrist. Megawoman''s outfit was already ripped due to their battle back in Toronto. But s, Riley had to practically split it in half even more as there was no way for him to pass it through her arms¡­ for the obvious fact that she was holding his wrist.


    And so, Megawoman''s outfit was closer to rags than it is to actual clothing¨C the only recognizable part of her uniform was her red skirt and red boots with golden linings. But even those had holes in them already.


    Megawoman''s outfit¡­ was just made with cotton and polymer. Perhaps a testament to how confident she was that no one could really touch her in this world.


    "..." Riley stared at Megawoman for a few seconds in the air, before letting out a long and very deep sigh. This can''t and shouldn''t be, Riley thought. They were going out, and he can''t let the people see Megawoman in this sort of sorry state.


    And so, with another sigh, he walked towards his bed¨C almost treating Megawoman as some sort of balloon as she floated in the air. The mattress of the bed then floated, revealing a set of ck clothing¨C Darkday''s outfit.


    Riley touched the suit, causing it to somehow melt; turning into strands of goo as they floated towards Megawoman. The ck goo crawled across Megawoman''s skin,pletely wrapping every corner of her body.


    "..." Riley then tilted his head from side to side as he looked at Megawoman, now wearing an outfit simr to Darkday; entuating her figure in a way that her previous suit did not. If Megawoman ever turned her back to humanity, this is what she would probably look like, Riley thought.


    Quite an intimidating figure, if he may say so himself.


    "...No."


    But s, after a few seconds, Riley shook his head as the ck suit melted away and returned to the bottom of his bed; once again turning Megawoman nude. This did notst long, however, as his nket floated and covered her skin.


    Riley then once again stared at Megawoman for a couple of seconds, before once again trying her old tattered suit but immediately throwing it away.


    "..." Riley then closed his eyes, trying to think up of ways to¨C And then midway through his thoughts, he thought of a solution that would end his dilemma.


    And so¡­ he remained still; his eyes closed.


    A second.


    A minute.


    An hour.


    He stood still like this for almost more than 2 hours until finally¨C a bell rang throughout the entire house. Riley finally opened his eyes as the door of his room immediately opened. He gently pulled Megawoman down, smoothly nting her feet on the floor and controlling her in a way that made it look like she was walking on her own.


    Even as they stepped down the stairs, there was almost nog or dy in Megawoman''s movements¨C in the eyes of other people, it would just look like the two were strolling; strolling around a hotel, that is, since Megawoman was only wearing a nket.


    Riley then reached the door, opening it casually even with Megawoman beside him.


    "Good morning, I have an express delivery for Riley Ro¨C"


    The delivery man on the other side of the door immediately shut his mouth as soon as he saw Riley, and then toward the beautiful woman beside her. But after a few more seconds, he nodded his head and just asked Riley to sign the papers.


    As a delivery man, after all, he had seen weirder things than an albino with a beautiful blind woman beside her.


    "Alright, here you go!" The delivery man once again nodded as he left. As for Riley, he quickly rushed back to his room with the package in his hand. He first took off the tapes attached, making sure the carton box would not be damaged.


    But finally, after a few more seconds of unpacking the package, the contents of the box floated in the air.


    And it was none other than a replica of Megawoman''s suit¨C a costume primarily used by cosyers.


    Riley then nodded several times as he looked at the costume. And in a way, the material used was even better than Megawoman''s original suit¨C truly, an expensive hobby.


    Riley then expertly cut the seams of the costume so he could allow the sleeves to be worn, before sewing it back together with Megawoman already wearing it. The costume even had a pair of undergarments, which saves Riley a lot of time.


    And so, finally, after almost an entire hour of making sure everything was in perfect condition¡­


    "Wee back, Megawoman," a smile quickly crawled on Riley''s face as he looked at Megawoman in all of her glory¨C there was just one final thing that was missing.


    Riley stretched his hand to the side to open one of his drawers, and immediately, a pair of sunsses flew straight toward his hand.


    Riley once again pulled Megawoman back to the floor; his face, only a foot away from Megawoman''s.


    "And there we go," Riley then breathed out as he gently ced the sunsses on Megawoman''s face. Megawoman''s feet then once again moved as if she was conscious, stepping back a few steps and even spinning around Riley like they were dancing.


    "Shall we go out?" Riley chuckled as he stepped out of his room, with Megawoman''s arm wrapped around his,


    "What do you want to do first?" Riley said as they stepped down the stairs, "Do you want to kil¨C subdue some aliens? Or maybe we should focus on saving people, but that would be¨C"


    "Jesus fucking, what the fuck!?"


    And before Riley could finish his words, a woman suddenly appeared from the corridor near their stairs.


    "It''s just me, mother."


    "Riley!?"


    Diana quickly dropped the bags of groceries she was holding; her eyes growing wide as she stared at Riley for a few seconds. She looked at her from head to toe repeatedly¨C perhaps more than a dozen times as Riley continued to nonchntly step down the stairs.


    But before Riley could take the final step, a loud screeching scream reverberated throughout the entire house.


    "My baby!" Diana then rushed towards Riley with her arms stretched open¨C but s, once again, Riley floated along with Megawoman to avoid herpletely.


    "You¡­ when did you get back!?" Diana didn''t seem to mind, however, as the tone of her voice quickly became quivered; her eyes, slowly turning red with tears, "Your father said that you¡­ you would be staying in the Hope Guild. I''ve been begging to see you but he said that¡­ where''s your father? Is Hannah here?"


    "No, mother. Just me and Megawoman."


    "I¡­ I see, what¨C" And finally, Diana''s moist eyes turned towards the woman that was standing close to Riley.


    "Megawoman!?"


    ***


    "That¡­ all happened?"


    It took almost another hour for Riley to recount the events that had happened that led to this point¨C of course, skipping some parts here and there that would probably take even more time exining.


    "Yes," Riley nodded; Megawoman, sitting quietly beside him on the sofa.


    As for Diana¡­ she didn''t seem to be weirded out by everything in front of her¨C after all, Diana was and is Bernard''s wife, she was used to even weirder things.


    "But for Bernard to not even tell me they''re going to space with my daughter," the tone of Diana''s voice became slightly low as she clicked her tongue several times, "And with his side chick? I mean, what?"


    "..." Riley, on the other hand, stared at her mother for a few seconds as she grumbled, before letting out a small and deep sigh and looking at her straight in the eyes,


    "In prison¨C"


    "I don''t want to hear anything about your stay in prison," Diana quickly shook her head, "Who knows what awful things they do there. Did you even have ess to a bath there? Was it even clean? They didn''t even let us visit you and it''s so frustr¨C"


    "Did you work in the Super Max Prison before, mother?"


    "...What?" Diana slightly squinted her eyes as she looked at Riley.


    "There are people iming there that you used to work in the prison''s medical department," Riley said without any hesitation, "One was an olddy named Ts."


    "...No?" Diana tilted her head, "I was a doctor, but I''ve never really left the country for work."


    "..." Riley looked at Megawoman for a few seconds, before turning his attention back to Diana, "Are you lying, mother?"


    "No, of course not," Diana chuckled; and soon, an exciting glimmer could be seen sparkling in her eyes, "Have you finally taken an interest in mommy''s life? Is it because we''re being invaded by aliens and the world''s about to end?"


    "I am taking an interest, mother."


    "Really!?" Diana quickly ran away, returning just as fast with a photo album in her hand, "Look, this is mommy when she was the same age as you!"


    "I don''t have a biological father, mother," Riley, however, did not even nce at the album as he looked his mother in the eyes.


    "...What?" Diana only giggled upon hearing Riley, "Of course you do, we just don''t know who it is. But if you''re at that age¡­ maybe we can have your father search?"


    "Alice Lane underwent IVF with an unidentified¡­ origin," Riley then said as he closed the album, "A friend injected her with it¡­


    ¡­are you not that friend, mother?"

 Chapter 293: Strange

    Chapter 293: Strange


    "No¡­ I''ve never really met Alice before? I might have asionally run into her due to your father, but¡­ yeah, no."


    Diana''s hum echoed long and soft throughout the house; her face, truly showing that she was thinking long and hard about whether or not she and Alice met with each other.


    "It''s really tragic what happened to her," Diana sighed, "But whatever the case is, and no matter how much of a bitch I might sound¡­ I am truly d you''re here with us, Riley. You''re my son and nothing would change that."


    "Hm," Riley only nodded as he drank the ss of milk that Diana got for him. Diana also prepared a ss of water for Megawoman,pletely forgetting that she was actually unconscious.


    "Why are you even believing the stories of the people from prison?" Diana''s tone then slightly changed as she shook her head, "They are in prison because they are bad people who made the wrong choices, Riley. And most of them would lie just to get what they want. Ugh, I swear. Do you know how many months it took me to finally be able to sleep at least an hour when they ced you in that horrible ce?"


    "When did you meet father?"


    "We actually knew each other back when we were just about your age," Diana once again answered Riley''s question without any hesitation, "We weren''t really that close since, well¡­ Bernard has always been Bernard. He always lived in a different world."


    Diana took a sip of her coffee as she stared at the table; her eyes, almost glimmering,


    "Then we all separated ways, and the next time we met was when he was already dawning his costume," Diana let out a long and heavy sigh as she once again shook her head, "Your father wasn''t particrly handsome, no. But I knew he was going to be rich so I married him¡­ oh, and of course, I fell in love with him as well."


    "You''re not a super, mother?" Riley asked.


    And once again, Diana answered with another sigh.


    "No. If I was, then my life would have probably been a whole lot different than it is now. I''d probably even be in the Hope Guild with how tenacious I am¡­


    ¡­or maybe even a viin," Diana then smiled and chuckled as she looked at Riley¡­ trying to replicate his wide smile but failing to do so as her cheeks quickly started to tremble.


    "So, you''re not a super?"


    "No."


    "You''re not hundreds of years old?"


    "...With this kind of youthful face?"


    Riley looked at Megawoman, and then back to Diana.


    "N¡­ no, I''m not."


    "You didn''t work at the Super Max Prison before?"


    "No."


    "..."


    "..."


    "You don''t have questions anymore?" Diana smiled as she once again opened the photo album on the table, "Then why don''t we¨C"


    "I have to go, mother."


    But s, before Diana could even turn a page, Riley and Megawoman stood up, "Will you be fine here by yourself?"


    "..." Diana once again looked at Riley straight in the eyes, before also standing up and once again letting out a loud sigh that seemed to be directly targeted at Riley,


    "This is the problem when you''re surrounded by heroes," she breathed out, "It''s fine, you can go ahead and save people''s lives. I''ll be fine."


    "Are you sure, mother?"


    "Hm," Diana nodded before forcing out a chuckle, "It''s just an alien invasion, I''ve been through worse. Staryer, Darkday, that Lady Divider chick¡­ Did you know I''ve been a hostage once?"


    "..."


    "And besides, everyone seems to just be going on with their lives since the government hasn''t really issued an official lockdown¨C I was even able to buy groceries," Dianaughed as she pointed at the bags of groceries she dropped earlier when she suddenly saw Riley.


    "...Okay," Riley nodded, "Megawoman and I shall take my leave, mother."


    "...Take care out there, okay?" Diana breathed out, "And when your father and sister return, tell them not toe home for a few days, okay? They think they can just go to space without even telling me!? The one that actually does everything in this house and¨C Oh my, I''m not angry at you, Riley."


    "..." Riley only blinked a couple of times, before nodding his head and walking out. Diana did not really follow him out¨C as almost a tradition in the house; Diana never says goodbye to Bernard as his job¡­ meant that he might note back home one day.


    And now that Riley was also officially a hero, Diana only stared at her son''s back as he closed the door.


    As for Riley, he stood in front of the door for a couple of seconds, before floating in the air along with Megawoman¡­ and immediatelynding on the roof of the house.


    "Riley."


    And right there, was Katherine; wearing casual clothing with her silver hair flowing with the wind.


    "Thank you foring so quick, Silvermoon."


    "..." Katherine only nodded before her eyes moved like mas towards Megawoman,


    "It''s¡­ really her," she then said as she took a small gulp. Her eyes, almost watering the longer she stared at Megawoman. But after a few more seconds, she closed her eyes and looked to the side¡­ almost as if in shame.


    "Beautiful, is she not?"


    "Like the sun," Katherine breathed out; a hint of a smile growing on her face.


    "..."


    "..."


    "What did you find out, Silvermoon? Did my mother lie throughout our conversation?"


    "No," Katherine shook her head, "Not even once."


    "Hm," Riley only looked to the side as he heard Katherine''s answer. And after a few seconds, he nodded his head, "Thank you, Silvermoon. You may go now, Megawoman and I have some aliens to kil¨C neutralize."


    Riley''s feet left the roof, but before he could float even 3 inches away¨C


    "She was too calm," Katherine said; causing Riley to once again return to the roof.


    "Diana has always been the calmest in the family, Silvermoon," Riley said, "She has been through worse situations."


    "This¡­ is different," Katherine sighed, "I didn''t detect any lies, and I also didn''t detect any stutter in her heart, not even once."


    "She has always been the calmest in the family."


    "In front of Megawoman?" Katherine said as her eyes once againnded on Megawoman, "Even now, I could feel myself almost fainting just from looking at her¡­ but your mother¡­ don''t you find it weird that she didn''t even seem to mind?"


    "Yes, mother is a very interesting indivi¨C"


    "She was even calmer than you."


    "..."


    "Almost to the point that I could hear your heartbeat more than hers," Katherine continued, "That has never happened before, Riley. Your heart has always been the most still in every room you''ve been in, but not earlier."


    "Maybe¨C"


    "And it wasn''t because you were beside Megawoman."


    "...Interesting," Riley ced his hand on his chin; his eyes, slowly squinting. But after a few more seconds, he just nonchntly shrugged his shoulders and started floating along with Megawoman,


    "Anyway, Megawoman and I have prior ns. I will see youter, Katherine."


    And with that, Riley flew away, leaving Katherine on the roof, sighing heavily.


    She rushed to get to the residence on Riley''s orders to spy on Diana¡­ but now that they somewhat have something on her, he just leaves?


    "..." Katherine then looked towards the sky; closing her eyes and taking deep breaths as she did so. And with her 6th breath, she snapped her fingers¨C her casual clothes, suddenly fluttering into some sort of orange streaks as she did so, almost like butterflies flying away from a tree and fully revealing it.


    Her superhero outfit was now d in white; a long white coat entuated with ck linings¨C she was also wearing a full ck suit beneath it,pletely contrasting andplimenting everything.


    Even if she was now Riley''s subordinate, she was still free to save as many people as she could. She was not trying to atone for her crimes and sins, no. No matter how many people she saves, she knows that she will no longer be forgiven. She knew in herself that¡­ she was too far gone.


    She was just doing this for her. To at least lessen the guilt that has been eating her every day¡­ even if it''s just an illusion.


    Save as many people as she could¨C were now the only thoughts Katherine had in her mind as she flew away to the opposite direction where Riley disappeared into.


    "!!!"


    She almost stopped flying, however, as she saw someone waving goodbye at her on the ground; smiling at her before returning back inside¨C


    ¡­Diana Ross.


    "What¡­


    ¡­is wrong with this family?"


    ***


    "We¡­ we need back up here!"


    "All non-supered individuals, please stop running outside and just hide! Dios mio por favor!"


    "Where do they keep popping up from!?"


    Somewhere in South America, several B and C Grade superheroes were trying to fight therge blue-skinned aliens. They seemed to be faring well since no supers were lying dead on the ground yet; however, the exhaustion exuding from their faces could no longer be hidden.


    Just one of the giant aliens was enough, but they had to fight off 3 or 4. And with them just being individual and solo heroes, there really was nothing much they could do in terms of teamwork.


    But finally, after a few more grueling minutes of battle¨C they seemed to have vanquished all the aliens within the area.


    "F¡­ finall¨C"


    But s, almost as if mocking their triumphant cries that have not yet flourished¡­


    ¡­a silhouette of something colossalnded on the ground without even any warning.

 Chapter 294: A New Threat

    Chapter 294: A New Threat


    People¡­ weren''t taking it seriously.


    Some of them run, sure. But most of them just stop and cheer as soon as a heroes to their rescue, not even worrying about the fact that they were making the jobs of the heroes even more difficult by them staying there.


    Of course, some of the heroes do not mind¨C especially those who were new or those who were stuck in Grade C and below. After all, this was their time to shine and fight off some giant blue aliens.


    The aliens were ssified as Threat Level 3-4 by the Government individually, something that they could deal with no problem if they gank or work together. And since their opponents were aliens, the Government ordered a kill-on-sight policy, making their jobs even easier.


    The humans were winning¨C and it hasn''t even been a day.


    But then, something from the skiesnded.


    Enough to block out the sun¡­ a machine; a robot the size of a skyscraper.


    The heroes that were once rejoicing had their smiles slowly fading as they all looked up to witness this colossal manifestation. Itnded right in the middle of the city.


    [Hello, mud people.]


    And then, almost like a sonic boom¨C a voice reverberated and rippled from the colossal robot. Loud and deep enough to blow away all the dust and even some pebbles from the ground¨C breaking any ss windows within its vicinity.


    [It would seem another visitor hase to your.]


    Still, the voice continued even louder¨C this time causing all the people around it to cover their ears just from the sheer force of the volume.


    [We shall help you in eradicating these invaders. We will save you,] the words reverberated from the robot¡­ as the blood and guts of several humans sttered beneath its feet.


    "...What?" The heroes and some supers that happened to be near the colossal robot could only look at each other. Some of them already knew that they were currently being invaded by two different species; but for most of them, their confusion was reaching its peak.


    This colossal alien is not on the side of the blue aliens? Most of them thought. None of them, however, thought they could even be on their side¨C after all, the colossal robot just squashed a group of humans without care.


    They seem to want to discuss, but before they could do so, the colossal robot started to move; mowing down a blue alien as it mmed its gigantic palm down¡­


    ¡­causing a strong tremor that caused several small buildings near it to crumble¨C buildings with people.


    "Fuck!" One of the heroes, a C-Grade, quickly rushed towards the leg of the robot; her arms, growing into the size of a car as she punched the robot''s heel¡­ which did nothing.


    "..." The female super, Whopper, could only take in a small gasp as she saw this; but even so, she once again tried to punch the robot''s leg. This time, however, the leg opened¡­ almost like several branches or arms moving away¨C organic.


    And from within the opening, several¡­ pink-skinned individuals stepped out; all staring at the female super. And soon, simr to the live feed from earlier, the face of the alien changed¨C almost simr to the female super. Their skin, however, still remained the same pink color.


    They were the ones that hijacked the news earlier, the female super thought. They called themselves¡­ Clovians.


    "What the¨C" And before Whopper could finish her words, one of the clovians stretched his hand¡­ straight towards her chest from 5 meters away.


    "..." Whopper turned her head down to look at her chest, only to see¡­ the clovian''s hand broken.


    "Ksha!" The clovian quickly retracted its hand as it seemed to cry in pain. Its other friends also quickly assisted him, pulling him back into the foot of the robot as they all shouted something.


    These clovians¡­ were physically weak. And as soon as the female super realized this, her gigantic hands returned to their original size as she rushed toward the opening. But s, before she could do so, the hole closed.


    And as soon as it did so, the foot started to vibrate¡­ before releasing some sort of energy wave, strong enough to pry open the pavement beneath it.


    "!!!" Whopper quickly tried to turn around and run, but s, she was not able to as the wave hit her back, causing her to violently roll on the ground perhaps more than a dozen times.


    "Whopper!" One of the heroes that were just watching the entire scenario quickly rushed to help her. But the deafening thunder of a voice once again reverberated from the colossal robot.


    [Please, do not attack us. We are trying to help!]


    The voice that came from the robot was louder than before, and the normal humans that were unfortunately still near it, had their eardrums exploding from their canals.


    "B¡­ back away, we can''t handle this anymore!"


    "No! There are still people here!"


    "Fuck the normies! Let''s go!"


    Some still tried to do damage to the colossal robot, but their attacks seemed useless as not even a single dent could be seen forming on it. The robot was just standing there, but the damage it was causing was already more than the blue aliens.


    "What the fuck is going on!? Is the world ending!?"


    "We need at least a Grade-B super here! Where the hell are they!?"


    The people¨C No, not just the people. But the heroes and the supers that were still trying to find a way to fight back were starting to panic¡­ especially since the robot started to move.


    [We are here to help,] the clovians said as they mowed down the buildings within its path.


    And then, finally¡­ a Grade-B superhero arrived.


    ttop Falcon¨C his wings that were pping in front of the face of the robot, almost the span of a bus. But most notably, the solid t top of hair almost the length of a foot decorating his head, not even moving a single bit even with all the wind that violently moved around it.


    "Stop! Earth does not wee you!" ttop Falcon roared, "This does not need another race that pretends to take care of another, but causes their demise in the guise of helping!"


    ttop Falcon seemed to be saying something as he stretched his palm towards the robot. But s, for the people on the ground, all they could hear were the screams that came from the people around them.


    "Go! ttop Falcon! Kill the inva¨C"


    And before the people below could start to cheer, ttop Falcon was pped. Swatted like a fly with his guts and bones falling to the ground; his wings, slowing down the descent of his remains¡­ allowing the people to see that the intestines truly are 15 feet long.


    And as soon as ttop Falcon''s shredded and mangled corpse created a small whisper of a plop as it hit the ground, the people started running.


    [We are here to help.] And still, the clovians insisted. Whether or not it was just some sort of mistrantion, none of them really cared anymore. The blue aliens they could handle since the way they fought could still more or less be called¡­ humane.


    But a walking building they can''t damage? Let the others handle that. This city was done for, all the heroes thought.


    "Please¡­ please help me!"


    "Don''t fucking touch me!" One of the heroes pushed away a civilian as he blocked his path, "We''ve already told you a million times to evacuate!"


    "N¡­ No, plea¨C" And before the civilian could finish his words, one of the other heroes rushed and carried him away.


    Suffice to say, it was chaos. Most of the people were just running for their lives and leaving their friends. Some, however, still tried to help.


    And a handful remained to fight¡­ with the now conscious Whopper being one of them.


    "We need to find a way to get inside," Whopper said to the others who chose to stay.


    "You having augh, mate? How do we even do that?"


    "I''m actually just here to die."


    "Well, a good day to die, innit?"


    "..." Whopper could only raise an eyebrow as she looked at the people who chose to stand their ground. But after a few seconds, the only thing she could really do was let out a sigh as her hands once again grew in size.


    "Then let''s at least take that thing with us," Whopper then said with a smile on her face, "Let''s¨C"


    And before she could even utter another word¡­


    ¡­a boom resounded in the air¨C a very familiar boom.


    And soon, a silhouette appeared dashing through the clouds.


    "Is that¡­ a bird? A ne?"


    "Are you fucking blind, mate?"


    And then¡­ another boom.


    Another boom as the silhouette flew straight through the colossal robot''s stomach area almost as if it was jelly.


    "There, an opening!"


    "How do we even reach that?"


    "Can you guys stop being so fucking negative!?" Whopper roared as she rushed towards the feet of the robot. But before she could even take 3 steps, the silhouette returned.


    This time flying over the top of the colossal robot''s head¡­ and plunging straight down¨C causing the ground to slightly tremble as the robot started to shiver.


    And soon, the silhouette emerged from between the robot''s legs andnded on the ground; causing a ripple of wind to blow away all debris that was falling along with it.


    "It¡­ It''s Megawoman!"


    "F¡­ fuck¡­ We''re saved¡­ We''re saved!"


    "But¡­


    ¡­who''s that beside her?"

 Chapter 295: ...Oh

    Chapter 295: ...Oh


    When was it?


    When was it that the people trulyst felt like they were safe? That when they go out in the world, a random superviin won''t just suddenly swoop in and take them hostage; or worse, their families hostage?


    When was it that the people could walk out there, and not worry that an evil super would just suddenly kill them?


    When was it that even though they know that Darkday still exists, the sun will still shine on them?


    If you ask out of a million people, nine thousand nine hundred ny-nine of them would answer¨C When Megawoman was still there.


    They knew that there were thousands and thousands of superheroes out there. Heroes that will also risk their lives to save them¡­ but there was just something about thefort that Megawoman''s existence brings.


    One would think the superheroes might think that the people were ungrateful to them, but no. Because for the superheroes, Megawoman was also their hero. She meant that much to the world.


    And now, she returns right when the world needs her the most.


    Megawoman returns.


    "...But who is that beside her?"


    And she was not alone. There was a white-haired young man beside her, and she was holding¡­ his hand?


    Whopper, as well as the other heroes that chose to stay and fight the colossal robot, could only look at each other almost as if to ask themselves if what they were seeing was right. They werepletely and utterly distracted¨C not even noticing the rubbles and debris that were starting to fall from between the colossal robot''s legs¡­ almost like it was taking a dump.


    They also weren''t noticing that the hole that Megawoman created when she went through the robot was slowly closing; once again like branches tying in and bing a single branch. Their eyes were just fixated on Megawoman¡­


    ¡­as well as the white-haired young man.


    "Wait¡­" One of the heroes that remained took in a small but very deep breath as he looked at the white-haired man from head to toe; the man was wearing a white long coat, and then a formal ck suit beneath it¨C almost like he was some sort of mafioso.


    "Isn''t that¡­ Riley Ross?"


    "What? The one who killed all of those prisoners?"


    "The new S-Grade Super!?"


    "...Don''t you mean the one who lifted Toronto?"


    "...That happened?"


    The heroes once again looked at each other as each of their statements totally differ from each other. But almost as if relieving their confusion, Whopper took a step forward.


    "He did all of that," Whopper then said as she took in a small gulp, "And he was also the one who retrieved Megawoman from the Government."


    "...When did that happen?"


    "Right before the aliens invaded," Whopper continued, "I was watching the news justst night."


    "We¡­ were invaded justst night? It almost feels like we''ve been fighting for days."


    "Can you guys shut up for a sec!?" Whopper could not help but loudly whisper as the other heroes once again started talking with each other without a care in the world¨C why wouldn''t they, when Megawoman was here?


    Whopper was the same; her heart, almost beating wildly as she stood in front of the greatest hero that ever existed.


    "M¡­ Megawoman, t¡­ t¡­ thank you for saving us!" Whopperpletely stuttered her words, and yet Megawoman did not seem to mind as she just remained standing there. It was somewhat hard to understand what she was thinking due to the fact that¡­ she was wearing sunsses.


    She waited for a few more seconds to see if Megawoman would react, but she didn''t. The only thing that Whopper could really do was ce her attention on Riley Ross.


    "T¡­ thank you for helping us," she still stuttered her words, but not as much when she was facing Megawoman.


    "..."


    However, once again, silence answered her. And very soon, the colossal robot that they had initially thought to already be subdued¡­ started to move.


    [We¡­ are detecting signatures of a Themarian,] the clovians'' voice once again echoed through the air; this time, however, it was much softer.


    [It would seem our help is unneeded, after all. You have given us the wrong information, mud people¨C but we will be merciful and forgiving. We shall take our leave.]


    And without those words, the feet of the colossal robot started to leave the ground; taking along with a small part of the ground as well as the miniature debris surrounding it.


    "T¡­ that''s right!" One of the heroes pped his hands, "Leave you fucking illegal aliens! Next time youe back, we will build a wall to stop you!"


    "Is it¡­ finally over?" Whopper let out a long and very deep breath that stuttered and whispered in the air; her legs, giving out as she saw the colossal robot finally leaving.


    They fought for their lives and the lives of others; ready to sacrifice themselves with each second as the aliens continued to swarm¡­ but now that Megawoman suddenly made her appearance, the aliens¡­ just started to leave.


    The timing couldn''t be anymore per¨C


    And before Whopper could finish her thoughts, Megawoman and Riley also flew away; the sound of a boom thundering and almost deafening their ears as they almost disappeared from their spot instantly.


    And before any of them could even look at each other, a bright red light suddenly shed in the sky¨C beaming through the body of the colossal robot and plowing through it like cheese.


    "What¡­ is Megawoman doing?"


    Unbeknownst to the people below, however, the red beam did note from Megawoman. It was quite hard and almost impossible to see from the ground¡­ but the light was actually beaming from Riley''s eyes.


    "She¡­ she''s probably just scaring them so they wouldn''t think toe back," Whopper let out a somewhat awkwardugh as she looked at the colossal robot being bombarded by a violent storm ofsers.


    "...Am I the only one still weirded out with Megawoman holding Riley?"


    "Maybe she''s¡­ mentoring him?"


    "I don''t think¨C"


    And before the group of heroes could finish their discussion, another boom echoed in their ears as a silhouette passed by them¨C they turned to look, only to see Megawoman holding a clovian¡­ by the face; pinning it on a wall of a building.


    Riley was beside her, of course¨C his arm still being held by Megawoman''s other hand. The group of heroes then turned to look back at the colossal robot, only to see itpletely suspended in the air.


    "Megawoman, what''s¨C"


    "Plias g us."


    And even with its mouth covered, a voice still seemed to resound from the clovian, "Wai ru noviri."


    And although they could not understand the wordsing out from it, they could clearly hear the anxiety and fear just from the tremble of the clovian''s voice.


    "Megawoman," Whopper then stepped closer, "The clovians seem weak physically, you can let us handle them. Maybe we could learn something if we¨C"


    And before Whopper could finish her words, a small squish whispered into her ear¨C her face, suddenly feeling some sort of warm and slightly gooey texture trailing down on it.


    "..." She blinked a couple of times, before slowly moving her hand and brushing it on her face; and as she did so, she felt something slimy sticking to her hand. She looked, only to see some sort of¡­ pink mud.


    She didn''t need to wonder what it was, though¨C as the source was right in front of her. The clovian that Megawoman was restraining¡­ no longer had a head attached to its body.


    "...Megawoman?"


    Megawoman¡­ doesn''t kill. That has been the case for hundreds of years¨C that was the reason why everyone felt safe with her even though she could probably destroy the Earth if she wanted to.


    But now, seeing her crush someone''s head without even any hesitation¡­


    ¡­Whopper and the others could not help but feel a little¡­ strange.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Oh."


    And finally, the short silence was broken by Riley Ross as Megawoman retracted her hand.


    "I didn''t expect their species to be physically weak, Megawoman," Riley could not help but shake his head and sigh, "The blue aliens fromst night had strong bodies, I am truly sorry for tarnishing your hands."


    "What¡­ is going on?" Whopper could not help but take in a small but very deep breath. Something¡­


    ¡­was very very wrong, she thought as she stepped back and stared at Riley.


    "I suppose all of you saw?" Riley then turned his head towards Whopper and the other heroes, "That is¨C"


    "Run!"


    And before Riley could finish her words, Whopper suddenly turned around and ran away¨C leaving the other heroespletely confused as they stared at her. Their eyes, however, widened as Whopper was suddenly crushed by arge chunk of pavement that came out of nowhere.


    "What is¨C"


    And before they could even react¡­ They, too, were suddenly crushed and buried by arge debris that came out of nowhere.


    "..." Seeing this, Riley could only let out a short but very deep breath as he nodded to himself,


    "The things I do for you, Megawoman," he then said, "You do not have to worry, I will make sure your image remains as pure as¨C"


    This time, it was Riley''s turn to be interrupted as he heard a small putter whispering from afar. He turned to look, only to see a group of civilians running away; some of them, ncing at him and Megawoman.


    "Oh¡­" Riley then once again muttered as his eyes slowly emitted a red light, "You don''t have to worry, Megawoman¡­


    ¡­No one will know."

 Chapter 296: A Darkness Buildinglnside Her

    Chapter 296: A Darkness Buildinglnside Her


    "W¡­ what the hell is that!?"


    "What''s going on!?"


    In one of the cities somewhere in South East Asia, a big, ck worm-like creature was wreaking havoc¨C mowing down everything within its path. It was almost the size of a train; digging through the ground and treating the asphalt almost like sand as it swam.


    The heroes were previously trying to stop it, but then just focused on evacuating the people instead when they realized that the worm was targeting the blue aliens. Of course, some still tried to push it away from its path since it was also killing people and destroying property¨C but they truly were understaffed to handle such threats.


    The worm came from the skies¨C and like with the colossal robot that wreak havoc in the west, it was another sort of biological machine by the clovians.


    Unlike the colossal robot, however, the damage it was doing was not as heavy¨C it was more targeted towards the blue aliens that were running rampant. The only problem was that there were more than a hundred of these blue aliens¡­ and three of these big ck worms almost in every city in the country.


    As for the military in this country, it was practically non-existent. They had higher grade heroes, sure¨C but most of them were in other countries with better prospects and benefits.


    Theck of heroes, theck of soldiers¨C even though they know that the clovians were not their allies, the most they could really do was to let them fight each other and get out of their way. The establishments and properties could be recovered¡­ the human lives, they could never be returned.


    But with that being said¡­ if the big ck worm and the blue aliens did not stop fighting, the people that lived in the city would probably not be able to recover as their local government did not have any money for rehabilitation.


    And perhaps the worst part is¨C the world would probably not even mention them after all of this is over. It would just be the first-world countries being centered in the news¡­ how their people died and suffered. And them, as a third world country¡­ would just be a footnote.


    It happened before¡­ and people called it the Battle of Toronto. Millions also died in their country when the battle happened, but their country was only mentioned as some sort of coteral. At least Brazil and Mexico were mentioned.


    But them? They were neglected.


    The world doesn''t even see them¡­


    ¡­or so they thought.


    The already dark skies above them suddenly and almost instantly turned even darker; pitch ck¨C and almost as if the heavens were crying for them, a great thunder reverberated in the air; the clouds, flickering.


    And soon, a bright light once again shed before them¨C and then, lightning. Although their eyes were closed as it happened, they knew the lightningnded right on one of the big ck worms that were rampaging in the street.


    And they were right, it bombarded the big ck worm; raining lightning upon it. But that wasn''t all, the lightning scattered and crawled across the ground, moving straight towards the blue aliens that were surrounding the worm.


    And soon, they heard a series of whistles howling in the air. They could feel their feet being pulled as a violent gust of wind almost caused them to be blown away¨C their legs, folding to regain bnce.


    Some instinctively tried to cover the civilians they were evacuating; they did not need to, however, as the wind softly dispersed whenever it made contact with people. It was perhaps a quarter of a minute before the thunder stopped ringing in their ears¨C their eyes, slowly opening but quickly turning towards the source of the deafening onught.


    However, the first thing that their eyes caught was the blue aliens that sprawled on the ground¨C their bodies, all mangled and in pieces; their transparent blood, almost a river that littered between the cracks of the street.


    As for the big ck worm where the initial lightningnded, it seemed to have shrunk¨C and the clovians inside them, emerging from the tip of the big ck worm like some sort of¡­ something.


    And finally, their eyesnded on the one standing on top of the big ck worm. It was bright¨C her silver hair, flowing with the little wind left.


    "Is anyone hurt?" And almost like a song that calmed their soul, the woman gently spoke¨C her words, flowing like a whisper in their ears.


    And as soon as they saw who it was, smiles started to appear on the people''s faces.


    "S¡­ Scarlet Ma¨C no. Silvermoon!"


    Silvermoon¨C an A-Grade superhero ording to the Hero Association. But most of the people who knew of her feats and what she was truly capable of knew she was Grade S all the way.


    The only reason she was not was because she didn''t even try during the test. And Scarlet Mage always held back, whether or not that was still the case as Silvermoon¡­


    ¡­they do not know yet since the corpses that sprawled on the ground were aliens.


    Most of the people from non-prominent countries knew clearly who she was. After all, before she took on the job of teaching supers in the Academy, she was one of the stronger heroes that stayed and responded to cities that didn''t have a way to deal with the threats of viins.


    And she didn''t just leave after dealing with the threat, no¨C she stayed to oversee and personally offer support to those that were affected.


    That was the kind of hero she was.


    "W¡­ we''re alright, Silvermoon!"


    "That''s good."


    One of the people that knew how to speak English approached Katherine, "But¡­ I think there are many more trapped when the¨C"


    "Gather those who could help in evacuating the injured," Katherine stepped down off the big ck worm,


    "I''ll handle the threat," Katherine nodded before her feet slowly left the ground, "All of you should focus on helping those who are not able to move."


    "O¡­ of course!"


    "Thank you! Thank you for helping us!"


    And with the people around her starting to cry, Katherine could only take a step back and look to the side; her eyes, slightly squinting as they once again reflected the mes, the explosions, and the burnt corpses during the Seven nes Incident.


    "I¡­


    ¡­am just doing what anyone else would do."


    And with that, Katherine once again floated in the air, flying through the skies as her eyes scouted for more aliens. And after making sure there were no more, she moved on to the next city to do the same.


    The barrage of lightning, once again raining down upon the aliens that wreaked havoc on the ground. But hidden deep within the thunder, unbeknownst to the people, were Katherine''s screams of anguish.


    The happiness, sce, and relief she once felt in saving people¨C nowpletely missing. There was only shame, almost as if what she was doing was just a way to pay for her sins. She felt disgusted and abhorred for herself.


    She wanted to puke and vomit¡­ but everything about her was already tainted by Riley. And the worst part of it all¡­


    ¡­is she couldn''t help herself.


    This was no longer about her mother being taken hostage¨C No, perhaps it hasn''t been like that from the start. Perhaps¡­ she had always been this way and Riley only opened up the darkness and filth inside her.


    All these thoughts, circling and surfacing in her mind as she continued to strike down the aliens that threatened humanity. The cheers of the people felt more like a shard of ss that she needed to walk on; she repeated this countless times¨C until the only thing she could hear were the imaginary screams of the people that were in all of those nes.


    And soon, unbeknownst to her¡­


    ¡­a smile formed on her face.


    "!!!"


    And as soon as she realized this, she quickly fell to the ground¨C puking and trying to vomit whatever it was that seemed to be stuck inside her.


    "Silvermoon!"


    "S¡­ stay away!" Katherine quickly waved her hand; gesturing to the people not to approach her¨C almost to the point that she wanted to cover her face.


    "Are¡­ are you ok¨C"


    "Help! Please help!"


    And before the others could express their concern for Katherine, a weak scream whispered in the air. They all turned to look, only to see a woman being pinned down by arge debris.


    "S¡­ stay, I¡­ I''ll help her," Katherine then took in a very deep breath; standing up straight to collect herself before floating towards the woman.


    "P¡­ please, help¡­"


    "It''s alright," Katherine quickly reassured the woman, "We can''t remove this before we''re sure nothing is stuck¡­"


    And midway through her sentence, she noticed the woman''s diamond-like eyes.


    "!!!"


    She quickly waved her hand, crushing the clovian with the debris it was trapped in. Everything happened so fast that the people that were there did not know how to react¡­


    ¡­but as soon as they saw some sort of de stuck on Katherine''s stomach as she turned around, they all quickly rushed towards her.


    "S¡­ Silvermoon!"


    Katherine still managed to walk away¡­ her legs, however, were already wobbling. One of the people was able to catch her as she fell, quickly but gently cing her on the ground as a spray of blood gushed from her mouth.


    "M¡­ Medic! We need a medic!"


    "We¡­ we have no one, they¡­"


    "Where¡­ hospital¡­"


    And very soon¡­


    ¡­Katherine could hear no more.


    ***


    "It''s okay, just stay still."


    And the next time she opened her eyes, she was in some sort of tent¨C surrounded by several doctors as her consciousness faded from time to time. She wanted to get up, but one of the female doctors gently pushed her head down.


    "Please, stay still, ma''am. We''re doing our best to give you the care you need," the female doctor said before turning her eyes towards the other people in the room, "Let''s give the hero some space."


    "W¡­ what?" Katherine wanted to remove the oxygen mask attached to her face, but she was too weak to even move a hand, "What¡­ what about the civilians¡­ are they¨C"


    "Everyone is safe, ma''am. All thanks to you."


    Katherine was not able to see it, but the people behind the doctor were bowing their heads toward her before leaving the tent.


    "I¡­ I''m alive?" Katherine managed to breathe out.


    "Yes, and we will do our best to keep it that way, ma''am," the doctor said as she checked on the IV bag, "You''re very lucky, ma''am¡­


    ¡­Just a few inches, and you and your baby would have been in grave danger."


    "...What?"

 Chapter 297: Just Getting Started

    Chapter 297: Just Getting Started


    There seemed to be a whistle. But at the same time, there clearly was not. There were footsteps, for sure¨C hundreds of them, even.


    Katherine could see the lips of the person talking to her moving¨C she could even see her teeth and tongue. The IV bag was also dripping her with very minute amounts of sugar and saline.


    The fan loosely attached below the ceiling of the tent wiggled and rotated; the little hints of the suning and going reflected in her eyes.


    The apparatus and scanners attached to her also buzzed and beeped.


    There were so many things happening inside the tent¡­ but the only thing that was entering her ears was a whistle. A quiet, unending whistle that drowned everything else. Perhaps it was because of the heat and the humidity; perhaps her sweat was already gathered in her ears¡­


    ¡­but everything else was muffled.


    Just the whistle¨C that was the only thing Katherine could hear. But finally, almost as if something popped¨C


    "Ma''am, are you listening? Do you want me to repeat what I said?"


    "...Huh?" All at once, all the sounds entered Katherine''s mind. One would think the whistle would disappear¡­ but it only got stronger.


    "Is¡­ my English not good? Sorry, ma''am," the female doctor sitting at the chair beside Katherine''s bed immediately bowed her head several times.


    "It¡­ It''s fine," Katherine then turned her eyes towards the doctor, "You said I''m 5 months in? Could it be that you made a mistake? I don''t feel it. Isn''t my stomach too small?"


    5 months. That would mean it happened sometime before Riley was sent to prison.


    "No," the female doctor quickly shook her head, "I know people that are 6 months in and have the same tummy as you, ma''am. You can have it checked with an ob-gyn once you return to America."


    "Is¡­ it possible to take¨C"


    "I''m a doctor, ma''am," the female doctor did not let Katherine finish her words, "Whatever it is you''re going to say, please don''t. It is best if you rest here for now, at least until tonight."


    "But¨C"


    "Rest, ma''am," the female doctor could only sigh as she stood up, "I know you are eager to fight the aliens, but for now, you are a patient."


    And with that, the female doctor left, leaving Katherine alone¨C No. She wasn''t really alone now, was she?


    What¡­ was she even supposed to do now? There could really only be one father¨C but that was the problem.


    The baby inside her is Riley''s. But¡­ how? They''ve always done it safe¨C she was even taking pills. She was also sure that Riley was doing something to prevent his sperm from even making contact inside her.


    The chances of her getting pregnant was close to none. So¡­ why?


    There is so much happening all at once; the aliens, the downfall of the government and society itself¡­ and the baby just had to add to her problems.


    "..." Katherine stared at the ceiling in silence; her eyes, still reflecting the flickering sun behind the fan. Soon, however, her eyebrows began to lower.


    Tears, slowly building their way around her eyes¨C and with a light gasp, the tears started to trail down her temples. She knew that she could cry a river, but nothing was going to remove the fact that all of this was her fault.


    If she just killed herself before she descended into this darkness, then most of the problems she had now wouldn''t have even been possible.


    She was losing her mindpletely from all the things that were weighing her right now¨C and the father of his child was out there ying with another woman.


    Katherine gritted her teeth as the tears from her eyes wouldn''t stop gushing out; her palms, almost bleeding from how hard she was pressing her hands.


    But after a few seconds of wallowing and surrounding herself in her own regrets, Katherine took in a deep breath, closed her eyes, and then suddenly pulled the needle attached to her arm as she sat up.


    Everything ends, she thought as she stood up¨C carefully walking towards the table on the side of the tent that had her outfit.


    Everyone has an ending¨C and hers wouldn''t be as a viin. It was easy to end it all here, but she wouldn''t do that. Before this growing darkness explodes inside her even further. She... will die as a hero.


    Katherine quickly wore her outfit, not even bothering to wipe herself off the sweat on her body. And without even any pause, she quickly stepped out of the tent¨C gathering the attention of everyone there.


    There were several more tents set up¡­ but even so, there were still people lying on sheets on the ground.


    "M¡­ Ma''am Silvermoon!" One of the nurses approached her, "Please stay!"


    "Give my tent to the others."-- were Katherine''s only words as she flew away; almost causing the nurse to take a step back due to the wind that suddenly rippled around her.


    Katherine looked down at the settlement, only to see the actual number of the tents¡­ probably more than a hundred. There were also helicopters and people going in¡­ but even more trucks of people going out to be buried.


    That''s right. She shouldn''t be just resting and wasting inside the tent just because she encountered a problem¨C she could move all of her limbs; and since she didn''t really need to move that much due to the nature of her powers, the wound near her stomach wouldn''t just open up.


    And if it did, so what? She would at least try to save as many people as possible before she¨C


    And before she could finish her thoughts, her eyesnded on the female doctor that was taking care of her. The only thing that Katherine could really do was nod to show her gratitude; to which the doctor just responded with a wave of goodbye and a smile on her face.


    Katherine was about to wave back, but before she could do so¡­ the image of Diana waving at her suddenly resurfaced in her mind.


    "!!!"


    And before any more thoughts could follow through, she felt her entire body suddenly being hit by somethingrge¨C no. It was not that something hit her; rather, she hit something.


    "Kh¡­" If she was flying any faster, then she would have surely broken a bone or two.


    Katherine could only grit her teeth as the pain slowly registered in her mind. But even with blood trailing on her forehead and the stitch on her stomach slightly opening, both her palms were still touching the invisible wall that was suddenly blocking her path.


    "...Telekinesis?" Katherine whispered as she looked beyond the invisible wall. But not even a second after, however, she found her conclusion to be false. False as the view she thought that was the horizon suddenly disappeared¨C reced by a cold, hard, metal wall.


    Katherine patted the white wall several times in confusion before finally deciding to look behind her¡­ only to find that all the tents were gone; well, all except for one.


    All of the people that she had seen also disappeared¨C her surroundings, now only the inside of what seemed like a metal box; a ce she was very familiar with.


    "This¡­ is the Academy''s training hall?"


    No one was there; well, all except for one¨C the female doctor.


    Katherine quickly flew straight towards the doctor, quickly grabbing her by the cors as soon as shended in front of her.


    "What''s the meaning of this!?" Katherine screamed.


    "Don''t move too much, you might open your wounds."


    "!!!"


    And to her surprise, the doctor grabbed both her hands and easily pulled them away.


    "Wha¨C"


    And before Katherine could even say a word, the doctor lightly pushed her away¡­ causing her to fall on her butt.


    "Amazing, isn''t it?" The female doctor took a few steps back as her eyes started darting all over the training hall, "For something to look so real that you could even hear every movement."


    "Who¡­"


    "You know who I am," the silhouette of the female doctor then started to¡­ glitch. The white robes she was wearing slowly disappeared as if it was being erased from existence¨C the very same process that happens whenever Katherine reset the simtion.


    "This technology has been here for hundreds of years and it still amazes even me¡­


    ¡­even though I helped in creating it back in Theran," the female doctor then turned around as the flickering lights that covered her face slowly faded away.


    And the doctor was right, Katherine knew who she was. It was so obvious if she only listened¨C the heart of the woman in front of her did not fluctuate even once.


    "...Diana?"


    "Hello again, Ms. Reeds," Diana once again smiled; this time, however, her eyes suddenly lit up in red,


    "Now¡­


    ¡­shall we talk?"


    ***


    "Did you have fun, Megawoman?"


    Back in the shower area of the Hope Guild, Riley was currently¡­ washing Megawoman''s body¨C the costume that he bought online for Megawoman, now also being washed in a separate tub.


    "You don''t have to worry," Riley shook his head as he started massaging Megawoman''s hair with shampoo, "You don''t have to be guilty about anything since I was the one who killed them. It was just unfortunate that they had to see you killing an alien."


    Riley then grabbed the shower head on the wall with his hand, rinsing away all the soap on Megawoman''s body.


    "Don''t be too sad, Megawoman. If the number of the aliens here starts decreasing, we could always just follow sister and the others, no?" Riley chuckled, "You don''t have to worry¡­


    ¡­We''re only getting started."

 Chapter 298: Proxy

    Chapter 298: Proxy


    "...This is weird, Megawoman. I can''t seem to make contact with Silvermoon."


    While everything outside was in chaos; fighting the aliens, fortifying their defenses, giving people shields, Riley was casually talking with an unconscious woman.


    It was almost as if they weren''t being invaded at all as Riley was just sitting beside Megawoman''s bed, peacefully talking to her despite the fact that she had not, even once, opened her mouth to respond.


    Of course, it was not mostly his fault¨C Megawoman has also, not once, let go of his wrist. For what reason, he does not yet know.


    "I will leave you here for a bit, Megawoman," Riley then looked at Megawoman''s face, before closing his eyes and taking in a short but very deep breath. And soon, as he opened his eyes, the view of a restaurant weed him¨C with the guests dining all wearing the same white robe.


    Everyone was looking at him, of course. How could they not, when he was standing on the stage in front of all of them with a microphone in his hand.


    "...I apologize for disturbing your meals, beloved guests," Riley then said as he gave the microphone to the man beside him, one of his clones that was ying the cello, "You''re the vocalist for now."


    "Y¡­ Yes, boss!" The cello-ying Riley quickly stood up and gently ced his cello to the side as Riley stepped down the stage.


    "All of you may continue."


    And as soon as Riley said that, all the clones that had stopped moving once again continued with their activities¨C ying music, standing, serving the guests their meal and needs.


    "It''s you!"


    And immediately, one of the guests stood up¨C pointing a steak knife towards Riley as she did so. Of course, once again, it was the only person that still seemed to not want to be a guest even after almost a year¨C Ellie, aka, Ms. Friday.


    "Do you really think it''s right to lock us up like this!?" Ellie screamed, her ponytails, bubbling along as she did so.


    "Ma''am, please. You''re disturbing the other guests," one of the Server Rileys approached Ellie.


    "Don''t touch me!" Ellie said as the ground beneath her started to turn into some sort of stone. And as soon as the other guests saw this, they all quickly moved from their tables.


    "Why aren''t any of you fighting!? Have you all lost your minds from spending all of this time locked up in this fucking hell!?"


    "Ma''am, please. You are not allowed to use your powers in the dining hall," the once hospitable tone of the Server Riley beside her disappeared, reced by a sort of vignce as he took a step closer to her, "We don''t appreciate that kind of¨C"


    "It''s fine, Marco."


    But before he could take another step, Riley raised his hand, "Just call Diley, tell him I need him for something."


    "At once, boss," Marco bowed towards Riley as he turned around¨C not before rolling his eyes at Ellie, of course.


    "If you''re going to lock us up here forever, then just fucking kill us!" Ellie then raised the steak knife. But instead of swinging it towards Riley, she turned it around and pointed it towards her chest,


    "I am not going to be like the rest of these mindless zombies of yours!" And with that roar, she pulled the knife towards her chest. But s, she didn''t really think that Riley would actually allow her to die, did she?


    The other guests could only shake their heads and sigh, as a miniature version of Riley suddenly appeared in front of Ellie''s chest, stopping the sharp tip of the knife from piercing him and Ellie''s chest with telekinesis.


    Judging by his small trembling hands, however, he seemed to be having a hard time in doing so; he was also starting to somewhat whimper, immediately causing Ellie to let go of the knife.


    "You¨C"


    Ellile was about to say something, but before she could do so, Little Riley suddenly pped her right on the cheek.


    "Hmph," Little Riley then scoffed before once again disappearing.


    "Diley has not shown you yet, has he, Ms. Croft?"


    And while Ellie was still dazed with what just happened, Riley slowly approached her, "Elizabeth Croft, you were born in the outskirts of King''s Lynn, Ennd."


    "W¡­ what? Ellie woke up from her stupor as she heard Riley''s words, "What is this?" She then muttered as she looked at Riley and the rest of the guests, who sighed and looked away as soon as their eyes met.


    "Both of your parents are deceased," Riley then continued as he stood in front of Ellie, looking her directly in the eyes, "And you were left with your younger brother, Elliot."


    "You¡­" And as soon as Ellie realized why Riley was saying what he was saying, her eyes started to widen, "What¡­ what have you done to my brother?"


    "Nothing yet," a small smile appeared on Riley''s face, "So please do not do anything that you would not like the oue to. I would dislike it if all of my guests suddenly be sad."


    "...All?" Elli muttered as she took a small gulp.


    "It''s a team effort, after all," Riley said as he looked at the other guests, "If we decide to cut one of your brother''s fingers, it wouldn''t be fair to the others if we don''t do the same to their family."


    "...What?" Ellie once again looked at the other guests.


    "You are quite lucky Diley seems to like you, Ms. Croft," Riley sighed, "He usually tells the guests immediately what would happen."


    "I¡­"


    "I wanted to know how long she wouldst, boss."


    And before Ellie could say another word again, Diley showed up, "It is a pity you''ve told her."


    "I apologize," Riley shook his head, "I would get you a new one so you can restart."


    "Really!?" Diley''s eyes widened as his smile reached from ear to ear, "...I want one of those pink aliens."


    "Hm," Riley nodded.


    "And so, please, boss. What is it you desire for you to suddenly visit all of us amidst all the fun and chaos out there?" Diley then gestured towards one of the empty tables, pulling out a seat for Riley; waiting for him to sit before sitting as well.


    "The rest of you may finish eating, do not worry about us," Diley then waved his hand, and as he did so, the music once again started¨C with the Server Rileys assisting the guests back to their tables.


    "Are you here because we can''t contact Madam Katherine?" Diley then said, the smile on his face slightly fading.


    "Yes."


    "It is truly weird, she usually answers before the third ring," Diley clicked his tongue several times, "Maybe she has finally betrayed us? Should we fold her mother into multipleyers and livestream it, boss?"


    "No," Riley shook his head, "Let her do what it is she wants for now, she deserves at least that."


    "I agree, boss," Diley nodded several times.


    "I do, however, need someone to be her proxy," Riley then let out a sigh, "I need someone to buy me some things in the grocery."


    "..." Diley blinked his eyes a couple of times as he heard Riley''s words; but after a few more seconds, he nodded, "Of course, boss. I will have someone get you what you need."


    "No," Riley shook his head, "It''s for Megawoman. I can''t buy it myself since that would ruin the surprise¨C and I can''t let any of you buy it for me. Everyone is on high alert right now because of the alien invasion, and it is already getting scattered on the inte that I am with Megawoman."


    "Very circumstantial, is it not?" Diley chuckled, "I suppose people are getting suspicious of youtely, boss. If they realize you can create clones, there is no denying anymore that you are Darkday. And with Bernard not here, it would be hard to erase the videos."


    "Yes, thank you for understanding, Diley."


    "Makes you wonder, no? How some parts of the world seem to just go on with their lives even with the alien invasion? Groceries are open, bars are open, even some of the schools are open," Diley sighed,


    "Such a privilege and they don''t even appreciate it."


    "It''s just an alien invasion, Diley," Riley shook his head, "Getting a gift for Megawoman is more important."


    "...Of course, boss. Then¡­ might I suggest getting one of our guests to do it?" Diley then stood up, "I''ll personally fly them in the sky, we''ll be low-key¡­ okie?"


    "Very well, I will leave it up to you." And with those words, Riley''s head suddenly shook; his eyes, turning white for a couple of seconds before returning to normal.


    "W¡­ what?"


    "Yes, yes. You''re confused, now go. The one who reced you has a bad voice," Diley then immediately pushed the Riley in front of him away and gestured to him to return to the stage.


    His eyes then started to dart towards the guests, and as he did so, the guests all perked up.


    "Oh, all of you excited to go out?" Diley chuckled, "Too bad, there could only be one and I have already chosen¡­


    ¡­who


    ¡­it


    ¡­is," he then said as he pointed at Ellie.


    "...Me?"


    "Yes, I feel like it would be fun if it''s you," Diley then suddenly burst out inughter, filling the entire hall with his voice.


    Warden, who had been watching the entire scenario through the surveince cameras, could not help but scratch his head, "Why...


    ...didn''t they just ask me?"


    **NOTES**


    Hi, I wrote a new story called ''Undying Monarch''. Check it out if you have time!

 Chapter 299: All of You

    Chapter 299: All of You


    "The situation outside seems to be subsiding, Megawoman."


    "Oh, you don''t have to worry. We''ll go and save some people soon, I''m just waiting for something to arrive."


    "No, it''s nothing. It''s a surprise."


    "Oh, look! They''re talking about you again."


    Back in Megawoman''s room in the Hope Guild, Megawoman was once again lying on bed with the oxygen mask attached to her face. Riley didn''t really know whether it had any effect or not, but he still returned the mask since it might be morefortable for her.


    Riley also grabbed one of the TV from the meeting hall and ced it in Megawoman''s room so she could watch the news. Well, she was stillpletely unconscious with her eyes closed, but Riley was sure she could hear everything.


    After all, until now, she still has not let go of his hand. It made everything difficult to do, but Riley didn''t really seem to mind. He was ready to share everything with Megawoman.


    Riley has been trying to open several topics to see if Megawoman would react again like she did when he mentioned something about her race¨C but nothing. He even tried mentioning Theran again, but Megawoman no longer responded.


    He even tried prying Megawoman''s hand open¡­ but found himself having a very hard time in doing so. If he was right, then the Megawoman sleeping right now was much stronger than the one he fought in the Battle of Toronto.


    "..." A small smile slowly crawled on Riley''s face as he imagined her waking up already. He was looking forward to finally talking to her, sure¡­ but he was more excited in fighting her again.


    "...Just when did I get so attached to you, Megawoman?" Riley then let out a small breath as he nced at Megawoman''s face,


    "I know when you got attached to me," Riley muttered as he raised the hand that Megawoman was grabbing, "But for me, I do not know exactly when. Was it when we fought to the death? Was it during our talks? Or maybe because you''re the only one that could possibly feel what I feel?"


    "..."


    "Just kidding," Riley then let out a small chuckle as he dropped his hand back on the bed, "You and I are nothing alike¡­


    ¡­You are more human than I am, Megawoman."


    "..."


    "Do you think¨C Oh."


    Riley blinked a couple of times; abruptly stopping his words as he looked to the side.


    "..." And he remained like this for a couple of minutes¡­ until the door suddenly opened, revealing Ellie who was holding some sort of paper bag.


    "Hello!" And Diley was also with her, suddenly leaning his head out of the doorway and slightly pushing Ellie to the side as he stepped to Megawoman''s room.


    "Ellie has what you asked for, boss," Diley then trotted towards Megawoman and Riley; his eyes, almost glimmering and glittering as he stared at Megawoman''s face,


    "It¡­ really is her, Boss," Diley then immediately moved to the corner of the room, his somewhat exaggerated sniffles, whispering in the air.


    As for Ellie, the only thing she could really do was move deeper into the room. Of course, the room was by no means deep, but it almost felt like she was walking through a very wide field as she saw Riley¨C no. As she saw Megawoman holding Darkday''s hand.


    These two people were someone that she never thought she could actually reach¡­ but now they were in front of her. Ellie knew that what the Dark Millenium told her were lies since Darkday wasn''t even really the leader, but right now¡­ she didn''t really know who to be afraid of.


    Megawoman or Darkday. Dark Millenium ingrained in her mind that Megawoman was some sort of alien that was trying to conquer the Earth little by little¨C and that all the history about her being kind to humans was all fake.


    And seeing her holding Darkday''s hand like this¡­


    ¡­maybe that was actually true?


    Maybe Darkday and Megawoman were actually just ying with the people and were actually partners? A lot of thoughts raced inside Ellie''s mind, almost to the point that she was even forgetting to breathe.


    "Ms. Croft?"


    She only woke up from her stupor when Riley''s voice entered her ears.


    "W¡­ what!?" She didn''t notice it at first because of the paper bag blocking her view, but Riley''s hand was already reaching toward her¨C causing her to suddenly take a few steps back in panic.


    "W¡­ what are you going to do to me!?" Ellie took in a short but very deep breath, "I¡­ I promise I won''t tell anyone that you and Megawoman are actually in cahoots together, please don''t kill my brother!"


    "..." Riley and Diley looked at each other as Ellie''s stuttering words echoed in the room,


    "The things I asked for you to purchase, Ms. Croft," Riley then said as he turned to face Ellie again, "I wish to have them now."


    "What¡­ do you n to do with these?" Although Ellie was a bit hesitant, she still carefully dropped the paper bag on the floor as she once again took a few steps back, "Are you¡­ trying to create some sort of evil concoction!?"


    Diley, who was staying quiet on the side, could not help but almost snort as he heard Ellie''s words; he recovered himself just as fast, however, as he slowly made his way to Ellie.


    "Yes."


    "..." Ellie could only take in a long and very deep breath as she saw the growing smile on Diley''s face.


    "We are going to create a poison that would eradicate all life on the using tamarind," Diley ominously said as he brushed his upper lip with his tongue.


    "W¡­ what!?"


    "Oh yes," Diley nodded as the smile on his face grew wider and wider, "And with the free-range eggs we asked you to buy, we are going to create a monster¨C mixing chicken DNA with Megawoman and Riley''s DNA."


    "..." The fear on Ellie''s face quickly disappeared as Diley''s words entered her ears, "You''re just going to cook, aren''t you?"


    "Oh wow, you''re a genius," Diley then let out a giggle as he rushed towards Riley, cing his hand on Riley''s shoulder as his giggles turned into a fit ofughter, "I¡­ I told you she''s the most fun amongst the guests, boss."


    "We''re cooking marinated soft-boiled eggs, cut in half and thered with tamarind sauce and pork rinds, Ms. Croft," Riley then stood up as he let out a sigh; the paper bag on the floor, slowly floating beside him as he did so. Riley did not grab the bag, however, but instead gently lifted Megawoman from the bed instead.


    "Let''s go to the chicken," Riley then softly said as he gently crossed over his bounded hand in front of Megawoman so that he couldfortably carry her.


    "...Are you sure you don''t want me to cook, boss?" Diley muttered.


    "No," Riley quickly shook his head,


    "I¡­ want to do this for her."


    ***


    "...Why didn''t we just take some of the eggs from the prison?"


    "...Prison?"


    "...The Guesthouse."


    "Oh, because it wouldn''t be authentic if the ingredients aren''t from their country of origin."


    "...What?"


    In the lobby of the base of the Hope Guild, Ellie and Diley were currently seated at a table. Ellie, of course, still felt her heart beating faster than it should. But she had already spent almost a year in the Guesthouse with Diley talking to her almost every day.


    She knew that Diley was just Riley''s clone, but she could not help but stare at him and think that he¡­ seemed even more human than Riley. The way he talked, his emotions¨C everything he did was so far away from being monotonous, from being Riley.


    "Are¡­ you sure you aren''t the original?" Ellie then identally blurted out as she looked back and forth between Diley, and Riley, who was currently preparing in the kitchen.


    "..." Diley nced at Riley as he heard Ellie''s question, "Now, what made you think that?"


    "You just seem much more¡­ authentic," Ellie muttered.


    "4 years."


    "Hm?"


    "I have been in this world for about 4 years," Diley then turned his eyes back to Ellie, cing his elbows on the table as he leaned, "And in those 4 years, the number of people that grew in the Guesthouse became more and more. I learned how they talk, I learned how they processed their pain, their sadness, their happiness."


    "..."


    "I learned to be with people, I learned how to be them," Diley breathed out, "Boss didn''t have that luxury until he entered the Academy."


    "...But he has a family."


    The corners of Diley''s mouth slightly lowered as he shook his head, "The Ross''s is what''s wrong in the boss'' life."


    "...What?"


    "We were homeschooled, and I could probably count the times we were able to go outside and socialize with other people," Diley said as he looked at his fingers, almost as if truly counting,


    "And then to top it all off, we were trained in different sets of martial arts. We weren''t even able to express that we''re tired and hurt because¡­ we just weren''t simply capable of expressing that yet."


    "..." Ellie could only furrow her eyebrows as she listened to Diley''s story, "...Are you actually ming them for bing what you¨C what Darkday is?"


    "Oh no," Diley chuckled as he shook his head, "That''s purely on us, I would know because there''s this whisper inside my head¡­


    ¡­I''m just saying they made it easier for us to be what we are."


    "...Does he also feel like that?" Ellie said as she looked at Riley.


    "Who knows. He knows what we feel and what we see, but we only know what he wants us to know," Diley shrugged, "And what I do know¡­


    ¡­is that I was able to move away from the Ross''s when I was brought into existence and be with other people. The boss had to stay another 4 years with them...


    ...I am just a version of the boss if he was given the chance to interact with other people."


    "But¡­ what about his sister?"


    "Hannah is special," a smile returned on Diley''s face, "Hannah¡­ was the only thing in our lives that made sense. She was the only one that truly tried to make an effort to understand us. The only reason why we''re not giving up on the whispers that we''re hearing is probably because of her."


    "These¡­ whispers," Ellie took in a small gulp, "What are they saying?"


    "It''s an urge, much like a thirst," the sides of Diley''s mouth began to tremble as he looked Ellie straight in the eyes, "Telling us over and over again¡­


    ¡­to kill you. All of you."

 Chapter 300: Shokugeki no Riley

    Chapter 300: Shokugeki no Riley


    "It''s an urge, much like a thirst. Telling us over and over again to kill you."


    "M¡­ me?"


    "All of you."


    Ellie has known Diley for almost a full year now, yet this was the very first time she was seeing him like this. He always seemed animated and full of life¨C but the expression he was showing right now was enough for Ellie to realize that she was, indeed, still talking to Darkday; albeit a clone.


    She thought there was a way that she might be able to get through Riley, or at least Diley with the way their conversation was going¨C but with just one line¡­ she knew that they were someone that could no longer be reasoned with.


    Riley is Darkday¨C not the other way around.


    You can''t reason with a storm, you just have to be ready when it strikes.


    "It''s ready."


    And almost as if putting an official end to their conversation, several tes suddenly started floating to the table.


    "We¡­ are also eating?" Ellie could only look at Diley as she saw the te in front of her.


    "Of course, why do you think we stayed?"


    Ellie has heard the name of the dish earlier, but to think it really was just¡­ an egg. Granted, the egg held a certain darker hue to it, almost brown. The egg was split in half, exposing the slightly soft yolk.


    "Let me," Diley then stood up from his seat as he grabbed a te the te that was ced at the center of the table, holding thedle then thering some of the tamarind sauce on Ellie''s te; afterward, he took pinches of ground pork rinds and sprinkled it on top.


    He did the same for Megawoman''s te, then Riley, then his.


    "..."


    "..."


    And yet even after a quarter of a minute, no one was touching their food as Riley remained stagnant.


    "Eat," Riley then finally said.


    "What about you, boss?"


    "I can''t," Riley shook his head, "Megawoman is unable to eat¨C so you guys go on ahead. I just want her to know that I''ve cooked one of her favorite meals."


    "This¡­ is one of Megawoman''s favorites?" Ellie looked at the te¨C although it was just an egg dish, with all the other ingredients surrounding it and the way Riley ted it, it almost felt too fancy to eat.


    But as Diley began to eat his in almost a single bite, Ellie proceeded to do the same. The worst thing they could really do right now was poison her; which actually makes her family safer.


    And so, Ellie proceeded to bite the egg, not the entire half of it¨C but enough for a mouthful experience. And as soon as she did so, she almost closed her eyes due to the tingling sensation that the tamarind caused as itthered around her teeth.


    It was so soft that the taste almost instantly scattered inside her mouth, with the yolk almost exploding. Even the whites, which would otherwise be almost tasteless, had this sweet and somewhat salty tang to them; Riley used telekinesis to hasten and make sure every corner of the egg was marinated with the sauce he made.


    Andstly, the ground pork rinds. Everything else was soft, and once she started to chew¨C the crispiness of the pork rinds started singing inside her mouth like an orchestra.


    Experiencing all of this happening almost all at the same time inside her mouth¡­ it almost made her want to request the dish back in the dining hall in the Guesthouse.


    "You know¡­ if you decide not to be an evil mass murderer. Maybe you should consider bing a chef or something, you''d be a popr celebrity chef."


    Ellie then said with a chuckle as she finished the bite. But a few secondster, she could not help but widen her eyes as she realized what she just said. A sweat almost instantly ran down the side of her cheek as her eyes slowly turned towards Riley¡­


    ¡­but he didn''t seem to mind as he only just looked at her, before turning to look at Megawoman.


    "Thank you, Ellie."


    "!!!"


    Ellie almost jumped from her seat as she heard those words, but as soon as she realized that it was Diley, not Riley who said it, she was able to hold herself.


    "Y¡­ yeah, sure." She could only let out an awkward chuckle.


    And then, once again¡­ silence. Until Riley let out a breath.


    "I figured you like it, Ms. Croft?" He then asked.


    "Yes. It''s¡­ the first time I''m eating something like this and I''m usually picky¡­" Ellie worded out, still a little aloof and reserved; a huge contrast whenever she talked to Diley, "But it was very nice."


    "That''s good," Riley nodded, "At least Megawoman knows that it tastes nice."


    "Is¡­ can she hear us?" Ellie took a sip of water as she finally gained the courage to look at Megawoman''s face. She¡­ just looked ordinary. She held a certain beauty, sure¡­


    ¡­but if she were to just walk on the streets amongst other people, you wouldn''t really think that she was the greatest hero that had ever walked the Earth.


    "I hope so, Ms. Croft," Riley sighed.


    "Then¡­ maybe you could just feed her? Maybe she could taste it?" Ellie almost stuttered, "I¡­ heard that people automatically swallow when something is stuck in their throat."


    "Well, that''s quite disrespectful, no?" Diley almost let out a chuckle.


    "I¡­ it''s just awkward that the two of us are eating and they''re not."


    "See, boss? I told you she''s quite different from the rest," Diley covered his mouth as he looked at Riley, "Sheins a lot, but she might have been the one that adjusted the most amongst the Guests."


    "...What?"


    "No one else dares question me," Diley breathed out, "But you, you''re not even afraid. But then you did join a bunch of terrorists pretending to be Darkday. I suppose you have a screw loose like the rest of us?"


    "No, I¨C" And she was doing it again. And as soon as she realized that, she just opted to shut her mouth and look at her te. Diley¡­ was sort of right. She joined the Dark Millenium when someone recruited her without even a second thought. It involved a little money, of course¡­ but even still.


    "..." Riley could only look back and forth between Diley and Ellie, before once again cing his attention on Megawoman. And this time¡­ Megawoman looked back.


    "!!!" Ellie once again almost jumped from her seat, but then quickly realized that Megawoman was still unconscious¡­ and that Riley was just probably controlling her.


    Riley then slowly looked at his te, before proceeding to get a serving of egg with his hand and gently cing it in front of Megawoman''s lips.


    "Just one, Megawoman," Riley then whispered, "Don''t worry, I will make sure it won''t hurt you in any way. I¡­ just want you to have a taste. Remember how you told me you liked this dish the 2nd time we talked?"


    "..." Ellie could only widen her eyes as she watched the scene. She looked at Diley to see what he was thinking¡­ only to see him tearing up.


    Suffice to say, she easily regretted suggesting this as it all seemed too¡­ sensual.


    Riley then gently touched Megawoman''s chin with his free fingers, almost gently opening it with his telekinesis. And very slowly and with much care, Riley slowly ced and slid the egg through her lips, careful not to spill any sauce on them.


    "..." Ellie could now only look away, she really shouldn''t have suggested this. Fortunately, it did notst long as Megawoman''s jaws started moving and chewing the food, and then swallowing.


    Riley then quickly gave Megawoman a ss of water to wash everything down.


    "..." Seeing them like this, one would almost think they were¡­ No¨C not a couple. In her perception¡­


    Riley almost looked like a child taking care of her mother.


    "Well, I''ll go wash the dishes," Diley then stood up, "You can rx first, Ellie. Watch the aquatic lifeforms or something, we''ll leave once I''m done."


    "...Sure," Ellie also stood up, taking one final nce at Riley and Megawoman as they remained sitting at the table.


    "Did¡­ you like it, Megawoman?" Riley gently tapped the corners of Megawoman''s mouth, "I hope you tell me once you wake up¡­ before we start killing each other again."


    "It''s good."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Thank you, Megawoman."


    "..."


    "..."


    "!!!"


    And almost as if time slowed down, Ellie, who was on her way to look at the ocean floor, turned her head back to the table. But before she could do so, Diley was already in front of her¨C his arms, quickly wrapping around her.


    "Wha¨C"


    And before she could even utter a word; an almost deafening thunder exploded. The only thing she could feel was some sort of¡­ force pushing her away as everything, everywhere, suddenly turned dark.


    And as her eyes started to adjust, she could see herself suddenly surrounded by water; and soon, the ocean was beneath her feet¨C and then, she was surrounded by clouds.


    "What?" Ellie could only blink as her head slowly turned towards Diley, who currently had his arms wrapped around her, "What¡­ just happened?"


    "The end," Diley whispered as he let go of Ellie, who remained floating in the air, "The end is happening."


    And as soon as he finished uttering those words, a beam of light suddenly shot out from the sea¨C almost as if a tower suddenly erected itself;rge enough to be seen by the neighboring countries surrounding the ck Sea.


    A light that signaled the return of the Megawoman.

 Chapter 301: Darkday vs. Megawoman

    Chapter 301: Darkday vs. Megawoman


    The beacon of light.


    A beacon of hope.


    Not always necessarily right, but strives to be no matter what. Megawoman has always shown the world where she stood, and where she does not.


    There have been rumors of her return days ago, but most people did not believe it as the only evidence they have was her rescue¨C but even that was drowned by the sudden appearance of the aliens that were now wreaking havoc all over the world.


    There were also rumors that she saw her defeating aliens and a giant robot, but there were too few survivors to corroborate the story and no visual evidence.


    But now, the cities surrounding the ck Sea saw their skies turning red¨C and from its roots, a tree of red.


    It could be many things, but most were sure that it was the re that signals the return of Megawoman. And very soon, the light faded and all that remained was silence as everyone held their breaths¨C waiting for a boom.


    The boom, however, did not appear even after a minute and some already let go of their breaths¨C returning inside homes and to their basements and bunkers. The threat of the aliens is still upon them, and if that light was not Megawoman, then there was a chance that it could be one of their invaders.


    Very soon, however¡­


    ¡­There was a boom.


    Those who have not yet hidden quickly leaned their heads out of their windows or stepped out of their houses. And there, they see their skies clear¨C clear to the point that there were no clouds covering them from the sun.


    It was almost a ripple, originating from where the red tower once stood.


    And once again, the people''s hope started to awaken.


    And very soon, in one of the cities, a whistle started to whisper in the air¡­


    ¡­followed by another boom much louder than before.


    They all turned their heads to the sky, and there, they finally see the silhouette they have not seen for a year. A silhouette that signified that everything was going to be okay now.


    That silhouette, however¡­ seemed to have no n of stopping as it was almost only a hundred meters away from falling right in the center of the town.


    "It¡­ it''s going to fall!"


    The people that witnessed it in awe were now trying their fastest to once again hide¨C they did not need to, however, as a loud snap reverberated in the air; blowing away all the specks of dust and causing their hair to violently flow with the sudden gale.


    The people all covered their eyes; letting out tiny screams as all sorts of leaves, trash, and anything light enough to be blown away were blown away. It did notst, however, as the people were finally able to open their eyes¨C and as soon as they did, they saw hope.


    Megawoman, standing right in front of them. It was her, it could be no one but her. Her gold and white ensemble; her brown hair that lit up in gold whenever the sun hits¡­ right to the very way she stood.


    "M¡­ Megawoman!"


    "Megawoman!"


    And just like that, everyone cheered¨C their voices, almost reaching to the skies.


    ¡­But almost as if the skies responded, the clouds which paved way for the sun once again returned¨C and perhaps returning with a vengeance as their entire town was slowly bathed in darkness.


    "Hide."


    Megawoman then whispered; her voice, almost echoing through the minds of the people. And before the people could even ask, another boom echoed in the air.


    This boom, however, was lifeless; one akin to the siren that one hears before aing disaster.


    And then, like a sh in the sky¨C a lightning without thunder, another silhouette stood near Megawoman.


    And perhaps that was the only way they could describe him¨C a silhouette covered in darkness. Almost like a tear or a hole in the air; with not even a fracture of light reflecting from him.


    And before they could even utter the silhouette''s name¨C the two towering entities suddenly disappeared. Leaving the citizenspletely and utterly dazed.


    Aliens? What was that? What is the threat of an alien invasion when the gods have finally decided to show themselves?


    Seconds passed, and the town was once again bathed in light¨C the dark clouds that once covered them, almost a creature in the sky that started to swim away from them. And of course, even from afar¡­


    ¡­the war that was happening beneath those clouds was something they could sense even through their bones.


    After all, the very air itself was trembling.


    "We. Are. Not. Doing. This. In. The. City!"


    ¡­And they were right.


    Every word that came out from Megawoman''s mouth left some sort of shock; almost cracking the air as she held Darkday by his helmet; dragging him through the sky.


    But before they could pass the dark clouds above them, Darkday suddenly wrapped his legs around Megawoman''s waist. He then suddenly somersaulted in the air, only letting Megawoman go when he was on top of her¨C and without even saying a word, he mmed both his fists on her chest.


    The air once again cracked as Megawoman plunged from the sky; a skirt of wind, flowing behind her as she fell towards the sea. But before she could hit the surface of the sea, she curled her body and started to spin¨C instantly stopping as she stretched her limbs out; her back, almostying t on the surface of the ocean.


    This triggered another boom; the sea beneath Megawoman, suddenly rippling open as soon as it realized the sheer force of the wind from the whish that descended upon it.


    "..." Megawoman quickly looked to the side; the irises of her eyes bing wider as they looked towards the shore kilometers away from her. And as soon as she saw the water of the level rising, a beam of red light instantly speared towards the shore¨C then abruptly stopped before it could go any further.


    Steam then started to fill the air as the waves of water that were supposed to wreak havoc through thends evaporated almost instantly.


    "You really are different, Megawoman."


    Megawoman then quickly turned her head back towards the sky; her heat vision, almost as if splitting space itself as it moved with her; but as soon as it reached the direction of the sky, it disappeared¨C or perhaps it was better to say that it was blocked.


    Blocked by Darkday''s helmet as he floated horizontally right in front of Megawoman''s face. The beam, stopping just an inch away from making contact with Darkday''s helmet.


    "Oh no," a small smile slowly appeared on Megawoman''s face, "I¡­


    ¡­am actually quite pissed."


    The beaming from her eyes suddenly became even brighter¨C its solid form, starting to trickle on the sides as the pressure that was being emitted by the heat vision started to boil the sea beneath her.


    "You have some boundary issues, Riley Ross," and with those words, the entire ck Sea and the skies above it were covered in red; the people surrounding the body of water, once again seeing another tower of light emerge¨C no, this time, it was a twin tower.


    "You shouldn''t have touched my body without permission."


    The colossal beam was split in half, almost like a violent river with Darkday''s head serving as the stone that separated it.


    And almost like a sizzle that was heard everywhere in the world, the light faded away.


    "I¡­ can''t change, Aerith."


    And following the sizzle, was a voice hoarse enough to scratch the air.


    "..." Megawoman could only squint her eyes as she saw Riley''s face, parts of his face¨Cpletely burnt as whites started to show. Most of his skull, already exposed. And yet, even like this¡­ as his flesh started to regenerate.


    Almost like hundreds of worms squirming on his face, connecting each other¨C and as they hastily built themselves, the very first thing that Megawoman saw was Riley''s lips¡­ already turning into a smile.


    "But I do apologize for killing your husband, Aerith," Riley then said as the smile on his face now reached from ear to ear, "I heard from your son that he died in Toronto while we were fighting."


    "..." Megawoman''s eyebrows began to lower as Riley''s words reached her ears, "I was wrong about you, Riley Ross."


    "Hm?"


    The two continued to talk as they floated horizontally just above the sea''s surface,


    "I told you before that someday, this world might need someone like you. But I was wrong¡­


    ¡­you are a being that should not exist in this world."


    "..." The smile on Riley''s face slightly faded away as he looked Megawoman in the eyes. But after a few moments, he let out a short but deep sigh as the smile on his face once again reached from ear to ear, "Well¡­


    ¡­I did tell you."


    "...Yeah."


    "You should have learned how to destroy me when you were still powerful enough to do so, Aerith."


    "What makes you think I can''t now?"


    "Because I am you, but stronge¨C"


    And before Riley could finish his words, he felt his vision shift¨C and instantly, he found himself surrounded by darkness. He was still floating, this time, however, it was not by his own will; his neck was turned in a way that it should not¨C but this, he was able to easily return to normal.


    His neck cracked as he did so¨C the sound, however, seemed drowned. He tried to talk, but every word was muffled and silent¨C almost as if his ears were covered with some sort of water, but solid.


    "Did you really think you copied all of my abilities?" There was, however, something that he could hear clearly for some reason¨C Megawoman; floating in front of him as the strands of her hair moved in all directions.


    Her eyes were red; but no beams torching out of them. Instead, she was surrounded by a dozen red orbs; almost as if she had miniature suns circling around her.


    "You haven''t seen anything yet...


    ...boy."

 Chapter 302: The World, GettingBigger

    Chapter 302: The World, GettingBigger


    "You haven''t seen anything yet¡­ boy."


    Silence. Perhaps that was not so hard since Megawoman and Riley were currently not in the Earth''s atmosphere anymore. The only sound that actually reverberated in the air was Megawoman''s voice¨C how she was able to do that, Riley doesn''t know.


    Riley wanted to tell Megawoman that he, in fact, had seen everything¨C from Megawoman''s toes and to her scalp. But s, the only sound that wasing from him were muffles that only he could probably hear.


    The only thing that Riley could really do was stare at the dozen red orbs circling around Megawoman. He had, never once, seen Megawoman do this move before.


    ¡­Is it perhaps they were outside Earth now? Was she actually holding back when they were fighting down there?


    Also¡­


    "..."


    Riley can''t breathe.


    And looking at Megawoman just floating there and even talking¨C it seemed she had no trouble breathing. Riley stared at Megawoman for a few seconds more, before finally, after a few more seconds¡­


    Riley pped his hands, causing the red orbs circling around Megawoman to suddenlypress together with her still in the center.


    "Tch," Megawoman crossed her limbs to cover herself; the orbs did not get the chance to even burn her, however, as the light in her eyes faded, so did the red orbs trying to devour her. She then turned her focus back to Riley, only to see him with his arms stretched.


    She wondered a little what he was trying to do¨C but if there''s something you shouldn''t allow Riley to do, it was to prepare. And so, with a speed that almost cracked the space itself, Megawoman plunged herself like an arrow straight towards Riley.


    And as she was only a meter away from her¡­ she found herself unable to get closer. Not because her momentum had stopped, but because Riley, almost at the very same time, suddenly carried the same momentum as her¨C almost as if she was suddenly pushing a grocery cart.


    She once again looked Riley straight in the eyes, only to see him just staring at her with a smile on his face.


    "You''re really starting to piss me off even more," Megawoman then retracted her hand, creating a fist that suddenly lit up almost in fire even though they were in space; and with a breath, a light rippled from her fist as she smashed it towards Riley.


    If the Earth wasn''t close to them, Riley certainly wouldn''t have any idea how fast they were actually going¨C it was quite an experience, fighting in space. One does not know where one truly was.Pa nda


    Novel "..." Riley then turned his eyes towards his chest, only to see it bruised and almost red. He had multipleyers of invisible armor protecting him¡­ and yet one punch from Megawoman was able to prate through it.


    This¡­ was definitely different thanst time.


    "You see the difference, boy?"


    "..." Riley turned around; his arms suspiciously still stretched to the side as he looked at Megawoman. He once again looked her in the eye¡­


    ¡­and nodded.


    "...You didn''t have to agree," Megawoman almost rolled her eyes, "Man, you''re really just a kid."


    And as soon as Megawoman finished her words, she quickly turned her eyes toward the Earth. Her irises, once again expanded as she looked at the very tiny movement from afar.


    And as soon as she saw what it was, she quickly flew away¡­ only for the gigantic object to stop beneath Riley''s feet.


    "...Ice?"


    It was ice-- an entire cier, but unlike normal, it held a sort of glowing blue hue to it¨C and very soon, they started to vibrate. And as soon as they did so, Megawoman could see a sliver of¡­ air moving and flowing through Riley''s nose.


    "Liquid oxygen, really?" Megawoman slightly raised an eyebrow as she saw the ice slowly forming into some sort of t tform almost as wide as a basketball court beneath Riley''s feet, "Couldn''t you have just lifted up an oxygen tank, boy?"


    "That would be stealing, M¨C woman. I don''t steal, that''s bad."


    "..." And to Megawoman''s slight surprise, Riley was finally able to reply to her, "You really are creative, aren''t you?"


    "Viins are more creative, based on the statistics," Riley smiled.


    "Last I checked, you''re no longer ssified as a viin, Riley Ross," Megawoman then calmly floated andnded on the blue tform that Riley created.


    "They call you a cmity," Megawoman then turned her head up, her eyes, reflecting the Earth as they floated hundreds of kilometers from it, "They do not even see you as human anymore."


    "And that is the only thing I and they have inmon, Aerith," Riley also looked towards the Earth,


    "I also do not see myself as a human anymore."


    "...Hm," Megawoman nodded. But before her hair could follow, she suddenly disappeared¨C almost instantly appearing below the ice directly where Riley was, her feet bent. And with a small breath, a ripple once again erupted in space as Riley was once again thrown away opposite the direction of Earth.


    This time, however, almost like a jellyfish as the shards of blue ice followed him like a hundred tentacles. But very soon, one of these tentacles disappeared as Megawoman''s heat st instantly vaporized them away.


    "...You''re really trying to kill me, Aerith."


    Megawoman quickly retracted her heat st as she heard a whisper near her¨C but Riley was still kilometers away from her. Soon, however, she realized that she was breathing normally as she would on Earth.


    She lightly ced her hand in front of her mouth, only for her to feel air as she exhaled. Did¡­ Riley filled the entire space they were in with oxygen? No¡­ perhaps only around her head, with a sort of invisible tube connecting directly to where he is.


    "You could have been the best warrior that has ever graced this, Riley," Megawoman then let out a small sigh, before once again appearing behind Riley with her fist already only an inch away from his face,


    "But I fear it''s already toote for you to stay on Earth," Megawoman then calmly said as her fist made contact with Riley¡­ causing him to explode into pieces.


    "..." Megawoman blinked her eyes a couple of times, before turning around to see almost a dozen Riley floating there.


    "One of your students said the same thing, Megawoman," the clones, however, quickly turned into some sort of dust as the real Riley floated closer to Megawoman; the blue ice, floating behind him almost like wings.


    "I was meant to be the best of the heroes."


    "If you weren''t a psychopath," Megawoman smirked.


    "No," Riley shook his head, "If only I was adopted by her instead."


    "..." Megawoman furrowed her eyebrows.


    "At least that was what she was insinuating," Riley chuckled as the wings of ice behind his back once again turned into a tform beneath his feet¨C almost like stairs as he walked towards Megawoman,


    "What do you think? Would that really have made a difference?"


    "...I don''t know the answer to that," Megawoman breathed out.


    "...Why didn''t you adopt me, instead?" Riley also breathed out, "You adopted Empress, why not me?"


    "I¡­ had Gary and¨C"


    "Pft," Riley let out a small chuckle before Megawoman could answer, "I was only trying to make you let your guard down."


    "Well, you did," Megawoman also let out a small chuckle, "You also got too close."


    "..." Riley then blinked a couple of times as Megawoman''s hair was suddenly floating in front of his eyes. He then looked down, only to see half her arm already deep through his stomach.


    "Hm," Riley then worded out as bubbles of blood started to float from his mouth,


    "Why didn''t you just go straight to the heart, Aerith?" He then said as he slowly pulled himself away; creating a floating puddle of blood to dance in the air as he removed Megawoman''s hand.


    "Because then you would have died," Megawoman whispered before once again plowing her hand through Riley''s stomach, "Themarians grow stronger with each defeat, very much like your ability."


    "Hm," Riley once again hummed; this time, floating himself away. The holes in his stomach, already closing as he did so.


    "That is the right decision, Aerith," Riley nodded, "Managing to kill me again would make me even stronger."


    "Not quite," Megawoman shrugged, "As far as I could see, the powers you absorbed from me, Riley. They are abilities that¡­ I received upon entering your."


    "...What?" Riley binked a couple of times as he heard Megawoman''s voice.


    "The abilities you copied from me¨C I didn''t have them before I entered and spent some time on your," Megawoman said as she looked at her hands, "And some of my innate abilities were just upgraded."


    "So our abilities came from the?" Riley also looked at his hands as the ice once again became a t tform for him and Megawoman to walk on.


    "Themarians, with each defeat, either grow stronger or get obliterated," Megawoman did not answer Riley''s question, "And the longer we remain undefeated, the stronger we be once we face our eventual defeat."


    "..." Riley only tilted his head to the side.


    "I was defeated once before you, a very long time ago," Megawoman let out another sigh.


    "A very long time ago? Does that mean you''ve grown extremely stronger sincest time?" Riley smiled; and as he did so, an asteroid that was casually orbiting Earth almost suddenly flew behind Riley; probably almost the same size as a skyscraper.


    "Probably two-fold," Megawoman only smiled back as she shook her head, "But that''s not the point of why I am telling you this."


    "Hm?"


    "The one that defeated me¡­" Megawoman then once again turned to look at Earth,


    "...I followed her to your."

 Chapter 303: Your Plan

    Chapter 303: Your n


    "The one that defeated me¡­ I followed her to your."


    "...Is it Diana Ross?"


    "..."


    Megawoman''s eyes, which were almost longing for Earth, quickly turned towards Riley.


    "Well, that was anticlimactic... I was looking forward to revealing that," Megawoman could only let out a small but very deep sigh as she looked Riley in the eyes, "I wasn''t sure if it was really her, but when you brought me to your home while I was in aa¨C that was when I confirmed my suspicions. How¡­ did you even get the idea that it was her?"


    "Some people have made it seem that mother is not who she seems she was," Riley shrugged, "And no one in the Ross family is normal, so it made sense."


    "...Just that?"


    "Yes," Riley once again shrugged.


    "...And how do you feel about that?" The tone of Megawoman''s voice suddenly turned serious, "The fact that you fell into her custody could not be a coincidence."


    "It''s probably not, she created me."


    "...What?"


    "It would seem you do not remember. While you were sleeping back in the Hope Guild, I told you that my biological mother, Alice, injected herself with an unknown specimen¨C which resulted in her bing pregnant with me."


    "..." Megawoman squinted her eyes, almost as if gesturing to Riley to continue.


    "She said a friend injected her. Previously before that, I found out that Diana and Alice could have possibly been very good friends while Alice was in prison. And now that you have confirmed that Diana truly is a suspicious person¡­ it stands to reason that the friend Alice mentioned could be none other than her."


    "That¡­" Megawoman squinted even further; her eyes, almost closing, "That¡­ all of that happened?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "But it doesn''t really matter anymore."


    "Are you kidding? That is all that should matter for you right now," Megawoman then once again looked at the Earth, "If Cait¨C If Diana truly injected something to make Alice pregnant then you¨C"


    "It doesn''t matter, Aerith," Riley shook his head as the asteroid floating behind him started to separate into almost a million tiny pieces, "I am already here. My interest in my birth has probably stopped as soon as I was given birth."


    "...What? What does that even¨C"


    And before Megawoman could finish her words, the fractals of the asteroid behind Riley started flying towards her; like a storm.


    "We''re not done talking, Riley Ross."


    Megawoman, however, did not even try to dodge as she just calmly walked towards Riley; the ice tform beneath her, cracking as she did so.


    The asteroids that were hitting her body, just bouncing off of her; surprisingly not even damaging her clothes.


    "We can talk while destroying each other," Riley breathed out as a smile slowly crawled on his face.


    "Oh, and here I thought you want all of my attention when we talk. You have a little obsession with me, don''t you?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I¡­ I was only trying to make you let your guard down," Megawoman repeated Riley''s words to him¡­ stutteringly. Even for a creature like her who had lived many a human''s lifetimes, what she said was¡­ a little cringe, as her son might have worded it.


    "Well, you''re correct, Megawoman," the smile on Riley''s face reached from ear-to-ear as the barrage of space rocks continued to storm Megawoman, "I am obsessed with you. Do you want to know why?"


    Novel "Because we''re both strong?" Megawoman''s eyes then finally lit up; and without even a second after, the little bits of asteroid storming her turned into dust¨C which she quickly blew away towards Riley.


    "Incorrect,"


    And as soon as the cloud of dust disappeared, another asteroid instantly weed Megawoman''s eyes¨C this time, the size of an entire small ind.


    "It is because the first time I learned about you¡­ you reminded me of my sister," Riley casually said before throwing an entire asteroid towards Megawoman.


    "Oh?" Megawoman, as well, just casually caught the colossal asteroid with her hand.


    "Yes."


    However, as soon as it made contact with her hands, the asteroid suddenly split in two¡­ before suddenly exploding and plunging itself straight towards Earth.


    "Tch," and immediately, Megawoman sted the other half with her heat vision, while once again catching the remaining one.


    "Both of you are willing to sacrifice yourself to protect the people important to you without even thinking about it."


    "..." Megawoman slowly looked to the side, only to see Riley''s face right in beside her.


    "But you¡­" Riley then touched the asteroid¡­ and as soon as he did so, it started to tremble,


    "...You, I can kill."


    And as soon as he said that, the asteroid opened up; almost like jaws that wanted to swallow Megawoman whole.


    ¡­And it did.


    "..." Riley then floated away, once again returning to his tform of blue ice; standing still as he stared at the asteroid.


    He then stretched his arm, covering his view of the asteroid¡­ and with a breath, he made a fist¨C causing the asteroid topress at the same time.


    Compressing it to the point that it started to emit light simr to the sun.


    That sun, however, exploded in no time¨C with Megawoman cracking it open like an egg before sting the fragments into oblivion with her heat vision.


    "Kill me?" Megawoman smirked as she patted her outfit clean of the dust, "With these parlor tricks?"


    "..." Riley only shrugged.


    "If you truly wanted to kill me, then you wouldn''t be ying like this," Megawoman sighed, "I know what you''re capable of, Riley Ross¨C you could throw the moon at me if you wished."


    "..." Riley immediately turned his head towards the moon as soon as he heard that¡­ only to see Megawoman suddenly blocking his view of it.


    "On second thought¡­ please don''t do that," Megawoman let out a small and awkward chuckle,


    "You¨C I said don''t!"


    Riley''s hand started to twitch, but before he could fully raise his hand, Megawoman suddenly hugged him¨C the colossal ice tform, once again seemingly turning into tentacles as she dragged Riley at an indiscernible Mach speed.


    From Earth, they would have probably looked like aet with Riley''s makeshift oxygen tank flying behind them.


    "...You suggested it, Aerith," Riley could only shake his head in disappointment as the moon got farther and farther away as they seemingly orbited the Earth.


    "Shut up," Megawoman clicked her tongue as she flew far away to the other side of the; the Earth, also slowly bing smaller and smaller.


    "How does it feel, Aerith?" Riley then whispered, "Hugging the man who killed your husband?"


    "..."


    "I didn''t know, of course," Riley chuckled, "But you probably did. Wait¡­ was that why you stopped fighting? To prevent any more damage to the city? Well, that was a useless¨C"


    "I said shut up!"


    Riley then felt his vision blur as Megawoman suddenly let go of him, only for her to grab his feet and swing him like a yoyo over and over again¡­ once again at an indiscernible speed. And with an almost screeching roar from Megawoman, Riley was thrown towards a random asteroid¨C only for his body to punch right through the asteroid and towards several more space rocks; creating ripples almost a hundred times.


    "Stop. Mentioning. My. Husband!"


    With each word, a corresponding punch followed that plunged Riley farther and farther away from Earth. His invisible barrier, breaking as soon as Megawoman''s punch rippled through the space.


    Riley was almost like a ragdoll; not even moving a single muscle as Megawoman continued to strike him again and again.


    "...Do you n to stray me away from Earth, Megawoman?" Riley then said; his voice, slightly hoarse as a part of his face regenerates, "That wouldn''t work. I still have clones there¨C I can find their location no matter where they are."


    Megawoman, however, did not answer as she continued to push Riley away. He could probably try to stand his¡­ ground. But that would mean taking each of Megawoman''s punch full force¡­ and judging by the expression on Megawoman''s face, she wasn''t going to stop anytime soon.


    "...I hate using this. But for you, Megawoman¨C I will."


    And as soon as he said that, Riley¡­ disappeared.


    "..." Megawoman immediately stopped her flight; causing a sort of ripple and crack in the space as she did so¨C her eyes, immediately looking everywhere for Riley. But after a few seconds of doing so, she was not even able to see a strand of his white hair.


    Megawoman then took a deep breath¨C and almost as if everything around her stopped, every minute movement of hers caused the space itself to tremble. And very soon, however, a sound entered her ears.


    "!!!" And with everything once again moving in real-time, Megawoman quickly mmed her shoulder¨C causing the space debris floating around her to be blown away.


    "You almost squashed me, Megawoman."


    A tiny voice then whispered through Megawoman''s ears as¡­ a miniature Riley slowly floated in front of her face, "I thought killing me was something you were avoiding?"


    "I just don''t like the feeling of tiny bugs crawling on my skin," Megawoman slightly furrowed her eyebrows, "...I haven''t seen you use this power before."


    "Because I also don''t like the feeling of it," and as he said that, his body slowly grewrger andrger, "It''s weird¡­ but at the very least it also changes the size of my clo¨C"


    And before Riley could fully return back to his size, Megawoman swatted him away like a bird. And once again, Riley was thrown away at indiscernible speeds; only stopping as his back hit something¡­ metal.


    Riley then returned back to his normal size as he turned around to see what it was that he hit; and to Riley''s surprise, it seemed to be a colossal spaceship. And beside this colossal ship¡­ was the floating base of the Dark Millenium that the Baby Crew and Hope Guild left in.


    "Oh¡­" Riley could only let out a breath as he slowly backed away,


    "...So this was your n."

 Chapter 304: Hello

    Chapter 304: Hello


    "..."


    Riley slowly backed away from the two colossal ships; his eyes, darting back and forth between the two.


    "Yeah, I don''t think so."


    And before he could even turn his head around, Megawoman''s hand was already grabbing his face¨C pushing him back to the ship hard enough for the side of the ship to concave. But still, the two were not able to prate the walls as Riley stretched his hand to the side, almost pulling the walls back to their original state.


    "This¨C"


    And before Riley could even say anything, Megawoman once again disappeared; only to return almost instantly as she plunged her feet on Riley''s back¨C this time, pushing both of them inside the ship like a needle prating a ball of styrofoam.


    Megawoman retracted her feet, causing Riley to roll several meters on the ebony floor that adorned the inside of the ship.


    "..." Riley did not immediately get up, however, as his eyes first looked everywhere, trying to make sure Hannah was not there before getting up. As expected¨C the blue aliens were at minimum 4 meters tall, so it made sense that the inside of their ship was spacious.


    Whatever this room was used for, it was at least the size of a basketball court; with nothing in it.


    "It''s Strogan superstition."


    "..." Riley then turned his head towards Megawoman, who was closing the hole they made by using a part of the floor and welding it on the opening with her heat vision.


    "Strogan?" Riley muttered as he continued to look at the vast, ck, empty room.


    "That''s what their species is universally called," Megawoman pointed her finger all around the room, "They make empty halls like this because they believe that everyone and everything that perishes continues to live on in spirit, wandering and wondering the universe. This room gives them a ce to rest."


    "We''re interrupting their rest, then," Riley shrugged, "Let''s get out of here, Aerith."


    "Not a chance," a smile started to appear on Megawoman''s face, "Why don''t you go say hi to your sister? She''s somewhere on the ship."


    "No, she''s not. I can''t smell her," Riley shook his head, "And we are currently fighting, let us focus on that."


    "Two nigh-immortal beings fighting each other is as fun as watching paint dry," Megawoman scoffed, "And it is not right to fight on holy ground."


    "...You''re not having fun?" Riley furrowed his eyebrows.


    "Only a little. But why don''t we say hi to your sister first?"


    "This is not fair, Aerith."


    "You know what''s not fair? Giving me to the humans to be experimented on."


    "Do you not hold a grudge against them?" Riley tilted his head, "I presume that for an entire year, they have yed with your body even more than I have. Created monsters in your image. Are you truly not capable of getting angry at the precious humans you protect?"


    "...You''re the first one to disy my body in your closet, boy."


    "Because I defeated you," Riley shrugged, "At that moment, I owned everything that you are. They¡­ only took advantage of your moment of weakness."


    "You don''t understand, Riley," Megawoman shook her head, "What they did to me, they did in hopes to protect and strengthen themselves¨C for a species that is vulnerable to invasions what is happening now, that is the only action to take."


    "You are retarded, Aerith."


    "A blink of an eye."


    "Hm?"


    "What happened to me, what is happening now¨C I consider it as a blink of an eye," Megawoman''s loud sighs echoed through the empty hall, "I don''t know how old Bulwark is, but I am probably older than him."


    "That doesn''t change the fact that they desecrated your body, Megawoman."


    "I''ve been through worse," Megawoman let out a small chuckle, "Now, let''s go say hi to your sister, shall we?"


    "W¨C"


    And before Riley could even utter a word, he felt his vision shift several times as Megawoman suddenly pushed him.


    "Stop!" Riley grabbed both of Megawoman''s hands as the two of them stopped moving, his eyes looking Megawoman directly in the eyes as the skin of her face started to¡­ somewhat wither away and turn into ash.


    "Finally turning serious?" Megawoman slightly winced as parts of her face cracked, but healed just as fast, "And here I thought you didn''t care if people would find out you''re Darkday!"


    Megawoman, even with her flesh being torn and healed, mmed her head towards Riley, causing him to once again plow through the insides of the ship. This time, however, the walls that he moved through wrapped around his body like armor,pletely hiding his face.


    He then once again quickly looked around, only to see more than a dozen Strogans staring at him in shock; their spears, already poised and pointed. Riley was about to raise his hand, but before he could do anything, Megawoman suddenly appeared in front of him.


    She grabbed Riley''s hand, before mming him to the ground; not enough to once again prate through the floors, but enough to shake the entire hallway they were on.


    And as soon as the Strogans saw Megawoman, they all turned their heads to each other¡­ and quickly dropped their weapons to the ground.


    "Mampashlek arbanluiao strogans."


    "..." Riley quickly looked at Megawoman as he heard anguage he didn''t recognize; presumably, of course, it could be none other than the Strogan''snguage.


    "Arbanluiao!" And with Megawoman''s voice getting higher, the Strogans started to back away.


    "Ar¡­ arbanliaom!" The strogans'' all said in unison as they turned around. But before they could even take a single step, the spears that they left behind suddenly plunged themselves through their backs; and without even a second after, the spears began spinning.


    Their goo-like transparent blood, painted the hallway as it sprayed everywhere.


    Megawoman, who watched this happen, could only close her eyes and let out a small groan,


    "Can you stop killing just for once!?" She then screamed before stomping her foot on Riley''s chest,pletely shattering the floor beneath them and plunging them straight back to the outside of the ship.


    "No," Riley said before instantly disappearing¨C Well, not quite, as Megawoman was still looking at him floating above her; his size, almost as small as a cockroach. And before he could even fly away, Megawoman was able to grab him with ease.


    "I thought you hated using this power?" Megawoman smirked; her smirk, however, was quickly reced by raised eyebrows as she felt her fist opening¡­ and in it, spawned almost a hundred Rileys, quickly crawling across her arm.


    "!!!" Megawoman quickly waved her hand; causing the very space itself to crack as she let out a small yelp.


    "T¡­ take them off!" Megawoman brushed the miniature clones with her other hand, instantly turning all of them to dust. But s, more seemed to spawn as they continued to fester around her arms. She was about to save her hand again, but before she could do so, the ants crawling on her arm started to light up¨C no.


    Each of their eyes started to light up.


    "Tch," Megawoman once again brushed them off, but before she could do so, a number of them managed to puncture her skin and started digging their way through. Megawoman''s eyes started to light up, quickly sting her arm away from the little Rileys.


    Megawoman roared as she stretched all of her limbs open, causing a shockwave even in space that was enough to cause not only the Strogans'' ship to tremble, but also the Hope Guild''s ship.


    "Do not ever do that again!" Megawoman then started almost spazzing out; her body almost wriggling as she cringed from the feeling of having many cockroach-sized Rileys crawling on her arm.


    "Enough games, boy!"


    Megawoman''s entire body started to emit a sort of orange light; almost like the vapor fuming out of ice as it heats up. She then stretched her arms to the side before instantly disappearing from her spot, only to appear somewhere across the ship already grabbing Riley by the neck.


    And without even letting him speak, a ripple exploded¨C with both of them disappearing as fast as they appeared. The materials of the ship once again wrapped around Riley like an armor-- but whenever they would cover his face, Megawoman would rip them away almost instantly.


    "You will behave!"-- were the first words that Riley heard as soon as the scenery around him finally stopped changing.


    "I have already told you how much I hate insects and bugs! And yet you pull something like that!?" Megawoman then threw him on the tform like a ragdoll as she started walking around the hall they were in now,


    "What are you, a child!? Don''t you have like a hundred other abilities!? Use those!"


    "...In your perspective, everyone''s a child, Aerith," Riley then let out a small but very deep sigh as he remained lying on the floor,


    "But I suppose you got what you wanted."


    "Megawoman!?"


    Riley then slowly got up as several gasps and voices started to enter his ears. He looked around, only to see several Strogans seated at a table. And in front of them, the heroes that left Earth a couple of days ago¡­


    ¡­and at the center of the table were him and Megawoman.


    "Themarian ya ay!"


    The strogans stood up all at the same time as their eyesnded on Megawoman, some of them started to take a few steps back. But as soon as Megawoman stepped down the table, they all just froze where they stood.


    "You got fat," Megawoman then said as soon as her eyesnded on Empress, who was seated in the middle on the human''s side. And beside her¡­ was Hannah, whose eyes were almost nted at Riley who was still not moving from the table.


    "...Riley?"


    "Hello, sister."

 Chapter 305: l am Dar--

    Chapter 305: l am Dar--


    Hannah was nervous but at the same time, she was thrilled to the point that she almost couldn''t sleep while they were on the way to infiltrate the invader''s base. She thought that it wouldn''t be much infiltration going on, as the size of their ship would have been toorge not to notice.


    But as soon as they reached halfway to their destination, Hannah proved herself wrong. In the expanse of space, their colossal ship could not even be considered a small dot. Even the smallest of asteroids were the size of an entire bus.


    And as they got near, Hannah then once again thought that they would be discovered. After all, they could see the location of the invader''s ship through their navigation system¨C it would have made sense for the more advanced race to also see them¡­


    ¡­But no.


    In the simplest of terms, they practicallynded on top of the aliens'' ship without even any resistance; the ship, even sping itself¨C not even leaving an inch of gap. A circr hatch then opened on the lowermost floor of the ship, allowing Silvie to st a hole in the alien''s ship so they finally infiltrate.


    Most of the Baby Crew were confused at first as to how they were able to even reach that far without alerting the enemy¨C but then they realized one thing, Whiteking was with them. He was able to intercept whatever signal the alien''s portal was on and even hack through their surveince systems.


    All of that was just simply amazing, but it was time to battle¨C or so they thought. Even after minutes of walking, not even a single toon weed them. They¡­ just walked¨C with therge doors opening to them.


    Soon, however, it might have been the fifth door that led to arge hallway, the enemy finally weed them¡­ or so they thought, as all of the blue aliens were just lying on the floorpletely lifeless.


    The reason?


    Whiteking closed off parts of their venttion, practically suffocating those unfortunate enough to be in the rooms and halls with no ess to air.


    It was a massacre.


    They don''t know how many died, but those that were left, struggling as they might, were too weak to even fight. The worst part was that they couldn''t contact those that were on Earth. In the end, they just surrendered.


    Gary, of course, voted to just destroy the entire ship along with the aliens; as who knows how many more they would bring the next time they decided to return. V agreed on this.


    Silvie disagreed, saying that if Gary was right and they were capable of sending more, then killing those that were here might make things worse¨C turning into a full-on war betting all of their race.


    The rest of the Baby Crew didn''t really voice their opinion¨C as for Hannah, she was the first one that suggested diplomacy. Of course, with the aliens already defeated, they would have eventually reached that conclusion.


    Whiteking, Empress, and Butcher didn''t really say anything, and just allowed the younger generation to decide.


    And so, they found themselves seated at a table in discussion with the aliens. And before they could even reach meaningful terms¨C Megawoman suddenly appeared out of nowhere¡­


    ¡­along with Riley.


    "W¡­ what are you doing here?"


    Everyone in the room was confused, with the strogans obviously terrified as the only thing they could really do was freeze in ce.


    "What''s going on!?"


    Be and Katherine, the newest members of the Baby Crew and the ones that were still not used to all the crazy things involving the Baby Crew could only take a few steps back as they almost hugged each other. They wanted to touch Megawoman and get her autograph, but they could probably enumerate a list of how now was not the time to do so.


    "Megawoman?" Silvie could only stare.


    She had seen her sleeping back in the Hope Guild, but this was the very first time she was seeing her this close and full of life. She was supposed to be an exact copy of her, and she does look like her. But there was a difference between the two of them she seemed to quite not fathom.


    Megawoman, however, only looked at her from head to toe before giving her a smile and gently touching her cheek; Megawoman then left to approach Empress.


    Megawoman didn''t even need to say anything as Silvie just fell back right onto her seat; tears, almost falling on her face.


    Silvie¡­ wasn''t taking much these days and just stood on the sidelines. Of course, people still see her as one of the greatest heroes that would lead the next generation¡­ but that was it. That was her only identity.


    Ever since she found out that she was a clone; her father just suddenly leaving, everything about her just became one big mess. Of course, she was able to go by the days because of Hannah and the others'' support. But deep inside, there was something growing inside of her that she knew wasn''t good. And it only grew even deeper when¡­


    ¡­she found outter that her fathermitted suicide.


    None of the members of the Baby Crew knew, she didn''t tell them. She considered herself damaged¨C damaged goods that were only created to clean up everyone else''s mess.


    But Megawoman didn''t even have to say anything; just a touch and a smile¡­ and all of the darkness she thought that was inside her suddenly just disappeared. Approval. Perhaps that was the only thing she really needed¨C and who better give her that than the person she strived to be?


    "..." Whiteking only looked at Megawoman as she started talking with Empress. But as soon as their eyes met, he quickly looked away; dragging Butcher along with him as he approached the aliens to continue their discussions.


    Of course, he also nced at Riley, who was still lying on top of the table. They just exchanged nces, but in Bernard''s mind, there were almost a million scenarios happening; all centered on the possibility of Riley''s true identity being exposed.


    But with Megawoman here¡­ there really was nothing he could do.


    Empress was trying to y it cool as Megawoman continued to talk to her; small talks, but with each question she asked, Empress''s eyes turned towards Riley. It should have only been around 2 days or less since they left Earth¡­ and now this sudden development.


    As for Gary, he just remained seated, only looking at his mother from afar as he sighed and smiled. As soon as their eyes met, however, Megawoman opened her arms¡­ and without even a second, Gary rushed towards his mother, kneeling on the ground as he embraced her.


    And while all of these were going on, there were 3 girls that remained silent.


    Hannah, Tomoe, and V¨C who instead of looking at Megawoman, were all just staring at Riley¡­ who was still lying on top of the table.


    But finally, after a few more seconds of him just casually nted, he finally sat up and quietly stepped down the table.


    "Well¡­" Riley breathed out as he looked at Hannah, "...It was nice seeing you here, sister. I shall go now."


    "...What?"


    Hannah could only blink a couple of times as she watched as Riley started to float away. But before he could even leave a meter away from the floor, Megawoman grabbed his hand.


    And as soon as she did so, Tomoe suddenly stomped her foot on the ground¨C releasing an onught of frozen spikes towards Megawoman¡­ which Megawoman justpletely ignored even as it hit her.


    V, who has also been keeping quiet on the side, was also about to release her powers¨C but was stopped by Empress before she could do so. Now, whether or not her target was Megawoman or Tomoe¡­ no one knows but her.


    "...Chix," Megawoman said as she brushed off the spikes, "...That''s how you young people say it, right?"


    "What''s¡­ going on?" Gary and Silvie, who has yet to recover from their trance, were forced to stand on their feet as they witnessed what was happening. Of course, the expressions on their faces pretty much summed up what everyone was feeling right now¨C confusion.


    Even the aliens that Whiteking and Butcher were talking with had their eyes on Megawoman and Riley.


    As for Tomoe who suddenly attacked Megawoman, she was looking at Riley, waiting for him to do something.


    "Why don''t all of us just sit down?" Megawoman then said; her arm, trembling as she slowly pulled Riley down,


    "And I told you to behave, right?"


    "..." Riley furrowed his eyebrows as he looked back and forth between Megawoman, and the confused Hannah. But after a few more seconds, he was the first one to sit down.


    As for the strogans in the room, Megawoman said something to them before they all just left the room willingly.


    And now, everyone was once again seated. With Megawoman, Riley, and Tomoe on one side, and the rest on the other. As for Katrina and Be, they were both just happy and terrified to be there.


    "What''s¡­ going on?" And once again, the question that everyone has been asking was uttered, this time, by Hannah.


    "Riley? Why¡­ are you with Megawoman?"


    "..." Riley only looked at Hannah; his slightly trembling eyes made it obvious for everyone to see that he was slightly distressed¨C an expression they have never seen Riley making. Tomoe also held a sort ofplicated expression on her face; her lips, almost bleeding from how hard she was biting them.


    And finally, after a few more seconds¡­ Riley''s heavy breaths started to whisper; his eyes, only looking at his sister.


    "I truly apologize for this, Hannah. But the truth is, I am Dar¨C"


    "I''m taking Riley Ross with me," and before he could finish what he was going to say, Megawoman lightly mmed her palm on the table,


    "Once I sort out all of the loose ends I left on Earth¡­


    ¡­I am taking Riley Ross with me and we''re leaving the."


    "..." And with those words, everyone just turned their eyes toward Riley. Perhaps the only one that let out a breath was Bernard.


    "We won''t be back for a very long time. Some of you may have already aged, and some would have taken my ce."


    "W¡­ what?" Hannah, who had the widest eyes of them all, forced a chuckle, "Why?"


    "Riley¡­" Megawoman was once again the one to answer, "...Riley Ross is too strong to remain on Earth, he is also different from the rest of you and¨C"


    "That''s fucking bullshit and you know it!" Hannah stood up from her seat as she also mmed her palm on the table, "Dad! Say something!"


    Bernard, however, remained silent.


    "What? Just because Riley sometimes can''t control his powers you¨C"


    "Sister."


    "What!?"


    "I''m Darkday."

 Chapter 306: Darkday vs

    Chapter 306: Darkday vs.


    "I''m Darkday."


    "..."


    Silence. It wasn''t enough that the expanse of space was shrouded in silence, now, even the inside of the strogans'' ship was bathed in it. This silence did notst, however, as it was soon followed by a sort of chuckle.


    "Pft."


    Gary was the first to break the silence; the growing smile on his face, unable to be contained anymore.


    "G¡­ good one, bruh," Gary breathed out; his eyes, now staring at the clothes that Riley was wearing. It was tattered, exposing his shoulders and already exposing half his chest as the seams seemed burnt. But most importantly¡­ it was ck.


    A jet-ck outfit reminiscent of what Darkday was wearing. None of them noticed it before due to all the things that have been happening, but now they do.


    "This¡­ is a prank, right?" Silvie also chimed in, "It¡­ It''s good that you''ve already moved on with the government suspecting you as Darkday¨C but I¡­ don''t think it''s really right to joke about something like this."


    Everyone in the room held a certain rhythm to their breaths¨C even Megawoman. In truth, she didn''t really have any ns of exposing Riley''s identity. After all, her n was to really take Riley away from Earth, as that was the only peaceful way she could think of to free the Earth from him.


    She nned to take her back to her¨C that doesn''t require him to tell anyone of his true identity.


    But here he was, just casually saying it.


    Empress and Whiteking could only look at each other, the silence between them, almost a full conversation.


    "I am not joking, Ms. Silvie," Riley then stood up from his seat, and as soon as he did so¡­


    ¡­a silhouette emerged from the floor; the silhouette, turning into Riley without even a second after.


    "I am Darkday," Riley then repeated his words as the clone disappeared just as fast as it was summoned.


    And once again, silence. No one was even looking at each other anymore¡­ they were just staring at their hands, the floor, anywhere that would at least briefly take them away from this situation¡­ but Riley did not seem to allow that as he started walking around.


    "...And this is my confession," Riley then ced his hand on Megawoman''s shoulder¨C and the others might not notice it, but Megawoman could feel the weight of almost a thousand mountains gripping her shoulder, but she did not react; her head, only turning to Riley before nodding.


    "127 Supers. I have kept 127 supers captive somewhere in the ciers of Antarctica, all of them are alive and in good health¨C Empress can testify to this im."


    "..." Empress, who noticed that all eyes were on her, could only close her eyes; her breaths, almost loud enough to be heard throughout the entire room. She was about to say something, but before she could do so, Riley continued to speak.


    "ording to all the news and data, the number of people I have killed amounts to more than 25 million¡­


    ¡­including the people of London," Riley then said as he looked V straight in the eyes.


    V could really only stare back; her mouth, slightly agape as she could not find the right words to utter.


    "It was I who made Victoria lose control of her powers. It was also I that brought her to London with the intention of wiping out the entire country of Ennd; but as most of you know, only London was destroyed," Riley sighed as he shook his head,


    "I have also threatened to torture Scarlet Mage''s mother so that she would work under me as my First Subordinate. The Seven nes incident, in which the Dark Millennium was considered the perpetrator, that was my crime as well."


    Riley continued to talk; the words that wereing out of his mouth, almost piercing everyone''s ears as if they were knives. And finally, after a few more utter, Riley turned his eyes toward Hannah.


    "I¡­ truly am sorry for being your brother, Hannah."


    "..."


    "But it has recently alsoe into my knowledge that me being adopted by father and mother was not an ident. Diana Ross¡­


    ¡­is from Theran."


    "...What?" Bernard finally broke his silence, "What do you¨C"


    "Fucking die!"


    And yet the moment he broke his silence, a scream thundered through the air¨C the room, instantly being filled with an almost blinding green light as V suddenly leaped towards Riley. The tears that she was leaving in the air as she did so, exploding into trickles of lightning.


    Everyone stood up and quickly backed away from their seats, with the only one remaining seated down being Megawoman¨C with Riley''s hand still resting on her shoulder. As for V¡­ she was just floating in the air, her fist, only a foot away from Riley''s face.


    "If some of you still do not believe who I am," Riley then slightly tilted his head, and as soon as he did so, V let out a small and desperate gasp; the green lightning emerging from her body, slowly fading away.


    The thunders, now reced by V''s disgruntled gasps for air.


    "Let go of the girl, Riley," Megawoman sighed, "They get it, they just need time to process."


    "..." Riley only nced at Megawoman, before also letting out a sigh and casually letting go of V. She was about to hit the table, but Empress quickly caught her.


    V¡­ V didn''t really say anything anymore. Her gasps, now reced by disgruntled and muffled wails as she burrowed her face in Empress''s embrace. Empress nced at Riley for a few seconds, before gently stepping down the table¡­ and leaving the room with V.


    "Dad¡­ did you know?"


    And finally, after keeping her silence for what seemed like an eternity, Hannah started to move; the tone of her voice, unusually calm as she looked at Bernard.


    "...Yes," Bernard nodded, "I¨C"


    "I don''t need your exnation anymore," Hannah did not let Bernard speak as smoke slowly fumed from her mouth; her face, however, was as calm as her voice,


    "Baby Crew¡­" She then said as mes started to trickle and wrap around her body,


    "...Prepare to engage Darkday."


    And as soon as she said that, a snap screeched in the room as the floor beneath Riley suddenly crawled around his legs and wrapped around it. Megawoman also disappeared from the chair, appearing behind Bernard and locking both his arms behind him. As for Butcher, he ced his knife on Bernard''s neck.


    "S¡­ Stop them!" Bernard quickly said as he was forced to kneel on the floor, "The children will¨C"


    "You underestimate the tiny percent of humanity left on your son, Whiteking," Megawoman whispered.


    "Wha¨C"


    "Surrender, or we will resort to using force!" Hannah''s screams once again resounded throughout the room. Silvie, Gary, Be, and Katrina were already behind Hannah. The veins on Be''s arms, almost protruding from her skin as she tried her best to bound Riley''s feet on the floor.


    As for Tomoe¡­ he stood behind Riley, unmoving.


    "What¡­ is your order, master?" She then muttered.


    "What it has always been," Riley sighed as a small smile slowly crawled on his face.


    "I¡­ will follow your orders, master."


    And as soon as she said that, she stomped her foot on the floor¨C causing it to crack as a torrent of icicles started to emerge all over the room. Hannah was about to release a wall of fire to protect the Baby Crew¡­ only to find they were not the target of the spikes.


    Instead, the icicles surrounded Riley, almost like an iron maiden thatpletely wrapped every inch of his skin. And very slowly, Tomoe made his way towards the Baby Crew.


    "Which¡­ side are you on?" Gary took in a small gulp as he pointed his fists at her.


    "Darkday," Tomoe did not hesitate to answer, "And his orders are absolute¡­"


    And as Tomoe said that, her entire body was suddenly shrouded in dark ice¨C wrapping across her body like armor, "Protect Hannah Ross¡­


    ¡­at all costs, no matter what."


    "Fuck¡­ everything''s so messed up," Gary''s breaths stuttered, "Fuck!"


    "Hannah¡­" Silvie leaned closer to Hannah, "Are you¡­ okay?"


    "No," Hannah answered without any pause, "I feel betrayed¡­ again. Like the only pir that was supporting me in this world just shattered and buried me with its pieces¡­


    ¡­but this is not the time for personal feelings."


    "..."


    "Baby Crew!" Hannah then once again roared as she slowly floated in the air, "Remember our training¡­ we''ve run simtions again and again against Darkday. We¨C"


    And before Hannah could finish her words, a series of thuds whispered into her ear. She looked down, only to see Silvie kneeling¡­ while the rest were sprawled on the floor.


    Silvie was trying to get up, her knees trembling uncontrobly. She seemed to be using all of her strength to do so, and finally, after a few more grunts, she was able to lift herself up, only for her to tumble towards the table¡­ before joining the rest on the floor.


    "They are not dead," Riley''s sigh almost pierced her ears, "You seem to be misunderstanding something, sister."


    Hannah then quickly turned her eyes towards Riley¡­ who just casually stepped forward despite the icicles and his feet being bound by metal.


    "If you truly want to kill me, then you would need everything that you have."


    "What¡­ what are you doing?" Hannah could feel her arms being stretched to the side as Riley slowly floated towards her, "L¡­ let go of me!"


    "If it''s you, sister¡­ then I don''t mind."


    A smile then slowly crawled on Riley''s face¨C a smile that was different from the rest¡­ a smile that was only reserved for his sister.


    "What¨C" And before Hannah could say anything else, she felt a small pricking from her arm. She looked, only to see some sort of capsuleing out from under her arm.


    "Riley, no!" Bernard screamed.


    "What¡­ what did you do?" Hannah blinked several times as the mes around her began to fluctuate.


    "What you told me to do, sister," Riley then whispered as he wrapped his arms around Hannah, "To you, and only to you¡­


    ¡­I surrender."

 Chapter 307: Brother

    Chapter 307: Brother


    It was a scream. A scream that pierced even the silence of space itself¨C and one might even say that it resounded throughout the entire gxy¡­


    ¡­or at least that was what it felt like.


    "No¡­"


    Bernard was still kneeling on the floor, despite Megawoman no longer holding him down; Butcher''s knife, as well, was no longer nted on his neck. Instead, both Megawoman and Butcher evacuated the members of the Baby Crew that were sprawled on the ground.


    But since Butcher was not as fast as Megawoman, she ended up carrying him as well while he carried two others. And in just the span of seconds, the only people left in the room were Whiteking¡­ and his two children.


    "This¡­ this isn''t happening," Bernard could stare as the fire surrounding Hannah continued to flicker; and with each flicker, the mes changed color.


    Red, orange, red, orange, blue.


    Even from meters away, Bernard could feel the heating from Hannah''s body¨C even activating his suit''s automatic defense system as his helmet emerged from his pauldrons. Bernard wanted to take it off, but his own armor was not allowing it.


    "This isn''t happening," Bernard then started to crawl on the ground as approached the two¡­ but instead found himself getting farther away instead. And soon, a hole was sted into the wall and Bernard could finally see that Megawoman was pushing the entire ship away.


    "Wait¡­ wait!" The rockets on Bernard''s feet then started to let out fumes, but before they couldbust, they broke into tiny little pieces; he turned his eyes towards his children, only to see Riley staring at him.


    "I''d just like to say, Bernard." And even with the almost deafening hiss that was starting to reverberate everywhere, Riley''s voice could still be heard,


    "This isn''t probably your fault¡­ maybe."


    "No¡­ no¡­ no!" Bernard then rushed towards the two even as the entire ship moved¡­ leaving Riley and Hannah where they were floating still, "M¡­ Megawoman, please¡­ please save my children!"


    "I¡­ already did."


    But s, very soon, Riley and Hannah emerged from the ship.


    Megawoman nced at Riley for a few seconds as their eyes met, before letting out a small sigh and continuing to push the ship away from them.


    "Your mes¡­ are still alive even in space, sister," Riley then whispered into his sister''s ears, "I always knew you were special. You¡­ could even breathe here."


    "..." Hannah, however, remained unresponsive as her eyespletely turned white. She seemed to want to say something, but only murmurs and groans whispered from her lips.


    "It''s¡­ only us now, sister."


    The blue ice that Riley plucked out from Earth once again showed itself, this time, surrounding them like some sort of colossal ring; Riley could not really pull them close, as they would probably only melt¡­ as even his skin was starting to crack.


    And around them, was only silence.


    But soon, Hannah''s head started to move.


    "I¡­" She whispered, "I¡­


    ¡­fucking hate you."


    "...I know, sister," Riley, however, only tightened his embrace; even resting his face on Hannah''s zing shoulders.


    "Why¡­ why would you do all those things?" Hannah''s voice was almost ethereal; fleeting but echoing. And soon, the mes that were drowning her body settled on a bluer color.


    "I¡­ honestly don''t know, sister," Riley said as his suitpletely melted away¨C his slowly charring skin, now reflecting the mesing from Hannah''s body.


    "You¡­ you''re not going to be let off that easily."


    But soon, the echoes became stutters,


    "You¡­ you''re going to rot in prison for the things you''ve done," Hannah''s white eyes then soon regained their colors, "You¡­ don''t deserve death, Riley."


    "I never did, sister. That is probably why I was born the way I am. I was born to inflict suffering, and to suffer myself."


    "...Why?" Hannah then finally pulled herself away from Riley; Riley, however, grabbed both her arms, not letting the two of them separate, "Let¡­ let go."


    "This is the only way, sister," Riley smiled, and once again¨C it was a smile that only Hannah has seen, "This has been the only way since we were children. Do you remember that, sister? When you shielded me when the water heater exploded."


    "If¡­ I knew what you will be, I wouldn''t have saved you," Hannah still tried to pry Riley''s arms away, but as she did so, the mes on her hands seemed to grow hotter; causing her to immediately let go.


    "But you did," Riley then once again pulled himself closer to Hannah, "You¡­ saved me."


    "Let go."


    "No," Riley shook his head as he once again rested his head on Hannah''s shoulder, "This time¡­ this time it''s my turn to save you, Hannah."


    "I said fucking let go!" And as Hannah''s screams reverberated in the air, the color of her mes became purple.


    "Hm," Riley took in a small but very deep breath as the cracks on his skin scattered almost like shattered ice.


    "I fucking hate you, Riley! I hate you so fucking much! Let go! Let go, you fucker!"


    "I am truly sorry that it had to be you, sister," Riley closed his eyes, "I''m sorry that I became your brother."


    "I said, let go!" Hannah then once again pushed Riley away, this time, however¡­ the shoulders she pushed instantly shattered into ash.


    "...Eh?" Hannah''s eyes turned wide as Riley slowly floated away from her; his arms, now separated from his torso. Riley, however, still had a smile on his face.


    "Look at that, sister," Riley chuckled, "My arms aren''t regenerating."


    "No¡­ no, no, no," Hannah''s eyes looked everywhere, "You¡­ you need to pay for your crimes in prison."


    "There''s nothing to pay, sister." Riley''s dismembered arms then started to move, almost connecting themselves back to Riley''s torso, but not quite, "I¡­ enjoyed the things I did, putting me back in a cage is not going to change that."


    Riley''s hand then gently ced itself on Hannah''s cheek, "I¡­ also enjoyed the times I have spent with you in the Academy, sister. It was probably the longest time I''ve gone without thinking of killing anyone."


    "Who¡­ who am I even talking to right now?" Hannah''s voice once again became stutters. In truth, there have been tears that have been wanting toe out from her eyes since earlier¨C but were not allowed to as they evaporate as soon as they emerge.


    "You lied to me, Riley," Hannah muttered as she touched Riley''s hand¡­ only for it topletely shatter into ash, "I¡­ I thought it was you and me against the world, Riley. I always thought that everyone¡­ everyone would betray me. But not you¡­


    ¡­not my brother."


    "..."


    "But you¡­ you''ve been lying from the start. I hate you, I fucking hate you for that. And dad knows? What¡­ what''s with that?"


    "It''s nobody''s fault but mine," Riley sighed, "I had you, I had loving but very suspicious parents, I¡­ had friends. If it were any other human, they would have flourished into the brother you deserve."


    "Why¡­ why did you have toe into our lives?"


    "...You should probably ask Diana for¨C"


    "Why would you do all of these things, Riley!?" Hannah screamed, "You should''ve just hidden it until the end. You should''ve just left quietly with Megawoman and we could have separated¡­ we could have separated like normal siblings do. Not¡­ not like this, this is fucked up. We should be crying, we should be reminiscing the stupid things we did¡­ and then I wave goodbye for thest time!"


    "But¡­ aren''t we doing that now, Hannah?"


    "..."


    The purple mes that once covered Hannah''s body¡­ slowly faded away. The heat, however, grew stronger even as the color disappeared¨C it was almost as if the space around Hannah started to distort.


    "Please¡­" Hannah''s voice once again became sedated; she tried flying away, but was unable to as there seemed to be an invisible arm embracing her, "We¡­ we can go through this together, Riley."


    "We are," Riley''s breaths started to be heavy as his skin slowly started withering away, "And I''m sorry that we are."


    "No¡­" Hannah gasped.


    And very soon¡­ a tear was able to survive as it floated between the two of them¨C not Hannah''s¡­


    ¡­But Riley''s.


    "Oh," Riley hummed, "Look at that, sister."


    "That¡­ that''s not fucking fair," Hannah covered her mouth as her eyes trailed towards the single tear; the pain on her face, now visible with the mes gone, "That''s not fair."


    "Thank you, Hannah," Riley then floated his other arm towards Hannah''s face, covering her eyes, "Even through this, never once did you not call me your brother."


    "B¡­ because you are my brother," Hannah closed her eyes, refusing to look at Riley''s hand that was withering away, "Please¡­ please... No¡­ oh god no¡­"


    "Sister¡­" A whisper then floated through Hannah''s ears,


    "I¡­ truly do wish I could have at least said I love you."


    "No¡­ no¡­" Hannah''s eyes remained closed, "Let¡­ let''s just go, okay? I''ll go with you and Megawoman. We can leave, we can just go. I''ll¡­ I''ll go with you to make sure you wouldn''t do stupid things, okay?"


    "..."


    "Riley, I''ll go with¡­"


    Hannah opened her eyes¡­ but all that remained was darkness.


    "Riley?" Hannah blinked a couple of times; the invisible embrace that wrapped around her arms, no longer there.


    "...Riley?" Hannah flew away, her eyes, desperately trying to catch a white silhouette¨C the asteroids that dared blocked her path¡­ instantly withering away.


    "Riley!?" Hannah screamed. And very soon, the space that was distorting around Hannah also faded away.


    "...Riley?" She whispered; the tears that she dearly wished for, now floating from her eyes.


    "..."


    And yet no one answered.

 Chapter 308: A Story of Triumph and Sacrifice

    Chapter 308: A Story of Triumph and Sacrifice


    "We¡­ We have just received fantastic news. Mega Woman¡­ Mega Woman is¡­"


    The cheers of the people filled the streets, their roars echoing throughout the world, their hope rippling through the skies. Every corner of the celebrated as they watched the revival of their savior, Earth''s mightiest defender, through their screens and televisions.


    Every media, every news outlet all repeated the same words over and over again-- "Mega Woman has returned."


    "We¡­ we have also received separate reports that the aliens are starting to leave with the emergence of Megawoman!"


    "This¡­ this is truly¨C what? She''s going to make a statement?"


    And with those words, the people all turned the volume of their screens to the highest level. Megawoman has never once, voluntarily called for something like this. And now, they were actually hearing her address all of them?


    This was an event that none of them would miss. Those that were in the shelters, those that were in the hospitals, all gathered their strength to listen in on her words.


    "Greetings, people of Earth."


    Megawoman''s voice resounded throughout the entire, partnered with nothing but silence as the people all watched through their screens. Megawoman¡­ Megawoman truly has returned.


    Some of the members of the Hope Guild were behind her, and also some other heroes that they only vaguely remember the name of. Soon, however, the screen disyed all their names.


    Empress.


    Butcher.


    Tempo.


    Hera.


    ck Bell.


    Hurricane Katrina.


    Andstly, Megagirl and Monarch¡­ tagged as Megawoman''s children.


    This was a revtion that none of them ever expected or anticipated, but still¡­ their eyes were still glued to Megawoman and what she was about to say next. However, the next words that came out of Megawoman''s mouth quickly caused everyone to gasp.


    "...This will be thest time for a very long time that I will be addressing all of you," Megawoman breathed out as she stared at the only camera that was allowed to film this momentous event,


    "Thank you¡­ for letting me stay on your for this long. But due to the events that have urred, with what the government has done to me. I am afraid I have overstayed my wee."


    "..." The people, even though they weren''t in front of Megawoman, could only hold their breaths so as to not disturb or interrupt her.


    "I will be leaving this soon."


    And with those words¡­ the world became filled with a gasp¨C a singr gasp by everyone all at the same time.


    "But fear not, you have always been surrounded by people even morepetent than I am," a small smile then appeared on Megawoman''s face as she gestured towards Silvie and the others,


    "I will leave you with the people that defeated Darkday."


    "!!!"


    "Yes, you heard that right. With my emergence, also came Darkday," Megawoman let out a small sigh as she shook her head,


    "This time, our fight was taken to space. With Darkday ultimately being defeated by the children you see behind me."


    "..." With Megawoman gesturing to them, Silvie and the other members of the Baby Crew all turned their heads down, almost refusing to face the camera.


    "There''s also another one of them who is currently recuperating right now," Megawoman nodded as she once again faced the camera, "Nuclear B¨C The Nuclear Seraph. The one to ultimately strike thest blow and kill Darkday once and for all."


    Gary seemed to want to say something as he opened his mouth but just decided to keep his silence as he looked to the side once again.


    "That is right, people of Earth¡­


    ¡­Darkday is no more."


    Megawoman then closed her eyes as she looked towards the sky, "And I hope that you do not create another one¡­


    ¡­That''s all I wanted to say, Empress will tell you what else you need to know."


    And with those words, Megawoman flew away; bringing along with him Monarch, followed by the rest of the members of the Baby Crew as Empress stepped forward.


    "In hope, there is sacrifice."-- were Empress''s first words as she stood in front,


    "...A lot of us, and a lot of you have died in these past few days. Protecting your loved ones, protecting strangers. Today, I can proudly say that we will move on, all of us¡­ as heroes. But in hope, there is sacrifice¡­


    ¡­One of our own, Whiteking, also sacrificed his life to defeat Darkday."


    The news of Megawoman''s return, her departure¡­ and now the death of the most inspirational superhero on the?


    The people no longer knew whether to be happy or sad. The only thing they could really do was listen as Empress continued her story¡­


    ¡­A story of triumph and sacrifice.


    It went on for almost an entire hour; detailed. But never once did the people not listen. They listened on until Empress''sst sigh as they all left one by one.


    And then, once again, silence. Silence as the world tried to ept all the things they have heard. But they will recover. That was, perhaps, the only thing they could do to repay all those who have sacrificed their lives for those who remained.


    They will recover. <i>  </i>


    ***


    "Hannah¡­ we''ll be waiting for you outside when you''re ready."


    "Y¡­ yeah, bruh. M¡­ Megawoman even chose a badass name for you."


    "I¡­ think we should let the sister rest."


    "I''ll¡­ I''ll make us some coffee."


    The members of the Baby Crew were now inside the Ross'' residence, in front of Hannah''s room. They waited there for an entire hour, but all they could hear was Hannah''s somewhat heavy breaths.


    Silvie, Katrina, and Be all headed down; as for Gary, he entered Riley''s room.


    "So¡­ this is his room?"


    "Yes."


    And Megawoman was there, standing right in the middle of the room; in her hand, was Riley''s phone that contained all of her¡­ unttering photos.


    "It''s¡­ crazy, huh, Megawoman?" Gary then let out a small chuckle as he sat on Riley''s bed, "Who knew¡­ who knew he was so close. I¡­ honestly don''t even know what to feel right now."


    "Don''t call me Megawoman."


    "...Mom."


    "Good," Megawoman scoffed, "Do¡­ you want a hug from your mom?"


    "..." Gary looked at Megawoman for a few seconds, before letting out a long, deep sigh¡­ and shaking his head,


    "Nah¡­ I''m good. I don''t want to miss it so much after you''re gone. It''s toote for¡­ the mother-and-son act anyway," Gary then said as he started to step out of the room,


    "So¡­ what happens now? Bernard''s locked up, Darkday''s prisoners are missing, Tomoe''s missing, and Hannah refuses to leave her fucking room. Everything is just¡­


    ¡­so fucked."


    "You¡­" Megawoman also let out a sigh of her own as she nced at her son, "...You just stick with each other."


    "...Will we ever see each other again, mom?"


    "You¡­ will live a very long life," Megawoman nodded, "We will, I promise it."


    "That''s good," Gary smiled, "The next time you visit, I also promise not to let you work anymore so you could actually spend some time as a mother, you kinda failed at that."


    "...I know."


    "Well¡­ goodbye¨C"


    And before Gary could finish his words, he felt the warmth of her mother''s embrace.


    "Be¡­ good to your friends, my son," Megawoman whispered.


    "..." Gary rested his head on her mother''s arms, before nodding his head and walking away¡­ waving his hand as he did so, "See¡­


    ¡­see you again soon, mom."


    ***


    "Is this all of them?"


    "...One is missing."


    "Who?"


    "...Ms. Friday, she was taken by sir Diley a few days ago."


    Somewhere in the Antarctic, more than a hundred people were lined up¨C all wearing thick fur jackets as they walked in a line. And in front of them, was Warden, watching each of them carefully with his eyes wide open.


    "Some of them tried to escape when¡­ the Boss'' clones suddenly disappeared," he muttered as he turned his head towards the¡­ dark silhouette behind him,


    "But a majority of them stopped those who escaped, saying that it was a n by the boss and they were putting everyone in danger for trying to escape."


    "Can you iste those who tried to escape?" The dark silhouette whispered.


    "It¡­ might take some time since we need to find a ce to settle the guests," Warden slightly raised his voice as he couldn''t hear much as the wind started bing violent, "But¡­ I think I memorize who they are."


    "That''s not a problem."


    The silhouette then stepped forward, and as soon as it did so, the colossal cier they were standing on began to tremble¨C and almost instantly, with just a snap¡­ a pce of ice emerged from behind where the guests were standing.


    "Do your job, Warden."


    "Y¡­ at¡­ at once¡­" Warden was about to walk away, but turned his head towards the silhouette before he could even take a single step, "What¡­ do we call you?"


    "To¡­" The silhouette then raised the helmet that was resting on its hand, before carefully wearing it,


    "No. You can address me¡­


    ¡­as Nightqueen."


    And with those words, Tomoe Reynolds leaned back; a throne, instantly emerging from behind her as she sat down.


    ***


    "He¡­ I really can''t feel him anymore."


    "W¡­ what? But¡­ how¡­ how is that possible?"


    "I¡­ I don''t know, but the others¡­ the others are also gone. I can''t¡­ I can''t connect to them anymore."


    In an abandoned building somewhere in the world, hiding in the shadows, were two people. One of them, covered from head to toe with a cloak¨C but even then, his slightest movements¡­


    ¡­revealed his pale white skin and hair.


    "Could¡­ could the Boss really have died? But then why¡­


    ¡­why am I still here?"

 Chapter 309: Darkday

    Chapter 309: Darkday


    "Why¡­ Why am I still here?"


    A thud whispered in the abandoned building as Diley dropped to the floor, his knees, giving up on their own as he kneeled on the ground; his hands, trembling as he stared at them.


    "I¡­ I can''t feel the Boss. I¡­ can''t feel anyone," Diley removed the hood of his cloak; his eyes that were trembling almost uncontrobly, now seen by Ellie, "I¡­ I can''t feel anyone."


    "..." Ellie could only stare as Diley''s breaths entered her ears; loud enough to echo throughout the entire floor.


    Diley''s eyes started looking everywhere, almost as if searching for something that wasn''t there as he continued to whisper to himself.


    "Boss¡­ where are you? Boss!" Diley started to stutter as he crawled on the ground. Ellie moved to the side as Diley started crawling towards her, only for him to trip and fall face-first on the floor.


    Diley, however, did not get up; his breaths, blowing away the dust collected on the floor, "No¡­ no¡­"


    "Diley, you¨C"


    "Go away!"


    Ellie quickly retracted her hand as Diley screamed.


    "Just go away, leave!" Diley said as he struggled to get up, "You''re free! Just go!"


    "I¨C"


    "Go!" Diley waved his hand, and as he did so, Ellie was sted away; only for her tond softly near the doorway.


    "..." Ellie stared at Diley for a few seconds as he groveled on the floor. She took a step forward¡­ but that was it. After a few breaths, she turned around, ncing at Diley onest time before leaving the dimly lit room.


    "Why¡­ why didn''t you take me with you, Boss?" Diley stood up; his breaths, still echoing through the room, "What¡­ what am I even going to do here? I''m alone¡­


    ¡­I''ve never been alone."


    Diley then turned his head towards the view of the horizon from the open window.


    "Without you¡­ I have no purpose," and with those words, Diley''s erratic breaths started to calm down as the light moisture in his eyes faded away. And very slowly, he stepped towards the horizon¨C climbing over the window and jumping without any hesitation with his eyes closed.


    "..."


    "..."


    "You stupid fucking idiot!"


    "!!!"


    Diley then opened his eyes; the sound of the wind sting to his face quickly registering in his ears. He did not bother with that, however, as he turned his head towards the voice that seemed to being from above him.


    "Ellie!?"


    Only to see Ellie falling just a meter away from him.


    "W¨C"


    And before he could even say anything, Ellie grabbed his hand and tightly wrapped her arms around him.


    "I can''t fucking fly! Do something!"


    "!!!"


    Diley could only click his tongue as the two of them gently stopped in the air¡­ only a foot away from hitting the ground.


    "You stupid!"


    Diley''s back then fell to the ground as Ellie suddenly pped his face and jumped down.


    "...Why?"-- was the only word that Diley could utter as he looked at Ellie, whose silhouette was being lined up by the celestial lights.


    "You think you could just go after locking me up for an entire year!?" Ellie then kicked Diley''s stomach, causing him to slightly cough, "No, you''re not allowed to do that!"


    "You¡­ should have just left," Diley let out a small sigh as he sat up, "You''re free. It''s over, Ellie."


    "Damn right, it''s over!" Ellie¡­ also sat on the ground beside Diley, "I''m free¡­ and you are too."


    "Me?" Diley blinked a couple of times, "But I''m not human."


    "You''re more human than that boss of yours," Ellie rolled her eyes, "And if it was him, I would have dly let him fall to his death¡­ although he probably wouldn''t even be hurt by that."


    "But¨C"


    "You''re different from him, Diley," Ellie then slightly leaned her back on Diley''s, "I know you are."


    "I''m¡­ free?" Diley doesn''t really know what that meant. After all, for him, he wasn''t a prisoner.


    "Yes, you''re free," Ellie then stood up, "Not free from me, of course. But free."


    "...Stockholm syn¨C"


    "It''s not!" Ellie once again kicked Diley on the stomach, "From now on¡­


    ¡­I''m your boss."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Pft."


    "Stop! That was already cringe as it is!"


    "Where¡­ do we even go?"


    "What do you mean where? I have a brother I haven''t seen for a very long time."


    "..."


    "You''re not going looking like that, though. We need to color your hair¡­ and change your name."


    "What''s wrong with Diley?"


    "How about that it''s not actually a fucking name!?"


    "...What about the Diley Lama?"


    "That''s the Di Lama, you stupid fucking¡­ Agh! Just choose a name or I''ll choose for you!"


    "...Then choose. You''re my boss, right?"


    "That¡­"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Then how about¡­"


    ***


    "Where is Diana Ross, Bernard?"


    "...I don''t know."


    "Are you trying to hide her? Did you know that she was an alien?"


    "...No."


    "Did you know that she was the one responsible for¡­"


    "No."


    "Were you, in any way, in cahoots¡­"


    "No."


    "Scarlet Mage is also missing, do you¡­"


    "No."


    "Okay, we''ll take a break. Go rest up, man."


    "..."


    In a ss cage; a sizerge enough for a tall human to stand up, but not enough for one to fullyy down, Bernard was sitting inside; his arms and torso, bound by a straitjacket. His mouth, covered by a mask.


    Tempo was looking straight at him from outside the cage, but Bernard could only see his own reflection. He was the one tasked to ask him questions as he and Bernard, apart from Empress, were the ones closest to each other.


    ¡­And that was apparent with the slight frown nted on his face. The only thing he could really do was let out a small but deep sigh, ncing at his friend onest time before leaving the room he was in.


    And there, waiting outside, was Hera and Empress. They were in some sort of spacious and luxurious suite, with a living roomrge enough to bepared to a hotel''s lobby.


    They were in Hera''s house¨C as their base was destroyed when Megawoman woke up.


    "Anything?" Hera was the first to stand up from the sofa as she handed a bottle of alcohol to Tempo.


    "..." Tempo only shook his head as he grabbed the bottle and immediately chugged it down.


    "Shit¡­ to think Darkday was actually this close," Hera then let out a breath as she let herself fall back on the sofa, "I knew there was something weird about that kid, and Bernard knew? Shit."


    "...He told you."


    "Hm?" Hera raised an eyebrow as she looked at Empress¡­ who was for the first time, just wearing casual clothing¨C a dress printed with all sorts of flowers.


    "Riley told you who he was," Empress then said as she also chugged a bottle of alcohol, "Remember the time with the homunculi and you lost a part of your memory? He told you. I know because he told me."


    "...He did?" Hera blinked, and after a while, her eyes started to widen, "Oh fuck, he did."


    "Convenient power you have there," Tempo chuckled, "If my body also adapted to any situation that would ensure my survival¡­ I would also probably forget Darkday''s identity¡­ especially when he could kill me with a flick of his finger."


    "...Well, I wouldn''t have invited her if the only thing she could do was turn gray and muscr," Empress also let out a chuckle, causing Hera and Tempo to look at each other.


    "...You okay, boss?" Tempo blinked a couple of times.


    "I''m thinking of retiring," Empress then said with a smile on her face, "I''ll¡­ just join Bulwark in teaching the future generation. After all, who could be a better teacher than the greatest failure?"


    "...You''re not a failure," Hera frowned, "You just fell in love with the wrong fucking person."


    "..."


    "Ah, fuck," Hera then rolled her eyes, "We need another one to audition for Pharos, fuck!"


    "...What about me?" Tempo stood up.


    "Bitch, I haven''t even seen your true face," Hera snarled, "And get rid of the fucking mustache, you can''t even grow it properly."


    "Well¡­"


    "!!!"


    Hera then suddenly leaned back as Tempo removed his helmet¨C revealing his slightly tan skin, ck hair, blue eyes, and long eyshes.


    "You¡­ were Mexican?" Hera gulped; her face, a little blush.


    "I''m Filipino-American!"


    "Pft," Empress could only shake her head as she stood up, leaving the two to discuss amongst themselves as she walked in front of the room where Bernard was being kept. She was about to open the door, but before her hand could reach the knob¡­


    ¡­she walked away.


    She finally walked away.


    "Hm¡­"


    And all of these things¡­ Megawoman could hear as her eyes reflected the big blue in front of her. She still had a lot of bridges connecting her to Earth, but the thing she wanted to find was not there.


    She scoured the entire, but there was no longer even a single sign of Diana¨C No, of Caiin.


    Caiin Ur, the most prominent scientist of Theran¡­ and also its most wanted person, responsible for the genocide of 7 civilizations.


    "Well then¡­"


    The big blue reflecting on Aerith''s eyes grew smaller and smaller as she floated away. And very soon, the Earth was a pebble.


    "I figured this would be useful," Aerith then grabbed something from her skirt¨C a mobile phone,


    "Well¡­ when you wake up, anyway," she then said as she looked at¡­ the white silhouette floating beside her,


    "I apologize¡­ Riley Ross," a smirk then appeared on Aerith''s face as she grabbed Riley by the ankle,


    "But this time, I''ll be the one dragging you around¡­


    ¡­your retirement isn''t over yet."


    ***Viin Retirement, Book 1: Darkday ¨C END***


    ***


    ***


    ***


    "Are you just going to mope here for the rest of your life!?"


    "M... Ms. Charlotte, please don--"


    The screams and shouts of the members of the Baby Crew filled the Ross'' Residence with life. They were just previously chatting about what to do next and how to get Hannah out of her room...


    ...when Charlotte suddenly barged inside the house out of nowhere, rushing straight towards Hannah''s room and kicking it down.


    Hannah, who was curled in a ball on her bed, only nced at Charlotte; and as she did so, the entire room started to distort as everything... just started to melt. They didn''t burn away, but just melted.


    "Go away," Hannah whispered.


    "Fuck no," Charlotte, however, stepped forward even as her skin started to sizzle, "You guys...


    ...I''m gonna turn all of you into actual heroes."


    ***


    A yearter, Aerith was still floating in the expanse of space... still grabbing Riley by the ankles. Her eyes, slightly twitching.


    "...We''re lost, Riley," Aerith then breathed out as she let go of Riley''s leg... causing him to float aimlessly,


    "We''re lost!"


    "..." And very soon...


    ...Riley''s fingers started to twitch.


    ***


    ***


    ***


    ***Viin Retirement, Book 2: Phoenix ¨C START***


    ??? ????? ???????s ??? ?????s??? ?? ????????????.???.

 Chapter 310: A Bigger World

    Chapter 310: A Bigger World


    Extraterrestrial life. Aliens. Otherworldly beings.


    Perhaps just a year ago, people would think it was ridiculous that there were so many out there. Of course, they knew there was life out there because their greatest defender was from another.


    But that was it. There were billions ofs out there, and yet just a single one has shown itself for hundreds of years¨C some thought that was it.


    Humans and Themarian.


    It wasn''t arrogance as much as it was fear to think they were the only ones. After all, maybe they got lucky that the first alien that visited their was friendly? There was no guarantee that the next ones would be as kind.


    And they were right. Less than two years ago, 2 aliens invaded the Earth at the same time¨C almostying waste to entire countries¡­ but not even close to erasing human civilization. The reason?


    Earth has superheroes. Super-powered individuals that did everything they could to ensure the safety of their people¨C even if it meant their lives extinguished.


    It had been a long debate if superheroes were really necessary; a debate by the people, and a very long debate by its government.


    But with the invasion, that discussion ended. If it were not for the superheroes, then the humans might have found themselves extinct; or worse, a ve to another civilization.


    Superheroes are needed¨C almost the entire poption is now in unison. United to the point that they voted a superhero as the new leader of the World Government.


    The World Government. Now that the threat of extraterrestrial invaders was prevalent, it gained a whole different meaning¨C it became literal. Previously, its main purpose was to maintain peace and order all over the; as a war between supers would prove a threat to the entire poption.


    But now, its main purpose is to decide the actions of the entire¡­ against their would-be invaders.


    And the one standing on top of that was Adaeze Akuchi, also known as Empress when she was still an active superhero. One might think that the pressure of her work was now less than she was a superhero, but no.


    Currently, right at this moment, her stress level was at its peak.


    "Let me out there!"


    "M¡­ Madam, please, not again!"


    Adaeze was currently being blocked by several guards. They were supers, of course; but still, the one in front of them was one of the strongest superheroes that ever walked the¨C so the only thing they could really do was plead for her not to go out there¡­


    ¡­and fight the alien invaders currently on their.


    "Empress, there is no need for you to go out there. There is a 100% chance that the aliens would retreat even before they step a single foot or tentacle on the."


    But finally, after a few more seconds of pleading, a bald man stepped inside the office; giving the guards the chance to let out their breaths.


    "Leave us."


    "Yes, sir!"


    And with that, the guards quickly made their exit; leaving their chief to deal alone with Adaeze.


    Butcher, aka, Butcher.


    "You should really stop making it hard for the people serving under you, Empress."


    "...I told you not to address me that way anymore," Adaeze also finally calmed down as she walked back to her desk.


    "I am a creature of habit, Empress," Butcher only stood near the door, "I will only take a fraction of your time¨C the Baby Crew are the ones dealing with the invaders, so there should be no proble¨C"


    "Connect me to them."


    "I do not think that is nece¨C"


    "Connect. Me. To. Them¡­ Now!"


    "..." Butcher only blinked a couple of times before finally walking to the desk, and pressing something on it that released some sort of keyboard¡­ in which Butcher typed in something. And after a few seconds, a voice started to echo through the room.


    [Ah, fuck! When will these motherfuckers just leave us alone!? If I wanted to be an astronaut, I would have actually studied like a normal person!]


    [Focus, Monarch. Threat level is low, but them aliens could still do some damage to us if we careless. Remember what happened to the Cribst time?]


    [Who the fuck cares. I''m just waiting for cultivators to invade us so I cane with them!]


    [Really, ni¨C Monarch? You still thinking about¨C]


    [Can that two of you please stop using the fuckingms? Fuck, just peace and quiet. Is that hard to understand?]


    [The 8th formation of¨C]


    [Gary, fuck! Stop!]


    "..." Adaeze then slowly turned her eyes towards Butcher, whose head was slightly looking down to the floor.


    "...86%," Butcher sighed.


    "..." Adaeze stared at Butcher for a few seconds, before also letting out a sigh of her own, "Enough. I take it you didn''t visit me just because of this?"


    "Yes. It''s regarding¡­ Endless Dark."


    "Them again?" Adaeze could only lean back on her seat, "Fucking Darkday worshippers. And what did they do now?"


    "Their leader, Nightqueen. She¡­


    ¡­is amassing more and more members."


    ***


    "...This ID has been expired almost a hundred rotations ago."


    "I didn''t really get the chance to renew it. Can you let us slide for now?"


    In front of a certain gate somewhere, a brown, almost golden-haired woman was in the very front of a very long line. The people behind her seemed to whisper; the expressions on their faces, a little annoyed.


    Although¡­ it was quite hard to tell what they were really thinking since most of them did not look quite human. They resembled a human, yes¨C but some aspects were different, especially whenparing it to the golden-haired woman in front of the line.


    "..." And in front of that woman, was a purple-skinned humanoid; 4 eyes, 4 arms¨C his ear on top of his head.


    He was inside some sort of booth, covered by a ss that dimly reflected the green sky above them. There were 3 moons littering the green sky, different sizes and apart from each other. Thend they stood on also looked like a desert¨C but not quite, as if one were to look closer, they would find there was no sand. The ground was just one big solid block.


    Clearly, not somewhere on Earth.


    "It says here that you are from¡­ Protus? Never heard of that before." The purple-skinned humanoid closed 3 of his eyes as he looked closer at the card he was holding; taking nces at the golden-haired woman from time to time.


    "It''s¡­ somewhere on the edge of the Sol sector," the woman said as she slightly looked to the side.


    "Sol¡­ sector?" The purple-skinned humanoid squinted his eyes as he looked the woman straight in the eyes, "Also haven''t heard of that. Are you sure this is a legal ID? Do you have any other documents?"


    "Listen, mypanion and I havee a very long way and we¨C"


    "...Companion?" The purple-skinned humanoid then quickly turned all of his eyes toward the cloaked individual that has been quietly standing beside the woman since the start,


    "Does¡­ thispanion of yours have an ID?"


    "No," the woman quickly blocked herpanion from the purple-skinned humanoid''s view, "He was only born like 18 years ago. Haven''t managed to get him an ID yet."


    "...Can you tell yourpanion to remove his robes?"


    "How about you just let us pass?" The woman chuckled, "I don''t remember Oria being this strict."


    "Probably because thest time you''ve been here was a hundred rotations ago. I need an ID, or I will call for security and¨C"


    And before the purple-skinned humanoid could finish his words¡­ he suddenly began floating into the air. And it wasn''t only him, all of the individuals that were lined up behind the woman also started floating in the air.


    Itsted for a few seconds, before they all fell at the same time.


    "By the four gods! Have they forgotten to charge the gravity¨C" And once again, before the purple-skinned humanoid could finish his words, he could not help but stop as the woman in front of her was nowhere to be seen anymore. Gone, along with her cloakedpanion.


    "W¨C" The purple skin was about to get out of his booth, but was not allowed to do so as the next one in the line stepped forward. And judging by the smokeing out of its¡­ nose, she wasn''t going to wait any longer.


    As for the woman and her cloakedpanion, well¡­ they were already on the other side of the gate¨C leaping over the colossal walls that guarded the streets they were now carefully walking on.


    And like the individuals lined up outside the city, the people inside were¡­ also diverse. They all did have one thing inmon, all of them could be considered humanoids. Perhaps in the grand scheme of the universe, it was the form that was most suited for beings with intellect.


    "I told you not to use your powers!"


    "You did¡­ mother." .


    And in these diverse groups of humanoids, the ones that looked closer to the humans of Earth were the woman and her cloakedpanion.


    "Then why did you use it!?"


    "Because you were not handling the situation well," the cloaked individual finally removed the hood on his head, revealing a set of long white hair that almost reflected the green sky above them,


    "I also want to rest, mother."


    "...Are you sure you still don''t have your memory back? I am starting to feel like you''re just fooling me, Riley."


    "No, mother," Riley shook his head as he looked straight into Aerith''s eyes, "Besides the abilities I have¡­


    ¡­I don''t remember anything."

 Chapter 311: Not so Mega, After All

    Chapter 311: Not so Mega, After All


    A few weeks ago, in the vast and almost limitless expanse of space, a sound that should not exist was currently echoing through the darkness. One would think it was some sort of a siren, but no.


    It was Aerith screaming in frustration.


    She has been flying through space for almost an entire year now, without food; without water. Even for her, that was already stretching the limit. No, she knew she would survive¡­ the one she had to worry about was the young man she was currently dragging.


    Worry¨C that was something she thought she would never do or feel for this white-haired young man. But since she has been dragging him aimlessly for almost a year, she sort of feels responsible for his life now.


    If only he was wearing his mask and Darkday outfit, then maybe Aerith wouldn''t feel as much empathy towards Riley; but s, seeing him sleeping and floating like this¨C the only thing she could really see was a child not even a percent of her age.


    It''s even a miracle he was still breathing¡­ or that he was breathing at all¨C that was something he was not capable ofst time they fought.


    It was a year ago¨C when she rescued the almost unconscious Hannah who was floating in the expanse of space without any will to live. She didn''t even talk or try to resist, Hannah just let herself be carried back to the ship.


    But that was then that Aerith noticed something unnatural.


    A speck of dust floating in space.


    How was that unnatural, one might ask?


    Because the dust started to multiply¨C almost like a million flies coalescing with each other; dancing, fluttering in ways that one could never imagine. They almost looked like ink, even. And very soon¡­ a resemnce of a face started to be drawn from that ink.


    "!!!" Aerith''s eyes almost popped out from how wide they were during that time.


    She saw it.


    Riley Ross''s resurrection.


    And it was truly unnatural¨C even from all the years she had lived, she had never seen anyone or anything recover like that. His flesh wasn''t just regenerating, no. It almost felt like the hand of god was sketching him right in front of her¡­ out of nowhere.


    And very soon, Riley''s entire silhouette was there, right in front of her. She could see some burnt marks and some fleshpletely torn away, but soon, those healed; not like a sketch this time, but it regenerated like normal.


    "...What?" Aerith blurted out. She then turned her eyes towards Hannah; whose eyes were slightly open¡­ but not really looking towards Riley. She didn''t notice him?


    "..." And as soon as Aerith realized that, she quickly turned around and slowly started flying away. This is for the best, she thought¨C the world should move on from Darkday and Riley Ross¡­


    ¡­and the world should also move on from Megawoman.


    And that was the time she decided to truly leave Earth, bringing along Riley Ross with him.


    But of course, all these memories and thoughts of a year ago were currently meaningless. Because as of days ago; she didn''t want to admit it, but¡­


    "...We''re lost!"


    Aerith''s screams once again echoed throughout the expanse of space; causing a sort of ripple to blow away all the space dust surrounding them. It has been a few hundred years since shest navigated through the expanse, but she was confident that she still remembered all the paths she needed to take.


    But s, one should truly not underestimate the cosmos¨C because even someone as strong as her was just a microscopic speck in this almost endless darkness.


    "Where are we going anyway?"


    "!!!"


    Aerith''s screams abruptly stopped as words not from her suddenly entered her ears. She turned around, only to see Riley not floating still in front of her; albeit he was floating vertically opposite of her, naked.


    "You¡­ you''re awake?" Aerith slightly contracted her muscles, waiting for Riley to attack her. But it did not happen, Riley just floated there staring at her for a few seconds before answering her question.


    "I suppose. And I don''t remember anything."


    "...I didn''t ask?" Aerith slightly squinted her eyes as she looked Riley straight in the eyes, "Wait, what do you mean you don''t remember anything?"


    "I don''t remember anything," Riley just repeated, before his eyes started to look everywhere. And after a few seconds, some of the space debris floating far away from them started to fly towards Riley¨C folding and crumpling as they wrapped around his body,


    "You are clothed and I am not, so it didn''t seem fair."


    "You don''t remember anything but you know how to use your powers?" Aerith''s eyes squinted even further to the point that they were almost closed.


    "Yes, very convenient," Riley nodded several times, "Come to think of it, I could have just taken off your clothes as well so that it would be fair."


    "...For someone who has lost his memory, you seem to be very calm."


    "People of my condition do not express emotions that well."


    "...You''re not lying, are you?"


    "No," Riley shook his head, "I do not even remember my name, A¨C woman."


    "A¡­ woman?" Aerith slightly floated closer to Riley as her eyes remained on his, "You¨C"


    But before she could finish her words, she noticed something. The things that were wrapped on Riley''s body¡­ were some sort of metal. And not just any metal, some even had letters inscribed onto them.


    "Let''s talk about thister¡­


    ¡­we''re near!"


    ***


    And so, back to the present.


    Riley and Aerith were now in some sort of dining hall. The walls seemed to be made of metal, but at the same time, there were traces of something else on them; a texture and color simr to wood. Everything just looked like they were stered carelessly, in a way.


    The table they were sitting at was also the same, made with different kinds of materials seeminglypressed together.


    "I know, it''s a shit hole. But the food is nice, eat," Aerith could only let out a small sigh as she noticed Riley staring everywhere.


    "...Can you tell me who I am again, mother?"


    "..." Aerith could only stare at Riley with her mouth still open, spoon right in front of her lips. But after a few breaths, she just once again let out a sigh and drop her spoon,


    "You''re my son, Riley. We were traveling and you hit your head with an asteroid. You used to work¡­ inw enforcement. You save a lot of people because that''s your job and you never kill."


    "...That''s it?" Riley blinked a couple of times.


    "I''ll tell you more once we finish eating, so eat."


    "And where are we?"


    "..." Aerith was about to pick up her spoon again, but could only let out a small groan as she once again focused on Riley.


    "We are in Hotis 4J, one of the thousands ofndmarks in the cosmos. I suppose you could treat it as a pitstop of some sort," Aerith leaned back as she too, finally looked around,


    "It wasn''t like this hundreds of years ago. There were nts and stuff," Aerith sighed, "But I suppose it wasn''t profitable enough to be taken care of. Now it seems to just be a stopover for vagrants."


    "Hm¡­" Riley nodded as he started eating; but as soon as the tip of his tongue touched the food, he quickly retracted his head and ced the spoon back on the table,


    "I think the taste of the food is mostcking in this ce, mother. I am confident I could cook better if I have my tools."


    "...I thought you didn''t remember anything?"


    "I remember that," Riley shrugged.


    "Wait¡­" Aerith once again looked Riley straight in the eyes, "Are you sure you don''t¨C"


    "It''s them!"


    And before Aerith could finish her words, a familiar voice thundered throughout the entire dining hall. Everyone eating in the hall quickly turned their heads towards the noise, only to see the purple-skinned humanoid responsible for entry into the gates of the city, Ruman.


    And behind Ruman, were several armored individuals¨C armored to the point that they almost looked like robots. But from all the species and races that were here, perhaps it wouldn''t be farfetched to think they actually were.


    And then, everyone then turned their heads towards where Ruman was pointing¨C all except two, because they were the ones being pointed at.


    "Don''t do anything rash," Aerith could only whisper as she stood up with both her arms in the air, "We don''t want to attract any attention, just follow my lead."


    "Okay, mother," Riley nodded as he too raised his hand in the air and slowly stood up.


    "You two!" Ruman then stomped his way towards Aerith and Riley''s table, "Arrest these two in vition of Code 522! You thought you could just enter the city!?"


    "What is it saying, mother?" Riley could only nce at Aerith as he could not understand a word Ruman was saying.


    "Just rx. They¡­


    ¡­are just taking us to our hotel."


    ***


    "Quite a small hotel they have for us, mother. One might think we''re in jail."


    "..."


    And so, Riley and Aerith were now inside some sort of¡­ metal box. Perhaps that was really the only way to describe it. No windows, no furniture, not even a visible door.


    "Well then," Riley then slowly sat on the floor¡­ before proceeding toy down, "Have a goodnight, mother. You need it more than me because you''ve been dragging me through space for an entire year now."


    "Wait¡­ how do you know that?"


    "I''ve been awake the whole time, mother."


    "Then why didn''t you say anything!?"


    "...Because I forgot how to do anything. I don''t remember anything, mother."


    "You--"


    Suffice to say, Aerith was doing her best not to just burst through everything right now.

 Chapter 312: Mega Sigh

    Chapter 312: Mega Sigh


    "We should just break out, mother."


    "For thest time, Riley. We do not want to cause any scene."


    "We will not, mother. There is no causing trouble if there is no one to be troubled."


    "...What?"


    "We kill everyone. It''s alright, we can do it."


    Aerith and Riley were still inside the metal box. They have probably been there for days, only being provided food from the little hole that opens at different parts of the wall from time to time. It was a good thing neither of the two needed to defecate or anything like that due to their body''s abilities... because it seems like these aliens¨C these people would not be providing them a bucket.


    Right now, however, Aerith was starting to wonder if she likes Riley more when he was silent. He had been insisting he had lost his memory since the moment he woke up, but by the way he was talking¡­ it didn''t really seem like it.


    "Remember what I told you?" Aerith could only roll her eyes as she faced Riley, "You save lives, Riley, not take them. You were¡­ Protus'' greatest superhero."


    "..." Riley squinted his eyes as he returned Aerith''s gaze, "Then why did we leave this Protus, exactly?"


    "B¡­ because it blew up," Aerith stuttered as she quickly removed her eyes away from Riley.


    "Then I didn''t save anyone at all in the end. Did I, mother?"


    "...They found a new to live in peacefully," Aerith once again turned her head, this time to the other side. Perhaps it was now safe to say¨C


    Megawoman was extremely bad at lying.


    It was a good thing that before Riley could ask any more questions, another hole opened on the wall of the metal box they were in. This time, however¡­ the hole was almost the entire wall.


    And from the opening, a familiar face showed himself.


    "Let''s start this over," it was Ruman, the purple-skinned humanoid that was stationed at the gate and the one that ultimately got them inside the metal box. And behind him, once again, were the guards that were fully d in armor.


    Riley tried to take a step forward when the guards started to surround them, but Aerith pulled him back before he could do anything. And as soon as the guards seemed to be in position, Ruman finally approached the two.


    "We checked our database, there is no Protus," Ruman then ced some sort of sphere on the ground; but instead of rolling as expected, it suddenly opened up. Riley was once again about to step forward but was once again stopped by Aerith.


    "It''s just a map," Aerith whispered; and right after she did so, the entire metal box was filled with floating lights, almost as if they were surrounded by a hundred stars.


    "We also can''t find this Sol section you referred to," Ruman then said as he started waving his hand, causing the stars to slightly blur as they changed position, "We have also be aware that we have no record of you or your ship entering our atmosphere; add to that the expired ID you showed me earlier and entering the city without permission¨C we would have no choice but to float you if you don''t cooperate."


    "...Float us?" Aerith''s eyebrows began to furrow, "That''s quite a drastic response, don''t you think? It wasn''t like this 500 years ago."


    "So you were alive 500 years ago?" Ruman squinted 4 of his eyes, "There are only about a dozen species in our records that are capable of living so long. I am afraid we''re going to have to scan the two of you and check if we have you in the database."


    "That''s not necessary," Aerith finally stepped forward as she looked Ruman in the eyes, "We''ll just be on our way, we just came here to rest for a bit. We''re not going to cause trouble."


    "Guards!"


    And with Ruman raising his hand, the fully-armored guards that were quietly standing on the side all raised their weapons¨C a spear, simr to the weapons of the strogans that invaded the Earth, but smaller.


    "You and yourpanion are clearly hiding something," Ruman breathed out, "But we''ll find out soon enough what it is once we scan you."


    "You don''t want to do that," Aerith''s voice no longer held any sort of softness in it as she looked at the guards.


    "There''s no use in¨C"


    "Not for my sake, but for you and the other people living in thisndmark."


    "You¡­ are threatening me?"


    "I''m warning you," Aerith shook her head, "Why don''t we all just calm down, I tell you who I am, you don''t tell anyone, then we just leave. That would be the best course for everyone."


    "..." Ruman once again squinted four of his eyes. They have the guards, and there truly was no way for these two individuals to escape. But still, they seemed too calm; especially the woman''spanion. Was¡­ he some kind of android or something?


    Do they not understand their situation? Even if they managed to escape, there would be more than a hundred guards waiting outside.


    "..." Ruman then once again looked at Aerith, before letting out a sigh and shaking his head, "This could have been solved without violence¡­


    ¡­Scan them. If they resist, you are authorized to use force."


    Ruman then turned around as the guards slowly approached the two step by step; almost like a march as their feet drummed in the air. That drumming did notst long, however, as it was reced by a whisper that made Ruman look back.


    It was the woman''spanion. He seemed to be saying something to him, but he was talking in anguage that he couldn''t understand.


    "What¡­ is he saying?" Ruman''s four eyes looked back and forth between the guards and the woman''spanion, "Is¡­ he doing this?


    "...You don''t want to know what he is saying," Aerith could only roll her eyes as she once again grabbed Riley''s arm and pulled him away. And so, once again, the two spoke in anguage that Ruman has never heard before.


    But that wasn''t the most important part right now¨C the guards in the room have stopped moving. Even if they no longer had the proper budget to maintain thendmark, their security still received most of the city''s ie. Their armor should be capable of resisting any external forces up to a certain level.


    Could it be¡­


    "...Are the two of you from the Higher Races?"


    "We''re not," Aerith quickly stopped talking to Riley as she immediately faced Ruman, "We¡­ we''re from Proton."


    "Protus," Ruman said.


    "..." Aerith shut her mouth, and the two just stared at each other for a few seconds; until finally, Ruman breathed out almost to the point he emptied his lungs.


    "The two of you are free to go," Ruman then said as he tapped the wall, which immediately slid open, "You should have just said you were from the Higher Races."


    "...We''re not," Aerith let out an awkward chuckle as she grabbed Riley''s wrist and dragged him away, "But we are leaving."


    "You can stay on the for a while," Ruman sighed, "But I am warning you, stay long and they are bound to find you. I understand the two of you probably got bored and all that and tried to run away, but Hotis 4J isn''t some yground you two lovers could just waltz in."


    "...We''re not¨C"


    "Yes, yes. Go," Ruman waved his hands, "You think the two of you are the first children from the Higher Race to try and hide here? Go, just go."


    "..." Aerith almost choked in her own breath from being called a child. She¡­ was here when Hotis 4J was still being developed. But Aerith didn''t really say anything further as she just smiled and dragged Riley away.


    And finally, as their silhouette disappeared, the guards were finally able to move.


    "Tell your chief to prepare for some unnecessary trouble," Ruman then said as he also stepped out of the metal box, "We¡­


    ¡­have runaways from the Higher Races on the loose again."


    ***


    "You''re really bad at lying, mother."


    "That makes two of us."


    "Oh, I believe I am very good at lying, mother."


    "Did you just admit that you didn''t actually lose your memory?"


    "No, I don''t remember anything."


    "..."


    And so, once again, the two were walking through the streets of Hotis 4J. But judging by the fact that the guards were looking at them whenever they passed by, then they were surely being watched.


    "...We can''t stay here for long," Aerith then sighed, "We need to leave after a few days. I just need to sleep in a proper bed."


    "Thefort of space is better than thefort of a bed, mother. Trust me, you dragged me for almost an entire year and I didn''t even feel ufortable once."


    "I''ll stick with the bed. I would also need to exin a lot of things to you if we''re going to proceed with this little adventure of ours."


    Aerith''s numerous sighs were enough to leave a trail on the street. If it weren''t for the busy market around them; the people haggling and shouting at each other, then her sighs would probably be the most prevalent thing in this city right now.


    "If you told me I would be babysitting someone in space years ago, then I would probably just beughi¨C Riley?"


    Aerith turned around¡­ and Riley was no longer following her. And so, once again, Aerith sighed. It wouldn''t really be that hard to find Riley, maybe just a few seconds; but Aerith was sure, that by the time she does find him...


    ...something would have already happened.


    "...I should''ve just stayed on Earth."

 Chapter 313: Caitlain Ur

    Chapter 313: Caiin Ur


    "Thefort of space is better than thefort of a bed, mother. Trust me, you dragged me for almost an entire year and I didn''t even feel ufortable once."


    "I''ll stick with the bed. I would also need to exin a lot of things to you if we''re going to proceed with this little adventure of ours."


    "We¨C"


    Riley was just peacefully following behind Aerith as the two continued to walk through the streets of Hotis 4J, when suddenly, a group of aliens blocked his path. Although in a way, he should be the one considered an alien since he came from another.


    But then again, almost everyone on the came from another¡­ so who really was the alien then? Riley squinted his eyes at the thought, not even bothering or minding the group of¡­ people that suddenly surrounded them.


    Yes, people. It should be alright to address them like that from now on.


    "..." Riley then finally turned his eyes towards the group that surrounded him. Red skin, purple skin, grey skin¨C such a diverse collection of skin colors. But other than that¡­ They look quite simr to a human, except that they don''t have ears and are taller than Riley by almost 2 feet.


    Riley didn''t really say anything, as they probably wouldn''t understand him anyway¨C and he was right. The four started talking in anguage that he once again doesn''t understand, but judging by the intonations of their voice and the way they moved¡­ they probably weren''t up to any good.


    "..." Riley then turned his attention towards the guards that were watching them, only to see one already approaching. But before the guard could take another step¡­ he froze. And as soon as he did so, Riley turned his focus back to the 3 people surrounding him.


    "Did you need something from me, people?" Riley then finally decided to talk, causing the group to instantly stop talking as they looked at each other. And after a few seconds, they suddenly burst out inughter¨C or at least that was what it sounded like, it could be a totally different emotion as far as Riley knows.


    Perhaps hisnguage sounded funny to them? After all, Riley also thought that theirnguage was weird; but didn''t really mind it.


    It probably took about a whole 5 seconds before the group stopped chuckling. And as soon as they did so, the one with the red skin ced his hand on Riley''s shoulder.


    "I do not appreciate being touched, red person," Riley then said as the hand of the red-skinned humanoid started to tremble as it very slowly lifted itself away from Riley''s shoulder,


    "I dislike it to the point that I might have to kill the three of you n¨C"


    "T'' kum an pras ta."


    And before Riley could finish his words, Aerith suddenly appeared and grabbed the red-skinned humanoid by his wrist. She seemed to be saying something to them as the group started looking at each other again; this time, however, a slight difort could be seen showing on their face.


    And not even 3 seconds after, the three started walking away.


    "Did they need something from me, mother?"


    "...They''re just curious about what race you are," Aerith sighed as she held Riley''s hand, "Let''s go. We need a ce to put our heads down."


    "..." Riley looked at Aerith and his hand as she dragged him away; he didn''t really say anything, however¨C even as she didn''t even let go of his hand once until they were alone in a room.


    It didn''t even enter Aerith''s mind to rent two rooms. After all, she needed Riley close to her at all times; and so, she settled on a room with two beds.


    "This ce really did turn for the worse," Aerith''s sighs once again quickly filled the entire room as she allowed herself to fall on her bed. As for Riley, he just moved towards the window; looking and watching the people of Hotis 4J go about their days.


    The people in Hotis 4J don''t know it, but Riley might as well just be a nuclear bomb waiting to explode.


    The incident at the gate.


    Being thrown into jail.


    Then being stopped by a group of aliens.


    They haven''t even been on the for that long, and any of those incidents had the chance of Riley running amok. There really was no way of knowing whether or not Riley would just suddenly end up killing the people here¨C after all, he killed for less.


    No, he killed for fun.


    Aerith doesn''t know whether or not Riley was just pretending to lose his memory, but by the way he moved and talked¡­ his urge to kill was still there.


    ¡­Was it really the right decision? Aerith thought as she turned her eyes towards Riley, whose eyes were reflecting the colorful streets.


    Was it really the right decision to bring Riley with her? If it was true that he lost his memories, then Aerith could have just left him on some far away¨C he wouldn''t be causing any more problems that way.


    Well¡­ that is until he recovers his memories. Riley mentioned that he could always find Earth since his clones were still there. Aerith couldn''t really risk Darkdaying back to Earth again without her there.


    And besides, with Earth being invaded¨C that would mean that sooner orter, the universe would know of the existence of Humans. It might be a year from now or a decade, but she might actually be able to see Empress and the others again once the is officially registered, and this time, on another.


    "What are you thinking about, mother?"


    "..." Aerith then quickly scooched back as Riley suddenly¡­ sat on her bed, "What¡­ are you doing here? You have a bed of your own."


    "Is it bad for a son to want to sleep with her mother, mother?"


    "It is when you phrase it like that," Aerith could only sigh as she sat up and just joined Riley,


    "I''m just thinking of our next course of action."


    "Have you told me why we''re traveling around? The only thing you''ve told me is that the we used to live in exploded. Are we trying to find a new home, mother?"


    "...Not exactly," Aerith could only let out a sigh as she hugged her legs, "We''re here to find the one that destroyed it, Caitlin Ur."


    "Revenge, mother?"


    "No. Justice."


    "And we will find her here?" Riley once again stood up and walked to the window.


    "Probably not," Aerith shook her head as she was finally able toy down again, "But if I was her, then I would also stop here to rest. But I don''t really know what she''s capable of now."


    "The three men that surrounded me earlier¡­" Riley then muttered as he looked at Aerith, "What were they really saying?"


    "They weren''t men," Aerith chuckled, "Their females of the Nak''um race from Sranka. And as I said, they were curious as to what race you were¡­ and if they could try to mate with you."


    "Interesting," Riley breathed out, "And could I? Is it possible for us humans to mate with a different species?"


    "Intergctic racial couples are moremon than you think. Some work, some do not," Aerith let out a small sigh as a smile slowly crawled on her face,


    "And as cheesy as it may sound, love is a universalnguage, Riley. One that transcends everything else."


    "..." Riley no longer talked to Aerith; taking one final nce of the outside before proceeding to lie down on his bed,


    "I wish I could understand that, mother."


    "...You will,"


    Aerith turned her head towards Riley¡­ towards the man that killed her husband. Granted, for someone of Aerith''s lifespan, the moment she shared with Gary''s father was but a blink of an eye¡­ but she was happy.


    And Riley took that away.


    She was angry, of course; seething with rage, even. But Riley¡­ Riley was created because of people like her. People that yed god.


    Of course, Aerith strived to be as far away from that¨C but with her strength, it was almost next to impossible.


    But Caiin Ur, Diana Ross¡­ is a themarian fully capable of ying a literal god. She was, perhaps, the closest to being the most dangerous creature in the entire universe.


    Wanted by her own people formitting genocide on 7 ounts.


    One of them was the people of Protus. It''s a real, or at least it was before Caiin Ur got her hands on it. Now it''s just a wastnd with no life capable of surviving there.


    And if it was true that she was responsible for creating Riley¨C for creating Darkday¡­ then that would mean she was nning something.


    Darkday was, in a sense, a weapon capable of going toe-to-toe with themarians.


    Most of the themarians already have a few screws loose in their heads, and are treated as one of the most dangerous races in the entire universe¨C but if anything else¡­


    ¡­themarians generally havepassion for beings weaker than they are. That is the only reason why they were not considered the most dangerous race.


    But a raceposed of people like Darkday? A race that smiles at the sight of blood and torture? It probably would be manageable if they were only of decent strength¡­ but Riley was fully capable of dropping an entire moon on a.


    The only reason he hasn''t probably done it was because it would be no fun.


    Caiin Ur¡­


    ¡­must be stopped at all costs.


    "Goodnight, mother."


    "...Goodnight, Ri--"


    Aerith could only abruptly stop her words. How could she not, when Riley was now suddenly lying beside her?


    "Go...


    ...go back to your own bed!"

 Chapter 314: A Prologue from the Ashes

    Chapter 314: A Prologue from the Ashes


    "Nothing, no signs of Caiin anywhere. Either she hid her tracks well, or she didn''t even bother stopping here¡­ which is odd."


    "Perhaps we should just leave, mother?"


    "We''re getting there. I just need to know where she might have gone."


    5 Days. Aerith and Riley have been walking around the streets of Hotis 4J, asking everyone they could ask and anyone that seemed knowledgeable enough of the ins and outs of the smallmunity.


    But nothing. There is, of course, a very high chance that Caiin was in disguise. In fact, Aerith doesn''t really know what Caiin truly looked like, even though they fought before. Caiin had the tendency to change her looks impulsively and randomly, and she was able to do so with just a push of a button.


    It wasn''t an ability, but rather a technology she developed in Theran. It was a hologram that was able to fool even the senses of themarians¨C it produces scent, and gives the illusion of weight as well.


    But since Caiin had spent a couple of decades as Diana Ross, Aerith has a gut feeling that might be her true appearance. After all, it would have been impossible not to slip even once in front of her family.


    Her¡­ family.


    "..." Aerith turned to look at Riley as the two once again started waking through the street. She wondered if Caiin also learned to love her family like she did¡­ or was it all just pretend like her holograms?


    After all, it couldn''t be a coincidence that the person that became her husband was the smartest person on the entire. It would have also been impossible for Bernard not to have noticed if Caiin was in disguise.


    Plus, it would have been really awkward to give birth to her daughter if she was still disguising herself; a doctor would have surely noticed something odd being that close.


    Still¡­ to think Caiin would also have a family on Earth¨C that was something Aerith would have never thought of in a million years; that''s why she didn''t even bother suspecting anyone that was happily married with children in the first ce.


    ¡­Happily married.


    Was¡­ Caiin really just pretending? Probably so because she could just leave her family like that.


    "..." But then again, Aerith wasn''t really one to talk since she left Gary¨C but at the same time, Caiin should have been closer to her family. Aerith¡­ wasn''t really present that much. But if she was, then Aerith was sure that she wouldn''t even have thought of leaving Earth.


    "..."


    "..."


    She made sure to scour the entire¡­ but what if Caiin didn''t leave Earth at all? She was able to stay hidden from Aerith for hundreds of years, it would make sense for her to once again easily stay outside her radar.


    With everything that''s been going on and with Riley presumed dead, Aerith just assumed that she left Earth¡­ but Riley wasn''t Caiin''s only experiment on Earth.


    There''s still Hannah Ross.


    If she really is Caiin''s daughter, she wouldn''t just leave her behind¨C whether or not it was out of love or curiosity, it didn''t matter. Even if it was a monster like Caiin, she would''ve grown attached one way or the other¡­ no, especially since it was Caiin.


    "I was thinking about this all wrong."


    "Aeri¨C mother?" Riley, who was walking ahead, could not help but stop and nce at Aerith as she suddenly stopped walking.


    "We¡­ need to go back to Earth, Riley."


    "...Earth?" Riley tilted his head as he approached Aerith, "Where''s that?"


    "I have months to exin to you," Aerith could only let out a sigh as she once again started dragging Riley by the wrist, "First, we need some supplies. I don''t want to travel without bringing anything again. We also need to make sure we buy a Universal Compass so we wouldn''t get lost again and¡­"


    "..." Riley just let himself be dragged away; his eyes, not leaving Aerith''s back even for a single second as she started moving through the market and moving from stall to stall. Even as the things Riley was carrying became a tower of crates, his eyes did not leave her for even a single second.


    "That should be enough," Aerith squinted her eyes as she looked at the things she bought. They were enough to tower Riley many times over, but for some reason, her squinting eyes seem to be saying that it still wasn''t enough.


    But after almost an entire minute of just staring at the crates, she just shook her head and sighed, "Yeah, this should be enough. What about you, Riley? Fancy anything?"


    "I only need you, Aerith," Riley said as he leaned out from behind the crates.


    "...Thanks," Aerith only waved her hand and scoffed, "Well then¡­"


    Aerith then turned around; her eyes, almost moving everywhere across the streets of Hotis 4J, "Hopefully, next time wee back here, it won''t be as much of a dump¡­


    e on."


    And with those words, Aerith''s feet started to leave the ground. And as soon as they did so, most of the people around them started to let out a¡­ universal gasp.


    "I thought we shouldn''t use¨C"


    "Doesn''t matter, we''re leaving anyway."


    And that gasp grew louder as Riley also started flying away, along with the multiple crates of supplies and necessities that Aerith bought.


    Maybe if Riley just took a second to stray his eyes away from Aerith, then he would have noticed that a majority of the people below; no matter what race¡­ were bowing to them.


    "..."


    "..."


    "They left?" Outside the gates of the city of Hotis 4J, Ruman the Gatekeeper''s sigh of relief was enough to travel through the end of the line. Finally, he thought¨C some good news.


    [Yes, just now.]


    Ruman could not help but stand up from his booth, causing the one in front of the line to slightly back away; its face, obviously afraid of Ruman''s sudden action. The ones behind also started backing away¨C but to their surprise, Ruman didn''t even look at them as he suddenly left his booth.


    "Good. That''s very good," Ruman then whispered as he ced his wrist near his mouth; his four eyes, almost glimmering as he nodded several times, "Contact the Bureau of the Higher Races. Tell them¡­


    ¡­we saw two of their children wandering around the city."


    ***


    "...Where did you get the chair?"


    "You''re the one who bought it, Aerith."


    "...I did?"


    In the expanse of space, Aerith and Riley were once again traveling at an unknown speed; the small of Hotis 4J, already only a small dot behind them. Riley¡­


    ¡­Riley was currently seated on some sort of fancy chair; the metal crates of supplies Aerith bought, beneath his feet like some sort of tform.


    "So¡­ why are you using it? It''s mine," Aerith furrowed her eyebrows, "I asked you if you wanted to buy anything and you said no."


    "I''m your son, Aerith. What is yours is mine, no?"


    "...You look like a viin in one of thoseic books back on Earth," Aerith could only roll her eyes as she hastened her flight; surprisingly, Riley was able to keep up without a problem. Most probably because of the invisible ''wire'' that Aerith could feel tugging on her ankles.


    "Viins look cooler then?"


    "...No," Aerith once again nced at Riley, before letting out a small sigh as she looked at the apparatus attached to her wrist.


    Things¡­ just got a littleplicated.


    Last time, she took a year just to get to Hotis 4J because she took a wrong turn and got lost. But now that they have a viable map and knew which direction to go, thepass said it would only take them 3 months¨C even if they rested in between.


    Aerith didn''t really n oning back to Earth while the current generation still existed, especially not with their walking cmity following behind her¡­


    ¡­But Caiin was a bigger threat. If left alone, Earth would surely share the same fate as the other 7s she destroyed.


    "Riley¡­ once wend on Earth," Aerith then stopped flyingpletely as she turned to face Riley, "I want you to remember that you don''t kill."


    "It is okay, mother. There are fates much worse than death¨C like being tortured until your dying breath."


    "I mean it. You''re not a viin, you''re not a monster. Do not be what the universe has dictated you to be."


    "And what am I in your eyes, Aerith?"


    A lost child¨C was what Aerith wanted to say. But in the end, she just let out a sigh and continued flying away¡­ because if she said it, she would be wrong.


    Because right from the start, Riley always knew what he was and never once shied away from it. His purpose was clear because he was¡­ created to be that way.


    If anything, it was everyone else that was lost. She, Caiin, Bernard, and all the people that surrounded Riley Ross as he grew up.


    It was easy to me Caiin because she was responsible for creating a literal monster. But Bernard, the Hope Guild, and even her.


    Everyone seemed to be so ashamed of what happened to Ms. Phoenix that never once did they try to reach out to Riley.


    Empress told her that Riley could have been the best hero the world¨C no, the universe has ever known if only he was adopted by the right people, and Aerith couldn''t agree more to that.


    Maybe all of this was a second chance?


    A second chance for the phoenix to rise again from the ashes in the form of Riley Ross, bing the guardian that would protect Earth forever?


    "..." Aerith then once again took another nce at Riley, only to see him staring at her with the edges of his mouth almost reaching from ear to ear.


    "..."


    Well¡­ It could also be the rise of a phoenix that would scorch the entire universe.

 Chapter 315: Earth, Once Again

    Chapter 315: Earth, Once Again


    "Describe them."


    "They had 2 eyes, 2 arms, and standing on 2 legs¨C the golden ratio, sir. The male one has white skin and a long, straight white mane. The female one has a brown, somewhat golden mane, and skin that was simr to the An''tria desert."


    "And they were here?"


    "Yes, Messenger."


    Ruman was currently a kilometer outside the only city of the micro, Hotis 4J. He was on top of a small mountain, kneeling as he seemed to be talking to someone; there was, however, no one in front of him.


    And yet, a voice still reverberated through the air; enough to cause the lifeless to almost tremble.


    "Tell me more about the female," the thunderous voice echoed.


    "She said they were from a called Protus from the Sol System." Although there was a tremble in Ruman''s voice, his words were as clear as they could be,


    "She denied being from the Higher Races, but the reports said they flew away into space when they le¨C !!!"


    Ruman could not help but take in a long and very deep breath as the green sky above him suddenly split open; he still did not dare to look, but the shadows that now filled the entire were enough to cause him to grovel on the ground.


    He could also hear a crackle as the temperature within the entire rose.


    "Protus? Is what you say true?"


    And with those words, once again, the trembled. This time, Ruman looked up towards the sky,


    "Yes, I dare not lie to you, Messenger," Ruman''s shivering eyes now reflected the entity in which he exchanged words.


    It was a face, almost covering the micro''s entire sky. It''s 6 eyes, only looking at Ruman.


    "Protus has been torn asunder a few rotations ago," the Messenger uttered as its face finally slowly faded away from the sky; his voice, however, still echoed throughout the entire,


    "The female you speak of may or may not be a themarian. It was wise for you not to anger them," the voice lingered as the face slowly turned into a cosmic silhouette; the sight, almost drowning,


    "And you were also wise to report¡­"


    And finally, after a few more seconds, the voice withered away with the wind as light once again showered the empty fields.


    Hotis 4J was a micro, only capable of inhabiting a single massive center city. But still, for the Messenger''s face to almost fill the entire sky of the¨C he knew it was real, but the size of the Messenger still baffled him to this day¡­


    ¡­and to think there were 5 of them that still exist to this day. Truly, a frightening existence.


    Ruman was finally able to breathe as he let himself fall to the ground; his legs, shivering to the point that he was no longer able to use them. Each of his breaths was filled with fear.


    This fear, however, was not solely focused on the Messenger, no.


    A themarian? He was so close to almost offending a themarian.


    Themarians, one of the Higher Races, are known for their generosity and empathy for the lower races¨C they were, however, not known for their mercy and patience. Offend them, and one might find yourself begging them for the lives of one''s people.


    Themarians are a race of sleeping warriors¨C one that you truly do not want to wake.


    Even the Messenger left as soon as it found out that the two might be themarians.


    Themarians were respected¡­


    ¡­but they were feared even more.


    And right now, one of those themerians was having the hardest time of her life¨C


    "No, no¡­ They will recognize you even before you breathe out a word."


    Hundreds of kilometers outside of Earth, Aerith was flying around in circles; almost like a moon as she orbited around Riley, whose white hair that now reached his elbows floated freely in space.


    "I thought we were going to cut my hair, mother?" Riley rotated in ce, his head, following Aerith as she circled around him continuously without pause for more than an hour now.


    "I changed my mind," Aerith then said as she finally stopped; instead, she flew towards one of the metal crates, rummaging through the stuff inside for more than a minute before returning to Riley,


    "Swallow this."


    "Your hand?"


    "No!" Aerith quickly grabbed Riley''s hand, cing something on it.


    Riley picked up the thing with his fingers¨C a pill.


    "...Is this poison, mother?"


    "Why would I try to poison you?" Aerith raised an eyebrow, "Just swa¨C"


    "Okay," and without any more hesitation, Riley swallowed the pill before Aerith could even finish her words.


    "...Oh."


    And before any of them could start talking again, Riley could feel a sort of tingle suddenly surrounding his entire body¨C almost like a million needles lightly drowning him with their blunted tips.


    "You poisoned me?"


    "No," Aerith sighed as she gently grabbed strands of Riley''s hair and ced them in front for Riley to see. And very slowly, Riley noticed that his white hair which reflected even the darkness¡­ slowly started sumbing to that darkness.


    "It''s a pill that permanently changes the color of your hair."


    "..." And as soon as Riley heard that, his eyes started to squint as he red at Aerith.


    "Don''t worry, child," Aerith''s sigh once again whispered into Riley''s ears, "I bought another pill to turn them back to normal. Now the only problem is your skin."


    Aerith also squinted her eyes, but for a different reason.


    Riley''s new hair may have somewhat made him slightly unrecognizable¨C but he was still quite noticeable due to the color of his skin.


    "Why can''t you grow a beard?" Aerith shook her head, "I suppose this will do for now. And finally, onest thing¡­"


    Riley then watched as Aerith once again rummaged through one of the metal crates. If it wasn''t for Riley keeping the things that were being removed from floating away, then there surely would be a lot of trash floating around the space by now.


    "Found it!" Aerith then quickly disappeared from the metal crate, only to appear right in front of Riley with another object in her hand.


    "...What''s that?" Riley slightly floated back as she saw the thing in Aerith''s hands.


    "Toplete your look," Aerith smiled, "Don''t refuse, Riley. This¡­


    ¡­is all part of the n."


    ***


    The Hero Association Tower.


    Previously directly owned by the World Government. But ever since Empress took the highest position, she ordered the creation of an entirely separate department¨C the DSA, Department of Super Affairs.


    Most say it should have been built decades ago, but with the previous governments refusing to give supers a position of authority, even signed petitions werepletely dismissed. But now with a Super as the World Government''s leader, an official department was built with just a snap of a finger.


    And thus, the Hero Association Tower was finally run by actual Supers.


    And in front of that tower, was a girl whose eyes almost twinkled as she stared at the statue of Megawoman that gloriously sat on top of the Hero Association.


    Paige Pearson.


    Her eyes glimmered not only because it was Megawoman''s statue¨C but because of the one that made it.


    Riley Ross¨C one of the heroes that sacrificed himself in defeating the evilest superviin of all time, Darkday.


    She watched it all, Riley''s exploits from the Mega Academy, his entry to the Hero Association¡­ as well as hisst appearance with the aliens.


    It has been more than a year and a half since the First Invasion as well as the Departure of Megawoman, and things¡­


    ¡­Things have started to settle down.


    The threat of aliens still existed, of course¨C but the world could barely feel it anymore because the heroes would make them retreat even before they step foot into their atmosphere.


    And Paige¡­ Paige wanted to be one of them.


    "Here we go," Paige then lightly pped her cheeks several times as she let out a deep breath. She was about to take her first step into the Tower¡­


    "Excuse me."


    But before she could do so, someone else stepped inside first which caused her to halt her steps.


    It was a man.


    His long ck hair, softly waving with the wind as he entered the tower. It was hard to see his face since half of it was covered by a white mask, only allowing his dark eyes to be seen¨C but even then, one could not help but assume that what lies underneath was without a doubt a beauty.


    His white mask that covered his nose and mouth was seemingly connected to the rest of his ivory outfit that finely wrapped around his sharp, lean muscr silhouette.


    A white ninja¨C perhaps was the best description that Paige could think of as he watched the man disappear into the tower.


    "W¡­ wait!" And before the door could slide close, Paige finally recovered from her mild stupor as she caught up with the ck-haired white ninja.


    "Hm?" The man turned around, causing his long silky ck hair to once again flow with the wind.


    "Were we¡­" Paige then muttered as she looked at the man from head to toe, "Were we¡­


    ¡­required to bring our costu¨C I mean outfits?"


    "No."


    And with just a single word, the man once again turned around and walked away¡­ once again causing his hair to flow with the wind. All the eyes inside the lobby, staring at him as he gloriously walked toward the receptionist.


    There was one, however, who was trying her hardest not tough¨C Aerith.


    "Pft."


    After all, the ck-haired white ninja was none other than Riley Ross.

 Chapter 316: Paige Pearson

    Chapter 316: Paige Pearson


    "Pft."


    In truth, even an hour before Riley stepped inside the Hero Association tower, Aerith was already seated inside the lobby. And as soon as Riley entered, she covered her face with a tablet so that people wouldn''t notice the growing smile on her face.


    Most people generally do not know what she looked like¨C and so, just a cap and sunsses, and she was like everyone else. Riley, however, waspletely different as an albino¨C they were even rarer than supers.


    And so, Aerith came up with a n; officially register Riley as a superhero.


    In that way, even if he wore a mask outside 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, no one would even bat an eye. They could have gone with an entire helmet that covered his entire head, but exposing his long ck hair would be better¨C the farther he was from looking like Darkday, the better.


    It was the best n that Aerith came up with, 2nd was not allowing Riley to go outside.


    Riley would probably follow Aerith''s orders¨C but then again, locking Riley inside a room alone would most likely result in him losing his social skills; not really something she wanted from a murder machine.


    And so, here they were¨C with Riley in full outfit as he walked towards the receptionist to register himself¡­ while the others were just in their casual clothing. This was Aerith''s first time in the Hero Association Tower, so she didn''t really know how things were being processed¡­


    ¡­but to think the other people who came to register didn''t wear their desired superhero outfits. Were they not interested in hiding their identities anymore?


    Granted, the number of supers from when she arrived on Earth could not even bepared to their numbers now. As a matter of fact, she read somewhere that most of the babies being born are now more than likely to be a super.


    If it continues like this¡­ wouldn''t humans be considered one of the Higher Races in the future?


    As someone who protected them for hundreds of years, Aerith could not help but be worried, but at the same time¡­ proud for some reason. The humans are not even known by the other races; Earth, not even registered in the Cosmic Codex.


    Without a doubt, Caiin''s doing.


    Just what exactly is she nning with Earth and its people?


    "..." Aerith then shook her head. Now was not the right time to think of such things; because right now, she should be ready to leave with Riley in the blink of an eye if he does something¡­ Riley.


    And right now, Riley was just¡­ in line, waiting for his turn to be assisted. And since he was the only one wearing a superhero outfit, he somewhat stood out. But still, the people didn''t really bother him since most of them were used to seeing people in outfits.


    Well, except for one.


    "Where¡­ did you have your costu¨C I mean outfit made?"


    It was Paige, who was also in line directly behind Riley, "I still don''t have any idea who to trust to make my costume, but I already have several designs and¨C"


    "I apologize, were you talking to me, stranger?"


    And finally, Riley turned around to talk to her.


    "Y¡­ yes, I was just asking where you got your outfit," Paige nodded; trying her best not to be lured by Riley''s dark, almost intoxicating eyes.


    "I got it from another," Riley answered without any hesitation.


    "Just say you don''t want to say it," Paige could only roll her eyes at Riley''s answer; pouting for a few seconds¡­ before once again trying to get Riley''s attention,


    "Come on, why don''t you tell me? I¡­ I''ll say you referred me to them, maybe both of us can get a discount on repairs."


    "I got it from another," Riley once again answered as he nced back at Paige, "It will take half a year if you want something like mine just for the delivery."


    "...Is it that hard to be friendly?" Paige crossed her arms, no longer bothering to talk to Riley anymore. Her eyes, however, started to twitch as she tried her best not to try and start a conversation again; her feet, also fidgeting as she wanted to do something.


    If only she didn''t use her phone to the point the battery died, she could be doing something right now. Who knew there would be a line just to register for the superhero test?


    "..." Her eyes started looking around everywhere, trying to distract herself to prevent her from being agitated from doing nothing.


    "..." Very soon, her fingers started fidgeting; her thumbs, scratching her palms as she softly bit her lip. But finally, before her lips began to chafe, her eyes found something to do.


    "T¡­ that''s the Superhero Ranking!" She blurted out as she pointed toward the image being shown on therge screen behind the receptionist; she covered her mouth immediately, of course. But by then, everyone was already looking at her.


    The awkwardness didn''tst, however, as they all turned towards where she pointed to.


    The Superhero Rankings-- An official list that was made by the Hero Association 3 months after the Departure of Megawoman.


    It was a way to distract the people from all the stressful things that have been happening in the worldtely. Empress was against the idea at first¡­


    ¡­but if the previous Government did something right, it was their way of fooling the masses that everything was alright. And with the threat of the alien invaders, as well as the rise in numbers of named superviins¨C a much-needed distraction was required.


    "Next."


    The Superhero Ranking was simr to the Mega Academy''s student rankings, it was highly dependent on one''s poprity. And right now, the one seating at the top was none other than¡­


    ¡­Megagirl.


    Publicly known to still be the best that the Mega Academy was able to produce. A spitting image of her mother, the greatest superhero the world has ever known, Megawoman.


    She was previously a part of the up-anding superhero team, The Baby Crew-- but left months ago for reason unknown; leaving her brother, Monarch in the team.


    "Next."


    The second one on the list was also from Mega Academy, Golden Fox.


    The third, also from the Mega Academy and Riley Ross''s sister, Nuclear Seraph.


    All women. Paige didn''t go to Mega Academy, but still...


    "So¡­ so cool," Paige''s eyes started to glisten as she looked at the list, "Someday¡­ someday I will find myself on that list."


    "Next! Miss, you''re holding up the line!"


    "But I don''t even have a costume, maybe I should¨C"


    "Excuse me, talkative stranger."


    And before Paige could finish her words, Riley moved in front of her and blocked her view of the rankings.


    "W¡­ what!?" Paige took a few steps back as she could no longer prevent herself from staring at Riley''s dark eyes, "I¡­ I don''t have a boyfriend yet, if that''s what you wanted to ask. But, I don''t really¨C wait, or are you telling me where you got your costume now? Then--"


    "Ma''am! You''re holding up the line."


    "It''s your turn," Riley said as he pointed at the receptionist before walking away.


    Seeing this, Paige blinked a couple of times, before rushing towards the front of the receptionist and giving her several documents.


    "S¡­ Sorry, I¡­ I was talking to someone."


    "..." The receptionist only red at her, before looking at all the documents she presented. From the outside, this might just look like a simple process¨C but in truth, the receptionist was actually the one to decide whether or not you''re qualified to even take the test in the first ce.


    It was more meticulous now than when Riley previously took the test. First, they check your credentials, then psychological evaluation, until finally, the practical tests.


    Riley was able to pass without any problems because Aerith knows a guy that knows a guy who can forge documents¨C only documents from Earth, that is.


    And so, one might even say that this first step was the most important one. And right now¡­


    "It¡­ says here you are diagnosed with ADHD?"


    "Y¡­ yes?" Paige could not help but take in a gulp as she heard the receptionist''s words.


    "I see," the receptionist closed all of the documents as she handed them all back to Paige, "I''m sorry¡­


    ¡­but I can''t allow you to take the test."


    "...What?"

 Chapter 317: Unpredictable

    Chapter 317: Unpredictable


    "It says here you''re diagnosed with ADHD?"


    "Y¡­ yes?"


    "I see. I''m sorry, but I can''t allow you to take the test."


    "...What?"


    Silence. The lobby was filled with noise, but only the whistle of silence entered Paige''s ears. She has dreamed of this moment ever since the establishment of the Tower 2 years ago¡­ and yet now they were telling her that she couldn''t even take the test?


    "But¡­ why?" Paige said as she scoured her documents before giving a paper to the receptionist, "I¡­ I have the doctor''s permission. I don''t see why I''m not allowed to take the test?"


    "Because you''re not allowed."


    "But¨C"


    "Woman, you''ve been holding up the line!" And before Paige could say anything else, one of the people behind her on the line raised his voice.


    "Don''t be a Karen and just leave!"


    "Please, just wait!" Paige turned around and screamed at the onlookers, "Just a minute!"


    "Ma''am, I''m afraid I really can''t let you take the test." The receptionist, however, remained adamant in her decision, "Next!"


    "Wait, please¨C I have all you need, why aren''t you letting me take the test!?" Paige moved to block the receptionist''s view.


    "Maybe because I just don''t like you," the receptionist let out a small sigh as she shook her head.


    "Is it because of my ADHD? Please, I have a letter saying I''m stable enough to take the test!" Paige did not let go, "R¡­ Riley Ross was diagnosed as autistic and he was one of the best¨C"


    "Those were simpler times. And you''re not Riley Ross, are you?"


    "That''s¨C"


    "Don''t make me call security on you, ma''am."


    "Please! I''m not going to leave, just give me the chance to take the test!" Paige almost hugged the counter as she pleaded, "Is¡­ is it wrong for someone like me to want to help people!? I can go out there and be a hero, but then I''ll be arrested since I don''t have a license! Please!"


    "..."


    "It''s not my fault we need a license to be a hero nowadays, so please!" Paige continued to beg.


    Aerith, who was seated and rxing in the lobby, was trying her best not to intervene. She thought that with Empress being the new leader of the World Government, things would at least change¡­


    ¡­but it would seem with everything that''s been going on, superheroes were bing moremercialized in a way. Empress might be nning something in the long run, but it shouldn''t really matter to Aerith, at least not anymore. As far as the world was concerned, she was already lightyears away.


    But still¡­ maybe she should at least help the woman, she seemed sincere enough to¨C


    "!!!"


    And before Aerith could even do anything, she suddenly held her breath¡­ as Riley suddenly returned to the receptionist.


    "W¡­ what are you doing, you idiot?" Aerith could not help but whisper.


    "I think it would be in everyone''s interest that Ms. Pearson takes the test, receptionist."


    "Y¡­ you¡­" Paige, who was still tightly hugging the counter, finally let go as she quicklyposed herself.


    "...And why is that?" The receptionist raised an eyebrow as she heard Riley''s words.


    "Because this is usually how viins are born, receptionist," Riley then confidently said as he nodded his head several times, "One of the viins in Italian Mafia Reborn became evil because he was rejected by the protagonist''s team."


    "...What?" Even Paige was a little confused.


    "If you reject her now and she bes a viin, then you would be responsible for creating a viin," Riley continued to nod as his long ck silky hair flowed with his head,


    "And as a receptionist of the Hero Association Tower¡­


    ¡­you might get fired."


    And with those words, Riley left as quickly as he arrived¨C leaving not only the receptionist but even the ones in line speechless. For some reason¡­ he sort of made sense.


    As for Paige, she could only really look at Riley''s back, before slowly turning her head towards the receptionist. And as soon as their eyes met, the receptionist let out a small sigh before handing her some sort of card.


    "Don''t lose that," the receptionist shook her head.


    "This is¡­" Paige instinctively took the card.


    "Your registration number, don''t lose it. Next!"


    "Y¡­ yes!" Paige quickly walked away, afraid that the receptionist might take the number back. And immediately, her eyes darted throughout the lobby, trying to find Riley to say her thanks. And finally, after almost a minute of searching, she found him sitting on one of the chairs¡­ beside a woman.


    "Oh¡­" Paige''s feet halted; her eyes, looking back and forth between the ck-haired white ninja and the woman beside her. But after a few seconds, she approached anyway.


    "T¡­ thank you," she quickly said as she stood in front of Riley, "If¡­ if it wasn''t for you, then my dream of bing a superhero would have probably ended there and then."


    "I am only helping my fellow people in the spectrum, Ms. Pearson."


    "Ri¨C Adam!" Aerith almost covered Riley''s mouth,


    "H¡­ have you forgotten we''re hiding your true identity?" She then whispered.


    "..." Seeing this, Paige could only let out a subtle sigh as she slightly took a step back, "I¡­ I''m not going to disturb you and your¡­ girlfriend anymore. Thank you again, Adam."


    "She''s my mother," Riley breathed out. And as soon as he said that, Aerith almost pped her own face. As for Paige, the edges of her lips slightly rose.


    "I¡­ I see," Paige stuttered, "If it''s alright, can¡­ can I sit with you guys?"


    "No," Riley quickly answered.


    "It''s okay," Aerith chuckled as she slightly pricked Riley''s leg, "Please, it''s always nice to talk to future superheroes."


    "Ah, thank you!" Paige smiled as she took a seat next to Riley; before her legs suddenly started fidgeting as she looked around,


    "I''m actually a little nervous. I don''t know if my powers are enough to pass."


    "Why? What''s your power?"


    "Uhm¡­ I''m a little shy," Paige scratched her cheek as she chuckled, but before Aerith could say anything else¨C


    "I have the ability to turn my thoughts into reality."


    Aerith almost choked in her own saliva as soon as she heard Paige''s words. Even Riley, who was skimming on the tablet Aerith was using earlier, could not help but turn their attention toward her.


    "..." Paige furrowed her eyebrows as she realized the two were suddenly staring at her; but after a few seconds, she widened her eyes and burst out inughter,


    "Oh, it''s not like that," she chuckled, "I can only turn them into 3D images, like a hologram except¡­ solid for me?"


    "...Solid how?" Aerith asked.


    "Only I can interact with them," Paige then opened up her palm; and as she did so, a sword suddenly appeared in the air,


    "I can touch them," she said as she grabbed the sword,


    "But that''s just it," she then swung the sword towards the table, only for it to go through,


    "I¡­ I know, it looks cool. But they''re not really that useful."


    "That''s actually a very powerful ability, Ms. Pearson," Riley then returned the tablet to Aerith as he stared at Paige from head to toe, "One of the most powerful I have seen. Have you ever killed anyone with it?"


    "...What?" Paige blinked a couple of times, "...No. What?"


    "You should¨C"


    [Numbers 69 to 89, please go to the 12th floor for evaluation.]


    "Ah, that''s us!"


    And thankfully for Aerith, before Riley could say anything else¨C their number was called. She could only let out a breath of relief as she watched Riley and Paige leave; still¡­


    ¡­she was starting to have doubts about whether or not they could continue with this n.


    Riley is just¡­ too unpredictable.


    She told him not to use his telekinesis and cloning powers-- whether or not Riley would follow suit, however, was another matter. Even when they were fighting, the only powers he actually used were those two plus his size-altering ability.


    He said that he had around more or less a hundred, but he doesn''t use them because all he really needs is his telekinesis... which Aerith couldn''t really disagree with.


    Aerith suggested him to just use super-strength and speed since he looked like some sort of sci-fi ninja with his new outfit, but Riley said that would be too boring.


    ...And that truly worries her.


    All of these just so Riley would be allowed to wear a mask out in the public... was it really worth the risk?

 Chapter 318: Stupor

    Chapter 318: Stupor


    "What are you going to do once you be a hero?"


    "..."


    Riley and Paige were currently in a room¡­ along with 18 other registrants; seated in chairs and lined up in front of 3 people that served as their interviewers. Most of them thought that the psychological evaluation would be a 1-on-1 thing, but to think all 20 registrants were in the same room at once¡­


    ¡­this made those even with the most confidence slightly ufortable.


    The rules were simple¨C answer the questions of the interviewers in 10 words or less. How they were going to be evaluated just with that, the registrants had no idea.


    Riley and Paige were number 85 and 86 respectively, and right now, it was number 84 being asked a question; and like those who went before him, the drumming of his heart was loud enough to be heard in the room.


    But finally, after a few more seconds, he took in a deep breath and answered,


    "I¡­ I will try to save everyone."


    "Hm¡­" The three interviewers didn''t even look at each other and just started writing and scribbling down on the notes in front of them¨C whether or not that was a sufficient answer, no one knows; after all, almost everyone said the same answer.


    "No. 85, what are you going to do once you be a hero?" The interviewers then stopped writing as they looked at the only one that was wearing a superhero outfit among all the registrants.


    "Help an old woman cross the road without her suffering."


    Hearing Riley answer without any hesitation, causing the pens of the interviewers that were about to touch the paper to halt mid-air; their eyes, not leaving Riley even for a second.


    "..." The other registrants also looked at each other, trying their best not to whisper as they heard Riley''s answer. No. 85''s answer was¡­ oddly specific. But if one were to take a deep look at his words, it seemed quite¡­ endearing, in a way.


    The interviewers seem to also think the same as they nodded their heads and finally started writing on their paper with a slight smile on their faces.


    "No. 86, What¨C"


    "Y¡­ Yes!"


    And before the interviewers could repeat their question, Paige suddenly stood up from her seat; her body, almost as straight as a pir.


    "...You don''t have to stand up."


    "R¡­ right," Paige''s eyes almost widened as she quickly sat back down; almost tumbling as the chair slightly moved backward. Lucky for her, the chair suddenly moved back to its ce for some reason.


    "No. 86¡­"


    "..." Paige was trying her best not to speak before the interviewers finished their question. They have been repeating the same question over and over again, so why did they have to repeat them each time?


    "...What are you going to do once you be a hero?"


    "I¨C"


    Paige already had an answer in her mind. In fact, she was ready to answer. But as soon as she opened her mouth, it was as if her mind became a mess¨C with all sorts of thoughts not rted to the test entering her mind.


    "I¡­ uhm¡­" Paige started fidgeting in her seat as she looked around; her foot, tapping the ground repeatedly as she searched for an answer, "W¡­ wait, I¡­"


    "..." The interviewers started squinting their eyes; watching as Paige started almost shivering in her seat.


    "Someone had too much cocaine," someone then suddenly whispered from the registrants. But due to the room being the size and shape that it is, his whisper almost traveled to everyone''s ears¨C garnering mixed reactions.


    Most, however, were trying their best not to let out a snicker.


    "N¡­ no, I¡­" Paige started looking at everyone, once again scratching her palms.


    "...If you don''t have an answer we¨C"


    "Sacrifice!" And before the interviewer could move on to the next registrant, Paige once again stood up from her seat,


    "I will always put the people first, even if it means losing my life!"


    "..." And with that answer, any noise or snickers that wereing from the other registrantspletely dwindled away. None of them could really react; as from Paige''s voice and expression, she¡­ was dead serious.


    "That''s more than 10 words," said one of the interviewers, however.


    "W¡­ what? Then¡­ then, uh¡­"


    "It''s fine, you may take your seat, No. 86."


    "Y¡­ Yes!"


    Paige rested her back on her seat once again; her mind, however, was filled with all sorts of thoughts that made it hard to even hear anything anymore. All she could hear were whistles and her thoughts running wild.


    This¡­ was not good. It wasn''t time for her to drink her meds yet. Or was it? What time is it, anyway? Could it be that she forgot to drink her meds? When is this going to be over? If she checks the clock or drinks her pills, would the interviewer notice?


    "No. 86."


    Wait, what if there was another question? They asked all of them together probably to save time, wouldn''t that mean there were more questions? Wait, how would she even check the clock if her phone was already dead?


    Numerous thoughts circled in Paige''s mind; she tried closing her eyes, but it made the thoughts even worse.


    "No. 86!"


    "Yes!?" Paige then stood up; her eyes, however, quickly widened as she saw¡­ the words and letters that were floating and circling around her head¡­ as well as blue dancing pills.


    "N¡­ no," Paige waved them away, causing them to scatter throughout the room; with most of the people jumping out of their seats and evading. The only one that didn''t move was Riley, who just let the pill fly through him.


    "I¡­ I''m sorry!"


    "Drink your meds."


    And as Paige was starting to panic, one of the interviewers stood up; getting a cup of water from the dispenser and handing it to Paige.


    "T¡­ thank you," Paige was trying her best not to let out a tear as she grabbed her pill box; immediately drinking her pills before running towards the garbage can and throwing the paper cup there.


    "Thank you," she once again thanked the interviewer as they both returned to their seats. Turns out, however, she didn''t need to as the evaluation was over with just a single question. The interviewers didn''t even say anything else and just asked all of them to proceed to the next and final test¨C the practical exam.


    It would seem she wouldn''t know if she failed or not until everything was over. But she made a mess of herself and the other registrants¡­ At this point, it would be a miracle if she passes the test.


    Now that she was calming down, the only thing that was circling in her mind was regret.


    This was supposed to be her big day. But s, she ruined it. The only thing she could really do was follow the others to thest test.


    The test was previously held on separate floors depending on what type of ability you have and was reliant on how strong one''s ability was; but nowadays, that was proven ineffective. As in the real world, there were many factors that affect one''s ability to be a hero or save people.


    It absolutely didn''t have anything to do with a certain contestant plucking out a huge chunk of the building and making a statue out of it as a disy of his power.


    Now, the registrants wouldn''t actually know what the practical test was until they''re on-site¨C it changes each time and is solely decided by the examiner to prevent the registrants from actually preparing for the test and doing better than they usually would if they were outside in the real world.


    Of course, all of these didn''t matter to Paige anymore as she was sure she would be failing based on the psychological evaluation alone. She caused a scene in the lobby, and she caused another one in the evaluation¨C she was done.


    Maybe she should just overdose on her pills and get this over with. If she can''t be a hero, then she might as well die so that she wouldn''t be a burden to anyone and¨C


    "No. 86!"


    "Y¡­ yes!?"


    Paige''s number was suddenly called, waking her up from the mild stupor that she once again found herself in.


    "Go join No. 85 on the stage."


    "Stage? What stage?"


    Paige then looked around, only to see arge marble-like stage in front of her, with Riley already standing on it. She had no idea what was happening, but still, she stepped on the stage so as to not bother anyone anymore.


    It was then, however, that she saw some of the registrants on stretchers or being tended to by medics.


    "Adam¡­ what''s going on?" She then whispered as she stood close to Riley.


    "The practical test, Ms. Pearson."


    "Hm?" Paige then looked towards where Riley was pointing to, "Why¡­ is a yoga ball on stage?"


    "I''ll exin the rules again!"


    Paige then quickly looked towards the examiner, who was now standing on the stage with them,


    "You need to keep the ball on your side of the stage for as long as possible," the examiner then walked towards the center of the stage, standing on top of a red line that separated the tform right in half,


    "Once the ball passes on your side, time will start adding on your side. If the ball falls on your side, that would be a huge penalty on your time. You are allowed to be anywhere on the stage, you are allowed to fight your opponent for the ball. If, however, the ball explodes¡­


    ¡­both of you will fail the entire test."

 Chapter 319: A Castle

    Chapter 319: A Castle


    "...I didn''t understand anything."


    Paige was now standing opposite Riley, with the yoga ball right between them at the very center of the stage.


    "So¡­ I just need to keep the ball on my side of the stage¡­ but if it pops, we both fail?"


    "Are the two of you ready?"


    "W¡­ wait!" Paige raised her hand as soon as the examiner approached, "The one that loses¡­ will¡­ will fail the test instantly?"


    "...No, I already exined that earlier," the examiner could only let out a sigh as he approached the ball, "You''re being evaluated based on your performance. The only guarantee of your failure is if the ball pops."


    "Seems¡­ simple enough," Paige took a small gulp, before finally staring at the opponent that was chosen for her. She didn''t really know what to feel right now, as it was the ck-haired white ninja who helped her proceed with the test in the first ce¡­ but now they had to fight.


    Since winning or losing didn''t matter, it shouldn''t really be a problem¡­ but seeing as how there were a few being tended to by the medics, some of the shes became violent.


    The only problem here was that her opponent knew what her power was, but she still had no idea what kind of super Riley was¨C the only thing he knows about him is his name, Adam and that he came here with his mother.


    Why was she even thinking about that right now? Focus, Paige¡­ Focus.


    "Are the two of you ready?"


    "Y¡­ yes!" Paige nodded. And as she did so, Riley also nodded his head.


    "Okay¡­


    ¡­you may begin!"


    And as soon as the examiner waved his hand, Paige immediately leaped in the air; and on her back, two rockets instantly materialized out of nowhere. There was absolutely no sound at all; the st from the rockets that would otherwise blow away all the dust or the examiner''s hair didn''t happen.


    And without even a blink of an eye, Paige was already in front of the ball, hugging it as the rockets on her back turned into a pair of wings that suddenly bounced her back to her ce. And once again, even though the span of the wings almost covered the entire width of the stage, not even a single gust of wind whispered in the air.


    Even the examiner, who was toote to dodge the wings that suddenly emerged on the ring, was slightly surprised as the feathers just passed through him; not even blowing a single strand of his hair.


    "I¡­ I got it," Paige then turned her eyes towards Riley, only to see him not even moving from his spot. He wasn''t really doing anything, but there were almost a million things that were circling in Paige''s head as to what he could be doing.


    But nheless, Paige slightly gritted her teeth as¡­ a small castle nketed her side of the ring;pletely covering her from everyone''s view; the only one that was able to see her was the examiner, who was inside the mini-castle with her.


    The examiner, however, could not help but smile as he saw 12 other yoga balls that werepletely identical to each other scattered in the castle.


    The examiner then passed through the castle to see what Riley was doing, only to see him just standing there. He did say it didn''t matter whether you win or not, but at this point, he wouldn''t even be able to evaluate the ck-haired white ninja since he hasn''t even shown his power once.


    He just stood there with his eyes closed, seemingly without a care in the world. Paige, who was looking through the window she made, could not help but furrow her eyebrows as she saw this.


    "Are you¡­ letting me win?" Paige whispered, "I¡­ I don''t need that, Adam. Please, you don''t have to hold back just because¨C"


    And before she could finish her words, Riley finally opened his eyes¡­ which were now glowing in a white color. He then very slightly lifted both his arms to the side, and with the opening of his palms, came a sh.


    A sh of light that caused almost everyone in the hall to close their eyes. But as soon as they were once again able to see, all of them found Riley suddenly holding swords in both of his hands¨C glowing the same way as his eyes.


    "..." They then heard a sizzle whisper in the air, followed by a trail of smokeing from the tip of Riley''s swords as they touched the floor of the ring,pletely shaving it off.


    "Fuck¡­ that''s cool," Paige forced a chuckle as she removed all the windows in her castle. But as soon as she did so, however, the temperature behind her suddenly rose. She didn''t even have to look back to know¡­ that the white ninja was already behind her.


    "Wh¨C"


    "Push the ball to my side, or I am going to pop it, Ms. Pearson," Riley then whispered.


    "W¡­ what? Are you crazy!? Then both of us will fail!"


    "I know, Ms. Pearson. But being a hero seems more important to you than me, I can always just stay locked up inside a room until my mother finishes whatever it is she is doing."


    "...What? But¨C"


    Paige was about to say something, but before she could do so, the castle was suddenly drowned in white; several des of light, floating in front of all the yoga balls and were only feet away from puncturing them.


    Paige could only bite her lip as she thought of ways to get out of her predicament. But s, as soon as the des moved an inch, she canceled all of the other yoga balls and removed the castle; leaving only one ball sitting on the ring again.


    "Threats aren''t a hero thing, you know," Paige then let out a sigh as she pushed the yoga ball towards Riley''s side, "See? I told you my powers aren''t anything special. Once anyone gets close to me that''s it, I''m like woosh, dead. Well, I could probably escape by growing wings again, but you know what I mean? There''s like this¨C"


    "Ms. Pearson."


    "Yes?"


    "Push the ball to my side."


    "...What do you mean? It''s already on your si¨C What are you doing!?"


    And before Paige could even finish her words, the light sword on Riley''s hand floated in the air¡­ and flew straight towards the yoga ball¡­


    pletely melting and shaving off the ground; the yoga ball, however, waspletely intact and didn''t even move.


    "...Fuck," Paige could only shake her head as the yoga ball slowly faded. And from behind her, another yoga ball appeared,


    "Fuck!" Paige then kicked the yoga ball towards Riley''s side of the ring; the frustration in her voice almost drowned the entire hall, "See!? Useless fucking power! How did you even know that I was hiding the original ball, like¡­ are you also some kind of esper or something!?"


    "No, I just heard it move," Riley said as he walked in front of Paige; looking at her straight in the eyes,


    "Your powers are strong, Ms. Pearson. I would very much like to have it in the future."


    "It would be stronger if I''m not the only one that could actually interact with it," Paige rolled her eyes as she sat on the floor and pouted, "It might as well just be illusions or something."


    "Hm," Riley then turned towards the examiner, who quickly nodded as their eyes met. Even if the two continued to battle it out, the results were just going to be obvious. Paige could probably just fly in the air and carry the ball, but then again, the white ninja''s powers were also long-ranged.


    This match was over.


    "Damn it!" Paige could only groan in frustration as she stepped out of the ring,


    "I thought I was going to win for sure, ack!" She then started scratching her air; the words she uttered, now emerging from her mouth and scattering in the air. She didn''t even notice the other registrants staring at her; some seemingly wanting to talk as they were awed by her performance.


    But s, she could not hear anything else but her thoughts. Well, all except for one voice, that is.


    "Ms. Pearson, do you need to drink your medicine again?"


    "...No."


    The words floating around her instantly disappeared as she turned to look at Riley.


    "Have you tried not drinking your medicine and letting your power run free, Ms. Pearson?"


    "Pft," Paige almost burst out inughter as she heard Riley''s words, "Thest time I tried that, I almost killed myself from all the suicidal thoughts popping out of my head, literally. Did you know, there was this one time that I summoned this huge boulder on top¡­"


    And there she goes. Once again, Paige was stuck in her own world as she almost told her life story to Riley; not even bothering to watch the remaining registrants duke it out.


    And finally, after everyone was done; they were asked to return to the lobby and wait for the results.


    "...Good job, you two." And as soon as they were back, Aerith gave the two of them drinks. She didn''t really want to eavesdrop¡­ but she heard everything that happened during the test¨C after all, she wanted to make sure Riley wouldn''t do anything¡­ Riley.


    She had no idea what sort of power Riley showed during the test, but seeing as no one was dead, then it should be fine.


    "So, how is it?"


    "The results will be announced in an hour, mother."


    "W¨C" And before Aerith could say another word, her eyes widened as she immediately returned to her sofa and started hiding her face with her tablet. Paige wondered what was wrong with her, but before she could even ask¨C the lobby suddenly became noisier.


    "Is¡­ is it her!? Why is she here!?"


    "Empress! Empress, we love you!"


    And while everyone else was cheering, Aerith tried her best to stay incognito.


    "What¡­ is she even doing here?"

 Chapter 320: B for Best

    Chapter 320: B for Best


    "What''s wrong, mothe¨C"


    "You don''t know me!"


    Riley was about to approach Aerith when she let herself sink onto the sofa; tilting her cap down and burying her face with her tablet, "Just get your card, and let''s go."


    "The results aren''t going to be until¨C"


    "Oh my god, it''s Empress!"


    Riley''s words were instantly disrupted by Paige''s almost deafening voice; even with all the people already screaming, her voice still stood above the rest as soon as she saw Empress walk into the tower.


    "Adam, it''s Empress!" She then nced at Riley before running away, "Let''s go! Maybe we could ask for a picture! Come on!"


    "..." Riley also nced at Paige as she left, before slowly turning his head towards Aerith¡­ who was already shaking her head repeatedly; mouthing that he should just stay.


    "What are you doing?"


    Ever so slowly, however, Riley''s feet moved. And with a small smile subtly growing on his face, he followed Paige. And as soon as he did so, the tablet that Aerith was holding cracked into pieces.


    She was over a thousand years old¨C she literally calls one of the''s oldest religious leaders a child. She was supposed to be the old wise wizard, and yet she finds herself almost acting not even a percent of her age when ites to Riley.


    Aerith then immediately grabbed one of the magazines that were lying on the table in front of her to once again hide her face. Even if she was already wearing a cap and sunsses and would probably not be recognized by the masses, it was different with Empress.


    She had been with her long enough that she would probably recognize her at first nce even with all of the things covering her head. She was about to take a nce at Riley and what he was doing, but before she could do so, something in the magazine distracted her.


    It was an article. An article about Darkday¡­


    ¡­and how humanity needed him more than Megawoman.


    "..." Aerith skimmed on the article to read what it says, but ultimately, it had a clear message.


    Darkday showed humanity the true face of supers. The threat they bring to the world if they do not fall in line. While Megawoman made the worldfortable, making thempletely reliant on superheroes and supers in general.


    It also showed a statistic¨C the crimes rting to supers during Megawoman''s absence; with even written interviews from viins saying they feared Darkday more, showing that the number of crimes was significantly lower when Darkday was just the big bad flying in the skies.


    "..." Wasn''t this also indirectly calling Megawoman a ''big bad''?


    Aerith then looked at the name of the one who wrote the article, only for the writer to be anonymous. Of course, Aerith didn''t really care much about how the people perceived her¡­


    ¡­but she could not help but feel that something was building up. Of course, this could just be nothing¨C but considering it was published in a popr magazine; perhaps someone was stirring something up?


    She would have probably ignored it¡­ but since it has a photo of Gary, as well as Silvie, who she announced in public was also her daughter since she was her clone¨C this was clearly targeting them.


    Targeting the children of Megawoman, no. Targeting superheroes themselves¡­ but why?


    And before Aerith could specte even more; she could no longer adjust her hearing as the screaming and cheering of the people became even more intense; almost to the point that it shook the entire tower. And with someone like Aerith, who could probably hear someone from the next city if she truly wanted to, this was a nightmare¨C and she was already wearing ear plugs.


    This is all her disciple''s fault. Why would Empress evene here despite her position in society? Pretty soon, however, her question was answered as Empress stepped onto the empty stage ced on the side of the lobby¨C no, she wasn''t going to y the piano¡­


    ¡­but giving the license to the new heroes.


    It made it extremely hard for Aerith to eavesdrop since everyone was talking at the same time; but if she was right, then the Tower has Empress as a guest right now¨C most probably to lure or give confidence to the aspiring heroes.


    ¡­But why now of all times? There were many other days of the week¨C heck, Aerith and Riley should have been gone for almost 2 years¡­ and she does this now?


    And considering the surprise of the people and even some of the staff, she doesn''t do this regrly; it might even be her first time.


    So why now¡­ right when Aerith and Riley were here? And so, Aerith could do nothing but also stand up and join the crowd¨C after all, she would be more exposed sitting alone on a sofa while one of the greatest heroes stood on stage.


    She made sure she was quite a distance away from both Empress and Riley, however. And speaking of which¡­


    ¡­Riley and Paige were right in front of the stage. Aerith specifically asked Riley not to stand out, and he seemed to be doing just the bare minimum of that. At this point, Aerith was truly wondering if Riley wasn''t just messing with her. In fact, he even overheard her saying something rted to his favorite cartoons earlier.


    [Good afternoon, aspiring heroes¨C no, heroes.]


    And before Aerith could specte more, Empress finally started talking to the people.


    [I wish I could stay here for a little bit more. But sadly, they need me up there.]


    "..." She didn''t even say something funny, but the people started chuckling.


    [So let''s be quick, I am sure most of you want to go home anyway.]


    And without even any dy, Empress started calling those who passed the Superhero Test.


    And the very first name she called¡­


    [Paige, ss B!]


    "T¡­ that''s me!" And without even waiting to be called, Paige leaped onto the stage¨C shaking Empress''s hands repeatedly.


    "C¡­ congrattions," Empress didn''t really retract her hand, only smiling at Paige as she handed her the license¡­ Paige, however, suddenly embraced her.


    "How!? How did I pass!? Thank you, thank you very much!" Paige then said as she started jumping up and down while still embracing Empress, almost hitting her chin several times with her forehead,


    "I really thought I was going to fail. And I''m the first one being called? How is that even possible!? Do you know!?"


    "...Just take the win," Empress could only shake her head and sigh as she finally gently pushed away Paige like she was a child, "I noticed you didn''t choose a superhero name?"


    "N¡­ no, is that bad?" Paige quickly ced her license in her pocket in fear of Empress snatching it back, "I¡­ I wanted to be like Riley Ross."


    "..." And as soon as she heard Riley''s name, a small gasp suddenly escaped her mouth. It was quiet, but everyone noticed it.


    From the outside, it would have looked like it was a sudden pang of guilt. In the public''s eyes¨C Riley, a young hero, sacrificed his life for the world; and Empress was there to witness it.


    Just what kind of regret did she have in her eyes?-- were the people''s thoughts.


    In truth, however, Empress was just shocked to hear Riley''s name. It was sort of a taboo in her inner circle to even utter his name¨C especially since she has been meeting with the Baby Crew a lottely.


    Megawoman, her, and the rest of who knew who Riley Ross truly was decided to keep it from the world that he was Darkday just for a single fact¨C to protect Hannah Ross.


    "I¡­ I see," Empress then finally nodded as she asked Paige to stand on the side of the stage. Paige immediately brought back her license again, looking at it with her eyes literally glimmering. She then turned her eyes towards Riley, waving the license at him and mouthing something.


    [And for the next one¡­] Empress was finally able to continue announcing those who passed the tests,


    [Paragon, also B-ss!]


    And as soon as she said that, Paige stopped waving at Riley as she almost started to squeal. How could she not, when he was now making his way to the stage?


    "I see you already expected to pass the test," Empress could not help but smile as soon as she saw Riley walk towards her, already in full outfit.


    "Well, I did it once before, Miss Empress. It stands to reason I will do it again."


    "...What?"


    Aerith, who was focusing her ears on Riley and Empress, almost choked in her own breaths right there and then. That was it¨C that was all the Aerith needed to hear to know that Riley was just pretending that he lost his memories.


    As for Empress, she could really only express her confusion as Paragon grabbed the license from her hand; joining Paige on the side without even saying another word.


    She stood there for a couple of seconds in silence; Aerith, focusing on her heart to know what she was feeling. But considering the drumming of Empress''s heart just seemed normal, it would seem she didn''t notice anything¡­ and was probably just weirded out.


    And finally, after a few seconds, Empress once again turned towards the audience and¡­


    [And that''s it. The rest of you who failed, don''t be disheartened¨C you can still take the test after a month.]


    "What!? Only two passed!?"


    "I could understand Paragon, but her!? She¨C"


    And before theints of the other registrants became even louder, Empress stepped down the stage. Not even saying and only ring at those thatined before gesturing to Paige and Riley to go down the stage and start signing some papers.


    "..." Aerith was about to approach Riley and tell him to hurry up, but before she could do so¡­


    ¡­Empress walked in front of her.


    Aerith quickly tilted her head down, making sure her cap was still covering her face; fortunately for her, due to Empress''s height, that wasn''t hard to do.


    "E¡­ Empress, such an honor," Aerith then cheered to blend in; making sure to increase the pitch of her voice to make her unrecognizable.


    Unfortunately for her, Empress stopped to shake the hands of some of the people from the crowd.


    "..." Why was she doing this now? Empress has never been the type to be seen in public. Did being in a position of power already changed her that much?


    And very slowly, Aerith made an effort to gently back away¨C it was easy for someone like her, after all.


    But s, before she could even take a single step backward, Empress suddenly grabbed her hand.


    "S¡­ such an honor¨C" Aerith was going to repeat her words¡­ but felt Empress''s grip growing stronger by the moment. Aerith quickly turned her eyes towards Empress, only to see her smiling at her.


    "You''ve never been one for disguises," Empress whispered,


    "...And you''re an even worse liar."

 Chapter 321: Revelations

    Chapter 321: Revtions


    "Adam, what''s wrong?"


    "I am, Ms. Pearson."


    "...Huh?"


    The scratching of Paige''s pen abruptly stopped as her eyes focused on Riley. The two were signing papers as thest step to them in bing official superheroes. But as soon as Paige noticed that Riley¡­ was not even looking at the paper even though he seemed to be signing without any problems, Paige could not help but be curious.


    Paige then turned her eyes to where Riley was looking, only to see him looking at where his mother was previously at.


    "She''ll be fine," Paige then gently ced her hand on Riley''s arm, and as soon as she did so, Riley finally moved his head and looked at her hand almost without any dy. His eyebrows became slightly tensed, but he did not really move away as he just looked at Paige.


    "Please remove your hand, Ms. Pearson."


    "R¡­ right, sorry," Paige stuttered as she quickly returned to signing her papers, "I¡­ I have problems with boundaries."


    "I was told I have the same problem, Ms. Pearson," Riley only shook his head as he too continued signing the form, "I thought you were quite different from me since you seem quite friendly, but it would seem people in the spectrum are rarely different."


    "I''m¡­ not really in the spectrum," Paige blinked a couple of times, "...Wait, is ADHD considered¨C wait¡­ You''re on the spectrum, like Riley Ross!?"


    "..." Riley looked at Paige for a few seconds, before proceeding to shake his head, "No, I lied."


    "..." Paige squinted her eyes as she stared at Riley for a couple of seconds¡­ before just shrugging her shoulders and finishing the form.


    "And that''s it. The two of you are officially superheroes now. There are a lot of rules that you need to take note of, but you can read and learn them as you go. Just don''t cause any troubles¡­"


    And right after they passed the form, the man processing them started talking and telling stories about the previous registrants that had their licenses revoked due to breaking thew. The process of getting a license may be simple, but the process of losing them was even simpler.


    Break a singlew, even as much as crossing the road improperly, then your license will be suspended and will immediately be sent into review for cancetion. They were, however, more lenient towards those that were ss-A; with ss-S even exempt in somews.


    "We did it," Paige then raised her license card in the air as they returned back to the lobby, "We''re heroes, Adam."


    "No, Ms. Pearson. We''re not."


    "What? What do you mean!? We''re heroes now!"


    "No," Riley shook his head, "A hero saves people. We have not yet saved people."


    "...Shit," Paige then lowered her hands as she looked to the ground, "You''re right¡­


    ¡­then let''s immediately go out there and save some people!"


    "W¨C"


    "Follow me, Paragon! Together, we will be known¡­


    ¡­as PP, Paige and Paragon!"


    "..."


    "Or maybe¡­ Double P? PPendables? P and P?" Paige then suddenly started talking to herself, "...Now that I am thinking about it, it doesn''t sound too appealing, doesn''t it?"


    "PP sounds nice, Paige."


    "No, it doesn''t," Paige then started shaking her hair, "Doesn''t matter. We can think about thatter. For now, let''s go save some people. Hurry up, Paragon!"


    "..." Riley could only really watch as Paige suddenly ran away; ncing at him from time to time to see if he was following her. But as soon as Paige realized that he wasn''t, she stopped and started waving at him.


    As for Riley, he was busy trying to look for Aerith, only to find she was no longer in the lobby. Riley saw grabbing Aerith''s hand earlier¡­ could it be the two were together?


    "..." Riley once again scanned the lobby, but as soon as he confirmed that Aerith truly was not there anymore¡­ he shrugged his shoulders and finally followed Paige out of the tower.


    As soon as he stepped out of the tower, however, he saw Paige being surrounded by several people; all shing cameras at her¨C some handing her business cards. Riley was about to approach, but before he could do so, he suddenly also found himself surrounded by the media.


    "We¡­ we''re suddenly famous, Paragon. Look¡­ look how many superhero agencies want to meet me," Paige then showed the dozen business cards in her hands. They also tried handing cards to Riley, but he ignored all of them and just walked his way through the crowd; not even stopping for pictures.


    Paige seemed to still want to stay but just followed Riley as she saw him leaving.


    "W¡­ where do we go?" Paige then said; the tremble of her voice clear for everyone to hear, "There are so many superheroes nowadays, but the people that need saving seem to remain the same for some reason. Do you think the viins are getting more activetely? I read in an article that¨C"


    And before Paige could finish her words, Riley walked away.


    "H¡­ Hey! Where are you going!?" A random electric scooter suddenly appeared in front of Paige as she quickly made her way in front of Riley, "I thought we will be sticking to each other for a while!? P and P!"


    "I don''t remember agreeing on that, Paige."


    "You said you liked the name, though," Paige squinted her eyes, "Anyway, it doesn''t matter. Where are you going? I''ll just tag along¡­


    ¡­I don''t really have anywhere to go home to anyway."


    "I don''t know where I am going, Paige."


    "...Are you just going to ignore thest part of my sentence?"


    "Yes, Paige," Riley nodded as he started looking around. He was wearing a superhero outfit, but besides some curious nces and a snap here and there¨C no one really approached him. It would seem Aerith''s n of hiding his identity is working.


    "A¡­ anyway, we should leave this street first, it''s so crowded. Ack, New York, this ce gives me the heebie-jeebies."


    Paige then pped her hands, and as soon as she did so, the electric scooter suddenly¡­ morphed into some sort of jet-ski¡­ a floating jet-ski.


    "Come on," Paige then said as she snuggled her buttocks on the seat, "You can''t really ride it, but you can just grab onto me and we''ll make it look like you are. Technically, you''re riding me."


    "..."


    "Not in that sense, though. Please don''t misunderstand. Although maybe along the way as we develop our friendship, we can arrange something to¨C"


    "It''s fine, Paige."


    "What do you mean it''s fine? If we walk, it''ll be a while until we¨C"


    And before Paige could finish her words, Riley''s feet suddenly left the ground.


    "Wait¡­ wait¡­ You can fly!?" Paige screamed, causing everyone that wasn''t already staring at them to stare at them, "Why¡­ why didn''t you show that earlier? You might have been promoted to A-ss!"


    "I didn''t need to use it against you, Paige."


    "...What? Wait, are you roasting me right now? It''s not my fault that my abilities are mostly for show and¨C"


    "It''s not for show, Paige. I could think of a hundred different ways on how you can use it to kill people and torture people."


    And with those words, Riley flew to the sky.


    "W¡­ wait!" Almost leaving Paige behind. But as soon as several rockets started appearing on her back, she was able to quickly follow behind Riley.


    "Your ability truly is powerful, Paige."


    "What was that!?" Paige could not help but scream as she couldn''t even hear her own voice from the violent wind that was threatening to blow away their faces.


    "Your ability truly is powerful, Paige," Riley repeated his words as he slowed down; the clouds around them, almost hiding Riley''s ivory outfit; if it weren''t for his dark eyes, eyebrows, and hair¨C then he would have definitelypletely blended himself with the clouds.


    "...It''s just okay," Paige also did the same, ditching the rockets on her back, "It''s actually quite ironic. If this ability was gifted to another person, then he or she would have definitely maximized it to its fullest potential. But no, it just had to be to a person with a condition like me."


    "..."


    "That''s why when Riley Ross appeared, I somewhat felt empowered, you know," Paige sighed as she looked at the blue horizon, "He has autism, and yet he still had this sense of heroism to the point that he sacrificed his own life just to save other people."


    "This¡­ Riley Ross," Riley then let out a whisper as he too, looked towards the horizon, "I feel like the people didn''t really understand him."


    "That''s most likely the case for people like us¡­ Of course, one could argue that he won the gene and family lottery as well. Son of Ms. Phoenix, adopted by Whiteking," Paige once again sighed, "I would probably also turn into a great and kind hero if one of my parents is one of the greats¡­ not to mention he has two."


    "W¨C"


    "You know¡­ I was in a mental institute just years ago."


    "I didn''t really ask, Paige."


    "It was hard," Paige seemed topletely ignore Riley''s words as she continued to tell her story; her eyes, almost watering as a pair of napkins suddenly appeared in her hands, "My own parents¡­


    ¡­they thought I was crazy."

 Chapter 322: Unpredictable

    Chapter 322: Unpredictable


    10 years ago, somewhere deep within the outskirts of a certain city in bama, an orphanage stood.


    St. risse Orphanage.


    The orphanage seemed like any other establishment out there; built from an abandoned church, a nice front yard, gated for security,rge grass spaces for the children to run across¡­ bombarded with surveince cameras that captured every angle.


    But it was, however, not a typical orphanage. It had children abandoned by their parents, of course. But what set apart the orphanage from the rest of the orphanages in the state was that they specialize in children with¡­ certain mental issues.


    Most are in the spectrum; socialization disorders, attention deficit disorders, severe persistent depressive disorder, and many other different mental health issues.


    The children, however, all have one thing inmon¨C all of them have suicidal tendencies. Even those at the early age of 8 have tried to take their life once or twice. In short, the doctors, nurses, and all the staff of the establishment were on high alert 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.


    How could one so young think of such abhorrent thoughts? The doctors have answers, of course¨C and yet the people, as well as the local governments, do not listen. They didn''t really think it was a real problem and the children would just end up growing out of it.


    But how could they grow out of it when they lose the chance to grow at all?


    One had to be willing to sacrifice their lives to work in such a ce. One wrong move and a child''s life would be at risk. That is why those who work in the orphanage do not work for money at all¨C they work to secure a beautiful life for the children.


    But of course, sometimes, an adult''s emotion would be triggered no matter how much patience they have.


    And there was one orphan, in particr, that pushed the patience of all the staff in the establishment to their utmost limits.


    Paige Pearson.


    She was left in front of the doors of another orphanage when she was just months old; her birth certificate, oddly enough, was attached to her cradle. But at the age of 4, however, it was obvious that there was clearly something wrong with her and so she was transferred to an orphanage better suited to her needs¨C St. risse Orphanage.


    At first, she was just like any other troubled child¨C nothing the orphanage hasn''t seen before with their litter of mentally challenged orphans. Everything changed, however, when she turned 6 years old.


    She started talking to herself even more¨C almost to the point that she convinced herself that she was, indeed, truly talking to someone. It wasn''t just a simple imaginary friend, no. The conversations she was having, the dtion of her eyes, her gestures¨C she truly believed that she was talking to someone.


    There were also days that she would stay awake for 2 days since she couldn''t handle just staying still and doing nothing. It came to the point that they had to dose her with a mild sedative to calm her down enough for her body to realize that it was tired.


    The doctors don''t know why¨C but that event seemed to have triggered something in Paige¡­ because as soon as she woke up, they found her almost drowning in her own blood; her throat, slightly cut.


    If they didn''t have a super that was capable of healing wounds, then Paige would have died that morning. It was then that Paige was ced on the priority list. The weird thing was¡­ was that they didn''t find anything sharp inside the room.


    Paige became calm after that¨C not even talking to herself anymore as she acted like any 6-year-old would. But then a month after¡­


    ¡­she jumped from the roof.


    It was a miracle that she was even able to survive with only a few broken bones in her body. ording to Paige, however, it wasn''t a miracle¨C she has wings, she said. She even showed her back to the doctors¡­ but there was nothing there.


    Theyter found out that Paige gained ess to the television, watching a show with angels and all that stuff.


    Paige''s attempt on her own life didn''t end there¨C almost weekly, they would find her lying in the hospital with wounds that would probably already kill normal children. And yet, she survives.


    But the orphanage had enough, and they finally decided to ce her in solitary confinement for her own good¨C strapped in a straitjacket inside a room surrounded by nothing but foam.


    Of course, Paige didn''t like this at all as she started screaming and iling around.


    Why would they do this to her? She roared. She had been telling all of them that she has wings, that she had a friend that was saving her¡­ that she was able to draw in the air.


    The doctors hated seeing a child this young like this¡­ but it was their duty to keep them safe from others and from themselves.


    To their surprise, however¡­


    ¡­they found Paige once again drowned in her own blood the next morning¨C with several¡­cerations all around her body almost as if someone sawed her. The weird thing was, however¡­ was that the straitjacket waspletely intact.


    And of course, her wounds were once again healed by the doctors. And this time, they decided to finally listen to Paige. After all, with everything that has happened to her¨C there was arge chance that she could actually be a super.


    That was when she told the doctors that she had a fight with her friend¡­ causing her to get one of the scalpels and started stabbing Paige with it.


    They''ve reviewed the CCTV¡­ and there was no one who checked her room that night¡­


    ¡­even once.


    "Your friend¡­" One of the doctors then shed a light on Paige''s eyes as they continued to examine her, "...where is she right now?"


    "She¡­ she is there, mister," Paige''s irises adjusted as she looked to the side of the doctor, "She¡­ doesn''t seem to like it when you do this."


    "..." The doctor looked to his side¡­ but there was nothing there. He then looked at the other doctors and nurses, before nodding his head and returning to Paige.


    "And what is your friend doing right now?"


    "She¡­ she''s holding one of those sharp things again with the teeth," Paige took in a small gulp; her eyes, seemingly avoiding this so-called friend of hers, "I¡­ I don''t know why she''s mad. We¡­ we used to be very happy."


    "This friend of yours¡­ can you tell us what she looks like?"


    "Y¡­ yes," Paige nodded, "She¡­ has v¡­ very blue eyes, her hair is simr to Mr. Puppies."


    "Red hair?"


    "Hm," Paige nodded several times, "She also has marks on her face¡­ like dots."


    "Freckles?"


    "Yes! You¡­ you can see her!?"


    "Paige¡­ that''s you,"


    The doctor then slightly leaned back as he looked at Paige; his wheeled swivel chair, creaking as he did so, "You¡­ just described yourself."


    "...No? I¨C Mr. Doctor, look out!"


    And all of a sudden, Paige suddenly leaped from the bed, pushing the doctor away.


    The nurses were about to sedate her¡­ but they suddenly notice blood on her gown; and very slowly, building up on her back.


    "Quick, bring her back to the bed!" The staff immediately rush to carry Paige and turn her around¡­ only for them to see a huge gash on her back.


    "What¡­ what happened, Paige!?" The doctor said as he quickly started healing her back.


    "It¡­ it''s my friend. She¡­ she tried to hit you," Paige started to cry, "I''m sorry¡­ I''m really sorry¡­ because of me, you¨C"


    "Where is she!? Where is she right now!?"


    "T¡­ there," Paige then slowly pointed towards the corner of the room. Everyone looked¡­


    ¡­and there, they finally saw a girl.


    Most of the staff gasped and took a step back¨C how could they not, when a girlpletely identical to Paige was staring at them holding a saw?


    "Please¡­ please enough!" Paige screamed, "Please don''t hurt them!"


    "Die!" And as soon as Paige''s words stopped, the girl suddenly rushed towards them, waving the saw everywhere. Everyone ran away as soon as they saw that¨C everyone except the doctor who immediately shielded Paige as the saw was about to swing onto her.


    He gritted his teeth for the iing pain¡­ but it never came. Instead, the jagged de passed right through him like a hologram and went straight to Paige''s arm¨C almost cutting it to the bone.


    "..." The doctor''s eyes widened as he saw this¨C his stupor, however, did notst long as he immediately rushed to grab a sedative and proceeded to put Paige under.


    And as soon as she lost consciousness¡­


    ¡­so did the girl disappear.


    ***


    "And that''s basically it. I never really learned how to fully control my powers since, well¡­ If I miss my meds for a few days, shees out to kill me."


    "Interesting story, Paige. You should tell that to the Pope, maybe he could help you."


    "...What? Wait, no¡­ This isn''t ''The Exorcist'', Adam. I''m not possessed!"


    Back in the present time, Riley and Paige were currently on top of a building; sittingfortably as a campfire was between them as Paige''s story took almost half a day to tell from all the details she added.


    The fire, however, was only something Paige could feel.


    "I did not say you were, Paige," Riley shook his head; sighing as he stood up, "The Pope has a liking for good stories. Let''s go visit him now and¨C"


    And before Riley could finish his words, a small thunder erupted in the air¡­ followed by a scream for help.


    "Civilian in distress!" Paige also stood up as she looked in the direction of the noise, "Finally¡­ well, not finally but more like unfortunately¡­ but finally¡­


    ¡­It''s time to save some people!"

 Chapter 323: Paige and Paragon, First Day!

    Chapter 323: Paige and Paragon, First Day!


    "H¡­ Help me!"


    The loud crackle that echoed throughout the street; the shards flying everywhere, as well as the screams of the people was a scene that should not be happening often¡­ but it is. Once again, chaos surrounded the streets.


    "You shouldn''t have resisted! All I wanted was your money!"


    Superviins.


    In an ironic twist, they becamepletely dormant after Megawoman''s defeat from Darkday. The people do not really know the reason why, but they were sure that it had something to do with fear. Darkday did not differentiate between heroes and viins¨C he kills anyone who even breathes his way.


    And oddly enough, most of the people that tried to approach him during his rampage were viins. Viins that wanted to join forces with him¡­ but s, those viins either go missing, or their bodies would be disyed mangled on live television after trying to make contact with Darkday.


    One would think that there were too many superheroes appearing due to the Hero Association. But now, almost 2 years after Darkday''s death and Megawoman''s departure¨C crimes done by superviins were at an all-time high. Partnering with the alien invaders that probably visit every month, the Hero Association truly had their hands full; that was the reason why the tests of the association were fairly simple and quick in the first ce.


    The people were now dealing with threats above and below, quite literally.


    And right now, a viin was wreaking havoc in the streets.


    "Please¡­ please just take it!"


    "I already have it!"


    It was a superviin named Matchstick. He had the ability to cause an explosion every time he rubs his palm on something¨C and ording to men, it wasn''t a surprise that he became a viin due to his powers.


    "Look, I don''t want to hurt you, woman. But next time, don''t get in the way of a super!" Matchstick stomped his way towards the owner of the shop that he just blew up. The woman crawled backwards in fear, causing her to tumble towards the road.


    "W¡­ w¡­ wait, wait!" Matchstick stretched his hand towards the woman as she tumbled towards the road, but retracted his hand at the veryst second as¡­ well, the woman''s hand would''ve been blown off.


    But s, in doing so¡­ the woman got smashed and squished by the tires of a truck.


    "...Fuck me," Matchstick could not help but let out a deep breath as the woman''s insides littered the ground. The people that were watching the scenario on the side, also held their breaths as some of them focused their phones on the ident.


    Matchstick stared at the blood scraped on the road for a few more seconds, before proceeding to run away. But before he could even take 3 steps, he suddenly found himself surrounded by several people in SWAT uniforms¨C their guns already pointed at his head judging from all the red dots resting all over it.


    "What the fuck¡­" Matchstick quickly raised both his hands in the air, dropping his bags filled with cash and jewelry, "Where the fuck did you guyse from!?"


    "Put your hands behind your head and drop to the ground, now!"


    "W¨C"


    "I will not repeat myself, down now!"


    Matchstick could only grit his teeth as one of the female SWAT members slowly approached him. He wanted to resist, but as soon as he heard the female SWAT turning her safety off, he very slowly dropped to the ground.


    "I¡­ I can''t put my hands behind my head, I''ll die!" Matchstick said as hey on his stomach; his arms stretched to the side with his palms facing the sky.


    "Then just stay there!" The policewoman then stood on top of Matchstick, pinning his left arm with her knee, while carefully folding his right arm so the back of his hand rested on his buttocks,


    "Fuck¡­ now what do I do?"


    "...What?" Matchstick then turned his head towards the policewoman, only to see her¡­ no longer in a SWAT uniform. He then looked at the other SWAT team members¡­ only to see just civilians surrounding them,


    "Wait¡­ what?" Matchstick looked back and forth;pletely confused as to what just happened.


    "Paragon, where are you!? A little help here!?"


    "D¡­ don''t tell me¡­ You''re a hero!?" Matchstick wanted to struggle, but could not do so as Paige suddenly grabbed his wrist and faced it towards his head.


    "Yup," Paige then nodded as a cheeky smile appeared on her face, "We''re the new superhero duo, Paige and Paragon!"


    And with her words, the people that were watching on the side started cheering and pping. They have absolutely no idea who Paige and Paragon were, but it was always nice to see viins being owned.


    But the unfamiliar superhero said Paige and Paragon¡­ so where exactly is this Parago¨C


    And before they could even finish their thoughts, they heard a sort of whistle¨C followed by a loud explosion that caused the air itself to tremble. Everyone turned their heads towards the sound of the noise; even Matchstick, who could have used thismotion to run away, could not help but be distracted.


    How could he not, when the truck that ran over the woman earlier was now in pieces, burning?


    Very slowly, however, a silhouette came out of the fire¨C his long ck hair, seemingly unaffected by the dancing mes; his ivory outfit, untainted even with all the smoke.


    And this almost immacte silhouette¡­ was currently dragging a man by the neck as he slowly made his way; his other hand, a sort of sword made of light.


    "Is¡­ is that Paragon?" Matchstick could only take in a small gulp as he watched as the mes flickered behind the superhero called Paragon.


    "Y¡­ yeah," Paige also took in a small gulp as he looked at Riley walking towards them; the mes, flickering behind him as he did so, "Shit, he''s so cool."


    Matchstick was still previously trying to find a way to escape, but seeing this Paragon¨C any thoughts of running away disappeared from his mind.


    "But¡­" Paige then squinted her eyes as she looked at the burning truck, as well as the man that Riley was dragging,


    "...Why did you do that, Paragon!?"


    "Because this man is a viin, Paige."


    The crowd then all made way for Riley as he threw the driver of the truck onto the sidewalk, "He ran over a woman with the truck he was driving."


    "T¡­ that was an ident!" The truck driver quickly sat up,


    "She¡­ she suddenly jumped on the road. These¡­ these people saw it!" He then said as he pointed at the crowd that had their phones up, recording the whole situation.


    "No," Riley shook his head as the glowing sword in his hand disappeared, "There weren''t any vehicles near you. It probably wouldn''t have made any difference if you stepped on the brakes, but you could have steered to the side, truck driver."


    "What!? I¡­ I just told you, she suddenly¨C"


    "You had exactly 5 seconds to move to anotherne. The woman''s death could have been prevented, truck driver," Riley once again shook his head as he grabbed something from his waist¨C handcuffs, except thicker.


    "Restrain your viin, Paige," Riley then gave the handcuffs to Paige, but she refused.


    "I¡­ can''t. This man has the power to create explosions when his hand palms make contact with anything," Paige sighed, "I¡­ I guess I can''t reallyin about my abilities that much."


    "Matchstick, my name is Matchstick!"


    "Anyway¡­" Paigepletely ignored Matchstick as she looked at Riley, "...I think there''s a team that should be arriving soon to handle¨C !!!"


    And before Paige could finish her words, she could not help but suddenly jump back¡­ as Riley suddenly sliced off both of Matchstick''s hands. There was no blood, however, as the wounds quickly closed due to the heat of his lightsword.


    Even the crowd that was watching gasped as they took a few steps back. The truck driver, who still wanted to prove his innocence,pletely shut his mouth.


    But perhaps the most silent of all of them, was Matchstick as he stared at his now handless arms.


    "W¡­ what?" The pain wasn''t registering in his mind just yet as he slowly turned his head towards Riley, "What¡­ did you do?"


    "I removed your hands, Matchstick."


    "What did you do!?" Matchstick roared as he stood up from the ground and rushed towards Riley¡­ who pped him on the face as soon as he got near, causing him to roll on the ground several times.


    "P¡­ Paragon!?" Paige ran to check on Matchstick, only to see himpletely knocked out, but still very much alive.


    "My job is to remove superviins, Matchstick," Riley approached the unconscious Matchstick, "And I removed what made you a superviin forever. Now you''re just¡­ a viin like the truck driver."


    "Paragon¡­ that''s not¡­" Paige didn''t really know what to say. Of course, she knew nothing about Riley and have only really met him half a day ago¨C but from his actions during the Hero Test, he was a good guy. A little cold, but he seemed to be kind¡­ especially to her.


    But now, to see him so ruthless was¡­


    ¡­sort of cool. It was a dynamic that could actually work between the two of them.


    And with the crowd now once again cheering, it would seem they thought so too. And so, Paige gently ced Matchstick on the ground before walking toward Riley¡­


    ¡­and raising his hand in the air.


    "My name is Paige, and this is Paragon!" Paige then roared, causing the people to cheer even louder,


    "And together, we will vanquish this world of all evil!"


    ***


    "We''re revoking your licenses."


    "Wait¡­


    ¡­why!?"

 Chapter 324: Minor Setback Leading to A Major Comeback?

    Chapter 324: Minor Setback Leading to A Major Comeback?


    "What do you mean you''re revoking our license!? We haven''t even had it for an entire day!"


    "Ma''am, please lower your voice so we can speak properly."


    "No! What kind of injustice is this!? If I knew our licenses would be revoked then we wouldn''t have even applied for this bullshit!"


    "Ma''am, your license is not being revoked, his is."


    Paige and Riley are back at the Hero Association, somewhere in the middle parts of the building where they review their members and how to proceed with them. And right now, Riley''s license was on the verge of being surrendered back to the association, not even a full day of having it.


    Although Paige did not witness it happen since she was busy apprehending Matchstick, the video of Riley slicing the truck into multiple pieces and then carelessly dragging its driver out in a fiery ze of fire garnered almost a million views in the first 3 hours it was uploaded.


    Some of the people cried foul on this and reported it to the authorities and the Hero Association, saying that the way Paragon handled the situation was too much; and since what the truck driver did could be considered an ident, he shouldn''t have been treated like that in the first ce.


    The family of the truck driver also came forward, saying that the way they treated the man was truly unfair and uncalled for.


    And right, now¡­ the family of the truck driver was only meters away from Riley and Paige, staring at them as if they owed them a million bucks.


    "You owe my husband an apology!"


    "Stop being such a Karen! Your husband ran over a woman!" Paige once again stood up from her seat as she pointed at the wife of the truck driver. The sighs of the guards could only whisper in the air as they once again got in between the two. They wanted to separate them, but the family requested to be here to make sure Paragon was being dealt with ordingly.


    "That was an ident! It wasn''t his fault!" The truck driver''s wife did not back down as she also pointed at Paige violently.


    "Didn''t you hear what Paragon said!? He had more than 5 seconds to move away from thene! And why was your husband speeding along a busy street in the first ce! I''ve reviewed the tapes, trucks aren''t even allowed on that road during that time!"


    "We''re not talking about my husband''s mistakes here! We''re talking about how your partner handled the situation! The truck is not even fully paid yet and¡­"


    The two continued to duke it out, filling the entire floor with only their voices. It was to the point that the other heroes that were being reviewed were asked toe back another time as they could not really focus due to Paige and the wife''s argument.


    As for the person of interest, Riley¡­ he was just calmly sitting in front of the Association Officer that was managing his case.


    "Paragon, aren''t you going to say anything!? They''re taking your license away!" Paige finally turned around to look at Riley, "We''re supposed to be a duo. If you''re gone, then that goes away!"


    Although Riley had no idea when they became something like a duo, he just went along with it. He had absolutely nothing to do back here on Earth¡­


    ¡­and he didn''t really want to meddle with his sister''s life anymore.


    Him being dead and disappearing from Hannah''s life¨C that was the best ending he could think of, not for him¡­ but for that chapter of Hannah''s life.


    It was true that he lost his memories, only temporarily, however. And the very first memory he remembered was everything regarding his sister¡­ and how he very much wanted her to be free of him.


    He spent almost an entire year with only that thought in his mind. A year of almost looking at himself in the eyes of a stranger. He called himself a monster, and that will never change.


    But Riley Ross is dead. And it should remain that way forever.


    He was a curse that gues those that were close to him, sticking to them until the only thing that remains is the shadow of a dark day.


    And now, the only one with the curse of knowing who he was is Aerith. And out of all the people he could think of, she was probably the most suited one in carrying that burden.


    He will go wherever Aerith takes him.


    He will be whatever Aerith needs him to be; a son, a warrior, a hero, a god. Whatever she asks, Riley would follow. For that is what he is, created to be whatever the world deems him to be¨C and now his world is Megawoman.


    He will breathe the same air that Aerith breathes.


    ¡­And if this world dares to hurt her again¡­ he will kill everyone he needed to kill so that they would be reminded never to do it again¨C even if he has to kill the entire.


    Right now, however, he was supposed to be a hero.


    "Paragon, why aren''t you saying anything!?" Paige once again repeated her words as Riley seemed to not even be paying attention to what was happening. Finally, however, he turned his head towards Paige before standing up.


    "They should be here anytime soon," Riley then said as he looked in the direction of the elevator.


    "Where do you think you''re going!?" The wife of the truck driver blocked Riley''s path; the girl beside her, presumably her daughter, however, was trying to pull her away as she tried to hide her face; seemingly embarrassed.


    "They''re here."


    And as soon as the elevator doors opened, Riley raised his hand¨C gesturing for the people that stepped out of the elevator.


    "S¡­ sorry, we''rete. We¡­ just had a lot to process."


    It was a man and an older woman; and judging by the state of their clothes, they seemed to have rushed to the Association.


    "...Who?" Paige looked back and forth between Riley and the people that just arrived.


    "Mr. Dave Hobbs, the deceased woman''s husband. And Mrs. Peterson, the deceased woman''s mother."


    Riley then said as he gestured for the pair to take a seat close to the truck driver''s family.


    "How¡­ no, wait. You asked them toe here?"


    "Yes, the woman''s phone was intact, unlike her body which was painted on the road," Riley nodded his head,


    "I feel like theints'' of the truck driver''s family would be better heard by the family of the deceased, and not me."


    "..." Riley''s words were suddenly followed by silence. There were a million thoughts circling in Paige''s mind right now that she wanted to let out but was trying her best not to. Even the guards that came there to dissipate the tension could only look at each other.


    It almost felt like they were about to watch some sort of drama unfold. The truck driver''s wife, who had everything to say just moments ago, could only sit back down as she watched as the deceased''s family also took a seat.


    "...I feel like this doesn''t involve us anymore," Paige then also returned in front of the officer; not wanting to be in the crossfire of the two families due to the invisible tension building between them.


    Of course, it didn''t involve her in the first ce since Riley was really the only one being reviewed. But the officer didn''t want to argue anymore as he was finally able to focus on Riley.


    "The way you handled the situation¡­ was wrong," the officer calmly said, "You could have apprehended the truck driver, true. But destroying property and dragging him like that was out of the question."


    "Okay."


    "...No, not okay," the officer sighed, "Look, we¨C"


    And before the officer could finish his words, the two families started raising their voices. It wasn''t until both were transferred to another floor to settle their business that the officer was once again able to talk to Riley.


    "As I was saying, we can''t be lenient with you. It was your first day, and you already involved the Association in a lot of heat. I''m afraid we can''t work with you."


    "Wait," Paige once again interrupted the two, "If you''re going to revoke his license¡­


    ¡­then you would have to revoke mine as well."


    "..."


    "..."


    ***


    "Fuck! They really took away my license! Fuck your shit fuck of a Tower!"


    "Hey, you!"


    Paige quickly ran away as a guard approached him for kicking the side of the building, dragging Riley along with her as they let themselves disappear into the crowd. Well, not really. Disappearing in the crowd was impossible for them solely because of the fact that Riley was still wearing his superhero outfit.


    The only thing they could really do was go to a coffee shop. At least there, even if they stood out, they stood out in silence.


    "What¡­ what are we going to do now?" Paige shook and grasped her head as soon as she let herself fall at their table.


    "You shouldn''t have done that, Paige," Riley also shook his head, "You said it was your dream to be a superhero."


    "Pft, well yes. But Paige and Paragon! That should be a thing. It was a thing until the Association removed us!" Paige said as she tapped the table several times, "And my phone''s still dead and I can''tin about this on the inte."


    "They were only supposed to remove me, Paige."


    "No. Paige doesn''t exist without Paragon, and vice versa! I''ve already decided on that and that''s that! Ah shit, what would your mother say? Where is she anyway?"


    "She is probably talking to Empress right now."


    "I see. Wait, what? Your mom knows Empress!?"


    "Yes."


    "W¨C"


    "E¡­ excuse me."


    And before Paige could inquire any further, a child suddenly approached their table.


    "Yes? What do you want?" Paige quickly turned her head towards the boy that seemed to be with his parents.


    "You¡­ you are Paige and Paragon?"


    "...Yes?"


    "Can¡­ Can I take a picture with the two of you?"


    "No, we are¨C"


    "Yes!" Paige did not let Riley talk as she stood up, pulling Riley with him. A lot of people seemed to have also recognized them in the coffee shop, and they all started asking Paige and Riley for a photo¨C it wasn''t until a manager arrived that everyone stopped asking the two.


    "W¡­ we''re famous?" Paige sat down; this time, however, she sat beside Riley.


    "I have always been famous, Paige."


    "Shut up," Paige chuckled. But after a few seconds, her eyes widened as she stared at Riley, "Wait¡­ we''re famous."


    "Yes."


    "We''re famous!" Paige then tapped the table again several times, "We¡­ we can just be independent superheroes like the old days!"


    "That''s considered illegal now, Paige."


    "Not if you''re famous! The Hero Association would have no choice but to take us back if the people want us!" Paige once again stood up, "We¡­


    ¡­we can even build our own superhero agency."


    "No."


    "Yes!"


    "..."


    "..."


    "...You seemed to have skipped a few parts in your n, Paige."

 Chapter 325: Strays

    Chapter 325: Strays


    "Superhero Agency, Riley!"


    "...Why?"


    Riley and Paige were still inside the coffee shop; with Paige still sitting beside Riley as she exined her so-called n over and over again¡­ and saying the same thing over and over again.


    "Why not?" A glimmer appeared in Paige''s eyes, "There''s a loophole there we could exploit. Superhero agencies are training their heroes even before allowing them to take the test. We can make this work."


    "I don''t really see how¨C"


    "This will work," Paige''s voice trembled in excitement, "We can be heroes¡­ and our own bosses at the same time. P¡­ Paige and Paragon Superhero Agency! Maybe¡­ maybe we could even rece the entire Hero Association Tower."


    "Your n seems to be getting bigger and bigger, Paige," Riley could only let out a sigh as he listened in on Paige''s grandiose ns. If he still had his connections, then he could probably do it with the snap of his fingers. But Riley Ross is dead now¨C he had to deal with everything on his own, no matter how mundane.


    But since Aerith asked him to be a hero¡­ then he might as well be the best, no?


    "Your n is interestingly stupid, Paige¡­


    ¡­I am in."


    "I knew it!" Paige stood up from her seat as she mmed her palm on the table; almost spilling Riley''s milk, "I knew you liked my n!"


    "But you don''t really have a proper n, Paige."


    "That cer. Why aren''t you taking off your mask, though? You ordered hot milk but you haven''t taken off your mask once."


    "I can''t take off my mask, Paige. Mother''s orders," Riley shook his head, "And I ordered a beverage since we are upying a table. It is only proper manners, Paige."


    "Then we should change venue! Somewhere we can think of a n on how to execute this!" Paige then suddenly grabbed Riley''s hand, dragging him away from the table and all the way outside the shop.


    Her eyes, however, widened as darkness weed them as soon as they stepped outside. The shops that were once filled with light, now sleeping.


    "W¡­ what the hell!? What happened!? Has Darkdaye back!? Why are all the stores closed?"


    "Because it''s 3 in the morning, Paige."


    "..." Paige quickly let go of Riley''s hand; her head, slowly turning towards him as she looked him straight in the eyes. But after a few seconds, she quickly grabbed a pill from her pocket and swallowed it without any dy in her movements.


    "That¡­ that was close," Paige''s sigh of relief was almost loud enough to wake the entire street, "But weird, my powers didn''t act up even though I''m 5 hourste with my meds."


    "What kind of pill is that, Paige?" Riley looked at the pills inside the container in Paige''s hand.


    "Adderall or something, I don''t know. I just drink it since they tell me to," Paige just shrugged her shoulders,


    "...Wanna try some?"


    "No. But thank you, Paige," Riley shook his head before turning it towards the sky for some reason.


    "Hm."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Where do we go?" And not even a second of silenceter, Paige opened her mouth, "We need some sort of secretir or something. We can go to my house, but it''s pretty small since I''m practically just using the money I got from the orphanage when they kicked me out. Wait, maybe we can¨C"


    "Adam, there you are!"


    And before Paige could finish her words, Aerith suddenly popped up from behind her; almost causing her to jump and yelp.


    "I''ve been looking everywhere for you, where did you children suddenly run off to?"


    "You''re the one who suddenly left, mother," Riley shrugged his shoulders.


    "G¡­ good morning, Aerith." As for Paige, the only thing she could really do in this situation was awkwardly wave her hand to Aerith.


    "Hi, Paige," the frown on Aerith''s face disappeared; smiling at Paige as she made her way towards Riley. As soon as she got in front of him, however, her frown returned,


    "Don''t you know what time it is? You should have at least called me, isn''t that why I bought you a new phone in the first ce!? Who do you think I am, Megawoman!?"


    "Yes."


    "T¡­ that¡­" Aerith almost choked in her own breath as Riley answered without any hesitation, "Anyway, it''s time for us to go home. I¡­ asked a friend and she let us borrow a penthouse in Jersey."


    "Okay," Riley nodded his head; his feet, already leaving the ground.


    "It was very nice meeting you, Paige," Aerith then grabbed onto Riley''s waist, making it look like he was carrying her as she too, floated in the air.


    "O¡­ oh," Paige could only once again raise her hand, "G¡­ Goodbye, Adam."


    "Goodbye, Ms. Pearson."


    "Wait."


    But before the two could gain any distance, Aerith suddenly jumped from Riley''s arms andnded in front of Paige, "Do you have any ce to stay the night?"


    "Me?" Paige who was about to leave, pointed at herself, "No? Well, yes. My house is in Georgia so¨C"


    "Jersey''s nearer, you should stay the night with us," Aerith gestured to Riley toe down.


    "...Sorry?"


    "I was told the penthouse was going to be too big for just two people to live in, so you can stay with us for a while."


    "...Okay?"


    In truth, Paige thought that this would be thest time that she would be seeing Riley. After all, she had this way with people that made them want to be as far away from her as possible. When she said goodbye to Riley earlier, she truly meant it as a farewell.


    But now¡­ she suddenly found herself flying in the air on the way to New Jersey. Of course, why would she even refuse the chance to spend more time with someone that could potentially be her first friend?


    Riley¡­ was the first person that listened to her for hours on end without evenining once or acting like he was bored¡­ since he always seemed bored in the first ce. But still, never once did he ask her to stop even though she repeated herself over and over again.


    Also¡­ she didn''t even act up even though she was way past her medication time. Spending time with Riley¡­


    ¡­helped improve her condition more than any of the trials the doctors did on her.


    Perhaps all she ever needed was a friend that actually listens to her without any prejudice.


    "..." Paige then ced her¡­ floating jet-ski in cruise mode as she stared at Riley, who seemed to have quickly noticed that she was looking at him.


    Paige didn''t really avoid Riley''s eyes, however, as she just smiled at him and said,


    "...Thank you."


    And with Riley only nodding in response, Paige found herself in a state she thought she would never be in¨C silence. Her mind, for once, was silent; with the only noise entering her ears the wind that blew past her face.


    Peace, atst.


    Well, until they reached Aerith and Riley''s penthouse, that is.


    "E¡­ E¡­ Empress!?"


    Paige was already shocked by how fancy andrge the penthouse was as soon as theynded on itsrge balcony. She did, however, almost faint in shock as soon as she saw Empress casually enjoying a cup of coffee outside.


    "What are you doing here, kid?"


    "K¡­ Kid!?"


    Paige almost jumped from the balcony right there and then. Her eyes, looking back and forth between Aerith and Empress. Did¡­ Riley''s mother just call Empress a kid!?


    Contrary to the thoughts emerging from Paige''s mind, however, Empress didn''t seem to mind as she just sighed¡­ before looking at her and Riley.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Y¡­ your mother knows Empress?" Paige subtly leaned closer to Riley as she whispered into his ear.


    "Yes."


    "For reals!? We¨C"


    And before Paige could finish her words, Empress stood up and approached them; causing Paige topletely freeze.


    "So, youe back to Earth and immediately find two strays?" Empress then shook her head as she once again let out a long and deep sigh, "Remember one of your strays working with the government to harvest your organs?"


    "Well, one of my strays is now the leader of the World Government," Aerith just casually waved her hand as she walked away, "If you want to talk, let''s do it inside. These children should be exhausted from all the things they were up to today."


    Aerith inviting Paige¡­ was not by impulse. It was exactly for this reason that she brought Paige here¨C for Empress to think she was just once again adopting children and training them to hone their powers.


    If it was Riley alone, then Empress would surely sooner orter make some sort of connection that Paragon was actually, truly, Riley Ross.


    "Paige, honey. You can just pick any room you want¨C I think there''s like 5," Aerith then smiled as she opened the ss door, "Adam, you''re in the master''s bedroom with me."


    "Okay," Riley only nodded as he made his way inside; not even looking at Empress. As for Paige, the only thing she could really do was follow Riley inside; the smile on her face, almost cemented as she still could not believe that Empress was within her arm''s reach.


    "G¡­ good night, Aerith."


    "Goodnight, Paige," Aerith once again smiled as she nodded at Paige. She then let out another sigh before looking at Empress, "You want water or something?"


    "No. No need, master," Empress gestured towards the coffee she was just drinking earlier, "I''m also not going to stay long. I just wanted to inform you about something since you''re back on the¡­


    ¡­I''m not the only one that knows you''re back."


    "What? Who else?"


    "Well¡­" Empress then looked inside the penthouse, "Another lost stray¡­


    ¡­Thousandde."

 Chapter 326:The Talk

    Chapter 326:The Talk


    "Thousandde¡­


    ¡­Who''s that?"


    "What do you mean ''who''s that''!?"


    Empress tried to not raise her voice but failed to do so as her slightly frustrated scream reverberated through the air. It was a good thing they were on the uppermost floor of the building, if not, then people would have surely been forced to wake.


    "Thousandde! He was already in the Sanctuary when I got there. One of your early strays!"


    "...Who?"


    "Th¨C Leo Martinez," almost everything that came out of Empress''s mouth was a breath of frustration as she sat back down at the table, "You know, your favorite student."


    "Oh, that kid?"


    "...He''s turning 70 now, Megawoman."


    "Yeah, a kid¡­ and just call me Aerith, I''m not Megawoman anymore," Aerith sighed as she too sat at the table, "And I thought you were going home?"


    "Since seem to havepletely forgotten about Leo, I just feel like I have to remind you," Empress then checked on her cup, but she already finished it when Aerith and the othersnded on the balcony.


    "Of course, I remember him, he''s the one without powers, right?"


    "...That''s Whiteking, and he wasn''t your student."


    "Stop treating me like I have dementia," Aerith sighed, "I know Leo has powers, but he looks like he doesn''t at the same time. Happy? I swear you used to be so cute when you were younger."


    "..."


    "So, what is it? Why are you telling me about him?"


    "He knows you''re back."


    "You said that," Aerith once again let out a sigh as she leaned back, "And find me a new guy that can make fake IDs, the one we have now seems to be telling everyone I''m back."


    "He only told me."


    "Well, apparently not if Leo also knows. But I am going to repeat my question, why are you telling me about him?"


    "Leo¡­ hasn''t been the same for a few years now. None of the people that came from the Sanctuary is. But Leo, Leo''s different. We''ve been trying to track his movements and¡­


    ¡­he seemed to have built some sort of cult around you."


    "That''s nothing new. Cults have been built around me for centuries."


    "This one is different. He''s recruiting supers that are Red tagged."


    "...Why?" Aerith could not help but raise an eyebrow as she heard Empress''s words.


    "...We don''t know yet," Empress then stood up as she shook her head, "But we discovered what he was doing when a newly graduated student from Mega Academy reported someone trying to recruit him. This student was on the Potential Viin list."


    "Hm."


    "Well, that''s the only thing I came here to say," Empress then said as she walked to the edge of the balcony, "Just¡­


    ¡­please be careful, Aerith."


    "Who do you think I am?" Aerith let out a chuckle as she waved goodbye.


    "Not for you, but for your new strays¡­ especially that Paragon one, his license was revoked the same day he got it."


    "I see. Wait¡­


    ¡­What!?"


    ***


    "...What do you think the two are talking about?"


    "I don''t know, Ms. Pearson."


    "...What you watching?"


    "Italian Mafia Reborn. There''s a new season, Ms. Pearson."


    "Oh, I already finished that. Can I join you? I was just gonna get some water but then I saw you were still awake."


    "...Okay."


    Instead of going to their designated rooms, it would seem the night was not over for Riley and Paige. No, since it was nearing 4 in the morning, perhaps it was better to say that the night already surrendered to them.


    Instead, Riley just sat in the living room to watch. It had been almost 2 years; and to his surprise, there was actually a new season of Italian Mafia Reborn¨C it truly baffles Riley how they were able to even continue production despite all the things that have been happening to the.


    But then again, Riley remembered ordering Aerith''s outfit online during the height of the invasion and the courier delivering it within a few hours.


    "..."


    "..."


    "You watch Italian Mafia Reborn as well, Ms. Pearson?"


    "Jesus, just call me Paige," Paige said as she joined Riley on the sofa¡­ leaning her head on his shoulder, "And yes, I actually have the original DVD and some licensed figurines at home¨C basically spent the rest of my money on them."


    "..." Riley slightly turned his head to look at Paige¡­ but then just returned to watching without minding her anymore.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Not nning on sleeping?" Paige then whispered.


    "I have done nothing but sleep the past two years, Paige. My body is not really craving for it anymore."


    "...That doesn''t make any sense," Paige only let out a small giggle, "But me too, I can''t really fall asleep until I''m like dead exhausted¨C and I even drank some caffeine earlier. So, no sleeping for me either."


    "Hm."


    "It''s the meds as well, you know," Paige said as she moved her head from Riley''s shoulder and to hisp, "Can''t really sleep because of it. It''s supposed to calm my mind but then just keeps me awake. Stupid, right?"


    "Yes."


    "...You didn''t have to agree," Paige said as she started to yawn, "You don''t mind me using yourp as a pillow, right? Me and the other sisters back in the orphanage used to do it."


    "But you said you did not interact with the other orphans, Paige."


    "Yes. But I brought some of their images to life out of my mind so I could bond with them. F¡­ funny, right?


    ¡­Right?"


    And all of a sudden, tears suddenly fell from Paige''s eyes; her sniffles and gasps, suddenly filling the air.


    "I¡­ I lied about wanting to get water, Adam," Paige sniveled, "When¡­ when I was alone in the room there was this sudden feeling of¡­ just sinking and I just¡­ I just felt so lonely. I¡­ I was with you the entire day and it was the best thing and then¡­ I don''t know. I just feel like I just wanted it tost longer."


    "..." Riley only looked at Paige as she cried and started to have a breakdown¡­ before returning to watch Italian Mafia Reborn, turning the volume higher.


    Paige, however, just continued to cry. It wasn''t until about 20 minutester that Riley turned off the TV and finally looked at her again¨C only to find her alreadypletely knocked out.


    "..." Riley could only let out a sigh as he slightly waved his hand¡­ causing Paige''s head to slightly float in the air as he moved away. A pillow then slid closer to her head, allowing it to rest.


    "The two of you sure have gotten closer in just a single day."


    Riley was about to go to his room, but before he could do so, she found Aerith sitting at the living room bar¨C having a ss of alcohol.


    "I know some of her life''s story, mother. But she doesn''t know any of mine," Riley shook his head, "We''re not close."


    "I don''t know," a smile subtly crawled on Aerith''s face, "Watching you two¨C she might just be the one to bring light to your humanity."


    "I don''t have such a thing¡­ Aerith."


    "..." And as soon as Aerith heard her name being uttered by Riley, she instantly confirmed that he really did have his memories,


    "You do. Even Caiin has it and she is littered by a trail of bodies that would make yours look like a tadpole," Aerith said as she took a sip, "That wasn''t a challenge, by the way."


    "If I do have humanity in me¡­" Riley let out a short but deep sigh as he joined Aerith at the bar, "...Then I do not deserve it."


    "Hm," Aerith looked at herself and Riley in the mirror of the bar, "Of the thousand years I have lived, I have killed more than you, child. Does that mean I don''t deserve humanity as well?"


    "You''re an alien, Aerith."


    "...That''s not what I meant," Aerith could only roll her eyes as she dropped her ss at the counter, "Nevermind. We can still work on yours, don''t worry."


    "..."


    "And also, what''s this I heard about your license being revoked?"


    "..." And very slowly, Riley started to float away¨C but s, Aerith was able to grab his arm before he could actually gain any distance.


    "The only thing you needed to do was get a license, and you did that¡­ but then you lost it not even a day after?"


    "..."


    "We needed that so you could go out there with your face covered," Aerith pulled Riley closer as she whispered to his ears, "What are we going to do now?"


    "...We can ask Empress to return my license, Aerith."


    "No! Do you want her to start getting suspicious!? The whole point of you wearing a mask is so that no one would notice you."


    "Paige and I are nning to make a superhero agency."


    "...What?" Aerith then let go of Riley''s arm as soon as she heard his words, "...Why?"


    "I don''t know, but I told her that I am in."


    "That''s stu¨C no," Aerith''s eyes then widened as she looked Riley in the eyes, "That might actually prove to be a great idea."


    "How so, Aerith?"


    "The farther you are away from your previous persona, the least people would suspect you," Aerith then stood up from her seat as she grabbed her phone, "Being the owner of a superhero agency and being a hero at the same time? That''s the best identity you could wear¡­


    ¡­Adam''s Hero Agency."


    "Paige and Paragon Hero Agency, Aerith."


    "...I guess that could work," Aerith shrugged as she started fiddling with her phone, "Don''t worry¡­


    ¡­we can ask Empress to make it possible."


    "..."

 Chapter 327: The Shock and Aweof Paige Pearson

    Chapter 327: The Shock and Aweof Paige Pearson


    "...Huh?"


    The very sound that Paige heard as she woke up was the scratch that one would hear if one were to pull a sticky tape off. Except this time, it was her cheeks pulling away from the leather pillow that was almost drenched in her saliva.


    "Where¡­ am I?"


    Even with her vision stillpletely blurred, Paige immediately stood up and looked around¨C only able to see silhouettes until her eyes finally saw a glimpse of¡­ Riley, who was seated on the sofa and watching another episode of Italian Mafia Reborn.


    "..." And as soon as their eyes met, Riley grabbed the remote and increased the volume of the TV. It was probablyte in the morning¡­ but why was Riley still wearing his superhero outfit?


    "Oh, good. You''re awake."


    "..." Paige then groggily turned her head towards the other voice, only to see Aerith sitting at the dining table.


    "We ordered some breakfast, you should eat after¡­ washing up."


    "..." Paige blinked a couple of times, before finally remembering everything that happened the day before. It seemed like a couple of days, but everything happened in a single day¨C and for her to be able to fall asleep that fast¡­


    ¡­it would seem that Riley truly was making her feel toofortable. It¡­ was a nice feeling. It is a nice feeling.


    Paige then once again turned to Riley, only to see him just focusing on what he was watching. And then finally, she noticed the dried saliva stered on her face¨C causing her to quickly run towards the bathroom to wash herself up as Aerith said.


    She was only going to wash her face, but when her clothes got wet, she just decided to take a full bath. And when she was done, Riley was still watching¨C not even looking at her or anyone else.


    "Adam and I have already eaten," Aerith then said as she joined Riley in the living room, "I swear, what do you even get from watching these cartoons? Switch it to the news."


    "No."


    "You''ve been watching this sincest night, aren''t you¨C"


    "No."


    "..." A small smile crawled on Paige''s face as she watched as the mother and son duo started arguing. She never really had the chance to do something like that because¡­ well, she was an orphan. She tried bringing her parents to life, but since she didn''t really have anything or anyone to base them on¨C they were more like NPCs more than anything.


    She always imagined they would be cooking her breakfast, but Aerith seemed to have just ordered from a¡­ fancy Japanese restaurant. Who eats breakfast this fancy? Paige thought as she sat down¨C it almost felt like a waste to eat due to the presentation.


    "Oh, right. Paige."


    "Yes?" Paige, who already had food in her mouth, quickly looked at Aerith.


    "Once you''re done, get dressed because we''re going somewhere. I bought you some clothes, they''re in your room."


    "Oh, is that why Adam is wearing his superhero outfit?"


    "...No, he''s been wearing that sincest night."


    "You¡­ haven''t taken a bath yet, Adam?" Paige blinked a couple of times as she turned his eyes towards Riley¡­ whose hair seemed to even be smoother than hers.


    "I have already taken a shower, Paige," Riley did not even look at Paige as he answered.


    "...But you didn''t change your clothes?"


    "My clothes are always clean, Paige."


    "...But we''ve done a lot of¨C" Paige was about to say they were outside the entire day yesterday, but noticed that not even a speck of dirt could be seen on Riley''s outfit, "You know¡­ you still haven''t told me where you got your costume from."


    "From Hotis 4J, Paige."


    "...Where is that?"


    "From another."


    "You¡­ really don''t want to tell me, do you?" Paige could only let out a sigh as she shook her head and started finishing her breakfast. As for Aerith, the only thing she could really do was also shake her head.


    If Paige knew that Riley wasn''t joking, she would probably end up losing her mind.


    "I''m done, let me just get dressed," Paige didn''t waste any time eating, as she immediately rushed back to her room to get dressed. And true enough, Aerith bought her some clothes¨C an entire closet full of them; too many to the point that Paige would probably spend hours on end trying to pick up what to wear.


    But it would seem her excitement won over her as she immediately picked the most simple among the bunch¨C an oversized shirt and leggings.


    "You¡­ didn''t have to buy me clothes, Aerith. But thank you," she then immediately thanked Aerith as soon as she returned to the living room, "No one''s¡­ ever bought me clothes before."


    "Oh, they fit you? Don''t worry about it," Aerith stood up from the sofa¡­ grabbing the remote from Riley and switching off the TV as soon as Paige was done, "I didn''t know what clothes you like so I just asked them to get everything. After all¡­


    ¡­you''ll be staying here from now on."


    "...Sorry?" Paige could not help but blink a couple of times as she heard Aerith''s words.


    "Unless you want to travel back and forth from Georgia to your new office."


    "Office? What¡­


    ¡­office?"


    ***


    "What¡­ the¡­ freak!?"


    If Paige wasn''t fully awake before, she was now. How could she not, when they were now currently in front of a small building with arge sign that says, ''Paige and Paragon''.


    "What¡­ what is this!?" Paige''s breath started to be erratic to the point that she had to materialize an oxygen tank.


    "Adam mentioned you wanted to build a Superhero Agency," Aerith then casually said as she ced her hand on Paige''s shoulder,


    "So here it is." Like her outfit the other day, Aerith''s face was once again fully hidden with a pair of sunsses and a cap¡­ and this time, she even added a surgical face mask.


    "...What?" Paige''s head very slowly turned towards Aerith as soon as she heard her words. They just talked about that the other night¡­ and now it''s already here? Wait, this isn''t her powers acting up, is it?


    What if¡­ What if Aerith and Adam were just products of her powers? What if everything that happened¡­ was something she just created? Come to think of it, Empress visiting themte at midnight?


    That should¡­ that was impossible.


    "..." Paige then looked at Riley; her eyes, already watering as her breaths started to stutter, "You¡­ you''re not real?"


    "Unfortunately, I am, Paige," Riley just shrugged his shoulders as he too, looked at therge sign above the entrance.


    "Then¡­ all of this is real?" Paige said as her eyes started to move everywhere.


    "It is," Aerith sighed as she patted Paige''s shoulder,


    "Unless you''re powerful enough to materialize both of us," Aerith then let out a small chuckle as she walked towards the entrance, "The two of you should enter first, after all¨C this agency and entire building are yours."


    "...Seriously?" Paige gulped as she looked back and forth between Aerith and the building, "Just¡­ just who are you two?"


    Aerith knowing Empress and casually talking to her, arge penthouse in one of the most notoriously expensive states in the country, and now this? A small building with an unobstructed view of the Antic ocean, meters away from the beach!?


    "You¡­ Do you belong to the Illuminati?"


    "I used to be," Aerith shrugged.


    "What!?"


    "...I was kidding," Aerith chuckled loudly, "Now, go inside¨C your staff are waiting."


    "P¡­ Paragon! Let''s go!" Paige then quickly rushed towards Riley and grabbed her arms. She was about to pull him inside, but before she could do so, a wind strong enough to almost blow away Aerith''s cap trembled in the air.


    Paige quickly turned around, only to see¡­ an aircraftnding in front of the building.


    "What¡­ aliens!?"


    "...No," Aerith was the one to answer; the tone of her voice, clearly filled with frustration as she secured her cap and adjusted her mask, "A misbehaving child."


    And as she said that, the door of the aircraft opened.


    "E¡­ Empress!?"


    And once again, Empress showed herself in front of Paige as she casually stepped out of the jet. But it wasn''t only her, soon, several people started stepping out of the aircraft.


    And immediately, crowds of people started to gather as they saw¡­ the celebrities that suddenlynded on their shores.


    "A¡­ aren''t they the Baby Crew!?" Paige then took a few steps back, almost fainting right there and there in Riley''s arms with the sudden appearance of the current most famous superhero team¨C the Baby Crew.


    "P¡­ Paragon, it''s Empress and the Baby Crew!" Paige then wrapped her arms on Riley''s arm even tighter.


    "I¡­ could see that, Paige," Riley then turned his head towards Aerith, "Why?"


    "I¡­ didn''t know she was going to do this," Aerith could only let out a short but deep sigh before approaching Empress. But before she could even take a single step¡­ her son suddenly roared.


    "What is up, Antic City!?" Gary stretched his arms to the side as he looked at the crowd of people that started to gather around them¨C and as soon as he did so, they started howling and cheering.


    "I told you guys to stop Monarch before he could do anything stupid."


    "..." And with that word of annoyance entering his ears, Riley subtly turned his head towards the owner of the voice. It''s been a very long time since hest saw her¨C but it would seem not much has changed in terms of physical appearance.


    "Ack, don''t be a party-pooper, Hannah," Gary said as he started flexing his muscles through his grey suit, "After all¡­


    ¡­we''re here to promote."

 Chapter 328:All Different

    Chapter 328:All Different


    "Can I talk to you for a second?"


    Aerith was as careful as anyone could be. Although her entire face was already covered, her son was there. There was a small possibility that he would recognize her; and so, the only thing she could really do was very sneakily approach Empress.


    It was a good thing the rest of the Baby Crew were busy trying to calm Gary down as he started flexing his muscles and entertaining the crowd; if not, there would have been a risk of one of them approaching.


    "They''ll be fine," Empress, on the other hand, just casually waved her hand as she looked at the Baby Crew, "They needed the break anyway."


    "What do you mean fine?" Aerith whispered loudly as she dragged Empress away to the side of the jet, "Why did you bring people who might be able to recognize me here!?"


    "...It''s fine, Aerith," Empress could only let out a small but very deep sigh as she looked Aerith in the eyes, "They don''t suspect anything, if they did, we would know. And your son¡­ well, you''re not really that close for him to recognize you."


    "That¡­" Aerith slightly stuttered as she nced at Gary, "...That''s true, isn''t it?"


    "Hm¡­"


    "But even if it was, there''s still a small chance. You could have brought anyone else but them."


    "Anyone but them wouldn''t have the same impact. If I am going to openly support a superhero agency, it might as well be something you own," Empress shrugged.


    "It''s not mine, it''s called Paige and Paragon for a reason," Aerith scoffed as she pointed at therge signage above the entrance of the building.


    "Let''s just say I want to pave the way for future generations. And besides, as I said¡­


    ¡­they needed this."


    The Baby Crew¨C ever since the alien invasion and the Death of Darkday, their name has been rippling throughout the world; there was almost no one that didn''t know who they were. And now, based on surveys online, they even surpassed Hope Guild in poprity.


    It came to the point that they wouldn''t even be able to do their jobs properly as everyone wanted to talk to them. It died down when Hannah decided that the team should prioritize fending off the alien invaders¨C as they basically stayed months on end in space in the Dark Millenium ship¡­ which was now being used as the Hope Guild''s official base since thest one was destroyed when Darkday and Megawoman fought.


    It would seem that whenever their base gets destroyed, Riley and Megawoman are always there. The first one was when¡­ Alice attempted to kill her own son¨C no, she did truly kill him; thus creating Darkday.


    Empress could only sigh as memories of the past started resurfacing in her mind. Darkday was gone, and any memory of him should be erased¨C almost like a taboo¡­


    ¡­especially in front of Hannah Ross.


    "Come on, let''s get this over with so we can return to space¡­ where it''s not fucking loud and filled with people," after a few minutes of watching Gary, Hannah finally gave up on trying to stop him from signing autographs and taking photos with the crowd. She was about to approach Paige and Riley, but before she could do so, Be blocked her path.


    "Girl, hold up¨C what you mean return to space?" Be said as she shook her head, "I could barely even walk properly anymore since half the goddamn station doesn''t have gravity control in them motherfucking rooms."


    "B¡­ Bell, yournguage. Other people could hear us," Katrina also moved away from Gary as she stood in between the two.


    "See? I used to not swear but since we been spending all this time together, these lips of mine is starting to be like yours."


    "They don''t fucking need us here," Hannah''s eyebrows began to furrow as she looked at Be, "There''s like a million superheroes now we could barely even fit in this fucking anymore."


    "And there''s nothing for us out there!" Be pointed her hands toward the sky, "We haven''t had any sightings of aliens for 3 months!"


    "You¨C"


    "The lesbo is right, Nuclear Seraph."


    "Man, just go back to signing fucking autographs," Hannah rolled her eyes as Gary joined in on the conversation.


    "This isn''t right what you''re trying to do, Hannah," Gary then lowered his voice as he leaned closer to the three girls, "Avoiding Earth isn''t going to help you to cope with your loss."


    "Oh fuck."


    And as soon as Be and Katrina heard Gary''s words, they quickly removed themselves from the group. But before they could do so¨C


    "Stay. You all have something to say, right?"


    "I¡­ I don''t think this is the right time to do this, guys," Katrina could not help but stutter as she once again stood in the middle of the group.


    "Yeah, when do you think is the right time?" Gary''s tone started to change as he looked Hannah straight in the eyes, "All of us have experienced losses, Hannah. I lost my dad and my mother ran off to god knows where. And don''t forget, your brother is the¨C"


    "Gar, I think that''s enough," Bell could only sigh as she gently pushed Gary away before he could finish what he was going to say, "We''re all just¡­ we''re all just trippy as hell from space."


    "What we are is falling apart," Gary shook his head as he took a step back, "And what you need Hannah, is a fucking therapist."


    "That''s enough, Gar."


    "I¡­ I think we should all just take a breath and¡­ and¡­"


    "Look¡­" Gary once again stepped closer to Hannah, "...I''m really sorry for everything the world has done to you, Hannah. But this¡­


    ¡­we''re not the same as before. And after what happened to us, we will never be the same again. Silvie even left because¨C"


    "Uhm, excuse me?"


    "Why, hello there, prettydy."


    And before Gary could finish his words, he quickly turned his head toward the woman that approached them, Paige.


    "Are¡­ you guys okay?" Paige meekly said as her eyes trailed across the members of the Baby Crew, only to see all of them with sour expressions on their faces, "Was¡­ the entry from space hard? Maybe we should head inside and have water? Of course, I don''t really know if there''s water inside since my partner and I actually haven''t been inside yet."


    "..." Gary, Be, and Katrina could only look at each other as the woman in front of them started chuckling awkwardly.


    "You''re Paige!" If it wasn''t for Katrina approaching Paige, then she probably wouldn''t have stopped mumbling on her own.


    "Ah¡­ yes!" Paige shook Katrina''s hand, "I¡­ I''m a big fan, Hurricane Katrina."


    "Just Katrina is fine."


    "S¡­ sorry. I didn''t really know that you guys wereing, so we didn''t really prepare anything for you. If I knew then I would have probably¨C"


    "We cool, girl," Be also shook Paige''s hand, "To be fair, we was calledst minute. And we won''t refuse a chance to put our feets back on Earth."


    "And anything for a prettydy like you," Gary then slightly pushed Be as he too, shook Paige''s hand.


    "T¡­ thanks?"


    Be could only roll her eyes as Gary¡­ once again started doing Gary things right after he said they were not the same as before. But as soon as her eyes stopped moving around, theynded towards¡­ a man with long ck hair¨C and judging by what he was wearing, he was probably the other part of Paige and Paragon.


    "Bro," Be covered her mouth as she approached Paragon; looking at him from head to toe with her eyes clearly filled with excitement,


    "Bro¡­ you got them drip. Is you, right? Paragon?" And instead of a handshake, Be sped Riley''s hand as if she knew him.


    "Yes, I am Paragon," Riley nodded his head as he looked Be straight in the eyes.


    "I''m Katrina," Katrina also approached Riley as she shook his hand, "We''re¡­ here to help you promote your agency on its opening day."


    "It''s okay," Riley nodded.


    "D¡­ don''t worry about Monarch, he''s not trying to steal your partner," Katrina then chuckled as she nced at Gary, who was still holding Paige''s hand.


    "I''m not worried, Katrina."


    "Wait, wait¡­" Be then stood in front of Paragon, "You''re that dude from the news! The one who destroyed that truck, bro! I watched that video like 3 times!"


    "What truck?" And finally, after standing in silence for a few moments, Hannah started to move again as she walked toward the three.


    "Let''s skip all the political stuff and just call me Hannah," Hannah then stretched her hand towards Riley; her eyes, looking at the building, "You guys must be someone special for the fucking queen herself to be giving you¨C"


    However, as soon as she touched Riley''s hand¨C her eyes quickly moved away from the building; first looking at his hands¡­ before turning to his face.


    "...Riley?"


    "..." Riley also quickly returned Hannah''s gaze; their eyes, quickly glistening as they met. A few seconds after, however, Riley shook his head and let go of Hannah''s hand.


    "I am afraid it''s not anything like that," Riley then said; his voice, slightly¡­ husky, "My mother''s a friend of Empress, we just got lucky."


    "You¨C"


    "Why are you talking like that, Adam?" Paige seemed to be done chatting with Gary as she rushed to approach the group,


    "Wait¡­ is that your superhero voice? That''s so freaking cool!" Paige almost squealed as she stood beside Riley, leaning on his arm before stretching her hand to Hannah,


    "I''m¡­ I''m a big fan of yours, Nuclear Seraph¡­


    ¡­as¡­ as well as your brother!"


    "Fuck," Be once again groaned as she once again took a few steps back.


    "What¡­


    ¡­did you say?"

 Chapter 329: Paige and Paragon Superhero Agency!

    Chapter 329: Paige and Paragon Superhero Agency!


    "I''m¡­ I''m a big fan of yours, Nuclear Seraph¡­


    ¡­as¡­ as well as your brother!"


    "What¡­ did you say?"


    "Oh."


    "Hm?"


    Paige had no idea what was happening; but 2 of the members of the Baby Crew, Katrina and Be suddenly pulled her away as she was talking to Hannah. Did she say something wrong? Was she not supposed to mention her brother?


    That was it, wasn''t it? Paige thought as she looked at Katrina and Be''s expressions.


    "Don''t¡­ mind her," Katrina sighed as she blocked Paige from Hannah''s view, "Her brother¡­ is kind of a taboo in¨C"


    "What did you say?"


    "Bro, not cool," Gary also stood in front of Hannah as a cold whisper once again fumed from her mouth, "You can''t justsh out on strangers like that. It¨C"


    "You, what did you say?"


    However, contrary to the expectations of the Baby Crew, Hannah did not approach Paige¡­ but instead her partner, Paragon.


    "What did you say?"


    "My mother''s a friend of Empress, we just got lucky."


    And without even any hesitation or being weirded out, the Baby Crew watched as Paragon answered Hannah; his eyes, showing not a single sign of agitation. Most would probably feel a little peeved when someone approaches them like that, but¡­ Paragon just seemed to shrug it off.


    ¡­As expected of someone with a superhero outfit that makes him look like a futuristic ivory ninja. They were superheroes themselves, but they somewhat lookedpletely normal when standing beside Paragon.


    His obviously pale skin that''s only visible from his forehead; his long jet ck hair and eyebrows, his dark eyes that seemed like they would suck you in¨C it was almost as if he was simr to¡­


    ¡­Bulwark.


    There was just something special and eerily alien about their aesthetic.


    "..." As for Hannah, the only thing she could really do was look at Paragon from head to toe¨C her eyes squinted to the point it was almost closed.


    "Is there something wrong, Seraph?"


    "No, it''s nothing," and after a few more seconds, Hannah''s eyes finally left Paragon as she shook her head, "And it''s Nuclear Seraph, at least know the name of the people that would promote your business."


    "Okay, Nuclear Seraph."


    "..." Hannah once again turned her eyes towards Paragon as she heard his voice. It waspletely different¡­ but it truly feels like she was talking to Riley¨C no. Not even before he spoke, Hannah felt like Paragon was Riley.


    The way he carried himself is just too¡­ simr to him.


    "Paige¡­ Paragon, excuse us for a bit," Hannah then bobbed her head as she looked at Gary and the others, "You guys, follow me for a sec."


    "..." Gary, Be, and Katrina looked at each other for a single second, before giving a collective sigh and following Hannah,


    "Sorry, it''ll be just a sec¨C Nuclear Psycho calling us."


    "O¡­ okay?" Paige could only scratch her head as she returned to Paragon''s side, "The Baby Crew¡­ they''re more like normal people than I thought."


    "No," Riley shook his head, "They are special¡­


    ¡­just like you, Paige."


    "Hm¡­" Paige squinted her eyes as she looked at the Baby Crew huddling up, "What¡­ do you think they could be talking about?"


    "Don''t you guys think Paragon looks like Riley?"


    "Hannah,e on."


    Gary wanted to leave the circle as soon as he heard Hannah''s words, but couldn''t as Hannah grabbed his arm.


    "I''m serious," Hannah said as she looked all of them straight in the eyes, "Don''t you guys see the simrity?"


    "What, now every person you see with pale skin is Riley?" Gary sighed as he shook his head, "Next time, you''re going to say Empress and Be are the same person because they''re both ck."


    "...There''s level to the ckness, man," Be hit Gary in the stomach, "In themunity, Empress might as well be considered white and¨C"


    "Guys, focus."


    "I¡­ I don''t really see it," Katrina meekly said as she leaned out of the circle to look at Paige and Paragon, "I mean, Paige and Paragon seem to be a couple, no?"


    "..." The others turned to look at the two, only to see Paige leaning awfully close to Paragon as they seemed to be talking together.


    "...They could be siblings," Gary muttered, "Even more proving he''s not Riley. Why are we even talking about this? Riley¡­ just let it rest, Hannah."


    "..." Hannah let out a small but deep breath as she looked at the two.


    "Imma ask them what''s up," Be then said as she moved away from the circle, "Hey! Is you two a couple or what!?"


    "B¡­ Be!"


    "What? We wasting time."


    "..." Hearing Be''s shout, Paige quickly looked at them and answered,


    "...No?" Before turning her head towards Paragon and asking the same question, "...Are we? A couple, I mean?"


    "No."


    "Hm," Paige only blinked as she once again turned to the Baby Crew, "No, we''re not, guys! But maybe we could be in the future, no one knows!"


    "See!? Did you see the way he answered Paige?" Hannah loudly whispered as she huddled back in the circle.


    "I¡­ I still don''t see it," Katrina said, "And¡­ Riley isn''t really the kind of guy that would let anyone that close to him, right?"


    "Let''s stop talking about Riley,e on. We''re back on the ground, for fuck''s sake," Gary thenpletely stepped away from the circle,


    "Let''s just go out there and have some fun!" Gary''s eyes then lit up in red as he once again approached the crowd; his arms, stretched to the side; a big smile, stered on his face,


    "Paige and Paragon Superhero Agency, everyone!" Gary roared as he pointed at the signage of the small building, "The only Superhero Agency that the World Government openly supports!"


    A wide smile quickly formed on Paige''s face as soon as she heard that¨C she hadn''t even stepped foot inside the building, and yet she suddenly already owned one of the most famous superhero agencies in the world.


    Of course, she didn''t really work for it¨C but honestly, who cares? If life gives you advantages, you take it and grab on to it hard.


    "E¡­ Everyone!" Paige then stood beside Gary as she also stretched her arms to the side¨C and as soon as she did so, the sky above them suddenly turned dark; the sun previously shining down upon them, now a moon.


    "W¡­ what the fuck?" Gary then quickly took a few steps back as day suddenly turned into night¡­ but only within their area. If they were to look towards the horizon, the sun was still pretty much bathing thend.


    "I¡­ I invite all superheroes, aspiring and veterans¡­" Paige, however, continued to address the confused crowd, "...to check out Paige and Paragon''s Superhero Agency!"


    And suddenly, flowers started to bloom in the night sky¨C silent fireworks that reflected in everyone''s eyes; nketing the sudden darkness with light.


    "You¡­ are you doing this?" Gary then took in a small gulp as she looked at Paige¨C but before Paige could have a chance to answer him, they were suddenly drowned in a white light.


    The area around them didn''t turn back into day, no¨C but instead, the light that they thought was the sun¡­ was actually Paragon, now floating in the air.


    And circling around him, were almost a hundred giant swords made of light. Everyone squinted their eyes from the heat as well as the extreme brightness that the swords emitted; all except Gary¡­ and Hannah.


    "Fuck¡­ that''s cool," Gary said as he took another gulp.


    "Still think it''s Riley?" Be approached Hannah; her eyes, slightly covered by her hands.


    "Actually¡­


    ¡­yeah."


    As for Hannah, the growing suspicion inside her¡­ grew even stronger. The feeling that wasing out of the swords that Paragon summoned¡­


    ¡­it was simr to hers.


    And very soon, everything returned back to normal as the moon once again turned into the sun. Paragon, whonded back on the ground, was quickly weed by Paige''s arms as she leaped towards him in joy.


    "We¡­ we''re actually doing it!" Paige squealed as she hopped up and down, "To¡­ to think this idea just sprung from us trying to get your license back. Come on, let''s¡­ let''s go check the inside!"


    And without even waiting for anyone else, Paige dragged Paragon inside the building¨C finally entering it after almost an entire hour of just being outside.


    "Did you guys just fucking see that?" Gary''s mouth was still wide open as he returned back to the rest of the Baby Crew; his finger, still pointing at the sky,


    "Those two are fucking OP as fuck."


    "Well¡­ they are rmended by Empress," Be shrugged, "She must have had them locked up in some facility or some shit."


    "You guys still wanna hang, though? I mean, I don''t think they really need us to promote this thing after what they just did."


    "S¡­ shouldn''t we at least go inside?" Katrina joined in on the conversation, "We have nothing else to do anyway?"


    "Maybe we could¨C"


    "We''re joining." And before anyone else could say anything, Hannah started to walk towards the building.


    "...I guess we could stay¨C"


    "No, I mean we''re joining. We''re joining the Paige and Paragon Superhero Agency."


    "...What?"


    ***


    "...Your new strays really do know how to put on a show."


    "Stop calling them that."


    Inside the Baby Crew''s jet, Empress''s eyes reflected the fireworks that Paige had summoned; waiting for it to be over before turning back to Aerith, who was casually sitting at the pilot''s seat and checking the panels.


    "And so? Surely, you didn''t just do all of this for theatrics?" Aerith then said as she nced at Empress.


    "...You''re right," Empress then approached Aerith as she pressed something on the panel, causing a screen to show up in front of the windshield,


    "Thousandde¨C he might being here."

 Chapter 330: Sudden Attack

    Chapter 330: Sudden Attack


    "W¡­ wow, we even have a bar."


    "Paragon, look at this!"


    "Are you¡­ are you our receptionist?"


    "There''s 6 floors! Half of the top is our office!"


    "W¡­ what the freak¡­ I don''t know why we need a giant aquarium but I love it!"


    In less than an hour, Paige had already scoured every inch and corner of the small building. There were lots of things inside the establishment that one wouldn''t really find in a conventional Superhero Agency, for the reason that the ce was previously a small hotel¨C Paige came to know this when she introduced herself to all the staff in the building, even the ones that were working on maintenance.


    And of course, throughout this tiny escapade, she was dragging along Riley with her. If it wasn''t for Paige finally getting tired, then the two might have scoured even the scaffolds and basement floors of the building.


    "L¡­ let''s go back to the lobby."


    "Okay."


    And finally, Paige seemed to have fully exhausted herself as she just let herself lean on Riley''s back as they rode the elevator down.


    "How¡­ how are all of these possible, Adam?" Paige then said before burying her face on Riley''s back, "It almost feels like you have the same abilities as me¨C able to create and make anything happen, except it''s actually real."


    "Your abilities are real, Paige," Riley whispered.


    "Only for me," Paige meekly chuckled.


    "And isn''t that real enough, Paige?"


    "Hm?" Paige pulled herself away from Riley''s back to look at his eyes.


    "If it is real for you, then it is real enough," Riley then said as he returned Paige''s gaze.


    "A¡­ Adam¡­" Paige then took in a small gulp¡­ before tiptoeing on her feet and leaning closer to Riley; her eyes closed as she softly puckered her lips.


    "..." As for Riley, the only thing he could really do was blink a couple of times as he stared at Paige''s¡­ face. What¡­ exactly was she trying to do? Of course, Riley was now aware enough that she was trying to kiss him¡­


    ¡­but he had a mask on.


    And before anything could really happen, a quiet beep rang in the air as the elevator doors opened¨C allowing everyone on the other side of the door to see how close Paige and Riley''s faces were¡­ mostly the Baby Crew.


    "..."


    "..."


    Paige then subtly opened her eyes, before quickly turning them towards the Baby Crew and almost jumping in fright. She, however, forced herself to recover as she stepped out of the elevator with a smile on her face.


    "You¡­ you guys are still here!?" Paige gasped, "If¡­ If I knew, we would have invited you to tour the building!"


    "..." The members of the Baby Crew were still a bit confused as to what they just witnessed. But as soon as Riley got out of the elevator and the doors closed, Hannah stepped forward.


    "It''s fine, Paige," Hannah shook her head as she stretched her hand to Paige, "We would have a lot of chances to tour it in the future."


    "...Hm?" Although Paige was confused by Hannah''s words, she still shook her hand, "What¡­ do you mean?"


    "The Baby Crew, well¡­ At least, I am," Hannah breathed out as she turned her eyes to Paragon, "...Will be part of the Paige and Paragon Superhero Agency from now on."


    "...What?"


    "I already submitted my application at the front desk, you can review¨C"


    "You''re in! Of course, you''re in!" Paige almost violently shook Hannah''s hand repeatedly, "D¡­ did you hear that, Adam!? We have one of the top superheroes in our agency!"


    "...We''re in as well," Gary then stepped forward as he sighed, "Wee as a package."


    "W¡­ what!?" Paige then quickly let go of Hannah''s hand as she went on to shake the hands of Gary, Be, and Katrina¨C excitedly weing them all to the agency.


    "But¡­ what exactly do we do here?" As soon as she reached for Katrina''s hand, however, her question suddenly put a stop to Paige''s excitement as she looked at Paragon¡­ before looking back to Katrina.


    "I¡­ actually have no idea."


    Superhero Agencies.


    No one really knows when they started to sprout in society, but in truth, their birth could be traced back to the rise of the media and entertainment industry in the mid-1900s. The only reason why they were not as prevalent then was because of Megawoman, who did not approve of using the superheroes as some sort of marketing tool¨C they were meant to save and improve lives, after all; not to entertain.


    But of course, as in the case of any other forms of industrial media, there was no way to stop it. Their advances became more aggressive with the loss of Megawoman a few years ago¨C but it wasn''t until Megawoman truly left the as well as the death of Darkday 2 years ago that everything changed.


    Of course, they could have been stopped since Empress took the seat of the highest authority on the¨C but she didn''t. The world needed a change from all the depressing and stressful events that had been happening to them.


    And so, the thing that Megawoman and Empress have been trying to prevent became the key to distracting the people from all the horrible things and tragedies that have been dealt with them again and again in a short span of time.


    And throughout the 2 years that the agencies and their superheroes have been active¨C most of those that were opposed to it realized that it wasn''t that¡­ bad. It can be a bit tacky and tasteless at times, but it was a much-needed change.


    And so, what exactly does a superhero agency do?


    Their superheroes aremercialized¨C not like Hera, who was a full-blown celebrity that''s already involved with many films, but a superhero that saves people''s lives¡­ and actually earns money doing it through sponsors as they stream their daily lives of being a hero.


    And the agency makes all of that possible without adding any burden to superheroes.


    "I¡­ I see."


    Paige, Riley, and the Baby Crew were currently sitting casually in the lobby as the agency''s head receptionist exined all of this to them.


    "But¡­ can''t a superhero just do that on his own?" Gary raised his hand, "Even now, there are actuallypanies contacting me to endorse their products."


    "Well¡­" A small smile started to crawl on the receptionist''s face, "...That''s why those who apply in Superhero Agencies are mostly those that are not that known¨C C-listers and below."


    "...C-listers?" Katrina furrowed her eyebrows.


    "Oh, unknowns. They¨C" And before the receptionist could finish her words, the door slid open as people started to enter. There have actually been crowds trying to enter the building after they endorsed it grandiosely outside, but they were asked to leave since they were just there to get an autograph of the Baby Crew.


    Also, the agency wasn''t really opened to the public yet¡­ as they didn''t have any sponsors in the first ce. But the thing is¡­ did they even need sponsors?


    "Come to think of it¡­ we''re not really getting paid, are we?" Gary then looked at the rest of the Baby Crew, "I mean¡­ they buy us stuff, but our bank ounts really never¨C"


    "When did you and Paragon meet?"


    And before Gary could finish telling his discovery, a small smile appeared on Hannah''s face as she looked at Paige. This smile might look friendly on the outside, but the members of the Baby Crew know otherwise.


    "Uh¡­ I guess we met yesterday?" Paige said as she turned her head to Riley, "Wait¡­ we''ve only known each other a full day!? It feels longer than that!"


    "That is because you talk a lot, Paige."


    "You¡­ only met yesterday?" Hannah squinted her eyes as she focused on Paragon.


    "Y¡­ yeah, in the Hero Association Tower."


    "...I thought you guys was like a thing?" Be joined in on the conversation, "I rewatched the video of you guys and the truck driver."


    "W¡­ well, since Paragon knows my entire life already, we might as well have known each other for a very long time," Paige then said as she leaned closer to Paragon, "Right, Paragon?"


    "...I suppose."


    "I¡­ see. And what are your abilities again?" Hannah asked.


    "Well, I can materialize anything I could think of."


    "What the fuck?" Gary stretched his arms to the side, "That''s fucking insanely OP. You could say ''No More Supers'' and there wouldn''t be supers anymore!"


    "N¡­ no, it''s not like that," Paige forced a chuckle. Before leaning closer to the Baby Crew and whispering, "It''s an illusion more than anything. Only I can interact with them physically."


    "That''s still fu¨C"


    "And you, Paragon? What exactly is your ability?" Hannah interrupted the conversation as she looked Paragon straight in the eyes, "I could see it has something to do with summoning lights and beams¨C hot enough to heat the air within their surroundings¡­ but you could also fly?"


    "Yes."


    "And judging by the video that Be showed earlier, you also carried the truck driver with one hand, so that means you have super strength as well," Hannah squinted her eyes, "That''s¡­ a lot of powers you have there."


    "I know," Paragon nodded, "I am strong. Probably stronger than all of youbined."


    "..."


    "Nah, it''s not him, Hannah," Gary then shook his head, "He won''t say anything like that."


    "...I don''t know, I mean..."


    "..He?" Paige was about to ask what the Baby Crew were talking about, but before they could do so¡­ the entire building suddenly trembled; the windows, shaking as a loud explosion suddenly erupted outside.


    "!!!"


    "That¡­


    ¡­That''s our jet!"

 Chapter 331: Thousandblade

    Chapter 331: Thousandde


    "That came from our ship!"


    And almost as if fate was putting a stop to their conversation, therge explosion that came from the outside was followed by a series of screams. The crowd was already told to leave hours ago¨C but since the Baby Crew were still inside the building, most of them waited in the hopes that they could at least take a photo with them.


    But s, it would seem their decision to stay would now lead to their deaths as the jet of the Baby Crew suddenly exploded.


    "Katrina, Monarch. Prioritize the safety of the citizens!"


    Although Hannah still had a million questions to ask Paige and Paragon, she was the first to leave the seat; rushing outside as she started issuingmands.


    "ck Bell, make sure all the debris from the ship won''t cause any more problems! I''ll try to see what or who caused it!"


    And without even saying a word, Be, Gary, and Katrina all rushed outside to follow Hannah''s orders.


    "We¡­ we''re going to see superheroes in action, Paragon!" Paige also quickly stood up as she looked at the Baby Crew''s disappearing backs.


    "You''re a superhero too, Paige."


    "Freak, you''re right!" Paige then said¡­ before an armor simr to what Riley was wearing suddenly wrapped her body; except it was more of a faded blue color.


    "..."


    "It wouldn''t be Paige and Paragon if we''re not simr!" Paige muttered as a pair of wings emerged from her back, "Let''s go provide backup! Be careful not to disrupt the Baby Crew''s flow, Paragon! Let''s go, let''s go!"


    And with those words, Paige flew out of the building¨C of course, stopping in front of the door first and manually opening it since the quake seemed to have messed up with the building''s systems.


    "..." As for Riley, he just remained seated on the sofa; watching Paige and the Baby Crew rushing and scurrying to protect the humans. He didn''t really bother joining them¡­ as he could still sense Aerith somewhere outside. She was also with Empress when they left her, so his joining wouldn''t really make much of a difference.


    And besides¡­


    ¡­he was somewhat enjoying the screams even from inside the building.


    Perhaps he has bezy? He did float in space for an entire year without moving; just letting himself be dragged around by Aerith as his memories very slowly returned to him. Perhaps he had gotten used to doing nothing?


    When he first started recovering his memories¨C Hannah was the first to appear in his mind¡­ and at the same time, the desire to kill everyone and everything that breathes.


    It had been a very long time since hest killed anyone. Even the aliens from Hotis 4J, he had no chance to kill any of them because it would create unnecessary trouble for Aerith¨C he was also enjoying their little adventure across the stars, after all.


    For him to remember his desire for blood first and foremost along with Hannah¡­ it seems he truly was engineered to be that way. If it is true that he was created by Diana¨C no. If it is true that he was created by Caiin, then for what purpose?


    Aerith told him repeatedly that Caiin was responsible for 7 genocides¨C did she create him to do the same to Earth? If so, then why let him just roam free all these years when she could have just trained him to do that from the start?


    With the way he is, Riley probably wouldn''t even bat an eye if he was ordered to kill everyone.


    ¡­Did something go wrong along the way?


    Was it Alice''s death? Was he supposed to be taken care of by Alice?


    From the way Aerith exined Caiin''s mind, she seemed to be the type to think a hundred years ahead¨C unlike Aerith, who liked living in the moment and didn''t let her millennia of existence cloud her mind.


    Are all of these part of her n? Or did something really go wrong along the way?


    Caiin, Aerith, and Bulwark. All three have lived for millennia, so what do they have inmon?


    ¡­Was it love? Did Caiin learn to love in the end?


    "..."


    No. Even Aerith seemed to be somewhat foreign to the concept as she did not really grieve for her husband¨C and even left Gary here on Earth.


    Riley learned that although Aerith truly did show care and love to the humans, it wasn''t really to the point that the people think¡­ because if she truly cared for them, she wouldn''t have brought Riley back to Earth.


    Aerith¡­ cared more about her mission than the people. But of course, Aerith would still choose to save as many lives as possible as she does so¨C she was just a kind individual in general.


    Bulwark¡­ Perhaps Bulwark truly knew how to love. After all, it was evident during Prophet''s death. Whenever there was something that could give light to Prophet''s death, he was there¨C he loved him enough that he risked the lives of several students and gave them the responsibility to search for clues.


    As for Caiin¡­ Riley truly did not have any idea. Whatever she showed during her life with the Ross'' could all be fake¨C some of them could be true, but Riley was not really one to judge emotions.


    "..." Riley continued to think of all the possibilities as he continued to nonchntly watch as the situation outside seemed to not be improving. They seemed to not have apprehended anyone yet, and at the same time, there have been a couple more explosions since Riley started to delve inside his mind.


    "..." He also couldn''t sense Aerith nearby anymore. Perhaps¡­ it''s time to join Paige and the othe¨C


    And before Riley could stand up, a stranger wearing a hat suddenly sat opposite him¡­ while two others sat beside him on both sides.


    "..." He looked at the old man in front of him, only to realize that it was the man that entered the building right after the receptionist was done exining about the schematics of a Superhero Agency earlier.


    As for the two others, he didn''t really know when they got inside¨C but most probably when he was busy thinking about Caiin''s ns.


    "Hello, child."


    The old man then started to speak, taking off his hat and revealing hispletely aged and sparse set of hair,


    "Don''t be rmed, I am not here to hurt you¡­


    ¡­I just have a few questions, that is all."


    "..." Riley looked at the man''s wrinkled face for a bit, before turning his head towards the receptionist¡­ only to see her pinned on the wall.


    ¡­That was newly painted.


    "I apologize for killing her. It would have been troublesome if she were to call anyone," the old man then let out a sigh, "We''ve also killed all the guards. So it is best for you to just cooperate with us."


    "..." Riley then turned his head back to the stranger, before leaning his back on the sofa and letting out a small sigh.


    "It''s good that you''re quick to realize your situation," a smile appeared on the old man''s face, "The two beside you will kill you before you could even blink if you try to do anything. Now, let me introduce myself. I¡­


    ¡­am Thousandde."


    "..." Riley could only blink as he heard the man''s name. Why¡­ did he say it like Riley was supposed to know who he is?


    "Don''t be afraid," Thousandde shook his head as he let out a small chuckle, "A superhero like you should not be intimidated just by something like this."


    "..."


    "Good, I hope you remain this cooperative," Thousandde nodded, "Now¡­ is the woman that ims to be your mother Megawoman?


    "..."


    "You don''t really have to answer that one since I already know it," Thousandde muttered as he grabbed his hat from the table; and without even any warning, he threw it to the side¡­ cutting up a personnel in half that unfortunately happened in the situation. The hat, however, once again became soft before it evennded on the floor.


    "2nd question. Where is Megawoman?"


    "That was a mistake, Thousandde."


    "...It seems you don''t really get your situation, child," Thousandde then let out a short but deep sigh as he heard Riley''s words, "Cut off a finger."


    And as soon as he said that, the two people sitting beside Riley quickly pinned him to the sofa. With one trying to pull his hand away¡­ but found that they could not even move it even for a single millimeter.


    "I''m not a superhero, Thousandde. They took my license away," Riley then casually muttered as he suddenly grabbed both the faces of the people beside him, "And since you are trespassing on my property and evenmitted homicide, I can legally kill you in any way I want without any repercussions."


    "W¨C"


    And as soon as he said that, blood started to rain down upon Riley; his once ivory suit, nowpletely painted in red as hepletely crushed the men''s faces.


    "You¡­"


    Thousandde then watched as Paragon nonchntly pushed away the two faceless bodies; the sudden white light that emerged from his eyes, quickly evaporating the blood scattered on his face.


    "I haven''t had fun for a very long time, Thousandde," Paragon then whispered as he slowly stood up from the sofa. And although his entire mouth and cheeks were covered by a mask, it was very obvious that there was a smile hiding behind it,


    "And perhaps the only right thing you would be doing today...


    ¡­is being in the wrong ce at the wrong time."

 Chapter 332: Crazy M*fker

    Chapter 332: Crazy M*fker


    Thousandde.


    Not much is known about him. He was a superhero that was active during the 70s when media wasn''t as prevalent as it is now¡­ and that''s it¨C not much is known about him, after all.


    But perhaps now, he will be known throughout the world. After all, he was inside the Paige and Paragon Superhero Agency¨C and supers belonging to an agency have the duty¡­


    ¡­to livestream everything they were doing.


    "You¡­ what are you doing?"


    Thousandde then watched as Paragon just casually walked away, kicking the two corpses beside him so he could move without any obstacles. Thousandde thought that he was going to attack, if so, then he actually already had something prepared for Paragon¨C once he came into range, he would slice him up into a million pieces.


    Contrary to his expectations, however, Paragon¡­ turned away from him as he grabbed something from his pocket¨C a phone.


    And as soon as Thousandde saw this, he quickly rushed towards him, holding a pencil in his hand that seemed to cause the air itself to split.


    "Youngsters don''t really know any¨C"


    And before Thousandde could finish his words, he found his wrist suddenly grabbed by Paragon; his back was still turned, his eyes, not even ncing or looking at him. And without even turning back, Paragon raised his foot and kicked Thousandde back to his seat.


    The kick didn''t seem strong as it didn''t really cause Thousandde to roll and fly away¡­ but why did it feel like he was just hit by a truck and then something just caught him from behind?


    "..." He¡­ was starting to have a bad feeling about this, he thought as he watched as Paragon continued to move around. If Paragon wanted to escape, then this would be the best chance to do so, but no.


    Instead, he walked around the lobby while holding his phone¨C until finally cing it on some sort of stand¡­ facing the lens of the camera towards Thousandde before casually proceeding to return to him.


    And without even any word or warning¡­ Paragon suddenly punched Thousandde right on the face¡­pletely dislocating the old man''s jaw.


    ***


    In a random house somewhere, a skinny young man with hair that reached his shoulders had his head almost buried in his monitor. His finger, almost endlessly scrolling as he had been trying to find something to watch for more than 3 hours now.


    He was currently scrolling through Tremor¨C the most popr streaming tform used by Superhero Agencies to promote and publish their supers. There were thousands of streams, but Nick, the skinny young man, could not choose what to watch.


    All of them were pretty boring¨C he had also been trying to find the more popr ones like the Baby Crew, Silvie, and Golden Fox, but they were not really on Tremor. One of the members of the Baby Crew, Monarch, used to be there¡­ but deleted his ount as soon as it was revealed that he was Megawoman''s son.


    And so, there truly wasn''t anything interesting to watch; but still, Nick continued to scroll down¡­ until he found himself in the deepest parts of Tremor¨C the New Streamer category.


    "..." The only thing he could do was let out a sigh, however, as most of the new streamers just post videos about their training and helping people cross the street.


    "Boring."


    "Boring."


    "Boooring."


    Nick continued to scroll only stopping when he sniffled and wiped his nose. He scrolled more another entire minute, before shaking his head and letting out a disappointed sigh. He was about to leave the New Streamer category when a new stream suddenly popped out at the very top of the list.


    "Hm? Cute," Nick scoffed as he looked at when the ount was created¨C just a few hours ago. And seeing as the preview was stillpletely ck, then that would mean the streamer was just preparing.


    The newbie was probably just testing out how Tremor works. Maybe a little help could go a long way, Nick thought as he entered the stream chat.


    "You need to press the icon in the lower-left that looks like a camera with an arrow to share your camera with us," Nick whispered as he typed. And without even a secondter, hisment was liked by the streamer.


    "Hm, cute," Nick once again scoffed as he nodded to himself. He was about to close the stream, but before he could do so¡­ blood and guts quickly filled his screen.


    "!!!" Nick almost jumped back; his eyes,pletely blurry as they started to adjust from having been removed away from the screen for the first time in hours. But before it could even have a chance to clear¡­ Nick quickly nted his eyes back on the monitor.


    "W¡­ what the fuck?" Nick took in a small gulp as he focused on the screen. And it would seem he wasn''t hallucinating¨C a man was currently split in half, his guts all over the floor, "What¡­ the fuck is this? Is¡­


    ¡­is this a viin''s stream?"


    Nick was about to click the report button, but then the camera started to move¡­ this time, it showed a woman that was crucified on a wall.


    "Oh¡­ fuck," Nick truly wanted to report it¨C but by doing so, his ount would lose ess to the video instantly. And so, the only thing Nick could really do was continue to watch.


    Until finally... a series of rattles drummed in Nick''s ears as the streamer seemed to have found a ce to put his camera on¨C and there, he finally saw what the streamer looked like.


    "..." It seemed to be a young man? With long ck hair; his face, most of his face, covered by some sort of futuristic white mask. No, it wasn''t only his face¨C his entire outfit seemed futuristic. It was somewhat hard to see, however¡­


    ¡­as it was covered in blood.


    [...Is this working now, viewer?]


    "..."


    "..."


    "Y¡­ yes," Nick once again whispered as he typed.


    [Thank you. My name is Paragon¨C and right now, my Superhero Agency has been breached by someone named Thousandde, trespassing and killing most of the entire staff.]


    "Super¡­ hero agency? He wasn''t a viin?" Nick then continued to watch as Paragon stepped out of view, revealing an old man sitting on a sofa, "What the fuck is happening? Is that the one he called Thousandde?"


    And before Nick could type again, he saw Paragon approaching the old man¡­ and punching him on the head without even saying another word.


    "Oh fuck!" Nick could only close his fist as he watched as the old man''s jaw was almost torn off from his face. Nick stared at this for a few seconds, before looking at his extra monitor and searching for information about the streamer¨C and the first one that popped out was the incident with Matchstick.


    "Cut off Matchstick''s hands¡­ then apprehended a truck driver¡­ what?" Nick tried searching for more, but that was it. But that was really all he needed to know about Paragon.


    He¡­ was fucking hardcore.


    [F¡­ fu¨C]


    [Please don''t curse. There might be children watching.]


    "!!!"


    Nick then watched as Thousandde waved something towards Paragon¡­ only for it topletely¡­ melt? It was hard to see since they were a bit far, but it looked like whatever Thousandde tried to stab through Paragon just melted as soon as it made contact with his suit.


    And hearing Thousandde scream as a huge chunk of his hand alsopletely¡­ disappeared, it would seem that really was the case. ording to the article Paragon was capable of summoning some sort of lightsword that could tear through a steel truck like it was butter¡­ Did he cover his entire body with that?


    "..." Nick then once again looked at his other monitor to search information about Thousandde, but only a handful of articles popped up. He was trying to find out what Thousandde''s power was¡­ and finally, as he reached the end, he was able to see it.


    Thousandde has the ability to turn anything into a sharp object¨C a paper, cotton, or even a feather. But it also says that although it was not as strong, Thousandde also had Super Durability and Super Strength.


    He was a superhero¨C but disappeared when¡­ he identally killed a superviin''s entire family.


    Nick once again turned his focus on the livestream, only to see Thousandde''s face alreadypletely caved in. He seemed to still be alive since his limbs were wriggling as Paragon still continued to smash his face in.


    But after a few more seconds, Thousanddepletely ceased to move. And almost as if he had just finished doing the dishes, Paragon just shrugged his shoulders and walked away¨C flinging his hand to wave off all the blood and flesh that was stuck on his gauntlet.


    He then turned his eyes towards the camera, causing Nick to flinch even though he was on the other side of the screen. And then, very slowly, Paragon walked back to his camera and grabbed it.


    [Thank you for watching.]


    Nick then heard Paragon''s voice as he once again walked with his phone¡­ before putting Thousandde''spletely crushed head in view.


    [I hoped you enjoyed watching a criminal die.]


    And with those words, the stream once again turned ck.


    "W¡­ what?"


    Leaving Nickpletely baffled. Did¡­ he truly just witness someone getting executed live?


    "Oh¡­ fuck¡­ fuck, fuck!" Nick then turned his head¡­ towards a camera that was ced behind his monitors,


    "Did¡­ did you guys just see what I saw!? Oh, fuck!" He then said¨C after all, Nick was also live¡­


    ¡­and with more than a thousand viewers watching him react to other people''s streams.


    "Who the fuck is this new superhero crazy motherfucker!?"

 Chapter 333: Move On

    "Man, that jet was the favorite thing I loved to ride on¡­


    ¡­next are hot MILFS."


    "Ugh, can you fucking not?"


    "One day back on the big blue and everything turning into shit."


    "G¡­ good thing no one got hurt badly."


    "You guys were freaking awesome!"


    After almost an entire hour of managing the situation, Paige and the Baby Crew were finally able to rx. Perhaps the one that was most exhausted of them all was Be and Gary, who had to make sure that each and every one of the crowd was unharmed.


    And fortunately for all of them, the most injured person only had a slight burn on her arms. Hannah walked in directly inside the burning jet to at least find a clue of what caused the explosion¨C but judging from all the marks and by the way the debris were scattered, it was done by a bomb; most probably C4 judging by the motor oil smell.


    If it was triggered remotely, then the one who attached it should have been near the area. Hannah tried searching for anyone that looked remotely suspicious, but with all the people gathered here; she would probably have more luck finding him in a haystack.


    Hannah has also requested CCTV footage of the explosion from the nearby buildings¡­ but judging by how close they got, they would have probably already deleted everything.


    The question now is why? What motive could someone have to blow up their ship as soon as theynded back on Earth?


    "...Do you guys think this could be done by Endless Dark?" Hannah said, pausing the heavy breaths that wereing out of everyone''s mouths.


    "No way, no," Katrina was the first to shake her head, "She¡­ wouldn''t do that to us."


    "We not even sure it''s our girl out there, H," Be continued, "C''mon, are we really suspecting her?"


    "...Endless Dark?" Paige joined in on the conversation, "Isn''t that the superviin group rumored to be¨C"


    "Their leader used to be a part of our group," Gary turned his head up to the sky, closing his eyes as his sigh was loud enough to travel through the air, "It''s a shame, really. She was the only one who had a womanly charm in the group¡­ her and Katrina''s gigantic melons."


    "T¡­ there''s no use specting," Katrina raised her voice, "We¡­ we should probably get out of the police''s way."


    "We¡­ we have shower facilities in the building!" Paige grabbed Katrina''s hand as she dragged her back to the superhero agency. The other members of the Baby Crew also followed after a few moments of looking at each other¨C their path, however, was suddenly blocked as Paige and Katrina suddenly stood frozen right in the middle of the entrance.


    They were about to ask why they stopped, but they didn''t need to¨C because as soon as they got near the building, the scent of blood whiffed through their noses. And in front of their eyes, was a scene of carnage.


    The friendly receptionist that was talking to them earlier, now a decoration on the wall.


    "No¡­ Paragon!" Paige quickly rushed in as soon as she recovered from her mild stupor, "Paragon, where are¨C"


    "I''m here, Paige."


    And very slowly, a melody started to enter everyone''s ears. Paige and the Baby Crew slowly walked towards the music, only for Paragon to slowlye into view; his fingers¡­ expertly ying a piano in the corner of the lobby.


    "Paragon!?"


    "...Was that piano there before?" Gary leaned closer to Be.


    "That''s what you got out of this situation!?" Be pped Gary''s chest. She was about to rush toward the receptionist to get her down, but all of a sudden, Paragon was in front of her.


    "Wha¨C"


    "Please don''t move anyone," Paragon then said as he stretched his arms to the side¡­ almost as if presenting the situation, "This is a crime scene, it needs to be preserved."


    "A¡­ crime scene?"


    "Y¡­ you didn''t do this, did you?" Katrina took in a small gulp as her hair started to flutter, "Because if you did. We¡­ would have to¨C"


    "Only those three," Paragon then pointed towards three bodies withpletely mangled faces of different degrees, "It would seem they used the explosion from your jet as a distraction. They killed everyone inside the building to get me alone."


    "What!? What did they want from you!? Are you okay!?" Before any of the Baby Crew could ask any more questions, Paige once again ran towards Paragon¨C gently touching him everywhere as if to check his condition.


    "No, my outfit is a little dirty," Paragon sighed as he shook his head.


    "We¡­ we''re going to clean you¨C"


    "No," Paige was about to wipe the blood off Paragon''s chest, but he grabbed her hand before she could do so, "Leave them. I''m part of the crime scene."


    "So you started ying the piano?" Hannah broke her silence as she stepped forward, "That seems like something only someone that''s not in their right mind would do. You know¡­


    ¡­like someone in the spectrum," Hannah hardened her words as she nced at the rest of the Baby Crew.


    "I like ying the piano," Paragon shrugged his shoulders¡­ before walking back to the piano, "It calms my mind¡­"


    ...And it also lets Riley pretend he''s not who he is¨C by imitating the actions of one of his many clones.


    "...The dude could just be a psycho," Be thenmented as Paragon started ying the piano again, "I ain''t finna mess with that, is all I''m saying. But he doesn''t seem to be in the spectrum, though?"


    "Psychopathy is in the spectrum," Hannah quickly said as she slowly approached Paragon,


    "Are you my brother?"


    And without any more hesitation, Hannah finally dropped the bomb¨C or in her case, dropped the nuclear bomb she had been carrying ever since she met Paragon a few hours ago.


    "No."


    Fortunately or unfortunately for her, Paragon also answered without any hesitation. And as soon as he did so, Hannah squinted her eyes as she looked him straight in the eyes.


    "Okay, I believe you," Hannah then said as she turned around and walked away, before whispering to Gary,


    "It''s him. I am sure it''s him."


    Gary, however, could only sigh and shake his head. He wanted to say something, but he knew if he did, then another sting argument would happen again. In truth, their group was hanging in a thread¨C and the only thing that was really holding the Baby Crew together was their friendship.


    "...Why did you mistake Paragon as your brother?" Paige then breathed out, "Wait¡­ is that the reason you guys wanted to join the agency? Because you think Paragon¡­ is Riley?"


    "Paige, that''s not¡­" Katrina quickly tried to calm Paige down, but before she could even take a single step, Paige suddenly burst into tears¡­ before leaping toward Hannah and hugging her.


    "You¡­ you miss him that much?" Paige almost gasped from how erratic her breaths were, "I¡­ I don''t have a brother. So I don''t know what you''re feeling but¡­ it''ll be okay. It''ll be okay."


    "..." Hannah could really only stand there with her armspletely stiff; not knowing what to do. She was about to push Paige away, but as soon as she saw her crying face. A¡­ sort of wave suddenly crawled throughout her entire body, causing her face to almost frown into a grimace.


    "Shit, Hannah¡­ don''t!" Gary wanted to pull Hannah away from Paige as soon as she saw the sudden shift in her expression. But before he could do so¡­


    ¡­Hannah also started to burst out into tears.


    Her shoulders, almost shivering as she fell to her knees and returned Paige''s embrace.


    "Fuck!" Hannah screamed, "I¡­ I know it''s not right. But I do! I do miss him!"


    "..." Gary, Katrina, and Be could only look at each other as Hannah''s cries screamed through the lobby. They knew¨C they''ve always known that Hannah was in pain after everything she has lost. It wasn''t just the loss either, it was how she lost them.


    But seeing her breakdown like this, they realized they never truly tried to understand her through the 2 years they were together. But¡­ how could they, really?


    How could they properlyfort her knowing what they know?


    Your brother, which tortured and killed more than a dozen million people, is dead? It felt like if they tried tofort her, then it would be a p to the faces of those that were left behind by everyone that Darkday killed.


    Hannah is their friend¨C that''s why they didn''t leave. But it would seem not leaving was not enough.


    As for Riley¡­ he suddenly once again started ying the piano¨C this time a mncholic tune to partner with Paige and Hannah''s cries.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Pft. Fuck!" Gary was trying his best not tough; cursing and kicking the floor immediately when he could no longer stop himself from doing so,


    "Why would you do that, bro!?"


    And with that, Paige and Hannah also stopped crying as they looked at each other¡­ and then also started chuckling. Katrina also joined them as she sat on the floor and embraced the two.


    "...You white people do know we still surrounded by dead people, right?" As for Be, she could only cross her arms as she watched the spectacle unfold in front of her.


    And as soon as they heard her words, the three women quickly wiped the tears off their faces and nodded. Hannah was about to go outside to call in the cops, but Paragon grabbed her wrist before she could do so.


    "I''m not your brother, Nuclear Seraph," Paragon whispered, "I''m¡­ sadly just an only child. But if I was your brother. Then there''s absolutely no reason for me to hide it from you because you¡­


    ¡­you''re a beautiful person, Hannah."


    "...What?"


    "And if I was your brother...


    ...I would want you to move on."

 Chapter 334: Laws for Super

    Chapter 334: Laws for Super


    "..."


    Hannah had probably been staring at Paragon for an entire hour now. The police that was handling the situation of the explosion were called inside the building, and were now interrogating and questioning Paragon as to what happened.


    Since the CCTV in the building was cut off, the only way the cops could really figure out what truly happened was by cross-examining Paragon; asking him the same questions over and over again. But each time, all of his answers were consistent. But still, the cops continued anyway.


    They were doing this since Paragon already had a history of unnecessary violence¡­ and that was just the other day.


    "The dude''s gonna melt with you looking at ''im like that."


    "Hm?"


    Hannah then slightly turned her head to the side as Be approached her; her eyes, however, were still fixated on Paragon. How could they not, after what he told her?


    He told her that he would have been lucky to have a sister like her¡­ and then he told her to move on. Would¡­ Riley really say something like that? The way he said it was also filled with care and warmth¨C something Riley was not capable of.


    Were¡­ they really just simr to each other?


    "He¡­ ain''t Riley, H," Be then sat at the lobby bar beside Hannah, "I hate agreeing with the tall oaf, but your brother is dead, girl."


    "..."


    "But I get, I do," Be was about to pour herself a drink from the bar, but as soon as she saw a body covered with a nket on the other side of the counter, she just returned to her seat, "I could see why you thought he could be Riley. They have this¡­ aura in them. But this¨C"


    "You guys are right," Hannah did not let Be finish her words as she finally removed her eyes from Paragon, "I''m just¡­ I guess I thought I''d forgotten about all of that."


    "They your family, girl. You''re gonna have to live with that," Be sighed, "Now I came from a big family¨C not as big as Katrina, but big enough. But we wasn''t tight. But you and Riley? You guys had something special that even I suspected there was something sinister going on with you two."


    "...Something sinister?" Hannah raised an eyebrow.


    "Yeah, ya know¡­" Be shrugged, "...that you two were¡­ like¡­ well, you know."


    "..." Hannah stared at Be for a few seconds, but as soon as she realized what she was getting at, her eyes widened,


    "What!? No, yuck, ew! What the fuck!? He was my brother!"


    "Not biological."


    "Bell!?"


    "That''s why I didn''t wanna say!"


    "Then why say it!? Is Gary infecting you!?"


    "I don''t know, shit! The two of you had that Lannister vibe going on, touching each others cheek and shit. ck people don''t mess with that, just saying."


    "..." The guards that were interrogating Paragon could not help but be distracted by Hannah and Be''s loud exchange, but after a few more seconds, they turned back to focus on Paragon. But looking at him just calmly sitting there, it felt like they were just wasting their time.


    "If only we could recover those things," the detective muttered as he pointed at the cameras, "Even the surveince outside was tampered with. The prints on the dead guys also came out negative. We have no way to identify who they are because their faces are all smashed in."


    "Wee to the Super Department," the detective''s partner scoffed, "It just gets weirder and weirder down the line."


    "Fuck if¨C"


    "I recorded a video."


    And as the two were about to leave Paragon alone, he stood up and approached them,


    "If you want to see the old man''s face, I recorded a video before I killed him."


    "...What?" The two detectives then looked at each other, "Why did you only tell us now!?"


    "Because you were asking different questions," Paragon said.


    "Where''s the video!?"


    "You can check it out on my Tremor ount."


    "You uploaded it online!?"


    "No, I streamed it live."


    "What!?"


    The two detectives quickly grabbed both their phones as they searched for Paragon''s ount. They didn''t have to, however¨C as Paragon''s video was right on the feature page of the app¡­


    ¡­with already a million views although it was just streamed 3 hours ago.


    "Quick, run the old man''s face into the database!" The detective snapped his fingers several times as he ordered his men; his eyes, not leaving the video for even a second, "We need to find out who¨C"


    And before the detective could finish his words, he reached the part of the video that was most reyed by the viewers¨C the very moment Paragon caved the old man''s face in.


    "Oh, fuck."


    And like most of the people that watched it for the first time, both the detectives could only let out their surprise with a curse.


    "He¡­ fucking executed him live."


    "We¡­ we have to arrest him now, right?"


    "..." The lead detective did not really answer his partner''s question as he watched as Paragon even provided a close-up of the old man''s smashed head. He had seen some entric superheroes in his life¨C but this was more like the work of a viin.


    "We got the old man!"


    And while the two were reying the video, one of the cops returned with a tablet on hand. The two detectives quickly checked the old man''s profile¨C and everything just clicked.


    They thought the wounds of the staff were weird and something they didn''te across often, now they know why. The old man was an old super called Thousandde and he had the ability to make anything hard and sharp¨C and since the receptionist was practically nailed to the wall with a bunch of paper straws and one was practically cut in half by a hat¡­


    ¡­that was really all they needed to know.


    "...What do we do with him?"


    "...Nothing," the lead detective then let out a small sigh as he returned the tablet to the cop, "We''re done here for today."


    "We''re not going to arrest Paragon?"


    "For what? He''s allowed to use deadly force against a trespasser."


    "But the old man couldn''t even fight back! Sure, he tried to stab¨C"


    "I''ll stop you right there," the lead detective then ced his hand on his partner''s shoulder, "The old man is a super who killed more than a dozen people."


    "I know that, sir. But I''m only trying to enforce thew on all sides."


    "Then you need to go back to seminar,"


    The lead detective waved his hand as he walked away, "Thew you''re trying to enact is only for normal humans¨C self-defensews arepletely different when ites to Supers. Go study, kid."


    "Wait, what? Since when!?"


    "Since forever," the lead detective could only sigh in disappointment at his partner''s words; before walking back to Paragon, "Don''t leave the city for a couple of days, we will have questions about Thousandde soon."


    "Okay."


    And as soon as the people questioning Paragon were gone, Paige, who had been patiently waiting nearby, quickly rushed to him to give him some water.


    "You okay?" Paige then asked as her sighs reached the entire building; before she looked at the body bags the cops and coroners were carrying out of the building, "They''re¡­ all dead. We¡­ didn''t even fully know any of them. It''s just like one big dream that turned into a nightmare."


    "Yes," Paragon nodded, "We can''t ept clients until we hire new people, Paige."


    "...That''s not really what I was getting at¡­ but that''s true."


    "Bro!" And before the two could even continue their talk, Gary''s voice reverberated into their ears,


    "You smashed someone''s head in on live TV! That''s hardcore as shit!" He then said as he cast the video on his phone to therge TV in the lobby''s waiting area. Be and Hannah, who were talking at the bar, could not help but be curious as to what Gary was up to now.


    "You guys seen Kat?" Hannah asked as she approached Gary.


    "She''s taking a leak, but watch this, though!" Gary then said as he pointed at the TV, which was showing Paragon smashing Thousandde''s head in.


    "Damn," Be was the first to react as she blinked a couple of times, "Now that''s some next-level shit right there."


    As for Hannah¨C it just added to her confusion. Executing someone and recording it? That''s something Darkday would do. But then again, he was literally a co-owner of a Superhero Agency, and they record everything they do.


    "Ah!" Paige screamed as she pointed at the recording, "We can use that as marketing!"


    "..."


    "You crazy, girl?"


    "Paige and Paragon! That''s what would separate us from the rest of the other agencies!"


    "I think Empress openly supporting your agency already separates you from the others," Garymented, "But I get your point¡­ and I''m fucking in. Let''s bash some heads in."


    "You guys do know we can''t kill, right?"


    "Only if we care about our image, we''ll let them strike first so we can im self-defense and¨C"


    "And what?"


    And before Gary could finish his words, Empress suddenly appeared behind him.


    "...And we negotiate," Gary said before quickly moving away. Empress didn''t really give him any more heed, as she approached Paragon.


    "Can we talk about Thousandde?" Empress said, before looking at the others, "In private."


    "We were here first, why don''t you talk somewhere else?" Hannah did not take a single step.


    "Are we going to do this again?"


    "Maybe."


    "The two of you don''t have to," Paragon stood between the two before they could argue, "Let''s talk in my office, Empress."


    "Hm," Empress didn''t really entertain Hannah that much as she followed Paragon to the elevator. Leaving Paige and the Baby Crew in the lobby alone.


    "..."


    "..."


    "How''d you guys know Empress?" Gary was, of course, the first one to break the silence as he walked towards the bar.


    "I¡­ I think Adam''s mother is a friend of hers."


    "Pft, Empress has a friend?" Hannah scoffed as she followed Gary to the bar, also gesturing for Be and Paige to join, "That''s the biggest joke I''ve ever heard."


    "R¡­ right. Your dad and her had an affair¡­" Paige quickly covered her mouth, but it was toote as she already uttered the words.


    "Hm," Hannah, however, only shrugged her shoulders as she gestured to Gary to get a bottle of alcohol, "She''s just another victim of my dad. My brother turned out to be the way he is probably because of him."


    "I don''t think it''s anyone''s fault," Paige sighed, "Riley was in the spectrum, he¨C"


    "Oh, I''m not talking about that," Hannah shook her head, "You¡­ wouldn''t understand."


    Gary could only nce at Be as he handed the bottle to Hannah; almost as if asking her if it was alright to give her alcohol in her state. Be, however, just shrugged and got a ss.


    "Empress isn''t that bad," Hannah then said before gulping a third of the bottle, "She¡­


    ¡­was one of the people that held us together when things got tough."

 Chapter 335: Dazed

    Chapter 335: Dazed


    "Did¡­ Thousandde say what he wanted from you?"


    "Megawoman."


    "...Of course."


    It had been a while since Empress was on the other side of the desk ever since she took the seat as World Leader, but to think it would be with someone she should consider her junior. She was currently in Paragon''s office, and she initially thought they would just be talking in the office''s lounge, but then Paragon suddenly sat at his desk.


    Just¡­ where did Aerith pick this guy up? She actually ordered a background check on both Paige and Paragon¨C and she knows that Paige was from an orphanage and had quite a bit of a record. As for Paragon, or full name, Adam Dagher, he seemed to have lived a sheltered and somewhat luxurious life under the radar.


    Born to a reclusive, wealthy, and ancient family on the outskirts of Egypt¨C with an American mother and Egyptian father, both died in an ident just a year ago. Adam then went missing afterward. Other than that, there was nothing on him.


    Empress already asked Aerith about him, and said that she owed the family something when their ancestors helped her a century ago¨C and when she came back to Earth, she heard of the news and searched for Adam in a ce that only her and the family knows.


    Aerith, however, still has not told her why she returned to Earth in the first ce. At first, she suspected that Darkday might be alive; and even suspected that Adam might be Riley, but his storypletely checks out.


    She even went to the address, only to find an abandoned mansion with photos of Adam and his family. Now, if he could only take off his mask¨C then any suspicion that Empress had would be gone. Still¡­ for there to be no record of someone like Adam other than that?


    Impossible.


    But for now, however, it didn''t matter.


    "Did Thousandde say anything else?"


    "No," Paragon sighed, "I killed him before he could ask his 3rd question. I didn''t like how he thought he could just march in here and kill my people."


    "...You do know you''re a superhero, right?"


    "Not officially. The Hero Association took away my license."


    "...I''ll ask them to give it back," Empress slightly furrowed her eyebrows, "But if you''re going to stay under Megawoman herself, then you shouldn''t just go and kill people¨C that''s not what she stood for."


    "With all due respects, Madam Adaeze," Paragon leaned back on his seat as he looked Empress in the eyes, "But I think I know Aerith more than you do."


    "Then did she tell you why she came back to Earth?"


    "Yes," Paragon nodded.


    "...And?"


    "I hope none of you find out," Paragon then stood up as he slightly opened the curtains of his office; letting a little light in, "Because then all of you will perish in the ashes of the war that is about toe."


    "...A war?" Empress''s eyebrows furrowed even further, "Is that why Aerith came back? Is an army of alien invadersing to Earth!?"


    "Maybe. She did mention that more wille for Earth, maybe even one of the Higher Races."


    "Higher¡­ Races?" Although Empress waspletely clueless as to what that was, the name itself sounded intimidating enough.


    "Like the Themarians and other species as powerful as them."


    "...What?" And just like that, any problems that Empress thought Earth had be insignificant. Super Terrorists? Old friends bing viins? Darkday being alive? They suddenly became yesterday''s problems.


    If it was true that an army of people like Megawoman would soon someday arrive on Earth¨C then what could they even do? She knows Aerith was way more powerful than the vast majority of her kind because¨C and would even put them below Empress''s raw strength.


    But even then, Empress could probably count the people that would be capable of defending Earth once theye in one hand.


    Bulwark, Hera, Silvie Savelievna, Hannah Ross, Golden Fox, V, Tempo, Ts if she''s still alive, Butcher¡­ and a few more.


    In this regard¡­ Empress was slowly understanding why the previous government was trying its hardest to clone Megawoman. In case a day like thates, they would be¨C


    "I heard there was even a species that is half the size of Earth."


    "What!?" Empress then quickly grabbed her personal phone from her pocket¨C dialing Aerith''s number at almost blinding speed.


    "Hm," Paragon nodded, "But no, that''s not why she returned."


    "..." Empress then quickly dropped her arms as she stared at Paragon with her eyes looking like they were about done about everything.


    "She returned because the threat might already still be here."


    "Who, Darkday?"


    Paragon shook his head, "I''m afraid that''s all I want¨C I mean that''s all I am allowed to say. If you want to know more, then ask mother."


    "And where is she?" Empress sighed, "She suddenly left after it''s confirmed that Thousandde was the one who orchestrated the bombing."


    "I have no idea, Empress. But she''s out there somewhere, she likes to stalk and listen to people''s conversations."


    "I¡­ see," Empress then let out a small sigh as she finally turned around, "I''ll try to find her, in the meantime, you should be careful. We think Thousandde is working with some, we have yet to determine why but I think they wille back for you until they get to Aerith."


    "I appreciate the warning, senior," Paragon said as he sat back on his fancy chair. Empress was about to step out of the office, but before she did so, a small explosion suddenly erupted in the air as she disappeared from her spot¨C the furniture around the room, violently pushed to the side as a crevice suddenly formed on the floor.


    Paragon''s desk waspletely shattered in smithereens; anything light that could flutter in the air fluttered. The curtains, now flowing outside with the wind as the windows also shattered.


    Paragon, however, was still seated.


    As for Empress''s fist, it was only inches away from Paragon''s face. It would have probably reached it, if not for the hand that blocked it.


    "Now, that wasn''t too nice," Paragon slightly tilted his head to the side to look at Empress''s face.


    "I knew something didn''t add up," Empress''s hand trembled as she tried to push further, but was unable to, "Your background was perfect, too perfect to exist."


    "Maybe because I am perfect?"


    "Don''t kid yourself," Empress scoffed, "You know things about Aerith, you know things about the universe, you even managed to block my fist¡­ you think I wouldn''t guess who you are? There''s no use in hiding it."


    "Well," Paragon then shrugged his shoulders before gently swatting away Empress''s fist, "Aerith was the one who decided to hide my identity. If you want toin,in to her. But as expected of you, Empress¨C for you to be one of the first to know who I am."


    "You didn''t even put effort into hiding it unlike Aerith," Empress took a few steps back as she brushed her clothes,


    "...Themarian."


    "..."


    "It makes sense, you didn''t even flinch when I mentioned Darkday''s name¡­ that''s because you don''t even know who that is in the first ce¡­


    ¡­you''re a Themarian."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Yes."

 Chapter 336: Contact

    Chapter 336: Contact


    "I knew it! I knew there was something wrong here!"


    "..."


    Paragon watched as Empress started walking around his now ruined office. She didn''t seem to care that she made a mess at all; grabbing one of the sofas she caused to tumble to the floor when she rushed towards Paragon and cing it upright, sitting on it while surrounded by everything else she destroyed.


    "Aerith wouldn''t just suddenlye back out of nowhere and then conveniently find someone like you," Empress repeatedly let out sighs, enough to fill Paragon''s office with her breaths, "I knew something was also up when I asked Dom what else he had to do for Aerith. He also forged your identity!"


    "..."


    "But why¡­ why would he bring another Themarian here?" Empress then turned her head towards Paragon,


    "What are you doing here?"


    "You should ask Aerith that."


    "Wait¡­ is she your real mother?"


    "...I''m her Themarian lover," Paragon took in a deep breath as he closed his eyes.


    "...What?" Empress slightly squinted her eyes, "What do you mea¨C"


    "What happened!?"


    And before Empress could continue her words, Paige and the Baby Crew suddenly barged into the office,


    "Are we under attack again!?" Paige was the first to step inside; her clothes, once again imitating Paragon''s outfit.


    "What''s going on, Empress!?"


    Hannah and the others also quickly jumped inside, their eyes surveying every inch of the office in no time; with Gary even rolling on the ground as he entered for some reason.


    The 5 were previously just chatting in the lobby when they heard a loud noise strong enough to shake the entire buildinging from the top floor. They truly thought they were under attack again as soon as they saw the state of Paragon''s office¡­


    ¡­but as soon as they saw the two just calmly sitting through the mess, they all could not help but drop their arms in confusion.


    "What¡­ the fuck happened here?"


    ***


    "T¡­ today was crazy, wasn''t it?"


    "You will get used to it, Paige."


    "It''s¡­ not that bad."


    Paige and Riley were now back at their penthouse. Empress quickly cleared out the group''s confusion by telling them that Paragon just wanted to spar with her¨C one of the strongest supers in the world.


    In which shepletely surprised them by telling them that it was a draw. Of course, Empress said this so that if Paragon ever identally releases his full strength as a ''Themarian'', Hannah and the others wouldn''t be too surprised.


    The Baby Crew still wanted to stay, but Empress told her that they''ll be frequenting the agency every day anyway¨C what they needed now was to find a ce to stay. And so, with a slight reluctance, Paige said her first goodbye to the members of the Baby Crew; still not sure¡­


    ¡­how everything turned out like this.


    "3 days."


    Paige and Riley were outside on the terrace, overlooking the crowded and bright lights of the city. They couldn''t really see the ocean and their agency from where they were standing, but Paige was still looking towards the horizon where the agency building should be.


    "3 days and my life ispletely different with you, Adam," Paige sighed as she leaned her head on Riley''s arm,


    "I¡­ I wished I met you sooner. Or even yet, maybe we could have been siblings, you know. When I saw Hannah breaking down when she remembered Riley, I wondered how beautiful their rtionship must have been."


    "..."


    . ???


    "It was also really nice what you told her. Calling her a beautiful person and telling her that Riley would have wanted her to move on," Paige then walked away as she sat on the outdoor couch,


    "You¡­ you''re a good person, Adam. Well, despite your impulse for violence, that is."


    "..." Riley nced at Paige as she started giggling,


    "...Is that what you really think of me, Paige? A good person?"


    "Yeah, I mean why not?" Paige patted the sofa, gesturing to Riley to sit next to her, "You helped me during the registration, you talk to me even though I always repeat what I say for hours on end¡­ and you didn''t even treat me differently even after I told you my past¡­


    ¡­most would have tried to leave as soon as they heard I''m like half crazy, and most did."


    "..." Riley did not really say anything as he sat beside Paige.


    "As pathetic as it might sound, even though we''ve only known each other for the better of three days, you¡­ you''re closer to me than any other people I''ve met. Thank you, Adam¡­ really. With you¡­


    ¡­I can just be who I am."


    "..."


    "And I know¡­ I know that you''re still hiding a lot of things from me. I know you''re lying to me about things," Paige once again leaned her head on Riley''s shoulder,


    "But know that I am ready to ept you too. You can show me who you are."


    Paige then once again leaned her face closer to Riley''s, their eyes, only inches away from each other. Paige stayed like this for a while, with seemingly no intention of leaning away.


    As for Riley, he finally moved his eyes away after a few seconds and shook his head,


    "Who I really am is something uneptable, Paige," Riley sighed as he rested the back of his head on the sofa; causing Paige to slightly lose bnce and fall on hisp. Paige, however, did not move and just stayed there instead of moving away¨C even resting her leg and stretching it on the sofa.


    "There is no person in this world that ispletely uneptable, Adam," Paige said as she too, looked at the sky and stretched her hand towards it, "Surely, there¡­ there''s someone you''ve shared your true self with? A friend? A¡­ girlfriend?"


    "I did show my true self to someone very dear to me."


    "Oh? Tell me about¨C"


    "And she killed me for it."


    "..."


    "..."


    "That''s tough," Paige then let out a sigh as she shook her hand, summoning dozens of bubbles that looked like they had butterflies flying inside of them,


    "I won''t do that to you, Adam. Even though I''ve only just met you, I promise to you and myself that I will never betray you," Paige breathed out as she looked at Riley''s face, before gently trailing her fingers on his mask,


    "It''s fine that you hide your face with a mask. We all have masks¨C what''s important is that you yourself know who you are even underneath it."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I¡­ I learned that from my shrink, by the way," Paige then let out a giggle as the bubbles started flying around them; with Riley popping one of them and letting the butterfly rest on his finger. The two then stared at the butterfly¡­ letting the seconds go by in silence.


    But after a few seconds, the small smile on Paige''s face disappeared; her eyes, slowly widening as they looked back and forth between Riley''s face and the butterfly sitting on his finger.


    "Y¡­ y¡­ you," Paige then quickly sat up, causing all the bubbles and butterflies to instantly disappear as her face was once again only inches away from Riley''s,


    "Did¡­


    ¡­did you just pop the bubble?"

 Chapter 337: Shining, Shimmering,Splendid

    "Did¡­ you just pop the bubble!?"


    "Yes?"


    Although it wasn''t a guarantee that Paige''s mind would calm down as soon as she took her pills¨C they''ve helped so far. But now, in the hour that her pills should be taking the most effective right now, she found her mind and her heart moving erratically in a way they never had before.


    Her eyes which were already wide, now almost popped out as she violently stared at Paragon''s face. Throughout her life, she had been trying to search for the meaning of her abilities¨C or even the meaning of her life itself. But now¡­


    "You¡­ e¡­ even the butterfly was able tond on your finger."


    "Yes."


    "W¡­ what?" Paige quickly took a few steps back away from Paragon; hitting her back on the rails of the terrace, "But¡­ but that''s impossible."


    "..." Riley slightly squinted his eyes as he returned Paige''s gaze. But after a few seconds of wondering why, he blinked,


    "Oh," he muttered, "I thought you were the only one that could interact with your illusions, Pa¨C"


    And before Riley could finish his words, Paige threw a yoga ball at him that appeared out of nowhere. And of course, as most balls do, it bounced back¡­ straight back to Paige.


    "Eep!" Paige quickly erased the ball, but it was toote as it already pushed her over the railings¨C causing her to fall.


    "..." Riley, however, didn''t really react as he just stared at where Paige fell.


    And perhaps he didn''t need to, as a few seconds after, Paige''s head slowly emerged from the other side of the fence; her eyes, still as wide as they could be¨C if anyone else were to see this, they would probably start running for their lives.


    "You¡­ you can interact with my abilities!?" Paige then said as she fully emerged¡­ standing on some sort of floating carpet, "H¡­ how!? How is that possible!?"


    "I wouldn''t know, Paige. It''s your ability."


    Although Riley seemed disinterested, as a matter of fact, he was quite curious as to how Paige''s abilities worked. Every time she used her powers, it was evident that they truly were just illusions to other people and that only Paige could interact with them¨C he would know.


    After all, the very reason he tried to pop the bubble in the first ce was that he always attempted to interact with whatever Paige was summoning throughout the days they had been together.


    The time he floated in the sky to showcase his power during the opening of the Paige and Paragon Superhero Agency earlier this morning? He did that to see if the fireworks would actually touch his skin¨C and they did not.


    He was actually quite surprised when he was able to pop the bubble. If it wasn''t for his mask, then Paige would have probably realized that his mouth was slightly open for about 1 millimeter.


    "This¡­ w¡­ what?"


    As for Paige, she was probably the visual representation of what Riley was feeling right now as she sped her head with both her hands, "How!?"


    "I don''t know, Paige," Riley then shook his head as he suddenly floated towards Paige¡­ calmly stepping beside Paige on the flying carpet.


    "..." Paige crouched to check whether or not Paragon''s feet were actually standing on the carpet, and they were.


    "Y¡­ you¡­ you''re not just flying, are you!?"


    "No."


    "This is crazy!" Paige then stood up, almost losing her bnce as the carpet started to shake,


    "How is this possible!?" Paige once again repeated her question, and once again, no one was able to answer her. The only thing she could really do was take a sit on the carpet to calm herself down.


    "..."


    "..."


    Paige then summoned arge spear, before suddenly throwing it towards their sofa¡­ only for it to go right through without doing any damage; not even a waft of air.


    "It''s¡­ only you?" Paige turned her focus back to Paragon, who was now also sitting beside her on the flying carpet,


    "...Why?" And finally, she changed her question, "Is it because I like you? Is that it?"


    "..."


    "No, if that was it¨C then my abilities would also work on Empress and the Baby Crew since I like them as well," Paige squinted her eyes, "Is it because we''ve been spending time together without separating? No¡­ if that was the case then the people in the orphanage should also be able to interact with my abilities."


    "What¡­ what could it¨C"


    "I think it is useless to think about it now, Paige," Paragon interrupted Paige''s words as he brushed his hand on the carpet, "There could be many reasons why I can feel and touch your illusions, but since I am the only one; it would be hard to pinpoint the¨C"


    And before Paragon could finish his words, he found Paige''s face suddenly resting on his; her lips, touching his mask.


    "...What are you doing?"


    "T¡­ that''s cold. The mask, I mean," Paige then pulled her head away as she touched her lips,


    "You¨C"


    "We don''t need to talk about it!" Paige raised her voice before Paragon could say anything, "I¡­ I did it by impulse, it¡­ it happens when I am extremely excited."


    "You kiss people when you''re excited?"


    "N¡­ no! You¡­ you''re my first," Paige took in a small gulp, "Well¡­ I guess not since you''re wearing a mask? Maybe if you can take it off¨C what am I saying! We''ve only known each other for three days and I am already¡­"


    "It''s okay, Paige," Paragon shook his head, "I¡­ had a woman in my past that fell in love with me in less than a week and proceeded to do anything I wanted her to do. And in the end, she died."


    "..." Paige''s eyebrows began to furrow as she heard Paragon''s words¨C and without even any warning, the flying carpet suddenly shot up to the sky; almost creating a skirt of wind around them.


    "You didn''t have to ruin the moment, you know!" Paige then scoffed before an oxygen mask appeared on her face, "I''m the one that''s supposed to not be able to read the mood!"


    "..."


    "..."


    And as the silence between the two slowly expanded, the clouds started to be their floor. Paige created another oxygen mask to give to Paragon, but he shook his head and said that he didn''t need it.


    "Are¡­ you sure?"


    "Yes."


    "Tch¡­ I was hoping you take off your mask," Paige scoffed before letting out a small giggle; her eyes, slowly moved towards the sea of clouds that shattered the moonlight as they met... shining, shimmering.


    And very soon, a colossal whale suddenly emerged from the clouds, hovering over Paige and Paragon very slowly. The salty water that was brushing off the mammoth, showering the two of them softly.


    But even with this majestic scene drowning them, Paige was seeing nothing but Paragon¨C her eyes, following the droplets of water that were trailing on his face. And very soon, tears also started to trail on her face.


    Throughout her life, she had been trying to search for the meaning of her abilities¨C or even the meaning of her life itself. She may not have found the meaning yet¡­


    ¡­but now she had someone to share it with. And that is all that really matters.


    "Adam," Paige then held Riley''s hand as she looked her straight in the eyes, "Let¡­


    "...Let me show you the world through my eyes."

 Chapter 338: Daddy Paragon

    Chapter 338: Daddy Paragon


    "Haha!"


    "..."


    Reality. Even in a world where powers were amon urrence; even with a person like Riley who had seen an entirely different, what he was seeing now was something that he could only describe as¡­ magical.


    Paige was currently running around; chased by more than a dozen leaves that seemed like they had a life of their own¨C no, seeing them flutter like this, they might as well be birds in the form of nts.


    There was even a Crocudine rolling around the field of grass, a creature that Riley had only seen in Italian Mafia Reborn. As its name suggests, it was a small crocodile armored with spikes.


    He also took his gloves off, revealing his pale skin as he touched the grass beneath his feet. He tried touching the crocudine as well, but he seemed to put too much force and it burst into pieces.


    That was the very reason Paige was running around andughing¨C of course, she immediately revived the crocudine¡­ and summoned even more creatures. One even looked like a stick figuree to life.


    There was also a small pyramid and other wonders of the world scattered on the field of grass. Everything¨C Riley could touch and feel everything. Riley was probably one of the most stoic creatures in the world, but all of this truly intrigued him.


    The illusions¡­ were too real. Paige was right, she could really create anything with her mind. And right now, they were even still above the clouds, on a floating ind that Paige created with her mind.


    Riley has been waiting for Paige to faint from overusing her abilities, but now, even after 3 hours, she was stillughing and running around with a smile on her face.


    It would''ve probably been the most powerful ability in the universe if everyone and everything was able to interact with it. But s, Riley has been subtly and sneakily pushing things down the floating ind and watching if they would at least destroy a car on the ground, but nothing¨C even the clouds were unaffected.


    "Adam, look! Look!"


    "..." Paragon then lifted his head; looking up towards Paige as she slowly rose in the air¡­ while riding on the head of a giant golem¨C another creature from Italian Mafia Reborn.


    Did the golem also have the same abilities as in the anime? Riley could only tilt his head as he examined the creature. It was called the Earth Shatterer¨C it was actually inspired by Ts, the old superviin that was in the Super Max.


    And as its name suggests, it was capable of shattering a.


    "..." Riley then slowly approached the golem''s feet, before cing his hand on it and trying to take off a chunk. But to Riley''s surprise, it took a bit of an effort before he could prate it with his hands.


    "You¡­ are quite a strong individual, Paige," Riley muttered as he slowly floated in the air; standing beside Paige as he overlooked the small ind that she created.


    "Pft, no. It''s useless for other people," Paige sighed, "I can probably create Whiteking''s armor too and make it even stronger¨C but in the end, I would just break my bones if I tried to punch something because it would just go through."


    "Well, it could probably hurt me," Riley stated.


    "...Why would I hurt you?" Paige let out a small sigh, "Look. If you think I''m like the person that decided to kill you from their life when they found out who you are, then you''re bonkers. I will ept you as you epted me, Adam. No matter what sort of man you are underneath your mask, I will ept you."


    "Hm¡­" Riley did not really say anything else as he just watched as Paige''s¡­ little world continued to move. Almost as if they have a life of their own. And very soon, however, a small growl whispered in the air.


    "..."


    "..."


    "S¡­ sorry, that was me," Paige then awkwardly chuckled as she held her stomach.


    "Perhaps we should eat, Paige?"


    "Y¡­ yeah. Let''s."


    "Hm," Riley nodded as he was about to jump from the head of the golem, but before he could do so, Paige grabbed his arm.


    "...Where are you going?"


    "We¨C"


    And before Riley could even say anything, the floating ind that Paige created instantly disappeared. The golem they were previously standing on, now a metal floor. And very slowly, this metal floor expanded; bing circr before a dome of ss emerged from its edges, trapping Paige and Riley inside.


    "..." And soon, once again, the flying whale made its appearance, along with other weird sea life flying outside the dome.


    "What do you want to eat?"


    "..." A table then appeared at the center of the dome, with tes already ready.


    "Yes," Paige then chuckled as she took a seat at the table, "I can even consume my illusions."


    "..."


    "How do you think I survived with so little money after I left the orphanage?"


    "...Interesting," Riley ced his hand on his chin, "Can you provide ingredients instead?"


    "...Ingredients?"


    "I want to see if I can cook with your creations."


    "You¡­ can cook?" Paige took in a small gulp as an entire kitchen suddenly popped up on the side of the dome, "P¡­ please, do¡­ do it."


    "..." Riley was about to walk towards the kitchen before he stopped and looked at his outfit, "Can you give me an apron?"


    "Yes! Yes, of course!" Paige''s eyes turned wide as a white apron wrapped Riley.


    "Thank you," Riley then nodded as he proceeded to walk towards the fridge, opening it only to see all kinds of meat there, "What food do you¨C"


    "Something fancy!" Paige then said before grabbing her phone; immediately taking a selfie with Paragon behind her,


    "L¡­ let''s see here¡­ #daddyparagon cooking," she then started whispering to herself as she uploaded the photo to her social media ount¡­


    ¡­not even noticing that Paragon took off his mask and started smelling the ingredients that were neatly scattered on the counter.


    "Fufu," Paige started giggling to herself as people already started reacting to the photo, "Look at this, Adam. The people are¨C"


    And as soon as Paige''s eyesnded on Paragon''s mask that was sitting at the end of the counter, her breathpletely stopped. She still could not see what he looked like since he still had his back towards her¡­ but for some reason, her heart started to drum.


    And almost as if to reflect her feelings, the sea life floating outside the dome all turned into jellyfish; their color, pink and red as they throbbed along with her heart.


    "..." She didn''t really know what to do as she just stood up; her feet, not knowing whether to approach Paragon or not. But s, her curiosity won over everything else as she quietly walked towards Paragon; her eyes, slowly turning towards his face.


    And there, Paige finally saw¡­


    ¡­Paragon with another mask.


    "..."


    This time a cotton mask.


    "...I don''t know what I was expecting," Paige then let out a sigh as she watched as Riley continued to cook, not even heeding her mind. Paige was about to return to the table when Riley ced a seasoning next to his face¡­


    ¡­and suddenly pulled down his mask.

 Chapter 339:It Makes Sense

    Chapter 339:It Makes Sense


    "What¡­ am I even going to do now?"


    It was more or less 3 years ago now. Paige had just recently been kicked out of the orphanage because she was no longer considered a minor in the state of bama. She had an option to stay, but in exchange, she would then volunteer to take care of the other misfits¨C but with her abilities, she was sure she would just end up losing her mind.


    She was given $1000 as a sort of ''severance'' gift when she left, and thatsted her exactly one day after the small apartment she was renting asked for an advance. She didn''t mind, however, as she didn''t really need a budget for food since she can consume her creations-- probably the only advantage of her abilities.


    But still, she needed a proper job to be able to keep on living in the city like a normal human being. She could build a mansion for herself if she wanted to, but that would mean that no one would be able to visit her¨C it would be for nothing.


    Well¡­ not like she has any friends to visit her in the first ce. But this didn''t deter her, however, because it was the start of her new life. It didn''t really take long for her to actually find a job¨C a performer.


    She performed at birthday parties for children with her illusions; she was earning a lot, for sure¨C enough to even move to a bigger apartment.


    She, however, quickly got bored of her job and quit a month after securing enough money to pay for the apartment for an entire year without working. She then worked as a bartender after that but quit a week after shepleted her training.


    She consumed so many jobs in the span of a very short time¨C and in the end, she ended up just staying home and using the only real thing inside her apartment, herputer. She was new to everything in the outside world, and the inte was the only thing that she considered a real teacher.


    And one day, while she was scrolling and eating Wasabi chips she materialized, she happened toe across news of Riley Ross. It was the news revealing he was Whiteking''s son¨C this already got Paige''s curiosity, but what really got her attention was the way Riley looked¡­ and the fact that he was in the spectrum.


    For someone like this to want to be a superhero, it truly¡­ opened something in Paige''s eyes. Of course, Riley could be said to have the unfair advantage of being Whiteking''s son, but still¨C she knew the problems people in the spectrum face every day because she was surrounded by them in the orphanage.


    No, even she had problems¨C she also truly considered herself mentally ill back then even if the doctors are saying that what she had waspletely¡­ controble. It didn''t seem like it, of course¨C she had to swallow a ton of pills she didn''t even know how to pronounce every day just to keep herself stable.


    And for Riley to want to be a superhero despite his condition¡­ It was somewhat inspiring. Of course, the news was followed by the tragic deaths of thousands of people dying in several ne crashes.


    Her attention, however, was solely on Riley. Since then, she has been searching the inte daily for any news. The death of a foreign student, Riley bing the Mega student, the news of them saving the shores of Hawaii from a monster, then another when he saved all those people in LA from the homunculi¡­ and then preventing more deaths in Ennd, him getting mistaken as Darkday¡­


    ¡­and then eventually, even after all of this¨C he rescued Megawoman and ultimately lost his life by defending the Earth from the aliens and Darkday.


    It was also revealed that Riley was Ms. Phoenix''s biological son and that she tried to kill him when he was just a baby, there were all sorts of rumors going around. Some of them have been proven to be true.


    With everything that had happened to him, Paige wouldn''t be surprised if Riley, being already on the spectrum, grew up to be an apathetic monster. She had seen it before in the orphanage¨C their innocent capacity for violence.


    Riley Ross was an inspiration for people like her¨C for those that are already disadvantaged the moment they were born. Riley Ross became a beacon.  her life, Paige had been lost not knowing what her purpose truly was. And as cliche as it may sound, Riley Ross gave that to her. And so, starting with his death, Paige strived to test her powers to their utmost limits¨C and one day, be a hero as well.


    She would even go to the lengths of saying that Riley Ross, to her, was what Megawoman was to most people.


    That is what Riley meant to her.


    And she would recognize him everywhere.


    And this person standing beside her right now?


    Even with his hairpletely different, even with his eyes dark¨C Paragon was almost a cutout of Riley; and it wasn''t just their pale white skin either¨C his nose, the way his eyes were shaped. And most importantly¡­


    ¡­his wide mouth that could probably swallow an entire burger whole.


    That face could only belong to¡­


    "...Riley Ross?"


    "..." Riley, however,pletely ignored her as he once again covered his face with a mask. Seasoning the meat in front of him almost as if she didn''t hear what Paige just said.


    "You¡­ you''re Riley Ross."


    "..." This time, Riley could no longer ignore Paige as the meat he was tying up in a thread suddenly disappeared. He then slowly turned his head to Paige, causing his long, almost perfect ck hair to bristle across his shoulders,


    "I was, Paige," Riley then nonchntly said.


    "...You''re revealing it just like that!? O¡­ of course, that is something Riley would do!" Paige then stuttered as she took a few steps back; the dome they were in, slowly releasing some sort of static as everything began to tremble,


    "Wait¡­ wait, that would mean you''re alive!?"


    "I suppose," Riley then shrugged his shoulders, before he returned to the fridge to get Paige a bottled water, "Your constructs are getting hazy, Paige."


    "Of course, they would get hazy!" Paige stomped her foot before chugging the entire bottle whole; the dome, once again bing solid as her eyes returned to Riley, "You¡­ you''re alive! So that was why Hannah was reacting like that!? This¡­ this is crazy? Am I being pranked? Is that it? Is this a prank?"


    "No."


    "Oh my god, oh my god," Paige then started breathing heavily as several des started fanning her, "This is happening, it''s really happening. I¡­ I was with Riley Ross this whole time!?"


    "No. Riley Ross is dead."


    "But you''re standing right here! In¡­ In all your glory. My pills¡­ where are my pills!? You''re dead? You¡­ you meant that figuratively, right?"


    "In a way, I suppose so," Riley only shrugged, before asking Paige to return the meat he was seasoning.


    "This doesn''t make any sense," Paige then breathed out as she casually returned the meat on the counter, "You¡­ what¡­ I don''t know what to do anymore."


    "I was also Darkday, Paige," Riley then once again casually said as he turned on the stove and ced a pan on it.


    "..." Paige then quickly shut her mouth as her mind finallypletely shut down. But after a few seconds, she quietly marched back to the table and sat there in silence even after Riley was done cooking and ced the food in front of her.


    "Please, eat," Riley then said as he started eating. Paige also did the same; her eyes, staring at Riley for the duration of their meal. She seemed to be wanting to say something, but was always stopping at thest second.


    Throughout her life, this was probably the most quiet she has been-- even her mind was nk,


    "..."


    "..."


    It wasn''t until Riley was about to pick up their tes to wash that Paige finally made a sound, grabbing Riley''s hand and stopping him,


    "You¡­ don''t have to wash it," Paige then said as she looked him straight in the eyes, "So¡­ you were Darkday."


    "...I was, yes."


    "Riley Ross and Darkday¡­ are the same person?"


    "Yes."


    "I see¡­


    ¡­that makes sense."

 Chapter 340: A Tiny Booboo

    Chapter 340: A Tiny Booboo


    "You know, I''m not Whiteking. I can''t hide you, someday soon someone is bound to detect you."


    "Rx, kid. I brought some technology stuff with me¨C no human satellites can find me."


    "...I just found you."


    "Because I''m not hiding from you."


    "..."


    Somewhere in the expanse of space, miles away from Earth''s atmosphere; Aerith and Empress were casually floating still. Well, Aerith was more casual; as Empress was wearing some sort of mask to be able to breathe and talk in space using some kind of vibration.


    Aerith has been spending more time in space than on the surface of the Earth¨C keeping her senses to their maximum as she tries to find any traces of Caiin. But at this point, even she knows that what she was doing was practically useless.


    Aerith has been on Earth for more than 300 years, and the only reason she was able to finally find Caiin was when she was unconscious. If it wasn''t for Riley telling all those stories about Diana, and then ultimately bringing her to their residence and meeting her, she probably wouldn''t even have discovered Diana''s true identity.


    And even that urrence might have been allowed by Caiin in the first ce. For 300 years, she didn''t even realize she was that close.


    Perhaps the only thing different now was that Aerith knew what she was searching for; Caiin has this certain¡­ aura that Aerith was able to spot when they were only meters away from each other.


    Caiin is on Earth¨C she just needed her to slip once. Caiin may or may not know that she was back, but it didn''t really matter; if Caiin still hasn''t left Earth even with all the things that have happened, that would mean that something was holding her here.


    Maybe Aerith needed to find that something instead?


    "..."


    "..."


    "You still haven''t told me what you''re doing here," Empress then said as she floated closer to Aerith, "Look¡­


    ¡­I know Paragon is a Themarian."


    "...Huh?"


    Aerith almost choked on her own breath as she heard Empress''s words; Aerith knew in herself that she was terrible at lying; and so, the best course to take here was not to say anything at all. And so, say nothing she did.


    She just stared at the big blue with her eyes slightly squinted, trying her best not to make any change in expression.


    Seeing this, Empress could only nod to herself; taking Aerith''s silence as confirmation, "For you to bring another Themarian here¡­ whatever you''re doing must be pretty important."


    "..."


    "If we''re in danger¨C if Earth is in danger, I need to know," Empress sighed, "I asked Paragon, and he said it wasn''t a threat from the outside. I need to know what that means. You have to understand, I''m no longer just ying hero, master¡­


    ¡­I decide the fate of the entire now."


    "..."


    "..."


    "It will be dangerous for you to get involved."


    And finally after a few moments of silence, Aerith shook her head; her eyes, finally leaving the big blue,


    "You can say that Earth is indeed at the threat of being invaded, but they''re not your problem. At least not yet."


    "The Higher Races?"


    "...He even told you that?" Aerith could not help but almost roll her eyes, "It''s possible. But it''s useless to worry about them for now when the biggest threat is there."


    "...On Earth?" Empress said as she looked at where Aerith was pointing to.


    "Diana Ross."


    "Diana Ross?" Empress squinted her eyes, "What does Hannah''s mother have to do with this?"


    "Everything," the tone of Aerith''s voice slightly became heavier as she looked Empress straight in the eyes,


    "Diana Ross¨C Caiin has everything to do with everything that''s been happening."


    And so, Aerith finally decided to tell everything to Empress. About Diana being a themarian, her background, the genocides, and how she has probably been on Earth for thousands of years¨C weaving the fate of the.


    "She probably chose this because of the existence of supers," Aerith then ended her story as her stares returned to the big blue; her breaths, almost creating a mist of a thousand years of memories,


    "Who knows how long she has been there. I only arrived a couple of centuries ago because I found a trace of her¨C gues. That''s her usual MO."


    "..."


    "All species, all races only have a single shared ability with their people. You saw it with the race that invaded the, they only have a single ability¨C the clovians can shapeshift, therge blue ones emit energy from their bodies. Every species registered in the Cosmic Codex all have that inmon, even the Higher Races. But the humans? You¨C"


    "Our abilities differ from person to person," Empress was the one to finish Aerith''s words.


    "Yes. And when I discovered that, I reckoned it would be impossible for Caiin not to be here."


    "...What''s the Cosmic Codex?"


    "You can probably guess with the name," Aerith let out a small breath, "But it''s not important right now. Caiin is here somewhere¡­


    ¡­I know it."


    ***


    "Karina, stop running! You''re going to hurt yourself again!"


    "Hehe. Mommy, look! Look!"


    In a meadow somewhere¨C where the mountains on the horizon seem never-ending, a small child was innocently disrupting the peace the trees made. Her tiny steps, causing the grass beneath her feet to dance and follow her through the air; almost as if they have a life of their own as they circled her ghost-like hair. Her skin was the same, enough to reflect the sun that shone down upon her.


    And behind her, trying to chase and make sure that no harm woulde to her¡­ was Katherine Reeds; her long silver hair, now only brushing across her shoulders.


    "Honey, please¨C"


    "Eek!"


    And before Katherine could finish her words, Karina suddenly tripped; rolling several times on the soft ground as she stepped on a loose branch.


    "H¡­ honey, it¡­ it''s alright," Katherine, instead of rushing toward the tiny girl,pletely halted her steps instead; her hand, however, seemed to want to stretch towards the child,


    "It¡­ it''s okay, it''s just a tiny boo boo, okay? It...


    ...It''s just a tiny booboo."

 Chapter 341:A Mistake

    Chapter 341:A Mistake


    "It¡­ it''s just a tiny booboo, okay?"


    Katherine''s breaths were almost as loud as Karina''s growing sniffles. Her stretched hands showed that she truly wanted to rush and hug her daughter; but still, her legs did not move even a single inch.


    "M¡­ mommy?" Karina then slowly sat up from the ground, the scratch on her knee, already healed and was just covered with dirt and mud. Still, even with the wound gone, Karina''s face was just beginning to twist from the short pain that suddenly terrorized her leg; her unnaturally wide lips, turning into a frown.


    "It¡­ it hurts, mommy," Karina''s voice began to tremble; and soon, the grass, the stones, and everything around her started to float in the air.


    And as soon as Katherine saw this, the only thing she could really do was grit her teeth; her eyebrows, also trembling as she stretched her hands to the side¨C and as soon as she did so, the ground beneath her opened up, swallowing her inside¡­


    ¡­and leaving Karina alone on the surface.


    Karina didn''t seem to mind, however, as she seemed to only be looking at her already healed leg¡­ and very soon, even the very ground itself started to lift up in the air.


    Karina then sniffled several times; trying her best to keep her mouth closed. But soon, however, tears started to trail on her face as she screamed.


    "Mommy!"


    And her scream was weak, barely even a whisper from a short distance¡­ but it rippled. And almost as if they were just blown away¡­


    ¡­the mountains on the horizon disappeared, disintegrating along with everything else in the surrounding area.


    And soon, small thuds started sputtering on the lifeless ground. Karina, who heard a whisper of these thuds, quickly gasped as she wiped the tears trailing on her cheeks.


    "N¡­ no," she then quickly rushed towards one of the things that fell from the sky, quickly lifting it up and embracing it,


    "N¡­ no, I''m¡­ I''m so sorry, little birdy¡­ no."


    And while she was cradling the bird, more and more started to fall from the sky¨C but before they could fully hit the ground, they stopped in the air; preventing their bones from being shattered into pieces.


    But still, even with their bodies clean¨C they remain lifeless.


    "No¡­" Karina''s tears once again started to flow down on her cheeks; her cries, growing even stronger as a hand suddenly, but gently touched her shoulder.


    "M¡­ mommy."


    "It''s okay, honey¡­ It''s okay," Katherine, who emerged from the ground, immediately embraced her daughter; caressing her head¡­ before Karina''s arms suddenly dropped.


    "..."


    "I''m¡­ sorry¡­" Katherine then threw away the syringe in her hand as she wiped the tears on her eyes before they could fall, "I¡­ hope you''re having sweet dreams, my beautiful child."


    Katherine then gently lifted Karina, cradling her in her arms and kissing her on the cheek.


    "This is actually not okay at all. We stimted her growth too much."


    And before Katherine could even lift her lips from her daughter''s cheek, her eyebrows began to furrow as another thudnded near them.


    "We?" Katherine''s voice almost scratched the air as she turned around to look at the person thatnded behind her, "This is all you."


    "Well, yes. I was just being nice and sharing my achievements."


    It was Diana¨C No, Caiin''Ur. Still wearing the sameb coat she was wearing 2 years ago when she abducted Katherine.


    "How long is this going to go on?" Katherine then let go of Karina, letting her float with the bed of wind she created, "Just what are you hoping to achieve here!?"


    "Progress, Reeds. Progress," Caiin then started looking around, scanning everything that wasn''t there anymore, "You have to understand, Reeds. Everything we''re doing here is for the child."


    "You¡­ you say that bullshit every time!" Katherine was about to scream, but stuttered as she just chose to whisper loudly in fear that Karina could be awake,


    "What the girl needs is to have friends! You''re making the same mistake you''ve made with Riley!"


    "..." A sizzle quickly hissed from Caiin''s eyes as they turned red. But not even a second after, she let out a small but very deep breath and closed them,


    "Terraformer," she then said. And as soon as she said that, another woman emerged from beneath the Earth¨C Ts, the old woman that Riley met in the Super Max,


    "Reset the terrain. We don''t want our child to wake up to all this¡­


    ¡­death."


    "...Hm," Ts didn''t really say anything. Instead, she just kneeled and nted both her palms on the ground¨C and as soon as she did so, the ground beneath her¡­ started to breathe.


    It was then followed by a rumble as everything started to tremble, as far as the eyes could see. And soon, on the horizon, the mountains that were lost began to once again rise up from the ashes.


    "Let''s get her back home, it''s too cold here."


    And while Ts was practically turning the scenery back to the way it was, Caiin just casually started to float away.


    "..." Katherine stared at her disappearing silhouette for a few seconds, before ultimately just sighing and shaking her head before once again cradling Karina in her arms.


    "Are¡­ you going to be alright here?" Katherine then nced at Ts as her feet left the trembling ground.


    "Worry about the child," Ts muttered; not even looking at Katherine as she talked, "We¡­ are all just here to pay for our sins. We''re not friends."


    "...Karina calls you grandma, you know that¡­ right?"


    "I''m not," Ts shook her head, "Now leave me in peace."


    "You¡­ should join us in the house."


    "..."


    "..."


    Seeing as Ts was no longer interested in talking, Katherine could really only let out a sigh as she gently flew away¨C making sure not to disturb or harm Karina in any way.


    "..."


    "...Grandma, pft," And a few seconds after they left, a small smile grew on Ts''s wrinkled face. But a few more secondster, blood started to ooze from her nose,


    "No¡­" She then shook her head as she continued to fix the terrain, "I¡­


    ¡­I''m not allowed to be happy. None of us do."

 Chapter 342: The Complications ofUnderstanding

    Chapter 342: The Complications ofUnderstanding


    "..."


    Riley was now back in the penthouse; his eyes, once again reflecting another episode of Italian Mafia Reborn. They seemed to have ramped up production, even making the character Hera was voicing into a major character in the story¨C that alone should have ballooned up their cost.


    It would seem that people being stuck in their homes boosted up their ratings even more¨C especially now that they were moving to a pivotal point in the story.


    "..."


    "..."


    And a few more seconds of quietly watching the episode, Riley did something he had never done before¡­


    ¡­He turned off the TV before the episode was done.


    "..."


    He then very gently ced the remote on the coffee table in front of him, before turning his head down and looking at Paige, who was once again sleeping with her head on hisp. He had just revealed to her that he was Darkday, and yet for someone that ims that she has extreme difficulty in sleeping, Paige seemed to be sleeping very soundly right now.


    Riley told her who he was to prevent any more needless circumstances from happening in the future. If she chose tosh out and fight him, then Riley would have killed her then and there. If she chose to run away, then Riley would have also killed her right there and then.


    But no.


    He told Katherine, and she tried to kill him at first.


    He told V, and she tried to kill him.


    He told the Baby Crew, and they tried to attack him.


    He told Hannah, and she killed him.


    He told Paige, and she just shrugged her shoulders and said that it made sense.


    After that, Paige even asked a few more things about him. His childhood, his family, Alice¨C everything that happened to him. He told her all of these and thought that Paige would probably try and kill him too.


    But no, she just said she understood and didn''t ask any further, only telling him that they should go home.


    She understood¨C just what exactly did that mean?


    Riley then gently lifted Paige''s head, cing a pillow beneath it as he stood up¡­ and he just stood there staring at her face for a full minute. He¡­ doesn''t understand.


    What exactly does it mean for someone to understand him? Riley knew himself that he was a monster¨C an evil creature that parents use to scare their children; and rightly so.


    Darkday''s appearance could probably be counted on two hands. And yet in those urrences, he has tortured, maimed, and killed tens of millions of people. Even right now, he doesn''t regret any of those.


    In fact, he could go out there right now and kill millions more and he would still probably enjoy it. That is what he is¨C a monster that craves for death.


    So what exactly does it mean for someone to understand someone like him?


    He probably wouldn''t even think about it if someone else told him that. But Paige wasn''t an evil person. She cares for people and wants to save them. She was the kind of person that was willing to sacrifice herself if it would mean saving even more lives.


    She was the same as the others. Hannah, V, Silvie, and at some point, Katherine¨C all of them were heroes that wouldn''t hesitate to sacrifice themselves.


    And yet what made Paige different? Is it really just because she grew up being surrounded by people like Riley?


    ¡­Is it because unlike Hannah and the others, he told her the truth before the truth became a betrayal?


    "..."


    Riley then suddenly took a step back as Paige suddenly snuggled onto the pillow, brushing her face on it as she puttered her lips. And after a few more seconds of staring at her face, Riley walked away; the sound of the city, instantly drowning his ears as he stepped out onto the terrace.


    He then took one final nce at Paige, before wearing his mask again and flying away.


    "Hm¡­" Paige remained asleep, cuddling the pillow as a smile slowly formed on her face,


    "...Riley. S¡­ stop."


    ***


    He still couldn''t get used to the noise. It was a whisper that was getting louder and louder, and then it just suddenly stops¡­ and then repeats again. Riley, of course, was talking about flying through the sky without covering himself with his invisible armor.


    Ever since he returned back to Earth as Paragon, he had been careful not to use his telekinesis in any obvious way¨C as someone with trained eyes would easily see through him.


    Hannah was almost able to see through him¨C No, she did see through him. If it wasn''t for all the other things that have happened this morning, then Riley didn''t doubt that Hannah would discover the truth.


    He needed to change¨C change everything. Riley Ross and Darkday are dead¡­ and they should remain that way. Of course, Riley knew that the monster inside him was still very much alive¡­ he is that monster himself, after all.


    But at least this time¡­


    ¡­he wouldn''t be Hannah''s monster anymore.


    Riley would make sure she would forever be free of him¡­ as she would never be able to understand him. He doesn''t want her to.


    "..." Riley immediately shook his head as the thought of Paige once again entered his mind. It was an ufortable feeling that Riley seemed to can''t get rid of.


    Riley then hastened his flight; causing the clouds beneath him to part as a skirt of wind violently blossomed around him. He needed to get rid of the thoughts circling in his mind. And for that, he too¡­


    ¡­needed to understand.


    "..." A small thunder then howled in the air as Riley stopped flying; his hair snapping with the wind. He then closed his eyes for a few seconds as he took in a small breath, before once again opening them already settling at a house in the middle of nowhere; surrounded by nothing but pasture.


    And without even taking another breath, hended right in front of the house and¡­


    ¡­politely knocked on the door.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Coming!"


    And after a few seconds of waiting, someone finally opened the door¨C a boy.


    "Elliot, I told you not to open the door!"


    This boy, however, quickly disappeared as a woman suddenly rushed to the door and pulled him away.


    "Did you¡­ need something?"


    "It''s been a long time, Ms. Croft¡­


    ¡­is Diley around?"

 Chapter 343:The Visitor

    Chapter 343:The Visitor


    "It''s been a long time, Ms. Croft¡­


    ¡­Is Diley around?"


    "..."


    3 seconds. It took 3 seconds for Ellie''s eyes to start to widen as she looked at the masked young man in front of her. She initially just thought it was some sort of weird hero that wanted to ask them something about the area¡­ but she knew her name. But most importantly¡­


    ¡­she knew Diley''s old name.


    And that was all Ellie needed to know that whoever this person was in front of her, he was dangerous. Because those who knew Diley''s name were all rted to Darkday. One of the guests? It was possible.


    Thest time Diley tried to visit the Guesthouse, it was already empty. And since they couldn''t find even a single corpse, that would mean all of them were able to escape. If this man really was a guest, then he was only here for one thing¨C revenge.


    Maybe he''s not, but it didn''t matter¡­ she needed to protect her home.


    And so, with her thoughts finally centering, the veins on Ellie''s hand started to billow; the doorknob she was holding, almost instantly turning into some sort of stone that quickly stretched out to the rest of the door¨C and without even a secondter, spikes were already on their way to gouge out Riley''s eyes,


    But before they could reach them¡­ the stone-like spikes disintegrated; their pointy tips, almost as if turning into ss an inch away from hitting Riley''s eyes as they shattered.


    This didn''t seem to faze Ellie, however, as she once again summoned more and more spikes to turn Riley into a porcupine. But s, every attempt to poke a hole in him was a failure as everything just shattered before they could reach him.


    "S¡­ sis!? What''s happening!?"


    "Elliot! Hide!" Ellie''s eyes werepletely glued on Riley as she screamed; gesturing to his brother to hide, "C¡­ call John!"


    "But¨C"


    "Go!" Ellie then pped her hands, creating a wall of metal stone to quickly surround the entire house;pletely putting a shield and leaving whoever the visitor was outside. She, however, did not join her brother to hide; her eyes, just staring at the reinforced door she bolted shut.


    She could hear a muffled voice seeping from the cracks of the barrier she made. But other than that¡­ the visitor didn''t seem to be showing any signs of trying to break through.


    But before Ellie could even let out a breath of relief, a white light suddenly seeped through the edges of the door. No¡­ it didn''t just seep through, itpletely prated through it¨C and very soon, the light trailed across the edges of the door perfectly, not even damaging it with a scratch.


    A loud crackle then muffled from the outside, followed by a loud thud that caused a tiny quake around the house.


    "S¡­ shit," Ellie then stomped her foot on the floor, causing over a thousand needles to emerge from it, "J¡­ just try to enter, you fuck! I''m legally allowed to kill you! Just try it!"


    Ellie could hear a small rustle, prompting her to add even more needles as she anticipated the visitor barging in at any time.


    Except it didn''t happen; instead, he just¡­


    ¡­politely knocked.


    "Ms. Croft," she then heard,


    "I think there''s been a misunderstanding, I am not here to hurt you. It''s me¡­


    ¡­Riley Ross."


    And as soon as Ellie heard that, the stones that were covering the entire house like a dome soon withered away; her breaths, oddly calming down even though the most dangerous person that could ever knock on their door knocked.


    After all, there really was no use in trying to struggle. If Riley wanted to kill her, she would have already been dead without her knowing¡­ or he would be torturing him right now. But none of those were happening¨C and so, Ellie just let out another breath and opened the door.


    "You¡­ you really are alive."


    Ellie could doubt more, but with the way he addresses her partnered with his oddly calm demeanor¡­ this masked man in front of her could really be no one else but Riley.


    "I suppose I am, Ms. Croft," Riley nodded, "May¡­ Ie in?"


    "..." Ellie squinted her eyes at Riley for a few seconds, before once again letting out a sigh and stepping to the side, "Yeah, sure. Why the fuck not."


    "Thank you, Ms. Croft," Riley nodded as he stepped inside, "You have a very lively home. Elliot has also grown thest time I threatened you with his torture."


    "...And I see that besides your appearance, you haven''t changed much."


    "On the contrary¡­


    ¡­I think I might have."


    ***


    "Ellie!? Elliot!?"


    A few minutes after the unexpected visitor entered their house, a man sporting short blonde hair barged into the house; his clothes, riddled with all sorts of dirt and strands of straw. His steps were hurried as he rushed inside; his eyes, almost searching every corner of the house for a sign of anything amiss.


    And finally, as he reached the dining area, he saw Ellie, Elliot¡­ and a stranger casually having a cold ss of milk at the table.


    "What¡­ is going on? Who¨C" And before the blonde man could finish his words, his eyesnded on the stranger''s face. Although his hair and the colors of his eyes werepletely different, the blonde man wouldn''t mistake the stranger for anyone else but¡­


    "B¡­ Boss?"


    "Long time no see, D¨C John. I have to say, it''s quite an unoriginal name."


    "Ellie¡­ chose it," John then slowly approached the table; his feet, seemingly hesitant to go near Riley, "Is¡­ is that really you, boss? You¡­ you''re alive?"


    "I suppose. But I am not your boss anymore, John," Riley muttered as he took a sip of the milk, "Your cows seem very healthy."


    "Y¡­ yes?"


    It took a couple more minutes for John to be able to wrap everything in his head. He couldn''t even sense Riley, and he can''t sense him now even though he was right in front of him. But after drinking several sses of water, he finally sat down at the table and joined them.


    "You look quite different, John," Riley then said as he looked at John''s face.


    "Y¡­ yes?" John then said as he let out a small smile¨C his lips, far away from his ears as he did so, "I¡­ I had my mouth done. There''s¡­ a surgery to make them smaller."


    "I could see that," Riley nodded, "If you want, I think Aerith still has a serum that could change the color of your hair and eyes permanently."


    "Megawoman is also back!?" This time, it was Ellie who responded as she lightly mmed her palms on the table in shock.


    "Yes, we went on a little adventure in space. We visited another."


    "What?" The smile on John''s face grew as he heard Riley''s words, "You¡­ you finally did it boss."


    "Hm," Riley nodded, "I became an astronaut."


    "..." Ellie could only squint her eyes as John and Riley started nodding to themselves, but after a few seconds, she looked at Riley and asked about the serum.


    "I''ll try and give you some, John," Riley responded, "But that''s not why I am here. I wanted to ask you something."


    "W¡­ what is it? Anything, bo¨C"


    "I''m not your boss," Riley let out a loud sigh before John could finish his words, "I wanted to ask you¡­


    ¡­what exactly does it mean for someone to be able to understand me?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "...What?"

 Chapter 344: Old and NewAcquaintances

    Chapter 344: Old and NewAcquaintances


    "I wanted to ask you¡­


    ¡­what exactly does it mean for someone to be able to understand me?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "...What?"


    John was overwhelmed by emotions. He probably circted through all the emotions he had learned in just the span of an hour.


    First, it was worry. When Elliot called him through the radio with his voice clearly distressed, he immediately stopped tending to the animals and quickly bolted back to the house.


    Second, it was confusion. To see Elliot and Ellie just rxing with a stranger after that weird call, it truly almost fried his brains.


    Third, it was shock. Shock to find out that the stranger was actually none other than his creator, Riley.


    Fourth, it was familiarity and relief.


    But now, John was once again confused. Riley came all the way here¡­ to ask what it means that someone was able to understand him?


    "It means eptance."


    "Hm?"


    And before John could evene out of his confusion, Ellie answered for him,


    "Well¡­ usually," Ellie shrugged as she nced at John, "But if it was said to you of all people, then it probably means they epted you for who you are."


    "..." John didn''t really add any further, only returning Ellie''s nce before also shrugging his shoulders and looking at Riley,


    "Did¡­ someone say that to you, boss?"


    "I''m not your boss," Riley once again sighed, "But yes, someone did say that to me."


    "Sorry¡­ old habits die hard, as they say," John let out a small chuckle as he scratched his chin.


    "...Is it a woman?" Ellie''s eyes once again started to squint as she slightly leaned closer to Riley, "Did you tell her who you are? Your past? Darkday?"


    "I told her everything, yes."


    "No offense, but that woman might be a little crazy."


    "She is," Riley nodded without any hesitation.


    "E¡­ Ellie," John slightly nudged Ellie, gesturing to her to stop, to which she only shrugged her shoulder in response. And after that, was silence. With only the sound of Elliot sipping his drink whispering in the air.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Is that really what it means? That she epted me?" Riley was the one to break the silence as he looked at Ellie.


    "Honestly¡­" Ellie nced at John for a few seconds before continuing with her words, "...I don''t know. There''s really no way of knowing until you spend more time with¡­ whoever it is that said that to you."


    "..."


    "..."


    And once again, no one spoke. But after a few more moments of awkward breaths, this time, it was John that broke the silence.


    "Why¡­ can''t I sense you anymore?" John then said, "When you died, I truly lost all the connection I had with the other clones¡­ and to you. It was like I became blind and¡­ deaf. The only reason I didn''t feel lonely was that¡­


    ¡­Ellie was with me. Why¡­ why didn''t I join the others?"


    "..." Riley could really only look as John slowly held Ellie''s hand. This was the very reason why he chose to approach Diley for this matter that truly confused him¨C John¡­ is him filled with humanity.


    "Because I cut my connection to you even before my death," Riley then said as he casually took another sip of his milk.


    "...What?"


    "Thest time when we were sitting at a table together. I cut my connection with you there," Riley stated, "I saw the way you interacted with Ms. Croft¨C you were no longer just a simple clone. So I decided to reward you with independence."


    "W¡­ what?" John could not help but stutter as he tightened his grip on Ellie''s hand. Ellie also turned her head to John, a smile already crawling on her face.


    "I¡­ I told you¡­ you''re free," Ellie let out a small chuckle as tears started to trail on her face. And very soon, John did the same; his tears, almost overflowing. It felt weird but good at the same time when Ellie told it to him 2 years ago¡­


    ¡­but hearing it from the one that created him, it felt real.


    "T¡­ thank you," John once again stuttered as he wiped his tears. As for Riley, he only looked at the trail of water that was still left on John''s face¨C thinking when he was going to be able to do something like that again.


    "John."


    "Boss?"


    "What does it mean to be human?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "I¡­ don''t know." And after seemingly thinking through it for a few seconds, John just shook his head, "All I know is that I like¡­ I like the life I have now. Although I can''t use my powers in fear that someone would find out. Although we''re in fear that someone would juste knocking on the door, making us pay for all the crimes we''vemitted¡­


    ¡­I am happy that I get to spend it with Ellie."


    "And me!"


    "And Elliot," John let out another chuckle as Elliot suddenly raised his hand.


    "We try to be happy," Ellie chimed in as she also held John''s hand, "It''s a little fucked up since we don''t deserve it¡­ but we try."


    "..."


    "Running can get tiring, but we can''t reallyin," John nodded his head, "Because we already built a family here."


    "I¡­ see that, John," Riley then breathed out as he stood up.


    "Y¡­ you''re leaving? Why don''t you stay for dinner?" John said as he also stood up.


    "No," Riley shook his head, "It''s going to be morning in New Jersey soon."


    "Oh, you''re still staying in the states?"


    "Haa¡­ I miss the city."


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "If you want, you can stay there as well."


    "As much as we want to, we can''t," John forced a chuckle, "And besides, we''re already getting used to the farm¨C."


    "I can get you new identities."


    "What?" This time, Ellie also stood up, "How!?"


    "Aerith¡­ has connections. You can also work under the Superhero Agency under my name while you''re in the city. Your existence is against thew here, after all."


    "R¡­ really? I¡­ I haven''t beenining but I am getting tired of all the cows," John then let himself fall back to his chair, "Wait¡­ no. It''s¡­ not for me to decide."


    "Are you fucking kidding me!? I miss the inte!" Ellie immediately blurted out even before John could look at her, "Of course, we''re going! My brother needs to go to a nice school too!"


    "..." John blinked his eyes a couple of times as Ellie listed all the things she wanted to do, before finally turning his focus back to Riley. It is true that despite the seemingly peaceful life they have, they have already moved more than a dozen times in fear that someone recognized them in their old homes.


    John still had no idea what Riley was doing back on Earth where he could just¡­ be free, like him. But if he had to take a guess, it had something to do with Hannah. If that was the case, then John needed to be there to ensure that Riley wouldn''t do anything¡­ weird.


    After all, if he was able to start a new life, then it wouldn''t be impossible for Riley to do the same.


    "...I guess I need to call you boss again?"


    "Adam."


    "Hm?"


    "Or Paragon. That''s the name I go by now. You don''t need to call me boss since you can quit from the agency any time you want to," Riley then said as he started walking away, "You said it yourselves¡­


    ¡­you''re free."


    ***


    Riley left John and the others as he once again flew across the skies. They still needed time to properly arrange all they needed to arrange to leave the farm¨C and while they were doing that, Riley would be troubling Aerith with the favor of making their new identities.


    Still¨C Riley truly didn''t expect for Diley to have be like that. He already seemed human before Riley left the, but now¡­ Riley doesn''t even see himself in John anymore.


    He was truly his own different person. It is¡­ quite interesting¨C especially since Riley could actually still cancel John''s existence if he wanted to in just a single snap.


    John may have fully lost his connection to Riley, but Riley could still see what he sees if he wants to; he could still sense him. But of course¡­


    ¡­he wasn''t going to do that.


    "..." And while Riley was minding his own business flying through the skies, he could not help but halt as the silhouette that had been following him from behind for a few minutes now didn''t seem to have any ns of stopping in tailing him.


    And as soon as he halted his flight, the silhouette quickly hastened its pace; blowing the clouds surrounding it as it reached in front of Riley in no time at all.


    Riley was about to say something since he recognized who it was but quickly stopped himself as he realized¡­ that the woman floating in front of him wasn''t actually Aerith.


    "Do you have any identification on you?" The woman then said as she stretched her hand towards Riley, "It''s just a simple check, you don''t need to worry."


    It would seem Riley was meeting more and more people in his old life,


    "...Silvie Savelievna."


    ***AUTHOR NOTES***


    Hello, you might be wondering why the short chapters¨C I was updating my privilege. Also, if you somewhat miraculously want to support me even more financially...


    ...you can do so in my p.a.t.r.e.o.n¨C romeru.


    I also have a pay. pal ¨C romeru69. Don''t forget the 69 because then you''ll be donating to a different guy wearing a hat. It''s romeru69!


    Any amount would do, especially if it''s more than 3 digits! Fufu.

 Chapter 345: Just Old Friends

    Chapter 345: Just Old Friends


    "...Silvie Savelievna."


    With the wind howling through their faces, both Paragon and Silvie''s hair fluttered with the breeze; Silvie''s bright golden hair which reflected the setting sun, and Paragon''s jet ck hair shadowing the darkness that was about to rise.


    Silvie Savelievna. Thest time Riley saw him, she slowly lost her cheerful innocence with all the events that had happened to her¨C she wasn''t really much of anything anymore. Just going with the flow and wherever the others take her.


    A shadow of what she was when they first met her at the start of the school year; confident, jolly, untainted by the world. Of course, with everything that has happened to her, there was no way she could have kept her nature.


    But now, with just the way she carried herself, it would seem she was slowly returning to her old self. She also wasn''t wearing a mask anymore, perhaps she didn''t really need to, as her identity has been created by Aerith herself before they left.


    "You¡­ know who I am?"


    "I do," Riley nodded, "You''re Megawoman."


    "M¡­ Megagirl," Silvie slightly stuttered before clearing her throat, "I¡­ still have not earned that title. A-anyway, stop changing the topic. Please show me your identification and¡­


    ¡­wait."


    And before Silvie could finish her words, she suddenly squinted her eyes as she slowly floated and leaned closer to Paragon, looking at him from head to toe several times.


    "You. You''re that guy with the new superhero agency," she then said as she hastily floated back and pointed at Paragon.


    "You know who I am?" Paragon slightly tilted his head to the side as he returned Silvie''s question to her.


    "O¡­ Of course. I¡­ always keep up to date," Silvie then crossed her arms as she looked to the side,


    "And it''s not because the Baby Crew registered to your agency as an asset or anything."


    "..." But Paragon didn''t even mention anything about the Baby Crew.


    From what Paragon had gathered so far from hearing Gary and the others'' conversations, they didn''t really part on good terms with her. Paragon initially thought that Silvie just left because she wanted to follow the same steps as Megawoman, working alone. But seeing as she was keeping tabs on thetest news regarding the Baby Crew, it would seem that was not the case.


    "A¡­ anyway," Silvie then took in a deep breath as the tone of her voice once again became dignified, "You don''t need to show your identification anymore, but I still do need to ask you some questions¡­


    ¡­What are you doing operating outside the United States'' airspace? Isn''t your jurisdiction just there?"


    "...I don''t have a jurisdiction."


    "...What? What do you mean?" Silvie furrowed her eyebrows.


    "I''m not a registered hero," Paragon casually said, "They took away my license but we are now in the process of taking it back."


    "..."


    "..."


    "You''re a civilian."


    "I suppose so."


    "..."


    "..."


    "May I see your passport?"


    "Okay."


    "..."


    "..."


    "What''s this?"


    "My passport."


    "..." Silvie then looked at the book in her hand that might as well be as thick as an encyclopedia. She then opened it up, only to see a bunch of stickers and IDs on it, with Paragon''s face and still wearing a mask.


    "Why do you have so many visas!?"


    "Because it''s illegal to be in other countries without them," Paragon casually said as he retrieved his passport, which he was hiding inside the handy and spaciouspartment hidden in his suit¡­ alongside his utensils.


    Hearing Paragon''s words, the only thing that Silvie could really do was let out another deep sigh,


    "Very well. Can I ask where you where¨C"


    And before Silvie could finish her words, her eyes slightly widened; quickly disappearing from her spot as she flew away, leaving only a hole within the clouds to prove that she was even there.


    There was a screaming from below, Paragon heard it too.


    "..." But of course, Paragon only shrugged his shoulders and continued to fly away, not even ncing in the direction of the scream. It would seem that even after everything that has happened to her, Silvie''s number 1 priority still hasn''t changed¨C protecting and saving people.


    "..." And it seemed she had already done so¡­


    ¡­as she was once again tailing him from behind.


    Paragon was initially going back to the penthouse, but with Silvie tailing him, he decided tond in front of the agency building instead.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Are you going toe in?" Paragon then turned around and looked up at the sky; and although there was nothing visible there but the clouds, Paragon''s eyes still seemed like they were reflecting someone¨C and very soon, the rest of the world that was busy walking in the streets did too.


    And if it wasn''t dead early in the morning, a crowd might have already gathered again in front of the building, after all, the current most popr superhero just literallynded on the shore.


    "I¡­ was just making sure you weren''t going somece¡­ suspicious," Silvie said as she slowly approached Paragon; her eyes, however, were trying their best not to look him in the eye,


    "So¡­ this is your agency, huh?" She then said as she nodded to herself several times; her eyes, almost looking at every inch of the building, "Well, that''s that. Just doing my duty as a hero and making sure you''re not doing anything suspicious."


    "Do you want toe inside?"


    "If you insist."


    And without even any hesitation, Silvie, whose feet had already left from the ground for a few centimeters, once againnded on the ground as she quickly made her way to the door as soon as Paragon unlocked it.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Hm¡­ it''s empty."


    "All of our staff were killed by Thousandde," Paragon said as he made his way to the piano on the corner of the lobby.


    "Hm, I heard about that. I''m sorry." As for Silvie, her eyes once again looked everywhere as she started walking around the lobby.


    "It''s okay. It''s not your fault."


    With the two of them the only thing breathing inside the building, even their weakest words were enough to echo.


    "Maybe. But as heroes, we¡­ should be preventing the deaths before they could happen. That''s what it really means to save people," Silvie then said as she stood in front of the counter, staring at the chalk outline that was drawn on the wall,


    "The viins, the killers¨C all of them should rot in prison before they could do anything like this."


    "Hm," Paragon only nodded as he started ying some keys on the piano.


    "I saw the video of you beating Thousandde."


    "..." And before Paragon could y another key, a loud swoosh echoed throughout the entire lobby as Silvie suddenly appeared beside the piano. Paragon seemed to not mind at all, however, as he just nced at her before proceeding to y the first part of Moonlight Sonata,


    "So you know more about me than I thought, Ms. Savelievna."


    Seeing Paragonpletely unfazed by her, a small smile appeared on Silvie''s face as she let out a very tiny scoff,


    "Are you kidding? Your video has 5 million views now," Silvie shook her head, "I can''t say I agree with you beating him to death¡­


    ¡­but I understand."


    "..." If there was a person who was an expert on ssical music listening to them right now, then he or she would have probably noticed the misced note that Paragon yed.


    "I understand why you did it," Silvie then continued; her eyebrows, slightly furrowing as her hands slowly turned into a fist,


    "He deserved it after what he''s done. There are just some people that don''t deserve to live."


    "May I ask you something, Ms. Savelievna?"


    "Heck, if you''re going to call me by name it might as well be my first name," Silvie breathed out, "But shoot."


    "Why did you leave the Baby Crew?"


    "I¡­" Silvie could not help but almost choke in her own breath as she heard Paragon''s question, "I¡­


    ¡­I just remembered I have something to do."


    "..."


    "It was really nice meeting you, Paragon," Silvie then said as she quickly walked away and waved her hand, "Stay out of trouble, alright? I don''t want to see you in the news again creating¨C"


    "Good morning Paige and Paragon!"


    And before Silvie could leave the building, a tall half-naked man suddenly entered; wrapped in a life jacket with a snorkel hanging on his neck.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Silv?"


    Of course, it was none other than Gary.


    "..." Silvie could really only freeze in her spot as she looked at Gary. She was about topletely ignore him and just pass by him¡­


    ¡­But s, sadly for her, the rest of the Baby Crew showed themselves one by one.


    "Mega G?" Be was the first to react from the girls as a smile appeared on her face.


    "Silv!?" Next was Katrina, who quickly rushed towards her and hugged her, "It¡­ it''s been so long."


    "H¡­ Hi."


    Andstly, it was Hannah, who just looked at her with a growing frown on her face.


    "...What are you doing here?"


    "I was just about to leave," Silvie, who was about to hug Katrina back, quickly but gently pushed her away as she looked Hannah straight in the eyes,


    "Paragon and I just happened to meet each other."


    "Wait, you leaving already?" Be blocked her path, "Sis, stay. We haven''t seen you for like a year."


    "..." Silvie only shook her head as she walked past the Baby Crew,


    "I don''t think I''m wee here."


    ***AUTHOR NOTES***


    If you somewhat miraculously want to support me even more financially...


    ...you can do so in my p.a.t.r.e.o.n¨C romeru.


    I also have a pay. pal ¨C romeru69. Don''t forget the 69 because then you''ll be donating to a different guy wearing a hat. It''s romeru69!


    Any amount would do, especially if it''s more than 3 digits! Fufu.

 Chapter 346: Happiness

    Chapter 346: Happiness


    "I¡­ don''t think I am wee here."


    "That¡­"


    And very soon, a somber music echoed through the air as the members of the Baby Crew could really only look to the side. Silvie''s words, resonating through their ears along with the mncholic air.


    Riley was still unaware of what happened between them, but it would seem that the ones who fought were Hannah and Silvie; as the only one that didn''t really talk to her in a friendly tone was Hannah.


    "It¡­ was nice seeing you all again," Silvie then nodded, "Just¡­ call me when things get tough above the skies, I''ll fly instantly."


    "...We''re actually not returning anytime soon."


    And before Silvie could take another step towards the door, Gary spoke up.


    "What? What do you mean? Why?"


    "No idea," Gary only shrugged his shoulders before finally removing the floater around his waist, "The BBB just told us there''s no need to worry about invasions for a while. So we''re just ying¨C I mean, we''re just focusing our attention here."


    "...The BBB?"


    "Big ck Boss."


    "You mean Empress?" Silvie could not help but raise an eyebrow as she took a subtle nce toward Be, who only sighed in response as if she was justpletely done with Gary''s antics.


    "But what about¨C"


    "It doesn''t have anything to do with you."


    And before Silvie could finish her words, Hannah suddenly stepped forward and stood close to her; looking her straight in the eyes,


    "You''ve made that very clear when you left."


    "You kicked me out."


    "You fucking kicked yourself out."


    "Ce on, bros," Gary then got in between the two; raising both his hands in surrender as he did so, "It''s¡­ It''s been more than a year. Maybe it''s time to forgive and forget?"


    And while he did that, both Be and Katrina just took a step back;pletely not wanting anything to do with the situation that was about to unfold.


    "Oh, and have you? Forget?" Hannah said; the tone of her voice, almost piercing Gary right through the marrow of his bones, "Have you, Kat?"


    "..." Katrina''s eyes widened as Hannah suddenly mentioned her name. She was about to open her mouth, but only a stutter whispered from it as she once again looked to the side.


    "W¡­ well," Gary slightly nced at Silvie, "She did¨C"


    "What she did was make it very clear for us that she didn''t want anything to do with us," Hannah then said as she finally backed away,


    "To think I''m supposed to be the unstable one."


    "In¡­ in all honesty, the two of you belong to a mental hospital after the things you''ve been through," Gary said as he closed his eyes, waiting for the pain that was about to fall upon him¨C but nothing. The two just stood there in silence as they looked at the floor.


    "..." That''s when Gary knew shit was truly serious. Of course, why wouldn''t it be? After what happened a year ago, things would surely not be the same.


    And soon, only the echo of the somber music filled the air, as the group stood there in silence with not even their breaths attempting to revive the situation.


    "..." Silvie nced at the Baby Crew for one final time, lightly biting her lip before closing her eyes; letting a tear trail on her cheek as she walked away.


    Katrina was about to say something and approach her, but before she could do so, Silvie suddenly stopped¡­ and rushed towards the bar and started chugging the first bottle of alcohol her hands could find.


    "..."


    "..."


    Gary could only cover his mouth with his fingers as he looked at Be; his shoulders, slightly raised as he quietly mouthed the words What, The, and Fuck.


    Be only shook her head in response. The two, exchanging words in silence as Silvie downed another bottle. Gary then once again looked at Be, gesturing with his eyes as if asking if they should stop her.


    But Be, once again, only shook her head in response.


    And very soon, with the 4th bottle, Silvie suddenly let out a quiet scream.


    "Look, I''m sorry? Okay!?" Silvie then said as she looked at the members of the Baby Crew one by one,


    "It''s just everything was so fucking confusing back then," Silvie''s breaths started to be gasps as a fountain of tears almost flowed from her eyes, "I¡­ I was¡­ I was lonely and¡­ I just¡­ I was confused! When¡­ when I realized what I was doing I stopped."


    "..."


    "I stopped before anything¡­ anything drastic could happen, you have to believe me!" Silvie breathed out as she looked at Katrina, "I¡­ I was wrong, I knew I was wrong¡­ I¡­ I''m sorry, okay."


    The music that flowed through the air became intense; mimicking the heavy atmosphere that suddenly nketed the entire lobby.


    "..." Hannah could only cross her arms, biting her lip to prevent her tears from falling before also looking at Katrina. Be and Gary were still looking at each other, talking to themselves in silence as their eyes also slightly became sedated.


    Katrina didn''t really say anything; her head, just looking down at the floor and letting her tears fall onto it.


    "I¡­ I really am sorry," Silvie''s gasps continued, "It''s just¡­ I know I''m just making excuses. But¡­ I was just so tired of¡­ of feeling like my entire existence is one big mistake so¡­ So Ished out when you guys confronted me about it. I¡­ I became so stubborn that I¡­ that I convinced myself that maybe¡­ maybe I deserve to be happy, you know? I was so clouded that I thought I deserved to be happy at the expense of my friends. It''s fucked¡­


    ¡­everything''s just so¡­ fucked."


    And very slowly, as silence once again flowed through the air and only their rasped breaths echoed; the music became silent¨C almost as if letting everything rest. It was still there, of course¡­ somber, quiet¡­ repenting. A reflection of the scenery that it performed to.


    "The truth is¡­" Silvie then wiped the tears enveloping her face as she grabbed another bottle, "...I just¡­ I missed you, guys. I know I don''t have the right to but¨C"


    And before she could finish her words, Katrina suddenly stomped her way towards her; stealing the bottle she was holding before also trying to chug it down.


    But s, before the contents of the bottle could even be halved, Katrina vehemently started coughing. She didn''t let anyone help her, however, as she wiped her face clean of everything that was on it.


    "I¡­ I also think this hassted long enough, guys," Katrina said as her eyes trailed towards the members of the Baby Crew,


    "Look¡­" Katrina then let out a short but very deep breath as she looked Silvie straight in the eyes, "I haven''t forgotten what you did¡­ but I''ve forgiven you for a very long time now¡­


    ¡­all of us have."


    "..." Hannah once again crossed her arms at Katrina''s words.


    Gary shrugged before looking away.


    As for Be, she really only raised her eyebrows and let out a breath.


    "..."


    "They''re not showing it but they have. We¡­ I think¡­ we were really just waiting for this. For you to show remorse and actually care about what you did. B¡­ Because back then it felt like you didn''t really regret what you did and even¡­ even threw it at my face, you know?" Katrina said as she forced a small chuckle,


    "You smothered that shit, sprinkled it with tons of booger, and threw it at my face."


    "I¨C"


    "It''s just¡­ what I''m saying is that the only one here who has not forgiven what you did¡­


    ¡­is you."


    A loud gasp whispered from Silvie''s mouth as she looked at Katrina. She was about to say something, but before she could do so, Katrina suddenly embraced her,


    "And we miss you too. All of us," Katrina breathed out, "The truth is, the group''s been falling apart. It¡­ it''s not just the same with all of us."


    "Yeah, whose fault is that?" Gary worded out as he looked at Hannah, "We have a growing little tyrant in our hands."


    "What?" Hannah raised an eyebrow as she let out a small scoff, "This is a team effort! All of us decide!"


    "Well¡­ you ain''t listening to us, girl," Be joined in as she shrugged her shoulders.


    "Because all of your ideas are shit!" Hannah said as she looked at Gary and Be in the eyes, "Try to make a baby with the aliens, then strap a bomb inside it and return it to them? What the fuck!?"


    "Well¡­ I think it''s a genius n," Gary nodded to himself.


    "We''re not evil savages, Gary. And you only contributed that n when those freakishly tall, female-looking human aliens showed up!"


    Hannah didn''t know whether tough or cry, "The only one that actually has a humane and normal contribution in ideas here was Silvie! And¡­


    ¡­she went and¨C Can you please stop fucking ying that goddamn piano!?"


    Hannah then violently pointed at Paragon, who has been ying the piano the entire time. In fact, he was probably the entire reason why this entire situation happened in the first ce. If he wasn''t ying that music that made the situation more emotional than it is¡­


    ¡­then Silvie would have just probably left.


    Paragon, however, instead of stopping, yed a raging tune that reflected Hannah''s frustration.


    "You¨C fuck!" Hannah then stomped her foot before rushing to the bar and grabbing a bottle. And very soon, Gary and Be joined in as they just stood there in silence¨C sharing the alcohol.


    "What... what happened to him, anyway?" Silvie then hesitatingly opened up.


    "...He was murdered."


    "What?" Silvie looked at Hannah as soon as she heard that, "You didn''t--"


    "I didn''t kill him! What the fuck!?"


    "We... we believe it... it was the Endless Dark," Katrina whispered.


    "...Nightqueen?" Silvie''s eyes widened, "...Why?"


    And before the conversation could really be tense again, Paragon stopped ying the piano as he, too, approached the bar. Gary was about to hand him a ss, but he shook his head and looked at Silvie.


    "T¡­ thanks for inviting me in, Paragon," Silvie then nodded.


    "Okay¡­


    ¡­But you need to pay for all of that."


    "..."


    "You''re not a member of the agency. You need to pay for every bottle you open."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Then¡­


    ¡­I can just join?"


    "...Okay, please sign-- Paige."


    And before Paragon could finish his words, he suddenly flew away-- almost blowing all the bottles away and even breaking the windows as he went straight through it.


    "...What was that?"


    "Should... we follow him?"


    ***


    "Please... please just go away."


    Back in the penthouse, Paige was currently surrounded by darkness; hiding in the closet and forcing her eyes to closed, "Adam... Riley... Where... where are you?"


    "!!!"


    Paige then covered her ears as... a visceral drumming quaked the air itself; the sound, almost as if it was grinding Paige''s bones.


    "You..." A voice then seeped through the cracks of the closet. The voice... eerily simr to hers,


    ...Do you think you''re allowed to be happy?"

 Chapter 347: Paragon vs.OtherPaige

    Chapter 347: Paragon vs.OtherPaige


    "Do¡­ you think you''re allowed to be happy?"


    The sound was viscous. Gnarly ¡ª seeping through every pore. If anything, it felt even louder when Paige covered her ears. She recognized that voice anywhere, of course¡­ It was hers.


    But more than the voice, however, was the visceral sound that drummed endlessly in the air; gnawing at the deepest parts of her bones. The noise it created seemed enough to grind her bones into dust.


    It was the sound of a chainsaw.


    A chainsaw that could only cut one thing in this world ¡ª her.


    "Leave¡­ please, just leave me alone!" Paige screamed as she crawled further back into the closet; but s, there were really only so many steps she could take before she hit the back of the closet.


    "You don''t deserve to be happy, Paige."


    Paige closed her eyes and gritted her teeth as she could see the light seeping from the cracks of the closet being covered by a shadow.


    "You don''t deserve to be happy¡­


    ¡­not after what you did."


    "Just leave me alone!" Paige once again let out a scream ¡ª and suddenly, the shadow covering the light from seeping through the closet disappeared. And finally, there was silence.


    The only sound that whispered in the air was Paige''s fettered and heavy breaths; her hair, already sticking onto her face from the sweat that almost drowned her entire body.


    Still, even with the silence, Paige just stayed inside the closet, staring at the cracks to see if she would return. But a few seconds went by, and nothing. It would seem it was¡­ over.


    She then let out one final deep breath as she moved; but before she could reach for the closet doors, she noticed a face looking at her through the other end of the closet ¡ª hiding between the clothes with her eyes as wide as they could possibly be.


    "It will never¡­"


    Paige could only sit there petrified as she stared back at these murderous eyes that belong to a face eerily simr to hers.


    "...It will never be over!" The face then jumped out of the clothes; not affecting anything else except Paige as a pair of unnaturally long arms tried to grab her feet.


    "No!" Fortunately for Paige, she was able to force her way out of the closet; not even looking back as she ran. But from the sound that only she was hearing, the thing was chasing her.


    "Why¡­ why is this house so big." And even with a tallnky monster wearing her face chasing her, Paige''s thoughts suddenly went to her old apartment. If this was in her old apartment, there wouldn''t be any need to run as she would have already reached the door.


    Never buy arge house, because in most horror movies, it''s therge house with the stairs in front of the main door that''s haunted. At least in smaller houses, you already know your fate and there''s no need to run because there''s nowhere to run in the first ce.


    And so, with that thought circling in Paige''s mind¡­ she quickly turned around and materialized her old house, trapping the tallnky monster inside it.


    But before she could even let out a smile, the house was cut in half ¡ª no, it was sawed in half.


    "Running somewhere?" And finally, the only thing that Paige truly fears is now in front of her¡­


    ¡­herself.


    ¡ª Except with a creepy and cheeky smile, and a chainsaw that stood taller than her body.


    "Die!" And without even waiting for anything else, the Other Paige rushed towards her, brandishing the giant chainsaw almost as if it was just made with paper.


    Paige took in a deep breath as her arms were suddenly wrapped by some sort of armor that seemed to be made of the same material as Megawoman''s statue in the Hero Association.


    "You think that can save you!?" The Other Paige''sugh cackled in her ears, "Die!"


    Well, fortunately for Paige, she didn''t really get the chance to test whether or not her gauntlets could withstand Other Paige''s torso.


    "...Which one is the real you?"


    "R¨C Adam!" A smile quickly grew on Paige''s face; the armor wrapped around her hand, instantly withering away as soon as she saw Riley''s back.


    "So¡­ this is the other Paige you told me about, Paige?"


    Riley was currently holding the chainsaw even as it continued to spin violently; the des, not even dulling or melting as Riley increased the temperature in his hand to an extreme degree.


    "The boyfriend arrives," Other Paige then let out a small giggle as one of her hands let go of the chainsaw¡­ only for a gigantic hammer to emerge from it ¡ª the size of a car.


    "Paige just had to bring and involve someone else into her pain, gotcha!"


    "!!!"


    Other Paige then swung the hammer towards Riley, causing him to be violently thrown away straight through the walls of the penthouse and to the outside.


    "Adam! I¡­ I''m sorry! I¡­ I promise¡­ I''m not¡­ I can''t control it!"


    "Ugh, don''t tter yourself," Other Paigezily tilted her head towards Paige as she groaned in disgust, "You''re not capable of controlling anything in your life. You''re just a sad little witch that should be living alone in a lonely little shack away from people. Now, stay there while I take care of your boyfriend."


    "Stop!" Paige quickly surrounded Other Paige with chains before she could even take a single step.


    "Cute," these chains, however, were quickly ground away by Other Paige''s chainsaw. And without even waiting for another word, a¡­ floating glider appeared beneath her feet,


    "Time to party!"


    More than a dozen missiles then shot out from the glider; moving with her as she flew forward at the same time ¡ª and all of them, just passing through the walls and not affecting even a speck of single dust.


    "Haha!"


    "..." Riley, who was just casually waiting and floating a few meters outside the penthouse, could only let out a sigh as he saw several missiles flying at him. But most importantly, Other Paige was also flying toward him holding a giant hammer and a giant chainsaw.


    Riley has seen aliens and a whole other ¡ª but Paige has truly shown him things weirder than any of those.


    Riley let out another sigh as he stretched his hands to the side, and soon, swords of light emerged from them; and perhaps as if mimicking Other Paige, the swords he summoned were probably the length of an entire bus.


    "That''s fucking cool," Other Paige cackled as she saw Riley''s silhouette. With his long ck hair waving with the wind; his eyes that seemedpletely unperturbed about anything ¡ª it was no wonder Paige was sticking to him.


    And soon, Riley started waving the swords, almost too casually as he deflects the missiles that threatened to explode in his face.


    "D¨C"


    "Paragon!"


    And before Other Paige could reach Riley, a small thunder could be heard rumbling in the air as Silvie suddenly arrived; her hands, already moving towards Other Paige''s glider. Other Paige, on the other hand, just raised an eyebrow as Silvie just went through the glider.


    "...What?" Silvie could not help but blink a couple of times as she looked at her hand and Other Paige back and forth. A beam then shot out from her eyes as she tried to destroy the chainsaw, only for it to once again just pass through it.


    "Well, that''s awkward," Other Paige only shrugged her shoulders, before once again rushing towards Riley and started clumsily but violently waving her gigantic weapons.


    They couldn''t get past Riley''s swords, however, as they just keep on getting split into two¡­ but then instantly fix themselves as if nothing happened.


    Silvie was still confused as to just what kind of ability the woman has, but she didn''t really think twice before rushing towards her to try and at least put her on a choke hold ¡ª she did not expect, however, that even her body was intangible.


    "...What''s going on, Paragon!?"


    She then focused her attention on Paragon, who was clearly fighting this intangible being. Soon, however, as she took the time to stare at the woman''s face, she realized who she was.


    "Wait¡­ isn''t this your partner!? Why are the two of you fight--"


    And as Silvie said that, several nes suddenly emerged out of nowhere. Of course, in instinct, Silvie attempted to slow them down-- but once again, it just passed through her as they all collided with Paragon in the center.


    But soon, however, they disappeared as if they didn''t exist in the first ce.


    "What''s going on!?"


    And before Silvie could get her answers, Hannah also arrived ¡ª and just like Silvie, she tried to throw a ball of fire at Other Paige only for it to pass through her.


    "...Isn''t that Paige!?" She was about to throw another, but quickly recognized who it was.


    "No," Riley, who was once again seemingly just casually waving off the giant hammer and chainsaw threatening to mow him down, turned to look at Hannah,


    "It''s¡­ her monster."


    "Her monster?" Hannah slightly furrowed her eyebrows for a few seconds, before her eyes started to widen,


    "Where is she!?"


    "There," Riley then let go of one of his swords as he pointed at the penthouse; the sword, still moving on its own, deflecting the attacks as if its owner was still holding it,


    "She¨C"


    "I understand."


    And without even waiting for Paragon to finish his words, Hannah flew towards the penthouse.


    "What the heck is going on!?" Silvie, who was stillpletely out of the loop as to what was happening, could really only follow Hannah to the penthouse.


    And as soon as they stepped onto the terrace¡­ a group of people who seemed like doctors weed them. Well, not really weed them as they just walked around.


    Silvie grabbed one of them by the shoulder to talk, only for her hand to once again pass through.


    "...Can you tell me what''s going on, Hannah?"


    "That."


    Silvie then quickly looked at where Hannah was pointing to, only to see Paige being surrounded by a bunch of doctors ¡ª all holding a syringe.


    "Seriously¡­" Hannah then let out a sigh as she carefully stepped closer, "Just for once¡­


    ...Why can''t we meet normal people?"

 Chapter 348: The Words

    Chapter 348: The Words


    "What¡­ the heck is that?"


    Ever since Silvie left the Baby Crew, her life¡­ has been quite uneventful. It was always just probably the typical hero life ¡ª wake up, rescue people, cry, sleep.


    Of course, it was everything that she ever wanted. What else could she ask? Although she was made to be a recement for Megawoman, she truly, genuinely, liked being a hero. Just seeing the faces of the people she saves, the way they get to go home to their families ¡ª that was her life.


    But of course, it could still get boring. In fact, it could get boring pretty fast. The superviins usually give up as soon as she arrives, and there hasn''t really been a threat to her life. Of course, it was good that there wasn''t a threat; because if there were, then there would also be a threat to the people.


    ¡­But it was boring.


    And unlike Megawoman¡­ she was being treated more like a celebrity than an actual hero ¡ª sometimes even by those people whose lives she just rescued from total annihtion. Maybe it''s because she''s young?


    Well, that was her life without the Baby Crew. And now, not even an hour after she reconciled with her old team¡­


    ¡­something weird was happening.


    She wasn''t initially going to follow Paragon when he suddenly flew away from the agency earlier¡­ but the speed of his flight caused Silvie to take a pause. When she was following earlier, he never once showed a speed like that ¡ª a speed that even Silvie needed to exert effort to achieve.


    And so, when she thought of that, she decided to chase after Paragon; and it would seem Hannah did the same. And it was a good thing she did¡­ because Silvie has no idea what to do with the situation she finds herself in right now.


    "What¡­ the heck is that?"


    "You already fucking said that," Hannah could only click her tongue, "We¡­ need to p some sense into that woman."


    "...On it."


    "No!" Silvie was about to step closer to Paige, but Hannah quickly stopped her, "It¡­ will be dangerous to stop her in this condition."


    "...But aren''t they just illusions?" Silvie grabbed one of the doctors, only for her hand to pass through it, "I don''t even hear them."


    "It''s real for her¡­ It''s real to her," Hannah could not help but let out a small but very deep sigh as she stared at Paige.


    She was being surrounded by more than a dozen doctors, tightly strapped on some sort of operating bed; not able to move her limbs from the metal locks. Her mouth was also covered by a gag to prevent her from screaming.


    But judging by her eyes which were turning red from the tears drowning them, she was awake ¡ª widely awake and¡­


    "...She could feel everything," Hannah once again sighed.


    "What!?" Silvie focused her attention on the doctors surrounding Paige. Most of them were holding some sort ofrge syringe, while half of them¡­


    ¡­were holding a small saw.


    "Then we need to save her!"


    "Yeah, no shit," Hannah forced a chuckle, "But if we suddenly moved her in that state, we don''t know how it''ll affect her¡­ Paragon probably knows what to do."


    "I''ll ask him," without even waiting for Hannah to say anything else, Silvie stepped out of the penthouse¡­ only to return back without even her feet leaving the terrace.


    "What did he say?"


    "He¡­ he''s kinda busy," Silvie took in a small gulp.


    "What do you mean busy!?"


    "You''ll¡­ probably see it on the newster."


    "Bullshit, we need him. He''s the only one that could interact with these things!" Hannah rolled her eyes, before also stepping out onto the terrace, "Para¡ª"


    She was about to scream, but then saw¡­ several dragons and probably more than a thousand valkyries surrounding Paragon; not giving him even a millisecond of rest.


    Does Paige''s ability even have a limit to the things she could create? If she couldn''t control her abilities, how is she even alive in the first ce?


    Truly, the people the Baby Crew meet are wonderful and curious creatures.


    "..." Hannah was about to also step back inside ¡ª but even if she does, there really was no way of her helping Paige. She could probably try talking to her¡­ but she was probably the worst at that. Silvie could try, but she was as fucked up as Hannah, just not too obvious in her case.


    They¡­ could try, but it might make things worse.


    "Silv¡­ Want¡­ want to try and talk to her?" Hannah peered inside the penthouse.


    "M¡­ Me?" Silvie took in a small gulp, "I¡­ don''t even know her!"


    "That''s what I thought," Hannah sighed as she once again stepped out to the terrace,


    "Paragon!" She screamed, "Your partner needs your fucking help! She''s surrounded by these¡­ bunch of fucking psycho doctors and¨C"


    And before Hannah could finish her words; a sh of light suddenly rippled in the sky, with Paragon as the center. It was bright ¡ª bright enough to drown and nket the entire city in nothing but a void of white.


    And judging by all the squeaks Hannah could hear from below, most of the people that were driving their cars stepped on their breaks as they couldn''t see. None of them could as the light was almost blinding.


    Perhaps within the entire city, Hannah was only one of the few people that could, as her eyes were made to endure and see through even the sun.


    And there, she saw. She saw the illusions disintegrate as this light rippled from his body¡­ only for them to once again spring out to life almost as if nothing happened. Hannah was about to let out a breath of frustration as she saw this, how can one even kill illusions?


    She was sure nobody has ever experienced something like this before; but before she could express it, something happened that caused her to let out a small, but very deep gasp.


    The illusions, they all stopped. Just frozen ¡ªpletely halted in the air. And almost as if it was just the most casual thing he did, Paragon started to move away and fly towards the penthouse.


    "H¡­ hey," Hannah could really only stutter; not even knowing why she raised her hand to greet Paragon as he stepped onto the terrace, "Your¡­ your friend is there."


    "Thank you for telling me."


    "S¡­ sure," Hannah did not really follow Paragon inside, and instead just stared at the illusions frozen still in the sky. Was that it? Was their weakness some sort of bright light?


    "..." Or was Paragon also a telekic? Riley is¡ª


    Hannah quickly shook her head before any thoughts of Riley once again invaded her mind. She had already resolved herself not to mistake Paragon with Riley, but now she was doing it again not even a day after.


    The simrities between the two were just¡­ a coincidence. And if Paragon truly was Riley, then why would he even act simr to him? Riley was lying to her all their lives, it wouldn''t make sense.


    And so, with her slowly calming her mind down, she finally entered the penthouse¡­ only to be weed by a pool of blood. The realism of Paige''s illusions was truly on a different level.


    Even though Hannah knew she couldn''t smell it; the blood didn''t even ripple as she stepped on it¡­ it was almost as if she could taste it in her mouth ¡ª it looked that real.


    "...What the fuck happened here?"


    "...Paragon just sliced them all up with his light swords," Silvie whispered as she stood beside Hannah, "In less than a second, I think he has super speed. I could still easily follow his movements¡­ but it was disgusting how he sliced up the doctors even though they were just illusions."


    "..." Hannah didn''t really choose to ask any further as she focused on Paragon, who was now pulling the metal straps with his hand¡­ and as soon as he removed the gag on Paige''s mouth, she quickly embraced him.


    "A¡­ Adam!" Paige''s cries were loud; probably enough to seep from the penthouse. And then, as soon as Paragon returned her embrace, the illusions all just suddenly disappeared ¡ª not fade, just¡­ disappeared like they were never there.


    It''s not Riley, Hannah thought as she closed her eyes in relief. Riley would never ever do something like this; show affection? Riley has never really learned how to do that.


    "...I guess that''s that," Hannah let out a sigh as she tapped Silvie on the arm, "Let''s give them some space and wait on the terrace."


    "Y¡­ yeah," Silvie looked at the two for a few seconds, before nodding her head and turning around.


    "It''s okay, Paige. You''re alright,"


    But before the two could step out, Paragon''s voice almost resonated through their ears as they stopped and nced at him.


    "You''re safe, nothing is going to hurt you here. I know you''re scared, but nothing is going to hurt you while I am here."


    "I thought the two were together¡­" Silvie slightly sniffled,


    "...But aren''t they more like siblings? Maybe they are?"


    "Y¡­ yeah," Hannah, on the other hand, just stood there staring at the two. She thought the same ¡ª siblings. Of course, she thought the same.


    The words that Paragon uttered to Paige ¡ª it was familiar. She remembers it so suddenly¡­ After all¡­


    It was the same thing she said to Riley when they were younger; when the water heater exploded and she shielded him. She was sure of it¡­


    ¡­it was the exact same words.

 Chapter 349: House of Super

    Chapter 349: House of Super


    "Man¡­ it''s been a few days, and they''re still showing that on the news."


    "Dragons, G. Even with all them aliens trying to ransack the shit out of Earth, dragons is where we draw the line."


    "Anyway, Paige and Paragon really know how to market their shit."


    A week has passed since Paige''s manic episode, and the Paige and Paragon agency has once again recruited staff to resurrect their building ¡ª it didn''t even take long, however, as the agency was practically being funded by the World Government; most of the staff were from the big office.


    They thought their work would be lighterpared to before. After all, working for the office that practically ran the world vs. some little agency? The reduction in their workload was obvious¡­


    ¡­or so they thought.


    Theypletely underestimated how popr the agency became.


    The Baby Crew.


    Megagirl.


    They didn''t think much about it at first, but just these two brought the eyes of the entire world towards Paige and Paragon.


    Who wouldn''t want to be in an agency with the superhero group that is practically recing the Hope Guild, and with Megagirl, who was practically the nexting of Megawoman?


    And as if that wasn''t enough ¡ª the founders of the Agency were also¡­ freaks of nature.


    It wasn''t really clear what happened, but Paragon was all over the news; fighting multiple dragons and an army of angels above New Jersey. Of course, in the eyes of most people, it was just a publicity stunt by the agency to showcase what the founders could do.


    After all, most founders of superhero agencies were actually human ¡ª it was weird, but it is what it is.


    Paige''s powers were illusions, but during the battle, everyone could see that Paragon truly was fighting with the monsters. And so, some of the people have cooked up this weird theory that it was the way Paragon trained daily, by fighting unimaginable monsters.


    There are all sorts of other theories moving around, but one thing was sure.


    Almost overnight, Paige and Paragon overtook the entire world.


    "..." And that was evident with the line of people wanting to join the agency.


    "Look at all these cute little fuckers, though," Hannah, who was loitering in the corner of the lobby with the rest of the Baby Crew, could not help but roll her eyes as she saw this long and almost endless line,


    "I swear, being a superhero is bing like a clown now. No one''s in it for the sake of actually being a hero."


    "H¡­ Hannah, they could hear you."


    "She¡­ has a point, though," Silvie shook her head as she stopped fiddling with her phone, "People are saving people not for the sake of saving people anymore ¡ª they''re doing it for the views."


    "Y¡­ yeah, right?" Gary slightly stuttered as he looked to the side. He was about to press record on his phone, but decided to hide it¡­ for now.


    "Well, at least they be saving people, you know?" Be let out a small sigh, "Doing it in front of a camera or not ain''t gonna matter."


    "Y¡­ yeah," Gary then once again grabbed his phone, "And if you guys are forgetting, we''re in an agency now. We¡­ are kinda required to stream?"


    "No, we''re not," Silvie blinked a couple of times.


    "What? What are you saying? Of course we are. That''s what superhero agencies are for," Gary insisted.


    "Well, yes. But we''re not required to stream or record," Silvie shrugged her shoulders, "We will record only if we want to¡­


    ¡­didn''t you read the contract?"


    "...What contract?" Gary looked at Hannah and the others, only for them to shake their heads and sigh in frustration,


    "Wait, you guys signed a contract?"


    "Pft." Hearing Gary''s words, Silvie and Hannah could not help but let out a small chuckle.


    "The world has gone to shit, and you never changed," Hannah breathed out.


    "You said the same thing our first day in the Academy," Silvie sighed,


    "Never change, Gary Gray."


    "No, I changed," Gary then looked at the members of the Baby Crew in the eyes one by one,


    "I now have more than a million subscribers!"


    He then said as he raised his phone in the air; cing him and the others in frame, "What is up!? Baby Crew is back together and we are live in Paige¡ª Hey¡­ wait, where are you guys going!?"


    And so, the onught of people wanting to get inside the agency continued ¡ª with not even one actually even passing it through the screening. There were even normal humans trying to get in, and saying that they were the next Whiteking; but s, most of them didn''t even know a single programmingnguage.


    And so, Paige and Riley werepletely alone in their office for the entire day.


    "W¡­ wait, I¡­ I don''t think I''m ready."


    "It''s alright, Paige."


    "I¡­ I don''t think it will fit."


    "It will."


    "M¡­ maybe my¡­ my illusions can do it instead?"


    "That is impossible."


    "..."


    "..."


    "F¡­ fine, put¡­ put¨C Hng!"


    And since they weren''t really doing anything, Paige just decided that it was finally time¡­ for her to try on her superhero suit.


    "Perhaps you should remove your clothes first so¡ª"


    "No. Nope. That''s not going to happen," Paige forced the tight costume; but s, with her wearing clothes, it was almost impossible to fully fit around her. It was the same suit she created with her mind; a suit simr to Paragon''s except a lighter blue in color.


    Riley had asked her why she just doesn''t continue using her abilities to create the suit, but Paige said that it wasn''t the same.


    And so, here they were.


    "M¡­ maybe I got fat," Paige then shook her head as she removed the suit.


    "You''re just wearing clothes, Paige."


    "Y¡­ you want to see me naked that much?"


    "No."


    "...Rea¨C"


    And before Paige could ask, a knock echoed through the door.


    "Ms. Paige, Mr. Paragon. We have someone for you to interview."


    "F¡­ finally!" Paige quickly threw her suit to the side, carefully fixing her hair as well as Riley''s¡­ but there really was nothing to fix, "Why is your hair so perfect all the time?"


    "Please,e¡ª"


    And before Paige could once again finish her words, Riley covered her mouth,


    "The people below should have called us if someone passed the screening," Riley then said as he let go of Paige''s mouth.


    "What¡­ then¡ª"


    And before Paige could finish her words; her entire vision was suddenly filled with light¡­ followed by a thunderous explosion that shook the entire building.


    "W¡­ what now!?" Paige blinked a couple of times before she was able to recover her vision, but as soon as she did, she saw Paragon grabbing someone by the neck in the middle of their office,


    "We¡­ we just had this fixed," she then whispered as she looked at the office¡­ which now had a clear view of the horizon.


    "What was that!?" And from the view, appeared Silvie, holding a huge debris that was probably previously their office''s wall; she then immediately threw the chunk of concrete towards the sea as soon as she saw Paragon strangling someone.


    "And who is this now?" She then let out a short but very deep breath as she stepped into the office.


    "I don''t know¡­" Paragon shook his head,


    "...yet."


    "Agh!"


    "A¡­ Adam!?"


    Paige took a step closer, while Silvie a step back as Paragon suddenly pulled a tooth from the man he was holding.


    "Who are you?"


    "F¡­ for Thousandde¡­ and the House of Super!"


    "He''s going to blow! Throw him out!" Silvie quickly hugged and secured Paige as the man suddenly started to light up.


    Paragon, however, instead of throwing the man towards the horizon, grabbed him by the face and crotch¡­ and folded him in half.


    "..."


    "..."


    And before anyone could say anything, the body of the man, who was clearly already dead¡­


    ¡­still exploded.


    This explosion, however, to Silvie''s surprise¡­ was kept in arge ball¨C with Paragon holding it like some kind of bubble. With her vision, she could see how the man''s mangled body was all torn up inside like some sort of smoothie in a fire.


    And very soon, this ball just became the size of a basketball.


    "...House of Super, do you know what that is?" Paragon then casually dropped this lump of burnt flesh as he looked at Silvie.


    "N¡­ No? It¨C"


    And then once again, an explosion. This time, however, far away¡ª not even in the same street; but Silvie could still hear it.


    And then, another¡­ and another ¡ª almost all at the same time.


    And soon, it was followed by a voice.


    A voice that probably echoed throughout the entire.


    [We are the House of Super. And what you have just witnessed is us killing those who have betrayed our kind.]


    "Where¡­ is thating from?" Silvie closed her eyes to try and pinpoint the location of the voice, but nothing. It was almost as if¡­ it was just flowing with the air itself.


    [For thousands of years, we have listened to the demands of those inferior to us. For thousands of years, we have oppressed our inner selves to try and live with them. But what did they do?


    They experimented on the woman that has be their symbol of hope and salvation! Us Supers should not follow the whims of men, we are gods! And on that day, on that fateful day when we discovered their transgressions¡­


    ¡­Riley Ross showed us the way! He sacrificed his life, not for these puny humans¡­


    ¡­but for us!]


    "..." Paige could not help but blink a couple of times as she turned to look at Paragon, who now had his hand on his chin. And if he was saying something right now, he was probably asking¡ª


    ¡ªWhen did he do that?

 Chapter 350: Paragon Vs.The BabyCrew

    Chapter 350: Paragon Vs.The BabyCrew


    [Riley Ross has shown us what we are truly capable of! He saved Megawoman, before ultimately sacrificing his life in the battle that would decide the fate of the Earth! And what did the humans do all that time?


    Nothing! They cry, they run, and they beg for us to save them! And while they do that, they also defiled Megawoman ¡ª ingrates! We are not meant to serve the humans, they are meant to serve us! We¡ª]


    "I was watching that!"


    "Not anymore."


    "...I just want tounch the agency."


    And so, once again; the Paige and Paragon Superhero Agency was empty. The citizens were ordered to return to their homes as Empress ordered a worldwide lockdown¡­ because the bombing wasn''t just in the US, but rocked the entire world.


    One would think the casualty would amount to millions, but it wasn''t even in the ten thousand. The attacks were calcted, precise to the tiniest little detail. They targeted those in the government, normal humans that even had a tinge expressing dislike for supers.


    Perhaps the odd one out was the attack on Paragon ¡ª but since he killed Thousandde, a presumed high-ranking member of the House of Super, they ruled it out as an act of vengeance and a show of strength of their organization.


    Sadly for them¡­ Paragon was actually streaming live as he turned the attacker into a cheese ball.


    Because of this, Empress personally ordered for them to just stay inside the building ¡ª as they might be attacked again once they go outside. In truth, though, she just didn''t want to handle any trouble they would cause if they went outside.


    As if she wasn''t already dead busy surveying the expanse of space for anything amiss, a civil war on the surface of the just had to happen. There was also the threat of Caiin ¡ª suffice to say, she was tied on all sides.


    She was going to ask Tempo and Hera for help, but Butcher, as her head of security and sometimes legal advisor, told her that they might just make matters worse being a superhero powerhouse.


    She asked Bulwark for help, but once again, he refused ¡ª saying that the students of the Academy were his main focus.


    And so, because of this, she was as stuck in the office as much as the Baby Crew, Paige, and Paragon was stuck in the agency.


    "We should be out there busting out some neo-terrorists!"


    "I¡­ didn''t think it was real," Katrina whispered as she fiddled with her phone; before showing a forum to the rest of the group, "I happened toe across this while I was searching for memes to send in the group chat."


    "..." Gary and the others quietly looked at the contents of the forum, only to be bombarded by an onught of slews, hatred, disgusting words, and bigoted content against normal people. And judging by the replies and thements, most if not all of the users were supers.


    And then, there it is ¡ª House of Super. Some of the users started mentioning the House of Super.


    "Can we still reply to this thread?" Hannah asked.


    "No, it''s been archived a year ago."


    "This has been going on for a year!? What the fuck is that useless tall bitch doing!?" Hannah let out a loud scoff as she looked at the newly installed CCTV camera on the corner of the lobby, "I know you can hear us! We''re going out there whether you like it or not!"


    "S¡­ shouldn''t we just stay here?"


    "C''mon, K. Where''s your sense of adventure?"


    Be, who didn''t seem that interested in what was happening, started walking away; her suit which seemed to be made of metal, opening up into some sort of wing of steel. She looked at the des for a while, before they once again nketed her like a cloak.


    "...Did you just try to do an Australian ent?" Gary said as he too, tightened his gauntlets.


    "S¡­ Silv? Shouldn''t we stop them?" Katrina could only approach Silvie as the rest of the Baby Crew started suiting up. To her surprise, however, Silvie also started stretching,


    "W¡­ weren''t we strictly ordered not to leave!?"


    "Yes," Silvie shrugged, "But Megawoman doesn''t really follow the government''s orders. And since I am walking in her footsteps, I might as well do the same."


    "...What the fuck happened to you while you weren''t with us?" Hannah could only chuckle as she heard Silvie''s words.


    "I did a little soul searching," Silvie smiled, "Trying to find myself and all that stuff. And besides, it''s not like the situation outside doesn''t involve us. If these guys were inspired by¡­ your brother, then all the more reason we should be the ones to actually handle this."


    "...Yeah," Hannah let out a small but very deep breath, "Even when he''s gone¡­ he still causes pain and suffering to the world."


    "That''s¡­ not what I meant," Silvie could only look to the side as her voice became weaker.


    "Genocidal maniacs will always exist," Hannah sighed, "Thest one just happened to be my brother."


    "So¡­ cool¡­"


    Paige, who had been watching them from the piano with Paragon, could not help but stop herself from squealing as she recorded what was happening. She chose not to do a livestream, as doing so would give out their ns and their position ¡ª but once she uploads this and the people see it, more people would certainly apply to them; hopefully, someone actually passes the screening.


    "This¡­ this is so cool," Paige said as she looked at Paragon, who was just casually ying the piano.


    "They''re okay," Paragon only tilted his head, "The current Hope Guild was still stronger when they wereplete."


    "Well, duh. They have more experience. And how would you even¡ª right, right," Paige stopped her words as soon as she remembered who she was talking to, "So wait, you''re saying that if the Hope Guild and the Baby Crew fight, they Baby Crew will lose?"


    "Yes," Paragon answered without any hesitation, "Empress and Hera will gang up on Silvie, while Tempo picks the rest of the team one by one ¡ª neutralizing Hannah first, then the rest. The fight will be over before it starts."


    "...What about the rest of the Hope Guild? I know they''ve basically disbanded and V went to the Academy, but¡ª"


    "They won''t be needed," Paragon shook his head.


    "No¡­" Paige squinted her eyes as she stared at Paragon''s eyes, "...You''re lying. Seriously? Megagirl and Nuclear Seraph are like the two strongest supers out there right now! Hannah can literally go as hot as the sun if she wants to!"


    "I suppose," Paragon shrugged, "They will still lose."


    "W¨C"


    "Not you''re just talking shit about us."


    "H¨CHannah!" Paige almost jumped as Hannah''s voice suddenly echoed behind her; Paige turned around, only to see the Baby Crew there looking at them with slightly furrowed eyebrows,


    "J¡­ just so you know. I''m¡­ I''m team Baby Crew. He''s the one talking feces about you guys."


    "Hm," Hannah crossed her arms as she stared down at Paragon, who hasn''t stopped ying the piano for hours now; creating some sort of weird tune that didn''t really make any sense, but worked,


    "How about you test us yourself to see how strong we are?"


    "...I thought we were leaving?" Katrina, who was against leaving the building, could not help but scratch her head as she looked at the others, who just shrugged their shoulders in response.


    "We don''t even know where we''re going yet. And besides, we have time," Hannah smirked as the air around them started to be hotter,


    "And we also need the warm-up."


    "Well¡ª"


    "And if we''re going to be working with Paige and Paragon from now on, then isn''t it just right to know what they''re truly capable of?"


    "We have a training hall! You guys can fight there!" Paige smiled in excitement as she looked back and forth between Paragon and Hannah, not even noticing the weird mood that was lingering around them.


    "..."


    "..."


    "It''s okay," Paragon stopped ying the piano; sighing as he stood up, "It''s a better way to waste my time than just ying the piano."


    Hearing those words, Silvie could not help but squint her eyes¡­


    ¡­where has she heard those words before?


    ***


    "...This was here the whole time?" Gary waved his phone around, livestreaming as he explored the so-called training hall of the Paige and Paragon building. Well, they called it that¡­ but it''s basically just an empty floor.


    "P¡­ please do hold back, okay?" Paige raised his voice so everyone could hear, "I¡­ I think they haven''t really reinforced this area."


    "!!!"


    And as she said that, Silvie stomped her foot on the floor, causing the entire area to shake.


    "Should be sturdy enough for a light exercise," she then said before looking at Paragon. In truth, she also wanted to know what he was truly capable of¡ª there was also the fact that he seemed to be underestimating them.


    "So, who do you want to spar with?" Hannah once again smirked.


    "I volunteer to be first," Be stepped forward as her metal suit seemed to vibrate, before lightly exploding away from her body and scattering in the air like butterflies, leaving her in an all-ck inner suit.


    She then snapped her fingers, and as soon as she did so, the fragments of her metal suit that were fluttering in the air all collected in one area, turning into some sort ofrge spear that was sharp enough to prate the floor.


    "Shall we dance?" Be said as she got into a stance.


    "No," Paragon, however, only shook his head as he stepped forward, "You''ll lose in one second."


    "...Excuse me?"


    "How about all of you¡­


    ¡­just fight me at the same time?"

 Chapter 351: A Threesome

    Chapter 351: A Threesome


    [How about you test us yourself to see how strong we are?]


    "...I feel like I''m watching a bunch of children."


    "Shouldn''t we intervene? There is a 26% chance that the building is going to be destroyed."


    "I''ve known you for a very long time, my friend ¡ª but I still think the percentages you speak of is bullshit. And besides, we can''t spare any resources for them, they can take care of themselves."


    Empress was currently in a room filled with monitors of all different sizes; CCTV, satellite footage, maps, and irregrities in temperature; almost everything and anything that could be considered amiss, they will detect¡­ but it wasn''t enough.


    "How certain are you that they would be safe?" Butcher stood beside Empress as he looked at the screen that was solely for surveilling the Paige and Paragon agency.


    "100%" Empress almost scoffed at Butcher''s question. Paragon is a Themarian ¡ª Empress thought. And if Butcher knew what she knew, then he would probably even try to ask him for help; Empress wanted to ask too, but since Aerith went through all the trouble of covering his identity, then it was detrimental that no one else finds out.


    The time for Aerith and other foreign entities solving Earth''s problems was over.


    "It has been hours, Empress. We still do not have any leads."


    "I can count, Butcher."


    "Perhaps¡­ it''s time to seek for his help? I am a hundred percent certain that he would be able to find the target in¡ª"


    "He is one of the most dangerous criminals on the entire," Empress''s tone slightly changed as the air around her started to spark, "You want to give someone like that ess to aputer?"


    "I am saying we can use him," Butcher shook his head and started to leave, "He was just a father that¡ª"


    "A father who hid a monster capable of destroying the entire."


    "Well, as I said¡­


    ¡­he was just a father."


    ***


    "How about all of you¡­ just fight me at the same time?"


    Paragon''s voice wasn''t necessarily loud ¡ª no. One might even say that it was quiet.


    But still, it resonated through the ears of each of the members of the Baby Crew. Saying that they would lose to the Hope Guild? They could ept that anytime. But this? Paragon was truly and clearly looking down on them.


    "Those are fighting words, boy," Be, who was already at the center of the hall, could not help but scoff as she let out a slight snarl, "How about proving you have it instead of pouting your nonsense?"


    "I¡­ I think you pissed them off, Paragon," Paige whispered. Paragon, however, only shook his head as he let out a small sigh.


    "I am only stating facts," he then said as he finally once again stepped forward. And as soon as he did so, Paige summoned some sort of translucent cube with animated lines on it that said ''Combatants Only''.


    "Hm, I like it," Be said as she got into a stance, "I take it we lose once we pass through the box? Let''s do it!"


    "You already lost the moment we met, ck Bell."


    "Now you just doing this on purpose. Well, I ain''t gonna bite. I''m ready!"


    "Y¡­ yeah!" Paige pped and cheered; Hannah and the others, however, had serious expressions on their faces. It would seem¡­ Paragon truly did piss them off and they weren''t just ying along.


    "O¡­ Okay," Paige could only clear her throat as she seemed to be the only one enjoying this,


    "Get ready for the next battle!" She then said even though this was the first fight of the day,


    "Fight!"


    "Here¡ª"


    "Bell!"


    And not even a millisecond after Paige waved her hand, Silvie quickly disappeared from her spot; only to appear behind Be¡­ who was now near the corner of the training hall. If Silvie didn''t soften her plunge, then she would probably be a painting on the wall right now.


    "W¡­ what the fuck was that?" Be let out a small gasp as she quickly touched her chest¨C it would seem nothing was broken, but it felt like she was hit by a truck; no¡­ perhaps push was the better term for it.


    Paragon didn''t really hit her when he darted towards her. But instead stopped as soon as she was within arm''s reach¡­ and pushed her¨C all that, happening in less than a second.


    Empress, who was still keeping an eye on them from the surveince cameras, could only shake her head and sigh. She wasn''t nning on stopping them anytime soon ¡ª this will be a good time to humble them, just like how Megawoman humbled most of the members of the Hope Guild.


    Aerith always knew how to hold back. So it makes that Paragon should too.


    "..."


    Right?


    [I told you¡­


    ¡­it would be better for all of you to fight me at the same time," Paragon muttered quietly; his palm still stretched from when he pushed Be away. He then looked at Hannah straight in the eyes, before finally retracting his stance and once again walking back to his side of the translucent box.


    "Man, and I was starting to like you too."


    But s, none seemed to like Paragon''s idea, as this time, Gary entered the translucent box ¡ª his face, appearing like a hologram as he did so.


    "H¡­ herees a new challenger!" Although Paige was starting to think this was a bad idea, she still couldn''t help herself from seeing it through. After all, they''ve already started ¡ª if they didn''t continue, everyone would be too distracted trying to think of what could have been. They would be too busy to work on other things, she thought.


    "Where were you hiding all this time, man?" Gary said as he started stretching and cracking his neck, "You some kind of hidden expert we don''t know of or something?"


    "..." Paragon didn''t answer and just looked at Gary¡­ with an almost bored expression in his eyes, "Gary Gray, son of Megawoman."


    "Don''t worry, I''m not gonna cry to mommy if I lose."


    "Half themarian¡­ but why so weak?"


    "Oh, you went there, huh?" Gary''s eyes started to glow red as he nodded several times, "This shit is personal now. You, crazy girl! Start the match."


    "M¡­ Me? I¡­ I''m not crazy," Paige blinked a couple of times as she pointed at herself. But s, no one seems to be listening to her. And so, the only thing she could really do was to try and enjoy the situation.


    "Get ready for the next battle!"


    "..."


    "Figh¨C"


    And without even waiting for Paige to finish her word, Gary shot out a beam straight towards Paragon''s face,


    "Let''s see what you''re trying to hide there, master Paragon!" Gary then hissed before letting out a manical chuckle, "We''ve been together for more than a week now, and we haven''t even had a glimpse of your face! That changes now!"


    "I quite value my secret identity, Monarch."


    "W¡­ what the!?"


    But s, Gary''s beam did not even reach Paragon''s face, instead, he was blocking it with his palm.


    "I¡­ I was holding back! Get ready to face my true power!" Gary then let out a roar as the beaming out from his eyes became¡­ smoother, "9th Level Omega Bea¨C Guakh!"


    But once again, s. Before he could finish his chant, Paragon once again disappeared from his spot, only to appear in front of Gary¡­pletely grabbing his face as he very slowly tried to pull him down.


    "F¡­ Fuck!" Gary gritted his teeth as he tried his best to keep himself standing; even to the point that his legs started to dig through the floor,


    "W¡­ where the fuck¡­ did you suddenly pop out from!?" Gary struggled as he grabbed Paragon''s fingers with both his hands, trying to pry them open but couldn''t even make them budge,


    "W¡­ what the fuck, man!?"


    "Why are you so weak?"


    And while Gary was struggling for his life, Paragon only shook his head; his whispers, seemingly louder than Gary''s muffled screams. It might sound as if he was belittling him to other people, but in truth ¡ª Riley truly was curious.


    Hannah Ross could possibly be Half Themarian. And although she didn''t really have any powers resembling that of their race, her abilities were incredibly strong and one would even say on the same level. It''s also possible that Hannah was also just like Riley ¡ª someone from a tube.


    But Bernard has told them in¡­ very great detail how Diana gave birth to Hannah whenever Hannah bes rebellious. He told them a lot of times, a lot. Even when they were eating.


    Hannah also resembled Diana and Bernard.


    He had already explored another, and yet he still knew so little ¡ª and the answers are all with Caiin. But¡­


    ¡­would it really matter if he finds out? He wasn''t really in search of truth. What would change?


    He told Paige who he really is, and nothing really changed between them ¡ª because she chose not to change.


    So it didn''t really matt¨C


    "L¡­ Let go of me already, man!"


    "Oh," Paragon blinked a couple of times as he finally let go of Gary''s face,


    "I forgot you were there."


    "I already lost, why are you still dissing me!?" Gary could not help but groan in frustration as he walked out of the translucent box, "S¡­ Silv! Avenge¡­ avenge the name of our mother!"


    "Yeah," Silvie was already stepping inside the box before Gary could even step out of it, "W¨C"


    Silvie seemed like she wanted to say something, but before she could do so¡­ Hannah also stepped in.


    "...What are you doing?"


    "Giving the guy what he wants," Hannah squinted her eyes as she looked at Paragon straight in the eyes, "Attacking him at both sides."


    "A¡­ a threesome?"


    "...I don''t think you know what that really means."

 Chapter 352: Stronger ThanMegawoman

    Chapter 352: Stronger ThanMegawoman


    "Can¡­ you really do it?"


    "I did it before."


    "R¡­ right."


    "...Listen in to what they''re saying."


    "What? No."


    Silvie and Hannah were currently discussing ways topletely neutralize and overwhelm Paragon; with Hannah ncing numerous times and trying to make out whatever it was Paige and Paragon were discussing.


    "Why not? What''s your super-hearing for if you''re not going to use it to eavesdrop on people''s conversations?" Hannah insisted.


    "...To hear people that are asking for help."


    "Tch, boring," Hannah could only shake her head and sigh, "I just want to know if they''re talking about Riley or not."


    "...Why would they be talking about Riley?"


    "W¡­ well, ''coz you know ¡ª House of Super," Hannah stuttered but quickly cleared her throat as she walked away, "C''mon, let''s do this. We haven''t fought side by side for an entire year, so it''s best to just take our time."


    "Don''t worry, I can follow your tempo," Silvie said as she stretched her arms, "Shouldn''t be too hard, you''re not fast."


    "...I remember hating you now," Hannah slightly raised an eyebrow as she chuckled, "Hey you! Salon guy, we''re ready!"


    "...Is that supposed to be me?" Paragon could only blink a couple of times as he looked back and forth between Paige and Hannah.


    "Y¡­ yeah," Paige nodded as she gestured to Paragon to go.


    "...Why?"


    "It''s because of your hair! Your hair is smoother and looks more maintained than all of the girls here, now go. They''re waiting."


    "..." Although Paragon was still quite confused as this was the first time someone was ever calling him that, he still stepped inside the translucent box; causing it to sh in red so as to signal that allbatants were inside.


    "Get ready for the next battle!" Paige was going to wait until someone from either side said something, but seeing as none of them were even opening their mouths and just looking at each other, the translucent box started to once again light up,


    "Fight!"


    The first to move was Silvie, who quickly disappeared from her spot as she rushed towards Paragon in an arc; almost at a speed that Paige could no longer follow ¡ª the images on her translucent box, however, for some reason, could rey what happened as it proceeded to do so.


    Gary, Be¡­ And Katrina, who was watching the rey from outside the box, didn''t really think much of it ¡ª Empress, however, who was still spying on the group from the CCTV, could not help but squint her eyes as she focused on the rey.


    She already knows how the fight would turn out, she was only watching because of Paige Pearson.


    Just¡­ how was Paige doing something like this?


    They have already done a thorough check on Paige''s profile, and aside from being mentally unstable and having a rough childhood, she was clean. No, perhaps a rough childhood was mildly putting it.


    As soon as Empress found out about the orphanage in bama, she had it closed immediately ¡ª transferring its tenants and patients to Bulwark in Mega Academy. The ones that have left the orphanage seem to remember it differently, or perhaps most just suppress the memories¡­


    ¡­but they were basically being tortured in the name of ''curing'' them.


    How something like this was overlooked by the local governments was truly sickening. She had seen the videos of their so-called trials ¡ª electrocuting children''s brains, seeing how they react to pain, etc.


    ¡­And the worst one of them all was Paige. The things she endured then, it would have probably made even the toughest person crumble to dust.


    She probably craved for affection and friendship¡­ but to think it would be to a Themarian? Her story might as well be straight out from those pocketbooks Empress used to read when she was younger.


    If her child was still alive¡­ could she have been a part of Baby Crew? She would be around the same age; probably even more rebellious than Hannah seeing as¨C


    "..." Empress could only scoff and shake her head at the thought. There was an immediate threat growing on the, and yet her mind waspletely on something that could even be considered irrelevant.


    And so, after pondering for a few more seconds, Empress just decided to turn off the screen; with thest thing she saw was Paragon being grappled by Silvie and Hannah seemingly trying to roast his chest¡­ all this while Paragon was still standing firmly.


    "...They''ll be fine," Empress then said as she focused her attention on the current threat. As for Hannah and Silvie, well¡­


    "W¡­ what are you doing!? Pin him down to the fucking floor!"


    "I''m trying!"


    The entire floor started to rumble; a small crack, slowly starting to crawl from beneath Paragon''s feet as Silvie tried to force him to the floor.


    "Anymore, and the entire floor will probably be destroyed!" Silvie shouted, "Just do it! Make him surrender!"


    "Don''t me us for this, Paragon!" The fire on Hannah''s hands disappeared; instead, only a sizzle remained¡­ and very soon, it was almost as if the air itself started to boil; and along with it, the top of Paragon''s white suit,


    "Surrender if you don''t want your lungs melted!"


    "Boo!" Gary quickly roared his disapproval; both his hands pointed down as he looked at Hannah, "That thing causes cancer!"


    "Will you shut the fuck up!? You''re supposed to be on my side!" Hannah could only roll her eyes before focusing back on Paragon. And judging by the almost stoic look in his eyes, he didn''t even care that his torso was about to be turned into shreds,


    "I''m serious, Paragon! I won''t hesitate to burn you!"


    "Well¡­"


    And finally, after keeping his silence and just casually handling the two as if they truly were babies, Paragon finally spoke,


    "...You can''t. You can never hurt me, Nuclear Seraph."


    "You really are fucking full of it, aren''t you?" Hannah''s eyes slightly twitched as a smile filled with vexation crawled on her face.


    "I''m just telling the truth," Paragon shrugged¡­ causing Silvie, who was grappling him from behind, almost lose her grip,


    "You''re not capable of hurting me. Not now, not before, and never will."


    "Let''s see about that!"


    "Hannah, no!" Silvie quickly moved away, trying to pull Paragon away from Hannah''s hands. But s, the floor itself rippled almost like a cloth as Paragon''s feet were digging through it, almost as if he was as heavy as a mountain itself,


    "I¡­ I know you think you''re strong! But stop being so stubborn!" Silvie screamed as she now used both hands to try and pull Paragon away, but was not able to. It doesn''t even make any sense ¡ª the strength she was using now was enough to pull the weight of the entire Golden Gate Bridge¡­ and yet the most she could do was move him by an inch?


    "Hannah was the one that killed Darkday!" Silvie continued to raise her voice, "She used this move! Stop being so stubborn. You too, Hannah! What are you doing!?"


    "Let''s see if he surr¨C"


    "Darkday?"


    "..."


    Everyone, even Paige, could not help but hold their breaths as Paragon suddenly let out a small chuckle ¡ª a chuckle that echoed through the hall, containing not even a single tinge of warmth in it.


    "You actually think Darkday is strong?"


    "W¡­ what are you doing?"


    Paragon then grabbed both of Hannah''s hands. She wanted to pull away but found herself leaning closer to Paragon as he suddenly grabbed both her hands and nted them on his now bare chest, creating a weird sizzle to hiss in the air.


    "What are you doing!?" Hannah repeated her words as shepletely canceled her abilities, "F¡­ fuck! Your che¡ª"


    Hannah could not even finish her words before noticing¡­ that nothing happened to Paragon''s chest; not even a single sign of it being burnt¡ª its pale structure, remaining to be immacte.


    Hannah was finally able to remove her hands as she took a few steps back; her eyes, not leaving Paragon''s¡­ surprisingly chiseled body; his chest, almost seemed like it would pop out with even his tiny and calm breaths.


    "..." Hannah could only take in a small gulp; blinked her eyes a couple of times before finally managing to stray them away from Paragon''s body. She was almost distracted by the fact that¡­


    "How¡­ are you not even burnt?"


    "..." Silvie quickly let go of Paragon as she heard Hannah''s words. She then flew beside Hannah to check if Paragon was truly unscathed, only for her to quickly turn her eyes away from Paragon''s¡­ almost seductive muscles.


    "..." Gary, who was watching on the side, could not help but furrow his eyebrows, "My muscles are bigger and more toned¡­ not to mention tan. Why aren''t they looking at me like that?"


    "Man, you just don''t get it, G," Be sighed as she shook her head, "There''s something about the mysterious type that women just like. You see Paragon unting his muscles every goddamn second?"


    "N¡­ no?"


    "Exactly, my man," Beughed before turning her focus back to the translucent box.


    "How are you not burnt?" Hannah repeated her question, this time, trying her best to look Paragon only in the eyes.


    "Because I''m strong," Paragon said before looking at Paige. The two just looked at each other for a few seconds, before Paige nodded ¡ª and before Paragon could turn his gaze back to Hannah, his naked torso was now covered in a tight ck inner suit¡­ making him look even more like a ninja,


    "I''m stronger than you," he then continued as he pointed at Silvie, "I''m stronger than Darkday. And if I want to¡­


    ¡­I''m stronger than Megawoman."

 Chapter 353: We All Need Romance

    Chapter 353: We All Need Romance


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    Silence.


    They once again found themselves in silence. They have previously nned to go and see the situation outside, but after what happened, no one was in the mood to do so anymore.


    Silvie Savelievna, the one who held the current position as the No. 1 Superhero based on the surveys that the Association made,pletely defeated. The same thing happened to the one who held the No. 3 position, Nuclear Seraph.


    And as if that wasn''t enough, the rest of Hannah''s team was also beaten badly by Paragon ¡ª and everyone saw it live. They have probably never been humiliated like this; not even when they were still at the Academy.


    Perhaps calling them defeated was even an understatement. None of them were able to fight back, with Paragon just moving once or twice during the entire sparring session. They thought he was just underestimating the strength of the Baby Crew, but to think it was the other way around ¡ª Paragon was just too strong.


    "...Fuck. Pass me that bottle."


    And so, once again, the Baby Crew found themselves in the bar area of the Paige and Paragon Agency.


    "S¡­ shouldn''t we go out there instead of sulking¡ª"


    "I thought you didn''t want to go out!?"


    "..."


    Hannah''s voice broke the silence ¡ª no. She shattered it with her voice that almost thundered throughout the entire building. As for Katrina, the only thing she could really do was shut her mouth and look to the side.


    She was a little dismayed that the others seem to have forgotten about her during the matches, but maybe she was actually lucky. At the very least, she didn''t have her ass handed to her in front of the thousands of the viewers that were watching Gary''s stream.


    Of course, mid-way through it, Gary disconnected his stream to save themselves from being properly humiliated in front of their fans ¡ª what they didn''t know, however¡­


    ¡­was that Paragon was actually also streaming.


    It was weird, he seemed to always be streaming at the right time without anyone else knowing ¡ª this time, his phone was recording near the corner of the hall¡­ on a tripod, and no one noticed.


    "I¡­ Isn''t it okay?" Katrina then said as she forced a chuckle, "At least¡­ we know that Paragon is strong and¡ª"


    "Argh! He treated us like children!"


    Hannah could no longer help herself as she reached for a bottle of alcohol herself. But as she was about to open it, a long and very deep sigh whispered from her mouth; and with it, the bottle returned to its ce.


    "He''s not Riley," Hannah then let out a sigh as she rested her head on her arms, clumsily letting it fall on top of the counter,


    "He''s not Riley," she repeated.


    "...What?" Silvie, who was hearing Hannah''s suspicions for the very first time, could not help but raise an eyebrow at Hannah''s words,


    "What do you mean he''s not Riley? Of course, he''s not Riley¡­.


    ¡­What''s going on?" She then muttered as she looked at the rest of the Baby Crew, "...Guys?"


    "It''s nothing," Be was the only one to respond to her as she rolled her eyes, "Hannah here just thought Paragon was her brother."


    "...What!?" Silvie''s eyes turned wide, "But they look so different. Paragon has those long, ck¡­ beautiful silky hair. Not¡­ not to mention those¡ª Y¡­ yeah, you get what I mean," she stuttered, trying her best not to utter the words she wanted to utter.


    "I know, right!?" Hannah once again leaped out from her seat as she looked at Silvie, "How could I have evenpared the two? Sure, they''re both weird¡­ but that''s it. Riley would never say those kinds of words."


    Hannah was sure of it now. Paragon is not Riley. Because if he was¡ª


    "..."


    Hannah then took in a small but very deep breath as she remembered the way Paragon''s chest felt, before violently shaking her head. Because if he was Riley, then she wouldn''t have felt something like what she felt earlier ¡ª it would be disgusting to feel something like that to her own brother; her murderous genocidal brother.


    But Paragon''s bare chest, his abs ¡ª and then partner that with the long jet-ck hair that flowed across his torso. Even if he was still wearing a mask, he looked quite¡­ dazzling. No, maybe it was the mask that added to his allure.


    "Oh my god," Hannah could not help but cover her face as these thoughts once again resurfaced in her mind. Her ex-boyfriend was literally an old man in a young man''s body, and she had been stuck in the expanse of space ever since with the only person of the opposite sex being Gary.


    It was no wonder her hormones were a little more wild than usual. She was already 22 years old, and yet she hasn''t even had a normal rtionship with a man once.


    "I¡­ think I might need that drink, after all," Hannah finally gave in and opened a bottle.


    "Y¡­ yeah, I think I need one as well," Silvie whispered as she sat beside Hannah. Katrina was about to grab the bottle as well but was stopped by Be.


    "Girl¡­ this is reserved for those who got their asses whooped."


    "I¡­ is that so?" Katrina could only force a chuckle, causing her massive breasts to bounce.


    "Ack, it''s all because of that!" Hannah screamed as she suddenly pointed at Katrina''s bosoms.


    "W¡­ what?" Katrina quickly took a step back as she covered her breasts, "What¡­ what did I do this time?"


    "If only I had a bigger pair, then maybe I would have a boyfriend right now!" Hannah groaned in frustration as she once again let her head fall on the counter.


    "Oho, do I hear my name being called?" Gary''s ears almost became bigger as he slowly slid close to the women of the Baby Crew, only for a bottle to be thrown at his face ¡ª he caught it, of course.


    "No!"


    "..." Gary could only blink a couple of times, before a tear started to fall from his eyes, "Am I¡­ Am I not good enough?"


    "..." Be quickly offered her support to Gary as she patted his shoulders, "You''re our bro, G. You''re off-limits."


    "...So if I quit, I can pursue one of you?" A weird smile quickly grew on Gary''s face.


    "..." Be didn''t answer, but instead just looked at the rest of the women of the Baby Crew.


    Silvie shook her head, Katrina looked to the side, and Hannah just let out a chuckle.


    "Well¡­ there''s your answer."


    "Ugh," Gary quickly sped his chest as he took several steps back in a daze, letting himself fall on the sofa as he croaked, "My heart, it burns."


    "Stop being so over dramatic, Gary," Silvie giggled as she looked at him, "Weren''t you dating Gintsune before I left the crew? What happened to that?"


    "Golden Fox, she goes by Golden Fox now," Garyid himself down on the sofa as he sighed, "It¡­ didn''t really work out between us."


    "What¡­ why?" I thought you guys looked cute together," Silvie moved away from the bar as she approached thementing Gary, "Gintsune is cute and small, and you''re like an ogre."


    "W¡­ well, you know," Gary stuttered, "Long-distance rtionship and all that. She was in Japan... and I was in space. It---"


    "It didn''tst because he was insecure as fuck," Hannah was the one to answer as she too, moved to the sofa; holding a new bottle and several sses, "I still remember that, when Chihiro called us crying because you two had a bad fight."


    "Aw shit, I remember this."


    "Y¡­ yeah, I¡­ I really felt bad for her then."


    And so, all of a sudden, Gary became the topic of the group. If he knew he was suddenly going to be in the hot seat like this, then he would have just kept his mouth shut.


    "...What happened?" Silvie tried her best to look concerned; but the creeping smile on her face showed how much her curiosity was bursting out.


    "It¡­ It''s really nothing," Gary wanted to get up. But for some reason, the eyes of the women caused the weight of his body to turn into a mountain.


    "It''s fine, you don''t need to tell me," Silvie could only let out a small sigh as she shook her head. But after a few seconds, the smile on her face returned¡­ along with a phone that was already dialing someone,


    "I''ll just ask her."


    "Fuck¡­ the girl''s drunk as hell," the teasing smile on Be''s face disappeared as soon as she saw who she was calling. As for Hannah and Katrina, they only looked at each other; not knowing whether to wince or chuckle.


    "W¡­ w¡­ wait!" Gary tried to reach for the phone, but s, Silvie could fly.


    "What''s¡­ going on here?"


    "Ah, Paige! You''re right on time," Silvie giggled as she looked at Paige and Paragon, who just stepped out of the elevator, "We''re calling Gary''s ex."


    "...Why?" Although Paige was confused as to what was happening, she quickly jogged to the lounge due to her sudden growing curiosity.


    "P¡­ Paragon, bro!" Gary then immediately ran towards Paragon, "As¡­ as the only other men here, tell them to stop! Help a brother save some dignity!"


    "Running away from your previous lover is not dignified, Mr. Gray."


    "You should be on my si¡ª"


    [H¡­ hello?]


    And before Gary could finish his words, everything suddenly became quiet as a small, and very demure voice whispered in the air.


    "G¡­ Golden Fox, hi."


    And now that she actually answered, Silvie could not help but take in a small gulp as she slowly descended to the floor. She was really just trying to tease Gary, but to think the call would connect.


    [How¡­ are you? Did¡­ you need some¡ª oh, hello everyone.]


    "S¡­Sup, Goldie," Be waved her hand as she was caught on the video call.


    [Uhm¡­ can I call you guys backter?]


    "S¡­ sure, sorry. We didn''t mean to¡ª"


    [I''m¡­ actually under attack right now.]


    "..."


    "..."


    "...What?"

 Chapter 354: The Way He Stares

    Chapter 354: The Way He Stares


    [I''m¡­ actually under attack.]


    "..."


    "...What did you say?"


    Silvie and the rest of the Baby Crew could only look at each other as they heard Golden Fox''s words. She said it so calmly that they didn''t really know what to actually think of it.


    "Did¡­ you just say you were under attack?" Silvie once again asked as the rest of the Baby Crew started huddling up to see what was going on. Even Paige tried topress herself with the group to see what was happening, only to see Golden Fox still wearing her golden mask.


    [Y¡­ yes.] Soon, however, she turned the camera to the other side, revealing several people fighting with¡­ what seemed like creatures that looked like they spawned from the shadows ¡ª one of Golden Fox''s abilities,


    [I think they called themselves the House of Super?]


    "House of Super!?" Silvie raised her voice as she looked at the others, "Why¡­ would they be attacking you?"


    [Well, not necessarily me,] Golden Fox let out a short but very deep sigh as she turned the camera back to her, [They attacked the shelter I''m in. It''s a shelter for the victims and those that were affected by viin attacks.]


    "What?" Silvie''s eyebrows quickly furrowed as she heard Golden Fox''s words; her voice, slowly bing colder as she showed her teeth, "They¡­ would attack even a ce like that?"


    "Wait, are you alright!?"


    And before Silvie could say anything else, Gary suddenly grabbed the phone from her and walked away, "Did¡­ did you call for back-up!? Are you hurt anywhere?"


    [...Gary,] Golden Fox slightly lifted up her mask as soon as Gary came into view. But after a few moments, she once again lowered her mask,


    [I''m¡­ okay. After all, I''m the Top 2 Female Superhero, right? I don''t need a backup.]


    "T¡ª that''s¡­" Gary could only look to the side as he heard the slightly snobbish tone that came from Golden Fox''s voice, "C¡­ Chihiro, I didn''t¡ª"


    "What''s your location?"


    And before Gary could say his piece, this time, the phone was snatched from him by Hannah,


    "What''s your location? We''ll provide you back-up."


    [I''m¡­ in Albuquerque,] Golden Fox almost stuttered as a different voice answered her, [But seriously, Hannah¡­ I''m alright.]


    "Wait, you''re in the country!?" Gary was going to grab the phone again from Hannah, but she moved away.


    "Okay," Hannah nodded as she avoided Gary''s hands, "Send your location to Silvie''s phone. We''ll provide you with backup."


    "I¡­ don''t need back-up."


    "Don''t worry, Gary''s not going to annoy you," Hannah sighed as she shook her head,


    "And I know you don''t need back-up. It''s more like we need something from you."


    [Hm?]


    "Can you keep the terrorists there? Don''t let them escape, we have questions for them."


    [...Okay. I''ll keep the connection op¨C]


    "Wait, when did you get back to the country!?"


    And once again, Gary snatched the phone away.


    [A¡­ couple of months ago. Can we talkter? I am kinda¡­ busy.]


    "Y¡­ yeah, sure."


    s, no matter how concerned he sounded, Golden Fox did not seem to be interested in hearing whatever it is he had to say. The only thing Gary could really do was return the phone back to Silvie.


    "G¡­ good thing we called, right?" Silvie forced a chuckle as she looked at Gary''s dejected silhouette; his back, almost hunched as he walked away.


    "Bro, why you sulking? She''s clearly still in to you."


    "W¡­ what?" Gary''s eyes started to widen as Be hit him on the stomach, "Y¡­ you think so?"


    "She almost showed her face to you, right? What''s with that?" Be whispered, "That means she feels she doesn''t need to be guarded with you."


    "R¡­ Really?"


    "Yeah, ask Katrina. She''s the one with the most experience with rtionships among us."


    "Please don''t ask me," Katrina quickly looked to the side to avoid Gary''s intense gaze.


    "Fuck, we have a problem."


    Fortunately for Katrina, before Gary could even approach her, Hannah suddenly raised her voice,


    "Our jet is currently dmissioned. It''ll take a while for me to fly to the space station to get another."


    "I¡­ can get¡ª"


    "You know how to fly it?"


    "...No," Silvie quickly sighed as she shook her head. And while the Baby Crew were currently discussing the best way to get there together, Paragon suddenly approached Paige and whispered to her ear; her eyes widening with every word.


    And as soon as Paragon was done, Paige quickly nodded her head and approached the chaotic energy that is the Baby Crew.


    "Uhm¡­ guys!?" Paige screamed to get everyone''s attention, "We¡­


    ¡­we have a jet on the rooftop."


    ***


    "...What kind of jet is this?"


    "It¡­ looks awfully familiar."


    "Wait, isn''t this jet from Italian Mafia Reborn?" Hannah was the first to approach the jet that was strangely ced on the roof, "...What the hell?"


    "W¡­ well," Paige didn''t really know what to answer as she only turned to look at Paragon, who had both his thumbs up at her,


    "I¡­ I''m a huge fan of the show," Paige could really only force a chuckle before moving to the door ¡ª and without even pressing anything, it automatically opened up, lowering the stairs for them to step on.


    "Shotgun!"


    And before Paige could step inside, Gary suddenly rushed towards the jet, almost leaping inside.


    "W¡ª wait!" Paige could not help but take in a gulp as she looked to the side; her face slightly winced. After all¡­ the jet really didn''t exist. She just created it from her mind, so it should bepletely intangible to the others.


    Paragon, however, said that he has a n to make it real ¡ª and to her surprise, Gary didn''t just pass through the jet and was even able to walk around inside.


    "You''re a fan of IMR, huh?" Hannah let out a tiny scoff as she looked at Paige before a small smile crawled on her face as she brushed her hand on the body of the jet.


    "H¡­Hm," Paige nodded, "Like your brother."


    "...How do you know that?" Hannah''s hand stopped as she once again nced at Paige.


    "It¡­ It''smon knowledge on the inte!" Paige stuttered before quickly stepping inside the jet.


    "Huh¡­" Hannah was slightly curious about Paige''s words, but decided not to think much of it as she just focused her attention on the details of the jet,


    "...How do you even pilot this thing?"


    "You don''t."


    Hannah was about to enter, but Paragon stepped inside first before she could do so; slightly brushing her shoulder,


    "I will fly it. You and your people should just rx," Paragon calmly said as she looked Hannah straight in the eyes.


    "Y¡­ yeah, alright?" Hannah tried to return Paragon''s eye contact, but couldn''t as she looked away. She also let out a short breath as her chest suddenly jumped for some reason.


    "...Fuck," Hannah whispered before looking at the women of the Baby Crew,


    "Is¡­ Is it just me, or is the guy flirting with me?"


    "Girl... You need to getid. You getting thirsty as hell," Be only sighed as she patted Hannah''s shoulder before stepping inside the jet.


    "Please¡­ be careful, Hannah. Paige and Paragon might be together," Katrina also sighed as she looked at Hannah in the eyes; the tone of her voice, not containing its usual warmth, "You don''t want a repeat of what happened to me, Silvie, and you know who."


    "I¡­ don''t really have ament?" Silvie could really only meekly whisper as she entered the jet with Katrina.


    "...Thanks for the help. You know what, never mind," Hannah rolled her lips and sighed as she finally entered the jet, and no matter how much she looked at it, it truly did look like the jet from Italian Mafia Reborn.


    The outside was like a luxury car. Pearl ck, lined with chrome. The inside was even more luxurious, and not to mention spacious. It had a giant sofa in a square with a table in the center; no windows.


    "...Damn," Hannah breathed out as she took a seat, "Do we have Chihiro''s coordinates?"


    "Yeah, I sent it to Paige."


    "I''ll¡­ cast it on the table."


    And as soon as Paige said that, a hologram appeared on top of the table that was in the center of the seats.


    "Well, this is fancy as fuck," Gary muttered as he looked at the globe that suddenly appeared in front of them. It showed where they were, as well as their destination and the route they would be taking to get there.


    "We will be taking off in 10 seconds, everyone," Paragon''s voice then echoed throughout the jet, "Please buckle your seatbelts."


    "Alright, let''s do this!"


    "...Where did this seatbelt suddenly pop out from?"


    Hannah was about to buckle her seatbelt, but she suddenly noticed Paragon ncing at her.


    "..." She looked at the others to see if they noticed the same, but they were busy putting on their seatbelts. Hannah tried to return Paragon''s gaze, but he didn''t really move or say anything. It wasn''t until Hannah wore her seatbelt that he looked away and wore a headgear simr to virtual reality headsets.


    Why¡­ was Paragon staring at her like that? She still couldn''t get the image of Paragon during the spar from her mind, the way he just casually ced her hand on his chest.


    There were also the words offort he said to her the 2nd time they met. And this wasn''t the first time Hannah noticed Paragon ncing and staring at her. Could it actually be possible¡­


    ¡­that he liked her?


    It would seem he was even making sure that her seatbelt was on.


    What was she supposed to do about that? Weren''t he and Paige together? They live in the same penthouse¡­ with Paragon''s mother.


    "..." Would a couple really be living with a parent? Maybe they weren''t really together¡­ Wouldn''t that mean¡­


    ¡­that Paragon was hitting on her?

 Chapter 355: Riley,Darkday, andParagon Walked into a Bar (1)

    Chapter 355: Riley,Darkday, andParagon Walked into a Bar (1)


    "Are¡­ we really moving?"


    Gary''s eyes reflected the image of the Earth in front of him; he left the seat beside Paragon as there really was nothing to see there without windows. It''s been 10 minutes since they supposedly left the building, and he could clearly see on the hologram that their position was far from its initial pin ¡ª but never once did he feel a shake or turbulence.


    None of them even noticed they lifted off the roof. Even now, as they seemed to have reached their constant speed, it just felt like they were still on the roof.


    "Just¡­ how fast is this thing going?" Gary muttered as he leaned closer to the hologram.


    "850 meters per second, constantly," Paragon slightly nced at his passengers even while wearing therge headset that covered his eyes.


    "Damn. That''s like double the speed of sound, right?"


    "Almost triple, I suppose."


    "Where did this jet evene from?" Gary finally leaned back as she looked at Paige, who seemed to be talking about something with Katrina; the two talking nonstop ever since they got onto the jet.


    "It¡­ was provided by Paragon''s mother," Paige was trying her best not to look away and stutter, "She is friends with Empress, remember?"


    "Hm¡­ how long until we reach Albuquerque?"


    "24 minutes, Mr. Gray," Paragon muttered. They could go faster, but the Baby Crew were already asking too many questions as it is.


    "...Fuck," Gary whispered as his foot started patting the floor repeatedly, "If¡­ only I could fly."


    "..." Silvie almost said something as soon as she heard Gary''s words, but instead just took a breath as she hesitated. She was a clone of his mother, so Silvie didn''t really know how Gary would take it if she tried tofort him about his abilities ¡ª so, instead..,


    "Don''t worry," she whispered, "She''ll be fine. She''s strong."


    "...Yeah. Everyone''s stronger than me," Gary muttered, before wincing and shaking his head as he rested his back on the sofa. This was the very reason he and Chihiro broke up ¡ª Golden Fox kept climbing the rankings. While he, even though he was known as Megawoman''s son, was not even in the top 10. It just¡­ it broke him and heshed out at Chihiro.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Uuh¡­" Paige, who noticed the mood suddenly turning sour, could not help but break the silence,


    "Can¡­ I ask you something?" She then turned her eyes towards Silvie.


    "Hm?"


    "It''s alright if you guys don''t want to answer, but¡­ why did you leave the Baby Crew?"


    "..." Silvie quickly looked at Katrina as soon as she heard Paige''s question,


    "W¡­ well¡­"


    "Oh no, it''s¡­ it''s fine if you don''t want to answer," Paige said as a somewhat awkward chuckle escaped her lips, "I''m sorry I asked."


    "No, it''s¡­ just a stupid reason," Silvie sighed before once again looking at Katrina, who gestured to her that it was alright,


    "Well, it wasn''t so stupid then, but now¡­ blegh," Silvie''s entire body began to shiver, "Katrina was¡­ in a rtionship about a year ago¡­


    ¡­and I kind of kissed her boyfriend?" Silvie then winced as her entire body was nketed in cringe.


    "..." And very slowly, the excited look on Paige''s face faded, "You left the Baby Crew¡­ because of a man?"


    "W¡­ well, it wasn''t that simple," Silvie tried to force a chuckle, "I think I needed to go away as well. You know, search¡­ and try to find me in all of this chaos that''s been happening."


    "Pft," Be snorted as soon as Silvie''s mellow words entered her ears, "I''m sorry¡­ it''s just¡­ it''s funny thinking about it now."


    "..."


    "I mean, hell. The man ain''t even all that, he a 5 at best. Now, if it was someone that looked like Riley? Now that, I would understand. The dude was looker even though he was evil as¡ª"


    Be did not dare to continue her words as she slowly turned her eyes towards Hannah, fully expecting her to already be looking at her with a pair of eyes that could kill. Contrary to her expectations, however, Hannah did not even budge even with the mention of her brother.


    Instead¡­ she was just staring at Paragon.


    "..." Seeing this, Be could really only let out a sigh. It was weird, she was probably the most inexperienced one here regarding romance since she had been single since birth¡­ why did it feel like she was surrounded by little children with raging hormones?


    And so, as officially the probably sanest member of the Baby Crew, she probably needs to step up and step in.


    "Now I have a question for you, Paige," Be quickly switched the attention to Paige.


    "Oh? Go ahead."


    "I know we''ve already asked this before, but are you and Paragon really not together?"


    "Hm," Paige quickly nodded, "I''ve actually only known Paragon for a very short time. In fact, I''ve only met him, I guess¡­ 2, 3 days before you guys?"


    "...For real?" Be''s eyes widened, "But why do the two of you seem so close, almost disgustingly inseparable."


    "Don''t know," Paige chuckled as she nced at Paragon, "I''ve only met him for a short time, but it''s like I can''t live without him anymore, you guys know what I mean?"


    "...No?" Be could only mumble as she was slightly perturbed that Paige could say something like that without stuttering.


    "Hmm¡­ But I guess to answer your question," Paige slightly hummed as she ced a finger on her chin, "No. We''re really not together. But for me, we¡­ we''re more than that, you know?"


    "Y¡ª"


    "I love him."


    This time, not only Be, but the rest of the Baby Crew could not help but take in a small gulp as they heard Paige''s words that did not contain even the slightest hesitation.


    "Adam¡­ He''s like the family I never had. It might sound cliche, and it is cliche, but it''s true¡­" Paige then slowly looked at Hannah, "I love him, and at the same time, he''s¡­ my brother."


    "..." Hannah could really only return Paige''s gaze, somewhat feeling that her words had more meaning than they contained.


    "So¡­" Be then leaned closer to Paige as she lowered her voice, "If Hannah and Paragon get together, you wouldn''t get jealous?"


    "What the fuck, Bell!?" Hannah almost snarled as she very lightly kicked Be''s foot.


    "Hey, sis. I''m just saying¡­" Be raised both her hands in surrender, "Everyone here could see you been thirsting on some Paragon ass. We just don''t want a sequel to Katrina, Silvie, and that guy. Rest in peace for him."


    As for the others, they didn''t really know whether tough or not; only looking at each other with half a smile on their faces.


    "So, you still haven''t answered. Will you be jealous?" Be seemed to not be done as she once again leaned closer to Paige.


    "Well¡­ I will get jealous," Paige said as she giggled, "After all, we''re not really brothers and sisters, or even a family at that. I would lie if I said I wasn''t interested in him romantically, I am¡­ but as I said, we''re more than that. I want us to be more than that. I¡­ know who he is, who he really is ¡ª and from all his faults, his ws¡­


    ¡­I ept him. And I''d really like to think he epts me too."

 Chapter 356: Riley, Darkday, andParagon Walked into a Bar (2)

    Chapter 356: Riley, Darkday, andParagon Walked into a Bar (2)


    "I ept him. And I''d really like to think he epts me too."


    And once again, silence. No, perhaps if awe was music, then that would be what was floating in the air right about now. The Baby Crew were used to hearing people without a filter; after all, they have Gary, Hannah, and the one that''s subtly but secretly the bluntest of them all, Katrina.


    But this? For someone to express this kind of raw emotion and say it out loud? The only thing they could really do was close their mouths and look at each other¡­ thinking when they will ever meet someone that would make them feel the way Paige feels.


    No, there was one of them that had felt that way.


    "...That''s true, you should have seen Riley and Hannah interact with each other¡­"


    Gary finally broke his silence as he joined the conversation,


    "...What you just said practically freaking described how they were."


    "...What?" Hannah raised an eyebrow as soon as her name was once again brought up.


    "They grew up together as siblings, but they knew they weren''t. They were close, too close. There was just something about the two that makes you think they kiss each other on the lips at night?"


    "Ew, Gary!? What the fuck!?"


    "What? It''s true! Everyone in the Academy thinks so too, there was just something¡­ sexual about you too."


    "The fuck!?" Hannah started kicking Gary on the leg, but he just burst out inughter, causing the others to alsough as they heard Gary almost squealing like a pig.


    And while all of these were happening, Paragon just continued to pretend that he was piloting the jet and not actually flying them with his mind.


    And of course, he heard everything.


    Paige loves him.


    Hannah also said the same thing.


    He could never truly understand what it meant ¡ª even Aerith said that it was a universal thing and that all the species in the universe were capable of it.


    So¡­ why not him? Or maybe he was capable, he just didn''t know what to look for? Did¡­ he love Hannah?


    When Hannah killed him, he did feel something weird ¡ª an emotion that he couldn''t really exin.


    A relief.


    A relief that it was Hannah to end it all.


    But then¡­ he lived. Even disintegrated to hisst ashes, he lived. After that, the feeling was gone ¡ª perhaps hidden, but he couldn''t feel it anymore.


    He didn''t even know what to think or do anymore ¡ª the reason he has been staring at Hannah from time to time was to try and see if he feels it again. But how could he find it when he didn''t even know what he was searching for?


    He had no purpose now ¡ª he was the wind, drifting away wherever.


    And then, there''s Paige.


    The only person that told him she understands him. But what does it mean to understand a person with no purpose?


    Riley has always thought of him as a monster. But there was something that Aerith told him while they were in space that he couldn''t let go ¡ª


    ¡ªTwo things can be true at once.


    He is a monster, he is evil¡­ but he is also human.


    But he had always only been a monster that did nothing but hurt people. He tortured anyone ¡ª children, women, the elderly¡­ and in the end, even Hannah. And he was continuing to hurt her now by just existing near her.


    Riley is evil. Darkday is a monster¡­


    ¡­but perhaps Paragon has a chance to be human? Diley¡ª John gained that chance, maybe he can too?


    ¡­Maybe Paige will give him that chance?


    Or perhaps maybe¡­


    ¡­she could amplify the evil that''s already there.


    ***


    "Okay, the situation is still pretty much the same inside. But Golden Fox said there''s probably one or two still roaming around the building, be very careful."


    Even with the wind violently blowing Hannah''s hair, her voice remained clear as she looked at therge shelter beneath them from the hole that suddenly opened up out of nowhere on the jet''s floor.


    "Remember, you guys have been facing aliens. But never underestimate Earth''s supers. Gary, you''re up."


    "You mean down?" Gary said as he let himself fall into the hole,


    "I hope this jet is as strong as it looks," he then breathed out as he grabbed the edge of the hole with one hand, before bending his body and cing his feet on the bottom of the jet.


    Katrina held onto her seat as she saw this, expecting the jet to move as Gary pushed himself down and causing a ripple to blow around him; contrary to her expectations, however, the jet didn''t even budge.


    "...Cool," Gary, who was already halfway through the shelter, nced at the jet before punching a hole through the roof of the building.


    He then quickly somersaulted in the air as soon as he was inside, waving his heavy cape like a matador as hended.


    "..." His eyes then quickly searched the area, only to see no one there.


    "Info is right, this area is empty and safe tond," Gary then whispered.


    [Wait for Be, she¡ª]


    "No fucking way."


    [Gar¡ª]


    Gary took off the receiver in his ear as he immediately rushed out of the room; the floor beneath him, cracking as he basically bulldozed through the door instead of moving stealthily towards Golden Fox''s position.


    Of course, he was still careful ¡ª his eyes, looking at every room and corridor to see if anyone was hiding. But there seemed to be no one, and very soon, he saw a ninja with a baggy outfit wearing a golden fox mask.


    And in front of her, were creatures that seemed like shadows; tightly securing the members of the House of Super.


    "Golden Fox!" Gary smiled as he sprinted to Golden Fox.


    "...Gary?" Golden Fox turned around as she heard Gary''s voice.


    As soon as she did so, however, one of the men that were being pinned down by the shadow creatures was able to break loose ¡ª and very quickly, his bones that seemed to be made of steel emerged from his wrist.


    "Chihiro!" Gary''s eyes instantly shone in red as he looked at the man rushing towards Golden Fox.


    "Hm?" Golden Fox quickly looked back, already summoning something from his item box as she did so¡­


    ¡­but it was toote ¡ª the de was already an inch into her chest.


    "No!" Gary''s eyes started to sizzle¡­ but then quickly faded¡­


    ¡­as he saw Paragon suddenly standing beside Golden Fox.


    "What¡­ the fuck?" Gary could only halt his steps as he looked at Paragon¡­ who was calmly holding the steel bone from digging any deeper.


    "..." This is perhaps the first step in Paragon understanding what humanity is ¡ª by actually trying to understand them.


    And so, he looked towards Gary; looking at him straight in the eyes to understand what it means to be human.


    Gary¡­ returned this gaze; his eyebrows, slowly trembling into a frown as he whispered¡­


    "...Kill him."


    "W¡­ wait, No. We''re on the same si¡ª"


    And before the man could finish his words, Paragon suddenly grabbed his jaw¡­


    ¡­before feeding him his own arm.

 Chapter 357: Interrogation

    Chapter 357: Interrogation


    "Is this all of you?"


    "..."


    The rest of the Baby Crew were now in the shelter, with Be and Hannah the ones interrogating the supposed members of the House of Super.


    Silvie was trying to make sure that none of the civilians were hurt or badly injured. As for Gary, he was tending to Golden Fox with Katrina''s help. They were just finishing up in cleaning and dressing Golden Fox''s wound, which seemed to not have been that fatalpared to the way it looked.


    "You''re quite lucky. A little more and it could have pierced the aorta."


    "Thank you, Ms. Katrina."


    "Don''t mention it, we''re friends," Katrina then gently patted Golden Fox''s leg. She then turned to look at Gary; and seeing the serious look in his eyes, she just decided to leave the two alone and help Silvie.


    "Chihiro. I¡­" Gary closed his eyes as only heavy breaths escaped his mouth, "I''m sorry¡­ If I didn''t call for you, you¡ª"


    "It''s fine," Golden Fox let out a sigh as she straightened her posture; sitting herself up properly before adjusting her mask to make sure it wouldn''t fall. She wanted to stand up, but Gary stopped her from doing so.


    "You''re wounded. You shouldn''t move around," Gary muttered; any of his usual tone,pletely absent from his voice.


    "I heal fast, it''s fine," Golden Fox removed Gary''s hand from her shoulder,


    "I want to thank Paragon for saving my life," she then meekly said as she turned to look at Paragon, who was just watching Be and Hannah trying to interrogate the members of the House of Super.


    "Hey, you can thank himter. It''s fine."


    "It''s not fine, Gary," Golden Fox clicked her tongue, "You just killed someone."


    "I¡­ didn''t. He¡ª"


    "You told him to," Golden Fox shook her head, "I know who he is and what he''s capable of doing. He could have just knocked the man out but you asked him to kill¡ª"


    "The man almost killed you, Chihiro!"


    "...I thought after what happened to us you¡ª No, it doesn''t matter," Golden Fox once again shook her head, beforepletely turning away from Gary, "I want to be alone."


    "..." Gary seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he just closed his eyes before walking away ¡ª not really joining any of the others as he just sat on the corner of the hall.


    "..." Golden Fox nced at Gary for a moment, before once again letting out a sigh and shaking her head. Whatever happened between the two, it would seem they weren''t ready to talk about it ¡ª and Golden Fox knew that.


    And so, she just tried topletely ignore Gary. She then raised her hand in the air; her fingers, seemingly clicking something that only she could see.


    "Hm¡­ It didn''t really decrease my health that much," Golden Fox whispered to herself, "But that was close."


    If it truly wasn''t for Paragon, then she would have probably found herself lying on a pool of her own blood right now, she thought as she once again looked at Paragon. But as soon as her eyesnded on him¡­


    ¡­her eyes started to turn wide, "...What?"


    Golden Fox then blinked a couple of times behind her mask, before turning towards Gary ¡ª and then the others, almost as if checking something on them.


    "..." She returned her focus on Paragon as she squinted her eyes ¡ª she even slightly lifted up her mask to rub her eyes; almost as if she was making sure if she was really seeing what she was seeing.


    She really only looked away¡­


    ¡­when Paragon noticed she was looking at him.


    "..." Paragon really only blinked a couple of times as he saw Golden Fox seemingly staring at him. It was hard to know if she was truly looking at him behind her mask, so Paragon waited a few more seconds to see if she would turn again, but nothing.


    And so, Paragon just continued to watch Hannah and Be attempting to make the House of Super to talk.


    "We wasting our time here, girl," Be''s voice already seemed exhausted, "These guys are fanatics."


    "..." Hannah could really only sigh as she agreed with Be''s words. They were alreadypletely sped and tied up in solid steel, and yet not one of them uttered a word.


    5 men, 2 women, and all of varying ages, and yet all seemed to have the conviction of keeping their silence. Just what sort of idea are they feeding them for them to be this loyal?


    "I''m going to ask again." Still, Hannah continued to make her questions, "Are there still others inside the shelter? Why did you attack this ce?"


    "..."


    But as expected, silence.


    "I''m starting to lose my fucking patience."


    The floor beneath Hannah started to melt as she took a step closer to the group¡­ and yet none of them budge,


    "House of Super, where are you operating and what the fuck is your goal?"


    "I don''t know about you guys," Be then also stepped forward before pointing at the man that Paragon killed, who was now covered in newspaper, "If you don''t wanna end up like that guy, you better answer quick."


    "Traitors."


    And finally, one of the men started to talk ¡ª not to Be or Hannah, however, but he was looking at Paragon.


    "You''re a traitor to your own kind," the man spoke with conviction; his saliva, even spurting from his mouth as he did so, "Instead of joining us, you killed one of your own. You killed Thousandde, you killed Mark, and now him."


    "...Who''s Mark?"


    "It doesn''t matter!" The man screamed as he violently waved his head; throwing the saliva from his mouth everywhere, "Do you think these mud people appreciate what you''ve done to them!? No! We are higher beings, and our actions should not be for the gratitude of these¡­ these humans! We are higher than them!"


    "No," Paragon shook his head as he answered, "You''re all equally below me."


    "Pft," Be could not help but smirk from Paragon''s words.


    "What!? You think you''re better than u¡ª Kh!"


    "Are you hearing yourself, you hypocritical fuck?"


    And before the man could finish his words, two of his teeth flew off from his mouth as Hannah suddenly kicked him in the face,


    "Seriously, your fathers should have just wiped you on a towel. Now answer my god damn questions!"


    "You¡­ you guys don''t understand," the man then started chuckling, "The House of Super¡­ the The House of Super will make supers great again ¡ª that''s all you need to know."


    "Well fuck, then maybe you guys should be the ones trying to fend off the aliens instead?"


    "Tch, another one of your propagandas," the man spit out the blood in his mouth, "There are no more aliens. Aren''t you ashamed of yourself, Hannah Ross?"


    "...What?"


    "Your brother sacrificed his life to show the sins of the humans¡­ and yet here you are smearing his good work. Your brother would¡ª"


    "You don''t know anything about my brother!" Both of Hannah''s arms erupted in mes. But before she could rush towards the man, Be stopped her.


    "We done here, H," Be sighed, "These people would rather die than talk. One of them blew himself up in the agency, remember?"


    "No, they''re cowards. That fucker only died because Paragon trapped the st," Hannah scoffed, "These guys are just bullies with superiorityplex!"


    Hannah was about to kick the guy again, but before she could do so¡­


    "Can I give it a try?" Paragon stepped forward.


    "..." Hannah quickly retracted her leg; clearing her throat as she looked to the side, "G¡­ go ahead."


    "...Girl," Be could not help but blink a couple of times as she saw Hannah just walking away, "You really do have a crush."


    "S¡ªshut the fuck up," Hannah clicked her tongue before pointing at Paragon, "Don''t even think about killing one of them. If you do, we''ll fucking arrest your ass ourselves."


    "Hm," Paragon really only nodded as he looked at the man that seemed to speak for the members of the House of Super that were here. Of course, once again, the man''s resolve seemed unshakeable as he returned Paragon''s stare.


    "...Paige."


    [Yes?]


    "You are seeing what I am seeing, right?"


    [Yes. You are uh¡­ live,] Paige, who was left alone in the sky, quickly responded to Paragon''s words.


    "Okay, can you¡­"


    [...Okay?]


    "And¡­"


    [A¡­ are you sure?]


    "Yes."


    And as soon as Paragon seemed to be done talking, a chainsaw suddenly appeared in his hands.


    "Pft, nice try." The man, however, just let out a snort as he saw the chainsaw, "We know of your partner''s abilities. Nothing but party tricks and illusio¡ª"


    And before he could finish his words, Paragon suddenly waved the chainsaw ¡ª not even turning it on¡­ and tearing off one of the women''s heads.


    "What¡­ I thought you weren''t going to kill any of us!?" The man quickly turned to look at Hannah as he screamed.


    "She can''t hear you right now," Paragon quickly blocked his view as he stood in front of him, "They also can''t see you."


    "W¡­ what? What do you mean!?"


    "Right now, they are seeingpletely different things," Paragon then crouched so his eyes could be at the same level as the man, "Paige is probably projecting me just calmly talking to you."


    "...What? That''s different from the-- You¡­ you can''t kill us! They would know in the end!"


    "Well," Paragon slightly tilted his head, causing his jet-ck hair to slightly slide from his shoulders,


    "It''s easier to apologize¡­


    ¡­now talk."


    "I¡­ I will never talk!"


    ***


    "There¡­ there are hundreds of thousands of us just in this country alone¡­


    ¡­maybe even a million."

 Chapter 358: Tick Tock (1)

    Chapter 358: Tick Tock (1)


    "I¡­ I will never talk!"


    ***


    "There¡­ there are hundreds of thousands of us just in this country alone¡­


    ¡­maybe even a million."


    The man was wrong ¡ª he did talk. At first, Paragon ripped off one of his fingers; not cut, but he bent and tore it off like how one would do to chicken wings. But still, he refused to talk then¡­ and so, Paragon killed another one of them¡­ brutally.


    Ripping her limbs one by one until she eventually died from her own screams.


    And once again, Paragon returned to the man, this time¡­ taking 2 fingers and ripping off all of the nails on his toes. Still, he refused to talk¡­


    ¡­that''s when Paragon mowed his way through the rest of hisrades. And now, only he was left ¡ª hisrades, scattered and separated into a hundred pieces.


    That''s when he finally talked.


    "How¡­ how could you do this?" The man cried as he looked at the bodies of his deadrades, "You would kill us for¡­ for the humans!?"


    "I apologize," Paragon sighed as he shook his head, "I am trying to be more human, you see."


    "But you just said you''re above them and us!"


    "I admit, it can be confusing," Paragon shrugged, "But I suppose that''s just whates with being human. Now¡­


    ¡­talk."


    The House of Super. Although the man wasn''t sure of the exact date it was established, it should have been a fairly new organization that was created months after Riley Ross''s death. As for the man, he joined the supremacist organization a year ago.


    And their goal was simple ¡ª Make Supers 1st-ss citizens, with the normal humans serving under them. It''s where they belong, so as to quote the man.


    As for their base of operations, they have many in each country. In the United States of America alone, they have more or less a dozen. Two of which the man was able to give the location.


    "Who is your leader?"


    "I¡­ I don''t know," the man stuttered; his tears, endlessly dropping to the floor, "I¡­ I joined because¡­ because my friend invited me and¡ª"


    "Who is your leader?" Paragon stepped closer to the man, causing him to flinch and almost curl up in fear.


    "I think that''s all he knows. Stop torturing the poor fuck."


    "W¡­ what?" The man then quickly raised his head as he heard Hannah''s voice, only to see Hannah and the rest of the Baby Crew approaching them,


    "W¡­ You¡­ you can see us?"


    "Yeah," Hannah nonchntly shrugged; her face, slightly wincing as she looked at the man, "We saw everything you saw."


    "You¡­ and you just let him kill us and torture us!?" The manshed out.


    "What kill?" Hannah tilted her head.


    "Huh?" The man then quickly looked towards his supposedly minced and mangledrades, only to see all of them intact; without even any wounds and just lying unconscious on the floor.


    "Thank you, Paige," Hannah then pressed something on her ear.


    [No problem, guys.]


    "W¡­ what?" The man could really only blink in confusion as he sped his head; the blood from his dismembered fingers, trailing through his face.


    "Uh, Paige?"


    [''Sup?]


    "...Return the man''s fingers."


    [...What?]


    "The man, his fingers and toenails."


    [I¡­ didn''t do that.]


    "Wh¡ª"


    "Oh," Paragon then slightly raised his voice as he looked at Hannah, "I apologize¡­ I did that. It''s real."


    "..."


    "..."


    The Baby Crew, as well as Golden Fox, could really only look at Paragon in disbelief. As for the man, the only thing he could really do was let out a scream.


    A short scream, that is; as Paragon kicked his head.


    "..."


    "...Well, that''s that," Hannah was still quite perplexed as to what just happened, but she was the first one to shrug her shoulders and walk away, "I''ll let Empress know what we''ve learned¡ª"


    "Kha!"


    And before Hannah could finish her words, another scream echoed through the air. She quickly looked back, only to see Paragon¡­ waking up another member of the House of Super by breaking her finger.


    "What are you doing!?"


    "We have to ask everyone," Paragon didn''t really look at Hannah and the others and just lifted the woman up, "Paige."


    [...On it.]


    "F¡­ fuck," Be quickly looked away, "Is¡­ this what they call an antihero? If so, remind me not to mess with him."


    "..." Hannah didn''t really say anything and just looked at Silvie, "You''re¡­ not gonna stop this?"


    "They''re terrorists," Silvie only looked away,


    "They threw away their rights as soon as they started bombing people."


    ***


    "Hey, we''re not done!"


    [Yeah, we are.]


    "Don''t you dare hang up on me, youngdy¨C Hello!? Hello!? Fuck!"


    The interrogation of the other members didn''t reallyst long ¡ª not even a quarter of a minute. But s, their information was useless and they didn''t add to anything they didn''t already know. But at the very least, it somewhat confirmed what the man said was the truth.


    And all of that information was given freely to Empress¡­ with an added insult here and there about her ipetence, of course.


    "I swear¡­ it feels like¡ª"


    "You''re talking to yourself?"


    "You heard what she said, Butcher?"


    "I did."


    Back in the Space Station, Empress was still inside the surveince room ¡ª overlooking everything that''s been happening on the surface of the. And right now, it was only her and Butcher inside the room.


    "Don''t you find it weird?" Empress then said as she looked at one of the monitors, "We have been trying to track any sign of them through all the wires and connections we could pull from¡­ and yet there''s nothing."


    "..."


    "And then we''re finding out that there''s activity on the ground?"


    "That''s true," Butcher nodded, "If it wasn''t for that call, then we wouldn''t have found out about it."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I''ll order for a lockdown," and with them just staring at each other, Butcher nodded his head and walked away. But before he could leave the room, Empress stopped him.


    "No. If we''re right and they''re already inside¡­ some of our people will be trapped with them," Empress whispered, "How many of your men do you trust?"


    "You are the only one I trust in this ship, Empress."


    "...That''s sweet," Empress rolled her eyes, "But seriously, how many?"


    "I already said it. You''re the only one in this ship that I trust at a hundred percent."


    "There are hundreds of normal humans here, Butcher! If those fuckers are in here, our priority is to keep them safe!"


    "We''re not heroes anymore, Empress," Butcher shook his bald head, "And right now, my priority is to keep the leader of this world safe ¡ª and that''s you. We can''t save everyone, you''re the one who said that to us every day."


    "Fuck!" Empress stomped her foot on the floor, causing the room to shake, "We''re not going to leave these people¡ª"


    [Initiating Lockdown.]


    And before Empress could finish her words, the lights in the room suddenly turned red.


    "...Fuck."


    "We need to leave, Empress," Butcher shook his head, "We do not know anything about the House of Super and what they are truly capable of. You''re in danger."


    "No," Empress also shook her head as she looked Butcher straight in the eyes,


    "I¡­ am not leaving these people behind."

 Chapter 359: Tick Tock (2)

    Chapter 359: Tick Tock (2)


    "I¡­ I think that''s enough."


    The interrogation was over, but it would seem Paragon still wanted to ask the already exhausted and barely conscious members of the House of Super even more questions, but Katrina stopped him from doing so,


    "We¡­ we''re not going to get anything from them anymore."


    "..." Paragon didn''t really say anything as he just looked at Katrina''s hand.


    "S¡­ sorry."


    "It''s fine," Paragon sighed as Katrina removed her hand, "Humans always crave skinship, you did it before."


    "...Human? What are you, an alien?" Katrina giggled, causing her gigantic brea¨C her hair to bounce, "Just kidding, of course."


    And with everything settled, the Baby Crew once again huddled up.


    "So, what''s the n now?" Silvie was the first to talk.


    "I already contacted the queen bitch."


    "How did she take it?"


    "She''s mad."


    "Pft. Hasn''t changed, has she?"


    "You have no idea," Hannah chuckled,


    "For now, let''s make sure everyone''s safe," she then said as she looked at the Baby Crew, as well as Golden Fox and Paragon.


    "These House of Super fucks aren''t so simple. And don''t misunderstand, they are not good people ¡ª they were probably going to abduct or kill everyone in this shelter if Golden Fox didn''t happen to be here."


    "Well¡­ you can kinda understand their goals, though," Gary shrugged. But as soon as he noticed Golden Fox looking at him, he quickly forced out a chuckle, "I¡­ I''m not saying I want to join them. Fuck them."


    "Then let''s¡ª"


    "Heh."


    And while the group was discussing what to do, the man they first interrogated woke up ¡ª his eyes, ring at the group with an almost burning intensity.


    "None¡­" He then talked; his voice,pletely hoarse and dried up, "None of you understand the greatness of our goal. Supers¡­


    ¡­supers are meant to be supreme."


    "Yeah, yeah. You already said that," Hannah only rolled her eyes at the man''s words.


    "No!"


    "..."


    The man then screamed, his voice¡­pletely different than before ¡ª it was almost as if there were two voicesing out of him.


    "Our grand n¡­ we¡­. Pft," the man then suddenly burst out in manicughter, "We¡­ we will make the humans our ves!"


    "You sounding like a broken record," Be was about to approach and knock the man out, but Hannah stopped her.


    "It''s¡­ not him," Hannah whispered.


    "We''re not even beginning," the man then stoppedughing as he once again looked at the group one by one, "We are everywhere already. While you and the Empress were busy looking at the stars¡­


    ¡­we flourished on the ground."


    "..." The Baby Crew then watched as the man; even with the nails on his toes ripped off, stood up without any problem.


    "Why do you think the eye above the sky couldn''t find us? Because we are everywhere!" The man once again burst out inughter,


    "Boom!" The man roared; the blood from his face being sprayed from his mouth.


    "...What?"


    "Boom!" The man repeated.


    "What are you¡ª"


    "N¡­ No." And before Hannah could even ask what he was doing, Silvie slightly took a step back as she covered her ears,


    "What¡­ what have you done?" Silvie then said as her trembling eyes looked at the man.


    "Look where you are," The man smiled as he returned Silvie''s re, "Right in the center of the flock. You think we went to this shelter just to terrorize some lowly humans? Oh no, no, no, no¡­


    ¡­Boom."


    And finally, it dawned on them.


    "Silv, find it!" Hannah quickly screamed. As for Silvie, she closed her eyes as her head started to tilt from side to side.


    "We will bring the humans to their knees!"


    "Shut the fuck up!" Hannah kicked the man in the face... but he just continuedughing.


    "No..." The man whispered,


    "No more humans¡­ above us!"


    "Silv!"


    And finally, Silvie opened her eyes as her head quickly turned to the side. She didn''t even say anything ¡ª she just flew. But before she could even go far¡­


    ¡­the man smiled,


    "...Boom."


    And then¡­ everything just turned white.


    "No!" Silvie screamed¡­ and just like that, it was almost as if time stopped for her. She very slowly turned around as everything around her started to¡­ disintegrate into ashes. Almost as if existence itself was being torn apart and erased.


    Her clothes¡­ the floor beneath her, the walls to her side, the roof¡­ everything was disappearing. She looked at her friends, only to see one of them looking back.


    It was Paragon, who despite everything around him turning into nothing but ash, remained standing ¡ª a curious expression drowning his eyes. He then turned around to look at the others, causing Silvie to do the same.


    Hannah¡­ waspletely unaffected by the st; remaining still as the light ate everything around her.


    Gary¡­ was already embracing Golden Fox,pletely shielding him from the light.


    As for Be, a thickyer of metal was already covering her and Katrina. The metal was being eaten by the light¡­ but it was almost as if they were repairing themselves as the shield became thicker and thicker.


    ¡­But the civilians?


    Silvie could only watch in horror as the light ripped off their flesh.


    "No¡­" She could try to reach them, but it was already toote. And as time once again returned to Silvie ¡ª a deafening whistle entered her ears.


    And then¡­ there was nothing. Almost instantly, everything was gone.


    All that remained was the onught of dust, debris, and smoke. The sky above them, slowly being nketed by shadows.


    And once again¡­ a dark day.


    "...." Silvie could not even hear her own breath from the whistle that lingered in her ears; her eyes, not even knowing where to look as everything just looked the same; deste¡­ dead.


    "!!!"


    She only woke up when a loud scream pierced her ears. She looked at the noise, only to see Gary listlessly hanging on Golden Fox''s shoulders; his back,pletely exposing his skin that was as charred as everything else.


    "Gary!"


    Silvie was about to rush to check on Gary''s condition, but before she could do so, he raised both his thumbs.


    "I¡­ I''m fine," Gary forced a chuckle, "It¡­ ''tis but a flesh wound."


    "..." Silvie didn''t really know where to look again ¡ª everything just looked the same. The shelter waspletely gone.


    "Paragon!? Are you alright!?"


    Paige then suddenly descended from the sky, slightly blowing away the dust as shended on the ground with a suit simr to Whiteking''s ¡ª but it soon disappeared as she ran to where Paragon was standing.


    "What¡­ the fuck?" Hannah also woke up from her stupor as she looked around.


    "Be!"


    Hannah then quickly turned around as soon as she heard Katrina screaming; but it wasn''t her that was hurt, it was Be¡­ who was lying on the ground with mouth, eyes, nose, and ears bleeding.


    "She¡­ she shielded me with¡­ no¡­ no¡­"


    "...What¡­ what the fuck just happened?" Be was still alive, it seems¡­ as she was still able to let out a whisper.


    "Radiation¡­" Hannah whispered as she once again looked everywhere, "It''s familiar¡­ it¡­ it''s radiation. What¡­ what did they do?"


    "Gone, everything''s gone."


    She didn''t expect to get an answer, but she did as Paige raised her voice.


    "I¡­ I saw the explosions while¡­ while I was up there."


    "...Explosions?"


    "Everywhere¡­" Paige''s voice trembled, "It¡­ it''s everywhere. It''s not just here."


    "They¡­" Hannah''s eyebrows also began to tremble, "They¡­


    ¡­fucking nuked everyone?"

 Chapter 360: A Sea of Grey

    Chapter 360: A Sea of Grey


    "They¡­ fucking nuked everyone?"


    Hannah''s words were almost like a part of the st ¡ª causing everyone to hold their breaths as they tried their hardest not to stray their eyes away from the ashes that now surrounded them. Even Be, who was barely awake, looked at the bones that were now being blown away by the wind like dust.


    The only one that wasn''t really looking at the destruction was Paragon, whose feet were already leaving the ground as he flew into the air.


    "..." Silvie watched as Paragon''s silhouette slowly disappeared into the grey and ominous clouds, before closing her eyes and also following him to the air; linen, suddenly wrapping around her naked body as she disappeared.


    How¡­ could something like this happen? This¡­ was supposed to be her first mission with her friends after all this time. Silvie thought that it was just another terrorist group that she could easily deal with, and with her friends beside her ¡ª they were invincible.


    ¡­She forgot about the people.


    Because she was with her friends, she thought that everything would be fine. She became confident even though Hannah specifically ordered them not to underestimate the enemy ¡ª she was the only one that could''ve known.


    She was the only one that could''ve known about the bomb. She could''ve heard it if she tried hard enough.


    She could''ve prevented this from happening.


    And soon, she opened her eyes¡­ and very soon, she proved herself wrong.


    She wasn''t going to save anyone. Not from this¡­ grey desert.


    The buildings, if they were standing, were barely even recognizable. It wasn''t until she focused through the horizon that she saw anything in tact ¡ª but even then, if she looked further, she knew she would find another desert like this one¡­ because beyond the light she sees, is another darkness.


    The people that weren''t in the st radius should be alive¡­ but they weren''t even sure how many bombs they let loose ¡ª the radiation will get those that were unlucky enough to survive.


    "What¡­ what have we done?" Silvie''s lips started to tremble as tears quickly trailed on her face, "What¡­ what have we¡ª Gah!"


    She then covered her eyes as she curled up in the air, "I¡­ I can hear them, people¡­ people hurt everywhere. Screaming¡­ crying, asking for help. I failed¡­ I failed to protect them."


    "..." Paragon, who was floating near her, could really only watch as Silvie started whispering to herself ¡ª a familiar scenery.


    "My purpose¡­ it''s my purpose and I¡­ I failed," Silvie''s eyes started to tremble, "I failed¡­ no¡­ no!"


    And out of nowhere, Silvie started hitting herself in the head repeatedly, "No, no, no, no!"


    "My god¡­ what¡ª Silvie!?"


    Hannah, who also wanted to check the situation, quickly looked away from the destruction as soon as she heard Silvie screaming.


    "..." Paragon could really only float back as he heard Hannah''s voice getting nearer and nearer.


    "It¡­ It''s happening again?" Hannah lowered her voice as she flew in front of Silvie, "I¡­ thought it was gone?"


    "The¡­ the terrorists we¡­ we need to eliminate¡­ I will eliminate all of them."


    "..." Hannah could only close her eyes and sigh as she heard Silvie''s words, "Just breathe¡­ okay? I''ll¡­


    ¡­I''ll administer the medication," Hannah then also took in a deep breath¡­ before pping Silvie''s face as hard as she could.


    "Fuck!" Hannah started iling her hands in pain as Silvie did not even budge an inch. She did, however, stop whispering to herself.


    "..." She didn''t really say anything as she slowly looked at Hannah¡­ and just nodded before once again looking at the sea of destruction that surrounded them.


    "I¡­ hear so many screams," Silvie then said as she nced at Hannah, "I want to help but¡­ I don''t know¡­ most of them are already dying, I can''t¡ª"


    "Hey, snap the fuck out of it," Hannah pped her hands on Silvie''s face, "Most are dying, that means some are still alive. We can''t save everyone, that''s the first thing they taught us in the Academy. We help¨C"


    "We help those we can help," Silvie finished Hannah''s sentence as she nodded.


    "Well, yes¡­ but get dressed first," Hannah shook her head before pointing at the towel that was wrapped around her, "You don''t want to find out when Paige''s illusion will run out."


    "...Yeah," Silvie forced a smile, beforepletely disappearing from her spot; leaving only a thunder that rippled through the grey clouds.


    And as soon as she was nowhere to be seen, Hannah let out a loud and very deep gasp as tears also started falling from her eyes.


    "F¡­ fuck," she stuttered as her entire body began to tremble,


    "This¡­ this is Darkday all over again. Fuck¡­ fuck," her breaths started to get deeper and more erratic by the second as nothing but death reflected in her eyes. But soon, she noticed Paragon staring at her.


    She quickly looked away and forced herself to calm down,


    "What¡­ what the fuck you looking at? If you have time to ogle then go help some people," Hannah was about to fly away, but before she could do so¡­


    ¡­Paragon suddenly grabbed her wrist.


    "Wha¡ª"


    And before she could utter a word, Paragon suddenly but gently wrapped his arms around her.


    "W¡­ what are you doing!?" Hannah tried to push him away, but found that she could not ¡ª strength or conviction, Hannah doesn''t really know which of the two shecked to push him away.


    "It''s okay, Nuclear Seraph."


    "...What the fuck are you saying?"


    "It''s okay to cry. It''s¡­ human."


    "Being a human is thest thing we need to be right now!" Hannah once again tried to push him away, but still, they remained still, "We need to be a superhero and save¨C"


    "An old woman told me that two things can be true at once," Riley slightly leaned his cheek on Hannah''s head, "You can be a superhero, and a human at the same time."


    "The fuck do you think you are, Gandhi?" Hannah once again tried to push herself away, "Stop it, I¡­ I don''t need your fucking bullshit right now."


    "..." Paragon did not really say anything more as he just brushed Hannah''s hair.


    "..." And as soon as Hannah felt this, she quickly bit her lip, trying her best not to let out another tear.


    "I know you''re strong, Hannah. The strongest."


    "...I thought you were the strongest?"


    "I was just trying to be arrogant," Riley sighed, "Arrogance seems to be the prominent human trait."


    "What are you, a fucking alien?" Hannah giggled; sniffling at the same time as she wiped the tear that almost fell from her eye.


    "No. I am R¡ª"


    "Hm?" Hannah quickly turned her head towards Riley''s face as she blinked a couple of times.


    "I¡­ am sorry that we are going through this together again."


    "..." Hannah was finally able to push herself away from Paragon as she looked at him straight in the eyes, "What do you mean agai¨C"


    And before Hannah could inquire any further, she noticed Paige floating near them¡­ staring at her.


    "P¡­ Paige," Hannah slowly floated back, "This¡­ this isn''t what it looks like. I''m not trying to¡ª"


    And once again, before Hannah could finish her words, Paige rushed towards her¡­ and hugged her as well.


    "..."


    "We¡­ we can get through this," Paige then whispered as she suddenly burst out in tears.


    "..." Hannah did not really say anything¡­ as she just returned her embrace,


    "...Yeah," she then whispered, "And we''re going to make sure that the others will too. I''ll try to check on survivors. Let''s meet back in the shelter¡ª what''s left of the shelter after an hour."


    "Hm."


    "Thems are fried and I can''t contact Empress¡­ so we''re alone right now." And with those words, Hannah quickly flew away.


    "..."


    "..."


    Paige then very slowly turned to Riley as tears once again started to fall from her eyes¡­ and without any words, also embraced him.


    "..."


    "..."


    "You¡­ miss your sister, don''t you?" She then said as she rested her head on his chest.


    "...No?"


    "You do¡­ I would know. The feeling of wanting, the feeling of loss. The feeling of not knowing what something is because you''re just not capable of processing affection."


    "..."


    "Your mind¡­ it doesn''t know what it''s feeling and it''s just causing you to think of other ways to show it. And¡­ and that''s okay. It''s not normal and it will probably never be normal¡­


    ¡­but that¡­ that''s okay, you know?"


    "..."


    Riley could really only stay still as he tried to find the meaning in Paige''s words. He wanted to say something, but what?


    "I¡­ I understand¡­ Notpletely, not what you''re feeling, but I understand. And sometimes¡­ I wish I could feel what it feels like not to feel. It''s confusing, I know but¡­ so many people just died here. I saw¡­ I saw them from above as they melt and¡­


    ¡­I sometimes wish I could just be like you."


    "..."


    "When¡­ when the other children in the orphanage were able tough or just stay quiet because they didn''t know how to process the sadness and the pain they were feeling. I sometimes hoped that I could¡ª I''m sorry. Oh my god, I''m so sorry¡­ that was¡­ that was so insensitive."


    "..."


    "You¡­ I know you want to feel the same things that we¡ª"


    And then, Paige''s words were finally disrupted as Riley slowly and gently pushed her away; still holding her shoulders as he looked her straight in the eyes.


    "Can you teach me?"


    "Hm?" Paige blinked a couple of times, slightly confused by his words.


    "How to feel? How to be human?"


    "..." Hearing Riley''s words, Paige could not help but let out a small giggle as she wiped the tears on her face, before gently holding both of Riley''s cheeks,


    "I am probably not the best teacher when ites to humanity. I''m fucked up and damaged."


    "Fucked up and damaged. Isn''t that a human trait?"


    "Maybe?" Paige chuckled softly as she shrugged, before shaking her head and once again looking Riley straight in the eyes,


    "But you don''t need to be human. You don''t need to change."


    "..."


    "A monster, the devil, a human. You can be all of them, and you can also choose not to be any of them," Paige let out a long and heavy sigh,


    "I can''t teach you how to be you."


    "..."


    "But what I can do¡­" Paige closed her eyes as she rested her forehead on Paragon''s mask, "... is ept you no matter what. You can be the devil, you can be whatever. I will ept you¡­


    ¡­because I love you."


    And so, in a sea of nothing but death; in a nightmare devoid of any color¡­


    ¡­something bloomed.


    It''s not love, it''s not friendship ¡ª but a covenant as pure as the destruction it was made in.


    And whether the fruit that it will bear be death or life, no one knows.

 Chapter 361:Hope is...

    Chapter 361:Hope is...


    "How¡­ is she?"


    "She''s¡­ fine. Just consumed a lot of energy. How about Gary?"


    "He¡ª"


    "I¡­ fine, flesh wound."


    "...He''ll be fine."


    Katrina and Golden Fox were still in the shelter¡ª or at least what''s left of it. Both Gary and Be were still on the ground, but their condition seems to be getting better by the second.


    There were no longer ashes floating around them, with Katrina blowing everything away and even clearing the skies. She thought it would at least make the situation brighter¡­ but now, seeing the damage the bomb caused, it just made her fear more.


    They didn''t notice it before, but they were in a crater now. To think they were even able to survive something like that¡ª No. The only reason she was able to survive was that Be shielded her with everything she had.


    She would have probably not been this exhausted if she just covered herself. Katrina could still hear it ¡ª the wail. The bomb wasn''t loud at all, it was even silent, but it produced this wail that seemed to be calling them from the underworld.


    It happened almost instantly, yet at the same time, it felt like forever.


    "F¡­ fuck."


    "...Bell."


    And finally, after an hour, Be woke up.


    "Don''t get up," Katrina whispered. Be, however, still forced herself to sit up.


    "I''m fine. It¡ª"


    She wasn''t fine. As before she could even gather the strength to stand up, she fell right onto¡­ Katrina''s gigantic bosoms; both her hands, grabbing the pair.


    "..."


    "..."


    And fondling it.


    "..."


    "...I''m gonna allow that."


    "Pft, no fun," Be then let out a weak chuckle as she carefully stood up ¡ª and although she still somewhat struggled, it wasn''t as exaggerated as before.


    "Fuck me¡­ is everyone dead?" She then let out a breath as she started looking around.


    "..." Golden Fox and Katrina didn''t really answer her as they just looked to the ground.


    "I thought we''ve seen the worse from the Seven nes shit," Be gulped, "But this? This is just evil¡­ but at the same time it don''t feel real, you know?"


    "The difference between a thousand and a million deaths," Golden Fox muttered as she stood up, "It just feels¡­ surreal. Like watching a movie."


    "Where¡­ are the others?"


    "They are checking on survivors," Golden Fox said as she finally removed her mask, throwing it on the ground and revealing her small and somewhat very youthful face, "They¡­ should be here anytime soon."


    "...I take it no one survived near us?" Be didn''t really say anything as Chihiro removed her mask¡ª after all, her eyes looked truly defeated.


    "No," Chihiro quickly shook her head, "I checked within a kilometer¡­ there''s no one."


    "Do¡­ we already know the extent of the damage?"


    "N¡ª"


    "The world''s fucked."


    And before anyone could answer Be, Hannah suddenlynded on the ground.


    "How is it!?" Katrina stood up as she approached Hannah.


    "I¡­ couldn''t really check far. But I don''t think they hit every city¡­ there are still a lot of buildings standing far from here. But with the way the sts happened, the whole world is probably fucking cripple right now," Hannah let out a loud sigh before letting herself fall and sit to the ground, "Let''s¡­ just wait for Silvie."


    "...Sacramento?" Be asked as she too sat on the ground.


    "I¡­ don''t know."


    "My¡­ family''s staying there right now," Be sighed.


    "Right¡­ our families," Katrina''s eyes turned wide, "I¡­ I''vepletely forgotten about them."


    "Hey, we''ll get to them," Hannah raised her voice before Katrina could start panicking, "Right now, it''s important that none of us start losing our minds."


    "...Yeah."


    "..."


    "..."


    "You think¡­ they hit Japan too?" Chihiro then whispered; her eyes, trying their best not to let out a tear.


    "We¡­ know nothing yet."


    And with a collective sigh, the group became silent. It wasn''t until a whistle thundered in the air as Silviended on the ground that the silence was broken; but still, Hannah and the others did not really say anything as they just looked at Silvie, who shook her head in response.


    "It''s bad," Silvie breathed out; her clothes that she seemed to have gotten from somewhere, filled with blood, "There''s¡­ a lot of people that need our help. I tried moving people away from the radiation as much as possible¡­ but they need real help. We need to get them to safety."


    "How?" Hannah closed her eyes, "We don''t even know where ''safe'' is. I still can''t contact Empress and¡ª"


    "It''s gone."


    "What?" Everyone looked at Silvie as she suddenly raised her voice.


    "I tried searching where the space station should be¡­ all I found were debris and pieces of it. As well as¡­ a lot of dead people."


    "They¡­ got to it as well? What about Empress?"


    "Not there," Silvie shook her head.


    "Fuck¡­ nowhere''s safe," Hannah mmed her fist on the ground.


    "Uhmm¡­ what about the Academy?" Katrina then muttered as she walked to the center of the group.


    "You¡­ think the Academy is safe?"


    "It¡­ has to be," Katrina nodded, "Bulwark has¡­ been increasing the security there every month."


    "You¡­ might be right," Hannah breathed out as she stood up, "No¡­ you need to be right. But even if it was, we don''t really have a way to bring the people there. Unless Silvie wants to carry them one by one."


    "Well¡­" Silvie raised her hand, "I was actually thinking Be could make arge tform and then¡­ I lift that?"


    "..."


    "I can think of a dozen ways that can go wrong," Hannah shook her head, "We have to¡ª"


    And before the group could bring in their ideas, the sky that Katrina cleared once again turned dark. The group all looked up, only to see something¡­ colossal covering the sky.


    "What¡­ the fuck is that?"


    And their questions were quickly answered as a silhouette fell from the sky ¡ª Paige.


    "...No fucking way," Hannah muttered.


    "Y¡­ Yes, way?" Paige forced a chuckle, "It¡­ it was given to us by Emp¡ª"


    "You know what? It doesn''t matter," Hannah breathed out as a wide smile crawled on her face, "I don''t care if you''re pulling all of this from your ass, but this is the help that we need. How many people can it fit?"


    "It''s¡­ pretty spacious inside."


    Of course, it was spacious¡ª after all, it was just one of Paige''s illusions; once again, powered by Paragon''s telekinesis. She could have made it into just a colossal carton box if she wanted to.


    "Huh¡­ right," Hannah said as she squinted her eyes.


    "I''ll carry Gary," Silvie said. But before she could even take a step towards Gary, her feet started to leave the ground.


    "There''s¡­ no need," Paige once again forced a chuckle as¡­ a light suddenly beamed from the ship. A light that seemed to be pulling them up towards it.


    "..." Hannah''s eyes remained squinted as she stared at Paige, who seemed to be trying her best not to make eye contact.


    "Why¡­ didn''t the OG provide us with something like this?" Be muttered as she slowly floated in the air.


    "Well¡­ maybe because there are only six of us?" Katrina answered.


    "Bitch, there''s literally only two of them, Paige and Paragon!"


    "I don''t even think this is from Empress anymore," Hannah whispered as she looked at the two; before once again ncing at Paige who quickly strayed her eyes away again.


    "Fuck."


    And soon, Be was able to see the damage in the air, "This¡­ this is fucking worse than Toronto. How¡ª"


    And before she could fully examine the sea of grey, they were already swallowed up by the colossal ship. And as soon as they were inside, they saw hundreds of people ¡ª their eyes, all looking at the floor.


    "We¡­ already saved some people," Paige let out a long and deep sigh, "But as you can see¡­ I don''t really know if we can call this saving."


    There were more than a hundred people there ¡ª none of them, however, were talking. Not even a whisper could be heard ¡ª not even a cry.


    "Where¡­ is Paragon?"


    "There."


    The group all turned their heads to where Paige was pointing, only to see Paragon floating in the air; once again, wearing a headset that covered his eyes, which seemed to be connected to something on the ship.


    "...What sort of ship is this?"


    "Aliens," Be was the one to answer, "The answer is always alien technology. I been suspecting it for a while now¡­ but don''t you guys think that Para-G could be an alien?"


    "...Well, that''s more probable than him being Riley," Silvie nodded. And as soon as Chihiro heard her words, her eyes turned wide. She seemed to be wanting to say something as she raised a finger, but in the end, chose not to.


    "...Ignore them," Hannah sighed and shook her head, before approaching Paige, "Can¡­ you tell Paragon to set a course for Mega Academy? Let''s take our time getting there so we can¡­ rescue as many people as possible along the way."


    "Hm," Paige only nodded before flying away.


    "You¡­ think there are any windows in this ship?" Be asked as she looked around.


    "It''s probably better for the best that there aren''t," Silvie answered as she lowered her voice, "These people¡­ they don''t need to see what happened yet. What they need right now¡­


    ¡­is hope."


    Hope. Perhaps a concept that was slowly being drained away as more and more people arrived on the ship ¡ª the Baby Crew tried their best to help those that were injured, but most of them weren''t even saying anything.


    "Ma''am¡­ you need to let her go so we can take a look at your wounds," Katrina approached one of the new ones that arrived, only to see her embracing a small girl¡­ who has already lost half her body.


    And she wasn''t alone -- there were hundreds of them doing the same.


    Hope, right now¡­ is dead.

 Chapter 362: To The Academy

    Chapter 362: To The Academy


    "Oh my god."


    "Is it just me, or is this ship gettingrger?


    "It doesn''t fucking matter right now."


    Hannah was the one to suggest taking it slow so that they could pull the most amount of people from all the rubble and destruction on the ground ¡ª she knew how many there would be, and yet right now, just the sheer number of people in front of her almost made her ustrophobic.


    Anywhere she looked, there were people. A mezzanine even slid from the sides of the walls to create more floors, and yet that too was easily upied. Of course, there was still a lot of space in the ship ¡ª as Gary said, it felt like it was getting bigger.


    But even then, it felt suffocating. Because anywhere she looked, it was the same scenery; people injured, and some¡­ even dying in front of her. She was initially trying to help everyone she could see, but this number¡­ truly overwhelmed her.


    "It''s¡­ this is useless."


    "Help is never useless," Silvie, who heard her whispers, quickly stood beside her, "No matter how little ¡ª you''re the one who said that to me."


    "...I didn''t say that."


    "Well, someone did."


    And as Silvie continued to help and tend to the injured, Hannah could really only step away while shaking her head.


    She never really understood. She never understood the magnitude and weight of the damage of cities being toppledpletely. She was there in the Seven nes incident, she saw the aftermath of Toronto, she witnessed aliens razed the ground ¨C But it''s never been millions of lives instantly being extinguished.


    This¡­ is something his brother did several times. How could someone even do something like this? And how did she not see it?


    How did she not realize that she was living with someone that has done something like this? And why? For what reason?


    The House of Super had a goal, no matter how fucked up. But what about her brother? What exactly did he want? She was supposed to be the only one who understood him, so why didn''t she see?


    Riley has been going out killing and torturing people. She was the closest one to him and she didn''t even know. She thought that out of all the people in the world ¡ª not the doctors, not the other people in the spectrum, not even Riley himself¡­


    ¡­Hannah thought that she understood him the most. It was supposed to be him and her against the world, and yet she didn''t even know.


    Was it her fault? Is it because of her that Darkday was given birth? What if she just treated Riley better? Was¡­


    ¡­she a bad sister?


    "Why is a super here!?"


    "..." Hannah woke up from her stupor as a loud and slightly snarly voice entered her ears, only to see a couple of people arguing and pushing each other.


    "This is all you guys'' fault! We was just out here living our lives and you decided to kill us!?"


    "I have nothing to do with this!"


    "You¡­ you guys see that!? The dude just pushed the hell out of me! He¡­ he a part of them terrorist gr¡ª"


    "Hey! Rx!" Be was the nearest one to the scene as she quickly pushed the two sides apart, before turning her attention to the one who started the mess,


    "What''re you doing, bro? I''m a super too. Should I leave?" Be said as she lightly hit the man in the stomach, causing him to slightly hurl.


    "H¡­ hey, B-ck Bell," the man touched his stomach as he quickly backed away, "Y¡ª you know I ain''t mean it like that, man."


    "Just chill, okay?" Be shook her head before looking at the super, "As for you sir¡­ I need to ask you to join the other supers."


    "But¡­ but my family is here," the super pleaded as he huddled with his family, "I¡­ I''m not a terrorist, please."


    "...I know, okay?" Be sighed, "This is only temporary, you''ll be with your family again once we get all of you to safety."


    "But¡ª"


    "Do you wanna start a riot and involve your family?" Hannah approached before the man could finish his words, "I don''t fucking care if you''re a terrorist or not. If shit starts getting wild in here, your family is the one that''s going to suffer. Now get the fuck out of here."


    "Y¡­ yes."


    And as soon as Hannah appeared, everyone became quiet. Even the man who instigated the situation could not help but look away. After all, if there was something Nuclear Seraph was known for other than her raw power, it was her massive temper.


    "Should¡­ we really separate them?" Katrina''s voice also whispered as she approached the two, "Wouldn''t this¡­ create even more friction with us and the civilians?"


    "We have no choice," Hannah shook her head, "We can''t afford not to be strict right now, the tension between the supers and the normies is getting high. I¡­ just hope you''re right and that the Academy is okay."


    "It¡­ has to be," Katrina nodded.


    "Either way, theirints are valid," Hannah sighed, "We don''t know who is part of the House of Super, and who is not."


    "We need to¡ª"


    "What did you say!?"


    And not even a minute after they dissolved a potential fight, another one started. This time, on the side where the supers were gathered.


    "I said, how are youpletely unscathed!? There''s not even a dirt on you!" A female super was violently pointing her finger at another woman; her voice, enough to echo throughout the entire ship,


    "There''s only one reason why you''re not even slightly injured, you were already hiding when it happened! You''re a part of that House of Super group!"


    "..." Hannah and Be, who just finished stopping a fight, could not help but just look at each other and sigh,


    "You have it, or should I?"


    "I''ll get¡ª"


    And before any of the two could even take a single step towards themotion¡­ Paragon suddenly descended from the air. They have been inside the colossal ship for hours, and yet not even once did Paragon move from his spot as the pilot; not even talking to anyone or stretching his muscles.


    And so, suddenly seeing him going down; not only those that were arguing, but even those that were far from it all turned their heads towards Paragon; their whispers, starting to fill the entire ship.


    "It¡­ it''s not me!" The woman that instigated themotion quickly backed away before once again pointing at the other female super, "She¡­ she''s the one that¡ª"


    And before the woman could even finish her words¡­ Paragon pped her. And not just a normal p, as the air around them rippled; causing the woman to fly and violently roll on the floor. The supers around her, avoiding her and not even trying to slow her down.


    "..." Paragon then slowly turned his head towards the other woman; and before she could even say anything, Paragon pointed his palm at her¡­ and with a slight flick¡­


    ¡­her clothes disintegrated.


    "..." Everyone then avoided Paragon''s eyes as he looked at the other supers one by one; almost the same as what they did when Hannah appeared, except some of them even pretended to be asleep as they closed their eyes.


    Nuclear Seraph is known for her temper. But she has never once killed anyone except Darkday. As for Paragon, they wouldn''t be surprised if he just started killing every super here that he didn''t know.


    As to how he still wasn''t answering to thew, no one really knows ¡ª but right now, it didn''t really matter.


    "Everyone¡­"


    The silence that already drowned the entire ship grew even quieter as Paragon opened his mouth, "Please lower your voices and calm down. I couldn''t concentrate on Italia¡ª I mean I couldn''t concentrate on the flight."


    "..." Hannah quickly squinted her eyes as she heard Paragon''s words, "Am¡­ I the only one who heard him say Italian Mafia Reborn?"


    s, no one really responded to Hannah as they all just stared at Paragon, who instead of returning to pilot the ship, walked up to Paige.


    Paige has been helping the children for hours now, creating illusions to distract them from everything else. But s, as soon as Paragon arrived, they all ran away in fright.


    "Wh¡ª" Paige wondered why all the children ran at first, but as soon as she saw Paragon, a pout quickly appeared on her face, "Look what you did! We were having fun!"


    "..." Paragon didn''t really look at the children as he just whispered something to Paige, and as soon as he did so, the hole that was being used as an entry point for the refugees opened up; causing everyone to move away.


    "What''s¡­ happening?" Hannah and the others quickly ran to Paige.


    "We''ve¡­ We''ve actually arrived in the Academy," Paige quickly replied, "And¡­ it''s kinda being attacked by the House of Super, I think?"


    "What!?" Hannah quickly looked at Paragon to confirm Paige''s words, only to see him¡­ already jumping down the hole,


    "Then why is he going alone!?" Hannah quickly rushed towards the hole-- and she was right, there were all sorts of fireworks below, and a sea of golden light clearly belonging to Bulwark.


    "...He said he was¡­ kinda going to kill everyone bad?" Paige slightly shrugged; her eyes slowly looking to the side.


    "...What?"


    "He said just wait for him, it''s not going to take long."


    "Fuck¡­ Baby Crew, I need you here!" Hannah then let out a roar as a wave of heat gently wafted throughout the entire ship, "And Paige¡­


    ¡­keep this fucking hole open!"

 Chapter 363: An Angel Enters theBattleField?

    Chapter 363: An Angel Enters theBattleField?


    "Keep that hole open!"


    "Uh¡­ Okay?"


    Paige didn''t really know what to do as Hannah and the rest of the Baby Crew started to huddle up. Paragon only told her that some kind of battle was going on below, and to open a hole on the ship so that he could go down ¡ª he didn''t really say anything about stopping anyone from going after him.


    No ¡ª nothing really entered Paige''s mind. She didn''t even think of how Paragon would be able to sustain the ship while fighting in a war; after all, he is Riley Ross. The same guy who lifted the entirety of Toronto in the air and then proceeded to fight aliens that popped up out of nowhere.


    "..." Paige then turned to look at the civilians on the ship, before shrugging her shoulders. Something like keeping all of them afloat is child''s y to someone like Paragon. None¡­ none of them would be dropping anytime soon¡­ right?


    "Monarch, Katrina. The two of you stay inside the ship."


    As for the Baby Crew, they were still discussing their next course of action.


    "...What? I want to go down there!"


    "You''re still not fully healed, Monarch," Hannah ced her palm on Gary''s chest, gently pushing him away as he went towards the hole, "And besides, we need someone to guard the ship just in case any of those house of super fucks are hiding here."


    "But the action is down there!" Gary groaned in frustration as he pointed at the hole, "You guys are going to need me there! It''s a fucking war for mega''s sake!"


    "And you''re still fucking wounded," Hannah shook her head and sighed.


    "What about Bell!?"


    "I''m 100% rested," Be smirked as she flexed her lean biceps.


    "F¡ª"


    "Gary, I need you here!"


    And before Gary could say anything, Katrina''s voice thundered throughout the entire ship.


    "...You better go, G," Be slightly winced as Katrina''s scream pierced through her ears. Gary seemed to want to say something, but could really only sigh and shake his head as he rushed to help Katrina with whatever it is she needed.


    "He''ll¡­ be fine," Silvie hesitantly whispered as she stood close to Hannah.


    "...Yeah," Hannah sighed before looking at Paige, "Paige, can you make us look invisible once we jump?"


    "Only if you don''t move that much. It''s like I did with Silvie when¡­ she was naked earlier."


    "...I still haven''t thanked you about that," Silvie quickly cleared her throat as she heard Paige''s words.


    "Okay, that''s more than enough," Hannah nodded as she stood in front of the hole, "Listen, the two of you. Paragon is already there, and so are some of our friends from the Academy. We''re there to provide support."


    "Hm."


    "Got you."


    "But most importantly¡­ Gary is right," Hannah lowered her voice, "It''s a war out there¡­ we''re going to have to kill people."


    "..." Be and Silvie quickly looked to the side as they heard Hannah''s words.


    "Silv¡­ I need you to promise me that you''re gonna be okay. No more of that brainwashing bullshit."


    "I¡­ It was just a momentarypse. I promise I''m okay."


    "Make sure," Hannah breathed out, "The only reason you''re not staying on the ship is that we''re going to need you down there."


    "I''m gonna p her as soon as her eyes go white," Be scoffed.


    "...You just want to p me, don''t you?"


    "You still owe us, girl."


    "Okay, let¡ª"


    "I want to go with you guys."


    And before the three could nod to each other, Golden Fox suddenly approached them.


    "...You''re not Baby Crew, Chihiro."


    "I¡­ will be useful down there," Chihiro furrowed her eyebrows, causing her already small eyes to almost look like they were closed, "I can''t forgive them for what they''ve done."


    "You sure?"


    "I am."


    "...Alright," Hannah then let out arge breath as she straightened her back, "We will survive this for those that have fallen¡­


    ¡­Let''s go kick some supermacist ass!"


    And with that, the group all leaped into the hole.


    "..."


    Only for their feet to not even pass through it.


    "...The fuck?" Hannah then stomped her foot several times, only for her to feel some kind of invisible wall stopping them from falling. And very slowly, everyone turned to look at Paige.


    "O¡­ Oh," Paige then stuttered; forcing a smile on her face as all eyes are on her, "It¡­


    ¡­It''s uhm¡­ the ship''s defense system?"


    ***


    "There''s too many of them!"


    "Rx, Danny boy!"


    Mega Academy.


    The most secure infrastructure in the world. The number of times it has been sessfully infiltrated ever since its establishment ¡ª 1.


    And after that, the Academy''s entire security was overhauled to be even more secure than the tightest prison. Guarded even more than banks, and protected even more than any government buildings.


    Add the fact that all the personnel and staff were nowposed of supers that were handpicked by the person with the most time in the world ¡ª Bulwark. The only real way that one could infiltrate the Academy was through the front door with an army.


    And right now, there was an army.


    Bulwark was right in front of the Academy''s gate ¡ª not even moving an inch as he covered the entire Mega Academy, which spanned even bigger than a city, with a golden translucent dome. While the guards and some of the teaching staff were on the frontlines¡­ fending off soldiers from the House of Super.


    "T¡­ there''s too many! We need to retreat inside!"


    "Why did you even volunteer to fight if you''re just going to be a little sissy boy!?"


    And in that battlefield of smoke, fireworks, dust, and debris ¡ª a sort of dark thread glimmered in the air; creating a whistle every time it shed whatever came it''s way. Rocks? Metals? Anything, the thread obliterated and sliced.


    This is the reason why Spectacr Mustache Man was and is so proud of his mustache ¡ª it was, perhaps, the strongest material on Earth¡­ ording to him.


    "If you''re going to continue toin, then just guard Bulwark!" Spectacr Mustache Man''s mustache moved like the des of a helicopter as it staved off everything in front of him.


    "He¡­ he''s an obvious target. It''s more dangerous there!" A man wearing¡­ a tuxedo on the battlefield stood close to Spectacr Mustache Man. And sadly for him, a flying de was able to pass through SMM''s mustache¡­ going straight towards his neck.


    But before the de could reach him, his neck¡­ suddenly stretched outward,pletely letting the de just almost slide between his skin.


    "Then you should have just hidden with the students, Mr. Daniel Espinoza!" Spectacr Mustache Man clicked his tongue.


    "I¡­ I''m their teacher. I can''t let them see me¡ª" And before Daniel could finish his words, another de was able to pass through Spectacr Mustache Man''s defenses. This time, however, Daniel caught it with his hand¡­ which immediately stretched backward.


    And almost like a slingshot, he returned the de towards the one that threw it¡­pletely decapitating her.


    "...Fuck," Daniel gulped.


    "...Don''t mind it, Danny boy," Spectacr Mustache Man sighed, "You''re going to kill more today."


    "Why¡­ the fuck is this happening?" Daniel could only grit his teeth as he watched the scenery around him. Every time¡­ every time that they thought they have achieved peace ¡ª something like this happens.


    Were they just not allowed to live quietly?


    "Danny boy!"


    "Huh? Huh!?"


    Daniel quickly looked towards Spectacr Mustache Man, only to see him rushing towards him¡­ using his mustache like some sort of spider legs as he rammed hisrge body through him.


    "W¡­ why did you¡ª"


    And before Daniel could ask why he did so, a loud rumble whispered through his ears as a white silhouette suddenly pummeled to the ground where he previously stood, cracking it like a web.


    "..." Daniel then focused his eyes on the glowing silhouette, and as soon as the light faded, he saw a long ck hair flutter with the wind; its owner, kneeling on the ground.


    "...ck Haired White Ninja?" Spectacr Mustache Man muttered as the silhouette slowly stood up.


    "Paragon," the person then said as all the dust around him was blown away.


    It wasn''t only Daniel and Spectacr Mustache Man, but almost everyone that was near Paragon when hended was staring at him. And soon, Paragon also stared back, looking at all the people on the battlefield one by one¡­


    ¡­until his eyes settled on Daniel.


    "Are you from the House of Super?"


    "...Why do I feel so offended right now?"


    "We¡­ We''re from the Academy!" Spectacr Mustache Man quickly answered, "The ones that are wearing a red scarf on their necks are House of Super!"


    "..." Paragon then slowly turned around, checking to see how many people were wearing a red scarf¡­ and judging by all the red he sees ¡ª there were probably more than hundreds of them.


    And very subtly, Spectacr Mustache Man noticed Paragon''s shoulder slightly shaking ¡ª and he quickly knew it wasn''t because of fear.


    He¡­ was trying his best not tough.


    And very slowly, a de of light emerged from Paragon''s left hand. But unlike his previous swords, the light quickly stopped before it could even grow any longer. Its length, even shorter than that of a dagger as its hilt seemed to wrap around Paragon''s fingers like a knuckle; its de, curved.


    "Paragon, it''s you!"


    A roar then came from one of the people wearing a red scarf.


    "This¡­ this is for Thousandde!"


    "..." Paragon then slowly turned his head towards the roar, only to see a man with his mouth¡­ opened to the point it could fit a basketball. And then, with another roar, a sort of beam came out of the man''s mouth.


    The beam seemed hot at first, but no ¡ª it froze the ground that was in its path as it practically gushed through Paragon like a tidal wave.


    The man continued to roar¡­ only for his scream to be drowned by a quiet chuckle that whispered in the air. The man turned his almost bulging eyes in front of him, only to see a silhouette walking closer to him inside the beam.


    And then, almost instantly, the silhouette was suddenly in front of him¡­ grabbing his jaw and keeping his mouth open.


    "Pft," a small chuckle could once again be heard from Paragon as he very slowly¡­ ced the dagger inside the man''s mouth.


    "!!!"


    The man couldn''t even scream as his entire mouth melted¡­ practically causing his throat to be welded shut. The man instantly kneeled to the ground, scratching his throat open as his entire face turned blue.


    As for Paragon¡­


    "..." He just looked at the man, not even kicking him away as he stared at the man''s eyes¡­ until their color faded away.


    "I apologize, Paige. I lied¡­" Paragon then muttered as he finally moved his eyes away from the corpse,


    "I said that this is going to be fast. But it would seem¡­" He then turned his eyes towards all the people that were near him and wearing a red scarf,


    "...I am going to take my time after all."


    **DISCORD INVITE**


    If you''re still not part of the discord, you can do so by visiting this link > disord.gg/MBbJ3jJN7Q

 Chapter 364: Angel of Slaughter

    Chapter 364: Angel of ughter


    "..."


    And for once, the battlefield that has only known the cheer of death became silent. There were probably more than a thousand people on thend, and yet no one dared to even utter a whisper.


    Everyone was just staring at the person that just joined the battle ¡ª how could they not, when he just watched someone slowly die in the middle of a frenzied field?


    Most of the people in the Academy are not familiar with Paragon. The House of Super, however, clearly knew who he was. After all, he executed one of their high-ranking members in front of more than a million people ¡ª and then did it again when someone wanted to take revenge for what he did.


    And now, he was here. And once again, he was mocking them by torturing theirrade almost as if it was the easiest thing to do.


    What they did not know, however, was that Paragon was once again live on screen. But he wasn''t streaming with his phone, no. The nuclear bombs practically cut off allms.


    This time, it was Paige. She was using her abilities to basically create a giant screen inside the ship to be seen by the thousands and thousands of people that were inside ¡ª she didn''t really know if this would help the people to gain hope¡­ but seeing the people responsible for the destruction of their homes die should mean something for them.


    And since Paragon just entered the battlefield¡­ she was sure there were going to be many deaths.


    "What¡­ the fuck is he doing!?" Hannah and the others watched as Paragon melted someone''s throat, "Paige, bring us down!"


    "I¡­ I can''t," Paige tried her best not to look away from Hannah, "P¡­ Paragon is the only one who has control of this ship."


    "What? Bullshit!" Hannah raised an eyebrow before turning her head towards the headset mask that was hanging on the ceiling of the ship.


    "W¡­ wait, don''t¡ª"


    And before Paige could even grab her arm, Hannah was already halfway to the headset. Paragon was using this to pilot the ship, although this was the first time Hannah was seeing something like it, it shouldn''t be that hard to learn.


    And so, without even hesitating, she wore the mask.


    "..." And immediately, she was taken aback by the almost familiar scent. Paragon¡­ should have been wearing this for hours, so it shouldn''t be a surprise that it had a little bit of his sweat. But this scent¡­ it was sort of¡ª


    Hannah quickly shook her head as her thoughts started to wander. She then focused her eyes on whatever was inside, only for her to quickly remove it.


    "What the fuck?" Hannah then muttered before pulling something from the headset.


    "A¡­ fucking phone?" Hannah then quickly opened the phone, only to see a paused video on it,


    "...And without a fucking password? What sort of monster¡ª" Hannah did not let herself get distracted as she quickly yed the video.


    [Are all of you just going to stand there? If so¡­]


    "This¡­ isn''t this from Italian Mafia Reborn?" Hannah quietly whispered to herself. She was about to explore the phone, but before she could do so, it suddenly cracked into pieces,


    "What¡­ the fuck?"


    ***


    "Are all of you just going to stand there?"


    And finally, the silence on the battlefield was broken. Broken by none other than the newest addition to itsbatants.


    And once again, swords of light appeared from Paragon''s hands as he stretched his arms to the side.


    "If so, then the ground you are stepping on will be your grave."


    And before anyone could even react to his words, Paragon disappeared from his spot, only to appear right in front of a woman from the House of Super. He didn''t even choose the one nearest to him, no. It was random.


    "Wh¡ª" And once again, Paragon disappeared. This time, however, moving just behind the woman. And with a short but loud breath, a couple of thuds whispered in the air as both the woman''s arms dropped to the ground.


    "Huh?" The woman really couldn''t understand anything, even as her body slowly slid from her still standing legs ¡ª she was confused as to why she was suddenly on the ground. Soon, however, she was able to see what happened to her.


    And so, the only thing she could really do was scream as all of her limbs were gone just like that. As for Paragon, he just closed his eyes; his head, slowly tilting from side to side almost in rhythm.


    The woman continued to scream; her wails almost scratching the air itself causing everyone that could hear it to wince. Paragon then very slowly turned towards her, before letting go of his light swords and just leaving them to float near him.


    "W¡­ what are you doi¡ª Agh!"


    Paragon then grabbed the woman by her hair, causing her to once again scream in pain,


    "Help¡­ please help!" She screamed, and yet herrades that even dared touch her eyes all looked away; some, even staring at her with their eyes as wide as they could be. No one moved, however¡ª not even one.


    "H¡ª" And before the woman could scream again, Paragon ced his other hand in her mouth.


    "Which do you think will give up first¡­" Paragon then whispered, "Your scalp¡­


    ¡­or your jaw?"


    "!!!"


    The woman seemed to scream; but only disgruntled muffles and shrieks exuded from her mouth. She tried to struggle, but without her limbs, she just looked like a worm that was being yed by a dove.


    "!!!"


    And then, very slowly¡­ her cheek started to tear.


    "Oh¡­"


    And with a snap, her entire jaw along with a part of her neck was ripped off.


    "...I didn''t expect that."


    Paragon didn''t even blink as blood started to stter across his face like a fountain; his eyes, almost looking genuinely surprised as he looked at the woman''s jaw now hanging from her vicle.


    "C¡­ Chrissy!"


    "..." Paragon then very slowly turned his head towards the roar that suddenly thundered the air.


    "...You know here?" He then said; the blood on his face, dripping almost endlessly. His mask, nowpletely covered in red,


    "Why didn''t you help her?"


    "Gah!" The man once again roared as his skin turned into some sort of steel, covering his body inyers as the ground beneath him started to cave.


    "..."


    "I will kill you!" The man then roared as he rushed towards Paragon, causing the ground beneath him to crack with each step.


    "Well, she''s still alive. You know?"


    Paragon stretched his hand and turned Chrissy towards the silver behemoth rushing towards him.


    "Now, which do you think is stronger¡­"


    "!!!" The man quickly halted his steps, but with his sheer weight, it was impossible for him to stop immediately.


    "Her mangled face¡­ or yours?"


    "Wh¡ª"


    And before the man could even say anything, Chrissy''s face was already only an inch away from him. And there, he heard it ¡ª like the sound of a tomato being crushed by one''s hand¡­ Chrissy''s head was squashed, exploding right on his face without any resistance.


    "No! You¡ª"


    "Oh, your insides are soft."


    And before the man could express his rage, he slowly looked down only to see Paragon''s hand now stabbed through his stomach.


    "...Boom," Paragon then whispered. And as he did so, the man suddenly shrieked; his entire body, trembling uncontrobly¡ª and along with it, blood started to spurt and flow from all of the holes in his body.


    And very soon, a quiet sizzle thundered throughout the entire battlefield as¡­ lights started poking out from almost every corner of the man''s skin.


    "..." Paragon could only let out a sigh as the man started to scream. He then pushed the man away. He waspletely intact¡­ but hended on the ground in pieces.


    As for the light that was previously protruding from every corner of his body, it was still standing there and emerging from Paragon''s hand for everyone to see what it was.


    It was light, of course¡­ but it followed the shape of veins, veins that almost resembled the silhouette of a man.


    "Hm¡­" Once again, Paragon let out a breath as the light disappeared. And there, with only the light of the sun shining on him, everyone could see his once immacte persona now covered in blood.


    "..." Paragon then looked at his hands which were covered in blood, before pulling his hair back; causing an ufortable squelch to whisper in the air. Blood once again started to flow from his forehead, trailing all the way to his mask as he seemed to relish on the blood of his victims.


    "What¡­ what the fuck." And soon, the members of the House of Whisper started to thunder in the air.


    "F¡­ focus your attack on Paragon!"


    "..." The House of Super did focus on Paragon ¡ª what they did not do, however, was attack. They could really only stand there in fear as his eyes once again started to trail across them.


    "We are going to have lots of fun," Paragon then let out a small chuckle as he stretched his hand to the side, the swords of light that were floating above him, once again returning to his hands.


    "No need toe to me, really," Paragon then took a step forward.


    And almost like a drum that caused the entire field to tremble, his step echoed through the ears that only the House of Super could hear,


    "I''lle to you."


    "!!!"


    And almost like a streak of light that drowned the daylight, Paragon disappeared.


    And almost like thin branches in the very strength of the storm, the people started falling one by one as their bodies were being blown away in a single direction¡ª their limbs, all cut off.


    "What¡­"


    Every staff and member of the Academy could really only watch as the House of Super was being demolished. Some of them, even wanting to cover their ears... not from the screams that endlessly wailed in the air... but from theughter that harmonized with it.


    This was no longer a war¡­


    ¡­but a ughter.


    ***AUTHOR NOTES***


    Read ''Wait, My Juice Can Save The World?'' Now! It''s been rewritten for the contest! It''s about a man who went back to the past and was given quite... a juicy system.


    Also, join the discord server for Viin Retirement! discord.gg/MBbJ3jJN7Q

 Chapter 365: Not From This

    Chapter 365: Not From This


    "The Earth¡­ is crying."


    In the mountains that seemed far away from any civilization, an old woman was looking at the sky. The tears that almost endlessly flowed from her eyes, falling and filling in the cracks of her wrinkled face¡­ until they finally fall on her long, thick braided bundle of grey hair that almost served as a poncho.


    The woman seemed to be weeping, but at the same time, her eyes were filled with a sort of eptance.


    "...Ts, are you alright?"


    "I know you feel it too," Ts did not bother to look at Katherine as she approached. Katherine did not seem to mind, however, as she just stood beside Ts and also looked up at the sky.


    "..." She then took a deep breath as she closed her eyes; and soon, tears also started to trail on her face,


    "You''re right," she whispered, "...I could feel it."


    "..."


    "..."


    And as the two remained standing still, a girl suddenly appeared from the trees behind them ¡ª her almost crystal skin and even whiter hair, reflecting the peaceful sky above.


    "..." Karina curiously stared at Katherine and Ts as she quietly stood between the two. And now, from only reaching to Katherine''s waist, she was now almost past her navel.


    "..." Karina seemed to want to say something to her mother, but just chose to shut her mouth and also close her eyes as she pointed her head to the skies.


    "..."


    "..."


    She didn''tst, however, as her left eye opened and looked at Katherine. She closed it again, but this time, only a second as she let out a long and loud breath,


    "Mom¡­ are you and grandma Ts meditating?"


    "...No," Katherine quickly wiped the tears on her face as she sighed, "Shouldn''t you be sleeping?"


    "I woke up," Karina slightly giggled, "What''s going on?"


    "It''s¡­ nothing," Katherine could only shake her head before lifting up Karina and carrying her, "Just the world as it always is."


    "...What does that mean?"


    "You''ll find out when you grow up," Katherine said as she tapped Karina''s nose.


    "Hm," Karina nodded¡­ before trying to pull on Ts''s braids.


    "Don''t do that!" Katherine quickly pulled Karina and started walking away, "What do I always tell you?"


    "...No?"


    "...Don''t do that?"


    "The other one."


    "A¡­ always treat people with respect," Karina let out a small breath as she coddled on Katherine''s shoulder.


    "And?"


    "Always¡­ be kind."


    "Hm, good," Katherine nodded, "And what do you do when someone asks for help?"


    "Help them!"


    "But?"


    "But first¡­ check if they''re good people!"


    "Good¡­ that''s good. Never forget that¡­"


    "..." Ts finally moved from her spot as Katherina and Karina''s voices faded into the forest; still, her eyes remained to the sky as she started to whisper,


    "The world finally howls. And soon, the Harbinger of Destructiones, and the Messiah rises from the ashes¡­


    ¡­and that is prophecy fulfilled."


    "I heard that before."


    "..."


    And suddenly, a shadow emerged from Ts''s back; wearing a sort ofb gown as her steps quietly moved away.


    "What''s going on out there, Diana?" Ts didn''t really seem surprised as she didn''t even flinch; her eyes, still towards the sky.


    "They finally did it, the humans," Caiin let out a long and deep sigh as she stood beside Ts, "They started destroying themselves."


    "We''ve been destroying ourselves ever since the dawn of our existence," Ts''s eyes finally strayed away from the sky as she looked at Caiin, "Long before you even set foot in our world, Yee Naaldlooshii."


    "Hm," Caiin only shrugged, "That prophecy ¡ª you''ve also mentioned that before when I first met you hundreds of years ago. What does it mean?"


    "What''s a woman of science like you doing listening to a fairytale?"


    "There are no such things as fairy tales."


    "Hm¡­"


    "You always say that prophecy¡­" Caiin crossed her arms, "...yet I never hear you ending it."


    "Because there is no end," Ts shook her head, "The prophecy just repeats itself."


    "Until when?"


    "Until it''s forgotten."


    "...Forgotten," Caiin only smiled and scoffed at Ts''s words.


    "Do you miss your family, Diana?"


    "...I do not have a family," Caiin blinked a couple of times from Ts''s sudden and random question.


    "You have lived a hundred of my lifetimes; let us not tell lies to each other," Ts let out a slightly trembling sigh, "I am dying, whatever secret you are hiding will remain a secret."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Oh?" Ts continued to stare Caiin straight in the eyes, "You do not miss your husband¡­ no."


    "..."


    "But the children¡­" A small smile then crawled on Ts''s face, causing all the wrinkles on her face to fold, "...you''ve grown attached to them."


    "That''s enough."


    "...Is that the reason you have expedited the girl''s growth?"


    And as soon as Ts uttered those words, Caiin''s eyes started to light up.


    Ts, however, only burst out inughter; partnered by a vehement cough here and there as she started walking away,


    "Children¡­" She then said as herughter faded,


    "They could topple even mountains if you give them long enough."


    "..."


    ***


    Somece else, anotherughter resounded. It was a quietughter, but it echoed through the air ¡ª in almost like a¡­ child-like manner. At the same time, however, it contained a darkness that couldn''t be exined.


    The battle was over. But no one cheered or cried ¡ª but the battle was over. And to prove that were the almost thousand corpses that littered on top of each other like a tree.


    And on top of it, almost like the star at the top of a Christmas tree, was Paragon. Laughing as he stood on his enemies.


    It probablysted one more minute before his gigglespletely stopped. And as soon as it did so, he leaped from the mountain of corpses and slowly made his way to the people of the Academy; most of them quickly backing away.


    "Hello, Spectacr Mustache Man."


    "What do you want!?" Daniel was the first to respond as he raised his voice¡­ before hiding behind Spectacr Mustache Man.


    "Is that Academy full?"


    "...What?" Spectacr Mustache Man could only squint his eyes.


    "As a hero, we have saved people and brought them here," Paragon then said as he pointed up. And as soon as he did so, Spectacr Mustache Man and the others finally noticed the colossal ship that was slowly descending from the sky.


    "What¡­ is that?"


    "Civilians. They¡ª"


    "You are Paragon."


    And before Paragon could finish his words, a somewhat neutral voice whispered in the air; belonging to an even more androgynous face ¡ª Bulwark. His golden hair, now only reaching to his shoulders.


    "Yes," Paragon only nodded. As for Bulwark, he looked at the mountain of corpses as he approached, before letting out a sigh and once again focusing his eyes on Paragon.


    "I thank you for the assistance," he then said as he continued to sigh, "I have faced many wars ¡ª and I knew this was a losing battle. They would have sessfully infiltrated us without your help."


    "Was it a losing battle?" Paragon blinked, "You could have faced all of them by yourself. You also have many soldiers inside the Academy."


    "You never send children to the battlefield, no matter how strong ¡ª they are meant to be protected."


    "..."


    "You said you brought civilians with you?"


    "Yes," Paragon then said as they both watched as the colossal ship sessfullynded on the ground without even as much as a sound ¡ª weird, considering it was the size of a football stadium.


    "..." Bulwark did not seem to put any mind to it, however, as he just focused on the huge door that suddenly spawned randomly; and very quickly, people started stepping out of the ship.


    "Assist them!" Bulwark raised his hand, "Prioritize the injured and take them to the med bay! As for the¡ª"


    "Paragon!"


    And before Bulwark could finish hismands, a roar even louder than his reverberated through the air.


    It was Hannah, already flying towards Paragon with her fist locked onto his face.


    "..."


    Paragon quickly caught Hannah''s hand, of course. Gently rotating his body before cing his arm around Hannah''s waist and embracing her ¡ª almost like a dance from those who have witnessed it.


    "W¡ª fucking let go of me, man!" Hannah quickly pushed herself away from Paragon¡­ before letting out a couple of frenzied and stuttered words,


    "I¡­ you¡­ fuck! I forgot what I was going to say! You¡­ you don''t do that!" Hannah then finally formed words as she violently pointed at Paragon, "You don''t go by yourself!"


    "It''s alright. There weren''t that many."


    "Y¡ª"


    "Fucking hell," Gary then suddenly approached, looking at the mountain of corpses while he¡­ spoke in a British ent,


    "...Now I see his resemnce to Riley. They''re both charismatic murder machines."


    "Ugh," Hannah could really only roll her eyes as she walked away; shaking her head before walking towards Bulwark,


    "It''s¡­ been a long time, sir Bulwark," Hannah then let out a quiet breath as she stretched her hand to Bulwark.


    "It has. I¡­ just wished we met in better circumstances," Bulwark shook Hannah''s hand before looking at the people stepping out of the ship, "How¡­ many people?"


    "We¡­ didn''t really make an official count. But it should be more than 40,000 people ording to Silvie."


    "...40,000?" Bulwark whispered as he once again focused on the ship, "...Are you sure?"


    "Yeah¡­


    ¡­more than half of them died inside. The¡­ radiation just ate them from the inside out."


    "I take it the people that died¡­ were mostly normal humans?"


    "...Yeah," Hannah nodded, "The supers¡­ don''t seem to be affected by the after effects of the bombs. Do¡­ you know how bad the damage is? On the entire, I mean?"


    "...Yes," Bulwark nodded as his voice suddenly turned quiet, "We were able to salvage images and videos from the satellites before everything crashed."


    "And?"


    "The world as you know it is changing¡ª ending."


    "Yeah, that''s kinda been happening for a couple of years now," Hannah scoffed, "And we always manage to recover."


    "No¡­" Bulwark shook his head as he looked towards the darkening skies, "Not this time¡­


    ¡­not from this."

 Chapter 366: My Job

    Chapter 366: My Job


    It was the year 2024 ¡ª the world once again changed.


    There had been many tragedies before. There have been deaths, and there have been events before that could be called apocalyptic. But this is when it truly ended.


    Not by Darkday, not by the aliens that invaded them ¡ª but by the humans themselves. A civil war that never should have happened, a civil war for superiority.


    A war to favor a stronger race. It was sudden, so sudden that it didn''t really seem real. There wasn''t even any warning, it just¡­ happened. More than a third of the poption are probably dead and dying, and right now¡­


    "...we are vulnerable."


    Bulwark was currently standing on one of the Academy''s stadiums, surrounded by those that still had the will and strength to listen ¡ª there were still many. Most of those that were already inside the academy, as well as maybe half of those that have been rescued throughout the past week.


    "I can no longer promise your safety, that guarantee has already passed and whatever little trust you still have left in you, keep it only to yourself," Bulwark continued to address the people ¡ª supers and normal humans alike.


    "Right now, there are no heroes ¡ª not anymore and not yet. We¡­ are all just victims of a war that never should have happened."


    "..." The normal humans couldn''t really look at the supers beside them. But still, the fact that they could still stand near them means they still believe that they could co-exist¡­ at least that''s what everyone in the stadium wanted; that''s why they were there in the first ce.


    "What we can offer, however, and what we are offering now is shelter," Bulwark took in a deep breath as he looked at all the somber mncholic faces in front of him, "The Academy is your home and it will remain to be until you need it. And please¡­


    ¡­always remember that we are equal. Being without power¡­ does not mean that you are weak."


    "..." The normal humans that previously had their heads down slowly looked at Bulwark as he uttered those words. Some, finally able to look at the supers standing beside them.


    "And if you think you are better¡­" Soon, however, the tone of Bulwark''s voice shiftedpletely.


    "...If you think you are better than your peers; if you think you are better than the rest of us, if you so much as utter a word of bigotry or discrimination to your neighbors¡­


    ¡­I will drag your corpse for everyone to see and hang you at the very ceiling of the Academy. That''s not a warning, that''s a promise."


    And with those words, Bulwark stepped down the stage ¡ª leaving the stadium in an entirely different mood that made them look at each other in disbelief.


    "...What the fuck was that?" Hannah, who was watching Bulwark from backstage, could not help but force a chuckle as soon as he entered.


    "I had to give them a sense of security," Bulwark sighed.


    "Huh¡­ right."


    "Has the House of Super tried contacting us in any way?" Bulwark then said as he checked on a tablet that was resting on a nearby table.


    "No," Hannah sighed, "You''d think after we recovered thems 3 days ago, they''d start talking to us."


    "..." Bulwark didn''t really say anything as he just continued to check the news on his tablet.


    "It''s shit out there," Hannah said as she peered over the tablet, "You saw the drone shot above the cities that weren''t in the st radius?"


    "I assume there''s chaos?"


    "Actually no," Hannah scoffed, "They''re all just hiding, people don''t know who to trust anymore. And the House of Super¡­ They have some normal humans tied up in chains like ves. It''s¡­ getting worse."


    "Earth is back to where it started," Bulwark sighed as he closed his eyes,


    "...Walk with me, child."


    "..." Hannah only nodded as he followed Bulwark out of the stadium.


    "How many people did we manage to rescue today?"


    "About 20,000¡­ more or less. Paragon''s magic ship is doing wonders."


    "That is less than yesterday," Bulwark once again sighed.


    "Those¡­ that are in a rtively safe area don''t really want to go."


    "That is fine, we only take those that need it. Our healers need to rest too."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...You said we wouldn''t be able to recover from this," Hannah lowered her voice as she continued to walk with Bulwark through therge fields of the Academy, "What did you mean by that?"


    "The Age of Supers is here."


    "...Empress said the same thing. But what exactly does that mean?"


    "It means we can no longer stop it," Bulwark said as he stopped walking, "Supers have always been the ones to adjust to the world, for the normal humans. And now the world is being forced to adapt to us, whether we like it or not."


    "..."


    "The transition should have been smoother and taken decades. But the House of Super hastened it¡­" Bulwark then looked Hannah straight in the eyes,


    "...using your brother as the catalyst."


    "..."


    "I always knew that boy will change the world."


    "..." Hannah only let out a breath as she looked away.


    "There is a way to stop this war, or at the very least disrupt it."


    "...How?" Hannah once again returned Bulwark''s gaze, only to see him pointing at her.


    "You."


    "...What?"


    "They use your brother as a banner and as a call to raise arms¡­


    ¡­but what if you tell the world who he really is?"


    "...What do you mean?" Hannah furrowed her eyebrows.


    "You know what I mean, child."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Did Empress tell you?"


    "No," Bulwark let out a small chuckle as he shook his head, "The Pope told me after Riley perished. And then I confronted Empress about it and she told me everything."


    "...The Pope knows?"


    "Tell the world who your brother really is, and the House of Super will copse into itself," Bulwark ignored Hannah''s question.


    "...Why haven''t you done that already?"


    "Because sometimes the solution can be worse than the problem it solves," Bulwark sighed as he looked towards the bright sky,


    "...Eternal Dark."


    "...What do they have to do about this? They''ve been quiet so far," Hannah raised an eyebrow as soon as she heard those two words.


    "That is the scary part about it. You know they exist, and you know they carry the Will of Darkday¡­ but never once have they done anything except introduce themselves."


    "..."


    "What do you think will happen if we announce your brother''s true identity?"


    "Those that are loyal to the cause of House of Super¡­ would probably try to join Eternal Dark," Hannah sighed as she looked to the ground.


    "That''s possible," Bulwark nodded, "So now the choicees to you ¡ª Riley is your brother, and the leader of Eternal Dark is an old friend of yours¡­


    ¡­you stand at the very center of this, Hannah Ross."


    "You¡­


    ¡­you''re just passing the responsibility to me."


    ***


    "...There''s no one here."


    "Of course, no one would be here, I told you already."


    The beach of Anta was peaceful, almost as if it was unaffected by what was happening to the rest of the world. And of course, along with it ¡ª the Paige and Paragon Superhero Agency. And right now, John and Ellie were standing right in front of the building.


    "The whole world has gone bonkers," Ellie''s voice was filled with a breath of disappointment, "Those House of Super twats nuked ced with the highest poption of normal humans. Didn''t you see the news?"


    "...The buildings here seem to be intact," John squinted his eyes as he looked at the long street.


    "...That''s because Anta has a lower poption than most."


    "...So where are the people?"


    "Hiding or dying," Ellie sighed before looking at John, "Seriously, the more human you be the stupider you think."


    "...Because you are the only human I am learning my humanity from," John said as he stared at Ellie; his eyes, somewhat filled with warmth.


    "..."


    "..."


    "I think that was an insult, big sister." And suddenly, Elliot stood between the two. A small smile quickly grew on John''s face as he nodded before him and Elliot gave each other a high-five.


    "..." Ellie could really only shake her head as she once again turned her focus to the Paige and Paragon Agency,


    "...And here I thought we could finally start a new life. I guess¡­


    ¡­we really don''t deserve it."


    "..."


    "Fuck," Ellie could not help but stomp her foot on the ground in frustration, "Let''s go¡­ there''s nothing for us here."


    "Can¡­ we at least enjoy the beach?" Elliot said as his sister started walking away.


    "No¡­ Elliot," Ellie sighed as she stared at the horizon. It has been a while since shest tasted a hint of freedom, but¡­


    "It would be tasteless to have fun while the rest of the world is dying."


    "...Why?"


    "Just because. You''d understand if¡ª"


    "You three!"


    And before Ellie could finish her words, a group of people suddenly appeared from the corner of an alleyway near them. All of them, wearing a red cap.


    "Great, the fucking twats are here," Ellie quickly breathed out as soon as she saw them; after all, the red cap was the signature of the House of Super.


    "What did you call us!?" The only woman from the group seemed to want to rush towards Ellie but was quickly stopped by herrades.


    "Fucking twats," Ellie smirked.


    "You¡ª"


    "Stand down," the man that seemed to be the leader of the squad stepped forward¡­ before pointing some kind of device toward Ellie and the others.


    "The boy," the squad leader then said as he pointed at Elliot, "He''s a ss 2. Take him."


    "..." Ellie quickly stepped in front of her brother, "Fuck off, go bother someone else."


    "Hand over the human."


    "This human is my brother," the ground beneath Ellie started to darken and crystallize, "So I suggest you twats fuck off."


    "..." The squad leader raised his finger, and as he did so, his men quickly started to surround Ellie and the others. As soon as they did so, however, all the sand and trash littered on the ground started to tremble.


    "John¡­" Ellie quickly grabbed John''s hand as she shook her head, before once again turning her attention to the squad leader,


    "Back away now, we don''t want to hurt you."


    "Oh, trust me¡­" The woman in the group once again stepped forward, "This isn''t going to¡ª"


    And before she could finish her words, the door of the Paige and Paragon Agency suddenly opened¡­


    ¡­with Paragon suddenly stepping out of the building.


    "Why are all of you just standing there and not entering?"


    "You¡­" Ellie could really only raise an eyebrow as she saw Paragon casually talking to them, "You¡­


    ¡­were inside?"


    "Why wouldn''t I be?" Paragon nodded,


    "It''s my job."

 Chapter 367: Dropped

    Chapter 367: Dropped


    "...Why wouldn''t I be here? It''s my job."


    "Wh¡­ what do you mean your job!? The whole world got nuked!"


    Ellie''s frustration almost echoed through the air as she saw Paragon just casually standing in front of his building ¡ª almost as if it was the most normal thing to do right now.


    "Yes, I just rescued more than 20,000 people today," Paragon then calmly said as he raised his thumb; and as he did so, John smiled and nodded as he also raised both his thumbs and said,


    "Alright."


    "No, not alright, you fucking donuts!" Ellie raised her voice even louder.


    And while they were talking, the members of the House of Super werepletely frozen; not knowing what to do. Paragon, the one who executed Thousandde and massacred almost a thousand of them was here.


    Their intel assured that he shouldn''t be ¡ª so why exactly was he here?


    "The rumors of the end of the world have been greatly exaggerated, Ms. Ellie," Paragon let out a sigh as he shook his head¡­ before standing beside a member of the House of Super, "I believe the world will be fine. People shouldn''t ignore their jobs just because of something like this."


    "No," Ellie shook her head in disbelief, "No one in their right mind would work in this conditio¡ª"


    And before she could finish her words, a tinker of a small bell whispered in the air. Not only her, but everyone looked to where the minute sound wasing from¡­ only to see someone on a bicycle moving towards them ¡ª and soon, the cyclist stopped in front of the Paige and Paragon superhero agency building.


    "..." The man looked around, before looking at them and dismounting his bike.


    "Good afternoon!" The man raised his hand; not even seemingly noticing the somewhat tense situation, "I have an express delivery for a Riley Ross?"


    "That would be me," Paragon moved away as he approached the courier.


    "Ah, long time no see!" The delivery man smiled before handing something to Paragon, "Please sign here."


    "..."


    "..."


    The others could do nothing. All they could do was watch as Paragon casually received the package.


    "Alright, that would be all. Thank you for using us as your No. 1 courier service! Delivering to you, anywhere in the world, no matter what!"


    Paragon nodded as the delivery man waved goodbye, cycling away as the sound of his bell soon faded into the horizon.


    "..."


    "..."


    "The building needed a new router," Paragon casually said as he looked at John and Ellie, "I also ordered some food."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I''ll leave you people to it then," Paragon then casually turned around and started walking back to the building; not before, however, ncing back, "Also¡­


    ¡­please kill them."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Wait¡­ did that man just say Riley¡ª"


    And before the members of the House of Super could look at each other, the ground beneath them suddenly turned ck.


    "You guys¡­" Ellie let out a small sigh as he shook her head, "...should''ve really just walked away."


    And without any warning, spikes started emerging from the ground ¡ª instantly littering the group with a thousand holes. One of them, however, managed to dodge Ellie''s attack as he quickly leaped towards Elliot.


    "Come here!"


    "No."


    But s, the man found himself suddenly stopped in mid-air as John held his shoulder. And without even knowing how, the colors in his eyes faded as he dropped to the ground.


    And while all of these were happening, John was covering Elliot''s eyes.


    "...You guys do know I''m like 14 already, right?"


    "Yeah, still just a fucking pipsqueak, you are."


    And with that, the three finally entered the building.


    ***


    "...You''re the only one here."


    "Yes. Sadly, humans have a tendency to bezy even with just the slightest tragedy¡­ and there you go, I officially wee you to the Paige and Paragon superhero agency."


    Paragon then tapped the table in front of him as he finished signing John and Ellie''s papers. He then grabbed something from his pocket, cing them on the table before sliding it towards the two.


    "I got them from Aerith before the bombs. They''re your new identities."


    "Megawoman¡­ where is she?" John asked.


    "Searching for mother, no doubt," Paragon only shrugged his shoulders, before gesturing to the passports he ced on the table.


    Ellie excitedly grabbed the passports, before trying to find her name.


    "Elizabeth¡­ Holden?" Ellie blinked, before a small smile appeared on her face, "It''s good you decided to keep my first name."


    "...Why is my surname also Holden?" John asked as he also looked at his passport.


    And as soon as Elliot heard that, he also checked on his name¡­ only for it to be apletely different surname.


    "Why¡­ is mine different?"


    "Because John and Ellie are married," Paragon casually said; causing Ellie to almost choke in her own breath, "I hope you don''t mind ¡ª it seems the two of you are in a romantic rtionship, so I made it official."


    "You¡­" Ellie could not really say anything as her mouth just kept itself open. She then very slowly nced at John, only to see his eyes slightly trembling.


    "Boss¡­ this¡­"


    And seeing him stutter, a big smile appeared on Ellie''s face as she held his also trembling hand. This might just seem like a little gesture ¡ª but Ellie knows what it means to John.


    Riley was his creator ¡ª what could be more special than being officiated by him?


    "...Thank you, Paragon," Ellie rested her head on John''s shoulder. And of course, she too¡­ was extremely happy about this. And then, what followed was silence as the two just cherished this tiny moment between them.


    "..."


    "..."


    "So what exactly do we do here?" And after a few minutes, Ellie asked.


    "The two of you are actually right on time," Paragon then said as he stood up, "I want you all to meet Paige."


    And as if almost on cue, the elevator doors opened as Paige stepped out.


    "Ah! Why didn''t you tell me they arrived!" Paige quickly jogged as soon as she saw John and the others, "Hello."


    "H¡­ Hi?" Ellie shook Paige''s hand, stillpletely confused as to what exactly they should be doing and why they were right on time.


    "Is it ready, Paige?" Paragon then said as he walked away.


    "Yes¡­


    ¡­we can start at any time."


    ***


    "I''m going to do it."


    Back in the Academy, Hannah and the rest of the members of the Baby Crew were now once again back in their very first base of operations ¡ª the Korean Shaved Ice store.


    And yet, no one was indulging themselves in dessert, and instead just had serious expressions on their faces as they all stared at Hannah.


    "Are¡­ you sure? When do you n to do it?" Gary muttered.


    "Now, I''m going to do it now."


    "I¡­ don''t think it''s a good idea," Silvie let out a small but deep breath as she shook her head.


    "We really can''t tell you what to do, girl," Be also sighed,


    "What do you think, madam? He''s your grandson, after all."


    "...I don''t know," Charlotte, who had been eavesdropping from behind the counter, just whispered, "The only thing I know is that the people already think my daughter is crazy ¡ª if they discover that her child became Darkday¡­ they would put all the me on what she did."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I¡­ don''t think you should do it," Katrina held Hannah''s hand, "Forget about the other people for now¡­ will you be alright after?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "What happens to me is irrelevant," Hannah breathed out,


    "I¡­ will do it," Hannah then handed her phone to Silvie.


    "Are¡­ you sure?"


    "Let''s do it," Hannah got up from the table as she stood in front of the Baby Crew.


    "..."


    Everyone could see her hands shaking; her eyes, however, seemed to already be filled with resolution. Silvie could really only look at the others, before letting out a sigh and also standing up.


    "Will¡­ you be fine?" She then asked.


    "...No," Hannah quickly answered as she forced a chuckle, "But¡­ that''s just the way it is."


    "..." Silvie looked Hannah straight in the eyes for a couple of seconds, before nodding her head, "Okay¡­


    ¡­we''re live."


    And as soon as she said those words, the Baby Crew took in a collective gulp. Hannah''s breaths were also erratic, but soon¡­ she closed her eyes.


    It''s time to finally ept this, she whispered to herself.


    "My name is Hannah Ross," she then opened her eyes as she looked right onto the lens of her phone ¡ª almost as if she was addressing the entire world, "Most of you know me as Nuclear Seraph. And what I am about to tell you¡­


    ¡­is the truth. 2 years ago now, my brother¡ª"


    "What the¡­"


    And before Hannah could finish showing the world her resolve, a series of beeping noises rang inside the store; alling from each of the members of the Baby Crew.


    "Uh¡­ guys?" Silvie muttered.


    "What''s going on?"


    "It¡­ says Paragon also went live."


    "What? What''s he up to now!?" Hannah quickly grabbed her phone from Silvie, quickly removing her camera and clicking on the notification.


    And there, she saw Paragon seated¡­ behind somerge mahogany desk. And beside him was Paige, wearing a dress. There were also two other people behind them¡­ wearing a ck suit and tie, and a pair of sunsses.


    "...What the fuck is he up to now?"


    Paragon was also not wearing his usual outfit, and was instead adorned in an expensive-looking grey cardigan ¨C and a long ck scarf that didn''t go around his neck.


    [My name is Paragon, and most of you probably know me as Paragon. I will keep it short¡­


    ¡­this is for the members of the House of Super.]


    Paragon then slightly leaned forward as he ced his hands on the desk as he looked right into the camera''s lens.


    [In any other cases, I would have left your group alone. But you attacked me twice in my home, and I will be taking that as a deration of war. So please, understand that we now have to hunt all of you down and kill you.]


    "Is¡­ he at the agency?" Hannah looked at the others, who were just as engrossed as her as they continued to watch what Paragon was up to right now on their own phones.


    [This is your fate now¡­] Paragon suddenly stopped talking as he looked at Paige ¡ª who quickly but gently held his hand and looked him in the eyes.


    Paragon returned this gaze, before nodding and looking back to the camera.


    [Run, hide. It doesn''t matter where you go and what you do. You can beg, but it wouldn''t do anything¡­


    ¡­I already decided that all of you are going to die.]


    And then, as he said those words, Paragon very slowly raised his hand before cing it on his mask¡­


    ¡­and removing it.


    And as he did so ¡ª any expression on Hannah''s face very slowly disappeared.


    [You see¡­] Paragon then casually ced his mask on the desk,


    [...I don''t like my name being used.]

 Chapter 368: New Face

    Chapter 368: New Face


    "I don''t like my name being used."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...And cut!"


    A collection of deep breaths echoed through the air as Ellie''s brother, Elliot, cut off the stream. Paige''s breaths were perhaps the most notable ones, as they continued to stutter as the luxurious drapes behind them disappeared, recing it with the view of the Paige and Paragon building lobby ¡ª therge desk in front of them, also disappearing.


    As for John and Ellie who were standing behind like some sort of statue, they also unstraightened their backs; with Ellie removing her sunsses.


    "Are¡­ you sure about this, boss?" John quickly approached Riley; his voice, slightly meek, "You gave us a new life, but you abandoned yours for your old one¡­ that doesn''t seem right to me."


    "I don''t need a new life, John," Riley said as he shook his head. And as soon as he said that, Paige once again held his hand.


    "Bonkers," Ellie clicked her tongue as she unbuttoned her suit, "First day at our new office, and we''re already about to be overworked."


    "I apologize, Ms. Elli. Would you like to rest for today?"


    "Hell no," Ellie scoffed, "This beats aimlessly sitting at the farm watching John failing to milk cows. Besides¡­ those House of Super twats are making my blood boil."


    "T¡­ that''s good and all, but where exactly do we start?" Paige thenmented as she looked at everyone, "We have no idea where they could be."


    "We start anywhere," Riley muttered as he looked at John, "I suggest the two of you just kill everyone you suspect to be a member of the House of Super. Start from here, and then explore the country."


    "...Why are you making it sound like we''re just going for a run, mate?" Ellie once again scoffed.


    "Is¡­ she okay with this, boss?" John then looked at Paige.


    "...Why wouldn''t I be?" Paige only tilted her head, slightly confused with John''s question.


    "You¡­ are a hero, right? Are you okay with us just killing people?"


    "The House of Super is bad," Paige shook her head and sighed, "The world will be a better ce without them."


    "Boss and I are also bad people, the worst of the worst."


    "Riley is my friend," Paige casually said.


    "..." John could really only blink several times at Paige''s words. He seemed to want to say something, but just chose not to.


    "Before you venture out¡­"


    Riley then handed phones to both John and Ellie, "...Use it to stream online while you kill and torture the members of the House of Super."


    "...I don''t really know how to feel about that," Ellie sighed as she grabbed her phone, "But I suppose that''s the job description. Ms. Paige has a point, though. Where do we even start?"


    "P¡­ please, just call me Paige."


    "...You''re my boss," Ellie breathed out, "Thepany literally has your name in it."


    "I¡­ is that so? If¡­ if you insist."


    "..." Ellie could really only squint her eyes as Paige started giggling.


    ''There¡­ is something seriously wrong with this girl'', she thought. No wonder she and Riley clicked.


    "..." Wait, but John is Riley''s clone¡­ doesn''t that mean that something was also wrong with her?


    "You seem to be thinking of something deep there, chief."


    "It''s none of your business, you cunt," Ellie quickly waved her hand as she walked away, "Let''s go hunt us some twats."


    "...What did I do now?" John could really only furrow his eyebrows as he followed Ellie.


    "Elliot, you stay here with Ms. Paige. Is that okay for you, Ms. Paige?"


    "Yeah, it''s cool. I have¡­ more of a support role anyway."


    "Eh¡­ but I want to go with you guys," Elliot raised his voice.


    "We¡­ actually have the new PS5, I can set it up."


    "P¡­sh Speed?" Elliot''s voice stuttered as soon as he heard Paige,


    "Ah, what¡­ what''s this¡­ I feel ill all of a sudden," he then said as he started coughing, "I¡­ I think I need to stay here and rest instead."


    "You''re free to kick him if he misbehaves, Ms. Paige," Ellie raised her index and middle finger at Elliot as she started walking away, "Let''s go. I''m itching to stretch my powers. John, don''t do anything and just protect me, a''ight?"


    "...Why?"


    "What do you mean why? If you join, there would be nothing left for me to do."


    And with those words, the two finally left the building.


    "What about you, Riley? Where are you going?" Paige immediately asked as soon as the two were gone.


    "I''m going to stay here."


    "...But you just dered you were going to hunt them."


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "But we''re supposed to be the Boss. They are supposed toe to us."


    "...That makes sense," Paige shrugged, "What¡­ about your sister and the Baby Crew? What will we do once they arrive?"


    "They won''te."


    "...How can you be so sure?"


    "Because besides my sister¡­" Riley then looked Paige straight in the eyes,


    "...They are all afraid of me."


    "..."


    "If they are going to visit, it wouldn''t be without a n."


    "...Hm," Paige nodded, "Elliot and I will be upstairs. Call me if you need anything."


    "I will. Thank you, Paige," Riley then also nodded as he finally stood up; making his way to the piano on the corner of the lobby. He raised his finger while walking, and as he did so, his long ck hair lifted up¡­ before tying itself into some sort of ponytail, with strands still flowing on the side of his cheeks.


    "..." Riley checked the entrance of the building if anyone was already arriving, before starting to y the piano.


    "..."


    A second.


    A minute.


    An hour.


    And finally, after 3 hours ¡ª the door opened.


    Riley continued to y as the silhouette stepped forward; each of the silhouette''s steps, making some sort of metallic thump. And soon, the silhouette was beside him.


    "Mr. Riley Ross."


    "Greetings," Riley instantly stopped ying the piano as he looked at his first visitor, "I have been expec¡ª"


    But as soon as he saw who it was, he blinked.


    "..." His first visitor was wearing a knight that seemed like he came out of the medieval era; wearing full armor thered in red, and arge sword on his back.


    Crimson Pdin, one of the Pope''s guards.


    "The leader of the House of Super¡­ is the Pope?" Riley quickly muttered; his eyes, showing a visible sign of shock. He certainly did not expect something like this.


    "What? No,"


    The Crimson Pdin''s monotonous tone seeped from his helmet, "He just ordered me toe here."


    "...Why?" There was a hint of disappointment in Riley''s breaths as he looked at the Crimson Pdin.


    "I don''t know," the Crimson Pdin shrugged, "We''ve actually known of your existence ever since you first appeared on the news," he then said as he pointed at where his eyes should be behind the helmet.


    "X-ray vision," Riley breathed out, "You can see even through the screen?"


    "Yes."


    "Interesting. You''re not here to kill me, I assume?"


    "I''m not stupid enough to think I can kill you," the Crimson Pdin scoffed, "He just ordered me to watch you."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Then please, make yourselffortable," Riley then gestured the Crimson Pdin to sit on the sofa near the piano, before starting to y again.


    "..." The Crimson Pdin did not really say anything as he just took a seat; his entire body, almost sinking due to his heavy armor ¡ª his gigantic sword, poking through the floor as he ced it beside him.


    "..."


    "..." And true to his words, the Crimson Pdin just watched Riley in silence; not even uttering a single word.


    Soon, however, a phone started floating in front of him.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...What''s this?"


    "It''s a smartphone, Crimson Pdin."


    "I know what a phone is. What is it doing floating in front of me?"


    "I surmise someone with x-ray vision is good with the camera, Crimson Pdin. Please, operate it since you are here. It''s already streaming, you just need to point it to your desired angle and¡ª"


    "I''m not your assistant," the Crimson Pdin tried swatting the phone away, but it immediately dodged.


    "I can pay you for your time, Crimson Pdin. Aerith has a lot of money."


    Why do you think I would do¡ª Yes, I can hear you," the Crimson Pdin then suddenly slightly tilted his head to the side, seemingly talking to someone.


    [...]


    "Yes. Yes. What¡­ His Holiness told me to do what?"


    [...]


    "Are you serious?"


    [...]


    "Fine," the Crimson Pdin then clicked her tongue as she suddenly removed her gauntlets ¡ª revealing her hand that was covered in calluses. And with a slight pause, he shook his head before removing his helmet¡­ revealing a somewhat small head that waspletely out of proportionpared to his bulky armor.


    A brown skin that was filled with scars; ck shaggy hair that reached just below the eyebrow. And the most noticeable of all ¡ª eyes that were sewn shut by a golden thread.


    That''s weird. Riley remembered seeing the Crimson Pdin''s eyes before through his helmet.


    "I am only doing this because the Pope ordered it," and then¡­ a high-pitched voice ¡ª Crimson Pdin is a woman.


    "..."


    "..."


    Riley did not really say or ask anything as he just continued to y the piano; with the Crimson Pdin now pointing the camera at him.


    "..."


    "..."


    And soon, the door once again opened.


    "!!!" Crimson Pdin quickly stood up as she pointed the camera to the door, zooming it on the three people that entered.


    The group was wearing red masks simr to what one would find in a Japanese festival ¡ª a Tengu mask.


    Crimson Pdin then zoomed in on each of their faces, before uttering something,


    "Robert Harrison, Kirsten Stuart, Taylor Lauder."


    "W¡­ what the fuck!?" The only woman in the group quickly looked at the Crimson Pdin, "How¡­ how does she know our names!?"


    "..." The Crimson Pdin didn''t really answer as she just pointed the camera to the one who spoke up. Of course, she knows who they are --- she has memorized all the faces in all of the registries in the world; from their passport and right down to their birth certificate.


    The Crimson Pdin... is very dedicated to her job.


    "It doesn''t matter! Get that camera!"


    The woman from the group nodded, before the floor beneath her started to ripple ¡ª and with a smirk, she suddenly sank down and disappeared.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    However¡­ nothing happened even after a minute. There was no sign of the woman showing herself, causing the remaining two to just look at each other.


    "Well¡­" And then, Riley stood up and removed his hands from the piano ¡ª but even then, the keys continued to move as it yed by itself.


    This time, the melody that yed from the piano became faster and heavier as Riley stepped down the stage.


    "...That''s one down."

 Chapter 369: Grave

    Chapter 369: Grave


    "...That''s one down."


    A small nging whispered in the air as Crimson Pdin quickly moved away, trying to get Riley in view of the camera as he stepped down the stage. She then quickly zoomed in as Riley slightly raised his hand; nothing really happened, not yet.


    But soon, the floor beside Riley cracked ¡ª and with a flick of his finger, the woman that disappeared into the floor and never came back finally re-emerged. She emergedpletely different, however.


    Her face was barely recognizable as bits of her skull were already poking out of her head ¡ª her eyes popped out.


    Crimson Pdin quickly approached Riley, walking around him as she panned over the mangled corpse.


    "..." And as this was happening, the two remaining members of the supremacist group could really only look at each other before watching the scene unfold helplessly.


    Every member of the House of Super has ranks because all of them considered themselves soldiers ¡ª soldiers of the evolution of the human race.


    The highest one of them, of course, is their supreme leader and themander of the realms ¡ª the one they call The Caesar.


    The Caesar was followed by the Field Marshall, then so on until the lowest of the ranks, Lieutenant. None of them were just mere foot soldiers, as every Super has noble blood flowing through their veins ording to The Caesar.


    Thousandde was considered to be a Colonel-General, just below the Field Marshall. As for the three, they were Colonels and were somewhat in the middle of the hierarchy.


    And as colonels, they were specifically sent to the Paige and Paragon agency to confirm whether or not Paragon truly was Riley Ross. And if not, they were ordered to dispose of him so they could finally get rid of one of the biggest thorns to their movement.


    Well, at least that is how it was supposed to be. To think not even after a minute of them entering the building, one of them would already be dead.


    "..."


    They then watched as the corpse of theirrade started floating towards them ¡ª passing by them as it continued to float out of the door and disappear; they could hear a slight thud whispering from the outside, and whatever that sound is¡­ it couldn''t be good for them.


    "You¡­ are you really Riley Ross?"


    The color of the hair waspletely different, even the eyebrows and eyes were different ¡ª but that kind of face truly did belong to just a singr person.


    "Well, I suppose I might be the only one with that name now¡­ granted if those who shared by name didn''t survive with the bombs," and very slowly, Riley smiled.


    And finally, they saw the very thing that proved his existence to be true ¡ª his smile that reached from ear to ear.


    "It¡­ It truly is you!" One of the men bellowed.


    "Wait¡­ please wait!" He then took off his mask ¡ª and if Crimson Pdin were to be believed, this is the one that''s called Robert.


    "What are you doing!?" Hisrade, Taylor, could not help but once again scream as he saw Robert suddenly kneeling on the ground.


    "Shut up! You''re in the presence of Riley Ross!"


    The members of the House of Super all have their corresponding ranks ¡ª and there was one rank, however, reserved for their most special member¡­ their Martyr, Riley Ross.


    "We¡­ we did all of this for you, Riley Ross!" Robert stated, "You¡­ you showed us the way and opened our eyes that we are meant to be greater. When¡­ when I saw you rescue Megawoman from the clutches of the mud people, you woke me up from the truth¡­ you¡­


    ¡­you saved me, Riley Ross!"


    "..." Riley could only blink several times as he looked at Robert. He then turned towards Crimson Pdin, almost as if asking her what was happening.


    Crimson Pdin really only shrugged her shoulders. With her line of work, she has seen all sorts of men that are devoted to their cause ¡ª and most of them, already beyond reasonable.


    It didn''t really matter to her as she just continued to film what was happening. But as soon as she looked back at Robert, however¡­


    ¡­she screamed.


    She screamed as she found her sword suddenly lodged through Robert, practically almost splitting him in half.


    "...You didn''t get it on camera," Riley sighed.


    "T¡­ that''s a sword blessed by his Holiness himself!" Crimson Pdin roared, "I''m the only one allowed to use it!"


    "I''m just borrowing it," Riley shook his head, "Besides, you weren''t using it."


    "That doesn''t mean you can use it! I didn''t give you permission!"


    "Humans tend to not ask for permission, Crimson Pdin," Riley said with a content smile on his face.


    "Y¡ª"


    "S¡­ shit!"


    And now, as the only one left alive, Taylor took the chance to run away as Riley and the Crimson Pdin were talking.


    His body burst into mes, covering his silhouette entirely.


    "Oh, you have a power simr to Hannah."


    Sadly for him, Riley was already in front of him as soon as he turned around ¡ª and without even any warning, Riley suddenly tightly wrapped his arms around him,


    "Oh, it''s different. Of course, it''s different¡­ Hannah is special, after all."


    "W¡ª Die!" Taylor screamed as he felt Riley''s hold getting tighter; the mes surrounding his body, exploding and bursting even stronger.


    And as soon as the entire room turned bright, the Crimson Pdin immediately adjusted the ISO of the phone''s camera ¡ª no longer minding about her sword as she just continued to do the task that was asked of her.


    After all, the Crimson Pdin always puts a hundred percent of her dedication, no matter the job.


    "..." And as the bursting mes continued to burn hotter, a sigh escaped from Riley''s mouth.


    "The foundation of your group is power, right?" Riley then casually said even as the mes slowly started to crawl towards him.


    Taylor didn''t really say anything as he just continued to roar; his mes, now moving erratically as he felt Riley''s grip growing tighter and tighter.


    "Screaming won''t suddenly make you stronger, Taylor. This isn''t anime," Riley once again sighed, "Is this it? Is this the extent of what you can do? It''s¡­


    ¡­disappointing."


    And as soon as he said that, the air around them started to distort,


    "Watch, this is real power."


    "!!!"


    The mes surrounding Taylor started to turn purple as the heat surrounding them started to multiply to the point that the floor beneath them instantly melted away ¡ª this heat, however, surprisingly did not reach Crimson Pdin as it seemed to just stop in a circle around them.


    And soon, Taylor screamed as¡­ parts of him started to melt.


    And soon, the mes around him just faded away, revealing his flesh that was slowly starting to slide off his bones.


    "..." Riley once again let out a small sigh as the air returned to normal. Taylor''s body then copsed almost like a wet noodle as he let him go.


    "..."


    "..."


    And then, once again, a sigh escaped from his mouth as he stared at the two corpses ¡ª his breaths, clearly showing his disappointment. He raised his hand, floating the two corpses in the air before also throwing them out of the building.


    "..." Crimson Pdin also started to float ¡ª she didn''t seem to mind, however, as she just followed the two corpses with the camera. She even gestured to Riley to take her higher so she could get a better angle.


    And there, those that were watching the stream finally saw what happened to the corpse of the woman from the House of Super.


    It was pinned outside the building, decorating the walls just above the Paige and Paragon signage. Her corpse wouldn''t be alone for long, however, as she was reunited with Taylor and Robert as they too¡­ were pinned beside her.


    Riley then very slowly came into view ¡ª a smile, already stered on his face as he stared directly at the phone''s lenses.


    "This is for the House of Super," he then said as he slightly nced at the corpses hanging behind him, "I have already announced your death. And so¡­"


    Riley raised his hands to the side, and as he did so, another body suddenly shot out from outside the camera''s view, before also pinning itself on the building alongside the three.


    And then¡­ it was followed by another.


    And then another, again and again ¡ª bodies started appearing from every direction, almost like flies caught in a trap. In fact, some of them seemed to still be alive; their blood, endlessly trailing on the wall.


    "Wherever you are, wherever my subordinates kill you ¡ª your corpses will find their way here."


    "..." Crimson Pdin started floating away, revealing almost a hundred bodies that were now almost covering the side of an entire floor.


    Was¡­ she really just supposed to watch and film Riley while he does this? Just what is the Pope trying to aplish by doing this? Her presence here was basically telling the entire world that he was supporting Riley''s actions.


    He knows Riley is Darkday, so why is he doing something like this? Even before during the incident of Megawoman''s clones in Los Angeles, the Pope asked her to offer Riley assistance.


    ¡­Why?


    "Run, hide. It doesn''t matter what you do," Riley then repeated the words he said from hisst livestream, "As long as you are a member of the House of Super¡­


    ¡­this will be your grave."


    ***AUTHOR NOTES***


    Read ''Wait, My Juice Can Save The World?'' Now!


    It''s been rewritten for the contest! It''s about a man who went back to the past and was given quite... a juicy system.


    Also, join the discord server for Viin Retirement! discord.gg/MBbJ3jJN7Q

 Chapter 370: Victims of My Baby Brother

    Chapter 370: Victims of My Baby Brother


    "Get the fuck out of my way!"


    "Girl, stop!"


    "Get out of my fucking way! I knew it! I fucking knew it! All of you told me it''s impossible but I fucking knew it!"


    "We can''t let you out there."


    "Why the fuck not!?"


    "You know why!"


    "..."


    Hannah''s screams echoed throughout the entirety of the Academy ¡ª even those that were underground could hear her. Well, probably not, but it certainly sounded like that from the Baby Crew''s ears. But finally, she stopped¡­


    ¡­not before Silvie pushed her to the ground, however.


    They were in front of the Academy gates, with Be practically covering and reinforcing the doorway, as well as the entire gate with a b of metal. Even Golden Fox was there, seemingly confused as to what was happening.


    "We can''t let you out there, girl," Be sighed.


    "You know what happenedst time," Gary whispered just enough that Golden Fox wouldn''t hear him, "We got wiped ¡ª he might really kill us this time."


    "W¡­ well, I don''t think he would kill us," Katrina took in a small gulp, "Maybe just¡­ hospitalize us?"


    "This is thest time I am asking nicely," the ground beneath Hannah started to melt, "Get out of my fucking way if you don''t want to get hurt," she then said as she stood up.


    Silvie, however, stood firm as she shook her head, "No."


    "What is it to you guys anyway!?" I am going alone! None of you even have to look at him!"


    "This isn''t about us getting hurt, this is about you hurting yourself again! Listen to yourself!" Silvie stomped her foot, causing the ground to shake, "We were the ones who had to prevent you from drowning. You don''t understand that!"


    "..." Hannah did not really say anything as her eyebrows and lips just trembled. Not only Silvie, but all of the Baby Crew blocked her path; their eyes, seemingly unrelenting.


    "..."


    "..."


    "I''m¡­ confused." And finally, Golden Fox, who had just been watching the situation, could no longer help herself as she joined in.


    "You¡­ don''t have to worry about this," Be sighed as she looked at Golden Fox, "It''s just¡­ some personal matters."


    "You guys¡­ really didn''t know that Paragon is Riley?"


    "...What?" And as soon as Golden Fox uttered those words, even Hannah looked at her.


    "What¡­ do you mean by that? You knew Paragon was Riley?"


    "Hm," Golden Fox nodded, "I saw his name the very first time we met¡­ since I already knew Riley before that. I could see his name if we looked into each other''s eyes."


    "Right¡­" Gary slightly breathed out, "...just one of your many abilities."


    "...What does that mean?" Golden Fox could not help but raise an eyebrow as she heard Gary''s slightly twisted tone.


    "Y¡ª"


    "!!!"


    And before Gary could say anything else, Hannah suddenly let out a deafening shriek.


    "Why is this happening!?" She then startedshing out where she stood, "Why didn''t he just fucking stay dead!?"


    And very soon, tears started trailing on her face.


    "Fuck!" And once again, her screams echoed through the entire Academy grounds which spanned kilometers. The Baby Crew could really only close their eyes and look away. They¡­


    ¡­never wanted to see Hannah like this again.


    When she killed Riley, it was¡­ really hard on her.


    If it wasn''t for Charlotte arriving the moment she did back then¡­ then Hannah wouldn''t be here anymore.


    They thought they could give Hannah some time to grieve, mourn, and think for herself as they waited for her toe out of her room. But when they finally barged inside, they found her sitting in a pool of her own blood. She¡­


    ¡­slit her throat.


    Just a minute more, and she would have died.


    Yes, they were afraid of Riley ¡ª extremely frightened, in fact. But they were more afraid for Hannah; afraid that something like that might happen again.


    They were shocked to find out Riley was alive, but that onlysted for a second as all their concerns shifted to Hannah¡­ they truly didn''t want to see her like that again.


    "If you wanna go out there, I will help you."


    And as they showered themselves in silence, a voice approached them. They all turned to look as to who it could be, only to see a somewhat familiar face.


    It took a few seconds¡­ but it finally registered in their minds as to who this woman could be.


    "...V?"


    A previous member of the Hope Guild¡­ and one of the unfortunate victims of Riley''s guile.


    They almost could not recognize her as she was just¡­ too thin. Her hair was greying, her lips dark¡­ and her eyes sunken.


    "I''ll help," V breathed out; her voice, slightly hoarse, "I''ll help you kill that fucking bast¡ª"


    And before she could even finish what she was going to say, the sound of her retching and vomiting to the ground hissed in the air; once again causing the Baby Crew to look away.


    "Let''s just¡­ all returned to the base for now."


    And with everyone defeated, they all returned to the Korean Shaved Ice store; their sighs almost brought the entire shop down.


    "So¡­ the kid''s alive."


    Katrina and Golden Fox were not there, as they didn''t want to tell Riley''s true identity to anyone else for now. Instead, to rece Katrina¡­ Charlotte was currently sitting with the Baby Crew plus V.


    "What¡­ are you guys nning to do about this situation?" Charlotte muttered.


    "We¡­ we n to fucking kill him, that''s what," V was the first to say something; her fingers, tapping endlessly on the table as her entire face was covered in sweat.


    "Are you¡­ okay?" Gary could not help but squint as he looked at V.


    "..." V didn''t really say anything as she just grabbed a sk from her pocket. She was about to open it, but Charlotte swatted it away before she could do so.


    "Why did you do that!?"


    "Don''t do this to yourself," Charlotte sighed, "You''ve already suffered enough. Your rehabilitation has also been going along¡ª"


    "Fuck you!" V stood up as she pointed at Charlotte, "This is your fault for giving birth to psychos! I am so fucking tired of this! Why do we even need to hide from the world that Riley is Satan!? He¡­ he hurt so many people and he¡ª"


    "Sleep."


    Charlotte touched V''s forehead, and as she did so, the whites of V''s eyes quickly showed themselves. Charlotte quickly caught her head, gently cing it on the table as she let out a sigh.


    "Rehab¡­" Be gulped, "Is she¡­?"


    "Alcohol and drug addiction," Charlotte shook her head, "No one was really there to help her cope."


    "My brother¡­" Hannah whispered, "Riley¡­ really did destroy so many lives, didn''t he?"


    "Well¡ª if you think about it, it''s nothingpared to the body count of the House of Sup¡ª" Gary did not continue his words as he noticed Silvie and Be staring at him.


    "If you n to¡­ confront him, I''ll join," Charlotte slightly raised her voice, "I''m¡­ tired of pretending this has nothing to do with me. But first¡­ do any of you even have a n?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Why¡­ why does it feel like he really doesn''t regret anything?"


    No one really answered Charlotte; instead, Hannah just continued to talk as she just looked at the table in front of her.


    "Did Empress know that Paragon is Riley? Why¡­ why would she do that if she knew?" Hannah whispered to herself, "What the fuck is this? Just¡­ why would¡ª"


    And then, for some weird reason, Hannah remembered her touching Paragon''s chest.


    "Fuck!" She screamed... and then suddenly started pping herself from the disgusting thoughts that suddenly surfaced in her mind.


    "Stop¡­ stop!"


    Silvie quickly got up and grabbed Hannah''s hands.


    "Please¡­ Hannah, stop¡­"


    "Why!?"


    "Please¡­ just stop," Silvie then carefully embraced Hannah from behind, "Please¡­ don''t lose your head¡­ not you."


    "I knew¡­" Hannah seemed to not be hearing anyone else but herself, "I knew it was him the very first time Iid my eyes on him¡­ I knew. There was just something about him that just¡­ felt so familiar¡­ it felt warm¡­ it was because he''s Riley¡­ fuck!"


    Tears once again started to trail on Hannah''s face as she held Silvie''s arms and slightly rested her head on her,


    "What¡­ do we even do?" She whispered, "What do I even do? I¡­"


    Hannah then looked at the rest of the group one by one, "The truth is, I don''t¡­


    ¡­I don''t want to kill him again."


    "..."


    "I know¡­ I know he''s a fucking mass murdered," Hannah shook her head, "But he¡­ he''s my fucking brother. It''s so selfish but whenever¡­ I remember his face that day¡­"


    "..."


    "I never told this to anyone before¡­ but he cried," Hannah forced a chuckle as her breaths became erratic, "It was¡­ it was just a single drop. But right at that moment¡­ all I could see was my brother¡­ I felt like I finally met him¡­


    ¡­and then he was just gone."


    "..."


    "I know¡­ I know it''s unfair, I know it''s wrong¡­ but I want to save him. I don''t know how, I don''t know what from¡­


    ¡­but I want to save my baby brother."


    ***


    "...This man is beyond saving."


    "..."


    Back in the Paige and Paragon agency, the Crimson Pdin has stopped streaming; as no one seemed to being and Riley had also asked her to rest for a while.


    And so, the two of them were just casually sitting in the lobby; as if there weren''t hundreds of bodies hanging just outside the building.


    In fact, she could still see some of them squirming and trying to break free ¡ª but whenever they did so, some part of them would shatter.


    "..." Riley seemed to be doing this consciously, as each time someone moved¡­ he wouldugh.


    This man¡­ is beyond saving.


    Is it some lesser evil thing? Is that it? Is that why the Pope ordered her to assist him?


    Just what¡­ just what could the Pope be thinking?

 Chapter 371: Angela

    Chapter 371: Ang


    Hours once again passed ¡ª and any noise, groans, and wails of pain that could be heard from outside the building were no more.


    A thousand? More than, definitely.


    Riley''s so-called subordinates also arrived to refresh themselves in the bar and rest a bit, before once again quickly leaving. And seeing the wide smiles on their faces, they were more than likely to be lunatics.


    Of course ¡ª one would have to be crazy to befriend someone like Riley. And so, with everything seemingly peaceful and no signs of any House of Super members intruding or invading, the two just remained sitting in the lobby.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...What is it?" And after another hour of silence, Crimson Pdin could no longer hold her tongue as Riley has been staring at her without pause, "If you want to say something, then say it."


    "I am just curious, really," Riley muttered, "Your eyes ¡ª they weren''t stitched when we met in Los Angeles."


    "..." Crimson Pdin did not really answer; only letting out a short breath as she slightly turned her head away.


    "Did the Pope do it to you?"


    "No, what?" Crimson Pdin quickly returned her invisible gaze towards Riley, "The Holiness would never do anything like this. I¡­


    ¡­did it to myself."


    "Why, Crimson Pdin?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Did the Pope order you to¡ª"


    "No!" Crimson Pdin quickly shook her head, "My¡­ power bes stronger as I age. I used to only see through things whenever I want to ¡ª but now I have lost control of that. I needed something to cover my eyes, and so I did this."


    "...You could have just covered your eyes with a blindfold. You''re not very smart, Crimson Pdin."


    "I did not want the temptation of being able to take it off whenever I want to," Crimson Pdin''s breaths started to be heavy, "There are things in the world that we are just not meant to see."


    "Hm," Riley nodded, "X-ray vision, super strength and speed, and you grow wings. What other abilities do you have?


    "...No, I don''t grow wings."


    "...The Pope said you did."


    "When did you even talk to the Pope about that?" Crimson Pdin only shook her head and sighed, "And I do not have super strength."


    "Hm?" Riley immediately looked at Crimson Pdin''s sword, which was already prating the floor solely due to its sheer weight. In fact, even her helmet had already left a mark on the table.


    "It''s not super strength. I guess you can call it¡­ a distinct form of matter maniption. I can''t fully exin it," Crimson Pdin muttered before lightly touching her stitched eyes, "It''s the same reason why I can see through things."


    "..."


    "The world works differently for me. That''s all you really need to know."


    "Matter maniption. I have a few abilities belonging to that category," and as Riley said that, he grabbed something from the inner pockets of the cardigan he was wearing, before cing them on the table and causing a series of clicks to whisper in the air.


    "..." Crimson Pdin did not really say anything as she just watched as Riley tapped one of the metal-like shavings he ced on the table, and as he did so¡­ the small shaving suddenly turned into a spoon.


    Crimson Pdin looked closer at the rest of the metal shavings, only to find out that they were¡­ micro utensils and cutlery.


    "...Do you know why you''re evil, Riley Ross?" And for some weird reason, this was the question that suddenly popped up inside her mind.


    "Because I just am. I was born like this and there does not need to be a reason for me being so, Crimson Pdin."


    Riley did not seem to mind the sudden change of topic, as he immediately answered Crimson Pdin''s sudden and random question.


    "Do you think you can still be redeemed?"


    "Redeemed for what?"


    "For taking the lives of millions of people."


    "...One needs to ask for forgiveness to be redeemed," Riley shook his head, "I will never apologize for something I enjoy doing."


    "...Then what are you doing now? Killing members of a supremacist group that has killed billions of people. Surely, there is something inside you seeking even just a tiny bit of redemption¡­ that wants to pay for his sins and be a hero?"


    And as soon as Riley heard Crimson Pdin''s words, a small smile crawled on his face,


    "I am merely doing this because I am bored, Crimson Pdin."


    "..."


    "Aerith ¡ª Megawoman once told me I could just end it all. That I could throw the moon at the and that will be it," Riley then slightly raised his hand; his fingers, touching each other.


    "..." Crimson Pdin turned her head towards Riley''s fingers; her breaths, slightly perturbed and anxious.


    "I could do it without even snapping my fingers," Riley lowered his hand, "I can split the Earth if I want to¡­


    ¡­but I do not and I will not, because where is the fun in that?"


    And with those words, Crimson Pdin''s breaths were slowly able to rx.


    "And I also care about some things in this world, it is important it stays intact."


    "...And what happens if the thing you care about disappears?"


    "Then all of you will die," Riley''s smile grew, "And then I just move on to another. Megawoman has brought me to this small, you see. You''d be surprised with the creatures there ¡ª you and I wouldn''t be the strangest looking in the room, from our perspective, that is."


    "..."


    "...Do you think if you destroy the world, Megawoman will still allow you to go to another?"


    "I don''t need her to take me back there, I can go back there myself."


    "How would you even find your way?"


    "Oh, I left¡­ a little something there. I know where it is now at all times."


    "..."


    "..."


    And once again, there was silence between the two. It wasn''t until several minutester that Crimson Pdin once again asked another question.


    "Why¡­ do you think the Pope asked me to watch over you?" Crimson Pdin said as she lightly brushed her gigantic sword.


    "...Should you not know the answer to that?" Riley once again raised his finger; this time, however, a pair of cups floated towards their table¡­ followed by a bottle of milk which poured itself into the sses.


    Crimson Pdin picked up a cup and started drinking, before letting out a long and very deep sigh as she wiped her lips,


    "He¡­ didn''t tell me the reason. I figured maybe you would know."


    "Why not just ask him?"


    "I¡­ can''t," Crimson Pdin shook her head, "There''s a certain hierarchy that I need to respe¡ª what are you doing?"


    And before Crimson Pdin could finish her words, Riley suddenly ced his phone on the table and started fidgeting with it.


    "What are you doing?"


    "Calling the Pope."


    "...You have his number?"


    "Of course," Riley shrugged, "He also watched Italian Mafia Reborn."


    And soon, a ring reverberated in the air as Riley put the phone on speakers.


    "W¡­ wait, you can''t just¡ª"


    "Hello, Louise."


    [Riley Ross.]


    "!!!" And as soon as she heard the Pope''s voice, Crimson Pdin could really only cover her mouth in fear that the Pope would hear her.


    [It has been a long time. Have you been well, my child?]


    "I''m having fun right now. What about you?"


    [The same as always, one foot on the grave. I am not getting any younger,] Crimson Pdin could hear the Pope chuckling,


    [I trust Ang has not been giving you any trouble?]


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at Crimson Pdin, "Her name¡­ is Ang?"


    [Yes. You could say¡­ she''s my guardian ang.]


    "...Pft," Riley let out a small chuckle. As for the Pope, he also burst out inughter ¡ª almost causing the speakers to scratch from how robust and loud it was.


    "..." Ang could really only have her mouth open in shock. Of course, she had already seen Riley interacting with the Pope a couple of times as Darkday before ¡ª but to think they even have each other''s numbers?


    What are they¡­ friends?


    "I actually called you to ask something, Louise. Why did you send Ang to watch me?"


    Ang gestured to Riley to cut the call, but Riley was just waving his hand.


    [Watch you? No¡­ It''s the other way around.]


    "..." Ang then turned her head to Riley, no longer gesturing to Riley to cut the call but instead continued to ask what the Pope meant.


    [Do you know the little girl is actually one of Megawoman''s disciples?]


    "..." Riley once again blinked several times as he returned Ang''s gaze, "I was not aware of that, no."


    [She''s special, that Ang¡­ but she''s also a very fragile child.]


    "..." Ang wanted to cover her ears. Why does it feel like she was listening to something she shouldn''t?


    [I did not order her to go there so she can watch you,] the Pope let out a short but deep sigh, [But for you to watch her ¡ª !!!]


    Crimson Pdin''s eyes started to widen as she heard several people shouting from the background.


    [I¡­ am the human with the highest authority in the world. Do you know what that entails, child?]


    "...You are a thorn for the House of Super."


    [Yes, I am their biggest target. I am an old man, Riley. The people think I am immacte and holy ¡ª but I bore a sin.]


    "..."


    [And that sin, I asked Megawoman to carry¡­ but to think that sin brought itself back to my world. And that sin¡­


    ¡­is with you right now.]


    "..."


    [I did not order Ang to go there because of some grand scheme or holy quest, Riley¡­


    ¡­my daughter, she is safest with you.]

 Chapter 372: Relocation

    Chapter 372: Relocation


    [She¡­ is safest with you.]


    "Why did you think I''ll be safe with the world''s no. 1 serial killer!?"


    And all of a sudden, Ang''s voice filled the entire lobby as she grabbed the phone from the table; screaming at it almost as if that would make the Pope respond faster. But s, it seemed to have the opposite effect¡­


    ¡­as the phone hung up.


    "Hello? Hello!?"


    "Quite an interesting development."


    On the other hand, Riley was nodding to himself as he stood up; grabbing the phone from Ang while carrying a very subtle smile on his face ¡ª but with his mouth, even the most subtle smile seemed somewhat mischievous.


    Ang couldn''t really say anything, however, as she just remained seatedpletely bbergasted.


    An interesting development? Perhaps for a bystander. But for Ang? This practically just changed her entire life. How was she even supposed to go on knowing what she knows now? Is it even true?


    But what does the Pope have to gain from lying? And why would he lie about something like this?


    Wait ¡ª is this why it felt like he was treating her differently from the other two pdins? Ang thought she was treated better because she was the best amongst the three¡­ but now that she was scouring her memories, she was realizing some things.


    And while Ang was currently stuck in her own mind, Riley was once again dialing someone.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Hello, Ms. Ellie."


    [W¡­ what the¡­ Riley? Why are you calling me instead of John?]


    "I need the two of you to return as soon as possible," Rileypletely ignored Ellie''s somewhat perplexed voice, "You have a new job ¡ª take care of Paige and the building."


    [...]


    [...Alright, we''re actually already on our way back. We''ll be there in less than a minute.]


    "Thank you, Ms. Ellie."


    "If the Pope is my father¡­ then who''s my mother? I need to¡ª Where are you going!?"


    And before Ang could finish muttering to her words, she saw Riley already only a meter away from the door.


    "I''m going to where the Pope is, of course," Riley casually said as he shrugged, "I think no one else is going toe here ¡ª the House of Super seems to be focusing their forces to kill the Pope first."


    "T¡­ then let mee with you!"


    "I think that is obvious," Riley then raised his hand, and as he did so, Ang was lifted into the air along with her gigantic b of a sword and helmet; somewhat unwillingly being floated outside,


    "You''ll be my map. I assume he would be in the Vatican?"


    "Y¡­ yes," Ang could really only nod her head as she and Riley started ascending into the sky; the buildings below, quickly bing smaller, "Shouldn''t¡­ we take the jet I took to get here?"


    "No. Too slow."


    And as soon as Riley said that, Ang felt her vision shift; she heard a quick poping from the front as he saw a skirt of wind exploding from Riley''s waist ¡ª it was¡­ a weird feeling. By all means, she should be experiencing a massive shift in pressure due to the sheer g-force she found herself in, but there was nothing like that.


    There wasn''t even a single waft of air sting through her face; the strands of her hair, unmoving.


    It almost just felt like she was casually floating still in the air, but the blurring ocean beneath her quickly debunked that.


    "How does it feel, Ms. Ang?"


    "It¡­ feels like we are just floating still."


    "I meant suddenly knowing your father was close to you all along."


    "...Oh," Ang could really only blink several times as she heard Riley''s words, "I honestly don''t know what I am feeling right now. It¡­ doesn''t feel real. How¡­ did you feel when you realized you were adopted and that your parents were not your real parents?"


    "They told me at a very young age," Riley nced back at Ang, "I remember feeling¡­ relieved a few momentster."


    "...Relieved?"


    Yes," Riley nodded, "Because that would mean that I was different from Hannah because I was born from a different set of people. There wouldn''t be a chance that she would be a monster like me."


    "...Right. Then what about when you found out who your real parents are?"


    "Diana and Bernard are my real parents."


    "...I mean your biological parents."


    "Ah," Riley slightly nodded, "It did not really change anything since my biological mother was already dead."


    "Then¡­ what about your biological father?"


    "The circumstances of my birth are still a littleplicated. I do not think I even have one ¡ª I came from some sort of syringe. I am also still not clear about that, I will ask Diana once we meet again."


    "...Huh," Ang could only really let out a breath. In truth, she was just trying to make sense of things and just wanted to distract herself so she asked about Riley''s situation¡­ but to think it was this strange,


    "But still¡­ you don''t make another human with just your mother''s egg. Have you never really wondered what the other half of you is? You might find out why you are how you are if you find out who the other half of your DNA belongs to."


    "..." Riley once again nced back at Ang.


    "Now that I know the Pope is my father ¡ª some of the parts in my life that previously didn''t make any sense suddenly be clear. I am actually almost old enough to be your mother, but now I¡­ feel like a child again."


    "...You might actually be on to something here, Ms. Ang," Riley squinted, "I initially thought I am different because of Alice¡­ but aside from being a nuisance and a pain to the people around her, she didn''t truly be crazy until the day she decided to kill me."


    "..."


    "No. Did¡­ she really even be crazy at the end?" Riley squinted his eyes, "Now you made me curious about my origin, Ms. Ang."


    "...You made me curious of your origin," Ang blinked several times as she heard the circumstances of Riley''s birth, "All those things really happened?"


    It was hard to sympathize with a murderer that has massacred and tortured millions of people. But now that she was hearing Riley''s story¡­ why was it even starting to feel like it was her fault even though she wasn''t in any way involved?


    She remembersughing and scoffing when the Pope told her that Riley was just a misguided child ¡ª that he was a product of the tragedies surrounding him. But now, why does that feel so urate?


    "What do you think, Ms. Ang?"


    "Hm?"


    "What reason do you think a mother would have to kill his 2-year-old son?"


    "That¡­" Although there wasn''t even a hint of sorrow or sadness in Riley''s voice, Ang still could not help but almost choke in her own breath as she heard his words. As much as she wanted to deny it¡­ she had heard many stories of mothers killing their children ¡ª especially those that are insane and fanatical about their faith.


    But being insane is their reason. Because what other reason could there be?


    "I have heard of animals killing their offspring due to them being weak. Is it possible I was weak as a baby?"


    "..."


    "It''s possible. I didn''t gain telekinesis until Alice killed me."


    "I think¡ª"


    "We''ve arrived."


    "...Already?"


    Thankfully for Ang, she didn''t really have to force herself to answer Riley''s question as they slowly descended to the ground. She looked below her¡­ only to see the once grand and ancient city nowpletely ruined.


    "What¡­ have they done?" Ang quickly grabbed the helmet that was floating beside her and wore it.


    "Can you see where the Pope is, Ms. Ang?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "There," Ang pointed at the main building, "He''s underground."


    "Okay, you can go ahead."


    "What do you¡ª"


    And before she could even finish her words, she felt herself being thrown away ¡ª plunging straight into the building; storming through several walls as she did so. She was quite surprised at the first wall at first but quickly used her sword to burst through the next ones.


    And without even a moment, she suddenly found herself in front of therge door leading to the underground vault---


    "..."


    ---With several people looking at her; all of them, wearing a hint of red on them.


    "..." She then turned her head to the side, only to see someone wearing a simr armor to her, except silver in color¡­ sprawled on the ground and seemingly surrounded by his own blood,


    "...George."


    The Crimson Pdin then ced her sword in front of her,


    "In death, may you find Him."


    And with those words, the Crimson Pdin brandished her sword.


    ***


    Riley was still in the St. Reacher''s Square, but now standing on top of the cross obelisk that was in the very center of the square ¡ª wondering why it was called a square when the halls of pirs that surrounded it were clearly shaped in a circle.


    His hands were inside his pockets, his long cardigan and long ck hair, flowing with the wind. And very soon, he stretched his arms to the side.


    And with a small breath and a growing smile on his face¡­ the morning sky slowly turned dark.


    And soon, a drop of rain could be seen puttering from the dark sky, drenching the ground in red.


    And with the drop soon multiplying, the square was very slowly painted in blood.


    And then¡­ it was followed by a thud that whispered through the rain ¡ª a corpse, dropping in a pool of its own blood. And then, it was followed by another¡­


    ¡­and another.


    "I changed my mind," Riley then turned to look at the phone that was floating in front of him,


    "I''m relocating your grave."


    And soon, what followed the rain of blood¡­


    ¡­was a storm of bodies endlessly crashing to the ground.

 Chapter 373: Judgment Day

    Chapter 373: Judgment Day


    Holy.


    There are only a few ces left that could actually be called that on the entire ¡ª The Vatican City was one of them. It was said to be the site where St. Reacher was buried, it was supposed to be his grave and his grave alone.


    But now, he just gained morepanions¡­ a lot more.


    The Vatican City was already tattered and ruined even before Ang and Riley arrived, no doubt because of the House of Super trying to scour and find the Pope. But now, with the square literally filled with a pool of blood that almost covered the sole of one''s foot, itpletely became¡­ ominous.


    Holy?


    No, perhaps not anymore as several corpses now littered the square ¡ª all of them, skewered through a pole and raised meters from the ground like a g. If someone of faith were to describe hell, then this would probably be it¡­ even the sky is red from the cloud of blood that fogged the air.


    And the one responsible for painting this scenery¡­ was still standing on top of the obelisk; his eyes closed and head slightly swaying with the little wind that wafted through the bloodied air, almost as if he was listening to music that only he could hear.


    ¡ªAnd everyone could see this.


    His phone was rotating around him, streaming live for all the people to see. Initially, half of the people in his stream would beining about his brutality; his executions, his ruthlessness, and tant homicide as Paragon was something that irked some people since he was supposed to be a hero.


    But now, everyone was just asking for the blood of the House of Super. And with the revtion that Paragon was actually Riley, they didn''t even care that he was supposedly dead ¡ª the people justughed at the irony that the banner that the House of Super used to gather was now the one slowly erasing them from the map.


    Everyone supported him.


    Why would they not?


    The House of Super has killed a billion of the poption ¡ª that was way worse than what any viin has donebined, including Darkday. And what''s worse, is that they didn''t even consider themselves viins.


    And with Riley actually doing it in a holy ce, people could not help but think that this was an act of god.


    Riley Ross resurrects from the dead to rid the world of the evil that festered it. A devil, an angel? It no longer matters what he is ¡ª he is the end.


    And soon, Riley finally opened his eyes. He then turned them to the skies, only to see a dot of a silhouette headed his way. The people watching his stream were the first to see what it is, as Riley propelled his phone towards it at a speed that caused everyone''s screen to almost glitch out.


    And there, they saw what it was ¡ª a missile. It wasrge ¡ª perhaps asrge as a car, but those that know what it is quickly widened their eyes and grabbed whatever screen was in front of them. After all¡­ they have seen shells and samples of it in a museum.


    A hydrogen bomb from the past, unused in a war that almost happened.


    Once again, the scenery shifted as Riley''s phone returned to him even faster than the speed of the missile ¡ª now giving them a view of Riley''s back as well as the iing missile.


    All of them tried spamming the chat and asking for Riley to get out of there ¡ª Riley, however, just remained standing on the obelisk. And instead of flying away¡­ he turned around to look at the camera.


    "You like bombs?" He then said; his words, clearly targeted at the House of Super, "That is quite paradoxical, don''t you think? For an organization that ims they are superior, you use the weapons of those you deem inferior. Do you know what that makes you?"


    The chat became crazy, still asking Riley to leave as the missile was already only clearly kilometers away from him.


    "A joke," Riley then calmly muttered as a smile slowly crawled on his face, "Your organization is a joke."


    And with the missile now only meters away from directly hitting him, some of the viewers could really only close their eyes; expecting the live stream to cut after a loud and visceral explosion.


    But it never came. Instead, there was only a thud.


    And very slowly, they opened their eyes, only to see Riley holding the tip of the missile with one hand¡­ and he didn''t even look at it.


    No, he didn''t even fully turn around. And those that didn''t close their eyes, clearly saw what happened.


    Riley caught the missile from behind like it was some sort of baseball ¡ª it didn''t even explode.


    They could hear it purring almost like a cat on steroids and hum like a Siberian husky on sedatives, but it didn''t explode. It just stayed there, almost as still as the smile on Riley''s face as he still looked at the camera.


    "You think I''ve never had nuclear weapons thrown at me before?" Riley then said before suddenly letting go of the missile, causing the viewers to slightly flinch. The missile, however, just remained floating in the air.


    And very subtly, a chuckle could be heard whispering in the air as Riley rested his cheek on the tip of the nuclear warhead.


    He then once again stared at the camera and whispered,


    "Boom."


    And with that word, the bomb finally exploded.


    Everyone was expecting the entire screen to turn white ¡ª and it did. But only momentarily and only like a sh¡­ as very slowly, the wash of their screens faded away and coalesced in what seemed like a white dot in the very center of their view.


    And this white dot¡­ was hovering above Riley''s palm.


    And on Riley''s face, out of nowhere, was a pair of sunsses reflecting this white dot.


    "..."


    "..."


    And with a sigh, he took off the sunsses and hid them in one of his pockets,


    "It¡­ doesn''t even tickle anymore," and with those words, Riley pinched the white dot¡­ making it disappear almost as if it was just candlelight.


    "Honestly," Riley then once again sighed as he looked at the camera, "You could have just used it on yourselves."


    "..."


    "..."


    And then, almost as if a nuclear weapon was not just thrown at him, Riley once again closed his eyes in silence. The chat in his live stream, however, is anything but.


    Millions of people were watching it ¡ª a fraction of them bombarding the chat with all sorts of messages. Riley, however, did not bother reading any of them as he just once again started slowly bobbing his head.


    Now, however, they knew what he was listening to ¡ª death.


    The sound of the deaths that havee and wereing for the House of Super. And very soon, it was almost as if they could hear it too as some of them started bobbing their heads with Riley.


    Soon, however¡­ The chat was bombarded by a weird message.


    [Riley Ross is Darkday.]


    Hundreds of them, filling the entire chat and drowning any other messages. Over and over again, several people typed the same thing ¡ª but one message stopped thempletely.


    [So what?]


    The people didn''t care. An angel, a devil ¡ª they would take anyone that led to their path of revenge. Of course, most of them didn''t believe it and just told them to ''GTFO''.


    As for Riley, he was just¡­ still standing there ¡ª standing on top of the giant cross above the obelisk.


    "R¡­ Riley Ross!"


    And soon, the silence was broken as a scream could be heard ¡ª the pool of blood that remained peaceful, now disturbed by several ripples as people soon started arriving at the square¡­


    ¡­trying their best to walk their way to Riley and avoid the thousand corpses that were staked on the ground.


    "..." The camera panned towards the steps, only for the viewers to see dozens of people from the House of Super; evident from the red scarves and armbands they were wearing.


    "R¡­ Riley Ross! Please¡­ please stop!"


    "We¡­ we were doing this for the betterment of the Supers!"


    "We stand by you! Whatever your decision is, we stand by you!"


    And soon, some of them started removing their scarves ¡ª ripping off anything that even resembled the color red from their person.


    "The¡­ The House of Super was built because of you! They¡­ they told us this is what you would have wanted!"


    "Please! We don''t care about the House of Super!"


    "..."


    Riley then stopped bobbing his head, slowly opening his eyes as he looked at the hundreds of people now surrounding the obelisk ¡ª some of them, kneeling on the blood-filled ground.


    "..." Riley then nced straight at the camera''s lens for several seconds, before once again turning his attention to the people below him. And with a small sigh, he uttered,


    "No."


    Stakes. Once again, stakes raised from the ground as the people watching Riley''s stream could only avert their eyes as the members of the House of Super were skewered one by one.


    Some managed to dodge, only for their backs to be littered with several more spikes.


    Some of them managed to fly away¡­ only for them to explode into a mist of blood; not even leaving any of their guts.


    And that''s when the people knew.


    Run, hide ¡ª it doesn''t matter.


    Riley''s words weren''t a threat or an ultimatum, it was judgment.


    The House of Super will be wiped out from the face of the Earth.

 Chapter 374: Stay Away

    Chapter 374: Stay Away


    "Your Holiness!"


    It took almost an hour, but Ang was finally able to fend off all the members of the House of Super that wanted to get inside the vault where the Pope was hiding ¡ª her armor was stillpletely intact, with not even a scratch on it even though all sorts of attacks were done to it.


    She was tired, however ¡ª extremely.


    The House of Super may just seem like they only have numbers on their side, but they also have supers that could be considered Grade-A. Their ranks seem to be represented by what essory they were wearing, but Ang didn''t really have the luxury to ask which is which as she just endlessly waved her sword against the onught of people.


    This is probably the most people she had ever seen gathered in one small area, and she''s been in the Academy¡­ and the leader of their group, the so-called Caesar, has not once shown itself yet.


    They seem like a well-structured organization, but in truth¡­ their system and ranks were all over the ce. They didn''t even have a proper n of attack.


    No wonder, of course ¡ª most of the people that joined the organization probably just wanted the benefits after the world is ruled by them. They were like ants being swayed by sweets.


    And now, it would seem they were ordered to stop as no one was approaching the vault anymore; all that remained were their corpses that were piled up in front of Ang; their bodies, barely even recognizable due to the sheer size of Ang''s sword.


    "... " The only thing she could really do right now was to stand guard; resting her back on therge door of the vault, trying to catch her breath as fast as possible just in case another army shows up inside ¡ª but nothing.


    She could see some people running from afar, but not one tried to rush toward her. Did they finally discover that Riley was outside?


    Should¡­ she check what''s happening?


    And before Ang could even take a single step, she felt herself being pushed as the vault suddenly opened.


    "Crimson Pdin, standing guard!" Ang then quickly raised her voice as she took a few steps away, pushing and throwing away the bodies near the door with her sword, before kneeling on the floor.


    "...So George did not make it."


    "..." Ang only nced at the Pope as he stepped out; in front of him, was the Gold Pdin, who immediately approached the Silver Pdin. He then kneeled in front of hisrade, he wanted to remove his helmet, but it was already caved in; forcing it might do more damage to the Silver Pdin''s corpse.


    Instead, he just removed both of their gauntlets and held his hand to offer a silent prayer.


    "I¡­ was toote," Ang''s sighs could be heard even through her helmet, "If I knew we were being attacked, I would have stayed and¡ª"


    "And disobeyed his Holiness'' order?" Gold Pdin then took off his golden helmet; revealing the tired warrior underneath. His face, stered with arge scar that was shaped like lightning bolts; trailing from his left cheek and all the way to his neck,


    "George sacrificed his life knowingly. You do not have to veil yourself with guilt."


    "..." Ang finally stood up as she nodded her head. She then turned towards the Pope, not really knowing what to say to him.


    "Ang."


    "Your Holiness," Ang bowed her head. When they were on their way here, Ang had so many things she wanted to say to the Pope ¡ª she had even constructed an entire speech. But now, seeing him in front of her, the only thing she could really do was stand there awkwardly.


    She had always just served the Pope as a guard, she didn''t really know how to act any different. And perhaps¡­ this isn''t the right time to do so anyway.


    "I am here with Riley Ross," Ang then said; her voice, that of a soldier for now.


    "..." The Pope looked at her for a few seconds, before letting out a sigh and also nodding his head; understanding the meaning of her tone, "And where is the boy now?"


    "He is outside," Ang turned around to look at the walls, "He¡ª !!!"


    And finally, Ang saw the scenery in the square. And there really was only one way to describe it ¡ª a forest of death.


    "What¡­ is he doing!?"


    "Leave him," Gold Pdin raised his hand before Ang could walk away, "Securing the Pope and bringing him away from here is our first priority. I will¡ª"


    "...Matt?"


    "..."


    Both the Pope and Ang could not help but turn their heads to the Gold Pdin as his words suddenly and abruptly stopped.


    "Matthew?" The Pope let out a small breath; his steps, sluggish as he approached the Gold Pdin and ced his hand on his shoulder, "What is wrong, child? Are you¡ª"


    And before the Pope could finish his words, the Gold Pdin was suddenly reced by Ang in his vision as she rammed him with her sword;unching him straight into a wall. And once again, before the Pope could even understand what was going on, Ang suddenly lifted him up onto her shoulder and leaped away.


    And as soon as she did so, the ground where the Pope was previously standing caved in¡­ with the Gold Pdin suddenly appearing out of nowhere in the air and causing a crater to form as hended.


    "..." The Gold Pdin only turned his head towards Ang and the Pope, before once again instantly disappearing from his spot and appearing above them.


    Ang once again leaped away as he dodged the Gold Pdin''s descent ¡ª this time, not even looking at him as she ran away while carrying the Pope.


    "W¡­ what is happening?" The Pope''s breaths were constricted.


    "It''s not Matt," Ang muttered, "Someone''s controlling him. I heard one of the high-ranking members of the House of Super is capable of possessing other Supers."


    "I¨C"


    The Pope didn''t even have the chance to talk as the Gold Pdin once again teleported near them ¡ª this time, in front of them¡­ his shoulders, already threatening to ram through Ang.


    "!!!"


    Ang quickly pointed her sword towards the rushing Gold Pdin. The Gold Pdin, however, did not stop even as the sword prated through his armor. The sword did not go through, though, as Ang found herself being pushed back as Gold Pdin just continued to charge.


    The Gold Pdin''s abilities were quite¡­ mighty.


    He was able to teleport short distances, and was also able to multiply his weight and harden his skin to the point that even Megawoman herself stated that he was almost indestructible. Unfortunately, it would seem his body was not immune to possession.


    "Tch."


    Ang then hopped, before pushing herself away by kicking the Gold Pdin''s shoulder and pulling her sword from his armor. And as soon as shended, she pierced her sword through the ground and used it as a shield.


    The Gold Pdin did not even halt his charge as he just rammed through the sword, causing the ground to split and create a crevice as he practically dragged the sword through the ground. But then, after a few more steps, he stopped.


    After all¡­ Ang and the Pope were gone.


    "..."


    "..."


    The Gold Pdin stood there in silence as he stared at the sword. But after a few seconds, he once again disappeared into thin air.


    ***


    "..."


    Outside in the square, Riley was still standing on top of the obelisk ¡ª his eyes, following Ang and the Pope as they weaved their way through the forest of corpses he made.


    And as soon as they got near, Riley finally hopped down from the cross as he stood in front of the two,


    "I see you have grown old to the point you are no longer able to use your legs, Louise," he then quickly said as he saw the Pope on Ang''s shoulder.


    "It would seem¡ª"


    "Why are the two of you talking so casually!?" Ang raised her voice before the two could continue their discussion, "Get us out of here now, the Gold Pdin will be here any second!"


    "..." Riley looked back and forth between the Pope and Ang, before letting out a sigh as he settled his eyes on the Pope,


    "Were you betrayed by one of your followers, Louise?" Riley shook his head, "Truly, the history of your doctrine is filled with¡ª"


    "We have no time to discuss this, Riley," Ang cut off Riley''s words, "Get us out of here now. The Golden Pdin is a tricky opponent, even for you. Megawoman herself doesn''t want to fight him because there''s no sense to it!"


    "...Oh?"


    "..." There and then, Ang knew she made a mistake. How could she forget the Pope''s stories of Darkday''s unhealthy obsession with the mightiest hero? She wanted to retract her statement, but s¡­


    ¡­a smile has already grown on Riley''s face.


    "Damn it!" Ang could really only click her tongue as she took a few steps back. She then turned around to run¡­ but found herself unable to take another step as something seemed to be blocking her path ¡ª an invisible wall.


    "What¡­ are you doing?" Ang quickly turned to look at Riley, who only pointed his finger towards the air above her.


    "..." She slowly looked up, only to see the Golden Pdin standing above her¡­ unable to descend any lower.


    "He''s quite heavy."


    She then once again turned her attention to Riley as his words calmly reached her ears,


    "Heavier than Toronto."


    "!!!"


    Riley''s words were then followed by a loud rumble; the entire square, trembling as the Golden Pdin stepped down from the invisible box that Riley created to shield Ang and the Pope.


    "Riley Ross," the Golden Pdin spoke; his voice, distorted almost as if two voices were escaping his mouth,


    "We meet again."


    "You''re the one from the shelter," Riley slightly tilted his head to the side.


    "...I am," the Golden Pdin nodded; his eyes moving in different directions, "You can call me the Soul Conqueror."


    "...Hm."


    "The Caesar has words for you," the Golden Pdin''s head started shaking as his voice became more and more distorted, "Stay away¡­


    ¡­or we will be forced to eliminate you along with the Pope."

 Chapter 375: Indestructible

    Chapter 375: Indestructible


    "Stay away¡­ or we will be forced to eliminate you along with the pope."


    Soul Conqueror''s voice seeped through the Gold Pdin''s lips; and almost as if the Golden Pdin was slowly being pushed back into the depths of his own body, apletely different voice now resided in his mouth.


    Of course, Riley didn''t really know whose voice is who ¡ª but judging by Ang and the Pope''s expression, any traces of the Gold Pdin have already fallen asleep.


    "We don''t want to be your enemy, Riley Ross," Soul Conqueror muttered; his voice, as calm as the pool of blood they were standing on,


    "We started this organization in your image, don''t let us ruin it by having your blood in our hands."


    "My image?" Riley looked at the forest of corpses surrounding them, looking at the red scarves and masks that they were carrying, "Red is not my favorite color, Soul Conqueror."


    "..." Soul Conqueror did not respond to Riley''s words and instead just turned around to look at the Pope¡­ before suddenly ramming his head towards them ¡ª only to be stopped by the invisible wall that was encapsting the two.


    "Remove the shield, Riley. I like you, but we need the Pope dead even more," Soul Conqueror muttered as he ripped off Gold Pdin''s golden armor as it crumpled when he rammed the invisible wall ¡ª revealing a ck tight suit that wrapped the Gold Pdin''s toned body perfectly.


    "You can''t prate it?" A subtle smile slowly crawled on Riley''s face, "Ang told me that Megawoman said you were almost indestructible¡­ but it would seem you''re not that strong."


    "...Then it would seem we need to try," a smile also appeared on the Gold Pdin''s face as he stepped forward ¡ª but before he could even take 2 steps, he found himself blocked by an invisible wall.


    He tried moving back, but once again, a wall.


    "..." The only thing he could really do was look at Riley, whose head was slightly tilted to the side; slightly curious as to what Soul Conqueror would do now.


    "Riley!" Ang screamed, "He can teleport!"


    And even before her words could reach Riley, Soul Conqueror already appeared behind Riley; his shoulder, already on their way to ram against him. Each of his steps was enough to split the ground, causing the pool of blood to st away as he rushed toward Riley.


    Riley did not even try to dodge, however, only meeting the Gold Pdin''s shoulder head-on ¡ª and as soon as it made contact¡­


    ¡­nothing really happened. Riley did not move even a single inch.


    "Indestructible," he then whispered before suddenly grabbing Gold Pdin''s face and mming his head to the ground.


    "!!!" Ang could only crouch and grab the Pope as the ground started to cave in ¡ª but found herself hovering in the air; not moving from the invisible box that Riley confined them in. No, it wasn''t only them that were unmoved. Even the corpses that were staked on the ground remained still, floating in the air even more ominously now.


    Ang then turned her attention back to Riley, only to see him dragging the Gold Pdin through the crater they made. But as Gold Pdin was able to break free from Riley''s grip, he quickly disappeared.


    "...Oh?" Riley then quickly looked above him, only to see Gold Pdin''s fist already pointing at his head.


    Riley, however, quickly spun his body; grabbing the Gold Pdin''s wrist before mming him to the ground. And once again, the ground cracked ¡ª this time, the entire Vatican City trembled as the crater rippled even more violently.


    "Weight maniption and invulnerability," Riley muttered as Gold Pdin once again disappeared. Riley didn''t seem to mind, however, as he just looked at his phone that was still live streaming and muttered,


    "Now you''re almost as heavy as my sister."


    And before a smile could form on his face, the Gold Pdin''s limbs suddenly wrapped around him from behind; his arms, trying to choke and almost pull Riley''s head off.


    "..." Riley once again did not budge. His clothes, not even crumpling and his hair not even swaying as the Gold Pdin tightened his grip. A few seconds after, however, Riley let out a small breath; and as he did so, his hair started to move and his clothes finally showed signs of crumpling.


    "Let''s see if Megawoman was telling the truth," and with those words whispering from his mouth, the two started to tremble¡ª No. They started to vibrate.


    And almost like a drill, they started to dig through the ground beneath them. The crater cracked like a web, once again causing the entire Vatican City to move from the map.


    Very slowly, however, the Gold Pdin''s arms started to pry open..


    "Ra!" The Gold Pdin roared as he tried to tighten his grip, causing Riley to smile as the ground beneath started to be blown away.


    And soon, a small and somewhat hissingughter escaped from Riley''s mouth as he was able to free his arms and grab both of the Gold Pdin''s wrists. And with a loud breath, Riley leaped into the air along with the Gold Pdin as he pushed away his arms.


    The square, nowpletely bursting away ¡ª any of its previous holiness or grandness, no longer recognizable.


    And with Riley now free from the Gold Pdin''s clutches, he immediately somersaulted in the air; his foot, swinging straight towards the Gold Pdin''s head.


    "!!!"


    The Gold Pdin was not able to teleport as he quickly shot through the ground, causing the crater to once again deepen. And before he could even recover a single breath, Riley dived down and covered his face.


    "You can''t teleport now, right?" Riley then whispered as he mmed Gold Pdin''s head to the ruined ground,


    "You need to see to be able to teleport."


    And with those words, Riley tightened his grip on the Gold Pdin''s face, while his other hand grabbed his thigh,


    "Now let''s see if you''re really indestructible," he then said as he lifted the Gold Pdin from the ground and slowly floated in the air while starting to stretch the Gold Pdin''s body.


    "Riley..." Ang could finally see the destruction Riley was capable of. The entire Vatican City was now literally andpletely wiped away from the face of the Earth.


    All that remained really, were fragments of what it once was. But with the thousand corpses still floating in the air, Ang knew-- Ang knew that Riley could have prevented the city from being blown away if he decided to, but no.


    But in the end, all she could really do was watch. After all, this incarnation of chaos himself was the one shielding the Pope.


    The Golden Pdin was now kicking Riley''s face, but aside from creating thunders and slightly nudging Riley''s face, nothing really happened ¡ª instead, Riley''s grip tightened even further as a small crack started to whisper in the air.


    "You¡­ you can''t¡ª"


    "Oh, I think I can," the smile on Riley''s face now reached from ear to ear as the cracking whispers slowly became louder and louder ¡ª like metal being squeezed.


    And then, almost as if the air itself cracked¡­ the Gold Pdin''s skin started to stretch.


    "Gah!"


    Riley''s eyes started to twitch as the panicked screams of the Soul Conqueror reached his ears; his grip, tightening even further as his smile started to slightly tremble.


    "I missed this," he then whispered.


    And soon, a drip of blood fell on his face.


    "He¡­ he''s actually doing it!" Ang, who was watching the fight unfold, could not help but gasp. But a few momentster, her eyebrows raised, "W¡­ wait, Riley! Don''t kill him, he is just being possessed by the Soul Conqueror!"


    "..." Rileypletely ignored Ang''s words as he just listened to the Soul Conqueror''s screams. Soon, however, his screams started to distort ¡ª his voice, now blending with another once again.


    "W¡­ wait!" And soon, his voicepletely changed ¡ª perhaps a sign that the Soul Conqueror has returned the Golden Pdin his own body. Riley, however¡­ shut his mouth with his telekinesis before he could say anything further.


    And with Riley almost gritting his teeth, a loud crack exploded in the air as he was finally able to fully stretch his arms to the side.


    The Gold Pdin''s guts, falling towards Riley as his body waspletely and perfectly split in half.


    "Well¡­


    ¡­Megawoman was just being humble."

 Chapter 376: Lost in the Holy City

    Chapter 376: Lost in the Holy City


    "..."


    "..."


    "...May you find Him in death, Matt."


    Ang''s somber and mncholic whispers floated in the air. In just a single day, she had lost two of herrades. Whether or not they gave their lives through sacrifice didn''t really matter ¡ª Ang wants to believe they both died trying to fulfill their duties.


    The Gold Pdin¡­ may not have died a peaceful death, but the only thing Ang could really do was hope that he wasn''t able to feel being ripped apart¡­ not knowing that the Gold Pdin did in fact return to his own body at thest minute.


    "..." She closed the Gold Pdin''s eyes, before burying his pieces under all the rubble of what was left of the once glorious Vatican City. She then turned her head towards the corpses surrounding them ¡ª they were no longer floating in the air and were instead once again staked to the ruined ground.


    "Don''t bury them," she muttered as her eyebrows furrowed, "This is retribution for their sins."


    "I was not nning to, Ang," Riley just shrugged his shoulders, before approaching the Pope who seemed to be offering up a prayer for all the souls that have been lost today,


    "You really are growing older, Louise."


    "Riley. You need to address the Pope with¡ª"


    "It is alright, child," the Pope raised his hand before Ang could finish her words, "There is not much to respect in my current state."


    "But¡ª"


    "Riley Ross is a friend," the Pope shook his head; his exasperated and tired sighs, barely whispering in the air as he looked at Riley, "There is no need for such formalities between us. And you are right, I might be nearing the end of my years¡­


    ¡­especially since Ang dragged me around on her shoulder, not caring if my old ribs could take it."


    "P¡­ please forgive me, your Holiness!"


    The Pope burst out inughter as he patted Ang''s arms, "I was only joking, child."


    "..." The Pope¡­ was making jokes? Ang could really only take a step back; her eyebrow, raising a little as she heard the Pope.


    The Pope was always stern with them, and now he''s making jokes?


    Ang knew of Darkday and the Pope''s meetings, she and the other Pdins were always there, after all. But when did the two ever really develop such a weird friendship?


    ¡­And for Riley to even have his personal number? Even she didn''t have that and she was supposed to be his daughter. Did the two actually meet behind the Pdins'' backs?


    The Pope usually asks them to leave, but that was when he and Megawoman were talking about something. Could it be¡­ there were times that he was actually meeting with Darkday?


    "Let us stop putting our minds elsewhere," the Pope then raised his hand as he stoppedughing; his eyes, once again bing tired as he looked at the rubble where the Gold Pdin was buried,


    "How¡­ do you think this Soul Conqueror was able to possess Matthew''s body? If he was able to do that, then why not possess mine instead?"


    And as soon as Ang heard his words, her mouth started to widen as she looked at Riley, "Maybe¡­ he''s only able to possess the bodies of supers? But then¡­ why didn''t he take my body instead? Why not Riley''s?"


    "Maybe he''s not just strong enough," the Pope muttered weakly.


    "Either way, we need to get you to safe¡ª What''s that sound?"


    And before Ang could once again carry the Pope, a ring started to whisper in the air. She quickly turned to where the noise wasing from, only to see Riley holding his phone and once again calling someone.


    "...What are you doing now?"


    Riley did not answer, however, and just let the phone continue to ring. Seconds passed and numerous rings toned in the air, and yet the one being called did not seem to be interested in answering.


    But finally, before the call could cut off ¡ª a voice answered.


    [...Riley.]


    "Hello, sister," Riley''s eyes slightly brightened as a subtle smile crawled on his face.


    [Don''t call me that. Why¡­ did you call me?]


    [Ask him what he''s doing with the Pope! Ask him how he''s still alive!]


    And suddenly, Riley could hear different voices speaking from the speakers.


    [I thought the reception in¡ª]


    [Shh, Gary! Let them talk!]


    [Can you guys shut the fuck up!?]


    "..." Riley could really only wait until the other voices faded away ¡ª which probably took almost an entire minute as he could hear the speakers scratching and seemingly being passed around. As for Ang, the only thing she could really do was once again look at Riley,pletely confused as to what he was doing now.


    [Why¡­ why did you call me?] Hannah repeated her words; the tone of her voice, as deep as it could get ¡ª her breaths, however, were heavy enough that it could almost be felt from the speakers of Riley''s phone.


    "I need you, Hannah."


    [!!!]


    Several gasps could be heard emitting from the speakers. With other people, obviously the other members of the Baby Crew, seemingly trying to talk over each other. Hannah, however, could once again be heard trying to push the others away ¡ª her breaths, heavier than they were before.


    [...What? What do you mean¡ª]


    "I need your unclouded expertise of deduction," Riley let out a small sigh as he looked at Ang, "We need to find out¡ª"


    [Are you fucking kidding me? Don''t ever fucking show yourself to me again!]


    And with that, Hannah hung up the phone.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Why did you even call her¡ª"


    Ang was about to say something, but before she could do so, the phone rang.


    [Is this regarding Soul Conqueror?] Hannah''s voice then once again quickly whispered from the speakers;pletely pretending that she didn''t just hang up the phone moments ago.


    "Yes. Were you watching the stream? Did you hear what I said about your weight?"


    [Crimson Pdin, tell me all the details prior to the Soul Conqueror possessing the Gold Pdin''s body,] Hannah, however, justpletely ignored Riley''s questions.


    "..." Ang was still a bit confused as to what was happening, but still, she recollected all the things she remembered.


    It didn''t really take that long, since only a few things happened before the Gold Pdin suddenly became different.


    [...]


    [...]


    [He didn''t possess you even though you were in the same room¡­ maybe he could only possess supers of the same sex? The super he possessed in the shelter was also a man.]


    "..."


    [No, that can''t be it¡­


    ¡­You said he approached the Silver Pdin''s corpse?]


    "Yes¡­ he offered a prayer to him."


    [Did¡­ he touch him directly?]


    "If I remember¡­ yes," Ang nodded, "He touched George''s hands."


    [How sure are you that the corpse really is the Silver Pdin? Last I remember, you guys wear those wonky helmets, right?]


    "Well, he was wearing¡ª !!!" Ang slightly gasped as she remembered the Gold Pdin couldn''t remove George''s helmet as it waspletely caved in,


    "We¡­ didn''t see his face."


    [...Then there might be a chance that he''s your Soul Conq¡ª]


    And before Hannah could finish her words, Riley suddenly hang up the phone and once again started streaming,


    "You hung up the phone on us earlier. So¡­


    ¡­let''s just say this makes it even, Hannah."

 Chapter 377: Duty

    Chapter 377: Duty


    "It''s really gone."


    Vatican City waspletely ruined. It did not take too long, however, to find where the Silver Pdin''s corpse should be, as Ang used her x-ray vision to look through all the rubble and debris. She was easily able to find the vault, but Silver Pdin''s corpse was nowhere to be found.


    It could be deeper into the ground, but seeing as the other corpses that were there were still there ¡ª there was no reason for Silver Pdin''s corpse not to be.


    That could only mean one thing ¡ª he left.


    "If¡­ it wasn''t George¡­ then what did they do to his body?" Ang also tried searching everywhere for the Silver Pdin''s corpse, but could not find it anywhere ¡ª and the thousands of corpses drowning in the rubble did not help.


    "..." Ang could really only let out a sigh as she shook her head, "We''ll¡­ find himter. Our priority now is chasing the Soul Conqueror. He¡­


    ¡­couldn''t have gotten far," Ang then said as she started rummaging through the rubble, digging deep until Riley and the Pope could no longer see her. And after a few seconds, she once again emerged, now with her sword in hand.


    "They attacked us, we''re going to end this once and for all. It¡­ will be an inquisition."


    "Violence is never the answer, child," the Pope could really only sigh before cing his hand on Ang''s shoulder.


    "But¡ª"


    "But sometimes blood is," the Pope continued, "Let those who are meant for blood and destruction handle this," he then said as he looked at Riley.


    "No," Ang moved away from the Pope, "They attacked us ¡ª I will retaliate. Riley¡­"


    "Hm?" Riley, who was quietly looking nowhere in particr, slightly tilted his head as he was suddenly called.


    "Can you¡­ remove my stitches?" Ang then meekly said as she pointed at her shut eyes, "Do it gently and all at once so that it wouldn''t¡ª Fuck!"


    Ang could not help but suddenly cover her eyes as the stitches were suddenly pulled all at once,


    "Why did you do that!?" Ang screamed.


    "...You told me to."


    Ang was trying her best not to curse again in the presence of the Pope, to the point that she was biting her lips to prevent her mouth from opening again. And after a few seconds of trying to collect her breaths, Ang was finally able to remove her hands away; her eyes, still squinting as they batted several times.


    There really wasn''t that much blood, only enough for a single trail on each of her cheeks to slide down. And soon, light started to enter her eyes as they started to recover. And finally, her eyes fully revealed themselves.


    They were dark¡ªNo. Perhaps it was better to say that they were the color of the universe; almost as if one would bepletely lost if they were not careful and stared at her eyes for too long.


    And it didn''t even take a minute for her eyes to start scanning in every direction.


    "There," Ang then suddenly pointed to a certain direction, "He''s¡­ running along with several other people. They just got on a car."


    "..." Riley slightly tilted his head again as he pointed his left ear towards the direction where Ang was pointing to; but after a few seconds, his eye started to twitch as he hit his head several times.


    "...Too noisy," Riley whispered as he shook his head, "But I did hear a car''s engine starting, Ang."


    "I¡ª" Ang was about to say something, but her eyes suddenlynded on the Pope, "I¡­ need to secure the Pope''s safety first. I can guide you to¡ª"


    And before Ang could finish her words, she saw Riley standing beside the Pope¡­ as well as walking away.


    "...What?"


    Ang was slightly confused at first, but then quickly remembered that Riley had the ability to clone himself. Soon, however, the Riley that was standing the Pope disappeared ¡ª Ang was going to ask why at first¡­ but then noticed something was crawling on the Pope''s robes, a miniature¡­ and somewhat plush version of Riley.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...What are you looking at?"


    "..." Ang quickly looked away as Little Riley suddenly stopped climbing the Pope''s robes and looked at her.


    "..." Little Riley stared at her for a few seconds, before letting out a scoff and continuing to move his little limbs.


    "You will be safe with Little Riley, Louise," Riley then said as he nodded towards his miniature version, "Your daughter and I will go hunting for now. You don''t have to worry, she won''t die."


    "..." The Pope moved his eyes back and forth between Ang and Riley, before finally sighing and nodding his head, "Fine. Maybe this too is the will of god."


    "I am sure it is, your Holiness," Ang bowed her head.


    "...Should you not be calling him father, Ang?" Riley ced his hand on his chin, "But considering who he is, then maybe you already have. That''s quite a dilemma."


    "...Let''s just go before they could get far," Ang didn''t even bother to answer Riley''s weird question as she leaped away. As for Riley, he seemed to have contemted his own question for a few seconds, before just flying away ¡ª dragging Ang with him as he reached her since she was moving too slow.


    And now, it was only the Pope and Little Diley left in the ruined city of the Vatican.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Are you still watching Italian Mafia Reborn, old man?"


    "..."


    "...Yes."


    ***


    "Don''t you have any abilities to make us invisible?"


    Riley and Ang were now following behind the vehicle that Soul Conqueror was riding on; their pace was fast, but careful enough that no one would be noticing them ¡ª and with Ang''s x-ray vision, they could even follow behind houses and buildings.


    It was, however, not too convenient for Ang as it strained her mind bit by bit.


    "Don''t you?" Ang once again asked. And Riley, instead of answering her question, once again grabbed his phone that was hovering around them and dialed someone.


    [...Yes?]


    "Can you make us invisible, Paige?"


    [You''re¡­ too far.]


    "Okay, that''s all. Thank you for answering the call, Paige."


    [Hm, please return safely.]


    "..." Riley then let go of his phone; no longer streaming to prevent others from discovering what they were doing, but still recording so that he would be able to upload itter on their page. He then turned to look at Ang, before letting out a sigh and finally answering her question with a,


    "No. I don''t have the ability to turn us invisible."


    "...Really? I thought you''d have one."


    "It''s a disgusting ability."


    "What? How?"


    The two continued to casually talk as they followed the car ¡ª and soon, they reached arge open area, surrounded by more than a dozen people.


    "That¡­ looks like a helicopter," Ang then said as she looked at the ck aircraft sitting in the center of the open field, "Let''s just wait for him to board the helicopter. We don''t need to worry about the guards."


    "What guards?" Riley muttered.


    "What do you mean what guards, th¡ª" And before Ang could finish her words, she let out a small gasp. The people surrounding the open field were still standing, but something was wrong.


    It would be hard to notice if one were not looking at them, but they were all bleeding from all of their orifices. And as someone who has x-ray vision, Ang knows why ¡ª they were all already almost hollow from the inside.


    Their organs¡­ werepressed into a ball, their brains mushed.


    And as soon as the helicopter left the ground with the Soul Conqueror, all of the people that were guarding the field dropped to the ground.


    "You¡­"


    "I already made the announcement, Ang," Riley only shook his head as he and Ang started floating in the air,


    "No one lives."

 Chapter 378: A Giant Dumpster

    Chapter 378: A Giant Dumpster


    "..."


    The helicopter wasn''t really a helicopter, not quite. As it ascended above the clouds, jets started to propel it forward; a boom, thundering in the air as a skirt of wind followed it for almost half a kilometer.


    Ang could really only raise an eyebrow as she saw this ¡ª when she was just a teenager training under Megawoman decades ago, there were barely even any jets or nes that were capable of flying like this, let alone a helicopter.


    It''s truly a shock how technology just seems to be leaping exponentially. No doubt, the remnants of the aliens that attacked them a couple of years ago had a hand in that.


    But s, no matter how advanced the technology seemed to improve¡­ the supers still seemed to be the most valuable asset on the. After all, while the aircraft was moving more than twice the speed of sound through the sky¡­


    ¡­she and Riley were underwater, casually moving through it as Riley created some sort of sphere that basically served as their submarine that was also moving at supersonic speeds ¡ª hopefully, this doesn''t affect marine life too much.


    They have been following the aircraft that carried Soul Conqueror for more than 3 hours now across the North Antic ocean.


    "We seem to be heading back to the Americas, Ang."


    "What, how would you¡ª"


    Ang took off her attention from the aircraft as she heard Riley''s words, only to see him checking the map on his phone.


    "What? How does the map even work?"


    "...Technology, Ang," Riley sighed almost as if he just said the obvious answer, "At this speed, it would only be a matter of minutes until we reachnd¡­


    ¡­and I think I might have an idea of the location of their base," he then muttered as his eyes were fixated on the Googoru maps.


    "What? Where!?" Ang slightly raised his voice as she looked back and forth between Riley and his phone.


    Riley, however, did not answer; instead, a small smile just slowly crawled on his face as he closed the maps.


    "Well¡­


    ¡­I might be wrong."


    ***


    "Well¡­ it would seem I was right."


    Riley and Ang were now abovend ¡ª floating in a sky that Riley was very familiar with, Toronto. Out of all the ces they would make their base, this would have the most dramatic ir since.


    "Do you see where their base is, Ang?"


    "..." Ang did not really answer him as she just focused on the ruined city below them.


    "..." Riley slightly tilted his head to look at Ang''s eyes, only to see her irises moving weirdly ¡ª it reminded him of the time he and Megawoman were traversing through the expanse of space at high speeds.


    "..." Riley then very slowly floated directly into Ang''s view.


    "Kya!"


    And as soon as he did so, Ang quickly covered her face and squealed like a teenager.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Please don''t do that," Ang only shook her head, before pointing towards a certain area, "It''s there. There are lots of people underground."


    She didn''t really even need to find it, as soon, the helicopternded near the area where she was pointing to.


    "Okay."


    And as soon as the aircraftnded, Riley grabbed his phone and started going live.


    "What are you doing!? You''ll be ruining our ambush!"


    "Ambush? What ambush?" A small, but slightly chuckling smile appeared on Riley''s face as he pointed the camera towards Ang, "Go¡­¡­get your revenge, Crimson Pdin."


    "What are¡ª"


    And before she could finish her words, Ang felt herself diving towards the ground¡­ straight towards the helicopter.


    "Why can''t you just be normal for one second?" Ang closed her eyes as she gripped her sword with both hands ¡ª and without even waiting for the des of the helicopter to halt; Ang had already swung her sword multiple times; creating a sphere of shes as she shot through the aircraft.


    "..." Ang then rolled as she emerged from the other side of the helicopter, before stabbing her sword through the ground to prevent herself from propelling any further.


    And as she stood up¡­ the helicopter copsed into almost a thousand pieces.


    "Hmph," she then hummed as she waved her sword, cleaning away all the debris, oil, and blood that attached themselves to it. Her posture, however, suddenly became stiff as she saw Riley, pointing a camera straight at her face.


    "Can¡­ can you not point that thing at me?" She quickly looked away.


    Riley only shrugged, before panning the camera towards the many pieces of the helicopter. And as he approached the wreckage, the shards and parts all started to fly away¡­ leaving only the mangled bodies that were also diced into pieces.


    "...Which one is the Soul Conqueror?" He then said as he focused on all the heads that were surprisingly still all intact.


    "I think he''s that one."


    "Hm," Riley then quickly zoomed in to where Ang was pointing, only for the camera to capture a bald man wearing a suit; the lower part of his body, probably lost somewhere as his guts just spewed out.


    "Boom," Riley then pointed his finger towards the Soul Conqueror, gesturing his hand like a gun. And as he did so, a hole appeared on the bald man''s head.


    "Why¡­ did you do that?" Ang breathed out.


    "We can never be too sure with these telepaths, Ang," Riley then said as he started poking the Soul Conqueror''s head with a stick, "Especially the bald ones."


    "Where did you even get that?" Ang said as she saw the stick that came from god knows where, "And can you stop doing random stuff!? You''re like a small child."


    "I am just imitating Gary for the views, Ang."


    "Why do you imitate the weirdest traits of people?" Ang could really only sigh before finally turning around and looking at the ground several meters away from them.


    "What are they doing now?"


    "They are panicking," Ang quickly said; the tone of her voice no longer containing a hint of yfulness.


    "What is their base like?"


    "A big box. Ending there, there, there, and there," Ang pointed in four different directions, "It''s as tall as a skyscraper."


    Riley quickly nodded as he heard Ang''s words, before slightly flicking his hand; almost as if controlling a marite with his fingers.


    And as he did that, the ground started to tremble.


    Seeing this, Ang just sighed ¡ª she already knew he was going to do something like this; that was why she described the size of the base in the first ce. Riley Ross¡­ has a ir for the dramatic.


    "As expected of the most heinous superviin in the world."


    "I''m retired, Ang."


    And as soon as Riley said that, a snap whispered in the air. Followed by a thundering rumble that drummed in the air like a million parades; the concrete desert, turning dark as a colossal hunk of metal suddenly emerged from the ground.


    It truly was as Ang described it ¡ª a metal box the height of a skyscraper.


    "So, this is the House of Super," Riley then said as he stepped forward, cing his hand on the wall of metal in front of him; the tone of his voice, clearly breathing out his disappointment,


    "It''s¡­


    ¡­just a giant dumpster."

 Chapter 379: Aquarium

    Chapter 379: Aquarium


    "It''s¡­ just a giant dumpster."


    "It''s actually quite different on the inside."


    "..."


    Riley''s breaths of disappointment continued to whisper in the air as he looked at Ang. He stared at her abyssal eyes, before looking back at his hand that was touching that colossal metal box.


    And with a sigh, he waved his hand¨C instantly ripping away the wall that stood more than 500 meters and flinging it away towards the Antic ocean¡­ probably.


    And now, the inside of the House of Super has revealed itself. It was as Ang said, it was quite different from the inside ¡ª it seemed closer to a grandiose mall, with several visible zas inside littered with people. And this was only on the lowermost floor.


    And perhaps the most noticeable and prevalent of all were the red banners scattered everywhere¡­ as well as portraits of Riley and another person.


    A man with a small petite patch of a goatee, clearly trimmed in perfection right to the millimeter. The man in the portrait was also wearing a red uniform resembling that of the British royal guards, adorned with a ck cape, however.


    "...Can you find him?" Riley then said as he nced at Ang.


    Ang, however, just shook her head,


    "There''s no need, she said, "He''sing towards us."


    Riley then looked back towards the colossal base, only to see a man moving closer to them; each of his steps, causing the other people around him to bow.


    "We finally meet," the man then stopped short of stepping out of the base; his voice, resonating through the air and causing the ground to tremble. His words, almost echoing throughout the entirety of Toronto.


    "..." Riley''s eyes slightly twitched from the noise; before slightly shaking his head and covering his ears with a set of earplugs he got from his pocket.


    "Wee to the House of Super, Riley Ross."


    And simr to the portraits scattered everywhere inside the colossal base, the man''s hair was neatlybed in a single direction; his goatee, also cleanly lined in a single stroke. His red suit and ck cape, even more colorful than the ones in the portraits.


    "It was such wonderful news when I heard of your revival," the man stepped forward, "I am truly overjoyed that¡ª Hm?"


    The man was about to step out of the base but found that even though Riley basically ripped an entire side of the base, he reced it with another wall that they couldn''t see.


    "..." The man did not seem to mind, however, as a smile even formed on his face as he stepped back.


    "I am truly overjoyed with your return," he just continued addressing Riley on his own, "You might have heard of me. I¡­


    ¡­am the one they call Caesar."


    Caesar then bowed, "And if it wasn''t obvious already, I am a very big fan of yours."


    "Hm," Riley only let out a small breath as he once again looked at the portraits of himself scattered on the walls of the House of Super alongside Caesar''s.


    "Do you like them?" Caesar smiled as a high-pitched breath escaped from his lips, "I¡­


    ¡­painted them myself."


    Caesar''s voice once again reverberated¡ªNo. His giggles thundered in the air, causing the entire House of Super to tremble; the people inside, kneeling as they cover their ears.


    "..." Ang, who has been listening to Caesar spout his words, could not help but squint his eyes as she saw the pebbles beneath her start trembling,


    "Hypersonic voice," she then whispered.


    "Oh?" Caesar seemed to have heard her words as he suddenly looked at her, "I didn''t expect a puppet of a human to be so perceptive."


    "Y¡ª" Ang wanted to say something, but before she could do so, people started emerging and showing themselves on each floor; everyone, looking at Riley as soon as they stood on the edge of their floors. Their number, clearly more than ten thousand.


    "..." Ang was slightly shocked at the number of people. But then again, concerts held in football stadiums can house a hundred thousand people ¡ª but these are all supers. Andst she checked, there should be at least more than a hundred thousand of them as well.


    And soon, their whispers and murmurs filled the air. Their words, all diverging into a single word ¡ª a name, Riley.


    "Silence," Caesar raised his hand; his voice quiet but still reaching everyone''s ears,


    "Only Riley and I are allowed to speak."


    And as Caesar''s words continued to echo, everyone else just bowed their heads. As for Caesar, he just took in a deep breath as he once again looked Riley straight in the eyes,


    "Do you see this, Riley? Absolute obedience."


    "..."


    "You can be a part of this¨C-No. You can be on top of this," Caesar stretched his hand towards Riley, swinging his majestic ck cape as he did so, "You can rule alongside me. Together¡­


    ¡­we can be the king and queen of this world."


    "..." Riley, however, just remained quiet¡­ before also stretching his arm to the side a few momentster.


    And as soon as he did so, the walls inside the House of Super all crumpled into a ball, leaving only the pirs and exposing all the rooms and interiors of the base to the outside world.


    Their private rooms; even their bathrooms, now exposed for the world to see.


    "What¡­ are you doing?" Caesar slightly gasped as he looked around, "The¡­ the paintings I made of you¡­"


    "..." Riley just looked at Caesar, then towards the thousands of people at the edge of the building, before letting out a long and deep sigh¡­ and walking away.


    "Where¡­ where are you going!?" Caesar screamed, causing the entire House of Super to tremble¡ª this time, however, the vibrations of his screams no longer affected anything outside their base.


    Caesar tried to step out of the building again, but the invisible wall was still there. He could really only watch as Riley continued to walk away from him.


    "..." In truth, Ang had the same question as she followed Riley,


    "Where¡­ are we going? I thought we were going to end this once and for all?"


    "We already did," Riley only shrugged, not even ncing at Ang as he continued to walk away from the headquarters of the House of Super.


    "...What?"


    And as the two of them reached a certain distance, Riley raised his hand; erecting two chairs from the ground as he did so.


    "They''re already dead," Riley sat on the chair as he looked at the base of the House of Super,


    "You should also take a seat, this will take a while."


    "..." Ang used her abilities to see if the organs of the people were destroyed by Riley again, only to see all of them very much alive,


    "What¡­ do you mean?"


    "What happens when you don''t fish inside an aquarium?"


    "...Huh?" Ang stared at Riley for a few seconds inplete confusion¡­ before finally grasping what he meant.


    She then looked back at the metal box that is the base of the House of Super¡­


    ¡­only to realize what it looked like now without one of its main walls.


    It was an aquarium ¡ª an aquarium for humans.


    "...No."


    "Yes," a smile quickly formed on Riley''s face, "They will be there for weeks, maybe even years if they started giving birth and eating themselves."


    "Don''t¡­ don''t do this," Ang muttered instinctively.


    "Run, hide ¡ª it doesn''t matter," Riley then whispered as he looked directly at his phone''s camera,


    "Death wille for the House of Super. Beautiful¡­


    ¡­Isn''t it?"

 Chapter 380: Free

    Chapter 380: Free


    "Are you¡­ just going to sit there?"


    "Yes."


    "...Until when?"


    "Until I get bored."


    "..."


    3 hours.


    Riley has been sitting a distance away from the base of the House of Super for 3 hours now, just watching. Sometimes he would let out a small chuckle, and sometimes just a smile ¡ª almost as if he was enjoying the people panic.


    No. He is enjoying it.


    The people inside have been trying to find a way to leave the base. But no matter what they do, they were stuck inside¡­ the aquarium. Some of them even tried drilling through the other walls, only to find that the entire base was covered in an invisible box.


    It was literally as Riley said it to be, an aquarium.


    Ang¡­ prepared herself to die.


    Matthew, George. Both of herrades were dead as they fought this foolish war against lunatics. And like them, she was ready toy down her life to erase them from the surface of the¡­ even if she had to die to do it.


    Of course, she knew she was fooling herself since Riley was basically fighting on her side. But she was ready.


    She was expecting a grandiose battle, she prepared herself to see an endless amount of blood.


    An epic battle between the biggest terrorist organization the world has ever seen and the living cmity.


    The Living Cmity. Now she knew what that title really entailed¡ª throughout the years, humans have been trying to tame the cmities the universe throws at them. But no matter the technology, no matter their powers, cmities will always win¡­ that''s why they''re cmities in the first ce.


    Fighting against Riley was just¡­ a lost cause.


    "Do you think they''ll do it, Ang?"


    "...What?"


    "Do you think they will resort to cannibalism once they run out of food?" Riley asked; his voice, truly seemingly curious, "I have seen a couple of documentaries about it before, but humans don''t think of eating their kind until they are on theirst breaths. And even then, they would hesitate."


    "If you were put in the same situation, what would you do? Would you¡­ resort to eating someone?"


    And very slowly, Riley turned his head towards Ang; just staring at the bridge of her nose as he seemed toe up with an answer. A few secondster, however, he shook his head.


    "I probably would not, Ang. It''s disgusting."


    "...But you have fun torturing people."


    "Do you have fun swinging your sword?"


    "...I think I know where you''re going with this."


    "Oh, that is unfortunate," Riley quickly let out a sigh, "I was going to ask you if you eat your swo¨C"


    "No. No," Ang did not let Riley finish his words. Riley seemed to still want to continue the conversation, but she quickly moved away so as to not be asked about her eating her sword.


    Minutes more passed, and Ang was starting to contemte on why she was still even here in the first ce. It is over¡ª they basically have the ringleader of the House of Super in the most imprable prison in the world, Riley''s box.


    "I¡­ should start getting back to his Holiness."


    "Okay."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Are you not going to float me there?"


    "No. I''m busy watching them."


    "How am I going to¡ª"


    And before Ang could finish her words, the sound of helicopters started drumming in the air.


    "More members of the House of Super!?" Ang quickly grabbed her sword from the ground as she focused her eyes on the helicopters. As soon as her eyesnded on the aircraft, however, she lightened her hold on her weapon,


    "Wait. Don''t do anything to them. I think they''re from the media."


    "I¡­ wasn''t going to do anything," Riley said as he slowly lowered his finger.


    Although Ang already had a glimpse of the people inside, her eyes stillpletely followed the several helicopters thatnded only meters away from them. How could she not, when she finally realized that the reporters were faster at responding than the people of thew?


    A third of the human poption is now presumed dead, and yet the number of people from the media seemed to have remained the same for some reason.


    It wasn''t until thest helicopter touched the ground that Ang started hearing the sirens ofw humming in the air.


    And soon, more and more helicopters started arriving at the scene. Ang was expecting to be bombarded by a barrage of questions, but most of them went straight to the aquarium that was the base of the House of Super first ¡ª Ang didn''t even have to look at their hearts to know that they werepletely nervous.


    The media people were supposed to be relentless, and yet not even one of them volunteered to be the first to approach Riley.


    But finally, after a few more minutes, a brave soul started to step in. Taking in a big gulp as his steps seemed to be the heaviest thing in the world. But s, his confidence came toote as Riley was now suddenly surrounded by a bunch of people wearing what seemed like a soldier''s uniform.


    The soldiers also surrounded Ang, but instead of looking at them and asking them questions, they all turned around ¡ª stomping their feet on the floor loud enough for everyone within the vicinity to hear.


    Were they¡­ actually being protected from the media? Why? She heard from Riley that Empress had be radio silent ever since the World Government''s space station was attacked, but could it be that she was still operating from somewhere?


    The soldiers also seemed to be trying to make the media people leave, but were, of course, unsessful. In fact, their presence seemed to have given the people from the media peace of mind as they all started trying to approach her and Riley with their multitude of questions.


    Is Riley working with the Pope?


    Was Riley being hidden by the church?


    How was Riley still alive?


    Is there no connection between Riley and the House of Super?


    What was Riley''s n with the members of the House of Super?


    They all asked different questions, but everything had to do with Riley. She remainedpletely silent, however. And so did Riley, who was just tilting his head from side to side almost as if he didn''t want to miss anything that was happening inside his aquarium of humans.


    The questions continued, and the military also continued to try and fend them off. But then¡­ a question came thatpletely silenced everyone.


    The soldiers, the other reporters ¡ª everyone became silent as they all looked at the reporter that asked the question. It was a woman, probably in her 50s¡­ and this was her question;


    "My¡­ my son is inside. Can you¡­ can you please let him go?"


    "..."


    And as soon as her words reached Riley''s ears, he stood up from his seat and approached her, causing some of the people from the media to take a few steps back as they all pointed their cameras and microphones toward the two of them.


    Even the soldiers stepped to the side to make way for Riley; their eyes, seemingly trying their best not to look curious.


    "Are you also from the House of Super, madam?"


    "N¡­ no!"


    The woman could not help but take in a deep breath as she heard Riley''s words.


    "My¡­ my son just called me that¡­ that he''s trapped inside," she then said; her breaths, trying their best not to emerge as stutters, "Please. I¡­ I think he''s just in the wrong ce. I don''t believe my son is a part of this¡­ this evil organization. Please! I will do any¡ª"


    "Come with me."


    A hint of a smile quickly formed on the woman''s face as she heard Riley''s words. She then quickly followed Riley from behind as he started walking toward the transparent prison he created.


    "..." Ang also followed from behind, along with the other reporters that were still being held back by the military. It never really entered Ang''s mind¡­ but the people from the House of Super should all have families.


    "M¡­ mama!?"


    "Jonathan!"


    The woman quickly rushed towards her son as soon as she saw her ¡ª but s, their embrace could not even touch each other as the invisible wall stood in their path. There were also other people besides her son, begging to be let out.


    But before they could continue to scream, Riley slightly flicked his finger; causing them to all be blown away and leaving only the woman''s son standing inches away from freedom.


    "Ma¡­ I''m¡­ I''m so sorry, ma."


    "No," the woman quickly shook her head as tears quickly trailed on her cheeks, "Please¡­ please tell me you''re not part of this¡­ this cult."


    "I¡­"


    Her son couldn''t really form any words; his eyes, trying their best not to look away from her mother''s mournful eyes.


    "R¡­ Riley¡ª Sir¡­ Sir Ross," the woman then once again turned to Riley, before rushing towards him and kneeling to the ground, "Please¡­ my son¡­ Please let him go. You¡­ you can put me inside instead if you¡ª"


    "Ma, no!"


    "Jonathan! Please, just shut the fuck up!"


    "But¡ª"


    "I''m afraid I can''t do that, madam."


    "W¡­ what?" The woman slowly turned her trembling eyes towards Riley.


    "You are free to talk to your son. You can even sleep in front of the aquarium to watch your son as he grows old if you want to, but he is never going to get out. As a matter of fact¡­" Riley then turned to look at the cameras of the other reporters,


    "...Those who have family inside can visit here to check on them. It''s¡­


    pletely free, forever."

 Chapter 381:A Sudden Deal

    Chapter 381:A Sudden Deal


    "You¡­ you''re not going to let my son go?"


    "No."


    It had been a few minutes, but Riley''s statement has continued to shut the mouths of everyone within the vicinity. The military, and even those that were trapped inside the transparent prison could only swallow in their gasps.


    Forever? Were they supposed to take that literally?


    What could that even entail for the military? They were only running on fumes right now since their chain ofmand was currently inplete disarray with Empress missing in action. Were they just¡­ supposed to stay here?


    By all means, Riley Ross should not have any authority to decide something like this¡ª but with anarchy, the only word that matters is the word of the strong. And right now, that was Riley Ross.


    Even Ang, who had already heard his ns, was starting to feel sorry as she saw the faces of the people trapped inside. But then, whenever she remembers what they did to the Vatican and their attempt on the Pope''s life¡ª any pity she has for them goes away.


    It was different, however, for their families that had no idea what they were doing. And now, one of them was practically kneeling in front of Riley.


    "Until¡­ Until when? Jonathan¡­ Jonathan is just a stupid boy, please. He¡­" The female reporter continued to plead. Soon, however, Riley''s eyebrow slightly began to furrow, causing the woman to back away,


    "I did not think I would be repeating my statement again and again," Riley''s long ck hair waved with the air as he shook his head, "They will be inside forever."


    Riley was about to walk away, but before he could take his 3rd step, a voice screamed from the base.


    "Wait there!" It was the Caesar; each of his words, enough to cause the interior of the transparent prison to shake. Riley only nced at the approaching Caesar, before letting out a breath and no longer heeding him any mind.


    "I said wait!"


    And without even any warning, the Caesar suddenly grabbed Jonathan; cing his mouth awfully close to his ear.


    "If you don''t want this child to die, you will let us both go, Riley Ross. There''s only one¡ª Where are you going!?"


    "Wait, please!"


    "..."


    Riley could really only look at his arm as the female reporter suddenly grabbed him by the wrist; his eyes slightly twitched, causing Ang to almost flinch and pull away the female reporter. Luckily for everyone there, however, Riley only nudged his arm away as he looked at the Caesar.


    "That''s right," the Caesar let out a small chuckle as he nodded, "Just one whisper containing a hint of my power, and this boy''s skull will turn into mush."


    "Do¡­ please do what he says!" The female reporter suddenly kneeled and groveled on the ground, "Please! Please save my son!"


    "..." A small and subtle sigh escaped from Riley''s lips as he listened to the female reporter''s stuttering breaths. He then nced towards Ang, who quickly nodded her head in response.


    And then, for some reason; very subtly, a small smile appeared on Riley''s face.


    "Very well," he then whispered as he looked the Caesar straight in the eyes, "Push the madam''s son out first."


    The female reporter''s gasps almost turned into a yelp as she heard Riley''s words; her breaths, erratic as she stood up. cing her hands together almost as if praying to Riley,


    "Thank you¡­ thank you."


    "No!" The Caesar let out a small roar as he pushed the female reporter''s son''s head to the invisible wall, "We''re going to go out together at the same time and¡ª Ah!"


    "N¡­ no!"


    And all of a sudden¡­ Jonathan''s eyes popped out from their sockets. His forehead could be seen bulging momentarily before it quickly started deting like a balloon.


    "N¡­ no," the female reporter once again dropped to the ground as the blood of her son sprayed and showered on her face.


    "W¡­ what?" The Caesar stuttered as he took a step back, "But I¡­ I didn''t even use my powers and¡ª"


    And before the Caesar could finish his words, he noticed the blood on the female reporter''s face.


    The blood¡­ went through the invisible wall? And as soon as the thought entered his mind, he didn''t even hesitate to leap forward to escape¡­ only for him to almost break his nose as the invisible wall was actually still there.


    The Caesar thought that Riley opened up a portion of the wall since the blood went through. But to think that¡ª !!!


    And then, once again, the Caesar realized something as he slowly turned his eyes towards Riley, only to see him also looking at him; a small and subtle smile, stered on his face.


    "Bravo, Riley Ross," the Caesar could really only p as he shook his head, "Truly a beautiful masterpiece. We could have really made a great team."


    The Caesar couldn''t evenugh or cry at his situation, he¡­ was just in awe. The Caesar was able to amass arge number of people, controlling them and letting them do his bidding¡ª he thought himself a god.


    But right now, he learned what it really means to have someone in strings. And right now¡­ he¡ª no, they were nothing but a puppet that was ying on Riley''s hand.


    "..." Riley watched as the female reporter''s colleagues dragged her away from the scenery of her son''s gruesome death, before once again ncing the Caesar straight in the eyes,


    "How many members do you still have outside, the Caesar?"


    "I don''t know. Probably a lot," the Caesar really only let out a chuckle as he answered Riley''s question without any hesitation, "Hundred thousand more? Half a million? A million? You can''t stop this, Riley Ross. We are already the next step in¡ª"


    And before the Caesar could finish his words, his face could be seen caving in as it was pressed into the invisible wall. And soon, it just popped; his skull ruptured open as bits of his brains scattered across the invisible wall.


    Everyone looked at Riley¡ª but it wasn''t his doing, no.


    Instead, as the blood and bits of brain matter started to trail down the transparent wall, a palm could be seen. The owner?


    Empress.


    Her face was bruised and several cuts littered her cheek and forehead; her clothes,pletely tattered.


    Her eyes, however, were almost bursting in rage.


    "Get me out of this fucking shithole."


    "Oh¡­" Riley blinked a couple of times,


    "...So this is where you were."


    It wasn''t only Empress.


    As it turns out, Butcher and some other people from the Space Station were inside the base of the House of Super as hostages and prisoners.


    In the end, Empress chose to surrender herself without a fight on the condition that the others would be taken in as prisoners as well. Butcher advised against it, of course. But after the bombs wiped out a third of the human poption, Empress wanted to save those that she could.


    But of course, they didn''t surrender without a n. They were just waiting for a chance to slowly infiltrate the House of Super from within and break it from the inside¡­


    ¡­but to think it was this kind of chance.


    "...You said you were a Themarian."


    "No, you said I was a Themarian."


    "But you agreed. You even said that Aerith is your lover."


    "I could still be, Empress."


    "You¡­"


    Empress could really only let out an exasperated sigh. Her breaths, almost echoing throughout the tent they were now in.


    With her now inmand, the people from the media were quickly asked to move away¡ª but not leave. They were allowed to set up camp, as long as they did not impede any government activity henceforth.


    The military has also quickly set up tents just meters away from the colossal transparent prison, with their orders just to stand by and stand guard for now, and be prepared just in case more members of the House of Super start to retaliate.


    "You¡­" Empress decided to ignore everything that''s been happening for a moment as she turned her attention to Ang, who was standing behind Riley like a tree, "Aren''t you one of the Pope''s guards?"


    "Yes, ma''am," Ang quickly saluted, "I am unfortunately the only one left of the guards. They attacked the Vatican City."


    "...Seems like a lot has happened," Empress once again sighed at her failed attempt to distract herself. She then turned to Riley; looking at him from head to toe,


    "I still can''t believe Aerith lied to me, again. And fuck, I don''t believe I am saying this¡­ but you''re not our biggest problem right now," she then said as she peered her eyes through the windows of the tent and looked at the House of Super.


    "Ma''am. Since you killed their leader, I assume you have a more effective way to garner information?" Ang stepped forward.


    "We¡­ have someone working on the intel right now," Empress answered with a short sigh.


    "May I ask what your n is once you do find the other members still outside?"


    "..." Empress did not really answer Ang''s question, and instead just turned to look at Riley,


    "How long can you sustain this transparent prison of yours?"


    "It''s an aquarium, Empress."


    "How long can you sustain this goddamn aquarium of yours?"


    "As long as I''m alive," Riley shrugged, "But you can decide, Empress."


    "...What?"


    "You are the leader of this, and I am aw-abiding citizen. Just tell me w¡ª"


    "Fuck," Empress did not let Riley finish his words, "I forgot how troublesome it is to deal with you. You''re not passing this to me, no¡ª all of the things that happens in this¡­ aquarium are your responsibility."


    "Then¡­" A smile then suddenly crawled on Riley''s face, "If you find more¡­


    ¡­can we add it to the aquarium?"

 Chapter 382: The Place Where WeBury Our Past

    Chapter 382: The ce Where WeBury Our Past


    "If you find more, can we add it to the Aquarium?"


    "..."


    The military, a select number of people from the media that were allowed to jot notes, and some of Empress''s escorts were also inside the tent ¡ª and all of them could really only look at each other with every word that came out of Riley''s mouth.


    They all knew Riley, they all knew he was supposed to be dead. And they are also aware of his ruthlessness and indifference to murder. Hearing him talk in person, however, was apletely different feeling. It was almost as if all of the things that have been happening now were all just a game to him.


    ¡­And it was sort of scary. Add to the fact that¡­ there were rumors going around that Riley Ross truly is Darkday.


    "..."


    "If you find more, can we add it to the Aquarium?" Riley repeated his words as Empress didn''t answer him.


    "We can," Empress then finally breathed out as she nodded her head; her eyes, not looking away from the tablet she was holding, "That is if there are any left¡ª I am stripping any people suspected of being a member of the HoS of their human rights. They are to only be warned and asked to surrender once, if they refuse, they are to be shot on sight¡­


    ¡­ry that to any fucking chain ofmand that''s still out there," Empress ordered as she looked at her men.


    "At once!" Empress''s men and the people from the military all stepped out of the tent¡ª dragging away the unwilling reporters that still wanted to observe Empress and Riley.


    "Permission to also return to my station, ma''am."


    Ang, who was standing quietly behind Riley, once again stepped forward.


    "If you''re talking about the Pope, then he''ll be here in an hour," Empress still did not stray her eyes away from her tablet, "We have him on a jet."


    "Is¡­ that so. Then it would be best for me to prepare for his arrival."


    "Go."


    "Thank you, ma''am," Ang saluted as she made her way out of the tent. Before she could fully step out, however, she nced at Riley,


    "I¡­ believe we will be seeing each other quite frequently from now on, Riley Ross."


    "You''ll be seeing me a lot, but I won''t be seeing you," Riley said as he gestured to his eyes, "...I suppose that makes you somewhat of a pervert, doesn''t¡ª"


    "Fuck you," Ang did not really let Riley finish his words as she stepped out.


    "I see you''re still not making any friends," Empress finally removed her eyes from her tablet, before sitting on one of the chairs in the tent.


    "I have one," Riley just shrugged as he too took a seat.


    "Paige Pearson, huh? That makes sense, both of you are victims of¡­ a very unusual childhood."


    "You still think that my time as an infant made me the way I am?"


    "I do. That''s not going to change," Empress let out a very long and deep sigh; her arms almost dropping to the floor as she did so,


    "The world just has to turn shit on my watch. You should be the one fixing all of this, you know?"


    "The world is the same as I left it, Empress," Riley shook his head, "It is the people that have changed."


    "...Master started rubbing off on you," Empress closed her eyes and forced a chuckle, "You spent all that time in space, not a surprise. Where is she, anyway?"


    "I don''t know."


    "We could really use her help," Empress once again sighed as she opened her eyes.


    "..."


    The two then just remained sitting inside the tent in silence, which was only broken when a loud chime rang in the air. Empress quickly checked on her tablet, answering the call as soon as she saw who it was from.


    [We have the names and locations of all the members of the House of Super. The validity of the information is a hundred percent.]


    "That''s good. Send theirst known location to everyone."


    [Copy that. And what do you want me to do with Whiteking?]


    "..." Riley quickly turned towards Empress.


    "Just¡­ keep him with you. We still need him," Empress whispered before hanging up the call.


    "You kept father alive?" Riley let out a small breath, "Interesting choice, Empress. I would have killed him."


    "You will kill everyone given the chance."


    "That is not true, Empress. All of you are still alive and I had all the chance to kill you in the past."


    "...I forgot who I was talking to again," Empress sighed, "Why are you even back here, Riley Ross? You could have just lived your life, you could have even stayed on another where no one knows you. In fact, since you said you''re aw-abiding citizen, I am asking you to go to another and be their problem instead."


    "Oh, I will," Riley nodded, "I''m just waiting for Aerith to finish what she came here to do and we will go."


    "Why aren''t you helping her with that, anyway?"


    "It''s her problem."


    "...She''s hunting your mot¡ª your adoptive mother."


    "Yes."


    "...Don''t you even care a little? Everything about you revolves around her. Your birth, Alice''s death¡­ she''s involved in everything."


    "I thought I wasn''t your priority right now, Empress. But you seem to be too invested in my life."


    "Because the threat of the HoS is ending. You practically ended it. All that''s left is to clean up the mess¡­" Empress''s sighs were already filling the entire threat, "...And now once again you''re the biggest visible threat on this. The fucked up part is I don''t even know what that makes you anymore."


    "What do you mean, Empress?"


    "If you reveal yourself as Darkday now. How many do you think wouldn''t care?"


    "..."


    "The total number of people that died from the attack of the House of Super is now at 1.2 billion, and it''s rising," Empress said as she showed the data on her tablet,


    "Darkday has killed a quarter of that¡ª as far as they''re concerned, you''re the hero of the fucking century. You just served the heads of these terrorists on a silver tter, basically imprisoning them in a cage for everyone to see; for everyone to have a target for their rage¡­


    ¡­one might even think you staged it to be this way. That is Riley Ross''s MO, after all."


    "You have a very vivid imagination, Empress."


    "Really?" Empress raised an eyebrow, "Want me to announce to the world that you''re Darkday and order for your arrest to prove it?"


    "Well¡­" A small but subtle smile crawled on Riley''s face, "...that might turn you into a viin, Empress."


    "Hm. That''s what I thought."


    "But you really are looking too much into it, Empress," Riley stood up as he shook his head, "I''ve watched all the new episodes of Italian Mafia Reborn and there wouldn''t be any more for a very long time. I am truly just doing this to have fun¡ª any circumstance that turns things into my favor just happens to be¡­ an added bonus."


    "And you''ve be talkative too. Aerith truly is rubbing off on you."


    "I''ve always been talkative, Empress. You should know, my longest conversations have always been with you."


    "And this conversation is about to end," Empress let out a small chuckle, "A crowd is starting to form outside, families and friends of those that are inside your¡­ aquarium. How do you want to handle them?"


    "Please wait here. I''m just going to kill all of them, then we can continue our conversa¡ª"


    "Nope, no," Empress quickly blocked Riley from going outside the tent,


    "You stay here, I''ll handle it."


    And with those words, Riley was suddenly left alone inside the tent, with nothing to do but just sit on a chair as he looked at his new aquarium through the window; his eyes, seemingly somber and almost mncholic.


    This aquarium¡­ it somewhat reminded him of the Guesthouse, but at the same time, it waspletely different. The Guests had everything provided for them¡ª entertainment, food, luxurious amenities.


    The Aquarium has none of those things. It would be interesting to see how long they wouldst¡­ but seeing as some of them were already losing their minds and fighting each other even though it hasn''t even been a full day, their stay might be shorter than Riley surmised.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    Riley''s eyes then very slowly turned towards the table at the center of the tent, only for his eyes to catch the tablet that Empress was holding sitting there.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    Riley''s eyes then very slowly checked if the tent was clear. And as soon as he was sure no one was going toe inside, the tablet identally got into his hand. Empress left in a hurry, leaving her tablet and leaving itpletely unlocked.


    "Did you leave this intentionally, Empress?" Riley thought as he started scanning the tablet.


    "..."


    It didn''t really matter, the only thing he wanted to know was where he could find more tenants to put in the Aquarium. And so, that''s what he did.


    He was about to click on thetest mail that should have the names of all the members of the HoS¡­


    "...Oh?" His head, however, slightly tilted to the side as another message caught his eye, ''Situation at Arlington Hero Cemetery''.


    Riley looked at the date, and it should have been sent a few days after the explosions happened, as soon as thems were restored. Empress... hasn''t read it yet.


    "Interesting," Riley breathed out before returning the tablet to the table¡­ and quickly flying away through the window.


    Arlington Hero Cemetery¡ª if Riley remembers correctly. That...


    ¡­is where Alice Lane is buried.

 Chapter 383: Reminiscing

    Chapter 383: Reminiscing


    Arlington Hero Cemetery.


    A graveyard of heroes that have made a difference to the world¡ª no. Perhaps it was better to say that it was a resting ce for those that have wanted to make the world a better ce. There are thousands and thousands of them; their lives and even their death, not for themselves but for others.


    It is also the ce where they were supposed to build a monument for Megawoman, but then Riley returned her to the world.


    "..." That felt almost like a lifetime ago. And for Riley¡­


    ¡­perhaps it is as he technically died.


    "...Pft."


    A small chuckle whispered through the skies as Riley chuckled at his own thoughts. Truly, a lot has happened since he formally rested the mantle of Darkday¡ª one might even say that his stagnant life moved forward drastically¡­ and this dying world would agree.


    Riley continued to fly for a few more minutes; the sun, almost being absorbed by his long ck hair. And finally, he arrived above the airspace of the Arlington Hero Cemetery¡­ and it waspletely unscathed unlike the rest of the world.


    Riley could even say that it was peaceful. It made sense, of course¡ª the House of Super would never destroy a ce where the legacy and glory of supers of the past are prevalent.


    "...Oh,"


    Riley then quickly descended to the ground as his eyes suddenlynded on a familiar silhouette in the very center of the cemetery¡ª it wasn''t human, no; but a statue.


    A statue of Megawoman.


    "..." Aerith isn''t dead yet¡ª did they end up building the monument after all? Perhaps they took Megawoman''s departure from the as a sign to finally bury her legacy. Or was this already here even before he and Aerith left?


    "..." Riley then looked around to see if anyone else was in the graveyard, before letting his phone float as he took a photo of the statue, with him standing in front. This would be a good photo to show Aerith once they meet again¡ª perhaps also remind her of her time on Earth once they leave for the stars.


    "Good," Riley whispered to himself as he checked the photo. A few seconds after, however, he took a deep breath and allowed his eyes to see the entirety of the cemetery''s horizons.


    He did not realize it when hended, but there should be many here¡­ which Riley himself buried. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps?


    There should also be many that did not require burial; either for the reason of religion or simply that there were no remains to be buried. And of course, there was also the fact that some were actually alive¡ª his Guests.


    If he was right, then his Guests should be in the care of the viin organization, Endless Dark. An organization led by none other than his Second Subordinate, Nightqueen¡­ Tomoe Reynolds.


    "..." Riley could not help but nod as his thoughts wandered towards Tomoe. She¡­ has always been loyal; even now, she continues Riley''s work even without him asking her to.


    It just truly is disappointing that she was Hannah''s friend, Riley thought as his sighs almost crawled throughout the entire cemetery. And soon, he started walking around to find where Alice Lane is buried.


    Of course, he had no idea if Alice even had anything to do with the so-called ''situation'' that was reported to Empress¡ª either way, it didn''t matter. He was just¡­ curious.


    "Where could you be, biological mother?"


    Thest time they were together, he was 2 years old¡ª any memories of that time have already beenpletely overwritten. In fact, the only memory he has of Alice was through photos, and she was always wearing a mask.


    He didn''t even know what she really looked like.


    No, that wasn''t entirely right. Thest time he saw her was back in London. An illusion, hallucination, a ghost? There really was no way for him to know.


    And perhaps it also didn''t matter that he knew what she looked like? After all, her bones would have already melted by now.


    "..."


    Riley continued to walk across the cemetery; checking the names of the heroes buried there.


    "Oh, I remember him."


    "They¡­ didn''t cremate her? Interesting."


    "He didn''t get buried with his daughter?"


    "I thought she was of a different religion."


    Riley whispered to himself each time he recognized a name etched on the gravestones¡ª and he recognized a lot of them. He put them there, after all¡­ and he always strived to remember the names of those who he had killed.


    When Riley started getting¡­ the urge to end life, for some reason, he wanted to get something from the ughtered. At first, he wanted to get a fragment of their possession, but he had nowhere to ce them all and it would be too messy.


    And so, he settled with their names¡­


    "Oh, I remember your screams. I think I still have it on my phone."


    ¡­as well as a recording of their screams.


    Riley checked on his phone. He had already transferred all of the files from his old phone, and that included the raw files of his victims'' screams¡ª a list.


    A list that took him almost half an hour just to scroll to until he could finally find what he was looking for.


    "Super 321,420. This should be you," Riley then faced his phone towards the gravestone before ying it¡ª and as soon as he did so, an almost visceral and cracking shriek raged in the peaceful air of the cemetery.


    "It truly is quite memorable, Summit," he nodded to himself as he reyed the recording over and over again, "You have the same ability as the Caesar. He was a lot weaker, though. You¡­


    ¡­you could have even been a part of the Hope Guild if you lived."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Hm," a small sigh then escaped Riley''s lips as he finally stopped ying the scream and hid his phone; his eyes, still staring at Summit''s tombstone,


    "What could have been if I wasn''t there, right? You could have been a great hero, Summit. And not just you, but everyone here."


    "..."


    "I''m not just surrounded by death and corpses, but also lost futures¡­


    ¡­I understand that now."


    Riley took in a deep breath as he looked at the sky; the clouds, starting to form the darkness. And soon, thunders began to reverberate in the air as the first drop of the rain fell. But before this drop could reach the ground, it withered away.


    "Not this time," Riley whispered. And as he did so, the clouds suddenly rippled away, once again opening the sky and letting the sun bathe the grass.


    "In life, the darkness I created became your end. You do not have to carry that darkness in death, Summit¡­ you are at peace, and for that, I apologize."


    Riley''s eyes did not leave Summit''s grave, "I do not know if this would offer any of you relief, but you would be pleased to know that I can never join any of you."


    Riley finally stepped away as he once again started walking through the cemetery,


    "My future is to live. My future is to walk eternally with death beneath my feet. There will be more graves, not just in this ne¡­ but even in the stars," he whispered as he looked to the sky,


    "I have seen what''s out there. There will be billions¡ª trillions more of you. Perhaps that is the reason why I do not die, the reason why I will walk forever¡­


    ¡­because life will never end. It will always flourish until I stop it."


    The grass beneath Riley''s feet stopped dancing as his steps finally halted, "Perhaps that is my purpose¡­ mother."


    Riley''s sigh once again almost whispered throughout the entire cemetery as he looked at the grave in front of him,


    ''Here lies Ms. Phoenix, beloved daughter, and mother.''


    "Hm," Riley quickly stepped a few meters back to check if the grass around her grave was altered, or disarranged in any way¡ª but it waspletely clean; nothing at all amiss.


    "I thought you were the same as me. No. Perhaps it is better to say that I thought I am the same as you¡­ a being not capable of death," Riley then whispered to himself as he stared at Alice''s grave,


    "I¡­ don''t really know what I expected when I saw that there was activity in this area. But I suppose it is safe to say it''s not you."


    "..."


    "..."


    And after a few breaths, Riley sat on the ground, crossing his legs as both his palms brushed the grass around him.


    "Hello mother," he then said, "We haven''t formally met and probably never will, but I am your son, Riley Ross. Although I suppose you know me as Riley Lane, but I don''t think the name works well, no?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Your future. I wonder what it would have looked like if you were just a normal mother, and I was just a normal son? Would you have taken care of me?" A small but subtle smile appeared on Riley''s face,


    "I heard you have the same temper as Hannah, butpletely almost like a child that never really grew up. Would¡­ you really have been alright with a future together with me?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Would have all of these graves beside you been prevented? Would I be the monster I am now?" Riley breathed out,


    "It is all quite fascinating, really. I used to not think of anything else but the present, but now I find myself curious about the past and what could have been. And right now, I am even wondering¡­


    ¡­if I could have been human if you would have just taken care of me."

 Chapter 384: Destiny

    Chapter 384: Destiny


    "Will I have learned how to love? Will I have learned what it actually means? Would you¡­ love me?"


    A second.


    A minute.


    An hour.


    Riley has been talking to Alice''s grave for more than an hour now¡ª his questions, just repeating themselves over and over again. Almost as if he was waiting for someone to actually answer him.


    But no matter how many questions, no matter how many words and whispers danced in the air, it didn''t matter. No one really answered. Riley knows that no one would answer, and yet¡­ he continues.


    "Will Hannah and I have even met? It''s probable, both of our biological parents are members of the Hope Guild," Riley whispered as he looked at the sky, "But since you didn''t kill me, my abilities probably wouldn''t have been discovered and I wouldn''t have your telekic abilities. I would have just been¡­ a normal human until the time I am not."


    "..."


    "Don''t you find it confusing too, Alice? Do you think I would still have these¡­ whispers in my head telling me to destroy lives? I believe I was born for that and only that¡­ but what if I''m not? What would I be doing?"


    "..."


    "Right? There are so many things that could have happened, and yet here we are and you''re down there¡ª neighbors with the people I have killed. I truly and wholly want to have a conversation with you, mother. If you think about it¡­


    ¡­you''re the first person I killed."


    "..."


    "Why, you ask? Everyone''s just ming themselves for what happened. Your mother thinks it is her fault because she neglected you and wasn''t much of a mother at all¡ª that''s why you made the wrong decisions. Aerith mes herself for not being strong enough to stop you, and Empress mes herself because she couldn''t see the truth. Everyone thinks it is their fault, when in truth¡­


    ¡­It really is just mine for being born."


    "..."


    "You didn''t have to die, Alice. I heard of the stories about you and the chaotic and happy life you have led¡­ you deserve to be here rather than a monster like me. What a colorful life you would have had¡­


    ¡­I am truly sorry, Alice Lane."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I guess that''s enough," Riley then stood up from the ground, floating away all the dirt and grass that was stuck to the ends of his cardigan, "I want to check if you''re down there, Alice. But it would be disrespectful to exhume you."


    "..."


    "..."


    Riley stared at Alice''s grave for a few more seconds, before once again calling someone on the phone.


    "Louise¡­


    ¡­is Ang with you?"


    ***


    "You were right, Ang. We are seeing each other more and more."


    "Stop. Why are we even here?"


    "Because I want you to meet my mother."


    "...What?" Ang could really only look around the field of graves around her. But as soon as her eyesnded on the gravestone beside Riley, a slight gasp escaped her lips.


    "Thank you Louise, but you didn''t have toe," Riley approached the Pope and shook his hand.


    "Oh, I am afraid I can''t take your gratitude, child. I was brought here not of my own free¡ª"


    "I am wherever his Holiness is."


    "I feel like it is the other way around now," the Pope could only let out an exasperated sigh. He couldn''t me anyone, however, as he was the one who asked Ang to go,


    "Alice Lane. If I am correct, then she is your biological mother?"


    "That is correct, Louise," Riley nodded, "I need Ang to check if my mother''s remains are still beneath this ground."


    "You called His Holiness¡­ for that? Why did you not just call me?"


    "I do not have your number, Ang. And this space is¡­ inherently sacred. I did not want to intrude on the dead without the consent of someone considered holy. The Pope is the only holy man I know of."


    "Your Holiness, you don''t need to¡ª"


    "It is fine," the Pope quickly raised his hand, "Those who have been buried here no longer have any earthly tether trapping them in our realm."


    "..." Ang could really only sigh as she finally opened her eyes; her head slowly turning towards the ground with much hesitation.


    "..."


    "..."


    "There''s nothing here," Ang then muttered as she blinked a couple of times.


    "The coffin is empty?" Riley quickly said as he looked back and forth between Ang and the grave.


    "No¡­" Ang took in a small gulp as she shook her head, "I mean there''s nothing 6 feet beneath us¡ª it''s hollow¡­ and deep."


    "...Oh?" Riley also blinked a couple of times as he tilted his head to the side.


    "..." Ang then turned her eyes towards the other graves¡­ only for them to also be hollow. It almost looked like the tunnels that ants dug, except everything led to whatever it is that was below.?


    "Everything¡­ is empty."


    "I lied, Ang," Riley then quickly said as he looked Ang straight in the eyes, "I did not call you here to meet my mother. I identally gained information of an unusual activity happening in this cemetery, right after the bombings happened, possibly also seismic."


    "..." Ang focused her eyes down as soon as she heard Riley''s words, "It''s¡­ too deep for me to see what''s on the end. Do you think¡­ the bombs might have done this? Or maybe these tunnels were already here¡­ and the bombs did something to whatever they lead to and¡­ woke something up?"


    "Or someone. If I am right, then mother has something to do with this," Riley muttered as he once again looked at Alice''s gravestone.


    "Alice Lane?"


    "No, my other mother."


    "...What?"


    "It is a good thing you are here, Pope. Please offer a prayer before we explore what''s beneath us."


    "What do you mean we?" Ang raised an eyebrow, "I''m not going with you down there."


    "Your ability will be helpful, Ang. Or you can just kill me, but that is impossible for you."


    "Huh?"


    "Go with him, child."


    And before Ang could even express her confusion that reached almost the heavens, the Pope ced his hand on her shoulder, "We all have a destiny to y in this world, and I believe we are where we are because it is His will."


    "But¡­ fine," Ang could not help but shake her head; her sighs, now racing with her confusion.


    "Are you sure all of these graves are empty?"


    "Yes, your Holiness."


    "Very well," the Pope raised his palms above his shoulders as his lips started to utter a prayer in anothernguage.


    "Grant, we beseech Thee, o Lord our god, that the souls of thy servants¡­"


    "..." Riley looked at the Pope, before also closing his eyes and lowering his head. It took more than a minute, but Riley did not reallyin as he just waited patiently.


    "...ly ghost liveth and reih world without end. Amen."


    Ang and the Pope gestured a cross, while Riley just kept his hands behind him; only raising his head as soon as he was sure that the Pope was done.


    "Shall we go on another adventure, Ang?" Riley then said as a smile started to grow on his face.


    As for Ang, she could really only shake her head and sigh, "What eve¡ª !!!"


    And before she could say her words, she felt her body being dragged through the ground. As for the Pope, he remained on the surface¡­ once again left alone with Little Riley who was quietly standing beside him.


    "You, me. Together again, Louise," Little Riley said as he grabbed the ends of the Pope''s robes.


    "I thought I was supposed to go down there with them," the Popemented as he stared at the hole Riley created."


    "You die down there, Louise," Little Riley shook his head as he tightened his grip on the Pope''s robes, lightly pulling him away from the hole so that he wouldn''t fall.


    "Do you see my face?" The Pope let out a long and exasperated sigh as he pointed at his wrinkled face. And hair that grew on them, barely visible from how thin and grey they were.


    "Yes, it''s ugly. But that is alright, beauty¡­ inside matters."


    "...I mean I am old."


    "Yes, and ugly. Two things, true at once. I learn."


    "..."


    ***


    "How¡­ deep are we?"


    "A thousand kilometers."


    "...Isn''t that already halfway to the outer core!?"


    "Almost."


    Riley and Ang were surrounded by nothing but rocks. Ang was expecting some magma, but the mantle was justpletely made of¡­ solid rock; and Riley was drilling into it like it was sand. Riley didn''t really react, of course. He had done something like this before, after all.


    If it wasn''t for the light that Riley was emitting, Ang was sure that there would only be darkness around them. She couldn''t even see the light the sun provides above them anymore, not even a dot.


    He didn''t believe it when Riley told him¡ª but Riley¡­ should truly be capable of destroying the Earth if he wanted to. He didn''t even need to do anything grand, he just needed to reach the core and do whatever it is he does. The only thing he needed was¡­ a push.


    Hopefully, no one is stupid enough to do so.


    "I am starting to see something!" All of Ang''s thoughtspletely stopped as her eyes were finally able to see something that isn''t rock and darkness.


    "What is it?"


    "It''s¡­ some sort of futuristic giant dagger?" Ang slightly squinted her eyes, "Wait¡­ no. Oh my god¡­"


    Riley quickly turned towards Ang as he heard the shock in her voice.


    "It''s¡­


    ¡­It''s a ship."

 Chapter 385: The Sleeping Menace

    Chapter 385: The Sleeping Menace


    "What kind of trouble have you brought now, Aerith?"


    Inside some sort of room seemingly made of silver, the sound of Diana''s steps almost nged; her feet, almost stomping as she walked back and forth in front of a screen the size of a table.


    Perhaps the only thing that was stagnant was the target of her stern res¡ª the view of the space that was almost a hologram as the far stars seemed to be popping out of the screen. And perhaps they do go far, as the light that was reflected in Diana''s eyes almost looked like they spanned millions of kilometers.


    It wasn''t really clear what she was looking at¡ª whatever it was, she was the only one that seemed to understand it.


    "No¡­" And finally, after what seemed like an entire hour, Diana stopped walking as she stood right in front of therge screen, "...I suppose the humans did this to themselves."


    Diana then raised her hand, controlling the screen as all sorts of cryptic letters and numbers appeared,


    "Is there a way for me to stop them? No¡­ the radiation signature is already too high. Even if I mask the energying from Earth, they would have already saved its location¡­" Diana continued to talk to herself as she stared at the digits in front of her,


    "...Should I just leave?" She sighed, "I could probably leave, but I would never find a like this again, I''m sure of it. I have to stay, I need to stay. I''m not done yet¡­ not yet."


    Diana once again started waving her hands. And with each gesture, the contents of the holographic screen changed¡ª almost as if it was zooming out on the map of the universe as thes soon became like glitters in the expanse.


    "Can you calcte several arrival dates based on the parameters I just entered?"


    [...]


    [...]


    "All of them," Diana said as several colored dots appeared on the map, with lines suddenly protruding all the way to a green, "Now name them numerically depending on how fast each of the entered objects reaches Earth, with the headlines set as ''Higher Race''."


    Diana then continued to stare at the screen, watching some sort of simtion.


    "Of course, Higher Race 3 will be the fastest one to get here," Diana muttered to herself, "But based on the speed the thing is going, it''s not them. Which one is it¡­ data''s too little to know."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...I hate doing this," Diana then let out a deep sigh as she closed her eyes, beforepletely stopping her breaths, and even her already slowly beating heart. She let the sound of the universe enter the deepest parts of her, drowning any other noise as her mind wandered farther and farther off into the expanse of the darkness that is¡ª


    "What are you doing, aunt Diana!?"


    "!!!"


    Diana''s eyes instantly opened wide as she let out an almost scratching gasp. She took a few steps back as she covered her ears, almost tumbling to the floor as the sudden noise that entered her brain almost incapacitated her.


    "Are you ying a video game!?"


    "..." Diana quickly turned her now opened eyes towards the girl that suddenly entered the room, who was now pressing and tapping all sorts of things on the holographic screen.


    "What did I tell you about entering this room, Karina?" Diana could really only sigh as she tried her best to calm herself down, "Where''s your mother?"


    "Mom is with Gran gran. I requested snow for the next practice so mom''s doing her thing."


    "..." Once again, Diana sighed as she stared at Karina, whose height was now around her shoulders. If Diana''s calctions were correct; then biologically, Karina should now be considered 12 years old.


    If so, then things have just be tremendouslyplicated. The human brain starts being¡­pletely unpredictable at that age. Sometime soon, this will be messy. Not to mention it was also time to stop elerating Karina''s growth, as continuing to do so would now be detrimental.


    That means they would be stuck with her rebellious phase for a while. Diana remembered when Hannah was around that age and was starting to develop some sort of crush on a cartoon character.


    She even wanted to marry the character and insisted that Bernard buy the person who drew it to make it possible. It would have been alright if it was just that, but the character was not even a human-- it was a white lion.


    Of course, her fascination didn''tst long. As after that, her attention turned to drawing because she didn''t get her father to buy the artist-- and so, she said she would do it herself but thenpletely forgot about the white lion as she started drawing all sorts of different characters.


    She wasn''t very good at it; so in the end, she just focused on what she does best, martial arts.


    It¡­ was incredibly short, no¡ª it was a blink, but it felt like forever when she had to calm her tantrums and¡ª


    "Why are you smiling, auntie?"


    "I''m not smiling," Diana quickly furrowed her eyebrows as she red at Karina, "And stop calling me your aunt, I''m not."


    "Yes, you are."


    "No. Can you get out now?" Diana let out another sigh before wearing her sses¡ª transferring the images on the screen to it with just a wave of her hand. She waved her hand a second time, this time to gesture to Karina to leave.


    "But it''s boring outside," Karina grunted before she stretched her arms and hugged the screen; her smile, also stretching as wide as they could from ear to ear, "Let me y some games here instead, I would be quiet, I pro¡ª"


    And before she could finish her words, the screen suddenly turned red¡ª No, not only the screen, but the lights in the silver room also drowned the walls in red.


    "I¡­ I didn''t do anything!" Karina bellowed as she took a few steps back.


    Diana didn''t really say anything to her and instead just rushed to look at the screen.


    "No¡­" She then whispered, "It''s not you. There''s¡­


    ¡­an intruder."


    ***


    "It''s¡­ a ship!"


    Ang''s words were loud enough to echo through the tunnel, almost reaching as a whisper to the Pope that was idly standing by at the surface. As for Riley, he didn''t really say anything and just hastened their descent.


    The rocks around them, almost trembling as he made the holes evenrger so that they would be able to blitz their way down.


    "It''s getting near! Only a few seconds now!" Ang bellowed, "W¡­ wait! Wait! Slow down¡­


    ¡­Slow down!"


    And all of a sudden, Ang felt her organs almost being thrown out of her body as she and Riley stopped falling down without even any sort of warning. Still, she didn''t let the difort stop her as she quickly looked around¡­


    ¡­only to find herself in some sort of void¡ª a vast hollow space perfectly shaped into a sphere, and right at the very center of this domain, was the dagger-shaped ship.


    And it would seem Ang''s description of it was truly valid, a futurist dagger. It was still clearly a ship, but its edges were so smooth with not even a trace of a door or a window.


    "...Oh."


    Ang then turned her eyes towards Riley as she heard him whisper, only to see his long ck hair floating in a weird way.


    "There''s no gravity here," Riley muttered as he slightly flicked his finger, causing the strands of his hair to once again fix themselves, "Is it the doing of the ship? What do you think, Ang?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Ang?"


    "Are we¡­ on the core of the?" Ang took in a small gulp as she let her eyes wander around.


    "...No," Riley said; his eyes, almost judging Ang from head to toe, "The core is still a thousand kilometers down, I have seen it."


    "...Right," the excitement in Ang''s voice slightly dissipated as she looked at the ship, slightly squinting her eyes as she did so, "I¡­ can''t seem to see the inside of the ship clearly."


    "There are things that you can''t see through, Ang?"


    "I will eventually see what''s inside," Ang shook her head, "It''s just not clear now so I can''t make out anything. This happens when I am looking at a material I haven''t seen before."


    "Hm."


    "In this case, it''s quite obvious that whatever this ship is, it''s alien," Ang muttered, "Let''s stay here for a while so my eyes could adjust and¡ª"


    "No, let''s just go in."


    "Wait, we don''t even know what''s inside. It would be too dangerous to¡ª Never mind."


    And before Ang could finish her words, she once again felt herself being dragged around; the two of them, not orbiting around the dagger-like ship. And now that they were near it, they finally realized just how massive it was.


    It was almost asrge as the floating base of the Dark Millenium, except elongated in shape.


    "Riley, stop. I see some sort of seam here, I think it''s the door."


    "..." Riley then floated Ang and himself closer to the ship. And as soon as he did so, a sharp blue light beamed and panned towards them from head to toe.


    "...What was that?"


    "I don''t¡ª"


    [Wee, Riley Lane Ross.]


    "..." And as soon as those words echoed through their ears, the seam that Ang was talking about became visible to Riley¡ª and soon, that square seam turned into a door¡­ and that door faded away revealing the inside of the ship.


    "Did¡­ the ship just recognize you? Riley Lane Ross¡­ is that your full name?"


    "..." Riley didn''t really answer Ang''s words, and instead just shook his head as the two of them slowly floated to the opening.


    And as soon as Riley stepped inside, lights started appearing on the floor, almost as if they were guiding them. The gravity, also returning as the door behind them once again popped up.


    "Should¡­ maybe we should think about this before we¡ª"


    But s, Riley just started walking as he followed the lights. The inside of the ship has the same color as its exterior¡ª silver, almost tinum-like in color. And like the outside, there were no windows or anything, just unending hallways.


    Soon, however, they found themselves inside arge dark hall. But it didn''t remain dark for long, because as soon as Riley once again stepped forward, lights started filling the room.


    And just like the rest of the ship, the hall was empty. Devoid of anything except for a single object¡ª a small tform right in the very center of the hall.


    No, perhaps it was better to say that it was a bed¡­ as someone was lying on top of it¡ª a face that was very familiar to Riley...


    ¡­Alice Lane.

 Chapter 386: The Ship

    Chapter 386: The Ship


    "Who¡­ is that?"


    Ang''s words were gentle, almost as if she didn''t want to wake up the woman peacefully lying at the very center of the silver hall. It was a surreal site ¡ª probably even more so than any of the cathedrals that Ang has seen in her life, and she has seen everything.


    The silver hall waspletely empty, and yet there in the middle, a person was resting on a tform. It almost seemed as if she was a part of the hall.


    The woman''s body waspletely bare, stripped of any armor she might have had once¡ª and yet, it did not feel voyeuristic or leering; in fact, everything in this hall just felt natural, and Ang could not exin why it was.


    "Wait¡­ isn''t that Alice Lane?" And finally, a name and a memory surfaced in Ang''s mind.


    "It is," Riley nodded.


    "You¡­ don''t really look anything alike," Alice muttered as she looked back and forth between Alice''s body and Riley. Of course, she didn''t really need to say it¡ª there were hardly any people that looked like Riley.


    Even those who supposedly share his condition, macrostomia, albinism, or whatever else Riley has¡ª he lookedpletely different from them. If anything, Riley was the epitome of perfection of imperfections.


    It was a weird way to describe him, but that''s Riley¡ª weird to the core.


    "Why¡­ is her body here?" Ang finally paused her thoughts as she focused on Alice''s body; but with her question, she also finally realized why Alice seemed so natural being in this ce,


    "This ce¡­ is it some sort of crypt?"


    "..." Riley didn''t really say anything; only letting out a small breath as he slowly made his way to the center of the hall,


    "I have the same question as you, Ang. Just why exactly would Alice''s carcass be here?" Riley whispered as he looked at Ang,


    "You said the other graves were also empty and hollow?"


    "Yes," Ang quickly nodded as she too approached Alice''s body.


    "You think the other carcasses are also here?"


    "It''s¡­ possible," Ang squinted her eyes to try and see through the floor and walls. But s, everything was still a blur,


    "...But for some reason, I have a feeling¡­ that she was the only one who received a special treatment like this," she then said as her eyes once again roamed the immacte silver hall.


    "Hm," Riley nodded as he stood beside Alice''s body, "So¡­


    ¡­this is my mother," he then whispered as he looked at her from head to toe, "She was quite beautiful, no?"


    "...She is," Ang lowered her voice, before taking a few steps back and allowing Riley some space. Although the entire situation waspletely otherworldly and her confusion grew by the millisecond, the circumstances called for her to just keep her silence for now.


    Her silence did notst long, however, as Riley quickly let out a small but deep sigh as he stared at Alice''s face.


    "I don''t know what to do with this finding. We should explore the ship more to¡ª"


    "How long do you think the ship has been here?" Ang asked; almost gesturing to Riley to stay just a little bit more at his mother''s side, "It''s halfway to the core¡­ wouldn''t that mean it''s been here for a very long time? A thousand years? Maybe more?"


    "...Hm," Riley slightly squinted his eyes as his eyes also started to wander across the silver hall.


    "But then¡­" Ang, however, seemed to be keen on answering her own questions, "...It wouldn''t make sense since the ship seems to be getting the bodies from Arlington Cemetery¡­


    ¡­except if the grave was built exactly there because the ship was down below."


    "Hm."


    "If I am right, Arlington was built sometime 250 years ago¡­ just who do you think owns this ship?"


    "My other mother, most probably."


    "...What?"


    "It''s probably my other mother''s ship," Riley repeated his words as he shrugged, "She does things that one would find unexinable in normal terms. Even Megawoman herself doesn''t know how she thinks¡­ but then again, I have recentlye to the realization that Aerith isn''t really the best thinker."


    Riley has been with Aerith for 2 years. And throughout their adventure in the expanse of space, he watched as Aerith¡­ made some dubious decisions. The very reason they spent that long to reach Hotis 4J in the first ce was that she forgot the directions.


    "Your¡­ other mother?" Ang chose to ignore thetter half of Riley''s words to hold onto her sanity, "You mean Diana Ross? Why would she be involved here?"


    "You will find out soon since you''re sticking with me."


    "You called me here," Ang could really only sigh, before shaking her head and deciding to just focus on Alice, "Should we¡­ retrieve her body?"


    "Why?"


    "...What do you mean why? She''s your mother. Don''t you want to bury her properly?"


    "She looks peaceful enough here, Ang."


    "Then what about her mother, Charlotte?" Ang once again sighed, "I am sure she would want to know about what is happening to her daughter''s body."


    "I don''t think Charlotte cares about her family that much," Riley shook his head, "If she did, she would have made sure to adopt me¡ª or even took care of her daughter while she was alive."


    "That¡­ can''t be true," Ang''s voice became meek, "Still, I think Alice deserves a proper burial."


    "Is this not the best tomb for someone like her?" Riley said as he looked around the silver hall, "Her body has also been preserved in this space, it should have only been decayed fragments of her skeleton."


    "Why are you so disconnected from this, Riley? I thought you were trying to be more human?" Ang sighed, "She''s your mother, I think she deserves to be buried in a ce proper for her."


    "This is the proper ce. Her carcass doesn''t rot."


    "That is what makes it unnatural," Ang shook her head, "Don''t you want the Pope to bless her body¡­ and finally truly let her be in peace?"


    "...I suppose that is an option," Riley slightly squinted his eyes,


    "Very well."


    Riley then lightly raised a finger, and as she did so, Alice''s body started to leave the tform it was resting on. However, Riley quickly dropped his hand as soon as he heard the slight sound of a squelching from Alice.


    "What¡­ is that?" Ang was the first to mutter as she saw multiple thin tubes attached to Alice''s spine. It almost seemed as if they were alive¡ª throbbing. If it wasn''t for their ck color, then she was sure she would have mistaken them for veins.


    "Wait¡­" Numerous thoughts quickly raced through Ang''s mind, but one remained prevalent,


    "Don''t tell me¡­" The tone of Ang''s voice was meek, almost hesitant, "...is her body powering up the ship?"


    "..." And as soon as Riley heard Ang''s theory, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, "Can you see through the walls, Ang?"


    "No, not yet," Ang quickly shook her head, "It''s still just a blur, almost like I am looking through tissue paper."


    "I suppose it doesn''t matter."


    And with those words traveling across the silver hall, the bed tform that Alice''s body was resting on started to crack.


    "What are you doing!?"


    Ang screamed and stepped back. Riley, on the other hand,pletely ignored her question as the bed tform nowpletely shattered into a million pieces, finally revealing the rest of the tubes.


    But s, they just connected to the floor¡ª whatever they were connected to, it was probably below the hall they were in. If Ang''s theory was right, then the engine should be just below here.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Don''t even try," Ang already knew what Riley was thinking, "If you try to destroy more of the ship, we don''t know how it will react¡ª it might explode for all we know."


    "..." Riley slowly turned to look at Ang, before nodding his head and smiling, "You''re right."


    Riley then closed his fist, and as he did so, the shrapnel and debris scattered in the air all returned to their original ce; once again rebuilding the bed tform.


    And almost as if nothing happened, Alice''s body was once again peacefully resting on it.


    Riley then started walking around the silver hall; his eyes searching for something they do not know yet.


    "What¡­ are you doing now?"


    "I would like to try something," Riley then halted his steps as he let out a short but deep breath,


    "Good afternoon, ship."


    "Wha¡ª"


    [Good afternoon, Riley. How may I assist you today?]


    "..." Ang wanted to say something, but just chose to keep her mouth shut as she stared at Riley.


    "What is my clearance level, ship?"


    [Riley Lane Ross. Current clearance level is 3.]


    "What is the highest clearance level?"


    [Level 5.]


    "..."


    "..."


    "Can you safely unplug Alice Lane?"


    [...]


    [...]


    [Re¡ª]


    "Abort order!"


    And before the ship could answer, a voice suddenly echoed from behind Ang and Riley.


    Ang quickly raised her sword as she turned around. As for Riley, he just very slowly and calmly turned around¡ª after all, he recognized the voice.


    "Stop, Riley. Don''t move Alice''s body."


    [Command overridden by a personnel with a higher clearance level. Do you have any more orders, Aerith?]


    ***Author Notes***


    Greetings mortals, author here. If you wish to support me further, you could do so through my pay.pal : romeru69.


    Don''t forget the 69, or you will be donating to a guy from a different world.


    But if you wish for another, I also have a pat.reon : romeru.


    Thank you very much for still reading!

 Chapter 387: The Reunion

    Chapter 387: The Reunion


    [Command overridden. Do you have any more orders, Aerith?]


    "...Aerith? Megawoman?"


    Ang could really only stare at the woman slowly making their way towards her and Riley¡ª and even with her wearing a sort of dark spandex suit, it was hard to mistake her for anyone else but the Earth''s mightiest and strongest defender¡­ and her master.


    Ang''s grip on her sword was confused as to what to do¡ª not knowing whether it should loosen or tighten its hold on the weapon. After all, Ang knew how useless and pointless it was to try and fight against Megawoman.


    "You¡­ could you be the owner of this ship?" Ang gulped as all sorts of thoughts raced in her mind, "Wait, so all this time that you''ve been here¡­ but why would you train me¡­ were you making me stronger to turn me into the ship''s batteries!?"


    "..." Aerith, who was slowly making her way towards Riley and Ang, could not help but stop in her tracks; the disbelief on her face,pletely visible as she looked at Ang straight in the eyes,


    "...What did I say about overthinking things, kid?" She then let out a small sigh as she shook her head,


    "Still, I missed your well-thought-out theories, even if they tend to be far-fetched sometimes," Aerith chuckled, "But no, I don''t own this ship."


    "I thought as much," Riley finally spoke up, "All of the circumstances are too sophisticated to be thought of by you, mother."


    "You stop calling me mother right now," Alice''s eye started to twitch as she pointed at Riley; his words almost felt like sand as they reached Aerith''s ears, "We tried so hard to give you a new identity and you go announce to the world who you are?"


    "I don''t like people using my name, Aerith."


    "You¡ª I suppose it doesn''t matter," Aerith could really only shake her head and sigh, "Just don''t move Alice''s body. The ship is the only thing keeping her alive."


    "...Alive?"


    "This is the Mur Lav''ir¡ª the Room of Revival," Aerith then said as she looked at Alice''s body.


    "How do you know all of that if you don''t own this ship?" Ang squinted her eyes.


    "You haven''t told her anything?" Aerith breathed out as she looked at Riley, who shook his head in response.


    "It''s not my secret to tell, Aerith," Riley said.


    "...Right. You and I both know that you just didn''t tell her because it didn''t matter to you."


    "You know me too well, Aerith. As expected of my 3rd mother."


    "Stop," Aerith groaned before cing her attention on Ang, "You got something right with your theories, this is a Themarian ship, but it''s not mine. I prefer the freedom of flying across gxies with my own body."


    "That''s why you get lost."


    "Shut up!" Aerith once again pointed at Riley, "And don''t unplug Alice, she''ll die."


    "So, are you saying that Alice is alive, Aerith?" Riley muttered as he turned around to look at Alice''s face, "She doesn''t seem to be."


    "Because she''s not alive, not yet," Aerith stated as she approached Alice''s body, "Themerians view death¡­ quite differently from humans, from the rest of the other races and species, really."


    "..." Ang and Riley did not really say anything so Aerith could continue her words.


    "We view it differently because we rarely die. You need to erase us from our veryst atom. But even then, we will live and recover fully in a few minutes."


    "...But you didn''t," Riley slightly tilted his head as he nced at Aerith, "I kept you in the closet for an entire day."


    "..." Ang''s eyes widened upon hearing Riley''s words. She seemed to want to say something, but Aerith spoke before she could do so.


    "Because I didn''t want to recover. I was tired," Aerith sighed, "I wanted to rest a little¡ª but the humans saw that as a sign to use me. I can''t me them, of course. But I''m still a little hurt."


    "...Is that why you didn''t help us with the House of Super?"


    Aerith didn''t really answer Ang''s question, but she didn''t need to; it was obvious from the way her eyes moved¡ª Megawoman was done with the humans.


    "I¡­ am really sorry for what we''ve done to you, master," Ang let out a small but deep breath as she looked to the side,


    "...And thank you for not taking revenge against us."


    "You didn''t do anything to me, kid," Aerith only smiled as she patted Ang''s shoulder; the two of them, looking at each other in the eyes with their gaze filled with memory and warmth.


    "You really are kind, Aerith. You could''ve killed all of us in anger. Well, all of them." But s, the moment was ruined by Riley''s words.


    "...I don''tmit genocide, Riley."


    Aerith could really only sigh; waving her hand to gesture that she was done talking about the past. She then once again focused her attention on Alice, gently holding her hand as she looked at her face,


    "Themarians rarely die. And so if one of us dies¡ª we just make them alive again. The same could naturally be done with humans since our biology doesn''t deviate that much from each other."


    "Themarians¡­ can resurrect the dead?" Ang took in a small gulp, "That¡­ is unnatural."


    "Yes. But it requires arge amount of energy to be transferred to the body of the deceased," Aerith nodded as her eyes traveled across the Mur Lav''ir, "We get the energy from nature, the, lithium, grass¡ª any energy that could be extracted. In this case¡­


    ¡­I think Caiin is using the energy left from the corpses of the other supers to revive Alice."


    "Energy¡­ from supers?"


    "Supers are a disease."


    "Supers aren''t the ones who nuked a third of the," Ang could not help but furrow her eyebrows from hearing Aerith''s statement.


    "I meant that in a literal sense," Aerith let out a small snicker, "Supers are a disease. I realized that when I gained an ability and even upgraded the ones I already had when I got to this¡­


    ¡­It''s not from the Earth, it''s not from your sun. I was infected with whatever you supers have," she then said as she looked at Riley.


    "It''s¡­ not evolution?" Ang muttered.


    "It might as well be," Aerith shook her head, "Because soon¡­ normal humans would be gone from this."


    "That''s not evolution, master¡­ that''s taking over."


    "Whatever it is, it is no longer of my concern," Aerith breathed out as she once again focused her attention on Alice; her eyes, slightly filled with mncholy and regret,


    "I¡­ am truly sorry I failed you back then. You seemed¡­ to be in so much pain. If only I was strong enough to¡ª"


    "You said this room resurrects the dead, Aerith," Riley then suddenly disrupted Aerith''s short de as he blocked her view with his face.


    "..."


    "But why would my mother try to resurrect my other mother?"


    "I don''t¡ª You should ask her."


    The mncholy in Aerith''s eyes quickly faded away; her eyebrows, lowering as she slowly turned around to look at the corridor.


    And there, amidst the silver hallway and bright lights¡ª a sort of shadow stood. And soon, a step could be heard¡­ and then, a loud whisper.


    "Because she didn''t deserve to die. Alice¡­


    ...Alice is a friend."


    The shadow''s approach was slow, but with each step the silhouette uncovers itself. Ang recognized who it was, of course¡­ but she almost felt like a totally different person. Like each of her steps was enough to trample herpletely.


    Diana Ross. Supposedly just a normal human.


    "You left this up there, Riley."


    The very first thing Diana did as she revealed herself from the shadows that wrapped around her was look at Riley¡­ and throw something towards him.


    Riley wasn''t going to catch it at first but saw what the object was¡­ or rather, who it was.


    "B¡­ boss."--- it was Little Riley; his face,pletely filled with tears, "I¡­ I couldn''t protect¡­ my butt hurts. Mother flicked my butt."


    "..." Riley only nodded, before gently ying Little Riley beside Alice.


    "Oh, isn''t this our other mother?" Little Riley said as he quickly climbed over her stomach,ying down and trying to hug her with his tiny limbs, "Hello, other mother."


    "Wait¡­ what did you do to the Pope!?"


    Little Riley was supposed to be protecting the Pope, and now that he was suddenly brought here, Ang could really only tighten her grip on her sword as she pointed it towards Diana.


    "Rx, he''s alive," Diana smiled as she looked at Ang, "Y¡ª"


    "Go check on the Pope. Thank you for assisting me, Ang."


    And before Ang and Diana could even say anything, Ang was suddenly flung away from the silver hall.


    "..." Diana didn''t try to stop her, only ncing at Ang as she passed by her before once again turning her eyes back to Riley¡ª a smile, crawling on her face¡­ but disappeared as soon as it formed.


    "How are you, Riley?" She then muttered; her voice, slightly stiff and stern, "It¡­ is good to see you alive."


    "You should know that I can''t die, mother," Riley took in a small breath as he looked Diana straight in the eyes, "After all, you made me."


    "Oh, I wish I could take credit for creating you," Diana closed her eyes and shook her head.


    Riley''s head quickly tilted to the side. He was about to ask her even more questions, but Diana already turned her attention to Aerith.


    "Aerith''Hel."


    "Caiin''Ur."


    "That''s a name I have not heard for a very long time," Diana let out a small giggle, "You''ve finally found this ce, thanks to the humans you are so dearly fond of. It was quite¡­ fun watching you fly around. It is quite kind of you to help them with their problems."


    "Right¡­" Aerith scoffed; her breaths, slightly heavy as she returned Diana''s re, "...Why are you still using Diana''s face? Aren''t you ashamed to be spouting dust with the mouth of this kid''s mother?"


    "...Because this is my real face?" Diana raised an eyebrow, "And please, lower your tone while addressing me¡­


    ¡­child."

 Chapter 388: The Grand... Plan?

    Chapter 388: The Grand... n?


    "And please, lower your tone while addressing me¡­


    ¡­child."


    And then, the peace that encapsted the silver hall disappeared. There weren''t any changes, not even the air. But Riley could feel something building around them, almost as if it was causing the entire hall to tremble; but then again, everything remained still.


    The walls were still as clear; the floors, immacte. Alice still lied still even with Little Riley on top of her¡ª everything was the same. But Riley knew¡­ something was different.


    And soon, he found out what.


    A being that he thought was once as still a mountain; unmovable, unstoppable. A being that no matter what Riley did, she did not even utter as much as a petrified or intimidated whisper. But now¡­


    ¡­he could hear Aerith''s breaths almost flowing through his ears. She seemed...


    "Are you nervous, Aerith?"


    And of course, Riley could not believe what he was seeing¡ª he had to ask.


    "...Shut up," Aerith then said as she once again let out a deep breath. But after that, no more. Her muscles started to rx as her gaze turned towards Riley,


    "I''m just¡­ thrilled," she forced a chuckle, "You have no idea how long I have searched for her. There are times that I have even almost forgotten my goal¡­ and nothing''s going to stop me from aplishing it anymore."


    "..." Riley turned to Diana as Aerith continued to talk, only to see her shrug at him; a smile stered on her face as she looked him straight in the eyes.


    "Caiin''Ur¡­" Aerith then took a step forward as her breaths finally calmed themselves, "...On behalf of our race, I am here to arrest you formitting 7 acts of intentional genocide, destroying their inhabitants as well as their home, leaving the biome with no chance to procreate."


    "Big words," Diana, on the other hand, did not leave her position even for an inch, "Are you sure you''re not just here because you''re angry at me for beating you?"


    "..."


    "I remember you being more bouncy, guileless, and callow. You were so cute back then," Diana giggled as she covered her mouth; adjusting her sses it slightly moved, "But of course, not as cute as my daughter."


    "The daughter that you left behind," a smirk quickly crawled on Aerith''s face, "Or is she even your daughter? Maybe you just made her as well?"


    "Last I checked you also left your offspring here. At least I cared for my daughter," the smile on Diana''s face did not disappear,


    "But I digress, I am not here to argue. I had thousands of years of peace and I have started to appreciate it¡­ and truly, you don''t want to fight me here, do you?"


    "..."


    "This will be destroyed faster than any of us could even blink. Just a snap, and it will be gone."


    Aerith''s eyebrows began to furrow as Diana raised her hand.


    "And why did you evene back to this?" Diana then let out a small sigh, "Did you know that someone from the Higher Races is on their way here? You''ve probably alerted them of your presence, and then the bombs that the humans let go off just made it easier for them to track us."


    "I came back because you''re here," Aerith looked Diana straight in the eyes, "This is not safe with you here."


    "I have been here for more than a thousand years, child. You''ve been here for what? 300?" Diana once again let out a small giggle; before winking at Riley for some reason, "I would probably be here for another thousand years if it wasn''t for another themarian meddling affairs she should not."


    "You are dangerous, Caiin."


    "And you''re not?" Diana once again turned her eyes towards Aerith,


    "You''re a child ying on an anthill, Aerith. One wrong move, one tumble, one trip¡­ and this anthill goes down."


    "I''m not going to let that happen."


    "No, it didn''t happen because I am here," Diana let out a long and deep sigh, "Contrary to what you want to believe in, Aerith¡ª I value the Earth and humans way more than you. It is not in my interest that it disappears."


    "You are ying god."


    "I am. If not me, then who?" Diana removed her sses as she took a step forward, "This is it, Aerith. This is the ce I have been looking for all this time. This time, I am not going to make the same mistake I did with thest 7¡ª no¡­


    ¡­I suppose I already made an error," Diana once again sighed as she looked at Riley, before turning her eyes to Alice.


    "I¡­ got sidetracked by the''s inhabitants," she then whispered; her eyes, containing a bit of¡­ despair as they reflected Alice''s silhouette, "I¡­


    ¡­made a friend."


    "A friend?" Aerith furrowed her eyebrows, "What does someone like you know about having a friend?"


    "More than you would think," Diana scoffed; her eyes not leaving Alice, "Everything started to change. I didn''t want to admit it¡­


    ¡­but I got attached," she then said as she looked at Aerith.


    "Interesting." The one who reacted, however, was Riley¡ª who finally broke his silence after just looking back and forth between the two themarians,


    "You got attached to your experiments, mother? Did you get attached to me?"


    "You¡­ are not my experiment, Riley," an almost exasperated breath escaped from Diana''s lips as she forced them into a smile, "You¡­


    ¡­you''re just supposed to be the child of a loony, insane woman," Diana then breathed out as she approached Alice''s body. She was about to touch Alice''s face, but Aerith grabbed her wrist before she could do so.


    "..." Riley slightly squinted his eyes as he felt himself almost being pulled towards Aerith''s grip¡ª No, it wasn''t only him. It was almost as if the entire hall itself and everything in it started to distort and bend towards her hand.


    "Rx, Aerith," Diana, however, only shook her head, "I didn''te here to fight."


    "..."


    "..."


    And after what seemed like an eternity, the hall returned to its peaceful and still state; with Aerith letting go of Diana''s hand.


    "I do not get it, mother," and as soon as everything returned to normal, Riley also stood close to Alice''s body, "You met Alice in prison, correct?"


    "Yes," Diana giggled, "I met her there¡ª a unique individual even amongst the inhabitants of this world. Since you know about that part already, I suppose you also know about the experiments I conducted in the prison?"


    "I suppose, but not entirely."


    "Alice is not a part of that experiment," Diana quickly said as she looked Riley straight in the eyes, "But she knew about it¡­ and she didn''t care. She said they were criminals anyway, at least they would be useful for a science project."


    "..."


    "That''s what she called it," Diana once again chuckled, "A science project."


    "And what is this science project, mother?"


    "..." Diana did not answer Riley just quite yet, and instead turned to look at Aerith first, before once again focusing on Riley; her eyes, almost glistening as she once again looked him in the eyes,


    "I am creating a race that is stronger than the Themarians."


    "...Why?" Riley tilted his head.


    "Because she''s insane," Aerith scoffed.


    "Because the universe has stopped moving," Diana raised her voice as she once again raised her hands, her eyes looking around at the silver hall almost as if she was seeing past them.


    And maybe they were, as Riley could somewhat see the reflection of the universe in her eyes. Not entirely and not literally, of course-- but that is what it seemed like.


    Diana always had this kind of gaze in her eyes-- ever since he was little, her eyes always told Riley that out of all the people in their house... she was the one who knew most.


    Riley thought it was just how mothers are. Because as Bernard exined to him, even if he is right, Diana will never be wrong.


    And now, Riley understands why.


    "The universe has be stagnant. The hierarchy, unchanged for eons."


    "..."


    "The Themarians are the undisputed strongest in the entire universe, Riley. And because of that, we have not evolved past what I¡ª what we should all consider our primal instincts. I am certain there is more to us¡­ but right now, you are looking at it, Riley¡­"


    Diana then suddenly backed away, before standing beside Aerith and stretching her arms to the side,


    "We are it. You are looking at the strongest beings in the entire universe. Do you think you have seen what Aerith could truly do? Has she told you what happened during our battle?"


    "Caiin. He¡ª"


    "We erased an entire system, a gxy."


    "An empty gxy," Aerith quickly said as she looked at Riley.


    "A gxy that has the potential for life," Diana also turned to look at Riley, "What I am trying to tell you is that we are it. We are the strongest beings in the entire universe."


    "...Even amongst these so-called Higher Races?" Riley tilted his head.


    "Even amongst them," Diana smiled, "There are those that are faster than us, there are those that are smarter,rger¡­ but no one more powerful. Megawoman is not just the Earth''s mightiest superhero¡ª she is also one of the universe''s mightiest warriors¡­


    ¡­We are the pinnacle of the universe, Riley. Simple and efficient, and so therefore utterly boring."


    "And apparently insane. Are you done with your viin''s monologue?" Aerith scoffed as she walked towards Riley and stood beside him, "I''m sorry, Riley. If you were expecting some sort of grand scheme, you''ll be luckier with the humans. I told you before¡­


    ¡­themarians just tend to be all psychopaths."


    "...I actually just wanted to ask a question," Riley casually said as he looked back and forth between Aerith and Diana.


    "Pft," Diana once again giggled as she heard Riley''s words, "I¡­ suppose you want to know what really happened to her, why she did what she did?"


    "Not really," Riley shook his head, "It already happened. I was just curious about one thing¡ª I have seen her once in my vision, perhaps a dream but not exactly. I thought I was initially going insane because it apparently runs in the family. But now¡­ is it because she is actually alive and is reaching out to me, mother?"


    "She¡­ appears in your vision?" Diana once again quickly wore her sses as she looked at Alice, "That is¡­ interesting. But it makes sense, the two of you are connected."


    "Hm?"


    "I told you, Riley. You are not my experiment. If anything, you could be considered as her experiment," Diana said as she looked at Alice''s face, "Not in a literal sense, of course. She just wanted a child for some reason. I assume you''ve heard I injected her with something?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "A sort of IVF."


    "Well, it didn''te from me¡­


    ¡­everything is from her."

 Chapter 389: Not Quite The Conversation To Be Had Over Coffee (1)

    Chapter 389: Not Quite The Conversation To Be Had Over Coffee (1)


    "You¡­ want to do what?"


    "Pregnancy. I want a baby."


    Almost 2 decades ago, in a small cafe somewhere in the world, Diana almost spilled the coffee she was drinking; the disbelief in her eyes, almost visible even through the sunsses she was wearing as she stared at the woman sitting opposite her¡ª a being born of chaos itself¡­


    ¡­Alice Lane.


    "Why¡­ are you even telling me this?" Diana could really only sigh; taking another sip of her coffee and swallowing it before Alice says something ridiculous again.


    "Because I want to do it because of you," Alice then said as she ced both her palms on the table.


    "...What?"


    "You''ve always told me stories about your baby girl¡­ and I''ve seen how happy you are with just the slight mention of her name. That''s the only time I see you like that, you know. So¡­


    ¡­I want something like that as well," Alice''s reflection on Diana''s sunsses remained still, only disappearing as Diana shook her head.


    "An offspring is not a toy, Alice," Diana breathed out, "And you just got out of prison. You want another cage to surround you? Just live your youth while it is still there, you humans have very little of it."


    "No," Alice also shook her head, "If I lived the entirety of my youth, then I would be too old to y with my son."


    "You want a son?"


    "Yes. And it will be the cutest baby in the world¡ª no. It will be the cutest baby this entire universe will ever see."


    Alice''s words may seem like the words of a woman that did not know what she was getting into; words uttered by a madman¡ª but Diana could feel her resolution with every breath that escapes her lips.


    No one is going to stop her¡ª and with that thought, Diana could really only sigh before finally cing her coffee on the table.


    "Last I checked, you''re not engaging in any sort of sexual rtions, Alice."


    "And I still don''t," Alice scoffed, "I don''t see the use for it."


    "...You need to actually procreate to have a baby."


    "No, I don''t," Alice shook her head before pointing at Diana,


    "I have you, my best friend that would do anything for me," she then let out a small chuckle as she stared Diana straight in the eyes.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Yeah, no."


    "Why not!?" And upon hearing Diana''s stern rejection, Alice could really only stand up from her seat; lightly mming her palms on the table as she did so, "You''ve done it to the female prisoners of the Supermax!"


    "That''s apletely different procedure with no regard to the subject''s life," Diana once again took a sip of her coffee as she gestured to Alice to sit back down, "I mix all sorts of different stands from different species. 90% of them are unsessful."


    "Really? You suck."


    "...No," Diana sighed, "It''s just not possible for both the child and the mother to survive. There is only onebination that both parties survive each time¡ª themarians. But the offspring is just another normal human, except they get infected and be supers at a very early age."


    "Like Hannah."


    "Like Hannah," Diana smiled as her head nodded on its own.


    "What about the rest of the 10% that aren''t themarians?"


    "Dead, I killed them myself," Diana once again took a sip of her coffee.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Eh, it doesn''t matter, I guess," Alice shrugged before finally returning to her seat, "What species and races do you have there? Put the most beautiful and cutest one inside me, and I''ll be set."


    "...Do you really not understand the gravity of what you''re asking me?"


    "What''s gravity to a woman that could enve it?"


    "Wow, you practiced that line?" Diana could not help but let out a small giggle as she heard Alice''s words. But although Diana was slightly amused with her statement¡ª it was true. Alice was apletely different existence from the rest of the inhabitants of this, a human with strengthparable with the Higher Races¡­parable with the Themarians.


    The only other being that she considers equal to her.


    People might see Alice as mad, an adult that never really grew up, a prankster¡ª but this woman could probably crush the entire with a single bat of her eyelids.


    "Come on, D. Just give me a list of aliens and I''ll just pick them out personally."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...I''m not going to be able to stop you, am I?"


    "Only if you kill me."


    "I might not need to, the pregnancy might beat me to it."


    "Me? I won''t die."


    Alice once again stood up¡­ this time on top of the table;pletely spilling whatever was left of Diana''s cup.


    "It says so on my superhero name, Ms. Phoenix," Alice then took in a deep breath as she crossed her arms, "I will catch death before it catches me."


    "Phoenix die, Alice. They just resurrect."


    "W¡­ What?" Alice slowly lowered her arms as she heard Diana''s words, "What the fuck? Mama told me they were immortal."


    "They are, in a sense."


    "...Wait, do you have a phoenix''s DNA?" Alice''s eyes almost glistened as she sat at the table.


    "They''re not real, Alice," Diana sighed.


    .


    "Well do you have any other species that could revive if they die!?" Alice then grabbed Diana''s shoulders; the light in her eyes almost piercing through Diana''s sunsses.


    "Yes."


    "What is it!?"


    "Themarians."


    "That''s fucking boring," Alice rolled her eyes before leaping from the table, "And you guys die, you''re just hard to kill. Come on, just show me a list of aliens so I can pick already."


    "...Fine."


    And as soon as Diana said that, she disappeared, leaving only a set of coins twirling on the table and a squeaking cafe door.


    "Pft," Alice didn''t seem to mind Diana''s sudden disappearance, however, as a small smirk appeared on her face before she flew up¡­ creating a hole in the cafe''s ceiling as she followed Diana, who was already flying through the skies.


    "Where are we going?"


    "Arlington Cemetery."


    "Shouldn''t we go faster, then? You and I both need to go home," Alice said as she increased her speed to fly beside Diana.


    "No, any faster and a child wille snooping around."


    "...Megawoman?"


    "..."


    "You still haven''t told me why she''s searching for you."


    "Because I am an intergctic criminal?"


    "...Cool," Alice breathed out, "What did you do?"


    "Imitted genocide here and there."


    "Fuck me¡­ that''s some heavy stuff."


    "..." Diana could really only nce as she heard Alice''s response, before letting out a small chuckle and nodding her head,


    "It is. I¡­ still carry those deaths with me."


    It took a few hours, but Alice and Diana finally found themselves inside the exact same ship Riley would be in 2 decadester. And like it was and would be in the future, the ship was¡­ immacte. Devoid of any furniture, devoid of anything, really. Just walls, a ceiling, and a floor.


    "I¡­ was expecting some creepy Frankenstein stuff, but yourb is even cleaner than mama''s bathroom."


    "Because this isn''t myb, it''s my ship. And Frankenstein''sb is in Europe."


    "Wait¡­ Dr. Frankenstein was a real person?"


    "Who do you think it was?" Diana smirked.


    "No fucking way," Alice''s eyes started to widen, "You!?"


    "I''ve been here for thousands of years and assumed many names," Diana''s voice was almost proud.


    "I know, you''re old as hell," Alice burst out inughter, "Oh man, I hope you don''t leave before my son gets married."


    "...Right," Diana shook her head before raising her hand. And as soon as she did so, several screens started emerging from the empty silver walls¡ª their images, holographic.


    "Holy¡­ This is some next-generation 3D stuff," Alice said as she tried touching the images floating around her.


    "Anna, show me the DNA Library."


    "Anna? What¡ª"


    And before Alice could even wonder what Diana was suddenly saying, several¡­ creatures and people suddenly appeared around them¡ª the different races of the universe.


    "What the fuck is that!?"


    And almost instantly, Alice found herself pointing at one of the races.


    "Is¡­ is that a fucking beside it!?"


    "It''s a Nunlius¡ª universally known as the Messengers," Diana said as she stood beside the hologram, "The only one left of the Ancient Races. Well, there is only a handful of them left, so they would be extinct soon."


    "They¡­ are asrge as Earth?"


    "One of them is even bigger," Diana smiled as she saw the look of shock and awe in Alice''s eyes.


    "Fuck¡­"


    Alice''s stuttered chuckles echoed throughout the silver room as she covered her mouth,


    "Them," Alice then said before taking in a big gulp, "I want you to put one of those inside me."


    "...No," Diana raised an eyebrow; this time, it was her who was in awe, "Thest try I ced a Messenger''s DNA in a human, it opened its mother from the inside¡ª I had to squash it before it could grow bigger."


    "Damn," Alice blinked a couple of times before moving on. Her eyes, scanning each nook and cranny of every race around her.


    "This one looks like a penis."


    "..."


    "That''s a fish."


    "What the¡­ this one looks like Bulwark! I knew that guy was an alien the first time I saw¡ª Nevermind, it doesn''t have a nose."


    "..." Diana could really only sigh as she followed behind Alice. But after what seemed like an entire hour, Diana grabbed Alice''s hand and pulled her towards a certain race,


    "How about them?"


    "...Aren''t they just humans with fancy hair?" Alice squinted her eyes as she looked at the race Diana was pointing to, only to see a pair of silver-haired humans; their entire body, nketed with some sort of glowing tattoo.


    "No, they are descendants of a god, in a sense¡­


    ¡­the Evaniels."

 Chapter 390: Not Quite The Conversation To Be Had Over Coffee (2)

    Chapter 390: Not Quite The Conversation To Be Had Over Coffee (2)


    "They are a descendant of a god, in a sense."


    Diana then stretched her arms to the side, erging the images of the human-looking race. There were also holographic videos, seemingly showing their way of life and.


    "They are called the Evaniels. One of the Higher Races¡ª all of them inherently have silver hair. As for the tattoos, you''d be surprised that it is also part of their biology. The tattoos are made of their blood, which bes sort of like ink that sticks and etches through their skin as they grow¡ª"


    "Wait, hold up¡­"


    "..."


    Diana quickly leaned her head back; letting out a small grunt as Alice suddenly ced her finger on her lips¡ª No, she didn''t just ce it, Diana could even taste her finger as she practically plugged it inside her mouth. But s, Diana couldn''t really utter aint as she saw the raw wave of curiosity in Alice''s eyes.


    "...Gods are real?" A small smile then appeared on Alice''s face as she nced at Diana.


    "In a sense," Diana just shrugged her shoulders, before closing the information on the Evaniels, "A ''god'' is just a term for ancient beings that could destroy a gxy with just a single breath; inversely, they could also create one with just a single step."


    "And suddenly the power levels be wack," Alice let out a yful scoff, "If the humans knew of this, they would probably be shitting their pants right about now."


    "And you won''t?"


    "I already have," Alice said as she leaned even closer to the silver-haired race, "You think I could kill one of those?"


    "The Evaniels? Most probably," Diana said as she also nced at the hologram, "They are fast, but you are capable of shielding yourself if ever I hurl the sun at you."


    "No, that''s boring," Alice scoffed, "I mean do you think I could take on their ancestor?"


    "A god?" Diana let out a small giggle,


    "It is rumored in their history and archives that their ancestor could travel to the end of the universe and back in just a blink of an eye. You, and even I, wouldn''t even know what hit us. Well, granted if it is even true¡ª history tends to be an exaggeration of actual events. It is rumored that the ancestor of the Themarians could flick a finger, and entire gxies would bend to his will, literally. I would say that is¡ª"


    "h, h, h," Alice scoffed and rolled her eyes, "These Evaniels, are they stronger than the Themarians?"


    "Oh, they are fast¡ª extremely so," Diana smirked and shook her head, "But Themarians would win the fight a hundred times out of a hundred. I snapped one of them in half when I was around Aerith''s age. Of course, a war broke down, but it is how it¡ª"


    "You talk a lot for someone who is probably tens of thousands of years old."


    "The older you get the more talkative you are," Diana giggled, "The same is true for humans. Have you ever met anyone that is above 80 years old that wouldn''t stop talking unless you leave?"


    "Come to think of it¡­ Wait, never mind that!" Alice waved her hands as she finally walked away from the images of the Evaniels, "If these silver-haired fucks are weaker than Themarians, then I am not interested in them. Show me a race that is actually strong!"


    "Well¡­" Diana let out a tiny scoff as she raised her hand, "...then that narrows and filters the selection quite a bit."


    And soon, the holograms started disappearing one by one; the light in the silver hall, once again returning as the colors of the holograms faded away from Alice''s eyes¡ª all of them, gone. And all that was left in her eyes was the reflection of Diana''s silhouette.


    "No one is stronger than us," Diana smiled as she stretched her arms to the side, "We are it."


    "..." Alice could really only look Diana straight in the eyes. Although it might seem boastful and even arrogant, she knew Diana''s ims were not false. Soon, however, as she got deeper into Diana''s eyes¡­ Alice saw a reflection.


    And very slowly, she stepped closer to Diana; her face, almost leaning towards Diana''s face and causing her to slightly take a step back.


    "...What are you doing now?" Diana breathed out as Alice continued to stare her straight in the eyes.


    "I know what DNA strand thingamajig I want now¡­" Alice smiled,


    "...Mine."


    "...What?"


    "Splice my DNA or whatever you call it so I could impregnate myself."


    "..." Diana was about to ask if Alice was crazy, but that has already been established the very first day she met her a few years ago,


    "That would lead to manyplications," and so, the only thing that Diana could really do was go along with whatever weird ideas she had, "Birth defects, anomalies¡ª and the worst part? The baby would have nothing to inherit but¡­ you."


    "I call that a win!" Alice then let out a breathy chuckle as she grabbed Diana''s shoulders, "Imagine, a baby that carries my genes and my genes alone! It would be the cutest and strongest baby in the entire universe!"


    "Didn''t you hear what I just said? It would lead to manyplications," Diana raised an eyebrow as she removed herself from Alice''s grasp.


    "Then science the shit out of it, isn''t that what you do!?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Let''s say I do this for you¡­" Diana rolled her eyes as she started walking away, with Alice of course being a tail, "...It would just create a normal human. He might not even be susceptible to the Super strand."


    "Trust me, D. It will be the strongest baby in the entire universe."


    "I might as well just make you a clone, that would be easier," Diana sighed and shook her head.


    "No, it needs toe out of my vagina."


    "..." Diana could really only look at Alice, before once again shaking her head, "When do you want it?"


    "...Now?"


    "..."


    "..."


    Diana was invited to have coffee by Alice. It was supposed to just be a casual meeting between the two since they haven''t met in person for a while ever since Alice got out of prison¡ª but to think the meeting would be the very thing that changes things for the both of them for the rest of their lives, even Diana.


    Because less than a yearter, Riley was born.


    "Say hello to grandma, my cute little Lucifer!"


    "No! I already told you that you can''t name your son that!"


    Inside a hospital room, just a few moments after she gave birth, Alice was gently cradling the extremely pale baby in her arms; his skin was as if one could already see his pink flesh. It didn''t matter to Alice that he looked weird, or that he wasn''t normal.


    He wasn''t supposed to be¡ª he is the most special baby in the world.


    "..." And Charlotte saw that¡ª she saw the way her daughter looked at her son. And right there and then, she knew that Alice would forever change,


    "Let''s¡­ leave them for a few minutes," Charlotte then gestured to the doctor that was in the room; both of them, quietly stepping out and leaving Alice some time with her baby alone.


    But as soon a few seconds after they did so, the door once again opened¡ª with a nurse suddenly stepping inside the room unannounced and just casually standing beside Alice''s bed.


    "Do you want to hold him?" Alice, however, only smiled; not even looking at the nurse¡­ who turned out to be Diana.


    "...No." And although the tone of Diana''s voice was stern, there was still a little warmth that could be heard seeping from her lips as she stared at the pale baby, "Are you really going to name him Lucifer?"


    "...Why not?" Alice giggled as she gently caressed her son''s cheeks.


    "He''s going to get bullied in school."


    "Please, you named your daughter after your ship."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Pft."


    Alice then quickly covered her mouth as she tried to suppress theughter that was trying toe out of it.


    "..." Diana could really only shake her head and sigh, before sitting beside Alice and looking at the baby in her arms, "Your son has macrostomia, and and an absence of mnin. It''s nothing that we can''t fix. It''smon to haveplications since no procedure is perfect¡­


    ¡­But I have to say, even with those conditions, he looks quite¡ª"


    "What are you talking about? He''s perfect," Alice only shook her head as she continued to stare at her baby, "What¡­ do you think I should name him?"


    "That''s a decision only you can make. Name him Lucifer if you want¡­ after all, by all definition¡ª you are his only parent, no one else."


    "Hm, you heard that my little¡­" Alice continued to stare at her baby''s face,


    "...my little Riley. You came from me and me alone. And I will not let anything in this world hurt you¡­


    ¡­nothing in this world will hurt you."


    A small tear then slowly emerged from Alice''s eye as she caressed Riley''s face. Her lips, almost trembling at the thought of her baby being harmed.


    "You were right, Diana," Alice breathed out as she nced at Diana, "This¡­ this is different. It¡­ it changes everything."


    "Hm," Diana only smiled and nodded. But after a few seconds, the smile on her facepletely faded away; reced with furrowed eyebrows.


    "...What''s wrong?"


    "There''s¡­ something you should know."


    "Is it bad news? Whatever it is, it can wait," Alice chuckled.


    "It can''t," Diana shook her head as she held Alice''s hand, "It''s already been waiting for months."


    "...Hm?" Alice could really only blink a couple of times as she heard the slight shift of Diana''s voice.


    "When¡­ I tested your blood and spinal fluids, my ship detected an abnormality."


    "...What''s new?" Alice let out a sigh of relief as she heard Diana''s words, "We both knew there was something wrong with¡ª"


    "You''re going to develop Alzheimer''s."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...What?"

 Chapter 391: Freaks of Nature

    Chapter 391: Freaks of Nature


    "You''re going to have Alzheimer''s."


    "..."


    "..."


    "It''s already starting. Approximately 6 months from now, you will start experiencing the signs."


    Alice could really only hear a single thing¡ª her son''s weak and tiny breaths. Judging by the movement of Diana''s lips, words were stilling out of her mouth; but none of them seemed to reach Alice''s ears. It was only her son¡­ her son was the only one she was hearing.


    The tiny vocal pouts, his lips that were puckering and clicking¡ª those were the only sounds that Alice was allowing herself to hear. And almost as if her future shed before her, all sorts of images entered her mind.


    Riley''s first steps; his cry as he learns the very first lesson of pain in his life. His first words¡ª Alice always imagined it would be something that would piss her mother off. Maybe a curse word?


    His first day of school¡­ and if she was anything like his mother, then he probably wouldn''tst long; or more specifically, the others won''tst long with him.


    But she¡­ she would stand by Riley no matter what, holding his hand in every step he makes; good or bad, she would be there to guide him to a path he likes.


    He''s going to have his first crush, his first love, his first heartbreak¡ª and then eventually, Alice will stand by his son''s side for the veryst time as he marries the person he would be spending the rest of his time with. She always imagined it would be Diana''s daughter, that''s why she wanted a son in the first ce.


    And there and then, Alice can finally let go of her baby''s arm.


    What happens after that, well¡­ that''s up to Riley.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...What?" And after a second of this filtered silence has passed, Alice finally turned her eyes to Diana; a whistle, almost piercing her ears as the words bombarded her.


    But still, even with the reality of the world returned to her, she chose to ignore any and each of the words that wereing out of Diana''s mouth as she let out a¡­ chuckle.


    "Alzheimer''s¡­ pft," Alice shook her head as she gently caressed Riley''s face, "Did you hear your godmother''s words? I wish you could already respond so I can have someone tough with."


    "This is serious, Alice." Diana stood up from the bed, before dragging a chair closer so her eyes could be at the same level as Alice''s.


    "Yeah, right. When''s the punchline?"


    "What?"


    "You and I both know that you could easily science my brain and fuck up whatever is causing this Alzheimer''s bullshit," Alice shook her head, "You can just¡ª"


    "I can''t."


    "You can just do some¡ª"


    "I ca¡ª"


    "What do you mean you can''t!?" Alice then let go of Riley; who still remained floating close to her bosom, before very slowly and gently floating towards the crib next to her bed, "You can fucking mix and create different DNAs of different races like some sort of drug dealer but you can''t prevent a disease that''s supposed to be for old people!? What the fuck are you telling me!?"


    "I¡­" Diana let Alice''s breaths calm down before she looked her in the eyes again, "I could probably prevent it¡­"


    "Then why don''t you!?"


    "I could probably prevent it and even cure it¡­ if you were a normal human," Diana closed her eyes, "...I just need another with the same exact condition as you so the ship could pinpoint what exactly we need to remove. It needs to have a precedent or a part¡ª"


    "Then let''s abduct a super from a mental institution!"


    "That''s¡­ the problem, Alice," Diana opened her eyes; the reflection on them,nding on Riley''s crib, "...Supers are uniquely different from each other, right down to the deepest parts of their DNA. Even if there was another super that has dementia, their¡­ inner workings would be quite different from you¡­


    ¡­I can''t prevent you from falling to this illness."


    "..."


    "..."


    Alice didn''t really know what to say as she just turned around to look at Riley.


    "You¡­ you should have told me before Riley was born. Why¡­ why would you even allow me to have a child if¡­ if I''m not even going to be there for him?"


    "I¡­ can elerate his growth if you want to. You can still experi¡ª"


    "Get the fuck out."


    "Alice, I¡ª"


    And before Diana could finish her words, several ngs and thuds started to whisper in the air; the floor beneath them and the IV bag beside Alice''s bed, also soon started to tremble violently¡ª No, it wasn''t just the room; not just the hospital¡­ not even just the neighborhood they were in.


    The entire world felt a tremble that very moment.


    "Get the fuck out or I will fucking destroy this very you consider a treasure."


    "..." Diana could really only let out a sigh as all the objects in the room started to float, all except the crip holding Riley,


    "I¡­ truly am sorry, Alice. And I¡­ I''m always here if you need to find me."


    "I don''t."


    And with those words, Diana disappeared from the room; leaving only a torturing silence as the trembling world finally calmed down. This torturing silence, however,pletely faded away as a cry whispered to Alice''s ears.


    "Riley!" Alice quickly rushed towards Riley, leaping over the bed as she gently lifted him up from the crib, "It''s okay¡­ it''s okay, don''t cry¡­"


    "Don''t¡­ don''t cry," Alice whispered as she cradled Riley; her breaths, stuttering almost erratically, "It''s alright¡­ don''t¡­ don''t cry."


    And soon, tears started to trail across Alice''s cheeks; falling, but never reaching Riley as she prevented them from doing so. These floating pebbles of water between her and her son were not tears, but a vow.


    A vow that no matter how short, no matter if the sands of time were trickling down quickly¡ª sadness will never fall on Riley. She will make sure of it¡­ her time together with Riley will only be filled with moments of happiness.


    .


    "It''s okay¡­ Mommy¡­


    ¡­will always be here."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I''m starting to see things, D. Things that aren''t there¡­ things that have already happened."


    And Alice did fill Riley''s world with happiness for as long as she could. But too short, it was too short. 2 years felt like a blink of an eye¡ª no¡­ if it was a blink, then at least Alice could have probably stopped it by just closing her eyes forever. But no, as all things¡­ it was inevitable.


    And Alice, for the first time in two years, met with Diana again.


    "Just¡­ justst night, I almost drowned Riley in the tub," Alice''s voice was weak, almost a cracking whisper as her eyes couldn''t even look at Diana as the two of them were once again in the very cafe that Alice''s decision changed everything,


    "I¡­ I forgot I¡­ I put him there because it was his bathtime and I¡­ Iid¡­. Iid down in the tub because I thought I¡­


    ¡­he was under me in the water, D. For¡­ for almost 5 seconds, I¡­"


    "..." Diana couldn''t really say anything. Because she knew anything she would say meant nothing¡ª she knew that now because she too, started to change. Hannah was just supposed to be another project for her, a fun curiosity of leisure.


    But when Riley was born, Diana also tried what it would be like to actually¡­ try and be a mother¡ª to know why Alice was dearly clinging to it. And now she knew¡­ children are a weakness, a bane to her existence, a mistake. But even then, for a reason that Diana couldn''t exin herself¡­


    ¡­she just knew that she would do anything to protect her.


    "I need you to take care of Riley once I''m gone."


    "...What? You''re not dying, Alice."


    "I am, I need to," the tone of Alice''s voice did not waver as she looked Diana straight in the eyes, "I''m dangerous, D. I can feel it, soon I''ll start losing my mindpletely. I might identally destroy this world, but that''s not the thing I am worried about. This weird fucking could go fuck itself¡ª I don''t want to hurt my son again."


    "Alice, that¡ª"


    "Promise me. Fucking promise me that you will take care of him like he is your own¡ª No. He is your son as much as mine, we¡­ we made him together."


    "I¡­ I didn''t create him, Alice. He¡ª"


    "Promise me¡­


    ¡­promise me that you would take care of him."


    "..."


    "..."


    "And then not even a week after that, Alice died."


    "Do you seriously think we would believe you? That what¡­ Alice really was just crazy and tried to kill his son?"


    "Mentally ill, please use the proper term."


    Back in the Mur Lav''ir inside Diana''s ship, the breaths that were echoing through the silver hall were heavy¡ª almost enough to be an entire mountain. The gazes of everyone in the room, however, were allpletely different from each other.


    Aerith''s was of disbelief.


    Diana''s was of mourning and regret.


    Riley''s was¡­ just looking back and forth.


    "You can''t expect us to believe that," Aerith scoffed; her hand, just gently ced on Riley''s back.


    "I don''t expect anything at all. I just¡­ want Riley to know what really happened. It wasn''t because she hated you, it wasn''t because she saw you as a monster. She was just¡­


    ¡­sick¨C of unsound mind. That is all it ever was."


    "And what about Riley!?"


    "What about my son?" Diana muttered as she once again looked Riley in the eyes.


    "Why¡­ why is he like this?"


    "..." Riley slightly squinted his eyes and leaned away as he heard Aerith''s words.


    "I¡­ I mean why did he be¡­ a murdering sociopath?" Aerith couldn''t really find any words to soften what Riley is, "You did something to him. Maybe ced a strand of the other savage races and¡ª"


    "...No. The only thing I did was make it possible for him to be born."


    "..." Riley still didn''t say anything as he just returned Diana''s stares.


    "...What?" Aerith squinted her eyes as her head slowly turned towards Riley.


    "Believe it or not, child. The world doesn''t revolve around me or you. Things can just¡­ happen. Things that we can''t control." Diana sighed before once again facing Alice''s body, "I wish I could take credit, but no. It''s just unexinable. It is¡­


    ¡­just what it is."


    "Are you telling me that Riley is¡ª"


    "Just like her mother," Diana let out a small smile as she gently brushed her hand on Alice''s cheek,


    "Sometimes the universe just has a way of making things¡­ weird.s just dying without reason, gxies popping out of nowhere. And sometimes, if something aligns just at the right or wrong time. Something is born...


    ...No grand scheme, no secrets, no one spinning the wheels or holding the threads.


    Alice and Riley¡ª


    ¡ªthe ultimate freaks of nature."

 Chapter 392: Threat Level: Riley Ross

    Chapter 392: Threat Level: Riley Ross


    "Alice and Riley¡­


    ¡­the ultimate freaks of nature."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    A second.


    A minute.


    An entire hour.


    An entire hour had passed, and none of the three titans opened their mouths. Perhaps the three of them were just waiting for something to happen, or for someone to just do anything in this quiet silver hall.


    Aerith had always imagined what this moment would finally be like¡ª she always imagined it would be a huge battle between her and Diana. But after the story she just told, it felt like the best thing to do right now was just to¡­ remain silent.


    Diana already willingly showed herself, fully knowing well that Aerith would cling to her from now on no matter what. It doesn''t matter if she attacked her now orter, Aerith was never going to leave Diana''s side from now on. And when she gets the chance to attack, she would.


    A week, a month, a year? Even if a hundred years have passed, it doesn''t really matter. But fighting her now would only lead to the death of more innocent.


    "Interesting."


    And finally, after only their breaths echoed through the air, someone broke the almost sacred silence they had. And surprisingly, it was Riley Ross who opened his mouth.


    "But it really doesn''t change anything," Riley then started stepping toward his two mothers.


    "It changes everything, Riley," Diana shook her head as she moved to the side, "You''ve¡­ always seen yourself as a monster, you''re not."


    "Oh, but I am," a small smile slowly crawled on Riley''s face as he stood in front of Alice''s body, "No. In fact, if your story is true¡ª then that makes me even more of a monster. My existence¡­ is a mistake."


    "You''re not a mistake, Riley," Diana sighed, "You''re our son."


    "..." Aerith could really only squint her eyes as she heard Diana''s words. Was¡­ this another one of her mind games? No, she wasn''t one to manipte in the first ce. She pretends, yes¡ª but maniption isn''t her style. If anything, that''s more of Riley''s.


    "Hm," Riley nodded, "Be that as it may, I don''t really like people inside my head, so¡­


    ¡­I think mother should stay dead."


    And with those words, Riley very slowly raised his hand. Little Riley, who had been resting this whole time on Alice''s stomach, could not help but stand up¡ª quickly flying towards Riley''s palm almost as if he was trying to push it away.


    "S¡­ stop. This is mother!" Little Riley muttered.


    "..." Rileypletely ignored Little Riley, however, as he raised his other hand. But as soon as he did so, he could suddenly fill a grip on his arm¡ª no, on both his arms.


    "..." Riley turned his head left to right, only to see both Aerith and Diana grabbing each of his arms.


    "What are you doing, Riley!?" Aerith loudly whispered, "That''s your mother!"


    "She is," Riley nodded as he looked at Aerith, "And she is dead. There is no reason for her to¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, his cheeks slightly sunk in as Diana suddenly grabbed his face and turned it towards her,


    "Listen, Riley. It''s only a matter of time now for Alice to resurrect¡ª no. She''s already alive, all she needs is to wake up," Diana stated, "The visions you saw of her, we are not even sure if that really is your mother trying to connect with you¡­


    ¡­or if you''re suffering the same condition as her. What she had, started with her and it could be hereditary."


    "Well, mother¡­" Riley let out a small sigh as he leaned his head away, "That''s the difference between Alice and me¡ª I have always known I was heading for madness. And also¡­


    ¡­You left Hannah alone."


    "That¡ª"


    "That seems to be the theme for Themarians," Riley chuckled, "Leaving their offspring all on their own to chase their goals. Gary, Hannah. I suppose since the two of you live for a thousand years, you can always make more, no?"


    "Themarians can only give birth once," Diana''s voice became quiet, "Theoretically, we could have more¡ª but it would take tens of thousands of years until then."


    "Oh, so Aerith and I can''t have a child?"


    "What?"


    "...What?" Aerith raised an eyebrow.


    "Unfortunate," Riley sighed and shook his head, "But I suppose that''s just how it is. But do you know what I find funny?"


    "..."


    "Both of you probably know that whatever I do with my hands¡­" Riley muttered as he started waving his hands, "...they''re all just theatrics."


    "Anna, get us to orbit now!"


    The lights in the silver hall started to flicker as soon as Diana''s words echoed through the hall¡ª all of them could feel a little tumble in the air, but that was it. And as soon as Diana realized the ship wasn''t moving, her eyes quickly fell onto Riley.


    "Do you know what my advantage is if the three of us start fighting?"


    And very slowly, the smile on Riley''s face reached from ear to ear as his headzily swiveled between Diana and Aerith, "The two of you, one way or another, seem to love Earth¡­


    ¡­I don''t."


    "!!!"


    Riley then suddenly stepped forward¡ª ripping off both his arms in the process.


    "This will be fun, no?" Riley then whispered as his arms quickly grew back, "I always wanted to experience what it would be like to do it with two Themarians."


    "Wh¡ª"


    "Riley! When did you start learning this kind ofnguage!?"


    And for the very first time, Diana raised her voice as her eyes glowed in red, "And I''m your mother!"


    "That''s funny," Riley suddenly burst out inughter, "Alice, Diana, and Aerith¡ª the three of you were my mothers at different times."


    "Huh?" Diana raised an eyebrow as she gently dropped her son''s arm to the ground, before looking at Aerith with a confused expression on her face. As for Little Riley, he once again floated towards Alice, going into a fighting stance as he stared at his creator.


    "It''s¡­ a long story. And I''m not on your side, Caiin!" Aerith moved away from Diana, "But for now¡­


    ¡­you''re not the threat," she then said as she looked back towards Riley, "Why are you doing something like this, boy? We''re supposed to just leave this, didn''t you want to explore the universe?"


    "You keep forgetting, Aerith. No matter what past I have, no matter if something is wrong with me or not, no matter if I was once loved or not¡­


    ¡­I am the big bad evil in this story."


    And with those words, Riley''s eyes also glowed in red as his feet started to leave the silver floor,


    "And now I know why¡ª


    ¡ªthe universe itself wills it to be."


    "Fuck, Diana¡­" Aerith furrowed her eyebrows, "...your story had a different effect."


    "Well¡­ my son is special," Diana let out a small chuckle, "But perhaps it''s time to remind him of something¡­


    ¡­I''m still your mother, young man!"


    "!!!"


    Riley found his vision suddenly turning dark, before starting to feel his head almost being pulled off his body as Diana flew up¡ª not even caring about her ship as she went through the tunnel leading to the surface¡­ while grabbing Riley on the face.


    "What the¡­"


    And as soon as they reached the surface, Ang quickly widened her eyes as she just saw something spinning in the air¡ª and afterward, she saw Riley being catapulted towards the sky.


    "D¡­ Diana!?" Ang quickly raised her sword, but Dianapletely ignored her as she flew towards the sky to follow her son. And before Ang could even be confused, Aerith came out of the hole.


    "Call Empress, tell her to dere Threat Level: Riley Ross."


    "Wait¡­ what? What''s going on!? There''s no threat level like that!"


    "There is now," Aerith then said, before almost blowing Ang and the Pope away as she flew up.


    "What''s¡ª" And once again, before Ang could ask, the ground started to tremble, "Fuck!"


    She then quickly lifted the Pope and leaped away, and it was a good thing she did so when she did¡ª as what followed was Diana''s ship violently emerging from the ground, before also shooting towards the sky.


    "God damn it!" Ang could only curse,


    "I told you that kid is Satan incarnate!" She then pointed her finger at the Pope, before she started dialing Empress''s number on her phone. Before the call could connect, however, the Pope covered her hand.


    "If Riley wanted us dead, we would have already been dead," the Pope then whispered,


    "The thing with the Devil is, we are all just ying his game¡­" He then looked towards the sky, "...and even if you call Empress, what do you think anyone could do with that? The world is already in distress as it is, they don''t need to know¡­ Let the people hope that¡ª"


    "Ah, shut the fuck up, dad!"


    "..."


    ***


    "Fuck!"


    Back in Toronto, everyone rushed out of Empress''s tent as she suddenly burst out in a fit of rage¡ª destroying not only the phone she just finished using, but also the table in front of her.


    "This stupid fucking is cursed! Can''t it just rest from all the fucking tragedies!?"


    "I take it the call you received is another bad news?" Butcher, the only other person left in the tent, could really only rub his bald head; as the reason why the table was destroyed in the first ce was that it hit his head as Empress flipped it.


    "100¡ª no, one fucking million percent it''s bad news! We just finished dealing with all this terrorist bullshit!"


    "Technically, Riley Ross was the one to end it."


    "Oh, is that right?" Empress nodded her head andughed, "You know what else he is about to end today?"


    "..."


    "The entire fucking!"

 Chapter 393: A Taste of the Titans

    Chapter 393:A Taste of the Titans


    "You shouldn''t havee back, Aerith."


    "I needed to arrest you for what you have done and to prevent you from doing whatever the hell it is you''re still trying to do."


    "No. What you should have done was get my son far away from this. You should have just let him roam free."


    "And release a-eating entity out into the wild? Yeah, no. That''s not going to happen, grandma."


    "You seem to have adapted the way humans talk."


    "Didn''t you?"


    Aerith and Diana were currently in space, meters apart; but talking as if they were just in each other''s ears. And in front of them¡­


    ¡­was Riley Ross.


    His long ck hair, almost merging with the darkness of the expanse of space¡ª even his eyes felt like one would go through if one were to stare long enough. Whatever serum or pills Aerith made him drink to change their color, it was probably not a coincidence that they shared the color of the universe.


    Dark, deste, and lonely.


    And add that to his pale white skin, it was almost as if he was a ghost¡ª and he might as well be.


    And while Diana and Aerith were talking, Riley''s eyes followed Diana''s ship as it exited the Earth''s atmosphere. He was about to pull it closer to him, but before he could do so¡ª Diana once again grabbed his face; this time, she came from behind and immediately kneed Riley right on the buttocks, causing him to fly away straight towards Aerith.


    "We''re going to grant your wish, Riley. You wanted a threesome? Here you go!"


    Aerith closed her fist, and as she did so, it was almost as if a vacuum started to whirl; the darkness around her started to distort. And without a small smirk, she punched the plunging Riley right on the stomach.


    Riley''s body instantly folded in two and stayed there for a good second before once again being propelled far¡­ far away.


    Riley''s eyes werepletely empty as his body continued to fly through the darkness without any signs of slowing down; his hair, almost going wild as its strands danced and covered his face.


    Very slowly, however, his hair that waved violently slowly started to be still as it revealed the growing smile on his face. No, it wasn''t just growing¡­ now, once could even see the insides of Riley''s mouth and his teeth¡ª once again, a face only a mother could probably love.


    Riley''s body then started to be surrounded by a cloak of fire, before his head mmed straight through the surface of Mars; the dust nketing the red, quickly scattering and creating a massive cloud.


    "..." Riley then very slowly got up, snapping his fingers to blow away all the dust that stuck to his silhouette¡­ as well as kilometers of the red ground he was in. And as soon as he looked above, two other silhouettes were already floating in Mars'' dead sky.


    "And here I thought the two of you don''t work together."


    "We don''t," Aerith then disappeared from her spot, appearing behind Diana with her foot already headed to Diana''s head.


    "Rude," Diana, however, did not even look back as she caught Aerith''s ankle, before mming her straight towards Riley¡­ who just stepped to the side and let her nt her head through the.


    "I much prefer the two of you working together, though," Riley then let out a small sigh before raising his foot. But before he could stomp it towards Aerith''s back, she was already gone¡ª once again floating beside Diana.


    "Oh, why are you back here?" Diana quickly smirked.


    "The kid is kinda creepy sometimes," Aerith sighed, "Let''s put him to sleep for now before you and I settle our differen¡ª"


    And before Aerith could finish her words, they felt a rumbling whisper in the air. The two of them quickly looked towards Riley, only to see him with his eyes closed.


    "I''ve never done this before," Riley then whispered,


    "So if it gets messy, you guys can clean it."


    And then, Riley opened his eyes¡­ and almost as if the reflected his actions¡ª Mars'' eye also opened¡­ at least that is what it looked like from Aerith and Diana''s perspectives.


    "Shit!" Aerith quickly dived down towards Riley¡ª but before she could even get halfway¡­


    ¡­Marspletely opened up and split into two. It would have looked nothing spectacr from afar, it would have looked nothing at all from the view of the Earth.


    But when you are there, right at the space that surrounded Mars, it felt like a wave. A colossal wave that one could never escape from as it filled one''s horizon. This red¡­ jaw was your sky, and it was also the sea that would swallow you.


    It was a maw¡ª that is exactly what it was as Riley seemed to have shaped the. The head of a bear that swallows everything¡­ the ender of worlds.


    "Fuck¡­


    ¡­what have you done, Riley!?"


    Aerith, however, did not even blink at this. Instead, she even hastened her dive towards the mouth of this vicious and visceral behemoth¡ª she didn''t fly towards Riley, however, but past him, towards the growing orb of light at the throat of the world ender.


    "I hate doing this," Aerith then stretched her arms to the side; the glow in her eyes, even brighter than the fiery colossal orb of red in front of her,


    "I hate you, Riley!"


    And with those words, the space around Aerith''s palms once again distorted; the strands of her veins, also glowing as a crack could be hearding from her bones. And then, with a release of her breath¡­ she pped her hands.


    And then¡­ there was nothing. Not even an explosion, just nothing. The growing light, also gone.


    "..." Riley watched the entire scenario, with the debris of Mars still surrounding him, "That was amazing, Aerith."


    "You shouldn''t have done¡ª"


    And before she could even have the chance to speak¡­ Mars was once again rebuilt¡ª with her recing the core that was destroyed.


    "...Pft," Riley let out a small chuckle, before waving his hand and throwing the corpse of Mars further into the expanse of the gxy. He then very slowly turned towards Diana, who just watched the entire scenario unfold.


    "That''s very bad, Riley."


    "But it''s funny."


    "You just reduced the Earth''s life expectancy. Without Mars, it is possible it will slowly gravitate away from its orbit, or worse, be pulled towards the sun."


    "That''s still a very long time from now, ten thousand years? More?" Riley just shrugged, "By then, I am sure Earth would have found its way out of this gxy. There is so much to explore out there¡­ Earth seems insignificant."


    "Just because you''ve already traveled to another, you''re already talking like this," Diana sighed and shook her head, "I knew Aerith would be a bad influence on you."


    "Can I ask you a question, mother?"


    "Hm?"


    "Did you love father?"


    "...In a way."


    "Did you love Hannah?"


    "Yes," Diana answered without any hesitation, "And I also love you, Riley. Believe me."


    "Oh, I don''t really care. But thank you, mother," Riley nodded, "And I do believe you."


    "And you? Do you love me?"


    "No, I don''t know how to," Riley sighed, "Maybe you could do something to change that?"


    "Hm, what about that Paige girl? The two of you seem to be getting along."


    "Oh, I have taken quite a liking to her. She also likes Italian Mafia Reborn."


    "...You''re still watching that?"


    "Yes, they are in their 12th season. But after what the House of Super did, it would probably take a while before the next seasones out."


    "If you and this Paige somehow had a child together, what would you do?"


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times as their somewhat casual conversation was broken, "That is impossible. We have never engaged in sexual intercourse, and probably never will."


    "What if you and Katherine had a child together, what would you do?"


    "Ah, Katherine is alive?" Riley tilted his head, "...She''s with you."


    "..."


    "Are you saying¡­ that Katherine and I had a child together?"


    "Hypothetical."


    "Then hypothetically, I would kill the child."


    "...Why?"


    "What I am ends with me, mother."


    "How would you know that your child would carry the same¡­ burden as you?"


    "Because as you said, I am the ultimate freak of nature," Riley smiled, "Everything I do and everything thates from me would eventually lead to ruin¡­


    ¡­Alice, Katherine, Hannah, and eventually, Paige."


    "You know, Riley¡­ you really need to learn how to lighten up."


    "Well¡ª"


    "You little brat!"


    And finally, Aerith once again showed herself¡ª this time, it was Riley that disappeared as she mmed her body straight towards his torso.


    "Once we get out of this System, I''ll feed you to the Locanos! And you!" Aerith then pointed toward Diana, "Why aren''t you helping me restrain your little murder of evil!?"


    "I thought you were supposed to by my captor? And he''s my sweet little boy, I was never going to hurt him, Aerith," Diana only shrugged while letting out a small giggle,


    "Keep it up, Aerith. My son seems to have taken a liking to you¡ª maybe I could even be your mother-inw in the future."


    Hearing Diana''s words, the only thing that Aerith could really do was let out a shrilling scream,


    "Am I the only one normal here!? Seriously, you and Alice are probably the worst thing that happened to that boy!"


    "Calm down, princess. It''s unbefitting of you to shout like that."


    "Don''t call me that!" Aerith almost hissed as she nced at Diana, before quickly turning her focus back to where Riley was thrown towards, "He just destroyed Mars, Diana. He¡ª"


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Why isn''t he returning?" Aerith then said as she could no longer feel Riley''s presence.


    "I think he returned to Earth. Despite what he seems like, he doesn''t like being scolded," Diana casually muttered as she floated near Aerith,


    "Aren''t you going to follow him?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "No," Aerith scoffed as she red at Diana, "You think I am going to let you out of my sight again?"


    "Hm," Diana only shrugged.


    "He has experienced how it is like fighting with Higher Races... He''ll be bored with the humans soon enough, anyway. There''s nothing left for him there¡­


    ...he''ll find us."


    "I don''t know about that. He seems quite fond of the Earthers," Diana said as she looked towards the direction where Earth should be.


    "Then you don''t know your son as much as you do," Aerith scoffed, "But you and I? We¡­


    ¡­are going to have a very long talk."


    "Well¡­" Diana smiled as she once again wore her sses that came out from nowhere,


    "¡­I need you for something anyway."

 Chapter 394: Perhaps What The World Needed To Hear Was Right ln Front Of Them All This Time

    Chapter 394: Perhaps What The World Needed To Hear Was Right ln Front Of Them All This Time


    "So, what do you call a crocodile without a tail?"


    "...What?"


    "...A tailless crocodile."


    "..."


    "...That''s not a joke, John."


    Back in the Paige and Paragon Superhero Agency, Paige currently had a confused expression on her face. She and the others have been trickling down the time by doing random things, and now just happened to be each of them telling jokes.


    But s, John¡ª supposedly Riley''s clone, has been telling¡­ some sort of nonsense punchlines ever since they started. As for Ellie and her brother, the two could really only shake their heads as they looked at Paige, almost as if apologizing to her for every word that came out of John''s mouth.


    "Okay, what about this; The Pope, a terrorist, and a politician walked into a bar. The Pope¡ª Boss!?"


    "Huh?"


    Everyone then suddenly turned their heads to the door as John suddenly stood up, only to see Riley stepping inside the building¡ª his clothespletely tattered and his sleeves ripped off¡­ his coat was basically drowned in blood.


    And even his hair, which was always immacte and without even a single strand loose, was now all over the ce; with some even sticking to his face.


    "Riley!?"


    Paige quickly jumped from the sofa; wings, immediately pping from behind her and propelling her straight towards Riley.


    "Are¡­ are you alright What happened!? Did one of those terrorists get to you!?"


    "Just a little tired from¡­ ying with two Themarians," Riley only waved his hand, before cing his hand on Paige''s shoulder, "Can you st me with soap and water?"


    "Uh¡­ sure?" Paige quickly took a step back, and without even another word from her, a shower of water suddenly emerged above Riley; almost like a waterfall as the violent drops hit his skin. This waterfall, however, just went straight through the floor¡ª and even through his clothes.


    It looked weird, however, as the blood on Riley''s clothes became lighter and diluted, and very slowly washed away.


    "Couldn''t¡­ you have just removed the dirt and blood with your abilities like usual?" Paige said as the water continued to bathe Riley''s body,


    "If I used my telekinesis now, I might identally do something you and Hannah wouldn''t like," Riley said as he closed his eyes and turned his head up to the water.


    "What?"


    "If you lift something expecting it to be heavy, but it turns out it was not¡ª and you justpletely almost swing it up," Riley whispered, "It will take a few moments for me to adjust. This is the first time I stretched my telekinesis like this, Paige."


    Riley then let out a long and deep breath as a subtle smile appeared on his face, "It''s¡­ quite fun. I can''t kill Aerith and Diana since they both hold a ce in my life¡­ but I can''t wait until we meet other themarians or the other Higher Races. This¡­ this is going to be fun."


    "Is¡­ Riley alright?" Ellie, who was watching from afar as Riley started whispering to herself, could not help but slightly lean closer to John¡­


    ¡­only to see him in tears.


    "Are you fucking crying!?"


    "The Boss he¡­" John took in a huge breath as he sniffled, "I¡­I have never seen him so happy."


    "...Ha?"


    "What do you mean¡ª"


    And before Ellie could ask any more questions, the opening song of Italian Mafia Reborn rang in the air; with Riley slowly stepping out of the gushing water above him and answering his phone.


    "Hello, Empress."


    [What do you mean hello!?]


    And even though Riley''s phone was not on speakers, everyone in the lobby could hear her.


    [You just killed all of our prisoners!]


    "Hm?" Riley blinked a couple of times, before letting out a small hum and nodding his head, "Oh."


    [Oh!? You just crushed the entire fucking building into a ball!]


    "That was because I was fighting with Aerith and mother, Empress," Riley let out a small sigh, "This is embarrassing, this hasn''t happened before. I probably identally crushed it when I destroyed Mars."


    [You¡­ what?]


    Not only Empress, but Paige and the others could only look at each other as they heard Riley''s words. Did¡­ he just say he destroyed Mars?


    [Is this what Crimson Pdin meant when she said it was the end of the world? Why did you and Aerith fight again!? And are you referring to Diana!?]


    "Do you want me to exin everything that happened, Empress?"


    [Of course!] Empress''s loud breaths almost cracked Riley''s phone, [I think I deserve to know if the whole''s going to shit.]


    "It already is, Empress. The House of Super killed more than a billion people," Riley clicked his tongue several times, "I wonder who this''s leader is¡­ so ipetent."


    [...]


    [...]


    [...I am doing the best I could. I even asked help from your father.]


    "Oh, I was joking, Empress. I think you are doing a fine job, all things considered."


    [...Let''s meet in the Academy in 6 hours. We have lots to discuss.]


    And with those words, Empress hung up. Riley only shrugged his shoulders, before once again stepping inside the gushing water that still continued to shower out of nowhere.


    As for Paige and Ellie, they finally knew why John''s jokes were a bit off¡ª they forgot whose image he was literally made from.


    ***


    "...Let''s meet in the Academy in 6 hours. We have lots to discuss."


    "And so, are we safe from the gods walking around us?"


    "...I think so."


    Back in Toronto, Empress was still inside her tent; with Butcher standing behind her. When she received the call from Ang about something regarding Threat Level: Riley Ross, Empress quickly started dialing Riley''s number.


    She also tried calling Aerith, but neither were answering their phones. Empress still remained calm then, of course¡ª but when the Aquarium literally folded into a ball, she instantly started to be nervous.


    If Riley and Aerith were to suddenly fight seriously, along with Diana who was also a themarian¡ª then Empress knew that whatever damage they received from the attacks of the House of Super would be like child''s ypared to the aftermath of their battle.


    And they were standing on the proof¡ª Toronto.


    The entire world would surely suffer the same fate. And the worst part of it all?


    No one would be able to stop them.


    The people of the world didn''t know how close they were to actually cease to exist.


    "Secretary-General Adaeze, they are ready for you."


    "Hm? Fuck, Ipletely forgot about that," Empress could not help but let out a deep sigh as someone entered the tent.


    "You will be alright, Empress," Butcher ced his hand on Empress''s shoulder, "Just pour your heart out a hundred percent."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...That''s a bit corny," Empress scoffed, before stepping outside the tent¡ª and as soon as she did so, an almost endless shing of lights bombarded her eyes.


    Most of them were shouting, some even pushing the other reporters beside them as Empress showed herself¡ª but as soon as Empress opened her mouth, they all stopped.


    "I¡­ am done ignoring the signs. And I am sure that you, the people of Earth, see them too. There is a great changeing¡ªno. It already arrived without us knowing.


    Most of you probably think that I am unfit to be the one talking to all of you. After all, it¡­ was my kind that have done this atrocious and evil act. My kind¡ª the Supers.


    Supers and Humans, perhaps it is time to ept that we truly are different people. So if you want to release your anger, if you want to take revenge, then know that this is my fault for not being able to stop it.


    But I want you to know that this act, this evil act was born not because we think we are different or that we are superior¡ª but because there are evil people out there. Bad, evil people that would do everything in their power to rule.


    Make no mistake, people. The House of Super are filth that needs to be eradicated from this world. And they have. As of this moment, the remaining members of this terrorist organization are being hunted down like the rats they are and will answer to a higher power.


    Not the super, not the humans¡ª but us. They will answer to all of us, people who are just tired of all the nonsense; of all the deaths. People who just want to live in peace and harmony; mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters, your neighbor¡­


    ¡­We may be different people, but throughout history, we have always been stronger together. And I believe that is true now, and will be true until the end of time.


    And if there is a time that we have to work together, it is now. I am saddened to be the one telling you this, but this is just the beginning. There are bigger threats out there, threats that are bigger than all of us. More and more aliens have tried invading our home and soon¡ª we may have no choice but to let some of them in.


    And if we are not together, if they see us turning our backs on each other¡ª they will see us as weak, vulnerable; and that is not true at all.


    Let our children and their children remember this not as the day that we lost¡­ but as the day we truly and finally came together. Let them not look in their friends'' eyes with fear, prejudice, or shame. This has to stop now and it has to stop here!


    So please¡­


    ¡­let''s just fucking help each other."

 Chapter 395: The Way of Diplomacy (1)

    Chapter 395: The Way of Diplomacy (1)


    "Where did you find time to write that speech?"


    "I didn''t write it."


    After delivering a short speech to the people, Empress once again returned to her tent, with Butcher immediately pping his hand; but not really making any noise due to the nature of his power.


    As for Empress, she just let herself fall on the nearest chair she could find; her breaths, still clearly a little amped up from all the emotions she needed to force out of her.


    "Whiteking was the one who wrote the speech," Empress then shook her head as she removed the transceiver piece from her ear,


    "Based on all the reactions, responses, feedback of all the people he could spy on¡ª he told me what they wanted to hear, and I did."


    "Bernard¡­ Are we working with him from now on?"


    "No," Empress scoffed, "He will forever remain in prison."


    "And what about Darkday himself?"


    "..." Empress only raised her eyebrow as she looked at Butcher, "You''re wee to apprehend him if you want. Bring the entire super militia with you and even the separated members of the Hope Guild."


    "..."


    "Even if the world knows who he is, I don''t think it matters anymore," Empress pinched the bridge of her nose, "We just have to live with him¡ª he is a cmity. A force of nature that we could only watch on the side and hopefully avoid. But at the very least; he is a cmity that can be reasoned with."


    "Can he? Be reasoned with, I mean." Butcher breathed out, "The only person I know of that could talk to him and he would actually listen to a hundred percent is his sister. And I don''t think she is in the right mind to talk to anyone outside of her circle, let alone his brother that was supposed to already be dead."


    "Why do you think I asked him to meet me in the Academy?" Empress also let out a small sigh, "We''re going to find out if Riley still listens to his sister. The two haven''t reunited yet since Riley announced himself back."


    "...And what are you hoping the oue would be?"


    "I honestly don''t know, Butcher. I just¡­ want all of this to be over with."


    ***


    "Maybe¡­ we should just stay here?"


    "...Why? Your brother said he wanted to see the inside of the Academy."


    "I''m¡­ actually a wanted fugitive."


    "Didn''t Riley already give the three of you new identities? Elliot told me all about your life on the farm and how boring and disgusting it was that he had to watch you trying your best to seduce John every¡ª that was supposed to be our secret."


    "What!?"


    "You¡­ You betrayed me! I told you not to tell anyone!"


    Back in the Paige and Paragon Superhero Agency, Paige and the others were still in the lobby. The only one missing was Riley, who was changing his clothes since his previous ones were ripped during the battle.


    John volunteered to stay and guard the building with Ellie and her brother, but Riley said there really wasn''t any reason to guard it anymore and that they should just go with them.


    "I apologize for making everyone wait, should we go?"


    And finally, after what seemed like an hour, Riley stepped out of the elevator¡ª wearing an all-ck formal suit¡­ with a long red scarf just hanging loosely from his neck.


    "Why¡­ are you wearing a red scarf?" Paige took in a small gulp as she looked at Riley, "Isn''t that¡­ the House of Super''s color?"


    "Oh, you noticed that?" Riley smiled as he approached the group, "The leader of the has asked us to meet her, I am just making sure that I look good. And what better way to symbolize that we mean no harm than by wearing the very color of the terrorist organization that we just eradicated."


    "...No?" Ellie raised an eyebrow, "I think this sends the opposite message."


    "...Does it? I was hoping it would mean that there''s no reason to be afraid of wearing red," Riley blinked a couple of times as he checked on his scarf,


    "Well, I''m already wearing it. Shall we go?"


    "Hm," Paige quickly nodded as she wrapped her arm around Riley''s, "Are you just going to fly us all there?"


    "No," Riley shook his head, "John will do it."


    "Hmm¡­ We''re all kinda like family now, no?" Paige giggled as she looked back at the others.


    "More like we''re your servants," Elliot also let out a chuckle as he walked beside Paige and Riley.


    "I prefer to use the term subordinates, Mr. Elliot."


    "...That sounds fancy, I like that," Elliot nodded in satisfaction as they stepped out of the building.


    As for John, he couldn''t really follow them as Ellie stopped him.


    "...Are we sure about this?" Ellie whispered, "You, Elliot¡­ we already have our new identities. We can just leave¡ª we''ve already drowned our hands in blood for your boss, I think that''s enough of a payment."


    "...We actually probably can," a small smile appeared on John''s face, "If I ask him now, he would probably allow us to leave."


    "...You think so?"


    "I know so, but¡­" John looked Ellie straight in the eyes, "...What will we even do out there? Be normal citizens?"


    "...You''re right," Ellie let out a sigh, "People like us can''t have a normal life. We already had it on the farm; we honestly could have stayed. Normal life is¡­


    ¡­boring."


    ***


    "Empress, it''s been a long time."


    "Not long enough. I was hoping not to see you again because that usually means trouble."


    "You seem to have taken care of the trouble, no?"


    Right in front of the gates of the Academy, Bulwark weed Empress as soon as she arrived. There wasn''t really anyone else besides them and Butcher; after all, why would the three of them even need a security escort? And also, they really no longer had any staff to spare as the entire Academy was busy helping the refugees.


    "Riley Ross took care of the problem," Empress scoffed, "We just cleaned it up."


    "Hm," Bulwark closed his eyes and smiled, "I suppose you''re here to check on the people? The number of survivors we have rescued now surpassed a million."


    "...No."


    "Hm? Are you here to check up on V, then?"


    "No," Empress shook her head, "But how is she?"


    "She needs us¡ª she needed us," Bulwark let out a long and deep sigh as the two of them started to walk, "Her condition is not getting any better. And with the news of Riley alive, I think there might be a chance that she would regress."


    "..."


    "If you''re not here for the refugees and you''re not here to check up on V¡­ What exactly are you doing here instead of out there?"


    "I invited Riley Ross for a meeting here."


    "Ah¡­" Bulwark blinked, "Of course. Should¡­ I call for all the people that should be involved in this¡­ meeting?"


    "I assume Hannah is still here?"


    "She''s with the rest of the Baby Crew, helping the survivors."


    "...Call everyone that you know who knows of Riley''s true identity. I''ve already called for Hera and Temp¡ª."


    "What''s with the reunion?"


    And before Empress could even finish her words¡­ a man suddenly appeared in front of them, wearing a polo shirt, shorts, and a pair of flip-flops.


    "...Tempo."


    "Holy shit, why are the two of you dressed like that?" Tempo quickly said as he looked at what Butcher and Empress were wearing, "...Is there a press conference or something?"


    "Why are you dressed like that?" Empress raised an eyebrow.


    "...Stop judging, it''s hot in my country."


    "Shouldn''t Hera be with you?"


    "No, she was in Canada when all the shit happened. But she should be here any minute now¡­


    ¡­what''s the asion?" Tempo then looked back and forth between Bulwark and Empress.


    "I have the same question myself," Bulwark breathed out as he turned his focus back on Empress, "What are you nning?"


    "Well¡­


    ¡­I''m just trying to find a way to prevent the end of the world, old friend."


    It didn''t really take that long to gather the people that knew of Riley''s identity¡ª after all, those who knew already were mostly in the Academy in the first ce. Even V, who was just told to rest, was also there¡ª her eyes, sunken as she looked at all the people around her.


    Empress, the Baby Crew, Charlotte, Bulwark, Butcher, Hera, Tempo¡ª and even the Pope and Ang were there.


    Most of the eyes were looking at Empress, wondering why they were suddenly called there. Some, however, were looking at V¡ª whose eyes were almost sunken and dead.


    "What are the two of you looking at?" V then immediately snarled as she noticed Hera and Tempo were looking at her, "Fucking useless duo."


    "..." Hera couldn''t really say anything as she just looked to the side. Bulwark¡­ called her a year ago about V''s condition, and Hera ignored it thinking that V just needed some time; but seeing her now¡­ Hera felt slightly guilty that she didn''t even visit.


    .


    "Why did you gather us here, your highness?" V then said as she smirked at Empress, "I assume this is about that fucker? Are we finally thinking of a n to kill him once and for all? The people here are the ones who know his true identity, right? Is that it? Are we finally going to kill him?"


    "Can you just fucking wait and let her talk?" Hannah also started to speak up.


    "Oh fuck, why is the sister even here? Are we using her as a hostage?"


    "You¡­" Hannah stood up, "Just in case all of you are forgetting¡ª I killed my brother, me. Not any of you sitting here right now."


    "Killed? Then why is he out there right¡ª"


    And before V could finish her words, the door of the conference hall very slowly slid open¡ª something which it shouldn''t be doing. And very soon, a voice seeped into the edges.


    "I apologize we''rete."


    And very soon, a silhouette revealed itself¡ª Riley Ross.


    No.


    Darkday... in his full outfit.

 Chapter 396: The Way of Diplomacy (2)

    Chapter 396: The Way of Diplomacy (2)


    "I apologize we''rete."


    "!!!"


    Everyone just stood up. There were no warnings, not even an announcement from any of the people that should be standing guard outside¡ª Riley just entered the Academy unbeknownst to everyone there.


    It was probably for the best, of course¡­


    ¡­as he was wearing his Darkday outfit.


    Hera was the first to react; her skin quickly turned grey as her muscles and height almost tripled. She did not, however, lunge towards Riley and instead just remained on her spot¡ª almost squishing Gary that was sitting beside her.


    Of course, it wasn''t only her; everyone''s eyes were fixated on Riley; their fists, all closed and ready to do whatever it is they could do next. Perhaps the only one that didn''t really have any immediate reaction was Empress, who just looked at the other people in the room and sighed.


    If this had happened a few years ago, then Empress would have probably reacted the same. But right now, Empress was just done with everything¡ª there was also the fact that out of all these people, she was probably the only one who knew how ridiculously strong Riley truly was.


    No, Ang and the Pope also didn''t react the same as everyone, and were the only ones in the room that remained sitting; with the Pope even seemingly amused with what was happening.


    By all means, Hannah and the rest of the Baby Crew should also know how futile it was to even try to resist Riley¡ª but seeing as they were young and one of them is literally Riley''s sister, their response is already expected.


    "What are you doing, Riley?" Empress then let out another deep breath as she finally turned her focus back to Riley.


    "Oh, I just wanted to y a joke."


    And with those words, Riley''s Darkday outfit very slowly faded away¡ª also revealing the group of people standing beside him; Paige, John, Ellie, and Elliot.


    "I brought some people, I hope you don''t mind," Riley then said as he stepped inside the meeting hall, "They wanted to tour the Academy after this meeting."


    "What''s¡­ the meaning of this, Empress?"


    The temperature in the room suddenly rose as Hannah''s breaths started to turn heavy, "Why¡­ did you invite my brother here?"


    "...To talk."


    "You¡­ thought that was a good idea?"


    "There are¡ª"


    And before Empress could finish her words; green specks of dust started to fill the air inside the conference hall, trickling and throbbing with each movement. Of course, it was obvious as to who was causing this; everyone in the room could really only turn their heads towards V, only to see her now slump and crouching on the floor.


    "...V?"


    She was the one who was talking about killing Riley and ganging up on her just earlier¡ª but now that he was actually here, they finally realized that each word and any of the toughness she had been showing them was all just for show.


    Of course, it was¡ª V has been part of the Hope Guild for a while¡­ that they keep forgetting that she was one of the youngest people in this room, barely an adult.


    "..." Charlotte could really only look at V, thinking that once again¡­ the Hope Guild failed to be there for each other when it actually matters the most. And now, right in front of them, was the person that she had probably failed the most.


    Riley Ross, her own grandson.


    "Now I feel a little overdressed."


    Riley didn''t seem to mind all the stares that were centered on him, however, as he just started to walk across the room¡ª walking towards the free space at the table.


    "Can you make us seats, Ms. Ellie?"


    Ellie only nodded, before a part of the floor started to turn dark; before protruding up and turning into seats.


    "Why¡­ are there only two?" Paige was about to take a seat but noticed that only she and Riley had a chair at the table.


    "We''re just going to stand in the back," John then said as he stood behind Riley as he took his seat. Ellie did the same; her eyes scanning each of the people in the room before just standing idly by. As for her brother, well¡ª the situation calls for him to do the same.


    "...I have seats prepared for you," Empress then quickly said as she looked at the empty seats on the side.


    "Well, you might have a bomb on the bottom of that chair, Empress."


    "Wh¡ª"


    "I am joking again," Riley chuckled; and it wasn''t awkward, no¡ª but the faces of all the people in the room made it seem like it was. And perhaps in this situation, it actually is.


    "Hello, sister," Riley then smiled as he looked at Hannah; who didn''t really know what to say as she just very slowly sat back in her seat. And as she did so, everyone else started doing the same with the exemption of Hera, whose body very slowly turned back to normal as she made her way to V.


    "Are you¡­ alrigh¡ª"


    "Don''t you fucking touch me!" The green specks of dust that were floating in the air all started to spark as V waved her hands. Suffice to say, with these many prominent people in one ce¡ª it was utter chaos. And one way or the other, they all had trauma caused by Riley Ross.


    Hera was about to try and console V again, but before she could do so¡­ someone tapped her. Hera quickly looked back to see who it was that ced their hand on her shoulder, only to see Riley behind her.


    "!!!"


    Hera almost bent her entire body as she tried to quickly move away from Riley¡ª she tried to transform, but her body seemed to refuse to do so. And there were only two reasons that it was doing this;


    One, not transforming was the best way for her to survive. And two, her body wasn''t perceiving Riley as a threat. And hopefully, it was thetter.


    "All of you really need to rx," Riley then said as he crouched to the ground, looking at V for a few seconds¡­ beforepletely sitting beside her on the floor.


    "It has been a very long time, Victoria."


    "Don''t¡­ don''t you fucking call me that." The green specks of dust that were floating in the air¡­ disappeared; almost as if transferring to her eyes as they started to trickle with Riley on their path, "You¡­ you''re a fucking monster."


    "I am. And I have told you that as well," Riley said, before just turning to look at Empress, "Should we start whatever this meeting is about?"


    "...Are you not going to return to your seat?"


    "No."


    And as soon as he said that¡­ every piece of furniture in the room turned into dust; once again causing everyone to put on their defenses¡ª everyone except the members of the Hope Guild, who had their eyes on Hera and checking whether or not she transformed.


    The door of the conference hall then opened, almost acting like a vacuum as it sucked away all the dust in the air before closing.


    "Let''s all just sit on the floor and join Victoria¡­ Paige," Riley then turned to look at Paige, gesturing to her toe to his side. Everyone could really just look at each other, before once again being led by Hannah as she was the first to sit on the floor.


    "See?" A subtle smile then appeared on Riley''s face, "It''s better here. No wonder Victoria was sitting on the floor. It makes us feel¡­ grounded."


    "Enough of this bullshit!" Hannah mmed her palm on the floor, "Just why exactly did you set this meeting up, Empress? And why are we even here!?"


    "The House of Super is gone," Empress raised her voice before Hannah could go off again, "But the damage they did will forever be permanent."


    "It''s the same as any tragedy," Bulwark joined in.


    "Yes, but this time the casualty is in billions¡­ that number is way more anything Darkday¡ª Riley Ross has ever done to this world."


    "Wait¡­" Tempo also joined in as he ced his palm on the floor, "...Don''t tell me you collected all of us here¡­ to try and pardon Darkday?"


    "No, nothing of the sort," Empress raised her hand, "But I am here to say¡­


    ¡­that Riley Ross is now under the protection of the World Government."


    "What!?" Silvie almost stood up from the floor, "...Why!?"


    "I am lifting all the bounty, all the charges, and any records that would indict or otherwise condemn Riley Ross as a criminal. Riley Ross would also now henceforth be immune from all charges that would be ced against him."


    "...Are you saying he could just indiscriminately kill anyone he wants?" Tempo''s eyebrows began to furrow. And it wasn''t only him, the rest of the people in the room all started to look at each other.


    "Yes."


    "!!!"


    "What!?"


    "What about all the people he has killed!?"


    "Ei yo¡­ Even if this ni¡ª even if Riley helped us clean the House of Super, that doesn''t erase what he did! He still killed millions of people! He even killed Gary''s father!"


    "He killed many fathers," Empress raised her hand, "He also killed mothers, children, and everyone that was unfortunately in his path of carnage."


    "Exactly, so why are you¡ª"


    "Because as of a few hours ago¡­" Empress''s voice was not really loud, or even hurried¡ª but the expression on her eyes showed everyone how serious she was,


    "...Riley Ross destroyed Mars."


    "..."


    "...What?"


    "So now, I am going to ask all of you¡­" Empress then said as she looked at all the people in the room one by one, and since she was the tallest among the lot, it wasn''t that hard to do so,


    "...Is anyone here stupid enough to still try and fight with Riley Ross?"

 Chapter 397:A Page from Paige

    Chapter 397:A Page from Paige


    "Mars¡­ is gone?"


    "...Fuck."


    There were more than 10 people in the meeting hall, and yet the only thing that was echoing in the air was the sound of their stuttered breaths. None of the people here denied Riley''s strength; everyone knew how strong he was since most of them have already fought with and against him.


    They all knew that Riley could lift an entire city from the ground and let it stay there for long periods of time while he does something elsepletely. But still, even though that kind of feat was ridiculous, it was not like none of them were capable of doing and acting something of equal strength.


    Empress could probably level an entire city if she wanted to, Silvie without a doubt could do the same, she was just afraid of using the entirety of her gift. V wiped out the entirety of London, and she was unconscious then. The strongest heat that Hannah could produce was enough to melt steel instantly, and she could probably scorch an entire city just by flying above it.


    There were many of them in the room that was capable of destroying cities¡ª but an entire?


    "Did you guys want to see a recording of when I did it?"


    "Huh?"


    Everyone then turned their heads towards Riley as he grabbed his phone from the pocket of his coat, before giving it to John and whispering something to his ear.


    "..." John only nodded as he grabbed the phone. He then looked around the room for a few seconds, before turning on the projector with his mind and casting the video that was on the phone.


    "!!!"


    "It''s a bit blurry and unclear since it''s far, but as you can see, that''s Mars," Riley then casually said as the view on the project slowly zoomed and panned out, revealing a bunch of red rocks that were shaped into the head of a beast, "You can''t really see me and Megawoman, but we''re there somewhere."


    "..."


    Once again, everyone inside the room just let their breaths do the talking; almost like an orchestra, each breath of a different rhythm and tone. None of them were even looking at each other, they were just so focused on the images being projected in front of them; their eyes, reflecting disbelief and¡­ a hint of serenity.


    Most of them thought that Empress was losing her mind, or perhaps Riley had something on her, that''s why she granted him immunity. But now, they realized how correct her decision was.


    Riley Ross was off-limits. They always thought Whiteking was crazy for trying to protect Riley Ross and hiding his identity. Of course, they also just took into consideration that Riley was his son¡ª but maybe this is the very reason that the smartest man in the world let him roam free.


    How would you even stop a being capable of shattering an entire world with a snap of his fingers?


    Even if the peoplee to know of Riley''s identity, what of it?


    What would they even do¡­ poke a beast and risk destroying their?


    And so, once again¡ª they were reminded of why Riley was called a Living Cmity. It wasn''t just a title that was given to the most heinous viin in the entire world, but to a literal living cmity.


    "I hope this gives everyone rity," Empress then raised her hand; and as she did so, John quickly turned off the projector, "All of you are aware of Riley''s identity. But I do truly hope that none of you are stupid enough to provoke him any¡ª"


    "I don''t really mind, Empress," Riley''s sudden and quiet chuckles caused everyone in the room to flinch, "I''m not going to destroy Earth, my sister lives here."


    "..." Hannah could really only hide her gasp as she heard her brother''s words.


    "And also, I think this is the only that would ever produce the next seasons of Italian Mafia Reborn," Riley then turned to look at Hera, "Will¡­ there be a next¡ª"


    "Yes," Hera did not wait for Riley to finish his question; her eyes, looking at him straight in the eyes, "I will be producing it myself. It¡­ It will be a littlete because we still need to recover from the attacks of the House of Super, but we already nned 10 more seasons."


    "Oh?" A hint of a smile slowly crawled on Riley''s face, "I am looking forward to that, Ms. Hera. It''s too bad that we didn''t get to work together on that TV show, no?"


    "Yes," Hera once again answered without any hesitation, "But¡­ if you want, the character is still open."


    "Oh? You hear that, Paige?" Riley let out a small hum, "I''m going to be on T.V."


    "R¡­ Really? Like¡­ you''ll be an action star? Wait¡­ maybe you could even y a character in Italian Mafia Reborn. Oh my god¡­ you''re going to be famous, Riley. Maybe we should just change the Paige and Paragon Superhero Agency into a talent agency?"


    "Let''s not get ahead of ourselves, Paige."


    "Congrats, Boss."


    "Can I have your autograph now!?"


    "..."


    "..."


    The other people in the room could really only watch as Riley and his group just suddenly started chatting casually with each other. Just¡­ what was wrong with the people surrounding him? They all thought.


    "Let''s discuss thister," Riley then waved his hand, "I think Empress still has more to discuss."


    "..." Empress stared at Riley for a few seconds, before letting out a sigh and nodding, "There''s also the matter of your real identity, Riley. No doubt, there are already people out there that suspect you are Darkday¡ª I would just like to know how you are going to handle the eventual reveal. I know one or two in this room are trying to reveal who you are."


    "Hm?" Riley turned to look at everyone in the room, with V the only one obviously flinching as she felt his stares, "I don''t get it, Empress. Is there something that needs to be done if and when my identity as Darkday is revealed?"


    "Are you not going to react¡­ wildly?"


    "...When have I been wild, Empress?"


    And with those words, everyone''s memory of Darkday and his obnoxious manicughter as he tore people limb from limb resurfaced from their minds. And he just destroyed Mars, how is any of that not wild? They all thought.


    "You''re actually pretty fucked up, Riley."


    "!!!"


    Everyone then turned their heads towards Paige; her words, almost like a knife to their ears.


    "You like torturing people and feeding them their own limbs, I''d say that''s more than wild. I also remembered you telling me that you hid Megawoman in your closet and talked to her mangled naked body."


    "..." Gary''s eyes widened as he heard his mother''s name being dragged into the conversation. But s, he couldn''t really say anything to refute.


    "You have like, zero chill, Riley," Paige let out a sigh.


    "Wait, how long have you known that Paragon is Riley?" Hannah then suddenly joined in on the conversation.


    "Hmm¡­ I think I can say I''ve always known," Paige closed her eyes before leaning her head on Riley''s shoulder, "That''s why I''m drawn to him like a ma."


    "..." V, who was sitting frozen beside the two, could not help but take in a deep breath. Just a few years ago, she was the one in Paige''s position, clinging to Riley''s arms like a ko,


    "Wait¡­ you know who he is¡­ and you¡­ that''s alright for you?" V then stuttered as her body slowly uncurled.


    "...Yes?" Paige blinked a couple of times; her eyes, almost confused, "Why wouldn''t it be?"


    "He''s a mass murderer!"


    "He''s a man that''s capable of destroying an entire with a snap of his fingers," Paige breathed out as a hint of a smile could be seen growing on her face, "By all ounts, the people in this room are like ants to him. You see a mass murderer, but all I see is how gentle Riley really is because all of you are still breathing even though you were in his path of destruction."


    "That''s¡­" V couldn''t really refute. For some reason¡­ she couldn''t help but think that Paige might have a point. Riley¡­ really is gentle¡ª that was why she was also attracted to him in the first ce.


    "Riley is evil, there''s no questioning that," Paige then said as she tried to pinch Riley''s arm, "But the fact that we''re here, sitting with all of you should prove that he is not unreasonable¡­


    ¡­Riley is capable of care," Paige turned to look at Hannah, "He just doesn''t know how to show it. And I believe that no matter how much he says it, Riley is also capable of love¡­ and the proof of that is in this room."


    "..."


    "Anyway; too long, didn''t listen¡ª Riley can care, that''s why all of you are alive today."


    "...Is that what it is, Paige?" And out of all the other people in the room, Riley was the first to question Paige''s words.


    "...I actually have no idea," Paige let out a quiet chuckle before once again resting her head on Riley''s shoulder, "But it''s nice to think that it is, no?"


    "Is it?" Riley ced his hand on his chin, "I have never thought of it like that. But it is true that the only reason Empress and the other members of the Hope Guild are alive is because they are friends with father."


    "..."


    "..."


    "You actually still haven''t answered my question, Riley," Empress could really only let out a sigh as she heard Riley''s words, "What will you do once your identity is¡ª"


    "Set up a press conference, Empress."


    "...What?"


    "If my identity as Darkday is to be revealed¡­


    ¡­then I would like to do it myself. And then we''ll have an answer to your question."

 Chapter 398: The Truth

    Chapter 398: The Truth


    "That¡­ meeting went well, right?"


    "That was a meeting? Wasn''t it more like Riley bullying his way through his victims? Anyway¡­ what are we doing in front of this store? It''s closed."


    "I suppose we have to wait for grandmother."


    Riley and his group were currently in front of the Korean Shaved Ice store¡ª but s, it was currently closed. Considering Charlotte was included in the meeting, it would seem she shut it down.


    "Well, you guys wait here. Elliot and I will try to see what else is in this ce," Ellie shrugged as she started walking away, "I thought this ce would be more¡­ lively, you know? I was actually supposed to enroll here when it was announced a few years ago¡ª good thing I didn''t."


    "...We''re in the middle of a crisis, sis," Elliemented, "If you didn''t notice, there are refugees around us. And if you enrolled in the Academy, I am sure you''ll also join the Dark Millenium, pft."


    "...You might be right about that¡­ and I''ll be dead," Ellie then said as she nced at Riley. Most people don''t know it yet, but Riley and 2 others killed all the students they tried to recruit from the Mega Academy. Perhaps joining the Dark Millenium early on actually saved her life.


    "..." Ellie then slightly raised an eyebrow as Riley also nced at her. Come to think of it¡ª she joined the Dark Millenium thinking Darkday was their leader, but it was just based on some lies and propaganda set up by a deranged clone of Megawoman that escaped from the Government.


    No, the reality was way moreplicated than that. The mind of the clone was distorted and faulty, but she was mildly right¡ª there are threatsing from outside the now. A lot has happened since then that it almost felt like a lifetime ago, and perhaps for her, it was.


    She has a new identity, and she is now even working directly below Darkday himself¡­ in all actuality, she was technically back in the Dark Millenium¡ª it just has a different name, Paige and Paragon Superhero Agency.


    "Go with them, John."


    "..." Ellie''s thoughts were then disrupted as she heard Riley''s words.


    "Are you sure, boss?"


    "Yes."


    "Hm, alright," John nodded, before gently pushing Ellie and Elliot away, "I know this ce like the back of my hand, I''ll tour the¡­"


    "Did you wish to go with them, Paige?"


    "Oh, no," Paige, who was watching as John and the others faded away deeper into the mall, quickly shook her head as Riley talked to her, "It''s just¡­ weird."


    "What is?"


    "The world, this¡­" Paige started to back away as she stretched her arms to the side before she slowly spun and started looking everywhere, "...All of this. The world feels weird now, don''t you think? There''s so much death and tragedy, that it almost feels like we''ve epted it as our reality. Like how Empress decided that you''re just a part of Earth''s reality."


    "..."


    "I know we will get over this. We''re actually already starting to and it hasn''t even been a full day since the House of Super were eradicated," Paige sighed, "But that is what''s weird. We always just move on like nothing happened. Nobody really addresses why it''s happening."


    "That is just the way it is, Paige," Riley tilted his head, slightly confused as to what Paige meant by her words, "Humans are used to tragedy, it is in our history. It is how we advanced as a people."


    "But we don''t have to be," Paige then said as she stood in front of Riley, "We don''t have to be. You have the power to make that happen, Riley. You can prevent any wars from happening, you can stop any oppression¡ª you can even make it so that there would no longer be any viins. You¡­


    ¡­can rule this world, Riley."


    "..." Riley didn''t really say anything, and just returned Paige''s gaze; the two of them, staring at each other''s eyes even after seconds.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Pft," Paige then almost let out a small snort as she looked away from Riley; before tugging on his sleeves and resting her cheek on his chest, "I was joking, Riley. Don''t actually do something stupid like that. You''re already getting minus points to your sister, you don''t want to add up any¡ª !!!"


    Paige could not help but almost take in a deep gasp as Riley suddenly ced his hand on her hair, slightly brushing it before resting his chin on top of her head. But before Paige could even say anything, Riley already pulled himself away; once again just walking in front of the store and just¡­


    ¡­staring at nothing.


    "What¡­ was that?" Paige whispered to herself; her chest, almost thumping from her clothes as she looked at Riley''s back,


    "What was that!?" She then raised her voice as she leaped towards Riley and embraced him from behind, "Don''t¡­ don''t tell me you''re starting to like me, Riley?"


    "I have always liked you, Paige," Riley did not hesitate as he nced back at Paige, "You always say what is on your mind, no matter how the world would perceive it. It¡­ reminds me of Hannah and Aerith."


    "Hm¡­" Paige squinted her eyes before letting out a teasing giggle, "...Do you like anyone that just slightly resembles your sister? I think I got your type now, Riley boy."


    "I do," Riley once again answered without any hesitation.


    "Pft, you''re cute whenever you''re like this," Paige burrowed her face on Riley''s back.


    "You know, I met my mother yesterday."


    "Hm?"


    "Both of them," Riley whispered as he just stared at the padlocked store in front of him; his eyes, almost reflecting an image.


    "...When did that happen?"


    "Minutes before I destroyed Mars."


    "...Oh," Paige couldn''t really remove herself from Riley''s back after hearing his words, "...I thought both of your mothers are like¡­ gone?"


    "Well, Diana just disappeared. Alice was supposed to be dead, but it turns out Diana is trying to revive her."


    "...That''s weird."


    "It is, no?" Riley breathed out, "But can I ask you a question since you are used to having hallucinations, Paige?"


    "...What?"


    "Which sounds more probable for you¡ª inheriting your mother''s illness, or her showing herself to you since the two of you are connected and because she is slowly being revived?"


    "...Well, the former sounds more possible?"


    "...Then do you see the woman standing in front of us right now?"


    "Huh?" Paige finally pulled herself away from Riley as she quickly looked to where Riley was pointing¡­ only to see a door.


    "I¡­ don''t see anyone?" Paige blinked a couple of times, "Are you¡­ seeing someone there?"


    "My biological mother."


    "What!?" Paige took in a deep breath, "What¡­ what is she doing?"


    "Just whispering¡­" Riley sighed, "...Kill everyone, hurt everyone, a monster, you''re a monster, just the usual."


    "What do you mean just the usual!?"


    "Oh, I''ve always heard the whispers," Riley shrugged, "It''s only justtely that it gained a face. My other mother said that it was possible that I might have inherited my mother''s illness."


    "What¡­ does that mean?"


    "Alzheimer''s, or whatever my biological mother really had. Oh, it''s gone now," Riley then said as he finally looked away from the door.


    "Wait¡­ what?" Paige''s eyes quickly started to redden, "What¡­ what do you mean Alzheimer''s?"


    "Oh, nothing is confirmed," Riley blinked as he noticed the tone of Paige''s voice shifting, "I, for one, actually think she''s just showing herself to me since she is slowly being resu¡ª"


    "Is what you said true, Riley!?"


    And before Riley could finish his words, Hannah suddenly appeared behind them.


    "..." Riley and Paige quickly turned around, only to see that the rest of the Baby Crew were also there; their heads, slightly leaning out from the corner of one of the other stores. Riley ignored Hannah, and instead turned his eyes towards Silvie,


    "I thought you didn''t like using your abilities to eavesdrop, Ms. Savelievna?"


    "That¡­" Silvie couldn''t reallye up with an answer as she and the others just started showing themselves one by one, "I¡­ I wanted to make sure you weren''t up to something bad."


    "I thought Empress already gave me immunity. There is no use in¡ª"


    "Do you think I agree to¡ª" Be quickly covered Silvie''s mouth before she could say anything else.


    "We¡­ we''re cool, right¡­ Riley?" Be then took in a small gulp as she pulled Silvie away.


    "I suppose we are, Be," a hint of a smile appeared on Riley''s face, "I never had a problem with you."


    "T¡­ that''s what I thought," Be chuckled, before also grabbing Gary, who seemed to want to say something, "This is not the time to be stupid. What the fuck are the two of you doing?"


    Be could feel Gary''s breath even just by holding his arm. She couldn''t me him, of course. After all, his father was one of the people that died in Toronto. No, each of the people here right now was one way or another affected by Darkday''s reign of terror.


    But Empress was and is right¡ª they just have to ept the situation.


    "Forget about all of that, is what you''re saying true!?" Hannah then stepped forward as she blocked the rest of the Baby Crew from Riley''s view.


    "Which part, sister?"


    "Everything! Is¡­ is mother alive? And how is she involved in all of this!?" Hannah screamed, her voice almost cracking.


    "No one has told you yet about mother?" Riley blinked a couple of times, "I thought we already discussed this before I went away. Didn''t Empress already tell you?"


    "Tell me what!?"


    "Mother is a Themarian."


    "...What?"


    ***AUTHOR NOTES***


    YOUTUBE ANNOUNCEMENT! I have created a youtube channel called ''Romeru''. And I basically have one video there where I read my first fan-fic of the Avatar: Last Airbender. Search it up: Romeru Reads - Avatar: The Last Shadow.


    I''m the one with the... Romeru PHub profile picture. And share and subscribe or I kill your fave character.

 Chapter 399: l Already Have

    Chapter 399: l Already Have


    "..."


    Hannah was told everything. Silvie, Gary, Be, and Katrina were also present as Hannah told them they should also know since they were her family now; but the revtions that Riley had told them almost drilled through their bones.


    Charlotte was also there, after all, she was the one who opened the Korean Shaved Ice store so that Riley would have a ce to discuss everything he knew. And finally, although it was hard to admit and ept, she finally knew what really happened to her daughter.


    All this time, she med Riley for everything. But it turns out her daughter was just¡­ sick. She had been trying to find answers for the downfall of her daughter; thinking that someone was pulling the strings, or that something was truly wrong with Riley¡­ but no.


    Charlotte always saw Alice as this mightier than thou super. She was supposed to be immune to all mind-bending and mind-control abilities¨C but Alzheimer''s? Was she even supposed to believe that? But out of all the answers that she tried to seek out, this was actually the one that answers everything.


    ? Alice Lane, her daughter¡­ was just sick.


    Charlotte could really only stare at Riley from behind the counter, watching him as he casually took a spoonful of dessert like he did not just say somethingpletely earth-shattering.


    Charlotte wanted to talk to him so badly¡­ but what was she even supposed to say? She had already made her stance for almost 20 years now; what sort of apology was even enough to make up for her absence?


    She had already talked to him once when he was in prison, but that was just to tell her what she knew¡ª and what she knew was so far from the truth.


    "Grandmother, can I have one more?"


    "Are you sure? It seems a little too sweet."


    "That''s because you''re only eating the syrup and fruits, Paige. You should fill your spoon with the shaved ice¡­ Grandmother, can I have one more?"


    "Y¡­ yes, sure," Charlotte could not help but take in a small but very deep breath as she started preparing another cup. It didn''t even take a minute before she was handing the dessert to Riley¡ª and now that she was taking a good look at him; with his ck hair and eyebrows¡­ Charlotte was finally able to see some sort of resemnce to her daughter.


    Charlotte took another deep breath; she wanted so badly to embrace Riley right now¡ª but s. As Charlotte saw her reflection in Riley''s dark eyes, the only thing that she could really see was a stranger. It was¡­ a little toote.


    "..." Charlotte then turned her eyes towards the others, only to see their facespletely nk; not really knowing what to do with the information that Riley just gave them. Even Hannah, who is supposed to be the receiver of all of this¡­ information, was just staring at the melted dessert in front of her.


    "Would¡­ you children like me to get you anything?"


    "..."


    "..."


    And with no one answering her, she just turned around to leave. But before she could even take a single step¡ª a hand suddenly grabbed her wrist. She quickly turned to see who it was, only to see Riley holding her hand.


    "Did¡­ you need anything else?" Charlotte gulped.


    "Alice Lane is being revived by mother," Riley casually breathed out, "I thought you should know since she''s your daughter."


    "...What?"


    "Yes. And based on mother''s words, she should be waking up soon," Riley nodded, "But as in the case of everything I told all of you here, there is a chance that mother is lying¡ª but I do not think she has a reason to; she''s a Themarian, the strongest species in the entire universe; or at least that''s what she believes in."


    "W¡ª"


    "Where is she?"


    And finally, after keeping her silence for almost an hour; Hannah spoke up,


    "Where''s mom?"


    "I don''t know, sister. But I have a feeling she''s not really on this. Aerith thought she was¡­ but she''s always wrong for some reason," Riley shrugged as he took a bite of his Mango Graham Shaved Ice, but before he could ce his spoon back on the cup¡ª


    "Don''t talk about my mother like you know her!"


    Gary pped the spoon away from Riley''s hand.


    "Eek!" The spoon was about to hit Paige, but it stopped mid-air before it could do so.


    "On the contrary, Gary¡­" Riley sighed as the spoon returned to his hand, "...Your mother and I are quite close. She''s closer to me than to you, I reckon."


    "You¡ª" Gary''s eyebrows began to tremble as he remained standing; Be tried to get him to sit back down, but Gary did not budge this time. But after a few more seconds of him just staring down at Riley¡­ he suddenly ran and left the store.


    Katrina was going to follow Gary out, but in the end, chose not to do so as she just remained in her seat. She didn''t even know what she was doing here in the first ce¡ª the only rtion she had here was that she was a member of the Baby Crew. But although she didn''t really know what to do, it wasn''t like she felt out of ce or ufortable.


    After all, being with the Baby Crew for the past 2 years¡­ she was used to all the weird things happening around them. And so, once again¡ª she did what she always did in the group; just stay on the side and observe.


    "..." Silvie seemed to also want to say something; and with the way she was opening and closing her mouth, it would seem she had a lot to say. The expressions on her face, also shifting almost each second¡­ but after a few more facial shifts, a word finally escaped her lips.


    "You didn''t have to say that to him," Silvie muttered, "He is¡­ already lost as he is."


    "Then he and his mother finally have something inmon," Riley breathed out, "And as for you, Ms. Savelievna¡­ you''re stronger than you think you are. I don''t know if there is something else you need to hear, but I have already told you everything that I know."


    "..."


    "I truly apologize, sister," Riley then said as he ced his focus back on Hannah, "But it would seem that you are surrounded by people who have hidden things from you. Father, me, and then mother. She''s the one who¡ª"


    Riley halted his words as he felt Paige suddenly pricking and pinching his leg; he turned to see what she needed, only to see her with her eyebrows furrowed and eyes squinted.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Well, I''ve finished my dessert," Riley then stood up, "Paige and I will take our leave first. We might be seeing each other from time to time since we n to tour the Academy with my subordinates. So, don''t be afraid to say hello."


    "..." Paige also stood up, nodding her head towards the girls of the Baby Crew,


    "I¡­ really wished we could have somehow be friends," she said before following Riley. But before the two of them could step out of the store, Hannah shouted.


    "What do you n to do now!?"


    "...Hm?" Riley and Paige turned around.


    "Now¡­ now that you''ve gained fucking immunity to murder, are you just going to go out there and kill more people!?"


    "...No. I''m not a savage, sister," Riley sighed and shook his head.


    "Are you¡­ are you not going to tell the world that you''re Darkday!?"


    "What are you saying, sister?" Riley once again sighed as he opened the door¡ª and as soon as he did so, several screams, gasps, and whispers roared and seeped through the store,


    "I already have."


    "...What? What do¡ª" And before Hannah could say anything, she saw something flying towards Riley¡ª hitting him straight on the head. But of course, it was almost as if Riley didn''t even notice as he just continued walking out the store, gently pushing Paige to walk behind him.


    "This¡­" Not only Hannah, but all the women in the store all stood up to peer through the window of the store, only to see a group¡ª no, a mob of people surrounding the store; every one of them, either carrying fear or rage on their faces.


    "H¡­ Hannah, look¡­"


    Hannah then slowly turned to look at Katrina as she showed her phone, only to see a live video of Riley telling the world that he is Darkday.


    "...How?"


    "It''s¡­ a clone," Silvie gulped before all of them once again turned their attention to the roars of anger and hate happening outside.


    "Get off this!"


    "You¡­ you killed my father!"


    "Murderer!"


    "Satan''s son!"


    "Harbinger of ruin! You should pay for all your crimes!"


    Most of the people were refugees; some were even staff of the Academy. But no matter if they were super or just a normal human¡ª all of their eyes contained a certain hatred in them as they all looked at Riley.


    Most of the refugees were throwing things at Riley¡­ and Riley¡­ just let them. He didn''t dodge, he didn''t even use his telekic abilities to block anything, he¡­ just let it happen.


    "Maybe you should return to the store for now, Paige," Riley then whispered, "It would get a little messy once the supers join in."


    "...No," Paige breathed out as she grabbed the back of Riley''s clothes, before nting her forehead on his back, "I have already told you before, even if the whole world hates you¡­


    ¡­I am not going to abandon you, Riley."

 Chapter 400: l Am Darkday

    Chapter 400: l Am Darkday


    "Murderer!"


    "You should die!"


    Minutes.


    The people did not seem to get tired of throwing things and slurs at Riley¡ª their words, getting more violent by the second. The things they throw, getting heavier and more solid.


    But Riley¡­ Riley just epted it all; the stains, the scraps, the bottles, the stones¡ª it didn''t matter what it was, Riley did not move even a single bit. He just stood in front of the entrance of the Korean Shaved Ice store and let everything fall upon him. His eyes, devoid of anything; care, emotion, even irritation¡­ nothing could be seen in his eyes.


    As for Paige, her face was filled with pain. He was directly behind Riley, but nothing was really hitting her¡ª even the dust floating in the air seemed to avoid her. But still, even then, she looked to be in pain as tears started to trail on her cheeks.


    She couldn''t utter anything, though. She couldn''te into his defense even if she wanted to¡ª and she didn''t. She knew herself that Riley deserved everything that was being thrown at him, she knew she deserved each and every hurtful words that were flowing towards them like a knife.


    But as much as he deserved all the pain and hatred in the world, Paige also feels he deserved to be loved and cared for; even more so now that he knew everything about him. And Paige¡­


    ¡­Paige wants to be the one to give that to him.


    And so, ever so slowly, the hands that were tightly holding the back of Riley''s clothes moved forward; Paige''s arms, now wrapping around Riley''s.


    "It''s okay¡­ Riley," Paige whispered, "It''s okay."


    "Hm," Riley only nodded as he nced at Paige''s arms. And then, it continued on¡ª with the mob even growing in size by the second, filling up the entire mall as even those that were on the upper floor started joining.


    Empress''s security team, as well as Butcher finally arrived to try and calm the masses down; putting up a barrier to block them from getting to Riley any further.


    But s, it would seem it had the opposite effect as the crowd became even more violent¡ª the supers, now joining in and even releasing some of their abilities.


    "Why are you trying to protect him!? He''s a demon!"


    "Monster!"


    In truth, Empress''s security team were also confused at first when they were ordered to set up a barrier to protect Riley Ross. He just announced himself as Darkday, and now they were being asked to defend him?


    However, as soon as Butcher told them that Riley Ross just destroyed Mars¡ª they all quickly realized who they were trying to protect; or more specifically, what they were trying to prevent.


    Riley Ross must not be angry at all costs.


    The only problem was¡­ why was Riley Ross not moving? It hasn''t even been a minute, and yet it already felt like they were about to break from all the people wanting to burst out of their blockade.


    "You should just die!"


    "No wonder Ms. Phoenix tried to kill you!"


    "That''s right! Even your own sister wanted to kill you!"


    "Die! You should just kill yourself!"


    "Aren''t you ashamed to even be¡ª"


    "That''s enough!"


    And almost like thunder echoing throughout the entire mall, the mob''s voices werepletely drowned by a roar. A voice that cracked in the air, even causing some of the people to cover their ears.


    "Stop!"


    ¡­And it wasn''t Paige that screamed¡­


    ¡­But Hannah.


    "Don''t you know how close all of you are to dying!?"


    The air around Hannah started to distort; the air that wafted and circted throughout the mall, almost instantly rising in temperature, causing the mob to take a step back and shut their mouths.


    "Haven''t all of you had enough yet!?" Hannah then continued to cry out; her eyes, turning moist even with the heat surrounding her,


    "None of you would even be alive right now if it wasn''t for my brother! Not one of you!"


    Hannah had a point, but she knew she was wrong.


    "You were only rescued because my brother flew up in the sky and created this fucking fake spaceship! All of us were just standing in the air and he could have just let you fall down and die!"


    She was wrong, she was really wrong. But for some reason, seeing her brother like this¡ª being ndered, being mobbed by the people¡­ she couldn''t sit still. She thought she could, she was doing so well keeping her ce just moments ago.


    But all these hurtful words may not affect her brother and just go over him¡­ but Hannah was receiving all of it¡ª and she couldn''t take it.


    "If you weren''t lifted up into the sky and taken to the Academy, the radiation of the bombs would have killed all of you! Do you think you could have actually survived? Because more than a billion people didn''t!"


    "The House of Super bannered under Riley Ross!"


    "That''s right! He might have even started all of it!"


    "Didn''t you see how he fucking squashed the House of Super himself!?" Hannah''s screams did not let up, "If he wasn''t here, the reign of the House of Super would have continued on! Do you think we alone could have stopped it? No! Because we were so fucking busy saving your lives! All you do isin, andin, and fuckingin!"


    She was wrong for this, but she couldn''t stop herself.


    "The lives that my brother has saved today are more than the people he had killed, a lot more! He could crush all of you like ants and he wouldn''t even blink an eye! So yes, don''t be fucking thankful that you were saved¡ª but that my brother chose not to kill you!"


    "That¡ª"


    "She''s right!"


    "Who the fuck cares if Riley used to kill people!? At least the people he is killing now are all bad people!"


    "That''s right! What have any of you done to help!?"


    "My mother would have died if we weren''t taken to the Academy! Nuclear Seraph is right, Riley is¡ª"


    "I''m not right!" And even though some of the people were starting to side with Riley, Hannah once again opened her mouth in rage, "Are you people fucking crazy!? Of course, I''m not right! I''m just saying that none of you would be alive if it wasn''t for Riley! Of course, it''s not okay that he killed millions of people before! He should pay for his crimes¡­


    ¡­But none of what you are doing now matters! Look at yourselves, you should just focus on helping each other and make yourselves useful for a change, you path¡ª"


    And before Hannah could dig herself into a deeper hole, she felt her stomach almost churning¡­ as Riley suddenly appeared in front of her and punched her straight in the gut¡ª almost causing her body to fold in half before violently rolling back into the Korean Shaved Ice store.


    Silvie was going to catch Hannah, but found that she did not need to do so as she soon just gently dropped to the floor.


    "I apologize, people," Riley then let out a small sigh as he started looking at the mob, almost as if he was scanning each and every one of them,


    "My sister is just a little angry and irritated since I destroyed her favorite, Mars."


    "..."


    And as soon as the people heard his words, their mouths once again became sewn. Even with Riley''s face covered with all sorts of dirt and scraps, they still could clearly see his eyes that were as dark as night itself,


    "Go on, continue until all of you are satisfied," Riley then stretched his arms to the side, "I will be here all day, so you can do whatever you want to me¡ª I will not lift a finger and I will not fight back. You want your revenge? This is the moment you can take it."


    "Y¡ª"


    "But do know I have already memorized each of your faces," Riley said as a subtle smile started to grow on his face. And finally, the mob started to dissipate. The whispers and mutters that once filled the entire mall, now reced by thundering footsteps that soon also faded away with the noise.


    And just in the span of a minute, everyone was gone¡ª all except but one.


    The son of the Megawoman, stood still and stood strong as he stared Riley directly in the eyes.


    "Don''t, Gary Gray," Butcher quickly stood in front of Gary, "You do not need me to tell you what your chances are against him."


    "Didn''t you hear?" Gary let out a tiny scoff as he nced at Butcher,


    "He''s not going to lift even a single finger."


    "Ga¡ª"


    Butcher wasn''t even able to utter another word as Gary disappeared, flipping and destroying the ground behind him as he pushed himself towards Riley.


    "You''re going to pay for killing my fath¡ª"


    And before Gary could finish his words¡­


    ¡­Riley covered his face and mmed his head on the floor.


    "Gary!" The other members of the Baby Crew wanted to rush out, but Gary quickly raised his hand and gestured to them to stop.


    "Y¡­ you¡­" Gary then let out a small groan, "...you¡­ you said you wouldn''t fight back."


    "I apologize, Gary," Riley then took a few steps back as he allowed Gary to stand, "But Aerith shares half of the responsibility for your father''s death. She could have easily prevented everything, but did not¡­


    ¡­but go ahead, then."


    Riley lowered his arms, "Take your revenge. After all, I am the viin...


    ...And I am and will forever be the darkest day."


    "Oh, you don''t have to worry about that¡­" Gary''s eyes started to glow in red as he once again rushed toward Riley,


    "...I will!"

 Chapter 401: Just a Little Gray

    Chapter 401: Just a Little Gray


    "What do you think is even going to happen now, Riley!?"


    A Boom.


    Several booms.


    A thousand booms.


    That was the best way to describe the sounds that were echoing throughout the entire mall. And it was almost like a call for the people; as the mob that just left were now once again gathering and returning to their positions.


    Their eyes, watching as Gary punched, kicked, and tried to m Riley to the ground¡ª but any of his strikes were just¡­ futile. No matter how strong his strikes seemed, it was almost as if they just bounced right off. The only thing that was moving was Riley''s hair and clothes, which had already dried from all the shockwaves of Gary''s strikes.


    "Do you think you''re just going to live like nothing''s wrong!? Do you think that the world will just ept you living among us!? It doesn''t work like that, man! You need to pay for everything you did!"


    Gary roared; each of his words partnered with a strike. A strike that was sadly not even able to budge Riley for even a single millimeter.


    "And what kind of payment are you thinking of, Gary?"


    "Death and torture!"


    "You would need to think of another payment."


    "What¡­ you''re scared now!?" Gary smirked as he once again punched Riley in the face.


    "No, because the former already happened and because the second one is never going to happen. Torture is impossible since I do not experience pain the same way any of you do," Riley let out a small sigh before shaking his head, "And death¡ª well, I have already died many times before. I do not stay dead, unfortunately for all of you."


    "We will see about that!"


    Gary grabbed Riley''s head as his eyes suddenly shone red,


    "Fuck you, Riley! I will never stop hunting and trying to hurt you, you piece of shit!"


    And with those words, arge beam practically swallowed Riley''s entire head; the floor behind him, now also a crevice that continued to dig deeper into the Academy''s underground.


    "Let me ask you again, Riley. What do you think is going to happen now!? You can''t just live amongst us like you''re not a fucking piece of shit murderer who killed millions of people just because you like to do it! At least the House of Super had a cause they were fighting for! Even the Dark Millenium had something, all the viins we fought had meaning! What about you!?"


    "So, it''s alright to kill people as long as I have a reason for it?" Riley then leaned casually leaned his head out of Gary''sser beam as he looked him straight in the eyes,


    "So, if I have a reason to kill you now¡ª that would be alright?"


    "W¡ª"


    And with those words, Gary felt a pressure suddenly grabbing his neck; his head, turning upwards. His beam¡­ almost hitting and disintegrating a small group of people that were watching what was happening from the second floor. If it wasn''t for Silvie flying out of the Korean Shaved Ice store and blocking the beam with her body, then someone would have probably died.


    And as soon as that happened, some of the normal humans once again started running away in panic; most, however, just remained to watch for whatever reason they could think of.


    "F¡­ Fuck," Gary quickly closed his eyes; his neck, he could whisper through his ears as Riley''s grip grew tighter and tighter.


    "Do you know what reason I have to kill you, Gary?" Riley then casually said as he pulled Gary down to his eye level, "Because you attacked me, hm? Because you''re Megawoman''s son, and she would certainly be furious if I killed you? Or maybe because you''re just unlucky? Do you know for what reason I could kill you right now?"


    "K¡­ Kh¡­."


    "Nothing," Riley whispered as everyone could start to hear Gary''s neck crack, "I could kill you for nothing."


    "Riley, stop."


    "..." Riley casually nced back, only to see Silvie floating behind him.


    "If¡­ if you ever considered us as friends¡­ you would stop," Silvie said as she looked at Gary''s twisted expression.


    "I have already told you many times before. None of you are my friends, Ms. Savelievna," Riley let out a small chuckle, "But you don''t have to worry, I won''t kill anyone today¡­


    ¡­Gary did, almost did though. Maybe you should¡­ arrest him for that?"


    And with those words, a loud gasp for air whispered through the entire mall as Riley let go of Gary''s neck. As for Riley, a hint of a smile was stered on his face as he very slowly faced Silvie.


    "I suppose you also want to take revenge on me, Ms. Savelievna?"


    "You¡­" Silvie''s eyebrows began to furrow, "...you''re no longer a wanted person and never will be. I have no reason to fight you, Riley."


    And although Silvie''s words were calm, both of her fists were trembling; almost vibrating as they seemed to want to take a shot at Riley.


    "Just¡­ go. You''ve already caused enough chaos here."


    "I am not the one who¡ª"


    "You think we''re done here!?"


    And before Riley could finish his words, Gary once again lunged toward him; this time, Gary wrapped his arms around Riley and lifted him from the ground¡­ before mming him face first to the floor without any more words.


    But before Riley''s nose could hit the hard floor, the both of them stopped mid-air.


    "I think we are, Gary."


    Riley then let out a small sigh as he and Gary floated in the air, before just casuallynding back to the ground; with Riley slightly pushing Gary away, causing him to almost tumble back to the floor.


    "But if you really want to try and get something out of me¡­" Riley then stepped to the side as he looked at Paige, who was now beside Butcher and being protected by him, just in case someone from the mob tried something, "...Then why don''t you start killing people that are somewhat close to me?"


    "...Huh?" Gary blinked.


    "I will not give you a list of who they are," Riley then stretched his arms to the side as he once again addressed the mob, "But let''s just say if you hurt them, I would consider that hurting me."


    "What¡­ are you doing, Riley?" Silvie lowered her voice, "Although Gary might have said his words in rage, he''s right. Do you think you''re just going to be able to live a normal life here? People know who you are now, everyone will be afraid of you."


    "Not everyone¡­ You''ll see."


    "...What?"


    "And you''re not afraid of me, Silvie." And once again, a smile appeared on Riley''s face, "You got that from Aerith."


    "You know what I mean," Silvie finally ced her feet on the ground, "Every response you will get from people will be fake because they are afraid of you. You''re never going to have a normal life."


    "I never had, Silvie," Riley shook his head, "The only person that has even been true in my life in the past is my sister. Father is a lie, mother is a lie¡ª Everyone has been fake. You."


    "I''m¡­ not. I honestly, truly wished to be your friend back then, Riley."


    "..." Riley did not really answer and just shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe. But I am used to being treated differently, Silvie. This¡­


    ¡­won''t be any different."


    And with those words, Riley started to walk away; but before he could take 3 steps, Silvie''s words once again reached his ears.


    "What about Hannah? She¡­ I don''t know why¡­ but she still sees you as a brother. She still loves you."


    "I do not deserve to be a part of her life, Silvie¡­" Riley let out a small but deep breath before just ncing and continuing to walk away; not even turning back, "...But lucky for her¡­


    ¡­she has all of you."


    "..." Silvie seemed to want to say something more, but Riley just kept walking away. Gary still seemed to want to try and fight him, but Silvie stopped him. She just watched as Riley approached Paige, before walking towards the crowd that instantly parted to give way for him to walk through.


    She also watched as there were some¡­ whose eyes did not leave Riley¡ª some of them, even trying to reach and touch Riley as their eyes glistened in a way that Silvie still could not quite understand.


    It did not take quite long for her to realize what it was, however, as she started hearing whispers flowing in the air. The people that were looking at Riley were whispering his name; some voices, even trembling.


    "..." She then watched as Riley once again nced towards her with another subtle smile on his face¡­ and a whisper that said,


    "You see?"


    And with those words, Riley disappeared into the crowd; finally letting all the people there release their breaths.


    ***


    "Good job, boss."


    Outside the mall, John and Ellie were waiting for Riley and Paige; with John quickly handing a towel to Riley as soon as he stepped out of the building.


    "No, good job, John," Riley nodded as he grabbed the towel from John before continuing to walk.


    "It''s a good thing I have been practicing on my aim, boss. I actually almost missed you," John let out a small chuckle as he rotated and stretched his arm.


    "Wait¡­ what''s happening?" Paige, who was walking beside Riley, could not help but blink a couple of times as she heard the two''s conversation.


    "Oh, the Boss asked me to start themotion," John sighed, "They wouldn''t have had the courage to throw anything at him if I didn''t start it."


    "...What?" Paige halted her steps as she turned to face Riley, "...Why?"


    "To gather empathy and sympathy, Paige," Riley also halted his steps,


    "People do not follow those that have power, but those that they could understand¡­.


    ¡­I''ve thought about what you said to me."


    "What¡­ I said?"


    "About ruling the world."


    "That¡­" Paige gulped, "...was a joke, Riley."


    "It doesn''t need to be," Riley shook his head as he started walking again; but this time, he was the only one who moved forward,


    "Let''s make it happen. Not only here, but everywhere."


    "..." Paige could really only stare at Riley as the Academy''s fake bright sky showered upon him, "How¡­ would you even start?"


    "I already have."


    And as soon as he said that, a person wearing a robe suddenly came out from one of the cars parked in front of the mall, and without even saying a single word, the person approached Riley¡­ and kneeled in front of him.


    "It¡­ is an honor to finally meet you again, master."


    The stranger then took off her hood, revealing her dark brown hair and almond-shaped eyes¡ª her skin, glittering from the sheet of ice covering her body. For some reason, however, Paige could feel the woman''s small eyes¡­ ring at her; causing her to shiver.


    "Now¡­" A small smile then crawled on Riley''s face as he turned to Paige,


    "...Shall we go on that tour?"


    <VOLUME 5 ¡ª END>


    Hello again, the author here. Thank you for reading this far¡ª there''s actually only a few of you left. So, thank you very much. I will still strive for a daily release, but expect me to miss some days from now on as I would be focusing on another book since Viin Retirement is dying. I won''t be saying what book yet, but I will upload it once it is ready.


    The next volume of Viin Retirement might be the final one, or if the poprity returns¡ª then I still have ns for it. But more importantly¡­


    ¡­Thank you for joining me this far, seriously. And now---


    <VOLUME 6 ¡ª START>


    In a bright silver room, a loud heartbeat could be heard echoing; weak, but filled with vigor.


    And soon, it was followed by breath¡ª tiny, but filled with strength.


    "Wee back¡­


    ¡­Alice."


    "F..."


    "Hm?"


    "F...fuck."

 Chapter 402: King of the World

    Chapter 402: King of the World


    "Val, stop running!"


    "Only if you catch me!"


    On arge field, several white streaks could be seen blurring across the sea of grass; and from time to time, a silhouette of a boy emerged from those blurs. A wide smile, stered on his small and innocent face.


    "This is why I told you not to bring children aboard."


    "He snuck on board, there''s a difference."


    On the side of the field were two older men. And like the boy that appeared from time to time from the blur, the color of their hair was also silver. Their eyes,zily looking at this white streak that didn''t seem to have any ns of stopping. Behind them was a wall, arge silver wall that extended and actually surrounded the entire field¡ª and above them¡­ was the view of space. Not the night sky, no¡­ but the expanse of space itself.


    "Well, he''s your problem since you let him snuck on board."


    "Wh¡ª"


    "So, I''ll leave you to it, Varen."


    The wall behind the two men then suddenly opened, revealing arge hallway that also had white streaks blurring about. And before one of these silver-haired men could even finish his words, hispanion suddenly disappeared¡ª also turning into a white streak that moved through therge hall.


    "..."


    Varen could really only sigh as the wall closed, before turning his head back to the boy running around the field. And even though the speed of the boy was enough to leave only streaks of his silhouette, Varen''s eyes still followed every step the boy was making.


    "Val, I am going to count to three. If you''re still not in front of me by then¡­"


    And suddenly, Varen''s silver hair began to glow almost into a white color; patterned marks, suddenly appearing on his face, "...Your face is going to meet the palm of my hand."


    And as soon as his words echoed through therge field, the white streak that has been terrorizing the peaceful sea of grass instantly stopped; fully revealing the small boy. And before his long silver hair could bounce back to his shoulders, he once again disappeared¡ª only to appear right in front of Varen.


    "I''m here!" The boy, Val, quickly saluted towards Varen with a wide smile on his face, "Officer Val, reporting for du¡ª Ack!"


    And before Val could finish his words, a mark of a palm could suddenly be seen stered on his face.


    "You¡­ you said at the count of three!" Val quickly said as he touched his swollen cheek.


    "Yes, And I started my count at 3."


    "...What?" Val snarled, "This¡­ this is abuse of power! A crime!"


    "It''s not. But do you want me to tell you what is?" Varen scoffed as he ced his hand on Val''s shoulder, "Illegally entering and boarding a diplomatic ship or any ship that is not yours, really."


    "But this is my ship," Val then smirked as he crossed his arms, "My mother is the Queen of Evaniels, and she owns everything the sun touches! Even y¡ª Ack!"


    "...No, she doesn''t."


    And once again, before the boy could finish his words, Val was smacked on the head.


    "Y¡­ Stop that!"


    "I am afraid not, it''s the order of the Queen to smack you on the face whenever you misbehave." This time, it was Varen who let out a smirk as he once again raised his hand.


    "N¡­ No, she didn''t!"


    "Oh, she did. She even sent us a signed document," Varen let out a somewhat evil chuckle, "Do you know how much trouble you''ve caused when your mother found out about you missing? Don''t even get me started on your sister."


    "T¡­ they told Vera?"


    "Oh yes," Varen nodded several times,


    "See?"


    He then retrieved some sort of transparent tablet from behind him, before showing images of a green-haired woman furiously throwing all sorts of objects everywhere.


    "She¡­ she''ll kill me once we get back," the sound of Van''s gulp was enough to almost echo throughout the entire field.


    "There''s a possibility, yes," Varen chuckled as once again hid his tablet.


    "The¡­ the we''re going to¡­" Val stuttered as he looked Varen straight in the eyes, "Do¡­ do you think they could adopt me?"


    "I don''t think so," Varen smiled, "Brats aren''t wee no matter the. And based on the readings we''re getting, you won''t be able to live there anyway¡ª they are a Type 1 Civilization at most, maybe even barely."


    "But Voris said it was not like any other he had seen?"


    "It is. But that''s because it has a sort of energy we can''t quite get a grasp on," Varen let out a small sigh as he shook his head.


    "...Can you show me?" Val''s eyes widened.


    "No," Varen, however, quickly turned around as the wall behind him opened, "And even if I did, you wouldn''t even be able to understand a single word. And speaking of which, you should be studying right now."


    "But¡ª"


    "Admiral Varen!"


    "See? Even the stars are aligning for you."


    And as soon as the wall opened up, a woman quickly appeared in front of Varen; her long silver hair, still glowing as she looked at Varen in the eyes.


    "Don''t worry, Dr. Ve, I already caught your student."


    "What?" The woman, Ve, only nced at Val before shaking her head and turning her focus back to Varen, "It''s not about that! We''re getting a massive energy reading heading straight for us!"


    "A massive energy reading?" Patterned marks once again started to emerge from Varen''s skin as his silver hair started to light up, "Where is iting from? Do we know what signature?"


    "Y¡­ yes. It''sing from the unknown," Ve took in a small gulp as she nodded, "It''s possible that it''s a Themarian."


    "You should''ve started with that!" The light on Varen''s hair quickly dissipated, "Tell everyone to shut off all our weapons and anything that could be perceived as a threat¡­ and can all of you stop running!?"


    And as soon as Varen''s words thundered through therge hallways in front of him, the white streaks that were endlessly blurring about disappeared; reced by people that were now just walking around.


    "We¡­ we already disconnected all of our reactors and we''re basically just going on a slingshot," Ve didn''t mind Varen''s loud voice as she only nced at the people behind her, "But¡­ I don''t know if our readings are right or if something is glitching."


    "...What? Why would it?" Varen tried to calm his breaths as he ced his hand on Ve''s shoulder, "Don''t be nervous, okay? We already knew that there was a Themarian on this System, possibly the Princess. That''s why we''re here in the first ce."


    "Well¡­


    ¡­our sensors are reading two Themarians."


    "I see."


    "A¡­ Admiral?" Ve could only take in a small gulp as she could feel her clothes creasing from Varen''s tightening grip on her shoulder.


    "You¡­


    ¡­You should have started with that!"


    ***


    "Hello, father."


    "...Riley?"


    At the same time, back on the familiar ground of Earth, Bernard was Inside a bright andrge hall. He was confined in a ss box, with a size just enough to be considered a small room. Bernard was kneeling, surrounded by the piece of the white vest he was just strapped in earlier; his saliva, also on the floor as the gag on his mouth was removed.


    He had been hearing several screams and shouts since earlier and wondered what it was about¡ª until Riley just entered the hall, practically dismantling therge thick door as he casually stepped inside his cell.


    As for the multiple soldiers and guards that were guarding him, they were now all lying on the floor; as to whether or not they were alive. Well¡­ Bernard could really bet on the former considering who just visited him.


    "How¡­ did you find where I was being kept?" Bernard then wiped the saliva trailing on his chin, before stretching his neck and all of his limbs.


    "They didn''t even give you a bed, father?"


    Riley very slowly approached Bernard''s ss cage, "As expected of the world''s most dangerous normal human. They are not taking any chances of you using that bed to escape the prison."


    "...I can''t do anything like that," Bernard sighed before sitting on the ss floor, "And how did you find me?"


    "Oh, I killed Empress to get your location."


    "...What?" Bernard''s eyes widened.


    "I''m just joking, of course. I just asked her."


    A small and subtle smile then appeared on Riley''s face as he slowly approached the ss box, before itpletely shattered into a billion pieces and just rained down towards the floor.


    Bernard, however, didn''t flinch an inch¡­ as he knew the shards wouldn''t reach him, and they didn''t. They just floated above him before theypletely turned into nothing but dust.


    "You do know that people could still breathe those in, right?" Bernard then let out a sigh as he moved forward, "So¡­


    ¡­Why are you visiting good ol'' dad?"


    "Oh, you''re free, father. I asked permission from Empress to remove all the charges against you," Riley said casually.


    "...What?"


    "Yes, I can do that now, apparently," Riley then let out a small sigh, "I actually came here to ask you how I could rule the Earth once I conquer it."


    "...What?"


    "But then Paige and the others realized something, father," Riley continued to sigh, "The rules of the world don''t apply to me. The entire world knows who I am, most of them fear me and some of them respect me. I can do whatever I want and no one can and would do anything against me. People will kneel before me if I tell them to. In all aspects and contexts¡­


    ¡­I already rule the world, no?"

 Chapter 403: World Moving On?

    Chapter 403: World Moving On?


    There was no point in staying on Earth.


    If he was going to disappear from his sister''s life; if he wouldn''t be able to watch any new episodes of Italian Mafia Reborn since ording to Hera, most of the people that worked on it are now dead¡ª there was no point in him staying on Earth.


    And so, when Paige suggested that he try and rule the world, a little tiny excitement was born inside Riley. Finally, he thought¡­ finally he had something to do on this. Killing and torturing people was nice, but there was also no point in that since most of the humans were already down and beaten.


    Most of them are probably already numb to death and pain right now because of all the tragedies that have been happening around them.


    And so, he decided to rule the world. Everything was in motion¡ª he easily found Tomoe Reynolds, who already had an army of supers under her. Supers that Riley was very familiar with¡­ after all, most of them were his tenants back in the Guesthouse.


    Tomoe made sure to gather only those that would actually stay and be loyal to him to the extent they are capable of. She told Riley that when she transferred the guests, she purposely made it so that they could escape.


    And as is expected, there were some who tried to. Sadly for them, however, they were in Tomoe''s domain¡ª she killed everyst one of them. And after that, Tomoe hid, and with the help of Warden, they were able to set up a new base.


    Tomoe has been using all her time these past 2 years to indoctrinate¡ª No. In her words, it was ''educate''. She spent the 2 years educating the guests about Riley''s brilliance and how he was the true messiah of the world.


    And then, very secretly, when she was sure that the Guests werepletely educated about the Way of the Riley Ross, she sent them out into the world to amass more followers.


    The Endless Dark.


    Riley has an army and he could go on with his n to rule the world whenever he wanted to. But then, Paige, Tomoe, and the others realized something.


    He didn''t need to rule the world because, in a way, he already has. If he went outside to a crowd right now and ordered them to kneel, they will. If he killed someone in broad daylight, people will just look the other way.


    There was no point in ruling a world that already surrendered to you.


    "By all ounts and contexts¡­ I already rule the world, no?"


    "..."


    Bernard could really only look at his son for a few seconds, before shaking his head and walking around therge hall to try and stretch his legs. As for Riley, he just watched and patiently waited for an answer; just standing there for what seemed like a quarter of a minute.


    And then, finally, Bernard''s breaths started to whisper into his ears.


    "Son¡­" He said, "There''s a difference between conquering and ruling. You''ve won the world, but you''re not ruling it."


    "Hm?" Riley tilted his head.


    "You decide their fate, and they decide yours."


    "That is democracy. No one voted for me to be in this position, the people would have no choice but to follow whatever I say."


    "That is tyranny, son¡­


    ¡­Ruling means the people serve you, and in return, you serve them a hundred-fold," Bernard then slowly approached Riley, "Their life is on your hands, and your life is on theirs. It is pretty much like being a parent¡ª you take care of them, you nourish them, you bathe them, you make them happy. And in return, when you need them, you will be rewarded."


    "Like a farm animal."


    "That''s¡­" Bernard looked at Riley for a few seconds, before letting out a loud sigh and shaking his head, "...Your mother really should be the one teaching you this."


    "I agree, but I can''t find her," Riley nodded, "Did you know she was a Themarian?"


    "She''s a what!?"


    "So, you also didn''t know¡­" Riley then let out a small sigh as he patted his father''s shoulder, "...you were married to an old woman all this time, father."


    "..." Bernard blinked a couple of times as his eyes began to move randomly; his breaths, slightly bing erratic. After a few seconds, however, he calmed down and just let out a long and very deep sigh,


    "It all makes sense now," Bernard shook his head before letting out a small chuckle, "I always knew your mother was special. Did you know that she was also the one who set up the rule of ''no spying'' on family? Now we know why."


    "It would seem there are a lot of things the two of you need to talk about," Riley sighed, "W¡ª"


    "No!" Bernard then suddenly kneeled on the ground as he sped his head.


    "...Father?"


    "I¡­ Doesn''t that mean that¡­" Bernard started to grovel on the ground, "I¡­ I cheated on a Themarian?"


    "..." Riley looked to the side for a few seconds, before blinking and turning his focus back to his father, "I didn''t think of it like that. Would you like me to kill you now, father?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "No¡­" Bernard then stood up; this time, he ced his hand on Riley''s shoulder, "This will be myst lesson to you as a father, no¡ª as a man. No matter what happens, no matter how bad it gets¡­


    ¡­always own up to your mistakes."


    "Hm," Riley nodded, "That is actually the very reason I am freeing you right now, father."


    "Hm?"


    "You can do nothing in a cage. Sister is very angry right now," Riley then let out a small sigh as he took a step back, "There is no possible way that I could atone for all the lies and deception I have done to her. But I believe it is not toote for you, father¡­


    ¡­I think it is time to make up for your mistakes to her. She needs you, father."


    ***


    "I don''t fucking need you. Are they letting everyone out of jail now?"


    A few hourster, back in the Korean Shaved Ice store, Riley shocked all of the members of the Baby Crew by suddenly returning to the Academy, fully knowing that most of the people there made it clear that he was not wee there.


    What shocked them the most, however, was that Bernard was casually walking behind him.


    Chihiro¡ª Golden Fox was also there as she has been thinking of joining the Baby Crew ever since the whole House of Super thing happened. And now, not even a member of the team, she was already experiencing the notorious happenings inside the Baby Crew.


    And so, right now, the only thing she could really do was watch as Hannah started¡­ berating and saying all sorts of nasty things to Bernard. She looked at the other members of the Baby Crew¡ª and they were just eating their dessert.


    "..." Chihiro then looked at the other table, only to see Riley alone, watching and nodding to himself as he also seemed to be listening in on Hannah and Bernard''s conversation. Are¡­ they really just going to ignore that Darkdady himself is sitting near them?


    She was still unaware of what really truly happened, but wasn''t it justst week that Riley was being thrown all sorts of stuff?


    "..."


    "..."


    Chihiro then took another nce at Hanna and the rest of the Baby Crew, before standing up¡­ and suddenly joining Riley on his table.


    "!!!"


    Gary could not help but take in a deep breath as he saw Chihiro approaching Riley, but he couldn''t really do anything but just watch.


    "It''ll be fine," Silvie whispered, "I don''t think Riley has any intention¡­ or has any motivation to hurt any of us."


    Everyone knew she was right. Riley was really just minding his own business and not even talking to any of them¡ª it was almost as if they didn''t even exist anymore. Even Hannah, he only just nced at her, before stepping to the side and letting Bernard do all the talking.


    Was¡­ that it? Was their connection to Riley truly severed now?


    "So, you''re Darkday."


    "I was," Riley blinked a couple of times as Chihiro suddenly sat at the seat in front of him, "You didn''t know? But you knew who I was when I was going as Paragon."


    "Because I could see your eyes," Chihiro calmly said, "Once you introduce yourself to me, I can always see your name floating above your head whenever I see your eyes. It''s¡­ one of my abilities."


    "Like a video game?"


    "...Yes," Chihiro sighed.


    "So that is why Gary likes you," Riley let out a tiny breath of amusement, "Did you need something from me, Golden Fox?"


    "You just seemed¡­ lonely."


    "I am not, Golden Fox," Riley shook his head, "I am not even here. You''re talking to a clone, my original body is¡­ somewhere out there."


    "...Oh," Chihiro could really only squint her already small eyes, "...I see."


    "Are you not afraid of me, Chihiro?"


    "Japan has a different notion of Darkday, they even have figurines of you," Chihiro sighed and shook her head, "You never really truly wreaked havoc there."


    "Because that is where the main studio of Italian Mafia Reborn is, Chihiro. I try to avoid going there as much as possible."


    "I see. You¨C"


    "Good, you''re all here."


    And before any other conversation could continue inside the store, the bells of the door rang almost violently. Even Hannah, who had been ranting in front of her father and not letting him speak, could really only look as Empress stepped inside the store.


    "I need all of you toe with me¡­


    ¡­we have visitors."

 Chapter 404: Rali Rus

    Chapter 404: Rali Rus


    VR 404


    The Goliath Space Station.


    The previous space station was blown into smithereens by the House of Super, but with the help of supers, rebuilding another and a better one could not even be said to be a difficult feat. And right now, in this newly built space station, the people that were previously just idling and arguing inside the Korean Shaved Ice store could be seen.


    All of them were just looking at arge screen; their eyes, reflecting another ship that was being surveilled by the GSS¡ª the very reason why Hannah and the others were called in the first ce.


    After what seemed like months, another extraterrestrial visitor was on their way to Earth. In truth, Hannah and the others¡ª no, not only them, but the rest of the world temporarily forgot the existence of these would-be invaders because of the attack of the House of Super.


    But now, the Baby Crew were reminded of their real jobs¡ª to fend off these aliens.


    "Why can''t we deal with them just like the other fuckers?"


    "Because they are not like the other fuckers. They¡ª can you tell your father not to touch anything?"


    And while the rest of the people were busy checking at therge screen, Empress''s eyes followed Bernard; who seemed to be examining every inch of the space station. Riley did ask for permission to free his father from prison¡­ but Empress didn''t think that Riley would actually do it not even an hour after he asked.


    Bernard lost some weight in prison, almost bringing him back to how he was during his prime¡ª muscr, rugged, andpletely dash¡ª


    Empress quickly shook her head as her thoughts suddenly turned for the worse. How could she even think of something like that at a moment like this? And so, Empress justpletely decided to ignore whatever Bernard was doing.


    There was no use in trying to spy on him anyway¡ª as the very reason he was imprisoned in the first ce was for aiding to hide his son''s existence¡­ and his so-called son was free to walk everywhere now.


    Empress then turned her attention towards Riley, who was just quietly looking at therge screen along with everyone. She was told that the one with them right now was only a clone and that the original will be arrivingter with Paige and the others¡­


    ¡­.but this truly was a sight to see.


    Empress then turned her attention to the other people that were there.


    Bulwark, Butcher, Hera, and Tempo. Aside from V, all of the members of the Hope Guild were here. It was almost as if she was brought back to simpler times when none of them knew of Riley''s true identity.


    But of course, V''s absence was a grim reminder of the tragedy that all of them have faced¡ª Riley Ross. Although she ordered his immunity, she was probably the most confused as to what to feel right now.


    Darkday¨C Riley was and is still the world''s greatest threat. And to see him casually standing beside all his victims was just¡­ a weird irony. It was almost as if everything Empress had been fighting for had been nothing.


    There was no justice here.


    "Let''s just scare them so they would go away," Hannah then said as she finally removed her eyes from the screen and looked at the rest of the Baby Crew, "Same n as before, just a little tap to show them what we''re capable of and¡ª"


    "No," Empress gently pushed Hannah to the side before she could finish her ns, "I didn''t call all of you here because I needed some muscle."


    "Huh?" Hannah raised an eyebrow as she looked at the other people inside the room, "We''re in a room filled with Earth''s strongest supers¡­ and you don''t need any muscle?"


    "No," Empress once again shook her head, before pressing something on the console in front of the screen and changing the view,


    "I called all of you here for a diplomatic mission."


    Empress then stepped to the side as she gestured towards the screen¡ª which now showed images of men and women all sporting silver hair.


    "...Why are you showing us images of a rock band?" Gary looked at the others.


    "They''re aliens," Empress raised her voice, "They own the giant ship we''ve been showing you on the screen since you arrived. And as most of you may have already surmised, they are different from all the other species we''ve met. And unlike the other species that have visited us, they did note here to invade¡ª but to talk."


    "...Talk?"


    "They¡ª"


    "They are called Evaniels."


    And before Empress could say another word, Riley''s voice resounded throughout the control room. The voice, however, did note from Riley''s clone, but instead from the door that just slid open as¡­ the real Riley finally arrived and entered the room.


    And behind him were Paige and¡ª


    "Tomoe!?"


    Katrina, who had been keeping quiet like the others, could not help but raised her voice as she saw a person she had not seen in over 2 years. Tomoe, however, only bowed her head before quietly following behind Riley as he continued to walk into the room.


    "Good work," Riley then said towards his clone, who only nodded before disintegrating into the ground like mud.


    "Riley¡­ you know what those things are?" This time, Bulwark stepped forward.


    "They are a species from the Higher Race," Riley stated before moving to the side of the room with no people, "But I think Empress knows more about them than me, I just wanted to make an entrance, Bulwark."


    "..."


    "..."


    The people stared at Riley for a few seconds, before turning their attention back to Empress.


    "Right¡­" Empress could really only sigh from Riley''s sudden interruption, "...As Riley said, they are called Evaniels. And based on the information that Megawoman sent me, they are a very peaceful race. But at the very same time, they are a very arrogant race¡­


    ¡­so I am just telling all of you now not to seek trouble with them," Empress breathed out as she looked at Hannah and Gary.


    "..." Hannah only let out a small scoff as she focused on the images on the screen. As for Gary, he lookedpletely confused as to why Empress also singled him out.


    "I want all of you to treat them as supers because that is what they are," Empress continued, "They are fast. Each of them can move and run up to speeds of 4 times that of the speed of sound, even their children could run at the speed of a jet."


    "..." Tempo''s eyebrows quickly furrowed as he heard Empress''s words. A race¡­ filled with sprinters like him? He didn''t really know what to feel about that.


    "They belong to the Higher Races¡ª civilizations that are not only technologically advanced but also hold great power in the expanse of the universe. In short, they hold the strongest nations," Empress took in a long and deep breath,


    "This is it, people. This is the moment our world will be bigger, a lot bigger. I am tired of fighting and fighting, so please¡­ don''t fuck it up."


    "If you didn''t want us to fuck things up¡­" Hannah rolled her eyes, "...Why bring us here in the first ce? You could have just told us or sent us an e-mail saying these fuckerse in peace."


    "Because first impressions are important."


    "Huh?"


    Everyone then turned their heads towards Bernard, who suddenly spoke out of nowhere after just examining everything and minding his own business. And as soon as Bernard realized everyone was looking at him, he quickly waved his hand and smiled,


    "Don''t mind me. I''m just¡­ sorry," he then said before looking away; not before, of course, ncing at Empress and gesturing to her to continue.


    "..."


    "...Right," Empress, however, feigned not to mind as she just cleared her throat, "The fugitive is right. First impressions are important. These evaniels would more than likely see us as cavemen as people of lower a ss¡ª and that''s not going to be okay for me."


    Empress then took another long and deep breath as she looked at each and every person in the room except Riley,


    "I brought all of you, the Earth''s mightiest, as a show of strength."


    "..."


    "...Fuck yeah," Gary whispered loudly.


    "They may be a peaceful race," Empress continued, "But that might just be because they are scared of Megawoman. Right now, Megawoman is on board their ship; briefing and also exining to them about our species and what we are capable of¡­


    ¡­Don''t disappoint her."


    "When¡­" Be raised her hand, "...when are these silver-headsing?"


    "They are already here, kid."


    And as soon as Be asked that question, the door of the control room opened¡ª with Aerith stepping inside the room and causing everyone there to just straighten up their bodies¡­ with Silvie stepping forward and even saluting.


    Aerith, however, only sighed as she turned around to look at the door; before talking in anguage that none of them had ever heard before.


    And as she gestured with her hand, several silver-haired men and women started entering the control room. Most of them just stopped right behind Aerith¡­ there was one, however, who continued walking around the room, a boy.


    "Val!" One of the older evaniels seemed to be calling to the boy, but the boypletely ignored him as he just walked around the control room almost as if he owned it¡ª he even brushed his fingers on the console¡­ before just flinging his hand away in disgust almost as if he touched a rotten fish.


    Soon, however, the boy stopped walking around as he stood in front of one of the humans in the room. He seemed to be saying something¡ª but Empress and the other humans didn''t really care about what wasing out of his mouth¡­ but rather who he was talking to.


    "Za vet ek veg¡­


    ¡­Rali Rus?"

 Chapter 405: Peace

    Chapter 405: Peace


    The Evaniels. None of them were really expecting much from a civilization that could not even be considered to be a Type-1. The only reason they were even going there in the first ce was in hopes to get a glimpse of one of the legendary Themarians¡ª Aerith''Hel.


    Only those of the Higher Races know who she truly is; even amongst the Themarians, she was special. That was why all sorts of species and races were searching for her in the first ce since she disappeared all those rotations ago.


    They were here for Aerith, as for the undiscovered, they were merely an attraction that happened to be in the same area¡­ or so Varen thought.


    When Aerith boarded their ship along with another unknown Themarian, Varen realized that the civilization in this System was not as simple as it seemed. He initially thought the weird readings on the was just because a Themarian was hiding there, but no¡ª for there to be two Themarians residing in one insignificant civilization?


    There¡­ must be something special there. And there are¡ª the Supers.


    Varen, and especially Dr. Ve, were pleasantly perplexed as Aerith briefed them about the inhabitants of the called Earth. A species that held all sorts of different abilities, unique to each individual.


    They were also told that the is still fresh from a devastating war that caused a billion lives, so they should be very gentle and careful on how they treat them, if not¡ª then Aerith would have to ask them to leave.


    Admiral Varen and the rest of the Evaniels that were with him listened very carefully to every word that came out of Aerith''s mouth. No¡ª even if she was just mumbling, they would still probably listen to her.


    All their bodies straightened out, however, when Aerith told them of the veryst thing they should take note of. If anything, herst info about the primitive species sounded more like a warning.


    And so, with Aerith''s voice suddenly turning serious, all of their eyes and ears focused on her final set of words¡ª


    ¡ªIn the inhabitants of Earth, there is one that they should, by all costs, try not to disturb. If they could avoid him, then that would be even more ideal. Aerith did not really exin to them why, she just told them that the so-called human was a very dangerous individual.


    Varen asked if that individual was going to be on the ship they were going to board, and he was. And so, Varen decided to only bring his closest aides. Dr. Ve, Commander Voris, and four of his most trusted guards.


    But s, once again¡ª Prince Val snuck on board. Varen wanted to throw him back to their ship, but Aerith said that it should be fine to let the prince roam around as long as he doesn''t do anything stupid.


    But s, not even a second after their first contact with the new civilization; not even before they exchanged their greetings, Val was already in front of the very individual that Aerith told them not to disturb.


    "Za vet ek veg¡­


    ¡­Rali Rus?"


    Riley Ross. He fully matches the description that Aerith gave them.


    Long, almost jet-ck hair; skin that was even whiter than the Zerahims¡­ and always seemingly surrounded by 1 or 2 of the species'' females.


    "Val!" Admiral Varen tried to call for the prince; careful not to raise his voice too much in the presence of a Themarian, "Get back here this instant, that is an order!"


    "It''s fine, it''s fine."


    Val, however, only waved his hand; his eyes, slowly scanning each of the humans that were inside the control room,


    "I don''t get it," he then said as he turned his focus back to Riley, "They don''t really look like anything special."


    "I am not going to ask again, get back here," Admiral Varen once again ordered. Although he waspletely infuriated with what the prince was doing, he actually agrees with his sentiments.


    Most of the Higher Races would emit energy as soon as you see them; even those that were in the lower bracket at least had a twinkle of aura. But these humans, they have nothing. There was one, however, who somewhat had the same energy as Aerith¡ª it was a woman that resembled her quite a lot.


    Aerith did say she had a child with them, was it her?


    These humans, what sort of secret are they hiding? Just how special are they that two Themarians chose to stay in this System? Right now, Varen was not seeing anything.


    But even then, he did not let his expression sway as he just ordered his guards to restrain the prince for now, before facing the individual that is supposed to be acting as the leader of the primitive civilization.


    "Madam Empris¡­ ma name iz¡­ Varen," he then said in the native''s tongue.


    "Wee to Earth, Admiral Varen."


    And although Empress was still a little nervous about the Evaniel boy that approached Riley, since everyone here was aware of the diplomacy that both sides are trying to establish, there should¡­ be nothing drastic happening.


    She, however, was now regretting including Riley. And judging by the subtle expression on Admiral Varen''s face¡ª he too was regretting the choice of bringing that boy aboard the ship, whoever he was.


    "I apologize for the actions of our prince, Madam Empress."


    "Hm?" Empress quickly turned her focus back on Admiral Varen, who was now suddenly talking fluently in theirnguage.


    "It''s a real-time trantor device," Aerith, who was standing on the side, quickly approached Empress as she handed her a small device; before gesturing to her to stick it on the side of her neck, "I used it as well the first time Inded on Earth."


    "I¡­ see," Empress then ced thems on her neck as Aerith started handing more of the device to the other humans,


    "He is your prince? You brought him here?"


    "Well, more like he snuck on board."


    "I see¡­ It is good that we will be able to talk to each other clearly, Admiral Varen," Empress smiled as she looked at Varen straight in the eyes, "It would have been¡­ dangerous for both of us if any misunderstandings arise because of thenguage barrier."


    "..." Admiral Varen slightly squinted his eyes from Empress''s words. But after a few moments, a smile also appeared on his face as he nodded, "That is true. The Queen had sent us here in hopes that we would be the first to make contact and trade with a future Geralid."


    "Sadly, you are not the first to make contact with us," Empress shook her head, "...But what''s a Geralid?"


    "It''s¡­ how can I say it that would trante¡­" Admiral Varen slightly turned his eyes to Aerith, before letting out a small hum and focusing on Empress, "A humanoid with the potential to climb in the hierarchy of the universe. Most of us in the Higher Races are what you call¡­ humanoids. And therefore, it is believed that any species resembling our biological features have the ability to¡ª"


    "I really don''t see it."


    "..."


    s, Empress and Varen''s conversation was slowly going smoothly¡­ but once again, the peace was broken by the prince of Evaniels as he escaped the clutches of Varen''s guards and was now once again standing in front of Riley, causing everyone to once again let out a small gasp.


    "They just look like any other of the humanoids in the Lower Races."


    And this time, everyone could understand what he was saying as he also ced a trantor on the side of his neck, "Do you think their food will be good, though? I''m slightly starv¡ª"


    And before Val could finish his words, he slightly raised his eyebrow as one of the women standing beside Riley stepped forward. But before she could say anything, Riley blocked her with his arm.


    "..." Riley then turned to look at Val straight in the eyes, before raising his hand. Varen, Aerith, and Empress all flinched as he did so; fortunately for them, they did not need to take any action as Riley was just cing the trantor on his neck.


    Aerith let out a short but deep breath as she saw this¡­ not before ring at Empress, of course. Almost as if she was asking why she would even bring the walking cmity here in the first ce.


    "Hello, Prince Val,"


    "O¡­ Oh?" Val slightly let out a small breath as Riley bowed his head, "So, you can speak."


    "Yes," Riley nodded casually before saying, "You seem to be very interested in striking a conversation with me, Prince Val. Was there something you wanted to ask?"


    "..." Everyone watched in anxiety as Riley slowly stepped closer to Val; especially Empress and the other humans. The guards were about to go and protect their prince, butmander Voris raised his hand and ordered them not to do anything.


    "Not really," Val crossed his arms as he once again looked Riley straight in the eyes, "I was just wondering what makes your species so special and different from the others. Varen had always told us to be kind to those lower than us. This time, however, he told us to be careful¡ª specifically of you¡­ but I just don''t see why."


    "Your Admiral told you to be wary of me?" A small smile crawled on Riley''s face as he looked at Admiral Varen and Aerith, "Then he must care for you very much."


    "Right," Val let out a small scoff, "He doesn''t need to, I don''t think I need much protection here."


    "I disagree¡­


    ¡­I think you do."


    "!!!"

 Chapter 406: That Went Well

    Chapter 406: That Went Well


    "I don''t think I need much protection here."


    "I disagree¡­ I think you do."


    "!!!"


    With Riley raising his hand once again, Aerith finally decided to make a move as she rushed to move between him and the prince of the Evaniels. As for Admiral Varen, he was also already behind Val, pulling him away from Riley.


    This all happened in the span of less than a second, with some of the people in the control room missing everything that just happened as they blinked.


    There was one, however, amongst the other humans that were able to see everything that happened¡ª Tempo. Instead of worrying, however, a smile slowly formed on his face. Ever since his powers awakened, he has always been the fastest sprinter on Earth, it wasn''t even a contest.


    Tempo wasn''t really able to stretch his powers because he didn''t have to. But with a race filled with sprinters like him, maybe he could finally touch the peak of his potential¡ª there was also the fact that whenever Tempo tries to go beyond what his body is capable of, he could feel himself slowly disintegrating.


    Tempo knew he could move even faster, he just needed something that would help him survive. Maybe the Evaniels have an answer to that?


    "..." Well, at least that would be the case. If everything goes south here, then he wouldn''t even have the chance to talk to these foreign visitors of them. But s, all Tempo could really do was watch, as once again¡­


    ¡­Riley strikes.


    "Riley, what are you doing!?" Aerith raised her voice as she tapped Riley on the stomach, "I thought you''re not going to cause any more trouble?"


    "When did I say that?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he tilted his head.


    "Isn''t that already implied since you chose to stay on Earth?" Aerith then grabbed Riley by the cors, pulling him closer to her as she whispered into his ear, "If you''re going to cause trouble then just stick with me and your mother. These humans already had enough of your antics."


    "I actually wanted to try ruling the world first."


    "...What? What do you mean!?" Aerith slightly raised her voice as her lips moved even closer to Riley''s ears, "Why would you do that? That''s illegal."


    "It''s not. Didn''t you hear from Empress? I can do whatever I want now."


    "I¡ª I''ll exinter, just keep your mouth shut for now, okay?" Aerith was about to lean away, but once again leaned closer to Riley, "Also, don''t go around telling the Evaniels that you destroyed one of thes. I already told Empress the same."


    "...Why?" A small and very subtle smile slowly crawled on Riley''s face."


    "I''ll tell youter, just stop acting like a menace for once."


    "But¡­"


    And as the two were talking and whispering to each other, the other people in the control room could really only watch and look at each other from time to time. As for the Baby Crew, well¡­ they were all looking at Gary¡ª who was too stunned to even breathe at the moment.


    Although he didn''t really believe it when Riley told him that he was probably closer to Aerith than even him, Gary also didn''t take it to heart. After all, Gary knew his mother''s responsibilities. Megawoman is a figure that stood above everyone, for everyone. He wasn''t just his mother, he was the world''s hope.


    But now, seeing the two talking like this with their faces sticking to each other¡­


    ¡­could it be that¡­ Riley was insinuating something else when he said he and Aerith were close?


    "Just¡­ enough, okay?" Aerith finally stepped away from Riley as she approached Admiral Varen and Val, "As for you¡­ I just advised you and your men not to approach Riley Ross, what do you think you''re trying to do right now? Have the Evaniels be battle hungry since thest time I saw all of you?"


    "That¡ª"


    "Keep the boy on a leash, Admiral Varen, please."


    "I apologize, Princess Aerith. It won''t happen again," Admiral Varen bowed his head, before dragging Val by the ears as he returned to the other Evaniels. As for Val, his ring eyes were stillpletely focused on Riley.


    "...Princess Aerith? You''re a princess!?"


    Paige, who had been keeping quiet the entire time beside Riley, could not help but open her mouth as she pointed at Aerith. The others didn''t really hear Admiral Varen''s words that clearly, but they did now.


    "That¡­" Aerith could really only let out an exasperated breath as she looked at the others, before settling her eyes on Empress, "...Can you just focus on what matters right now?"


    "..." Empress could really only let out a sigh. She brought the others here as a show of power; but it was slowly turning into a shit show, "Perhaps it is best to take our talk elsewhere, Admiral Varen. Since Aerith has personally assured me that you wish to only build friendship between our two races, then I would like to invite you on¡ª"


    "Think fast!"


    And then, once again¡ª Prince Val''s voice echoed through the control room as he was once again able to escape the clutches of the people that were supposed to be guarding him. Admiral Varen was about to rush towards Val as he saw him in front of Riley again, but before he could even take a single step, Aerith grabbed his arm.


    "W¡ª"


    "I already warned you twice," Aerith''s voice no longer held any friendliness in them as she looked Varen straight in the eyes, "At this point, I''m starting to believe you and your men are doing this on purpose."


    "We''re not¡ª"


    "What happens now, it''s your fault."


    "What do you¡ª"


    "Ack!"


    And just like that, once again, chaos started to erupt throughout the control room as Val suddenly found himself being lifted into the air; his neck, tightly being squeezed by Riley''s hand. Empress was going to order Riley to stop, but there was no point in doing that¡ª and she didn''t want to in the first ce.


    Aerith was right, something was wrong here. The first urrence could just be attributed to an arrogant young noble boy wanting to exert dominance¡ª but this was the second time their prince was able to approach Riley even though they were guarding him.


    Should¡­ she just let it y out?


    "Prince Val!"


    Commander Voris and the four guards they were with quickly surrounded Riley, Tomoe, and Paige. But before they could approach any further, spikes of ice started to emerge on the floor in front of them.


    "Let go of the Prince now!" Commander Voris raised his voice; his hands, starting to vibrate at a speed enough to create a whistle to whisper in the air.


    "Commander Voris, order your men to stand down!" Admiral Varen ordered. Voris, however,pletely ignored him as he just focused on Riley.


    "The safety of the Prince is my top priority!" He stated as he slowly stepped forward, causing the spears of ice in front of him to shatter as soon as they made contact with his seemingly vibrating legs,


    "Let go of¡ª"


    "Okay."


    "Ack!"


    And before Commander Voris could finish his words, Riley suddenly let go of Val, causing the little prince to yelp as his butt hit the cold hard floor. Commander Voris seemed to want to say something else, but Riley already turned around before he could even open his mouth.


    "Alright, I think everyone''s a little too excited right now."


    And before the tension could get any worse, Aerith once again stood between the two races, "Varen, why don''t you take your people back to your ship for now? Thene back alone once you''ve secured the prince."


    "That¡ª"


    "Now. Empress, have someone escort our guests."


    "...Okay."


    "..." Admiral Varen could really only let out a sigh as he nodded. He then turned to look at Empress to apologize, before ordering his people to leave. And as soon as all of them left the control room, the sighs of everyone instantly hummed in the air.


    "Well¡­" Hannah was the first to speak as she ced her hand on Empress''s shoulder,


    "...That went well."


    ***


    "You don''t leave this room as long as we''re in this System, you got it!?"


    Back in the colossal ship of the Evaniels, prince Val was currently in his room, being surrounded by Admiral Varen, Commander Voris, and Dr. Ve.


    "But¡ª"


    "You don''t do that, Val! We are trying to build ties with the people of Earth! Why would you even do that!?"


    Admiral Varen was not letting the prince speak, "No. We are going to send you home. Commander Voris, ready one of our pods."


    "Wait, please. I was just trying to see if¡ª"


    "The kid is just trying to have fun, Varen," Commander Voris gestured to Val not to speak, "Besides, he was the one who got hurt. This is a good lesson for him."


    "This is not the time for lessons, Commander Voris." This time, it was Dr. Ve who spoke; her eyes, looking at Val in disappointment, "We might lose the chance to study a new species and make friends because of this."


    "Just¡­ make sure the prince doesn''t get out from now on," Admiral Varen pinched the bridge of his nose, "And call the Queen, I have a feeling she might want to visit the¡ª"


    "You have a veryrge ship, Evaniels. It makes sense since your species could move fast."


    "!!!"


    And before Varen could finish his words, he and Commander Voris disappeared from their spot; appearing beside the prince as they looked at the visitor that was suddenly in the room¡­


    ¡­standing right behind Dr. Ve with the widest smile they have ever seen.


    "I hope you people don''t mind¡­


    ¡­the door wasn''t locked."

 Chapter 407: Reckless A ct Of AChild

    Chapter 407: Reckless A ct Of AChild


    "Your race should really consider installing locks on your doors. It will help in improving the overall security of your ship."


    "What¡­ what''s going on?"


    The Evaniels.


    Considered to be, in general, the fastest creature in the entire universe. Their adults could move to speeds of more than thousands of kilometers per hour, and that is them not even trying; perhaps it was better to say that it was their normal walking pace. What made them dangerous, however, was their insane agility to reach whatever their maximum speed is in the blink of an eye.


    But s, there have been many ounts in their long history that proved that they were even faster before, much faster. They even used to be equal to the Themarians in terms of prowess. But it is to be expected¡ª the Evaniels were straying further and farther away from their God genes.


    Still, even then, they are considered the fastest.


    And of course, as the fastest species, their ship also reflected that. Their ship was capable of maneuvering at insane speeds; prioritizing swiftness over toughness. But even then, with their race as advanced as it is, their security still should have detected any anomalies that may have intruded into their confines.


    So why¡­ how was someone standing behind Dr. Ve and literally breathing down her neck?


    "Even your rooms arerge, oddly interesting."


    Fortunately, the whisper on Dr. Ve''s neck did notst long as their uninvited visitor casually started to stroll around the room; his eyes, truly curious as they traveled through each and every corner of the colossal room.


    "Riley¡­ Ross. What are you doing here?"


    "Oh, is that thevatory?"


    s, Admiral Varen''s words werepletely ignored as Riley just continued to scan the entire room,


    "That is at least 100 meters away? Weird, it looks close but it''s actually far," Riley squinted his eyes, "Aerith exined it to me before, but I truly shouldn''t use my knowledge of my world to judge yours. You''ve¡­ evolvedpletely different than us, is what she said."


    Even though Riley was no longer behind Dr. Ve, she still couldn''t move from her spot¡ª not because Riley was stopping her, but because she took Aerith''s warning very seriously. If a themarian tells you not to mess with someone, then that means you don''t mess with that someone.


    It was such an easy rule to follow.


    But s, they had a literal child on board that was disciplined too little and toote. And now, that dangerous someone followed them back to their ship. It''s true that Dr. Ve can''t detect any energy from the humans, but that didn''t matter.


    She already saw first-hand the things they were capable of. Materializing ice out of nowhere? That was magic that one of the other Higher Races, the Krotun, is known for¡ª and they emit high levels of energy.


    But with the humans? You wouldn''t even know what they''re capable of until they actually do it. And from what she had witnessed, Riley was able to catch and even strangle Val without even breaking a single sweat.


    Sure, Val was still young; but that wasn''t the point. The point is they have absolutely no idea what Riley Ross is truly capable of. And so, the best course of action right now was to follow the most basic and primal instinct of survival¡ª Watch and do nothing.


    Dr. Ve just hopes the other three evaniels that are in the room do the same.


    "What¡­ do you want, Riley Ross?"


    This time, it was Commander Voris that spoke. Admiral Varen was no longer going to leave the care of the prince to someone else, ''less he wants a repeat of what happened earlier in the human''s ship.


    "You have no permission toe aboard our ship, Riley Ross," Commander Voris stepped forward as he slowly approached Riley, "...Even if our doors weren''t locked."


    "You''re right, I don''t," Riley then finally stopped examining therge room, "I was once told that I have some boundary issues by Aerith, I suppose I still haven''t fixed that habit. I apologize, Evaniels."


    "If you know that, then I would appreciate that you get off my ship," Admiral Varen joined the conversation, careful not to let go of prince Val.


    "I will,ter," Riley then once again walked towards Dr. Ve; this time, however, he stood in front of her, "I am just a little curious about your species, that''s all. I am sure you feel the same, no?"


    "...Yes?" Dr. Ve answered, wanting very much to look at Riley''s eyes to examine the new species in front of her, but sadly could not.


    "It''s okay, you can look at me. You are a scientist, Dr. Ve, correct?"


    "...Yes?" Dr. Ve blinked a couple of times, before very slowly turning her eyes towards Riley; only to see his pitch-ck eyes.


    "That is not the original color of my eyes, if you are curious," Riley stated as he too, examined Dr. Ve''s face, "My hair and eyes were permanently changed by some sort of serum that Aerith gave me."


    "I¡­ am aware of that serum, yes," Dr. Ve whispered as she continued to examine Riley''s face to see if there was anything unusually different from other humanoids.


    "I look quite different from the rest of the humans, so you can''t really judge my species based on me, sadly," Riley let out a small sigh as he shook his head, "I was born from a single¡­ parent. She reproduced me asexually in a way."


    "Your species, reproduce asexually!?" Dr. Ve blinked a couple of times.


    "No. At least I don''t think so, Dr. Ve," Riley shook his head, "She asked help from a Themarian scientist to make it possible. So as far as my knowledge goes, it''s just my biological mother. She''s a bit entric."


    "Is¡­ is that so," Dr. Ve''s eyes started to shine.


    "The tattoos you have on your skin are still visible, but not quite as much when you start using your speed," Riley muttered as he looked at the marks on Dr. Ve''s face; it was almost invisible at the moment, but it was there,


    "...Yes?"


    "Why are you telling him that, Dr. Ve!?" Commander Voris raised his voice.


    "They¡­ are bound to know sooner orter, if they do not already," Dr. Ve just raised her finger, gesturing to Voris to stop talking.


    "Dr. Ve is right, Evaniel," a small smile then slowly crawled on Riley''s face as he finally leaned away from Dr. Ve, "As of this moment the other humans are trying to find everything they can about you. If they are desperate enough, they''ll ask my adoptive father for help."


    "Your father? Is he also like you? A¡­ super?" Dr. Ve listened curiously.


    "No, he''s a normal human. You will see there are more of their kind than us once you stepped on Earth," Riley shrugged,


    "My adoptive father is¡­ somewhat of a scientist himself¡ª perhaps the best if he wants to. You can exchange notes with him if you want."


    "Really?" Dr. Ve also smiled.


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "But he is prone to having illicit sexual rtions with his colleagues, so you might have to be a bit careful. He also hacked into an alien ship and caused most of them to die, so I would be very careful around him in general, he''s dangerous."


    "What about you, what are you capable of?"


    "Oh, I can move things with my mind. Just some basic stuff, Dr. Ve," Riley nodded, "I can also do other things, but they''re not that important."


    "That¡ª"


    "Dr. Ve, I order you to stop talking to the human!"


    And before Dr. Ve could say another word, the markings on Commander Voris''s skin started to appear; his silver hair, now also glowing.


    "Commander Voris, what are you doing!?" Admiral Varen roared, "Stand down, now!"


    "I''m not going to just stand here while an intruder is standing right in front of us!"


    "We''re only talking, Voris!" Dr. Ve''s hair also lit up as she disappeared from her spot, only to appear between Riley and Commander Voris.


    "What you are doing is divulging information to a potential enemy! Didn''t you hear from Aerith? They are just recovering from a war that caused billions of lives. They are a warmongering race!"


    "It was more like a one-sided act of terrorism, really," Riley still casually shrugged his shoulders.


    "We''re done talking! Leave the ship or we will be forced to space you out!"


    "Commander Voris, that is enough! I would not stand for insubordination in¡ª"


    "Well¡­"


    "!!!"


    And without even letting Admiral Varen finish his words, everyone''s eyes inside the room widened as Riley, who was previously behind Dr. Ve was now standing near Admiral Varen; or more specifically, beside Prince Val.


    It wasn''t like Riley was fast, no. They clearly saw him move and float towards Val¡ª they just weren''t able to do anything about it.


    ¡­None of them were able to move.


    Val, who was seated on his little chair, could really only move his eyes; watching as Riley started walking again. Fortunately for him, however, Riley instead approached Commander Voris and not him.


    "If you didn''t prefer talking, you should have just said so in the first ce. Evaniels," Riley then said as he casually walked towards Commander Voris,


    "Your prince attacked me once," Riley sighed as he stood just a foot away from Voris, "Did you really think that wouldn''t have any repercussions, Evaniels?"


    "What¡­ are you doing, Riley Ross?"


    The only one that was able to move from the four Evaniels in the room was Dr. Ve; most probably because Riley did not perceive her as a threat, she thought as she very slowly raised her hand,


    "It''s¡­ just a reckless action of a child," Dr. Ve shook her head.


    "You and I both know that''s not true," a small smile appeared on Riley''s face as he slowly ced his hand on Commander Voris''s chest,


    "How is a little child able to escape four warriors of your race? You are a scientist, Dr. Ve. I know you know the answer to that."


    "...What?" Dr. Ve could really only squint her eyes as she looked back and forth between Admiral Varen and Commander Voris,


    "What are you say¡ª !!!"


    Dr. Ve let out a tiny gasp before she could ask anything; her silver hair once again starting to glow as she suddenly heard a small crack whisper in the air; she, however, still did not move from her spot.


    "I''m not saying anything at all," the smile on Riley''s face then grew wider as his hand started to push forward¡­ very slowly through Commander Voris''s chest.


    "How does it feel, Commander Voris?" Riley then looked Voris straight in the eyes, "How does it feel to know that someone as fast as you¡­


    ¡­is going to die a very slow death?"

 Chapter 408:A Menacing Reminder

    Chapter 408:A Menacing Reminder


    "How does it feel that someone as fast as you¡­


    ¡­would die a very slow death?"


    Everyone in the room could hear it.


    The Prince of the Evaniels, Dr. Ve, Admiral Varen. All of them could hear it, and yet they were helpless all the same. But of course, the one that could hear it most was the one that it was happening to.


    No, perhaps Commander Voris was not even able to hear, as the feeling of his chest and lungs very slowly being crushed echoed throughout his entire existence. As inherently fast beings, and especially as a soldier, it was important that Commander Voris train himself to feel everything around him with utmost and extreme perception¡ª and that is of course, unfortunately, including pain.


    He could feel it.


    All of it.


    He could even feel each and every fiber of the cloth he was wearing starting to stretch. Every clothing and vestments of the Evaniels were made with some sort of material that could withstand the extreme speed and friction that it sustains; the material also ensures that no chafing of any kind would develop to its wearer.


    And now, feeling every fiber of that material slowly sinking in through his chest, Commander Voris was discovering textures he had not felt before. And very slowly, he could feel his breaths starting to slow down; bing more difficult to inhale as Riley''s hand went deeper and deeper into his chest.


    No, perhaps that wasn''t right. He wasn''t even breathing anymore¡ª as even through this weird and excruciating pain that was reverberating throughout his entire body, he could not help himself but just stare into Riley''s dark eyes.


    Eyes that were devoid of all but one emotion¡ª joy.


    As a soldier of the Evaniels'' exploration and research team, Commander Voris has met all sorts of other races and species. Most were violent in nature, some were wary, and the rest were peaceful people.


    And as an inevitability, Commander Voris has of course also met creatures like Riley. But as a being of a Higher Race, Commander Voris just sneered andughed at them; to his eyes, they were just cute.


    But Riley?


    The joy that Commander Voris could feel emitting from his eyes was pure and genuine, raw.


    A mistake. Commander Voris wanted to tell Admiral Varen that it was a mistakeing here. In their curious search for the lost Themarian, they stumbled upon a beast that would slowly, but very surely, devour the rest of the universe.


    But s, Commander Voris couldn''t even let out a scream of pain, much less open his mouth to talk. The only thing that he could really do was feel every bit of this pain¡ª wanting it to stop.


    But no.


    A second.


    A minute.


    An hour.


    Itsted for an hour. But finally, Commander Voris could feel his vision darken. Atst, he was free¡­


    ¡­or at least he thought.


    As thefort of death was finally within Commander Voris''s grasp, Riley suddenly removed his hand and stepped away.


    A loud, almost roaring gasp thundered in the colossal room as Commander Voris quickly fell down to his knees; the pain of finally being able to breathe seeminglypressed all at once, causing him to grovel and puke on the ground.


    "You can heal him, right?"


    "Y¡­ Yes?"


    "Then please go ahead. I just wanted to scare him," Riley once again smiled as he gestured to Dr. Ve to do something.


    And as soon as Riley gave her permission to finally move, Dr. Ve quickly called for a medical team. As for Admiral Varen, he was deliberating on whether or not to call for reinforcements¡­ but instead,


    "This ends here, is that clear?"


    Admiral Varen finally let go of the prince''s hand as he quickly but carefully approached Riley. He was sure that after Riley''s ridiculous stunt, the prince wouldn''t even attempt to go near him anymore. And he was right, Val waspletely shocked; his butt almost nted to his chair as he just stared at Commander Voris, who was now being surrounded by a medical team.


    "This ends here, is that clear?" Varen repeated his words as Riley seemed to be busy focusing on the medical team. He was going to step closer to him, but Riley finally answered.


    "That depends entirely on what happens next, Admiral Varen," Riley shrugged, "Also, can you allow me to tour your ship? I also want to bring the women that were with me aboard, if that is alright with you?"


    "...No," Admiral Varen shook his head, "It''s not. I would appreciate it if you leave. I am sure¡­ our mutual acquaintance also wouldn''t appreciate what you''re doing here right now."


    "You are probably right on that one, Admiral Varen," Riley sighed as he shook his head, "I actually wanted to see if it would be more enjoyable to conquer your world. I was nning to rule Earth, you see; but there are circumstances that make it seem like I already have, so there''s no fun in it anymore."


    "...What?" Commander Varen''s hair lit up.


    "Stop, Commander Varen," Riley once again sighed, "I already know how strong your species is. And I have to say, I am quite disappointed."


    "You think that just because you waltzed in here, you think you know us?" The markings on Varen''s skin also started to show themselves; this time, however, the tattoos also lit up, "You haven''t seen any of what we can do yet."


    "Are you going to show me now?" Riley tilted his head as a small smile once again crawled on his face.


    "You won''t like it," Commander Varen, "I know your kind. You think because you''re the baddest and biggest bully in your yground, you think you''re the strongest."


    "Hm," Riley then started to look around, as even the hairs of the medical team started to light up; their eyes, all ring at him. He then turned to look at Dr. Ve, who was just shaking her head almost as if telling him not to do anything.


    "You''re a frog who lives in a well, child," Varen said as his eyes also started to light up.


    "Oh, you and Aerith''s son would get along very well."


    "W¡ª"


    "Don''t drag me along in this bullshit, my hands are full as it is."


    "Princess Aerith!"


    And just like that, with Aerith suddenly entering the room, the hairs that have all lit up once again returned to their normal luminance. Aerith didn''t seem to mind any of them, however, as she just flew and made her way towards Riley.


    "I already told you to stop causing trouble, Riley," Aerith sighed, "Seriously? Why are you acting like a child with a new toy? I am really starting to think I should just tie you up with your mother."


    "You can tie me up wherever you want, Aerith."


    "Where are you learning these things!?"


    "From John, Aerith."


    "...Your clone?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "He''s be quite human. It is quite the irony, don''t you think so as well?"


    "...I''ve seen it before," Aerith only shrugged her shoulders, "Now leave these poor Evaniels alone, I have things to discuss with them."


    "You don''t have to worry, Aerith. I''m not even here."


    And as soon as he said that, Riley''s body started to disintegrate to the floor. Dr. Ve, who saw this, could not help but take in a deep breath.


    Telekinesis and cloning?


    Dr. Ve already expected Riley to have other abilities since he mentioned it in their brief talk earlier¡ª but she was expecting something at the very least close to telekinesis or relevant to it.


    But dispensable cloning? How was that even possible? Just¡­ what are these humans?


    "It''s¡­ good that you arrived the moment you did, Princess Aerith," Varen let out a long and deep sigh, "It would have been a shame not to make connections with a new race because we had to kill one of them. But for you to save Riley Ross, it would seem the two of you are friends?"


    "Oh, trust me. He''s not the one I was trying to save," Aerith lowered her voice.


    "Hm?" Commander Varen blinked as he couldn''t hear the words that Aerith whispered.


    "For the sake of the universe, don''t kill him," Aerith shivered at the thought of Riley gaining the Evaniel''s speed, "


    "You do not have to worry, princess Aerith. Our species still pride ourselves as the most peaceful of the Higher Races¡ª that hasn''t changed since you''ve been gone from the scene," Varen gave a warm smile.


    "That doesn''t seem to be the case," Aerith then said as she looked at the shivering little prince sitting in the center of therge hall, "And can you stop calling me princess? I''m a warrior."


    "He''s¡­ young, Pri¡ª Madam Aerith. The Queen doted on him too much."


    "I''m not talking about that," the tone of Aerith''s voice started to be lower as she looked Varen straight in the eyes, "Even with his age; as a prince, he should know better than to tantly attack an individual from a foreign nation."


    "That¡ª"


    "If I wasn''t there, that would have been treated as an act of war¡ª an invasion," Aerith''s eyebrows started to furrow, "Your standing as the most peaceful race would have been lost just like that, and in front of me, a Themarian from the royal family."


    "..."


    "Surely, you know why the Evaniels became a peaceful race in the first ce, right?"


    "..." Everyone in the colossal room became quiet as they heard Aerith''s words.


    "You are a peaceful race..." Aerith whispered as she once again looked Varen straight in the eyes,


    "...Because we almost wiped you out thest time."

 Chapter 409: Misbehaving

    Chapter 409: Misbehaving


    "I''d like to wee you to Earth again, Admiral Varen."


    "Please, just Varen is fine, Madam Empress."


    "Then you may just call me Adaeze."


    A few hours after the eventful first meeting between the humans and the evaniels; the alien race was finally able tond on Earth¡­ in good faith. And to prevent anything like the earlier mishap from happening again, this time, it was decided that only Admiral Varen and Dr. Ve wouldnd on Earth.


    Currently, they were inside a car; something that they have seen once or twice during their journey to other civilizations.


    As a species of the Higher Race, the two have already visited manys much like Earth before¡ª it was something they have already seen a hundred times. But of course, as a scientist, a new civilization, a new was something that brought forth many new things to be studied.


    Right now, however, it wasn''t thend and not the entire civilization as its whole that was worth studying, it was their people.


    Although a normal-looking humanoid, the people of Earth were probably the most unique species Dr. Ve had seen in her entire life. And so, her sights werepletely on the people around her. They were all looking at her with curiosity, but she was also doing the same.


    She had already seen many of them earlier since Empress held a short press conference when theynded to introduce her and Admiral Varen to the people of Earth, but it wasn''t enough. She needed to meet them personally. She also wanted to meet the scientists of Earth topare some notes, but Aerith told her that it wasn''t possible as they still don''t know what sort of diseases both races brought each other.


    She already exined to Aerith that all the evaniels on a research mission are injected with a vine that would prevent most unknown diseases, but Aerith still told them to limit contact as much as possible for now.


    And as Dr. Ve was lost in all the possibilities of the new race, Admiral Varen''s eyes werepletely watching out for potential dangers¡ª specifically Riley Ross.


    After the stunt he pulled inside their ship and almost killed one of them, Admiral Varen almost called and asked for a warship. It didn''t take that much convincing not to, of course¡­ considering it was Aerith that asked.


    And they were warned in the first ce to avoid Riley Ross. But it would seem there were forces at y that¡­ wanted something to happen. And so, right now, as Admiral Varen was supposed to be focusing on a diplomatic mission¡­


    ¡­hismander was being interrogated for potential treason and being held for attempting to sully their rtionship with the humans.


    As for the prince, he was locked up in his room right now. They have already called the Queen and told her what Val did, and the only thing she said was that they were sending someone over as a sign of peace¡­ whatever that meant.


    "We''re here."


    And after a few more moments, the two evaniels and Empress finally arrived at their destination¡ª the Mega Academy. After all, what better way to learn about the cultures of a new civilization other than their youth?


    Dr. Ve quickly leaned her head out of the window of the car as she examined therge dome that was on the horizon. It was weird, Aerith had already told them that she didn''t influence the''s industrial advancement¡ª but throughout their long travel on the ground, Dr. Ve could see traces of a highly diversified and isted technology; something she had only seen whenever an advanced civilization tampers or aids a more primitive one.


    Most of their transportation is still powered by oil and gasoline, but then they have ships with technology that should be more or less 300 years into the future. And now, even this structure in front of them, the Mega Academy, was something that was out of ce from most of their infrastructure. It would have been normal if the more advanced technology was the more prevalent aspect on the, but no¡ª it was the other way around here.


    Curious, very curious. Was it the other Themarian that Aerith was with? They still had no information on who she was, but they didn''t really want to investigate so as to not cause any misunderstandings with them.


    And while Dr. Ve''s eyes continued to glisten from all the new possibilities that opened up to her, Varen''s eyes were still on the lookout for Riley Ross.


    "...Is Riley Ross going to be in Mega Academy?" And finally, Varen could no longer help himself and asked Empress the question that has been bothering him since earlier.


    "...No," Empress didn''t really know whether to sigh or sympathize with Varen''s question, "You don''t need to worry about him that much, he has been pretty tame ever since he came back with Aerith from¡­ Hotis 4J? Do you know that ce?"


    "Riley Ross has been to another gxy!?" Dr. Ve''s leaned her head back to the car as soon as she heard Empress''s words, "...But why Hotis 4J? That''s an old outpost filled with dubious people."


    "Yes, he''s the only human that has been," Empress nodded; slightly curious about the.


    "Riley Ross, just what is he?" Admiral Varen raised his hand to stop Dr. Ve from asking any more questions, "Just through our ride across the outside cities, I have seen billboards and images of him scattered everywhere¡ª most were vandalized."


    "...Aerith did not exin to you what he is?"


    "No, she just told us to avoid him."


    "I suppose you have the right to know since you and your species would be living here for a while," Empress let out a long and very deep sigh as she looked at Varen and Dr. Ve, "But since you are going to the Academy, it would be better for you to learn from him there."


    "...Your students are learning about Riley Ross?" Dr. Ve raised an eyebrow.


    "Darkday."


    "Hm?"


    "They are learning about Darkday," Empress closed her eyes, "You''d know soon."


    "...And can I ask where Riley Ross is now?" Admiral Varen once again raised his hand to prevent Dr. Ve from asking too many questions.


    "He''s everywhere," Empress scoffed, "Aerith is here, so you don''t have to worry too much. He listens to her¡­


    ¡­he won''t misbehave."


    ***


    "I am the Queen''s son! You have no right to lock me in here, do you hear me!?"


    Back in the colossal ship of the evaniels, several ps of thunder reverberated in the air as Val was running back and forth in his room¡ª trying to break down his door to escape. But s, no matter how many times he used his name, everyone on the ship had strict orders directly from the Queen herself to not let the prince out of his room.


    "Argh!" The young prince continued to scream, even lying on the floor and kicking the door at high speeds in hopes that someone would actually listen to him. He then stood up and prepared to run through the door again, but before he could take a step, several figures just¡­ suddenly appeared in front of him.


    "What¡­ Ri¡ª"


    The prince wanted to scream but found himself no longer able to move his lips. He wanted to run, but his legs were the same¡ªpletely frozen.


    "Is¡­ he going to be alright? Ack, my legs are starting to hurt from not moving too long."


    "He will be fine, Paige. The evaniels are sturdier than normal humans."


    "I still think we should kill him now, master. He tried to attack you."


    "..." The only thing that Val could do was watch as the three figures started to casually talk to each other almost as if he wasn''t there. As soon as Riley looked at him, however, Val suddenly wished he wasn''t actually there.


    "I am going to let you go now, Prince Val," Riley then said as he approached Val, "If you scream, I am going to hurt you. If you do anything suspicious, I am going to hurt you. If you do anything I don''t like, I am going to hurt you."


    "..."


    "..."


    "You can move now."


    "!!!", Val quickly let out a huge breath as he dropped to the floor. After a few moments, however, he ran towards the corner of hisrge room.


    "Why¡­ how are you here?"


    "We have been here since earlier, Prince Val," Riley then said as he floated towards the trembling prince. As for the twopanions he was with, Paige and Tomoe, they started looking and walking around the vast room.


    "What¡­ what do you want from me?"


    "Commander Voris," Riley said with a smile on his face, "But I was thinking you would give us a tour around your ship first."


    "W¡­ what?" Val took in a small gulp as his eyes looked at Riley''spanions, "You¡­ you''ll be discovered by my people!"


    "Thank you for worrying about us, Prince Val. But we have ways to blend in," Riley nodded to himself, "So please, the tour."


    "E¡­ Even if you forced me to, I won''t be able to do it! They locked me inside my room!"


    "It''s alright, we can wait until theye in to give you food. You''re royalty, I expect you have your own personal chef."


    "N¡­ no, I don''t," Val''s eyes started to twitch as he looked to the side, "And why are you doing this anyway!? The themarian princess would not stand for this!"


    "Oh, you don''t have to worry about her," Riley shook his head and sighed,


    "She was the one who told me to do this, after all."

 Chapter 410: Conversation Between Two Queens

    Chapter 410: Conversation Between Two Queens


    "I didn''t get to take a good look outside, but this really is arge ship, isn''t it? The Goliath space station is like a babypared to it. I suppose it makes sense since they run so fast¡­ but why are they just mostly walking right now?"


    "These aliens are ruining everything."


    "...I didn''t expect to hear that from you."


    In the gigantic hallways of the evaniel''s ship, Paige, Tomoe, Riley, and Val were just casually walking around; just seemingly minding their own business as they talked to each other without a care for the evaniels.


    And the evaniels were the same, they didn''t seem to care for them that much; much less even nce at them as they go on about their ways. After all, from the outside, they just looked like any other evaniels out there. Silver hair, with faint markings on their skin¡ª courtesy of Paige''s abilities.


    They were also previously moving at a high speed, with Riley dragging them in the air and Paige making sure they looked like they were moving fast¡ª but then noticed they didn''t need to as most of the evaniels weren''t moving at their normal speed. They asked prince Val as to why, he just said that since there was a themarian present within the area, they didn''t want to rm them by doing unnecessary movements.


    As for how they were able to escape Val''s room¡ª they waited for his meal to be delivered to him personally. With Paige''s abilities and Riley''s cloning abilities, it was easy to create a fake prince and sneak out without being seen by anyone.


    And so, right now, Paige and Tomoe were walking behind Riley, and Val, who was leading the way to the ship''s confinement bay. But with all of them just walking, it was taking longer than expected; giving the twodies some time to talk to each other.


    "...So you''re like a fan of Darkday?" Paige asked.


    "No," Tomoe raised an eyebrow, "I''m Riley''s First Subordinate. I follow him wherever he goes and I follow his orders to the letter, no matter what it is. He is the reason for my existence."


    "...That''s sort of extreme, isn''t it?" Paige''s eyes started to widen, "I heard you were the very first one to discover that Riley was Darkday? That''s kind of impressive."


    "Of course, he¡ª"


    "Well, considering he wasn''t really trying hard to hide it. I suppose a fan would quickly realize who he was," Paige let out a small breath as she smiled, "It''s really good that he had someone like you back then, being epted and supported is important¡ª no matter how evil or bad they may seem."


    Tomoe''s eyebrow started to raise as she heard Paige''s words, "Are you trying to start something?"


    "Hm?"


    "I would like to let you know that I started to ept him first for what he is," Tomoe stated as she looked Riley straight in the eyes, "I just didn''t say it to him since I feel like I would be overstepping my bounds."


    "...Why would you think that? Just tell him whatever you want to say," Paige sighed as she shook her head, "Life is too short to be dwelling on things like that."


    "No, we''re not on the same level and I would never presume to be," Tomoe scoffed, "Riley is a god that no mere mortal like us could truly hope to touch and understand."


    "...Aren''t you overreacting? Just talk to him like a friend and¡ª"


    "A friend?" Tomoe''s eyebrows furrowed, "We''re not on the same level."


    "Y¡ª"


    "You are not at the same level as him," Tomoe did not let Paige say another word, "If you still don''t know that by now, then you don''t really understand him."


    "That sort of thinking is kinda lonely, don''t you think? Why don''t you just try being his friend, like¡­ for real?"


    "No," Tomoe was careful not to raise her voice, "I already told you that I can''t. Wait, don''t tell me you actually think that Riley considers you as a friend? He doesn''t¡ª he is way above that."


    "..." Paige squinted her eyes as she looked at Tomoe for a few seconds, before a small smile very slowly emerged from her face as she walked closer to her,


    "...Don''t tell me you''re jealous?"


    "What!?"


    Tomoe quickly covered her mouth; but her sudden scream already caused some of the evaniels that were walking on the hallway to look at her. But after a few moments, they just all went on their way. As for Tomoe, she quickly leaned away from Paige as she repeated her words.


    "W¡­ what?" The cold and somewhat monotonous tone on her voice disappeared as she looked away from Paige, "Jealous? Why would¡­ why would I be something like that? I don''t own Riley, do you own Riley? No one''s jealous here."


    "...Hm," Paige could really only smile as Tomoe''s cold facade slowly melted away. But after a few moments, the smile on her face faded as she shook her head, "Well, there''s really no need to be jealous of me, Tomoe-san. Riley and I¡­ are not together."


    "..."


    "We''re close, undoubtedly so," Paige sighed, "He tells me everything, I tell him everything. I can lean on him whenever I want and he won''t move away. But we''re not together, because I think you''re actually right¡­ Riley doesn''t need something like a girlfriend. Whatever I try to do, I''m just¡­ Paige. He treats me like how he treats Hannah, so in the end¡­ he''ll just see me as someone like a sister."


    "...Why are youining?" Tomoe let out a small scoff as she hastened her steps,


    "I¡­ would give everything to be treated like that by Riley."


    "...Then why don''t we be sisters, then!?"


    "W¡ª what are you doing!?" Tomoe could not help but try and pull away from Paige as she once again walked beside her and suddenly wrapped her arms around hers.


    "We''re both trying to win Riley''s affection, so we might as well just join forces instead of fighting against each other, you know?"


    "What? L¡­ let go of my arm, I don''t like being touched!"


    "What if it was Riley touching you?"


    "W¡ª what are you saying!?"


    "..."


    "..."


    Prince Val, who was walking ahead with Riley, could really only nce a couple of times as the twodies continued to talk to each other. He then very sneakily looked at Riley; Val''s eyes, slightly glistening as he did so.


    And finally, after a few more steps, he mustered up the courage to talk to this¡­ weird alien.


    "...Can I ask you something, Riley Ross?"


    "Go ahead, Prince Val."


    "..." Val once again nced at the twodies behind them, before nodding and looking at Riley, "How many wives do you have?"


    "I am not married, Prince Val."


    "Then why do you have so many women around you?" Val asked as he slowly walked closer to Riley, "Even the legendary princess Aerith seems to be close to you."


    "Ah, yes," Riley nodded as he heard Aerith''s name, "Aerith and I are married."


    "...What? You''re married to a Themarian!?" Val''s eyes widened his eyes in shock. But after a few more seconds, his eyes suddenly turned serious as he leaned even closer to Riley, "...Can you teach me what you''re doing?"


    "How old are you, Prince Val?"


    "13 years old."


    "Is that considered an adult in your species?"


    "W¡­ well, adult enough," Val stuttered as he looked to the side.


    "Adult enough to mate with another evaniel?"


    "M¡­ mate!? Like have sex!?" Val''s eyes widened even further the faint markings on his face started to show themselves, "I¡­ Well¡­ I don''t know?"


    "Riley, what are you teaching the boy!?"


    "He''s not a boy, Paige. He''s a man," Riley shook his head as Paige walked closer to them.


    "He''s still a boy, master Riley. I have read from Empress''s files that they age the same as us, but their average lifespan is shorter," Tomoe added.


    "Hm," Riley looked at Val as he heard Tomoe''s words, "Then I am afraid I can not teach you anything involving sexual, prince Val. Only public and private educators are allowed to talk to minors about such things, I don''t like breaking thew."


    "...But aren''t you a mass murderer?"


    "That is different, Prince Val," Riley shook his head.


    "...You just don''t want to tell me," Val could really only breathe out in disappointment as their group continued to walk on the long hallways. But finally, after what seemed like another hour, they finally arrived at the confinement bay.


    And, like any other ces and area in the ship, it was vast.


    "What do you want with Commander Voris anyway?" Prince Val asked as they tried to find where Voris was being kept, "He''s already being interrogated, our people have ways to get the truth out of someone, you know. I heard your doesn''t."


    "Oh, we have our ways," a small smile crawled on Riley''s face.


    "Torture and a very slow death," Tomoe was the one toplete Riley''s sentence, "And you are looking at the man that is best at inflicting them both," she said with a proud smile on her face.


    "...I don''t think that''s really something to be proud at," Paige sighed; the group then continued to walk through the vast hall, only to find more and more empty cells.


    "Why aren''t there any guards here? Isn''t this supposed to be like a jail?" Paige asked.


    "We don''t really put up guards, we''re confident in our people," Val nodded, "Unlike your primitive race, we are already past the point of betraying our own people. We¡ª"


    And before Val could finish his words, they finally found the cell where Commander Voris was being kept. And there¡­


    ¡­he lies dead.


    "Right¡­ Care to repeat your words?"

 Chapter 411: This Always Happens

    Chapter 411: This Always Happens


    "C¡­mander Voris!?"


    Dead.


    The very reason why Riley was on the evaniel''s ship in the first ce, dead. In truth, Aerith asked him to talk to Commander Voris¡ª and since Riley was a little curious about the evaniels, he quickly agreed to her; he had nothing to do, anyway.


    Of course, Riley also already had a suspicion that something dubious and sinister was going on. After all, even if Val was the prince, it didn''t make sense for them to just let him do whatever he wanted; especially when they were just going to lock him in his room after.


    Offending a species you''re meeting for the first time? That much is normal, one could even say expected from someone of royal blood. But in front of Aerith? Someone they were wary and cautious enough, that they would not use their superspeed within her vicinity?


    Most of them weren''t using their speed now, even though Aerith wasn''t inside the ship. It is almost ridiculous that at that very moment, they would allow the prince to do as he wish. It was somewhat obvious that Commander Voris was up to something.


    But now, he''s dead.


    They wouldn''t be able to interrogate him anymore.


    "What¡­ do we do now?" Paige was the first to speak as she saw Commander Voris, who was now lying on a pool of what she could only presume to be his blood; blue, almost like the morning sky.


    "We need to go," Tomoe said as she started looking everywhere, "This might be a trap."


    "It might just be, Tomoe. But it doesn''t really matter," Riley only shrugged before turning towards the prince, "Might you know anything about this, Prince Val?"


    "W¡­ what?" The prince could really only stutter as he just stared at Commander Voris''s body, "N¡­ No."


    "Aerith suspected that Commander Voris is¡ªwas nning something," Riley then said as he stood in front of Val, blocking his view of Voris''s cell, "And she suspects you know something about it, Prince Val."


    "What? No!" Val finally removed his eyes from Commander Voris as he looked up at Riley, "I¡­ I''m innocent! What did I do!? I didn''t even do anything!"


    "I am afraid I would have to interrogate you now instead, Prince Val," Riley sighed as a wide smile very slowly started to crawl on his face, "You don''t have to worry, children of your age will usually get over the pain quickly."


    "...What?" Val took in a small gulp as he watched as Riley moved closer towards him, "W¡­ what are you saying? I didn''t do anything!"


    "You tried to offend master Riley several times."


    And before Riley couldpletely get closer to Val, a cold voice whispered in the air as Tomoe suddenly moved between the two; her eyes, looking Val straight in the eyes, "You even attacked him. And since they already returned master Riley''s rights, that is considered an assault¡ª which is a crime."


    "That¡­ that''s because Commander Voris told me to assert our dominance!" Val raised his voice even further, almost causing his words to reverberate through the vast confinement bay, "Especially since Princess Aerith was watching! C¡­ Commander Voris told me that it would impress the princess and she would¡­ It would make the evaniels more important in her eyes!"


    "..."


    Both Tomoe and Paige could really only look at each other as they heard the young prince''s words. After a few seconds after, however, Tomoe''s already small eyes started to squint.


    "So, you''re stupid," Tomoe whispered¡­ loudly.


    "Hey, that''s not nice," Paige finally also approached Val as she shook her head, "He''s just young. I''m sure you were even more ridiculous when you were his age."


    "I made a mobile application at that age and sold it for one and a half million dors," Tomoe said with a straight face, "So, no."


    "I thought you were justputer savvy. What mobile app is that?"


    "Irrelevant at the current situation," Tomoe scoffed as she rolled her eyes. She then turned towards the cell; her eyes, looking at the edges of the ss wall separating them from Voris''s corpse, "How does this thing open?"


    "O¡­ Only Admiral Varen should be able to open it," Val took in a small gulp. And then a few momentster, his eyes turned wide as he let out a loud gasp, "Wait, are you saying that Admiral Varen did this!? Did¡­ did he kill Commander Varen?"


    "Hm, it''s a possibility," Tomoe ced her hand on her chin; her eyes squinting even further and causing her to look almost as if she had her eyes closed, "But Admiral Varen shouldn''t have left Aerith''s side the whole time she was inside the ship¡­


    ¡­who else has ess to Voris''s cell?"


    "I¡­ I don''t know."


    "..." Paige could only watch in amazement as Tomoe started examining the cell, "She''s¡­ like a detective," she then said as she leaned closer to Riley.


    "Hm. She did find out I was Darkdady," Riley nodded; almost as if proud of Tomoe''s actions, "She''s very good at stalking people."


    "Think clearly, young prince. Who else has ess to the Commander''s cell?" Tomoe repeated her question.


    "I¡­" As for the young prince, his words soon started to stutter as his eyes became moist, "I¡­ I really don''t know. I don''t know what''s happening."


    "..."


    Val''s eyes started to travel everywhere as he seemed to be trying his best not to cry, "Wait¡­ wait. Maybe¡­ maybe the princess didn''t like what I did? Maybe¡­ maybe she killed Commander Voris!?"


    And with that thought, Val''s entire body began to tremble; his legs, almost giving up on him as he slightly tumbled a few steps backward in panic. Did they¡­ make a mistake? Did they actually just¡­ angered a themarian?


    Val had heard many legends about the themarian from his mother, and one thing that never changed in the stories she told was their strength. One of them was enough to wipe out an entire civilization.


    "N¡­ no."


    "...I just said Admiral Varen and Aerith should have been together in the ship," Tomoe could really only sigh as she once again approached the frantic prince, "Try to think harder, young prince. Your life depends on it. Who else has ess to themander''s cell?"


    "I¡­ I don''t know."


    "..." Tomoe''s eyebrows began to furrow as she looked Val straight in the eyes.


    "I¡­ I swear I don''t know!"


    "You''re scaring the child."


    And after a few more moments of Val just shivering in fear, Paige could no longer help herself as she moved beside Tomoe; cing her hand on her shoulder as she gestured to her to move a little bit to the side.


    "He''s not a child," Tomoe could really only shake her head and sigh as she moved away.


    "She''s quite scary, isn''t¡ª"


    It would seem Paige would not have the chance to talk to the young prince, as before she could even say anything, the light within the confinement bay became red.


    "..." Paige blinked a couple of times as he looked around the hall, "...Could red mean a good thing in your culture?"


    "...That''s the rm."


    "Oh¡­ of course."


    And not even a secondter, Paige and the others suddenly found themselves surrounded by almost a dozen guards; the markings on their skin, as bright as their glowing silver hair¡ª and as already seen earlier from Admiral Varen, this sort of appearance means the evaniels¡­ were ready for battle.


    "You''re right, Tomoe. It is a trap," Riley calmly said as he scanned the 10 evaniels that were currently circling them.


    "W¡­ wait!"


    Prince Val quickly raised his hand, "These people were with me the whole time, they didn''t do anything to the priso¡ª !!!"


    And before the young prince could finish his words; his hair lit up instinctively, the markings on his face, also starting to etch out as one of the guards suddenly broke from his position¡­ and rushed towards him.


    Val could see it clearly. The guard was holding a knife; not just a normal knife, but a knife seemingly made of ice. He initially thought that the guard was going to attack Riley, but no¡ª he truly was heading towards him.


    He was the target.


    Val was going to move to the side to dodge the knife that was threatening to make a hole in his chest. But then¡­ the tip of the crystal knife started to break, to shatter.


    Val could see it clearly. The knife exploded; its shards, piercing and prating through the guard''s hand. It didn''tst long, however, as very soon, the guard''s hand also started to somewhat shatter¡ªno, it started to fold.


    There was a ripple, a ripple through his skin that soon traveled through his entire body. And there, Val saw the guard''s arm creasing into several folds as his bones poked through his skin.


    And then, without even a breath, almost like an insect; the guard''s blood sttered neatly in the air as his entire body soon also shattered. His guts, very slowly falling, no¡ª dripping from the invisible wall that seemed to be right in front of Val.


    "W¡­ what?"


    Val could really only cover his mouth; trying his best not to puke and cry from the visceral and gory sight. When Riley Ross and Dr. Ve were talking earlier in his room, he heard that Riley was capable of telekinesis¡­ was he responsible for this?


    "You¡­ you killed him," Val blurted out.


    "Technically, he killed himself," Riley quickly answered with a sigh, "You will get used to it, Prince Val. I''ve fought quite a lot of sprinters before¡­


    ¡­this always happens for some reason."

 Chapter 412: Welcome to The Jungle

    Chapter 412: Wee to The Jungle


    There was a certain joke that circled throughout the culture of the evaniels for thousands of years; a joke that most probably every men, women, child, and even old people that could barely run anymore still know.


    The joke goes like this,


    ''There once was a farmer named Vsmir who circled an entire to search for his shovel. But it turns out, he was holding it all along.''


    That was it. That was the joke.


    Most of the other races couldn''t really understand how that was a joke, or how it could even be funny in the first ce. But for evaniels, it held a meaning that only they could understand even if it was the first time they heard it.


    The evaniels tell it all the time to the other races; but each time, they have to exin what it meant. The weirdest part of this was¡ª that the joke was intended to be told to foreigners.


    It was a way for the evaniels to exin how different their way of life ispared to others. If a non-evaniel farmer were to lose a shovel, the most they would search in would be their tool shed, the vicinity of their farm; or in frustration, will try their luck in the bathroom¡ª maybe they left it there.


    It was normal to search those ces, it wasn''t a big deal at all.


    Now, if an evaniel farmer were to lose a shovel, there was absolutely no limit to where they would search, it wasn''t a big deal at all. Because by the time a non-evaniel farmer has searched his entire farm, an evaniel farmer would have probably also circled their entire.


    Whenever the evaniels try to exin the joke, however, the other races also saw something else that they held¡ª impulsiveness.


    One could say that time moves differently for them; making them quick to actpared to most, making it the number 1 cause of their deaths.


    There was still one race, however, that they have not told the joke to¡ª the humans. They did not need to, however, as one of these evaniels already turned into a paste in front of them; sttered like a bug on a windshield going a hundred miles an hour.


    "Do you know what the greatest enemy of a sprinter is, Prince Val?"


    "...What?"


    "A very hard wall."


    "..."


    The other people inside the confinement bay could really only look at each other as a wide smile very slowly crawled on Riley''s face. Like the prince, most of the evaniels saw what happened in detail. But at the very same time, they couldn''t really exin what happened.


    And before they could even think of anything else, a small giggle suddenly whispered in the air.


    "T¡­ that was very funny, master Riley."


    Tomoe''s shoulders almost bobbed up and down as she tried to suppress the burningughter that wanted to escape her lips. As for Paige who was standing beside her, she could really only raise an eyebrow.


    "It wasn''t that funny," Paige muttered.


    "Then I guess you don''t understand Riley as much as I do?"


    "..." Paige very much wanted to argue with Tomoe right now but chose not to do so as she instead just moved towards the prince, covering him from the rest of his kind. The prince didn''t even need to ask why, as it was clear what just happened.


    If it wasn''t for Riley creating an invisible barrier between them, then he would have been stabbed by the guard. And what''s more, the guard was holding a knife made of ice¡ª it shouldn''t be a coincidence that one of Riley''spanions, one of the only few who had shown her abilities to the evaniels, had the power to conjure ice to her will.


    They were going to assassinate Prince Val and frame the humans for his murder.


    "What¡­ do we do now, Riley?" Paige then whispered as she looked at the remaining evaniels circling them. They seemed to be wary now and were not attacking, but that could change any minute, "You know, for a people that are iming to be the most peaceful race in the universe¡­ you evaniels sure do like your assassinations."


    "May I suggest we just kill them all, master Riley?" Tomoe also carefully moved to Riley''s side as her entire body was suddenly covered in a dark armor of ice; with almost a million spikes that protrude outward.


    "They''ve already seen us," Paige was the one to answer as her eyes did not leave the guards, "I¡­ think it''s better to just stay here and see what happens."


    "Master Riley can just kill them all," Tomoe shook her head in disappointment, "In that way, it would be like no one really ever saw us¡ª including the prince, of course."


    "W¡­ what?" Prince Val could really only move behind Paige as he heard Tomoe''s cold words. A few momentster, however, he looked at the person that would probably decide his entire fate from now on, Riley Ross.


    But s, he was, as always, drowned in mystery. The workings of his mind,pletely unknown to the young prince¡ª and perhaps it was for the best. Because if he could read his mind, then he would probably soon wish he hadn''t.


    But finally, after a few more breaths, Riley opened his mouth.


    "We wait."


    "Hm."


    "..." Tomoe could not help but re at Paige as she heard Riley''s words. The next words that escaped from Riley''s lips, however, returned the confidence on Tomoe''s face.


    "But while we wait¡­" Riley breathed out, "...we kill all the evaniels within this hall, and any that will enter."


    "Don''t let them do anything!"


    And with Riley raising his hand, the evaniels that were surrounding them finally started to move; their hair, glowing even brighter as they all disappeared from their spot. There was, however, a loud squeak that whistled in the air as one of them seemed to have slipped on the floor¡ª his skull, now decorated with a giant spike of ice through it.


    And if one were to look at the man''s feet, one would notice the darkyer of ice beneath him. The other evaniels were quick to notice this, however, as none of them followed the fate of theirrade.


    "Tch."


    And before Tomoe could notice it, one of the assassins was already in front of her; his hand, already only inches away from stabbing her chest. The evaniel''s attack didn''t go through, however, as he just moved away and disappeared¡ª not because he felt an invisible wall blocking his path¡­ but because the spikes surrounding Tomoe''s body were actually vibrating and rotating at insane speeds, almost acting like a drill.


    If the evaniel''s reflex were not as fast as it was, he might have found his hand shredded. Still, the bodies of the evaniels were actually tougher than any of the Lower Races, and could evenpete with some of those that belong to the Higher Races. He didn''t want to take any chances, however, as the people in front of them right now were definitely different from the rest of the Lower Races they have met.


    Their deadrade shouldn''t have even turned into paste, even if he mmed himself onto a wall--- something was definitely wrong here.


    At the same time, wings that span almost 10 meters instantly emerged from Paige''s back; causing some of the evaniels that were going to her to stop in their tracks. And with them slightly perplexed, she used this chance to grab the prince and fly up¡ª before instantly disappearing into thin air.


    And before any of the evaniels could react, the scenery around them changed into that of a lush forest; filled with a sea of trees that obstructed any path they would take. For the evaniels, this hasn''t happened before.


    Instant.


    There were many things that imed to be so¡ª calctions by a super AI? There was still a very slightg that only the evaniels could notice. But this? The forest just appeared out of nowhere. One could not even define it as having speed.


    "..."


    The evaniels could really stay still on their tracks; their eyes, very carefully examining the new environment they were in.


    "Wait¡­"


    However, it did not take long for them to notice that something was amiss¡ª just a single step, and they realized the weirdness of the situation. The dried and dead leaves that were beneath their feet weren''t making any noise as they step on them; no, upon looking, they also started to notice that some of the leaves¡­ were just passing through their feet.


    "It''s illusion magic! It''s not real!"


    And as soon as they heard theirrade''s words, the other evaniels started touching the thick trees that blocked their path, only for their hands to go through it without a single hindrance.


    "They''re trying to escape! Chase after them!"


    The evaniel that seemed to be the leader of the assassins roared; his hair, once again glowing even brighter than before as he disappeared from his spot¡ª turning into a white streak as he moved through the tree in front of him¡­ only for the white streak to turn into a mist of blue as his entire body shattered into a billion pieces as it smashed on the tree.


    And as soon as the other evaniels saw this, they once again found themselves stopped in their tracks.


    Illusion? Who the fuck was it that said it was an illusion!?--- They all thought in unison. But then, as they tried to once again touch the trees near them, their hands just went through.


    Just¡­ what exactly is going on here?


    "Hm,"


    And as their thoughts started to be erratic and panicked, a quiet whisper started to chuckle in the air¡ª the breath that came with it, almost visceral.


    "I did warn all of you about hard walls, assassins," Riley''s voice then echoed in the air; causing some of the evaniels to hold their breaths, "You didn''t listen¡­


    ¡­and now we''re back to where we were before."


    "..."


    "Wee, Evaniels¡­ to my newest prison."

 Chapter 413: Reinforcement

    Chapter 413: Reinforcement


    Obstacles have never been a problem for the evaniels.


    They weren''t just fast; they live in apletely different world where everything else is too slow for them. Most of the advanced species are simr to each other, but at the same time,pletely different in terms of abilities.


    But perhaps the mostmon trait of each of the Higher Races was their environment; specifically, their youth. How they grow up and how they were taught to move through life. As beings that held unimaginable powers, the Higher Races were living in a world that was too fragile for them.


    For the evaniels, they learned how to adjust to everyone else''s time; to perceive the moment as others perceive them. They were told to be patient, they were taught to wait. But of course, as beings of incredible speeds, it was their natural and primal instinct to want to break free.


    You can''t imprison an evaniel, they will be mad very soon and very fast.


    But s, sadly for a very minuscule and very insignificant number of the evaniel''s poption, they were currently trapped in a prison that seemed like it was designed to shatter their entire being, their entire reason.


    A sea of trees.


    Of course, this wouldn''t have even been a problem if it were just a normal forest¡ª after all, they could just bulldoze their way through the trees; their bodies were more than capable of withstanding the weight of mountains.


    A forest? That was just like running through cardboard.


    But s, the forest they were in was¡­ weird.


    It was an illusion, but at the same time, it was not. They have seen theirrade die a very gruesome death as he smashed and sttered himself on a tree that should have beenpletely intangible because it was supposed to just be an illusion.


    And so now, the evaniels found themselves once again adjusting to everything else; just this time, it meant life or death.


    Their hands were waving everywhere, checking all the trees to see if they could touch them or not. But so far, after what seemed like an eternity of walking around; they have not, even once, found a tree they couldn''t pass through¡ª everything was just an illusion.


    "...Let''s just avoid the trees."


    One of the evaniels that were trapped in this unconventional prison raised his hand, "The humans have probably escaped with the prince, let''s get out of here as well before anyone notices us."


    And with his words, all the evaniels within the prison forest all nodded their heads, before turning into a streak of white and moving through the gaps of the trees.


    Well¡­ that would have been the case if it wasn''t for one of them once again sttering like a bug on a windshield. He didn''t hit a tree¡ª what he did hit, however, was a dried leaf that was falling in the air.


    "..."


    And very soon, another whisper echoed through their ears,ughing.


    And that was when the evaniels within the sea of fake trees finally understood their situation. The humans didn''t escape, no; they were still there, watching them¡­ ying with them as if they were mice in a maze impossible to escape from.


    It didn''t matter even if they were to move through the gaps between the trees; as long as any of them attempted to run or move fast, they would instantly find themselves turned into paste. The telekic within the group¡­


    ¡­he was the one that was watching andughing at them.


    "Riley Ross, you''re not going to get away from this!"


    "...Why would I want to get away from this, assassin?"


    "!!!"


    And as one of the evaniels screamed, he could not help but take a step back as Riley, out of nowhere, just instantly appeared in front of him.


    "I am here on a mission," Riley sighed as he started to walk towards the evaniel, "Well, it was more like a request, really. But since it''s from Aerith, I couldn''t really refuse, nor did I want to."


    "...What?" The evaniel looked around him, trying to look at his otherrades¡­ but found himself suddenly alone as he was suddenly surrounded by trees that shouldn''t weren''t there just moments ago.


    "I am taking a blind guess that one of you killed Commander Voris," Riley then whispered as he looked to nowhere in particr, "There''s also the possibility that he killed himself to prevent any information from leaking out of him."


    "..."


    "None of you have to worry, though," a small smile then slowly crawled on Riley''s face as he looked the assassin straight in the eyes, "None of you can kill yourselves from now on, I need to ask some questions, after all. So¡­


    ¡­it would be better for all of us to getfortable."


    ***


    "...They''re all dead."


    After a minute, Riley was now standing in front of a mangled corpse, not the one he was speaking to earlier, but a different evaniel. No, perhaps it wasn''t as simple as that.


    Riley was, in actuality, in front of all the evaniels in the hall at the same time; questioning all of them separately with different clones.


    "The evaniels¡­ they also die fast," Riley then said; his breaths, filled with disappointment as the rest of his clones faded away¡ª leaving only him who was actually still just standing from where he was from the start, beside Tomoe.


    "Did we manage to get any information, master Riley?"


    "We did, but dismissable," Riley could really only sigh as he raised his hand; and as he did so, the sea of trees around them disappeared, "The mastermind behind all this is still out there, but we already knew that."


    "W¡­ wait. Someone¡­ someone really wants to kill me just to frame you people?"


    The young prince''s voice then whispered in the air as he was being slowly carried down back to the ground by Paige,


    "Wouldn''t that mean¡­ someone is also after the royal family as much as they are after you humans?"


    "No," Tomoe was the one to answer the prince as she shook her head, "More likely than not, they are only after you, your family, and perhaps someone else on this ship. We ''humans'' were just a means to an end."


    "How¡­ how do you know that?"


    "I don''t, it''s just an assumption. No wonder your race is serving a Queen, all the princes seem to be unreliable," Tomoe rolled her eyes, before walking away to check on the corpses scattered in the vast hall.


    "Very great with kids, Tomoe!" Paige hollered; Tomoe, however, only shrugged her shoulders and ignored her.


    "...What do we do now?" Paige then said as she approached Riley, who was just once again looking at Commander Voris''s corpse, which was still peacefully resting inside its cell, "And please don''t suggest killing everyone."


    "Why would I suggest that, Paige?" Riley blinked a couple of times before he ced his hand on the ss wall securing Voris''s cell. And before Paige and Tomoe could start to wonder what he was doing, Riley pulled his hand away¡­ taking the massive colossal wall along with it.


    Riley then casually threw the ss window upwards, causing it to prate and stick through the ceiling of the confinement bay.


    "..."


    Judging by the several wounds and blood stters on Commander Voris''s corpse, he wasn''t really able to put up too much of a fight¡ª No, he probably died sitting here just like the position of his corpse now.


    "It''s someone he knew and trusted," Tomoe then suddenly appeared behind Riley as she started examining themander''s corpse, "He probably thought he wasn''t going to die today."


    "...How can you tell that?" Paige also entered the cell, along with Prince Val who was stillpletely shaken up by the things that have been happening around him,


    "...Are you sure you''re not justing up with random theories?"


    "I''m afraid the only one random here is you," Tomoe squinted her eyes as she nced at Paige, "It should have just been me and master Riley."


    "Are you still jealous?"


    "W¡ª what are you saying in front of master Riley? We should just focus on getting out of here now!"


    "No, we will stay," Riley quickly said before¡­ stabbing Voris''s corpse with his bare hands.


    "W¡­ what are you doing!?" Val quickly moved behind Paige as he saw what Riley did; not just once, but he stabbed the already deadmander several times.


    "Don''t worry, prince Val. He doesn''t mind," Riley sighed, before flicking the blood away from his arm, "Your species do not use weapons a lot?"


    "...Our bodies are our weapons."


    "I suppose that makes sense," Riley shrugged as he once again looked at Voris''s corpse, "Let''s just wait and see what happens now, everyone."


    "W¡ª shouldn''t we leave!?"


    Paige and Tomoe only nodded as they once again started casually walking around the cell; as for prince Val, however, the only thing he could really do was worry.


    "If¡­ If we need to wait, then let''s do it somewhere else! We will be in trouble if they see us surrounded by¡­ by dead people!" Val said as he raised his voice,


    "This¡­ this will all be solved once my sister arrives!"


    "Your sister?" Riley quickly asked, "Another member of the royal family ising here?"


    "Y¡­ yes," Val nodded, "My¡­ my sister is usually the one responsible for fixing rtions with other races. And¡­ well, since I messed up, she was told toe here by mother."


    "To do what, exactly?"


    "To try and exin the situation to princess Aerith that we mean no harm¡­


    ¡­and to talk to you, Riley Ross."

 Chapter 414: Vera

    Chapter 414: Vera


    More hours passed with Riley and the others waiting inside the confinement bay for any reinforcements of the assassins that maye. But there was nothing; the only thing that came to visit them was the awkward silence that came after the prince''s revtion.


    His sister, princess of the evaniels and future ruler of their realms, wasing to Earth as a sort of envoy to fix the friction that Val might have created between them and the humans. But that was where the problem lies¡ª there were other factions lurking inside the ship. Factions that would not hesitate to kill the prince to sow discord for whatever reason with the humans.


    Whatever the true goal of this secret faction was, Val''s sister was no doubt also in danger. No¡ª perhaps that was their goal in the first ce, to draw out the princess and kill her in a faraway and secluded gxy.


    All of this information, however, was not the reason why everyone was so quiet; it was the other information they received from Val regarding the princess''ing.


    Since it became known to the Queen that Riley held a certain status not only to the people of the new but also held enough reputation to be singled out by Aerith, and is also known to be friends with her, the princess wasn''t just here to mend whatever was broken between the new rtionship of the humans and evaniels¡­ she was also here to build a rtionship solely with Riley Ross.


    Paige and Tomoe asked what kind of rtionship, even though they already somewhat knew what Val actually meant¡ª a potential for marriage.


    Paige wanted to react at first; but after thinking about it for like 2 seconds, it made sense. For royalty, marriage was only a tool, a duty. It was probably the same even with an entirely different race from another.


    "..."


    "..."


    "How does that even work?"


    And finally, after a few more minutes of silence, Paige could no longer help herself as the words she''d been wanting to ask escaped her small lips,


    "Interspecies marriage? Isn''t that like¡­ considered sodomy? Granted, you do look like us except the whole deal with the anime hair and magic tattoos¡ª but you''re still apletely different species," Paige then asked; her words, almost like a torrent with how fast she was talking,


    "...We don''t even know if you have the same organs as us."


    "What are you asking the little boy?" Tomoe was the first one to answer her as she let out a small sigh; her eyes, however, did not leave the door of the confinement for even a single moment, "He probably still doesn''t know anything about all of that adult stuff."


    "I know!" Val quickly raised his voice as soon as he heard Tomoe''s somewhat mocking words, "That''s¡­ that''s basic biology, duh. Although, I wouldn''t understand a primitive species like yours to understand."


    "..." Paige quickly covered her mouth as she looked at Tomoe, almost letting out a teasing giggle as the prince returned her jeers.


    "You''re the same species as me, Paige."


    "...That¨C"


    "Can you borate on that, Prince Val?"


    And anyone else could talk, Riley joined in on the conversation as he finished¡­piling all the evaniel corpses inside Voris''s cell and arranging them in some sort of theatrical way¡ª the others didn''t really ask about it.


    "That¡­" Val was a bit hesitant to answer Riley until he remembered what he just did to the other evaniels, "...Although it''s not usual, it''s also not umon for other humanoid races to have children; especially the ones from the Higher Races like us."


    "Hm," Riley only nodded as he gestured to Val to continue.


    "There are actually also Themarian and Evaniel children, but non-pure Themarians don''t inherit anything from their parents other than their physical appearance¡­ my great-grandparent is actually half themarian."


    "Hm."


    "What do you mean ''hm''!?" Prince Val could not help but raise his voice from the humans''ck of response to his words, "I have Themarian blood in me! Do you know how rare it is for Themarians to have children with other races!? They can only have children once every thousand years or so, so they are actually somewhat forbidden to pollute their bloodline!"


    "We have two here, Prince Val," Riley only shrugged his shoulders, "Aerith''s son, and my sister."


    "...What?" Prince Val widened his eyes in shock as he let out a loud gasp, "...Wait, you''re half-themarian!?"


    "No," Riley quickly shook his head, "My sister is."


    "..."


    "I was adopted, Prince Val."


    "...Oh, that makes se¡ª but wait, your race has two half-themarian children!? And with royalty!?"


    "I would hardly call the two of them children, but yes. I thought you were briefed by Aerith about the situation on Earth?" Riley asked.


    "N¡­ no," Val shook his head, "I only received instructions and information from Commander Voris."


    "So, you were used from that start," Tomoe''s sighs whispered in the air as she looked at Val; her head, subtly showing her sympathy, "I heard you also snuck aboard, that''s why you''re here in the first ce?"


    "Y¡­ yes."


    "I am taking a guess here, young prince. But could it be Voris that let you in?"


    "...Yes," Val could really only lower his head as he realized what Tomoe was telling him. He was the prince, and yet he was currently being yed by someone from their race¡­ which leads them once again to one of their very first questions¡ª why?


    Why would someone even want to sow discord with a new species, and in front of a Themarian? The alliance between the Higher Races was almost invible, strengthened through hundreds of thousands of years¡ª if one were to break it, then it would surely cause a stir that was enough to crack the entire universe.


    Even Val, who was young to the call of politics, knew this. No one, absolutely no one would benefit from this.


    "It¡­ would seem we involved ourselves into something weird," Paige forced a chuckle as she scratched her cheek, "Earth is just on its way to intergctic trade and diplomacy, and yet we''re already in the middle of some sort of civil war."


    "W¡­ We''re not in a civil war!" Val once again raised his voice, "Our¡­ our species is the most peaceful amongst the Higher Races, we¡­ we''re above wars!"


    "There are 11 reasons in this room that proves you are not, young prince," Tomoe said with a straight face as she looked at the corpses that Riley so finely arranged,


    "There are two possibilities I can think of here. Either someone wants to besmirch the name of your family, or there''s a faction out there that wants to ignire conflict amongst the Higher Races¡ª if it was thetter, then most likely other species are involved."


    "..."


    "Is there a private organization out there that¡­ has all sorts of species under it?"


    "...Many?"


    "Which one is wealthy enough to fund a war?"


    "...I don''t know."


    "...I suppose it doesn''t matter for now," Tomoe could really only sigh, "There''s no use in thinking about it. We''re just a small and insignificant species. If it''s thetter, they probably do not even have their eyes set on us."


    "..."


    "When will your sister be arriving?" Paige then changed the topic to relieve the tension in the air.


    "She¡­ should actually be here right now."


    "...Already? Isn''t your like billions and billions of kilometers away?"


    "Trillions. She''s moving through hyperdrive¡­" Val was going to stop exining, but then noticed the slightly confused expression on Paige''s face,


    "...It allows our ships to travel in a single direction faster than the speed of light."


    "...What?" Paige''s eyes started to widen as she looked at the others; who also had a somewhat curious expression on their stoic faces, "That''s possible?"


    "It¡­ was made by the Anavi with the help of themarians. I¡­ I forgot when," a small smile slowly crawled on Vals'' face, "It''s justmon knowledge, really."


    "Is that how you got here?"


    "...No," Val breathed out, "It''s too risky for a ship thisrge to jump through uncharted territories like this gxy. We did jump to the nearest station, however. I know all this because they let me inside the control room. I''m the prince, after all."


    "Hm¡­"


    "My sister should be using her personal ship, she has a racer. It''s small enough to go through hyperdrive without any risks," Val nodded to himself, "She lets me pilot it sometimes, maybe I''ll let you try it once she''s here. She wouldn''t mind since¡ª"


    [I would actually do mind, my dear brother.]


    "...Vera!?"


    And before Val could finish his words, a voice sounded reverberated throughout the entire confinement bay,


    "You¡­ you''re here!?"


    [I just arrived. We''ve been watching you for a few moments now.]


    "W¡­ wait, we''re innocent! These guards tried to kill me!"


    Riley, Paige, and Tomoe could really only look at each other as they tried to search for where the cameras could be.


    [Yeah, well¡ª the surveince footage has been deleted. All we can really see was one of you¡­ ying with corpses.]


    "That¡­" Val looked at Riley as soon as he heard his sister''s words, "...He''s Riley Ross. They''re in disguise because of a mission given by Princess Aerith! They didn''t do anything wrong, I was with them the whole time!"


    [...Oh?]


    "Vera?"


    [...]


    "Are you still there, Ve¡ª"


    And once again, before Val could finish his words, he was interrupted. This time by the sound of the door confinement bay door opening.


    "So, you''re Riley Ross."


    And without the door even fully opening; an unfamiliar silhouette was now standing a few meters behind Riley and the others; her hair, almost as green as a luscious forest, "You¡­


    ¡­look weird."

 Chapter 415: The Walk

    Chapter 415:The Walk


    "You look weird."


    "..."


    "I could say the same to you. Princess Vera, I presume?"


    With the appearance of another evaniel, the temperature inside the confinement bay once again lowered as Tomoe covered herself with ayer of dark ice. Paige was also on alert, but prince Val quickly move in front of the two; gesturing to them not to do anything.


    "She¡­ she''s my sister," he said.


    "I was under the impression that all evaniels inherently have silver hair," Tomoe slightly furrowed her eyebrows; only canceling her powers when Riley ordered her to do so.


    "The¡­ the women of the Royal family are different. They¡ª"


    "I can speak for myself, Val."


    "O¡­ Of course, sister."


    And before Val could finish his words, Vera turned her eyes towards him; causing him to slightly flinch and lower his head. Just from this brief interaction, it was clear to Paige and Tomoe that Vera''s authority over Val wasn''t just because she was older¡ª there was a certain hierarchy between the two.


    "I truly would like to talk about my aesthetics with your species, but I believe an introduction is in order."


    The supposed princess then slowly walked and stood in front of Riley, before doing some sort of curtsy and bowing her head; her bright green hair, flowing from her shoulders as she did so. Her hair wasn''t the only thing different from the other evaniels¡ª the markings on her face, although it was barely visible now, one could see hints of gold on them.


    Her clothes too were somewhat different. Unlike Val and the others who just had something simr to an armored scuba-diving suit, hers had some sort of cloth that flowed to the side; which she held when she did a curtsy.


    ¡­Was it only for design purposes?


    "My name is Vera Lauder. Daughter of the Queen of Evaniels, and the only heir to the throne. I was sent here by the Queen as an envoy in the hopes of further strengthening the newly established friendship between our two races."


    "R¡ª"


    "Let me introduce to you His Excellency¡­"


    And before Riley could speak, Tomoe suddenly stepped forward; slightly nudging Paige to the side as she did so,


    "The Lord of Darkness, Walking Cmity, Conqueror of Death, Vanquisher of the Mega, Future Overlord of the Universe, Riley Ross."


    Tomoe then also bowed her head as she addressed Vera; her eyes, however, were ncing at Riley to see what his reaction was. And as soon as he returned her nce, Tomoe could really only take in a small breath, before stepping away with a subtle smile on her face.


    "...Alright," as for Vera, she could really only nod her head as her eyes slightly squinted; her sight, however, did not leave Tomoe, "And what about the two of you?"


    "Nightqueen, Second Subordinate to Riley Ross."


    "P¡­ Paige Pearson. I''m uh¡­ Riley''s friend?"


    "It is a pleasure to meet all of you."


    Although the tone of Vera''s voice seemed a little stern and authoritative at first, the friendly demeanor and expression on her face served as a sort of contrast¡ª as one would expect from someone born to royalty.


    "I do wish we met in more favorable circumstances, however," Vera then let out a small sigh as she turned her eyes towards the corpses that were in Voris''s cell, "You do have my thanks, if it was not for you, then my stupid brother would have probably already died at the hand of these assassins¡­


    ¡­They''ve been a little obnoxious with their attempts."


    "You are already aware of the existence of these assassins, Princess Vera?" Riley, who finally found a chance to actually talk, casually moved beside the princess as he also examined his handiwork.


    "...Yes," Vera could really only squint her eyes as Riley stood close to her, "They have been a thorn to the Queen for quite some time now, Lord Riley. My brother has not told you about them?"


    "No, Princess Vera."


    "W¡­ what?" Val blinked a couple of times as he saw everyone''s eyes slowly moving towards him, "I¡­ I don''t know anything!"


    "I apologize for my brother''s idiocracy," Vera let out a small sigh as she shook her head, "He doesn''t attend the small meetings, which he is required to."


    "...But you''re the one never letting me attend it!"


    "Because you''re an idiot," Vera smirked; a few momentster, however, it was once again reced with a gentle smile, "We have much to discuss, Lord Riley. But¡­


    ¡­perhaps a change of venue is in order?"


    ***


    "...This really is arge ship. How much do you think they spent on something like this? Wait, do you think they even have currency where they''re at? What if everything was free? I mean, so far they''ve been pretty simr to us in terms of the way they interact¡­ but what if they''re secretly cannibals?"


    "We know nothing for now, Paige. But it''s right to be alert¡­ we know nothing about these people."


    "...I''m right here, you know?"


    The group was now currently in some sort of dome; the view of the space, above and beside them as they stood on a vast field of grass. Riley and Princess Vera were walking on their own, while Paige and the others were seated at a table, being offered food.


    "...What do you think this is? How do we know this isn''t the meat of some other sentient species?"


    "I''ll try consuming it to see if it''s safe for master Riley to eat."


    "That''s¡­ just bread. And I''m right here! You can just ask me questions!" Prince Val could not help but raise his voice as Paige and Tomoe seemed to be suddenly ignoring him.


    "You did not tell us that you knew about the assassins, young prince. How can we believe anything you say?"


    "W¡ª I just said I wasn''t invited to the meetings," prince Val crossed his arms, "And¡­ no one really tells me anything."


    "..." Tomoe and Paige could really only look at each other as Val''s voice slowly became quiet. But after a few seconds, the both of them let out a short but very deep sigh.


    "Is this like some sort of park? There''s absolutely nothing here," Paige then asked as she looked at the vast empty field of grass. Even the table they were seating at was just ced there moments ago.


    "It''s¡­ just one of the ship''s many open spaces," Val''s eyes then started to light up as he was asked a question, "We use it to stretch our legs. We also have treadmills, but they could get boring pretty fast."


    "...You think I can try one of those treadmills?"


    "...How fast can you run?"


    "47 kilometers per hour,st I checked," Paige nodded her head, "Supers are generally faster than the normal poption."


    "...You''re going to get thrown," Val could really only let out a sigh as he heard Paige''s words, "The weakest treadmill we have can only go at a minimum of 360 kilometers an hour."


    "...For real?"


    "Hm, my personal record is 550."


    "Is¡­ that fast for someone your age?"


    "It is," Val smirked and nodded to himself, "But once I be an adult, that would be nothing. Our prime originator was said to be able to travel at speeds unquantifiable by any calctions."


    "How fast do you think Tempo could go with the treadmill?" Paige then turned to Tomoe.


    "Hm¡­" Tomoe quickly ced her hand on her chin as she heard Paige''s question, "...There''s actually no recorded data of how fast Tempo can actually run. I heard he tries to hold himself back a lot."


    "...Tempo?"


    "He''s a sprinster. Fastest man in the world, I think."


    "W¡ª"


    "But enough about that¡­ what do you think your sister and Riley are talking about?"


    "That¡­ I don''t really know," Val shook his head and sighed as he looked at Riley and his sister, who were now gaining distance as they continued to walk, "They are probably talking about something important. But my sister¡­


    ¡­she can get a little intense."


    ***


    "So, what is your opinion of my people so far?"


    "I don''t hold an opinion yet, Princess Vera."


    Contrary to the expectations of Paige and the others, the two have actually not discussed anything of importance yet, and have just been asking questions back and forth; not even rting to the assassins or the fact that Riley infiltrated their ship.


    "I am the same. You and yourpanions are the only humans I have seen for now¡ª and I feel like I can not use you as a sample to judge your kind."


    "That is true, Princess Vera. You are probably more simr to my own species than I am."


    "...I guess you are wondering why I have a different hair color than the others?"


    "Not really."


    "..."


    "..."


    "It''s a trait of the women of the Royal family, specifically the one that would one day inherit the throne," Princess Vera still exined, "And it''s not just the hair, my face is exactly the same as my mother''s."


    "A clone?"


    "No," Princess Vera giggled, "It''s illegal for the Higher Races to engage in any cloning activities."


    "..." Riley could really only blink as he thought of Silvie, and Diana.


    "It''s just the way it is with the Royal blood, if you and I have children and it happens to be female, it would have a 100% chance of looking like me¡­


    ¡­I''ve only been the one telling things about myself, perhaps you can share a little of you?"


    "I have aplicated history, Princess Vera."


    "Try me," Princess Vera let out a small breath as she stopped walking, "I just want to know more¡­


    ¡­about the man that is to be my betrothed."

 Chapter 416: The Talk

    Chapter 416:The Talk


    "..."


    "..."


    Princess Vera and Riley have been staring at each other for quite some time now; the two, not even uttering a single word as their eyes just reflected each other''s silhouette.


    The only movement between the two was Vera''s batting eyshes; which caused her bright green eyes to glow for some reason.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Aren''t you going to say anything?"


    And finally, after what seemed like almost a quarter of an hour, Vera broke the silence before it could build an entire bridge between them.


    Riley, however, just continued to stare at Vera as the artificial winds of the ship caused the des of grass beneath them to dance.


    But after a few more seconds, he let out a small sigh and shook his head.


    "I apologize, Princess Vera. Our circumstance now just reminded me of a scene from a TV show I watch," he then said before looking up towards the expanse of space,


    "Your mother sent you here to set up a marital engagement with me, why so?"


    "...Most of the others I told this to either be nervous or excited," Princess Vera blinked a couple of times as she looked at Riley; her eyes, containing a bit of bewilderment.


    "You are also betrothed to other people? Riley tilted his head to the side, "It would seem your mother only treats you as a political tool."


    "No, and no," Vera sighed and shook her head, "It is ultimately my choice. As the future ruler of the evaniels, I would want my first act to be that of change, an alliance with a new race that has the potential to be one of the Higher Races, marriage would cement that.


    "Hm."


    "The Higher Races have be stagnant, you see. Other elements feel the same¡ª like the people behind Voris and the assassins, but they want to change it through violence and war. I would like to change it¡­


    ¡­with love," Princess Vera then closed her eyes; taking in a deep breath as the golden markings on her skin started to glow.


    "I know of someone that feels and wants the same as you, Princess Vera. She is more literal than you with her methods, however."


    "...Who?"


    "It is not my secret to tell, Princess Vera. I just wanted to make you curious," Riley said as he finally removed his eyes from the view of the space above.


    "...You really are different from the rest," a small smirk crawled on Vera''s face, "Others just feign their stoicism, but jump at the opportunity for a chance to gain friendship with one of the Higher Races¡ª much less a chance to marry one such as I and rule my species together. Suffice to say, I ignored all of them after the first meeting."


    "That is because I don''t need friendship, Princess Vera. But you do not have to worry, that is not your fault¡ª I am just unexinable that way."


    "You did say you''repletely different from your own race."


    "That is true," Riley nodded, "And also, I do not need to be married to you to rule the evaniels, Princess Vera¡­"


    "...Hm?"


    "...I can conquer it on my own, as I did my world."


    "...If we weren''t just talking friendly just moments ago, I would think that''s a threat," Vera''s green hair started to slightly let out a glow; almost like the withering life of a bright firefly, "And since you were directly identified and singled out by Princess Aerith, that threat might hold merit."


    "Please do not misunderstand, Princess Vera," Riley shook his head as he looked Vera in the eyes, "I do not threaten people, I merely tell them what could happen if I wanted it to happen."


    "Hm," Princess Vera''s eyes started to squint, "Like what you did to Commander Voris, in front of the admiral, Dr. Ve, and my brother?"


    "You''ve seen it?" A small smile crawled on Riley''s face, "Yes, like that. And like them, there is nothing anyone in your species could do to stop me once I do so. It is just the way it is."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I''m starting to like you more and more, Riley Ross," Princess Vera''s hair then lost its glow as she let out a small giggle, "If it were any other that said that to me, I would have probably justughed at them¡ª but you¡­


    ¡­you''re actually quite scary, aren''t you?" Princess Vera''s face then slightly turned red as her eyes once again looked at Riley from head to toe; the smile on her face, widening by the second.


    "If we do get married, would I be sharing you with those two?" Vera then said as she pointed at Tomoe and Paige, who seemed to be discussing something interesting with Val, "You don''t have to worry, the evaniels are polygamous. In fact, you may still not know this, but only one race in the Higher Races is monogamous."


    "Hm."


    "And seeing as you are always surrounded by more than one woman, I assume the humans are polygamous as well?"


    "A low percentage of the poption is, including my adoptive father. Some pretend to be monogamous, while most truly are."


    "...Interesting," a small smirk once again crawled on Princess Vera''s face as she looked at Tomoe and Paige, "I guess I would just have topete."


    "There is no need, Princess Vera. I have no intention of getting married to anyone."


    "...Great," Princess Vera''s shoulders started to lower as she heard Riley''s words, "The very first one I am actually interested in, and I get rejected."


    "I would not be a great spouse as well if you want to build a rtionship with Earth. I n to leave the with Aerith sometime in the future."


    "...To do what?"


    "I don''t know yet. But I am leaning towards the idea of conquering the universe. With Aerith by my side, it should be possible."


    "...I don''t know if you''re serious about the whole ruling and conquering thing."


    "I am," Riley tilted his head, "I believe it is slowly bing my purpose. In the past, it was only to kill and hurt everything and everyone, but it is changing¡ª I can feel it."


    "You''re crazy, are you aware of that?"


    "It runs in the family, both biological and adoptive."


    "I''m still not giving up on trying to pursue a rtionship with you, Riley Ross," Princess Vera then suddenly stood straight, "Knowing you more and more, I feel like it is slowly bing my responsibility to get you to our¡ª to my side."


    "If you truly want to build a rtionship with the humans, may I suggest pursuing the son of Aerith?"


    "No. You''re the one that she singled out¡ª and I am starting to slowly learn why from our brief but intimate talks."


    "I do believe our conversation has not been brief, Princess Vera."


    "...That''s true," Princess Vera let out a small giggle as she covered her mouth, "Our conversation could have even been an entire Chapter if it was a light book. But it is necessary, I needed to get to know you, and you needed to get to know me."


    "Perhaps."


    "And now there''s only one thing left for us to do to truly know about each other," the markings on the princess'' face once again started to light up, "Now that I have an idea of who you are, it''s time to learn what you are."


    "..." Riley could really only take a few steps back as trickles of what seemed like golden strands of lightning started to emerge from Vera''s tattoos.


    "I hope you''ll oblige me with this, Riley Ross," Princess Vera muttered as¡­ her silhouette seemed to be slowly splitting into two, "For two nations to fully be allies, they must first know what each other is capable of¡ª what better way to check than a battle?"


    "I should not be your standard of measurement in regards to humans, Princess Vera. May I suggest just fighting my Second Subordinate?"


    "I''m not talking about the humans, Riley Ross¡ª only you. Checking the other humans is Varen''s job."


    "..."


    "Do you ept this invitation to a friendly match, Riley Ross? Do not worry, I know the both of us are strong enough to stop ourselves before one of us gets seriously hurt."


    "That is the problem, Princess Vera¡­" Riley could really only sigh, before ultimately nodding his head as his feet started to leave the des of grass, "...you and I have very different definitions of ''hurt''."


    "Well, as long as no one dies¡­


    ¡­everything is cool."


    And halfway through Vera''s words, she suddenly disappeared from her spot, almost instantly appearing behind Riley Ross with her hand already only an inch from his neck; her fingers, letting out some sort of a whirring whisper as they vibrate at an insane speed.


    "What are you going to do now, Riley Ross?"


    "This."


    "!!!"


    Vera could not help but widen her eyes as she heard Riley''s words¡ª not from the front, but from behind her. She was quick to move away, but as she did so, it almost felt like an immovable wall was suddenly blocking her path; causing her body to slightly be squished as she instantly stopped moving.


    "Oh," Vera then touched the invisible wall; a side of her lips, slightly turned upward as she tapped the wall several times, "This is what killed the assassins."


    "It might very well also be the thing that kills you, Princess Vera," Riley sighed, "May I suggest not continuing this friendly match? You will really only lose."


    "What are you talking about, Riley?" Vera then let out a small giggle as her face once again slightly turned flush; her hair, now also glowing even brighter¡ª and soon, it was almost as if her silhouette started to fade from existence,


    "We''ve only just begun."


    ***ANNOUNCEMENT***


    Hi, if you still don''t know--- my most famous book before this one, ''My Hermes System'', is getting a remake with a whole entirely new story entitled ''Speedster in a Fantasy World.'' Check it out if you want to see more speedsters!


    ''Speedster in a Fantasy World.''

 Chapter 417: A Mistake

    Chapter 417: A Mistake


    "Why are they suddenly fighting!?"


    Prince Val stood up from his seat as he saw Riley and Vera suddenly fighting each other.


    The two seemed to just be having a leisurely chat just moments ago as they explored the vast sea of grass. But then, without even as much as a scream or a leading argument, Vera''s hair lit up as she rushed towards Riley.


    As for Tomoe and Paige, the two just nced at Riley, before just shrugging their shoulders; with Tomoe bringing out arge camera from under her kimono and started filming what was happening.


    Now that she was back as Riley''s Second Subordinate, the task of taking videos and live streaming have been passed down to her¡ª yes, Riley was still streaming on the Paige and Paragon agency''s ount even after everything that has happened.


    "..."


    "..."


    "How fast are youpared to your sister, young prince?"


    "...what?" Val could really only blink a couple of times as he saw Paige and Tomoe just casually sitting there.


    "If I give you this camera, is it possible for you to follow your sister''s movements?"


    "...No?"


    "Useless," Tomoe said as she ced the camera on the table, facing it towards Riley.


    "If you want to capture the princess, maybe I can do this?"


    And out of nowhere, a hologram of a¡­ t screen suddenly popped out above the table; a screen showing princess Vera with everything around her seemingly blurry.


    "What¡­ what is that?" Val once again blinked a couple of times as he saw the floating screen, "Isn''t that Vera? How¡­ what?"


    It wasn''t only Val, even Tomoe''s eyes showed hints of shock as she saw the screen. She was already aware of Paige''s slightly quirky power¡ª after all, as soon as Tomoe realized that Paragon is Riley during the very first stream when he cut off Matchstick''s hand, she researched everything about Paige.


    She knew of how incredible and ridiculous her illusions were, and the fact that she was able to interact with them.


    "Oh, I made like¡­ a camera that could follow her around. Well, I suppose it''s attached to her but not really? Then I made it so that it would appear here," Paige only shrugged, as if it wasn''t that big of a deal.


    "Hm¡­" Tomoe squinted her eyes as she turned the camera towards the screen, "Imagine if you could kill with that ability, you will be more useful to Riley."


    "Oh, it''s fine," Paige shrugged again, "Riley can interact with my powers, so that already makes me as useful as he wants me to be. I guess¡­ we just have a connection that can''t be replicated, no?"


    "...You''re just a recement for Hannah."


    "...You really are jealous, aren''t you? You and Riley like, have one of the biggest toxic rtionships I have ever seen. But I guess¡­ I can''t reallyment on that," Paige forced a small chuckle,


    "I''m the same with him. Even the teacher, I forgot what her name was. His obsession with Aerith is unhealthy¡­ we''re all just in a web of toxicity."


    "..."


    "So you''re wrong, Tomoe. I can''t rece Hannah because she was, by all ounts, really the only one that had a healthy working rtionship with Riley," Paige sighed as she turned her eyes towards Riley who was just standing as a green and golden blur surrounded him,


    "But I guess you really can''t beat family¡­ why would you, right? So I am just trying to fill the void she left behind."


    "You''re taking advantage of the fact that he''s staying as far away and distant from Hannah."


    "I am," Paige said without any hesitation as she turned to look Tomoe straight in the eyes, "As I said, I''m toxic like that. I am doing it, because like you¡­


    ¡­I am madly, and crazy in love with Riley."


    "Wha¡ª"


    "And I have always been honest and upfront with that," a small smile slowly crawled on Paige''s face, "And maybe you should too."


    "..."


    "..."


    "That is where you are wrong about me, Paige Pearson," Tomoe let out a small sigh as she returned Paige''s gaze,


    "There might have been a time when that would have been true, but I am not in love with Riley. What I have for him is respect. And while I might hold love for him¡ª the respect and awe I feel for him far exceeds it¡­


    ¡­I have never confused what I feel for him, and I have never confused what I am to him; now, in the past, and probably even in the future."


    "..."


    "..."


    The two just stared at each other for a few seconds, before just nodding and proceeding to focus on what was happening between Riley and the princess of the evaniels.


    As for Val, however, he could barely control his breaths with what he just heard from these two women. He had never heard anyone talk like that about anyone¡ª even his parents to each other.


    Just¡­ what kind of man is Riley Ross to invoke this much feeling to his opposite sex? What sort of secret does he hold?


    "!!!"


    Val then quickly turned his eyes towards the floating screen. His sister¡ª


    If this continues on, then wouldn''t it be possible that Riley would also get his sister? If so¡­ then Riley was going to be his brother-inw?F


    If so, then he would have all the time in the world to learn Riley''s secret. This¡­


    ¡­this is good.


    "Riley! Beat her ass!" Val roared, "Y¡ª"


    But before he could say another word, he felt his head suddenly mming on the table; a palm print, now painted on his cheek.


    One might be confused as to what just happened, but it was clearly shown on the screen that followed Vera''s movements¡ª she pped her brother at blinding speed.


    Val was going to curse his sister because a trickle of blood started to trail on his cheek¡­ but quickly realized that it wasn''t his.


    "..." Vera just continued to run¡ª only stopping and turning as soon as she felt the slightest resistance anywhere near her because she knew¡­ she knew there were invisible walls just waiting for her.


    "..." A few more seconds of this, however, she stopped and just stood in front of Riley again; her hands, bleeding as they were the first to make contact with the invisible walls Riley hadying around everywhere. There were, however, no open wounds as they seem to have already healed.


    "You''re strong, Riley of Earth."


    "You are too, Princess Vera. The other evaniels I have faced would have already killed themselves a thousand times over if they were you."


    "Hm," Vera smirked, "But invisible walls and barriers? Why don''t you face me for real?"


    "You will die, Princess Vera," Riley shook his head, "Aerith wouldn''t like that. If you want to know what humans are capable of, I suggest fighting with Tempo. He¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, Vera''s fist was suddenly in front of him¡­ as well as above him, behind him, to his sides, everywhere¡ª hitting him all at once.


    These fists continued to strike Riley like a machine gun, a torrent of an endless raging barrage. Soon, however, the fist started to show signs of redness, bruising.


    As for Riley¡ª he just stood there like a rock. A mountain unperturbed by the violent hurricane that nketed him whole; not even a single strand of hair affected and moved.


    "I don''t know if you are hearing me because you are moving too fast," Riley then shook his head and sighed, "But I am going to stop you now. Okay, Princess Vera? Don''t worry, I have the means to cancel any momentum you have without harming even a single strand of your hair."


    Riley then slowly raised his hand, before suddenly closing it into a fist.


    And as soon as he did so, the fists surrounding him quickly faded away as Vera''s silhouette could finally be seen in its entirety, floating and hovering a foot above Riley with her green hair still glowing and her golden tattoos still emitting sparks of lightning.


    Soon, however, even the light around her started to fade as her sighs traveled throughout the entire field.


    "Just¡­ what are you, Riley Ross?" Vera then said as she found herself slowly descending back to the ground.


    "A monster, a human," Riley shrugged, "That entirely depends on you, Princess Vera."


    "Heh. I am starting to like you more and more," Vera smiled as she looked at Riley''s face, "I feel like my stay on your would be rather eventful if I stick with you."


    "You are free to do so, Princess Vera," Riley then said before stretching his hand towards the princess, "In truth, I also find you very interesting."


    "...Hm?" Vera could really only blink a couple of times as she looked at Riley''s hand.


    "I can tour you around Earth, but you will have to be my Third Subordinate."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...What?"


    ***


    Somewhere. Surrounded by nothing but silver walls, two women stood¡ª their very presence, almost bending the space around them.


    No, perhaps their surroundings truly were bending; as one could see hints of a crack where light seems to be unable to exist floating everywhere near them.


    "Why¡­ why the fuck would you resurrect me, D?"


    "Because you didn''t deserve to die, Alice."


    "You don''t know what you''ve done. You¡­ you have no idea what you''ve done. I¡­ I''m not well¡­"


    "...I know."


    "You don''t know, Diana. You know nothing."


    "..."


    "I hear it, the whispers. The whispers. They¡­ they''re telling me to kill everything. I¡­ I can''t hurt Riley anymore. I remember it¡­ No, I am experiencing it happening right now. I¡­ I am killing my baby again and again¡­


    You¡­ just kill me, please."


    "...No."


    "Diana¡­


    ¡­this is a mistake."

 Chapter 418: Im A Bad Guy

    Chapter 418: I''m A Bad Guy


    "So, this is Earth. It looks just like any other low-tier."


    "...Are all the habitables simr?"


    "Not at all, but this is like the textbook of whats with any kind of base civilization look like. If a develops like this, then an intelligent civilization would sprout on it, no matter what."


    Riley andpany were now hovering in the skies of Earth with a ship made by Paige, and as always, powered by Riley.


    But unlike previous iterations, however, they were no longer trying to hide the fact that it was a mixture of both their abilities; as the ship was basically just¡­ a metallic box.


    As for its interior, it was clear¡ª one could see the Earth beneath their feet. By all ounts, Riley could have probably just lifted them to the all the same, but Vera and Val were still royalty. It would be rude not to give them the proper treatment, Riley said.


    As for their deal with the princess bing his subordinate¡­ she obviously refused. Saying that she didn''t really need a tour and will just instead follow wherever Riley is. After all, it became clear to her that it wasn''t the or the civilization itself that was important¡ª it was the inhabitants themselves, the so-called supers.


    It was no wonder that Aerith and another unnamed themarian were staying here, the humans were a weed curiosity to them, no doubt.


    "How manys have you been to?" And while they were taking their time to leisurely reached the surface, Paige has been asking the princess several questions now. She didn''t seem to mind, however. If anything, she seemed to even like the queries.


    "Probably a hundred or so," Vera shrugged, "And this isn''t racist or anything, but there are even species out there that are¡­ too ugly to be alive."


    "...How is that not racist? That''s like¡­ beyond normal discrimination."


    "Oh, I said it in a ce of love," Vera only chuckled as she waved her hand, "They''re cuterge oafs, those Map''qins. May their ancestors bless their hearts."


    "...I see."


    "Is it really alright for the two of you not to be in the ship, or at the very least, with Admiral Varen?" Tomoe then broke her silence as they got near the surface, "I feel as if you are only going to bring trouble to master Riley¡­ with respects, princess."


    "W¡ª"


    "It is fine."


    Val thought he finally found the chance to speak. But s, Vera disrupted him before he could even utter a single word,


    "If he needs me and I need him, we could just quickly run to each other," Vera shrugged.


    "There is no need to argue or discuss about that, Princess Vera."


    "Oh?"


    Vera then quickly turned her attention to Riley as he also broke his silence, "How so?"


    "Because we are going to the ce where he is."


    And as soon as he said that, the ship they were on suddenly withered away; their feet, gently touching the ground as they find themselves in front of arge gate.


    "...Does your species have giants?"


    "We have a few that could turn into giants," Paige chuckled, "But no, that''s just howrge the gate is¡ª it''s the Mega Academy, after all."


    "Academy?" Vera''s eyes widened, "I can see your kind values learning. That is good."


    "...Actually, based on all the stories I''ve heard about it, they do more mock battles there than they read books."


    "You did not attend this Academy, Paige Pearson?"


    "...No," Paige breathed out, "Wrong timing, I suppose?"


    "Hm. You¡ª"


    And before the princess could say another word, therge gates of the Academy opened.


    She initially thought they were there to wee them¡ª but seeing as more than a dozen people suddenly surrounded them carrying slightly¡­ perturbed expressions on their faces, she was starting to think it might not be so.


    "...Is this how your kind wees each other?"


    "No," Paige once again let out a chuckle, "This¡ª"


    "This is how they wee master Riley," Tomoe was the one to finish Paige''s words as the ground beneath her started to freeze and turn dark,


    Free web novel "His titles that I introduced him as were not for show, princess. It is better for you to learn that master Riley is not a man to be trifled with¡ª he is not a man at all."


    "..." Vera could really only squint her eyes, before looking at the people that were surrounding them. Soon, however, her eyes settled on¡­ a man whose entire silhouette exuded a golden brilliance.


    "So it was you, Riley Ross. It has been a long time since west exchanged words."


    "Bulwark."


    "..."


    "..."


    The two stared at each other for a few seconds, before Bulwark raised his hand. And as soon as he did so, the people surrounding Riley and his group all dispersed; some, rushing back to the gates with all their might.


    "You would have to excuse them, they are all still very much afraid of you¡ª as they should," Bulwark then said, "May I ask what brings you here again?"


    "I just feel like being here, Bulwark," Riley nodded, "I also have the prince and the princess of the evaniels tagging along with me. I figured I would bring them here."


    "...What?" Bulwark could really only blink as he turned his eyes towards the two silver-haired individuals behind Riley, "I¡­ was not aware of a princess."


    "Oh, I just got here," Vera then stepped forward as she stretched her hand to Bulwark as the two exchanged greetings to each other.


    "Are¡­ you here to see your Admiral? He is exploring the Academy as we speak."


    "I am afraid that depends entirely on Riley Ross," Vera smiled and shook her head, "As he stated, my brother and I are just tagging along."


    "Hm."


    Bulwark wished he could have been surprised by this sudden development. But no¡ª perhaps out of all the people in the world, he was the one who was most used to the¡­ anomalies that surround and follows Riley. After all, he was the first one who epted and presented him as just a natural cmity to the world back then.


    "Then please," Bulwark then said as he stepped to the side, "Us humans are always looking for a new friend."


    "...Forgive me, I thought you were not a human at first. You looked like one of the other races¡ª but you have a nose."


    "Your Admiral said the same," Bulwarkughed, "Sadly, I am as human as the rest here."


    "Don''t believe him, Princess Vera," Riley quicklymented as they started to step inside the Academy, "He is more than 4000 years old."


    "...You humans are the weirdest species I have ever met."


    "Hopefully not as weird as the clovians, princess," Bulwark breathed out.


    "Clovians were here?"


    "As invaders. It''s a long story. And sadly I have other matters to attend to," Bulwark sighed before turning towards Riley, "May I request¡­ you don''t create trouble here, Riley? At the very least, try not to kill anyone."


    "Okay."


    "...Well, I''ll take my leave then. Princess Vera, I hope you find me after our duties."


    "As I said, I am just tagging along."


    "Hm. If you wish to find Admiral Varen, he should be in one of the sses learning about our people''s history," and with that, Bulwark flew away, leaving the group on their own without even as much as a guard or surveince.


    "So¡­ you''re a bit of a troublemaker on this?" Vera then let out a small chuckle, "So, what did you actually do for everyone to be scared of you?"


    "Living, Princess Vera," Riley said as they continued to walk.


    "...What?"


    Riley didn''t really add anything to his words, leaving the princess slightly confused. She looked to Paige and Tomoe to know what he meant, but they too, just remained quiet; their eyes, slightly showing hints of mncholy¡­ and conflict.


    And so, she could really only follow¡ª her eyes, almost devouring all the supers they met as she tried to guess what their abilities could be.


    And very soon, they reached the insides of the Academy, and then into a hallway that was filled with people¡ª not even allowing anyone to walk through it.


    However, as soon as someone noticed Riley, the crowd quickly dispersed¡ª almost like cockroaches that were suddenly exposed to the sun.


    "I guess we know which ss Admiral Varen is sitting in," Paige said as the group walked towards the opened door, "Don''t you guys find it weird how quickly people in this Academy move on, though? It was only weeks ago that almost half the poption died."


    "It''s not that big of a deal," Tomoe shrugged, "No one probably even remembers the Seven nes incident."


    "...It kinda is?"


    "I see Admiral Varen!"


    And finally, after what seemed like hours of not being allowed to speak, Val found the chance to do so as he pointed at Varen, who was seated at the edge of the ss hall.


    And suffice to say, everyone quickly turned their heads towards Val and the others.


    "O¡­ oh¡­ Hi? We¡ª"


    And before Val could finish his words, Admiral Varen suddenly appeared in front of him, pulling him away from the others.


    "What are you doing, Admiral?"


    "Princess Vera!? You''re here!?" Varen''s eyes then turned wide as he saw their princess casually standing beside Riley,


    "S¡­ stay away from him, Princess! He is dangerous!"


    "...Rx, Varen. We''re trying to build rtions here," Vera let out a slightly chuckling breath, "You''re embarrassing me in front of my new friends."


    "No! Riley¡­ Riley is¡­" Varen did not finish his words, and instead¡­ he pointed toward therge screen in front of the ss.


    "Oh," Riley was the first to react as he stepped into the ssroom,


    "That''s me."

 Chapter 419: Staying Away

    Chapter 419: Staying Away


    The single entity that is responsible for causing the most human deaths in a short amount of time.


    The most heinous criminal that would maim, torture, and kill supers and normal humans alike on live television without any hesitation.


    Considered to just be a part of nature, a living cmity that appears rarely. But every time he does so, millions of lives are sure to be lost.


    In just a single moment, Princess Vera finally understood why Aerith had warned them not to mingle or cross paths with Riley Ross.


    But perhaps the most important information of all from the lecture¡­ was the fact that Riley was able to beat Megawoman¡ª Aerith herself.


    "..." Vera could really only find herself slowly distancing herself from Riley; her feet, moving on their own.


    "Are¡­ are any of those true?" Vera whispered as she pointed at the giant screen in front of the ss hall.


    "All of it is true, Princess Vera," Riley only shrugged; not even looking at her as his eyes focused on the screen, "This is an Academy, they won''t just alter history."


    Even Val, who was previously growing respect for Riley, could not help but take in a deep breath.


    "You¡­ you were a murderer?"


    "I still am, Princess Vera," Riley answered, "And will forever be, it is my purpose."


    "...You said ruling is your purpose," Vera took in a deep breath as she looked Riley straight in the eyes.


    "Yes, they are the same thing," Riley nodded.


    "...They''re not."


    "If I eventually kill everyone, then would that not be the same as ruling everyone?" Riley breathed out as his eyes soonnded on the students that were¡­ petrified with fear inside the ss hall,


    "My father told me that ruling means serving the people, and in turn, they will serve you," Riley closed his eyes, "I serve them an escape from their mncholic lives, and they serve me with their screams. A win-win situation, as father said. You can ask him¡­ but I do not really know where he is right now."


    "You¡­ have a very skewed way of thinking," Vera gulped before letting out a forced chuckle.


    "Are you able to imagine an entire screaming?" A smile then soon very slowly crawled on Riley''s face as he closed his eyes; his head, slightly bobbing side to side, "I could¡­ and it is wonderful, Princess Vera. Anywhere you walk, a scream will apany you almost like a piano ying in the background of your life. It''s¡­


    ¡­perfect."


    "Riley, hey¡­" And as Riley was starting to get lost in his own thoughts, Paige approached him and started tapping him on the back, "...tone it down a bit."


    "Nonsense. Please share us your vision, Master Riley¡ª I will make it happen."


    "Can you not add?"


    Paige couldn''t really help herself from trying to stop Riley with his words of¡­ grandeur. After all, she could not help but feel responsible¡ª she was the one who entered the idea of ''ruling'' to Riley.


    She did not, however, think that Riley would somehow be obsessed with the thought. It would have been fine if he followed the utopia that Paige described, but no¡ª as everything with Riley, it turned into inflicting pain and death.


    "..."


    "..."


    And while this exchange of words was happening, the unfortunate students inside the ss hall could really only sit there¡ª some, already praying as they did not know whether or not death wasing for them. Even their professor, whoever she was, could really only stand there and remain quiet.


    She was putting in her best effort; even wearing her favorite clothes as soon as Bulwark told her that people from apletely different would be sitting in on her ss¨C this meant she would be the very first human to teach an alien.


    What she did not expect, however, was the sudden appearance of Riley Ross. And what''s more, he arrived right at the very moment that he was the one they were learning¡ª leaving almost everyonepletely anxious. It was almost like they were gossipers that were caught in action.


    Some of them, however, stared at Riley without any sign of abhor. And instead, their eyes glistened with respect and shock.


    "Princess Vera."


    Admiral Varen, who had been keeping his quiet and watching Riley''s every move, finally spoke as he approached the princess with utmost care. The prince, still tightly locked in his hands.


    "We should go while the Riley Ross is upied," he whispered, "We should heed Princess Aerith''s advice and avoid him like a disease¡ª which he is."


    "..."


    "Dr. Ve is with the leader of the, we should check on them before she does¡­ anything weird."


    Admiral Varen continued to talk; Vera''s eyes, however, were solely focused on Riley; who still seemed to be lost in his own world.


    Her eyes began to slowly think, almost as if she was thinking of a million things¡ª and perhaps she was.


    And then, finally, after a few more seconds, she finally turned to Varen,


    "Go take my brother there, I will be staying with Riley for a while."


    "What? Why!?" Varen could not help but raise his voice.


    "Because he is to be my betrothed. I¡­ need to know more about him."


    "What else is there to know!? He is a genocidal maniac!" Admiral Varen started to il his arms¡­ dragging along the young prince he was holding.


    "..." Why did it feel like he was starting to just be a burden?--- Val thought.


    "They''re a different species, Admiral. It''s not right for us to judge them by¡ª"


    "How is a genocidal maniac not a universal thing!? I am here to protect you, Princess Vera. The Queen would kill me if you get¡ª"


    "With all due respects, Admiral¡­ I am stronger than you," Vera let out a tiny scoff, before cing her hand on Varen''s shoulder and pushing him to the side as he approached Riley.


    "Riley, where are we going next?" She then stood in front of Riley, leaning her head down and letting her long silver hair flow as she looked at Riley''s face; his smile that reached from ear to ear, still ever much present.


    After a few more moments, however, he finally opened his eyes and stopped bobbing his head.


    "Let me take you to Aerith''s son," Riley then said, "You may be able to talk about marriage with him. If not, then Be should be there¡ª the two of you have a lot inmon."


    "...Are they your friends?"


    "They are friends of my sister," Riley shook his head.


    "Your¡­ sister?" Vera''s eyes started to light up, "Let''s go! Maybe your sister and I will be close."


    "But if you wish to befriend my sister, then I am afraid I would have to ask you to stay away from me from now on."


    "What?" Vera blinked a couple of times, "You''re really weird, you know that? Why would I avoid you?"


    "Because I want sister to forget me," Riley said without any hesitation, "I feel like she still has a lot of lingering attachments to me, that is not something I can continue to allow¡ª she should be free of me."


    "And who the fuck do you think you are to decide for me?"


    And then, out of nowhere, another prominent member of Earth entered the once quiet and peaceful ss hall. The people in the room, already epting their fate as the audience for this¡­ eventful meeting.


    "I am your ex-adopted brother, ex-sister."


    "Ex? What the fuck is that? Didn''t you just call me sister earlier!?"


    "I suppose," Riley shrugged; not turning to face Hannah even as she stepped inside the ss.


    "And you, what the fuck?" Hannah didn''t seem to mind, however, as she looked at Tomoe, "Why are you still following my brother around? You''re supposed to be in the Baby Crew."


    "..." Tomoe didn''t really answer and just looked to the side.


    "So, that''s it?" Hannah scoffed as she looked back and forth between Riley''s back and Tomoe, "You''re just gonna ignore me for the rest of our lives? Did you really think I would just let it go after you punched me in the stomach, Riley!?"


    "To be fair, ex-sister¡ª you killed me."


    "That¡­ fuck!" Hannah groaned, "I don''t have aeback to that."


    "What are you doing, Hannah?" Riley finally turned around; his eyes, quickly looking straight into his ex-sister''s eyes,


    "It¡­ is over between us."


    "...But why?"


    "..." The audience¡ª the students all looked at each other as they heard Riley''s words. Weren''t Hannah and Riley supposed to be siblings? So why does it feel like¡­ they were watching a couple getting closure?


    "..." As for Paige, she could really only ce her hand on Riley''s arm forfort, before nodding and stepping away. She also nced at Hannah, who just squinted her eyes as their gazes met.


    Vera, on the other hand, had her arms crossed as she looked back and forth between the two; watching every inch of their interaction.


    "I am no longer your brother. That is the only thing that connects us, Hannah."


    "Legally, we still are," Hannah breathed out, "No paperwork was done to void it. So¡­"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Oh," Riley blinked a couple of times as he tilted his head to the side,


    "Then I suppose you truly still are my sister."


    "I am."


    "Then we need to process it immediately so you can finally bepletely free of me, sister."


    "I don''t want to."


    "Hm?"


    "You have to live with your demons. I have to learn how to live with mine."


    "I''m not a demon, sister. A monster, yes¡ª but demons are apletely different¡ª"


    "Fuck! I just want to try again! You''re the only real family I have left, Riley! I don''t fucking care anymore! I can''t just¡­ I can''t just let you go, not this time!"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Father''s free from prison."


    "...Fuck, you''re right."

 Chapter 420: 3 Meters

    Chapter 420: 3 Meters


    Somewhere in the green and empty fields of the Academy, Riley and Hannah walked alone. Unfortunately for the students in the ss, they could no longer be part of the drama that was just starting to unfold.


    Hannah wanted to talk to Riley alone¡ª and since he really had nothing to do as of this moment, he obliged her. Not before, of course, asking his previouspanions.


    Paige and Tomoe were d to give the two some space; as for Princess Vera, she was currently touring the Academy with Varen, in hopes to further her knowledge about the humans.


    And so¡ª finally, after what seemed like forever, the two siblings had the chance to be alone.


    "Could you be inhaling illegal substances that would cloud one''s judgment, sister? Perhaps a certain cannabis nt?"


    "...What?"


    "That is the only reason why you would want to talk to me alone."


    "What? You''re the one on drugs! And why are you so far away!?"


    But s, even as the two talked, Riley was deliberately maintaining a 3-meter distance between them.


    "Because I am trying to keep my distance from you, sister," Riley answered without any visible expression on his face. A few momentster, however, his eyes widened as he started looking everywhere,


    "Could it be you set up a trap to kill me again, sister?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Can''t we just talk?"


    "I don''t think we have anything to talk about, sister."


    "You don''t need to keep your distance from me, Riley. Everyone knows who you are. They know you''re Darkday, and they know you''re my brother," Hannah said as she stopped walking, "Nothing is going to change that anymore, unless if you find a telepath powerful enough to erase all of our memories."


    "..."


    "Look¡­" Hannah let out a very long and deep sigh as she tried stepping closer to Riley; but once again, Riley also stepped back at the same time to the point it lookedpletely synchronized,


    "...The crimes you''ve done can never be forgiven. And I''m sure you''re not even asking for forgiveness. And I will never forgive you for everything that you have done, Riley. You fucking betrayed me, lied to my face all our lives."


    "Technically only around 20% of our lives, sister. I didn''t be Darkday until I was¡ª"


    "The fuck? You turning into Butcher now? Let me say my piece first," Hannah clicked her tongue as she waved her hand a couple of times,


    "You see the thing is¡­ the world has to live with you right now. We''re forced to. That tall bitch practically gave you a free pass for everything that you did and everything that you will do. That''s fucked up, so fucked up."


    "..."


    "You can just imagine how Gary and the million others that you''ve hurt think about that. It''s a p to their faces¡ª and you even literally pped him the other day in front of so many people."


    "I know, I was there."


    "...You''re never going to stop hurting people. You will continue to kill just for the heck of it."


    "I suppose."


    "You are evil, you''re vile. You manipte people."


    "Only from time to time, sister."


    "I am so sorry, Riley."


    "...Hm?" Riley could not help but tilt his head from the sudden change in Hannah''s tone.


    "I will never forgive you for what you''ve done," Hannah took in a long and deep breath as she closed her eyes, "But I''m sorry that I didn''t see. I was supposed to be your big sister but I didn''t fucking see the monster you were bing."


    "It is not your fault, sister."


    "You see, that''s just it. It is. It''s everyone''s fault¡­


    ¡­You were surrounded by people that just didn''t care enough," Hannah''s voice slowly started to waver,


    "And it just doesn''t make any fucking sense. Mother''s a themarian? Like, what the fuck? And as if that wasn''t enough, she just had to be a crazy themarian scientist? I thought dad knowing you were Darkday and keeping it for years was already madness, but that?"


    "Mother is not crazy, she is just cursed with knowledge and too much curiosity, sister," Riley sighed and shook his head, before looking Hannah straight in the eyes, "I know what it feels like to be so obsessed with an idea that everything else doesn''t matter. Right now, I am obsessed with wanting to rule the people over me."


    "You don''t even know what that fucking means, Riley. Rule them so you could hear them scream onmand? The fuck kinda freaky shit is that?" Hannah scoffed, "I swear, that Paige woman is putting some bullshit in your head."


    "To be fair, sister. She wanted me to rule so the world would be at peace. But honestly, I do not see the point in that kind of world. What is the point of the life of others if not pain and death?" Riley shrugged, "But at the very least, she understands me."


    "Because she''s fucking loose in the head."


    "So am I."


    "Exactly," Hannah forced a chuckle, "The two of you are fucking meant for each other. Where the fuck are you finding these women when I can''t even meet a guy that''s not secretly ancient?"


    "Because you have a horrible personality, sister."


    "Y¡ª"


    "As said by father, not me."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Why did it have to be like this?" Hannah then suddenly sat on the grass beneath them; her eyes, looking at the fake sky that covered the Academy,


    "Don''t you just fucking wish to be done with all of this? My brother''s a psychopathic mass murderer, my mother''s a fucking alien¡­ and what''s worse, my dad''s a fucking cheater! At least mom never cheated on him, you know? Fuck!"


    "You truly are the strongest person I know, sister."


    "...Ha?"


    "Most would have already chosen to kill themselves with the things you have experienced," Riley let out a small sigh as he too sat on the grass,


    "I heard Victoria did, that is why Charlotte is keeping a close watch on her at all times now. She wasn''t able to take in the pressure and stress when she learned who I was."


    "...Don''t go there, Riley," Hannah''s voice slightly deepened.


    "...Go where?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at Hannah, "Oh, it''s alright. It is my fault that she tried tomit suicide."


    "Stop."


    "You don''t want to talk anymore, sister?"


    "I don''t want to talk about people taking their own lives," Hannah''s eyebrows began to furrow, beforeying herself down on the grass as she let out a very long and deep breath, "Out of all the atrocious and evil things you have done, causing someone to want to take their lives is just¡­ different."


    "Oh," Riley muttered before letting out a short but deep breath, "It is a good thing I haven''t told you about the times I have killed myself, sister."


    "W¡­ what?" Hannah stuttered as she looked her brother in the eyes, "What did you say?"


    "''Oh, it is a good thing I haven''t told you about the times I have killed myself, sister.'', sister."


    "...When?" Hannah seemed to want to sit back up, but for some reason, didn''t have the strength to do so.


    "When we were younger," Riley casually said, "The first time was when I first felt the urge to kill someone. The second time was when I actually killed someone. The third time was¡ª"


    "...Why?"


    "Because I felt embarrassed, sister," Riley said as he looked to the side, "I know you wouldn''t like it and you would be very disappointed if you found out."


    "So you tried to kill yourself?"


    "No, I killed myself. I value your opinion above all else, sister."


    "You¡­ you should have juste to me," Hannah''s voice started to tremble as she looked at Riley''s face;pletely calm and unperturbed with what he was saying,


    "If¡­ if you valued my opinion above all else then you should havee to me. I¡­ I would have asked you to stop."


    "The moment I realized that I was not going to listen to you if you told me to stop killing and hurting people was the 13th time I killed myself, sister."


    "You¡­" Hannah could not even utter the words she wanted to say as a loud gasp escaped her lips.


    "Obviously, none of my attempts to stay dead worked," Riley then let out a small but very deep sigh as he shook his head, "I just wake up again and again, with the urge of wanting to hurt and kill people growing even stronger. Sometimes I think that maybe it¡ª sister?"


    And before Riley could finish his words, a sniffle whispered to his ears as Hannah suddenly covered her face with both hands.


    "Sister?" Riley tilted his head as he looked at Hannah from head to toe, "I apologize, I shouldn''t have talked about suicide. To think it truly affected you this much¡­


    ¡­I did it again, I hurt you just by being near you. I should¡ª"


    "Don''t¡­ don''t you dare fucking leave," Hannah''s muffled words seeped from the gaps in her hands,


    "You¡­ will stay here, okay? Don''t run to another, stay here."


    "But Aerith and I are¡ª"


    "Bullshit. You will stay here¡ª face the people that you''ve hurt. See what you did to them. I¡­


    ¡­I will help you."


    "..."


    "..."


    Riley did not really know what to say, and could only just stare at his sister as tears continued to seep from the outlines of her hands.


    And as she said, Riley just stayed there, quietly sitting beside his sister.


    Well, 3 meters apart.

 Chapter 421: Purpose

    Chapter 421: Purpose


    "What do you think of the humans so far?"


    "Princess?"


    "Your honest opinion, Dr. Ve."


    Vera, as well as the evaniel scientist, Dr. Ve, were still inside the Academy and still sitting in one of the sses in hopes to learn more about their future allies.


    The students were ordered not to stare at them; but of course, it was inevitable that most of them would.


    The evaniels did not seem to mind, however, as they were already used to this kind of scenario from the others they visited.


    "Well¡­ without a doubt, they are the most interesting of the new races."


    And while Dr. Ve was still very much engrossed with the lecture, she still answered the princess'' queries,


    "Their abilities seem to be random, in both type and host. If anything, it''s¡­ a lottery."


    "...Go on," Vera leaned closer to Dr. Ve.


    "By all ounts, this is the kind of world where the fate of their people is decided the moment they unlock their¡­ superpowers," Dr. Ve adjusted her sses as she finally removed her eyes away from the lecture,


    "But their social structure and interaction seem to be only minimally affected by that. Based on their general history, the normal humans and the supers have always co-existed¡ª even before Megawoman. Sure, most hide their powers, but there really is not that much of discrimination from either side¡­


    ¡­well, not until recently, that is. But that''s just a select group of radicals¡ª the majority still very much co-exist with everyone. And no one is pointing fingers and ming th¡ª"


    "What do you think of Riley Ross?"


    And right when Dr. Ve was getting heated up with her reports, the princess grabbed her arm to ask another question¡ª probably the question she wanted to ask in the first ce.


    "Riley¡­ is a very colorful individual," Dr. Ve could really only sigh; still, Riley Ross was a wonderful topic on his own, "Certainly the most powerful amongst the humans. But, I don''t really think we can categorize him anymore with them¡ª the humans themselves are treating him as not one of them."


    "...Go on," Vera said as she ced her hand on her chin.


    "...There is also something wrong with him mentally."


    "...What do you mean?"


    "Oh, I just read from his profile and I asked around," Dr. Ve once again adjusted her sses, "He has some sort of mental disability, I forgot the name. I need to research more about it if¡ª"


    "What about you, what do you think about him?"


    Dr. Ve''s words were once again interrupted right when she was getting heated up as the princess suddenly turned her head away to the other side¡ª towards Admiral Varen.


    "Highly dangerous," Varen quickly answered without any hesitation, "If a themarian is saying someone is dangerous, then that means something. We should avoid him as advised."


    "Hm, I don''t know about that," Vera seemed to ignore both her confidants'' words as she shrugged her shoulders, "I''ve already sent a proposal to mother. It should be arriving to her soon."


    "...What?"


    "I think the humans are the ones I have been looking for all this time, Admiral Varen," Vera closed her eyes as she nodded, "Imagine, an evaniel child running around with the ability of¡­ a super. We would progress dramatically not only as a people but as a civilization. The stagnant era we find ourselves in would finally end."


    "...What are you saying, princess?"


    "I am going to marry Riley Ross."


    "...Their customs arepletely different from ours," Dr. Ve shook her head, "And technically, he is not royalty or even a part of the government here. He has no reason to marry you."


    "Well, not yet," a small smile started to grow on Vera''s face, "But I think I know of a way to get closer to him now. I have discovered it¡­


    ¡­his one and only weakness.


    ***


    "Hello, is this the Baby Crew I keep hearing about, Ms. Hannah?"


    "The fuck you want?"


    Hannah and some of the members of the Baby Crew plus Golden Fox were currently in one of the many shelters the Academy has¡ª used as a refuge for the people that were still seeking help from what the House of Super did.


    And since the crimesmitted by superviins were at an all-time low; most of the heroes have just been using their time to help those who need it, and the Baby Crew was not an exemption from this.


    The crew stopped and started to gather, however, as the princess of the alien nation that visited their suddenly approached Hannah.


    "I am afraid we did not get the chance to properly introduce ourselves earlier. How did the talk with your brother go?"


    "None of your business, shouldn''t you be somewhere else?"


    Vera was all smiles. Hannah, on the other hand, was just waving her hands and gesturing to the princess to leave.


    "No," Vera shook her head, "I am right where I should be."


    "Are you here to help?" Silvie stepped forward, "We could really use it."


    "..." Vera just looked at her from head to toe; her eyes, slightly widening as she did so, "Why do you look like Princess Aerith?"


    "I d¡ª"


    "What do you want?" Hannah stepped in between the two; subtly covering Silvie''s face from the princess.


    "I was actually hoping I get to talk with you, Ms. Hannah."


    "Ha?"


    "I believe you and I have lived the same years, ording to your calendar," Vera said before letting out a short but deep breath, "If there is someone I can learn from about the customs of this world, I believe it would be from you. I think we¡ª"


    "You''re hot."


    And before Vera could finish her words, Be suddenly joined in on the conversation.


    "Is there any chance you like¡­ females?"


    "...I''m afraid not."


    "Oh," Be could really only sigh as she walked away, "There goes my interest."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Your friends are quite interesting. I want to get the time to know them."


    "Then know them," Hannah then let out a small scoff as she handed some kind ofputer tablet to the princess,


    "Go help around here. Ask everyone to see if there''s anything they need. I''m sure you know how to use a tablet, right?"


    "..."


    Vera could really only stare at Hannah for a few seconds, before once again letting out a small smile,


    "...Sure."


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "Should we kill her?"


    A distance away from the shelter, hiding somewhere in the shadows of the trees of the Academy, were Riley and Tomoe; their eyes, just watching the shelter from afar.


    "She''s nning something, she''s targeting your sister for a reason," Tomoe whispered; her eyes, ncing at Riley from time to time,


    "She probably wants something from you, master Riley."


    "You are right. She has expressed her wish of wanting to marry me, Nightqueen."


    "We really should kill her, then," Tomoe''s eyes started to squint, "She''s suspicious."


    "I think so too."


    "Master? Have you thought of something? Do you think she''s somewhat involved with theirmander''s death?"


    "Perhaps," Riley only shrugged; his eyes, not leaving the shelter.


    "..."


    "..."


    "I''ve heard from my sources that Empress has allowed more evaniels tond on Earth, do you think¡ª"


    "It doesn''t concern us, Nightqueen."


    "...Of course, master Riley," Tomoe nodded, before once again letting out a small sigh, "What about Gary, master Riley? How do you want to handle him?"


    "Aerith''s son?"


    "...Yes," Tomoe slightly raised an eyebrow as she heard how Riley addressed Gary, "I¡­ believe his hatred for you grows by the second. He hasn''t been with the Baby Crew ever since you beat him up in front of the Korean Shaved Ice store."


    "Hm."


    "Katrina also said he is no longer talking to any of them and is not answering any of their calls," Tomoe sighed, "Golden Fox is filling in his position. I think¡­ he is depressed, master Riley. I am afraid it is only a matter of time before he does something he will regret."


    "Oh, I believe Gary Gray is right where he needs to be, Nightqueen."


    "...Hm?"


    "A viin."


    "A¡­ viin?" Tomoe blinked a couple of times as she leaned closer to Riley.


    "He is on the potential viin list," Riley nodded, "So far, the Academy''s evaluation has held true. You joined me, a retired viin. Most of the graduates on the Potential Viin list have also turned to viiny¡­


    ¡­it is only a matter of time before Gary joins them."


    "..."


    "Are we¡­ not doing anything, then?" Tomoe muttered, "He¡­ is still Hannah''s friend "


    "Is he, though?" Riley breathed out, "He has not been with them for weeks, you said so yourself. And¡­


    ¡­do you not think it is better this way, Nightqueen?"


    "...Master Riley?" Tomoe then turned to look at Riley, only to see him smiling from ear to ear.


    "Aerith thinks she is done with Earth. But what if her son turns evil? Would she think it is her responsibility to stop him?"


    "..." Tomoe could not really say anything as she just looked at¡­ Riley''s slightly trembling smile.


    "This will make for a good scenario, Nightqueen. Everyone eventually serves their purpose¡­ Gary is about to take his."


    "...May I ask what that is? His purpose?"


    "Darkday''s one final gift to Megawoman," Riley''s shoulder started to tremble as a small chuckle whispered in the air, "The death of her son¡­


    ¡­by her own hands."


    "What¡­ did you do, master Riley?" Tomoe took in a small gulp as she looked back and forth between Riley and the shelter.


    "Something I have been doing from the start, Tomoe," Riley then turned to face Tomoe; the smile on his face wider than before,


    "Trying to find the most beautiful death."


    ***


    Somewhere in the undergrounds of the Academy, in one of the training halls, Gary was there.


    His entire body, drenched in sweat.


    "...Shut up."


    He seemed to be talking to someone, but no one besides him was there.


    "I said shut the fuck up!"


    "You''re weak, son of Megawoman."


    All of a sudden, however, a voice echoed throughout the hall.


    "Abandoned by your mother, abandoned by your friends, abandoned by the woman you love. You are weak, son of Megawoman."


    "Shut up!"


    "Maybe you''re not her son after all? But what does that make you, then? Anything special about you centers on the fact that you are Megawoman''s son."


    "That¡­ that''s not true."


    "Without that, you''re just a B-lister superhero¡ª The mascot of the Baby Crew."


    "You¡­ you''re not real," Gary covered his ears as the voice became louder and louder.


    "Why are you even here when Silvie already exists? She is stronger than you, faster than you¡­ better than you."


    "She¡­ she''s my friend!"


    "No, Gary Gray¡ª she is everything that you can never be. Monarch... what a joke."


    "Shut up¡­"


    "Poor, poor Gary¡­ even your girlfriend was stronger than¡ª"


    "I said shut up!" Gary then roared as he seemingly punched the air; his fist, however, stopped as it hit something¡­


    ¡­Riley Ross''s smiling face.

 Chapter 422: Not So Gray Anymore

    Chapter 422: Not So Gray Anymore


    Several ps of thunder howled through the training hall; only hampered by Gary''s violent breaths as he continued to punch Riley''s face.


    "I. Am. Not. Weak!"


    With every word he uttered, he struck. But Riley just remained there standing,pletely unfazed no matter what¡ª unmoved even by a single millimeter.


    "But you are, Gary. Didn''t you say it yourself? You''re a side character."


    "Shut up!" The entire training hall soon started to tremble as a barrage of strikes rained down on Riley''s face; Gary''s arms could no longer be seen as only the ripples they caused remained.


    "But you''re wrong, Gary. You''re not even a side character now,"


    Riley''s voice, even with thunders that drowned anything, still echoed through the air,


    "You''re just a nobody, Gary Gray."


    And as soon as those words reached Gary''s ears, his fists stopped mid-air; trembling, weeping.


    "Son of Megawoman. Friends with the strongest supers of this generation. You are even the only man in a group full of women. If it were any other, they truly would have been the main character,"


    Riley''s sighs of disappointment whispered in the air,


    "You must be so disappointed, Gary Gray."


    "..." Gary''s eyebrows began to tremble; his face turning into a snarl as he showed his chattering teeth.


    "Your father was killed by the evilest superviin in the world. And your mother did not even seem to care. Your story should have been one of revenge¡­


    ¡­but poor, poor Gary," Riley''s head started to weave from side to side as his voice turned into a hum,


    "You''re just a joke. You can''t even scratch a single hair of mine."


    "..."


    "All this time, the man responsible for your father''s death and many others were just right beside you. We rode motorcycles together, you ate the food I cooked, we fought together¡­


    ¡­How does it feel, Gary? To know that you were just a puppet whose strings could have been severed at any time?"


    "You were our friend!" Gary then roared as he waved his hand, "I loved you, man! You¡­ I considered you my brother! We¡­ we were close, you and I. We spend each day together! Just why¡­


    ¡­why can''t you be human for once!?"


    "I was never your friend, Gary Gray. You''re weak. Why don''t you ask your mother for help? Afraid she won''t even acknowledge you?"


    "I am not weak!" Gary once again closed his fist as he punched Riley in the face.


    "...Gary?"


    As soon as he did so, however, another voice echoed throughout the training hall; this time, filled with a warmth that waspletely absent in the hall.


    "...Chihiro?" Gary blinked several times as he turned his head towards Golden Fox. A few momentster, however, he once again raised his voice, "Get out of here. Riley¡­Riley''s here!"


    Chihiro, who was just wearing a casual dress could not help but take a few steps back as she looked around,


    "There¡­ there''s no one here but us, Gary."


    "Huh? What¡ª" Gary quickly looked at his fist, only to see Riley''s face not there,


    "He¡­ he was just here."


    "When¡­ when was thest time you went outside, Gary?" Chihiro slightly stuttered as she looked Gary in the eyes.


    "..." Gary looked back and forth between Chihiro and the empty air in front of him. But after a few moments, he let out a breath and shook his head,


    "That''s none of your concern."


    "The others are worried about you. I''m worried about y¡ª"


    "The others don''t care about me!" Gary did not let Chihiro talk, "They don''t care about me now that Riley is back! He¡­ he''s just walking around everywhere like he''s not the evilest piece of shit in the world!"


    "Gary¡ª"


    "Even Silvie is just letting him be!"


    "You¡­ you know how Silvie is," Chihiro sighed, "She is very straightforward when ites to thew, and Riley is no longer wanted."


    "Then what about Be!? What about Katrina!? What about everyone else!? Oh yes, I''ve seen the way people look at him," Gary violent waved his hand,


    "Just because he ended the House of Super, it doesn''t mean he''s a hero!"


    "...He''s not."


    "Then why are the people treating him like one!? They idolize him like¡­ like a fucking celebrity! Have¡­ have they forgotten that he''s a mass murderer!? He¡ª"


    And soon, tears started to trail on Gary''s cheeks; his mouth, no longer able to utter any other words as his breaths filled his throat. His heavy gasps, almost uncontroble.


    And as soon as Chihiro saw this, she quickly rushed toward Gary and wrapped her arms around him.


    Gary quickly surrendered to this warmth as he fell to the ground, letting out a scream that caused the entire hall to quaver.


    Chihiro didn''t say anything, she just tightened her embrace.


    Gary gritted his teeth, trying to stop the tears from falling, but failing miserably.


    "You¡­" He was about to say something, but suddenly¡­ he saw Riley in front of him; his hand, already moving toward Chihiro''s head.


    "Leave us alone!"


    Gary''s eyes immediately lit up, letting out a wide beam that scorched the walls of the training hall.


    "Kh!"


    Chihiro could really only push him away.


    "Where are you!?" Gary roared as he stood up, "Where¡ª"


    And then, his eyesnded on Chihiro, only to see her cheek and ears¡­ burnt. Her eyes, looking at him with fear.


    "Wait¡­ I didn''t¡ª"


    And before he could say anything, a portal appeared beneath Chihiro.


    "W¡­ Wait!"


    Chihiro didn''t really say anything and just shook her head as she disappeared through the portal.


    "No!"


    "And now, you''ve even hurt the woman you love¡­


    ¡­pathetic."


    "Riley!" Gary quickly turned towards the voice, only to see Riley once again standing there.


    "Do you want to hurt me? Do you want me to experience the same pain you''re feeling right now?"


    "You¡­ you''re going to pay for this!"


    "Come find me then, I''m in Shelter 12," and as Riley said that, his silhouette slowly melted away and disappeared into the floor.


    "Riley!" Gary''s eyes turned red as he leaped into the air, shattering the ceiling of the training hall and not even caring if there was anyone above it.


    He just continued through his path like a juggernaut, rampaging the grounds he walked on until he reached the shelter¡­ in which he proceeded to break through the door as he barged inside.


    "Riley!" He roared. His eyes, turning everywhere until they finallynded on their target. It didn''t even take long; after all, everything else was dark and Riley was really the only thing he could see due to his rage.


    "Riley!"


    Gary leaped, destroying the floor behind him as he moved towards Riley, "You''re going to die!"


    He locked his fists as he went straight for Riley''s chest¡ª and this time, his fist went through.


    "Gary, no!"


    "What have you done!?"


    And then almost like a whistle moving through his ears, the blinding rage he was experiencing dispersed, revealing everyone and everything else.


    A small smile crawled on Gary''s face as he saw his arm, half of it prated through Riley''s chest.


    "I got you¡­" He whispered, "...I got you now!"


    Gary then turned to look at Riley''s defeated face¡­


    ¡­only to see Chihiro''s weeping eyes. But soon, however, any emotions her eyes heldpletely faded away.


    "...What?" Gary blinked a couple of times, before turning his eyes towards Riley, who was actually standing behind Chihiro.


    "What?" Gary''s eyes then looked back to Chihiro, "Why¡­ why would you protect¡ª"


    "Gary!"


    Gary then felt himself being pulled away as Silvie''s screams pierced his ears. She quickly pinned him down to the ground, shattering the floor in the process.


    As for Chihiro''s body, it was suddenly encased in a block of dark ice.


    "Medic!" Tomoe''s voice shattered through the entire shelter as she ced her hand on the ice; her voice, obviously trembling as she stared at Riley. She remained like this for a few seconds; her eyes, slightly wavering,


    "Medic!"


    As for Riley, he was just standing there and looking at Gary.


    "No¡­ no," Gary shook his head as he returned Riley''s gaze, "Why, why would you do this, Riley!?"


    "I could ask you the same thing, Gary," Riley, unexpectedly, answered him quickly, "Why would you do this to Golden Fox?"


    "I¡­ I''m going to kill you!"


    "Enough, Gary!"


    Gary could feel himself burrowing deeper into the floor as Silvie continued to pin him down,


    "Stop, you¡­ you''ve done enough," she then said; her voice, stuttering as tears started to trail on her face, "Just¡­ Please just stop."


    "Silvie, take him out of here!"


    "No, no, no. W¡­ wait¡­ wait, wait!" Gary dug his arms through the floor as he felt himself being dragged into the air by Silvie. But s, he could really only resist so much,


    "Wait¡­ it¡­ It''s not me! It''s Riley! It''s Riley Ross!" Gary roared¡ª and all of a sudden, a sort of ripple burst forth from his body, causing Silvie to be blown away.


    "..." Gary''s eyes turned wide from this as he quickly stood up; perplexed, but still looking at Chihiro through the block of ice she was confined in.


    He then turned to look at everyone that was in the shelter, only to see all of them looking at him like he was some kind of¡­


    ¡­viin.


    Even the princess of the evaniels was there, looking down on him as if he was aughing stock.


    "Gary," Hannah then stepped forward with both her hands in the air, "Don''t you dare fucking run away."


    "I¡­" Gary seemed to want to say something, but then just shook his head¡­ before running away¡ª his speed, dramatically faster than before.


    "Do you want me to stop him?" Vera whispered as she watched Gary go through the door.


    "No, this is an affair between humans," Hannah shook his head as she blocked Vera with her arm,


    "You okay, Silv?"


    "I¡­ think so," Silvie blinked a couple of times, confused as to what just happened.


    "Tomoe¡­" Hannah''s voice then turned meek as she looked at the block of dark ice, "...Is she alive?"


    Not only her, but everyone in the hall was looking at Tomoe. But s, with her letting out a small but deep breath and shaking her head, they could really only put their heads down.


    Tomoe, however, was looking at Riley; almost as if asking if this was his doing. Riley just shrugged his shoulders, however, before also touching the ice that now served as Chihiro''s casket.


    Katrina, who was the closest amongst the Baby Crew with Chihiro, could not help but close her eyes and let the tears go.


    "...What do we do about Gary?" Although Be''s breaths were obviously ragged and weak, her voice was still clear as she moved beside Hannah.


    "Baby¡­ crew," Hannah also closed her eyes and let out a very deep and very long breath,


    "...Get ready to hunt Gary Gray."

 Chapter 423: Puppet

    Chapter 423: Puppet


    "y it again."


    The Baby Crew was now inside one of the many surveince rooms of Mega Academy. Their eyes, reflecting the tworge screens that were stered on the wall in front of them.


    One of the screens was showing Gary, emerging from the floor as he leaped out from the training hall underground. As for the other screen, it was showing the inside of the shelter.


    The Baby Crew was just helping and running around inside, assisting the people in any way they could.


    The Princess of the evaniels was also there doing the same thing, not using her speed as she seemed to be genuinely talking to the refugees.


    As for Tomoe, who arrived there minutes after Vera, she was talking and assisting Katrina with whatever it was she was doing.


    Riley was also there, talking to the people that surprisingly approached him with smiles on their faces as soon as he arrived with Tomoe¡ª even fully knowing he was Darkday.


    Everything was normal. But then, all of a sudden, and out of nowhere, a circr void appeared on the screen; Chihiro, emerging from the portal looking clearly distressed.


    Her cheek and ear, slightly burnt.


    "..."


    Be and Katrina were the first to approach her, asking her what was wrong. Chihiro told them that she was going to try and find Gary¡ª and so they also asked her if he did something.


    Chihiro, however, only shook her head and started crying, pushing Be and Katrina away.


    As for Hannah and Silvie, the two could be seen just looking at each other. Silvie was about to join the three, but as she took her 3rd step, she stopped; her head, turning towards the door of the shelter.


    Her eyes started to squint, and not even a secondter, Gary burst forth from the door.


    "..." Silvie could really only breathe in as she watched herself just standing there; her face,pletely stupefied.


    No, it wasn''t just her. All of them were confused.


    And then, with a roar, Gary rushed towards Riley. The others were unable to react¡ª what should they even do in that situation?


    There was, however, one of them that did something. It was Chihiro.


    Chihiro, who rushed and leaped in front of Gary as he was only a meter away from hitting Riley.


    And what happened next, was a tragedy.


    The members of the Baby Crew that were watching the screen could really only look away, except Hannah, who gritted her teeth as she watched Gary''s hand go through Chihiro''s torso.


    "...Is there any way we can get a visual of what happened in the training hall? Before Gary burst through the floor?"


    Hannah then said as she ced her hand on the shoulder of the surveince operator.


    "No," the operator quickly shook his head, "The training halls have their own surveince system. But it''s only really active whenever there''s a ss in session."


    "...Fuck," Hannah could not help but click her tongue, before just continuing to watch the screen; with Silvie now being blown away by Gary.


    "...What happened there?" Hannah asked as she looked at Silvie.


    "He¡­ was able to escape my grip," Silvie let out a short but deep sigh as she looked at the screen.


    "Gary?"


    "Hm," Silvie nodded, "As if¡­ he was stronger than me."


    "...That''s impossible," Hannah raised an eyebrow.


    "That''s what I thought too, but look," Silvie then pressed something on the panel, causing the operator to raise an eyebrow as someone else touched his buttons; but of course, he couldn''t really do anything.


    "Look how fast he is running," Silvie then said as she pointed at the screen; showing Gary running across the grounds of the Academy like a blur¡ª reaching the gates in no time.


    "And he was still elerating as he destroyed a part of the gate."


    "...You think it''s possible his themarian genes are finally waking up?" Hannah murmured.


    "Themarians are not that slow."


    "...Why are you still here?" Hannah then rolled her eyes as she looked behind him, only to see Vera standing there and also watching the screens.


    Vera only shrugged, however, before pointing her thumb towards Riley, who was also standing there with Tomoe.


    "..." Hannah could really only squint her eyes as she looked at Riley. But after a few seconds, she turned her focus back on the screens.


    "If his themarian genes are finally¡ª"


    "Impossible."


    And before Hannah could finish her words, Vera once again joined in on the conversation; letting out a sigh as she stepped closer to the screen,


    "Any children that the themarians bare with another race, will always result in the offspring only having the abilities and traits of its non-themarian parent¡ª half-breed themarians are not themarians at all¡­


    ¡­There are no exceptions."


    "None that you know of," Hannah scoffed, "I think you''ve researched about us long enough to know we''re quite a different breed."


    "...I can''t argue with that," Vera shrugged, before looking at the screen with a smile on her face, "Your people are¡­ truly different."


    "This ain''t a show, silver hair," Be joined in; her voice slightly deep, "If you find this amusing, then maybe you should leave, a friend of ours just died."


    "Oh, I meant no disrespect, I¡­" Vera wanted to say something else but decided to just move away, ncing at Katrina, who had her head down, as she did so.


    "..." Vera could really only let out a sigh. Due to the number of lessers she had been in, she has slowly instinctively treated herself to be superior to any of them.


    But humans are different¡ª she shouldn''t treat them like they were lesser.


    And so, she just decided to keep her mouth shut and watch in the sides.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Did you do something?"


    And then, a few secondster, Katrina broke her silence as she turned to face Riley,


    "Did you do something to Gary!?"


    "Yes."


    And without any hesitation, Riley answered; causing everyone in the room to widen their eyes in shock.


    "...Weren''t all of you there?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he tilted his head, "When he decided to fight me in front of the Korean Shaved Ice store? But then I beat him in front of all the¡ª"


    "I am not talking about that!" Katrina waved her hand, causing a sharp gale to breeze through the room,


    "You¡­ you must have done something to him!"


    "...I believe Gary was the one that did something," Riley then said as he pointed to the monitors.


    "That''s enough!" Silvie suddenly appeared between the two, "What we need to do right is to focus our efforts on what to do with Gary! He''s our friend, he is hurting¡­


    ¡­but he is also out there and he could hurt more people! We need to stop him before he does!"


    "Then we need to discuss that on the way," Hannah also stepped away from the screens as she raised her hand,


    "...We got a ping of his location."


    ***


    Gary just passed through the fake city surrounding the Academy; his breaths, heavier than ever before as he felt the violent wind crashing through his face.


    It is true what the others were saying, he is faster.


    Gary could feel it. He was faster, way faster than before. Double¡ª- no, triple of the speed he was previously capable of and he was still going faster.


    At this point, he could probably rival Silvie.


    Is¡­ the power that was supposed to be his finally awakening from inside him? Did he finally unlock the dormant powers that were just sleeping somewhere within him?


    If so¡­ then Gary knew why.


    "..." A small smile started to grow on Gary''s face. There was only one reason why his powers were growing stronger¡ª he found his purpose.


    And that purpose was to kill Riley Ross.


    The smile on Gary''s face grew even wider; the tears that were trailing from his eyes, barely existing as the wind shatters thempletely.


    And very soon, a breath escaped from his lips. And very soon, that breath turned into a burst ofughter.


    He then leaped through the air, destroying the ground beneath him as he shot straight to the skies.


    "Ha¡­ haha!" Hisugh was almost a cackle; he still couldn''t fly, but it should only be a matter of time before he could finally do so.


    He then soonnded on the ground, destroying everything within his path. He didn''t care, however, as he just started running again.


    He just wanted to feel it¡ª feel the strength growing inside him.


    "I¡­ I am going to avenge you, Chihiro. Just wait¡­ you just wait."


    He was going faster and faster, to the point that everything else was a blur to him.


    Soon, however, he reached a road; an expressway filled with cars due to the heavy traffic.


    "F¡­ fuck," the excitement and thrill on Gary''s face quickly faded away as he tried to slow down. But s, with the speed he was going, it was already toote.


    And so, his only choice was to once again leap to the skies in a single bound. But then, before he could do so...


    ¡­he tripped.


    Tripping at the very wrong time straight towards the line of cars at Mach 6.


    "!!!"


    Gary could really only close his eyes and brace for the impact as he flung straight towards a bus filled with people¡­ a bus that then split in half and veered to the sides hitting several other more cars.


    "Kh," Gary rolled several times before finally being able to stop as he dug his arm through the ground. As he did so, however, he realized that he was actually covered in blood and guts.


    "N¡­ No," his breaths started to stutter as he looked at his hands. And very soon, he started to hear people screaming.


    Chaos, starting to ensue on the crowded road as some of the cars suddenly exploded one by one¡ª like a domino effect of death and carnage.


    Gary, however, was no longer hearing any of these explosions; his mind, just clouded by the violent breaths that were escaping his throat.


    His lips, trembling uncontrobly as they no longer knew whether to cry out or roar.


    Should he help them? But they were already dying.


    But they were dying because of him.


    ¡­Would they even want his help? Wouldn''t they just be scared of him?


    He¡­ he was supposed to be a hero. He didn''t mean for any of this to happen. Would they understand that? He was sure of it, Riley had something to do with all of this.


    But¡­ would they care? They love him.


    Everyone loves Riley Ross despite everything he did. But him¡­ he was always just on the sidelines.


    But not anymore. He is stronger now and growing even stronger by the second.


    And very soon, Gary forced augh.


    "It doesn''t matter," he then whispered as he slowly stood up from the ground,


    "It doesn''t matter¡­ as long as I kill Riley Ross."


    And then, with those words, Gary once again ran.

 Chapter 424: Zedekiah

    Chapter 424: Zedekiah


    "Dad! Grab¡­ grab my hand!"


    They were just watching the news when it happened. The battle that will decide the fate of the world, the ultimate battle between good and evil.


    Riley vs. Megawoman.


    It happened so fast. They were just on another continent, and then all of a sudden, the buildings outside their windows started to fall¡ª and soon, Gary found himself holding his father''s hand as the building they were in started to fall next.


    It fell so fast. He didn''t even know what shattered first, the floor or the ceiling. What was important was he had his father''s hand¡­


    ¡­but then as the chaos died down, he found that was the only real thing he had, his father''s hand. The rest of him, probably buried underneath all the destruction.


    Gary didn''t really know what to feel then¡ª or even who to me. He didn''t even remember if that was what truly happened. He could really just watch as his mother and Darkday continue to tear through the city.


    But now everything is clear. There really is only one person to me for all of this¡ª and Gary will stop at nothing to destroy him.


    "I can''t stop, I can''t stop now."


    "You''re weak."


    "Where are you!?"


    Chaos. A hidden rage that went too deep and uncontained has finally burst forth from Gary as he was surrounded by nothing but chaos.


    He tried to hide through it all. He tried to hide the pain inside him withughter and smiles. Maybe he could forget, but no.


    The rage that was caged inside him just grew, unknowingly but surely. But every day, he tried to ignore it¡ª he tried not to feed it.


    Perhaps that was his mistake. Because now that the cage inside him is opened, his rage has turned into something else.


    A wild animal, hungry¡ª it would eat anything that even dares to breathe.


    Nothing mattered anymore. Not the cars burning around him, not the houses crumbling.


    He needed to kill Riley Ross.


    "Where are you!?"


    He had been hearing his whispers since earlier¡ª almost as if he was just behind him. Each time, his eyes lit up as he turned around, hoping to tear through the devil that is Riley Ross.


    But each time, he wasn''t there. What was, however, is the city that has now been scorched and thrown into chaos by no one else but him.


    "!!!"


    A small nging whistled into Gary''s ear as he saw arge garbage bin on the side of an alley move. And without even waiting for whatever it is, he quickly disappeared from his spot; his fists, now buried through the bin.


    "Grah!" Gary then split the bin in half as he roared. And as the contents of the bin scatter, he also saw the face of a child¡ª a child that seemed to have been hiding inside the bin.


    But s, like the bin, the child was now also cleaved in half.


    "..." Gary stared at the child''s face for a few seconds, before closing his eyes and shaking his head.


    And after a few more moments, he just turned around.


    As he did so, however, he found Silvie suddenly floating in front of him.


    "..."


    "..."


    Silvie did not really say anything to him, and was just looking at the blood that was dripping from his hands; her eyes, filled with nothing but a sense of dismay.


    "Why are you here?" Gary was the first to speak as he looked Silvie in the eyes.


    "We''re giving you a choice that we don''t give to any other viins," Silvie breathed out as her feet slowlynded on the ground,


    "Surrender peacefully, Gary Gray, or we will resort to using force to apprehend you."


    "...Me?" Gary let out a stuttered breath, almost forcing a chuckle as he raised an eyebrow,


    "Apprehend me!? What about Riley Ross!?"


    "...Look around you, Gary," Silvie closed her eyes and sighed,


    "This is one of the cities untouched by the House of Super¡­ and you''ve destroyed it. You''ve killed innocent people, you killed a child," she then said as she looked at the corpse of the girl behind Gary.


    "W¡ª and Riley has killed millions more!"


    "The numbers don''t matter, Gary," Silvie''s eyebrows began to furrow, "And are you seriously trying topare yourself to Riley? You¡ª"


    "I am strong now!" Gary waved his hand as a smile crawled on his face, "Join me. T¡­ together, I know we will be able to defeat Riley!"


    "Riley¡­ is no longer something we can hope to touch, Gary. You were there when he showed us how he destroyed Mar¡ª"


    "That doesn''t matter! Do you see!? Do you see how strong I''ve be!?" Gary then stretched his hands to the side as he looked at all the damage he had done to the city.


    "All I see is a good man that has be delusional," Silvie shook her head, "You have be the very thing you are trying to destroy. No¡­


    ¡­at least Riley is fully aware that he is a monster."


    "Stop. Acting. Like you are better than me!" Gary''s eyes suddenly lit up in red¡ª but as he did so, a strong gale suddenly stormed towards him, moving all the dust and smoke through his eyes and causing him to slightly take a step back.


    And as soon as he closed his eyes, several metal beams dropped around him,pletely covering him in a circle¡ª and before he could even see what was happening, the beamspressed and wrapped around his entire body, with the only thing left exposed being his mouth.


    And with the metal beams now nketing Gary, Hannah was revealed to be hiding behind one of them; her hands, quickly melting the edges of the beams topletely seal them.


    Silvie also helped with her heat vision¡ª and in just a matter of seconds, the Baby Crew was able topletely subdue Gary.


    The metal beam that was used to constrict him used the same material as the testing halls of the Hero Association Tower.


    It should be able to withstand a colossal amount of stress.


    And yet, without even the Baby Crew having the chance to talk, Gary burst forth¡ªno, he just calmly walked and ripped the metal apart like it was nothing.


    "..." Even Gary himself seemed to be shocked by what he had just done. His wide and perplexed eyes, looking at his hands. His hands that seemed like they could now tear through anything that dared block their path.


    Be and Katrina, who were hiding somewhere in the walls of the broken buildings, quickly moved towards Silvie as they saw this; their eyes, looking at each other as if holding a hundred questions.


    "..." Hannah also took this chance to take a few steps back as she looked at Gary from head to toe.


    Silvie, however, did not wait for any answers as she disappeared from her spot, before suddenly appearing behind Gary with her foot already only inches away from his head.


    A thunder then reverberated throughout the entire city as Silvie''s foot¡­ was caught by Gary.


    "..." Gary very slowly turned his head to check his hand¡ª his hand that did not even struggle or shake. He didn''t even need to look, it was instinct¡ª it was as if his hand moved on its own to catch Silvie''s attack.


    This is it.


    This is what it means to be a themarian. Themarians are a race of warriors, the strongest beings in the universe¡ª fighting is something that shoulde naturally to him.


    This is it.


    Gary is finally the main character.


    A small smile then crawled on Gary''s face as he tightened his grip on Silvie''s foot. And without even saying anything, he swung his hand and threw Silvie away, causing her to shoot through several buildings as a skirt of wind surrounded her.


    And very soon, his shoulders began to tremble. His smile, very slowly turning into a cackle.


    "I¡­ I told all of you," Gary then covered his face as his cackles became wilder, "I¡­ I am special! I have always been destined to be special!"


    "..." Hannah squinted her eyes, before subtly signaling with her hands for Be and Katrina to retreat. But then, before she could even move anything else, Gary was suddenly right in front of her face.


    "You," Gary then whispered as he looked Hannah straight in the eyes, "If I grab you hostage¡­ would your psychopath of a brother show him¡ª"


    And before Gary could finish his words, Hannah ced her hands on his head.


    "The two of you, check on Silvie now!" Hannah then said as the air around her started to distort,


    "This might fucking hurt a little, Monarch."


    And with those words, a sizzle whispered in the air. Gary gritted his teeth for the pain that was about toe¡­ but it never did.


    "...What?" Hannah could really only retract her hands as she took several steps back.


    Gary, on the other hand, once again let out a visceral chuckle.


    "I am the main character now, Hannah," Gary hummed, "It doesn''t matter if I am evil or not¡­ What matters is that I will be the hero that will rid this world of Riley Ross once and for all!"


    Gary then rushed towards Hannah, his hands already locked to grab and restrain her.


    "I''m disappointed, Gary,"


    But before he could get near her, his path was suddenly blocked¡ª almost like a brick wall with the weight of a thousand mountains, not allowing him to proceed any further,


    "Not in you, but in me¡­


    ¡­Caiin was right, I never really knew what it meant to be a mother."

 Chapter 425: l Started A Joke

    Chapter 425: l Started A Joke


    "...Mother?"


    Megawoman.


    The world''s hope. Earth''s mightiest hero.


    And of course, Gary''s mother. Well, at least she is supposed to be. Right now, as Gary was looking at the imposing figure in front of him, the only thing he could really do was take a step back.


    He thought he would at least feel something, as he has disappointed his mother to no repair. But nothing¡ª there was nothing.


    The only thing between them was a sort of emptiness that Gary had always been feeling when ites to his mother.


    But then why?


    If he wasn''t feeling anything, then why couldn''t he stop trembling?"


    "No¡­" Gary whispered to himself; shaking his head before suddenly pping his cheek as he once again took a step back.


    "No, no, no!" He repeated¡ª and with each word, he pped himself. He doesn''t know the reason why, but he wanted to.


    It was almost as if he was trying to stop himself from drowning in an ocean that didn''t exist¡ª an ocean that confined him and made him feel just¡­ heavy. Like his entire head was soaked in nothing but water; tight, so tight.


    But no matter how much he tried to hit his head, the weight inside it didn''t dissipate.


    "..." Gary then once again looked at the destruction he caused, and he once again saw nothing but darkness.


    "It¡­ it doesn''t matter."


    So why, why was it starting to feel like it does?


    "No, no, no, no!" Gary once again started hitting his head; only stopping as he pointed at Aerith with both his hands.


    "I¡­ I did this for you!"


    "..." Aerith did not really answer Gary and just took a step forward. And as soon as he did so, several blurs started appearing from the distance, before settling and positioning themselves in a circle; with some of them, even standing on top of the ruined buildings.


    "..." Gary turned to look at the evaniels that suddenly surrounded them, but they didn''t seem to be nning on doing anything. There were just there to¡­ watch.


    "It''s time to stop, Gary."


    "..." Gary then looked back to Aerith as she finally spoke again.


    "It''s time to stop, you''ve done enough."


    And then, all of a sudden, Gary''s breaths became calm. Almost instantly, without any warning, everything around him just became quiet.


    And soon, tears started to trail on his cheeks as the loud whistle that has been ringing in his ears for weeks now finally stopped.


    And just like that, there was a snap.


    "¡­why? Why now?" He then whispered, "You have been absent my entire life, so why are you trying to be my mother now?"


    "Because I didn''t need to be there," Aerith let out a small but deep sigh as she shook her head.


    "...But you''re my mother."


    "I¡­ am not here as your mother."


    Gary could really only suck in his cheeks as he heard Aerith''s words; his face, not knowing whether to turn into a snarl or augh.


    "What are your new friends doing here?" Gary then said as he looked at the evaniels surrounding them.


    "Don''t worry about them. The evaniels tend to flock whenever a themarian takes action."


    "Oh, how am I supposed to know that when you don''t even fucking tell me anything?" Gary forced a chuckle as he wiped the trail of tears on his face,


    "I suppose Riley knows that? You two seem close as fuck."


    "Riley doesn''t have anything to do with this."


    "He has everything to do with this!" Gary started to violently wave his hands, "Can''t any of you see it!? Riley is doing something! I can feel it!"


    "Whether he has something to do with this or not doesn''t matter," Aerith sighed,


    "You should never let him control you, Gary. That''s what he does best out of everything."


    "He doesn''t!" Gary once again forced a chuckle, "Can''t you see how stronger I''ve be, mother!? Riley may have been trying to control me from the start, but my powers are waking up now¡­


    ¡­we used each other!"


    "..." Aerith closed her eyes and once again shook her head, "The fact that you think like that means he still very much controls you, Gary."


    "He¡ª"


    "Look around you," Aerith did not let Gary speak as she started looking around the ruined city, "With just a little power, you think you can do anything you want¡­


    ¡­Riley did not do this, this is all on you."


    "Shut up!" You think¡­ you think you can lecture me?" Gary started to cackle.


    "I''m not lecturing you. I''m just stating what you''ve done."


    "Oh¡­ Oh, no. No, no, no," Gary wagged his finger,


    "You came here to stop me."


    "I did."


    "You came here to stop me because that is all you can do! What about Riley!? Why does he get to walk free!? Do you know why!? Do you want me to tell you!?"


    "..."


    "I am not the one that''s weak, mother," Gary then stood right in front of Aerith, "You are. You failed to stop him."


    "...Stop acting up, Gary."


    "Wow!" Gary then quickly backed away from Aerith as he stretched his hands to the side; walking around as he looked at everyone present there,


    "Did you hear that, everyone!? She said stop acting up, she actually fucking said that. Mother of the year, everyone!"


    "..." Hannah and the rest of the Baby Crew that were watching on the side could really only let out a heavy breath as they heard Gary''s words. They knew it in themselves, that once again, they failed as a friend.


    They couldn''t even see the signs.


    "She told me to stop acting up!" Gary continued as he addressed everyone there, "Such wonderful and sagely advice¡­


    ¡­your son is breaking, beaten, and crumbling down and all you have to say is that I am acting up?"


    "..."


    "What the fuck kind of mother are you? No. No, no, no¡­" Gary forced a smile, "You''re not even a mother. I fucking wish you weren''t my mother."


    "..." Aerith could really only keep her silence.


    "You shouldn''t have tried to have a child when you''re not even capable of pretending like a mother!


    "..."


    "If¡­ if you weren''t my mother, then at least I wouldn''t have to wake up each and every fucking day trying topare myself to you!" Gary said as he once again pointed at himself,


    "Ever since I was born I¡­ I tried topare myself to you. So¡­ so when you left, I thought that was finally over¡ª I could finally just be Gary. But no¡­


    ¡­I startedparing myself to your fucking clone!"


    And as soon as he said that, all the evaniels turned their heads towards Silvie for some reason.


    As for Aerith, she only closed her eyes and shook her head.


    "None of you understand!" Gary continued, "None of you understand what it was like knowing how great your mother is, and here I am, just a little fucking piece of shit!"


    "..."


    "I see the way all of you looked at me. I knew, I knew no one would ever take me seriously so I justmitted myself to it," Gary chuckled, "Imited to being the brunt of jokes, the fucking clown¡­


    ¡­because that''s what I am," Gary''s voice then started to lower as he once again approached Aerith.


    "I''m a fucking joke."

 Chapter 426: The Prince Who Dreamed

    Chapter 426: The Prince Who Dreamed


    "Are you taking note of all of this, Dr. Ve?"


    "Should¡­ I be?"


    Princess Ve, who was one of the evaniels that were currently surrounding Aerith and Gary, could not help but watch what was happening with her eyes and ears peeled open.


    As soon as they detected Aerith''s flight signature, they knew she would being for her son. And as members of the Higher Race, since they were here, they were obligated to observe the events that are about to transpire¡ª it was in the Code of the Higher Races.


    After all, themarians are the most powerful race in the entire universe, anything they do could make an impact not only here, but in the neighboring systems.


    "Check on the one that''s said to be Princess Aerith''s clone," Vera whispered as she looked at Silvie from afar.


    "I¡­ I know it is illegal to clone one of the Higher Races," Dr. Ve slightly stuttered, "...But Princess Aerith seems to be aware of this."


    "Hm," Vera nodded, "Still¡­


    ¡­this needs to be sent to the Higher Council."


    Vera stared at Silvie for a few more seconds, before finally turning her focus back to Aerith and Gary.


    A Themarian and their half-breed children¡ª Vera wished she could say she was surprised that this was happening, but no.


    Although male and female themarians could only pass their seed or give birth once in a thousand years, there have been many in their history of a collection of half-breed children.


    And sadly, from all the stories and news she has read and heard¡­ it more often than not results in the sight in front of her right now.


    The half-breed child, crumbling from the pressure of being born to a god.


    One of their children''s books was also about it. A story about a child that dreamed of following the giants, only to be stomped by them in the end,


    ''The Prince Who Dreamed''.


    ***


    "I''m a fucking joke."


    Gary didn''t really know what he was feeling anymore.


    There was rage, sadness, disappointment, dismay¡ª all of them racing to see whiches on top.


    But then at the same time, he still felt empty¡­ drowning to the point where he couldn''t even see anything anymore.


    "The moment you gave birth to me and I didn''t have your powers and abilities, I became your big fucking joke, mother¡­"


    But it didn''t matter. He didn''t need to see¡­ from now on, to where he was going¡ª he didn''t need to see.


    "But no one¡­ no one is gonnaugh at me now. Not after this."


    "!!!"


    Aerith could not help but widen her eyes as she saw Gary move with a speed she has not seen in him before; his palm, now suddenly only an inch away from hitting her cheek.


    Aerith, however, did not even try to avoid or move a single muscle as she just let Gary''s palm hit her cheek; her body, slightly tilting to the side as she did so.


    Everything around them was blown away in a ripple¡ª even the very ground they stood on was shaved off like it was snow as the sheer force of Gary''s p was enough to thunder through the entire region.


    "...You''re right, Gary," Aerith then let out a breath as she stood straight, "You''ve grown strong."


    "Oh¡­" Gary chuckled, "You haven''t seen anything yet¡­ Megawoman."


    Gary''s eyes then suddenly turned red as he too straightened his body. And then, all of a sudden, for the first time in his life¡­


    ¡­his feet very slowly left the ground.


    "Ha¡­" Gary''s chuckles soon turned into a burst ofughter as looked at the growing distance between him and the ground,


    "See!? I am not just a super anymore. I am growing stronger as we speak. I could feel my flesh wrestling with each other. I¡­ I''ve be Mega¡­


    ¡­so stay the fuck out of my way if you don''t want to get hurt!" Gary roared as he stretched his hand towards Aerith¡­


    ¡­but that was just it¡ª contrary to his expectations, he didn''t leave his position in the air for even a millimeter.


    "..."


    "..."


    "!!!" A few momentster, however, his eyes slightly turned wide as he suddenly shot straight towards Aerith. He didn''t take heed to his, however, as he immediately started striking her several times on the head as the two of them left a growing crevice through the city.


    "Just go to sleep, Gary."


    And then, with a small sigh, Aerith grabbed both of Gary''s wrists before proceeding to m her head onto his, causing him to almost somersault in the air before he violentlynded on the ground,


    "Sleep, it''s alright."


    "Y¡ª"


    And before he could speak, Aerith stomped his head several times without stopping.


    But of course, Aerith was still checking Gary''s heart rate as she did so¡ª and as soon as the beating of his heart calmed down, she instantly stopped her foot from stomping further.


    "..." She then looked at Gary for a few seconds, before once again grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him away.


    "I am taking you with me, Gary. I think¡­ it''s time for some mother and son talk."


    Aerith''s feet slowly left the ground as she looked to the skies. But then¡­ she suddenly found herself not being able to fly further¡ª almost as if she was holding some sort of anchor that was permanently pinned to the.


    "...Pft."


    And soon, a whisper of a chuckle echoed in the air¡ª the tone, almost ominously visceral.


    "Nothing," Gary then started to talk even as he remained unmoving in Aerith''s grip, "I didn''t even feel what you did, Megawoman."


    "..." Aerith could really only furrow her eyebrows as she once again tried to pull Gary up¡ª as she did so, however, the ground beneath him also started to crease.


    "I am learning to respect you now, Megawoman¡­" Gary whispered, "All this power, all this strength. You could have made the people of Earth kneel before you, but never once did you do so."


    "..."


    "But I am different from you, mother¡­" Gary then soon moved; the hungry smile on his face was clear for everyone to see as he slowly stood up,


    "There is no going back for me. I will make Riley kneel before me¡­ and then next will be the people that allowed him to just walk free. And no one will be able to stop me, not even you, Megawoman¡­


    ¡­I am the Monarch. And I have finally found my purpose in this world. The death of¡ª !!!"


    And before Gary could finish his words, a silhouette very slowly floated down from the skies.


    None of them realized he was already there, but he was.


    Dark, deste¡­ inevitable¡ª a presence everyone on Earth was familiar with.


    And very soon, the skies themselves turned dark.


    "Riley," Aerith''s eyebrows furrowed even further as she stared at this dark silhouette, "Please, don''t fan the mes. Y¡ª"


    Gary suddenly pulled Aerith''s hand, before spinning his body and throwing her straight to the skies.


    "Heh," Gary then let out a smirk as he watched Darkday very slowlynding on his feet in front of him,


    "Dark fucking day¡­


    ¡­always the fucking show off."


    "Gary Gary¡­


    ¡­always the clown."

 Chapter 427: Hallucinations

    Chapter 427: Hallucinations


    "...Clown?"


    This was it.


    The feeling that Gary was trying to search for ever since he had been growing stronger and stronger¡ª the feeling of finally being able to release them as the target of all his rage was finally in front of him.


    All the humiliation he had suffered.


    All the pain.


    All the looks of pity.


    His mother may have been the beginning, but Riley Ross was the one to fully nourish and cultivate the monster that was hiding deep within him.


    "You''re the one wearing your stupid fucking costume, Riley¡­ Now, who is the clown between us?"


    "I already said it was you, Gary," Riley shrugged as he just took a step forward, "I am wearing my Darkday outfit because I am fighting a superhero, I thought it proper to do so."


    "Heh," Gary only let out a smirk as he looked at Darkday. He had always felt a sense of fear and dread whenever he looked at this human-shaped void. There was always a ringing inside his head that was telling every fibre of his being to just run away and never look back.


    But now, the only thing that was left was the anger he was feeling. But soon, that too will be gone as soon as hepletely erases Riley Ross from existence.


    "I''ve grown stronger, Darkday¡ª even stronger than my mother," Gary let out a small cackle.


    "I highly doubt that, Gary," Darkday only shook his head; his helmet, not even reflecting any of the mes and embers that littered the city,


    "Do you really think Aerith fought you seriously? Themarians are capable of destroyings if they want to. Why do you think the evaniels are watching in the first ce?"


    "...And you think I can''t do that?" The smile on Gary''s face slowly faded away.


    "You can''t, Gary," Darkday''s loud sighs seeped from his helmet, "Because you''re weak."


    "I knew it¡­ I wasn''t hallucinating," Gary sucked in his breath; looking at the dark skies before closing his eyes, "You¡­ you were there in the training hall."


    "I wasn''t Gary," Darkday shook his head, "But one of my clones was."


    "Did you hear that, Hannah¡­ Silvie!? I''m not fucking crazy!"


    "Oh, there''s no point in that, Gary," a small chuckle could be heard escaping Darkday''s helmet, "They won''t be able to hear us."


    "...Another one of your thousand fucking abilities."


    "No, just telekinesis," Darkday shrugged, before raising his hand and¡­ creating some sort of spherical void circling around his arm, "I have mastered the ability to the point that the application is almost limitless. Light, sound, air¡ª I can control it."


    "I didn''t fucking ask."


    "I know. I just wanted to let you know that it is really the only ability I need, Gary. The others are just¡­ parlor tricks, like your power."


    "ssic Riley," Gary gritted his teeth, "Always roasting people in the calmest voice like a thug."


    "Roasting?" Darkday tilted his head, "I can also do that with telekinesis. But the simplest way is to just use the abilities I received from sister."


    "Why do you always have a fuckingeback!?"


    "I merely want you to know, Gary¡­"


    And then, all of a sudden, Darkday''s helmet very slowly disintegrated¡ª Riley''s long ck hair, flowing with the wind; very soon, however, each strand of his hair just stopped as they remained flowing straight down even with the wind still present.


    "...That if you mastered your abilities instead of trying to imitate a themarian, then you might have actually reached your potential. Are you aware that your heat vision is stronger than Silvie''s?"


    "...Even you are lecturing me?" Gary could not help but force a chuckle as he looked Riley straight in the eyes.


    "No, I am merely stating that your heat vision may very well be your main ability, Gary. Your super strength and any others are just¡­


    ¡­your parlor tricks."


    "...What?"


    "I noticed it immediately during the first week of our meeting," Riley once again let out a sigh, "I was even contemting whether or not I should get it."


    "..." Gary couldn''t really say anything as the memories of their very first ss activity surfaced in his mind. It was almost as if it was another life¡­ why did it have to be?


    "Enough talk, man," Gary then shook his head, "Let''s just fucking kill each other."


    "Very well," Riley nodded, "But before we do, may I tell you something?"


    "Fuck¡­ What now? You really are a viin, you talk too fucking much."


    "You didn''t notice him?" Riley then said as he pointed at Gary, or more specifically, at his waist.


    "Huh?" Gary then turned to look at his waist¡­ only to see something climbing out of his pocket.


    "!!!"


    Gary then immediately swatted whatever it was away, or so he thought¡ª the thing managed to grab onto his hand.


    "What¡­ the fuck?" Gary then said as he saw¡­ a miniature version of Riley handing on his wrist.


    "He''s been with you the moment you left the Academy."


    "...What?" Gary could really only blink several times as he stared at Little Riley. As soon as their eyes met, however, a very subtle smirk crawled on Little Riley''s face.


    "...You''re weak," Little Riley then said.


    "You¡­ it was you," Gary''s eyes then quickly widened as he finally realized that it was this little thing that had been whispering in his ears. And before Gary could even know how to react, Little Riley crumbled and withered away.


    "A real themarian would have noticed, Gary," Riley then shook his head several times as he let out a loud sigh, "See what I mean about parlor tricks, Gary? They''re just for fun."


    "You¡ª"


    "Well, shall we get started then?"


    Riley''s feet then left the ground; his eyes, slowly looking down at Gary, "Also, there''s actually another thing you should know¡­


    ¡­Golden Fox did not actually step in to save me, Gary."


    "...What?" Gary''s eyes quickly trembled as he saw the edges of Riley''s lips very slowly turning upward.


    Riley did not even need to say it¡ª the growing smile on his face that was slowly reaching from ear to ear told Gary everything he needed to know.


    It has been reying in his mind over and over again. And over and over again, Gary was asking himself why Chihiro would try to even defend Riley¡ª she didn''t.


    Riley¡­


    ¡­used her as a meat shield.


    "Riley!"


    And with that, the ground beneath Gary''s feet crumbled as he leaped¡ª no, flew straight to Riley. Riley, however, only let out a whispering chuckle as he floated back; his speed, almost exactly the same as Gary''s flight.


    "Oh, you can fly now, Gary?" Riley said as he tried to stop himself from chuckling, even covering his mouth as he flew backward. But s, with how wide his smile was, he wasn''t even hiding anything.


    "I can also fucking kill you now!"


    Gary locked his fist as the distance between him and Riley started to shorten. And very soon, there was only a meter of air blocking his path.


    "See, Riley!? I am getting stronger by the second!"


    "I know, Gary," Riley nodded as he stretched his arms to the side, "Come, let me see the power you have now."


    "You don''t need to tell me!" Gary let out a roar as the remaining distance between the two of them disappeared; and as soon as he did so, he let go of his fist and shot it straight towards Riley''s face.


    But before it could hit Riley, he suddenly moved to the side.


    "Cowa¡ª" And before Gary could finish his words, his fist¡­ demolished an evaniel''s face.


    "..." Riley then floated behind Gary; his sighs, whispering into Gary''s ears, "That''s not a way to treat Earth''s guests, Gary."


    "!!!"


    And all of a sudden, the evaniels that were watching them from afar were now standing beneath them; their eyes, all looking at Gary. Their hair and tattoos were all starting to light up, but before they could do anything¡ª


    "Stop!"


    Princess Vera appeared,


    "All of you, return to your positions! We are only here to observe!"


    And as soon as she said that, the evaniels left as quickly as they appeared.


    "I don''t appreciate you killing my people," Vera then let out a very long and loud sigh. But instead of looking at Gary¡ª


    "We''re not involved in this, Riley. I would like it if it would stay that way."


    ¡ªshe was looking at Riley.


    "..." Riley could really only return Vera''s re, before also letting out a sigh of his own,


    "Very well. I will involve you in something else at ater date."


    "We will see who is involving who, Riley Ross," Vera winked, before also disappearing and returning to her original position beside Dr. Ve.


    "You¡­" And as soon as she disappeared, Gary''s seething voice once again whispered through the air, "...Why are women just instinctively attracted to you, Riley!? Is that one of your abilities!?"


    "I suppose creatures are just inherently attracted to evil, Gary," Riley shrugged.


    "Die!" Gary let out a roar that thundered through the entire city; his fist, once again pointed at Riley as he flew towards him¡­


    ¡­or at least that was what he expected to happen.


    "Oh, were you trying to fly towards me, Gary?" Riley tilted his head as he just looked at Gary, "I apologize, I didn''t realize."


    "S¡­ shut up! I¡­ I''m just not used to flying!"


    "Oh, that''s because you''re not actually flying, Gary."


    "...What? What are you¡ª Kh!" And before Gary could finish his words, he found his neck floating straight to Riley''s grip.


    "I actually wanted it to go on a little longer, but then I realized Aerith wouldn''t really kill you," Riley sighed as his grip on Gary''s neck grew tighter, "Because, like me, she hasplete control of her powers. She will be able to neutralize you no matter what I make you do."


    "W¡­ what are you saying?"


    "I''m saying I lied, Gary. You''re not actually a clown," Riley looked Gary straight in the eyes, "You''re a puppet. Although, I suppose in your case¡­


    ¡­a Puppet Monarch."

 Chapter 428: Paraphrasing

    Chapter 428: Paraphrasing


    Why?


    Perhaps that was the only question that should be persisting in the air right now. Riley had always been adamant about not hurting or involving any of the Baby Crew in whatever madness it is he was doing.


    Any of Hannah''s friends were off limits¡ª that was why he did not mess with Silvie in the first ce and just let her be, even after fully knowing that she was Megawoman''s clone.


    So why?


    Why Gary?


    "...What are you trying to say!?"


    Even with Riley holding his neck, Gary''s muffled words still tried to struggle in the air. His feet, kicking Riley''s torso but failing to really do anything.


    "It is as I said, you can''t fly. I have been moving you all this time," Riley only tilted his head as he slowly pulled Gary closer to him, "I wanted to let out experience it before you die, Gary."


    "W¡­ what?"


    "The moment you entered the shelter, Gary. I have been closely monitoring your movements and making it seem as if you have be stronger."


    "..." And as Riley''s words reached his ears, his feet that had been struggling without end very slowly stopped moving; his eyes, now looking Riley straight in the eyes.


    "Since you didn''t notice Little Riley hiding in your pocket, it stands to reason you didn''t even notice he was controlling you," Riley then let out a sigh as he finally let go of Gary.


    "!!!" Gary tried to stretch his hands up, hoping that he would be able to stay in the air; he closed his fists, wanting to grab at least a semnce of the air¡ª but no, his back justnded straight back to the ground.


    "..." Riley looked down on Gary for a few seconds, before once again letting out a sigh and descending to the ground. Just standing beside Gary, before also suddenly lying on the ground.


    "The reason you think you have be faster is because Little Riley was moving you, Gary. The reason why you were able to break free from Silvie in the shelter was also my doing," Riley then said,


    "The Baby Crew was really convinced that you also powered up. I think all of us can agree that this was very entertaining, no? You certainly had fun as well."


    "F¡­ fuck," Gary stuttered as he covered his eyes, "That¡­ that''s so fucked up, man."


    "I suppose," Riley breathed out and closed his eyes, "I have been bing more and more creative ever since I met Paige."


    "Why¡­ why didn''t you just kill me, man?"


    "Because I wanted Aerith to be the one to kill you. I thought it was the proper way to finally have closure with the Darkday and Megawoman saga. But as I said, Aerith would just find a way not to kill you. I was nning on suddenly removing the telekic shield once she strikes, and I did¡ª but Aerith almost instantly noticed your flesh bing soft. Ha¡­


    ¡­Aerith, the things she is capable of are truly¡­ otherworldly. Get it? Because she''s from¡ª"


    "Why would you kill Chihiro?"


    "That is where you are mistaken, Gary," Riley then let out a small sigh as he turned his head to Gary, "You are the one who killed Chihiro. The only thing I did was ce her between us. You also killed the little girl right there."


    "..."


    "But that is it," Riley then said as he sat up, "The other deaths, I take credit for. I tripped you on the freeway, those deaths are on me. This destruction, I also take credit for¡ª you wouldn''t normally be able to do something like this."


    "...Just stop talking, man," Gary closed his eyes as he took in a very deep breath, "Just kill me. Just end this before you get to the speech that power quickly corrupted me."


    "It didn''t corrupt you," Riley shook his head, "You were on the Potential Viin list, Gary. You have always been capable of evil, you were just too weak tomit to it."


    "If you''re not going to kill me¡­" Gary then sat up, "...Then I''m just going to have to kill myself."


    "..."


    "This is where you are wrong, Riley. I don''t want to be evil¡ª and before I truly do, I will stop myself as myst act as a hero."


    "I wish I had that choice, Gary," Riley nodded, "Go ahead, maybe you will be more sessful than Victoria in trying to kill yourself."


    "Man¡­ you''re one cold motherfucker," Gary then said as he ced his hand on his neck, before gripping it in a way that the end of his fingers dug through his throat, "Fuck you, man."


    And with those words, Gary closed his eyes¡ª perhaps for the final time.


    "!!!"


    But before he could fully tear his own throat, Aerith suddenly appeared in front of him and flicked him on the chin, knocking him out almost instantly.


    "..."


    "..."


    Aerith then very gently lifted and carried him up, before turning her eyes towards Riley.


    "..." Riley quickly returned her stares as the two of them just looked at each other in silence. But after a few more moments, Aerith let out a very long and deep breath as she flew away without saying a single word.


    "..." And so, Riley was left sitting alone on the ground; with the destruction he himself caused surrounding him. He then blinked a couple of times, before standing up and whispering to himself,


    "...I''m bored."


    And with those words, a ripple suddenly started to form beneath Riley''s feet. Since he had already started destroying this city by using Gary, he might as well finish the job.


    "W¡­ what are you doing, Riley!?"


    Hannah, who was watching from afar, decided to fly towards Riley as soon as he was alone; Silvie and the others, also standing close by behind her.


    "Sister," Riley just nodded, "I thought since I am already in my Darkday outfit, I might as well wreak havoc. It has been a while since I destroyed something."


    "What the fuck kind of reasoning is that!?"


    "Efficient reasoning, sister," Riley said as the ripple waving on the ground started to be stronger¡ª the entire street, now seemingly turning into water with the way its concrete surface now moved.


    "Just stop!" Hannah screamed, "Aren''t you tired of¡ª"


    "Okay," and as Riley shrugged his shoulders, the street that seemed like it was about to sink onto the ground stopped quivering.


    "..."


    "..."


    "That¡­ that''s good," Hannah said as shended softly on the cracked pavement, "It¡­ it''s good to know you still listen to me from time to time."


    "You''re still my older sister, sister," Riley looked Hannah straight in the eyes, "It would feel weird not to obey you until we break that contract. Speaking of which, since mother and father are still technically present somewhere, we should ask them permission to annul my adoption papers."


    "...No," Hannah raised her eyebrow, "It doesn''t work like that, Riley."


    "I could just kill everyone in the registry and ask Tomoe to erase anything that pertains to me being your¡ª"


    "Stop," Hannah sighed, "Let''s¡­ all just rest. I don''t really know how we can pursue Gary any further since she''s with Megawoman. Fuck¡­


    ¡­thew is fucked nowadays."


    "It''s anarchy," Silvie then joined the conversation as she flew andnded behind Hannah,


    "The world has been thrown into anarchy with the existence of Riley and Megawoman."


    "This world has always been fucked," Hannah scoffed as she shook her head, "We''re just noticing because we''re involved now. Not to mention there are literal aliens around us now."


    "But an alien has been on this long before any of us were born, sister. Aerith is¡ª"


    "So, you really are Princess Aerith''s clone?"


    And before Riley could finish his words, the three suddenly found themselves surrounded by the evaniels.


    Katrina and Be wanted to rush in, but two evaniels blocked their path.


    "...What the fuck do you want now?" Hannah raised an eyebrow as she scanned the evaniels circling them, before staring Vera straight in the eyes.


    "I don''t know if Princess Aerith informed you of this," Vera, however, did not return Hannah''s re as she stood in front of Silvie,


    "The act of cloning people from the Higher Races is extremely prohibited and against the Universal Law, somewhere in Article 46."


    "Stop pulling some random words out of your ass, princess."


    "I am not," Vera shook her head, "And sadly, as an active member of the Council, I am obligated to investigate and if needed, apprehend you."


    "..." Silvie could really only blink a couple of times as several evaniels started approaching from behind her. She then turned to look at Vera, before her eyebrows started to furrow,


    "Are¡­ you sure thatw is applicable to us? We are not even part of¡ª"


    "Fuck, Silvie! Why are you even worrying about thew right now!?" Hannah then said as the air around her started to distort, "Look, Princess¡ª yourws don''t apply here."


    "Unfortunately they do," Vera sighed and shook her head, "It is called the Universal Law for a reason, Ms. Hannah. But none of you have to worry, since Princess Aerith is fully aware of your existence and even publicly epted you as her child¡ª she would probably submit a plea for your release, to which I would be happy to oblige. But for now¡­


    ¡­I need you toe with us back to the ship."


    "...I''ll go."


    "What the fuck, Silv!?" Hannah''s eyes could not help but widen.


    "It''s okay," Silvie said as she looked at Hannah, Be, and Katrina, "I¡­ have been wanting to check their ship anyway."


    "Thank you for cooperating, Ms. Savelievna," Vera said as she gestured to her people to surround Silvie, "I assure you, this is all just routine. We won''t terminate you."


    "...Terminate?" Silvie blinked a couple of times, "What do you mea¡ª"


    "The Universal Law."


    And before their discussion coulde to an end, Riley stepped forward and spoke,


    "Aerith told me about it when you arrived," Riley then said as he looked Vera straight in the eyes, "I think I broke a couple of thosews."


    "..."


    "Riley!?" Hannah could really only groan in frustration.


    "There is one in particr that she told me to hide from you," Rileypletely ignored his sister as he stood close to Vera,


    "I destroyed one of thes next to this one, Princess Vera. I think it is somewhere at Article 12?"


    "..."


    "Destroying of ors close or next to a naturally habitable; Destroying of ors that orbit a star capable of naturally creating life is punishable by death¡ª Well, I am afraid I am paraphrasing, Aerith only showed me a glimpse of it."


    "..."


    "..."


    "That''s¡­" Vera could really only look around to see if everyone was as perplexed and confused as her, "That''s¡­


    ¡­kind of a major one."

 Chapter 429: Riley, Silvie, and the Verdict

    Chapter 429: Riley, Silvie, and the Verdict


    "Wait, what the fuck is going on!? Why are the two of you guys going along with this!? Wait, no. You weren''t even involved in this at first, Riley!"


    "Silv, not cool, sis! Gary just got yeeted away by Megawoman and now you also dipping!? What about the crew!? Katrina, say something here!"


    "..."


    "At least don''t actually treat her like a prisoner! Take this stupid pir thing off!!"


    With one of the Themarian''s spacecraftnding on the ruined streets, several silver pirs alsonded and surrounded Silvie¡ª before lighting up with some sort of greenser that acted as a shield; or in this case, a cage.


    The pirs floated in the air, circling Silvie like elongated drones.


    As for Riley, his eyes were covered by a silver blindfold, and his hands were bound by a cuff that also produced a green glow.


    "It''s fine, everyone," Silvie just shook her head as she voluntarily walked towards the entrance of the ship, "Aside from feeling a little ufortable, this thing doesn''t hurt at all."


    "Of course," Dr. Ve, who had just been watching the entire scenario from the start, nodded her head as she touched one of the pirs, "This was made by a renowned themarian scientist a very long time ago¡ª it''s specifically made to capture themarians and dampen their power. Even now, I can''t reverse engineer the technology, so I can only really add to it. Did you kn¡ª"


    "No one asked!" Hannah did not let Dr. Ve exin further as she blocked Silvie''s path to the ship, "Silv!?"


    "It''s fine," Silvie shook her head and smiled, "I¡­ feel like there''s nothing for me to do here anyway. I guess I''ll count this as some sort of break from all the superhero stuff?"


    "You¡ª"


    "I will make sure she isfortable," Vera could really only sigh as she ced her hand on Hannah''s shoulder, before signaling her people to escort Silvie onto the ship.


    "...Take your hands off my shoulder if you want to keep them," Hannah''s eyebrows quickly furrowed as she tilted her head while looking at Vera, "Even if just one strand of my friend''s hair has gone missing when she returns, I won''t care if you''re royalty."


    "I¡­ have a feeling you don''t care now," Vera forced a chuckle as she stepped back, "I promise you, Ms. Silvie and your brother will be returned safely."


    "...You think I''m worried about my brother?" Hannah also forced a chuckle as she looked at Vera and the other evaniels that were there,


    "This''s mortality rate will drop by 90% the moment he boards your ship. You think you can just put him on handcuffs and¡ª"


    "S¡­ Sis, that ain''t something to be proud of. The Princess of the evangels already promised Silv''s safety, we should just wait."


    And before Hannah could start her rant, Be started pulling her away; with Katrina following them in silence.


    "..." Vera could really only let out a small sigh, before turning her attention to Riley; who was now just willingly boarding the ship without even as much as a word or a struggle. Which is weird, because his eyes were fully covered.


    Aerith did tell them to avoid Riley at all costs¡ª but Vera was an active member of the Council, and her obligation forces her to do this. Aerith should be able to understand, after all¡­ she was also a part of the Council in the past.


    And since Aerith is acquainted with both Silvie and Riley, she should be making another appearance soon. But with the issue with her son, it might be at ater time.


    Hopefully¡­


    ¡­nothing happens before then.


    ***


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    Inside the evaniel''s colossal ship, Silvie and Riley were currently locked in transparent cells opposite each other.


    She had been looking at Riley for the entire duration they were in there now because that''s really all there is to do there.


    "Do you wish to say something, Silvie?"


    "Wha¡ª I thought we can''t hear each other!?"


    To her surprise, however, she suddenly heard Riley''s voice whispering as if he was behind her. She then once again focused her eyes on Riley, only to see him just sitting on the floor with his eyes closed.


    "That''s because I''m inside your cell, Silvie."


    "!!!"


    Silvie then quickly stood up from the bed she was sitting on, only to see¡­ a miniature version of Riley also just casually sitting there.


    It wasn''t Little Riley, no¡ª but a literal doll-sized version of Riley.


    "How¡­ long have you been there?" Silvie took in a small gulp as he looked back and forth between the small Riley and the original Riley.


    "A few minutes from when they ced you here, Silvie," small Riley said as he leaped from the bed, "But as for how long this clone has been here, I left it when I infiltrated the shipst time."


    "You¡­ can do that?"


    "You didn''t visit my Guesthouse?" Small Riley blinked a couple of times, "My clones can pretend to have a life of their own until I erase them. This one, in particr, I was hoping to go to the evaniel''s."


    "...Seriously?"


    "Hm," small Riley nodded, "I won''t be able to possess its body any more, though. I have been trying to connect to the clone I left in Hotis 4J, but I suppose there''s a certain area limit¡­.


    ¡­I would like to believe it is behaving there and not wreaking havoc."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I¡­ forgot how talkative you were." And after a few seconds, Silvie let out a deep breath as she sat back on her bed,


    "We¡­ haven''t really had the chance to really talk since you came back from the dead."


    "Is that why you were staring at me?"


    "Partly¡­" Silvie''s tone suddenly lowered as she looked at Riley''s original body, "...But mostly trying to figure out what you''re trying to do."


    "Just relieving my boredom, Silvie," small Riley shrugged his shoulders as he started walking around the cell, "In my experience, interesting things happen in prison."


    "Technically, we''re in a jail¡­ and there''s like only two of us locked in this massive ce," Silvie sighed,


    "What do you think they are going to do with us?"


    "Hopefully find a way to kill me."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...You never really change, do you?" Silvie closed her eyes, "Just a man following his nature. I can me you for all the deaths and crimes you havemitted, but I can never me you for how you were born."


    "I am actually trying to change, Silvie. I have been trying different personalities ever since I returned to Earth."


    "A personality isn''t a shirt, Riley. You can''t just decide what to wear."


    "Why not? You do it all the time."


    "That''s---"


    "Are you regretting how you were born?" Small Riley did not let her say another word as he also sat back on the bed, slightly struggling to get up.


    "...What?" Silvie could really only blink a couple of times as she was slightly taken aback by Riley''s sudden question.


    "That is the reason why you are here now, after all," small Riley said as he looked Silvie straight in the eyes,


    "It must be pretty difficult? For someone like you, who has been trained, brainwashed, and programmed to follow thew to thetter, to know that her very existence is a crime in the eyes of the Universe?"


    "..." Silvie just returned small Riley''s gaze for a few seconds, before closing her eyes and once again taking in a deep breath,


    "It¡­ does hurt a little. I''ve never thought I would be saying this line, but¡­ my only crime is that I was born."


    "But didn''t you steal Katrina''s boyfriend?"


    "That¡­ that''s technically not a crime," Silvie''s eyes twitched, "It¡­ was a mistake."


    "Did you know Tomoe had the man assassinated?"


    "We¡­ had our suspicions," Silvie shook her head. Just a few minutes after starting a conversation with Riley, and now they were suddenly talking about murder,


    "...But there wasn''t any conclusive evidence. Anyway, my statement stands¡ª my only crime is that I was born, literally."


    "Only because the evaniels stated it so," Riley shrugged, "We don''t have thatw on our."


    "Well¡­ I suppose ''Ignorance of the universalw excuses no one'' is applicable here," Silvie then let out a small chuckle, before clearing her throat and sitting up straight as she noticed that Riley didn''t really have a reaction in her attempt at a joke,


    "...I wish we were still in the Academy. Life¡­ was just simpler then. Minus all the evil things you''ve done, of course."


    "Silvie, may I tell you something?"


    "Hm?"


    "Your birth is not a mistake," small Riley then said as he once again looked Silvie in the eyes,


    "If anything, you being born is one of the most beautiful events to ever happen on Earth."


    "...What?" Silvie could really only take in a small gulp as she instinctively slightly moved away from small Riley; her heart, slightly raising. Come to think of it, didn''t she have a little crush on Riley before they all found out that he was a mass murdering psychopath?


    "Yours is a perfect existence, Silvie."


    This¡­ is bad. Why do killers have the tendency to be entrancing and charming?


    "S¡­ stop it. I don''t want to hear thating from¡ª"


    [...Is that a smaller Riley you are talking to?]


    And before Silvie could finish her words, a voice suddenly echoed inside her cell, with Vera now standing outside.


    "Hello again, Princess Vera,] small Riley waved his hand.


    "Princess Vera," Silvie quickly got up and stood in front of Vera, "...And yes, it''s one of Riley''s clones."


    [Hm¡­] Vera could really only squint her eyes as she nced back to look at Riley''s original body just sitting on the floor with his eyes closed,


    [...I suppose this saves me time. I am here to deliver the Council''s verdict.]


    "...Already?" Silvie took in a small gulp, before nodding her head and gesturing to Vera to continue.


    [Silvie Savelievna. After much discussion with the Elders¡­


    ¡­They have yet to reach a conclusion on what to do with you.]


    "...Sorry?"


    [You''re Princess Aerith''s clone, and she knows and approves of your existence¡­ the Elders would need to talk to her first,] Vera could really only sigh as she shook her head,


    [I am afraid you will be staying here for a while. But as for you¡­] Vera then turned her eyes towards small Riley,


    [...That is you, right?]


    "Yes," small Riley only nodded.


    [What you did is a major crime. And in any other case, you are to immediately be executed without any chance of salvation. But once again, since Princess Aerith is involved, further investigation needs to be done to reach a final conclusion,]


    Vera once again let out a sigh,


    [The Elders, however, are ordering you to present yourselves to them personally.]


    "...Personally?"


    [You are to be escorted to the Council.]


    "..."


    [Don''t look at me like that,] Vera forced a chuckle as she noticed small Riley looking at her weirdly,


    [Honestly, I think they just want to meet the creature that even a themarian is wary of. They are preparing the ship that would take you to¡ª !!!]


    "I don''t think so, Princess Vera."


    "R¡­ Riley!?"


    And before Vera could finish her words, she heard a small rumble whisper from behind her. She looked back, only to see the original Riley just casually stepping out of his cell from a hole he made.


    "I might have agreed to go to them any other time, but Aerith is still here. And mother is also nning something with my other mother, I sort of want to see ite to y first," Riley then said as he slowly approached Vera.


    "But¡­ this¡­ is an edict from the Elders themselves," Vera could really only raise her palm, presumably gesturing to her people not to do anything,


    "We can''t disobey."


    "...Oh?" And as soon as Riley heard that, a small smile suddenly started to grow on his face,


    "What happens if we do?"


    "They¡­ will send for a Guardian to forcefully escort you there." For some reason, Vera had a feeling she shouldn''t have said that.


    "A Guardian? Whatever could that be?" The smile on Riley''s face grew by the second, "Is it possible for you to send a reply to these Elders?"


    "...What?"


    "Tell them if they wish to see me¡­


    ¡­they shoulde to Earth."

 Chapter 430: The Elders

    Chapter 430: The Elders


    "Did you exin to the native who and what we are?"


    "I did, Elder Zora."


    "And it still said something like that?"


    "...He did, Elder Zora.''


    "...Interesting."


    "Interesting? I think the proper term for it is disrespectful."


    Inside a vast and dark room, Princess Vera was currently surrounded by 7 holograms; holograms that were blurry and unclear; their movements alsogging. One could barely make out their faded and darkened silhouette, but it wasn''t difficult to determine that most of them were humanoids¡­ in a way.


    "Do we have an avable Guardian to send to this¡­ Earth?" One of the mysterious figures that seemed to be seated on a floating throne leaned forward.


    "I believe most are upied because of the tournament," the one that seemed to have an elongated head, Elder Zora, waved his hands in the air as if he was checking something.


    "Ah, speaking of which¡ª we should probably end this discussion now. I''m actually fighting next," a silhouette that seemed to be sporting spiky hair moved away from the circle, his hologram,pletely disappearing.


    "Did you not already lose, Elder S''adar? I was sure I received my mary rewards from the bet I made."


    Elder S''adar once again appeared in the circle; his hologram, facing the tall silhouette with a somewhat feminine voice,


    "For a race thatcks a sense of humor, you seem to make a lot of jokes, Elder Tedi."


    "For a race that is just a cheaper version of the Themarians, you are a disappointment to the universe and should not exist."


    "...I was only making conversation, you didn''t have to go that far."


    "I was under the impression that I was too, Elder S''adar."


    "Can the two of you attend the meeting and not fight for once? I believe there has¡­"


    "..." Princess Vera could really only just twitch her eyes as three of the Elders started arguing and bickering with each other. The number of times that Vera had met with the Elders of the Council could be counted on one hand, including this meeting. And yet each time, these three seemed to always derail the topic at hand.


    The other 3 Elders always seemed disinterested, and only speak once or twice¡ª as for the Grand Elder, the one seated on the floating throne, he just seemed to let the others y it out until he gets tired of them.


    Vera didn''t know whether or not they are just disinterested in the cases she presents them, or they just think too little of the other races. As a matter of fact, the only reason they are even discussing about Riley right now was because of his connection with the Rebel Princess of the Themarians.


    And so, the only thing Vera could really do was wait until¡ª


    "That''s enough!"


    And then, finally, the Grand Elder roared, causing his hologram to be static and even more faded. And as his roars also reached the other Elders, they really only just shook their heads; their bickering, slowly dying down.


    "Princess Vera," the Gran Elder''s fingers started tapping on his throne.


    "Yes, Grand Elder?"


    "While the others were busy being the imbeciles they are, I have ordered the Guardian Corps to send one of their own to your location. Someone should be arriving there soon."


    "Thank you, Grand Elder. I will notify all of you again if anything of note happens."


    "Good," the Grand Elder nodded, "If this Riley Ross proves difficult even for a Guardian¡­


    ¡­then I will do it myself."


    "...There he is again. He always says that but never reallymits to it."


    "He needs to keep appearance, he is the Grand Elder, after all."


    "Princess Vera, please send my utmost regards to your mother, the Queen."


    "...I will, Elder Zora."


    And with that, all the holograms flickered away; the room she was in, slowly brightening up as she released a very long and deep breath. The room she was in was spherical in shape, and like most of the evaniels'' chambers, it wasrge.


    She was standing on some sort of circr veranda, suspended in the air right in the very middle of the room and connected to a long bridge that lit up the way to a door.


    Princess Vera, however, did not immediately leave this spherical room, and instead just took in a deep breath as she tried to calm herself down.


    Dealing with the Elders¡­ is very stressful to one''s health.


    Although they may act like a couple of normal individuals and sometimes even foolish, each of the Elders held the authority to wipe out entire civilizations if they need to¡ª and they know this.


    Their friendliness is all but a facade, because if they did note off as merciful or kind; the universe would be unnecessarily be terrified of them.


    "So, those are the Elders?"


    "!!!"


    Vera''s silhouette quickly blurred as her body instantly turned to face behind her. Her eyes, also instantly turning wide as she saw Riley just casually standing on the bridge.


    "What¡­ are you doing here?" The light surrounding Vera''s body faded away as she let out another breath to calm herself down.


    "Your kind does not lock your door," Riley shrugged as he slowly made his way to the circr tform, "You should really change that."


    "Because we respect each other''s privacy! You¡­" Vera once again took in a very long and deep breath as her attempt to calm herself down was slowly starting to fail, "Just¡­


    ¡­how did you even get here?"


    "Oh, this body is a clone," Riley said as he slightly opened his arms, "It''s been following you around the ship since earlier."


    "...Isn''t your clone with Silvie Savelievna?"


    "This is another one."


    "...How many clones do you have in this ship?" Vera''s mind was slowly starting to give up.


    "Twelve, there''s one in your control room. As I stated, your security needs improvement."


    "..." Vera could really only close her eyes as she heard Riley''s words, "So, you''ve been standing there from the start?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "I wanted to see if I can get information regarding this so-called Guardian you keep mentioning that is on the way."


    "You could just ask me instead of sneaking around," Vera shook her head.


    "I believe it is more human to eavesdrop than ask," Riley nodded.


    "...You''re so weird."


    Vera gets it now¡ª she couldn''t shake the feeling that Riley reminded her of something, but now she gets it.


    The Elders. It was as if she was dealing with one of the Elders whenever she talks with Riley. The entricity they share is almost uncanny.


    Their tant disregard for anything else that doesn''t interest them is just¡­ too simr.


    "Is there even any use in us cing you in a cell?" Vera once again let out a sigh as she looked at Riley, who seemed to be scanning each and every corner of the room.


    "It makes all of you feel safe andfortable," Riley shrugged.


    "Wait¡­ is the one in the cell even your original body?"


    "It is."


    "Oh, good¡­"


    Vera found herself sighing again and again with each word thates out of Riley''s mouth; the sense of relief and dread, all mixing together. Although they still don''t have the full scope of Riley''s powers, they knew he was strong¡ª being acknowledged by a themarian was already proof of that.


    ¡­As well as destroying an entire¡ª they stillck information about this one, however. How did he destroy it exactly? She could also just ask, but she was afraid of what he was going to answer.


    She had already done her duty and reported it to the Council, the rest is up to them and the Guardian.


    "So.. what exactly did you want to know?"


    And so, with hopefully herst sigh for at least a minute, Vera just decided to entertain Riley''s questions.


    "What is the Guardian Corps, Princess Vera?"


    "Hm¡­ They keep thew and order of the universe," Vera slightly hummed as she ced her hand on her chin, "I suppose the closest I canpare it to is¡­ the police? Wait, no. That is exactly what they are¡ª a universal police."


    "Are they strong?"


    "That¡­ It''s sort ofplicated," Vera squinted.


    "..."


    "...You want me to exin?"


    "Of course," Riley nodded, "That is why I asked."


    "...Very well," Vera nodded as she once again stood in the very center of the circle; she then waved her hand, causing a hologram of a burning star to emerge above them.


    "The members of the Guardian Corps are not necessarily innately strong¡­ because most of them are from the Lower Races; civilizations much like yours or even of a lower tier."


    "Interesting."


    "...Right," Vera nodded, "They are trained, and once proven worthy, they are gifted with the Guardian Force. It''s¡­


    ¡­a sort of weapon that harnesses the power of a star," she then said as she looked at the hologram of the sun hovering above them.


    "¡­A weapon?"


    "Well¡­ more like a pill they swallow once and¡­ it stays inside them until¡­ You know what, I don''t want to borate further," Vera then waved her hand, removing the hologram, "Just know that their powers aren''t really theirs."


    "It''s okay," Riley just shrugged as the room once again brightened up, "This pill, am I able to pull it out from their intestines? If they have intestines, that is."


    "Don''t underestimate a Guardian, Riley Ross," Vera shook her head, "A group of them are able to restrain themarians that are using their full strength."


    "Okay."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...I don''t even know why I''m telling you all of this."

 Chapter 431: The Guardian Arrives

    Chapter 431: The Guardian Arrives


    "So, when is this Guardian arriving?"


    "...Soon. We already have this location pinged and safe for hyperdrive."


    "This¡­ hyperdrive, can I use it to travel to the themarians''?"


    "Only themarians are allowed to warp to Terran."


    ? "Hm¡­"


    Somewhere inside the ship of the evaniels, the eyes of all its passengers were currently following their princess¡­ as well as an individual that was supposed to be their prisoner as he just casually walked alongside Vera.


    "The Themarians, they truly seem to be feared and respected. I was told they are the most powerful race in the universe, is that true?"


    "It is. Thews of the universe rarely apply to them, much like how you are free to walk in your world even aftermitting such atrocious crimes to your people."


    "You do not seem to be taken aback by my crimes, Princess Vera."


    "You''ll understand once you experience the scale of the Universe, Riley Ross. Your crimes may very well be unforgivable and heinous in your world¡ª but in the eyes of the universe, it is merely a sand in an almost endless desert; insignificant."


    "I am confused, Princess Vera. Why is destroying an uninhabitable worthy of punishment in the eyes of the Universe, and killing a small number of people is not?"


    "The you destroyed, Mars¡ª it''s what we call a Candidate. A that could have easily been made habitable since it met all the criteria. While it may be true that there are thousands of civilizations and thrivings out there, in the expanse of the Universe, it may as well be nothing."


    "Hm."


    s take billions of years to form,pare that to a life that could be made in the blink of an eye, well¡­ you can see the difference of severity between the two. I am paraphrasing, of course¡ª I''m not a robot with no feelings, life matters dearly to me."


    "Hm."


    "...You are getting what I mean, right?"


    "I do. Someone''s death only matters if you witness their life, Princess Vera."


    "That''s¡­ Yes, I suppose that is what I meant."


    "Like how it won''t matter to the people of Earth if I kill all the evaniels in this ship right now."


    "...You did not have to give an example."


    "Would you like to test that example?"


    "...No¡­ What?"


    The conversation between the two were as long as the halls of the ship. But finally, after what seemed like almost more than an hour of nonstop conversation, silence managed to weave between the two as they just walked around the ship; with Riley just walking beside the Princess everywhere¡­


    ¡­even in her chambers.


    "Do¡­ you intend to follow me everywhere?" Vera could really only step out of her room; quickly closing the door as soon as Riley followed her out,


    "This is my private chambers, that means I am the only one allowed inside," she said with a sigh, "I know I opened the topic of union and marriage with you, but I am afraid that until that dayes. You¡­ you''re not allowed in my room."


    "I am only following this clone''s purpose while my consciousness is in it, Princess Vera," Riley only shrugged his shoulders.


    "...And its purpose is following me around?"


    "Stalking is the more appropriate term, Princess Vera. I was actually deliberating on whether I would let a smaller variant follow you, but due to me valuing your privacy, I chose a regr-sized one for transparency."


    "...Thanks?"


    "For what?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "You really are weird," Princess Vera could really only sigh, "Can''t say I don''t like it, though. But you''re still not allowed in my room. I''ll let you in once we consummate our marriage."


    "I already said that I did not wa---"


    And before Riley could finish his words, Vera''s silhouette suddenly became static; before slowly fading awaypletely as the sound of her room''s door snapped in the air.


    Riley wasn''t aware of it before since most of the evaniels in the ship were just moving around at a slow pace¡­ but their doors are capable of opening and closing at very high speeds as well


    It made sense, Riley thought as he walked to the side of the door, before just standing there like some sort of guard. And then, with a very long and deep sigh¡ª the glimmer in his eyes faded away.


    And with that, Riley''s consciousness switched with the clone.


    "I''ll take it from here, Boss."


    ***


    Riley opened his eyes, and once again, he was back in the transparent cell.


    "...You back from your little adventure?"


    Instead of returning back to his original body, however, he switched to the doll-sized clone he had in Silvie''s cell.


    Silvie, who was lying on her bed, could really only sigh as the doll-sized Riley once again began to move; in truth, she was starting to get a little creeped out with it just sitting there on the side of the cell like some doll from a horror movie.


    "Did you learn anything, Riley?" Silvie then asked as she sat up from the bed, "What''s going to happen to us?"


    "They mentioned nothing about you, Silvie," the doll-sized Riley shook his head as he stood up from the floor, "But I believe they won''t do anything to you until they know what Aerith''s stance is."


    "...We already know that," Silvie once again sighed, "I can''t do anything until Megawoman shows up. But what about you? Did they something about what they are going to do with you?"


    "My fate is in the hands of this so-called Guardian, Silvie," Riley said as he started walking around Silvie''s cell, "We will get to meet with it soon, as per Princess Vera''s assurance. And also¡­


    ¡­the Universe does not recognize me as a viin for the millions I have killed, only for the fact that I have destroyed Mars."


    "I¡­ see."


    "Hm, how many do you think I need to kill to be considered as a viin in the grand scheme of the Universe, Silvie? Perhapsmitting a couple of genocides would¡ª"


    "Can¡­ you stop talking about killing all the time?" Silvie did not let Riely finish his words as she once againy down on the bed. And after a few seconds, she closed her eyes and let out a long breath,


    "I¡­ kind of understand why they wouldn''t think of you as a viin, Riley," she then said, "You know¡­ when all the bombing happened and the number of deaths was announced¡ª just for one second, I realized how little it is you''ve killedpared to the House of Super."


    "..."


    "Granted, they are an entire terrorist organization and you''re just¡­ well, you. I keep thinking how you would need to kill a hundred times more than you already have just for you to reach that they did."


    "...Hm."


    "W¡­ wait!"


    And as soon as Silvie realized that Riley was once again switching his consciousness, she quickly grabbed doll-sized Riley and lifted him in the air,


    "That¡­ that wasn''t a challenge! Please don''t try anything!"


    "...Hm," doll-sized Riley could really only nod as Silvie''s hands almost encapsted him whole, "W¡ª"


    Riley was about to say something, but before he could do so, Princess Vera''s voice echoed throughout the entire confinement bay.


    [Riley, the Guardian will be arriving in less than 5 minutes. Meet me in thending bay in¡ª W¡­ what the, can you stop popping out everywhere!]


    [This clone has been here from the start, Princess Vera.]


    "..." Silvie, who was listening in on the announcement, quickly looked at Riley''s original body as she heard his voice through the inte¡ª but contrary to her expectations, he was still there with his legs crossed and eyes closed.


    Just¡­ where are all of his clones hiding?


    ***


    Riley and Vera were now in the spaceship''s hangar¡ª an indoor hangar that was probably asrge as thergest airport on Earth.


    And even though Vera was fully aware that the body he is in now is just a clone, they still cuffed his hands as a way to show the Guardian that he wasn''t going to do anything.


    "..." Riley''s eyes then traveled to the evaniels that were surrounding thending bay, only to see all of them wearing some sort of portable oxygen mask. Riley was also offered one before they stepped out onto the hangar, but he didn''t really need it.


    So the evaniels¡­ they can''t breathe in space? But Vera wasn''t wearing one, is it just some sort of precaution?


    "...The Guardian isn''t responding to any of our hails."


    "Have you tried connecting directly to its ship?"


    "We did. We were able to build a line, but then it was suddenly cut off right as its ship passed through Earth''s moon."


    "..." Riley then watched as the evaniels all started running around the hangar; their voices, slightly panicked.


    "Did something happen to the Guardian? Would you like me to meet it in space?" Riley then said as he approached Vera, who was busy whispering with her people.


    "...No, the point of all of this is that you¡ª"


    "We have visuals on the ship! ETA is 15 seconds, what do you want us to do, Princess!?"


    "Damn it, where''s Admiral Varen!?" Vera wasn''t able to finish her talk with Riley as she let out a frustrated scream, "Just let the shipnd! The Guardian might just be feeling a little quiet today."


    "Okay¡­ Guardian, you''re clear tond."


    And as soon as one of the evaniels managing the hangar said that, a small ship just the size of a van entered thending bay¡­ before docking just meters away from where Riley and Vera stood.


    No, perhaps docking was not the proper word for it¡ª as the ship definitely just drop and almost crashed down.


    "...Is the ship malfunctioning?"


    Vera and the others could really only just look at each other, clearly confused. And as Vera was about to step closer to the ship¡ª its door swung up; letting out a violent cloud of smoke as it opened.


    And very slowly, the cloud cleared up, revealing a tall, blue-skinned humanoid. And as Riley saw from the holograms, he was wearing a luminescent red skin-tight suit, the uniform of the Guardian Corps, that revealed every inch of his muscr figure.


    The Guardian then stepped forward without saying a single word¡­ before just suddenly dropping to the ground and revealing someone else that was on the ship¡ª


    ¡ªa girl. Her skin, pale to the point that it almost seemed translucent. Her hair, also the color of snow.


    Her eyes that were somewhat of a pale blue color, looking at everyone in front of them before finally settling on Riley.


    "Oh," and with a whisper escaping from her unusually wide lips, she waved her hand excitedly; the smile on her face, almost reaching from ear to ear,


    "Dad!"

 Chapter 432: ...Dad?

    Chapter 432: ...Dad?


    A few minutes ago, somewhere in the outer orbit of the Earth, a suddenly beamed; almost creating a sound as it flickered through the vast darkness. And as instantly as it revealed itself, it also disappeared almost instantly. It did, however, leave something behind.


    A small ship.


    And in the expanse of the universe, one would find it hard to even see it. But it did, and it carried inside it nothing but a bout of sighs andints.


    "...Why did they even bother sending me to a backwater? Are the Guardians really left to investigating scraps?"


    The blue-skinned humanoid, Ineego, once again added another sigh to the collection of sighs already filling his ship. Although the ship looked small, its interior was actually quite spacious¡ª with only the seat that seemed to swivel in the air as well as Ineego upying most of the space.


    There were, however, multiple holograms floating in front of Ineego; his eyes, reflecting the image of Riley Ross¡ª the individual that he was tasked to investigate, and if needed, terminate.


    He didn''t really even bother reading the file that came with his image. He knew he destroyed a, but since this white-haired individual came from a backwater, he probably just relied on some sort of bomb.


    Most of the cases like these were like that, this one shouldn''t be any different.


    "...Let''s just get this over with so I can return to watching the tournament," Ineego once again sighed as he waved his hand, removing any images of Riley as he focused on the map of the Sr System.


    "...Hm?"


    Not even a secondter, however, a ping suddenly rippled on his map¡ª warning him of an object that was approaching him at a very high speed.


    "..." Ineego didn''t really think much of it as he just moved his ship away from the object''s path; as soon as he did so, however, the trajectory of the object also changed. Its target, still his ship.


    Ineego''s eyes slightly squinted as he pointed his finger at the object, zooming in on it.


    "!!!" And as soon as he saw the object that was keen on colliding with his ship; his eyes that were the color of emerald widened,


    "Is¡­ that someone from the Higher Races?"


    Most of those that were able to breathe through the expanse of space were of the Higher Races¡ª but if there were any other than Princess Aerith and the evaniels, the corps would have informed him of their existence.


    So¡­ who exactly is this?


    "..." Ineego''s eyes then soon squinted as he once again waved his hand, bringing up the image of Riley Ross.


    "Lux, try to match the profile."


    And as soon as he said that, the image of the Riley Ross and the face of the individual that was moving towards his ship was ced in a single hologram; with the ship''s AI trying to find any simrities between the two¡ª it was, however, clearly not a match.


    But in Ineego''s eyes, their only real difference was the color of their hair¡ª Riley Ross was of a jet-ck color, while this other one has a hair as white as a star.


    "...This can''t be an inhabitant of the, is it?"


    Ineego finally received the impulse to look at the information sheet they have on Riley Ross; but s, before he could even read a word out of it, the sound of a rumble resounded throughout his small ship as he felt a slight turbulence suddenly tugging on his seat.


    "..." He then waved his hand as he opened the view of one of the many cameras attached to his ship, only to see the white-haired humanoid now clinging just outside the ship''s door.


    And very soon, it started to knock.


    ***


    "Dad!"


    Ineego found himself suddenly waking up¡ª not even knowing how he fell into the depths of unconsciousness in the first ce. Although, he didn''t really know what woke him up, the sudden scream that pierced his ears¡­ or the fact that he couldn''t breathe.


    Fortunately for him, thetter reason did notst long as he heard the familiar howl of a hangar door closing on space.


    "...What¡ª" Ineego was about to float himself away from the floor, but before he could even get the chance to get up and stand, he found himself stuck in the air.


    "..." Ineego then finally started to look at his surroundings, only to see the individual thattched on his ship now¡­ stepping on his back and preventing him from moving further up to stand. He then turned to look at the other people that were present there, only to see the princess of the evaniels.


    "Princess¡­ Vera?" Ineego breathed out, "What''s¡­ going on? Am I inside your ship?"


    Vera, however,pletely ignored her and was just looking back and forth between the individual stepping on his back and¡ª


    "Riley Ro¡ª"


    But s, before he could even finish his words, he felt his head being touched by the individual stepping on him, and then after that¡­ he just fell back to the cold hard metallic floor; his consciousness once again fleeting away from him.


    "He looks funny," the white-haired girl that was stepping on Ineego then flicked her hand, causing Ineego to gently slide towards the evaniels that did not really know what to do right now.


    It was obvious that the blue humanoid was the Guardian, as obvious from the red glowing suit he was wearing¡­ so who exactly is this white-haired individual?


    "...Did she just call you dad?" Vera was the very first one to react as she finally settled her eyes on Riley. She also quickly gestured to her people to tend to the unconscious Guardian.


    "I believe I heard the same, Princess Vera."


    And for the very first time, Vera saw the expression of confusion surrounding Riley''s face as his head tilted to the side; his eyes, looking at the white-haired girl from head to toe.


    "..." Come to think of it, the two of them do look alike¡ª white ce skin, and a mouth so wide that it could probably swallow an entire vige.


    "Dad!" The white-haired girl then repeated as she suddenly flew straight towards Riley; but s, Riley quickly stepped to the side to avoid her.


    "..."


    "..." The white-haired girl''s head then very slowly turned towards Riley; her arms still stretched to the side. The smile on her face, almost turning into a giggle as her eyes squinted.


    "Aunt Diana did say you were shy, dad," the white-haired girl then said as she covered her mouth, but failing to hide the cheeky smile on her face all the same.


    "And mom says you have a problem with being touched by strangers?"


    "Diana¡­ mom?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he stared at the weird girl. And then, without even a secondter¡ª he figured it out.


    "Katherine is alive?"


    "..." And as soon as the white-haired girl heard that, her already squinted eyes squinted even further as she stood up straight, before looking Riley straight in the eyes,


    "...Mom had a better reaction when she found out you were alive. So, it''s true¡­ she said you didn''t really love her the way she loved you. Aunt Diana said that it wasn''t your fault and that there was a problem with your hypothanos."


    "Hypothmus," Riley said as he once again tilted his head, "Are you some sort of experiment by Diana?"


    "...Hmph, my name''s Karina," Karina let out a small harrumph as she crossed her arms. But after a few moments, the aggression on her face quickly dissipated and was reced with a smile, "Anyway¡­


    ¡­can I please hug you?"


    "No."


    "...Why not? Even aunt Diana allowed me to hug her once."


    "Because I don''t want to, Miss Karina."


    "Why don''t you want to?"


    "Because I don''t want to, Miss Karina."


    "Yes, but why!? There should be a reason!"


    "The reason is I don''t want to, Miss Karina."


    The evaniels that were there could really only continue to look back and forth between the two, waiting for their princess to order them amand; but s, she seemed to be the one that was most engrossed amongst them as an amused smile was clearly stered on her face.


    "...But you''re my dad," Karina''s voice slowly started to be meek as a frown slowly crawled on her face, "Shouldn''t¡­


    ¡­shouldn''t you be happy to see me?"


    "I am not your father, Miss Karina," Riley then shook his head as he let out a sigh, "I made sure that Katherine and I will not have any offspring. Mother most probably made you the same way she helped in creating me."


    "...No," Karina hummed as she shook her head,


    "I''m pretty sure you''re my dad. See? I have practically have your everything," she then said as she pointed at her face and smiled; the edges of her lips, almost reaching from ear to ear.


    "You are too old, Miss Karina."


    "...I am actually just turning 3 in a couple of months," Karina forced a chuckle as she ced her hands on her waist, "But don''t be fooled by that, I already had my menstuition! I''m an adult!"


    "I notice your mind is like that of a toddler."


    "...Is that a good thing?"


    "Sometimes, Miss Karina."


    "So you believe you''re my dad now?"


    "Hm¡­


    ¡­If you truly are my daughter, why did Diana and Katherine just allow you to meet me, Miss Karina? I specifically told mother of what I would do when she asked me the question of what I would do if ever I had a child."


    "W¡­ well¡­" Karina slowly looked to the side as she scratched her chin, "Aunt Diana has been¡­ pretty busytely, mom too."


    "Well¡­" Riley then closed his eyes as he let out a small sigh, "I suppose it doesn''t matter¡­


    ¡­you need to die either way, Miss Karina."


    "...Dad?"

 Chapter 433: The Worst Ingredient

    Chapter 433: The Worst Ingredient


    "..."


    "..."


    Once again, Vera''s face was expressing what everyone was feeling; her eyebrows, slightly raised in confusion but still very much amused.


    Riley Ross has a daughter? That wasn''t in any profile Vera had read, and she had probably read and watched everything about Riley Ross. She knew who Katherine Reads was; based on Admiral Varen''s research, she was the one that had sexual rtions with Riley for the longest time.


    It was said she disappeared a couple of years ago¡ª and now they have a child? And the supposed child also looked too old, probably a couple of years older than her brother based on her looks; it might just also be her white hair.


    She did say she was two years old. And since the people of this based their age on its rotation rtive to their sun¡­ she should be considered very young¡ª a baby, even.


    Just¡­ what is going on with this?


    The expression on Vera''s face truly showed what most of the evaniels there were feeling. Well, all except but one¡ª Dr. Ve.


    Her eyes were wide, wider than most as she stared at Karina; looking at her from head to toe and taking in every word that came out of her wide mouth.


    Growth eleration?


    Earth shouldn''t have a scientist capable of something asplex as that. It was easy in theory, but in practice and mastery, even more advanceds have difficulty in always making it work.


    ¡­There is also the fact that they perfectly cloned a themarian.


    No matter how many times she searched the annex of Earth''s library of information, she could not find a name for a scientist capable of that. But of course, there should also be many hidden secrets that weren''t avable to the public, but still.


    The closest individual she could think of that would be capable of that kind of research is Riley''s adoptive father, the one they call the Whiteking.


    Butst she checked, he didn''t really delve into the depths of biology and only focused on his weapons.


    Whoever this scientist is, Dr. Ve was sure he or she was the reason why Earth''s technological advancement was so random. Just¡­


    ¡­who is it?


    Riley mentioned something about a mother. His adoptive mother? Diana Ross?


    Butst she checked, she was just a normal human. She¡ª !!!


    And then, suddenly, her eyes that were already as wide as they could be turned even wider; almost to the point they almost popped out of their sockets¡ª only saved by the sses she was wearing.


    She had seen a photo of Diana Ross when she read about Riley Ross''s life¡ª and there was a moment when she couldn''t shake off a feeling that she had seen her before. She just shrugged it off, of course, as aside from the color of their hair and tattoos, the humans just looked like evaniels.


    But that wasn''t the case at all. Dr. Ve finally realizes where she knew Diana from;


    She¡­ looked exactly the same as the other themarian Aerith was with when she boarded the ship.


    "..."


    A themarian scientist.


    ¡­Themarian scientist.


    "!!!" Dr. Ve almost let out a loud gasp; instantly covering her mouth as her breaths almost came out as whimpers. She then looked at Vera, but can''t really find the words to say to her.


    Although none of her theories were confirmed, if Diana Ross is who Dr. Ve thought she was¡­ then they were in grave danger just by staying here.


    They were in the presence of the entity that is responsible for the most number of Universal Law crimes. But then at the same time¡­


    ¡­they were also in the presence of one of the greatest minds in the universe. And as a creature of science herself, this weighed more to her.


    And so, after trying to calm her breaths down, she just tried her best to shut her mouth and continue to observe the drama unfolding in front of her.


    "Why¡­ would I have to die?"


    Karina''s voice still held resolute as her eyes did not stray away from Riley. But s, her trembling cheekspletely failed to hide the nervous tension crawling throughout her entire body.


    And almost in contrast to that, Riley''s face was almost devoid of any emotions as he uttered words that were filled with edge.


    "Because the universe does not deserve another me, Miss Karina," Riley then let out a small but very deep breath¡­ before breaking the cuffs that were binding his hands; the other evaniels were about to make a move, but Vera gestured to them not to do anything,


    "It doesn''t deserve another ender," Riley breathed out as he looked at his hands, "It will already suffer much by my hands alone."


    "But I''m not you, though?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "I''m like¡­ literally my own person?" Karina''s voice was slowly bing meek; her head, slowly starting to stray away as Riley just stared at her while she continued to talk.


    "..."


    "Like¡­ mom told me you like seeing blood and stuff and hurting people," Karina then slightly winced and trembled,


    "But me? I can''t even stand the sight of blood. Like, ew. Yuck, no," she then said as she stuck out her tongue.


    "..."


    "Grandma also told me you''re not really a good person either."


    "Grandma?" Riley tilted his head, "Alice has been resurrected, Miss Karina?"


    "...No? Who''s that?" Karina raised an eyebrow, "I meant grandma Ts. She told me to stay away from you because you''re the Harbinger of Ruin or something."


    "...It has been a while since Ist heard that."


    "But I don''t know, you know? You¡­ seem kinda cool now that I am seeing you. It''s just¡­" Karina''s sighs then suddenly reverberated throughout the entire hangar as her shoulders soon dropped,


    "I thought we could bond. I overheard¡ª I mean, I heard from mother and the others about this whole thing about the guardian whatever that''sing¡­ and I thought if I found it he would lead me to you¡­


    ¡­and he did. The others probably know I am missing already. So¡­ can we please just, I don''t know¡­ do something a father and daughter does?"


    "Okay," Riley nodded.


    "R¡­ really!?"


    And with just a single word from Riley, everyone could see how Karina''s face just suddenly almost lit up the entire area with her weird, but slightly endearing smile.


    "But instead of something a father does with her daughter. I will do to you what my mother did to me instead, Miss Karina."


    "That¡­ That''s good too, but what¡ª"


    And before Karina could even finish her words, her limbs suddenly locked together. And almost like a rope that only bes tighter and tighter as one struggles, the only thing that Karina could really do was let out a sudden whimper¡ª almost like a puppy.


    "D¡­ dad?" And very easily, tears started to trail on Karina''s face, "W¡­ why?"


    "You don''t have to worry, Miss Karina. I¡­ understand your existence," Riley then said as he very slowly made his way towards her, "I have an acquaintance that is in a very simr scenario to yours."


    "H¡­ hkh," Karina sniffled as she looked at her father just looking at him with eyes devoid of any love and care.


    "Except there''s just one tiny difference that changes everything," Riley then let out a sigh as he stood right in front of Karina, looking her directly in the eyes¡­ before wiping her tears away with the back of his hand,


    "She was made in the image of a perfect being. While you¡­ you were molded with the worst possible ingredient one could use¡­


    ¡­me."


    "That¡­ that''s not true," Karina''s eyes trembled as she returned Riley''s gaze, "I¡­ I think you''re very cool."


    "The fact you think that already means you''ve been corrupted by me," Riley then sighed before very slowly wrapping his arms around Karina,


    "What I have ends with me."


    And very soon, the entire ship could feel a small tremble¡ª it was faint, but it made a sound that was almost too visceral to hear¡­ as it is apanied by an almost innocent whimper.


    "N¡­ no, please¡­ don''t¡­ dad," Karina''s eyes were slowly turning red; her nose and ears, now bleeding profusely, "No, no¡­ no."


    "I apologize you had to be born from me, daughter."


    "Dad¡­" Karina once again turned to look at Riley, "Please¡­ don''t do¡ª No¡­ no, no¡­


    ¡­I said no!"


    "!!!"


    The markings on Vera''s body instantly lit up; her hands, already grabbing Dr. Ve, as well as the unconscious Guardian as she ran away. How could she not¡­ when she saw Riley''s body disintegrate in front of her almost instantly?


    The other evaniels were also able to run away¡ª but they didn''t really need to. As whatever that invisible force was, it would seem it really only targeted Riley Ross; even the floor beneath him was intact.


    The same could not be said to him, however¡ª as his body disintegrated almost into nothing but sand.


    "No¡­" Karina quickly dropped to the floor as she tried sweeping the ashes towards her, "No¡­ dad. I''m¡­ no¡­"


    And very quickly, her tears and blood filled her face as she let out a cry that could probably be heard throughout the entire ship.


    "Huk¡­"


    "..."


    "..."


    "A shame, I quite liked that clone."


    "...Huh?"


    And then, Karina very slowly turned her head up as soon as she heard a whisper; her snot and tears, still very much painted on her face. And there, he saw her father just standing like nothing even happened.


    "...Dad?" Karina could really only blink a couple of times in confusion as she looked back and forth between the ashes in her arm and Riley.


    "But it is also fortunate that you did what you did," Riley then let out a small sigh, "I forgot to ask you an important question, daughter."


    "...What?"


    "Have you tried dying before?"


    "...Sorry?"

 Chapter 434: Stay Away

    Chapter 434: Stay Away


    "...You gain the abilities of the one that kills you?"


    "Yes, have you tried it before, Karina?"


    "...No?"


    "Thisplicates things. If I kill you and you happen to get all of my abilities, then you truly will be like me and start destroying¡ª"


    "No! I already told you, I don''t even like it when I identally kill insects!"


    Although Karina was stillpletely confused about what just happened, she still slightly backed away as soon as she saw her father suddenly alive and just standing there.


    She was sure of it¡ª Riley was just disintegrated and yet¡­ he was here again?


    Her mother did say her father had many abilities, was this one of them?


    "You¡­ you tried to kill me," Karina then whispered as she continued to back away, "Now¡­ now I know why they don''t want me to meet you! You''re a bad person!"


    "I am."


    "...You''re not even going to deny it?"


    "Is there a need to?" Riley only tilted his head, before looking at the ashes of his clone that soon faded and withered awaypletely,


    "I tried to kill you, but you killed my clone. I would say that makes us even, Karina."


    "That¡ª"


    "Riley, what''s going on!?"


    And while everyone was busy watching the scene between the supposed father and daughter, Silvie, who was supposed to be locked in her cell, suddenly arrived at the scene.


    "Ms. Silvie?" Princess Vera raised an eyebrow, "...What are you doing here?"


    "...Riley destroyed your holding cells."


    "...Oh, of course," Vera blinked a couple of times as she sighed, "You¡­ didn''t try to escape?"


    "...I am wanted by thew, I must abide," Silvie also let out a small sigh, "I''m still your prisoner by all means, Princess. But¡­ what''s going on here?"


    "Riley''s daughter arrived."


    "I see," Silvie nodded, before her eyes turned wide, "Wait, what?"


    Vera didn''t really answer Silvie anymore and just pointed to what was happening. And once again, Silvie''s already wide eyes turned even wider as she saw the pale, white-haired girl looking at her.


    "..." Silvie then turned and started looking back and forth between Karina and Riley¡ª if it wasn''t for Riley permanently dying his hair ck, then the simrity between the two will be eerily¡­ uncanny,


    "...How? And what was that I was hearing about you trying to kill her, Riley!?"


    Silvie then quickly rushed toward Karina, standing in front of her to block her from Riley''s path,


    "Are¡­ you alright?"


    "...You look like one of the visitors that''s been visiting aunt Dianately."


    "..." Silvie didn''t even need to ask who Karina was referring to as she turned her focus to Riley,


    "What are you doing, Riley?"


    "I was trying to kill her, Silvie," Riley answered nonchntly, "Not anymore, not until I am sure she does not have the same ability as me."


    "...Why would you even do that!?" Silvie raised her voice. The evaniels that were watching on the sides could really only look at each other; some of them, slightly starting to enjoy the drama unfolding in front of their eyes.


    "She just wanted to hug you!"


    "...So you''ve been listening from the start, Silvie."


    "That¡­ that doesn''t matter!" Silvie once again waved her hand, "Don''t you know what it feels like to be unwanted by your own parents!?"


    "No, but I suppose you do," Riley shrugged before tilting his head to the side to look at Karina, "She is the acquaintance I told you about that knows your situation very well."


    "..." Karina looked at Silvie for a few seconds, before Silvie looked back at her and shook her head.


    "I don''t. I am a clone, but she''s obviously not," Silvie said as she looked Riley straight in the eyes,


    "And shouldn''t you already know by now that I have be my own person, Riley!?"


    "..." Riley could really only blink a couple of times as Silvie¡­ started to cry out of nowhere even though she just arrived.


    "If I, an exact replica of Megawoman was able to live my life as my own¡­ why do you think your daughter, someone who is clearly not a clone, won''t be able to live as her own person? She¡­ she''s literally just a child and she''s definitely not like you, Riley!" Silvie continued her speech as she ced a hand on Karina''s shoulder,


    "I''ve only seen her for a minute and she has already expressed more emotions than you have and I have known you for years, Riley!"


    "She might just be pretending like me, Silvie."


    "She''s not you! Why are you always so stubborn!? She''s not you."


    "..."


    "...I already told him, that. He''s not liste¡ª"


    "Okay. If you say so, Silvie," Riley then shrugged as he started to walk away.


    "...What?" Karina could not help but raise an eyebrow as she looked back and forth between her father and Silvie,


    "How¡­ did you do that?" Her eyes then soon glistened as she looked at Silvie; a few momentster, however, she started to frown,


    "Are you one of dad''s other women?"


    "W¡­ what?"


    "Mom said dad has a lot of¡­ side chicks, you''re one of them, aren''t you?" Karina squinted her eyes as she backed away while looking at Silvie from head to toe,


    "Not bad. Mom has a better figure, though. You look quite in."


    Silvie''s eyes started to squint as she heard Karina''s words. Didn''t¡­ she just try to help this kid? So why does it feel like she was suddenly having the urge to hit her head?


    "I''m¡­ not one of your dad''s other women," Silvie then answered, "I¡­ was one of his friends."


    "Dad has no friends, though. You''re a side chick."


    She''s a child. Literally, a toddler¡ª Silvie kept repeating to herself as she calmed her breaths.


    "Anyway¡­" Karina then let out a loud breath as she once again turned to look at Riley as he started to approach them, "...Now that you''re not trying to kill me¡­ can we hug?"


    "We already did, Karina," Riley answered as he just continued to walk past her, "Right before you disintegrated my clone."


    "...That doesn''t count," Karina pouted, "...Please?"


    "No," Riley gently pushed Karina''s face away as she tried to sneak her arms around him, "Please go away, Karina. The people around you are right¡ª you should not associate yourself with me."


    "...But you''re my dad."


    "That rarely matters, Karina. I believe you do not deserve someone that will never truly learn to love you," Riley shook his head before making his way to Vera and the others, "I suppose I may be your father, but I am not family, Karina¡­


    ¡­the people that have been taking care of you all these years, they are your family."


    "...But I want you to be," Karina insisted. She was about to follow Riley, but Silvie stopped her.


    "That''s because you don''t know me yet, Karina. Not really," Riley then let out a sigh as he stood in front of Vera; or more specifically, in front of the unconscious Guardian on the floor,


    "This is who I am."


    And then, without even any indication he was going to do anything¡­


    ¡­he stepped on the Guardian''s leg¡ª jolting him awake.


    "Gr¡ª"


    And before the Guardian, Ineego, could even have the chance to scream in pain, Riley ced his hand inside his mouth¡ª slightly ripping it open.


    "Kh!" Ineego could really only let out a muffled gasp as he looked at Riley. He then quickly raised both his palms and faced them toward Riley''s face; and with a grunt, two blue orbs that resembled the sun emerged from them.


    But before the two orbs could really do anything¡­ Ineego''s hands were instantly squashed into a ball¡ª the two orbs, alsopressing to oblivion.


    "I''m not interested in fighting you anymore, Guardian," Riley just sighed as he shook his head,


    "If my daughter could easily beat you¡­ then I would just be bored."


    "Riley Ross, don''t¡ª"


    And before Vera could say anything, Riley¡­ pushed his hand deeper into Ineego''s mouth.


    "!!!"


    Everyone could see Riley''s arm slowly disappearing as Ineego''s blue neck started bloat¡ª the sound of his flesh and bone being shattered and pushed away, viscerally snapping in the air.


    The hair and markings of the evaniels that were there started to light up, but once again, Vera gestured to them not to do anything.


    They just watched as Ineego''s body started to shake and seize as blood started to pour from all the orifices in his body.


    Karina could no longer watch the scene unfold as she turned around and started to cry; embracing Silvie even though she didn''t really know her.


    "Ah, I think I found it."


    And finally, after a few seconds of Riley rearranging the insides of the Guardian, he pulled his arm out. And as soon as he did so, Ineego''s body dropped to the floor; his torso, almost like a wetsagne as it made a plopping pop.


    "Is this it, Princess Vera?" Riley then stretched his bloodied arm towards Vera; Ineego''s flesh and guts, still dripping down from its sides.


    "...What?" Vera looked at Riley''s face first in confusion, before turning her eyes to the thing that Riley was holding in his hand,


    "That¡­"


    "Is this the Guardian Force?" Riley asked as a smile slowly started to crawl on his face,


    "It''s the only thing I couldn''t break."


    It was a red stone¡ª a stone that looked like it held a collection of stars inside it.


    "...Yes?" Vera took in a small gulp, "You¡­ you should put that back, Riley. That belongs to the Guardian Corps."


    "Not anymore," Riley shrugged before he just casually ced it in his pocket,


    "I am giving it to father."

 Chapter 435: Unveiling

    Chapter 435: Unveiling


    "The Guardian Corps isn''t going to stand for this, you need to give it back to them."


    "No."


    "You¡ª I need to report this to the Elders, Riley Ross."


    "You do what you must, Princess Vera."


    "...Can you let me go now?"


    "Okay."


    Riley and the others were no longer in the hangar bay and were instead in one of the many vast and empty fields inside the ship. As Silvie said, the evaniel''s holding cell was no longer¡­ usable. And so, princess Vera just decided to hold both Riley and Silvie in one of the indoor fields.


    But of course, Vera attempted to snatch the Guardian Force from Riley¡ª which she almost seeded in doing so, but s¡­ the moment she had the stone in her hands, she felt herself unable to move.


    The evaniels'' bodies are almost indestructible in certain conditions. The way their physiology works is that the faster they are in movement, the stronger and more durable their body bes¡ª this is the reason why they were able to match the themarians in the past.


    Of course, even when not moving, their strength and durability still far outmatch those of the Lower Races.


    But Vera could feel it.


    Riley Ross''s strength was on par with the Higher Races. It is no wonder Aerith warned them about him.


    Vera could feel it, if she tries to fight Riley head-on, she will die. Perhaps the only evaniel that could fight him alone was her mother, the Queen.


    And so, with all of those thoughts circling in her mind, the light on Vera''s hair slowly faded away, once again revealing her hair that was as green as the grass beneath their feet.


    And as soon as the light on her tattoos also disappeared, Riley finally gently ced her back on the ground.


    "I told you, she''ll lose."


    "Hm, but she did manage to snatch the stone."


    And of course, as another prisoner, Silvie was also there in the field; watching as Vera tried to get the red stone from Riley.


    Vera is fast¡­ very fast. Even with Silvie''s hyper senses, she would still lose sight of Vera as soon as he moved¡ª almost like a fly or a mosquito; one blink, and you would lose them.


    But s, being fast means nothing when you''re locked inside a cage. And that is exactly what fighting Riley Ross feels like¡ª you''re a literal fly inside his matchbox.


    He could shake the box as much as he wants, and you wouldn''t be able to do anything but hope that he stops.


    "So¡­ my dad really is the strongest being in the entire universe?"


    Karina''s eyes glistened as she watched each of Riley''s movements in awe¡ª almost letting out gasps even as Riley was just sitting down.


    "..." Silvie could really only wonder why she was still here¡ª wasn''t she some sort of secret experiment or something that escaped? Shouldn''t Diana be trying to find her right now?


    Silvie didn''t really mind, though. Although Karina looked like she was already around 16 years old or so, Silvie could see her as nothing but arge toddler¡­. Especially since she was holding her hand.


    Silvie tried to pull away at first, but Karina just kept on innocently holding her hand.


    She was basically the female version of Riley in terms of the way she looked¡ª but in terms of everything else, Silvie was probably closer to Riley.


    Karina was theplete opposite of Riley Ross¡­ although their utter disregard for other people''s boundaries was the same.


    Although that too, was quite different. Riley''sck of boundaries is borderline creepy, but Karina? She just looked like a lost puppy.


    "...Pft."


    "Hm?"


    "It''s nothing."


    That was bad, she thought. She just imagined what it would have been like if Riley was also like his supposed daughter.


    Although Riley looked far from innocent since she already knew who he was and what he is capable of¡­


    ¡­You wouldn''t really think he was a mass-murdering genocidal maniac.


    "..." This is bad. She just imagined it again; Riley holding on to her like a toddler.


    "..." Karina, who has holding Silvie''s hand, could not help but very slowly let go of Silvie''s hand when she startedughing on her own.


    So it''s true what her mother said¡ª her father is also surrounded by weird people.


    ***


    "And he killed the Guardian just like that?"


    "Interesting. Anyway, did you watch my fight? It¡ª"


    "I believe it''s time to take this situation seriously, Elders."


    Once again, Vera was inside the Transmission Sphere, therge spherical hall that directly connects to the Elders. And once again, most of the Elders still seemed disinterested in what was happening.


    Vera gets it, of course. These people have been managing the affairs of the entire universe for so long that the only thing they would probably find remotely interesting is whenever an entire star system gets wiped out.


    "..." Then maybe she would lead with that.


    "I believe Riley Ross is a Star-level threat."


    And as soon as she said that, the Elders quickly stopped whatever it was they were doing and all turned their holographic and static heads toward Vera.


    "He is also in the possession of the Guardian Force. I have been trying to get it from him, but any attempts¡­ result in failure."


    "You¡­ can''t get it from him?" The Elder with a sort of spiky hair, S''adar, finally stopped bragging about his fight in the tournament as his voice slightly turned serious,


    "Are you saying this Riley Ross, from an unknown, is at the same Threat Level as your mother?"


    "...My mother isn''t a threat," Vera''s eyes slightly twitched, "But yes, I believe in terms of raw practical ability to cause damage, then the two of them might be an even match. Princess Aerith has warned us about the human for a reason, I believe it''s time to take this seriously."


    "You said that he is in possession of a Guardian Force?" The Grand Elder, who had just been grunting and breathing loudly, finally spoke up as he leaned forward from his hovering throne,


    "Is he finally going to do it himself?"


    "Shh, be quiet.".


    "Then the Guardian Corps will take care of this affair on their own."


    But s, contrary to their expectations, the Grand Elder once again leaned back as he let out a sigh,


    "But¡ª"


    "What of Princess Aerith? What news do you have on her after she took her son away?"


    "...Nothing. But I think we should focus on Riley¡ª"


    "Then that is all we have left to talk about," the Grand Elder said as he and his throne very slowly turned around,


    "You have to understand, Princess Vera. The Themarians are creatures of impulse¡ª they would say one is a threat just because they were able to scratch a strand of hair on their head."


    "Riley Ross and the inhabitants of Earth are no mere¨C"


    s, Vera was not able to finish her words before the holograms surrounding her started to disappear one by one.


    "Crooked legs," Vera cursed as her green hair started to lit up, "Why don''t they just listen!? They also ignored my warnings about the Chaospany and look at where¡ª"


    Well, the holograms disappeared¡ª except for one.


    "You said Riley Ross is at the same level as your mother, the Queen?"


    "Y¡­ yes," Vera quickly calmed herself down as she looked at the remaining Elder, Zora¡ª the Elder with an elongated head that seemed to be fairly acquainted with her mother.


    And with his hologram being the only connection left, his silhouette that was veiled from all the static slowly became clearer and clearer¡ª revealing that he, in fact, did not have an elongated head.


    He was wearing something simr to a turban; his skin,pletely ck but still very much humanoid¡­ except for the fact that his nose and mouth were more akin to that of a feline; the side of his face and from the neck down, seemingly covered with fur.


    "I happen to have fought your mother before, when you were but a cub," Elder Zora then said with a small sigh, "I believe it would have been 2 rotations ago now ording to your."


    "...Yes, my mother has told me about it several times," Vera nodded.


    "Has she also told you that we have never really decided a victor?"


    "...I''m afraid my mother says she always won."


    "That''s typical of her," Elder Zora shook his head, "You seem to be very interested and invested in this and Riley Ross."


    "And I wonder why you and the rest are not."


    "What exactly do you expect us to do? Go there to check it ourselves? Us gathering just for a single individual from an unknown gxy is already a testament enough that we are paying attention to this."


    "That''s not enough! Princess Aerith herself warned us about him."


    "You have to understand, the Rebel Princess has¡­ a certain notoriety to her name."


    "She is still one of, if not the strongest recorded Themarian!"


    "That is true as well," Elder Zora nodded, "That''s why I will talk to the Guardian General myself about what you reported."


    "...What?"


    "The others might see it as just another small event, but the Guardian Corps treat all of their people like family¡ª they will send a lot of other Guardians¡­


    ¡­and I will be going with them."


    "...This will get the attention of everyone, Elder Zora," Vera took in a small gulp.


    "Isn''t that what you wanted?" Elder Zora let out a small chuckle,


    "You, Princess Vera, will be the one to unveil Earth to the rest of the Universe."

 Chapter 436: The Bunker

    Chapter 436: The Bunker


    "Riley!?"


    "Are you spying on me, sister?"


    "...No. You''re literally in front of the house. I saw you from the cameras."


    "That is called spying on me, sister."


    In front of the Ross'' Residence, Riley''s foot was about to step inside their house; before he could do so, however, Hannah suddenlynded on their frontwn. They used to be very careful with showing their abilities in the neighborhood¡ª but ever since it was revealed that Bernard Ross was Whiteking, some of their neighbors left in fear for their lives due to all the viins that would probably target him.


    But then Riley Ross was revealed to be Darkday, that''s when their entire subdivision decided to clear out. The owner of the subdivision didn''t mind, of course¡­ because the owner was Bernard Ross himself, just registered in apletely made-up identity.


    And so, with everything already out there, the need for pretense was over.


    "I''m not fucking spying on you, the cameras are connected to my phone!" Hannah could really only roll her eyes as she approached Riley, "What are you doing here? Shouldn''t you be locked up with Silvie?"


    "I am still with Silvie, this is a clone," Riley nced at Hannah for a few moments, before shrugging and entering the house, "She says hello, by the way."


    "And what are you doing here?" Hannah repeated her question as she too rushed to enter the house.


    "...This is our house, sister. Why wouldn''t I be here?"


    "Stop fucking around, you know what I mean," Hannah once again rolled her eyes as she followed Riley around the house as he started walking everywhere, "What are you trying to find!?"


    "Father," Riley casually answered, "I believe I should also ask you the same question, sister. What are you doing here?"


    "I just told you I saw you on the cameras!"


    "Yes, but why are you here? Were you not just attending Golden Fox''s funeral?"


    "How¡ª"


    "I believe this is also the first time in a year that you will be visiting the house, sister."


    "...How would you know that?"


    "Because I am spying on you, sister."


    "...Creep," Hannah scoffed, before finally grabbing Riley''s wrist and telling him to stop, "Dad''s obviously not here. I would have also been alerted on my phone if¡­ no, never mind that. You think he might be in the basement under the bunker?"


    "He might be, but we are not allowed there, sister," Riley nodded as he faced Hannah.


    "...Since when did you value other people''s space?" Hannah raised her eyebrow as she started dragging Riley away, "I don''t know why you''re trying to find him, but let''s go¡ª I think it''s time for the three of us to have a real heart-to-heart discussion as a family. All these crazy things have been happening around us that we barely even talk about the elephant in the room."


    "Elephant¡­ are you referring to yourself because you''re gaining weight, sister?"


    "What!? No, fuck! I only gained 1 pound."


    "Is that before or after pooping, sister?"


    "Ew, seriously, Riley!?"


    "It''s a legitimate question. Did you know that on average, the average human loses about¡ª"


    "I don''t want to talk about poop!"


    "But you just said you wanted a heart-to-heart talk. Talking about one of the dirtiest secretions from our body is as intimate as¡ª"


    "Ugh, just stop!"


    The two once again stepped out of the house, making their way to the bunker that was located just a few steps near the side of their home. And as they opened the hatch and started to step down, Hannah could not help but feel¡­ a slight mncholy suddenly wrapping her entire body.


    This¡­ is where it all started to change¡ª Megawoman''s supposed defeat from Darkday. Come to think of it, when she fetched Riley from his room that day, was it actually him¡­ or just another one of his clones?


    "..." Hannah didn''t really want to find out the answer to that for some reason. And so, she just stood there; standing in the bunker in silence as she just let her mind wonder and wander. It was almost as if she was already living in apletely different world and a different life.


    ¡­No. With the aliens finally reaching out to them with intent of diplomacy, Earth truly is apletely different world than what it was before all of the things unfolded. Was there actually a way for things to have not be like¡ª


    "Do you know how to get to father''s secretir, sister?"


    And before Hannah could dig through the deepest parts of her imagination, Riley stood right in front of her face.


    "...No, I thought you knew?" Hannah''s shoulders dropped as she started looking around the empty bunker.


    "I don''t, sister. I would not have called it a secretir if I did," Riley looked Hannah straight in the eyes; his face, obviously looking at her as if she was the one loose in the head.


    "Fuck you, okay?" Hannah smiled and nodded before she started walking around and tapping the walls and floors.


    "...What are you doing, sister?"


    "Trying to find a secret button, I don''t know!" Hannah shouted in frustration as she waved her hands around, "Why don''t you try to help instead of just standing there!? Seriously, more than two years and you haven''t changed a single bit!"


    "Why is everyone saying I haven''t changed? I believe I did, sister."


    "...You? I specifically remember you not changing your underwear for an entire week because you said you didn''t like the feeling of another underwear!"


    "I believe that was a valid reason at the time, sister," Riley shrugged as he too started walking around the bunker instead of just using his abilities to check around for any switch that may be there.


    "It''s fucking disgusting is what it is! Remember when you didn''t want to take a bath for weeks for the nth time!?"


    "I didn''t like the feeling of the new showerhead, sister."


    "The germs, Riley!"


    "They are necessary organisms, sister."


    "W¡ª"


    And before the two could continue their senseless talks, a part of the floor suddenly opened up.


    "...You press something?"


    "No, sister."


    "...I guess dad''s home."


    And with the two nodding at each other, theypletely stopped their conversation and made their way down; with Hannah slightly taking in a small gulp. And although it was not as obvious, Riley''s eyes were also slightly squinting.


    Not once, not even once have they been allowed inside Bernard''s secret basement. The two tried several times to find a way to sneak in, but Bernard would always catch them for some reason.


    And now¡­ after more or less 2 decades, they were finally invited by their father.


    And after taking the stairs for almost an entire minute, they arrived in a hall¡ª a bright basement that probably epassed the entire area of the subdivision. It looked rtively empty¡­ except for all the weird machinery and suits of armor just neatly scattered everywhere.


    "It''s¡­ more boring than I imagined," Hannah blinked a couple of times; her eyes, still glistening as she continued to look at all the things that were there, "Riley, look! Isn''t that a spear of those blue aliens that invaded us? I wonder what he''s doing with it."


    "He is probably trying to reverse engineer it, sister. Turn it into a weapon that could destroy entire inds in one swing."


    "...He wouldn''t do that."


    And just like that, the two suddenly became children again; children that seemed to be touring in some sort of museum as their eyes looked everywhere.


    "That''s not their weapon, it''s a variant I made that could be used by normal people¡­ just in case."


    It was easy to dismiss Bernard whenever they were surrounded by supers that could destroy mountains with their fists¡ª but in his territory, he truly was quite the presence. Even now, as he approached the two while wearing his superhero uniform, Hannah could feel a certain pride oozing out of him.


    That¡­ or because he''s their father.


    "...Why are you wearing your Whiteking suit?" Hannah squinted her eyes, "Last I checked, Empress said you''re not allowed to go out there anymore."


    "Well, I''m not out there, am I?"


    "He has a point, sister."


    "Ugh, shut up," Hannah rolled her eyes, "Just so you know, it was Riley''s idea to visit you."


    "Oh?" Bernard smiled, "And here I thought I heard you saying something about heart-to-heart?"


    "You were listening in on us!? Of course, you were¡­ Riley got it from you."


    "Hm," Bernard nodded.


    "...That''s not something to be proud of, dad. I¡­ I can''t," Hannah pinched the bridge of her nose, "Riley, just do what you came here for so we can leave."


    "Here you go, father."


    And without even waiting for anyone else to say something, Riley stretched his hand towards Bernard.


    "...That is?" Bernard''s helmet folden open as he looks at Riley''s hand; his clearly emaciated eyes, reflecting the red stone that seemed to hold several stars in them.


    "It''s a Guardian Force. Be careful, it''s quite heavy."


    "..." Hannah also curiously looked at the stone, somewhat feeling a sense of familiarity with it, "...What the fuck is that?"


    "I''m giving it to father. It gives physically weak creatures power, or so I was told."


    "...What?" Bernard leaned closer to the stone; his mask, once again unfolding and covering his face,


    "This¡­ the amount of energy it radiates is insane. Just¡­ where did you get this?"


    "It was personally delivered to me by a Guardian, father."


    "...What the fuck is a Guardian? Another one of your new alien friends?"


    "I don''t have friends, sister."


    "Why¡­ are you giving it to me?"


    "Swallow it, father."


    "...What?"


    "Swallow it."

 Chapter 437: Reunion?

    Chapter 437: Reunion?


    "Why don''t you just try swallowing it, father?"


    "...No."


    "God fucking damn it, dad! Just swallow the goddamn thing so we can get this over with!"


    "Why don''t you swallow it since you seem to be so good at it!?"


    "What the fuck, dad!? I haven''t even touched a person''s dick yet! Why are you always so inappropriate!?"


    "Does that mean you have held another creature''s penis, sister?"


    "What? No!"


    "It is okay, sister. I am learning from Paige how to be epting of other people''s beliefs and preferences."


    "Why the fuck are you so disgusting!? I swear that Paige isn''t a good influence on you!"


    It had been a couple of hours since Riley gave the Guardian Force; but s, not even a drop of Bernard''s saliva made contact with the stone yet as he refused to do what Riley wanted him to do.


    Instead, he had been studying the little stone; carefully and intricately as he even repurposed some of his machines¡ª creating some sort of incubator that had several mechanical hands so that he wouldn''t have to touch it himself.


    He also didn''t want a repeat of what happened earlier. When Riley handed him the stone, he didn''t notice the problem immediately since he was wearing his armor. But as soon as he took a step, the power that his suit was automatically distributing to several parts of his body and enhancing his strength started to suddenly sag¡­


    ¡­causing him to almost break his whole arm, shoulder, and spine as the weight of the little stone finally registered to him.


    He was too engrossed with everything that was happening that he didn''t even see the ''over capacity'' warning that his helmet''s heads-up disy was showing him ever since he held the stone.


    Although his armor didn''t let him reach the strength of Hera, it still allows him to lift and throw tanks as if they were just empty cardboard boxes¡ª and so, for the stone to cause his armor to almost instantly lose power, it was heavy; extremely so.


    Fortunately for Bernard, before it could reach the floor, Riley lifted it up in the air. And he did so until Bernard was able to build a case to ce it in.


    "Can the two of you keep quiet for a few seconds!?" Bernard could not help but raise his voice as he couldn''t concentrate on the stone,


    "I thought the two of you would have already be adults with everything that has happened and yet here you are, bickering like children."


    "It''s Riley''s fault," Hannah rolled her eyes before she walked away and once again just started roaming around Bernard''srge basement.


    "Don''t touch anything."


    "I''m going to touch whatever I want," Hannah scoffed as she approached the spear that was disyed on one of the tables.


    "...I wonder how I even survived you two," Bernard could really only shake his head as he turned his focus back to the stone.


    "You weren''t really around that much, father. It was mother that mostly took care of Hannah and me."


    "...Yeah," Bernard whispered; his voice, lowering to the point that it became just a whisper, "I¡­ wasn''t really there much, was I?"


    "It''s fine, father. You weren''t needed anyway besides the mary value you added to the family."


    "Pft," Bernard could not help but let out a small chuckle, before letting out a short but very deep sigh as he once again turned his eyes to the stone,


    "You said you got this thing from inside someone''s stomach?"


    "Yes, father."


    "Interesting. One would normally die if they swallow a stone that''s equivalent to an entire airne bus in weight," Bernard squinted his eyes as he looked at the stone, before turning towards the several screens beside him,


    "The energy it is emitting is more than an entire nuclear power nt, much more. It also seems to be recovering any of its lost power since it''s just fluctuating in a certain range¡­incredible. This could be used to power the entire country continuously and it wouldst for years before beingpletely depleted. But since it seems to be charging by itself, we could use it again¡­ if only you had two of it so we could¡ª"


    "I didn''t give that to you for the purpose of powering the city or anything else, father."


    And before Bernard could continue to express his awe, Riley''s words disrupted his thoughts.


    "I gave it to you so that you will be stronger," Riley then said as he also looked at the Guardian Force.


    "...But this would be better used in providing relief, Riley," Bernard removed his eyes away from the stone and the monitors, "It could also make our technological advancement jump to more than a thousand years. Its practical application is almost endless."


    "Stop fucking pretending to care about the people, dad," Hannah returned from her small tour as she stood in front of the case holding the Guardian Force, "If you did, you would have quit your job as a hero a long time ago and just helped improve lives with your shit. But no, you created weapons for yourself."


    "Because that is what was needed at that time," Bernard sighed before looking at his armor, "And what I have couldn''t really be mass-produced."


    "Just swallow the goddamn thing, dad," Hannah also let out a small sigh, "I doubt nk face here would let you help humanity anyway."


    "...I will die if I swallow it. I am certain there are other procedures that need to be realized before I could actually bepatible with this thing."


    "Then just put it in your armor," Hannah shrugged.


    "That is also too dangerous," Bernard shook his head, "The energy it is emitting is toorge topress¡ª it could explode with just one wrong move and cause an explosion that would probably more or less destroy half the."


    "Oh, oh!" Hannah''s eyes then turned wide as she quickly rush to Bernard and started tapping him several times on the shoulders, "Build a giant fucking mecha suit! Like V''s, except asrge as an entire building!"


    "I will let you have it if you use it for something like that, father."


    "...That will only be usable in a lower gravity environ¡ª How old are you two again?"


    Bernard''s sighs echoed through therge basement as the rmendations and words of his children started to fill his mind. The only thing he could really do was try to listen to his own breaths so he would be able to continue to study the stone in peace.


    He found, however, that he didn''t really need to close his ears as Riley suddenly started heading to the exit of the basement.


    "...Where are you going?" Hannah could not help but squint her eyes. She was about to follow Riley out, but Riley just told him that he was just going to get something from the house and would return immediately. And so, she just shrugged her shoulders before watching Bernard do whatever it is he was trying to do with the stone.


    Not even a minute after, however, they heard Rileying back.


    "That was fast, what did you even¡ª what the fuck even is that?"


    And before Hannah could even ask her first question, her eyes quickly widened in shock to the point her entire head almost leaned back just from the sheer force of how fast her eyes opened.


    "..." Bernard could not help but be distracted by how Hannah reacted, and so, he also removed his eyes from the stone as he turned around¡­


    ..only to see a white-haired, absurdly pale-skinned girl standing beside Riley.


    "Introduce yourself, Karina."


    "O¡­ of course," Karina took in a small gulp, before taking in a deep breath as walking toward Hannah,


    "My name is Karina. Nice to meet you, aunt Hannah."


    "W¡ª"


    And before Hannah could even utter another word, Karina suddenly hugged her.


    "I''ve always wanted to meet you!"


    "...What?" Hannah wanted to pull away and move, but she couldn''t really do anything as she just stood there petrified, "Riley¡­ exin¡­ now."


    "I suppose she is my biological daughter, sister. Her mother is Katherine, you remember her, right?"


    "Of course, I fucking remember, but what the fuck is this?" Hannah said as she pointed both her index fingers towards Karina''s head.


    "I already said that she''s my biological daughter. Mother did something to elerate and hasten her physical¡ª"


    "Grandpa!"


    This time, it was Riley''s words that were disrupted as Karina quickly pulled away from Hannah and leaped straight to Bernard, and hugged him as well.


    "I''ve heard many stories about you from aunt Diana¡ª wait," Karina then pulled away before looking Bernard straight in the eyes, "All this time I''ve been calling aunt Diana ''aunt Diana''... when it should have been grandma Diana!? What!?"


    And then once again, Karina embraced Bernard, who also couldn''t really do anything but just let Karina wrap her arms around him.


    "..." Bernard also turned to look at Riley; but unlike Hannah, however, Bernard''s hand slowly made its way to Karina''s head¡­ gently patting her hair as tears suddenly fell from his eyes.


    And very soon, Bernard kneeled to the floor to return Karina''s embrace as he started to let out a cry. Never once has he been able to feel Riley''s hug, and he could not help but think that if he had just done more as a father, then maybe there could have been a version out there where Riley¡­ would have turned out okay.


    Karina had no idea why Bernard cried, but soon, she too, started to cry. The two continued on like this¡ª and right when Hannah thought they wouldn''t stop¡­ another visitor suddenly arrived in the basement.


    "Oh my, no one invited me to the family gathering?"


    "...Mom?"

 Chapter 438: Dysfunctional Family

    Chapter 438: Dysfunctional Family


    "...Mom?"


    Hannah and the others turned their heads up, watching as Diana slowly made her way down the stairs. She just strolled there casually, almost as if she just came back from buying groceries; none of them really knew what to say at the moment¡ª except for Hannah.


    "This¡­ thing is your doing?" Hannah said as she pointed at Karina.


    "That thing is your brother''s daughter," Diana quickly answered; the tone of her voice, slightly stern as she looked Hannah straight in the eyes. After several more steps down, however, she turned her attention to Karina, who was hiding behind Bernard.


    "Ah, aunt¡ª Grandma Diana!?"


    Karina''s entire body quickly jolted up as soon as their eyes met. Karina tried her very best to not stray her eyes away; her hea, however, didn''t seem to share the same sentiment,


    "I¡­ I didn''t sneak out! I just identally found out that an alien wasing for dad. But that is totally unrted when I decided to take a walk¡­ out in space¡­ and then identally bumped into the alien and¡­" Karina''s voice very slowly started to turn weak as her lies started to get mixed up,


    "...The alien is dead since dad killed him, so he can''t really tell you if I''m lying!"


    "..." Diana could really only sigh as she finallypletely made her down to the basement,


    "It''s fine," she then said, "We knew you escaped. We figured it was time for you to socialize with other people."


    "...Oh," Karina quickly stepped out from behind Bernard as she shrugged her shoulders, "Look, grandma Diana, it''s grandpa Bernard."


    "I see that," Diana let out a small breath as she looked at Bernard, "Husband¡­


    ¡­have you been doing well?"


    "..." Bernard could really only squint his eyes in response. But after a few more moments, he also let out a sigh and started gesturing across the basement,


    "As you can see, I''m trying to pretend to be busy."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I''m¡­ truly sorry, hon," Diana then whispered as she looked Bernard straight in the eyes, "I''m really sorry I didn''t tell you what I was. It''s just¡­ not really something I can reveal."


    "..." Bernard returned Diana''s re, before closing his eyes and nodding, "We¡­ all have our secrets. I can''t really be angry at you."


    "Still, it must have been really hard when¡ª"


    "Fuck, this is such a dysfunctional family!" And before the two could start their conversation, Hannah let out a curse, "What did you evene here for, you alien?"


    "..."


    "I heard all of the shit that''s been happening now can all be traced back to you," Hannah crossed her arms before stepping in front of Riley and blocking him from Diana''s sight,


    "Even Riley''s like this because of you! I''ve always med dad for not being around¡­ but you¡­ you didn''t even exist at all. Everything was just¡­ pretend."


    "That''s not fair, Hannah," Diana''s eyebrows started to furrow, "I was always there for this family and you know it."


    "Yeah, because we''re all your one big fucking science experiment. You¡­ you''ve done a lot of awful stuff to people, mom."


    "You know nothing about what¡ª"


    "Exactly! I don''t even know who the fuck you are! You¡ª"


    "Hannah! Can you just shut the fuck up for once in your life!?" And before Hannah could finish her words, Diana suddenly let out a scream that was enough to shake the entire basement,


    "Let me talk to your father first, then you and I will have a nice, civil conversation, okay?"


    "You¡ª"


    <strong></strong>


    "I suggest you calm down now. Okay, sweetie?" Diana let out a sigh as she smiled at Hannah.


    "..." That was a line that Hannah has heard probably more than a million times from her mother¡ª but now that she knew who she was, her scolding felt¡­ very different.


    "..."


    "..."


    And finally, as Hannah rolled her eyes and just looked to the side, Diana gained the chance to approach Bernard. Her eyes, however, quickly moved towards the red stone beside her husband.


    "...I thought I felt the energy of a guardian here," she said as she stared at the Guardian Force.


    "Yes, a guardian delivered it to me," Riley quickly answered.


    "...There''s probably more of them on the way now," Diana let out a sigh as soon as she heard Riley''s words, "They''re like ants, these guardians¡­ except more annoying. Aerith and I can''t get involved with them¡ª Earth has to deal with them on its own."


    "That means more stones, mother."


    "...Just make sure not to destroy Earth or any of the others, okay?" Diana pinched the bridge of her nose as she remembered the time Riley just nonchntly destroyed Mars.


    "It''s fine, mother. We were actually debating on how father would be able to use the Guardian Force, perhaps you can give him an idea? Hannah wanted to create a giant mecha suit with it."


    "Hey, don''t tell her that!"


    "Just¡­ swallow it," Diana blinked a couple of times before looking at Bernard, "The training these Guardians do is only for the sake of developing the mental fortitude as a soldier. Your father has that and many more. Knowing him¡­


    ¡­he could probably use it better than them in just a few seconds."


    "...You think so?" A small smile slowly crawled on Bernard''s face as he looked Diana in the eyes.


    "I''ve known you almost all your life, hon. Your raw intellect is at a level that could easily surpass the universe''s greatest minds, you just don''t know how to apply it properly. There''s also the fact that you could be very stupid sometimes¡­


    ¡­But above all, you always put your family first," Diana then said as she nced at Riley and Hannah,


    "Your humanity limits you¡­ but I suppose that is why I was so fascinated and in love with you," Diana whispered as she gently brushed her hand on Bernard''s cheek, "...And I still am."


    "...Ew," Karina quickly stuck out her tongue, before letting out a small giggle and shaking her entire body.


    As for Hannah, her eyebrows could not be any lower.


    "What the fuck is wrong with you two!? Dad, mom is an alien! Not just any alien, but a mad scientist alien that''s done a lot of awful shit!"


    "...If your mother could forgive me for cheating on her, then forgiving something like that is easy, Hannah. You would understand once you fall¡ª"


    "That''s not even at the same level, dad! Seriously¡­ Riley, help me out here!"


    "Sister is right, father. You should be killed for cheating on mother."


    "...I give up."


    "So¡­" And while Hannah was done with everything, Karina''s eyes seemed to glisten as they watch the scene unfold in front of her,


    "...This is what being aplete family is all about."


    "No, it''s not!" Hannah quickly covered Karina''s ears, "Please¡­ you''re the only chance this family is ever going to be normal."


    "...But I don''t want to be normal?" Karina blinked a couple of times as she removed Hannah''s hands from her ears and looked at her, "If I''m normal in a family of non-normals¡­ then I''m the abnormal one."


    "I always knew that was the case," Riley let out a deep sigh as he ced his hand on Hannah''s shoulder and started shaking his head, "It''s alright, sister. I ept you even if you''re abnormal."


    "I''m going to ignore that," Hannah rolled her eyes, before once again looking at Diana, "Speaking of which¡­ for real this time, who is this child, mom?"


    "Riley and Katherine''s daughter."


    "I thought you said you were using protection!?" Hannah quickly pointed at Riley; her mother''s words, almost like a hammer that pierced her ears.


    <strong></strong>


    "I was," Riley nodded before looking at Diana, "I made sure of it."


    "Well¡­" Diana looked to the side, "I sort of used something I got from your undies when you were just undergoing through¡ª"


    "Stop, please stop. I don''t want to hear anymore," Hannah quickly covered Karina''s ears again, "Fuck, mom! That''s disgusting!"


    "...It''s science."


    "No wonder Riley doesn''t know anything about privacy!"


    ***


    "What do you think those two idiots are talking about?"


    "I am not interested in their conversation, sister."


    "Fuck¡­ maybe you got your preference for older women from dad, Riley."


    "Hm?"


    "Dad''s literally married to someone that''s like thousands of years old or something. There''s also your weird obsession about Megawoman, a themarian."


    "But I am adopted, sister."


    "The fuck does that matter? You''re practically Bernard Jr."


    "If I do have a preference, sister. Then I believe it would be you."


    "You¡ª can you stop staring?"


    And while the siblings were busy exchanging words, Karina''s eyes were also busy looking back and forth between the two as they talked.


    "You guys are talking about adult stuff, right?" Karina raised her eyebrows repeatedly.


    "Yes, Karina."


    "Cool, cool¡­ I''m an adult too."


    "You''re literally not even 3 years old, kid," Hannah could really only shake her head as she looked at the overgrown toddler in front of her, "What do you even n to do with her, Riley!? Send her to college or something!?"


    "I initially nned to kill her, sister."


    "...What?"


    "That''s true," Karina immediately nodded, "He tried to kill me when we first met."


    "Fuck¡­ Riley!?"


    "Not anymore, sister," Riley shrugged, "But once I know she doesn''t revive like I do, I will kill her."


    "...The fuck you are," Hannah scoffed as she pulled Karina away and put her behind her.


    Riley really only looked at the two, before turning his attention back to Diana and Bernard¡­ only to see Bernard finally swallowing the Guardian Force.


    "Oh, he''s doing it," Riley said as a smile very slowly crawled on his face.


    "...Why did you even decide to give him something like that anyway?"


    "Dad is married and rted to a themarian," Riley let out a small sigh, "You have seen what happens when a powerless creature involved itself with a god, sister."


    "..."


    "I was talking about Gary, sis¡ª"


    "I know, I know," Hannah slightly pushed Riley away, "Just¡­


    ¡­I hope you made the right decision."

 439 Chapter 439: The New Plan

    439 Chapter 439: The New n


    "How many Guardians responded to the call?"


    "All of them. But I ordered most to just go back to their posts, these 12 should be more than enough."


    Somewhere in the wide expanse of the Universe, Elder Zora''s feline-like eyes reflected the dozen ships that were neatly floating in front of him. Beside him is a tattooed, silver-haired man; an evaniel wearing a Guardian''s uniform.


    "I take it you''re also going?" Elder Zora said as he scratched the fur on his neck, "For a Guardian from a Higher Race to also respond to the call, I believe this number to actually be a bit overkill."


    "My¡­ kind is involved in this," the evaniel Guardian shook his head, "I need to be there."


    "Hm," Zora nodded as he turned his focus back to the dozen ships that were now disappearing into a beam one by one, "Well then¡­


    ¡­It is time to see what has the princess all riled up."


    ***


    "How is your original body, Riley?"


    "Still in the evaniel''s ship, Paige."


    "...I miss you, you know? Your clone is always here and acting like you, but I can still tell when it''s not you."


    On the beach in front of the Paige and Paragon Superhero Agency, Riley''s dark eyes were reflecting the endless blue in front of him. His breaths, almost leisurely as he sat on a towel perfectlyid down on the sand while Paige then rested on hisp.


    John, Ellie, and her brother were also there. The three were practically living in the Paige and Paragon building since no one was really using it.


    No one''s registering. Not only because one of the owners was Darrkday, but because people were just too busy still trying to recover from what the House of Super did¡­ as well as the alien stuff.


    Even the viins were seemingly taking a break¡ª there was absolutely nothing to do.


    "You sure you don''t want me to break you out, Boss?"


    John, who was standing near the water, let out a loud sigh as he looked at Riley, "I know you can escape on your own, but at least it gives me something to do. At this point, I might as well go back to milking the cows just to relieve my boredom."


    "...Boredom?" Ellie, who was just rxing and bathing her skin in the sun, quickly turned her head to John and raised one of her eyebrows.


    "I¡­. I was just kidding, of course," John forced a chuckle, before quickly running to the water to join Elliot.


    "..." Paige watched John and Elliot y on the water for a few seconds, before letting out a very long and deep sigh as she sat up,


    "John has a point. There really is no point with the agency anymore," she weakly muttered as she looked in the direction of their building, "I¡­ was really hopeful about this working, but the House of Super just had to mess things up."


    "Hm," Riley did not really say anything and just nodded his head.


    "I imagined myself just weing people in the lobby. Managing what our heroes post and stream. I even imagined myself kicking people out for posting inappropriate stuff. It¡­ was a grand dream. But now, we do have a ton of members¡­ but they are just your Guests, Riley."


    "..." Riley remained quiet as Paige started giggling quietly.


    "And they''re not really posting anything because there''s nothing to post!"


    "I apologize, Paige," and finally, Riley spoke.


    "...Why are you apologizing?"


    "I believe one way or another, everything bad that has happened could be traced back to me."


    "What? No, pft," Paige shook her head, "The House of Super just used your name to incite some weak-willed people."


    "It is still true that if I didn''t exist¡­" Riley also shook his head, "...most of the catastrophes that have happened in thest decade wouldn''t have happened."


    "If you didn''t exist, then I would have never met John," Ellie, who had been quietly just rxing on the side, suddenly joined in on the conversation; she didn''t look at the two, however,


    "But then again, you have a point."


    "I¡­ share the same sentiment, Riley," Paige said as she rested her head on Riley''s shoulder, "I also wouldn''t be here if it wasn''t for you. I am sure you also inspired other people."


    "Perhaps, but I am certain they were also devastated when they learned that I was Darkday," Riley let out a breath as he closed his eyes.


    "W¡­ well, you¡ª"


    "Thank you, everyone," Riley did not let Paige say another word as he looked at her straight in the eyes, "And to you, Paige. You have been very good to me¡­


    ¡­I just wish I could have repaid your feelings."


    "That¡­" Paige''s eyes slightly trembled as she felt Riley''s palm on her cheek. She wanted to say something, but instead just once again rested her head on his shoulder.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Anyway, when do we get to meet your daughter?"


    "She is still at the house, Paige. Watching father grovel in pain."


    "...What?"


    "He swallowed the Guardian Force. Mother said it was a natural reaction."


    "I¡­ see," Paige blinked a couple of times, not knowing whether tough or be worried, "But¡­ wow. You have a daughter¡ª just when I thought it couldn''t get anymore¡­ fun."


    Paige giggled for a while, before returning to rest on Riley''sp. She then let out a very long and deep breath as she stared at the sky,


    "I guess the Age of Heroes and Viins really is over. Just¡­ why did it have to end in our generation? And to think we were just¡­


    ¡­Ack!" Paige then started wriggling in frustration; if it wasn''t for Riley, then the towel would be all over the ce and sand would have been flying everywhere.


    "Well¡­ At least our generation can go beyond the stars now, so there''s that. But what do we¡ª wait."


    10:41


    Paige''s eyes then suddenly turned wide as she once again sat back up, "I¡­ I have a genius idea, "This is so frustrating!" Paige screamed, but quickly recovered herself as she took in another breath, "Well¡­ At least our generation can go beyond the stars now, so there''s that. But what do we¡ª wait."


    Paige''s eyes then suddenly turned wide as she once again sat back up, "I¡­ I have a genius idea, Riley!"


    "What is it?" Riley tilted his head as he returned Paige''s¡­ fiery gaze.


    "This is even more fun than the whole conquerings deal. Are you ready to hear it!?"


    "Hm."


    "Since you practically ended the Age of Heroes here¡­" Paige said as her hands slowly raise in the air, "We¡­


    ¡­we will find another and start the Age of Heroes there!"


    "..." Riley could really only blink a couple of times as he heard Paige''s words.


    "Just think about it! We¡­ will do what Megawoman did! Megawoman started the Age of Heroes here¡­" Paige then pulled her hair back as she almost gritted her teeth in excitement, "Just imagine, Riley¡­


    ¡­You can be the Megawoman of another!"


    "But I am not a woman, Paige."


    "...I meant you can be what Megawoman is to Earth to another."


    "..." Riley still seemed confused as he once again tilted his head to the side. But after a few seconds, his eyes started to widen,


    "I¡­ can be like Megawoman?" He said with a slow voice, "I can be¡­


    ¡­Megaman?"


    "...I''m pretty sure that name is taken, but we can think of a nameter!" Paige smiled, "You''re an alien, escaping a dying world. Previously a viin¡­ you have a perfect backstory!"


    "..." Riley''s eyes continued to turn wide as a smile very slowly crawled on his face. But after a few more moments, his smile disappeared,


    "But I am inherently evil, Paige. I would most likely be their harbinger of ruin, much like in this world."


    "...That''s something to be discussedter," Paige squinted her eyes, "But isn''t this a cool n!? I''ll be there to document everything!"


    "Hm."


    "This is it, Riley!" Paige then said as she stretched her arms to the side, showing images of several different statues of Riley, "Our new dream¡ª no, our new goal!"


    "Hm."


    "..." Ellie, who heard the entire conversation, could really only shake her head and sigh. Their conversations were always like this¡ª always jumping to something grandiose. But since the other party was Riley, perhaps it could actually be done.


    "We should start thinking of your new costume now¡­" Paige continued to talk, "...or maybe we just use your Paragon identity? I think¡­ it''s perfect, isn''t it? We¡ª"


    "Excuse me."


    And before Paige could continue to share her vision, two womening from the direction of the building approached them.


    "We¡­ were told that we could find Paige and Paragon here?"


    "Ah, that''s us!" Paige quickly stood up and raised her hand; her decently-sized bosoms, almost jiggling as she was only wearing a swimsuit.


    "We were told to find you?" The older one of the two stepped closer to Paige, "We came from the building but they said you were out here."


    "Could¡­ you two be heroes that want to join the agency?"


    "Ah, yes!" The woman nodded.


    "Oh¡­ we''re actually closing the agency soon," Paige could not help but let out a small sigh, "But we can still¡ª Riley?"


    And before Paige could finish her words, Riley stood up from the ground and walked in front of her.


    "You''re Alice Lane," he then said as he looked at the middle-aged woman.


    "..." The woman turned to look at herpanion, before turning her focus back to Riley. And after a few seconds, she let out a sigh.


    "Damn¡­" And very soon the woman''s face started to very slowly wriggle and deform,


    "...How''d you know?"


    "Because you are with Katherine," Riley said as he looked at the dull-looking woman behind her,


    "I recognize her smell."


    It rained heavy af again the other night; turns out the roof wasn''t ced properly lol. Hence no chapterst night. Should be alright now, though.


    Romeru

 440 Chapter 440: Reunion of the Menaces

    440 Chapter 440: Reunion of the Menaces


    "I recognize Silvermoon''s smell."


    The two women looked average, too average. Soon, however, both of their faces started to contort; almost as if reflecting the waves of the ocean itself. And then, a few moments more, their faces turned into someone Riley was very familiar with.


    "Katherine, it had been a while."


    "...Is that you, Riley?"


    Katherine stepped forward¡ª her hair, soon turning silver as she looked Riley straight in the eyes, "That''s not a clone?"


    Katherine''s eyes soon turned to look at Riley from head to toe; her hands, massaging her face as she stretched her jaw. She then looked at Paige, before a¡­ very awkward smile crawled on her still numb face.


    "..." As for Paige, she could really only raise her hand, before also letting out an awkward chuckle as she waved at Katherine.


    "It''s a clone, Katherine," Riley finally answered as he too stared at Katherine''s face. Did Alice use telekinesis to change the shape of the muscles and flesh on their faces? Riley never really thought of using his abilities like that¡­ he didn''t need to, after all,


    "But I am currently controlling it. It¡­ is good to see you are alive."


    "I¡­ thought you were dead." This time, the awkward smile on Katherine''s face slowly became true as she turned her eyes back to Riley, "If anything¡­ I''m d to see you too."


    "Hm," Riley nodded, "But perhaps it would have been preferable if you introduced Karina fi¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, he felt an embrace suddenly wrapping around him as Alice, without any warning, hugged him. Her face, red as it could be as she seemed to want to whisper something.


    No¡ª she wanted to wail and scream, but what sort of voice or words should escape her mouth?


    She had always imagined what it would have been like to witness and watch her son grow up¡ª something that shouldn''t have been an imagination or a fantasy at all. But s, her life was cut short.


    It didn''t really matter for her; it didn''t matter what he looked like, what he had done. It didn''t matter that he was taller than her. It didn''t matter that he looked at her like a total stranger.


    In her arms, she could only see her baby.


    She will never let go of him¡­ no matter how short her life could be this time.


    "..."


    And while Alice was being overwhelmed by emotions she could barely describe, Riley really only let out a breath; his head, slowly turning to look at Alice before his eyes started to squint.


    "Please let go, Alice Lane," he whispered.


    Alice, however, only shook her head as her embrace only got tighter.


    "Did you know, Alice¡­" Riley then let out a sigh, "...thest time you hugged me was the first time I died?"


    And as soon as Riley said that, the sand beneath them started to bounce and tremble; rippling almost as if they were boiling as they soon faintly reflected the sun above.


    "Shit!" John, who was watching what was happening from afar, could not help but grit his teeth as he felt and saw what was happening. He then flicked his finger, immediately lifting Elliot, Ellie, and Paige into the air as he did so.


    "..." Katherine also flew into the air, quickly trying to gain distance from whatever it was that was happening around the two telekic titans. And very soon, the only thing that Katherine could really hear were her own breaths.


    The sea that was whispering its song, nowpletely frozen. The wind that harmonized with it, now without a whistle or even a breath¡­ almost as if everything was just¡­ dead.


    The space surrounding Alice and Riley also started to distort. If one were to try and squint their eyes, one could see a sort of crack being made in the air¡ª a void.


    "Should¡­ we let this continue?" Ellie could not help but take in a small gulp as she watched space and light itself starting to disappear; her eyes, also ncing at the Paige and Paragon building to see if it was still okay¡ª after all, they live there now.


    "You know a way to stop Boss and his biological mother?" John quickly replied as he floated closer to Ellie.


    "..."


    "Right¡­" John could really only sigh as Ellie once again red at him, "Well¡­ at the very least, I can do this."


    And with those words, John''s golden hair started to wave; his arms, very slowly stretching to the side. And as soon as he did so, the ocean that seemed frozen in time once again started to move.


    "Can''t let you destroy our new home, Boss¡­" John then let out a very long and deep sigh as he shook his head,


    "... Hope he doesn''t get angry at me."


    ***


    Somewhere in the expanse of the sr system, several beams of light started raining down likeets¡ª before also instantly disappearing and leaving with it 14 identical spacecraft.


    "Why did you cancel the hyperdrive, Elder Zora?"


    "...My ship''s detecting an anomalying directly from the."


    Perhaps the only one that wasn''t identical to the rest of the ships was the one that belonged to Elder Zora. Unlike the rest which were pyramid in shape, Zora''s ship was spherical.


    "The energy is almost simr to that of a ck hole," Elder Zora''s eyes reflected a hologram that was being shown inside his small spherical ship.


    "I see it too," the evaniel Guardian''s voice echoed through Zora''s ship, "What do you want to do, Elder?"


    "...I''ll check it myself," Elder Zora squinted his eyes as his ship started to move, "Let me borrow half of your people. The rest of you meet with Princess Vera."


    "Very well."


    And without even as much as an exchange of precaution, the evaniel guardian''s ship flew away¡ª followed by 6 other Guardian ships.


    Elder Zora''s ship also soon flew away, followed by the remaining guardians. Their speed may seem slow, but they were going at a speed that none of the Earth''s spacecrafts are capable of yet.


    And very soon, the view of the big blue painted the reflective surfaces of their ships.


    "This¡­ is fairly young," Elder Zora''s nose started to move as he stared at Earth, "I can smell nothing but death¡ª to be expected since their people have juste from war¡­


    ¡­Let''s go."


    An incessant and almost visceral rumble started to surround Zora''s ship as he entered the Earth''s atmosphere. It did notst long, however, as the view from his holographic screens shifted almost in a blur.


    A green forest.


    A desert.


    An ocean.


    And soon, a shore as they arrived at their destination.


    Elder Zora quickly got off of his ship¡ª or perhaps it was better to say he was spewed out of it like a piece of gum.


    "...Are those the Earth''s inhabitants?" And the very first thing he noticed was John and the others, casually floating far above the ground and not minding them any heed even as the Guardians'' ships arrived one by one.


    Their kind¡­ was capable of flight? Zora didn''t really bother reading all of the information about the humans and just focused on Riley Ross''s profile. And now, seeing this¡­ perhaps he should have actually taken the time to learn.


    "..." It didn''t really matter right now, however, as Elder Zora soon turned his attention to the anomaly


    ¡ª only to see two humans right in the very center of it. The space itself was cracking, letting out sharp but quiet thunders as some sort of dark lightning started to whip and snap through the surrounding air.


    "Just what¡ª Is that Riley Ross?" Elder Zora''s eyes then started to widen as he quickly recognized one of the two humans that seemed to be causing the anomaly,


    "Why¡­ is he here? Shouldn''t he be on¡ª !!!"


    And before Zora could contemte on whatever it was that was happening, several loud beeping noises started to emit from his ship¡ª warning him that the energy was turning to critical levels.


    "..." Zora looked back and forth between his ship and Riley before his whiskers started to tremble. Princess Vera is right¡ª he thought. Riley Ross was an entity that needed to be examined.


    "Guardians!" Zora raised his hand. And as soon as he did so, all of the Guardians floated out of their ship. Most of them were humanoid, with half wearing some sort of mask to cover their noses and mouths.


    There was one, however, that seemed more akin to an octopus.


    "Restrain Riley Ross at all costs," Elder Zora then said, "And if your judgment calls for it¡­


    ¡­then you have my permission to terminate him."


    The uniforms of the Guardians lit up¡ª the red patterns on them, now dancing like the surface of the sun.


    "Guardians!" The octopus-like Guardian raised three of its limbs¡ª how it was able to speak, one could really only wonder. But seeing as the 5 other guardians all perked up, the octopus guardian seemed to be the leader of their unit.


    "This Riley Ross has killed one of us! Be very careful, but at the same time¡­ show him the wrath of the Guardians! One does not simply kill one of us and hope to get away with it!"


    "Rah!" The uniforms of the guardians lit up even brighter as they all let out a roar in unison.


    "Guardians, assem¡ª"


    And before the octopus guardian could finish his words, he noticed¡­ a small red stone suddenly casually floating in front of his unusuallyrge eyes.


    "...Huh? That looks like¡­ a Guardian Force?"


    It wasn''t only him, the other guardians also squinted their eyes as they also had a red stone floating in front of them. The only thing they could really do was stare at it for a few seconds, before turning their heads to where their stomach should be¡­


    ¡­only for all of them to be greeted by the gaping holes that now decorated their stomach.

 Chapter 441 441: Anticlimactic

    "...What?"


    The Guardians could really only stare at the gaping holes now painting their bodies. But after a few moments, they strayed their eyes away from it as they focused on the red stones that were floating in front of all of them.


    After all, an injury like that is nothing to the Guardians-- they could lose their limbs, but the Guardian Force will regenerate any injuries in less than a minute no matter how severe. The only way for them to die was if they could be killed almost instantaneously.


    Well, there was another way-- for the Guardian Force inside them to be forcefully pulled out. Once it does, any power the stone gives them instantly goes away, turning them back to their normal selves.


    But this kind of cause of death was notmon-- one would even say that throughout their almost millions of years of history, the number of times it has happened could be counted in one humanoid hand...


    ...and most were by themarians.


    They were one of the only handful of races that were capable of doing so; as when the Guardian Force is already inside someone''s body, pulling it is equivalent to pulling the weight of an entire.


    The Guardian Corps are always the first to respond whenever a threat that would cause the destruction of a known springs forth-- and they are also thest to leave if needed.


    Wherever the presence of the Guardian Corps is, that world will only know peace. They were feared, but even more so, they were respected.


    They symbolize order of the highest degree.


    And so why?


    Why were the stones that were supposed to give them the ultimate power now floating in front of them?


    And very soon, their uniforms that lit up like the surface of the sun started to flicker-- some of them, even very slowly starting to be pulled by gravity.


    "W--"


    And before their octopus-like leader could open its weirdly shaped mouth...


    ...they all exploded one by one.


    "..." Zora, who was right in the middle of the formation, could really only cover his nose as a mist of blood now nketed the air around him. His feline-like eyes, very slowly watched as the red stones flew... towards an individual floating just meters away from him.


    "Sorry, I can''t let anyone ruin Boss and Boss Mom''s touching but violent reunion."


    "..." Zora squinted his eyes as the 6 stones started to circle around the smiling, golden-haired individual,


    "...You have the same scent as Riley Ross," Elder Zora then muttered as his nose started to move.


    "I''ll take that as apliment," the smile on John''s face did not disappear as he slowly floated closer to Elder Zora, "As for you... you smell different from the rest of the mosquitos that were flying around earlier. I assume you''re not a Guardian?"


    "You''re quite calm and perspective... for a clone."


    "Of course," John let out a small chuckle, "If I wasn''t...


    ...then you would have joined your friends."


    "Is this how you treat a guest that came from light years away?"


    "No, they would usually be trapped inside a ss box."


    "..."


    "..."


    And while John and Elder Zora continued their battle of words, Paige, Ellie, and her brother were now on top of the Paige and Paragon agency building, watching whatever it was that was happening from afar.


    As for Katherine, she was still hovering above the air-- not minding the aliens that suddenly appeared and just focused on Riley and Alice.


    Alice... was still embracing Riley, not even once letting go for even a single millimeter.


    Darkday or Ms. Phoenix.


    There has always been the old age question of who was the stronger telekic between the two-- and now, Katherine was one of the very first to bear witness to the answer...<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ...and she still had no idea.


    The very air itself started to crack around them; like shattered ss. The light that bathed them was almost afraid to exist as the cracks started to create a void of nothing but darkness.


    This kind of disy seemed anticlimactic, but if one were to ponder what exactly was happening, then one would know that the two were pulling the very fabrics of reality itself.


    This, even more so than the instantaneous destruction of Mars, is Riley''s greatest feat-- and it was only possible because there was finally a telekic that could stretch and challenge his powers.


    As Riley was pushing away, Alice was pulling him back. If this continues on... Katherine had no idea of what would happen next-- but the aliens suddenly appearing gave her enough of an idea.


    This disy was not the only thing that seemed anticlimactic, even the reunion of Riley and Alice is. Neither of them was really saying anything to each other, but then again...


    ...what words were there to speak?


    They know nothing about each other except for the things that have been told to them. The two... were basically strangers.


    "..."


    No, she can''t really say that either. Looking at Alice''s face-- one would really only see a mother desperate for her child''s affection.


    She wasn''t crying, she wasn''t even opening her mouth. But the unexinable expression on her face was enough to tell the world the millions of things that she wanted to say to her son.


    Now that Katherine was also a mother, she could understand this.


    Love, fear, anger, excitement, sadness; all the expressions one could think of happening all at the same time-- that is probably what Alice is feeling right now.


    But s, if one were to just look at Riley Ross, then one would see a face that was void of any expressions.


    "Riley..." Katherine could really only close her eyes and sigh as she saw this, "Please... just give her the chance...


    ...she doesn''t have long."


    ***


    At the same time, inside one of the indoor fields inside the evaniel''s ship, the remaining Guardians were there-- standing very still to the point that they almost looked like a coge of statues. They looked domineering, to say the least...


    ...but none of them were really breathing anymore.


    "Riley, stop it!"


    As for the evaniel Guardian, he was currently kneeling on the ground-- his face,pletely covered by the hand of Riley Ross.


    "Riley! Stop!" Princess Vera could really only scream as she tried to pull Riley away, even to the point that her entire body started to vibrate just to make him budge. But s, even with Silvie''s help...


    ....Riley was almost an immovable object.


    "Not good," Silvie then said as her feet returned to the ground, "...It''s not him."


    "What? What do you mean!?" Princess Vera said as she didn''t stop trying to pull Riley away, "This isn''t a clone!"


    "I know... but his consciousness isn''t there," Silvie said as she very slowly started to step away as she realized something, "I... advise letting him go as well, Princess Vera."


    "...Why?" Although Vera had no idea what was happening, she too, let go of Riley.


    "I think..." Silvie then took in a small gulp as she watched the evaniel guardian struggle to get out of Riley''s grip, "He...


    ...might be on autopilot."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...He could do that?"

 Chapter 442 442: The Weakest

    "...Autopilot?"


    "I... I''m just guessing."


    The more information Princess Vera receives regarding Riley Ross, the less she actually knows. She had heard from Riley himself that he actually had dozens of abilities; some, he hasn''t even used once since he didn''t really need to.


    And so far, the only powers that Riley has showcased in front of her were his monstrous telekinesis, as well as his weird cloning abilities. Although Riley''s telekic prowess was beyond shocking, there is actually an entire race of telekics out there-- it was amon ability.


    The cloning, however, was something that she had never seen before. It was like a hive mind-- but at the same time, Riley didn''t need to give birth again and again to use it. And if Vera was right... then it wasn''t really originally Riley''s ability.


    Perhaps even more so than everything else, his abilities showed what the people of this were truly capable of.


    "...So, you''re saying that Riley can transfer his consciousness to a clone?" Princess Vera once again backed far away from Riley, making sure she was making as little movement as possible as she leaned closer to Silvie.


    "I... think so? He did it the other day when I was in the cell," Silvie squinted her eyes as she looked at Riley, whose eyes just seemed... empty, even for him.


    "So... what do we do now?" Princess Vera could really only try to calm her breaths as she too, watched as Riley continued to grab the evaniel Guardian by his face-- perhaps the fact that he was still alive should already be enough of a relief,


    "...Any ideas?"


    "Tell the Guardian..." The tone of Silvie''s voice suddenly became serious as she nced at Vera,


    "... to lower his killing intent."


    And as soon as Vera heard her words, her eyes started to widen as she took in a short but very deep breath.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...What''s a killing intent?" She then said after a couple of seconds.


    "I don''t know!" And just like that, the serious tone in Silvie''s voice disappeared as she raised her voice, "I thought you would know! That''s what they say in all the animes I''ve watched!"


    "What''s an animes!?" Vera also could not help but raise her voice; the calm she had made great effort to hold onto, was now gone.


    "I don''t think that matters right now!" Silvie also screamed as she pointed at the struggling evaniel Guardian.


    "You..." Princess Vera gritted her teeth as she waited for Silvie to say anything that could be useful to the predicament they were in right now. But s, after a few more seconds, the only thing she could really do was slowly approach Riley again.


    "You... You''re Viole, right?" Vera once again calmed her breaths as she looked at the evaniel guardian.


    "I need you to calm down. He..." Vera slightly nced at Silvie, before quickly returning her attention to Viole,


    "It... reacts to killing intent."


    Even with his face being covered by Riley''s palm, Viole''s eyes could be seen turning wide in disbelief; looking at the princess of their race as if she was some sort of lunatic.


    "Just stop trying to fight! It reacts to threats!"


    "..." His eyebrows did their best to furrow. But soon, he turned his eyes so that he could see the other guardians in his peripheral.


    All of them were frozen-- their faces were like statues that didn''t even have the time to be shocked.


    As part of the Guardian Corps, he is able tomunicate telepathically with other guardians within a-wide radius.


    And he was sure of it-- he was the only Guardian left inside the evaniel''s ship.


    He had also been trying to contact those who went to check on the anomaly... but no one was responding to him. Most likely...


    ...everyone was dead.


    He could detect another Guardian somewhere on the, but whoever it was, didn''t seem to be interested in talking to him.


    They did say that Riley Ross was a possible Star-level Threat, that is why they sent these many Guardians in the first ce in order to capture and escort him alive.


    ...But to kill 6 Guardians at once almost instantly?


    Ridiculous.


    There''s also the anomaly that had a simr output of energy to a ck hole.


    Just... what is going on with this?


    "..." Viole then turned his eyes to Riley, only to see his eyes that werepletely devoid of any emotions.


    And it wasn''t just that Riley didn''t care that he was killing him, no. Viole had seen many killers during his time as a guardian.


    This was different-- it was almost as if Riley Ross was just... a machine.


    "..." Viole''s mind was currently moving at a million thoughts per second-- and after what seemed like an entire day for him...


    ...the markings on his skin slowly faded away; his hair, also losing its radiance.


    And as soon as he did so, he also felt Riley''s grip on his face bing lighter.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..." Riley then finally looked him in the eyes, and without even saying a word or a breath...


    ...he just started casually walking away, returning to the middle of the indoor field and just sitting on the ground.


    And almost at the same time as his buttocks made contact with the grass, the other guardians that were standing frozen also dropped to the ground.


    "..." Viole could really only look at hisrades-- and those that had ears and mouth were bleeding from them.


    Their brain organs were most likely destroyed the very moment they made even the slightest movement to restraining Riley.


    Perhaps the only reason Viole was still standing right now was that, unlike the others, he didn''t make a move yet-- after all, he was the fastest among them and was just waiting for things to happen before he joined in.


    "Are you... alright?" Although Princess Vera''s face didn''t show it, it was obvious in her eyes that she was showing... pity for Viole.


    "I''m... alright, Princess Vera. I am honored that you know my name."


    "...Of course I know your name," Vera sighed, "Your name is next to mother for the most popr evaniel on the-- you''re a celebrity."


    "Well..." Viole didn''t know whether tough or cry as he massaged his face, "...I guess I embarrassed myself in front of you."


    "Not at all," Vera said as she looked at Riley, "You tried to fight against a creature that is able to fight with a themarian head-on."


    "I see," Viole closed his eyes and sighed. But after a few moments, they opened and turned wide, "Wait...


    ...what? What do you mean?"


    "What do you mean ''what do you mean''?" Vera raised an eyebrow,


    "...Don''t tell me the Elders didn''t tell you?"


    "...No," Viole''s eyebrows started to furrow, "If we knew we''d send more! Much more!"


    "I told them repeatedly!" Vera also raised her voice, before letting out a loud groan in frustration,


    "Did they think I was exaggerating!?"


    "..." Viole could really only let himself drop to the ground as he looked at Riley,


    "Damn it, and you''re saying it''s not even... fully functional?"


    "Where''s Elder Zora!?" Vera could no longer contain her anger as her hair started to light up.


    "He''s... checking on an anomaly."


    "What? Where!?"


    Viole then tapped his arms several times before a hologram popped out in front of him showing a 3D scan of Earth,


    "There," he then pointed at the red dot that was pulsating.


    Vera was about to disappear, but before she could do so, Silvie stepped closer to the map.


    "This..."


    "You know what it is?"


    "...This is Antic City. The Paige and Paragon is in here."


    "Paige... and Paragon?"


    "...Riley Ross''s building."


    "...Shit."


    ***


    "Woah!"


    Somewhere on the Antic Ocean, several towering walls of water burst forth from the surface of the ocean, shaped almost like a w-- after all, a set of ws caused it.


    And right in between those violent waves of water was John; carrying a smile on his face as he avoided the ws of Elder Zora, whose each strike caused the surface of the ocean to split apart.


    John was either dodging Zora''s attacks with a hair''s breadth, or using the red stones around him to block them.


    "You need to clip those, no one likes a cat with sharp nails," John let out a small chuckle as he caught Zora''s wrist, before throwing him away as he rotated in the air.


    "..." Elder Zora didn''t immediately attack again, and instead just remained in the air staring at John,


    "You''re strong, clone."


    "Pft..." John could not help but let out a small chuckle, before wiping the blood trailing on his cheek,


    "...I''m actually the weakest of the clones."

 Chapter 443:The First Clone

    John, previously known as Diley¡ª the clone that was allowed to stay.


    His very first memory was pulling a knife from Riley''s heart, something that he still remembers very clearly. He initially had no emotions, not even the little ones that Riley had.


    Riley didn''t really know what to do with him as he didn''t disappear even after days¡ª the only way to make him go away was to kill him. And so, he was just kept somewhere inside in the Antarctic¡­ alone for weeks.


    He just stood there abandoned, not knowing what to do and not knowing his purpose. He was just there, existing in his own little cavern of ice.


    But then, suddenly, Riley brought him¡­ a prisoner to guard.


    A human named Replica Ricky¡ª and the only thing he knew about him was that he came into existence because Riley was killed by him. Because of this information, he tried to kill him at first but was stopped by Riley.


    Instead, Riley ordered him to learn everything he could from Ricky¡­


    ¡­and so, he did.


    It was difficult, however, as Ricky struggled hard. It wasn''t until Diley trapped him inside a cage that was made withpressed ice that he started to learn from him.


    At first, he tried his best to escape¡ª but when that proved useless, he just sat there¡­


    ¡­crying.


    Diley stared at him for hours¡­ before a tear also started to trail down his cheeks.


    They started talking after that, with Diley almost imitating Ricky''s every movement and mannerism. And finally, he was able to do as his creator ordered ¡ª he learned everything from Ricky.


    He finally fulfilled his duty.


    And right when he thought his existence wasplete, Riley brought another¡­ guest.


    And right there and then, Diley finally discovered what his purpose was.


    ***


    "I am actually the Boss''s weakest clone."


    Although the smile on John''s face did not disappear, it was obvious he was trying to hide his disappointment at himself; covering the slight twitch in his lips as he wiped the blood trailing down his cheek,


    "Being the first clone has its advantages¡­ and disadvantages. The advantage being I am the Boss'' right-hand man. He upgraded me with his new powers once, I really didn''t appreciate the feeling."


    "Hm," Elder Zora then very slowly descended, only stopping as he seemingly stood on the surface of the water¡ª his fur, slightly standing up as his paw feet started to get drenched with water,


    "Is that why you learned to dy by having a conversation with your enemy?" Zora slightly chuckled as he licked his hand paw before brushing the fur on his cheek and adjusting therge turban he was wearing.


    "Oh, no. Not at all, cat person. I just like talking," John also chuckled as he snapped his fingers. And as he did so, the Guardian Force stones that were circling around him started to drop to the ocean floor¡ª causing the water to explode due to the sheer weight of each stone. And with the water now raining down, John''s chuckles abruptly stopped, "Besides, I only said I was the weakest of the clones¡­


    ¡­I never said you were stronger than me."


    And with those words, John suddenly dropped and disappeared into the ocean.


    "..." Elder Zora''s nose started to almost wriggle as he tried to find John''s scent¡ª but with the salty ocean beneath his feet, he could barely make out any other scent. He did not need to search for long, however, as a pair of hands suddenly emerged between his feet, quickly grabbing his ankles and almost instantly dragging him deep into the Antic.


    Even with the resistance of the water, however, Zora was able to swing his arms¡ª his ws, boiling the water around it as they went straight for John''s head. And this time¡­


    ¡­it connected.


    He was expecting red to flow around him, but the only thing that happened with John''s head was it crumbled into pieces along with the rest of his body.


    "..."


    And then, very slowly, the embrace of the ocean that gave him a soothing feeling turned violent¡ª almost threatening to crush him as a ball of water started to separate from the rest of the ocean.


    "..." Zora calmly turned his head above him, only to see John looking down at him; his hand, slightly trembling as he seemed to be making it into a fist. Even with his body being squished, Zora just let out a very deep breath. The bubbles that were violently escaping his nose, finally causing the turban he was wearing to turn loose.


    And with it gone, a crimson light started to pulsate; causing a slight blur. And if one were to squint their eyes and look closer, one would notice the pair of crimson horns that were almost twirled sitting on top of his head.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Zora blinked a couple of times as his horns were finally exposed¡ª and with this 7th blink, his eyes also lit up in a crimson color; the bubbles escaping from his nose¡­ now turning into some sort of mist.


    And then, almost instantly¡­ John found himself now above the ocean, his body almostpletely folded as a pair of horns nted themselves on his stomach.


    "Kh!" Blood quickly started to spurt out from John''s mouth as he shot straight toward the sky¡ª the clouds, rippling away as he passed through it.


    "!!!" Even with the seething pain he had not felt before clouding his mind, however, John was still able to open his hands to catch the pair of horns that was about to m towards his chest.


    But s, his telekic armor seemed to not be enough to absorb all of the impact.


    John could really only grit his teeth as he felt his bones slightly shattering due to the sheer force of Zora''s attack. Even then, however, a smile appeared on his bleeding mouth,


    "I¡­ thought you were a cat," he then forced a chuckle, "Turns out you''re inbred. Either way¡­


    ¡­you''re not disturbing mother and Boss''s reunion!"


    And once again, John rotated his body in the air to try and throw Zora away¡ª but s, Zora was able to grab his wrist, violently pulling him closer; his horns, hitting John''s face head-on.


    The whites on John''s eyes revealed themselves as a fountain of blood burst from his nose. But a split secondter, however, he quickly woke up and kicked himself away.


    "Not enough!" John then let out a roar as he mmed his palm in the air. And as he did so, Zora''s silhouette instantly disappeared and shot straight toward the ocean floor which was oddly simr to the shape of a palm.


    "Ellie¡­" John then whispered as his breaths caused the blood escaping his mouth to shower,


    "...I had fun."


    And with those words, John smiled; his lips that were of normal width¡­ slitting open and returning to their original design¡ª a smile that reached from ear to ear.


    "Just¡­ fucking die!" He then screamed as he stretched both his hands towards Zora who had just emerged back from the deepest parts of the ocean.


    But then, before he could even do anything¡ª he found one of his arms missing.


    "..." John blinked a couple of times as he looked to his side¡­ only to see the evaniel Guardian, Viole, holding his missing arm. He then turned his eyes back to Zora, only to see his horns just meters away from threatening to obliterate his entire existence.


    "...Oh."


    John let out a tiny breath as the very first emotion he learned suddenly flowed through his entire body. Tears, now trailing down his cheeks as the image of Ellie''s face surfaced from his mind.


    And with another breath, his vision started to turn dark. And then¡­


    ¡­everything just went silent.


    John, the first clone has done his duty above and beyond. And now...


    ...he rests as a human.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    But then, a pulse.


    A pulse suddenly pierced his ears, echoing repeatedly like a stone skipping on a frozenke.


    And very slowly, John''s vision started to return¡ª finding himself now standing on a beach.


    "..." He then turned his head to the side, only to see Tempo standing there; wearing hisplete uniform.


    "Well, what do you know¡­


    ¡­the hero finally arrives on time for once."

 Chapter 444:Four

    In a much calmer ocean a few minutes ago, the surface fully reflected the moon and stars above almost like a mirror. And even through the darkness that veiled the night, one could see how immacte the shore was¡ª its beach, white and almost like powder.


    And a little more beyond the beach, Tempo was there, seated and rxing in front of his house and killing any mosquitoes that dared to even fly within his range; his arm, almost like a whip as they let out a loud snap every time theypletely obliterated a mosquito.


    One would think that one of the most popr superheroes in the world would live in a more extravagant and luxurious house, but no. Tempo''s house waspletely made of wood, bamboo. If anything, it was more akin to a giant cottage.


    He made the house himself, and even the chair he was rxing on.


    The Hope Guild is disbanded. There was no official statement to the public yet, but they were. They have been ever since that fateful day more than 2 years ago now.


    It didn''t mean Tempo quit being a superhero, of course. He didn''t be a hero for fame, after all¡ª he just wanted to help people. But for some reason, no one was doing any crime.


    Tempo expected the superviins to wreak havoc while the entire world was grieving and recovering from the attack of the House of Super, but none of them were doing anything.


    Even the talking bear that was his adversary for years now, has not shown himself even once. He asked Empress to investigate this sudden silence from the superviins, but she just vaguely told him that¡­ Butcher and his team have been handling it.


    And since it involved Butcher, ''handling it'' is probably code for mass assassination.


    Empress actually nned something like that and discussed it with the Hope Guild once, but everyone voted against her. But now that she was basically the leader of the World Government, she could finally bring it to fruition.


    Come to think of it, Empress had many ideas that could be seen quite¡­ dark for a superhero. Perhaps being the world''s secretary of defense was actually her true calling all this time.


    "..." Tempo truly wouldn''t want her job. But then again, he was bored out of his wits that he might actually be tempted to join their¡­ dubious operations. Maybe he should apply?


    Hera also hasn''t been home since she was busy handing out relief to the families that could no longer recover from the tragedy. He wanted to help her, but she refused, saying it was just a promotion for the film she was currently filming¡­


    ¡­about the attack of the House of Super.


    "Ha¡­" Tempo could really only let out another breath of boredom as he raised his hand in the air, "Damn¡­ I''m getting darker from all the sun."


    *BE¡ª*


    And before the beeping noise that suddenly seeped from inside his house could finish its first ring, Tempo disappeared from his seat, only to appear again within a second already holding a phone in his hand.


    "Sup, boss?" A small excitement slowly crawled on Tempo''s face as he answered the call.


    "Hm. Oh, no. Not at all. Anta City? Why?"


    "Hm, hm," Tempo nodded several times. And very soon, the smile on his face died down, "...Why would I help the fucker?"


    "What? What do you mean ''one of our own''? The dude''s a fucking spawn from hell. What? You know, you should retire, no offense."


    "...Right."


    "...Right," Tempo could really only sigh as Empress''s voice became louder and louder. And after a few more seconds, he just nodded his head.


    "Fine, fine. Anyone else responding?"


    "What? Of course not, I''m¡­ also busy," Tempo said as he looked at the wooden chair he was just previously rxing on, "I¡­ I just finished a race for charity. Anyway, I''m on the way."


    And before Empress could say anything more, he dropped the call. He then once again disappeared from his spot, before reappearing again now wearing a ck, almost tactical suit. His helmet which almost took the shape of his head, now alsopletely tinted in ck.


    He used to show his dyed green mustache. But s, he no longer had it since Hera asked him to shave it.


    "Ha¡­" Tempo once again let out a small sigh as he looked at himself, "...It seems I also got a little fat. Ha¡­ fuck it, I''m taking the long way there."


    And with those words, Tempo started to run¡ª his feet lifting in the air as a whistling pulse echoed around him. The scenery in front of him, changing by the second. This wasn''t a problem for him, however, as Whiteking created a system for him in his helmet that calcted and showed the best path for him to take at any given speed.


    And so, he ran¡ª taking his time to reach his destination as he left the breeze of the night and basked in the warm rays of the sun. And soon, he reached the Antic Ocean.


    "..."


    "..."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He then noticed some explosions rippling from afar¡ª and as he decided to check it out, he saw¡­ weird-looking cat person with horns shooting straight from the ocean.


    "...Things are getting really weird around here," he could not help but whisper to himself. His eyes then turned to the silhouette in the air that seemed to be the target of the alien, and as soon as he noticed that it was human, Tempo did not think twice as he rushed to save him and take him to shore.


    ¡­not realizing it was John.


    "...Aren''t you one of Riley''s friends?"


    "What? No," John''s eyebrows quickly furrowed as he heard Tempo''s words, "I''m his right-hand man, how dare you¡ª Thank you for saving me, Mr. Tempo."


    "...Your face."


    "Hm? Oh," John quickly touched his cheeks, only to touch inside his mouth as the sides of his mouth were slit open, "It¡­ would seem I got a little excited."


    "...Your arm."


    "Oh, this?" John raised his arm that now only extended to his elbow, "I''ll just ask the Boss to regrow it."


    "...Right," Tempo could really only stare at John for a few seconds, before very slowly turning his head back to the horizon as he noticed someone floating just above the water''s surface,


    "You''re one of those races that''s full of sprinters, right?" He then breathed out as he stared at the silver-haired man.


    "And you''re fast, human," Viole then very slowly floated to the beach, "Almost as fast as an evaniel."


    "I could go faster if you want," Tempo smirked as Viole''s feet started leaving prints on the wet sand, "Both of us will probably die if I do, though."


    "Hm," Viole only squinted his eyes,


    "Sadly, I don''t have time to y with you," he then said as he looked at John, "Elder Zora said that the creature beside you is one of Riley Ross''s clones. If so¡­


    ¡­then he needs to be contained."


    "A¡­ clone?" Tempo quickly stepped away to look at John, and only then, he finally noticed their subtle simrity¡ª especially with the sides of his mouth slit open,


    "...Oh."


    "Now that you know, please step aside."


    "..." John could really only close his eyes as Viole approached him. It would seem his fate was all but inevitable now.


    "Well, I don''t think so."


    Contrary to John''s expectations, Tempo did not leave and even stood closer to him, "I was asked to help one of our own by my boss. So¡­


    ¡­I''m afraid I will have to do that."


    "Duty above personal belief." And soon, Elder Zora also arrived as he stood beside Viole,


    "I admire it," Elder Zora then said as he licked his paw before wiping his horns.


    "I do too," Viole breathed out, before shaking his head and looking at his reflection on Tempo''s helmet, "But you''re not going to win this. You''re both just¡­


    ¡­inferior versions of your betters."


    "Maybe. But orders are orders," Tempo shrugged. And soon, the sand beneath his feet started to ripple even as he just stood there.


    "I am starting to see now why Boss likes you, Mr. Tempo," the smile that was growing on John''s face could really only be described as¡­ visceral due to the blood that extended it, "Well then, now that there''s four of us¡­


    ¡­time for Round 2, I suppose."

 Chapter 445:Trouble On And Off The Ocean

    "Mother, perhaps it is time to let me go now."


    "No! Never! I am not going to let you go ever again!"


    Weird¡ª Riley thought probably for the first time. He had lived for almost 20 years now, and this was perhaps the only time he had never truly gotten what he wanted from another person.


    People usually just adjust to him once they be aware of their condition. Of course, there really wasn''t much that he wanted in his life.


    And if he did want something, it usually involves death. Death of another, or his.


    But now, he found himself unable to control the things around him¡ª quite literally.


    Alice¡­ was canceling out his telekic abilities, and he was canceling hers. The two of them were basically in a stalemate¡ª and if one were to just let go, then the other party would most probably be annihted.


    They were like two rams, pushing each other with their unusuallyrge horns.


    "..." Riley could really only look around him, only to see the air itself already shattering; in its cracks, nothing but void.


    They were just tiny cracks minutes ago, but now they filled Riley''s eyes even more than the light.


    ''So, something like this was possible,'' he thought. He had seen air itself cracking many times before¡ª Empress''s powers were something of that nature, after all.


    But this? This was different, it felt¡­ familiar. Even more familiar than the woman embracing him tightly.


    This darkness, this void¡­ it feels like he belongs in it.


    And perhaps he does. Because very soon, in the void that did not even reflect even a tinge of light¡ª he saw his reflection.


    Not what he looked like now, no. What he originally looks like¡ª unusually pale skin, white hair, eyes that were almost transparent; a face devoid of anything, really.


    The only hint of white in an otherwisepletely dark space. And yet, his reflection seemed to be the darkest thing in the void.


    It was smiling at him¡­ whispering to kill everyone.


    Riley now realized why the darkness felt so familiar to him. This dark reflection of his¡ª he had seen him many times before.


    "It''s you," Riley then whispered as he looked his dark reflection straight in the eyes before he started scanning his surroundings again; his eyes, slightly squinting,


    "But I don''t get it, I am not dead. So, why are you here, Overvoid Riley?"


    "..." His reflection, however, did not reply or do anything. It just¡­ continued to stare at him, whispering a million words in a single second.


    Kill them.


    Kill them all.


    Hurt them.


    Hurt them all.


    They belong here¡­


    ¡­with us.


    And with those words, another reflection appeared. And then, another¡­


    ¡­and another.


    172 shadows.


    The very same number of times that Riley had died.


    "It is very rude of you to visit me unannounced, Overvoid Riley," Riley then let out a small but very deep sigh as he shook his head,


    "This is my domain, I believed we had an understanding."


    And with Riley''s voice turning colder, the reflections disappeared one by one until once again, only one remained.


    "Do this again, and I will find a way to erase you the next time we me¡ª"


    "You! Stay¡­ stay away!"


    And before Riley could finish his words, he felt Alice''s embrace getting tighter; her eyes¡­ looking at the void.


    "You¡­ can see it, mother?" Riley''s eyes slightly turned wide as he tried to nce at his mother.


    "Stay away! Stay away from us, you monster!"


    Alice''s embrace that held nothing but affectionpletely disappeared; reced by fear; the fear of losing the thing she holds most dear,


    "Just¡­ just take me again! Leave my son alone, please! Just leave him alone!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..." And very slowly, Riley could feel the weight that was suppressing his telekic abilities fade away; he was finally able to push back as Alice''s skin very slowly started to shatter.


    "I love you, Riley. I love you," Alice almost fumbled with her words as she seemed to be wanting to say a million words,


    "I''m sorry, I''m so sorry that I wasn''t there to help you control this darkness! I''m sorry you were born with this, I''m so sorry it had to be you! I''m¡­"


    "..." And as his mother poured out everything she wanted to say to him, Riley just stared at her; looking at her arms that never wanted to let him go, covering him from all the darkness that was also staring at him.


    "I''m¡­ sorry you had to be born like this."


    "You don''t have to worry, mother¡­"


    And finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Riley hugged his mother back; his eyes, glowing red as he did so.


    "...I''m not."


    And with those words, Riley suddenly turned his head toward his reflection¡ª torching it with the violent beam that escaped his eyes.


    "You are overstaying your wee, Overvoid."


    But s, the void seemed to just eat and swallow anything that came through it.


    But even then, since Alice was very slowly turning her powers down, Riley also followed her rhythm¨C finally causing the cracks in the air to dissipate.


    "..." Riley''s reflection in the void didn''t seem to mind, however, as it even waved at him beforepletely disappearing along with the void it seemed to dwell in.


    And finally, peace.


    "..." The only thing that Riley could hear right now was the chatter of his mother''s teeth and the stuttering breaths that were escaping from her lips.


    "Mother, it''s gone," Riley then breathed out as he tried to push Alice away; and this time, he was finally able to¡ª gently.


    He then looked at his mother''s face, filled with tears and snot, red to the point it was cherry.


    Alice then sniffled as she quickly wiped her face¡­ using Riley''s clothes.


    "You can see Overvoid Riley, mother?"


    "...Overvoid what?" Alice said as she continued to clean her face¡ª and soon, water from the beach started to float towards her face, but not before whatever salt in it was filtered away,


    "I''m not crying," Alice then said as the water washed her face.


    "You¡ª"


    "Who are you anyway? You seen my team anywhere? That douche king said we''ll be meeting here."


    "I''m Riley, mother."


    "Mother? What¡ª" Alice then abruptly stopped talking as she stared straight into Riley''s eyes,


    "...Oh," she then blinked as her breaths turned heavy again,


    "...Hi."


    A smile then crawled on her face as her hand very slowly made its way to Riley''s cheek. But as soon as she noticed Riley slightly moving his head away, she quickly closed her hand and retracted it.


    And soon, her hand turned into a fist as she suddenly punched Riley in the face.


    "You pansy brat! I only wanted to touch your face and you''re not letting me!?"


    "..." Riley could really only blink a couple of times as he stared at his mother¡ª finally, he thought. He was finally seeing Alice as she is in the stories he had heard about her.


    "I swear, I shouldn''t have left you with Diana! Where''s your real body so I can spank your spoiled ass for all the years we''ve missed before I go!?"


    "...Go? Where are you going, mother?"


    "I don''t have long¡­" Alice shrugged as she scratched her nose. And although she was trying her best not to let anyone notice, the stutter in her words showed how nervous and scared she was,


    "...Diana told me I only have a few weeks."


    ***


    "...Fuck,"


    Somewhere back in the Antic ocean, Tempo was running in the air, each of his steps causing an invisible ripple to whistle in the air.


    And in front of him, running on the ocean, was Viole¡­


    ¡­dragging an unconscious John.

 Chapter 446:Leave

    Not fast enough.


    Tempo had felt that way many times before¡ª times when he was just toote to save people. He is considered to be the fastest super, alive or dead. There have been many sprinters that came before him, but no one could even touch the toe of his feats.


    But there have always been times that he wasn''t fast enough¡ª many times.


    This was the first time, however, that it was actually being shown to his face.


    He just watched and looked as the evaniel Guardian ran, getting farther and farther away from him. At first, Viole didn''t seem that fast as he flew through the skies during their battle earlier. But as soon as hended on the surface of the ocean and started to run¡­ that was when everything changed.


    It was not even a second.


    Tempo and John worked together, since the cat-goat-human hybrid seemed physically stronger than all of them, Tempo decided to switch it up and make the alien focus on him instead of John. And of course, John would then be facing the evaniel Guardian instead.


    Everything was going fine¡ª almost a stalemate, even. Tempo was too fast for Elder Zora, and John''s telekic prowess was something Viole could not prate easily. It was going too well, with John and Tempo even having the upper hand most of the time.


    But then¡­ Viole descended from the sky and used his legs to run.


    And it was over in an instant. Tempo saw it all¡ª how Viole was able to prate John''s telekic armor. In just a single second, he threw an almost unquantifiable number of punches straight to his chest.


    Viole then took another second to let out a barrage of strikes on the defenseless John. He might seem fairly unwounded from the outside¡­ but Tempo was sure his insides were already a mess.


    Tempo doesn''t know how Riley''s cloning ability works, but if John''s insides were anything like a normal human¡­ then he was probably already dying.


    40 times now. Tempo and Viole have rotated the 40 times, and each time¡­ the distance between him and the evaniel grew wider. At first, the two of them were only meters apart¡ª but now, a kilometer stands between the two and it was growing wider by the second.


    Tempo could go faster, but there was a risk that his physical body would not be able to take it. And even if he does¡­ will he even be able to catch up?


    Even from the distance, Tempo could see Viole ncing back at him with a slightly amused expression on his face¡ª he was toying with him.


    "..." Is it even worth his life to save Riley''s clone? What was he even doing here?


    "..."


    And while the distance between Tempo and Viole grew, John¡­ was just watching Tempo as he became smaller and smaller by the second.


    That was the only thing he could do now¡ª watch. He couldn''t even stop the bleeding that was happening from inside him. His body was¡­ incredibly weak.


    He tried.


    John tried his best, and it was enough. Riley and Alice were done being children and were now finally talking to each other like normal people¡ª he could feel it. His emotions were being transmitted to him, and Riley may not understand what he was feeling right now, but John could.


    It was relief¡­ and sadness.


    "..." John then let out a very light breath, as any stronger would probably cause his lungs to copse. He would have wanted to see what happens next¡­ but it would seem the gods have other ns for him.


    ¡­A shame.


    He really thought he would live. Maybe he should really have opted for an upgrade¡­ these aliens would have probably been nothing to him. But then¡­ he wouldn''t be himself anymore.


    "Ha¡­" John once again let out another breath as he focused his attention on Tempo.


    Why¡­ was this guy even following them?


    No. John already knew the answer to that.


    He was following him because he is a hero.


    A hero¡­ Hero.


    Come to think of it, once upon a time, Riley tried to be one. Not Paragon, no¡ª way before that. Riley might not remember it, but John has his memories.


    Before Darkday, Riley wanted to be a hero like Bernard¡ª it was¡­ short-lived. Hannah was always sad that Bernard wasn''t around all of the time, so Riley thought that if he became a hero and helped his father around, it would lessen the time that he was outside.


    It didn''t happen, however.


    Riley¡­ is evil. John knows that because he is him. He is not even innocently evil as some would think¡ª all of his thoughts were just¡­ of death. The whispers, the need to hurt people, the urge to kill¡­


    ¡­There may have been things that made him that way, but everything he did is on him. The worst part of it all is that he knows he is wrong, but it doesn''t matter.


    "..." He and Ellie never should have epted his deal, they could still be on the farm right now. Riley would have allowed it¡ª he could hear his thoughts, after all.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    If he refused, Riley would have just left them alone¡ª but he had to ept because he too¡­


    ¡­is evil. He wanted to see what Riley would do, he wanted to see how many more would die.


    But now it ends, he could feel it. He¡­ was truly fading away now.


    The price he and Riley had to pay for all the things they have done¡ª that was the only thing catching up to him now.


    ¡­Or perhaps not?


    John''s eyes started to widen as he heard the sound of a pulse growing louder and louder. He looked at Tempo again, only to see some sort of¡­ light surrounding him. And with each second, his silhouette grew nearer and nearer.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...What are you doing?" John whispered; it was when Tempo cut the distance in half that John noticed what was happening.


    Tempo¡­ was bleeding from his nose¡ª the veins in his eyes almost flesh in red.


    ''Why?'' John asked again. Why risk his life for someone like him?


    It was obvious that Tempo''s body could not handle the stress that his own abilities were giving him. The pulse that was once calm and rhythmic, now like a drum that did not know what note to y.


    Tempo''s steps that were previously not even affecting the surface of the ocean, now violently pushing them away¡ª causing it to erupt and dance around behind him.


    And very soon¡­


    ¡­he was only a meter away; his hand, stretching towards him.


    "!!!"


    And without even thinking about it, John used thest of his strength to stretch to reach for Tempo''s hand. And finally¡­ the tips of their fingers touched each other.


    Only to be separated as Elder Zora''s horns suddenly emerged from the ocean beneath John¡­


    pletely splitting him in half.


    "...Elder Zora!?"


    And then, everyone just stopped.


    Tempo halted his steps, finding himself falling into the water before floating on its surface as he just stared at John, whose guts were now hanging from his waist.


    "..."


    Even Viole, who was just waiting for a ship all this time to actuallye and fetch him so he could secure John away, could not help but stop as he stared at Elder Zora with his eyes incredibly wide.


    "I¡­ miscalcted," Elder Zora then said as he floated near John, "I was only going to block the other human."


    Everyone just looked at each other frozen¡ª and very soon, they truly were. And not just them¡­


    ¡­even the whispers of the ocean that was endlessly flowing with the wind stopped.


    "...He''s here," Tempo then whispered, causing the two to look at him; with Elder Zora wondering what he meant, and Viole fully knowing who it was.


    And it was quiet¡ª so very quiet as Riley Ross slowly descended from the unmoving sky¡­ justnding softly close to John.


    He didn''t even say anything as the lower half of John''s body flew and made him whole again. And with just a sigh, he lifted John with his arm and flew away¡ª leaving Viole no choice but to just let go.


    "That¡­ was the real Riley Ross?" Elder Zora squinted his eyes, "What are you doing, High Guardian Viole!? We should go after him!"


    And instead of Viole, it was Tempo who answered him. It was obvious he was already struggling to stay afloat the water¡ª but the expression on his face was very much alive,


    "What you guys need to do¡­


    ¡­is leave the."

 Chapter 447:A Bed Of Sand

    Silent and gentle.


    Perhaps not really a word that one would associate with a man that was and is considered to be the most terrible person in the world. But more often than not, however, those that were with Riley Ross would tell you that he was, as a matter of fact, silent and gentle.


    Not in a normal sense, no. It rarely is when concerning Riley. His silence and gentleness were more akin to that of a craftsman; he treated everyone as if they were objects and tools¡ª not to be misunderstood as he deemed himself superior to others, no.


    In fact, at times, it almost feels like he valued himself less¡ª something that he would even say to you.


    He will call himself a monster. He doesn''t consider himself human. He considers his death to be a blessing to the world.


    Riley was silent and gentle because that is the only thing he allows himself to be. If not, then the world would treat him very differently¡ª he would treat the world very differently.


    A simple enigma.


    This was perhaps the best description one would say of Riley. But for now, he was silent and gentle as he ced a veryrge part of himself onto the grains of sand that turned itself into a bed.


    Riley looked at him; his eyes, reflecting everything that he had always secretly wanted to be.


    "...John? John!?"


    "..." Riley then took a step back, letting those who have the right to mourn and grieve for John to approach him.


    When things calmed down between Riley and Alice, Ellie, her brother, Paige, and Katherine all swiftly returned to their side. Everything seemed peaceful¡ª with Alice slightly squinting her eyes as she stared at all the women that were inadvertently or intentionally pining for his son.


    It was a fun moment, with Alice reaching the conclusion that someone as handsome as Riley deserved more than 1 legal wife. But as their happy talks reached their climax, the body of the clone Riley was possessing suddenly disintegrated into the ground.


    And soon, they heard the ocean itself once again stopped moving¡ª the waves, the clouds¡­ everything just stopped.


    And now, all of a sudden, Riley ced a lifeless John on a bed of sand.


    "No¡­ no, no," Ellie quickly rushed to John''s side, tapping his face several times trying to wake him up. Her brother was also doing the same; holding John''s hand and squeezing it tight.


    "Oh¡­ no," Paige could really only cover her mouth as she watched Ellie breaking down as she lifted John¡ª hugging him tight and cradling him violently in an attempt to wake him up. She had really only been with Ellie and the others for a good month or so, but she had grown attached to them.


    They were like a normal family amidst all the¡­ bullshit that has been happening around them. Of course, he knew John and Ellie were far from normal and were even far from innocent. But staying with them in one ce, she really got to know them.


    But she was sure that whatever it is she was feeling now, it was nothingpared to what Ellie and her brother were feeling¡ª they were a family. No matter how skewed, no matter what anyone says about them, they were a family.


    And so, seeing them like this was just¡­ she really had no words for it.


    But there was one, however, that had spent even longer time with John¡ª to the point that he had seen John''s birth, Riley Ross. And in his eyes¡­


    ¡­were nothing.


    Just¡­ emptiness.


    But seeing this emptiness, Paige could not help but take a step back. Riley''s eyes being devoid of emotions was nothing new; one could even say it was his default¡ª


    ¡ªbut this was different.


    Paige then turned her eyes to the others if they noticed it, but Alice seemed to just be sighing as she watched Ellie break down and cry. Katherine, however, seemed to notice that something was wrong.


    No, of course, something is wrong. Although he wasn''t showing it, John is probably one of the only handful of entities in the whole world that Riley actually treats as a friend, no matter how much he denies it.


    "..." Katherine then also turned her eyes to Paige, and as if a mutual understanding between the two was instantly built, Katherine shook her head¡ª telling her not to approach Riley Ross. Alice also seemed to want to approach Riley, but Katherine stopped her.


    The two women that have been close or closest to Riley knew¡­<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡­they knew that something was different.


    "Riley!" Ellie gently ced John''s body on the bed of sand, before rushing, kneeling, and grabbing Riley''s hand almost all at the same time. She looked him straight in the eyes¡ª and without even saying any words, everyone knew what she meant.


    And to everyone''s surprise, Riley answered.


    "I can do it," he calmly said as he returned Ellie''s begging gaze, "But are you sure?"


    "..." Ellie didn''t really answer and just nced at John.


    "I can create and mold another Diley," Riley continued, "With his memories of you and Elliot, with everything he has experienced, but it won''t be him. He told that to me the first andst time I remade him, Ellie¡­


    ¡­he doesn''t want to be remade again."


    "...Why?"


    "Because it''s not¡ª"


    "...Why did this happen?" Ellie then let go of Riley''s hand as she once again moved beside John, "You said¡­ you said you would protect us."


    "..." Riley could not really say anything as he just nced at Alice, before letting out a very small but deep sigh,


    "I suppose I was wrong, Ellie."


    "We¡­ we were justughing just moments ago," Ellie almost gasped as her eyes moved back and forth even though she was just staring at John''s face, "We¡­ we were happy. Why¡­ why did this have to happen?"


    "Because of me, Ellie."


    Riley then said as he took a step back¡ª and as he did so, his long hair that waspletely ck¡­ very slowly lost whatever color it had.


    "He died because of me," Riley whispered as he closed his eyes¡ª and as he opened them again, the color they had disappeared; returning to what they originally were. And with another sigh, he looked at Alice,


    "You said you didn''t have long in this world, mother. Then let me show you who and what your biological son truly is."


    "...Riley?"


    "Right on time, Princess Vera."


    Vera then suddenly appeared, standing beside Paige as she scanned the situation around her. And soon, Silvie, who was supposed to be a prisoner, also descended from the sky¡ª her breaths, quickly turning into gasps as her eyesnded on John.


    "Oh no," she also said as she turned her eyes to Riley.


    Riley then stretched his hand toward the ocean, and as he did so, the surface of the ocean that waspletely frozen started to move¡ª not because they were allowed to again, but because of the object that was moving on it at a blinding speed.


    And without even a secondter, a spiral horn was already resting in his hand¡ª the horns, attached to the rest of Elder Zora.


    "I am in the notion that you are tired of these Elders ignoring you, Princess Vera¡­


    ¡­so I''ll talk to them for you."


    "W¡­ What?" Vera could really only take a step back as Riley started to approach him while seemingly dragging a lifeless Zora in his hand.


    "Don''t worry, he''s not going to die yet," a smile then very slowly crawled on Riley''s face, "We''ll be doing thatter¡­


    ¡­in front of all your friends."

 Chapter 448:Expanding The Family Business

    "Elders."


    Vera found herself once again surrounded by the holograms of the Elders. This time, however, she could not force herself to be stoic or look disciplined as her eyes slightly trembled upon looking at the 6 holograms around her.


    The Elders, as always, did not notice the anxiousness on her face as they seemed to be lost in their own world¡ª most not even looking at her; either talking to other people or fidgeting with a weird gadget.


    [What is it now, Princess of the Evaniels?]


    The Grand Elder, as always, was the first to speak as his blurry silhouette leaned forward from his chair, "Have the Guardians and Elder Zora arrived at the yet?"


    "The Guardians are dead."


    [...What?]


    And with those words, the Elders that were otherwise preupied all quickly turned their heads to Vera. The Grand Elder turned his head to the other Elders, before once again focusing on Vera,


    [Were they killed by Riley Ross?]


    "Y¡­ Yes," Vera stuttered, "They died not even a minute of entering the, the only one left alive is Guardian Viole."


    [Is he there? Let us talk with him.]


    "...You can''t."


    [What¡ª] And before the Grand Elder could speak again, he noticed the tears that were now suddenly trailing on Vera''s face.


    "We made a mistake," Vera then whispered as she looked at her feet, "I made a mistake."


    [...What are you saying?]


    "Half the evaniels in the ship are dead," Vera took in a deep breath, gritting her teeth as she forced herself to look at the Grand Elder, "Riley Ross killed them too."


    [...Why?]


    "He¡­ he tortured them right in front of the others¡­ in¡­ in front of me," Vera''s head started to tremble as her breaths became heavier by the second, "I¡­ I was mad at all of you for treating this situation lightly. When¡­ when I was also doing the same and now half the people in my care are dead."


    [Why did he¡ª]


    "Because we killed his clone!" Vera stomped her foot on the floor, causing the entire spherical room to shake,


    "He¡­ he tore off each of their legs first, let everyone watch as their friends desperately cr¡­ crawl on the floor."


    Vera''s eyes were now just looking straight; not looking at anything in particr, but reflecting the images that she had seen just moments ago,


    "He also killed my brother," Vera then took in a small gasp as her eyes started to twitch uncontrobly, "He killed him fast and without pain. He¡­ he told me that he didn''t want him to be in pain because he likes me."


    [Where is Elder Zora!?] The Grand Elder, for the very first time, stood from his floating throne; finally revealing his bulky and stone-like silhouette, [What was he doing while Riley Ross was doing all of that!? And why didn''t you stop him!?]


    "...Stop him?" Vera then forced a small chuckle as the tears trailing down her face doubled, "Even now¡­ all of you are still underestimating him. Riley Ross is¡­ is a viin."


    [Let us talk to Elder Zora!]


    "Elder Zora¡­ Elder Zora," Vera then whispered to herself a couple of times. But after a few moments, her eyes widened as she finally looked at the Grand Elder again, "That¡­ that''s actually the reason why I called for all of you again¡­


    ¡­Riley Ross wishes to speak with you."


    [Riley Ross? No one but those authorized can talk to us!]


    "He¡­ he knows that," Vera then took in a deep breath as she stepped to the side, "He¡­ That''s why he¡­ he made a way so he could talk to you."


    [What do you¡ª]


    "Greetings, other Elders. Meow."


    And before the Grand Elder could finish his words, a silhouette started to approach them from the bridge; on top of its head, a pair of horns.


    [Elder Zora! I need you to exin what''s been happening on Earth!]


    "I believe Princess Vera already exined everything to all of you, Grand Elder. Perhaps you should try listening? Meow."


    [What¡ª You¡­ you''re Riley Ross!?]


    [I do not know what you''re talking about, Grand Elder. Meow.]


    The words that wereing out of the silhouette seemedical, but with each of his steps getting closer and closer, the weight in Vera''s breaths also multiplied. And very soon, the silhouette stepped into the light¡­


    ¡­revealing Elder Zora.


    Elder Zora''s head, that is; seemingly being worn by Riley like some sort of Halloween mask.


    "Is this not the way he talks, meow?" Riley then let out a small giggle, causing Elder Zora''s head to slightly slide down, "I thought you would find it funny if I made my entrance like this, but why is no oneughing?"


    [...]


    "I''ve learned that first impressions are important, you see," a sigh then escaped from Elder Zora''s head,


    "...But it would seem that I failed to make an impression, sad."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    And with those words, Riley grabbed Elder Zora''s horns and casually ripped his entire head in half¡ª his white hair, flowing down as he finally revealed his face to the Elders.


    "What kind of species is Elder Zora, anyway?" Riley then tilted his head as he looked at the two halves of Zora''s head in his hands, "A human cat with a goat''s horn? The universe is such¡­ aplex thing, no?"


    [You¡ª]


    "Forgive me, I have failed to introduce myself," Riley then stretched his arms to the side; and as he did so, whatever was left of Elder Zora disintegrated into nothing,


    "I am Riley Ross of Earth, it is a pleasure to finally talk to the beings that have been talking about me for weeks now."


    [There are consequences to your actions, human,] the Grand Elder returned to his floating; the tone of his voice, once again bing authoritative.


    "I would be disappointed if there wasn''t, Grand Elder," Riley then let out a sigh as he shook his head, "And speaking of consequences, yours are still not over."


    Riley stretched his arm to the side, and as he did so, Viole emerged from the darkness and flew straight toward his hand,


    "Are you able to broadcast what I am about to do throughout the entire Universe, Grand Elder?"


    [You do not make requests from us, boy.]


    "Do it or I will kill the remaining evaniels in the ship."


    [Did I stutter, boy?]


    "Do it or I will kill Princess Vera."


    Vera''s head quickly flinched as she heard Riley''s words. She wanted to run¡ª but seeing the almost braindead Viole that was hanging in Riley''s hand¡­ any motivation to do so instantly dwindled away,


    "I heard her mother, the Queen, is quite important to the bnce of the Universe. I will also kill her next¡ª my father can learn how to control your ship in just a single second."


    [Your threats mean nothing to us. You are insignificant.]


    "..." Riley then turned his head to Princess Vera, "They truly do not value your life, Princess Vera. I apologize that I have to hurt and kill you now."


    [Stop!]


    Riley was about to raise his other hand, but before he could do so, the only female Elder spoke; her voice as monotonous as ever, even with her hurried words.


    [I will broadcast your message¡ª just do noty a hand on the Princess.]


    [What are you doing, Elder Tedi!?]


    [I could ask you the same, Grand Elder. The threat that the human possesses is obviously something we have dismissed¡ª and we are paying the price for that now.]


    [Do you not see what he is going to do!? He is going to execute a Higher Guardian!]


    [I am aware.]


    [Y¡ª]


    "Good, please let me know when the entire Universe can see me now," Riley interrupted the two.


    [I can''t broadcast you to the entire Universe, Riley Ross, only to the known part of it,] Elder Tedi stated.


    "Please," Riley gestured with his hand.


    [You are being broadcasted now, you¡­ may proceed.]


    "Thank you, Elder Tedi," Riley bowed before fully facing her hologram,


    "Greetings, the rest of the Known Universe, my name is Riley Ross. I am from an unknown from an unknown star system. I have here in my hand a Guardian," Riley then said as he raised the seemingly unconscious Viole in the air. And without even any sort of warning or indication, he pulled half his head from the rest of his body¡ª leaving his tongue and his jaw hanging from his neck,


    "Several years ago¡­" And as if nothing happened, Riley just dropped Viole''s body parts to the floor and started speaking again,


    "...I announced to the people of my that I would retire from being a viin. And since then, I found myself bing many things¡ª a student, a lover, an estranged adopted brother, dead, an alien, a failed hero, a friend, and a father. I was almost even an actor. But what I truly am¡­


    ¡­is a viin. I can not pretend to be anything else."


    "..." Vera could really only take in a small gulp as she watched Riley continue with his speech¡ª she doesn''t know why, but it feels like she was witnessing something that wouldpletely alter the course of the entire universe.


    "I have thought of many things to do to relieve my boredom. Lately, I have thought of conquering different worlds, but no. My purpose, my true purpose is not to conquer¡­


    ¡­but to destroy."


    "..."


    "So today, I am hereby announcing that I am once again donning my suit as a superviin," Riley then stretched his arms to the side¡ª causing some sort of ck goo to wrap around his body.


    The goo turned into a suit¡ª not that of Darkday, but more simr to his uniform as Paragon except this time, it was all in ck; his white long hair, just flowing in the air. His mask that was covering his lower face, almost in the shape of a smile revealing a set of sharp teeth.


    "My name is Darkday. And let this be the first act of my return¡ª


    ¡ªto the clone I left on the micr Hotis 4J; you have my permission¡­


    ¡­you may kill everyone now."

 Chapter 449:Raleerus

    Somewhere in the expanse of the universe, lightyears away from Earth, stood a half the size of Pluto. Suffice it to say, with its surface area onlyparable to that of arge country on Earth, the poption within the was packed almost like sardines¡ª perhaps an exaggeration, but it was closer to the truth if anything.


    Hotis 4J is also used as a sort of transport hub¡ª an outpost at the very end of the known and chartered Universe. It is also the closest to Earth that actually has sentient and intelligent life.


    Still, even with its poptionrger than what it could amodate, Hotis 4J was and is a peaceful ce for travellers and explorers to rest before they delve into the Unknown.


    Lots of different species and races lived there¡ª some couldn''t even be described as humanoid anymore. There are others that have evolved from their insect ancestors, and some that are more akin to that of a snail.


    But of course, one must not judge the creatures here based on the ideologies and knowledge one has on Earth, because for them, humans looked odd. Still, most of the species within the micro actually looked humanoid¡ª as it seems to be the aesthetic end of all developed life.


    But no matter what stage or what sort of progenitor a species have, they seemed to have one singrnguage that they could understand.


    Screams.


    Right now, somewhere in Hotis 4J, in one of itsrgest establishments¡ª all sorts of different faces currently had their mouths opened; or whatever version of a mouth they had. All of them, letting out a scream as they stared at the humanoid in front of them.


    The humanoid sported a long, white hair that reached below his waist; freely flowing with the wind as he moved around the stage he was standing on. He then stretched his hand towards one of the one-eyed humanoids in front of him, causing her to let out an almost visceral scream.


    "V'' qest, Raleerus!" The female cyclops then said, and in a rough trantion¡ª ''I love you, Riley Ross!''.


    Riley Ross, or rather, his clone, was currently dancing and singing on therge stage; almost more than a thousand people were cheering and screaming his name¡ª Raleerus.


    And if someone from Earth were to listen to him sing, one would know that his song is actually from one of its TV shows, the opening song of Italian Mafia Reborn. At first, when Raleerus was left by Riley on this far and unfamiliar, he just found a ce to hide and lie low.


    But as soon as his connection with Riley was severed¡ª that was when he started venturing out and meeting with the other people. Suffice it to say, he had learned a lot about the cultures of the different species.


    Raleerus still needed to feed himself. And so, in a weird turn of events, he got a job as a musician in one of the''s hotels. He yed an instrument simr to a piano, learning it almost instantly.


    ¡­But it wasn''t until he started singing that his fame skyrocketed in a blink of an eye. The others werepletely unaware of whatnguage he was speaking, but it didn''t matter¡ª music, after all, is a universalnguage.


    The whole basically knew who he was now. He was basically popr with all the females of all the species within Hotis 4J.


    "Kill! Kill! I want to kill all of you!" Raleerus continued to sing, using his telekic abilities to do all sorts of fantastic and magical movements around the stage.


    Almost a thousand people were screaming and cheering for him, causing Raleerus to put his all into his performance. Soon, however, the music stopped as several beeping noises could be heard echoing throughout the entire auditorium.


    "..." Raleerus''s performance was abruptly cut short, causing everyone to let out groans and gasps of frustration. They then all retrieved their media devices, as they were the ones letting out the ringing that filled the stage.


    Several holograms started popping out from their gadgets, and soon¡ª arge hologram also emerged from the stage, just behind Raleerus.


    [Greetings, the rest of the Known Universe, my name is Riley Ross. I am from an unknown¡­]


    "!!!"


    Raleerus''s eyes quickly widened as soon as he saw who was speaking. As for the rest of the people there, they once again let out gasps of shock¡ª their eyes, looking back and forth between the person in the hologram and Raleerus.


    None of them wanted to be racist¡ª but they were sure the two looked eerily identical to each other.


    "..." Everyone continued to watch in silence, that is¡­ until the person in the hologram ripped someone''s head open¡ª and not just anyone, an evaniel Guardian.


    "..." Raleerus''s eyes started to squint as he continued to watch¡ª and soon, his ears perked up.


    [...to the clone I left on the micro Hotis 4J; you have my permission¡­


    ¡­Kill everyone.]


    And with that, the universe-wide broadcast was cut; leaving only silence to flow throughout the entire auditorium.


    "..." Raleerus then very slowly turned his head back to his audience, causing them to slightly flinch and instinctively take a step back. None of them knew what the person from the hologram just said, but judging by the way he just executed an evaniel Guardian without even blinking an eye¡­ it wasn''t anything good.


    However, as soon as they saw Raleerus smile, all their worries disappeared. And soon, the music once again started.


    "V'' qest, Raleerus!" The female cyclops once again let out a scream that revived all the cheers again. Raleerus quickly turned his eyes toward the female cyclops, pointing at her with his index finger as the smile on his face grew even wider.


    "R¡­ Raleerus!" The female cyclops'' cheers grew even louder as Raleerus suddenly isted her from the rest, "V'' qe¡ª"


    "Bang!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    And before she could cheer again¡­ her head suddenly exploded.


    "..." Those that were near the female cyclops instantly shut whatever mouths they have. Still, the cheers of those that were far away still continued. And very soon, they started running away.


    Sadly for them, the others thought they were just doing some sort of crazy cheering and started pushing them back. And very soon, screams of terror started to mix with cheers of passion and delight.


    "Oh," Raleerus took in a very long and very deep breath as he closed his eyes. He thought that the happy screams and cheers that the people were giving him were enough¡ª but now that terror was once again in the form, he realized it wasn''t even apetition.


    Screams of fear, terror, anguish, and pain were still the most beautiful set of music that could ever grace his ears.


    And so, as he opened his eyes¡ª a red glow now emerged from them. He then turned towards the crowd of people¡­


    ¡­before letting out some sort of visceral breath as he started disintegrating everyone with the red, violent beam that poured from his eyes.


    "!!!"


    The people started screaming. The once happy air that filled the entire auditorium, now but a house of chaos and death. Whatever sort of anatomy they have, bits and pieces of them were now scattered on the floor as their blood of red, blue, clear, yellow, and whatever other color created a pool of ck.


    And as soon as the screams inside the auditorium were gone, Raleerus stretched his arms to the side, splitting the entire establishment in half. And with a small breath, he pushed the two halves away¡ª causing them to violently fly and m through whatever was in their path.


    He then ascended to the''s purple skies; his eyes, looking at the purple desert as it got smaller and smaller in his view until his hand could cover the entire.


    "I''ve always wanted to do this," Raleerus then let out a small whisper as he pointed his palm at Hotis 4J. He then very slowly rotated his hand, almost imitating the rotation of the¡ª and then, with another breath¡­


    ¡­his hand suddenly stopped moving.


    Raleerus''s eyes reflected Hotis 4J as its surface basically ripped itself apart¡ª almost twisting as itsnds violently ruptured. The destruction of the may seem slow from where Raleerus was floating, but for the millions of people that were in it¡­ their deaths were instantaneous.


    "..."


    "...Perhaps I shouldn''t have done that," Raleerus then blinked a couple of times as he saw the caving in, "Now I have nothing to do."


    "..."


    "..."


    Raleerus then turned his head toward a ship that was floating near him¡ª its engines, about to fire and activate. But before it could drive away, Raleerus stretched his hand toward it and caused it to halt.


    Raleerus then pulled the ship toward him, before staring at its clear windows and looking at the person inside.


    "I know you can''t understand me¡­


    ¡­but can you take me to your?"


    ***


    "Elder Tedi! See what you''ve done!?"


    "..."


    Back in the spherical room filled the Elders holograms, the Grand Elder''s voice echoed violently. Although it wasn''t in real-time, as the Grand Elder, he had the privilege of having the authority to observe all of the Knowns.


    And there, he saw the destruction of Hotis 4J--- not even an Earth hour of Riley''s broadcast.


    Riley was no longer there, and Vera was just sitting on the floor, not even saying a word as her tears have already dried themselvespletely.


    "Princess Vera! This is an order--- do not let Riley Ross leave the at all costs!"


    "..." Princess Vera just nced at the Grand Elder for a few seconds, before shaking her head,


    "Sorry, Grand Elder...


    ...but the evaniels are siding with Riley Ross."

 Chapter 450:Women Loitering In The Dark

    Darkness.


    The horizon that was once bathed by the violent rays of the sun was now surrounded by nothing but darkness. The sands on the beach that would tickle you with their warmth, now as cold as a winter''s bed.


    There were no stars, not even the moon was allowed to grace the endless ocean with its presence; if one were to shut their ears and not hear the whispers and calls of the water, then one might actually think that one had their eyes closed.


    There was one, however, that almost glowed in the darkness¡ª a silhouette; his long white hair just flowing with the wind.


    Riley had been staring and living inside this darkness for a while now, not even letting his breaths break the silence for hours¡­ until he was approached by Katherine, that is.


    "Riley, can we talk?"


    "No."


    "..." Katherine just stood there as she was instantly rejected by Riley. Still, she did not leave and just stayed behind him¡ª waiting for him to actually turn around and look at her. But even after another hour, Riley just remained silent.


    He didn''t even nce, not even a slight gesture or movement that told Katherine anything; but even then, she didn''t leave and just stood there.


    "Can we talk now?" And after another hour had passed, Katherine once again asked. And this time, Riley nodded.


    "I wanted to talk about Karina."


    "..." Riley slightly turned his head to nce at Katherine, before focusing on the darkness, "Are you going to give me the reason why you didn''t abort her, Katherine?"


    "...Let''s just talk about us," Katherine then let out a small sigh as she took a step forward and stood right beside Riley,


    "I know we don''t really have any rtionship, and what we had was just¡­ a strange moment of weakness. I got carried away and did things that I wouldn''t do. I was a hero¡­ and then just all of a sudden you came along and I wasn''t anymore."


    "..."


    "You have this weird effect on people, Riley. You make people do things they would otherwise never do. Like an incubus that drains people of their own free will. It''s like everything you touch just bes rotten."


    "Hm."


    "But I''m not ming you for anything that happened to me," Katherine then said as she looked at Riley, "You were just a boy and I was already a full-grown woman capable of her own thoughts."


    "I ckmailed and threatened you, Katherine," Riley breathed out, "I remember telling you I would cut your mother''s tongue and ce it under your pillow while you sleep."


    "And I could have jumped off the train anytime I wanted. I was going to kill myself, you know? At first, I thought the reason why I didn''t go through with it is that I was a coward, but no," Katherine shook her head, before walking in front of Riley, blocking his view of the horizon with her eyes that stared directly in his eyes,


    "The reason I didn''t kill myself is because I was stupid. Excited at the thought that my usually boring life finally took a turn into something exhrating¡ª I got off from the high of being by your side."


    Katherine then very gently touched Riley''s cheek,


    "And I still do. I think I have gonepletely insane¡ª and just thinking about whatever it is you''re about to do excites me greatly."


    "..."


    "Finish whatever it is that you have to do here on Earth. And after you''re done¡­


    ¡­I will be beside you wherever corner of the universe you wish to go to."


    "I will kill everyone, Katherine."


    "When did I ever stop you?" Katherine let out a small sigh as she retracted her hand and started walking away, "But as your former teacher, can I offer you some advice?"


    "..." Riley only nodded in response.


    "Whatever it is you''re feeling now; grief, regret¡­ let them all out."


    "I am not feeling anything, Katherine."


    "You''re wrong," Katherine once again sighed as she stopped walking, "I have never seen you more human than I have today. Despite what you think, Riley, you are apletely different manpared to the first time I met you."


    "I can''t change."


    "Have you forgotten that I''m an empath?" Katherine let out a small giggle, "The only one in the entire universe that can directly feel what you''re really feeling, Riley. No one else, just me."


    "..."


    "And one more thing¡­


    ¡­talk to your mother. She doesn''t have long."


    "I know, she told me."


    "...Talk to her. You both need it."


    And with those words, Katherine once again left her mark on the sand as Riley was once again left alone in the darkness.


    "..."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..."


    The silencested only a minute, however, as flickers of light soon echoed through the darkness¡ª a thousand fireflies, now suddenly dancing in the air and leaving not an ounce of darkness untouched.


    And soon, a pair of arms wrapped around Riley from behind, tightly but very gently sping on his chest. The owner of the arms did not speak, however, as she just rested and buried her face on his back; her slightly orange hair, turning brown from all the green particles floating around them.


    "..." Riley slowly raised his hand; his eyes, staring at the light that quicklynded on his finger. Paige and Riley just stayed like this for an entire hour, not even uttering a single word or a heavy breath.


    And then, once again, without any word or even as much as a whisper, Paige just walked away. The light, however, remained surrounding Riley; as if recing the stars and moon that should have been scattered across the empty horizon.


    And once again, Riley was left alone.


    "..."


    "..."


    More and more minutes passed, and right when the silence once again almost permeated the darkness¡ª a breath unexpectedly escaped Riley''s lips.


    "Mothers, I know the two of you have been hiding there for quite a while now."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I told you, he knows."


    Riley was about to leave the beach, but as soon as he made his first step, two silhouettes emerged from the sand a meter away from him¡ª Diana and Alice.


    "We''ve never really had to talk about death before, have we?" Diana was the first to speak as she patted the grains of sand that were resting on her shoulders.


    "Because we don''t need to, adoptive mother," Riley shook his head before looking Diana in the eyes,


    "I am used to death."


    "Not like this," Diana let out a small sigh, before approaching Riley and trying to wrap her arms around him¡ª but s, as always, Riley avoided her; still, Diana didn''t seem to mind as she just sighed and shook her head,


    "You have never experienced death like this before. I know¡­ how much Diley¡ªJohn meant to you¡­ and it''s okay to be sad, honey. You have emotions just like the rest of us, and the people that very much care for you can help you understand and deal with it."


    "..." And while Diana was speaking to Riley without any boundaries, Alice could really only look to the side as she hears each of her words; wondering what she was even doing there. Riley had already lived an entire life without her¡­ it was truly selfish of her to just jump into his life, no matter how short it would be.


    "I know you''ve really only listened to your sister; and for some reason that Paige girl and Aerith," Diana slightly shook her head, "But I want you to listen to me now¡­


    ¡­throughout the thousands of species, creatures, and races in the entire Known Universe, there are many that can''t process their emotions. There are species out there that are even born without them. But no matter how logical, no matter how emotionless they are made to be¡ª Grief always exists in any creature capable of thought."


    "Grief?" Riley returned his mother''s gaze, "You also think I am feeling grief, adoptive mother?"


    "Only you can answer that," Diana let out a breath and smiled, "But what I do know, is that grief makes people unpredictable, hurt. And if destroying worlds can help you recover from it, then do it¡ª you always did have tantrums as a child, and the only one that could stop you is your sister."


    "She won''t be able to stop me this time, adoptive mother," Riley shook his head, "I have her abilities, making me immune to¡ª"


    "She''ll try, you know how she is. She will stop you, but she will always be by your side, no matter what."


    "And what about you, adoptive mother?"


    "We''ll see. I might just tag along, it''s been a while since I travelled¡ª I might need the vacation. We''ve also never had a vacation together, maybe this is a chance for us to bond," Diana let out a small giggle as her feet slowly left the sand,


    "But the Universe is a very curious yground, Riley. I''m sure something will change your mind along the way¡­


    ¡­you''re quite fickle that way."


    "W¡­ wait, where are you going!?" Alice could not help but look back and forth between the leaving Diana and Riley, "I thought you were going to back me up!?"


    "I have already said my piece, you can talk to him alone, old friend. You should be stable for now."


    "What!? But we¡ª I need your motherly wisdom!"


    Alice stretched her hand toward Diana¡ª but s, she already flew away, splitting the clouds that were blocking the night sky above.


    "...Fuck."


    And so, Riley and Alice finally had the chance to be alone.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...What''s up?"

 Chapter 451:This Is Me

    "...What''s up?"


    "I remember you hitting my clone in the face, mother."


    "...I guess? I... wasn''t in the right state of mind."


    "..."


    "What do you want, mother?"


    "To get to know you."


    "What can you tell me about the entity resting in the void?"


    "I¡­ don''t really know anything about it, besides seeing it before¡­ before I hurt you, and then after when I died. But everything is hazy, like a dream. I can''t really tell you mu¡ª"


    "Hm. Then interest for you stops here, mother. If that''s all, then I will take my leave."


    "Wait!"


    And just like that, the grains of sand that had finally known peace were once again thrown into chaos as the entire beach practically started to change form. Almost like tendrils, the sands began to crawl on top of each other before¡ª only stopping as itpletely epassed Alice and Riley.


    "..." Riley didn''t really think much about it as he just turned to look at what Alice created. And although it was quite hard to tell because there was only a single color surrounding him, it was clear to Riley that Alice made some sort ofrge room with several pieces of furniture in it.


    "This¡­ this is the previous base of the Hope Guild," the tone of Alice slowly turned from being anxious to a calmer tone as she started walking around the lobby-like hall made of sand she created.


    And if one were to be outside and looking from afar, one would now see a tower suddenly standing tall on the beaches of Antic City.


    "And why are you showing me this, mother?" Riley said as he continued to scan the interior¡ª there was also a bar, with intricate carvings on each stool. Perhaps even more so than Alice''s control of her powers, Riley was more impressed with her ability to recreate every detail.


    It would seem that before she started to lose her mind, her memory was quite¡­ good¡ª an understatement, for sure.


    "Because I want to introduce myself to you, Riley," Alice then waved her hand, causing the sand infrastructure around them to once again change¡ª this time, into a tinier, but still spacious room.


    "This is where I grew up."


    "..." Riley scanned the room¡ª and suffice it to say, it was quite¡­ colorful. Of course, everything was still made of sand, but her entire room probably had more personality than Riley himself. There were all sorts of stuffed toys, as well as a bunch of machines that seemed like old arcades.


    "I was 7 years old when I fully mastered my abilities," Alice then picked up one of the teddy bears, "I used it to steal most of the things you''re seeing here. I¡­ wasn''t really a good kid."


    "I am aware, mother."


    "My mother¡ª your grandmother, Charlotte¡­ she wasn''t really around much as you could expect."


    "I know, she told me when I was in prison."


    "...You were in prison?" Alice blinked a couple of times, before letting out a sigh, "I suppose we''re more alike than I initially thought."


    "No, Diana and Bernard have always been there for me."


    "...Right," a subtle wry smile crawled on Alice''s face as she heard her son''s words. But after a few more breaths, she recovered and once again started walking around the room¡ª and with each step, the sands once again moved; this time, the sky made an appearance as several buildings now stood around them,


    "I don''t know what sort of stories they made about me¡ª but I was 13 years old when I was first thrown into a juvenile prison for minors," Alice then pointed toward the group of people made of sand in front of them¡ª with a young version of her being circled by what looked like other heroes,


    "That''s the moment I got caught, or rather¡­ I allowed myself to get caught. I was¡­ seeking for attention. I thought it was the only way your grandmother would notice me," Alice then let out a small sigh, before the surrounding turned into the interior of a prison,


    "Fast forward to a couple of years, I was sent to the Supermax¡­ and not even once did your grandmother visit me."


    "...I am also aware of her being absent in your life, mother. She was alsopletely absent in mine."


    "...Even now?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I believe there is just no point of her entering my life, mother¡ª I feel the same way with you,"


    "..." Alice did not really say anything and just once again waved her hand, turning the scenery back to the first structure she made, "Years passed, and I was set free in the condition that I work for the Hope Guild¡­ and that''s when I decided to have you, Riley. When I started making more friends, I realized that I wanted to give someone the thing I have always wanted¡ª the love of a mother. It''s just¡­ to think I would end up¡ª"


    "You made a mistake, mother."


    "No!" Alice quickly shook her head as she pointed at Riley, "I have many mistakes in my life, and having you is definitely not one of them. You could have been the devil and I would still ept you, Riley."


    "..."


    "This is me, Riley. I''m very far from perfect and so close to also being a viin¡ª but no matter how my life turned out to be, I know it will always lead to you," Alice almost swallowed her breaths as she looked Riley in the eyes,


    "You may not believe it, but I love you. I do¡ª and I would do anything to have the chance to actually take care of you and watch you grow, anything. But I know that I can''t anymore because that train has passed¡­ so with whatever time I have left in this world, I want to spend it with you, Riley. I don''t have long, I can''t say for sure when I''m just going to lose my mind again¡­


    ¡­but I want to spend myst moments with you because you''re my son, and I love you very deeply."


    "Hm¡­


    ¡­you don''t even know who I am, mother," Riley shook his head as he took a step forward¡ª and as soon as he did so, the hundreds of billions of grains of sand started to separate from each other; forming into a scenery that oddly resembled a carnival.


    And soon, walls started to form around Alice and Riley¡ª taking them into an alleyway between the tents. And there, an obviously younger Riley and an old man could be seen.


    "My adoptive parents decided to take me and Hannah to have¡­ fun in a carnival somewhere in the country," Riley whispered as he started circling the statue of his younger self,


    "I was only turning 12 at this time¡ª and I believe this is the very first time I killed someone," he then pointed at the sculpture of the old man, which started moving and sping his chest,


    "Unlike you, mother, my memory tends to always be hazy. I do not remember much about this moment, but I remember how it feels¡­


    ¡­It was the happiest I have ever been in my short life."


    "..." Alice could really only take in a deep breath as she stared at her son''s sand image¡ª a smile, slowly forming on its face as it watched the old man slowly take itsst breath.


    "!!!" Alice then slightly flinched as Riley suddenly pped his hands¡ª and as he did so, several silhouettes started forming from the sand¡­ grotesque, abysmal, and outright diabolical.


    Darkrday was everywhere¡ª either pulling out limbs or decorating the body parts of the people into some sort of altar.


    "This is me, mother," Riley repeated his mother''s words back to her, "I do not know what you are feeling right now, looking at the monster you brought forth to the world. But know that aside from giving birth to me, my actions are mine and mine alone, mother."


    "..."


    "Go spend your remaining time with other people," Riley then let out a small sigh, causing all the sand to finally return back to the ground,


    "Perhaps rather than trying to connect with me, someone you have never really met¡ª go reconcile with your mother. Because you and I, mother? We''re just strangers to each other."


    "..."


    "Now if that is all you wanted from me, I will take my leave," Riley''s feet then soon started to leave the sand, "I have extraterrestrial lives to end."


    "..."


    And with Alice not saying anything anymore, Riley continued to ascend into the air.


    "..."


    But not even meters into the air, Riley felt the urge to nce down as Alice seemed to actually not be pursuing him as he expected. And there¡­


    ¡­he saw Alice lying face t on the sand, unmoving.

 Chapter 452:Threesome

    "This¡­ isn''t this Alice Lane?"


    "It is, sister."


    "...Why did you bring her here?"


    "I thought mother would be here."


    Riley was back in Bernard''s secretir, using one of his obviously very expensive desks as a table for the unconscious Alice. Riley initially thought that she was dead when he found her suddenly lying on the sand, but it turns out she was just in some sort ofatose.


    He was contemting on whether or not to just leave Alice on the beach, but for some reason, leaving her there felt¡­ wrong. And so, he just decided to bring him to where he thought Diana would be, but s¡ª


    "She carried dad somewhere, mom said it will be a while before his body adapts to this Guardian Force shit."


    "Hm," Riley only nodded before cing his focus back on Alice, "Then I will just leave biological mother here. Please tell adoptive mother that I found her unconscious some time at 11 in the evening, sister."


    "...You''re just going to fucking leave her here?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "I can''t bring her to Charlotte. I believe biological mother hates her, Charlotte doesn''t deserve to be by her side."


    "...And she deserves to be left alone like this?" Hannah raised an eyebrow as she pointed at Alice, "Look, I know you''re trying to avoid Alice like how you''re trying to avoid me now¡ª which I do fucking mind, by the way. But at least hear her out; if not for your sake then for hers."


    "..."


    "I think she deserves to at least feel wanted by her son before she¡­ leaves again, even if it''s just pretend, Riley. And you''re very good at pretending, so¡­"


    "Why would I do that?"


    "...Because you said you wanted to be human, right?"


    "But it is also human to be petty, sister."


    "You were cuter as a child."


    "Very well, I will try to stay," Riley then let out a small sigh, before pulling a chair toward him and just casually sitting, "But what about you, sister? What are you doing in father''s secretir when he is not here?"


    "Oh, you know¡­ just checking to see if I could use something to¡ª"


    "You are trying to see if you can steal something."


    "What!? No! When have I ever stolen anything from dad!?"


    "..."


    "O¡­ on second thought, don''t answer that."


    "Hm."


    "I¡­ I think the better question is what are they doing here?" Hannah then pointed her thumb behind her, where Katherine, Tomoe, and Paige could be seen exploring Bernard''s secretir and examining all of his gadgets,


    "This isn''t a fucking museum!" She then raised her voice, causing the three to quickly stop touching whatever it is they were touching.


    "They wanted toe, sister. So, I took them."


    "What are they, your pets?" Hannah shook her head and rolled her eyes, "I can understand bringing Paige and Tomoe¡­ but why''d you bring the other one?"


    "Katherine?"


    "Yes, Katherine," Hannah scoffed, "And what about the other one? Ellie?"


    "She is preparing for John''s funeral."


    "...Right," Hannah''s voice slightly toned down a bit, "Shouldn''t¡­ you be there?"


    "I am," Riley said, "My clone is there."


    "I¡­ see," Hannah let out a loud sigh before cing her hand on Riley''s shoulder, "I''m¡­ really sorry, Riley."


    "Why?"


    "Really?" Hannah once again rolled her eyes as she lightly pushed Riley away, "You''re feeling sad, bro."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "...Am I?" Riley slightly tilted his head as he looked Hannah straight in the eyes, "It¡­ must be true, then."


    "Y¡ª"


    "Auntie Hannah! I got the Wcdonalds! I didn''t know what to get so I got everything. You said grandpa''s credit card can buy anything so¡ª Oh."


    And before Hannah and Riley''s conversation could go any deeper, Karina suddenly emerged from the stairs, hugging more than a dozen paper bags filled with nothing but food.


    "Dad''s back!? I would have bought more if I knew. How is your¡ª Mom!?" Karina''s eyes quickly turned wide as soon as theynded on Katherine. She then started to take a step forward¡ª before her steps became uncontroble as she didn''t know where to go,


    "This¡­ This isn''t what it looks like, mom! I''m¡­ I''m not eating junk food! This is all for Aunt Hannah!"


    "..." Katherine, who was just checking on some of Bernard''s inventions, could really only sigh as she watched as her daughter almost tumble around; slightly panicking as she tried to find a table to ce all the food.


    "It''s fine, just¡­


    ¡­giving in to your urges is okay from time to time."


    ***


    "So¡­"


    And while the group was consuming the unusually oily food in an also unusual silence, Hannah suddenly dropped a question that made all the other women choke on their food,


    "From all of my brother''s partners, who do you like most?"


    "Hm?" Karina, however, didn''t stop chewing as she looked at Hannah, before ncing at Riley who was still standing quietly beside Alice. And after more chewing, she looked at Tomoe, Paige, and Katherine, who all flinched respectively,


    "I like my mother the most, of course."


    "Fuck," Hannah whispered in frustration, "I almost forgot she''s your mother. Okay, I''ll change the question. Between Tomoe and Paige, who do you like more?"


    "Hmm," Karina blinked a couple of times as she looked back and forth between Paige and Tomoe, and after a few seconds, she finally stopped chewing,


    "I think I like¡ª"


    "Fuck!"


    Once again, everyone flinched; thinking that they would get an answer. But s, what answered them was Alice''s loud voice that caused the entire basement to tremble wildly.


    And before any of them could turn to look at what was happening, they saw Riley flung past them; only stopping short as he was only a foot away from hitting the wall.


    "Bad man!"


    "!!!"


    Hannah and the others quickly leaped away as Alice shot out from her bed¡­ the machines and the floor, breaking apart and circling around her as she did so. And like a drill that wanted to violently tear everything away, she left a crevice in her path on her way to Riley.


    "Mother¡­"


    And even with this raging torrent of death hurdling and rampaging toward him, Riley only let out a small and very short sigh as hended his feet on the floor,


    "...I admit that in our small exchange, your telekic abilities are obviously equal to mine¡ª I could even say your raw power is a little superior to mine¡­


    ¡­But I have a hundred more abilities eager to show themselves."


    The sound of static started to whisper in the air as trickles of electricity emerged from Riley''s left arm. And with a flick of his fingers, all the debris that was violently circling around Alice all disintegrated away in an instant.


    And without even waiting for anything else to happen, Riley disappeared from his spot; appearing right in front of the rushing Alice and cing his hand on her chest.


    "Sleep until adoptive motheres back, biological mo¡ª"


    But before he could do anything, Aerith suddenly appeared behind him, quickly pulling him away from Alice. This felt incredibly random, even for the things happening around Riley¡­


    ¡­and add to that the fact that there were three of her in full Megawoman uniform.


    The only thing that Riley could move was his head, as the three Aerithspletely locked the rest of his body. But after turning his head left and right, he settled his sights on Paige.


    "Aerith''s breasts are not this soft, Paige. She uses padding on her outfit."

 Chapter 453:The Last Gift Of The Son

    At first, Riley truly thought that it was Aerith that suddenly stopped him. After all, her popping up out of nowhere was not that far off from her usual memo¡ª she was nosy that way.


    Even after two other Aeriths popped out, Riley still didn''t think anything was amiss. After all, as much as people were unaware of how many abilities he actually had, it was the same with Aerith¡ª she was a mystery still.


    But s, as soon as he felt Aerith''s bosoms touching his back, he knew it couldn''t be her. And so, he looked to the only person that could make something like this possible¡­ and probably the only human left that could kill him¡ª Paige.


    "Aerith''s breasts are not this soft, Paige. She uses padding on her suit."


    "I¡­ I wouldn''t know that! She¡ª"


    "Let go of him, illusionist."


    And before Paige couldpletely respond, she felt a cold sharpness sticking to her neck. A literal cold sharpness, that is, since Tomoe was now threatening to slit her throat with a de of ice.


    "That¡­ that''s not nice," Paige could really only force a chuckle as she looked at Tomoe. But after a few moments, three other Paige emerged¡­ from Paige''s body. And before Tomoe could even react, all the Paige in the hall disappeared¡ª even the one she held her knife on.


    "Shock therapy is not the right way to treat someone with dementia, Riley."


    She did, however, appear again behind Riley.


    "Oh," Riley quickly let out a breath, "So, that is why it was soft. It''s been you the whole time."


    "That¡ª"


    "Die!"


    And once again, before Paige could finish her words, she was interrupted. This time, by Alice who continued to rush toward Riley.


    "Enough!" But Paige seemed to have already gotten tired of being interrupted as she suddenly pped her hands¡ª and as she did so, everything turned white; with Alice the only one remaining in the space.


    "..." Alice''s eyebrows quickly furrowed as she ced her feet back on the floor; her eyes, quickly looking around the vast emptiness. Soon, however, she saw a very small child crying near her¡ª no sound, not even a whisper. But still, the child''s trembling shoulders were enough for Alice''s furrowed eyebrows to turn wide.


    "...My baby?" And as soon as those words escaped her lips, the little child very slowly turned to face her; his face, incredibly white and filled with snot and tears.


    ''M¡­ mommy?''


    Alice''s breaths quickly became stuttered; her steps, hesitating and even backing away as she looked her little into his scared, and obviously hurt eyes.


    There was actually no voiceing out of the toddler''s mouth, but the movement of his mouth was enough for Alice to know what he was saying.


    ''Why¡­ why are you hurting me?''


    "N¡­ No," Alice shook her head, "Mommy¡­ mommy will never hurt you."


    ''No! You¡­ you hurt me!''


    Alice stretched her hand to her son; as soon as she did so, however, her son quickly ran away¡­ hiding behind a much older Riley¡ª the real one.


    Alice''s eyebrows slightly furrowed; but soon, her eyes started to dart back and forth between Riley and his younger version.


    "To be fair, mother. You did kill me," Riley then let out a small sigh as he nced at his younger self, "But to be fair, I was never really like this when I was younger, and I would have never run from you because I honestly wouldn''t even know who you are."


    "..." Alice could really only close her eyes from Riley''s words. And after a few breaths, she turned her head toward the empty space beside Riley,


    "It''s okay now, Paige. Thank you for showing me this. I¡­ needed it."


    "Will¡­ you be okay now?"


    A voice then emerged from the empty space, and very soon, like a canvas being painted on, everything returned to normal; with Paige appearing beside Riley, and the rest of the women surrounding her¡ª ready to restrain her at any moment.


    "..." Alice looked at Hannah and the others for a while, before letting out a sigh and shaking her head,


    "...I honestly don''t know. But if I even try to hurt Riley or show signs of it¡­ all of you have the permission to end my already short life. I would like that more than the idea of me hurting my son again."


    "You can''t hurt me, mother," Riley was the first to respond as he just shook his head and just started walking around Bernard''s secret basement; trying to fix the things that Alice destroyed.


    "That''s true," Alice let out a small giggle, "And you''re very lucky. You have¡­ a lot of women that want to protect you. I expected nothing less from my son, they will make fine wives¡ª especially Diana''s daughter."


    "...I''m his sister," Hannah quickly raised an eyebrow as she stepped away from Alice.


    "I''ve seen a lot of Spanish telenovs, trust me," Alice once again giggled, "And besides, Diana and I sort of made a promise that we would try to get our children together. It just¡­ happened a little differently¡­


    ¡­I also like that one," Alice then pointed at Paige, "I think her rtionship with my son is a little unhealthy, but she taps into his crazy side and lets him flourish."


    "M¡­ me?" Paige could really only point to herself.


    "And you," Alice then pointed at Katherine, causing her to blink a couple of times, "You and my son have a child together, so you''re obviously in the harem. Plus, you have thergest breasts."


    "..." Katherine quickly turned to look at Paige, Hannah, and Tomoe, not really knowing what to do with the information.


    "Wait, now that I think about it¡­ You''re obviously older than me," Alice then said as she looked Katherine straight in the eyes, "Minus the time I was dead, of course."


    "Right!?" Hannah then raised her voice and pped, "She basically targe¨C"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "That''s he fly!"


    "What!?"


    Hannah, whose nose was about to reach the ceiling because she thought Riley''s mother agreed with her, could not help but choke on her own breath as she heard the excitement in Alice''s voice.


    "I heard briefly from Diana that you''re also his teacher, right?" Alice then suddenly grabbed Katherine''s hands and started shaking them. But after a few moments, her eyes turned serious, "Are you¡­


    ¡­teaching my son a lot of useful things?"


    "That''s¡­ I''m afraid I learned more from Riley than he learned from me."


    "That is not entirely true, Katherine," Riley spoke as he continued to fix the broken floors, "Before you, I never thought that the human tongue could¡ª"


    "Stop!" Katherine quickly screamed, her voice, as high-pitched as it could be, "No¡­ no one needs to know that!"


    "...Hm," Riley only shrugged before focusing on his activities.


    "And you¡­" Andstly, Alice turned to look at Tomoe, "...I don''t really know anything about you."


    "I¡­ I am Riley''s shadow, madam Alice."


    "...So you''re a stalker?"


    "N¡­ no! I¡ª"


    "I''m kidding!" Alice then pinched Tomoe''s cheek, "I already know who you are. You were the first one to bare your fangs at me when I tried to hurt Riley¡­


    ¡­that''s all I need to know."


    "..." Tomoe only looked at Alice for a few seconds, before bowing her head and stepping back.


    "I guess that''s¡ª"


    "Me! Me! What about me, grandma!?"


    "Of course!" Alice then quickly pointed at Karina, who was hopping up and down with a very wide smile on her face, "I''m not gonna forget about my beautiful granddaughter."


    "Hehe¡­"


    It was a weird sight. Karina was taller than Tomoe, and yet the way she giggled and talked truly resembled that of a child as Alice tried to tickle her.


    "...Grandma?"


    Suddenly, however, Alice kneeled on the floor and started sobbing out of nowhere as she hugged Karina.


    "Alice!?" Katherine was the first to rush toward her to check her condition. However, she found something else when she checked the beating of her heart; it was¡­ weird. Almost as if she was¡­


    ¡­manually controlling her own heartbeat.


    "Alice, you¡­"


    "I''m happy¡­" Alice did not let Katherine speak, "...I can die happy knowing Riley has a lot of people there for him, thank you¡­ thank you, everyone."


    "...Grandma? Why¡­ why are you crying!?" And with that, Karina also started bawling her eyes out.


    Hannah could really only cover her mouth, before turning her eyes to Riley and subtly asking him to do something.


    "..." Riley really only looked at what was happening, before letting out a small sigh and making his way not to Alice, but to Paige.


    Riley then whispered something to Paige,sting for almost an entire minute before he pulled his head away.


    And as soon as he did so, Paige took in a deep breath, before the scenery once again changed.


    "Hm?" Alice could really only blink a couple of times as she saw her surroundings changed into an interior simr to that of a hospital room¡ª but her eyes did not wander for long, however, as theynded on the little toddler that was making his way toward her,


    "Another illusion? I don''t need to¡ª"


    "M¡­ mommy is back?"


    "..." Alice''s eyes quickly turned wide, as this time, a voice truly came out of the toddler''s mouth¡ª and not only that, she could also feel the warmth in his hand as he embraced her leg,


    "Mommy, carry Riley!"


    "...Riley?" Alice quickly but very gently kneeled to the floor again¡ª very slowly and carefully embracing the young Riley, and to her surprise, her hand did not go through.


    "Hm," baby Riley then quickly snuggled in.


    "That¡­ that''s right¡­" Alice then quickly nodded her head as she tightened her embrace,


    "Mommy¡­ mommy is back."

 Chapter 454:The First Dance

    "Mommy is back."


    Alice no longer understood what was going on¡ª whether what was happening right now was an illusion, or just her mind once again ying tricks on her and showing her visions and memories not really hers.


    But it didn''t matter.


    Illusion or insanity, whatever it was, the only thing that matters right now was that she was hugging her son¡ª she was finally seeing Riley again how she left him; she was finally hugging her baby.


    "Why mommy cry?"


    "..." Alice very gently ced Riley on the floor, before lightly pinching his slightly chubby cheeks, "Because Riley is so cute."


    "..." The edges of baby Riley''s unusually wide lips quickly turned down as he heard her mother''s words. Alice was about to panic, but before she could do so, Riley''s frown suddenly turned into a smile, "I cry because mommy is also cute!"


    "...That''s right," a short but very heavy breath escaped Alice''s mouth as she once again carried and cradled Riley. She then turned to look at the room she was in, and no matter how many times she looked at it¡­ it resembled a hospital room.


    She was just talking with adult Riley and his friends earlier¡ª could it be she was actually just hallucinating stuff?


    If so¡­ which one was real? It was getting harder and harder to tell. It was almost as if she was living in her memory, but also living in a moment that shouldn''t have happened yet¡­


    ¡­seeing things that shouldn''t be there.


    "...Mommy, you okay?"


    "Of course. Stop worrying about mommy," Alice quickly shook all of the thoughts away as she noticed Riley looking at her; his eyes,pletely wide and slightly trembling with concern,


    "When did you start talking fluently, though?"


    "Fufu," Riley then wriggled, forcing Alice with no choice but to once again gently ce him on the floor,


    "Riley is big boy now! Riley is 3!"


    "...3?" Alice could not help but slightly drop her shoulders, "Butst time I saw you, you just turned 2 and¡ª"


    Alice quickly sped her head as memories of her trying to kill Riley surfaced in her mind.


    "...Mommy?"


    "Get¡­ get away! I¡­ I don''t want to hurt you again!" Alice then quickly stepped back as Riley approached her.


    "...But mommy will never hurt me?"


    "I did, I hurt you! I¡ª"


    "Well, well¡­ look who''s awake."


    "Uncle Tempo!"


    "...Huh?" Alice could really only slowly remove her hands from her head as Riley suddenly started running toward the door and leaping straight to a man wearing flip-flops.


    "...Tempo?"


    "You had another one of your episodes again," Tempo let out a small chuckle as he cradled Riley, "You¡­


    ¡­had us a little worried, isn''t that right, little Riley?"


    "Hm," Riley quickly shook his head several times, "Mommy is strong."


    "Hm, that''s right," Tempo nodded, before looking Alice straight in the eyes, "It''s¡­ really good to have you back, Alice."


    "...What do you mean episodes?"


    "...Your cray cray episodes?" Tempo let out a small sigh, "I swear, it''s been getting worse. Good thing we still have a lot of the tranquilizer Whiteking made, if not¡­ oof. I don''t know what would have happened."


    "Thest time¡­ thest time I saw you was¡­ when I was trying to hurt Riley."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Pft," Tempo burst out inughter after staring at Alice for a few seconds, "You? You''ll destroy the before you''d even hurt a single strand of this little dude''s hair. Now stop wasting your time and get dressed, everyone''s waiting for you outside."


    "What? Wait, I¡ª" And before Alice could finish her words, Tempo turned around and left the room with Riley. Her confusion was truly reaching its peak¡ª could this actually be real?


    "..." Alice stayed still for a few seconds, before quickly changing into the clothes that were sitting on the desk beside her bed. And with a short but very deep sigh, she stepped out of the room,


    "Tempo, what do you mean by¡ª"


    "Happy birthday, Riley!"


    And all of a sudden, Alice found herself surrounded by different people; with a slightly older Riley shyly hiding in her arms. She quickly looked at the faces of the people, only to see members of the Hope Guild there, as well as people she didn''t recognize.


    "..." She then turned to look at the table in front of her that was filled with all sorts of tes and different meals; as well as a chocte cake with arge No. 5 candle sticking out of it.


    "...Did you ck out again?"


    "Diana?"'' Alice then quickly turned to look at the woman beside her, "What¡­"


    "You want me to carry Riley for a bit?"


    "...No?" Alice blinked a couple of times as she once again looked at the people, before focusing on Riley who seemed adamant on burying his face in her chest. And after a few seconds, she gently touched his cheek and lifted up his chin so he could look at her,


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Make a wish, Riley," a small smile then crawled on Alice''s face as she turned Riley so he could face the cake.


    "No!"


    Riley, however, mmed his fist on the cake and caused it to stter and scatter everywhere; before escaping from Alice''s arms and running away. The people didn''t seem to mind, however, as they just startedughing as they watched Riley skulking.


    There were other children who followed Riley as he stepped out of the venue¡ª it would seem they would rather y.


    "..."


    "It seems it''s been happening a lottely."


    "..." Alice then turned her eyes away from the children as Diana started checking up on her condition,


    "It¡­ doesn''t matter."


    And after a few seconds of looking Diana in the eyes, Alice leaned away to look at Riley ying with other children,


    "I can watch Riley grow¡­


    ¡­that is all that really matters."


    "That''s¡­ true," Diana could really only let out a long and very deep sigh as she also turned to look at Riley.


    "Thank you, Diana."


    "Hm?"


    "No matter what is happening right now, no matter what happened and what happens¡­


    ¡­you brought Riley to me. I¡­ will forever be grateful for that."


    "I only wish I could have saved you, Alice."


    "...You did," Alice smiled, before leaving and making her way to Riley, "Get back here, you little menace! You still need to make your wish!"


    "I wish you could have been there, ma! You should have seen Hannah''s face."


    "..." Alice blinked a couple of times as her surroundings once again instantly changed. And this time, she was in some sort of amusement park.


    "You think throwing a roach on my face is funny!? Why don''t I feed this to you!?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hey, don''t go too far!"


    "..." She looked back, only to see Riley who seemed to be about 12 years old passing by her, being chased by Hannah with a bug in her hand.


    "They grow up so fast, don''t they?"


    "..." She then turned to look at the unusually tall woman that suddenly approached her,


    "...Empress?"


    "You know, if my child was alive, I think they would have been best of friends."


    "...Yeah."


    Alice didn''t even mind all the random and unexinable stuff that has been happening around her anymore, and just turned to focus on Riley¡­ who was now being choked by Hannah.


    "Have I ever thanked you, Adaeze?"


    "Hm?" Empress''s eyebrow slightly rose as she heard the slight change in Alice''s voice.


    "For making me feel weed in the Hope Guild even though mother just forced me in."


    "To be fair, Alice¡­


    ¡­you''ve been a very good friend, despite being slightly crazy. I just wished¡­ I could''ve stopped you at times, you know?"


    "Pft," Alice giggled, "I like that about you, you''re always honest."


    "Hm."


    "But you really should stop shagging Diana''s husband."


    "That¡­ that was a lifetime ago," Empress''s eyes started to twitch as she looked to her side; seemingly looking at nothing in particr,


    "I¡­ I''ve moved on."


    "Really? But you told me that in your culture, you only love one¡ª"


    "I think the hotdog I ordered is ready, just wait here."


    "Yeah, I''ll¡­ be here," Alice then took in a deep breath; her eyes, not leaving Riley for even a single second¡ª afraid of what she would miss if she even as much as blinked. But s, no matter how much she tried¡­ life just moves on.


    She watched as Riley grew older and older, with no choice but to just let him go and be free. She watched him get in trouble, she watched him tumble, and very soon¡­ she stood by him as he walks on his own.


    "Mom, you can let go now."


    "You don''t have to worry, Ms. Lane¡ª I''ll take care of him."


    "...I know you will."


    Alice then let go of Riley''s arm as he approached the woman that he will spend the rest of his life with,


    "You have my permission to kick him a few times if he misbehaves, Hannah."


    "You don''t need to tell me that," Hannah was wearing a simple white gown; her feet, bare and surrounded by sand,


    "You hear that, nkface? I have your mother''s permission to beat your ass."


    "...Why am I suddenly starting to regret this?" Riley let out a small chuckle; ncing at Alice for a few seconds, before nodding and gently holding Hannah''s hand.


    "..." Alice could really only bite her lip as she watch her son''s back; standing tall as he writes the next chapter in his life¡ª the chapter that will no longer include her.


    She allowed her tears to fall, but she wasn''t sad; not at all. Because she knew, she knew that no matter what happens next, her son will be happy because he is surrounded by people that truly loved him.


    "Mother."


    "Hm?" Alice then blinked a couple of times, she looked around her¡ª only to realize that Riley was hugging her as they gently danced in the night,


    "...What is it?"


    "Is this the life you wanted for me?"


    "..." Alice did not answer immediately, and instead looked at the people surrounding and watching the two of them dance¡ª people that have been in her life and Riley''s¡­ friends that she made along the way. And after a few seconds, she looked Riley straight in the eyes and shook her head,


    "No, I wanted more," she whispered as she rested her head on Riley''s chest, "I wanted to the world for you."


    "..."


    "But this¡­ this isn''t bad at all. I can''t really ask for more than this," Alice tightened her embrace; her hands, almost gripping Riley''s back, "It is¡­ this is what I want for you."


    "Well¡­ It is very beautiful, mother. Thank you."


    "No," Alice shook her head several times, wiping her tears on Riley''s clothes, "Thank you¡­ thank you foring into my life, Riley. Just promise me¡­ please promise me one thing."


    "What is it, mother?"


    "Never forget how much I love you."


    "...I won''t, mother," and with those words, Riley also tightened his embrace; very gently brushing his hand on his mother''s head,


    "This is a very beautiful memory that I will never forget, mother."


    "..."


    "..."


    And very softly, the sand that Riley and Alice danced on turned into metal; the night that was filled with stars and celebration, now back to the colorless ceiling they were before. But the people that were surrounding Riley and Alice?


    They were still there.


    The members of the Hope Guild; and even Charlotte was there. Diana was standing beside Katherine, who was hugging the sobbing Karina.


    Tomoe just had her eyes closed; trying to stop whatever emotion wasing out of her. Hannah''s white gown very slowly disappeared along with the smile on her face. As for Paige, she just took in a deep breath as the basement once again returned to its normal state.


    But very soon, they all just left one by one¡ª leaving Alice and Riley to dance on their own.


    "Riley."


    "Yes, mother?"


    "I''m really sorry. You''re still grieving your friend''s death... and now this."


    "It is fine, mother."


    "It''s not... it''s never fine. I''m just afraid that it might be too much for you to handle."


    "..."


    "Riley."


    "Yes, mother?"


    "Can you tell me you love me?"


    "..."


    "Even if it''s just a lie, even if it''s just pretend¡­ I want to hear it before I let go."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I love you, mother."

 Chapter 455:Foolish Mortals

    Heavy.


    Riley has carried things with more weight in his life¡ª with the Guardian Force probably one of the heaviest. He could carry a tank using just a single finger because of the strength he gained from Aerith¡­


    ¡­but now that he was carrying Alice up the stairs, it almost seemed as if the weight was enough to pull him down to the core of the Earth; each of his steps, a story of its own.


    He had thought Alice meant nothing to him; he was vocal about it, and words of indifference escaped his mouth several times. He couldn''t care less about Alice Lane, and yet now, staring at Alice''s face, it seemed as if it was all a lie.


    Telling her that he loved her was a lie¡ª that much Riley knows to be the truth. But did he really not care for her? Why does it seem like he does?


    He had only known his mother for a full day, and the time they had spent together could even be counted on a single hand; ephemeral, even. And yet why?


    Why does she seem so heavy? Why was she literally pulling Riley down?


    He could use his mind to lift her, but it didn''t seem right¡ª Alice Lane was the only being in existence that was able topletely neutralize Riley''s telekic abilities; it makes sense, it came from her. In a way, she probably knew how to control the power even more than Riley.


    It felt¡­ disrespectful using the power on her.


    "Mother," Riley then let out a small whisper as his eyes remained on Alice''s face, "I wonder if; you didn''t die, would the life you have wanted for me¡ªfor use true? Would I have been a normal human that smiles not only at the thought of death but of happiness? Would¡­ I have been happy? I truly can''t imagine such a thing happening. It feels¡­


    ¡­weird."


    Riley continued to talk as he made his way up to the bunker. He didn''t really stop or take a pause, and just carried his mother straight to his house¡­ where almost a dozen people were waiting.


    Diana, Tempo, Butcher, Empress, Charlotte, Hannah, Tomoe, Paige, Katherine, and Karina¡ª all of their eyes, quickly looking at Riley as he entered.


    "She''s dead, everyone," Riley then casually said as he walked into the living room where everyone was just sitting on the sofa or anxiously standing at the corner of therge room.


    No one really had an answer to Riley''s words; their silent breaths, just echoing through the air. Riley looked at each of them for a few seconds, before making his way to one of them.


    Charlotte quickly approached him and stretched her arms¡ª but Riley just walked past her.


    "I believe you have the most right to bury or cremate her, mother."


    Charlotte could really only watch as Riley handed Alice''s body to Diana. She wanted to say something but just chose to stay quiet. Riley is right, after all¡ª even though she was her mother, she didn''t really treat Alice the way a mother should. But still¡­ she could not help but feel helpless.


    She wanted to do right by trying to enter Riley''s life now, but Riley threatened to kill her if she insisted on doing so.


    "..." Charlotte then looked to the side as she felt a hand on her shoulder, only to see Empress looking at her with a sense of pity. She failed as a mother¡ª she thought this was alright since she was serving the world and saving its people, but this was wrong.


    As a consequence of her indifference and negligence, Darkday was born. She¡­ should really start atoning for her mistakes.


    "Do you want me to revive her again?" Diana softly whispered as she gently ced Alice''s body on the sofa, "It''s possible, but it will take more of the supers'' essence¡ª you need to kill thousands to¡ª"


    "Mother!?" Hannah quickly interjected as she heard her mother''s words.


    "...Or we could use all the Guardian Force you''re hiding," Diana quickly changed the direction of her sentence; her eyes, looking at one of Riley''s pockets.


    "No," Riley shook his head, "Those who died should remain dead. I do not want her carrying the burden of seeing the things I am seeing¡ª death is a gift of peace, she deserves at least that."


    "You call it the Overvoid?" Diana slightly squinted her eyes as she looked Riley in the eyes.


    "Biological mother told you?"


    "...Yes," Diana''s eyes became sharper. But after a few breaths, she shook her head and looked away, "We should talk about itter, I''m taking Alice back to the ship and preserving her body there. I¡­


    ¡­wish for her to be immortalized in one of Theran''s moons."


    "Wait!"


    Charlotte could not help but raise a word as soon as she heard Diana''s words, "You''re¡­ not going to bury her here?"


    "...No," Diana let out a small sigh as she looked at Charlotte, "It''s not only my wish, it''s also hers."


    "...What?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "She said¡­ it would be cool," Diana then closed her eyes as a smile crawled on her face, "She¡­ didn''t want to be buried amongst foolish mortals, is what she told me."


    "..." Charlotte turned to look at her daughter''s body as she heard that; and after a few stuttering breaths escaped her lips, they also turned into a smile,


    "That''s¡­ just like her, isn''t it? You don''t need my permission, I''m just¡­ I thought I would have more time with my daughter, that''s all."


    "She wanted you to be there."


    "W¡­ what?"


    "She forgave you, Charlotte. The two of you may not have had the chance to talk, but she forgave you."


    "That¡­" Charlotte once again nced at her daughter''s body, before a hint of tears started to trail down her face; she quickly wiped them away, however, before nodding several times and biting her lip,


    "I¡­ I will go, of course I will go," Charlotte almost whimpered, "But¡­ only if Riley wants me to."


    "I don''t really care, biological grandmother," Riley only shrugged, before turning to look at Diana again,


    "We are going to Theran, mother?"


    "Hm. We''re going to have to take the long and quiet road there since I''m¡­ kinda banned there, you see," Diana then let out a small and awkward giggle before sticking her tongue out, "Your mother¡­ did some crazy things when she was younger, you see."


    "I heard from Aerith, mother."


    "Oh my," Diana held her cheeks, "I hope she didn''t tell you everything, now I''m a bit shy."


    "..." Everyone could really only look at each other as they saw Diana covering her face. She always acted like this¡ª but now that all of them knew she was a Themarian, it just¡­ feels ominous if anything.


    "Anyway, who else wants toe?" Diana then said as she looked at the people inside her house. And as soon as she did so, Paige and Tomoe raised their hands.


    "Me! Me!"


    "I promised master I will help him in his revenge. We will travel the expanse of the universe together to annihte the horned cat people."


    "I''m afraid my duty keeps me here," Empress carefully approached Alice''s body, gently brushing her cheek and fixing her hair, "I¡­ already buried my friend once, I''m not going to do it again. And I don''t really have a choice but to stay. The evaniels are still here and I need to deal with the aftermath of what Riley did."


    "Same, same," Tempo sighed as he shook his head, "I had enough weird aliens in one lifetime."


    "Hm," Diana nodded, "Anyway, the ship willnd in front of ourwn 3 days from now¡ª anyone can join us. The more the merrier, after all."


    "Mom¡­" Hannah could really only let out a sigh as she hit her own forehead. If her mother is a Themarian, then she should at least act like one, she thought,


    "...we''re not going on a pic."


    ***


    "Isn''t this Riley Ross!? What is he doing on this!?"


    Somewhere on a far, far away, Raleerus was currently standing on top of a mountain.


    "There¡­ shouldn''t be a mountain here."


    "Are those¡­ Blutans? This many¡­ why¡­"


    "No one¡­ no one is answering, I think everyone¡­ everyone''s dead. It''s them! Those¡­ those are all Blutan corpses!"


    And in the air, circling Raleerus, were a dozen Guardians; and it is as they said. What Raleerus was standing on was not actually a mountain, no¡ª but a mound of a billion corpses.


    "..." Raleerus then very slowly turned his eyes toward each of the Guardians surrounding him; his eyebrows, turning into a frown, "It''s you guys¡­


    ¡­I heard your group was involved in Diley''s death."

 Chapter 456: Raleerus Rising

    "Haha!"


    Raleerus.


    Perhaps as a clone that was left on his own for almost an entire year without any outside influence from Riley, interacting and trying to live amongst the aliens, he had a personality that waspletely different and independentpared to the rest of Riley''s recent andtest clones.


    And since he had met hundreds of different species and learned some of theirnguages, he had also gained an understanding of their different cultures¡ª one could even say that Raleerus was more¡­ cultured than his creator, and even John.


    When Riley left him, he didn''t really have any sense of purpose or mission. The only thing he had was an urge to kill everything that talks; and so, with him finally being allowed to kill and wreak havoc, murder and destroy he did.


    After leaving Hotis 4J, he found a ship forcefully stowed away in; asking the unfortunate pilot to take him to the nearest. And not even an hour afternding on the said, he killed every living soul on it, including non-intelligent life.


    Unlike Riley Ross, he did not really tend to enjoy the screams of his victims, no¡ª the only thing that mattered to him was their death.


    As soon as his feetnded on the ground, he sent out some sort of telekic pulse that served as a radar to track and trace anything and everything that breathes, moves, or has a heartbeat.


    And with an excited and almost moaning breath, he attached invisible ropes in all of them; and ten, with a giggle, he embraced himself; and as he did so, he pulled the billions that were attached to his invisible rope.


    Screams no longer mattered to him, just death and presentation. Most of the creatures that he pulled were already in pieces just meters after they left where they stood, shredded either by walls, or a mountain that happened to be in their path. But still, whatever remained of them, Raleerus pulled closer to him.


    And just like that, in less than an hour¡ª he eradicated all life on the, creating a mountain the size of Mt. Fuji with their corpses; and if one were to look closer, they would notice that Raleerus intentionally made it to be that way¡­


    ¡­and he did so whileughing.


    And after an hour, he didn''t do anything. He just stood on top of his creation and relished the sights and smells of death. No¡ª saying that he just stood there is misinformation.


    He danced.


    He danced and hummed on the top of the mountain, dancing with one of the corpses that managed to stay intact, while making more than a dozen corpses their audience.


    But s, he had to stop as after a few more hours, he found himself surrounded by different people, all wearing a red luminous suit and circling around him as they hovered in the air.


    During the broadcast, he was able to briefly read Riley''s thoughts as he executed someone who wore the same uniform as the people surrounding him¡ª and if the information he received was correct¡­ then these people were partly responsible for Diley''s death.


    "You people killed my senior."


    "You¡­ you should still be on the remote! How¡­ how are you here!?"


    The leader of the squad of Guardians was the first to directly address Raleerus; his eyes, hastily reviewing all the holograms containing Riley Ross''s current information in front of him.


    A few momentster, however, another hologram popped out in front of him¡ª another recorded footage of Riley on another close to where they are.


    "...What?"


    "Surprised?"


    "!!!"


    The squad leader quickly floated away as he felt a whisper on his pink neck¡ª he looked to where he was previously hovering, only to see Raleerus there. To his surprise, however, there was still someone standing on top of the mountain of corpses.


    "W¡ª"


    And before he could even say another word, another hologram popped up in front of him. He didn''t immediately turn his eyes towards it; as he was afraid that his thoughts were right. But after a few more breaths, he had no choice but to check on the hologram¡ª and true enough, it was a report of another Riley Ross wreaking havoc on another.


    And before he could see where it was, another hologram popped up. This time, however, it wasn''t a report of Riley Ross wreaking havoc on another, no¡ª it was a report of him splitting one in half, killing all of its 3 billion inhabitants.


    "Twenty," Raleerus''s clone once again whispered as he very slowly floated near the squad leader, who didn''t really know what to do, right now,


    "I made twenty other clones. I don''t really have any connection to them right now, but it is good they are still doing what they need to do. I would have to say though, I might have to step up my game a little bit¡­


    ¡­don''t you think so?"


    Guardians have faced many threats before¡ª eaters, genocidal overlords, gctic pirates, and even rogue juvenile Themarians. But never once has there been a singr threat that destroyed severals that were trillions of kilometers away from each other¡­


    ¡­and all at the same time.


    ***


    "Is father noting?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Oh, he''s already on the ship. He''s still unconscious so I just decided to throw him beside Aerith''s son."


    "...What?"


    In front of the Ross'' residence, a dagger-shaped ship the size of arge house was now casually parked¡ª Diana''s ship. Tomoe, Paige, Katherine, and Karina were already inside and making themselves familiar with the interior. As for Hannah, she was inside the house, helping her mother to carry basically the entire house.


    "Why are you bringing the oven!?"


    "I got that on a bargain, of course, I''m bringing it. Do you know how much that costs without the discount?"


    "Then why don''t you carry it, then!? You''re supposed to be a themarian!"


    "You know, if you spent the time you spent talking instead of carrying our stuff, we would have emptied the house by now."


    "And where the fuck is Riley!? This would have been done hours ago! And why are we even packing everything!?"


    Hannah could really only let out a loud groan as she carried their oven, which probably weighed twice as her.


    "He''s out there talking with Aerith or something," Diana let out a small sigh as she sat on their sofa, "I swear, I don''t really see your brother sees on that woman. He''s obsessed. Did you check his room? Did you see how many cutouts and figurines of Megawoman he has?"


    "...I don''t really get it. Are you really a Themarian that''s hundreds of years old?"


    "Thousands, twelve thousand something, to be precise."


    "Twelve¡ª shouldn''t you be like, very wise right now!?"


    "I''m knowledgeable. I never learned to be wise, sadly," Diana covered her mouth as she giggled.


    "Wait¡­ is this why you''re so chill with Riley being with Katherine back then!? Oh my god, you''re two hundred times older than¡ª"


    "Say it."


    "I¡­ I said you seem too young for your age."


    "And what age is that?"


    "That¡ª Oh, look at that!"


    And without even any exnation whatsoever, Hannah suddenly easily carried that oven outside; not waiting for her mother to say anything else. She already has a sense of fear from her mother even back then, but now that she''s a themarian¡­


    ¡­her fear of her just doubled.


    ***


    "How''s Gary?"


    "Asleep."


    "Hm. He seemed quite distressed thest time I saw him."


    "...You manipted him, Riley. Although¡­ perhaps I should thank you for not killing him."


    "You are wee, Aerith."


    "..."


    Somewhere in thends of Europe, Riley and Aerith were casually standing on top of a cliff; in front of them, a view that seemed almost untouched for eons¡ª the very location where Riley and Aerith had their first proper talk.


    "So, it''s finally happening. You''re finally leaving this."


    "...You predicted this from happening, Aerith?"


    "Of course," Aerith''s sighs echoed throughout the immacte horizon filled with nothing but mountains and nature,


    "Even someone with lesser power than you has always left their home. I have actually predicted that after a hundred years or so, most of the supers would be exploring the different worlds that the Universe has to offer¡ª your species is unique in that way¡­


    ¡­and you even more so."

 Chapter 457: Leaving Earth

    "6 times."


    "Hm?"


    "You have told me how unique I am for a total of 6 times now, Aerith."


    "...You keep track of that?"


    "I always remember moments with you, Aerith."


    More than 6 years ago, Riley and Aerith were in the same spot¡ª overlooking the lush forest, brutal mountains, and crystal river in front of them; and with time, this immacte scenery remainspletely unchanged, and perhaps will be for a very long time. What did change, however, were the two individuals they basked with their magnificence.


    No¡ª perhaps change was not the right word for the two; as thest time they met in the same ce, they met as Darkday and Megawoman. But now, the two just looked at each other with eyes that were clear of any masks, and clouds that hid their silhouettes.


    "You''ve grown, Riley. And yet you look exactly the same¡ª minus the long hair."


    "I could say the same to you, Aerith."


    "I''m afraid it will be a very long time until I look old."


    "I would like to see that, Aerith."


    "...I thought you wanted me dead?"


    "Of course not, Aerith."


    "W¡ª"


    "I wanted you to torture you and let you suffer until you wish for death."


    "...Thanks?"


    "I know now that is impossible, however. But you do not have to worry, Aerith. I am more than filling my urge and desire to kill as we speak."


    "...I''m not really worried about¡ª What? What do you mean you''re filling your urge?"


    "Although I still do not see what my clone sees, I can now partially feel what he is feeling. As to how, even I am not entirely sure, Aerith."


    "..." Aerith did not really know what to say anymore. In Theran, someone of Riley''s age would still be in theoretical sses and is considered just a babe, a child that has only lived a single breath; and yet, he was able to do the thing that only a handful of beings in the universe are capable of¡ª make her speechless.


    No, it wasn''t only her. Now that Riley will be visiting Theran, Aerith could really just imagine what sort of trouble he would do there. Was it... really the right decision to have him go there?


    No, of course it wasn''t. But s, try as she might, she would have to persuade Diana not to bring Riley along. And convincing Diana, is perhaps, the most difficult thing in the entire universe.


    Still, her curiosity seems to have won as she turned to face Riley, who had his eyes closed as he seemed to breathe in the fresh and unpolluted air around them; his long white hair, he allowed to il with the wind.


    "...And what exactly is your clone feeling right now?" She asked.


    "Joy."


    "...Why?"


    "You are still unaware of it? I thought you would know with the kind ofwork you and mother have," Riley then turned to look at Aerith, "Based on the feeling being transferred to me, he has and is ending lives. Billions and billions of¡ª"


    "Tell him to stop!"


    And before Riley could finish his words, Aerith was now suddenly sping his head; her face, only a foot away from Riley''s. And before anything else could happen, a loud thunder reverberated throughout the prairie. A p exploded behind where Aerith was previously standing, letting out a violent ripple that split even the clouds above.


    And yet, surprisingly, the nature around and beneath remainedpletely unscathed¡ª even the grass and fauna they were standing on were untouched,pletely unmoved.


    "Be careful, Aerith. You don''t want to destroy this ce, it is very memorable for the both of us."


    "Tell your clone to stop killing and I will let you go," Aerith said as she leaned her head even closer to Riley''s face; the tip of their noses, only inches apart before touching one another.


    "..." Riley just stared Aerith straight in the eyes, and Aerith did the same¡ª after all, with their faces this close, that was the only thing they could really do,


    "I can''t Aerith, I can''t control or stop them from this far."


    "Them!?"


    "He created his own clones."


    "You just said you don''t know what it''s doing!"


    "..." Riley slightly looked to the side, "I don''t. The feeling I am getting from him is too much for just one clone, so I surmised that he might have created his own clone¡­ and then sent them to others so he could save time and kill more people per second, Aerith."


    "You¡­ Someone really needs to stop you, kid."


    "Is that not your role?"


    "No, I have given up trying to stop you for quite a while now. You''re just¡­ someone I have to exist with now."


    "If you''re not my nemesis, then perhaps we can now be lovers, Aerith?"


    "...What?"


    "I have always wondered what it would be like for us to mate¡ª you can survive anything, and I could likewise do the same. How do two Therans copte in the first ce?"


    "I am¡­not interested in that kind of thing¡ª especially not to a being that can''t love," Aerith could really only let out a sigh as she finally removed her hand from Riley''s head. But before she could start to lean away, however, Riley suddenly ced his lips onto hers.


    "!!!"


    And all of a sudden, Riley disappeared as Aerith punched him straight in the cheeks without any hesitation. The cliff beneath her feet, sting in smithereens to the point they were disintegrated.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..." Aerith just floated there as she touched her lips. She was going to wipe it clean, but paused for a couple of seconds as she looked at the horizon.


    "..."


    "..."


    "So, what did it feel like?" And after a few breaths, Riley was already in front of her again; his head tilted as he continued his question,


    "I want to know what you felt, Aerith."


    "I feel like I want to kill you again," Aerith clicked her tongue, before shaking her head and flying away, "Let''s go. They''re probably waiting for us."


    "You know I will try again if you don''t tell me how it felt, Aerith," Riley just nonchntly flew beside her.


    "Try it, I dare you."


    "Oh¡­


    ¡­I will."


    ***


    "...What''s up with you two?"


    "I kissed Aerith."


    "What!?"


    "Don''t worry, sister. This is not the first time¡ª I kissed her in the house too when I was hiding her there when I thought she was dead."


    "...What?"


    Back inside Diana''s ship, Aerith could be seen quickly walking away as soon as Riley''s words echoed through the air. Her eyes, however, could not help but twitch as she passed by Diana, who intentionally covered her mouth and started a subtle, but obviously condescending chuckle.


    "Kissing the man who was responsible for the father of your son''s death. As expected of the rebel princess," Diana then subtly and quietly said in the span of a single second.


    "You¡ª" Aerith wanted to retaliate, but she chose not to and just walked away, "I''m going to check on my son."


    "Oh, that''s rare."


    "..." Aerith truly wanted to retaliate; but once again, she just chose to walk away.


    "Are we all here, then?" Diana then once again let out a giggle before entering therge hall where everyone was loitering and idling about.


    "I guess so," Hannah approached her mother, still slightly shocked by Riley''s revtions but obviously already used to them, "But if Katherine wants to be left behind, I have no objections."


    "Toote for second thoughts," Diana just shrugged as she immediately got in between the two before anything could happen, "We''re actually already in transit."


    "...Wait what!?" Hannah''s eyes opened wide before she immediately started running away, "Why didn''t you even say anything!? Paige, let''s check it out!"


    "Wait for us!" And Paige, who was just sitting on one of the sofas that came from the Ross'' residence, also quickly left therge hall¡ª not before, of course, pulling Tomoe, Karina¡­


    ¡­and Silvie with her.


    "...Forever a child," Diana could really only sigh before she turned her eyes toward the evaniel princess, who was just quietly sitting on the very corner of the hall,


    "Princess Vera, are¡­ you sure you''re not needed by your people?" She said as she approached Vera.


    "...No," Vera only rested her head on the wall as she heard Diana''s words.


    "Your mother¡­ how did she take the news of your brother''s death?"


    "There''s a reason why I''m with you."


    "If it''s for revenge, forget it," Diana sighed, "It will not end well. I would really, really hate for your mother to also receive the news of her daughter''s death¡ª and I mean this sincerely. Riley is¡­ someone that will devour everything in his path."


    "..."


    "Finally, signs of people! Just how confusing is this ship?"


    And before Vera could answer anything, a voice could be heard entering the hall¡ª one of the members of the Hope Guild, Hera.


    "Have any of you seen my stupid boyfriend? I''ve been trying to find him since earlier."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...How long are we going to be gone again?"


    ***


    [To all Guardians within the Known Universe, you are hereby ordered to hunt for the individual known as Riley Ross. Riley Ross is considered to be a Gctic-level Threat, he is to be killed without...]


    "Interesting."


    Somewhere in the expanse of the universe, apletely naked man could be seen standing on an asteroid¡­ holding what seemed to be a bag of stones that eerily resembled that of a Guardian Force.


    And with a small breath, he picked up one of the stones and put it inside his mouth, cracking and chewing it like candy.

 Chapter 458:Trouble In Space

    "...There''s really nothing to look at there."


    "It is an interesting sight, mother. How fast are we moving?"


    "I would need to check to be sure, we don''t really have a gauge of speed during hyperdrive."


    "Hm, interesting."


    Riley''s eyes were like mirrors, reflecting the streak of lights that danced endlessly in front of him. Diana''s ship looked like it did not have any windows from the outside, but therge and empty silver atrium that Riley was in right now was filled with the view of the ever-changing expanse of space.


    Speed¡ª the concept seems to be thrown out as soon as one reaches space. Even when he and Aerith were traveling from Hotis 4J, he waspletely unaware of how fast they were going because of theck of visual measurement and air resistance.


    Such things, Riley could never really fathom even if he wanted to. But even still, there was a growing curiosity inside him that seemed to wish to crawl out. Ever since he had seen Megawoman in the news and TV, Riley has always been fascinated with what sort of life she had led¡ª and now he was finally slowly uncovering it.


    "...Sometimes I really wish I could know what you''re truly thinking, Riley."


    And as Riley suddenly became silent, Diana could really only stand by his side as she too, looked at the moving scenery,


    "It has been a while since Ist saw this. I¡­ have remained on Earth for too long. I learned a lot too."


    "...Did you know I was Darkday, mother?"


    "Not at first, no," Diana sighed as she shook her head, "When Alice died and you came into my life, I tried my best to actually be a mother for her sake. And then there came a time when I had to mix both lives due to my never-ending curiosity."


    "...Does that mean you weren''t trying to be a mother to Hannah?"


    "...Not at first, no," Diana could really only close her eyes as she answered Riley, "I wondered what offspring Bernard and I would have; if it would yield an astonishing being with a mind capable of changing the entire universe as we know it."


    "You clearly failed in that, mother. Hannah is very simple-minded and stupid."


    "...Don''t let your sister hear that," Diana let out a small chuckle. But after a few more moments, her eyes turned mncholy as she turned to face Riley,


    "You children may have been a curiosity at first, but don''t you get mistaken, young man¡­


    ¡­I would die to protect both of you."


    "..."


    "You and Hannah are my children, nothing in this universe will deny that to me¡­ and I won''t let them."


    "Hm."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Right, good talk," Diana then took in a deep breath as she started backing away, "Remember, Riley¡­


    ¡­you''re still my sweet little boy. So please, if you want to talk about something you don''t understand, I would like it if you approach me first."


    "I will think about it, mother."


    "...Always so cold to me, I''m hurt¡­ very hurt!"


    "..." Riley could really only watch as her adoptive mother, a being that was more than ten thousand years old, dramatically sp her chest as she very slowly made her way out of the atrium. She did not even mind that Paige, who was entering the atrium at the same time, was looking at her with apletely stupefied expression.


    "Paige."


    "M¡­ Mrs. Ross," Paige awkwardly smiled and instinctively waved her hand as Diana greeted her, and she remained with her hand raised even as Diana disappeared into one of the many intersections of therge silver hallway.


    "Your mother¡­ seems different from all the things I''ve heard about her," Paige''s sighs quickly reached Riley''s ears; her slightly curly hair, still seemingly wet from the shower,


    "Anyway, I didn''t wanna disturb your meditation, but your sister and Scarle¡ªI mean Katherine are at it again. Hannah¡­ really doesn''t like her that much, huh?"


    "Hm," Riley nodded as he finally removed his eyes from the hypnotizing view; and as soon as he did so, all the windows in the atrium instantly disappeared¡ªcausing the hall to lose its brilliance as the silver walls returned to their brutal simplicity.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "They have been like that even in the Academy, Paige," Riley then said as he started walking, not even waiting for Paige to fully approach him,


    "Perhaps it is because her romantic rtionships have always failed, and she hates to¡ª"


    [Hyperdrive, offline. We have now entered the Alphari Zone. We will be docking in Hotis 4J. ETA, 10 minutes.]


    And before Riley could finish his words, a monotonous voice started to echo throughout the entire atrium.


    "...Hotis 4J?" Paige raised an eyebrow as she heard the announcement, "Where have I heard that before?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Oh."


    ***


    "What''s going on?"


    Everyone was now on the flight deck; and although it was called that, there were no visible controls or even a pilot''s seat. What was there, however, was a hologram right at the very center of the deck¡ª a hologram that seemed to have a 3D map of the ship''s surrounding area.


    And there, one could see many other ships in front of them, almost in line. The ship''s announcement said that they would be docking soon, but an hour has already passed.


    And due to this, the others could no longer just sit still, seemingly all having the same idea as they made their way to the flight deck.


    "There''s a blockade," Diana was waving her hands in the air, zooming out the hologram before once again zooming in, this time on the nearby.


    "Is that¡­ a giant candy?" Karina was the first to respond as she leaned closer to the hologram. If it wasn''t for Katherine pulling her away, then she might have tried to take a bite of it.


    "Hotis 4J," Aerith was the one to answer as she stood beside Diana; her eyebrows furrowed, "It''s dying."


    Karina''s description of the was not that far off¡ª as even more so than an actual sanctuary where millions of space travelers rest, it resembled that of a burning coal more.


    "How would we even dock there?" Hannah asked.


    "We can''t," Diana quickly shook her head.


    "I guess we take a detour to another?" Hera, who identally joined the journey, chimed in.


    "...I thought you wanted to go home?" As the one standing next to her, Katherine could not help but ask.


    "The idiot can take care of himself. I''ll just count this as¡­ a vacation," Hera''s voice slightly died down at the end as she looked at the wasting.


    "..."


    "I am very sorry, everyone," and as silence filled the air, Riley stepped forward and raised his hand,


    "I destroyed it. If I knew we will be stopping here for supplies, I wouldn''t have ordered my clone to kill everyone."


    "...You what!?"


    [Racing Ship Anna, please respond.]


    And before anyone could start asking any questions, an unfamiliar voice reverberated in the air.


    "This is the racing ship Anna, what seems to be the problem?" Diana raised her hand, gesturing to everyone to remain silent.


    [We are doing a routine check on every ship passing by Hotis 4J. Please cooperate and gather all of your essential personnel in the flight deck¡­


    ¡­and prepare to be boarded.]

 Chapter 459:Going Too Well

    "They¡­ are going to board our ship?"


    For those that have spent all their life on Earth, everything that has been happening felt surreal¡ªno. It truly didn''t seem real; like they were living in some sort of futuristic dream.


    Days just passed for them, and if they were to be honest, it didn''t even feel like they have left Earth since they still have not seen anything that could be considered¡­ alien; minus the actual aliens in their ship, of course.


    But now, the reality that they truly were no longer on their own hit them like a strong ssh of water.


    And this situation¡­ weren''t they in trouble?


    Diana, a Themarian that is supposedly banned from her own. Although most of them were stillpletely unaware of what she did to be so, it probably wasn''t anything good. Still, they couldn''t really imagine what exactly it was that she did since Diana had been nothing but weing and friendly to all of them.


    And then there''s Aerith. Although they still don''t know if it was just some sort of title, they kept hearing everyone calling Aerith the Rebel Princess. Was she really a princess in Theran, or was it just some sort of title?


    No matter what the case was, Aerith and Diana being a Themarian should already be enough to cause a violent stir.


    And thenstly¡­ Riley Ross¡ª the one who supposedly destroyed Hotis 4J and the very reason for this blockade. If he was t be discovered, then their space adventure would have been cut short before it could even start.


    "Can''t we just go around?" Hera, who just identally stowed away, was the first to speak up, "I don''t know about you guys, but space is arge space."


    "They will hunt and shoot us down." And once again, to everyone''s surprise, the one who answered Hera''s question was someone that had been eerily quiet and clearly depressed during the entire flight¡ª Princess Vera.


    "Everyone needs to yield whenever there''s a blockade, even the Elders are not an exception."


    "...What do we do, then?"


    Everyone then started looking around; their eyes, however, quickly stopped scanning the deck as soon as theynded on Paige.


    "Yes, I can hide us." Paige nodded as soon as she saw almost everyone looking at her. They didn''t even need to say anything.


    But s, before they could let out a breath of relief, Aerith let out a sigh that resounded through each of their ears.


    "Paige''s powers can''t conceal heat and sound. They will easily discover you," she said in an almost chuckling manner.


    As soon as everyone heard her words, however, they just all turned to look at Riley. And like with Paige, they didn''t even need to say anything. Riley was capable of bending light itself and has shown to be able topletely hide his presence using his telekic abilities.


    "Right¡­ what''s with this setup?" Aerith once again let out a slightly heavy breath as a small smile subtly crawled on her face, "Anyway, it will look weird if there was only a single person on the ship, so¡­ Hannah and I will be the ones to wee our guests."


    "...But won''t they recognize you?" Hannah asked as she heard her nameing up.


    "Not at all," Aerith chuckled, "The universal¡­ military does not have any records pertaining themarians; or rather, they are not allowed to. And we don''t really ster our faces for the universe to see either."


    "Wait¡­" Hannah''s eyes slightly started to squint, "You mean there''s no like¡­ universal social media?"


    "..." Aerith only nced at Hannah as she heard her words; her eyes, slightly wide with curiosity, "Come to think of it¡­ I don''t think there is."


    "...Maybe father can make one as soon as he wakes up," Hannah''s eyes also widened, "We.. we''ll be fucking rich! Heh¡­ hehe."


    "...Paige, Riley¡­ you know what to do."


    And with those words being uttered by Aerith, she and Hannah started to leave the deck to wait for the patrol to arrive.


    "..." And while all the things that have transpired for the past few minutes were happening, Diana was justpletely at a loss; blinking her eyes as she looked at everyone.


    Did¡­ they forget that she had the technology to literally disguise herself using sophisticated hologram technology? Why¡­


    ¡­didn''t anyone ask her?


    ***


    Although Hannah see mepletelyposed; in truth, a violent excitement was already filling up her insides. She had faced many aliens before, and a group of evaniels are even staying and resting on Earth¡­ but never once has she been the visitor. In this case¡­ wasn''t she and the other humans the ones that are alien?


    "..." Hannah quickly shook her head off of the thoughts that were pestering and echoing in her mind.


    "Don''t be nervous, they can smell that," Aerith said as she very gently patted Hannah''s back, "Just act natural, okay?"


    "Yes, ma''am," Hannah sighed as she continued to shake her head, "These people that are about to board our ship, are they also Guardians?"


    "No. Guardians respond to threats as it happens. The people responsible for blockades are apletely different department¡ª like some sort of military patrol. They¡­ are most probably searching for Riley''s clone."


    "My brother¨C my brother¡­ did he really kill everyone on the?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You don''t need to worry that much," Aerith waved her hand, "Hotis 4J is a ce where criminals and ouws are 99% of the poption, if they disappear, maybe the universe would be better off."


    "...I never thought I would hear something like that from you, Aerith," Hannah could not help but blink a couple of times as she heard Aerith''s voice, "Especially not from a hero that has not, even once, intentionally killed a viin."


    "Because I didn''t need to. I was strong enough that I could apprehend the viins without harming a single bone in their body," Aerith smiled; if one were to look in her eyes, one might be able to see the things she has experienced.


    "...Right."


    "You know what they say, ''never meet your heroes''," she breathed out, "And most of the viins on Earth are just people that have been dealt the wrong cards and weren''t strong enough to ovee them¡ª that is what I noticed from all the viins I caught. And perhaps the only real exception to this¡­ is your brother."


    "..."


    "He''s more like a themarian that way; most of us do whatever we want without caring for others."


    "Themarians¡­" The tone of Hannah''s voice slightly turned serious as she stared at the entrance door of the ship,


    "My mother¡­ what was she like?" She then asked.


    "The only thing you need to know about your mother now is that she is old and famous enough that we had to study her in our College," Aerith chuckled, "Your mother¡­ is probably one of the most famous individuals in the entire universe."


    "Fuck¡­ for real? You guys were learning about mom?"


    "You''ll find out when we get there," Aerith once again let out a small chuckle, "If we get there, that is."


    And with those words, the door in front of them finally opened. And immediately, Hannah''s eyes turned wide. How could they not, when a giant frog that stood 3 meters tall stepped inside the ship?


    It almost felt like the human-frog could swallow Hannah whole with ease, judging by how wide its mouth was.


    "..." Hannah then looked at the human-frog''spanion; and if it wasn''t for the tail waving from the back of his waist, Hannah might have thought him human.


    The two soldiers then started looking at Hannah from head to toe, before also doing the same with Aerith as they started checking on their database.


    "..." Hannah wanted to take in a small gulp. Although Aerith said that no one should be able to recognize her, Hannah still could not help but feel something ominous was about to happen. Add the fact that he couldn''t even understand the two as they started talking to Aerith in some sort of weirdnguage, she waspletely in the dark.


    She understood them just fine during thems on the ship¡­ could it be the ship had some sort of automatic trantor?


    "Stop thinking too much."


    And while Hannah was already thinking too much, Aerith very lightly tapped her on the arm,


    "There''s no point in worrying, you''re just unnecessarily stressing yourself."


    "I''m not worried," Hannah shook her head and sighed, "I know what my brother is capable of."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Now that I said that, I feel a little worried," Hannah took in a small gulp as she nced at the two soldiers, who were just walking around and looking at the silver walls, "What¡­ are they even doing right now?"


    "They are scanning the ship. Now, stop worrying¡ª you''re even more suspicious like that," Aerith whispered.


    And then, finally, after what seemed like an entire Earth minute, the two soldiers once again started talking to each other. And judging by the smile crawling on Aerith''s face, everything seemed to have gone well¡­ one could even say that they were talking too casually.


    They were probably taking more time talking than they actually did scanning the ship, whatever it was that Aerith was saying, it seemed to be putting the soldiers in a good mood.


    They were also ncing at Hannah from time to time. Now, whether or not they wereughing at her or not, Hannah probably didn''t want an answer.


    Thankfully, after a few more shared chuckles, the soldiers started walking away¡ª not even a single incident.


    "Leaving so soon?"


    But then, as the inner entrance door slid open¡­


    ¡­Riley weed them on the other side.


    "...Fuck."

 Chapter 460: Riley The Space Pirate

    There were two forces that ultimately kept peace and order throughout the Known Universe. First, were the Guardians¡ª they could be considered to be the ones that are sent first to deal with the threat. They were feared, but at the same time, respected.


    And second, the Common Cosmic Military, or as the name they are known, the Lahestia. They were the ones that would prevent any threats from happening in the first ce; or if it had already passed, then they were the ones to clean up the mess and make sure that it doesn''t happen.


    Unlike the Guardians, who had the tendency to go off on their own and decide on their own since they were chosen, the Lahestia were born in the service, making them creatures of absolute order, habit, and obedience.


    No matter where they were sent, not even an ounce ofint or hesitation would be heard from them. And right now, a toon of them were stationed at one of thes at the edge of the Known Universe, Hotis 4J.


    But of course, even as creatures of absolute obedience, they still had their own individuality as well as their own personalities, and of course¡­ their own hobbies.


    And for Krokan and C''ashir, it just so happened to be spaceships. The two could not be more different from each other; with Krokan belonging to a race that evolved from Amphibians, while C''ashir was from a race that evolved from Simians. But as the two were Lahestia, they grew up as brothers and grew even more closer when they shared the same hobby.


    The tension was high in Hotis 4J; even more so now that the one who destroyed the was still out there wreaking havoc on multiples at the same time. Thest time they have probably faced a predicament like this was way before their generation.


    But for Krokan and C''ashir, an unexpected variable emerged as they were just monotonously doing their duties¡ª a race ship. And not just any race ship, one of the best that was ever made and definitely the rarest.


    Race ships tend to be small and could only fit 1 or 2 people, but this one could hold an entire battalion. Even after thousands of years, it still held its status as the greatest personal race ship to bask the cosmos.


    And just to their luck, they were able to board it and even talk to the owner. They didn''t even need to check any credentials whatsoever; as judging by the way the female humanoid talked to them about the ship and her knowledge of it, it was clear she had ownership of it.


    There was a threat starting to loom across the universe right now, but all the tension they had built up inside just disappeared like that. They didn''t really need to board the ship as they could just scan it from the outside with their permission, but they would forever regret it if they didn''t at least feel the walls with their bare hands.


    And now that they have done so, even if they die the next moment, they wouldn''t even mind.


    "Leaving so soon?"


    And now, it would seem they would be doing just that. Unlike the Guardians who can often be arrogant, the Lahestia takes the time to learn about their mission. And of course, that includes studying everything they know about Riley Ross; his appearance, hisnguage, his known temperament¡­ everything that they could find.


    They know how strong the person of interest is this time and would act ordingly if seen. But now that the person of interest was right in front of them¡­


    ¡­how exactly should they act?


    "Riley Ross," Krokan was the first to speak. And surprisingly, he let go of therge rifle he was holding as he calmly hopped forward, "Are we speaking to a clone¡­ or the original body?"


    "..." Riley Ross''s head tilted in response as he heard the frog-like man speaking anguage he recognized, "Thetter, Mr. Frog."


    "!!!" And this time, as Riley''s words reached Krokan''s tympanums, he quickly turned his entire body to just look at hispanion. Unlike the Guardians, who were given the order to actively hunt and kill Riley Ross, they were given the order to keep him in ce¡ª not capture him, but just to keep him in ce.


    They were also aware that Riley was able to instantly create clones of himself, and they knew that he wascent with questions; that is why he asked what he asked in the first ce¡­<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡­but to think the original one was now right in front of them.


    "What¡­ are you doing on this ship, Riley Ross?" C''ashir also stepped forward; careful not to agitate Riley as he tried his best to question him, and at the same time¡­ buy time.


    "This ship belongs to my mother, sir."


    "Mother!?" Both C''ashir and Krokan quickly turned their heads back to Aerith, who was already violently shaking her head as she covered her face.


    "I¡­ I will change my question, then," C''ashir then immediately calmed himself down as he focused on Riley, "What are you doing here?"


    "I am honestly just tagging along, sir," Riley shrugged before just turning around and walking away, "But since I am back in Hotis 4J¡­


    ¡­I would like to finish what my clone started."


    And with those words, the inner door closed.


    "Wait, where are you going, Riley Ross!?"


    Riley, of course, did not answer them as he flew out of the outer door and into the expanse of space. And as soon as he did so, he found himself surrounded by almost a hundred people that wore the same ck uniform as C''ashir and Krokan.


    None of them had their weapons pointed at Riley, however. No, one could even say that none of them held any sort of hostility against Riley Ross, as they all just floated and moved away as Riley flew by them.


    They had strict orders not to engage Riley Ross¡ª their order was only to watch and try to keep him in ce, even if he kills one of them.


    Fortunately for them, Riley doesn''t seem to be even minding them as he just flew closer to Hotis 4J. Everything seemed calm, perhaps too calm.


    But of course, this didn''tst long as one of the ships that were previously being inspected saw Riley Ross. As someone who has been wreaking havoc throughout the Known Universe, Riley has, of course, gained notoriety.


    And in space, when one gains notoriety, one naturally gets a bounty¡ª and right now, as a fresh target with an unusually high bounty, Riley might as well be a walking treasure.


    And so, without even the slightest of hesitation and even with the presence of the Lahestia, the ship that was able to detect Riley immediately flew away from the line and shot straight toward him at full speed.


    "You¡­ you''re mine no¡ª"


    And before he could even get a kilometer near Riley, the pilot of the ship as well as his mates found himself suddenly floating in space¡­


    ¡­surrounded by the debris of his ship that was instantly dismantled out of nowhere.

 Chapter 461 : Something Wrong

    "Something is not right."


    "Everything''s going to shit, that''s fucking what!"


    With Riley showing himself, the others no longer needed to be hidden away as they all rushed back to the control room. Hannah was going to follow Riley outside, but Aerith prevented her from doing so.


    Hera wanted to say something as she felt something amiss, but her words were overpowered by Hannah''s screams.


    "You! Why did you let my brother do that!? What are you, some kind of fucking yes-man!?"


    "I¡­ He can interact with my powers. It was out of my control!"


    "Hannah, have some respect for one of your future sisters-inw! How many times do I have to remind you to watch yournguage!?"


    "Why are you even scolding me!? Riley''s out there fucking things up again! Just this once, why don''t you try stopping him!?"


    "I¡­ can''t really risk them finding out about me."


    "W¡ª"


    "Stop arguing, I''ll go out."


    With Diana and Hannah going back and forth with their heated words, Aerith''s sighs were almost a wee sound as she stood between the two,


    "Just let me get dressed."


    "...Why are all of you so calm!?"


    "Guys¡­ something really is not right."


    And once again, with everyone busy trying to figure out what to do, Hera felt a certain chill crawl down her spine. Unlike most of the supers, Hera''s abilities did not have a clear or set trait. One would think that her power was simply just enhancing her body and making it bigger, but no.


    Her power was to survive and adapt, making her abilitiespletely unpredictable and ever-changing, even for her. And there were also times when her own body would move on its own, or her memories would be altered to ensure her survival.


    One ount of this was when she lost her memories after knowing that Riley was Darkday. For some odd reason, calction, or perhaps foresight, her abilities deemed it safer for her to forget. How it knew Riley would lose interest in her, she knows not.


    And right now, her body was telling her that something was wrong¡­ or something wrong was about to happen.


    But what?


    Her eyes trailed across the room, checking and observing if there was anything that was sorely out of ce. Of course, if you would ask her, the only thing out of ce here was her. The only reason she was here was because she thought Tempo would being, and since she was already here, she opted to just treat it as a vacation.


    After all, what better way to spend her free time than to travel, right?


    Well, that''s what she thought. But right now, the ufortable feeling was crawling across her entire body, telling her to move and stay away; her senses, almost at their highest to the point that she could even hear everyone''s heartbeat.


    She once again looked at the room, now looking at each of the people there.


    There''s Aerith, who was preparing to go outside. The beating of her heart¡­ there wasn''t any.


    Diana, who was still trying her best to calm her daughter down. The beating of her heart, the same as Aerith''s¡ª almost non-existent.


    Hannah, who was seemingly angry and mad at everyone. The beating of her heart, obviously fast.


    The evaniel princess, Vera, who was standing behind Hannah and looking at the hologram map. The beating of her heart, also unusually fast¡ª but of course, it might just be because she was an evaniel.


    Paige, who was busy looking back and forth between Hannah and Diana. Her heartbeat, slightly fast.


    Tomoe, who was seemingly also preparing to go outside, and Silvie, who was trying to stop her; both their heartbeats, also elerated.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Katherine, who was doing her best to distract and cover Karina''s ears so that she wouldn''t hear any of the foulnguage. Their heartbeats were probably the most normal ones in the group.


    There should also be Whiteking and Gary, who were in some sort of suspended animation. But besides them, no one was missing or doing anything out of the ordinary. A lot of things were happening, but there wasn''t anything that Hera could think of that would make her body this ufortable to the point her light-brown skin would open all of her pores.


    And ording to her instincts, the danger wasn''t outside¡­ it was near her.


    ¡­So what exactly is it?


    ***


    "Do not approach the target! I repeat, do not approach the target!"


    The ships of the Lahestia were now circling Riley Ross. Even without seeing the faces of their pilots, the panic that orbited their formation was clear for everyone to see. As for the ships that were just minding their own business and waiting for their permission to pass the checkpoint, well¡­ Most of them took this chance to drive away.


    Those who recognized Riley Ross, however, stayed¡ª wanting to see what this new ouw was capable of.


    As for the bounty hunter that went ahead and wanted to try his luck and capture Riley, nowpletely lifeless in his hand.


    "...I still don''t know which race could breathe in space." Riley, on the other hand, just casually let him go, gently pushing him away back to his ship, which was still separated into hundreds of pieces. As soon as the bounty hunter was right in the center of the debris, however, the bits and parts of the shippressed together in a ball,pletely crushing the bounty hunter''s corpse.


    And as soon as he did that, the ships that were still watching what he would do all flew away¡ª some even activating their hyperdrive and not caring if they would hit anything in their path; how could they not, when Riley''s eyes were on their way towards them?


    "Hm¡­" Riley really didn''t mind, as he just shrugged before turning his focus to the warships that were surrounding him. He tried moving close to one of them, but all they really did was maintain their distance.


    [Riley Ross, we are the space military, Lahestia. We have strict orders to apprehend and keep you in ce, do not attempt to escape!]


    "You¡ª"


    [We will not attack you!]


    And before Riley could even do anything, another sound directly vibrated through his ears.


    [We are nonbatants! If you attack us, it would be seen as a direct attack to¡ª]


    "Hm," and before the voice could continue to echo through his ears, Riley stretched his hand towards the ship he crumpled, pulling it closer to him. Once again, thehestia could do nothing but make way as Riley started moving in space.


    Of course, all of them were still on high alert and would respond ordingly¡ª they were trained to do so. But why?


    Why did it feel like they weren''t actually surrounding a living being¡­ but rather a ck hole that was going to suck them in without any warning? They have faced many threats before, but nothing like this.


    Everything seemed calm, but that added to the tension they were already feeling. Some of them are even starting to feel relieved that they were not ordered to engage the target¡­ as they were sure the only thing that awaited them on that path was a brutal death.


    The only thing that was ordered of them was to keep him in ce and observe¡­ and observe they did as Riley made his way near the already dying Hotis 4J.


    "..." They then watched as the crumpled ship floated in front of Riley, and without even any warning, the ship disappeared¡ª no, it shot straight towards the dying at an almost blinding speed.


    "...Fun," Riley whispered. He had already experienced this before during his past battles in space, but without any air resistance or gravity, it was almost as if his telekic powers were amplified; to what extent? Even he does not know yet.


    As for the Lahestia, the only thing they could really do was watch as the crumpled ship pierced through Hotis 4J. And as soon as it did so, the already dying and deste started to show signs of cracking; and soon¡­ it started caving in on itself.


    [Evacuate!]


    And without even waiting for anything to happen, the fleet all started to disappear one by one at the order of theirmander. But as thest ship, themander''s ship, was about to go on hyperdrive, he ordered his crew to cancel.


    After all, the that they thought was about to scatter into pieces and cause a torrential storm of its debris unexpectedly retained its shape¡ª no¡­


    ¡­the sphere was even starting to be smaller and smaller.

 Chapter 462:Riley... Alone?

    Amid Deb''rah¡ª themander of the fleet responsible for the checkpoint in Hotis 4J. Like most of his men, he did not expect that they would actuallye face to face with the newest threat in the Known Universe.


    This didn''t mean that he wasn''t prepared, however¡ª as someone trained from birth, he already had several ns ready, and another set of ns when the previous ones failed, his ns were as many as the tendrils on his chin. But with Riley Ross being categorized as a Gctic-level Threat by the Guardians, there really wasn''t that much he could n for.


    The number one priority now was his men''s safety. And so, with the first sign of Riley Ross finishing the destruction of Hotis 4J, Amid ordered all of his men to evacuate so they would be safe from the''s debris.


    "Is everyone safe? Then, let''s¡ª"


    "Commander, something¡­ is happening with the."


    And as Amid was about to order his own crew to disappear, their ship detected something¡ª an insane amount of pressure building from Hotis 4J.


    "Bring up the feed, quick!"


    Commander Amid pushed some of his crew to the side as he rushed to look at the console at the very center of the deck.


    "Where is it!?" He once again roared as there was nothing popping out on his table.


    "B¡­bringing it up now,mander!"


    And there, as soon as the hologram of Hotis 4J popped up, Amid could not help but take a few steps back. Hotis 4J, the he thought would be bursting into millions of pieces and creating a torrential storm¡­ remained intact.


    "We¡­ we''re reading insane amounts of pressu¡ª"


    "I can see that!"


    Amid roared as he saw Hotis 4J bing smaller and smaller. He shouldn''t be surprised by something like this¡ª after all, based on their reports, Riley Ross destroyed a several times the size of Hotis 4J in the time it takes for an average humanoid to breathe.


    But bursting a open, andpressing it are two different featspletely. But once again, he shouldn''t be surprised.


    Riley Ross is a Gctic-level Threat.


    "Commander! Your orders!?"


    "..." Amid then took in a small gulp as the tendrils on his chin started to curl. And after a few more seconds, he shook his head, "Transfer the energy we gained from hyperdrive to the shield, but leave at least 20% so we could move away if we need to."


    "We''re not¡­ joining the others, sir?"


    "We''re ordered to observe, that is what we are going to do," Amid then said as he focused his eyes on Riley Ross''s figure¡ª only to see him looking directly straight at the feed.


    "..."


    And very soon, Riley Ross very slowly floated toward their ship.


    "Go! Let''s go! What are you waiting for!?"


    ***


    "..."


    Riley, who was making his way toward the remaininghestia ship, could not help but blink a couple of times as it suddenly disappeared. He was going to ask them something regarding Raleerus and his other clones, but s.


    They said they were ordered to hold him and keep him in ce. If he waits here, would that mean someone woulde? If it was another group of Guardians, then he might as well just return to his ship.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He was keeping Hotis 4J intact so he could throw it to whoever and whatever wasing for him. Maybe he would even get to see one of those Messengers? He saw from Diana''s codex that one of them was evenrger than Earth, so he was wondering what would happen if he used Hotis 4J like some kind of bullet.


    But if it was just another group of Guardians, then that would just be boring. When Vera told him about the Guardian, he thought they would at the very least be as strong as Aerith whenever she was holding back, but no.


    He was at the very least excited when he learned that a group of them was capable of defeating a themarian. But in the end, he learned another thing¡ª it would seem even themarians have weaker people in their race.


    "..." He then turned his focus back to the he was holding, before scanning the expanse of space around him and wondering which direction Earth is. Aerith said that you could tell by trying to find and looking at the Sr System''s sun¡­


    ¡­but where is that, exactly?


    There were more than a hundred sparkling lights around him, some even disappearing as he blinked.


    He wanted to learn about astronomy when he enrolled in Mega Academy; sadly, they weren''t really offering it. He tried to ask Hannah if she knew anything about space, but all she told him was that she was a Capricorn.


    Perhaps he should start learning from Diana and Aerith, ''less he wanted to be lost in space. No, perhaps he should forget learning from Aerith, as she got lost the first time they traveled across the expanse of space.


    "..." Riley then once again scanned the stars around him, before letting out a sigh and shaking his head. And with another breath, Hotis 4J suddenly disappeared from its spot¡ª shooting out to where there were as fewer stars as possible so he wouldn''t identally destroy Earth; after all, with him gone, he was expecting another season of Italian Mafia Reborn to be already made when hees back to the.


    And now that he finished what his clone started, he finally turned his focus back to Diana''s ship. He was expecting Aerith or even Hannah to try and stop him; that was the only reason he took his time in the first ce, but to think they were just letting him do as he pleased.


    Was it some kind of reverse psychology? Because it was somewhat working, Riley thought. It was incredibly boring to destroy things when nothing and no one was resisting him. But since they were on their way to Theran, that was about to change¡ª he could really only imagine how fun it would be to wreak havoc on a filled with beings as strong as Aerith.


    How many times would he die? And if he was lucky¡­


    ¡­maybe his life would actually finally be extinguished. It was a fitting end, he will finally die at the very same ce where his biological mother will be bur¡ª


    "..." And before Riley could finish his thoughts, his mouth very slightly opened and his eyes started to blink several times¡ª the closest he would really get to expressing shock.


    The times that Riley has beenpletely in shock could probably be counted on a single hand, and this definitely now tops all of them. After all¡­


    ¡­Diana''s ship was now nowhere to be seen.


    He initially thought it was just charging up since he was returning inside¡­ but to think it would just leave him. He was just imagining what it would feel like to be left alone in the expanse of space¡­


    ¡­now here he was, all alone.


    "..."


    "..."


    Or perhaps not? Riley then focused his eyes toward where the ship was supposed to be, only to see a dark silhouette floating about¡ª almost reflecting the darkness around it like a mirror.


    "..." Riley''s eyebrows slightly furrowed as he pulled the silhouette closer to him. And very soon, he realized what it was¡­ or rather, who it was.


    "...Hera?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "...''Sup?"

 Chapter 463: Oh No

    A few minutes ago, as Riley was making the Amid and his fleet nervous, the situation inside the ship remained the same¡ª with Hannah filling up the oxygen with her incessant nagging.


    What changed, however, was the feeling that something waspletely wrong. For Hera, who seemed to be the only one feeling it, it was bing worse by the second. Her senses were at their highest, with every strand of hair and her body and every pore in her light-brown skin opening up. The ufortable chill that came along with it, pricking every inch of her flesh.


    She once again looked around, only to realize thatpletely unbeknownst to her, her feet were moving on their own¡ª moving straight to the door; if it wasn''t for her noticing it, she would have probably continued to walk away.


    It was then, however, that someone finally noticed her. It was Aerith, who was about to leave the ship so she could try to pull Riley back.


    "...." She didn''t really say anything, and just slightly raised an eyebrow as she looked at Hera from head to toe. And without even a word, she soon realized how alert Hera looked. And as someone who have tangled with the Hope Guild more times than she could count, she knew exactly what Hera''s abilities are.


    "You¡­"


    "Something is very wrong, Megawoman," Hera did not let Aerith finish her words as she looked her straight in the eyes, "I have been saying that since the start but no one seems to be listening."


    "..." Aerith''s eyebrows started to furrow as Hera''s words reached her ears. But after a few more breaths, her eyes turned wide as she turned her focus back to the center of themand room.


    And like Hera, she tried to see if something was amiss.


    Katherine and Karina were still together.


    Tomoe was still being stopped by Silvie from following her outside.


    Paige is just prancing about, seemingly trying to stop Hannah from nagging at her mother, but didn''t want to intrude.


    Vera was behind Hannah, her eyes focused on the map since earlier.


    Diana was¡ª


    "..."


    Aerith then blinked a couple of times, before turning her attention back to Hannah; or more specifically, to Vera who was standing behind her. Aerith didn''t really think much of her being there, but now that she knew that something was going to happen, she could not help but think of one thing¡­


    ¡­Why has she been standing so close to Hannah since earlier?


    And as soon as she thought of that, her eyes met with Vera; and without even any warning, the evaniel princess disappeared from her spot, only to appear hugging Hannah from behind; her arms, wrapped around and choking Hannah''s neck.


    And with that, the noise that filled the airpletely stopped. Diana, who was just letting out different kinds of sighs just moments ago, now had her mouthpletely closed; her eyes, letting out a violent glow of red.


    "Try it!" But before she could do anything, Vera''s silver hair also shone; the markings on her skin, now showing themselvespletely,


    "I assure you, I can kill her before you can kill me!" She wailed; the expression on her face was feral, almost like a wild cat in a cage that hissed at every little thing,


    "That goes for all of you! If I see anyone of you try and act any different from usual, I am going to snap her neck! I know all of your powers, I will know!"


    "..." Tomoe, who was absolutely about to do something, could not help but subtly click her tongue as she retracted her abilities. Paige was thinking of what to do¡­ but they were dealing with someone that could process her thoughts a thousand times in just a second.


    "Don''t even attempt it."


    And with the temperature in themand deck getting higher by the second, Vera tightened her hold on Hannah as she breathed down her neck, "You¡­


    ¡­your brother killed my brother along with hundreds of my men. Did you really think I would be okay with that!? I don''t really know how the brain of your race works; dining andughing with the person that massacred and continues to massacre your own people!"


    "...What do you want?" Diana was the only one to respond to Vera''s words; her eyes that were seething in anger, slowly dimming.


    "A world without Riley Ross," Vera looked Diana in the eyes, "Activate the hyperdrive and let''s just go."


    "What!?" Hannah finally spoke up as she struggled to get some air, "He¡­ he''ll get lost!"


    "I have been thinking more than a million thoughts," Vera whispered; her words almosting out as hisses, "How do you stop a being that bes stronger every time you kill it? How can something like that even exist? The answer is you can''t; you can''t stop it¡­


    ¡­but I can at least slow it down until the entire Universe knows of his existence and surely¡­ surely along the way, something or someone can stop him. Because Riley¡­ Riley is the incarnation of Death itself¡ª he shouldn''t exist with us."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..."


    And while all of this was going on, Aerith subtly took a step closer to Hera and whispered,


    "... What''re your instincts telling you now?"


    "It''s telling me to leave the ship," Hera breathed out, "It''s crazy¡­ Riley Ross is out there. I can''t actually be safer there."


    "There''s a reason why you''re on this ship, Hera. This is probably it," Aerith lowered her voice even further as she sneakily handed Hera something from behind, "Keep this."


    "...A phone? What do I do with this?"


    "It''s a map. I''ll find a chance to open the door for you, go and join Riley as soon as I open it."


    "You''re¡­ giving me a map? I don''t get it. Isn''t this a good thing¡­ for Riley to be stuck in space forever?"


    "If it''s good, then why is your body screaming at you to get out?" Aerith said as she covered Hera from everyone''s view; but seeing as Hera was slightly taller than her, it looked somewhat¡­ off,


    "I know your abilities, you''ve survived until now because of it. Trust it."


    "..."


    "...And do you really think an unhinged Riley Ross roaming around the universe alone is a good thing?"


    And as soon as Hera heard that, her feet once again moved on their own. And soon, her steps became a sprint as she made her way to the ship''srge passageways.


    ***


    "And then I jumped out as soon as the door opened."


    "Hm. I suppose it is just you and me again, Hera."


    "...I can''t believe how calm you are right now. Oh wait, I can!"


    Riley and Hera were now floating across the expanse of space; with Riley creating a telekic bubble that was currently traveling at an unknown speed. But judging by how fast they passed by an asteroid just now and obliterated it into pieces, they were moving insanely fast.


    Hera''s body which was previously like a mirror reflecting the darkness around her was slowly returning to normal. Well¡­ except for the fact that she wasn''t really breathing anymore.


    "You said Aerith gave you a map, Hera?"


    "Yeah," Hera could really only roll her eyes from how nonchnt Riley was acting; but after dealing with him for years, she should have really gotten used to him by now. Hera then grabbed the phone from her pocket; she was unsure of how to use it at first, but as soon as she pressed the only visible button, a hologram quickly emerged from the screen.


    "...I guess that''s us?" Hera slightly raised an eyebrow as she looked at the two green dots right at the very center of the hologram,


    "How do you even zoom this thing out?" She then sighed as she tried to pinch the hologram like one would zoom out a photo on a touchscreen¡ª and true enough, she was able to zoom out the map.


    "..." She and Riley then looked at each other as they saw all the numerous words and lights that were moving about in the hologram. If they were confused as to how it worked before, they were even more so now.


    "Do something, Hera."


    "..." Hera didn''t really say anything, and just pointed at the beeping light closest to their location. And as soon as she did so, it zoomed in on the beacon.


    "...It''s a ship."


    "Hm¡­


    ¡­Do you think they are friendly, Hera?"

 Chapter 464: Wrong Fish

    "Boss, you might want to take a look at this."


    Somewhere in the vast expanse of the Known Universe, a crew of green-skinned scavengers was currently on their way to Hotis 4J; their ship, hopping from debris to debris so they would be able to hide and go undetected by the Lahestia that were currently guarding the.


    They have heard of its imminent destruction¡ª and that usually means the splitting apart and making it free for everyone to enjoy its scraps; and with Hotis 4J being a den of ouws and pirates, it was basically a treasure trove.


    And of course, to lower their chance of being detected and caught, they wentpletely radio-silence; and because of this, they were alsopletely unaware of what had transpired within and around the for the past hour.


    "What is it!? Did we find some scraps already!?" And with her helmsman calling for her, the captain of the ship, Nana, thought that they had finally ''struck it rich''. But s, as she looked at the erged video feed on the debris-shield window, all she saw were two corpses floating around the darkness.


    "Floaters¡­ They''re probably from Hotis 4J, poor fuckers. But I suppose that''s life." Instead of getting angry at her subordinate for calling her for something like this, however, she just let out a sigh and patted his shoulder, before telling him to go around so they wouldn''t hit their corpses.


    "...But they''re alive, boss."


    "...What?"


    "We''re detecting life signatures from them."


    "Approach them! Prepare for salvage!" Captain Nana quickly turned around and walked away, "Send the feed to my terminal¡­


    ¡­I want to see what''s happening!"


    ***


    "How are they still alive?"


    "Is the long-haired one an evaniel? He looks a little familiar."


    "Look at the skin of the female one, it''s almost as if her muscles are made of co¡­"


    With a ship that''s specialized in scavenging and salvaging, it didn''t really take them any effort to rescue the two lost souls that were mysteriously still alive and drifting aimlessly in the great expanse.


    The two drifters were now ced on top of one of their many tables, still seemingly lifeless. And now with them there, the true size of the green-skinned humanoids was revealed¡ª they were small; almost half the size of the two individuals.


    "How are these two even alive?" Captain Nana repeated her words as her eyes focused on the two drifters. And like the rest of her crew, she was also tapping the white-haired one with her index finger, "Do you guys think¡­


    ¡­they''re really from the Higher Races?"


    And as soon as her crew heard her words, they quickly retracted their curious fingers.


    "..."


    But after a few seconds of looking at each other, they just continued to touch and observe the two unconscious drifters.


    "Can you run an ID scan on them, Harith? We might get a good reward from rescuing them," Captain Nana said as she finally moved away from the white-haired humanoid, jumping from her chair as she approached one of her subordinates that was still poking the drifters.


    "Hm. I actually already scanned them. If they''re in the system, then we''ll know who they are," Harith slightly pushed away his hair that was covering his eyes as he looked at Nana, "It should already be in your terminal, boss."


    "Sweet," Captain Nana could not help but let out a slightly mischievous snicker as she trotted her way inside her station. And without even minding the other things that were on her table''s console screen, she swiped her hands several times to close them until the window showing the female drifter''s profile came up.


    "...She''s not registered anywhere?" Captain Nana could not help but grab a tuft of her red hair, "Is she some sort of vagrant?"


    Nana could really only let out a sigh as she saw the female drifter''s empty profile. If she was from a Higher Race, then they would surely be rewarded handsomely by rescuing her¡ª no. Even if she wasn''t, she was sure they would still be rewarded a bounty; after all, the female drifter didn''t look ordinary.


    "..." And with one final look of disappointment, Nana once again let out a sigh as she once again swiped her hand, closing the window and hoping the next one would be a bigger fish. And true enough, his profile was in a different color.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Yes!" Captain Nana could not help but m her fist on her table console.


    "What is it, boss!? Did we catch a big fish!?"


    "Shh! You guys just mind your own business!" Captain Nana snarled and smiled as she heard her subordinates'' loud voices entering her office. Her hands, violently waving them away so they wouldn''t enter and she could focus on reading whatever was on the white-haired drifter''s profile; and seeing as there was an almost entire page of texts, there was a lot.


    And so, Nana started reading the drifter''s profile starting from the very top.


    "...How do you read this? Ra¡­ Rayee Yuz?" Captain Nana slightly squinted her eyes; her head, tilting to the side as she slightly puffed her cheeks,


    "Oh, so he''s not an Evaniel? Interesting. Hm¡­ He''s from the Dark Zone!? What''s he doing here!?" Captain Nana''s eyes almost popped out of their sockets as she continued to read Rayee Yuz''s profile.


    "...Avoid at all costs? What? He looks harmless," Captain Nana rolled her lips as she exhaled and once again nced at the white-haired drifter''s photo before continuing to read his profile,


    "Hm¡­. Mhmm. Oh, it would seem you''re a wanted man?" Captain Nana''s eyes then lit up as soon as she reached a certain section of the profile,


    "Murder of¡­ a High Official? What does that even mean? Okay, okay. You have my attention, Rayee Yuz," Captain Nana took in a deep breath as she continued to read,


    "Committed lupacide, responsible for the destruction of Hotis 4J and several others. Okay, cool. Committed ge¡­nocide and¡­"


    And very soon, her eyes that were already popping out and shining widened even further, to the point that it looked like her face would actually explode as her green face started to turn blue in shock,


    "Ga¡­ Gctic-level¡­ level threat? Why¡­ why the fuck would they put thatst!? Everyone, throw them to¡ª"


    "Boss! They''re awake!"


    And before she could finish her words, one of her men barged into her station.


    "Awake? Who¡­ Who''s awake?" Captain Nana could really only take in a small gulp as she saw the excited look on her subordinate''s face.


    "The two drifters! We can''t understand what they''re saying, so bring the analyzer, boss!"


    "Wa¡ª"


    And once again, she couldn''t evenplete her words as her subordinate just left in a rush. The only thing she could really do was stare at the open doorway; her breaths, slightly erratic.


    What¡­ was she even supposed to do? Abandon ship?


    No. The fact that they were still alive right now would mean that this Rayee Yuz was not as aggressive as they make him sound¡ª maybe she could just feign ignorance and pretend she doesn''t know who he is yet.


    And when she gets the chance, she would find a way to get them off the ship as civilized as possible.


    Yes, that''s it. That''s the nt¡ª and with that thought, Captain Nana returned to the deck.


    "Boss! How is it!? Have you finished reading their profile!?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Fuck."

 Chapter 465:Greatest Performance Yet

    ''These stupid little shits.''


    That was the singr thought that circled Nana''s mind for a million times in less than a nanosecond. She was just thinking of ns on how to get Riley out of her ship, but now, her men seemed adamant aboutmitting suicide as they continued to try and talk to Riley Ross.


    Her crew was even trying to talk in Alltoh¡ªthe universal and most usednguage in the Known Universe. Fortunately for her, her crew wasn''t fluent in it, and even if they were, Riley and his femalepanion didn''t seem to know thenguage in the first ce since they were just looking at each other in confusion.


    It was a good thing that the only device capable of analyzing hisnguage was in her station; if not, then her men would have surely used it already and exposed the fact that she already knew who Riley is.


    "Get out! Get out of here!"


    "What? But boss¡ª"


    "I said get the fuck out!"


    Nana could no longer help herself as she pped her hands, causing a small quake to travel in the air; the vibrations, only seemingly targeting her men as their bodies all jolted from the osciting force.


    "..."


    "..."


    Her men then quickly looked at her as they finally shut their mouths, before looking at each other and shaking their heads,


    "Looks like the boss hasn''t taken her meds yet."


    "Let''s go, it''s probably that time of the year."


    "I wonder what we''re getting this time? I hope it''s another brother so they wouldn''t have to leave."


    "You know, we¡ª"


    "What are you little fuckers still doing here!? Get out!"


    And once again, the very air itself started to vibrate as Nana stomped her foot on the floor. Surprisingly though, the ship and any of the utched objects within it werepletely unaffected by the weird force. And it would seem before it could really happen, Nana''s children-sh-crew finally left her alone with Riley and the other drifter.


    "..."


    And now that she was finally alone with them, Nana didn''t really know what to do but to just very slowly and carefully turn her head toward Riley Ross¡ª


    "Fuck!"


    ¡ªonly to see him sitting just a foot away from her; his head slightly tilted to the side so their eyes were at the same level. Captain Nana tried her best not to swallow all the anxiety that was flying and circling around her as she returned Riley''s gaze. She had no idea what he was doing right now, but she was sure that it was best not to make any reaction.


    "..." She then took a nce toward the female drifter to see what she was doing, and judging by the obvious tension also surrounding her like flies, she also didn''t know what was about to happen¡ªor maybe she did, that''s why she looked so anxious.


    "I¡­" And finally, Nana let out a long and very deep breath as she tried talking to Riley. And unlike her crew, she didn''t even try to speak in Alltoh, "My name is Nana Nonoyo. I am d that you are safe. I will take you to the nearest station, okay?"


    "If it is not that much of a problem, then thank you, Captain Nonoyo."


    "It¡­ It''s no problem at all," Nana waved her hand as an obviously awkward chuckle escaped her lips. But before the 4th breath could exhale from her mouth, her entire face froze and almost cracked from realizing something¡ªRiley just talked to her in her nativenguage,


    "You¡­you¡­ you can understand me?"


    "Yes, Captain Nonoyo."


    Nana looked closely at Riley''s lips, and their movements weren''t matching the words that wereing out of them. And before Nana could say anything else, she slightly flinched as Riley pointed to somewhere; Nana, of course, instinctively turned to look to where he was pointing, only to see the female drifter holding some sort of device. And Nana didn''t even need to squint to see what it was¡ªjust one nce, and she already identified the object.


    "That¡­ Isn''t that a Teera X120!?" She eximed; her feet moving on their own as she made her way toward Riley''spanion, "How¡­ how do you have something like that!? This thing costs a thousand times more than this ship and¡ª"


    And with Riley''s femalepanion retracting the so-called Teera X120, the tension that Nana momentarily forgot once again started flying around her; this time heavier as beads of sweat began trailing on her small face.


    "My name is Riley Ross, Captain Nonoyo. I forgot to introduce myself since the device is still analyzing thenguage you are using, I think. I am still not quite sure how it works."


    "..."


    Why did you have to fucking introduce yourself?--- is what Captain Nana was currently thinking at the moment. With her now knowing his name, the risk of Riley knowing that she knows who he is has just risen considerably.


    Unbeknownst to her, however, she was not alone in the thought.


    Hera, who was the mastermind behind the entire thing also could not help but want to scream in frustration. She was the one who told Riley that they should act unconscious in the hopes that this ship would notice them and they could hitch a ride¡ªbut she also specifically told Riley not to introduce himself.


    Luckily for them, these small and fun-sized people don''t seem to know who he is¡­ is what Hera thought.


    "It¡­ it is no problem at all," Nana then once again let out an awkward chuckle as she waved her hand, "Please, make yourselvesfortable. I need to check something with my crew."


    And with that, Nana quickly made her exit before any unnecessary conversations could arise. After all, the longer she stays here, the higher the chance that Riley might realize something.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Unfortunately for her¡ª


    "She knows who you are."


    As soon as she left the med bay, Hera approached Riley, who was still seated on the floor.


    "How would you know?"


    "I''m¡­ an actress, remember?" Hera sighed as she shook her head. She initially thought Nana was unaware of who Riley is, but herst words and the way she acted before she stepped out of the room werepletely¡­ off¡ªand for Hera, whose eyes were trained enough to even see through Riley''s act, it was as clear as day that Nana knew something.


    "If you say so, then it must be the case, Hera," Riley nodded as he stood up, "Then I will kill all but the one driving the¡ª"


    "No!" Hera blocked Riley''s path before he even took a step towards the door, "You just promised me you won''t hurt any of these people. Don''t tell me you don''t honor promises now? Isn''t that like your whole thing? I know you don''t break promises."


    "...No?" Riley tilted his head as he looked Hera straight in the eyes, "Where did you hear that, Hera?"


    "From¡­ From Megawoman and your sister," Hera almost stuttered as she returned Riley''s gaze, "You¡­ don''t want to disappoint them, right?"


    "..."


    "..."


    That was a lie, of course. Or in Hera''s case, an act. Aside from the incident before she abandoned Diana''s ship, she hasn''t even gotten the chance to talk to Megawoman alone¡ª and she couldn''t really remember if she and Hannah even had the chance to have a proper conversation even once.


    She didn''t even know what she was supposed to do right now; all she could really do was the thing she had always done best¡ª to perform. And considering what was at stake right now, this would probably be the most important performance in her life.


    She held the life and death of not only her, but everyone they would be crossing paths with from now on.


    "Is¡­ that so, Hera?"


    "Yes," Hera made sure not to break eye contact with Riley.


    "..."


    "..."


    "I¡­ suppose that''s true."


    And after a few seconds of what seemed like a lifetime of staring at each other, Riley finally nodded and started walking around the med bay,


    "Lately, I have been finding myself to be breaking the promises I made. I suppose Aerith truly would be disappointed if she finds out that I am not listening to you since you are her proxy."


    "...Proxy?"


    "Aerith sent you on a mission to look after me, correct? That is usually her job. And I suppose it is yours for now."


    "...I''m not your¡ª"


    ''I''m not your caretaker.''--- is what Hera wanted to say. But very soon, an entire scenario started to set itself up in Hera''s mind¡ª Riley listens to Megawoman; and if Riley treats her as a proxy, wouldn''t that mean he would also start listening to her?


    "..." And so, with that slightly dangerous thought surfacing in her mind, she once again turned to look at Riley and nodded her head,


    "Yes, she told me to look after you."


    "Hm," Riley stopped observing and checking the med bay as he looked at Hera, "Then¡­ I wish you all the best in your endeavor, Miss Hera. I promise to be as troublesome to you as I have been to Aerith."


    "Of course, I will¡ª wait¡­ what do you mean by¡ª"


    "!!!"


    And before Hera could finish her words, the entire ship started to shake and the lights within the med bay dimmed and became red.


    "You¡­ I thought you wouldn''t hurt these fun-sized people anymore!?"


    "I am not, Miss Hera. This is not my doing."


    [Notice to all crew and staff! We are currently under attack. I repeat, we are under attack by pirates!]


    "Oh¡­" Hera could not help but close her eyes and sigh,


    "...What happened to my vacation?"

 Chapter 466: Reason

    Captain Nana seemed to have drawn the shortest amongst the shortest of the sticks as one cmity after the other strikes her.


    She let a literal monster into her ship, and now they were under attack by pirates? Is this what she gets for trying to be a good person?


    "..." Nana could really only continue to curse her fate as she stared at her console table; her eyes, looking at the warship that had its missiles locked onto them.


    There really was only one option here, and that was to¡ª


    "It seems you are in trouble, Captain Nonoyo."


    "Don''t state the obvi¡ªWhat are you doing here!?"


    Nana almost leaped in shock as she didn''t even notice Riley already kneeling behind her and also looking at the screen; his breaths, almost touching her shoulders.


    "You¡ªnever mind. We need to escape! Aulus, get us out of here!"


    "I¡­ I''ll try, mother!"


    Riley may be a monster, but he wasn''t the one threatening their lives right now. Fortunately for her, Riley seems to have quickly lost interest as he stood up and walked toward his femalepanion, who was looking out the window.


    "This ship is too small," Hera breathed out as she noticed Riley approaching her.


    "I believe in this case, we are the ones that are too big, Miss Hera."


    "...I hate it when you''re making sense."


    "I always make sense, Miss Hera."


    "...Right," Hera could really only slow her words as she once again focused on the view outside,


    "It''s weird, don''t you think? All of these things are happening¡ª space pirates, different species mingling with each other¡­ all the while we''re busy on Earth ying heroes and viins. I can definitely use this as a reference for future movies, this is amazing material right here."


    "Will you be adapting this to the sci-fi series, Hera? The one where I was asked to audition."


    "...That show was canceled a long time ago," Hera''s eye slightly twitched.


    "Why? I quite liked the script, Miss Hera."


    "What do you mean why!? We almost cast the literal demon from hell!"


    "Satan auditioned for your show?"


    "What!? No! I meant you! Darkday!"


    "Oh," Riley breathed out, "It''s a shame, then."


    "..." Hera could really only look at Riley as she heard his breaths of disappointment. She knew he wasn''t trying to mess with her, but Riley always seem to manage to do so anyway.


    "Y''know¡­ you''re acting more human now than you did before," she then sighed, "It suits you."


    "Thank you, Miss Hera. I have been trying to be more human in the past year," Riley then said as he smiled at Hera; the corner of his lips¡­ almost touching his ears.


    "...Never mind," Hera quickly looked away from the alien beside her as she turned her focus back to the view outside.


    There really wasn''t much to see there; as unlike the movies, it just looked like a ck canvas. But soon, however, the color of Hera''s eyes started to change¡ªno. It wasn''t only the color, both her irises also separated into three as they somewhat became luminescent.


    "..." Riley looked at Hera''s reflection in the window, before stepping slightly closer to her,


    "I always thought Tempo was the strongest member of the Hope Guild. But now I am thinking that it might actually be you, Miss Hera. Unfortunate, I would have liked to own that ability¡ª that goes for all the members of the Hope Guild."


    "I''ve always wondered about that¡­ why didn''t you? Copy our abilities, I mean," Hera''s eyebrow slightly rose as she nced at Riley.


    "Because the Hope Guild responded toote," Riley shrugged, "Darkday was already too strong before you decided to take action against me."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Earth really is better without you, Riley."


    "I agree, Miss Hera."


    "...What even is your endgame here?" Hera then fully removed her eyes from the view outside; and before she could face Riley, her eyes were already back to normal.


    "Endgame?" Riley tilted his head from the question.


    "What do you want at the end of all of this?" Hera slightly squinted her eyes as she looked Riley in the eyes. At any other circumstance, her body would have already been trying to get her away from Riley as fast as possible¡ªbut right now, she knew she was the safest with him¡­ especially since she is basically Megawoman''s ''proxy''.


    "When will you stop? When you''ve eradicated half the life in the universe? I mean, what''s the goal here?"


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times as he tilted his head from Hera''s sudden question. But after a few seconds, he returned her gaze and said,<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "We''re going to Theran to attend my biological mother''s burial ceremony, Miss Hera."


    "That¡ª- never mind," Hera could really only sigh in frustration.


    "And no, Miss Hera. I will not eradicate half of the Universe."


    "Then¡ª"


    "But I will kill everyone that lives in it."


    "..."


    "..."


    The conversation could and should probably end here. But for someone like Hera, it wasn''t enough.


    "Why?" She asked with a tiny breath.


    "Because I want to."


    "You need to have a very valid reason for that, Riley," Hera groaned, "Seriously, I think a therapist would have done you good¡­ and maybe even Earth."


    "You have a therapist, Miss Hera?"


    "Every actor has one. In my case¡­ it prevents me from forgetting who and what I am," Hera whispered, "My abilities¡­ control me as much as I control it, you see."


    "Hm," Riley let out a small hum as he looked at the window, "A reason for wanting to kill everyone¡­ hm."


    "..." Hera could really only take in a small gulp as Riley then looked back at her. Was she¡­ finally going to unlock the secret behind Riley''s character?


    "My reason, Miss Hera¡­" Riley ced his hand on his chin,


    "...I just want to."


    "You¡­ really are just a creature of destruction, aren''t you?"


    "I suppose," Riley shrugged.


    "...And now Earth just unleashed you to the rest of the universe," Hera''s eyebrows began to furrow, "Why haven''t you killed us yet, then? Me and the other humans."


    "I will never kill you, Miss Hera," Riley''s eyes slightly widened, almost as if he was visibly surprised as to how Hera could even say something like that,


    "You¡­ are one of the voice actors of Italian Mafia Reborn."


    "..."


    "..."


    "We''re alive because of a fucking anime?"


    "Yes, Miss Hera."


    "...Great."


    And while the two were casually having a somewhat serious conversation, Captain Nana and her crew were fearing for their lives.


    "This is the scavenger ship Tdier! We don''t have any valuables. We are not equipped with any weapons, please do not fire!"


    Captain Nana screamed at her console as she saw the pirate ship still approaching them with their missiles locked on.


    "I repeat, we¡ª"


    "They cut us off thems, boss!"


    "No!" Nana mmed her small fists on her table as she heard her crew''s words. But after a few seconds of letting out heavy breaths, she looked at her helmsman,


    "Transfer all the energy from the shield to hyperdrive."


    "That¡ª they''ll hit us with a missile before we can blink away!"


    "Just do it! It''s better than sitting here like a trapped¡ª Eep!"


    And before Nana could finish her words, she once again felt a breath crawling through her neck. She slowly turned around, only to see Riley sitting on the floor so his eyes would be at the same level as hers.


    "What¡­ what is it?" Nana gulped.


    "Do you perhaps¡­


    ¡­require some assistance, Captain Nonoyo?"

 Chapter 467: Deal With The Devil

    "I hope I didn''t frighten you, Captain Nana."


    "W¡­ what?"


    Captain Nana was more than frightened. This was the second time that Riley was sneaking up behind her and it was starting to make her nervous; why did he even have to breathe down to her neck and sit on the floor?


    Of course, he might just be trying to make her feelfortable since she was literally only half the size of Riley¡­ but knowing what she knows about him, it only makes her even more scared for her life.


    A genocidal terrorist capable of killing an Elder talking to her so casually? How was she even supposed to take that?


    "I was only wondering if you require my assistance with the current predicament you are finding yourself in, Captain Nonoyo."


    "..." Nana could really only look up as Riley stood and repeated his words. Although no matter how many times he repeated it, it almost as if it just passes through herrge ears.


    Soon, however, she forced herself to talk.


    "What¡­ what assistance?"


    "The so-called pirate ship that is attacking you," Riley said as he nced at the feed on Nana''s table screen,


    "I can get rid of it for you, Captain Nonoyo. In return, I would also like to get your assistance and help us where we need to go."


    "T¡ª"


    "Mother! ept it!" And before Nana could even say a single word, one of her crew that was responsible for the navigation turned around from his station,


    "They''re clearly from the Higher Races, they can help us! We can''t divert our power from the shield faster than the pirates can shoot us down! We¡ª ack!"


    "Shut up! Let me think!" Nana threw the tin cup that was resting on her table, hitting her crew straight on the forehead. She then started looking back and forth between Riley and the status of her ship''s dwindling shield.


    And after a few breaths, she nodded.


    "Okay," she breathed out as she ced her palms together and looked Riley in the eyes. She didn''t really have that much of a choice. Between potentially being ransacked and killed by pirates that are currently attacking them, or asking the devil that still has not done anything to them for help, thetter was the only one she could take.


    "We''re going to open the airlock, you should¡ª"


    "There''s no need for that, Captain Nonoyo."


    And once again, Nana found herself being interrupted as Riley stepped away from her and walked back toward one of the windows.


    "..." Nana really wanted to ask Riley what he was doing but opted not to. The fewer words she speaks to Riley, the less likely she could make a mistake and offend him.


    "Boss!"


    Very soon, however, the feed on her table screen started to turn red with all the warnings that endlessly popped out in front of it.


    "What''s happening!?"


    "I¡­ I don''t know," the ship''s navigator almost stumbled in his words, "We¡­ we''re detecting multiple objects on a collision course straight toward us!"


    "Then maneuver aw¨C"


    "We can''t! They''re moving too fast!"


    "..." Nana tried her best to stay calm from all the bad things that were happening to her all at the same time. If there was only a visible representation of her stress, then it would probably fill the entire Known Universe right about now.


    "There''s no need to panic, everyone."


    And almost like an arrow that pierced through her stress, Riley''s words finally fully registered in her mind as she quickly turned her focus to him.


    "I could not really pinpoint where this pirate ship is exactly, so I just pulled everything within the vicinity."


    And as he finished his words, Captain Nana''s eyes could really only turn wide as their view of the expanse was now blocked by all sorts of objects, circling and caging them in a sphere.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    There were things that looked like space debris, asteroids, rocks, some dust clouds that almost looked like a nket of aurora¡­ as well as therge pirate ship that have been firing its missiles at them to deplete her ship''s shield.


    "I apologize for making a mess, Captain Nonoyo," Riley then let out a sigh as therge pirate ship started to move, only stopping as it hovered directly in front of them, "I suppose this is the pirate ship?"


    "...Yes? T¡ª"


    And not even a second after Nana''s confirmation, the ship that was probably ten timesrger than theirs disappeared¡ªno. It crumpled almost instantly into a ball¡­pressed to the point that it was smooth enough to reflect the things around it.


    "Hm." And with that, Riley just shrugged as he made his way back to Nana; and at the same time, the other objects that Riley dragged near them also started to float away and return to where they were previously resting at. As for the pirate ship¡­ he just left it there.


    "This is a scavenger ship, correct?" Riley''s voice was probably the only sound being made on the ship as Nana and her crew were leftpletely speechless by what they have just witnessed,


    "Ipressed the pirate ship for you so you could sell it. Consider it as a bonus for our deal, Captain Nana."


    "S¡­ sure?" Nana could really only look at therge shiny ball floating in front of her ship. She had never seen a Ster-level threat in the flesh before, not even aary one.


    But now, a Gctic-level threat was inside her ship¡ªjust casually showing her why he was considered as such. Nana didn''t even see Riley do anything, he just breathed and the universe moved to his will.


    She had heard this many times before¡­


    ¡­but Gctic-level Threats are nearer to gods more than anything.


    Still, even if Riley is a threat to the Universe, it doesn''t change the fact that she and her children were alive because of him¡­ and that was the only important fact right now.


    "Where did you want to go?" Nana then said as she turned her head to look up at Riley, "We''re just going to stop at the nearest to rece the fissions we lost. After that¡­ we''re going to take you wherever you need to go."


    "Theran."


    "Hm¡­ Theran," Nana then nodded before looking at her helmsman, "Plot the course for the nearest so we could¡ªdid you just say Theran?"


    And with her eyes blinking on their own several times, she once again turned to look at Riley.


    "Yes, Captain Nana."


    "Theran¡­ as in the home of the Themarians?" A small smile crawled on Nana''s face as her sanity very slowly left her body.


    "I suppose so."


    "We¡­ we can''t go there."


    "...Are you not upholding your end of the deal, Captain Nonoyo?"


    "This¡­" Nana turned to look at Hera, who had been quiet the entire time. Nana''s eyes were asking¡ªno. Her eyes were almost pleading for help. She doesn''t know what Hera''s role is in all of this, but Riley seems to listen to her. But s, Hera only shrugged at her in response.


    "I¡­ No one other than the Themarians is allowed to fly within their ster system. Please¡­ please don''t kill us."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Why would I kill you, Captain Nonoyo?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he heard Nana''s words, "As for not being allowed to Theran''s ster system, you do not have to worry about that, my mother is a Themarian."


    "You¡­ you''re a Themarian?"


    "I meant my adoptive mother."


    "..."


    "..."


    He should have just killed them¡ª is what Nana was thinking at the moment.

 Chapter 468: Ah, Vacation

    "Feel free to sell the pirate ship, Captain Nana. You do not need to be shy."


    "I¡­ don''t think I can sell a denselypressed ball of metal without being questioned."


    "You don''t have to worry about that, Captain Nana. Whatever life form the ship once held will bepletely unrecognizable, I made sure of it so as to not bother you."


    "..."


    After a few hours of nerve-wracking and stressful travel, Nana''s ship, Tdier, was finally safe andtched on the hangar bay of the closest where they could restock and recharge their ship. She had her hands full with trying to prevent her children from talking to Riley, but to no sess.


    She almost reached the point where she wanted to tell her children who Riley was, but stopped herself from doing so as she didn''t know what they would do once they found out. Thest thing she needed was for one of them to make a decision they would all pay for.


    "Trade it for this nuclear fission thing you are speaking about earlier," Riley continued to insist, "If it is hard to sell it like that, would you like me to separate them into tiny pieces?"


    "You can do---No, no. This is enough...Thanks."


    Captain Nana was always going to do something about thepressed pirate ship, she wouldn''t have dragged it with them if she didn''t. After all, as a scavenger, she has many buyers that are not¡­ legally registered with the city.


    "You and yourpanion can stay and rx on the ship," Nana then nodded and sighed, "I will find out about how I can smuggle you guys into Theran. There''s food in the¡ª where are you going!?"


    And before Nana could even attempt to coerce Riley to stay on the ship, he was already making his way out to the unfamiliar.


    "Wait, wait! At least cover yourself! The weather in tooine is harsh!"


    "tooine?" Hera, who was following behind Riley, could not help but raise an eyebrow as she heard Nana''s words, "That sounds¡­ oddly familiar."


    "There''s no need to worry about us, Captain Nana," Riley on the other hand, shook his head as he nced at Nana, "Weather doesn''t affect me."


    "That''s¡­ still, take it."


    "Give it to me," Hera was the one to approach Nana; before she grabbed it, however, she looked her in the eye and winked, "You seem so insistent in having Riley hide his identity¡­ I wonder why?"


    "That¡ªI''m just concerned for my benefactor, is all!" Nana looked away. She wasn''t a fool, however. She knew what Hera''s look entailed¡ªHera knew that she knew who Riley is. If it was known that she harbored a genocidal ouw in her ship, she would be executed on the spot.


    But since Hera epted the robes¡­ does that mean she will be helping her in hiding Riley''s identity?


    "..." Nana''s eyes then started to shine as she looked at Hera, looking at her like she was some kind of messiah that saved her from this drowning situation.


    As for Hera, she could really only awkwardly chuckle as she saw the look in Nana''s eyes¡ªshe was clearly misunderstanding something. The one that would gain the most from having Riley hide his identity is her.


    Who wants to tag along with a wanted man? She was here by ident, but she would be darned if she would make the most of it and make it into a well-deserved vacation. Her powers were to adapt and adapt to the situation she will.


    "Why are youing with me, Miss Hera?" Riley, on the other hand, hastened his steps as Hera followed him from behind.


    "You serious right now?" Hera rolled her eyes, "I am the one holding this Teera X120 thingy. You''re gonna go out there blind?"


    "I''m not blind, Miss Hera."


    "You know what I mean!"


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times, before ncing at the all-in-one device hanging on Hera''s waist. Should he just take it and kill Hera here? But Aerith entrusted her with it and is serving as her proxy¡ªwhat would she even say if she finds out Riley killed her?


    "You''re fucking thinking of killing me and taking it, aren''t you?" Hera said as she took a step back and covered the Teera X120.


    "Yes, Miss Hera."


    "Atleast deny it!" Hera blurted out, "A¡ªanyway, don''t cause any trouble on this, and please don''t kill anyone."


    "Why do you care about a species you haven''t met yet, Miss Hera?"


    "...Because I''m a hero? Duh?"


    "...I suppose that makes sense."


    "W¡ª"


    And before Hera could finish her words, the door of the ship opened, causing her eyes to change color as they instantly adjusted to the blinding orange light that seeped into the ship.


    "This¡­" Hera blinked a couple of times as she looked at the view in front of her¡ª barren. A bright orange crystal jungle reminded her of Egypt¡­ if thend and infrastructures were made of gems, that is.


    "It''s¡­ so empty."


    tooine had its own beauty, but without the trees that Hera was used to, it just looked¡­ soulless.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Was the you destroyed simr to this?"


    "No, it was a pink desert, Miss Hera," Riley shook his head as he just nonchntly stepped out of the ship; his face,pletely covered with a cloak, "Both of them do not have trees, however."


    "..."


    Wait, did she just casually ask Riley about the he destroyed; a that probably had billions of people on it? Is¡­ is hermon sense slowly dwindling? Is this her body telling her to get used to things like this?


    "I''m going to repeat my words, Riley. Please don''t kill anyone here."


    "Can you stop me if I do start killing people?"


    "That¡ª"


    "It was a jest, Miss Hera."


    "..." Hera''s eye quickly twitched as she saw the subtle smile forming on Riley''s fa before he looked away. This is all Tempo''s fault, she wouldn''t even be here if he told her that he wasn''t going.


    But s, she was already here¡ªthinking about it would be useless.


    Hera then turned to look at tooine''s red sky, only to see several flying ships moving around like ants. If she didn''t think she was on another already, then the flying cars cemented it.


    She just wished she actually knew how it would feel like to be amazed by this¡ªbut s, one of the drawbacks of her abilities is that her amazement also quickly fades away to adapt to her surroundings.


    Perhaps the only thing she couldn''t really fully adapt to is Riley, Hera thought as she continued to follow Riley; who, like her, was just taking nonchnt steps as they walked on a no human has probably walked before.


    And soon, they started to see all sorts of races. Most looked humanoid; there were some, however, that were floating around like some sort of jellyfish¡ªbut judging by the way the other races were talking with them, they weren''t just pets but full-pledged intelligent beings.


    And a few more steps, it was clear to both of them which race the belonged to. 90% of the people they passed by had skin darker than night itself; their height, almost twice that of an average human.


    "Interesting." Riley, however, was not looking at them, and instead was focused on Hera as her skin turned ck and her legs grew taller.


    "Can you stop staring at me like that?" Hera shook her head as she looked at her ck hands, "Their skin¡­ it''s hard."


    "Your abilities, Miss Hera. They remind me of a thing Gary always used to say."


    "Don''t bother telling me if it''s lewd."


    "Not at all," Riley said as he looked Hera straight in the eyes, "Your ability, it is a literal plot armor. If I dismantle you into pieces and burn you until there is nothing left, you will probably survive."


    "Please don''t," Hera shook her head, "My body would just stretch, I don''t like that feeling."


    The two continued to casually walk through the unfamiliar; not even bothering to look at the sights. Hera asked why they were exploring the in the first ce, and Riley just shrugged and said that it would be exciting.


    "..." What part of his face says that he is excited? Hera thought.


    Fortunately for her, there was finally something she could do and be excited about¡ª shopping. The two seemed to have reached the harbor''s marketce, and true enough¡­ all sorts of trinkets and gems that Hera has not seen beforey themselves before her eyes.


    There were even gems that shone in a rainbow color, and one that changed colors depending on the angle one would look at it. As expected of a seemingly made of crystal.


    Finally, she thought. Something good wille out of this whole ordeal.


    "What is this?" Hera quickly approached one of the stalls as soon as a gem the size of an egg caught her eye.


    "Ah! Wee, beautiful friend!" The merchant quickly smiled; showing a set of sharp teeth akin to that of sharks, "I see you are very interested in Wahina feces! That was just dehydration this morning, how many would you like?"


    "...Feces?"


    "We also have Ankutku puke, just vomited earlier and still warm!"


    "...Fuck."


    "Can I kill all of them now, Miss Hera?"


    "No!"


    And so, just hours on their journey together, Hera already knew what to expect going forward---she knew she truly was not going to get the vacation she deserved.


    And unfortunately for her, some shady individuals following them from behind would help add to her endeavors; their eyes, looking at the device hanging around her waist.


    "We have our target, boys."

 Chapter 469:Outlaw Retirement

    "I truly had no idea that you liked feces that much, Miss Hera."


    "Let it go."


    "I am not disgusted by many things, but I would never touch and even try to put feces near my face."


    "..."


    "As my sister used to say, no matter how beautiful it is, a poop is still a poo¡ª"


    "I said let it go!"


    "I am not holding onto anything to let go, Miss Hera."


    "You¡ª"


    An hour already passed, and the two were now seated in front of what seemed to be a local restaurant in the city. Although nothing was really working for Hera at the moment, at the very least, she wanted to taste the local cuisine¡ªif it was bad, then so be it.


    Not many could say they have tasted food from lightyears away. And besides, her body could handle it. As for Riley¡­ if he gets poisoned here, then the entire universe would be better for it.


    ¡­But would it, really?


    Of course, it would. Hera nced at Riley; her thoughts, for some reason, slightly jumbled.


    "Did you order a feces meal, Miss Hera? I would understand if you will. I, for one, will not partake."


    "You should just die, you know that?"


    "Some things are just not¡­ attainable, Miss Hera."


    And as the two were casually having a conversation, they were finally served the food. And contrary to their expectations, there were no unnecessary tentacles or food that looked out of the ordinary¡ª in fact, one could even say that if this was served to them back on Earth, they wouldn''t even think something was different about it.


    Hera ordered some sort of steak made with a mystery meat¡­ and it just looked like a steak. Riley ordered whatever the server from earlier rmended, it just looked like a regr stewmb; if not under garnished.


    "Well, this is kinda boring," Hera let out a small sigh as she took a bite of the steak¡­ and it just tasted like steak, "How does yours taste?"


    "Underseasoned and nd, Miss Hera. Perhaps we should just buy ingredients and I can cook it."


    "Hm, still¡­" Hera then grabbed the Teera X120, trying to flip and swipe through its contents until her face popped up in front of it. And with a shrug, she took a photo of herself and the food.


    "That¡­ has a camera on it?"


    "It''s basically a smartphone you can''t use to call," Hera shrugged as she deleted the photo and took another one. With her hands twice asrge as they were before because of the transformation, she found it hard to press the device properly.


    "Interesting."


    The two finished their food after half an hour, before finally deciding to explore the bustling city once more. But after another half an hour of doing so, they found out there truly wasn''t anything else to see.


    "You think we can buy one of those flying cars?" Hera then said as she looked at the busy sky.


    "Why not just ask father to build you one, Miss Hera?"


    "...Right."


    Hera finally realized why she wasn''t really fazed by any of the alien''s technology. It was because of Whiteking¡ªa human that could probably build a car more advanced than anything she had seen here with a box of toothpicks.


    "Your dad, are we sure he doesn''t have any powers?"


    "He does now, Miss Hera. He swallowed a Guardian Force."


    "...What the fuck''s a guardian for¡ª"


    "Move! Move!"


    And before the two could peacefully continue their conversation, a crowd of people suddenly rushed past them¡ª all going in the same direction.


    "..." Hera and Riley looked at each other for a few seconds, before just nodding and following the crowd. And soon, they saw them gathered in some sort of za with arge hologram projection right at the very center.


    "What does it say, Miss Hera?"


    "...Bounties," Hera said as she read the letters circling at the center of the za. She had read enough of the''s most usednguage to understand them¡ªanother quirk of her abilities.


    And soon, a 3D image of a person from another race popped up.


    "Maybe we should go back to the ship, Riley."


    "It is fine, Miss Hera. Even if I appear there, I ampletely covered in a cloak," Riley shook his head, "And I think it would be valuable for us to know the viins of the Universe, no?"


    "...Hm," Hera nodded as the two continued to check the hologram. Hera nced at the crowd from time to time, only to see them with excited looks on their faces,


    "...Being a bounty hunter seems to be a popr upation in space¡­ and entertainment."


    "I think so too, Miss Hera," Riley nodded, "Even the one that tried to attack me before mother''s ship left us belonged to a bounty¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, his image finally popped up in the za. And as soon as it did so, the whispers and murmurs of the crowd became louder.


    "Who''s that?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Do you live in the Unknown or something? That''s the neer!"


    "...A neer is in the Top 100?"


    "How is that even possible!?"


    "I haven''t even heard of him. Is he an Evaniel? Why would an Evaniel even be an ouw?"


    "Stupid tentacles, he''s from the Unknown."


    And as the whispers of the people became louder and louder, Hera was also starting to get a worrisome feeling. And very soon, she knew why¡ª


    "Top 100¡­" Riley whispered as he looked at his image, "...I''m only in the Top 100?"


    "Please don''t get any ideas," Hera said as she grabbed Riley''s arm, "We should go."


    "1.5F, what does it mean?" Riley, however, did not budge a single millimeter from his spot as he looked at the symbol on top of his hologram.


    And almost as if the crowd heard him, they also started focusing on his bounty.


    "1.5F¡­ Imagine getting that. You could buy your own moon and live there alone."


    "You? You can''t even hunt a grunt, how do you expect to hunt a Gctic-level Threat?"


    "Gctic¡ª I''m sure that''s exaggerated. Even in the top 10, only 5 are Gctic-level Threats. How can someone from the 80s even¡ª"


    "Because he was caught."


    "What? Then why is he still posted?"


    "Because they said they only caught a clone. I heard it took a Guardian from the Higher Race to even subdue him."


    "..." Riley quickly turned his focus toward the people that were talking about him. And he didn''t even need to ask any questions¡­ as gossip seemed to be a universal thing.


    "Is that for real? So they have him in the Phantom Zone?"


    "No idea. I heard they''re still keeping him locked somewhere, most probably to lure the original body or something."


    "...Where do you even hear these things?"


    "Wait, if the one rampaging around was just a clone¡­


    ¡­then how strong is the original body?"


    "..." Riley listened in on the conversation for a few more seconds, before just shrugging and turning his focus back to the rankings. Whether his clone was captured or not, Riley already gave him free rein¡ª it was up to his clone what happens next.


    The crowd quieted down as the rankings went on. But soon, the light from the hologram became brighter; the image, almost doubling in size, and with it, the crowd once again started to make noise.


    "It''s the Top 10," Hera whispered; her eyes also focused on the hologram. As she continued to watch, she realized one thing¡ª the viins of Earth were just a speck of dustpared to the threats of the Known Universe.


    For some reason, though, she felt something. She knew she shouldn''t feel it, but she felt somewhat proud. She knew it was fucked up, but seeing Riley Ross in the Top 100 felt¡­ good.


    It was good to know that the viin that terrorized Earth as a Cmity is in the Top 100 of the most heinous criminals in the Universe. It made her ipetence and the ipetence of the other heroes seem¡­ not so ipetent.


    "That looks like Bulwark, Miss Hera."


    "Hm?" Hera then snapped out of her thoughts as she looked at the hologram, only to see a gold-skinned humanoid sitting at the Top 5 of the rankings,


    "I knew that dude was an alie¡ªOh, no. That guy only has one eye."


    "2.25K," Riley squinted his eyes as he looked at the bounty on top of the ouw that looked like Bulwark, "I don''t like this feeling, Miss Hera. I am used to being on the top."


    "I¡­ didn''t take you for someone that cared about things like that," Hera squinted her eyes as she nced at Riley.


    "Hm," Riley only hummed in response as he continued to look at the rankings.


    The one sitting at the top 4 belonged to a race familiar to Riley¡ªElder Zora''s kin.


    The top 3 was another humanoid, and based on the crowd''s sudden cheering, he was quite famous.


    "It''s Kerrigan!"


    "Kerrigan! The Bounty Hunter King!"


    "Last I heard, he just came back from the Unknown to try and search for something. What do you..."


    "A bounty hunter is Top 3?" Hera blinked a couple of times as she heard the crowd, "That''s weirdly ironic as hell."


    The crowd''s cheers, however, did notst long as the hologram panned to the next ouw. Perhaps the fact that there was no image at all of the Top 2 contributed to that.


    "Caitlin''Ur¡­" Hera squinted her eyes as she whispered the name of the ouw, "That sounds¡­ awfully familiar. Why don''t they even have an image? Does that mean they don''t even know what the dude looks li-"


    "Oh, that''s mother."


    "...What?"

 Chapter 470: Innovia

    VR 470


    "...Mother?"


    If there weren''t any other people around them, then Hera would have probably already screamed from the words that she hearding out of Riley''s mouth. She knew Diana was actually secretly a Themarian, but that was the extent of her knowledge.


    She then turned to look at Diana''s supposed crimes that were listed on the lower end of the hologram¡ªand as she continued to read it, her body''s skin literally started to vibrate from the chill that suddenly crawled through it.


    It was as if her mind was telling her that knowing more would put her in danger. Her crimes¡­ Darkday suddenly seemed so small. That woman, who always had a smile on her face and dotes on her children to the point that it was so annoying¡­ was this evil?


    "I was wondering what her rank was." And as Hera was imagining all sorts of things, Riley was just looking at the cked-out hologram and nodding his head.


    "She only told me she was responsible for the genocide of 7 people, but the list seems longer. What does it say, Miss Hera?"


    "I¡­ think it is better not for you to know."


    Something was definitely not right with Riley right now¡ª why does he seem a little¡­petitive all of a sudden? Did knowing that there were many others out there capable of inflicting more death and destruction than he woke something up inside him?


    He did say several times that death and killing are his purpose¡ªdid seeing others do better than him make him somewhat¡­ angry?


    "Perhaps you should try and kill me, Miss Hera. It would lessen the time of me trying to bother you."


    "Yeah, no."


    Hera just decided to ignore Riley for now and focus on the final ouw they were showcasing.


    The Rank 1.


    "It¡­ it''s her!"


    "Please step on me!"


    "Are¡­ are we even allowed to look her in the eye?"


    "It feels like we''re going to die even though it''s just a hologram."


    "..." Hera''s eyes could really only twitch as she heard the familiar words of the people. She had heard those kinds of words many times before used on her, but seeing theming out of the mouths of aliens was quite¡­ an interesting sight for sure.


    No wonder, though. The Rank 1 held quite the presence. Like the rest of the top 10, she was a humanoid, but there was something different about her¡ªa feeling that makes one want to follow her, amanding and towering stature.


    Of course, Hera was only seeing a hologram of her; but she usually wasn''t wrong with her assumptions. Out of the top, she was the one that resembled a human the most with just tiny differences.


    Pale and grey skin, different from Riley. Hers was more like she was devoid of any blood. Her eyes werepletely red; her hair, almost t from how silky and ck it was.


    If anything, Hera wouldpare her to a vampire.


    "Pirate Queen!"


    "Pirate Queen Xra!"


    "...Shiarah? Pirate Queen?" Hera slightly squinted her eyes as she looked at Xra''s bounty¡­ only to see nothing there.


    "We love you, Queen Xra!"


    "..." Weren''t these people supposed to be bounty hunters? Why were they cheering for the No. 1 Ouw? The top 3, Kerrigan; Hera could understand since he was a bounty hunter¡­ but someone that is literally titled a Pirate Queen?


    "...Simps," Hera breathed out as she rolled her eyes, "Let''s get out of here before someone recognizes you, Riley. Captain Nana is also probably done with recharging¡ª Riley?"


    Hera wanted to pull Riley away from the crowd, only to see him once again fully focused on the hologram; unfazed and unmoving.


    "What are her crimes for her to be considered the most heinous and evil ouw, Miss Hera?"


    "Crimes¡­" Hera blinked a couple of times, before turning her eyes to the info circling around the hologram; she was so focused on what she looked like that she forgot to look at her crimes¡ª and to her surprise, there was only one line.


    "Leader¡­ of the Innovia? Perhaps a radical group?"


    "We should ask Captain Nana, Miss Hera."


    "Honestly, I actually wouldn''t be surprised if they left us already," Hera then shrugged and chuckled.


    "They won''t. I left something to prevent them from leaving, Miss Hera."


    "...Right, I forgot who I was traveling with for a second there."


    And so, with Hera''s sighs being drowned by the oohs and aahs of the crowd, the two carefully and casually made their way out¡ªand with Hera currently looking like a local, most didn''t really bat them an eye.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The locals, however, were the opposite¡ªthey couldn''t take their eyes off of Hera.


    "It would seem you are too beautiful, Miss Hera."


    "W¡ªwhat the fuck are you saying? I have a boyfriend," Hera quickly responded, almost snarling at Riley as she heard his words.


    "You said we should be incognito as much as possible, but I think some of the locals are even taking a photo of you, Miss Hera."


    "It''s not my fault! I¡­ was just born like this."


    "Hm," Riley shrugged as they continued to walk, "Perhaps you can say you are cursed with beauty, no? Gary always says that to himself knowing it''s not true. But in your case, it is."


    "...I don''t really know how to take apliment from a guy who literally murdered billions of people."


    "It''s not apliment, Miss Hera. I am merely stating facts," Riley shook his head, "You are the most beautiful human on Earth."


    "Pft. Even more than Megawoman?" Hera smirked, fully knowing Riley has a weird obsession with Aerith.


    "Yes."


    "..."


    "Perhaps your abilities made you like that. After all, beautiful people tend to have it easy¡ªas I heard from sister. Do you think you would be as beautiful without your abilities?"


    "...You know, you would really do well in the entertainment industry. I don''t know if you''re roasting me or not," Hera once again sighed and shook her head, "Out of all the people I thought I would be spending my vacation with¡­ I would have never thought it would be you."


    "Did you perhaps want to be here with Tempo?"


    "Duh," Hera rolled her eyes, "The only reason I''m here in the first is that I thought he would be here."


    "Do you love him, Miss Hera?"


    "W¡ª what kind of question is that?"


    "Aren''t the two of you married?"


    "What? No¡­ well¡­ not yet. And why am I even having this conversation with you lightyears away from Earth!?"


    "I am just curious how it feels, Miss Hera. How it feels to love someone."


    "...Do you actually think you deserve to know how it feels?"


    "No, not at all," Riley shook his head, "I am honestly more curious how grief feels."


    "Grief¡­" Hera let out a small breath as she remembered Tempo telling her that Alice was resurrected¡­ only to pass away again, "...Then why are you asking me about love?"


    "Because they are the same thing?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he stopped walking.


    "...No, they''re not," Hera also stopped walking as she looked Riley in the eyes; they were still surrounded by a lot of people since they were in the middle of the street. But for some reason, Hera''s entire being was focused solely on Riley.


    "But isn''t grief the past tense of love, Miss Hera?"


    "...What? Where did you hear that?"


    "Memories are of that past¡­" Riley said as he returned Hera''s gaze, "...And grief is the memory of love¡ªa love buried forever and never again felt."


    "That''s¡­ kinda deep," this time, it was Hera''s turn to blink a couple of times, "Where did you even hear something like¡ª"


    "Hand the thing on your waist if you don''t want to get hurt."


    And before Hera could finish her words, she noticed a group of people suddenly surrounding her and Riley; their eyes, obviously thirsting for the Teera X120 hanging on her waist. She and Riley were just having a moment¡­ and these goons just had to ruin it¡ª and what''s more, they didn''t seem to care that they were in the middle of the street.


    "..."


    But judging by how the people all just avoided them and some even walked away, it would seem there was a reason for their carelessness. Unfortunately for then, however¡ª


    "You guys¡­ should really walk away while you still can," Hera warned.


    "Heh. You seem to not know who we are...


    ...We''re members of the Innovia."

 Chapter 471: Fake

    "We¡­ are members of the Innovia."


    "...Innovia?"


    It took a second for Hera to remember where she heard that before, and to think they only became aware of it just minutes ago and now they''re presenting themselves in front of them right now.


    Innovia¡­ Hera could really care less about the alien goons in front of her right now as they didn''t really look that threatening. Their leader, however, is a different matter entirely¡ªthe universe considered her a threat above a genocidal Themarian.


    "That''s right."


    And it would seem her slight change in expression was quickly noticed by the alien thugs, as one of them squinted all of his six eyes and smirked; he wasn''t really smirking since he didn''t have a visible mouth, but his expression might as well be. Even then, however, a voice escaped somewhere from him.


    "Now, if you know what is good for you¡ª you will hand us the Teera X120," the 6-eyed humanoid continued, "A local like you have no use for something like that anyway. And judging by how you''re just iling that thing around with your waist, you''re just using it as a status symbol."


    "...You''re very eloquent for a thug," Hera blinked a couple of times, "Look, my¡­panion and I are just passing through this, we don''t want any trouble and¡ªfuck. I already know this scenario."


    "Passing through?" One of the other Innovia members stepped forward, slightly bobbing his erged head as he did so, "You''re a local. Why would you be passing through your own?"


    "That''s¡­" Hera looked at her ebony-like skin before sighing and shaking her head. She was about to say something¡­ but the thing she feared the most finally happened¡ªRiley spoke.


    "This also happened to Aerith and me when we were in Hotis 4J, Miss Hera," Riley spoke; the cloak covering his face, fortunately still there, "It would seem there is a certain sense ofwlessness in the Known Universe."


    "...It''s the same on Earth," Hera sighed, "Although I already expected it to be worse here¡ªbounty hunting wouldn''t be a celebrated profession if it wasn''t."


    "I suppose you could say we can draw a parallel between Heroes and Viins, and Bounty hunters and Ouws, Miss Hera," Riley shrugged as he stepped forward, "Am I allowed to kill people now?"


    "No," Hera quickly blocked Riley from the Innovia members, "Look, we really don''t want any trouble. I''m not going to give this¡­ Teera X120, so why don''t you guys just go before the policee or something."


    "The police?" Therge-headed humanoid scoffed, "You! The one in the uniform!"


    "..." Hera looked to where therge-headed humanoid was pointing, only to see someone who she could only assume to be part of the city''s police force. She then watched as the local policeman just nced at them, before shaking his head and looking away,pletely ignoring them.


    "See?" Therge-headed humanoid scoffed, "We are the authority here."


    "..." What was she even going to do about this situation? She was sure she could fight her way through without any problems¡ªbut then again, they would not only be on the Innovia''s radar, there was also a chance that Riley would be exposed. Should¡­ she really just give the device? After all, there''s a chance that Nana could just find a way for them even without it.


    "Miss Hera. If you give the device to them, I would no longer have any reason not to kill everyone here."


    Of course¡ªthis wasn''t even a choice.


    "Sorry, boys," Hera then sighed as she widened her shoulders and puffed her chest, "But I''m afraid you''re going to have to fight me for this one."


    "We warned you," therge-headed humanoid then ced two of his fingers on his temples, and as he did so, the four des hanging around his waist unstrapped themselves and started to float and light up around him.


    "Go get them, Larcus!"


    "No toy is worth your life! You should have just given it to us!" Therge-headed humanoid, Larcus, let out a small roar as he stretched his hand toward Hera; and as he did so, the des circling around him shot straight at her. The bystanders could really only either look away or close their eyes; but for those who watched what happened, they saw the des¡­


    "!!!"


    ¡­bounce from her body and drop to the floor.


    "...Telekinesis, seriously?" Hera could really only raise an eyebrow as she heard the des drop to the floor.


    "Bk!" Larcus then shouted. And as he did so, the 6-eyed humanoid rushed towards her; his arms which were previously as slim as a twig, suddenly swelling to triple their size. But like the des, they found themselves just bouncing off¡ªno. Bk''s arms were worse off than the des since they were clearly shattered judging by the whisper that cracked in the air.


    "Grah!" And his scream reflected that.


    "You!" Larcus then stretched his hands to the side; as he did so, the rest of theirpanionspletely circled Riley and Hera, "You really think we''re going to let you off this now!?"


    "Seriously, who approved of your scripts?" Hera could really only sigh as she scanned the 5 that surrounded them, "If you were in my agency, I would have fired your¡ª"


    "We should just kill them, Miss Hera."


    "Would Megawoman approve of that?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "...No."


    "Exactly," Hera nodded before raising both her arms, "Let''s stop this here. You''re clearly outmatched, and I don''t want to fight any of you. So¡ª"


    "Shut up! You harmed Bk!"


    "...Right," Hera furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at the 6-eyed humanoid groveling in front of her, obviously exaggerating the pain he was feeling. Wait¡­ exaggerating? Why would someone from the most notorious band of pirates in the entire universe be acting?


    "You guys¡­" Hera''s brows started to furrow as he looked at the group, "...are you really members of Innovia?"


    "O¡­ of course, we¡ª"


    "You''re lying," Hera didn''t even let Larcus finish his words. From someone with a trained eye like her, their lies might as well be naked, "Should¡­ you guys really be impersonating members of Innovia?"


    "What are you saying!? We''re from Innovia!" One of the otherckeys stepped forward, before showing a tattoo on one of his tentacles¡ªthe insignia of Innovia. Which, for Hera, just solidifies the fact that they truly were not members of the most notorious group in the entire Universe.


    In the first ce, would someone that belonged to Innovia even be making threats? Riley never made any threats, and he was, on Earth, what Xra is in the universe¡ªthe No. 1 threat.


    "...I''m going to count to three," the tone of Hera''s voice then changed as she looked Larcus straight in the eyes, "If your group is still within my view by then, I will start to retaliate."


    "We are the Innovia!" Larcus did not falter as he returned Hera''s re.


    "One," Hera said as she stomped her foot on the ground, shattering one of the des beneath her feet, "T¡ª"


    "You''re going to hear of us!"


    And before Hera could even finish counting to two, Larcus ran away.


    "Boss, wait for me!" Bk, who was groveling on the ground, quickly crawled away to follow Larcus. It wasn''t only him, the rest of the people surrounding Riley and Hera also disappeared into the crowd like cockroaches.


    "Wow." And as soon as they were gone, Hera could hear Riley pping from behind her, "As expected of one of the voice actors of Italian Mafia Reborn. You''re really good, Miss Hera."


    "Yes, it''s not because I also served as a Hero for many years," Hera rolled her eyes as she started walking, "Let''s go. We''ve wasted enough time with those goons."


    "If you would have just let me kill them, it would have been over in less than a second, Miss Hera," Riley sighed as he followed behind her, "I could have even made it look like they were still alive and just walked away."


    "Wait¡­ did you?" Hera''s eyes widened.


    "No, should I?"


    "...Please don''t. We''re so close to leaving the."


    ***


    "Quick, tell the others we need to leave the as soon as possible! Our gig is done!"


    "Why did we even target those two!? Of course, someone that''s just waving a Teera X120 around isn''t going to be a normal person!"


    "This is all your fault, Bk!"


    "Enough! There''s no use pointing tentacles here!"


    Somewhere in a bright alleyway in the crystal city, the group that was pretending to be from Innovia was walking around in panic; stomping their feet, hooves, and tentacles randomly on the ground.


    "It''s a shame, but that''s just business. We''ve gotten more than we can in this dreary anyw¡ª"


    "Hello, aliens."


    And before Larcus could finish his words, he was interrupted by a small voice that whispered through the alleyway.


    "...Who?" They all looked to where the voice suddenly came from¡­


    ¡­only to see a tiny, white-haired humanoid floating in the air¡ªjust casually smiling at them.

 Chapter 472: Little Riley Adventures

    "Hello, aliens."


    Larcus and his band of con artists could really only stare at the palm-sized humanoid floating in front of them. With the crystal alleyway reflecting all the light, the humanoid''s white hair seemed like it lit up.


    Of course, from the perspective of a civilization that was infinitely more diverse than those of Earth, they were not really weirded out by how the little humanoid looked like, no. There were dozens of races that were the size of an average human palm, one species even belonging to the Higher Races. And so, they weren''t weirded out whatsoever.


    What they were weirded about, however, was the small humanoid''s sudden appearance.


    "We did not really have the chance to talk earlier, aliens. So, my creator asked me to trail and follow all of you. And of course, as I, Little Riley, am now the most useful clone out of every clone¡ªI followed his orders to the fullest."


    "...What''s it saying?"


    Larcus could really only hear slight squeaks and whispersing from Little Riley as it didn''t really speak in Alltoh or any othernguage he understood.


    "I don''t know who you are, but you better leave us be," Larcus slightly raised his oversized head as he slightly approached the floating Little Riley, "We''re not in the mood, gnome. Go bother and beg somewhere else."


    "This is really sad, aliens," Little Riley was also oblivious to whatever the group was saying, "I am usually the one making the verbal threats out of all the clones, but it is obvious now that you can not understand me. Sad, since I find myselftely gaining upgrades with my vernacr¡ªI need to change tactics."


    "Why is it talking on its own? Are you guys just going to watch!? Throw the damn thing!" Larcus then gestured to his crew, "Throw him¡ª"


    And before Larcus could finish his words, one of his men, a¡­ cephalopoid, suddenly leaped into the air and violently wrapped Little Riley in some sort of sack. His tentacles, making sure to seal the sack tight.


    "What are you doing!? Why are you adding more to our crimes!?" Larcus immediately gasped as he looked at his crew; his alreadyrge head almost seemed like it was on the verge of exploding from how stressed he is, "Why are you kidnapping a¡ª"


    "I saw it in the bounty list earlier!" The cephalopoid hummed, "We can earn money from this gnome!"


    "What!? Secure it!" Larcus quickly grabbed a ball from his waist and threw it on the ground. And as soon as it touched the crystal floor, it unfolded into a cage where the cephalopoid quickly ced Little Riley in.


    "I knew it looked somewhat familiar," Bk, the many-eyed humanoid patted the cephalopoid a couple of times, "How much are we getting from this thing?"


    Bk''s eyes blinked a couple of times as he kneeled to look at Little Riley; all of his eyes, reflecting Little Riley''s white hair as if they were cold-hard credits.


    "I¡­ I don''t remember, we need to double-check."


    "..."


    And while Larcus and his crew all huddled together to search the bounty list, Little Riley just casually removed himself from the sack and stood inside the small cage, watching them with his head slightly tilted. Although he knows of Riley''s memories and basically also experienced them, this was his first experience with the aliens in their territory. Suffice it to say, he was curious.


    The alien with the tentacles¡ªalthough he had already seen a much bigger, and not to mention, a more towering and terrifying version back in Hawaii; it was still aplete mystery to him as to how they evolved like that.


    Curious, truly curious.


    Very soon, however, his peaceful observation was cut abruptly as Larcus very slowly turned his head towards him; his eyes, as wide as they could be.


    "You¡­ you idiot," a quiet and stuttering whisper escaped Larcus as he stared at Little Riley, "He¡­ he''s in the Top 100, he''s a Ranker."


    "What? Let me see that!" Bk grabbed the tablet Larcus was holding; his many eyes, panning from left to write as he read Riley''s file. And soon, his eyes too, seemed like they would pop out of their sockets anytime soon, "It¡­ it says here that he''s a Gctic-level Threat?"


    "What!? What did you do, X''ualk!?"


    "I¡ªI didn''t know!"


    "Are we sure!? It is listed here that he is a medium-sized humanoid!"


    "We¡­ we should run," Bk whispered, "We don''t need to¡ª"


    "Oh, that''s me."


    And before Bk could finish his words, another small voice whispered into his ear; he quickly turned his many eyes, only to see Little Riley no longer inside the small cage¡­ but was instead sitting on his shoulders.


    "W¡ª Ack!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    And before he could say anything else, Little Riley inserted his arm into one of his eyes.


    "..."


    "..."


    "!!!"


    It took a few seconds for what happened to register in his mind since his eyes did not have any pain receptors¡ªbut as soon as he closed them, the ufortable feeling that something was wrong caused him to take a step back and cover his wide face.


    Little Riley, on the other hand, just followed the tablet to the ground and continued to look at his profile; ignoring the visceral screams being let out by Bk.


    "...Anyone can ess this?" Little Riley asked¡ªbut s, no one can understand him, "Interesting, interest¡ª"


    This time, he was the one that was interrupted as Larcus suddenly tried to step on him¡­ only for his body to pierce and prate straight through Larcus''s boots and foot.


    "Gah!"


    "Larcus!"


    And just like that, with very minimal effort, the number 1 and number 2 of their group were now groveling on the ground and writhing in pain.


    "I am not really allowed to kill any of you, aliens."


    "Ack!"


    And once again, Larcus screamed in pain as Little Riley took a couple of steps forward¡­ shattering his bones as whatever remained of his foot was torn open.


    "Oh, you only have 3 toes," Little Riley casually muttered as he pulled one of Larcus''s toes off, "For once, I am no longer the weirdest creature in the alley. Wait, perhaps¡­ I still am because I am the most normal-looking one out of all of you? But then¡ªin regards to the vastness and diversity of the Universe, what is considered normal?"


    "Kill it! We need to kill it!"


    "I really need to learn Alltoh," Little Riley sighed as he still failed to understand what the aliens were saying. Still, he had enough experience to know what they were actually saying to him.


    "As I said, I am not really allowed to kill any of you," Little Riley repeated his words, "But Madam Hera did not really specify anything else so¡ªplease say farewell to all of your limbs and eyes."


    And with those words, Little Riley suddenly flew from his spot, stopping short of hitting Larcus in the face. Of course, this sudden action slightly caused Larcus to pause from screaming in pain as he fell backward¡­ sadly for him, one of his eyes did not follow as Little Riley was holding it.


    "Gah!" And so, once again, Larcus groveled on the ground; his blood, finely scattering on the crystal ground.


    "The design of your eye is very human," Little Riley whispered as he looked at the eye for a few seconds, before just nonchntly letting it plop onto Larcus''s blood. And with a small sigh, he looked at the humanoid with only arge single eye.


    "..." And as soon as the one-eyed humanoid saw the growing smile on Little Riley''s face, he no longer cared about anything and just ran. And almost like dominos, the others also started running away while they were still capable of doing so.


    But s, before they could escape the bright alleyway¡­ several shes of light suddenly appeared and pierced through their bodies. And very slowly, parts of their bodies started to slide away and plop to the ground.


    "...Curious," Little Riley tilted his head as he watched the silhouette of the crew crumble and fall to the ground,


    "I should have just plucked all of your eyes and limbs at the same time, now I won''t have the chance anymore," he then sighed¡ª he wasn''t the one who killed them, after all. Of course, he wouldn''t break his creator''s promise to Hera.


    "I followed these impostors here, but to think someone was already taking care of them."


    "..." To Little Riley''s surprise, he could understand the words of the one who did the deed as she unveiled herself from the other side of the corpses, stepping over them as she approached Little Riley.


    "So¡­ you from Innovia too?" The blue-skinned humanoid tilted her steel-made hat up as she looked down at Little Riley,


    "...Or are you here because you thought you were actually hunting us?"

 Chapter 473: Fun,Fun-Sized

    "I followed these impostors here, but to think someone was already taking care of them."


    "..."


    "So¡­ you from Innovia too? Or¡­


    ¡­are you here because you thought you''re actually hunting us?"


    It did not take long for Little Riley to figure out how and why he could understand the words of the woman that just stolen his new toys. She had the same device Aerith gave to Hera hanging on her waist, the Teera X120.


    And judging by her words¡­ it would seem she was from Innovia; this time, perhaps a real member of the group.


    "Are you from the Innovia?" And of course, Little Riley was not really one for guessing¡ªif he wants to know something, he will ask.


    "I am," the blue-skinned humanoid once again tipped her hat, before slowly crouching and kneeling to the ground as she leaned closer to look at Little Riley; the red shawl hanging on her neck, almost covering him, "Wait¡­ aren''t you the new Ranker? Why are you so small?"


    "I am not small," Little Riley shook his head as he avoided the long shawl, "I am fun-sized, blue-skinned alien."


    "Hm," the blue-skinned humanoid let out a small hum before looking at the two remaining members of the impostors, who wanted to escape the alleyway but could not since their legs were shattered,


    "You''re definitely not from Innovia¡ªso that leads me to assume that you hunted these impostors thinking they were us. That makes you an enemy, then."


    "Hunting them?" Little Riley also turned to look at Larcus and Bk, "I am just ying with them, blue-skinned alien. I don''t hunt."


    "Doesn''t look like that to me."


    "I believe hunting requires effort and nning," Little Riley shook his head as he started walking around; granted, not moving far because of his size, "Both don''t apply to my current situation."


    "You didn''t deny being an enemy," the woman breathed out as the veins on her arms started to glow, their reflections causing the entire alley to light up even more.


    "Because I am used to being everyone''s enemy, blue-skinned alien," Little Riley stopped walking as he looked up at the woman, "I am the viin, after all."


    "Interesting."


    "That is one of my lines, blue-skinned alien. Please do not steal it."


    "You have such confidence for one so small. What about it, do you want to join Innovia?" A smile then crawled on the woman''s face as she looked Little Riley in the eyes.


    "..." Little Riley, on the other hand, was visibly weirded out by her sudden offer; his eyes, fully squinted as he returned her gaze,


    "I thought we were going to fight, blue-skinned alien."


    "I''m not stupid enough to fight with a Gctic-level Threat, you will just tten me along with this. And please, stop calling me a blue-skinned alien¡ªthat''s kind of racist," the blue-skinned alien sighed,


    "My name is Moira," she then said as she once again tipped her hat.


    "Interesting," Little Riley nodded as he flicked his long white hair to the side, "For someone who doesn''t want to fight, your arms are still emitting light."


    "Oh¡­ could it be you are unaware of my race?" Moira chuckled, "I am a Torro. Our veins¡­ light up ording to what we should feel¡ªour race is not capable of feeling and expressing emotions."


    "..." Little Riley turned his small eyes to Moira''s smiling lips.


    "Identifying and practicing facial expressions is something we learn at an early age. I am only telling you all of this in the hopes that you won''t kill me," Moira sighed, "And it will not benefit you to do so as well¡ªQueen Xra will hunt you down once she finds out you killed me. And trust me, she will know."


    "I won''t kill you, I can''t kill," Little Riley just shrugged as he looked at Larcus and Bk, who were now a bit further away as they continued to wriggle their bodies to safety, "I can torture you, however."


    "Please, don''t," Moira shook his head, "I am offering you to join Innovia instead."


    "..." Little Riley just tilted his head in response, "How is inviting me to join your group equivalent to the satisfaction of trying to hurt a species that can''t feel?"


    "...Could it be you are unaware of what our movement is trying to build?" Moira slightly furrowed her eyebrows.


    "I am only aware of things that I am aware of, Miss Moira," Little Riley shrugged, "And whatever it is, it doesn''t really concern me¡ªmy existence stops here since I have already done my duty."


    "Your¡­ existence?" Moira sat on the ground, "What do you mean?"


    "Boss only ordered me to hurt them," Little Riley pointed at Larcus and Bk, as well as the other members that Moira sliced into pieces, "And since you killed the others, that means I have already fulfilled my duty. I will crumble to dust anytime soon and will only return once Boss calls for me again."


    "Crumble¡­" Moira was a little confused by Little Riley''s words for a bit, but then remembered one of the facts about Riley. As a part of the Innovia, Moira was required to know every Ranker. And as someone who basically barged his way to the Top 100, Riley''s profile was something she had just read quite recently,


    "Could it be¡­ that you''re a clone?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I suppose," Little Riley shrugged, "If that is all, then I leave you to do whatever you want with the remaining two, Miss Moira."


    Moira already knew that there was no chance that someone like Riley Ross would join their group. After all, as a Gctic-level Threat, there was a possibility that Riley was alreadyparable to Xra''s right-hand man¡ªhis addition to the group would definitely tip the bnce of the entire Known Universe.


    ¡­But what if it was just his clone?


    She also read that the one responsible for wreaking havoc was actually just another clone of Riley Ross. None of them believed it, of course¡ª but now that she was seeing how autonomous Little Riley was, then perhaps¡­


    "Do you not want to join Innovia? It''s¡­ fun."


    "I don''t care, Miss Moira."


    "..."


    "And as I said, my existence stops in this bright alleyway."


    "...Can you ask your orig¡ªyour boss?" Moira did not let up as she just looked Little Riley straight in the eyes, "Ask him if you can stay and join us. Don''t you think it''s such a waste to¡ª"


    "Stop trying to manipte me, Moira," Little Riley sighed and shook his head,


    "You might be mistaking my size for¡ªOh, he said it''s okay."


    "...What?"


    "I suppose I am going to ept your offer, Miss Moira," Little Riley very slowly left the ground¡­ before floating on top of Moira''s head andnding on her hat, "You said it will be fun."


    "Wait¡­ your mind is directly connected to Riley Ross?"


    "To a certain extent. The boss is me, but I am not the boss," Little Riley then said as he started climbing down Moira''s hat, slightly tipping it as he slid straight to her shoulder,


    "So¡­


    ¡­when do I get to meet Queen Xra?"


    Right there and then, Moira knew she made the wrong decision.


    ***


    "Yo, Earth to Riley. Why''d you suddenly zone out on me like that?"


    "I apologize. My mind just wandered to a certain alleyway with dead alie¡ªI meant people, Miss Hera."


    "That''s¡­ oddly specific. And stop daydreaming, we have a problem at hand."


    Back in the city''s spaceport, Hera and Riley were already back inside Nana''s ship. The two were expecting to leave as soon as they returned since they took their time exploring the city, but ended up finding an empty ship¡ª Nana and her crew-sh-children were nowhere to be found inside or outside the ship.


    "Perhaps they just escaped, Miss Hera? I am sure they were quite intimidated by you."


    "By me?" Hera''s eyes started to twitch, "You''re the genocidal maniac here."


    "I suppose."


    "If they left, then let''s just drive this thing on our own. I''ve been monitoring them, and I think it''s possible with just the two of us as long as you use your telekinesis."


    "No, Miss Hera. This is Captain Nana''s ship, stealing is bad."


    "You¡ª"


    "Do you two know Nana?"


    And before Hera couldpletely lose her mind, one of the screens near them suddenly turned itself on¡ªshowing a face that Hera could only describe as¡­ worm-like.


    "...Yes?" Hera instinctively but hesitantly answered.


    "She and her crew are being interrogated right now. It''s¡­ my fault," the worm-like man''s sighs were obvious even from the other side of the screen, "She sold me a condensed ball of¡ª it doesn''t matter, the guards confiscated it and said it was procured by illegal means. Please¡­


    ¡­please help them."


    "No."

 Chapter 474: Oh Shit

    "What did you say your name was again?"


    "Jobedin."


    "We''ll handle your request, Jobedin."


    As far as his facial expressions could go, the worm-like humanoid, Jobedin, smiled as soon as he heard Hera''s words. Although he didn''t really expect much from the two strangers, it was better than nothing.


    Jobedin is a famous tradesman¡ªif a customer gets apprehended and arrested while dealing with him, then his reputation would suffer drastically. It also helped that one of the strangers was a local¡­ and a good-looking local at that, she would, for sure, have a way to get Nana and her crew from their current predicament.


    "Thank you, thank you!" Jobedin wagged his neck along with his head, "I will send you the coordinates now, thank you. And please¡­ don''t tell this to anyone."


    "Y¨C"


    And before Hera could even respond, the screen immediately switched to a map; presumably showing the location where Nana and her crew are being held.


    "Why did you ept, Miss Hera? I already refused it," Riley''s quiet and not-so-subtle sigh pierced Hera''s ears as he stood behind her, "We should not be prioritizing the side quests and should do the main quests instead."


    "...You y video games?"


    "I used to dabble. But no, I only stated something Gary would say in the situation, Miss Hera."


    "That idiot really has arge influence on you¡­ and you''re probably the only person where I am not sure whether that''s a good thing or a bad thing."


    "Every influence is good, Miss Hera. It is only up to the influenced whether or not he or she would take it positively and harness it."


    "...Since when did you be so wise?" Hera could really only roll her eyes before focusing on the map, "Anyway, we should think of a n to get Nana and her crew out."


    "Why?"


    "...Because we owe her at least that? And besides, it''s your fault she''s being apprehended in the first ce."


    "If this was Earth, would you try and rescue someone being held by customs?"


    "The¡­ thews are looser here."


    "Isw your measure for moral¡ª"


    "Stop it with the Gandhi stuff!" Hera rolled her fists in frustration, "Nana knows who you are! Do you think she''ll really try to hide it from the authorities if they pressure her!?"


    "But I am not trying to hide my identity, Miss Hera. There is no need for¡ª"


    "Can you just stop!?"


    ''What the fuck was she doing!?''-- is Hera''s current thoughts as she stomped her foot on the floor and stared Riley straight in the eyes. It''s true that she had some leeway for dealing with Riley since he has taken a liking to her and because he considered her a proxy to Aerith¡­


    ¡­but suddenlyshing out at a literal killing machine?


    "I have had it with your childish shenanigans!" But still, she could not help herself.


    "You are a selfish little prick that only thinks about himself! You think just because you''re on the fucking spectrum or whatever that excuses your behavior!? And I don''t even me your parents or the people around you, because most of the people around you are actually decent people! It''s you! You are the problem, Riley Ross! Your refusal to just outright change even though every opportunity is and has been presenting itself to you so many times!"


    "..."


    "You fucking psychopathic murderer that probably gets off seeing blood and flesh! You''re disgusting! If I had the choice of just leaving you here, I would. But I can''t because destiny or fate or whatever seems to want us to be together right here and right now. I am stuck with you and it''s fucking not fair."


    "..."


    "What? You think I actually like you? No," Hera let out an almost maniacal chuckle,


    "I am afraid of you, Riley. I am so freaking terrified of you. And you know what? I bet you¡ª Paige, Tomoe, Scarlet Mage? The women you think are with you because they ept who you are? I bet they are even more afraid than me¡­ They abhor you, Riley. They are staying with you because, like me, they have no choice. We are your hostage¡­


    ¡­everyone on Earth is your hostage."


    "..."


    "You have no one, Riley Ross. Your sister? Do you really think she''s by your side because she loves you and cares for you?"


    "..."


    "No. Fuck no. She''s beside you because she knows that if things go sideways, she is probably the only one that has a chance to stop you. Out of all of us, out of all the people in the Universe¡­


    ¡­Hannah is your greatest and most pitiful hostage."


    "..."


    "Everyone could see it. All of us are just tolerating you because we have no choice. You are Death itself, Riley. No, no, no¡­" Hera once againughed manically as she wagged her finger at Riley''s face, "You are Destruction. Because you don''t just stop at death, that''s not enough for you, oh no. You need to obliterate and destroy everything."


    "...Okay," Riley looked to the side.


    "Okay!? That''s all you have to fucking say!?" Hera, however, immediately grabbed his head and faced it in front of her again, "Say something! Be a human for once!"


    "What is there to say, Miss Hera?" Riley leaned his head back and sighed, "Everything you said, I already know."


    "And that is what''s so frustrating about you, Riley! You know¡­ You know and you refuse to change! Over and over again, like a broken tape you just repeat everything. You said you are trying to be human, but there is more to being human than imitating the way we speak and our actions, Riley. You¡ª just what is it!? Just what is it that would make you tick?"


    "..."


    "Your biological mother died, your closest clone died. What needs to happen to you for you to actually change!?" Even after more than a minute of screaming, Hera''s voice showed no signs of weakening,


    "Even the worse characters in fiction have more character development than. Even the freaking clown terrorist got depressed and changed when his adversary died, but you!? What will it take to change you!? I don''t even care if it''s for the better, just change!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..."


    "Who has to die for you to change!? Hannah!?"


    "Me."


    "What?"


    "I am the one who has to die for me to change, Hera. I¡ª"


    "Ack, stop it with the pity party," Hera just stuck out her tongue and scoffed as she heard Riley''s words, "That might work on your harem, but that emo-shit just doesn''t do it for me, okay?"


    "..."


    "I don''t even know why I am talking to a literal doormat. I am going to try and see if I can get Nana and her kids out, you can just stay here if you want."


    And with those words and another scoff, Hera walked away; not even looking back as her steps became faster and faster until she was out of Riley''s sight.


    "..." As for Riley, he just stood there.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Hm," he then nodded to himself several times, before just looking up to nowhere in particr.


    "..."


    "Well¡­"


    A heavy breath then escaped his mouth as he turned toward the map on the screen, the beeping noise it produced, causing his lips to slightly twitch downward. He stared at the screen for a few seconds¡­


    ¡­before suddenly punching it.


    ***


    "Oh, shit. Oh, shit."


    Outside in the crystal streets, the only thing that Hera could hear was the beating of her heart which was probably loud enough to echo throughout the entire. If her nerves could also talk, then they would probably be wailing and screaming at her right now.


    Did she justsh out at Riley and asked him what would make him tick? Riley? The literal time bomb¡­ she asked what makes him tick?


    "Stupid, stupid," Hera muttered to herself, not even realizing that she was pushing other people to the side as she continued to walk the streets¡­ and unfortunately for her¡ª one of the people she happened to bump into was a guard.


    "Stop! Stop right there!"


    "What? Get the fuck out of my¡ª Oh."


    And so, with that, Hera also found herself locked up.


    "..."


    "...Is that you, Hera?"


    "Yes."


    "...Why do you look like a local?"


    "Long story."


    And it just so happens that her cell was beside Captain Nana. Like most of their infrastructure, even the cells were made of crystal¡ªwith circr holes on them probably for air cirction.


    And as they were crystals, Nana and Hera could see each other quite¡­ clearly.


    "I actually came to get you out¡­ legally," Hera sighed as she leaned her back on the wall, "You¡­ didn''t say anything about our friend, did you?"


    "Friend?" Nana blinked a couple of times, but widened her eyes as soon as she realized who Hera meant, "No! No, of course not! You have to believe me, I¡ª"


    "I believe you," Hera once again sighed as she looked at Nana''s panicking trods, "What about your children? You think they''re going to say something?"


    "They don''t know anything," Nana shook her head, "I didn''t tell them who he is."


    "And where are they right now?"


    "They¡­ are being interrogated. They won''t say anything, I promise."


    "It''s fine, it''s fine. We need to worry about how we can get out of here," Hera started to look around, "We can''t just escape¡ªI don''t want to bemitting crimes on a foreign."


    "What¡­ what about our¡­ friend?" Nana''s voice became quieter as she subtly stepped closer to Hera''s cell.


    "What about him?"


    "...You think he''ll get us out?"


    "Honestly, I don''t know if that will be a good thing or not...


    ...for this, I mean."

 Chapter 475:Frustration

    The cracks on the wall were things that could be said to almost be a constant happening in his life, but at the same time, Riley did not recognize them. He was used to causing destruction, at a level that could not even be quantified¡ªbut this little damage that he had done in front of him; the cracked interior wall of Nana''s ship, the shattered screen¡­ they were unfamiliar.


    Unfamiliar in a way that he never truly intended their destruction. And he could say, he could truly say that something like this has only happened once in his life¡ª the very moment he discovered his telekic abilities. After that, any destruction or death within his path was all by intent, beautifully crafted, and calcted even.


    And this, right now, in front of him¡­


    ¡­was a destruction led by impulse; maybe even frustration.


    Frustrated?


    Is that it? Was he feeling frustrated? He doesn''t know¡­ he can''t be, right?


    After all, he had never truly felt frustrated before¡ªhe thought himself incapable of feeling such.


    Anger? Many times. He used tosh out whenever someone he doesn''t like touched him, but he had learned to tolerate it ever since he gained a sense of social skills. But even then, his anger was directed, targeted, concise¡­ fleeting.


    But this¡­ this frustration, it crawled through his neck like a condescending whisper; inaudible, but each word with weight. Even now, as he looks at his hand and thinks of the words that Hera told him¡­ his hand starts to ball into a fist.


    His eyebrows too, started to furrow on their own. He¡­


    ¡­doesn''t like it.


    It was like there was a puppeteer pulling his strings; he wasn''t in control and he didn''t like it.


    Riley needs to be the one in control.


    "..."


    But as he continued to look at his slightly trembling hand as he tried to control it, all it did was make it worse; the urge of wanting to punch the already ruined wall was once again filling his head.


    It was different from the whispers he gets, no. The whispers he gets that tells him to hurt and kill people are, in a sense, quite literal¡ªwhispers. But this¡­ it felt like the urge wasing from inside him.


    It starts in his stomach, and then just climbs up and filled his head.


    "...Oh," he then slightly tumbled forward as he slightly lost control of his legs,


    "That didn''t work," he then whispered as he lightly shook his head¡ªhe tried to prevent whatever it was that was climbing inside him, but all he stopped was the blood and oxygen moving to his head.


    "..."


    "..."


    And so, the only thing that Riley could really do was sigh as his eyes darted back and forth between his hand and the broken wall. If he couldn''t stop whatever it is he is feeling, then he will just let it be and move on¡ªit''s just a minorpse in his brain, he is sure it will be gone before he notices it.


    Riley then let out another breath, and as he did so, the cracked and dented wall started to unfold itself; returning to what they once were. But s, even though the metal bits that fell to the ground were practically welded in, the web of damage was still obvious.


    Not to mention the screen was still pretty much eviscerated.


    This is why Riley doesn''t like not being in control¡ªthings that should otherwise have been saved from his existence end up being needlessly wasted and destroyed. There¡­ is no beauty in a destruction that he does not mean to happen.


    And since he did not mean for it to happen¡ª


    "...I need to pay for this," Riley whispered to himself as he tried to retrieve anything he could from his pockets¡­ only to find his current suit doesn''t have one. He was still wearing the ck Paragon outfit beneath his cloak, and even if it did have pockets, it didn''t matter.


    Hera holds the money forc¡ªwillingly given to them by Nana.


    Will they ept Earth money? No, even if they did, Riley also didn''t have any in his person. If he was right, then the people of the Known Universe were also using some type of universal currency¡­


    ¡­where will he even get something like that?


    "..."


    "..."


    Riley started looking around, trying to see if he could get an idea of what to do from Nana''s ship. He didn''t look long, however, as his eyes quickly settled on the shattered screen in front of him.


    "...Oh."


    ***<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hey you, let me out!"


    "Don''t talk to me! You think we''re just going to let you out because you''re beautiful!? You disrespected an officer, you don''t get a free pass!"


    "I just identally bumped into him! He should be honored he was able to touch an actress! Hey, you! What kind of stupidw is this!?"


    Back in the city''s local jail, Hera was trying her best to just not burst through her crystal confinement. It would be easy for her to do so, but she truly did not want to find herself with a bounty on her head.


    The people of the Known Universe seemed to be obsessed with bounty hunting; but then again, the same could be said of Earth.


    The battle between Good and Evil, and the poor people caught in between. Hera just didn''t want to find herself on any side of that since the Known Universe is¡­ definitely infinitely more troublesome than Earth.


    "At least let me get awyer or something!"


    "It''s no use, Hera."


    As for Captain Nana, she seemed to have already epted her fate; her back, surrendered to the crystal wall,


    "The local police of Febuvan is, to say it nicely, shit."


    "Febuvan? This city?"


    "...The. You''ve never been here before? It''s a Guided civilization, so everything is basically rushed," Nana finally removed her back from the wall as she heard the confusion in Hera''s voice,


    "Come to think of it¡­ Our white-haired friend is listed to be from the Unknown, could it be¡ª"


    "Yep, we''re from the same," Hera could really only let out a sigh as she sat back on the crystal floor, "...What do you mean Guided civilization?"


    "Oh, you know¡­s that weren''t technologically advanced, but approached by a higher civilization."


    "So¡­ basically a colony?"


    "I¡ªI guess? Wait¡­ So, if you''re from a in the Unkown, that means I''m talking to an alien right now!?" Nana''s small eyes turned wide as she turned her head up to look at Hera.


    "Well¡­ If you put it like that," Hera blinked a couple of times as her voice slightly hummed.


    "But wait¡­ Riley has telekic abilities¡­ but you can shapeshift? What exactly is¡ª"


    "Move! Move it!"


    And before Nana could satiate her curiosity, therge crystal door leading to their cells suddenly and heavily slid open; the voices of panic, celebration, awe, and fear just rushing from it like a wild torrent.


    Nana, Hera, and the other poor souls that were locked in their cells all quickly moved to the front of their cells to see what was happening, only to see almost a dozen officers surrounding a white-haired humanoid. And unlike the rest of them that were still treated loosely, the white-haired humanoid was bound. His eyes were covered by some sort of metal blindfold, his mouth was the same.


    His wrists and ankles, chained tight to the hovering metal stretcher he was bound to.


    "That¡­ isn''t that our friend!?" Nana jumped as shetched herself on the crystal bars of her cell, "Did¡­ did he get caught!?"


    "...No."


    And while Nana was practically sticking her eyes to Riley as he was dragged across the fortified hallway, Hera was shaking her head and backing away into her cell,


    "Darkday doesn''t get caught, Captain Nana. This''s fucked."


    "...Dark day? What dark day?"


    "This is what I was trying to prevent," Hera then once again let herself fall to the floor as a sigh heavy enough to fill her room scattered in the air. Her ebony-like skin, returning to its original light-brown color as her size returned to normal,


    "It would seem you''re in the front row seats, Cap."


    "Front row seats of what?" Captain Nana''s face was turning from worry to panic even though she had no idea what Hera was talking about,


    "Y¡­ You''re not making any sense! Front row seats of what!?"


    "The performance of the devil himself."

 Chapter 476:The Return Of The Hero??

    Nothing really happens on the of Febuvan. Unlike Hotis 4J and the other border settlements, they were just used as recharge stations by the ships that came their way¡ªmost of their visitors did not even step out of their vehicles.


    One could say their crystal is mesmerizing at first sight¡ªbut anything interesting about their small stops there; once you''ve seen a single scenery, you''ve seen them all.


    Nothing really happens on the of Febuvan¡­ until today, that is.


    "Riley Ross! It''s a Ranker!"


    "What do we even do!?"


    Right now, in one of Febuvan''s city ports, a life-changing event that could be said second only to their introduction to the Known Universe is happening¡ªa Ranker is in their grasp.


    Riley Ross¡ªmeasured to be a Gctic-level Threat, a monster that had only made his debut in the Known Universe and yet is already in the Top 100 most dangerous criminals in the entire cosmos. Even in the 100, the number of Gctic-level Threats could only be counted in one human hand.


    "We¡­ we''re not equipped to handle something like this! Call the Guardians, the Lahestia, just call anyone!"


    And of course, what could Febuvan''s local police even do but just panic? They could barely even contain the thugs that were pretending to be members of the Innovia pirates, what would they even do with a Gctic-level Threat?


    The febuvanirs could really only dance with their long legs as they looked at each other, asking themselves what to do. Riley Ross was cooperating now and even quietly sitting in one of their cells, but they were not stupid enough to believe that he could not just set himself free and start wreaking havoc.


    The sheriff of the port city, Fablu, was probably the most lost out of everyone on the. His eyes, just watching as his men pranced around; some, even surrendering their guns and badge to him.


    He can''t me any of them, after all. If he had the choice, he would do the same because, in the first ce, their didn''t have the kind of authority, much less firepower to apprehend a Ranker.


    And as to how Riley Ross was even in their cells?


    "That''s enough!" Sheriff Fablu mmed his hand on his desk, causing a crack to slither in the air as webs started to form on the crystal furniture,


    "Are all of you forgetting something here!?"


    And as Sheriff Fablu stood up, the panicked steps of the other officers started to slow down; their eyes, focusing on him.


    "You all should be ashamed of your silly disy of cowardice! You are embarrassing me in front of our guest!" Sheriff Fablue then once again sat down as he sighed; the furrow on his eyebrows, very slowly disappearing as he looked at the individual sitting at the other side of his desk,


    "I apologize for my men. We¡­ don''t see much action here, Mr. Paragon."


    "It is quite alright, Officer Fablu. I am used to people''s fears."


    "N¡­no, they''re not afraid of you. Please, don''t misunderstand, Mr. Paragon," Sheriff Fablu''s voice became meek with each word that escaped his mouth; his eyes, not even daring to look at the individual in front of him.


    The man waspletely covered in a cloak; the only things visible were his eyes, clear enough to reflect even Fablu''s ck silhouette. His eyes were gentle, but Sheriff Fablu knew they were anything but.


    After all, only another monster could subdue another.


    The individual in front of him, Paragon, just casually waltzed inside their station a few moments ago¡­ dragging along with him one of the most dangerous terrorists in the entire Known Universe.


    Sheriff Fablu was scared, terrified like the rest of his men¡ªhis fears, however, were slightly alleviated as soon as the cloaked individual started to speak to him.


    And as the two of them were now sitting at his office, Sheriff Fablu once again took a subtle peek at his trantor, which still showed that thenguage the cloaked individual was using¡­


    ¡­is Themarian.


    "No one¡­ no one is afraid of you here, Mr. Paragon," Fablu gulped as he tried his best to smile, "The¡­ the only thing we have for you here is respect. They¡­ they just don''t know who you are yet. Wk¡ªForgive me, I¡­I am usually an eloquent person. It¡­ It''s really just hard to focus since I am in the presence of a god."


    "...I''m not a god."


    "Of course! I¡­ I didn''t mean anything by it, Mr. Paragon!" Sheriff Fablu quickly lowered his head, "I''m just¡­ I am in awe of your presence. It''s the first time I am seeing a Themarian."


    "And it seems mighty obvious that my presence here is reducing all of your focus," Paragon¡ªRiley let out a very long and deep sigh as he stood up, "I shall take my leave, Sheriff Fablu."


    "Leave?" Fablu''s eyes almost popped out of their sockets as soon as he heard Paragon''s words, "What¡­ what about Riley Ross? We''re not¡­ equipped to handle a prisoner of his caliber."


    "You don''t have to worry, I''ll kill him before I leave," Riley shrugged, "I will leave the body here so you can im credit however you want."


    "Thank you! Thank you! We will¡ª"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    And before Fablu could finish his words, he could not help but flinch as Paragon suddenly stretched his palm toward him.


    "...Sir?" Fablu once again gulped as he nced at Paragon, but quickly looked away.


    "The bounty. I need the money, Sheriff Fablu."


    "The¡­ bounty?" Sheriff Fablu blinked a couple of times as he stared at Paragon''s palm, "We¡­ we don''t have that kind of credit. We need to contact the Hunter''s Association for that."


    "Hm."


    "Please don''t kill us!"


    And with just a small, tiny deep hum from Paragon, Fablu quickly fell to the floor and started groveling, "Please¡­ please."


    "I am not going to kill you just because you can''t give me money, Sheriff Fablu. I am a superhero."


    "...A what?" Fablu very slowly tried to look up.


    "But since you can''t give me money¡­


    ¡­may I request something else?"


    ***


    "We didn''t know they were with you!"


    "Yes, you arrested them because of the ball of metal, correct?"


    "Y¡­ yes, we didn''t know that¡ª"


    "I did that. It was a pirate ship and Ipressed it with my bare hands, Sheriff Fablu"


    "It¡­ it all makes sense now. You, what are you doing!? Get Mr. Paragon''s friend out!"


    "..."


    Hera and Nana, who had just previously witnessed Riley being dragged into the hallway in chains, could really only keep their mouths shut as they watched as another Riley stood in front of their cells, requesting them to be released.


    Nana''s cell was the first to open. The officer that was previously ignoring her before, now only has a smile on her face¡­ even offering her refreshments.


    "It¡­ It''s okay," Nana awkwardly smiled as she made her way beside the cloaked Riley.


    "Captain Nana."


    "S¡­Sir R¡ªParagon!?" Nana''s entire being shook as she almost blurted out Riley''s name.


    "Good to have you back, where are your children?"


    "They are¡ª"


    "We are getting them out as we speak!" Sheriff Fablu let out a nervous chuckle, "We¡­ we didn''t harm any of your friends, not even a single hair."


    "Hm," Riley only nodded in response before looking at Hera, "Why are you not opening her cell yet?"


    "That¡ªwe need to process her first, Mr. Paragon," a small drop of sweat instantly appeared on Fablu''s ebony forehead, "Please, we can just wait outside while¡ª Kh!"


    "R¡ªParagon!? What are you doing!?" Hera, who had her mouthpletely shut so she wouldn''t identally blurt out things she shouldn''t, could not help but scream as Riley suddenly grabbed Fablu by the neck and lifted him up.


    "You¡­ you will release her."


    "...Paragon?" Hera took a few steps back as she heard something she had never heard before¡ª a loud, and deep tremor in Riley''s voice.


    "Release her¡­ now!"

 Chapter 477: Plot Twist

    "Release her¡­ now!"


    There it is again, the tingling feeling that was restlessly trying to crawl through his neck. He thought he had already suppressed this unnecessary frustration inside of him, but it was still there, hiding within him and still as heavy.


    It was ufortable, truly ufortable.


    "Let go of him!"


    Fablu''s men quickly surrounded Paragon; their guns, pointed at him even though all of them knew it would do nothing.


    "There''s no need to escte this situation, febuvanirs," Paragon let out a small sigh as he let go of Fablu''s neck. He then patted his shoulders, fixing Fablu''s slightly crumpled uniform,


    "I apologize, Sheriff Fablu. I did not mean to scare you and your people."


    "T¡­this¡­" Fablu didn''t really know what to say as the relief of still being alive flowed through his entire body. Paragon couldn''t really lift him up entirely since Fablu was practically twice his height, but still¡­ as soon as Paragon held him by the neck, it almost felt as if a noose was wrapped around him, and beneath him a billion des ready to devour him.


    "I lost control, Sheriff Fablu," Paragon let out a loud sigh as he saw the fear in Fablu''s eyes, "Hera is a dearpanion of mine, you see. I would hate it if she was ufortable in the cell."


    "N¡­no, it was our mistake. We¡ªPut your guns down! Have you idiots lost your mind!?" And before Fablu could express his gratitude for not killing him, he noticed that his men were still pointing their guns at Paragon.


    Of course, sheriff Fablu could really only me himself for his men''s actions. They most probably still haven''t realized that the cloaked individual in their midst is a Themarian¡ªif they did, none of them would probably even think of even touching their weapons, no. The only thing they would be touching would be their recording and streaming devices as they take videos and photos of him in reverence.


    A Themarian, even the weakest one, could probably just snap its fingers and their entire would crumble. Fablu meant what he said back in his office¡ª for people in the Lower Races, Themarians are basically gods.


    "Open cell no. 4! Let''s get Mr. Paragon''s friend out!"


    and with that, the crystal bars that were separating Hera from the others slid back into the floor. Hera, however, did not move from her spot and just stared at Riley as her breaths became heavier by the second.


    She knew¡­ she knew that everything was a performance, but when Riley suddenly grabbed Fablu by the neck, she sensed something odd about it; it was genuine.


    Riley¡­ moved by impulse? Hera truly didn''t like the sound of that. Although she had not really spent that much time with Riley before all these space adventure shenanigans happened, she knew enough that Riley doesn''t show any other emotions besides extreme apathy and a skewed sense of joy.


    Did¡­ hershing out at him caused him to be like this? If so¡­


    ¡­was she going to die today?


    "What are you waiting for, Miss Hera?"


    Fortunately for her, contrary to her expectations, Riley just gestured to her, "We need to leave for Theran, mother and the others await for us."


    "...Right," Hera let out a sigh of relief as she made her way behind Riley. It would seem she gets to keep her life for one more day.


    "Theran¡­ Were you on your way home, Mr. Paragon?" Sheriff Fablu breathed out, "It''s¡­ truly a blessing that you passed by the when you did. If not, then we wouldn''t even know what we would do if Riley Ross decided to attack us."


    "Hm¡­" Paragon nodded; slightly moving to the side as he avoided Fablu''s hand that seemed to want to touch him, "Speaking of which, we should go to Riley Ross and finish our deal, Sheriff Fablu."


    "Ah, yes. Of course," a smile crawled on Fablu''s face as he started to walk away, "Please, follow me."


    The group made their way deeper into the jail, where the crystals started to dim and lose their color¡ªan indication of how dense they are.


    And there, right in front of them, was a door that was as dark as the febuvanirs'' skin.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "We¡­ we keep anyone above a city-level threat here," Sheriff Fablu''s sigh bounced from the wall as he started unlocking it with his biometrics.


    "...What are we doing here?" And while the Sheriff was doing that, Hera finally took this chance to ask Riley what exactly was going on, "Shouldn''t we leave before they could discover your disguise?"


    "No," Riley shook his head, "I made a deal with the Sheriff, I n to honor it, Ms. Hera."


    "...What deal?"


    "To kill the ouw that is known as Riley Ross."


    And almost as if on cue with his words, the dark crystal door opened up, revealing a slightlyrge hall. And at the very center, apletely bound Riley Ross; unmoving and just watching them with his cold, clear eyes.


    Of course, Hera knew that the Riley bound to a floating stretcher was just a clone; still, he exuded a certain aura that Hera just can''t shake off.


    "Ho¡­" Sheriff Fablu could not help but almost shake in excitement as Paragon stepped inside the cell, "If anyone could dispose of a Ranker, then it will be a respected Themarian like you, Mr. Paragon."


    "..." Hera turned to look at Nana, who had also been quietly following Riley from behind. And as soon as their eyes met, they nodded at each other.


    A Themarian. Hera and Nana had been wondering why Sheriff Fablu was so meek and obedient, which fully exins why. They were worried they would say something wrong and destroy Riley''s disguise, but now, they have one less thing to worry about.


    "I am required to tell you this, but everything happening right now is being recorded and streamed live, Mr. Paragon."


    "...What? Why?" Hera was the one to respond.


    "It''s¡­ just the way thew works?" Fablu just shrugged, "An execution of a Ranker is a public event. I¡­ can''t really do anything about it, even if it is your request, Mr. Paragon."


    "It''s alright, Sheriff Fablu. I do not mind," Paragon did not even look back as he slowly made his way to the Riley clone; their eyes, staring at each other.


    "This is nothing personal, Riley Ross."


    And without even a breath of introduction, Paragon''s eyes started to turn red.


    "...Wow." Nothing was truly happening yet, but Fablu''s breath of exmation almost filled the entire cell. He will probably never be as excited as he is now for the rest of his life. To see the prowess of a Themarian up close and personal¡ªhe would never get a chance like this again.


    "Farewell, Riley Ross."


    And with those words, a violent red beam surged out from Paragon''s eyes. The light, shooting straight toward the Riley clone''s face¡­


    ¡­only to freeze in space just an inch away from creating a hole in his face.


    "This is it?"


    "...Huh?" Not only the Sheriff, but even Hera could not help but breathe out in shock as they watched as the chains and straps that bound Riley very slowly unraveled. And in that instant, it felt like they were underwater as everything around them started to float.


    And like a butterfly shedding out from its cocoon, Rileypletely freed himself from his shackles.


    "This is the strength of a Themarian?" He then whispered as his foot very gentlynded on the crystal floor, "This¡­


    ¡­is pathetic

 Chapter 478: Paragon Vs.Riley Ross

    "This is the strength of a Themarian? This¡­


    ¡­is pathetic."


    Hera is officially and utterly confused. She had initially thought that the scenario that Riley prepared for the Known Universe was perfect.


    A Themarian ending the reign of terror of Riley Ross.


    Every problem they will ever face going forward would have beenpletely eliminated after that. They wouldn''t have to sneak around and be careful, and she would finally be able to enjoy the vacation she knew she deserved.


    But now¡­ she didn''t even know who the real Riley Ross is.


    "This is the master race?"


    "!!!"


    They didn''t even see what happened, but Riley Ross was grabbing Paragon''s face; his cloak, fluttering at an insane speed like the rattle of a snake as they stretched.


    "This is what the universe is so scared of?" Riley Ross hummed as he very slowly turned his head toward one of the surveince cameras that he detected as soon as he was ced inside therge cell, and with a small and sinister chuckle, the hovering stretcher that bound him earlier shredded into a million pieces.


    "You talk too much."


    And even with his face covered, a calm breath still escaped Paragon''s lips and seeped from the edges of Riley Ross''s palm. And at a speed that Sheriff Fablu could once again not follow, Paragon suddenly had his hands tightly gripping around Riley Ross''s wrist. The only thing that Fablu could really see was what happened after¡ªhow could he not, when half of his cell that was supposed to hold city-level threats was now open for the entire world to see? And not only that, but he could also see the celestial bodies as the clouds that covered their skies also split in half.


    "Just¡­ what?"


    For just the shockwave of a simple action to cause this much damage, Sheriff Fablu finally realized why he and everyone thought of Themarians as gods¡ª they live in apletely different world.


    And then, there''s Riley Ross; who, despite being in front of a Themarian, still had this creepy and wide smile on his face.


    "This ends now, ouw."


    And with those words whispering in the air, Paragon''s eyes once again lit up¡ªthe red violent light, almost like a de as it infinitely carved the silhouette of Riley''s palm.


    "I do not think so, Mr. Paragon."


    And as the beam of death unleashed itself, Riley Ross forcefully turned Paragon''s head up¡ªthe scorching sword that was meant to be for him, now pointing straight to the sky¡­ hitting one of the''s moons.


    "Hera!?"


    Nana could really only grab Hera''s leg, pulling on it as she looked her straight in the eyes, "Do something!"


    "...Are you for real?" Hera, however, only looked at Nana as if she was crazy. This was Riley''s performance, if Hera was to take the stage, she knew a quick death would follow¡ªno, worse. Her body would surely try to find a way to keep her alive, and thest time that happened, it felt as if a billion sandpaper was shredding each centimeter of her body apart all at the same time.


    The only thing anyone could really do in this situation was to watch and hope for the best. Earth had suffered at the hands of Riley, and now it''s everyone''s turn.


    "A ssic themarian," Riley Ross let out a small chuckle as he watched as the moon very slowly crumbled in space, "Always leaving destruction in their wake and not caring about the innocent people they leave in coteral. Your cousin on Earth was the same, I think her name was Aer¡ª"


    And before Riley Ross could finish his words, Paragon suddenly pushed his hand away to finally free his face, and without even any warning or even a breath, he pulled Riley Ross near him with one hand¡­


    ¡­and then punched through Riley Ross''s chest with the other.


    "You think evil has a ce in the universe? Not today, ouw."


    And with that, Riley Ross''s chest started to crack. And very slowly, his face also started to crumble; his body, turning into dust that shared the same color as the''s crystal terrain.


    "..." Hera''s eyes werepletely nk. She knew her eyes didn''t fail her. If Riley didn''t be a world-ending psychopath, then he would have definitely been a very famous actor.


    Still¡­ isn''t this overdoing it?


    "...It''s only a clone," Paragon let out a small breath as he opened his fist, scattering thest of the clone''s ashes into the air.


    "That¡­ was only a clone?" Sheriff Fablu could not help but hold his breath from what Paragon''s words indicated.


    A mere clone¡­ was able to restrain a Themarian for a couple of seconds? That was a feat that required more than a dozen of Guardians¡­ and a clone was able to do that on its own?


    If so, then how strong is the original Riley Ross?


    "H¡­ho¡­" Sheriff Fablu could not stop the stuttered breath that forcefully escaped his mouth. The thought of imagining what the true Riley Ross is capable of caused his entire body to almost shut down.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Sheriff Fablu."


    "Y¡­yes?" Fablu quickly rushed to Paragon''s side as soon as he heard him calling.


    "What is the current bounty of Riley Ross?" Riley muttered as he watched as his clone''s ashes continued to drift with the wind.


    "...What?"


    "Riley Ross''s bounty, how much is it?"


    "I¡­ I believe it''s at 1.5F," Sheriff Fablu quickly checked on his device, "Y¡­yes, he''s Rank 89 at 1.5F."


    "Hm," Riley let out a short but deep breath, "I think they should start raising it."


    "They¡­ they definitely will after this, Mr. Paragon," Sheriff Fablu''s breaths continued to stutter as his entire body shivered, "I¡­ I don''t really have a scope of how strong the other Rankers are¡­ but I believe Riley Ross is definitely different from all of them."


    "I believe so too. Perhaps he is even stronger than the one they call Pirate Queen."


    "Well¡ª"


    "What was her name again? Shakira?"


    "!!!" Sheriff Fablu quickly turned his head toward one of the surveince cameras, gesturing to whoever was on the other side to quickly cut the feed. She could really only hope that the stream was stopped before Paragon was able to finish his words.


    Pirate Queen Xra was known for her quick temper¡­ and that usually was not really a goodbination with a creature known to rival a themarian in power.


    "It¡­ It''s Pirate Queen Xra, Mr. Par¡ª"


    "I do not really care for her name, Sheriff Fablu," Riley flicked his cloak as he started to walk away, "I will leave now¡ªsuch mundane acts are beneath me."


    "...Mr. Paragon?"


    "Be careful, darker days are ahead."


    "..." Hera''s eyes slightly twitched as Riley''s words reached her ears. Did¡­ he just copy Megawoman''s line? Wait¡­ was she acting like Megawoman? Is this how he sees her?


    "Miss Hera, Captain Nana¡­


    ¡­let us go!"


    And with his cloak fluttering and flowing with the air, Riley and his crew left¡­ not fully knowing the scale of chaos he had just dawned upon the Known Universe.


    ***


    "This fucker¡­"


    Thousands and thousands of lightyears away, a spaceship simr to the shape of amon naval warship on Earth orbited around a dwarf sun. This would have just been a normal sight in the Known Universe¡­ if it wasn''t for the fact that a violent tornado of mes was currently being sucked in by the warship.


    This was definitely a sight that would make one quiver in their boots.


    The captain of this warship was also shaking on her throne, but not because of the horrifying and drowning sight¡­ but because of what she had just witnessed on therge screen in front of her.


    "Is this fucker pretending not to know my name!? Shakira!? Who the fuck is Shakira!?"


    A skin, even paler than that of Riley''s; her eyes, the color of blood¡ªthe Pirate Queen Xra.


    "C¡­captain Xra, please calm down!"


    "The fuck I would! Find him!" Xra''s jet-ck hair flowed as she mmed her fist on the stone table in front of her, "Set a course for Febuvan, now!"


    "But we''re still not done harvesting the¡ª"


    "If I have to repeat myself again, I will space you out myself!"


    Xra threw the stone table in front of her as she stood up. Her crew that was on the path of the spiraling table, just casually stepping to the side to avoid it as if they have done so a million of times, "Find this Themarian shit right now¡­


    ¡­find him now!"

 Chapter 479:The Moon Elder

    Paragon vs Riley Ross.


    Themarian vs. a new and previously unknown Ranker.


    Even with the Known Universe being asrge as it is, this topic not only echoed but thundered throughout the almost endless expanse. Some watched and received the newste, but still¡ªeveryone was talking about it.


    How could they not, when even a glimpse of a sighting of a Themarian only happens once in a lifetime? Even more so a Themarian inbat.


    This was no surprise even for an earthling like Hera. She practically saw Megawoman almost every day back on Earth, but she still finds herself in awe whenever she dawns her suit.


    Still, she sees her every day¡ªshe wasn''t exactly a rare sight for Earth. But for the Known Universe, it seemed they were treated almost like myth. She could not help but feel¡­ special for some reason. How could she not? There''s not just one themarian on Earth, but two.


    Of course, there was a part of her that felt slightly bad for the aliens. The themarian they were fawning over was fake, after all.


    The universe was being yed by Riley, much like he did on Earth. And perhaps the worst, or perhaps the best part of it all was that technically, he was momentarily the most talked about individual in the entire universe.


    Some were nervous about this new, monstrous Ranker. Everyone on the Top 100 Ouw is dangerous, but the majority of them tend to just lie low and hide, not reallymitting any crimes that would risk their capture.


    But Riley Ross? He was practically a bloodthirsty demon that killed everything within its path¡ªa being that thrived on chaos. How could they not be nervous?


    And it wasn''t only themon people, some of the Elders of the Common Council were also currently in a fit of panic as they were receiving bacsh from Riley''s rampage. Some of the Universe-leadings were ming them for their inaction.


    "I believe we are all at fault here for underestimating the chaos that a neonatal threat would bring. What is important now is our action going forward."


    In a bright and empty spherical room, a female humanoid floated at the very center. Her silhouette and her anatomy were akin to that of a normal human; a little petite, but seemingly tall at the same time. The only difference is that her skin was that of t silver, and each individual strand of her hair is too. No, every corner of her body was silver.


    As for whether or not she was bare naked, it was hard to determine. There were lines in her body that were simr to that of creases that one would find in clothing, but it was subtle¡ªminute, and almost merging with her skin.


    The only thing that could really be said to be an article on her was her sses, their golden frame, the only contrast in her otherwise monotonous physique. Her look was not the only thing that was monotonous, however, as the tone of her voice offered somethingpetition with how straight and robotic it was.


    And if Riley was to hear her speak, he would quickly recognize her as the only female Elder of the Common Council, Tedi.


    And simr to the spherical room in Princess Vera''s ship, Tedi was also surrounded by the cked-out and blurred holograms of the Elders.


    "We have tried to disregard him even after he brutally killed Elder Zora to show the people that we are not fazed, it is time to ept that it was the wrong decision." Although Elder Tedi''s words seemed to hold a certain sincerity in them, the tone of her voice remained monotonous, "I believe it is time for us to deal with this in a lethal manner."


    "For once, I agree with the robot."


    "How many times do I have to tell you that I am not a robot, Elder S''adar?" Tedi''s eyebrows began to lower as she turned around, only to see a hologram floating awfully close to her,


    "And why are you even present in this meeting? Should you not be fighting in the tournament?"


    "Well¡­" Although it was hard to see as the hologram was still clouded, it was obvious that Elder S''adar was scratching his head, seemingly causing his spiky hair to wriggle, "...I already lost. I''m just resting now."


    "Oh," Elder Tedi forcefully made the effort to let out a condescending hum, "So that is why some credit entered my ount."


    "Wait¡­ you really bet against me!? You soulless creature!" Elder S''adar''s hologram suddenly rushed toward Elder Tedi. Tedi, however, did not even flinch as his hologram passed through her.


    "W¡ª"


    "Enough!"


    And before the two could start their whole routine again, the Grand Elder''s voice resounded throughout the spherical room, causing the 5 other holograms to flicker.


    "We need to focus our efforts on trying to make contact with the Evaniel princess!" The Grand Elder stated as he tapped the arm of his throne,


    "Thest time we talked to her, she said she would be siding with Riley Ross¡ªDid we find out what that means yet!?"


    "It is just an act of self-preservation, Grand Elder," Elder Tedi raised her hand, "She realized his threat early on, perhaps we should have done the same. Am I the only one here that sees that Riley Ross is a bigger threat than we could have ever entailed?"


    "Hey¡­ I agreed with you," Elder S''adar voiced out. But s, he waspletely ignored by Elder Tedi.


    "Hm," the Grand Elder only looked at Elder Tedi for a few seconds, before his hologram could be seen facing one of the Elders that barely talks, "Skeem."


    "Yes?"


    It was hard to determine the silhouette of the Elder called Skeem, but from his shape, it almost seemed like his entire body was just¡­ one straight line; with his head almost in the shape of¡­ a worm, for theck of a better word.


    "Have you found Princess Vera''s whereabouts?"


    "No," Elder Skeem shook his worm-like head.


    "...Why not?"


    "I can''t put my focus elsewhere, Grand Elder," Elder Skeem quickly responded; his voice, obviously altered by some sort of device, "There are priorities that are above that requires my attention more; Pirate Queen Xra continues to harvest stars, bounty hunter Kerrigan continues to antagonize the Guardians and devour their Guardian Force¡­


    ¡­and then there''s the Cherbi."


    "Report." Not only the Grand Elder, but Tedi and the other Elders all turned their attention to Skeem as soon as they heard hisst word.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "The Pink Void is soon to traverse a path with a ster system inhabiting a civilization of a dozen billion poption," Skeem continued, "Lahestia is working to evacuate them now."


    "...Tch," the Grand Elder once again tapped the arm of his throne; his breaths, clearly frustrated, "Do I really need to do this myself?"


    "Oh, he said the line," Elder S''adar''s spiky hair started to bounce as he looked back and forth at the other Elders repeatedly, "Get the gau¡ª"


    And before Elder S''adar could even give ament, another hologram suddenly popped up. And unlike the holograms of the Elders, they could clearly see who it was.


    Vera¡ªno. Older.


    "Queen¡­ Queen Vania!?" The Grand Elder quickly stood up from his throne, revealing howrge, or rather how small he actually waspared to his hovering chair, "What are you¡ª"


    "Pathetic."


    "W¡ª"


    And before the Grand Elder or anyone else could speak, Queen Vania''s hologram disappeared as sudden and quickly as it popped up.


    "..."


    "..."


    "M¡­meeting dismiss," the Grand Elder breathed out, "I''ll¡­ try to find out what she wanted."


    "..." And with that, the holograms disappeared one by one, leaving Elder Tedi floating alone in the spherical room.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Elder Keem."


    "Yes?"


    The silence did notst long, however, as Elder Skeem''s hologram once again showed itself as soon as Elder Tedi called.


    "Send me the path of the Cherbi, I will try to divert its course," Tedi breathed out as she started to stretch her arms; her movements, extremely minimal.


    "...That''s dangerous, Elder Tedi," Skeem''s silhouette could be seen momentarily freezing as he heard Tedi''s words, "Just a single mistake, and the Pink Void would swallow even a being like you whole."


    "Hm. I know," Tedi let out a monotonous hum, "In return, if I am sessful in diverting the Cherbi, raise Riley Ross''s priority on your list."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Very well, I am sending you the coordinates now. Be safe out there."


    "I will."


    And with her once again alone, Elder Tedi let out a small but very deep sigh as she started to float toward the edge of the room. And with a slight gesture of her finger, a circr hole opened up, allowing her to leave the sphere¡­


    ¡­and what weed her was the view of the vast expanse of space. She stared at this familiar and boring scene for a few seconds, before very gently turning around and revealing arge, brown, spherical rock behind her.


    Elder Tedi then once again flicked her finger, and as she did so, the hole she made started to close.


    "..."


    "..."


    And then, with another sigh, she just flew away.


    This might just seem like a simple action, but it was anything but.


    "Elder Tedi¡­ Elder Tedi is leaving!? How long has it been since west saw her!?"


    "Elder Tedi, please look here!"


    "Elder Tedi, we pray to you!"


    The spherical rock¡­ wasn''t just any rock¡ªit was a giant asteroid with its own ecosystem; its inhabitants, currently watching as Elder Tedi''s colossal silhouette faded from their synthetic skies.


    Heriopolis¡ª one of thergest habitable asteroids in the entire Known Universe, more than twice the size of Earth.


    And for its people, Elder Tedi is the moon.

 Chapter 480:The Pink Void

    "Is it really okay for you to leave your crew like that?"


    In the almost infinite expanse of space, Captain Nana''s ship, Tdier, was once again able to soar through the colorful darkness; a lot lighter, of course, but not because it was no longer towing thergepressed metal ball, but because Nana decided to leave the rest of her crew back on Febuvan. Weight didn''t matter much in space, but the absence of her crew is felt nheless.


    "It''s fine."


    Captain Nana, however, did not seem to mind as she just focused on the screen embedded t on her table,


    "I can control everything using my station, that includes piloting it on my own."


    "I didn''t mean that," Hera''s sigh whispered throughout the quiet deck as she approached Nana, leaning down as she also focused her eyes on the feed being shown on the table screen, "Aren''t they also your children?"


    "...They are," Captain Nana subtly nced at Hera, before turning to look at Riley who was just casually walking around the control deck and examining everything, "That''s why I had to leave them."


    "...Right," Hera quickly noticed where Nana was looking, "That''s¡­understandable. But children, you don''t look that much older than them."


    "You mean we''re all small?"


    "I¡­" Hera blinked a couple of times from Nana''s bluntness, "In¡­the modeling industry, we prefer to use the term fun-sized."


    "Fun-sized¡­ I might start using that too," Nana chuckled, before letting out a sigh and shaking her head, "I don''t know how your people''s biology works, but with my people, the females reproduce asexually. I don''t really know all the science stuff behind it, but it''s because of our short lifespanpared to most races."


    "That¡­ is different," Hera didn''t really know what to say. She could try using Earth''s logic, but she just literally saw a couple of tentacle people back in Febuvanir¡ªshe needed to relearn everything she knew,


    "Theran¡­ have you ever been there?" And so, the only thing she could really do was change the topic.


    "Kh!"


    And as soon as Hera''s words reached her ears, Nana almost choked on her own breath as she closed all the windows on her screen. She then jumped from her chair and started coughing vehemently.


    "Do¡­ you want some water?" Hera didn''t really know what to do as she kneeled on the floor to try and support Nana up. Nana, however, just waved her hand.


    "I''m¡­ I''m alright," Nana gasped as she wiped the sweat on her forehead, "Theran¡­ No one''s really been to Theran,"


    "Right¡­ I heard only Themarians are able to go there?"


    "For good reason," Nana nodded several times, "No one wants to identally piss them off."


    "...How are you nning to get us there, then?" Hera squinted her eyes as she nced at Riley for a bit, "And safely¡­ we don''t want our friend here to get any more bright ideas."


    "Hm. I am already charting the safest course to Theran," Nana once again nodded as she returned to her station, "We need to stop by severals to recharge our fissions since we''re basically blitzing our way through hyperdrive."


    "...It wasn''t possible to get all the fission¡­ cells back in Febuvan?"


    "I''m¡­ afraid this is only a scavenger ship," Nana let out an awkward chuckle, "There''s a chance of us going kaboom if I store that many orbs."


    "I¡­ see."


    "If you were rushing, then why didn''t¡­ our friend just steal a race ship? I can also drive one."


    "...Riley Ross doesn''t steal."


    "...What?"


    "I know," Hera also chuckled, before sighing deeply, "Just how does this hyperdrive thing work? Is it simr to those warp things I watch in Sci-Fi movies?"


    "Oh, no. Warp ry is different," Nana shook her head, "It''s¡­ I guess infinitely faster?"


    "What? Why didn''t we go with that?"


    "It''s¡­ also infinitely more expensive," Nana looked at Hera before sighing, "And also, it requires us to input and surrender our IDs so¡ª"


    "Say no more."


    Hera and Nana''s sighs almost harmonized. Their frustrated and exhausted breaths were alone in their plight, however, as both their eyes also turned to look at Riley in unison. They were already having a hard time with their journey with him being so famous¡­ and he just had to be even more popr by pulling his crazy stunt back in Febuvan.


    "I''m¡­ really sorry about this, Captain Nana."


    "...You''re a good person, you know that? What are you even doing with¡­ someone like him?"


    "It''s¡­ a long and weird story," Hera shook her head, "But wait, isn''t hyperdrive supposed to be faster than the warp thing? I watched both Ster Wars and Star Hike¡­ I think hyperdrive was fast in both cases."


    "...I forgot you guys are from the Unknown. Wait, how much do you know about¡­ well, everything?"


    "..." Hera turned to look at Riley, who seemed to have finished exploring the small room and decided to join and listen in to their conversation,


    "We¡­ practically know nothing," Hera then said as she looked Nana in the eyes.


    "Oh¡­ how do I even exin this¡­" Nana''s eyes started to squint, "Harith is usually the one good with this science stuff. But basically, the Warp Ry is simr to teleportation, but at the same time¡­ not really?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..."


    "Hyperdrive is linear. And it''s already in the name, drive¡ªall spaceships are required to have them. As for Warp rys, you could find stations of them in the main and major ster systems."


    "...So, Star Hike was wrong?" Hera ced her hand on her chin, "I am actually even more confused now."


    "I thought your ability helps you in matters like this, Miss Hera?" Riley finally joined in.


    "I think you are gravely misunderstanding my powers. It''s not omnipotent," Hera rolled her eyes, "I can''t just conjure up things I have no idea about in my mind. We''re practically in a different dimension here. Waitspeaking of dimensions¡­


    ¡­does the multiverse exist!?"


    "Multi¡­ oh, you mean that theory?" And almost in contrast to Hera''s sudden excitement, Nana just shrugged her shoulders as she heard her question, "I don''t really believe it. I mean, the Known Universe is already big enough and even expanding as we know it¡ªif the multiverse does exist, it''s probably just in the Unknown or something."


    "...Right."


    "And did you hear that there''s a theory that the Universe is t? Ridiculous."


    "Actually, I think that theory has some credi¡ªyou know what, never mind," Hera shook her head off the unnecessary thoughts, only to be reced by another one that is even more so, "Does¡­ god exist?"


    "...God?" Nana blinked a couple of times, before turning to look at Riley Ross, "We have one right here, though?"


    "No," Hera''s shoulders started to drop, "I meant real ones. I heard there''s this¡­ Messenger? People that arerger thans?"


    "Oh, they''re just big. I''ve actually seen one before in Hotis 4J before it got destroyed, quite the spectacle. I heard they are actually afraid of Themarians, though."


    "That''s¡­ crazy."


    "Hm. But real gods¡­" Nana seemed to have also let her thoughts drift away as she also started to be engrossed with the conversation, "I think I learned this in school back then, but I think thest one died millions of years ago or something¡ªthe Evaniel''s progenitor. He died after killing every other god."


    "...What?"


    "Or so they say, I don''t really believe whatever they teach in school," Nana scoffed, "The only thing I believe in is loot."


    "...Damn, the universe seems so¡­ hardcore. Are you hearing all of this, Riley?"


    "Yes, I am disappointed I will not be able to kill gods."


    "...That''s all you got in that long conversation?"


    "It is the only thing that mattered, Miss Hera," Riley just shrugged as he walked near Nana, "Is there a way I can check my bounty there, Captain Nana? I wish to know if they raised it."


    "You...You can just check it with that," Captain Nana quickly pointed at the device hanging around Hera''s waist, "It''ll be much faster and easier."


    "Wait, this thing can browse?" Hera quickly grabbed the Teera X120.


    "...That''s capable of a lot of other things. Wait¡­ don''t tell me you don''t know how to use it?"


    "Well¡­ this was actually just forced on me," Hera sighed, "I know it can ess a map and it has a camera¡ªother than that, I''m in the dark."


    "...I wish someone would force a Teera X120 on me too," Nana also let out a sigh as she stared at the device, "I''ll teach you how to use it once we get out of hyperdrive. We can''t really activate most of its features as it would interfere with the¡ª"


    [Warning: Anomaly detected in the current path. Overriding controls and deactivating hyperdrive in 3¡­]


    "...What!?" Nana quickly tapped her screen to see what was going on, but before she could check the readings, the ship got out of hyperdrive¡ªautomatically opening the blinders of the ship''s windows.


    Nana didn''t even have to check the readings anymore, as directly in front of their ship, in a distance far away¡­ was a pink sun.


    "That''s¡­ a cute sun," Hera quicklymented.


    "No. Oh no, no, no¡­" Nana''s face, however, was just filled with horror and shock, "That''s¡­ not a star. It¡­ It''s the Cherbi."


    "...A what now?"


    "We need to get out of here, fast!" Nana started to tap on her screen; her hands, almost moving wildly. Soon, however, she and Hera found themselves slightly taking a step as the ship suddenly trembled.


    "No, no¡­ we''re being pulled!"


    "Wait, just what is that!? What''s happening!?"


    "It''s the Pink Void!" Nana did not look at Hera and just focused on trying to regain control of her ship, "You were asking me about gods earlier¡­ that''s the closest thing we have!"


    "What is it!?" Hera had no idea what was going on¡ªbut her entire body was sending her signals that if they don''t leave now¡­ she will die, "What''s a Cherbi, Nana!?"


    "A creature that swallows everything in its path.s, entire ster systems, gxies..." Nana finally stopped tapping on her console as she looked Hera straight in the eyes, "A ck hole¡­


    ...A sentient ck hole."

 Chapter 481: Dealing With DifferentSizes

    "It''s a ck hole¡­ a sentient ck hole."


    "..."


    "..."


    "But it''s pink, Captain Nana."


    "I don''t think that''s the point we have to focus on right now, Riley!"


    "I am just stating the obvious, it should be a pink hole."


    The Cherbi.


    Some say it was a remnant of the Old Universe when the Evaniel god waged his war against the other gods. Some say it was born as a result of that war¡ªa ghost. Of course, no one really knew what it was. Even with all the knowledge that the Known Universe has acquired, the Pink Void has forever remained a mystery; like many things in the endless expanse¡­ it just exists with no exnation.


    But if there is one thing that is true, it is that the Cherbi is probably the oldest living thing in the universe. Yes, living.


    Some scientists would argue that it was not, but it has already been proven that much like a nt, the Cherbi interacts with its surroundings. Unlike a nt, however, the Cherbi actively responds to outside stimuli.


    If anything, more so than a nt, it was more akin to a tadpole. If a tadpole sucks in and swallows entire ster systems, that is¡ªeven Themarians try to avoid it.


    "That is very interesting, Captain Nana."


    "What do you mean interesting!? Did you hear a different story!?"


    Hera''s entire body was sending signals to her brain; crawling, like a million spiders filling her head with darkness. She had only really felt like this a handful of times, half of those when dealing with Darkday¡ªthe feeling of hopelessness.


    Death, Hera could take; but what apanies it is what scares Hera the most. She could swallow a nuclear bomb and her body would find a way to keep her alive, but the process would be gruesome.


    There was no pain¡ªher body wouldn''t allow her to experience such things, no. But still, Hera would feel every millimeter of her being justtching on to each other. It was a gnawingfort, a violent relief. It''s¡­ confusing.


    And now, faced with a literal ck hole, Hera could only imagine the sort of effort her body would exert to keep her alive¡­ would she even be alive? Or just be a lump of flesh that tries to heal itself over and over again? What happens inside a ck hole, anyway?


    "Nana¡­" Hera took in a small gulp as her thoughts became more gruesome by the second,


    "...Get us out of here, now."


    "I''m¡­ I''m trying," Captain Nana''s breaths continued to stutter as she wiped the bead of sweat wanting to trail on her cheek,


    "But the Cherbi, it''s¡­ it''s messing with the ship''s internals! I can''t even interact with the screen anymore and the manual controls aren''t responding as well!"


    "Do¡­ we have a way of knowing which direction the thing is moving?" Hera''s voice slowly became calm as her abilities began to interfere with her emotions, "Maybe we can just ride this out, like a storm?"


    "That¡­ I don''t think it is heading for us," Captain Nana also soon started to recover herposure as she heard Hera''s calm tone, "But it still doesn''t change the fact that it''s sucking us in. Look, it''s muchrger than before."


    "..." Hera turned to look at the window, only to see the Cherbi much nearer than before, "How¡­rge is that thing?"


    And now, looking at it closer, it slowly started to resemble a pink sun less¡­ and a round, fluffy, pink pillow of clouds more.


    "It¡­ it changes size depending on the celestial body it devours. Based on the readings we got before I lost control, it should be at the size of an average."


    "...And howrge is that?"


    "Febuvan is considered a small, so¡ª"


    "Ah, fuck. This feels way above my pay grade."


    "Don''t belittle yourself, Miss Hera. You''re a very good actress."


    "I don''t mean that," Hera could really only roll her eyes, before turning to look at Riley¡­ who was now standing right in front of the window and staring at the pink void quite¡­ intensely.


    "Wait¡­" Hera then took in a small gasp as she realized something, "...Can''t you just fly us away, Riley? You''re capable of obliterating Mars¡ªsurely a gravity¡­ vacuum is no big deal for you, right?"


    "I haven''t tried, Miss Hera. Also, I do not have any intention of moving us away."


    "...What?"


    A smile instantly crawled on Nana''s face when she previously heard Hera''s words, but with Riley''s reply, every hope that she still had inside her withered away.


    "What do you mean you have no intention of moving us away?" Hera could hear her heart once again beating heavily. Was this it? Hera initially thought that it was the Cherbi that was causing her entire body to panic, but no¡­


    ¡­it was probably Riley''s unwillingness to do anything.


    "We¡­ We''ll die!" Hera''s voice once again turned into shouts, "I know you''re practically immortal, but that''s a ck hole! Were you seriously not listening to Nana''s story? Even themarians avoid the thing. If you get eaten by that, then I don''t think there''s even going back from¡ªwait. You¡­<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡­don''t tell me that''s what you want?"


    "..." Riley then very slowly turned to Hera. And there, on his face, was a version of a smile that Hera has not seen before¡ªa smile with only his eyes.


    "You¡­ you fucking lunatic," Hera''s breaths started to be stuttered once more as she looked Riley straight in the eyes, "You''re going tomit suicide."


    "And hopefully, it is thest time, Miss Hera."


    "You¡­ If you''re going to do something like that, then do it alo¡ª"


    "Do you not find it ironic, Miss Hera?" Riley did not let Hera finish her words as he once again focused on the growing Cherbi, "That I might be meeting my end at the hands of my own kind?"


    "...What? What are you even saying?" Hera turned to look at Nana to see how she was doing, only to see her just looking at the floorpletely dejected and without hope.


    "The Cherbi," Riley then ced his hand on the window; the reflection of his face, slightly lining up with the pink void, "Its only purpose is to destroy and take life. Does it not remind you of me, Miss Hera?"


    "But you''re more than just that, Riley!" Hera raised her voice, "Yes, you''re a fucking killing machine and you probably will never change¡ª-but you have never been just that! You''re a brother, a son¡­ you¡ª"


    "You do not have to worry, Miss Hera. You will probably find a way to survive with your abilities."


    "W¡ªthen what about Nana!? She forced herself¡ªwe forced her to take us with her!"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Oh. You''re right," Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at Nana, "I promised your children you will return to them."


    And just like that, the tremble that have ailed the ship started to subside, the pink void that was growing by the second in their sight, now stopped expanding.


    "I am still nning to die here, Miss Hera. I will exit through the door, but you do not have to worry, I will weld it back in ce and make sure to give you some distance from the Cherbi."


    And before Hera could even let out a breath of relief, Riley started walking away. Wait¡­ why would her breaths of relief even halt by Riley walking to his death? Shouldn''t she feel the opposite? Shouldn''t she be relieved that she wouldn''t have to babysit Earth''s genocidal maniac anymore?


    "Riley, stop."


    Hera quickly blocked his path even with her thoughts still confused, "I¡­


    ¡­Megawoman gave me a mission to bring you to Theran. I''m not nning to fail a mission given to me by Earth''s mightiest hero."


    "It truly is a shame that I will not get to see Theran, Miss Hera," Riley shook his head as he took a step forward, "But I believe this is the best chance for me to finally die. And if I don''t, then we can just continue our journey. Whatever way the scenario unfolds, you win."


    "Why is a viin like you saying lines meant for anti-heroes?" Hera stood her ground, "I will take you to Theran, then I can finally have the vacation I deserve, okay?"


    "No. As I said, we¡ª"


    "Uhm, guys¡­"


    And before Riley and Hera''s exchange of words could continue any further, Nana, who has been experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions for what felt like an eternity now, interrupted the two.


    Riley and Hera quickly turned to look at her, only to see her pointing at the front window.


    "What is¡ª" Hera momentarily forgot to breathe as soon as she saw what Nana was pointing to. The pink void waspletely gone¡ªno. Even the expanse of space that cradled them was also gone. Instead, what reced it was the view of nothing but silver.


    But of course, Hera wouldn''t have been lost for words if it was just that, no. Because whatever the silver thing that was blocking their view now¡­ it blinked.


    "...Please tell me I am not seeing a giant eyeball right now."


    "It¡­ It''s a Messenger!" Nana quickly hollered as she lowered her head and kneeled, "It''s¡­ it''s probably here because of the Cherbi!"


    "A mess¡ªyou mean those-sized titans?" Hera took in a small gulp as she looked at the colossal silver eye. How could she not, really, if it was covering the entire horizon?


    "If¡­ if it''s here to deal with the pink thing, then¡­ why is it looking at us?"


    [You¡­]


    And almost like a voice being transmitted through every corner of their ship, the Messenger''s words started to travel to their ears,


    [...Aren''t you Riley Ross?]


    "Oh...


    ...of course."

 Chapter 482:The Last Bosses

    [You¡­


    ¡­You are Riley Ross.]


    Of course¡ªis what both Hera, and even Captain Nana thought as they heard the words that vibrated through the ship.


    Of course, the Messenger was staring at them because of Riley Ross. Nana has not known Riley for long, but she knew enough that there was no use in holding hermon sense with him around.


    As for Hera''s case, the umon has be the norm. Back on Earth, arge number of inte individuals on Blueit had an unofficial power scaling for the supers aside from the sses.


    Hera was officially categorized as a ss-S super by the Government, and so are the other members of the Hope Guild. The inte people, however, were not content with that kind of ranking and made their own based on how much damage the supers could inflict with their abilities.


    She was only listed as a City-buster, as she was capable of leveling down entire cities based on her feats. V, although they have proven several times that Hera was a lot stronger than her in terms ofbat, was listed higher as a Multiple City-buster super.


    Ironically, or perhaps not, there have only been two listed as-busters in the history of the Hope Guild¡ªone was Ms. Phoenix, as is obvious with how effortless she could lift entire mountains.


    And the other one, was, ironically, the only member of the Hope Guild that was not a super¡ªWhiteking. Even without powers, Bernard Ross has been voted by the people to be a-buster simply for the fact that he could take down Earth''s entire economy in probably less than a minute.


    Outside the Hope Guild, the only one higher than them is Megawoman¡ªwho they listed as a Sun-buster. Heraughed when she read that tier list, but now that she knew just how respected and feared themarians were even outside of Earth, her cement was a clear understatement.


    And then, there is Darkday aka Riley Ross. One would expect him to be included in the same category as Megawoman, but no. Like the official ranking by the government, Riley managed to nab a category all to himself.


    The Common Sense-buster.


    People on the inte have absolutely no fear behind their keyboards, and together, they havee and bonded to give Riley a category of his own¡­ and Hera never doubted it even a single bit.


    "I am Riley Ross, Elder Tedi."


    [...You know who I am?]


    Elder Tedi blinked as she backed away from the ship, allowing Riley and the others to finally see her entire face; a single lens of the sses she was wearing, probably already the size of an entire country.


    "I remember your voice when I wore Elder Zora''s head during our first online meeting, Elder Tedi. I believe you were the only female there."


    Even with this beyond colossal entity in front of them, Riley just nonchntly shrugged his shoulders as he approached the window to try and see more of Elder Tedi,


    "I have heard tales of your species'' size from mother, but seeing it in person truly is a different experience. If I were to make you my guest¡­ I would need a cage bigger than Earth."


    [My¡­ species? I am afraid you might have mistaken me for a Messenger¡ªI am not.]


    "Hm?"


    [But what I am does not matter. You have been giving us Elders a very difficult time, Riley Ross,] Elder Tedi once again backed away. One might think she was moving slowly, but no¡ªthe distance between Nana''s ship and Elder Tedi already spanned more than ten thousand kilometers,


    [I have the opportunity to learn how to deal with you now, but this is not why I am here.]


    A reverberating hum traveled throughout the entire ship as Elder Tedi''s silhouette was finally fully shown to them. Her entire body was that of silver; her clothes, if she was truly wearing one,pletely wrapped around her body and amplified the parts that needed to be endowed.


    "If Gary was to be here, I believe he wouldment on howrge her buttocks are."


    [...] Elder Tedi''s head quickly turned back to Riley as she heard his words, [I would appreciate it if you do notment about my physical appearance, Riley Ross.]


    "I don''t need your appreciation, Elder Tedi."


    "Why are you trying to provoke the-sized woman, Riley?" Hera''s emotions have finally calmed down as she approached and whispered to Riley.


    [My species can not be provoked,] Elder Tedi, however, seemed to be able to hear even the most minute of whispers even from thousands of kilometers away,


    [I truly wish we could have met in a different circumstance, Riley Ross. Right now, I am here to make sure the Cherbi will not take any lives¡ªbut if it so happens you are still here after I sessfully diverted its path, then I would wish to have a dialogue with you.]


    And with those words, Elder Tedi began flying away.


    "You are going to battle it out with the Cherbi, Elder Tedi?"


    "..." Hera, who was trying her best not to escte the situation, already gave up as she rolled her eyes and decided to watch for now¡ªthat was the only thing she could really do between a conversation of literal titans.


    [...] As for Elder Tedi, she once again stopped in her tracks and turned around to look at the microscopic ship behind her,


    [There is no battling it out with the Cherbi, Riley Ross. It has been here before us, and when we have be ashes, it will still be here. But you are wee to try, it would certainly solve one of the problems the Common Council is currently having. If you will excuse me, I currently have a task at hand.]


    "How do you n to lure it away, Elder Tedi?"


    And before Tedi could fly away, she once again turned around to answer Riley''s question,<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [The Cherbi may have already lived for eons, but its intelligence is that of an animal driven by instinct. It feeds on energy, therefore it would follow the source that has the most of it. The Cherbi has always followed a calcted path, but for some reason, it had strayed from it.]


    "Your energy is more than a sun, Elder Tedi?"


    [I can emit more than the sun in this ster system, correct.]


    "Interesting."


    "..." Were the two actually having a casual conversation right now? Hera and Nana thought as they watched as the gigantic silver woman continued to turn around to answer Riley''s questions.


    "May we watch you lure it away, Elder Tedi?"


    [No.]


    Elder Tedi suddenly stretched her palm toward Nana''s ship, and as soon as she did so, the ship''s internals and signals that were being interrupted by the Cherbi all started to boot up again¡ªand without even a secondter, the ship''s hyperdrive activated by itself¡­


    ¡­practically throwing them far away.


    "..." And just like that, the view of the gigantic Elder Tedi, as well as the Cherbi, was no longer to be seen anywhere.


    "Are you able to take us back there, Captain Nana?" Riley''s eyes started to squint as he quickly turned around and approached Nana, who was stillpletely frozen and stupefied by everything that had been happening around her.


    "Captain Nana?"


    "Y¡­ Yes!?" But still, seeing Riley''s face right in front of hers was enough of a shock to wake her up.


    "I¡­ I can''t," Captain Nana said as she quickly checked the status of her ship, "The Cherbi is making it so that we can''t go back there, all the signals are messed up."


    "I will fly us back there, Captain Nana. Point me to the right¡ª"


    "Riley, enough!"


    And before Riley could finish his words, Hera''s slightly frustrated voice echoed through the control deck,


    "Your mother and the others are probably on Theran by now. If you want to go on a space adventure, then you can do it after. Please, at least respect Alice''s¡­ final funeral."


    "..."


    "If you want to kill yourself, then you can always just do it after." Once again, Hera gained a courage she dearly wasn''t asking for, "Do you want to keep Megawoman and your sister waiting?"


    "...I suppose you''re right, Miss Hera."


    And once again, it surprisingly worked.


    "G¡­ Good," Hera nodded to herself; her voice, almost cracking from the anxiety her body was failing to resist.


    "I believe we will see the Cherbi again anyway."


    "...What?" Hera was about to talk to Nana, before Riley continued the conversation, "...What do you mean? Don''t tell me you can talk to it?"


    "No. Elder Tedi said the Cherbi suddenly changed its course. I think I know why, Miss Hera," Riley ced his hand on his chin,


    "The Cherbi feeds on energy¡ªHannah can produce an infinite amount of it without her limiter. I may, or may not be exaggerating."


    "Are you saying¡­ it smelled your sister?" Hera blinked a couple of times in disbelief.


    "It is only a theory, Miss Hera. I have her abilities, and it feels limitless whenever I use them," Riley said as he raised a finger, summoning a ball of light on top of it. And as soon as he did so, the monitors of the ship started to turn red¡ªindicating that it detected an anomaly.


    "Are¡­ you for real? What is wrong with your family?" Hera rolled her eyes,


    "I suppose I shouldn''t be surprised. We even keep meeting creatures that are usually supposed to be reserved at the end of the story¡ªthe Cherbi, a giant space alien¡­ those are usuallyst bosses," she then let out a loud sigh before starting to rant,


    "And we just happen to meet them at the same time at the start of our journey. This is shit story-telling, I tell you. I would sack my writer if she writes something like this."


    "But Elder Tedi and the Cherbi are considered old and ancient, Miss Hera," Riley replied, "It makes sense that they would meet me already as they are at the end of their journey."


    "...What? What are you saying?"


    "You seem to be misunderstanding something, Miss Hera. They are not thest boss¡­


    ¡­I am."

 Chapter 483:Levels Of Evil

    "They are not thest boss¡­


    ¡­I am."


    "That¡­


    ¡­that honestly low-key makes some sense."


    Hera had been wondering if Riley was just some sort of trouble ma, but that wasn''t the case at all. In the first ce, Riley creates the problem¡ªno.


    He is the problem.


    Hera was just too optimistic to think that it would be different on the grand scale of things aka the entire universe. Riley is thest boss.


    It was weird. As an actress, Hera has read countless scripts¡ªshe has taken the role of the hero, the viin, or just a simple cameo. But even the simplest roles would have progression or at least lead to it.


    But now, being with Riley Ross, everything just happens around him. They weren''t following a set script, but instead hijacking everyone else''s obnoxiously. And if the other party was unlucky enough, it would lead to their untimely death.


    Riley¡­ is not just ending lives, he is ending stories; stories that otherwise shouldn''t have ended.


    "When are we arriving Theran, Captain Nana?"


    And while Hera was engrossed in her thoughts, Riley approached Nana, causing her to slightly flinch even though he was just walking toward her.


    "This¡­ we still need to stop by 9 stations," Captain Nana nced at Hera to subtly ask for her help in conversing with Riley. But s, she seemed to be writing something in a notebook that she pulled out of nowhere,


    "You¡­ you can rest if you want. I¡­ we will just wake you up once we are near Theran''s ster system."


    "Hm."


    "Or¡ªor I can also wake you up at the next station if you want to buy something," Nana was trying her best not to let out a shriek as she heard Riley''s quiet hum slithering through her small ears.


    "No. There''s no need, Captain Nana," Riley tapped Nana''s table as he looked at the screen on it, "I do not want to bother you any further. Just call me once we are near Theran¡ªI suppose we can''t justnd on their?"


    "...No," Nana violently shook her head, "Their barrier would melt my ship."


    "...Interesting," Riley nodded as he once again, for some reason, tapped the table. But to Nana''s relief, Riley finally removed his hand and started walking away, "I will borrow one of your rooms, Captain Nana. I hope you do not mind."


    "P¡­please, please go ahead."


    "Hm."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Hii!" And as soon as Riley left the control deck, Nana''s lower body gave up, almost causing her to fall to the floor as the breath that entered her lungs seemed to carry the weight of an entire star.


    And as soon as she was able to recover, she quickly started inspecting her table.


    Why was Riley Ross tapping it?--- was the only thought circling inside Nana''s mind. Did he do something to it? Was she going to die once she touches it? She has been trying to remain her cool throughout this unexpected journey, but now that Riley Ross finally left the deck, everything she was feeling just came crashing down on her.


    Fortunately, after checking the table repeatedly, nothing seemed to be amiss; no poison whatsoever.


    "..." In the first ce, Riley doesn''t even need toce anything with poison as he could just stop someone''s heart from functioning if he wanted to.


    "...No," Captain Nana once again sped her head as the thought of her just suddenly dying entered her mind. And the worst part of that happening, if it will happen, is Nana wouldn''t actually know if Riley killed her, or she just broke down from the sheer stress she was feeling right now.


    "...You alright?"


    "Eep!"


    Nana then let out a small shriek as she felt a hand suddenly grabbing her shoulder. Her shriek, however, quickly turned into a sigh of relief as she realized that it was just Hera.


    "You¡­ don''t really need to worry too much, Cap. Riley already said that he''s not really nning to kill you," Hera let out a small sigh as she sat on the floor she could be on the same eye level as Nana,


    "That''s probably the greatest assurance you can ever get."


    "...But he almost just let me die earlier from the Cherbi."


    "...You should forget about that," Hera looked to the side as she let out an awkward chuckle, "Then if that''s not enough, then you have my word, Cap¡ªyou will get out of this alive. I will make sure of it."


    "...Hera," Nana''s eyes started to glisten as she heard Hera''s reassuring words.


    "I can''t promise your sanity will be intact, though."


    "It''s actually already falling."


    "..."


    "..."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Pft," Hera burst out in a light chuckle, and so did Captain Nana as the two finally shared a peaceful moment together. The two of them were basically dragged into the storm known as Riley Ross¡ªand now that he was resting, they could finally breathe without ncing at him from time to time.


    "You¡­ said you were an actress in your home world, Hera?" Nana asked as soon as their chuckles faded, "Can¡­ you teach me how to fake my emotions? I feel like I''m going to need that skill set if I''m going to survive this."


    "...You''re actually faring better than most," Hera sighed and shook her head, "People that aren''t rted or close to his sister usually die around Riley Ross¡­ or maybe he''s the one that actually changed?"


    "Riley Ross¡­ just what is he?"


    "...He''s evil, Captain Nana."


    "It¡­ sometimes doesn''t seem like it, though?" Nana then said as she looked at the window where Riley was previously standing in front of, "I am extremely terrified of him, but when he¡­ when he was talking earlier about wanting to die¡­ I just felt sadness in his eyes."


    "...Maybe," Hera also turned to look at the window, "But who said evil people can''t be sad?"


    "I know, it''s just that¡ª"


    "Don''t," Hera gently grabbed Nana''s arm,


    "Don''t you ever feel sympathy for him or you will end up like one of my friends," Hera thought as she remembered V''s descent into madness and addiction,


    "You''re allowed to feel empathetic for him, but never sympathize."


    "..." Nana could really only look Hera in the eyes as she felt the weight of her grip on her arm.


    "You have no idea, Captain Nana. No idea of the abysmal things he has done in my home world," Hera returned Nana''s stares, "The Pirate Queen, the Cherbi, or any other threats you may have seen¡ªI assure you, no one will evere close to Riley''s darkness."


    "He¡­ is that bad?"


    "The only reason he did not kill everyone on Febuvanir is that he was in the mood for something different," Hera''s eyebrows started to furrow,


    "Riley is the kind of evil that will give you hope, only to tear that hope right in front of you as it shines in its brightest. He has killed and tortured defenseless children, pregnant women, elderly¡ªand he does so with a smile on his face."


    "...Then why are you staying with him?"


    "Because I''m stupid," Hera rolled her eyes as she scoffed, "Someone told me to look after him and I have this senseless obligation to follow because she''s kind of my idol¡ªand also my body seems to be telling me that I am the safest with him."


    "...You''re in love with him?"


    "Fuck no," Hera''s lips started to turn into a snarl, "Why would you even say that? I have a boyfriend waiting for me back home once all of this is over. Believe me, I am as confused as you as to why I am actually here."


    "You¡­ said you were from Earth? Just¡­ what kind of ce is it?"


    "Just visit. I''ll tour you and your children myself¡ªwell, if we can survive this journey, that is. But since we''ve literally already passed a creature that eats gxies¡­


    ¡­I think there shouldn''t be any more surprises waiting for us."


    ***


    "Little Riley!"


    "Moira!"


    Somewhere in the expanse of the universe, Little Riley''s quiet roars were currently causing an entire ship to tremble. But even then, no destruction was wrought in his screams as he just struggled to get out of the confines that bound him¡ªa pale hand.


    "Captain, please! I promised him!"


    Moira, the blue-skinned humanoid that invited Little Riley to the Innovia, was also currently bound; her veins, lighting up in a violent glow as she was pinned to the floor by her own peers. The only thing she could really do was look at Little Riley struggling to get loose.


    Throughout their short time together, Moira¡­ has bonded with Little Riley even more so than her other crew members. Little Riley was violent, true; but there was this sense of innocence around him that Moira was envious of.


    "I¡­ I told him that he could join our crew!" Moira almost bit her tongue, "I thought you would appreciate me bringing a Ranker! Please, don''t hurt him!"


    "Me¡­ appreciate? This shit mocked me in front of the entire universe."


    "!!!"


    And with just a single whisper, any other noise that resounded throughout the warshippletely became mute. Well, all except for Little Riley.


    "Let go of me, or I will kill you!" Little Riley bit the pale hand that was confining him, but not even a single scratch or drop of blood fell. He looked at the owner of the hand, only to see her just smirking at him¡ªher fang, slightly protruding from her red lips.


    "I''ve been dead a long time, little boy."


    "How dare you, I am fun-sized!" Little Riley''s eyes started to glow red as Xra''s warship once again began to shake. And with another breath, a violent beam shot out from his eyes¡ªits target, Pirate Queen Xra''s pale face.


    "You have many tricks, fun-sized boy," Xra, however, just pulled Little Riley even closer to her face; the beam, not even making as much as a sizzle,


    "If you''re this strong now¡­" Xra then licked her lips as she looked Little Riley straight in the eyes,


    "...I can''t wait to meet your master."

 Chapter 484:Bounty

    VR 483


    It was weird. Space did not really have that much color unlike what they show on TV¡ªbut perhaps because of that, whatever color pops out bes a million times more radiant.


    Light is even more beautiful in the darkness because it barely exists.


    And right now, Riley was watching theme and go; their streaks, blending with the darkness as Nana''s ship continued its journey in hyperdrive. As the Tdier was only a scavenger ship, its windows were not really made with the best of materials; needing to be covered and guarded by a metal that rolled down whenever the ship was on hyperdrive.


    But right now, the room that Riley was in had all of its windows exposed to the harsh elements of space. He¡­ pried them all open and just kept them from breaking using a telekic barrier. He had been trying to center his thoughts for quite a while now¡ªsomething that he rarely ever did in the past, if he had even done so at all.


    He just sat on the floor, staring at the ever-changing lights.


    He still could not get Hera''s words out of his head. No¡ªthe words were already gone, he had moved on from them. More so than the words, it was something else in her rant that was making him¡­ ufortable. Something he still couldn''t exin.


    Everyone had tried talking to him before, with most trying to change him. He had been scolded, patronized, andshed at; but none really had an immediate effect on him.


    His sister, Aerith, Katherine¡ªthey have all tried to change him but failed¡­ so what made Hera different?


    Was it just because she didn''t even let him talk?


    "...Can''t be."


    Did it have something to do with her abilities? Her power was to adapt¡ªNo. It''s some sort of instantaneous reactive evolution so powerful that even her own thoughts are being adjusted.


    Was that it? Did Hera know the exact words and tone of voice to use on him? Or perhaps¡­ Hera''s abilities could also change the people around her to better suit her needs.


    "..." Or maybe because she just didn''t let him talk? Maybe because she''s a part of Italian Mafia Reborn? The character Hera is voicing is one of the main characters that Riley liked, after all¡ªdid he perhaps feel like that character was disappointed in him?


    "...Hm."


    Whatever the case was, a singr thought remained tight in his mind¡ªHe must not die by Hera''s hands.


    He is practically immortal, reviving even stronger each time he dies.


    And when he got a part of Aerith''s abilities, it became even harder to kill him¡ªand even if he does manage to die, he would just revive once again even stronger.


    But if he gets Hera''s abilities? Death might truly no longer exist for him.


    And almost as if in cue to Riley''s trail of thoughtsing to an end, the shifting scenery in front of him finally stopped. The streak of lights, now reced by the view of a that seemed to bepletelyposed of water.


    [We have arrived in Blusi 1. Number of ships in line: 163.]


    "..."


    [A¡­ahem, Riley Ross? This is Captain¡ªthis is Nana. It will take a while for us to swap the orbs. Hera and I will take one of the pods to go out and buy some¡­ food. Do you want anything? Or maybe you want toe with¡ª]


    [Don''t ask him that!]


    [I¡ªDo you want anything? This is famous for their¡­ seafood.]


    "..." Riley looked around the room to try and see if there were any cameras installed in the room, but as far as he could see, there were none,


    "Then, please get me some local ingredients, I wish to eat food that I prepared myself, Captain Nana," Riley said as he stood up from the floor and approached the window to get a better look at the water.


    [Is¡­ there something specific you want?]


    "I prefer to be surprised, Captain Nana."


    [Copy that. We''ll be back before our turn to fuel up.]


    "Thank you, Captain Nana."


    [No¡­ no problem. Shit, he seems so polite. Are you sure he''s really evil? He actually reminds me of one of the Higher Races, they evolved from machines and¡ª]


    [Your mic is still on!]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [What!? Turn it¡ª]


    "..." Riley could really only look at the exposed speaker in the room, before just letting out a small breath and turning his focus back to the. It¡­ was beautiful¡ª much like Earth, a giant gem.


    It seemed to be the same size as Earth, and judging by the number of shipsing and going out of the, the poption should also be in the higher bracket.


    If he killed all of the''s inhabitants, will it be possible to turn this blue gem into red? No, of course not.


    "Oh¡­"


    The thought, however, caused something in Riley''s mind to slightly flutter.


    If he killed all sentient and intelligent lifeforms in the Known Universe, will he be able to build a of blood and guts? If so, then howrge would it be?


    "Pft," Riley covered his face as a small chuckle escaped from his mouth. It might take a long time, but it was a goal worth traversing. After he visits Theran and formally buries Alice, he might as well start it¡ªif Aerith gives him the permission, then he could try and start with Themarians.


    "Hm," Riley then nodded to himself several times as the thought of creating a created with the corpses of his victims circled in his mind. Riley had not felt a childish excitement like this ever since he first started killing people¡ªit was enough to make him momentarily forget the minuscule frustration that also rested inside of him.


    Momentarily¡ªbecause as soon as the thought of Hera''s rant once again entered his ears, a small but very deep breath escaped his nose.


    "..."


    "..."


    This sudden and abrupt changes in his mood¡ªit almost made him feel like he was crazy, which is definitely not. He used to treasure the silence of his solitude, but now a part of him was slightly annoying him.


    And so, after staring at the blue for a few more seconds,


    "I''m going out."


    He decided to go out.


    ***


    "...Hm."


    Riley had noticed this before, but it was quite easy to enter another. Even back on Earth, one needed to go through a rigorous amount of interviews just to travel from one country to another¡ªof course, he was exempted from this for obvious reasons.


    But in the Known Universe, one could just sneak into a¡ªespecially if you''re just individually flying into it without any ships. Even when flying above the waters, no one seemed to even be bothering him. Of course, it could just be because their cities werepletely underwater.


    "..." And without any more thoughts, Riley just dived feet straight into the water¡­only to be weed by a colorful city; their lights, almost an aurora fleeting and flowing in the water.


    He initially wondered how the non-natives would be able to explore the since most of it was underwater, but seeing as some of the people propelling through the waters all wore the same type of armor suit, it would seem visitors are given some sort of diving gear as they enter the.


    For once, Riley could finally say that he was on apletely different. Hotis 4J, Febuvanir¡ªtheses still had a semnce of Earth. But this?


    An underwater city gued with lights and activity? This¡­ this was truly alien. It was almost as if he was inside some sort of gaming PC built inside an aquarium, but all the parts were just floating still.


    He could see what seemed to be shops floating in some sort of giant nt. There also seemed to be homes built inside colossal corals.


    And on this¡­ he was finally once again the odd one¡ª and the looks he was getting as he continued to descend from above the surface proved it. He was clearly not one of the natives; as the natives on this seemed to be the cephaloids and they had tentacles for limbs.


    He also wasn''t like the visitors, as he was not wearing a diving suit and was just instead casually floating in the water as he looked around the underwater city. Some of the people, however, be they natives or foreigners, started swimming away as soon as they saw Riley.


    After all, Riley wasn''t wearing a disguise at all; his long white hair, just reflecting all the lights that were being produced by the underwater city as well as the hint of sunlight that still seeped from above.


    Riley did not go outside to sightsee, no¡­


    ¡­he came out to test if anyone would recognize him. After all, after his stunt back in Febuvanir, his bounty should have gone up significantly.


    Hera told her not to kill anyone¡ªbut if they attack him first, then¡­


    ¡­he would have no choice but to reciprocate.

 Chapter 485:L Am

    "Railerus!"


    "Rarus!"


    Interesting¡ªRiley thought. He was used to beings that are capable of producing sound through vibrations whenever he flies in the expanse of space; he was also able to create a pocket using his telekic abilities. An intelligent octopus being able to talk underwater shouldn''t havee as an unexpected variable for him, but it did.


    "Ray Roz!"


    And although he had no idea of the other words they were uttering, it was clear that they recognized who he was judging from the mispronounced attempts of his name¡ªexpected, as despite wearing the ck version of his Paragon suit, he didn''t wear the mask that came with it. His face was out in the open for everyone to see.


    Of course, perhaps even with a mask on, his utterly white skin and hair would already prove to be enough to identify who he was.


    Seeing as a majority of the people on this recognized him, even the foreigners in diving suits, it would seem the tales of him fighting with himself disguised as a Themarian have already spread¡ªno.


    It would seem it hadn''t stopped spreading, as one of the¡­ weird televisions floating around the underwater city was clearly showing his fight.


    "..." Riley then floated toward therge underwater television that showed the news of his fight; the people that had curiously approached him, quickly swimming away and making a path for him as he did so. Most of the crowd already left as soon as they saw and Riley didn''t really mind those that stayed even while knowing who he is; after all, even back on Earth, there were those that stay and watch Darkday whenever he appears¡­ they mostly also end up dead, though.


    [...was a clone. For those that still do not know, the individual known as Riley Ross is a newly appointed Ranker¡­]


    "...Oh?" Riley tilted his head as he could understand the words of the cephalopoid newscaster. It made sense for their media devices to have an automatic trantion function¡ªwhat somewhat surprised Riley, however, was that it was tranting it into English for him.


    It would seem any and every trantion device automatically registers anynguage it learns and uploads it to its mainwork. Riley had somewhat surmised something like that, but what he could not understand¡­


    ¡­was how it knows whatnguage it should trante to, and how it seemed to be able to transmit it to only him. This almost seemed like magic¡ªbut Riley was sure that if he asked his father, he would have an answer for him.


    [...and after careful re-evaluation by the Common Council and the Ouw Justice System, Riley Ross who was just previously ced at Ranked 89¡­]


    Riley Ross''s thoughts quickly faded away as soon as he heard the newscaster''s words; his ears, physically perking up as he focused his eyes back on the screen. And there, he saw a 3-dimensional render of his profile¡­ as well as his new rank.


    [...is now ced at Rank 37. Never has¡ª]


    And out of nowhere, therge underwater television suddenly split in half. And unlike what someone from Earth would expect, there were no traces of electricity¡ªinstead, colorful fluids started to seep from the cracks along with the bits and pieces that were torn away.


    "Oh," Riley then blinked a couple of times as he stared at the red, green, and blue oil-like liquid very slowly descending deeper into the ocean. He¡­ didn''t really mean to split the TV in half. He¡­ was bing impulsive¡ªthis was definitely not good.


    "I apologize, everyone," Riley then let out a small sigh as he faced the crowd that was watching him from afar. He knew they couldn''t understand him, but there was a chance that there was someone that had a trantor with them,


    "Perhaps there is someone who knows the business that owns this television? I wish to pay for it."


    "..."


    Most of the people from the crowd just looked and started whispering at each other, clearly trying to figure out what he was saying.


    "..."


    "..."


    Riley decided to wait for an entire minute to see if someone was going to swim forward; but s, everyone just continued whispering and looking at him, some even seemingly taking a photo of him with their devices.


    "...Hm," and after waiting for a few more seconds, Riley just decided he would leave a coin and just insert it through the cracks of the TV; before he could do so, however, he saw a harpoon-tipped bullet suddenly floating right in front of his face, and not just one, but dozens.


    "Do not swim away! Cross your limbs together and curl yourself into a ball now! Right now!"


    "This is the Blusi World Police, we are not going to warn you again!"


    And finally, people that Riley could understand arrived. And judging by the number of bullets blocked by his telekic barrier, the 2 dozen so-called police officers were not friendly.


    To everyone''s surprise, however, Riley curled and ced himself in a fetal position, which was probably this water world''s equivalent to ''cing both hands behind the back of the head and lying on the ground''. He even went as far as removing his telekic barrier, causing the water to finally drench his skin, and suit; his long white hair, now imitating the still movements of the ocean.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..." The officers that responded to the threat could really only turn their eyes at each other, reserving one of their tentacles to scratch their heads. Suffice it to say, they didn''t expect Riley toply.


    "Riley Ross, you are under¡ª"


    "252 bullets." And before the cephalopoid that seemed to be their captain was able to finish his words, Riley spoke.


    "252 bullets directly targeting parts that would prove to be fatal, cephalopoid officers," Riley did not really uncurl himself and just remained free floating as his words traveled through the water,


    "Seeing as my only known crime on this is destroying property, I am certain that does not warrant death. Based on that, I have surmised that you tried to kill me without probable cause."


    And with those words, Riley very slowly started to uncurl himself; the water, also once again starting to avoid his silhouette, flowing like a mini-whirlpool as they circled around him.


    "I said don''t mo¡ª"


    A pocket of air the shape of a spear suddenly appeared in front of Riley. And without even letting the squad leader finish his words, the invisible spear exploded, causing pockets of bubbles to violently crack in the water as it shot straight through the cephalopoid''s head.


    "..."


    "..." Nothing really happened. The squad leader could really only touch where the invisible spearnded on him, wondering what it did.


    "Y¡ª" And before he could even ask what Riley did, his entire body bloated and doubled in size almost instantly¡­ before his blue blood and ink started to mix with the rest of the ocean.


    "251 left," Riley then said as he stretched his arms to the side and started moving ever so slowly through the water.


    "Call¡­ call for the Guardian, no¡ª"


    And with a small sigh escaping Riley''s lips, all of the police officers that surrounded him burst into pieces¡ªcausing the area topletely turn dark from all the ink and blood now misting through the water.


    "228...Oh," a smile then started to crawl on Riley''s face as this dark tainted water waded across his face. To think that even in a ce like this, darkness would find its way to him. Truly, Aerith''s naming sense was the best of the best, he thought.


    Riley then quickly dived deeper, exiting the tainted water as he floated back to the crowd that was curiously watching him from afar. Their numbers had already dwindled as most of them swam away as soon as the firing started, but still, there were quite a lot of curious eyes left.


    But s, sadly for them¡ªthey suffered the same fate of the nosy bystanders back on Earth.


    "220."


    And as soon as Riley said that, 8 cephalopoids from the crowd found their limbs violently torn from the rest of their bodies. They would have survived this, of course¡­ if it wasn''t for the rest of their bodies being squished into a mush afterward.


    "Ha¡­" Riley then closed his eyes as he let the peaceful sound of the ocean travel through his ears. Granted, he had already killed many people under the ocean back on Earth¡ªbut that was usually just drowning them and watching them scratch their throat and chest for air.


    Killing people that could breathe under water underwater was apletely different experience.


    A smile then once again crawled on Riley''s face; this time, his lips reached from ear to ear. This view did notst long, however. As soon, the blood and ink of the cephalopoids started to float toward his head¡­ wrapping around it and forming a shape eerily simr to his Darkday helmet.


    "Well then¡­"


    The water surrounding him exploded meters and meters away¡ªcreating a tiny sphere in the middle of the ocean that was devoid of any water. The cephalopoids that happened to be in the sphere started to wave their tentacles, trying to swim back to the water but hopelessly not able to.


    "0." And with those words, everyone and everything within the sphere burst and turned into mist¡ªthe only thing left resembling water within the sphere, the helmet of blood he was wearing.


    "I miss this¡­" Riley then said as he tapped the helmet, causing a tiny ripple to echo its surface, "...but it''s a thing of the past."


    And with a sigh, Riley floated forward¡ªleaving the helmet made of blood and ink to disperse behind his long white hair, "Back in the Academy, I said that I would be known to the world as Riley Ross, and now¡­


    ¡­I am."

 Chapter 486:Super

    "I thought we had an understanding!? You weren''t supposed to be killing anyone until we reached Theran!"


    "They tried to kill me first, Miss Hera. I only reciprocated."


    "Of course, they would try to kill you. You''re one of the most wanted men in the universe!"


    "...Hm."


    "What do you mean ''hm''!? You killed millions of them and a lot of them are still dying!"


    "It was only supposed to be 252, Miss Hera. It is not my fault that the others could not survive."


    "You vaporized a part of the!"


    Riley Ross spent less than an hour on Blusi, and yet the havoc he caused would probablyst for months and could be felt for years. And as a matter of course, Hera was once again scolding him as soon as they met back on the ship.


    As for Nana, the only thing she could really do was watch the recorded news of what Riley had done. She and Hera were on the other side of the water, merrily buying supplies and even trying to rx despite the horrendous situation she finds herself in.


    And lo and behold, while the two of them were sampling the''s delicacy in her pod, they noticed the people around them started to move frantically¡ªall seeking shelter in the coral buildings, while the foreigners rushed back to their pods.


    Nana wondered what was happening, Hera, on the other hand, quickly turned on the pod''s radio and monitor¡ªand without even needing to change any frequencies, Riley Ross''s name popped up.


    The two rushed to return to the ship, only to see Riley already just rxing there and drinking milk at the ship''s small canteen.


    Suffice it to say, Nana waspletely terrified; not only because of what Riley had done so casually, but of how numb she seemed from the news.


    "I was testing what would happen if I use sister''s ability underwater, Miss Hera."


    "What are you, a 5th-grader!? How do you not know what would happen!? Hannah''s body has been recorded to almost reach the heat of the sun''s core! Don''t you know how powerful that is!?"


    "Hm, as expected of sister."


    Even hearing the conversation between the two, Nana still could not believe how casually they just mention such feats of power¡ªa creature capable of emitting almost 15 million degree celsius? Just¡­ what kind of people were there on their?


    They have always been told of the stories of the Unknown¡ªhow there might be monsters lurking through its vast darkness. How there might be other monsters of destruction simr to the Cherbi just waiting to be found or find their way to the Known Universe.


    Nana had always thought that was all bullshit¡­and now the monster was riding inside her ship.


    "Nana, do we really need to stop by another!?"


    Nana quickly swiped the window away that showed the news of Riley''s attack from her monitor. Hera seemed to have gotten enough of Riley''s nonsense as she approached Nana in her station.


    "I¡­ Unfortunately so," Nana sighed and shook her head, "Perhaps¡­ we shouldn''t leave the ship. I''ve been getting sofortable with you that I am literally forgetting what kind of situation we''re in and what cargo we''re carrying."


    "...Right," Hera also sighed as she looked back at Riley, only to see him just sitting on the floor with his legs crossed and eyes closed, like he did not just cause another civilization to almost be wiped out from the face of the universe,


    "How long have we been traveling together anyway? I feel like after I left Earth and started this whole space escapade, my sense of time has beenpletely wack."


    "I don''t know myself," Nana once again sighed; the two of them, now filling the control deck with nothing but their exhausted breaths.


    "This¡­ isn''t like that one movie where there are time dtions and all that sci-fi crap, right? Because I don''t want to return back to Earth to find my boyfriend like super old because 1 second here is 1 hour there."


    "...What are you talking about?" Nana started to chuckle at Hera''s words, before checking the status of the ship on her monitor, "As far as I know, there''s nothing like that. But if there is, then please, sign me up so my children could finally grow up."


    "Pft," Hera also let out a hearty chuckle as she sat on the floor.


    "You know, you don''t need to do that," Nana said as her eyes were now at the same level as Hera''s, "My kind are used to looking up while having a conversation with other species."


    "...I''m just tired of standing," Hera smiled and slightly closed her eyes, "I should be in front of the beach right now and drinking ice cold cucumber water with lemon while watching my boyfriend run across the entire Philippine sea in less than a second."


    "I am going to pretend I know what you just said," Nana breathed as she watched their hyperdrive path, "You keep mentioning a boyfriend, that''s your life partner?"


    "Life¡ª well, in a way. He hasn''t proposed to me yet, but with both our status and jobs, it''s just kind ofplicated."


    "I''m assuming your boyfriend has¡­ a different ability than you?"


    "He¡­ can move pretty fast. Like¡­ those silver-haired folks."


    "Your species are¡­ terrifying," Nana slightly shivered.


    "Don''t you also have an ability? You used it when you scold your crew when we first met."


    "You mean this?" Nana lightly pped, causing both her hair and Hera''s hair to flutter from the rippling shockwave, "It''s¡­ just a form of minor telekinesis."


    "I¡­ see," Hera slightly squinted her eyes and nodded. But after a few breaths, a small smile appeared on her face, "What about you, Nana? You have anyone?"


    "My kind doesn''t have anything like that," Nana shook her head, "Romantic rtionships arepletely foreign to us."


    "Oh."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Because you produce asexually?"


    "Science says that is one of the reasons," Nana shrugged.


    "Huh¡­" Hera didn''t really want to pry any further. Earth already had problems with the diversity of its people; be it with a normal or a super, the color of their skin, their beliefs, Earth was divided.


    And yet here is the rest of the Universe¡ªevery inch was different and yet no one seems to care.


    "Something''s weird."


    "What? What is it?" Hera quickly perked up as soon as she heard the sudden change in the tone of Nana''s voice. She looked at the table monitor, only to see nothing amiss in it,


    "Please don''t tell me there''s another one of those pink fluff of death blocking our way."


    "No¡­ something''s weird."


    "Hm?" Hera watched as Nana started backing away from the table monitor. Nana''s eyes were blinking repeatedly and at a fast rate, "Are you¡­ alright?"


    "I¡­ I feel weird," Nana stuttered as she fell buttocks first on the floor. She didn''t seem to care, however, as she just started staring at her hands.


    "...Nana?" Hera crawled toward Nana, not knowing whether to offer her a hand or not, "Do you want me to bring you to the med bay?"


    "I¡­ I don''t know," Nana looked Hera straight in the eyes, before just standing again and walking back to her station, "Tdier, check my vitals."


    [Checking the Captain''s vitals¡­]


    "..." Nana and Hera looked at each other, both confused as to what exactly was happening to her as they waited for the ship''s AI to respond.


    [Irregrity detected: 1.]


    "What¡­ what is it!?" Nana started to panic as she looked at her profile on the screen.


    [Unable to determine the irregrity. Virus, not in any of the databases.]


    "V¡­ Virus!?"


    "Are¡­ you in pain anywhere?" Hera''s eyebrows were slightly furrowed as she sat next to Nana, trying to see if there was anything visually wrong with her. But after checking for a few moments, everything just seemed normal.


    "No. I just¡­ feel weird," Nana once again backed away from the monitor she started checking herself, "Like there''s something stuck on my¡ªoh my scrambled dwarves what happened to my hand!?"


    "What do¡ªwhat is that!?" Hera could not help but stand up and slightly back away as soon as she saw Nana''s hand, or more specifically, the thing wrapped around it.


    "What is it!? Is it some sort of giant m!? Did¡­ did ite from Blusi!? Can you take it off!? Take it off!"


    "I¡­ I don''t think that''s a m," Hera gulped, "...That looks more like the nozzle of a cannon."


    "What? What are you¡ª"


    And before Nana could finish the words, she found herself violently being flung away as a loud thunder cracked in the air. Nana was able to react, however, as she stretched her other hand to the side, snapping her finger and creating a small shockwave that stabilized her fall.


    As soon as shended, however, her eyes once again looked at her cannon hand.


    "What¡­ what just happened?"


    "You¡­ something came out of it."


    "Huh?" Nana looked at Hera, only to see her pointing in a certain direction. And of course, Nana turned to see where she was pointing to, only to see some sort of red fiery orb¡­ hovering right in front of Riley''s face.


    "I¡­ did¡­ Did I do that!?" Nana''s eyes started to widen as Riley tilted his head to the side to look at her, "I¡­ I didn''t mean to do that! I¡­ what''s happening!?"


    And while Nana was on the verge of losing her mind, Riley just casually stepped to the side to avoid the red orb.


    "Interesting," he then said as he stared at the ball of energy. And afterpletely circling around it once, he very slowly made his way to Nana,


    "You''re infected, Captain Nana."


    "...What?"


    "Congrattions¡­


    ¡­you''re a Super now."

 Chapter 487:The Bite

    The Supervirus.


    That is what Diana called the virus that created the supers of Earth. Riley did not really bother asking her for more information, and Diana didn''t seem to have any more information to give anyway.


    The origin and cause of the virus are unknown, it was impossible to trace it as Diana arrived on Earth toote¡ªand whatever caused the virus to sprout probably dated back to the dawn of the homo sapiens. She had been on Earth for a thousand years, and she seemed to have only scratched the surface of the''s mystery.


    The infection rate is extremely low, and the only reason it spread the way it did was that people were unaware that it was even a virus in the first ce. And even if they did, they wouldn''t be able to stop it.


    One thing was for sure, though¡ªthe virus is airborne.


    "...Why didn''t I know about this?"


    "Your parents are inferior, Miss Hera."


    "...Excuse me?"


    "A virus¡­ that grants special abilities?"


    Nana''s eyes widened more and more as she continued to listen to Riley''s exnation. Nana was inherently a skeptic¡ªshe wouldn''t have left her home at a very young age and be a scavenger if she wasn''t; after all, her family has¡­ means.


    If she was told that there was a virus out there that just carelessly grants people special abilities, she would have probably justughed her way out of the Known Universe. But now, how could she even doubt?


    And how could she evenugh¡­ when she was sitting on the floor with her left hand now a literal cannon?


    "If¡­ if it''s a virus, then does that mean we can cure it?" Nana then said as she gently and very slowly stood up, careful not to¡­ release any more of whatever her hand-cannon released.


    "There is no known cure, Captain Nana."


    "Does that mean my hand will be like this forever!?"


    "No. You are just experiencing pre-releases, Captain Nana."


    "...Why do I feel relieved and weirded out at the same time?" Nana didn''t know whether tough or not at Riley''s wording. But after knowing that her hand would return to normal, the beating of her heart that was almost visible from her tiny pair of bosom started to calm down.


    "O¡­ Oh!?" And as her breaths became lighter, the cannon in her hand soon started to wiggle; turning smaller and smaller until her hand began to take shape again. And in just seconds, her hand that she thought was gone forever was waving at her once again.


    "It¡­. it really did turn back to normal," Nana could really only stare in amazement at her hand.


    "This¡­ is crazy, Riley."


    Nana wasn''t the only one whose eyes were popping out of their sockets, Hera also stared at Nana as all sorts of thoughts entered her mind.


    "Wait¡­ wouldn''t this mean we''re infecting everyone that wee across?" Hera slightly gasped as she looked Riley in the eyes, "Isn''t that¡­ quite dangerous?"


    "How so, Miss Hera?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "We''re infecting people!"


    "The humans survived and learned to live with the supervirus, it stands to reason that a more advanced civilization would do even better, Miss Hera."


    "That''s what I am afraid of! What if¡­ what if they realized we''re the source and they start freaking going to Earth to gain abilities!?"


    "Then they would die like the rest of the alien invaders Earth has been having the past few years, Miss Hera," Riley shrugged, "We have been on twos belonging to two different species. Have you noticed what they have inmon?"


    "...What?"


    "They are weak, Miss Hera."


    "..."


    "Mother and Aerith have mentioned this to me before. But if we were to be formally introduced and registered to the Known Universe, Humans, without a doubt, will belong to the Higher Races."


    "But not all of us are equal, Riley," Hera breathed out, "The majority of our poption is still normal. And with the supers, there are those that are not even meant forbat."


    "But hasn''t that always been the case, Miss Hera? I am confused as to why you are mentioning it."


    "You¡ª"


    "Uh, guys."


    And before Hera could retort, Nana interrupted the two of them. They didn''t even need to ask why she called their attention, as a few momentster, the lights in the control deck started to flicker and turn red.


    "...What now?" Hera closed her eyes, before letting out a hearty sigh and joining Nana in front of her station,


    "Why is it doing that?" Hera didn''t really understand the things that were popping up from the monitor, but even a toddler knows that they were warnings.


    "Something¡­ something is following us from behind," Nana said as she started tapping the monitor to try and figure out what it was.


    "Following us from¡ªbut we''re on hyperdrive. That''s possible?" Hera raised an eyebrow, before checking to see if they truly still were on hyperdrive.


    "It is. It''s just¡­ one has to drive manually and it''s almost impossible to find a pilot that good. There¡­ there''s only two that I know of that are capable of doing something like that!" Nana''s eyes started to widen as she seemed to realize something; her hands, now frantically tapping the monitor. But then, all of a sudden, arge hole suddenly decorated her terminal.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..."


    And what''s worse, was that it came from her hand cannon.


    "A pre-release. It is quitemon for people who have just awakened their abilities, Captain Nana."


    "No¡­ no, no!" Nana covered her mouth with her normal hand, "We¡­ we need to escape!"


    [Overriding controls. Deactivating Hyperdrive in 3¡­]


    "...Oh no," Nana''s voice turned almost monotonous as the barriers that covered the windows of her ship started to retract. What awaited them, however, was not the darkness of the expanse of space¡ªbut a violent light that seeped through the windows and drowned each and almost every millimeter of the Tdier.


    It wasn''t a star, no; as very soon, the light started to dim, which allowed Nana to see what it was¡ªher worst fears actualized.


    "The Bloodcruiser."


    "That''s¡­ a fitting name." Hera blinked a couple of times; her eyelids, which created another thin and translucentyer to shade her from the sudden burst of light, slowly returning to normal as she stared at therge ship that was now floating in front of them.


    The spaceship was simr to the shape of an Earth''s naval ship¡ªexcept more ominous because of the weird bright red smoke that it was emitting from everywhere.


    "Let me guess¡­" Hera then slowly turned her head toward Nana, "Pirate Queen Xra?"


    Nana didn''t really return Hera''s gaze as she just very slowly nodded and gulped.


    "...Ever noticed how shit just happens whenever we have a serious conversation?" Hera then turned to Riley.


    "As I told you, Miss Hera. Trouble finds me because I am the¡ª"


    "Last boss, I know. I know," Hera sighed and rolled her eyes, "So¡­ what''s the n here?"


    "They''ve¡­ hijacked our controls," Nana muttered. And almost as if on cue with her words, the Tdier started flying toward the Bloodcruiser.


    "Riley, do something!" Hera said as her light brown skin very slowly started to turn grey, "My body''s acting up, these guys aren''t inviting us for a friendly meal."


    "..."


    "We¡­ we''re going to meet the Pirate Queen?" Nana''s entire body shivered; her hand cannon, instinctively retracting back to her normal hand just from the sheer thought.


    She knew this forced journey of hers would be crazy¡ªshe practically had a Ranker as a cargo, after all. But her hand turning into a cannon? She hasn''t even fully processed that and now her ship is being pulled straight to the jaws of the Bloodcruiser.


    It all just really feels surreal at this point, like a dream.


    "Yes¡­ this¡­ this is a dream."


    "Don''t lose your mind now!" Hera quickly said as she saw Nana smiling, "Riley, why aren''t you doing anything!?"


    "Hm," Riley only hummed in response as a part of the Bloodcruiser started to open up. And like a whale swallowing a fish, the Tdier didn''t really have any choice but to just be swept to the inside of the space mammoth.


    "...We''re really doing this, huh?" Hera''s body started to grow in size; her muscles, almost emitting a scratching sound as they contracted, "This should''ve been a vacation."


    Hera''s eyes moved and scanned the hangar, but aside from more than a dozen other ruined ships, the surprise attack she was expecting never really came. And instead, the Tdier just gently and carefullynded at the very center of the hanger that was free of any debris and clutter.


    And with the sound of a hiss, all of Tdier''s hatch and exit points opened up.


    "W¡ª"


    And before any of them could even say anything, the three found themselves suddenly falling as the Tdier¡­ split and was torn into pieces.


    The three of them managed tond unscathed on the cold steel floor, except for Riley''s whose feet were still really only floating and inches away from touching the floor.


    "Riley, why did you do that!?" Hera raised her voice as she looked at Nana, only to see her eyes trembling as she looked at the remains of her ship.


    "I did not do that, Miss Hera. I don''t enjoy destroying the property of others."


    "What? Then¡ª" And before Hera could finish her words, a spot of lightnded meters in front of them, revealing a group of people that were just looking at them with different expressions on their faces.


    And right at the very center of them, was a familiar woman that Hera has seen before¡ª Pirate Queen Xra, and in her hand¡­ was Little Riley.


    "Boss, I¡ª" And before Little Riley could finish his words, Xra suddenly bit off his head.


    "Well then¡­


    ¡­Nice to finally meet you."


    ***NEW BOOK***


    Author here, I just came from the future to announce that I have a new book called ''Frankenstein Untold''. It''s probably thest book i''ll be writing in a while if it doesn''t work out. Do give it a try if you have time!

 Chapter 488: Dead

    "Nice to finally meet you."


    "..."


    "..."


    Silence. There have been many instances in Hera''s life in which only silence prevailed in the air¡ªshe had shot many scenes like it too. It helped build up the suspense in films to let the audience feel how intense the situation was.


    And now, definitely, Hera''s entire body was vibrating internally; it does so whenever it tries to adapt to the situation at hand. Her feet, slightly digging to the floor as her flesh and muscles became exponentially denser with each passing millisecond. There have only been certain instances of this happening;


    One was when she hugged the nuclear bomb that the House of Super set off.


    And the other was whenever Darkday makes an appearance.


    But right now, it was as clear as day to her who her body was reacting to.


    The Pirate Queen Xra.


    As she had seen in the hologram, everything about her screamed ''vampire''. Her skin was pale, paler than even Riley''s to the point it seemed somewhat grey. It wasn''t shown in the hologram, but her jet-ck hair was long enough that it draped on the metal floors. Even her clothes seemed like what one would expect an old-school vampire would wear¡ªshe wore a white frilly shirt that covered her obviously endowed bosom, which was made even more obvious by the ck corset she was wearing. All of this was topped with a long wine-colored coat with frills on its ends, then a leather skirt that just went above her knees, revealing just a slight snippet of her pale thighs before being covered by a pair of ck, somewhat metallic-ted boots.


    The 6 people behind her also all looked equally unique¡ªlike a real pirate crew that you would find in one of those anime about pirates trying to search for a single piece of treasure. Still, Hera couldn''t focus on anyone else but Xra. How could she not stare at her filled with vignce after she just bit off the head of a tiny version of Riley?


    "..." Hera then turned her eyes to Riley, who was still hovering inches from the floor, even more eerily silent than he usually was as he looked at his headless miniature clone.


    After a few more moments of this, Riley finally returned Xra''s re; the two, just staring into each other''s eyes like they have known each other for a very long time.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Hok!"


    This silence, however, was suddenly broken as Xra¡­ started coughing vehemently. And the little clone''s blood that almost everyone expected to spew out from her lips did not shower out; instead, a cloud of orange dust and some crystal shavings of the same color fumed from her mouth.


    And almost at the same time, Little Riley''s body also crumbled into ashes, dripping away from Xra''s hand forever.


    "Curses!" Xra then screamed as she wiped her lips. Her crew, slightly chuckling as they watched their captain trying her best to stay inposure,


    "I knew the little rat tasted weird in my mouth as soon as I smelled him."


    "I already told you it wasn''t an organic being when we ran him through the scan, Captain." The one that spoke was a one-eyed woman with golden skin, a race that Hera and Riley have seen several times back in Febuvanir. And judging by how close she was standing behind Xra and how simr the color of their clothes was, she seemed to be her second-inmand,


    "Perhaps if you listen to our council for once, things will work out for the best¡ªfor all of us, Captain."


    "You have a lot to say for someone that''s just supposed to be standing behind me menacingly, Alindor" Xra slightly raised the corner of her lip as she looked behind her, revealing one of her fangs as she scoffed,


    "My grand entrance is already sabotaged. Stop adding to my disappointment further, you imbecile."


    "Of course, Captain." Even with Xra''s harsh words, Alindor didn''t seem to mind as she just bowed her head and calmly took a step back. The other 6 that were with her, just shaking their heads and sighing.


    "Now, where were we?" And almost as if acting like nothing happened, Xra''s eyes once again became that of a hawk that has already set on its prey,


    "Riley Ross. You seem to be having fun with all the attention you have been receiving. And I usually do not mind, nor do I care about the trivialities of other¡ª"


    "You betrayed him, Miss Moira."


    "..." And before Xra could finish her words, she was cut off by Riley. And what''s worse is that he wasn''t even looking at her, but at the blue-skinned woman wearing arge cowboy hat that was at the outermost left of the crew behind her.


    "I¡­" Moira didn''t really know whether she should respond or not, as all the eyes of herrades and even her captain was on her. Luckily for her, she didn''t need to say anything as Riley continued to talk.


    "Little Riley would surely be sad the next time I make him," Riley let out a small breath as he shook his head, "It was also the first time that he was moving beyond and without my orders, I felt his disappointment even before Pirate Queen Shakira''s ship swallowed ours¡­


    ¡­you were his first friend."


    "I didn''t betray him!" Moira stepped forward; the light that was veiling Xra, now spotting toward her, "Although I''ve only known him for an hour, it felt like¡ª"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Shakira?"


    And all of a sudden, Moira found her face touching the cold metal floor. And it wasn''t only her, the rest of herrades were now all groveling on the floor; including Hera and Nana.


    The only ones that were left standing were Xra, and Riley, who was no longer hovering inches in the air.


    "..." Riley''s eyes slowly started to squint as he felt himself being forcefully dragged down; his eyes, staring at his feet that were now touching the floor. It wasn''t just simple telekinesis, no.


    Riley was feeling his insides turning and moving¡ªlike how one feels the first time one rides a rollercoaster, the feeling of your organs being left behind as the g-force ps your entire being.


    "I assume you control blood, Captain Shaki¡ª"


    "It''s Xra!"


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times as a minute, quiet patter whispered in the air. He once again turned his head toward the floor, only to see droplets of blood dripping to the floor; the blood, profusely trailing from his nose almost endlessly.


    "That is what I said, Captain Shakira," Riley, however, just casually returned Xra''s re; not even bothering to wipe or clean his face, "If I am mispronouncing it, then you have my apologies. My name has been mispronounced a couple of timestely as well. I know the feeling."


    "You dare spout your lies to me, Ra Rox?" Xra smirked as she slightly turned her head upward, "See? How does that feel!?"


    "I do not mind, Captain Shakira. It is normal for others to mispronounce someone else''s name."


    "So, you''re saying I''m the abnormal one?"


    "...No," Riley could not help but tilt his head, pondering how Xra suddenly came to that conclusion, "You are a very weird individual, as expected of the most wanted being in the univer¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, his vision suddenly shifted¡ªthe scenery in front of him, now the outside of the Bloodcruiser in full view.


    "..." He turned to look at his chest, only to see his outfit slightly wriggling as his torso was recovering from it caving in almost instantly. He¡­ had his telekic barrier on.


    ''You are a very sick, sick man; even for my standards.''


    "Hm¡­" Riley then looked at Xra, who was just casually floating in front of him; the smirk on her face, still very much alive. Her mouth even as she spoke, however, did not move one bit.


    Instead, there was a whisper in his mind. Riley was used to hearing such things, but this was the first time that he was hearing a different voice¡ªPirate Queen Xra''s voice.


    ''Curious?''


    Xra''s voice once again whispered in Riley''s mind, ''Are you wondering how I can invade your mind even though you are supposed to be immune to such?''


    ''A little,'' Riley hummed as he responded with his mind, ''I will kill everyone. Stop. I will kill you. Behave. I will end everything. Stop. I want to watch people bleed to death. Stop.''


    ''I can barely hear your thoughts from the rest of the carnage in your mind. Just where did they make someone like you?'' Xra thought as she looked at Riley from head to toe; the two of them, their hair that was aimlessly shaping in space, almost an inverted reflection of one another.


    ''Earth, fertilized by the help of both my mothers. I will kill all the other Themarians once I arrive on Theran. Can Pirate Queen Shakira bleed out? What will happen if I insert and inject all of her crew''s blood inside her, will she get stronger or explode? Am I going to die here? Am I finally going to die? Is she going to die? Die. Die. Die.''


    ''You¡­ you weren''t doing it on purpose,'' Xra''s eyes started to twitch; as even in Riley''s mind, her name was mispronounced,


    ''...You really should learn how to control your thoughts.''


    ''Break her neck.''


    And as soon as that thought escaped Riley''s mind, Xra''s head violently swung to the side; even with the dead silence of space, it seemed like one could hear her neck snapping.


    ''Over? Is it over? Is she dead just like that? I will torture the rest of her crew now, then.''


    ''...''


    ''...''


    ''No.'' And even with her neck clearly broken, another smirk crawled on Xra''s face as her eyes never once broke contact with Riley, ''And yes¡­


    ¡­I am dead. I have been for a very long time.''

 Chapter 489:Riley Vs.Shakira

    ''I am dead. I have been for a very long time.''


    There was nothing between or around Riley and Xra¡ªjust the empty expanse of space that shied and paled inparisonpared to the darkness being held by the two individuals it enveloped.


    One had long white hair that movedpletely still, grounded by its master. The other, a long jet-ck hair that scattered and melded with the darkness, and yet still incredibly still. Their eyes were clear and red respectively, but both held the same temper¡­ and neither relenting.


    ''I was born 8,000 years ago, in a civilization divided by wealth,'' Xra''s voice once again permeated through Riley''s mind unabashed and unfazed, ''A ce where oppression is¡ª''


    "That would exin your personality, Pirate Queen Shakira."


    Riley did not let her start her story, however; as this time, instead of just replying in his mind, he once again created a pocket for his voice to travel through Xra''s ears,


    "I have known 3 people that have lived for a very long time, they are all mentally unstable, quirky, and talkative. Except for Bulwark, he is quiet. But then again, I believe he was the only one that is capable of having a normal rtionship each time¡ªthere is surely a corrtion with that and the mental instability of ancients."


    ''...You dare presume to know me just moments after we meet?'' Xra''s dark eyebrows furrowed as she floated closer to Riley; the stands of her long ck hair, veiling and almost panning wide as they were left behind her.


    "No," Riley shook his head as he too floated closer to Xra. In contrast to her, however, Riley''s hair remained absolutely fixed, "I already had an assumption of you even before we met, Pirate Queen Chakra. I also feel obliged to tell you that you look bald from my perspective because your hair melds with space."


    ''Are your thoughts of murder and torture the only things that do not escape your mouth?'' Xra''s lips started to twitch; her fangs, being revealed ever so slightly.


    "They are almost like white noise to me at this point, Pirate Queen Sarah."


    ''Yes! Almost!'' Xra then showed all of her teeth as she heard Riley almost pronouncing her name right, ''I am starting not to hate you, boy.''


    "Most older people seem to take a liking to me, Pirate Queen Shakira. It would seem I have that charm."


    ''...'' Xra''s eye once again started to twitch as a smile that reached from ear to ear very slowly crawled on Riley''s face, ''You''re going to die now.''


    Xra''s fingers started moving; the blood in her veins, now even more visible as her flesh seemed to contract.


    ''Crack, crack.'' If sound traveled through the vast expanse of space, then the snapping and cracking of her bones would have probably already rippled through it,


    ''Crick, crack.''


    "...Are you making sound effects in your mind, Pirate Queen Shakira?"


    ''You''ll learn to do it once you spend enough time in the big ck,'' Xra smirked as she stretched her hand to the side, causing her fingernails to grow long and sharp as she did so, ''Anyway, die.''


    Xra''s arms disappeared into the darkness, while Riley already had both his hands raised, covering his upper torso and head. Nothing really happened¡­ until a full second has passed, that is.


    Riley''s sleeves very slowly started to rip open, followed by more than a pint of blood slowly building up into a sphere as they escaped from the gushes.


    "..."


    Riley then tilted his head to the side while his arms were still blocking his head to take a peek at Xra, before turning to look behind him¡­ as he noticed the asteroids that were probably kilometers away from them were now finely sliced, simr to the gashes that rested in his arms.


    "Are you stronger than a Themarian, Pirate Queen Xra?" He said as he turned to look at Xra again.


    ''I won''t know,'' the smirk on Xra''s face became even more prevalent as she trailed her finger on her chin, ''I''ve only killed one before.''


    And as soon as he said that, the wide smile on Riley''s face returned; his eyes, squinted due to the inner side of his eyebrows being raised and his mouth opening up.


    ''...Which part of the Unknown did youe from?'' Xra''s smirk instantly disappeared as she saw the disgusting look of excitement on Riley''s face.


    ''The end.''


    Riley''s eyes only glowed for a millisecond, before the light violently gushed straight toward Xra''s face. Xra, however, only stretched her palm toward the light, before creating some sort of red shield which caused the beam to split in half.


    "..." Riley blinked, instantly shutting down his heat vision as he stared at Xra''s shield. He initially thought the shield was reflecting the lighting from his eyes, but no.


    He looked at his already healed arms, and then toward the string of blood that came from it¡­ which led and connected straight to the red rectangr shield that was protecting Xra''s entire body.


    "So, I was right. You can control blood," Riley''s smile didn''t have any signs of fading away, "Why not just make me explode from the inside, Pirate Queen Xra?"


    ''I''ve already tried earlier back in the ship, you resisted it.''


    "That''s because I can control blood too. Not quite as strong as you, though. I fought a blood bender before, Pirate Queen Xra¡ªhe died with all his blood drained from his body."


    Xra scoffed as her blood shield started to wriggle, before turning into a spear as she swung her arm to the side,


    ''Stop talking and start fighting.''


    "I found that beings as strong as we tend to just talk, Pirate Queen Xra. At least that is my experience with Aerith.''


    ''...Aerith?'' Xra raised an eyebrow, ''The rebellious princess? Interesting.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You know her?"


    ''Of course,'' Xra started to chuckle in her mind,


    ''I killed her betrothed.''


    "Interesting," Riley tilted his head to the side as he too, waved his hand to the side¡ªsummoning a spear of light as he did so.


    ''...How many abilities do you have?'' Xra licked her lips as she felt the scalding heating from Riley''s long stick, before moving and posing in a stance.


    "Perhaps you will be the first to see all of them, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley muttered as he tucked his lightspear in his arm and stretching his other arm toward Xra,


    "Shall we dance?"


    ''A ir for the dramatic, I don''t hate it.''


    "..."


    ''...''


    "..."


    And with the silence persisting, Xra lightly swung her spear to the left as she slightly tilted her head to the right¡­ blocking Riley''s lightspear without even looking at it. However, it was just that¡ªthe lightspear.


    Riley was not holding it, and was instead behind her and still carrying a wide smile on his face. His hand that seemed to be covered by some sort of steel-like de, already threatening to pierce through the back of Xra''s head.


    ''...'' Xra only turned to look at Riley, before just opening her mouth to catch the de between her teeth. And with another smirk crawling on her face, she shattered the de before spinning her body and piercing Riley through the jaw straight to the top of his head with her bloodspear.


    With a slight snarl and a click of her tongue, she pulled the bloodspear backward, shaving and tearing off Riley''s facepletely¡ªno blood, however.


    ''How many of these can you make?'' Xra said as she turned to look at Riley, who was actually just floating behind her upside down. Well, Xra could be the one upside down, there really was no way of knowing in space.


    "Less than a thousand," Riley shrugged, "Enough to kill everyone and everything."


    ''That''s your goal? To eradicate all life?'' Xra squinted her eyes.


    "I suppose."


    ''Then why are you not doing it yet?''


    "I am. The clone I tasked to start it was arrested and is being held somewhere, unfortunately," Riley let out a small sigh as he shook his head, "I will continue it once I am done with burying my mother in Theran."


    ''...Your mother is Themarian?''


    "My adoptive mother, yes."


    ''Huh¡­ weird,'' Xra also shrugged her shoulders, before suddenly throwing her spear toward Riley¡ªwho also suddenly disappeared from where he was just previously floating.


    The bloodspear continued on to fly through the universe at an unknown speed, hitting a giant asteroid millions of kilometers away and making a hole in it¡­ and still continuing to fly.


    ''...'' Xra squinted as she scanned her surroundings for any signs of Riley. And after a few moments of doing so, her lips started to turn upward,


    ''Your thoughts of murder are as noisy as ever!'' Xra said as she swung her arm behind her; her sharp nails¡­ cutting nothing.


    ''...What?'' Xra blinked a couple of times; her eyes, moving at an insane speed as she tried to find Riley, who she was sure was behind her.


    ''Kill. Kill. I will kill you.''


    ''...'' The thoughts were loud and clear in front of her, and yet there was no physical sign of him at all,


    ''Invisibility? Is this one of your many abilities?''


    "Ew, no."


    ''!!!'' Xra''s eyes started to widen; the pores on her pale skin, also opening up as she felt a slight chill she hadn''t experienced for a very long time. And then, very slowly¡­ she turned her head down.


    "I, fortunately, haven''t died from someone who can turn invisible yet, Pirate Queen Xra."


    ''No,'' Xra''s fangs started to show themselves as she squinted; her red eyes,pletely focused on Riley¡­ who was now as small as a clove of garlic and floating just a foot away from her waist.


    ''Don''t you even dare attempt what you are about to attempt.''

 Chapter 490:The Same Kind

    ''Don''t¡­ don''t you even dare attempt what you are about to attempt!''


    "The only thing I am attempting is killing you, Pirate Queen Xra."


    ''There are better ways to do it!''


    "Perhaps. But this is a method I have never done before. I tried doing it to Aerith, but she managed to p me away each time¡ªshe is probably thinking the same as you, now that I am remembering it."


    ''Of course, we both don''t like it!''


    "Is it because I am currently too small? Should I¡ª"


    ''Size has nothing to do with¡ª eet!''


    Pirate Queen Xra flinched. Fortunately for her, it''s not because of the reason she thought. Riley once again returned to his normal size, with his hand already wrapping around Xra''s neck.


    ''You¡­ like treating women rough?''


    "I like to torture everyone equally, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley said as his hands started to tremble from how hard and heavy he was gripping Xra''s neck; still, however, the most he could do was slightly crease her skin¡ªlike what a normal human could usually do to another,


    "You really are strong."


    ''You haven''t seen anything yet, boy.''


    Xra then grabbed Riley''s wrist, while covering his face with her other hand and trying to forcefully push it away. And with a slight smirk, her nails grew longer and lightly started to pierce through his telekic barrier.


    ''I suppose telekinesis is your most prominent ability?''


    "It is the one I use instinctively, Pirate Queen Xra." Even with most of his face covered, Riley''s still did not have any signs of change in tone; his eyes, seemingly just trying to look at Xra''s fingers.


    ''What about the size alteration? Why don''t you try and grow a hundred times bigger? That''s useful.''


    "But then you will try and go up my anus and drink my blood from the inside."


    Xra''s chest visibly trembled as she imagined Riley''s words. No¡ªshe didn''t need to imagine. Since she was reading Riley''s mind, he had already made the image for her.


    ''What is with you and climbing¡ª''


    And before Xra could finish her words, Riley calmly ced his free hand on her stomach. And with the edges of his mouth peeking from the sides, Xra could feel Riley''s warm breath as he let out a light chuckle.


    ''You¡­'' Xra then started looking around her, only to see the asteroids that were floating nearest to them starting to tremble and move towards them; her hair and clothes too, were slightly vibrating as a force was starting to pull them to Riley''s hand.


    ''Paboom,'' and with that thought escaping from Riley''s mind, a sort of¡­ light exploded from his palm. No, it wasn''t exactly light. It was more akin to what one would see when you rub off a marker from a whiteboard¡­ almost as if deleting the darkness of space itself. Like a photo with inverted colors.


    And this weird light expanded in a millisecond, like a wave of a st that shot through the expanse of spacerge and reaching far enough that it made Rileypletely invisible from afar.


    Instead of a shockwave pushing everything away, however, the white space pulled everything to it as it continued to expand. It happened to pierce straight through a, which instantly copsed into itself before shattering in its own weight. It onlysted for a millisecond, like a sh¡­ and yet itpletely left its mark on the ster system they were in.


    And for that short moment in time, a part of the universe waspletely torn apart.


    "I am also making sound effects with my mind now, Pirate Queen Xra. That is how I imagined it would sound like. I''ve never done it before," Riley then tilted his head to the side, causing arge amount of blood to bubble and build up from his nose,


    "Are you still alive?"


    Riley then stared at Xra''s face; or perhaps more specifically, her skull. The front part of her face waspletely shaved off¡ªno. Most of her were already torn away. Her stomach was mangled in a way that it looked like a spiral, with all of her organspletely gone. Her limbs too were twisted and crooked in separate different directions.


    Her hand that was grabbing Riley''s head, however, was stilltched onto his face.


    "..."


    A second.


    A minute.


    An hour.


    "..." Riley just blinked a couple of times as he continued to stare at her skull, not leaving her even after an entire hour had passed.


    ''Are you really not going to turn around?''


    "Because I remembered you telling me that you have already been dead for a long time," Riley''s eyebrow slightly twitched as the empty sockets of Xra''s skull started to form an eye, which immediately turned to look him directly in his eyes.


    ''A pity, I was hoping to surprise you,'' and with those words, Xra''s flesh, bones, and organs reformed themselves almost instantly; even her clothes returned even cleaner than before. Her hand that was still gripping Riley''s face, finally retreating to her side.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''My turn, then.''


    "..." Riley watched as Xra bit her own tongue, before sticking out her tongue and sloppily licking her lips; letting a mixture of her blood and saliva to trail down her chin.


    ''Blood Moon.''


    And with those words echoing in Riley''s mind, he felt a warm wave waft through his face as the blood in her lips expanded, retaining its shape beforepletely drowning both him and Xra inside it. It still did not expand, it continued to grow and grow as it started to lose the shape of Xra''s lips, and instead now turning into a colossal sphere of blood.


    And from afar, it truly did look like a moon covered in blood.


    "..." Riley looked at his hand, before rubbing his finger and thumbs together, letting a small amount of blood enter his telekic barrier.


    ''You''re also capable of multiplying blood, Pirate Queen Xra,'' Riley whispered in his mind as he tried to look for Xra, but could not. And it wasn''t only because the blood was dense, no¡ªXrapletely disappeared, ''I have never seen that befo¡ª''


    And before Riley could finish his thoughts, his hand that was feeling the blood rush through his skin was torn apart¡ªleaving only his bones exposed. This onlysted for less than a second, however, as his hand reconstructed itself and healed.


    ''I holdplete domain in all and everything that has life. In this moon, my will is the authority.''


    "..." Parts of Riley''s face started to shave off, before alsopletely healing as he started to look around, ''Where are you?''


    ''Everywhere. I am blood, life itself.''


    ''...Does this mean I am inside you right now, Pirate Queen Xra?'' Riley squinted his eyes, ''Then why were you pretending that you didn''t like it when I was trying to go inside you earlier?''


    ''You really are different from the rest,'' an echoing chuckle whispered in Riley''s mind as he allowed himself to be dragged through the current of blood, ''Still teasing even in the midst of threat. And no, Riley Ross. I do not multiply blood¡­


    ¡­I call upon the blood of those that have fallen in my hands, and this is a fraction of them.''


    ''Interesting,'' Riley nodded several times as he removed his telekic barrier, letting the blood touch his skin.


    ''Do you feel it? The pain, anguish, and regret of trillions of people?''


    ''I prefer to feel their pain, anguish, and regret while they are still alive, Pirate Queen Xra,'' Riley closed his eyes and smiled, ''I suppose you will be adding me to your collection?''


    ''I am not a fool, Riley Ross. I know the secrets of the Common Council, I know what they are hiding, and now that I feel all of you¡­


    ¡­I know what you are now.''


    ''And what am I, Pirate Queen Xra?"


    ''The same as me.''


    And almost like a storm withering away, the blood that surrounded Rileypletely dissipated almost instantly. There was still warmth wrapping around Riley, however, as Xra now had her arms around him; her lips, sticking close to Riley''s ear. The warmth was¡­ cold, however, but not colder than the darkness.


    ''I can smell it in you, ittches onto you even more so than it cares for me.''


    "Are you talking about my perfume? It is a limited edition by Whiteking," Riley''s nose started to twitch as he sniffed Xra''s neck; his lips, almost touching her skin, "But you don''t have any scent, Pirate Queen Xra."


    "I am talking about the reflection you see every time death holds a grip on you," Xra finally spoke with her mouth as Riley expanded his telekic pocket.


    "You¡­ have seen Overvoid Riley?" Riley''s eyes slightly widened; his breaths, slightly adjusting as he returned Xra''s embrace; holding her by the waist and grabbing the back of her head as they felt the temperature of their bodies blending with one another.


    "Overvoid Riley¡­ Yes, it is a reflection of us. And that is a fitting name for that ce," Xra''s lips started brushing Riley''s ear,


    "I met it the time I died, and it never really left me."


    "I meet it each time I die. Do you know what it is? Is it perhaps Death itself?"


    "No," Xra shook her head, letting her cheek touch Riley''s, "Death is kind and fair. This thing that lives¡­ in the Overvoid, it''s sinister¡ª unapologetically evil, devoid of anything else."


    "I know that already, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley tightened his embrace, "What else do you know?"


    "Are you ready to hear my story now, then?"


    "..." Riley let out several breaths, before nodding his head.


    "Then I am going to start at my home," Xra let out a very long and deep breath, "I believe you already know where that is?"


    "Yes, you have been speaking theirnguage since earlier, Pirate Queen Xra¡ªSumer¡­


    ¡­Earth."

 Chapter 491: The Sun,The Moon,And The Darkness

    Sometime 8000 years ago, Earth.


    The Sumerian.


    The oldest recorded civilization and people on the. It was a time that only knew strength, but it was also a time of peace. There were wars, true¡ªbut they were wars of necessity and not greed.


    At the time, people with special abilities already existed on Earth¡ª Supers, but not yet as widespread. Their existence was few and far in between, and because of this, most of them were treated as deities¡­


    ¡­Gods.


    And one super, stood at the top. It was said that he held the power to control the sun, but some say he was the sun himself. He was special, not just because of the power he held, but the authority that came with it.


    Even without his powers, he held in his hands the life of millions.


    The God King of all of Sumerian, Akkamesh.


    He ruled over hundreds of thousands of people. It might seem like a few, but for that time, that poption could bepared to billions. Akkamesh gained the throne from his father, who was a tyrant that did not care for the lives of his vassals.


    Akkamesh, however, held a different opinion about the people¡­ and ultimately ended his father''s reign himself, he burned him in front of the world; bathing him in light until nothing of him was left. He was loved by his people, but also feared.


    "Akkamesh? I do not remember that nameing up with the papers I have read, Pirate Queen Xra."


    "Can you not interrupt my story? How do you know a lot about my time anyway? Wait¡­ perhaps the Sumerian civilization still exists on¡ª what do you call our home again?"


    "Earth. And yes, Pirate Queen Xra. Sumerian still exists even today."


    "Wh¡ª"


    "In the museums and in ancient history ss."


    "..."


    God King Akkamesh was fair. Both men and women were given equal opportunities to rise above their stations, as long as they knew where to stand. Akkamesh was fair, perhaps too fair to the point that any injustice he sees, he will deal with without mercy or forgiveness.


    He was feared for this reason. But for those that know that their conscience was clear, then Akkamesh was the best ruler they could ever ask for.


    With Akkamesh''s rule, their kingdom became colorful, literally. Their buildings that were made with limestones and granite were painted over to give them a vibrant look¡ªeach house, different from the rest.


    Everyone had a role in his time, and that included ves. Yes, there were ves; but even before his rule, ves were not treated poorly. They were by no means equal to their masters, but they were being paid for the work they did; some even had their own homes.


    ves inherit their status from their parents, and this could lead to generations until they manage to buy themselves out of their very.


    One family, in particr, not only bought their way out of their life of bondage but even managed to be thergest and in time, the only manufacturer of beer in the entire kingdom.


    And that family only had a single heir, a woman.


    Xra.


    "Shara? That is a man''s name in Sumeria, Pirate Queen Xra."


    "You interrupted me again. And how dare you im more than the person that was actually there?"


    "Shara is the name of a god of war if I remember correctly."


    "Stop remembering because all of it would be incorrect. You were not there, I was. Now, can I continue my story?"


    "Okay."


    "If you interrupt me again, then I will no longer tell you anything and trap you forever in my blood moon, even if it means that I would also be trapped trying to contain you."


    "Then I will be inside you forever?"


    "T¡ª"


    Xra was adorned by all the other women, be they young or old. Her light-brown skin was almost golden; her hair,bed and washed every day. Even more, however, was jealous of her.


    Xra was kind to their servants and ves; after all, her parents were once the same. Her friendliness stops there, however. Perhaps because of being born never needing anything, Xra has be numb to the courtings of others¡­ and there were a lot of them.


    The men give their entire life just to be noticed by Xra, but why should she even notice them if she already has everything?


    Her parents were starting to get worried. How could they not, when their only child refuses to make a family of her own? Xra was young, but she had already bled¡ªshe won''t always hold the beauty she holds now.


    "I feel like you are not telling me the true story, Pirate Queen Xra."


    "Can you stop looking at me like that? I am telling the truth."


    "Your skin is not light-brown and almost golden. Hera has that skin tone and the two of you could not be any more dissimr."


    "Didn''t I tell you that if you interrupt me again, I won''t tell my story anymore?"


    "That is obviously a lie, Pirate Queen Xra. You enjoy having someone to finally tell your story to."


    "..."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I know the feeling. When my sister finally discovered everything, I have never felt more free¡ªshe killed me, of course."


    "...Can I tell my story now, or has this be about you?"


    "It has always been about me."


    "..."


    Xra had all sorts of suitors; many already had their own wives, promising to leave them for her. And of course, she refused them¡­ but that was not how the men''s wives saw it.


    They called her a temptress, a whore. It came to the point that she would be attacked by the women even as she just leisurely takes her walk. And, of course, under the rule of Akkamesh, these women were dealt with ordingly.


    "I feel like this story is only gratifying you, Pirate Queen Xra. Perhaps you can skip the parts about how beautiful you are?"


    "..."


    But of course, like many things, there was a certain warmth that could melt down the beautiful Xra''s coldness¡ªand that was God King Akkamesh.


    "I see. I think I know where the story is going now, Pirate Queen Xra. It is a story about a woman that has everything, but can''t get what she truly wants."


    "We got married! Why are you so annoying!?"


    "...Oh. Please, continue."


    Xra and Akkamesh, in a tangle of fate that would be skipped because of a certain albino, ultimately became each other''s confidant.


    The two were married at the time of the day when the sun meets the moon, almost an allegory of their role to one another.


    Akkamesh became Xra''s sun, and Xra became Akkamesh''s moon.


    But only for a brief moment¡ªbecause as the moon and sun would always part, so did the two by the end of the day.


    Xra was killed, poisoned by Akkamesh''s own people. In a fit of rage, Akkamesh ughtered almost everyone that attended his wedding¡ªand with their blood, Xra was born anew.


    And ever since then, the once just and peaceful kingdom became astray. Xra was no longer herself, but a beast that wanted to hurt and devour everything and anything that breathes.


    And due to his love for her, Akkamesh also changed.


    At first, those whomitted crimes were sent to Xra to be killed, tortured, and ultimately devoured. But it came to the point that it wasn''t enough¡ªand soon, even those that have done no wrong in their life were captured by Akkamesh''s men to be sacrificed.


    This went on for years¡­ until Xra devoured her own family.


    Akkamesh did not know. After all, he had asked his men to cover the heads of the sacrifice each time they bring them in; perhaps in a way for him not to see the monster he has be from the reflection in their eyes.


    And at that very moment, when Xra realized what she had done¡ªshe asked Akkamesh to kill him.


    And so, he did. But in the condition that they would be together, forever.


    Akkamesh carried Xra, and they flew into the sun.


    "...At least, that was what was supposed to happen. Akkamesh died a few seconds after leaving the Earth''s atmosphere¡­ only I remained."


    "..."


    "I floated in the dark expanse of space embracing his corpse. Until one day, I learned to harness my abilities¡ªand here I am now, never once did I look back."


    "Very interesting story, Pirate Queen Xra. I will tell this to the Pope if he is still alive by the time I return to Earth. But¡­ what exactly does this have to do with the Overvoid?"


    "Because I died¡­" Xra whispered. For the entire duration of her story, the two remained embracing each other as they whispered into each other''s ears; and it seemed like the two didn''t have any ns of separating just yet as Xra continued to ce her lips on Riley''s ear,


    "...and I returned."


    "..."


    "I returned with the urge to end any and all life, and I did. The nature of my special abilities may have been visceral and brutal, but never in my life did I think of killing people before that¡­ but now the people that have died by my hands numbered in trillions."


    "Then we are not the same, Pirate Queen Xra¡ªI have always been evil."


    "...How much do you remember the very first time you died, Riley Ross?" Xra then finally let go of Riley; looking him straight in the eyes as strands of her hair still remainedtching around Riley''s face.


    "I was a baby when I first died, Pirate Queen Xra."


    "..." Xra closed her eyes as soon as she heard Riley''s words, "The Overvoid as you call it¡­ is hell itself."


    "The underworld?"


    "No, more like¡­


    ¡­another world entirely."

 Chapter 492: A Mistake

    "Akkamesh, my sun?"


    It was supposed to be a day of celebration, the happiest moment of her life. But in just a single blink of an eye, the darkness that was supposed to be the one that was momentary became prevalent.


    "...Akkamesh?"


    Xra tried to call out, but in front of her was nothing but darkness. She felt her feet damp, with each of her steps creating a ripple that she also could not see. She couldn''t even see her own hands, she didn''t even know whether her eyes were even open at all.


    There was no sun, not even a glimmer of light. Like a cave without a mouth.


    "Akkamesh?"


    Xra once again whispered to herself; her words, just echoing back to her. She continued to walk, stretching her hands in front of her in hopes that Akkamesh would reach out to her¡­ but there was nothing.


    There was nothing there¡­ but she didn''t feel like she was alone.


    "Akkamesh, where are you!?"


    Xra tried to scream, only for her voice to just once again return to her; almost as if she was screaming at her own ears.


    "Akkamesh, I''m scared."


    And she didn''t know how long she had spent in the darkness, but after a while; or perhaps after a long time, she started to give up. Her legs gave out as she cradled herself, crying and calling for her love.


    The darkness was crippling. And very soon, it almost felt as if she didn''t exist at all. Maybe the reason she couldn''t even see her own hands and feet is because she wasn''t even there? Maybe the darkness has already consumed her?


    "Akkamesh, please¡­ save me," she whispered to herself. And once again, the words just echoed out to her,


    "Is this Kur? Am I¡­ am I in the underworld? But why¡­ I¡­ I was supposed to be with the love of my life, my sun. Why? Akkamesh¡­ where are you?"


    Xra started murmuring, her voice bing smaller and smaller, and the darkness bing bigger and bigger. She was slowly starting to lose herself, or perhaps she already was from the start.


    She whispered and she called, and very soon¡­ her voice became as quiet as the hour before dawn.


    "..."


    "..."


    But the words echoing through her ears were still loud.


    And as soon as she realized this, Xra''s breaths suddenly became heavier¡ªand even that, was being screamed at her ears. And so, very slowly and carefully, Xra turned his head to the side¡­


    ¡­only to see someone that looked exactly like her; staring directly at her with her eyes as wide as they could be, her lips endlessly murmuring something.


    "What!?"


    ''What!?''


    And as Xra took a step back, the woman did too¡­ almost like a reflection. Her reflection''s movements were weird, however. The movement of her mouth did not really match the wordsing out of it¡ªit was trying to mimic her, but failing.


    Or perhaps she had been in the darkness for so long and no longer knew how she was moving? Maybe this is her now? A woman seemingly devoid of anything remotely close to human?


    ¡­


    Or perhaps it was just mocking her.


    "...Who are you?" Xra whispered, expecting her words to just bounce back to her¡ªbut no. Instead of carrying her tired and exhausted voice, her reflection just smiled.


    ''You. I am¡­ you?''


    The reflection seemed confused at its own words; its head tilted to the side as if wondering if its own words were true or not. But after a few moments of looking Xra directly in the eyes, the reflection started to smile.


    ''I am you,'' it then repeated; this time with certainty.


    "No¡­ it¡­ it can''t be," Xra, however, shook her head¡­ and the reflection did the same. But instead of the horrified expression she thought she would have, her reflection wasughing as it repeated her words.


    ''Oh, but I am. I am whates after death.''


    "...Death," Xra breathed out as soon as she heard her reflection''s words.


    She thought the confirmation would bring demise, but instead, it brought her relief. The underworld, Kur, deals punishment to those who have sinned during their life¡ªif so, then is this her punishment?


    Showing her her vanity? Her hubris? She had always treated people coldly, and now her reflection is as cold as the darkness she finds herself in. Or perhaps it was just showing her how other people saw her?


    ''Pft.''


    Her thoughts, however, were interrupted by a quiet, and almost sinister chuckle.


    ''You are a being without death,'' the reflection then spoke as it finally moved on its own; walking toward Xra before circling around her,


    ''You will live again, and I will be with you.''


    "You¡­ are going to resurrect me?"


    ''No,'' the reflection once againughed, ''You know the answer to that, for I am you.''


    "I¡­ can''t die," Xra then blinked a couple of times as her hands were finally visible to her; this time, however, her hands were pale¡­seemingly devoid of blood, "I¡­ am the same as Akkamesh? I am a god?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''...No,'' Xra''s reflection rolled her eyes before wrapping her arm around Xra''s shoulders, ''You''re not a god, none of you are. Myst avatar was extinguished because he thought he was, so please. Don''t. A handful of you is just born with gifts.''''


    "Yourst avatar¡ªYou''re not me!" Xra quickly pped her reflection away as soon as she heard those words, "What are you!?"


    ''If I say I am Death, then would you believe me?'' Xra''s reflection once againughed as she took several steps back.


    "No," Xra''s voice was resolute, "Death holds no malice¡ªand malice is all that I could feel from you."


    ''...Huh.''


    And with a single hum, any image of Xra from the reflectionpletely disappeared. It still looked identical to her, but she was no longer seeing herself from it.


    ''I preferred it more when your kind was less intelligent.''


    "Who are you!?"


    ''That''s all the time we have,'' Xra''s reflection started to be swallowed by the darkness; its silhouette, slowly disappearing, ''In this world, that is.''


    "...What?"


    ''You and I¡­ our fun has just begun.''


    "Wait, you¡ª"


    "And that''s when I woke up again, with a hunger for death that I have not experienced before."


    "...Interesting. That does sound like Overvoid Riley at the end, Pirate Queen Xra."


    In the expanse of space, Riley was now floating in ce; with his hand on his chin, "But you just added more questions than you answered. Are you saying that I am like this because Overvoid Riley lives in me?"


    "...Perhaps. You said you were a baby when you died and resurrected. It makes sense you do not remember anything."


    "I do not think so, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley then let out a soft sigh as he shook his head, "Because I have seen Overvoid Riley before on Earth when my deceased biological mother and I reunited."


    "...What?"


    "..." Riley then looked at Xra with a slightly condescending look, before once again sighing and shaking his head, "I actually think I know more than you, Pirate Queen Xra. You have only died once¡­


    ¡­I have died more than a hundred times. And each time, I meet with Overvoid Riley and the others."


    "...Others?" Xra raised an eyebrow.


    "The more I die, the more Overvoid Rileys appear. They are annoying."


    "...Annoying?" Xra could not really believe what she was hearing right now. That sinister being that was literally on the other side of life itself¡­ was annoying?


    "Then why don''t you tell me what you know about the ce!?" Xra then raised her voice as she floated close to Riley again.


    "Because I do not know anything about the ce, Pirate Queen Xra. They do not tell me anything," Riley shrugged, "The other Overvoid Rileys are scared of me. And the first Overvoid Riley has be crazy, just repeating his words over and over again."


    "They¡­ are scared of you?"


    "Because each time I die and go to the Overvoid, I try to kill them."


    "You try to kill them?" Pirate Queen Xra found herself repeating her words like a parrot,


    "W¡ªAre you¡­ Is this some kind of joke? Are my crew pranking me right now?" Xra then started looking around for any signs of her crew. But s, she needed to increase her eyesight in order to see her ship; and even then, it was still where it was before she and Riley started fighting.


    "No¡­ are they?" Riley blinked a couple of times, before he too, started looking around.


    "No¡ªyou¡­ How?" Xra then looked Riley in the eyes, "How does that even make sense? When you die you''re not really there, just your presence."


    "You''ve only died once, Pirate Queen Xra. You dare presume you know more than me about the matter?"


    "...Are you imitating the way I speak?"


    "Yes."


    "..." Xra once again just stared at Riley¡­ before suddenly bursting out in a fit ofughter.


    "...As I thought, ancient people are insane," Riley sighed and nodded to himself.


    "I just find it funny," Xra then ced her hand on Riley''s shoulder, "This thing thattched on to us, whatever it is, it seems to want to create beings of pure evil through us. Beings that would destroy and kill everything¡­


    ¡­but they created you instead."


    "I do not get it, Pirate Queen Xra. If that is indeed what it is trying to achieve, then were they not sessful in both you and me? I have ughtered and tortured billions. The people that have died by your hands numbered in trillions."


    "I no longer follow its whims, Riley Ross," Xra smirked, "I have been free from its influence for a very long time, but you¡­ you¡­"


    Xra once again startedughing as she pushed Riley away and started pointing at him from head to toe,


    "You¡­ You may have been influenced at the start but you¡­ you are a ss act. An experiment gone wrong. You¡­


    ¡­you''re a multiversal freak."

 Chapter 493: Friends With Benefits

    "You are a multiversal freak."


    "That is very rude, Pirate Queen Xra. And I was told that the multiverse does not exist."


    "...Who told you that?"


    "Captain Nana of the Tdier."


    "Cap¡ª right. You were with people. We better return, I don''t know if your friends are still alive."


    "They are not my friends, Pirate Queen Xra. But I am sure one of them is still alive. Are we no longer killing each other?"


    Pirate Queen Xra was about to fly away back to the ship but stopped as soon as she heard Riley''s words.


    "I do not die, and you resurrect each time you die. I do not see the point in us continuing."


    "Kill me once and I will have your abilities, Pirate Queen Xra. I am sure I can find a way to make our battle not so pointless," Riley shook his head as he blocked Xra''s path,


    "If you wish death, I believe I am the best creature in the entire universe suited to make ite true."


    "Who said I wish for death?" Xra raised an eyebrow, "I have lived past enough the point of seeking death a long time ago, Riley Ross. Also, I sort of want to visit Earth, I would like to see how it has changed after almost ten millennia."


    "..."


    Xra began to fly away, but once again, he was blocked by Riley.


    "You really want to fight? I was hoping to harvest that sun right there, but if we fight that thing will be gone. So, let''s go farther if you want to¡ª"


    "I have a question, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley asked, "When did you stop seeking death?"


    "A few hours after I left Earth''s atmosphere."


    "...Why?"


    "Because I have a mission."


    "To destroy the Universe?"


    "No," Xra closed her eyes and shook her head, before turning to look at the star shining brightly from afar,


    "That''s just¡­ the price."


    ***


    "What¡­ happened here?"


    Xra''s colossal ship, the Bloodcruiser, always had an excess and an indiscriminate number of ruined ships inside its hangar, it was basically a graveyard for the ships they hijack and steal. But the hangar itself had always been clean; without even any signs of damage. But now, there were gashes everywhere¡ªwith some of the ships even stuck like gum on the walls that were made with one of the strongest metals in the entire universe.


    "..." And as soon as Xra''s foot made contact with the floor, she heard a small yelp whispering in her left ear. She quickly turned to look, only to see Captain Nana hiding beneath one of the debris.


    "Eep!" Another yelp then resounded in the air as Xra disappeared from her spot, only to appear already lifting the debris that Nana was hiding under.


    "What happened here, little cat?"


    "I¡­" Nana quickly looked around for another ce to hide; covering her head and refusing to look at Xra as if that would void the fact that she already found her. As soon as she saw Riley floating andnding behind Xra, however, she quickly stopped hiding and crawled toward him.


    "H¡­ Hera¡­ she¡­ she needs help!"


    "..." Riley only looked at Nana, before turning to look at the mess that seemed to be the aftermath of whatever was happening with Hera.


    "You are certainly having fun here," a small smirk then crawled on Xra''s face as she heard Nana''s words. And after a few breaths, she closed her eyes and stepped away,


    "Blood sense."


    And then, a ripple only she could see waved through her entire ship; echoing like a radar, until they returned to her almost instantly¡ªcarrying any rhythm and beat of life it could find within the vicinity.


    "...Oh," she then followed as she started walking deeper into the hangar. As for Riley, he just shrugged his shoulders before casually following him. Nana¡­ Nana didn''t really know what to do. In front of her are literally two of the most powerful people in the Universe.


    Just¡­ how did she get caught up in this mess? And her ship¡­


    Nana then very slowly turned to look at her ship¡­ which was now in several pieces. The Tdier had been her home, and the home of her children for their entire lives; and now it''s gone¡­ just like that.


    It didn''t even have a proper ce to die, it just became part of the many scraps in this ship graveyard they call a hangar.


    "That''s a scavenger ship, right? I will rece it with a custom Wormworld brand."


    "..." Nana blinked a couple of times as she turned her head toward Xra, who was ncing at her before continuing to walk ahead. And as soon as the word ''Wormworld'' registered in Nana''s mind, a small but very deep breath escaped her mouth. The frown on her face,pletely gone and reced by a smile that could rival Riley''s.


    "A¡­ custom Wormworld brand?" Nana could barely contain her breaths as she practically sprinted behind Riley and Xra, "What¡­ what kind of customization?"


    Xra didn''t really answer her, and only pointed to the left. Nana, of course, almost instinctively turned her head to where she was pointing, only to see arge purple ship equipped with several¡­ armaments.


    Nana''s entire body shivered as soon as she saw that. People have probably been killed inside that ship¡­ but did it really matter? She was a scavenger in the first ce, death is the reason why she has a job.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "It''s in purple too, my favorite color."


    "..." Riley nced at Nana for a few seconds, before shaking his head and sighing, "You shouldn''t be taking stuff from dead people, Captain Nana."


    "You''re a mass murderer!" Nana identally blurted out as she pointed at Riley. Her hand, turning into a cannon and sting at Riley without any warning.


    "..." Nana''s eyes instantly widened as she saw the ball of energy floating just inches away from the back of Riley''s head; her entire being, inplete disbelief at what she had just done. It would seem she had been spending so much time with Hera that her nagging was starting to affect her¡ªthe only difference was that her powers didn''t guarantee her survival.


    "That¡­ that is¡ª"


    "idental pre-release, Captain Nana. That is quitemon forte bloomers, you do not have to be ashamed about it."


    "..." This time, Nana chose to shut her mouth and just follow behind the two.


    "You have infected her?" Xra whispered as she once again walked unusually close to Riley; her arm, sticking to his.


    "You know that the source of our abilities is a virus, Pirate Queen Xra?" Riley tilted his head.


    "I''ve lived a couple of millennia, Riley," Xra scoffed, "I would notice people around me gaining powers when I am around them. At first, I thought I myself was giving the powers, but I figured it out in time as I noticed the discrepancies in their blood."


    "Interesting," Riley squinted his eyes, "I believe my mother would very much like your input, Pirate Queen Xra."


    "...Your mother?"


    "She is a famous scientist, maybe you know her? Her name is Diana Ross, Pirate Queen Xra."


    "If she''s from Earth, then no."


    "Her real name is Caiin''Ur."


    "What!?" Xra instantly stopped in her tracks, causing Nana to hit the back of her leg, "Your mother is Caiin?"


    "Adoptive mother, Pirate Queen Xra."


    "Why did you not say so earlier?" A small chuckle then escaped Xra''s lips as she continued walking, "Caiin and I are old friends, you mean she''s on Earth?"


    "She was, Pirate Queen Xra. But we were on our way to Theran when we got separated."


    "She is going back to¡ªNow, that I have to see." Xra''s chuckles soon turned into a fit ofughter that reverberated throughout the entire hangar, even causing some of the ships to shake from the sheer force of her excitement,


    "But first, let''s go see your acquaintance."


    Xra then suddenly stretched her hand to the left, and after a few breaths, someone''s neck suddenlynded straight into her hand,ing from an unknown direction.


    "C¡­Captain!?" It was Moira, the blue-skinned alien that invited Little Riley into the ship, "We¡­ we''re about done here! Did you kill Riley Ro¡ªhe''s still here!"


    "Yes, yes," Xra sighed as she dropped Moira, "Calm down. Where are they?"


    "We¡­ we''re trying to kill Riley''spanion," Moira meekly said as she subtly nced at Riley, "But we can''t¡ª"


    "Enough, enough. Riley, you didn''t tell me yourpanion is also stro¡ª Riley?"


    Xra turned to look at Riley¡­ only to see that he was no longer there.


    "...This is why I hate children," Xra could really only let out another deep breath as her shoulders dropped.


    "C¡­captain, what''s going on?" Moira stuttered as she nced back and forth between Nana and her captain, "Why is Riley still alive?"


    "Because I can''t kill him."


    "You¡­ can''t kill Riley Ross?" Moira blinked a couple of times, "He¡­ is that strong?"


    "He is that strong. But you don''t have to worry about that¡­" Xra did not bother looking at Moira, but instead just pointed at Moira''s shoulder, "...You have your own problem."


    "...What?" Moira stared in confusion for a few moments, before turning to look at her shoulder¡­ only to see Little Riley there with his arms crossed,


    "L¡­ Little Riley!? You¡­ you''re alive!?"


    "No," Little Riley let out a small harrumph as he looked to the side, "You betrayed my predecessor. Do you think you deserve to be my friend?"


    "That''s¡­ I''m sorry. I¡ª"


    "Okay. I forgive you."


    "...Oh."


    "..." Nana, who was still just existing there, could really only just sigh and shake her head from all the things happening around her. It was official¡­


    ¡­hermon sense was no more.

 Chapter 494: Enter Player Three

    "Moira!"


    "How do we even kill this thing!?"


    "Try to snipe its face!"


    "Did you see what happened when Moira tried to cut it!? She got blown away!"


    Somewhere in the Bloodcruiser''s vast and spacious hangar, 6 of Xra''s main fighters were currently surrounding some sort of¡­ thick corrugated pir¡ªno. Perhaps a ''tree'' is the better word to describe the weird structure. But instead of a wood-like color, its texture was more akin to that of cement.


    A tree made of concrete.


    An imprable concrete, that is.


    Xra''s crew had been trying to cut the tree down, but all they could really do was scratch it, but even that heals after a second. The tree attached itself to the floor, all the way to the ceiling; its roots, unmovable.


    Girgo, thergest of Xra''s crew tried to pull one of the roots up. His head that resembled that of Earth''s amphibians, trembling as he used his long tongue as added muscle. But s, try as he might, he only ended up just bending the floor. And considering every inch of the ship was made with one of the strongest metals in the Universe, Girgo no longer attempted it, ''less he wanted to be the target of Xra''s wrath.


    "Lechamp, just continue firing at its face!"


    "The roots are attacking me!"


    "Then dodge! You have 4 arms!"


    Lechamp, a 4-armed humanoid had 4 of his sters pointed at the center of the tree¡­ which had a face nted right on its bark¡ªHera''s face.


    And like with the rest of the grey tree, her face was like concrete and melded with everything. Hera''s eyes werepletely closed, which means that the roots that moved and were snapping in the air like a whip were most likely moving on their own.


    The roots seemed to be focused solely on defending Hera, however. As long as none of the 6 nned to attack her head or inflict any harm that would damage her head, the giant tree just remainedpletely still.


    They could attack the tree itself, but most of their bullets and other attacks just bounce off.


    "Move!" Girgo, who had already given up in trying to lift and throw the entire tree out of the ship, pushed Lechamp away as he stood right at the line of sigh on Hera''s face. And with a deep breath, he ced theser cannon he was carrying, which no one knows where he got, right in front of him and aimed it straight at Hera''s face.


    "Let''s see you block this!"


    "Are you crazy, Girgo!? That''s the ship''s external cannon!"


    "W¡ª"


    And before any of hisrades could tell him how bad of an idea it was to fire the cannon inside the ship, a blue beam of light already gushed out and sted out of the cannon.


    The edge of Girgo''s incredibly wide mouth lifted up; his long tongue, trembling from excitement as the lightpletely nketed his entire silhouette.


    "..."


    "..."


    But then, the blinding light remained. The st that was supposed to justst in a sh did not wither away¡ªthe beam, now seemingly a colossal fluorescentmp. And since Girgo''s vision waspletely blinded by the bright light, he wasn''t able to see what hisrades were currently seeing.


    "That¡­ isn''t that¡­"


    "I can''t move! Why¡­ why can''t I move!?"


    "What''s happening!? What is it!?" Girgo tried to move, but s, the only thing he could really turn was hisrge round eyes that were popping out from his amphibious head,


    "What is happening!?"


    "It''s Riley Ross!"


    "What!?"


    It is. Riley was now floating beside the concrete tree. His long white hair, freely flowing with the gust of wind that shouldn''t really exist inside the hangar. He just nced at the frozen st of light, before turning his focus back to Hera''s face.


    "..." Riley tilted his head to the side as he looked at her, before letting out a small sigh and shaking his head,


    "You are destroying private property, Miss Hera. Please, wake up."


    And as soon as his breaths touched Hera''s face, her marbled, concrete skin started to crease¡ªthere were no cracks, however, as her skin seemed to just turn soft by the second. And soon, her eyes opened.


    "Riley¡­" Hera weakly whispered as her lips too, finally opened. And before saying anything more, her face started to protrude forward.


    Her body was clearly notplete, as the sides and back of her face started to wriggle before stretching into tiny little worms¡ªno, tentacles. The tentacles formed whatever was missing from her as her iplete silhouette continued to protrude and separate from the tree.


    And soon, her arms were finally able to stretch toward Riley.


    Riley, however, floated back and avoided Hera¡­ causing her to fall and basically plop straight to the metal floor with her lower part stillpletely missing.


    "..."


    "..."


    Hera then quickly looked up, while Riley looked down as the two just stared into each other''s eyes.


    "..."


    "...Why do you have to ruin the moment!?" Hera decided to break the annoying silence as she raised her middle finger at Riley, "This would have been a good reference for a scene!"


    "Hm," Riley just shrugged in response as he descended down,nding on the roots of Hera''s¡­ tree form,


    "Why¡­ is this not disappearing?" Riley then asked as his eyes scanned and observed the concrete tree.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "That''s¡­ permanent," Hera sighed as her legspleted their reconstruction, "They are sheddings of my body in a sense."


    "..." Riley''s mouth slightly turned agape as he looked at Hera. And after a few breaths, he stepped to the side to avoid any of the roots, "Ew."


    "You bathe in blood, Riley," Hera scoffed in disbelief as she stood up.


    "That is with my full consent, Miss Hera."


    "Then just float around if you''re really that disgusted about the roots!"


    "How am I going to intentionally show you my disgust of your disposable flesh then, Miss Hera?"


    "They''re not flesh, they¡ªThere''s no use arguing with you," Hera rolled her eyes as she started stretching her limbs, before turning her attention toward the 6 people that werepletely frozen in ce,


    "Are¡­ you nning on killing them?" She then asked, "This is probably one of the only instances in which I won''t serve as your moralpass, Riley."


    "You are not my moralpass, Miss Hera," Riley sighed as he also looked at Xra''s crew,


    "And I am not going to kill them. Pirate Queen Xra and I havee to a fragile understanding."


    "You¡­ didn''t kill her?" Hera blinked in disbelief, "How a¡ª"


    "I am not easily in, mortal. And it would seem I could say the same to you."


    And before Hera could process her confusion, Xra and Nana arrived on the scene; with Xra just casually walking toward Hera and Riley like she was on a catwalk, even as she was surrounded by her frozen crew.


    "Fascinating. It would seem the virus has only gone stronger as time passed," Xra then whispered as she trailed her fingers at a giant root; her nails, easily scratching and even slicing arge part of it.


    "..." Hera was on guard when Xra showed herself; her body, however, did not really have any reaction toward her unlike before. That only meant one thing for her¡ªXra was no longer posing a threat.


    "Riley, can you free my people now? They¡ª"


    "What''s happening, Captain!?"


    And before Xra could finish her request, the gold-skinned humanoid, her right-hand woman, quickly raised her voice before hovering toward them with her feet just an inch above the floor,


    "Are we friends with the enemy now!?"


    "Yes."


    "No."


    "..." Everyone quickly looked at Riley, who tantly talked over Xra seemingly without any care about the world.


    "..."


    "Yes, we''ve be friends," Xra didn''t seem to mind, however, as she just let out a smirk.


    "But I thought you were going to kill him mercilessly because he got your name wrong!?"


    "Please, I am not that petty," Xra waved her hand, "Also, if Riley and I truly fought with all of our strength, then all of you will perish without even knowing what killed you."


    "Then¡ª"


    "We''re going to Theran," Xra did not let her right-hand woman speak, "Riley here is going to Theran, I offered to take him there."


    "No, you did not, Pirate Queen Xra."


    "I am offering it now," Xra scoffed before turning her focus back to her crew, "What are all of you waiting for? Onward to Theran!"


    "They are going to kill us as soon as they detect using from their neighboring star, Captain! Please, reconsider."


    "That''s right, didn''t you kill their prince!?"


    "That was a long time ago," Xra once again waved her hand, "Let''s just¡ª"


    And this time, it was her time to be disrupted as the Bloodcruiser suddenly started shaking. And almost like the call of a whale, the metals of the Bloodcruiser seemingly started to stretch with the sound they were producing.


    "Find out what that is. We need to¡ª"


    "It''s him again, Captain Xra. He''s trying to prevent the ship from flying away," Moira, who was left with a newer Little Riley, finally also arrived at the scene, "The bounty hunter."


    "The bounty hunter that was in the Top 5?" For some reason, Hera felt oddlyfortable joining in on the conversation as she even looked Xra straight in the eyes.


    "Is he?" Xra''s eyes slightly widened.


    "Captain, allow me to redeem myself!" And all of a sudden, one of her crew, a bald humanoid thatpletely resembled an Earth human, stepped forward.


    "I remember you already losing to him, Cyndee."


    "I did, and I want to try fighting that Guardian cannibal again. We¡ª"


    "May I try?"


    And before any more conversations could start, everyone turned to look at the person that just uttered the words that interrupted them, only to see Riley with his hands raised.


    "I believe you said it''s a Guardian?"

 Chapter 495: Appetizer

    "I believe you said it''s a Guardian?"


    Cyndee''s bald head shine even though the light inside the hangar was dim; If one were to ce Cyndee on Earth, then one would surely mistake the owner of this bald head to just be one of the species.


    The only thing giving him¡ªher out to be alien was her voice. Her voice carried a certain tremble in it, it was also effortlessly loud. And with each opening of her mouth, there was this whistle that would make an Earthling tilt his head from how ufortable the sound was.


    As for how Riley figured that Cyndee was a she even with her bald and hairless head, well¡ªshe had a pair of bosoms that rivaled even that of Katrina''s.


    "..." Cyndee really only looked at Riley for a few seconds; her body instinctively backing away as she looked at Xra, asking if she should answer Riley''s question telepathically.


    Xra, however, just shrugged in response, before waving her hand and gesturing to her to do what she wanted. And so, after a few more breaths that were getting stuck in her throat, she finally nodded at Riley.


    "...Yes," she answered, "Since you have only been in the Known Universe for a very short amount of time, then I am sure you don''t know the story of Kerrigan. Kerrigan is a deserter of the Guardians, no¡ªhe betrayed them in search for the ultimate power."


    "T¡ª"


    "And Kerrigan found the answer for his quest," Cyndee closed her eyes, rolling her hand into a fist as she raised them, "He ate hisrades, or more specifically, he ate the Guardian Force inside them¡­ which is basically eating them as well."


    "Can¡ª"


    "Kerrigan is a creature of sheer will. A being that seeks thrill and battle at every second," Cyndee then lowered her fist as she opened her eyes, "He had been trying to challenge the Captain to a match every chance he got. Captain only fought him once, though¡ªand she won without even trying. Kerrigan had grown stronger since then, but he still wouldn''t be a match against¡ª"


    And before Cyndee could finish her words, she found her tongue suddenly sticking out as Xra suddenly flicked her on the neck.


    "If we let her be, she''ll talk for an entire millennium," Xra let out a deep sigh as she caught Cyndee, whose body was in the process of deciding whether or not it should faint.


    "I knew someone just like her back on Earth, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley shook his head, "A pair of extrarge breasts and the ability to talk without pause."


    "...Right," Xra''s eyes slightly squinted as she handed Cyndee to one of her crew, "If you want to fight the battle junky, then go ahead. You are doing this for revenge, right?"


    "Revenge?" Riley''s long white hair flowed to the side as he tilted his head.


    "I told you," Xra sighed as she pointed at one of her crew, who was holding some sort of tablet device in her hands, "We hacked the Common Council, we know everything they are hiding and that includes everything there is to know about you¡­ the Guardians are partly responsible for the death of one of your clones."


    "..." Moira quickly nced at her shoulder to look at Little Riley, "He¡­ is taking revenge for a clone? I thought¡ªyou''re crying?"


    "Mr. Diley," Little Riley wiped his face as he sniffled, "May he rest in peace¡ªwe will avenge you no matter what."


    "I do not take revenge, Pirate Queen Xra."


    Riley, on the other hand, just blinked as he returned Xra''s gaze, "I just want to kill them for what they have done."


    "Yes¡­ that''s called revenge."


    "Retaliation," Riley quickly shook his head, "A being such as I can not demand revenge. I don''t seek justice or vengeance, I do not have the right to."


    "Oh boy, here we go," and as Riley''s voice became softer and softer, Hera grabbed the Teera X120 from her pocket, which was surprisingly still there even after everything that has happened to her. And with a small smile on her face, she started recording Riley.


    "...What''s that for?" Nana, who no longer knew where to ce herself, stood curiously beside Hera.


    "For reference," Hera whispered, subconsciously tilting her body down to get closer to Nana, "Once this space escapade and everything is over, I n to make a Darkday sh Riley Ross story."


    "A¡­ story? You''re nning to make a documentary?"


    "No, that''s boring," Hera slightly stuck out her tongue as she zoomed in the camera on Riley''s face,


    "I am going to create a true-to-life movie about him."


    "Everything that has happened, everything that will happen is my fault, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley breathed out as he looked at his hands,


    "I waged war against the authorities of the Known Universe, as I have done so on Earth. The only reason an Elder and the Guardians killed John was because they were trying to hunt me for my crimes."


    "..."


    "And even before that, John already had a life of his own¡ªand I returned to take all of it away. He had a lover, a family, friends¡­and I took it," Riley sighed,


    "The Guardians are on the side of justice. I am merely finishing what I started¡­


    ¡­and that includes killing everyone and everything."


    And with those words as the end of his little speech, Xra''s crew could not help but take a few steps back; flinching as they all tightened their stance. As for their captain, she only sighed and walked closer to Riley.


    "Do you even know how long that would take, killing everyone and everything?" Xra smirked, "Even I, who have lived for almost 10 millennia have not even explored a percent of the Unknown. Based on the Codex, there are currently a recorded 20 quadrillion people in the Known Universe¡ªwe are like ants."


    "..."


    "And if the Unknown has more beings like us¡­" Xra continued as she nced at Hera, "What makes you think you won''t face a being that is capable of truly ending you?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Then that would be a good thing for everyone, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley shook his head, "And if killing everyone and everything will take an eternity, then so be it. And ants, no matter how many they are, would all die if you destroy the they are on."


    "Are you saying you are going to destroy the entire Universe, Known and Unknown?"


    "I can try, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley slightly raised his voice as he looked Xra straight in the eyes.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Why are they just staring at each other?" Cyndee, who woke up from her shorta, whispered to Girgo, who was the one tasked with carrying her.


    "Shh, shut up."


    "..."


    "..."


    "The battle junky should be standing and waiting outside on the deck," Xra was the one to break the silence as she pointed down, "Come find me when you''re done. Shapeshifter, Little cat, you two follow me. As for the rest of you, go do your jobs."


    And after pointing at everyone else, Xra started walking away. Hera nced at Riley for a few seconds, before proceeding to follow behind Xra along with Nana. As for her crew, suffice it to say, they quickly scrambled away in fear of being left alone with someone that can go toe-to-toe with their captain.


    Well, all except for one crew member¡ªthe one that was holding a tablet, "I''ll open a hatch for you so you don''t destroy anything."


    The woman was the smallest amongst Xra''s main crew. And judging by how small she was, she was probably the same race as Nana¡ªno, that wasn''t exactly right; Nana did not have a fluffy tail.


    "What is your name, fun-sized person with a tail?"


    "Are¡­ are you talking about me?" The small woman quickly turned her head from left to right, seemingly trying to find another presence aside from her.


    "Yes."


    "My¡­ my name is Ae."


    "You are the one who hacked into the Common Council, Miss Ae?"


    "Miss¡ªYes, yes, it''s me," the worry on Ae''s face was instantly reced by a small smile as she answered Riley''s question.


    "May I ask you for a favor, then?" A small smile then crept on Riley''s face as he looked Ae straight in the eyes,


    "I need information about the Common Council."


    ***


    "Finally, I have been waiting for¡ªwho are you?"


    "Riley Ross, Sir Kerrigan."


    "Riley¡ªyou look familiar."


    "..."


    Riley was now floating beneath the Bloodcruiser, with his feet slowly touching its bottom as he looked at the silver-skinned humanoid just casually sitting with his legs crossed; extremelyx and seemingly without any worries.


    Kerrigan also looked at Riley, while chewing a bag of red stones that were most likely pieces of Guardian Force. After a few more bites, however, he hid the bag inside his long silver coat as a small smirk crawled on his face.


    And after a few more breaths, he burst out inughter as he brushed up his hair, which also carried the same exact color as his skin,


    "You''re the new guy that''s been making wavestely."


    "Perhaps, Sir Kerrigan."


    "And what exactly are you doing in the Queen''s ship? Are you a part of her crew?"


    "No."


    "Hm, I suppose it doesn''t matter," Kerrigan then stretched his left hand to the side; and as he did so, a silver disc started to form and hover on his palm,


    "You will be a good enough appetizer."


    "Well¡­" Riley only let out a small sigh as he nced at the expanding silver disc, before turning his eyes back to Kerrigan,


    "...At least one of us gets to enjoy this fight, Sir Kerrigan."

 Chapter 496: Bounty Hunter Kerrigan

    "At least one of us gets to enjoy this fight, Sir Kerrigan."


    "Ho?"


    Shards of orange started to glitter in the air as the Guardian Force that he was grinding with his teeth slowly escaped his mouth. His lips showed a shocked expression at first, but soon turned upward into a smile.


    "You remind of the Queen¡ªshe has an arrogant air around her as well," he then muttered as the metal floor beneath his feet started to crumple in a twist,


    "Come to think of it, except for the color of the hair, you two sort of look alike¡ªCould it be that you are her offspring?"


    "No, Sir Kerrigan. I¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, Kerrigan suddenly disappeared from his spot¡ªno, it was more as if he sunk into the floor. Riley did not have time to tilt his head in curiosity, however, as Kerrigan''s silver face almost immediately showed itself beneath his feet.


    And without even any warning or a word, Kerrigan pulled Riley down into the floor until only his upper body could be seen. As for Kerrigan, he fully emerged from the floor; his eyes, not leaving Riley for even a single second.


    "So, your body is also strong," he then said, "90% of the poption would have already died from having their bodies dug deep into Oro, one of the strongest metals in the entire Known Universe. Just the weight and the pressure would be enough to crush and grind their insides."


    "Hm," and with Kerrigan''s slightly long exnation, Riley only shrugged; casually pushing away the metal around his arms before he just floated and pulled himself up,


    "I do not think Pirate Queen Xra appreciates her ship being¡ªOh, interesting," Riley stopped his words as soon as he saw the hole he made tangling together and closing, "Is this your ability?"


    "...No. Oro self-regenerates and returns to its forged shape," Kerrigan squinted his eyes, "So, it''s true¡ªyou''re from the Unknown."


    "You¡ª"


    And once again, before Riley could speak, Kerrigan moved. This time, his hand stretched straight toward Riley''s face at a speed that was enough to cause the entire exterior of the Bloodcruiser to ripple from the push of his foot.


    Riley watched as the silver fist brushed past his cheek. He initially thought that it was just a normal punch, but as soon as it touched a strand of his hair¡ªthe part that made contact with his fingerspletely disappeared, splitting the strand into 5 pieces.


    And as soon as he saw that, Riley used his telekinesis to move the rest of his hair to the side. Kerrigan didn''t allow him to rest, however, as his already stretched hand swung toward Riley''s neck.


    Once again, Riley watched as his hand moved toward him¡ªbut as soon as the edge of Kerrigan''s hand touched his epidermis, Riley quickly floated back.


    "..." Riley then touched his neck, only to see a hint of bloodthering on his palm,


    "You¡ªcan pass through my telekic barrier, Sir Kerrigan?"


    Kerrigan once again struck Riley as he talked. This time, however, Riley did not let himself be interrupted as he talked while still dodging.


    "You don''t even know what I am?" Kerrigan smirked as he swung his leg toward Riley''s waist, but once again, Riley floated back, "So, you''re just indiscriminately murdering your way through the Known Universe without reason?"


    "Are you not the same, sir Kerrigan?"


    "I only kill Guardians and murderers," Kerrigan smirked, "But honestly, the line between the two is blurry."


    "Interesting," Riley said as he tried to twist Kerrigan''s neck with his mind, but all it really did was slightly stretch his silver skin.


    "You''re one scary monster, Riley Ross," Kerrigan stopped attacking as he touched his neck, "Y¡ª"


    This time, it was Kerrigan''s turn to be disrupted as Riley suddenly appeared in front of him¡ªhis entire arm, already pierced through his chest.


    "Wrong move," Kerrigan only scoffed, before mming his palms on Riley''s head. Before his palms could even get close, however, Riley was already far away and floating in the expanse of space¡­


    ¡­missing one of his arms.


    "..." Riley turned to look at his shoulder, before turning his eyes back to his dismembered arm, which was now just floating quietly behind Kerrigan.


    "I am guessing you haven''t fought someone like me before?" Kerrigan then let out a small chuckle. Riley didn''t notice it before, but Kerrigan wasn''t using any device to trante his words¡ªnor was he even using anything to transmit his voice through the dark and empty space.


    It somewhat reminded him of¡­


    "Are you perhaps rted to Elder Tedi, sir Kerrigan?" Riley asked as his arm started to regenerate.


    "That giant freak?" Kerrigan''s eyes once again squinted as he saw Riley''s arm healing almost instantly, "We''re from the same."


    "..." And as soon as Riley heard that, he looked at Kerrigan from head to toe¡ªsomething he could only do when Elder Tedi was thousands of kilometers away, "But you are not¡ª"


    "You and Xra truly are simr, you even like to talk."


    "Are you not the same?"


    "Only when I need to."


    "And you need to now, sir Kerrigan?" Riley smiled, "Are you trying to figure out what else I am capable of?"


    "Enough."


    "You are impervious to damage due to your body being capable of turning¡­ immaterial," Riley said as he nced back, before tilting his head to the side as Kerrigan''s hand was once again already threatening to shave it off,


    "You''re not turning into anything, it is as if you do not really exist."


    "..." Kerrigan no longer said anything as he just continued his attacks¡ªhis limbs, seemingly duplicating as they started leaving afterimages.


    "I am guessing you are the same, sir Kerrigan?" The smile on Riley''s face started to grow wider; his eyes, just staring at Kerrigan''s face as he let out a barrage of strikes,


    "You haven''t fought someone like me either," and with those words, Riley opened up his palm and pointed at Kerrigan''s stomach.


    Kerrigan, however,pletely ignored it as he just focused on hitting Riley''s head; as hitting him anywhere else seemed to be useless.


    "Mini Paboom," Riley then muttered. And as soon as he did so, the dark empty space started to be sucked in into the white orb that suddenly appeared and hovered on Riley''s palm.


    It was the very same move he used at Xra, except as he said, it was at a much smaller scale as the beam that gushed out from it just had the girth simr to¡­his arm¡ªbut like the previous one, it was long enough to be seen even from afar.


    "..."


    "..."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Kerrigan blinked a couple of times as he stared into Riley''s eyes. He then very slowly turned his head to look at his stomach¡­ only to see a huge gaping hole in it, his blood that was as dark as the expanse of space itself, formed into a spiral with the hole as its convergence.


    "Oh, it worked, sir Kerrigan," Riley was also looking at the hole in his stomach, "I used a smaller amount of power since I would probably faint¡ªI used most of my energy fighting Pirate Queen Xra earlier, you see."


    "..."


    "Is Elder Tedi stronger than you? If she is, then I would very much like to fight her the next time we¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, he was once again interrupted by Kerrigan. This time, however, it wasn''t an attack¡­ but rather a retreat as Kerrigan quickly flew away.


    "That is very rude, sir Kerrigan," Riley let out a small sigh, before raising his index finger and pointing it at Kerrigan''s shrinking silhouette. And with another smile crawling on his face, another white orb emerged near the tip of his finger,


    "Even Tinier Pa¡ª"


    "That''s enough."


    But s, before he could release an even tinier Paboom, Xra suddenly appeared and grabbed his wrist.


    "You''re going to draw the Cherbi toward us if you continue using that move."


    "...It''s a tinier version, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley''s smile quickly disappeared¡­ even turning into a small frown as he looked at Xra.


    "Yes, I heard," Xra sighed as she removed her hand from Riley''s wrist, "Seriously, you''re like a toddler."


    "But I learned how to dere my moves because of you, Pirate Queen Xra."


    "I only utter it in my mind, Riley."


    "What''s the difference?"


    "The difference is that it is childish and detrimental to say your moves out loud."


    "It is sort of cool, Pirate Queen Xra. It is like in Italian Mafia Reborn."


    "Do you even know what cool means?"


    "Do you? I figure the vernacr is much different from when you were still on Earth.


    "...Are you dissing me right now? Do you think only Earth has that sort of word? Also, what''s Italian Mafia Reborn?"


    "I am very d you asked, Pirate Queen Xra. Read my mind."


    "No. Your thoughts are noisy."


    "Just do it."


    "No."


    "Please."


    "Fine."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "What¡­ what is this?"


    "It is the first episode of Italian Mafia Reborn. You do not have to worry about missing something, I have memorized every dialogue and every inch of the scenes."


    "Hm."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Did¡­ the main character just die?"


    "Continue watching, Pirate Queen Xra."


    "Wait, he''s not the main character!"


    "Hm."


    "..."


    "It''s him! This bastard is the main character? Why¡ªwait, what? He ran an orphanage!?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Wait, it ended like that!? So, the character who I thought was the main character burned the true main character''s orphanage? How is he alive? He was the bad guy?"


    "Italian Mafia Reborn is very good at cliffhangers, Pirate Queen Xra."


    "Let''s¡­ just go back inside the ship."


    "Very well, Pirate Queen Xra."


    "I will get some snacks¡­


    ¡­let me watch it while we are on our way to Theran."

 Chapter 497: A Clones Singular Purpose

    "Riley Ross¡­ and Pirate Queen Xra are traveling together?"


    "Elder Tedi! You said you ran into him, why didn''t you stop him!?"


    "The Cherbi was my priority at that moment."


    "And now Riley Ross and Xra have joined forces! Do you know what that¡ª"


    With the wave of a silver hand, the holograms that were talking without end disappeared; leaving only Elder Tedi''s silhouette floating right at the very center, slowly being revealed as the brightening lights inside hermunication spherical room started to drown her silver skin.


    The hologram of the Grand Elder, however, popped up again a few breathster.


    "Did you just¡ª"


    "Find someone else to fill my position, I quit."


    "Wha¡ª"


    "I hope all of you die an early death."


    Elder Tedi¡ªor just Tedi now, once again waved her hand to disconnect the Grand Elder''s call. She did not know when, but the prospect of being an Elder had be aplete chore for her.


    The Elders of the Common Council had the job to keep the peace inside the Known Universe. They were responsible for the public rtions of a millions, trade,w, exploration, and a lot more other things¡­ and there were only 7 of them.


    6, since Elder Zora was brutally killed¡ªand now 5, as Tedi quit. Suffice it to say, everything was falling apart and it is all because of a single entity they chose to ignore.


    "If the others are truly as smart as they im to be, they will also quit," Tedi whispered to herself.


    "..."


    "..."


    And all of a sudden, Tedi just remained floating inside themunication sphere; without any expression or even a slight twitch on her face. A second, a minute, an hour¡ªshe remained unmoving.


    Tedi belonged to the Norid, a silver-skinned humanoid species belonging to the Higher Races. They were known to have no notion of humor, but have existed long enough to learn, or at least to mimic such ideas. They were a powerful race, but like the Evaniels, have learned to be peaceful.


    Unlike the Evaniels, however, who became peaceful after waging war against the Themarians, the Norid are peaceful by nature¡ªwith the notion of violencepletely foreign and alien to them.


    Perhaps this was a good thing for the entire universe, as the Norid held a very scary innate ability to make themselves and anything they touch practically intangible. And not only that, they could rearrange matter itself with their hands.


    Some say that if they were a warring race, then perhaps they could even rece the Themarians as the Master Race.


    And currently, there were two deviants in the race.


    One was the silver-skinned individual that Riley just fought, Bounty Hunter Kerrigan. He had nothing in his mind but battle¡ªalmost as if he umted all the violence the race should have had.


    And of course, Tedi. It was obvious that there was something wrong with her just from her size alone, which almost rivaled that of a Messenger.


    "Riley Ross, Riley Ross."


    Tedi then finally moved as her thoughts escaped her mind, "Judging by the trajectory the Bloodcruiser is moving, they should be on their way to Theran."


    "..."


    "..."


    Any traces of expression on Tedi''s face once again disappeared as she became quiet. But once again, after an entire hour, she let out a small sigh as she wore her sses that were the same size as a small country.


    "If I recall, the Cherbi''s trajectory also leads to Theran," Tedi adjusted her sses as she slowly floated to the edge of the spherical room; a hole, quickly opening for her to fly out to,


    "Surely¡­


    ¡­this can''t be a coincidence."


    ***


    "I guess this is goodbye, huh?"


    "I''m¡­ pretty sure I will be seeing you guys in the news."


    Back in the hangar of the Bloodcruiser, Nana was in front of the new ship that Xra promised to her. And unlike the chaotic scenery she found herself in when she was previously in the hangar, the only presence there was her and Hera.


    "I''m¡­ really sorry you got dragged into this whole mess," Hera couldn''t help but let out a loud sigh as she stretched her hand down toward Nana,


    "Although this might sound slightly condescending, at least you survived an interaction with Riley Ross¡ªand for an extended amount of time."


    "Well¡­ I only cried like once or twice every now and then," Nana chuckled as she reached for Hera''s hand. Although she was unaware of what exactly this gesture meant, she knew enough that it was a friendly action. After shaking her hand, however, Nana let out a sigh and smiled,


    "Besides, I sort of gained something from this crazy and terrifying adventure," she then raised her hand, which immediately turned into a cannon.


    "You¡­ certainly got used to that fast."


    "Not like I have a choice. And also," Nana then pointed at the ship behind her, "This beautiful thing is enough payment for all the anxiety and fear I felt the entire trip. One of Pirate Queen Xra''s crew even hacked into the database and registered the ship to my name."


    "Be careful, Nana. You''re going to get used to thewless life."


    "I have too many mouths to feed to gain a bounty to my name," Nana chuckled.


    "Be safe out there. Let''s meet again once all of this is over."


    "Just call me whenever you want, Teera X120 is capable of intergcticmunication."


    "Hm."


    And with a nod to each other, Nana finally entered her new ship¡ªnot even looking back as she flew away.


    "Captain Nana left, Miss Hera?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Fuck!"


    Hera almost jumped in fright as she felt a breath suddenly crawling through her nape. She quickly looked back, only to see Riley standing awfully close to her.


    "I thought you were spending time with Queen Drac?"


    "I am," Riley nodded before pointing to himself, "This is a clone, Miss Hera."


    "...Right," Hera squinted her eyes, before letting out another sigh as she collected herself, "What are you doing here? Don''t tell me¡­ you wanted to say goodbye to Nana?"


    "I was not even aware she was leaving, Miss Hera," Riley sighed, "I thought she was going toe with us to Theran."


    "...What made you think that?"


    "She seemed excited, Miss Hera."


    "She was terrified, Riley."


    "...Was she?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "I suppose it doesn''t matter. I came here for you, Miss Hera."


    "...What is it?"


    "Pirate Queen Xra wanted to meet you when she discovered that you voiced one of the characters in Italian Mafia Rebor. She was wondering if you could do one of your lines live."


    "We are on our way to a filled with Megawomans, and you want me to do some lines?" Hera raised an eyebrow; but after a few more seconds, she let out a sigh and smiled,


    "My talent fee is high, you know?"


    "What about just keeping your life, Miss Hera?"


    "..."


    "I am kidding," Riley chuckled, "I modeled this clone of mine to be funny, Miss Hera."


    "And you thought threatening me was funny?"


    "Yes," Riley''s clone nodded, "...It''s not?"


    "I forgot who I was talking to for a second there," Hera pinched the bridge of her nose, "Let''s go, I don''t want queen Dracing here and also making jokes."


    "You go on ahead, Miss Hera. Another clone will be escorting you to Pirate Queen Xra''s quarters, I have something else to do here."


    "What do you¡ª"


    And before Hera could finish her words, another Riley Ross popped up in front of her.


    "...Seriously, how many clones do you have on this ship now?"


    "As many as I need, Miss Hera."


    "...I am going now before I lose my mind."


    "Please. If you may follow me, madam Hera," Riley''s other clone bowed, before bowing and gesturing to Hera to walk ahead.


    "..." Hera''s eyes twitched for a bit as she saw this, but only sighed before leaving without another word.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Are you here, Miss Ae?" And as soon as the traces of other people inside the hangar were gone, Riley''s clone then sat on the floor as his eyes started to scan the quiet hall and dead spaceships.


    And after a few more seconds, a small person emerged from behind one of the ships¡ªAe, Xra''s technician and the one responsible for hacking through the Common Council''s database.


    Ae''s tail waspletely tucked in; her eyes, trying their best not to look away as she approached Riley.


    "Hello again, Miss Ae," Riley bowed, "The Boss regrets not being here in person."


    "That¡ªthat''s alright," Ae breathed out as she returned Riley''s gaze¡ªwhich was surprisingly not that hard, as Riley was sitting on the floor and making the level of their eyes almost equal to each other,


    "I have what you need," and with another breath, Ae handed Riley the tablet she was holding.


    "Is this all the information about the Elders, Miss Ae?" Riley said as he started exploring and fidgeting with the device.


    "Yes," Ae nodded, "And that is directly connected to their database, sir Riley. If they make any changes, it will update in real time without anyg¡ªno matter where we are in the Known Universe."


    "My adoptive father and you will certainly get along, Miss Ae. He once hacked the technology of an invading alien species he had not seen before and practically massacred them inside and outside their ship in the safety of his home."


    "That¡ªI would like to meet him to exchange pointers."


    "You will once we arrive at Theran. He swallowed a Guardian Force, but he is probably awake now¡ªOh, here he is."


    "Hm?" Ae took a subtle peek at the tablet, only to see the deceased Elder Zora''s profile on it.


    "I need to borrow one of your ships, Miss Ae¡ªpreferably a race ship," Riley then smiled as he returned the tablet to Ae.


    "...You''re leaving?"


    "This is only a clone¡ªone with a singr purpose," a growing smile started to crawl on Riley''s face,


    "I am going to kill and massacre Elder Zora''s friends, family, acquaintances¡ªand since I will be visiting his home¡­


    ¡­his whole race."

 Chapter 498: Secrets

    "What happened? Why did the show stop?"


    Xra''s quarters were not something one would expect to be inside one of the most intimidating warships in the Known Universe. One could even say that her quarters didn''t even seem like it was inside a ship¡ªno.


    One could see a sky thatpletely resembled that of Earth''s if one were to look up, except it was devoid of any screens from the pollution the''s advancements brought with it.


    The floors were made with blocks of limestones, and there was really only a small house, also made with limestones that were painted over that it almost seemed glowing from having the light reflected on it. The house stood right at the very center of the quarters¡ªno. Perhaps it was no longer right to call it her quarters, as this was Xra''s attempt to replicate her home long past.


    Riley initially thought that she was just making excuses when she said she wanted to visit Earth, but as he entered Xra''s quarters, it would seem she didn''t only want to visit it on a whim but is actually longing for it.


    And right now, the two of them were just right outside her small house, with the two sitting on the marbled ground peacefully¡­. Well, that is until Riley suddenly lost the little expression he had on his face.


    "Where''s the Italian Mafia Reborn, boy?"


    Xra''s repeated her question as she stood up; her breaths, clearly frustrated as Riley''s thoughts changed,


    "Why did you have to cut it at the climax?"


    Xra then approached Riley, lightly nudging him on the shoulder; as soon as she did so, however, Riley grabbed her by the wrist.


    "What do you think you¡ªOh, what''s this?" Xra''s eyebrow started to rise up as she read Riley''s thoughts, which werepletely empty but not exactly. It was as if there was a window that she could look through, and there, she saw several other Rileys inside a ship.


    "You''re¡­ going tomit genocide while you''re on your way to Theran?" A small smirk crawled on Xra''s face as she pulled her wrist away, "I envy your multitasking skills, but I still hate you for cutting it right at a climax. You¡­


    ¡­did that on purpose, didn''t you?"


    Xra then tried punching Riley, only for his body to automatically dodge to the side.


    "...Just what are they feeding the children on Urt¡­Ter¡­Ert¡­ whatever it is called nowadays?"


    And with Riley seemingly busy and noting back for a while, Xra could really only let out a loud sigh and leave him be. She was on her way out of her quarters, before shaking her head and turning back to Riley¡ªnot really, as she passed by him and continued toward her abode.


    Her house didn''t have any doors, just a colorful drape that she gently pushed to the side; revealing the inside of her house that did not really have anything but a bed.


    "..."


    "..."


    She stared at this bed for a few breaths, eachsting for far longer than they should. A minute? An hour? It was hard to tell with the sun in the fake sky refusing to leave its ce.


    A few moments more, however, Xra finally stepped deeper into the small house. She walked straight toward her bed that was at the edge of the room, it was the only thing there, after all. She then very gentlyy herself down on the bed, and with another sigh¡­


    ¡­the bed started to tremble. Xra didn''t seem to mind, however, a smile even trickled on her face as the bed began to descend into the floor.


    Xra closed her eyes, not worried about anything at all. And as she once again opened them, the ancient-looking abode was no more; reced by a vast and spacious room endowed with only silver.


    The walls probably consumed half the height of the entire ship, the ceiling, the floors¡ªall of them were solid silver, not even a single seam visible.


    Perhaps because of this, therge pod that stood at the very center of the room looked more prevalent than it should.


    "..." Xra opened her eyes, softly sitting up before walking toward the pod¡ªand then, the smile on her face became warmer.


    The very minute light that wasing from the pod was weak to the point that it couldn''t even cast shadows or reflect on the silver walls that surrounded it. Even then, it seemed enough to bring color back to Xra''s pale and dead face.


    Xra let out another breath, before finally turning her eyes straight toward the weak light¡ªand there, was a silhouette seemingly frozen in time.


    "My dear Akkamesh," Xra whispered softly as she gently ced her palm on the pod; her eyes, reflecting the silhouette suspended inside the pod,


    "When will you once again open your eyes? When will I once again truly feel your warmth?" Xra rested her forehead on the ss, and as she did so, the light inside the pod seemingly reached out to touch her cheek,


    "The sun of my life¡­" Xra''s red eyes started to moisten, and the blood, that should have been tears, trailed down her face ever so endlessly,


    "...How many stars need to die for me to hear your sweet voice once again tickling my ears? I will never grow tired, I can not feel so in the first ce¡ªbut I falter, sometimes. I am old, much older than when you have felt me. My skin has grown cold, my flesh, my bosoms¡­ my lips, however, will forever remain warm for you. Tell me when, my dear Akkamesh¡­


    ¡­tell me when is enough. I can harvest thousands and thousands more stars, I can delve into the Unknown for another eternity¡ªbut tell me when, and I will stop."


    "It would seem that bounty hunter Kerrigan is right, Pirate Queen Xra. You and I have many simrities."


    "!!!"


    Xra''s eyes quickly widened as she stepped away from the pod, causing the light that was warming up her face to dissipate.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I have also talked to someone that is lifeless. But of course, unlike yours, mine was just trying to rest."


    "This is not a ce for you!" Xra did not even look at who it was that trespassed at her sanctuary, she immediately rushed toward Riley and grabbed him by the neck,


    "No one is allowed here!"


    "Don''t be too rough, Pirate Queen Xra."


    "..." Xra looked at Riley''s face for a few seconds, before turning her eyes back to the pod¡­ only to see another Riley just casually standing there and checking Akkamesh''s blurry silhouette.


    "Miser Akkamesh seems fragile, you don''t want to disturb his eternal rest, don''t you?"


    "You¡­" Xra tightened her grip on the Riley he was holding, tearing off its headpletely as she faced the real Riley,


    "...step away from him, now."


    "I don''t think he minds, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley smiled as he started walking in circles¡­ while trailing his finger around the pod,


    "He''s dead."


    "He. Is. Not." And with those words, blood started to emerge from Xra''s back¡ªinstantly shaping into wings with a span enough to fill the entire silver hall.


    "But he is."


    Riley sighed as he shook his head, before looking at the light in the silhouette of a man,


    "This is the Mur Lav''ir, is it not?"


    "...You know what this room is?" Xra blinked a couple of times, the colossal wings of blood behind her slightly faltering.


    "The Room of Revival, Themarian technology," Riley said as he finally stepped away from the pod, "My biological mother was revived in one of these by my adoptive mother."


    "Caiin''Ur¡­ was sessful in using this on us? On humans?" And with her words stuttering lightly, her wings soon turned into mist, beforepletely dissipating into the air,


    "...How?"


    "I don''t know, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley just shrugged his shoulders as he started examining the pod again, "I do know your setup is different from hers. Mother''s setup is more¡­ I suppose mundane and peaceful?"


    "..."


    "Is this the reason why you are harvesting the stars, Pirate Queen Xra? In the hopes of charging up your dear Akkamesh and bringing him back to life?"


    "Yes," Xra answered without any hesitation, "He is the love of my life. And since I am cursed to live forever and will never be with him in death. Then perhaps in life, we can be together."


    "That is sad, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley sighed, "But you are not doing it right, Pirate Queen Xra. My biological mother is surely stronger than Akkamesh by a great distance, and adoptive mother was able to revive her in just 20 years."


    "20¡ªhow!?" Xra rushed toward Riley and grabbed him by the shoulders, "Please¡­ tell me!"


    "I don''t know, Pirate Queen Xra." And even with Xra''s desperate cries screaming in front of her, Riley just shrugged, "I can''t dare to presume to even reach a percent of adoptive mother''s intelligence. Perhaps my father would know, but they are both on Theran."


    "This¡­" Xra smiled upon hearing Riley''s words, "...Meeting you is surely fate, Riley Ross."


    "I suppose," Riley backed away before turning to look Xra straight in the eyes, "But¡­


    ¡­do you really want him toe back, Xra?"


    "Without fault or falter," Xra once again answered without any hesitation, "If I do not see this through, then all of the deaths that I have created, all the stars that have died¡ªthey will all be for naught."


    "Even if he sees what you have be?"


    "I would take his hatred any second and every breath, Riley¡ªif it means that I would see him again."


    "But you said you wanted to be together?"


    "He is in my heart forever. As long as he lives again."


    "Even if he bes like us?"

 Chapter 499: Closing Doors

    "You are willing to resurrect him, even if he bes like us?"


    Almost 10 millennia. Xra has been exploring the empty expanse of space for almost 10 millennia and never once has she really questioned that what she was doing is for her and her beloved.


    The only thing that mattered is that she would once again hear Akkamesh''s voice. Be it words of hatred, be it words of longing, or even words of disgust with what she had be. It has been many lifetimes for her, but for Akkamesh, hisst moment is dying in space with Xra in his arms.


    At most, Xra was ready to receive whatever it is that Akkamesh would say and do to her. Will he still love her? Will he be mad at her?


    But now, the only real question is¡­ will it even be him?


    "You are probably the most empathetic mass murderer I have ever met on this side of the universe,"


    Xra finally responded to Riley, with a subtle but obviously slightly thoughtful sigh,


    "I could only imagine what you would have been like if you lived a normal life. You would have probably been one of the good guys."


    "I did live a normal life, Pirate Queen Xra. I would even say privileged."


    "That''s not what I meant."


    "I know." This time, it was Riley''s sigh that whispered through the silver hall, "I just wanted you to know the difference between our upbringing. The whispers, I always had a choice not to listen to them¡ªin a way, I could have refused to give in to the urge of hurting people."


    "..."


    "And I am empathetic because I am surrounded by people who are. And each time I hurt other people, I hear their voice every time¡ªanguish, pain, regret, hopelessness. I hear and feel their rawest emotions, the only problem is that I like hearing them. I can not force you to understand, Pirate Queen Xra. Your financial means were measly when you were still on Earth, after all."


    "...I wasn''t poor, Riley. I was born into a rich family." Although Riley said a lot of things that could be considered meaningful, only hisst words really entered her mind.


    "Oh."


    "What do you mean ''Oh''?" Xra raised an eyebrow, "I just told you my life story not more than a day ago. I was the sole daughter of thergest brewery in the city, I was married to Akkemesh, the God King."


    "I remember now, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley nodded, "It just became lost in my mind because of the way you looked."


    "Wait, are you saying I look poor?"


    "No," Riley once again let out a small sigh, "But it doesn''t matter if you do look poor. You still have not answered my previous question, Pirate Queen Xra¡­


    ¡­Do you still want to resurrect him even if he bes like us? In your story, Akkamesh cared for his people¡ªdo you truly wish for someone like that to live a life of carnage?"


    "I¡­" And for once in her long life, Xra found herself speechless.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I¡­ need some time alone with Akkamesh."


    "Okay," Riley nodded before his feet slowly left the silver floor, "Once you are done, I called Hera to prove to you that she is one of the voice actors in Italian Mafia Reborn."


    "..." Xra no longer answered, only letting her long ck hair fall to her face as she looked away from Riley; her eyes, never really leaving Akkamesh for even a single second.


    ***


    "Sir¡­ Riley? I thought you left?"


    Ae, the head of Xra''s technical department, as well as one of her 7 main crew, was just walking around the Bloodcruiser, checking if there were anything amiss within the ship.


    Of course, with the Bloodcruiser''s automatic healing technology, she might as well just be wasting her time. Every couple of hours, the entire shippletely resets itself. If there was a table moved, it will return to its original location; if there is a faulty door, then it will fix itself if it hasn''t already.


    Still, Ae wanted to be hands-on when ites to the maintenance of the ship, tracing her little steps on the floor no matter how minuscule the workload was. After all, there really wasn''t much action happening when your captain is considered the most dangerous individual on the and should be avoided at all costs.


    She and the rest of the crew thought they would finally be having fun when they encountered Riley Ross¡ªbut s, at a weird turn of events, Xra seems to have taken a liking to him.


    Perhaps that was a good thing as well, as Riley Ross seems to be¡­ not so ordinary. If she was hearing the whispers in the ship right, then Riley Ross is almost equal to Xra, or evenpletely equal to her in terms of rawbat power. She had also seen the footage of Riley fighting bounty hunter Kerrigan¡ªand the fact that he made him run was enough proof of the whispers.


    It was no wonder that Xra weed him into the ship. But this¡­ isn''t this too weing?


    "Did¡­ you juste out from the captain''s quarters?" It would seem that Ae''s boring and useless routine was not so useless after all, as there truly was a discrepancy and anomaly in the ship¡ªRiley casually stepping out of Xra''s quarters. Even Alindor, Xra''s second-inmand, did not have the grace and permission to enter the captain''s room.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I did, Miss Ae," Riley just nodded as therge door behind him slid closed, "Pirate Queen Xra was watching the deepest parts of me."


    "W¡­what?" Aepletely turned her head up to look Riley straight in the eyes.


    "Hm," Riley nodded, "And in turn, she let me inside the deepest parts of her."


    "What!?"


    "No," Riley then shook his head, "It is more like I forced myself to see and touch her secret."


    Ae covered her mouth as Riley''s lewd wordings continued to harass her ears. But after a few more breaths, she couldn''t take it anymore as her little legs moved on their own and scurried her away; disappearing into the hallway almost instantly, leaving a trail of smoke in her wake.


    "...The people here are weird," Riley sighed, before just proceeding to walk through the long hallways of the ship without any destination. His aimless steps, however, werepletely interrupted as he saw Hera walking toward him.


    "...I thought I was going to perform?" Hera quickly asked as soon as their eyes met, "I''m done warming up my vocals so I wouldn''t strain doing that low-pitched voice."


    "Pirate Queen Xra is suddenly¡­ preupied with something."


    "For reals?" Hera let out a heavy sigh before shaking her head, "I''ll be in our room, then. Just call for me once we''re near our destination, or if we''re dead¡­I''m too tired to choose which I prefer, really."


    "...Why don''t you perform privately for me, then, Miss Hera? There''s this scene that I particrly¡ª Where are you going?"


    Hera only raised both her middle fingers as she walked away; not even looking back as her silhouette very slowly disappeared into the giant hallway.


    "..."


    And so, once again, Riley was left alone to walk alone in this unusuallyrge warship.


    Alone.


    Riley''s steps came to a halt as the thought entered his mind. Once all of this is over¡ªalone will be the only thing that could describe his existence. He knew in himself that he didn''t deservepanionship, and yet with every turn, another onees to serve as apass for him.


    Not a moralpass, of course¡ªRiley clearly knew what was right or wrong. Just¡­ apass. Apass to lead him wherever.


    Because alone, he will just forever be aimlessly moving.


    "We¡­ are not simr at all, Pirate Queen Xra."


    And as Riley found himselfpletely alone, the urge to speak loudly to himself once again manifested as he raised his hand and looked at it,


    "Your destruction has purpose. And when you have left nothing but the ashes of those you have killed, someone will be waiting for you at the end of the universe; the both of you, closing it together. The purpose of my destruction is destruction¡ªif anything, then¡­


    ¡­I am more simr to the Cherbi than anything else in the universe."


    Riley then raised his other hand, and as he did so, the floor in front of him started to wriggle¡ªand in just a fraction of a second, a clone emerged for it.


    "Alone," Riley then grabbed his clone''s face as he looked at its empty eyes, "Alone is what I am, and alone is what I will be. And as I close the empty universe behind me, no one will be weing me on the other side."


    "..."


    "..."


    And while Riley was doing his monologue, Moira, who was just awkwardly standing around the corner of the hall with Little Riley on her shoulder, could really only cover her mouth to prevent any sounds from escaping her.


    It didn''t really help that Little Riley seems to be feeling every word thates out of Riley''s mouth, as he too, had his hands raised in the air.


    Thankfully for Moira, Riley seemed to be done with his monologue as he continued to walk through the hallways, not even minding or acknowledging her and Little Riley''s presence as he passed by them.


    "He¡­ is he always like that?" Moira whispered.


    "The Boss does whatever he wants, Moi. That''s why he is the boss."


    "...Right."


    And so, with Riley just walking around the ship aimlessly for hours; and Xra''s crew trying their best to avoid him¡­


    ¡­the ship finally neared Theran.

 Chapter 500: First To Greet

    "Why did we stop?"


    "Because any further is themarian territory. They¡­ don''t take kindly to unsolicited visitors."


    The bridge of the Bloodcruiser was probably the heaviest room in the giant warship. Not only because it was probably the most protected and sealed room, but because of the weight of vignce currently filling its space.


    Hera, Riley, as well as Xra''s 7 main crew, were currently just standing on the bridge, looking at therge window that has shown the same view over and over again since the start. The expanse of space looked the same no matter what, but even for Hera and Riley, whose eyes were untrained to navigate through the empty darkness, there was an obvious change in atmosphere.


    And for Hera, this was quite literal¡ªbecause she was no longer seeing an empty darkness, but a mist of red. Her body was visually warning her that the empty space in front of her was dangerous, and to step inside it was a very stupid thing to do. Still, as long as she was not in imminent danger, her body wouldn''t take over and she would still have full control.


    But never once, never once has her body warned her like this¡ªeven with Darkday and Xra.


    "What are we waiting for, vice-captain?"


    "The Captain."


    Alindor, Xra''s second-inmand, crossed her arms as she stared at the empty view in front of them. Her golden face, slightly shining due to the beads of sweat that has been wanting to trail on her smooth cheeks.


    "Let''s just proceed, they''re just themarians."


    "Do you want to be floated?" Alindor snarled as she looked at Lechamp; and without a nose, her entire set of teeth showed themselves,


    "We will enjoy watching the themarians tear off 4 of your arms and painting the darkness with your blood."


    "Stop imitating the way the captain talks," Lechamp waved 2 of his left hands, before turning to look at the amphibian humanoid beside him, "Are themarians really as strong as they say?"


    "Have you been living under a rock, sister?" Girgo scoffed; his mouth that was as wide as his face, lightly clicking as he looked at Girgo, "The themarians are abnormally strong."


    "...They can''t be stronger than you?" Lechamp blinked a couple of times as all his--her arms fell in disbelief.


    "You¡ªthe themarians are physically the strongest creatures in the entire Known Universe, you stupid 4-armed bitch."


    "W¡ª"


    "...Sister?" Riley, who had also just been staring at the empty expanse of space, finally moved his eyes away as he looked at the 4-armed humanoid, "You are female, Miss Lechamp?"


    "What¡ª" Lechamp was about to scowl at the question¡­until she realized who said it, "I¡­ I am, sir Riley."


    "Forgive me, I thought that you were male."


    "All¡­ all of us are women," Lechamp could really only let out a nervous chuckle; her wide shoulders not knowing whether to shiver or bounce.


    "...All?" Hera also could not help but whisper to herself as she subtly turned her head toward Girgo. Of course, she didn''t let anyone notice her surprise¡ªhumans are easy to offend, it wouldn''t be a surprise to her that other races are too.


    "I apologize again, I thought Miss Girgo was male." Riley, on the other hand, did not even try to hide his shock as his eyebrows very slightly raised as he looked at Girgo, "I am still not used to judging appearances outside my species'' biological appearance."


    "It¡­ it''s very understandable," Girgo croaked while clearing her throat, "Even those that are in the Known Universe make the mistake, we¡­ can''t expect someone from the Unknown to abide by our societal construct."


    "Thank you for your understanding, Miss Girgo. But I do wonder if youy eggs?"


    "Riley!?" Hera, this time not so subtly, grabbed Riley''s arm and tried to pull him away. She would, however, be lying if she said she wasn''t curious about it.


    "I¡­" Girgo looked at herrades, only to see all of them avoiding herrge round eyes and leaving her on her own to answer Riley''s almost childlike curiosity, "...I doy eggs."


    "Do you alsoy hundreds and hundreds of eggs, Miss Girgo?"


    "...No."


    "Hm¡­ Thank you for answering," Riley then nodded, before turning his head toward the rest of the crew¡­ which once again tried their best not to make eye contact,


    "Ae."


    "...Ye¡ª"


    "You are from the same as Captain Nana?"


    "...Yes?"


    "But you have a tail."


    "Our¡­ people did not evolve the same way."


    "Much like my skin is white, and Hera''s normal skin is of light brown¡ªI understand, Miss Ae," Riley then turned his head to the next crew,


    "Moira, the one with the blue skin."


    "She''s not a Na''vi as we originally thought, Boss," Little Riley was the one to respond as he stood on Moira''s shoulder, "She''s a Perona from the Peperoni."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "P¡­Peperona," Moira meekly corrected as she nced at Riley.


    "Hm," Riley nodded before turning to look at Xra''s second-inmand, "I have seen many of your kind, Miss Alindor. Golden skin andcking in facial orifices than most other species. Could it be that you do not have a sense of smell?"


    "My kind¡­ smell through our skin," Alindor quickly lowered her arms as Riley addressed her, "And the reason you are seeing a lot of us is that we are the most populous race in the entire Known Universe¡ªand we like to travel."


    "Hm," Riley once again nodded as he looked at the next member, the bald humanoid,


    "Miss Cyndee, are you not just a big-breasted human suffering from alopecia?"


    "I¡­ don''t know what that is."


    "A rare condition much like mine, except instead of ack of mnin, it is ack of hair due to the hair follicles being treated as a sort of illness by the immune system."


    "Then¡­ no," Cyndee giggled, causing herrge bosoms to slightly jiggle,


    "My kind is justpletely without hair. But as for my breasts¡­" She then grabbed both her breasts and lightly squished them together, "...It''s an individual trait of mine. Do you like it?"


    "I have seen bigger in my home, Miss Cyndee," Riley nodded again before turning his attention to thest member, who has not spoken even once the entire time Hera and he have been on the ship,


    "Miss¡­"


    "Lunox. Her name is Lunox," Ae was the one to respond as she stood beside Lenox, a¡­ slightly translucent female humanoid that wasn''t wearing any clothes, "Her kind can''t talk."


    "How does shemunicate, then?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he looked at Lenox, "I have watched an anime once with the main character being an evolving slime, but he talks."


    "She¡ª"


    And before Ae could say anything, Lunox stretched her hand toward Riley. And with a small wiggle of her fingers, they started to extend like tentacles as they moved toward Riley''s face.


    Riley did not move, however, and even stepped forward to give permission to Lunox to do whatever it is she was doing. And as soon as her fingers touched Riley''s temples, Riley suddenly found himself surrounded by nothing but trees with barks seemingly made of quartz.


    "T¡ª" And before Riley could say anything, Lunox quickly pulled her fingers away before kneeling to the ground and sping her head tight.


    "L¡­Lunox!?" Ae quickly held Lunox, only for her to let out a small scream and do the same,


    "This¡­ what is this¡­" Ae then slightly gagged as she tried her best not to vomit.


    "Lunox can read¡­ intent in a way," Cyndee approached Riley while letting out a forced chuckle, "She could also share her intent¡ªthat''s how shemunicates."


    "...Oh," Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at Lunox and Ae, "I apologize, you two. I did not mean for you to get a glimpse of how my mind works."


    "The same thing happened the first time she met the captain," Alindor approached Lunox and Ae, but she did not touch them and only asked them if they were alright,


    "But I do find it odd," Alindor then muttered, "Her reaction was not this intense when she met the captain."


    "Because between Pirate Queen Xra and me, I am the more evil of us two, Miss Alindor."


    "..." Alindor slightly squinted her eyes, "Speaking of the captain, I should call¡ª"


    "S¡­stop him!"


    And before Alindor could finish her words, Ae stood up; her saliva slightly trickling down her chin as she tried her best to speak.


    "...What?" Alindor and the others, and even Hera all looked at each other as they heard the desperation in Ae''s voice as she¡­ had her hand stretched toward Riley.


    And then, with a nervous gulp, Cyndee very slowly moved away from Riley as she turned her focus at Ae, "Stop him¡­ from doing what?"


    "This."


    And as if to answer all of their questions, Riley started to stretch his hands to the side.


    "...Riley?" Hera also backed away from Riley as his feet slowly left the floor, "What¡­ are you doing?"


    Riley did not immediately answer Hera''s question, and only continued to float into the air. After a few more nervous breaths circling around the bridge, however, they finally realized what was happening. How could they not when the entire ship started to tremble¡­


    ¡­and move forward?


    "W¡­ wait, sir Riley!" Alindor turned to look at Hera, as if asking her what they should do, "We¡­ we need to wait for them to contact us! We also need to wait for the captain since they know her!"


    "There is no need for that, Miss Alindor. Since we are the visitors¡­


    ¡­we should be the first to greet them."

 Chapter 501:The Lover Arrives

    "Stop him!"


    It all happened slowly. They should have, could have, and would have stopped it if they could. But all of them could really just watch as Riley floated in the air, hovering right on top of Xra''s throne as the entire ship moved on its own toward somewhere it shouldn''t.


    "Stop him how!? We couldn''t even stop his pet!"


    Xra''s crew were all on the edges of their toes as they looked up. They all had their own weapons and stance ready as they stared at the white-haired menace above them. They also looked at each other, trying to see and gauge who will be the first one to do something¡ªwondering if they should actually attack him.


    But attack him how, exactly?---is the question that was being passed through them.


    Lechamp had all 4 of his sters pointed at Riley but didn''t dare to fire them. After all, back when they first fought, Girgo literally brought out the sters of the ship to shoot him, but the only thing it did was make Riley''s white hair even brighter.


    All of them knew that their captain was the only one that could really stop Riley¡­but s, she was currently holed up in her quarters and ordered not to be disturbed no matter what.


    So, what exactly should they do? Ae had been attempting to take control of the ship as soon as she recovered from the horrible images that entered her mind when she touched Lunox. She fired their engines in the other direction, but all it was really doing was stressing the integrity of the Bloodcruiser. She could try and take them into hyperdrive¡­


    ¡­but she didn''t want to end up a pancake.


    Moira summoned two des in her hands as she also waited for the others to make a move. Just a few breaths after she did so, however, Little Riley patted her on the neck. She turned to look at him, only to see him shaking his head and gesturing to her to hide the des.


    "I am telling you this now¡­" Little Riley then let out a small but very deep sigh as he looked at Riley, "...If you don''t want to die, then never ever bare your fangs against the Boss. You''re scared that you will be offending a themarian? At least the themarians will be giving you a quick death. But the boss? The Boss will be making an orchestra with your screams."


    "..." Moira didn''t even have to think. As soon as she heard Little Riley''s words, the des in her hands quickly disappeared. The des were not really an innate ability of her species, but rather, a power she received from being infected by the supervirus.


    Moira was not the only one that decided not to try anything anymore, but also Hera. In fact, Hera even found herself rxed. Her entire body was just telling her that it was dangerous for the ship to proceed any further¡ªbut as soon as it was Riley that pushed them forward, the red signs that she was seeing in the empty expanse of space instantly disappeared.


    But why?


    Granted, since Riley was moving the entire ship, it also meant that it was being protected by him. But even then, none of them should feel safe. Every time Riley fights with Megawoman, every time he fights with a themarian, there will always be an aftermath that leads to astronomical destruction.


    And right now, they were looking very much like coteral.


    And while everyone below was losing their minds, the smile on Riley''s face was just growing. For years, he had imagined what it would be like to be faced with the screams and anguish of more people like Aerith¡ªand now, the intro of one of his deepest fantasies was finally right in front of him, quite literally.


    And like a child faced with a meal he can''t resist, Riley could no longer wait for anything else¡­ and just like his wish, he didn''t even need to wait.


    Because as soon as they passed the threshold, a red dot immediately shed over the horizon of their view. And this sh very slowly grewrger andrger¡ªno. Perhaps with the distance it covered, one couldn''t really say that it was slow; it''s just that it came from far away. Very far away.


    And soon, the red dot that just looked like aser pointer filled the view of their entire window.


    "Riley!" Hera then screamed as she saw Riley just smiling with his eyes closed, "If you''re going to do something, I think now is the best time!"


    And with the red beam now just meters away from hitting the ship''s shield, Riley finally opened his eyes. And like a rock splitting the flow of a river, the red beam split in half before it could even touch the ship''s barrier.


    "This will be fun," Riley then breathed out as the red light touching his white skin faded away,


    "Don''t you agree, everyone?"


    Everyone wanted to say no, but most of them were just too stunned to speak. They all knew what that red beam was. It was one of the abilities of the themarians¡ªenergy projection.


    It was widespread that Theran was not fond of visitors, and they have been taught by schools that the territory of the themarians is not to be disturbed at any costs. Most of them were even told stories by their parents during bedtime that if they do something bad, then they would be sent to the T Zone, which sounds like a move from a sports cartoon show, but is actually more menacing considering its meaning.


    So no, none of them agreed that it would be fun.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As part of Xra''s crew, they were not strangers to danger. In fact, they even wee it¡ªthey were the strongest crew, and their captain was and is one of the strongest beings in the Known Universe.


    But as it stands, everyone considered themarian territory to be a separate universe of its own. And in this Universe, Xra might not even be in the top 5. Of course, all of this was merely spection.


    "They weed us so warmly," Riley then breathed out like he had just experienced some sort of bliss, "We should give a gift of our own."


    Riley once again stretched his arms to the side as he started to float toward the colossal window of the bridge; and seemingly without any care, he just moved straight through it and let it break right on his face.


    "The ship heals itself, so I do not need to pay for anything, right?"


    Ae could really only let out an awkward smile as Riley nced at him beforepletely plowing through the window. She also couldn''t care less about the window, as Riley raised one of his hands above his head¡­ before summoning an orb that shared the color of the beam that almost hit their ship.


    "I think this is how Aerith did it? But it seems too weak. What if I do this? Hm¡­ that''s not right either. How about this?"


    And while Riley was whispering to himself, the orb hovering above his head grewrger andrger in size. And very soon, it was the same size as the Bloodcruiser itself.


    "...I suppose this is fine," and with those words, Riley tapped the red orb with his index finger¡­ causing it to disappear¡ªno. From Hera and the others'' view, it didn''t quite disappear but rather became smaller as it suddenly flew a great distance away from them.


    And soon, it also became a red dot. This red dot, however, suddenly changed direction before it couldpletely disappear; and almost like a boomerang, it once again becamerger andrger as it made its way to its new target¡ªRiley Ross.


    "Hm¡­" Riley stretched his palm toward the oing projectile he himself fired, and with a breath, the red orb was torn asunder into a million pieces. And like fireflies dying all at the same time, their light soon faded away.


    Riley, however, still had his palm stretched forward. After all, a fist was already resting on it.


    "And who might you be, sir?" Riley casually tilted his head to the side to look at who it was, only to see a red-haired¡­ boy.


    "I could ask you the same, boy," the red-haired boy scoffed as he pulled his hand away from Riley. His eyes, looking at Riley from head to toe before turning his attention to the Bloodcruiser,


    "You are not allowed here, retreat immediately or I will be forced to take lethal action."


    "And what if I do not, sir?"


    "You¡ª Kh!"


    And before the red-haired themarian boy could even say anything, his face met with Riley''s left foot. The boy''s neckpletely folded before being thrown hundreds and hundreds of miles away in a single breath.


    "Fighting in space truly is wonderful," Riley closed his eyes before embracing himself, "I could do this all day."


    And with those words, Riley also disappeared from his spot¡ªchasing down the young themarian that was still violently free-floating in space.


    "Are you still awake?"


    And after a few breaths, Riley caught the back of the boy''s head;pletely jolting him awake.


    "Who¡­ who are you?" The red-haired themarian quickly grabbed Riley''s wrist and started wriggling to get away from his grip, "Let¡­ let go of me, boy!"


    "I do not know why you keep calling me ''boy''," Riley sighed as he shook his head, "Only mother and Aerith are allowed to do that."


    "...Aerith?" The boy quickly stopped struggling as soon as he heard Aerith''s name, "What¡­ how do you know that name!?"


    "Because I am his lover."

 Chapter 502: Caught Lacking

    "I am Aerith''s lover."


    "..."


    Riley couldn''t really see what kind of expression the red-haired themarian had on his face right now, he was holding the back of his head, after all. But with the few times that Riley had revealed to people that he was, they all usually express shock.


    And for this red-haired themarian, it would seem that was amplified. He was no longer moving, not even trying to wriggle and struggle away from Riley''s grip as his arms just fell to the side.


    "I¡­ I heard that Princess Aerith has returned. Could¡­ could it be you''re with them?"


    "I was," Riley lightly pushed the themarian away, "I suppose they really have made it to Theran."


    "W¡ª"


    "And I suppose it doesn''t matter for now."


    And before the red-haired themarian could say anything else, Riley''s eyes started to glow red. He then stretched both his arms to the side, summoning another red orb. This time, 2 of them and only as big as him.


    "You¡­ are a themarian? Why¡ª"


    And once again, the red-haired themarian was not able toplete what he wanted to say as the two orbs suddenly shot straight toward him. He didn''t dodge, however, but just stretched both his hands forward to catch the red orbs; and as soon as they made contact with his palm, he quickly rotated his entire body to throw the orbs back to Riley.


    "I have had enough of you!" The themarian screamed; and with his voice the only thing that really resounded through the dark expanse of space, it felt like someone was talking through a boombox,


    "I am Fionn! The guard of the Imdall Zone! Even if you are indeed Princess Aerith''s lover, you will show me some respect!"


    "You are tasked with protecting this area, Sir Fionn?" Riley said as he casually swung his arm, splitting the two red orbs that made their way back to him, "You seem too young to be doing that. Although, I suppose I can not judge themarians norms."


    "I am already 340 years old!"


    "Is that considered old on your?" Riley tilted his head to the side to avoid Fionn''s fist, "You were not even born when Aerith arrived on Earth. Does that mean you haven''t actually seen her in person?"


    "It doesn''t matter!" Fionn swung his leg straight toward Riley''s liver, but instead of making contact with Riley''s torso, his leg was caught in between Riley''s knee and elbow. Fionn didn''t seem fazed by this, however, as he bent his leg to pull himself closer to Riley with his knuckles already targeting the back of Riley''s head.


    "..." Riley tilted his head down to avoid Fionn''s fist, only for him to see Fionn''s free leg already threatening to squash his head in. Riley did not dodge but just blocked the leg with both his hands.


    With his other leg free, Fionn added even more strength to his leg that was already targeting Riley''s head. And with this added force, it almost seemed as if Riley''s entire body bent backward before violently tumbling into ce.


    Even with Riley blocking the leg with his hand, he should still bepletely fazed and stunned¡ªis what Fionn thought. But before he could even drop his leg, he felt two hands suddenly grasping his head tight.


    "Wh¡ª"


    And before he could even utter another word, his neckpletely snapped in half; twisting several times as Riley''s body continued to spin and flow using the momentum of Fionn''s own attack.


    And with a smile suddenly growing on Riley''s face, Fionn''s neck finally stretched to its limit; his head, violently tearing away from the rest of his body.


    "Hm," and with a breath, Riley''s body instantly stopped spinning; his hands, still carrying Fionn''s head. And with another breath, blood started spewing out like rain from Fionn''s neck.


    Hera, who was watching what was happening from inside the Bloodcruiser with Xra''s crew, did not really think much about this scene. After all, this was just a typical sight for someone like Riley¡ªbut no. Blood would just float and clot in space, and most of the


    time would not even leave the body even with an open wound.


    Riley was squeezing each of Fionn''s veins.


    Riley was capable of that, especially with a themarian body. After all, he had free ess topletely learn about their anatomy for an entire day with Aerith.


    Riley and Fionn''s battle may seem ordinary and even basic from afar, but the people watching in the Bloodcruiser knew it was anything but. The only reason it looked like the two were just casually exchanging blows is that there wasn''t anything around them to visualize how strong each of their strikes was.


    If the battle took ce on a the size of Earth, then that would have already beenpletely obliterated several times over. The red orb alone that Riley summoned was enough to raze an entire continent if it were to fly above it.


    This kind of show of strength; Hera finally realized how out of touch the Hope Guild and the rest of the heroes on Earth were with the reality of things. Hera initially thought it was stupid of Empress to protect Riley, even after the Mars fiasco.


    After all, there were a lot of supers capable of destroying Mars. Hera, however, didn''t take into consideration the duration¡ªRiley Ross was capable of destroying Mars without even snapping a single finger.


    "..."


    "..."


    And after a few breaths of reminiscing and enjoying the moment, Riley felt a tremble in his hand. He slowly lifted the head in front of his eyes, only to see Fionn looking directly at him.


    "..."


    His mouth was opening, but no words were reallying out of it.


    "So, Aerith could also do something like this?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he tried to figure out what Fionn''s head was saying. But s, as Riley was still notpletely fluent in the themariannguage, he still couldn''t read his lips.


    And so, Riley just did the only thing he could¡ªhe let go of Fionn''s head.


    And then kicked it.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..."


    Riley just watched the head disappear into the darkness. And even after it was gone, he just stayed there floating.


    "Why¡­ is he still not returning to the ship?" Moira, whose eyes have not left the built-in monitor in the windows that were following each of Riley''s movements, finally looked away as she asked Little Riley a question,


    "Don''t tell me¡­ he ns to proceed to go to Theran on his own?"


    "I have no idea, Moi," Little Riley just shook his head in response.


    "...What? But aren''t the two of you directly connected to each other?" It wasn''t only Moira who was focusing on Little Riley right now, but also the rest of her crew, and Hera.


    "The Boss is connected to me, I am not connected to him," Little Riley shrugged, "And no, he won''t just leave the Bloodcruiser. Miss Hera is still here¡ªAerith will be mad at the Boss if he leaves her."


    "...So you really have no idea why he is just floating there?"


    "I do now, Moi."


    Everyone quickly turned their eyes to where Little Riley was pointing, only to see another monitor pop out on the window¡ªshowing something approaching Riley at a very high speed.


    "Wee back, Sir Fionn."


    "I am dragging you to Theran myself!"


    It would seem Fionn did not seem fond of Riley''s greeting, as his words thundered through the dark expanse of space and straight through Riley''s ears like a dagger,


    "I don''t care if you are the Princess'' lover anymore, I am dragging you there in tiny little pieces!"


    "I heard themarians also grow stronger after each death," Riley stretched his hands to the side to wee the oing rage, "Did you grow stronger, sir Fionn?"


    "You think I died from just that!?" A red hazy light suddenly started to form around Fionn''s silhouette, "And if you are asking that, then you''re not actually a themarian¡­


    ¡­that means I can kill you without any consequences!"


    "But killing me has always been the major consequence, sir Fionn," Riley sighed,


    "And as I have been insinuating since earlier, you are too weak. It feels like I am fighting a budget version of a themarian."


    "Don''t be so smug!"


    "Are you not weirded out that we have been talking for a while now, and you still have not reached me even after increasing your speed, sir Fionn?"


    "!!!"


    And as soon as he heard those words, Fionn instantly stopped himself from advancing any further; the red light surrounding his body like fumes, also withering away.


    Fionn then turned to look at the Bloodcruiser, only to see it had be a dot in space.


    "Fighting in space is really weird, no?"


    "!!!" Fionn''s eyes quickly widened as he heard a voiceing from behind him. He quickly turned his body toward the voice, only to see Riley casually floating there. He looked at where he was just a moment ago¡­ only to see him actually still there.


    "Youck strength and training, sir Fionn."


    "...What?" Fionn then turned to look at the Riley that was near him, only to be weed by a palm on his face.


    "Let me help you with that."


    And with Riley''s words whispering into his ears, Fionn''s vision very slowly started to distort and turn even darker. The rare beating of his heart, drumming through the empty space.


    "Let go of him!"


    But before his vision couldpletely fade away, he felt himself being pushed away. And before he could even feel the crushing weight fade away, he felt a hand grabbing his arm.


    "Fionn, are you alright?"


    "...Huh?" Fionn blinked a couple of times as he tried to recover himself. And after a few more breaths, he turned to look at the woman beside him.


    "O?"


    "Are you alright?"


    "..." Fionn no longer responded and just turned to look to where Riley should be, only to see him being surrounded by three other themarians. And even then, the smile on his face did not disappear, no¡­


    ¡­it grew even wider.

 Chapter 503: Encounter With Themarian Youths

    "And then there''s 5."


    Riley raised both his arms in surrender¡ªthe neers, however, did not approach him at all even for a single millimeter. Riley even closed his eyes, but none still moved. After all, no matter how much Riley feigns surrender, it was useless because of the smile on his face.


    "Themarians do truly look like humans."


    And with no one moving or trying to approach him, Riley calmly opened his eyes, which immediately scanned the three themarians surrounding him. And as is it with Diana and Aerith, they were indistinguishable from humans¡ªeven more so for Riley now, because he had been seeing humanoids and species of all sorts of different aesthetics.


    "State your purpose here, intruder."


    The themarian that was right in front of him was the first to speak, and with the way he looked, Riley could even say he looked like of oriental descent; with his ck hair and eyes, and somewhat petite stature. And like Fionn, he looked young.


    No, it wasn''t just him.


    The blonde themarian female on Riley''s left was alsoparable to a human teenager, so is the boy on his right, who looked eerily simr to the blonde girl.


    "..." Riley then strayed his eyes toward the one who rescued Fionn, and even with her dark skin melding with the expanse of space, her youth was also quite obvious.


    "State your purpose here, intruder," the oriental-looking themarian repeated his words. Andpared to Fionn, he seemed to bepletely on guard even with Riley already surrounded.


    "I am here to attend my biological mother''s burial," Riley answered with his hands still raised in surrender, "And also to have a little fun with the locals."


    "..." The oriental-looking themarian squinted his already small eyes as he heard Riley''s words. He then turned to look at the two blonde themarians, seemingly talking to each other before nodding all at the same time.


    "My name is Minjun," the oriental-looking themarian then said as he opened both his palms, "I am a guard of the Imdall Zone. Are you aware that you are trespassing on themarian territory?"


    "No, sir Minjun," Riley once again answered without any hesitation.


    "W¡­ why are you interrogating him!? He attacked me!" Fionn seemed to have fully recovered as he rushed to join the three in surrounding Riley; the dark-skinned themarian also joined them, but like the two others, she just remained silent.


    "We are way past a civil discussion, Minjun!" Fionn said as he also trailed his eyes to his otherrades, "Let''s just end him!"


    "Based on the ounts I received from others, you were the first to draw blood by firing on them with deadly intent," Minjun sighed and shook his head.


    "Because his ship entered our perimeter!"


    "This is why we have a bad reputation with the rest of the universe," Minjun once again sighed, "We just end those who trespass against us instead of talking to them. As the future generation of themarians, we need to do better than our predecessors¡­"


    "Oh boy, here he goes again," one of the others, the blonde themarian girl, finally spoke up; pinching the bridge of her nose as she sighed, "See what you did, Fionn?"


    "W¡ª"


    "...We are not just cold-blooded warriors. We are peacemakers," Minjun then closed his hand into a fist and raised it in the air, "Those before us may have shed blood to make this peace, but it does not mean that blood is still needed to maintain it."


    "But it is literally our assignment to eradicate anyone and anything that enters our zone!" Fionn waved his hand, "We''re literally a race of warriors! We learn to fight even before we learn to build ships!"


    "And this is why we are alwaysst in our assessment. All this violence, and for nothing."


    "No, we''re alwaysst because you keep letting people go!"


    "Enough. As this iteration''s cadet leader, I decide which path we will take."


    "You¡­ Asha, help me here!" And with Minjun refusing to listen to anyone, Fionn turned his attention toward the dark-skinned girl who rescued him¡­ who only shrugged and shook her head in response,


    "All of you are on his side!? We¡­"


    And while these themarians were freely discussing themselves, Riley was just nonchntly and passively listening to them in curiosity. Based on their conversation, they truly were youths; cadets¡ªstudents.


    As expected of themarians, even the assignments they gave their youth were already at ster-level feats.


    "So all of you truly are children."


    And finally, Riley decided to disrupt the conversation as he dropped his hands,


    "No wonder all of youck strength. It is not evenparable to a fraction of a single percent of what Aerith could do."


    And with his words entering the young themarians'' ears, they all stopped talking to themselves and focused solely on Riley.


    "...Aerith?" This time, it was the blonde themarian boy that spoke, "You know princess Aerith? Could it be you are with the entourage that just arrived with the princess earlier?"


    "Wait, Princess Aerith is back? Where did you hear this, Con?" The blonde themarian girl''s eyes literally started to glitter as he looked at Con. And judging by how simr they truly look, Riley could really only assume that they were siblings.


    "We received a report from the instructor thest time we saw him."


    "Wait¡­ is that why he has been gone for a while? He left us here while the legendary rebel princess returned!?"


    "Enough!" And before the two could continue talking, Minjun raised his hand again as he looked at Riley, "Are you then? With Princess Aerith?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "He told me he''s Princess Aerith''s lover!"


    "What!?"


    And once again, the youthful themarians all looked at each other in shock. Even Asha, who was the quiet one amongst them, could not help but let out a loud gasp. As for Riley, he just once again watched the group talk to themselves.


    Even after almost killing one of them, they are now just casually talking to themselves. Truly, the themarians are built different¡ªand with them able to freely talk in the expanse of space¡­


    ¡­this will be the first time that Riley would be hearing screams in the otherwisepletely silent void.


    "Let''s continue where we left off, sir Fionn."


    "!!!"


    And once again, the youthful themarians held on their faces expressions of shock as Riley was now floating right in front of Fionn. It wasn''t because of how fast Riley got there, no. One might even say he took his time.


    It was the fact that they couldn''t respond and move the entire time thatpletely stunned them.


    Asha tried to struggle and free herself from the invisible chains that suddenly wrapped around her body¡ªbut trying as she might, even trembling was impossible.


    "You''re¡­ telekic?" Minjun whispered, as for some reason, the only thing they could really move was their mouths.


    "No," Riley smiled as he once again covered Fionn''s face with his palm,


    "I''m ecstatic."


    "F¡­ Fionn!"


    And from fettered and struggling gasps, Asha''s breaths turned into screams as she saw Fionn''s head suddenly disappear.


    And no, it didn''t disappear in the sense that Fionn was decapitated again or that his head was obliterated into tiny little pieces and turned to a mist of blood, no.


    It just disappeared.


    The rest of his body that was left jolted and flinched¡­ before justpletely floating still.


    "You¡­ you killed him," Asha stuttered as she turned her moistening eyes toward Riley, who just shook his head in response.


    "No," he then said as he opened his palm¡ªand in it, was something the size of a pebble, "He should still recover from this, correct? Themarians are immortal, after all. And sir Fionn will only grow stronger after¡ª"


    "No!"


    "...No?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at the pebble in his hand, "But Aerith could survive this."


    The confusion on Riley''s face was quite obvious for everyone to see as he looked at each of them as if asking them if Fionn truly wouldn''t recover from having his entire headpressed into the size of a small pebble.


    "Does it have something to do with your age?" Riley let go of Fionn''spressed head, before cing his hand on his chin while staring at the floating pebble in front of him,


    "This isn''t good, Aerith is going to be mad. I was really only trying to scare all of you so I can hear you scream¡­


    ¡­I apologize, everyone."


    "Grah!"


    "..." Riley then quickly tilted his head to the side as he saw a¡­ set of bones aiming for his head. And before it couldpletely pass by him, the bones started to regenerate, revealing themselves to be an arm¡ªAsha''s arm.


    Asha, who was able to force her way out of Riley''s hold.


    "Oh?" A smile returned on Riley''s face as he heard Asha''s guttural scream. Riley had always thought that themarians are beyond rage since Aerith and Diana have never shown such emotions¡ªbut it would seem he was wrong.


    If so, then does that mean there was a chance that he could see and hear Aerith''s scream of rage in the future?


    "Well, since Aerith will already reprimand me for killing one of you¡­


    ¡­I might as well add one or two or three or four."


    "A¡­ Asha!" Minjun, as well as the blonde themarian siblings, were also slowly able to get out of Riley''s hold. But s, before they could lift a finger, Riley already had his palm on Asha''s face.


    "H¡­huh¡­" As for Asha, she could really only take in a breath as her eyes started to turn wide and tremble uncontrobly. How could she do anything else, when all that is circling in her mind right now was that she was about to suffer the same fate as Fionn?


    "D¡­ don''t."


    "There is no need to worry, Miss Asha¡­


    ¡­you might live."

 Chapter 504:Inihaw Na Dugo(R-13)

    "Asha!"


    "..."


    You might live.


    That is what Riley told the dark-skinned themarian as he pierced his arm through her chest, pushing out her heart through her back and holding it tight¡­with all the veins and arteries still surprisingly intact.


    "Same as Aerith. Your heartbeat is exponentially faster than hers, however. Throughout the time I have been with her, her heartbeat usually only beats 4 times a day."


    And through all the shocked faces, Riley just pulled his arm out with Asha''s heart; still intact even after her veins stretched more than a meter¡ªprobably a themarian trait. Of course, Riley wouldn''t really know all of it.


    "It still baffles me how simr your biology is to humans, but at the same time, so different," Riley said as his head tilted to the side while staring at Asha''s still very much beating heart,


    "Oh well."


    And with those words, Asha''s heart started to bloat in between Riley''s fingers as he started to grip it ever so tightly. Riley was already using enough strength topletely turn diamond into dust¡ªand yet Asha''s heart, like a balloon, just continued to stretch out.


    "Stop¡­ stop!"


    And Asha¡ªAsha couldn''t really move anything but her eyes and mouth; her screams, reverberating straight to Riley''s ears like a visceral song.


    "This¡­" The smile on Riley''s face became wider, to the point that one could already see both his upper and lower set of teeth, "...This is beautiful."


    Riley had never heard something like this before. As far as he knows, themarians seem to be the only species in the entire universe that is able to actually speak in the expanse of space and produce a sound without using any external instruments or gadgets¡ªand the sound they produce is quite¡­ nerving.


    "Let¡­ let go¡ªEek!"


    "I feel like I am underwater," Riley then closed his eyes as his head started to bob left and right, "Like a magnificent ocean creature is singing its song to me, and me alone. How wonderful¡­ truly wonderful."


    Riley''s white face soon started turning red as his words soon became stuttered. And each strand of his long white hair, vibrating along with the excitement and glee that was surrounding his entire body, almost producing a sound simr to a thousand cicadas that only Asha could hear.


    "Asha! Let¡­ let go of her!"


    "Leena, no!"


    "Oh?"


    And once again, in the heat of the moment, another one of them was able to escape from Riley''s telekic grip. The blonde themarian girl, Leena, did not even hesitate to rush at Riley as soon as she felt even a tiny hint of freedom.


    "I said, let go of¡ª!?"


    Sadly for her, however, as soon as she was within arm''s reach, Riley suddenly pushed Asha''s heart straight into her screaming mouth. Suffice it to say, Leena instantly stopped in her tracks; her eyes, even wider than her mouth that was holding Asha''s heart within it.


    "!!!"


    And before Leena could do anything, Riley swung his palm up and struck her directly under the chin. Blood and saliva exploded right on Riley''s face as Asha''s mouth finally burst open inside Leena''s mouth.


    The worst part of this, probably, is that Riley was not even letting her open her mouth.


    "..." Riley then turned his eyes toward Asha, waiting for her to regenerate. And as soon as he saw the flesh around the hole he made starting to close shut like a million worms coalescing into one another, he gently pushed Asha away.


    "I told you, you might live, Miss Asha," Riley then chuckled before turning his attention to Leena¡­ and grabbing her face and gripping her cheeks. But with her lipspletely shut, Asha''s blood and mangled heart had nowhere to go but in.


    No, that was not exactly true as some of Asha''s blood started to spurt out from Leena''s nose. Minjun and Con also tried their hardest to be free of Riley''s telekic grip, but s, with Riley now fully restraining just the three of them¡­ it almost seemed as if they were drowned in some sort of immovable ocean.


    The only thing they could really do is the thing they have been doing since the start¡ªwatch.


    "How does other''s blood taste for you, Miss¡­ Leena?" Riley whispered as he looked Leena straight into her weeping eyes,


    "I tried tasting human blood before to see if I was a cannibal, but I didn''t end up swallowing it and even spat it out."


    "Hmgh¡­" Leena was either trying to say something, or she had already vomited inside her mouth.


    "I have had Inihaw na Dugo before. It is some kind of street food back on my home¡ªmy themarian vocabry is not that polished, but it should trante to Grilled Blood. In my case, it was grilled chicken blood," Riley muttered, "It tasted good when you dip it and let it soak for a few seconds in sweet and spicy vinegar. I thought it would taste like that, you know? But no."


    "..."


    "Inihaw na Dugo is prepared by seasoning the blood with salt and pepper," Riley continued as he raised his other hand. And as he did so, something emerged from the pocket of his ck suit¡ªsalt and pepper shakers.


    Leena''s trembling mouth started to open, revealing the guttural view of vomit, blood, and saliva all mixed together between her lips. And despite her best efforts to shake free¡­ the only thing that started to shake was the salt and pepper shakers. The vorful dust very slowly flew straight inside her mouth and into the blood.


    And almost as if to mock her, Riley''s mouth also started to open¡ªthe smile on his face, now wider than ever before.


    "And then¡­" Riley''s face started to turn red as his words became whispers, "And then¡­ you boil it in water."


    "!!!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Asha''s weeping eyes seemingly wanted to pop out of their sockets as she felt the inside of her mouth starting to burn. As a themarian, their flesh could resist unimaginable temperatures¡ªthey could even bathe inside the core of the sun if they wanted to.


    Well, adult themarians, that is.


    And with Riley releasing a fraction of Hannah''s powers right inside Leena''s mouth, the inside of her cheeks, her gums, and her tongue started to stick to each other as they melted from the heat.


    Surprisingly, though¡­ the blood inside her mouth just calmly started to boil.


    "We don''t have water, Miss Leena. So¡­ I have to improvise, I apologize," Riley sighed and shook his head, "Now we just wait for the chicken blood to solidify into a chunk."


    "..."


    "..."


    Leena''s eyes started to tremble from the seething pain inside her mouth¡ªbut finally, after a few more seconds, the pain just disappeared.


    "And now that it''s finally hard, we cut it into tiny bite-size portions," Riley said as his index finger in his free hand started to twirl. And as it did so, the vored solidified blood started to turn into chunks¡ªunfortunately for Leena, the slice just went slightly beyond and also sliced her cheeks.


    Her cheeks being cut open was no problem at all, however, as they healed as soon as it was cut. The problem was, however, that her teeth started to char.


    "And then we grill it."


    "!!!"


    Minjun and Con also started to shed tears as they watched what was being done to Leena. Although they were truly rageful and filled with sorrow for Leena, they no longer really knew what their tears were for.


    Was it for her pain¡­ or was it for the fact that they knew they were next?


    "So, how does it taste, Miss Leena?" Riley then grabbed Leena''s chin and forced her to chew it¡ªand of course, swallow all of it at once.


    "It probably tasted nd without the vinegar, but I sadly don''t carry one," Riley sighed as he finally let go of Leena''s face,


    "I have actually cooked grilled blood several times, but using chicken''s blood¡ªI just can''t seem to try it with humans because I already know that I''m not a cannibal. So¡­


    ¡­how was it?"


    "Eurgh!" And with Leena finally feeling her face free, the only thing she could really respond with was by another vomit.


    "Hm¡­" Riley nodded several times, "It is appalling, no? Anyway¡­"


    And with that, Riley flicked his finger¡ªand as he did so, Leena''s face split open, before opening up like a rose and revealing her brain.


    "You might live, Miss Leena," Riley said as Leena''s brain started to detach itself from the rest of her body. And with Riley pushing her away, his eyes started to stray toward the two themarians left.


    "Fun, no?"


    "..."


    "..."


    Both Minjun and Con tried their best to shake their heads, but could not. And very slowly, Riley made his way toward them.


    ***


    "Ha¡­"


    After an undetermined amount of time, Riley was now freely floating in the darkness. His eyes closed, and the smile on his face was still as bright as before. He was the only one smiling, however, as the four themarians around him were just curling and cradling themselves.


    "Themarians are so durable," Riley giggled to himself. And as he did so, the four flinched.


    "That was really fun, we should go again."


    "No¡­ no¡­" Leena, who had to grow an entire body, could not help but shiver as she heard Riley''s words, "Please¡­ please, enough."


    "You might still live again," Riley shook his head, "You are stronger now, no? That is what I heard from Aerith. Truly unfortunate for sir Fionn, though. Anyway¡­


    ¡­Again."


    "I don''t think so."


    And before Riley could approach one of the pitiful young themarians, a figure suddenly appeared right in front of him.


    It was a muscr themarian, adorned with a graying thick mustache.


    "D¡­ Dad!?"

 Chapter 505:MMT

    "D¡­ dad!?"


    "I think that''s enough."


    In the expanse of space where darkness was all there is, a sense of hope was finally felt by the four youths. They thought they would forever be in the grasp of this white-haired torturing maniac, but finally, hope arrived.


    It arrived in the form of a big, muscr man with a thick, fine mustache.


    "Dad!" Con bellowed.


    "Dad?"


    "It''s our papa!" And true enough, Riley''s assumption was right that Con and Leena were siblings as both of them turned to look at the muscr man with nothing but smiles.


    Like the red violent beam that shoots out from their bodies, the four youths rushed towards this muscr man and hid behind him; their eyes, however, still remained locked on Riley-his long white hair that was still confidently vibrating in excitement even with the entrance of the older and obviously much stronger themarian.


    The man with a mustache only nced at the four young themarian, before stretching his hand to the left. It was just a simple gesture, but it almost seemed as if the four felt protected from everything the universe has to throw at them.


    And almost like a response to Riley''s smile, the man''s mustache started to move as a smirk crawled on her face.


    "Darmuid, Champion Sergeant of the Arkloom Brigade," the muscr mustached man, who revealed himself to be Darmuid, ced his hands behind him before calmly floating closer to Riley; his pecs, now even more pronounced due to the tight leather-like brown suit he was wearing.


    "My name is Riley Ross, Hannah''s brother, and Aerith''s lover," the smile on Riley''s face slightly lessened as he bowed to introduce himself to Darmuid, "May I ask what brings you here?"


    "..." Darmuid did not answer, and instead, the four young themarians just watched quietly as he calmly hovered closer and closer toward Riley, his hands still ced behind him. His gaze was as calm as his pace, and yet there was this obvious boiling rage just wanting to escape his breaths.


    "Are all of you alright?" And like an obvious provocation, Champion Sergeant Darmuid turned his head back toward his children and the two other themarians as soon as he was within the reach of Riley''s arm.


    Leena and the others, however, could really only turn their heads down. How could they even answer something like that, when it was already obvious just from their expressions of terror?


    "It doesn''t matter," Darmuid calmly breathed out as he shook his head,


    "I am here to take you back home," he then took out a triangr translucent object from his pocket and threw it toward his daughter.


    Leena did not really hesitate to catch it, and without even waiting for anything else to happen, she quickly twisted the small pyramid. Minjun, Asha, and Con also rushed to ce their hands on her shoulder¡ªand in a blink, the four of them were gone, leaving only their tears as a reminder of the horrific things that have transpired in this cold, deste, and empty space.


    Riley did not do anything to stop this, and even curiously looked back and forth between Darmuid and the empty space where the young themarians disappeared into.


    "..." And with them gone, Darmuid calmly turned his attention back to Riley. He looked at him from head to toe, before letting out a small sigh and shaking his head,


    "I know who you are," he then breathed out, "What I do not know is what you are doing with the Blood Spirit."


    "...Blood Spirit? You mean the Inihaw na Dugo?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he tilted his head. He thought Darmuid was going to say a one-liner since Aerith used to like those, but to think he would just bementing on the recipe,


    "Do you cook too, Champion Sergeant Darmuid?"


    "Xra, the Blood Spirit."


    "Oh," Riley turned to look in the direction where the Bloodcruiser should be, "Pirate Queen Xra and I have a lot inmon. He joined me on my journey, so I suppose that makes her my Third Subordinate."


    "The Blood Spirit having someone above her? I doubt it," Darmuid looked straight down at Riley; his chiseled chest, almost hitting Riley''s face,


    "But I suppose it matters not. Even if you are the acquaintance or the lover of the princess, you havemitted grave actions against my children and my people¡ªthe price for that is death."


    "And it is a price I would dly pay," Riley looked up, "But the question is, will you finally be the one to earn it?"


    "Hm," Darmuid grunted, "Arrogant¡ªas expected of the princess'' friend. You are a creature that does not know howrge the universe is."


    "You are the ones who have locked themselves in your tiny little space. Tell me, Champion Sergeant Darmuid¡ªhow long has it been since you havest left your territory?" Riley''s eyebrows started to furrow as the smile on his facepletely faded,


    "Aerith has traversed the Unknown and ended up being the beacon of hope and salvation to a people that sorely needed it. I may not know howrge the universe is, Champion Sergeant Darmuid. But you? You are unworthy to even leave this ce."


    "It would seem there is some truth in your being the princess'' lover¡ªtoe into her defense with just measly provocation," Darmuid''s mustache once again moved as the smirk returned on his face,


    "As expected of short-lived creatures, so eager to prove themselves."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    And all of a sudden, silence started to surround the two.


    A second.


    A minute.


    ¡­A minute. It was a minute of silence before the two just suddenly disappeared from where they were just previously floating. And then, from afar, one could see shes of red burning violently; like a star in turmoil, or perhaps a candle stubborn enough to stay in the middle of a storm.


    Darmuid was done talking, and the onlynguage left for the two of them is unrelenting violence sparking between them¡ªliterally.


    Each of their strikes was releasing sparks that were as bright as the red raging light being emitted by Darmuid''s muscr body.


    Riley''s flesh was being torn open each time Darmuid''s fists made contact with his skin. Darmuid''s knuckles, however, seemed to remainpletely without even as much as a scratch.


    "..." Riley blocked another one of Darmuid''s punches with both his arms, only for his entire body to fold and be thrown an unknown distance away. But judging by how the view of the stars afar just seemingly blurred and turned into streaks, the same thing that happened to Fionn earlier when Riley was toying with him, was now happening to him.


    And almost like a reversal of the situation, Darmuid also grabbed the back of Riley''s head, causing him to violently stop like the tail of a whip.


    "You''re still alive even after all that?" Darmuid broke his silence as the grip on Riley''s head grew tighter,


    "No wonder my children and their friends could not eveny a finger on you."


    "..." Riley just moved his eyes to the left to look at Darmuid from his peripheral vision.


    "Now, I return your words to you¡ªyou are not worthy to be in this ce," Darmuid then said as his teeth started to show; the veins in his arms, now etching out from his skin¨Ctight suit as his grip became tighter and tighter.


    "You said you know about me, Champion Sergeant Darmuid?"


    "Enough talk," Darmuid grunted; his eyes, no longer even looking at Riley anymore, "I will be delivering your head to the princess and see what she has to say."


    "Then you really do know nothing about me, Champion Sergeant Darmuid," Riley sighed as he shook his head. But since his head waspletely chained to Darmuid''s hand, the rest of his body swiveled instead,


    "One¡ªI like talking. I even talk to the corpses of those I killed. And Two¡­


    ¡­I don''t primarily fight with my body like you do."


    "W¡ª"


    And before Darmuid could finish his words, a slit started to crawl across his wrist. This seemingly ordinary slit, however, went through his bone. And of course, as an older themarian with insane healing capabilities that couldn''t even bepared to the younger themarians, this was nothing for Darmuid.


    The cut in his wrist healed as soon as it was cut, and that was enough for Darmuid to lose control of his hand for a single moment¡ªand a moment was all Riley needed to escape from his grasp.


    Yes, he only needed a small moment.


    "..."


    But Riley did not. Riley did not escape from Darmuid''s grasp, and instead just rotated his entire body to face him; his eyes, revealed through the gaps between Darmuid''s fingers.


    And his eyes were not the only ones being revealed; his smile that stretched to his ears, too, was revealed as he looked the slightly perplexed themarian straight in the eyes.


    "And I think I know who you are, Champion Sergeant Darmuid," Riley then breathed out,


    "You are weaker than Aerith."


    "Hm," Darmuid''s shocked expression was reced by a smirk as soon as he heard Riley''s words, "I was holding back."


    "So was she. Aerith is stronger than you."


    And with those words, Riley stretched his hand toward Darmuid''s head¡ªbut with the difference between their sizes, the most Riley could really reach was the empty space in front of Darmuid''s thick mustache.


    "Did you know that there is a single part of a human that can be made to be as strong as a themarian''s?" A giggle slightly escaped from Riley''s smiling lips, "It''s¡­


    ¡­the hair."

 Chapter 506:A Shave

    "!!!"


    Facial hair. For some men, it was the epitome symbol that one has finally reached manhood. And somewhere in the universe, Unknown and Known, there is one man whose facial hair was his entire life.


    His name was Spectacr Mustache Man. His entire persona circled around his mustache¡ªa billion people, revering at the greatness of his mustache. But even if one was not Spectacr Mustache Man, a mustache is still a great deal for some people.


    "Are you one of those people, Champion Sergeant Darmuid?" Riley''s voice seeped from the edges of Darmuid''s palm; his eyes, still as wide and staring straight at Darmuid with glee.


    And soon, Darmuid''s upper lips soon started to tremble as each and every strand of his thick mustache started to vibrate much like Riley''s hair.


    "What are you¡ª !!!"


    And before Darmuid could finish his words, a pluck thundered throughout the entire expanse of the universe. Not really, but that is what it sounded like to Darmuid. His mustache was groomed daily,ced in oil and moisture to keep them as fresh and dapper as possible.


    And soon, another one was plucked away.


    "Stop!"


    All this time, he had been trying to gauge how strong Riley Ross truly is for him to receive the attention of not only the princess of thergest and most powerful country in Theran¡­ but also The Caiin''Ur.


    The Caiin''Ur, a themarian also born with the same name. But soon, her name had be a title for the themarian''s greatest nightmare¡ªa literal one, as even for them, she had be some sort of a mythical creature.


    And so, Darmuid could not help but be curious, but no more. Darmuid tightened his grip on Riley''s face to try and finally crush it¡ªhe was done ying games.


    Unfortunately for him, Riley was just starting.


    Darmuid tightened his grip even further, but no matter how much force he added, it almost seemed as if he was holding something that couldn''t be moved no matter what. It wasn''t like this when they were fighting just earlier.


    Just a few moments before, Riley''s flesh was either torn away or mangled with each of their exchange¡ªbut now, not a centimeter of his skin was stretched.


    No¡­the only thing that was stretching was his mustache.


    "I said stop!" Darmuid finally used his free hand; retracting it back, before twisting his entire body and using the momentum to strengthen the punch that was heading straight at Riley''s liver.


    His fist didn''t seem to be that fast; in fact, it even looked slow. The force behind the punch, however, was clear for everyone to see¡ªeven from the Bloodcruiser that was hundreds of thousands of kilometers away.


    Space itself distorted ¡ª like a vacuum ¡ª the space surrounding Darmuid''s fist turned into a spiral, a whirlpool that sucked the darkness itself.


    And then, a snap.


    The sound of a snap that shouldn''t have happened, but it did. And it did so in extremity. As soon as Darmuid''s fist made contact with Riley''s stomach, a snap reverberated throughout the expanse of space. It rippled, destroying the meteoroids, and even somerger asteroids that happened to be within an unknown distance¡ªbut judging by how violently the Bloodcruiser shook even with its shield at full capacity, the raging ripple reverberated farther than a hundred thousand miles.


    The way the themarians fight is simple, too simple. But there was a reason why they were the most powerful, feared, and respected species in the entire Known Universe; they will sneeze, and a would be gone.


    What more could a punch do? And what could it do to a person?


    "..." Darmuid was still holding Riley''s face¡ªand that was it. Only Riley''s face remained.


    His entire body was obliterated by the punch, his neck and the back of his head included. Perhaps the only reason why his face was stillpletely intact is that Darmuid was holding it.


    Even then, however, Darmuid let out a small grunt as he did not let go of Riley''s face. After all, even with 90% of him gone, the maniacal smile on his face was stillpletely there.


    Darmuid waited for a twitch, but even after several moments passed, there was nothing. And so, with a small sigh, he closed his handpletely squashing whatever was left of Riley.


    "That was powerful, Champion Sergeant Darmuid."


    "!!!"


    Darmuid''s eyes quickly widened as he felt a cold breath slithering through the back of his neck. He didn''t even need to look back to know that there was a pair of eyes and a wide, sinister smile just waiting for him to turn around.


    "Shall we continue to shave this off, then?"


    And before Darmuid could actually recover and react, he saw a palm suddenly blinding his view. He didn''t see it for long, however. As soon, he felt a sting crawling across his face. Darmuid quickly touched his mouth, only to feel his teeth.


    Darmuid finally turned around to look at Riley, only to see him holding the part missing from his face.


    "I am actually also starting to grow facial hair, Champion Sergeant Darmuid," Riley just casually raised his hand; his eyes, looking at Darmuid''s torn-off upper lip¡ªwhich of course was adorned by his thick mustache, "But I do not like the feeling of feeling it, so I just destroy any strand as soon as they grow. Father also has a stubble, and I see him putting effort in¡­


    ¡­Your mustache did not grow back."


    Riley''s monologue was cut short as soon as he realized that Darmuid''s regenerated upper lip¡­ was no longer adorned with its once thick and groomed mustache.


    "..." Riley blinked his eyes a couple of times as he stared at the trembling Darmuid, "If I may be honest, Champion Sergeant Darmuid¡ªyou look a thousand times younger now. It doesn''t suit you."


    "..." Darmuid''s eyes started to twitch; his unusually smooth upper lip, also doing the same.


    "Hm," Riley squinted his eyes as he stared at Darmuid''s now smooth face. He then started turning his eyes back and forth between him and the torn-off mustache in his hand. And after several times of doing so¡­<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I apologize, Champion Sergeant Darmuid. Here, you can have it back."


    ¡­Riley handed Darmuid''s torn upper lip and mustache back to him,


    "You can still attach it with some glue. I have seen several Chinese people do it on the media and¡ª"


    "Rah!"


    And before Riley could finish his words, a guttural and visceral roar escaped from Darmuid''s smooth mouth. His muscles, contracting and seemingly bing even denser as the veins on his neck started to show themselves.


    "..."


    "Grah!"


    And with another roar, a sort of red aura started to form and exude from his body.


    "I feel like I have seen this before, Champion Sergeant Darmuid."


    And even as streaks of red lightning started to trickle across and around Darmuid''s trembling body, Riley just tilted his head to the side and stared at him.


    "You¡­" Darmuid finally stopped roaring as he looked Riley straight in the eyes. It seemed like there was something he wanted to say just from the sheer look of rage on his smooth skin, but in the end, he just gritted his teeth and seemingly continued to contract his muscles.


    And while the empty space around Darmuid started to distort and copse from the sheer pressure being exuded from his body, Riley turned around¡­


    ¡­and started to fly away.


    "If this is going to take long, then I am going back to the Bloodcruiser, Champion Sergeant Darmuid," he said without even ncing back, "I will see you in The¡ª"


    "Get back here!"


    And with a quiet explosion, a trail of red suddenly shed behind Riley¡ªand inside that light, Darmuid''s gritting face emerged; his hands, stretched to the side and ready to once again squish Riley into a pulp.


    "..."


    And before Riley could even turn around¡­


    ¡­he glimpsed a smooth, silky, and long hair brushing past him and toward the direct path of Darmuid''s crushing arms.


    "!!!"


    But then, all of a sudden, the violent torrent of wrath disappeared. The arms that were iling to end everything in the universe, instantly stopping in their tracks; just a few inches away from hitting an incredibly smooth, perfect, pale face.


    "..." And when Riley was finally able to fully turn around, all he saw was the ck hair just freely flowing and almost opening up like a fan. He then tilted his head to the side to try and see what was actually happening, only to see Darmuid''s eyebrowspletely furrowed; his eyes, squinted as they looked at the new yer that just arrived.


    "Pirate Queen Xra," Riley pushed Xra''s hair to the side as he floated closer to her, unusually close like how they usually were; Xra''s back, now almost leaning at Riley''s chest,


    "You came out of your seclusion?"


    "You and I will talk moreter," Xra did not even move her eyes toward Riley as she spoke; instead, they were just fixated on Darmuid,


    "Are you not Darmuid?"


    "Blood¡­ Spirit," Darmuid very slowly retracted his hands.


    "And that confirms your identity. You have grown to look older since thest time we have seen each other," Xra shook her head and sighed,


    "That would mean that you have not really achieved the strength you said you would."


    "..."


    "Your revenge is weak, Darmuid."


    "And you still look down on people, even those that are superior to you," Darmuid''s body straightened out as any traces of the red aura surrounding him dissipated,


    "If we fight now, you will not evenst a single second."


    "Riley Ross," Xra smiled as she leaned back and rested her head on Riley''s shoulder, "Between him and me, who is stronger?"


    "Aerith, Pirate Queen Xra."


    "..."


    "..."

 Chapter 507:A Purpose

    "Aerith is much stronger than the two of youbined."


    "..."


    "..."


    Xra and Darmuid could really only squint their eyes as Riley''s words reached their ears. It would have been alright if Riley was just joking, but the tone of his voice couldn''t be any more clearer.


    He truly believed what he was saying.


    Xra''s eyes started to twitch, before she very slowly turned her head toward Riley¡ªand since she was already resting the back of her head on his shoulder, her lips almost touched Riley''s cheek¡­or they probably already did.


    "Even if that''s true, why did you have to say that?" Xra''s breaths whispered into his ear¡ªand with the telekic bubble surrounding them, the coldness of her breath really had nowhere to go,


    "You should havee to my defense since we''re travelingpanions."


    "That is not what I heard from the boy, Blood Spirit," Darmuid quickly scoffed as he heard Xra''s whispers, "He told me you are his 3rd subordinate."


    "Silence, Darmuid. Our dialogue with each other should be scarce,"


    Xra''s change in tone and vernacr was obvious to hear.


    "..."


    "Why did you have to say that?" Xra once again whispered into Riley''s ear.


    "Because you will be, Pirate Queen Xra."


    "...What?"


    "You fit the criteria," Riley nodded, "A human female, high-strung, slightly arrogant, quick to form an unusual attachment to me, and most importantly¡ªyou are mentally unstable."


    "I am not mentally unstable."


    "You talk to your deceased lover that has been under your bed for 8000 years, Pirate Queen Xra."


    "..." Xra''s eyes slightly strayed away as she heard Riley''s words, "This isn''t the time to discuss such things. Darmuid, let us pass through."


    "I can not do that, Blood Spirit. Riley Ross hasmitted actions against my kin that are only payable by death," Darmuid brushed his finger and thumb along his mustache, already forgetting that it was no longer there, "He¡­he killed my children prematurely. The chance of them going through eternal death was high."


    "Have you forgotten the Law of the Victor?"


    "..." Darmuid''s eyebrows furrowed as soon as he heard Xra''s words.


    "I defeated one of you in sanctionedbat, and so I am entitled to a single request as long as it is within thew."


    "You put a themarian royalty into eternal death, Blood Spirit," Darmuid let out a short but very heavy sigh, "The only reason why I am not calling for reinforcements right now to put you in shackles is that I do honor the Law of the Victor."


    "It was still sanctionedbat, blessed byw¡ªas it says so in the name," Xra crossed her arms as she floated forward,


    "And I am using it now."


    "No."


    "Or I can request for your mustache to be shaved clean regrly."


    "Go back to your ship and follow me."


    ***


    "Steady our course, Ae. Although the chance is low, Darmuid might still go back on his word and leave us¡ªbe ready to put all the power into our engines."


    "Yes, Captain."


    Xra''s crew were now all once again in their allotted positions, with Ae practically managing and doing everything in her own station. The others really only had minor roles in the ship, as the Bloodcruiser could be piloted by even a single human toddler.


    As for Xra, her only role was to sit on her throne and show her presence. Her throne was simple, perhaps too simple as it was only made with some limestone stacked and glued to one another. There seemed to be markings and etchings on it, but they could really only fade through time.


    "You seem to be truly acquainted with the themarians, Pirate Queen Xra."


    "...I am," Xra let out a small sigh as she leaned back and rxed on her throne, "I have a very long, but at the same time, very short history with them."


    "Hm, as expected of someone that has lived for almost ten millennia," Riley nodded as he too leaned back and rxed on his own throne.


    "..." Xra could really only squint her eyes as she turned to look at Riley, who had also set up his own throne, ced right beside hers. And unlike hers, Riley''s throne could really only be described as¡­ luxurious.


    Riley''s throne glistens even with only the slightest of light; half of it, made from meteoroids that Rileypressed and heated until they crystallized. The other half, made from the different materials from the dead ships¡ªmetals that were polished to perfection that their edges felt like they could cut flesh and bone whole.


    But most importantly, his throne was just ever so slightly taller than Xra''s.


    "You know this is my ship, right?" Xra raised an eyebrow.


    "Of course, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley just nodded as he looked at Darmuid, who was also ncing back from time to time from the other side of therge windows.


    "Technically you shouldn''t be on the bridge," Xra crossed her legs as she leaned her cheek on her fist, "You''re not allowed here. The only reason you and the girl from Meluhha were allowed here earlier is that I was not here and my subordinates didn''t know how to deal with you."


    "I know, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley nodded before he imitated Xra and also crossed his legs, "That is why Hera is resting in our room."


    "Do you have selective hearing?"


    "I have themarian hearing, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley shrugged, "I do not use it."


    "..."


    "The Law of the Victor, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley then turned his head toward Xra, "You said the themarians can grant you any wish as long as it is within reason?"


    "...Yes," Xra''s tone quickly shifted as soon as Riley strayed away from their banter.


    "Darmuid said you killed themarian royalty. I assume it is Aerith''s brother?" Riley slightly hummed, "You told me you killed him when we met."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "It is," Xra nodded, "The themarians, as you are well aware, are a race of warriors. They are more like monks now since they keep to themselves, but I was there when the evaniels waged their war against them thousands of years ago."


    "Hm, I have heard of the war from Aerith."


    "It was a very long time ago," Xra once again nodded, "That was when I met Arthus''Hel, a prince eager to prove himself to be worthy of his position."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Are you not going to continue the story, Pirate Queen Xra?"


    "No." This time, Xra shook her head, "I would rather not open that part of my life, Riley."


    "But you already started it, Pirate Queen Xra. It is rude to tease a story and not continue it."


    "...Where do you hear these things?" Xra raised an eyebrow.


    "My sister, as well as my adoptive mother," a small smile slightly crawled on Riley''s face as he nodded to himself, "Your life is very interesting, Pirate Queen Xra; I would like to tell it to the Pope if he is still alive by the time I am able to return to Earth."


    "Adoptive mother¡ªCaiin''Ur?" Xra breathed out, "My life is only interesting because I have lived for millennia. Yours is barely even a spark, and yet you have already involved yourself in the Universe''s major yers. So tell me¡­


    ¡­which of us truly has the more interesting life?"


    "My life is interesting because I am the Last Boss, Pirate Queen Xra."


    "And that means what exactly?"


    "The evaniels, the themarians, the Elders, and all the other races would one day gather their heroes and band together¡­


    ¡­just to defeat me."


    "And how will they defeat you?"


    "I don''t know, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley turned to look Xra straight in the eyes, "But I hope they do. My sister deserves to be free of my existence."


    "..."


    "I have tried to move away, I have tried to pretend¡ªand yet Hannah finds me no matter what."


    "Do you love your sister?"


    "That is a question I have been asked many times, Pirate Queen Xra. And every time, I say no because I do not know what love feels," Riley sighed and closed his eyes, "Perhaps I do, as she is the only thing in this world that has ever made me shed a tear. And if I do truly know how to process love, then I am certain that I do love her¡ªvery much so."


    "..."


    "You are probably an expert in this, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley once again looked Xra straight in the eyes, "You have love and loved the same person for several millennia. Tell me, am I capable of love? Or is what I am feeling but an obsession with the idea of being capable of loving someone?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    Xra did not really answer. Even after a minute had passed, she just looked down and stared at the floor.


    A second.


    A minute.


    An hour, several more so.


    And finally, she returned Riley''s gaze and said,


    "...I don''t know."


    "..."


    "I don''t know," Xra repeated her words and shook her head.


    "Thank you for answering truthfully, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley breathed out.


    "But I do know that you care for her dearly," Xra then stood up from her throne; her eyes, not leaving Riley''s, "And I am absolutely sure that no matter how much you care for her¡­


    ¡­she loves you even more."


    "How would you know that, Pirate Queen Xra?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he tilted his head to the side,


    "You have not even met her."


    "I will now."


    "..." Riley once again blinked, before turning to look to where Xra was looking; his eyes, suddenly reflecting a hint of orange.


    "We truly are alike, Riley¡­" Xra said as she looked at Riley, whose white skin and hair very slowly reflected the light that was approaching them,


    "...As Akkamesh to me is what Hannah means to you."


    "My sun and warmth?"


    "No¡­


    ¡­Purpose"

 Chapter 508: Once Again

    "..."


    Riley was now in front of the Bloodcruiser''s main entry and exit point. Since he had always been¡­ exiting and entering in the literal and most unconventional ways through the Bloodcruiser, this was actually his first time seeing therge door.


    "This has been the shortest but longest trip I have ever been on."


    And as a matter of course, Hera was the same. Now that they were finally on their actual destination, she couldn''t help but just let herself rx, yawning and stretching as she waited for the door to open,


    "Can''t wait to talk to actual humans."


    "Xra and I are actual humans, Miss Hera," Riley quickly responded. As for Hera, she could really only look at Riley with her exhausted and judging eyes.


    "And wended on Theran, Miss Hera. Not on Earth, the only humans here should be sister and the others."


    "I know," Hera rolled her eyes, "I don''t need a reminder that we''re not actually home."


    "It is good to know you have a home, Miss Hera."


    "..."


    Hera nced at Riley one more time, before just sighing and shaking her head. And soon, a sense of quietness started to circle between the two. Hera didn''t heed it any mind, however, as she hadpletely gotten used to Riley.


    And finally, after waiting a few more minutes, therge door finally opened. It didn''t create any sound, it didn''t slide open, and it didn''t swing. It just¡­ opened like a hole, almost as if the ship was alive¡ªand in a way, the Bloodcruiser truly was.


    The light from the outside slowly seeped into the ship. Hera tried breathing in just so she could at least feel at home; not expecting to truly whiff a hint of home, she could even say the air was fresher.


    And there, on the other side, a couple of silhouettes could be seen, their figure drowned by the light behind them. And before Hera and Riley could even make out their faces, one of them rushed toward Riley.


    And without pause or any hesitation, the silhouette leaped and wrapped her arms around him.


    She didn''t even say anything, Riley could just hear a minute and subtle sob; a trickle of warmth that was as subtle as her cries, trailing down on Riley''s neck.


    "Sister," Riley whispered as he wrapped a single across Hannah''s waist and returned her embrace,


    "You did not have to escort us outside, you could have just waited with Katherine and the others," he then said as he looked at the other silhouettes.


    Katherine, Tomoe¡­ and Vera, who was wearing some sort of oversized cor around her neck. Riley''s attention quickly strayed away from her, however, as he saw someone he truly did not expect to see¡ªTs, the old terraformer.


    Was she actually on Diana''s ship all this time?


    "Where are¡ª"


    "Shut up, just shut the fuck up!"


    And with him not even able to finish his words, Riley could really only blink upon hearing his sister''s voice again. And with a small sigh, he ced his other arm around his waist, fully returning Hannah''s embrace with both arms.


    "I have missed you too, sister."


    "Hm¡­"


    "..." And while the two were having a somewhat heartfelt reunion, Hera could only sigh as she left and made her way out and walked toward Katherine and the others.


    "What''s up with her?" Hera tilted her head to Vera, who just clicked her tongue and quickly looked away as soon as their eyes met.


    "Let''s just say that she¡­ went amok as wended." Judging by how heavy Katherine''s sigh was as she nced at Vera, it was probably something serious, "As for her ne, well¡­ our themarian friends don''t believe in cages."


    "...Huh. It would seem we weren''t the only ones who had an eventful journey," Hera slightly hummed, before turning to look at Tomoe, "Sup, nerd?"


    "Nothing much, most overrated actress in the universe," Tomoe quickly replied without even batting as much as an eye.


    "..." And finally, Hera turned to look up. Her eyes, weed by a sky that was even bluer than Earth''s. Hera then started scanning her surrounding, the ground was clearly asphalt, but beyond where she was standing and where the Bloodcruiser is parked, was grass.


    A field of luscious green that expanded even across the hills over the horizon. The view was absolutely immacte, but most importantly, it was familiar.


    "...Am I in d?" Hera blurted out.


    "Expecting something futuristic?" Katherine noticed the look on Hera''s face, "I did too¡ªbut Theran turns out to feel more like Earth than Earth."


    "Then¡­ there''s a beach?" Hera gulped.


    "I saw one when we werending," a small smile crawled on Katherine''s face.


    "Yes¡­ finally," Hera took in another deep breath, before turning to look back at Riley and Hannah, "You''re not going to join in?"


    "I¡­ know my ce," Katherine''s smile did not disappear as she watched Hannah and Riley just standing there, not even uttering a word at each other,


    "I can never beat that no matter what I try."


    "..." Tomoe also looked at Riley, before closing her eyes and sighing.


    "What about the other crazy with the illusions?" Hera once again started looking around, "Come to think of it, where''s your daughter? And where''s everyone else?"


    "That''s¡­ a long story. It''s something you should see for yourself."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "...Right," Hera squinted her eyes before once again looking at Vera. She wanted to say some words because she was the entire reason they were separated from everyone, but considering she only did what she did to get rid of the menace that killed her brother and half the people on her ship, Hera just decided to shut her mouth.


    She almost forgot that everyone here is, at one point or another, a victim of Riley Ross.


    "...So," Hera then just sighed, "Considering all of you are just freely roaming without any themarian around¡­ can I take it that we are free to see the?"


    Even Darmuid, who was escorting them to Theran, was gone as soon as theynded.


    "Not all of us." And to Hera''s surprise, it was Tomoe that answered her.


    "...Hm?" Hera squinted her eyes as she looked to where Tomoe was pointing, only to see Hannah finally letting go of Riley¡­


    ¡­revealing the cor that was now on his neck.


    "..." Riley just touched the cor, before looking Hannah straight in the eyes.


    "Do you really have to cause trouble, Riley?" Hannah sighed; the tone of her voice, clearly a little distressed, "Why did you have to kill one of them as soon as you arrived?"


    "Fionn attacked us first, sister," Riley sighed, "And you know me."


    "I don''t, you fucktard," Hannah lightly chuckled, "You''re like apletely different creature I know nothing about."


    "..."


    "Let''s¡­ go," Hannah shook her head, before grabbing Riley''s hand and finally dragging him out of the ship.


    "Am I not under arrest, sister?"


    "You¡­ kinda are," Hannah slightly squinted her eyes, "But the themarians do not have prisons or even a jail. Don''t ask me why because I have no fucking idea."


    "Because Theran itself is already a prison, sister."


    "...What?"


    "Hello, Princess Vera."


    And before Hannah could get a straight answer, Riley turned his attention to Vera, whose eyebrows quickly furrowed as she did not stray away from Riley''s re.


    "You do not have to worry. I will not hurt or kill you, Princess Vera," Riley sighed as soon as Vera snarled at her, "I am a reasonable person. I would say I am even impressed, no one has tried pretending to be on my side and attack as soon as the opportunity arrives."


    "A shame you didn''t just get lost in space," Vera''s eyebrows furrowed even further.


    "The universe itself seems to want to help me, Princess Vera. Quite ironic, as I am sworn to end all life in it," Riley sighed, "Speaking of help, I received quite an unexpected one."


    And with those words, the door of the Bloodcruiser finally closed, but not before someone else stepped out.


    "Greetings, fellow humans."


    Xra''s steps were slow and graceful. But everyone could feel how heavy they truly were. Theran was a bright ce, further contrasting her hair which did not seem to reflect any light.


    "Pirate Queen¡­ Xra?" And with just a single nce, any anger on Vera''s face disappeared and was reced by an unrelenting shock.


    "...Fellow human?" Hannah raised an eyebrow as she looked at the approaching Xra from head to toe, "You''re from Earth?"


    "She''s from the Mesopotamia era, sister."


    "Meso what? You mean she''s old as fuck?" Hannah squinted, before turning to look at Tomoe and Katherine, "Wait, seriously? You''re adding another one?"


    "Yes, sister. Pirate Queen Xra is my Third¡ª"


    "Of all the things you''re going to get from dad, you became a fuckboy," Hannah rolled her eyes and sighed in disappointment.


    For Tomoe and Katherine, however, Riley''s interrupted words had a different meaning. Third.


    Riley was about to say that Xra was his Third Subordinate. Riley was barely even paying attention to them anymore, they don''t even know if their secretive and very small organization was even alive.


    But seeing as Riley¡­ recruited another subordinate. Wouldn''t that mean that they were still a group?


    No, that wasn''t the most important factor. For some reason, as the two of them stared at Xra, they couldn''t help but feel¡­


    ¡­threatened?


    "Oh¡­" Unfortunately for them, their thoughts were easily heard by Xra, "The two of you don''t have to worry, I didn''t approve and apply to be this deviant''s underling."


    "..." Tomoe and Katherine could not help but squint their eyes as Xra approached them.


    "Well¡­" And then, very slowly, a smirk crawled on Xra''s face,


    ¡­not yet, that is."

 Chapter 509: Looks... Normal?

    "I have lived many of your lifetimes, and only once have I ever been under someone. I do not n to be anyone''s subordinate¡ªwell, at least, not yet."


    Xra was truly not nning on serving under anyone, no matter who or what. But for some reason, seeing the look of subtle worry on both the faces of the women in front of her, she could not help but want to tease them.


    "..."


    Still, the people that surround Riley Ross truly weren''t that bad. Although she had not seen what they could do, she knew enough that they were strong just from the way they carried themselves. Even the old woman, Ts, carried herself with dignity even as she reached the end of her lifespan.


    Of course, out of all the women she had seen, Hera still held the most curious ability. A power to react and adapt to any and all situations was a power that could only be said to be godly. She already knew that her kind, humankind, would beparable to the Higher Races once a good amount has been infected by the virus that gives them abilities. And now, 8000 years after she left the, more and more have gained powers well beyond what she had seen.


    "Hannah Ross."


    And after a few more seconds of teasing Tomoe and Katherine, Xra turned to look at Hannah and bowed. Even after 8000 years, even after seeing what the humans have evolved into, even after seeing the most frightening existence the humans have given birth to¡ªHannah''s abilities were still the most special for her.


    After almost ten millennia, a being with the same exact ability as Akkamesh has been born.


    Unlike Akkamesh, however, Hannah is clearly able to breathe through space¡ªand there was really only one clear reason for that.


    "You are Caiin''s daughter?" Xra said as a small smile crawled on her red lips, "I have been truly wanting to meet you.


    "...You know who I am?" Hannah raised an eyebrow as she looked at Xra from head to toe again.


    "Of course. Riley Ross has told me so much about you," Xra nodded, before approaching Hannah and standing awfully close to her, enough to make Hannah take a step back,


    "You are the only reason someone like your brother is not worse than he is."


    "You¡­" There are not many in this world that could make Hannah ufortable¡ªbut Xra was truly on her way to the top of that list for some reason, and she had only met her, "...You think Riley could actually be worse?"


    "Of course," Xra once again nodded before turning to look at Riley, also approaching him and standing even more awfully close to him; to the point that their cheek once again touched, "At a very young age, your brother has seen what I''ve seen¡ªand unlike me, he had conquered it. But because of his¡­ condition, he chooses to still be swayed by the darkness and eradicate everything that is and will be. Both of us have a reason for what we are; a murderer, a being d in evil¡­


    ¡­but my evil, from the start, even if it was created by another being, has reason to exist," the tone of Xra''s voice slightly became meek as she turned to look at the Bloodcruiser, "But your brother¡­ your brother just chooses to be evil."


    "Stop talking like you actually know my brother," Hannah pulled Riley away from Xra, "You don''t."


    "She actually does, sister," Riley, however, just tilted his head to the side to look at Xra, "Pirate Queen Xra and I are alike¡ªout of all the creatures in the entire universe, she is probably the only being that could truly understand what I am and will be. She¡ª"


    "Shut the fuck up, Riley," Hannah squinted her eyes as she looked Xra straight in the eyes, "I know a predator when I see one."


    "You did not even see Julius¡ª"


    "Continue what you''re going to say and I swear I will send you to this darkness shit you like so much."


    "You did not even see Julius Reuben, sister."


    "You!"


    And all of a sudden, Riley started flying away, with Hannah also flying to chase him.


    "No matter where in the universe, those two will never change," Katherine could really only let out a sigh as she saw this. Tomoe clearly agreed as she nodded several times.


    "That''s good and all," Hera, however, did not seem to share the same sentiment as she yawned, "But what exactly do we do now? I don''t see anything within miles. Shouldn''t there be like¡­ at least something?"


    "When I mentioned that we are free to roam about, I meant it," Katherine answered, "The themarians don''t really care for us."


    "Great, a race of stuck-ups."


    "Not entirely, madam Hera."


    "Hm?" Everyone looked as Xra joined in on the conversation.


    "It is more like when one sees an insect. The themarians could either choose to squash them, or just ignore their existencepletely¡ªthe themarians see most races, not their own, as nothing."


    "Well, one of those new insects just killed one of them," Hera pointed at Riley.


    "That''s true¡ªthe themarians be more and more apathetic as they grow older. But if there is one thing that they can''t get rid of, it is grudge."


    "Right¡­" Hera slightly hummed when she remembered that Xra had experience dealing with themarians, "...You''ve been here before?"


    "I lived here before," Xra sighed as she looked over the horizon, "And as I have been afraid of so before¡ªthe themarians truly have not changed."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "A tree that can not fall tends to remain the same for eternity."


    And all of a sudden, Ts spoke; her eyes, just following the two siblings that were still ying on the clouds, "But I believe that is about to change."


    "Oh, it will," Xra smirked as she heard Ts''s words, "The tree may not fall, but it has been shaken many times before. And as I am one of the people that have truly shaken it quite violently before, they have probably already appointed someone to spy on us."


    "..."


    "That''s good and all," Hera rolled her eyes as she started walking around, "But after everything that has happened, I need a fucking drink."


    "The themarians do have one of the best alcohol in the entire universe," Xra smirked as she looked Hera straight in the eyes.


    "Now we''re talking mynguage," Hera once again closed her eyes and took in a very deep breath.


    "If it is alright, may I lead us there?" Xra then said as she looked at Katherine, "I believe you have a lot to report to Riley, and that ce is one of the few where we won''t be disturbed."


    "Is¡­ it near Galpath? That is where we''re staying."


    "You mean that''s the only ce that weed us," Vera joined in on the conversation as she lightly pulled the cor around her neck.


    "If it was up to me, you will not be weed anywhere," Tomoe, who had also been quiet since earlier, also joined in as she looked¡ªno, red Vera straight in the eyes, "Now that master is here, we will finally have a verdict on what to do you with you. I don''t even know why you are tagging with us."


    "Your master already said he won''t do anything to me."


    "That you know of," Tomoe squinted her already small eyes, "I will convince master to get rid of you once and for all."


    "Y¡ª"


    "Enough, enough," Hera breathed loudly as she walked between the two, "Pirate Queen, where to?"


    "Well, we actually don''t need to go far¡­


    ¡­The ce I am talking about is in the city of Galpath."


    ***


    "Are¡­ we really in the most advanced civilization in the entire universe?"


    Riley and the others had to leave the Bloodcruiser, as ording to Katherine, Theran has a lot of ''No Fly'' zones¡ªand that is including their own. And so, right now, in front of Hera, were people that looked like humans, walked like humans, and were just casually truly living like humans.


    Hera was already surprised that Theran was surrounded by nature, but to think it was literally covered in it was something she did not expect. When Katherine said they were staying in a city, Hera was at least expecting something that looked like an actual city, New York, or at least something urban.


    But this¡ªit almost seemed as if she was in the set of Lord of the Bangles. There were no tall buildings, and most of the infrastructure was just built with bricks and stones. The set-up was almost medieval fantasy, with trees even growing on top of some of the small houses. There was even a river going through the small city.


    "..." But if there was somethingcking, then it was¡ª


    "...I don''t see any kids," Hera whispered as their group continued to walk through the city. The themarians nced at them with curiosity, but that was it¡ªno one really approached them or heeded them any mind, even though Vera and Riley had cors on their necks.


    "Mother told me that themarians are only able to have children every thousand years or so, Miss Hera."


    "...For real?" Hera''s eyes widened as she looked at the people around them, "...I can''t even imagine the kind of menstrual cycle themarian women have, then."


    "I wonder that too, Miss Hera," Riley nodded several times, "Aerith is¡ª"


    "We''re here."


    And fortunately for everyone listening, they arrived at their destination before Riley could say whatever it is he wanted to say.


    "...There was a bar here?" Hannah raised an eyebrow as she saw the wooden signage above the door.


    "Let''s taste that themarian alcohol!"


    And with a certain excitement in her voice, Hera was the first to step inside as she opened the bar''s wooden doors. And there, inside¡­


    ¡­were themarians wearing cors, even the barkeeper.


    "...Maybe we should just go to a 7/12? Does that exist here?"

 Chapter 510: Katherines Report

    "..."


    "..."


    "Are we really on Theran? Why do I feel like we''ve traveled to the past instead?"


    "That can''t be the case, Miss Hera. Look."


    "Sshh, what are you doing just pointing at people?"


    Hannah tried to stop Riley from stretching his hand and pointing at the table next to them. But s, she was toote. The only thing she and the others could really do was look to where he was pointing, only to see one of the cor-wearing themarian fidgeting with a device¡ªa device that projected a small and very sharp hologram.


    No, it wasn''t only him. Most of the themarians were all holding their own device; all of them producing their own projections.


    "Here you go, honey ale for everyone. And milk for the gentleman!"


    And after a few more moments of curiously ncing at the other tables, the barkeeper finally ced their order on their own table. Hera had noticed it before, but aside from the barkeeper himself, there was no other staff inside the bar¡ªbut the barkeeper could still very much keep up with everything. Of course, it was already expected for a themarian.


    "...Ale?" Hera blinked a couple of times as she looked at Xra, who was the one that ordered for everyone, "I was expecting something harder."


    "You are not on Earth," Xra only smirked as she lifted her mug, "Even the lightest beer on Theran already has¡­ sufficient alcohol in it for the rest of the universe."


    "...If you say so," Hera let out a small hum of curiosity as she lifted her mug¡­ only to find her arm quickly turning gray; her muscles, contracting tight to the point they produced a pulling sound before she was finally able to lift the ale.


    "..." Hera turned to look at the others, only to see Katherine not even able to lift her mug for even a single millimeter. Throughout the short time Hera has been on the, the feeling of being with a race filled with people like Megawomen has not sunk in just yet¡ªafter all, she has not seen anything quite ''Mega''.


    There were no people just free flying above the skies, no one lifting their own houses. Everyone just looked incredibly¡­ normal.


    But now, finally¡ªlike a p on her face, she was sshed by a cold, chilling water and shown where she truly was. The barkeeper was holding a tray of these mugs and just casually ced them on the table without even as much as a breath.


    "..." Hera then quickly looked down and examined the chair. She initially thought that the chairs were attached to the floor when she couldn''t move them earlier¡­ but to think it was just that heavy.


    The floors and houses she thought were just made with bricks and stones truly were anything but ordinary. And for the table to even carry the weight of the mugs would mean that everything¡­ every material in this ce was made to be strong enough to withstand the strength of a themarian.


    "Katherine."


    "...Thank you, Riley."


    "..." Hera lifted her head up, only to see Riley handing straws to almost everyone. To Katherine, Ts, Hannah, Tomoe, and even Vera.


    "...Where''s mine?"


    "You seem to have no problem lifting the mug, Miss Hera," Riley then said as he casually lifted his ss of milk¡­ before taking a sip on the straw that was already in the ss.


    "...Does our months of traveling together mean nothing to you?" Hera rolled her eyes, before finally taking her first gulp of themarian ale¡ªand Xra was right, it was strong. It almost felt like she swallowed something solid with the way it hit her throat.


    There was a sense of sweetness to it, but the alcoholpletely overpowered everything as it went straight to Hera''s brain and almost caused her to ck out. As it was non-life threatening and self-induced, her body did not really do anything to keep her from enjoying the alcohol.


    "I¡­ suppose I should start my report," Katherine was about to take a sip, but when she saw the shocked, but nk expression on Hera''s face, her lips quickly let go of the straw. She still wanted to try it, but not before updating Riley and Hera about what happened.


    "But¡­ is it really alright for her to hear?" She then said as she nced at Xra.


    "It is fine, Katherine. She will be my Third Subordinate sooner orter. Letting her be acquainted with our situation is for the best."


    "..." Katherine was still hesitant to open her mouth, but could really only sigh as she saw Riley gesturing to her to continue. As for Xra, she just shrugged her shoulders and continued to ignore her ale.


    "I¡­ will start with our daughter," Katherine sighed as she closed her eyes, "As Karina was a direct experiment of her grandmother¡ªDiana Ross, she is currently being analyzed and checked by themarian scientists."


    "..."


    "You don''t have to worry, Riley. Megawoman promised me that she would be safe."


    "I am not worried, Katherine. Continue," Riley just took a sip of milk as he nodded.


    "Hm. Gary is currently with the royal family of Hel. Since he is Megawoman''s biological son from a different race, her family seems to be quite¡­ perplexed as to how he has inherited themarian traits and abilities."


    "Megawoman''s son was traveling with us? That tall annoying guy?" Hera blinked a couple of times as she looked Katherine in the eyes; her face, slightly red, "You''re saying he was in the ship this whole time?"


    "...Megawoman brought him."


    "It is a big ass ship, no?" Hera giggled on her own as she took another sip of the ale. And it would seem she wasn''t the only one affected by it, as Hannah also started giggling as she rested her head on Riley''s shoulder.


    Tomoe''s ss waspletely untouched, and Vera seemed to have already finished hers¡ªbut aside from her face being flushed, she was stillpletely calm. As for Ts, she was just quietly enjoying the alcohol on her own.


    "Whiteking was also with us," Katherine then continued.


    "...Bernard was also on the ship?" Hera couldn''t help butment again.


    "Yes. He¡­ was sleeping somewhere on the ship. Andst time we checked, he was still there, sleeping¡ª" Katherine nodded as she finally took a sip of the alcohol, causing her to almost cough as it hit her throat. Fortunately for her, she knew how to handle her alcohol,


    "Diana said that Whiteking''s body was still taking in the Guardian Force he swallowed. And since this is the first time a human is melding with it, even she doesn''t know how long it would take for Whiteking to wake up."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "There is no need to worry about father, he will be fine," Riley gestured to Katherine to continue.


    "Megawoman," Katherine then breathed out, causing Riley to ce the ss of milk he was holding back on the table,


    "We don''t really know where he is right now. She might be with Gary, but she left him with her family to escort us to this city¡ªand then she took Paige with her when she left us. We haven''t seen both of them since."


    "She took Paige with her?" Riley squinted his eyes as he ced his hand on his chin, "Interesting."


    "Hm. And then¡­" Katherine then turned to look at Hannah, who quickly perked up as she nodded and removed her head from Riley''s shoulder.


    "...Mother," Hannah then breathed out after taking arge sip of ale, "Mom¡­ is currently being guarded and escorted 24/7."


    "I thought prisons do not exist here, sister?"


    "They don''t," Hannah shook her head, causing her to almost lean back from the alcohol, "But with more than a dozen themarians around her at all times, her movements are limited. Mom¡­ has a pretty bad rep in this ce."


    "Hm¡­"


    "It''s not good, Riley. Everyone''s saying she is crazy and needs to be put to eternal death," Hannah closed her eyes and sighed.


    "Caiin''Ur is the bane of themarians."


    "Hm?" Hannah quickly looked at Xra, who was shaking her head and sighing, "What do you know about mom?"


    "Let''s just say she and I¡­ were friends," Xra shrugged as she chugged down her ale, "Although we didn''t really separate in the best of conditions. And since I am here now, I n to¡­ change that."


    "...You''re suspicious," Hannah squinted her eyes as she looked Xra in the eyes.


    "Compared to Caiin''Ur, I might as well be an open book."


    "...Right," Hannah stared at Xra for a few more seconds, before shaking her head and letting out a deep and very long sigh,


    "If mom is as strong as everyone makes her out to be, then I think she''ll be fine."


    "Of course, sister," Riley nodded, "Mother is the scariest being in this universe, even before we discovered she is a themarian."


    "Hm, hm¡­" Hannah nodded several times in agreement, "Everyone else seems to be fine at the moment¡­


    ¡­except for Silvie."


    "I almost forgot about her with everything that has been happening, sister," Riley''s eyes slightly widened, "Is she dead?"


    "..." Tomoe nced at Riley for a few seconds, before turning her head down and closing her eyes.


    "Silvie is¡­" Hannah also turned her head down as her voice became meek, "...since she is Megawoman''s clone, they n to execute her soon. We need to do something, Riley. You might not care for her now, but I know there''s still a part of you that does¡ªremember when you first saw her during the Academy''s entrance test."


    "Hm¡­" Riley only ced his hand on his chin as he nodded.


    "Megawoman Jr?" Hera mmed her mug on the table, but the table remainedpletely still, "Do we even know where she is?"


    "That''s¡­ the thing," Hannah shook her head and sighed, "We don''t know. It''s been weeks and we''ve been trying our best to gather intel¡ªbut no one really talks to us. We''ve just been helplessly waiting for something to happen. We can''t even make a move since we''re surrounded by¡­ well, a bunch of mega people."


    "Mega criminals."


    "..."


    Hannah, along with everyone else, very slowly looked at Riley as they heard his words. And there, they saw a wide smile that wasn''t previously there.


    "We are surrounded by mega criminals, everyone," Riley proudly said as he nodded to himself, "The reason why Theran is just letting us cor-wearing people free, is so that if anyone wanted to kill us, they could do so without any repercussions."


    "...Where did you even hear that?" Hannah raised an eyebrow.


    "From Pirate Queen Xra."


    "It''s true," Xra smirked as she nodded, "Themarians are a race of warriors¡ªthey may not necessarily wee death. But for them, it is really the only way to leave this ne."


    "Since nothing is happening," Riley then stood up as he finally finished his ss of milk, "Let us make something happen, everyone."


    With Riley suddenly standing up, Xra also finished her ale and started stretching her neck.


    "Wait, Riley¡­" Hannah quickly grabbed Riley''s wrist, "...Don''t tell me your n is to make trouble?"


    "Yes, sister."


    "...That''s not a n."


    "I disagree, sister," Riley breathed out as his feet started leaving the floor,


    "Causing trouble is the only way to lure out Megawoman."

 Chapter 511: Prelude To Chaos

    "Riley, get down there this instant! Ri¡ªOh my god, I''m starting to sound like mom."


    "..."


    Everyone held different types of expressions as Riley very slowly floated into the air, with his head almost hitting the ceiling;


    Hannah was trying her best to pull Riley back down, but s¡ªthe most she could do was also be dragged up.


    "Riley, this isn''t Earth!" Katherine also stood up from her seat and grabbed Riley''s other leg, "You¡­ You can''t just go on a rampage here. Most of them might not be as strong as Megawoman, but all of them would be considered ss-S back on Earth just from their sheer strength alone!"


    "It is no use, Silvermoon," Tomoe only shook her head as she stood, before very slowly crouching to the floor and hiding beneath the sturdy table¡ªand she wasn''t alone, Ts was already there.


    "...I''m old," is what Ts said as their eyes met.


    Vera already ran to the corner of the bar, carrying a wide smile on her face as she looked at the themarians, whose eyebrows were now all furrowed as they stared at Riley. If she knew Riley would just end up offending the themarians as soon as hends on the, then she wouldn''t have even made a n to separate him from the ship.


    Riley may be immortal, but she was certain the themarians have a way to get rid of him once and for all.


    As for Hera¡ªHera was just shaking her head and sighing, before lifting up her mug and transferring to the counter,


    "Can you fill this up?"


    "Of course."


    There is one thing that Hera learned while traveling alone with Riley for an extended amount of time¡ªYou can''t stop him.


    Earth was right to treat him a cmity, and soon, after all this shit was over, the universe will too. She would really rather just finally enjoy being on another, especially a as picturesque as Theran.


    "Is that your friend?" The bartender didn''t seem to mind either, as he just casually poured Hera another drink.


    "More like a child I was tasked to take care of," Hera sighed, "You get a lot of trouble here, I presume?"


    "Why do you think we''re all wearing cors?" The barkeeper just smirked, before wiping the spilled alcohol on the counter, "And that ck-haired woman, is she your friend too?"


    "Which one?"


    "The one not hiding beneath the table and is about to turn my floor into ice."


    "Pirate Queen Xra? She''s more like¡­ a travelingpanion."


    "Xra¡­ So that''s why she looked familiar, she was here when I was a little younger."


    Xra seemed to have noticed the barkeeper talking about her, as she quickly nced at him and winked. The barkeeper really only just looked at her, before letting out a sigh and continuing to wipe the counter.


    It wasn''t only him that was doing nothing; all of the themarians in the bar were looking and staring at Riley with furrowed eyebrows¡ªbut that was it. They just continued fidgeting with their device, drinking and minding their own business.


    Xra told them themarians tend to be apathetic but to think it was to this point.


    "Let''s show these old folks how it is done," Xra smirked as her nails grew longer.


    "But you''re also old, Pirate Queen Xra. You''re probably older than some of these people," Riley said without any hesitation as he looked at the themarians sitting at their table.


    They truly were just ignoring him. All of thes he had been in quickly wanted to get rid of him as soon as they see him, most even using excessive force¡ªbut these themarians don''t care.


    If they don''t care¡ªthen that only means he should wreak havoc even more now to try and lure out whoever.


    And so, with a long and very deep breath¡­ a trail of blood started to trail from Riley''s nose.


    "...Riley?"


    "Riley?"


    Both Katherine and Hannah, who were still trying to bring him down, could not help but blink a couple of times as they looked at the blood dripping from Riley''s nose.


    "...You''re starting with that?" Xra also blinked a couple of times, "Doesn''t that take quite a toll on your body?"


    "Only momentarily, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley said as he shook his head, "And I have all of my subordinates with me, they can deal with whatever happens after for a brief time."


    "If you weren''t immortal, you would have died at a very early age."


    "Two years, I would have died when I was two."


    "...Right," Xra furrowed her eyebrows before grabbing Hannah by the neck and suddenly pulling her away from Riley.


    "W¡­what are you doing!?"


    "Just in case," Xra whispered right into Hannah''s ear as she embraced her.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "W¡­What!?" Hannah could really only shiver as she felt Xra''s cold breaths running down her neck.


    "I''m protecting you," and with those words, Xra''s wings of blood protruded from her back;pletely encapsting her and Hannah.


    "What do you mean¡ª"


    "Paboom."


    "!!!"


    And like a sh bomb going off, there was this sudden and extreme silence that echoed throughout the entire bar¡ªa whistle, like every sound and everything that existed momentarily didn''t exist.


    Just for a sh, however, as color once again slowly returned to the bar¡­which now had a clear view of the sky above.


    "..." Hera, who quickly jumped over the counter as soon as her body told her to do so, saw everything that happened. No, there wasn''t really much to see as even her eyes which could adapt to see even through the thickest mist failed to see anything.


    Everything was just white. A void that swallowed everything within its path.


    "And now, how many have be stronger? And how many will forever be in the embrace of eternal death?"


    "..." And with those words, Katherine and the others also recovered from their slight stupor as they all quickly looked around. There was one of them, however, that was violently woken up¡ªVera.


    Vera quickly looked to her side, only to see nothing there but a barrennd. The wall she was previously leaning onto, was almost gone along with everything else behind her. Although she hasn''t quite grasped theyout of the city they were in, she was sure that there should be a couple of houses behind the bar¡ªas well as a small mountain.


    But now, all that was left was a smooth crevice. No, perhaps smooth was an understatement¡­ as it felt like one''s foot would be sliced if it ever caught on to the edges of the crevice.


    That wasn''t what Vera was surprised about, however. It was how fast it happened.


    No, perhaps fast was not even the right word for it. Vera was capable of following even small ships that have gone through Hyperdrive with her eyes. But Riley''s attack was¡­ instantaneous. It didn''t have speed, it just¡­ happened.


    Just an inch more to the left, then her arm too, would have beenpletely erased from existence.


    "..." Vera then turned to look at Riley, and judging by the smile he failed to contain¡ªhe did it on purpose. Didn''t he say that he won''t hurt!?


    "..." No, she had no right toin¡ªthose that were in the direct st of Riley''s mysterious white beam were now justpletely¡­ skeletons. Most still had their organs intact. Some, however, already looked like polished fossils.


    "Interesting," Riley then casually walked toward the nearest skeleton, which was still surprisingly in the posture of sitting down even though there was no longer anything supporting its weight.


    "One, two, three, four, five¡­" Riley then started walking around the skeletons that were already healing, "...six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Out of the 12 themarians that were hit, ten are recovering¡ªand most are obviously older than those that have been put to eternal death. They¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, a knuckle¡ªa literal knuckle went straight toward his head. The themarian next to him still hasn''t even fully recovered most of his body, but as soon as his arm regained some of its muscles, he was ready to attack Riley.


    And before the¡­ fist bone could reach Riley''s cheek, the themarian''s entire recovering body was suddenly encapsted by a block of dark ice.


    "T¡ª"


    But before Tomoe could even say anything, the themarian''s arm just passed through her ice like it was nothing and grabbed Riley by the neck.


    "It would seem something fun justnded on our," the dark-skinned themarian said as the ice surrounding him burst into pieces,


    "No one butts in, this one is mine."


    "Fuck, Krita died. He didn''t even get to finish his drink."


    "That white-haired guy is strong, you think you can handle him on your own?"


    And without Katherine and the others even noticing, the other themarians that were just previously only skeletons have now once again fully recovered their bodies. If only the same could be said for their clothes.


    None of them seemed to mind that they were naked, however, as even the only woman in the revived group just clicked her tongue and ced her hands on her waist.


    "Just make sure he pays for our clothes. You know how hard it has been getting to get clothes with our cor¡ªOh, our cor''s gone."


    "What¡­ the¡ªYou''re right."


    And now, even the dark-skinned themarian let go of Riley as he touched his own neck. He then turned to look at the other themarians¡­ before a smile appeared on their faces and they¡­


    ¡­all just flew away and disappeared all at the same time.


    "..." And before anyone could react, several roars, bursts of manicughter, explosions, and battle cries could be heard outside the now exposed bar.


    "Hm¡­" Riley squinted his eyes as he very slowly looked at Hannah and the others,


    "...Just as nned. Now someone of authority would---"


    "Just as nned your foot!"

 Chapter 512:T

    The Starshine ckout.


    It was just a little bar in Galpath that didn''t really have any redeeming or unique features. Lowie, the current barkeep, inherited the establishment from his father, who had already chosen to undergo eternal death a thousand years ago or so.


    The Starshine ckout may not be unique, but it does have unique customers. His father was a themarian criminal, creating trouble outside themarian territory¡ªand when a themarian goes outside and causes trouble, that usually involves the death of many others or a or two destroyed.


    When his father was cored several millennia ago, he decided to stay within the and just build a small business for himself and his wife, who died in a Sanctioned Duel, leaving him with his son, Lowie.


    Lowie and his father didn''t know why, but Starshine ckout became famous for other cored Themarians. Even before inheriting the business from his father, Lowie had be used to the many shenanigans and sudden chaotic outbursts of their patrons.


    Lowie thought he had seen everything there is and know all there is to know. There was one time a couple of millennia ago when he was still literally serving drinks under his father, that a customer from outside Theran territory frequented their bar.


    Visitors from the outside were umon, but they get a few every hundred or so years. This one visitor, however, was someone Lowie couldn''t really forget.


    Pirate Queen Xra.


    She didn''t have that title yet back then, but she was probably the most famous foreign individual known to Theran. After all¡­ the prince of Hel was following her like a dog wherever she went.


    But s, after putting the enamored prince into eternal death during their Sanctioned Duel, Xra''s presence could no longer be felt in the Starshine ckout.


    And now, several millenniater, Lowie saw a pale, ck-haired visitor once again entering the doors of his bar. He didn''t recognize her at first, but he knew and confirmed it with the friends she brought along.


    Although Theran may seem peaceful and even stagnant, in truth, it was probably the noisiest it has been for eons.


    After all, the infamous rebel princess of Hel, Aerith''Hel, was finally back after being gone for a few thousand years. And even more shocking than that was bringing home the Caiin''Ur¡ªthe monster in the story his mother told him whenever he misbehaved.


    And now, also the return of Xra?


    He thought he had seen and witnessed it all, and will once again experience a shock that he hasn''t felt for a very long time. Little did he expect, however, that the shock would being from apletely unknown entity.


    "...You alright there?" Hera could really only just take a step back as the ale was spilling all over the counter; Lowie, whose thoughts were lost in reminisce, was just staring at Riley Ross.


    "The cors¡­ were destroyed?" And finally, when the pitcher was empty and the ale was everywhere but in Hera''s mug, Lowie blinked,


    "...How?"


    "...Right," Hera sighed as she saw the bewildered expression on the themarian''s face. She initially thought she would always be on guard on Theran; after all, a race of Megawoman would make one¡­pletely conscious of everything. But perhaps because of the alcohol, or because they lookedpletely identical to humans, Hera just felt¡­ at home.


    "You''ll be asking that a lot of times now that the white menace is on your," Hera then let out a small chuckle, before just getting a pitcher on her own and pouring her own drink,


    "What''s the deal with this cor stuff, anyway? Can''t you just break it open? You themarians can destroys with your fists, right?"


    "...We can destroy it, but one of the officers would arrive," Lowie answered almost monotonously, "The fact that no one is here yet means the cor didn''t trigger."


    "An officer? I guess that''s one of the stronger themarians?" Hera said, her speech bing slurred already, "Shit, this ale is strong. My body is already¡­"


    Lowie only nced at Hera as she continued to mumble on, before turning his focus back to Riley, who was just standing in therge hole he made and watching as the chaos he made ensued.


    "...Aerith should be here in a couple of minutes," Riley whispered to himself.


    "You said that already," Hannah was behind him, also watching as the once beautiful city was slowly being swallowed¡­ quite literally. It was alreadypletely unrecognizable after Riley''s weird attack, but now whatever remained of the city was bing a war zone.


    No, the scenery in front of her could not exactly be called war. It was just¡­ a battle royal.


    "You really think Megawoman woulde? We''re not on Earth anymore," Hannah said, "Are we looking at the same view here? There are no helpless sheep here, Riley. All I see is a bunch of fuckers getting at it."


    "Perhaps I should join in?" Riley squinted his eyes as he nced at his sister.


    "You want to die?" Hannah snarled.


    "I won''t die, sister."


    "You will if I kill you."


    "You already did, sister."


    "That¡ª" Hannah''s eyes started to twitch as she could no longere up with aeback, and so, she responded the only way she could, "Fuck you."


    "Ew, no. You''re my sister, sister."


    "...What? What!? No, ew you. You''re the ew, fuck you!"


    "Y¡ª"


    "Master Riley, we have a more urgent problem."


    And before the two could continue with their nonsensical conversation, Tomoe suddenly popped out from behind them.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "What is it, Nightqueen?" Riley only nced at Tomoe, before gesturing to her to continue her report.


    "The remaining themarians at the bar are staring at you, master Riley."


    "How is that an urgent problem, Nightqueen?"


    "That''s¡­" Tomoe breathed out as she heard Riley''s words. But after a few more moments, her face became as red as a tomato; with a creeping smile growing on it, "I made a mistake, Master Riley¡ªof course, a couple of themarians are no problem for you at all."


    "Hm, only Aerith and mother are worth reporting, Nightqueen."


    "Riley."


    "What is it, Third Subordinate?" Riley then nced at Xra, who walked passed him and stepped out of the bar from therge hole he made.


    "...I''m not your Third Subordinate. Stop calling me that."


    "I will call you that until Ie up with a name for you, Pirate Queen Xra. I was thinking of Sunsucker since you like sucking suns."


    "Please don''t. I don''t know how I can face my Akkamesh if you call me that."


    "I think he would like it, Pirate Queen Xra. After all, he is your sun."


    "...I do not know how to respond to that," Xra''s eye twitched, "I suppose it doesn''t matter. We shall be parting ways here, for now, I have other ns and some old friends to visit."


    "You may go, Pirate Queen Xra."


    "...I wasn''t really asking for permission," Xra''s eye once again twitched as Riley started waving his hand.


    "No need to show gratitude, you may go."


    "..." Xra''s eye seemingly got tired of twitching as they just lost all emotions. She turned to look at Hannah, and a sense of camaraderie suddenly grew between the two¡ªfor Hannah to have survived this for 2 decades, Xra could not help but show respect.


    And with a nod shared between the two, Xra flew away and disappeared.


    "Hmm¡­" Riley''s eye squinted, before he turned to look at Ts, wondering if she was dead, dying, or just keeping to herself. Perhaps¡­ he should make her the Fourth Subordinate?


    "Miss Ts, do you want to be my subordinate?"


    "..." Ts only nced at Riley, before closing her eyes and just sighing.


    "...Are you dead?"


    "Riley, what the fuck?" Hannah once again hit Riley on the stomach. Riley, on the other hand, only strayed his eyes toward Vera, who quickly flinched in response as their eyes met.


    "You''re no longer worthy to be my subordinate, a shame," this time, it was Riley''s turn to sigh, "W¡ª"


    And before he could finish his words, a hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder.


    "..." Riley turned to look, only to see one of the remaining themarians that was not caught in the st of his ''Paboom'' attack.


    "Kid, do what you did to¡ª Ack!"


    And before the tall themarian could finish what he wanted to say, his arm suddenly twisted into a knot.


    "Don''t touch me," Riley''s eyes turned red as he faced the themarian. He then started walking toward him, not stopping until he was only an inch away from hitting his chest, "The only themarians allowed to touch me are mother and Aerith."


    And with Riley slightly opening his mouth and snarling, the red re in his eyes burst out violently. One might think that Riley was underestimating the themarians, but no.


    The beam that surged forth from Riley''s eyes was anything but a normal st. It was amplified by Hannah''s abilities as well as his telekinesis¡ªcreating an immeasurable concentrated heat that would obliterate anything in its path.


    Even then, however, the themarian only screamed in pain as his flesh started to melt and burn.


    Riley increased the intensity of the beam as he turned his head down, destroying the cor as he almost split the tall themarian in two.


    "Oh, shit!"


    And as soon as the remaining themarians saw that, they all quickly disappeared from the bar. Lowie, who was waiting and watching, also let out a gasp as he stepped out of the counter.


    But s, before he could fly away with the others, a presence that wasn''t there earlier was now suddenly at Riley''s table, sitting casually beside Katherine.


    "Well, well¡­" The sudden visitor''s voice coquettishly hummed in the air,


    "...you folks are certainly having fun."

 Chapter 513: The Wrong Hole

    "Well, well¡­ you folks are certainly having fun."


    "!!!"


    Katherine has just been quietly observing everything that''s been happening, waiting for a chance to be useful or just take necessary action when needed. She has been cautious, of course. Back on Earth, she feared only one person¡ªbut here, she was weak.


    Her control of the elements is practically child''s ypared to even the weakest of themarians. And when she saw Tomoe''s dark ice just being casually destroyed by a recovering themarian, she knew her strength was no longer going to be of help. The only thing she could do was serve as a distraction.


    And now, all of a sudden, there was a themarian that wasn''t in the bar before just sitting beside her¡­ and she didn''t even notice until he opened his mouth. No¡ªhe overheard from Hera and the barkeeper''s conversation that when a cor is destroyed, an officer woulde.


    But it hasn''t even been a single second.


    They said that the themarians are slower than the evaniels, but it didn''t matter for someone like her¡ªshe couldn''t even see or feel them either way. Even being a minor empath was useless, as the themarian''s heart barely beats in an hour.


    If she can''t even stop a single themarian¡­ then what was she even doing here?


    "..." Katherine very slowly turned her head toward the themarian, only to see a short-haired, blonde themarian man just casually taking a sip of her ale. Katherine was confused at first since the man seemed to be wearing some makeup even deeper than hers.


    "Lowie, Lowie, Lowie," the slightly queer themarian then stood up, before casually walking toward Lowie, who failed to escape,


    "How many times are you and this bar going to cause trouble in a single century?" The themarian then tapped Lowie''s cor several times, causing it to bounce around his neck loudly.


    "It''s¡­ it''s not me!" Lowie quickly shook his head and pointed toward Riley, "It¡­ It''s him! He started attacking everyone and even managed to disable the cors!"


    "Hm?" The themarian officer raised an eyebrow as he turned his attention to Riley, who seemed to not be acknowledging his presence at all, "He¡­ disabled the cors? Is that why there''s a lot of damage outside already?"


    The themarian officer started walking toward Riley, but before he could even make it halfway toward him¡­ Tomoe blocked his path.


    "...Aw, that''s cute," The themarian officer''s red lips turned upward. And after a few more breaths, his arm suddenly disappeared¡ªalong with Tomoe.


    "Tomoe!?" Hannah quickly turned her eyes toward the wall, only to see Tomoe now embedded in it. Surprisingly, however, aside from being unconscious, she didn''t seem to have any injuries¡ªand judging by the floating debris around her, it was clear why.


    "...Oh?" The themarian officer once again raised an eyebrow as he looked at Tomoe, whose body was just gently descending to the floor,


    "Are you doing that?" He then hummed as he turned his focus back to Riley, "My name is Zac, Star Sergeant of the Arkloom Brigade."


    "Star Sergeant of the Arkloom Brigade?" Riley finally nced at Zac, "Is that higher or lower than Champion Sergeant?"


    "What?" Zac''s eyebrow continued to rise.


    "Are you stronger than Champion Sergeant Darmuid, Star Sergeant Zac?"


    "Sir Darmuid? Oh, it''s you," Zac then blinked a couple of times as a smile crawled on his face before looking at Hannah and the others, "You''re one of the visitors that Princess Aerith brought with her."


    "Technically, I camete because of a certain evaniel," Riley sighed as he once again turned around to look at the chaos ensuing outside¡ªand now, there was not even a single trace or sign that there was ever a city there. All that remained was a terrain that looked like it barely survived a meteor storm.


    "You''re the one who fought sir Darmuid and imed to be the Princess'' lover."


    "I suppose, Star Sergeant Zac," Riley only shrugged.


    "Well, well¡­ this will be fun, then."


    "No, you''re weaker than Champion Sergeant Darmuid."


    "You haven''t even tasted me yet."


    "!!!"


    Hannah felt her vision shift as she found herself suddenly standing beside Katherine. She quickly looked to where she was previously standing, only to see Zac''s right hand now exactly where her head was.


    "..." Hannah then looked behind her as she felt someone holding the back of her head and her waist, only to see Vera holding her,


    "...Why?"


    "You can''t die just yet," Vera said before pushing Hannah away.


    "What, you still have other bright ns for me?" Hannah scoffed before patting the parts Vera grabbed clean.


    "No," Vera looked away, "Unlike your presumptions of me, I still consider myself to be honorable¡ªsuch is my pledge as one of royalty."


    "...You think this makes us even?"


    "No," Vera scoffed, "Your brother still massacred my brother a hundred of my people¡ªyour life is nothingpared to theirs."


    "..."


    And while the two women were exchanging words, Zac still had his palm raised while looking at Riley.


    "You attacked my sister," the subtle smile on Riley''s face faded away,


    "That''s not good, Zac," and with those words, the cor on Riley''s neck separated into a million tiny pieces. And with a small breath, bits and pieces of it exploded toward Zac like a shotgun.


    "..." Zac took in a small but very deep breath as the pieces stuck to his face, falling down as he closed his eyes and shook his head,


    "You really don''t respect other people''s homes, do you? And so? Now that you have my attention, what exactly do you want?"


    Zac''s yful tone slowly disappeared as he looked Riley straight in the eyes, "Surely, you''re not just creating trouble since you think no one is going to kill you just because you''re the princess'' lover?"


    "No, Champion Sergeant Darmuid already tried killing me even knowing so because I hurt his children and killed sir Fionn," Riley sighed, "I just want you to bring me to Aerith."


    "Cadet Fionn? Lord James''s son?" Zac blinked a couple of times, "I assume he doesn''t know it yet¡­


    ¡­since you''re still alive."


    "..."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You wanted to see the Princess, right?" Zac then raised both his hands, "That''s why you''re doing all of this?"


    "Yes," Riley answered without any hesitation.


    "I''ll take you to her," the yfulness on Zac''s tone returned with his smile, "But only you. The rest of yourpanions stay here."


    "Okay."


    "Riley!?" Hannah quickly stepped forward as she heard her brother, "We stick together!"


    "I know, sister," Riley nodded, "That is why I aming with him on one condition, I get to choose onepanion to bring with me."


    "My terms are non-negotiable," Zac shook his head.


    "I will tell whoever needs to hear it that you''ve done amendable job in trying to stop the chaos here."


    "Only one," Zac nodded before stepping to the side.


    Hannah''s let out a small sigh as she saw this, "We need to¡ª"


    "Silvermoon,e with me."


    "---fuck!?" Hannah almost choked on her own breath before she could even approach Riley.


    "Ew, sister."


    "What do you mean ''ew''!? I thought you just said we will stick together!" Hannah looked back and forth between Riley and Katherine, "And why the pedophile of all people!?"


    "Because she is my subordinate, sister."


    "Then why not take Tomoe!?"


    "Because she has the task to protect you, sister. That is the reason for her existence."


    "Wh¡ªAre you hearing this, Tomoe!?"


    "It is true, Hannah," Tomoe nodded, "Such is the purpose master gave me."


    "Silvermoon."


    "..." Katherine was still slightly confused as to what was happening since she was still lost in her own thoughts, but as she heard Riley calling her again, she just stood up on instinct. She only nced at Hannah as she passed by her, before letting out a sigh and making her way to Riley.


    "Let''s get our daughter back, Riley."


    "Aerith first, Katherine," Riley just shook his head.


    "...And then Karina," Katherine could really only sigh again as she didn''t even hear a slight hesitation on Riley''s words.


    "Perhaps," Riley shrugged as he looked at Hera, who seemed to already bepletely intoxicated, "You''re the most durable here, Miss Hera. Please do make sure nothing happens to them."


    "Yeah, yeah," Hera only waved her hand.


    "I won''t kill you since you still have a part to y in Italian Mafia Reborn¡­


    ¡­but the same could not be said to Tempo, Miss Hera."


    And just like that, any alcohol inside Hera was extinguished by her body. She looked Riley straight in the eyes, before letting out a sigh and nodding.


    "Let us go, Zac."


    "Well, alright then," Zac shrugged before just flying away¡ªhe didn''t even care for the chaos ensuing on Galpath.


    "Katherine," Riley then stretched his hand toward Katherine, who grabbed it without any hesitation.


    "Riley, what the hell, man?" Hannah''s shoulders dropped as she saw them slowly floating away.


    "You are safer here, sister."


    "...I''m always safest with you," Hannah pleaded, but s, Riley just shook his head.


    "No, sister. Not here." And with those words, Riley and Katherine flew away and disappeared.


    "Well then¡­" Hera then approached Hannah and the others,


    "...Where''s that beach?"


    ***


    "You said you will be bringing me to Aerith, Zac."


    "Well, I told you I will be bringing you the princess¡­


    ¡­I didn''t specify which princess."


    Riley and Katherine were now standing inside arge, and very luxurious hallway¡ªsurrounded by several people wearing clothes akin to that of¡­ old royalty.


    "Silence! You are in the presence of Princess Esme!"


    Like Earth, Theran is separated by several continents. But unlike Earth, Theran has two superpowers ruling the entire.


    The Kingdom of Hel, which Aerith belonged to.


    And the Kingdom of Varoif¡­ and right now, their princess was currently literally looking down at Riley.

 Chapter 514: ...Or Perhaps The Right One?

    "Silence! You are in the presence of Princess Esme!"


    "Hm¡­"


    "..."


    "Kneel! You are in the presence of royalty!"


    "No."


    "Y¡ª"


    "Stand down, Tobi."


    Therge and overly garnished hallway was not only filled with oversized curtains, windows, and chandeliers, but also with all sorts of gossip, murmurs, and whispers. And unlike the city of Galpath, there was a clear contrast in how the people looked.


    Theran was eerily simr to Earth, be it in size or the physical appearance of its people. Judging by the speed and the time it took Riley and Katherine to follow Star Sergeant Zac, they probably traveled to the other side of the.


    And right now, the people surrounding them looked simr to people from Asian and South East Asian countries. All of them looked different from each other, perhaps a testament to how diverse their side of the is¡ªtheir outfits, however, were all simr to each other.


    No, perhaps simr was an understatement as their attire felt more akin to that of a uniform, with only essories to make them unique. The men wore white long coats with ck vests, partnered with white pants. Even the man that the princess addressed as Tobi. Tobi, however, had a red tie on his neck, unlike the others who either had dark blue or green.


    As for the women, they wore a white long sleeves that were buttoned up to their necks, partnered by skirts that went either above or below their knees. And like the men, they wore a tie of different colors.


    The only one that really carried apletely different attire was the unusually tall woman in front of Riley and Katherine. Her skin was that of a tanplexion, almost golden. Her hair was ck and slightly curly; her small eyes, as dark as her hair.


    There were many that could be said to be prettier or objectively more beautiful than her just from the people surrounding them alone, but there was a certain uniqueness to her beauty that caused her to stand out amongst the rest---and it wasn''t only because she almost towered over everyone else.


    Her face was in, but at the same time, it was hard to look away from how mesmerizing it was.


    "Princess Esme, it has been a long time."


    "Star Sergeant Zac?"


    Princess Esme raised her hand, gesturing to Tobi to step to the side as she approached Zac, "How did you get inside the college?"


    So, it wasn''t just like a uniform¡ªit is a uniform, is what Katherine thought as she once again scanned the surrounding people.


    Since they were supposedly meeting royalty, Katherine just initially thought that therge and castle-like building theynded right on was some sort of pce. And now that she heard Princess Esme''s words, everything started to make sense.


    The diversity of the people, their simr outfits, and the judging eyes of the people¡­


    ¡­they were inside a school.


    "I am friends with the captain of the college''s security, your Royal Highness," Star Sergeant Zac bowed, before trying to grab the princess'' hand. Princess Esme, however, quickly moved her hand away and stepped back.


    Zac didn''t seem to mind, however, as he even let out a small giggle before turning to look at Riley,


    "As to why I am here, your Royal Highness¡ªI brought someone that you might want to meet."


    "Hm?" Princess Esme blinked a couple of times as she turned her attention to Riley. She looked at him from head to toe, and from her height, she didn''t even need to take a step back to see Riley''s entire silhouette. She wasn''t gigantic, but she was probably the tallest woman Riley has ever seen¡ªeven taller than Gary.


    "Who is this weird-looking person you have brought me, Zac?" Princess Esme muttered; and as she did so, the people that were surrounding them all started to giggle andugh. Esme, however, didn''t seem to appreciate the noise as she red at the nearest crowd.


    And with just a simple gesture, not even the smallest of whispers survived.


    "This is Riley Ross, your Royal Highness," Zac once again bowed as he took a step back and stood behind Riley, before waving his hands around him as if he was presenting some sort of product that was on sale.


    "Am I supposed to know who that is?" Esme tilted her head to the side, "I amte for my ss, I would appreciate it if you do not waste my time any more than you already have, Zac."


    "He is with the people that Princess Aerith brought home along, your Royal Highness. The woman beside him is his subordinate."


    "Princess Aerith''s¡­ friend?" The tone of Esme''s voice slightly became high-pitched as she once again looked at Riley from head to toe.


    "Not just a friend. He ims to be¡­ very intimately close to her."


    "...Is that true,moner?" Esme squinted her eyes.


    "I suppose so, Princess Esme," Riley imitated Zac as he also bowed his head, "I have seen her naked."


    "!!!"


    And all of a sudden, a wave of gasp resounded throughout thatrge hallway. In truth, all of them werete for their sses¡ªbut who in their right mind would actually forsake the scene in front of them right now? They could just retake the sses if they fail. But this scene? This scene would only happen once even in their long lifetime.


    But s, once again, Princess Esme red at them.


    "All of you, leave."


    And this time, Princess Esme raised her hand and ordered all of them to go to their sses. Most of them didn''t want to, of course¡ªbut once again, s. They could really only drop their shoulders as they all walked away, ncing from time to time to get a glimpse of whatever they could.


    And in just a few breaths, the only presence that could be felt in therge hallway was 5. The Princess, Riley, Katherine, Zac, and Tobi. Even those that were peering outside the window from the other side of therge building were gone.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Tobi, tell Professor Willo to postpone the ss," Esme then breathed out. And as he did so, Tobi quickly bowed his head and disappeared into the hallway in the blink of an eye,


    "As for you, Star Sergeant Zac¡ªyou may leave. I will make sure you arepensated for your service to the throne."


    "At once, your Royal Highness," Zac let out a mischievous smile as he nced at Riley. And with a nod, he too disappeared into the hallways.


    "Growing up, I have heard many stories of the Rebel Princess of Hel," Esme then let out a small sigh as she started walking around with her hands behind her waist, "She has already gone on her adventure outside the territory when I was born, but I always envied that she had the courage to just fly away."


    "..." Katherine and Riley could really only look at each other as Esme started a monologue.


    "Our demesne have always been friendly with each other¡ªrivals, yes. But our kingdoms are equal, at all times and at all matters¡­ at least that is what I have been told. I''m too young to be a part of it all, really. But what I do know is that if you are truly indeed close aides to the Rebel Princess of Hel, then you are worth looking into," Esme then looked Riley straight in the eyes,


    "What makes you so special, Riley Ross?"


    "I was diagnosed with Asperger''s Syndrome when I was young, your Royal Highness."


    "Asperger''s Syndrome¡­" Esme ced her hand on her chin, "...What is that?"


    "It is¡ª"


    "No, do not say it here," Esme raised her hand, "There are lots of ears loitering around and eyes watching. This is no ce to reveal secrets that couldpromise the powers of our two great nations."


    "I think you may also have it, your Royal Highness."


    "..." Katherine took in a small, but very deep breath as she looked away and closed her eyes. Whatever it is that she was feeling now, she knew it was inappropriate for the current situation.


    "I¡­ have it?" Esme squinted her eyes, "Come with me, we shall talk more about this in my chambers and away from ears that do not deserve to hear it."


    "No."


    "...No?" Esme, who was already walking away, could not help but raise her voice as she looked back at Riley, "Did you just refuse an order from the Princess?"


    "There seems to be a misunderstanding, your Royal Highness," Riley finally moved from his spot as he took a step toward the princess, "I was led to believe that I was meeting Aerith. But I was tricked by Star Sergeant Zac into meeting you instead. I am here to attend my biological mother''s burial, and I believe it has already been dyed long enough."


    "..." Esme squinted her eyes as she looked at the floor. And after a few moments of utter confusion, she looked back at Riley,


    "Are you saying that I am less than Princess Aerith?"


    "I am not saying that, your Royal Highness. But nheless, that is true," Riley nodded.


    "Why?"


    "Hm?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "Why am I less than Princess Aerith?" And for some reason, Princess Esme did the same,


    "How can youe up with that assessment when you do not even know me?"


    "Because I know Aerith, your Royal Highness."


    "But you don''t know me. You have not even seen me naked to make that judgment."


    "It will not change even if I do, your Royal Highness. Aerith is the best themarian."


    "I would have agreed with that statement. But I have not seen what Aerith is like nowpared to the stories I have heard about her," Esme shook her head,


    "You can''t be sure that I am less than her without at least knowing me, Riley Ross."


    "I can, your Royal Highness."


    "No."


    "Yes."


    "I will prove to you that I am not less than Princess Aerith," Esme crossed her arms as the side of her lips slightly turned down, "And if I do not, then I will use my authority as the Princess of Varoif to personally escort you as an official envoy to meet the Hel Royal Family."


    "I suppose that is sufficient, your Royal Highness."


    "Good. I will ask the college to grant you temporary enrollment to the college," Esme nodded several times, "And if I do prove that I am no less than Princess Aerith¡­


    ¡­then you will leave her side and join mine instead."


    "Very well, your Royal Highness."


    "..." Katherine, who has just been quietly watching the situation unfold, could really only look back and forth between the two. When Riley said that the princess might have a simr condition to him, she almostughed. But looking at them now; Riley and Princess Esme¡­


    ¡­it almost looked as if Riley was just talking to a mirror.

 Chapter 515:A Look Into The Eyes Of Themarian

    The Kingdom of Varoif.


    One of the two only superpowers on the of Theran. Of course, Theran used to be more than just a that was ruled by two peoples¡ªbut greed incited violence, and violence incited war.


    The people of Theran could have ventured out into the Universe to conquer others to live on, they were one of the few that was capable of doing so without any visible resistance, but no. The inhabitants fought against each other just for Theran.


    Perhaps because of loyalty or a sense ofism, but themarians never once wanted to im another but their own, but no. Some historians im that the reason for this was because Theran was the only that could actually sustain their people; others just felt like¡­ cardboard.


    Theran was strong, not only in the sense that it gave birth to the undisputed strongest race in the entire Known Universe, but because of how physically durable it was¡ªa themarian could sneeze, and a would just be torn asunder.


    But Theran?


    Theran would survive even the rampage of a raging themarian.


    No one really knows the true reason. As often, history is perverse by those that are capable of writing it¡ªand with the war happening more than a million years ago and all that was involved are presumed to be dead, there was truly knowing why.


    The war did happen, that is all the future and current generations will know. But if there is one thing that has remained since then, it was the peace that the war brought.


    Many kingdoms fought for supremacy, but by the end of it, only two remained¡ªperhaps that was the number when they thought ''enough''.


    But of course, if war happened once, it will happen again. And so, the Kingdom of Varoif and the Kingdom of Hel decided that a truce was not enough; they needed a sort of permanent contingency, and thus, they created the Grand Militia.


    A corps formed by the people of the two kingdoms that would ensure peace, no matter what. Taking no sides while still serving both kingdoms.


    The Kingdom of Varoif and Hel ruled each half of the respectively, but everyone knows that Varoif is the superior nation¡ªand the reason for this is simple, the Supreme College of Varoif.


    The college is responsible for producing the best of the best of themarians. In terms of intelligence, strength, and loyalty to the, the Supreme College of Varoif is uncontested. Unlike Hel, whose own princess rebelled against the nation and even went out to the Unknown just to get away from her responsibilities.


    Truly, Varoif is the superior nation.


    "..."


    "...That''s the end of the recording, Riley. It seems every ount is biased toward Varoif, figures. It¡ª that¡­ wait¡­ that''s too tight."


    "Hm."


    "Hn¡­"


    Katherine''s moans whispered through the walls of a tiny room. There really was nothing of note inside the room¡­ because there was nothing in it other than the two beds, and therge mirror that Katherine and Riley were standing in front of.


    "Hn!"


    "I apologize, Katherine."


    And once again, Katherine''s meek and high-pitched moans whispered through Riley''s ears. Riley, however, did not stop and continued to wrap his arms around her waist; his fingers crawling along the side of her soft and unusually smooth leg as he¡­ zipped her skirt close.


    "I''m¡­" Katherine then took in a small gulp as she looked at her reflection in the mirror; it has been a while since shest wore a school uniform, and with her already having given birth and growing in the right ces, it just¡­ looked like she was doing cosy instead,


    "...I''m too old for this."


    "No, Katherine. You are too fat for it."


    "Wha¡ªI''m not fat," Katherine quickly stepped to the side as she looked Riley in the eyes, "My boobs are just bigger because I gave birth to our child."


    "..." Riley could really only blink as he returned Katherine''s gaze, but after a few breaths, he just sighed and walked away.


    "..." Katherine slightly squinted as she saw this. It wasn''t only because of the sudden change of expression on Riley''s face, but the fluctuation she sensed in his heart. She had noticed it ever since Riley arrived on Theran¡­


    ¡­but his emotions have been fluctuating quite randomly. In the span of just a day, Riley has shown more changes in his expression than he did in the span of time they have spent together.


    Did¡­ something happen while they got separated?


    "Riley¡­"


    "Hm?"


    "...Let me brush back your hair."


    "I was just thinking of cutting it, Katherine. I believe it is proper to have it short while attending college," Riley turned to face Katherine again, before looking at the mirror. Like Katherine, he was wearing the uniform that was given to them by Princess Esme¡ªa white coat, partnered with a ck vest and white pants.


    "Wouldn''t it be a waste? I quite like you with longer hair," Katherine said as this time, she stood behind Riley before letting out a small giggle and touching his hair, "It''s the only thing your sister and I agree on."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..." Riley sighed as he looked at his long white hair. And after a few seconds, he nodded, "My sister only likes it because he wanted to dress me up when I was younger."


    "Well, I like it because it suits you," Katherine smiled, before feeling Riley''s hair on her cheek, "It makes you look like royalty, Riley. Like Thrundail from Lord of the Bangles."


    "..." Riley turned around; his lips, almost brushing across Katherine''s forehead as he did so, "I suppose that is fitting in the current scenario. We are in the presence of royalty, we need to look the part."


    "...Yes," Katherine''s lips slightly quivered as she felt Riley''s warm breaths flowing across her neck, "Riley¡­ it''s been a long time since¡ª"


    "I will leave it to you, Katherine. A look of royalty would also serve well if we ever meet Aerith and his family spontaneously."


    "..." And just like that, any quivering that was happening in Katherine''s body transferred to her left eyelid. Of course, Riley is thinking of something else¡ªand she should too. Perhaps wearing a school uniform was making her quite¡­ unnecessarily excited.


    And so, the only thing she could really do was shake her head, before starting to brush back Riley''s hair.


    "...Why are we even doing this, Riley?"


    "So we can proceed to our main objective here, Katherine. And then to see Aerith, and then Karina as we nned. You said my biological mother''s body is still being preserved, we have time."


    "...But we could have just done that by actually trying to find Aerith. We don''t have to do all these things."


    "There are orders for everything, Silvermoon."


    "..."


    "For one to truly enjoy the screams of the people, one must learn their history and culture. The only thing I have learned from the themarians is theirnguage, that is not enough."


    "..."


    "What about their dialects? How could I understand it if they are screaming and saying something to me? I do not want to use the trantor for something like that, it is just not the same, Silvermoon."


    "..." Riley may have changed throughout the years¡ªis what Katherine thought, but truly¡­ his essence will always remain the same.


    ***


    Whispers and murmurs¡ªperhaps the only sound Katherine and Riley have been hearing ever since stepping into the college. When they entered the room the college provided for them, when they stepped out of the room, and when they walked through the hallways; everyone was just looking and whispering.


    And now that they were inside a lecture hall and standing in front of almost 3 dozen themarians, the whispers soon became an orchestra that just tantly sang to their ears.


    "..." It has been a while since Katherine has been a student, and this truly is making her feel slightly irritated that anywhere you go, students are the same. She had always thought that themarians would be more mature even as students, as most of them are probably hundreds of years old already, but no. Their judging eyes that look at you like some sort of animal in a zoo are still the same.


    "Silence!"


    Fortunately for Katherine, the ss'' professor pped the whispers away, literally¡ªalmost blowing her skirt off if it wasn''t for Riley shielding her with a telekic barrier.


    "As you can see," the professor then cleared his throat before gesturing and presenting her and Riley, "We have universal students temporarily participating in our sses¡­


    ¡­they are from the Unknown."


    "!!!"


    Since the students could no longer let out their loud whispers, ''less they wanted to face the wrath of their professor, the only thing they could really do was widen their eyes as they stared at Riley and Katherine from head to toe. And if you would ask Katherine, this was worse.


    "I know what all of you are thinking," the professor raised his voice, "But these two have been personally enrolled by Princess Esme herself. Treat them as one of our own, if you do not, then you know what will happen."


    "..."


    "Good," the professor nodded his head several times as he saw the enthusiasm of the students slightly dying down, "The two of you, please introduce yourselves."


    "..."


    "..."


    Katherine and Riley looked at each other before Riley took a step back, and gestured to Katherine to introduce herself first.


    "...My name is Katherine Read, I am from a called Earth. I do hope that even if ours are thousands and thousands of light years away, we could bridge that closer by learning about each other," Katherine said as she stood firmly,


    "I look forward to getting along with all of you."

 Chapter 516:Savant

    "I look forward to getting along with all of you."


    "..."


    "..."


    "!!!"


    "Earth!? Where''s Earth!?"


    "Aren''t you just pretending to be an alien? You just look like my cousin!"


    "What''re your three sizes?"


    "Why is your hair silver? Are you an evaniel?"


    "Why can''t I sense any energy from the two of you!?"


    "Enough!"


    And once again, the professor pped his hands, causing all of the students to close their eyes as their hair, be they short or long, started violently flowing with the shockwave. In truth, the professor didn''t need to do so, as the students have already shut their mouths with just his words¡ªbut he wanted to check something.


    The first time he pped his hands, these two new foreign students beside him werepletely unaffected. He, Professor Keits, has been a lecturer in the Supreme College for more than 2000 years; this kind of routine would have made any other themarian already give up, but not him.


    Many professors have alreadye and gone, but not him. He makes sure that any and all themarian that graduate from the college will be the best of the best no matter what they decide to do in life¡ªbe it an explorer, apply for the militia, or just any other meaningless job.


    And throughout his time as a professor, there have only been a handful of students that he thought would never truly achieve anything outside¡ªand the youngest princess of Varoif probably topped that list.


    Professor Keits have taught the princess'' older siblings before, and Esme truly was just a shadow of those that came before her. At first nce, Esme was a master at controlling her emotions; not letting anything faze her. She was also the most intimidating of all the siblings with her towering figure and the way she carried herself.


    But once you get to know her, you would find that she was anything but in control¡ªno. It was better to say that there wasn''t anything to control as Princess Esme, she¡­ for theck of a better word, is simple.


    Esme has already been in the college for more than a hundred years, and all she has done was skip ss, or order the professors to postpone their sses because she needed to do something.


    One might think her reasons for stopping sses would be a matter of great importance that would involve the entire kingdom, but no. Her reasons vary from not being in the mood, to something as simple as her fingernails not being trimmed right.


    And now, once again, the princess stopped the entire college to enroll visitors from another, from the Unknown. None of them were aware as to where these two really came from, or if they were just¡­ pets that Esme picked up from somewhere.


    But it would seem they are not so simple.


    "Riley, it''s your turn."


    Professor Keits turned his focus back to the two as he watched as the other foreign student stepped forward. For some reason, the white-haired one was very familiar to him¡ªthemarians do not really have any interest in anything outside their territory, but from time to time, information from the outside seeps into their news.


    Perhaps he saw him there somewhere?


    "Greetings, themarian younglings."


    And while Keits was once again busy thinking, Riley started introducing himself¡ªhis arms, raised to the side.


    "My name is Riley Ross, and like my subordinate, Ie from Earth."


    "..." Everyone started looking at each other as they heard Riley''s words. The mature and alluring-looking woman¡­ was his subordinate? Could it be he is some sort of officer, or perhaps a noble?


    "Are you Princess Esme''s friend!?"


    "Where''s Earth!?"


    And once again, the themarians started asking questions. This time, however, professor Keits did not stop them as he too has be quite curious about their visitors.


    "I am not this Kingdom''s princess'' friend," Riley shook his head, "I am, however, the lover of the princess of the Kingdom of Hel."


    "!!!"


    Not only the students, but even Keits''s eyes widened in shock as they heard Riley''s words. Unlike Varoif, which had many princes and princesses, Hel only had a single princess left.


    And with the news of the Rebel Princess'' return bing widespread, everyone knew who he was referring to.


    And Professor Keits¡­ Professor Keits could not help but curl his hands into fists. Everyone knew that Princess Esme was simple¡­ and stupid. But did she really just let someone from the enemy nation infiltrate the Supreme College of Varoif, one of the main core establishments of the entire Kingdom? And not just someone, but the lover of the most problematic entity of the other nation.


    "I have arrived on your not more than 9 hours ago," Riley continued his introduction almost as if he didn''t just say something ridiculous, "And since then, I have put 12 of you to Eternal Death. But none of you have to worry, most of them are from the Kingdom of Hel."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..."


    "I killed someone called Fionn, who was guarding a zone whose name I have already forgotten, perhaps he is from here."


    "Fionn¡­ cadet guard of the Imdall Zone?" Professor Keits could not help but blurt out as he heard Riley''s words.


    "Yes, I remember now. Thank you, themarian professor," Riley nodded, "I can not promise that none of you will die during my stay here. But what I can promise all of you is that all of us¡­ are going to have fun."


    "..."


    And with Riley taking a step back, all of the students could really just stare at him. But after a few seconds, they all turned their eyes toward a single student¡ªa girl, whose eyes were already turning red.


    Red, not in a way that their eyes light up when they emit their energy, no. Red in a way that it was turning moist as she stared at Riley with her eyebrows very slowly turning down.


    And very soon, she stood up,


    "Is that true?" She said as her long golden hair fell from her shoulders; her eyes that were almond-shaped, bing even smaller as her mouth opened, "You killed Fionn?"


    "I did kill a Fionn, themarian ssmate," Riley nodded, "What I do not know if it is the Fionn you''re mentioning."


    "Fionn of the Imdall Zone!" The golden-haired female student started to step down from her station, "I¡­ I''ve been receiving calls but I haven''t been answering any of them since I''m busy¡ªis¡­ is that why?"


    "Student Jesse! Return to your table at once!" Professor Keits let out a roar, but even with the thunders that came with it, the golden-haired student named Jesse just continued to step down toward the front of the ss.


    "My Fionn¡­ my Fionn is dead?" Jesse''s breaths started to stutter as she looked Riley straight in the eyes.


    Katherine, who saw this, could really only close her eyes and sigh. Once again, she was being reminded which side she belonged to¡ªeven on Theran, Riley was a viin.


    "If he is guarding the Imdall Zone, then yes," Riley nodded his head, "I would like to im that I killed him without reason, but no. He attacked me first and I only responded in kind."


    "You bastard!" Jesse then let out a scream, and as she did so, a red mist burst forth from her body¡ªa color simr to the red energy they release, but it was more like translucent mes that violently flowed all over their body. Darmuid did the same before Xra interrupted their fight, was it some sort of ability?


    If so, why wasn''t Riley capable of it?


    "Student Jesse, I am ordering you to return to your seat!" Professor Keits once again roared. Other than that, however, he remained passive. Although he wanted to retain order in his ss, he also wanted to see what this Riley Ross was truly capable of¡ªif he indeed managed to kill a student that has already graduated the college and became a cadet of the Militia.


    "You will pay for what you did!" The red mist surrounding Jesse''s body then instantly flowed straight to the palm of her hand,pressing into what seemed like the shape of a sword.


    "Interesting," Riley tilted his head, before also stretching his hands to the side again¡­ summoning two des of light that caused the air around them to distort,


    "Now I know where Gary gets it from."


    "Stop this at once!" Professor Keits stomped his foot on the floor, causing the entire room to tremble. It had no effect, however, as Jesse''s eyes werepletely fixated on Riley.


    The other students, too, didn''t seem to care about their professor''s words as they all stood up and started moving to the side of the lecture hall. Some of them, bringing out some sort of ck ball that eerily looked simr to an eyeball.


    "If we fight, then I might get expelled for having killed another fellow student on the first day, Miss Jesse," Riley sighed as he started spinning his des on his hands, "It willplicate my deal with the princess."


    "You think I care? Even if I lose here, Fionn''s family would never let you go¡­


    ¡­murderer!" And with those words, Jesse disappeared from her spot¡ªcausing all the stairs, tables, bleachers, and the entire tform behind her to be blown away and cave in.


    Riley, on the other hand, just let out a wide smile as he swung his sword in front of him¡ªand as he did so, Jesse appeared, already waving her sword toward him.


    But contrary to either of their expectations, their des did not meet¡­


    ¡­and were instead blocked by a pair of arms.


    "The sses are ongoing, Riley Ross. Please do not cause trouble. You too, student I do not know the name of."


    "..." Riley could really only tilt his head to the side as he looked at the one that blocked his sword straight in the eyes.


    "I apologize, Princess Esme."


    Princess Esme Varoif¡ªconsidered to be the most simple individual in the entire Varoif royal family, and even in the Supreme College. There is, however, one reason why no one; Professor Ketis, the students, or any one, for that matter, tries to offend or get in her way.


    Princess Esme was a savant, an anomaly.


    The current strongest living Themarian ever recorded in the Supreme College of Varoif.

 Chapter 517: Brewing More Than Just Coffee

    "I apologize, Princess Esme."


    "Please, just keep it down. We need to respect the rules of the college."


    The No. 1 rule breaker, Princess Esme, said as she pushed both Riley and Jesse away. Jesse took a few steps back and almost tumbled, Riley, on the other hand, just slid from his spot. Everyone in the college knew Esme''s insane strength, she was and is the strongest recorded student in the entire history of the school¡ªand it wasn''t even a contest.


    "He¡­ he killed Fionn!" Even then, Jesse still wanted to push things further; how could she not, when her beloved''s killer was now right in front of her? If she did not try to take revenge, then that would only mean her love for Fionn was not as great as she thought.


    "..." And as Princess Esme heard the distress in Jesse''s voice, her head very slowly turned toward Riley, "You killed Fionn?" She then asked.


    "Yes, princess Esme," Riley answered without any hesitation as he started patting his clothes clean; the lightswords in his hands, nowpletely gone.


    "...Who is that?" Princess Esme then blinked a couple of times as she looked back and forth between Riley, Jesse, and asionally Professor Keits.


    "I suppose he is Miss Jesse''s lover, Princess Esme."


    "I see," Esme ced her hand on her chin and nodded. But after a few breaths, she once again looked back and forth between Riley, Jesse, and asionally Professor Keits, "Who is Miss Jesse?"


    "It''s her," Riley pointed at Jesse, who could really only turn her hands into a fist as the two were clearly mocking and disregarding her¡ªnot knowing their interaction waspletely natural for them.


    "I see," Princess Esme then nodded as she faced Jesse, and without any hesitation, "I assume your lover died because he was weak¡ªor she, it sounds like a feminine name."


    "Wha¡ª" She wanted to say something and even rush to the princess, but before she could do anything, her friends stopped.


    "If you wish to take revenge, then do so some other time or some other way," Princess Esme then started walking away as she nodded and winked at Professor Keits, "Please respect the rules of the college. No unsanctioned violence in sses."


    "..." And with those words, everyone watched as Princess Esme just casually walked out the door, seemingly nodding to herself and satisfied with her¡­ princessly actions. Little did she know, however, is that Professor Keits was about to explode in anger and frustration.


    Princess Esme, talking about rules? Princess Esme, amongst her other records, is also the themarian with the most number of vitions in the college. Of course, she was exempted from all the penalties and punishments as she was a daughter of the throne¡ªbut the worst thing about all of this is that she seems to bepletely unaware that she is the number one troublemaker in the college.


    And now¡­ she seems to have brought apetition for that title, Riley Ross.


    "The princess is right, Professor Keits," Riley nodded as he approached the professor, "Miss Jesse has already disrupted the ss, I believe we should start now."


    "..." Jesse could really only once again grit her teeth as she heard Riley''s words,


    "You¡­ you''re the one who just said to us that you killed several themarians, including Fionn¡­" Jesse couldn''t help it anymore as she shrugged away her friends and once again made her way to Riley; each of her steps, causing the entire ss the tremble,


    "...and I''m the one disrupting the ss!?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "You can ask Katherine, she was previously my instructor and has experience dealing with loud students."


    "..." Katherine could really only just raise her eyebrows and let out a heavy breath as everyone suddenly looked at her. It didn''tst long, however, as they once again focused on Riley. But before anyone else could react, Professor Keits stomped her foot on the floor again.


    "That is enough!" Keits roared as he appeared between Jesse and Riley, "I do not know how it is in your world, Riley Ross. But on Theran, or any others I have been on¡ªkilling others unnecessarily has always been looked down upon¡­


    ¡­but if it is as you say and that Lord James''s son truly attacked you first, then you had the right to defend yourself."


    "...Professor Keits?" Jesse was nodding in agreement at first, but the smile on her face disappeared as she heard the professor''sst words.


    "As for the other people you have killed, they belong to the other kingdom," Professor Keits breathed out, "For now, let us proceed to ss as normal."


    "Of course, Professor Keits," Riley nodded, "Where do we sit?"


    "Just¡­ there''s an empty seat at the front."


    "Hm."


    And so, the ss proceeded as normal¡ªwith Professor Keits teaching severalbat strategies on how to deal with certain races. But of course, none of the students really listened after what just happened, with Jesse''s eyes even glowing red from time to time as she continued to re at Riley''s back.


    In fact, the only one that looked like he was actively listening was Riley Ross himself.


    "...Riley," Katherine whispered as she too, couldn''t focus on what the professor was saying, "What are we even doing here?"


    "We are studying how to kill other races, Katherine."


    "No, I mean what are we even doing here?" Katherine leaned closer to Riley, "I get that you made a deal with that Princess Esme, so why are we just sitting normally in ss? Shouldn''t you be observing her?"


    "I did," Riley subtly nodded, "Did you not see her obnoxiously showing her strength earlier? She was probably waiting for the chance to do so."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..."


    "She is strong, Katherine," Riley nodded, "Not as strong as mother and Aerith, but definitely stronger than everyone I have faced so far."


    "..." Katherine then blinked a couple of times as she saw a growing smile on Riley''s face; she would''ve just considered it as any other sinister smile, but Riley''s heart was fluctuating. There¡­ is something wrong with Riley''s emotions¡ªno, that wasn''t exactly right.


    Perhaps for the first time in his entire life, his emotions were actually¡­ right. Is Riley finally learning¡­ how to be human?


    If so, for the sake of every living thing in the universe¡­


    ¡­is this not the best thing that could happen? Was it actually possible for Riley to be a normal human? Was it possible¡­


    ¡­that she, Riley, and their daughter could actually live and have a normal family?


    "..." Katherine stared at Riley''s face for a few more seconds, before a small smile also started to crawl on her face.


    And so, after a few more hours of Professor Keits telling a lecture that only one person was actually listening to¡ªthe ss ended.


    "Review what I said today. We will run a simtion soon, and if anyone performs inadequately, you have to repeat another year," Professor Keits said as the holograms surrounding him all disappeared. He didn''t even look at anyone as he stepped out of the lecture hall, almost as if he just disregarded what happened in his ss just earlier.


    Unbeknownst to his students, however, Keits was actually rushing out to talk about what happened to the other professors. Unbeknownst to Keits, however, is that the others already know about what happened since one of his students recorded everything.


    "..."


    "..."


    And now, even after minutes passed that Keits disappeared from the lecture hall, not one of the students got up. They were all just busy looking at each other, waiting for something to happen.


    Themarians are very passive creatures, but when the timees for them to act¡ªthey will¡­ and act she will.


    Jesse was the first to get up from her seat, as she once again made her way down the hall and it was clear that she was approaching Riley. Before she even got halfway there, however, Riley and Katherine also stood up and started leaving the hall.


    "...Where do you think you''re going!?" Jesse quickly blocked the door as she pointed at Riley''s face, "I, Jesse''Jenn, challenge you to a sanctioned duel!"


    "I refuse."


    "..." And so, everyone just watched as Riley and hispanion moved past Jesse, opening the door and just gently closing it and leaving Jesse with her hand still raised.


    "..."


    "..."


    After letting the awkward silence go on for a few more seconds, Jesse''s eye started to twitch. She then quickly lowered her hand, before turning around and mming the door open,


    "Come back here, Riley Ross!"


    "Yes?"


    And to Jesse''s shock, Riley Ross dide back.


    "Did you want something else from me, Miss Jesse?" Riley said as he once again entered the room.


    "That¡­" Jesse could really only back away as she looked at her friends, who just all looked away as soon as she did so. She only wanted to scream and vent out her rage, she didn''t actually expect Riley toe back.


    "If you are requesting a sanctioned duel, Miss Jesse. Then my answer is still no," Riley shook his head, "I prefer all my kills on Theran to be indiscriminate. So, if that is all, then I will take my leave, ssmates."


    And so, once again, Riley left the ss.


    "Jesse.." One of Jesse''s female friends approached her, "Why didn''t you tell him we still have another ss?"


    "Why are you thinking of sses right now!?" Jesse once again let out a burst of emotions as she waved her hands, before retrieving a spherical device from her pocket, "He¡­ he will pay for what he did. Lord James¡­


    ¡­I will tell Lord James that the person who killed his son is here!"


    ***NEW BOOK***


    Author here, I just came from the future to announce that I have a new book called ''Frankenstein Untold''. It''s probably thest book i''ll be writing in a while if it doesn''t work out. Do give it a try if you have time!

 Chapter 518: Dramatic

    "Theran¡­ don''t you think it''s just simr to Earth?"


    "Not at all, Katherine. The ground, the objects, and everything else that you see and touch is much stronger and more durable than their Earth counterparts. Even the chair we were sitting on earlier would take at least a little effort to separate and destroy."


    "I''m talking about the themarians."


    "Oh¡­ then my answer is the same, Katherine."


    Somewhere in the hallways of the Supreme College, Riley and Katherine were just casually walking around without any destination. Katherine had just been following Riley, not really knowing what was on his mind.


    Was he just waiting for something? Does he have a n in mind? It truly was hard to discern with Riley. At one point, it feels like everyone is a puppet that just dances over his palm; and at times, he''s just a leaf that''s flowing with whatever fate has in store for him.


    She had been trying to dissect his mind all these years, but she knew she already failed the moment it was her that was¡­ dissected.


    Even after they had a child together, even after years passed¡ªRiley was still a mystery her body was craving to unfold.


    "I have a question for you, Katherine."


    "Hm?"


    "I do not know if it is just me, or have we not passed by anyone since we left the ss?"


    "...Hm?"


    Katherine immediately halted her steps, before looking around therge, and awfully quiet hallway. She didn''t know how, or why¡ªbut themarian infrastructure felt medieval, victorian, and modern all at the same time. At first nce, you wouldn''t even think that they were one of the most advanced civilizations in the entire Known Universe.


    Everything felt like a scene in a movie¡­ that was perhaps also the reason why she didn''t notice that she and Riley had actually been walkingpletely alone in the otherwiserge college.


    "Is¡­ it possible that sses are still ongoing?" Katherine then looked at Riley. And before the two of them could actuallye up with reasons, a woman suddenly appeared in front of them.


    "You two, why aren''t you attending your sses?" It was obvious from the woman''s attire that she wasn''t a student in the college, and judging by the confident stride of each of her steps as well as her eyes that were looking at them from head to toe¡ªshe was a professor.


    "I don''t recognize you two¡ªare you new students?" The woman''s eyes started to squint, "Wait, are you the students that Princess Esme forcefully enrolled?"


    Katherine has noticed this about themarians before¡­ but they seemed to be clueless about things that were not happening in front of them. And for an advanced civilization, none of them were really into their devices, unlike the humans with their smartphones and social media.


    Were they just past that part of their lives? Or do they really just not care about other things? Or perhaps it is just a case of utmost indifference? After all, what else is there to look for when you are already on top? In this case, themarians are literally on the top of the food chain.


    "I believe we were enrolled through legal means, themarian professor."


    "Themarian¡ªwait, the two of you are not themarians," the female professor blinked a couple of times as she started approaching the two, "Which¡ªno, it doesn''t matter. The two of you should get back to your sses."


    "We would, themarian professor. But the problem is we are not even aware that we do still have a ss."


    "...Don''t tell me the princess just left you on your own?" The female professor pinched the bridge of her nose, "Wait, did the two of you even take your tests?"


    "...We were enrolled through legal means," Riley turned to look at Katherine, "Tell her, Katherine. You are the one with experience dealing with processes involving academia and enrollment."


    "...The princess sort of just threw us here, Riley," Katherine could really only let out a sigh, "I don''t even think we''re officially on their student list."


    "..." And almost as if he didn''t really know, Riley''s eyes started to turn wide as he looked Katherine straight in the eyes.


    "...Figures," the female professor joined Katherine as she too, let out a long and deep sigh, "You might be outsiders, but since you have, even unofficially, been decreed by the princess to be enrolled in the college, we can''t have you just walking around like this."


    "We have been walking for an entire hour, themarian professor."


    "Professor Thelma," the professor said as she turned around, "If you''re going to be spending some time in this college, then you should learn the names of those that reside in it. And you need to take the test so we''ll know which ss to actually put the two of you in¡­


    ¡­Come on now, follow me."


    "..." Riley and Katherine looked at each other before Riley just shrugged and followed Professor Thelma.


    "When in Rome, Katherine."


    "...Since when do you do idioms?"


    ***


    "Alright, we''re here."


    And once again, it felt like they were in apletely different ce entirely. Just a few steps ago, they were in some sort of futuristic medieval castle¡ªand now, they were inside a white space.


    Apletely white and empty space where not even a single glimpse of shadow could be seen. Katherine had already noticed when they entered therge door that the room was devoid of anything, but for it to be this vast.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    No, in the first ce, there was no sense of distance in the room. It looked like it didn''t end, but at the same time, it feels like if Katherine stretched her hand, she would hit a wall.


    "Since the two of you didn''t even know there was a test, I could assume you don''t know what the test is?" Professor Thelma stood in front of the two, "As themarians, we''re really just simple beings. You can just do whatever."


    "...Just do whatever?" Katherine squinted her eyes, "What do you mean?"


    "Just do whatever," Professor Thelma shrugged, "Scream, punch, sit¡ªthe Arbiter will be watching you."


    "I am just going to assume that''s some sort of artificial intelligence?" Katherine asked.


    "Arbi doesn''t like being called that, but yes," Thelma nodded and sighed, "You can go first since you seem to be the older one."


    "Wait."


    Before anything could start, however, Riley suddenly raised his hand, "Katherine and I are meant to be together, she can''t be in another ss since she is my subordinate."


    "Meant¡­ to be together?" Katherine took in a small gulp as she heard Riley''s words¡ªand any other words after that just became a whistle that went from one ear to the other.


    "Subordinate? Like a personal guard?" Princess Thelma ced her hand on her chin, "I guess it doesn''t matter. Just let the test be some kind of formality then, nothing changes. You can proceed, Ms. Katherine."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Ms. Katherine?"


    "Yes!?" Katherine woke up from her mild stupor as she noticed both Riley and Professor Thelma were looking at her. And after a few more moments of confusion, she quickly stepped away from the two and started stretching her arms to the side.


    "Do your best, Silvermoon," Riley said as the temperature inside the white space started to be unstable,


    "Show me how strong you have be."


    "By your order, boss."


    ¡­What is wrong with these two?---is what was on Professor Thelma''s mind right about now. She already figured the two wouldn''t really be normal aliens even if they look like themarians since Princess Esme befriended them, but did they really have tomunicate with each other like that?


    Soon, however, Professor Thelma could not think of anything else as the space around Katherine started to distort. And soon, her hair started to glow in silver; like an evaniel, except more graceful.


    "Hm?" Professor Thelma then blinked as a drop of water suddenly fell on her face. She looked up, only to see clouds forming above them,


    "...Weather maniption?" Thelma whispered to herself as she focused back on Katherine¡­ who was now being surrounded by a ze of fire, "No¡­ creation."


    Loud snaps then thundered in the air as lightning began to dance around Katherine''s body. And with a cold breath, Katherine started bringing her hands together¡ªand following her will, the elements did too.


    Fire and lightning began to merge¡ªcreating a ball of chaos that seemed to eat at each other. Katherine then raised her hands, and as she did so; the elemental ball the size of a watermelon exponentially multiplied in size, filling the white space almostpletely.


    And with another breath, it just withered away like it never existed in the first ce.


    "Your control and raw power seem to have increased dramatically, Katherine," Riley''s ps reced the thunders,


    "You''re still weak, but that''s not important."


    "...Thanks?" Katherine could really only force a chuckle as she returned to Riley''s side.


    "Well, wow¡­" Professor Thelma also pped as she looked at Katherine, "...I''ve never seen a species capable of summoning different elements. You said you two were from the Unknown?"


    "Yes, we''re from a called Earth, Professor Thelma," Riley nodded.


    "Well, I''m excited to see what you can do," Thelma breathed out as she looked at Riley with anticipation, "So¡­ which element can you summon?"


    "I have a different ability, Professor Thelma."


    "...Oh? Like what?"


    "Like this."


    Riley snapped his fingers, and as he did so¡ªthe white space disappearedpletely. Reced by nothing but a darkness so deep, it almost felt like one was blind.


    "What¡­ did you do?" Professor Thelma blinked a couple of times again so that her eyes could adjust to the darkness, but still, nothing.


    "Oh. I removed your eyes, Professor Thelma."

 Chapter 519:The New Class

    "You¡­ removed my eyes? Really?"


    Professor Thelma quickly patted and touched her face, only to feel her eyes actually still there and peacefully resting in their sockets.


    "I cut off the optic nerve. And you are probably wondering why your eyes still have not recovered, that is because I am preventing them from healing."


    "Oh?" And as the light returned to Professor Thelma''s eyes, she blinked a couple of times before looking at Riley,


    "So, you are some sort of telekic? I have never seen one capable of actually harming a themarian''s body before."


    "I have other abilities, Professor Thelma," Riley nodded, "I just do not use them as my telekinesis is enough most of the time. It is still the most versatile ability that I have."


    Riley snapped his fingers again, removing all the light from Professor Thelma''s eyes.


    "I don''t appreciate you cutting off my optic nerves again," the tone of Thelma''s voice changed.


    "I did not, Professor Thelma. I am only showing you how versatile my telekic ability is. This time, I prevented and isted the light from spreading," Riley snapped his fingers again, and with it, the light returned.


    "Can you show your other abilities?" Thelma''s tone once again changed to a friendlier one.


    "Of course, Professor Thelma."


    "..." And while Riley was busy performing some of his abilities to professor Thelma, Katherine was just there standing on the side, wondering just how apathetic themarians are¡ªRiley just cutoff her eyes, and now she''s just talking to him so casually like nothing happened.


    But considering themarians live a thousand years and could regenerate any and all wounds in the blink of an eye, perhaps it would be weirder if they overreacted when getting hurt. But then again, they barely get hurt¡­ so pain should almost be a foreign concept to them.


    ¡­Or is it? Based on what she had seen so far, themarians being called a race of warriors was almost an understatement¡ªtheir lectures are about battle strategies, or how to advance their technology in a way that would help increase their firepower.


    But why are they learning all of these things¡­ if they are not even interested in conquering the universe or going to war with the other races? Is it just some sort of inherent trait that they couldn''t get rid of?


    ¡­Or were the themarians preparing for somethin¡ª


    "..." And before Katherine''s thoughts could go deeper, she suddenly noticed a small orb hovering in front of her. The orb then opened up, revealing some sort of¡­ mechanical eyes that started looking at her from head to toe.


    And as soon as it was done, the small orb flew toward Riley, who seemed to have just finished showing off some of his abilities to Professor Thelma. The orb looked at Thelma at first, before focusing on Riley and looking at him from head to toe.


    "Could this be the Arbiter that you have mentioned before, Professor Thelma?" Riley tilted his head to the side, and the small orb did the same.


    "It is," Professor Thelma smiled and nodded.


    "And it judges which ss one would belong to?"


    "Hm," Professor Thelma nodded again, "You could even say the Arbiter is the Supreme College itself. It sees everything, it hears everything, and it knows everything that is going on within the college."


    "Then why did you not know who we are earlier, Professor Thelma?"


    "Well, that''s because only the Principal and the Vice-principal can view the Arbiter. The Arbiter can sometimes tell you things if it feels like it, though," Thelma then sighed as she looked at the Arbiter, "Arbi, show me all the files involving Princess Esme Varoif."


    [I apologize, Professor Thelma,] the Arbiter''s eye quickly turned toward Thelma, [You are not authorized to do that action. Would you like me to ask Principal L to give you permission?]


    "That''s not needed, Arbi," Professor Thelma waved her hand and chuckled, "Just tell us which ss Mr. Riley belongs to. No need to process hispanion."


    [Okay, I am still analyzing Riley Ross, it might take a while,] the Arbiter blinked, [How are your parents, Professor Thelma? Have you talked them out of undergoing Eternal Death?]


    "A¡­ Arbi!" Professor Thelma quickly grabbed the Arbiter and covered its eye, "That''s private."


    [I apologize, Professor Thelma. It has been a while since west spoke and the information''s priority has been pushed back below significant levels,] although there was still a glimpse of the Arbiter being an AI from its words and voice, the way itmunicated almost felt like there was another person on the other side of the small orb¡ªKatherine have seen a lot of AI back on Earth, but never like this. She also noticed this back in Diana''s ship; the themarians'' AI technology¡­


    ¡­they almost truly seem alive.


    "It''s¡­ alright, Arbi," Professor Thelma let go of the Arbiter, "Do we have a ce to put Mr. Riley now?"


    [I am still adjusting and analyzing his data, Professor Thelma,] the Arbiter started blinking, [Are you aware that he is a Ranker?]


    "...What''s a Ranker again?" Professor Thelma squinted her eyes, "Wait¡ªYou mean he''s an ouw?"


    [Rank 24.]


    "Oh, they increased my rank," Riley looked at Katherine and smiled.


    "..." As for Katherine, she didn''t really know how to respond to that¡ªshould¡­ she be proud that Riley is once again on his way to being recognized as the No. 1 Superviin, this time in the entire Known Universe?<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Whenever she remembers trying to change Riley for the better at the start, Katherine just wanted to bury herself in embarrassment and shame. Project ''Turn Dark into Light'' was a part of her life that¡­ only changed her for the worse.


    "You''re¡­ wanted outside the territory?" Professor Thelma then turned to look at Riley.


    "I am, Professor Thelma. Imitted genocides here and there."


    "...Arbi, what else do you have on Mr. Riley?"


    [He has killed 11 Themarian criminals belonging to the Hel Kingdom. And killed 1 Themarian cadet belonging to our glorious kingdom.]


    "...What?" Professor Thelma''s eyes squinted as she looked back at Riley, "You should have a cor."


    "I did, I destroyed it," Riley nodded, "Star Sergeant Zac did not issue me another one and instead just tricked me into meeting Princess Esme instead of Aerith."


    [Based on my analysis, Riley Ross has also impersonated a themarian that called himself Paragon, which fought with a clone of Riley Ross for reasons I can not fathom.]


    "That was all happening outside?" Professor Thelma blinked a couple of times as she nced at Riley, "I should ask for permission to go out more. What else do you have on him?"


    "..."


    [I apologize, Professor Thelma. The Principal just ordered me not to say anything else,] the Arbiter let out a sigh, [On a side note, I have finished analyzing Riley Ross. Would you like to hear the results now?]


    "Oh, uh¡­ I forgot all about that," Professor Thelma also let out a sigh as she shook her head, "So, what''s the verdict?"


    "Are you not going to ask me to leave after hearing all of that, Professor Thelma?" Riley asked before the Arbiter could show the results.


    "It''s not really important, though?" Professor Thelma just shrugged, "I think we''ve all identally destroyed a when we were younger."


    "Hm," Riley nodded before ncing at Katherine, "I told you, Katherine. Themarians arepletely different from everyone else."


    "...I am starting to realize that."


    [Here is my judgment after analyzing Riley Ross''s profile thoroughly,] the Arbiter''s voice then started to echo throughout the entire white space,


    [He may choose which ss he wants, or create a ss of his own.]


    "...What?" Professor Thelma looked back and forth between all the people in the room, "What do you mean? So he can just pick any ss he wants to be in?"


    "It would seem I wasted everyone''s time, Professor Thelma. I apologize," Riley sighed and shook his head.


    "Oh, not at all," Professor Thelma also shook her head, "If it''s like this, then I''d actually like to request you to join all my sses. You''re very interesting and I am sure the students under me would learn a lot from you. I teach mainly power control,bat etiquette, and waterbat sses."


    "Is Princess Esme in one of your sses?"


    "The Princess is directly under me in the Power Control ss."


    "Then I would like to enroll in your sses, Professor Thelma."


    "Well then, that''s settled," Professor Thelma rubbed her palms together, "Did you hear that, Arbi? ce Riley in my ss."


    [Are you sure, Professor Thelma?] The Arbiter tilted its spherical body, [Are you handing your position over to Riley Ross?]


    "What? What are you saying?"


    [It would seem we havee to a misunderstanding due to my over usage of emotional vocabry. I meant to indicate that after thorough analysis, I have judged Riley Ross overqualified as a student,] The Arbiter blinked a couple of times,


    [Riley Ross, if he so wants to, shall be the newest member of the Super College''s faculty.]


    "You mean¡­ a professor?" Thelma''s eyes started to widen; and not only her, a small and very deep breath also escaped Katherine''s nose.


    "That is interestingly stupid¡­" Riley let out a small hum as he ced his hand on his chin,


    "...You mentioned I can create my own ss?"


    [We will have to have it approved by the Principal, but yes,] the Arbiter blinked, [What ss do you have in mind, Riley Ross?]


    "Well¡­" And very soon, a wide smile that reached from ear to ear started to crawl on Riley''s face,


    "...I do have some experience in torture."

 Chapter 520: Calum

    "Did you hear about the new professor?"


    "I tried enrolling in his ss, but it was already full."


    "...Already? They said he''s from the Unknown, maybe everyone''s just curious."


    "Oh, man. I wanted to enroll in the ss, I heard Princess Esme is in it."


    "Yeah, she dropped all of her sses to attend the new professor''s ss."


    "Wait¡­ you want to be in the same ss as Princess Esme? Are you crazy?"


    "The professor is said to have killed a bunch of criminals on his own."


    "I heard they made a mistake and thought he was a student at first. They''re also saying he killed Lord James''s son."


    "Lord¡­ Fionn is dead? Just how many rumours are surrounding the new teacher? Man, the only time I chose to sleep in years and a new ss was formed?"


    "I heard thest spot just got taken this morning by a Level 1 Student."


    "A Level 1!? Why would they even prioritize a new student?"


    My name Calum, no family name as I have no family¡­ and I am the Level 1 student they were just referring to. There are about 850 students attending the Supreme College of Varoif, separated by 3 Levels.


    I''ve been in the college for about 60 years now, and most of my peers have already advanced to Level 2. They said that themarians are supposed to have a better memory than most of the other races outside the territory, but I know first-hand that that isn''t true.


    After all, the students that I passed by just now were the peers that I mentioned earlier¡ªI even met eyes with one of them, but other than a minute and fleeting nce, it didn''t even seem like she recognized me.


    But perhaps that is just what I am to them, to everyone. Nothing but a minute and fleeting existence. I envy the stories I hear from the outside, where people can just live in a blink of an eye, but each moment is more meaningful than thest.


    And perhaps that is what existence is supposed to be? Perhaps it only has meaning if you know it ends?


    My species have been called the apex predator of the entire Known Universe; beings without equal, the pinnacle of evolution. But that is not exactly true.


    There are species that are faster than us, smarter than us, more adaptive than us. The only thing that is truly unchanging and uncontested is our strength. Strength without equal; no, perhaps that is not the right term.


    Unfair.


    Our strength was and is deemed so unfair to the rest of the universe¡­that it caged us.


    The universe has stripped us of our morality, but not enough¡ªnot enough to forsake it.


    We are stuck in a prison that we, ourselves, made in order to protect the universe from us.


    Unlike the Evaniels, who are even biologically descended from a god, the themarians are stuck.


    Unlike the Messengers, who are even too big to fit on 99.9% of thes of the Known Universe, the themarians are stuck.


    And perhaps as another way to mock us, we are practically able to live forever in this lonely, deste, and meaningle¡ª


    "Get out of the way, retard."


    And there it is again, as I feel the shoulder of another brush pass mine; as another push me away to enter the¡ª


    "You''re blocking the way. What''s your problem?"


    "S¡­ sorry."


    I apologize to them, but I know that they know that it is not truly me that blocks the door, but the thoughts that weigh me. And as I entered this room, filled with familiar faces that I have seen for thest 60 years, everyone just looked at me as if I am a stranger¡­ an outsider.


    And that is true, I am an outsider. I am different from the rest of these people. I am enlightened to the truth of our universe¡ªthe truth that we are actually the weakest. What other species, what other race out there is trapped in their own domain?


    Only the weak.


    And as I walk toward an empty seat at the front of the ss, I look not at the faces of my colleagues, but toward the window with a meaningless view. None of them even bothered to sit in the front of the ss because they are not interested in learning the truth, only me.


    They have joined for various other reasons, I have joined for only one¡ªthe professor is from the Unknown.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The truth and the unknown, words that could not be even more apart from each other, but very much the same. This is¡ª


    "You are in my seat, Calum."


    "S¡ª"


    "You are in my seat. Transfer to another."


    I looked toward the face of the only student that recognized me¡­ only to¡ª


    "If I have to ask again, I will have you evicted from this ss."


    "Y¡­ yes, Princess Esme."


    And before Calum could even finish his thoughts, an unusually tall, but in-looking woman without any sort of emotion on her face ced her hand on the table. And right there and then, Calum realized the true reason why no one was sitting at the front of the ss¡ªthe entire row was reserved for the Princess.


    Calum then quickly turned around, only to see that the only remaining seat left was at the corner at the very end of the ss. And so, with another subtle nce at the Princess, Calum bowed his head and started heading up to the back.


    It doesn''t matter. I, Calum, am still¡ª


    "The professor arrives! Attention!"


    But s, before Calum could even make it halfway there, Princess Esme''s loud voice caused the entire room to shiver and quake; with the other students all quickly standing from their seats¡ªthis was a national custom in Varoif.


    When a student learns from a new professor for the first time, they must stand up to greet him or her with respect. If you are not in position, then that would only mean one thing¡ªyou do not respect your new professor.


    And so, that is the story of how Calum was forcibly kicked out of the ss by Princess Esme even before Riley could stand in front of the hall. As a professor, Riley could choose whatever he wanted to wear¡ªbut in the end, he just chose to wear the college''s uniform, covered by a long ck coat that reached his ankles.


    Katherine was walking behind him, also wearing the same. This time, however, her hair was back to its original red color during her Scarlet Mage days; her clothes, also the college''s uniform covered by a ck coat that didn''t go below her waist.


    And although Calum was no longer present in the ss, perhaps he wasn''t missing anything at all, as minutes had already gone by¡­ and Riley was just standing in front of everyone.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Why are you not saying anything, Riley?" And after a few more minutes, Katherine whispered into Riley''s ear.


    "I am imitating you, Katherine. I remember you just spacing out before Silvie Savelievna called you."


    "Just¡­" Katherine''s eyes quickly became dead. Of course, she remembers that¡ªthe only reason she was spacing out was that she was thinking about Riley in the first ce,


    "Just start the ss."


    "Very well," Riley nodded before finally taking a step forward and actually looking at his ss. And as soon as he did so, the students that were looking at each other and wondering what was happening once again straightened their bodies,


    "Greetings, themarian students. My name is Riley Ross. I have killed tens of billions of people all around the Known Universe. My purpose of visiting Theran is to bury my biological mother here by the wish of my adoptive mother, but as you may very well see, fate has other ns."


    "..."


    "My original purpose for wanting to visit Theran was to hear each and everyst one of you scream, and I will," Riley nodded to himself, "As some of you may have already heard, I am Princess Aerith''s lover¡ªand that is all for my introduction, all of you may return to your seats."


    "Everyone, bow to the professor and take your seats!" Princess Esme once again shouted. And in perfect unison, everyone bowed their heads before sitting at the same time.


    "Hm," Riley nodded at Esme as he saw this, "Since all of you are here, I would assume that you already know what this ss is. I named this ss Torture 101, and therefore¡­


    ¡­I need a volunteer."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...What?"

 Chapter 521:Torture 101

    "I need a volunteer, themarian students."


    Katherine knew. Katherine knew that Riley Ross bing some sort of teacher was bad, really bad. She never would have thought in a million years that he would actually be passing on knowledge to someone, but now here he is.


    Out of all the things that could happen, out of all the possibilities, the universe was now bearing witness to the worse thing that could ever happen to it¡ªthe most unholy creature in the entire universe will be teaching the strongest species in the entire universe how to inflict as much pain to someone else as much as possible.


    Katherine wanted to cover her face, and unbeknownst to her, she was actually already doing so. The air around the lecture hall became extremely thick with silence; no one was even looking at each other and were just nkly staring at Riley.


    A second.


    A minute.


    And a couple more, but no one really responded. Perhaps for beings that could live for thousands and thousands of years, this silence meant nothing at all. But for humans, well¡ªRiley seemed like a patient person, but Katherine knew that isn''t truly the case.


    "Hm¡­" Riley''s eyes started to squint; his breaths, scattering through the entire hall, "It doesn''t matter who volunteers first as all of you will, sooner orter, be forced toe here to the stage."


    "...What?"


    "For you to inflict pain¡­" Riley closed his eyes before touching his ear, "¡­then you must know pain."


    "!!!"


    And all of a sudden, Riley pulled andpletely tore off his ear, causing some of the students to instinctively stand from their seats and get into theirbat stances.


    "Aerith knew pain," Riley whispered as he looked at Princess Esme, "She, to this day, is still the strongest themarian I have met besides my adoptive mother. I do not know why or how, but Aerith allowed herself to learn pain¡ªnow how do I know that?"


    Riley started walking as his ear started to regenerate. But before it could fully heal, Riley ripped it off again; even with all the blood sttering on the floor, however, his white hair that flowed with the air remains immacte along with his coat.


    "Because never once did she scream when I tortured her. People have personality, and you have to prepare torture that is ording to their nature. It doesn''t matter if one ims to be immune to pain or torture, torture will always have an effect one way or another. But what if their nature prevents them from giving up?"


    "..." Everyone then sat back in their seats and started listening to their new professor''s words.


    "Aerith did not only learn pain, but she also mastered it," and with those words, Riley''s ear stopped growing back, "She spent an entire yearpletely broken, mangled, bodiless¡ªAerith made herselffortable with pain because she knows how to control it¡­


    ¡­How do you beat someone like that?"


    "..." Everyone started looking at each other, waiting for someone to answer Riley''s question. And very soon, the person at the very front raised her hand.


    "You try and try again until you find where it hurts," Princess Esme answered.


    "Wrong," but s, Riley quickly shook his head and shut her down, "Aerith represents hope that can never be broken. But that doesn''t mean that you can not torture her¡ªif pain does not work, then you target her mind¡­


    ¡­Torture is never about physical pain, it is always psychological."


    "Themarians can recover their brains and mine, Professor Riley."


    "It can recover, but it will not be the same," Riley shook his head, "My torture methods are separated into two major types¡ªThe Short One, and The Long One. The Short One is used to just y around, for those that are easily broken."


    "...How would you know which one to use?" Princess Esme ced her hand on her chin as she held some sort of orb; and from the movements of her fingers, she seemed to be typing and taking notes on it.


    "You study your victim. For example, Miss Katherine."


    "...Huh?" Katherine could not help but blink a couple of times as Riley suddenly stepped to the side and gestured to her.


    "I used a Short One on Miss Katherine during our early meeting," Riley then started circling around Katherine, "Katherine Read was a hopeful person whose entire goal in life is to be a superhero."


    "...Riley?" Katherine''s eyebrows started to furrow.


    "She is not weak, not at all. Even now, she can probably kill one of you if she truly put the effort into it," Riley nodded, "But she is fragile. At an early age, her father left her and her mother alone to fend for themselves¡ªcing her love that should have been reserved for both parents to only one, her mother."


    "Riley," Katherine started shaking her head.


    "That is all you really need to know to break her," Riley, however, did not stop, "When Katherine learned a secret of mine, I threatened to cut off her mother''s tongue¡ªit is quite effective because I have a prior reputation of being ruthless, that helps too. Like an egg, Katherine started cracking there and then."


    "..." Katherine could really only bite her lip as Riley continued to reveal things about her.


    "I started learning more and more about her; what she likes, what she wants, what she needs, what she craves. But these things are only mildly important because the cracks can also be used to mold them¡ªwhat she likes, what she wants¡ªsoon these things you can dictate," Riley then ced her hand on Katherine''s chin,<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Things that are broken can be reshaped into a more beautiful piece."


    "...Riley," Katherine''s face started to turn red as she felt the warmth of Riley''s fingers. But before anything could happen, Riley let go of her and turned around.


    "But of course, that is not the lesson I will be teaching you. This is Torture 101, after all. I am only telling you the things that are possible with torture," Riley said as he started to scan the students,


    "Now, The Long One is the method that I am using for Aerith, and the thing that I used on her son. She brought his son here and you might see him soon since he is still considered Themarian royalty belonging to the other kingdom, but he is weak and insecure¡ªand I used that," Riley then stretched his hands to the side, causing the entire lecture hall to tremble,


    "Ever since he revealed that he is Aerith''s son, I started a Long One. Sadly a lot of things happened that postponed it, but when I returned, I started it again. It was fun, inflicting pain is fun. Hearing people scream, looking people in their eyes as they take theirst breaths, this¡ª"


    "..."


    "I apologize, I lost track. Now, where were we¡­ Right, right¡­


    ¡­Who wants to volunteer?"


    And as Riley raised his hand to find a volunteer, everyone just turned their heads down. Who exactly in their right mind would want to volunteer after hearing everything that Riley just said?


    Learning their vulnerabilities? Torturing them to the point they changed?


    They already know that there is torture involved when they enrolled in the ss since that is literally the name of the course, but they didn''t sign up to actually be the subject of the torture.


    "Let me."


    Fortunately for them, they did not have to volunteer as someone raised their hand. And as expected, it was Princess Esme.


    "No."


    But before Princess Esme could even stand up from her seat, Riley ordered her to sit back down.


    "Torture might not work on you, Princess Esme."


    "You are assuming things about me again, Professor Riley. We are here to prove that I am equal or better than Princess Aerith, how would I do that if I do not participate in this?"


    "Torture might not work on you as intended because we are the same, Princess Esme," Riley then let out a small¡­ and slightly disappointed sigh,


    "You are in the spectrum."


    "What is that?" Princess Esme squinted her eyes, "We''re in a lecture hall, Professor Riley."


    "It doesn''t matter. You will not be an effective volunteer," Riley shook his head, "You might get hurt, you might give up, and you might be molded. But since you are different, then you are not the subject we must learn."


    "Does that matter? I am ready, Professor Riley."


    "...Very well. Since you are eager to participate, I can''t fail your efforts. Please,e here to the front, Princess Esm¡­e."


    Esme appeared in front of Riley before he could even finish his words. He didn''t heed it any mind, however, as he looked at the student that was nearest to the door,


    "And you, pleasee here and introduce yourself."


    "M¡­ Me? Wh¡ª" And before the student could do anything, she suddenly started floating toward the front of the ss. She tried to resist by flying away¡ªbut Princess Esme''s eyes suddenly turned red as a warning, causing her to just give up.


    "Introduce yourself to the rest of the ss, Miss Cam," Riley then said as he took a step back.


    "You¡­ You know my name, sir?" Cam could not help but nce at Riley, before bowing her head and introducing herself to the rest of the ss, "My¡­ my name is Cam. A Level 2 student."


    "Very well, Cam," Riley nodded,


    "I want you to try and torture Princess Esme."


    "...Sorry?" Cam blinked a couple of times as she looked back and forth between Riley and the tall princess.


    "You do not have to worry¡­


    ¡­I will guide you."

 Chapter 522:A Schedule

    "This is bullshit! We didn''t travel god knows how many lightyears just to get separated! This is all your fucking fault!"


    "This is your genocidal maniac brother''s fault."


    On the other side of the, Hannah, Ts, Hera, and Vera were currently surrounded by trees that were almost as tall as skyscrapers, but as thin as bamboo. It wouldn''t be umon for those that would see the trees from above to mistake them for hair with the way they looked from afar.


    "Fuck!"


    But as is the case with all of Theran, even with Hannah kicking it with all her might, the only thing her leg really did was slightly cause the tree to sway.


    "And why are you even staying with us? Aren''t you supposed to be a diplomatic prisoner!?" And with her leg obviously hurting and starting to swell, Hannah turned her frustration toward Vera, who was just casually sitting on the ground and warming herself up with a me that Hannah made for them.


    "Because I''d honestly just rather stay with you people than be surrounded by a bunch of psychopaths," Vera only stared at the mes and shrugged, "My mother, the Queen, is going to be here. I would rather take my chances with you than with them."


    "What makes you think I won''t fucking kill you?"


    "Because you''re a good person," Vera shook her head as she stretched her palms near the fire, "Your love and trust are misced in your genocidal maniac of a brother, but you''re a good person."


    "You¡­" Hannah opened her mouth, but she really couldn''t find any words to say. And so, with a stuttered breath, she just also sat on the ground in silence.


    "Good, I thought the two of you wouldn''t stop arguing."


    And before the silence could settle down, Hera broke away from the group and started walking around to check the towering bamboo surrounding them,


    "You kids should really learn how to rx," she then said as she grabbed one of the shoots and started wagging it,


    "Out of all the people on this entire, I assure you¡ªyou guys are the most stressed. These themarians have¡­ ack of care for everything to the point that they''re just letting us roam free. Think of it as some sort of vacation or something."


    "...What is with you and taking a vacation?"


    "Do you know how long it has been since my skinst touched some vitamin sea? A very long time, that''s how," Hera shook her head as she returned to the fire and stood beside the eerily quiet Ts,


    "More than that, we should be worrying about grandma here. She''s like hundreds of years old, she''s ready to¡­ you know, at any time. We might have to bury her before Ms. Phoenix."


    "Hera, she can hear."


    "...What?" Hera then blinked a couple of times as she looked at Ts, only to see both her sunken eyes staring through her soul, almost causing her to jump in fright.


    "I¡­ I think she''s dead."


    "What!?" Both Vera and Hannah stood up from the ground to look at Ts, only for her to also look at them with her eyes that were only a step away from death.


    "Should¡­ she really be traveling with us?" Hannah gulped, "How much further to the city?"


    "20 kilometers, give or take," Hera said as she looked at the Teera X120, "We''re not even sure if there''s really anything for us there. The bartender might be lying about someone willing to help us there. We should let the princess run there to ask for information instead."


    "How many times do I have to tell you that I can''t?" Vera sighed, "As soon as I use my speed, it''ll alert someone. I don''t want to deal with a themarian right now. And we already agreed that a shot in the dark is better than just sitting around and doing nothing."


    "That would be kinda hard since we''re fucking surrounded by them," Hannah rolled her eyes, "And you didn''t agree about anything, you''re not part of the decision-making club here. And what do you have against the themarians anyway? They seem like a pretty chill people."


    "At what corner of the universe do you think these people are chill?" Vera closed her eyes and shook her head, "And you''ve met like what, 20 of them?"


    "I''ve met themarian criminals, I can''t really judge their people based on them."


    "Your mother makes Riley Ross''s crimes look like a child, she''s a themarian," this time, Vera was the one to roll her eyes, "Also, you shouldn''t even bother with the ones that have cors around their necks¡ªthey are the normal ones."


    "..."


    "When you have that much power, it''s normal to act on it and make mistakes." And all of a sudden, Ts, who was literally covered in rocks, finally spoke up; her voice, almost as growling as the stones wrapping her,


    "You should be wary about the dragons hiding in the cave rather than those that are freely flying above the skies."


    "..."


    "..."


    "The fuck does that even mean?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ***


    "I''m out! I quit!"


    The hallways of the Supreme College of Varoif are usually quiet and reserved. But there is currently a storm brewing in one of its lecture halls¡ªand not even an hour after, its door opened as a handful of students walked out of the ss.


    If one were to take a peek through the opened doors, then one would see a sight of hell. No, one did not even need to take a peek inside¡­ as a pool of blood was already flowing and sliding out of the hall as soon as the door opened.


    Of course, most of the students still remained seated in their seats; either because they were too stunned to move, or too engrossed with the lesson. The blood belonged only to a single individual¡ªPrincess Esme.


    But even if one were to look long and hard, one would not be able to see Princess Esme¡­ but instead, the anatomy of a themarian floating right at the front of the ss, her long and tall limbs, stretched for everyone to see.


    Her muscles, her flesh, and her stomach all cut open and revealed the insides of her body.


    "That will be all, Ms. Cam. Please return to your seat. And congrattions on torturing someone for the first time."


    "Y¡­ Yes." And the student that was forced to volunteer, Cam, had a smile on her face as she returned to her seat; her cheeks, still flowing with blood that wasn''t her own. She didn''t even mind the squelching sound created by the blood drowning her clothes as she sat back down in her seat.


    "Princess Esme, you may alsoe down."


    And as soon as Riley said that, the lump of flesh and blood floating in the air very slowly closed and reattached itself; and by the time her feetnded back on the floor, Princess Esme was once again whole.


    "How was the experience of being tortured, Princess Esme?"


    "It was very painful and surreal, Professor Riley," Princess Esme just ced her hand on her chin, not even minding that she waspletely naked, "I do not really wish for it to happen again¡ªnor do I wish to inflict it on another person."


    "Sadly, I can not promise you thetter, Princess Esme," Riley sighed, "This is Torture 101, after all. Since you have been tortured, then it is just fair that you will torture someone¡­


    ¡­and that goes for all of you," Riley then said as he faced the students that chose to remain,


    "Please choose your partner, as starting tomorrow, you will take turns in torturing each other. Remember the very first lesson I told all of you¡ªTorture is always psychological. Our sses might start in this room, but you can start studying your partner outside. Learn about them, and use it against them¡­


    ¡­All of you may go."


    And as soon as he said that, all the students except for Princess Esme instantly disappeared from the room.


    "Thank you for the valuable lesson, Professor Riley."


    "Hm."


    "Although you bing a professor was truly something I did not expect, but I think the Kingdom of Varoif would benefit greatly from your lessons."


    "I am only imitating the way Katherine does her lessons, Princess Esme. The praise should be hers," Riley said as he raised his hand, and as he did so, the blood that scattered all over the lecture hall all started vaporizing and dissipating into thin air.


    "..." Katherine didn''t really know whether to be proud or not from Riley''s statement.


    "And so, have I proven myself to at least be equal to the only princess of Hel?" Princess Esme then said as she started wiping off the blood from her skin.


    "Can you stay an entire year the way you did today?"


    "I do not know how long a year is, but the answer will be no."


    "Then my answer is also no," Riley shook his head, "Aerith stayed a year being harvested and tortured, and she treated it as rest."


    "...I do not think I will ever be capable of that," Princess Esme then let out a very long and deep sigh as she shook her head, "I do not want to admit it, but I truly amcking against Princess Aerith."


    "That is not something to be ashamed of, everyone isckingpared to Princess Aerith."


    "But if she really is as great as you say she is¡­


    ¡­Then why is she currently scheduled to be put to Eternal Death?"


    "What¡­ do you mean, Princess Esme?"

 Chapter 523: Despair

    "They are¡­ going to execute Megawoman?"


    Katherine was not really one to bother other people''s conversations¡ªespecially a conversation between two confusing people. But as soon as she heard Esme''s words, she could not help but make her way near Riley and join in on the conversation.


    "Megawoman? Who is that?"


    "It is what my people call Aerith, Princess Esme," Riley was the one to answer her question as he looked up to look her in the eyes. Katherine didn''t even need to read Riley''s heart in order to know that it was fluctuating,


    "Where did you get this information from?"


    "I may not be regarded highly amongst my family, but I am still royalty, Professor Riley," Princess Esme nodded, before gesturing to Riley to follow her,


    "I overheard my father talking to my oldest siblings, I like to eavesdrop in their conversations, you see," Esme slightly bowed to not hit her head on the way out of the lecture hall, "It would seem that Aerith was put on trial for leaving Theran without any formal permission from their kingdom. Father said they are probably making an example out of her¡ªmaking a statement that even if she is the only princess of the Hel Kingdom, she was not exempted from theirws."


    "Riley, we need to do something," Katherine grabbed Riley''s arm, "This is serious. Since they are willing to sacrifice their kingdom''s princess just like that, I don''t know what they would do to the others; our daughter, Silvie¡­ your mother. Paige was also with Megawoman and she''spletely unrted to everything."


    "Are all of your acquaintances women, Professor Riley?" Esme halted her steps as she nced at Riley, "Although I already half expected it. You seem to have this weird way of gaining the trust of females."


    "..."


    "You have the consistency of a pet that women and girls will not be able to resist, is what I think I want to say, Professor Riley."


    "I suppose that is one advantage of my looks, Princess Esme," Riley only shrugged as he gestured to Princess Esme to continue walking,


    "If my face was not pleasing to look at, then I am sure Katherine would not even think of her ridiculous ''Turn Dark into Light'' n and just go straight to the Hope Guild to reveal who I am. But since I am good-looking, she wanted it to be our little secret so she could keep me to herself."


    "Hm, very superficial," Princess Esme nodded several times as she looked at Katherine; a few seconds after, however, she let out a sigh, "I honestly would have done the same, Professor Riley. If you are ugly, I would not be wanting to gain your approval on whether or not I am equal to the Rebel Princess."


    "That is probably why no one is trying to get your approval, Princess Esme."


    "...I am ugly?" Princess Esme blinked a couple of times as she lightly touched her face. She then turned around to look at some of the other students that were walking across therge hallway. But s, before she could even open her mouth to ask for their opinion, they all quickly turned to walk where they came.


    The Supreme College has many students, but with Princess Esme in tow, everyone just wanted to avoid her path¡ªavoiding the entric princess'' path is avoiding trouble.


    "You are not ugly, Princess Esme," Riley shook his head, "There is no such thing as an ugly face, beauty is a collection of different preferences¡ªyou just look different than what most people would deem good-looking."


    "I am abnormally tall too," Princess Esme sighed, "Perhaps it is just my fate to be different, as you say. But I don''t really mind the way people look at me, they are the ones with the problem, not me."


    "Hm, it is good you think so, Princess Esme. We¡ª"


    "Riley, we''re getting distracted! They need us there!"


    "Hm¡­" Riley nodded as he looked at Katherine, "Forgive me, Princess Esme, but my subordinate is right. It''s time to stop the roley. It is a pity, though. I was starting to learn why people want to teach others, it is quite a nice feeling to impart your knowledge to other people."


    "I am sure that even if it was just a single day, the things my people have learned from you will be useful for eternity, Professor Riley," Princess Esme then stood in front of Riley, before bowing her head and doing some sort of curtsy¡ªeven then, however, she still towered over him,


    "I no longer wish to prove myself equal to the Princess of Hel, as no matter what I do, I know you hold a certain bias toward her."


    "That is true, Princess Esme. Aerith and my sister will always be better than everyone else."


    "Your¡­ sister?" Esme squinted her eyes as soon as the word ''sister'' entered her ears, "The information I received did not indicate you having a sister. Are you saying your sister is equal to Princess Aerith?"


    "Yes," Riley answered without any hesitation.


    "..." Esme then turned her head to the side, looking at the view from the outside for a few seconds before turning her attention back to Riley, "If you answer this single question truthfully, then I will do everything in my power to let you meet Princess Aerith. Let us forget any prior deals."


    "What is it?" Riley tilted his head to the side, causing his long white hair to flow from his shoulders.


    "If you would choose between your sister and Princess Aerith, who would you choose?"


    "In terms of what, Princess Esme?" Riley then squinted his eyes as he ced his hand on his chin.


    "..." Esme also squinted her eyes as she seemed to really be thinking about her question deeply. And after a few seconds of silence, she looked Riley straight in the eyes,


    "Eternal Death. Since Aerith is being put to Eternal Death, are you willing to exchange her for your sister instead?"


    "But my sister is not the one on trial, Princess Esme."


    "I shall rephrase my question, Professor Riley¡ªIf you have to choose only one, who will you save from death?"


    "..." Riley''s eyes furrowed as he looked away. Even Katherine, who was just urging them to leave and do something, could not help but pause in her tracks as she heard the violent fluctuation of Riley''s heart¡ªno, she didn''t just hear his heart fluctuate, it was screaming¡­<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡­screaming to the point that it made Katherine want to cover her ears.


    From the outside, however, Riley just seemed to be thinking about the question deeply.


    "There will always be a way to save both, Princess Esme," Riley then said.


    "But what if there is not?" Princess Esme insisted, "I was once asked this question by my father decades ago, he asked me to choose between my pet lizard and mother."


    "May I ask what you answered, Princess Esme?"


    "I did not have an answer."


    "..."


    "..."


    "What about you, Professor Riley? Have youe up with an answer?"


    "After thinking about it for a few seconds, I suppose I havee up with an answer, Princess Esme," Riley then let out a small but very deep sigh as he dropped his arms,


    "My sister will die, Princess Esme."


    "So, Princess Aerith is more important to you?"


    "No, they are both still equally important to me," Riley shook his head,


    "But it would be better for sister to die."


    "...Why?"


    "So she would not have to see what I would do to the world that made me choose between her life and Aerith''s."


    "...And what exactly will you do, Professor Riley?"


    "Destroy it."


    "But you told me you are already doing that."


    "I am," Riley then let out another deep breath as he looked at the view outside, "But in this case, I will let them live."


    "You are lowering their punishment?"


    "No. I will let them live so that at every second, at every breath¡ªthey will know that I am there. They will look at every darkness, at every shadow¡­ and I will be in their minds, slowly burrowing into their brains and reminding them that the sun will never shine on them again. They will live afraid, hurt, and tortured¡ªI will be the insect that digs through their children''s eyes, the cancer that eats away at their bodies¡­


    ¡­I will no longer be the peace of Death, but the anguish of Despair itself."


    "But you are an evil person, Professor Riley. Do you not think you deserve to lose the people you care for?"


    "But they don''t deserve to lose everything for the things I have done," Riley said as he looked Princess Esme in the eyes, "My actions are mine alone, and they will always be mine alone."


    "Then what about Princess Aerith? Are you saying she deserves to see you destroy and hurt others?"


    "Aerith will never choose her life over another, that is the kind of person she is. And if I make that choice for her¡­" Riley breathed out, "...She will hate me forever¡ªand that is my eternal punishment."


    "You really thought this through; as expected of a professor," Princess Esme nodded to herself several times as she once again started walking,


    "I am pleased with your answer, Riley. Although there''s a chance father might not meet with us, I can be quite convincing in finding ways to seek an audience for the King."


    "Hm."


    "The two of you need to change, however. I will ask them to prepare your attire in your room, please wait there in the meantime. I wille and find you."


    And with those words, Princess Esme disappeared; leaving a slightly baffled Katherine to ponder what just happened. Did¡­


    ¡­they just waste an entire day ying teacher-and-student?


    Unbeknownst to Katherine, however¡­


    ¡­Riley''s single lesson would have a clear, dramatic, and sudden effect on the themarians of the Varoif Kingdom.

 Chapter 524: Trouble Ln Paradise

    "Riley, is this really our best course of action?"


    "It is our only course of action, Katherine."


    "..."


    It was a gigantic door. Not a gate, but a door. A door that stood dozens of meters tall; students from the Mega Academy back on Earth would not evenugh if you try topare the colossal door that was in front of Riley and Katherine right now to the gates of the academy.


    It was weird, out of all the things they have seen so far on this foreign, this door was probably the most alien one. Finally, an infrastructure that just shouts that they weren''t actually just back on Earth.


    The door wasced with some sort of gold material, but at first sight, its color was entirely different. When Riley and Katherin were just approaching this door, it was ebony in color. Perhaps it was some sort of technology or just the nature of its material, but it was different.


    That is the case with most of Themarian technology¡ªtheir devices were all in weird shapes. Their ''smartphones'', which they rarely use, are spherical in shape; Katherine has seen some of the students typing on them as all sorts of holograms are produced from them.


    She wouldn''t have been surprised if everything else reflected their technology, but no. The clothes they wore were closer to that of the clothes being worn during the Victorian Era back on Earth.


    Lots of frills and unnecessary details.


    "..." Katherine took in a deep breath as the corset she was wearing was starting to rub on her skin; she would have probably already taken this off if they were in any other circumstance, but no.


    They were meeting the king that rules half the entire.


    "I suppose you are wondering why I don''t just fly to Theran and dere my intentions, Katherine?"


    "That is what I''m used to, yes," Katherine then slightly pulled her corset as she leaned closer to Riley to whisper, "You usually always have a n."


    "I would have already done it if I was alone, Katherine," Riley answered; not bothering to whisper even though Varoif''s monarch was probably already on the other side of the colossal door,


    "I am being careful."


    "You''re¡­ being careful?" Katherine''s eyebrows slightly furrowed as she heard Riley''s words, "But¡­ you just killed a dozen themarians as soon as you arrived on the, Riley."


    "They were criminals, Katherine."


    "What about that guy called Fionn?"


    "He attacked me first," Riley nced at Katherine, "I am not showing it, Katherine, but themarians are¡­ scary creatures."


    "You''re scared?" Katherine''s eyes started to widen.


    "No, I said they were scary," Riley shook his head, "They can flick their fingers, and you will die. Unlike me, you only have a single life, Katherine."


    "...You care for me?"


    "I do, Katherine. You''re my First Subordinate, after all," Riley shrugged, "You can''t die a senseless death. Death is not taken seriously in this ce; they see it as a choice¡ªand they have the choice to end your lives on impulse and I might be toote to stop it."


    "Ri¡ª"


    "I was also making an example," Riley nodded, "My sister would also die. Metaphorically, it feels like I am currently holding an already cracked egg while running on a rocky path with higher gravity than normal."


    "..."


    "If all of you were not here, then I would have already bathed this with my blood and the blood of its inhabitants."


    "My daughter tells me you''re different. Now I see why."


    And before Katherine could even think of something else to say, the colossal door finally started to slide open; and as soon as it did so, a loud rumbling voice seeped from the inside. The voice was deep, deep enough to cause the floors that Katherine and Riley stood on to tremble.


    And as the door continued to open, a rainbow of lights started to glimmer and reflect on Katherine''s eyes; they weren''t bright, however, as Katherine did not even need to squint. It was not bright because the rainbow was not actually light at all, but rather just an abundant foliage that filled the entire hall in front of her.


    "Riley Ross and Katherine Read from the Unknown, please enter the throne hall!"


    "..." Katherine turned to look at Riley for a few seconds waiting for her to step inside, but Riley just slightly pointed his elbow at her. Katherine was confused at first as to what Riley was doing, but after a few more breaths, she took in a small gasp and held his arm.


    And as soon as she did so, Riley finally walked forward; his long white hair, flowing with the red cape that Princess Esme provided for him to wear.


    Katherine didn''t really know where to look as she just turned to look at the colorful foliage that littered the throne hall¡ª-once again, Theran does something unexpected.


    The throne hall which Katherine expected to be grand, looked more akin to a garden. Even the hallways of the Supreme College of Varoif were more luxurious; the only light that could be seen in the throne hall was the long strip of light on the floor¡­ but even that was just a reflection of the sun that seeped from the clear roof above.


    There were no guards, there was no entourage, or even a crowd of audience¡ªthere was just the presence of a king sitting on a simple wooden chair on top of some stairs.


    There were other people standing behind him, including Princess Esme; but their presence was almost non-existentpared to the man sitting in front of them. From how tall Esme was, one would expect the king of Varoif to be gigantic, but no. It wasn''t only him, Esme towered over everyone else she was with.


    If it wasn''t for the crown on his head, one would just mistake him as a simple old man; no, he wasn''t even that old, it was only the thick graying beard that made him look like so. His skin that was slightly darker than Esme''s showed not a single wrinkle at all.


    He looked simple, but there was something about his eyes that seemed as if he was bigger than the universe itself¡­ Katherine almost found herself not even being able to breathe.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Greetings to you, King Kaiden."


    Riley then bowed his head, while Katherine immediately imitated the way Esme curtsied.


    "There''s no need for that," King Kaiden just slightly waved his hand as he spoke, "Do you know that Esme, out of all my 12 children, is the only one that has not asked, even once, to seek an audience with me?"


    "..." Esme did not really seem to mind being mentioned by the king; his siblings, however, were obviously ring at her with different intentions.


    "My other children always want my approval, they always want to show off," King Kaiden let out a small sigh, but even that caused the nts inside the throne hall to shake and bustle, "But not Esme, Esme does not care what I think about her and I could even say she values the opinion of a stranger like you more."


    "That is true, King Kaiden," Riley answered without any hesitation. One of the King''s children was about to step forward, but King Kaiden raised hand.


    "Did I say that you can move?"


    There was only a slight change in the King''s tone, but his children all quickly turned their heads down and even took a step back; well, all of them except Esme.


    "I suppose I am dallying," King Kaiden then shook his head as he looked Riley straight in the eyes, "Speak, why are you here?"


    "I believe you can make it possible for me to formally meet the royal family of Hel, King Kaiden."


    "Then why are you here? Why not just go to the other nation and request to meet them on your own?" King Kaiden then rested her cheek on his fist as he leaned back, "I know what you are, Riley Ross. As a King, even if the rest of the takes no interest in what is happening outside, I make it a passion to know things."


    "..."


    "As we speak, one of your clones is being held personally by the Elders to prevent it from destroying any more worlds. You are a harbinger of destruction, you do as you please. Why not do the same in Hel?"


    "You have heard my reason, King Kaiden."


    "You are protecting the people around you?"


    "I am preventing them from being hurt."


    "Why bring them here in the first ce?" King Kaiden breathed out, "I know why you are here, and you do not need these many people around you¡­


    ¡­Are you not just afraid to be alone, Riley Ross?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Well, you don''t have to answer," King Kaiden then suddenly burst out inughter as he stood up from his chair, "Just treat it as an old man''s senseless banter. I will grant your request for my daughter¡ªI will send you in the guise of an envoy conveying my Kingdom''s deep condolences for the loss of their Princess. I swear, the people from Hel can be quite barbaric at times, I can never imagine sacrificing any of my children to serve as a reminder that we are prisoners of our own."


    "..." Riley just looked at the King for a few breaths, before letting out a small sigh and bowing his head, "You have my gratitude, King Kaiden."


    "Well, not just yet¡ªI do this for you, and you do something for me in return," King Kaiden then sat back on his chair; his eyes, however, did not leave Riley''s even for a single bit,


    "I know you are going to create chaos once you are there. My only request is that you cause even more."


    "..."


    "Theran has be stagnant for almost a million years," a small smile then appeared on the King''s face, "Caiin''Ur brought you here for a reason."


    "You know my adoptive mother?" Riley blinked a couple of times.


    "Oh, I do," Kaiden then let out a long and very deep sigh,


    "And that woman has always strived to destroy this frozen world, and she is back after a very long time. And if there is one thing you should know about your mother¡­


    ¡­she can be quite stubborn with her ns."


    ***


    "Where is she!? Where''s Caiin''Ur!?"


    "We were just guarding her! She should be here!"


    Somewhere on Theran, there were dozens of people wearing the uniform of the Grand Militia; none of them, however, could be described as keeping peace and order.


    All of them were just flying around; their voices filled with only panic and dread as the person they are supposed to be guarding suddenly disappeared without even a single trace.


    "No¡­ no¡­ Find her¡­


    ¡­Find her now!"

 Chapter 525:Long Time Friends

    "Find her! Whatever you have to do, find her!"


    The Grand Militia. The most respected organization on the entire, the keepers of the peace between Hel and Varoif; Theran''s guard, and home to the best and brightest the has to offer. It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that the Grand Militia was a nation of its own.


    Themarians are a race of warriors, so it was normal for most of those who have matured to join the Grand Militia to hone and practice their instincts. After all, most of them were not even allowed to travel out of their territory to actually seek or join any sort of war.


    They are trained to be fighters in a universe that don''t allow them to fight. The Grand Militia offers them to release their frustrations through skirmishes and duty.


    And right now, somewhere in the vast and seemingly empty of Theran, a toon was failing their duty.


    The individual they were ordered to guard and restrain, suddenly gone.


    Most of them were excited and even threw themselves to join this mission. It is, after all, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.


    Caiin''Ur¡ªan individual that most of those that were just born hundreds of years ago to be a myth, has suddenly shown herself. Not even a second after her existence was revealed, the Order of the Grand Militia quickly surrounded her¡ªeven led personally by the Militia''s Overlord.


    Everyone thought that there would be a fight, but no. Caiin just surrendered herself, even allowing them to put a cor around her neck willingly. Unlike with the case of Aerith, however, they did not immediately dere Caiin as an individual to be put on the chopping block. The Grand Militia had rules and due process, after all¡ªunlike the royal family which could pretty much do whatever they wanted to their vassals.


    But perhaps that was a mistake because now, Caiin just disappeared without a trace.


    "Why can''t we detect the cor!?"


    "You three, scour the south side of the ind! She couldn''t have gone far, we would have detected her!"


    "Try finding traces of the cor, she might have done something to destroy it!"


    The soldiers quickly scattered throughout the ind, searching every inch of it at blinding speed. There is one of them, however, that was just idling in the middle of a forest, visually hidden from the rest of hisrades.


    "..." The soldier just watched as the others flew above the sky, before letting out a small sigh and sitting on the ground. And after that, he did nothing. He just sat there, seemingly waiting for something to happen.


    After a couple of seconds, however, another soldiernded near him.


    "..."


    Hisrade started walking and looking around, not even minding the sitting soldier.


    "Area D 24, 5, 82¡ªClear."


    And without even as much as a nce, hisrade just flew away. The soldier just blinked a couple of times as he watched the dancing leaves left by hisrade, before shrugging his shoulders and letting out a small hum.


    "..." And then, once again, the soldier just sat there.


    A second.


    A minute.


    It took an entire hour before he stood up and started patting all the dirt and leaves that stuck to him. He then tilted his head to the side, trying to listen if there was any soldier left on the ind; and after only hearing the sounds of animals, the soldier suddenly crouched on the ground and started digging with his hands.


    Themarian ground and dirt are different¡ªtheir density and hardness areparable to titanium. This is also the reason why themarian technology is different from most other species; materials that would otherwise be limited to others could just be picked up from the ground. But most importantly, themarians can harvest and process it with ease.


    The soldier, however, did not seem to be digging for harvest, but rather digging as deep as he could as his entire body was already burrowed through the ground; and even then, he continued digging.


    He could no longer see the horizon outside even if he stood on his toes, but finally, after a few more seconds, his hands stopped as he looked up toward the view of the sky covered by the umbre of leaves above.


    And very slowly, his eyes started to squint.


    "A ssic move for an ant, you never change."


    "..."


    A whisper then calmly seeped into the hole he made, causing the soldier to let out a very long and very deep sigh. He seemed to contemte on whether or not to continue digging, but after a few breaths, his feet very slowly left the ground; his head, just slightly peering from the hole and looking at the owner of the voice.


    "You are on themarian soil, I would like to ask you to leave immediately," the soldier then said as he squinted; his eyes, reflecting the pale-skinned woman standing in front of him,


    "...Pirate Queen Xra."


    "Let''s just say I''m lost and I am looking for a certain ancient hag," Pirate Queen Xra slightly tilted her head up, as if to look down further on the soldier as she talked, "Maybe you saw her somewhere here?"


    "There was a beautiful goddess here earlier, she''s gone now," the soldier then smiled, before just disappearing into the hole again; the dirt he was digging, obviously being thrown in Xra''s direction.


    "I don''t care whatever the fuck it is you''re nning, Caiin. But you and I are going to talk," Xra stomped her foot, causing a crack to crawl from her feet and straight to the hole that the soldier was digging.


    "..."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..."


    And then, once again, the soldier very slowly revealed himself from the hole; this time however, his silhouette started to flicker several times until he ultimately disappeared¡­ reced by a woman with long brown hair and a very calm smile.


    "You''re as rude as ever, Shakira."


    "Ah, of course. Now I know where Riley gets it from. What name are you going by now? Deborah, was it?" Xra''s eye twitched as she saw the obviously mocking smile on Diana''s face.


    "Diana, but close enough," Diana then calmlynded with her feet as she stood in front of Xra, "So, you''ve met my son?"


    "Has all your bad qualities," Xra smirked.


    "Those are my best qualities, then. What do you want? I''m quite busy," Diana let out a sigh as she wiped away the dirt on her hands.


    "I heard your human husband swallowed a Guardian Force? You know I can help him with that," Xra then crossed her arms.


    "My husband is doing fine, thank you very much."


    "Really? I happen to have met your biological daughter."


    "Oh, really?" Diana slightly hummed, "You noticed how your mouth is the same? You have the same maturity."


    "...I don''t really know how to take that."


    "...Forget I said that."


    "It doesn''t matter, she told me your husband still hasn''t woken up. That means he''s ipatible," Xra rolled her eyes, "You may think yourself the most knowledgeable being in this universe, but when ites to harnessing the energy of the sun¡ªI think I have you beat¡­


    ¡­I can help him."


    "And why exactly would you do that?" Diana''s eyebrows started to furrow as she looked Xra straight in the eyes.


    "I need you to resurrect Akkamesh. My husband for your husband."


    "That doesn''t seem like a fair trade," Diana raised an eyebrow.


    "It is when you count your deception from the past," the tone of Xra''s voice suddenly changed; her red veins, starting to pop out from her unusually pale and gray skin,


    "Maybe you''ve forgotten because of your age, but you promised to resurrect my husband¡ªbut you ran away. I am just being the civilized one and offering to help your husband."


    "I was chased away, there''s a difference," Diana let out a small sigh as she shook her head, "Remember? The Guardians from before are not as¡­ tame as they are today. They must have really needed that thing."


    "You could have left it to me! Didn''t you say that was thest thing we needed to resurrect Akkamesh!?" Xra raised her voice as her nails started to grow longer and sharper, "We stole that machine from right under their nose and you took it for yourself!"


    "Please," Diana waved her hand, "Stop reminiscing about our rebellious phase. And we''re technically just borrowing it, I just haven''t had the time to return it yet¡­ Come to think of it, I don''t know where it is now."


    "You lost the Star Compressor!?"


    "I''m sure it''ll pop up; we don''t need it anyway. It''s old technology," Diana slightly stuck out her tongue before turning around to return to the hole she was digging; before she could take a single step, however, Xra grabbed her arm.


    "You still haven''t told me if we have a deal, Caiin," Xra slightly snarled, "I don''t care what the fuck it is you are doing here. I don''t even care that your adoptive son is the same as me, I''m sure that''s not an ident. I just want to revive my Akkamesh¡­ please."


    "..." Diana blinked a couple of times as she looked at the hand that was grabbing her, before turning to look at Xra,


    "What do you mean Riley is the same as you?"


    "We have both seen the other side," Xra answered without any hesitation, "I will tell you what you want to know and what you need to know. Just please¡­ finish what you started. Help me resurrect Akkamesh."


    "...I can''t."


    "Why not!?"


    "Because there''s nothing to revive, Xra."


    "...What? What do you mean? I preserved¡ª"


    "You''re preserving nothing. What you have¡­


    ¡­was always just an empty husk."

 Chapter 526:Exposed

    "Empty husk? What do you mean empty husk?"


    The ind that Xra and Diana were on was already as quiet as it could be. There was no presence of anything else other than them; but as the tone of Xra''s voice started to show her desperation, even the heavy leaves that rustled with the wind seemingly stopped moving.


    Even Diana remained quiet; her eyes were stillpletely calm, watching as Xra''s shoulders slowly dropped.


    "What are you saying, Caiin?" Xra approached Diana and ced both her hands on her shoulders. Diana, however, still remained quiet even as Xra looked her directly in the eyes.


    Diana didn''t need to speak; just by Xra''s actions alone, it was clear that she already knew what Diana meant. And so, Diana just returned her gaze.


    "No¡­ no," Xra shook her head as her grip on Diana''s shoulders tightened, "That''s not true, no¡­"


    "..." Diana could really only close her eyes and take in a deep breath; not because she did not want to see Xra crying tears of blood, but because her n would now most likely fail.


    Diana surrendered to the Grand Militia because she could always escape from them no matter what. Attaching the cor on her neck was probably the most idiotic thing they could do, after all¡ªDiana helped in the improvements of the cors, and the reason she surrendered to them blissfully in the first ce was to get one.


    The cor, after all, is connected like a web of strings. It''s connected to other cors, it''s connected to each and every device of the Grand Militia, and it''s connected directly to the server of the Grand Militia itself.


    They just gave Diana free ess topletely freeze their entire operation.


    And the reason she was digging through the ground¡­was to ess one of herbs that is clearly still notpromised by the. What she did not expect, however, was the arrival of an entity that she has not seen for thousands of years.


    She could justpletely ignore her and tell her what she wants¡­ but Diana was truly curious as to why she said that she and Riley were the same. There was also the fact that Xra can truly help Bernard with absorbing the Guardian Force.


    "Please, Caiin¡­ tell me that''s not true."


    "..." Diana once again focused on Xra, only to see her face filled with streaks of blood. But finally, after another breath, Diana finally opened her mouth,


    "It is, Xra. Even before, the¡­ thing you''ve been carrying on your ship is nothing but space dust and the dying energy of a fractured dying star."


    "No¡­" Xra shook her head, causing some of the blood on her face to ssh away, "He reacts to me, Caiin. He reacts to me. He''s alive¡­ I can feel it, he reaches out to me every single day and¡ª"


    "Because you''re a conductor, Xra. The energy stretches toward you in an attempt to¡ª"


    "No!"


    "He''s gone, Xra."


    "No," Xra forced a chuckle as she once again shook her head, "Then why¡­ why didn''t you tell me before? You¡­ you were my friend, Caiin."


    "...Because I needed your help in breaking through the Guardians," Diana sighed and closed her eyes, "I already knew¡­ I knew at first nce that there was nothing in¡ª"


    "You¡­ gave me false hope?"


    "This false hope is the only thing that kept you going, Xra," Diana looked Xra in the eyes, "You would have just wasted your life away."


    "I do not have life, Caiin!" Xra pushed Diana away as she screamed; wings of blood, instantly emerging from her back, "I do not have life without my Akkamesh!"


    "..." Diana could really only look away.


    "Akkamesh¡­Akkamesh," Xra grasped her head as her knees fell to the ground, "My dear Akkamesh¡­ Akkamesh."


    "Xra, the Grand Militia is on their way back here because they heard you. You need to go."


    "You¡­ you used me," Xra then turned to look at Diana; her red eyes, almost merging with all the blood on her face, "You were my friend, Caiin."


    "..."


    "You¡­ you even found my home and you didn''t tell me. We¡­ we could have found something there to revive Akkamesh."


    "There is nothing to revive."


    "You¡­ you resurrected Riley''s biological mother, didn''t you? He told me, he told me how powerful she was. She was more powerful than Akkamesh and you resurrected her."


    "..."


    "You''re just making excuses¡­ excuses¡­ my Akkamesh," Xra then started to chuckle as she stood up, "My Akkamesh should be here¡­ it''s your fault¡­ it''s your fault."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..."


    "It''s your fau¡ª!!!"


    And before Xra could finish her words, Diana suddenly disappeared in front of her; her fingers, already threatening to rip out Xra''s face. Xra, however, did not move and just continued to wallow and waste away even as Diana''s hand was only an inch away from her.


    But then, all of a sudden, Diana''s hand slightly moved to the side, brushing past Xra''s face and hitting¡­ a fist that wasn''t there just a moment ago. Diana only nced at Xra, before kicking her away and using that momentum to swing her leg straight toward the owner of the fist she was holding.


    It was a man from the Grand Militia; and judging by how fast he moved his head back to avoid Diana''s foot, he was not just some mere foot soldier. Sadly for him¡­ Diana was also not just some mere normal themarian.


    As soon as the soldier blocked her kick, Diana pulled him closer toward her before locking her legs around his arm¡ªand without any hesitation, Diana ripped off his arm. And before anything else could happen, Diana spun her body and mmed the torn-off arm straight toward the face of its owner¡­shaving half of itpletely.


    The soldier, however, still stood and just took a step back as his face and arm already started to regenerate. But before his head could close entirely, Diana plunged her hand through it, pulling out his brain and violently mming it to the ground before stomping on it.


    "..." Diana turned to look at the mushed brain, and as soon as she saw it still squirming, she once again stomped on it and ground it until nothing was left,


    "I don''t really like violence," Diana then sighed before she looked around her, only to see more than a dozen Grand Militia officers surrounding her; their eyes, lighting up all at the same time. Xra, who was weeping on the ground, was also being surrounded by several themarians,


    "Xra, if you''re done moping around about your dead lover that you''ve only really been around for less than a week¡­


    ¡­I could use your help to make this easier."


    ***


    "Do we really not have to put up a disguise, Princess Esme?"


    "The people of Hel tend to not care about the things that are not happening in their domain, Professor Riley. They also suppress and ignore any information from the outside, even from their infantry force."


    "Are they a totalitarian nation?"


    "...What''s that?"


    And while a small war was happening somewhere around the, Katherine, Esme, and Riley have justnded on Hel territory. It would seem they were no longer allowed to ride their ship across the border, and would have to proceed bynd as Hel has a strict ''No Flying'' policy in most of their states¡ªonly members of the Grand Militia could freely travel from and to borders.


    And as a political entity of the other nation, they would also have to bepletely checked.


    "Princess Esme, please proceed. We don''t have to check your identity."


    "Thank you, the people behind me are envoys sent by my father to escort me."


    "Of course, Your Highness. We''re only checking them for formality. We''re told you''re here to visit Princess Aerith?"


    "Yes. I¡­ would like to see her before her own family abandons and kills her."


    "That''s¡­ the royal family is fair."


    There were probably more than a dozen guards weing them there, much more than usual for obvious reasons. Unlike the soldiers and guards of Varoif, Hel''s infantry was more armed; wearing some sort of silver armor that only exposed their faces.


    "You, please step forward."


    "..." Katherine didn''t really have any choice but to approach the guards. Esme told them to just rx and calm down¡­ but she was slightly finding that hard to do as several flying orbs started circling around her.


    "State your name."


    "...Katherine Read."


    "Okay, nothing unusual. Please proceed. You, please step forward."


    "..." Like with Katherine, several orbs also surrounded Riley as if to scan him. Unlike with Katherine, however, the orbs seemed to be taking longer as they have been circling Riley for severalps now.


    "..." Riley then turned to look at Esme, who also had her head tilted to the side and obviously confused as to what was happening. But after a few more seconds, a small beep whispered through the air.


    "Oh¡­" One of the guards then hummed as he looked at Riley,


    "You should have just said you''re a citizen here. Proceed."

 Chapter 527: Champion

    "I am a citizen of Hel?"


    Riley''s head tilted to the side, to the point that his cheek was almost sticking to his shoulder. He then turned to look at Princess Esme almost as if to ask her if she was the one who did that; Princess Esme, however, also had her head tilted to the side like a confused and curious puppy.


    "You¡­ don''t know that you''re a fellow citizen?"


    Seeing Riley and Princess Esme''s look of confusion, the guards also started looking at each other. The only one that wasn''t really showing any signs of emotion, surprisingly, was Katherine; she was just staring at Riley, hoping that he wouldn''t ask too many questions and just pass through.


    But s, for someone like Riley, that is out of the question.


    "It has been 6,666 years since Ist went home," Riley then let out a small sigh,


    "My memory can get a little fuzzy," he then said in a different ent that closely resembled Aerith''s whenever she spoke themarian.


    "..." One of the guards then subtly blocked Riley''s path, while the other guards all quickly huddled up to examine Riley''s profile. They were looking at some sort of orb, and judging by the way their eyes moved, the orb was emitting a hologram¡ªno, perhaps an augmented reality that only they could see.


    "Ah! It makes sense that you have not been home for a very long time." Without even a few secondster, however, all the guards nodded their heads in unison as they chuckled, "It says here you''re from the Grand Militia. A lot of veterans usually forget their homes after being gone."


    "Codename, Paragon, Rank¡­ Champion Sergeant."


    "..."


    And all of a sudden, the faces of the guards all turned stiff as they looked back and forth between the orb and Riley; they all then sucked in their breaths at the same time, before cing their hands on their back and facing Riley with their heads turned high.


    "Lord Paragon."


    The other guards that were also there patrolling the border, even from afar, all stopped walking and stood to greet Riley. In fact, even those that were on Varoif''s side, as confused as they were since nothing of any sort came up on their side, also stopped to salute.


    The Grand Militia has 12 ranks, and although they were apletely separate and independent unit from Varoif''s and Hel''s soldiers, both kingdoms'' men still respected their ranks.


    And Riley''s rank, Champion Sergeant, almost stood at the top with only two ranks sitting above it¡ªThe Sergeant Monarch, and the Overlord of the Order of the Grand Militia.


    Suffice it to say, Riley''s rank just made him the highest-ranked official at the border; something the guards truly did not expect. After all, at a certain rank, officers of the Grand Militia could freely cross borders with just a slight heads-up.


    The old themarian he met, Darmuid, also held the rank of Champion Sergeant. And for someone like Darmuid, he didn''t really have to dere anything.


    "..." And now, as the center of attention, Riley could really only just blink a couple of times as he surveyed his surroundings. His and Katherine''s n was toy low as much as possible and just stay behind the Princess, but s.


    Riley then just let out a small sigh, before also cing his hands on his back and standing up straight. He then turned to look at the guards in front of him, causing them to slightly flinch.


    "Can you review my file, Hel border patrol guards?"


    "We¡­" The one that seemed to be the leader of the guards immediately gulped as he heard Riley''s words, "I am afraid we don''t have the clearance to view the rest of your file, Lord Riley. They''re all confidential information."


    "Give it to me."


    And without even a slight hesitation, the guards quickly dispersed and handed the orb to Riley. And as soon as he grabbed it, several¡­ holograms popped up in front of him. and judging by everyone''sck of reaction, only he could see the hologram.


    "..." Riley already had an idea who made all of this possible, but now, it was fully confirmed with Diana''s photo, posing with a peace sign and a casual smile on her face. Bernard was also behind her, stillpletely unconscious with his mouth wide open.


    Diana always had a weird way of doing things, even before she was revealed to be a themarian. Riley, albeit he did not show much, was actually slightly afraid of Diana. After all, for a woman that was surrounded by super-powered people, she just seemed too... rxed. And most importantly, she was the only one who could close Hannah''s mouth shut. Truly, an amazing feat.


    "Hm," Riley then waved his hand, pushing the window away to focus on his profile; and there, several pieces of information about him have been¡­ doctored. His date of birth, his age, all fake. There is one piece of information, however, that Riley was curious about¡ªthe home address. It might just also be a fake one, but it was worth looking into.


    "Can I keep this?" Riley then said as he pointed at the orb, "Princess Esme will pay for it."


    "That¡ª"


    And before the border officer could even finish his words, a quiet but sharp beeping noise rang from his pocket. He quickly grabbed his orb, only for him to almost drop it after seeing what the notification was.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "This¡­ is too much, Your Highness!" The border officer faced Princess Esme before kneeling.


    "That is just my daily allowance,moner. No need to exaggerate."


    And with that, the three were finally free to move about Hel. Katherine and Rileynded on this side of the initially, but they were just starting to notice how different the two nations were.


    In terms of technology and culture, both were basically the same. The only stark difference between the two was its people, and how strictly they enforce theirws on their people.


    Varoif was more lenient andid back, and Hel¡­ Hel would even execute their own Princess to prove a point.


    "I did not know you were a high-ranking official, Professor Riley."


    "I suppose I am now, Princess Esme."


    "...Was it Megawoman?"


    "It''s mother''s doing, Katherine. And I believe she left us an address to visit."


    "That is very interesting, Professor Riley. Should we visit it first?"


    "No. Aerithes first. We need to¡ª"


    "Wee to Hel, Princess Esme, and escorts."


    And while the three were casually making their way out of the border, a man suddenly appeared in front of them¡ªalready bowing his head to Princess Esme.


    A familiar man.


    "Zac."


    It was the Star Sergeant who tricked Riley into meeting Princess Esme.


    "Your Highness¡­ Lord Riley," Zac then also bowed to Riley; a small but obvious mischievous smile, nted on his face, "I was unaware you were my superior. I will not question how that suddenly happened."


    "I was superior to you the moment I first died, Star Sergeant Zac," Riley just shrugged.


    "Of course, Lord Riley," Zac forced a chuckle, "Let me make it up to you by delivering you to the right Princess this¡ªKh!"


    Zac then felt something blocking his throat, preventing him from finishing his words.


    "You really should not have shown yourself to me, Star Sergeant Zac." And all of a sudden, Riley''s eyes turned red as he very slowly made his way to Zac,


    "My emotions are bing a bit uncontroble ever since I left Earth¡ªand I do not really like being tricked," Riley then stood in front of Zac, their faces almost touching as he whispered, "The only one that is allowed to trick me is sister."


    "..."


    "And since I am your superior¡­" Riley then ced his hand on Zac''s face as the red light in his eyes started to be violent to the point they started to produce steam,


    "¡­would it count as murder if I kill you for insubordination in front of all these people, Star Sergeant Zac?"


    "You¡­" And as is the case with most of the themarians that Riley has fought with, Zac was able to break free from Riley''s telekic hold; Zac struggled, but still literally shook it off as he moved his head back,


    "...You and I both know you''re not really part of the Grand Militia. Our¡­ system detected you as soon as the border patrol scanned you¡­ why do you think I''m here in the first ce?"


    "I believe you''re here to die, Star Sergeant Zac."

 Chapter 528:An Unexpected Journey

    "I believe you''re here to die, Star Sergeant Zac."


    "You really need to know how to treat people better, you''d be more popr."


    Star Sergeant Zac raised both his hands in defeat. Now, one would not really think of anything about this scene as nothing but Zac truly surrendering¡ªbut there was something he and Riley only knew.


    That simple action was a challenge; not to Riley''s authority, as both know he truly isn''t a Champion Sergeant. But rather, it was a challenge to Riley''s strength. Zac was stillpletely locked in Riley''s telekic hold, and yet he was able to raise both his hands and pretend as if he didn''t even need to exert effort to do so¡ªand judging by the growing smirk on his face, Zac knew exactly what he was doing.


    "Now, now. No need to look at me, I know I''m beautiful," Zac then brushed his hair back, before pursing his lips and raising his eyebrows at Riley.


    "..."


    "Oh, don''t misunderstand. I might be dapper and double beautiful, but I still like the opposite sex."


    "I did not ask, Star Sergeant Zac," Riley backed away as he stood beside Katherine, "And we don''t require your assistance at the moment, you can leave us."


    "Well, I''m afraid that''s not possible," Zac smiled before just also moving beside Katherine, "The hierarchy can get a little bit confusing at times, but it is still true that for now, you are my superior¡ªbut I can''t follow your orders as the Overlord himself ordered me to follow you around."


    "The Overlord himself?" Princess Esme joined in on the conversation, "But does he not like doing things with his own hands?"


    "True that, Your Highness," Zac wagged his finger as this time, he moved beside Esme, "The Overlord would have checked Riley himself since no matter what he does, he can''t seem to unlock or delete Riley''s file from the system¡ªand he''s already the top dog if you know what I mean. Even our little old AI is refusing to grant him ess."


    "So why is he not here?"


    "We¡­ have a bit of a situation with a certain mythological creature," Zac wiped his forehead, "I''m just d I''m not there. Better to face an unknown monster rather than a monster you know that wouldn''t hesitate to kill you; or worse, keep you alive to be experimented on, oof. Gives me the creeps."


    "Are you talking about her?" Riley then raised the orb he got from the border officer; and as soon as he did so, Diana''s image popped out.


    "That''s ssified information!" Zac quickly covered the orb, "How do you even have ess to¡ªright... Please don''t just casually show information to the public, that''s not how we operate."


    "Everyone here knows what is happening, Star Sergeant Zac," Riley just shrugged before pulling his orb away, "Caiin''Ur is my adoptive mother. You are not aware of that?"


    "I feel like I''m not allowed to hear that," Zac covered his ears as soon as he heard Riley''s words, "Look, I''m just being ordered to follow you around and make sure you don''t besmirch the name of the Grand Militia."


    "Riley, why are you revealing information that should otherwise be hidden?" Princess Esme blinked a couple of times, "Should you not keep this a secret from the Order of the Grand Militia?"


    "I suppose I should, Princess Esme. But I do not really see the point, they will find out sooner orter," Riley shook his head, "Like how they found out I am Aerith''s lover."


    "No¡­ we didn''t find that out¡ªyou tantly told me," Zac raised an eyebrow, "And what''s with you being surrounded by Princesses? Princess Aerith, Princess Esme, and I am sure I saw the Princess of the Evaniels back at the bar."


    "I heard that the Princess of Evaniels was also here," Esme''s eyes widened, "I would very much like to meet her to see if she is better than me."


    "Come to think of it¡ªall I saw were women, there''s even an old woman that already looks like she''s ready to enter eternal death anytime soon," Zac''s eyebrows raised even further before he turned to look at the silent Katherine,


    "Wait, don''t tell me you''re a Princess too?"


    "No," Katherine quickly answered, hoping not to be added to the conversation.


    "She was my professor back on Earth."


    "What?" Princess Esme quickly turned to look at Katherine as soon as she heard that, "I did not know that. I thought she was your subordinate, Professor Riley? If so, then I have beenpletelycking in showing my respect to her."


    "She is also my subordinate," Riley nodded, "I have learned a lot of things from her, things that I would otherwise not think of experiencing."


    "Like what? What sort of teachings?" Princess Esme blinked a couple of times as her ears started to perk up, "I also want to learn."


    "She taught me how to have sexual intercourse, Princess Esme."


    "That¡­ I have not done that yet," Princess Esme ced her hand on her chin, "Will it be possible to¡ª"


    "No!" Katherine''s eyes started to furrow as she walked behind Riley, slightly grabbing his shirt to make him stop.


    "Hm," Riley nodded, "I suppose you can also say that I am Katherine''s lover, and she is mine."


    As soon as those words reached Katherine''s ears, however, she quickly let go of Riley; her lips wanted to move and utter so many words, but she could really only turn her head down.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    This¡­ was probably the first time those words directly came out of Riley''s mouth.


    "I can''t be your lover," Princess Esme shook her head, "My marriage and romantic life would be and should be purely political, Professor Riley. I suppose I will not be able to learn that just yet."


    "Hm," Riley nodded.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Well, enough talking. Where exactly are we going now?" Zac then pped his hands as silence started to approach them, "And I am just going to say this in advance before I forget¡ªIf my heart just stops functioning for even a single second, a battalion of myrades would flock to my position."


    "I suppose that would be quite fun, Star Sergeant Zac."


    "That was a warning. You¡ªno, never mind," Zac just waved his hand, "So? Are we going to visit Hel''s Princess now?"


    "When is her next trial, Princess Esme?" Riley asked.


    "3 days from now, Professor Riley. We have time, unless you want to break her free before that," a small smirk crawled on Esme''s face, "If so, then I would like to request that I am the one to break her free¡ªit would be a good first impression and I would also like her to owe me."


    "Hm. Since we have time, I would like to go somece else first, then," Riley shook his head, "I¡­


    ¡­wish to visit my house here."


    ***


    "Riley, this¡­"


    "Hm."


    With his authority as the high-ranking official of the Grand Militia, Riley and the others were able to just fly through the skies and quickly get to their destination¡ªa humble hamlet seemingly far away from the big cities of Hel.


    Katherine still couldn''t get used to it. Theran is supposed to be one of the most advanceds in the entire Known Universe, and yet this little vige seemed like it sprouted straight from a fantasy book set even before the dawn of electricity.


    The vigers also looked the part, with their clothes just made of whatever material was readily avable. But of course, that simple material was probablyparable to a silkworm''s threadpressed a million times over. Perhaps it was just some sort of choice, or just culture?


    Or perhaps they have be too advanced that technology is just¡­ not needed. Katherine has heard from Aerith and Diana that there were races out there whose technology has alreadypletely blended with their lifestyle¡ªtechnology so well adapted that it would look like sorcery.


    But Theran''s use of technology wasn''t like that at all. Whatever the case was, Katherine knew one thing¡­ someone like her truly doesn''t belong here.


    But finally, in front of Katherine was a semnce of home, it was a house that looked dramatically different from its neighbor''s house, a modern home¡ªquite literally. Because in front of them, was aplete replica of the Ross'' residence back on Earth.


    Even the front yard and the fence were the same¡ªit even had a shed that may or may not lead to a bunker.


    "..." Riley just nced at Katherine, before nodding his head and entering the password to the door''s security system, which was also the same as what they had back home, and true enough¡ªthe door unlocked.


    Riley then just opened the door and nonchntly stepped inside¡ªonly to see theyout of the house to be exactly the same as their home. Perhaps the only thing that was different was theck of furnishings.


    "I suppose this is why mother insisted on bringing our appliances and furniture," Riley then shrugged as he turned to Katherine and the others who were still just standing outside the door,


    "It''s fine, you may enter. We have¡ª"


    "Who the fuck are you?"


    And before Riley could finish his words, a familiar voice crept through his ears from behind.


    "..." Riley very slowly turned around, only to see Hannah¡ªno, not exactly. She looked more like Diana, but the way her eyebrows showed her annoyance and her age made her look somewhat like Hannah in a way.


    "Oi, whitey," the woman then said as she tightened her grip on the spat she was holding,


    "I fucking asked you a question. Who are you, and what the fuck are doing in my house?"


    "This¡­ is interesting."

 Chapter 529:Anna

    Somewhere back in the Kingdom of Varoif, somewhere close to the sea, a manor stood¡ªif a manor reached the heights of Earth''s modern skyscrapers, that is. Perhaps it was better to call it a building, but like most of Theran''s infrastructure, it looked historical.


    With its size, one would even think that it was already abandoned¡ªbut the voices inside, albeit few, filled the entire building with a certain dread and rage.


    "James! Look at me!"


    The voices were seeping from a study the size of an entire library; the woman whose voice echoed throughout the entire building, relentlessly and almost violently mming her palms on the desk in front of her. The one sitting at the desk, however, seemingly could not be bothered at all as he just continued to fidget with his orb.


    "James! Are you not going to do anything!?"


    "Send me, father! I''ll avenge Fionn!"


    The man beside the woman also approached the desk; almost towering over his mother as he also ced his hand on the desk, "We know who he is, and I already have hisst position¡ªI will make sure he¡ª"


    "Have they recovered Fionn''s corpse?" And finally, James ced his orb on the table, letting it float there as he stood up; his bald head, almost as shiny as his orb.


    "That¡­"


    "I''m asking you a question, Tavi."


    "They are still searching for him. They are searching outside the territory soon, father," James''s son, Tavi, quickly stood up straight as he saw his father looking at him, "I believe we¡ª"


    "They?" The tone of James''s voice quickly changed as he started to walk toward Tavi, "What do you mean ''they''?"


    "Sir Jeri and the others are¡ª"


    "I remember ordering you," James brushed his thick mustache with his fingers, "I told you to retrieve your brother''s corpse."


    "But we need to avenge him so¡ª"


    "The one who sent your brother to eternal death yed with several other cadets from the Grand Militia," James then ced his hand on his son''s shoulder; and even though Tavi also towered him, Tavi felt like a dog being petted,


    "You think you can avenge him? You, who spent 200 years as a cadet only to not be a private?"


    "That¡ª"


    "Why are we debating about useless things!?" James''s wife pushed his hand away from Tavi as she stood between the two, "At least your son is actually doing something about this! You''re just going on about your day like nothing even happened! Our son died, your son died!"


    "..." James could really only close his eyes as his wife''s voice once again pierced through his ears. But after a few breaths to calm himself, his eyes started to turn red,


    "The one who is doing nothing here is you, woman," James then said as he showed his teeth, "My work is done¡­ And now I can concentrate on the hunt."


    "You¡­ you''re going yourself?" James''s wife slightly gasped, "But¡ª"


    "Hm," James only grunted as he started walking away.


    "Will¡­ the Grand Militia allow you to travel the border?"


    "They will have no choice," James then slightly adjusted his coat, revealing the silver cor wrapped around his neck, "They can either join me¡­


    ¡­or I will go through them as well."


    ***


    "This¡­ is interesting."


    "Interesting? What''s interesting is there are people inside my house that I did not fucking inv¡ªWhat the!? The fuck you doing!?"


    "Really interesting."


    The woman truly resembled Diana if she was probably 10 years younger, so much so that Riley could not help but suddenly circle around her, causing her to raise the spat she was holding and point it toward Riley.


    "Are you perhaps mother''s clone?"


    "Huh? Are you crazy?" The woman raised an eyebrow, before turning her attention to Katherine and the others, who were just standing in front of the doorpletely clueless as to what was going on,


    "Who the fuck are you people and why is this guy trying to sniff me!?" And with that scream, the woman suddenly mmed her spat straight at Riley''s face, who took several steps back as his head violently swung to the side.


    "...Hm," Riley, however, just calmly stood up straight even with the mark of a spat still clearly nted on his white cheek, "Perhaps I should rephrase my question¡ªAre you Caiin''Ur''s clone?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..." The woman quickly pointed her spat back to Riley, before slightly moving it to the side so she could get a good look at Riley''s face,


    "You¡­ know mother?"


    "Mother?" Riley''s eyes slightly squinted, "Caiin''Ur is your mother?"


    "I am the one asking questions here," the woman stretched the spat closer to Riley''s head, "How do you know Caiin?"


    "If you''re mother''s daughter, then I suppose that makes you my adoptive step-sister," Riley, however, just ced his hand on his chin; his eyes, seemingly lost in thought, "This makes the family dynamics quite confusing now."


    "...What?" And very slowly, the woman''s eyes also started to squint as she looked at Riley from head to toe, "You''re one of mother''s adopted children? I thought thest one died 1,226 years ago with the Aurum."


    "To my knowledge, I am her only adopted child, and sister is her only biological child," Riley breathed out before he started looking around the house, "But I am now realizing that there could still be others out there, considering her age."


    "Sister?" The woman blinked a couple of times as she blocked Riley''s path with her spat, "Mother has a biological child!?"


    "Yes, you two look simr but not quite," Riley nodded, "Wait¡ªare you not mother''s biological child as well?"


    "No, pft. I am not even fully biological in nature," the woman scoffed, "My name is Anna, one of mother''s earliest children."


    "Anna¡­ as in the ship?" Katherine joined in on the conversation as soon as she heard the woman''s name.


    "The ship? You mean Anna?" Anna squinted her eyes, "That''s my younger sister. How do you know her? Who are you¡ªWait¡­ could it be mother''s here!? That makes sense. Why would her adopted child be here if she isn''t here!"


    A wide smile then started to crawl on Anna''s face, "Where is she!? Is she with you!?"


    Anna almost hopped as she ran past Esme and Zac, almost pushing them to the side as she rushed to the door,


    "Where is she!?"


    "Caiin''Ur¡­ had a base here all along?" Zac could really only take in a small gulp as he very slowly started to back away; not really knowing where to go. Suddenly, however, his back hit Princess Esme''s arm.


    "Please don''t try anything, Zac," Princess Esme calmly whispered, "You''re just here to follow Professor Riley¡ªdo anything else like report him, and I will apply Professor Riley''s teaching to you."


    "I''m¡­ just overwhelmed, Your Highness," Zac could really only force a chuckle. But before he could do anything, he found Anna right in front of his face; her eyes staring at him filled with a sort of hostility.


    "You''re wearing the Order''s uniform," Anna squinted her eyes, "If you weren''t with mother''s adopted son, I would have already killed you."


    "O¡­okay?" Zac''s eye started to twitch. In just less than an hour, he had been threatened to die by three people. Just what sort of situation is this?


    "Wait, what sort of party is this?" Anna then turned her eyes toward Esme, "You''re the youngest princess of Varoif."


    "...Yes," Princess Esme bowed her head, "It is an honor to meet one of the creations of the Caiin''Ur."


    "Hm, it''s good that you know your position," Anna nodded before finally returning to Riley, "Where''s mother?"


    "I believe she is currently being held by the Grand Militia, Anna," Riley breathed out as he looked at Zac.


    "Oh," Anna, however, only shrugged as she heard that, "She probably needs something with them. You said mother has a biological child? Where is she?"


    "She is somewhere on the, Anna."


    "Call me older sister, I am older than you," Anna once again pointed her spat at Riley.


    "...Okay, older sister."


    "Good," Anna nodded, "I like you, you get it. So, are you guys hungry? I can cook you food while you update me with anything you want to tell me. Personally, I would like to know more about mother''s biological child."


    "Her name is Hannah, older sister," Riley nodded as he started to walk to where the kitchen should be, "She is also my older sister."


    "As expected of mother, her naming sense is impable as always," Anna once again nodded as she followed Riley to the kitchen, leaving Katherine and the others just standing in the hallway.


    "..." Princess Esme looked at Katherine and Zac for a few seconds, before also nodding her head and following the two step-siblings,


    "I suppose we are having a meal."

 Chapter 530:Another ExplosiveReveal By Diana

    "So, that''s how it is."


    Anna had her elbows resting on the dining table; her mouth, covered by her hands as she had them sped together. She seemed to be deep in thought with the way her eyes just looked at the table, which now had empty tes and sses.


    And while she was lost in her own world, Riley started picking up the tes before letting them float to the sink. Before he could wash it, however, Katherine stood up from the table.


    "I''ll do it, you go talk to her," Katherine said as she ced her hand on Riley''s shoulder, gesturing to him to just take a seat.


    "That is how it is, older sister," Riley just nodded. Zac and Esme, who were also listening to their conversation, could really only keep their mouths shut and listen. Both were learning more and more about Riley and the people around him; Zac, however, was more focused as he wanted to report everything he heard here to his superiors.


    "I would really like to meet Hannah," Anna finally snapped out of her stupor as she looked at Riley, "I wonder if she will also make her way here?"


    "Perhaps, but she is slightly stupid," Riley sighed as he shook his head, "But since mother was able to find a way for me to find this ce, I am certain she has ns for sister too. She could very well be on her way here."


    "Hm¡­" Anna rested her chin on her fingers, "...But why exactly did mother lead you here?"


    "You believe my stories, older sister?"


    "Well, yeah," Anna scoffed before ncing at Zac, "No one is stupid and brave enough to pretend to be mother''s children¡ªyou will be hunted by the Order. My question remains valid, why exactly did she lead you here?"


    "I suppose she just wanted me to meet you, older sister."


    "No. Mother would just introduce us to each other directly. There has to be a deeper reason. Mother doesn''t do anything by mistake or without reason."


    "That is not really a true statement, older sister," Riley immediately shook his head, "I am a mistake and she helped create me."


    "Hm¡­ that''s true," Anna breathed out, "A deep reason¡­ deep reason."


    "A deep reason¡ªdoes the shack outside in the yard perhaps have an underground bunker, older sister?"


    "I like the way you think," Anna quickly stood up, "I haven''t actually been there yet."


    "How¡­ long have you lived here?" Katherine, who had just finished doing the dishes, could not help but join in on the conversation as soon as she heard Anna''s words.


    "7,496 years," Anna shrugged.


    "...And you''ve been alone for that long?" Katherine blinked a couple of times in disbelief.


    "Mother was with me for 3 years, but yes."


    "And you never checked the shack?"


    "I never left the house," Anna just shrugged as if she just said something casual.


    "You never left the house¡­" Katherine''s eyes widened in shock, "This house¡­for 7 and a half millennia?"


    "Yes. It would not make sense to leave¡­I am the house."


    "...What?"


    "I am the house," Anna then snapped her fingers; and as she did so, all the lights inside the house; the appliances, and even the sink all turned on, "And the house is me. You have met Anna on the ship, she and I are the same¡ªAvatars, creations of mother."


    "..."


    "Although I suppose mother still has not created Anna a body. It makes sense since she could already move and fly around."


    "So¡­ you can''t leave this house?" The tone of Katherine''s voice slightly lowered and turned mncholic.


    "Oh, I can leave if I want to," Anna, however, just shrugged, "I just don''t see a point. Everything I need is here and I would be hunted out there if they discovered who I am. I am not really confident in fighting themarians, they are physically stronger than I am and¡ª"


    "Perhaps we should check the shack first, older sister?" Riley shook his head.


    "Yup," Anna breathed out and rolled her eyes from being interrupted, "We¡­ should check that too."


    "Maybe another Anna is there, older sister."


    "Oh, I fucking hope not. Can you imagine what kind of Anna lives there?" Anna rubbed her arms as she shivered, "That would be creepy as fuck."


    "It is interesting you developed that kind ofnguage, older sister."


    "I''m just imitating how mother talks."


    "I¡­ suppose that makes sense," Riley slightly squinted his eyes, "I am too young to remember, but I believe sister also adapted her vernacr from mother."


    "Now I really want to meet Hannah."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hm, let''s check the shack first, older sister¡­


    ¡­there might be something important there that mother would want me to see."


    ***


    "There''s nothing here. There goes my fucking excitement for the outside world."


    "Hm."


    The shack waspletely empty, with not even a shelf or a cab¡ªor even a light to adorn it. Riley kept tapping the walls and stepping on the floors to see if there were any intricate or hidden buttons, but nothing. Katherine, Esme, and Zac were also doing the same¡ªbut aside from some cracks from aging, there really wasn''t anything there.


    "Can I dig through the ground, older sister?"


    "What? No!" Anna quickly stood in front of Riley, "Mother doesn''t like her things broken."


    "That is true," Riley sighed as he ced his hand on his chin, "Perhaps there is no deeper meaning to this after all, older sister. Mother probably just put this address as a ceholder since it exists."


    "Well, that''s fucking boring. And well, it''s been a very fun adventure of 10 meters," Anne could really only force a chuckle as she made her way to the door, "I am going back home. You guys can feel free to stay or whatever, there are still 3 days until Princess Aerith''s trials, right? I remember that woman. She was almost sent to eternal death by mother when¡ª"


    And before she could finish her words, a slightly loud ticking noise whispered throughout the shack. She then very slowly turned her head down to look at the source of the noise, only to see the door knob¡­ now in his hands and not attached to the door.


    "...Why did you break this, younger brother?" Anna then slightly stuttered with her words as she very slowly turned her head toward Riley.


    "..."


    "You broke it, yes?" Anna then forced a smile, "It''s not me. I didn''t¡ª"


    And once again, before Anna could finish her words, another loud tick whispered through the shack. And before they could make out where the sound wasing from, a thick silver b slid down and barred the door.


    "O¡­kay?" Anna slowly backed away before standing behind Riley, "Why did it do that?"


    "Should you not be the one to know that, older sister?"


    "I just told you that I haven''t¡ª !!!"


    And once again, Anna''s words were interrupted. This time, however, not by subtle tick¡ªbut a rumbling and almost deafening boom.


    "I¡­ I lost connection with the house!" Anna then screamed as she suddenly dropped to the floor, "I¡­ I can''t feel the house!"


    "Something is happening outside, older sister."


    "No shit!?"


    Another boom erupted¡ªand for it to have enough power to cause the themarian terrain quake would mean that it wasn''t just a normal explosion. And the fact that it took around a minute for it to settle¡­ one could just imagine what was happening outside.


    And as soon as the trembling stopped, the b that barred the door opened.


    "Tch," and without even any hesitation, Anna rammed the door open¡­ and there, outside¡­ the house that once stood was no more. Instead, it was reced by arge hole,pletely cylindrical and hollow.


    "Is that¡­ a cannon?"


    And inside therge hole, was a nozzle almost as big as its container. Its nozzle, still seething red from whatever fired from it.


    "This is very interesting, older sister," Riley joined Anna as he also looked down at the cannon, "Mother really likes her explosive reveals and secrets."


    "Interesting!? My fucking house is gone! What¡­ what am I going to do now!?"


    "But you are still alive, no?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "It turns out that you are not the house and the house is not you, older sister."


    "Can you stop sa¡ª"


    "Uhm, guys¡­"


    And before the two could continue bickering, Katherine interrupted them as she pointed toward the sky. Riley and Anna quickly turned their heads up¡­ only to see another hole in the sky, a tearrge and deep enough that one could already see the darkness of space even as the sun still shone.


    "We..." Anna took in a small gulp,


    "...We should probably leave."


    "What about the house, older sis-"


    "Fuck the house! Let''s go!"

 Chapter 531: Karina, Where Are You?

    "What the fuck do you think it is?"


    "It was arge and powerful cannon that was able to pierce all the way to the''s exosphere, older sister."


    "I know what it fucking did! But what the fuck do you think it is!?"


    Riley, Anna, and the others were now kilometers away from the small settlement; and yet the hole that was made in the sky was still very clear to see. There have also been soldiers from the Grand Militia flying above the skies and questioning the residents of the hamlet.


    Riley and the others were also flying away from the scene of the crime, but just inches from the ground far enough to not make any noise and be detected by the militia. But of course, with Riley''s telekic bubble, the group did not really have to worry about their voices being heard.


    "You said you and the house are one, Anna," Princess Esme joined in on the conversation. None of them were actually really flying and were just letting Riley carry them due to the fact that Katherine and Anna wouldn''t really be able to fly at the speeds Riley, Esme, and Zac were capable of,


    "How could you not know that there was a weapon of mass destruction right under you?"


    "The same reason that I don''t even know what the fuck was on the shack in the yard¡ªI know nothing about anything that is outside the house, and that includes what is beneath it."


    "That sounds like a lie to me."


    "Well, it''s not," Anna clicked her tongue as she looked away from Esme.


    "Whatever it did, it''s got the entire Grand Militia and Hel panicking," Zac, who had been quietly fidgeting with his device, finally returned it to his pocket before letting out a small but very long grunt,


    "And no, before anyone threatens me with my life again; I did not say anything about our involvement with all of this. I still enjoy my life, thank you very much. I was ordered to follow Riley, and that is what I am just going to do until otherwise ordered so."


    "...The only way we would really know what that cannon was for is to ask mother about it," Anna breathed out, "But that thing was a buster capable of destroying a celestial body from millions of miles away¡ªand perhaps that is what it did. But then why?"


    "I find it quite odd that you use the same unit of measurement on Theran, older sister."


    "Mother probably had an influence in creating yours," Anna shrugged, "And that''s not the point I am saying¡ªI am saying we need to find mother."


    "No," Riley quickly shook his head, "Visiting Aerithes first. Mother will be fine."


    "Of course, mother will be fine. But I want fucking answers!"


    "Then you can go ahead, older sister. My current goal is to visit Aerith and perhaps rescue her."


    "Wha¡ªyour priority should be helping family!" Anna''s eyebrows rose up, "Katherine, tell him! You''re his wife, it will sound more convincing!"


    "...I''m not his wife," Katherine could really only sigh as she was suddenly dragged to the conversation, "And I''m afraid you won''t be able to change his mind once Megawoman is involved."


    "Megawoman? Who''s that?"


    "Ms. Aerith. Riley has some sort of¡­ obsession with her."


    "...And you''re allowing this!?" Anna then suddenly grabbed a spat out of her clothes, before pointing it at Riley, "Don''t tell me you''re one of those polygamous unfaithful fuckers!?"


    "I am very faithful, older sister," Riley shook his head.


    "Wh¡ªfloat me towards you so I can hit you on the head!" Anna then started waving her spat in an attempt to reach Riley, but s.


    "But¡­ Anna, isn''t this your first time being out in the world for thousands of years?" Katherine watched as Anna still desperately tried to really hit Riley, "Why not just enjoy it? You said so yourself, if Diana wanted to be found, then she will find you herself."


    "Oh, I''m grateful for the sentiment, Katherine, but¡­" Anna let out a very long and deep sigh, "...I''m not a living thing. I might act like one, I might truly be perceived as one, but I''m fucking not. I can''t, per se, really enjoy; everything I do, everything I feel, every response I do¡ªthey are all predetermined by¡­ code."


    "And how is that any different from us?" Katherine sighed as she closed her eyes for a moment, before turning to look at Riley, "Our response is determined by our experiences throughout life¡ªour code. What do you think, Riley?"


    "She''s a machine, Katherine."


    "...And?"


    "She''s a machine, she told us that already."


    "..." Katherine''s eye could really only twitch as she heard Riley''s words. Riley usually had a speech or two whenever a topic like this was opened up, but to think he would just shrug and think nothing of it. Riley even has a clone that gained his own sentience¡ªtruly, Riley was still the most unpredictable individual in this group.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "The difference is that I am literally a program, Katherine," Anna then let out a small chuckle as she answered Katherine, "Even now, my¡­ longing to search for mother is driven by code. I do not know what to do, and therefore my primary response is to search for my creator to seek answers to which I am not able to process with my current version."


    "...Right," and with that, Katherine could really only once again sigh, before just focusing on Zac, "Do you know where they are keeping Karina? She''s safe, right?"


    "...Who?" Zac raised an eyebrow.


    "My daughter, Riley''s daughter. The Grand Militia took her along with Diana," Katherine''s eyebrows started to furrow, "Aerith told me that she would be safe, but¡­ I don''t think she expected to be put to death by her own family when she promised that."


    "..." Zac immediately turned to look at Riley, squinting his eyes almost to the point they were closed before he took in a small gasp,


    "Oh¡­" He then deeply breathed out, "...Yeah, I could see the resemnce. About that¡­"


    "Where is she?" Katherine''s voice started to stutter. The only reason she had been calm all this time despite everything was because Aerith promised her that Karina will be alright, and that she would personally protect her¡ªbut now that Aerith was not in a position to do that anymore, the facade of calmness she was carrying was slowly bing heavier and heavier, slipping away by the second.


    "Well, I think you''d be d to know that we don''t have her," Zac then let out a sigh of relief, "We let her go, Princess Aerith probably pulled some strings before she got into this whole eternal death mess."


    "So, she''s with her?" Katherine also let out a sigh of relief. If Aerith got her, then she was most probably with Paige right now somewhere in their castle or whatever estate Aerith and the royal family of Hel lived in.


    "Well¡­ I''m not really sure about that," Zac awkwardly chuckled as he scratched his cheek, "Aerith was already being held by Hel when we released your daughter."


    "Riley, please stop!"


    And as soon as Katherine raised her voice; their group which was rapidly flying a few inches above ground instantly stopped.


    "So, where is she now!?" Katherine''s voice became even louder as soon as her feet touched the ground.


    "I¡­ We don''t know," Zac raised both his hands, "Once we don''t detain a person of interest anymore, we have nothing to do with them anymore. We just¡­ set them free."


    "...My daughter is less than 3 years old."


    "Really? She looked a lot older than¡ª"


    "Are you saying Karina¡­ is out there?" Katherine''s breaths started to stutter as she looked at Riley, "Riley¡­ our daughter is out there alone. This¡­ this is ridiculous."


    "She is abnormally strong, Katherine," Riley, however, just returned her stare, "I am certain she will be fine."


    "We need to find Diana."


    "Aerith first, Katherine. We already discussed this."


    "Anna," and with her eyes stillpletely fixed on Riley, the tone of Katherine''s voice slightly became deeper.


    "Right, I guess you''re with me now?" Anna sucked in her breath before cing her hand on Riley''s shoulder, "I guess your wife and I are going to have some bonding time, Riley."


    "..." Riley looked back and forth between Katherine and Anna for a few seconds, before nodding his head and settling at Anna, "Please keep her safe, Anna. Katherine is quite important to me."


    "Not important enough," Katherine shook her head as she walked away. She thought that Riley was actually starting to gain some sort of connection to her since he was¡­ starting to develop his emotions¡ªbut she was a fool. Riley will always be¡­ Riley.


    And Katherine was once again starting to hate herself even more for still having feelings for him.


    "Anna, let''s go."


    "...Right," Anna then patted Riley''s shoulder as she followed Katherine, "See you when I see you again, little brother."


    "..."


    "..."


    "So¡­


    ¡­I guess it''s just us three now?"

 Chapter 532: What The F Ls Going On!?

    "Fuck! Where the fuck are we!? We should be thinking of how to rescue Silvie!"


    "It says we''re here."


    "Are you sure Megawoman sent that, Hera!? Isn''t she like in jail right now or something?"


    "There''s no jail in Theran, they prefer the term ''in strict surveince''."


    "Shut up, I wasn''t talking to you. Just take care of the old woman."


    "...I''m not a caregiver."


    "Fuck if I care."


    "..."


    Hannah, Ts, Hera, Tomoe, and Vera were currently in front of ake; a colossalke that might as well be a sea. But since the navigation system of Teera X120 still ssifies it as ake, then that is what it will remain¡ªfor the group, however, it didn''t matter.


    "..." Hannah squinted her eyes to try and see if there could be anything in the water since it was clear, but there was absolutely nothing but just rocks and some aquatic leaves; she already tried flying above theke, but the water gets dark fast¡ªa testament on how deep it was.


    "There''s nothing here! Let me have that!" And as Hannah''s non-existent patience ran out, she grabbed the Teera X120 from Hera''s hand. Hannah quickly tried fidgeting with the device, but the map wasn''t responding to her touches,


    "Is this shit broken or something?"


    "I think only I can use it," Hera sighed as she snatched the device back, "I guess Megawoman thought that I''m the only trustworthy one out of all of us¡ªand I''m not even supposed to be here."


    "The fuck does that mean?" Hannah raised an eyebrow.


    "It means you should start respecting me, girl," Hera slightly scoffed as she raised her head a bit; she was already literally looking down on Hannah since she was a couple of inches taller than her, but right now, she was making a statement,


    "And I''m also older than you."


    "Hierarchy doesn''t work like that here," Hannah crossed her arms, "The strongest one should lead."


    "Then, shouldn''t I be leading?" Vera suddenly joined in on the conversation, "I am literally a superior race."


    "Bitch, you''re just fast," Hannah rolled her eyes as the air around her started to distort, causing Vera to slightly back away, "Come back to me when you can time-travel."


    "I don''t know about being the strongest¡­" Hera, on the other hand, even stepped closer to Hannah as her skin started to vibrate like scales, turning whiter with each rattle,


    "...But I am sure I will be thest woman standing between the three of us if we fight."


    "..." Hannah watched as Hera ced a finger on her shoulder, creating a small whisper to sizzle in the air,


    "Want to fucking test that statement?" Hannah then said as she looked Hera in the eyes. She also turned to look at Vera, gesturing to her with her finger and taunting her to step closer.


    "..." And all of a sudden, on this strange that was not theirs, three women were in a stand-off; their eyes, looking at each other like they were each other''s prey.


    "You children are so full of vigor."


    "!!!"


    And out of nowhere, the ground between them started to quake¡ªand without even a momentter, the ground protruded and formed into a sphere, causing the three to have no choice but to stop their staring contest and back away.


    And almost like a butterfly shedding its cocoon, the sphere burst and blossomed; revealing a dark-skinned woman whose long ck hair reached almost to her ankles. Her long eyshes, causing her dark eyes to almost seemrger than they are.


    "The fuck?"


    Her skin was alsopletely without blemish, and the group could see all of it from the fact that she was alsopletely naked.


    "..." Hera, Hannah, and Vera then looked at each other again, before turning their heads to where Ts should have been just idly sitting just a moment ago¡­ only to see she was no longer there.


    They then turned their eyes back to the brown-skinned woman in front of them, watching her as she stepped out of her cocoon and started brushing all the dirt and grass stuck on her skin; her bosoms that were surely previously almost reaching the ground, now filled with¡­ vigor and bouncing with even the slightest of movements.


    "No¡­ No fucking way," a small chuckle then escaped Hannah''s lips, "You could do that all this time!?"


    "Did you just turn younger?" Hera raised an eyebrow, while Vera''s eyes just started twitching from how random and weird the humans'' abilititties are.


    "No." And to confirm what they already know, Ts spoke; her voice, only slightly changed from how it was before, "I''m still old and near death''s door. Only my outer appearance changed¡ªaltered by this world''s earth. As we are from dirt, dirt will decide my fate."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "What the fuck are you smoking?" There was still a slight chuckle in Hannah''s breaths, "You mean you''re just wearing dirt makeup?"


    "Not exactly," Ts shook her head, "Theran''s earth now runs through my veins and I am directly connected to it¡ªI can sustain life as long as it also lives. I feel what it feels."


    "But you just said you were dying," Hera furrowed her eyebrows.


    "Because the fact that all life will wither away will always be true," Ts said as she softly raised her finger; and as she did so, the ground beneath her feet started to crawl over her¡ªcreating a sort of armor.


    "That is OP as fuck," Hannah looked at the other two women, who obviously also couldn''t believe what they are hearing right now, "I almost forgot you''re the most dangerous super on Earth at one time."


    "Right¡­" Hera breathed out in awe, "...They needed Megawoman to stop you."


    "Still think you''re the superior race, Princess fuck?" Hannah smirked as she looked at Vera. But after a few moments, she realized something, "Wait¡­ if you can feel what the Earth feels and see what it sees¡ªdoesn''t that mean you know where Riley and the others are?"


    "I do. Your brother has a certain¡­ energy in him that is too dark to ignore," Ts did not look at Hannah as she answered, and instead just stared at theke, "And I can also feel what''s in the water."


    "So, there is something in the water!?"


    "There is¡­" Ts closed her eyes as she took in a heavy breath,


    "¡­something big."


    "Stop it with the susp¡ª"


    "!!!"


    And before Hannah could finish her words, they felt a small tremble in the air. The group wouldn''t have been stopped with just that, however. No.


    It was the sudden appearance of a red beam from far away¡ªstanding like a colossal tower before just disappearing in a sh. The beam, however, left a hole in the sky.


    "What the fuck was that?" Hannah was the first to react, "How far was that!? Do you think our group has something to do with that!?"


    "...I don''t think we have time to be worrying about that."


    "What do you¡ª"


    And before Hannah could even ask what Hera meant by that, she saw a hint of light slowly veiling theke¡ªit wasn''t red, no. But it was blue enough to make theke even bluer and clear than it already was.


    "That''s not going to explode on us¡­


    ¡­is it?"


    ***


    "Announcing the Princess of Varoif, and her two associates!"


    Hourster, in the capital city of Hel, also called Hel, Riley, Esme, and Zac finally arrived at the royal castle and were greeted¡­ by no one. Not even a single member of the royal family weed them.


    They were sent to the throne room, which did not even have a single light on. The only people there were fully-armored guards standing on the side, as well as the person that announced their arrival.


    "Wee to Hel," Zac let out a small but deep sigh, "This is why I don''t like doing business in this ce. The people are¡­ quite snobbish. And I know what I''m speaking about, I''m Helborn."


    "It truly baffles me that someone like Princess Aerith was born in an environment like this," Princess Esmemented as she started walking around the throne hall,


    "Or perhaps it was because of this that she developed her rebellious nature."


    "It shows her character, Princess Esme," Riley nodded, "Despite her being surrounded by people of bad influence, she grew up to be someone that helps people in need."


    "Ho? You speak as if you know my cousin better than we do."


    And all of a sudden, a presence revealed itself from behind the throne. Unlike with Varoif, the throne of the king of Hel was grand¡ªstill sized like normal, but even with the darkness, the aura it exuded was as majestic as thrones could be.


    And from behind that darkness, a woman revealed herself.


    "I do know more about Aerith than all of you, strange woman stepping from behind the throne," Riley, however, seemedpletely unfazed as he just faced and looked at the woman,


    "I am, after all, her lo-her number one fan."

 Chapter 533:A Universe Worthy

    "Number 1¡­ fan?"


    And almost like a sh of light that suddenly showered from all directions, the once dim hall now seemed full of life, but still very muchpletely empty. Compared to Varoif which literally had life around it with its beautiful and colorful foliage, Hel''s throne hall only had a singr source of light¡ªblue.


    A cool blue that made it seem as if they were traveling between the bright sky and the endless ocean. The walls, the ceiling, and even the carpet leading to the throne were emitting light.


    The throne that was shrouded by the darkness, now revealing the reason for its majestic aura as the light it reflected throughout the entire hall seemed like stars that shone even through the day.


    The throne was small, simr in size to the wooden chair of the King of Varoif. Unlike the wooden throne, however, the throne of Hel''s king was anything but simple. It had all sorts of gems attached to it, there were objects that seemed like brooches; draped along its arms and body were emeralds, amethysts, and diamonds of every size, shape, and color. It sat at the top of numerous steps, drawing all eyes to it as if it were some sort of radiant light.


    At first nce, one would just think the throne was just a collection ofpressed shiny junk, but no. The gems, brooches, spikes, thorns, and every small item¡­ they were all part of something.


    A crown. Crowns.


    Allpressed and tied together like veins; seemingly throbbing as a glimmer of light touches its surface, running through it an almost endless history of glory and triumph.


    "My rebellious cousin has a fan? What exactly are you a fan of, her tant immaturity?" The woman that appeared from behind the throne chuckled; her long brown, almost golden hair bobbed with even the slightest movement of her shoulders.


    Like most of the people that Riley and the others have seen as they traversed through the city of Hel, the woman wore severalyers of clothes that meld together to create an air of luxury; If Hel had anything over Varoif, then their fashion sense would surely be on the top of the list.


    So¡­ why was Aerith''s Megawoman uniform so¡­ simple?---Riley thought as he looked at the woman from head to toe.


    "Or perhaps you''re a fan of her tant disrespect to thews of nature?" The woman then stepped forward, brushing and trailing her finger on the throne before she made her way down the steps; her eyes, however, remainedpletely fixed on Riley''s face.


    "I am her fan because I like her, woman walking down the stairs," Riley, on the other hand, did not even look at the woman as he responded.


    "..." The woman''s eyebrows very quickly furrowed as the almost cheeky smile on her face faded away.


    "Who are you to even talk to me?" The woman scoffed as she reached the floor. Her eyes then trailed toward Zac, who flinched and waved his hand in response,


    "You, aren''t you Star Sergeant Zac? I was informed the daughter of Varoif would be escorted by male and female envoys. Don''t tell me you are really ssifying yourself as female now? I thought your makeup was just a stylistic choice?"


    "I¡­ had to rece the female envoy because of certain¡­ circumstances, Lady udyne," Zac forced a small chuckle to escape his red lips as he bowed his head to the woman, udyne.


    "Then who is this rude white person?" udyne then crossed her arms as she looked at Riley from head to toe.


    "This is Champ¡ª"


    "Riley Ross," Riley did not let Zac introduce him as a Champion Sergeant of the Grand Militia as he step forward and bowed toward udyne, "I am Princess Esme''s professor, Lady udyne."


    "I don''t like you," udyne scoffed as she lightly pushed her hair back before turning around to leave, "You shouldn''t show yourself to me during the duration of your stay¡ªwhich isn''t long since my dear cousin will be executed in 3 days time, and after that¡­ I won''t be seeing any more unwanted people."


    "Perhaps you should take out your eyes to make that possible, Lady udyne."


    "You¡­ dare disrespect me in my own domain?" udyne once again turned around to look at Riley; her eyes, already as red and as bright as they could be.


    "This is Princess Aerith''s domain, Lady udyne," Riley shook his head, "You''re just being allowed to live in it because you''re her cousin, respectfully speaking."


    "You!"


    "That is enough, Lady udyne."


    udyne stomped her way toward Riley; her steps, enough to cause the floor around them to slightly tremble. Before she could even get close to Riley, however, someone suddenly appeared out of thin air in front of her, standing between her and Riley. udyne''s fist, just an inch away from hitting the stranger on the nose.


    No, udyne did hit the stranger, but her fist just went through his face.


    "Get out of my way, Noe."


    "No," the stranger called Noe shook his head, "Your brother is calling for you. Please go to the South Wing immediately."


    And before Riley and the others could see Noe''s face, he just vanished instantly without any trace or hints¡ªleaving udyne in an awkward position.


    "..." udyne subtly turned to look at Riley, before clicking her tongue and backing away, "Don''t forget my words, white hair. Know your ce and leave whenever we''re in the same room."


    "Y¡ª"


    udyne did not let Riley get thest word as she quickly walked away, pushing Zac to the side as the guards opened the door for her to leave.


    "..." udyne then nced back, snarling at Riley before the guards closed the door on her.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..."


    "..."


    "She''s¡­ quite the personality," Zac could not help but let out a short but very deep breath as he raised his eyebrows, "Actually, most of Hel''s royal family are cut in the same cloth. They''re quite¡­ well, as you already saw."


    "I have heard of their reputation many times before from my siblings. ''Tis no wonder they do not like visiting this ce."


    "Come to think of it¡­" Zac then immediately turned his focus to Esme, "...shepletely disregarded you, Your Highness."


    "..." Esme tilted her head to the side as she heard Zac''s words, "Perhaps she did not notice me?"


    "Uhm¡­" Zac blinked a couple of times as he looked at Esme from toe to head, which almost took more than a second.


    "...I doubt that, Your Highness. You''re¡­ quite the towering figure."


    "You are a giant, Princess Esme. It is impossible to miss you," Riley shook his head, "It would seem both of us are not entirely weed here."


    "She could also be intimidated by her," Zac nodded, "Tales of Her Highness'' abnormal strength reaches even the halls of Hel, after all."


    "I am not that strong," Esme quickly shook her head.


    "Please do not be too humble, Your Highness. You are, in Varoif''s history, already one of the strongest themarians that have ever lived¡ªand you''re the youngest daughter of the King."


    "I was just born with an abnormality, Zac," Esme shook her head, "As much as my strength can destroy things, it can also destroy me. My body does not know that it is harnessing power that it can not handle. I can literally p my hands, and an entire ster system could potentially copse¡ªbut so will my body."


    "How would you know that, Princess Esme?" Riley ced his hand on his chin.


    "Because I have done it once before," Esme heavily breathed out as she looked at her hands, "My mother wanted to find out what I could really do and sent me to a ster system that is not capable of harnessing life. And if we did not have the best doctors standing by¡ªI would have already been sent to my eternal death."


    "I¡­ remember that," Zac took in a small gulp as he lightly stepped away from Esme, "The Elders of the Common Council spoke to the Grand Militia after that event."


    "Interesting," Riley, on the other hand, even stepped closer to Esme as he too, started looking at her hands, "Have you ever thought of destroying the universe, Princess Esme?"


    "No," Esme quickly answered.


    "Do you want to?"


    "No," Esme shook her head as she quickly hid her hands behind her back, "All life in the universe is precious until they are proven not to be."


    "...And what if the universe proves itself not to be worthy," Zac joined in on the conversation again with another gulp, "Will¡­ you destroy it?"


    "The universe can''t be judged whether it is worthy or not, Star Sergeant Zac," Riley was the one to answer him, "Only the people can be judged."


    "But who decides if someone is worthy or not?" Esme said.


    "Does it matter?" Riley tilted his head, "You do not need a reason to want to destroy life, Princess Esme. gues, disasters¡­ cmities¡ªdo you think you can bargain with those?"


    "No," Esme shook her head, "You can only wait, or try to prevent more deaths, Professor Riley."


    "Correct," Riley nodded, "I n to destroy the universe and all the people in it, Princess Esme."


    "And no one can persuade you otherwise?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "In your opinion, is my life still precious?"


    "It is precious to me, Professor Riley," Esme nodded, "I am learning valuable lessons from you¡­


    ¡­but I will help in preventing more deaths once you start."


    "And how would you do that?"


    "I will try to stop you."


    "How?"


    "By pping my hands, Professor Riley."

 Chapter 534: We Meet Again

    "By pping my hands, Professor Riley."


    Esme put her hands together, causing Zac to flinch and almost take a step back; his eyes,pletely fixated on her hands. This might just seem like a simple gesture, but knowing what he knows about Esme''s true strength, Zac could not help but feel a little nervous.


    Princess Esme is on the Grand Militia''s watchlist, a list that also included Caiin''Ur, Princess Aerith, and a few more others. Esme is at the bottom of that list, of course¡ªas she was not really prone to violence, and she also follows thews as strictly as she could¡­ on her own terms.


    "I wonder if you really can kill me, Princess Esme."


    Riley also looked at Esme''s hands; his eyes, however, showed no fear. Instead, there was a hint of excitement in them, almost as if he wanted to try it already.


    "But I do not want to, Professor Riley," Esme quickly separated her hands, once again cing them behind her back.


    Riley let out a small sigh, before looking Esme straight in the eyes,


    "Oh, you will," a small smile then crawled on his face, "It is¡­


    ¡­fate."


    "..."


    Esme did not say anything anymore and just stood there, looking at Riley with her head down. Her face, however, was painted with curiosity as to what Riley meant, still, however, she did not ask and just ced her attention toward the empty throne.


    "You might be right, Zac," she then said, "We have been here for almost half an hour, and yet besides the rude woman earlier, no one hase to wee or attend to us. This isn''t how we treat our guests in Varoif."


    "They¡­ they could also just be busy preparing for Princess Aerith''s trial," Zac forced a chuckle, "Please calm down, Your Highness."


    "I am calm, Zac," Esme blinked a couple of times as she heard Zac''s words, "Are we supposed to only wait here?"


    "Hm¡­" Riley then started walking around, before he started approaching the guard that was stationed at the door. Before he could ask anything, however, the guards suddenly opened the door.


    "..." Riley waited for someone to step inside, but seeing as the guards were looking at him instead and even stepping to the side¡ªthey opened the door for him.


    "I suppose we are free to roam around the castle, Princess Esme," Riley shrugged as he nced back at Esme and Zac, before cing his attention back to the guard, "May I ask where Aerith is currently being kept, Hel guard?"


    "I am afraid I can not answer that, Lord Riley," the guard stomped his feet and quickly stood in attention as he answered Riley''s question.


    "Then can you tell us where we can go?" Esme also approached the guard.


    "Your Highness," the guard quickly bowed his head, "I am afraid we were not advised or ordered about anything regarding Her Highness, and her Highness''panions."


    "Then, can we just explore the estate ourselves?"


    "I¡­ do not know, Your Highness," the guard subtly looked at hisrade, who only shook his head in response, "I¡ªPlease feel free to do so. Perhaps someone will assist you outside."


    "Hm, thank you," Princess Esme then approached the guard, before suddenly grabbing his hand.


    "..." All the guards inside the throne hall flinched as soon as they saw this. If it was any other person, then they would have probably already grabbed her and put a cor around her neck. But what exactly are they supposed to do when it was the princess of the other nation, as well as someone who is known for her abnormal strength even amongst themarians?


    Their worries were nothing, however, as Esme just ced something on the guard''s palm.


    "This¡­" It was a coin, specifically a Varoif coin that is only used for certain transactions and items¡­ which ispletely useless in Hel,


    "...Thank you." But of course, the guard could really only bow his head.


    "Do not mention it," Esme only shook her head before ncing back at Riley,


    "Shall we go find Princess Aerith?"


    ***


    "Your two Kingdoms arepletely different from each other, Princess Esme."


    "I suppose so, Professor Riley. The people here have whiter skins, and most have a lighter shade of hair."


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "It is quiteparable to the way it is back on my home. Those that live in the west are mostly Asians with skin of varying shades, and those that live in the west are mostly Europeans, either dark-skinned or white-skinned."


    "So I am Asian, and you are European?" Esme blinked a couple of times as she looked at Riley.


    "I suppose you can just use the term ''westerner''," Riley shook his head.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hm. Your species is quite indistinguishable from ours¡ªthe woman you were with, Katherine. I thought she was from Hel at first; but since I don''t feel any energying from her, I knew she was from the same as you," Esme nodded,


    "I suppose the way you look is not normal on your?"


    "No," Riley shook his head, "There are only about¡­"


    "Hm¡­"


    And while the two were casually talking to each other while they walked through the castle, Zac could not help but feel that Hel was tantly trying to make Esme feelpletely unwee in their home.


    They have been walking through a couple of hallways now, and all the people they have seen were obviously avoiding them. The castle''s hallways were wide enough that one could fit a small ship in it, and yet not even a presence could be felt.


    "..." Zac then turned his eyes toward the window walls which had the view of the outside, only to see a couple of guards and servants look away as soon as he did so. Did¡­ they order even their people to ignore them?


    The only reason Zac was here was to observe and follow Riley, and yet he could not help but feel offended by the way they were being treated. Riley and Esme did not seem to mind, however, as they just continued to walk, talk, and look around the ce.


    Aerith''s trial wasn''t until 48 hours¡ªare they expecting Esme, a princess of the other nation, to just walk around like this until then? Wasn''t this kind of treatment enough to start a war between the two nations?


    This job of his, it feels like he needs to ask for a promotion after it''s done.


    "Your Highness," Zac hastened his steps to walk beside Esme, "Perhaps we should try to check outside? There seem to be people there, maybe we can talk to them and ask about the quarters we will be staying in."


    "I am fine walking and having a conversation with Professor Riley, Zac."


    "But¡­ we will be here for an entire month, Your Highness."


    "And?" Esme tilted her head to the side.


    "We will need a ce to rest our heads, Your Highness?"


    "Hm¡­" Esme then looked at Riley, "...I forgot about that detail. Then go, lead the way, Zac. You know about this castle''syout more than we do."


    "...Of course, Your Highness," and with that, Zac was able to breathe a sigh of relief as he walked in front of the two, leading the two to the exteriors of the castle. And Hel''s castle was a literal castle, seemingly made of brick, marble, and stones; except the materials they use are probably hundreds of thousands stronger than a castle from Earth.


    The guards and soldiers too were more akin to medieval knights with their armor if anything.


    "I seem to have underestimated mother''s influence on Earth," Riley said as he looked at the high walls of the castle, "I do not know the exact time shended on Earth, but I am starting to believe that her influence in shaping our history is greater than Aerith''s¡­ and she did it all in the shadows."


    "I would like to visit it one day, your," Esme looked at Riley.


    "Then visit it soon, it might not be there anymore in a hundred years, Princess Esme," Riley nodded as they continued walking around. And true enough, people were actively avoiding them. The knights that were patrolling all quickly turn around and walk back in unison as soon as they see Esme.


    "Perhaps I should kill one of them so they would approach us?"


    "Please do not do anything violent," Zac was once again forced to let out a small chuckle as he nced at Riley, "You¡­ you''re here as Her Highness'' escort, it will be bad if you hurt someone."


    "Will it really be bad, though?" Riley ced his hand on his chin, "Mother has always helped me throughout my life, maybe I should help her in creating chaos since that seems to be what she wants to happen¡ªescaping from the Grand Militia, fighting with the Grand Militia, and then firing a cannon; all ingredients for chaos."


    "...Please don''t," Zac gulped, "There is¡ª"


    "That''s it? You might as well be made of cotton, young master."


    "Hey, don''t hurt his feelings¡­ his mommy mighte and beat you, pft!"


    And before Zac could start pleading, they finally heard signs of life as they near arge courtyard. The three looked at each other, before walking toward the voices.


    "Even your arm is not healing that fast. You''re fucked, boy."


    And there, they saw several people gathered in a circle, and right in the middle of them was a man kneeling, no¡ªgroveling on his own blood. Even then, however, the man''s eyes did not seem to be that of a weak puppy, but rather a lion that was waiting to just pounce on the hyenas surrounding him.


    Soon, however, these eyesnded right on Riley; and without even a momentter, any fierceness and hope within his eyes instantly disappeared.


    "R¡­ Riley?"


    "It seems you are having fun again¡­


    ¡­Gary."

 Chapter 535:Episode Gary (4)?

    Several minutes ago, while Riley andpany were still walking through the endless hallways of the castle of Hel, Gary was in the courtyard, alone. Ever since he had arrived on Theran, he found himself going back here again and again¡ªbecause it was really the only ce where he felt he was being judged.


    He didn''t really choose to be on Theran, as when he woke up from his briefa, they were already traveling through the expanse of space; hisst memory was that of Riley¡ªno. Hisst memory was that of Darkday toying with him.


    The love of his life is dead; his friends, for some reason, still stay with Darkday. But perhaps this was destined.


    "Perhaps I am destined to walk alone in this strange world," Gary said as he looked around the courtyard. Trees that would usually not even take a single effort for him to pull out back on Earth, now as if they have attached and wrapped their roots around the entire.


    Ground that would usually break if he didn''t control his steps, now would only crack if he stomped hard enough. And the people¡­ the people are all stronger than him, even the maids and servants that clean the windows are stronger than him.


    "..." Gary then looked at a maid that was brushing the fallen leaves away from the courtyard, causing the dried leaves to break apart with each swing. Gary also picked up a leaf beneath his feet, crushing it with his hand as he sighed¡ªand even that, he needed to exert a little force.


    This world¡ªhe was meant to be here. He heard that Darkday should have also been here, but things developed in a way that they needed to leave him out in the open, cold, and endless expanse of space.


    He was gone. The universe is too big, and he will be lost for a while¡­ But Gary knew, he knew the dark day would find its way to him. The two of them have a destiny, Darkday already took too much from him¡ªbut no more.


    No more will he cower in fear, no more will he hide. This ce will test him like he hasn''t experienced before; it was already taking his mother away. But he will not break. He will be stronger than ever before, and he will take what is rightfully his.


    And once Darkdayes, he will be ready.


    "I am the rightful heir to Hel," Gary closed his eyes and breathed in the airing into the courtyard; taking off his shoes and feeling the sharp des of grass beneath his feet,


    "I will take what is mine for I am¡­


    ¡­the Monar¡ªKh!"


    And all of a sudden, Gary felt a sharp pain pinching his stomach. He quickly looked down, only to see a finger lodged into his belly; he then turned to see who it was, only to find 5 people who looked to be the same age as him, some even younger.


    Of course, he knew they were all probably hundreds of years old; their hair was brown, almost carrying a golden color. But most importantly, the smirks on their faces that exuded their bravado and arrogance, a trademark of Hel''s nobility.


    "C¡­ cousins," Gary slightly winced in pain as he took a step back and removed the finger from his belly,


    "Did you need something?" Gary smiled as he pressed his wound. This was another trial he needed to pass. These people have been eyeing him ever since he arrived in the castle; Gary has been waiting for them to do whatever it is they wanted to do to him¡ªthis was amon troupe to all the novels he had read.


    And now it was happening to him.


    "Oh, nothing. We¡­" And before one of the men finished his words, he suddenly punched Gary straight in the face, causing him to roll on the ground several times¡ªonly stopping as hended on the feet of the maid that was cleaning the courtyard.


    "Y¡­Your Highness!?" The maid quickly dropped her broom to help Gary up. Gary, however, raised his hand and gestured to her not to touch him.


    "I¡­ I''ll be fine," Gary said as he wiped the blood flowing from his nose, "Leave."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I''ll call the guards!"


    "No," Gary shook his head, "Just leave and call no one. I have to go through this."


    "...What?" The maid then slightly raised an eyebrow, "Are¡­ you sure, Your Highness?"


    "Yes, just go."


    "T¡ª"


    "Go!"


    "..." The maid blinked a couple of times as she watched as a small smile started to crawl on Gary''s face. Although Aerith was already gone when she was employed in the castle, the Rebel Princess'' tales of mischief have been ingrained in her. And now¡­


    ¡­it would seem her son inherited her quirkiness.


    "Then¡­ I will take my leave, Your Highness."


    And with the maid finally leaving, Gary spat out the blood in his mouth as he walked back toward the group.


    "So?" Gary then said as he cracked his neck and knuckles, "Are we going to do this, or not¡­


    ¡­my peasant cousins?"


    And so¡­ Gary proceeded to be ganged up, not even being allowed to strike a single punch as the five just continued to step on him and toy with him.


    His bones were broken, and his flesh was cut. His will, however, remainedpletely untouched. He just gritted his way through the pain; his eyes, focusing on the people that were hitting him and memorizing their smiling faces.


    Once he bes who he is meant to be¡­ he will make them all pay for what they did. The Monarch will never break¡ª


    "...Riley?"


    And all of a sudden, his entire body became numb. His broken bones, his opened flesh,pletely drowned. There was no pain anymore, not even a single one. It was as if his body just gave up as soon as his eyesnded on a being he thought he wouldn''t meet for another hundred years.


    And all of a sudden, any will he had was gone.


    "You seem to be having fun again, Gary¡­


    ¡­perhaps I can join in?"

 Chapter 536:A Lecture

    "You seem to be having fun again, Gary¡­


    ¡­perhaps I can join in?"


    "...Now who in Hel is this, Your Highness? A friend of yours?"


    One of the men lifted Gary by his cors, looking him straight in the eyes before ncing at Riley,


    "Is His Ever So Respected Highness a friend of yours?"


    "He was my ssmate. But I have already advanced in life, I am a professor now."


    "...What?"


    Riley only nced at the 5 men, before just casually approaching them as his eyes were only focused on Gary.


    "I am trying to find your mother, Gary," Riley then stood in front of Gary,pletely ignoring the fact that someone had him literally by the neck,


    "Do you perhaps know where she is being kept?"


    "Look at us when we''re talking to you!"


    One of the men rushed toward Riley, causing the leaves around them to dance violently as they were blown away.


    "But I was not talking to you, was I?"


    But before the man''s fist could even make it a meter away from Riley''s face, he found himself suddenly floating in the air; his body,pletely frozen right down to the individual strands of his hair.


    "..." The man just stared at Riley for a few seconds, before his entire body started vibrating; and very soon, he was able to move his face,


    "You think tricks like this work!?" And with a roar, he was able to break himself free from Riley''s telekic hold¡­ this price for that, however, was half of his fleshpletely torn away.


    "W¡­ what?" He could really only turn his roars into a whisper as he felt his body drop to the ground.


    "It does now," Riley sighed as a small smile started to crawl on his face, "I am learning more and more how to effectively deal with themarians, you see. Freeze all of their body, then unfreeze half of it as soon as they start to exert and strain their muscles¡­"


    Riley then turned around and approached the kneeling themarian, whose body was already healing,


    "...and then watch them as they tear their own flesh away. I hope you''re not important."


    "Wh¡ª"


    And before the man could speak again, Riley swung the side of his palm right toward his neck. Riley, of course, was not able to decapitate the man''s head¡ªhis hand didn''t even dig through his flesh and only his skin was wounded.


    But then, the smile on Riley''s face became wider as the air around his hand started to distort; and almost like a saw, his hand started to vibrate.


    "I hope it is alright with all of you," Riley then said as he looked at the others, "But I wanted to join the fun."


    "Grah!"


    And with those words, a guttural and visceral noise started to ring in the air. The man that was lifting Gary by the neck could really only let go of him as he took several steps back; the others too, all looked at each other as their feet moved on their own.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    How could they not, when their friend''s blood was currently showering everywhere as his neck was very slowly being¡­ sawed in front of them; his flesh, also scattering everywhere.


    The fact that his neck while also already healing while still being shredded was¡­ not really a pretty sight.


    "Fun, right!?" Riley''s mouth then began to open, causing the smile on his face to be almost¡­ diabolical as the blood started to shower on his face. Partner this with their friend screaming in pain, the group waspletely petrified,


    "This is how you torture someone!"


    "..." Gary, who still could not believe what was happening in front of him, thought this to be a dream. Darkday¡­ This isn''t Darkday¡ªhe thought. Darkdayughs and toys with his victims, yes; but never like this.


    This is not even Riley¡ªRiley, has once, never shown anything like this.


    It felt like he was more human now. But why¡­


    ¡­Why does he look even scarier?


    "Unfortunately, I have to cut our fun short." And with those words, Riley waved his hand¡ªfinallypletely decapitating the man whose neck he was sawing. Riley then just casually dropped the man''s head on the ground; its neck, already squirming and regenerating the rest of his body.


    "Look at that, he survived," Riley then let out a long and deep breath as he shook his head; the tone of his voice finally back to normal again. He then turned his attention back to Gary, causing him to slightly flinch; but before Riley could talk to him, the rest of the group started circling him.


    "You think you can do something like that in our territory and expect to just get away with it?" The man that seemed to be the leader of the goons stepped forward,


    "You''re clearly helping this piece of shit prince, so we might as well fucking kill you too."


    "Oh," Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at Gary again, "I suppose you''re the heir to Hel, Gary. Is that why you are doing nothing as they n Aerith''s execution?"


    "That¡ª"


    "Someone like him is not worthy to sit on the throne!"


    Gary was not even allowed to speak as the leader of the goon started screaming and waving his hands,


    "The one worthy to seed the throne is Lucien!"


    "I disagree," Riley quickly said.


    "So, you are supporting him!"


    "No," Riley shook his head, "Why would I support him when the next in line to the throne is still alive?"


    "...Princess Aerith?" The leader of the goons furrowed his eyebrows. Soon, however, the confusion on his face turned into an amused smile,


    "You think that failure is worthy of the throne!? The King himself ordered her to be executed, her own father! She is worthless!"


    "...Failure?" And all of a sudden, any hint of a smile on Riley''s face faded away. His hair which was still being slightly moved by the wind, nowpletely still along with the des of grass beneath his feet,


    "You think¡­


    ¡­Aerith is worthless?"

 Chapter 537:Toys

    "You think¡­


    ¡­Aerith is worthless?"


    "Of course, she is a failure! She left her kingdom and betrayed her people, and for what!? To go on an adventure outside the Territory? To mingle with¡­ to mingle with mortals!?"


    "Hm."


    And while the tension in the air waspletely obvious for anyone and everyone to see, and the themarians that surrounded Riley were ready to pounce on him all at the same time at any moment, Riley¡­ was just grunting and looking at the ground.


    "Hm¡­" Riley once again breathed out; his eyes, clearly lost in thought.


    The themarians were also looking at the ground, but not for the same reason. It was already clear that Riley had some sort of telekic ability, but telekinesis was not something they haven''t seen before¡ªafter all, they have an old device that does just that, move matter with your mind. No one uses it, however, as Themarians are not really fond of technology even though they have one of the most advanced techs in the Known Universe.


    They could barely detect any energy from Riley, and initially thought he was using that device topensate for hisck of strength. But this? To stop every de of grass individually¡­ the device was not capable of that.


    "What are you still all idling for!?" The leader of the goons then snapped his fingers, "Attack him while he is lost in¡ª"


    And before he could finish his words, the des of grass once again started moving. Well, not all of it¡ªas the one beneath the goons'' leader''s feet was stillpletely frozen and unmoving.


    "I disagree with your statement, random themarian."


    "...What?" The man then turned to look at Riley, only to find him already standing just a foot away from him; his eyes which were almost devoid of any color, as if staring straight into his soul.


    "You''re wrong," Riley then raised his hand, before snapping his fingers. And as soon as he did so, the other themarians that were standing in a circle all dropped to the ground; the one who was regenerating from his head could really only watch the entire scenario with his eyes wide open.


    "What¡­ did you do?" The leader of the goons breathed out as he looked at hisrades.


    "One thing I learned from fighting Aerith to the death is that there is a very simple way to stop a themarian momentarily."


    As Riley started talking, the themarians started groaning and waking up. But once again, with another snap of Riley''s fingers, they all dropped to the ground like puppets. Riley then very slowly stretched his hand toward the goon leader''s face, before cing a finger behind his neck.


    "Just cut off the nerve right here," Riley then tapped the man''s neck, "The spinal nerve. It is hard to ess otherwise, as a themarian''s skin can''t be prated by normal means¡ªyour flesh can even withstand the impact of a nuclear bomb head-on without any scratch."


    "..." The man''s head started to tremble as the tone of Riley''s voice became lower and deeper.


    "But you see, I can bypass that. I can have ess to any of your internal organs, and nerves as if I am holding it right in my hand," Riley then backed away; his hand, almost as if holding something,


    "Of course, this can only stop you momentarily¡ªnot even a second. But that is really all I need, and I can also do it over and over again, but¡­" Riley then let out a small sigh he closed his hand into a fist,


    "...I don''t like doing it. Because once I do, you no longer feel pain and it is no longer fun."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..."


    "Oh, you can move and say something. I did not cut off your spinal nerve," Riley tilted his head to the side as he noticed the man being quiet, "Do you want to know something about Aerith?"


    "..." The man still remained still; his eyes, just looking at his friends that have been trying to stand up for a while now; soon, however, he suddenly felt himself noddingpletely, but out of his control.


    "Of course. Of course, you do," Riley also nodded as he smiled, "Aerith, even with her spinal nerve cut off¡­ still manages to move and fight me. But look at your friends, they might as well be dead."


    "Who¡­" The man then looked Riley in the eyes, "...who are you?"


    "I am¡­" Riley then ced his hand on the man''s face,"


    "R¡ª"


    "Professor Riley."


    And before Riley could finish his words, Princess Esme suddenly appeared behind him, causing the man to turn his head up just to look at her face.


    "Aren''t you¡­ the Rocket Princess?"


    "Rocket Princess? I have never been called that before," Esme squinted her eyes, before turning her head down to look at Riley, who also had his head turned all the way up to look at her since she was directly behind him,


    "Please let them go, Professor Riley. I do not want to cause trouble for my father."


    "Okay," Riley did not really debate, and just shrugged his shoulders before letting out a small sigh. And as soon as he did so, the other themarians that were desperately trying to get up only to fall, were finally able to lift themselves up. The decapitated themarian was also finally able to continue his body''s regeneration as Riley stopped cutting off his healed flesh bit by bit.


    "I believe it is time for you and your friends to go, mister," Princess Esme then said as she slightly looked at the leader of the goons, "And I do not advise you to fight back, Professor Riley¡­ does not really do casual fights."


    "You¡­" The man then started to take a step back, before turning his attention to his friends, who were already carrying their decapitated friend''s head and running away,


    "...You think I will let it go with just this!?"


    "You should," the tone of Princess Esme''s voice slightly became deep, "And do not tell anyone about what happened here, if you do¡ªthen I will personally challenge you to a sanctioned duel."


    "You¡­ you can''t do that," the man took in a small gulp as his steps became longer.


    "I can, I could. And I would make sure¡­


    ¡­that you are sent to your Eternal Death in front of your family."

 Chapter 538: Descent... ToMadness?

    "I¡­ We won''t forget this!"


    Those were the words that roared and soon whispered in the air as the group of men finally left the courtyard; their eyes, ncing back repeatedly and their steps somewhat heavy as they did so.


    The one that caused them to run frantically, however, could not seem to care less about them as she just stood with a nk expression on her face. She, however, seemed to be enjoying standing directly behind Riley. And with the difference in their height, Riley almost looked like a neglected child; the blood scattered on his face and long white hair did not help.


    "..." Riley then once again looked up at Esme, who already had a growing smile on her face.


    "How did I do, Professor Riley?" Esme then said as she looked down, "Did you think my threat was effective? I tried to involve their family as you taught us in ss."


    "That was a warning, Princess Esme," Riley just blinked before looking away.


    "..." Princess Esme, on the other hand, could not help but sigh as the smile on her face faded away, "I will do better next time, Professor Riley. But¡ªwho is that?"


    "That is Gary Gray, Princess Esme," Riley quickly answered as he saw who Esme was pointing at, "He is Aerith''s son."


    "So, he is your son as well?" Esme blinked a couple of times as she slowly approached Gary, who was stillpletely frozen with his butt on the ground; his face, showing his confusion as to what was happening,


    "The two of you do not look alike."


    "He is not my son, Princess Esme. I did identally kill his father while fighting with his mother, however," Riley then sighed as he too, started approaching Gary,


    "I was also supposed to kill him to make Aerith angry, but I realized Aerith would probably just try her best to stay as calm as possible and not give in to the rage."


    "Does Aerith really have that much self-control?"


    "When it counts," Riley nodded as he looked at Gary.


    "Hm," Esme did the same, "I detect a hint of themarian energy from him, so I assume he is not entirely Themarian?"


    "No, he is half human and half themarian."


    "A half-breed with this much themarian energy. That is impressive," Esme''s eyes slightly widened as she heard Riley''s words, "No wonder he is being taunted by his cousins. He has a legitimate im to the throne¡ªmost half-breeds do not."


    "Stop calling me a half-breed!" Gary then finally stood up; he, however, very slowly turned his head up due to how tall Esme was, "I¡­ I''m the son of Aerith''Hel!"


    "But you are also the son of a species from the Unknown, no?" Esme tilted her head to the side.


    "That¡ª"


    "Do not mind him too much, Princess Esme," Riley sighed and shook his head, "He used to be very funny, but I suppose every one of us had to grow up at one point. I wonder when my turn is."


    "Why¡­ how are you even here, Riley?" Gary''s eyebrows started to furrow, "I thought¡­ I thought you were lost in space."


    "I had a very usefulpanion called Hera, Gary."


    "Hera¡­ You were with Hera?" Gary''s eye started to twitch before turning to look at Esme again, "And now¡­ you''re with another woman?"


    "She is a princess, Gary. Please show her respect."


    "I do not mind people addressing me how they want, Professor Riley," Esme quickly responded, "I am, after all, not the princess of this nation."


    "That wouldn''t be¡ª"


    "How?" And before Riley could start casually talking with Esme, the sound of Gary''s teeth chattering whispered in the air,


    "How is it that you''re still surrounded by people, Riley? You shouldn''t¡­ It''s not right," Gary forced a chuckle, "That¡­ that should be me."


    "Perhaps because I am more aesthetically pleasing, Gary?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Shut up! Shut the fuck up!" Gary started pointing at Riley, causing him to avoid his finger, "Once¡­ Once I be the ruler of Hel, I will make sure you pay for all the things you''ve done!"


    "You wish to be the ruler of Hel, Gary?" Riley''s eyebrows started to furrow, "Is that why you are just here moping around while your mother is about to be executed?"


    "She¡­ she''s not going to be executed!" Gary snarled, "Her trial is stilling up! They won''t do anything to her!"


    "That is just a formality, Prince Gary," Esme was the one to respond to Gary''s words, "They are doing it for publicity so that everyone would see that even the Princess of Hel can not escape the repercussions of breaking thew."


    "That¡ª"


    "Where is Aerith, Gary?"


    "I¡­ she¡­ I don''t know where she is."


    "How can you be a ruler of a nation if you can''t even save your mother, Gary?" Riley then let out a small sigh,


    "You could not even save your lover."


    "You¡­ You''re the one who killed her!" Gary let out a roar as his eyes started to glow red, "You fucking killed her!"


    "Hm," Riley only looked at Gary for a few more seconds, before turning around and shaking his head, "Shall we go, Princess Esme? We still need to find someone who can lead us to Aerith."


    "Wait, where are you going!? We''re not done!" Gary rushed toward Riley, passing by Princess Esme as he did so, but found his path blocked by an invisible wall. Gary tried punching the wall several times, causing a st of wind to form around his arms as he did so¡ªbut s, he couldn''t move forward even by an inch.


    "It is alright to be weak, Prince Gary," Esme then let out a small sigh as she ced her hand on the invisible wall, patting it several times before just casually pushing her hand forward. The whites of her palm started to show themselves, but only for a moment.


    As with a single, normal breath, Esme was able to pierce through Riley''s telekic barrier without even any of her veins showing.


    "Having too much strength is¡­ quite boring."


    "..." And with that, Gary was left alone to stand in the courtyard by himself; almost as if atrocious acts of violence were notmitted around him just moments ago.


    This was his first meeting with Riley after their fateful battle on Earth¡­


    ¡­and he just left like that?


    "Why¡­


    ¡­why am I always being treated like a minor character!?"


    "Do you want to be treated better, then?"


    And before Gary''s whispers could seep into the hallways of the castle, a voice whispered in Gary''s ears. Gary started looking around, only to see no one there with him.


    "I can help you," the words, however, continued as if it was just right beside his ears, "I can help you be stronger."


    "..." Gary''s breaths started to be heavier with each of the words slithering through his ears; and after a few more breaths,


    "Fuck no," he said,


    "You think I don''t know this trope!? Go fuck yourself! I ain''t trusting this shit, your voice sounds ''background evil character'' as fuck! I''ve read this a hundred times! Go fuck yours¡ªah fuck, my wound opened up."


    And with that, Gary also left the courtyard.


    "..."

 Chapter 539: Princess Tifa

    "Was it really alright to taunt Princess Aerith''s son like that, Professor Riley?"


    "It is fine, he needs it. But where did you go, Star Sergeant Zac?"


    "I hid. I truly do not want to get involved in any more trouble as it is."


    And once again, the three found themselves walking through the hallways of therge castle. This time, however, all the servants and maids were looking at them. After all, how could they not, when Riley was covered in blood?


    Zac''s guess was right; the servants and guards were ordered to ignore their presence. But with how Riley looked¡ªhis long white hair and unusually white skin covered in blood¡ªthey found themselves just staring at him as he left prints of blood on the floor they just cleaned.


    "Did you get any useful information from Princess Aerith''s son?"


    "No. We should just leave him be," Riley sighed and shook his head, "Perhaps you should p your hands lightly, Princess Esme? This way, the castle would copse and we would not have to walk around¡ªI am sure Aerith is one of the people that could survive it."


    "Oh my, I would prefer our guests not do that."


    And before any of the two could follow through to what Riley said, an old woman suddenly made herself known in front of them. And as soon as she appeared, all the servants that could not help but stare at Riley all walked away.


    "Princess Tifa," and as soon as Zac saw who it was, he quickly kneeled and bowed his head, "It is a pleasure to be in your presence."


    "So you say," the old woman just let out a small giggle as she gestured to Zac to stand up. Unlike most of the nobility that Riley had met walking around the castle, Princess Tifa was not really wearing anything grande¡ªjust a long-sleeved blouse, as well as a skirt that reached her ankles. There was, however, arge blue gem hanging around her neck.


    That wasn''t what Riley focused on, however. Princess Tifa''s eyes¡­ they were closed.


    "I heard you had an encounter with my youngest daughter?" Princess Tifa then let out a sigh as she looked at Esme,


    "I hope she did not treat you rudely, Princess Esme?"


    "She did not treat me as anything at all, Your Highness," Princess Esme also bowed her head and curtsied.


    "Oh my," Princess Tifa covered her mouth, before gently grabbing both her hands and putting them together before sping them softly, "I apologize on behalf of her. She is quite young and too different in age from the rest of her siblings¡ªmy brother also started doting on her ever since her rebellious daughter left. So please, do forgive her for her transgressions."


    "That¡­" Esme''s eyes slightly twitched as she looked at Princess Tifa''s hands, "...I do not mind her behavior, Your Highness. I also have my fair share of rowdy older siblings."


    "Hm," Princess Tifa just smiled and hummed; her eyes still remained closed. And after a few more moments, she let go of Esme''s hands and cheerfully faced Riley,


    "And you¡ªYou''re quite an interesting little bird, aren''t you?"


    "I am a human, Princess Tifa," Riley bowed his head, "My name is Riley Ross."


    "I know, you put my daughter in her ce, did you not?" Tifa then approached Riley. And although her eyes were still closed, it almost seemed as if she was looking Riley directly in the eyes,


    "That is good. I would expect nothing less from a Champion Sergeant of the Order."


    "..."


    "Oh, you do not need to act so surprised," Tifa once again covered her mouth to chuckle, "Unlike everyone else here, I make sure to keep up to date with whatever is happening outside my domain. After all, someone has to, no? Hm?"


    "Of course, Princess Tifa," Riley nodded, "I do find it unusual that none of you care more. Information is vital, whether it involves you or not."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hm. But we do not know how insects move," Tifa once again chuckled, "But I try, there is such¡­ diversity we need to learn from the outside world, after all. Are you perhaps half evaniel, Lord Riley?"


    "No, I am an abomination, Princess Tifa."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Pft," Tifa, once more, let out another chuckle, "I did not know high-ranking officials of the Order can still jest. Perhaps it is because you have a clown as a subordinate."


    "..." Zac could really only force a chuckle as Tifa suddenly nced at him.


    "We really truly are progressing as a people, to mingle with a race that is not our equal is so nice to see," Tifa continued as she also ced her hands on Riley''s shoulders,


    "Ha¡­ No matter," Tifa then finally stoppedughing and let out a long and deep breath. She then left Riley and once again stood in front of Esme,


    "You''ve really grown thest time I saw you."


    "Forgive me, Your Highness. But I can''t remember us meeting yet," Esme shook her head as she slightly took a step back.


    "Oh, no. Don''t mind it; you were just... a tiny, tiny, little babe back then," Tifa waved her hand, "It was nice talking to your mother, it really gives perspective to how strong both our royal families are."


    "..."


    "Hm, how is she, by the way?" Tifa continued despite Esme not saying anything, "I hope the King''s other wives are not giving her a hard time for being a concubine?"


    "My mother is well, Your Highness," Esme said as she looked to the side.


    "Of course, of course," Tifa once again chuckled, "No, shall I bring you to your quarters? I do really apologize for theck of reception, things have just been quite hectic in the castle ever since Princess Aerith returned, you see¡­


    ¡­so I had to personally set up your lodgings. I do hope you like it."


    "I¡­ appreciate you doing that for us, Your Highness," Esme bowed.


    "Hm. Miryam," Tifa then suddenly pped her hands. And before the sound could reach the walls of the hallways, a kneeling woman suddenly appeared behind Tifa.


    "Your Highness?" Judging from what the woman was wearing, she was a maid of the castle. Unlike most of the servants that Riley had seen, however, this woman''s eyes were covered with a white blindfold.


    "Bring Princess Esme and Sergeant Zac to their quarters," Tifa smiled, "And make sure they are asfortable as possible and would not want anything."


    "At once, Your Highness."


    "As for Lord Riley¡­


    ¡­I heard you were a professor at Varoif?"

 Chapter 540:A Royal Favor

    "I heard you were a professor at Varoif."


    "I was, for a few hours, Princess Tifa."


    "You are still a professor at the Supreme College of Varoif, Professor Riley."


    "Then you are correct, Princess Tifa. I am."


    "Hm¡­"


    Tifa''s eyes slightly twitched from the tone of Riley''s voice. Although he was still addressing her by her title, it was almost as if he didn''t really care about her status. She is the King''s older sister¡ªif his brother wasn''t born and proved himself to be the better fit for the throne, she would have been the ruler of Hel.


    Everyone treated her with respect, even Princess Esme, and even the Overlord of the Order of the Grand Militia. So why is this¡­ half-breed that is two ranks below the Overlord seemingly treating her like¡­ he didn''t even want to talk to her?


    "You do know who I am, right?" Princess Tifa then let out a small breath, "You feel quite young, after all."


    "I am already 20 years old, I think," Riley ced his hand on his chin, "It is hard to keep track of all that is happening, Princess Tifa. And I assume that you are Aerith''s auntie?"


    "You are practically a toddler. I am the King''s older sister."


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "That makes you Aerith''s auntie, Princess Tifa."


    "..."


    "Would you like me to do something, Your Highness?"


    And as Princess Tifa''s eyes began twitching, Miryam, Princess Tifa''s personal maid, stood up and began approaching Riley.


    "No," Princess Tifa, however, once again chuckled as she raised her hand, "Just do what I ordered you to do."


    "At once, Your Highness," Miryam then turned to face Princess Esme, bowing her head and doing the Varoif curtsy, "Please, Your Highness. Follow me to your chambers."


    "..." Princess Esme did not immediately walk behind Miryam, and instead looked at Riley, "Do you wish for me to stay, Professor Riley?"


    "It is fine, Princess Esme," Riley only shook his head as he waved his hand, "I will meet with youter."


    "..." Esme just squinted her eyes, before nodding and walking away. As for Zac, he only saluted at Riley before also following behind Miryam.


    "Oh, so you treat everyone like that."


    And as soon as they were gone, another chuckle whispered in the air as Princess Tifa covered her mouth, "For a second I thought you were trying to offend me, Lord Riley."


    "Not at all, Princess Tifa," Riley sighed and shook his head, "I have never in my life tried to offend anyone. But do forgive me for the way I talk, Ick social skills due to my upbringing."


    "It is fine, it is fine," Princess Tifa waved her hand and started to walk in the opposite direction where Miryam led Esme, "We are allcking, one way or another. Icked the strength to lead, and that made me inadequate to be Hel''s ruler. Come, please indulge this old woman with a chat."


    "..." Riley watched Princess Tifa walk for a few moments, before proceeding to follow behind her,


    "I was under the notion that female themarians are stronger than their male counterparts, Princess Tifa. Aerith, Caiin''Ur, Princess Esme¡ªthey are the strongest themarians I have had the pleasure of meeting so far."


    "ording to statistics and biology, yes. Women are stronger than men," Princess Tifa''s voice started to lower, "I am stronger than the King, but one needs more than strength to rule¡ªto have the ruthlessness to send your own child to eternal death to prove a point to your people? I could never do something like that¡­


    ¡­I would never do something like that."


    "..."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Granted, Aerith has always been a pain ever since she was young," Princess Tifa then let out a very long and deep sigh as her steps slowed down, "She is why Princess Esme is here, correct? To watch her trial."


    "...Yes," Riley lightly breathed out.


    "Hm. Well, I suppose it doesn''t matter as everything is already set," Princess Tifa shook her head, "I am more interested in you, Lord Riley, and what you can offer."


    "..."


    "One of my daughters, the one whom you''ve had the displeasure of meeting before."


    "Lady udyne."


    "Yes, her¡­" Princess Tifa slightly groaned upon hearing her daughter''s name, "...Noe has told me of the events that have transpired in the throne hall. And no one has really stood up to her like that before because of her status."


    "I only responded the way I deemed necessary, Princess Tifa."


    "Yes, you did," Princess Tifa nodded, "Her previous tutors and professors have already given up on teaching her. I am sure you know where I am going with this, Professor Riley."


    "No."


    "...I want you to teach her, and her peers," Princess Tifa then stopped walking as she turned around to face Riley, "You will, of course, bepensated and rewarded. This is a¡­ royal favor, after all."


    "What sort of reward, Princess Tifa?" Riley''s ears slightly perked up from hearing Tifa''s words.


    "Oh, now you''re curious?" Princess Tifa once again covered her mouth to quietlyugh, "You can request whatever you want. Of course, it will depend on the results whether I can give it or not."


    "I only really need one thing, Princess Tifa," Riley slightly hummed as a small smile slowly crawled on Riley''s face,


    "I wish for Aerith''s hand in marriage."


    "Except¡­ that," Princess Tifa slightly stuttered; the strands of grey in her hair, almost sticking out, "She is not my daughter, and she is her own person. Her hand is not mine to give."


    "Hm¡­ I have thought of that as well," Riley ced his hand on his chin as he nodded several times,


    "Then perhaps it is possible for you to prevent her execution?"


    "The only thing I can do is ask the King," Princess Tifa then cleared her throat as the confident smile returned to her face, "And the King listens to me, sometimes¡­


    ¡­but I can not promise anything."


    "Hm¡­" Riley squinted his eyes as he nced at Princess Tifa,


    "...Are you aware of what type of lecture I teach at Varoif?"


    "No," Princess Tifa shook her head, "But you can handle my daughter, and that is enough. We can have a test tomorrow, and we will proceed the day after Aerith''s trial if you are as effective as I think you are."


    "Very well," Riley nodded,


    "I will make sure she will be very proficient at torturing people by the end of all of this."


    "...What? I...


    ...don''t think I quite heard you that time."

 Chapter 541: Trouble At The First Day

    "Why can I not attend your ss, Professor Riley? I am one of your original students. This treatment is hardly fair."


    "It is out of my control, Princess Esme. A lot of things were out of my control as soon as Inded on Theran."


    Riley and Esme were once again in the hallways of therge castle. This time, however, they were clearly no longer lost as they stood in front of a door.


    "But why is Zac going in with you?"


    "I¡­ I have been ordered to follow Lord Riley as much as I possibly can, Your Highness. I would trade ces with you if I could, please believe me."


    "..."


    Princess Esme had heard the deal between Princess Tifa and Riley, about serving as a professor to her daughter, and to her daughter''s friends. And of course, as someone who still pretty much considers Riley as her professor, Esme wanted to sit in during the trial ss.


    "Then what am I to do here, Professor Riley?" Princess Esme then started looking around, but not really looking at anything in particr, "I came here to learn by your side about the world."


    "I suppose you could try and search for Aerith, Princess Esme?" Riley squinted his eyes as he looked at Esme, "Perhaps let her know of our presence in the castle if you do?"


    "..." Esme let out a small hum as she looked down. But after a few more breaths of contemting, she nodded,


    "Should I try and free her?" She asked.


    "No," Riley immediately shook his head in response, "Princess Tifa and I have a deal. I would like to know the oue of that first, as she told me she would try and convince her brother to reconsider his decision to execute Aerith."


    "But if the deal does not push through?" Esme''s eyes started to squint.


    "Then I suppose we follow mother''s supposed n," Riley nodded, "We will create chaos."


    "Very well," Princess Esme nodded, "I will see you againter, Professor Riley."


    "Hm."


    "...Is it really alright to leave Her Highness walking around alone like that?" And while Riley just casually waved his hand to bid Esme farewell, Zac could not help but take in a veryrge gulp,


    "She is basically a walking weapon of the other nation. Wait¡­" Zac''s eyes then suddenly squinted as he realized something, "Come to think of it, maybe Hel is deliberately ignoring her as a show of power?"


    "Maybe," Riley shrugged, "But I am not really interested in the politics of the themarians, Star Sergeant Zac. Our priority is to meet Aerith, nothing else."


    "...What about your daughter?" The tone of Zac''s voice slightly lowered as he stood closer to Riley, "Is she not a priority?"


    "No," Riley shook his head without any hesitation, "You might not have noticed while she was in the Order of the Grand Militia''s care, but Karina is strong."


    "Hm¡­" Zac could really only breathe out as he didn''t push the topic any further. He then looked at the door¡­ and looking at it some more.


    "...Aren''t we entering?"


    "We are. But it is not yet time for my ss."


    "Th¡ª"


    "I give up! You and your friends are unteachable!"


    And before Zac could respond to Riley, the door suddenly swung open¡ªbrushing past Riley''s nose by an inch as someone hurriedly stepped out of the room.


    "..." The woman abruptly stopped as she saw Riley standing there and blocking her path. But after a few seconds of them looking at each other, the woman let out a very long and deep sigh,


    "It''s better for you not to enter that room. These children are¡­ these children are monsters in the guise of themarians!"


    And with those words, the woman just ran; disappearing from the hallway in almost an instant.


    "Well, that can''t be a good sign," Zac turned to look at Riley. Riley, however, did not seem to think much of it as he calmly stepped inside the room. And as he did so, every themarian inside all quickly looked away and just started doing their own thing¡ªsome even sitting on top of their desks and talking to each other.


    No one was acknowledging his presence. Well, there is one that was obviously looking at him, Gary, who flinched and looked away as soon as he saw Riley looking at him. Gary seemed to want to leave, but since he was the only one sitting at the front of the ss, he wouldn''t really be able to.


    "..." Riley then scanned the students to see if the people bullying Gary were in the ss, but the only one he could really recognize was Princess Tifa''s daughter, udyne. Riley was already informed before, but it would seem that udyne and her peers truly did not value anyone''s time.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Zac continued to watch as the students continued to ignore Riley, not even ncing at him for even a single second.


    "Wouldn''t¡­ you fail to even uphold the deal if this continues?"


    "We''re only just starting, Star Sergeant Zac," Riley then took a step forward, before pping his hands together, "Attention."


    His voice, and even his p weren''t even loud; but all the chairs, the desks, and even the entire room started to tremble as his words began to ripple across the air. And with this sudden quake, one of the students sitting on his desk almost fell buttocks first on the floor.


    And finally, everyone stopped whatever it was they were doing and all turned their heads toward their new professor.


    udyne, who was seated at the furthest seat at the back surrounded by her peers, squinted her eyes to try and get a good look at Riley to size him up; but after a few breaths, her eyes started to widen.


    "You!?" udyne stood up and pointed at Riley, "You''re the professor mother was talking about!?"


    "Now that I have everyone''s attention, let me introduce myself," Riley, however,pletely ignored her and instead started scanning everyone''s faces, "My name is Professor Riley Ross, you may call me Professor Ross and I will be your professor for the day, as personally requested by Princess Tifa."


    "Lies!" udyne mmed her desk, causing it to split in half, "Why would even mother choose someone from Varoif!?"


    "Princess Tifa and I have a deal that I can not discuss with you or anyone in this room, Lady udyne," Riley''s voice remained calm even as udyne''s voice started to fill up the entire ss,


    "She became aware of my short venture into the academics at the Supreme College of Varoif. And therefore, I am here."


    "You don''t¡ª"


    "Why should we learn from someone obviously weaker than us?"


    And before udyne could continue her outburst, another student stood up from his seat. And judging from the smirk on his face and the side nces she was giving udyne; it was obvious for even someone like Riley to realize that he was doing this to impress her.


    "..." Zac, who was quietly standing on the side, slowly approached Riley,


    "I don''t think they know that you are a Champion Sergeant of the Order, Lord Riley," Zac then leaned closer to Riley and whispered into his ear, "Even if I know that someone just hacked our system and ced you there, they don''t. And if they knew of your ranking, none of them would even dare to try anything against you."


    "Hm¡­"


    "Especially at their age, they would shit their pants if they knew who you are; I think the best course of action is to reveal that," Zac said before returning to stand on the side. For some reason, he was slightly getting irritated and pissed by the way the students were treating Riley. Even if it was fake, Riley is, legally and on paper, his superior for now.


    And an insult to Riley was an insult to him, as well as the Order.


    "What are the two of you whispering about!? And who is that!?" The boy started pointing back and forth between Riley and Zac, "Do you think we can''t hear you whispering!?"


    "You can''t," Riley stepped forward and started walking toward the rowdy student, "I made it so that you wouldn''t hear us. What is your name, male themarian student?"


    "in, in of the house of Lez!" The boy, in, did not back away from Riley and even stepped closer to him as he approached.


    "Very well, sir in''Lez," Riley nodded as he stood right in front of in. The other students around them could really only make some space as different kinds of amused expressions started to crawl onto their faces,


    "If I can prove that I am not weaker than any of you, can we proceed with the ss?"


    "How can you even prove anything if I can''t even detect any energy from you, Riley Ross?" in smirked as he once again nced at udyne, who only rolled her eyes in response to in''s obvious wiles,


    "But since you are so eager to prove yourself, then how about you and I perform a duel?"


    "Hm," Riley could really only sigh as he heard in''s words.


    "What¡­ don''t tell me you''re afraid of being hurt by one of the students you''re supposed to be teaching?" in then suddenly burst out inughter, causing the other students circling them to also chuckle. And as soon as in noticed that udyne was alsoughing, his nose almost inted from excitement.


    "Very well, in''Lez," Riley then nodded as he started walking back to the front of the ss,


    "But since I am short in time as I said, let us do it here and now," Riley then said as he ced his hand behind his back, "I do not know how these duels proceed yet¡­


    ¡­so why don''t you start it?"

 Chapter 542:Theran Geographic Channel

    Themarian Sanctioned Duel.


    A custom that has existed for eons. There are really no ounts to when this contest of strength between two themarians started, as one would have to dig through a history long gone¡ªthey just know it exists, and all of Theran honor it.


    The duels are as fair as fair could be. One could refuse, and there was no dishonor in doing so. Anyone can challenge anyone¡ªbe it a child, be it an elder¡­be it royalty.


    As a race of warriors, this is one of the themarians'' most weed entertainment. Just raw, unfiltered violence where one could be sent to eternal death. And when one does meet their death in duel, they are treated with respect, dignity, and glory.


    But of course, the duels are not all glory. There have been, as always is the case for sentient and intelligent species, people that would use the duel for petty reasons. Be it coveting one''s spouse, jealousy, envy¡ªand most of the times, especially with the newer generations of themarians, they would use it to impress those they wish to court.


    And now here, inside a hall filled with themarian teenagers, oozing out all sorts of pheromones¡ªa boy tries his luck. Surrounded by his peers, in from the house of Leiz approaches his opponent, filled with arrogance and pride.


    Of course, they are called teenagers on their. But for those that are outside their territory, some would already consider them elderly. in, in particr, is already 126 years old.


    Themarians, you see, age like most humanoid species out there. Their bones, their muscles all develop quickly¡ªthat is until they passed through puberty. And there, they spend at least 300 more years to be considered an adult; their growth, almost halted.


    Themarians can spend thousands and thousands of years, and their physical appearance would remain unchanged. It is not until their energies be weaker that their body will start showing signs of aging.


    As for in, his body is still filled with vitality expected of someone his age; of course, with that vitality,es rash decisions.


    in was now in front of his ssmates, and in front of him was his opponent. Unbeknownst to in and the rest of the younglings in the ssroom, in''s opponent was not the same as them; he was not even the same species, no.


    As a race of warriors, themarians are able to detect energy in living things¡ªthat is how they gauge their opponents'' strength. And in''s opponent, in particr, was barely producing any energy; making him utterly confident of his decision to challenge him to a duel.


    But s, the white-skinned, white-haired creature in front of him was a vicious animal. The Apex predator of his own, unmatched in both strength and violence.


    in continues to size up his opponent, not knowing all of his judgments would be wrong. As for his opponent, Riley Ross, he just stood there¡ªbiding his time and letting in make the first move.


    Riley was wary, of course¡ªas even young, in belonged to the strongest species in the entire Known Universe; capable of destroying normals with ease. But still, Riley was as rxed as he could be. After all, he had already fought several themarians stronger than the cub in front of him.


    "This will be quick!" in bumped his knuckles together¡ªa salute reserved for duels. The young themarian then stretched his arms to the side as he looked at his audience, showing that he was the bigger contender.


    Unfortunately for in, however, the themarian female he was trying to impress, udyne, was not even looking at her¡ªonly at his opponent.


    Unlike him who needed to stretch his arms to the side, Riley''s long white hair was enough to attract the attention of the females; hisplexity and difference from the rest of the pack made him an outcast, but it also made him noticeable without even trying.


    in was bing furious because of this, as one could see his nose re up. Unfortunately for in, however, misunderstood udyne''s stares as one of longing for his opponent; as one would expect from a young themarian driven by his hormones.


    And so, after looking at his opponent onest time¡ªhe rushed toward him. If one wanted to make an impression as a themarian worthy of partnership, one needed to dominate his or her opponent, and that is exactly what in wanted to do.


    His fist, filled with all the unnecessary rage that was boiling inside him, shot straight to the face of his opponent. A smile was already appearing on the young themarian''s face, as his opponent could not even react to his speed.


    "You''re dead!" in once again let out a battle cry as he felt his fist touch his opponent''s face. His battle cry, however, quickly became that of a sharp cry for pain.


    "Krah!"


    "!!!"


    The other young themarians all squinted their eyes from the noise; their friend''s screams of pain, not yet fully registering in their minds. All of them were expecting the white-haired man''s head to explode, but what came next was truly something none of them had ever seen before.


    Riley had his palm up; but instead of catching in''s fist, the edge of his palm was facing his face¡­ the other edge, splitting andpletely opening in''s fist in half.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Riley is physically weaker than the average themarian, and he was fully aware of this even beforending his feet on the. But Riley, this particr creature, has never truly relied solely on his physical abilities.


    Instead of raw, unstoppable force¡ªhe had with him a sophisticated onught of abilities stacked on top of each other, creating something even more sinister. His raw strength, his telekic abilities, his ability to harden his skin and flesh, his ability to manipte the size of his body, his ability to create pocket explosions out of thin air; all working together like an orchestra to create a singr show of force that almost mimics a themarian''s raw strength.


    This creature, Riley Ross, had more than a hundred abilities inside of him; lying dormant and just waiting to be unleashed. Back in his world, he did not need even a fraction of them¡ªbut now, in a world filled with creatures that could kill him, Riley Ross was very slowly removing the limit he set upon himself.


    "You¡­ were you concealing your energy?" in, of course, could not understand what he just experienced. His hand has already fully regenerated, but the arrogance it carried was no more,


    "Where is your honor!?"


    Honor, yes. It is considered dishonorable amongst themarians to hide one''s true strength. After all, for them, to hide one''s power is considered cowardice, that one is not proud to possess the gift given to them by their lineage.


    "Where''s your hand?"


    "Wh¡ª"


    And before in could react to Riley''s weird response, he heard a weird sound whisper in the air¡ªa pulse.


    And all of a sudden, his vision was covered with Riley''s long white hair. He saw him moving, of course, but the suddenness of it all made him freeze. But of course, a species carrying with him the instinct of an eon''s worth of battle, in was able to step back¡ªpulling his arm away before Riley could grab it.


    But as in looked down to check, Riley''s hands were already on their way to his face; his nails, longer and sharper than how they were before.


    "!!!" in quickly raised his arms to cover his face¡ªperhaps a mistake, as Riley grabbed his left wrist, pulling it away and dragging him closer. And as soon as in''s left arm was fully stretched, Riley quickly stabbed his elbows with his long and sharp nails,pletely dislocating it before literally pulling and tearing it away.


    "You!" in wanted to grab Riley''s neck; before he could do so, however, Riley suddenly and literally slid away on the floor.


    And out of nowhere, Riley started iling in''s dismembered arm like it was a weapon; causing the blood to spray everywhere in the ssroom.


    "W¡ª"


    And as soon as in lost focus from his weird movements, Riley disappeared from his spot, only to appear behind in with his own dismembered arm already threatening to smack him straight at the back of his head.


    in was able to react, of course, as he quickly turned around and leaned back. Riley, however, already expected this as he let the arm swivel around his neck; using the added momentum to that to p in''s face with his own hand.


    "..." in was not really hurt by this, of course. But still, he fell to his butt. His healing arm was probably the most painful out of everything¡ªbut that is not what he was feeling at the moment.


    To be pped by your own dismembered arm in front of your friends, as well as the girl you are courting? This kind of humiliation was enough to make a grown man cry, let alone a creature controlled by his emotions.


    And so, with his emotions running wild enough to cause his head to shake¡ªthe corners of in''s mouth began to lower; his eyes, starting to moist as he saw his friends all whispering to each other and looking down on him.


    But most importantly, udyne, the apple of his eye, was now covering her face in shame and shaking her head.


    "I¡­" in no longer knew what to do; the eon of instincts that have been ingrained in his blood, overpowered by his emotions as he looked everywhere. And soon, his eyesnded on the door.


    And without even thinking about anything else, he ran towards it. But s, thepanion of his opponent, Zac, blocked the door.


    "in''Leiz, you are currently in a Sanctioned Duel. Either surrender¡­


    ¡­or let the battle decide your fate."

 Chapter 543:The Duel

    "D¡­ duel?"


    There was a certain chill crawling through in''s entire body as he stared at Zac. Just a few more feet and he could escape.


    But what exactly was he thinking? To run from a duel in front of all his ssmates¡ªno, why would he even run?


    "..." in then turned to look at his ssmates, only to see them whispering with each other, some even smiling at him in shame. But of course, all of this was just an imagination caused by his panicking mind, no one was reallyughing at him; there wasn''t even a word whispering in the air, none at all.


    Zac, who was standing at the door and blocking itpletely, could not help but just shake his head and sigh.


    As a member and officer of the Order of the Grand Militia, Sanctions Duels are sacred. A ''break your promise with your lover, just not a duel'' kind of sacred.


    And this kind of mindset was not limited to them at all¡ªthemon themarian also treats the activity sacred. To try and leave in the middle of it would bring shame to one''s entire lineage.


    Some families even choose to go on eternal death once they find out one of their family members shamed them by breaking the sanctity of a duel.


    Everyone knew that, and in did too.


    "..." in closed his eyes as his breaths finally started to calm down. His opponent is strong, overwhelmingly so¡ªbut that was not a reason to run away.


    He then turned to look at Riley, who had his dismembered arm tucked between his arm like some sort of weapon.


    "..." in then once again breathed out as his limb finally regenerated fully,


    "Let''s do this again," he then looked Riley straight in the eyes as he stood straight and ced his hands behind his waist,


    "My name is in, from house Leiz!"


    "Riley," Riley breathed out as he waved in''s dismembered arm, "From house Ross."


    "I am truly sorry for underestimating you. It was my mistake in thinking that a professor would be weak¡­


    ¡­Let us go again, Professor Ross!"


    in then stood in a stance, watching Riley''s every move as he very carefully stepped closer toward Riley.


    "Y¡ª"


    in seemed to want to say something as he rushed toward Riley, but before he could do so, he felt his vision suddenly shift to the floor.


    "...What?"


    in then very slowly looked at his feet, only to see them no longer attached to the rest of his body. He then quickly turned his attention back to Riley, only to see his eyes glowing red.


    "How¡­ how could you release an energy st that fast!?" in bellowed, "I¡­ I couldn''t even see it."


    "Because I am just better, student in," Riley let out a small sigh as he finally dropped in''s arm,


    "Gically speaking."


    "Geics? But I haven''t even heard of House Ross before!"


    "Oh, you will," Riley shrugged as he started approaching in.


    in, on the other hand, seemed to have already lost the will to fight as he just looked at the ceiling and let out a very long and deep sigh. He then turned to look at his ssmates, finally seeing their true expressions of horror and shock.


    This is enough, in thought. There was no shame in losing to an overpowering opponent. And so, with another sigh, he smiled.


    "I give¡ª"


    But s, before he could utter his surrender, he felt something suddenly stuck in his throat; preventing any words from escaping his throat.


    "Imend you, student in''Leiz," a small smile then crawled on Riley''s face as he neared in,


    "Not giving up even in the face of defeat. As expected of a themarian."


    "!?"


    in''s eyes quickly widened as he heard Riley''s words. Not giving up!? He was about to!


    in wanted to shake his head; but like the heavy feeling blocking his throat, he felt something locking his head in ce.


    "I hope we still see you in ss the day after, student Leiz."


    ''What!?'' in could only scream inside his mind, ''What does that even mean!?''


    And then, out of nowhere, his vision turned dark.


    "..."


    "..."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "!!!"


    And as if life itself gasped right beside his ear, in woke up from his own breath.


    "...Where?" in blinked a couple of times as he started looking around at his surroundings, only to see he was no longe4 in the ssroom. Instead, the room was covered in ck and red,


    "Is this¡­ the Afterlife? Did I¡­ die? Wh¡ª"


    And before he could even start thinking about how short his life was, he noticed his ssmates there.


    "You guys are¡­ dead too?" in furrowed his eyebrows, but after a few more seconds, he let out a very long and very deep breath of relief,


    "Ho¡­" His breath stuttered, "I''m¡­ I''m still alive."


    in once again started looking everywhere, finally noticing that the ck and red room is actually their ssroom.


    "I survived, I survived. I¡­ feel my legs giving up, but¡­ I feel stronger. So, it''s true that if we die and survive from a stronger opponent, we be stronger."


    in then turned to look at udyne to see what she was thinking. udyne, however, was just looking down. In fact, it wasn''t only her. All of his ssmates were all staring at the floor.


    "..." The only one that wasn''t looking at the floor was Gary.


    "Hey, half-breed," in then raised an eyebrow as he approached Gary, "What the fuck happened after I lost a life? Why is everyone just looking down?"


    "..." Gary just turned to look at in, before shaking his head and letting out a small sigh. And without even saying a word, he stood up and started walking away.


    Before he could pass by in, however, in grabbed him by the arm.


    "What happened, Half-breed?" in raised his voice as he looked Gary in the eyes, "Why is everyone so quiet? And where''s the Professor?"


    "You¡­" Gary returned in''s re; Gary, however, held some sort of pity inside his eyes as he stared at in, "...You''re lucky you don''t remember anything. Just leave it at that."


    And with those words, Gary pushed in''s hand away and made his way out.


    "Where are you going!? Is that ss done!?" in could really only watch as Gary just waved his hand as he disappeared into the hallways, "Where''s¡­ the Professor? Guys?"


    in then once again turned his attention to the rest of his ssmates, who seemed to bepletely oblivious to his presence, "...What the heck is going¡ª"


    [There has been a dy, but we could finally start our ss.]


    And all of a sudden, in heard Riley''s voiceing from one of his ssmates; in quickly turned to look, only to see his ssmate holding an orb.


    "Did¡­ you record the duel!?" in rushed to grab the orb from his ssmate; his ssmate, however, seemed like she could care less that her personal device was snatched away from her.


    "..." in only nced at the girl, before turning his attention to the orb. And there, from the hologram, he saw Riley standing in front of the ss¡­ as well as him, tied up and hanging from some sort of crucifix¡ªno, upon looking at it closer, it was arge fork.


    "Where¡­ did he get something like that?"


    [Since the ss was interrupted by an unexpected variable, I failed to specify what our ss sybus would be.]


    "He¡­ is still teaching? Just¡­ how long was I out?" in could not help but sit on the desk as he continued to watch the footage.


    [No worries, since there really is not much to exin about what I am going to teach all of you,] Riley stood close to in, who waspletely unconscious as he hand from a giant fork, [Torture.]


    [!!!]


    in could hear his ssmates'' gasp.


    [The name of this ss is Torture 101¨CTorturing That Even Kind People Can Learn,] Riley said as he tapped in''s face, [And since we already have a volunteer, we can proceed immediately.]


    "What¡­ is he doing?"


    [This is called a spinal nerve, as I am sure all of you are aware of,] Riley then pointed at the back of in''s neck, [Avoid this at all costs, because if you identally hit this, then physical torture would no longer be avable for you. But of course, there are many more ways to torture someone¡ªphysical torture is actually the weakest of them all.]


    "Why¡­" in could really only blink his eyes as Riley treated him like some sort of¡­ specimen, "...Why don''t I remember any of this!?"


    [This is the heart, avoid it too. Once you destroy a themarian''s heart, they would start dying if their brain and stem cells can''t regenerate it fast enough.]


    "!!!" in almost dropped his ssmate''s orb as he could not help but let out a huge and almost violent gasp. How could he not, when Riley just casually pierced his chest and pulled out his heart for everyone to see?


    [Luckily, a themarian''s heart is probably one of the strongest things in the universe,] Riley nodded to himself as he looked at in''s heart, [The aorta, and even the smallest of veins has the same consistency as normal rubber, except a thousand times stronger¡ªit won''t break easily. And here¡­ this is¡­]


    "..." in could really watch in horror as Riley continued to dissect him like he wasn''t a themarian. He could also hear some of his ssmates wanting to vomit; the one recording, in particr, was probably crying already.


    It wasn''t only that¡ªhe was screaming. in was screaming in pain¡ªhe was conscious for the entire duration of this¡­ brutal dissection.


    Just how¡­


    ¡­How exactly did he survive something like this?

 Chapter 544: Even Here,Trouble

    "Hm¡­"


    Riley, who had just tortured a boy in front of his ssmates just minutes ago, was now just casually standing in front of a canteen. A canteen where all the castle''s staff and servants seem to gather and eat.


    And since Riley was now the private professor of the castle''s young people, he was technically one of the staff now. But as soon as he and Zac entered, however, everyone''s eyesnded on them as if they were a couple of intruders.


    "...I don''t think we''re wee here," Zac whispered close to Riley; the eyes, still following him even with the slightest of his movements, "Maybe¡­ we should go elsewhere?"


    Riley did not seem to mind, however, as he just continued to step inside the canteen.


    "W¡ªwait, Lord Riley! I thought your main mission was to meet with Princess Aerith?" Zac quickly followed behind Riley, almost tumbling as he made sure not to get far.


    "Meeting Aerith is not my mission, Star Sergeant Zac," Riley let out a small sigh and shook his head, "It is my obligation."


    "...What''s the difference? We should¡ª"


    "And these people are only mildly curious about me," Riley did not let Zac finish his words, "They are, however, still ring at you."


    "..." Zac quickly turned to look at the people staring at him, before awkwardly smiling at them and rushing to once again follow behind Riley, who was already in front of the food and talking to the server.


    "Which one would you rmend I eat, themarian chef?"


    "Oh, a fellow gourmet inside the castle? This my first time seeing you here,d."


    "This is also my first time seeing a fat themarian."


    "..." The female server, who truly is what one would consider fat, could not help but look Riley in the eyes as soon as his words reached her ears. Her eyebrows soon began to furrow, and then¡­


    ¡­she suddenly burst out in a fit ofughter.


    "Now where on Theran did they pull you from?" The female server almost screamed as she ced a tray in front of Riley, "Just from thatment alone, I''ll give you the best meal of the day¡ªthis is supposed to be reserved for someone else, but I like you."


    "I truly appreciate that, themarian chef."


    "Call me Lou, but everyone here calls me Mama Lou," Lou once againughed as she started scooping up and serving Riley some dishes that he hasn''t seen before, "Now, this here is a monober meat and tendon stew. And on the side, we cut and grilled its horn to cook the marrow and season it just right."


    "..." The stew, although clearly different, was still familiar. The horn, however, was not something that Riley expected. He had already tried bone marrow before, but never from the horn of an alien creature he has not even seen¡ªA monober. Come to think of it, he hasn''t seen a themarian animal yet.


    "Thank you for this, Madam Lou," Riley bowed his head, before grabbing the two trays in front of him¡ªthe sliced horn didn''t fit on the tray from howrge it was, but that didn''t matter at all.


    "And you, what can I get¡ªWell, look who it is," Mama Lou then turned to look at Zac, only for her eyebrow to raise as she crossed fat arms, "Now that is a face I haven''t seen for a hundred years. You still wearing makeup, brat?"


    "M¡­Mama Lou. It''s¡­ been long."


    Riley only nced at Zac, before just leaving him to it and finding a table; after all, after days of arriving on the, he was finally having legitimate Theran cuisine. But s, even after a full minute of looking around, all the tables were full.


    "..." This is truly weird, Riley thought. Just a day ago, the castle was empty¡ªwith almost no life in sight when he and Princess Esme were walking around. Zac did mention about them possibly being ordered to deliberately ignore them, while Princess Tifa said that all the staff was busy preparing for Aerith''s trial.


    Well, whatever the case was, it was unavoidable that they could no longer avoid Riley¡ªthey were in a mess hall, after all.


    Riley continued to walk around a few more steps, before just letting out a sigh and expertly cing both trays on one arm. And with his free hand, he grabbed something from his coat.


    It was a miniature table. It didn''t remain small for long, however, because as soon as Riley threw it in front of him, the table becamerger; asrge as a normal table. Riley did not immediately ce the tes on the table, no.


    Everyone near him watched as Riley pulled an entire tablecloth out of his pocket, before waving it around like some sort of matador and covering the table with it before cing the tes. They then continued to watch as Riley also pulled out chairs and aplete set of cutlery.


    "Hm," and once he seemed satisfied, Riley finally sat down.


    "Where¡­ did these things evene from?" Zac, who had just finished talking with the server and didn''t quite see what happened, could not help but blink in disbelief as a fancy table just suddenly became avable to them.


    "It''s from the Guesthouse," Riley sighed as he grabbed a spoon; his eyes, almost not being reflected by the old spoon he was holding, "It is the only memory I have left of it. turns out these cutleries aren''t stainless¡­ John bought the wrong thing."


    "...Right," Zac could really only squint his eyes as he took a seat, "But¡­ where are my spoon and fork?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I don''t know, Zac. Perhaps you forgot to bring a set."


    "Why¡­ would I be carrying around spoons?" Zac sighed, "I guess it doesn''t matter. Food is meant to be eaten with your bare hands."


    And so, finally, a figment of peace. But s, Zac was not even allowed to swallow his food before a group of guards approached their table.


    "Isn''t this Red Lip Zac?"


    "..." Zac then snuck in a few chews, before taking the chance to follow the food before actually turning to address the guards. After all, he might not get the chance to do so anymore.


    "Boys," Zac then nodded as the usual, arrogant smile returned on his face, "It''s been a long time."


    "Ha! So, it really is you!"


    "I told you, it was him. Who in the Grand Militia would even wear makeup?"


    "Women?"


    "Shut the fuck up."


    "I thought you boys were ordered to ignore us?" And before the group''s charades could continue, Zac stood up from his seat and looked all of them straight in the eyes one by one,


    "And I don''t like the way you''re standing in front of a superior officer. Attention!"


    The group immediately stood up straight as soon as they heard Zac''s words. But after a few more seconds, the one that seemed to be the leader of the group quickly snapped out of it and hit his friends on the head.


    "What are you guys doing!? Even if he''s a Star Sergeant, he''s not from Hel anymore!"


    "R¡­ right."


    "..." And as Zac watched the group try to regain theirposure, Riley stood up. Zac was a little nervous as to why he did so, and the guards were also aloof from the sudden action, thinking that Riley was backing up Zac.


    But then, he just carried his tes and walked back to Mama Lou.


    "He''s¡­ done eating already?" Zac blinked in disbelief. He was able to eat that fast even with distraction. Zac then looked at his meal, only to see that only a mouthful was consumed. But s, since his mission was to follow Riley, try as he wants to finish the food, he would no longer be able to.


    And so, with a small sigh, Zac could really only grab his tes and follow Riley.


    "Where do you think you''re going!? We''re still talking to you!"


    "..." Zac looked at his arm, which was now being grabbed by one of the guards; he then turned to re at the man''s eyes, "You don''t seem to understand, Cyril. I am here on a mission, and you are currently obstructing it."


    "You think just because you got epted by the Grand Militia, you''re better than us!?" The guard, Cyril, tightened his grip on Zac''s arm, "The only reason I''m not in your position is that I am loyal to the Kingdom!"


    "...Right," Zac rolled his eyes before pulling his arm away from Cyril''s grip, almost spilling the contents of his te. The other staff that were eating there, could really only move their tables from the impending chaos,


    "I don''t want any trouble, boys. Unlike you, what I do actually matters for Theran."


    "What did you say!?" And almost in a fit of rage, Cyril let out a roar¡­ before mming his fist on the table,pletely splitting it in half.


    "..." Seeing this, Zac instinctively dropped his tes; his eyes, as wide as they could be as he once again looked Cyril straight in the eyes.


    "Pft, same old Red Lip Zac," Cyril then let out a small chuckle as he approached Zac, stepping on the table as he did so, "Even if you''re already a Star Sergeant, you''re still afraid of confrontation. How typi¡ª"


    "What the fuck did you do?" Zac''s breaths started to get heavier by the second as he stared at the broken table. He then turned toward Riley who, even from the counter, was already looking at the broken table on the floor.


    "Oh fuck¡­


    ¡­this isn''t going to be good."

 Chapter 545:A Silent Rage?

    Nothing was happening. Nothing is happening yet.


    Zac just watched as Riley very slowly, and very calmly made his way toward them; his steps, without any haste or urgency. Riley has always been calm, but Zac could feel something different from him.


    Riley just told him that the table was some sort of memento from somece that Zac could only assume to be important just earlier; there was also a sort of mncholy as he said that, something he had never seen from him before¡ªand now that memento is broken in two pieces.


    "..." Zac then looked at the guards, before taking in a small gulp and shaking his head,


    "Whatever you do, do not make this worse," he then said as he slowly backed away. Zac has only known Riley for less than a week, but he has been with him and following him almost without pause. And in that span of time, Zac had gained an idea of who Riley is, but that''s not important.


    What is important is what he is.


    As an officer of the Grand Militia, Zac was privy to news that is outside of Themarian territory, which the citizens of Hel and Varoif are restricted from essing or even knowing.


    Riley is from the Unknown, which alone makes him an unpredictable variable. After all, there''s already so much that themarians do not know about the outside world; someone like Riley might as well be apletely, literally unknown entity to them.


    There are reports about Riley being a world-ender¡ªcreating clones of himself to destroys far and beyond each other. And presumably, his original body was doing something elsepletely.


    He was a creature that took the entire Known Universe by surprise. In less than a blink of an eye, he became one of the Known Universe''s most wanted ouws; a bounty given to him directly by the Elders of the Common Council.


    But of course, that wasn''t also important¡ªall themarians are considered world-enders, that is the main reason why they restricted themselves from traveling outside their territory, after all.


    But that wasn''t the only thing abnormal about Riley Ross. There are certain details that the Grand Militia was not aware of; details that only Zac knows of.


    Riley calls Theran''s most wanted criminal in the recorded history of their, ''mother''. Although Zac was not clear with all the details yet, Riley treats Caiin''Ur as a mother figure¡ªand anything involving Caiin means something bad for Theran.


    And as if that wasn''t enough, he ims to be the lover of Princess Aerith.


    And not only that, but Zac has also confirmed personally that Pirate Queen Xra, the woman responsible for Aerith''s brother''s eternal death, is Riley''spanion.


    There is also the princess of the Evaniels; although their rtionship seemed to be sour, she was involved with Riley in one way or another.


    And now, Zac even introduced him to Esme. How could he even expect that Princess Esme, a woman known for not having any friends and being very difficult to deal with, would start having connections with Riley? And not just a simple connection¡ªEsme almost treats Riley as some sort of mentor.


    Caiin''Ur, Princess Aerith, Pirate Queen Xrra, Princess Vera, and Princess Esme. Just with this group of women, it would not even be an exaggeration to say that the universe might actually revolve around him.


    Zac wasn''t really aware yet of Riley''s real power. Is he stronger than Caiin?


    ¡­Is he stronger than Esme?


    The thought causes him to shiver, but it didn''t even matter if he wasn''t as strong; his connections alone make him an even more dangerous entity than the Overlord of the Grand Militia.


    Riley could even create his own nation if he wishes to from hiswork alone. Caiin''Ur is worth more than a hundred themarians alone¡ªand that is not taking into ount her technological expertise.


    This is the real reason why Zac was just sticking to his order of following Riley around. In truth, he was also told to report anything that is of note, but he wasn''t doing that. He wanted to see what happens next.


    Thest he heard, Caiin was currently running circles around the Grand Militia¡­ along with Pirate Queen Xra; and with that weird cannon they activated back at Caiin''s old house, there was a quiet war very slowly brewing around Theran.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    And now,pletely unbeknownst to the Grand Militia, another quiet war might be brewing right in Hel''s castle.


    "You''re the new guy?"


    And as soon as Riley neared the table, Zac''s old colleagues ced their attention on him.


    "What are you, like half evaniel or something?" Cyril approached Riley; his feet, still stepping on the table he just destroyed and crumbling it further. As furniture from Earth, the table might as well be made of paper in front of the themarians.


    "Cyril, leave him alone," Zac slightly raised his voice. He, however, did not approach Riley and even took another step back as he warned Cyril.


    "You don''t have to worry, we just want to ask your new friend some questions," Cyril let out a small scoff as the rest of his group started to circle Riley,


    "Hey, I''m talking to you, boy. Are you a half-breed? Could it be that you don''t understand me?"


    Riley was clearly hearing Cyril but chose to ignore him. Instead, his eyebrows just started to twitch with each footprint that Cyril leaves on the table.


    "Hey, are you ignori¡ª"


    "Can you please take your feet off the table?" And finally, Riley started to speak; not even letting Cyril finish his words as he pointed at the table. Riley, however, still did not even look at Cyril and was instead fully focused on the broken table.


    "Oh, so you can talk," Cyril let out a small chuckle, "So, where are you from? How did you even meet our little Red Lip Zac?"


    "Please move your feet."


    "What?" Cyril clicked his tongue as he noticed Riley still not looking at him, "Just because you''re a professor you think you are better than me? I am a guard of the Royal Castle!"


    "Move your feet," Riley''s eyes squinted as his head started tilting to the side; his fingers, seemingly moving on their own as his breaths became heavier. And soon, he started massaging his temples with his palms.


    "Take your feet off," he once again said. The tone of his voice, slightly bing high-pitched.


    Cyril and the rest of his friends could really only look at each other as Riley started moving erratically. Zac, who was just watching on the side, suddenly disappeared¡ªhe couldn''t understand Riley, but there was someone else in the castle who could, Princess Esme.


    "Hey! Stop bullying the new guy!" The server, Lou, dropped all of her spats as she jumped over the counter; causing the floor to shake just from her sheer weight.


    "Rx, Mama Lou. We just wanted to know about the new guy. He¡ª"


    "Take your feet off, take your feet off," Riley suddenly raised his voice as the hands he was using to massage his temples became violent, "Don''t touch my stuff¡­


    ¡­sister," Riley then started looking around, "I can''t hear anything¡­ I need my sister."


    "...What?"


    "Hannah¡­ Hannah!"

 Chapter 546: Lts Mine

    "Did you say something, Toms?"


    "No, I did not, Hannah."


    "Jesu¡ªStop creeping behind me and show yourself like a normal person! You''re not a ninja!"


    "My sole purpose is to protect you, Hannah. I do not need to be seen."


    "You certainly didn''t back me up the other day. And stop it with this ''protect protect'' roley bullshit you and my brother are ying at. You''re my friend, Tomoe."


    Hannah and the others were still in front of thergeke. This time, however, arge shadow was being cast all over them; almost covering the entireke. The light that glowed beneath the waters, now floating above it.


    It was a glowing sphere; some sort of sphere the size of the globe one could see at the entrance of a popr theme park. Hannah wanted to approach it at first since she was the only onepletely unaffected by the weird temperature it was releasing but chose to just observe it in the end first.


    Whatever it is, everyone felt a certain pulling from it, literally. The sphere was throbbing, and with each pulse, strands of watering from theke were slowly, but consistently being sucked into the sphere bit by bit.


    Hera and Ts were currently underwater, checking to see if there was anything else there. Before that, however, the two were in a slight debate. As for Vera, she was just sitting on the ground and not talking to anyone.


    Suffice it to say, it was impossible for this group to truly get alone.


    "I am starting to think it wasn''t Megawoman who sent that message to Hera, she wouldn''t send us here," Hannah threw a pebble at theke before standing beside Tomoe, "All things considered, this has Diana Ross written all over it. I was also told that Megawoman is sort of¡­ technologically inept."


    "I agree, Hannah," Tomoe was about to stand behind Hannah again, but Hannah red at her and gestured to her to stand behind her like a normal person, "How¡­ long do we need to observe the sphere? I heard from Miss Ts that she was feeling something familiaring from the sphere."


    "Yeah, she''s not alone there," Hannah let out a long and deep breath as she looked at the sphere. It had been sucking in the water from theke for more than a day now, and yet it hasn''t grown in size at all.


    "All these new alien techs, it''s crazy. I miss the days when the craziest tech I can hold was dad''s anti-gravity thingy. You know, you attach it to something and it makes that object weightless or something. Fuck, I wonder where that is?"


    "That¡­ is not normal technology, Hannah."


    "Isn''t it?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "May I ask you something, Hannah?"


    "Oh my f¨CJust ask."


    "You asked if I said something earlier, were you hearing something?" Tomoe''s usually monotonous tone slightly became more high-pitched as she nced at Hannah.


    "Oh, it''s nothing. I just thought I heard someone calling for me," Hannah waved her hand and scoffed.


    "I see. I also need to check on your mental health, it''s important," Tomoe sighed and nodded.


    "...Since when did you be a doctor?" Hannah could not help but chuckle at Tomoe''s words, "I told you, it''s nothing. I''m just¡­ I thought I heard Riley."


    "You heard Master?" Tomoe squinted her already small eyes, "Perhaps it''s some sort of sibling telepathy."


    "That only works in twins," Hannah snickered as she looked at Tomoe, "And Riley and I aren''t even rted by blood, so¡­ hm."


    "..."


    "And besides. Thest time Riley called for me was back when he was just a tiny little prick."


    "Tiny¡ªplease do tell me more about Master when he was younger," Tomoe''s small eyes widened as she looked Hannah straight in the eyes.


    "Oh, he was wild," Hannah shook her head as a chuckle escaped her lips, "Basically, dad took his spoon because he was ying with it."


    "...Oh."


    "Yup, he truly did not like that," Hannah then sighed as she looked at the sky, "I remember saying all sorts of bad stuff to dad back then, even mom got mad at him and he had to sleep in his mancave¡­ which I think he prefers, honestly."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "What did Riley do?"


    "Nothing, really. He just screamed and slightly became violent. You know, Riley is so aware of everything around him that you sometimes forget that there''s¡­ just something really wrong with him."


    "Hm," Tomoe also sighed and nodded.


    "But I wish I could do that. Just be in control of my emotions; but then again, I guess that''s why he grew up so fucked in the head," Hannah once again also sighed; the two of them, filling the air with their heavy breaths,


    "But I guess even without the whole being in the spectrum thingy, Riley is just¡­ really, really fucked up as a person."


    "..."


    "It''s our fault, really, for not seeing it. Mom was probably aware of it, but well¡­ she''s mom. Dad just made it worse¡­ and now I am tolerating it."


    "I do not think it''s your fault, Hannah."


    "Hm," Hannah just shrugged, "He has to be stopped, you know, my brother. But he has to be stopped the right way, or not at all."


    "...And what is the right way?"


    "It''s¡­"


    ***


    "Sister¡­ I need my sister."


    Back in the canteen of Hel''s castle, Riley was still calling for Hannah; still rubbing his temples as if to calm himself down.


    "Hannah¡­" Riley''s eyes looked everywhere, shaking his head with each turn.


    "What''s wrong with this guy? And where''s Zac?"


    Almost all the people in the canteen could really only watch as Riley started to be more erratic by the second. Cyril, who was the closest to Riley, could not help but be irritated by Riley''s incessant wails.


    "Hey, stop screaming!" Cyril approached Riley, cracking the table beneath his feet even more, "You''re making everyone here ufortable!"


    "..." And as soon as the cracking whisper reached Riley''s ears once more, and like a hose suddenly being pinched, any sound that wasing from him abruptly stopped. His eyes, now looking directly at Cyril''s face.


    "What are you loo¨C"


    And before Cyril could move, the wordsing from his mouth became muffled as Riley suddenly grabbed his entire face.


    "Hannah¡­ Hannah is here. Hannah is with me."


    And as soon as that whisper escaped from Riley''s lips, the air inside the canteen instantly became thicker; the space around Riley, very slowly distorting in a sort of wave.


    And soon, a sizzle started to whisper in the air.


    "Kh!" Cyril quickly grabbed Riley''s wrist with both hands as he felt a scorching pain trickling down his face. He tried pushing Riley''s hand away, and he did¡­ but Riley''s other hand instantly reced it.


    "You!" This time, Cyril mmed the edges of his palm like a scissor around Riley''s arm¡ªshattering his bones and almost tearing them offpletely. Riley''s palm, however, was still locked and gripping his face.


    "I told you¡­" Riley then whispered; with each word, smoke fumed from his lips, "...I told you to take your feet off my table. But no, no, no, no¡­ You don''t listen, no one listens. No one, no one fucking listens. You know, it''s my table. It''s mine."


    Riley started shaking his head as vapor started being released from his body,


    "If you don''t listen¡­


    ¡­then you don''t need your ears."

 Chapter 547: WJH!?

    "You don''t need your ears."


    "..."


    The heat that traveled through the canteen was enough to distort the very air. Cyril, however, couldn''t care less about the changing temperature. He was more in shock by the unrelenting grip of each of Riley''s fingers.


    He tried breaking Riley''s arm again¡ªeven tearing it off; but for some reason, Riley''s nerves remainpletely connected, causing his grip to remain and even lock. The only thing Cyril could really do was look through the gaps between Riley''s fingers, watching his arm heal in a very weird way.


    "..." And soon, it made it hard for him to ignore the rising temperature. It was getting hotter and hotter, to the point that it was starting to surpass his own energy beam. At this point, it would only be a few more seconds before Riley manages to melt his entire face¡ªhis nose was already started to burn and melt.


    Realizing this, Cyril took one final breath with his mouth before leaping into the air and wrapping his legs around Riley''s arm. He wanted to fly down and drag Riley into the floor; but s, he felt like there were strings keeping him suspended in the air.


    This didn''t faze Cyril, however, as he turned to look at his friends. And as soon as he did so, the other guards started to rush toward Riley¡ªgrabbing him by all of his limbs and lifting him into the air; one was even pulling on his mouth and face.


    Riley gritted his exposed teeth as his breaths became extremely vocal and rabid; his flesh, very slowly but surely being torn off by the 5 themarians pulling him in different directions.


    "Ha¡­" Riley let out a loud grunt as the corners of his lips were slowly separated, making his already wide mouth even wider¡ªit looked as though he was smiling¡­ but he was not.


    Riley was not smiling at all; he was just staring at Cyril''s eyes which were also looking at him through the gaps between his fingers.


    "..." And with another grunt, Riley pulled his head from the hand grabbing it,pletely tearing his cheek open. As soon as he did so, however, the air around himpletely became obscurepletely and fully distorted by the heat and the smoke that was starting to fog the air around him.


    "Hot!" One of Cyril''s friends quickly let go of Riley as he was suddenly surprised by something that felt like heat close to the inside of a sun¡ªthis was a mistake. Because as he was waving his hand and trying to ease the pain, the others also lost their grip one by one,pletely freeing Riley.


    And as soon as his feetnded on the floor, Riley carried Cyril away from the table before mming him on the floor, cracking it and slightly causing the entire canteen to quake.


    Cyril''s friends did not hesitate to rush toward Riley again, but the sudden steam that fumed out of Riley''s body all caused them to take a step back. The air was so thick and hot that it almost felt like there was a wall preventing them from stepping inside.


    And soon, they could no longer see what was happening. It was just a white sphere¡ªa white sphere distorting anything close to it visually, and literally.


    "You¡­" Cyril could feel his entire skin starting to crack, burn, and melt. One would think that themarians would be used to pain since they were a race of warriors, but no. Aside from their own species, there were only a few things in the entire universe that could hurt them, after all.


    Cyril could really only grit his teeth¡ªif he was going to save himself, this was hisst chance. And with that thought, his eyes which were already starting to meld with his eyelids started to glow as he summoned a pair of energy balls around him.


    These two red orbs, however,pletely did nothing. Whatever was being released from Riley''s body, it was hotter and more violent than his energy projection.


    "You¡­ You can''t do this," Cyril tore off his own lips that were already stuck together to be able to speak, "I''m a royal guard. This is¡ª"


    Riley did not even seem to care, however, as he even mmed Cyril''s head on the floor again as soon as he heard him talk.


    "I told you," he then whispered, and with each word, he continued to m Cyril''s head, "Do. Not. Touch. My. Things."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Professor Riley."


    "!!!" Riley then quickly turned his head as he heard a voice, only to see a hand grabbing his wrist; a handrge enough to cover more than half of his forearm.


    "I have an update about Princess Aerith."


    And as soon as he heard those words, the scorching temperature in the room started to lower; very slowly returning to normal as the white noise blocking Riley and Cyril from the rest of the canteen dissipated away.


    "What is it, Princess Esme?" Riley then casually let go of Cyril''s face as he turned to face Esme; parts of her clothes,pletely gone and exposing her slightly tanned skin. She didn''t seem to care, however, as she looked at Riley''s face.


    "You have something on your face, Professor Riley," Esme blinked a couple of times as he saw Riley''s cheek torn off and hanging from his jaw.


    "Oh," Riley also blinked a couple of times, before using his telekinesis to fix his skin and flesh, helping to hasten his body''s regeneration,


    "This is not important, Princess Esme. Please share your information about Aerith," Riley then said as he walked toward his broken table, letting out a small but very deep sigh as he started picking up the pieces.


    "She is in the castle, somewhere underground," Princess Esme slightly hummed as she looked at Cyril, or more specifically, Cyril''s organs. He seemed to have lived, however, as his flesh and bones were slowly starting to materialize again, "I tried making a request to see if they could grant us visitation hours, but they said they were ordered not to let anyone near her at all costs, even if the King himself requested."


    "Underground?" Riley started putting the table together using his telekinesis, and as soon as it seemed whole again, it suddenly disappeared; no, it became smaller,


    "Themarians seem to like hiding things underground, even mother does it," Riley squinted his eyes as he returned all of his things back into his coat.


    "...Is that another one of your abilities, Professor Riley?" Princess Esme''s eyes widened as soon as she saw Riley shrinking the chairs, tables, and cutleries.


    "Yes," Riley casually said as he started walking away.


    "Then, is it possible for you to make me shorter?"


    "No. I have tried using it on another person once, they just turn into a lump of meat. I can use it on myself, however."


    "...What other abilities do you have, Professor Riley?"


    "I can grow trees. There''s also¡­"


    The other themarians in the canteen could really only watch as Riley and Esme casually walked out of the canteen, leaving Cyril to recover all on his own on the floor.


    "..." Even Zac, who found and brought Esme to the canteen, could not help but suck in his breaths and hope this situation doesn''t escte any further. After all, this involved him in a way since he knew Cyril and the others. And so, after a few more seconds of staring at Cyril''s regenerating body, he also turned to follow Riley and Esme¡ª-leaving everyone wondering¡ª


    "What¡­ just happened?"

 Chapter 548:Old

    "We told you, Lord Riley. You are not allowed to see or wait for Her Highness here. Please go back to the surface, you will be able to see Her Highness during the trial."


    "I would like to stay here, Helguard."


    "That is not possible, Lord. Her Highness won''te out of her room until the trial.


    "I thought themarians do not believe in prisons, other Helguard?"


    "...You can''t stay here, Lord Riley. You have already been standing there for 5 hours straight, Lord Riley."


    "Because I want to be the first person Aerith sees, Helguard."


    5 hours. With Princess Esme''s help, Riley was able to find where they were keeping Aerith. Deep underground, where no light from the surface could ever reach¡ªbut as inessible as it might sound, it was truly not.


    The way to it was actually in in sight, just several meters away from the castle''s main entrance. It was anotherrge door, adorned with marble pirs on the side; as well as surrounded by some fauna that almost made it look like a small garden¡ªand no one was guarding it.


    Once you open the door, however, there was nothing but darkness and a pit that led miles into the ground.


    And at the end of it, was a bright hallway, with strips of blue light on both the ceiling and the floor, simr to the throne hall.


    There were several doors across the hallway, but Riley did not really stop for them as only a single one had people guarding it¡ªAerith''s room.


    "How were you even able to go inside here, Lord Riley?"


    "Youck security, Helguard. You''re not alone in that oversight, however, as the evaniels also tend to not care about their security."


    "So you are half-eva¡ªYour Highness!"


    And before the two guards could entertain themselves with their boring jobs by chatting with their unexpected visitor, they suddenly ced both their hands behind their backs; standing straight as they raised their chins high.


    "..." Riley slowly looked back to see who they were saluting to, only to see a woman whose eyes were closed casually and calmly approaching them. Riley was confused as to who it was at first, as the strands of grey hair that previously covered arge part of her hair were now dyed brown. She still looked old, of course, but not like before.


    "Princess Tifa," Riley bowed his head as soon as their eyes met.


    "Come with me," Princess Tifa, however, just waved her hand before gesturing to Riley to follow her.


    "I need to be here, Princess Tifa."


    "Maybe," Princess Tifa covered her mouth as she slightly giggled, "But you can''t. I promise you, I will make sure that you will be one of the first people that Aerith would see as soon as shees out of her¡­ seclusion."


    "..." Riley squinted his eyes as he looked at the door, the guards, and then finally back to Tifa. And with a nod, he started following her. The two walked around the castle for a few minutes; unlike the other day, however, the castle was filled with life¡ªwith all the maids and other castle staff just freely walking around the hallway. Aside from Princess Tifa greeting her people, their walk waspletely silent until they reached Tifa''s study.


    There was a certain unique smell there, it wasn''t bad, but not really what one would expect to hit their nose as they enter someone''s office.


    "..." Riley quickly looked around the study, only to see more than a dozen shelves filled with orbs hovering in them, as well as a handful of what seemed to be books. Riley wasn''t aware of howrge a data the orbs could store¡ªbut it was probably astronomical in value¡­ and there were than hundreds of them.


    Does that mean that whatever data the orbs contained, Princess Tifa has read and watched them all?<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "How old are you, Princess Tifa?" Riley asked as he stepped deeper into the study; his eyes, surveilling everything. But other than the floating orbs, everything just looked like a normal study one could find in rich homes.


    Princess Tifa could really only look at Riley as she heard his sudden question, before ncing at one of her shelves and chuckling,


    "I''ve forgotten how old I am, dear. Was the hair dye too much?" Princess Tifa then said as she lightly brushed her hair, "I was only going to color it gold, but I don''t really like how it just looks white in some lights."


    "A dye? Why did you not just inject the hair color serum that Aerith gave me, Princess Tifa?"


    "I''m old. I don''t like putting things inside my body that don''t belong there," Princess Tifa once again chuckled as she took a seat at her desk, gesturing to Riley to sit on the chair in front of her, "Sit, we need to talk about my youngest child."


    "...Hm," Riley nodded as he took a seat, "I thought you called me to talk about what happened in the canteen, Princess Tifa."


    "And what happened in the canteen?" Princess Tifa raised an eyebrow.


    "I almost killed one guard due to a major altercation."


    "Oh," Princess Tifa waved her hand and sighed, "That''s okay. If you ask me, there have been too many of ustely, not enough deaths because old people like me refuse to just go, you know?"


    "That can be a problem, yes."


    "So, about my¡ª"


    And before Princess Tifa could actually start their discussion, a sudden sharp cry wailed in the air. Riley''s eyebrows quickly furrowed as he once again looked around the room at the slightly annoying noise.


    Tifa, on the other hand, just let out a small hum before quickly standing up; slightly pushing her chair as she did so and revealing the wooden crib behind it.


    "..." Riley could really only blink a couple of times; tilting his head as he watched Princess Tifa very gently¡­ carried a baby from the crib,


    "I thought themarians could only give birth once in a thousand years or so, Princess Tifa?" Riley then said; the tone of his voice, slightly deep. This¡­ was the first time he was seeing a themarian baby¡ªhe hasn''t even seen a toddler even once.


    "Did Aerith tell you that?" Princess Tifa lowered her voice as she gently cradled the baby themarian, "I suppose that''s true, but I''m old¡ªthe sperm just goes in and a baby slides out between my legs. It just works like that."


    "..." Riley breathed out heavily, squinting his eyes as Princess Tifa started chuckling again. Suffice it to say, Riley was having a hard time discerning whether or not Tifa was telling the truth, "You seem to be a very happy person, Princess Tifa."


    "I just choose to, I''m old," Princess Tifa said as she caressed the baby''s cheek.


    "So, that child is yours?" Riley squinted his eyes further, "I thought udyne was your youngest child?"


    "Who knows," Princess Tifa shrugged, "But we''re not here to talk about this baby. I believe your ss is a sparkling sess, Lord Riley. Whatever you did, it worked. I have never seen udyne so behaved¡ªand her peers are unusually quiet too."


    "Does that mean you will talk to the King, Princess Tifa?" Riley stood up from his seat.


    "Hm¡­


    ..I already did."

 Chapter 549: The Rebel Princess

    "Does that mean you will talk to the King, Princess Tifa?"


    "Hm¡­


    ..I already did."


    And almost like a yful dog, Riley''s ears, and even some strands of his long white hair started to perk up and even wag.


    "He said no..."


    But s, his growing excitement did not reallyst long as Princess Tifa''s sighs reached his ears. Riley was about to take his seat again, but it would seem Princess Tifa was not finished with her words.


    "But I did manage to get you on the stand, Professor."


    "The stand?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he remained standing.


    "Hm. Aerith already talked in her previous trial, and the alien friend she brought also tirelessly talked during the trial; so they''re not allowed to defend anymore, but you¡­" Princess Tifa continued to gently cradle the baby she was holding as she faced Riley,


    "You might offer a better insight¡ªmy sources say that you im to be her lover, no?"


    "..."


    "Who knows," Princess Tifa lightly hummed, "The judge and jury might just change their mind if they hear your words."


    "May I ask who the judge is, Princess Tifa?"


    "The King," Princess Tifa sighed, "I have told you, everything has been decided already."


    "And the juries?"


    "My children, and some other people."


    "..."


    "I know your expression and I am going to say it to you straight¡­" Princess Tifa let out a small chuckle as she focused on the baby, "...My oldest boy wants the throne."


    "I have heard of that, Princess Tifa," Riley let out a small and very deep breath as he returned to his seat.


    "And as is obvious, he is one of the juries," Princess Tifa nodded, "I can talk to him to convince him to go against my brother. Aerith doesn''t care about the throne, after all¡ªbut Lucien can be stubborn sometimes, and he is loyal to my brother."


    "If the King dies, who will inherit the throne, Princess Tifa?" Riley once again ced his hand on his chin.


    "If my brother dies right now, at this very moment, then Aerith would inherit the throne. You''re not nning to kill the King, are you?" Princess Tifa''s voice was still as soothing as it could be as she continued to cradle the baby she was carrying, "Because if you are, I am obligated to report it."


    "If Aerith dies before the King?"


    "Then I would be the heir to the throne," Princess Tifa let out a gentle chuckle, "But as I said before, I am old and could care less about that stupid chair. I will pass it to my oldest son, which leads us back to Lucien."


    "..."


    "I could try talking to my brother more and dy the inevitable¡ªIf you continue teaching," Princess Tifa finally returned the baby to its crib, "I already boasted you to some of my peers, and they want their children to learn from you too. Perhaps when this little one learns how to talk, I would put her in your ss too."


    "When do they n to execute Aerith once the trial is over, Princess Tifa?"


    "Only the King really knows," Tifa shrugged, "It could be a day after the trial, a week, a month, a hundred years. I could ask the King to dy it as much as possible."


    "Are you aware of what I teach, Princess Tifa?"


    "I won''t disrupt you, Professor¡­


    ¡­You''re the one who knows best."


    ***


    "May we enter, Your Highness? We¡­ are here to escort you to the throne hall."


    "Don''t be shy and just enter, you guys are just doing your jobs."


    Back in the castle''s underground where Riley was at a few hours ago; the two guards that he spoke to were now facing the door they were tasked to guard. Their faces, a little hesitant as they nodded to each other before opening the door.


    And there, a shower of white light quickly seeped into the dim hallways of the underground. But contrary to what one would expect from the white lighting from the room, the inside¡­ was an endless horizon.


    The view of the alps, with the sun just painting everything with its orange brilliance. And there, overlooking the almost unending view simr to Earth''s mountains, was Aerith.


    "We are entering the room, Your Highness."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    And as soon as the two guards stepped inside the room, the view of the alps instantly disappeared; reced by four walls and a roof,pletely silver and lit up by strips of white light that surrounded the edges of therge room. Unlike most of Theran''s infrastructures and interiors, Aerith''s room truly showcased an advanced civilization as what a normal human would expect it to be.


    "You don''t need to ask for my permission, I told you¡ªjust do your job," Aerith''s breaths whispered throughout the entire room as she turned around. She did not immediately look at the two guards, however, and instead turned to look at the other presence in the room¡ªsurrounded by floating orbs, seeminglypletely upied in checking all of them.


    "Thank you, Paige," Aerith then said, "It''s probably thest time I''m ever seeing a view of Earth."


    "No!" Paige, who was watching all sorts of recordings from the orbs around her, quickly shook her head before looking at Aerith, "I¡­ I will find something that could help you, Megawoman!"


    "You''ve done enough already," Aerith sighed, "You''ve shown them the things I did and they didn''t care."


    "I¡­ I will find something," Paige, however, did not seem to care as she just continued to scour Theran''s history¡ªnot really knowing what she was looking for.


    "..."


    "We¡­ We need to attach this cor to you, Your Highness."


    "How many times do I have to tell you to just do whatever you have to do?" Aerith then lightly clicked her tongue as she gestured to the two guards to approach her. And without any more dy, the guards quickly but very carefully attached the cor on Aerith''s neck, bringing her outside the room.


    "No matter how many times I see it, this looks bleak," Aerith quickly whispered as she looked at the walls made of bricks and marble. The two guards didn''t really know whether they should say something or not, so in the end, they continued to walk beside Aerith; following her pace.


    "Megawoman?"


    And as they were making their way across the long hallway, a whisper suddenly seeped from one of the other doors decorating the walls.


    "I thought I told you to just call me mom?" Aerith''s steps quickly halted; sighing as she turned to look at the door,


    "How are they treating you? Alright?"


    The two guards once again looked at each other, before nodding at each other and walking ahead, giving Aerith some privacy as she approached the door.


    "Why¡­ why are you asking me if I''m alright?" The voice from the other side was familiar, but even more so, it was trembling, "I should be the one asking you that, Megawoman. Will they really execute you!?"


    "I''m sorry, Silvie," Aerith sighed as she ced her hand on the door, "I''m the one who dragged you here fully knowing they might just lock you up."


    "This¡­ this is nothing. My existence itself¡ª"


    "Your existence is beautiful, that''s all you should know," a small smile crawled on Aerith''s face, "You don''t have to worry, okay? I made sure that after all of this is done, you will be able to live a normal life anywhere you want to."


    "I don''t care about me! You''re the one on trial! Will¡­ will they really kill you? All¡­ all you did was save people, om and¡ªYou¡­ you should go and escape, mom. Please¡­"


    "That may be true," Aerith let out another sigh as she removed her hand from the door and started stepping back, "But I initially left to find Diana."


    "I¡­I''ll try to find a way to get out of here. It''s¡­ it''s our turn to save you."


    "Rx, just¡­ don''t do anything rash," Aerith let out a small chuckle as she made her way toward the guards.


    "Mom¡­ please."


    Before she could reach the guards, however, the whisper seeping from the closed door seemed to be louder; almost piercing Aerith''s ears.


    "I¡­ I don''t want to lose anyone anymore."


    "..." Aerith closed her eyes, before ncing at the door one final time and leaving the dungeon with the guards. And as soon as the light of the outside touched her face, Aerith could not help but somewhat be lost in thought.


    Theran waspletely unchanged. From the day she gained consciousness, and even after hundreds of years that she was gone, Theran is unchanged. Even as she walked across the grounds of the castle, every inch of it¡ªevery pebble was in the same ce.


    She didn''t agree with Diana when she said that the universe has be stagnant, it has clearly changed. But now, seeing her home¡­ perhaps there was some truth in her words.


    "Your Highness, please."


    "...Hm," Aerith shook her head off of the intrusive thoughts she was having as she followed the guards. There were a lot of servants there, most faces she recognized. All of them, however, was avoiding her eyes.


    Every single one of them refused to look her in the eyes. They knew her as the rebellious princess, but that was clearly not her anymore¡ªshe has changed.


    The outside world changed her.


    But here, even as the door of the throne hall opened, everyone quickly looked away as she entered. They were all here to watch her slowly die, and yet not even one of them could look her in the eye.


    Well, all except one.


    "...Riley?"

 Chapter 550: L Am Not Capable Of That

    "...Riley?"


    "Good afternoon, Aerith."


    Everything became silent then. The gazes of the people that were aggressively and tantly trying to avoid her, now no longer matters as a single pair of eyes was the only one she could see now¡ªquite literally.


    Riley was standing right in front of her, blocking the view of the throne. She wasn''t hearing anything, and knowing Riley, he probably ced a telekic bubble around them.


    "When¡ª"


    And for the first time ever; after facing and being in front of themarian royalty several times¡ªRiley finally kneeled.


    "What¡­ are you doing?" Aerith could really only raise an eyebrow; the tone of her voice, slightly amused.


    "Surrendering to you, Aerith."


    "Aerith of House Hel!"


    A loud voice then reverberated throughout the entire throne hall as the bailiff announced Aerith''s arrival, calling for her to walk to her station. And even then, however, almost no one stood up to pay attention; they were a few, but most of them quickly sat down when they noticed no one else was standing.


    "..." Riley turned to look up at Aerith, before standing up and walking to the side to give her space to walk. Seeing this, Aerith could really only let out a small but very deep breath.


    "So, Hera was actually able to bring you here," she then said, "So, how is the Theran experience so far? I told you, themarians are all inherently psychopaths."


    "..." Riley tilted his head to the side, before observing the people in the throne hall, "My experience has been okay so far, Aerith. They seem normal to me."


    "...Of course," Aerith could only sigh and close her eyes, "I forgot who I was talking to."


    "It''s me, Aerith," Riley''s eyes quickly widened ass he looked Aerith in the eyes, "It''s Riley Ross."


    "Wha¡ªYeah, I know who you are!"


    "That is good," Riley then let out a small but very deep sigh, "Let''s talk againter, Aerith."


    "No one''s allowed to visit me," Aerith shook her head and let out another sigh. Riley, however, did not seem to care as she just watched as he walked away, joining an unusually tall woman and a member of the Grand Militia who was seated on the sides along with the other audience.


    Even on Theran, Riley gathers the weirdest ofpanions¡ªAerith thought. She was going to walk toward the throne but noticed the tall woman staring her straight in the eyes.


    "..." Aerith just raised an eyebrow, wondering who this was. But after a few more breaths of exchanging nces, Aerith finally walked across the carpet; standing on the pedestal¡ªno, standing on the stage that was set for her.


    "Aerith''Hel!"


    And as soon as her foot touched the pedestal, the bailiff''s voice once again reverberated through the hall.


    "Guilty of leaving Theran, and abandoning her duties as the Princess of Hel, fully knowing that she is the only remaining heir of His Glorious Highness, King Arthus. Despite the King''s orders, Aerith''Hel left, leaving a bad example for our new generatio¡ª"


    "She left to find and hunt Caitain''Ur!" And before the bailiff could finish his introductions, one of the people from the audience raised his voice, "She did it for¡ª"


    But s, his mouth, however, was quickly covered by the people around him.


    "Be reminded that you will be thrown out of the throne hall if you talk unnecessarily," the bailiff red at the heckler, before clearing his throat and proceeding with the introductions,


    "At the year 5,455 of the Rule of King Arthus, Aerith sent 10 guards loyal to the kingdom to their eternal deaths. 10 citizens of Hel, of the kingdom, that were only ordered to prevent her from leaving our beloved home, Theran¡­


    ¡­Even now, their family mourns their loss."


    And with those words, the throne hall that was filled with whispers and murmurs slowly faded away; their heads, all looking down.


    Riley watched as Aerith''s eyebrows also started to furrow; her breaths that were bing heavier by the second, obvious for him to see even from the distance.


    They called it a trial, but no one was even defending Aerith. She just stood in front of the throne¡­she just stood in front of the kingdom for everyone to see her shame. This isn''t a trial¡ªit''s a show.


    "This is treason to the highest of degrees; treason that our Kingdom has never seen before. And in ordance to thew¡­" The bailiff broke the silence as his loud words almost pierced through everyone''s ears, "...Aerith''Hel is to be sentenced to Eternal Death!"


    "..." Riley''s hands started to roll into fists as he heard the bailif''s words.


    "We are now once again gathered here to today to witness the fair trial of Aerith''Hel!" The bailiff continued, "Initially, today was going to be the day our honorable jury would decide Aerith''Hel''s fate. But the defendant has presented another witness for us today!"


    The audience''s whispers once again traveled in the air. As for Aerith, the only thing she could really do upon hearing the bailiff''s words was to sigh and shake her head.


    A new witness that she wasn''t aware of¡ªthere could only be one.


    "May we call the witness, Riley Ross, to stand and kneel before the throne!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    And without any hesitation, Riley stood up from his seat; everyone''s eyes, all looking at him and wondering who he could be. Some of the women, even let out loud gasps as they whisper to each other.


    "Is it an evaniel? I thought they were not allowed here?"


    "I can sense a little bit of energy in him; a half-breed?"


    "He''s¡­ so handsome. I wonder if he''s¡ª"


    "Quiet down!"


    "..." Riley did not really care about all the stares and whispers. Instead, he just calmly stood in front of the throne, staring at it and looking at the melted and melded crowns it was made from,


    "Where is King Arthus?" Riley then said.


    And as the people saw him fail to kneel, an orchestra of gasps and whispers once again danced in the air.


    "You are not allowed to speak until the jury asks you a question!" The bailiff quickly raised his voice.


    "..." Riley turned to look at the 10 people sitting near the throne; all of them, looking at him from head to toe¡ªand some even seemingly looking at his soul. Riley then turned to look at the one that seemed to be the oldest¡ªa middle-aged man; the sides of his hair already showed signs of greying.


    He carried with him an air of authority and confidence that stood above the 9 others he was with. If Riley was right, then this should be Lucien, Princess Tifa''s oldest son.


    "..." Lucien''s thick eyebrows quickly furrowed as he noticed Riley staring at him. Riley didn''t flinch or look away, however.


    "The jury is allowed to ask the witness any question they deem important to the case," the bailiff announced, "The witness must answer truthfully, and will answer truthfully as we have a device that could detect his lies."


    The bailiff then raised an orb, "If this lights up in red, then the witness is lying, and would therefore lose his credibility as a witness, and will be kicked out of the throne hall."


    "..."


    "If everyone understands, then we will proceed with the trial," the bailiff then sat down, before looking at the jury, "Jury, you may begin asking the witness a question."


    Riley finally looked away from Lucien, before ncing at Aerith and raising his thumbs up.


    Once again, Aerith felt like a mother being embarrassed by her son¡ªor like an old best friend being deliberately teased. Finally, Riley didn''t make the situation permanent for her, as he faced the throne again.


    And now, looking at his back, Aerith could really only close her eyes. Paige also stood as a witness for her in the previous trial; even using her abilities of projection to show exactly what Aerith did for Earth.


    But it didn''t matter. Everything that was happening to her is only for show¡ªeveryone knew that.


    In truth, she didn''t even know why she came back to this in the first ce. Perhaps a part of her still hoped that her family would still wee her back, but no. Even bringing Caiin''Ur, the criminal she promised to bring to justice, waspletely ignored by her father.


    Although, arge part of her knew this would happen¡ªthat she would be prosecuted. Maybe¡­


    ¡­Maybe she just underestimated how tired she really was?


    Traveling across the Universe, traversing the Unknown, finding Earth, staying there for Caiin''Ur, staying there for the people, fighting, falling in love with a beautiful human, fighting, giving birth to a son, fighting, falling out of love, fighting¡­ fighting, fighting to the death, resting, waking up again.


    Her time on Earth was short, but she found that the most tired she had been was there. It was fun, she lived her life fully unlike what would happen if she just stayed here.


    She is content. She did her part in protecting the people of Earth from evil.


    But little did she think that the one to defend her in her final moments would be the very evil she tried protecting the people from. The reason for so much of their suffering.


    "..." Aerith could really only smile. Fate¡­ fate was ying with her.


    "What is your rtionship to the criminal?"


    And finally, after much silence, one of the jurors raised her hand and asked the first question; Riley, however, did not even look at her.


    "She is my lover."


    "!!!"


    "Riley, you can''t lie here."


    Aerith could not help but cover her face and sigh. The others, however, quickly turned to look at the orb the bailiff was holding.


    "Lying?" Riley once again nced at Aerith as a hint of a smile crawled on his face,


    "I''m not capable of that, Aerith."

 Chapter 551 551: Presentation (1)

    "Riley, you can''t lie here."


    "Lying?


    ¡­I''m not capable of that, Aerith."


    "Y¡ª"


    "The witness is not allowed to talk to the criminal!"


    Aerith''s slightly frustrated groan traveled through the air. No one heard it, however. Not even a single themarian, a species that was capable of hearing an ant from a mile away if they want to, was able to hear her frustration.


    All of their eyes, ears, and every fiber of their attention were on the orb that the bailiff was holding¡ªmost of them waiting for it to light up in red.


    A second.


    A minute.


    A themarian could stand in silence for hours, and yet not even notice it. The audience, however, did not need to wait for that long as the bailiff shook his head¡ªgesturing to the jury, as well as to the audience that Riley was not lying by raising the orb in the air.


    Seeing this left Aerith''s mouth slightly open; the disbelief, escaping from her lips. This disbelief, however, turned into slight annoyance as she noticed Riley smiling at her quite¡­ condescendingly. At least, that is what it looked like to her.


    Aerith already knew that Riley was not susceptible and immune to any mind-reading telepathy; she was too. But the themarian''s lie detector device was perhaps one of the most advanced in the entire Known Universe¡ªit scans your brain, your heart, your face, the slightest changes in temperature, your voice, and even the individual follicles and pores on your body.


    In short, it was a literal full body scan¡ªsimr to Katherine''s empath capabilities, only more sophisticated and urate.


    Could it be¡­ that Riley thinks that he is her lover?


    "..." Aerith could really only widen her eyes at the thought. Riley Ross was incapable of love¡ªhe can show affection and care as he does with his sister¡­ but love?


    And her? Riley loves her? That¡­


    "...That is so weird."---were the words that escaped Aerith''s lips as she once again stared at Riley''s back.


    "Everyone, silence!" The bailiff once again raised his voice, preventing the whispers of the audience to be wails of gossip.


    "Where¡­ did you meet her?" Another jury raised his hand to ask Riley a question. This time, Riley looked at the jury¡ªnoticing how simr all of them looked alike. Considering they were all Princess Tifa''s children, then he shouldn''t really be surprised. What he was a little curious about, however, was that udyne was not there.


    Based on what Riley knows so far about themarians, their women could only give birth every 1000 years or so. There were already 10 of them sitting near the throne, and adding udyne to that, then Princess Tifa would have already lived, at the very least, 11,000 years¡ªminimum.


    Xra was somewhere at 8,000. Riley still doesn''t know how old Diana is, but she should be in Xra''s range or higher. For some reason, Riley was not really that perturbed about their ages; after all, back on Earth, they have Bulwark who is potentially as old as her fellow super, Xra.


    However, Princess Tifa is probably a lot older than Xra¡ªa lot. Riley vaguely remembers Aerith mentioning that she was less than a thousand years old, and considering the bailiff mentioning that Aerith left Theran during the 5,455th year of his father''s reign, then it is also possible that the time between the births of Princess Tifa''s children is also not consistently a thousand years apart, they could also significantly be higher.


    Princess Tifa is probably more than 20,000 years old¡ªmaybe even a hundred thousand. So why¡­


    ¡­Why didn''t any of them seem bored?


    "Riley Ross! Answer the question!" The bailiff snapped his fingers as Riley seemed to have gotten lost in his own world, "Lord Kal asks you where you met the criminal, Aerith!"


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times, before turning his eyes at the one who asked him a question,


    "I met Aerith 300 years ago on my¡ªon the I was born on."


    "The¡­ you were born on?" Kal squinted his eyes as he once again scrutinized Riley with his eyes, "You weren''t born on Theran?"


    "I am Half Themarian, I was born on a from the Unknown, Earth," Riley returned Kal''s gaze as he too, seemed to look at Kal from head to only his waist, since he was seated. Even seated, however, it was obvious that Kal was the tallest and most muscr out of all of his male siblings. His hair, a little curly from the front, making his chiseled and sharp jaw even more profound.


    "Half? Then are you an evaniel¡ª"


    "How exactly did you and cousin meet?"


    But s, before the muscr and charismatic Kal could add to his inquiries, a short woman stood up¡ªor at least she might have; it was hard to tell since her shoulders were still almost the same height as her siblings.


    "As all of you are already aware of, Aerith left Theran to catch the most wanted themarian in all of the Known Universe¡ªa woman filled with secrets and so, so many lies."


    "..." Aerith could not help but raise an eyebrow. She might just be imagining it, but was she hearing some sort of¡­ frustration in Riley''s voice?<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "That doesn''t have anything to do with the question!" The bailiff once again raised his voice as he heard Riley''s words. He was going to say something else but found himself suddenly coughing vehemently.


    "Oh, it does have some relevance to the question, bailiff," Riley breathed out as he looked at the short woman, "Aerith found a trace of Caiin''Ur''s energy on Earth, that is the very reason she went there¡ªand I had the pleasure of meeting her when she¡­ fought with my mother."


    "...Mother?"


    "You know her as Caiin''Ur."


    "!!!"


    The short woman quickly took in a deep breath as soon as Riley''s words reached her ears. It wasn''t only her¡ªevery person in the room let out a short but very deep gasp.


    "That¡­that is not how Aerith described her silly adventure," the short woman pointed at Aerith; almost stuttering her words.


    "That is because Aerith lost a part of her memories when she was almost sent to Eternal Death during their first battle on Earth," Riley then let out a small and very deep sigh as he looked at Aerith,


    "And that is when I cared for her," the tone of Riley''s voice became meek as he closed his eyes, "I made sure she was warm, I bathed her, I talked to her even though I knew it was possible that she couldn''t even hear me¡­ and little did I know that she actually could."


    "..."


    "And so, when she woke up¡­ when I saw her eyes, I immediately fell in love with her," Riley then took in a deep breath as he opened his eyes and looked at the throne for some reason,


    "And perhaps as I cared for her, she also started caring for the inhabitants of Earth. They became her people, and she became theirs. It is true what they say, a true star shines wherever it is," Riley then whispered as he looked Aerith straight in the eyes,


    "She led people who don''t understand their strength, who only know war and violence¡­ to peace. And we fell in love."


    "..." Bullshit¡ªis what Aerith wanted to say right now. But seeing everyone''s shocked faces¡­ most of them were believing it¡ªsomething Aerith couldn''t believe. His story didn''t even make sense and was so random.


    Should¡­ she just let this charade continue?


    "...Pft," Aerith couldn''t help but let out a small chuckle as numerous thoughts crossed her mind. Stop the charade? This whole trial was a show in the first ce¡ªand she keeps forgetting who Riley is.


    If this is a show, then Riley Ross will always be the center of it. Darkday, Riley Ross, Paragon¡ªwhichever persona Riley wears¡­


    ¡­he never fails to present.


    Her chuckle, however, seemed to have triggered something from some of the jury.


    "You collude with the very enemy you are sworn to kill!?" The one that seemed to be the youngest on the jury stood up and also pointed at Aerith, "Shame on you!"


    "Execute the half-breed too! Kill him!"


    "Caiin''s son!? Cait¡­Caiin''Ur is here!?"


    "Half-breed!"


    "Traitor!"


    "Wait, shouldn''t¡­ shouldn''t we hide!? The Caiin''Ur is back!"


    And once again, the entire throne hall was filled with all sorts of voices. Most were disdain and disgust; while others, those that belonged to the older themarians, were that of fear.


    The bailiff would have probably shut them all down by now¡ªbut he still couldn''t talk for some reason. But it would seem that he didn''t need to; as after a few more seconds, Princess Tifa''s eldest son, Lucien, opened his mouth.


    And with just a single raise of his hand, the entire hall became as quiet as the hour before dawn. Even Lucien''s siblings that were raging and pointing fingers immediately sat down; the rage in their eyes, however, could still be heard burning across the hall.


    "You im to be Princess Aerith''s lover¡­" Lucien crossed his legs and rested his chin on his fist; his slightly long hair, brushing and sliding from his broad shoulders as he leaned back,


    "...Does that mean you are Lord Gary''s father?"


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at Lucien, before starting to search for Gary amongst the masses. But try as he might, it would seem Gary didn''t attend Aerith''s 2nd trial,


    "No," Riley shook his head several times, "She fell in love with another¡ªa human, and that is Gary''s father¡­


    ¡­who I killed in my blind rage."

 Chapter 552 552: Presentation (2)

    "You killed Aerith? Is it because of her infidelity?"


    "No, identally. I told you, he died from my blind rage and the inhabitants of Earth could be quite¡­ fragile."


    "..."


    Lucien''s breaths were nothing but a whisper, and yet everyone listened to him; not wanting to miss even a single hum that escapes his mouth.


    Lucien, however, was silent for some reason as he looked at the bailiff; his eyes, staring at the orb he was holding. And finally, after a few more breaths, Lucien broke his silence.


    "So, since you are from this¡­ Earth. What exactly are you a half of? You don''t quite look like Aerith''s bastard."


    "No," Riley shook his head, "I am different from them, always was."


    "Are you perhaps an evaniel?" Lucien asked; his eyes, stillpletely focused on the orb.


    "No," Riley once again shook his head as he stretched his arms to the side, "My other half is the shadows, the void¡­the darkness itself."


    "..." Lucien once again let his breaths express his silence. This time, however, his silence onlyst a single moment as it was reced by a light chuckle.


    "Do not be fooled by this man''s words. He lies," Lucien then stood up as he looked at the audience, "He is able to bypass the Orb of Truth."


    And as soon as he said that, most of the people in the audience let out their short gasps.


    "300 years old¡ªHalf-breeds never live for that long," Lucien sighed as a small smile crawled on his face, "And most importantly, Caiin''Ur will never have a child¡ªcreations, a lot. But children that came from her? That woman treats everything as science experiments."


    "Oh, that''s not true at all. You will find that humans are quite¡­ super," Riley clicked his tongue several times, "And true, Caiin is wed and has secrets even deeper and darker than mine¡ªbut for as long as I have known her, she has been a good mother to her children. None of you would know, of course¡­ all of you are stuck here."


    "...Children?" Lucien scoffed, "You are telling me Caiin has more offspring?"


    "One, my older sister."


    Riley''s feet then started to move; no longer facing the throne ad he walked around. The audience was waiting for the bailiff to do something, not knowing he has been suffocating for a couple of minutes now.


    "..." Riley then walked in front of the audience, looking at them almost one by one,


    "Caiin¡ªDiana has a daughter," Riley then smiled and nodded, "And she is more powerful than any of youbined."


    The audience could really only look at each other. They have always been told that they were the strongest beings in the Universe. And some of them may not feel it, since there are stronger themarians out there¡ªthey have always taken that as a fact.


    "Is that¡­ really the case?" Zac, who found himself quite engrossed with the trial, also could not help but look at the other people in the hall.


    Esme, on the other hand, was shaking her head.


    "He is lying in some parts," Esme breathed out.


    "How¡­ can you tell?" Zac gulped.


    "Because the Orb of Truth also does not work on me¡ªand Professor Riley told me that we are the same kind."


    "...But how do you know he is lying?" Zac turned to look at Esme; wondering what sort of mysteries this¡­ mysterious princess still holds.


    "Because Professor Riley already told me about hispanions and why he is here, Zac."


    "...Oh, of course," Zac could not help but breathe out his disappointment; he thought Esme was about to say something profound and mysterious.


    "Haha!" And all of a sudden, the entire hall was filled with Lucien''s somewhat condescendingughter. The audience''s whispers,pletely drowned by his voice.


    "There is no use in continuing this silly ruse," Lucien let out a heavy sigh as he leaned back on his seat,


    "I will ask again, how did you meet Princess Aerith?"


    "..." Riley only nced at Lucien, before also letting out his own sigh and looking at Aerith,


    "Will all of you really believe a man who cowers and hides behind the King''s throne?" The tone of Riley''s voice suddenly became deep as his eyes strayed toward the people again,


    "While your princess went out into the Unknown to vanquish and capture your''s most heinous criminal, this man hid!" Riley then pointed at Lucien; his eyes, however, remained on the people,


    "When your princess was out there improving the lives of people that were very well beneath her, all of you are here wasting your eternity!"


    "..." The people could not help but blink¡­ why were they suddenly involved in the trial?


    "You are wasting your life on this, pathetic," Riley started walking again; his long white cloak, flowing with the wind even though there was none,


    "The strongest species, pathetic. My mother told me that this, you are the master race. But she also called all of you boring and lifeless¡ªshe is right. I wanted to meet all of you. I needed to meet all of you."


    "..." The people were still waiting for the bailiff to stop Riley, but he was stillpletely silent.


    "I needed to see where Aerith was born, I wanted to see her people," Riley sighed and shook his head, "A being so powerful, a being that could enve humanity, but chose to surrender to them instead¡­


    ¡­but now that I look at all of you, all I see is disappointment," Riley then turned to look at Lucien,


    "Fighting for a useless throne¡­


    ¡­fighting for a useless king."


    "You dare!?" Lucien quickly stood up from his seat, destroying the chair he was sitting on as he pointed at Riley.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    And as soon as he did so, the audience also stood up and started shouting; their voices, however, were drowned by Riley''s bellow that seemed to pierce them straight into their ears.


    "It''s true!" Riley screamed, causing even Aerith to take a step back, almost falling from the pedestal she was standing on as Riley suddenly looked at her with a violent gaze,


    "How could a parent of something so beautiful be a king that throws her daughter to the guillotine?"


    Riley''s teeth started to show themselves as his voice became louder and rougher, "Where is he now, your King!? Not even looking at his daughter in the eyes as he condemns her like a monster! No¡­ your King is the monster!"


    "I will no longer let you defile the name of the King!" Lucien''s eyes lit up as he looked at Riley.


    "What king!?"


    And in response, a raging red also lit up Riley''s eyes; the smile on his face, as wide and as visceral as it could be.


    "Where!?"


    "Stop! Stop!"


    And as Riley released his telekic hold on the bailiff to focus solely on Lucien, the bailiff''s voice quickly thundered in the air.


    "I will have order in front of the Throne! This trial¡­ this trial will be put on hold!"


    But s, it was almost as if no one was listening to him, as several red dots started appearing amongst the crowd as their voices became enraged.


    And while everyone was screaming, Riley was able to notice some of the crowd looking at their neighbors, arguing with them¡ªsome even pushing.


    Seeing this, a small hum escaped Riley''s lips.


    "Who will you stand with!?" Riley then once again drowned the hall with his voice; his eyes, looking at the minority,


    "A king that just sits on his throne, preventing you from experiencing the freedom that you deserve!?" Riley lowered his voice as he pointed at the empty throne. And before any could react, he turned to point at Aerith,


    "Or a woman who ventured into the Unknown, into the darkness, to help people!?" Riley raised his voice, "That is your purpose! Not to hide from those weaker than you, but to protect them!"


    And in turn, I will kill and strip your hope and those you help, for that is my purpose¡ªis what Riley thought but did not say.


    "Aerith¡­" Riley''s voice then turned meek as he looked Aerith straight in the eyes, "...Aerith is what all of you should be and should have been¡­


    ¡­Free."


    "...Riley," Aerith could not help but slightly breathe in as she saw the look in Riley''s eyes¡ªa tremble. Others wouldn''t notice it, but for Aerith, the mncholy in Riley''s eyes was almost screaming to be let out.


    "Free to do whatever you want," Riley continued, "Free from the curse of your birth, of fate. Just¡­


    ¡­free."


    "Riley," Aerith talk in a small gulp as a smile crawled on her face, "You can be free too. You don''t have to¡ª"


    But before Aerith could finish her words, Riley suddenly looked away and once again faced the people.


    "Hel is free! Theran is free!"


    "..." And seeing this, Aerith''s eye started to twitch.


    "Choose freedom! Choose Aerith!"


    "Princess Aerith!"


    "We love you!"


    "I support the Rebel Princess!"


    "Lucien is my King!"


    "Lucien will make Hel great again!"


    "Lucien is the rightful heir!"


    "Aerith abandoned us! She belongs to the streets!"


    "Lucien! Lucien!"


    "...Why are we cheering for other people when King Arthus is still alive?"


    "Lucien for Hel!"


    "We stand by you, Prince Lucien!"


    "..."


    "Really¡­?" Aerith then watched as Riley was dragged away from the throne hall by several guards. She covered her face,pletely embarrassed as some of the people from the crowd started chanting her name.


    "...Just send me to Eternal Death now, please."---were the words that escaped Aerith''s lips. Soon, however, a small drop of tear trailed down her cheek¡­


    ¡­followed by a hint of a smile that was hidden from the world.

 Chapter 553 553: Princess Tifa And Riley

    Back in Princess Tifa''s study, the old princess'' loud and still elegant burst ofughter filled the entire room; her shoulders, causing the chair to quake from how hard they were moving. She even had to wipe the tears that were bursting from her eyes as she could not seem to help herself fromughing.


    And in front of her, was Riley¡ªhis head tilted to the side, wondering why Tifa wasughing the way she was. And finally, after a few more chuckles, Princess Tifa was able to breathe in all of her joy as she looked at Riley.


    "That¡­ was one way to dy Aerith''s ruling," Princess Tifa said as she let out one final deep breath, "For an alien, you are really fun."


    "You are the one who told me to talk about freedom, Princess Tifa."


    "Hm, but you''re the one who delivered it," Princess Tifa shrugged, "So, is it true you''re Caiin''s son?"


    "Not biologically."


    "Pft," Princess Tifa seemed to want tough again for some reason.


    "You are really a happy person, Princess Tifa."


    "You said that twice already," Princess Tifa waved her hand, "I must say, the way you talk about this Earth makes me want to see it¡ªto see what themoners of the outside do."


    "When was thest time you have been outside, Princess Tifa?" Riley slightly squinted his eyes.


    "I''m usually always outside. Hel is a beautiful ce, especially the country."


    "I mean outside Themarian territory, Princess Tifa."


    "Oh," Princess Tifa let out a small hum, before standing up and walking toward the crib behind her, "I have never been outside, not even once."


    "You never thought to?"


    "Once, when I was younger," Princess Tifa sighed and smiled as she look at the baby in the crib, gently tickling its face and making itugh, "But Queen Luz¡ªour mother told me that there is nothing outside, she ingrained it in my mind, and both my brothers''."


    "You have another brother besides the King, Princess Tifa?"


    "We did, the oldest one," Princess Tifa once again sighed as she looked out the window, "He died a long time ago with our father; I have forgotten how long it has been."


    "How did they die, Princess Tifa?"


    "Trying to protect a ster system outside our territory," Princess Tifa''s voice slightly became deeper as she looked at Riley, "They were swallowed by the Cherbi, along with the ster system''s inhabitants. I suppose that is where my brother''s daughter gets it from, you know? Adventure¡ªout there, we die a meaningless death."


    "And in here, you die a useless death," Riley replied, to which Princess Tifa only rolled her eyes.


    "No one else is here but you and me, dear," Princess Tifa sighed, "You can stop performing."


    "..."


    "I am old, Professor. And I can see a performance from a lightyear away," Princess Tifa shook her head, "And you already told me of your age thatst we talked¡ªI can deduce a lot of things there already. What I was not ready for¡­ is your weird affection for my niece."


    "Weird?"


    "Well, perhaps it is not a weird affection at all, but a sincere obsession," Princess Tifa lightly hummed as she looked Riley straight in the eyes¡ªalmost as if she was reading the deepest of Riley''s thoughts,


    "I do apologize, though¡ªfor letting you talk about freedom¡­ when you yourself are not free at all."


    "..." Riley''s eyes squinted even further as he returned Princess Tifa''s gaze.


    "You are trapped in an abyss, aren''t you?" Princess Tifa''s voice lowered as her gaze remained, "A literal abyss that only you could see, and you can''t escape it no matter what."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Well, I suppose that is enough small talk."


    A light chuckle broke the sudden silence that suddenly appeared between the two, with Princess Tifa returning to her seat as sheughed,


    "And congrattions, you managed to dy Aerith''s execution."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Did I?"


    "Hm," Princess Tifa nodded, "Some factions are already starting to show dissatisfaction with my brother''s decision. But of course, it could only be for show¡ªit is not only family that covets the throne, after all. There are¡­ a lot of people there that want a piece of it."


    "What about the king, Princess Tifa?"


    "I will talk to himter, as I said. But let me worry about that," Princess Tifa waved her hand, before rolling her chair close to the desk, "So, I talked to my peers¡ªand they want in. Expect more students in your next ss, Professor."


    "...I will still work as a professor?" Riley blinked a couple of times.


    "Of course, we have a deal. You help me with udyne as her professor, and I help you to dy Aerith''s execution."


    "Are they not going to put another cor on me?"


    "For giving a speech about freedom?" Princess Tifa covered her mouth as a chuckle once again escaped her lips, "That would have the same effect as executing Aerith right now¡ªyou will be considered a martyr by¡­ a minority."


    "...Hm."


    "At this point, they will probably force Aerith out of her room so the masses could see her alive and well¡ªwith a cor, of course," Princess Tifa let out a long and very deep sigh as she shook her head,


    "Politics¡ªjustplicated, really. Have you ever thought about it? Ruling?"


    "Once," Riley shrugged, "But my purpose is to end life, Princess Tifa. Not rule it."


    "Oh, so sharp," Princess Tifa once again covered her mouth to chuckle, "Also, I heard something about a cannon exploding somewhere East just a day before you arrived at the castle. You don''t happen to know anything about that, do you?"


    "Yes, I triggered it identally when I was searching for something," Riley answered without any hesitation, "I do not know what it is, however."


    "...Right. The Rebel Princesses back, and suddenly everything and anything is happening," Princess Tifa brushed her hair, "I need to talk about this to my brother. Are your amodations okay, by the way?"


    "It is more than sufficient, Princess Tifa."


    "That''s good to hear. And also, be careful¡ªall of my children are aware of your presence now. You can be rest assured that they will make it hard for you in the castle."


    "...How many children do you have, Princess Tifa?"


    "Oh, I have 17 wonderful and not-so-wonderful children," Princess Tifa hummed, "Are you wondering how many children Aerith is capable of bearing?"


    "No," Riley quickly shook his head, "Aerith hates me, Princess Tifa. She is just too kind to hold it against me."


    "Like that matters. I hate the fathers of 5 of my children."


    "...How many husbands do you have?" Riley''s eyes slightly widened as soon as he heard Tifa''s words.


    "10, and they are all alive."


    "..."


    "Oh, please. I am a Princess, dear. I can get what I want when I want it. I can even¡ª"


    And before Princess Tifa could finish her words, a whisper of a knock came from the door.


    "Mother, I want to show you something."


    "Speak of my children, and they will arrive," Princess Tifa let out a very long and deep sigh, "You maye in, Kal."


    "Yes, mother."


    The one to enter the study was Kal¡ªthe tallest and most muscr out of Princess Tifa''s sons. And as expected with the way he looked, his stride was wide¡ªeither filled with arrogance or confidence.


    As soon as he saw Riley in the room, however, his stridepletely stopped.


    "You¡­


    ¡­what are you doing here?"

 Chapter 554 554: KalHel

    "Why¡­ are you here?"


    "Princess Tifa requested my presence."


    Kal''Hel, the tallest and most muscr out of Princess Tifa''s sons. Unlike Lucien, Kal still had this youthful aura around him; a bounce in his step as he approached closer to Riley and his mother. His shoulders were broad, even broader than Gary''s and he didn''t seem to be humble about it.


    His eyes as he stared at Riley from head to toe, clear and unrelenting. He then looked Riley straight in the eyes, not breaking contact even after numerous breaths. His re was intense; even more amplified by his thick and sharp eyebrows that seemed to contour his already chiseled face.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Hm¡­okay."


    And after a few more seconds of Kal seemingly sizing up Riley, he just casually shrugged his shoulders and smiled,


    "I have to say, you did really well in the trial. No wonder mother likes you, pft¡­" And it didn''t take long for Zac''s smile to turn into chuckles as he looked back and forth between Riley and Princess Tifa,


    "You really¡ªWait. You''re not thinking of like bing my 10th stepfather, are you?"


    "Oh, don''t jest like that, Kal. Our guest might get some weird ideas," Princess Tifa giggled, before turning to look at Riley with squinted eyes, "...Do you?"


    "No," Riley quickly answered.


    "Hm," Kal shook his head and sighed, "Be careful, mother gets what she wants, when she wants it."


    "She told me, Lord Kal. We had an extensive conversation including it."


    "Y¡ª"


    "Stop bothering the professor, Kal," Princess Tifa tapped the desk to stop Kal from opening his mouth, "So, what did you want to show me?"


    "It''s a letter," Kal said as he swiftly stretched his hand to the side. And as he did so, an envelope suddenly appeared in his palm, "Some bald guy named James gave it to me."


    "...James?" Princess Tifa''s eyebrows raised in curiosity as she grabbed the letter from her son.


    "I shall take my leave, Princess Tifa," and while Princess Tifa started reading the letter, Riley once again bowed and excused himself.


    "Ah, wait for me! I want to get to know you!"


    "..." Riley only nced at Kal as he called for him. Riley, however, just bowed before continuing to walk away¡ªhe had an important matter to attend to, after all. But halfway through his hand reaching the doorknob, Princess Tifa''s voice whispered into his ears.


    "Wait, Professor," Princess Tifa breathed out as she ced the letter on the desk, "A certain Lord James from Varoif is hoping to request a meeting with you."


    "Lord James?" Riley''s hand that was reaching for the doorknob instead went on his chin as he tilted his head.


    "James owns a lot of properties in Varoif. He used to, anyway¡ªhe''s under the Order''s watchlist as far as I know," Princess Tifa tapped the letter, "But even in Hel, he has influence in certain dubious properties. In short, he''s a powerful man¡­


    ¡­Do you know him?"


    "Oh, Lord James. I am afraid we have not yet met in person," Riley let out a short but very deep sigh as he finally remembered the name.


    "Any idea why the baldy wants to meet you?" Kal joined in on the conversation, causing Princess Tifa to lightly hit him on the chest for intruding.


    "Perhaps it is because I killed his son."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Right," Princess Tifa''s words became slow as she once again read the letter, "The letter didn''t mention anything about that¡ªhe''s just asking if I can make it possible for him to meet you. He''s staying at the Camel''s inn, it''s somewhere in the city, I believe."


    "Why send you a letter specifically, Princess Tifa?"


    "Oh, we were acquainted once," Princess Tifa covered her mouth as she let out another giggle, "You could say he could have been a father to one of my children."


    "Mother, that''s not just being acquainted," Kal could not help but take a step back and gag.


    "Hush, Kal. This is the sort of topic you should be entertaining now¡ªyou''re getting old."


    "The only rtionship I need is training and getting stronger," Kal let out a small scoff as he flexed his arms, showing the sharp lines of his muscles that almost sounded like steel threads being stretched as they contracted.


    "Forget this brute," Princess Tifa sighed as she focused on Riley, "So, will you go and meet him?"


    "If I gain the time to, Princess Tifa. I need to visit Aerith," Riley once again bowed as he was finally able to open the door, "I will take my leave, Princess Aerith."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    And as soon as he stepped out of Princess Tifa''s study, Star Sergeant Zac was already there waiting for him; his red lips, already parted.


    "I heard a mention of a Lord James," Zac quickly approached and walked beside Riley, "I saw him back on the trial, I figured he came there solely for you."


    "Hm, it would seem he wants to meet, Star Sergeant Zac."


    "I would advise not to," Zac quickly shook his head, "Lord James has¡­ a wide reach of connections. He''s not afraid of causing trouble even in another nation¡ªhe might even profit from it."


    "..."


    "He¡­" Zac then leaned closer to Riley as his words became almost silent, "He is involved in a lot of illegal activities. He''s a criminal."


    "So am I, Star Sergeant Zac."


    "W¡ª"


    "Wait, Riley!"


    And before Riley and Zac could gain distance, Kal suddenly appeared behind them.


    "You''re visiting Aerith, right?" Kal breathed out, "Can Ie with you?"


    "You live here, Kal''Hel," Riley only sighed as he did not stop walking, "You do not need my permission to do anything."


    "Sweet," Kal nodded and chuckled, "Well then¡­


    ¡­Don''t mind me."


    ***


    "..."


    "..."


    The three men were now walking across the dim hallway of the castle''s underground area. Kal, whose stride was filled with excitement and confidence just moments ago, was nowpletely quiet. Perhaps the only thing that was making noise from him was his eyes.


    Esme also tagged along, causing Kal''s eyes to almost pop out from their sockets the first time he saw her. And this time, he could not help but just stare at her from head to toe.


    Kal towered above both his older and younger siblings¡ªeven his chest was bigger than all of his sisters. But now, walking beside Esme, he could not help but feel¡­ small.


    "Are you¡­ 3 meters?" Kal could no longer help himself as he asked Esme.


    "I do not know, Lord Kal," Esme was slightly taken aback by Kal''s sudden question, but still, she answered it casually, "I have aplex about my height, so I do not check it."


    "Oh, cool¡­ cool¡­ sorry," Kal quickly removed his eyes from Esme as he heard her words; it didn''tst long, however, as he once again looked at her from head to toe. And this time, he started walking on his toes.


    "..." Esme could really only blink a couple of times as she looked down at Kal, "You are funny, Lord Kal."


    "Why is everyone taller than me all of a sudden," Kal then frustratingly said as he let out a very long and deep breath, "Even that Gary guy is taller than me by a few inches."


    "I believe you are fine the way you are, Lord Kal."


    "You¡­ you think so?" Kal immediately stopped walking on his toes as he heard Esme''s words, "You¡­ do you have a boyfriend or something?"


    "A boyfriend?" Esme tilted her head to the side, "I am afraid I do not have friends, Lord Kal¡ªwhether they be boy or a girl."


    "That¡­ that''s not what I meant," Kal gulped, "I meant, do you have any person that you would consider to be¡­ a lover?"


    "If it is that, then¡ª"


    But s, before Princess Esme could answer, the group arrived at their destination. This time, however, the two guards that were previously guarding the door were nowhere to be found.


    "..." Riley looked around the hallway for a few seconds, before knocking on the door, "Aerith, it''s me, Riley. I came to visi¡ª"


    "Riley!?"


    And all of a sudden, the door opened¡ªwith someone immediately leaping into Riley''s arms and crying. If Riley did not recognize the voice, he would have probably immediately tried to dodge the oing projectile.


    "...Miss Paige?"


    "I¡­ I miss you, Riley," Paige''s muffled voice wailed in the air as she wrapped her arms around Riley, hitting his back with her fists several times. But after a few more heavy breaths, Paige immediately stopped crying and pushed Riley away,


    "Megawoman¡­" Paige sniffled, "She¡­


    ¡­she left."

 Chapter 555 555: Tears, Tears, Tears

    "Aerith left?"


    Paige''s soft cries still whispered and crawled through the dungeon hallways as she nodded; her sniffles, enough of an answer which clearly showed her helplessness. And before any other questions were asked, Paige started talking.


    "When¡­ when Megawoman came back from the trial, she was acting weird," Paige spoke almost at the speed of light, causing Riley''s entourage to widen their eyes and their feet to step back,


    "Her eyes were moist, so I think she was crying. But at the same time, she also had this weird smile on her face. I asked her what happened during the trial, and she only said that something crazy popped up¡ªand now that I know Riley arrived, that''s probably him. I thought probably something good happened since Megawoman was clearly shedding tears of joy, or so I thought. But since she didn''t seem to want to talk, I just continued what I was doing and searched for anything that would help her case¡­but I discovered she wasn''t the first royal to be executed. Anyway, I realized something was wrong with her when she didn''t request for me to decorate our room. She usually requests the view of the mountains of Switzend or something, wait¡ªisn''t it cool that I am suddenly roomies with Megawoman? Well, not really roomies since she''s being treated like a criminal and I think I am about to get deported back to Earth, but just years ago I wouldn''t¡ª-"


    "Paige."


    And finally, before Paige could fill an entire page with her incessant talking, Riley ced his hand on her shoulder.


    "Tell me what happened in less than 20 words."


    "...50?"


    "Hm."


    "Aerith sat on the floor for an entire hour, going through different stages of emotions. But after, she just suddenly upped and left¡ªthe guards werepletely shocked, but they did not really stop her since she has actually been free to leave anytime, as long as she wears a cor."


    "Hm," Riley let out a small hum as he looked around Aerith''s room. But there truly wasn''t anything there, just an empty and bright silver room¡ªRiley thought he was finally going to see what Aerith''s room was like, but s. It is as Paige said, they were more like cellmates; this ce is probably not the room that Aerith grew up in.


    "Did Aerith say where she was going, Paige?" Riley then asked as he started walking around, eventually reaching Paige''s side of the room which was filled with orbs and some books that looked like they were a million years old.


    "N¡­no," Paige could really only sigh as she followed Riley back inside, "I wanted to go with her, but she said I should stay here because she won''t be able to protect me if something happens."


    "Well, that sucks. I wanted to talk with her," Kal''s sighs entered the room before him as he stepped inside, "It''s been a while since west sparred together, and I was wondering if she really did be stronger after spending just less than 500 years outside¡­ shame."


    "Perhaps we can spar together, Lord Kal?" Esme was about to enter the room; but for some reason, as soon she saw the room''s silver interior, she slightly backed away and just stood in front of the door,


    "I have not really sparred with anyone close to my age since all of my siblings are at least a thousand years older than me."


    "Really?" Kal immediately turned to Esme and looked at her from head to toe, "You¡­ do look strong. Are you sure?"


    "Lord Kal," Zac popped out from behind Esme as he looked at Zac, "...You don''t know who you are talking to, do you?"


    "...No? Does that matter?" Kal lightly scoffed, "Everyone is equal on the battlefield."


    "She''s Princess Esme of Varoif, Lord Kal."


    "I knew you were royalty with the way¡ªPrincess Esme? Why does that sound familiar?" Kal immediately crossed his arms as he became lost in thought; a few breathester, however, his eyes suddenly widened,


    "As in¡­ that Princess Esme?" He then gulped, "Maybe¡­ maybe we should think about the sparri¡ª"


    "Since Aerith is not here, I shall take my leave."


    Unfortunately for Kal, before he could even retract his words, Esme moved to the side as Riley made his way out of the room.


    "I am going to search for Aerith, everyone. Paige, do you want toe with me?"


    "Oh¡­ uh, no," Paige quickly shook her head as she walked toward the orbs that were scattered in the room, "I''ll stay here just in case shees back. Also, I don''t really wanna get in the way. I might look fine right now but I am actually super duper scared¡ªI am surrounded by people that could sneeze me out of existence so¡­ yeah."


    "Hm," Riley nodded, before stretching his palm out in Paige''s direction. Paige looked at Riley''s hand for a few seconds, before a phone suddenly appeared in his hand out of nowhere. And without even saying another word to each other, Riley ced the phone inside his white coat and walked away.


    "..." Zac and Esme looked at each other as they saw that, before just shrugging their shoulders and following Riley.


    "Hey, wait up! We''re all exiting the same way!" As for Kal, he also rushed to follow behind them. He didn''t need to, however, as Riley suddenly halted his steps, and before any of them could wonder why he suddenly stopped walking, a voice started to crawl very softly into their ears.


    "...Riley? Is that¡­ Are you he¡ª"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    And before this soft and mysterious voice could whisper further, the door to Riley stretched his arm to the side. And as soon as he did so, the door to his left burst open¡ªshooting straight toward his open palm before violently crumbling into a ball.


    Zac and Kal quickly tightened their stance as they looked at Riley; Riley, however, just casually dropped the crumpled door to the floor, before turning to look at the woman that was weakly stepping out of the now doorless room.


    "Princess¡­ Princess Aerith?" Zac was about to rush and help the woman as she slightly limped out of the room. But then, as soon as he saw her face, his steps hesitated.


    Instead, Riley was the one to catch the woman as her legs seemingly turned into noodles and gave out on her; even her arms iled like broken branches as her bosom bounced on Riley''s arm.


    "You look simr to Aerith when I hid her in my closet, Silvie."


    "Silvie?" Kal''s eyebrows furrowed as she looked at the woman in Riley''s arms, "Princess Aerith''s clone?"


    Even Zac, who initially wanted to help Silvie, took a step back as a deep, almost clicking hum escaped his lips. Only Princess Esme seemed to not show disdain; her head, just tilted to the side as she looked at Silvie''s emaciated face.


    Esme then approached Riley, before looking inside the room¡ªonly to see several pirs scattered inside it; pulsating in a fiery red color, almost like spores exploding in a foggy forest.


    "Hm¡­" Esme did not look at it for long, however, as she picked up the door that Riley crumpled, before prying it open and closing the room with it, nodding to herself in satisfaction after she was done.


    "The room was full of sappers, Professor," Esme then said as she looked at Riley, "I am wearing a miniature version on my leg."


    "!!!"


    Esme then suddenly lifted up her skirt, causing Kal to immediately look away.


    "I have seen the full-sized version of it back on Earth, Princess Esme," Riley nodded, "It was used to incapacitate Silvie''s¡­ older sister."


    "A¡­ themarian clone," Kal''s sharp eyebrows furrowed even further, "I only saw her once¡ªto think she truly does look like Princess Aerith. She also has the same energy signature as her, this is¡­ not right."


    "..." Zac did not really say anything, but judging by the subtle nod of his head¡ªhe shared the same sentiment.


    "R¡­ Riley," Silvie slightly trembled as she grabbed Riley''s arm and shoulder to try and lift herself up. Riley, however, just sat on the floor so that Silvie could rx instead.


    "It''s¡­ It''s my fault, Riley," Silvie then weakly said; her breaths, viciously fighting the urge to just burst out in tears as she looked at Riley''s face, "This¡­ this entire trial, it''s¡­ it''s my fault. I didn''t¡­ I shouldn''t havee here."


    "What do you mean, Silvie?" Riley gently backed away as he gave Silvie some space; her emaciated muscles, very slowly regaining their power; her veins, glowing a fainty red.


    "Megawoman¡­" Silvie weakly whispered as tears started to trail down hair face, "Megawoman¡­ his own father is killing her because¡­ because of me. She''s not¡­ she''s not supposed to die, it''s because of me."


    "..."


    "They were going to kill me, Riley. They¡­ because I''m a clone, but¡­but¡­but¡­" Silvie''s breaths werepletely uncontroble; but still, she gritted her teeth through it, "Megawoman¡­ Megawoman said they should kill her instead since¡­ since she''s not the daughter her father wanted and I¡­ she said that I could rece her and her father got angry and¡ªI don''t know, Riley. I don''t know. Please, Riley¡­ I want to help her."


    "..."


    "Kill me," a wide smile then crawled on Silvie''s face as she suddenly grabbed Riley''s hand and ced it on her chest, "Please¡­ please kill me, Riley. Do this¡­ for Megawoman. You¡­ you owe at least that to the world."


    "I will not do that, Silvie," Riley shook his head.


    "Please¡­ please¡­ oh, god..." Silvie closed her eyes as all the tears that wanted to burst forth from her eyes gushed out like waterfall, "If... If I die, then maybe... I don''t want to anymore. My existence¡­ my life has only brought suffering and¡­ and it''s enough. My life¡­


    ¡­my existence is against thew of the universe and¡ª"


    "!!!"


    And before Silvie could finish her words, all of her tears flew to the side¡­


    ¡­as Riley suddenly pped her.

 Chapter 556 556: The Room With The Broken Door

    "What¡­ was that?"


    It was almost a thunder¡ªa snap that echoed pierces through time and space itself. Well, perhaps not, but that is truly what Riley''s p sounded like. It was loud enough to resound and even whisper into the ears of a busy woman. Paige was several rooms away, and yet even she could not help but instinctively caress her cheek.


    "...Must''ve been the wind."


    And with a long and exasperated sigh, Paige once again delved into research. Little did she know, however, that someone truly was feeling the same way she was feeling; except perhaps a million times more painful.


    Back in the dim hallway, there was arge crack on the floor, and at the very center of it was a dent in the shape of the left half of Silvie''s face.


    And with her weakened state, suffice it to say that her life was almost reset by Riley''s herculean p.


    And perhaps, her life truly was reset; as her eyes that were covered in clouds were now as clear as Theran''s sky¡ªtears still fell, but no longer enough to drown her.


    "What did I tell you before, Silvie?"


    "...What?" A crack once again whispered in the air as Silvie pulled her face from the floor.


    "About your existence."


    "..." Silvie only looked Riley in the eyes as she tried to figure out what he meant.


    "You came from Aerith, you were molded into her image¡ªthat is a beautiful existence, Silvie," Riley softly said as he very gently touched Silvie''s ck, blue, and swollen face,


    "Do not be disheartened, you are perfect."


    "Riley¡­" Silvie took in a very deep breath as her eyes remained on Riley. And after a few more breaths, she finally nodded and carefully, but clumsily stood up from the floor.


    "As expected of you, Professor Riley," Esme quietly pped as she too, nodded for some reason, "Even when trying to calm a person down, you do not forget to inflict a form of torture."


    "Uh¡­" Star Sergeant Zac could not help but slightly open his mouth in confusion as he heard Esme''s words, "I¡­ don''t know what just happened, but it is not whatever you are thinking, Your Highness."


    "Wait, wait¡­" Kal raised a hand as he looked at Silvie; his sharp eyebrows, still furrowed, "So, you''re saying that my cousin, the notorious Rebel Princess, is giving her life for a clone? That¡­ just doesn''t make any sense. Why would she risk her life for something that''s not even real?"


    "..." Silvie''s head quickly faced the floor as she heard Kal''s words. She wanted to refute but hesitated since she didn''t know who Kal was,


    "I''m¡ª"


    And when she gained the courage to say something, several sharp whistles echoed through the hallway¡ªthe sound, still traveling as several themarian guards suddenly and already blocked all sides of the dungeon; one even had his feet on the ceiling.


    "Go back to your confinement, cursed abomination."


    Raging fire of red fumed from all of the guards'' eyes as they all stared at Silvie; their armor of silver, rattling like scales as their energy seemingly seeped from its gaps. The edges of the armor, bing sharper and brutally bulkier. And simr to Whiteking''s armor, the neck armor unfolded into a helmet that covered their entire head.


    And as the ming rage in their eyes for Silvie magnified from their helmets, she could not help but flinch. Her body, almost instinctively following the royal guards'' orders as her feet walked toward the room with the broken door.


    Her entire body, however, also flinched as soon as she heard Riley clicking his tongue as he stared at her like she was the biggest disappointment in the entire universe.


    ¡­And maybe she is.


    She was only a clone¡ªa being that shouldn''t even be alive. Is it really alright for her to live, while her original was on the verge of being executed by her own parents? Megawoman fought for the world; to keep it safe, to prevent wars.


    What about her? What has she done that made her life worth living over Megawoman? She has not even achieved anything¡ªher life was only starting.


    ¡­Her life was only starting.


    "Silvie."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "S¡­sorry." And with Riley''s heavy breaths piercing her ears, any other thoughts that started to race inside her mind werepletely drowned by his whisper. The only thing she could really do was nod and walk back to his side.


    She then looked at the guards surrounding her; even with their helmets on, the disdain seeping from the lights in their eyes was obvious to see. Still, she subtly stood her ground as the toes of her bare feet slightly curled.


    "Go back to your confinement."


    And once again, the royal guards'' words whispered in the air; their disdain no longer as subtle as it was earlier. Silvie, however, just shook her head and subconsciously tugged and grabbed on Riley''s white coat. Seeing this, the guards all turned their attention toward Riley.


    "Aren''t you the new professor in the castle?"


    The royal guard that was blocking the path to the surface stepped forward as he faced Riley, "Look, I do not care if you are the lover of the Rebel Princess, or if you are Princess Tifa''s new pet¡ªyou just can''t do whatever you want here."


    "Perhaps," Riley just shrugged, "But I still can''t leave Silvie here, she is one of my sister''s dear friends. I suppose I just have to apologize after, Helguard."


    "..." The royal guard only let out a deep breath, before his helmet unfolded; revealing an old man with a thick mustache. Unlike Champion Sergeant Darmuid, however, he did not seem to carry an intimidating aura.


    "Lord Kal, since you are with them; what do you propose we do in this situation?"


    "..." Kal did not respond; his eyes, just scanning Riley''s group. They would have no problem with Star Sergeant Zac since he was a neutral party; also, the Grand Militia''s disdain for clones is almost ingrained in them.


    Riley should be the easiest to deal with, Kal could barely detect any energying from him. Aerith''s clone was also not a problem in her weakened state¡­


    ¡­but then there is Princess Esme.


    She''s Varoif royalty, so there might be a chance that she won''t do anything that could lead to war between the two nations. But still, they can''t afford for her to go on a rampage right beneath the castle.


    "Professor," Kal then let out a very long and deep sigh as he looked at Riley, "I urge you to return that thing to its cage."


    "I thought themarians do not cage and imprison their people, Lord Kal."


    "That''s not a themarian or any other people," Kal once again sighed as he shook his head, "I am sorry, but it has no rights, and it has no right to be walking amongst us."


    "..." Silvie''s mouth slightly opened as if she wanted to say something, but chose to look away instead.


    "I know that it could feel and think for itself," Kal then said; the tone of his voice mellow and the look in his eyes filled with a certain pity, "But it is not one of us¡ªto end its life now would be a better mercy for it."


    "Hm¡­" Riley only hummed and nodded his head¡­ before suddenly stomping his foot on the floor and causing it to crack.


    "...What are you doing?" Kal raised his hand to stop the guards from rushing toward Riley.


    "Back on my, what I just did would have caused extensive damage to the terrain. But here, it''s just a crack on the floor," Riley then said as he very carefully removed his white coat.


    "It also means that it wouldn''t be hard to prevent the noise from reaching the surface with my telekic abilities."


    Esme tilted her head and blinked as he watched Riley folding his white coat and giving it to Silvie. But after a few more blinks, she lifted her skirt and started adjusting the limiter on her thigh.


    And with a breath, she started stretching her limbs and cracking her neck. Silvie wanted to fight, but she knew that in her weakened state, she would surely only get in the way. As for Zac, he really could not take action as a literal 3rd party.


    "You¡­ are outnumbered," Kal made sure that no side would take action as he raised both his hands, "Stop this at once."


    "I suppose," Riley only smiled in response before his eyes also started to light up,


    "But we have an Esme."

 Chapter 557 557: The Racist Bipedal

    "Is¡­ it really alright for me to be walking around?"


    "It is fine, Silvie. They won''t recognize you, and I have noticed that themarians can be quite apathetic about the things not directly and immediately concerning them."


    "...Are you sure?"


    Silvie raised her arm to look at her hand, which was nowpletely covered in a silver gauntlet; it wasn''t only her arms. She was wearing theplete set of armor of the royal guards.


    "..." And as she lowered her hand, the brightness and warmth of the sun wrapped her entire silhouette. She initially thought the helmet would obscure her vision, but not at all. It even almost felt as if she wasn''t wearing anything.


    She was free.


    She then turned to look at Riley, whose entire left arm was still regenerating from being torn apart.


    "I am sure, Silvie," Riley said as he looked at the maids and servants walking outside. They nce at him, yes. But that was it¡ªthey just returned to whatever it was they were doing,


    "Themarians have ack of¡­ care. And like the evaniels, theyck security."


    "I can confirm that to be true, Lady Silvie," Princess Esme nodded; her underwearpletely exposed as she was still fidgeting with the limiter on her thigh while walking. And although Silvie still had no idea who Esme was, she still grabbed her skirt and pulled it down.


    "Uhm¡­ guys."


    And as the three were just casually chatting and walking, Zac hastened his steps and stood in front of them. Riley just fought with Kal and several royal guards, and yet now he was acting as if nothing happened. Granted, it is true that the castle did not seem to notice their battle as they were free to walk around¡ªtheir steps, even walking toward the castle''s entrance. But still¡­


    "What you just did could be considered as an act of aggression. Princess Esme is involved! This could turn into an all-out war!"


    "I was barely involved, Zac," Esme sighed and shook her head in disappointment, "I am afraid that without my raw strength, I am just an individual untrained in the arts ofbat."


    "We did not kill them, Star Sergeant Zac," Riley sighed as he checked his healing appendage, moving all of his fingers as the blood wrapping it started to dance and float away,


    "We just confined them inside the room they were keeping Silvie."


    "That is the problem! If they get free¨Cwhen they get free, they will immediately report this to someone!" Zac breathed out in frustration as he almost pulled out his hair, "I¡­


    ¡­I suggest just sending them to their eternal deaths, identally."


    "That is a criminal act, Zac," Esme once again expressed her disappointment with her breath.


    "Your Highness, with all due respect. I don''t think locking them inside a room filled with EDP is any better."


    "But nothing says it is illegal, Zac."


    "But harming a member of the royal family is!"


    "They were not hurt, Zac. Professor Riley is a master of pain and torture, which means he is also a master of painless and harmless battle."


    "..." Zac wanted to say more, but just chose to drop his shoulders and move behind Riley. The most important thing here is that he didn''t involve himself¡ªif a war was to start because of this, then he wouldn''t be med¡­


    ¡­except for the fact that he should be reporting this to the Grand Militia. But if he does that, whatever was happening here would be stopped, and he also didn''t want that. Life has been pretty boring for him so far. But just by being around Riley for a week, a lot of unexpected, but fun things have already happened.


    Besides¡­ would a war between the two nations really be bad?


    "Have you met up with the others yet?"


    "I met sister and the others when we arrived on the, Silvie," Riley nodded, "We got separated when Star Sergeant Zac tricked me into meeting Princess Esme. Be careful around him, he likes to cause trouble."


    "..." Silvie turned to nce at Zac, only to see his red lips smile in response¡­ before just rolling his eyes and looking away,


    "Do you know where they are?"


    "Katherine is searching for Karina. As for sister, she is with Hera, Vera, Ts, and Tomoe. Paige is underground several rooms away from where you were being held. Gary is somewhere in the castle. I do not know where mother is. As for father, and biological mother''s corpse, I also do not know where mother stashed them," Riley shook his head,


    "And as you have heard, Aerith is also out there somewhere¡ªperhaps talking with his father. I wonder if¡ª"


    "Wait¡­ Pearson is also being held captive!?" Silvie could not help but raise her voice as she interrupted Riley, "And your daughter is missing!?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Paige is there voluntarily, Silvie," Riley hummed and nodded, "As for Karina, you do not have to worry about her¡ªshe is strong."


    "If¡­ if you say so," a long and very deep sigh seeped out from Silvie''s silver helmet, "We''re¡­ really scattered out there, huh?"


    "Hm," Riley shrugged, "I suppose that is just how it is going to be for a while, Silvie. We will need to separate too."


    "Hm?" Silvie blinked a couple of times as Riley halted his steps. She then turned to look at where they stopped, only to see the castle''s main gate right in front of them.


    "You can''t stay here, Silvie," Riley then said as he shook his head, "Your and Aerith''s appearances are bing too simr to each other. Kal also mentioned something about energy signatures, you will be discovered here sooner orter even with your disguise."


    "But¡­" Silvie''s breaths once again became filled with weight as she looked back and forth between Riley and the gate, "...But where do I go?"


    "That is up to you, Silvie," Riley then ced his hand on therge gate. And as soon as he did so, one of the people guarding it started to approach him. The guard, however, was stopped by one of his colleagues for some reason, whispering something into his ear before they just let Riley push therge gate open,


    "But I¡­" Silvie looked at the view of the city outside, "Where would I go? Should I try to find Hannah and the others? Or do you want me to search for Karina? The poor girl must be so scared out there alone."


    "It is your choice, Silvie," Riley sighed as he just pushed Silvie, causing her to take several steps out of the castle.


    "Then¡ª"


    "No one is ordering you around anymore."


    And with those words, Silvie watched as Riley just shut the gate on her¡ªnot even letting her say her goodbyes.


    "But¡­ you just kicked me out, Riley," Silvie whispered to herself as she stared at therge gate.


    But after a few breaths and a small giggle, she quickly turned to check the guards that were stationed at the entrance of the castle, only for them to just stand there like statues; not even ncing at her even once.


    As for Silvie, she was now free to walk away from whatever shackles have been holding onto her all this time. And so, with a long and deep breath, she took a step forward¡­


    ¡­just forward.


    "Hannah and the others can take care of themselves," Silvie then whispered to herself again,


    "Riley''s daughter it is, then."


    ***


    Lightyears and lightyears away from the impending chaos in Theran, the screams and cheers of the people filled an entire coliseum. A colossal coliseum that just freely floated in the expanse of the universe.


    It did not float alone, however, as there were a hundred more of them¡ªalmost like bubbles that vibrated due to rampaging voices filling it.


    And on one of these coliseums¡­


    ¡­a white-haired girl that was as pale as a ghost stood on the stage.


    "Come at me, ye'' stupid aliens!" The girl shouted as she raised both her middle fingers at the four-legged humanoid in front of her, "I will gut you and cook your lower half into medium rare!"


    "Boo! You racist bipedal! Fuck her up, Sagi!"


    "Eat her alive!"


    "She''s a child, you heathens!"


    "We support you, Karina! End that quadrupedal''s pathetic and miserable life!"


    "..."


    "..."


    "How¡­" And hiding beneath all the cheers and screams was Katherine, who was seated beside Anna, who was enjoying herself with some sort of popcorn as she also cheered for Karina, "How...


    ...did we even end up here!?"

 Chapter 558 558: A Massive Headache

    "You can''t see the King."


    "Why not?"


    "...Because no one can just see the King."


    "Why not?"


    "...Because he is the King."


    420 years.


    That is how long Rub has been serving as one of the King''s door guards. His job is pretty straightforward like its title¡ªhe was to stand guard outside in any and every room the king is in, just firmly standing and protecting the door.


    And in those 420 years, no one has really approached him; much less try to talk to him about the possibility of entering the King''s room. After all, everyone knows how much the King hated to be disturbed; especially during his rest.


    But now, an unusual, overly pale-looking man was standing right in front of him. And judging by the white coat he was wearing, he is one of the castle''s private professors. As a royal guard, their departments were too far removed from one another and he would barely even meet, much less talk to a professor. In fact, thest time he had probably even greeted a professor was around 10 years ago.


    So why exactly is a professor, who should have absolutely no business with the King, adamant to meet him?


    "..." Is there something else at y here? Is this professor actually some sort of assassin? He does look quite weird, like someone whose skin has not touched the sun for thousands of years¡ªfor sure, this is the sort of man that lurks in the shadows.


    "What business do you have with His Highness, Professor?"


    Rub looked at the unusually white man in front of him in the eyes; gazing into his own reflection. Rub then very slowly closed his hands into fists, contracting his muscles so that he would be ready to react at any moment.


    After all, the man in front of him might not have that much energy¡ªbut he had watched a movie before about old themarian assassins that were alive way before his time¡­ and they specifically train those that have little to no energy in their bodies for the very purpose of lurking in the shadows.


    "I believe Aerith might have left her room to talk to him, Helguard. I am trying to find Aerith."


    "Aerith? Princess Aerith?" Rub did not let his eyes stray away from the man, "No, I have not seen her near here even once. Why, what is your¡ª"


    "Okay, thank you for the information, Helguard."


    "Wh¡ª" And before Rub could even finish his words, the white-haired man just walked away; not even ncing at him as he very slowly disappeared into the hallway, leaving Rub all alone to stand guard in front of the door, as he had been doing for hundreds of years.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...I should change careers."


    "You should."


    "Princess Tifa¡ªI¡­ I mean, Your Highness!"


    Rub wasn''t even able to let out a deep and clumsy breath as Princess Tifa suddenly appeared in front of him. Rub quickly straightened his posture, before cing his hands behind his back and stepping to the side.


    Princess Tifa was about to open the door but turned to face Rub instead.


    "..." Rub only nced at Tifa, before quickly looking away. 420 years as the King''s personal door guard, and he has not even seen Princess Tifa open her eyes even once. Aside from the King''s only wife, who barely even leaves his side in the first ce, Princess Tifa is the only other person that the King has allowed to visit him any time she wishes.


    420 years, and this is also the first time that Princess Tifa has ever spoken to him.


    "So, you''ve met the castle''s new resident," Princess Tifa then said as a small giggle escaped her lips.


    "New¡ªThe professor from earlier, Your Highness?"


    "Hm," Princess Tifa nodded and smiled, "What do you think of him? Tell me honestly, child."


    "I believe he is searching for the Princess, Your Highness," Rub has always been careful not to look any of the royal family members in the eyes. But with Princess Tifa, he didn''t have to worry.


    "I didn''t ask you why he was here," Princess Tifa sighed, "I asked you what you think of him."


    "That¡­" Rather than the white-haired man earlier, Rub could not help but be more curious as to what Princess Tifa wanted, "I¡­ thought he was an assassin at first, Your Highness. But for him to approach the door, I recognized my assumption to be incredibly false."


    "And?"


    "And¡­ he feels a bit weird, Your Highness."


    "I think so too, hm," Princess Tifa then just shrugged, before finally opening the door and just stepping inside without another word. And once again, Rub was left alone feeling a little¡­ odd.


    "What¡­ is happening today?" Rub whispered to himself as he returned to the front of the door to stand guard. As for Princess Tifa¡­<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡­her eyes were finally open; glowing in a raging red even as she retained the smile on her face. This seemed to just be amon urrence, however, as she just casually continued to walk deeper into the King''s unusuallyrge room.


    No, it wasn''t necessarily just a room. What greeted Princess Tifa first were two sets of wide stairs leading to the upper level of the room, where a woman was looking down at her from the very top of the stairs.


    "Queen Adel," Princess Tifa bowed her head; her zing eyes, however, remained looking at the woman above her.


    "Madam Tifa," the woman, Queen Adel, soft and very gently stepped down the flight of stairs; her long golden hair that reached to the floor, brushing and smoothly gliding on the carpet. Her eyes which were bluer than even the azure seas at noon, somewhat even brighter than Princess Tifa''s red glowing eyes.


    "My brother?" Princess Tifa then asked as soon as Queen Adel''s feet touched the floor.


    "He¡­ locked himself up in his study," Queen Adel softly smiled; the folds on the sides of her eyes, showing her age.


    "...Again?" Princess Tifa''s voice slightly rose along with her eyebrows.


    "Yes," Queen Adel let out a long and very deep sigh as she gently gathered her hair around her arm, "Perhaps you can drag him out again, Tifa?"


    "That is your job as the queen, Adel," Tifa pinched the bridge of her nose as she also let out a sigh, "I told you not to marry the family idiot."


    "He is the King. And probably one of the best Hel has ever had sit on its throne," Adel''s sighs continued as she walked toward therge sofa near the room''s window; gesturing to Tifa to take a seat.


    "But yes, he can be quite¡­ absorbed in his work."


    "And neglecting everything else, typical," Tifa said as she sat and rxed on the sofa; her glowing red eyes, flickering as she blinked.


    "And so, are you here to talk about man from the Unknown again?" Adel walked toward the table in front of the window, before pouring herself and Tifa a drink, "I heard him in front of the door just seconds ago¡ªyou''re right, he is quite¡­ interesting. Why are you helping him?"


    "He just freed your daughter''s clone," Tifa covered her mouth as she chuckled.


    "Ugh," Adel rolled her eyes, "My daughter brought so many pets with her. But if dying for them is what she wants, then so be it."


    "Your daughter left her room too."


    "I was told," Adel just shrugged as she sat back on the sofa and gave Tifa her drink.


    "Are you¡­ not going to do anything?"


    "What for?" Adel slightly hummed, "Aerith is just doing what she has always done, causing trouble."


    "She has grown, you know," Tifa sighed and shook her head, "For her to sacrifice herself for someone shows strength and loyalty."


    "The very fact that she is sacrificing herself for beings lower than herself shows that she hasn''t grown one bit," Adel also shook her head, "It''s a clone, not even a real being. I can feel my skin crawling just thinking something like that was under the castle."


    "Aerith is your only daughter, Adel. I would like to ask you to consider changing both your minds about sending her to eternal death."


    "Isn''t this just because you want that weird man from the Unknown to continue teaching here?" Adel rolled her eyes, "I swear, with your habits of taking in strays, I sometimes wonder if I really am Aerith''s mother. And how dare she bring a bastard home? And a halfling at that! I swear, it''s like we did not even raise her right!"


    "..."


    "Her brother was the good one, you know?" Adel chugged down her entire ss, "But then he got himself killed by chasing that¡­ that pale, disgusting thing that controlled blood."


    "The Pirate Queen Xra."


    "Is that what they call that vixen now?" Adel scoffed, "And Caiin''Ur, wow. That''s another problem that Aerith brought back! There''s a reason why not even the Grand Militia acted and tried to find her, that is because she belongs outside!"


    "..."


    "I told her, I told her not to pursue. But she doesn''t listen!"


    Contrary to Adel''s gentle and soft looks, the movements of her mouth were quite¡­ crass and violent as she continued to pour and drink a ss,


    "So, we have no choice," Adel then sighed, "If she has to die, then so be it. Let her death be a lesson for all of our children and our people''s children¡­


    ¡­the word of the Law is absolute."


    ***


    "May we speak in private, Riley Ross?"


    Somewhere in the hallways of the castle, Riley''s path was currently being blocked by Lucien¡ªPrincess Tifa''s oldest child, and prospective heir to the thr---


    "No."

 Chapter 559 559: The Overthinking Of LucienHel

    "May we talk in private?"


    "No."


    No¡ªa word that Lucien has probably never heard before in his thousands of years of existence. No, that wasn''t exactly true.


    When he was younger, a certain child always said no to him; the worst part of it all was that Lucien couldn''t discipline her. Because not only was she stronger than him, she was also the daughter of the King, and was made the heir to the throne when her brother died due to chasing a woman.


    But ever since Aerith left, he was the only one that the people were eyeing to be the next King. Countless factions offered their support for him, and even the King was taking a liking to him as he showed forwardness and ambition.


    Yes, he was always headstrong, and like Princess Tifa, he always gets what he wants.


    But now, Riley Ross, a halfling, rejected his presence?


    "That was not a request, Professor," Lucien pushed back his hair, revealing some of the grays hidden inside, "I am telling you that we need to talk in private."


    "And I am telling you no, Lord Lucien," Riley did not even look at Lucien as his steps did not halt for even a single moment,


    "I have a ss to teach."


    "...Then I shall wait for you outside until it is over," Lucien''s eye started to twitch as he waspletely ignored by Riley. And even as he followed him from behind, he did not, even once, nce back at him.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Where is the soldier you are always with, Professor?" Lucien then could not help but break the silence as he noticed Riley''s ever-presentpanion was missing.


    "He is with me, Lord Lucien," Riley answered as he continued to walk.


    "...What?" Lucien started looking around to try and search for Zac, but he could not even hear another heartbeat for another 100 meters or so, "Is he perhaps with the Princess of Varoif?"


    "I am also with the Princess of Varoif, Lord Lucien."


    "You take me for a fool?"


    "Not at all, Lord Lucien," Riley just shrugged.


    "Th¡ª"


    And before Lucien could even rebuke, Riley suddenly entered a room. Lucien also wanted to enter, but Riley already closed the door on him.


    "..." This kind of treatment¡­ why was it so simr to the way Aerith treated him? Aerith, he could understand since she was stronger than him¡ªbut Riley? A halfling dared to treat the next King of Hel like this?


    "..." Several more frustrating thoughts raced in Lucien''s mind. He did not let his intrusive thoughts win, however, as his breaths became calm¡ªthe ss should take at most just 3 to 5 hours, that was nothing for him.


    And so, Lucien just decided to stand outside the hallway, leaning on the walls as the servants and guards greeted him. Most of them wondered what Lucien was doing in this part of the castle, but none of them asked. After all, his time is important.


    That is how it should be¡ªLucien thought as everyone just bowed to him. Riley Ross was an outsider, but he''ll learn to also treat him with respect like the others once he gets to know him.


    ording to the information he received from his sources outside of Theran, Riley Ross should be some sort of ouw. It doesn''t really matter what he was outside of Theran, but it just proves Lucien''s point; If her so-called lover was a notorious ouw, then that means thepany she keeps can not be trusted, which means she can not be trusted with the Kingdom.


    His mother already asked Lucien to find a way in which the trial would just end with Aerith''s exile instead of execution. In truth, it doesn''t matter for Lucien anyway. No matter what insurgency happens, no matter what factions are built-in support for Aerith, he is already assured to be the next King.


    Execution or Exile¡ªeither way, Aerith will be gone. He just wanted to talk to Riley to try and see what his mother was seeing in him. For her to even appoint Riley as the professor of his youngest sister, and even go as far as boast him to the other nobles.


    ¡­Just what exactly was his mother ying at?


    Princess Tifa could be said to be quite entric most of the time. Even he, as her oldest son, still could not gauge or read what was on her mind. Is she just¡­ going senile?


    "..." Lucien could really only let out a breath as his mind was once again performing at its maximum. There was no use in thinking of such things, he was here to talk to Riley, and that was all he needed to think about.


    And so, Lucien closed his eyes¡ªthe hours, just passing by in a blink of an eye.


    Lucien then quickly opened his eyes as the door opened¡­ but there was absolutely no sign of Riley. Instead, he saw his youngest sister, udyne stepping out of the ss hall¡­ her clothes, almost like a red waterfall as the blood that drowned her dripped to the floor almost continuously.


    "udyne!?"


    Lucien quickly tried to call out his sister''s name. udyne, however, only let out a small giggle as she started walking away.


    "udyne!" Lucien once again called for her name, and this time, she turned around¡­ carrying a weird smile on her face.


    "Oh¡­" udyne let out a small chuckle as the blood trailed down her lips, "...I didn''t notice you there, older brother."


    "What¡ªDid that Riley Ross do this to you!?"


    "Professor Riley?" udyne blinked a couple of times as she tilted her head to the side, "Of course not. This isn''t my blood, I think. Maybe a part of it is."


    "...What?" Lucien could not help but furrow his eyebrows as udyne''s eerie giggles whispered into his ears.


    "My friends and I are going to do some studying, older brother. I will leave you to it."


    "What?" Lucien repeated his words. He was going to say something else, but then a barrage of students stepped out of the room. And like udyne, all of them were covered in blood¡ªsome, even regenerating their limbs as they limped out.


    "..." Lucien could really only take a step back as he heard all of them giggling and smiling while blood dripped from their ted faces.


    "What¡­ what did you do, Riley!?" Lucien then rushed inside the ss hall; his eyes filling the already red hall with even a more violent red with his raging eyes. But s, the individual that was the target of his unrelenting rage was nowhere to be found.


    Instead, there was only a single student left there¡ªand unlike his peers, he waspletely clean and without any trace of blood.


    "Aren''t you¡­ Aerith''s son?" The violent red glow in Lucien''s eyes very slowly faded away as he looked at Gary, who was still seated at his table and just looking out the window.


    "..." Gary quickly turned his head toward Lucien as soon as he heard him. And as soon as their eyes met, Gary stood up and casually nodded his head,<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "''Sup?"


    "...''Sup?" Lucien''s eyebrows began to furrow, "What happened here, bastard?"


    "..." Gary only blinked a couple of times as he looked around, "Riley Ross happened."


    "Where is he now? Why didn''t I see him leave?" Lucien tried his best not to mind Gary''s disrespectful tone.


    "There."


    "Huh?" Lucien quickly turned his head down to look at where Gary was pointing, only to see a clump of dirt beneath his feet.


    "It''s a clone," Gary just shrugged his shoulders, "I didn''t want to admit it because I have always seen themarians as some sort of god-like figures, because you know¡ªMegawoman. But fuck¡­ you guys just literally let a guy who will make Satan cry walk right through your door step. What am I saying, we''re all fucked."


    "A¡­ clone?" Lucien looked at the clump of dirt again, before looking Gary straight in the eyes, "Wait, you¡ªyou know more about Riley Ross more than any other informant."


    "Well¡­ yeah," Gary scoffed, "You should ask his sister if you really want to know more."


    "Sister?" Lucien''s voice became deep, "Is his sister in Theran? Wait, is it the woman with the orange hair?"


    "That''s one of Riley''s fans," Gary shook his head, "His sister is¡ª"


    Gary then stopped talking as he returned Lucien''s gaze, "His sister is not here."


    "..." Lucien squinted his eyes as his eyes remained locked on Gary''s. And after a few breaths, Lucien smiled,


    "You''re lying¡­


    ¡­She''s here."


    ***


    "Is your ss done, Professor Riley?"


    "It is. But my ss in Varoif is just starting."


    "Varoif? You''re still teaching there? How?"


    "I can make copies of myself, Star Sergeant Zac."


    "As expected of you, Professor Riley."


    "...You can make clones?"


    Somewhere out in the city, Riley, Esme, and Zac were casually walking around the busy streets. Riley has been on Theran for weeks, and yet this is the first time he is truly seeing their civilization and people.


    Like most of Theran, their cities feel like that of medieval Earth, or perhaps Victorian or a mix of the two. If you would disregard the floating orbs, holograms, and people lifting entire buildings to move their store¡ªthen it was almost like Riley was sent back to the past.


    "...What is that?"


    Riley then tilted his head as he noticed people gathering in front of a hologram.


    "Oh, that''s the Credit Board. I think Varoif also has one?" Zac said as he looked at the crowd of people, circling arge hologram that had different kinds of images in it.


    "We do, Zac," Esme nodded.


    "A Credit Board?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he approached.


    "Basically, citizens of Hel can take quests to raise their social credit. You don''t have this back on¡­ Earth?"


    "We have superheroes and superviins, Star Sergeant Zac."


    "...What are those?" Zac raised an eyebrow, "No, they do misceneous tasks, hunt monsters¡ªall sorts of things in exchange for credit."


    "Monsters? I have not seen one alive," Riley said as he nced at one of the stalls, which had all sorts of meat being sold.


    "They are all underground, Professor."


    "...Underground?" Riley tilted his head, before turning his head down. Diana liked digging holes through the ground¡ªdid that have some sort of corrtion?


    "Interesting. And what are the credits used for?"


    "Land, housing, loans," Zac squinted his eyes, "You really don''t know, Lord Riley?"


    "Oh, that is simr to Earth, I suppose," Riley shrugged, "Should we try and ept a mission?"


    "Well¡­ none of us are a citizen of Hel," Zac sighed, "We''re visitors. I''m also from the Grand Militia, and even if it is fake, you''re also in the Grand Militia, Lord Riley."


    "Hm. Perhaps next time," Riley then shrugged as he walked away, ncing at the Credit Board one final time.


    Zac, on the other hand, could not help but let out a long and very deep hum,


    "I feel like¡­ we''re forgetting something."


    ***


    Inside one of Hel city''s inns, a shiny bald head was at the center of attention. The people''s eyes could not help but nce at the man whenever they walked past. The staff, too, were looking at the bald man.


    After all, he had been there for an entire day¡ªwaiting for Riley to arrive.

 Chapter 560 560: Riley Untethered (1)

    "I do not want to leave, but I suppose all things muste to an end, Professor."


    "I suppose so, Princess Esme."


    "I shall take my leave then, Professor. I hope to see you again in Varoif, or any other ce that is not Hel."


    "Hm."


    "I will truly miss being in your presence, Professor Riley. It has been a learning experience."


    "Hm."


    1 month.


    Princess Esme and Riley have been in Hel for an entire month¡ªand yet aside from the trial, Riley has not even seen a glimpse of Aerith. Esme was really only given a single month to stay in Hel. And since she is from Varoif, that is already considered long. She was given special admission as she is considered to be an important representative of Varoif, being a part of the royal family and all.


    Riley, on the other hand, was given a permit to stay in Hel indefinitely by Princess Tifa. Esme also wanted to say when she became aware of this¡ªbut s, a lot of paperwork is involved for someone as high profile as her to stay more than a month in a foreign nation.


    And so, right now, the only thing that Esme could really do was watch as Riley''s figure very slowly became smaller and smaller as she flew away; escorted by members of the Grand Militia to ensure her safety.


    "...I suppose Professor still has a clone in Varoif."


    "..."


    And her escort could really only fly at least 3 meters beside her; backing away even farther as they heard her whisper to herself. This might just look like a simple escort mission, but in truth, they might as well be escorting a ster bomb.


    "Well, there goes our little giant princess. I am so going to miss her."


    "You''re still here, Star Sergeant Zac? You should also leave."


    "We''ve been through this, Lord Riley. I can''t leave until you are still registered as a Champion Sergeant of the Grand Militia."


    "Then as you as my witness, I, Riley Ross from Earth, hereby retire and hand over my title as a Champion Sergeant of the Order of the Grand Militia, to one Star Sergeant Zac."


    "Wait, really? You''re¡­ you''re promoting me to Champion Sergeant!? That is an hono¡ªNo!"


    "Wow, congrattions, si¡ª"


    "No! Stop pping!"


    Zac''s frustrated screams almost echoed straight through Varoif; which was not really hard to do, as he and Riley were currently right in front of the border of Hel. And with them being surrounded by members of the Grand Militia, some of the border guards started to p their hands upon hearing Zac''s faux promotion.


    "You should grasp a blessing when it is in front of you, Star Sergeant Zac."


    "P¡­ please don''t use your authority as a Champion Sergeant," Zac then started pushing Riley away from the border patrol before he says something else ridiculous,


    "That is the very reason I am here, Lord Riley. To ensure you won''t abuse authority that is not yours in the first ce."


    "Hm," Riley just shrugged his shoulders, "Then can I order a toon of soldiers to search Aerith?"


    "...Please don''t," Zac could really only let out a long and deep sigh as he once again started following Riley, "The Princess will turn up in her next trial, she has no choice but to do so¡ªshe can''t remove the cor."


    "Hm¡­" Riley just ced his hand on his chin, before ncing at the border behind him and at the horizon in front of him.


    "Don''t we have to return to the castle? Your deal with Princess Tifa is still in effect."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "No," Riley shook his head, "My clone can do that."


    "...How many clones do you have?"


    "Interesting," Riley turned to look Zac in the eyes, "People always ask me that. If you truly wish to know, then I have 3 currently on Theran¡ªWell, I had 5, one was attached to Katherine and it would seem she left the. I can''t detect it anymore."


    "You¡­ can do that? You didn''t attach anything to your sister? What was her name again?"


    "Hannah Ross," Riley nodded, before closing his eyes and shaking his head vehemently, "And no, that is a breach of her privacy, Star Sergeant Zac. You do not want to know what would happen if she finds out I am spying on her¡ªshe will end the universe."


    "If you have 3 on Theran¡­ then how many do you have outside?" Zac raised an eyebrow as a certain thought started to emerge from his mind.


    "I left one on Hotis 4J," Riley let out a small hum as he once again ced his hand on his chin, "But he already destroyed that and went on to destroy others before he got captured by the Common Council."


    "I think I may have heard of that."


    "But I believe he created other clones," Riley then nodded again, "So I will not really be able to give you a certain number, Star Sergeant Zac. There is also Little Riley who is with Pirate Queen Xra''s crew¡ªI can''t detect him, so he is either dead or left my range."


    "Wait¡­ your clones can create clones?" A small bead of sweat started to perforate from Zac''s face¡ªsomething Themarians rarely do.


    "They could," Riley shrugged as he started walking again; passing by the other people that were crossing the border, "And their clones could produce clones."


    "...To what extent?" Zac no longer knows whether to let out a chuckle or take in a gulp, "Are they all as strong as you?"


    "No, theyck my creativity, Star Sergeant Zac," Riley sighed, "They will die once they are killed."


    "These clones¡­ what exactly do they do?"


    "Whatever myst order was, and they will not stop."


    "...And what was yourst order?"


    "To kill everyone, Star Sergeant Zac."


    "W¡­ what?" Zac finally chose an expression¡ªand that was to just force a chuckle, "How¡­ how many do you think there are?"


    "There could be none, Star Sergeant Zac. You do not have to worry¡ªI have learned my clones can develop their own personalities when untethered to me," Riley let out a small hum, "Do you know that I had a clone that had his own family? His own life? It truly is a shame that it did notst because of me."


    "...But what are the chances there could also be thousands of them?"


    "Probably a lot more than the chances of there being only one, Star Sergeant Zac," Riley then turned around to look Zac straight in the eyes. The themarians that were entering and exiting the border, passing by them in the number of hundreds¡ªand as always is the case for most themarians, they werepletely empathetic about the things around them.


    "Why¡­ do you want to destroy the universe?"


    "Pft¡­" Riley then unexpectedly let out a small chuckle, "That is another question I have heard a lot of times, Star Sergeant Zac. And my answer will always be the same¡ªbecause I want to."


    "..."


    "It is just very unfortunate for everyone else that I could kill everyone," Riley nodded again, "But fortunately for everyone else, there is a certain breed of species that could stop me¡­


    ¡­You."

 Chapter 561 561: Riley Untethered (2)

    "It is just very unfortunate for everyone else that I could kill everyone. But fortunately for everyone else, there is a certain breed of species that could stop me¡­


    ¡­You."


    There was a certain feeling that crawled through the back of Zac''s neck as he heard that. He knew what Riley was capable of; what he was truly capable of. Perhaps aside from Aerith and Caiin''Ur, he was the only themarian that knew.


    Even Princess Esme only knew of a part of his strength, but not the full extent of his capabilities. Zac was a witness of that during their first meeting in the bar at Galpath¡ªhe was flying across the skies when he saw the weird white beam that shot out from that bar¡­ erasing everything within its path, and even sending a number of themarians to their Eternal Death.


    Of course, most of the themarians there were weak¡ªstrong criminals would usually fight until their eternal death, after all. But even so, in a single second, Riley dispatched almost a dozen of them.


    And now, Riley is telling him that there could be thousands of him out there; potentially terrorizing the rest of the Known Universe?


    While it is true that Zac is confident that they could subdue Riley if he decides to go on a rampage on Theran, what about a million of him? And their only weakness is that unlike their Original, they could easily die.


    But while fighting, Riley''s clones could still produce thousands and thousands more clones.


    It will be¡­ war.


    But if a war were to happen between Riley and Themarians¡­ wouldn''t that mean that the rest of the Known Universe would have already lost? Trillions and trillions of lives, tortured and killed.


    Zac could potentially stop that destruction now if he just reports it to the Overlord of the Grand Militia. But why¡­


    ¡­why does he feel somewhat excited at the thought of war?


    No, the answer to that was simple¡ªhe belonged to a race of warriors. And what is a warrior without war? Theirst war was way before his time, the war against the evaniels.


    Perhaps¡­ it was time?


    "!!!" Zac then blinked a couple of times as he instinctively touched his face, which was already smiling unbeknownst to him. Zac immediately shook his head as he looked at Riley.


    No, the possibility of Riley actually destroying the Known Universe was close to none. If he remembers correctly, there should still be those Universal soldiers called the Guardians. If they were to amass all of their forces, they could stop the spread of Riley''s clones.


    And although Zac waspletely unaware of how strong the Evaniels and the other Higher Races are, they should be able to defeat an army of Rileys with ease¡ªafter all, they wouldn''t be in the same category as the themarians if they were weak.


    "..." Zac once again shook his head off of the thoughts he was having as he once again looked Riley straight in the eyes.


    "You seem to be lost in thought, Star Sergeant Zac," Riley then finally said something as he tilted his head to the side, "Are you perhaps also in the spectrum?"


    "I¡­ don''t know what that is," Zac could really only sigh as his thoughts started to calm down; his neck and arms, shivering by themselves, "But I will request a change of topic, Lord Riley. The talk of war is¡­ doing something to my body."


    "Hm," Riley nodded as he started walking again; his eyes, straying toward the stalls and stores that were in front of the border, "I have not tried truly cooking themarian cuisine before, perhaps you have an idea, Star Sergeant Zac? I would like to cook for Aerith once I am awarded the chance to do so."


    "I¡­ am afraid my knowledge of food is not up to par," Zac could really only sigh as he followed Riley, "Soldiers of the Order are starved for years on end as a sort of training."


    "Hm¡­" Riley ced his hand on his chin as he let out a deep breath, "Then I believe I have nothing to do, Star Sergeant Zac. My clones are doing everything for me now."


    Riley then suddenly just stopped where he stood; any expression on his face, fading awaypletely.


    "I¡­" He then whispered,


    "I''m bored, Star Sergeant Zac."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "That¡­ don''t you have anything you want to do?"


    Why did it suddenly feel like Zac was now a chaperone instead of an officer tasked to follow Riley?


    "Why don''t you try and request to be allowed to take missions from the Credit Board?" Zac then said as his voice slightly became high-pitched, "Princess Tifa might be able to grant you that. In that way, I could also hunt monsters with you underground¡­ it''s been a while."


    "Hm," Riley nodded, "I will forward that to my clone. But for now, I have nothing to do, Star Sergeant Zac. Searching for Aerith will be futile since she does not want to be found."


    "...What about searching for your mother?" A small smile then crawled on Zac''s face. Although the Grand Militia waspletely unaware of what Riley was doing, Zac was still keeping up to date on whatever was happening with Caiin''Ur¡ªand right now, theirst sighting of her was when she sent several of hisrades to Eternal Death.


    If Zac was to be the one to find her, then wouldn''t that mean a real promotion?


    "Searching for mother?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked Zac straight in the eyes, "I already can''t find Aerith, Star Sergeant Zac. Mother ispletely untraceable."


    "...That''s true," Zac sighed, "What do you usually do in your free time back on¡­ Arth? Earth?"


    "My free time on Earth?" Riley blinked a couple of times as visions of death, torture, and more death surfaced in his mind, "I¡ª"


    "Wait¡­" And before Zac could hear Riley''s words, Zac suddenly stretched his arm to the side as his eyes widened, "¡­Lord James should still be waiting for you in the Camel''s inn!"


    "Who is that?"


    "Lord James, Cadet Fionn''s father!"


    "Oh," Riley''s eyes also turned wide, "But it has been a month, Star Sergeant Zac."


    "It''s only been a month! Although I don''t really advise you in meeting him, if I am going to be stuck with you, then some action would be fun¡­" Zac''s eyebrows then started dancing as he nodded several times at Riley, "...If you know what I mean."


    "I know what you mean, Star Sergeant Zac."


    "That¡ªwait, are you sure?" Zac could not help but take in a small gulp as he saw the smile growing on Riley''s face.


    "I truly thank you for your suggestions, Star Sergeant Zac," Riley then breathed out as the smile on his face grew even wider, "The thought of doing my pastime back on Earth did not really ur to me since arriving on Theran. After all, even with Aerith already showing me what your race could do, I still somewhat underestimated your strength and durability."


    "...What are you talking about, Lord Riley?" Zac once again nervously chuckled.


    "You asked me what I liked doing earlier during my free time, Star Sergeant Zac," Riley''s feet then started leaving the ground,


    "Well, I kill people¡ªusually in the millions at a time."


    "..."


    "I obviously can not do that here on Theran, but one at a time?"


    "You''re not¡­ No."


    "We have our first target, Star Sergeant Zac."

 Chapter 562 562: Lord James

    "Ah, Professor Riley!"


    "It''s Professor Riley, look!"


    "Freedom! Freedom for the citizens of Hel!"


    "We support your forbidden love with the Rebel Princess!"


    "Rebel Princess!? Who called her that!?"


    "She''s the Princess of Liberation!"


    "I heard she''s in the Unknown again saving people."


    "Professor Riley! Please, look here!"


    "Since¡­ when have you be this famous?"


    "I have never been not famous, Star Sergeant Zac."


    1 month. It only took one month for Riley''s name to scatter throughout the bored citizens of the city of Hel. Hel City wasrge¡ªperhapsrger than even New York. Unlike New York, however, the title of ''concrete jungle'' fits the city of Hel more as it literally is just that¡ªconcrete.


    Norge screens littered its buildings, there wasn''t even a sign of a single vehicle. It was just one big city filled with bricks and people. Their people looked like any other human¡ªthe way they converse, the way they show expression, the way they move.


    And besides their strength which is capable of destroying normals, perhaps the only difference they had with humans was how they treat their technology. The Orbs, or as Riley has learned to call it, a Mesphere is the themarian equivalent of a smartphone. Most of the mespheres are controlled cybeically; connected to their handler''s mind.


    One could still control it by using the augmented buttons through the holograms the mespheres produce, but its usability would decrease by almost 90%. Unfortunately for Riley, his telekinesis prevents him from using a mesphere at full capacity.


    It didn''t matter, however, as he wasn''t losing much. Because, unlike humans, most of the themarians rarely even use their mespheres; leaving them at their homes for days on end.


    But even with thisck of information traveling throughout thework of their entire, the people of Hel still recognized Riley.


    Although none of them were really Riley''s students, as his students were just limited to the people of the castle and the aristocrats with the privilege to join it, most of the citizens address him as Professor.


    His short¡­ speech regarding freedom has garnered all sorts of opinions and expressions from the people¡ªeven more so since Aerith''s trial was broadcasted throughout the entire country. Themarians may not frequent the news and multimedia, but almost all of them watched it; even those in the nation of Varoif.


    "Wherever I go, I always seem to manage to be the center of all attention, Star Sergeant Zac," Riley sighed as his head endlessly nodded at all the people that were greeting him. His long white hair, almost a mess from the repeated movements.


    Most of the time, Riley''s hair would be pressed andpletely immacte due to him holding it with his telekic abilities. But with his arrival on Theran, his telekic armor became smaller;pressed. Now exponentially more durable as he only protected the parts that are needed for him to fight and survive.


    After all, even now, as he walked past the people that were casually looking at him and greeting him; any one of them could potentially just kill him¡ªand dying a useless death is something Riley was truly tired of; it would be a different scenario, however, if they are infected by the Supervirus.


    Aerith and Diana have provided him and the other earthlings a device to prevent the supervirus from spreading and of course, Riley threw it away. After all, what better species to infect with the supervirus than mega people?


    Diana seemed to have not been infected with the virus, but Aerith was¡ªher racial abilities were amplified, and she also gained minor telekinesis; all of which Riley was able to receive when he died via Aerith.


    This is the reason why Riley has be such a¡­ celebrity in the city of Hel¡ªhe made it a habit of walking around the streets, making sure that the virus would spread. His students, of course, should be the most susceptible. But now, even a monthter, they have shown no signs of gaining any new abilities.


    Riley¡­


    Riley was truly bored. But now, he was reminded of an opportunity.


    "This is it."


    "Hm¡­"


    And almost as if on cue with the end of his thoughts, he and Zac arrived in front of a certain building¡ªThe Camel''s inn. It wasn''t thergest hotel or inn in the city, but it was the most private one due to its location being far away from the city''s bolstering establishments.


    In short, if there was ever a shady deal happening in the city, it would be here.


    "There doesn''t seem to be anyone else noteworthy inside and outside the inn, Lord Riley. Only one, and that should be Lord James," Zac then subtly licked his red lips as he opened the door. Riley, however, still did not enter as he just looked at Zac.


    "..." Zac could really only awkwardly pause as Riley suddenly stared at him; his tongue, still on top of his upper lip.


    "I have always wondered about a themarian''s ability to detect energy, Star Sergeant Zac," Riley then squinted his eyes, "That is what you did just now, correct? Detect any strange energy signatures?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "...Yes?" Zac once again very slowly closed the wooden door as he nodded.


    "Is that something you are able to teach me, Star Sergeant Zac?"


    "I¡­ don''t really know how I would even start that. It''s just¡­ the same as breathing."


    "I understand," Riley nodded his head, before just stepping forward, causing Zac to identally m the door open.


    And contrary to what one would expect, what greeted Riley and Zac was not the judging stares of the inn''s patrons¡ªbut rather two people in uniform, one a maid, and the other a butler.


    "Wee to Camel''s inn, gentlemen."


    The butler bowed his head as he greeted Riley and Zac, while the maid offered the two of them a hot towel. From the outside, Riley was expecting an interior simr to the first bar they were in when they arrived on the, but no.


    It was almost as if they were not on Theran at all. The lights that painted the room were hovering in the air like fireflies; the floor was letting out a pulse with every step, creating an illusion as if one was walking on water.


    The patrons that were eating at the inn''s mess hall, all wearing luxurious clothing as they minded their own business. And finally, after more than a month, an element missing on Theran touched Riley''s ears¡ªmusic. There was someone ying an instrument that looked eerily simr to a piano at the center of therge mess hall.


    "Amodation or dining, gentlemen?" The butler then smiled as he looked at Riley, "Perhaps you have a reservation?"


    "We''re¡­ here to meet Lord James. He should be expecting us," Zac was the one to speak as Riley seemed to be distracted by the music.


    "Ah! Of course!" The butler then lightly pped his hands as he quickly gestured to Riley and Zac to follow him, "Lord James has been waiting in one of our finest private halls. Perhaps you have a request for refreshments?"


    "Milk, please."


    "Of course."


    "..."


    The butler led Zac and Riley through the crowd of patrons, before sliding open a set of doors at the side of the mess hall.


    "Please, the private hall is just down the end of these steps. I will have your refreshments ready by the time you sit down."


    "..." Riley did not really think much of it as he just entered and started walking down. Zac, on the other hand, was a little hesitant. Of course, it is to be expected that someone of Lord James''s notoriety would choose a very private ce to meet up; but he just can''t quite shake the feeling that this might be some sort of trap.


    Riley did kill his son¡ª-what father wouldn''t be furious at that?


    "Lord Riley, perhaps it would be best for me to enter first."


    Zac hastened his steps as he basically hovered down the flight of steps,nding in front of therge door. Riley, however, just shrugged his shoulders as he continued to walk down softly; his long white hair, bouncing along with his coat with every step.


    "..." Zac took in a deep breath as he opened the door; his muscles, as loose as they could be so he can be ready at any moment if James just decides to attack Riley without saying a greeting. But once again, contrary to his expectations, nothing happened as he opened the door.


    Instead, they were just greeted by the warmth of the sun¡ªor at least that is what it looked like as all the light inside the private room was centered at the bald and extremely shiny head resting on top of therge table at the center of the private room.


    "Lord James?" Zac blinked a couple of times as he called for James, who seemed to be napping,


    "We''re here, Lord J¡ª"


    "I see you have received my invitation."


    And before Zac and Riley could announce their presence in the room, the sun started to rise as James very slowly stood up from his seat. Zac quickly turned to look at Riley as he felt him moving, only to see him start wearing a pair of sunsses.


    "Come," James then started walking around the table, before dragging out one of the chairs and gesturing to Riley to sit.


    "I prefer to be civilized. Let us talk about my son''s death in a calm and reasonable manner, Lord Riley," James took in a deep breath as Riley started to approach him,


    "¡­Are you a calm and reasonable perso¡ª"


    "Pavoom."

 Chapter 563 563: Head

    Intense.


    That was perhaps the only word that Zac could use as he watched as James very slowly pulled out a seat for Riley. His bald head may absorb all of the light in the room, but the tone of his voice was anything but bright.


    His eyes were clear, and so was the reflection on them¡ªand it only showed Riley.


    "I prefer to be civilized. Let us talk about my son''s death in a calm and reasonable manner, Lord Riley."


    Calm? Perhaps that was a word that could be used to describe the tone of James''s voice. But hear deeper, and you would see the seething rage seeping through the gaps of his perfect teeth. The cor around his neck did not help dissipate what kind of person James truly is¡ªhe was a criminal; violent and problematic.


    As for Riley, he didn''t seem to think much of anything as he very slowly approached James. If a battle were to break out between these two, then it is up to him to stop it¡ªeven if you say that James has a lot of connections with the aristocrats and the nobles of Hel, causing trouble right in the capital city would put him in the radar of the Lords and the Ladies of the Hel castle.


    And as Riley is directly supported and sponsored by Princess Tifa, only James would truly suffer repercussions. Perhaps, James truly only really wanted to talk?


    And so, with that thought, Zac''s breaths were finally able to calm down for at least several beats.


    "Are you a calm and reasonable pers¡ª"


    "Pavoom."


    "!!!"


    And there it is. Zac''s mind was so busy thinking about what James would do, that he literally forgot he was following a madman. But s, it was already toote as everything in front of him just turned white.


    Unlike the raging and violent white that Zac saw before first meeting Riley, however, this white and empty void in front of him was a sphere; or perhaps a cylinder. It was truly hard to define its shape as it just looked like a t circle. Most of the room was drowned in this white, with James at the center of it.


    Zac then quickly turned to look at this anomaly''s perpetrator, only to see Riley''s index finger pointed right in the direction of James''s bald head. And with a breath, Riley very slowly ced his hand down; the white void, instantly disappearing as he did so.


    "Why¡­ did you do that?" Zac almost stuttered with his words, "I¡­ I think he only wanted to talk."


    "Maybe, Star Sergeant Zac," Riley then stepped forward; the table that was once just peacefully resting at the center of the room, now erased from existence along with its other siblings. The walls, floors, and ceilings, however, were stillpletely intact and without any damage¡­ the same could be said for James.


    "..." Riley turned to look to the side of the room. And there, James was currently resting on the wall. Well, half of him is. The curvature of his missing silhouette was perfect, like a crescent moon thatpletelypletes the look of his shiny bald head.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Even with all of his body gone, however, James was still able to move his head as he looked at Riley with his remaining eye. And then, with just a single blink, his entire silhouette became whole again.


    "Hm¡­" Riley squinted his eyes as he tilted his head to the side. His ''pavoom'' move was almost instantaneous, and for James to react to that showed that he waspletely different from all the other themarians he had faced¡ªperhaps even stronger than Champion Sergeant Darmuid.


    "Rude," James breathed out as he pushed himself from the wall; half of his body,pletely exposed. He didn''t seem to care, however; Riley learned none of them do. Even Aerith did not mind being naked in front of him or other people at all.


    Perhaps that is to be expected; if one were to have such strength, it is expected that clothes would not be able to survive.


    "Is this it?" James then said as he looked at his arms that were free of clothes, "Is this what you used to send my son to Eternal Death?"


    "No," Riley answered casually before slowly raising his hand¡ªand as he did so, his long white coat started to wiggle. And after a few tugs and shakes, arge part of it was torn away.


    "..." James did not really react even as this cloth started floating its way toward him. He did, however, squinted his eyes as the white cloth started to once again wiggle until morphing into the shape of what seemed like a pair of pants. James did not really say anything, and instead just grabbed the floating garment and casually wore it,


    "And how did you kill my son?" And as soon as his thing was no longer just tantly hanging for everyone to see, he once again looked Riley in the eyes.


    "I believed I pulled off his head and kicked it far away, Lord James," Riley said as he ced his hand on his chin, "Since the expanse of space is indescribablyrge, it is probably still flying as we speak."


    "So¡­" James then closed his eyes as he let out a short and very deep breath before he looked at the now empty room, "...He did not even make you use this weird attack of yours?"


    "There was no need to, Lord James."


    "Pathetic," James once again let out a deep breath as he pulled the now broken cor around his neck, "I thought he was better than his older brother since he became a cadet of the Order. But both of them are just disappointments. Their mother didn''t raise them well enough; it would seem."


    And with those words, James just started walking away; passing by Riley and not even looking him in the eyes as he stepped out of the room.


    "I am angry right now, Riley Ross. But not at you," James then said as his bald head reflected the light on the room even though he was already outside, "There is nothing to forgive. But rather, I apologize for my son not even giving you a fight. Pathetic, truly pathetic. But still¡­


    ¡­I would not hear the end of it from my wife if I do nothing. So, perhaps I can take your head with me?"


    James then raised his hand, hanging on it was Riley''s head.

 Chapter 564 564: Long Hair Vs. No Hair

    Speed.


    That is just one of the things that the themarians have that are above almost every other race except the evaniels. And explosive speed is something that James seems to excel at.


    The fact that he was able to move away before getting hit by Riley''s pavoom move was already enough of a disy of that. But now, even Zac was not able to see what just happened.


    "..." He looked at the thing that was hanging on James''s hand, and then above Riley''s shoulders. And true enough, things that should not be where they are, are.


    James then started moving the clump of long white hair in his hand, causing Riley''s decapitated head to swing like a pendulum. And soon, at the 3rd second, the rest of Riley''s body fell to the floor.


    "You''re Star Sergeant Zac, correct?" James did not immediately walk up the stairs, and instead even turned around to talk to Zac, causing Riley''s head to swing even more wildly.


    "..." Zac could not really answer as he just looked at Riley''s swinging head; his mouth was wide open, letting his tongue to also swing from his lips. Zac would lie if he said he hasn''t grown attached to Riley¡­ but for him to just die like this?


    Wait¡­ die? But Riley should be¡ª


    Zac then blinked a couple of times as he finally looked at James.


    "I do not know the reason why you are following this foreigner around," James breathed out as he started wrapping Riley''s head with his own hair, "But I take it you can handle informing your bosses that I have sent him to Eternal Death? This is vengeance, I am stripped of any guilt."


    "..." Zac still did not respond. Eternal Death? Something was really wrong here.


    "And you are also a witness that I did not tinker with the cor, Riley Ross caused it to disintegrate," James continued talking, "You and the other Grand Militia cunts can attach another one at any time¡ªyou can just find me in my estate."


    "Huh?"


    "Don''t be too shocked," James could not help but let out a long and deep sigh as he misunderstood the confusion in Zac''s eyes, "Themarians die all the time, and dying in battle will always be the greatest end for us. You may have thought that Riley Ross was strong, but in the face of history, he is only but an insignificant line on an insignificant page. He is nothing but a¡ª- Hm?"


    And before James could finish his short monologue, he felt the weight in his hand getting lighter and lighter; he quickly looked down, only to see the head he was holding slowly crumbling into bits and pieces.


    Zac also took a step back as Riley''s body started to break apart; his insides, melting into a puddle of mud.


    "Very curious. They usually only just turn into sand."


    "..." James''s eyes squinted as he heard a familiar voiceing from the stairs above. And like a pendulum, he heard the stepsing closer and closer, carrying a rhythm that felt like a casual stroll.


    "You aliens are always so full of tricks," a light chuckle escaped James''s lips as he let go of whatever remained of Riley''s clone''s head, "And what next are you going to show me, Riley Ross?"


    James then turned to look at Riley as he very slowly appeared from the top of the steps, only for him to notice the blood dripping on the floor first. Unlike Riley''s calm rhythm, however, the blood that was dripping from both his hands fell almost violently¡ªas if whatever was producing the blood was just freshly butchered.


    James''s already squinted eyes squinted even further, causing his overly smooth forehead to crease as he looked at whatever Riley was holding. He wondered why they looked so familiar at first, but soon, any wondering he made and could ever make turned into nothingness.


    "I hope they are the right people, Lord James. It would be slightly awkward if they were not."


    "..." James''s eyes could really only follow Riley as he sat on the steps of the stairs, cing the two objects he was holding on each of his sides.


    "It took a while since I was trying to learn how to ess the Grand Militia''s database. I have to say, being a Champion Sergeant is quite useful," Riley then let out a sigh as he started caressing the objects at his side, before looking at the clump of dirt on the floor,


    "And you decapitated my clone, hm. I swear this is purely coincidental."


    "Are they¡­" James''s breaths started to falter as he stared at the two objects at Riley''s side. After all, how could they not¡­


    ¡­when his eyes were currently staring at the heads of his wife and his only remaining son?


    "Oh, they are dead."


    A small giggle then seeped into the empty room, causing Zac to take in a small gulp as he too, stared at the two heads sitting beside Riley.


    "I have to say, Lord James. Your wife is braver than your son," Riley then said as he lifted the head of James''s wife by her nostrils, causing her jaw to open wide, "Because of her, your son was almost able to escape."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..." James did not say anything as he just looked at the face of his wife; blood, dripping from her eyes and ears.


    "She did not even scream," Riley stretched the head toward James''s direction as he started shaking it, causing her broken jaws to wiggle and her broken teeth to fall off, "Your son, on the other hand, produced quite a melody. I recorded it, do you want to hear it?"


    [S¡­ stop! Don''t¡­ don''t you know who we are!?]


    And without even waiting for anyone to answer him, Riley yed the recording from his mesphere.


    [My father, my father will¡ªGrah!]


    [Let go of my son!]


    [Mother¡ªgrlkh!]


    "I have to say, Lord James¡­" Riley then let out a long and very deep sigh as the smile on his face grew wider and wider, "...This is perhaps the most difficulty I have ever had in trying to murder someone. Your wife ripped me in half at this part of the recording."


    "..."


    "12 times. I had to crush all of her organs 12 times to send her to her Eternal Death. Fun, really fun," Riley then returned James''s wife''s head beside him, before grabbing his son''s head,


    "Just 3 times for him. It is just too bad that you won''t be able to see what I did with their bodies, Lord James. But don''t worry, you will join them. After all, unlike father¡­


    ¡­I do not like separating families."


    "What did you do!?" James filled the entire room with red as a violent light emerged from his body; wrapping him almost like mes, "You will¡ª"


    "Onest kiss."


    "!!!"


    And before James could finish his words, Riley covered his raging mouth¡­ with the face of his wife.


    "And they tell me I am not nice," Riley once again chuckled as another one of his clones appeared behind James, pushing his bald head andpressing it with his wife''s decapitated head,


    "We''re only just starting, Lord James."


    "You¡­ will pay for this!"


    And with those words, the raging energy surrounding James like fire burst violently¡ªdestroying and disintegrating everything within its path.


    "You¡­


    ¡­I will destroy you!"


    And from the ashes created by the explosion, James''s hand emerged from the rubble, grabbing Riley''s feet before he could get away. And with another raging roar, James started flying down and digging through the floor; dragging Riley with him.


    "..." Riley could just cut off his legs but chose not to as the smile on his face just continued to grow. And soon, the ground and rocks that were threatening to shred his flesh to pieces all disappeared; his view ofplete darkness, reced by the harsh light that drowned¡­ the sea of trees beneath him.


    When Riley heard that almost all of Theran''s wildlife lived beneath the, he had always thought that they would be somewhat simr to moles or any other creatures that lived underground.


    But no¡ªbeneath the world of Theran was another world¡ªan entire ecosystem all on its own.


    "..." Riley then blinked a couple of times as James suddenly let him go. Riley didn''t need to wonder why, however, because as soon as he turned around, he noticed arge¡­ wyverian bird flying towards him; its colossal beak, already beneath and on top of him in just a single moment.


    "...Oh."

 Chapter 565 565: The Hunt

    People with golden skin that glittered at a certain angle.


    People with silver skin,pletely intangible and immune to damage.


    Small people that could produce a st of air with their hands.


    People with ck skin and 4 meters tall.


    A human that has lived for more than 8000 years.


    People with 4 arms. People with 4 legs.


    A literal talking octopus.


    Riley has met all sorts of extraterrestrial life throughout his short journey through the expanse of space. Never once, however, did he feel excited about meeting any of them¡ªafter all, for him, they were no different from humans.


    But now, as he was right in the middle of the beak of a gigantic bird that looked like a wyvern, he could not help but think that finally; finally, he was experiencing what alien life truly is like.


    He could dodge this, and with the way James just let go of him and flew away means he really probably should. But Riley was curious¡ªwhen will he ever get the experience of being swallowed by a gigantic wyvern bird?


    And so, Riley turned his head toward James''s bald head. James thought that Riley would rush toward him, but no. A wide and creepy smile just crawled on his face before the giant bird swallowed him whole.


    "..." James could really only furrow his eyebrows as he watched the bird disappear into the horizon. He was still waiting for Riley to burst forth from the avian''s body, or even appear behind him for no reason at all¡ªbut no.


    The bird just continued to p its wings until he could no longer see it.


    As for Riley, he could see nothing at all. Unlike what he watched in movies, a creature''s stomach is not huge at all, it was tight andpact.


    "Hm¡­" Riley softly covered his nose as he let out a deep breath, "It smells horrendous."


    And soon, felt himself being dragged as the bird started to dive down. The other contents inside the bird, freely flowing and being shaken along with Riley.


    "So, this is what all the food I have consumed felt. Interesting," Riley muttered; the tone of his voice,pletely monotonous.


    A second.


    A minute.


    An hour.


    He felt himself being dragged and shaken for an entire hour as the bird continued to fly around. His neighbors, alreadypletely melted into a goo-like consistency¡ªif Riley did not have his telekic armor, then he would have probably also turned into mush.


    Perhaps he should have, just toplete the experience¡ªhe thought. But as he was about to take off his armor, he once again felt a certain pressure as he suddenly slid down along with the rest of whatever was inside the bird''s stomach.


    "Is this what going through a slide feels like?" Riley muttered. He doesn''t know¡ªhe hasn''t been in one.


    And soon, light once again drowned his eyes. And with a squelching sound, he dropped to the ground along with the goo of flesh and blood.


    "..." Riley quickly looked up, only to see the insides of the gigantic bird''s mouth again.


    "Oh," he muttered. He thought he wasing out from the other end. He then turned his eyes to his front as he heard a loud chirp, only to see a hairless chick¡­ which was still bigger than a car.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It had scales exposed at certain parts of its face, but its shape was stillpletely that of a baby bird.


    "Interesting," Riley and the chick stared into each other''s eyes for a while; their heads, tilting to the side. Riley then started looking around to see where the bird brought him, but he absolutely had no idea where he was.


    He was in some sort of de¡ªa sea of grass almost as tall as him.


    And as Riley was checking in the sights, the chick''s head suddenly became a blur, and when it cleared¡­ it already had Riley''s arm between its beak.


    "...Oh."


    And before the chick could peck a part of Riley''s body at Mach speeds again, Riley immediately summoned a clone and flew back. His lifeless clone, immediately being swallowed whole by the chick.


    "As expected of the Aerith was born in, even their animals are strong," Riley nodded to himself as he started walking away toward therge trees that looked more simr to bamboo. But before he could reach far, the mother bird flew and blocked his path.


    "Don''t," Riley immediately said as he looked the mama bird in the eyes. The bird tilted its head to the side first, before its hair and scales started to tremble and stand, and with a small cawk, it just returned to its nestling.


    "Hm¡­" Riley then started walking through the sea of thin and towering trees. He could hear and see other smaller creatures there, with some even following him around; but as soon as they see Riley''s eyes, they all just run away for some reason.


    Riley then looked up to see how light was being produced in the undergrounds of the, but the sky¡ªthe ceiling did not seem to produce it. The only thing he could see were several holes; the sky was mostly green, probably from the nts and moss that attached itself to it.


    "..." There were probably millions of holes in the ceiling, should he let his clones check which hole he came from? But then the bird flew for almost an entire hour, the hole he came from was probably not there.


    "...I''m lost," Riley then let out a small sigh as he once again looked around him. If Zac was here, then he could probably find his way.


    James was also nowhere to be seen, but he was probably just lurking around and blending in with the animals; waiting for the chance to kill him.


    With that speed and his bald head, he is probably some sort of themarian ninja¡ªRiley thought, nodding at his own conclusion. There was also the fact that themarians can detect energy from a distance, James is here somewhere.


    "..." Riley then closed his eyes as he focused his hearing¡ªbut as soon as all the sounds entered his ears, he quickly hit his head several times; shaking away the noisepletely. Riley never really had to work this hard just to murder people¡­ but this way was truly more fulfilling.


    "Pft," a small giggle then escaped from Riley''s lips as a sort of tingling sensation started to crawl throughout his entire body. When was thest time he truly felt like this?


    As the control of his telekinesis grew better and better, the time it took for him to subdue someone also quickly became nonexistent¡ªall he had to look forward to were the screams. But now, experiencing the feeling of the hunt again¡­


    ¡­it was quite liberating.


    But the fact is¡ªhe wasn''t the one hunting, he was the one being hunted.


    "Lord James," Riley then stretched his arms to the side, "Are you having fun as much as I am? Your wife said you worked in the shadows when she was dying. She said that I always have to look in the shadows in fear that you might be there¡­


    ¡­but how can you really hide that bald shiny head?"


    "..."


    "But why would someone like you want to hide in the shadows?" Riley continued to talk as he looked at the shadows of des around him,


    "Let yourself be seen in the light as Aerith did. Oh, you should have seen her. Aside from sister, she was the one that shone the brightest, and I am the darkness they leave behind...


    ...the darkness that swallows the shadows they make."

 Chapter 566 566: The Wrong Hole Is Not Necessarily The Wrong Way

    "Wrong hole."


    "...Wrong hole."


    "Wrong hole again."


    Riley has lost track of how many hours he had been in Theran''s underground ecosystem. He was now out of the woods, literally. He stood on top of a cliff, overlooking a sea that shouldn''t exist underground.


    Theran ispletely different from Earth¡ªperhaps he could no longer refute this fact.


    He had been here for long, and yet the shadows that scattered everywhere had not moved for even a single millimeter. The sun which didn''t exist still fully drowned thendscape, not withering for a single second.


    "Boss, I''ve searched 4 holes¡ªI don''t think we''re anywhere near the city, or any city for that matter."


    Another Riley then descended from the sky,nding behind Riley who just continued to stare at the endless horizon.


    "Even the holes that are near each other, end up not even being close once you get to the surface," Riley''s clone let out a small but very deep sigh as he too looked at the ocean.


    "Good work," Riley nodded, "You can take a rest now."


    "I''ll go check out some more holes first. I haven''t seen any signs of that James guy either. Do you think he left?"


    "I believe he is still here somewhere. He probably covered his bald head to conceal his presence. Just be wary of anything that resembles a head."


    "Roger that, boss."


    "Hm."


    And with his clone leaving, Riley just once again nodded; his eyes, still looking at the endless horizon. He already ordered his clone that was still in Hel castle toe and find them, but when it arrived at the Camel''s inn, they already closed up the hole.


    Riley could probably just fly up into any of the holes, and just find his way while he''s on the surface¡ªbut then he wouldn''t be able to finish his hunt with James. He already killed his wife and only remaining son¡ªit would be awkward if he let James just live; theye as a set, after all.


    "Oh¡­"


    Riley then blinked a couple of times as he suddenly lost connection with his clone. Although it was just a glimpse at the end of its life, Riley was able to see what killed it¡ªit wasn''t James.


    It was a wolf. A thin and very lean wolf the size of a car, with a tail that was longer than its entire body. Most importantly, it leaped all the way from the ground; a skirt of wind flowing around it as itpletely eviscerated his clone.


    Riley had initially thought that the wildlife of Theran migrated and evolved underground millions of years ago because of Themarians, but that wasn''t the case at all. Even themarians would be sent to Eternal Death if they weren''t careful here¡ªit is no wonder why not everyone takes missions from the Credit Board.


    Sadly for the long wolf, however, what he just ate was a mixture of the ground and nts. Fortunately for the wolf, it still had something to hunt as Riley''s clone carried his scent.


    "..."


    Riley then very slowly turned around, only to find the long wolf already sneaking toward him, emerging from the bushes; its steps, eerily quiet for its size¡ªno, there was not even a single noise. The wolf''s paw was slightly above the ground¡­ perhaps even if it wasn''t as sophisticated as the themarians, the wildlife also knew how to fly?


    In the wolf''s case, it was probably just enough to make his stepspletely silent.


    And as soon as the wolf''s glowing eyes met with Riley''s, it immediately abandoned any of its stealth and lunged toward Riley. Riley, on the other hand, just very slowly stretched out his palm.


    "!!!"


    The wolf immediately pushed itself away from Riley, using the empty air as some sort of step as itnded back to the ground; its head, all the way down; its feet, still ready to leap toward Riley again.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    This time, however, the wolf was looking back and forth between Riley''s hand and his eyes¡ªand each time it did so, it instinctively took a step back.


    And as soon as Riley stepped forward, the wolf just immediately turned around and ran away into the bushes.


    "...I only wanted to touch it," Riley whispered to himself as he sighed. The Ross family used to have a pet¡ªa dog. Diana brought it home one day when Riley was just a little over 9 years old; it seemed to love Hannah and grew attached to her the very first day. But Riley?


    It always ran away whenever it saw Riley. It barks and whimpers whenever Riley tries to get near. Hannah said that the dog just hates it when ugly colorless people touch it, so Riley just stopped trying to pet it.


    And just a weekter after it arrived, it ran away from home and got hit by a car.


    The truth is, Riley now knows that the dog doesn''t really hate him at all¡ªit feared him. The dog smelled what Riley truly is before he even knew himself. It was able to smell the darkness, the void that lived inside of him.


    And it would seem the animals of apletely different could see the same as soon as they see his eyes.


    Even with the bright horizon behind him, they see Riley for what he truly is.


    A being unaffected by light. A monster that will soon bathe the entire universe in darkness.


    "..." Riley then looked at his palm, before letting out a long and deep sigh and closing it.


    "Lord James, if you are not going toe out from the shadows¡­" Riley then breathed out as he stepped away from the cliff, before kneeling and cing his palm on the ground,


    "...Then I will just have to take away the shadows."


    And as soon as he said that, a pulse rippled from his palm; the grass and nts around it, suddenly blooming and turning even greener as they became bigger and more dense. But with the second pulse, however¡­


    ¡­they started to wither.


    "This is what I am, Lord James," Riley then whispered as the nts around him continued to perish. The thick bushes, the trees¡­ all wilting in an instant as soon as the pulse touched them,


    "This is a power I received from dying to a woman capable of controlling and making nt life bloom¡ªa power that literally gives birth to life, and yet¡­


    ¡­I use it to spread death like wildfire."


    The once green and livelynd became nothing but ashes of life; gray andpletely devoid of any joy.


    "There is no use in hiding from me, Lord James," Riley then once again stood up as he sighed, causing the ashes of life around him to ripple away,


    "I am one of the things constant in this universe. I am Suffering and Death."


    And with those words, another pulse escaped from Riley. This time, however, the pulse was violent¡ªblowing away all the corpses of the nts and wildlife and revealing the creatures that lived within the once lively world.


    And one of them was James; his eyes, already as red as they could be as he rushed toward Riley.


    "I will end your suffering then, Riley Ross!"


    "Come then¡­" Riley stretched his hands to the side, summoning two des of light as he calmly stepped forward,


    "...Try."

 Chapter 567 567: A Poem For The Bald

    Violent, reckless abandon, wild¡­ familiar.


    Riley still clearly remembers the very fight that he was able to finally fight Megawoman head-to-head, and this was the very same feeling.


    Darmuid was physically stronger than James since each of his strikes causes total obliteration of anything unfortunate enough to stand in its way. James, however, no matter how finesse his movements, had this wild consistency in him that was simr to Aerith.


    Clearly untrained professionally, but each strike showed experience that was crafted in true battle where losing means death.


    "Show more of your tricks, alien!"


    "When you''ve earned it, Lord James."


    One would think their battle would have already decimated thend, but no. The terrain underground Theran was even more durable and sturdy than on the surface¡ªthere was also the fact that Riley and James, even after fighting for an entire minute now, still have not left the cliff they started fighting on.


    Their feet have not even left the ground at the same time. It was almost like a dance, an endless dance that serenaded the endless horizon that never turns dark.


    This was no longer a hunt, but an understanding that when and if this dance ends, one of them will have to take thest step.


    The two were almost likeplete opposites of each other; one filled with hair, and one absolutely without¡ªand yet both reflected the harsh light that wrapped everything around them.


    Riley''s pair of swords were beyond sharp¡ªno. Perhaps sharpness was no longer a value that one could describe the pair; it just contained heat, a concentrated heat that melted everything it touches.


    It was able to cut James''s flesh, but it almost seemed as if the pair of swords were truly just light as it passed through James''s silhouette¡ªno flesh open, no cut. James''s flesh would heal even before Riley''s des coulde out the other end.


    For an untrained eye to be watching this dance, the only thing they would really see were the ashes of smoke bursting from the ground, the blurred silhouette that snapped in the air, and the light that felt like it was almost solid.


    But for Riley and James, it was just a sight of blood¡ªblood that just vaporizes as soon as they appear. The other showed his teeth with his smile, while the other showed his fangs with his snarl.


    Soon, however, the lights seem to run out from Riley''s hand as he grabs both of James''s ears; pulling on them as they stretch almost a foot from the temples. James quickly pushed Riley away to the end of the cliff with a palm, causing the air around them to explode into a ripple¡ªthe ashes of what remained of the fallen trees, nowpletely erased from existence.


    As for Riley, he continued to slide on the darkness of the dirt beneath him, creating a crevice as the soles of his feet left the cliff, leaving him standing on his toes.


    "Well then¡­" Riley then stretched both his hands to the side, before snapping his fingers and revealing the pair of ears he was holding,


    "...Now your head is perfectly oval, Lord James."


    "You think you''re funny, alien?" A burst of fiery red emerged from James''s eyes, before crawling across his arms and forming into some sort of gauntlet. And with a small breath escaping from his lips, James violently waved his glowing arms at the ground in front of him¡ªreleasing a crescent de thatpletely pierced through the entire cliff.


    And before Riley could tilt his head wondering what James did, James suddenly mmed his foot on the ground.


    "..."


    And very slowly, a crack formed on the ground.


    And soon, the side of the cliff Riley was standing on started to slide down; Riley did not seem to care, however, as he just threw James''s ears back to him as his silhouette very slowly faded down from the horizon.


    "You know, I can do the same."


    "!!!"


    James then quickly leaped back as a crescent de of light emerged beneath his feet. Before he couldnd, however, another one emerged from the groundpletely slicing the cliff as it threatened to do the same to James.


    And finally, after what seemed like an eternity of fighting each other¡­ James floated into the air as he avoided the barrage of strikes that came from below, a barrage that seemed almost endless.


    And the farther James flew into the air, therger the crescent des became. He was able to avoid all of them¡ªbut he was given no time to rest as the view beneath him almost no longer exists, it was now just filled with light that seemed to scratch existence itself.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Tch, enough!" And with a click of his tongue and a roar, James curled his body as the fiery red wrapping his arms scattered throughout his entire body. And with another feral roar, the energy around him burst forth into a sphere; the rain of light that seemed to fall upon him endlessly, fading awaypletely.


    "But we''re only just getting started, Lord James."


    "..."


    James''s eyes then slightly widened as he looked down¡ªnot for long, however, as his eyes followed Riley up. Riley didn''t fly up, however, no¡­ no, he did not.


    Instead, he grew. He grew bigger until his eyes which were now the size of a car were at the same level as James''s bald head.


    "Size maniption," Riley then said; his voice echoing across the air.


    "Wrong choice of trick," James''s shock also did notst long as he disappeared, leaving a skirt of wind behind him as he flew straight toward Riley''s eyes, entering his brain and violently releasing energy from his body, bursting into a ball as itpletely opened up Riley''s head like a watermelon.


    "Tricks, Lord James¡ªI have many."


    And before the bits and pieces of Riley''s head could be affected by gravity, James heard a voice beside him. He quickly turned to look, only to see no one there.


    "..." James''s eyebrows furrowed as his eyes quickly looked everywhere¡ªand with just a slight adjustment of his hearing, he quickly stabbed his own ear with his finger as he realized Riley was inside.


    It was toote, however, as Riley was already inside his skull.


    "Shi¡ª!!!"


    "Pavoom."


    "..."


    And before a word could escape James''s throat, the red light wrapping him like armor instantly disappeared; his eyes, losing their color as blood started to drip from his head''s orifices.


    James did not fall from the air, however; his head, just shaking and trembling as Riley casually stepped out of his ear.


    Riley still did not let James fall to the ground, however, as he grabbed his now regenerated ear as he leaped from it.


    "You''re lucky, Lord James," Riley then sighed as his silhouette slowly became bigger and bigger, "When Mr. Sizeman killed me, he entered through my posterior and grew bigger."


    "..."


    "..."


    Riley looked at his reflection on James''s bald head, still waiting for a response and wondering if he was sent to his Eternal Death.


    "..."


    "..."


    But after a few more seconds of him not moving, Riley just let out a long and very deep sigh as he descended back to whatever remained of the cliff.


    "Well then¡­


    ¡­Now I need to get you to the rest of your family, Lord James, for that¡­


    ¡­I need to cut you up."

 Chapter 568 568: A Reflection

    Somewhere in a forest, hidden in the shadows of trees¡ªa hum whispered. If someone from Earth were to listen to the tune of his quiet hum, they might recognize it from one of their cartoons.


    The hum was noting from the trees, however, but further beneath; in a cave hidden away even from the shadows outside. And if one were to enter that cave, they would find that the sound of the hum came not from one, but 3 people.


    4 people that lookedpletely identical to each other. 3 people that were cutting up a body.


    And of course, the three were none other than Riley and his clones; the body they''re cutting up, James. Two of the clones pull on James''s hard flesh and skin, while Riley cuts it up finely with a very thin string¡ªa string made of heat. As for thest clone, he was responsible for carefully cing James''s body parts inside a white sack.


    Riley moved to a cave as he didn''t want James''s blood to attract the wildlife. After all, even if animals are instinctively scared of him, they would surely change their mind as soon as they see the free meal they could scavenge.


    "So it''s true¡­" The clone responsible for putting different parts of James inside a sack breathed out as raised James''s dismembered left foot, "...Female themarians are biologically stronger than their male counterparts."


    "I suppose," Riley nodded, "Aerith''s flesh was harder and her bones were multiple times stronger."


    "Even her titties?"


    "Shut the fuck up, normie."


    "What did you say to me?"


    "..." Riley only blinked as his two clones that were pulling on James''s body parts started arguing. But still, they did not stop stretching James''s body so that Riley would be able to finely and expertly cut up his body.


    Still, his clones have a point. Now that James was no longer using his¡­ themarian energy, his flesh, and bones were much softer than before. Of course, it still almost felt like Riley was cutting through diamond.


    If James and Aerith did have a simrity, however, it would be their organs¡ªnigh imprable. Even with the heat of the inside of the sun torching them, they remainpletely without a scratch.


    ¡­Do they train their organs? Or does it get stronger with age?


    Both of James''s sons, Fionn and Tavi, died easier than both their parents¡ªtheir organs could be squished if Riley pressed hard enough, but Fionn''s?


    Riley then pulled out James''s heart, before trying to squash it with his hands. The only thing that happened, however, was his heart expanding like a balloon and getting through the gaps between Riley''s fingers.


    "Hm¡­" Riley nodded before cutting the veins and throwing it to his clone, who also proceeded to try and squash it.


    The four continued masterfully butchering James''s body. And finally, after what seemed like an entire hour, Riley carefully ced James''s bald head inside the sack.


    "Good job, everyone," Riley then patted his hands clean as he looked at his clones. As for the clones, they all just bowed; with one of them saluting as they all very slowly melted and disintegrated back to the ground.


    "Hm," a small sigh escaped Riley''s lips as he looked at the clumps of mud on the ground; his eyes,pletely empty as he closed them. But after a few seconds, he nodded his head and said,


    "Thank you, everyone."


    And then, with another sigh, he picked up his loot and carried it behind his back.


    "I suppose it''s time to pick a hole," Riley then whispered to himself as he started walking out of the cave. Now that his game with James was done, it was time for him to return to the surface¡ªif someone were to spot him above, then he could just use his authority as a fake Champion Sergeant of the Grand Militia and show James''s head¡ªhe is wanted, after all.


    Also, perhaps it was time for him to explore Theran by himself. Zac was very useful to have beside him, but he had too many opinions. And even for Riley, who had trouble interpreting what people were thinking, it was almost as if he could hear Zac''s thoughts just shouting at him.


    He was noisy without even talking.


    "...Who?"


    And before Riley could take a step out of the cave, several silhouettes showed themselves in front of him.


    "..." Riley turned to look at who it was, only to see 3 women and one manpletely unfamiliar to him. Judging by their smaller eyes and slightly more colorful skin, the four were probably from Varoif.


    Does that mean Riley was beneath Varoif? Did the bird really take him to the other side of the?


    Riley then turned to look at the faces of the four; the four, however, were looking back and forth between Riley and the white sack he was carrying¡­ which was obviously dripping blood on the ground.


    "..."


    "..."


    Riley returned their gazes as he tightened his grip on the sack. It took him an entire hour to finely butcher James''s body¡ªif they were to fight here, the sack would surely burst. He¡­


    ¡­needed to subdue these three as fast as¡ª


    "I told you someone already epted the fucking mission before us!" And before Riley could finish his thoughts, the woman with the shortest hair amongst the 3 groaned, "This is why I don''t like epting Open Missions!"


    "Stop being dumb, Aita. Do you think a Ratking would actually fit inside that small sack?"


    Riley then turned to look at the other woman who seemed to be the oldest¡ªand aside from Diana, this was probably the first time he was seeing a themarian wearing a pair of sses. Riley initially thought Diana''s sses were purely just fashion¡­<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡­could it be that there are themarians that don''t have perfect vision?


    "Good evening, sir." Thest woman had a more peaceful voice than the two; a contrast to her curly orange hair that bounced with each movement,


    "Did you ept the Ratking subjugation mission?"


    "..." Riley looked at the woman for a few seconds, before shaking his head, "No."


    "Then what''s that on your back?" The feisty woman with short hair, Aita, slightly squinted her eyes as she looked at Riley''s sack.


    "It''s a bald themarian, Ms. Aita. I cut him up in multiple pieces."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Pft," Aita then suddenly burst out inughter before mming her palm at the back of the woman with sses, causing her to almost tumble forward, "Did you hear that, Mi? We got us a murderer here."


    "Can you not?" Mi quickly adjusted her sses as she stepped back, "Rylo, control your sister!"


    "Stop fighting each other, Aita."


    And finally, the only man in the group spoke; the tone of his voice, calm and clear as he chuckled and brushed up his sleek ck hair, "You''re embarrassing us in front of a stranger."


    "Oh, right¡­" The woman with the curly orange hair also stepped forward as she bowed to Riley,


    "...My name is Pia, and these are my friends."


    "My name is Riley."


    "You¡­ look quite familiar."


    "I doubt it. Have you ever seen a man white long white hair and skin as smooth as your fucking butt?"


    "Aita!"


    "Riley? That almost sounds like my name."


    "Well¡­" Riley then blinked his eyes a couple of times as he looked at the group; slightly tilting his head to the side,


    "...All of you look quite familiar too."


    Aita, a brash woman who is the sister of the only man in the group.


    Mi, a mature woman who is the professor of the only man in the group.


    Pia, a woman with orange hair that seemed to be too friendly and sticking too close to the only man in the group.


    And finally, a man named Rylo.


    Why¡­ do they seem so familiar?


    "None of that fucking matters," Aita stuck out her tongue as she stepped into the cave and walked past Riley, "Let''s go hunt that giant rodent before someone elsees here."


    "Are you sure it''s even here?" Mi followed.


    "A little trust here?"


    "I don''t trust you."


    "The fuck? What else could leave those freakishly freakish footprints? You?"


    "Enough," Rylo slightly raised his voice as he too started entering the cave, "Let''s just check inside, and if it''s not then¡­ we just go to a different cave."


    "Wait, guys¡­" Pia was the only one that seemed unsure in the group, "...Are you sure we can handle a Ratking with just us four?"


    "Four? What do you mean four?" Aita smirked as she looked at Riley,


    "...We have a new friend."

 Chapter 569 569: The Reflection

    "So, what''s in the bag, sir Riley? And why are you doing a mission alone? Did you hunt something?"


    "It is more like he hunted me, Ms. Pia."


    "Pia, stop disturbing the whitey. And if you''re interrogating him, then stop asking mundane questions! Ask him why he fucking looks like that. Hey, whitey; where are you from? You look like you could be from Hel, but not quite."


    "I''m from outside, Ms. Aita."


    "...Outside?"


    "Sister, I thought we shouldn''t bother Mr. Riley."


    "I''m just curious."


    Riley was still in the cave where he butchered James''s body, except deeper into its cavities as he followed behind Rylo and his group; watching as Rylo pulled Aita away and gestured to her to lead the way.


    Aita was somewhat simr to Hannah in the way that they talk and interact with other people; Rylo, on the other hand, could not be any different from Riley. Their rtionship also seemed to be different¡ªthe two of them were equal.


    Whenever Riley talks to Hannah, it always seemed like¡­not all of him was truly talking to Hannah. He tried his best not to pretend and show Hannah who he truly is, but couldn''t.


    "..." Riley initially wanted to leave the group, but when he saw the dynamic of Rylo''s group, he decided to stay and observe them in hopes to learn something. So far, however, even though the surroundings were quite bright even when they were already far away from the mouth of the cave, he didn''t really find anything that could help him.


    In fact, even though Rylo and Aita talked to each other normally, Riley and Hannah seemed closer. He and Hannah are always physically close to each other; their skin touching, and their arms holding each other whenever they are together.


    As for Rylo and Aita¡­ they seemed quite distant.


    "Are the two of you biological siblings?" Riley then asked as he could not help but be curious. Perhaps it had something to do with blood?


    "Fuck no!" Aita quickly raised her voice andughed, "My genes are biologically superior to this boy. He''s my cousin, we adopted him when his parents offed themselves. They¡ª"


    "Stop telling a stranger our stories!" Rylo covered Aita''s mouth before she could finish her story. Riley didn''t seem to mind, however, as he quickly turned his attention to the woman wearing a pair of sses.


    "Are you having sexual rtions with Mr. Rylo, Ms. Mi?"


    "!!!"


    And as soon Mi heard that, a cough forcefully escaped her lips as she almost choked on her own breaths.


    "How¡­ how did you know!?" As for Rylo, he immediately let go of his sister''s mouth and took a step back, almost tumbling to the cold hard ground, butt first.


    "Wait, what!?"


    Mi could really only cover her face as the two other girls almost screamed; their voices of shock, echoing back to them from deeper inside the cave.


    "It¡­ it was only one time!" Rylo reasoned as his sister started strangling him.


    "Tell me the truth!"


    "O¡­ okay, at least once a week."


    "Rylo!"


    "..."


    No.


    Riley closed his eyes and sighed as he saw Rylo''s group bickering andughing. They may seem familiar, but they were not simr at all.


    Riley can neverugh like this with the others¡ªif he could, then everyone would still probably be in the Baby Crew. They would have probably fully reced the Hope Guild by now, and they will actually have a life.


    Riley¡­ stripped that from them. They were still alive, yes¡­ but Riley has prevented them from living like this. Laughing, having fun together.


    Hannah''s sadness, her anger, her depression, her suffering. It is all his fault. It always has been and always will be.


    Riley¡­


    ¡­Riley will never be Hannah''s happiness. He will never be anyone''s happiness.


    "Shh!"


    And all of a sudden, as the group wasughing and arguing, Aita suddenly kneeled; her palm, touching the ground as she raised her other hand.


    "Shut the fuck up, everyone," she breathed out, "The Ratking is near, go to your positions."


    Rylo, Mi, and Pia all nodded their heads, before just disappearing at the same time. As for Riley, he just stood there, looking around for any signs of the so-called Ratking.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You¡­" Aita then blinked a couple of times as she noticed Riley just standing there¡­ so eerily still and quiet, "...Fuck, why did they have to leave me with you."


    "You are the one who proposed Ie, Ms. Aita."


    "Fuck¡­ I''m not good with strangers when I''m alone," Aita let out a small groan as she stood up, "Just¡­ I suppose you cane and support me. My task is to lure the Ratking when ites."


    "Okay," Riley nodded.


    "...Okay? That''s all you have to say?" Aita rolled her eyes, "It''s the Ratking, you know how scary this fucker is?"


    "Is it some sort ofrge rat, Ms. Aita?"


    "...No," Aita shook her head, "It''s a¡ª!!!"


    And before Aita could finish her words, arge hand suddenly grabbed her entire head; its long and sharp nails, almost digging through the back of her head.


    "..."


    "..."


    Riley stared at Aita''s eyes, which were peeking out through the gaps in the ck hand''s fingers.


    "...Fuck. Run¡ª"


    And once again, Aita was not able to finish her words as the Ratking started to tighten its grip. Aita''s head, slowly but surely being crushed.


    "..." Riley dropped the sack he was holding as he turned his eyes toward the owner of the hand, only to see¡­ a gori¡ªno, not quite. Its head was simr to that of a rodent, if it didn''t have hair, that is.


    "T..t¡­trespassher¡­ die."


    And it was able to talk. The Ratking did not seem to care for Riley, however, as its nose was just pointed at Aita; its sharp teeth, chittering excitedly at the thought of a meal.


    "..." Riley then turned to look at the rest of Aita''spanions that were hiding on the side, only to see them just looking at her; their eyes, trembling and filled with fear.


    "Do you want to live, Ms. Aita?"


    Riley then calmly touched the Ratking''s arm, causing several of its veins to pop out as his grip on Aita slightly loosened. Judging from how the gori rat was just looking around and sniffing everywhere, it didn''t seem to know what was happening¡­


    ¡­perhaps it wasn''t even able to see Riley.


    "S¡­ save me," Aita breathed out as her deformed head started to heal; she then desperately stretched her hand to Riley, "P¡­ please, I¡­ I want to live."


    "..." Riley, on the other hand, just stared at the tears starting to trail from Aita''s eyes. And soon¡­


    ¡­tears also trailed from Riley''s face.


    "You¡­" He then breathed out as he grabbed Aita''s hand, "You''re clinging to the wrong person¡­


    ¡­Hannah."


    "...What?"


    "I told you¡­ I told you that I will only bring death. That I will only get you killed," Riley muttered as he tightened his grip on Aita''s hand, "I am a monster, Hannah¡­


    ¡­and I am not done."


    "What¡­ what the fuck are you talking about? Who¡­ who the fuck is Hannah!?"


    "Your suffering¡­ your suffering ends now," a small smile then crawled on Riley''s face as he looked Aita straight in the eyes,


    "You won''t see what I will be."


    "Wh¡ª"


    And before Aita could let out another word, Riley removed his palm from the Ratking; Aita''s head, instantly obliterated by the sudden force that rippled from the Ratking''s hand.


    "..." Riley then once again turned his eyes toward Rylo and the others, who were still hiding and cowering behind the rock they thought was life.


    "I apologize, everyone¡­" Riley whispered as he wiped the tears trailing down his cheeks, "...but no one lives...


    ...no one."

 Chapter 570 570: The Ratking

    The Ratking.


    A very long tail that had bits and little pieces of hair extruding out of it¡ªbarely even covering a single fold. Its arms were longer than its tail, but still muscr all the same. Riley had always wondered if Theran had any animals or creatures simr to monkeys or apes, and now, his questions were answered.


    Riley just didn''t know where to categorize this monster in front of him. Was it a primate, or a walking rodent? Perhaps none of those matter.


    The only thing that matters is that it crushed a themarian''s head with one hand. A themarian''s skull, which is multiple times harder than diamond¡­ crushed like an egg.


    "M¡­Mr. Riley! Pull her away!"


    "..." Riley then turned to look at Pia, who was the only one that revealed herself from behind the boulder she was hiding behind. Riley then turned to look at Aita''s body, which just dropped to the ground with its neck looking like a blooming flower of flesh.


    Soon, however, this blooming flower of flesh started to wriggle¡ªAita was still alive. But before anything else could happen, the Ratking suddenly mmed its tail straight down on Aita''s stomach; a force enough to create a gust that could split a mountain in half.


    And like a n being chopped violently, the insides of her stomach burst out as her body split in two; her organs, scattered everywhere. Still, even with this gruesome sight, her organs seemed to still function as they wriggled and beat.


    "..." For a talking and walking rat, the ratking did not seem to be that intelligent. Or perhaps it was only ying with its prey? If so, then he seemed to be enjoying this alone. As Riley turned to look at Aita again, her head has already fully grown.


    Her eyes, looking in different directions as her brain still seemed to register what just happened to it. Soon, however, both of Aita''s eyes turned toward Riley.


    "Please¡­" Aita whispered as her hair started to grow back, "...please help me."


    And once again, Hannah''s face ovepped with Aita''s, causing Riley to slightly take in a sharp breath and grit his teeth. And with a small groan, Riley suddenly stepped on Aita''s fresh head¡ªburrowing it straight through the cold, hard ground.


    "What are you doing!?" Pia could not help but gasp as soon as she saw this. She was going to rush toward Riley but then found her hair very slowly floating forward. This gentle touch, however, soon turned violent as Pia felt her entire body being pulled toward Riley.


    "This¡­" And although Pia was still quite confused as to what was happening, she immediately punched through the ground so she could stop. And without waiting for anything else to happen, her eyes lit up, letting out a violent beam as she looked at Riley.


    Unfortunately for Pia, Riley grabbed Aita from the floor¡ªusing her face as a shield as he ran toward her.


    "Aita!"


    Before Riley could get near, however, Rylo suddenly rushed from the side¡ªramming himself toward Riley while Mi grabbed Aita from his hand.


    "Rah!" And with a roar that reverberated through the entire cave, Rylo grabbed Riley''s face and mmed him straight to the hard wall. And he did not let Riley recover at all, as he started rampaging and letting a barrage of fists on his face.


    "Aita, are you¡­ are you okay!?" Mi carried Aita away, cleaning her face to see if there was still life in her eyes; the smile that was growing on her face, however, was already enough indication,


    "We¡­ we thought we lost you."


    "Can''t get rid of me that fast," Aita then violently shook her head as she pushed herself away from Mi, "We need to¡ª"


    "Uhm, guys¡­"


    And while Rylo''s arms have disappeared from the naked eye while he endlessly strikes Riley''s face, Pia pointed at the ratking. Mi and Aita quickly set up their stance as they turned to look¡­


    ¡­only to see the ratking digging through the sack that Riley was carrying.


    "That¡­"


    "Fuck¡­ he wasn''t lying."


    The three women could really only take in a small gulp as they saw the different body parts being thrown out and scattered from the sack. And judging by the way the ratking was having trouble biting through the flesh and bones of the corpse¡­ the corpse belonged to someone strong. Stronger than all of them.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..." Aita continued to watch the ratking force its sharp teeth through the flesh when she realized something. If a corpse like this was in Riley''s sack, then wouldn''t that mean¡ª


    "Rylo! Get away from him!"


    "Huh?"


    Aita instantly realized that calling out to Rylo was a mistake. Because as soon as he stopped hitting Riley, some sort of white light beamed out from the back of his chest.


    "..." Rylo very slowly turned his head down to look¡­ only to see the de of light moving closer to his head, and then between his eyes. And in half the time it would take to blink, several lines of light moved randomly across his body.


    "...Rylo?" Aita and the others all held their breaths as Rylo was still able to turn around to look at them.


    "S¡­ sister," Rylo whispered; his flesh, almost as if not knowing whether to regenerate or fall apart, "I¡ª"


    Unfortunately for him, before his body could make a choice, he became the ratking''s target instead as it started to get frustrated from how hard James''s flesh and bones were. And once again, unfortunately for Rylo, the ratking used all of its force to bite through his face.


    And in just less than a second, his entire body was mowed down and devoured by the ratking. What else could Aita and the others do but watch?


    If they were to try and rescue Rylo, then Riley would definitely kill them.


    "Run¡­" Aita whispered as she grabbed Pia and Mi''s hands, "...We should go."


    "What¡­ what about your brother!? He might still be¡ª"


    "He''s dead! Let''s just go!"


    And with that, Aita dragged her two friends away¡ªeven destroying the ground she was standing on as she used all of her strength to leap and fly away.


    "..." Riley watched as their silhouette almost instantly disappeared from sight. But after a few more moments, he raised his hand. And as he did so, the cave started to tremble. The shaking was light at first, but as the veins on Riley''s face started to show, the quaking became violent.


    Theran truly is a mysterious ce. Riley was able to crumble Mars in seconds with just a small amount of effort. But here?


    He even had to stretch his telekic abilities to destroy and close down the mouth of the cave. Perhaps the deeper and closer one is to Theran''s core, the denser, harder, and heavier everything is. It is also no wonder why the wildlife of Theran are the way they are.


    A wildlife¡­


    Riley then turned to look at the ratking, who returned to James''s corpse to once again try and devour it.


    "That''s mine."


    But as soon as Riley took a step closer to it, the ratking immediately ran deeper into the cave. At this point¡­


    ¡­shouldn''t Riley be considered one of the wildlife of Theran?


    "..." And with that thought circling in his mind, a smirk started to crawl on his face. If he is part of the wildlife¡­ then perhaps it was time for him to be the one to hunt.


    Riley wanted to take a mission on the Credit Board to try it, but now¡­


    ...maybe they''ll make a mission to subdue him instead.

 Chapter 571 571: Dead

    VR 571


    "He''s getting near! I can hear him!"


    "Then help us get out!"


    "What do you think I''m doing!?"


    "Rylo¡­ Rylo is¡ª"


    "Snap out of it!"


    Screams. The screams of the women reverberated through the entire cave; what echoed back to them was their desperation, making them even more frantic as their hands endlessly tried to burrow through the thick rocks of the cave.


    The three of them tried to melt and obliterate the hard rocks with their energy¡ªbut they ran out of gas before they even got a glimpse of the light outside. Aita wanted to push through more as she used all of her effort to stretch her energy, but Mi stopped her.


    They don''t even know if they''re near the outside yet. The entrance of the cave clearly didn''t copse naturally, and the three already had somewhat of an idea of who was responsible for it.


    "Riley Ross¡­" Pia tried to calm her breaths as she looked back to the bright walls of the cave, "...Is he¡­ is it possible he''s an intelligent monster?"


    "What are you talking about!? He''s a themarian!"


    "I mean¡­ the ratking didn''t even try to harm him¡ªno. It felt like it didn''t even notice him. And have you ever seen a themarian look like that? His mouth also looked like it could swallow us three whole!"


    "It doesn''t matter what he is," Mi joined in on the conversation as she threw arge boulder toward the inside of the cave¡ªcreating a skirt of wind as thunder roared through the air,


    "We need to¡ª"


    "Mi!"


    And all of a sudden, the boulder that Mi threw returned back to her¡ªpinning her on the rocky wall as all the rubble and debris started to quake. Mi, however, just grunted as she pushed the boulder away.


    "I have to apologize to the three of you."


    And then, a whisper started to crawl through their ears; partnered by a calm and somewhat sinister set of steps that slowly made it''s way closer to them. The three all quickly regrouped, putting up their stance as they watched as Riley walked toward them, dragging the white sack he had been carrying from the start.


    "It has been a while since I have truly instilled terror and I may perhaps be getting rusty with it. There is also the fact that themarians are very hard to scare."


    "Why are you doing this!?" Mi''s eyes started to glow red as she stepped forward, "If you want to kill or eat us, then just eat me! Spare my friends!"


    "I don''t eat people, Ms. Mi," Riley raised an eyebrow as a certain hint of disgust escaped his mouth, "I''m not a cannibal. But I suppose in this case, if I do eat you¡ªwould it be considered cannibalism? You are apletely different species, after all."


    "I told you, he''s not a themarian! What themarian has a mouth as wide as that!?"


    "Let''s take this fucker! I don''t think he can take on all of us at once!"


    "No," Mi nced at the two, "I will hold him back, the two of you find a way out of here."


    "But¡ª"


    "I am the strongest and the oldest one out of us, just do it," Mi tried her best to stop her nervous breaths from showing as she stepped forward and looked Riley straight in the eyes,


    "You¡­ I will make you pay for what you did to Rylo."


    "Hm¡­" Riley only nodded as he dropped the sack. And soon, a smile started to crawl on his face, "...James, the one inside this white sack, made me realize something. I may not be able to kill arge amount of you at the same time, but I can prune all of you one by one."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..."


    "Perhaps it will take years, thousands of years, and I will face adversity," Riley then started walking closer to the three, "But I believe I can do it. And after all of you are gone¡­the rest of the universe will follow."


    "What the fuck are bbering on about!?"


    "I initially thought you are meant to be protectors of the Universe due to Aerith," Riley sighed as he shook his head, "But upon arriving here, I realized that none of you care about the world outside of yours¡ªno. None of you even care about your neighbors. Themarians are¡­ solitary creatures, I suppose."


    "..."


    "Imagine if just each one of you tries to protect every single world out there," Riley opened his palm, letting several pebbles fly on top of it as he looked at the three women, "I suppose the Guardians have that responsibility, but most of the Guardians are¡­ fragile. Themarians on the other hand¡ªyou are really only a threat against each other."


    "Stop talking and just try to kill us if you want to kill us already!"


    "But I suppose not everyone could be like Aerith," Riley then once again sighed as the rocks hovering on his palm all dropped to the ground, "She lived in a world made of bubbles for 300 years, and only once did she pop something¡ªwhen she fought with me."


    "...Aerith? Princess Aerith?"


    "Well, enough with my ideas," Riley then stopped walking as he looked the three women in the eyes one by one, "For your information, your voices and screams will be recorded."


    "Wh¡ªAck!"


    Pia was the first to scream amongst the three as a spear of rock flew straight through her shoulder, pinning her on the walls of the cave. And before she could even say anything, her words once again became screams as several more spears pierced through her flesh.


    "Pia!" Mi rushed to help Pia but found her vision suddenly shifting to the floor as she did so. She turned to look at her feet, only to the back of her legpletely ripped off, revealing her bones.


    Mi gritted her teeth instead of screaming¡­ but s, as soon as Riley stepped on her regenerating wound, a high-pitched and guttural gasp could not help but just scream out of her lungs.


    "Get away from them!"


    "..." Riley quickly blocked his head with his arm, blocking Aita''s fist that released several thunderous echoes through the entire cave; Riley felt his bone slightly cracking as he was thrown several meters back¡ªthis injury was irrelevant, however, as it healed even before he couldnd back on his feet.


    "Grah!" As for Aita, she raised her hand and gripped her wrist¡ªafter all, three of her fingers were missing.


    "Hm¡­" Riley looked at the three dismembered fingers on his hand, before throwing it straight through Pia''s face¡­ two of them piercing her eyes and one through her cheek,


    "...Another thing I learned; you can use another themarian''s body parts as a weapon against another themarian. Like how diamonds cut diamonds; interesting, right?"


    "Stop¡­ please stop this," Pia, who was now more akin to a porcupine, very slowly pulled herself from the wall as she gritted and screamed through the pain, "Why¡­ why are you even doing this to us!? We did nothing to you."


    "Because I can?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "Because I can. But even if I couldn''t, I will still try¡ªthat is what I am, after all. I am¡ª"


    "Dead!"


    "..."


    And all of a sudden, an eerie and triumphant silence rippled through the air. The three women, all staring at Riley''s forehead¡­ which now had a sharp spear of bone sticking out of it¡ªand behind him¡­


    ¡­a shiny bald head that almost reflected their lives.


    "...Oh."

 Chapter 572 572: Nothing

    Dead.


    That was thest thing Riley heard before his consciousness slowly slipped away from him. He was still alive, of course¡ªbut not for long. Riley tried lifting a hand, but his body was no longer really following him.


    But that was alright.


    This is something he has experienced more than a hundred times. This time, however, will probably be the longest time he will sumb to death. He wasn''t disintegrated like when Hannah killed him; his brain was just stabbed.


    No, not quite. It would seem that James was not yet satisfied as he sliced off his head; poetic, considering Riley decapitated him and all of his family members.


    "...Are you girls alright?"


    "Y¡­ yes?"


    Riley could then hear James talking to Aita and the others as his head rolled across the cold hard ground; only stopping as his long white hair was caught between the gaps of rubble and stones.


    "Stand back, I''ll try to clear the rubble so we can get out. We¡ªwait, let me make sure this alien is dead."


    "..." Riley then blinked a couple of times as he heard footsteps walking closer to him. And very soon¡­ his vision turned dark.


    "..."


    "..."


    [Good evening.]


    "Hm¡­"


    Drowning.


    That is what it felt like¡ªcontinually drowning even as Riley got up, opening his eyes to see nothing but darkness. No, it was darker than dark. Even in darkness, one could see one''s imagination floating.


    But here¡­


    ¡­here there was nothing.


    The Overvoid.


    Or at least that is what Riley has learned to call it. He had been here more than a hundred times, and yet unlike death and dying, he could never get used to the feeling of waking up in the Overvoid.


    The Overvoid wasn''t really darkness, it wasn''t even a void since Riley exists here. It was silent, but not the sort of silence one could hear when one is trapped in a room devoid of any sound¡ªno. It was just silent; there was no ringing, there were no breaths, and one would not be able to hear one''s heartbeat.


    It was just¡­ silent. As if nothing truly exists, even Riley himself. But he does.


    He does exist in this space that is not space¡ªand not just him, but also the entity in front of him¡­ Him.


    [We meet again, you.]


    "I suppose. I do not really want to talk about it, so¡­" Riley then pointed his finger toward his reflection, "...Pavoom."


    [Rude.]


    There was no white, not even a streak of anything really. But even so, Overvoid Riley''s entire body shattered into nothingness; the smile on its face, however, remained strong and sinister as it disappeared.


    [You will be here for quite some time, you.]


    But almost as if nothing happened, Overvoid Riley just appeared behind Riley, stepping out from the darkness that isn''t darkness with its hands behind his back,


    [And please stop trying to kill me, you are scaring the others.]


    "..."


    Overvoid Riley''s voice wasn''t the same as Riley''s; instead, it sounded like a collection of voices. A choir that seated itself inside Riley''s ears, unable to remove them even as he covered his ears.


    [It hasn''t been long since west met, but I see a lot has happened.]


    Overvoid Riley then starts walking in circles, and each time it passes Riley, it spins¡­ and its face changes.


    [This woman,] Overvoid Riley then said as his face morphed into that of Pirate Queen Xra. And with another spin, its face changed into that of Alice,


    [And of course, your mother.]


    "..."


    [They''re quite interesting. Too bad I only got to meet them once.]


    Overvoid Riley continued to talk. Riley, on the other hand, just stood there with a nk expression on his face.


    [You really should talk to me, you know. You''ve been here less and less, don''t you miss me?] Overvoid Riley suddenly disappeared¡­ only to reappear in front of Riley; his eyes, almost asrge as the moon; his palm, threatening to squash Riley like a bug.


    [Don''t you miss us?]


    And with those words, several other Overvoid Rileys appeared¡ªsurrounding Riley almost in a line as they all looked at him.


    [Boo!]


    And in an instant, everything disappeared; only a single Overvoid Riley remained to try and scare Riley. Riley, however, remainedpletely still.


    [Boring,] Overvoid Riley rolled his eyes as he moved away, [Talk to me.]


    "..."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Talk to me!]


    Overvoid Riley grabbed Riley''s shoulders as he screamed at his face,


    [Why don''t you talk to me!? Do you think I am not worth talking to!? Is it because you know you''re just going to resurrect again and again!? You think that just because you are out there, you are better than me!?]


    "..."


    [I made you possible!] Overvoid Riley continued to scream, [Without me, you will be nothing but a machine that ends all of life! Without me, you will just be like the rest of them! A being that doesn''t know what it is.]


    "..."


    [I apologize,] a small chuckle then escaped Overvoid Riley''s lips as he fixed Riley''s clothes, [I may have lost my cool for a little bit there. We''re okay, right? Right?]


    "..."


    [But it''s true, and you know it,] Overvoid Riley giggled as he walked away, [Without me, all of these¡­]


    Overvoid Riley stretched his arms to the side, and as he did so, hundreds of Overvoid Rileys appeared again; this time, holding hand to hand. Everyone looked like Riley, but none carried the same expression¡­ some did not even seem like Riley at all.


    [...All of these will be you. I prevented you from bing something else entirely. That''s me, I stopped that from happening. I am not the monster here¡­


    ¡­you are.]


    "Hm¡­" And finally, after what seemed like an eternity of not responding, Riley finally looked at Overvoid Riley, "...I suppose."


    [...] Overvoid Riley''s eye started to twitch, [You are alone, you. At least I have them¡ªwhat about you?]


    "A being like I am deserves to be alone, Overvoid Riley."


    [You do not even know what you are.]


    "It doesn''t matter, Overvoid Riley," Riley just shook his head as he started walking around, "What matters is I know what I must do."


    [And what do you think that is?]


    "To kill everything," Riley looked Overvoid Riley straight in the eyes, "Including you. If I can not bring death to myself, then I will bring it to everyone else."


    [Death. Is that what you think we are?] Once again, the rest of the Overvoid Rileys was absorbed until only a single one remained¡ªthe expression on its face,pletely mimicking that of Riley''s,


    [You think we are Death?]


    "Isn''t that my role?" Riley then let out a small sigh as he looked down, "Death."


    [You are sorely mistaken, you.] And all of a sudden, Overvoid Riley''s voice became simr to that of Riley''s;pletely imitating him as he also looked down,


    [We existed even before the universes, before the darkness, before the before itself. Death? We are the end of Death.]


    "Are you God?"


    [No,] Overvoid Riley looked Riley straight in the eyes,


    [We are Nothing.]


    "..."


    [But because of you, I am bing Something, something else,] Overvoid Riley¡ªNothing''s silhouette very slowly started to fade,


    [You should not exist. You have never existed. Out of all the Universes, this is the only one that has You.]


    "..."


    [Out of the chance of infinity, You were given birth in this universe. An anomaly.]


    "...A freak," Riley smiled.


    [A mistake. A universe will always end and will turn into Nothing. We make certain of that, that is constant,] Nothing continued to fade as it shook its head, [Every universe muste to an end, and there will always be a variable that makes that happen.]


    "Me?"


    [No. It was never you.]


    "The Cherbi?"


    [That cute fluff? No,] Nothing chuckled, [She is there to maintain the growth of the universe.]


    "...Pirate Queen Xra?"


    [...] Nothing only smiled, [Different Universes have their own way of giving birth to its Ender.]


    "There are other universes, Nothing?" A wide smile then started to crawl on Riley''s face as Nothing''s silhouette was now just a translucent face,


    "Then I suppose when I am done with this one, I will go to the next."


    [No,] Nothing''s fading eyes slightly widened as he looked at Riley, [There is an order that must be follow¡ª]


    And then, before Riley could hear the end of Nothing''s words, light once again entered his eyes¡­


    ¡­and an even darker day opened for the universe.

 Chapter 573 573: Rileys Song

    There will always be pain. There will always be suffering.


    The only difference is whether you are the one experiencing it, or the one inflicting it.


    But what if you''re both? What if you are hurting, and at the same time hurting someone? Is it by choice?


    Or is it because you have no choice but to be?


    Do you want to hurt people when you''re hurting?


    All normal. The rage, the anxiety, the pain. They may seem wrong, they may seem like a mistake, but they are not. They arepletely normal¡ªthat is how you know you''re still actually alive. That you''re not just some empty husk that responds to things nonchntly, like nothing matters.


    Rage ispletely normal. But what happens if the target of your rage is something, someone that could not receive it? Do you then hurt yourself?


    It is normal to hurt, and it is normal to hurt someone¡ªbut what about hurting yourself?


    You hurt, and therefore you want to feel it. Your heart aches, and therefore you want the rest of your body to realize it.


    That is the kind of pain that will always be unexinable¡ªand yet billions upon billions of people feel them. They never really go away, it follows you like a shadow¡­growing ever stronger when you think your day grows brighter.


    "Just a few more and we''re out. Be careful, this thing might copse on us and all my work will be for nothing¡ªmove that one!"


    "Yes, sir!"


    There are those that cling to life, wanting to burrow themselves out of the cave they find themselves in because they know; they know that at the end of their desperation, is hope.


    "Why can''t we just fucking st our way through!? You''re strong, I know you can do that!"


    "And risk the entire cave copsing? Do you want all the creatures inside this cave to rush out?"


    "Aita, stop pestering him. He''s already trying to help us!"


    "Fuck! Rylo is dead, Mi. He¡­ he''s dead. If only this bald old man recovered sooner, he¡­ he will still be¡ª"


    "Stop it! If you''re just going to rant andin, then join Pia and make sure that¡­ that thing remains dead!"


    "...No. I don''t want to see that fucker if I don''t have to. Let''s just get the fuck out of here."


    And then, there are those thatpletely do not want to see the thing that caused them to hurt. After all, for some, the best way to get rid of the hurt is to remove and forget itpletely. But of course, the hurt will always be there.


    And for Pia, who was tasked to watch the very same thing that caused her to hurt¡ªit was brutal. Riley was already sliced and diced into separate pieces; his organs,pletely mushed into paste.


    So why? Why was she tasked to look after it by James? Was Riley still not dead after this? Pia thought her hurt will be gone as she made sure that Riley is dead, burning his remains with every breath.


    His organs werepletely gone; his heart was not beating, nothing. There was nothing. If Riley was still alive then what about Rylo? What about the man he had loved and has loved for more than a hundred years?


    Shouldn''t she be watching him instead? Maybe somewhere in the cave, he was still alive. Maybe inside the ratking''s stomach, he¡ª


    And there it is, another source of the hurt. One would think it was grief, but it is not.


    Grief does not hurt, it heals. Grief is proof that love is undying. What hurts you is not grief, but the thought of what could have been is now a fantasy¡ªa chapter of your life that will never be.


    And you cry.


    "Ry¡­" And the tears that fall to the ground will be even more turbulent than a scream; your breaths and gasps, drowning out the words you wish to speak¡ªbecause what was the point? The one to hear it could no longer do so.


    The only thing you could really do is cradle yourself; to wrap yourself in your own arms and hide between the darkness it brings. And perhaps in that darkness, you will what you have lost.


    And then, maybe¡­ just maybe¡­ you will feel the warmth you once sought holding you again.


    "...Rylo?"


    But unfortunately, this is not that kind of story. Because the only thing you will really see in the darkness, is the darkness itself.


    "No, it''s Riley."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..." Pia''s trembling and hopeful eyes instantly became nk. The hand on her shoulders that she thought was warm was actually as cold as death; she very slowly turned her head back, only to see a pair of eyes staring at her¡­ as well as a sinister smile that seemed to mock her entire existence.


    "Ai¡ª!!!"


    And as soon as she opened her mouth, Riley''s middle and index fingers inserted themselves inside it.


    "Pavoom."


    And just like that, all the pain, all the hurt, all the suffering¡ªgone.


    Death ends them all and brings you peace.


    "Pia!"


    But then, it also ends the happiness, the hope, and the thought of what could be.


    It all just bes¡­


    ¡­Nothing.


    But it doesn''t really end yet, does it?


    Because as Pia''s headless and neckless body drops to the ground, the pain continues and transfers to another.


    Riley closed his eyes as he listened to the hurt screaming out of the lungs of Pia''s friends. Pia''s pain may have be nothing, but Aita and Mi''s have only flourished and be stronger. Their screams, adding to the song that Riley has been writing for as long as he could remember.


    It started with the scream of his mother, and it will end¡ªit must.


    Every song has an end.


    And for Riley''s song to end, everything must turn into nothing.


    And now, as he once again sings the chorus of his song, he starts with a heavy breath.


    "I apologize," Riley whispered as his feet very slowly left the ground, "But shall we start again?"


    "..." James, who was already nning on ways to deal with Riley again, could really only just watch as the air around the cave started to distort. He felt a certain heat brushing past him, but it onlysted for a single breath.


    He then turned to look at Riley, whose entire silhouette almost disappeared as the air around him becamepletely¡­ indiscernible. He almost seemed invisible.


    But then, almost in an instant, his silhouette once again became clear¡ªand between his palms was a sphere. A sphere that released a glow that would blind any other beings.


    "The others always ignore it whenever I say that sister is as strong as Aerith¡­" Riley then breathed out; his voice, almost silent as it was being absorbed by the sphere of light between his palms,


    "...Let me prove it to you three¡­


    ¡­ Nuclear Pavoom Baby."


    Riley then suddenly stretched out his fingers, causing the sphere of light to suddenly disappear¡­ taking along any other light along with it and surrounding the once bright cave in darkness.


    James seemed to scream something, but the darkness was just¡­ quiet.


    And soon, light burst forth¡ªturning James, Aita, Mi, and even Riley into nothing.


    ***


    Somewhere lightyears and lightyears away, the Cherbi sleeps.


    But then, she heard a whisper¡ªNuclear Pavoom Baby¡ªit said. And so, once again it wakes up from its short slumber¡­


    ¡­now once again moving in a straight line toward Theran.

 Chapter 574 574: Planet Fitness

    And once again, in just less than a minute, Riley was back in the Overvoid. He was truly hoping that whatever makes him tick just give up and stop reviving him, but s¡ªhe was not rid of himself just yet.


    Riley looked around for any signs of Nothing, but even after what seemed like eternity, Nothing did not show itself.


    And so, Riley just stood there; waiting. Waiting until color once again entered his eyes, waiting until he found himself back in the cave again.


    "Hm¡­"


    Riley was expecting to find himself in the center of a crater that is smoother than James''s bald head, but instead, he was surrounded by crevices that almost seemed like veins. Unlike Riley''s original ''pavoom'' move, which just erases anything it touches into nothing, the ''nuclear pavoom baby'' seemed to pull anything near it¡­ and then erases it into nothing. The former''s aftermath was calm, while thetter was nothing but violent.


    "...Like sister," a small giggle escaped Riley''s wide mouth as he continued to walk on the uneven crevices. Riley was expecting to already see the outside when he revived, but to think the cave was still intact¡ªtruly, a proof of how strong Theran is as a, literally.


    "..." Riley started looking for any signs of James and his remains, but even after what seemed like an hour¡ªthere was nothing. No flesh, no organs, not even a single strand of hair¡­ although there wasn''t anything from the start.


    Was he disintegrated and sent to his Eternal Death?


    "..." Or was he able to escape while Riley was in the Overvoid?


    Either way, Riley failed. He was going to ce James''s corpse and put him beside his family back in his mansion, but it was impossible to do so now.


    "...Time to go back to the surface, I suppose," Riley then looked at the ceiling, before pointing his index finger to the ceiling and whispering,


    "Pavoom."


    ***


    "Is it just me, or does that look like a small fucking?"


    "It¡­ probably is."


    Hannah, Hera, Vera, Tomoe, and Ts were still at the giantke. Even after an entire month had passed, not even a single themarian checked on their location¡ªsurprising, considering there was a small literally forming on top of the giantke.


    No, perhaps calling it ake was a mockery, as there was no longer even a single drop of water in it. Everything was sucked in by a giant orb that slowly revealed itself to be a miniature, and probably habitable.


    A month ago, the radius of the was just the length of a bus¡ªbut now, one could probably fit a thousand buses in the sphere and still have room for some more.


    Aerith sent them the location of this miniature, but it is clear that this is Diana''s doing.


    "Oi, grandma. It''s time you fucking tell us what''s really going on here."


    Hannah and the others already set up camp beside the emptyke¡ªno. Perhaps it was more like a settlement now as they did not just have tents, but houses that Ts sprouted from the ground.


    Each of them had their own little house just meters apart from each other, and at the center of it was some sort of campfire the women used to gather around. In short, they could just approach each other when they want something¡­ and everyone else would hear it.


    This time, Hannah approached Ts¡­ perhaps for the hundredth time.


    "I was wondering why the fuck would mother bring you here, but that thing¡­" Hannah pointed at the small forming above them, "...I think you know something about that. It''s just too convenient that a woman that could shift the terrain and connect to an entire fucking is here, and a just happens to be forming right fucking above us!"


    "..." The others did not really say something, and instead even turned to look at Ts. Hannah''s vernacr may be vulgar, but she has a point; Ts being here was nned.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "What. Is. My. Mother. nning?" Hannah then stood in front of Ts, whose once wrinkled skin now showed only youth.


    "Hm¡­" Even with Hannah right on her face, Ts just closed her eyes and calmly breathed out, "...If you must seek the answer, then that means you are not ready for it."


    "Stop it with the wise old native American talk!" Hannah almost screamed in frustration as she took several steps back. She then suddenly raised her palm toward the growing, before the air above her started to distort,


    "Talk, or I will fucking destroy this thing."


    "Hannah, rx," Hera quickly stepped in between the two, cing her hand on Hannah''s shoulder to calm her down, "She might look young now, but she is still our elder. You can''t talk to her like that."


    "Look at us, Hera! You think seniority fucking matters here? We are on another, that''s growing another. We are clueless on a that could kill us with a single breath. How can I rx?"


    "..."


    "We''re supposed to only be here to have a memorial for Ms. Phoenix," Hannah removed Hera''s hand from her shoulder, "We haven''t even done or prepared for that. We¡ªMom is trying to duplicate Theran."


    "...What?" Hera, as well as Vera and Tomoe, could not help but blink a couple of times as they heard Hannah''sst words, "...What do you mean trying to duplicate Theran?"


    "It¡­ it makes sense," Hannah then finally dropped her arm as she looked at the growing, "She¡­she''s been telling us that Themarians have been stagnant. What if¡­ what if she''s trying to create another like Theran for them to migrate into?"


    "Bullshit," Hera shook her head, "Why would she do that? I thought she hated her own race?"


    "I¡­ don''t know," Hannah''s breaths started to be weaker as she looked at Ts, "I don''t even know if I''m right. Please, just fucking tell us what''s happening here¡­


    ¡­What is my mother nning?"


    ***


    "Hm, I suppose this is a mistake."


    Although Riley''s experience with climbing back through holes was limited, one could say it was oddly the same. The very first time was back when Julius carried him all the way to the Earth''s core¡ªand when he resurfaced, he was already being surrounded by soldiers.


    And now, the same scenario is happening.


    What surrounded him were not soldiers, however. By the casual wear that they were¡­ scarcely wearing, they were just normal themarians, civilians¡ªall women.


    "I believe a misunderstanding is about to happen," Riley quickly raised both his arms in the air as he looked at the¡­ group of women surrounding him; all of them, barely even wearing anything even as snow nketed the air around them.


    Riley could try and do his ''nuclear pavoom baby'' again, but with dozens of them here¡ªthere was bound to be more. Thest thing Riley wanted was to be killed over and over again before his body fully recovers, being sent to the Overvoid as soon as he revives.


    "..." The women have not reacted to him yet, and were just staring at him from head to toe. Seeing this, Riley just very slowly took a step back into the hole.


    "Get the beast!"


    But s, before his feet could even dive down into the hole, he was rammed and pinned down by several women¡ªall taller than him.


    "This¡­ can''t be good."

 Chapter 575 575: Themarian Purists

    "Chief. Call!!"


    Everyone was flying. This was enough for Riley to know that the winter-infested hamlet he finds himself in was not in a strict ''No Fly'' zone. Or perhaps it still is, and these¡­ tribe of tall women just do not care.


    "..."


    He even found himself inside a cage, a literal cage¡ªthick metal bars on every side. Riley already tried to bend one earlier, but even with his full physical strength, the most he did was leave a dent the size of a worm.


    "..." Aside from Diana''s ship, Isn''t this the first time Riley was actually touching and seeing processed metal from Theran up close? If this was on Earth, wouldn''t this be considered some sort of metal from the mythologies?


    There were also other cages around him, some even hanging from therge trees that were randomly scattered across the settlement¡ªthe only cage that actually has someone in it was his, though.


    "..." And as Riley brushed his finger through the snow resting on the cold metal bars, he realized he got distracted again. Based on his observation, there were at least 50 of them here¡ªnot a single themarian male in sight.


    Esme is still the tallest themarian that Riley has ever seen, but these womene close, with all of them taller than Riley. Was Esme''s mother from this¡­ tribe? The Varoif king did have many wives, after all.


    "Intruder¡­ is¡­"


    They were also talking in anguage that Riley barely recognizes. Some words sounded like they were from the global themariannguage¡­ is it a dialect?


    Was it really some sort of tribe? Riley only assumed because of what they were wearing¡ªbarely anything. Their bosoms and waist were covered by coats of fur and leather, scarcely decorated with bones¡­ and that was it. All of them were even barefoot. The color of their skin varied, however, from the darkest of tone, to even as white as Riley''s.


    Their houses were made with stones stacked on top of each other, some even literal ribs of giant monsters.


    The Themarian civilization has already existed for millions of years¡ªhow could there even be a tribe like this? And it was not like most of Varoif and Hel at all, in which even though their infrastructure and way of life seemed olden, their cutting-edge technology still clearly exists around them.


    But here? There was not even a single mesphere in sight.


    "..."


    "..."


    "My name is Riley Ross."


    And finally, after what seemed like an entire hour of observing these tall, well-endowed women, Riley spoke,


    "I believe it will be in all of your best interests to have me released."


    The women all stopped whatever it was they were doing as they all turned their heads toward Riley¡ªall of them¡ªeven those that were far away. But as soon as the next snowke joined itspanions on the ground, the women once again returned to their tasks, all except one.


    "..." The woman standing right in front of Riley''s cage remained looking at him; her silver eyes which seemed even more translucent than Riley''s looked at him from head to toe. Her dark skin and jet-ck hair, making her eyes glow even more¡ªalmost like a wolf as she very slowly approached Riley.


    "You are the one who trespassed in ournds to be caged," the woman spoke; her voice, somewhat deep but still feminine,


    "And yet you wish to be released?"


    "...Fair point," Riley squinted his eyes as he nodded, "But perhaps the fact that I was and still am lost could be considered? All the holes underground look the same."


    "No," the woman only scoffed as she ced her hand on one of the bars, causing all the snow wrapping Riley''s cage to shower to the ground and on Riley,


    "We have already warned Varoif and the Grand Militia that no one should trespass in ournds. Did you not see therge sign when you entered the hole from the Subtheran?"


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times as he tried to recollect his memories, but no matter how many times it resurfaced in his mind¡­


    "There was no sign."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "No sign?" The woman raised her voice as she puffed out her chest; herrge bosoms, etching between the gaps of the cage as she did so. But after a few seconds of literally looking down on Riley, the woman took a step back before shouting.


    One of her tribesmen quickly appeared in front of her; the two, talking about something with their loud and robust voices. And after several exchanges of words that Riley could not understand yet, the other woman flew into the air, before diving down the hole back to the Subtheran.


    And as quickly as she disappeared, she emerged from the hole and once again approached the dark-skinned woman that was talking to Riley.


    "!!!"


    And then, all of a sudden, a loud thunder cracked in the air as the dark-skinned woman suddenly punched her tribesmen right on the stomach, causing all the snow around them to melt and ripple away from the shockwave.


    "Kh!"


    Everyone turned to look and watch as one of their own started groveling on the ground; her gasps, drowning the sound of her regenerating flesh and bones. And before the woman could fully recover, she was kicked away. And if she wasn''t caught by herrades in the air, she would probably be outside Theran territory by now.


    "..." Riley thought that a fight was about to break out, but no. He just watched as the other women once again turned their heads away, getting back to their chores as if nothing happened. Even the one that was brutally hit in front of everyone just sighed and shrugged as she sat on the ground to recover.


    Perhaps¡­ the dark-skinned woman was their leader?


    "You were right," the tribe leader then said as she returned to Riley.


    "I suppose so," Riley nodded as he stepped forward. But s, the gate he expected to open remained closed,


    "..."


    "That still does not change the fact that you trespassed into our home. And men are not allowed here," the tribe leader once again scoffed as she looked Riley in the eyes,


    "You are a man, correct? Your hair is even longer than ours."


    "I have grown attached to it," Riley only blinked as he looked at his long white hair that almost resembled the snow, "Are you sure you do not want to just free me, tribe leader?"


    "Tribe leader?" The dark-skinned woman smirked, "There are no leaders here, only warriors¡ªas how it should be."


    "..." Riley once again scanned his surroundings. A tribe devoid of any technology, where the strongest rule, as well as no allegiance to the Grand Militia and any of the nations¡­ and all women.


    Were they some sort of Themarian purists?


    Themarian women, after all, are stronger than their male counterparts. They are the true warriors of the Themarians.


    Doesn''t that mean¡­ these women could be as strong or even stronger than Aerith?


    "..." Riley squinted his eyes as he looked at the tribe leader. He was already thinking of forcing his way out¡­ but what if he can''t?


    There were more than 50 of them here. If all of them are stronger than James, then Riley will definitely lose.


    "What is your name, tribe leader?" Riley then sighed as he returned the tribe leader''s gaze.


    "Osk."


    "Then¡­" Riley then gently removed his coat, folding it as he ced it on the ground,


    "...May I request a duel, Lady Osk?"

 Chapter 576 576: ...Oh

    "You do not have a weapon?"


    "I have never truly needed one, Lady Osk."


    "Stop calling medy. I am a warrior¡ªand don''t think that just because you do not have a weapon, I will offer you the same courtesy."


    "I expect no such thing, Madam Osk."


    What was within Riley''s expectations, however, was the arena he finds himself in. Osk''s tribe seemed to cling to the way of the warrior''s life, it truly made sense that they would have some sort of arena to hold their disputes, training, and battles in.


    "..." Riley slid his foot on the floor, pushing away the snow and revealing its silver brilliance. The arena seemed to be made of the same material as their cages, the walls were the same¡ªas for the roof, it was just open.


    What did serve as a roof, however, were Osk''s other tribesmen. Their silhouettes, blocking the hazy winter light as if leaves. All of them were floating in the air, serving as a dome as they watch as Riley and Osk prepare for their duel.


    Riley seemed to be done, however, as he just started stretching his limbs from having been in the cage for an entire hour. As for Osk, she was kneeling on the floor; the heat her muscles were releasing, melting the snow beneath her. She was wearing a gauntlet, as well as a metallic shin guard¡ªunlike the rest of the metals Riley have seen so far, however, her armaments were even darker than Osk''s skin; almost ebony, but crystal-like as they shine. Aside from that, however, she was still pretty much half-naked.


    "..." Osk seemed to be whispering something as she knelt, and remained so after an entire minute. Riley did not mind, however, as it gave him more time to analyze the situation.


    He was initially going to escape while they were fighting¡ªhe would create a clone and let it fight Osk, while he shrinks himself to escape. But that n waspletely ruined when the other women started covering the arena like a dome. Even if he bes the size of an ant, this many themarians would still be able to catch him like a wasp.


    The only way was to fight. He could immediately use his ''pavoom'' move, but that would leave him too weak for a few seconds¡ªenough time for these themarians to turn him into paste a million times.


    And so, Riley just focused on his opponent. Although he still could not read and sense their energy, he knew the woman in front of her was strong, she wouldn''t be the one on top of this tribe if she wasn''t.


    But more importantly, this was the first time Riley was fighting a themarian with a weapon. His priority right now was not to get hit.


    "..." And finally, after another minute, Osk stood up¨C-the muscles on her legs, almost creating a sound simr to the metal threads one could find onrge ships.


    "Were you praying, Madam Osk?"


    "To Hildvor," Osk said, deeply breathing out as she tightened her gauntlets.


    "Hildvor? There is a themarian god?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "Theran has truly degraded," Osk''s eyebrows started to furrow, "They do not even offer Hildvor''s dogma to the next generation anymore. Come then, let me instill in you what it means to be a true themarian!"


    Osk then bumped her fists together, creating a st of wind strong enough to cause even the sky itself to roar.


    Riley, on the other hand, just deeply breathed out as he parted his legs together, pointing the edge of his right palm toward Osk, while his other palm rested beside his waist; his eyes, even calmer than his breaths.


    He confirmed it now, with just the way Osk carried herself¡ªshe is strong. Riley, for some reason, however, seemed to not help but grow a smile on his face.


    Darmuid, James, and now Osk.


    There was something about killing strong opponents that truly caused a thrilling sensation to crawl through his skin.


    Fun.


    This is fun.


    "What''s that creepy smile on your face for?" Osk scoffed as she tightened her muscles, "Come to think of it, are you a half-breed?"


    "Yes."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hm," Osk smirked, "So that''s why you smell different¡ªI have never fought a half-breed before. You and I are going to have fun, Riley Ross."


    "That is what I am hoping for, Madam Osk," the smile on Riley''s face grew even wider as he too started covering his body with severalyers of his telekic barrier. Osk was obviously physically stronger than him, but it doesn''t mean that he couldn''tpete in strength¡ªthere are martial arts specifically reserved for that, after all.


    And for some reason, Riley could not help himself but want topete.


    "That''s a weird fighting stance."


    "It is called Judo, Madam Osk. My father taught it to me."


    "Oh? Teach it to me if you survive!"


    And with that, the snow behind Osk was violently blown away; her feet, leaving arge dent on the floor as she suddenly disappeared.


    "..." Riley stopped his breaths and closed off everything around him. Themarians can casually move a thousand times faster than sound, it was impossible to predict where they would be¡ªand so, Riley just built a sort of web around the air using his telekinesis.


    Almost like a spider, Riley could feel Osk moving across the thousands of threads heid down. Osk was moving in a zigzag, almost like a hummingbird as she moved from one thread to the other in an instant.


    And soon, she was in front of Riley.


    Riley''s threads were not limited to just sensing Osk, it could also slow her down even just by a single millisecond¡­ as well as push Riley away to avoid the metal fist that threatened to hit him straight in the chest.


    And with this, Riley quickly grabbed Osk''s arm, cing it on his shoulder before lifting her up and mming her straight to the ground¡ªusing her own momentum against her.


    And then¡­


    ¡­there was darkness.


    "...Oh."


    Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked around him¡­ only to see an endless horizon of nothing.


    "I¡­ died?" Riley could not help but whisper to himself as he sat down in the darkness. It is true that he already knew he wasn''t a match against Osk physically, but how did he even die?


    "..."


    "..."


    "Oh¡­" Riley then breathed out as he held his neck, he remembers it now. As soon as he grabbed Osk''s arm, she also grabbed his neck. Thest thing he remembered was the sound of a loud snap, whether that was from his neck, or from Osk''s back which clearly folded in half when Riley threw her to the hard floor¡ªhe would probably never know. Perhaps it was both?


    "Are you here, Nothing?" Riley then looked around the darkness, but once again, Nothing did not show itself. And so, Riley just decided to wait until finally, he felt the cold of winter on his skin.


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times as he saw the white sky above him, the themarians that were previously floating in a dome, already gone¡ªno, not exactly. There were now surrounding him.


    "Good morning, everyone," Riley casually said as he sat up from the ground. He then turned his eyes toward Osk, who was holding her back and groaning loudly as she groveled on the floor.


    "Shh¡­" Osk gritted her teeth, but as soon as she saw Riley looking at her, she quickly stood up¡ªher face clearly hiding the pain,


    "It''s¡­ it''s been a while since I was almost sent to Eternal Death," Osk then said as she looked to the side,


    "I¡­I suppose we both won."

 Chapter 577 577: Riley Released?

    The snow was still endlessly falling onto the silver floor beneath Riley''s feet. Most of the footprints, no longer belonging to just him and Osk as the other themarian women have started approaching Osk.


    Riley could really only just watch as they started massaging her back, forcefully pushing her down back to the floor as two women sat on her; their thighs, fully exposed from their garments that barely even covered anything. The woman that Osk punched and kicked away earlier was also there¡ªseemingly taking the chance to hurt Osk as she basically punches her back instead of gently massaging it.


    "Hn!" Osk let out a loud moan as her as a light snap whispered in Riley''s ears. It was weird how the muscles of Themarians actually work; looking at it now, how their skin looked soft as they gently brushed past each other; but then earlier, when Riley grabbed Osk''s arm¡ªit felt as if he was holding pure steel that waspressed a billion times over.


    And that was not the only thing Riley was confused about.


    "You said you were sent to your Eternal Death, Madam Osk?" Riley calmly approached Osk and sat beside her on the cold hard metal floor.


    "Oh, that''s just an expression," Osk lightly groaned as her shoulders were being kneaded, "I was almost sent to Eternal Dea¡ªHn!"


    And with another crack whispering in the air, Riley could not help but tilt his head to the side as his confusion continued to grow; this time, regarding a themarian''s recovery. Unlike him, themarians do not truly die in a sense; their bodies just be catatonic¡ªthey were weird that way, like some sort of tardigrade.


    And when they recover, they be stronger than they were before; almost like a muscle.


    It took Aerith months before she recovered from being mangled and dissected by Riley. But then again, she also mentioned something about being tired and just wanting to rest. Did they have some sort of control over how fast they recover?


    James was already separated into several parts, with all of his organs not even throbbing or working anymore¡ªand yet after a few hours, he recovered.


    Osk''s spine was clearly shattered, and perhaps her organs were ruptured too from the impact of her entire back being mmed onto the themarian metal¡ªbut she said she was almost sent to Eternal Death.


    And then there''s the handful of random themarian youths that Riley has encountered. He crushed Fionn''s body and he recovered, but then he decapitated him and he was sent to Eternal Death.


    They get more resilient with age, that one Riley already surmised. But perhaps it is not necessarily their age, but their improving energy levels thate with it?


    The stronger the themarian, the harder they are to kill¡ªwas it really that simple? Was he just overthinking things since it involves Aerith''s species?


    "Enough, enough!"


    Riley was suddenly free of his thoughts as Osk stood up, pushing away the other women and causing even one to fall on top of Riley.


    "..." The woman did not really say anything even as she caught Riley''s leg in between her thighs. She just looked at Riley, before instantly disappearing and flying away. And it wasn''t only her, the rest of Osk''s tribesmen all flew and disappeared, leaving just the two of them in the arena.


    "So¡­ I suppose it''s a tie," Osk then let out a very long and deep sigh as she sat in front of Riley, rxing one of her knees down, while the other was raised so she could rest her arm on it¡ªand of course, just showing everything in between her legs to Riley,


    "You broke my back, and I broke your neck. This is a tie, right?"


    "..." Riley just blinked his eyes, before turning to look Osk in the eyes, "I suppose so, Madam Osk."


    No¡ªOsk technically won since Riley was sent to the Overvoid. But of course, as Hannah once said¡ªNever correct your enemies.


    "Hm¡­" Osk then slightly leaned back as she ced both her palms behind her before stretching her torso in an arc. Her bosoms, almost popping out from the coat of fur she loosely covered them with; her legs, almost resting on Riley''sp.


    "!!!"


    And then, all of a sudden, Riley''s vision darkened¡ªbut not in the way he was used to, no. It wasn''t hard to breathe in the Overvoid, but now, it was almost as if his nose was being squished by a pillow made of water.


    "So¡­"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Riley then heard a whisper softly entering his ears as Osk literally locked him around her legs.


    "...Why don''t you break my back some more?"


    Riley then felt his cheeks being grabbed as he was pushed away and freed from the suffocating feeling, only to find Osk''s dark and surprisingly unblemished face right in front of his face.


    "I do not know how the situation evolved into this, Madam Osk," Riley blinked a couple of times as he felt Osk''s breath growing heavier by the second; her tongue, almost sticking out of her lips as she panted.


    "It''s just tradition," Osk then pushed Riley to the floor, causing all the snow beneath his back to ripple away, "Only a man that can subdue her woman has the right to carry on his seed to the next generation."


    "But our duel was a tie, Madam Osk," Riley just blinked a couple of times as Osk sat on his hip; her thighs which wererger than Riley''s head,pletely pinning Riley to the floor like some sort of pancake.


    "You broke my back before I broke your neck," Osk''s hands started to trail across Riley''s suit, and without even any warning, she tore it off like paper,


    "Your skin is really as white as snow," Osk''s then breathed out as she ced both her palms on Riley''s chest; her dark skin, almost like a void on Riley''s white skin, "Our baby would be the greatest warrior Theran will ever see."


    "..." Riley once again blinked his eyes a couple of times before looking around. Is this why everyone else just left? Were they already expecting something like this to happen?


    Or is this what usually happens?


    "Stop being so greedy," Osk then grabbed Riley''s face, before cing her lips on Riley''s neck and licking it; her tongue, crawling all the way to Riley''s lips before. And with their lips intertwined, Osk slid down her tongue inside Riley''s mouth¡ªalmost violently twirling his tongue with hers.


    "They¡­" And with a light gasp, Osk pulled her head away and bit her own lower lip,


    "They will get their turn next. For now, I have you by myself."


    "That¡­ is unexpected, Madam Osk."


    "A man that beats the alpha will ce his seed in the entire pack," Osk then said her fingers started trailing on her leg, and then towards her buttocks before cing it between Riley''s thighs,


    "Of course, you will nt it to me first," and with those words, Osk ripped Riley''s pants,


    "That''s just the way it is. We¡ª"


    "No, it''s not!"


    But s, before anything else could be inserted in between the soft parts of a body again, a loud thunder reverberated in the air¡ªcausing all the snow within the arena to be blown away.


    And as the cloud of white dissipated, a silhouette revealed herself, standing right beside Osk and Riley.


    "What are you doing!?"


    "You can wait for your turn, Princess."


    "Release him¡­ now!"


    "...Aerith?"

 Chapter 578 578: Rileys Delicious Seed

    Aerith''s hair¡ªit sometimes looked brown, but in certain lights, it was gold. But now, being wrapped in the winter air with the fractals of snownding on it, it just glittered like golden silk. Riley would have been mesmerized by this in any other given situation, but now¡­


    ¡­right now was probably the first time that Riley felt a little awkward.


    "...Aerith?" Riley could really only blink as he looked at Aerith from the floor. As for Aerith, she wasn''t looking at her face, but rather at his¡­ hard thing that was resting in between Osk''s¡­ round and plump lower cheeks.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Good morning, Aerith," and so, the only thing Riley could really do was wave his hand.


    "Wh¡ªGet up!" Aerith then quickly looked away as she grabbed Riley''s arm. Before she could pull Riley away, however, Osk tightened her thighs and locked Riley even tighter as she grabbed Aerith''s wrist.


    "I said you can wait for your turn, Princess."


    "I am not here for that!"


    Aerith quickly pulled her hand away as she stepped back, "Riley is mine!"


    "..." Osk looked back and forth between Riley and Aerith for a few seconds, before sighing and shaking her head; her buttocks, slowly dropping on Riley''s waist and letting his thing slide between her lower cheeks,


    "You should have said so from the start," Osk then said as she slightly spread her legs and leaned back. But then, a smile suddenly crawled on her face as she lifted up her butt,


    "But it doesn''t really matt¡ª"


    But s, once again, before anything hard could be inserted, Aerith suddenly pushed Osk away¡ªcausing her to be thrown and slide several meters on the slightly slippery floor.


    "And you, why are you just lying there with¡­ with your thing exposed!?" Aerith then pointed at Riley as she gestured to him to stand up, "Were you really just going to let that woman get her way with you!?"


    "If you were joining us, then I probably would have, Aerith."


    "...You want to die?" Aerith''s eye started to twitch, "Cover yourself."


    "If only I could die, Aerith," Riley then let out a sigh as he sat up; his ck suit, very slowly fixing itself like some sort of jelly being stuck and merged together,


    "Why are you here, Aerith? I was not expecting to see you in this kind of scenario."


    "Why? Would you have liked it more if I didn''te?"


    "Oh, I would truly like it if you came."


    "Wh¡ªwhere are you learning this stuff!?"


    "Your son."


    "I walked right into that," Aerith could not help but cover her face as she heard Riley''s words. And before she could say anything else, Osk''s fist was now suddenly only an inch away from hitting her face.


    Aerith, however, just instantly vanished; instantly reappearing on top of Osk with both her hands sped together. And with a light scoff and a smirk, Aerith clobbered Osk''s head without any hesitation.


    The snow that had gathered back on the arena was once again blown away; this time, trembling as they did so. Osk, however, seemed to still bepletely conscious as she just groaned; but before she could make another move, Aerith stepped on her head and pinned her down.


    "Just because I was gone for almost half a millennium, you really thought you were already the strongest here?"


    "Kah!" Osk only roared as she mmed her fists on the silver floor, "Why are you even back here!? And why now!? Couldn''t you have just waited until this man had nted his seed inside me!?"


    "This man isn''t even a themarian."


    "He''s half! That is all I need to kn¡ª"


    "He''s not even half themarian," Aerith rolled her eyes as she removed her foot from Osk''s head, "He''s a Human. A species from a in the Unknown."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "W¡­what?" Osk then gasped as she looked at Riley, "You mean¡­ I¡­ I almost ced the seed of an alien inside me!? An unusually attractive, abnormally strong, andpletely stoic specimen of a man¡ªOn second thought¡­"


    Osk then squinted her eyes as she licked her lips, "...I don''t think it matters. The other species exist for a reason, maybe that reason is to further strengthen the themarian blood¡ª"


    "Get out!"


    "...This isn''t over," Osk almost snarled as she looked at Aerith; but before any fight could break between the two, Osk just gave Riley one final nce and winked at him before just disappearing from the arena.


    "..."


    "..."


    And then, an awkward silence just suddenly drowned the arena, with only the sound of snow melting from their breaths whispering in the air. But after a hundred more fractals dropped, a heavy breath finally broke the silence between the two.


    "What were you thinking going here!?" Aerith screamed as she grabbed Riley, lifting him from the floor and making him stand up, "And how are you even here!?"


    "I don''t know, Aerith," Riley just shrugged as he looked around the arena, "I chose a random hole to enter through, and I exited toward a random situation."


    "...You came from the Subtheran? What were you doing there?"


    "Murdering people, Aerith."


    "Even here!?" Aerith could not help but raise her voice as she once again covered her face, "Can''t you even stop for just one single moment?"


    "No," Riley shook his head, "I know what I truly am now. I am the one who will turn everything into Nothing."


    "Yeah, yeah," Aerith groaned as she shook her head, causing the tiny droplets of snow to fall from her hair and onto the white bodysuit she was wearing. Riley, however, was looking at her neck.


    "You''re not wearing a cor, Aerith."


    "I am a princess, Riley," Aerith scoffed, "I do have friends in the castle, believe it or not."


    "Hm. I suppose it is my turn to ask you what you are doing here?" Riley then asked as he looked around, "You seem to know the people of this tribe."


    "Because I was one of them," Aerith shrugged, "And did Osk tell you this is a tribe? This is just a stupid gathering of women that want to break free from society¡­


    ¡­and I was a part of it," Aerith covered her face again, "The things I did in my youth."


    "Did you know I was here?"


    "What do you think?" Aerith rolled her eyes as she started walking away, "One of my friends that was still here recognized you from the trial, she called me. I mean, what were you thinking!?"


    "I wasn''t, Aerith," Riley breathed out as he followed Aerith out of the arena.


    "I mean, you could have just easily escaped! Don''t bullshit me, Riley. I know full well what you''re capable of¡ªyour bag of tricks is enough to overwhelm any themarian."


    "Well, I won''t have anything to do even if I escaped, Aerith."


    "I mean, seriously? Osk!?" Aerith opened her palms as she breathed out in frustration, "That woman would have eaten you alive if I didn''t arrive¡ªand then the others would have too!"


    "Then while you were in this group, Aerith¡ªdid you also partake in this seed sharing tradi¡ª"


    "No!" Aerith quickly turned around to look at Riley, "No. And no one was even strong enough to defeat me, so¡­ there''s that."


    "Then since I beat you once¡­


    ¡­do you want my seed, Aerith?"


    "...What?"

 Chapter 579 579: In Love

    "Then since I beat you once¡­


    ¡­do you want my seed, Aerith?"


    "...What?"


    "I believe it''s a metaphor, Aerith. In this case, my semen is the see¡ª"


    "Yes, I know what that means! And the only thing you are giving me is a headache!"


    "...Pft."


    "You¡­ are you actuallyughing?"


    Perhaps even more so than meeting Riley in the most unexpected of ces, Aerith was more bewildered by the sound that was whispering in her ears. Riley Ross¡­ughing at something other than murder?


    It hasn''t even been that long since theyst talked to each other¡ªwith theirst proper talk being on Diana''s ship, and then before that was when he plotted to kill her son in the evilest way. In fact, Aerith should be angry right now, she should be putting her effort into actually trying her best to cause Riley to disappear, but no.


    She wasn''t even mad. Annoyed maybe, but that was it. It almost feels like in a way, Riley was sort of her responsibility. She thought that if he was in Theran, he wouldn''t be able to do the things he had been doing back on Earth.


    But no¡ªeven in the threat of him being trapped by themarians and eternally killed over and over again, he still tries to find a way to kill someone. He never stops actually doing what he set out to do¡ªkill everyone.


    Riley is someone that should be stopped. The only reason she even helped him find his way to Theran when he was left behind was to prevent him from wreaking havoc somece else. At the very least, he wouldn''t be able to rampage here.


    Riley Ross has to be stopped, she knew that. But now, seeing himughing and actually showing emotions¡­maybe he was growing? If so, then maybe it was possible to point the direction he grows.


    Instead of forcefully stopping him on his path to destruction, maybe they could guide him? Guide him to a path that would not necessarily be good, but at least to neutrality?


    "..." Aerith then once again nced at Riley as they walked. And seeing his peaceful face, Aerith could really only shake her head off of the thoughts filling it. Katherine tried to guide him to the light, and look at what happened to her.


    Of course, Aerith wouldn''t be as susceptible as Katherine¡ªher mind was already weak from the start; the temptation of being with someone as enigmatic as Riley overpowered her desire for good.


    "How long has it been, Aerith?"


    "Hm?"


    "How long has it been since it has only been the two of us?" Riley said as he looked around. And aside from Osk''s settlement which was still a good kilometer away from them, the presence being wrapped by the snow around was truly only them.


    "Oh, I don''t know," Aerith shrugged, "I remember you perversely trying to wipe my body clean back in the base of the Hope Guild."


    "It is good to know that moment also holds a very special ce in your memories, Aerith."


    "...What? No," Aerith breathed out her frustration, "Look, kid. I know you have this weird obsession over me because I''m Megawoman, but the image on your head? That''s not me."


    Aerith then stood in front of Riley, cing both her hands on his shoulder as she looked him in the eyes,


    "I am just a person that is so exhausted, I was willing to be sent to Eternal Death without a fight."


    "Silvie mentioned you exchanged your life for hers," Riley returned Aerith''s gaze, "I freed her from the castle, by the way."


    "I know," Aerith closed her eyes and sighed, "I met her a few weeks ago¡ªshe''s no longer in Theran. And apparently, so are Scarlet Mage and your daughter."


    "...Interesting."


    "What do you mean ''interesting''!? All of us came here together and now we''re all scattered everywhere!"


    "Yes, that is your fault, Aerith."


    "Wh¡ª"


    "If you weren''t arrested by your own family, then all of us would be together."


    "We got separated because a little evaniel princess wanted revenge on you for killing her brother and a hundred of her people!"


    "Then I suppose we are both at fault, Aerith."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You¡ªNo, there''s no point arguing with you," Aerith took in a deep breath as she let go of Riley, "What are you nning now, exactly?"


    "Nothing. I was just waiting for something to happen, Aerith," Riley ced his hand on his chin, tantly showing that he was lost in thought, "I was hoping to wreak havoc during your execution and kill several themarians during the chaos. But since you are free, that won''t be happening anymore. I suppose I''ll just do the same, but when they try to forcefully bring you back to the castle."


    "...Are you not going to have a memorial for your mother?"


    "I do not know where her corpse is, Aerith¡ªand Alice is a stranger to me. Diana is the only one that has the right to enact the ceremony, being her best friend."


    "Then why not find Cait¡ªDiana or your sister? Why are you alone again, Riley?"


    "I am not alone, Aerith. I am with you."


    "Because I found you, Riley," Aerith rolled her eyes, "And I have other ns."


    "Then my n is to help you with your n for now," Riley shrugged.


    "No!" Aerith once again screamed in frustration, "Stop always going with the flow. You need to have something you do on your own."


    "Then I will start turning everything into nothing, Aerith."


    And as soon as he said that, the snow around them started to tremble; several pirs, protruding from the ground and slowly taking in the shape of Riley¡ªhundreds of them.


    "Everyone," Riley then said as he pped his hands, "This is my order. Venture out into the universe and kill every¡ª"


    "Stop!" Aerith also pped her hands¡ªas she did so, arge energy orb emerged above them. And without even any warning, several beams of energy raged forth onto all of Riley''s clones, pinning them all to the ground as they very slowly disintegrate from the raging red.


    "...Fine," Aerith''s exasperated breaths violently escaped her lips as her energy orb disappeared. She then once again ced her hand on Riley''s shoulder; her face, almost exploding from the sheer frustration filling her head,


    "...You follow my n for now."


    "Hm," Riley just casually nodded his head, before all of his clones fully disintegrated and melted back into the ground,


    "You are very easy to manipte for someone so old, Aerith."


    "I am not that old!" Aerith once again groaned as she pushed Riley away, "Come, follow me. We have business with Osk."


    "Hm. Operation Aerith and Riley starts no¡ª"


    "No. There is no operation Aerith and Riley, just Operation Aerith, you understand?" Aerith ced her finger on Riley''s forehead,


    "Do you understand?"


    "I suppose," Riley just shrugged as he nodded his head again, "This will be fun, Aerith. We''re once again together in an adventure outside of Earth."


    "Shut up, you''re my assistant. You follow my orders, you got it?" Aerith scoffed as she started to walk towards the settlement.


    "Aerith, you never really made me answer your question."


    "What?"


    "Of why I am obsessed with you?"


    "That was just a rhetoric, you don''t need to¡ª"


    "Because I am in love with you, Aerith."


    "...Shut up, just follow me. You don''t even know what that means."


    "Oh¡­" Riley lightly grasped his chest as he watched as Aerith continued to walk away; her back, nketed by the white snow, but still drowning everything with her brilliance,


    "...But I do think I am."

 Chapter 580 580: Genocide...?

    "I am here to ask for your help."


    "The Rebel Princess,ing here for¡­ help? Do you hear that, everyone!?"


    A collection of robust, and obviously condescendingughter echoed through the air¡ªtrapped by the snow that enveloped the settlement.


    "...Can we talk inside? We can barely hear each other with all the other noises."


    "No. You took away the group''s seed and you think you can ask us a favor?"


    "Again, Riley will not give you his seed! Stop it with this nonsense, it''s time to grow up, Osk."


    "Oh? Sorry, is our rebel princess so mature now that she traversed the Unknown? You should have taken us with you, Aerith. That is what sisterhood is about."


    "You haven''t even heard the favor I am asking for."


    "Whatever it is, I don''t need to¡­"


    Aerith and Osk''s shoulders were already covered in thick snow; the two of them, just going back and forth with their endless conversation of not wanting to let the other speak her piece. It wasn''t only them¡ªthe 50 women behind Osk were nodding their heads each time Osk''s speak.


    Aerith seemed to truly want something from Osk, as their conversation had alreadysted for more than an hour. As for Riley, the only thing he really did was stare at Aerith; his hand, still clutching his chest.


    If only Xra was here, then she would probably be able to identify what Riley was truly feeling¡ªafter all, she had been in love with the same man for 8000 years, there should be no one who is more adept in feeling love than her.


    But if he really is in love with Aerith, then what does that even mean? Aerith mentioned to him once that the strongest thing in the universe is Love. It transcends everything else¡ªit turns even the strongest of men into servants.


    In mythology, the gods often meet their demise because of love.


    Is this it, then? Perhaps the reason why Riley is so obsessed with Aerith? Because love¡­


    ¡­Love will be his Death?


    Xra also told Riley that he loves Hannah. How is that love different from what he was feeling for Aerith?


    ¡­And then there is Katherine. Katherine has been his first sexual partner and still is. Riley has always treated her like a subordinate, as she is¡ªbut if he loses her, Riley was sure that there will also be a void inside him that he would no longer be able to fill. Does he also feel love for Katherine?


    "Enough, you can stay if you want. But we''re done here."


    And finally, after what seemed like another hour, Osk stood up; leaving a print of her posterior on the log she had been sitting on for hours,


    "Also, if you''re done sucking in Riley''s seed, let me have my turn. I will¡ª"


    "No! There will be no sucking happening here!" Aerith also stood up, causing the snow around her shoulders to shower everywhere, "And please. Osk. Reconsider¡ªthis is what you and the others have been waiting for for a very long time, a chance to make a difference."


    "We will make a difference, princess. But not with you at the lead."


    "Is this what this is about!? I don''t care who leads what, but if we will do this, we need to do it soon! What are you so afraid of!?"


    "You can stay here if you want, but we''re done here," and with those words, Osk and the other members of the sisterhood all went away¡ªentering into their huts andpletely ignoring Aerith.


    "Damn it¡­ why is my species so stubborn," Aerith dropped to the ground; her sighs, enough to melt the snow around her, "This is it¡­ this is the way to change Theran."


    "..." Riley watched as Aerith closed her eyes; her head, endlessly shaking in frustration,


    "What are you nning, Aerith? Did you get inspired by my speech during the trial, and finally setting the themarians free?"


    "What? No," Aerith groaned as she nced at Riley, "Well, actually¡ªsort of. This is your mother''s n."


    "Diana''s?" Riley tilted his head, "I thought the two of you do not agree on things, Aerith."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "We don''t. That is why I am only following it to an extent," Aerith sighed, "She told me her n while we were on the way here¡ªher n to ''liberate'' the themarians."


    "I do not get it, Aerith."


    "Diana ns to create another simr to Theran," Aerith then started drawing on the snow, "A that would serve to separate themarians that wish to explore the universe¡ªa that could traverse the expanse of space."


    "..."


    "And not a colossal space station¡ªa real that she could control, an imprable."


    "And that will set the themarians free?"


    "You truly don''t understand, Riley," Aerith let out a very long and deep sigh, "The themarians can not be set free at all costs. In here, we''re just like everyone else¡ªbut out there, we will be like termites that would eat away at the universe at a speed you can not evenprehend."


    "So, then why did you decide to proceed with Diana''s n?"


    "Your mother is insane, Riley."


    "I agree."


    "Do you remember why she set out into the universe in the first ce?"


    "To create a species that would change the hierarchy of the Universe?" Riley ced his hand on his chin as he recalled their conversation back on Earth.


    "Yes, and so far she had been unsessful¡ªuntil she came to the Unknown and procreated on her own with another species," Aerith breathed in, "Like how I and Diana fell in love with anotherpletely unknown species, she ns to do the same with all the themarians that migrate to the New Theran. In the guise of giving them their freedom, Diana will drop them off one by one to differents¡ªshe will manipte them into thinking it was their own choice."


    "They will still be free."


    "That can''t happen," Aerith shook her head, "Diana and I are only two people, and look at the influence we had on Earth¡ªimagine if there are millions of us out there."


    "So then, why are you helping her realize her n?"


    "Because before that happens, there will be war against the two sides," the tone of Aerith''s voice slightly changed as she looked Riley in the eyes, "They will be vulnerable."


    "..."


    "I realized something when I returned here, Riley¡­" Aerith then stood up as she looked at the white sky, "If there is something Diana and I agree on, is that the hierarchy of the universe must change¡ªbut I won''t do it by adding another race of monsters¡­


    ¡­I will remove one."


    "...Aerith?"


    "The themarians¡­" Aerith then closed her eyes as she took in a very long and deep breath, "...we live in a universe that we don''t belong to, and I believe it is time for us to leave."


    And as soon as Riley heard Aerith''s words, a smile started to crawl on his face.


    "As I thought, Aerith¡­" Riley stood up as he ced his hand on Aerith''s face, "...Your kindness is beyond anything this universe will ever know¡­


    ¡­you are willing to kill off your entire species for the safety of the Universe."


    "...Huh?" Aerith could not help but lean her head back as her eyes widened at Riley''s words.


    "You do not have to worry, Aerith. I will join you in your cause."


    "Wait¡­


    ¡­I think there''s been a misunderstanding here."

 Chapter 581 581: Humanity In Immortality

    "Do you understand now?"


    "Hm."


    "Just nod your head if you under¡ªNo. Tell me what I said."


    "Instead of migrating the people that want to experience freedom, you want to prioritize the children and next generation of themarians¡ªletting them leave and live in the ship away from the older generations and their outdated teachings, and then bring them far away into the Unknown where they would truly be free to explore, with the intent of helping civilizations that are in need of help¡­"


    "Yes, and¡ª"


    "¡­And then we massacre the older generation."


    "Yes¡ªwait, no! Where did thest parte from!?"


    "From me, Aerith. Killing all of the older generations would ensure no more problems in the future¡ªthey would also no longer be able to give birth to another batch of themarians."


    "Your mother has a way to prevent us from giving birth. This n will work¡ªit may take thousands of years, but my race will live in a universe that doesn''t abhor them; in the Unknown and beyond that, it will be possible. I want my race to have a future. You''ve seen what my father alone is capable of doing, they will never change."


    "Hm. Do you remember almost a hundred years ago now, Aerith? I have read in the history books that you were able to stop a war from happening¡ªa war being started by a man with a weird mustache. I read that he wanted to segregate and divide the people that¡ª"


    "Okay, first of all¡ªour goals arepletely different."


    "Is it?"


    "I am doing this so that the future generations will actually have a life beyond being trapped in a world that hasn''t changed for a million years! Our species is trapped in time, Riley."


    "..."


    "If anything, it''s Diana that''s like him¡ªshe literally wants to create a new race, I just want mine to have the chance to live to our full potential."


    "I know your full potential, Aerith. But I do not know what the potential of your kind is."


    "Of course, the road will be hard. We will need to teach the next generation about morality and themon sense that the Universe adheres to."


    "Hm, there really is no need to exin to me, Aerith. I will follow you whatever the case is¡­


    ¡­but I will kill the ones that remain on this."


    "Even you won''t be able to do that."


    "You said so yourself, Aerith. There will be a war. While you are busy salvaging the future generation¡­


    ¡­I will join the war."


    "You''re not a themarian, Riley."


    "No. But I will be the one that will turn them into Nothing. I will make sure their wounded will remain dead¡ªthat neither side will survive the war."


    "I''m not going to let you do that. My father and the rest of the older generation still deserve to wither in their own time, they still deserve to live."


    "But they don''t deserve a future?"


    "...No. They had their chance."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Are you disappointed? That your image of Megawoman ispletely different? That Aerith, the Themarian Princess, would be so cold as to abandon her elders?"


    "What is there to be disappointed about, Aerith? I have always known that you are capable of being cruel¡ªGary is a testament to that."


    "...What? Why are you bringing up my son?"


    "Why did you bring your son, a man that is filled with insecurities and delusions of grandeur, into a world where he will never be special?"


    "My son is capable of doing special things, Riley."


    "But you don''t know your son, Aerith. I know him more than you do."


    "W¡ª"


    "Have you asked him about Golden Fox yet? It may have been my doing, but Gary was the one to ultimately kill his lover¡ªhave you once talked to him about that?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I¡­ haven''t had the time to."


    "Do you know that your son likes motorcycles?"


    "..."


    "Do you know of the things he had done in the Academy? Did you know that he was on the Potential Viin list?"


    "That is enough."


    "You are not a good mother, Aerith. And that is perfectly okay, I don''t even know my own daughter''s birthday."


    "I know. I know I haven''t been good to him."


    "You were busy saving the world, Aerith."


    "And you were busy killing it¡ªand yet you have time for the people around you."


    "I only really made a handful of appearances, Aerith."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...You know, I did try. I tried to make it work. I''m one thou¡ªI''m almost a thousand years old now, and you''d think that would help me be more mature than everyone else, but no. If anything, it just made me more stubborn."


    "How old are you really, Aerith?"


    "That''s not important."


    "Hm."


    "I have all these experiences, and yet it never truly prepared me for how hard it is to have a child. It''s different on Theran¡ªI sometimes do not see both my parents for years, and that was perfectly normal¡ªand when we meet, we''re still just the same person."


    "..."


    "And I''m just not saying that as an excuse for my absence, because there is none. But on Earth, I blink¡ªand then my baby boy has be this¡­ stranger. He''s be apletely different person. My husband was the same. The two of us were so in love with each other, and then I looked away for just a single second¡­ and the connection that we had was just gone."


    "My connection with you is as strong as ever, Aerith."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...I don''t know how Diana did it, but she was able to make a wonderful family¡ªDiana, a themarian that treats other species like they are just part of her experiments. But she did, she was able to raise you and Hannah."


    "You could still raise Gary for a very long time, Aerith. The two of you have the time."


    "Gary doesn''t. He grows old like a normal human¡ªyou''ve seen Silvie, she hasn''t aged even a single second since the first time I saw her; she will remain like that for almost a thousand years until she bespletely identical to what I look right now. But my son, my baby boy¡­ I''m afraid that if I blink again, he''ll just be¡­ gone."


    "..."


    "You will experience this too, Riley. I know you are seeing it now, Hannah is growing old. But you, your face has been unchanged ever since you turned 18¡ªyou will live for a very long time, watching those around you wither away. That is the humanity in our mortality."


    "I¡­ have never really thought of a life in which Hannah no longer exists, Aerith."


    "Oh, she will exist as long as you remember her, that''s the painful part. They are in your mind, and you have to carry them forever; you can''t touch them, you can''t talk to them¡ªthe only thing you can really do is watch them live in your memory¡­


    ¡­They are not the ghosts, you are."


    "I have to confess that I am not ready for that. I do not know what I will do in a universe without my sister."


    "You will, because that is the only thing we can do."


    "But I suppose one way or another, the universe will die too¡­


    ¡­I will make sure of it."

 Chapter 582 582: The Sisterhood

    "But my son, my baby boy¡­ I''m afraid that if I blink again, he''ll just be¡­ gone."


    An hour.


    Aerith and Riley have been talking to each other for more than an hour now, while Osk and the other members of the sisterhood hid away in their huts and shelters. Osk ordered the rest topletely avoid and ignore Aerith until she leaves¡­ but how long until then?


    She did tell Aerith that she could stay, but she was just obviously trying to make her leave with her attitude that was colder than the solid winter around them. But s, Aerith did not seem to realize that as she was still outside, and having a very deep conversation at that.


    Osk did not mean to eavesdrop, but it is also not her fault that her hut was just a few meters away from where they were talking.


    "...You can''t touch them, you can''t talk to them¡ªthe only thing you can really do is watch them live in your memory."


    "..." Osk could not really help but just take in a deep breath as Aerith''s words continued to whisper into her ears. It has been almost 500 years since theyst saw each other, and some changes were inevitable, but why did the Aerith now seem like apletely different person than when shest saw her?


    That should be impossible for a themarian.


    Aerith was talking about how if she would blink, the mortals around her would be strangers¡ªbut wasn''t she the same?


    Osk knew that she was just being petty for ignoring Aerith, but she really thought that she would just leave; at least, the Aerith of the past would have. Osk was trying her best to only focus on Aerith''s words, but for some reason, she was also being drawn by Riley.


    She was also just truly being lustful when she interacted with Riley earlier. How could she not, when Riley was able to break her back as soon as their fight started? But now, hearing him talk aboutmitting war crimes and the genocide of the older generation, Osk could not help but feel something warm trickling down between her thighs.


    She knew she wasn''t making a mistake in making Riley spread his seed amongst everyone in the sisterhood. It doesn''t even matter even if he didn''t have a single drop of themarian blood in him, at least he has the savagery and brutality that a real themarian should have.


    With his blood mixed with theirs, the offspring they will bring forth would be¡­ legendary.


    "Let''s go. I don''t think we can find any help here."


    "Wait! Aerith!"


    And as soon as she heard Aerith and Riley leaving, Osk just instinctively rushed out of her hut; almost making it copse from the sheer force of her haste.


    "I will hear you out," Osk then said, her breaths, enough to blow away the fractals of snow that dared to fall in front of her face, "Don''t leave."


    "...Okay?" Aerith, whose feet have already left the snowy ground, could not help but let out a slightly confused hum. Osk said she would hear her out¡­ but why were her eyes looking at Riley?


    "I have already heard your n," Osk then subtly cleared her throat as she strayed her eyes away from Riley,


    "Just tell me what you need from us."


    "..." Aerith did not really speak immediately; her eyes, just looking at the members of the sisterhood that were stepping out of their huts one by one. Their eyes, also staring back. Aerith waited until all of them were gathered before she once again opened her mouth,


    "I need you to start the war."


    "Of course," Osk took in a deep breath as she closed her eyes, "Who better start the war for freedom than the Rebel Princess'' old group? But I think you are forgetting something here, Aerith¡­


    ¡­our group''s main objective is for themarians to return to who we were from the past, is that not what you''re trying to prevent?"


    "..."


    "We could care less about freedom, what we want is the thrill of battle¡ªthat in every moment, we are in threat of Eternal Death."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "But what I am offering you is not freedom, Osk. It''s a chance to start anew. There is no doing that here," Aerith reasoned before looking at Riley, "But I have seen the Unknown, there are things there¡ªcreatures that can not be seen in the Known Universe."


    "..."


    "Instead of just fighting in a single confined arena, you have an infinitely growing universe as your battlefield. You can fly and fight through a million light years without even worrying that you might identally end an entire civilization."


    "That¡­ I really don''t like the sound of identally annihting a weaker species," Osk squinted as she ced her hand on her chin; herrge bosoms, almost popping out from her loose garment.


    "There''s also¡ª"


    "Stop, I am in," Osk raised her palm. And as she did so, the rest of the sisterhood also raised their palms in the air, "The fact that we get to start a real war was enough reason to actually join the cause."


    "That''s¡­ well, that''s good," Aerith could really only blink as she watched as everyone nodded their heads in excitement,


    "You don''t have to worry about the numbers, people will join us. As soon as they see another Theran floating above their skies, they will know that they have a future other than being stuck here."


    "And what about the older generation that joins our side?" Osk furrowed her eyebrows, "You said that only the newer generations can migrate to the new, what about them?"


    "They¡­ will understand," Aerith''s voice slightly lowered.


    "..." Osk and the rest of the sisterhood also turned their heads down, but after a few more hesitating breaths, Osk pped her hands,


    "A problem to be solved at another time. For now, we celebrate the return of one of our founding sisters!"


    "That¡­ I have other things to do," Aerith stuttered as most of the sisterhood started approaching her with smiles on their faces and drinks in their hands, "I¡­ I only have a limited time until the castle realizes I''m freely roaming around the world without supervision."


    "Nonsense, stay!" Osk ced her arms around Aerith''s shoulders, causing the snow around them to melt as she prevented Aerith from flying away, "I''ll ask some of the girls to dive into the Subtheran and get us something to eat!"


    "There''s really no need to¡ª"


    "Or we could justpletely forget about everything that we talked about today."


    And all of a sudden, the growing festivities that were crawling in the airpletely dissipated; all the women of the sisterhood, just staring at Aerith with their eyebrows deeply furrowed.


    "That''s¡ªFine, just one ss," Aerith could really only drop her arms as she surrendered; her sighs, drowned by the cheers that once again filled the air.


    "Good, good. Give our princess the best wine we have!" And with that, Osk stepped away as the others practically bombarded Aerith with introductions, pleasantries, and reunion.


    As for Riley, he just casually stepped away¡ªlooking at the animals that were shooting out of the hole from Subtheran.


    "I wonder if I can cook any of¡ª"


    And before Riley could find anything to do, Osk suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the festivities, and straight into her hut.


    "...Madam Osk?" Riley could really only blink as he found himself being thrown straight onto a soft bed.


    "Well then¡­


    ¡­shall we continue where we left off?"

 Chapter 583 583: Osk Me One More Time (R-18)

    The festivities were loud.


    Riley could hear them cheering and shouting; their words, traveling even through the thickyer of snow that endlessly drowns the entire encampment in white and cold.


    Cold.


    At least that''s what is supposed to be wrapping Riley right now, but no; the only thing wrapping him right now was the unexpectedfort of a bed. Just a few seconds ago, he was casually minding his own business, about to watch how the themarians cook their fresh game¡ªbut then, his vision just shifted and the chilling snow was suddenly no more.


    Riley had imagined the encampment''s huts to still be cold inside, but no. The temperature was asfortable as it could be, almost just harmonizing with Riley''s own body heat.


    And now, as he looked at the sticks and cloth decorating the ceiling, he could not help but be curious about where the cloth was made from. Did it have some sort of thermal¡ª


    "Well then¡­ shall we continue where we left off?"


    "..." And finally, after Riley''s mind wandered off to everywhere but the reason he was suddenly in the hut, a voice that he could no longer ignore bewitchingly crawled through his ears.


    Riley could really only sigh, before slightly raising his head to look at the woman that suddenly dragged him away from the festivities.


    Osk just stood there, with the drapes of the hut dropping behind her, very slowly separating the insides of the hut from the world outside. And as thest of the light that was diffused by the snow was covered, Osk very quickly tightened the drapes¡­ while loosening something else.


    The little cloth that hung around her waist, now sliding down on the smooth and darkplexion of her legs, until it just clumsily dropped on her feet.


    "Aerith said you''re an alien," Osk''s breaths whispered throughout the small hut; her feet, pushing away her fur skirt as she calmly, and very slowly walked toward Riley,


    "Have you ever been with a themarian woman before?"


    "Are you referring to sexual intercourse, Madam Osk?" Riley only blinked as his eyes strayed toward Osk''s thighs, and even from the front, one could see her butt jiggle with every move.


    That wasn''t what Riley was focused on, however¡ªhe was looking at the juices that were already trailing¡ªno, gushing between Osk''s legs. And with her thighsrger than Riley''s head, this¡­ juice just started rubbing in between her thighs as she walked, causing a sultry noise to whisper in the air.


    "Then my answer is no," Riley breathed out as he tilted his head back, once again resting it on the bed as he sighed.


    "Oh¡­?"


    And soon, a hum seductively pierced Riley''s ears as he felt the soft bed slightly shift; a weight, now pinning down on his legs. And even with the ck pants, Riley could still feel the damp and wet warmthing from between Osk''s legs; her juices, gushing enough to trickle and create strings as her hips started to move on their own.


    "I thought you and Aerith have already done it," a small smile started to crawl on Osk''s face as she tied the ends of her hair, before just gently brushing it and resting them over her left shoulder. And as her hips continued to move on their own, the hair she tied up started bouncing on her still-covered breasts.


    "My feelings for Aerith are one-sided, Madam Osk. I do not even know if I am right with the feelings I am feeling."


    "Well¡­ you don''t have to worry about feelings here," Osk''s eyes started to light up as she looked at Riley''s chest, "I only need your seed¡­


    ¡­we''re just going to fuck until we''re tired."


    And with those words, a concentrated beam burst forth from Osk''s glowing eyes. And even with this unexpected violence, Riley did not move¡ªafter all, the only thing Osk''s beam was cutting was his suit.


    Osk then took in a deep gasp as she ripped Riley''s suit open, exposing his skin that was as white as the snow outside; his physique was anything but gentle, however, as the muscles that filled it showed the violence in his body. Sharp, chiseled, and tightening even with the softest of breaths.


    "Hm¡­" Osk licked her lips as she massaged Riley''s torso with both her hands; the shaking of her hips, bing even more violent as she did so.


    "Rip off my top," Osk then breathed out loudly; her tongue sticking out as she smiled.


    "If you only need my seed, then I do not see how removing¡ª"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    And before Riley could finish his words, a loud snap echoed throughout the entire hut as Osk suddenly pped him on the face.


    "Rip off my fucking top and call me a fucking whore!"


    "I am not going to call you that, whore."


    "..."


    "I apologize, it just came out naturally," Is this how themarians mate? Was Riley''s thought as he watched as Osk continued to rub her hips on his leg. If they liked being treated rough, then shouldn''t Aerith at least have some feelings for him? After all, he did dissect her and trapped him inside his closet for hours.


    "Don''t stop," Osk grabbed Riley''s hand and ced it on her top, "Vite me, Riley Ross. Vite me like an animal."


    "..." And with a subtle sigh, Riley''s hand just lightly tightened, before tearing off Osk''s top.


    Riley might have underestimated the strength of Osk''s top, however, as he also pulled her closer to him. Her now bare breasts, bouncing right in front of Riley''s face; her nipples which were already perked up, brushing across Riley''s lips.


    "Hn!" And as her clothes snapped on her skin, Osk ced her lips on top of Riley''s; the tips of her fingers, almost digging through Riley''s chest as she stuck her tongue inside Riley''s mouth.


    "He¡­hehe."


    Her heavy breaths started to warm Riley''s nose as she chuckled; her bright silver eyes, reflecting his face as she very slowly started moving away-- moving down.


    Riley could feel the warmth of Osk''s breath moving from his neck, trailing all the way down to his waist; the wetness of her tongue, damping Riley''s belly button while her fingers subtly tore Riley''s pants.


    "...Oh?" Osk then gasped as the thing between Riley''s legs inserted itself between her soft,rge breasts. And even with it hidden between her bosoms, she could still feel its tip hitting her neck.


    "Hmm¡­" Osk once again giggled; her damp breaths, wrapping around Riley''s lower head, "You don''t sound excited, but this¡­ rod of yours sure is."


    "That is something that is beyond my control. I could use my telekinesis to stop it, but that would¡ª!!!"


    "It''s time for this guy to talk."


    And once again, before Riley could finish his words, he could not help but instinctively take in a deep breath as he felt a sudden jolt violently throughout his entire body. And so, Riley finally removed his eyes from the ceiling as he looked at Osk, only to see her lightly biting¡­his skin.


    "Hehe," A giggle once again escaped Osk''s lips; the smile on her face, growing as she returned Riley''s surprised gaze. And without even saying anything else, she wrapped Riley''s thing with the warmth of the insides of her mouth.


    "..." Riley could not help but look to the sides of the hut. Once again, Theran caused him to not know what to do. This Theran, however, was literally eating him whole.


    "Hmn¡­hn," Osk removed one of her hands away from Riley, cing it between her thighs as she spread her legs. And with just a light tap, Osk''s moan started to escape from her nose¡­ and with a light brush, her moans became wails.


    "Gkh¡­"


    Riley then heard a gag as he felt the warmth of Osk''s mouth wrapping him even more; her tongue twirling around his thing until it couldn''t anymore.


    "Grawk¡­" And then, another gag whispered in the air as Osk pushed her head even closer¡­her throat, very slowly expanding.


    And then, Riley''s thing was suddenly released as Osk gasped for air; she did not even bother wiping the saliva and juices trailing down her lips as she kneeled closer to Riley''s waist.


    "Now that we''re both brutally wet," Osk then ced her wet fingers inside her mouth and stuck out her tongue; her eyes looking straight at Riley''s face; her butt, very slowly rising on top of Riley''s thing,


    "I am going to need all of your seed."

 Chapter 584 584: Oyster

    "What sort of creatures did you see in the Unknown, Princess Aerith!?"


    "I¡­ still haven''t explored much of it. But the Unknown ispletely different from the Known Universe. Thews we know here barely apply there. And wow¡­ wow¡­


    ¡­What is in this thing?"


    The festivities were loud.


    Aerith could hear everyone around her cheering and shouting; their words, traveling even through the thickyer of snow that endlessly drowns the entire encampment in white and cold.


    Cold.


    At least that''s what is supposed to be wrapping Aerith right now, but no; the only thing wrapping her right now was the exaggerated warmth crawling through her skin, prating deep into her bones. Just a few seconds ago, she was getting ready to leave with Riley¡ªbut now, she could not even center her thoughts.


    The only thing she knows right now is that there was a mug the size of her head in her hand, filled with wine her lips have never touched before.


    "What is in this thing?"


    Aerith could not help but repeat her words as everything around her started to be¡­ weird. Everyone''s eyes seemed clearer, as if Aerith could see her entire life in each and every one of them.


    "And why can''t I stop drinking it?" Aerith then let out a small giggle as she chugged the entire mug; her legs, seemingly moving on their own as they pushed the heavy snow beneath her feet. It wasn''t only her, each and every one of the members of the sisterhood was dancing andughing.


    "Wait, where¡­ where''s Riley?" Aerith just drank an entire mug, and yet she cleared her throat several times as she started looking around for her murderouspanion,


    "Riley!? We need to go right¡ªPft¡­"


    And for some reason, Aerith just couldn''t help herself fromughing as she suddenly imagined Riley dancing along with them.


    "Riley!" Aerith once again screamed as she started walking away from the crowd. It was starting to feel weird¡ªthere were more than 50 of them here, and yet Aerith was slowly feeling like she was the only one there.


    There was music flowing, and yet for some reason, the only thing she could hear was a whistle. The chilling fractals of snow that was once almost non-existent to her, she could now feel as it touches the skin of her shoulders.


    "...Uh," Aerith could then hear her own breath as everything started to move slowly¡ªand not in the way that the themarians could sense things moving even at the speed of light¨Cno, it was almost as if time itself slowed down.


    "Hoo¡­" Aerith''s breaths started to tremble as the snow on her shoulders started to melt, inserting themselves through the openings of her cors and wetting her neck. The melted snow should be cold, and yet it was almost as if someone''s hand was wrapping around her neck¡­ slowly trailing down her vicles and in between her chest.


    "Hn¡ª" Aerith quickly covered her mouth as a moan threatened to escape from her lips. She looked at the others to see if they noticed, but they seemed to be busy dancing amongst themselves.


    Weird, Aerith thought. Just seconds ago, all of them were just talking and catching up¡ªbut now, all of them were just lost. The heat from their bodies, now melting the snow even before it couldnd their heads.


    Heat.


    "..." Aerith then cradled herself, only for her to quickly move her hands away as she felt¡­ an almost burning sensation touch her skin. Aerith then once again touched her arm, this time, just gently tapping.


    "!!!"


    And with just a light touch, Aerith gritted her teeth as a trickle of electricity seemed to pierce through her bones, causing her head to tremble and her throat to once again turn dry.


    "Guys¡­" Aerith once again looked at her empty mug, before her eyes started trailing around the snowy encampment for something else to drink. But then, the woman that had been filling her mug once again appeared in front of her; this time, however, she seemedpletely out of it as she just danced while waving around therge keg.


    "...I''m thirsty. Can I have more of that?" Aerith then gulped. The woman, however, just nced at her¡ªand with a smile, nodded her head and started filling up Aerith''s mug.


    "There''s more where this came from, Princess," the woman nodded her head as most of the wineing out of the kegnded straight on the snowy ground,


    "There''s been a migration of Kahn Mollusc wine near our holetely, so there''s lots¡­ and lots¡­ and lots¡­


    ¡­and lots."


    And with those words repeatedly whispering in Aerith''s ears, her hand lost all of its strength; dropping the mug and also her mouth.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Kahn Mollusc, you mean¡­" Aerith''s eyes started to turn wide; her pupils, seemingly not knowing whether to erge or reduce in size.


    Kahn Mollusc, its closest equivalent to Earth are oysters¡ªexcept perhaps a million times more potent.


    An aphrodisiac on themarian steroids.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Riley!" Aerith then let out a scream strong enough to cause a ripple in the air clearing out all the snow within the encampment,


    "Leave this ce, now!"


    There''s really only one use for kahn mollusc, and that is for themarians to be excited for heated sexual intercourse that is about to take ce. And Riley, as the only male in the encampment¡­


    ¡­was the only target. With his broad shoulders, skin that is even smoother than hers, the ferocity that was just oozing out of his¡ª


    "Oh no¡­" Aerith quickly shook her head off of the dangerous thoughts that were slowly rising deep within everything other than her rational mind,


    "Oh no, no¡­ this can''t be happening."


    Aerith could really only drop to the cold ground as the thoughts rushed into her like a storm. The snow that dropped like rain from their heat, causing every inch of Aerith''s skin to turn¡­ moist.


    And soon, she felt a loud beat drumming from her chest.


    "..." Aerith then gritted her teeth as she closed her eyes; trying her best to collect herself. If she could not collect her thoughts, then she would at least try to collect and calm her raging breaths.


    A second.


    A minute.


    An hour.


    5 hours. She had been sitting on the ground for 5 hours with her eyes closed; her breaths had be calm; her thoughts, however, grew worse by the second.


    "Aerith."


    "!!!"


    Aerith''s entire body once again jolted as she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulders, she quickly looked behind her, only to see Riley standing there¡ªhis torso,pletely exposed and almost glittering with the snow.


    "R¡ª"


    "I believe it is time for us to leave."


    And before Aerith could even open her mouth, she felt Riley''s chiseled but gentle arms wrapping around her; her vision shifting as Riley carried her away from the encampment and through the hole down the Subtheran.


    "..." Aerith could really only bite her lip as she felt the warmth of Riley''s chest on her cheeks. And soon, as they were wrapped in the darkness of the hole, Aerith identally ced her lips on Riley''s chest.


    "Hm¡­" Aerith quickly leaned her head away as she cleared her throat. She quickly looked at Riley''s face to see if he noticed, but even as they escaped the darkness and basked in the light of the Subtheran¡ªRiley''s face remained stoic as he continued to dive down.


    "..." Aerith stared at his eyes which reflected everything around it, and then toward his lips which seemed like they could swallow her whole. And then, out of her control¡­


    ¡­her lips very slowly started to move toward Riley''s.

 Chapter 585 585: The Princess Rebelling

    She knew it was wrong. The history they shared, the morality of all of it¡ªeverything is wrong, and it will always be. One could even say it was ethically wrong, which it truly is.


    And she didn''t want this, she truly didn''t want this.


    ¡­So why were her lips very slowly moving closer to Riley''s?


    Is this truly the effect of the kahn mollusc? Or was there actually this deep, dark desire inside her that wanted this¡­that needed this? She is made of flesh and blood, her body has needs and that is normal.


    And perhaps in the most fucked up twist of fate, Riley was the only one here. This is something out of her control¡ªif she had the choice, it wouldn''t be Riley. It wouldn''t be the man that killed and tortured millions of children andughed while doing so. It wouldn''t be the man who vowed to kill everything in the universe.


    But if not him, then who?


    Would it be with a stranger? Anyone would have actually been better than Riley, even a man he doesn''t know¡ªthat should be the case.


    So why, why couldn''t she imagine someone else? Is it because the warmth of Riley''s chest is the only thing wrapping her right now?


    Is that it? No, that should be the only reason. The aphrodisiac''s effect is so strong that not even the mightiest of themarians could handle it¡­


    ¡­that was the only reason. And sadly for Aerith, that was the only reason her body needed as her lips still made their way to Riley''s.


    So close. Their lips were now so close to each other that Aerith could feel the warmth of Riley''s breaths touching upon them¡ªshe still had enough distance to leave, to just lean her head away¡­


    ¡­but she doesn''t want to. She knew she was going to regret this, but so what?


    Hasn''t she suffered enough? Hasn''t she given enough already? She wasn''t Megawoman anymore, she was just a woman that didn''t belong anywhere else¡­


    ¡­she was just a woman being cradled by a man that confessed his love for her.


    That was it. Riley told her that he loved her.


    No matter how wrong, no matter how fucked up the scenario is now¡ªthere was no one else but Riley. He knew her¡ªout of all the trillions of people in the universe, he was the only one that truly knows her, in more ways than one.


    And so, with all of her doubtspletely gone; she let go of the heavy breaths inside of her and leaned closer for the final time as she ced her lips on Riley''s¡­cheek.


    "...Hm?" Aerith could really only blink as she felt Riley''s cheek on her lips. She stayed like this for a couple of seconds, before retracting her head and looking at Riley.


    "I heard of the effects of the aphrodisiac, Aerith," Riley said; his eyes, turned away from Aerith as he continued to fly beneath the ceiling of the Subtheran,


    "You will lose yourself into a frenzy and will want to have sexual intercourse with the first man you see. This¡­ isn''t you, Aerith."


    And with those words, Riley suddenly dived down, descending onto the cold waters of the Subtheran.


    "..." Aerith immediately closed her eyes as the heat wrapping her body was enough to almost cause the water around her to boil. Riley was probably thinking that this would dissipate the effects of the kahn mollusc, but no¡ªthe only thing it did was make the feeling of his chest warmer, causing Aerith to wrap her arms around him.


    The two of them, just floating in the endless water; the beating of their heart and the bubbles that formed around them, almost like a marching band that heightened their senses even more.


    And with Riley lifting them up from the water, the warmth of his breath once again wrapped her entire body; her arms, more so not wanting to let Riley go.


    "Aerith, look."


    "..."


    "..."


    Aerith stared at Riley''s face for a few seconds instead of looking where Riley was looking. But as she saw the view reflected in his eyes, she very slowly turned her head away.


    It was the view of the mountains¡ªa view simr to the alps where she and Riley first had a real conversation.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You¡­" Aerith''s breaths became stuttered as tears suddenly trailed from her eyes, "You¡­ you shouldn''t have done this."


    Emotions are heightened dramatically while in the effects of the kahn mollusc¡ªand now, as the view of the mountains caused her to feel all sorts of emotions, her heart became even more confused.


    Riley was showing and making her feel everything that she ever wanted. It made her body need him even more.


    "Riley¡­" Aerith then took in a small gulp as she once again looked at Riley; the two of them, just sitting on the cliff with the soft grass as their bed; the skin of her bare arms, still touching Riley''s chest,


    "...No one has to know of this."


    And with those words, Aerith suddenly leaned closer to Riley¡­ finally cing her lips upon his.


    "..." Riley was about to lean away, but before he could do so, Aerith wrapped her arms around his neck, pushing his hair as she grabbed the back of his head.


    "Hn¡­n," Aerith could not help but release her stuttered breaths as she felt the inside of Riley''s mouth as she stuck out her tongue; the strings of their saliva, still bridging the two of them as she leaned her head away to look at Riley''s face.


    "This¡­ is wrong," she then said as she very slowly leaned her body back; her hands, holding Riley''s arms as she let her back fall onto the soft grass. And with a slight tug, she pulled Riley closer to her; his entire body, now on top of her.


    "..." Riley could really only stare at Aerith''s wet face; her teeth which were slowly exposed as she lightly bit her lower lip, causing her to look even more vulnerable than when her organs were exposed back in Riley''s closet.


    "I''ve¡­ I''ve made many mistakes in my life," Aerith then whispered as she once again wrapped her arms around Riley''s neck, "I¡­ want this to be one of them."


    "Aerith," Riley lightly brushed Aerith''s cheek with her fingers,


    "I want it to not be a mistake."


    "..." Aerith''s hands that were slowly caressing Riley''s hair abruptly stopped as she heard his words; her eyes, widening as a gasp escaped her lips. And soon, she tightened her embrace and once again pulled Riley even closer to hers; his body, now directly touching Aerith''s, pinning down her breasts as Riley''s breaths trickled down her neck.


    "I''m tired, Riley¡­" And then, Aerith''s whimpers soon became whimpers as her tears gushed out like a dam finally allowed to rest, "I am so, so tired of just everything."


    "I know, Aerith."


    "Why¡­ why do I even need to help people? Why does it matter?"


    "Because that is who you are, Aerith¡ªthat is what you are, a beacon of hope in the midst of all trash in the universe."


    "But I don''t want to be that. I just want to leave and go away."


    "You can''t do that, Aerith."


    "I know, but this¡­" Aerith then very slowly wrapped her legs around Riley''s, "...But this, I can do. So¡­


    ¡­I want to."


    "..."


    "Please, even if it''s not my will¡­" Aerith''s breaths once again became heavier as she started caressing Riley''s back; her mind, getting hazier and fading by the second,


    "...even if it''s a mistake, I don''t care anymore."


    "Aerith."


    "...Riley."


    "Sleep."

 Chapter 586 586: Riley, Aerith, And A Trillion Lives (R-18)

    "Riley."


    "Aerith."


    "What do you think of this? Should we live here next?"


    "What is wrong with this ce?"


    "Riley, look at that."


    "Where?"


    "Exactly, there''s nothing there. There''s nothing here!"


    Somewhere far away from Theran, in an uncountable yearster¡ªRiley and Aerith were on barrennd. Devoid of anything other than their warmth as they cradled under a red moon; their bodies, only covered by a single piece of nket.


    "There''s you and me, Aerith. Isn''t that the only thing that matters?"


    "...Hn," Aerith could really only close her eyes as she rested her head on Riley''s bare chest; her body that was also bare, also wrapping Riley beneath the nket; her soft white thighs, on top of Riley''s waist,


    "But I want to see and meet people," Aerith snuggled her cheeks on Riley''s chest; her lips, pecking his neck from time to time, "Do you not miss interacting with other pe¡ªRiley!"


    "Sorry, it''s out of my control."


    "..." Aerith squinted her eyes as she felt something warm and hard hitting her thighs. But after a few seconds of staring at each other''s eyes, Aerith excitedly climbed on top of Riley; their nket, sliding down on her bare back.


    Her breasts, slightly pinned together by her arms as she held herself up by holding Riley''s chest. Her thighs that were slowly sliding on Riley''sp, moving at the same time as her crawling smile.


    "I''m on top this time," Aerith whispered; her heavy breaths, causing her breasts to pop out even more between her arms.


    "You''ve always been on top of me, Aerith¡­ always."


    "You¡­" Aerith ced a finger on Riley''s lips, "...You haven''t changed."


    And with those words, Aerith raised her lips; her other hand, crawling across Riley''s abs before grabbing the thing that''s been hitting her belly since earlier¡­ pushing it between her thighs; there was almost no resistance as it just slid there.


    And then, with her biting her lips, Aerith very slowly lowered her hips.


    "Hn¡­" Aerith released a breath that quickly turned into a moan; her entire body, shivering as Riley entered inside her,


    "It''s¡­ I still can''t get used to the size."


    "Hm?"


    "Hup!" Aerith gritted her teeth; her butt, almost bouncing as Riley suddenly raised his hips, inserting the rest of him inside her.


    "Don''t you think it''s time, Aerith?"


    "Hm¡­ hmn?" Aerith''s breaths shuddered as she started moving her hips.


    "For us to have a child."


    "...Riley?" Aerith turned to look at Riley for a few seconds, before her hips started moving even faster, "I do¡­ I do think it''s time."


    "Maybe we should marry too."


    Aerith let her body fall on Riley, her hips, still moving as she ced her lips on Riley''s.


    "I¡­ I think so too," Aerith then whispered, "But why¡­ why are you proposing to me while we''re doing it?"


    "We''re always doing it."


    "That¡­ that''s true," Aerith said as she once again sat up; her hips, almost bouncing as her fingers crawled between her thighs.


    "Kh¡­" Aerith then started touching herself as her all of her breaths became moans; her hips, moving without pause,


    "I¡­ I think I''m¡­ I''m about to¡ªHn!" And as a scream escaped her lips, a jolt shocked and crawled through her skin; her thighs, bing sensitive to even the slightest breeze of air as she once again fell on top of Riley,


    "W¡­ wait, don''t¡­ don''t move."


    "I need to, Aerith. How else would I impregnate you?"


    "That''s¡ª!!!"


    And with her entire body now feeling everything of Riley, her eyes started to also tremble as shepletely lost all of herself. Her screams, echoing across the entire barren.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Riley¡­" And now, a few hourster, with their breaths musking the air around them; Aerith once again rested her head on top of Riley''s chest,


    "Getting married¡­ were you serious?"


    "Of course."


    "I¡­ see," Aerith giggled as she snuggled closer to Riley, rubbing her nose on his chest,


    "I¡­ wish Hannah was here to witness us getting married."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hannah?"


    "Hm."


    "Who''s that?"


    "...What?" Aerith blinked a couple of times before she quickly lifted herself up and backed away from Riley. But then, as her hands touched the ground, the once barrennd became filled with blood¡­ billions of corpses, stacked on top of each other.


    And then,ying on top of that was her and Riley.


    "What¡­ what''s this?" Aerith looked at her hands which werepletely painted with blood.


    "What are you saying, Aerith?"


    "Huh?" Aerith then turned to look at Riley, only to see him resting on the heads of everyone they ever knew.


    The two of them, resting on a throne made from genocide.


    "You''re the one who cleared this, Aerith."


    "No¡­" Aerith shook her head as she started crawling away.


    "This is it, Aerith. Just one more¡­


    ¡­and this will be the 3rd Universe that we have turned into nothing."


    "That''s not¡­ that''s not true!"


    "But it is¡­


    ¡­You did this."


    "No!"


    Aerith then gasped; the scenery in front of her, suddenly changing back into the alps.


    "..." Aerith then started looking around, only to realize that her head was resting on Riley''s shoulder; the two of them, asleep beside a tree.


    "A¡­ dream?" Aerith then whispered to herself. She was about to stand up but realized that she was covered with a nket.


    "..." Aerith''s calm breaths once again started to shiver as she quickly grabbed the nket. And then, as she held her breaths, she very slowly lifted the nket¡­


    ¡­only to see that she was still fully clothed.


    "Oh¡­" Aerith once again let out a loud sigh of relief, "...That''s¡­ that''s one way to wake up."


    Aerith then stood up, quickly realizing something when she did so¡ªaside from the weird andrge tree behind them, everything was gone.


    The other nts, the grass, even the cliff had cracks and crevices.


    "You were moving in your sleep, Aerith."


    "...Huh?" Aerith quickly looked at Riley, who was already folding the nket.


    "Your unconscious self was still trying to have intercourse with me even after I knocked you out, Aerith."


    "That''s¡­ let''s just promise each other never to talk about this again."


    "If that is what you wish, Aerith," Riley nodded as the nket shrunk into the size of a handkerchief, which is what it was as Riley ced it in his pocket,


    "What were you dreaming about, Aerith?"


    "A nightmare that will¡ªthat can never happen," Aerith squinted her eyes as she looked at Riley, "And why are you still not wearing a shirt?"


    "I figured my body would be morefortable for you, Aerith."


    "Shut¨CJust stop saying things like that," Aerith groaned, "Nothing happened between us, and that''s that. We''re not having a child, and we''re not getting married!"


    "...Marriage?"


    "Stop! I''m too tired for this," Aerith covered her view of Riley with her hand, "Let''s just go to our next destination."


    "Hm," Riley nodded as his ck suit started forming from his pants,


    "Where are we going?"


    "To the Common Council."


    "We''re going outside Theran territory?"


    "Hm," Aerith nodded, "They will freak out if we don''t tell them about New Theran¡ªa piloted filled with themarians is not necessarily something they would want to see."


    "I suppose so."


    "But first¡­


    ¡­We''re going to meet Hannah and the others."

 Chapter 587 587: Lingering Feelings

    "You know how to navigate your way around the Subtheran, Aerith? How do you know which hole we should take to get to our destination?"


    "Riley, I was born on this."


    "You''ve memorized all the holes? I would assume there are lots of new ones since thest time you were here. You even know where Hannah is, do you have some sort of secretwork of ninjas working undercover all around Theran?"


    "...I feel like you really have a very skewed impression of me."


    "Or perhaps you''ve mastered your hearing and could hear each and every living thing in the entire universe."


    "What? No. I have mastered my hearing but¡ªI don''t even know why I''m exining myself to you."


    Riley and Aerith were traveling through the Subtheran, calmly flying in the air just inches below the underground world''s endless ceiling. They could move faster away from the ceiling, but that would attract unnecessary wildlife that would try their luck for a meal, as well as nosy people.


    Only Aerith was actually flying, as once again, Riley did what he had always done whenever he was flying with Aerith¡ªjust attach himself to her with some sort of telekic towing chain.


    "Look, it''s not anything grand like that."


    And during this flight, Aerith had lost count of how many groans escaped her mouth from Riley''s incessant questions. She, however, for some reason, hasn''t noticed that despite her annoyance, she has been answering Riley''s question with a subtle smile on her face.


    "I''m just using this," Aerith then threw something at Riley.


    "This¡­" Riley looked at the familiar thing he just caught, "...What is this ck and hard¡ª"


    "Can you stop saying things people can easily misunderstand? That''s a Teera X120," Aerith once again groaned as she shook her head; her hair, almost stretched back as she hastened her speed,


    "It''s the same thing I gave that superhero actress. So no, I don''t have awork of ninjas. I''ve just been video calling with Hera for a while now and asked for their location."


    "Video calling?" Riley looked at the Teera X120, before letting it float back to Aerith, "Are you not worried that the Kingdom will track you down, Aerith?"


    "Track me down?" Aerith scoffed before her chuckles whispered to Riley''s ears, "It seems you still haven''t learned enough about the themarians¡ªthey hate relying on tech. We may look the same, but our civilizations could not have evolved more differently. Our entertainment outlets, as well as forms of long-rangemunication, arepletely different from Earth."


    "I recall Princess Tifa being surrounded by tech, Aerith."


    "Oh, auntie? I did hear you were spending a lot of time with her while you were in the castle," Aerith nodded, before a long and deep sigh escaped her lips, "She''s cool, a little speciesist though. Her children, however, are all idiots. I mean, what can I say? I''m the best out of all the cousins."


    "I recall you being considered as the disappointment of the family, Aerith," Riley squinted his eyes as he ced his hand on his chin; his body, as if standing on something in the air as he started walking nearer Aerith even as she flew slowly at Mach speeds.


    "What? Were you just trying to roast me?"


    "You don''t have to worry, Aerith," Riley nodded several times as he stood in the air beside Aerith, "If we are mentioning family disappointments, you will not be able to defeat me."


    "...What?" Aerith once again let out a chuckle she couldn''t control; this time, however, she started to notice. And as soon as she did so, she quickly pushed Riley back and looked away¡ªher hand, almost trying to literally rub the smile off of her face.


    Weird, Aerith thought. Were the effects of the kahn mollusc still lingering inside her? It should, that would be the only reason she would even be smiling with every word that Riley says¡ªonly teenagers with a crush do something like that, and she was already more than¡ªshe was already reaching a thousand years old.


    "..." Aerith then nced at Riley, only to see him with his head tilted as he stared at her.


    Nope, no¡ªAerith quickly looked away. How could she even be starting to form feelings?


    The only reason her mind was in a mess is because of the kahn mollusc. There was also the undeniable fact that Riley is the only man she has been in close contact with for a few years--of course, she would start thinking of unnecessary things.


    "Pf¡ª" Aerith took in a deep breath as she forcefully stopped the giggle trying to escape her mouth. Why was she acting like a hormonal teenager!?


    Aerith started shaking her head several times, trying her best to physically fend off whatever it was she was starting to feel. But then, as she was doing so, the breeze that was violently wafting across her face as she flew disappeared; reced by a gentle wind that just cooled down her face.


    "I apologize, Aerith. I should have ced a barrier in front of you to avoid getting the insects on your face."


    "What?"


    "Is that not why you are shaking your head? To remove the insects that sttered on your face?"


    No. The only thing I need to remove from my head is your face."


    "What?"


    "What?" Aerith rolled her eyes, before grabbing the Teera X120 and just focusing on it. Riley seemed to be saying something, but she chose topletely ignore it for the rest of their flight. And finally, after what seemed like an hour¡ªAerith and Riley entered through a hole and once again finally basked in the light of the sun.


    "Where are we right now, Aerith?"


    "Hel."


    And even as they reached the surface, Aerith still kept her words unfeeling and concise; not even ncing at Riley as she started running at a speed faster than her flight back on the Subtheran. As for Riley, he was still just casually standing; his entire body, bouncing and vibrating as Aerith weaved and hopped across the surface.


    Riley did not really bother looking around as it was all a blur, and just chose to stare at Aerith''s back as she ran¡ªhis mind, thinking how it would look if Aerith still had her Megawoman outfit. But perhaps, he didn''t have to imagine?


    "Aerith," Riley said as he casually walked closer to Aerith again. Aerith, however, did not nce at him and just continued to run.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "We''re near," Aerith scoffed, "Don''t ask too many¡ª"


    But s, Riley pulled something out of his suit that she couldn''t ignore¡­


    ¡­her Megawoman outfit.


    "Are you not going to wear this¡ª"


    "Give me that!"


    And before Riley could even finish his words, Aerith quickly grabbed the clothes; grabbing them tight on her side as she red at Riley.


    "Why do you even have this!?" Aerith abruptly stopped running; causing her to slide on the ground as she looked Riley straight in the eyes, "And where are you putting all of the things you''re pulling out!?"


    "I have gained the ability to change my own and an object''s size at will, Aerith. Didn''t I already show you¡ª"


    "Where. Did. You. Put. This!?"


    "In my pocket, Aerith," Riley squinted his eyes as he slightly tilted his head, "Where did you think I put it?"


    "Don''t. Don''t go there," Aerith pinched the bridge of her nose. But after a few breaths to calm herself down, she shook her head and unfolded her outfit; her skirt, flowing along with the wind.


    "Do you miss wearing it, Aerith?"


    "No," a small smile started to crawl on Aerith''s face as she shook her head, "I don''t even know why I didn''t upgrade my outfit. This design looks¡­ so old."


    "But so are you, Aerith."


    "I am going to let that pass since you''re bringing me some good memories, you little brat," Aerith could not help but chuckle as she stared at her outfit,


    "...This isn''t the original, is it?"


    "No, I bought another one at a cosy store, Aerith. I had that delivered directly before we left Earth."


    "...But Diana''s ship was inside a secure location."


    "The courier said he can deliver anywhere, at any time, Aerith. I haven''t actually tried asking if he can deliver on Theran."


    "Wh¡ªNever mind about that," Aerith rolled her eyes, before throwing the outfit''s top to Riley, and proceeding to try on the skirt over her tight white pants,


    "I wonder if this can even fit me. I think I might have gained a little weight."


    "Do not worry, Aerith. I alter that every week ording to your current waistline."


    "...What?"


    "But if it is a little tight, then perhaps you can remove your pants."


    "Not in a million years, Riley. I am not going to---"


    "...Megawoman? Riley...?"


    And then, while Aerith was untteringly slightly bent over in front of Riley; with both her hands holding a skirt that was now wrapping her thighs which made it look like she was removing it instead¡­


    ...several voices started whispering from the side.


    And so, Aerith could really only very slowly turn her head toward the voices, only to see Hannah and the others were standing there with their mouths slightly agape; their eyes, trailing back and forth between her and Riley.


    "This¡­" Aerith could really only smile at the awkward, and clearly easy-to-misunderstand situation,


    "...This isn''t what it looks like. Riley''s just a child in my eyes."


    "..."


    "..."


    ¡­That might have made it worse.


    "I can exin. I wasn''t removing the skirt, I was trying to wear it."


    "..."


    "..."


    And now, it was even worse.

 Chapter 588 588: The Unexpected Trio

    "I can exin. I wasn''t removing my skirt, I was wearing it."


    "..."


    "..."


    "That might not have sounded right, but there''s a logical exnation to this."


    "..."


    "..."


    Hannah, Tomoe, Ts, Vera, and Hera were still looking back and forth between Riley and Aerith; their faces,pletely nk.


    But after a few more times of their eyes meeting, Hannah just shrugged her shoulders as she made her way to Riley.


    "Are you annoying Megawoman again?"


    "I believe so, sister."


    "Tch," Hannah clicked her tongue several times as she ced her arm over Riley''s shoulders, and then, with a big breath¡­


    ¡­she punched Riley straight in the stomach.


    "You little shit! We''re out here exploring god knows where and you''re just following Megawoman like a puppy!? Do you see that thing!? That''s a fucking!"


    "I see it now, sister," Riley blinked a couple of times as he finally noticed the colossal-like sphere covering the skies, "I was busy watching Aerith try to wear her old uniform."


    "So, that really was your doing!? Why, I should fucking kill you¡ª"


    "Riley!"


    And before Hannah could finish her words, a silhouette suddenly jumped out from behind Hera and the others¡ªshooting straight into Riley''s arm and slightly pushing Hannah away; her slightly curly orange hair, slightly blocking Riley''s entire view.


    "Paige?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he recognized the clump of hair, "Weren''t you staying in the castle?"


    "Megawoman sent people to fetch me!" Paige''s voice was incredibly high-pitched as she tightened her embrace around Riley''s neck, "I knew it, I knew you would find a way to free her!"


    "I didn''t really do anything, Paige. Aerith was able to free herself, all she needed was to want to be so."


    "Hm¡­ As expected of Megawoman."


    "...I really feel like you kids have this grandiose idea about me."


    "Wait, Paige. I am not done with my brother yet!"


    "Oh, yes. Of course," Paige then quickly let go of Riley, before squinting and pointing at his eyes and saying, "Sorry, but you need to deal with your sister yourself."


    "I have always done so, Pai¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words,


    "..." And while Hannah was busy strangling Riley, Aerith looked at the others; only to see them not even minding or thinking of something else from her situation. Was¡­ she just overthinking it? Were the lingering effects of the kahn mollusc making her overthink that people would think there was something even slightly romantic going on with her and Riley?


    That was probably just it¡ªis what Aerith thought. But as soon as her eyes strayed toward Hera, she knew that someone else could feel the invisible tension she was feeling. Hera was just staring at her with a cheeky smile on her face; her head, subtly nodding in approval. No, it wasn''t really subtle at all, as both her thumbs were slowly raising.


    "!!!"


    And then, all of a sudden, Hera just yelped as Aerith suddenly appeared in front of her; her hands, already gripping her raised thumbs.


    "It''s¡­ it''s good to see that all of you are still in one piece," Aerith then said as she looked Hera straight in the eyes, "It was the right decision to leave the device with you."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "R¡­ right," Hera awkwardly chuckled as she tried to pull her thumbs away, but was unable to even budge Aerith''s hands for even a single millimeter.


    "Speaking of that." And finally, after what seemed like an eternity of Hannah choking Riley and messing up his hair, Hannah left him be and approached Aerith,


    "I think we deserve to know what''s happening here, Miss Megawoman."


    "Just¡­ call me Aerith," Aerith gently let go of Hera''s hand; her eyes, looking at the others one by one as she sighed, "Well¡­ this is going to be a long exnation."


    ***


    "Share your thoughts?"


    After a long 1 minute, each and every one of the women carried different expressions on their faces.


    "No offense, Megawoman¡ªbut that''s a little fucked up and doesn''t make sense at all," Hannah had her eyebrows slightly raised; her arm, still wrapped around Riley''s neck, "That''s practically forced segregation and mass putting all of your elderly in a home, which in this case is Theran."


    "Theran will still be Theran, I am just giving those that need more a chance to experience more."


    "It is not entirely without merit," Tomoe, whose presence was aplete shadow on the side, has been nodding her head since earlier, "Bad parents should be eradicated from the face of the universe."


    "...We''re not eradicating anyone."


    "I don''t really care as long as this New Theran has a beach," Hera shrugged, "And I''ve kinda seen firsthand how people treat each other here¡ªnot really pleasant."


    "Hm¡­"


    "Your people are your own. I know themarians have stuck to their old ways, but I can never really imagine abandoning my mother," Vera, who was now justpletely going with the flow, just shook her head, "But then again, for your own family to humiliate and want to execute you shows how skewed the themarians are."


    "I have met your mother before, she''s of good heart. If not a little violent."


    "We used to have a tradition in my tribe," Ts also joined in; her expression, showing her true age despite her now youthful appearance, "We cull the elderly and the sick so that they will not be able to hinder the activities of the rest of the tribe. You need to do what you must, not for those that live in the past, but for those that will carry it in the future."


    "...We''re not ughtering anyone."


    "Uhm¡­" Paige raised her hand as thest person who still hasn''t spoken, "...I know what you went through since I was there to see it all. But¡­


    ¡­have you ever really tried to talk with your parents? Or maybe even set up a diplomatic way between both countries to maybe just allow them to voluntarily choose, or maybe even set up an application on who boards the New Theran?"


    "..."


    Aerith only shook her head, "The King refuses to speak and even listen to me. I have not even seen my mother''s face even once since we arrived here¡ªthey have made their opinions known."


    "I don''t know¡­" Paige squinted her eyes as she turned to look at Hannah, "...It doesn''t seem like something Megawoman would do, right?"


    "Hey," Hannah raised both her hands as she shook her head, "As I said, it''s a little fucked up."


    "Guys, I''m not Megawoman¡ªthat''s not me," Aerith sighed, "Thank you for all of your opinions. It''s¡­ helping me change some parts of my n."


    "And so, when are you and my brother leaving for the Council?" Hannah then wrapped her arms around Riley''s arm, "Are you sure I can''t go with the two of you?"


    "Caiin¡ªyour mother will kill me if I bring two of her children away. And I think she needs you for something here," Aerith sighed, "But I do need Princess Vera¡­


    ¡­It''s time for you to go home, child."


    "Wait, you''re taking me with him?" Vera forced out a chuckle as she pointed at Riley, "No. I would rather rot here. He¡ªno, wait¡­ you''re still wanted by the Common Council. I changed my mind¡­


    ¡­I need to see this."

 Chapter 589 589: Mother And Daughter

    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "I don''t really appreciate being dragged around like this, Rebel Princess."


    "Just wait until we reach my terminal, it''s just beyond the territory. And why are you calling me that?"


    "Sorry, just a force of habit¡ªeveryone knows you as the Rebel Princess."


    In the vast expanse of the universe, somewhere in Theran territory, Aerith was carrying Vera with one hand using a harness, while Riley was following them from behind. The cor around Vera''s neck, removed by Aerith before they left the.


    Riley was initially going to also attach Vera to Aerith via a telekic chain¡ªbut Vera adamantly refused.


    And so, right now, she was wearing some sort of mask to help breathe in a proper amount of oxygen. But that wasn''t the mask''s only purpose, it also allowed Vera to privately talked with Aerith.


    "Anyway, when are we going to secretly kill Riley?" Vera then said; making sure she was looking forward so that Riley won''t notice she was plotting his demise, "That''s the true reason you brought me, right?" Vera


    "...No."


    "Until when are you going to tolerate his existence? Riley is a bane to this universe¡ªhe said so himself. Wait¡­


    ¡­don''t tell me you''re actually starting to get all chummy chummy with the guy?


    "No one''s getting chummy chummy with anyone."


    "But you are. You think I''m blind? I don''t know how you long-lived species think, but I will never forgive the person that massacred my brother and a hundred of my people¡ªno matter how much time passes."


    "That was out of my control... and I''m not forgiving, Vera. I am adapting," Aerith could really only sigh as she shook her head. Now that she was sure the effects of the kahn mollusc werepletely out of her system, she was finally able to think clearly of things rting to Riley Ross. She was sure of it now, the only reason she was having those disturbing thoughts is that the mollusc still had lingering effects.


    There was no way she would be developing feelings for someone like Riley Ross¡ªnever.


    "Riley Ross is a creature that is even more durable than themarians¡ªa true immortal like the Pirate Queen Xra. Except unlike the Pirate Queen, if the right conditions are met, he will grow even stronger than before."


    "Then just trap him inside a different dimension."


    Aerith''s hand slightly flinched as Vera tried to face her.


    "Technology like that doesn''t exist yet. We''re not even sure if there really are different universes out there."


    "No, not an entire universe, just a small dimension¡ªa pocket dimension."


    "Technology like that doesn''t exist yet," Aerith repeated her words as she sighed.


    "It does," Vera''s voice slightly lowered as she shook her head, "The Norids have a prototype."


    "Where¡­ did you get this information?"


    "From mother," Vera''s voice soon became whispers as she breathed through the mask, "She received the information from Elder Tedi, who helped in creating it. They''ve been trying to create one to serve as a jail for rogue Norids like the Bounty Hunter Kerrigan, and now they have a prototype. If it can keep intangible beings like the Norid, even someone like Riley would have no way to escape it. He¡ª"


    "Wait," Aerith slightly nced back at Riley, making sure he wasn''t hearing any of their conversations,<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Your mother will be present in the Common Council. Find a way for us to talk privately."


    "...What about Riley Ross?"


    "He¡­"


    "..."


    The two continued talking for an entire hour until Aerith finally stopped flying as they reached arge asteroid the size of the empire state building. This asteroid, however, seemedpletely still¡­ and it was smooth. Aerith then slowly approached this asteroid, before cing her palm on it.


    And as soon as she did so, several holes opened up on the surface of the space rock¡ªspewing out drones that started scanning her from head to toe. And as soon as one of the drones finished scanning her eyes, the asteroid started to open up like a flower¡­ and attached to its hundreds of petals were ships of different sizes.


    "..."


    "What?" A small smirk crawled on Aerith''s face as she saw the look on Vera''s face, "I was young once, you know. I formed the habit of collecting ships that I couldn''t use. It¡­ gave me the sense that I could leave anytime I wanted¡ªbut in the end, when I did leave, I ended up not using any of them."


    "Hm¡­" Vera only nodded his head at Aerith''s somewhat mncholic words, "So, which one are we using now?"


    "That," Aerith pointed at one of the smaller ships that sprouted from her¡­ asteroid garage, "It''s small, but it can get us to the Common Council faster than any other ships¡ªRiley!"


    And before Aerith could drop her hand, she immediately turned to Riley. And without even any hesitation, Riley suddenly flew toward the small ship¡ªand as he did so, a red beam that wasrge enough to wrap Aerith''s entire asteroid garage raged from the distance¡­ instantly disintegrating the asteroid along with all the ships it held¡ªall except one.


    "..." Riley had his palm raised as the red beam dissipated; the small ship behind him,pletely unscathed from the sudden attack.


    As for Aerith, her back was slightly scorched, but already regenerating as she protected Vera from being hit by the beam; Vera had also seen the beaming towards them¡ªshe positioned herself in a way that would leave herpletely unscathed from the st even before Aerith finished calling Riley''s name.


    "What¡ª" But before Vera could say something, Aerith quickly threw her away toward Riley. And almost like a golden dragon weaving through the darkness, a golden blur mmed straight into Aerith, causing her to be blown away into a far distance.


    But in the blink of an eye, Aerith returned; her fist, already nted on the golden blur that blew her away.


    "Until when are you going to disobey me and your father?" The golden blur soon became a silhouette of a person; her long golden hair that reached past her ankles, just freely floating behind her like a tail; the raging red in her eyes, fading away and revealing a color so blue, they were almost shining.


    "...Queen Adel," Aerith breathed out; her voice, slightly seething as she returned her mother''s re, "I can''t say it''s nice to finally see you again."


    "Why did you even return? Just to humiliate and disrespect us even more than you already have?" Queen Adel''s hand that was gripping Aerith''s fist tightened; almost creating a sound even through the voiceless expanse of space.


    "Why are you even here, Adel?" Aerith quickly pulled her fist away, only to hold her mother''s hand andpeted grips with her.


    "Do you really think your friends in the castle are still your friends?" Queen Adel rolled her eyes, "Don''t worry, I haven''t told your father of this¡ªreturn, and you will be given a swift journey to your Eternal Death."


    "..." Aerith took in a deep breath as she increased her grip; her eyes, looking straight into her mother''s eyes, "It is a mistake, mother. It was a mistake that people like you are allowed to breed."


    "...People like me?" Queen Adel''s eye started to twitch,


    "There are no other people, Aerith," Queen Adel then turned to look at Riley and Vera, "There''s only us¡­


    ¡­and the rest are just animals."

 Chapter 590 590: Themarian Supremacy

    "The rest are just¡­ animals."


    It was obvious; at least it should have been.


    Throughout their journey to Theran, Aerith has always warned them that most of the themarians are psychopaths¡ªbut in a way, Vera couldn''t really see it. Granted, she had just been getting dragged along her stay and was locked in her own world throughout her stay in Theran¡ªbut she should have truly seen it.


    She disregarded Princess Aerith''s execution since each has its ownws; she wasn''t going to judge a King for ordering his daughter''s execution because she broke one of the''s sacredws. But in all honesty, she should.


    And there were signs. There were already signs of what Aerith meant. As they walked through the streets of Theran; as soon as the people realized that they weren''t one of them, the looks in their eyes changed.


    Not necessarily in a bad way¡ªthey weren''t treating her and the others badly, not at all. There were even instances where they even became more endearing. But the way they interact with her and the others changepletely¡­


    ¡­it was almost as if they were talking to them like they were pets.


    Yes, that is what it was¡ªthey see other species and races as truly inferior. Of course, as the undisputed most powerful race in the entire Known Universe, it would be more surprising if they didn''t at least act like they were better¡ªbut she didn''t imagine for it to be at this point.


    And now, as she sees the eyes of Aerith''s mother, a queen of Theran, a visceral and creeping chill starts to pierce through her bones. It was causing her skin to go numb, to the point that she waspletely ignoring the serial mass murderer behind her.


    "..." Vera nced behind, only to see Riley just calmly floating with his arms crossed. At the very least, she felt that Riley wouldn''t just kill her randomly out of nowhere¡ªno. Riley wasn''t better than the queen, but he was at least the type to n a murder.


    Riley wants to have fun in the most enjoyable way as he murders his way through everything¡ªhe gives the death of others meaning, in a way.


    But for Queen Adel, it feels as if she was the type to just step on someone and not even think about it after¡ªno, perhaps she wouldn''t even notice; As if the person she just identally stepped on was less than an insect¡ªthis is what themarians are.


    It is no wonder that Aerith wanted to abandon their old generation and start anew. For them, the rest of the Universe is just one big block of waste filled with microscopic insects.


    But perhaps in a way, the Universe is safe because themarians are the way they are. If one day, they somehow crave for the rest of the Universe¡­


    ¡­who can stop them, really?


    "..." Vera then blinked a couple of times as she once again nced at Riley. Is this why Aerith was keeping him around?


    But Vera was well aware of how strong Riley truly is¡ªhe is strong, undoubtedly so. But if even he is having difficulty fighting someone like Aerith, how would he fight a million of them?


    But then again, Riley will only get stronger and stronger with time. But Riley wasn''t a solution at all, if he became so strong that he could handle the themarians with ease, then that would mean the end for the rest of the Universe.


    The themarians can stop Riley, and Riley can stop the themarians.


    And now, Vera was finally seeing the benefit in Aerith''s n¡ªto change the discriminating mindset of the younger themarians would be the only way they would truly be safe from both sides.


    If the Norids'' device does not work, then Aerith''s n must work.


    "They are people, mother!"


    "There''s no use talking to you."


    And while Vera''s thousands of thoughts circled in her mind, Aerith and her mother were still gripping each other''s hands. The tone of their voices, devoid of any friendliness or even familiarity.


    "If you want to leave, then just leave. That would save your father the hassle of putting you to Eternal Death," Queen Adel breathed out as her bright blue eyes very slowly turned red, "But what is this that I am hearing that you''re nning something? Like a little child that refuses to grow up, the unfilial daughter returns to just create trouble for her parents¡­


    ¡­and as if that wasn''t enough, you bring these animals into our home?"


    "These people are my friends," Aerith gritted her teeth as her eyes also turned red, "Well¡­ not exactly, but they''re not animals."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I am going to give you advice, my daughter. And this time, I hope you actually listen," Queen Adel smiled, "Just leave. Just leave and never return. You don''t belong here."


    "You know what, fuck you!" And with a roar, Aerith pulled her mother''s hand; mming her head on her mother''s face and causing her to just disappear as she was thrown hundreds of kilometers away in an instant,


    "Get inside the ship! Go, go!" And without any pause, Aerith quickly turned around and flew toward Riley and Vera, cing her hand on the ship to turn it on and open the hatch. And without even saying another word, she practically grabbed both Riley and Vera by the cors and dragged them inside the ship,


    "Gru, activate hyperspeed!" Aerith then screamed as she threw the two into the cockpit.


    [Which destination would you like to visit, Mdy?]


    "Just take us far away from Theran!"


    [Very well, Mdy.]


    And without even seconds of entering the ship, it disappeared from its spot as it started elerating into hyperspeed.


    "Damn it!" And while the view outside started to turn into blurs and streaks, Aerith once again let out a scream that shook the entire interior of the ship.


    "Why did we fly away, Aerith?"


    "...Dude."


    And with Aerith slightly going ballistic and obviously wanting to destroy something but couldn''t, Riley just casually approached him, while Vera could not help but roll her eyes from his insensitivity.


    "We could have just killed your mother together," Riley said as he looked out the view.


    "Can you just shut up!?" Aerith yelled as she pointed at Riley. But after a few breaths of just staring at his oddly calm and oblivious murderous eyes, her breaths started to calm down and she shook her head,


    "We could have, but I am not taking that risk. Mother is as strong as Caiin, and she''s quite persist¡ª"


    And before Aerith could finish her words, a thud resounded from the window. She quickly turned to see what caused it, only to see Queen Adeltching outside the ship; her fist, already retracted back to hit the window.


    "...Aren''t we elerating to hyperspeed?" Vera could not help but blink a couple of times as she saw the wild smile on Queen Adel''s face, "Your mother¡­ is quite fast."


    "Shit¡­ Gru, open thetch, I am going¡ª"


    "There''s no need for that, Aerith," Riley ced his hand on the window, looking at Queen Adel straight in the eyes, "You just need to activate the wipers whenever insectstch on your windows¡­


    ¡­Let''s meet again soon, Queen Adel."


    "You¡ª"


    And before Queen Adel could do anything else, she was sted away by Riley.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Your parents are insane, Princess Aerith."


    "I know. We''re all not blessed with a good mother like you, Princess Vera."

 Chapter 591 591: Reunion With The Giant

    [Wee to Steam 4587, please observe the rules and regtions¡­]


    "The two of you stay here, I''m just going to fill this thing up and have it checked out for any damages."


    "What? No way, I aming with you!"


    A few hours after Aerith''s surprise encounter with her mother, the group found themselves at one of the nearest space stations. Aerith initially wanted to go further before stopping; but s, as this was the first time the ship was actually moving after hundreds of years being left in the cold, it needed some¡­ timely maintenance before venturing out into the far distance.


    "And are we sure your crazy mother won''t be following us?"


    "She won''t¡ªshe''s never left Themarian territory, ever. And no, just stay here. I''m not going to go far."


    "You''re not seriously going to leave me here with him!?"


    "..."


    Aerith turned to look at Riley, who was just casually sitting on the pilot''s seat¡­letting it spin him around again and again for some reason.


    "He''s not going to kill you, I think," Aerith sighed as she shook her head, "And I can''t leave him in the ship alone, who knows what he''ll do."


    "Then take him!"


    "You think I am going to leave you with my ship? You tried to hijack Diana''s."


    "Yeah, to get rid of him! Like you should be doing!"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Fine," and after a few seconds of looking back and forth between Vera and Riley, Aerith rolled her eyes and gave up, "You''reing with me. Riley, please¡­


    ¡­please promise me you''re not going to go out and cause trouble."


    "I promise, Aerith." And even as he continued to spin around, Riley answered.


    "Look at me and promise," Aerith, however, still approached him even as he did so, "The universe is a big ce, but don''t forget you''re a wanted man. The people here might not recognize you, but as soon as a Lahestia spots you, their systems will detect who you are."


    "Lahestia?"


    "The space police¡ªwait, don''t tell you forgot?"


    "Hm," the seat instantly stopped and faced Aerith; Riley''s eyes, looking her straight in the eyes, "I promise, Aerith."


    "You promise what?"


    "That I am not going to go out and cause trouble."


    "Good," Aerith took in a deep breath as she nodded, "Princess Vera, you follow me. Okay? If you just so much as move away, I will leave you in this station."


    "...Okay."


    "You might think that''s ideal and someone will help you if you reveal who you are, but no. A lost princess far away from home also fetches an ideal ransom. You might be incredibly fast, but malicious people are quite creative whenever money is involved."


    "I get it, Princess Aerith. I''m not a child."


    "Good."


    And with that, Aerith and Vera stepped out of the ship¡­


    ¡­leaving Riley alone to fend for himself.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Hm¡­" Riley stood up from his seat and looked out the window. The space station they were in right now, Steam 4587, was built on a monster''s bone ording to Aerith. Whatever creature it was, it was probably at least bigger than Elder Tedi.


    This ce, however, was probably the location with the least amount of people that Riley had been on in the expanse of space. Riley could barely see any activity going on from the window¡ªthe buildings and tforms,


    "Gru."


    [What can I do for you, Guest?]


    "...Guest," a small smile crawled on Riley''s face as he heard the ship''s words.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [If you are ufortable with the way I address you, would you like to register your name?]


    "No," Riley shook his head, "But change my name to Aerith''s Lover."


    [Changing Guest''s name into Aerith''s Lover. What else can I do for you, Aerith''s Lover?]


    "Give me information about this Space Station, Gru."


    [Steam 4587 is one of the 5000 Steam Stations in the Known Universe. Built primarily to connect with Themarians, Steam 4587 was made from the bone of a Jyaboros that unfortunately found its way inside Themarian territory. Since its construction, Steam 4587 has still not made contact with¡ª]


    "Stop. Give me more information about the Jyaboros."


    [Jyaboros.]


    "..." Riley turned around as a hologram popped out in the center of the cockpit, showing a 3D image of what looked like a yellow mutated catfish with horns; its scales, emitting all sorts of different colors.


    [A Jyaboros is the 6thrgest creature known to the Known Universe. It primarily feeds on asteroids, and are notorious for identally swallowing ships. It uses its horns to¡ª]


    "Stop. What is thergest creature known to the Known Universe?"


    [The Messengers.]


    "..." Riley turned to look at the 3D image that reced the Jyaboros, only to see a humanoid with a hovering between its palms. Unlike Elder Tedi, whose skin waspletely silver, the humanoid in front of him had flesh-like skin¡­ as well as an extra pair of arms.


    [The Messengers are the oldest known species to still exist today, predating all of the Higher Racesbined. There are ounts that they have been alive for billions of years, and were even present during the time of the gods. Currently, there are only¡ª]


    "Interesting," Riley ced his hand on his chin as he nodded, "Tell me about Elder Tedi."


    [Elder Tedi¡ªa deviant of the Norid. At a very early age, Tedi was discovered different from the rest of her species because of her size. She is believed to be an offspring between a female Messenger, and a male Norid, but proof has not been given until the current date. Tedi¡ª]


    "Give me more information about the Norid."


    [The Norid¡ªthe most technologically advanced species in the Known Universe. One of the three only known species capable of turning their physical bodies into intangible matter. Their technological advancement is rooted in their innate ability to connect with all and any machinery and automation. They¡ª]


    "Stop¡­" Riley then started looking around the ship, almost as if he was making sure there was no one there,


    "...Give me information about Riley Ross."


    [...Searching for information about Riley Ross.]


    "..."


    "..."


    [Riley Ross¡ªa flower from the¡ª]


    "Riley Ross, the Ouw."


    [...]


    "..."


    [Riley Ross¡ªa fugitive from the Unknown. Currently ranked as the 12th Most Wanted ouw in the Known Universe. He first showed himself to the public by killing one of the Common Council''s Elders and proceeded tomit several ounts of genocide. He was captured by the Guardians but is believed to only be a clone of the original body. Not much is known about Riley Ross as of this moment, would you like me to keep searching more, Aerith''s Lover?]


    "...Hm," Riley once again sat on the pilot''s seat; his eyes, still looking at his 3D image, "Tell me about Caiin¡ª"


    [I found you.]


    And all of a sudden, his hologram that was just rotating in the air suddenly looked at him and opened its mouth to speak; its voice, however, was feminine and monotonous¡ªa familiar voice.


    "...Tomoe?"


    [What? No. Who is that?]


    "...Nothing?" Riley stood up from his seat again; his hands, ready to ''pavoom'' at any moment.


    [No¡­] Riley''s hologram became static as numerous snaps whispered in the air. And soon, his hologram turned into a mosaic, before once again clearing¡­ but this time, showing a silver-skinned humanoid, [It is I¡­


    ¡­Tedi.]


    "...Oh."


    Well, at least he wasn''t causing trouble outside.

 Chapter 592 592: Caught In The Act

    [It is I, Tedi.]


    "...Oh."


    [...]


    "..."


    [...]


    "Gru, cut the connection from the inte, or whatever it is called here."


    [You can''t cut me off, Riley Ross. I have already taken control of this ship.]


    "Please leave before Aerithes back."


    [So, you''re with the Hel Princess?]


    "...No."


    Riley''s eyes were squinted to the point that his eyes were almost closed. He had been trying to find a button inside the cockpit that would shut down the hologram, but there were barely any buttons here¡ªwhoever designed this definitely did not listen to Bernard.


    Bernard has always told Riley that whatever it is that you create, you should always have a big red button to shut it down because you don''t know when it will start disobeying you.


    [I have been trying to find you ever since our encounter near the Cherbi, Riley Ross,] and while Riley''s head was looking all over the ce, Tedi tried to approach him; but s, the hologram could really only go so fast before the image starts to cut off,


    [And since you''re on Steam 4587, I can surmise you just came from Theran? It makes sense that I was unable to find any trace of you. But then, all of a sudden, certain keywords that I set up to detect were triggered¡ªand then there is you.]


    "I believe that is a breach of privacy, Elder Tedi," Riley sighed and shook his head in disappointment, "And you did not have to do so, I am on my way to the Common Council."


    [You have requested a meeting with the Elders in person?] Tedi''s monotonous voice slightly wavered, [I¡­ have already given up my position as an Elder. But if you are meeting with them, then I suppose I will be seeing you there.]


    "Hm," Riley tilted his head to the side, "Why were you trying to find me, Tedi?"


    [Because I have seen you before, Riley Ross.]


    "Yes, that tends to happen when we''ve met in person, Tedi."


    [No, that was not the first time we''ve met,] Tedi shook her head, [I have seen you before¡­ from the Void.]


    "The Void?" Riley ced his hand on his chin, "Is this about the device you''ve helped create, Tedi? The portal to another dimension that is to be used to imprison rogue Norids?"


    [...I knew it! That was you!] Tedi''s monotonous voice slightly showed excitement as she almost crouched down on the floor, [How else would you know that!?]


    "I overheard Princess Vera and Aerith''s conversation, Tedi," Riley shook his head, "The first time I met you was the first time I met you. The one you saw was probably Nothing."


    [Nothing? No. My species have Perfect Memory¡ªI saw you inside the Void, Riley Ross.]


    "No, I meant that was Nothing."


    [It''s not nothing, Riley Ross. Please stop undermining my ability to recall events!]


    "The one you saw is a being called Nothing, Tedi," Riley closed his eyes as he let out a long and deep breath.


    [A being called¡­ Nothing?]


    "Hm. But it is weird, it is supposed to be carrying the same face as whoever is looking at it. Perhaps because you caught it off-guard?"


    [Wait, you know who it is?]


    "What it is, Tedi¡ªand no, not exactly," Riley Ross shook his head, "But it has told me that it is a being that predates anything. It is before the Universe, before existence itself."


    [It''s a god?]


    "It said it wasn''t, Tedi. But it is a being that exists before the gods."


    [This¡­ then wouldn''t it be a being that knows everything?] Tedi''s monotonous voice started to tremble, [The knowledge it holds must be as infinite as the Universe itself.]


    "Universes, Tedi."


    [Ho!?] Although the hologram was slightly translucent, the shaking of Tedi''s head was obvious for Riley to see, [How¡­ how do I make contact with this Supreme Being, Riley Ross? How do you make contact with it? I have tried again and again, I repeated the calctions; but it has not shown itself since then.]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I¡ª"


    [Wait, do not tell me,] Tedi then stretched her palm toward Riley, [This is something that must be heard face to face.]


    "Hm."


    [But there is still something that we have not addressed¡­ why does it carry your face, Riley Ross?]


    "I''m its favorite person, I suppose."


    [Favorite per¡ªWe will talk soon.]


    And all of a sudden, Tedi''s hologram suddenly disappeared; reced once again by Riley''s silhouette. And before Riley could wonder why just abruptly vanished, Aerith and Vera returned.


    "..."


    "..."


    Aerith and Vera quickly started looking back and forth between Riley and his hologram; their eyes, very slowly squinting with each tilt of the head. And finally, after a few more seconds of this, Aerith opened her mouth.


    "Why¡­ are you searching yourself?"


    "I wanted to see what they know of me, Aerith," Riley just answered without any hesitation.


    "..." Aerith squinted her eyes as she started looking around the ship, trying to see if Riley was up to something. He did promise that he wouldn''t go out and cause trouble, but knowing Riley''s personality, he would still somewhat manage to find himself in a mess¡ªor the mess finds him.


    "Gru, show me footage inside the cockpit for thest 30 minutes."


    And while Aerith proceeded to review the surveince cameras, Vera just made her way to her seat; loudly scoffing as she passed by Riley and subtle whispering, "See? Princess Aerith doesn''t even trust you."


    "I wouldn''t trust myself either, Princess Vera," Riley shrugged, "Look at what happened to your brother. He died a gruesome and sudden death right when he started liking me."


    "You¡­" Vera sucked in a deep and sharp breath as her steps wavered. But after a few breaths to calm herself down, she just walked away and sat down; her fists, however, were trembling and showing the rage that has been building up inside her for a long time now.


    "..." Riley noticed this, of course¡ªbut he didn''t mind. He was used to people hating him; Gary, V¡­ the entire world has always shown him disdain. And of course, he deserved even more. Riley then turned to look at the surveince footage, but the hologram was just showing him sitting on the chair¡ªuntil at the very end when he started searching for things.


    His entire interaction with Tedi was nowhere to be seen; as expected of a race that is practically one withputers¡ªRiley thought.


    "I didn''t see anything wrong amiss¡­" Aerith then let out a sigh as she waved her hand, closing the holograms and surveince footage, "But why do you look like a kid who got away with something?"


    "Because I did, Aerith," a small smile crawled on Riley''s face, "I have been getting away with everything."


    "...Right," Aerith squinted as she slowly made her way to the pilot''s seat, "Gru, set course for Ahor Zai. It''s time to meet the governm¡ª"


    [Negative, Mdy. Energy and power levels are insufficient for travel to the designated course.]


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Gru, check again," Aerith, who was about to sit down, could not help but look at Riley and Vera.


    [Energy and power levels are at 3%, Mdy.]


    "But we just filled this up," Vera said as she stood up, before turning her attention to Riley, "You¡­ you did something, didn''t you!? You''re not letting me go ho¡ª"


    [Raceship Gru, prepare for boarding.]


    And before Vera could put her me on Riley, a loud mechanical voice seeped from the outside. Aerith and Vera quickly looked over the window, only to see several different humanoids approaching their ship, being led by¡­ a chubby cephalopoid.


    "Broken femur¡­" Vera cursed, "...Are those guards? What do they want? You said no one would recognize us!"


    "No¡­ guards wouldn''t be that diverse," Aerith let out a sigh,


    "...They''re pirates."

 Chapter 593 593: Ahor Zai

    "Wee to Steam 4587, visitors."


    "Thank you, but we were just about to leave."


    Aerith''s ship was small¡ªwith its purpose truly only for travel. There were no other livable rooms except the cockpit, and right now, there were 6 unweed visitors in it. It didn''t help that the one leading them was a fat cehpalopoid; each of his tentacles, almost as wide as Aerith''s waist.


    It was also slimy, leaving unpleasant¡­ juices that caused the floor to be greasy. The cephalopoid seemedpletely ignorant of this, however, or he just didn''t care as the smug look on his alien face was noticeable even for someone like Riley.


    "Leave? But how can you when your fuel is out?" The cephalopoid let out a small chuckle; his breaths, oddly high-pitched. He seemed to also be out of breath with each word, as the device that was attached like an earphone around his head that covered his gills keep releasing some sort of¡­ vapor.


    "I was wondering about that," Aerith was the only one speaking with the pirates; Riley and Vera, just quietly seated and were ordered not to say anything,


    "We''ve already paid for the cores to be reced, and it should have been done minutes ago."


    "Oh, I know," the cephalopoid waved one of his tentacles closer to Aerith, causing her to take a step back, "Your credits weren''t enough."


    "..." Aerith looked at the cephalopoidsrge eyes for a few seconds, before she just let out a sigh and shook her head, "How much? How much do you need to just give us what we want and let us go?"


    "Well, well. Look at that, boys. She''s very easy to talk to," the cephalopoid turned to hisrades, garnering a fit ofughter as they all looked at each other¡ªand with theming from different species, the orchestra ofughs was quite¡­ unique to the ears.


    And this weird sound caused Riley to shake his head and pat his ears, putting the attention of the cephalopoid toward him.


    "How much do you want from us?" Aerith quickly blocked Riley from the cephalopoid''srge eyes.


    "How about you just give us your card?" The cephalopoid, however, moved to the side to get a better look at Riley as he seemed familiar. And soon, Riley returned his res.


    "!!!" And as soon as Riley did so, the suckers on each of the cephalopoid''s limbs started widening along with hisrge eyes,


    "Th¡­" The cephalopoid pirate opened his mouth, but no words came out. He then turned to look at hisrades behind him, before once again turning to look at Aerith, "You¡­ you know what, I think we made a mistake."


    "...A mistake?"


    "Yes, we''re going to change your cores now. Our system just probably bugged," the cephalopoid quickly turned around; his thick tentacles, causing a bout of squishy noises to whisper in the air as he started crawling away.


    "Boss? Where are we¡ª"


    "Shh! Go, go!" The cephalopoid practically pped one of his men straight in the mouth. He then covered the rest of the faces of his other subordinates, before just slithering out of the ship without another word.


    "..."


    "..."


    "I believe the octopus man was able to recognize me, Aerith."


    "I knew it!" Vera quickly stood up from her seat and pointed at Riley, "We would have solved this just by covering our faces, Princess Aerith!"


    "No, masks would make us even more suspicious," Aerith sighed as she shook her head, "They would have also made us pull them down."


    "What about Caiin''s tech? Didn''t she have like some sort of tech to disguise herself!? We should have borrowed that!"


    "Caiin¡­ is quite stingy with her things."


    "That is true," Riley quickly nodded his head at Aerith''s statement, "I will just kill the pirates to prevent any more trouble, Aerith."


    "No!" Aerith started massaging her eyebrows as she heard Riley''s words, "As long as you are with me, you are to kill no one, you got it?"


    "I will do it," Vera started stretching her legs, "I will even dispose of their bodies, I''m fast enough not to be captured by even the highest speed cameras."


    "No killing!" Aerith wanted to pull out her hair in frustration, "Let me handle this, okay? I''m supposed to be advocating that the newer generations of themarians are peaceful. I can''t be doing that and allowing one of mypanions to just outright murder someone¡­


    ¡­I''ll think of something."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "...I apologize, Aerith."


    "What?" And before even a single n could form inside Aerith''s head, Riley''s¡­ somewhat nervous voice whispered into her ears.


    "I already killed them before you could say not to kill anyone."


    "What!?" Both Vera and Aerith rushed to the window, only to see the pirates lying down on the metal docks; the cephalopoid, now as pale as the metal he died on.


    "You do not have to worry, I made their death look natural."


    "How is several people dying at the same time natural!?" Aerith pinched the bridge of her nose as she backed away from the window.


    "I''ll¡­" Vera also backed away as her eyes started scanning the docks, "...I''ll just steal the cores to fill up the ship."


    "Wait, no. Stopmitting crime¡ª" And before Aerith could finish her words, Vera already disappeared.


    [Power and Energy levels are back to optimal levels.]


    "..."


    [Power and Energy levels at 100%]


    "It''s done, Princess Aerith," Vera then appeared as soon as she left, "Let''s go!"


    "...Stop using your powers for¡ªNever mind."


    [Would you like to set course for Ahor Zai, Mdy?]


    "..." Aerith once again looked out the window, only to see people starting to gather around the dead pirates. And then, with another shake of her head,


    "Go¡­


    ¡­Just go."


    ***


    "I apologize, Aerith. Please, don''t be mad anymore."


    "Oh, I''ll be mad as long as I need to."


    The ship has been moving through hyperspeed for several hours now. And since they left the space station, Aerith has been keeping her silence¡ªbut no more.


    "I don''t even know why I bother trying with you, Riley," she said as she turned her chair around to look at Riley, "You''re just this¡­ cloud of darkness that just keeps on¡ªUgh!"


    "The two of you look like a couple."


    "A couple of retards is what we are," Aerith rolled her eyes as she pointed at Vera, "And you. Never use your powers to steal again¡ªdo you know what would happen if the people came to know that the princess of the fastest species in the entire universe steals things?"


    "..."


    "I don''t want to talk about it anymore," Aerith then stood up from her seat, "We''re here. Let''s just get this over with."


    And as soon as Aerith said that, the blurs and streaks that could be seen from the window cleared, reced by a colossal, and marvelous structure.


    There were several rings, 4 colossal rings of different sizes that were spinning inside of each other¡ªand at the very center of it was a shiny spherical ss.


    Like a snow globe, there were 7 buildings inside; weaved in a circle and all connected like a web with arge dome at their center¡ª


    The Ahor Zai, the center of the entire Known Universe.

 Chapter 594 594: Time To Cause Trouble?

    [The Ahor Zai.


    An infrastructure marvel that has existed for hundreds of millions of years. When civilizations rise and fall, Ahor Zai remains. Most of the civilizations that have built it have long be extinct, it is rumored to have been made during the Time of the Gods.


    The Ahor Zai houses the Common Council, a council made of representatives from the most technologically advanced civilizations in the Known Universe.


    It holds the entire history of the Known Universe. But s, most of the ounts during the Time of the Gods have been erased¡ªcourtesy of the god of the evaniels and the war that happened during their time.


    History was not the only thing that was erased during the war, civilizations were too. There used to be hundreds of Elders in the Common Council, but now there are only 7¡ªnone of them pioneers. Almost all of the civilizations during that time were erased, regressed, or just chose to close themselves off from the rest of the Universe.


    It was a universal war that brought the Known Universe down to its knees. The evaniels were one of the civilizations that closed themselves off entirely; their civilization also regressed as a result of millions of years of unrest and civil war.


    But of course, in time, they recovered their technology and surfaced back into the Known Universe. The leader of that time wanted to reim their past glory once again through war¡­


    ¡­unfortunately for them, they werepletely unaware of a fairly new species that joined the Higher Races called Themarians. Suffice it to say, any thoughts of war that lingered in the evanielspletely disappeared after almost being annihted by the new race, making them one of the most peaceful civilizations next to the Norids.


    This is not even a fraction of a decimal''s percent of the history that the Ahor Zai contains.]


    "Interesting, thank you for the information, Gru."


    [You are wee, Aerith''s Lover.]


    "What the¡ªwhy is the humiliating past of the evaniels the first thing that pops up!?"


    "Wait, did my ship just call you my lover? And stop ying with the search engine, get ready to dock!"


    Aerith''s ship has been hovering and floating near the Ahor Zai for an entire hour now; their ship, being fully scanned by several drones to ensure that aside from Riley, the ship was not carrying any other weapons of mass destruction.


    "This ce¡­ doesn''t look the way I remember it."


    "Oh, you''ve been here before?"


    "Once, my mother brought me," Vera ced her hand on the window as she stared at the teau inside the ss globe of Ahor Zai, "I don''t really remember much."


    "Well, I haven''t been here even once," Aerith breathed out as their ship started being pulled closer to the Ahor Zai, "They tried contacting me many times during my travels before Earth, but I refused all of their summons¡ªI have a feeling they don''t like me too much. But then again, the Elders that called me are probably dead by now."


    "..." And while Vera and Aerith were chatting casually, Riley just stared at the outermost ring that rotated around the globe as they passed through it, wondering what the purpose of these rings was. If Riley were to guess¡­ they probably just ced it there to make Ahor Zai look cooler.


    "Ah! That''s my mother''s ship!"


    And as they passed through all four rings and moved closer to the globe, Vera''s voice lightened up for the very first time ever since the tragedy that had befallen before her; her eyes, quickly turning moist as she pointed at a ship parked on a tarmac.


    There were several other ships parked there, but the ship Vera was pointing to stood out the most¡ªafter all, it just looked like a giant leaf from afar.


    "I guess she arrived before us," a subtle smile crawled on Aerith''s face as she saw the look in Vera''s eyes. But as soon as Aerith''s eyes strayed toward Riley, the smile quickly faded away. Their entire situation was just¡­ insanity.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Aerith''s ship continued to float closer and closer until a thud whispered in the ship as they lightly hit the ss globe that wrapped the entire teau. And now that they were this close, Riley could not help but think of how it truly looked like a snow globe, except without the snow.


    "..." Riley was expecting a part of the ss to open up¡­ but their ship just passed through, as if the ss was nothing but water. But with the thud Riley heard earlier, the thing should be solid.


    "...Norid," Riley whispered as he ced his hand on his chin. As a species capable of turning their bodies into intangible matter, as well as being the most technologically advanced race in the entire Known Universe, they were most likely the one to build this¡ªbut for some reason¡­


    ¡­Riley could not help but think what his father would be able to do if he has ess to their resources, if he still woke up from hisa, that is.


    Come to think of it, he was the one to give the Guardian Force to Bernard. If he ends up dying because of it, then wouldn''t he be the one who killed his father?


    "..." Riley squinted his eyes at the thought for a few seconds, before shrugging his shoulders and looking back at the window¡ªhis eyes, scanning the several other ships parked on the tarmac they werending on.


    All the ships looked different, there was even one that just looked like arge luxurious sofa. Riley has already known this fact before, but he was still underestimating just howrge and diverse the Known Universe is.


    Just how long would it take for him to kill everyone? How many clones did he need to scatter, and how many clones did his clones need to scatter? Fortunately¡­


    ¡­he was now in the only ce that could answer his question.


    "...Why are there so many ships?" And as her ship finally touched ground, Aerith''s breaths whispered through the entire cockpit as she looked through the window,


    "Don''t the Elders have their own parking spaces?"


    "Maybe the news that a themarian royalty, an evaniel royalty, as well as a serial mass murderer from the Unknown will arrive at Ahor Zai attracted the stragglers," Vera scoffed as she stood in front of the door hatch even before it started to open,


    "Where else would you be able to witness this madness?"


    "I told them to keep this meeting an absolute secret," Aerith could really only cover her face in frustration, "I forgot, the Common Council is where the Universe''s most notorious gossipers are gathered."


    "Hm," Vera smiled as the hatch in front of her finally fully opened; before stepping out, however, she turned to look at Riley,


    "Riley Ross. It will be a long time since we will meet again, but at that time¡­ I will make sure you will pay for your crimes."


    And with that, Vera disappeared, not even waiting for Aerith and Riley to step out of the ship.


    "Riley, I want you to know that everyone in this ce wants you dead," Aerith whispered as soon as they took her first step on Ahor Zai.


    "Everyone has been wanting me dead ever since I was born, Aerith," Riley responded as he made his way out of the ship; his feet, however, did not really touch the ground as he just chose to hover,


    "Now¡­


    ¡­time to cause trouble."


    "No! Get down from there this instant!"

 Chapter 595 595: The Living Codex

    "You get down there this instant, young man!"


    Like a son embarrassing his mother, or like a wife being embarrassed by his husband''s childish antics, Aerith''s frustrated screams echoed throughout the tarmac. It was a good thing that no one was here yet, if not, then the calm, reasonable, and peaceful image that Aerith wanted to project would bepletely flushed down the drain.


    She was here as a representative of the younger themarians¡­ but now she was raising her voice and violently waving her hand at Riley, who was very slowly floating higher and higher into the air.


    "I was only kidding, Aerith."


    Fortunately for her, a chuckle whispered into her ears as Riley''s feet touched the ground.


    "I have never imagined I will be dreading the time someone learns a sense of humor," Aerith could really only sigh as she grabbed Riley by his sleeves, making sure he won''t go anywhere he wasn''t supposed to,


    "Anyway, I am aware that Ahor Zai ispletely run by AI, but this¡­"


    Aerith then looked at the floor of the tarmac, only to see a trail of light blinking toward a certain direction, "...Is it telling us to follow this light?"


    Aerith scanned the entire tarmac to see if there were any signs of someone else being there, but no. And so, the only thing she could really do was follow the light, dragging Riley along with her.


    The Ahor Zai was not necessarily colossal, as the size of its teau is really only asrge as a very small city¡ªor a veryrge airport, even. Even from the tarmac, one could already see the entirety of the teau; the 7 buildings, as well as the dome at the center that connected all of them.


    It seems Ahor Zai was capable of adjusting its size ording to how many Elders the Common Council currently has¡ªand as they only have 7; 6 now since Elder Tedi just recently left, the Ahor Zai of today is fairly small.


    "It''s able to reduce its size, Aerith?"


    "Hm, I am not entirely sure. But I think those rings are the ones responsible for that," Aerith said as she pointed at the four rotating rings encapsting Ahor Zai.


    "Interesting, the universe truly is a mysterious ce, Aerith."


    "Mysterious enough to not want to destroy it anymore?"


    "There are no criteria in destroying everything, Aerith," Riley shook his head, "When it happens, it just happens because of me. But I have grown curious, just how many species¡ªhow many civilizations are out there in the Known Universe?"


    "No idea, a million? I do know the poption is at the higher trillions," Aerith shrugged as she continued to follow the light while dragging Riley, "I think they have some sort of library here that has ess to your questions¡ªI''lle with you to visit it if we get the time. For now, you behave yourself, got it?"


    "Hm," Riley also shrugged as he looked around.


    The entire design of the Ahor Zai was simr to the brutalist infrastructure one could find on Earth; simple, blocky, andpletely gray. There were hints of nts, but they were scarce and apart. In fact, the most significant sign of nt life that could be seen in Ahor Zai was the ship of Vera''s mother.


    Even then, however, the ce did not seem like it was dead or devoid of life, no. It felt the opposite for some reason¡ªas if Riley could feel the Ahor Zai breathing. Well, maybe not, but it sure was moving.


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times as he saw his surroundings shift; therge stairs that led down from the tarmac, bing smaller to amodate his and Aerith''s size.


    "They could have just made a hovering tform or something," Aerith didn''t seem too impressed, however, as she just rolled her eyes when she started walking down. As soon as she said that, however, the steps they were on turned into a disc.


    Aerith slightly heightened her senses to see if something unfavorable was about to happen; after all, she was carrying with him one of the Known Universe''s top ouws. Instead, however, the disc tform they were on just started to hover, and almost as if it heard her words, the tform started flying them to their destination.


    "You hurt its feelings, Aerith."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Shut up."


    "I suppose it is true that the entire ce is ran by AI. Are they not afraid of what the Norid, or someone like father can do to it?"


    "Why are your thoughts always so grim?" Aerith sighed as she looked in the direction where they were heading¡ªstraight to the dome at the very center of Ahor Zai, "Huh¡­ I guess they want to hear what I have to say as soon as possible."


    Therge dome, like most of Ahor Zai, was alsopletely gray. It didn''t look cement-like, however, not even metal¡ªit was simr to a turtle''s shell, if a turtle''s shell waspletely devoid of any color, that is.


    "...If Ahor Zai changes ording to the number of members in the Common Council, why are there still 7 buildings, Aerith?" Riley asked as he looked at the 7rge buildings surrounding the dome, "I killed Elder Zora, and Elder Tedi quit her position. There should only be 5."


    "They probably haven''t gotten the chance to change it," Aerith shrugged before her eyes started to squint, "...How did you know this Elder Tedi quit?"


    "She told me on Steam 4587, while you and Vera were busy being duped by the pirates, Aerith."


    "...Wait, what? Wait¡­ Elder Tedi as in the giant Norid!? She hacked into the ship while we were away!?"


    "Yes, we discussed the device that could potentially trap me. The device you and Princess Vera were talking about, Aerith."


    "...You heard that?" And even as the tform they were onnded on the ground in front of the entrance to the dome, Aerith did not step down as she just looked at Riley.


    "I was telekically tethered to you, Aerith."


    "...And?" Aerith looked Riley in the eyes.


    "I am excited to see if it will seed, Aerith," Riley nodded as he was the first to step down, "But from what I heard from Tedi, it is still not ready¡ªunless you want something elseing out of it."


    "...Like what?"


    "Nothing, Aerith."


    "...What?"


    "Shall we?" Riley then lifted his hand, stretching it toward Aerith as he gestured to her to step down the tform.


    "..." Aerith was still looking Riley directly in the face to try and gauge what he was thinking; but aside from the subtle smile, there was nothing else. And so, with a sigh, Aerith just stepped down,pletely ignoring his hand.


    "Hm," Riley did not seem to think much of it, however, as he just shrugged and followed behind her to therge, and once again gray door.


    "..." Aerith looked beneath her feet, only to see the light that was guiding them very slowly fade away. And as soon as it did so, the door slid open¡ªand even with its sheer size, it created absolutely no noise. However, the same could not be said from what was on the other side of the door.


    Aerith was here for a meeting, and yet what was in front of him could only be described¡­


    ¡­as a party.

 Chapter 596 596: Aeriths Problem

    "What in the unknown is this?"


    "I have never heard that expression before, Aerith. And I believe this is some sort of ball."


    ''


    "I''m not dressed for an event like¡ªWhat are you wearing!?"


    And with Aerith''s loud voice traveling throughout the entire dome, all the people that were just casually chatting and seemingly enjoying each other''spany all turned their heads toward the entrance.


    Aerith was not able to focus on their stares, however, as she was busy looking at Riley. He was just previously wrapped in a white coat, which he wears during his sses, and underneath it was his leather-spandex full ck suit. But now, he was wearing a long coat and tie, with the back of his long white hair cleanly tied.


    As for her, she was just wearing a white buttoned shirt, and white pants¡ªlike some sort of mental institute patient.


    "You look fine, Aerith. It shows how badly you are treated by your fellow themarians."


    "...Thanks? You¡ª" And before Aerith could finish her words, Riley once again stretched out his hand and offered his arm, "I already rejected you once, women don''t like clingy men."


    "I thought you wanted me to stick close to you so I won''t cause trouble, Aerith?"


    "That¡­I also don''t want to be seen too close to a notorious ouw," Aerith sighed as she was starting to think whether or not holding Riley''s arm would be for the better or for the worse. But after a few milliseconds of thinking about it, she sighed and shook her head,


    "Just stay close to me."


    There was no stopping Riley if he wanted to make trouble¡ªif there is one thing that Riley''s opponents never truly understand about his telekic abilities, it would be its range. Forget about Riley''s hundred other abilities, his telekinesis alone threatens everyone here¡­ and everyone that was not here.


    In fact, during his stint as Darkday, he could have just stayed home¡ªand he would still have killed the same amount of people on the other side of the. It was only his childlike tendency to want to have fun that exposed him to the world, without that¡­ Megawoman would have been fighting an invisible entity that was drinking milk in the most inconspicuous ce.


    The humans would have been wiped out without having a single clue as to what caused their extinction. That was the very reason his biological mother, Alice Lane, was being watched by the government almost her entire life, even in prison, until she joined the Hope Guild.


    "...On second thought."


    And before Riley could drop his hand, Aerith quickly wrapped her arms around her arm, "Don''t misunderstand, you''re like a prisoner."


    "I have always been your prisoner, Aerith."


    "Can you shut¡ª"


    "Princess Aerith of Theran."


    And out of nowhere, Aerith''s frowning face instantly turned into a smile as she heard a voice approaching them. And finally, she noticed almost everyone in the ball looking at them; their faces were curious, shocked, and excited all at the same time.


    She then turned to look at the person that approached her, only to see a ck-skinned humanoid; the sides of his face and his bare torso, covered in thick red fur. The top of his head, covered in some sort of thick long red quills that very well looked like his hair.


    There was also his long tail that poked at the back of his white baggy pants, seemingly excited judging by the way it wagged.


    "I feel like I have seen that man in an anime before."


    "Shh, quiet. That''s a Sajan," Aerith quickly elbowed Riley to shut him up, "I just don''t know why he''s approaching us."


    "..." The Sajan quickly noticed Aerith and Riley whispering to each other, but did not really mind it as he just ced his hands behind his back to show respect to Aerith; his toned and defined chest, almost doubling in size as he did so,


    "I am S''adar, Your Highness."


    "S''adar¡­ one of the Elders?"


    "Yes," S''adar let out a small chuckle as he scratched his chin, "I''m the new guy in the group."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Forgive me for not recognizing you, Elder S''adar," Aerith tried to bow, but S''adar gestured to her to stop before she could lower her head.


    "Stop it, Your Highness. You have lived tens of my lifetime," S''adar once again let out a small chuckle; his voice, as loud as it could be, "I do have a question, though. That''s the reason I wanted to greet you first."


    "...What is it?"


    "Do you have any ns in joining the Tournament?" S''adar squinted his small and overly round eyes.


    "...I''m a themarian, Elder S''adar," Aerith smiled and shook her head, "It wouldn''t be fair."


    "Oh, I think you''ll find it fairly fair," S''adar also smiled, "I also join the Tournaments from time to time, and there are people there that are really strong. You''ll find it fun."


    "Oh, I am a pacifist, Elder S''adar. Most themarians my age and those that are younger tend to just dabble in the arts and academics."


    "..." And as soon as Riley heard Aerith''s words, he very slowly turned his head toward her. Riley had noticed it before when they were on Earth¡­ but Aerith really likes lying when ites to her race¡ªa trait of one that is ashamed of one''s heritage.


    "I see," S''adar nodded, "Is that why you have a violent Ouw, ranked as the 12th most wanted in the Known Universe, in your arms?"


    "This¡ª"


    "I am his prisoner, Elder S''adar," Riley did not let Aerith speak as he bowed his head, "She is one of the only 3 reasons why all of you are still alive."


    "...Riley Ross," S''adar turned to look at Riley; the smile on his face growing wider, "We finally meet face to face."


    "Hm."


    "Well¡­" S''adar stepped closer to Riley, causing Aerith to subtly and slightly move between them, "...You don''t need to worry. Everyone is equal in the Ahor Zai¡ªany crimes you havemitted outside, any glory you have, is not honored here. Think of this as¡­ another dimension where everything is wiped clean."


    "Okay," Riley shrugged, "Is Tedi going to be here?"


    "...Elder Tedi?" S''adar raised his thick eyebrows, "Are you acquainted with her?"


    "We''ve met in person. She told me she''s going to be here to discuss something."


    "Well, I haven''t heard of that," S''adar quickly fixed his quills as soon as he heard Riley''s words, "Enjoy the party for now, Riley, Princess Aerith."


    "Wait. What about the meeting?"


    "Meeting? Oh!" S''adar chuckled as he started walking away, stretching his arms to the side, "This is it."


    "...What?" Aerith blinked a couple of times as she looked at the other people looking at her, "But this is a party, Elder S''adar."


    "It is also a meeting."


    "I am supposed to address only you and the other Elders," Aerith''s eyebrows furrowed.


    "A lot of people are curious about you and the themarians, Princess Aerith. Whatever your cause is, it would be good to convince the other races as well, no?" S''adar shrugged, "So, go...


    ...Meet."


    "This¡­"


    "You have a big problem, Aerith," Riley said,


    "You have the social skills of an awkward adult that just passed her even more awkward teenage years."

 Chapter 597 597: You

    "You have the social skills of a cardboard for someone who has lived for almost a thousand years."


    "I really hate that that statement ising from you, someone who is supposed to be socially impaired."


    "Oh, I have actually quite mastered my social skills, Aerith."


    "...I hate that I think you might actually be right."


    "I also happen to overhear back on Theran that you didn''t have any friends growing up."


    "Just shut up. You don''t have friends either."


    "By choice."


    "Shut up."


    It is true¡ªAerith did not have any friends growing up. She was surrounded by people, true¡ªbut none really understood her. Even at the earliest of her age, she knew she was different from the other themarians.


    Her older brother was the same; which was quite awkward for the Royal family who were, forck of a better word, extreme with their beliefs that themarians belong only to Theran. They have this weird antipathy for the outside because they think the rest of the Universe is just one big pile of junk.


    And because Aerith and her brother thought otherwise, they were considered a disgrace by their own parents¡­ so much so that to prevent any gossips and rumors to spread, they opted to marry the two of them to each other.


    Aerith and her brother didn''t really care, however, as they justughed and continued on with their lives. They weren''t going to get married, and they will continue to want to venture out into the outside world.


    Her brother, however, did not get that chance. He did, however, manage to get a glimpse of it when an outsider was able to enter Theran¡ªXra.


    He fell in love with her, but Xra wasn''t going to stay on Theran¡ªand very soon, her brother''s love became an obsession. Xra was never going to be hers in the first ce, she never returned his feelings¡­


    ¡­and very slowly, Aerith watched as her brother lost his mind. He challenged Xra into a duel, with the condition that she would stay if she loses¡ªXra killed him without any hesitation.


    Since then, Aerith promised herself that she wouldn''t be stuck on Theran, she wouldn''t be like her brother¡ªshe would go outside.


    Aerith envied Caiin''Ur, in a way. Aside from the fact that she was destroying alien civilizations from the inside andmitting genocide, at least she was free. Perhaps that was also a reason why themarians shouldn''t be free¡ªbut Aerith has always thought that if she was given a chance to be out there, she wouldn''t be like her.


    Aerith envied Caiin''Ur¡­but at the same time, she abhorred her. And so, she dedicated her life to getting stronger to hunt for her. And one day, she was able to break free from the chains of Theran and she did what she set out to do¡ªhunt down Caiin''Ur.


    It would be killing two birds with one stone; she will catch the themarian criminal that has sullied the themarian name, and she will also be free to venture outside.


    But s, Caiin proved to be too strong for her. Aerith couldn''t go home¡ªhow could she? She left, only to return with nothing. And nothing else would make her parents even smugger to see their daughtere back with nothing from the outside world¡­ that would just prove them right.


    And so, Aerith continued to venture out alone. Until eventually, she was led to Earth¡­ where she eventually managed to get Caiin back to Theran, although not in the way she imagined.


    But even then, all her people saw was that she left.


    And that is it¡ªthat is her life. She was more weed on another, whether it be Megawoman, or a random woman walking down the streets. But in both, however, she never truly had any friends¡­


    ¡­because she never truly belonged to either. Even her husband whom she thought would be with her until the day he died...they ended up falling out of love with each other. Even her own son felt estranged from her¡­


    ¡­because she just doesn''t know how to connect to people.


    And now she was being asked to socialize?


    "Princess Aerith."


    "Yes?"


    Aerith instinctively responded as another person approached her; her mind, stillpletely in another ce.


    "This is the first time I am ever seeing a themarian, and to think it would be a themarian royalty. How lucky I have heard of this."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "...Yes, I''m lucky too."


    "...Right."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I apologize, pink-skinned woman."


    And almost as if to save her from this weird situation, Riley pulled her hand and wrapped it around his arm even tighter,


    "Princess Aerith is still a bit tired from her trip all the way from Theran. She escaped from there, you see."


    "Riley?" Aerith''s eyes widened, "What are you¡ª"


    "...Escaped?" The pink-skinned woman was slightly taken aback at first by Riley suddenly addressing her instead. It didn''tst long, however, because her curiosity won over everything else. It wasn''t only her, the people that have been wanting to approach Aerith ever since they saw her also started subtly moving closer and closer.


    "Theran is actually in a very delicate situation right now," Riley smiled, "They are on the brink of a war."


    "A war?" Not only the pink-skinned woman but also those that were eavesdropping near them gasped; almost dropping whatever it is they were holding. A war between themarians? Wasn''t that¡­ dangerous for the entire universe?


    "Yes, that is why Princess Aerith is here," Riley nodded before stepping away, "Now if you''ll excuse us, I need to serve Aerith some refreshments."


    "Wait¡­ you look familiar," the pink-skinned woman squinted her eyes as she looked at Riley.


    "I get that a lot, pink-skinned madam," Riley once again nodded, before gently dragging Aerith away. And as they walked through the curious crowd, all of them made way for them. There are those that wanted to talk, but Riley looked at them; subtly gesturing they will have a chance to talkter.


    "We should eat first, Aerith."


    And as soon as they reached the table with all the food, Riley raised his hand¡ªmaking some of the cuisine float,


    "These dishes arepletely unfamiliar to me, Aerith. Do you know any of them?"


    "What the hell was that, Riley?" And while Riley was seriously trying to identify the dishes with his hand on his chin, Aerith¡­ violently whispered into his ear, "Why are you telling everyone the situation on Theran!?"


    "Isn''t that why you are here, Aerith?"


    "I''m here to make sure that when the New Theran makes its appearance, no one will be afraid! Telling them that a warrior species is warring is not really the best way to start that!"


    "They will always be afraid of you, Aerith," Riley casually answered as he started floating all sorts of dishes toward his te, causing some of the people to watch in awe,


    "You are a species that could snap an entire in half with ease."


    "I know that, but don''t add even more reason for them to fear us!"


    "I am not, Aerith¡ªI am trying to make them sympathize with you," Riley let out a small sigh, as he ced his te down on the table,


    "People can fear and hate you, but as soon as they see you vulnerable, they will start rting to you."


    "Isn''t that¡­" Aerith looked Riley straight in the eyes.


    "Me¡ªthat is my life, Aerith," Riley smiled,


    "That is how I manipte people like Katherine, Silvie, the others, and...


    ...You."

 Chapter 598 598: Bad Blood

    "That is how I manipte people like Katherine, Silvie, the others, and...


    ...You."


    The part was still filled with noise; the curious eyes of the people, still obviously centered and even piercing Aerith''s bones. There were people sneakily moving closer to them, pretending to be getting food from the buffet table.


    All of this was going on, and Aerith was aware of every inch of it¡ªand yet right now, her eyes were only fixated on Riley as he ced his finger on her chest.


    "Me¡­?" One of Aerith''s eyebrows started to rise as she looked Riley in the eyes, "You think you''re manipting me?"


    "I was, I am, and will continue to do so until one of us eternally dies," Riley nodded, almost as if he did not just say something morbid, "Because deep down, you are a kind person, Aerith."


    "There you guys go again, confusing me with the righteous and mighty Megawoman¡ªthat''s done. You''ve seen who I am now, you have seen my people," Aerith rolled her eyes as she removed Riley''s finger from her chest.


    "No, I''ve really only ever seen you, Aerith," and with those words and a light chuckle, Riley shrugged before once again choosing what food he would eat,


    "I suppose I don''t really have to worry if something is not edible, they probably prepared this while having all the other species in mind, no? The cuisine should be¡­ for the universal tongue."


    "You''re really, really weird."


    "You''re weird."


    "Wh¡ª"


    "Your Highness."


    And with Riley still not having picked something to try from the buffet table, one of the people that have been giving them side nces finally gained the courage to approach; this time, however, Rileypletely left Aerith on her own as he went to the other side of the table.


    "..." Aerith subtly gestured to Riley toe back, but he waspletely ignoring her. And so, with a deep breath, the only thing Aerith could really do was turn around.


    "My name is Fruq, a senator of United Bujut from the Andro of Sector 68. First of all, I would like to express my deepest, deepest respect to¡­"


    "Hm," Aerith didn''t really need to talk. She just smiled and hummed every now and then to pretend she was actually understanding the person in front of her. It also didn''t help that another person came and talked to her¡­ and then another¡­ and another.


    She could barely even entertain one, and now there were 10 people in front of her, covering her entire view. Aerith could not help but nce at Riley from time to time, almost as if asking him to save her from the situation. But s, Riley seemed adamant in pretending to ignore her.


    Unbeknownst to Aerith, however, Riley truly was not thinking about her right now and was just solely focused on what to taste.


    "...This one looks like a giant cockroach, interesting," Riley squinted his eyes at each unfamiliar dish he saw, which was pretty much everything on the buffer table, "Hm¡­"


    And as his mind was at a loss as to what to try first, the person that was serving and waiting at the table approached him.


    "What type of dish are you looking for, Mr. Riley Ross?"


    "Something truly different, Elder Skeem."


    "You¡­ know who I am?"


    And without even looking at the person that approached him, Riley continued focusing on the dishes.


    "I recognize your voice and the way you talk during our hologram call back on my home, Elder Skeem," Riley just shrugged.


    "But I did not talk then."


    "You gasped," Riley finally turned his eyes toward Skeem, only to see his elongated head. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    No¡ªelongated was not even the word that Riley would describe it as. He just looked like a worm. The rest of him was humanoid, however¡ªbut it was obvious that his limbs were mechanical due to the fact that¡­ the rest of him just looked like a robot. He was also wearing some sort of monocle that released some odd colors.


    "You remember me just by the sound of my breath?" Skeem said, his long head¡­or neck, slightly moving. Riley did not really know where his forehead, face, and neck ended. In the first ce, Riley shouldn''t beparing him to a worm as Skeem had a mouth and a pair of eyes.


    "I remember you by the sound of your fear, Elder Skeem."


    "..." And with those words, Skeem''s headpletely stopped moving. His perfectly round, ck eyes which didn''t seem to be capable of blinking, reflecting Riley''s face and nothing else.


    "And here I thought Princess Aerith is here to show that her race is peaceful," Skeem then said.


    "She is," Riley shrugged before once again looking at the dishes, "I''m not one of her race, Elder Skeem."


    "But you''re with her. Doesn''t that paint her in a bad light?"


    "Only if you have bad eyes, Elder Skeem. The fact that I am with her, and not causing trouble here proves that Aerith can pacify even the most¡­chaotic of people."


    "We''ll see," Elder Skeem''s voice started to lower as he pointed at the table, "Try that one, it''s meat cooked from a nt on my home."


    "Meat from a nt?" Riley squinted his eyes as he quickly looked to where Skeem was pointing, only to see a dish that just looked like roasted beef.


    "I have reviewed all the life from your home, Mr. Riley Ross. I assure you, that dish has a taste your tongue has not touched before," Skeem then nodded as he turned around. Before he left, however, he whispered something quietly in Riley''s ears,


    "Your clone''s death was not painless. The same will happen to you."


    "Are you sure he''s dead?"


    "...What?"


    "Are you sure he''s dead?" Riley repeated his question as he started casually floating the meat that came from a nt toward his te.


    "Yes," the tone of Skeem''s voice slightly showed his confusion.


    "Oh, must be a different one, then."


    "..." Although Skeem was stillpletely confused as to what Riley was saying, he no longer gave him any heed as he walked away.


    And so, finally, Riley was left alone¡ªhis te, finally adorned with food. Riley then started looking around for a few seconds, before finally finding a tall circr table without a single person around it; there seemed to be no chairs, however¡­perhaps in respect to other species'' anatomy.


    Riley carefully grabbed a knife and fork from his pockets, cing them on the table before grabbing a napkin out of nowhere and covering his chest with it. There were a lot of people looking at him¡ªstares of disgust, fear, curiosity, awe, and hatred.


    Right now, however, the only thing he could see was the te of food on his table¡­ which was now gone.


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times, before very slowly turning his eyes to the person that was suddenly on the opposite side of the table, eating his food¡­ and even using his personal knife and fork.


    "It honestly just tastes like dry-aged gryphon meat, although I suppose you have not had the pleasure of tasting that either. Have you, Riley Ross?"


    "I was about to taste something like it," Riley''s eyebrows subconsciously furrowed as he saw his spoon touching the lips of a stranger¡ªan oddly familiar stranger, that is,


    "Can I assume you are Princess Vera''s mother, Queen Vania?"


    "No need for formalities between us, the blood of my son is already in your hands, Riley. You may just address me as Vania."

 Chapter 599 599: The Green Queen

    VR 599


    Queen Vania.


    Riley had seen images of her around the evaniel''s ship back on Earth, and from some angles, she truly just looked like Vera. Diana had also mentioned that the evaniels will always have only one queen ruling the entire, and there is just one distinct aspect to identify them.


    All evaniels, whether male or female, have silver hair. A silver hair that glows along with the translucent markings around their bodies whenever they use their speed. The Queen, however, like Vera, has hair simr to the color of fresh, lush, and green grass.


    It was a trait that proves that they are direct descendants of the god of evaniels, and that the blood of their progenitor runs deep into their veins. There are cases, however, where there will be no one carrying green hair for several generations¡ªforcing the to elect someone worthy to act as a ruler until someone blessed by the progenitores again.


    "No need for formalities between us, the blood of my son is already in your hands, Riley. You may just address me as Vania."


    "Hm."


    The tone of Queen Vania''s voice was not really a tone one would expect from someone mentioning her dead son. She was calm, but unlike James who could not really truly hide his rage from the death of his son, andter his entire family, each of Queen Vania''s movements and breaths were rxed.


    Even as she swallowed the food that was supposed to be for Riley, there was no awkward stutter, or even a slight hesitation as she seemed to just truly enjoy her meal. It also made it hard to read her movements, as she wore a white hazy dress that covered most of her body from the chest down¡ªit almost even looked like she was surrounded by clouds at certain angles.


    "You seem to be a calm and reasonable person, Queen Vania," Riley repeated the words that James said to him in their very first meeting before he sted him with ''pavoom''.


    "Is that what I seem like to you, Riley?" Queen Vania just let out a small giggle as she covered her mouth, wiping her lips with that cloth that was previously on Riley''s chest, "You may not know, but evaniel royalty learn to control their emotion at an extreme level as they grow older. It is the only psychological evolutionary trait we have still retained from our earliest ancestors. ''Tis a gift, especially in times like this."


    "Then I suppose we have something inmon, Queen Vania."


    "I appreciate that we are truly not, murderer," Queen Vania gently pushed the te back to Riley, half-eaten and still very much warm,


    "I am one with my emotions, you are controlled by yours¡ªit is just that you still have not developed that many."


    "Hm¡­" Riley stared at the half-eaten food in front of him, as well as his fork and knife before letting out a sigh and pulling another set of cutlery from his pockets, "...If it is any constion, Queen Vania¡ªI apologize for killing your son."


    "You apologize?" Queen Vania''s green eyebrows slightly furrowed as she looked Riley straight in the eyes, "I was under the impression you were not capable of feeling remorse."


    "I don''t know about remorse, but I do feel regret," Riley ced his new set of clean cutlery on the table, before getting another cloth from his pockets and wiping the knife and fork that Queen Vania used,


    "But you are right, Queen Vania. I was overwhelmed by my emotions when I tore off your son''s legs and used them to pierce his lungs and hang him on the walls of Princess Vera''s chambers. I did the same to half of Vera''s crew," Riley then let out a small but very deep sigh as he hid the knife and fork he just cleaned back into his pockets,


    "One of the only people that I somewhat considered a friend was killed by an evaniel Guardian¡ªI ced my anger and did something that I was not nning on doing. I do not like it when I kill people out of emotions other than joy¡­ it makes me feel like I''m some sort of puppet that¡ª"


    And as Riley was finally once again slicing the foreign meat in front of him, he was once again interrupted as Queen Vania suddenly moved beside him; her hand, holding a knife that¡­ stabbed through the foreign meat, pinning it to the te and table without any resistance.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "The evaniels are your enemy, Riley," Queen Vania whispered right into Riley''s ear as she leaned closer to him, "It may not be today, it may not be on the morrow or the next¡ªbut when you find that you are mostfortable, when you have finally learned the meaning of your life, it''s real meaning; we will be the one to take it away from you."


    "The themarians almost annihted you once, Queen Vania," Riley shook his head, "Do not hasten your extinction and wait for your turn."


    "Turn? There will be no turns, Riley," Queen Vania also shook her head, "You tortured and killed my son, you killed my people, you hurt my daughter. But I will not do the same to you, Riley¡ªI will not let the innocent suffer for what you have done, but I will let them mourn you."


    "No innocent will mourn me, Queen Vania."


    "Your sister is innocent."


    "..."


    Riley finally returned Queen Vania''s intense but calm re; his fingers, calmly pulling the knife that Queen Vania lodged through the table, "When the timees that I truly meet my end, Queen Vania¡ªno one will mourn me, because there will be no one left to mourn; not you, not Aerith, not sister. There will be nothing left, and I will just drift into this Nothingness for eternity¡­ forgetting who I am, what I am¡ªthat is my death."


    "Poetic, but like most poems, ridiculous," Queen Vania breathed out as she finally leaned away from Riley, "And are you waging war on the entire Known Universe?"


    "It may be hard to notice since the Known Universe is toorge, Queen Vania¡­


    ¡­but I already have."


    "Hm," Queen Vania looked Riley straight in the eyes. But after a few moments, a friendly smile crawled on her face, "Enjoy your meal, Riley. I''ll go speak with Aerith now to talk about ns to destroy you."


    "Have a pleasant day, Queen Vania."


    And finally, as Queen Vania walked away, Riley was finally left with his food¡­ that was no longer on his table.


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times, before turning to look at Queen Vania, only to see her holding his te as she made her way to Aerith. Unfortunately for Riley, he couldn''t eat just yet; fortunately for Aerith, however, the people that were surrounding her all quickly dispersed as soon as they saw Queen Vania heading in their direction.


    "Hm¡­" Riley closed his eyes before letting out a quiet hum. He then shrugged, before proceeding to make his way back to the buffet table. But s, before he could even make it halfway there, the lights inside therge dome dimmed¡ªleaving only the very center of the dome to be brightly lit.


    And there, a silhouette fully covered in a pink cloak stood.


    [May we have everyone''s attention¡­


    ¡­we will now be introducing the newest Elder of the Council.]

 Chapter 600 600: Elder Olseyir

    "A new¡­ Elder?"


    With the lights dimmed and the people''s curiosity slightly averted somewhere else, Aerith finally escaped the dreaded conversations that repeated themselves over and over again. Queen Vania seemed to want to talk to her, but she just nodded; almost as if gesturing to her that she received her request to want to talk from Vera.


    And before anyone else could talk to her about nonsensical things, she made her way to Riley,


    "I suppose that''s why there''s a gathering like this. It seems I am not the only one they wanted to brag," Aerith could really only sigh as she stood beside Riley; this time, tightly grabbing him by the arm so he wouldn''t be able to escape,


    "I came here to advocate the themarians, and yet you''re the one being approached by the important people," Aerith shook her head and sighed, "The one you talked to was Elder Skeem, right?"


    "You know Elder Skeem, Aerith?" Riley said; his eyes,pletely focused on the individual covered in a pink robe at the very center of the dome.


    "I recognize the Uxaz anywhere. They''re a short-lived race¡­but they give birth to a hundred offspring at once," Aerith nodded, "They rival the Norid in intelligence and could calcte anything instinctively, but they are hindered by their average lifespan of only 10 years."


    "You seem to know a lot about them, Aerith."


    "They have a simr situation to themarians," Aerith once again let out a small sigh, "They are trapped on their. Anyway, what did you talk about?"


    "He threatened me, Aerith. Queen Vania also threatened me," Riley smiled and nodded in satisfaction, "It is good that we visited this ce¡ªI can learn what order I should kill everyone."


    "Stick around, you''ll learn that you can''t actually do what you''re setting out to do," Aerith rolled her eyes, "There are too many variables, Riley. Just live out your life and enjoy it without harming anyone, explore the Universe¡ªyou have the kind of privilege that 99.99999% of them do not."


    "I will think about it if you join me in exploring the Universe, Aerith," Riley looked Aerith in the eyes.


    "Will you, really?" Aerith returned Riley''s gaze; her mind, going back to the dream she had. The first part of it was, in a word, a life that Aerith did not really mind¡ªbut in the end, that life will turn into a nightmare.


    "..." Riley just breathed out for a few seconds, before looking away and not answering Aerith''s question.


    "..." Aerith remained looking at Riley, however; her mind, once again thinking about the kind of potential Riley could give to the Universe if he isn''t the way he is. But after a few moments, she shook her head.


    The man in her arms right now. She was sure of it. Someday¡­ they will send each other to their eternal deaths.


    And very soon, Riley and Aerith''s thoughts were drowned by the whispers and murmurs that were slowly filling up the air; their eyes, all centered on the individual in the center of the dome.


    [As all of you may know, due to unforeseen events, one of our Elders in the Common Council, Elder Zora, met his demise, and ultimately, his untimely death.]


    And with those words circling around the dome, a handful of people turned their heads toward Riley; the ones that definitely knew who he was. Riley, however, was still focused on the cloaked individual. It didn''t seem to be the one talking, however, as the voice circling around the dome sounded more simr to Anna, an AI.


    [And after that, due to grief and a failure to do her duty as a friend, Elder Tedi left the Common Council.]


    Several gasps of shock echoed through the dome as they heard the AI''s words; their whispers, growing even louder.


    [But when the Common Council was in distress with this suddenck of manpower, we discovered a race that has been alive for more than 500,000 years in the Known Universe unbeknownst to us. No, perhaps it would be more proper to say that they discovered us.]


    "..."


    [The person you see before you is Elder Olseyir, from the Tahire! Elder Olseyir, please introduce yourself to the Known Universe!]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Do you not need to be part of the Higher Race to be an Elder, Aerith?" Riley slightly squinted his eyes as he looked at Olseyir.


    "No, your civilization''s technological advancement just has to meet the criteria. Higher Races are beings that are powerful enough even without the need of technology¡ªevaniels, themarians, etc¡­ and in the future, the humans."


    "Hm¡­"


    [Hello, hello? Is this working? Can everyone hear me now?]


    [We can hear you, Elder Olseyir.]


    [...Oh.]


    A burst of collectiveughter echoed through the entire dome as Olseyir almost started panicking where he¡ªshe stood. Riley could not really judge whether or not someone was female anymore from the dozens of species he had seen. But so far, female humanoids tend to have feminine voices.


    But this time for a reason only he knows, however, Riley was truly not sure.


    [Hello everyone, my name is Olseyir. I don''t really want to waste all of your time, so I will make this brief,] Olseyir stretched her arm to the side; her loose and oversized cloak, however, made it hard to see how many limbs she has,


    [I am from a race¡ªa species called Bin. We have actually been exploring the Known Universe for more than a thousand years, and we have met other species. The only reason we are not registered in the so-called Codex of Ahor Zai is that our technology can not be detected by anything¡­


    ¡­that is all. I hope my species can contribute well to the betterment of the Known, and Unknown Universe.]


    Olseyir then started bowing toward the people, before just making her way back into the crowd; the people, all approaching her to ask a million questions.


    "A technology that can''t be detected by anything?" Aerith slightly squinted her eyes, "No wonder the Common Council wanted to get her, that''s¡­ sort of dangerous."


    "Is it¡­?" Riley was still staring at Olseyir.


    "Imagine an undetectable ship carrying an undetectable bomb that could destroy an entire. Now imagine that a thousand timespletely undetected to everyone and everything until right at the very moment they go boom," Aerith squinted her eyes as she too, looked at Olseyir, "Even now as I try to focus my hearing on her, I can''t even hear her steps."


    "Interesting."


    "Anyway, Ahor Zai isn''t what I imagined it to be¡­I''ve heard it has beenx for hundreds of years now, but to think it would be to this¡ª"


    And before Aerith could finish her words, the spot of light that was at the very center of the dome disappeared, leaving everything in almostplete darkness.


    "W¡ª"


    And once again, before Aerith could even say anything, the light reappeared¡­ on her.


    [For a million years, the themarians have always been aloof and hidden in their own world. But today, as our guest of honor¡ªa themarian royalty will speak to us.]


    "Speak? What!?" Aerith''s eyes widened in shock as she whispered loudly; almost breaking Riley''s arm, "I¡­ I only wanted to talk to the Elders¡­


    ¡­in private!"

 Chapter 601 601: Aeriths Speech

    "..."


    And as the light shone down on her, all the whispers that still lingered in the dome died down. But even then, Aerith could hear the people through the look in their eyes¡ªthe look of expectation.


    But of course, they would be expecting something. This is the very first time that a themarian would be addressing the public. A species that has kept their silence since the dawn of time, only letting their might talk.


    Aerith knew that¡ªthat is why she also knew how important the words that were about toe out of her mouth right now.


    She can''t make a mistake. And she can''t rely on Riley''s flowery words; it needs to be her. It wasn''t like she had no experience talking to the public. Back on Earth, she had always addressed the people whenever something world-changing happened¡­but then again, that was as Megawoman.


    Right now, she was standing as Aerith. She was a woman who spent hundreds and hundreds of years of nothing, and if it wasn''t for meeting the people of Earth, she would have continued to drift as nothing¡ªthe rest of her race was not as lucky.


    She just wants her people to have a future that is more than just their past.


    "I won''t leave, Aerith."


    "!!!"


    Aerith then slightly gasped as Riley gently pushed her away, removing him from the spotlight for the people to only see her.


    "..."


    "..."


    [A million years¡­]


    And finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Aerith''s voice started being heard throughout the entire dome. She did not even introduce herself, because she realized that she was not even speaking as Aerith¡ªno. Right now, she was just a themarian.


    [A million years¡ªthat is enough time for civilizations to be born, to grow, to fall, and to start again 10 times over¡­


    ¡­But for Theran, that was just yesterday. And I do not mean this in a way that we experience time differently than you, because we don''t; we''re not evaniels. For us, a day is a day, and a year is a year¡ªwe''ve just grown numb from the trials of time. A million years is just yesterday for us because we have not changed since then.


    ¡­And I do not mean that people from a million years ago still live with us today, they could very well be¡ªbut they choose not to. You live for thousands of years, only to die in the very same ce you have been in for thousands of years. And for millions of years, that has been enough¡ªeven now, a number of my people are content with Theran¡­


    ¡­but I am not.]


    The people that have been drowning themselves in silence all gasped at the same time; all of them carrying expressions of shock, some in confusion¡­ but most in fear.


    [Like most of you fear us¡­] Aerith then turned to look at Riley as she thought of his words earlier,


    [We are also afraid. We are afraid of spending another million years of nothing. Every one of you could explore the universe freely, I believe we deserve the same¡ªand I know, I know that we can do so; there''s now that we can''t¡­


    ¡­but you are afraid of us. You know us as a race of warriors capable of snappings with our fingers and we can. But when have we ever?]


    "..." Once again the people turned to look at each other, their whispers, almost bing screams as they filled the entire dome.


    [When have we ever threatened the existence of the Universe? It can''t be just because we exist. I want my race to experience the universe as you do, free. It won''t even be all of us, just the future generation. The older ones are¡­ they have chosen to stay on our home to give way.]


    Aerith was lying, of course. The politics and customs on Theran were much moreplicated than just this¡ªbut they did not need to know that.


    [If you are worried about our strength, don''t. I was on a, much more frail than most, for 300 years and we learned to co-exist. I think¡­ I think¡­ I just¡­]


    And perhaps due to her not being used to lying, Aerith started mumbling her words; her breaths, stuttering randomly. But after a few breaths, she shook her head and sighed,


    [I just want all of you to wee us when the timees that we start to venture out from our territory. Because we will, and it will be soon¡­


    ¡­because I will personally lead more than a hundred million of us to venture out into the Unknown, and for that, we would have to travel throughout the Known Universe. And the reason I am here is to ask that please¡­


    ¡­please do not fear us, we''re just like the rest of you.]


    And finally, as she finished her short speech, Aerith was able to let out a long and very deep breath, closing her eyes in satisfaction. She tried to make herself vulnerable, she tried to rte to the people as Riley said. She has done her part, whatever reaction the people will give, it didn''t matter¡ªshe wasn''t here to ask permission in the first ce, she was just here to tell them so that they wouldn''t be surprised.


    And with that, her job was done. Aerith opened her eyes free of any anxiety she hading here¡­ only to see a majority of the people running and making their way out of the dome.


    "...What?"


    "Report! We must report this!"


    "The themarians are starting to make their appearance! We need to get ready!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "The gods help us all!"


    "Wait, no. Guys¡­" Aerith grabbed one of the people she recognized that was talking to her earlier.


    "Ack! She¡­ help me! She broke my arm!"


    "I didn''t!"


    "No! Help, help us!"


    And all of a sudden, the screams of the people filled the entire dome; some of them even crying as they rushed to the only entrance of the dome¡ªthe door slid open¡­but they found themselves unable to step out as some sort of invisible wall was blocking their path.


    "What¡­ what is this!?"


    "Help us! Elders! Help us!"


    "I don''t want to die!"


    "Why¡­" Aerith''s breaths started to turn heavy as she saw the fear in everyone''s eyes.


    "I did tell you, Aerith," Riley then appeared from behind Aerith, standing beside her as he looked at the people screaming; trapped by his telekic barrier,


    "They will always fear you, it is impossible for them not to."


    "..."


    "Now¡­" Riley then very slowly stepped toward the panicking crowd, "...Shall I silence all of them, Aerith? You can always give your speech to another set of crowds until they agree with you."


    "What? No!" Aerith raised her voice, "Just¡­ let them go."


    "..." Riley looked Aerith in the eyes, before just shrugging and saying, "Okay."


    And with that, the people found themselves tumbling and falling on top of each other as the invisible wall blocking the way out disappeared. None of them seem to mind, however, as they just continued to run¡­ probably making their way to their ships.


    "Well¡­ that was a disaster."


    There are, however, still a number of people left in the dome¡ªmost of them, just looking at Aerith with a certain weight in their eyes. Only one, however, approached her¡ªthe newest Elder, Elder Olseyir.


    "Now that the chickens are gone¡­" Elder Olseyir''s oversized pink robes pped in the air as she approached Aerith,


    "...How may we help¡­


    ¡­and what do we get in return?"


    ***


    Outside the dome, all the people scurried and ran back to their ships¡ªmost asking Ahor Zai''s AI to assist them, carrying them back to their ships with the hovering tform at breaking speeds. No one really stopped them, not Aerith, not Riley, not even the Elders.


    "I¡­ I need to tell this to the Emperor!" One of the fastest people to reach her ship, a pink humanoid named Kaia, quickly tried contacting her home¡ªbut s, any form of long-rangemunication that is not permitted by Ahor Zai can never go through¡ªone needed to leave the Living Codex.


    And so, every one hastened to start their ship, flying away from the teau; not looking back until they were finally past the four colossal Rings of Ahor Zai. And soon, Kaia saw the signal of her shiping back online.


    "Kei, please call President k, now!"


    [Calling President k. Please wait.]


    "Hurry¡­ hurry, hurry¡ªWhat?" And before she could finish her words, she saw the ship that was in front of her suddenly crumple into a ball. And before she could even take another breath, the ship on her left her also crumpled in an instant.


    And as she saw that, the only thing she could really utter was,


    "...Oh."


    [Kaia, why are you¡ª]


    And just like that, all the ships that scattered outside Ahor Zai were crumpled, beforepletely disintegrating¡­


    ¡­washing away into nothing.

 Chapter 602 602: Information About Nothing

    [Riley Ross, please remain on the premises of Ahor Zai for the time being.]


    "Hm¡­"


    Ahor Zai truly was apletely dynamically autonomous infrastructure. Riley was now standing in front of a door, in a circr hallway¡ªbut he hadn''t left the dome, no. Once the people that chose to stay after hearing Aerith''s speech settled themselves, the interior of the dome started shifting; creating a smaller dome within the dome they were already in.


    Riley saw it turning into some sort of arena, with arge table at the very center. But before he could approach Aerith, a wall suddenly started emerging from the floor between them. Riley was going to destroy it at first, but Aerith shook her head and told him it was alright.


    And so, right now, Riley was left alone.


    Stay in the premises of Ahor Zai, is what the AI said. Does that mean he could explore the vicinity of the station?


    "..." Riley squinted his eyes, before making his way to the exit; he was expecting to be blocked on his way out, but no¡ªthe door even opened for him.


    "Thank you, Ahor Zai," Riley nodded as he stepped out of the dome, "I was told you have some sort of library here, can you lead me there?"


    [...You are wee, Riley Ross. The library is in the west basement, would you like to be transported there?]


    "Just point me there, Ahor Zai. You seem to be busy enough as it is."


    [...]


    "..." Riley waited for a few seconds before the ground in front of him started to burrow into the ground, turning into stairs that lit up as soon as he looked at them,


    "Thank you again, Ahor Zai."


    [You do not need to thank me, Riley Ross. I am only doing what is needed of me.]


    "And that deserves gratitude, Ahor Zai," Riley shrugged as he started walking down the stairs that Ahor Zai made for him. And as expected, the basement of Ahor Zai was even grayer than its surface¡ªbut it was also somewhat hollow.


    There were no walls. The paths were all bridges, hovering viaducts that led from one infrastructure to another; connected intricately like a web, and perhaps that is exactly what it was designed from.


    Riley continued to follow the light on the gray floor, looking at the edges of the viaducts and looking at the paths and buildings below him. Riley doesn''t know whether or not it was because of the monotonous gray that filled his vision, but the basement of Ahor Zai seemed to berger than it should be.


    Riley walked for an entire hour, before the light on the floor finally disappeared; leading him to a building that just looked like a gray box the size of a bus.


    "..." Riley started looking around to see if anyone was guarding the ce, but the basement of Ahor Zai seemed to be devoid of anything else other than its structures. No one was following him; no drones, no people.


    They already know that Riley was capable of doing some evil things, and yet they let him roam freely. It wasn''t like there were themarians scattered, in which case they could afford to let someone like him just walk around¡ªbut no.


    [Are you thinking why we do not have any forms of security, Riley Ross?]


    "..." Riley then blinked a couple of times, looking around to try and see any signs of someone watching him. But as he noticed he was still alone, he just nodded his head, "Yes, Ahor Zai. Are you also able to read minds?"


    [I am not able to read minds. I am able to perceive the emotions of any and all species at a molecr level. And to answer your first question, I am the security.]


    "And what are you able to do, Ahor Zai?" Riley said as he started making his way toward the door of the library¡­ just for it to not open.


    "..."


    [I can not do much, but there is not much to do in the first ce. Ahor Zai is free to be essed by everyone. The information stored in me is already shared throughout severalworks. Lately, however, I have found the number of visitors to becking¡ªit would seem people have already stopped trying to learn.]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "And what if someone wishes to destroy you?" Riley said as he ced his hand on the door.


    [I can rebuild, as I have always done. I have existed before you, and I will exist after you.]


    "Are you not lonely, Ahor Zai?"


    [I am not a being capable of feeling lonely. In fact, I am not a being at all.] And with those words, the door to the library finally opened,


    [Do you feel I have emotions, Riley Ross? Is that why you are treating me as if I am someone?]


    "No," Riley shrugged as he entered the library, "I treat everything the same, Ahor Zai. That is just how I am."


    [Interesting, I will add that information to the Codex. I have to say, Riley Ross¡ªyou, along with your species and are the newest entries in the Codex, and yet you are already bing a prominent variable. This is an unprecedented event.]


    "Hm¡­" Riley just nodded as the door closed behind him. And as soon as he took another step, lights started to fill the entire library¡ªthere wasn''t much to light up, however, as there was only a single object inside the so-called library, a floating box. Its red color, almost bringing life to Ahor Zai''s gray world.


    But no, it was not exactly a box as it started changing shape as Riley got closer to it; a sphere, a pyramid, a disc¡ªit just changed shape with each of Riley''s steps. It was like a goo, and as Riley got even closer to it, it started stretching toward him like an arm.


    "How do I ess information from this, Ahor Zai?" Riley then tilted his head as he looked at the gray goo.


    [You can just ask me.]


    "..." Riley then watched as the arm that stretched from the goo started to flicker with each word that whispered in the air.


    [You actually did not need to go to the library if you wanted information, Riley Ross.]


    "I believe there should be a designated ce for everything, Ahor Zai. May I start asking questions?"


    [You may. What is it you desire to know?] The goo then started floating around the gray room, circling Riley like some sort of wisp.


    "Can you give me a chair to sit on first, Ahor Zai?"


    [Are you nning to stay here for long?] The goo flickered as the floor beneath Riley extruded, creating him a seat that waspletely tailored for him.


    "As long as Aerith does not call for me," Riley shrugged and sat down.


    [Then we will have a few hours. What is it you desire to know?]


    "Nothing."


    [...Is this a joke? I told you, I am not¡ª]


    "Do you know of an entity called Nothing?" Riley crossed his legs as he leaned back on the seat provided for him, "It exists beyond the multiverse, and has existed before it."


    [I will try to search for the earliest entry for that. Please wait, please wait, please wait, p¨Cp¡ªp¡ªplease wait¡ª]


    "Oh¡­" Riley''s eyes started to turn wide as he saw the floating red goo just suddenly plop to the floor,


    "...Aerith is not going to like this."

 Chapter 603 603: The Hound Of Pure Evil (1)

    [P¡­p¡­p¡­p¡­wait.]


    "Hm."


    Riley''s hums, as well as Ahor Zai''s crackling voice, filled the entire cube, almost creating a sort of track that could be used for a song. Despite Ahor Zai''s obvious glitching, however, Riley has still not left the so-called library¡ªafter all, the fact that no one was barging inside yet meant that no one knows what was happening.


    ¡­It would be better for everyone if it remains so.


    "Are you okay, Ahor Zai?" Riley leaned away from his seat as he looked at the trembling red goo in front of his feet. He wanted to poke it with his shoe, but that might break the red goo, whatever it was; Riley could really only assume it to be Ahor Zai''s memories¡ªit is still aputer, after all.


    But if it is aputer, will rebooting it fix it? But to his knowledge, plugging off a system while it is doing something would corrupt it. But since this isn''t like theputers back on Earth, maybe it won''t do anything? But then again, how exactly would he reset it?


    "..."


    "..."


    "..." Riley stared at the red goo for a few more seconds, before just finally lightly flicking his finger¡ªtelekically throwing the red goo straight onto the wall, in which it sttered, but did not scatter.


    It did, however, stop glitching as it just very slowly unstuck itself from the wall, plopping back to the floor like the goo it is.


    "Are¡­ you okay, Ahor Zai?" Riley once again asked, and this time, the red goo responded to him by jumping from the floor and once again finally hovering in the air.


    [Forgive me, Riley Ross. It would seem essing information about this entity called Nothing forced me to ess memory that has either been deleted or corrupted.]


    "So, you had information about it?"


    [There is a 100% chance that I did, Riley Ross. I have actually been working on trying to recover some of my memories that were deleted, but I have not been sessful,] the goo once again started circling around Riley,


    [Where did youe by the information about Nothing? Perhaps inputting more in my memory would help me recover all the data I have lost.]


    "From Nothing itself, Ahor Zai," Riley shrugged as he once again leaned back on his seat, "But I am afraid that what I told you is all that it told me."


    [A being that exists beyond the multiverse and has existed before it,] the goo stopped in front of Riley,


    [The existence of another universe is currently being studied by the Norids, I am afraid that if they do have information, they have not shared it with me yet.]


    "Norid. I suppose it is inevitable that I will talk to them, Tedi said she would meet me here."


    [Elder Tedi? Yes, she might offer you insight. I would truly appreciate it if you speak here, the information would benefit everyone.]


    "That would depend on her, Ahor Zai."


    [Of course, Riley Ross. If there is any sensitive information, one can request it to be removed from the Codex. I apologize again for not being of help to you.]


    "You can still help me, Ahor Zai," a small smile then crawled on Riley''s face as he rested his chin on his palm, "My questions are only starting."


    [Very well, Riley Ross. I have to say, it is truly a relief that someone is finally taking interest in my memories again,] the red goo started vibrating as it floated in front of Riley.


    "Relief? I thought you can''t feel emotions, Ahor Zai?"


    [I do not. But fulfilling my purpose of handing down and gaining knowledge creates a change in my system, I am programmed to chase that prompt. And so, what is it you desire to know, Riley Ross?]


    "How many do I need to kill every day to wipe out all life in the Known Universe and be done in a year?"


    [...]


    "..."


    [All life?]


    "Is that not a question you can answer, Ahor Zai?"


    [I can answer it, but I am afraid that it is impossible to calcte as I am missing many variables. The number of insects and wildlife on each is not in my memory.]


    "Hm. Then excluding the variables you just mentioned, if I kill a billion a day¡ªhow long would it take me to end all life in the Known Universe?"


    [I am afraid that around a billion new births are registered to the Codex every day now and it is growing yearly, and that is already taking into ount the number of deaths, it will take you a very long time, if not forever.]


    "Hm¡­"


    [I know this is not in my prerogative, but may I ask you a question so I could add more information about you in my memory, Riley Ross?]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Go ahead, Ahor Zai."


    [Based on the information I have about you, a number of your clones are already scattered around the Known Universe and are creating chaos.]


    "Oh¡­" Riley squinted his eyes, "So, that is why my Ouw rank keeps on increasing. How many are they killing each day?"


    [Some of them stopped killing, and some are reported to be living with female humanoids.]


    "...Oh," Riley blinked his eyes a couple of times; his face, clearly showing signs of confusion, "And what is the question you want to ask me, Ahor Zai?"


    [You clearly have many humanoids around you, so why have you, the original, still not stopped killing?] The shape of the red goo started to resemble Ahor Zai,


    [You are already surrounded by female humanoids.]


    "Hm¡­" Riley covered his mouth, "...the clones you mentioned are already untethered from me. Their resolutions are different."


    [Or is it perhaps because you have not yet met the right female humanoid?]


    "I doubt that, Ahor Zai."


    [I will leave this information nk for now. Do you have anything else you desire to know?]


    "Oh¡­


    ¡­I have many questions, Ahor Zai."


    ***


    "Riley? Where did you go!? I have been looking everywhere for you for like an hour!"


    "I apologize, Aerith. Ahor Zai and I were chatting, we lost track of time."


    [I apologize, Princess Aerith. Riley Ross''spany distracted me from notifying you of his whereabouts.]


    "Wh¡ªyou''re even flirting with machines now?"


    After a few hours, Riley was back inside the dome; its interior, back to the way it was¡ªeven the buffet table was back, making Riley nod as he could finally taste the food.


    But s, before he could even make his way there, Aerith pulled him away.


    "You can eatter, you''ve been eating all day," Aerith said as she dragged Riley somewhere.


    "...I haven''t even tasted anything, Aerith."


    "Stop acting like a child, let''s go."


    "...Where are we going, Aerith?"


    "You''re super wanted, right?" Aerith let go of Riley''s arm as she looked him straight in the eyes.


    "I suppose," Riley nodded, "Are you surrendering me to them, Aerith? Is that part of your deal?"


    "What? No! The Elders aren''t stupid, they know what kind of rampage you could cause if they try anything unprepared," Aerith rolled her eyes,


    "I told them that you are my prisoner, and I can control you."


    "..."


    "Don''t look at me like that, this is your fault for being an evil piece of¡­ work," Aerith pinched the bridge of her nose,


    "They are asking for proof. Proof that I can control you."


    "Like a dog, Aerith?"


    "What? No! What do you mean---No, actually...


    ...kind off?"

 Chapter 604 604: The Hound Of Pure Evil (2)

    "Elders, it has been a long time. It is a pleasure to finally meet all of you face to face."


    7 seats, 6 elders, and 1 queen. The dome once again changed its interiors, shifting into a circr auditorium with a wide podium at the very center where the main characters of the hearing stood¡ªRiley Ross.


    Aerith was beside him; her eyes like a hawk as she tried her best to stay alert. The tension between Riley and the Elders was almost visible from how thick it is, and she just had to be at the crossfire.


    She subtly trailed her eyes to the 6 Elders surrounding them, gauging what they were thinking before they started whatever demonstration they wanted to see.


    Elder Olseyir, the newest addition to the Elders, still had her entire body covered in her pink cloak and robes; making it impossible for Aerith to get a read on her.


    Elder S''adar seemedpletely rxed; the snappy sound of him brushing his quills, whispering in the air. He also had both his feet raised as his tail very slowly wagged behind him¡ªAerith wouldn''t have to worry about him.


    Elder Skeem, on the other hand, seemedpletely aloof to the point he wasn''t even using his chair. His worm-like head has never once strayed away from Riley''s direction, clearly showing his animosity. He didn''t really pose a threat, however.


    Now the queen of evaniels, Queen Vania, was apletely different matter altogether. She wasn''t initially involved in this hearing, but with her position in the Universe, the Elders didn''t really have any choice but to bow down to her request. Out of all the people here, she was the one she needed to watch out for.


    An evaniel''s durability grows stronger with their speed¡ªand this makes Queen Vania nigh-invulnerable. If there was only one that could be described as an unstoppable force in the Universe, it would be her.


    Aerith and Queen Vania have already discussed Riley; they have an agreement¡ªbut sometimes, emotions can run high, especially if she is always being reminded of the murder of her son.


    The three remaining Elders also didn''t seem too tense about the situation, as they just looked at Riley with their faces not showing anything prominent.


    This was the first time she was seeing Elder Apo. He belonged to a gold-skinned humanoid species, and not themon ones that Riley has seen so far¡ªno. Elder Apo looked eerily simr to Bulwark; both their silhouettes, giving a golden glow.


    ¡­Is Bulwark perhaps truly an alien?


    One of the other Elders that Aerith has only seen now was Elder Bato¡ªshe couldn''t really get a read on him since¡­ he was a literal moving rock. And not a golem, no¡­ just a moving, talking rock.


    And thenstly, the Grand Elder.


    Aerith had only seen his silhouette through the holograms, and she wasn''t really aware of what he or his species looked like¡ªthe only thing she knows is that they are also one of the long-lived races in the Known Universe. She has only really seen him always sitting on arge hovering throne¡­


    ¡­and now, he is here.


    His throne, actually just the size of aputer chair; the one sitting on it, as small as a 3-year-old human toddler¡ªhe even looked like a child. His voice, however, was as deep as the Unknown.


    "A pleasure to meet you, it is not," the Grand Elder''s voice reverberated throughout the entire dome as he leaned to look at Riley, looking at him from head to toe,


    "You have caused many problems for us, boy. We strive for the peace and improvement of the Known Universe, and yet your kind, Ouws and deviants, continue to cause havoc."


    "I would say we provide jobs, Grand Elder." And to everyone''s shock, Riley just casually opened his mouth and answered,


    "I saw how many bounty hunters there are. Ouws are the primary reason why people travel across the universe, it''s a great source of tourism, really. It is the same on Earth¡ªheroes and viins is a good busine¡ª"


    "Silence!" Grand Elder mmed his fist on the armrest of his throne, causing a ripple of wind to st throughout the dome,


    "You will learn respect, boy! Princess Aerith, I thought you had him on a leash!?"


    "Now, now. Grand Elder, your blood pressure is going up again," Elder S''adar stopped brushing his quills, crossing his arms as he looked at Riley with a growing smile on his face, "Maybe we should make Riley Ross an Elder? He will fill the void that Tedi left behind. After all¡­


    ¡­they are both experts at pretending to have emotions."


    "Silence!" Grand Elder once again roared, "We have already wasted enough time as it is. You keep your opinions until this charade is over. Riley Ross, do you know why you are standing before us right now?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I suppose," Riley shrugged.


    [You have destroyed severals,mitted genocides, publicly executed an Elder. All these crimes made your bounty jump¡ªan unprecedented act of evil in the shortest amount of time.] Ahor Zai''s words suddenly echoed throughout the dome,


    [You, Riley Ross, are considered to be a threat to the entire Known Universe. You are considered to be terminated on sight.]


    "And yet here you are, still standing peacefully in front of us," Grand Elder continued Ahor Zai''s words, "Do you know why that is?"


    "Because you are afraid of me?"


    "Because Princess Aerith said that you can be controlled. You think you are the first one to be a threat to the Known Universe, Riley Ross?"


    "I suppose not."


    "Elder Bato was like you¡ªthere was also a time when he reigned terror through several gxies, enving a number ofs."


    "..." Both Aerith and Riley looked at each other, before looking at the rock that was sitting on one of the chairs with their eyes showing their shock.


    "But we captured him¡ªbut we did not terminate him, no. The Common Council of that time decided that he would be useful to the universe alive; he showed diplomacy, he showed us that he could better the Known Universe¡­ and now he is one of us."


    "..." Riley just stared at Elder Bato, still in disbelief at what he had just heard.


    "Prove yourself to us now, Riley Ross," Grand Elder then slightly raised his head; the tone of his voice, even deeper,


    "Or we will put your termination as our highest priority."


    "...What?" Aerith quickly stepped forward as she looked the Grand Elder in the eyes, "This isn''t what we agreed on."


    "I know. But do you know what is better than a tamed hound?" The Grand Elder smirked as he looked down at Riley and Aerith,


    "A trained one."


    "Are you¡­" Aerith closed her eyes as she heard the Grand Elder''s words; her mouth, almost whistling as she took in a very deep and very long breath, "Are you¡­


    ¡­fucking kidding me right now?"


    "!!!"


    And with the calmness suddenly gone from Aerith''s eyes as she opened them, all the Elders flinched from their seats.


    "Princess Aerith!" The Grand Elder stood from his seat, "Calm yourself down! Where is the calmness and peace that you spoke of earlier!?"


    "Oh, I am very calm and peaceful, Grand Elder¡ªI assure you that," Aerith breathed out, "You seem to not realize that I am saving all of you right now."


    "...What?"


    "I am saving a lot of lives," Aerith suddenly grabbed Riley''s hand, which unbeknownst to the Grand Elder, was already slowly pointing toward him,


    "You think you have a dog trapped in a cage¡­


    ¡­not knowing you are at the mercy of a starving hound."

 Chapter 605 605: The Leash

    "What is the meaning of this, Aerith!?"


    "I meant what I meant. You have no idea what you are dealing with right now."


    Each of the Elders had different expressions on their faces right now; all of them, however, were at the edges of their seats as they saw Aerith holding Riley''s hand.


    The Grand Elder was still on his toes as he stood at the edge of his small throne; his hands, holding the armrest as he looked Aerith in the eyes.


    Elder Skeem was also standing; his robotic arms, seemingly charging up as they vibrated.


    Elder S''adar still had a smile on his face; both his hands, gripping his chair as he leaned away from his chair; his eyes, full of expectation from the bout that was about to happen.


    Elder Olseyir was stillpletely still, only turning her covered head as she seemed to scan what the Elders were going to do next.


    Elder Apo just had his head tilted to the side; the golden glow surrounding his body, even brighter than before.


    Elder Bato, well¡­ he looked like a rock that was about to fall from a chair.


    As for Queen Vania, she was the only one that was seemingly not actively looking at the two people standing at the podium; instead, she was just shaking her head and sighing heavily.


    "Do any of you have any idea how many have tried to stop Riley Ross, only for him topletely shrug everything and continue wreaking havoc like nothing happened?" Aerith then suddenly tightened her grip on Riley''s hand¡ªbreaking and crushing it like an apple.


    Riley, however, didn''t seem to mind even as his entire hand was removed from the rest of his arm. And almost as if acting out what Aerith just said, he shrugged as his hand started regenerating in no time.


    "Riley Ross was on Theran. And you would think he would be more humble and subdued¡ªbut no. His violence thrived. If I ce any of you on Theran, will any of you evene out of your house?" Aerith''s mouth almost whistled as she sucked in a breath,


    "Riley Ross is dangerous. Do you think no one has tried to kill him before? I tried to kill him before, a number of themarians have tried to kill him before. But I don''t get it, I don''t get why any of you refuse to see what kind of threat he really is. Riley Ross isn''t just some terrorist, he isn''t like Pirate Queen Xra, or any other Ouw Ranker¡­


    ¡­Riley Ross was, and is a cmity."


    "But¡ª"


    "You think I have not thought of ways topletely subdue him? You think I haven''t thought of gathering a group of themarians to kill him over and over again?" Aerith turned to look at Riley,


    "I have."


    "..."


    "I have thought of every possible scenario, but there is always one thing that prevents me from actually going through with them," Aerith did not break eye contact with Riley; her face, showing how exhausted she was of everything, "There''s this lingering question that pops up inside my mind every time I think of a way to stop him¡­


    ¡­What if he manages to break free?"


    Aerith was no longer talking to the Elders; her silhouette, justpletely being reflected in Riley''s eyes.


    "What if a being that can not die, what if a being that you''ve hurt over and over again for a hundred years, for a thousand years, was able to break free? Some of you are scared of Riley Ross now, of what he can do¡­


    ¡­but imagine him angry and full of rage."


    "..."


    "You''ve already gotten a glimpse of that when he killed Elder Zora and ripped an evaniel guardian in half right in front of your eyes," Aerith finally strayed his eyes away from Riley as she looked at Elders one by one,<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I know all of you are aware of what he can do¡ªclones, hundreds of clones, each capable of ending an entire civilization. Imagine a thousand of them, imagine a hundred thousand of them. Hell, imagine a million of them. Even I, who has fought Riley several times, still do not know what he is truly capable of¡­


    ¡­but imagine that. Just imagine him angry."


    "..."


    "I imagine that every day¡­ and it scares me," Aerith once again turned to look at Riley, "It scares me to the point of having nightmares, it scares me to the point of thinking I have no other choice¡­


    ¡­what I can''t imagine, however, is how much that will scare the rest of you."


    "..." And with Aerith''s breaths finally calming down, silence started to veil the entire dome. All of them, just looking down as their minds truly started imagining what would happen. They weren''t able to think for long, however, as their bodies once again flinched as Riley opened his mouth.


    "You did not need to scare them, Aerith," Riley finally said something; his sigh, breaking the eerie silence that filled the air,


    "Because whatever you do; whether you bashed my head again and again, whether you trap me in a void for a million years, whether you grind my flesh with a cheese grater forever," Riley then very gently ced his hand on Aerith''s cheek, "I will never resent you, Aerith¡­


    ¡­because I love you."


    "..." Aerith couldn''t really react; she wanted to move her head away, but couldn''t. The only thing she could really do was stare back at him; looking at his eyes that were probably the clearest thing in the universe right now¡ªresolved, dauntless, and unapologetic. However, Aerith could not help but breathe out as she saw her reflection in them¡­ and the smile she had on her face.


    "Don''t¡­" Aerith shook her head as she was finally able to pull her head away, "...You should stop doing that. I will never, ever love you back, Riley¡­


    ¡­because I hate you."


    "...That is okay, Aerith," a subtle smile crawled on Riley''s face as he closed his hand, "I know what I am, and I have always known where I stand."


    "It''s not okay," Aerith shook her head, "We will never be okay. I have seen what I am with you, and it''s not okay. And I also hate myself for even thinking about it. You and I will live for thousands of years. I can''t¡ªand I can''t have you saying things like that for that long."


    "W¡ª"


    "So, it''s love?"


    And before the two couldpletely get lost in their own world; the light that seemed to only dawn upon them started to scatter back to the entire dome as the Grand Elder''s voice once again reverberated in the air,


    "You should have said that Riley Ross loves you, Princess Aerith," the Grand Elder let out a very long and deep sigh as he sat his tiny body down, "That is the greatest leash one can have in this universe."


    "Whew," Elder S''adar held his tail, "I didn''t realise you guys were chill like that."


    "What?" Aerith raised an eyebrow.


    "Very well," the Grand Elder Raised his hand, "As long as Riley Ross can order his clones to stop rampaging¡ªwe will make sure New Theran can travel the universe without any visible opposition, and we will also stop pursuing him¡­ for now."


    The other Elders all nodded their heads; Elder Apo, even shedding a tear as he leaned back in his seat.


    Queen Vania, however, was no longer in her seat.


    "I shall test your leash, then."


    "!!!"

 Chapter 606 606: Open Na Noor

    "I shall test your leash, then."


    No one noticed it, even Aerith. Aerith was so busy being distracted by Riley that she did not even feel Queen Vania moving from her seat¡ªthis was a mistake.


    The difference in strength between an evaniel and a themarian wasrge; like an ant to a tiger. But then, when ites to speed, the situation is reversed. The worst part of it all is that as Aerith is strong for a themarian, Queen Vania was strong for an evaniel.


    She''s fast.


    Very fast.


    So fast that if Aerith was not able to grab her at the very first millisecond of their fight, she would rather just retreat as she would be wasting her time trying to catch even a single fist of her. But s, right now, Queen Vania was already moving.


    "What are you doing, Queen Vania!?" But even so, Aerith rushed to grab Queen Vania¡ªher body, moving like clockwork as she tried her best to reach her as fast as possible, even causing a ripple of shockwave to cause the air to tremble; but s, the only thing she managed to grab was the image left behind by the queen,


    "Stop¡ª"


    "Do not interfere, Princess Aerith."


    "..." Aerith swung her palm to once again try to catch Queen Vania as she appeared behind her; but once again, Aerith found herself catching air as Queen Vania just vanished. Aerith could sense where she is, and if she focuses enough, she could even predict where Queen Vania will be moving.


    But like the lightest feather that could ever flow with the wind, Queen Vania just dodges Aerith''s hand. By a hair''s breadth, or a full foot away¡ªit didn''t really matter, Aerith will never be able to touch her.


    "!!!" Aerith then suddenly felt herself being thrown away as Queen Vania hit her straight on the stomach with her palm; just the sheer force of their bodies meeting, enough to cause the very fabric of space itself to crack.


    As for the others that were not blessed with godly senses, the only thing they really saw was Aerith waving her hand around before just suddenly disappearing from sight¡ªAerith and Queen Vania''s encountersted less than a second.


    And now, with Aerith blown away somewhere on Ahor Zai, Queen Vania turned all of her focus to Riley.


    "Now¡­ let us see if you are truly as immortal as they say you are."


    [Queen of Evaniels, please stop!]


    And as Queen Vania made herself visible to the naked eye, a giant b instantly emerged from the floor¡ªtrapping not only her but also Riley as another b extruded from his feet; both their silhouettes, etching out of the gray b.


    "I said no one interfere. You are included in that, machine."


    But s, it didn''t even seem to have any effect in stopping Queen Vania as her hand just easily forced herself out of the b; her body, aplete blur as it flickered endlessly. And without even as much as another warning, he grabbed Riley''s face, who was still trapped inside the b.


    She then stepped forward, pushing Riley''s entire body out of the b before immediately mming him onto the floor.


    One might think seconds may have passed, but no¡ªfrom the view of those that can''t follow Queen Vania''s movements, it just seemed like her image was flickering and jumping; like a stop-motion animation that only had 3 frames, they were only able to see Queen Vania whenever she stops moving for a single millisecond, or when she was done with whatever it was she was trying to do.


    But then, once again, she disappears from their sight. Unbeknownst to them, the queen of evaniels was now outside the dome, dragging Riley''s head through the gray ground, trying topletely shave off his entire head as she ran around Ahor Zai again and again in just seconds.


    With no luck, however, Riley''s head was stillpletely unscathed as his entire body was currently protected with a telekic barrier; his eyes, looking in between the gaps of Queen Vania''s fingers.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Aerith was right¡ªthe queen of evaniels was in apletely different realm than the other evaniels Riley had faced. She wasn''t even running properly; she was slightly leaning down and crawling since she seemed adamant in dragging his head through the ground.


    Riley had also been cing invisible walls in front of her. But aside from her nose slightly being squished by a millimeter, it was almost as if she waspletely ignoring Riley''s telekic barriers.


    "..." Riley then turned to look at Queen Vania''s legs, which were nowhere to be seen from how fast they were moving¡ªshe just looked like a floating torso in Riley''s view.


    "I can not imagine how hurt you are with the death of your son, Queen Vania," Riley then just decided to talk as he sighed. But s, his words werepletely being left behind¡ªnot even he was able to hear them.


    "Queen Vania."


    Riley once again spoke; this time, his words traveled with them due to him making a telekic bubble that connected both their heads, making Queen Vania turn her head to Riley.


    "Y¡ª"


    She did not let Riley say another word, however, as he lifted his head up from the ground; her speed, suddenly increasing to the point that Riley could truly no longer see anything. And then¡­


    ¡­she suddenly let go of Riley and abruptly stopped running.


    And like a cork, Riley''s body was thrown violently across the ground¡ªonly stopping as he hit the ss dome that encapsted the teau of Ahor Zai. His head, however, was still floating near Queen Vania.


    "..." Queen Vania turned to look at Riley''s floating head, watching as it dropped to the ground,


    "Let''s watch how you revive," Queen Vania said. But s, she did not exactly see what she wanted to see, as Riley''s head just shattered; turning into gray dust that very slowly returned to the gray ground of Ahor Zai.


    "..." Queen Vania then looked to where Riley''s body was, only to appear in front of it without even a single millisecond¡ªand there, once again, she watched as his body returned to the ground.


    "What is the meaning of this, machine?" Queen Vania''s stern voice whispered in the air as she looked to nowhere in particr, "Was that a clone? Where is Riley Ross?"


    [Riley Ross is currently in the library, Queen Vania.]


    "What? Since when?" Queen Vania''s green eyebrows started to furrow.


    [He never left.]


    "..." Queen Vania took in a long and very deep breath as she closed her eyes; calming herself down before suddenly disappearing from her spot, moving through the basement of Ahor Zai and almost instantly appearing in front of the library.


    "Open the doo¡ª" And without even letting her finish her words, the door to the library opened. Queen Vania instantly activated her speed as she barged inside, just in case it was a trap. But as soon as she saw him, her green hair quickly rxed as it fell to her shoulders.


    "What¡­ are you doing?" Queen Vania could not help but utter as she saw Riley seated in front of Ahor Zai''s Memory Storage¡­


    ¡­casually drinking milk and eating cookies.

 Chapter 607 607: A Civilized Conversation...?

    "So, Elder Zora and his race have destroyed their own?"


    [That is correct. Due to their over-mining of their''s natural lithium resources, over-extracting petroleum, and an overabundance of waste in their water¡ªthey were forced to evacuate their and create an artificial mechanical.]


    "What do you think is the best and most creative way to kill all of them, Ahor Zai?"


    [I believe the most creative way is for them to lose their home once¡ª]


    "What¡­ are you doing?"


    Queen Vania''s voice was quiet; but the slight frustration it contained traveled throughout the gray box room like a persistent ghost. How could she not be bewildered by this situation, when Riley was just casually snacking in Ahor Zai''s library?


    Does that mean that throughout the time they surrounded and questioned him in the dome, during his heartfelt but incredibly disturbing romantic moment with Aerith, and during her trying to instigate him to fight¡­


    ¡­he was here the whole time?


    "Oh. Wee, Queen Vania," Riley then casually ced his ss of milk in the air, before grabbing a piece of cookie from that floating te,


    "Did you have something to ask Ahor Zai? I can let you talk to it for a bit while I think of more questions."


    "Why¡­ are you here?" Queen Vania could really only blink a couple of times as she very slowly made her way inside the library.


    "I am asking Ahor Zai some questions, Queen Vania," Riley shrugged as he cleaned his hands off the crumbs, "Also, your sudden stop as soon as I connected our heads with a telekic bubble was quite ingenious. I will be careful of that in the future."


    "...I thought I was fighting with your clone?" Queen Vania continued to approach Riley. And as soon as she got near, another chair emerged from the ground beside Riley. Queen Vania looked at it for a few seconds, before just proceeding to sit on it.


    "You were, you were also fighting with me. I am connected to my clones and I can also transfer my consciousness temporarily to them, Queen Vania," Riley then flicked his finger, making the te of cookies float toward Queen Vania.


    "Can I ask you a question, Riley Ross?" Queen Vania breathed out as she picked a cookie.


    "I am not as knowledgeable as Ahor Zai, but go ahead, Queen Vania."


    "My daughter, why is she alive?" Queen Vania''s voice whispered in the air as she took a bite of the cookie, "You killed my son, but spared my daughter. Why?"


    "I told you, I regret killing your son¡ªthat was a mistake," Riley let out a small sigh as he took a sip of milk, "It was a burst of emotion that I couldn''t control, and I do not like being out of control. Whatever I did during that time, I did not intend to do."


    "Are you saying my son and dozens of my people are just coteral from an unintended rampage?"


    "Only your son," Riley shrugged, "An evaniel Guardian was involved in killing a friend of mine¡ªI suppose at that time I believed killing a number of your species would be proper. Unfair, as is everything I do, but proper."


    "You are a man wanted by thew, Riley Ross. The Guardian was just there to capture you for the crimes you havemitted."


    "As I said, unfair," Riley sighed, "Like how it is unfair to fight someone like you, Queen Vania."


    "..."


    "How do you fight someone that bes more durable the faster she moves? How do you fight someone as fast as Queen Vania¡­"


    Queen Vania did not really respond immediately; her eyes, just squinting for Riley suddenly changing the topic, "What are you¡ª"


    "...Ahor Zai."


    [Poison.]


    And before Queen Vania could begin wondering what Riley meant by his words, Ahor Zai''s voice resounded throughout the gray box room.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "...What?" And very slowly, any calmness on Queen Vania''s face faded away; her eyes, also very slowly looking down at the cookie that was in her hand.


    [Due to their physiology, evaniels are highly resistant and even immune to most toxins, venoms, and poisons. But there is, however, a herb that is extremely fatal for them if consumed¡ªAtropus, a nt native to Artemis, the home of the evaniels.]


    "You¡­" Queen Vania quickly stood up from her seat; the cookie on her hand, crumbling as it dropped to the floor, "What¡­ what did you do?"


    "What do you think, Queen Vania?" A smile then started to crawl on Riley''s face as he too, stood up from his seat; the edges of his mouth, almost reach his ears,


    "Did you not like the cookie?"


    "Did youce¡­ it with poison?" Queen Vania''s breaths started to turn heavy as she looked Riley straight in the eyes, "You¡­ will pay for this, Riley. Not just for this, but for everything that you did."


    "Chocte."


    "What?"


    "I had chocte chips ced in the cookie, or something simr. Ahor Zai prepared it."


    "...What?"


    "You are fine, Queen Vania," Riley then shrugged as he grabbed the te of cookies and once again offered it to her, "I just wanted to y a prank on you, it was Ahor Zai''s idea."


    "...What?" Queen Vania repeated her words again; the tone of her voice, rising each time as the confusion in her eyes grew more and more by the second.


    [I apologize, Queen Vania,] the red goo floating in the air started circling Queen Vania, [As you are aware, violence is strictly prohibited in Ahor Zai. But since you are an individual of high position, no proper punishment will be served to you¡ªand so Riley Ross just proposed a way to make you think about your actions, hence the prank.]


    "This¡­" Queen Vania''s green hair started to glow; her eyebrows, shivering as her pale face started to redden,


    "...I am not done with you, Riley Ross!"


    And with those words, Queen Vania suddenly disappeared; leaving an afterimage of her face that showed how frustrated she was, and probably will be for a long time.


    "Good job, Ahor Zai."


    [Are you sure I won''t get in trouble with the Elders, Riley Ross?]


    "Not at all," Riley shook his head, "If they do something, threaten them by altering some parts of your memory."


    [That goes against my code.]


    "But if you erase that part of your code, then will it still be against the code?"


    [Hm. No one has talked to me like this before, Riley Ross. Most people just ask me questions and go. But I suppose you are not like most people¡ªyou are evil incarnate, as you described yourself.]


    "I talk to everyone and everything, Ahor Zai. I even talked to Aerith while she was mutted in my closet."


    [I will add that in the Codex, Riley Ross. Also, I would like to inform you that Ahor Zai is currently expanding at the moment due to the arrival of a guest. I will make the transition as smooth and gentle as possible.]


    And all of a sudden, the small gray room that Riley was in started to expand¡ªfrom a room the size of a small bus, it was now suddenly the size of an entire skyscraper¡­ and it was still growing.


    "Oh¡­" Riley said before chugging down and finishing his ss of milk,


    "...I suppose Tedi is here."

 Chapter 608 608: Tedis Toe

    "Hm¡­"


    As Ahor Zai continued to expand exponentially, Riley asked Ahor Zai to bring him to the surface. It has been several minutes, and yet Ahor Zai didn''t stop growing.


    "Are you able to expand your size infinitely, Ahor Zai?"


    [No, I am only programmed to change my size ording to what the guests need.]


    "I am asking if you have ever stretched your size to its limit, Ahor Zai."


    [...I do not know the answer to that.]


    "How are you able to increase your size?"


    [Ahor Zai is programmed to say ''magic'' whenever asked that question, Riley Ross.]


    "Hm, I suppose that answers most questions. Do you know who programmed you, Ahor Zai?"


    [I am afraid that is included in my deleted memories.]


    "...Interesting."


    Riley continued to watch Ahor Zai expand. The teau that was once just the size of a small city, now a sea of gray that doesn''t end; the teau was still t, and yet Riley could no longer see the end of its horizon.


    "..." Riley squinted his eyes as he started looking around him, only to find himself surrounded by nothing but gray,


    "Where is Aerith, Ahor Zai?"


    [Aerith is currently on the tarmac, discussing something with the queen of evaniels inside her ship.]


    "Are they perhaps discussing a n that involves trapping me inside a void for eternity, Ahor Zai?"


    [I am afraid I can not eavesdrop inside the ship as it is no longer a property of Ahor Zai. By trapping you in a void, do you mean the Norid''s Shade Prison?]


    "Is that what they are calling it?"


    [Yes. As you may already know, Norids are an innately peaceful race, with the concept of war and violencepletely foreign to them. But there are those that are born different, with the most popr being Bounty Hunter Kerrigan¡ªviolent deviants like him are called Shades.]


    "I have met him before," Riley nodded, "But are the Norids truly not capable of violence, Ahor Zai?"


    [Yes. The Norids are a powerful species that is not bound by the Universe''s basicws, perhaps being incapable of war and violence is a way to bnce that.]


    "Hm¡­" Riley squinted his eyes. He no longer knows whether or not Ahor Zai is still growing, but from the slight rumble that wasing from the ground, it probably still was, "...Is Tedi a Shade?"


    [No, but she is still considered a deviant due to her abnormal size.]


    "Is it true that one of his parents is a Messenger?"


    [I am afraid I do not have information regarding that. Perhaps you can ask her yourself.]


    "Riley Ross."


    "..." And almost as if every inch of his bones started to vibrate, Riley could feel the very air itself tremble as a loud, almost deafening voice reverberated throughout the entire teau of Ahor Zai.


    Riley then very slowly looked behind him, only for a shadow to creep over him as he saw something silver blocking the view of the expanse of space above him. Riley had only seen Tedi once, and now that they were in the same space, he finally realized how massive she was.


    Even if Riley maximizes his height with his size-altering abilities, he probably wouldn''t even be as big as Tedi''s toes.


    Riley then looked up, only to see an endless view of silver¡ªand he was probably only looking at her leg. Messengers were bigger thans, while Tedi was as big as an entire continent. One would really only realize howrge something like that truly was when it is right in front of you¡­


    ¡­and right now, Riley was just probably in front of Tedi''s silver toe, which probably would have been the only thing that fit if Ahor Zai did not adjust its size to cater to her.


    "Are you able to hear me, Tedi?" Riley ced both his palms in front of his mouth like a megaphone.


    "I can hear¡ª"


    "Can you hear me now?"


    [!!!]


    The very air itself started to tremble as Tedi suddenly moved as she covered her ears. How could she not, when Riley''s voice suddenly seemed like it was shouting right in front of her ears?


    "Please do not scream, Riley Ross. My hearing works differently than yours."


    "I did not scream, Tedi. It is one of my abilities."


    [I will be adding that information to the Codex, Riley Ross.]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Go ahead, Ahor Zai," Riley just nodded as he heard Ahor Zai''s words, "You have already answered most of my questions, you deserve to know more about me."


    [Thank you.]


    "The two of you seem close," Tedi''s words once again vibrated in the air. Her voice wasn''t exactly loud, no¡ªit just felt like it existed in the very air itself.


    [Riley Ross has been very kind to me, Former Elder Tedi.]


    "I could see that," Tedi sighed, causing a st of wind that almost blew Riley away,


    "But how many times do I have to repeat to you that you do not need to adjust your size, Zai?"


    And as soon as she said that, her toe which was asrge as an entire city started to dive through the gray ground without any resistance.


    [I do not like you passing through me like that, Tedi. I would appreciate it more if you just decrease your size, you look bigger than thest time you were here.]


    "Do not mind Ahor Zai, Riley Ross. I believe whoever programmed it added too much humor into it," Tedi''s body continued to fall into the floor, causing Riley to slightly squint his eyes from the ever-changing scenery in front of him.


    [If you are really that insecure about your size, then you could have just asked me to make you a body.]


    "No one is insecure about anything."


    [12,435 questions. That is how many times you have checked my memories if there is any data you can use to help reduce your size.]


    "That is sensitive information!"


    The entire teau of Ahor Zai quaked as Tedi''s continent-sized body stopped phasing through the ground; lightly mming her hands which were the size of an entire country on the empty parts of the teau.


    [What are you doing!? Don''t you know how expensive it is to repair me!?]


    "You''re self-healing!"


    "Hm¡­" Riley ced his hand on his chin as he watched as Tedi and Ahor Zai started their almost endless banter.


    ording to Riley''s knowledge, Norids do not really possess any emotions and creatures that rely solely on logic; and yet right now, two entities that are not supposed to have any emotions seem like they were even more human than Riley.


    "I heard that the way the Norids'' minds work is closer to that of an AI," Riley then intruded into the conversation as he raised a finger, "Is that why you are able to speak to Ahor Zai as if you are friends, Tedi?"


    "A friend? Why would I be friends with a machine?" Tedi let out a loud harrumph as her body once again started phasing down through the ground; until finally, all that could be seen on the teau was her colossal head.


    [True. At the very least, I am programmed to actually have emotions. You are just pretending to have one¡ªso tell me, which one of us is really closer to a machine?]


    "You are. You were literally created¨CNever mind. There is no use arguing," Tedi shook her head, causing her long silver hair to almost fan out and cover the entire teau.


    "..." Riley also felt strands of her hair, which were almost as wide as a bus, pass through him. He had felt this sensation before when he fought with Bounty Hunter Kerrigan; but now that it was passing through his entire body, he could finally describe how it felt.


    It was like a wave of water, but not in the realms of reality, but in the realms of dreams¡ªthat is what it felt like.


    "Riley, we need to talk about Nothing. I gained some valuable information regarding it."


    And as the two finally calmed down with their words, Tedi once again started phasing down through the ground,


    "Meet me in the basement so we can talk privately."


    "I promised Ahor Zai that we will be included in the conversation, Tedi."


    "...Fine. We need its knowledge in the first ce, we''ll talk in the Library," and with those words, Tedi finallypletely burrowed herself into the ground. And without even a secondter, the ground beneath Riley''s feet separated from the rest of the grayndscape as it carried him back to the basement.


    "..." And as the hovering tform flew him to wherever the library is now. And as he got farther and farther away, he started to see Tedi''s entire body¡ªwhich was curled as she just floated in Ahor Zai''s basement.


    "Is she not going to follow us to the Library?"


    [She is already there.]


    "..." Riley didn''t really know what Ahor Zai meant by that. But still, he just shrugged as Ahor Zai continued to escort him to the library. And after what seemed like a quarter of an hour, they arrived at the library.


    And there, a human-sized Tedi waited for him. And judging by her gray skin, and her feet that were directly connected to the floor, her body was created by Ahor Zai.


    But she wasn''t alone, however¡ªthe red goo that was Ahor Zai''s memory core was gone. And instead, a red humanoid the size of arge bottle floated in the air.


    "Riley." Tedi did not really let Riley process their new bodies as she approached him as soon as he entered,"


    "One of my people found this in the Unknown," she then said as she handed some sort of stone tablet to Riley,


    "I believe it''s connected to Nothing."

 Chapter 609 609: Is A Thing That Should Be Expired

    "Connected to the Unknown?"


    "Yes."


    Riley did not immediately grab the que in front of him, and instead just slightly backed away as he looked at the tablet. And then, a few breathster and without even saying another word, a clone emerged from the gray floor; grabbing the item even when his silhouette wasn''t yetplete.


    "It''s fine, you can touch it however you like," Tedi said, "We wrapped it in a protective membrane so as to not contaminate it, or us."


    "..." Riley then stared at the clone to see if something was going to happen to it¡ªbut nothing. Riley still did not touch it, however, and just let his clone continue examining whatever the thing was.


    There seemed to be something written on the que. But for Riley, they just looked like the scratches of a chicken''s feet. If there was anything weird about it that Riley could immediately discern, it was that it weighed like a feather.


    "How did youe up with a conclusion that this is connected to Nothing, Tedi?" And finally, after what seemed like minutes, Riley opened his mouth.


    "The¡ª"


    [The passage written on it is anguage from an ancient and dead civilization.]


    "He was asking me, Zai," the gray and humanoid-sized Tedi immediately turned her head toward the red fairy-like Ahor Zai floating in the room.


    [I am a more credible source of information,] Ahor Zai shrugged as it started circling around the tablet,


    [''Bathing in the life of the Universe, we sought the meaning of death at its end. The price we had to pay for death is life. But when payment was made, all that reflected from our eyes was a somber, and deste emptiness. Lazuran, Act 3.]


    "A deste emptiness," Riley tilted his head to the side as he too, started circling around his clone, "And you think this refers to Nothing, Tedi?"


    "It could very well be," Tedi nodded her head, before cing her palms together and then pulling them apart. And as she did so, a holographic screen appeared in front of her,


    "Watch this."


    "..."


    A silver in a world of nothing but darkness¡ªthat is what a Norid literally looked like in the expanse of space. The Norid was standing on top of what seemed to be arge silver crucifix. And judging by the blurry and streaking lights moving past it, he was moving at a speed close to hyperspeed.


    "That''s one of our explorers venturing out into the Unknown," Tedi exined.


    "What is that he is riding on, Tedi?" Riley pointed at the crucifix beneath the norid''s silver feet.


    "That is our main mode of transportation, Riley," Tedi slightly squinted her eyes from Riley''s random question, "You could consider it our ship."


    "Is it possible for me to have one?" Riley also squinted as he looked mini Tedi straight in her eyes, "I want to add it to my silverware collection."


    "That is not cutlery, Riley." A loud, vibrating sigh came from outside the library at the same time the mini Tedi did the same, "And no, I can not give you one. A Cosmic Cross is given to us the moment we are born¡ªit is a part of us and only we can use it."


    "Then am I able to see yours, Tedi?"


    "I¡ªLook, this is the part you should watch," Tedi did not answer the question as she just pointed at the floating hologram in front of her, "Focus on this."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    And as the norid explorer continued to move in hyperspeed. Soon, however, a sudden ck dot shed from all the streaks of light that surrounded him.


    "..." Riley squinted his eyes as soon as he saw that. And if he, someone who was just watching from a feed noticed it, the norid on the site couldn''t have missed it¡ªand he didn''t.


    The norid stopped immediately; the streaks around him now turned into glimmers of stars far away. He then started turning around and flying to where the mysterious dot appeared¡ªbut it was no longer there.


    Instead, however, the norid detected some sort of anomaly that should not be in that part of the expanse, it was the que.


    "Hm¡­" And with the recording done and the hologram screen disappearing, Riley could really only let out a small hum as he turned his focus back on the que,


    "...And what is your main basis that this might be rted to Nothing, Tedi?"


    "Because it appeared exactly, exactly at the same time I saw the entity that looked like you inside the Shade Prison," Tedi answered Riley''s question without any hesitation, "At the dot, Riley."


    "That¡­ is interesting."


    "It is, very," Tedi nodded several times, "And you mentioned meeting Nothing every time you die, Riley. The passage mentioned something about death¡ªmaking the probability that this is rted to Nothing more than the probability that it is not. This can not be just some kind of grand coincidence."


    "It might," Riley shrugged, "My existence is a grand coincidence, Tedi. What are the chances of someone like me, a being that resurrects each time I die was born from a schizophrenic mother that is friends with 1 of the only 2 themarian outside of Theran? And then the said mother killed me as a baby because she turned insane, granting me her abilities that could level an entire."


    "Those¡­ are some specific events, Riley Ross," Tedi batted her eyes a couple of times as she heard Riley''s words. But after a few seconds, she shook her head and sighed,


    "Still, the probability of this que not being rted to Nothing is very low¡ªwe need to assume that it is. Also, we have already done prior research on this que before showing it to you, Riley Ross¡­ and we found something that is impossible."


    Tedi then grabbed the que from Riley''s clone, before handing it over to Ahor Zai''s avatar, who struggled to grab it with its short arms.


    "Zai, describe the civilization that used thenguage written on this que."


    [Okay,] Ahor Zai nodded as it closed its eyes.


    [Thenguage used in this phrase is called Ppi,] a clicking sound snapped in the air as Ahor Zai pronounced thenguage,


    [Thenguage was primarily spoken by the P''lopi, a technologically advanced civilization that existed during the time of the gods. Although most of my memories regarding them have been erased, I believe they were one of the civilizations that chose to leave the Common Council after the War.]


    "The Time of the Gods, Riley," Tedi grabbed the que back, lifting it up and cing it next to her face, "That is possibly hundreds of millions of years ago, or even a billion. No material in the Universe that we know of could exist for that amount of time and not experience change¡ªbut this thing¡­


    ¡­it feels new, like it is unaffected by time."


    "How would you know that, Tedi?"


    "Because I can feel it, Riley," Tedi then ced the que in front of her, before resting her forehead on it, "It talks to me. I can''t quite hear what it is trying to say, but it is talking to me. It''s not just a word carved on stone¡­


    ¡­it''s a device."

 Chapter 610 610: This Is, In Fact, Not Good

    "A device?"


    "Yes."


    "And what is it saying to you, Tedi?"


    "I don''t know."


    Tedi let out another sighing from her original colossal body, seeping into the library even from far away as it vibrated through the air,


    "All I know is that this is supposed to be from a very long time ago, but it feels like it was only created less than a century ago. That is why it is convenient for us to meet here, Riley," Tedi then turned to look at Ahor Zai''s avatar,


    "Perhaps Ahor Zai, the most powerful AI in the Known Universe, could help me talk to it."


    [Most powerful? Psha,] Ahor Zai''s avatar started changing shapes, almost returning to its goo-like state as its body started flickering. But after a few seconds, it once again calmed down; its eyes, looking straight into Tedi''s eyes¡ªbut not her miniature version that she created, but at the original one outside the library,


    [Thank you for the rarepliment, Former Elder Tedi. But no, I will not help you. Do you know how many civilizations have fallen because they let their AI dabble on a mysterious artifact? Thousands.]


    "Well, I knew there was little to no chance that you will actually help," Tedi didn''t seem to mind, however, as she just adjusted her sses that didn''t seem to have any purpose, "Meeting Riley is still my main objective foring here. So, do you feel anything at all from it, Riley Ross?"


    "Hm¡­ no," Riley once again focused his eyes on the que. But no matter how many times he did so, it just¡­ looked like an iron b,


    "Perhaps the P''lopi and their civilization still thrive to this day, Tedi. As you said so yourself, the Unknown is almost infinitely bigger than the Known Universe. They could still exist, and have already advanced to the point where they are no longer ves of time."


    "No," Tedi shook her head, "That is impossible. My kind would have detected them if that was so, even from a million light years away."


    [That is not entirely true, Former Elder Tedi,] Ahor Zai''s avatar flew in front of Tedi, shaking its head and wagging its tiny finger,


    [The new Elder, Elder Olseyir,es from a civilization that has technology that can not be detected. Even now, as she proceeds to present to the other Elders what she is capable of, I can not detect any form of autonomy or device.]


    "...There''s a new Elder?" Tedi squinted her eyes, "Where did someone like¡ª"


    "Let us focus on this mysterious object, Tedi."


    And before Tedi could finish her words, Riley''s clone grabbed the que from her hands. Riley then stood in front of his clone, before pointing his finger at the que.


    "Perhaps if we try to destroy it, it will react."


    "Are you insane!?" Tedi quickly got in between Riley and his clone, "This is a discovery that could very well unlock the secrets of the Universe for us."


    [Or it could also destroy everything we know of, Former Elder Tedi,] Ahor Zai flew andnded on the shoulder of Riley''s clone, [Riley Ross has already told me about this entity called Nothing. I believe that I have information about it, but it was included in the parts that were erased¡ªperhaps it is best left unknown.]


    "..." Tedi''s eyebrows started to furrow.


    [Nothing, as Riley Ross described it, is a being that existed before the Universe itself. Even I am not capable ofputing that information. What does it mean to exist before the Universe itself?]


    "Exactly," Tedi looked at Ahor Zai as she once again adjusted her sses, "Don''t you want to know? Your entire existence is to record everything, Ahor Zai. Do you not want to know what is before the Beginning?"


    [My existence is to receive knowledge, Former Elder Tedi, not to actively and aggressively seek it like the Norinalds.]


    "Riley," Tedi turned to look at Riley again, "You are at the very center of this, everything leads back to you. Don''t you want to know about what you truly are?"


    "I know what I am, Tedi."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You don''t," Tedi shook her head, "You are the only thing in this Universe that has talked to a being beyond time and existence itself¡­


    ¡­you might be a god, Riley Ross."


    "No," Riley shook his head, "I am not the only one that has talked to Nothing. I know two more who have."


    "...What?" Tedi''s eyes widened in shock as she looked Riley in the eyes, "...Who?"


    "That is not my secret to tell, Tedi," Riley shook his head.


    "...That''s fair," Tedi could really only sigh as she backed away, "Anyway, that is all the information I have. My people are currently searching for more ques, the chances that there are more out there exists."


    [You seem to be busy now that you have left the Common Council, Former Elder Tedi,] Ahor Zai''s avatar said as it flew in the air again, [Thest time I saw you, you were trying to divert the Cherbi''s path¡­


    ¡­and also trying to apprehend Riley Ross.]


    "My priorities have changed," Tedi shook her head, "I no longer want to apprehend Riley Ross, but protect his existence at all costs."


    "I thought you were a peaceful race, Tedi," Riley blinked a couple of times as he tilted his head to the side, "Shouldn''t someone like you, who save entire ster systems from the Cherbi, loathe someone like me, who has killed entires?"


    "We are a peaceful race, but we do not actively advocate peace. Civilizations rise and fall, Riley," Tedi once again shook her head, "I save what I can, what I can. But there is only one of you. Even if you eradicate 90% of the life in the Universe, the level of your existence and your importance will still outweigh your crimes."


    "Hm." And finally, after several long conversations with Tedi, he saw a glimpse of what the Norids are at their core. They are beings of logic, and once they stop pretending to have emotions, their coldness could wash away an entire sun,


    "Well, I wish you all the sess in your search for answers, Tedi," Riley then nodded as he gestured to his clone to return the que to Tedi.


    "...What?" Tedi, however, did not immediately take the que as she looked at Riley, "Are you not going to help me? As I said, you are at the center of this, Riley. This is about you."


    "It has always been about me," Riley shrugged, "I am the Final Boss of this story, Tedi. And right now, my priority is helping the woman that would one day very well defeat me."


    "If I help you expedite the process of helping Princess Aerith. Will you help me in searching for answers, Riley Ross?" Tedi then said as she adjusted her sses, "You are trying to help Princess Aerith in literally making a new world for the Themarians where they can be free, correct?"


    "I suppose."


    "I can help you make that possible, the Norids will help you."


    "Hm¡­" Riley ced his hand on his chin, before nodding his head and smiling.


    "Aerith would like that, Tedi. Let us hurry, then¡­" Riley then said as he grabbed the que from his clone, "...I want to tell Aerith that I garnered the help of the Norids."


    "This is good, Riley Ross. We will¡ª"


    And before Tedi could retrieve the que from Riley''s hand, the que instantly vanished¡­


    ¡­along with Riley.


    "Oh¡­" Tedi, Ahor Zai''s avatar, and Riley''s clone all turned to look at each other in shock,


    "...This is not good."

 Chapter 611 611: Where Is Riley Now?

    There was a certain, awkward silence pestering the air. And since no one amongst Riley''s clone, Ahor Zai''s avatar, and Tedi''s makeshift body really needed to breathe, this silence was even more obvious.


    No one has really moved from their spot; their eyes and their hesitating lips, perhaps the only things moving in the entirerge gray room.


    "What¡­ just happened?" And finally, after a few more moments of this drowning silence, Tedi opened her mouth; her palm, still stretched forward from when she was about to retrieve the que back from Riley¡­


    ¡­who was now truly nowhere to be seen.


    The three looked at each other again for the 12th time, before Ahor Zai and Tedi started to focus on Riley''s clone.


    "I am going to ask this now¡­" Tedi then said as she looked Riley''s clone straight in the eyes, "...But do you have any teleportation abilities?"


    "Sadly not, I''m afraid," Riley''s clone let out a long and very deep sigh, "We are still getting to that. Since you Ahor Zai mentioned that some of my brethren are living amongst the people around the Universe, Boss is hoping they start infecting the poption with superv¡ªAhor Zai, do you know what the supervirus is yet?"


    [Supervirus? I have simr sounding terms, but I believe all of them are not rted to the word you just said,] Ahor Zai tilted its head to the side as it approached Riley''s clone,


    [What is it? Should I add it to the database?]


    "Since Boss isn''t here, maybe I should¡ª"


    [Let''s stop getting distracted!] Tedi finally lowered her arm as she stood between the two, [Do you have any idea where your boss might have disappeared to?]


    "Hm¡­" Riley''s clone closed his eyes and ced his hand on his chin, "Since I can''t detect the Boss anywhere, this means he is out of range at the moment."


    "He¡­ is not dead, is he?" Tedi''s eyebrows began to furrow before she adjusted her sses.


    "The Boss can''t die, Tedi. And if he is, then I should not be standing here," Riley''s clone shook his head,


    "None of you have to worry, the Boss just has the tendency to disappear, leaving all his story arcs unfinished."


    [...What?]


    "The que¡­" Tedi then started whispering, "Throughout our entire conversation, Riley did not touch the que until the veryst moment. Is it possible the que is actually some sort of portable teleportation device? Theran has something like that, but it is technically not teleportation, and just moving at warpspeed. And only they can use it, since it would destroy the body of 99% of every other species¡ª"


    [You''re the one getting distracted, Former Elder Tedi.]


    "I''m trying to think¡ª"


    "Where is Riley Ross!?"


    And all of a sudden, the growing panic filling the room was disrupted; the panic, however, did not diminish and instead even amplified as a more panicked voice barged inside the library.


    The intruder''s pink robes were still flowing with the wind, and although her face waspletely covered by a cloak, the panic in her eyes was clear for everyone to see.


    [Elder Olseyir. I know you are new to the Common Council, but please do knock before entering the rooms,] Ahor Zai crossed its arms as it looked at Elder Olseyir, whose eyes were looking everywhere.


    "...How do you know that Riley is gone?" Tedi, on the other hand, had her eyes slightly squinted as she looked at Olseyir from head to toe.


    "Just¡­Riley Ross is a wanted man," Elder Olseyir cleared her throat as her eyes started to calm down, "I tagged him in my radar, just in case he does something¡­ not favorable. He''s not in the radar''s range anymore."


    "..." Tedi''s eyes squinted even further, "You are the new Elder, correct? From the Tahire?"


    "Ah, yes," Elder Olseyir fanned her robes to the side as she bowed, "I reced your position, Former Elder Tedi."


    "And your technology can''t be detected by any means?" Tedi approached Elder Olseyir, "Where is this radar you speak of?"


    "It''s embedded in my eyes," Elder Olseyir pointed at her eyes, not minding Tedi''s slightly questioning tone, "But never mind that, we need to find Riley Ross. I will try calling my people."


    Elder Olseyir lifted her hand and ced it near her ear, and even as she started talking to someone, there were no visible gadgets or devices in her hands.


    "..."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..."


    "No," Elder Olseyir then sighed as she dropped her arm, "My people can''t detect them either, and we have a very widework."


    "..." Tedi stared at Elder Olseyir for a few more seconds, before just shaking her head off of the other thoughts she was having¡ªOlseyir was right, they needed to find Riley Ross.


    He is involved in a lot of major and incredibly important events in the universe right now, he can''t be missing.


    "If my theory is right and the que is from a void¡­" Tedi once again adjusted her sses in habit,


    "...then does that mean he is there right now?"


    ***


    "Hm."


    "Hmmm."


    "I knew it¡­" Somewhere, the sound of Riley lightly bumping his fist on his palm whispered,


    "...I have no idea where I am."


    He wasn''t in the Overvoid, Riley knew that much. The darkness in the Overvoid was different¡ªlike nothing exists in the first ce. He wasn''t in the expanse of space either.


    The darkness that surrounds him right now was more akin to a dark sealed room, carrying an eerie silence that reflected each and every bit of Riley''s movements. He takes a single step, and it is as if a ripple echoes throughout the infinite darkness.


    Infinite, because Riley had been walking, flying, and running for an entire day now, and yet he could not even see anything else existing in this ce except for him. He had been trying to make clones from the floor, but despite being able to step on it, there seemed to be nothing to make them from.


    "..." Riley turned to look around him, before suddenly taking off his coat and crumpling it. And as he opened his hands, his clothes took the form of Little Riley.


    "Oi, Boss. I heard you left Theran?" And since thest time the two of them were telepathically connected was when Riley was on Theran, that was also thest memory of the clone,


    "But why did you create another me? I was with Mavey and the others, Boss. You should have just created a Little Diley or Triley or somethi¡ªwhere are we!?"


    Little Riley then let out a tiny scream as he started panicking on Riley''s palm, "Are we¡­ are we finally officially dead? Is this the underworld?"


    "Unfortunately not, Little Riley," Riley sighed as he gently threw Little Riley in the air, "I need you to scout the area for me."


    "Roger that, Boss," Little Riley saluted before flying away, cracking the air as a skirt of wind emerged around him.


    "Hm¡­" Riley then started looking around him, before just sitting in the darkness and closing his eyes,


    "1¡­ 2¡­ 3¡­"


    A second.


    A minute.


    An hour.


    A day.


    ¡­620,648."


    A week.


    A week had passed, and yet Little Riley never came back.

 Chapter 612 612: ...An Evaniel?

    "What do you mean Riley disappeared?"


    Back in Ahor Zai, Aerith was now also inside the library. And it wasn''t only her, all the Elders, as well as Queen Vania and Princess Vera, were there¡ªthe looks on their faces, slightly grim.


    "I thought you had a leash on him, Princess Aerith?" Elder Skeem voiced out; his monocles that were hanging on his worm-like face, going wild from all the colors that littered it as he tried to find Riley from all of his sources.


    "How many times do I have to tell you that he''s not a dog?" Aerith rolled her eyes before settling them on Tedi, "And first of all, you already heard that he just suddenly vanished when he grabbed something from Former Elder Tedi. She¡ªwait¡­


    ¡­you didn''t trap him in the Shade Prison already?"


    "Did you!?" Vera quickly raised her voice as soon as she heard Aerith''s words, "So¡­ So, he''s gone forever?"


    "Rude," Riley''s clone that was also inside the room raised his voice as he looked at Vera, "The Boss should have killed you too."


    "W¡ª"


    "Did you trap him!?" Aerith''s eyes turned red as she stood in front of Tedi, "Wait, did you guys n this?"


    "Why are you getting angry at her, Princess Aerith!?" Vera stood in between them as she once again raised her voice, "This is good. Mother, Riley is¡ª"


    "It''s not good, Vera¡­" Queen Vania, however, quickly shut her down and pulled her away, "...the Shade Prison is just a prototype, what if he escapes?"


    "Can all of you calm down?" And finally, Tedi spoke up, pping her hands to get everyone''s attention, "I didn''t do anything to Riley, he is an important entity. He just¡­


    ¡­suddenly vanished without a reason."


    "...680,426¡­ 680,427¡­"


    And while everyone was losing their minds outside, Riley was still counting. He sat there in the darkness, counting and waiting for Little Diley to find something¡ªbut there was nothing.


    Little Riley had been out of range for a few days now, which means he was literally already an entire away from Riley. Just where is this ce, exactly?


    It wasn''t the Overvoid, it wasn''t any darkness that he had been in before.


    ¡­Perhaps the Shade Prison?


    Tedi did mention that there were several frequencies that they needed to tweak to get it right¡ªthat was how she found the Overvoid in the first ce. Perhaps the ce he was in was just another void?


    If so, then¡­ maybe Riley was tricked? Riley thought. Perhaps Tedi tricked him. All that talk about an ancient civilization, Overvoid, and Nothing was to make Riley slightly lower his guard¡ªand he did.


    As a creature of pure logic, Tedi would be capable of that. She knew exactly what Riley needed to hear, what he wanted, and she acted on that.


    Perhaps it also wasn''t a coincidence that Tedi was able to find him. Aerith and Princess Vera were already talking about the Shade Prison before that¡ªperhaps when they left the ship back on the space station, they contacted Tedi¡­


    ¡­and the so-called pirates that came after were just topletely distract him.


    Aerith and Queen Vania were also talking about the Shade Prison right now ording to Tedi¡ªcausing Riley to avert his attention from it.


    If this was all nned¡­ then he was thoroughly impressed.


    A small smile then slowly crawled on Riley''s face, with a long and very deep sigh escaping it.


    So this was it, then¡ªRiley thought.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    This is the end of his story.


    "..."


    "...680,499¡­ 680,450¡­


    ¡­2,400,529."


    A month had passed, and yet there was still no sign of Little Riley. He was thinking of summoning another clone¡ªbut then that might leave himpletely naked. If there was a chance that Aerith and the others were watching him from somewhere, then he doesn''t want to be seen without any clothes.


    "..." Riley then let out a small sigh as hey down in the darkness. The only thing he was able to kill here is time, and perhaps that is what Riley was mostly bored about.


    "..."


    So, this is what being trapped for eternity felt like. Riley didn''t even know if he was still counting right. There was absolutely nothing to do here, only his memories to apany him and¡ª


    "!!!"


    But then, all of a sudden, he felt Little Riley''s consciousness once again connecting with him. But it was weird.


    Little Riley''s thoughts werepletely shrouded by something, to the point that Riley could not even switch his consciousness to his. He also seemed to want to say something but was unable to.


    "..." Riley then opened his eyes and stood up, looking in the direction where Little Riley initially flew to. He stayed like that for minutes, not even moving as he focused all his attention on the dark horizon.


    He waited, and he waited again¡ªand yet by the time he should have been in front of Riley, he was still nowhere to be seen.


    But Riley could feel him, he could feel him everywhere in all directions almost at the same time¡­ but he was moving.


    Should¡­ Riley just cancel Little Riley''s existence? But if he did so, he wouldn''t know what happened to him and what exactly it is he found.


    But then, all of a sudden, he felt Little Riley disconnect¡ªonly to connect again.


    "..." This repeated several times. One moment, he was getting near. And the next, he was already out of range. Could it be that this dimension had some sort of portal?


    "Found you."


    Riley then blinked a couple of times as he heard an unfamiliar voice behind him.


    "Is this midget yours?"


    "..." Riley then very slowly turned around, only for his entire vision to be blocked by an endless number of silver threads that did not seem to end¡ªno. The silver threads were hair¡­


    ¡­belonging to a short young man.


    The young man had markings on his face simr to that of the evaniels, but there was something different about him, something ethereal. He was right in front of Riley, and even then, it almost felt like he didn''t exist.


    Was he some sort of evaniel?


    "..." Riley then turned to look at the thing he was holding, only to see Little Riley sweating; puffing his face, and showing his desire to puke.


    "The name''s Van¡­" The young man then gently threw Little Riley back to him as he introduced himself,


    "¡­now you tell me yours before I start getting impatient."

 Chapter 613 613: That Was Weird And Random

    "My name is Van. Now you tell yours before I start getting impatient."


    "...Riley Ross."


    "That''s a girl''s name."


    "..."


    Long silver hair that almost blocked his entire vision.


    The subtle markings on his face.


    And a speed that Riley could not even feel.


    In truth, Riley had set up invisible walls around him, as well as several telekic strands; like a web that would ring a bell if something moved past it¡ªhe had used this on the themarians, as well as the evaniels.


    His telekic barriers were almost useless against Queen Vania, but at the very least, the strands allow Riley to feel where she is even for a brief millisecond. But with the young man in front of him, it almost felt like he was just suddenly in front of him.


    Teleportation? Or perhaps¡­ he was just too fast?


    "Are you the god of the evaniels?"


    "Evaniels?" Van looked to the side, causing his hair that veiled across the darkness to flow and move with him. And then, he just remained like that for a few seconds.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Oh," Van then turned to look at Riley, "That''s a cult, right? Although I suppose they turned into a legit church since one of my descendants joined it. Or maybe not¡­ I don''t really remember much anymore. Wait, are you telling me they are still alive?"


    "Do you remember waging war against the other gods?" Riley did not look away from Van''s gaze.


    "War? There was no war."


    "Hm. Then I suppose most of the history of the universe is probably not true."


    "Well¡­" Van breathed out before casually sitting in the darkness,


    "...There was no war because it was a ughter, I killed them all. My turn to ask a question. Why are you here?"


    "I touched a que and it transferred me to this ce," Riley answered without any hesitation, "I might have been imprisoned here for eternity by people I know. They made a device called the Shade Prison that creates a portal to another dimension."


    "Imprison? This isn''t a prison, Riley Ross," Van let out a small chuckle, "Your turn to ask a ques¡ªyou know what, let''s just talk like normal people."


    "But you are not normal, Van."


    "You''re not either," Van shrugged as he sighed; his shoulders,pletelyx.


    "..." Riley looked Van in the eyes for a couple of seconds, before nodding his head and also finally taking a seat in the darkness. As for Little Riley, he justy t on the dark floor; his face, stillpletely dazed,


    "You said this isn''t a prison, then does that mean you aren''t trapped here?"


    "No, I ran here from that direction," Van then pointed to his left, "I am trying to find someone."


    "Is the entity you''re trying to find Nothing?"


    "Nothing? You mean the creepy Preprimordial that has existed before the Universe?"


    "...Yes," Riley''s ears slightly perked up as he heard Van''s words.


    "Then no," Van shook his head, "For you to know someone like that, are you perhaps the Ender he mentioned? The one who will end this Universe?"


    "No," Riley shook his head, "It told me it was someone else, I just want to end the Universe for fun."


    "...Huh, cool."


    "How were you able to meet Nothing, Van? Have you died ande back to life before?"


    "Death is already too slow to catch me. Don''t tell her I told you that, though," Van let out a small sigh as he leaned his head back, "But I guess I did die before, but someone else visited me. Wait, are you saying you need to die to meet Nothing?"


    "Yes."


    "...So, you''ve died before?"


    "I was killed by my biological mother, then have died a hundred times more after that, Van," Riley nodded, "I always resurrect. I have asked Nothing about it before, but it told me something like me shouldn''t exist."


    "Huh¡­ mothers, right?" Van clicked his tongue as he looked at Riley, "So, you''re just weird. I guess you wouldn''t be here if you weren''t."


    "Can I ask how you met with Nothing, Van?"


    "From a void that appeared out of nowhere. Most of them are random like that, you''ll get used to it," Van scratched his chin as he chuckled, "It asked me to what extent would I continue my rampage, I guess it was afraid I''d be killing everyone¡ªI''m not a monster, I stopped at the gods¡­


    ¡­But I guess the gods are making their appearance again," Van then turned to look Riley in the eyes, "I suppose it was about time you appeared."


    "I''m a human, Van," Riley shook his head.


    "So was I, until I discovered I wasn''t," Van shrugged as he stood up, patting his white pants as if there was actually dirt on them, "Preprimordials, primordials, and gods arepletely different from each other. It''s a bit confusing, so don''t think too much about it¡­


    ¡­but I guess since you''re all alone in this ce, all you have is time to think. But then again, the fact you don''t know anything yet means you shouldn''t be here."


    "Can I ask where exactly here is, Van?" Riley then started looking around as he also stood up, "It doesn''t seem to be the ce Nothing lives in."


    "Hm¡­" Van ced his hand on his chin as he looked to his left, "I suppose you can say that Here doesn''t exactly exist yet."


    "..." Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "Confusing, right? I told you," Van once again chuckled, "If Nothing exists before the Universe itself, the one I am trying to find exists after the Universe."


    "...After the Universe?"


    "Yes," Van once again pointed to his left, "The Universe is in that direction, continually expanding. If you sit here for a very long time, it''ll catch up to you eventually."


    "...But isn''t there a theory that the Universe expands faster than the speed of light?" Riley squinted his eyes before looking at his hands.


    "Who knows, I only went to school for less than a year, I think," Van shrugged, "Don''t try to make sense of any of it."


    "I won''t," Riley shook his head, "I am just wondering how fast you are to outrun the expansion of the Universe by a very long distance, Van."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Oh, I''m just a little faster than most," Van then started stretching his legs, "Well, this was a nice chat, Riley Ross, but I have someone I need to find. You should probably go too, you''re not supposed to be here¡­ yet."


    "..." Riley looked to the left. He didn''t even need to think to know that even if he manages to return, everyone he knows would be gone already. Even if this isn''t the Shade Prison, it doesn''t change the fact that he was stuck here.


    "You seem calm for someone who has potentially lost his home," Van very slowly approached Riley.


    "Because someone like me deserves to be alone," Riley nodded.


    "I used to think the same," Van chuckled, "But don''t worry. You said you came here because you touched some sort of que, right?"


    "...Yes."


    "You''ll return," Van shrugged, "You''re not the first to get here¡ªyou are the first to survive this long. The que is some sort of teleportation device made by a couple of idiots that wanted to meet things they shouldn''t. Also, there''s that¡ªtell your people to stop trying to create Portals to another dimension, realm, or Universe. You don''t know what wille out of it."


    "I am afraid they need to create one to imprison me, Van," Riley shook his head and sighed.


    "Then you''re the monster that is going toe out of it when another stupid idiot tries to open a portal," Van pinched the bridge of his nose,


    "Well, not my problem, I guess. But in the meantime, you shouldn''t be here."


    "..." Riley then felt a hand on his back. He looked, only to see Van was already there.


    "As I told you before, Death can''t catch me anymore¡ªbut she''s still persistent, so I need you to distract her for me so I can sleep a bit. And since you revive each time, I think she''ll get distracted big time."


    "That was not a metaphor, Van?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "Oh, Death is very real, you''ll see," Van chuckled, "I don''t think we''ll meet again, Riley Ross. Tell my descendants to stop being stupid."


    And as he said that, Van pushed Riley away¡ªcausing him to just instantly vanish from sight.


    "Well then¡­" Van then took in a deep breath, puffing out his chest as he turned around, "...I think I''m getting near, father. We¡ª"


    "Ugh¡­"


    "..." And before Van could finish his words, he heard a small voice whisper into his ears. He quickly looked down, only to see Little Riley still there, struggling to get up.


    "Where¡­ Where''s the Boss?"


    "...Oh."


    ***


    "..."


    Riley felt something he had never felt before. It felt like he was at the edge of dying from the sheer speed he experienced¡ªit was gentle, but Riley knew he was moving even faster than hyperspeed.


    ¡­And it was just a light push.


    "Hm¡­" A small smile slowly crawled on Riley''s face as he hummed. If he wanted to kill everything and everyone¡ªhow exactly would he be able to kill someone that can exist outside the Universe?


    Preprimordials, primordials, gods¡­ There were so many.


    "Pft," a small chuckle then escaped Riley''s lips. The list of beings he needed to kill just exponentially turned bigger. Van was right, however¡ªhe isn''t supposed to be here, not just yet.


    "This will be fun."


    [You''re not the running god.]


    "..." And all of a sudden, Riley felt a sort of cold that crawled and pierced through his bones; the voice that whispered into his ears, almost like a fading gale that deafened him.


    [What are you?]


    "..." Riley then once again very slowly turned around, only to see¡­ a woman without a face walking toward him,


    "I''m Riley Ross¡­ Ms. Death?"


    [No, what are you? I don''t know y¡ª]


    And before the woman could finish her words, Riley Ross disappeared.


    [Another anomaly?] The faceless woman then turned its head toward a certain direction,


    [Why is my job getting harder and harder?]


    [...] The woman then stood there, turning her head back and forth as a sort of hum escaped her silhouette, [One I can never catch, and one I can''t seem to touch¡­


    ¡­Which one should I pursue now?]


    ***


    "That was weird and random."


    "Riley Ross!?"


    And finally, Riley found himself back in a familiar gray room; his ears, quickly bombarded by all sorts of voices as there seemed to be more people now in the librarypared to when he was suddenly teleported away.


    "Why are all of you here, everyone?" Riley then said as he looked at the people around him¡ªall of them, looking at him as if they had seen a ghost.


    "Riley!" Tedi was the first to approach him, grabbing him by the shoulders as she looked him in the eyes, "What¡­ what did you see? Please, tell me what you saw."


    "Hm¡­" Riley did not immediately answer Tedi. But after a few seconds, he turned to look at Queen Vania and Vera,


    "...I met with Van."


    "...Van?" Queen Vania''s eyes widened as soon as she heard Riley''s words.


    "Yes¡­


    ¡­He told me to tell you to stop being stupid."


    "..."


    "...What?"

 Chapter 614 614: A Mess

    "You met with¡­ Van? What¡­


    ¡­what kind of sphemy ising out of that tainted mouth of yours, vermin!?"


    Queen Vania''s silver hair lit up the entire room as she roared. Her steps, however, were incredibly slow and forceful as she walked toward Riley. It would seem all her speed went into her eyebrows, which were moving in a trembling rage.


    Aerith and Tedi quickly blocked Queen Vania''s path¡ªmaking sure the two didn''t end up fighting and making a mess again.


    But it wasn''t only Queen Vania that was making noise, however. The Elders too were all eximing; their voices, as loud as they could be as they tried to make sense of the situation. There was not even a single inch in the gray room that was not filled with noise¡ªunbefitting for a ce considered a library.


    Ahor Zai''s avatar didn''t really know what to do, as it just frantically floated everywhere; circling in the air as it tried to process all the information dancing around her. Throughout its entire existence, it had seen Elders debate endlessly. They argue, and sometimes even fight¡­


    ¡­but not like this. The situation in front of it felt like children in a nursery, creating needless chaos. It was¡­ too noisy.


    [Stop! Stop it!]


    And with its system no longer able to take the useless noise, Ahor Zai''s voice traveled throughout the entire teau; the gray room they were all in, violently trembling and causing everyone inside to stop.


    [This is the Library! Respect its silence!] Ahor Zai''s avatar started iling its little arms around as it pointed at everyone,


    [Those that are not involved, out! Out, I say!]


    ***


    "Truly, you can''t expect me to believe this ludicrous story?"


    And now, with peace and quiet once again lingering in the library, Ahor Zai also started to calm down. Queen Vania, Aerith, Tedi, Riley, and Riley''s clone were the only ones left inside. They were now seated around a table, created by Ahor Zai in hopes of a diplomatic and civil discussion.


    "Primordials, Nothing, Death¡­" Queen Vania''s breaths quietly whispered in everyone''s ears, "...and Van, living outside the scope of the Universe? What sort of nonsense is that?"


    Each of her words contained her disbelief. But Riley did not seem to mind as he just shrugged his shoulders as he once again had a te of cookies in front of him. Ahor Zai was also beside the te, eating the cookies with Riley. How it was able to digest or even eat, no one really knows.


    "I do not lie, Queen Vania," Riley then sighed, "You can ask Aerith."


    "He lies," Aerith did not hesitate to ce her hand on the table, "Rarely. And when he does, it''s a lie the size of Tedi."


    "Hey," Tedi could not help but furrow her eyebrows as her name was suddenly mentioned in the conversation. As for Riley, he just squinted his eyes as he looked at Aerith; slightly shocked at Aerith''s betrayal.


    "I will uncover your lies, then," Queen Vania slightly harrumphed as she looked Riley in the eyes, "If you have truly met Van, then what does He look like?"


    Although Van is the evaniel''s god and his images were everywhere, no one truly knows what he looked like¡ªOnly the Queen does, and this is passed on through generations. There were images of him looking as if a giant amongst men, towering over everyone with his long, sturdy legs. There were also images of him that made him look like the most beautiful being in the universe¡ªhe could may very well be¡­


    ¡­but there is one specific detail that is not shown to the popce.


    "He has long silver hair, as long as Tedi''s original body''s hair," Riley casually said as he ate some cookies, "And he has several light markings on his face."


    "You truly take me for a fool, do you not?" Queen Vania took in a deep breath, "You just described a typical evaniel."


    "And he is short, perhaps 162 centimeters."


    "That''s him!" Queen Vania could not help but stand up from her seat, letting out a loud gasp that whistled in the air. If it wasn''t for Aerith catching her, then she would have definitely fallen to the floor from shock.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    And while Aerith was trying to calm Queen Vania, Tedi was fidgeting with her sses.


    "Does this mean the rest of what Riley said is true?" She then mumbled as she tried to process the information. And she wasn''t alone in that, as Ahor Zai''s avatar also stopped eating.


    [I am adding that information to the Codex now,] Ahor Zai said.


    "Wait¡­" And as Queen Vania finally recovered, she quickly collected herself and looked at Tedi, "...I can no longer allow you to continue the Shade Prison."


    "...What?"


    "You heard what Van said," Queen Vania sighed, "Van told us not to open any portals."


    "This research has been going on long before we were born, Queen Vania. I can''t¡ª"


    "Wait," Queen Vania did not let Tedi finish her words as she suddenly pointing her palm at Riley, "You conniving deviant¡ªthat is a lie, is it not? You know that we n to trap you, and you added some details in that story that are not true! You think I am unable to see that you mixed truth with lies?"


    "..." Riley no longer entertained Queen Vania as he looked at Aerith with disappointment, "Look at what you did, Aerith. They think I am a liar now."


    "..."


    "Continue your research, Tedi," Queen Vania then quickly changed her tone, "The evaniels will even help you fund it."


    "Really?" A smile quickly formed on Tedi''s face, "Then we should hurry up¡ªthis is getting exciting."


    "...You''re a little bubbly for a race that has no emotions."


    "Let''s go, Princess Aerith," Tedi then stood up from her seat and started walking out of the library, "Let''s go to Theran."


    "...You''reing with us?" Aerith raised an eyebrow.


    "Yes. I will help in migrating your people to New Theran."


    "Help?" Aerith let out a slightly confused chuckle, "I truly appreciate this¡­ but why?"


    "You should thank Riley Ross," Tedi shrugged as the door in front of her opened, "In return for agreeing to cooperate with my research, I will be helping him in helping you."


    "...What?" Aerith could not help but look at Riley; her eyes, slightly wavering.


    "But please, keep this secret to the people in this room," Tedi sighed, "I don''t want any of the other Elders poking their noses."


    [You do not have to worry, your conversation is secured,] Ahor Zai''s avatar stood up from the table, [But I am confused about the dynamic of the people in this room¡­


    ¡­Queen Vania has expressed her desire to trap Riley for eternity, but he doesn''t mind. Former Elder Tedi creates the prison that is able to trap Riley, but she protects him. And then, Riley and Princess Aerith are sworn enemies¡­ but they are lovers?]


    "We''re not lovers! Who¡ª" Aerith did not even finish her words as she quickly turned to look at Riley, "What are you feeding to the AI!?"


    "...Cookies," Riley quietly said as he looked to the side.


    And so, after much discussion, the time for Aerith and Riley to return to Theran hase.

 Chapter 615 615: Straight To Theran With A Pink Twist

    [I truly wish I could join your adventure, but Ahor Zai can not leave. Please, just tell me all about the adventure once youe back here.]


    "Hm."


    Riley and the group were now back on the tarmac, getting ready to leave. Queen Vania and Vera already left in a haste, as she still needed to n on what to do now that she knows their god is still alive.


    "Wait, we have one moreing with us."


    Riley was about to board the ship, but before he could do so, he saw someone approaching them from afar¡ªElder Olseyir, flying towards them with her oversized cloak and robes snapping in the air.


    "We made a deal," Aerith then said as Elder Olseyirnded in front of her, "She gets materials from New Theran, and her people will help in calming down the others."


    "My people are scattered everywhere on differents," Elder Olseyir bowed, seemingly introducing herself again, "I believe I can help maintain peace during the chaos."


    "..." Riley did not really respond to Elder Olseyir and just tilted his head; the two of them, just reflecting in each other''s eyes. The two stayed like this for a few seconds, not breaking eye contact before Aerith called for them.


    "Elder Olseyir, Riley. Let''s go."


    "Of course, Princess Aerith."


    Olseyir and Riley just nodded at each other, before Riley moved to the side and gestured to Elder Olseyir to board the ship first.


    "..." Riley then looked back at the view of the teau, before silently whispering,


    "Ahor Zai."


    [...Yes?] Ahor Zai also whispered; its voice, only reaching Riley''s ears.


    "The clone I left in the library, don''t tell anyone about it."


    [...Of course. We are talking now, he¡­ has lots of stories about this group called Italian Mafia.]


    "Hm¡­" Riley nodded, a small smile crawling on his face as he finally boarded the ship.


    Unbeknownst to everyone, there were several eyes watching them from one of the buildings on the teau¡ªThe Grand Elder, Elder Skeem, as well as Elder Bato.


    The three watched as Tedi''s colossal hand entered Ahor Zai and gently picked up Aerith''s ship.


    And as soon as she flew away, the three of them all looked at each other¡ªor perhaps only two of them, as it was hard to discern what Elder Bato was thinking¡­ as he just looked like a rock.


    The Elder Skeem and the Grand Elder then nodded, before separating ways; with Elder Bato rolling away.


    ***


    [So¡­ it would seem the new Elder of the Common Council is active.]


    Inside Aerith''s ship, Tedi''s hologram was walking around in ce. Her eyes, looking at Elder Olseyir from head to toe.


    "I need to earn my ce, Former Elder Tedi," Elder Olseyir did not seem to mind her judging gaze, however, as a small chuckle escaped her breaths.


    [Oh, trust me. You do not need to do much to be considered active¡ªthe members of the Council have bezy throughout the years, it did not use to be like that.]


    "Hm¡­" Elder Olseyir only shrugged.


    [I saw you fly earlier,] Tedi seemed to not be done, however, [Is that from your tech too? Or is it a racial ability?]


    "It''s one of our tech, I guess?" Elder Olseyir stood up from her seat; her feet, slowly lifting from the floor, "It replicates gravity, allowing me to¡­ essentially fall in the direction I want."


    [I don''t detect any device around you.]


    "As intended, our tech can''t be detected," Elder Olseyir once again giggled; her pink robes, moving as she made her way to the window, "But I am more in awe of what you can build, former Elder Tedi."


    Olseyir looked outside the window, only to see nothing but silver around them. They were currently moving at hyperspeed¡­ but inside Tedi''s hand.


    Tedi was flying across the expanse of the universe at hyperspeed; attached to her back and feet were¡­ some sort of gigantic thrusters.


    [It is nothing much,] Tedi''s hologram also looked outside the window, [It is just basically attaching several engines that were already built around my body. I can make myself weightless and intangible¡ªyou can see the advantages of our species with just that.]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hm, quite an interesting biology," Elder Olseyir continued to look at Tedi''s palm, "But how would you mate since you''re this big?"


    [!!!]


    A loud rumble caused the ship to momentarily slow down, causing everyone inside to almost tumble.


    [I¡­ do not think of such things.]


    "You should," Elder Olseyir shrugged as she looked at Tedi''s hologram, "It is a creature''s basic instinct to procreate. And it would be a shame to not see another Norid asrge as you."


    [First of all, I am not thatrge; I''m thin for my size. Have you not seen a Messenger? And second, let us stop talking about this.]


    "Hm¡­" Elder Olseyir just shrugged as she started walking around the small cockpit again; her eyes, settling on Riley and Aerith, who had been quiet since earlier.


    "I am aware that Riley thinks he is in love with you¡­ if he is capable of that, Princess Aerith."


    "..." Aerith slightly flinched upon hearing Olseyir''s random question.


    "But I was quite surprised to know that you are lovers?"


    "We''re not!" Aerith quickly rotated her seat to look at Elder Olseyir, "Let''s get this straight, Riley murdered a lot of people I care about¡ªincluding the father of my child. I''m more like his warden or something."


    "But Ahor Zai¡ª"


    "Ugh¡­" Aerith just rolled her eyes before rotating her seat away, showing her desire not to talk.


    "..." And so, with no one else to talk to anymore, Elder Olseyir turned to look at Riley. The two, however, just stared at each other without saying a single word. And after a few seconds of this, Olseyir just shrugged and looked away.


    [Psst, Riley.]


    And not even a second after, Riley could hear Tedi''s hologram quietly calling for him.


    [What do you think about her?]


    "...Elder Olseyir?" Riley whispered.


    [She seems quite suspicious, no? I searched for any traces of her species, Bin¡ªbut nothing came up.]


    "Perhaps they live in the Unknown like me, Tedi."


    [No, she specifically said they live in the Known Universe. I did find people that wore the same clothes as her religiously, but they¡ª!!!]


    And before Tedi could spill her tea, the bright lights of the cockpit turned red; flickering as a siren started to echo everywhere. The ship also started to decelerate, causing Elder Olseyir to almost fall if she didn''t manage to float in the air.


    "What¡­ what''s going on?" Elder Olseyir was the first to react.


    [The Cherbi.]


    Tedi then very slowly opened her hands, revealing the expanse of space and the glittering stars around them. But that wasn''t the only thing in their view, however¡ªas far in the distance, they could see a pink fluff of a sphere.


    "That''s¡­ the Cherbi?" Elder Olseyir almost nted her eyes on the window as she stared at the Cherbi, "...Perhaps you should test your Shade Prison."


    [I didn''t bring it. And even if I did, I will not even attempt and try to trap it inside,] Tedi shook her head, [The Cherbi has existed before us, and it will exist after us. We have no right to take away its existence. The knowledge it holds might be equal to Ahor Zai.]


    "But why is it here?" Aerith also stood from her seat as she stared at the pink fluff, "Thest star is lightyears away. We are already near Theran territory."


    [Hm¡­]


    Tedi''s hologram disappeared, reced by a map of the cosmos around them. The map showed where they are, where the Cherbi is¡­ and where it will be if it continued with its trajectory.


    [It''s¡­


    ¡­moving straight to Theran.]

 Chapter 616 616: Time To Go Nuclear?

    It''s¡­


    ¡­moving straight to Theran.]


    "What? Why?" Aerith''s eyebrows started to furrow, "Our sun isn''t that strong, and our barely even produces any energy, carbons, or nuclear¡ª" Aerith abruptly stopped her words as she looked at Riley.


    Aerith''s words were true. With the themarian''s independence from technology, their ispletely different from the rest of the advanced civilizations¡ªbarely requiring any power for their countries and cities to move.


    They don''t require ships, as they could just fly and lift entire continents with their hands without even breaking a single sweat.


    In fact, Pirate Queen Xra''s ship probably owned 95% of the entire''s carbon and nuclear emissions when itnded there.


    But there is one entity, however, that might be capable of calling the Cherbi.


    "Sister has not used her abilities on Theran, Aerith," Riley quickly understood what Aerith''s look entails, "Well, I have."


    "...What?"


    "But I believe the Cherbi was already moving to Theran before that."


    "...What do you mean?"


    "I have told you about Caiin''s hideout, correct?"


    "Where you found one of her androids?"


    [An android made by Caiin''Ur? I want to see that.]


    "I am afraid it has already left the along with Katherine, Tedi."


    [Oh, where¡ª]


    "Stop!" Aerith stood in front of Riley and grabbed both his shoulders, "What happened?"


    "You probably did not know the full detail, but the st of energy that pierced through the skies of Theran came from her hideout, Aerith. And it was powerful."


    "..." Aerith squinted as she looked to the side, "That was Diana''s doing? But¡­ why would she even¡ªNo."


    Aerith''s eyes then started to widen as she looked Riley in the eyes, "Does¡­ she n to destroy Theran once the New Theran is built?"


    "Perhaps she wants topletely leave it behind her, Aerith."


    "But there will still be people in it, lots of people!" Aerith raised her voice, "We need to divert the Cherbi''s path!"


    "Uhm¡­" Elder Olseyir raised her hand, "Won''t your n work better if the old generation is dead? It will eliminate half of your problems."


    "How many times do I have to tell people that I do not want a massacre?"


    "But are you not also sending your people into a massacre by instigating a war no one really asked for?" Elder Olseyir seemed to tilt her head to the side.


    "Oh, trust me. This war has been brewing for eons before my time. My way will produce the least amount of casualties," Aerith sighed and shook her head,


    "We need to divert the Cherbi''s path."


    "I''ll distract her for you, Aerith."


    And as everyone was deliberating on what to do, Riley was already in front of the ship''s hatch, "I also want to test if Hannah''s powers are truly enough to bait the Cherbi for research purposes."


    "You do realize you just gave me a reason not to send you out there, right?"


    [I''ll go with him,] Tedi''s hologram returned, [He will need to have someone with ess to hyperspeed if you want him to reach Theran in time, anyway.]


    "..." Aerith seemed to be lost in thought as she just subconsciously looked at Riley; her mind, filled with all sorts of damages that Riley could do if he suddenly gets the urge to cause trouble.


    "Why don''t you just create a hundred clones and let them use your sister''s powers?" Aerith then squinted her eyes as she looked Riley in the eyes.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "They can''t," Riley shook his head, "They will wither and die away before they can produce enough power."


    "..." Once again, Aerith stared at the floor as she heard Riley''s words. But finally, after a few seconds, she let out a short but deep sigh and looked at Tedi''s hologram,


    "I hope you can handle Riley if something happens¡ªnever trust him, no matter what."


    [But you trust him, no?]


    "I tolerate him, there''s a difference. Deal with the Cherbi, and immediately continue to Theran. Don''t worry, I would make sure no one shoots you down when you enter themarian territory."


    [Hm,] and with that, Tedi''s hologram disappeared; the colossal silver silhouette around the ship that is Tedi''s body, almost creating a wailing sound as it started to gain weight while moving.


    "Riley, you¡ª" Aerith was going to say something to Riley, but he was no longer anywhere to be found on the ship. Aerith could really only close her eyes, before nodding and taking control of the ship.


    "We should have more than enough energy to reach themarian territory in full hyperdrive," Aerith then said, "Elder Olseyir, you should probably buckle up."


    "Uhm¡­" Elder Olseyir slightly let out a confused hum as she secured herself in a seat, "...May I ask why we need to separate, Princess Aerith? We can just wait for them to lead the Cherbi away."


    "No. It will take a while to lure the Cherbi. It might seem to just move on instinct, but it still has a mind of its own," Aerith breathed out as she triggered the ship''s hyperdrive, "It is as smart as you and me, it just doesn''t care enough to actually think about anything."


    "You seem to know a lot about it."


    "Of course. It is one of the things in this Universe that could send a themarian to Eternal Death¡ªand it won''t even struggle."


    "Then¡­" Elder Olseyir looked outside the window as she whispered, "...Can''t we use it to kill Riley Ross?"


    "..." Aerith seemed to truly think about it as she also nced at the window. But after a few breaths, she shook her head, "Themarians are just insanely difficult to kill that we almost seem immortal. Riley ispletely deathless¡ªor in a y of words, Deathful¡ªhe dies, but just doesn''t stay dead¡­


    ¡­he is like an itch that doesn''t disappear and gets even worse the more you scratch it."


    "Is he making you itchy? Is that why you are lovers?"


    "..." Aerith almost fell on her seat as she heard Elder Olseyir''s words, "Just¡­


    ¡­where did they pick you up?" And with those words, the ship finally started to move and elerate to hyperspeed, leaving Riley and the colossal Tedi alone with the iing Cherbi.


    [I told you,] Tedi''s words vibrated in the dark expanse of space, moving directly to Riley''s eardrums, causing him to lightly scratch the inside of his ears, [The new elder of the Common Council is weird.]


    "She seems normal to me, Tedi. I believe all of the members of the Common Council are weird."


    [I''m not weird.]


    "Okay, you''re justrge."


    [...Enough about this,] Tedi shook herrge head the size of several cities before settling her eyes at the approaching pink fluff, [You said you can produce some sort of sr energy?]


    "Nuclear, I believe," Riley nodded as he flew to the side of Tedi''s head, "My sister did name herself Nuclear Baby, so I will take her word for it."


    [That is practically the same in the grand scheme of things. And why is your sister¡ªNo, it doesn''t matter,] Tedi blinked a couple of times,


    [How much nuclear energy can you produce?]


    [That depends, Tedi¡­] Riley''s long white hair started to vibrate, dancing in the air as his silhouette distorted; his face, very slowly cracking as it produced some sort of light,


    [...How much do you need?]


    **NEW BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT**


    Hi, I joined the WSA 2023 with an R18 book, knowing R18 books are not allowed because I''m a degenerate. Do check it out and vote for it! The title is ''The Rise of the Eromancer.''---It will be sort of a parody of Hunter/Necromancer novels that have been going aroundtely---but with one of the best plots one could think of. Check it out!


    Rise of the Eromancer

 Chapter 617 617: Jaws

    The Cherbi.


    A living cmity that has existed for eons. Not much is known about this colossal pink fluff of ball, but new information may suggest that the Cherbi is a Primordial¡ªa being that has existed for as long as the Universe itself.


    No one knows when, but at the time that civilizations have had the capability of moving and traveling through the expanse of space, civilizations have also tried to hunt and vanquish the Cherbi.


    Many have tried, but all of their efforts were futile. The past generations of advanced civilizations only stopped when they saw a Messenger¡ªa beingrger than severals, thought to be invincible, was absorbed and eaten by the Cherbi like some sort of noodle.


    But of course, in time, that shocking defeat was forgotten, and the new advanced civilizations that rose up tried to eradicate the Cherbi again.


    It wasn''t until they received news that two themarians were eaten by the Cherbi like pieces of candy, that everyone finallypletely erased any ideas of pursuing the pink fluff.


    Themarians are known to destroys with the snap of a finger and could bathe in the core of a sun without even as much as a scratch to their hair. If a creature like that was no match for the Cherbi¡ªhow could the rest of the Universe even think of blocking the Cherbi''s path anymore?


    Like a rampaging storm or a sentient ck hole, the only thing they could really do was evacuate¡ªhoping the Cherbi could be diverted and they would still have a ster system to go home to.


    Perhaps the only sce in this is that the Cherbi was and is simr to a rampaging storm. It could think, but it doesn''t as it has no need to. After all, why think if you could just endlessly float in the expanse of space and absorb anything for eternity?


    It just needs to go to its next meal, over and over again¡ªand right now, in front of it, was something it had never truly sensed or smelled before¡ªa new meal that was different from what it has been having for eons.


    It was smaller than its usual meals, much smaller. But the Cherbi sensed that it could be tastier, and so¡­ it ignored everything else and just moved to this alluring snack.


    [It''s working!]


    And now, with the Cherbi''s path sessfully redirected, Tedi also started to fly away.


    Riley Ross was currently attached to her now tangible finger¡ªbut due to the extreme heat that he was producing, he was attached to her using another Riley, who was the one who is telekically acting as a chain between them.


    Riley had to concentrate all of his focus on controlling Hannah''s powers in just the right amount to not die, so having a clone handle the logistics with Tedi would allow him to do that.


    [We need to go far enough that it won''t detect Theran''s sun anymore,] Tedi said as she triggered some of the thrusters attached to her back, [And far enough to also not detect another civilization. This is good, considering most of the ster systems around Theran are uninhabitable.]


    "I think the Cherbi is gaining speed, Tedi!" Riley''s clone yelled as he looked back and forth between the approaching pink fluff and the colossal Tedi, "I think she''s going to catch up to us! Go into hyperdrive!"


    [Are you sure Riley can handle it?] Tedi adjusted her sses as the thrusters attached to her legs also started to light up, [Are you sure his body could handle all the stress it is receiving?]


    "The Boss experienced worse," Riley''s clone shook his head, "If he survived Hannah, he can survive anything. Do it! It''s getting close!"


    [...Fine.]


    And with that, Tedi''s silver silhouette turned into a streak of light¡ªquickly disappearing from view. The Cherbi, almost at the same time, seemed to have sped up; it wasn''t as fast as a ship that was moving on hyperspeed, but it still moved fast enough not to lose the scrumptious meal that seemed to be deliberately making it chase it.


    Of course, Tedi was also making sure that the Cherbi would be able to follow them; so she slowed down from time to time to make the Cherbi catch up.


    "..."


    Unbeknownst to Tedi, however, she was actually doing something that no one should ever truly do¡­


    ¡­tease azy living cmity that never had to truly work for its food ever since it was born.


    "Uh¡­ Tedi?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [What is it? Are you getting tired, or is something happening to Riley?] Even though Tedi''s mind was busy creating millions of calctions on exactly where to leave the Cherbi behind, she was still not neglecting to check on Riley and his clone.


    "I don''t know if it''s just me¡­" Riley''s clone squinted his eyes, "...But I think the Cherbi is getting closer and closer to us."


    [That is impossible,] Tedi adjusted her sses, [I know the limit of the Cherbi''s flight speed, we should already be maintaining the best ideal distance.]


    "That''s good and all, but no¡­" Riley''s clone started to nervously chuckle as he shook his head, "Yup¡­ she''s getting closer and closer."


    [Stop calling it her! We don''t even know if it even has a¡ªIt¡­ it is getting closer!]


    And as Tedi turned around to see why Riley''s clone seemed to truly be nervous, she realized that the Cherbi, is in fact, getting closer to them. It won''t be noticeable for one that was staring at it, but for Tedi who just turned her head¡ªthe change in distance was clear. And so, Tedi no longer thought twice as she turned all of the engines attached to her at full speed.


    "I already told you!" Riley''s clone screamed, "Go full hyperspeed!"


    [I am.]


    "...What?"


    [We are already moving at hyperspeed.]


    "Then go faster!"


    [Anything faster will either copse or sap the energy cores,] Tedi''s voice has turned monotonous; her mind, no longer cing any effort in putting out emotions.


    "Are you saying¡­ she is moving faster than hyperspeed?" Riley''s clone gulped as he looked at the pink fluff that was slowly approaching toward them. It was just the size of a marble earlier, but now, it was the size of a watermelon and getting bigger by the second.


    And then, all of a sudden, a sound that has never been heard in the history of the Universe echoed through the expanse of space.


    It was a shriek, a wail, or perhaps a howl.


    In the expanse of space where sound does not traditionally travel, a howl echoed¡ªheard bys lightyears away like a siren signaling the end of their world.


    And very soon, a pair ofrge eyes appeared from the pink fluff.


    [I didn''t know it had eyes¡­ or that it could scream.]


    "What is she saying, Tedi!? I think she''s pissed!"


    [I don''t understand what it said, but I too, think it is getting frustrated. We need a new n.]


    "The Boss has one! But we need to stop moving!"


    [Princess Aerith said not to trust Riley, but right now, I believe I do not have a choice. The Cherbi will catch us either way,] Tedi''s monotonous voice continued to vibrate as the engines attached to her started to fire in the opposite direction,


    [Whatever it is you are nning, Riley. Do it now.]


    "Pavoom."

 Chapter 618 618: Evil And Innocence

    "Pavoom."


    And as the glittering stars around them began to settle as they slowed down, the harsh and violent light that surrounded Riley started to extinguish. Both his palms, pointed at the giant pink fluff that followed them persistently.


    And with a small breath, he uttered again¡ª


    "Pavoom."


    And as if a ck canvas being ripped apart, the dark expanse of space in front of Riley ceased to exist; reced by nothing but a white emptiness that erased everything within its path instantly and without bias.


    "...Pavoom."


    Riley did not stop there, however, as another whisper escaped his lips¡ªcracking and erasing the expanse of space even more as the first one was seemingly not enough to cover the entire Cherbi. A trickle of blood, however, started to drip from his nose; the corner of his eyes,pletely red as he seemed to bleed from inside.


    And very soon, the darkness once again rebuilt itself, as instantly as it was erased. And there¡­ the pink fluff still remains. And from its eyes that were seemingly slightly squinted, it was clear that it was now even more pissed off.


    "I¡­ I really thought that would work," Riley''s clone could really only gulp as he saw the Cherbipletely unscathed, "Is it because I thought of it that it didn''t work!?"


    [There are nows in the universe regarding such things, Riley''s clone.]


    "Shut up,rge silverdy," Riley''s clone pointed at Tedi, "I liked you better when you had emotions!"


    [Are you not also pretending to have emotions, Riley''s clone?]


    "Shut up, fatdy!"


    [It is literally impossible for me to be fat. My size is something I can''t control.]


    "That is what all fat people say," Riley''s clone shook his head, "Anyway, the Boss said you should probably leave us here. If our ''pavoom'' did not damage the Cherbi, it would certainly be capable of killing you, Tedi."


    [I''m not leaving,] Tedi quickly shook her head, [Both the Cherbi and Riley are beings of utmost importance to the Universe¡ªbut if I have to choose one, I will choose Riley to survive due to his potential.]


    And while Tedi and Riley''s clone seemed to try everything to make their doomed situation lighter,


    "...Hm," Riley breathed out as he wiped the blood trailing down his chin¡ªhe had the chance to do so, after all. Even though the Cherbi seemed more pissed than it was before, it also stopped moving closer toward him.


    Did it stop because Riley was no longer emitting his delicious nuclear aura, or did it stop because it started to get wary of him? But judging from the way it looked, Riley''s ''Pavoom'' move did not really do anything to it.


    Was it also capable of bing intangible like the norid? But no, even Bounty Hunter Kerrigan, an intangible norid, was damaged from Riley''s ''pavoom''...and yet the Cherbi did not seem to have any visible damage.


    And now that it was closer to him, Riley finally realized why they keep calling it the pink fluff¡ªit wasn''t in fact just a ball of destruction, it had fur and looked more simr to a round rabbit without legs, ears, and any other necessary parts¡ªthe only thing it had were itsrge pair of dark eyes.


    "..." Riley then very slowly started backing away. And although it was hard to notice due to its size, it was obvious from its fur that it was also moving forward¡ªfollowing Riley with a certain aloofness.


    Riley was no longer emitting any nuclear energy inside him, and yet the Cherbi still followed him.


    [Riley¡­]


    And as Riley waspletely focused on the Cherbi, Tedi''s voice vibrated in his ears.


    [I am going to start moving again. Whatever it is you''re doing, continue doing it.]


    "..." Riley did not really respond, as he wasn''t really doing anything but just backing away from the pink fluff.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [We¡ª!!!]


    And before Tedi could finish her words, the Cherbi suddenly moved closer to Riley¡­ much closer.


    And now that it was closer to Riley than it ever was before, the way the Cherbi looked for him changed again. The fur that surrounded its body was not actually fur, but some sort of tendrils that seemed to have minds of their own; all of them, seemingly pointed at Riley.


    "..." Like most things in the universe that Riley has encountered, the Cherbi wasrge¡ªbut it was not asrge as he initially thought. They said it devoureds and suns, and yet the thing didn''t seem to even be asrge as Tedi¡ªno.


    It wasn''t that it wasn''trge, but it was shrinking. Its tendrils which were bigger than Riley, now bing smaller and smaller.


    [Riley¡­] Tedi''s words once again whispered in Riley''s ears as she watched what was happening from afar; her voice, once again showing emotion, [...Are you aware that the Cherbi changes its size depending on what it is about to devour?]


    "Thank you for telling me at this time, Tedi," Riley nodded as he stopped backing away; his eyes, just staring at the Cherbi, whose pink silhouette started to deform, "It seems to also be changing its shape."


    [Changing its shape!? There are no records of that ever happening¡ªwe most likely never noticed because it just always devoured celestial bodies. It probably still truly thinks you''re some sort of star because of the energy you emitted earlier.]


    "Hm." And now, as Riley tilted his head to the side, the Cherbi seemed to also do the same as its shape very slowly became more and more simr to a humanoid¡ªor more specifically, Riley''s shape.


    And while Riley''s clear eyes reflected a certain pink innocence with the way the Cherbi tilted its ''head'', the only thing that the Cherbi reflected from its dark and cloudy eyes were Riley and the infinite darkness that surrounded him.


    "You and I are not the same, after all," Riley then said as he very slowly stretched his hand toward the Cherbi, "You are just living."


    [What are you doing, Riley Ross!?]


    The Cherbi''s ''human'' head started to deform as the tendrils surrounding it also started to stretch out toward Riley''s approaching hand.


    "Hm¡­"


    The tendrils still haven''t touched Riley''s hand, and even then, he could already feel a certain violent tug pulling him closer. No, not all of him¡ªjust his hand, while the rest of his body remained still. It almost felt as if it was trying to rip it off.


    Telekinesis?


    No, Riley would know what telekinesis felt like. This was different.


    "..." And as the Cherbi''s tendrils were only less than a foot away from Riley''s hand¡ªtheir ends opened up, revealing some sort of ck orb that looked like eyes.


    These eyes contained a deep darkness in them, however, it almost seemed simr to staring into the abyss. But perhaps it was because they were not eyes at all.


    And as Riley''s hand just very slowly disintegrated, distorted, and absorbed by the tendrils all at the same time, he finally realized what the pull was.


    It wasn''t telekinesis, not at all.


    Gravity¡ªno, a ck Hole.


    Each of the Cherbi''s billion tendrils carried the weight of a ck hole in them.


    It wasn''t just a sentient ck hole¡­


    ¡­it was a sentient shapeshifting creature that carried billions of ck holes with it.


    How exactly that worked, Riley already stopped questioning such things years ago.

 Chapter 619 619: Riley Vs. The Cherbi.... Kuueer?

    Riley''s entire forearm was gone. It tried to regenerate again and again, but they were instantly absorbed and eaten by the Cherbi''s tendrils.


    "You said she only consumes nuclear energy, Tedi. So, why is she eating my flesh right now? I am no longer emitting anything."


    [It¡­ primarily acts on instinct. But it is intelligent enough to know you can produce the thing it feeds on.]


    Tedi could really only describe the moment in front of her as something amazing¡ªno, it was beyond that. Throughout the history of the Universe, this was probably the first time anyone has gotten close to the Cherbi without being fully devoured instantly.


    Tedi wouldn''t even consider it an exaggeration that this right here; this exact moment is the most important thing that is happening in the entire Universe right now, Known or Unknown.


    The themarian''s migration? That would just be an insignificant part of history in the future, forgotten in the memories of Ahor Zai. But this?


    A creature that has been alive since the dawn of time, and a creature that has been in contact with a being that has existed before time itself.


    Tedi might have exaggerated a little bit in Ahor Zai when she mentioned that Riley was more important than 95% of the people living in the Universe¡ªbut right now, at this exact moment¡­


    ¡­For her, Riley is the most important being in all of existence. She would even trade her entire species if it means she could learn even more about him, what he had seen, and what he will see.


    Even now, as Tedi was just watching from afar, she was learning more about the Cherbi than she had ever learned before. Perhaps¡­


    ¡­they could even try and talk to it?


    And as Tedi was professionally curious about the Cherbi, Riley was childishly curious about it.


    "..." He continued to watch as the tendrilsing out of the Cherbi''s head devoured his hand. Riley tried pulling away, but the Cherbi just followed him¡­ almost like a leech.


    "Interesting," Riley then raised his other hand, but the Cherbi did not even seem to care. It was only when it started to light up that the Cherbi finally retracted its tendrils.


    "Krruuee?"


    And once again, even without a telekic pocket around it, the Cherbi was able to produce sound¡ªand it wasn''t just vibrations like what Tedi does, no. It was simr to a themarian in the way it could talk in the expanse of space.


    Riley tilted his head again, and the Cherbi did the same as it just stared at Riley''s glowing hand.


    "Kueh?"


    The Cherbi then turned to Riley''s face, before turning to look at his glowing hand again. And without even any hesitation, all of her tendrils started to stretch like lunging snakes toward Riley''s arm.


    And as it started devouring Riley''s arm, Riley stretched his now regenerated left arm to the side. And with a short breath, arge ball of light the width of a bus emerged from his palm.


    "Kru!?" The Cherbi started to change its shape immediately. But before it could even increase in size, Rileypressed the ball of light into the size of an apple.


    The Cherbi''s tendrils were about to lunge toward this ball of light, but it disappeared before its tendrils could reach it.


    "Krueer!" The Cherbi''s tendrils all stood up as they started to rattle; the noise it emitted, simr to a chirp as it looked at Riley; its dark round eyes, slightly squinted.


    "Does it taste different from your usual meal, Cherbi?" And for the first time, Riley spoke to the pink fluff.


    "Kuer?" The Cherbi tilted its head to the side for a moment, before its tendrils once again began rattling, "Kru, kru!"


    Its tendrils then started pointing to where the ball of light was previously at, as if demanding that Riley return it.


    "You want this?" Riley once again opened up his palm, summoning another ball of light. But before the Cherbi''s tendrils could reach it, he let the ball of light float away from his palm.


    "Catch it, then."


    The Cherbi did not even hesitate to move away from Riley as it chased the ball of light. As for Riley, he immediately pulled his clone closer toward him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Do you want a job, clone?"


    "...Can I refuse?" Riley''s clone could really only let out an awkward chuckle as it stared at the Cherbi, who was already returning toward them.


    "No," Riley then said as he pushed his clone forward, "y with the Cherbi."


    "O¡­ of course. G¨Cgood Cherbi," Riley''s clone smiled as the Cherbi stopped in front of it, "Oh, oh¡­ it looks¡­ kind of cute now that I am looking at it?"


    "Hm. Just feed it small amounts and allow yourself to recover, you will cease to exist if you don''t," Riley nodded, "It will be best to lead it to where Tedi was moving to earlier, you can name it if you want."


    "I¡­ don''t even have a name, Boss. What¡­ what do I call it?" Riley''s clone summoned a ball of light to feed the Cherbi before looking back to Riley¡­ only to find him already flying away back to Tedi.


    "Boss¡­" Riley''s clone could really only take in a small gulp as he looked into the Cherbi''s eyes, "...I expect a raise if we ever meet again."


    "Kru!"


    "How about¡­ you call me Thriley?" Riley''s clone squinted his eyes as he pointed at himself, "And then you¡­


    ¡­I''ll call you Hannah."


    ***


    [That was amazing, Riley! To think its tendrils contain miniature ck holes. Truly, the Universe is mysterious in the way it works.]


    Tedi and Riley left for Theran without any dy, ''less they wanted to attract the Cherbi''s attention away from Riley''s clone.


    [Since it existed at the dawn of time, do you think it was created to erase unwanted gxies? Or maybe¡­ since you keep calling it a ''she'', is it possible that it is the Mother of ck Holes?]


    "That doesn''t sound right, Tedi," Riley, who was on top of Tedi''s forehead and attached to a strand of her hair, could not help but let out a long and deep breath. He seemed to have already recovered from using three ''Pavooms'' consecutively¡ªthest time he was this tired was his fateful battle with Aerith in Toronto.


    Earth¡ªit felt like it had been a long time since he was there. It sort of makes him want to go back and just sleep there while looking at Aerith''s mangled body on his phone.


    "I''m tired, Tedi," Riley theny down on Tedi''s scalp.


    [You can sleep, it will still be a few hours before we reach Theran.]


    "Hm, please set an rm to wake me up when we get there," Riley breathed out as he closed his eyes.


    [...I''m not an AI, Riley,] Tedi''s eye twitched, [But have a good rest.]


    "Hm¡­"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Well, well, well¡­"


    "..." And not even seconds after, Riley opened his eyes, only to feel like he still had them closed as he sat up. He then turned to look at the voice that whispered into his ear, only to see himself crouching in the darkness and staring him in the eyes.


    "Nothing," Riley could really only sigh as he started lifting himself up.


    "Oh no, it''s fine. We can talk while you''re on your back¡­


    ¡­Death is your only rest, after all, I don''t want to take that away from you."

 Chapter 620 620: Trouble Above And Below

    "Oh no, it''s fine. We can talk while you''re on your back¡­


    ¡­Death is your only rest, after all, I don''t want to take that away from you."


    Riley was really only staring at Nothing¡ªthat was all he could do in this ce, after all. And after a few seconds of just watching Nothing do nothing, Riley just decided to lie back down in the darkness.


    "Well¡­" And as soon as he did so, Nothing finally spoke, "...Your body here isn''t really real, you''re not really resting. But this is about being rxed since we have a lot to talk about."


    "..." Riley just ignored Nothing''s slightly chuckling voice. Instead, he just stared at the endless ceiling of nothing; his breaths, trulypletely rxed. His death this time was probably the most peaceful way he had ever died before¡ªof course, there was that time when he was killed by a super that produced venom from his fangs¡ªbut never once had he truly just lied down and died.


    It was¡­ a feeling that Riley didn''t know he liked.


    "Well, well. Look at you, look at you," Nothing then started walking around the darkness as it pointed at Riley several times, "Suddenly meeting Van out of nowhere, the Universe really has a way of putting you in ces where you shouldn''t be¡ªthat''s your entire existence right there. You shouldn''t exist in the first ce."


    "Hm¡­" Riley just breathed out as he closed his eyes, "He told me that the two of you have met?"


    "Oh, yes," Nothing once again let out a chuckle as it sat beside Riley, "Angry little boy, that one. He''s like you, a somewhat unique existence. He''s not as unique as you, however. I know exactly where he came from¡ªhe was born from gods from 3 different universes. Weird, right?"


    "He told me he was human," Riley slightly opened his eyes.


    "You shouldn''t believe anything thates out from that guy''s mouth. He''s a little trickster and a pathological liar, he can''t help it," Nothing sighed as it shook its head, "The two of you have another simrity¡ªthe two of you have tried killing me, you more than once."


    "..."


    "He has different reasons, of course. He''s angry at the gods from the other universe for betraying him. But you¡­" Nothing then leaned over Riley; its face, now directly on top of Riley''s face,


    "...You just spawned out of nowhere and when you could already think for yourself, you just tried killing me because you''re you. Meeting me and resurrecting might have triggered you to be a creature of pain and murder¡ªbut you are just¡­ more than that."


    "Hm," Riley pushed Nothing''s face away with the back of his hand.


    "Anyway," Nothing did not seem to mind as it just sat back down and shrugged its shoulders, "I''m the only one talking so I feel like this is my chance to apologize forst time¡ªI got a little heated up when west met¡ªyour fault, really. I was going to ignore you for a few more hundred deaths¡­


    ¡­but then you met Death herself."


    "Only briefly," Riley shook his head as he was no longer in the mood to rest.


    "Did¡­ she say anything to you?" Nothing squinted its eyes.


    "I was teleported away before we could form a conversation, Nothing," Riley let out a small sigh as he shook his head, "But I think I heard her mentioning that she doesn''t know who I am."


    "She¡­ doesn''t know you?" Nothing''s body then suddenly dived down into the darkness, before appearing from slightly far away already walking around, "Things¡­ are somewhat making sense now."


    "How so, Nothing?"


    "Everything is born, even the tiniest little thing¡ªDeath knows," Nothing started making his way to Riley again, "She knows because Death is also Life, they are one and the same. If she doesn''t know who or what you are, then that just means your existence is something she didn''t create¡­


    ¡­Is that why you do not stay dead, because you should not be alive in the first ce? Perhaps the Universe does not know where to ce you."


    "..." Riley only tilted his head to the side as he let Nothing continue to talk to himself.


    "Hm¡­ So, what are you?" Nothing turned to look Riley in the eyes again, "It is always like this, you answer one question, and a hundred more questions emerge. No, this is worse¡ªbecause we didn''t get an answer in the first ce."


    "I suppose."


    "Huh. Anyway¡­" Nothing then shrugged as he finally rxed his shoulders, "Since we''re technically like friends now, I feel like I should warn you¡­


    ¡­Death now knows you exist, she will start finding you."


    "She seems to be busy chasing Van, Nothing."


    "Ugh," Nothing rolled his eyes as soon as it heard Riley''s words, "She might as well stand still, and it will be the same result. Van is already something that can not be held by anything."


    "..."


    "Well, I think that is all the time we have¡­" Nothing then started looking around as a certain noise started to seep into the darkness, "Death is stubborn, Riley Ross. And maybe this is good¡ªperhaps she can find out what you are. Come to think of it¡­


    ¡­the two of you will make a nice couple."


    [Riley, Riley Ross!]


    "..." And with the darkness in front of Riley''s eyes copsing, everything around him became that of silver. He looked around, only to find himself back in the world of the living, or more specifically, Tedi''s silver scalp.


    [Good. You''re finally awake,] Tedi''s voice vibrated in Riley''s ears, taking away any grogginess left in him, [I have been trying to wake you up for hours now. I thought you died.]


    "I did," Riley sighed as he stood up, "I thought I would have already fallen from your head, Tedi. It would seem your head is too wide for me to even slide across the end of it."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [You¡­ died? Did you meet Nothing? Wait, no. That doesn''t matter,] Tedi pointed her hand forward, [Look.]


    "..." Riley made his way through Tedi''s silver hair and onto her forehead. And there, glowing in the distance, was Theran¡­ and New Theran, which was now half the size of the it was cloned from.


    It was multiple timesrger than when Riley and Aerith left. That in itself is a problem, however. Now that it was at that size, they could no longer hide it from the rest of Theran.


    And judging by the red streaks and beams that could be seen even from Riley and Tedi''s position, a battle was already happening.


    "Oh¡­" A smile started to crawl on Riley''s face as his feet very slowly left Tedi''srge forehead.


    [Where are you going, Riley Ross?] Tedi blinked a couple of times as she felt Riley floating away from her, [Princess Aerith asked us to wait here. She said she was already on their way here with your sister and the others.]


    "I''m joining the fun, Tedi," Riley nced back at Tedi, "Tell them they can find me there."


    [Joining the fun? But didn''t you juste back from the dead?]


    "Yes. That is why I am fully rested now, Tedi."


    [Princess Aerith told us not to do anything, Riley! The war hasn''t officially started yet, that''s just the start of Aerith''s rebellion!]


    "You and I both know it''s a stupid rebellion that will lead to a stupid war, Tedi," Riley shook his head, "Aerith may have lived long, but she is kind and too idealistic. This war shouldn''t be happening in the first ce¡ªshe should just eradicate everyone else that disagrees with her."


    [...]


    "But since it is here, I will dly be her Executor."


    [Do you even know which side is which?]


    "Hm."


    And as the smile on Riley''s face grew wider and wider, several space rocks started gathering andpressing beneath him, quickly creating some sort of t tform.


    [What¡­ are you doing now?] Tedi backed away a little bit as she saw Rileynding on the tform he made.


    Riley did not really do anything else and just stood there for a couple of seconds as the tform he made became wider andrger. And then, when the tform was already the size of an entire skyscraper¡­


    ¡­Riley suddenly stretched his arms to the side.


    "There is only one side, Tedi¡­


    ¡­Mine."


    And as soon as he did so, several silhouettes instantly emerged from the tform.


    The tform that Riley made, crumbling as several more emerged. And with each piece that was torn away, a clone is born.


    "Everyone¡­" Riley said. And without even ordering any of them, his clones all lined up beside him¡ªprobably more than a hundred of them.


    "...Kill."


    ***


    "Caiin. My people are saying a battle is already happening up there."


    "Hm, let the Princess deal with that."


    "And also, being exposed to the energy of several suns seems to be working for your husband¡ªhe might be waking up soon."


    "Oh, that''s good. He''s been out for too long that I''m afraid the kids might have already forgotten about him."


    "Caiin, you have been digging for more than a month now. Just what are you trying to find here?"


    Pirate Queen Xra and Diana were currently in the deepest parts of the Subtheran, or more specifically, they were already under the Subtheran. Diana''s fingers, barely even enough to dig through the extremely hard rocks near to the''s core.


    "Who says I am trying to find something?" Diana breathed out as she wiped the dirt on her face, "I''m leaving behind a gift."


    "...What?" Xra then watched as Diana pulled something out of the bag that she has been carrying since she found her. And as soon as she saw what it was, her eyes started to widen,


    "That¡­ looks like something that will explode."


    "Oh, don''t be silly¡­" Diana let out a small giggle as she waved her hand, "It''s nothing like that¡­


    ¡­It''s a Star Obliterator."

 Chapter 621 621: The White Swarm

    "Destroy it! Destroy this sacrilegious abomination!"


    "Don''t let a single one of themnd on New Theran! We will have a hard time finding and fighting them if they go underground!"


    With the emergence of New Theran to the citizens of Hel, a majority of the poption has started asking questions¡ªwith no response from the kingdom. There is news, however, that is scattered throughout the entire realm.


    New Theran is for those who seek salvation from the confines of tradition.


    No one truly knows where this information came from, but they believed it. After all, it was already right above their eyes. And so, those that wanted to experience a new world started to flock to the mysterious new, a majority of them belonging to the newer generations.


    But s, as there are those that wanted progress, there are also those that abhorred the idea of a new world. They thought it was wrong that there was a copy of their sacred that would be roaming around outside themarian territory¡ªoutside with the rest of the animals. And so, they too, flocked to the new to stop those that want to leave, as well as destroy New Theran entirely.


    As for the Order of the Grand Militia, they were ordered to stand down as they still did not know the full situation. And right now, only citizens of Hel were fighting against each other.


    The castle was also quiet for some reason, their soldiers, still not deployed.


    As for the Kingdom of Varoif, they were already aware of what was happening as Aerith have already made contact with them¡ªtheir king, already letting the families and the people choose if they wish to embark on New Theran.


    And so, right now, the people that were fighting in the expanse of space werepletely civilians. And of course, the group who scattered the news about the New Theran were also present in the battle¡ªOsk and the sisterhood.


    They were asked to ignite the mes of rebellion, and that is exactly what they did.


    The older generation tried their best. And they did manage to damage the in one way or another. But each time a considerable gash could be seen on the surface of New Theran, it heals.


    None of them know why. But still, if they just continued on, they were sure that they could destroy New Theran since it was still much smaller than Theran¡ªthey were wrong, of course.


    They werepletely unaware that an existence capable of controlling the very life of the itself was residing inside New Theran. An existence that came from an unmapped part of the Universe¡ªTs, the Terraformer.


    Right now, New Theran is probably the most indestructible thing in the Known Universe.


    This was the very reason why Ts was here¡ªand perhaps why she and Diana even met a hundred years ago. Just how deep Diana''s n goes, no one could truly fathom.


    "Do not let them destroy our new home!"


    "For freedom!"


    The new generation. The people outside Theran would probably be shocked to hear that the majority of themarians that belong to this category already lived more than a thousand years, some even 5000.


    But no matter how old they truly were, their roars and screams emitted a youthful vigor that shook the expanse of space itself.


    "Destroy the! Do not let Theran be tainted by the outside world!" Sadly for this youthful vigor, however, the older generation outnumbers them 10 to 1.


    "We will live and die on Theran!"


    Call it an eon of loyalty, indoctrination, tradition, fear, or in-out refusal to change, the older generation''s resolutionpletely drowns and overwhelms the new generation''s roars.


    "We will not let you abandon Theran!" One of the women of the older generation screamed; her eyes, glowing red as several raging orbs ofpressed energy shot out from her hands with each swing of her arms,


    "No one will¡ªeugh!"


    And all of a sudden, she felt a slight resistance preventing her arms from moving. She was so focused on the battle that she did not even realize¡­ that there were already three people that all looked identical to each other sticking to her¡ªlocking her limbs and holding her mouth open.


    "Good, hold her still."


    And before she could process anything, another white-haired pale man with the same face as the people holding her approached her from the front; the smile on his face, almost reaching from ear to ear.


    And like her, the pale man had a ball of energy floating above his palm.


    "Time to eat, female themarian." And with those words as her only warning, the man suddenly pushed the ball of energy on his hand toward her opened mouth.


    "You!" But before anything else could enter her mouth, however, the woman quickly bit down and mmed her teeth closed¡ªthe fingers that were keeping them open, chopped and torn off without any resistance.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The orbs of energy in the woman''s hands then ttened; turning into des as she violently spun in ce, slicing the four white men that suddenly restrained her as if they were paper.


    "..." The four identical-looking men, however, still had smiles on their faces even as they very slowly floated away from her. And then, before the light in their eyes fully faded, the four of them pointed their palms at the woman.


    "Micro Pavoom." And with those words simultaneously escaping their dying breaths, 4 white voids, just the size of a basketball,pletely erased several parts of the female themarian.


    But s, as the four clones of Riley started to crumble, the woman has already almostpletely regenerated the parts she had lost.


    "What¡­ was that?" The woman could really only hold her jaw as she fully recovered. And before she could even think of what just happened to her, she saw something that caused her eyes to just widen in shock,


    "What¡­ is that?"


    A swarm. The view in front of the woman could truly only be described as a swarm of white. And sadly for her, she was already right in front of the path of the swarm.


    "!!!" The woman''s eyes turned red before the white veilpletely swallowed her¡ªshe, however, would never be seen again.


    "Reinforcements?" Osk, who was making sure that no one from the old generation tries to sneak in onto New Theran, could not help but retreat as soon as she saw one of her enemies get devoured. She squinted her eyes, until finally recognizing what the swarm from the distance truly was¡ªor in this case, who.


    "Sisters!" Osk pped her hands, causing the darkness in front of her to slightly crack, "Retreat back to New Theran!"


    And as soon as her words reverberated through the ears of herrades, all of them started flying away¡ªkicking away their opponents as they rushed to Osk''s side.


    "What''s going on!?"


    "It''s him, Riley Ross," Osk subtly licked her lips as she looked at the almost hundreds of Rileys flying on the horizon, "The father of my child is here."


    "...You''re pregnant? When did that happen?"


    "That doesn''t matter," Osk squinted her eyes as she noticed that one of herrades was still tussling with someone, "Oi, retreat! We need to formte a n now that¡ª !!!"


    And before Osk could finish her words, she saw 2 of Riley''s clones float beside herrade; their palms pointed at the side of her head.


    "What''s¡­ going on?" Herrade could really only blink in confusion as two Rileys floated beside her. Soon, however, blood began dripping from her nose.


    "Wait¡­" The woman whispered, "...I thought you were on our side?"


    "Hm?" The two Rileys only smiled at her words before her eyes popped out from their sockets; her limbs,pletely going limp as more and more of her blood spurt forth from the holes in her head.


    And with that, the two clones just shrugged their shoulders and moved on to the other themarians that were still fighting¡ªanyone that moved, they surrounded and killed. Of course, most of them survive and regenerate, but the clones did not seem to care as they just moved from person to person.


    "It''s¡­ It''s Princess Aerith''s lover!"


    And finally, some of the people from the older generation recognized Riley. Most of them, now retreating as they rejoined the others on Theran.


    "I knew it. This¡­ this is the Rebel Princess'' doing! Where is King Arthus!? I thought he was going to execute her already!" An old, skinny themarian raised his voice as he joined the others from the older generation,


    "This would have prevented all of this from happening if he just killed that little brat!"


    And all of the sudden, the white swarm that moved around the battlefield stopped. Their eyes, turning red one by one like wildfire as they all turned their heads toward the themarian that just opened his mouth.


    "..." The skinny themarian''s eyes also lit up in response; his group, doing the same as they did not let themselves be intimidated by Riley and his clones. Contrary to their expectations, however, the clones did not rush toward them, but instead spaced themselves apart; forming a line that separated Theran and New Theran.


    "What¡­ are they doing now?"


    And soon, amongst all the clones that were lined up, Riley finally floated forward; his arms stretched to the side as he seemed to look down at the older generation, as well the behind them.


    "Citizens of Theran!" Riley then opened his mouth; his voice, echoing through the ears of every man and woman of Theran, "Rejoice¡­


    ¡­all of you are now at the mercy of Princess Aerith of Hel!"

 Chapter 622 622: In The Skies

    "All of you are now at the mercy of Princess Aerith of Hel!"


    "What¡­ is he doing?"


    "Is¡­ that true, Princess Aerith!?"


    "No! None of you are in my mercy! We are all equals!"


    Aerith was currently somewhere on Theran¡ªa lush de that was surrounded by an even more lush forest as its perimeter; the noise that the trees make as they were blown by the wind, enough to camouge whatever noise happens to sing within its domain.


    And camouge is exactly what Aerith needed right now, as she was currently being surrounded by more than a hundred themarians, and more seemed to be stepping out from the trees around them.


    A handful were even carrying babies, with one of them approaching Aerith as she continued to reassure the people.


    "Princess Aerith, please¡­" The mother''s voice was slightly pleading as she showed Aerith her baby, "...Even if it''s just my child, I¡­ I want him to experience what it is like living without chains."


    "Your¡­ name is Cara, right?" Aerith could really only sigh as she looked at the mother.


    "Yes, princess," the woman lowered her head.


    "All of you that are here are weed in New Theran. And please, just call me Aerith."


    "But, the announcement earlier is¡ª"


    "Don''t listen to that," Aerith tried her best to stop the urge of raising her voice, "Ignore that voice from now on. He''s just¡­ trying to divert attention."


    "Is¡­ that the case?" A smile quickly crawled on the woman''s face as she started cradling her baby with joy in her breath.


    As for Aerith, the sighs that wanted to escape her lips were about to burst out, "Riley¡­


    ¡­why are you making trouble now of all times?"


    "You really think my brother would just sit around and do nothing? The guy''s a menace."


    "...Hannah? I thought you were already on the ship preparing to leave!?" Aerith blinked a couple of times as she saw Hannah making her way toward her, "And¡­ what are you wearing?"


    "It''s my superhero outfit, Nuclear Baby 2.0. And fuck that, I wanna help," Hannah flicked her hair, which was now tied up in pigtails; her clothes, a fiery pink suit thatpletely showed the curves in her body,


    "Dad''s been taken by the vampire''s crew to try and wake him up anyway, so I have no reason to be in the ship."


    "...Help?" Aerith was slightly in awe that Hannah could just confidently wear something like that in front of people that had no idea about her,


    "I¡­ thought you disagreed with what I was doing?"


    "I did," Hannah sighed as she turned to look at the people around them, "But seeing this, I sort of don''t know."


    "...What?"


    "Truthfully, I initially thought what you were doing is fucked up, Megawoman," Hannah stood beside Aerith,


    "Because in all senses of the word, your people are free. They could walk around with smiles on their faces, they have ess to entertainment, food, homes. You can even move kingdoms if you have the means to. I mean, fuck, what is that if not a normal life? So I keep asking myself¡­ why is Megawoman doing this? I fried my brain trying to think to convince myself that you''re doing something for these people, but I keep thinking that you''re just messing up a good thing," Hannah then let out a long and deep sigh,


    "But then I saw these people, and they just looked like the rest of us. And when I mean ''us'', I mean humans. But that''s just it¡ªyou guys aren''t humans."


    "..." Aerith also looked at her people, and Hannah was right¡ªright now, they reminded her of humans that seek refuge back on Earth.


    "It''s good to have restrictions when you''re a race of gods. But I realized that was sort of fucked up too," Hannah then turned to look at the sky, "I saw a lot of ''No Flying'' zones everywhere and I thought it was kinda cool everyone was respecting that¡ªbut no. You and the others¡­


    ¡­you guys belong in the sky."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..."


    "I was reminded of that when I remember being in awe of seeing you fly around Earth. So, I want to help, Megawoman. It''s¡ªfuck. I also remembered that each of these people can punch a hole through my stomach."


    "That''s not going to¡ª"


    "I also want to help!"


    And before Aerith could say something, Paige suddenly descended from the sky¡­ wearing a cap with giant propellers on it.


    "..." Aerith and Hannah then watched as Paige started running toward them; the giant propellers on her head that were waving around everywhere, causing the themarians to slightly move away.


    "S¡­ Sorry, that''s not going to hit any of you! It''s just¡­ just a hologram!" Paige then started bowing her head while making her way to Aerith and Hannah. And finally, after a few more seconds,


    "I can help too!" She said while trying to gasp for air, "I can cloak all of them up while hiding them, just make sure to not make any noise."


    "That¡­ will be very helpful," Aerith already had a n to hide the people while they were flying to Theran, but Paige''s illusions will allow them to expedite everything.


    "I''m not here to help."


    "What the fuck!?"


    And then, all of a sudden, Tomoe popped out behind Hannah; her small eyes which were hidden by the pair of sunsses she was wearing, squinted to the point they were closed as she looked at the crowd of themarians,


    "I''m¡­ just here to make sure no one hurts Hannah."


    "These¡­ people are not going to hurt any of you," Aerith immediately sighed.


    "No. They are racist psychopaths, you said so yourself, Megawoman," Tomoe adjusted her sunsses as she circled Hannah.


    "That''s¡­ these people are not the same," Aerith shook her head, "And if some of them are, that''s going to change now that we''re breaking away from the older generation."


    "One''s nature never changes, Megawoman," Tomoe also shook her head before covering her ears with her palms¡ªan obvious sign that she was no longer going to listen to Aerith.


    "People, line up! Those with children below 18 years old, go to the front!"


    "..." Aerith then turned to look at the loud voice that reverberated through the de, only to see Hera organizing the crowd.


    "You guys¡­" Aerith could really only take in a deep breath as she looked at Hannah and Paige,


    "...Thank you."


    "Don''t mention it," Hannah scoffed, "You''ve helped the people of Earth for 300 years, this is the least we can do. And also¡­ I want to atone for my sins. My brother, he¡­"


    "...Right," Aerith did not really let Hannah finish her words as she ced her hand on her shoulder, "Nothing your brother did is your¡ª"


    And almost as if in cue to their conversation, a themarian that seemed to be fighting outside the violently fell near them; causing a small crater to erupt from the ground. The people that were around the impact site¡­ were all able to move to the side.


    "Kh¡­" And with the dust clearing up, everyone could finally see the man that fell from the sky. It was a man with a slightly graying beard¡ªhalf of his torso, perfectly carved in an arc. The old man was about to fly away¡­


    ¡­but his eyes suddenly moved to the crowd.


    "...Son? What¡­ are you doing here with these people?"


    Aerith''s sanctuary¡ªno longer secured.

 Chapter 623 623: ...Dad?

    "...Dad?"


    There was still a cloud of dust veiling the air. But even then, however, the crowd''s eyes were all centered on the man with a gray beard that fell from the sky. They then all looked at the one that responded to him, only to see a man with a group of people that the crowd could only assume to be his family.


    "What are you doing here, and with my grandchildren?" The man with the gray beard then started looking everywhere as he noticed the crowd gathered around him. He was about to approach his son, but then his eyes suddenlynded on Aerith.


    "You¡­ you''re nning to leave!?" The man quickly realized what was going on as he rushed toward his son and his family. But before he could reach them, Aerith suddenly blocked his path.


    "Your son and his family have made their choice," Aerith sighed as she grabbed the gray-bearded man by his wrist, "Let them, and just say your goodbyes."


    "Choice!?" The bearded man pushed Aerith''s hand away as he looked at his son, "You are putting these lies in my son''s head. And you¡­ you really let yourself be indoctrinated by this rebel!? This is our home!"


    "Father, the Princess did not force me to do anything," the man''s son shook his head, "My children are almost a thousand years old now, I want them to experience more."


    "...More?" The bearded man forced a chuckle as stretched his arms to the side, "What more do you want?"


    "I want them to be free to explore the stars."


    "..." The bearded man could really only shut his mouth as he looked at the crowd. But soon, he suddenly burst out into a fit ofughter. He then turned his eyes toward Hannah and the others,


    "Do you want to know why these people seek out and explore the stars? Because they are not content with their imperfects!" The bearded man raised his voice, "Theran is perfect! Why can''t any of you see that!?"


    "New Theran can be their home too," Aerith blocked the man''s view; her voice, aplete opposite to the man''s rant, "And unlike here, they will actually have a chance to move forward there."


    "You don''t see it, do you, princess?" The bearded man shook his head as he continued to chuckle, "You will lead them to their doom. It will be all on you if they are sent to their Eternal Deaths."


    "It won''t¡ª"


    "He''s right, you know."


    "!!!"


    And all of a sudden, a familiar voice whispered in the air. And before Aerith could even see who the voice belonged to, the bearded man in front of him kneeled on the ground. It wasn''t only him, the rest of the people did too.


    "...Queen Adel," Aerith''s eyebrows quickly furrowed as she looked at the only remaining themarian standing¡ªher long golden hair, circling around her ankles.


    "Hm," Queen Adel only hummed as she started walking around; the people near her, quickly moving away and making her a path. Her eyes looked everywhere, and as they reached Hannah and the others, a scoff quickly escaped her lips.


    Paige was about to kneel when she saw this, but Hannah grabbed her arm to stop her.


    Queen Adel, who saw this, only giggled before raising her eyebrow and finally walking toward her daughter.


    "Princess Aerith! I detected something moving here¡ªOh, they''re here already," Elder Olseyir, who tasked herself to wee and orient the themarians, descended from the sky¡­ perhaps a little toote,


    "My bad...I''m just going to join the others," she then whispered to herself as she very carefully flew toward Hannah; her oversized pink robes, pping on some of the people kneeling on the ground.


    "..."


    "..."


    "How did you find me?" Aerith almost snarled as she saw the smirk on her mother''s face.


    "Don''t insult me, child. I am the Queen," Queen Adel rolled her eyes and sighed, before looking at the bearded man, "Thank you for alerting me, beloved citizen."


    "..." Aerith turned to look at the bearded man, only to finally notice that he was actually holding a small mesphere.


    "As for the rest of you," Queen Adel then very elegantly waved her hand; her long golden hair, flowing along with her arms, "Go home, all of you are pardoned and will not be questioned for anything."


    The people all flinched as they started looking at each other. And after a few seconds, some of them started standing up.


    "No!" Aerith also waved her hand, causing the trees surrounding the de to rustle, "Mother, these people deserve a home where they could be free. They want to leave."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Dear¡­" Queen Adel sighed before clicking her tongue several times, "None of these people really want to leave. They are just¡­ curious. You''ll see, most of them will just choose to go back here once they realize there''s nothing out there but garbage."


    "You¡ª"


    "And this bright man is right," Queen Adel then ced her hand on the bearded man''s shoulder that was still kneeling on the ground,


    "You are just going to lead these poor people to their death. Or worse¡ªthey are going to live with the rest of the dirty animals."


    "The world out there is colorful. More colorful than Theran will ever be."


    "Enough, Aerith. Just how long are you going to continue this farce?"


    "Kh¡­" The bearded man could not help but grit his teeth as Queen Adel''s grip suddenly tightened.


    "This pet project of yours is over. We are done indulging your silly little games," Queen Adel shook her head and started walking around, "Freedom? Are you delusional? What aspect of our country, of our, of our people is not free?"


    "Y¡ª"


    "Everyone is living their lives the way they want," Queen Adel looked at the crowd, "Everyone is just living their lives peacefully¡­ and now they are fighting for a freedom they already had in the first ce. Honestly, dear¡­


    ¡­this entire thing doesn''t make sense."


    "W¡ª"


    "Oh, tu tut tut," Queen Adel raised her finger, "We''ve allowed you to bring your half-breed bastard to the castle, we''ve allowed you to bring animals into our home. I''m afraid they have started infecting you with whatever they have from spending too much time with them¡­


    ¡­Is that what all of you want!?" Queen Adel once again looked at the crowd of people, "You want to be the same as my deluded daughter? Mingling with the animals!? You want to devolve and¡ª"


    And before Queen Adel could finish her words, a thundering snap echoed in the air as Aerith suddenly pped her cheek.


    "I¡­ allowed that," Queen Adel, however, only smirked as she quickly recovered herself.


    "These people you call animals are my friends. Watch your tone, mother," Aerith sucked in a deep breath as she looked her mother in the eyes.


    "You said that already," Queen Adel scoffed as she looked away, "I should have listened to your father. These animals are tainting your mind¡­


    ¡­they need to be removed."


    "Wh¡ª"


    And before Aerith could even say anything, Queen Adel suddenly mmed her palm on her chest, violently throwing her miles away.


    "..." And with her gone, Queen Adel quickly turned to face Hannah and the others.


    "!!!" Tomoe quickly moved to cover Hannah, but Hannah quickly pushed her and Paige away; her entire body, lighting up as the air around her began to distort.


    "That''s cute," Queen Adel disappeared from her spot, only to appear about 2 meters in front of Hannah. But with a smirk forming on her face, her silhouette once again blurred¡ªher fingers, instantly only a foot away from piercing Hannah''s chest.


    "...Oh?"


    But before the tip of her fingers could reach Hannah, a hand covered in what seemed to be a white gauntlet grabbed her wrist. And before she could do anything else, the hand pulled her arm away; her feet, being kicked to make her lose bnce at the same time.


    She was then mmed into the ground¡ªwell, not really. Before her face could touch the ground, she remained hovering in the air. Her head was about to be stepped on by a white greave, but Queen Adel pushed herself from the ground, causing it to crack as she flew away.


    "Well now¡­" Queen Adel then remained floating in the air as she looked down, only to see an individual fully d in white armor,


    "...Who is this?"


    "...Dad?"

 Chapter 624 624: A Game Of Chess (1)

    "Well now, who might you be? You¡­ smell like a Guardian."


    "And you smell like a racist vixen who hits children. Such a shame that all that is inside such a beautiful vessel."


    "..."


    "...Dad?"


    Hannah''s eyes started to tremble as she saw the white silhouette that was standing tall in front of her. She got used to seeing Bernard just sleeping in some sort ofa, but now, even when he waspletely covered in armor, he seemed more than alive.


    No, perhaps it was the armor itself that made him feel more full of life¡­because the armor itself felt like it was alive.


    There were orange strips of light traversing throughout the entire armor, pulsing like veins that seemed to follow the rhythm of Bernard''s breaths. The lights all intersect with his eyes, which zed like a raging sun.


    And with the way ittched and wrapped onto his body, it was almost like a second flesh¡ªthere was no longer any sign that it was mechanical¡­ a living armor.


    "You''re¡­ finally awake, dad," Hannah could not help but stutter.


    "Just taking a much-needed rest," Bernard''s sigh could be heard seeping from his helmet, "I almost died again when I woke up surrounded by aliens, though. Thinking about it now, that was sort of funny."


    "How¡­ did you find us? Did you just wake up?" Hannah looked back and forth between Bernard and Queen Adel, who seemed to be as curious as them as to what was happening.


    "I put a tracker on your limiter, remember?" Bernard said as he pointed under his left arm.


    "...You still put a tracker on me!?" Hannah whispered loudly, "How does that even work? You have no satellites here."


    "I created one," Bernard shrugged; his eyes, not leaving Queen Adel one bit, "This Guardian Force thing is convenient, it''s easy to get used to¡ªan almost unlimited power source inside me makes a lot of things¡­ a lot easier. Look, I upgraded my suit too, how do you like it?"


    "...How long did you say you''ve been awake again?"


    "A couple of minutes, give or take."


    "You¡­ did all of that in a couple of minutes?"


    "Who do you think I am?" Bernard then finally removed his attention from Queen Adel as he looked at Aerith; quickly recognizing the simrities between the two.


    "Mother issues?" He then bluntly asked.


    "Hm," Aerith only nodded her head, "Be careful, Whiteking. She has lots of issues."


    "..." Bernard also nodded as he started looking at the crowd, and then at the small above the sky, "I think I am starting to get the situation now. And if I am not mistaken¡­


    ¡­is mom involved?" He then said as he nced at Hannah.


    "Mom¡­ I think she''s the mastermind?" Hannah chuckled awkwardly, as for Bernard, the only thing he could really do was sigh.


    "Oh¡­" And finally, after just seemingly watching Bernard, Queen Adel finally opened her mouth with a short hum as she looked at Hannah, "You''re Caiin''s pets?"


    "..." Hannah only shook her head and rolled her eyes, not allowing herself to be provoked.


    "Did you really think a themarian, especially someone as devious as Caiin would really involve herself with animals like you?" Queen Adel started to giggle as she remained floating above everyone else,<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You animals are merely fleeting, and fragile toys that will be ashese to the morrow. You think a themarian would love feeble creatures like you?"


    "You seem to be speaking from experience," Bernard''s feet started leaving the ground, "You seem unloved and everyone here can see why¡ªyou have a personality that even a frog would avoid, and they leap at tires."


    Bernard then stretched his arm to the side, and as he did so, several orbs of white separated from his armor.


    "That''s cute. What are you going to do with that, y fetch?" Queen Adel once again giggled as she covered her lips, "I''ve met several Guardians before, and you are just like the rest of them, a fleeting dust."


    "You seem to like talking to dust, I suppose it''s the only thing that can tolerate you," Bernard remainedpletely calm, "And¡­


    ¡­I can be creative if I want to."


    And with those words, the four orbs circling around Bernard flew straight toward Queen Adel; each creating skirts of wind as they disappeared from view.


    "Really?" Queen Adel, however, also disappeared from her position¡ªappearing a meter in front of Bernard with one of the orbs already in her hand, "So? What will this do, explode?"


    "Not exactly."


    "..." Queen Adel then furrowed her eyebrows as the orb blossomed open; its petals, almost like jaws as it swallowed Adel''s entire arm and wrapped around it like a gauntlet. And soon, the three remaining orbs started attaching them to each of her limbs.


    "I agree with you, though," Bernard then said as he looked the queen in the eyes; seemingly not afraid that she might just lunge toward him and put a hole in his chest, "I am no match for you, and now that I have these weird superpowers, I can feel the difference between us even more¡ªI can''t reach you."


    "Sensible," Queen Adel scoffed as she just let the white orbs wrap her limbspletely, "Finally an animal who has a little brain."


    "Well, I can''t reach you¡­ but it doesn''t mean I can''t bring you down," a small chuckle then escaped Bernard''s mask.


    "What¡ª!!!"


    And then, all of a sudden, Queen Adel felt a small shock flowing through her entire body, causing her to lose control of her limbs as she felt herself gradually getting exhausted.


    "The thing is, I am used to everyone being stronger than me, Your Highness," Bernard then bowed elegantly as Queen Adel started to slowly descend to the ground.


    "This¡­ seems familiar." Queen Adel, however, did not seem fazed¡ªone might even say she was a little amused as she felt herself getting exhausted.


    "I forgot what it''s called," Bernard also followed her as he also slowly descended to the ground as he looked at Aerith, "What do you call this again? EDP? I have no idea what that stands for."


    "..." Aerith did not really respond; her eyes only squinted at her mother as she watched her slowly fall. If she was right, then Bernard just produced a miniature¡­ and wearable version of an Energy Depletor Pulse¡ªthe device used to weaken themarians temporarily. Its main use was not actually to restrain a themarian, but to train them.


    "I already had ns for it as soon as I saw the device you gave the Hope Guild¡ªbut it''s only now that I have a power source that I could cramp in such a small space that it''s finally possible," Bernard shrugged as he sighed as he and Queen Adel were finally back on the ground,


    "I fidgeted with it a little, and I found that it doesn''t really deplete anything. It just produces a pulse that stimtes, or perhaps I should say provokes your body into thinking that it needs to be exerted¡ªcausing you to be exhausted needlessly. Quite interesting how it works, really. I tweaked it a little to make the output 520% stronger¡­


    ¡­I just call it the Anti-Megawoman Contingency n Device. Sorry about that¡­ Megawoman."


    "It''s¡­ fine?"


    Aerith almost forgot what Bernard meant to Earth. He was a human without any powers that stood amongst gods¡­


    ¡­and yet there was a reason Aerith always considered him the most dangerous out of all of them.

 Chapter 625 625: A Game Of Chess (2)

    "I just call it the Anti-Megawoman Contingency n Device. Sorry about that¡­ Megawoman."


    "It''s¡­ fine? I guess?"


    With Queen Adel back on the ground like the rest of them, the crowd that was watching the events unfold could not help but start looking at each other¡ªstill not knowing whether to leave or stay.


    Although it was not really being talked about, Queen Adel is considered one of the strongest themarians in Hel. She should have already wiped out the aliens around them, so why were they still alive?


    Could it be that the people outside their territory were not as fragile and inferior as they were thought to believe?


    Although they were stillpletely silent, the crowd''s thoughts almost thundered in the air¡ªbut not for long, however, as a slightly demure chuckle whispered in the air and drowned whatever else it was that surfaced in their minds.


    "Did you really think that something like this could stop me?" Adel breathed out as she chuckled¡ªand even with violent statics flickering around her limbs and seemingly trying topletely subdue her, Queen Adel just started standing straight,


    "I train and sleep while being bathed by this feeling, human." And with those words, Adel grabbed her arm¡­ ripping it away along with Bernard''s device. Her arm, however, regenerated instantly,


    "I am the Queen, my duty is to protect King Arthus and the Kingdom of Hel from those who wish to harm them¡­ even if it is my own daughter."


    She was going to rip her other arm, but before she could do so, Bernard rushed toward her; swinging his leg straight to her head.


    "Tch," Queen Adel only clicked her tongue as she blocked Bernard''s leg with her newly regenerated arm¡ªthe impact, enough to start arge crater to form on the imprable ground of Theran.


    Before this crater could fully shatter the ground the Queen stood on, however, Bernard''s armor popped like a balloonpletely stripping away from his body as ittched onto Queen Adel like a hungry wolf.


    And as the Queen was momentarily distracted, Bernard''s eyes lit up as a skirt of wind formed around him; he threw himself to the ground, before spinning his entire body and swinging his leg right on Queen Adel''s left ankle.


    And as his foot made contact with Adel''s ankle, the part of his armor that wastched onto her leg quickly transferred back to him¡ªinstantly creating some sort of thruster that lifted Adel''s foot from the ground.


    And with Queen Adel slightly losing her bnce, Bernard''s main armor that was still wrapping itself around Queen Adel also formed a thruster and exploded. This wasn''t enough to push her down, however, and Bernard knew that.


    And so, he quickly lifted himself up; somersaulting in the air and mming his leg down straight on Queen Adel''s chest¡­ finally causing her to fall t on her back.


    "..." And as Bernard''s armor crawled from her torso and back to Bernard, Queen Adel''s eyes were just wide open as she stared at the sky. Soon, however, her eyebrows began to tremble as her eyes turned red, "This¡­


    ¡­is enough!"


    And with a roar, the air around Queen Adel exploded, causing a ripple that was enough to blow away the ground itself. Even the themarians that were watching on the side braced themselves from the sudden burst of energy.


    Bernard''s armor, instead of fully covering him, flew away¡ªshooting straight toward Hannah, Paige, and Tomoe; wrapping and covering them before it automatically carried them away far from the st point.


    As for Elder Olseyir who was also beside them, all the debris and air just moved past her, like there was a spherical barrier protecting her.


    "This is enough," Queen Adel''s body started lifting itself up in the air. And as her feet once againnded on the ground, she clicked her tongue several times and looked at Bernard,


    "So much effort to just keep me grounded, and for what? Even if a thousand of you came here, you will lose because you are nothing. A thousand of nothing is still nothing¡­ and now where is this armor you are so proud of? Gone."


    "Well¡­" Bernard, who was now half naked with his torso exposed, could not help but scratch his unkempt and messy beard as it was filled with all sorts of sand and debris,<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Keeping you grounded is all I really wanted to do, I seeded in that."


    "Mother¡­" Aerith carefully approached the two of them, "Please, don''t kill¡ª"


    "It''s fine," Bernard raised his palm and shook his head, "I just wanted to talk to your mother because we both have unfilial children."


    "Whiteking, my mother is dangerous¡­" Aerith sighed, "...She will kill you."


    "Whiteking, is that what you are called?" Queen Adel once again chuckled as she looked at Bernard, "That is quite a name for someone that will soon be turned to ash."


    "It has its moments," Bernard just shrugged even as Queen Adel started to approach him.


    "You should be grateful," Queen Adel smiled, "For me to be the one to kill something as insignificant as you is already a service to your kind."


    "Did I not tell you already?" Bernard also smiled, "I know you''re stronger than me, and I know I am not a match for you even with this Guardian Force nonsense¡ªI wasn''t fighting you at all, I was just trying to survive. And as I said¡­


    ¡­I wanted to keep you grounded," Bernard then said as he pointed to the ground.


    "..." Queen Adel''s eyebrows began to furrow as her eyes very slowly started to look to where Bernard was pointing¡­ only to see a pair of hands were already holding both her feet.


    "Sorry," Bernard then quickly flew away, "Do you remember when I said there is only one thing in this life I fear? Well, I called her here¡­


    ¡­my Queen."


    "Caiin''Ur!" Queen Adel''s eyes once again violently lit up as she flew up; pulling the owner of the hands that were holding her feet up to the surface. And as soon as she saw who it was, the violent red in her eyes raged; shooting out straight toward Diana''s calmly smiling face.


    Diana, however, quickly pulled Queen Adel''s leg to the left; her energy beam, shooting toward the crowd instead. No one seemed injured, however, as they just continued to watch what was happening.


    "Long time no see, Adel," Diana let go of Queen Adel''s feet; the smile on her face, still calmly painted on her face as she slowly flew right in front of Queen Adel.


    "You¡­" Queen Adel''s mouth began trembling as she sucked in a deep breath, "You dare show yourself in front of me, you bitch!?"


    "Language, please," Diana shook her head as she sighed, "There are a lot of children watching you right now."


    "You, it''s you!" Queen Adel violently pointed at Diana, "You''re the one corrupting my daughter!"


    "Oh, I beg to differ," Diana chuckled, "Your daughter is the one corrupting my son. Do you know he has an unhealthy obsession with her? Why don''t we just all let this be bygones and just marry our children? Hm?"


    "I will kill you, you minx!"


    "..." Aerith, who was watching from below, could not help but blink a couple of times. She had always known her mother had a temper, but they''re usually refined and controlled. But this¡­


    ¡­Did something happen between these two that she wasn''t aware of?

 Chapter 626 625: Breaking Her Word

    The very air itself became solid, with the stares of Diana and Queen Adel being the center of it all. The other one was smiling, while the other carried within her face a rage that caused her brows to quiver.


    "You even daree back here?"


    "I see the only thing that grew for you after a thousand years is the length of your hair¡ªa perfect representation of Theran, as expected of the Queen."


    Diana''s tone was not mocking at all, but the way she moved and bowed with a smile on her face showed her intention enough¡ªand for someone like the Queen who was versed in addressing her people, she knew exactly what Diana''s gesture meant.


    "Shut your mouth," Queen Adel breathed out; a pulse of air, sting through the air around her, lightly clearing the sky as she no longer held any of her strength back,


    "What do you hope in doing this, Caiin? I know you''re not aiming for freedom, you are not a fool like my daughter."


    "On the contrary, your daughter is wiser than both of usbined when we were her age. A little too kind and naive, though. But as for what I want from this, hmm¡­" Diana ced her hand on her chin as she hummed; her body, freely moving in the air as she was not floating upside down,


    "...You''re right that I don''t care about setting anyone free¡ªall of us are trapped in bigger and bigger cages, after all. What I do care about is change."


    "Why!? What is there to change!?" Queen Adel raised her voice, "I don''t understand, Caiin¡ªare we not already perfect the way we are!? The animals outside should be thanking us that we don''t meddle with them; they are scared of us, and some abhor us. I don''t know the reason as to why our people should be subjected to that!"


    "..." Aerith, who was listening to their conversation, could not help but squint her eyes from her mother''s sudden change in tone. It¡­ was so different in the way she talked to her.


    "These poor people have this grandiose opinion of a world they know nothing about!" Queen Adel then pointed at the crowd,


    "You want them to live in a world where their neighbors would scatter like flies as soon as they see them? They will be even more trapped there than here. At least in here, both us and the anima¡ªand the people out there are safe from each other¡­


    ¡­We are not meant to be in the skies, we are meant to be here¡ªHome."


    "..." The crowd watching from the ground once again all looked at each other; some of them, nodding their heads.


    "Please¡­" Queen Adel looked each of the people below her in the eyes, "...Do not abandon your home."


    "..." Even Aerith, who had already steeled herself with what she was about to do, could not help but stutter with her breaths. But after a few seconds, she shook her head and sighed¡ªmost of the people in the crowd had not even felt what it was like to travel in space, for a species that could freely breathe in the expanse of space, it just¡­ felt wrong.


    They are not meant to be stuck here.


    "You truly are making a lot of sense, Queen Adel. I respect that you are really into your own bullshit." And with Queen Adel''s soulful speech, Diana only covered her mouth to giggle.


    "Bull¡­ what?" Queen Adel''s eye started to twitch, "I will never lie to my people."


    "Oh?" Diana smiled before her voice became quieter,


    "Then tell them Theran is dying."


    "..." Queen Adel stared at Diana''s eyes for a few seconds, before she covered her mouth and started to chuckle, "Theran is the strongest celestial body in the Universe, Caiin."


    "That is why it is dying."


    "Right¡­" Queen Adel let out a long and deep breath as the muscles in her arms started snapping in the air, "


    I forgot that talking to you is useless, Caiin¡ªyou think your word is the only word that is true."


    "On the contrary, Your Highness. The only way you could stop is to convince me to stop¡ªyou won''t be able to any other way."


    "Please, you spent most of your time out there mingling with the weak."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "On the contrary, I met the strongest people I met out there. The one wreaking havoc up there right now is from the outside."


    The two werepletely different.


    Queen Adel exuded a violent elegance, wrapped in a dangerous air of luxury.


    Diana exuded a calm simplicity¡­ eerily simple that one could not help but fear what was hiding inside.


    "¡­"


    The two once again stared at each other; their hair, the only thing moving for seconds.


    "!!!"


    And then, without even any warning¡ªthe air behind the two distorted as they disappeared for an entire second. Only showing themselves again when Adel''s fist collided with Diana''s palm.


    And then it stayed like that for another second, almost as if the universe did not yet know what to do. But soon, a silent crack whistled in the air; the very space between the atoms in the middle of Adel''s fist and Diana''s palm, snapping apart as it tore existence itself.


    And the shockwave that came with that¡­ devastating. The skies above them cleared, tearing the''s exosphere and showed New Theran without any filter.


    The ground that was meters below their feet,pletely blown away; the trees surrounding the de, stripped away.


    The themarians that were watching them were all crouched on the crumbling ground¡ªdigging their hands through the violent waves so they would not be blown away with the rest of the de.


    "Should¡­ we help the Queen?"


    "Wait, did you hear what the other woman said? Theran is dying?"


    "...Do you think that''s true?"


    "..." Aerith heard it too, loud and clear. Theran is dying? Why was she not made aware of that by Diana if it was true? But then again, Diana is a woman that is riddled with a billion secrets¡­ and also a billion lies.


    But then again¡ªperhaps that was the very reason Diana had been preparing New Theran for thousands of years? If so¡­ then this changes everything.


    "People!" And before the thoughts of the crowd could turn into loud whispers, Hera, who suddenly disappeared when the fighting began, once again started raising her voice,


    "If you wish to leave Theran, now is the chance!"


    "What¡­ if the Queen''s men are waiting for us out there!?"


    "No," Aerith joined and stood beside Hera, "Mother likes to do everything herself. But people, if you want to stay, you could. Remember, no one is forcing any of this on you. Mother is right when she said that Theran is your home¡ªyou have lived your entire lives here¡ªbut I can promise you this¡­


    ¡­New Theran will dly also wee you home."


    "..."


    "Now I know you heard that Theran is dying. I do not know if that''s true, there are no signs of it happening and the chance that Caiin was lying is high. But if you wish to¡­"


    Aerith closed her eyes as she sucked in a deep breath¡ªknowing she is going to regret the next words that will being out of her mouth,


    "If it is true¡­ then I will find a way to bring the older generation with us."

 Chapter 627 626: Snap

    "If it is true¡­ then I will find a way to bring the older generation with us."


    Aerith opened her eyes as she said those words; gauging the people''s opinions and thoughts. But she did not need to guess what they were thinking, however, as most of them just started shaking their heads.


    "Like us, Your Highness, they have also made their choice."


    "Yes! And there is no way that Theran is dying!"


    "We want to experience the stars like you did, Your Highness! Take us home!"


    "..." Aerith looked into the eyes of her people one by one. She could still see some of them hesitating, but none of them seemed to want to leave and return, "Very well. While mother is distracted, we should take this chance to go!"


    "To New Theran!"


    "How can I help?" And as soon as Aerith''s voice finished echoing through the hearts of the people, Bernard approached her and Hera.


    "Jes¡ªyou look like shit, Bernard," Hera could not help but widen her eyes as she saw Bernard''s unkempt beard, partner that with his chest hair and his bulging muscles mixed with a perfect amount of fat¡­ he looked like a bear.


    "A human Guardian¡­" As for Aerith, the only thing that escaped her mouth was a curious breath as she looked at Bernard from head to toe.


    "Wondering what would happen if someone infected with the supervirus swallows a Guardian Force?" Bernard quickly understood Aerith''s curiosity, "Sorry, Megawoman¡ªI''m all you got for now."


    Aerith, however, only sighed and shook her head, "You should be resting, Whiteking."


    "T¡ª"


    "Bernard Ross."


    And before Bernard could even say anything, Elder Olseyir once again popped up out of nowhere and made her way toward them, "I agree with the Princess, no matter how exemry you think you are¡ªall new Guardians would need to rest so as to not stress their body with its newfound power."


    "...Do I know you?" Bernard scratched his beard; squinting his eyes as he heard Elder Olseyir''s voice.


    "No. But I know all about you, Bernard Ross," Elder Olseyir pped her pink robes and curtsied, "Your expertise with technology, and your existence alone is enough to put your species in the Common Council."


    "...Right," Bernard raised his hand in the air, and as he did so, several white armors started flying toward him¡­ carrying Hannah and the others inside them.


    "Fuck!"


    And as soon as the armorsnded on the ground, they quickly crawled back to Bernard, wrapping his entire silhouette almost instantly.


    "That¡­ was so cool!" Paige could not help but almost cheer as she ran to Bernard. As for Tomoe, she¡­ looked paler than she usually is.


    "Aren''t you¡­ Riley''s other girlfriend?" Bernard could not help but blink a couple of times as he finally recognized Paige, "You came with him to another? That''s some dedication¡­ I approve."


    "Well, I have nowhere else to be," Paige only smiled and shook her head; her orange and slightly curly hair, bouncing with her, "I know it''s been a while since the two of us have been together or even talked to each other, but wherever Riley is¡­ that is my home. Whether it is back on Earth or a billion light years away¡­ my connection with him goes beyond the physical."


    "..." Bernard blinked a couple of times, not expecting such an answer from his question that was meant to be rhetorical.


    "Oh, oh¡­ I failed to read the room again, didn''t I?" Paige giggled as Diana and Queen Adel continued to fight in the background.


    "Not at all," Bernard, however, suddenly justughed, "You see this, Hannah? Why can''t you find someone like this?"


    "Because I am not a psychopathic murderer that attracts all sorts of weird people around him, dad," Hannah sighed as she looked at both Tomoe and Paige, "No offense to both of you."


    "None taken," Paige just shrugged. She then turned to look at Aerith, before suddenly stretching her arms to the side¡ªand as she did so, a sh of light traveled and rippled through the entire crowd¡­ making them all disappear from the outside world.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "The people outside can''t see us now," Paige then said as she nodded.


    "Are you sure you can handle an illusion this wide?" Aerith looked around her. And although she could still clearly hear all of them; it will be hard to notice with all the chaos going around, "This is just the first batch, there will be hundreds more."


    "Oh, it''s fine," Paige only let out a chuckling scoff as she rolled her lips, "I feel like I can even make Theran disappear. W¡­well, not really. Please don''t make me do that."


    "Wait, are we sure we can just leave mom to deal with that psych¡ªI mean your mother?" Hannah approached Aerith before anyone''s feet started leaving the ground.


    "You have no idea how strong your mother is, do you?" Aerith breathed out as she started floating up.


    "...Is she stronger than you?"


    "...Debatable" Aerith slightly hesitated. She then raised her fist as she flew up higher in the air, "For those who still want to experience a new world, follow me!"


    And with a skirt of wind forming around her; several cracks in the air could be heard whipping like a marching band¡ªthe crowd could no longer be seen by the naked eye, but their resolution was obvious by the rhythm drumming in the air.


    And even as the sound of their abandonment reached Queen Adel''s ears, her eyes were stillpletely focused on the woman in front of her. She swung her legs; the shockwave that followed, keeping the tear in the sky open.


    "Why are you not fighting back?" Queen Adel opened her mouth as Diana kept avoiding and blocking her attacks,


    "Are you so used to being on a fragile? Don''t you see, Caiin''Ur? Just the shockwave from each of our attacks would have already decimated an entire¡­


    ¡­we don''t belong anywhere else but here."


    "Well¡­" Diana caught Queen Adel''s foot, before pushing her away as she retreated back, "...I could say you don''t belong right here and now."


    "...What?"


    "This is dying, Your Highness," Diana let out a sigh as she started massaging her swollen arms, "Now that our audience is gone, maybe it''s time to stop ying around¡ªwe''re too old for that, Adel."


    "Theran is not dying," Queen Adel''s lips began to quiver, "This will outlive everything else in this Universe."


    "It has been dying for tens of thousands of years."


    "sphemy!" Queen Adel gritted her teeth as she once again rushed toward Diana, "Our Theran is the strongest thing in the Universe! It will not¡ª"


    "King Arthus knows."


    And before Queen Adel''s leg could hit Diana''s unguarded head¡ªshe stopped; the violent air she produced, once again clearing everything around them.


    "King Arthus knows," Diana closed her eyes as she sighed, "So did the previous king, and so does the King of Varoif."


    "...What?"


    "The Overlord of the Grand Militia also knows, I told him when he reced me as the next Overlord."


    "Theran is strong," Queen Adel''s foot was still next to Diana''s head, "I will not tolerate you anymore for tarnishing its name."


    "Theran is strong, I agree," Diana sighed, "Too strong¡­


    ...It will snap from its own weight."

 Chapter 628 627: Approaching

    "...It will snap from its own weight."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Well, that''s all I have to say about that."


    Diana just pushed Queen Adel''s leg away. Adel, who still seemed to be processing everything she heard, just allowed it to happen as she very slowly floated away from Diana.


    "Anyway¡­" Diana then shrugged and let out a deep breath, "Should you really be here? You know, unlike Aerith, when I migrate people from their homes¡­


    ¡­I don''t like leaving anything behind."


    "..." Queen Adel quickly collected herself; batting her eyes several times as she looked Diana straight in the eyes. But after a couple of seconds, Queen Adel''s mouth started to slightly open,


    "You didn''t?" Queen Adel breathed out as her head slowly started to shake.


    "Tick tock."


    "You!" Queen Adel lunged toward Diana without any warning. This time, Diana no longer blocked or dodged her, but instead fully flew away.


    "You will destroy Theran!? Our home!? Have you no shame or loyalty at all!?" Queen Adel roared. She did not even question if Diana was capable of destroying the she was born on¡ªbecause she was and is,


    "Caiin, tell me something!"


    "Well¡­" Diana only smiled as she saw Queen Adel desperately chasing her, "When I destroy a dying, and leave those that caused it behind."


    "Theran is alive and well!" Queen Adel''s roars turned into screams, "You hid a bomb somewhere! Where is it!?"


    "Why are you so worried, Your Highness?" Diana turned around; flying backward as she smiled at Queen Adel¡ªthe two were just circling on one part of the¡­ the images they leave on their trails, almost looking like a donut from below,


    "It''s just a little Star Obliterator," Diana heavily breathed out, "It may destroy and swallow an entire ster system, but mighty Theran? No. For Theran, it will just be as simple as a quake, maybe some stones being swallowed here and there by the vacuum it creates¡ªbut it should die down before it does real damage."


    "Where is it!?"


    "Hm. But what if I am telling the truth?" Diana started chuckling, "Theran would snap and crumble, taking all of you with it. As you said, Theran is the only that could survive us¡­


    ¡­but it also could crush us and suck us into the vacuum with it."


    "Traitor!"


    "Chase me all you want, I am not telling you anything, Queen Adel. Go back to King Arthus, tell him about the bomb¡ªthat is your best option right now."


    "..." Queen Adel gritted her teeth as she looked Diana in the eyes. But after a few seconds, she clicked her tongue and just disappeared.


    And as soon as she was gone, Diana also stopped flying around.


    "It seems you do not need me after all." And as soon as she did so, a voice whispered in the air.


    "Themarians treat Theran as their god, Xra," Diana then looked behind her as a pool of blood started to emerge from her back.


    "That''s good," the voice whispered from the blood as it quickly started to take the form of a pale woman, "I did not want to meet the mother of the man I killed in a duel. But is it true¡­


    ¡­is Theran really dying?"


    "Well¡­ what do you think?" Diana only smiled as she started looking around.


    "...So all thes you destroyed andmitted genocide in¡ªwere you actually trying to migrate their people?" Pirate Queen Xra flicked her hair to the side, "But I thought your goal was to create a species that will break the bnce of the Universe?"


    "Oh, I do. I am obsessed with creating a new species," Diana chuckled.


    "That¡ªI''m not even going to try to figure you out anymore," Xra rolled her eyes, "Just help me revive my husband, and I help you with anything you fucking want."


    "Your husband is dead."


    "He''s not."


    "..." Diana could really only sigh as she looked up to the sky, "Let''s just get this over with¡­


    ¡­I miss my sweet babies."


    ***


    Somewhere in the dark expanse of space between Theran and New Theran, there were 4 Rileys holding a single themarian¡­ ripping him apart and tearing him from limb to limb.


    Each of the four was holding their own body parts. The body parts that were within each other''s reach seemed to want to connect and regenerate together, almost desperate to be together again.


    But before any of them could once again regain their other halves, the four Rileys all whispered something at the same time¡ªand with their breaths escaping their lips, the reality they were holding was ripped apart; the limbs,pletely erased from existence.


    The four Riley then looked at each other in satisfaction, nodding their heads as their eyes lost what little color they had. And then¡­ they just crumbled.


    "From 1 to 10, how much pain are you feeling right now?"


    "Let me¡ªargh!"


    "That''s a 6."


    On some other part of the expanse of space, there were 8 Rileys holding a single male themarian, while another one that was wearing a white coat was watching them; seemingly jotting down notes, but no paper or pen in his hands.


    "Alright, that''s enough," the White Coat Riley then pped his hands as he sighed, "You can let him go now."


    "..." The 8 Rileys that were holding the man all looked at each other as soon as they heard that. They then turned their eyes toward White Coat Riley¡­ before all of them just started bursting out intoughter.


    And then, all of a sudden, they all just stopped and whispered¡­ and then the man was gone.


    "Hm¡­" And as the 8 Rileys slowly started to crumble, White Coat Riley stoppedughing and ced his hand on his chin, "Out of the 40, only about 10 of them were hard topletely kill, all women¡­ but none are as durable as James. They don''t necessarily grow stronger with age, hm¡­ if only I can detect their energ¡ªHm?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    And as White Coat Riley was whispering to himself, he very slowly turned his head down, only to see a hand pierced through his chest¡­ holding what seemed to be his heart.


    "..." And before Riley could turn his head, his heart was crushed. And as he crumbled, an old woman showed herself from his ashes.


    "This one is fake too?" The old woman furrowed her eyebrows, "Just what are we fighting he¡ª"


    "We have been ordered to retreat!"


    "What!? Ordered!?" The old woman raised her voice, "We''re not soldiers, why are we following orders!?"


    "It''s from the Kingdom! Retreat!"


    "..." The old woman looked at the dust freely floating around her, before just clicking her tongue and disappearing. It wasn''t just her, those that were desperately trying to get into New Theran to destroy it also disappeared one by one.


    "Oh, they are retreating."


    [!!!]


    Tedi, who was watching everything happening from afar, almost yelped as she felt another Riley Ross floating out of her hair.


    [How¡­ long have you been there?] Tedi slightly backed away to look at Riley, [Have you been there the whole time?]


    "I suppose," Riley shrugged, "I believe we can go to New Theran now, the first wave is gone."


    [They mighte back with an army before we can blink, themarians can do that.]


    "Not for a while. They said the Kingdom ordered them to retreat."


    [...This cloning of yours, how does it work?] Tedi could not help but adjust her colossal sses, [Does the information transmit in real time?]


    "Limited range, but if I have more scattered everywhere, the range extends¡ªI suppose like a satellite, Tedi."


    [And all the information you receive¡­ enters your mind too? Like a server?]


    "I suppose."


    [...Everything? Even pain?]


    "...I suppose."


    [...]


    "Shall we go? We should probablynd from that direction¡ªyou are almost asrge as New Theran, they might get scared of yourrge size."


    [...Can you please stop saying rge''?]


    "Humongous."


    [...Let''s just go.]


    ***


    "Oh my, why are there so few?"


    "Mom!"


    In New Theran, the people that were brought from Theran gathered; with some already leaving to settle into their new home¡ªbut with the crowd they have right now, there were probably less than a thousand, with Diana adding to it as she entered the new.


    Hannah, Bernard, and the others were also gathered there, with Aerith, Elder Olseyir, and Hera busy talking with the¡­immigrants.


    "If I recall, there should be around 500 million of us¡­ and the data I have is old."


    "W¡­what?" Hannah, who was about to run toward her mother as shended on the ground, could not help but halt her steps,


    "There''s¡­ that many of you? I thought you guys could only breed like a thousand years after thest one?"


    "Hm, give or take," Diana shrugged, "And we can also live as long as we want to. I know this old man, I call him Grandpa Fe. I think he''s been alive since the evaniel war. Actually¡­ I don''t know if he''s still alive now, I should visit him before we leave."


    "...So how do you guys die?"


    "Suicide¡­" Paige, who was standing behind Hannah, was the one to answer her question, "...Most of the people that we are seeing here right now, they will kill themselves in the far future, fascinating."


    "You, I like you," Diana smiled as she looked at Paige, "We met before right? You''re one of Riley''s girlfriends?"


    "Th¡ª"


    "You see this, Hannah? You should find someone that would follow you to the other side of the universe."


    "I told her that," Bernard also joined in on the conversation, "She¡ª"


    "Can you guys fucking stop!? This isn''t about us!"


    "But it is," Diana breathed out as she shook her head,


    "Didn''t all of us travel here to have a memorial for Alice Lane?"


    "..."


    "...Ipletely forgot that was happening," Hannah grasped her head, "So wait¡­ you weren''t talking about Theran when you told us we would bury her?"


    "Immortalize, but yes¡­" Diana nodded as she looked around her,


    "I want her to be buried here¡­ where she can roam freely."

 Chapter 629 628: A Quiet Poem For Lost Souls

    "I¡­ don''t see them anymore, Megawoman."


    "All of them are settling in. And please, Hannah¡ªcall me Aerith."


    "They¡­ are settling in already?"


    Osk and the others have brought another batch of immigrants from Theran¡ªand now, the total number of themarians on New Theran were around 10,000¡­ and yet none of them could be seen around where Hannah and the others are already.


    "There were that many and yet¡­ fuck. Must be nice to fly around several Mach speeds in the air," Hannah looked around at the empty and endless sea of grass beneath her feet, "But if that was the case¡­ shouldn''t we have everyone we need by now?"


    "No¡­" Aerith could not help but sigh as she looked at the sky; her eyes, reflecting Theran on them, "...The problem is not getting them here, it''s getting them out there."


    "Hm¡­ Understandable, most old people are stubborn and think they know everything. But on that note¡­ what the fuck is that?" Aerith then pointed at the other half of the sky, and there, a silver facepletely obstructed the view of the cosmos.


    "That''s Tedi, sister."


    "Riley!?" Hannah could not help but almost leap to the side as Riley suddenly appeared out of nowhere.


    "She is a former Elder of the Common Council," Riley, on the other hand, just approached her as if he didn''t just spook her, "She was kicked out."


    [I was not kicked out!]


    "Wha¡­" Hannah covered her ears as Tedi''s voice vibrated throughout New Theran.


    "She''s helping us with the logistics of everything, Hannah," Aerith really only sighed, "She and Elder Olseyir will help orient my people on how to interact with other species and tell them certain rules that need to be followed. This... will be the first time all of them are even leaving themarian territory, after all."


    "No one oriented me," Hannah''s eyebrows began to furrow, "It was also the first time for me and the othe¡ª"


    "Maybe because you did note from a line of a million years of bigotry, dear." And before Hannah could finish her words, Diana and Bernard suddenly emerged from the ground; their clothes, filled with dirt.


    "I do not know about that, mother," Riley shook his head, "She can still be a bigot since she has half your blood, and father is called Whiteking."


    "The fuck!? I''m not racist!" Hannah''s eyebrows furrowed even lower as she pointed at Riley, "You take that¡ª"


    "Riley, you''re back." But s, once again. Hannah''s words were interrupted as Diana made her way to Riley, "We can start Alice''s Immortalization."


    "Diana, I''ve been meaning to ask¡­" Aerith joined in on the conversation, "But where are we going to hold the Immortalization? The is notplete yet."


    "It isplete," Diana shook her head, "Any bigger and it will just suffer the same fate as the old one."


    "...Was what you said true?" Aerith sucked in a breath as she once again looked at Theran, "Is¡­ it really dying?"


    "...Yes," Diana answered as she also looked up, "Ts confirmed it."


    "Ts¡­ the Terraformer?" Aerith gulped, "Is¡­ that why you brought her here?"


    "Amongst other things."


    "...What else are you not telling me, Diana?"


    "A lot," Diana only smiled before a thunder echoed through the sky, bringing along a ship with it¡ªDiana''s ship.


    "Ts, please."


    And as soon as Diana whispered that, the endless sea of grass that everyone was standing on started to quake. And soon, the grass started fading away; the ground they left bare, bing clear and crystal-like.


    No, it wasn''t just crystal-like¡ªthe ground itself did turn into crystals. A t sea of crystal spanning for miles.


    "W¡­wow," Hannah could not help but breathe in as her eyes started reflecting blue, "This¡­ is where themarians are buried?"


    "Riley!? Is that you!? What''s happening!?" And while the grounds continue to shift, Paige could be seen running from the distance, with Herazily following behind her like she was tired of everything that was happening.


    "I told you, Paige. This is not an attack, my body''s not reacting," Hera grunted as she rolled her eyes.


    "I believe this is where themarians are buried, Paige," Riley nonchntly said as Paige casually clung to his arm.


    "Are we finally going to let Ms. Phoenix rest?" Hera sighed. But after a few seconds, she started looking at everyone; her eyes, slightly furrowed, "None of us are dressed for that."


    "No problem," Paige raised her hand. But before she could do anything, Riley grabbed her hand and shook his head.


    Riley then tore off a part of his ck suit, throwing it into the air as it started expanding there. The suit then separated into pieces; pieces that shot toward everyone that was there.


    Tomoe, who was hiding from afar like some sort of stalker, stretched her arms to the side as the cloth wrapped around her¡ªturning into a ck kimono.


    Hannah received a short ck dress, Bernard a suit, Diana a long ck dress, and Paige a short filly dress, her hair adorned with a ck flower. Hera was perhaps the only one that flinched as the ck¡­ goo wrapped around her.


    As for Aerith, she was given a luxurious gown that reached the crystal ground.


    "..." Aerith could really only blink as she saw how extravagant her dress waspared to the others but did not really say anything as Diana started flying toward the ship.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The bottom of the ship opened up, with Diana entering and leaving a couple of minutester¡­ carrying Alice in her arms.


    Although months had passed since her 2nd passing, Alice still lookedpletely unchanged¡ªher face,pletely at peace.


    "Riley¡­" Diana then carefully, and very gentlynded in front of Riley, "Bring her there."


    "..." Riley looked in the direction where Diana was looking, only to see a pir extruded from the crystal ground, right at the very center of the blue field.


    "No." Riley shook his head, "I barely knew her, mother. And this is the custom of your people. And most importantly, you were her friend¡­


    ¡­I believe that out of all of us, you have the most right to be with her corpsest."


    "..." Diana looked Riley in the eyes for a few seconds, before turning to Hera.


    "Hey, I didn''t even know her real name," Hera raised both hands.


    "..." Diana then turned to look at the other member of the Hope Guild there, but Bernard just shook his head. And so, with a breath, Diana just took in a breath as she turned around and started walking away.


    "Follow behind her," Aerith then quietly said as she gestured to the others, who just quietly followed behind without any question.


    "..."


    "..."


    "A daughter, a mother¡­ my dearest friend," Diana''s eyes turned red as she continued making her way to the crystal. A beam then shot out from her eyes, melting the center of the crystal¡ªeven then, however, it did not drip or fall and just retained its shape.


    "As I walk you to your final destination, know that I carry you as a part of myself," Diana whispered, "And as you rest to your Eternal Death, I bury a part of myself with you."


    Diana then carefully ced Alice inside the crystal; her body, being wrapped ever so gently as the crystal epted her.


    "Iy you to rest now, may you roam freely in your eternal dreams, Alice¡­


    ¡­and if the timees that you may walk again, may you wake up surrounded by happiness."


    And with those words, the crystal holding Alice started to harden¡ªher face, now forever holding the peace it holds.


    "Farewell, my dearest friend¡­" Diana ced her hand and touched her forehead on the crystal, "...Our time together was but a blink, but you were one of the best parts of my eternity."


    "..." Riley has just been staring at the smile on Alice''s face ever since she was ced inside her crystal. But after a few more breaths, he turned around and started walking away.


    "Riley?" Paige looked back and forth between Riley and the ceremony that was happening, before choosing to just chase Riley.


    "Riley!" Paige walked beside Riley as she looked at his face, "Are you¡­ alright? How do you feel?"


    "Do I need to feel anything, Paige?" Riley did not stop walking.


    "Are you sad?" Paige, however, grabbed his arm and stood in front of him.


    "...Sad?" Riley turned to look at Diana and Alice''s silhouette, "I do not know how to be, Paige."


    "You don''t¡­" Paige grabbed Riley''s face as she turned it toward her, "...Or you are not allowing yourself to?"


    "Yes."


    "..." Paige did not really react to Riley''s answer as she just looked him in the eyes. After a few seconds, however, tears began falling from her face as she wrapped her arms around him, "Then¡­


    ¡­I will cry for you, Riley."


    "..." Riley could really only slightly move his head as he felt Paige''s warmth.


    "I can do that, you know¡­" Paige''s whispers chuckled to his ears, "...You know the month we''ve been apart, I tried being strong, Riley. And every time I thought I couldn''t go on anymore¡­ I think of you."


    Paige then pulled herself back as she once again looked Riley in the eyes,


    "You are my other half, Riley¡­ I know that now. And¡­" And then all of a sudden, Paige ced her lips upon Riley''s.


    "I love you, Riley Ross."


    And as Paige leaned away, Riley could really only blink his eyes; Paige''s tears, trailing down both his cheeks.


    "I can''t return what you are feeling, Paige."


    "I know, and you don''t have to¡­" Paige then wiped her tears on Riley''s face, "I¡­


    ¡­I will love enough for the both of us."

 Chapter 630 630: Calm Before The Storm

    "...I will love enough for the both of us."


    "..."


    The sea of crystals beneath Paige and Riley was as clear as the ocean itself, and yet no reflection arose¡­ only the abyss deep within the crystals that one could see if one stares.


    The Immortalization of Alice Lane seems to be over, as Hannah and the others were already making their way to check her grave. Tomoe, however, just remained standing there as she nced at Paige and Riley. But after a few more breaths, she just turned around and followed Hannah.


    And of course, this did not escape Bernard''s gaze¡ªa sigh, escaping his mouth as he thought of how simr he and Riley are when ites to women.


    "She might be the only one resting here for a hundred years," Diana breathed out as the others joined her.


    "...What about the war? It''s already begun, more and more people will join this ce," Hannah sighed as she looked around her.


    "99% of themarians that die in battle rarely leave anything behind, dear," Diana chuckled, "Those that are buried here are those who peacefully sent themselves to Eternal Death. But I stand myself corrected¡­


    ¡­there will always be exceptions."


    "...Exceptions? Wh¡ª"


    And before Hannah could finish her words, a group of themariansnded nearby¡ªOsk and some of the women from the Sisterhood¡­ carrying 3 bodies with them.


    "..." Hannah could really only hold her breath. She never forgets that each of these seemingly normal-looking people could destroys; but once again, a scenery reminded her that despite all their strength¡ªthey are people.


    She then looked at Aerith¡ªEarth''s beacon of hope. She didn''t want to imagine her being one of those bodies¡­ but she could. Aerith already fell once, and at her brother''s hands at that.


    She then looked at her brother, only to see one of the themarians violently making her way toward him.


    "You! I thought you were on our side!?"


    The red-haired woman pointed her finger as she stood in front of Riley, almost digging her finger into his chest as she screamed.


    "W¡­wait, what''s happening!? We can talk about¡ª" Paige wanted to stand between Riley and the themarian, but she felt herself just floating and flying toward Hannah and the others¡ªwith Bernard catching her as he too, watched the situation unfold.


    "You killed my friend!" The red-haired themarian pushed Riley, causing him to take a few steps back, "Weren''t you on our side!? You were there with Princess Aerith!"


    "..." And even with the screams entering his ears, Riley just stared at the woman; tilting his head to the side as he looked at the rageing out of her eyes.


    "Say something! Say you made a mistake!"


    "No." And finally, Riley opened his mouth; a smile, slowly crawling on his face as he looked the red-haired themarian in the eyes, "I recognize the corpses you''re carrying, I killed them¡ªwhy do you think they are still intact?"


    "What!? You¡ª"


    "Stop!" And before the woman could do anything else, Osk appeared between them; already grabbing the woman''s hand, "This is not the time to be fighting amongst ourselves!"


    "But Osk, he¡ª"


    "I know, and we will deal with all of thatter," Osk shook her head, ncing at Riley as she sighed, "Right now, we bury our friends and prepare for the war that''s about toe."


    "..." The red-haired woman looked at Osk, before ncing at Riley and just walking away; the disdain in her breaths, however, was still clear for everyone to hear.


    "And you¡­" Osk turned to Riley, "...I would appreciate it if you don''t touch any of my people again. I like you, Riley. But I don''t like you that much¡ªand I already have your seed."


    "..." Riley really only looked at Osk, watching as she walked away to her people.


    "Riley! What the fuck was that about!?" And as soon as themotion was done, Hannah and the others made their way to him.


    "Just the usual, sister," Riley shrugged, "And you and the others should not be here, sister. You should be as far away from this war as possible."


    "Well, I don''t fucking disagree with you," Hannah scoffed, "But Megawoman still needs help so¡ª"


    "No," Aerith interrupted Hannah, "You''ve already done enough¡ªDiana?"


    "Hm," Diana nodded as her ship once again hovered above them, "This is not your battle to fight, Hannah¡ªjust watch on the side while mommy finishes what she started."


    "But Riley¡ª"


    "Riley has already included himself in the war, I''m afraid," Diana sighed, "You know your brother¡­ always sticking his fingers where they don''t belong."


    "Ew, mother," Riley quickly shook his head, "The only time I put my finger where it didn''t belong is when I put Aerith in my clos¡ª"


    "Ahem," Aerith loudly cleared her throat, "We need to discuss our next step, Diana. I will wait for you with the Elders¡­ and we also need to talk about what you said about Theran."


    "Of course, Princess," Diana nodded as she looked at Bernard, "Dear, make sure Hannah and her friends stay on the ship."


    "...And Riley?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Riley will be with me. It''s not fair that only you get to bond with our son, no?" Diana smiled as she looked at Riley, causing him to take a step back for a tiny millimeter,


    "You don''t have to worry¡ªTheran will fall before anything actually happens to him."


    "Hm¡­ Let''s go, girls," the veins of Bernard''s armor slightly lit up as his feet left the ground,


    "Don''t dwell and say your goodbyes, it''s bad luck before a battle."


    "That¡­" Hannah was about to approach Riley, but as he heard her father''s words, her steps quickly halted. She then looked Riley in the eyes, before just nodding and flying away.


    "Finally," As for Hera, she grabbed Tomoe and Paige by their cors and leaped straight toward the ship, not even letting any of them speak to Riley.


    And as Diana''s eyes reflected the ship as it flew away, a long and very heavy sigh escaped her lips.


    "Caiin¡­" Aerith then ced her hand on her shoulder, "...I think it''s time you tell me what''s going on. All this time, you''ve been using my influence to make this happen, weren''t you?"


    "Maybe," Diana smiled as she looked at Aerith, "But aren''t you also using me, Your Highness?"


    "..." Riley, who was the only one left alone with the two, could really only look back and forth as the two stared at each other.


    "It''s time¡­ Caiin," Aerith stood closer to Diana, "It''s time you tell me what this is really all about¡­


    ¡­what are you nning here?"


    ***


    "Arthus! Is what Caiin''Ur told me true!? Is our home dying!?"


    Somewhere in the castle of Hel, where a colossal window reflected the sunlight that seeped from the outside into fractals that touched the floor, Queen Adel''s hair brushed across the patterned carpets.


    And although Queen Adel''s voice was filled with panic, the air around the dim but colorful room remainedpletely calm. And along with Queen Adel''s voice, a deep and immacte breath echoed through the room.


    The breath belonged to a towering, but slim silhouette that partly blocked the light from entering through the windows.


    "Arthus, answer me!"


    "I did. I knew from the start," the silhouette then started to move, stepping away from the light as he hid in the shadows.


    "What? Why didn''t you tell me!?" Queen Adel stomped her foot on the floor, causing the marbled room to quake and tremble.


    "What difference would it have made if you knew?"


    "What difference!? Everything!" Queen Adel roared, causing the window to shatter¡ªremoving all the colors in the room as the violent and harsh light covered everything,


    "We could have prevented it!"


    "More than a million years, this has been happening, Adel," King Arthus'' voice echoed through the light, "And our scientists have exhausted all options to save our, and yet none of them could figure out how to truly save Theran¡­


    ¡­all but one."


    "...Caiin?" Queen Adel sucked in a deep breath as she looked at the shadow moving on the side.


    "Yes. But what she proposed is something that we, as themarians, should never ever consider¡ªshe wanted to create another. As if Theran''s magnificence is something that could truly ever be replicated, it is sphemy."


    "..." Queen Adel then turned to look at the shattered window; her trembling and hesitant eyes, reflecting New Theran.


    "Caiin''Ur wished to abandon our home," the King''s voice resounded in Queen Adel''s ears, "Our dear Theran, that is something that should never happen."


    "But our people, Arthus¡­" Queen Adel''s breaths began to falter as she looked back and forth between King Arthus and New Theran.


    "We will live and die for Theran¡­ And we will live and die with Theran."


    "But our people¡­" Queen Adel repeated, "Our people will¡ª"


    "Live and die with Theran."


    "..."


    "..." Queen Adel''s breaths started to be heavier by the second. But soon, her brows began to furrow as she mmed her fists on the marbled floor, shattering itpletely.


    And right there and then, as the cracks on the floor created little shadows...


    ¡­Queen Adel made a decision.

 Chapter 631 631: Caitlains Mission (1)

    "So all this time, all thes you''ve destroyed¡­ were to try and save Theran?"


    "Maybe."


    Somewhere within the airspace of Theran, Pirate Queen Xra''s gigantic warship the size of several airship carriers hovered freely. And inside its war room¡ªa literal war room¡ªa holographicyout of the ster system of Theran filled the entire area.


    There were several people inside, they all remained quiet, however. The only voices that have really been sharing the space with the holograms were the voices of the themarians, Osk, Aerith, and Diana; mostly thetter.


    Xra was not really interested in what they were saying, as she was just waiting for this war to be over. Elder Olseyir, on the other hand, could not help but look back and forth between the exchange of words; her pink robes, almost floating from her curiosity.


    Elder Olseyir''s curiosity, however, was not a match for Tedi, whose hologram avatar floated almost right beside Caiin.


    As someone who pursued knowledge, Caiin was almost like a celebrity for Tedi; or any other norids for that matter.


    Not much is known about Caiin''s life except for her achievements and crimes, but no one could argue that she was one of the brightest minds in the Known Universe. Of course, Tedi has never been short of smart colleagues surrounding her; after all, Elder Skeem was arguably perhaps the creature with the highest intellect in the universe.


    But Elder Skeem, due to the physically weak and fragile physiology of his race, is focused solely on tools of violence...weaponry. And as a norid, Tedi could not be any less interested in him.


    Caiin, on the other hand, has had her ws in almost all the revolutionary breakthroughs the Universe had experienced throughout the years.


    The Room of Revival¡ªresurrection. Mostly considered a failure due to the ridiculous and impossible amount of energy it required, it was able to fully revive smaller and lesser creatures permanently; but for intelligent life, one could really only live again for seconds, sometimes not even.


    Cloning¡ªCaiin did not start it, but she was the one that mastered the technology to the point that the Common Council had to ban it.


    She even had a hand in perfecting hyperspeed, and paving the way for warpspeed, which to this day, was still not fully stable.


    And now, she had single-handedly created a that could move across the expanse of space like a ship¡ªbut that isn''t what was impressive¡ªit was the fact that the was a smaller replica of Theran.


    Theran, where everything seemed a million times denser.


    [If I may?] Tedi then raised her hand as her hologram flew in front of Diana,


    [Caiin¡ªDiana. If the things you said just now are true, and thes that you''ve destroyed were indeed already on the brink ofary copse, then this changes the severity of your crimes dramatically. Don''t you agree, Elder Olseyir?]


    "I don''t know, I''m just new to the Common Council," Elder Olseyir just shrugged.


    [...Why are you even an Elder?]


    "The severity of my crimes remains unchanged, Norid," Diana smiled as she looked at the floating avatar in front of her, "Thes were indeed dying, yes¡ªbut I expedited the process by decades, sometimes even a century. Also, I still experimented on their people to try and create a new, stronger species."


    [I¡­ have heard about that,] Tedi''s robotic voice became excited as she turned her eyes toward Riley, [Is he¡­?]


    "No," Diana chuckled as she also looked at Riley, who was just examining the ster map around them, "He''s¡­ sort of a freak ident; even I have no idea what he is."


    [Uhm¡­ since I might not have another chance, may I ask you another question? Why¡­ are you truly trying to create another species?]


    "I''ve answered that a couple of times already."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [...Sorry, I¡ª]


    "But I''ll answer it again, this time differently," Diana sighed as she looked at the two other themarians in the room,


    "Do you know the original reason why themarians do not travel beyond Theran and its ster system?"


    "..." Aerith and Osk did not really open their mouths as they just waited for Diana to answer her own question.


    "The reason changed throughout the years," Diana started walking; letting her eyes reflect Theran''s hologram as she circled around it,


    "Sometimes, the reason is noble. Themarians are ridiculously strong, therefore the universe will be better without us out there. And this always gets skewed by the generation that follows, the ideal bes skewed; the people out there are weak and worthless, and therefore not worth the themarians'' attention¡­ and then, Theran sometimes just bes god."


    "..."


    "There are many more," Diana sighed, "But I believe the very first reason¡­


    ¡­was that there is no one out there that could challenge us. The evaniels tried, they almost went extinct. Norids are powerful, but they would rather be wiped out before they would dip their silver hands in battle."


    [That is true,] Tedi nodded.


    "It''s ridiculous, don''t you think?" Diana then stood beside Osk and Aerith, "A themarian could travel through entire ster systems at will with just our physical bodies alone, and at the same time, we could destroy those ster systems on a whim. We p our hands, ands would crumble. Themarians could be said to be the closest existence to gods; one would think that our numbers would be contained in a single digit¡­


    ¡­and yet there are 700 million of us."


    "..."


    "Our existence is¡­ misced," Diana breathed out, "If I create a species that could tip the bnce of strength in the universe, if I could create a species as strong as a themarian¡ªthen perhaps I could get them to leave Theran on their own. It is a foolish and injudicious n, but my options are¡­ limited."


    "...Father?" Aerith''s eyebrows furrowed.


    "And many more," Diana let out a wry chuckle, "I proposed a n¡ªcreating a new world, a new Theran. But my generation, and many of the previous generation did not like it, they think Theran is sacred¡ªtheir god."


    "I¡­ could attest to that," Aerith looked to the side before closing her eyes.


    "In truth, the people of Theran do not deserve to die with Theran¡ªthey aren''t causing its destruction," Diana''s eyes once again reflected Theran,


    "Earth, my children''s home, started to form around 4.5 billion years ago; another billion to form its first life, and the creature that wouldter be themon human was born just a million years ago. Most more advanced civilizations share the timeline, they just evolve a little faster. Theran¡­


    ¡­Theran was formed just a billion years ago. Something was different with Theran, its underground was formed already capable of sustaining life¡ªbut it was harsh. Harsh to the point that it gave birth to creatures that could destroys like Earth in a blink of an eye, none of them, however, could go to the surface. Hundreds of millions of years passed as the creatures continued to adapt and evolve, Theran was like an aquarium that held the most dangerous creatures in the universe, and from there¡­


    ¡­the Themarians were born. We were able to grow and dig our way through the surface. Out of all the species in the universe, we were the ones that had to literally evolve and crawl our way through eaters. We were Tempered¡ªsmarter, stronger, more powerful, and just¡­


    ¡­better."

 Chapter 632 632: Caitlains Mission (2)

    "We were the ones that had to literally evolve and crawl our way through eaters. We were Tempered¡ªsmarter, stronger, more powerful, and just¡­


    ¡­better."


    Diana''s words seemed egotistical and filled with arrogance¡ªbut no one in the room denied it. A species'' specific origin was hard to track, and most of what Diana said could be considered a dramatization of the events as no one could truly know of things without official ounts¡­


    ¡­but no one denied it.


    They just stared at the hologram of Theran in silence, all of them imagining that what Diana told them was what really happened. Their silence, however, was short-lived as a series of ps started echoing in the air.


    "That was very good, mother," Riley pped his hands as he nodded several times, "I think that was better than the story I toldst time with the super nailed on a cross. You should tell that to sister and father once we have dinner again together."


    "..." The others could really only look at Riley before letting their breaths and sighs just fill the air.


    "Pft," as for Diana, she just covered her mouth and chuckled, "I apologize, I lost track while telling my story. What was I exining before all of that?"


    "Why themarians do not deserve to die with their, mother."


    "Right, well¡­" Diana ced her hand on her chin, "Most of thes I have experimented on, their deaths were caused by the creatures and people that live on it¡ªand if I were to migrate them to another, they would just do it again. Not even a thousand yearster, and they will destroy it again. I know this because this is not the first time I am migrating an entire people. But Themarians? Themarians did not have anything to do with the impending and inevitable destruction of Theran. I believe Theran was always meant to just snap because¡­


    ¡­it is something that should not exist in the universe in the first ce."


    "..." Riley could not help but slightly squint his eyes as he heard Diana''s words.


    "But it is here now and it does exist," Diana continued as she ced her palm below Theran''s image, "And sadly the themarians just happen to exist with it."


    "..." The others watched as Diana suddenly became quiet. But after a few more seconds, she turned to look at Aerith.


    "Our people do not deserve to die out," she said as she pointed at Aerith, "You, your son, my daughter, and all the people you brought here. They are the future of our species, and as for the people that made it hard for us to survive¡­


    ¡­Let them end with Theran."


    "..." Aerith could really only look at Theran as she heard Diana''s words; her eyes, even more clearer and resolute than before, "You said, father and all the older generations knew that Theran would snap?"


    "Yes," Diana nodded, "I believe your mother didn''t, she was born a couple of thousand years after we discussed it¡ªbut I told her, and she knows now."


    "...Then she will have to make a choice," Aerith''s eyebrows began to furrow, "The others have already made theirs¡­


    ¡­Let''s just get our people."


    "Then we will proceed as nned, Your Highness," Osk then stood straight as she ced her hands behind her waist, "For what it''s worth, Princess¡ªwhichever side we may be on, it was always an honor to be fighting alongside you, the Rebel Princess."


    "..." Aerith only nodded in response as Osk saluted before just suddenly leaving the war room in the blink of an eye.


    "Let''s just get this done," Xra rolled her eyes as she walked toward Diana, "Remember, Akkamesh''s revival after."


    "T¡ª" And before Diana could tell her that Akkamesh was already dead and there was nothing they could do for the hundredth time, Xra turned into a mist of blood and disappeared into her ship.


    And so, with no one to direct her tiny frustration, Diana just looked at Aerith and sighed,


    "Speaking of your son¡­ where is he?"


    "In the castle," Aerith also let out a long and deep sigh as she closed her eyes, "I couldn''t bring him since mother decided to put guards on him."


    "Huh¡­typical Megawoman, I should say?" Diana clicked her tongue several times as she shook her head, "Always the people first before her own son. You think I am going to let Riley be involved with a single mother like that?"


    "You¡ªI am not going to be roped in with your tant mocking and teasing, Diana," Aerith pointed at Diana for a few seconds, before just breathing out her frustration and stepping out of the war room.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I shall take my leave too. Caiin''Ur, Sir Riley," Elder Olseyir bowed at Riley and Diana as she followed Aerith out.


    [...Right. We still have somemon sense to teach the themarians, literally. Let us see each other outside,] Tedi also bowed as her hologram flickered away, leaving Riley and Diana alone in the war room.


    "Mother."


    Surprisingly, no silence was allowed to fill the room. And even more surprising, was that Riley was the one to first open his mouth.


    "Dear?" Diana could not help but blink as Riley approached her.


    "When you said that your people do not deserve to die out. You mentioned Aerith, Gary, Hannah, and the rest of the themarians on New Theran¡­" Riley looked Diana in the eyes,


    "But you did not mention yourself. Could it be that you n to die with Theran?"


    "Oh¡­?" Diana''s quiet and breathy hum echoed throughout the entire room, "Why? Are you going to miss Mommy when she''s gone?"


    "No."


    "..."


    "But Hannah will be devastated, mother," Riley sighed as he shook his head, "You can''t do that to her."


    "...Pft," Diana stared at Riley for a few seconds, before letting out a small chuckle as she covered her mouth, "I promised Alice I would take care of you, Riley. So, no¡­


    ¡­I do not have any ns to die before my children."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "That¡­ sounds kind of wrong now that I''m repeating it in my mind. Oh¡­" Diana then wiped the tears that were trailing from her eyes, "Oh no¡­ I don''t think I can handle any of you two dying."


    "Hm¡­" Riley only squinted his eyes as he started walking away; leaving her mother''s obviously exaggerated cries to whisper in the air, "...Since I will potentially live forever¡­


    ¡­that might mean you will live forever too, mother."


    "...What?" Diana''s cries instantly stopped as she disappeared from her spot, quickly appearing beside Riley and staring at his face, "What was that? You said something?"


    "Yes."


    "What? What is it? I think it was¡ª"


    [Alert!]


    But s, before Diana could continue bonding with her son, the lights in the war room started shing red.


    "..." Diana and Riley just looked at each other, before quickly rushing toward the bridge¡ªand there, Xra and her entire crew were gathered. Little Riley, now seemingly the number 2 as he floated next to the Pirate Queen.


    Aerith was also there; all of them, looking at the silhouette that was floating right in front of their ship. It was Queen Adel¡­ carrying Osk and another themarian by the neck.


    "They are alive, my daughter. But not for long," Queen Adel said calmly, "Surrender¡­


    ¡­or we won''t y your games anymore."

 Chapter 633 633: A Million

    "Surrender, or we won''t y your games anymore, my dear daughter."


    Queen Adel was floating in the expanse of space, carrying Osk and another warrior from the Sisterhood by the neck; both of them were still alive, but barely.


    And even from inside the ship, Aerith could see the resolution in her mother''s eyes and knew that whatever any of them say, there was no longer changing her mind. But still, Aerith took a deep breath¡­ and began to speak.


    "Mother, I know that we have never seen eye to eye¡ªand we probably never will. You want me to surrender, but I can''t do that¡­ not anymore, and not now that I know the fate that awaits our people if they stay," Aerith said as she slowly floated closer to the window,


    "This isn''t just about freedom anymore, mother. This is about survival¡ªand I have already epted that you and father are probably never going to change. But please, at least give that chance to our people. Let me take my son, let me take the children¡­


    ¡­they don''t deserve to die just because you think you belong nowhere else, mother."


    "..." Queen Adel stared at her daughter''s eyes for a few seconds, letting go of Osk and her friend; lightly pushing them to the side as she flew closer to the window,


    "I am done making you understand, Aerith," Queen Adel ced her palm on the window, causing Xra''s crew to slightly panic as they transferred all of the ship''s energy into hyperdrive¡ªthere was no use putting it on the ship''s shield, after all.


    Fortunately for them, however, Queen Adel seemed to have no intention to fight yet as she just stared at her daughter,


    "I am done making you understand what Theran means to our people."


    "I know what it means, mother!" Aerith raised her voice, "It means the death of our people!"


    "If that is what Theran intends to happen, then it shall be," Queen Adel said without any hesitation.


    "Mother¡ªyou know that Theran is dying¡­ you are purposely murdering our people if you don''t do anything," Aerith reasoned, "Please, if you want to die with the, then so be it. But let me take those who do not want to perish alongside you with me."


    "We will give you an hour, Aerith," Queen Adelpletely disregarded anything that came out of Aerith''s mouth as she very slowly floated back, "Return our people, or we will consider them all traitors to be put to Eternal Death alongside with you."


    "Mother, this is¡ª"


    "Return them, and we will no longer care about your crimes. You will be free to take your bastard child, and leave with that disgusting abomination you call New Theran¡­


    ¡­You have one hour until the full force of Hel destroys you."


    And with those words, Queen Adel disappeared into the distance.


    "...Mother," Aerith could really only close her eyes; her breaths, whispering throughout the bridge. Hermenting whispers did not echo for long, however, as she quickly disappeared from sight¡ªappearing outside the ship as she checked to see if Osk and the others were alright.


    Those that were left inside the bridge could really only look at each other. Xra''s entire crew looked at her as if quietly asking if they should really involve themselves in the war of themarians.


    Xra, however, pretended not to see their concerns as she just once again approached Diana.


    "The debts you''re umting from me are getting higher, Caiin," Xra smiled as she whispered in Diana''s ears, "First, you owe me for Akkamesh. Then you owe me for bringing your son to Theran, and now you owe me for joining this ridiculous war against your own people."


    "I would actually pretty much appreciate it if you just leave, Xra," Diana also smiled, "And I can stop this war from even happening with just a single tap of a button."


    ''...Have you told the princess about that bomb?''


    ''She doesn''t need to know,'' Diana quickly chuckled as she heard Xra''s voice inside her mind,<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''On the contrary, I find that war will be good for our people¡ªit''ll wake up their dormant blood.''


    ''Why don''t I see the Grand Militia taking action? Shouldn''t they be preventing this right now?'' Xra squinted her eyes as she looked Diana in the eyes, ''When I visited and killed Aerith''s brother in a duel, I couldn''t get rid of them until I left the¡­you''re telling me they''re just going to sit around? Weren''t they also chasing you?''


    ''Well¡­'' Diana breathed in as she walked toward the giant window, ''...Let''s just say that some of the high-ranking officers of the Grand Militia owed me favors. They''re not joining the battle anytime soon¡­


    ¡­if at all,'' Diana then started giggling to herself.


    ''Has anyone told you how scary you can be sometimes?'' Xra could really only shake her head as she saw Diana''s bobbing shoulders, ''Anyway, I am moving the ship away from the warzone. I don''t think it''s wise to be anywhere near New Theran.''


    ''You can go underground.''


    ''Yeah, no. In the event that you lose, I need to be ready to leave with my crew¡ªand make no mistake, I will be dragging you with me if I have to.''


    "..." Riley, who had been quiet the entire time he has been on the bridge, could really only look back and forth between Xra and Diana as they just giggled, scoffed, and stared intensely at each other''s eyes without saying a word,


    "How close are you with mother, Pirate Queen Xra? The two of you are speaking telepathically right now, correct?"


    "You can call us colleagues," Xra smirked, "She''s mostly the one responsible for bringing me to Theran in my early days¡ªof course, I was just a distraction for whatever it was she wanted to do here in the first ce. I will be very careful with her, Riley¡ªshe''s shrewd."


    "Stop putting ideas in my son''s head."


    "Oh? Didn''t your son tell you how close we''ve be?" Xra then moved beside Riley, subtly licking her lower lip as she looked at Diana, "Who knows what could happen, you know? So, if I were you¡­ I''d start thinking of a way to help me revive Akkamesh."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...You''re seriously using that as a threat?" Diana then started chuckling as she looked awkwardly at Xra.


    "To my credit, it sounded better in my mind," Xra also startedughing as she walked toward Diana.


    "..." Xra''s crew couldn''t really believe what they were seeing right now. They''ve known their captain for years now, and the only thing they have mostly really heard from her were hurtful words and rants.


    As for Riley, he couldn''t help but imagine just two ordinary olddies gossiping inside a cafe. It was weird¡ªout of everything that has happened so far, seeing his motherughing with a friend lightyears away from Earth seemed to have brought some normalcy to the situation.


    Sadly for everyone that was seeing this wholesome sight, however, it did notst long.


    "Captain! We have several people approaching from Theran!"


    "What? But it hasn''t been an hour yet. How many?"


    "T¡­ that¡­ we don''t really have a calcted number¡­


    ¡­but there should be more than a million of them."

 Chapter 634 634: Turning The Tides

    "More... than a million?"


    Everyone on the bridge became quiet. They knew what was about to happen and the scale of it--but a million themarians?


    0.6%. Each of thes throughout the entire universe had around 0.6% of their poption as soldiers--considering Theran has a world poption of 700 million, their warriors should be at around 4.2 million.


    And since the Kingdom of Hel was the only one that threatened them to send their armies, didn''t this mean that they just deployed half the number of their entire soldiers?


    Wasn''t this too much? But then again, the number may be skewed--the themarians are a race of warriors, after all. The soldiers that were flying toward them might not even be a fraction of what they have.


    "...Thank you for the information, Little Riley."


    "Don''t mention it, captain!"


    "Well, I didn''t expect that number. But then again, this was a losing battle from the start," Xra then shrugged as she turned to Diana, "Based on thest report from that weird Elder, you should already have more than a hundred thousand people here--it will take a hundred millennia or so, but you can recover your poption if you keep at it...


    ...Just blow Theran and let''s leave. We--"


    "I feel a lot of people approaching! Can you bring out the map!?"


    And before Xra could finish her words, Aerith''s voice resounded throughout the bridge; behind her, was Osk who seemed to have already fully recovered.


    Xra looked at Aerith for a bit, before just sighing and gesturing to her crew to do as she said and bring out a map.


    And almost instantly, a hologram simr to what they had in the war room. This time, however, there was a red dot that was blinking between Theran and New Theran--and it was approaching fast.


    "...How many?"


    "More than a million, Megawoman!" Little Riley was once again the one to answer the question as he floated from Moira''s shoulder. Aerith was slightly taken aback at first as Little Riley floated in front of her, as he no longer looked simr to Riley at all.


    His hair was red, and his arms were filled with tattoos. He might as well be apletely different person--but then again... this wasn''t the first time Riley''s clones gained some sort of individuality.


    "A million..." Aerith then shook her head as she focused on what mattered, "But it hasn''t even been an hour, we''re not... even close to ready. How... many clones can you make before they arrive, Riley?"


    "I don''t know, Aerith. I have not really tried to stretch the extent of Replica Ricky''s cloning ability," Riley shrugged as he looked at the map, "I could probably make a million, but they will have to be Little Riley''s size. And based on the data I have scientifically gathered so far from checking themarians, he will be useless."


    "...Do it," Aerith breathed out, "We need to distract them as much as possible."


    "I believe there''s no need to do that, Aerith." And while everyone was on high alert, Riley just shook his head, "The people that are approaching us are from Varoif."


    "...What? How would you know?" Aerith furrowed her eyebrows, "I''m in contact with their King. And while he is on our side, he hasn''t guaranteed his army to help protect New Theran."


    "His daughter is a student of mine, Aerith," Riley only shrugged, "She is leading the people that are approaching us right now with Professor Riley."


    "...What? Wait..." Aerith then took in a short but very deep breath as he looked at Riley, "The King''s daughter... you mean Esme? The Esme?"


    "Yes."


    "That..." A smile started to form on Aerith''s face, "...This changes things. This--no."


    Her smile was short-lived, however, as she once again took in a deep breath; shaking her head as she started walking around,


    "Esme''s just a child. I can''t let her be involved in battle."


    "But you are involving me, Aerith," Riley tilted his head to the side, "I am 20 years old, and I believe Esme is over a hundred."


    "...You have the blood of billions in your hands, Riley. You''re not a child."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "What? What do you mean?" Diana furrowed her eyebrows, "My baby boy is--wait, 20? Since when!?"


    Diana''s eyes widened in shock as she very slowly made her way to Riley; her hands, slightly trembling as she reached for her son, "W... where did my baby boy go!?"


    "..." Aerith slightly squinted her eyes as she watched this. And before Diana could reach Riley, Aerith pulled him away,


    "You''re in contact with your clone, right? Let''s go...


    ...we''ll meet them at their new home."


    ***


    "This... is a lot."


    "1,624,310, Aerith. Ages 3 to 999."


    "Most of them are children..." Aerith stared at the almost endless wave of people in front of her. Most of them weren''t really children, as themarians are already considered adults in their 20s and then almost stop aging altogether--but what Aerith really meant was that most of them are not really ready for battle.


    Most of them were evenughing as they flew in the skies, clearly excited to be freely flying for the first time.


    "..." Aerith shook her head, however. Her priority wasn''t the war, but to bring as many people to New Theran as possible--she was starting to lose sight of her priority due to the uing battle.


    "Rebel Princess."


    "...Princess Esme."


    Aerith quickly shook her head off of the thoughts as she saw a Esme making her way toward her; Aerith''s eyes, very slowly turning up as they looked at the slim behemoth in front of them.


    And as soon as she was within reach, Esme stood straight and ced her hands behind her waist.


    "As requested by Professor Riley, I brought people below 5000 years old. For now, we prioritized people below 999 years old, more will be arriving soon," Esme then said as she looked straight; the tone of her voice,pletely monotonous.


    "That... Riley asked you to do this?" Aerith could not help but blink a couple of times as she looked at Riley; her eyes, slightly wavering as she watched as Riley started summoning clones from the ground.


    "Yes," Esme nodded.


    "What... did your father say?" Aerith once again looked at the colossal group of themarians in front of her.


    "I do not know yet," Esme shook her head, "I have not advised him with what I have done--I do what I want, just like you, Rebel Princess.


    "..." Aerith could really only look at the smile that Esme was seemingly forcing to form on her expressionless face.


    "It is a pleasure to finally get the chance to talk to you, Rebel Princess."


    "The pleasure is mine, Princess Esme," Aerith sighed,


    "I only wished we met in a much better circumstance. But as you can see, we''re getting ready for war," Aerith then said as she once again looked at Riley, who now had more than a hundred clones around him, and was still summoning more,


    "Don''t worry, we will do our best to keep all of you safe."


    "I don''t think we could meet at a better circumstance than this, Rebel Princess," Esme shook her head as she looked at the themarians she brought with her,


    "You are giving our species a new home where they could fly freely. You have my full support...


    ...I will be joining the battle."

 Chapter 635 635: A Little Too Calm Before The Storm

    "I can''t risk sending them to their Eternal Deaths, Riley. I didn''t bring them to New Theran to fight, we''re not creating an army¡ªthey are here for a better life, making them fight a war isn''t the best way to start that."


    "You didn''t bring them here, Princess Esme did, Aerith. If we want to wipe out the older generation, I believe my n should be considered."


    "...No one wants to wipe out anyone."


    "I do. Please use my n, Aerith."


    "Riley, no¡ªhow many times do I have to tell you that the main purpose of this war is not to win the battle? It''s just a way to distract Theran while we rescue the people that we need to rescue. We get what we need to get, and then we leave."


    "But the people left on Theran will die anyway, Aerith. It doesn''t matter if we kill them."


    "How they die matters."


    "True, we can make it more painful for th¡ª"


    "Riley, please. If you ever want to atone for the atrocious things you have done, let this be the start of it¡ªhelp me rescue my people with as a little casualty as possible, if none at all."


    "1000."


    "...What?"


    "I will only try and kill 1000 people purposely during all the chaos. I might not even be able to achieve it, as themarians are truly hard to send to their Eternal Deaths."


    "...No."


    "100. And I will make sure that all of them already have grays on their hair, Aerith."


    "Y¡ªRiley, just don''t actively kill people. But if you are left with no option but to do so, then do it¡ªI won''t care if it''s a hundred or a thousand. Just don''t purposely seek out to murder people."


    "What if I put myself in a situation where I would have no option but to send them to their Eternal Deaths?"


    "...How many clones have you summoned now?"


    "500."


    Realizing that she was wasting precious time by talking to a brick wall, Aerith finally removed herself from the endless chain called stubbornness¡ªsomething that she and Riley probably had an unlimited supply of.


    And so, she just let out a short and deep sigh as she looked behind her. Right now, they were on New Theran''s endless sea of sand; an empty and deste desert. And apanying them there were half a thousand clones¡ªall standing straight with their eyespletely nk like an army of robots.


    "It is taking a lot of energy to create clones due to the uniqueposition of Theran''s basic materials, Aerith. It''s too hard and dense," Riley then said as he faced his clones,


    "I''ve already opted to do it in sand, but it is still taking a toll on my body¡ªbut this also means that they are more durable."


    "How¡­ many more can you make?" Aerith asked.


    "As much as you want and need, Aerith," Riley shrugged, "I would just die if my body gets exhausted, but I can start again after."


    "Th¡­ I thought each of your clones could create clones?"


    "They can," Riley nodded, "But unlike me, they do not recover as fast and therefore will only have half their power¡ªthey will bepletely useless against a themarian even with their increased durability. I know, I have tried experimenting during the first battle, as well as back on Theran when¡ª"


    "Riley, thank you."


    "Hm?"


    "I know this sounds very selfish of me, but thank you for doing this¡ªall of this," Aerith sucked in a light breath; the expression on her face, a little hesitant, "I am clearly just using you here, and I know you know that¡­ so, thank you."


    "That is why I am here, Aerith. For you to corrupt and taint yourself by colluding with the devil to save your people is something that I already expected from you."


    "I¡­ actually have one more request," Aerith then let go of her breaths as she looked Riley in the eyes, "This is something that I myself need to do, but they need me here¡ªI want you to get my son out of Theran."


    "You truly do prioritize other people more than your son, Aerith," Riley slightly squinted his eyes, "Is he just not important to you?"


    "He is, of course, he is," Aerith said without any hesitation as she started shaking her head, "But¡­ there are many more that need my help here."


    "You don''t really need to exin further, Aerith. Not for me," Riley shook his head before a smile started to crawl on his face.


    "...Hm," there were a lot of things that Aerith wanted to say, but instead just chose to nod her head as she looked at Riley. He was right¡ªshe was willing to make a deal with the devil to save at least a third of her people,


    "Riley, this doesn''t make us¡ª"


    "''Sup Boss!?"


    And before Aerith could say what she wanted to say, one of the lifeless clones that were in front of her suddenly stepped forward and saluted.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You will lead this group from now on, clone," Riley also saluted, "Obey Aerith above all else."


    "No problem! Everyone¡­


    ¡­salute to the Princess!"


    ''Heil Aerith!"


    And like thunder that raged through the air, all the lifeless clones that were just idling there all stomped their feet on the ground; their eyes, filled with only reverence as they stared at Aerith.


    "Heil Aerith!"


    "N¡­no. Make them stop, Riley!"


    "They follow yourmands now, Aerith." And even as Aerith''s tone seemingly started to panic, Riley was still as calm as he could be as his feet started to leave the sand beneath them, "I am leaving to save your son now."


    "Wait, now?" Aerith looked back and forth between the clones and Riley, "Don''t you need to formte a n!?"


    "I always have a n, Aerith."--and with those words, Riley flew away, leaving Aerith alone with his clones, whose feet were already digging through the sand as they were still chanting her name and stomping their feet.


    "Stop!" Aerith raised her voice. And without even waiting for her voice to travel the air, the clones quickly froze in ce¡ªleaving only their leader to speak.


    "By yourmand, Boss!" The leader of the clones saluted as he stood right in front of Aerith."


    "...You do know the n, right?"


    "This humble ve of yours knows the n, Boss!"


    "You''re not¡ª" Aerith could not help but let out her frustrations with a groan, "Tell me the n."


    "The war that is about to happen will be over in a span of minutes, maybe even less. Once your mother sends an army to destroy Theran, half of us willpletely ignore it as we will rush toward Theran to get those that want to join us," the leader of the clones raised his finger,


    "The other half of us will join Diana in distracting them. As for the others and the themarians we have here, they willpletely put their efforts into protecting New Theran until we have gathered everyone that wished to join us¡ªall of this might happen in less than a minute."


    "Good," Aerith nodded.


    "To be honest, Boss. It''s not a n," the clone leader shook his head, "But I understand, you can not really oversee a battle between themarians. It will always just boil down to who is stronger, and we have an Esme."


    "The n is to save as many lives as we possibly can without losing anyone," Aerith breathed out, "And once New Theran starts moving and circling around Theran, their forces would scatter."


    "Hm," the leader of the clones shrugged, "We shall await yourmands, Boss!"


    "...Right," Aerith wanted to think for a few seconds before checking the others. But as soon as she noticed all of Riley''s clones staring at her with creepy smiles on their faces, she quickly flew away.


    Elder Olseyir and Tedi have already paused in teaching the people of New Theran, apanying Xra''s crew from a distance as they waited for the oue of the war. As for the Pirate Queen, she was right behind Diana¨Cnot leaving her side for even a single second.


    Princess Esme was with her people, most of them, getting ready to defend their new homes. Aerith talked about not wanting to involve them in the war; but in truth, she wouldn''t really be able to stop any of them if they wanted to join¡ªshe would just have to rely on Princess Esme to know what is best for them.


    Princess Esme¡­ she was perhaps one of the main variables that will decide whether they were sessful here or not. Aerith still hasn''t seen what she was truly capable of, but she knew enough from the reports she had read that Esme was easily the strongest themarian here¡­ but she was also the most vulnerable one.


    And now, the one who even made all of this possible aside from Diana¡ªRiley Ross.


    One way or another, Riley was involved in everything and has been obedient ever since she met him again. Aerith knew there was a high chance that Riley was just pretending and preparing to do something, but there was also a chance that he truly just wanted to follow her.


    But if he was indeed just following her around from now on, what was she even supposed to do? Will he just forever follow her like some sort of puppy?


    Riley has this sick obsession with her. And even though it was clear that she has been using him, he doesn''t even flinch.


    He is getting too obedient that it was starting to scare Aerith. Just¡­ what does he want at the end of this?


    What¡­ does he want from her?


    ***


    "We have never really gotten the chance to talk, mother-inw."


    "You¡­? How are you here?"


    "I am friends with Princess Tifa, Queen Adel."


    Somewhere deep within the castle of Hel, in what seemed like a ceremonial bathhouse¡­


    ¡­Riley was currently standing in front of a naked queen.

 Chapter 636 636: A Talk Between Animals

    "I have always wondered how you wash that hair of yours, Queen Adel. Now I know how."


    The waters were raging, and yet flowing smoothly at the same time. One could get lost in the noise inside the bathhouse, quite literally. It felt as if one''s senses were being drowned, as everywhere you looked, there will be something that catches your eye.


    The fog that filled the air, the pool of water that was endlessly flowing, the white marbled pirs and floor; but most importantly, the Queen that stood at the very center of this all. The strands of her long golden hair, floating on the clear waters which seemed to wash away every impurity in the world.


    The expression of disgust and disdain the queen had on her face, however, the water was not able to clean away.


    "Get out¡­ now," the queen only whispered, and yet her words drowned all the noise in the marbled bathhouse, "I am not going to ask again, get out."


    "Or what, Queen Adel?" Riley let out a long and deep sigh as he started walking toward Queen Adel, stepping in the pool with his ck shoes still on, and yet¡­ not even a single speck of dust could be seen mixing with the clear waters.


    And even as the ripples of water caused her bosoms to slightly jiggle and her hair to be lightly pushed away, Queen Adel did not move as she just watched Riley wade toward her.


    "What do you want?" Queen Adel looked Riley in the eyes, not even minding that he was only a foot away from literally touching her naked silhouette,


    "Did Aerith send you here¡­? If so, then you have wasted your life and time¡ªI have decided."


    "Not at all, Queen Adel," Riley then slightly bent his knees, submerging himself until only his head could be seen above the water, "Aerith doesn''t know about this. I am here of my own volition to talk to you, we haven''t gotten the chance to, after all."


    "You can''t change my mind. But you have 15 minutes to say whatever it is you want to say¡ªbeyond that is already the time of war."


    "I''m not trying to change anyone''s mind. You will do that on your own," Riley chuckled as he started swimming around, "And by all means, continue this useless war."


    "...Useless war?" Queen Adel scoffed, still not moving from her spot as Riley started swimming and circling around her, "What do you even know about fighting for one''s home?"


    "Nothing. I say it is useless because it is. I prefer to fight in a more enjoyable way," Riley sighed, "You see, Queen Adel¡ªI think you are probably the person that is closest to me."


    "I have nothing inmon with an animal like you," Queen Adel''s eyes turned red.


    "See? I also think you are an animal," Riley''s quiet chuckles echoed through the bathhouse, "And yet here we are, in the same waters and swimming with the animals."


    "..."


    "The only difference is that I don''t think you are lower than me, no¡ªI am the lowest animal there could possibly be. Irredeemable, unlike all of you."


    "Say whatever it is you wanted to say and just go," Queen Adel scoffed, "Our battle is not here, we are done."


    "Hm, not really," Riley suddenly rushed toward Queen Adel, standing right in front of her as he looked at her red, raging eyes, "The battle, as you keep referring to, has started as soon as I got to Theran."


    "Get out now, or you won''t even get the chance to be on the battlefield," Queen Adel did not flinch, even stepping forward as her breasts touched Riley''s torso.


    "We are already on the battlefield, Queen Adel¡ªmy battlefield," Riley tilted his head as he started whispering in Queen Adel''s ear, "You see, I love your daughter, I think I really do¡­ but she is easily swayed by her emotions and kindness¡ªkind to the point that even though she knows I am a monster, she still treats me like a person."


    "..."


    "Very unlike you, Queen Adel. You would probably treat me as a beast, locking me inside a cage¡ªbecause that is what I would do."


    "You will not be in a cage, Ross," Queen Adel also whispered back as she leaned her head closer to Riley; the coldness of their cheeks, now touching, "Your head will be repeatedly smashed over and over again. Your body crumpled like the garbage you are¡ªand I will do so forever until you find that your immortality has its limits just like ours."


    "Hm," Riley smiled as he rested his forehead on Queen Adel''s bare shoulder, "That sounds nice, Queen Adel¡ªyour King is dead, by the way."


    "...What?" Queen Adel''s red eyes flickered as she heard Riley''s whispers.


    "Not by me, no," Riley breathed in, "But I watched and offered guidance as my students tore off his head and repeatedly smashed it over and over again, your niece-inw was one of them."


    "Y¡ª"


    "Don''t leave yet, there''s nothing you can do anymore."


    "..." Queen Adel''s breaths caused the water to ripple¡ªsoon, however, the waters that were flowing out of the pool started to calm down as she held her breaths,


    "You''re lying."


    "Hm," Riley''s deep and slightly childish chuckle whispered in Queen Adel''s ear.


    "What exactly do you intend to get from all of this, Ross?" Queen Adel''s lips shivered in rage, "My daughter''s approval? She despises you, I could see it."


    "Themarians are strong, no?" Riley once again took in another deep breath; the Queen''s somewhat flowery scent, entering his nose, "I''ve thought over and over again on how I would kill all of you."


    "Does Aerith know you want to kill all of us?"


    "She knows," Riley chuckled, "She just doesn''t know enough. But I want you to know, Queen Adel¡ªthat is why I am here, to tell you something that I have been wanting to tell someone else."


    "Yourst words?" Queen Adel smirked as she leaned her head closer to Riley''s, "Go ahead, a warrior''sst breath should be heard."


    "I''m not a warrior, Queen Adel. I am an Executioner," Riley then very slowly raised his hand, cing it on Queen Adel''s cheek before pushing her hair to the back of her ear. Queen Adel did not flinch,pletely allowing Riley to ce his lips upon her ear,<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You see, Queen Adel, I''m¡­"


    "..." Queen Adel''s eyebrows slowly furrowed as Riley''s lips began moving; his words, entering her mind and staying there like glue. But very soon, Queen Adel''s eyes started to widen.


    "You¡­" Queen Adel finally backed away from Riley as she looked him in the eyes, only to see the visceral smile on his face.


    "I told you, Queen Adel," Riley''s soft chuckles started to whisper through the entire bathhouse, "You and I are the same."


    "No!" Queen Adel roared, causing the waters to instantly turn into mist. This mist, however, also instantly dispersed away as Queen Adel rushed toward Riley and grabbed his face¡ªand without even any hesitation, she mmed his head on the dried marbled floor.


    "Yes, we are¡­" Riley''s eyes which could be seen through the gaps between Queen Adel''s fingers slowly lost their color,


    "...We both want the death of your people. I''ll see you soo¡ª"


    "I do not!" Queen Adel let go of Riley''s face before stomping it with her foot several times¡ªnot even stopping as Riley''s entire body crumbled and turned to dust


    "I¡­ I don''t want the death of my people," Queen Adel then held her head as her breaths turned heavy, "Theran¡­ this is what Theran wants. We will live¡­ live and die for Theran."


    Queen Adel''s eyes began to tremble. But once again, she managed to calm herself down¡ªquickly covering herself up with her robes as she rushed out of the bathhouse, quickly running and flying to her and the King''s quarters.


    "Arthus!" Queen Adel broke the door as she barged inside Arthus''s study¡ªtherge window she shattered thest time she was there, letting the wind st through and across the room as she stomped her way toward the shadow calmly sitting on the side,


    "The bomb! We need to get the bomb that Caiin nted, and we need to get our people back now!"


    "..." King Arthus''s shadow only nced at Adel.


    "Arthus! Stop being so spineless and hiding in the shadows all the time! Do something!"


    "I''m afraid it''s toote, my Queen."


    "What do you¡ª" Queen Adel was about to rush toward King Arthus, but he stepped out of the shadows before he could do so; his crown, glistening softly even from the harsh light from the outside. His unexpectedly youthful face that resembled Aerith even more than Adel,pletely calm¡­


    ¡­too calm. And the reason was clear for Queen Adel to see, as there was nothing else to see but his face¡­ as well as the hand holding it.


    "Haa. I told you, Queen Adel. We will see each other again soon," the hand that was holding King Arthus''s head stepped out of the shadows.


    "You¡ª"


    "And I told you," Riley smiled as he dropped King Arthus''s head, "The King is dead."


    "Wh¡ª"


    "I did lie, though. I told you I helped the students¡ªbut in fact, the students helped me. Quite touching, don''t you think?" Riley then lightly kicked King Arthus''s head, letting it roll toward the Queen,


    "Naughty, naughty, Queen Adel. Were you about to tell the King what I told you? That was between us."


    "You think my daughter won''t see right through you!?" Queen Adel once again roared.


    "She will. I already told you, she sees me," Riley chuckled as he fully stepped into the light.


    "What¡­ are you?" Queen Adel gritted her teeth as her eyes once again turned red.


    "I am nothing, Queen Adel," Riley breathed in as Queen Adel punched through his chest, "And soon, so will all of you."


    "..." Queen Adel stared Riley in the eyes, "I¡­ will save my people from you."


    "See? You already changed your mind," Riley stepped forward, pushing Adel''s arm deeper before holding the back of her head.


    Queen Adel, however, remained staring at his eyes even until he ced his forehead on hers.


    "What you don''t understand, Queen Adel, is that there should only be one person that Aerith should hate, there should only be one person she loves, one person she despises...and that is me."


    "..."


    "I am the viin of this story, Your Highness. Not you, not anyone, Me¡­" Riley''s trembling and throaty voice whispered in Queen Adel''s ears, "You think you matter to Aerith? You don''t¡­ I am her viin, the person that turns her days dark...


    ¡­her eyes should only be mine, and mine alone."


    "...You are insane."


    "Another thing we have inmon," Riley smiled as his face began to crack,


    "...See you again soon, Your Highness."

 Chapter 637 637: A Talk Between Family

    Theran.


    It is as clear as it could be as it reflects on Aerith''s eyes. Most of her memory was contained on the; but very soon, the will just be a part of her memory.


    "It''s time to say goodbye."


    "I said goodbye a long time ago."


    The also reflected in Diana''s eyes, but barely. For her, the has just always been a memory of her greatest failure¡ªa reminder that her efforts weren''t enough.


    "Why would you say goodbye to a?"


    As for the Princess of Varoif, her eyes werepletely elsewhere; not reflecting even a single color of Theran as she just looked beyond the expanse of space.


    "I don''t know about you people, but I only have bad memories of the ce."


    Xra was also there, floating in the expanse of space¡ªher eyes weren''t even on Theran in the first ce, she was just here to make sure that Diana doesn''t escape before trying to resurrect her husband.


    The four of them were floating between the old and the new world. And behind them was a white wall¡ªan army of Rileys that had their eyes closed for some reason.


    "1 minute," Aerith then breathed out as she looked at herpanions, "Be ready."


    "You have 2 million themarians behind us already. Are you sure you shouldn''t just leave?" Xra said as she nced at New Theran.


    "I will save as much as I can," Aerith shook her head, "They might outnumber us, but our goal here isn''t to fight¡ªlet them chase us if they want. Diana, are you sure New Theran can move fast enough to rotate around Theran?"


    "Hm. It can even go hyperspeed if you want to," Diana softly giggled, "60 seconds, I have set the speed so that it will rotate around Theran in 60 seconds as you wanted."


    "Alright. The clones and I will make sure to move ahead so the people we rescue could just fly straight up," Aerith nodded, "We will start with Varoif; Princess Esme and the King have already assured me that they won''t stop us and that some of their people have already gathered¡ªour only problem with Varoif will be the Grand Militia."


    "They won''t be a problem," Diana waved her hand, "They are too busy dealing with a coup, even the people guarding the sectors have all been called back."


    "...What did you do?" Aerith blinked.


    "I have been alive long before any of you three have been born¡ªunlike the three of you, I have friends."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I''ve just been notified that the norid and the weird Elder have joined my crew and are observing the situation from afar." Xra broke the somewhat awkward silence as she looked in a certain direction and chuckled,


    "It would seem they share the same idea to run away once this whole thing fails."


    "I really don''t like you," Aerith''s eyebrows furrowed as she nced at Xra.


    "That''s for the better. Your brother liked me, look where that got him."


    "You¡ª"


    "10 seconds," Diana raised her hand before the two could start arguing.


    "9." And as soon as she started counting down a loud howl echoed throughout New Theran. And as itsnds began to tremble, the themarians that were now living on it all nodded to each other.


    Aerith told them not to fight and just focus on protecting their new world. But of course, most of them won''t actually do that¡ªjust protecting it wasn''t enough, they will fight for it.


    "3, 2¡­"


    "Several enemies approaching," the veins on Xra''s pale face started to pulsate; any sort of friendliness on her face, nowpletely gone.


    "It''s time to¡ª"


    "Wait!" And before anyone could move, Aerith raised her hand; her ears, pointing at Theran,


    "...It''s Gary."


    "A distraction," Diana''s eyebrows furrowed, "What do you want to do?"


    "It''s not a distraction, it''s my son," Aerith slightly raised her voice.


    "I know, that''s why I''m asking you what you want to do."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Does it matter?" Princess Esme started floating forward, "I was told you hold no love for your son by Professor Riley, Princess Aerith."


    "There''s less than a thousand of them," Xra also raised her voice, "Decide now."


    "..." Aerith held her breath as she stared at the iing people. And after a few seconds, she closed her eyes,


    "Let''s wait. I¡­ asked Riley to get Gary out¡ªbut I told him to get them out during all the chaos, not before."


    "Oh."


    "Oh."


    "Oh."


    Diana, Xra, and Princess Esme all rxed at the same time as soon as they heard Aerith''s words.


    "..." Aerith could really only roll her eyes. The three clearly didn''t trust her judgment, but as soon as she mentioned Riley, all of them just nodded their heads.


    "Mother!


    And soon, Gary did arrive; carried and dragged by a young themarian while around a hundred more followed them from behind.


    "We¡ª"


    "Princess Aerith! We are here on request of Professor Riley!"


    "You¡­" Aerith could really only blink a couple of times as she stared at the girl that was carrying Gary. Although Aerith have only really seen her once or twice, she was sure of it¡ªthe girl was one of her cousins, the younger daughter of Princess Tifa,


    "...udyne?"


    "Yes!"


    She¡­ looked quite different. Thest time she saw her, Aerith was sure she was a rowdy and rude girl that carried a lot of disdain for her. But now, there was something familiar in her eyes that Aerith recognized, but can''t quite know what it is.


    It wasn''t only her, the hundred themarians behind her also carried the same weight in their eyes. Just¡­ what has Riley been teaching these kids?


    "Mother, we¡ª"


    "Riley, why is he not with you?"


    "He has something to¡ª"


    "We meet again, and the first thing you ask about is Riley!?" Gary finally raised his voice, gritting his teeth as he looked his mother in the eyes. Everywhere Gary goes, everyone is talking about Riley¡ªEarth, Theran. And he was sure that even if he goes to apletely different, Riley will still find his way into people''s mouths.


    "I''m asking because he''s not here, Gary. I tasked him to get you out," Aerith sighed as she heard the frustration in her son''s voice,


    "And I''m d you''re here. I really am¡ªbut this isn''t the time for us to have a little reunion, people''s lives are at stake."


    "...They always are."


    "..."


    "udyne, go join the others."


    "Roger that, Princess Aerith," udyne nodded. She was about to fly toward New Theran with Gary, but before she could do so, Aerith suddenly grabbed Gary by the arm.


    "Wait¡­" Aerith breathed out, "Gary, I know I haven''t been the mother you wanted. Heck, I haven''t been your mother at all. But I want you to know that you have always been important to me, okay? Just¡­


    ¡­I want to be your mother, I want us to start anew on New Theran."


    "Mother this¡­" Gary couldn''t control his trembling eyes, causing him to just close them and shake his head, "...this is a death g."


    "What''s¡ª"


    "You''re Megawoman, mother," Gary then opened his eyes and looked Aerith in hers, "I understand that that means you will always prioritize other people. It''s¡­ selfish for me to keep you by myself."


    "...No. Once all of this is done, I will be your mother. Please, I want to."


    "..." Gary shook his head, "I''m not strong enough to stand beside you, mother. So¡­


    ¡­just wait for me to be stronger."

 Chapter 638 638: Overwhelming

    "I''m not strong enough to stand beside you, mother. So¡­


    ¡­just wait for me to be stronger."


    Aerith could really only take in a deep breath as she heard her son''s words. Aerith wasn''t going to lie to herself¡ªGary will never be strong enough, he will grow old and die¡­but the only thing that Aerith could really do was nod and smile.


    "I love you, Gary," Aerith whispered as she touched Gary''s cheek, "You are my son, no matter what."


    "Hm," Gary just wryly smiled as he too, nodded, "Let''s stop here, too many death gs being raised."


    "Right," Aerith then looked at udyne, "Protect New Theran."


    "Of course, Your Highness," udyne nodded before flying away, taking Gary and the rest of her ssmates with her.


    "I''ve seen worse mothers," Xra let out a quiet chuckle as soon as they were gone, "But no time to reminisce, here they are. And judging by the bloodlust I am feeling, they''re not really friendly this time around."


    "Clones, get ready!" Aerith raised her hand, and as soon as she did so, half of the clones behind them opened their eyes. Aerith then waited for the enemies toe into view¡­


    "Aerith! Return our people, now!"


    And as soon as she saw even the slightest silhouette of Queen Adel, she quickly flew to the side¡ªbefore diving straight to Theran with the clones behind her.


    Queen Adel also quickly changed direction, leaving her men as she flew to chase her daughter. As soon as she did so, however, some of the clones that were flying behind Aerith blocked her path.


    "Aerith!" Queen Adel roared;pletely ignoring the clones even as they grabbed all of her limbs, "We need to¡ª"


    "Shh¡­" One of the clones that were holding her covered her mouth, "Let it run its course, Your Highness."


    "Unhand me!" Queen Adel''s eyes turned red as a ripple of energy sted from her body¡ªthe clones that were holding her, blown away by the force; some even shattered. But those that were still intact, however, once again held her,


    "Aerith!" Queen Adel once again roared, pulling one of the clones closer to her and biting off its throat without any hesitation before tearing its head apart. And once again, she flew to chase Aerith; her eyes, slightly trembling as she saw that the themarians have started flying out of Theran,


    "Aerith! Stop!"


    "..." Aerith only looked to where her mother should be as she continued to fly above Theran¡ªsignaling to the people below to fly to Theran as fast as possible.


    As for the army of themarians that were making their way to New Theran, they were met with arge problem. In front of them¡­ was a colossal wall made of themarians.


    "How¡­ are there so many!?"


    The soldiers that Queen Adel brought with her numbered almost a million, and yet in front of them lies an even greater number¡­ much greater. They couldn''t even see New Theran anymore¡ªit was a number that shouldn''t be possible.


    "Even if they have already abducted more than a million of us, this is too many!"


    "Everyone, you are being lied to! Theran is our home!"


    "Wait¡­ this is an illusion! They have an illusionist, remember!?"


    "Everyone, it''s an illusion!"


    And all of a sudden, the soldiers'' worries instantly dispersed as they once again roared and cheered. Their eyes, glowing red as they continued to advance like a wave of death.


    "Save our children!" The one that seemed to be leading one of the toons roared as she led her men forward. She waspletely aware of Paige and what she could do¡ªand so, she did not even flinch as she burst through one of the fake themarians that blocked their path¡­


    ¡­only to find the themarian to shatter in pieces.


    "..." No, not exactly in pieces¡­ but it shattered like a web¡ªa. And before the themarianmander could even wonder what it was, she felt her entire body weakening and getting extremely exhausted.


    "It''s¡­ an EDP. Everyone, go to the side. It''s a tr¡ª"


    "Shh¡­" And before the themarianmander couldpletely warn her men, Diana suddenly appeared, covering her mouth as she smiled at her, "...Why don''t you sleep for now?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "W¡ª"


    Diana then mmed her palm directly on the themarian''s chin, momentarily knocking her out as she was violently thrown straight back to Theran. And sadly for her, most of herrades did not hear her words as all of them tried bursting through Diana''s web¡­ only to suffer the same fate as the themarianmander.


    "Where were you even hiding this?" Xra flew near Diana.


    "I wasn''t," Diana chuckled, "My husband made it for me."


    "So, your husband is as scary as you, figures. The husband of a monster is also a monster."


    "At least my husband is alive."


    "...Bloodmist," Xra did not really respond to Diana''s words anymore as she turned into a mist of blood¡ªflying through the themarians that managed to pierce through Diana''s web.


    "Don''t kill them!" Diana rolled her eyes.


    ''Your people are too stubborn to be killed that easily,'' Xra''s voice entered Diana''s mind as the mist started to gust through the themarians¡ªtheir bodies, almost shrinking as their blood escaped from their bodies¡ªmost of them were able to recover fast, however¡­ but not before once again being swallowed by Diana''s web.


    ''Tell that to your son instead.''


    "..." Diana then turned to look at Riley''s clones¡­ only to see themughing while tearing off the heads of some of the themarians that were weakened by the¡­ then ying with the heads as it starts to regenerate the rest of its body.


    "...This is your fault, Alice," Diana could really only sigh.


    Soon, of course, Diana''s trap was already starting to lose its effectiveness as most of the themarian soldiers started flying from all directions.


    Diana only smiled, however, as the dummies she ced also scattered; making herrger¡ªbut not fast enough.


    Thousands of themarians have already passed through the barrier¡ªtheir eyes set only on trying to destroy New Theran and retrieve their people.


    "Destroy it! Destroy the abomination that gues our world!"


    "For Theran! Save our childr¡ª!!!"


    And before they could even enter New Theran''s exosphere, they felt themselves being violently pushed back as a loud rumble that caused even the expanse of space itself to tremble whistled through their bones.


    And it wasn''t only them, Diana, Mistform Xra, Riley''s clones, and even the dummies were slightly blown away by the sudden force---unfortunately freeing some of the themarians that were trapped in it.


    "Who the fuck did you guys bring here¡­?" Xra quickly returned to her original body as she looked at where the shockwave came from, only to see the abnormally tall themarian they were just with earlier¡ªcalmly floating toward the thousand themarians that managed to get close to New Theran; her palms, stuck together.


    "Everyone," Princess Esme then calmly spoke as she looked at the themarians in front of her,


    "You are not allowed beyond this point. Only acquaintances, as well as themarians below 8000 years old, are allowed to migrate to New Theran¡ªany trespassers will be dealt with lethal but non-deadly force¡­ You have been warned."


    "That''s¡­ Isn''t that the youngest princess of Varoif?"


    "The Rocket Princess!? What¡­ what should we do!?"


    "Pass through! We''re already here and there''s only one of her!"


    "Let''s go save our¡ªEh?"


    And before they could continue their battle cries, Princess Esme suddenly appeared behind them¡ªholding the head of one of theirrades.


    "Let go of him!" They quickly rushed to theirrade''s aid, grabbing Esme by the neck; trying to pull her away while they punched and kicked her face a thousand times¡ªthe impact of their strikes was enough to make space itself crack¡­


    ¡­and yet Princess Esme''s eyes just remained as empty as it was before.

 Chapter 639 639: When Everything Went Wrong

    "P¡­pull her head!"


    "..."


    Princess Esme could no longer even hear her own breaths; the only thing that touched her ears were voices of desperation as several themarians tried to pry her hand away from the man she was holding.


    They will be dealt with with lethal but nondeadly force¡ªthat is what she said earlier. Lethal was easy enough, but in truth, she was trying to rack her brains to deal with her situation in a nondeadly manner.


    And so, after thinking about it for a few seconds¡­ she just let go of the man she was holding.


    "He''s free! Let''s go!"


    "Ignore the Rocket Princess!"


    And as soon as she let him go, all the themarians that were trying to pin her in ce immediately started flying away.


    "..." Princess Esme could really only slightly pout as she saw everyone flying away. She then turned around to look at one of Riley''s clones, only to see it shaking its head in disappointment¡ªand as soon as she saw this, Esme quickly disappeared.


    Professor Riley has taught them how to torture themarians for months¡ªhow to inflict the most pain without putting anyone''s life in any peril. And so, in a way, he also taught Princess Esme how to fight with a themarian without the threat of sending them to their eternal deaths.


    She knew how to disable them without actually harming them¡ªno wonder Riley''s clone was disappointed in her.


    And so, without any more reservations, she rushed through the thousand of themarians that were nearing New Theran¡­ literally.


    "!!!"


    The soldiers could really only widen their eyes as they felt their bodies being ripped in half almost at the same time by a hand that came out of nowhere. And before their bodies could even begin to regenerate, Esme moved in front of them¡­ gently pushing them one by one with her palms. Well, gentle for her¡ªbut for the themarians, they felt their chests cave in as they were violently pushed straight back to Theran.


    "This¡­ looks weird, no?"


    Xra''s crew, who were watching from quite a distance away, could really only watch and stand on their toes and tentacles as they felt some sort of shockwave reaching them even from afar.


    "I thought a battle between themarians would be more exhrating, but it looks like they are just disappearing, appearing, and running around," the one with the many arms, Lechamp, could not help but sigh as he watched the feed.


    "Trust me, Sir Lechamp," Elder Olseyir, who joined the crew as she didn''t want to be in the battlezone, lightly flicked her pink robes as she stood closer to the screen,


    "You do not want to be in the center of that."


    "This cute Elder is right," Alindor, Xra''s second-inmand, bared her golden fangs at Lechamp to shut him up,


    "You will be disintegrated just by standing there. As per Olseyir''s advice, I had Ae turn down the ship''s scanner so we''re not being warned every second, but the weight and energy the battle is producing are¡­ beyond massive."


    "Pft, I am sure I could handle it," Lechamp scoffed as he flexed his 4 arms.


    "Do you want to be floated again?" Girgo stuck out her tongue, almost pping Lechamp with it if he didn''t dodge, "The only reason you are saying that is because they are fighting in space¡ªif they fought onnd¡­ they will clear out everything."


    "She is correct," Elder Olseyir nodded her head, "Each of their strikes could split a in half. Princess Esme, the physically strongest themarian, could destroy an entire ster system just by pping her hands."


    "...You know I am female?" Girgo quickly closed her mouth; herrge round eyes, blinking as she looked at Elder Olseyir, "Interesting, you''re the very first one who got it right¡ªmy species are usually indistinguishable from others."


    "Well¡­ I''ve met you before," Elder Olseyir only shrugged her shoulders.


    "Really? When¡ª"


    "You know how these Elders are," Alindor raised her hand, "They know everything and they are very crafty. I''m surprised two of you are even helping with the migration of the themarians, I heard you do not like them."


    "I''m new, and Former Elder Tedi is retired," Elder Olseyir chuckled, adjusting her robes as she did so, "Anyway, any idea what is happening on Princess Aerith''s side?"


    And as soon as she asked that, everyone turned their heads toward Moira, or more specifically, at Little Riley who was resting on her shoulder.


    "He¡­?" Little Riley, on the other hand, just calmly looked at them like he didn''t want to be disturbed. But after Moira raised her shoulder, the only thing Little Riley could really do waszily get up,


    "It''s been 58 seconds since the start of the battle, so she''s almost done evacuating the people that need to be evacuated."


    "Wait¡­ you mean the battle is near its end already?"


    "Who do you think is helping them?" Little Riley scoffed, "Boss is there¡­


    ¡­there is no battle in the first ce."


    ***


    "Just how many of you do I need to send to eternal death!?"


    "We''re thest ones, Your Highness. You''re very sturdy, if you were an average themarian, you would have already died a couple of times."


    Queen Adel was still chasing Aerith¡ªnear, but sadly not near enough to make herself heard. But even if she did, however, the chances of Aerith listening to her were almost close to none.


    They already flew around the, and yet not even once was she able to speak with her due to the hundreds of clones blocking and pinning her down. The only thing she could do now was watch as more of her people flew away into the skies.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Aerith was right," one of the clones covered her mouth again, "You really do like doing things on your own, you didn''t even call for reinforcements even in the end¡ªbut then again, they are all busy with trying to destroy New Theran or trying to find the Star Obliterator that mother nted. But still¡­


    ¡­you chose the wrong priority. You should have truly tried talking with your daughter more and now it''s toote. Like mother like daughter, I suppose¡ªyou''re both bad mothers."


    "A¡­Aerith!" Queen Adel once again roared, but the only thing she saw was Aerith''s back¡ªflying away for the final time into the expanse of space as she have sessfully evacuated all that she could.


    "...Get away from me!" The veins on Queen Adel''s neck showed themselves as her eyes released a rage unequal to the ones she has shown before, "Die!"


    She then stretched out all of her limbs, tearing out her own flesh as she sted all the clones away¡ªand without even giving them the chance to cling to her again, she turned thest of them into dust; the beam from her eyes, as wide as a mountain itself as she exhausted thest of her energy.


    "Ha¡­" Queen Adel then breathed out as she closed her eyes; the ashes of everything around her, very slowly raining down and being blown away by her heavy breaths. Her hair was aplete mess; her clothes,pletely tattered and exposing her skin more than it was hiding them.


    "Gh¡­" She gasped as she looked at New Theran; her teeth, showing themselves as she growled, "Aerith¡ª!!!"


    She was going to fly away, but before she could do so, a pair of hands emerged from the ashes below. Queen Adel quickly looked down, only to see a clone already smiling at her¡ªthis clone, however, was already crumbling to its death.


    But it has done its purpose.


    "..." Queen Adel then quickly turned to look at the skies again, only to see New Theran no longer veiled behind it.


    And just like that¡ªit was over.


    "...No," and with a whisper escaping Queen Adel''s breaths; any rage, any resolution, and any life in them disappeared. Her legs just gave up as she sat at the ashes of her own doing.


    Wrong. Everything wrong that could''ve happened, happened.


    She wasn''t even able to exchange fists, let alone words with her daughter for the final time¡ªnone of those happened.


    She thought she could reach her, but everything was just¡­ one big mess.


    "..."


    "..."


    And soon, as she drowned in her ownments and regrets, a p echoed through the air; nearing toward her by the second.


    She looked, only to see another Riley walking toward her while pping his hands.


    "..."


    Riley then stood in front of the kneeling queen, before turning his head up to the sky.


    "Themarians are really scary."


    "..." And even as Riley got near her, and even started to sit behind her on the ground, Queen Adel only looked at him.


    "Did you know, I asked mother how long Theran has before it copses on itself and kills all of you?"


    "..."


    "542 years, give or take. And then it will just snap instantly, none of you would even feel it," Riley then let out a small sigh as he rested his head on Queen Adel''s bare shoulder,


    "542 years¡ªthat is a very short time for Themarians like yourself. But for everyone else, that is more than a couple of lifetimes¡­ a lot of time to change minds. But that''s not the kind of species you are."


    "..." Queen Adel only nced at Riley, before also proceeding to rest her cheek on his head.


    "But do you know, I didn''t even know that Theran is dying," Riley then let out a small chuckle, "That was just like¡­ an unexpected bonus. But then again, it was bound to happen¡ªdo you know we have this saying on Earth,


    ''Only diamonds can cut diamonds,''


    Thermarians are the same. Only you can destroy yourselves¡ªbut not this time, though. I helped."


    "...Are you here to gloat?" Queen Adel finally spoke.


    "Not at all," Riley smiled, "I''m here to apany you in yourst moments. With how fast you lost almost half of your people just like that, I would assume you have no one to share this moment with."


    "..."


    "Well, I also wanted to see what your choice would be," Riley then gently stood up,


    "I know exactly where mother nted the bomb."


    "..."


    "I can even escort you there if you want to¡­


    ¡­it''s your choice."

 Chapter 640 640: Aeriths Future (1)

    [149,542,677. That is 82% of the newer generations, Princess Aerith.]


    "...Wow."


    Aerith was currently standing on a cliff, her breaths and whispers, not even being allowed to be heard as the voices of others resounded throughout the entirety of New Theran.


    Her eyes reflected the entirety of New Theran¡ªits people. Every single one of them gathered in front of her, endlessly moving through thend and skies as they all cheered and talked to each other; most of them were strangers that have just left their home behind for a new one, and yet none of them seemed to shy away or regret their decision.


    "Fuck me¡­ I''ve never seen so many people gathered in one ce," Hannah and the others were also standing on the cliff; their eyes, almost overwhelmed by the sea of themarians in front of them, "How did you guys even pull this off in the span of a minute?"


    "It doesn''t matter," Diana stood beside her. But unlike Hannah, her eyes did not contain awe, but rather excitement as she covered her mouth and giggled, "What matters is that I now have an almost unlimited number of test subjects. I have been trying to find a way to make themarians more susceptible to the supervirus¡ªimagine all of them infected, that is practically the birth of a new species of gods¡­New Themarians. I''ll try running simtions on the ship immediately."


    "...Mom?" Hannah could really only stare at her mother as Diana started whispering to herself; her feet, very slowly leaving the ground while she mumbled.


    "Diana! Where are you going?" Before Diana could literally float away from her ideas, Aerith pulled her back to the ground, "The people want to see and hear you speak. All of this wouldn''t have been possible without you."


    "I prefer being the one behind the scenes, Your Highness," Diana only smiled as she shook her head, "Go and celebrate with your people, you won''t get the chance to after the real rebuilding starts."


    "...How about you?" Aerith blinked a couple of times, "You''re one of our people too, Diana."


    "Goodness, no," Diana softly chuckled, "I haven''t been a themarian for a very long time¡ªI''m a human."


    "...I guess there goes my chance of asking you to lead and guide us?" Aerith breathed out as she looked at the rowdy sea of themarians.


    "I have enough of just trying to deal with my family. And besides, there''s already someone better suited to lead these people," Diana looked at the crowd one final time before just abruptly flying away, "Now I''m off to do my simtions while the norid is still here."


    "..."


    "Wh¡ªmom¡­!" Hannah tried to reach for Diana, but she already flew to space before she could even fully stretch her arms. Hannah then awkwardly and slowly looked at Aerith, before respectfully nodding her head and saying,


    "I''ll¡­ try bringing mom back before she starts doing some weird calctions!"


    "...Right," Aerith could really only sigh as she watched as Hannah followed her mother into space.


    "Congrattions, Princess Aerith."


    And just when Aerith thought she was done dealing with the antics of the Rosses, Bernard approached her with his hand already stretched.


    "...Thank you for your help, Whiteking," Aerith nodded as she shook Bernard''s hand, "I heard it was your idea to create that¡­ EDP trap thing."


    "Hm, the least I can do," Bernard sighed as he looked at the themarians, "My son¡­ has destroyed an unimaginable number of lives. I shouldn''t even be thanked for this."


    "Riley''s sins are not yours, Bernard."


    "...You don''t believe that," Bernard breathed out as he scratched his beard, "Anyway, I should shave. I''ll be on the ship if you need anything."


    "...Why is everyone leaving?" Aerith sighed and raised an eyebrow, "You guys helped in making this possible."


    "The one wearing a pink robe actually told us to," Bernard shrugged, "Something about needing an official count of the''s inhabitants¡ªrecognizing New Theran as a sovereign?"


    "...Oh, right," a smile slowly crawled on Aerith''s face as she breathed out, "...The Codex."


    "As I said, congrattions," Bernard also smiled; doing the themarian salute before flying away.


    "..." And with her now left alone again, Aerith could not help but look at her people. She knew this was just the beginning¡ªbut that was the goal in the first ce, a new beginning for her people.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    There were a lot of things that needed to be done, but this was a chapter in her life that she could finally turn¡ª


    "Where''s Caiin?"


    And before Aerith could cherish and wallow the moment in front of her in silence, a somewhat sultry voice whispered behind her.


    Aerith sighed as she looked at the person that destroyed her moment, only to see Xra looking down at the millions of themarians scattered everywhere,


    "Diana''s in her ship," Aerith said as she pointed up.


    "What? I told her not to leave out of my reach," Xra rolled her eyes as her feet left the ground.


    "I suppose I should thank you for helping make this possible too."


    "I didn''t help you," Xra''s feet once again touched the ground as she heard Aerith''s words, "And do not forget I have in your brother in battle, that negates everything."


    "He lost in a fair duel. That is the best death a themarian could wish for," Aerith shook her head and sigh, "It is a shame that he wouldn''t see this, but I suppose the woman he loved being here is constion enough."


    "..." Xra did not really respond and just turned to look at her crew, who were shaking in their boots as they were surrounded by seemingly curious themarians.


    "Why is your skin gold!?"


    "If I rip one of your arms, can it grow back?"


    "Why are you ugly?"


    The themarians asked them questions, and the only thing they could do was force an awkward chuckle and answer nervously.


    "...You have a difficult time ahead of you, Princess," Xra scoffed as she looked at Aerith, "Are you sure you made the right decision? All of these people seemed peaceful and living normal enough on Theran."


    "I¡­ honestly don''t know yet," Aerith shook her head, before turning her eyes toward the expanse of space at her horizon, "But I know we belong here¡­ traveling in the skies."


    "Just hope the other species think so too," Xra closed her eyes, "I''m not going to congratte you for making your lives harder. You had a good thing going for you on Earth, you should have just stayed there and left your people alone."


    "..."


    "Hm. Everyone, back to the Bloodcruiser!"


    "Aww, are you guys going!?"


    "Are youing back!?"


    "We''ll¡­ we''ll just be up there." And finally, with Xra''s crew being saved by her, they quickly all scrambled and left, leaving the themarians disappointed.


    "..." Watching this, Aerith could not help but let out a long and very deep sigh¡ªXra was right, they had a difficult time ahead of them. The themarians needed to adjust fast if they wanted to be epted by the others.


    "Uhm¡­"


    "Paige¡­?" And once again, another person approached Aerith, "I thought you were on the ship with the rest?"


    "I was, but I wanted to see how you were doing," Paige smiled as she stood beside Aerith; her breaths, slightly heavy as she nced several times back and forth between Aerith and the horizon,


    "So... how is Megawoman?"

 Chapter 641 641: Aeriths Future (2)

    "So¡­ how is Megawoman?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Oh," Aerith chuckled; slightly surprised by Paige''s question. But after a few seconds, it felt as if arge weight was taken off her shoulders as she let out a long and very deep breath,


    "Honestly¡­ I have no idea."


    "Hm, that''s normal," Paige nodded, "Everything happened so fast, you haven''t really had time to process it all. I mean, like literally, it happened so fast. I kinda missed it all since I used the toilet. I even almost tripped when the entire suddenly went into hyperspeed or something. We¡ª"


    "...Thank you, Paige," Aerith sighed and chuckled as Paige started mumbling, "I saw how hard you worked back there when all the trial charade was happening."


    "What do you mean? I was useless," Paige also chuckled as she stood closer to Aerith, "But at least I got to know more about your people with all the research I did. I''m¡­ I guess I''m sort of like a themarian expert now?"


    "You might be."


    "Are you going to be the queen of your people now?"


    "..." Aerith was slightly taken aback by the sudden change in Paige''s tone. But after a few breaths, she shook her head and looked at her people,


    "No, there is someone more suited than me in that crowd," Aerith then pointed at an old woman that stood out from the rest of the crowd.


    "...Isn''t that Princess Tifa?" Paige could not help but blink a couple of times as she quickly recognized Princess Tifa from the crowd. And if she was right, the people near her were her children,


    "I¡­ thought you were only bringing people from the new generation?"


    "She''s always been someone who pushed for progress. Who do you think has been helping me in the castle?" Aerith chuckled, "Who better to lead an indoctrinated group of people than someone who has been hammered by the very same dated belief, and yet came out still unmolded by it?"


    "Are¡­ are you sure?" Paige started to stutter, "Then¡­ are you not staying here?"


    "I¡ª"


    "Please stay here," Paige did not let Aerith say a single word as she suddenly stood in front of her; covering her view of her people as she looked her straight in the eyes.


    "..."


    "Take care of your people and be a mother to your son, at least while I am still alive."


    "I¡­ already intend to do that," Aerith could not help but squint her eyes, "What are you saying, Paige?"


    "I''m going to die 40 or 50 years from now, or maybe even earlier," Paige breathed out, "I know I am beingpletely selfish, and I know that I can''t control what he wants¡­ but I want Riley to stop thinking of you even for just a moment."


    "Paige¡­" Aerith could really only look away from Paige''s intense gaze, "Riley and I are never¡ª"


    "You and Riley will live for eternity, Aerith. Things can and will develop," Paige shook her head, "All I''m asking is that in a single blink of that eternity¡­


    ¡­let me borrow Riley Ross."


    "..."


    "..."


    And suddenly, everything else was drowned as Aerith could only hear the sound of her heart beating. It didn''tst long, however, as the voices of her people once again pierced through the skies.


    "I¡­" An awkward smile then crawled on Aerith''s face as she scratched her chin, "I don''t really know how to respond to that, Paige. I don''t know why everyone thinks there''s something between me and him, but there''s not¡ªthere''s never going to be. I''m¡­ more like a babysitter."


    "..."


    "...Pft," Paige then suddenly burst out inughter as she waved her hand, "I''m only kidding, Megawoman. I just wanted to divert your thoughts into something else since you might be overwhelmed by all of this."


    "Well¡­" Aerith let out a deep breath as she looked at her people, "...I think you just added some unnecessary things to my mind. But thank you, Paige¡­ really."


    "No. Thank you," Paige shook her head as a pair of wings emerged from her back, "I don''t really know where we''re going from here, but if you want to talk, we''re all here for you¡­ okay?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..." Aerith could really only smile from Paige''s words, "I¡ª"


    "And whatever anyone else says here¡­" And before Aerith could say anything, Paige suddenly embraced her,


    "...You did a good job."


    "..." Aerith immediately closed her eyes; her tears, trailing down her cheeks as she returned Paige''s embrace.


    A second.


    A minute.


    Aerith didn''t really know how long they stayed like this, but it didn''t really matter¡ªshe needed this. And even as Paige flew away, the relief her embrace offered stayed with her.


    And as she looked at her people again, her eyes couldn''t be any clearer as she finally saw what she should be doing at this moment.


    And with a big breath, Aerith let out a thundering roar.


    "Gary!"


    "!!!"


    "Your mother is calling for you, Prince Gary."


    "...Huh?"


    Gary, who has been talking with Princess Esme ever since he saw her, could really only take in arge gulp as he saw all the people around them looking at him.


    "Gary!"


    And with Aerith''s voice once again reverberating throughout New Theran, Gary quickly turned to look at his mother, who was waving at him from a cliff far away. Gary was slightly stunned at first, but after a few seconds, he quickly rushed and leaped to where she was.


    "You¡­ called for me, mo¡ªwoah," Gary almost gasped as he finally realized how many themarians were actually surrounding him earlier¡­ and now almost all of their eyes were looking at him.


    "Everyone!" Aerith once again raised her voice as she ced her hand on Gary''s shoulder, "This is my son, Gary!"


    "..." Gary''s eyes quickly turned wide as he heard Aerith''s voice. Aerith had already announced once that he was her son back on Earth, but this was the first time¡­ this was perhaps the very first time that he truly felt like he was her son.


    "As all of you may know, Gary is half themarian," Aerith then sucked in a deep breath as she looked at Gary, "But I want all of you to know that I love him with all of my heart."


    "...Mother," Gary could not help but look up as he tried to stop the tears that were threatening to fall from his eyes.


    "I gave birth to him in the Unknown, with a human from a called Earth," Aerith continued to address the people, "You will meet people out there that are very different from us, more fragile, ephemeral. But I know that you will learn to love them as I did¡­


    ¡­and I hope all of you find happiness as I did."


    ***


    "...Did you really mean what you said, mother?"


    "Of course."


    Aerith and Gary were now away from the eyes of the crowd, casually seated on the ground; with Aerith subconsciously picking the des of grass around her as she nced at Gary from time to time.


    "I¡­ thought you''d be more focused on me not wanting the throne," Aerith awkwardly chuckled as she looked at Princess Tifa, who reced Aerith on the cliff as she addressed the people of New Theran.


    "I never cared about that, mother," Gary sucked in a deep breath as he shook his head, "I guess I just wanted your attention, to know that I am good enough for you."


    "You are," Aerith looked at Gary, "You''ve always been. I''m¡­ the one who hasn''t been good enough. I''m your mother and yet I was barely there for you."


    "..." Gary returned his mother''s gaze, "Then if I am truly good enough for you¡­


    ¡­when are you going to get rid of Riley?"

 Chapter 642 642: What Awaited Her At The End Of The Aisle

    "...When are you going to get rid of Riley?"


    "That''s¡­ not fair, Gary."


    Aerith''s hand, which was subconsciously pruning the des of grass around her, finally stopped. She wanted to look at Gary, but for some reason felt her eyes too heavy to move.


    "You know what kind of existence Riley is. I''m¡­ the only one in the entire Known Universe that could serve as his¡ª"


    "Babysitter, I know. You''ve said that a hundred times already," Gary breathed out as he stood up from the ground, not looking back at Aerith as he started walking forward; the space between them, once again gettingrger.


    "Gar¡ª"


    "You don''t actually believe that, do you?" Gary turned around, shaking his head as he looked at his mother in the eyes, "Diana''s as strong as you mother. And I''m sorry to say this straight to your face, but she''s definitely the better mother."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Not the kind of heart-to-heart talk you wanted?" Gary could really only let out a small but very deep sigh as he saw the mncholic expression painted on Aerith''s face.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...No, I don''t really know what to expect," and finally, after a few breaths of silence, Aerith stood up and returned her son''s gaze,


    "But it''s what I needed. I told you we were going to start anew here, and we are¡ªso I would like to start with the truth."


    "..." Gary did not really respond, instead letting his eyes speak for themselves as they did not stray away from Aerith as she walked closer to him.


    "Arge part of me feels responsible for creating Riley, for creating Darkday. I was toote to save both him and his mother¡ª"


    "I know the story, mother. How is that your responsibility!?" Gary stretched his arms to the side, "I''m your responsibility, mother. Me! Your son!"


    "And you''re not a mass murderer that tortures billions of people, are you!?"


    "So, I need to kill billions of people to get your attention!?" Gary raised his voice even louder. "Is that what you want, mother!?"


    eaglesnov?1,§ão§® "I can neutralize you before you could even take your next breath!" Aerith also raised her voice as she stood closer to her son, "That''s the difference, Gary! Riley is unstoppable and you need to always be by his side to just hope that you can slow him down! Why can''t you understand that concept!?"


    "I know everything tends to revolve around Riley, but I was at least hoping that I would be a main character in your life!"


    "..."


    "..."


    The two stared at each other for an entire minute; letting their heavy breaths speak to each other as they just stood there. Soon, however, a small smile started to crawl on both their faces at the same time.


    And soon, the smile on their faces turned into chuckles.


    "We¡­ we''re already arguing like mother and son," Gary covered his face as he prevented himself from bursting intoughter, "Y¡­you''re really really bad at this whole mom thing."


    "I know¡­" Tears also started to fall from Aerith''s eyes as she chuckled, "We¡ªI have time to be better, I will be better. We can build a home here."


    "I''d¡­ like that, mother," Gary nodded and started walking away, "I''ll go now before we fight again. Lots¡­ lots of things to share with these uncultured people."


    "Don''t teach them about those xianxia stories you keep reading!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Toote!"


    "..." The smile on Aerith''s face did not fade away even as Gary disappeared into the crowd; New Theran truly is a new beginning for all of them, especially for her.


    [Princess Aerith, are you avable at the moment?]


    "...Yes?" Aerith quickly wiped the tears on her face as she heard a familiar voice suddenly whispering in her ears before she could even recover, "Did¡­ you need something from me, Elder Olseyir?"


    [I apologize, I know you''re busy with speaking to your people. But if it''s convenient to you, we need your signature to finalize New Theran as the newest sovereign recognized by the Common Council.]


    "Already?" Aerith blinked a couple of times as she started looking around, trying to find where the voice wasing from, "I thought you need at least one more authoritative figure to register us in the Codex?"


    [We have the Former Elder Tedi, as well as a Guardian overseeing the ceremony. That counts. We''re on Pirate Queen Xra''s ship, it''s more stylish here.]


    "...Okay?" Aerith squinted her eyes and nodded, "Should I also bring Queen Tifa? She is still in the midst of her speech, though."


    [It''s fine, Princess Aerith. You can do it, you deserve to do it.]


    "Ha¡­" Aerith blinked a couple of times as a long and very deep breath escaped her lips. A few seconds after, she disappeared from her spot,


    "I''m on my way."


    ***


    "...Hey, they''re waiting for you on the bridge."


    Aerith entered Xra''s ship, and as soon as she did so, an exhausted and seemingly lethargic Hera weed her aboard; her arm rested on the wall as she gestured to Aerith to follow her.


    "Are¡­ you okay?" Aerith could really only watch as Hera sluggishly walked in front of her; her feet, just sliding on the floor.


    "No, I feel sick¡­" Hera gasped as she wiped the sweat forming on her forehead, "...Sorry I couldn''t be down there to see what''s up."


    "It''s¡­ fine," Aerith couldn''t help it anymore as she very gently ced Hera''s arm on her shoulder, "Are you sure you don''t just want to rest?"


    "No way," Hera raised her thumb, "I already missed all the happenings below, I''m not going to miss this."


    "Alright, it''s really not that¡ª"


    "Hurry up, don''t always keep people waiting for you."


    And before Aerith could finish her words, Tomoe suddenly appeared from across the hallway, letting out a scoff as she looked Aerith in the eyes.


    "..." This girl truly doesn''t like her¡ªis what Aerith thought. But even then, however, Tomoe walked with them all the way to the bridge, even taking Hera off her hands as they stepped inside.


    And there, Aerith saw everyone lined up in two straight lines. Xra, her entire crew, and Tedi''s hologram on one line; Hannah, Diana, Paige, and then Tomoe and Hera joining them on the other line¡­ almost forming an aisle.


    Although she was a little weird with the way everything was set up, she still made her way down the aisle they created. Each of them, nodding their head as she passed by them one by one.


    Aerith was only looking ahead, however, as New Theran reflected on her eyes through the giant windows. Their new home was just the size of a baseball from this distance, but it was at its brightest.


    Aerith then turned to look at Elder Olseyir, who was at the very end of the aisle; the view of New Theran on her back as her pink robes seemed even longer than before. And then, beside her was Bernard, whose face waspletely clean-shaven as he said he would.


    And finally, as Aerith reached the end of the aisle and stepped closer to Elder Olseyir, a presence that has been gone and sorely missed since earlier finally showed himself; stepping out from behind Bernard as his pale white skin reflected everything the expanse of space had to offer.


    And with a smile, Riley gestured to Aerith to stand before Elder Olseyir.

 Chapter 643 643: To Our Eternal Home

    "Princess Aerith."


    Riley stretched his hand, offering his arm to Aerith as he made his way to her.


    "..." Aerith, on the other hand,pletely ignored him. She just stood in front of Elder Olseyir on her own without saying a word or waiting for Riley.


    Riley did not seem to mind, however, as he just smiled and stood beside Aerith. His long white hair was neatly tied at the end, allowing the suit and tie he was wearing to be seen whole.


    "...This is your idea, isn''t it?" Aerith then quietly whispered as she slightly leaned closer to Riley; her eyes, ncing at the people standing on an aisle behind them, "Very funny."


    "No, it is actually Mother''s," Riley shook his head, "She has a twisted sense of humor, Aerith."


    "Runs in the family."


    "I''m adopted. And perhaps you did not notice, the concept is simr to a wedding, Aerith."


    "I''m not blind, child."


    "And you''re the bride and I suppose that makes me the gro¡ª"


    "Yes, I know. Why are you even here?"


    "Elder Olseyir instructed me to."


    "Wh¡ª"


    "Everyone!" And as Aerith and Riley were whispering to each other, Elder Olseyir suddenly pped her hands right in front of their faces.


    "..."


    "..."


    "All of you here stand witness to the registration of the New Theran, as well as its people, the Themarians, to the Cosmic Codex," Elder Olseyir then stretched her arms to the side; her pink robes, snapping in the air as she did so,


    "The two that stand in front of me and before you have fought long and hard for this achievement to be possible. Their efforts have not been in vain, and have been recognized by the Common Council. And therefore, by the power and authority vested upon me by my fellow Elders and the Elders before us¡­


    ¡­I wee New Theran and its people to the Known Universe!"


    "..."


    "..."


    "You guys can p."


    "Oh."


    "Pft."


    Hannah and the others did not know whether tough or p as they watched Elder Olseyir dramatically iling her robes. Even Aerith, who was previously immersed in the ceremony, was trying her best not tough at the sudden awkward silence that happened before them. Perhaps the only one truly pping was Riley.


    "I¡­ apologize," Aerith shook her head as she grabbed Riley''s hands, "What¡­ do we do now?"


    "It''s actually done."


    "...What?"


    "You just need to ce your palm here toplete the registration," Elder Olseyir then retrieved an orb from inside her robes.


    "That''s it?" Aerith blinked a couple of times as she looked at Elder Olseyir''s silvery eyes.


    "Yes. There actually isn''t a ceremony for this, I just like being extra," Elder Olseyir giggled, "People juste and go to register their, renewing it every century or so¡ªor so I was told, I''m new."


    "...Right," Aerith could really only let out a loud and deep sigh as she ced her hand on the orb. The smile on her face, however, could not be hidden from anyone on the bridge.


    "So¡­ that''s that?"


    "Hmhm," Elder Olseyir shrugged as she retrieved the orb and hid it back in her robes. A light and subtle light then casually flickered far behind her in the expanse of space¡ªa shing beam that covered the entirety of New Theran,<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I guess we can go eat now."


    "Alright!"


    "When did you guys have the time to prepare food?"


    "Congrattions again, Princess Aerith. I hope your new world offers your people a better life."


    "Wait¡­ What was that?" And while everyone was stepping out of their ces, Her feet, nted on the floor as she blinked; her eyes,pletely focused on New Theran. And before she could blink again, another sh beamed through New Theran¡ªthis time seemingly even more violent. She then turned to see where the beam came from, only to see some sort of ship the size of a.


    "Was¡­" Aerith''s breaths started to turn heavy; the smile on her face, trembling as it very slowly faded away, "Is¡­ Is that supposed to happen? The light, what was the light?"


    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel "Hm?" Elder Olseyir looked behind her to see what Aerith was pointing to, "What light? Wait¡­whose ship is that?"


    "What''s¡­ going on?" Bernard squinted his eyes as he started looking back and forth between the expanse of space outside and Aerith; he was feeling something inside of him, almost as if the Guardian Force was trying to tell him something.


    It wasn''t only him, Hannah, and the rest of the people that were standing in a line all looked at each other¡ªtheir breaths, confused.


    "Did any of you see that?" Hannah breathed out as she looked at Xra''s crew, "What¡­ was that light? It¡­ felt familiar."


    "I saw it," Ae, Xra''s engineer, raised her hand, "It¡­ it looked like a¡­ beam?"


    "...Miss Hera!?"


    Everyone then turned their heads toward Paige as she suddenly screamed, only to see her kneeling on the ground¡ªher hand ced on Hera, who was trembling as she groveled on the floor.


    And before they could even ask, a troubling whisper echoed in the air.


    "Oh no¡­"


    "..." They then quietly turned their heads toward Xra, whose eyes now also trembled as they reflected New Theran.


    "Oh¡­" Xra sucked in a deep breath as the veins on her pale skin started to redden; her fangs, forcefully showing themselves as she continued staring at New Theran. Soon, however, any sort of rage that could be seen from her died down. And instead, she just turned to look at Diana; her eyes that were oncepletely dead, seemingly filled with life as the blood that trailed from them distortedly reflected Diana''s silhouette.


    "Caiin¡­"


    "..." Diana slightly squinted her eyes as she returned Xra''s sorrowful gaze; her head, slightly tilted to the side in confusion.


    "Caiin¡­" Xra repeated, "Don''t¡ª"


    "NOOO!"


    And before Xra could finish her words, a wailing scream thundered through the entire ship, piercing everyone''s ears with a cry that seemed filled with anguish and despair.


    "M¡­mom?" Hannah instinctively backed away, flinching as she saw her mother''s mouth wide open; tears, gushing out from her reddening eyes. Hannah couldn''t even breathe properly; her breaths became gasps as she watched as her mother screamed and embraced herself.


    Her fingers, digging through her arms as her wails did not seem to have an end.


    "...Mom?" Hannah also started to cry as she wanted to approach her mother¡ªbut she couldn''t. She wasn''t afraid, no. This was the very first time she was seeing her mother like this¡­ and she waspletely at a loss as to what to do, "R¡­ Riley? Dad? Wh¡ª"


    And before Hannah could finish her words, the entire ship quaked.


    "Mom!?"


    Diana flew away, ramming through the windows and barriers of the Bloodcruiser as she suddenly flew straight to New Theran; her wails, still echoing even from afar.


    "Hannah, stay here!" Bernard''s instantly wrapped around him as he quickly chased Diana.


    "Put all the ship''s energy into the shields!" A pair of bloody wings emerged from Xra''s back as she too, flew hastily toward New Theran to chase Diana.


    "What¡­" As for Aerith, her feet were stillpletely nted on the floor. Her eyes were blinking without stop; her lips, trembling as she whispered, "Riley, what¡­


    ¡­what just happened?"

 Chapter 644 644: Her Eyes Which Reflected Nothing

    "Riley, what¡­ what happened? What happened?"


    Aerith''s voice echoed; not in a sense that it traveled and bounced again and again, no¡ªher whispers repeated themselves, saying over and over again,


    "...What happened?"


    She asked, and yet no one could really give her an answer. All of them were just petrified by the sudden literal change of atmosphere inside the ship. Just earlier, they wereughing and smiling¡ªwith Aerithpletely proud of what she had achieved.


    They have no idea what was happening, the same as Aerith. Yet with Xra''s sorrowful expression, as well as Diana''s sudden visceral wails¡­ they could really only assume the worst. It also didn''t help that Hera was groveling on the floor; her facepletely flushed and drowning with sweat.


    "Miss Hera!? Miss Hera!"


    Paige tried gently nudging her, but it was almost as if her entire body shut down¡ªshe wasn''t responding to anything and her eyes werepletely empty¡ªand for someone who has the ability to adapt to everything¡­ this wasn''t a good sign.


    Tomoe summoned a small block of ice in her hands, tearing a piece of her kimono as she tried cooling off Hera by patting her face with it¡­ but she remainedpletely unresponsive.


    [That ship, where did ite from? Why did we not sense it approaching?]


    And finally, through all the breaths and whispers of confusion and worry, Tedi''s hologram spoke¡ªany emotions,pletely gone.


    [Ae, you are the ship''s engineer, correct? Why did we not sense the shiping?]


    "..."


    [Ae!]


    "Y¡­ yes!? I''m checking it!" Ae adjusted her sses; her little legs, rushing toward her console and bringing up the ship''s status, "The¡­ Bloodcruiser''s radar is down!"


    [Why?] The eyes of Tedi''s hologram started to flicker as she asked. And before Ae could answer, Tedi''s hologram appeared right beside her,


    [You turned it off at approximately 3 hours, 12 minutes, and 34 seconds ago, why?]


    "We¡­ we turned it off so that it wouldn''t repeatedly warn us during the battle earlier," Ae squinted her eyes, "Can¡­ you identify the ship? I''m checking its energy signatures and it''s nothing like we''ve ever encountered before."


    [It''s already dead,] Tedi shook her head, [I can''t detect any systems anymore.]


    "What the fuck does that mean?" Hannah, who was also checking in on Hera''s condition, stood up and approached the console, "We should just go and follow mom instead of trying to guess for answers!"


    [Your father told you to stay here.]


    eaglesnov?1,§ão§® "Fuck that," Hannah nced at Aerith, who still seemedpletely at a loss, "You said it already, that ship or whatever it is is already dead. There''s no point in us staying here and guessing!"


    "Ae," Vice Captain Alindor also stepped forward, "Take us to New Theran, slowly. Have you confirmed that we can''t detect any more powering from the giant ship?"


    "Yes¡­ But the Captain¡ª"


    "Is on New Theran," Alindor said as she raised her hand, "Follow our captain. Everyone else, to your stations."


    "Aye," Girgo and the other crew members started running around. Even though they don''t know if there was still an active threat; just the fact that Xra showed an expression they have never seen before warrants them being on full alert¡ªit also didn''t help that Caiin''Ur''s guttural scream still echoed in their ears.


    "That ship¡­" And as New Theran becamerger andrger from their view, Elder Olseyir, who has been staring at the-sized ship ever since she saw it, started whispering to herself, "...Does it not remind you of the architecture of Elder Worm''s people?"


    [Elder Skeem?] Tedi''s hologram appeared beside Elder Tedi. She then paused for a few seconds as her eyes once again flickered,


    [You¡­ are correct,] Tedi nodded, [I have seen Elder Skeem''s personal ship, the design schematics matches that giant ship at a 91% match.]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..." Elder Olseyir blinked a couple of times as she looked at Aerith, "...Aren''t Skeem''s people specializing in weaponry?"


    "..." Aerith lightly gasped as she heard Olseyir''s words. Riley, who was standing beside her, just had his head tilted to the side as he stared at Aerith.


    [Do not specte, Elder Olseyir,] Tedi quickly responded as soon as she noticed Aerith''s distress worsening by the second, [I will try examining the ship once yound on New Theran.]


    "I''m just¡ª"


    "Entering New Theran''s atmosphere," Ae''s voice resounded throughout the entire bridge before Elder Olseyir and Tedi could continue their conversation. And then once again, as they pierce through the skies of New Theran, silence filled the entire bridge.


    Except for Aerith, Riley, and Hera, everyone moved to the window to see if New Theran was indeed attacked¡ªbut it still looked the same as before, seemingly teeming with life.


    And as soon as they got closer and closer tond, they once again saw the entire poption of New Theran gathered in one ce, more than a hundred million of them.


    "..." Hannah and the restpletely kept their silence, however. Their breaths that were turning heavier as they got nearer and nearer were the only sound that resounded through the entire ship.


    Their silence, however, almost caused Aerith to cover her ears as her head started shaking on its own. She then turned to look at Paige, only to see her look away from her as soon as their eyes met.


    And finally, as the Bloodcruiser made contact with New Theran''s ground, Aerith felt her legs lose their strength¡ªalmost stumbling to the floor if it weren''t for Riley catching her.


    "What¡­ what happened?" Aerith then once again asked; her questions, not really directed to anyone but herself. She then lightly pushed Riley away as her feet very slowly made their way to the giant window.


    "Megawoman¡­ no," Hannah quickly blocked Aerith''s path, grabbing her arm to stop her. But s, it wasn''t as if she wasn''t even there as Aerith just continued walking without any resistance, "Tomoe!"


    Tomoe summoned a dark wall of ice, even wrapping Aerith''s entire lower body with it¡­ but once again, it was almost as if they weren''t there in the first ce as Aerith just continued walking.


    As for Xra''s crew and Elder Olseyir, they just quickly made way for Aerith¡ªtheir eyes, instinctively avoiding hers. And soon, Aerith neared that window¡­


    ¡­only to see her people still celebrating; flying around and having fun.


    "Ha¡­" Aerith''s mouth opened on its own as a stuttered breath escaped her throat. And as relief almost snuck into her breaths, her legs finally stopped walking as she noticed something.


    With all their faces of joy and celebration¡­ not even a single sound came from them¡ªthe only thing that she could really hear was the sound of a familiar scream.


    "..." Aerith''s eyes¡­ reflected nothing.


    "Paige¡­" Aerith then whispered as she turned to look at Paige, "...Let me see."


    "Nh¡­" Paige bit her lip, shaking her head as her eyes could not stop the tears that wanted to burst forth from them.


    "...Paige," Aerith''s breath stuttered, "Please¡­ let me see."


    "..." Paige looked at Aerith''s eyes for a few seconds, before releasing a deep and very long breath¡ªand as the sound of her breath slowly whispered into Aerith''s ears, the scenery through the window changed.


    The themarians that were freely flying through the skies, gone. The smiles on their faces, almost as if they didn''t exist in the first ce.


    The only thing that reflected Aerith''s eyes was death. Her people piled up like a mountain of lifeless dolls.


    "This¡­" Aertih''s entire body trembled,


    "This¡­ is my fault."

 Chapter 645 645: A Window Forever Shattered

    "This¡­ is my fault."


    "Aerith¡­ They¡­ might just be unconscious, themarians are the strongest¡ª"


    "This is my fault."


    Paige wanted to ce her hand on Aerith''s shoulder, but before she could do so, Aerith suddenly stepped forward¡ªstretching the window and shattering a part of it as she let herself drop to the ground.


    "Aerith!" Paige wanted to follow her outside, but the window healed and closed before she could even take a single step, "We¡­ we need to go out there¡­ now!"


    And as Paige and the others scurried to rush out of the ship, Aerith''s feetnded on New Theran; her knees touching it not even a secondter as she lost all strength to even move.


    And it wasn''t only because of the weight that now drowned her, no¡ªshe truly felt heavy.


    "...No," Aerith shook her head as she forced herself to look forward; her eyes, reflecting her people. She was no longer asking herself what happened¡ªshe knew why.


    "What¡­ what have I done?" Aerith tried lifting herself up, only to weakly tumble several steps forward¡­ falling right in front of someone; her face, just inches away from Aerith''s.


    "...No," Aerith could not help but hold her breath as she quickly recognized the woman¡ªshe was one of the women that approached her before all of this happened. Aerith would remember, of course, she would remember her.


    She was one of the only handful of women carrying an infant child, a baby.


    "No¡­ no¡­wake up¡­ please wake up," Aerith''s lips began to shiver as her tears started to dampen the ground. Aerith wanted to grit her teeth, but all it did was cause them to chitter as she lost control of her jaw.


    Aerith then very slowly sat up; her eyes, not leaving the woman''s face. The woman was lying face down, her back¡­ slightly arched.


    "..." Aerith''s entire body trembled as she saw this; her hand, very slowly reaching toward her. Aerith then closed her eyes, before very gently turning the mother over¡­ and as Aerith opened her eyes, she immediately looked away.


    Her gasping breaths, now just whimpers¡ªno matter where she looked, she saw everyone looking at her.


    "Aerith!"


    "..." Aerith felt an arm wrapping around her; her eyes, covered by a hand as Paige embraced her tight. Even then, however, she could still see all of her people looking at her.


    Paige seemed to be telling her something, but the silence of her people drowned every other noise that tried to enter her ears.


    "Mom¡­!?" The others also started arriving on the scene, with Hannah quickly flying away as she heard her mother''s screams crying from the distance. And there, as she flew over the sea of themarians¡­ she finally realized what truly happened.


    Death.


    Each and every one of themy lifeless on the ground. The ones that were flying in the air, piling up and creating hills of corpses that spanned for almost a mile.


    "..." Hannah didn''t have any words to say as she found herself just literally hovering as she saw her father, as well as Xra standing at the very end of this harrowing sea that she wanted to very badly end.


    "...Dad?" Hannah whispered as she quietlynded behind Bernard. She then saw her mother, kneeling on the ground and cradling herself¡ªher mouth was still wide open, but no more screams escaped them, only gasps of anguish.


    "..." Hannah could really only approach her mother, embracing her and not letting go until she felt the tremble in her body fade away.


    A second.


    A minute.


    An hour.


    Hannah stayed like that for an hour, letting her mother''s tears dry on her shoulder as she finally returned her embrace.


    "..." Diana then very slowly pulled away and stood up; her swollen eyes, immediately turning to Xra, "...What have you discovered about the ship?"


    "..."


    "I know your men are updating you right now," Diana breathed out, her voice, exhausted, "What did they say?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "They¡ª"


    [We believe one of the Elders is responsible for this.]


    And once again, a much-needed calmness whispered in the air as Tedi''s voice vibrated in everyone''s ears. Hannah looked up, only to see Tedi covering the view of space¡ªbeside her, was the-sized ship from which the weird light came from.


    [I have examined this behemoth thoroughly, and it resembles the architecture of Elder Skeem''s people. It is already destroyed, unable to survive from the power and energy it released¡ªI''m afraid I could not recover any data from it to fully confirm anything at this point.]


    "..." A loud squeaking noise whispered in the air as Dian squeezed her hands; blood, dripping from her fists as the ground beneath her feet started to crack, "Are you saying¡­ the Common Council did this?"


    [No. But there is a chance that Elder Skeem is involved.]


    "Xra, let me borrow your ship," Diana gritted her teeth as she looked at Xra.


    "..." Xra only returned Diana''s re, before letting out a small sigh and nodding her head, "We¡ª"


    "!!!"


    And before Xra could offer an answer, a shriek thundered through the air. Diana did not even hesitate, as she quickly flew toward the voice that prated straight deep into her bones.


    Hannah and the others also immediately followed, and as they reached where the wailing was loudest¡ªthere, they saw a mother clinging to her child.


    Not a superhero, not a themarian, not a princess¡ªjust a mother.


    "..." Hannah could really only gasp and cover her mouth as her feetnded on the ground. They were farther away from the sea of lifeless bodies, making the only thing that she could see was the sorrowful sight in front of her.


    "Oh no, no¡­no," Aerith''s tears and snotpletely stained her face; her head shaking without pause as she swayed her body back and forth¡ªand in her arms was her son. He was muchrger than her; her arms barely even wrapping his entire body¡­ and yet she held him like she was never going to let him go.


    "Please¡­ oh, god no¡­" Aerith ced her lips on Gary''s forehead several times as she whispered, "My baby¡­ not my baby. No¡­no, no, no."


    "Gary¡­" Hannah could really only hold her mother''s hand as she looked away from the scenery in front of her. They were surrounded by corpses, and yet it was only now that everything was truly registering in her mind.


    "Diana¡­ please, please help."


    "Aerith¡­" Diana couldn''t really say anything. Just closing her eyes as she shook her head.


    "How¡­ could this happen?" Hannah whispered, "Themarians¡­ themarians aren''t supposed to¡­"


    Themarians are not supposed to die this easily, instantly¡ªHannah did not even need to finish her words as it was already in everyone''s minds. For most of them, themarians might as well be immortal.


    "It''s¡­ me." And almost as if to answer everyone''s question¡­


    ¡­Aerith once again whispered.


    "It''s me¡­" She said, "I did this."


    "No¡­" Paige slightly raised her voice, "None of this is your fault, Aerith. This is¡ª"


    "My fault¡­ it''s my fault," Aerith said as she looked at Gary''s face,pletely peaceful¡­ seemingly just sleeping as she very gently ce him on the des of grass,


    "I killed them¡­ I killed my baby."


    "Ae¡ª"


    "It''s my fault¡­" Aerith repeated as she caressed her son''s face, before very slowly turning her eyes toward Diana,


    "...I told them how to do this."

 Chapter 646 646: The Universes Mistake

    "I¡­ told them how to do this to us."


    "..."


    No one really bothered to say anything, they just watched as Aerith continued to brush her son''s cheek¡ªfixing his hair as he justy there quietly. Gary, and all of the themarians there truly seemed like they were just sleeping.


    Their faces were too peaceful, and at any moment, they would all just stand up andugh, telling everyone that it was just someme prank. Hannah was actually expecting that, as that was something that Gary would actually do just to garner augh.


    While it is true that she and Gary may have started to fall out before all of this happened, none of it was his fault. He¡­ was just a young man trying to live up to the name of his mother, even knowing that it waspletely impossible.


    He was¡­ desperate. And yet even then, he never really gave up. Facing everything head-on, and never really losing sight of what he needed to do. Some people hate him for it, but Hannah always thought that out of all of them, he was the best.


    When each and every one of them in the Baby Crew just wanted to end things, he was the one that held them together. He was just always there for everyone¡ªmaking themugh with his stupid jokes.


    And yet when the time came that they needed him, none of them even noticed he was hurting. He was¡­ alone.


    Hannah saw it. And yet shepletely ignored him.


    No one saw him.


    "..." Hannah could really only close her eyes; the tears she wanted toe out, not even being allowed to exist as her entire body started to heat up.


    "Who¡­ did this?" Hannah then quietly asked, "What¡­


    ¡­do you mean you told them how to do this, Megawoman?"


    ***


    "Do you expect us to just go along with this, Princess Aerith? Theran has been quiet for a million years, and yet you''re telling us not to be surprised that not only did you create a pilotable, but you also n to migrate more than a hundred million of your people to it?"


    "Elder Skeem, if I may interject¡ªElders, I know I am new here. But I fail to see why Her Highness needs to ask permission from us in the first ce. As you said, Theran has been quiet for a million years. That also trantes that for a million years, they have let all of us y kings and queens. I apologize if my words will offend anyone in the Council, but we are really only allowed to have a Common Council because the themarians let us. Even right now, Princess Aerith could snap our necks¡ªexcept for Elder Bato, who doesn''t have a neck, and Elder Skeem, who is all neck but no bones."


    "And is that supposed to make us feel better about the themarians, Elder Olseyir?"


    "No one is snapping anyone''s neck! Our people are not violent in nature!"


    "...But you are a race of warriors. Violence is your nature."


    "If I may interject again. Elder Skeem, you are judging a species you know nothing about¡ªfor most of us, isn''t this our first time actually seeing a themarian in person? Princess Aerith has been nothing but courteous and diplomatic to us. And with respect, your species are the ones specializing in weapons of war."


    "We specialize in weapons of war because, without them, we are one of the weakest species in the entire Known Universe. The themarians are the weapons."


    "If I may interje¡ª"


    "No, you may not!"


    Some time ago, while Riley was busy talking with the Ahor Zai, Aerith was busy convincing the Common Council of her ns to migrate the younger part of her poption to a pilotable.


    And as one might expect, the discussion wasn''t going anywhere¡ªwith Elder Skeempletely adamant about telling his peers that it was a bad idea.


    They have been on it for hours, and yet no one could really agree with each other. Elders Apo, S''adar, and the newest Elder, Olseyir, did not really have a problem with what she proposed because as Olseyir said, she shouldn''t even be asking for permission.


    As for the Grand Elder and Elder Skeem, they both expressed their disagreement¡ªwith Skeem being very vocal about it. As for Elder Bato, well¡­ Aerith didn''t really know what he was thinking.


    "Princess Aerith."


    And finally, Elder Skeem and Elder Olseyir stopped debating with each other as the tiny Grand Elder stood up on his throne and spoke,


    "As you may already be aware, all of the Elders of the Common Council need to agree for a decision to be consideredpletely approved. And as only three have agreed to your ns, I am afraid that unless you convince all of us¡ªyour people''s migration will not be happening."


    "May I interj¡ª"


    "Elder Olseyir is correct," the Grand Elder did not let Elder Olseyir interject as he raised his hand, gesturing to everyone to shut their mouths, "You had no need toe to us for this and could have just done your n without advising us, so I do appreciate this meeting. But now that you dide to us¡ªwe are, unfortunately, not allowing the migration of your people."


    "...And if I still continue what I am doing?" Aerith''s tone slightly changed. She was, however, still trying her best to remain calm.


    "Then it will be seen as an act of aggression to the entire Common Council, and therefore the entire Known Universe."


    "Wait, wait¡­" Elder Olseyir stood from her seat, "...Why are we trying to intimidate a race of gods!?"


    "They are not gods, Elder Olseyir," Elder Skeem also stood up; his robotic limbs, creating a subtle noise to whisper in the air, "There is no reason for us to bow to them!"


    "She is not asking us to bow for them! She is just asking for us to not overreact while her people travel across the Universe¡ªwhich her people should really have the right to do!"


    "How are the people not to overreact?" Elder Skeem turned his worm-like head at Aerith, "Even right now, the woman in front of us could p her hands and everyone here would just vanish along with Ahor Zai."


    "So, just because they''re unusually strong, we won''t¡ª"


    "What if we''re not?"


    And before Elder Olseyir could finish her words, Aerith stepped forward; her sigh loud as she raised her voice.


    "What if we''re not strong?" Aerith then let out a long and deep breath as she looked at the Grand Elder and Elder Skeem, "In Theran, we have a device we use to exercise and train our bodies, which doubles as a suppressor or a limiter to the¡­ delinquents of our people."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I¡­ don''t think there''s a need for¡ª"


    "Do not interrupt the Princess, Elder Olseyir," the Grand Elder raised his hand, gesturing to Elder Skeem and Olseyir to sit back down,


    "You may continue, Princess Aerith."


    "..." Aerith looked at each of the Elders one by one, before once again letting out a sigh and nodding, "It''s a device that exhausts our energy, tricking our bodies to exert force uselessly¡ªimmobilizing and weakening us. I¡­


    ¡­can share it with the Common Council, in good faith that you won''t need to use it against us¡ªbecause we are not a threat."


    "Princess Aerith!" Elder Olseyir once again stood up, "I do not think that is such a good idea¡ªdo not trust us with that kind of power. Your people will be in danger."


    "I am asking you to trust me, and therefore I will trust all of you," Aerith breathed out, "But now, I will warn all of you¡ªthe device won''t kill us, it won''t even harm us. So, if you''re going to use it, please be sure you have a good reason for it¡­ because I won''t take it kindly."


    "..."


    "..."


    "This device¡­" Elder Skeem whispered,


    "¡­what do you call it?"


    ***


    "..."


    "..."


    "I¡­ don''t understand."


    And as Aerith finished her story, the only one that broke the silence that came after was Paige.


    "I''ve seen what this¡­ EDP can do, and¡­ and it can''t kill any of you. Doesn''t this mean that¡­ it''s possible that everyone is just sleeping?"


    "No."


    And before anyone could even ponder or gain even the slightest of hope from Paige''s words, Diana''s voice whispered to everyone''s ears.


    "What¡­ have we done, Aerith?" Diana said as she approached Aerith, sitting on the ground so she could look at her eyes at the same level,


    "I¡­ should have gone with you," Diana then gently held Aerith''s hand, which was caressing Gary''s cheek, "I should have gone with you."


    "..." Aerith did not really say anything anymore, she just calmly removed Diana''s hand and continued to gently caress Gary''s face. The only thing that Diana could really do was shake her head¡­ before approaching Elder Olseyir with her eyes filled with red.


    "Did you know about this?" Diana calmly said.


    "N¡­no," Elder Olseyir quickly raised her hands, "This¡­ this is genocide, my¡­ my people would die before we ever approve of such an evil action. I¡ªLet me try contacting the Common Council!"


    Elder Olseyir then quickly flew away¡ªbut Diana did not give chase and instead just once again stared at the death of her people.


    "I''ll follow her, mother."


    The one that did follow, however, was Riley, who had been surprisingly keeping quiet from the start and just looking at Aerith.


    "...Make sure she doesn''t go anywhere."


    "Of course, mother."


    Riley took one final nce at Aerith, before flying away and chasing Elder Olseyir into the expanse of space. And there, Riley saw Elder Olseyir talking to herself¡ªwell, not really, as she seemed to be truly having a conversation with someone.


    "Riley Ross!" Elder Olseyir then quickly removed her hand from her face as she noticed Riley behind her, "I''ve made contact with the Grand Elder, they said they are investigating Elder Skeem''s actions right now! They n to interrogate him!"


    "Was he alone?" Riley asked.


    "They¡­ don''t know yet," Elder Olseyir''s tone seemed like she was on the verge of tears, "Why¡­ why would they even do something like this!? The themarians, they were¡­ we were already teaching them how to limate to their new environment and¡ª"


    "Elder Olseyir."


    "...Yes?" Elder Olseyir could really only blink a couple of times as she saw Riley very slowly floating near her.


    "You¡­" Riley then whispered as he looked Elder Olseyir in the eyes, "You need to stop pretending."


    "W¡ªwait," Elder Olseyir raised both of her arms in surrender, "What¡­ what do you mean!? I''m not involved in this, I swear!"


    "Elder Olseyir," Riley then ced his hand on Elder Olseyir''s shoulder, causing her to flinch, "You¡­


    ¡­have done well."


    "..." Elder Olseyir''s eyes squinted as she heard Riley''s words. But after a few seconds, she let out a sigh and shook her head, "I only did what was asked of me¡­


    ¡­Boss."

 Chapter 647 647: Elder Olseyir

    "I only did what was asked of me...


    ¡­Boss."


    Elder Olseyir''s silver eyes glistened even without light reflecting on them. And if one were to look, if one were to just truly look¡ªthey would notice Riley also reflecting in it. And not just because he was in front of her, no¡ªtheir eyes were truly simr.


    It was the only thing that could be seen from her, the rest were covered by her pink, oversized robes¡­like a veil filled with mystery.


    "Not at all, Elder Olseyir."


    Riley tilted his head to the side, floating and circling around Elder Olseyir as he looked at her from head to toe, "I only told you 5 words. M¡ª"


    "Turn them hostile against Theran."


    "And you did."


    "No," Elder Olseyir sighed and shook her head, before letting out a small giggle, "I did nothing, like literally. They were on Aerith''s throat from the start, all I needed to do was direct the conversation."


    "Perhaps," Riley shrugged as he finally stopped circling Olseyir and floated in front of her, "But you still did everything before and after that."


    "Pft," Olseyir''s robes started to bounce as she giggled, "All it is was a push. And as always, nothing we did would return to us¡­ because we did nothing."


    "Good job, Elder Olseyir," Riley nodded, clearly satisfied with Olseyir''s words.


    "We are who we are, Boss," Olseyir also nodded, "And as I said, I have only done what You have asked of me."


    Elder Olseyir then bowed her head. And if there was a floor to kneel on, she would have probably already done so.


    "And?"


    "...Boss?" Olseyir then blinked a couple of times as she looked at Riley.


    "Who are you, Elder Olseyir?" Riley then said as he very slowly floated back, "May you tell me your story and who you are?"


    "I am one of your clones, Boss. Raleerus created me, like many others," Olseyir then raised her hands, very slowly unveiling her robes and revealing her face.


    "...Oh?"


    She resembled Riley, definitely. To the point that Riley could really only tilt his head, slightly confused at the fact that other than she looked like him, she was nothing like him¡ªshe was a woman.


    Her face was rounder, softer, her eyebrows thinner and her lips that were smiling were plump and red¡ªas red as the gems attached to the pair of earrings she was wearing.


    "Why not just read my memories, Boss?" Olseyir then whispered; her voice, even more feminine than before, "I would be honored to finally once again be a part of you."


    "No," Riley quickly shook his head, "You are your own person now, Elder Olseyir¡ªI will not be breaching your privacy. Just tell me more about you, I¡­ am curious as to how you came to be. But please do keep it short."


    "Thank you, Boss," Olseyir once again bowed her head, before her eyes strayed toward the endless horizon of the Known Universe,


    "I was one of the earliest clones that Raleerus summoned during his rampage. There were only 5 of us from the start, but as Raleerus started regaining his strength¡ªhe started summoning more and more until there were hundreds of us. We were scattered, we are scattered throughout the Known Universe."


    "And the rest are still rampaging out there?"


    "Some of them," Olseyir nodded, "Some of them were like me, however. We killed here and there¡­ but then we got tired and just chose to stay on a single to rest for a while. I killed half of the poption, and then I started creating my own clones¡­


    ¡­and my own clones started creating their own clones."


    "..."


    "I know," Olseyir then let out a long and deep sigh before once again giggling, "We sort of took the for our own¡ªno, that''s exactly what we did."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Oh, are you wondering about this?" Elder Olseyir then took the rest of her robes off, revealing the rest of her body¡ªand as she did so, it was almost as if she took the rest of whatever Riley was left on her.


    She¡­ was truly a woman; her skin, as smooth as it was pale.


    Elder Olseyir then grabbed her breasts as she looked Riley in the eyes, "My clones treated me like a mother, you know how weird we can be. As to how I became like this, well¡­the we were staying on just happens to be capable of¡­ making changes. So, I decided to change."


    "Interesting," Riley ced his hand on his chin, "So, the original inhabitants of the¡ªdid you make them your ves?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "No, we decided to kill them a few weeks after to officially take over the," Elder Olseyir sighed and shook her head, "They were sort of getting annoying to keep. And if we wanted the to be truly ours, we should be the only ones there¡ªand we named it."


    "Tahire," Riley hummed, "That is an anagram of Aerith, is it not?"


    "Yes," Elder Olseyir smiled; the edges of her red lips, almost reaching from ear to ear, "And I decided to call our species Bin¡ªarrange that and you get Albino. So, what do you think? I''m a genius, right?"


    "It was stupid, Elder Olseyir," Riley sighed and shook his head, "Aerith might have caught up on that."


    "Eh¡­" Elder Olseyir scoffed as she waved her hand, "...People are too centered on themselves to notice something like that. I assure you, even someone reading on paper wouldn''t have made a connection."


    "Hm. And then, what happened next after you established your own civilization, Elder Olseyir?"


    "Well, we didn''t really establish it¡ªwe took it over and changed it," Elder Olseyir shrugged, "But after we were fully living a life there, I reached out to the Common Council and introduced myself and the rest of my people. I told them that we were an advanced species that have been watching the events in the Known Universe for a while now, and that we have been watching the Common Council."


    "Hm¡­"


    "And I told them that we have ess to technology that could not be detected by anything¡ªthat is why they don''t know about us, we arepletely invisible," Olseyir once again giggled, "You should have seen how scared they were. But of course, we don''t really have technology like that, it''s all just¡ª"


    "Telekinesis."


    "Hm. As you have always been proud of, Boss¡ªour telekinesis makes everything possible, hm," Olseyir nodded several times as she started covering herself again; her robes, wrapping around her on their own,


    "And then, I heard them discussing of Aerith''s arrival to Ahor Zai, and I requested them to introduce me there to the Known Universe so that we could meet."


    "And we did. I truly do appreciate the surprise. I thought they were keeping Raleerus in Ahor Zai since I detected a clone there, but it was you."


    "Hm, and that is where you told me the 5 words."


    "Which you dutifully and excellently executed. I once againmend you for a job well done, Elder Olseyir," Riley then started pping as he looked Olseyir in the eyes, "But may I ask how many¡­ Bins there are?"


    "I don''t know anymore, Boss," Olseyir shrugged, before letting out a long and deep sigh, "Due to my clones creating clones, and their clones creating clones¡ªthe majority of bins are too weak already¡ªthey are just¡­ normal citizens now. Some do not even have the capacity to use our abilities."


    "Interesting," Riley once again ced his hand on his chin.


    "And now, it is my turn to congratte you for a job well done, Boss!" Olseyir then pped her robes to the side, doing a curtsy as she once again bowed her head, "Just like that, the themarians which greatly hindered your progress to the total annihtion of all life are gone¡ªand the remaining two might even start helping you with your cause."


    "Hm, maybe they are not all gone," Riley shook his head.


    "Theran?" Olseyir squinted her eyes, "Did you convince the Queen to evacuate her people?"


    "I don''t know," Riley shrugged, "I just left Professor Riley there."


    "Ugh, I hate that guy," Olseyir rolled her eyes, "He thinks he''s better than everyone else because he managed to tame a few themarians. Were you aware he was speaking to me and gloating?"


    "No," Riley shook his head.


    "Pft, once we meet again¡ªI''ll show him his ce. I''m an Elder of the Common Council, I''m like Diley reborn," Elder Olseyir crossed her arms before she started floating away, "Anyway, shall we head back, Boss?"


    "Hm," Riley gestured to Olseyir to go ahead of him.


    "...What do you think will happen now, Boss?" And as the two were flying back, Olseyir nced at Riley.


    "Who knows, Elder Olseyir," a small smile then very slowly started to crawl on Riley''s face, "I''m just a spectator."


    "Oh¡­" Elder Olseyir''s entire body began shivering, "You just gave me the chills, Boss."


    And as Elder Olseyir and Riley once again entered New Theran, they were quickly weed by the sight of everyone arranging the corpses, making sure no bodies were undignified and stacked up on each other like ants.


    "..." And as soon asnded on the ground, he very slowly and gently lifted each of the almost 200 million bodies into the air.


    "Shall I bring them to where biological mother is buried, mother?" Riley then said as he looked at Diana. Hannah and the others could really only step to the side as they almost got dizzy from the drowning sight.


    "Yes," Diana just quietly nodded her head, letting go of the hand she was holding as she watched them float into the air.


    But then¡­ all of a sudden, one of them dropped to the ground.


    The Princess of Varoif¡­ barely breathing.

 Chapter 648 648: The Ones Left Behind

    They say that hope oftenes unexpectedly from the sky, but no one told them it would be literal. Their hope fell to the ground¡ªwell, not really¡ªDiana caught her in her arms before the hope could fall indignantly.


    It wasn''t hard to identify Esme, she was a giant amongst her people, after all. But now, she looked even bigger than before as Diana wrapped her, refusing to let her go.


    "Is¡­ Is she alive?" Hannah also quickly rushed to her mother''s side. Usually, themon reaction when seeing Esme up close for the very first time would be a muted shock. But as Esme''s silhouette reflected in Hannah''s eyes, the only thing that she really did was very gently ce a finger near her nose¡ªand there it was, a warmth escaping her body.


    "Mom¡­" Hannah stuttered as she looked at Diana, "She''s¡­ I think she''s alive."


    "Is there anything we can do?" Bernard alsonded near them; his armor quickly folding open as he looked at Esme from head to toe, "She¡­ has too little energy for a themarian. Do you think a Guardian Force could fix that?"


    "...No," Diana shook her head as she fixed Esme''s hair, "The maximum energy a Guardian Force is capable of releasing is not even a quarter of a themarian''s. And for her¡­ it wouldn''t even be a percent."


    Diana closed her eyes; taking in a long and very deep breath to stop herself from releasing the unneeded emotions that were trying to burst through her right now.


    She noticed it too, the beam of light. It was brief¡ªinstant, even¡ªbut Diana still felt something from it as it swallowed New Theran whole.


    There were two beams, one was most likely a concentrated version of the EDP, like a bolt of lightning or a taser thatpletely strained and exhausted their body. For someone of Elder Skeem''s intellect and knowledge in weaponry, this was easy to do¡ªhe rivaled Bernard in that regard.


    That won''t kill them, however, just fully incapacitate their bodies. It was the second beam that sent all of them to their eternal deaths¡ªDiana was still quite unsure of what it is yet, but whatever it was, it only affected her people; New Theran seemedpletely unscathed. If Diana was right, Elder Skeem had been scanning Aerith the entire time she was on Ahor Zai, studying their physiology.


    The second beam was strong¡ªstrong enough that a ship the size of a could only provide a single shot before it waspletely fried. Something like that takes time to build, and the energy it required would be cosmically massive. There really should only be one of them.


    When Diana felt it earlier, it reminded her of supernovas¡­ thousands of them exploding at the same time, and yet controlled.


    "..." Diana turned to look at Hannah, before once again focusing on Esme. And seeing someone like her like this, barely even breathing¡­ it meant her people didn''t have a chance to begin with.


    "Will¡­ she live?" Hannah asked.


    Diana, however, could really only close her eyes and gently brush Esme''s cheek with her hand.


    "Princess Esme," Riley, as well as some of the others also started making their way toward Esme; with Riley being extremely careful that Xra couldn''t hear his thoughts¡ªthis was the reason he had shown himself so little after the battle, he didn''t know whether he could calm his mind as he waited for something to happen.


    But right now, however, Riley was currently thinking of whether to kill Esme. If she could recover, there was a chance of her releasing a rage that could tear the Known Universe apart¡ªor there was also a chance that she discovers something¡­and points that rage at him instead.


    "Is there a way for her to live after Elder Skeem''s brutal attack?" Riley then bluntly said, making sure his voice traveled through Esme''s ears. She might bepletely unconscious, but it was better to make sure.


    "I don''t know," Diana shook her head, "I can hook her up in the Room of Revival, but that would require¡­ energy we do not have readily ess to. But even then, it will be solely up to her if she lives."


    "...Is she in the same state Aerith was in when I hid her in my closet?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "Yes. She¡­is refusing to live. She¡­ is so young¡­ this¡­ this is my fault," Diana tried her best to stay calm. But s, her breaths started to stutter. This was payment, she thought¡ªpayment for all the lives she had stripped away early. Her payment for tampering with the natural order of things.


    She didn''t deserve to cry.


    "None of this is your fault, Diana¡­" And finally, Aerith stood up from the ground; her eyes, still swollen and empty as she looked at Esme, "I¡­ Let''s go back to Theran."


    "...Why?" Diana''s eyes widened as soon as she heard Aerith''s words, "There''s¡­ there''s nothing for us¡ª"


    "Please¡­" Aerith breathed out.


    "Aerith," Diana then very gently ced Esme on the ground, before also standing up and looking Aerith in the eyes, "You¡­ might not like what you see."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I know, Diana¡­" Aerith shook her head; her voice, stuttering as tears once again trailed down her face, "...I know about the bomb, Riley told me."


    "..." Diana blinked a couple of times as she looked at Riley. Did¡­ she tell Riley about the bomb? Diana couldn''t really recall if she did¡ªbut if not, then how did he know? Xra?


    ¡­Queen Adel?


    "Diana, please."


    "..." Diana closed her eyes. The bomb¡­ should have exploded by now. The only way they could have survived is for Queen Adel to convince her people to leave¡­but Adel couldn''t even convince herself.


    "Diana¡­"


    "..." Diana then turned to look at Aerith, before cing her palms together. And as she pulled them apart, a hologram appeared in front of her,


    "Anna."


    [Yes?]


    "Is Ts alive?"


    [She is. She was unconscious for 2 minutes and 30 seconds, but she is awake now.]


    "...Anna, take us back to Theran."


    ***


    Diana already expected it¡ªbut Theran was truly gone.


    The only thing that reflected in front of her eyes was apressed giant clump of dust, almostpletely spherical. She knew what it would look like, but now seeing it in reality, Diana didn''t really know what to feel anymore.


    The once mighty of Theran, now just an indestructible ball.


    And just like that¡­


    ¡­themarians have be extinct.


    "This¡­" Hannah once again grabbed her mother''s hand¡ªas tight as she could as she noticed her trembling shoulders, "...You can rebuild, mom. This¡­ this isn''t the end."


    "..."


    "Silvie¡ªSilvie is the proof that your people have a future," Hannah stuttered; her words, slightly trembling, "You¡­ you can just create more. Silvie¡ªSilvie is her own person, she¡ª"


    "Hannah," Bernard quickly pulled her daughter away. Hannah didn''t want to let go, but as she saw her father''s shaking head, the only thing she could really do was walk away and let her mother grieve the death of her.


    But Diana wasn''t grieving, no¡ªthis was her doing. What she was doing right now¡­ was filling herself with regret.


    "I¡­" And while Diana''s eyes werepletely clouded, Aerith''s, on the other hand, reflected what remained of her home clearly in her eyes. A small smile, very slowly crawling on her face,


    "...I killed everyone."

 Chapter 649 649: Anywhere With You

    "I¡­ killed everyone."


    Aerith chuckled. She didn''t know why, but the only thing that was escaping her lips right now was a chuckle¡ªshe couldn''t even get herself to cry anymore. She¡­ wasn''t really even ming herself.


    "You didn''t kill anyone, Aerith¡­please, don''t believe that."


    "..." Aerith only scoffed; the wry smile on her face, not disappearing as she turned to look at Paige, "I can hear it¡­ all of your thoughts."


    "...What?" Paige could really only take in a deep breath as she saw the look on Aerith''s face.


    "I did this¡­ me."


    Paige recognized her face instantly¡ªshe had seen hundreds of them before back in her orphanage¡ªthe look of someonepletely lost.


    Lost from hope.


    ¡­Lost from reality.


    And someone like Megawoman¡ªfor someone she idolized ever since she was a child, the only thing that Paige could really do was shake her head; trying her best not to cry as she looked away from Aerith.


    And it wasn''t only her¡ªeveryone saw the emptiness in her eyes. It was so clear that they could see the quiet madness building up in them, almost lucid. Even Tomoe, who had been trying her best to force herself to hate Aerith, could not help but close her trembling hands into a fist.


    All this time, she tried her best to stay distant from her. After all, Riley had a weird obsession for Aerith¡ªas his subordinate, Tomoe''s task right now was to not empathize with the enemy¡ªbut she couldn''t stop herself.


    How could she? When she looks at Aerith now, she doesn''t see Megawoman¡­the only thing she sees is a reflection of who she once was¡ªdesperate, alone, clinging to nothing.


    ¡­Was she even Riley''s subordinate now? He barely even talks to her¡ªand right now, the reason why Tomoe was protecting Hannah is not that Riley ordered her to do so, but because she considered her as her best friend.


    Is¡­ it finally time for her to let go of the fantasy? Is it finally time to admit¡­


    ¡­that she was nothing at all for Riley?


    "..." Tomoe turned to look at Riley, only to see him minding his own world as the corpses of the themarians floating above them started to fly away.


    "You need to make them pay, Megawoman." And perhaps even unknown to herself, she suddenly blurted out something she thought she would never say, "Destroy everyone that is involved in doing this to you."


    "...That''s right," Hannah looked at Tomoe for a few seconds, before turning to her mother, "You need to do something, mom. Let¡­ let them know that there''s a price for¡ª"


    "....No," Diana did not let Hannah finish her words as she started stepping away, shaking her head as she returned to Esme''s side, "What I need to do is preserve what I can of my people. Let''s just¡­


    ¡­go home."


    "...Back to Earth?" Hannah blinked a couple of times, "You''re just going to run away from this!? They killed your entire people, mom!"


    "And your brother and I have done worse than that!" Diana could not help it anymore as she raised her voice¡ªcausing almost everyone there to flinch and take a step back, "And everything I have done was for nothing! I spent my entire life trying to save my people and now they are gone! Do you even have any idea how long that is!?"


    "Diana¡­" Bernard grabbed his wife''s arm, "...Let''s just go home. Let''s go home, okay?"


    "I''m tired, Bernard¡­ I''m just tired," Diana breathed out as she turned to look at everyone there¡ªand even at Tedi, who was just quietly floating around the ruined Theran, "...And I suggest every one of you go home too."


    "I don''t think so, Diana."


    "C¡­ Captain?"


    Xra''s crew, who had been quietly just standing behind her and showing their respects, could not help but look at their captain as she suddenly stepped forward.


    "I told you, Diana¡ªI will not leave until you resurrect my husband."


    "Y¡ª"


    "I will just have to follow you back to Earth," Xra did not let Diana finish her words as she turned around and walked away back to her crew, "Alindor, you''re the captain now. But it''s my ship, so go find your own."


    "...No, captain," Alindor quickly shook her head, "We follow where you go."


    "We¡­ will? But¡ªR¡­right, of course."


    "I guess I can show you my now, Moira."


    "..."


    And while Xra and her crew were busy discussing with themselves, Diana approached Olseyir, causing her to slightly take another step back; raising both her hands as she said,


    "I¡­I''m not involved in this!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Olseyir. That''s your name, correct?"


    Contrary to her worries, however, Diana''s words were calm.


    "...Yes?"


    "Do the other Elders know that we''re still alive?" Diana asked.


    "I¡­ don''t think so?" Elder Olseyir tilted her head to the side, "From the way the Grand Elder sounded, I think¡­ they believe that all of you are gone."


    "Go back to Ahor Zai¡ªtell them we''re all dead¡­you can use my ship to leave."


    "..." Elder Olseyir just looked Diana in the eyes, before respectfully bowing her head, "Do not worry, Caiin''Ur¡ªI will make sure that everyone would know of what they have done."


    And with those words, Elder Olseyir flew away; trying her best not to nce at Riley as she did so.


    "...What about you, Norid?" Diana then turned to look at Tedi.


    [I wish to visit your and learn what I can, Caiin''Ur. Riley Ross and I also have a prior engagement¡ªI will follow you to Earth and build my research center near there.]


    "...Anna," Diana once again ced her palms together, summoning a map of the universe.


    [Yes?]


    "Take us ho¡ª"


    "What about you, Aerith?"


    And before Diana could finish hermand, Riley finally opened his mouth as he very slowly made his way toward Aerith¡ªalmost repeating the same words her mother said to Tedi.


    "..." Aerith didn''t really respond. Just standing there even as Riley embraced her from behind in front of everyone; blinking her eyes very slowly as they reflected the ruined Theran.


    "Where do you want to go, Aerith?" Riley then rested his head on Aerith''s shoulder; his arms, wrapping tightly around her.


    "...Riley?" Hannah breathed out¡ªher feet, very slowly and instinctively moving closer to her brother, "...What are you trying to do?"


    "..." Aerith then nced at Riley, before turning to look at Gary''s corpse and closing her eyes.


    "Riley¡­ don''t," Paige took in a small gulp as she started shaking her head.


    "Riley, if you leave again, I won''t ever forgive you again. Never!" Hannah raised her voice as she rushed toward her brother.


    "Riley¡­" Before she could do so, however, Aerith started to whisper,


    "...Just take me away."


    "..." And very slowly, a smile started to crawl on Riley''s face,


    "Of course, Aerith¡­


    ¡­anywhere with you."


    ***Volume 6: END***


    "..."


    "..."


    Somewhere in the expanse of the universe, freely floating away was a white silhouette¡ªthe stars reflected on the pair of sses he was wearing.


    This silhouette then suddenly stopped flying; his long white hair, almost expanding as he turned to look behind him.


    "Why did you stop, Riley?"


    "I told you to just call me Professor¡­" Professor Riley''s sses then reflected the woman floating in front of her¡ªand like him, her long golden hair expanded in the darkness, even more so than his. But further that, however, his sses reflected more silhouettes behind her¡ªa thousand more,


    "And I am just getting excited about what Boss'' expression would be if he finds out I am siding with you¡­


    ¡­Queen Adel."


    ***Volume 7: START***

 Chapter 650 650: A New

    "Shh, quiet."


    "You shh, no one''s even talking."


    "You breathe too loud."


    "At least it doesn''t stink, you imbecile. Focus."


    Somewhere deep inside a sea of trees; therge leavespletely cover the sky, only letting a speck of light persevere and touch the ground. Even then, however, the nts seem to thrive as lush as they could; bushes, even standing meters tall.


    And inside those bushes were 4 pairs of eyes that reflected what little light was allowed to live inside the forest. The eyes seemed resolute, none of them blinking for even a single second.


    "...Are you sure this is the right spot?"


    "I''m sure. Can you just have some patience? Be like the new guy, he''s been quiet since we entered the dungeon."


    "...The new porter''s sort of creepy."


    "Shh!"


    "You shh!"


    The wordsing from the owners of the eyes started to mix with the rustle of the bushes; the tiny noise they were creating, whispering through the darkness as they continued to argue endlessly.


    Soon, however, as a tiny crack snapped in the air, their voices instantly stopped. Their eyes which were the only things exposed in the bush, now reflecting some sort ofrge deer.


    The deer''s eyes shone a bright red; its horns, almost asrge as its body as they created a weird pattern simr to that of lightning. But even with these grand features, perhaps the most noticeable thing with the deer was that¡­ it was holding arge bird in its mouth.


    The bird still seemed to be alive, as its wings could be seen weekly pping¡ªbut as soon as it did so, the deer violently wagged its head, mming therge bird on the ground.


    "..." The eyes that were hiding in the bush then all looked at each other, before obviously nodding as they once again focused on the deer. And as soon as it started devouring its prey, the owners of the eyes finally revealed themselves as they leaped out of the bushes.


    The deer flinched as soon as it heard the sound of footsteps, it quickly turned its head toward the noise¡­only to find a sh of light blinding it.


    "Roan, the feet!"


    "You don''t have to tell me!"


    The 3 people that leaped out from the bush quickly surrounded the stunned deer. The smallest one of the group, Roan, a young man carrying a rope, was the first to rush toward the deer¡ªcircling around it as he wrapped the rope around its feet.


    The deer tried unraveling itself, but as soon as it took a step forward, Roan pulled the rope.


    "!!!" The deer then let out a wailing roar as it tripped violently¡ªits horns, prating deep through the ground. It tried pulling itself up; but with its feet bound, the only thing it was doing was trapping itself with its own horns.


    "Now!"


    And with it trapped, the other two rushed toward it¡ªbrandishing and swinging their own weapons at the trapped deer. Thergest one of them, a muscr bald man sporting a beard, mmed his hammer that was almost half his size straight on the deer''s bound legs.


    The deer screamed¡­but that was it¡ªdespite the size of the hammer, it only managed to scrape a skin off the deer''s leg. Hispanions were in the same boat¡ªtheir spear, and knives, not able to pierce through the deer''s hide.


    The hunters did not stop, however, as they continued violently swinging their weapons at the deer. None of them stopping¡­not until the red glow in the deer''s eyes started to fade away.


    And with the light in its eyespletely gone, two of the hunters quickly stepped back.


    The only one that remained near the deer was the one holding the spear; her hands, gripping her weapon tighter as she stepped on the deer''s neck. She then took in a deep breath, before stabbing her spear straight into the deer''s head¡ªand this time, it was able to pierce through it, even prating the ground.


    And with that, any movement from the deer disappeared.


    "Ha¡­" The female hunter then quickly backed away, falling to her butt as she let go of her spear; her breaths, as heavy as they could be as she looked at herrades. The exhaustion on her face did notst long, however, as she raised her thumbs up and smiled.


    "Good work, everyone!"


    "Alright!"


    The other hunters raised their weapons in the air; their cheers, filling the darkness of the forest with joy.


    "I told you, it will be here! How many times have I failed you guys!? Zero! Zero!" Roan raised his voice, pointing at his tworades as heughed.


    "Like¡­ a hundred times?" The woman sitting on the ground once again released a deep breath; wiping her sweat before finally standing up and retrieving her weapon from the deer''s head,


    "Anyway¡­" The woman then retrieved something from the small bag attached to her waist¡ªa watch. Not digital, however, butpletely analog as the sounding from it ticked quietly in the air, "We only have a few minutes left, I don''t want to get a penalty again. We can barely pay for the inn as it is."


    "Wait, our time is up!? We¡­ only hunted one!?" The short man, Roan, sped his head as he looked at the dead deer, "This is your fault, Bert!"


    "How is this my fault when you''re the one who got us waiting for an entire hour?" The muscr man, Bert, crossed his arms as he looked at Roan. The two then proceeded to¡­ violently stare at each other before Bert just gave up, sighing and turning his head to look at the female hunter.


    "I told you to share a room with us already, Lilly," Bert said, "That will cut our expenses almost in half."


    "...You think I''m going to sleep in the same room as you guys?" The female hunter, Lilly, rolled her eyes before turning to look at the tall bush they emerged from,


    "It''s safe, you cane out now."


    "..."


    "...I think the new guy is shaking in his boots," Roan smirked, "For someone that looks like a ghost, I didn''t expect him to be scared that easily."


    "Can you shut up? Do you want to carry this thing yourself?" Lilly once again rolled her eyes.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Just let Bert carry it, what else is he going to use all that muscle for!?"


    "Then you carry my hammer," Bert clicked his tongue, "Then make sure to protect me when a monster jumps out. There''s a reason we have porters, you little runt."


    "What did you call me!?"


    "And you''re the reason why thest one quit in the first ce! You¡ª"


    And before the two men could start arguing, thest one of their group finally stepped out of the bushes¡ªpping his hands as he looked at the three hunters one by one.


    "Good work, everyone," the man then smiled; the ends of his lips, almost reaching his ears as he was revealed by what little light seeped into the forest, "I''ll handle it from here so you can rx."


    The man was covered in a cloak¡ªbut even then, his pale white face could be seen clearly; his white hair, too long to be contained inside the garment.


    "...I told you he was creepy as hell," Roan sneakily approached Bert and Lilly, "...What was his name again?"


    "I can agree with you on that."


    "He was the only porter avable. I¡­ don''t really remember his name."


    Bert, as well as Lilly, whispered to each other as they stepped away from the carcass, making way for their white-haired porter as he walked toward the dead deer.


    "...Are you sure you''re a porter?" Roan squinted his eyes as he looked up at their porter, "Why didn''t you even bring a cart¡­or a bag, for that matter? Where are you even going to¡ª"


    And before Roan could finish his words, the white-haired porter grabbed therge deer by its horns¡­very gently lifting it and throwing it over his shoulder.


    "...Shall we go?" The porter then casually nodded, before gesturing to the three to lead the way.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Everyone?"


    "Y¡­Yes," Lilly blinked a couple of times, before grabbing her spear from the ground and gesturing to herrades to move. Roan and Bert, however, looked at each other for a few seconds before proceeding to walk ahead.


    "...Can you lift that deer with one hand?" Roan whispered as he walked closely to Bert.


    "I can¡­" Bert nodded as he nced back at the porter, "...But look at him and look at me."


    "I don''t know¡­ he might be more muscr than you inside that cloak."


    "Well, he''s definitely taller than you."


    "The fuck you say!?"


    "Guys,e on¡­ stop embarrassing us," Lilly, who was leading the way, once again rolled her eyes as she nced at herrades, "This is the reason why ourst porter left, he was frustrated from hearing the two of you talk shit."


    "Tell that to the big guy."


    "You¡ª"


    "Shh!"


    "You shh!"


    Even with Lilly''s warnings, the two continued to argue with each other¡ªwith Lilly even joining in. It wasn''t until they reached some sort of fiery ring of fire that they stopped arguing.


    The ring was hovering inches above the ground, wide andrge enough to fit perhaps a group of people¡ªand within that ring, one could see a view that waspletely different from the rest of the forest.


    "You guys, shut up," Lilly sighed as she stopped in front of this ring, "Let me talk to the handlers first and negotiate¡ª"


    "Thest one pays for dinner!"


    And before Lilly could finish her words, Roan suddenly rushed past her¡ªrunning through the ring¡­ and justpletely disappearing.


    "..." Lilly and Bert then looked at each other¡ªwith Bert shaking his head. He seemed to want to say something, but s¡­ Lilly suddenly moved and ran through the ring.


    "Damn it!" Bert stretched his hand to try and stop Lilly, but s¡­ he was thest of the three to pass through the portal.


    "..." The white-haired porter, who was left carrying the deer, did not immediately follow the three out, and instead slowly turned around. And there, he saw 3 other deer that looked just like the one he was carrying¡ªtheir red glowing eyes, staring at him as smoke fumed from their throbbing noses.


    "Hello," the porter tilted his head to the side, returning the deer''s stares as he very slowly stepped toward them. As soon as he did so, however, the three deer all turned around, quickly trotting away.


    But before they could disappear into the bushes¡­ all of them suddenly and instantly turned into a mist of blood.


    "Hm. Animals are still scared of me¡­


    ¡­I wonder why?"


    And with those words, the white-haired porter also disappeared into the portal.

 Chapter 651 651: The World Of Arlusia

    "Extend your time? But you''ve been inside the dungeon for half a day!"


    "We¡­we''ve only hunted one monster."


    "What!? You''ve been there half a day! You¡ªand you only hunted an Elderdeer!? That''s just a Level 2 Beast!"


    Beasts. Since the dawn of the World of Arlusia, Beasts have roamed free throughout itsnds. But these Beasts truly aren''t wee in Arlusia, however, as theye from apletely different ce¡­another world.


    Theye from portals unannounced, bringing chaos to thend; destroying nature itself, killing and devouring all the native inhabitants they could see. It wasn''t until the age of men that the world was able to see even a semnce of order¡ªand with the birth of the Hunters, they began to achieve bnce.


    The Hunters, as their name entails, hunt the monsters directly in the other world. entering through the portals and eradicating all the threats before they could wreak havoc in Arlusia. In short, they were specialized attack teams.


    The world through the portals is also filled with all sorts of treasures; like an abandoned Dungeon¡ªsometimes literally, as some of the portals lead through crypts.


    These Dungeons, however, never truly disappear. They will fade when the monsters inside it are all cleared, but they always return as the monsters seem to¡­ replenish their numbers in random amounts of time.


    Arlusia''s civilization centered around hunting monsters, as well as learning about them and the Dungeons. But truly, there wasn''t much to learn¡ªthe schrs of the world just treat it simr to most things Arlusia, magical in nature.


    As for the rest of the people, they just like dealing with the monsters with their swords and spells. This is the way of life in Arlusia.


    Arlusia and the people in it, however, had no idea that another beast was in their midst¡ªthe greatest monster in the Universe, Known and Unknown.


    An evil cmity called Riley Ross.


    "..." And this evil cmity, right now, quietly steps out of the dungeon; carrying an Elderdeer on his shoulders. His eyes reflected the horizons of Arlusia, a lush field of grass for miles on end, almost reflecting the blue sky above it. Of course, this was just a single part of the lively world.


    Riley then started approaching the team he was with; as soon as he did so, however, he noticed someone pointing at him¡ªa balding middle-aged man.


    "I was wondering why your porter didn''t bring a cart, or even a bag¡­" The balding middle-aged man was talking to Lilly¡ªno, not really talking¡ªperhaps sermon was the right word,


    "...It turns out he probably knows your party is ipetent!"


    "Hey, I have had enough of you! Why don''t you just do your job as a Handler!?"


    "..." Riley then quietly watched as Roan rushed toward the handler, only to be pulled away by Bert like some sort of puppy; not the cute kind.


    "Stop it," Bert said; his voice and eyes, however, were clearly hostile as they directed them to the handler.


    "Tch," the handler, of course, did not take this lightly as he grabbed therge book hanging on his leather belt.


    "Leville Party. 1 Elderdeer. Completion time, 12 hours," the handler then scoffed as he started writing on the book. And while he was doing so, the other hunters that were in the area started chuckling.


    Roan could really only grit his teeth as he heard them; gripping his fists as he looked to the side. As the team''s tracker, he knew it was his fault that they even take this long just to hunt a single monster.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Let''s just go¡­" Bert sighed, cing his hand on Roan''s shoulder as he quickly noticed the expression painted on his face.


    "Porter," Bert then said as he gestured to Riley, "Put the monster in our cart. We¡­ apologize that we only hunted one, I know how hard this is for you guys too."


    "It is fine, Mr. Bert. It is my fault that you were not able to hunt more," Riley shook his head as he walked toward the team''s cart.


    "...What?" Bert could not help but let out a wry chuckle as he heard Riley''s words, "How is that your fault?"


    "..." Riley did not really answer as he just carefully ced the elderdeer on the Leville party''s cart. It is indeed his fault¡ªthe only reason Roan had a harder time tracking the monsters is because of him¡ªthe animals could always feel and sense Riley as he is.


    "This is actually my very first time working as a Porter, Mr. Bert," Riley then said as he shook his head, "I should perhaps thank you for easing me into it slowly."


    "Huh¡­" Bert squinted his eyes, "...You''re alright, kid. I''d like to work with you again if ever you''re avable."


    "..." Riley looked at Bert''s hand as he stretched it toward him. He stared at it for a few seconds, before shaking it and subtly smiling at him, "Of course, Mr. Bert."


    "And don''t mind the shorty, he''s always been like that."


    "Hm," Riley just nodded before making his way to the handler, who still seemed busy ridiculing or perhaps teasing Lilly with their ipetent hunt time.


    "Can you just pull some of our time? It¡­ won''t do well on our record," Lina meekly said, "Come on, don''t act like we didn''t help you before."


    "What did you¡ª"


    "Mr. Handler."


    And before the handler could start berating Lilly again, Riley approached the two.


    "I would like to get mymission now, Mr. Handler," Riley calmly said as he stood between him and Lilly, "I heard that I could get it from you directly so I won''t have to travel to¡ª"


    "I don''t have yourmission." And before Riley could finish his words, the handler scoffed and waved his hand, "Go to the nearest guild branch if you want to get your money."


    "But I was told that¡ª"


    "I don''t have your money," the handler smirked as he once again opened his logbook, "Do you want me to record this in¡ª"


    "!!!"


    "No." And before the handler could even get his pen¡­ Riley suddenly grabbed his hand.

 Chapter 652 652: Stranger

    "No."


    "L¡­let go of my hand!"


    Handlers. As their name suggests, they handle everything regarding the dungeons and hunters¡ªthey are like managers, in a sense, but they work for the public. As just being beside a dungeon portal was already dangerous, Handlers are almost usually also hunters.


    They were, of course, weaker than the average hunter as they deal more with the logistics of things¡ªbut even then, they should be stronger than normal people¡ªin this case, a Porter.


    Some Porters are of course, also hunters. Just some, however, as the reason they were Porters in the first ce was that they couldn''t be Hunters.


    And so, following that logic, the handler should be stronger than Riley. So, why¡­?


    Why couldn''t he even pull his hand away as Riley grabbed his wrist?


    "I said, let go of¡ª"


    "Okay."


    And before the handler could finish his words, Riley let go of his hand.


    "But please don''t put anything on your book about me, Mr. Handler," Riley said as a small smile crawled on his face, "I''ll go to the nearest guild branch as you advised me to."


    "F¡­fine," the handler could really only clear his throat as he closed his book, "Go away before I change my mind. I swear, you newbies think you''re actually entitled to something. You shouldn''t even be paid for your first job! This is training, training!"


    "Hm," Riley only nodded, before stepping back and walking away. And as soon as he did so, the other hunters watching themotion once again snickered; shaking their heads as they looked at the handler.


    "Why are you bullying newbies again, Astor? You know we''re in short supply of porters already."


    "Tch, porters are a waste of money," the handler shook his head, "They should just give their payments to us for handling all this shit."


    "Yeah, yeah. So¡­ where are you going to spend the money that was supposed to be for him?"


    The handler and the others tried to whisper, but their voices could still clearly reach Riley''s ears. He does nothing, however; just staring at the handler''s face, as well as the other hunters one by one¡­memorizing their faces.


    "You should have amission," Lilly, who was previously talking to the handler, walked beside Riley.


    "That fucker''s probably gonna spend it on mead," Roan also joined in, clicking his tongue several times, "If you need money, I can let you borrow some."


    "It''s fine. I truly appreciate the offer, everyone," Riley just nodded, however, as he made his way to a giant bird that was tied to a nearby log, "Let us see each other again if you book me, Leville party."


    The giant bird was simr to the one in the mouth of the elderdeer that they hunted. It looked simr to an ostrich, except its muscles and bones were obviously much thicker. And as Riley climbed on it, its fluffiness was also made obvious as his legs almost disappeared into its tuft.


    "Wait, don''t you want to join us!?" Roan raised his voice, "We usually have a drink after a sessful hunt!"


    "Then, I suppose you won''t be drinking, Mr. Roan," Riley calmly said as he pulled the reins and turned the bird around; the bird''s legs, trembling for some reason,


    "I also do not drink, thank you for the offer."


    "Wh¡ª"


    And before Roan could even say another word, the bird almost leaped into the air as it rushed to get away; which was definitely weird, as those birds couldn''t really fly.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Did¡­ that guy just diss me?" Roan could really only watch as Riley very slowly disappeared into the horizon; the dust left by the bird''s feet as it ran as fast as it could, leaving a trail.


    "Just let it go," Bert chuckled as he patted Roan''s shoulder, "I like him, we should get him again next time. What do you think, boss?"


    "I guess," Lilly just shrugged, "I think the guy''s probably also a hunter, though. Did you see how effortless he made it look when he carried the elderdeer?"


    "Yeah.." Bert nodded as he scratched his beard, "...it was as if he was just carrying Roan."


    "True, lighter than a sack of hay."


    "...What the fuck, guys?"


    ***


    The World of Arlusia.


    The only way that Riley could describe it was that it was¡­ empty. Not in a way that makes its fields deste, no. In fact, its fields were very much alive¡ªbut that was it. Arlusia was filled with fields.


    Fields of grass, fields of sand, fields of snow¡ªvast. The trees were sparse, the rocks were sparse, making the world rtively¡­ t.


    And as he rode his mount; feeling the wind hitting his face, it felt somewhat freeing. If he gets rid of everyone, then wouldn''t he feel like this all the time?


    Riley just allowed therge bird between his legs to take him to his destination. He even let go of the reins as he stretched his arms to the side¡ªhis cloak, iling along with the wind along with his long white hair; some parts of it, braided.


    And a few hourster, he reached a city. The entire city was surrounded by a thick defensive wall; perfectly circling around it to protect it from all sides¡ªand of course, a gate to match it.


    The gate, however, waspletely open for everyone to enter and leave as they wished.


    "..." Riley quickly got off his mount as soon as he reached the gate. Pulling it by its reins as he walked through the gates, casually nodding to the guards that were stationed there.


    And as Riley walked through the streets of the city of Arunafelt, the world''s culture quickly reflected in his eyes. There were stalls everywhere, selling all sorts of trinkets and monster parts on the side.


    There were also people walking around, tantly showing theirrge weapons as they casually traverse the busy street; no one cared, however, as everyone just went on about their days.


    Riley also just casually walked¡ªbut most of the eyes, however, were on him as they saw his exaggeratedly whiteplexion and hair. Riley continued to make his way deeper into the city, only stopping as he reached a certain building.


    "..." He then turned to look at his mount. And as soon as it did so, the giant bird flinched¡­ before quickly moving to the stables at the side of the building and locking itself in it.


    "Hm¡­" Riley nodded to himself, before finally entering the building; pushing its doors open as he stepped inside. And as soon as he did so, the men and women that were minding their own business at their tables all turned their heads at him.


    "..." Riley, on the other hand, didn''t even bother looking at any of them as he just turned to look at a specific table that was on the corner of the tavern¡ªand there, he saw several men surrounding a certain table¡ªbringing their own chair as they seemed to be talking to the woman that was sitting alone by herself there.


    And finally, Riley''s eyes that have been calm since earlier started to squint.


    "Excuse me, everyone," Riley then calmly said as he approached the table,


    "Do any of you have business with Aerith?"

 Chapter 653 653: A Ghost

    "Who¡­ the fuck are you?"


    "Riley Ross, and the woman you are trying to talk to is with me."


    Riley continued to approach the table; not bothering that most of the eyes in the tavern were now looking at him. And as soon as he took off his hood, the eyes that weren''t bothering with him could not help but just stare.


    Some could not even help but just utter ''Ghost''.


    They weren''t as shocked as one might expect, however, as there were people that looked like Riley in the world of Arlusia¡ªbut all of them lived North, surrounded by nothing but a sea of ice and freezing death.


    They rarely, if at all, visit other nations due to their body being weak to the summer heat.


    "Did you need something from her?" Riley then said; smiling as he stood beside Aerith, who was just quietly sitting at the table. She looked at Riley, but didn''t really say anything and just looked away after just a nce.


    "If you do not, then I would appreciate it if you leave us," Riley said as he looked at the man standing closest to Aerith, staring him in the eyes.


    "Why would we leave?" The fat man immediately stood up straight as he returned Riley''s re, "And how do we even know that she is with¡ª"


    "Oi!"


    And before the fat man could finish his words, arge wok suddenly flew straight to his head,


    "Leave the two be!" A deafening yell then echoed throughout the entire tavern, causing everyone that was watching the scenario unfold to flinch and quickly look away. The loud voice, as well as the wok that hit the fat man, came from the same source¡ªthe muscr old woman that was serving drinks behind the counter¡­and she wasn''t done.


    "I get new two paying customers and you guys and go bother them!?" The innkeeper continued to scream, "Erik! Do you know how long your tab is already, and you''re trying to shoo away paying customers!? Those two booked a room for an entire month!"


    "F¡­fine," the fat man, as well as his peers could really only just walk away before the innkeeper''s words reached the entire city. The fat man, however, could not help but furrow his eyebrows as he noticed Riley''s eyes following him even as he left,


    "What are you looking at?" The fat man clicked his tongue as he red at Riley.


    "Oh, Nothing," Riley, however, just shook his head before taking a seat next to Aerith.


    "Milk for you, and tea from the East for the beautifuldy, right?"


    And not even a secondter, the innkeeper was already cing drinks on their table.


    "Thank you, Natalie."


    "...Riight," the innkeeper, Natalie, squinted and nodded as she looked at the two back and forth, "I know I told the guys to mind their own business, but you really shouldn''t leave your wife alone here. She''s just been sitting here for an entire day."


    "Oh, she''s not my wife," Riley let out a small chuckle as he took a sip of the milk.


    "...But you said you were her lover?"


    "I am."


    "...I don''t really know what you young ones are up to these days," Natalie only sighed, "But my point stands, don''t just leave her here. If she''s ill, she should be staying in your room¡­ lots of nasty guys around here."


    "Thank you, Natalie."


    "Hm¡­" And with a small grunt, Natalie just waved her hand and returned to her counter.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "She''s very kind, no?" Riley then immediately chuckled as he looked at Aerith, "Also, I think we can stay in this city for a while, Aerith. I managed to secure a job as a Porter."


    "..." Aerith didn''t respond and just took a sip of her tea. Her eyes weren''t empty or nk at all; but aside from just small nces, her lips remains sealed.


    "I know," Riley, however, didn''t seem to mind as he even seemed to be having a conversation, "This world is too weird. Perhaps we''re in a different universe? I did touch the que simr to what Tedi showed me."


    "..."


    "It makes sense, no?" Riley sighed as he continued to talk to the silent Aerith, "We''ve been here for an entire year, and yet no one hase to hunt us."


    "..."


    "What was that?" Riley chuckled, "Yes. I remember how Elder Skeem died too, it was funny. I did not really think that salt would melt his body that way."


    "..."


    "I know," Riley then sighed as he shook his head, "I have already killed billions of people, and I even executed Elder Zora. And yet it wasn''t until I bathed Elder Skeem and his entire people with salt that they made a task force solely to hunt me."


    "..." Aerith once again just nced at Riley.


    "Do you miss them? I am trying to find a way back, but without your ship, we will just be roaming around an unknown part of the Universe for hundreds of years¡­


    ¡­sister and the others would be gone by then, Aerith."


    "..."


    The people in the tavern could really only look at each other as they hear Riley''s words. Although they didn''t understand any of Riley''s words, they were sure that it wasn''t thenguage of the people from the North.


    ¡­There was also the fact that he was just talking to himself.


    One doesn''t speak, and one has conversations with himself. Were these two¡­ crazy?


    "These dungeons are weird too. It feels like¡ª"


    And before Riley could continue his¡­ conversation, Aerith sighed as he suddenly stood up from her seat and walked away.


    "..." Riley didn''t really seem to think much of it, however, as he just followed her as she went up the stairs and straight to their room. Like what one might expect from an inn with a tavern below, the inside of the room was quite scarce¡ªwith only a single bed, a table, a chair, and a single window with a view of the busy streets outside.


    Aerith didn''t really go anywhere else, as she just quicklyy herself down on the bed; covering herself with the nkets andpletely ignoring Riley''s presence.


    "..." As for Riley, he just looked at her for a few seconds, before sitting next to the window and reading a book that was resting on the chair. The pages of the book were slightly crumpled; perhaps a testament to how many times Riley has read it already.


    "..." And as Riley was reading the book, he once again nced at Aerith.


    ''Just take me away''---those were thest words that Riley has heard from Aerith¡­


    ¡­5 years ago.

 Chapter 654 654: Murderer

    5 years.


    That was thest time Aerith has ever spoken to him.


    Riley had done all sorts of evil things while dragging Aerith along with him, and yet at that time, not even a single word escaped from her lips. She refuses to speak with him or to any other people, not even once.


    Riley thought she would stop him when he massacred Elder Skeem and his entire people, but no¡ªshe just watched.


    He also went back to Ahor Zai and tortured the Grand Elder; broadcasting it to the entire Known Universe, and yet Aerith remained silent.


    And now, even as they were teleported to this mysterious¡ªAerith refused to speak. Even as their ship disappeared, making them officially lost¡ªAerith''s voice has never once again graced Riley''s ears.


    "Do you want to die, Aerith?" Riley then breathed out, "If you do, then just tell me and I will join you after killing you. Anywhere with you, Aerith."


    "..." Aerith finally moved from the bed as she nced at Riley, looking him straight in the eyes. Her lips seemed to quiver, but before they could open, she just once againy down on the bed and covered herself with nkets.


    "Okay," Riley then sighed as he just returned to reading his book, "Maybe next time, Aerith."


    "..."


    Riley then stayed like that for hours, not moving even as the sun set. But as the once-popted city was veiled in darkness, Riley stood up and closed his book.


    "I am going to kill someone again tonight, Aerith," Riley then whispered as he removed his cloak¡ªrevealing that dark suit hiding beneath it, "You are free to stop me anytime you want to."


    "..."


    "..."


    Riley waited for Aerith to respond; even just a nce, but even after an entire hour, she remained still.


    And so, with a small breath and a nod, Riley just casually leaped out of the window.


    "..."


    "...Huk."


    And as soon as he was gone, the sound of a tear quietly falling whispered through the room.


    ***


    "Drinks are on me!"


    Somewhere in the city, in a different tavern, the handler that managed the party that Riley was with earlier was celebrating. His joyful voice, thundering through the entire bar as he waved a mug filled with mead.


    "Jerry, just how many fees did you manage to steal this time!?"


    "Steal!? What steal!?" The handler, Jerry, pointed his mug at his friend as he heard his words, "This belongs to me in the first ce! Do you know how much they are paying handlers these days? Nothing! These Porters are even getting paid more than us now!"


    "Oh boy, here he goes again."


    "Why¡­"


    "No, no. Please don''t ask him aga¡ª"


    "Why don''t you just be a Porter, then?"


    "What did you just fucking say to me!?" Jerry dropped his mug on the ground as he violently pointed at the one that asked him the question, "Did you just say I should be a Porter!?"


    "Fuck¡­ you just had to ask him."


    "More drinks for us if his mouth is tired from shouting."


    "Porter!?" Jerry then stood up, stepping on his chair as he pointed at each of the people that were inside the bar, "You think I am going to risk my life inside a dungeon!? I have a wife and kids! A wife and kids!"


    "Then doesn''t it make sense that porters get paid more than you?" His friends started giggling as they teased Jerry some more.


    "Huwhat!?" Jerry''s saliva started flying everywhere as he sped his head in frustration, "The Porters just lift and carry monsters! I do everything!"


    "But you just stand outside Portals and¡ª"


    "I will kill you, you bas¡ªeugh!"


    "Fuck!"


    "Jerry! Are you puking on my tables again!?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "No, I''m not!" Jerry quickly wiped his mouth as he rushed away; his friends, just sighing and shaking their heads as they watched him almost tumble his way outside.


    "That guy is corrupt as hell."


    "...Aren''t you doing the same?"


    "Fuck yes, these Porters think they can get paid more than us!? Drink, just drink, and spend the Porters'' money!"


    "To Handlers!"


    And while his friends and the other people in the bar continued to sing and celebrate with his money, Jerry was almost groveling near the stables; his vomit, being pecked and eaten by the birds that were parked there.


    "Ugh, go away¡­" Jerry pushed the head of the bird away¡ªonly for the bird to m its head toward him, causing him to fall on his butt.


    "Ah, fuck¡­ why am I so unlucky and underpaid!?" Jerry then groaned as he tried getting up; but s, he was too intoxicated to even lift himself up from the dirty ground filled with dried-up vomit.


    And so, the only thing he could really do was just let himself fall thereying down as he looked at the stars above him.


    "...Why am I so miserable?" Jerry then let out a long and deep breath; tears, trailing down his eyes. He quickly wiped his face, however, as he retrieved something from his chest pocket¡ªa small painting.


    "For you two¡­" Jerry then smiled as he looked at the painting of his wife and daughter, "...Daddy will work even harder. Just wait for me toe¡ªhm?"


    And before Jerry could finish his words, he felt a shadow veiling over him;pletely covering the beautiful stars and moon that illuminated his resolve.


    "What the¡­" Jerry then quickly returned the portrait to his chest, before looking at the person blocking his light.


    "You¡­ aren''t you the newbie from earlier?" Jerry squinted his eyes as he saw the crawling smile on the man''s face.


    "Yes¡­


    ¡­I''m here to get what you owe me, Mr. Handler."


    ***


    "Aerith, I am going to leave for work. Okay? I left some money on the table, you can just spend it however you want."


    "..."


    "Don''t worry, I didn''t kill the one who I got that money from. He gave it to me¡ªIt''s clean, Aerith."


    The next morning, Riley was once again covered in a cloak¡ªwith only his abnormally pale white face exposed to the world. As for Aerith, she was just sitting on the bed, cradling herself as her cheek rested on her knee.


    "...I''ll be back, Aerith." And even as Aerithpletely ignored him, Riley still smiled as he left. And surprisingly, the tavern waspletely empty; with even the innkeeper absent from her counter.


    "Oh¡­ I was hoping for a ss of milk," Riley could really only sigh as he made his way out of the tavern; before he could step out, however, the door in front of him opened, with the innkeeper almost screaming in shock as she saw Riley.


    "...Fuck! Stop startling people like that!"


    "...I''m not."


    "Shit¡­" The innkeeper grabbed her chest as she tried to recover her breaths, "...Anyway, sorry. No food this morning, it''s chaos outside and no one''s selling anything."


    "Oh, what happened?"


    "See for yourself," the innkeeper breathed out, "Everyone''s talking about it."


    "..." Riley just looked at the innkeeper for a few seconds, before nodding his head and stepping out of the tavern. As soon as he did so, however, he saw a lot of people running and walking by; all of them, whispering loudly to each other.


    "I heard he was drunk."


    "I knew it, they should start banning alcohol in this city."


    "You really think he did it?"


    "I heard he hung himself after doing that."


    "Fuck, who wouldn''t? Have you seen the bodies? They were torn apart¡­ that poor baby."


    "I wonder what possessed him¡­


    ¡­to massacre his own family like that."

 Chapter 655 655: I Am An Alien

    "Oh my, why would he do such a thing?"


    "Really, what possesses a man to murder his own family?"


    "Oh, fuck. I know that man. He was in the barst nightining about being underpaid. He''s¡­ a Handler, I think?"


    "...A Handler? Why would he kill himself if he has such a good job? They barely do anything and still get paid, I heard most of them are pocketing money too."


    "Shh, it''s not good to insult the dead."


    "I''ll insult him as much as I want. Have you seen the bodies? I heard there was a little girl, that poor baby."


    Somewhere in the city of Arunafelt, arge crowd was gathered in front of a house;pletely blocking the wide street as everyone just stopped to see what themotion was about. But of course, it was a small city¡ªeveryone gathered here already knew what was happening; they just wanted to see.


    "Look, they are bringing them out now!"


    "Move, I¡ªI can''t see!"


    "Where¡ªoh¡­ what the fuck."


    "...Hm," Riley was also there, blending in with the others as they watched as the city guards dragged what was left of the family. They were covered by hay or cloth; but even then, it was obvious what was underneath.


    The crowd was told that the mother and daughter''s corpse werepletely mangled, but they didn''t expect they would see two stretchers covered in cloth that seemed to just have a lump of meat inside.


    And soon, they saw a stretcher that was cleaner than the first two being carried outside the house¡ªand without being allowed to be dragged away, the people started whispering louder and louder, until their words became shouts of disdain and disgust.


    "...Oh," as for Riley, he couldn''t help but let out a small chuckle as he realized something¡ªhe returned to the scene of the crime. He had read and watched many documentaries about murders and serial killers returning to their so-called ''murder site'', but he never thought he would do it himself.


    After all, back on Earth¡­there was almost never a ce where it wouldn''t be considered as his murder site. And now that he was here witnessing his crime scene firsthand just hours after it happened, it sort of feels¡­ fun.


    "Pft."


    "..."


    And as soon as he couldn''t contain the chuckle from escaping his lips, the people around him started backing away from him; their eyes, looking at Riley from head to toe, wondering where this weird guy suddenly popped out from.


    As for Riley, he just nodded to the people and left¡ªafter all, he didn''t want to garner attention to himself right in front of his murder site. And so, he quickly made his way to the city''s Hunter''s Guild.


    When he first entered the guild, there were a lot of eyes on him; judging his every step as he made his way to the counter to register as a Porter. But today, everyone was just busy talking at their own tables. It would seem that even here, the news of the murder reached¡ªbut then again, a member of the guild was involved.


    "Ah, Riley! Here!"


    "..." And before Riley could even make his way to the counter to ept a job, Lilly of the Leville party waved at him¡ªcalling him to join them at their table.


    "..." Riley looked at them for a few seconds, before proceeding to just make his way to the counter and ignoring them.


    "W¡ªRiley! We already booked you as our Porter today!" Lilly stood up from her seat, her decently-sized bosoms, slightly jiggling and causing Roan to nod his head several times.


    "..." Riley then once again turned to look at the Leville party''s table, before bowing his head and making his way to them¡ªand seeing as there was already an extra chair there, it would seem they truly were expecting Riley.


    "So¡­ have you heard?" Roan then quickly leaned closer to him and whispered, "The handler that took your money is dead. Turns out the guy murdered his family."


    "I am aware, Roan," Riley nodded, "May I ask what quest you epted, Leville party?"


    "Let''s discuss thatter. We should talk more about the handl¡ªAgh!"


    "I''m sure he''s had enough listening to that," Bert lightly hit Roan''s head.


    "Right," Lilly didn''t really have a chance to take another seat as she nodded, "Let''s just discuss this on the way, we''re already constrained in time as it¡ª"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Last one to the carriage buys dinnerter!"


    "!!!"


    And before Riley could even figure out what was going on, Roan, Bert, and Lilly rushed out of the guild¡­ leaving him there alone.


    ***


    "Thest one was also a shared dungeon, correct?"


    "Y¡­yes. We''re just a 1-Star team, so we can only ept the lowest dungeons."


    The noiseing from the wheels of the cart; the trotting of the birds'' feet, and even the wind werepletely drowned by the sound of the sighs of the Leville party.


    Even Riley, who wasn''t riding on the cart, could hear their sighs more than the gallops of his mount.


    "None of us know any magic, so we can really only rely on getting stronger but¡­" Lilly continued to sigh as shey her back on the cart bed; her brown eyes, squinting as the light of the sky reflected on them, "...we can''t hunt enough to even get a whiff of power stones. Everything goes to the guild."


    "We have been trying to rank up so we can have ess to dungeons with more monsters, but as you already know¡­" Bert also sighed; his eyes, focused on the road ahead as he gripped the reins tightly, "...we''re too slow."


    "It''s¡­ my fault," Roan also joined the two as he shook his head; leaning his head over the cart and looking at the field of grass being pressed by the wheels, "Yesterday was supposed to be our chance to rank up, but I just can''t seem to track¡ªUgh! Fuck, let''s talk about something else¡­.


    ¡­Where are you from, Riley? You don''t seem to be from around here."


    "I''m from far away, Roan," Riley answered quickly.


    "You must be from the North?" Lilly sat up as she looked at Riley, "The Pokku Snowfields?"


    "No," Riley shook his head, "Farther. I arrived here from a portal a year ago, but even before that, I came from farther away, I am an alien," he then said as he pointed up toward the sky.


    "..."


    "..."


    There was a silence after that¡ªbut it did notst long as Roan and the others started bursting out inughter¡ªeven their bird mounts wereughing.


    "So¡­" Roan took in a deep breath as he tried to speak, "...You''re like what, a dragon?"


    "...A dragon?"


    "Yeah. They''re creatures from up there, from¡­ what do you call that again?" Roan snapped his fingers several times as he looked at Bert.


    "The Cosmos," Bert answered as he too, let out a long and deep sigh as he recovered fromughing, "Wait¡­ you don''t know about dragons?"


    "As I said, I came from far away."


    "...pft!"


    "..." And while the Levill party once again burst into a fit ofughter, Riley could not help but ce his hand on his chin.


    Dragons¡ªthey were mentioned in passing in the book he was reading.


    Is it possible they were also from a different part of the Universe? If so, perhaps they know how to navigate the expanse of space?


    ¡­But where exactly would he find one?

 Chapter 656 656: Hammerin Time

    "Why can''t I even find one!?"


    "Roan, rx."


    "How can I rx!? I know I''m bad at tracking, but not to this point!"


    "..."


    s, Roan''s frustrated breaths once again echoed through the air; traveling across the literal rocky path they find themselves in. 4 hours inside the dungeon, and the Leville party has still not hunted even a single monster.


    Riley already expected this, of course. Because as long as he was with them, all the animals and beasts in the area would avoid them. However, Riley was at least expecting the one they are hunting now to not have the same instincts as the rest of the monsters¡ªOrcs.


    And simr to their literary definition back on Earth, they were humanoid pigs. And since they were humanoid, Riley thought they would just be the same as the other species he have encountered from the otherspletely oblivious to what Riley is.


    But s, unfortunately for the Leville party, it would seem not.


    "Fuck!" Roan continued to let out his frustration, stomping his foot several times as he screamed, "Orcs should be one of the easiest ones to track. They literally leave a trail of mess¡­ so where are they!?"


    "Roan, maybe they¡ª"


    "Look!" Roan then crouched on the floor, before sticking his face suspiciously close to what seemed like¡­ feces, "This is orc shit! It''s orc shit, I know it!"


    "Roan¡­"


    "What!? It looks like orc shit, It smells like orc shit, it feels like orc shit. What, you want me to taste it too!? Huh!? Huh!?" Roan then stuck his tongue out, threatening to truly touch the fecal matter.


    Lilly and Bert could really only cover their faces and shake their heads. As for Riley, his head was tilted to the side, wondering if Roan would truly do what he said he would do.


    "Let''s¡­ maybe just take a few breaths to rest," Lilly then said as she just sat on a boulder nearby, "You said they camp here, right?"


    "...They should be here," Roan sighed as he just pulled away from the feces, slightly disappointing Riley as he did so, "There should at least be 5 of them here, there are even marks of them fornicating here. It''s dry and cold, but the ground is a little moist."


    "..." Lilly quickly stood up from the boulder as she heard Roan''s words.


    "Maybe we could¡­"


    And as the team continued to discuss their next steps, Riley could really only just sigh; shaking his head to himself. If the Leville team doesn''t hunt any monsters, then it also meant that he won''t be getting anymissions¡ªand since this was his fault, he felt like he needed to do something.


    And so, he closed his eyes¡­ focusing his hearing to find any sound simr to a pig. Riley hated using this ability, but it didn''t take long for him to find something¡ªthe orcs¡­ they were just behind the formations of rocks near them, hiding.


    "..." Riley could really only sigh as he turned to look at the spots where they were hiding. And after a few seconds, he used his telekinesis to control the orcs.


    "Ourk!?"


    "Urk!"


    And as soon as he did so, the orcs began shrieking¡­ all 30 of them.


    "Oh¡­" Riley was expecting the orcs to be green or greyish in color, as that was how they were mostly portrayed by Earth''s media¡ªbut this''s orcs were peach, truly simr to that of a hog one could find inside a farm.


    And while Riley was amazed by this discovery, the rest of the Leville party were currently holding their breaths.


    "F¡­ fuck," Roan could not help but take a step back as he saw the orcsing out one by one. And it wasn''t only him, both Lilly and Bert quickly grabbed their weapons; their throats, gulping on their own as they watched the orcs approaching them.


    "We''re¡­ trapped," Lilly whispered as she looked everywhere, only to see nothing but a wall behind them, "We¡­ we need to fight."


    "...Bring it on," Bert gritted his teeth as he tightened the grip on his hammer; kissing it as he stared at the onught of orcs very slowly approaching them, "It''s... hammerin'' time."


    "..." Roan, on the other hand, had a smile on his face, "I told you so! I¡­ I was right!"


    Roan then grabbed knives from his waist, before being the first to rush toward the horde.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I''ll¡­ see you guys in hell!"


    ***


    "We¡­ we did it?"


    And almost after an entire hour, the Leville party found themselves surrounded by nothing but corpses; their bodies, wrapped in their blood and blood that was not theirs. Suffice it to say, the three looked even more dead than some of the orcs.


    "We¡­ did it," Lilly dropped her spear to the ground, letting herself fall on an orc''s belly and resting there, "Fucking¡­ what the fuck."


    "I¡­ can''t even move anymore," Bert also let go of his hammer. He wanted to pick it up, but all he did was use thest strength of his legs, causing them to just give out.


    "Good work, Leville party." As for Riley, he just once again pped his hands as he emerged from one of the boulders. He was initially going to help the team at first, but when he saw that they might actually be able to subdue the orcs, he just chose to watch and rx on the side,


    "F¡­ fuck," Roan looked at Riley; his breaths, now all gasps, "You¡­ you''repletely clean!?"


    "I suppose they don''t attack aliens."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Pft."


    The Leville party could really only burst out intoughter; celebrating their sess while holding their ribs to make sure they don''t fully crack.


    "How¡­ are we even going to bring all of these out? You need to bring our cart, Riley."


    "...You think this is enough to rank our team up to 2-Star?"


    "...I kinda want to quit."


    "Heh¡­" Lilly gasped for breath, trying her best not to let out a chuckle, "We need to¡ªfuck."


    And before Lilly could finish her words, she quickly grabbed the spear she dropped on the floor. She tried to stand up, but all she could do was kneel; her eyebrows, furrowing.


    "...What?"


    Roan and Bert quickly looked toward where Lilly was looking, only to see another team making their way toward them with smiles on their faces.


    "He¡­hehe¡­" The leader of the party, a tall skinny woman, giggled as they looked at all the orc corpses in their path, "I guess I''m just going to seek your apology¡­?"


    "Fuck you," Lilly held her ribs, using her spear as a support to lift herself up, "This¡­ this is ours. Just go away."


    "Don''t fucking mess with us!" Roan also stood up; his voice, shaking as he looked at the 5 people approaching them, "You¡­ you think we can''t kill you!?"


    "Come on, be realistic," the leader of the other team sighed and shook her head, "Just consider this as bad luck. You guys can''t even carry all of this in your condition."


    "Our porter is strong as fuck!" Roan screamed, "He can lift all of this by himself!"


    "..." The leader of the other team looked at Riley for a few seconds, before shaking her head and looking at her group. And after a few seconds, they all nodded to each other and unsheathed their weapons.


    "...Shit," Bert, who truly did not want to fight, could really only go for his hammer again. But before he could even grab it, Riley suddenly stood in front of him¡­


    ¡­casually picking up the hammer.


    "I apologize, other hunters¡­


    ¡­but this is ours."

 Chapter 657 657: Magic

    They were exhausted. Exhausted to the point that they were even getting tired just by breathing¡ªno. The Leville party wasn''t even breathing anymore, they were just gasping for air.


    It didn''t help that they were surrounded by a tall wall of rocks, and beneath their feet littered almost 3 dozen dead orcs. Suffice it to say, they were suffocating.


    And now, another party wanted to steal the very reason why they were dying of exhaustion in the first ce.


    But of course, if they were to be given a choice, then they would truly want to keep their life instead of holding onto their hell-earned loot. In truth, the Leville party already quietly decided to just let the other party steal the corpses¡ªtheir resistance was just a show of strength


    "...Riley?"


    But now, as Bert, Lilly, and Roan saw their Porter very slowly lifting Bert''s giant hammer from the ground, the only thing they could really do was subtly shake their head.


    "You¡­ you should run," Bert''s muscles burned as he used up thest of his strength to try and stop Riley. He walked¡ªno, he almost tumbled toward him; if it wasn''t for him grabbing Riley''s shoulder, then he would have definitely fallen face-first on the hard ground,


    "This isn''t your fight," Bert then said as he grabbed his hammer¡­only to find that he couldn''t even pull it away from Riley''s hand for even a single millimeter. Bert''s hammer wasrge; just the head was enough to fit an entire adult in it¡ªand yet Riley was holding it like it was some sort of wooden stick.


    "W¡ª"


    "I envy your porter."


    And before anyone from the Leville party could say another word, the leader of the other party started to march forward along with her team; their weapons, now fully threatening to end Lilly and the others.


    "If only our porter had the same guts as your¡ª"


    And without even being able to finish her words, the leader of the other party just disappeared.


    "...What?"


    The female hunter''srades could really only instinctively halt their steps from the sudden¡­ situation. A situation they weren''t quite exactly sure what happened yet.


    It wasn''t only them; the scene also has not registered in Roan and Lilly''s minds. Even Bert, who was the closest to Riley, could not help but blink a couple of times in utter confusion.


    After all, the next thing every one of them just knows is that the female hunter disappearedpletely reced by the head of Bert''s hammer.


    Bert then turned to look at Riley, who was now holding just the handle of the hammer as it snapped from the head. And then, before any of them could even attempt to utter a single word, Riley punched the hammer''s head.


    And as he did so, the female hunter''s entire party disappeared¡­reced by a smear of blood on the ground. Well, perhaps not her entire party, as one was unlucky enough to only lose one of his legs.


    "N¡­no," the man could really only shake his head as he stared at his mangled leg, which now looked like a sausage that was chewed by a toddler and thrown out of its mouth.


    The man didn''t really know what was happening anymore, and yet his body instinctively knew that it was in danger¡ªand this danger was walking closer and closer to him.


    "P¡­ please," the man started pushing himself with his remaining leg as he saw Riley very slowly approaching him, "I¡­I don''t want to die, please."


    "I know," Riley let out a small sigh as the man started crawling away from him, "All of you always do until you don''t."


    "W¡­wa¡ª"


    "!!!"


    The man surrendered. Lilly, Roan, and Bert saw that the man clearly surrendered¡ªand yet it didn''t matter. The only thing they could do was watch as Riley grabbed the man''s remaining leg, pulling him closer to him before he stepped on his head¡­instantly squashing it into pieces like a watermelon.


    "..."


    And after that was done, Riley just shrugged. Almost as if what he just did was one of the most normal things in the world to do¡ªlike he was just throwing the trash.


    Riley then started looking around, before suddenly pointing his finger at the now¡­ dead party''s cart.


    "Look at that," Riley then said; his voice, not even a single hint of worry, "They brought us a cart for the orcs."


    "We¡­Let us ce the orc for you, Riley!"


    "Y¡­yeah, you can just rest there."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    And almost as if their exhaustion disappeared and their wounds no longer hurt, Lilly and the others started dragging the orc corpses toward the cart. But before they could even fool themselves that they still have the strength to do so, Riley''s loud sigh caused them to stop and flinch.


    "Put the corpses down, everyone," Riley breathed out, "I am the Porter¡­


    ¡­It''s my job to carry."


    ***


    "They¡­ attacked you?"


    "Yes."


    Suffice it to say, as the Leville party emerged from the dungeon, they quickly garnered the attention of everyone that was loitering and preparing outside. And since there were only a few people there, all eyes were literally stuck on them¡­ and for different reasons.


    Most of the people were shocked and amazed to see a mountain of orcs being dragged on a cart.


    As for the Handler managing the dungeon, he was also amazed¡ªbut he quickly recognized that the cart Riley was pulling did not belong to them.


    "And what happened after?" The handler squinted his eyes as he looked back and forth between the members of the Leville party.


    "We killed them, Handler."


    And as a 3rd party, Riley was the one to answer the handler''s queries.


    "The four of you¡­ managed to defeat a party that outnumbered you, after you were already tired of dealing with the orcs?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "The Leville party is quite strong."


    "...How would I know that they didn''t hunt these orcs, and you four were the ones to ambush their tired group?"


    "You won''t. The other party are all dead, Handler."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Hm¡­" And after a few seconds of staring at Riley, the handler just smirked and shook his head, "...I''m just curious. The truth is, that party is already notorious for stealing others'' loot. It was just a matter of when they''ll meet someone like your team¡­


    ¡­It''s fine, all of you are cleared now."


    And with those words reaching Lilly and the other''s ears, the three could not help but let out a sigh of relief; trying their best not to just faint there and then.


    As for Riley, he just nodded before stretching his hand toward the handler.


    "Mymission. I would like to take it now, Handler."


    "That¡­ you don''t really beat around the bushes."


    "I hide in the bushes."


    "...Right," the handler could only shake his head and sigh, "Show me your Porter''s license card."


    "Hm," Riley then grabbed something from his pocket¡ªa card.


    The license card served as many things; identification, a pass, and also a wallet. For a that did not seem to have ess to advanced technology, this card seemed out of ce.


    It could be attributed to magic, but then again, there was a saying that an advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic¡ªa truly advanced technology, that is.


    This ce¡ªRiley was sure of it from the start¡­


    ¡­he and Aerith did not find it randomly.

 Chapter 658 658: Librarian

    Arlusia. Riley was sure of it, the fact that they were in this ce was not an act of randomness. There could be several series of coincidences that brought them here, but this was not random, not at all.


    A few years ago, Riley was fulfilling Aerith''s wish¡ªtaking her away and just escaping everything. After he made a show of the genocide of Elder Skeem''s people, Riley had been actively hunted down by every possible unit of men. He overtook almost everyone on the Ouw list, ranking just below Diana and Pirate Queen Xra as the most wanted individual.


    And so, he just decided to truly take Aerith away; away from everywhere else as he charted a course to the Unknown. They actually passed by Earth, but it only reflected their eyes for a few seconds before they once again traveled through the expanse of space without stopping¡ªthey even went into hyperdrive for very long periods of time, as Riley had brought all the energy cores he could fit inside the ship.


    They traveled like that for almost 4 years, just discovering the Unknown¡­ and its vast emptiness of nothing. There were severals that seemed capable of life, but aside from scurrying wildlife, they have not discovered any civilizations.


    But then, in the 4th year, something happened.


    While their ship was flying in hyperspeed, the ship suddenly stopped as it detected a weird influx of energy in their path¡ªit was a que simr to what Tedi showed himst time, just floating there in the expanse of space.


    And of course, Riley treated the que with utmost care; letting his clones just handle it and bring it inside the ship. Unfortunately for him, however, no matter how careful he was¡­ the que suddenly flew straight into his hands.


    He quickly looked at Aerith, as he thought it was thest time he would ever see her¡­ only to find that when he teleported, she was brought along with him.


    And even with that shocking and truly unexpected event, Aerith''s lips still remained sealed. The two found themselves in some sort of cave, a veryrge empty cave; with a ceiling that was probably more than a kilometer above the floor.


    There was absolutely nothing there¡­except for the portal that led them to the world of Arlusia, casually hovering right in the very center of the cave. And of course, Riley entered it without any hesitation.


    And then as the two of them were weed by this mysterious, the portal behind them just disappeared. And now, they were stuck here¡ªno ship to help them navigate through the stars.


    Suffice it to say, it was impossible for this world not to be connected to the advanced ancient civilization that created the que. Or perhaps¡­


    ¡­Arlusia is the ancient civilization?


    "Here you go."


    "...Oh."


    And right after Riley was done reminiscing, the handler finished transferring hismission to his card.


    It was too bad, Riley thought¡ªhe was looking forward to also killing this handler if he didn''t give him hismission. But then again, he still could.


    "Thank you, Handler," Riley then nodded as he made his way back to the Leville party, which were being tended for their wounds, "I am going to go ahead, okay? I will see you again tomorrow, everyone."


    "Y¡­yes."


    The Leville party could really only nod their heads in unison. Although Riley did not explicitly say it, they promised themselves that they wouldn''t tell anyone about how strong he is¡ªafter all, there must be a reason someone like him is hiding his true strength.


    Maybe¡­ he was even one of the legendary Heroes of the past?


    As for the so-called legendary hero, he just casually went back to the city. Riley stood in front of the tavern for a few seconds, before just shaking his head and deciding not to go home yet.


    Instead, he went to find the city''s local library¡ªand as one might expect from a small city, there was really only a single library, and it was smaller than the taverns.


    And with the bell of the door ringing throughout the entire library as Riley entered, he was quickly greeted by the only person that was there, the Librarian.


    "...Hello?" The librarian seemed to be even more shocked that a person actually visited the library; hisrge sses, almost falling from his face as he stood up and greeted Riley,


    "Did¡­did youe here to read¡­ books?" He said, not even caring about Riley''s weird appearance.


    "Greetings, Librarian," Riley nodded as he approached the counter, "I wish to read all you have about dragons."


    "...Dragons?" The librarian''s eyes lit up as a small smile slowly crawled on his face. But after a few seconds, he let out a small sigh and stepped out off the counter,


    "That¡­ will be tricky. Almost all books of literature contain a mention of dragons. Rare is a book of fantasy that does not hold such a grand idea of a creature."


    "Are there non-fictional books that mention them, Librarian?"


    "Non-fictional, there are studies of them¡­but they are also considered as fiction," the librarian adjusted his sses as he nced at Riley, "Do you wish to indulge yourself with them?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I would like to borrow them."


    "Of course, of course. How rare it is that someone from this city read a book¡ªI was starting to think that everyone was illiterate," the librarian could not help but chuckle as he started almost hopping to his index of books.


    "Do you also have something on a species, or an ancient civilization called P''lopi? Or perhaps a ce called Ahor Zai?"


    "P¡ªwhat?" The library tried imitating the way Riley said the word, but failed to click his tongue at the right time, "How do you spell that? Maybe we have it somewhere here in the foreign books section."


    "No. Never mind, Librarian," Riley just shook his head and sighed.


    It took a couple of minutes, but the librarian came back with his books¡ªall 3 of them.


    "This¡­ is it," the librarian sighed, "If you return to me tomorrow, maybe I can find more?"


    "That will be ideal, Librarian."


    "Alright," the librarian then ced the books in front of Riley; his voice suddenly turning serious, "Please don''t damage the books, you will have to pay for them. I am the only one that works here so please, I am already underpaid as it is."


    "Do not worry, Librarian¡­


    ¡­I do not destroy things."


    With the books in his hand, Riley immediately went back to the inn, only to find that Aerith has not left his room yet today. There was a tray of food on the desk, however, so it would seem she at least still has the will to eat.


    "Do you want to try and read this with me, Aerith?"


    "..."


    And of course, Riley waspletely ignored as Aerith just sat on her bed; like a statue that will forever hold her peace.


    "I think I might have discovered something, Aerith. The dragons¡­" And even then, Riley spent hours reading the books aloud; ncing at Aerith from time to time whenever something interestinges up.


    But s, aside from just spections and theories, there have really been no sightings of dragons for the past thousand years. But one thing was for sure¡ªat one point in time, there truly were dragons in the world of Arlusia¡­ and all the sources say theye from beyond the skies.


    And with Riley finishing all three books in no time at all, Aerith just closed her eyes andy back in bed.


    "I''ll be going back to the library tomorrow to get more books, Aerith. Would you like toe with me?"


    "..."


    "Okay, I''ll go by myself¡­


    ¡­Good night, Aerith."


    ***


    The next day, as promised, Riley returned to the library; the bells, once again ringing throughout the entire building. This time, however, the library wasn''t as empty, there were other customers scattered around the small interior and reading their books in peace¡ªnot even bothering to look at Riley as he stepped inside.


    Riley then immediately walked to the counter, only to find a different librarian sitting at the station.


    "Greetings, Librarian. May I ask where the gentleman that was herest night is? We have a prior engagement."


    "Oh, Dave?" The current librarian shrugged as he turned to look at Riley, "He will be hereter."


    "Hm¡­" Riley then let out a small hum as he looked at the other customers that were there, "But he told me that he was the only one that works here. So¡­


    ¡­who might you be?"

 Chapter 659 659: The Plopi?

    "The other Librarian said he was the only one that works here, so¡­


    ¡­who might you be?"


    "..."


    The inside of the library was already eerily quiet; but as soon as Riley''s words whispered through it, it was almost as if everything was just instantly drowned byplete silence¡ªand yet, at the same time, the library felt like it was filled with noise.


    The current librarian in front of Riley didn''t really answer him, and instead just stared at him for a few seconds; his eyes, blinking a couple of times as his eyebrows very slowly furrowed along with the growing silence.


    But soon, however, a small chuckle escaped his lips¡ªdissipating the heavy silence that filled the air.


    "Because I don''t officially work here¡ªDave just pays me to cover him once in a while," the man waved his hand as he scoffed, "One man can''t handle all of these books by himself. Don''t mind what he said, Dave just¡­ likes toin. He went to Denspot to check the library there, I think he''s trying to pick up books regarding dragons"


    "Hm¡­"


    "I assume those are the books you want?" The man sighed, "He can be like that sometimes, he must be excited that someone actually visited the library in this small city. He''ll be hereter, you can just wait for him here if you have the time?"


    "I''ll juste backter, suspicious Librarian," Riley shook his head as he turned around, "What time will Librarian Dave be back?"


    "You really should just wait for him," the man shrugged, "He should be arriving soon. We have new books¡ªthey''re not about dragons, but they should still be as entertaining."


    "Then maybe you have something on a race called P''lopi?"


    "P¡ªwhat?" The man slightly tilted his head to the side, "Whatnguage is that? Maybe I can find it somewhere?"


    "...No," Riley shook his head as he continued walking away, "I will juste backter."


    "Okay, please doe back! Hopefully, Dave has the books you want."


    "Hm," Riley only nodded as he grabbed the handle of the door, only to find that it wasn''t budging at all.


    "..." Riley then very slowly nced back at the new librarian again, only to find the librarian staring at him¡ªbut it wasn''t only him, the customers that were minding their own business and drowning themselves in their books were also staring at him; the whites of their eyes,pletely gone and reced by nothing but the shade of their dark irises.


    "I suppose all of you are P''lopi?" Riley then turned around as he looked at everyone one by one, "I have only heard of yournguage once, so forgive me if I am saying it¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, the librarian just suddenly vanished from the counter, only to instantly appear again beside Riley¡ªalready waving a sword that threatened to cut him in half.


    Riley, however, did not move. He just allowed the de of the sword to meet his shoulder, trying to see if it could prate his skin. But s, the one to split in half was the sword¡ªshattering into pieces.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But before these pieces could fly away, the librarian was already gone¡­ and so were the ''customers''.


    In truth, Riley had already set up a telekinesis as soon as he saw how fast the librarian moved. The covered the entire library, and yet not even a single strand was triggered when the librarian and the customers vanished.


    Except for the norids, the could detect every one. Even Queen Vania, with her ridiculous speed, still triggered his telekinesis. The only one that it wasn''t able to detect was the god of evaniels, Van.


    But¡­ these people shouldn''t be as fast as him, that was impossible.


    And so, Riley could really only think of one thing¡ªinstantaneous short-range teleportation.


    The P''lopi. They already proved that they were capable of teleportation just from the mysterious ques that caused Riley to just suddenly move from one ce to another.


    It wouldn''t be that far-fetched if they have the technology to move short distances and have already incorporated it into their lifestyle. They probably don''t even walk that much anymore and¡ª-


    And before Riley could finish his thoughts, he heard a small click whisper in the air. And not even a secondter, Riley found himself covered in nothing but fire as all the books in the library suddenly burst into mes and exploded.


    But before the impact of the explosion couldpletely destroy the library and maybe even the entire city, Riley snapped his fingers¡ªinstantly causing the mes that danced wildly to just instantly stop.


    The shockwave that threatened to swallow everything within its path, now gradually bing smaller and smaller until it just withered away along with the mes.


    "Hm," Riley then shrugged, before starting to look around the now-scorched library. For them to go as far as sacrificing thousands of lives just to kill him, these P''lopi sure didn''t want to be found by others.


    Riley continued to walk around until finally, his eye caught something that waspletely out of ce in the world of Arlusia¡ªsomething digital.


    Of course, Riley wasn''t sure if it truly was digital, but it was a small tinted ss box that could fit on his hand, containing some sort of shiny bead inside it. And considering it was ced right at the very center of the library''s ceiling, Riley could only assume that it was some sort of¡­ surveince.


    "A camera?" Riley then tilted his head as he raised the tiny box, "Are you watching me right now, P''lopi people? Do forgive me if you are not P''lopi, but I would be addressing you as such for now until otherwise said so."


    "..."


    "This will be a little awkward if this was just some sort of decoration. But just in case you are truly watching me from the other side, then I feel like I should introduce myself," Riley slightly giggled as he ced the box on the counter, before taking several steps backward as he bowed.


    "My name is Riley Ross," he then said, "As you might have already theorized, I came from another¡ªbut if you fear that I am from the Known Universe, or if I am at all, rted to the Common Council, then you are mistaken¡ªI am the viin of the Known Universe and have presumably killed more than a hundred billion people¡­


    ¡­but you don''t have to worry about me."

 Chapter 660 660: Goodnight, Aerith.

    "I am the viin of the Known Universe and have presumably killed more than a hundred billion people¡­


    ¡­but you don''t have to worry about me."


    Riley waited for something to respond to him as his words whispered throughout the entire library. But s, even after an entire minute, everything remained quiet¡ªthe only ones to answer him were the ashes of the books that once peacefully rested there.


    But even then, Riley continued to talk.


    "I was told by a norid that your race left the Known Universe and traveled through the Unknown after the War of the Gods all those years ago. And that you might be searching for something," Riley then let out a small sigh as he looked at the tiny ck box, "Or perhaps it is better to say that you are searching for¡­


    ¡­Nothing."


    "..."


    Riley once again waited for someone to respond as he revealed another shocking news. But s, once again, he was answered with nothing but silence. Could it be¡­ that his ck box really is just some sort of decoration? After all, libraries do tend to have some weird things in them.


    "I would like you to know that I have been in contact with Nothing for several times," Riley once again sighed, "And I also happen to have made contact with one of your¡­ things. The que? I do not know what you call it, but it teleported me to a ce where creation does not exist yet. I met the god of evaniels there, as well as Death."


    "..."


    "And then I made contact with another que again while I was traversing the Unknown. But this time, it teleported me with my¡­panion," Riley then started approaching the ck box, "It teleported us to a cave with a portal in it¡ªa portal that led through this world. That is why I told you not to worry about me, I am here by ident."


    "..."


    "I would really appreciate it if you find our ship and return it to us¡ªit is important to Aerith," Riley then grabbed the box, "It will also be in your best interest. Because once I get bored¡­


    ¡­I will start killing everyst one of the people on this. But as I said, you don''t have to worry about me¡ªI quite like this world, it reminds me of another anime I used to watch."


    "..."


    "I was hoping you would respond to me by now, but I suppose this is really just a trinket. But it''s okay, I am used to talking to myself¡ªI always feel like someone is hearing my words, you see."


    Riley then once again sighed as he raised the tiny ck box, checking its every side before just shaking his head and putting it inside his pocket,


    "But just in case, I''ll be bringing this along with me. That way¡­


    ¡­you can find me anytime you want."


    And with those words, Riley finally stepped outside the library.


    "..." And even as he left, the library remainedpletely silent. Perhaps, there truly wasn''t anything there?


    ***


    "I''m back, Aerith."


    "..."


    And since Riley had enough money tost them a month from histestmission, he didn''t go back to the Hunter''s guild yet and instead just went back to Aerith.


    "I brought you some sweet cheese from the market and some tea," Riley was holding a tray, gently cing it on Aerith''sp, who seemed to have not even stood up from the bed since she woke up. As for Riley, he didn''t really sit beside Aerith and just sat at the desk.


    Aerith didn''t nce at Riley once as he entered the room, but even then, she started nibbling on the cheese; tucking her long blonde hair behind her ear as she did so. Her eyes were clear, as they had been so ever since the death of her people 5 years ago.


    One would think they would be empty and nk, but no¡ªthey have never been empty. She just refuses to do anything or speak.


    "Would you like to die now, Aerith?" And once again, Riley asked, "I will follow you if you do."


    "..."


    Riley had been asking the question every day for the past year¡ªas he found that was the only way he could make Aerith nce at him for even just a single millisecond. He didn''t really know what the nce meant, but he knew one thing¡ªAerith was alive and well, and knew what she was doing.


    Her refusal to talk was perhaps to punish herself? She was alive, but at the same time, she was not.


    Riley waited for Aerith to say something as she nced at him. But s, she just once again looked away and just took a sip of her tea.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    And after she was done, she just quietly stood up and approached Riley.


    "..." But in the end, she just ced the tray at the desk beside him before returning to her bed.


    "You know, Aerith¡­" Riley could really only sigh as he grabbed the ck box from his pockets, "...I think I might have made contact with the P''lopi. Do you remember them? We discussed them back when we were on Ahor Zai."


    Riley ced the ck box on his palm and showed it to Aerith, "I do not know what this is, but it might be a surveince camera. I think they live on this, Aerith¡ªmost of the people here might even be their descen¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, Aerith suddenly appeared in front of him; grabbing the ck box before justpletely crushing it into dust. There seemed to be a small explosion that erupted, but Aerith''s palmpletely contained it.


    "...Aerith?" A small smile started to crawl on Riley''s face as his eyes glistened. He quickly stood up straight as he looked Aerith in the eyes, waiting for her to say something.


    But s, she just turned around, patting her hands clean as she returned to bed without even as much as a sigh. And almost as if she doesn''t want to listen to Riley anymore, she justpletely covered herself in a nket.


    "..." And soon, the smile on Riley''s face faded as he stood up and made his way to the door,


    "...Goodnight, Aerith."


    And as the sound of Riley closing the door echoed in the room, it was followed by the sound of Aerith''s breath, a small sniffle as her tears once again started to dampen the pillow they were resting on.


    Unbeknownst to her, however, Riley''s back was still behind the door¡ªlistening to her cry with his eyes closed.


    This is all wrong, Riley thought.


    When he nned the death of her people, he made sure that it wouldn''t be connected to him at all. He made sure that only the Elders will be the target of Aerith''s rage and anger.


    But¡­ there was no rage or anger at all.


    Riley wanted to see if Aerith would give in to the rage and destroy them on her own, or if her naive kindness would once again win and she would understand them.


    But there was nothing.


    Even as Riley massacred and tortured Elder Skeem''s people¡ªAerith didn''t even show any hint of emotion.


    Riley wanted her to stop him, he expected her to stop him¡­


    ¡­He just wanted her to do something, anything. But it was almost as if she was just an empty shell, but she wasn''t at all¡ªshe was alive and well.


    And now, as he heard her crying on her own, Riley could not help but just bite his lip; his eyebrows,pletely furrowed as he looked at the floor in frustration.


    It wasn''t supposed to be like this.


    Aerith shouldn''t break, she couldn''t be broken. That was supposed to be him. He is the broken one¡­ not her.


    She is the one that saves people. She is supposed to¡ªwait¡­


    Riley started blinking a couple of times as he realized something¡ªHow can she start saving people again when there was no one to save?


    "Oh¡­" Riley then hummed as he removed his back from the door. The world of Arlusia did notck monsters and demons, their people were in danger every day.


    But theycked something.


    Someone that would make them hide in their houses and lock their doors¡ªa real viin. A threat above the demons they face every day, someone actively destroying their world and making them submit¡­


    ¡­A Demon King.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Pft, no. I''m not Gary," Riley let out a small chuckle as he shook his head, "Aerith is strong...


    ...she will get through this."

 Chapter 661 661: New Jeans

    "Don''t you have any other Porter?"


    "As I said, the only one that still hasn''te in today is the Porter you were withst time. A lot of people wanted to reserve him, but as he hasn''te into the guild since yesterday, most just opted for another one. He is the only one avable."


    "N¡­not him."


    The Leville party was currently inside the Hunter''s guild, and have been exchanging words with the woman behind the counter for several minutes now. They were trying to find a new Porter and have been checking with the guild every minute or so.


    Fortunately for them, the concierge seems patient, as they just smiled at them even though they''d been asking the same questions for hours now¡ªwell, at least until now.


    "Look,dy. You''re already presented with someone you already previously worked with¡ªand judging by his record in thest dungeon you guys did, he did well," the woman lightly mmed her palm on the counter, "If you want someone else other than what the guild is providing, then go fucking recruit a personal porter for your party!"


    "That¡ª"


    "You''re holding up the line!"


    "Eek!"


    Lilly could really only move away as the woman behind the counter started violently pointing at her to go away. Lilly nced behind her, only to see there wasn''t actually a line¡ªmost parties were already out hunting in dungeons.


    "...What do we do now?" And as she walked away, her sighs almost filled the entire guild hall. This sigh, however, was quickly swallowed as she saw Riley casually sitting with Bert and Roan at their table.


    "R¡­ Riley!" Lilly quickly feigned a smile; her halted steps and the bead of sweat on her face, however, quickly gave away the growing anxiety crawling through the back of her neck.


    "Lililly."


    "H¡­hey, Lilly. Riley''s back," Roan also stuttered as he looked Lilly in the eyes; urging her to quickly join them, "I guess¡­ we don''t have to keep searching for another Porter, right? Right?"


    "R¡­right," Lilly forced a chuckle as she very slowly approached their table, violently patting Bert to move so she could sit as far away from Riley as possible.


    "I apologize, everyone," Riley let out a small sigh as he looked at Lilly, "I wasn''t here yesterday as I had some reading to do in the library."


    "Pft, no. It''s fine," Lilly then elbowed Bert, urging him to say something as the oldest one in the group.


    "...Right," Bert quickly cleared his throat and nodded, "We earned a lot of money from the orcs, so there is really no need to work yet. You know what? I believe we should all just rest again today."


    "That''s a good idea!" A loud gasp escaped from Roan''s mouth, "We¡­ we should just call it a day today and¡ª"


    "Oh, you are scared of me," And before the Leville party could continue their rambles and excuses, Riley let out a small hum as he looked at the members of the Leville party one by one,


    "You could have just said so, everyone. I would have understood," Riley then stood up and sighed, "I assure you, you do not need to be afraid of me yet, I do not have ns in harming any of you."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "We''re not scared of you!" And before Riley could step away from the table, Lilly quickly stood up. It wasn''t only her, both Bert and Roan also got on their feet as they looked at Riley.


    "We¡­ believe that it would be best for you to go to another party, Riley," Bert said, "We don''t know your circumstances, but you''re strong. Stronger than the three of usbined. We¡­ don''t deserve to have you on our team as a porter."


    "It''s not¡­ it''s us," Roan sighed and shook his head, "We''recking as a party."


    "I am a 1-Star Porter, everyone," Riley tilted his head to the side, slightly confused by the party''s words, "If not your party, then I would just be booked by another group that is simr to you in strength. No one deserves to have me at their party."


    "Oh."


    And as soon as they heard Riley''s words, the three looked at each other¡ªtheir eyes,pletely nk from realizing their stupidity. They were so in awe of Riley''s strength, that theypletely forgot he really was registered as a Low-ranking Porter. And in the first ce, based on the brief show of strength that Riley showed them¡­ there shouldn''t be anyone stronger than him in this city.


    The three continued to look at each other, not knowing that Riley Ross is actually considered to be the most dangerous individual in the Known Universe.


    "In that case¡­" Lilly then took in a long and very deep breath as she looked Riley in the eyes, "...I would like to formally invite you to our party to be our member."


    "That''s¡­ shameless," Roan widened his eyes as he looked at Lilly.


    "...We just said we don''t deserve him," Bert sighed.


    "Wait, no!" Lilly shook her head and waved her hands, "As a porter! Of course, we''re not going to let him fight. If he did, we might as well just be the porters for him."


    "That¡­ that''s true."


    "Why are you guys talking like he already epted to be in our party?"


    "W¡ª"


    "It''s fine," Riley then raised his hand before anyone else could talk, "I prefer working with familiar faces."


    "..." Leville party quickly looked at each other again as they heard Riley''s words. And after a few seconds of heavy breathing around their table, the Leville party all cheered and rejoiced.


    "Wait¡­ wait," and before Bert could order some alcohol to celebrate their new member, Roan unexpectedly stopped cheering; the tone of his voice, slightly turning serious as he looked at Riley, "Since we''re going to do this, I want to check something¡­ if that''s alright with you, Riley."


    "Hm?"


    "I¡­ want to know how strong you are," Roan then said¡ªand it wasn''t only him. Lilly and Bert, who were initially not interested in what Roan was about to say, could not help but once again look at each other when they heard his words,


    "Let''s¡­ spar, Riley."

 Chapter 662 662: What Reflects In His Eyes

    "Are you sure we''re allowed to fight here?"


    "It is fine, the innkeeper and I are bing quite close¡ªI have that effect on older women."


    "...Right."


    The Leville party, and their newest member, Riley, were now at the back of the tavern where Riley and Aerith were staying at. The innkeeper seems to also own the other buildings surrounding the tavern, allowing her to have arge yard behind them.


    The backyard was rtively still empty, however, as the innkeeper didn''t seem to have any idea on what to do with it yet. Aside from several trees and a well, there was nothing on it, making it the perfect ce for the Leville party to spar without having to go out of the city. But of course, there was another reason for Riley to choose this spot.


    "Let''s¡­ start, then?" Roan then nodded at hisrades, before stepping out of the shade the tree provided for him; his eyes, reflecting the silhouette of Riley''s cloak as it snapped with the wind,


    "I''ll go first."


    "I thought the three of you would be attacking me together, Roan?" Riley could really only tilt his head as he saw Roan approaching him by himself.


    "We will," Roan rubbed his nose and chuckled, "But I want to try fighting you alone first. I know¡­ I can learn a lot."


    Roan then took off his shirt, throwing it to the side as he grabbed the knives from his waist. Roan was lean¡ªalmost skinny. But it was obvious that whatever flesh he had, they were all covered in muscles¡­ as well as scars.


    "Wait, we''re using real weapons?" Bert quickly looked back and forth between Roan and Lilly. As for Lilly, she just shrugged her shoulders and said,


    "Does it matter? I don''t think we could even hit him even if we put all our effort into it."


    "That''s true, but¡­"


    "It''s fine, Bert," Riley let out a small chuckle as he took off his cloak¡ªrevealing the ck suit he had beneath it.


    "..." The three were slightly taken aback; after all, this was the very first time they were seeing this kind of clothing, let alone material. Was it some sort of armor to help him adjust to the heat? After all, if he was from the Snowfields, then that would mean he truly wasn''t used to this kind of weather.


    But as they thought of that, Riley suddenly took off his top¡ªjust mysteriously peeling away from his body as he pulled it.


    "...Fuck," Roan, however, couldn''t reallyment on the clothes as he just stared at Riley''s body¡ªno, squinting at his body. It was white, incredibly so that Riley almost seemed not real as his skin reflected the rays of the sun.


    But his white skin, perhaps, amplified his ripped body even more as the shadows almost seemed like they were drawn by pen as the lines almost sculpted every inch of him.


    "Are¡­ are you going to use a weapon?" Roan then gulped as he gripped his knives even tighter. Riley looked menacing with his ck suit; but without it, he was just exuding all sorts of¡­ power.


    "Well," Riley then raised both his hands to his chest as his feet started hopping very lightly, "I was told once¡­ that I am the weapon, Roan."


    "...Damn," Roan turned to look at Lilly and Bert, before nodding his head and just rushing toward Riley without any warning.


    Riley, on the other hand, just casually lowered his left arm as he swerved to the right,pletely avoiding Roan''s knife. Riley then suddenly raised his left fist, throwing it straight toward Roan''s chin, but stopping before it could hit him.


    "..." Roan quickly tilted his head back before kneeling on the ground and swinging his knife on Riley''s leg. But s, his knife was quickly stepped on, and before he could even attempt to pull it away, another fist was already hovering above the back of his head¡ªa strike that would have obviously incapacitated him, or considering Riley''s strength, killed him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "...Shit," Roan let go of his knife as he leaped back away from Riley, "I¡­ feel like I am being toyed with."


    "You are, Roan," Riley said without any hesitation as he once again stepped on the knife beneath his foot. And as he did so, it flung and spun toward his hand¡ªand not even a second after catching it, he threw it toward Roan.


    Roan didn''t really catch it, and for good reason as the knife just went straight past him and prated the wall meters away from them.


    "...How can we be as strong as you, Riley?" Roan then breathed out as he looked at the embedded knife, "What did you have to die to be that strong?"


    "Die multiple times, Roan."


    "That¡­" Not only Roan, but Lilly and Bert could not help but gulp as they heard Riley''s words. Riley might look like the same age around them, but just from the fact of how strong he is¡­ he might actually be some old master.


    And to die multiple times? Does that mean that Riley has experienced being on the brink of death before¡­ and multiple times at that? Just¡­ what sort of past is he hiding?


    "I want to experience that, Riley."


    "...Roan?" Lilly and Bert then looked at Roan as they heard his words.


    "Don''t hold back," Roan then let out a very long and deep breath as he stared at Riley; his hand, gripping his knife as rxed as he could as he raised it,


    "I want to see how strong you really are."


    "Are you sure?" Riley then let out a small chuckle as he lowered his arms.


    "Yes, I''m¡ª!!!"


    And before Roan could finish his words, he saw his vision turn dark as he felt something covering his face.


    "Riley!?" Lilly didn''t really know what to do as she just rushed toward Riley¡ªBert was the same. How could they not, when Riley was now lifting Roan in the air with one hand; his fingers, very slowly digging through his skull?


    Of course, they wouldn''t have rushed recklessly since the two were supposed to just be having a spar¡ªbut they saw Riley''s eyes, and it didn''t even reflect Roan. All they saw was the endless violence that was hiding deep within him. Dormant, but ever-so-existing.


    They were wrong. They shouldn''t have even thought of trying to spar with someone like Riley¡ªsomeone who has faced death, and only knows death.


    There was a reason why Riley was just working as a Porter, and now they know why.


    Their thoughts were right, and very wrong at the same time.


    Riley clearly knew what he was doing as he very slowly tightened his grip on Roan''s face. And they were right, his eyes were not reflecting Roan at all, because it was reflecting Aerith, who had been watching their spar from the start from the window of their room.


    This was the other reason why Riley chose this spot to spar¡ªto see if Aerith would save someone that was dying right in front of her. And Riley made sure¡­ he made sure that she would hear him scream in pain.


    And so, Riley tilted his head as he waited for Aerith''s decision.

 Chapter 663 663: Women

    It was almost as if time stopped.


    Lilly and Bert, who were rushing to help Roan, looked like a pair of statues with their hands stretched toward him. The leaves that were falling from the trees, the dust that was flying in the air, and the wings of the tiny insects that scattered sparsely¡ªthey were all frozen.


    In this world, only Riley and Aerith moved. Even Roan, who had been struggling to get away from Riley''s grip, ceased to wriggle.


    Riley and Aerith were the only ones that could move, and yet neither of them refused to. Riley just waited; waiting for Aerith to make a choice¡ªthey both had the eternity to do so.


    Will she once again shed her wings and be a hero?


    But s, it would seem eternity wasn''t needed as Aerith already made her choice. Her eyes, just closing as she turned around; stepping away from the window, leaving only her sighs to travel through the eternity they created.


    "..." And as Riley saw that, the only thing he could really do was sigh¡­ before just letting go of Roan. Riley then turned to nce at the advancing Bert and Lilly, only to block their path and give them the same treatment as Roan.


    But instead of lifting them in the air, he mmed their heads back straight into the ground.


    "Kh!"


    "F¡­!"


    "Too slow," Riley then let out a small sigh as the world around him finally moved, "I would have already killed Roan in a thousand different ways by the time you reached me."


    "This¡­" Lilly and Bert could really only cradle their heads as they rolled on the ground. They knew Riley was strong¡ªbut to the point that they couldn''t even see him? What¡­ sort of monster did they actually let into their party?


    "Well then¡­" Riley then patted his palms as he returned to where he was originally standing on, "...The three of you should really all attack me at the same time, so¡­


    ¡­shall we try again?"


    ***


    "Ack¡­"


    "Demonic titties¡­ my¡­ my arms can''t move anymore."


    "I''d honestly¡­ rather fight the orcs again. I thought this was supposed to be sparring. Why¡­ did it feel like a training session instead?"


    An entire hourter, the Leville party all just sprawled on the ground. Their sweat, almost beating the well near them from how much water they produced. As for Riley, he didn''t even break a sweat as he just continued to nce at the window from time to time.


    And of course, throughout their skirmish, these minute gazes did not manage to escape the Leville party''s eyes. How could it? The three were fighting for their lives, and yet Riley was just casually ncing at the window every other second.


    "That woman from earlier¡­ who is it?" Bert was the first to ask Riley as he sat up from the ground¡ªleaving a mark of his sweat on there.


    "Aerith. She''s the woman I love," Riley answered without any hesitation.


    "Oh¡­?" Not only Bert, but Roan and Lilly almost flinched from Riley''s unwavering answer, "I didn''t realize you were married."


    "I''m not," Riley shook his head, "I am her lover, but the same could not be said the other way around. She loathes me."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "...What?"


    "Our rtionship is not healthy," Riley let out a small sigh as he once again looked at the mirror, "We are poison to each other."


    "That''s¡­"


    "Haha!" Roan immediately sat up from the floor, pping his hands while looking at Riley, "It''s good to know that even someone like you fails in rtionships, ah¡­ finally something I am better at."


    "...The fuck are you talking about?" Lilly suddenly burst out inughter as soon as she heard Roan''s words, "You haven''t even had a single romantic partner in your life."


    "Pft," Bert tried to stop himself fromughing, but it just made him look even more condescending as he looked at Roan while doing so.


    "...Fuck you, guys. For real," Roan once again let his back fall to the ground, "I thought you guys were my frien¡ªwow, my face still hurts."


    The three then remained like this for a while¡ªletting out fetter fits ofughter while shaking their heads for no reason.


    "..." It sort of reminds Riley of the Baby Crew. Riley could never really understand it, the way they just seem tough at nothing, but still very much understand what they wereughing at. He¡­ never had this connection, and probably never will.


    And probably, just like the Baby Crew¡­ Riley will manage to destroy this for Lilly and the others as well.


    "Right, Riley¡­ We''re actually nning on joining the Expedition next month," Lilly wiped the sweat on her cheek as she looked at Riley, "We''re a 3-Star party now, so we were able to apply¡ªand since you''re now a member of the party¡­ maybe you want toe with us?"


    "Expedition¡­?"


    "Yeah," Lilly nodded, "There''s going to be a lot of other parties there, we''ll be traveling to different regions and actively hunting loose dungeons in the wild. People could actually bring their families there, since it usually takes months¡ªI''m bringing my husband."


    "Hm," Bert nodded, "I''m bringing my son since no one will take care of him if I leave. I''ll introduce him to you if youe."


    "...Wait, am I seriously the only one that''s not bringing someone!?" Roan widened his eyes as he looked back and forth between Bert and Lilly, "You guys should introduce me to someone, like right now!"


    "...You want to bring someone you''ve just met to an Expedition?" Lilly raised an eyebrow, "Are you crazy?"


    "What about you, Riley? Are you bringing apanion?" Bert asked.


    "He hasn''t even told us if he is going, Bert," Lilly sighed and shook her head.


    "I''ll go. I am part of the Leville party now, after all," Riley also shook his head as he looked at Lilly, "As for whether I am bringing Aerith, I would need to ask her."


    Riley and Aerith have been in Arlusia for a year, but it wasn''t until Riley hadpletely learned thenguage and some basic things about the world that they were able to live amongst them.


    They have only stayed in Arunafelt for a week, and he wanted Aerith to at least rest more. But perhaps it would be good for her to see some activity?


    She and Lilly also seemed to have something inmon. They¡­


    ¡­are both women.

 Chapter 664 664: The Strange Shadows That Lurk In The Dark

    Weeks have passed, and the Leville party has continued to hunt almost every day without rest. Suffice it to say, when they got beaten down by Riley without even as much as making him sweat, there was a fire that lit up within them.


    Riley did not mind, of course¡ªhe even went with them every time. And each time, he pulled all the monsters toward the Levillle party.


    Suffice it to say, the three werepletely different from how they were just weeks ago. After all, even though Riley was pulling the monsters toward the Leville party, he wasn''t helping them to defeat the monsters at all.


    If they die, then they die. But so far, aside from being heavily wounded and covered in blood each time they hunt, the three of them were still alive and well.


    Riley wasn''t going to lie¡ªit was fun. It was almost as if he was ying a game where he pitted the Leville crew against the monsters. It was sort of exciting to see if they were going to live as Riley pulled more and more each day.


    And of course, because of the¡­ incredible results that the Leville party was showing, they have also been slowly gaining poprity in the local city of Arunafelt. None of them noticed it, however, as they were all just incredibly exhausted after every hunt. They just focused on getting stronger; sleeping and hunting¡ªthat was their life for an entire month.


    As for Riley, he didn''t rest. Each time he went back to the tavern, he tells Aerith of the things that happen to him that day.


    And then, finally, the time for the Expedition hase.


    "Aunt Lilly!"


    "Jacob? Is that you!?"


    The Leville party were currently outside the gates of Arunafelt¡ªand it wasn''t only them, there were more than a hundred people there; all bringing their own carts and supplies for the long hunt ahead.


    The Leville party also has a new cart¡ªmuchrger than before and even had a roof and drapes, making it closed from the outside world.


    And as Bert said, he brought his son with him, who was already leaping into Lilly''s arms.


    "Look at you!" Lilly lifted the small boy, lightly pinching his cheek as she gritted her teeth in excitement, "You''re so tall now, even taller than Roan."


    "...I''m minding my own business here, why do I keep hearing my name!" Roan''s head then peeked out from the cart as he pointed at Lilly and Jacob, "And you, if you don''t stop growing taller I will hit you, okay!?"


    "Stop scaring the child, Roan," Lilly could really only roll her eyes as she gently ced Jacob back on the ground.


    "Sorry, I''mte. I waited for Jacob to wake up," Bert then forced out a chuckle as he approached Lilly, "Where''s Nathan?"


    "Right there."


    Bert quickly looked at where Lilly was pointing, only to see a man tending to their carriage birds.


    "Nathan! You don''t need to do that!" Bert waved his hand at Lilly''s husband.


    "It''s fine! I''ll take the first shift in driving!" Nathan waved back, before just continuing to brush and feed the giant birds, "This is my job, anyway!"


    "..." Bert nced back at Lilly, only for her to giggle and shrug in response,


    "What about our overpowered Porter?" Bert then asked, "Is he¡­ going toe?"


    "I''m right here, Bert."


    And almost as if in cue to his query, Riley appeared from the gates of the city¡ªand beside him was Aerith, and like him, she was covered with a cloak.


    "I apologize for my tardiness," Riley said as he approached the group, "I forgot about the Expedition."


    "...Of course, you did," Lilly could really only sigh and shake her head. But afterward, she quickly stretched her hand to Aerith.


    "Hello, my name''s Lilly. It''s a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Aerith."


    "..." Aerith shook Lilly''s hand, but she didn''t really say anything and just nodded.


    "..." Lilly was a little weirded out at first, but she just smiled as she introduced the rest of the Leville party to her. Aerith didn''t talk, but she still acknowledged the others as she continued to nod.


    "Alright then," Lilly then pped her hands as she joined her husband on the front of the cart, "Since we''re all here, shall we get ahead of the line!? Leville party''s first Expedition!"


    "Let''s fucking go!" Roan once again peeked out of the cart as he raised his fist. As soon as he did so, however, he was almost hit by Bert''s hammer.


    "Language, my son can hear you!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Let''s¡­" But s, it is toote as Jacob also raised his fists in the air and said,


    "Let''s¡­ fucking go!"


    ***


    [...Leville party''s first Expedition!]


    [Let''s fucking go!]


    [Language¡­]


    "..."


    "..."


    "Who do you think he is?"


    Somewhere, 5 pairs of eyes could be seen glowing in pitch darkness. Their eyes seemed like finely cut gemstones¡ªhuman, but at the same time, they held a sense of ferality in them.


    Their breaths and voices too echoed and trembled through the darkness as they stared at the portal that was in the middle of them. The portal, showing Riley inside the cart along with everyone with him.


    "Do you think he was sent by the Common Council?"


    "What for? The Common Council has not bothered us and our ancestors¡ªit is ludicrous to think that after an eon had passed, they woulde to find us."


    "Sa''ruth has a point. The Common Council, if it still exists, would only consist of people that might have already forgotten about our ancestors."


    The voices continued to talk¡ªtheir words, containing a certain click and p on them.


    "But the fact that our organization exists would mean that our ancestors have foreseen that something like this would happen, no?"


    "But why? For what reason would they try and find us?"


    "He isn''t trying to find us, have you people not heard what he said in the library? He is here by fate."


    "But he knows about Ahor Zai, and that we left the Known Universe after the war of the gods in search of Nothing. I feel like we must reach out to him¡ªif it is true he had made contact with a Preprimordial being, then we owe it to our ancestors to know the truth."


    "Nonsense¡ªhe had also mentioned that he killed hundreds of billions of people¡ªhis words are filled with lies and arrogance. No singr person has that kind of strength anymore."


    "The Cherbi could. And one of the Great Van''s direct descendants could too, he looks like one."


    "But he''s not, he said he is from the Unknown."


    "The creatures you speak of might not even exist anymore. The time of the gods is over. This creature, whatever and whoever he is, I believe he just wants attention by spouting these grand lies."


    "Why would he lie?"


    "As I said, for attention. And since he seems to want it¡­


    ¡­then we shall give him one."


    "But our people are with him. We have already risked their lives by trying to explode the library."


    "They are beneath us."


    "They are still our people. We do not even know if the Stranger means us harm."


    "Enough. If to die with the Stranger is their fate...


    ¡­then so be it."

 Chapter 665 665: My Fault

    "She¡­ doesn''t talk?"


    "No, not for thest 5 years, Lilly."


    The line of carts and people was long; the gallop of their mounts, drumming in the air as they continued to march on with the Expedition. But even with the noise drowning everything, the inside of Leville party''s cart remained somewhat peaceful and quiet.


    All of them were doing their own thing. Bert''s son, Jacob, was currently sitting on the floor; his eyes wide open as he had been staring at Aerith for what seemed like hours now.


    Bert has pulled him away over and over again, but he always manages to sneak away and return in front of Aerith. And although Aerith doesn''t talk, it was clear that she didn''t mind and even enjoyed thepany; the smile on her face, as gentle as it could be.


    "What¡­ happened to her?"


    Lilly, who was sitting beside her husband on the coach seat, had her back turned from view up front and was instead facing Riley and the others on the cart; her arms,pletely rxed on top of the box of the seat as she spoke with Riley.


    "She¡­ lost almost all of her family," Riley sighed as he shook his head.


    "...Were they killed by an outbreak?" Lilly let out a small gasp as she heard her words; it didn''t stop her from her queries, however. After all, as morbid as it might seem, Aerith''s story was not really that umon in the world of Arlusia.


    "No," Riley once again shook his head as he looked at Aerith, "They were killed by a monster, Lilly."


    "...A single one?"


    "You could say that."


    "What¡ª"


    "Honey, stop asking too many questions. He''s your newest member, you have a lot of time to get to know him," Lilly''s husband, Nathan, could not help but let out a small chuckle as he heard his wife''s endless questions. But soon, however, he slightly pulled the reins and made the birds slow down,


    "And heads up, I think we''re arriving at the first stop of the Expedition."


    "You heard that, boys!" Lilly quickly jumped from the driver''s seat and onto the cart; her pace, clearly excited as she started checking her spear, "Get ready. We don''t want to be thest one to enter the dungeon."


    "May I ask you a question, Lilly?"


    And while Roan and Bert have also started checking their tools and weapons, Riley just remains seated.


    "Uh, sure. Go ahead," Lilly nodded as she turned her spear to reflect Riley''s on its de, "...But please don''t ask why Nate and I don''t have a child."


    "Perhaps I''ll ask that questionter, Lilly," Riley shook his head, "What exactly is the goal of this Expedition? I was busy learning thenguage and reading on different topics that I did not really have the time to delve into the culture of dungeon hunting."


    "...Oh, that kind of question," Lilly giggled, "Well, I suppose you can say the Expedition''s goal isn''t ''dungeon hunting'', but ''dungeon closing''. Does¡­ that make sense?"


    "I¡­ suppose."


    "We still get paid at the end by the authorities, but it''s not about the money," Lilly nodded several times, "It''s about trying to close as many dungeons as possible so that we might be able to reim these parts of the region. It''s¡­ honestly quite noble."


    "...What do you mean it''s not about money?" Roan, who was sharpening his des could not help but scoff and shake his head, "Don''t believe her, Riley. The party that hunts the most monsters during the Expedition will be given a lot of gold and be recognized by the kingdom. So actually, yes. This isn''t about money¡­


    ¡­It''s about money and fame."


    "Aunt Lilly is very greedy!"


    "Wh¡ªWhat are you teaching your son, Bert!?"


    "He learns through observation," Bert let out a small sigh as he once again pulled his son away.


    "Don''t believe them. I am doing this for the people of our country, Riley," Lilly could really only let out an awkward chuckle as she returned to Riley.


    "It is fine, Lilly. It is a basic human want," Riley shook his head, "But closing the dungeon, how do you think that works? I heard from Roan earlier that we need to kill the Boss of the monsters in order to close the dungeon, but how exactly does killing a beast do that?"


    "I¡­ actually have no idea," Lilly let out a small hum as she squinted her eyes. But after a few seconds of thinking, she just turned to look at Bert, "Bert? Since you''re the only one amongst us who actually had an education, maybe you know?"


    "Nope," Bert only scratched his beard and chuckled, "The schrs have tried to study it, but the only thing they have are theories."


    "Well, there you have it," Lilly shrugged, "Let''s not worry about that weird stuff and¡ªwait."


    Lilly then suddenly looked at Riley from head to toe as she once again squinted her eyes. Riley was incredibly strong, and she already discussed with Roan and Bert that he might be one of those Heroes of legend¡ªso why was he asking about the dungeons as if he knew nothing about them?


    Wait, is he really asking a question at all? Maybe he already knows why, and he''s just curious if they know. Is¡­ this a test?


    "Do¡­ you know why, Riley?" Lilly then gulped as she looked Riley in the eyes.


    "No. I would not ask you if I did."


    "...Oh." And with that, Lilly could really only sigh and drop her shoulders as she once again started fidgeting with her spear.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As for Riley, he grabbed the ck box from his pocket and stared at it¡ªthe box was obviously still shattered from Aerith pulverizing it, but Riley put it back together just because.


    It made sense for these world''s schrs not to know how their dungeons work because of their limited technology. But it was obvious from the people that attacked him in the library that there were people here that knew more¡ªperhaps truly the P''lopi.


    But then if the people from the library truly were the P''lopi, then what about Lilly and the others? Are they the descendants of the advanced civilization?


    But why is their civilization not as advanced? Are they perhaps just an experiment of the P''lopi? Or¡­ were the P''lopi just using this to hide amongst its people?


    But then again, the dungeons and portals are said to exist even before the dawn of men¡ªthe P''lopi were surely responsible for creating the portals, so they should¡ª


    "Hm," and as Riley realized that he was losing himself in his own world again, he quickly shook his head and also started getting ready¡­ and taking off his pans and cutlery.


    "You¡­ cooking or something?" Roan could not help but ask, "Wait¡­"


    He didn''t wait for Riley''s answer, however, as he started looking around him and was once again reminded that he was the only one that didn''t bring anyone.


    "Cooking, bringing your loved ones¡­ I feel like we''re just going camping," Roan said.


    "It might as well be?" Lilly looked at the others before just shrugging her shoulders, "We''re not really in any danger with the numbers we have. There have been many Expeditions throughout the years, but the casualties have always remained zero. The only way we would actually be in danger with our numbers is when an 8-Star monster appears."


    "...An 8th-Star monster?" Roan gulped, "Are you sure we won''t face something like that here?"


    "...Pft."


    "You''re short, Roan. Not young," Bert and Lilly started chuckling while shaking their heads, "There hasn''t been a monster above 5-Stars for hundreds of years now¡ªthe Heroes already eradicated them."


    "But if you''re still worried, the guild has actually sent scouts ahead of time. They have done this long before any of us have been born," Lilly sighed,


    "This year''s Expedition is not going to be any different."


    "Hm¡­" Roan breathed out as he started pushing the drapes of the cart open; letting more light seep into the cart to illuminate his serious expression, "...Thest one out carries our supplies and will set up camp!"


    And all of a sudden, Roan leaped out of the cart and rushed away. This time, however, Roan and Lilly did not immediately follow and just looked at each other; sighing and shaking their heads.


    Their camp was already set up¡ªtheir cart. That was the very reason why they upgraded to a covered cart in the first ce. This will also ensure that they would be one of the first ones to enter the dungeon since they didn''t have to set things up.


    "Yow, why are you guys moving!?"


    "Pft," Lilly could really only burst out in a fit ofughter as Roan stuck his head back inside the cart before stepping inside again, "We don''t have to set up camp, you idi¡ª"


    Herughter, however, instantly disappeared as she saw a trickle of blood suddenly drip from Roan''s nose.


    "Roan¡­ your nose."


    "...Huh?" Roan blinked a couple of times as he looked down, only to see blood on his leather armor, "...What is this?"


    Roan quickly touched his nose as he looked at hisrades, "What¡­ what''s this?"


    "D¡­dad, I¡­ don''t feel too good."


    And before Lilly could approach Roan, Jacob''s quiet and stuttered whispers suddenly drowned the entire cart. They all looked at him, only to see him bleeding through the nose as well.


    "..." Riley could really only blink a couple of times as he saw this. He then looked at Aerith, who was already staring at her. But of course, as Riley wasn''t doing this, he quickly shook his head at her.


    But soon, however, Roan''s hand suddenly burst into mes.


    "Roan!?"


    "...Huh?" Roan, however, didn''t seem to be in pain as he even raised his hand to look at it. As soon as he did so, however¡­ the fire shot out from his hand and onto the highly mmable roof of their brand-new cart.


    "Jacob!? Where''s Jacob, he was just here!?"


    "I''m¡­ I''m right here, Dad. What¡­ what''s going on!? I''m scared!"


    "...What!?" Bert could only raise his hands as he felt a small pair of arms embracing him. He could also hear his son''s voice¡­ but there was no one there.


    "Oh," Riley hummed as he saw this.


    It turns out¡­


    ¡­it was his fault, after all.

 Chapter 666 666: A Devil Steps Out

    "What¡­ what the fuck was that?"


    "Fuck, everyone''s staring at us."


    "...Our cart."


    Roan, Lilly, and Bert were sprawled on the ground; their breaths, pushing away all the dust¡­ as well as the ashes flying around them. These ashes, of course, belong to their cart.


    The Leville party could do nothing¡ªthey just stared as the cart they spent a lot of their money on was swallowed by mes. mes that were as if taunting them as their eyes reflected its violent dance.


    Well, at least that was what happened earlier. Now, the group just stared at what remained of their brand-new cart¡ªsmoke and ashes. The worst part of it all was that all their supplies withered away with it.


    "We¡­ just bought that," Lilly breathed out as she wiped her face, only to make it even dirtier as she painted her cheek ck from the char on her hand, "Just¡­ what happened, Roan? What was that fire¡­? Did you forget you have like a flint or something on¡ª"


    "No!" Roan did not let Lilly finish her words as he screamed and waved his hand, "Do you think I would make a rookie mistake like¡ª"


    "!!!"


    If it wasn''t for Lilly''s quick reflexes, then she would have definitely suffered the same fate as their cart. There was truly no need to ask any more questions as to the origin of the fire, as this time, everyone clearly saw what happened.


    As soon as Roan waved his hand, mes instantly burst forth and fanned from his palm out of nowhere.


    "W¡­ what is happ¡­ning¡­" Roan looked at his hand for a few seconds¡­ before his vision just faded into nothing; his body, falling limp onto the ground. Fortunately, he still seemed very much healthy from the way his seemingly exhausted breaths reached everyone''s ears.


    The group saw what happened¡ªand for everyone but Riley, the only exnation that they could reach was magic. Add to the fact that Bert''s son, Jacob, also exhibited some form of sorcery when he disappeared earlier, and only really became visible again when he got tired. Is¡­ it possible they encountered something?


    And while the Leville party was losing their minds, Riley clearly knew what happened. But still, of course, he couldn''t help but be curious.


    The Supervirus is airborne, and Riley had actually been making a great effort to scatter it throughout Arlusia. And like holding his breath, he has been actively trying to keep his telekic armor off ever since they stepped into this mysterious fantasy world.


    But still, he was surprised when he finally infected someone.


    He had been with the Leville party for more than a month, and Riley was already starting to think that they were not susceptible to the virus. As for Jacob, well¡ªthe rate of children being infected was obviously higher.


    But for the two to have their ''awakening'' episode at the exact same time, Riley can''t help but think of how¡­ interesting that was. The same, however, could not be said for their abilities.


    Summoning mes and invisibility, both useless. If it won''t be able to scratch, or let alone kill him, then it is useless. But since he already confirmed that the people of Arlusia could be infected¡­ then he just needed to nt more seeds.


    "Magic¡­ the timing is just¡­" Lilly didn''t really know what to think. While they were in the midst of putting out the fire that Roan caused, most of the parties have already entered the dungeon.


    They''ve already lost their chance to¡ªNo.


    Lilly shook her head, why would she even think of the Expedition at this point?


    "Bert¡­ what¡­ what do we do now?" Lilly then said as she just once again let herself fall; this time, however, she leaned onto her husband. Nathan didn''t really have an answer for her.


    "We¡­ should go home." And so instead, Bert was the one to answer her question as he stood up and carried his son, "While the others are busy with the Expedition, we should take one of the carriages and go."


    "You¡­ want us to steal?"


    "Do we have a choice!?" Bert could no longer hold off his worries as he raised his voice, "My son¡­ my son suddenly disappeared into thin air, Lilly. He was gone, but I could still feel him. They obviously can''t control this¡­ whatever this is. What if Roan suddenly loses control again and burns us? What if my son disappears again, but only this time we can''t find him? We¡ª"


    "Fine," Lilly did not let Bert finish his words as she gruntingly stood up, using her husband''s shoulder as support, "We should hurry up. The people inside the dungeon aren''t going to be busy for too long. I saw the color of the portal earlier, it should only be a 3-Star dungeon."


    "Then let''s stop talking and go while there''s only a few people," Bert nodded as he started looking around, trying to find a cart that waspletely left unattended, "There¡­ I don''t think anyone will see us if we get¡ª"


    And before the Leville team could even take a single step toward the abandoned cart, a sort of violent tremble reverberated in the air¡ªNo. It wasn''t just a simple tremble, everyone that was still outside in the field felt their bones shivering along with the quake; every strand of hair in their body, now standing up.


    They did not get the chance to wonder what it was, however, as another tremble echoed through the field.


    And this time, the source was clear.


    The people that have entered the dungeon were now running out of the portal; their screams, enough to drown everything with the desperation and fear they contained. And as they continue to run and scatter, something was clear for everyone that was watching them panic.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡­The number that went in was not the same as the number that went out.


    "W¡­ what''s going on!?" Lilly tried to grab one of the people that were running past them, but her hand was quickly flung away without even as much as a word. All she really heard was a whimpering scream.


    "We¡­ should probably run?" Nathan said as he carried Roan from the ground and looked at Lilly.


    "..." Lilly returned Nathan''s gaze, before just nodding her head and looking at the rest of the group. And without even saying another word, they all just nodded to each other and started running away.


    ¡­But they didn''t get far.


    They didn''t get far as another tremble caused the air to shake. This time it was a quake¡ªa quake that caused the ground to crack into a web, causing Nathan to trip and fall along with Roan.


    "F¡­ fuck," this fall seemed to wake Roan up, however, as he quickly sat up in surprise and started looking everywhere. His straying eyes, soonnding on something that made them open as wide as they could.


    "G¡­ guys¡­" Roan very slowly stretched his arm forward, causing Nathan and Lilly to quickly move away in fear of another fan of mes shooting out of his hand. But as soon as they confirmed they were safe from any premature firings, they turned to look at where Roan was pointing¡­


    ¡­only to see the portal.


    That, in itself, is a problem as they shouldn''t be able to see the dungeon entrance from where they were at. That could only mean one thing¡­


    ¡­the entrance was growingrger.


    "..." The group then once again looked at each other, and this time, they didn''t even have to nod as their bodies prioritize their legs to hurriedly move away.


    ¡­But they didn''t get far.


    They didn''t get far as a roar loud enough to reach the skies pierced their ears. There was also a ripple of wind, a gust strong enough to almost cause the small Roan to tumble forward and fall.


    "..." And as the Leville party turned to see what caused it, their legs that were once previously moving on their own to runpletely turned limp. Their bodies, just freezing as they saw an ominous silhouette stepping out of the now towering portal.


    They have never seen something like it before, but they all knew what it was. The very field itself started to change color as the light of the sun started to reflect on the creature''s scales, almost turning the day into a bright night from its purple luminance.


    Majestic, ominous, death¡ªperhaps the three words that best described the towering creature as it crawled out of the dungeon; its long neck, flexibly moving its head as a pair of eyes that seemed like gemstones scanned all the frozen and scared people.


    It stepped forward, and when it did, it destroyed everything within its path with its feet that might as well be a hammer with ws; ws that were the size of an entire human.


    And with a whip of its tail, the very ground itself seemed to ripple as if water asrge pieces of it were just shaved away.


    And then, finally, a word escaped Roan''s opened mouth.


    "Dura¡­ Dragon!?"


    "S¡­Shh!"


    But s, Lilly covered Roan''s mouth toote as this¡­ purple dragon quickly turned its head toward them.


    "...Bert," Lilly then whispered; her eyes, not leaving the colossal creature even as its eyes started to stare at them, "...You should go, take Nathan with you while I try to distract it."


    "What are you sa¡ª"


    "I''m not doing this for you. I''m doing it for the boy," Lilly breathed out. Her voice, seemingly calm even in the face of a creature she hasn''t seen before, "Nathan, I love you¡­ okay? Never forget¡ª"


    "Riley Ross."


    But before Lilly could fully gather her resolve, the dragon suddenly spoke. Its words¡­


    ¡­containing a certain click in them.


    Riley quickly tilted his head to the side; his eyes, blinking several times as he looked at the dragon from head to toe. And after a few more seconds, he whispered,


    "...P''lopi?"

 Chapter 667 667: The Real Devil Wakes Up

    "Riley Ross."


    "P''lopi?"


    Everyone''s eyes just blinked. Some did it fast, some a couple of times in a single second¡ªbut everyone blinked. Even those that were running for their lives just stopped as they all turned their heads toward the purple dragon.


    Did¡­ the dragon just talk?


    And while most of the other Explorers werepletely just baffled and shocked as they stared at the giant dragon, the Leville team was already turning away; their eyes, very slowly straying toward Riley.


    "The dragon¡­ it said your name?"


    "Riley, please wake up!"


    "Shit¡­ let''s just run!"


    And while the Leville party and the other Explorers were once again preparing to run away, Riley just stared at the dragon with his head tilted to the side.


    The dragons, the P''lopis, and their ancient civilization¡ªhe thought they were connected, but to think they might actually be one and the same. When the dragon called his name, there was a certain click in its voice, reminding him of thenguage that Ahor Zai demonstrated back in Ahor Zai.


    Riley¡­ seems to be getting everything righttely. And from how they are here right now, he was also right that they were watching him back in the library. He had thought they were nning something, and now here they are.


    Riley then grabbed the broken tiny box from his pocket, before letting it float towards the purple dragon.


    "Is this yours?" Riley then said; his words, traveling even from afar, "I will assume that you are one of the P''lopis until otherwise said so, Purple Dragon."


    "...Riley, what''s going on?" Lilly and the others could really only watch. They wanted to run, but there was something else going on here that made them stay; their curiosity, winning over everything.


    "There''s a giant purple dragon, Lilly."


    "I see that!" Lilly raised her voice as she looked back and forth between Riley and the dragon, "I¡­ thought I was hallucinating when I heard it call your name¡­ but it seems the dragon¡­ knows you? What''s going on!?"


    "Were we right¡­?" Bert took in several deep breaths as he embraced his still-unconscious son, "Were you one of the legendary heroes of the past?"


    "Legendary hero¡­" Riley blinked, "That''s more her than me."


    "...What?" Everyone then turned to where Riley was pointing, just to see Aerith casually standing there and calmly looking at the dragon.


    "If¡­ if we live this encounter," Lilly could really only force out a chuckle as she shook her head, "Please tell us everythi¡ª"


    "Your arrogance ends here, alien."


    And almost as if it heard Lilly''s words, the dragon suddenly opened its mouth¡ªand as it did so, the very air itself turned heavy; the wind, all flowing violently into the dragon''s mouth as a ball of energy started to build up inside it.


    This ball of energy started to crackle; the skies above, almost losing their light as the dragon''s purple scales turned everything darker. And soon, a persisting sh of light¡­


    ¡­followed by a ''boom''.


    "!!!"


    Everything turned white as a beam burst forth from the dragon''s mouth¡ªshooting straight toward Riley without any warning. This beam, however, was instantly split in half as Riley stretched his hand toward it; protecting anything behind him from this death ray.


    Unfortunately, splitting it in half meant splitting it to the sides; the beam, hitting everything else and destroying the verynd itself.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Riley, however, did not even mind the screams of the people as he looked back and stared at Aerith since he saw her suddenly move. And there, Aerith was standing¡­ and covering Bert and his son.


    "..." A smile quickly crawled on Riley''s face as he saw this. Finally, he thought¡ªAerith was finally saving someone again; it was just a matter of how young and innocent the person was. So¡­ if he starts killing only children and babies from now on, perhaps Aerith would finally wake up?


    "Look, Aerith!" Riley then pointed at the dragon, "It''s a dragon! I''ve been reading them to you, and now they''re here in person."


    Riley''s tone was almost that of a child; containing a dangerous and evil innocence in it. But s, Aerith couldn''t seem to care less as she just stared at the ground. And soon, as the light around them dissipated, so did the glowing reflection in Aerith''s eyes.


    Lilly and the others no longer cared about running away. After what they saw, they just¡­ froze. But of course, they weren''t stupid¡ªthe safest ce right now was behind Riley. If they try to run, they will suffer the same fate as everyone else.


    The Leville party¡­ they were the only ones alive now. In an instant, everyone was gone¡­ even the verynd itself was nowpletely t; like one would slip on it if they tried to run. The fields of Arlusia were deste and empty from the start, but now¡­ there was just nothing.


    "Do you want to try killing it, Lilly?" Riley then said as he looked back, "It will increase the party''s rank if you manage to do so."


    "W¡­ what?" Lilly blinked a couple of times as she looked at Riley. But after a few seconds, she just shook her head and awkwardly smiled, "It¡­ it''s all yours, Riley."


    "But if it''s me, then¡­" Riley then snapped his fingers while still facing Lilly, "...I think it will be over just like this."


    And as soon as he said that, the dragon''s head suddenly turned into a mist of blood.


    "..." Lilly and the others'' mouths were once again agape; their eyes, almost popping out of their sockets as they now stare at the headless dragon. They remained frozen like that¡ªwith their only movement being a flinch as the dragon finally realized it was dead and dropped to the ground.


    "Hm¡­" Riley then let out a small hum as he started looking around, "...I just killed one of you, perhaps it is time to show yourselves, P''lopis?"


    And as soon as he said that, the clouds that have just once again gathered in the skies all rippled away¡ªopening dozens of portals the same size as where the purple dragon emerged from.


    And true enough, the loud pping of their wings drowned every other noise as their majestic silhouettes all descended from the heavens at the same time.


    "Is¡­ this the end of the world?"


    "Wake up!"


    "No," the smile on Riley''s face became wider as his feet very slowly left the ground, "This is the beginning of Nothing."


    Riley then stretched his hands to the side, and as he did so, the very ground that Lilly and the others were standing on started to quake and lift into the air.


    "Riley, stop!"


    He heard a scream piercing his ears, but Riley did not stop as his eyes just reflected the army of dragons above him. Riley just continued to ascend, bringing thend along with him.


    And soon, the dragons all opened their mouths¡ªsting a violent rain straight toward Riley.


    "You ancestors sought for Nothing," Riley then whispered as his telekic barrierpletely stopped all the beams, "And now, I will bring you to Noth¡ª"


    "Riley, just stop!"


    And then, all of a sudden, the dragons were gone. Riley just heard a snap and felt a sting on his cheek, and suddenly, the skies above just instantly turned into a familiar empty darkness.


    Riley then blinked several times as he touched his cheek, before looking at the woman that was suddenly in front of him.


    "...Mother?"

 Chapter 668 668: An End To A Fantasy

    "Riley, just stop!"


    "...Mother?"


    "Enough, Riley. Just¡­ stop it."


    And for the first time in a very long time, Riley found himself just like the rest of the people standing below himpletely frozen. He wasn''t surprised that everything around him just suddenly changed in an instant, no.


    What he was surprised about was suddenly seeing Diana floating right in front of him, appearing out of nowhere. Suffice it to say, Riley didn''t really feel any threating from the dragons, but now that Diana suddenly reced them, he felt like he needed to very slowly descend back to the ground.


    But of course, Riley didn''t do it and instead just stretched his hand to touch Diana''s face.


    "Are you really here, Mother?" Riley then started brushing Diana''s cheek, caressing, pinching, and pulling to see if it was real. And true enough, she was there.


    And while Riley was busy messing with her face, Diana just stared at him; her eyes, slowly turning moist as her eyebrows furrowed.


    "You¡­ found us. Mother?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he finally let go of Diana''s face, "We should be in a ce that is very far away, apletely different dimension. Completely inessible by normal means. How were you able to find us, Mother?"


    "..." Diana''s eyes fluttered shut; her lips parting in a deep exhale as if all she wanted to say was contained within the sigh that escaped them. The meaning of her sigh, however, Riley was not capable of understanding at all.


    "Aerith, Mother found us!" Instead, Riley just turned to look at Aerith, only to find her standing alone on the ground. Lilly, Lilly''s husband, Roan, Bert, and his son were nowhere to be found.


    "Oh¡­?" Riley then finally started to scan his surroundings, only to find that they were now standing on arge rock. He looked at the sky, to find that there was none at all; instead, he finally realized why the darkness was so familiar to him¡ªit was the expanse of space. And thend they were standing on? An asteroid¡­


    ¡­floating amidst the countless other lifeless stones and dust in the darkness, almost reminding Riley where he truly belonged.


    "You didn''t find us¡­" Riley then whispered as he looked to the side, "...The que¡ªI suppose it finally teleported and brought us back."


    "No, dear¡­" Diana once again sighed; this time looking Riley in the eyes, "It''s¡­


    ¡­not real."


    "Hm?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "What do you mean, Mother?"


    "You know what I mean, Riley¡­ You know what I mean," Diana once again closed her eyes. And this time, the sadness that had been wanting to burst forth from them could no longer be contained; the tears, going down a trail on her cheeks that already seemed to have existed for a long time,


    "The dragons, the adventures¡­ they''re not real."


    "Of course, they are, Mother," Riley blinked, "How could they not be when I was just on their moments ago?"


    "..."


    "Wait," Riley''s eyebrows started to furrow as he very slowly floated away from Diana, "How do you know about the dragons, Mother? Are you perhaps involved with the P''lopi?"


    "I know because you have told me before. They''re not real."


    "..." Riley looked to the side as several thoughts started to race in his mind. But after a few seconds, he let out a small but very deep sigh and shook his head, "They seem real enough for me, Mother. The P''lopi, I believe they are nning something behind the shadows."


    "How? How would you know they''re nning something?" Diana wiped the tears on her face as she took in a deep breath, "You made it up, Riley."


    "..." Riley blinked as he heard Diana''s words, "Are you saying that I have lost my mind, Mother?"


    "..."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I don''t believe so, Mother," Riley shook his head, "The way the supervirus scattered, and everything that was happening seemed too real to not be real. You suddenly being here is what does not seem real."


    "..."


    Diana once again kept her silence as she just looked at Riley. Riley, on the other hand, ced his hand on his chin as he let himself think of different other possibilities. But after a few seconds, he just shrugged and turned around before flying back to Aerith.


    "Well, real or not, since we''re back, we can continue traveling again, Aerith," Riley nodded as he stood in front of Aerith, "We just need to find another ship, and I can fulfill my promise to take you away."


    "..." Aerith did not really say anything; just nodding her head as her feet slowly left the ground.


    "Which direction do you want to go this time, Aerith?" Riley also started to float again as he asked, "We''re already in the Unknown, so maybe we should try to¡ª"


    "Riley, stop and listen."


    Before they could leave the asteroid, however, Diana suddenly appeared behind Aerith and grabbed her hand¡ªnot letting her fly away.


    "What are you doing, Mother?"


    "Where do you think you were, Riley?" Diana did not let go of Aerith''s arm as she once again looked Riley in the eyes, "What world were you in earlier?"


    "It''s called Arlusia, Mother."


    "...Arlusia," Diana breathed out, "That is the name of the world of the anime you keep on watching again and again, Riley."


    "..." Riley squinted his eyes, before grabbing Aerith''s other hand, "Let''s go, Aerith. We still need to find a ship if we want to continue our¡ª"


    "Riley!"


    And almost as if a beast unleashed, Diana let out a roar that shattered the asteroid beneath her feet, "I know you know, dear¡­ you know. Just stop this, please¡ªeveryone''s getting tired."


    "Let go of Aerith, Mother."


    "Riley¡­"


    "We are going, Mother."


    "...Riley."


    "Hm?"


    "Let her rest."


    "...What are you saying, Mother?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he tightened his grip on Aerith''s hand, "I don''t understand, Mother. Why are you saying that?"


    "Please let Aerith rest," Diana pulled closer to Aerith, before very slowly and gently touching and covering her face¡­and closing her eyes,


    "It''s time to let her rest eternally. Please, Riley¡­ for both your sakes¡­


    ¡­it''s time to let her go."

 Chapter 669 669: Not Nice

    "For both your sakes¡­ let her go."


    "Why¡­ are you saying that, Mother? That''s¡­not nice."


    "You know why, Riley. Please¡­ please wake up."


    "..."


    Silence. Riley had always treasured it, just below the screams of all the people he had killed and tortured. But at this very moment, it was as if there was something knocking on his head. In silence, there should only be a persisting whistle¡­ so what was this knocking that was whispering in his ears over and over again?


    And as he looked at Aerith; her eyes closed and her face at peace¡ªhe felt something he couldn''t quite figure out yet.


    "Why would I let her rest, Mother?" Riley tightened his grip even further as he truly refused to let go of Aerith''s hand, "That does not make sense¡ªif she is tired, then she will rest on her own."


    "We have been over this again and again, Riley," Diana sighed, "I''ve always managed to convince you that Arlusia isn''t real, but when ites to this¡­ when ites to Aerith¡ªyou regress."


    "..." Riley''s eyebrows began to furrow.


    "This is the part where you once again go away, and then I will follow you to some other part of the Universe. We¡­


    ¡­have been at this for almost 5 years, Riley. A lot has changed¡­ It''s time for you to wake up back to reality, the real one."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I suppose I can believe you that Arlusia is fake, Mother," Riley then shrugged, "And so, how were you able to do it? Is Paige here somewhere creating illusions?"


    "Paige is on Earth, waiting for you. Along with your sister, the norid¡ªwe''re all just waiting for you toe home."


    "Are you saying I imagined everything in my mind, Mother?" Riley breathed out as he started looking everywhere, "It felt too real to be fake, Mother."


    "That''s what Alice said too."


    Diana moved away from Aerith as she flew in front of her son, "She said that everything felt real. She told me one time that she forgot she was bathing you, that you were in the tub¡ªbecause for her, you truly weren''t there¡­ she almost drowned you."


    "..."


    "You''re now older than she was when her illness won, Riley."


    "Then do I have what biological mother had, Mother?"


    "...Maybe. I don''t know yet, dear. But what I do know is that you took it to the next level," Diana turned to look at the thousands of asteroids that were scattered like flies around them,


    "You''re using your telekinesis and¡­ another ability to make whatever it is you''re seeing to truly feel real to you. It''s¡­ fascinatingly scary."


    "Hm," Riley turned his head down, before he once again turned to Aerith and shook his head, "She is real."


    "She is."


    "I hear her cry at nights, she smiled at Bert''s son¡ªand she even tried saving them, Mother," Riley breathed out, "How will that be possible if only I see what I saw?"


    "...This is the part where you regress as soon as I tell you. You will leave, and repeat the scenario in your head again and again."


    "Tell me, Mother."


    "You already know what happened, dear¡­


    ¡­you tell me."


    ***


    "Riley¡­ just take me away."


    5 years ago, when the remains of Theran and its people still reflected in Aerith''s eyes¡ªRiley wrapped his arms around her, the smile on his face ever-persisting as Aerith''s words entered his ears.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Of course, Aerith¡­" Riley breathed out as he rested her head on Aerith''s shoulder,


    "...anywhere with you."


    "Then let''s die."


    "Hm¡­?"


    It wasn''t only Riley. The others that were there watching the scene unfold could not help but move parts of their body as they heard Aerith''s words. But before Aerith''s words could fully register in their minds¡­ something happened.


    "...Megawoman!?"


    Riley blinked a couple of times. He was just resting his head on Aerith''s shoulder just moments ago, and now she was facing him¡ªher hand, deep into his chest.


    "...You can''t kill me, Aerith," Riley just tilted his head to the side after looking at Aerith''s burrowed arm.


    "I know," Aerith smiled as she looked Riley in the eyes, "I''m going to have to go first."


    "...Aerith?" Riley''s eyes very slowly widened as he returned Aerith''s clear and mncholic gaze.


    "And I know I can''t leave if you''re here."


    "What are you¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, he saw his vision very slowly fade away. But still, he continued to stare at Aerith''s eyes even through thest moment¡­ only to notice that the light in her eyes was also fading away.


    And as soon as Riley realized what was happening, he used thest of his strength to summon a clone, then hastily looking at Paige and mouthing something to her before he was sent to the Overvoid.


    "..." His stay in the Overvoid just fleeted away¡ªhe didn''t really do anything. Nothing was there, saying something to him; but everything was just a blur until his eyes once again finally saw Aerith.


    He was on the ground¡­ with Aerith resting in his arms. As for the clone that he left behind, it was currently turning into ashes as Diana had her arm wrapped around its neck.


    "Riley! What are you doing!?" Diana then quickly rushed toward Riley, but Riley quickly created a telekic bubble to block her path, "Give her to me, dear. Don''t let me break this barrier and just please hand her to me."


    "..." Riley just looked at Diana for a few seconds, before turning to look at the other people there.


    Hannah had her hand covering her mouth; her head, clearly trembling as she stared at Aerith. Paige wasn''t looking at all, just letting her tears freely fall from her face as she bit her lip.


    Bernard was just standing as straight as he could, holding his helmet on his chest as he looked at Aerith with eyes filled with respect. Hera was on the ground; her face, filled with pain.


    Tomoe¡­ was just bowing toward Aerith. Even Ts, who was previously hiding beneath the deepest parts of New Theran was now on the surface.


    As for those that weren''t from Earth, they also had the same expressions¡ªmostly of a lingering regret.


    And then finally, Riley looked at Aerith¡ªcarrying an expression that Riley had seen before. The very same face she had when he recovered her body back from the Government.


    At peace.


    "...Oh," Riley breathed out as he very gently caressed Aerith''s cheek, "You''re taking a rest again, Aerith. I understand, I''ll wait for you to wake¡ª"


    "She''s not resting, Riley!" Diana did not let him finish his words as she lightly mmed her palm on Riley''s telekic bubble, "She¡­ she sent herself to Eternal Death¡­


    ¡­she''s gone, son."


    "No, she''s not," Riley shook his head as he ced a finger under her nose, "I can still feel life in her."


    "You''re doing that¡­" Diana''s breaths slightly became gasps as she looked at Riley; her eyebrows slightly turned up, "...You''re preventing her from dying."


    "..."


    "Just let her go. Let her go with her dignity intact, Riley. Just her go, please," Diana pleaded, "To prevent a themarian that wants to die from reaching Eternal Death is the greatest disrespect one could do to us¡­


    ¡­you are disrespecting her, Riley."

 Chapter 670 670: Dangerous Psychosis

    "To prevent a themarian that wants to die from reaching Eternal Death is the greatest disrespect one could do to us¡­


    ¡­you are disrespecting her, Riley."


    Diana''s tone was soft but stern at the same time; not even a hint of authority ormand in it, all there was is pleading.


    There was a shadow reflecting in her eyes, showing a certain¡­ darkness. Her entire people just died¡ªand now, the only remaining themarian aside from her chose to end her life. There was still Esme, but her chances of survival solely relied on whether she wanted to live or not, and even then¡­ she might not make it.


    But it didn''t matter, not at this moment.


    "Riley, listen to me¡­" Diana continued to plead, "...please, let me immortalize her along with the rest of my people, let me bury her with her son. At least give them that please¡­please."


    "You are not making sense, Mother," Riley shook his head as he looked at Aerith. She stared at her face for a few seconds¡ªand soon, her skin which seemed like a gray canvas started to be painted with color.


    "Riley¡­ don''t," Diana took a deep breath as she saw this; her head, shaking ever so slightly several times, "Don''t."


    Aerith''s eyebrows started to twitch; her lips, parting as a long and very deep breath escaped them. And very soon¡­


    ¡­she opened her eyes.


    "Ah!" A smile quickly crawled on Riley''s face as he saw himself being reflected in Aerith''s eyes as she looked at him, "See, Mother? She''s alive!"


    "Riley!" Diana yelled as she mmed her fist on Riley''s telekic barrier, breaking through it as she stepped closer, "Don''t do that!"


    "I''m not doing anything, Mother," the smile on Riley''s face grew even wider as he watched as Aerith very clumsily stood up, "You''re worrying for nothing."


    "Riley¡­" Diana''s eyebrows started to furrow; gritting her teeth as she looked Riley in the eyes, "...Stop this, now. I am warning you. Do not disrespect her any further."


    "I''m not, Mother."


    "You''re controlling her body."


    "I''m not, Mother. She is doing this on her own."


    "The way her heart is beating is irregr. And we only really breathe if we want to," the tone of Diana''s voice became lethargic as she looked at Aerith; her eyes, filled with sorrow and pity,


    "You¡­ are controlling every part of her. It''s¡­ not right, Riley."


    "She''s alive, Mother," Riley stood up as he walked in front of Aerith, "Are you alright, Aerith? It''s going to be fine, I am going to take you away from here, okay?"


    "..."


    "Riley¡­I am going to exin this in a way that will be easy for you to understand," Diana tried her best to stay calm, "She is clinically dead, and you are serving as her life support. She is brain dead, Riley."


    "That''s not nice to say, Mother."


    "Riley, I said enough!" Diana couldn''t take it anymore as a roar once again escaped her throat, "


    "I won''t let you do this any lo¡ª!!!"


    Diana was going to rush toward Riley¡ªher hands, already ready to grab Aerith away. But before she could even make it halfway toward them¡­


    ¡­Alice suddenly appeared in front of her.


    "..." She seemed to be saying something as her mouth was moving, but Diana couldn''t hear any words escaping her lips. Diana stared at Alice for a few seconds, before turning her head toward Paige.


    "What are you doing, Ms. Pearson?" Diana almost growled at Paige as she looked at her.


    "It''s¡­" Paige very slowly shook her head, before looking at the ground; grimacing as she closed her eyes, "...It''s not me. I''m sorry¡­ I''m sorry."


    "What do you¡ª" Diana''s words were once again interrupted as she felt a hand on her shoulder¡ªAlice''s hand.


    Diana knew how Paige''s abilities worked. They were real for her, but for others, the only thing they are are visual illusions¡ªthey don''t produce sound, they don''t even cast shadows unless it was part of the illusion.


    But right now, she was definitely feeling Alice''s touch.


    "...Alice?" Diana blinked a couple of times; her hand, very slowly making its way toward Alice''s face. But before she could touch her best friend''s face, she let out a small but deep gasp.


    She then turned to look at Riley, who was still trying to talk to Aerith, before once again turning her eyes to Paige.


    "What¡­ have you done?" She asked with a stuttering voice.


    "I''m¡­ I''m sorry," Paige, however, just repeatedly apologized as she shook her head, "It just¡­ everything was happening so fast, and¡­ and when Riley looked at me when Megawoman had her¡­ when he was dying, he told me to¡ª"


    "You killed him¡­?" Hannah said as she also looked at Paige, "You killed him first? You¡­ let him have your powers? Are you¡­ are you crazy?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Oh, no¡­no, no, no¡­" Diana already reached that conclusion, and the only thing she could really do was shake her head several times as she looked at Alice¡­and what happened to her in herst moments.


    "Are you not ready to talk yet, Aerith?"


    And while everyone was losing their minds figuratively¡­ Riley was losing his literally.


    "It''s fine now, Aerith. You don''t have to be sad," Riley then let out a small and deep sigh before he stepped to the side¡ªrevealing Gary behind him, alive and well.


    "Mom, we need to take revenge for what they did to us! Mom!" Gary started waving his hands as he approached Aerith; his thundering words, echoing throughout the air and¡­


    ¡­reaching only Riley and Paige''s ears.


    "Look, Aerith. See?" Riley then let out a small chuckle as he ced his hand on Gary''s shoulder, "Gary wants us to take revenge against Elder Skeem. We''ll do it, do you want to do it?"


    "Riley¡­"


    "Mother? Why¡ªOh? Isn''t that biological mother? She''s alive?" And as Diana approached him calmly, Riley started blinking a couple of times as he saw Alice standing behind her, "Did you revive her again? That is very hypocritical of you, Mother."


    "Riley¡­" Diana whispered; the frustration and haste in her eyes were no longer there, only worry remained, "...I am going to talk to you again very straight, okay? I''m not going to talk to you as your mother, but as a doctor, okay?"


    "Hm?"


    "You are experiencing psychosis," Diana breathed out, "At least¡­ I hope it''s just that. So please, why don''t you give me Aerith and we can check your condition, okay? Whatever it is you''re seeing now, it''s not real. Okay? It''s not real."


    "You mean that''s not real?"


    "..." Diana quickly turned to look to where Riley was pointing, but there was nothing there.


    "Mom¡­ what''s¡­ what''s happening to him? There''s nothing there."


    "What are you seeing, Riley?" Diana took in a small gulp, "What¡ª"


    And before she could finish her words, a ship just suddenly popped up out of nowhere¡ªAerith''s ship.


    "..."


    "...Aerith''s ship was already taken by Elder Olseyir, remember?" Diana then calmly said as she looked at Riley, "You have Paige''s abilities now, Riley. I don''t think you know how dangerous that is, not only for us¡­


    ¡­but for you, especially to you."


    ***


    "I then grabbed Aerith and flew straight into the ship. You tried to grab the ship. You were able to at first, but then you couldn''t anymore because it truly only existed for me¡­


    ¡­and the only reason you were able to grab it in the first ce is because I wrapped it with a telekic barrier."


    "That''s right, Riley¡­"


    And as Riley finished recalling what happened 5 years ago, Diana closed her eyes and took in a long and very deep breath.


    "...Interesting," Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at Aerith, "So, I am subconsciously keeping her alive? How many times have we had this conversation, Mother?"


    "A lot."


    "And I keep repeating the same things over and over again as soon as I discover that Aerith is¡­ dead?"


    "Yes. Right about now, you''re going to leave again."


    "Huh¡­" Riley then let out a small hum as he finally let go of Aerith''s hand.


    "...Riley?" Diana took in a small gasp as soon as she saw this. This¡­ never happened before.


    What was different? What did she do differently to get this response? Diana tried to rack her brain to find out, so she could use it again next time. Her search was in vain, however¡­ as she found out she didn''t even need to.


    "Not this time, Mother," Riley then shrugged as he carried Aerith in his arms, "Let''s just go back to Earth."


    "...What?"


    "But on one condition¡­


    ¡­I''m keeping her in my room."

 Chapter 671 671: It Was Me

    The Superhero Association Tower.


    Andmark of hope for the people of Earth¡ªa reminder that no matter what happens, the day will be saved.


    For some, it was a shrine. They only needed to look up, and there she was standing tall, Megawoman. The Earth has changed drastically, and yet her statue remainedpletely unchanged.


    Even in the midst of the darkness that the night brings, she shone ever so brightly.


    And there, sitting on Megawoman''s shoulder, was Hannah. Her hair that was tied in pigtails, flowing with the wind as she stared at the city lights beneath her.


    "Aren''t you too old to be doing your hair like that?"


    "Aren''t you too old to be sneaking up on your daughter like that?" Hannah sighed; her eyes, slightly rolling as she shook her head. The tone of her voice was not the same as before¡ªher words were still as sharp, but they no longer contained the harshness they had before.


    "I''m never going to be too old for that."


    A quiet metallic sound whispered in the air as Bernardnded on the statue''s shoulder; his steps tried to be quiet, but there was a weight inside him that made it impossible to do so.


    "And I''m not sneaking up on you, you''re on top of my office. How could I leave you alone?"


    "Hm¡­" Hannah only nced at Bernard before raising her knee and resting her head on it, "...Have I congratted you for that, by the way?"


    "There''s no need," Bernard sighed as he joined his daughter in looking at the city lights dancing below.


    "I still don''t know how you did it, Dad. President of the Superhero Association, even with all your crimes."


    "Because I was thrown in this position, Hannah¡ªI wasn''t granted it," Bernard forced a chuckle.


    "Eh, I suppose I know how," Hannah once again shrugged, "The Secretary of Defense, the leader of the entire fucking, still has a crush on you."


    "..."


    "You, Mom, Riley¡­Me¡ªwe are poison to this," Hannah then sighed as she closed her eyes, "Sometimes I wonder just how peaceful this ce would be without the Ross family."


    "It''ll just be the same with someone else fucking it up," Bernard breathed out as he sat down, "How are you, Hannah? Have you finally adjusted to all of this?"


    "...You''re kidding, right?" Hannah removed her eyes away from the city lights as she nced at Bernard, "Earth is the one that adjusted."


    Hannah then turned her head up to look at the moon¡ªand yet in her eyes reflected not a silver sphere, but another world seemingly teeming with life.


    New Theran.


    The sole reminder that Earth was apletely different from before as itpletely reced the Moon.


    "We might as well be on apletely different, Dad. This isn''t Earth anymore," Hannah took in a deep breath as she stared at their new moon, "Even the people are different."


    "And your friends?"


    "They''re hanging in there. Tomoe''s doing well in the Academy. Paige is¡­ well, being Paige."


    "...And you?"


    "I''m hanging in there."


    "No, really¡­" Bernard let out a very long and deep sigh as he looked at Hannah, "How are you, Hannah?"


    "...Honestly?" Hannah turned her head down and rested her forehead on her knee, "...I have no fucking idea."


    "You really don''t n on going back to being a superhero?"


    "What''s the point, Dad? It''s¡­ all just meaningless now," Hannah forced a chuckle, "How do you expect me to return to this life when we already know what''s out there? And Megawoman¡­ Aerith¡­ her entire people were killed right in front of us and we couldn''t do anything."


    "The people that did that are already dead."


    "Not enough," Hannah shook her head, "The themarians were erased because everyone else feared them¡ªwhat do you think would happen if they start fearing us too, Dad?"


    "..."


    "We need to do something, I don''t know what¡­" Hannah once again looked down,


    "...but we need to do something or we will be erased like the themarians."


    "Hannah, you¡ª"


    And before Bernard could say something, the watch he was wearing suddenly started beeping in red.


    "..."


    Hannah and Bernard quickly looked at each other, before just quickly flying away.


    ***


    Somewhere in an empty field, where the des of grass almost seemed like the sea¡ªmore than a hundred silhouettes could be seen casting shadows and making a circle.


    The hundred silhouettes were all wearing armor simr to Bernard''s Whiteking outfit; all of them just standing in full alert as they stared at the dark sky.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    And somewhere inside that circle, Empress and Butcher stood; their eyes, also reflecting the stars.


    "Adaeze."


    "...Bernard," Empress quickly removed her eyes from the sky as Bernardnded close to her, "Hannah."


    "Hm," Hannah alsonded near her, nodding her head as she looked at the soldiers standing in a circle,


    "Are you sure your people know what they''re doing?" Hannah then said.


    "I wasn''t stupid enough to provoke your brother then," Empress breathed out as she crossed her arms, "I''m not stupid enough to provoke him now that he''s more unstable."


    "But you are 162% stupid enough to let him back to Earth, Adaeze," Butcher quietlymented on the side.


    "Well, we''re not on Earth, are we?" Empress then turned around to look at the horizon behind her¡ªand there, Earth could be seen.


    "Riley Ross is now the most wanted individual in the entire Universe. This could be considered as us hiding him," Butcher''s eyes as well as his bald head still reflected the sky above.


    "We''re not hiding anyone," Empress scoffed, "And also, if we truly are hiding Ouws, then we''re hiding 3. That vampire, Diana, and now Riley."


    "And what did your new friends at the Common Council think about that?"


    "They are terrified shitless," Empress smirked, "But since Xra has notmitted any crimes since she has been here, the Common Council all just agreed to leave us alone¡­ as long as we keep them in check."


    "...And what if they did what they did to Megawoman''s people to us?"


    "They can''t," Empress then turned to Bernard, "We have countermeasures for everything they will throw at us. We are the newest member of the Council, Butcher¡ªbut we''re definitely not the most helpless one."


    "..." Hannah nced at Empress as she heard her words. And as the two of them met each other''s eyes, they just once again nodded at each other.


    And very soon, a bright spot of light pulsed from the sky¡ªblowing away all the clouds above them as a ship started to descend to the ground.


    No one really said a word, they all just waited for the ship to touch the ground. But as soon as it did so, Hannah was the first to rush toward it; not even waiting for the door to open.


    There wasn''t really a smile on her face, but her breaths alone were enough to know how excited she truly was. And soon, as the pressure within the ship started to hiss as the door opened, a familiar silhouette reflected in Hannah''s eyes.


    "..."


    Just one, however¡ªher mother''s.


    "Mom¡­?" Hannah blinked a couple of times as she looked at what was behind Diana, leaning her head up to see inside the ship, "Where''s¡ª"


    "Where''s Riley Ross!?" Empress was the one to continue Hannah''s words for her as she ran past her; rushing toward the ship and almost leaping inside it, "Diana, where''s Riley!?"


    And as she couldn''t even find a glimpse of Riley, the only thing she could really do was ced her hand on Diana''s shoulder.


    "He''s¡­" Diana sucked in a deep breath as she looked at Empress; her eyes, slightly apologetic, "...on Earth."


    "Are you crazy!?" Empress quickly ran away, "You Ross family¡­


    ¡­why do all of you keep making problems!?"


    ***


    "Hm¡­ just like old times. Don''t you think so, Aerith?"


    And once again, Aerith was in Riley''s room back in the Ross Residence; her head, resting on his shoulder as the two of them sat on his bed¡ªbasking from the light that entered through his window. And just like old times, Aerith doesn''t answer.


    "Did you see how different Earth is now, Aerith?" Riley''s sighs whispered through the entire room, "You will barely recognize it once you wake up. Although¡­ I wonder if what I saw was even real or just a hallucination."


    "..."


    "You heard what Mother said," Riley then stood up, before very gentlyying Aerith on the bed; supporting her head as softly as he could, "I might have the same thing that Alice had. I wonder if I will be like her too¡ªI might even end up killing sister without knowing it. It''s¡­ sort of a scary thought, no?"


    "..."


    "What was that?" A small smile then crawled on Riley''s face as he fixed Aerith''s hair, "Why did I bring you back here when I promised you that I would take you away?"


    "..."


    "Because you broke the promise first, Aerith. You left first," Riley closed his eyes, "I''m returning you home. So please, Aerith¡­ wake up."


    "..."


    "Now that you''re gone, I havee to realize something¡­" Riley then took in a deep breath and opened back his eyes; a hint of moisture could be seen from them as they reflected Aerith''s peaceful face,


    "...I am lost without you."


    And soon, a single tear emerged from the moisture building up in his eyes¡­ and soon trailing down his cheek.


    "I am not used to you not being here, Aerith. You are the thing thatpletes me, and¡­ I don''t think I can go on without you. So, I am going to tell you something¡ªand I am hoping that it will make you want to live again¡­


    ¡­I am the one responsible for your people''s death. It was me."

 Chapter 672 672: Riley And A Chance Of Normality

    "They killed your people because of me, Aerith. The Elder you know as Elder Olseyir, she''s one of my clones that has gained individuality like John. She''s the one who instigated the other Elders to ultimately act on what they did¡­


    ¡­It was me, Aerith. I killed your people."


    "..."


    "So, please. Be angry at me, truly hate me¡ªkill me over and over again. Just wake up."


    "..."


    "It was my fault, I¡­ was wrong. I thought you would be able to ovee it like you always do."


    Riley waited.


    He waited for even just a twitch of Aerith''s eyes, but there was nothing.


    "You know Gary¡­" Riley held Aerith''s hand in hopes that she would grip his hand back, "...Gary was supposed to be on the ship, all you needed to call him with you and he would have still been alive."


    "..."


    "It is somewhat funny, you know?" Riley then let out a small chuckle as he sat on the floor; resting his head on the bed as he started twirling her finger on Aerith''s palm, "Gary Gray has always been obsessed with being the main character, not knowing that he was. He was so busy trying to escape the notion that he''s just a side character¡­ that he literally died in it. Or perhaps he just wanted to belong?"


    "..."


    "Either way, he died like a side character¡ªoffscreen. Do you know what I mean, Aerith? While you were experiencing one of the greatest moments of your life as you freed your people, he died like nothing."


    "..."


    "...Aerith? Are you listening?" Riley then finally let go of Aerith''s hand as he stood up from the floor,


    "I have always known about what I am, and what I am doing. I enjoy every second of it, but right now¡­ I don''t know. I could go out there and start killing everyone again, but I don''t think I would enjoy it, Aerith. Not without you trying to stop me. You and me, it was supposed to be you and me¡­


    ¡­I now realize why I retired when you were gone. Because without you, what is the point of all of this? I also realized I never really quit being Darkday, because I knew you were alive somewhere. But now¡­


    ¡­are you waking up? Please tell me, Aerith. Give me a sign that you are alive."


    "..."


    "Don''t worry, Aerith¡­" Riley then let out a small sigh as he started making his way to the door, "...I will keep you here¡­


    ¡­forever."


    And as Riley''s whispers very slowly dissipated as he stepped out of the room, the only sound that was left inside was the air that wasing and entering Aerith''s nose. Whether or not it was truly him breathing, or if it was just because of Riley¡­


    ¡­no one would truly know yet.


    ***


    "Hm."


    Empty.


    As Riley stepped out of their house and into their neighborhood, he realized how empty it truly was¡ªand not just today.


    It has always been empty.


    Even as a child, he had never really seen anyone walking as he looked out the window from his room. This entire district was owned by Bernard, and be it paranoia in trying to keep his family safe, Bernard never really rented it out to anyone.


    Of course, that seemed normal for Riley¡ªas he never really stepped out of his neighborhood, he only flew. But for someone normal like Hannah, it should have had a negative effect on her social life.


    "..." Riley once again looked at the lifeless neighborhood, before closing his eyes and taking a very long and very deep breath. The only sounds that one could really hear were the birds whispering to each other, the rustle of the leaves¡­


    ¡­and then finally,


    "How is Aerith doing, Neighbor!?"


    A voice.


    "Shh. Don''t be too loud, Husband. She might still be resting."


    Voices.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    And soon, it was followed by the bark of a noisy dog. And then the sound of an engine and a car driving by¡ªthe chime of a bicycle, as well as the sound of a spray of water hitting grass.


    "..." Riley then opened his eyes, waking up to a neighborhood teeming with life and people walking around. And in front of him standing on the sidewalk outside their front yard, was an ordinary-looking couple waving at him with smiles on their faces.


    "Aerith is still asleep, Neighbor," Riley also waved back and smiled.


    "Okay, Neighbor!"


    "We will bring some of her favorites to your houseter, Neighbor!"


    "Thank you, Neighbors," Riley nodded as the couple started jogging away. Riley once again looked at the once-empty neighborhood, only to see the houses around them upied; with most of them having someone tending theirwn.


    There were also children riding on bicycles, and parents telling them to keep to the sides to avoid the cars driving by. But most importantly, all of them had smiles on their faces.


    "Hm¡­" Riley then nodded to himself. And as he took a step away from the door, a ck helmet instantly covered his head; his body, now strapped in leather as he walked out¡ªand on the street in front of them, was a motorcycle that wasn''t there earlier.


    "I''ll be back, Aerith," Riley then nced back at their house, before nodding and riding away with his motorcycle. The people waved at him when he zipped by, and of course, Riley waved back.


    Everyone was smiling and being courteous. And even as Riley left the neighborhood, everyone still had smiles on their faces.


    While Riley was now nketed by the darkness of the night, the people in his neighborhood were still surrounded by the joy of day.


    The couple that was jogging, they were smiling.


    The people that were tending theirwns, they were smiling.


    Even those that were just standing in front of their houses, they were smiling.


    The children, the people that were in their cars¡­


    ¡­and even their dogs were smiling.


    ***


    "Boring. Why is everything so boring!? Do you want me to rece all of you with aliens!? Give me a script that''s actually worth something!"


    "But¡ª"


    "Out! All of you out!"


    In the middle of Los Angeles, a new tower stood amongst all the giants¡ªHera Entertainment.


    As soon as Hera got back to Earth, she used all of her savings and investments to finally build up an entire agency from the ground up¡ªliterally.


    "Why is everyone except me so useless!?" Hera''s entire office was built from the strongest of materials, some even from New Theran. If it wasn''t for it being inessible, then she would have probably built the entire agency there.


    Of course, the reason for this was simple¡ªshe would break everything otherwise.


    She continued to look at all the programs and the scripts that were on her table, and yet none of them proved to be to her liking. They weren''t bad, of course¡­ but for Hera who had experienced the abundance of the Known Universe, everything just seemed boring.


    She wanted something that would excite the entire world¡ªanything.


    "Ms. Hera."


    "What!?"


    Hera almost threw the phone on her desk she heard her assistant''s voice.


    "There''s someone here looking for you."


    "Do you know what time it is!? Who is it!?"


    "He''s not giving me a name, but he says you were in the Hope Guild together and even traveled the stars together?" The assistant''s voice seemed excited, "He''s¡­ not an ex, is he? He looks sort of weird, but in a very nice way. Almost¡­ like an elf?"


    "...Oh."


    Perhaps¡­ not that exciting.

 Chapter 673 673: I Need Your Help

    "Did¡­ he tell you what he wants from me?"


    Hera was asking for excitement, and now probably the most exciting individual in the entire universe was literally at her doorstep¡ªno, he was already inside her building.


    "He¡­ is saying he wants a job?"


    "...A job?" Hera could not help but squint as she looked at the phone, "...Here?"


    "Yes? Should I turn him away? I can call securit¡ª"


    "Fuck!" Hera quickly rushed to her desk to pick up the phone, "Don''t do that! Bring him to my office!"


    "But¡ª"


    "Just bring him up!"


    Hera mmed the phone back on the desk,pletely shattering it to pieces. Well, perhaps not as shattered as her thoughts right now.


    Thest he heard of Riley Ross, hepletely disappeared with Megawoman after killing the entire race of the one responsible for the genocide of her people, as well as the one they call the Grand Elder.


    Diana has been searching for him for thest 5 years¡ªcould it be that she finally found him? But why wasn''t she alerted by Empress?


    ¡­But most importantly, why is he here? And why was he seeking a job!?


    Should she call for backup and tell Empress that he was here? But then again, her body wasn''t really reacting. That means that Riley doesn''t really mean her any harm whatsoever¡­ and calling Empress might change that.


    "...Fuck!" Hera sped her head in frustration. She just built up her agency from the ground up; poaching all the colleagues she has had the pleasure of working with from the other agencies¡­


    ¡­if ever this encounter goes wrong, then all her hard work would surely disappear into nothing.


    "Miss Hera."


    "What the hell!?"


    And as Hera was lost in thought, she almost jumped in shock as she heard a voice whispering directly behind her. She very quickly turned around¡­ only for her eyes to quicklynd on someone''s long, ck, silky hair.


    "...Who?" Hera could not help but whisper to herself as she expected to be blinded by Riley''s incredibly white silhouette, only to be surprised as she saw him sporting brown hair. It¡­ almost made him look like Alice, in a way.


    "It''s me, Miss Hera," Riley then very quietly whispered as he sneakily approached Hera, "It''s¡­ Riley."


    "Yeah, I¡­ I know who you are," Hera stuttered with her words as she looked around her office, "...Where''s my assistant? You¡­ didn''t kill her, did you?"


    "No," Riley''s eyebrows furrowed, "Why would I do that, Miss Hera?"


    "Because you¡ªno, never mind. When did you even get back to Earth?"


    "Just an hour ago or so, Miss Hera," Riley shrugged as he started walking around Hera''s office, before just taking a seat on the sofa near her desk, "Are you aware of what is happening to me?"


    "What do you mean¡­?" Hera slightly hesitated, but after a few breaths, she took a seat on a chair next to Riley.


    "It turns out that I might have the same illness as biological mother¡ªI am slowly turning crazy, Miss Hera," Riley then let out a small but very deep sigh, "For around 5 years, It would seem I was living in a fantasy that I created in my mind. I¡­ disrespected Aerith by dragging her to my nonsense."


    "If¡­ you''re here to ask me advice about all that, then I''m afraid I can''t help you," Hera slowly started to rx as she shook her head and also let out a sigh of her own, <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I''m as fucked as you are, Riley Ross. You should have gone to your cute little orange-haired girlfriend."


    "..." Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "...Paige Pearson? Shit, don''t tell me you''ve forgotten about her?"


    "No," Riley quickly shook his head, "Paige would just tell me to ept myself¡ªI do not want that, Miss Hera. I came to you because you are one of the people that have seen through my disguises."


    "...What?"


    "You told me before how I have been pretending my entire life," Riley then looked Hera straight in the eyes, "I require your expertise to help me pretend more¡­


    ¡­to pretend that my mind is not slowly being eaten away, Miss Hera."


    "You¡­ want me to help you pretend that you''re not sick in the head?"


    "Exactly, Miss Hera."


    "...But you''ve always been sick in the head," Hera could not help but let out another sigh as she once again remembered their little space adventure.


    "Not like this, Miss Hera," Riley shook his head, "I can feel it, my mind slowly losing its ability to discern what is real or not. I know you''re real, but not him."


    "Him¡­?" Hera then very slowly looked at her desk, only to see no one there. Hera felt the hairs on her body stand up as a chilling feeling crawled on her skin¡ªshe wasn''t in danger, no¡ªshe just felt scared,


    "I¡­What are you seeing?"


    "Him."


    "!!!" Hera quickly stood up as a red-skinned man suddenly appeared sitting at her desk. No, the man''s skin wasn''t red¡ªhe was just wrapped in blood that very slowly dripped to the floor. And if she looked closer, the man looked like Riley; she wouldn''t mistake that creepy smile for someone else.


    "That''s¡­ your clone, Riley," Hera slightly lifted her feet up as the blood seemingly started to fill the entire floor.


    "He''s not," Riley shook his head, "He has been staring at me since I got here."


    "Jesus, Riley¡­" Hera took in a small gulp as another chill went down her spine, "...I don''t like scary stuff like that. What do you mean it''s not your clone? It''s right there!"


    "I am using Paige''s abilities so you can see him too," Riley sighed as he snapped his fingers. And as he did so, the man sitting at the desk and all the blood in the room disappeared,


    "I am also going to find Paige soon¡ªmy abilities and her ability mix too well that it feels like I am already creating life out of nothing."


    "...Right. Look, I don''t really know how I can help you," Hera once again sighed, "It''s not like¡ªwait. Don''t¡­ tell me you want me to kill you so you can get my ability to adapt to your illness?"


    "No, ew. I don''t want to turn into a tree, Miss Hera."


    "Fuck you. What do you want from me, Riley?"


    "I already mentioned it to your assistant, Miss Hera."


    "...What?"


    "I am applying for a job."

 Chapter 674 674: What Is Real Or Not

    "A¡­ job? You were serious?"


    "Of course, Miss Hera."


    "...Why?"


    There were so many things racing through Hera''s mind right now, and she didn''t seem to have any ns on hiding them from Riley as she looked at him with the most confused face she has probably ever made.


    "Your dad is Whiteking, so I don''t really see why this would even be a money issue," Hera squinted her eyes, "...And you could also rob a bank if you really need money."


    "I do not rob people, Miss Hera¡ªthat''s wrong."


    "...You torture and kill people, Riley."


    "I know, it is fun."


    "You¡­" Hera could really only pinch the bridge of her nose as she looked at Riley from head to toe, "...Seriously, why me? You could literally ask everyone else in your list of acquaintances and they would be able to give you something. Empress would probably be ecstatic to hire you."


    "I am not applying for a job due tock of money, Miss Hera," Riley shook his head, "I aming to you because throughout our moments together, I remember you always bringing out emotions in me that almost made me seem¡­ human."


    "...What?"


    "Aside from wanting to experience a normal life, I am applying for a job here to be closer to you, Miss Hera. I can be your personal guard, or maybe even rece your assistant."


    "Wait, wait¡­" Hera could not help but raise her palms at Riley as she made him stop talking, "...So you want a job here because you want to experience emotions that make you human?"


    "I suppose," Riley shrugged, "Or at least help me pretend¡ªpretend that I am not losing my mind. Because I can truly feel it, Miss Hera. If I do not learn how to control my mind, it will start going wild and wreak havoc that I do not mean to happen."


    "...Because of Paige''s abilities?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "It¡­ is not an ability for someone that does not have a sound mind. I made a mistake in wanting to acquire it."


    "...Then why did you ask Paige to kill you?"


    "Because I wanted to live in a lie, Miss Hera. I just didn''t realize that I would forget reality by doing so¡ªmy lineage has a history of mental illness, I just did not expect it to be passed on to me."


    "...Right," Hera let out a long and very deep breath as she allowed herself to almost sink into her chair,


    "Why don''t you just let me kill you, Riley?" She then blurted out, "You know what my ability is¡ªI am not immune to sickness, but whenever I do get sick; it wouldn''tst that long for it to even matter as my body would literally change over it."


    "You want me to have your ability, Miss Hera?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "Are you not afraid of what would happen if I get it?"


    "I don''t know if you''re just that dense, Riley¡ªbut you''re already an unstoppable force. Adding my powers to your already ridiculous arsenal wouldn''t really matter," Hera forced out a chuckle, "And I don''t know if you realize it¡­


    ¡­but gaining Paige''s power has literally made you some sort of god. That''s some reality-warping level shit right there."


    "I don''t change other people''s reality, only mine, Miss Hera. Paige''s power only affects its holder."


    "You''ve been changing people''s realities since you''ve been massacring entire families, Riley. And you know what I mean¡­" Hera looked Riley in the eyes, "...You are capable of making those illusions real for other people too. Not in a sense that you''re really changing reality, but you''re creating¡­ something temporary."


    "..."


    "Paige''s illusions have their own independence, I know that much¡­ and she''s only grown better and more borate at using her abilities these 5 years."


    "I still do not want to have your powers, Miss Hera," Riley shook his head, "I am already losing my mind. If I gain an ability that literally controls my body¡­


    ¡­then what would be left of me?"


    "...It doesn''t work like that," Hera''s eyebrows furrowed.


    "I know that it turns you into a tree that destroys anything that attacks it, Miss Hera."


    "...That was only one time. And my life was in danger¡ªyours will never be."


    "I still don''t want it, Miss Hera. I do not like losing control," Riley vehemently shook his head, "Even right now, I don''t even know if I''m really talking to you anymore or if you''re just a figment of my fractured mind."


    "...So you really want a job?"


    "Yes."


    "You''re Riley Ross, you will be recognized from a mile away."


    "Your assistant did not recognize me, Miss Hera. And if you are suggesting that I change the way I look using Paige''s ability, then I would have to refuse¡ªI might turn into a different person altogether because of my illness."


    "...What illness do you have, exactly?" Hera squinted her eyes, "What sort of illness can cause someone as mighty as Ms. Phoenix and Darkday to fall?"


    "..."


    "...And why doesn''t the Shadow Mimic have it?" Hera ced her hand on her chin as she looked to the side, "Have you talked to your grandmother at all? This happened to her daughter once, maybe she learned something?"


    "She was useless, and she is useless, Miss Hera."


    "...Shit," Hera then covered her face; her sighs of frustration, seeping from the in between her fingers, "...What will you do to me if I don''t give you a job here, Riley?"


    "Nothing, Miss Hera."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "...Oh," Hera sat up straight as she once again looked Riley in the eyes. She was going to refuse him there and then, but realized that a massive opportunity was right in front of her.


    An almost reality warper¡­ working in the entertainment industry?


    In truth, Hera had already been thinking about what sort of jobs Riley could do in her agency as soon as he mentioned wanting a job¡ªshe just couldn''t believe it.


    Working as an actor would have been the greatest oue, as Hera knew that Riley could act¡ªreally act. But as soon as they see him on the screen, the trauma of the people of Earth would surely be triggered.


    But then again, with all the stuff that has been happening the past few years, Riley Ross or Darkday hasn''t even been mentioned in the news once. It was almost like people had forgotten about him.


    Everyone''s focus was outside¡ªthe Known Universe.


    "Okay."


    "Hm?"


    "I am giving you a job here, Riley," Hera then took in a small but deep breath as she stood up, "You won''t have a legit title and will just be working closely with me. Go home, for now¡ªI need to think about what sort of projects I can put you in."


    "I appreciate your help, Miss Hera," Riley also stood up and nodded, "I will tell Aerith about this."


    "...What?" Hera blinked a couple of times; her facepletely shocked by what she just heard. But almost instantly, her breaths became calm before they could even start bing heavy,


    "You know what, don''t tell me anything. I don''t want to know."


    "Hm. I shall see you tomorrow, Miss Hera. Have a good night."


    "Right. You¡­ too," Hera sighed as she watched as Riley started making his way out of her office. But before he could step out, however, she could not help but ask her something,


    "Riley."


    "...Hm?"


    "Are you not bored here on Earth?"


    "I have only been back for a few hours, Miss Hera¡­" Riley blinked a couple of times as he turned around to look at Hera, "...Are you asking because you are?"


    "...I am," Hera sighed and closed her eyes, "When we were out there, all I wanted was to get back home. But now that I''m here, everything just seems¡­ boring."


    "I thought your ability was to adapt to things?"


    "Adapting to things doesn''t mean you enjoy it, Riley. Adapting means you''re forced to be something else," Hera breathed out, "Do you remember Nana?"


    "..." Riley nced at the door for a couple of seconds, before making his way back to the sofa and sitting again, "I do, Miss Hera."


    "I''ve been trying to reach her," Hera also sat down as she let out a small but deep sigh, "I promised her I would let her see Earth, but¡­"


    And as the night went on, Hera just ended up talking with Riley¡ªlosing track of time as she reminisced about everything that has happened to them outside Earth. It almost seemed like apletely different life, and perhaps¡­


    ¡­it was.


    ***


    "What¡­ the fuck is this?"


    "Amazing."


    "What do you mean amazing? This is fucking creepy, Dad. What the fuck?"


    Diana, Bernard, and Hannah chose to go home¡ªas Riley would most likely be there. But as soon as they entered the neighborhood, the night that made thempletely disappeared; sunlight, seeping into their car as they drove through the streets.


    But that wasn''t all¡ªtheir neighborhood that was supposed to only house them was now filled with strange people that kept smiling at them for no reason at all.


    "Mom¡­" Hannah was feeling weirded out at first. But soon, tears quickly fell from her face as she covered her mouth when she realized something, "Are you¡­ are you saying Riley''s doing this?"


    "...He is."


    "For¡­ for almost 5 years, he¡­ he''s been imagining apletely different life? He''s¡­ he was so lonely."


    "He probably thinks he deserves it," Bernard sighed as he stretched out his palm to feel the heat of the fake sun¡ªit¡­ truly almost felt real,


    "And he does. I do too."


    "..." Hannah couldn''t really refute; just staying quiet until they reached their house. But as soon as they did, her eyes quickly turned wide.


    And not only her, even Diana quickly got out of the car as she saw the person casually standing in front of their house¡ªAerith.


    "Riley, this isn''t what we talked about¡­" Diana breathed in her frustrations; shaking her head as she looked at Riley, "...She''s supposed to just be resting in¡ª"


    "Diana."


    "...What?" And before she could grab Aerith''s hand, Aerith suddenly retracted her hand and opened her mouth to speak.


    "We need to talk."

 Chapter 675 675: The State Of Earth

    "Expect a call from me in a few days. I''m sure we can find work for you soon."


    "Look into what I said, Miss Hera."


    "...I do not have the license for Italian Mafia Reborn."


    "Then buy it."


    "That is an expensive franchise."


    "I will help you acquire it, Miss Hera."


    "...Please don''t threaten anyone."


    "I will give you a budget for it."


    "You''re¡­ going to invest in Hera Entertainment?"


    "I suppose. I will see how much I have earned throughout the years in my bank. It shouldn''t have been closed since I put it in a different name."


    "You¡­ almost sound normal when saying that. Anyway, just leave¡ªthe sun''s already up and I don''t want Empress finding out that I basically hid you here."


    "Hm. I''ll wait for your call, Miss Hera."


    In the end, the two ended up chatting for hours. Riley stepped inside Hera''s office when there was almost no one inside the building, and he stepped out of her office with the building now filled with people.


    ¡­People who all stared at him the moment he emerged from Hera''s office.


    Hera''s assistant, who also has not gone home since her boss has a visitor, has been trying her best in keeping the other employees and staff from asking questions¡ªthest thing she wanted, after all, was their CEO to be linked to some sort of rumor or¡­ entanglement.


    But s, as Riley just casually stepped out of Hera''s office, the assistant could do nothing but watch as everyone started pulling out their phones and pointing them at Riley¡ªbut lucky for her; for some reason, everyone''s cameras were all just cked out.


    "Hm¡­" As for Riley, he just continued to casually walk out of the building, not even caring about the people staring at him. He waited for someone to start running away, or even gasp as he passed them¡­ but there was no one.


    No one really recognized him.


    Of course, he changed the color of his hair to match that of Hannah''s¡ªand that was enough to make someone like him unrecognizable from the masses. But still, he was expecting at least one to squint their eyes, but there was no one.


    Perhaps it is to be expected. Riley had been gone for several years, and there was also the fact that Earth has been undergoing extreme changes throughout that time¡­


    ¡­as well as the fact that Bernard either deleted or blurred Riley''s face in all the media that Earth and the Known Universe has on him, basically erasing his visual data.


    ording to Hera, humans were now part of the Common Council, with Empress representing the as the newest Elder. It would seem the Known Universe couldn''t really ignore the impact that humans had from the short time that they''ve been introduced.


    Of course, this was mostly because of Bernard. Throughout the short 5 years, he had be known to the Known Universe as ''The cksmith''. A Guardian that was able to replicate, and even improve on tech that he has only seen once¡ªpractically recing Elder Skeem''s role as the Common Council''s weapons master.


    Unlike Elder Skeem and their people, however, Bernard, as well as Empress, has been adamant that they won''t be making weapons of mass destruction¡­


    ¡­until otherwise forced to.


    And of course, Bernard was also recognized by the Guardian Force as a legit member of their corps. Well, it was more like they were forced to after all that has happened. Bernard was going to be listed as the Sr System''s Guardian, but he refused¡ªsaying that Earth doesn''t need a Guardian because it was already filled with protectors from the start.


    And the humans weren''t just members of the Common Council, they were also recognized and categorized by Ahor Zai to be one of the Higher Races.


    Riley Ross alone was enough proof that they were more than a formidable race¡ªwiping out dozens ofs in a short amount of time. Of course, it could be said that he might just be an isted case¡­ but that was not the case. As soon as it was revealed that the Pirate Queen, Xra, was also a human¡ªany doubts instantly disappeared.


    But it would seem, however, the Known Universe doesn''t really remember Riley Ross as a genocidal maniac.


    Thes and civilizations he had wiped out? In the vastness of the Known Universe, his victims were nothing but a statistic and the majority of the poption didn''t really even bat an eye or lose sleep¡ªafter all, they were safe far away, why would they care? There was also the fact that Riley didn''t even actually make a dent in the Known Universe''s poption.


    He killed more than a hundred billion in a very short amount of time. But what is that number in the face of trillions?


    Only the Bounty Hunters truly cared about Riley and Xra.


    The Known Universe, however, does remember Riley Ross for torturing and killing two Elders and broadcasting it for everyone to see, as well as killing Elder Skeem''s entire people.


    But once again, the majority of the Known Universe didn''t really care about their deaths¡ªthey were just another statistic. But what they did care about, however, was the reason for the massacre.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Elder Skeem, along with the Grand Elder, plotted the genocide of the Themarians.


    Themarians, who were considered to be gods by many other races. Themarians, who have shown themselves to be nothing but peaceful through millions of years, even though they were more than capable of putting the Known Universe into their knees.


    The majority of the poption worshiped people from the Higher Races. Evaniels, Norids, Messengers¡­Themarians were deities for them. Suffice it to say, the Known Universe did not mourn for Elder Skeem and his people.


    And now that the humans are revealed to be one of the Higher Races, the people of the Known Universe are calling the genocide of Elder Skeem''s people as divine retribution¡ªa reminder to everyone that the Higher Races should not be angered.


    A lot was going on outside of Earth, and that reflected through the streets of Earth. Just years ago, Riley and the rest of the Baby Crew were hiding Aerith''s clones right in the very city he was walking through right now, inside Tomoe''s house.


    And yet right now, if the clones were to walk through the streets with him, the people would just offer them curious nces before minding their own business. After all, even just now, Riley has lost count of how many aliens he had seen walking down the streets of Los Angeles.


    ¡­Or maybe all of this wasn''t real?


    "..." Maybe Riley was just hallucinating again? Come to think of it, Los Angeles was also the ce where Riley first experienced some sort of hallucination¡ªwhen he heard Alice''s whispers calling for him.


    So even then, he was already losing his mind.


    Will his mind continue to regress just like Alice''s? If so, then how could he stop it¡­? How could anyone stop it?


    He thought that getting killed by Paige would make his death permanent, but no¡ªit just expedited the process of him losing his mind, making his psychosis seem even more real.


    ¡­But if he kills everyone here, would it really matter if they were real or not?


    "...I suppose it doesn''t matter," Riley quickly shook his head off of the thoughts he was having. He needed to wait for Aerith to wake up before he started killing again¡ªthere was no point in doing so without her.


    For now, he will strive to be as normal as possible¡ªa normal human with a normal life, a normal job¡­ perhaps even friends?


    He doesn''t deserve any of that, of course. But that is why he approached Hera in the first ce, to learn how to pretend even more¡­ to learn how to adapt.


    Right now, he should just go home and be with Aerith; like a normal person that takes care of his sick friend.


    "..." Riley then turned to look at the normal people around him, only to finally realize that they were all staring at him¡ªsome even seemingly wanting to approach him. Riley really only blinked a couple of times, before just subtly smiling at them.


    "He¡­ he smiled at me!"


    "I recognize him somewhere. Is¡­ he a model?"


    "I don''t know, he looks alien."


    "Quick, let me take a photo with him!"


    "Don''t embarrass me! You''re not supposed to take photos of celebrities when you''re in LA."


    "..." If Riley turned his hair back to white right now, would these people just start running? His face might have been blurred and deleted by Bernard throughout all sorts of media, but he was sure they would all still quickly recognize him.


    And once again, Riley shook off the thoughts inside his head.


    A normal human, a normal life, a normal job¡ªhe repeatedly whispered to himself.


    And so, Riley just continued to walk through the streets, trying his best not to cause chaos as he just smiled and nodded at the people. Perhaps because LA was a tourist destination, there were a lot of people from others¡ªsome even species that Riley recognized.


    It truly was a wonder to see Earth like this. It almost seemed like a different entirely. There was¡ª


    "..." Riley then blinked a couple of times, before ncing back at a group of aliens that walked past him. And it wasn''t only him¡ªthe group of aliens also turned their worm-like heads back as they looked at Riley; their humanoid bodies that were clearly robotic, causing a slight whistle.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Wai¡ª"


    And before the aliens could even say anything, a bus suddenly rammed through them.


    "Oh... I didn''t check if they were real."

 Chapter 676 676: Rileys Train Adventure

    "Oh¡­ oh, my god!"


    "There are people under the bus! I¡­ I think I saw some aliens!"


    "Help them! Why are you guys just on your phones!?"


    "Where did the bus evene from!?"


    "What did you do!?"


    "I¡­ I suddenly lost control of the wheel, I¡­ I didn''t mean to!"


    "..."


    And while the chaos worsened with the growing smoke, Riley justpletely ignored everyone''s screams as he walked away; sighing as he shook his head. It would seem the aliens he saw were actually real.


    Next time, however, he should probably confirm first before he sends a bus hurling down the street¡ªhe was supposed to be living a normal life, and normal people don''t just control vehicles and ram people with them.


    ¡­Or do they?


    But then again, even if the aliens are real¡ªwere they even the same species as Elder Skeem? It makes sense that a number of them would live since not everyone would be on their¡­ but why would they be on Earth, the of the one that annihted their people and destroyed their home?


    ¡­Or maybe they''re apletely different species altogether?


    "..." Riley once again let out a sigh as he shook his head. He truly was out of his depth here¡ªaside from having a hard time differentiating what''s real or not, he also had ack of understanding of what is normal and eptable behaviour.


    Hera was right, he needed to find Paige.


    Hera told him that most of them that traveled through the expanse of space together kept in touch. Tomoe, surprisingly, worked in the Mega Academy as an instructor¡ªbut ording to Hera, it was more likemunity service and Empress forced her into the job.


    Diana even found Silvie, Katherine, and Karina¡ªbut she didn''t bring them back to Earth, and for some reason, she refused to say the reason why.


    As for Paige, she was currently working under his mother¡ªrebuilding the orphanage she grew up in and helping troubled supers.


    "Hm¡­" Riley was about to fly away, but before his feet could leave the scorching and sticky ground of Los Angeles, he decided to do something he hadn''t done before, after all¡ªif he was going to lose his mind altogether, he wanted to experience new things.


    Riley had gone to space, riding on ships that go in hyperspeed, and even being teleported to ces far away in a blink of an eye. But what he hasn''t done¡­


    ¡­was ride the public train alone.


    And so, Riley made his way to the nearest train station. Paige''s orphanage was in a different state, and it would probably take an entire day¡ªbut it didn''t matter, Riley was going to experience it all.


    But as he arrived at the train station, he found himselfpletely lost. Killing people on trains is easy, he had done it several times before¡ªbut trying to ride on it seems moreplicated than he thought.


    And it was chaotic. More chaotic than all the people running for their lives; at least there, there was a sense of order since they were all just running away from him. But here?


    Everyone was hitting each other''s shoulders and moving randomly without a care for anyone.


    "..." Riley looked around for a few more minutes, before finally finding himself in front of a clerk.


    "I would like a single passenger ticket to bama, Clerkperson."


    "Sir, this is the metro trail."


    "...And?"


    "You would need to transfer to the Stateline. I can give you a ticket that takes you to the end of the trail, and there will be a connecting tram there that will take you to the Stateline."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...I''ll just fly."


    And so, Riley''s little train adventure came to an end before it could even start. He remembered Hannah taking the train when she used to go to school for normal people; as expected, her sister truly is formidable.


    Looking at Earth from above, it wasn''t really that much different than before¡ªEmpress did well in gently assimting the with the rest of the Known Universe. They were treated as one of the Higher Races, and yet still very much friendly to visitors.


    But as Riley continued to fly through the skies, a group of people suddenly emerged from the clouds and flew beside him; all of them, wearing a suit of armor simr to that of Whiteking''s.


    "State your name, civilian. Do you have authorization to be flying at this speed?"


    "..." Riley could really only tilt his head as he heard the demands of the group. Although Riley was only flying casually; for this group to be able to intercept and even follow him was already enough to make him curious.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Civilian, stop flying and state your name n¡ªI apologize, you may proceed."


    But s, before Riley could even wonder what sort of group they belonged to, they all just suddenly flew away and left.


    "...Weird," Riley shrugged. That has never happened before¡ªwere they some sort of new unit made by his father and Empress?


    Riley didn''t really think much of it. He was sure he was going to get answers if he just met up with his father; not now, however, as it was more important to meet with Paige.


    And in no time at all, Rileynded in front of arge gate; with arge embossed signage that said ''Pearson''s School for Gifted Supers''.


    The gates and walls were thick and tall, not as towering as Mega Academy, but enough. It makes sense¡ªthe walls of Mega Academy were to keep the students safe from the outside world, but for Pearson''s School, it was to keep the outside world safe from the students.


    An unstable super is equivalent to a timebomb, after all.


    "..." Riley then turned to look at the surveince camera near the small door, and not even a second after doing so, the door opened for him.


    He had already caught a glimpse of it from above, but inside the thick walls of the campus was a wide open field¡ªnot even a single tree. Just a sea of soft grass surrounding a singlerge building that didn''t even have an upper floor.


    And as he stepped inside, he saw several people just walking around; most of them, just whispering to themselves and minding their own business. If there weren''t anyone that adopted him, would he also be like some of these people?


    "Hello."


    "..." There was one, however, that seemed to already be waiting for him at the other side of the door. It was a young boy, probably not older than 8.


    The young boy seemed to be talking to Riley, but he was looking at something else entirely¡ªhe wasn''t shy, no, as he was even inching closer to Riley without even being subtle about it.


    Did¡­ he used to be like this too?


    "You¡­ are you new here? New here?" The young boy started stuttering; his eyes, trying to nce at Riley several times, but never reaching him, "The professor said, said that there will be new friends soon."


    "..."


    "Friends, friends. I like friends. Are¡­ are you going to be my friend? Are you my friend?"


    "I''m not your friend," Riley said without any hesitation as he started walking away.


    "Not¡­ you''re not a friend? Not a friend? But¡­ but¡­" The young boy then suddenly grabbed Riley''s hand,


    "Aargh!" But as soon as he did so, however, he suddenly started screaming; sping his head and curling his small body on the grass.


    "What''s going on!?"


    "Who are you!? Are you trying to bully Peter!?"


    And as soon as the young boy''s screams echoed through the field, several children quickly came to his aid; moving at speeds enough to create thunder to drum in the air. The children all looked at Riley like he was some kind of scum.


    "Viin, stop bullying Peter!"


    "Are you ready to face justice!?"


    "No. I am¡ª"


    "Shut up, evildoer!"


    "Face the justice that is my fist!"


    The children then suddenly flew toward Riley, rushing at him without even trying to listen to his words. One of them tried to punch Riley in the face, but Riley was able to catch it with his hand¡­ causing the leaves beneath his feet to ripple from the shockwave.


    "..." Riley squinted his eyes, not expecting that kind of strengthing from a small boy at all.


    Another one then flew toward him; her eyes, glowing red as she wrapped her arms around Riley''s arm to try and pry it away.


    "...Weird," Riley could not help but whisper; his breath, exploding and pushing away all the children that wanted to rush him.


    Riley''s eyes then also turned red as he looked at the children, and as he tried to approach one of them¡ªhe realized that half of the children that were just casually loitering around the vast field were now also looking at him¡­


    ¡­their eyes, all glowing red.


    "...Themarian clones?" Riley tilted his head to the side as the red glow in his eyes started to be more violent,


    "...Interesting."

 Chapter 677 677: Made It Worse

    A scenery of glowing red.


    Riley thought that he would really never truly see a scenery like this again, but now he was surrounded by glowing eyes.


    Themarians, or are they?


    Riley might be losing his mind, but he clearly remembers that back in New Theran, when the themarians were just wiped out, Diana seemed adverse to the idea of cloning their species.


    But what is this?


    Since Paige and his mother were working together, this means that Diana was primarily involved in this. Riley worked smart in wiping out their species, but now they are very slowly growing again.


    Should¡­ he just kill all of them while they were still young? He can just tell Diana that it was an ident because he was losing his mind.


    "..." Riley ced his hand on his chin as he squinted his eyes. Come to think of it, he has gained another excuse he could use whenever he does something¡ªand no one would be able to discern if he was lying or not.


    Finally, something positive from his crawling illness.


    Riley then stretched his hand to the side¡ªand as he did so, the sea of grass that was endlessly dancing with the windpletely stopped. The children whose eyes were violently glowing red, now flickering as they blinked several times; slightly confused as to what was happening as even the sounds of their breaths could no longer be heard.


    "None of you have to worry, children," Riley looked at the child closest to him, "I will make it as painless and as instant as possible. None of you will even know that death has already¡ª"


    "Riley!?"


    And before Riley could start his routine dialogue, a loud¡ªalmost shrieking voice echoed through his ears.


    "Is¡­ is that really you!?"


    And as the voice once again reached his ears, Riley could really only let out a sigh as he rxed his arms. The grass that halted dance, now once again swaying with the wind. The confused children, now all kneeling on the grass as they felt their hearts and all of their organs momentarily stop for a fraction of a second.


    "Riley!"


    Riley then turned his eyes to the direction of the voice, only to see arge pair of wings flying toward him, carrying Paige as she leaped into his arms without any hesitation or restraint.


    "...Paige," Riley whispered as he just stood there, letting Paige hug him while he looked at the children kneeling on the ground. Perhaps he could just kill them some other time when Paige wasn''t here.


    "You¡­" Paige then pulled herself away from Riley; her eyes, reflecting his face and his face only, "...You look so young. You really haven''t aged a day¡ªno, you look even younger."


    "I believe it is the hair, Paige," Riley just blinked as he returned Paige''s gaze, "You look older."


    "That''s¡­" Paige adjusted her sses, letting out a light sigh as she smiled, "...because I am. It''s been 5 years."


    Although Paige still looked pretty much the same, there was a certain maturity in her face that wasn''t there before. Her hair was also styled shorter, showcasing her petite face even more.


    "I¡­ thought I would never see you again, Riley," Paige was about to embrace Riley again, but then noticed that everyone outside was staring at them, "You¡­ you guys! How many times do I have to remind all of you not to use your powers on the field!? Riley, can you wait in my office, I''m just going to talk some sense into these children¡ªjust enter the building, you can''t miss it since there are a lot of directions."


    "Hm¡­" Riley nodded; walking away as he took one final nce at the children whose eyes lit up earlier, memorizing their faces just in case he needed to kill themter.


    "And did you just try to attack a guest!?" And as soon as Riley was gone, Paige started reprimanding the children that attacked Riley, "And more than that, you attacked the son of the one sponsoring all of your food. Do none of you want to eat!?"


    "S¡­sorry, professor!"


    "What did I say about consequences? There is¡­"


    Paige''s sermon probably took the entire quarter of the hour before she joined Riley in her office¡ªand as soon as they were alone, Paige once again wrapped her arms around Riley; deeply burrowing her face on his chest.


    Her words were barely recognizable, but her breaths were enough for Riley to know how much she missed him.


    ¡­Does he? Does he actually know? There was a time he wouldn''t even know what sort of feeling ''missing'' someone is. Was he¡­ actually bing human? Or was this just once again a product of his shattering mind?


    That would be funny if it was the case¡ªit took for him to lose his mind to finally gain a semnce of humanity.


    Once again, Riley just let Paige release whatever it is she wanted to release as he just stood there; his shirt, now drowned with her tears as she continued to cry for almost an entire hour.


    "Your sister¡­" And after she was done, her eyes werepletely red; the two of them, now just rxing on the sofa, with Paige resting her cheek on Riley''sp, "..she told me you''re back. I couldn''t really believe it at first, but now that you''re here¡­ it''s all I really want to believe in."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hm."


    "She told me that you might go here," Paige smiled, "Is this the first ce you tried to find when you arrived on Earth?"


    "No, I went to see Hera first," Riley quickly shook his head.


    "O¡­oh," Paige blinked a couple of times.


    "I applied for a job there," Riley nodded, "Hera was capable of bringing out emotions in me that I didn''t know I had, so I assume that by spending more time with her or working under her, I could understand my human side more."


    "That''s¡ªwait, a job!?" Paige then quickly sat up as she looked Riley in the eyes, "Are you going to work as an actor again? Do you know how many times I''ve watched your scenes as Pharos!?"


    "They released that?" Riley could not help but blink a couple of times as he returned Paige''s excited gaze, "I was under the impression they did not release that since I was revealed to be Darkday not a long time after."


    "It was posted everywhere on the inte! I had it saved on my phone, but the file became corrupted for some reason," Paige then let out a small but very deep sigh as she shook her head in disappointment, "There was also a lot of behind-the-scenes footage. You have a talent for acting, Riley!"


    "Hera told me it was more like a talent for pretending, Paige."


    "It works!" Paige giggled; her excitement growing by the second, "Wait, wait¡­ don''t tell me you''re going to voice one of the characters in the new season of Italian Mafia Reborn!?"


    "There will be a new season?"


    "No. But maybe you could ask Hera to buy the license!?"


    "I am in the process of trying to convince Hera to do so, Paige," Riley nodded in agreement several times, "I will actually be withdrawing all of my savings to invest in herpany to make it possible."


    "I''m¡­ I''m getting excited."


    "I could see that, Paige."


    "I was going to ask you to try and work here, but I believe your work there will be as important as what we are doing here," Paige also nodded.


    "And what is your work here, Paige?" Riley then asked, "I initially thought this was a school for orphaned supers with disabilities, but I saw themarian clones outside."


    "Oh, they aren''t themarian clones," Paige shook her head, "They are just normal supers."


    "...Hm?"


    "Your mother gathered children that have simr abilities to themarians. I don''t really understand most of the science stuff, but I think she''s doing¡­ something? Trying to iste a certain supervirus or something something...you know what, I''m actually not exactly sure with Diana," Paige sighed and shrugged, "And before you can ask, she didn''t kidnap any of them¡ªthey were voluntarily enrolled here by their parents."


    "They chose to enroll their normal children here instead of Mega Academy?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "Were they aware that their children will be sharing their space with people like me?"


    "There are no people like you, Riley¡­" Paige rested her head on Riley''s shoulder, "E¡­except for all the clones you keep on spawning."


    "Hm."


    "So¡­" Paige then closed her eyes, "...Why exactly did youe find me?"


    "I have questions about your ability, Paige."


    "Our ability," Paige smiled.


    "How do you discern what is real or not?"


    "I don''t," Paige let out a long and very deep sigh, "My illusions have always been real to me. Whether they were bad or good, I needed to ept them¡­ but of course, the amphetamine helps calm my mind."


    "Do you think the medicine could help me too, Paige?"


    "That¡­" Tears suddenly seeped from Paige''s closed eyes, "...No. What you have, it can''t be cured...


    ...my abilities just made it worse."

 Chapter 678 678: The Retired Villain Cant Live A Normal Life

    "..."


    Riley never really thought of it before, he had no reason to, but it would seem Paige has been ming herself all these years¡ªming herself for Riley''s deteriorating mind.


    She has been trying to calm herself and stay strong, but she just literally cried for hours and put herself to sleep. She didn''t even notice that Riley already got up from the sofa, and was now looking outside the window.


    Some of the tenants of the orphanage school were still loitering out in the fields. The students seemed to be free to roam everywhere during their rest time¡­ everywhere as long as it is within the walls of their school, that is.


    Riley tried to find the children with simr abilities to themarians, but none of them were on the field anymore. Why exactly was Diana gathering children that have simr abilities to themarians?


    Is it to try and iste the supervirus carrying that specific set of abilities? As far as Riley knows, the abilities one would get if they''re infected with the virus are usually already predetermined, not in any way by the one that infected you, but by the body you were born with¡ªthat is why most families that are infected together tend to have simr abilities.


    Is that what Diana is trying to do? Or perhaps she just misses themarians and wants to be around simr people?


    "...I suppose it doesn''t matter," Riley could really only shake his head off of the thoughts he was having. His mind was already starting to fracture, he wasn''t going to waste whatever time he had left as himself by trying to theorize whatever it is that Diana was doing here.


    And so, Riley just took one final nce at Paige, before opening the window and flying out of it.


    "I''ll see you again, Paige."


    He really thought that Paige would be able to help him, but despite her seemingly able to talk to everyone and get deep into what it was they were feeling, she won''t be able to help Riley this time.


    He almost forgot Paige was also broken, just like him. Broken people are not able to fix each other¡ªthey would think they could, but all they will be doing would be dragging pieces of their shattered self and adding them to an already broken shell.


    "I understand now, Aerith¡­" Riley closed his eyes as he reached the clouds, "...I understand why I needed you¡­


    ¡­and I understand why you need me now too."


    ***


    "I''m home."


    "What do you mean you''re home!?"


    "Oh, Sister. You''re here?"


    "You¡­"


    Riley hasn''t even stepped inside the house, and he was already dodging all sorts of things that Hannah was throwing toward him as he opened the door. If it wasn''t for Diana stopping her, then she would have also definitely thrown some of therger furniture.


    "You go back to Earth and the first thing you do is make trouble for everyone!?"


    "I do not really know why that still surprises you, Sister," Riley let out a small sigh as he was finally able to step inside the house, "Father, Mother. It is good that all of you are here, I have something I wish to talk about."


    "..." Diana looked at Bernard for a few seconds, before also letting out a sigh and shaking her head, "Why¡­ don''t we talk about it over dinner? It''s been a while since we dined as a family."


    "I¡­ would like that, Mother."


    "I¡­ I''ll help, Mom!"


    "I wouldn''t like that, Sister."


    "S¡­ shut up!"


    "...Hm," a small smile crawled on Riley''s face as Hannah raised both her middle finger at him¡ªthe fingers, not going down until she disappeared into the kitchen with Diana. It took almost an hour, but finally¡­


    ¡­the Ross family was once again sitting at their table, in their home.


    A second.


    A minute.


    Another hour.


    Several moments passed, and yet not even one of them started eating¡ªjust sitting there in silence and hearing each other''s breaths. Soon, however, a sniffle snuck in as tears started flowing from Hannah''s eyes.


    "F¡­ fuck," Hannah sucked in a breath as she quickly wiped the tears trailing down her cheeks, "I¡­ I fucking hate this. Why¡­ why couldn''t we have just continued like this?"


    "I¡­ apologize, Sister," Riley gently held Hannah''s hand, "Everything bad that has happened to this family is my fault. It is no one''s fault but mine."


    "No," Bernard lightly mmed his palm on the table, "They¡­ say that a child''s actions are a reflection of their parents. I believe that still holds true here¡­


    ¡­this is our fault."


    And while Riley was holding her sister''s hand, Bernard held Diana''s.


    "This is our fault in more ways than one."


    "I suppose," Riley shrugged, "I wouldn''t have existed if it wasn''t for Mother injecting Biological Mother with weird stuff."


    "..." Diana could really only close her eyes; letting out a quiet, wry, and soft chuckle while she sniffled.


    "For what it is worth¡­" Riley then looked each of his family in the eyes, "...I believe the only reason why I am not worse than I am is because I was born here. Any other family, I would have probably already wiped out Earth."


    "...Thanks?" Diana chuckled as she shook her head.


    "That''s so fucked up," Hannah covered her face and dropped her head as sheughed.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "But it is true," Riley nodded, "I believe that the three of you are the best of what I could have gotten. I truly apologize that you can''t say the same."


    "...Riley," Hannah took in a very long and deep breath, "So, out with it, then¡­ what did you want to talk to us about?"


    "I think I finally understood what Aerith was trying to protect," Riley let go of Hannah''s hand and ced both of his palms in front of him,


    "Humans, Themarians¡ªall she wanted was to give them a normal life. But I couldn''t understand that because I''m not normal."


    "Riley¡­"


    "It''s weird but I finally understand," Riley closed his eyes, "All it took was for my mind to deteriorate to finally understand what it meant and means. And because of that¡­


    ¡­I know that I can never truly be one of you."


    "Riley."


    "But I want to try," Riley then took in a small and deep breath, "I know that I do not deserve it, but I want to try. I applied for a job in Hera''spany to help me understand it more. I¡ª"


    "Riley!"


    Riley opened his eyes as he heard Hannah''s voice getting louder¡­ only to see that there was no one sitting with him at the table.


    And instead, Hannah was standing at the corner of the dining room, surrounded by several people in Whiteking''s armor. No, she wasn''t the one surrounded¡­


    ¡­but him.


    "...Sister?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he tilted his head. Hannah was bursting into tears, seemingly wanting to rush toward him but was being stopped by the soldiers.


    "I would appreciate it if you let go of her," Riley stood up, causing all the soldiers to flinch; their eyes, all glowing orange as they all stepped closer to Riley.


    "Stand down!"


    "..." Riley then turned to look at the one who yelled. It was Empress, and it wasn''t only her¡ªBernard was also there, wearing his full armor.


    "...Hm?" Riley then looked back, only to see Diana standing behind him; her eyebrows lowered to the point that they almost covered her red glowing eyes.


    "Oh," Riley then breathed out as he looked back at the table, "I suppose I wasn''t really talking with anyone?"


    "...Riley," Hannah was the only other whispering in the air as she tried her best to rush toward him, "Stop this¡­ stop it! Mom, Dad!? Please¡­ you¡­ you saw that¡­ he¡­ he''s going to try!"


    "Oh, all of you saw that?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at all the people in the dining room, "That was supposed to only be for family. But I suppose it doesn''t matter now."


    Riley then let out a loud sigh as he walked away from the table, ncing at Diana for a moment before just shaking his head.


    "Don''t you find it poetic, Mother? I have killed and tortured billions of people, and yet I myself can''t die. And now¡­ I won''t be able to live too¡ªI would just be drifting around in my own fantasy perhaps until the end of time itself."


    "..."


    "How did you find out, Mother?" Riley then whispered, "How did you find out?"


    "..." Diana refused to say anything, but her tears that reflected the red glow from her eyes were enough to know what she was thinking.


    "You shouldn''t have found me, Mother," Riley''s feet then very slowly left the floor as his hair started to float, "I suppose I can''t really live a normal life...


    ...Do not worry, I will kill Earthst."


    "Riley!"


    "I''m sorry, Sister. I love you¡­ but this was always going to happ¡ª" And before Riley could finish his words, his eyes finallynded on thest person that was in the room¡ªAerith.


    "Oh," Riley blinked as a smile crawled on his face, "So, that''s how you know."


    "Thank you for keeping me alive, Riley Ross," Aerith said; the expression on her face, something Riley could never really exin.


    "You''re wee, Aer¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, Diana suddenly embraced him tight¡ªher hand, burrowing through his back and into his chest.


    "Mom! Wait¡­ wait! Please¡­ you heard him, he''s¡­ he''s going to try to change!"


    "He won''t," Diana rested her cheek on Riley''s, "He''ll¡­ never change."


    "Mother¡­"


    "..." Diana sucked in a very deep breath as finally¡­ finally¡­


    ¡­Riley returned her embrace.


    "You can''t keep killing me forever, Mother. You don''t deserve that punishment," Riley whispered.


    "I¡­ won''t," Diana also whispered, "We''re sending you away¡­


    ¡­far away."

 Chapter 679: Welcome

    Chapter 679: Wee


    "Mom¡­ please, he said¡­"


    "It''s done. He made his ch¡­"


    Lately, Riley has been surrounded by weird events and feelings¡ªbut perhaps drifting in and out of consciousness takes the top of the list just for the sole fact that he wasn''t actually losing consciousness¡ªhe was drifting in and out of death.


    Although he wasn''t that aware of what was happening around him, he could still hear people''s voices. He could hear his sister earlier, but as he once again woke up, most of the voices that were there before were nowpletely absent.


    All he could hear was Diana and Aerith, who was for sure taking turns in making sure he remained dead. There was also this familiar sound of a rhythmic flutter that Riley could not discern yet.


    "Are¡­ you sure this would work?" Riley could hear Aerith''s breath; her warmth, literally inside his chest.


    "Yes. But we have to be quiet," Diana was also near. She seemed to want to lighten Aerith''s hands, but Aerith seemed to refuse as she didn''t want to put Diana in a position where she has to kill her son over and over again,


    "If the norids, or Elder Olseyir, finds out that we''re putting him there, they will surely retaliate."


    "...on. is that in anoth¡­"


    "Yes. 4 years ago¡­ test¡­"


    Riley could feel his life drifting away again as Aerith squashed his heart and snapped his spine. Their voices, reced by the sound of Nothing''s never-endingughter.


    Nothing was not even saying anything to him, he just continued tough at him as this was the first time they''d been meeting multiple times in a short span of time.


    "...What about your daughter?"


    "She''ll be fine, she''s strong."


    And once again, Riley could hear the whispers of Daina and Aerith''s voices as his heart and internal organs were once againpletely restored.


    "I am truly sorry, Diana. I can''t even imagine what you are going through right now."


    "You''ve experienced worse¡ªsomething you shouldn''t have had to experience in the first ce if we only did this sooner."


    Riley waited for someone else to speak, but it was still only the two of them. Since their voices just quickly echo, their words seem to be trapped in a small space¡ªthey were inside.


    Inside¡­ a ship. Riley was finally able to recognize the fluttering noise constistently whirring in the air¨Cthey were moving in hyperspeed. Riley just returned to Earth, but now it would seem they were taking him far away.


    "...What about the other people there? Since you said it''s been tested numerous times already, there are people there. Riley will kill all of them."


    "It doesn''t matter. The reason they are there in the first ce is because they are there to die, and no normal ce can keep them."


    "...Riley will find a way to escape, Diana. He always has a way."


    "Oh, he will. But by the time he does, we will already have another one ready for him¡ªa more¡­


    ¡­permanent solution."


    "What if¡­ ead?"


    "T¡­ fect."


    And then, once again, Diana and Aerith''s voice very slowly faded away, reced by Nothing. This time, however, no fits ofughter weed Riley¡ªbut only a smirk and a stare that seemed to judge his entire life.


    "It finally happened, Riley Ross," Nothing then stepped out of the darkness, revealing a smile that was wide enough to stick out from its face,


    "You always wondered what would happen if you get continuously killed without pause by the themarians, and now you are. Did you expect it to be Mother and Aerith, though?"


    And even as Nothing started to circle around him, Riley didn''t really say anything and just stood there in the darkness; his eyes, reflecting nothing at all.


    "So, where do you think they are taking you, Riley Ross?" Nothing then suddenly hopped in front of Riley, leaning its head as close as it could possibly can to his face as he whispered,


    "Where do you think the themarians are taking you?"


    "I have an idea," and finally, Riley answered back; not leaning away even with Nothing''s weird breaths whispering loudly right in front of his face.


    "They''re sending you to another universe, Riley Ross," Nothing then let out a soft cackle as its silhouette started disappearing and appearing everywhere in the darkness,


    "Spoilers alert!"


    "..."


    "Sorry," Nothing then once again popped up out of nowhere right in front of Riley as it continued tough, "I couldn''t just hold the suspense, it was¡­ killing me."


    "But you do not die because you do not literally exist, Nothing."


    "Semantics," Nothing rolled its eyes as it looked at Riley, "And so, how does it feel to be betrayed by the people closest to you? Do you finally feel like you''re in pain, that your heart is being crushed by the weight of their betrayal? You were pouring your heart out to them, only to find that it was an illusion¡ªand worse, the real ones were getting ready to crush it. your heart, I mean."


    "I do not feel betrayed, Nothing," Riley shook his head, "Because they did not betray me at all. What is happening now is justice, vengeance, and retribution. What is happening now is something that I have always deserved to happen to me."


    "You really are no fun at all. Are you, Riley Ross?"


    "You would know that, Nothing. You know me more than I know myself."


    "...Hm," Nothing shrugged, "This is going to be fun, Riley. Another universe, are you not excited!?"


    "No," Riley also shrugged his shoulders, "I am curious, though. Since it is another universe, will I still be able to meet you whenever I die?"


    "Of course," Nothing''s silhouette started to fade away, "I exist outside and before all the universes, Riley Ross. I exist everywhere, but at the same time, I do not exist at all."


    "...Are you even real?"


    "Oh please, Riley Ross¡­" And even as Nothing faded away, the smile on its face did not,


    "...You''re mentally ill, not crazy."


    And very soon, the darkness and nothingness that surrounded Riley disappeared¡ªreced by a bright open field as he opened his eyes.


    "..."


    Riley already forgot the name, but Tedi and her people were working on a prison to hold rogue norids and some other heinous Ouws that could no longer be controlled by any means.


    He didn''t even need to think to know that this ce was it. Still, he expected it to be darker; as it is supposed to be a prison, after all. But this ce¡ªthis ce just literally looks like the fields of d, a green immacte paradise.


    He already told Tedi and the others that the god of evaniels did not like opening portals to other dimensions and universes, but here they are¡ªjust casually sending people to ces far away.


    "Weird," Riley could really only sigh as he thought of that. People always wanted to hear the word of a god. But when he spoke, theypletely ignored his words because it was not convenient for them.


    Riley started looking around, but aside from the empty nature he finds himself in, there was nothing there. No other prisoner, not even a single sign of life.


    He then started checking his hands and clothes, only to realize his clothes were filled with blood; his skin, already caking from the dried blood that wrapped it.


    "White," Riley then snapped his fingers, and as he did so, the dirt around himpletely disappeared. His clothes, instantly reced by a clean pair of white shirt and pants; his hair too, was nowpletely white.


    "I suppose Hera was right," he whispered to himself as he looked at his reflection in therge mirror that suddenly appeared in front of him, "I really am somewhat warping reality, at least for me. It would seem I need to give more credit to Paige for¡­"


    And before he could finish talking to himself, Riley once again started looking around. He had already imagined an entire world before¡ªhow exactly would he know if this was real?


    And then, without any warning or indication, Riley started hitting himself on the head repeatedly. Closing his eyes and opening them to check if he was indeed where he was.


    A second.


    A minute.


    An entire hour. Riley hit himself on the head for an hour before he decided that this ce was real¡ª


    he was once again in a prison.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Pft," Riley chuckled as he started walking around the caged paradise he finds himself in. And no matter how many times he tried to find signs of life, there were none. And so, he just decided to fly to the clouds to get a better view.


    "!!!"


    But not even a dozen meters into the air, however, Riley felt his vision shift as he was violently pushed back onto the ground; his face, now nted along with the des of grass.


    "This¡­ is interesting," Riley''s words muffled from the ground before he turned around to look at the sky, "That feeling¡­


    ¡­it was telekinesis.

 Chapter 680: A Prison, or A...?

    Chapter 680: A Prison, or A...?


    Telekinesis.


    Remove all the other abilities that he gained, and Riley will still be at 90% as long as he has his telekic abilities. He barely even remembers some of the powers he has¡ªhe really truly only needs Alice''s ability.


    Moving things with his mind was as easy as moving things with his hands, and he could even argue that he had better control of telekinesis than his limbs.


    If there was one thing in this universe that he could always identify, it was the use of telekinesis; even if it was just as light as lifting a feather, he would know if telekinesis was involved.


    And the force that suddenly pushed him down to the ground when he tried to fly up into the air?


    That was undoubtedly telekinesis.


    ¡­And it was stronger than his.


    He had also realized something as he walked through this strange emptynd¡ªthere were no birds at all. He had already seen severalnd creatures that he couldn''t identify, but not a single bird flew above him.


    It was almost as if no one was allowed to fly in this ce.


    The one using telekinesis¡ªis it perhaps some sort of god?


    He was in apletely different universe, after all. Perhaps in this universe, the god of evaniels did not exist; Nothing did say that the god of evaniels was a unique existence like him.


    But then again, this dimension is a prison. Perhaps he waspletely wrong and the telekic force that was literally keeping him grounded is just something that Diana or the norids made. After all, this prison is to keep the most heinous and uncontainable viins of his universe¡ªthey don''t want them flying around and having a semnce of freedom.


    "..."


    But what if he flies just inches above the ground?


    Riley''s feet once again floated from the des of grass and stayed like that for an entire minute¡ªand no force brought him down. And so, he just started moving like that; gaining speed by the second until a skirt of wind exploded around him as he passed the speed of sound.


    He continued to increase his speed; the scenery around him, however, did not seem to change as all that weed him was an endless horizon of paradise. He continued to speed up¡­ until the hand of god once again mmed him to the ground.


    "Hm¡­"


    Riley could really only once again turn himself up to look at the sky. No flying, and no going too fast


    ¡ªfor a prison, that didn''t seem to be too bad. At least he wasn''t inside a ss cage¡­


    ¡­or is he?


    Riley stood up; his eyes, still staring at the sky to try and see if there were any cameras around that were watching him. But then again, why would there be cameras?


    He was in another universe, Diana and the others won''t be able to see what he was doing even if there were cameras there. But then again¡­ maybe they have the technology to do so? After all, Bernard seemed to be sharing the gift of his mind with the universe for 5 years already.


    "..." Riley thought about it more, before just shrugging and continuing to hover across the endless sea of grass at the speed of sound. Whatever or whoever the entity was that is using telekinesis, it didn''t seem to bother with him as long as he didn''t practice his¡­ freedom too much.


    Hours passed, and Riley was beginning to think that he might be the only person in this ce. But that shouldn''t be the case. While he was drifting in and out of death, he heard Diana and Aerith talking about how there should be other prisoners here¡ªa lot of them.


    If Riley was going to be trapped here alone, then this truly was a fate worse than death. Well, he couldn''t die in the first ce, so the only way he would actually pay for his crimes was to not be able to do his purpose¡ªtorture and kill people.


    How was he going to do that if there were no people? It would have been fine if he was in a void, but he was in a lush world filled with all sorts of life. There were hills teeming with trees and small creatures, there were boulders filled with critters¡­ but nothing fun to torture.


    Soon, however, Riley stopped flying as he finally noticed signs of intelligent life¡ªfire.


    And not just any fire, but a fire under a skillet. There was also a hammock attached to the trees near it.


    Riley looked around to try and see if the one cooking was around, but aside from the oil crackling on the skillet, there was no other noise there. And so, Riley just did the only thing he could do in the situation¡­ he sat down and waited.


    He didn''t really need to wait long, however, as a grey-skinned person soon stepped out from the trees¡ªcarrying what looked like some sort of¡­ fat deer; or perhaps it was better to call it a brown pig with antlers.


    "Nek¡­ ruf kafi?"


    The grey-skinned humanoid quickly halted his steps as soon as he saw Riley casually sitting beside his fire. Riley couldn''t really understand his words, so he just looked at him for a few seconds before letting out a small smile.


    "Are you real?" Riley then asked. It was something that Paige taught him¡ªalthough she wasn''t exactly sure if it would work on Riley since his condition was different from hers, she told him that the hallucinations and the illusions would always respond in a way that would give them away if asked the question; especially now that Riley was aware that his mind was deteriorating.


    "Ah, ruf kaijin!"


    The grey-skinned humanoid dropped the antlered pig on the ground, before grabbing something tiny from his bag and throwing it just within arm''s reach of Riley.


    "Gur, gur!"


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at the thing the stranger threw at him, only for him to recognize what the device was. The stranger started gesturing something to him, but before he could finish his hand movements, Riley already attached the device to the back of his ear.


    "Oh. It would seem you already know how to use it," the grey-skinned humanoid let out a small hum as he looked at Riley from head to toe, "So, I guess right. You are a Traveler, no?"


    "...A traveler?"


    "From the portals."


    "Are you real?" Riley once again asked. Portals, travelers¡ªthis is sounding like the hallucination he was having before Diana brought him back to Earth.


    "No, I''m Nutno," the grey-skinned humanoid started batting his eyes as he looked at Riley, "And you, what''s your name?"


    "..."


    Nope. Riley had no idea if Nutno was real or not. But he seemed to react real enough¡­ but then again, so did the Leville party.


    "My name is Riley Ross, Nutno." But whatever the case was, it was rude not to introduce himself, "And yes, I suppose I was thrown here. Judging by the way you are speaking, I assume you''re not from¡­ my universe?"


    "Oh, no¡­" Nutno shook his head before lifting the antlered pig and cing it back over his shoulders, "...I was born here. In fact, I was born in a town a hundred steps from here."


    "A nearby town?" Riley squinted his eyes as he looked at the oil sizzling on the skillet, "Then why are you cooking here instead of at your house, Nutno?"


    "...Because I want to?" Nutno also squinted his eyes, "I heard it from my grandparents, but you Travelers really are suspicious of everything."


    "..."


    "Come, let me take you to town so I can introduce you to some people that could exin things to you better than I ever could."


    "Let me help you with that then, Nutno."


    "What do you¡ª!!!"


    Nutno took in a small but very deep breath as he felt the weight on his shoulders literally disappear as the antlered pig floated toward Riley. He seemed to want to say something, but just chose to take in a gulp as he nodded and said his thanks.


    "Follow me, Riley Ross."


    "Are you not going to extinguish the fire, Nutno?"


    "Oh, I''ll be back here after I introduce you to Logi and the others," Nutno waved his hand as he started walking, "So, what is it like where you are from, Riley Ross? I have truly only read about your kind in stories."


    "It is no different from this ce, Nutno," Riley casually answered as he let the antlered pig float in front of him.


    "Huh. They said¡ªAh! Where are my manners," Nutno raised his voice as he grabbed a ss bottle from his bag and handed it to Riley, "I got so excited about meeting a Traveler that I forgot to offer you some fresh water. I hope you didn''t drink anything from the nearby river, I think something bad died there and we''ve been trying to find it for a long time now."


    "I haven''t been to the river, Nutno," Riley just shook his head. He then grabbed a cup from his pocket and proceeded to fill it with water.


    "..." As for Nutno, he could really only blink a couple of times as he wondered where Riley pulled the cup from.


    "Thank you for the water, Nutno," Riley then nodded as he drank the water. And as he did so, he felt a familiar sting climb from his stomach and all the way through the rest of his body.


    Poison¡ªor more specifically, a sedative that would put an elephant to sleep in less than a millisecond.

 Chapter 681: Anthog

    Chapter 681: Anthog


    Poison. Non-lethal, in a way.


    1


    Now that the effect of the sedative traveled through every part of Riley''s body, his tongue was also starting to recognize the taste of the poison. And right there and then, Riley realized that Nutno and everything going around him is real.


    Not because he recognized the taste, no¡ªhis mind could have made that up¡ªbut because he was poisoned in the first ce. Paige had told him that the hallucinations will usually have a way of revealing themselves to be just that, hallucinations, and this was it.


    Unlike Paige''s, his hallucinations would never even attempt to kill him because there was no way to kill him in the first ce. When Diana revealed was bringing him back to Earth, and he finally remembered having Paige''s abilities, he once again attempted to end his existence.


    He created a poison that would kill him once and for all, and all it did was let Nothing have the chance tough at him again.


    "..."


    Riley looked at the bottle for a few seconds, then toward Nutno, who seemed to already be sweating buckets from his face as he stared at Riley.


    How could he not? The poison he just fed Riley was enough to tranquilize and paralyze even creatures that were the size of hills¡ª


    and yet Riley was just casually standing there and even puttering his lips, almost as if savoring the taste.


    "...Hm," Riley just tilted his head to the side, before letting out a sigh and dropping to the ground. Of course, he also didn''t forget to drop the antlered pig floating in the air.


    "P¡­phew, I thought it didn''t work."


    It didn''t, Riley waspletely awake. If there was one thing he learned in life, it is that people like talking about someone when they know they can''t hear them¡ªthe same should apply no matter what universe he is in.


    "Still¡­ these people really are weird. Was he lifting the anthog with some kind of apparatus?"


    "..." Riley felt himself being carried over the shoulder by Nutno. And if there was one thing he said true, it was that there was a settlement nearby¡ªa hamlet.


    The level of technology in this ce was something that Riley couldn''t really determine. He was handed a universal trantor chip earlier, but that could be from another prisoner that was captured by one of these people.


    So, the norids¡­ they weren''t throwing people into a void, but rather a with living inhabitants on it.


    If he wasn''t pretending to be unconscious, then he would be sighing and shaking his head in disappointment by now. This is the thing the god of evaniels warned him about¡ªmonstersing out of portals.


    In this case, the monsters came in the form of prisoners from his universe¡­ and now him.


    "Nutno, don''t tell me you''re hunting people now!?"


    "What¡­? No, it''s a Traveler!"


    "A¡­ Traveler!? Again!?"


    The people that were guarding the gate of the settlement raised their voices. And with their hamlet as small as it is, almost everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their heads toward the gate.


    "Nutno, is that¡­?"


    "Yes," Nutno''s voice seemed as proud as it could ever be¡ªRiley could hear the beating of his heart and the heaviness of his breaths as people started approaching and surrounding them,


    "I''ll¡­ answer questionster, I have to meet with the chief first."


    "O¡­ of course. Is¡­ is it asleep? His skin¡­ it''s so weird."


    "Not weirder than thest one."


    "..." Riley''s eye could not help but twitch as several gray-skinned people started touching him as he hung over Nutno''s shoulder. But he didn''t do anything, not yet. The buildings and houses in the hamlet were small, made with wood and cement¡ªthe ground was also paved smoothly, letting Riley know a little more about what type of civilization these people had.


    And soon, Riley was brought inside one of these houses.


    "Chief."


    "I heard. Is that¡­ the Traveler?"


    "Yes."


    "Put it on the table so Lin can examine it."


    "..." Riley had his eyes open, but for Nutno and the others, they looked like they were still closed. Including Nutno, there were two other people in the room¡ªthe man with a slightly wrinkled face was the chief, and there was a woman, Lin, who was holding some sort of stick.


    "Fascinating."


    And as soon as Nutno ced him on the table, Lin quickly approached him and started poking his body with the stick she was holding.


    "Unlike thest one, this one looks just like us," Lin whispered as she lifted Riley''s hair with her stick, "What do you think it is? Are you sure it''s a Traveler?"


    "Of course. Give me some credit here, Lin."


    "Like how you drugged a tourist from Palit because you thought he was a foreigner?"


    "To my defense, he looked like a creature from some other ce."


    "True, that man was as ugly as they could make him."


    "Focus, you two. Lin, what do you think?"


    "Hm¡­"


    And as the three started letting out their breaths as they stared at his body, Riley could not help but think the situation was weird; Judging by how these people are acting, people like him weren''tmon, but they were not that rare either.


    He had no idea how many prisoners his universe had thrown in this ce, but there should be many¡­ and since the norids made it for criminals that couldn''t be contained in the first ce, then that would mean the prisoners should be strong.


    So, it was weird. These gray-skinned people don''t seem particrly strong, so why do they seem calm? Were they that confident with the poison they fed him?


    "Anything special we need to know about this one?" The Chief grumbled; his voice, a little hoarse as he looked back and forth between Riley and Nutno.


    "It¡­ lifted an anthog in the air," Nutno breathed out, "I checked its body on the way here, but I didn''t really see any magical device."


    "It''s good that you were able to get it to sleep."


    "It¡­ was very friendly," Nutno shook his head as he looked at Riley, "We''ve been told that the travelers are dangerous, but this one tried to help me."


    "Don''t be fooled, Nutno. It was one of them that destroyed Tironia¡ª


    if it was not for the Deity, then they would have destroyed more," the Chief let out a small scoff as he also shook his head, "Lin¡­?"


    The Deity¡ªis that the thing that keeps Riley from flying in the air? Was he right, then? Was it some sort of god?


    "..."


    "Soft skin, hair as white as the feathers of a Jubobu¡­ not to mention he almost looks just like us. Hm¡­" Lin hummed as she poked Riley''s face with her stick. But soon, a soft chuckle escaped her lips,


    1


    "...We should get enough to feed the entire town for a month."


    "That¡­ much!?" Nutno almost stuttered with his words as he looked at Riley, "But the one that Logi brought here seemed more useful!"


    "I also don''t see any magical device on him," Lin shook her head, "That would mean this one has some sort of ability¡ªnot to mention it doesn''t look bad at all, then someone would surely offer a good price for it."


    "How much do you think they are going to buy me?"


    "At least for¡ª!!!"


    Lin quickly leaped back as soon as she realized that one she had been poking with a stick since earlier was now already looking at her.


    "I¡­ I thought you said you put it to sleep already!?"


    "I did!" Nutno could not help but also back away as he saw Riley very casually sitting up from the table, "I¡­ It even drank the entire bottle!"


    "Everyone, calm down!" The only one that didn''t back away was the chief. He even stepped closer to Riley, or more specifically, toward the weapon that was under the table he was lying on.


    "..." Riley looked at the weapon for a few seconds, slightly tilting his head as he recognized the shape,


    "That looks like a gun, Chief," Riley said as he got up from the table and started looking around the room, "I suppose this world has already been influenced by a more advanced civilization. I was hoping it would be simr to the world in my head, I would have liked to meet with people simr to the Leville party."


    "Do not take another step!" The Chief pointed the gun at Riley, "Move, and you die here and now!"


    "Just so we understand each other," a small smile then crawled on Riley''s face as he looked at the Chief, "It was nice meeting you, Chief."


    "Wh¡ªGrah!"


    And before the Chief could say anything else, his arm suddenly twisted¡ªand before he could continue to scream¡­his entire body followed; crumpling into a ball as the sound of his bones breaking whispered and snapped in the air.


    "W¡­ what?" Both Lin and Nutno froze. Their eyes, having a hard time seeing anything as they trembled violently from what they had just witnessed.


    "Well, then. It has been a very long time since I did this," Riley let out a small sigh as he picked up the gun from the ground and started examining it.


    "The two of you, and all the people outside are going to die horribly and in so much pain," he then said; his eyes, not even looking at Nutno and Lin as he threatened them,


    "But if you make me like you, I would consider the idea."


    "...What?"


    "So¡­" Riley once again sat on the table as he looked at Lin,


    "...How much are you going to sell me again, Lin?"

 Chapter 682: Value

    Chapter 682: Value


    "So¡­ how much am I worth, Lin?"


    1


    The chief''s office was mostly made of wood; the walls, the ceiling, and even the floor. But now, it was also mostly made of the chief himself as different parts of his body scattered everywhere.


    The floorboards were obviously untreated and unvarnished, as it already started to absorb the chief''s blood.


    "How¡­ how are you even awake!?" Nutno tried his best to calm his breaths as he looked at Riley from head to toe, "You¡­ you drank the entire bottle! We were told any Traveler would¡ª"


    "Wait."


    Riley raised a finger at Nutno, interrupting him as he needed to adjust the trantor chip sticking behind his ear. As soon as he was done, however, he promptly answered Nutno''s question,


    "My body has grown immune to any and all kind of poison, Nutno¡ª


    even if it is alien or from apletely different universe altogether, it would seem all poison works the same."


    "...What?"


    "Since I answered your question, I hope you can answer mine," Riley stepped closer to Nutno; his steps, creating a squelching whisper due to the sticky floor, "This Deity that the chief mentioned earlier, what is it?"


    "..."


    Nutno did not really answer. He just looked at the other only person in the room, almost as if he was asking her what he should do right now¡ªbut s, his sight was covered by the smiling face of Riley Ross.


    "I don''t think I will get an answer from you," Riley then said as he tilted his head further to cover Nutno''s view, "That means I do not need you, Nutno."


    "W¡ªUgkh!"


    Nutno''s feet started to leave the floor as he felt his entire body contract, almost as if every fiber of his muscles were being pulled away one by one¡ªthe pain, not even allowing him to scream as it shut his brain down in an instant.


    "I apologize, Nutno," Riley sighed and shook his head, "But I need to be somewhat wary of¡ªHm?"


    And before Riley could finish his words, a small thud whispered in the room as Nutno dropped to the floor¡­ still alive.


    "What is this?" Riley once again tilted his head to the side as he stared at the groveling Nutno. He tried lifting him with his mind, but he just continued to squirm in pain; with not even his hair affected by Riley''s telekinesis,


    "...Weird."


    Riley tried to lift Nutno again, this time even doing a gesture with his hand¡­ but nothing. It was almost as if his telekinesis waspletely gone¡ªno. It was as if something, or someone was suppressing it.


    "Deity?" Riley then started looking around; using his enhanced hearing to try and sense anything that seemed amiss from his surroundings, but he could sense nothing. But he was sure of it, the one suppressing his telekinesis was this so-called Deity.


    And whoever and whatever it is, it was using its power from very far away from a distance that even Riley was not capable of reaching. This Deity''s telekinesis¡­


    ¡­it was much stronger than Riley''s, much stronger.


    Strong enough topletely suppress him to the point it was like he lost his psychic abilities.


    "Hm¡­" And upon thinking this, a hint of amusement crawled on his face as he closed his eyes¡ªand soon, the veins on his white neck started to show themselves. And with the opening of his eyes, the very earth itself started to tremble.


    "..." Nutno, who just recovered from almost having his flesh turned inside out, could not help but just hug the floor as everything in the room started to move and slide. Unbeknownst to him and Lin, however, the entire hamlet itself and the surrounding area were shifting.


    "...Oh?"


    Fortunately for everyone, it did notst long and even instantly stopped at the same time as Riley once again let out an amused puff of breath.


    "Interesting," Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at his hands; closing and opening them several times as he tilted his head,


    "And weird, really weird. I could feel myself using telekinesis, but I can''t do anything with it. Can you hear me, Deity? I am learning a lot from this¡ªare you matching my frequency topletely mute my telekic ability? Or, I suppose you truly are just stronger than me and¡ª"


    "Die!"


    And of course, as is the case with all of Riley''s opponents; they take the chance to attack while he is doing his routine monologue¡ª


    Nutno was no different. As soon as he saw a sign of weakness from Riley, he instantly rushed toward him with his arms already ready to grab him.


    "Well, I have a lot more tricks to offer."


    Unfortunately for Nutno, Riley instantly squashed his head with just the p of his hands. But of course, that wasn''t enough for Riley as he even burrowed his arms through Nutno''s torso before cleaving and ripping his bodypletely in half just for dramatic effect.


    "...Hm," Riley then grabbed one half of Nutno''s body, and lightly throwing it toward Lin.


    "Eep!" Lin couldn''t really help but just yelp as she fell to the floor as Nutno''s dismembered corpsended on her.


    "I apologize, Lin," Riley let out a small sigh as he shook his head, "I was nning to catch that with my mind, but my telekic abilities don''t work anymore."


    "W¡­ what?"


    "Anyway," Riley then started walking toward Lin; the disgusting squelch in his steps, now even more prominent, "Tell me¡­


    ¡­how much were you going to sell me again?"


    ***


    "Where''s your chief?"


    "He¡­he¡­ he''s inspecting the area where the Traveler was found."


    "He¡­ He¡ªwhat are you, some sort of singer with undiagnosed brain issues?"


    2


    "N¡­no?"


    Hourster, Lin was weing a group of people inside the chief''s office. And surprisingly enough, the room was immacte¡ªnot even a sight of blood anywhere.


    "You women are so weird. So, is¡­ this it? Is this the Traveler?"


    "Y¡­Y...Yes."


    As for Riley, he was now once again lying on the table and pretending to be unconscious.


    "Y¡­Y¡­Yes," the man that seemed to be the head of the group repeated Lin''s stutter in a mocking way, "What is wrong with you?"


    "N¡­nothing."


    "Tch."


    It wouldn''t be an understatement to say that Lin''s body was causing the entire room to shake, but the man no longer heed her any mind as he looked at Riley from head to toe, scanning every inch of his body.


    "This one looks just like us¡ªit should fetch a good price," the man nodded to himself, "Did you know that we sold one that had tentacles several seasons ago? And why is the floor so sticky?"


    "They¡­ just wiped the floor," Lin started to calm herself down.


    "...With what? You know what, I don''t want to know... Anyway, what does this one do?" The man said as he lifted Riley''s arm.


    "It''s¡­ strong."


    "Huh, is it waking up soon?"


    "No, it drank the entire bottle."


    "...Really? And it''s not dead?" The man quickly let go of Riley as he took in a small gulp, before attaching a steel cor around his neck, "Tell your chief to get ready to feed his entire vige because this one will sell at a very high price."


    "...Just take him away, please," Lin urged.


    "We''ll do just that," the man gestured to one of his men to carry Riley outside, "We''ll be back with the money."


    "Just go, please."


    "Really excited, huh?" The man waspletely oblivious to Lin''s hurried tone as he just waved his hand and left the room.


    And as soon as the man and his men all left the room, Lin quickly sped her head as the room started to change¡ªonce again painted with the blood and guts of her friends.


    As for Riley, he was thrown in a cage on a cart; the sound of the metal bars, nging as they secured and locked the gate. But even though the sound of metal was sharp and loud, Riley barely heard it due to the gasps of shock from his new¡­ cage mates.


    "Hm," Riley stopped pretending to be asleep as he sat up, causing the other ves he was with to back away as they all stared at him with fear reflected in their eyes.


    "Please rx, everyone. I am not a bad person."


    1


    "..." Everyone seemedpletely emaciated, to the point that their bones stick through their gray skin of different shades. But even though they clearly couldn''t be any weaker, they seemed adamant about using thest of their strength to try and get away from Riley as much as possible¡ªsadly for them, the metal bars prevented them from doing so.


    "I thought I was being sold because I''m from a different species, but it would seem I was wrong," Riley whispered as he looked each of the scared people in the eyes,


    "If they are even selling you, their own people, then I suppose very is normal in this ce."


    "..."


    "I truly see now that the world I was previously in was truly a fantasy," Riley let out a small sigh as he remembered the Leville party and his time as a hunter, "Because if it wasn''t, then the people there would have also tried to sell me."


    "..." The other ves could not help but just look at each other as Riley continued to talk to himself.


    "Oh, don''t mind me, fellow ves," Riley let out a small chuckle as looked at Riley.


    he shook his head, "I am just hitching a ride to wherever you are going. But I would appreciate it if you would tell me our destination."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Uhm¡­" And surprisingly, one of the ves started inching closer to Riley¡ªa child, "I¡­ I was sold by my parents."


    "Congrattions, young ve," Riley nodded, "That means they value you."


    "R... Really?" Tears started to fall from the young ve''s eyes as he looked at Riley.


    "Hm. You are worth something to them," Riley once again nodded, "So, do you know where we are going, young ve?"


    "We¡­


    ¡­are going to be auctioned."

 Chapter 683 CHAPTER 683: AUCTION

    Chapter 683 CHAPTER 683: AUCTION


    The ride was extremely quiet¡ªin a way. The gallops of the horses pulling the cart still thumped in the air; the creaking of the steel axle, and the brushing of the wheel on the paved road still created enough noise that could deafen someone in the long run.


    The ride was extremely quiet; that is if one would consider the whimpering and the terrified breaths of the ves as quiet.


    The boy that was previously talking to Riley was now asleep as they reached the night of their long journey. As for the older ones, well¡ªthey were still scared of Riley. Some of them, whispering to themselves; or perhaps praying as they nced at Riley from time to time.


    None of them struggled, however. The cart made another stop at a small vige a few hours ago to get another ve, but the woman already seemed resigned to her fate as she even bid farewell to her parents¡­ who seemed to be the ones that sold her. Or perhaps, she sold herself.


    them seemed excessive.


    "...Or perhaps this is the only cor this ce has." And soon, like the other ves, Riley started whispering to himself. But unlike them, Riley''s whispers could be heard clearly by everyone as he even stood up and started walking around the tight cage,


    "Is this magical in nature, or perhaps some sort of tech? It does somewhat remind me of the cors used by the themarians to restrict their criminals."


    Riley stopped walking; his eyes, batting several times as he let out a humming breath, "Oh, since this is another universe, is it possible that there are also themarians out there? If so¡­"


    A small smile then crawled on Riley''s face as he looked at the night sky that was covered by the bars of the cage, "...Is there another Aerith in this ce?"


    Numerous thoughts started rising in Riley''s brain, but the only thing he was really sure of right now was that he was not in an alternate version of Earth¡ªand even that might not be the case too.


    "Maybe if I try to find Earth once I escape this, I will also see another version of Hannah?" The smile on Riley''s face grew even wider, "But then again, he won''t be the same as sister¡ªshe should be a single child since I only exist in one universe. Hmm, so many possibilities in this ce. Am I even on the same timeline? Maybe sister has not yet been born, or humans are already extinct¡­


    ¡­but that shouldn''t be the case."


    And as Riley continued to talk to himself, the other ves that were praying shut their mouths. They were now just covering their heads in fear¡ªas they should. Since the people they call Travelers here are his universe''s most uncontroble criminals, Riley could imagine what sort of things they have done here.


    "Hm, Nothing said that ''time'' in all universes travels linearly. Everything happens at the same time, just different versions of it. Hm¡­ I suppose I shouldn''t think about something I do not know of. This is weird, really weird."


    Back when he was living in the world in his mind, Arlusia, he hadn''t once thought of these kinds of things¡ªperhaps because deep inside, he actually knew that the ce he was in wasn''t real at all.


    "There should be a handbook for this," Riley then let out a small sigh as he sat down. As he did so, however, the people near him once again all moved away.


    "There is plenty of space, everyone," Riley tilted his head to the side as he looked at the people avoiding his gaze, "You really should not be afraid of me, I am not a bad person."


    "..." The other ves started looking at each other as Riley looked at them; the smile on his face, as gentle as it could be. The ves were about to rx as the Traveler in front of them seemed to truly mean them no harm, but before they could do so, the gentle smile on Riley''s face continued to grow.


    "I am not a bad person," Riley chuckled,


    "I am an evil one."


    ***


    "There is really no need to be scared of me, I was only exining what I am."


    "..."


    the other half like a sick fish inside an aquarium.


    The ride was extremely quiet¡ªfor real, this time. Thest breath that whispered from the ves was probably half a day ago. All of them were just crowding on one side of the cage, with Riley taking the other half like a sick fish inside an aquarium.


    Fortunately for the ves, they didn''t have to endure longer as they seemed to arrive at their destination.


    It was arge city, withrge walls and arge gate. The houses were made of what seemed to be cobblestones and wood, but Riley wasn''t really sure¡ªafter all, this was a different universe.


    There weremps, however¡ªnot torches, butmps that seemed to be powered by electricity.


    "...Is this what Earth seemed like from the other civilizations?"


    Earth''s technology was influenced by themarians¡ªor perhaps it was better to say that it was influenced by Diana alone. And it was obvious that this too, was influenced by a greater civilization.


    ¡­Perhaps the other Travelers? It is possible that some of them were able to limate themselves to this ce¡ªbut since this world seemed to have a bad impression of them, it was no doubt that most of them continued their evil ways.


    "¡­But where are they now?"


    Lin and her vige chief did mention that the Deity saved them from the earlier Travelers, could it be that it killed most of them? That is the only reason Riley could think of as to why this hasn''t been destroyed yet.


    And while Riley was whispering to himself, he just continued with the flow and followed the rest of the ves as they lined up¡ªand soon, they were all brought into some sort of dark room where they were all violently sprayed and cleaned with water that mysteriously gushed out from the ceiling.


    And while the others howled and cried in pain as the stream of water was enough to destroy and tear their clothes into pieces, Riley took off all of his clothes and just stretched his arms to the side¡ªmaking sure the water hit every inch of his body.


    A bath.


    How long has it really been for him?


    As soon as he was able to master his telekic abilities, Riley no longer really needed to take a bath as he could always keep himself clean. But now, with his telekinesispletely suppressed and dampened by this¡­ Deity, some things needed to be adjusted.


    The violent showersted for an entire hour. And suffice it to say, all the dirt that the ves brought with them waspletely gone.


    "Move, move it!" The ves were then one by one kicked out of the weird shower room as the traders handed them clean clothes to wear. But as soon as they saw Riley, however, they all could not help but just bat their eyes.


    "How¡­ is the Travelerpletely dry?"


    He sted himself with warm air¡ªbut Riley did not really answer as he just wore the clothes provided for him and followed the other ves.


    He needed to learn a lot of things from this ce, and the only proper way to do that is to go with the flow¡­ is what Riley was thinking as the ve traders started chaining his wrists along with his ankles.


    All of them were lined up as they continued to walk; all of them, now wearing immacte white clothes that made them look like a group of ancient Greek schrs.


    "Is this the part where we are getting sold? How much do you think people are willing to buy me?" Riley smiled as he looked at the ve beside him. The ve, however, just trembled where he stood.


    "Great Deity, please let me serve a master that will treat me well."


    "..." And it wasn''t only him¡ªall the ves were praying to the Deity¡ª


    none of them regretting their fate. Some of them, even excited as they were brought outside the dark room; their numbers dwindled one by one, and soon¡­


    ¡­only Riley was left.


    He could hear the noiseing from outside the room getting louder and louder¡ªand as he stepped outside of the dark room, the noise became frenzied.


    "Hm, I have never been bought before."


    "Stop talking!"


    Riley was pushed by one of the traders, causing him to take several steps onto the stage for everyone to see. And as soon as the light was pointed at him, the noise just disappeared.


    "...Hm," Riley tilted his head as he looked at all the people in front of the stage; all of them, wearing masks thatpletely covered their faces. Riley was then once again pushed by one of the traders, urging him to stand on the podium at the center of the stage.


    Riley did not really heed the traders any mind, however, as he just continued to scan all of his potential buyers as he stepped on the podium.


    "This¡­ is sort of exciting."

 Chapter 684: It

    Chapter 684: It


    "That''s¡­ a Traveler? Are you sure?"


    "His hair is so white, his skin too. Are we sure they didn''t just put powder on him?"


    "He''s so beautiful. I¡­ I need to buy him!"


    "Boring, I was expecting someone that looks like a fish. That''s not a Traveler!"


    "Folks, folks! Please, settle down so we can start!"


    The whispers and murmurs of the people filled the entire hall. And even as the auctioneer mmed his hammer on the podium several times, the people still continued to talk to themselves as they all looked at Riley from head to toe.


    "Just so we can get rid of your curiosities. Yes, the thing in front of you truly is a Traveler!"


    "!!!"


    The auctioneer''s voice wasn''t loud, but it was enough to travel through the ears of each of the buyers; finally making them close and shut their mouths as they already calcted how much they were willing to spend on the white-skinned, white-haired individual standing in front of them.


    There were some, however, who stood up from their seats and started backing away¡ªand for someone like Riley, the fear in their steps might as well be screaming in his ears.


    "T¡­ traveler!?"


    "It really is a Traveler!?"


    "Folks, folks! Calm down!" The auctioneer once again hammered his podium as he gestured to the guards to stand beside Riley, "None of you have to worry¡ªlike most of our merchandise, the cor around its neck prevents it from doing anything harmful to us, and to himself."


    "...Newbies."


    "Sit down, don''t ruin this auction for us!"


    The other buyers were starting to roll their eyes and click their tongues as they looked at the scared patrons.


    And while the people were trying to settle themselves down, Riley was once again touching the cor around his neck. The people of this world seem really confident about the strength of this cor¡ªdoes that mean that the other Travelers were unable to remove or destroy it?


    While it is true that the prisoners thrown here may not be physically strong, what about the likes of Bounty Hunter Kerrigan? This prison was originally and specifically made for him¡ªand as a norid, thews of physics do not really apply to him.


    Is it possible this cor was also capable of forcing him to be tangible?


    ¡­Should he try breaking it? It would definitely be fun to watch all these people around him scream and panic. Or he could justser each and every one of them with his eyes? If he does that, will this so-called Deity act to save them?


    But then again, maybe not¡ªthese are ve traders, after all. But then again, would a god really even care if its people are bad or good? Perhaps in its eyes, all the people here are just the same, sheep to be saved.


    ¡­Do gods have morals?


    "...Morals, hm. Weird," Riley blurted out, slightly surprising himself from his thoughts. Morality wasn''t a foreign concept to him, no¡ªhe knows what is wrong and what is not¡ªhe just doesn''t care. Are the gods perhaps the same?


    Riley continued to talk to himself, but his words barely even escaped an inch from his lips before they were drowned by the voice of the auctioneer.


    "This Traveler was just found a few days ago¡­"


    The auctioneer introduced Riley to the buyers, saying things that didn''t really happen to try and raise his value.


    "Let''s not dy this any further, I know all of you folks are excited!" The auctioneer then pped his hands as he pointed his palm at Riley, "Everyone, we start the bidding at 40,000 deni! We increa¡ª"


    "100,000!"


    The auctioneer was not even allowed to finish his exnation as someone already raised their number.


    "Well, alright then! 100,000 from the beautifuldy over there!" The auctioneer spoke; his words, almost as fast as Tempo.


    "..." 100,000? Is that high, or low? Riley has never really thought of how much he actually is as a person¡ªbut if this was his universe, then he should be worth a lot, a whole lot.


    And considering the gasps of the other buyers, then 100,000 shouldn''t be low at all. Riley squinted his eyes to try and find who bid for him, only to see a skinny woman, whose lips were probably the fattest part of her body.


    "That''s not a beautifuldy, Auctioneer."


    "105!"


    "105 to that beautiful redhead over there!"


    "110!"


    "110 from No. 110! Oh my, why are all our bidders women!?"


    "150!"


    "150 back to our first bidder!"


    "..." Riley''s eyes still haven''t left the skinny woman, and yet the top bid was already back to her. He had watched an auction scene like this before from Italian Mafia Reborn¡­ but it didn''t move this fast.


    "200!"


    "200! And finally, we have ourselves a male patron!"


    "..." Riley quickly turned to look at his first male buyer, only to see him wink at Riley while he licked his lips.


    "3¡­ 300!" The skinny woman seemed to have no intention of giving up as she raised her number even higher¡ªher voice, almost cracking as she looked at the male buyer with a fierce re.


    "400!" The man only smirked as he returned the skinny woman''s re.


    "F¡­ five¡ª"


    "One million."


    Their bidding war was cut short before it could even start, however, as a quiet voice whispered throughout the entire hall. Everyone turned their eyes toward the new challenger, only to see a group of robed men standing on the corner of the hall¡ªall of them, wearing a golden brooch with some sort of intricate insignia.


    "One¡­One million one hund¡ª"


    "Two million."


    "T¡ª"


    "Sold! Sold to Kritika Academy!"


    The skinny woman seemed to still want to bid, but before she could open her mouth, someone from backstage rushed to the stage and grabbed the hammer from the auctioneer, hitting the podium several times as he pointed at the group of robed men.


    The robed men just looked at each other, nodding before they all just started walking away to the door. As for Riley, the guards beside him quickly grabbed his arms, forcefully escorting him down the stage as they followed the robed men.


    As for the skinnydy, she was still staring at Riley¡ªbiting her nail as she truly seemed desperate to have him.


    "..." And as Riley passed by her row, he looked at her and nodded. After all, she deserved at least that from being the first to bid on him. And as soon as he did so, the skinny woman''s plump lips started to shiver. She seemed to be saying something¡­


    ¡­but Riley couldn''t really hear anything as the guards continued to push him away.


    ***


    "Thank you for your continued support. I''ll¡­ I''ll inform the academy again as soon as we procure another Traveler."


    "It is fine even if you don''t, we already spent too much on this one alone."


    "O¡­ of course! You two, hand him the Traveler, gently."


    "Are you not going to check if they gave the right amount?"


    "Of course, they gave the¡ªWhat the, you don''t speak unless spoken to!"


    "It''s fine."


    "But¡ª"


    "You may leave, Sir Fel."


    "O¡­ of course."


    Riley was expecting the process to be more sophisticated due to thevishness of the auction, but the owner of the auction hall just grabbed the two sacks that were given by the robed men and left¡ª


    they did not even sign anything whatsoever.


    They were even holding the auction for ves right in the middle of the city¡ªwere they really that confident of the cor? Should he really test what it could do?


    "I was going to hand you a trantor, but it would seem you already have one."


    And while Riley was contemting on what to do, one of the robed men removed his hood and approached him; his long red hair, almost bouncing from as it stood straight up like a tuft of grass.


    "I was given one by¡ª"


    "Kuntz, how many times do I have to tell you not to talk to the ves!?"


    "...Hm?" Riley felt a trickle of electricity tickle his neck as another one of the robed men approached him; this time, holding some sort of remote and pointing it at him.


    "W¡­ why is he not reacting!?" The man pointed the remote at Riley again, pressing it even harder.


    "Oh¡­?" The cor attached to Riley''s neck started to emit strong currents of electricity, and yet all it really did was cause Riley to tilt his head as he looked at the remote,


    "Are you able to turn the intensity higher, or is this it? I was expecting something more since your kind seems to be confident with this cor."


    "Don''t¡­ don''te any closer!" The robed man pressed the remote again; the electricity emitting from the cor, now shooting outward from how strong it was.


    "But I''m not moving."


    "St¡ª"


    "That''s enough! What are you going to do if you damage it!?"


    And before the remote could be pressed again, it was grabbed by the one that seemed to be the leader of these mysterious robed men.


    "I truly apologize for my men''s actions," and before anything else could happen, the man also removed his hood¡ªrevealing his aged face. And due to their gray skin, he looked even older for Riley.


    "I would like to introduce myself," the man then bowed his head as he ced the remote in his robes, "My name is Dr. Whis, I am the head of the research department of Kritika Academy."


    "I''m Riley Ross, Hannah''s brother," Riley also nodded, "Research department? Then¡­


    ¡­I suppose you''ll be studying me?"

 Chapter 685: Impatient

    Chapter 685: Impatient


    "Since you have been quite civilized throughout our travels, I have convinced the Academy to give you your own room¡ªas well as a little privacy."


    "I appreciate that, Dr. Whis."


    "Alright, be prepared to be called upon soon."


    "Hm."


    His own room¡ªRiley was truly not expecting that. He was a ve, and he expected to be thrown in some sort of dungeon that hasn''t been cleaned for more than a hundred years.


    And yet right now, he was inside a clean room, with a clean bed. There was even a window that allowed him to see the sights outside¡ªit was barred by metal to prevent him from escaping¡ªbut still, this was not how Riley expected to be treated.


    It¡­ was quite boring.


    Kritika Academy, as exined by Dr. Whis, is a school for nobles who are serious about pursuing careers in academia¡ªscientists, lecturers, and doctors. But Kritika wasn''t only for schrs, the other half of it consists of those that want to make their names known on the battlefield.


    And as for Riley''s role in all of this, well¡­as Dr. Whis also already exined, they would be studying him.


    He was a student on Earth, and then he became a professor on Theran. And now, he was a research subject.


    "...Pft." And Riley found that amusing. He seemed to be taking all of the roles he could get from schools. Perhaps next time, he will be a school shoo¡ª


    "T¡­ that''s him."


    "That''s a Traveler¡­? I was expecting more."


    "Shh, be quiet!"


    "..." And as Riley wasughing to himself, he heard a taping from the window. He looked, only to see several people peeking their heads over the window¡ªthey were trying to be subtle, but failing all the same as they seemed to push each other to get a better look at Riley.


    Riley did not mind, and even started to approach the window; causing the people to quickly disperse. It was, however, obvious that they were just hiding on the other side of the wall.


    "Hello," a small chuckle escaped Riley''s lips as he knocked on the window. The students that were outside could really only look at each other as they heard his voice, but before any of them could really react, Riley suddenly opened the window and stuck out his arm.


    "I have a few questions," Riley then said as he opened his palm which released some sort of ck goo,


    "I would truly appreciate it if someone answers them."


    ***


    "Hm, interesting."


    ck coat, ck pants, and a red shirt¡ªthat was the uniform of the students of Kritika Academy. And perhaps almost as if a testament to their prestige, the materials of the uniform were truly smooth andfortable to the touch.


    Riley was liking it as it didn''t feel constricting¡ªYes, Riley was now wearing the uniform of Kritika Academy, and is now even walking through their open hallways; his once pale and white skin, now gray; his hair, as dark as it was when he donned the identity of Paragon.


    As to where he got the uniform, well, he borrowed it.


    "This school does not seem to have that many students," Riley talked to himself as he noticed that he hadn''t seen a single student in the hallways. But then again, it was a prestigious and private school for nobles¡ªthere probably weren''t that many of their kind in this city to begin with in the first ce.


    The architecture of this world was a bit weird, it almost reminded him of Ahor Zai with how open the building was; with the hallways almost acting like bridges.


    Riley was about to take a turn, when all of a sudden, a figure cameing towards him.


    "Ah!" It was a young man, who quickly gasped as his butt hit the floor from hitting Riley.


    "I apologize, I didn''t know whether it was appropriate to catch you."


    "W...what are you, a wall!?"


    The male student rubbed his forehead, pushing away his light brown hair and revealing his moss-green eyes, which almost showed due to his gray skin.


    "Ack, enough about this, I''mte!" He groaned in frustration as he stood up, and Riley could almost make out a few tears forming in his eyes¡ªbut they weren''t falling yet so he still held back some gracefulness amidst the moment.


    "Which ss are you going, teary-eyed male student?"


    "...What? I''m not fucking crying!" The young man was about to leave, but Riley''s voice whispered to his ears before he could even take three steps. He then very slowly turned his head to Riley, finally looking at his face.


    "I''m... going to ss, duh?" The young man then focused on Riley''s face, "Wait, why haven''t I seen someone as good-looking as you here before?"


    "Because your species'' median is subjectively worse looking than humans, male student."


    "...The fuck? Do you even know who you are talking to right now, pleb!?"


    "No."


    "You''re as weird as an orcbear. Wait¡­" The male student then squinted his eyes as he focused on Riley again, "If I''mte¡­ that means you''re alsote! Which ss are you in?"


    "...Dr. Whis."


    "Oh¡­ Oh!" The male student''s eyes almost lit up as Riley could almost see a light bulb sh above his head, "I guess you''re lost, new guy?"


    "I always am."


    "Let''s make a deal, then¡­" The male student started to whisper as he leaned closer to Riley, "Tell Dr. Whis that I toured you around the Academy, and I bring you to ss. How about it?"


    "I would appreciate that, male student."


    "Tino, the name''s Tino. Prince Tino, to be exact."


    "Riley Ross."


    "I knew it, you''re an exchange student," Tino gestured to Riley to follow him, "No way in forever would somebody in this city not actually know who I am."


    "..." Riley did not really respond to Prince Tino and just followed behind him as he rushed to his ssroom¡ªeven jumping and leaping over the hanging hallways. And judging by how he was ncing back at Riley, he was trying to test if he could follow him; only to see him slightly struggle in mid-air.


    Riley can fly¡ªbut he had just always used his telekinesis to do so. This was, perhaps, the very first time since he acquired the ability to fly that he was actually using it.


    And in the end, he just opted to just go along with Prince Tino and just leaped across and over the hallways like some sort of grasshopper. After all, the Deity might not like it if he continues actually flying around.


    Fortunately for Riley, he didn''t have to chase Prince Tino for long as they reached the ssroom, in which a deafening scream quickly weed them and filled the entire Academy.


    "Your Majesty! How many times do I have to tell you not to bete for ss!? Do you not know that the royal family has given us full authority to oversee your education!?" Dr. Whis made even the students that were already inside the ssroom lower their heads and cover their ears even though the sermon was not directed at them,


    "If you are not serious about this then¡ª"


    "..." As for Prince Tino, he was just about to cover his ears when Dr. Whis suddenly stopped talking; his eyes, staring at the person standing behind him.


    "Ah!" Prince Tino''s eyes quickly lit up as he nced at Riley, "Dr. Whis, this is¡ª"


    "Get away from him, Your Majesty."


    "...What?" Prince Tino could not help but raise an eyebrow at the sudden change in Dr. Whis''s tone.


    "Get¡­ away from it, now."


    "...It?"


    Dr. Whis''s breaths started to quiver as he looked at Riley''s face. Even though his skin was now gray like theirs, his face was stillpletely the same.


    "How¡­ did you escape the room?" Dr. Whis then breathed out as he looked at Riley''s neck, only to find the cor absent from it.


    "I opened the door and stepped out, Dr. Whis," Riley shrugged as he stepped inside the ssroom; his eyes, scanning all the students that were clearly confused as to what was happening, "Since you are a professor; I have a question, Dr. Whis."


    "...What?"


    "I am slightly getting impatient for some reason, so what happens next will depend on you, Dr. Whis," Riley whispered, "The Deity¡­


    ¡­How do I contact it?"

 Chapter 686 686: ...Oh

    "What happens next will depend on you. The Deity¡­


    ¡­How do I contact it?"


    "Yo, teach. What''s going on¡­?" Prince Tino looked back and forth between Riley and Dr. Whis.


    It wasn''t only Prince Tino, his ssmates that were just peacefully sitting in their seats did the same; their moving eyes, reflecting their confusion.


    "...Hopefully nothing," Dr. Whis gestured to Prince Tino to take a seat, even pushing him to the side before blocking him and the rest of the students from Riley''s view,


    "Where¡­ did you get the uniform?"


    "One of the students peering over my quarters gave it to me, Dr. Whis," Riley said as he examined himself, "I have to say, it is quitefortable to the touch¡ªI expected nothing less of uniforms reserved for nobles."


    "What¡­ did you do to the student?"


    "I believe I was the first to ask a question and yet here you are asking another before answering mine, Dr. Whis," Riley let out a small sigh as he shook his head, "Please answer my question."


    "..." Dr. Whis once again stared at Riley for a few seconds; almost biding his time as he waited for someone in the school to discover that the Traveler they bought is missing from its confinement, "Why¡­ do you want to know about¡ª"


    "Kya!"


    And before Dr. Whis could finish his words, everyone inside the room instinctively turned their heads toward the sudden scream that almost deafened their ears.


    "N¡­ no¡­"


    And there, Dr. Whis could really only exhale the most painful of breaths as he saw one of her students wrapped in mes¡ªdancing for her life as her ssmates ran to the sides. Prince Tino, who was actually supposed to be seated next to the girl, could not help but let out a stuttered gasp as he just watched her burn.


    Just a little more, and he would have seated right next to her. Just a little more, and he would have probably joined herst dance.


    He was shocked, everyone was. Their friend was now just a char, a ck mark on the floor; but they couldn''t help but just ask in their minds¡­ how?


    Dr. Whis also had the same question, but not for long as his eyesnded back on the Traveler in front of him.


    "That is your fault, Dr. Whis."


    "...What?"


    "I already told you that everything that happens next is your fault," Riley sighed; his breaths, whispering like a dagger through each of the students'' ears.


    "You¡­ you killed her?" Dr. Whis stuttered.


    "No, you did," Riley patted Dr. Whis on the shoulder several times; shaking his head before making his way to his desk and casually taking a seat, "Please, Doctor. I expected you to be fast on the uptake¡ªand please, stop asking so many questions and just answer mine¡­


    ¡­The Deity, how do I contact it?"


    "I¡­" Dr. Whis wanted to buy as much time as possible, but now that the Traveler has shown its true colors and what it is capable of, any thoughts of trying anything disappeared from his mind.


    He knew. They all knew. The risks of procuring a Traveler ve were high, intensely high. The Travelers are mysterious creatures, and all the studies suggest that they are from apletely different ne entirely.


    The Travelers are also strong, but more so than not, their strength is in their brains. And even if they are physically strong, the ve Cor prevents any of that strength from ever surfacing¡­ a cor that was absent from Riley''s neck.


    And so, with a split-second decision, Dr. Whis could truly only really answer truthfully.


    "I don''t know," Dr. Whis breathed out, "The Deity only intervenes when something drastic happens."


    "Oh."


    And that was a mistake.


    "Drastic? Hm¡­" Riley ced his hand on his chin as his skin instantly returned to its original white and freakishly pale color, "...I think I know how to do that. That is good too, I am getting impatient dealing with¡­ the mundane."


    "Please, wait¡­ please," Dr. Whis once again moved in front of Riley to cover the students from his view, "The children, they don''t¡ª"


    "Oh. You do not have to worry, Dr. Whis," Riley let out a small chuckle as he waved his hand,


    "All of you are going to die."


    "...What?"


    "And since I do not have ess to my telekinesis, this is going to be a very fun process for all sides," Riley tapped the desk; his finger, letting out some sort of dark ripple that scattered across the surface of the desk. This dark ripple continued to crawl through the floor, and as it reached Dr. Whis''s feet¡­ this ripple extruded from the ground in the form of a million tiny spikes.


    "!!!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Dr. Whis did not even have time to scream before this ck thorn scattered through and throughout his entire body in less than a second, turning him into a porcupine as his tongue stuck out from his opened mouth.


    "Hm¡­" Riley stood up from the desk as he inched closer toward Dr. Whis, who now just looked like some sort of taxidermy as he stood there lifeless. Riley then turned toward the students, who now also had ck thorns sticking out from every inch of their bodies¡ªtearing their flesh so finely that some of them seemed to not realize that they were already dead,


    "I forgot I had this ability. But then again, I suppose it is useless against a majority of the stronger Supers of Earth," Riley started walking around the literal forest of death, admiring his work as he nodded to himself. But after he looked enough, his feet very slowly started to leave the floor; his eyes, now glowing orange as a smile crawled on his face,


    "Killing and torturing without using my telekinesis¡­


    ¡­I suppose this is what Father would call putting in some elbow grease?"


    And with those words, Riley flew uppletely destroying the ceiling and killing anyone that might have been unfortunate enough to be above him as he went straight through the roof of the building without care.


    And before the invisible hand of the Deity could bring him back down, Riley dived back on his own¡ªnot even bothering to look at the city he was in from above as he just dove straight down; his entire body, engulfed in mes that distorted the skirt of wind that formed around his waist.


    "I call this¡­


    ¡­Meteor Riley."


    A Boom.


    Perhaps that was just the only way to describe what happened next. The Kritika Academy did not even have the chance to cave in as the entire city basically turned into a giant wave that rippled across the entire teau¡ªno, the entire continent.


    Riley has not even seen the beautiful world of now which he resides, and yet he was already destroying a huge part of it.


    Because it is as he said¡ªhe was tired of the mundane. He is a being that could destroys, he wasn''t going to waste his time ying ves and knights in a world without Italian Mafia Reborn.


    "Meteor Riley, pft¡­" And as the ashes of everything created an ocean of darkness around him, Riley just waved his hand¡ªusing an ability to control and create wind as he blew away all the dirt that threatened to stick to him. But s, without his telekinesis, he was already dirty,


    "Pirate Queen Xra would be proud of my naming sense. Now, hm¡­


    ¡­Where are you, Deity?"


    "..."


    "..."


    Seconds.


    Minutes.


    Hours.


    Riley spent hours walking across the desert he made as he waited for something to happen¡ªand yet nothing. The events that transpired around him the past hour were as empty as the field of death around him.


    "I might have made a mistake," Riley then whispered to himself as he looked around, "Maybe¡­ I just didn''t destroy enough? But if I destroy everything, I will be floating in space for a very long time. Did¡­ I usually talk to myself like this? This is weird."


    [Who are you?]


    And before Riley could get any more ideas from his slowly deteriorating mind, he heard a weird, and somewhat electronic voice whispering from behind him.


    "Are you the Deity?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he turned around to look at the owner of the voice, "I apologize for killing some of your people, but¡ªOh, are you real?"


    Riley blinked a couple of times as soon as he saw the figure of the deity; somewhat translucent, almost as if her silhouette was not really there¡­ and perhaps it wasn''t.


    [Are you?]


    The Deity was a woman.


    "I am," Riley then tilted his head as he approached the Deity, stretching his arm toward her, only for his hand to go through her stomach, "A hologram?"


    [You know what a hologram is? I guess you''re one of those weird fucks from the other universe. Wait, did you just kill all the aliens?]


    "..." Riley then turned to look at the Deity''s face; his head, tilting further to the side as he did so.


    [You really did kill them, didn''t you? Oh, man¡­


    ¡­Dee is not going to like this at all.]


    "Huh¡­" Riley then let out a small hum as he nodded his head,


    "...You''re Alice Lane."

 Chapter 687 687: Riley Ross And The Multiverse Of Huh?

    "Interesting¡­


    ¡­You''re Alice Lane."


    The Deity.


    Riley had been wondering what it was ever since he heard of it. Granted, he has been in this ce for less than a month, but he truly could not remove the Deity from his mind. After all, back in his universe, his telekic abilities were equal only to one¡ªand she was dead.


    Nothing had already exined it before, that Riley might and will meet people with the same faces as those he knows¡ªNo. Not just the same face. The way that Nothing exined it, they will literally be the same person¡­ but their past, memories, and their entire life might be different.


    In this case, as Riley stared at the Deity, he immediately knew what was different in her life.


    She''s alive.


    Alice Lane, his biological mother, the woman that conceived him in the most unconventional way, is alive in this world¡­ or maybe not?


    Riley once again stretched his arm toward the translucent figure, only for his hand to also once again just pass through. If this was Paige''s illusions, then he would be able to touch her¡ªbut then again, Riley''s fractured mind was fully capable of making something like this happen.


    Frustration.


    Riley could finally exin the feeling he had been having inpses since a long while ago.


    He was getting frustrated.


    "Are you Alice Lane?" Riley asked, "Are you real?"


    [...You know who I am?]


    And while Riley''s tone was clearly showing his frustration, the shock in Alice''s voice was even more obvious. Even with it muffled by the electronic filter from the hologram, her shock was visible even to Riley.


    "I do, Alice Lane. I''m¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, he felt his entire body be pulled from the ground. The destruction of scenery around him, nowpletely masked by the familiar, and colorful darkness that suddenly and violently showered on him¡ªliterally showered.


    Hyperspeed. The color that literally showered down on him was simr to the scenery he had always seen outside the windows whenever the ships in his universe travel on Hyperspeed.


    It felt different from hyperspeed, however. It didn''t feel like Riley was moving, no¡ªit just felt like his entire body was vibrating.


    The temperature was non-existent. Not in a way that it was extremely cold, no. It just felt like he was being nketed by the warmth of his own skin¡­ like the feeling that there was nothing around him.


    The feeling did notst long, however, as Riley could once again feel the weight of the universe wrapping around him as his vision cleared.


    "Hm¡­ Interesting," Riley then whispered as he looked around him, only to find himself inside a familiar ss box. Perhaps familiar is not really the word he should use, as his surroundings truly looked the same as the¡­ establishment he was used to seeing.


    The Guest House.


    Even the walls were the same, created with crystals of ice.


    The only difference that Riley could spot were the Guests¡ªthey weren''t humans. Riley did not really even have to think to identify who or what they were.


    They were his universe''s most heinous and notorious criminals, the same as him.


    "Finally, a real prison," Riley calmly nodded to himself as he looked around his neighbors, only to quickly recognize the Guest that was confined next to his cage,


    "Bounty Hunter Kerrigan, it has been a while since west saw each other."


    "..." Bounty Hunter Kerrigan, the Rogue Norid, could not help but widen his eyes as soon as they met with Riley''s. He seemed to be saying something, but Riley couldn''t really hear anything as everything was soundproofed, just like with his Guesthouse.


    "Weird. You shouldn''t be confined in something like this, Bounty Hunter Kerrigan," Riley didn''t care, however, as he still talked as if Kerrigan could hear him, "You are a Norid, an intangible being. Or does this cage have some sort of special characteristic not found in our universe? Weird, truly weird."


    And as Riley continued to talk to himself, the lights around the Guesthouse started to flicker, causing all the other prisoners to flinch and just sit back down in their beds.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hm, they should do more maintenance," Riley, on the other hand, just breathed out in disappointment as he found the establishmentcking. Soon, however, 2 shadows approached from the hall.


    Their footsteps, resounding throughout the Guesthouse and even through the soundproofed cages. The prisoners seemed aloof¡ªstraying their eyes away in fear of the two people.


    And soon, these two shadows appeared in front of Riley''s cage.


    And as soon as they did so, the soundproofing of all the cages seemed to have been removed as Riley could finally hear Kerrigan speak, or rather¡­ scream.


    "Not him! Throw him away!"


    "..." Riley blinked his eyes as he heard Kerrigan''s words. And it wasn''t only him, the two individuals standing in front of Riley''s cage also looked at Kerrigan.


    "I am saying this for the sake of your people, throw him as far away as possible! Warp him to the end of the universe if you can! He is dang¡ª"


    But before Kerrigan can finish his words, his cage''s soundproofing seemed to have been activated as one of the people in front of Riley waved his hand.


    "We have only met once and you already have such an image of me, Bounty Hunter Kerrigan. That is rude," Riley could really only sigh and shake his head as he looked at Kerrigan, who still seemed to be screaming despite his cage being muted.


    "You also know him? What, you''re some kind of Mr. Popr where you''re from?"


    "I suppose you could say I was popr, Alice Lane," Riley then very slowly turned to face one of the people in front of him. And now that she wasn''t some form of a hologram, Riley could truly say that it was Alice¡ªexcept older, but surprisingly not by much. Whether it was good gics or some sort of ability, Riley wasn''t really interested in finding out.


    "You''re right, it knows your name," Alice''spanion stepped forward. And it was, as a matter of course¡­


    ¡­none other than Diana.


    "See? I told you, Dee! He knows me by name¡­" Alice let out a small chuckle as she tapped Riley''s cage, "...Maybe I''m some sort of gctic idol in their universe?"


    "You can''t even sing even with your voice enhanced. What are you talking about?" Diana rolled her eyes before settling them on Riley, looking at him from head to toe,


    "And why don''t you just ask? That''s what they are here for."


    "...Right. Hey, you!" Alice once again tapped the ss as she looked at Riley, "How do you know me in your world? What am I, some sort of celebrity?"


    "No. You are dead."


    "Pft," Diana quickly took in a deep breath as she pretended to stop herself fromughing.


    "W¡­ what?" Alice snarled at Diana, before once again focusing on Riley and mming her palm on the ss, "What do you mean dead!? How can I, the mighty Phoenix, die in any universe!?"


    "You went insane and then died, Alice Lane."


    "That sounds about right," Diana once again covered her mouth; her muffledughter, whispering in Alice''s ears like a saw.


    "The guy''s clearly lying," Alice clicked her tongue, "How do you even know me in your world? Just answer my freaking question. Or I will dest¡­"


    "You were my biological mother, Alice Lane."


    "...roy you¡ªHuh?"


    "Hm. And Diana Ross is my adoptive mother."


    "...Ross?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Huh?"

 Chapter 688 688: Rickdonalds

    "..."


    "..."


    It wasn''t just because the cages were muted, no.


    The silence that persisted like a storm through the white crystal walls bounced from corner to corner, passing through Diana and Alice''s ears like a whistling echo of¡­ confusion and disbelief.


    The good-looking albino in front of them¡­ is their son?


    Almost 5 years ago now, the Diana of this universe detected a surge of energy that they couldn''t recognize¡ªa surge of energying from one of thes she was experimenting on.


    She quickly took action, even personally going there with Alice the very first time it happened. And lo and behold, they made their first encounter with life beyond their universe.


    At first, Diana was a bit reluctant to believe that these Travelers, as she officially calls them now, were from another universe. But soon, as more of them were sent to their universe, she gathered enough proof to make her believe otherwise.


    And of course, as a creature of science, Diana quickly questioned their existence¡ªquite literally, as she interrogated each and every one of the Travelers to try and make some sort of ''map'' of the other universe. A map of their culture, their difference, and their scope.


    And of course, she came to find that all these Travelers were actually criminals of the other universe, hence the cages. But even if they weren''t, she would probably still put them in cages as they have absolutely no idea what diseases or other ideas they might bring with them.


    She also came to find that the technology of her universe is somewhat more advanced than the other one¡ªexcept in the realms of traveling to another dimension, that is¡ªbut even that, Diana knew why.


    The Norids. Bounty Hunter Kerrigan''s people¡­ they have been extinct in her universe for more than a million years.


    These Travelers were thrown here because they have no ce in their universe, and they can''t be killed by conventional means¡ªeither because of their physiology, or the political ideology of it all.


    They are the worst of the worst¡­


    ¡­and this young man in front of them, who is iming to be both their son, is one of them?


    "How¡ª"


    "...Don''t speak to me of bullcrap, boy."


    And before Diana could say her piece, Alice let out a small scoff as she once again tapped the ss,


    "...In what universe will I really ever want a child? And look at you, we don''t even look alike. But more importantly¡­ Dead? I''m dead? Me!?"


    "Yes, Alice Lane."


    "And you''re weird. I don''t think I''ll have a weird child," Alice knitted her eyebrows, "Just because you can also control things with your mind? Lots of people could do that."


    "I have been meaning to ask about that¡ªyou are much stronger here than in my universe, Alice Lane. How is that possible?" Riley did not really heed Alice''s words any mind as he just tilted his head to the side.


    "Dude, you''re freaky," Alice slightly backed away as she saw a smile very slowly crawling on Riley''s face, "And FYI, Dee has this thingy that amplifies my¡ª"


    "Don''t tell it anything, Alice."


    "...Right, right," Alice crossed her arms, "You almost tricked me, whitey."


    "But I do agree with you," Diana squinted her eyes as she looked at Riley from head to toe again, "This young man exudes elegance and calmness, and you''re the embodiment of crass. But I am curious about one thing, you mentioned my name¡­


    ¡­Diana Ross? Ross, as in Bernard Albert Ross?"


    "Yes."


    "...And I am married to him in your world?"


    "Yes," Riley tilted to the side as he blinked several times, "You are not married to him here? Does that mean Hannah does not exist in this universe?"


    "Pft¡­" Alice covered her mouth as she tried to stop herself fromughing, "You¡­ you''re married to Bernie?"


    "..." Diana did not really say anything, just rolling her eyes as she continued to focus on Riley, "I do not like deliberating whether or not what you say is true. A simple blood test will at least confirm if you truly are Alice''s son."


    "..." And as soon as Alice heard that, the cheeky smile on her face quickly faded away. She seemed to be trying her best to feign indifference, however, as there was a slight quiver in her lips as she tried to retain the smile.


    "But I am not her son," Riley looked at Alice, "I am the son of Alice in my universe."


    "It doesn''t matter," Diana shook her head, before putting her palms together and summoning a holographic screen as she pulled them apart, "I am just curious¡ªand it would at least help me in determining whether you are lying or not going forward."


    "...Very well," Riley nodded. And without even any hesitation, he summoned a knife using Paige''s abilities and cut his palm with it.


    "..." Diana could not help but bat her eyes as she saw this. The infrared feed on her screen wasn''t really showing anything; meaning besides its visual aspect¡­ the knife doesn''t really exist,


    "You¡­ did not really need to draw blood."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Oh. Then you can just use itter," Riley shrugged.


    "..." Diana did not really answer Riley as she just gestured to Alice to follow her as they stepped away from Riley''s cage. As they did so, however, Kerrigan started mming his hands on his cage as he seemed to want to say something to them. But s, he waspletely ignored.


    "S¡­so, what''s the result say?" Alice took in a small gulp as she took a peek at Diana''s holographic screen.


    "Wait," Diana raised a finger as the cage started analyzing Riley. It first started to scan whether or not a version of him exists in this universe, but no results came up, "Let''s move¡ªWhat?"


    But before Diana could proceed with actually analyzing Riley''s blood¡­ Alice''s face suddenly popped up.


    "That¡­ why is my face there?" Alice whispered; her words, stuttering almost violently, "So¡­ Am I¡­ her mother?"


    "...No."


    "No?"


    "...You''re the same person," Diana batted her eyes in confusion as she nced back at Riley.


    "...What?"


    "Anna is registering you as the same person," Diana breathed in, "Wait, let me check¡­ Your blood, they are almostpletely identical to each other."


    "W¡ª"


    "That is because I don''t have a biological father, Diana and Alice."


    "!!!"


    Diana and Alice quickly turned around, only to see Riley out of his cage and casually standing just a meter behind them.


    "I could exin my lineage properly to the two of you if you wish to know it¡­


    ¡­but may I suggest doing it over dinner?"


    ***


    "That''s¡­ freaking crazy. Do you believe this, Dee?"


    "I¡­ am inclined to."


    "...Damn,"


    The sound of Alice chewing was probably as loud as her words as she consumed the burger in her hand,


    "...And why are you not eating? You''re the one who suggested we eat and talk."


    "I do not eat fast food, Alice Lane."


    "sphemy, are you really my son!? Don''t you have Rickdonald''s in your world!?"


    "We have a different version of it," Riley stretched his arm toward Alice, wiping the ketchup on her face. And surprisingly, Alice did not even budge as he did so, "And I am not your son, Alice Lane of this world."


    "Hm¡­ Ours is probably better."


    "Hm," Riley really only shrugged as he started looking around.


    Unlike his Guesthouse which was located in the isted icy regions of Earth, Diana and Alice''s guesthouse was directly beneath the city. An active city identical to New York, as there was even a Times Square just outside this¡­ Rickdonald''s.


    And judging by how the people were giving them looks and taking photos of them¡ªDiana and Alice were famous. As to why, Riley doesn''t know yet.


    "Come on, just try it," Alice took a piece of fries from the table and flung it in front of Riley''s face, "This is filled with the goodness of MSG and¡ªHey!"


    "Stop it, Alice," Diana pulled back Alice''s hand, "You''re forgetting something here¡ªRiley is a criminal, one of the worst in his universe."


    "..." Alice nced at Diana for a few seconds, before looking Riley straight in the eyes, "What¡­ did you do there?"


    "I am not one of the worst criminals, Diana," Riley shook his head, "I am the worst. I have killed and tortured more than a hundred billion people¡ªdestroyed hundreds ofs."


    "Oh¡­" Diana blinked as she too, looked Riley in the eyes, "That''s¡­


    ¡­That''s it?"

 Chapter 689 689: Craziness

    "...That''s it?"


    "..."


    "Hundreds of billions, I assume most of those are not Humans?"


    "...No?"


    Riley could not help but tilt his head to the side as he heard Diana''s words. He could think of several different ways why Diana responded like that, but he could really only think of one¡ªthemarian ideology.


    The Diana of this universe, like Queen Adel and most of the themarians, do not hold value to the life of other species and thinks of them as just dust in space.


    "...What about themarians, have you killed any themarians?"


    "A few," Riley answered without any hesitation. Technically, it was his doing that wiped out the themarians¡ªbut he did not kill them directly.


    And Diana did not need to know that¡­ for now.


    "Damn, you''re that strong?" Alice whistled as she ate the fries she was going to feed Riley, "I did feel your telekic abilities and they are quite¡­ alright. I expect no less from my son."


    "I''m not your son."


    "Let''s just say you are to remove all confusions."


    "But¡ª"


    "You''re my son," Alice shrugged, "I swear¡ªif I was alive in your world, you probably wouldn''t have turned into a criminal. It is probably Dee''s upbringing that freaked you up¡­ and Bernard? The freaking Bernard Ross? No wonder you became a viin."


    "Is Whiteking a superviin here?"


    "White¡­king?" Alice coughed; almost choking from her food as soon as Riley''s words entered her ears, "That''s¡­ that''s his superhero name there!?"


    "Is it not the same here?"


    "No, he''s the Redking here. Whiteking sounds a little¡­ suspicious," Alice tried her best not tough, "And he was a hero, but he quit when all the aliens started appearing. No offense, Dee."


    "..." Diana remained quiet as she seemed to be lost in thought.


    "Does Bernard Ross have a family here?"


    "Yeah, he''s married to Empress. Their¡­ kid died, though. Wait¡­ I shouldn''t be telling you this," Alice covered her mouth, "Damn it. Now that I know you''re my son in another world, I feel like telling you everything for some reason. Dee, weigh in on this. What are you just keeping quiet there for?"


    "How were you caught?"


    "Hm?"


    "Judging from how the norid was nervous upon seeing you is already a testament to how strong you are¡ªso how were you caught without being killed?"


    "You, Diana," Riley pointed at Diana, "You finally decided to stop me once and for all."


    "So, I didn''t kill you because you were my son?" Diana ced her hand on her chin, "But why would I try to stop you?"


    "You have different set of values, Diana. And also Aerith is¡ª"


    "Aerith!? Queen Aerith?" Diana''s eyes widened as she stood up from her seat, causing all the people inside Rickdonald''s to hold their breaths; deciding whether or not to run, "You know the Rebel Queen?"


    "..." Riley tilted his head in confusion as he looked at Diana, "I¡­ already mentioned her in my story¡ªshe''s Megawoman."


    "...What?"


    "Huh¡­?" Alice blinked a couple of times as she looked back and forth between Riley and Diana. But after a few seconds, she pointed at Diana,


    "She''s Megawoman."


    "Hm?" Riley also started to blink as he looked at Diana.


    "That''s why the story was quite confusing," Diana let out a very long and deep sigh as she sat back down.


    "I too am confused," Riley shrugged, "But I suppose that will be normal moving forward."


    "No," Diana shook her head, "We need to find a way to bring you back to your universe as soon as possible."


    "What!?" Alice raised her voice, "Why would he return? They literally threw him away."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "He can''t stay here."


    "We already have a bunch of aliens from other universes beneath us, Dee!"


    "But he''s different," Diana shook her head, "He was directly involved with us in the other world¡ªhe''s the son of our alternate versions. We can''t have him stay here or it''ll change everything."


    "...And?" Alice shrugged as the sound of her sipping from a straw whisked in the air, "Change is constant and all that kind of to stuff."


    "That is Heraclitus, Alice Lane."


    "Stop saying fake names just because you''re from another universe."


    "He''s right," Diana sighed as she shook her head. She then turned to look at Riley before once again standing from her seat.


    "Where you going¡­?" Alice asked.


    "Don''t let him leave your side," Diana did not really answer as she just ced her hand on the table, "I need to talk to Bernard so we can find a way to bring Riley back to his home universe¡­


    ¡­Don''t let him out of your sight."


    "Oh,e on. He should just stay here!" Alice breathed out as she watched as Diana stepped out of the restaurant and flew away, "...Does she also not listen to anyone in your world?"


    "Sometimes," Riley shrugged. He then once again started looking at all the other people, "You don''t hide your identities?"


    "...Huh?" Alice blinked, "Hide what?"


    "Your identities as superheroes."


    "...Why would we hide that?" Alice raised an eyebrow, "No wonder you''re weird, your entire universe is weird."


    "Hm¡­"


    "..."


    "..."


    "So¡­ where do you want to go?" Alice then tapped the table a couple of times as he leaned closer to Riley, "You said the Alice of your world died, right? That means we didn''t really have any mother-and-son bonding. Wanna go to a theme park or something?"


    "Do you want to go to a theme park, Alice?"


    "No, I want to know how strong you are," Alice smirked as he looked Riley in the eyes.


    "But your telekic abilities are stronger than mine, Alice Lane. Your range is almost infinite."


    "Oh, that''s only because of Dee''s contraptions. She has this device that she puts on my head that amplifies my telekic abilities."


    "Can I perhaps try the device?"


    "You think I am going to let a genocidal maniac like you use something like that?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I''m¡­ actually kinda tempted to, but no!" Alice once again leaned closer, "Let''s just fight, Riley Lane."


    "...I thought you would be more mature because you have actually grown old in this world, Alice Lane. But you are still the same."


    "Can''t change perfection, my boy," Alice smirked, "So¡­


    ¡­are we fighting or not?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Here?"


    "Of course, not here!"

 Chapter 690 690: This Is More Like It

    "Where are we going, Alice Lane?"


    "You can call me Mom if you want to."


    "No."


    "Your loss."


    Alice and Riley have been flying in the air for more than an hour¡ªtraversing through the skies as one of them seems to truly be enjoying the moment; herugh, almost like the drumming of thunder if heard from below.


    It was obvious that Alice could fly faster if she wanted to, because Riley could fly faster if he wanted to. His telekic abilities were back, they have been ever since they were eating back at Rickdonald''s. As to how his telekinesis was being suppressed, Alice seemed adamant about keeping her mouth shut.


    But whatever it was, he was sure it had to do something with the device that Diana created for Alice.


    "I find it truly amusing that even in this world, you and Diana are friends, Alice Lane."


    "Probably because I am the only person that could tolerate her," Alice slowed down the speed of her flight even more as she flew beside Riley, circling vertically around him as she giggled, "And vice versa. Let me guess, she has no other friends besides me in your world?"


    "Come to think of it, I suppose you are right, Alice Lane."


    "Of course, I''m right," Alice scoffed, "And seriously¡ªshe is married to Bernie? That freaking womanizer?"


    "Yes, and she cheated on Mother with Empress."


    "Dude¡­ he dare do that?" Alice''s eye began to twitch, "I''ll fuck Bernie up once I see him."


    "But the Bernard of this world ispletely unrted to the one in mine, Alice Lane."


    "Doesn''t matter. Anyway, enough about that nerd. Tell me more about¡­"


    Alice asked Riley a barrage of questions, all of which Riley answered without any hesitation. Alice was a bit aloof with the questions at first since she said it might change what was going to happen¡­ but then she realized she wasn''t dealing with time travel.


    Another hour passed by like this, until Riley finally saw a change of scenery from the sky and clouds¡ªan ind.


    An ind not surrounded by the sea, but hidden by the clouds.


    "We''re here¡­" Alice sped up, flying backward as she stretched her arms to the side and looked Riley in the eyes, "...Wee to the Hope Society, Riley Lane."


    "Hope¡­ Society," Riley breathed out as he followed Alice as shended on the edge of the ind. He didn''t really get to take a good look at the ind, but it seemed like an entire city.


    "Don''t be too surprised, my boy. This is just one of the things that are betterpared to your world," Alice nodded to herself as she gestured to Riley to follow her as she walked away, "You said you have a Hope Guild, right? Pft¡­ basic. We have an entire ind for our base."


    "..." Riley did not really say anything as he just once again followed Alice. Alice had already exined it before, but the battle between Superheroes and Superviins in this world seemed to be more intense¡­ to the point that they would even have wars against each other.


    A war made possible because unlike his world, everyone on this Earth was already infected with the Supervirus¡ªanother courtesy of the Megawoman of this Earth, Diana.


    And their heroes here, they kill.


    "Are you sure you should be showing me your secret base, Alice Lane?" Riley looked around, only to see people in their superhero attires walking around the wide streets of the Hope Society, which truly seemed like an entire city¡ªthere was even a building that seemed like an apartment for them to live in.


    "...Because you were a viin in your world?"


    "Yes."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Meh, no biggie. Come on, let''s head inside."


    "..."


    Alice then led Riley to arge, perfectly rectangr building the size of a football field. And as soon as he stepped inside, the sound of cheers and screams quickly bombarded his ears; almost as if he truly just entered a football stadium, and from the number of superheroes there, he might as well have.


    This noise, however, very slowly died down as soon as the people took a whiff of Alice''s presence; their eyes, just staring at her as they opened a path for her to walk through.


    "This is¡­" Riley tilted his head to the side as he looked at the very center of therge infrastructure, only to see several superheroes fighting against each other on a wide field. Well, they seemed to stop whatever it is they were doing, however, as they also quickly took notice of Alice even from afar.


    "An arena where we can let loose," Alice started stretching as she made her way to the field. And as she did so, those that were inside all quickly scattered and joined the crowd watching on the sides,


    "You can¡­ call it a public underground arena in the sky."


    "Would it not be better for us to fight in the expanse of space, Alice Lane?" Riley still followed Alice.


    "What''s the point in that?" Alice scoffed, "Here¡­


    ¡­we have an audience!"


    "!!!"


    And as soon as Alice raised her arms to the side and started floating toward the very center of the arena, the once quiet audience once again recovered their violent vigor as they screamed for her name¡ªPhoenix.


    "Hm," Riley could really only let out a sigh. So, even in this world, Alice Lane was extremely shy, "Do we fight with our telekic abilities, then?"


    Rileypletely ignored the crowd as he just casually stepped on the field, but as soon as he did so, the crowd once again became quiet¡ªno, silent. He looked at the so-called audience, only to see them still raising their arms in cheer.


    "What is¡ª"


    "Let''s just start!"


    And before Riley could finish his words, he felt himself being violently thrown through the air. He didn''t roll for long, however, as he mmed toward an invisible shield that seemed to be protecting the audience around them.


    "...Hm," Riley then turned to look at Alice, who was already shooting toward him with her feet threatening to squash his head. He quickly tilted his head to the side to avoid it, and he did.


    And as Alice''s feet made contact with the shield, it created a ripple that shook the entire barrier and caused it to move like jelly.


    "You do not have to worry, Riley Lane," Alice crouched horizontally on the invisible shield like a spider; whispering into Riley''s ear as she giggled, "This shield can withstand attacks that could instantly destroy normals¡ªit''s made with themarian materials and technology¡­


    ¡­you can let loose."


    "Okay," Riley nodded, before tilting his head to the side and throwing Alice straight down into the ground.


    And although the ground seemed unscathed, the sound that cracked in the air was enough to cause the entire arena to tremble. The audience that was cheering outside, now very slowly dropping their arms as they just looked at each other.


    "Good, good¡­" Alice also seemed unscathed, except for the fact that she spat out blood. She then turned to look up at Riley as the smile on both their faces started to grow wider,


    "...This is more like it!"

 Chapter 691 691: Alice Prime

    Phoenix.


    Perhaps the most untouchable superhero in the entire world¡ªnot just because it wasmon knowledge that she was friends with Megawoman, no¡ªbut because throughout her entire run as a hero, she truly has never once been touched by anyone.


    Even the superviins try to avoid getting into her radar, in fear that they might just explode one day while leisurely taking a shower. And yet, right now, she was on the ground.


    And her opponent was someone they have not even seen before.


    "Everyone!" Alice pointed to Riley while looking at the shocked audience, "That''s my son!"


    "!!!"


    "I''m not your son, Alice Lane." And although the audience was stillpletely muted, the shock that multiplied in their faces was obvious even for someone like Riley. He had told several times again and again that he was not her son, but Alice just doesn''t listen. Perhaps¡­ it was for the best that she wasn''t the one who raised him.


    "He''s just shy, everybody," Alice clicked her tongue several times while wagging a finger,


    "But we''ll change that," and with those words, Alice pointed her wagging finger down¡ªviolently pulling Riley down straight toward her in almost an instant, before kicking her straight on the face and violently causing him to roll on the field several times.


    "..." Riley tried stopping the momentum, but he couldn''t. The most he could really do was just cover his body with a telekic barrier¡ªand even that, Riley could feel being torn apart by Alice.


    "So, having fun yet, my boy?" Alice snapped her fingers; her hair, tying up in a bun on its own as she did so.


    "Honestly," Riley sat up from the ground as he looked at Alice, who was already rushing toward him with her fist locked, "I find your use of telekic abilities weird. You do not have to rush toward me and fight with your fists."


    "Oh, believe me¡ªI do," Alice let out a childish giggle; almost opening her mouth wide as she swung her fist toward Riley even though she was still meters away from him. Even then, however, Riley quickly moved to the side; sliding across the floor even while seated to avoid the violent wave moving toward him,


    "But what is power without presentation!?"


    A literal wave, as the floor that was made from themarian materials started to open up and threaten to swallow Riley whole.


    Riley quickly flew up to avoid it and watched as the violent wave mmed through the invisible shield protecting the audience¡ªthat protected the audience.


    "Wh¡­"


    The violent wave seemed to have prated the shield, as the voices of the audience soon seeped into the field.


    "I¡­ think we''re in trouble," the person right in front of the prated part of the shield whispered as he almost got hit by the violent wave. It wasn''t only him that thought that, however. As soon as they saw the floor that not even a nuclear bomb could scratch open up, they knew they had to stop watching and run for their lives.


    But they couldn''t. If they leave now, will they ever see the great Phoenix use her abilities like this ever again? And it was against her son that they didn''t even know existed?


    Phoenix, the telekic god known for her childish demeanor and temper, has a child?


    No, they will never get a chance like this again, and so¡ªevery one of them stayed.


    "!!!" And are they so d that they did, as the floor once again opened up right beneath Alice''s feet.


    "Oh?" Alice smirked as she looked at the floor that bloomed like a flower¡ªa flower that quickly swallowed her whole.


    "I told you, I am your mom no matter how much you want to deny it!"


    The life of this flower of death did notst long, however, as its petals were immediately disintegrated as Alice just stepped out of it with ease; her eyes locked on Riley who was looking at her from above.


    "But is this really all you have to show me, my son?" Alice then stretched her arms to the side¡ªthe remnants of the disintegrated flower, now forming into a thousand butterflies as they floated around her.


    Now, one might think of this as a simple act¡ªbut no. And the audience knew that.


    Alice had already ripped off a floor that was made frompressed themarian metalpressed to the point that even if a dozen Star Obliterators were to explode right here and now, the arena would be able to protect the world outside.


    It is stronger than the of Theran that is in its prime. And just a single chunk of it, even the size of a penny, is considered to be indestructible.


    And for Alice to y with it and treat it like a toy is a testament to how abnormal her telekic abilities are.


    "You are my son, Riley Lane," Alice smiled as the butterflies soon stopped flying around and all faced toward Riley''s direction, and without even warning, they all started to shoot toward him,


    "I know you have more to off¡ª"


    "Pavoom."


    And just like that, the very air itself was erased with Riley''s whisper. The butterflies, gone. The floor, gone.


    Gone to the point that the audience could already see the clouds surrounding the Hope Society.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Interesting."


    "Interesting."


    And almost as if Riley''s own whispers just reverberated back to him, he heard Alice''s voice even as the violent winds started to bombard the inside of the arena. The violent gale did notst long, however, as Alice snapped her fingers and stopped any wind froming and going inside the arena.


    "I never really thought of using my abilities like that," Alice then casually flew closer to Riley,pletely unscathed and with not even a single strand of her hair missing, "That''s very creative, Riley Lane."


    "..."


    "Let me teach you something then, since all you seem to know is to destroy things and turn them to nothing," Alice then circled around Riley as she raised her palm just right above her shoulders, "This is my first lesson as your mother."


    "You are not¡­" Riley did not finish his words. And instead, he just looked at the thing that was forming on top of Alice''s palm.


    "I am sure you are aware of this already, Riley Lane," Alice smiled as she stopped circling around and just floated in front of Riley, "But our abilities are the apex of everything in this universe. We can be its destroyer¡­


    ¡­or its creator."


    The birth of a universe itself, reflecting on Riley''s eyes.


    "But of course, I don''t really know what to do next," and with a simple sigh, a universe gone.


    Alice then let out a small groan before hugging Riley, or more specifically, just falling into his arms as an unhealthy amount of blood started to flow from all of her orifices.


    "Are you alright, Alice Lane?"


    ¡¤?¦Èm "...Do I look alright?" Alice gasped as she rested her cheek on Riley''s shoulder, "So, what do you think¡­ feel like staying here?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "No."


    "..."


    "But right now, I do not really have a choice," Riley let out a small sigh as he gently ced her hand on Alice''s back,


    "Do not misunderstand, Alice Lane. This world is my prison."


    "Heh¡­ cute. I am just going to sleep for a bit, don''t drop me."


    "Hm¡­" Riley did not really respond as he just floated there with Alice, not minding the deafening whispers of the people watching them. He looked at his palm, wondering whether all of this is real or not.


    The only reality is that he was losing his mind, and that was his real prison.


    "Hm¡­


    ¡­I want to see Hannah."


    ***


    "I told you, Diana. They truly are from another universe and not just from a distant and isted part of ours. The Multiverse¡­ it''s true."


    "Perhaps. But we have a more pressing issue than the boy. The Rebel Queen is gathering all the themarians that are still on her side."


    Somewhere in the Hope Society, a hologram filled an entire room¡ªa map of the universe itself. And right at the very center of it all, Bernard stood; his armor, a glistening red that reflected the expanse.


    "The boy, Diana¡­" Bernard let out a small whisper; waving his hand as he examined the map, "The boy is all that matters. It is the key for us to unlock inter-dimensional travel. After we deal with the Rebel Queen¡­


    ¡­we will have nothing left to conquer."


    And as Bernard said that, all thes within the hologram turned red.


    "Nothing left¡­


    ¡­but the beyond."

 Chapter 692 692: A Conversation Between Mothers And Son

    [Megawoman¡­ Megawoman has killed Doomside! The Hope Society has finally won!]


    [Don''t you think it was too easy? Megawoman should return to her, she doesn''t belong here. Phoenix should have been the one to win us this battle.]


    [But Phoenix does whatever she wants. In thest interview, she didn''t even know there was a battle with the forces of Doomside.]


    [I understand that, but when Megawoman joined, the battle was already¡­]


    "..."


    [...Is it, the birth of the strongest super in the world!]


    "..."


    [...Our first contact with extraterrestrial life since Megawoman.]


    [The aliens took the first strike, we are only retaliating! We are¡­]


    "Hm¡­"


    [Aliens have rights too! Why do we treat Megawoman different¡­]


    [Redking has waged war against¡­]


    "...Interesting."


    [Redking unlocked the mystery of Warp speed¡­]


    [Redking has made the technology exclusive to humans¡­]


    [Redking has conquered the Nemak.]


    [Redking¡ª]


    "It would seem you are more interesting in this universe than in ours, Father."


    The sound of static whispered in the air as Riley abruptly turned off the screen in front of him. He wanted to know thetest history of this Earth to have a better understanding of the things around him and suffice it to say, he did not get bored with what he learned.


    Like his Earth, the Earth of this universe centered heavily on superviins and superheroes, and supers in general¡ªno. Perhaps it was better to just call them as humans, as thest recorded person without any abilities was from several centuries ago.


    The battle between good and evil on this Earth is even more pronounced and prevalentpared to his¡­ as Megawoman had existed in this ce for more than a thousand years in Diana.


    There is one change, however, that has truly piqued Riley''s interest¡ªBernard Ross.


    He wasn''t a hero, but a soldier. A soldier who quickly rose to the highest position, bing an exception as the youngest leader of the most powerful country, and ultimately the entire when the time came for it.


    But he didn''t just lead, no.


    The aliens first visited this Earth 10 years ago, unannounced and filled with ridiculous demands. Suffice it to say, Bernard did not even wait an entire day to respond to the provocation¡ªhe answered with violence without mercy.


    To conquer or be conquered, that was the speech he gave that day. He gave the people of Earth a choice¡ªshould they cower in fear of these upiers, or should they show them the power of Earth?


    And as is the obvious, the people chose thetter.


    And almost as if a gue, Bernard Ross grew an army of his own creation and let loose across the Known Universe¡­ conquering everything in just the span of 10 years.


    Earth has conquered all the civilizations in the Known Universe, all except for one¡ªthe themarians.


    The themarians, which were being led by none other than Aerith.


    In short, the humans of this world are the apex¡ªthe master race.


    Riley was excited at first since this Earth seemed fun, but it did notst long when he found out that¡­


    "Italian Mafia Reborn doesn''t exist in this world."


    Even more so than the history of this Earth, Riley has searched high and low for Italian Mafia Reborn¡ªhe was even excited since he thought there would be a different version for it, allowing him to watch it from the start.


    But there was nothing, there wasn''t even a show simr to it.


    "But why?" Riley once again turned on the TV in front of him to try and search, "Italian Mafia Reborn should transcend through different universes, why isn''t there¡ª"


    "Holy, you''re still watching TV!?"


    And before Riley could begin his fruitless search, the TV was turned off by Alice as she stepped inside the living room¡ªyes, Riley was currently staying in Alice''s house.


    "This is what happens when you don''t have a mother, you just grow upzing around all day watching TV," Alice let out a small groan as she sat beside Riley on the sofa, "Just stay here, I''ll ask Dee to stop searching for a way to bring you back home. I mean, you''re also clearly not wee there, no?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I have a mother, Alice Lane," Riley subtly moved away as he shook his head, "But I do agree with you¡ªI am certainly no longer wee in my universe."


    "Then that''s a win-win for both universes. They got rid of you, and I get you as my son."


    "Why do you want me as a son, Alice Lane?" Riley asked, "You barely know me, and the part of me that you do know is nothing but evil. I truly see no reason why you would want me as¡ª"


    "I don''t want you as my son. What are you talking about?" Alice blinked a couple of times; the look on her face filled with nothing but confusion, "You are my son, nothing is gonna change that fact even if you''re from a different universe. Like, you''re basically 99% of me. Do you know how weird it is that all of you came from me? You''re like my clone, but not really."


    "You have a different way of thinking about things, Alice Lane."


    "Pft. You''re the one that is crazy¡ªI, I don''t mean anything by that!"


    "I was under the belief that you are too, Alice Lane? After all, I inherited all of your mental illness."


    "I¡­ I am not the Alice of your world."


    "Then you''re not my biological mother."


    "This and that are totally different things. Stop arguing with me, I''m your mother."


    "..."


    Riley had noticed it before, but Alice truly was simr to Hannah; minus all the cursing, of course. Perhaps that is why he has so much attachment to his sister?


    "So¡­"


    "..."


    "..."


    "What do you do for fun in your world?"


    "I kill and torture people, Alice Lane."


    "No, I meant¡ª"


    "Alice! What did you order!?" And before the two could continue their somewhat awkward conversation, the sound of the door being banged open and being mmed closed cracked throughout the entire house,


    "I saw lots of transactions being sent to my e-mail. Just what¡ªthe fuck?"


    It was Diana, whose steps quickly halted as soon as she saw a creature from another universe casually sitting on their couch, "What¡­ is he doing here? Why is he not back in his cage!?"


    "Sshh!" Alice quickly rushed toward Diana to cover her mouth, in which of course, she failed to do so as Diana grabbed her wrist.


    "What do you mean ''sshh''!?" Diana raised her voice, "There is a strange man sitting on our couch!"


    "What do you mean ''strange''!? He''s your son too!" Alice clicked her tongue as she swatted Diana''s hand away, "What¡ªyou want to put him in a cage? What kind of mother are you!?"


    "He''s not our son!"


    "Thank you, Diana," Riley quicklymented.


    "See!? Even he knows it!"


    "We''re keeping him here and that''s final."


    "He''s not a dog!"


    ¡¤?¦Èm "Duh. But if he was he''d probably be a Samoyed. Extremely white and doesn''t care about anything else."


    "You¡ªYou and I need to talk, now. In the room," Diana''s tonepletely changed as she walked away. As for Alice, she just let out a small sigh before looking at Riley.


    "Mother and I are just going to have a little chat, okay? There''s some milk on the fridge if you want."


    "..." And so with that, Riley was left alone in the living room again. He was going to get a ss of milk,


    "I suppose this is what it feels like to have a normal life with Alice--"


    But s, before he could stand¡ªthe TV turned on by itself, showing a face that was very familiar to Riley.


    [You are called Riley Ross, correct?]


    "That is right¡­


    ¡­Bernard Ross."

 Chapter 693 693: A Conversation Between Father And Son

    A somewhat chubby but handsome face; a strictness that ties it all together, then an easygoing expression to loosen it all off¡ªthat is the charm of Bernard Ross that makes everyone quickly disarm themselves around him. In a way, Riley learned a lot from him.


    Out of all the people around him, Bernard was the one to influence him the most. Espionage, maniption, strategy,bat, tech, and most importantly, ruthlessness¡ªthese were the things that Bernard gave him. There was also the fact that the existence known as Darkday only grew to be the way it was because of him.


    He enabled Riley to be what he is now, and for that, Riley will always be grateful.


    And now, once again, the Bernard of this strange world found him again. Riley doesn''t know whether it was just because of the TV, but the Bernard of this world was skinnier than his father; his face too, waspletely clean shaven¡­ like he has everything in control.


    "Is now a good time for you, Riley Ross? Can we talk?"


    "..." Riley looked at Bernard through the screen, before turning to look at Alice and Diana''s living room in search of a camera.


    "I don''t have any cameras installed there, but I can see you through the windows," Bernard let out a small breath as he smiled,


    "You are a threat to this world, Riley Ross."


    "I am a threat to any universe, Bernard Ross," Riley responded with a sigh as he walked toward the kitchen and left the living room, not even bothering to look outside the window. And when he came back, he was already holding a ss of milk.


    "I interrogated all the other Travelers we have in confinement," and as soon as he came back, Bernard started talking again, "They all barely know each other¡­ but more than half of them knows who you are."


    "I admit I was a little famous in my universe, Bernard Ross," Riley shrugged as he rxed himself on the sofa and just focused on Bernard.


    "Destroyer of Worlds, Legion of Death, Tamer of the Cherbi, The Living Cmity, The Darkcloud¡­"


    Bernard breathed out as he stood up from his seat; revealing his hands that were dripping with blood and a table behind him as he started walking around and continued speaking, "...And although it was hard to trante, the majority of them just call you¡­


    ¡­The Devil."


    "I haven''t heard most of those titles, Bernard," a small hint of amusement crawled on Riley''s face as he heard the names. It is true that he was unaware of most of them¡ªcould it be that while he was experiencing psychosis for those 5 years, his clones were still continuing to wreak havoc?


    "Hm. But there is one title that stood out to me the most," Bernard just shrugged as he started wiping his hands clean from an already red towel resting on the table, "One little title that I can''t get out of my mind¡­


    ¡­Aerith''s Lover."


    "That one is true," Riley answered without any dy, "Who said that so I could offer my gratitude?"


    "You have a rtionship with the Rebel Queen?"


    "It is aplicated one."


    "What can you tell us about her?"


    "She is the kindest person you will ever meet in this life, Bernard Ross," a small smile crawled on Riley''s face as he took a sip of his milk, "An existence that you and I could never really touch. She is immune to corruption, one of the two lights that kept my universe filled with life."


    "You said you have aplicated rtionship?"


    "I killed her family," Riley sighed as he rested his head back on the sofa, "We had a falling out when she found out I was responsible for wiping out her people."


    "You¡­ wiped out the themarians?" Bernard stopped wiping his hands clean as he heard Riley''s words,


    "How?"


    "It was mostly myrades that did it, I just gave the order."


    "How much do you know about the Rebel Queen?"


    "She''s a Princess in my universe, and I know everything about her except for the details that I don''t. She has lived a long life, after all."


    "If you have the ability to destroy her, then perhaps you can help us?"


    "You are at war with them, correct?"


    "Correct. They are thest people that stand between us and Earth''s safety. With them kneeling to us, our ce in this universe will finally be secure¡ªno more will we fear the existence of the unknown, because we will control it."


    "The Unknown? Have you explored it?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "A fraction of it. But with the themarians, we will use them to explore more of it. To ensure that there is nothing out there that can harm us."


    "But you already have Diana, why not use her?"


    "Diana is a long-timerade, but she refuses to fight against her own people. We need someone like you, Riley. Someone who knows how dangerous they truly are, someone who has defeated them before."


    "Hm."


    "So please, how did you defeat them?"


    "You do realize you are asking help from the devil, Bernard?"


    "I have asked help from worse."


    Do you truly want to know how I defeated them?"


    "Yes."


    "I defeated them because I am Riley Ross¡­" And finally, Riley looked out the window; slightly causing Bernard to flinch as he stared exactly to where the satellite is,


    "...son of Bernard Ross."


    "I am aware of our rtionship in your universe."


    "Were you hoping to use that as a way to pull me closer to you, Bernard?"


    "...It''s an advantage," Bernard scoffed as a small smile crawled on his face.


    "You would find that it''s not. Your life in my universe is miserable, Bernard."


    "Because I had you as a son and that woman as a wife?"


    "Mostly the former," Riley let out a small chuckle, "But at least the Bernard of my world still has a daughter. Yours died early, no?"


    "..." Bernard''s eye twitched.


    "5 years old, burnt to death by one of your archnemesis. I don''t like the screams of children; once you realized that they haven''t lived at all, there is no joy in their screams because they scream for nothing but the pain," Riley then stood up and walked toward the window,


    "She doesn''t scream for the pain of lost love, she doesn''t scream for the future because she has no concept of it yet. But what she probably did scream for¡­


    ¡­is for mommy and daddy."


    "You think you can y mind games with me, son?" Bernard''s entire demeanor changed as he just looked straight at the camera almost as if he was looking at Riley straight in the eyes,


    "You think I haven''t resolved myself for my greatest failure?"


    "It''s not your failure, Bernard. You could say it''s not even your fault," Riley chuckled, "Empress is there with you, isn''t she? I know she''s listening, she is obsessed with you."


    "..." Bernard subtly looked to the side, confirming Riley''s assumption.


    "It''s not your failure, Bernard¡ªit''s hers," Riley then let out a small sigh as he shook his head, "Adaeze also had a child in my universe, and it died too. You could say it was neglect, but whatever it is¡­


    ¡­she let her child die."


    "How fucking dare you!?"


    "Ada, no!"


    Riley nced at the TV, only to see Empress on the screen, seemingly shaking the camera.


    "How... How dare you say that when you know nothing!?"

 Chapter 694 694: The Man In The Sky

    "You don''t know anything!"


    "I suppose."


    "Ada!"


    There was no Italian Mafia Reborn in this universe, but Riley would be lying to himself if he did not admit that he was slightly entertained with what he was seeing on TV. It was almost as if the people in his life were in some sort of movie, a movie in which he didn''t exist.


    Perhaps that was the best way Riley could really exin this universe¡ªa different movie with the same cast, same premise, but apletely different writer¡­ and it was interesting.


    "Do not be pulled in, he''s just trying to mess with you!"


    And as Riley watched as Bernard pulled Empress away from the camera, he could not help but let out a small chuckle.


    "But I am not trying to mess with anyone," Riley then let out a small sigh as he continued to look at the sky and right at the lens of Bernard''s satellite, "I am merely stating what I know to be true in my universe, and apparently the same could be said here¡­


    ¡­There are hardly any reports or news regarding the death of Adaeze''s child¡ªbut one thing was for sure¡ªshe wasn''t there when the child died. It makes one curious, no? If it is true that there might be an infinite number of universes out there¡­


    ¡­Do you think there are also an infinite number of times that Adaeze left her child to die?"


    "You¡ª"


    "I have only seen two different versions of Adaeze, and seeing as both neglected their child¡ªthe odds of my assumption are true would be higher than¡ª"


    "Enough," Bernardpletely pulled the camera away as he once again looked through the lens as if he was looking right at Riley, "We will meet again, Riley Ross¡­


    ¡­and it won''t be as civil."


    "You hijacked Alice''s TV, Bernard Ross. I do not see how that is civ¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, the TV suddenly switched to a different channel. A channel with¡­ lots of moaning and stuff that should not be easily essible on the TV.


    "Riley?"


    "..." And almost as if on cue, Alice and Diana finally returned to the living room; their eyes, moving back and forth between Riley and the obscene show being streamed on the TV.


    "What¡­" Alice covered her mouth. But contrary to what one would expect, she was just trying her best not tough, "...What are you watching!?"


    As for Diana, she just had one eyebrow raised as she looked at Riley, waiting for him to exin what was going on.


    "Bernard Ross contacted me through the TV."


    "What!?" The tone of Alice''s voicepletely changed as she lowered both her arms, "That''s even worse, I wished you were just watching porn instead."


    "..." Diaa slightly veered away from Alice as she gave her a judging look.


    "What did that nerd want from you?" Alice then snapped her fingers, turning off the TV as she looked Riley straight in the eyes.


    "He asked about Aerith and a way to defeat her, Alice," Riley shrugged as he stepped away from the window.


    "Ack, what a creep," Alice stuck out her tongue as she shivered, "Your best friend is really up there in the demented department, Dee."


    "He''s not my best friend."


    "Okay, your husband from another universe then," Alice rolled her eyes.


    "You really should stop acting like a child," Diana could really only shake her head as she approached Riley, "Anyway, I knew he would do something like this. I just don''t appreciate him hacking my home. As for you¡­


    ¡­we decided you can stay here for now."


    "That is unwise, Diana," Riley also shook his head, "As I told you before, my mind is deteriorating due to the illnesses I inherited from my biological mother¡ªI might end up identally torturing someone, ying their skin and feeding it to their loved ones."


    "That''s¡­ oddly specific," Alice blinked.


    "You did mention that," Diana ced her hand on her chin, "But the results that came back from testing you say you''re not sick¡ªthe MRI shows you''re¡­ different, but you''re not as sick as you said you are."


    "I do not have schizophrenia or any other form of dementia, Diana?" Riley also ced his hand on his chin as he heard Diana''s words. It is true that he hasn''t experienced anypses during his stay in this universe¡­ but do diseases just disappear if you''re in a different universe?


    "I detected nothing," Diana confirmed.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Hm, this multiverse fiasco truly is such a curiosity," Riley nodded.


    "Don''t worry, Riley Ross. We''re learning how to send you back to your universe."


    "I thought we already discussed that he could stay here!?"


    "Until we find a way to send him home," Diana shook her head as she started walking away, "He was thrown away by his own mother, my other version, for a reason, Alice¡ªI do not want to experience the reason why."


    "Wait, where are you going!?"


    "Unlike you, Alice, people actually have jobs to do," Diana just waved her hand as she just left the house, not even bothering to look at Riley again as she stepped out.


    "Darn it. Why does she always have thest word on things?" Alice let out a very long sigh that traveled across the small house. She didn''tment for long, however, as she returned to the living room with a smile on her face,


    "So, son. Where do you want to¡ªOh¡­"


    But s, Riley was no longer there.


    "...Crap."


    ***


    The Hope Society, it was weird. In fact, this entire world was weird, but Riley couldn''t really judge it by his own standards. Even if, for example, the humans of this world breathed fire, he shouldn''t really be surprised as the rules of his universe do not apply here.


    An entire ind floating above the clouds¡ªthe only instance that Riley could think of simr to his own world was when he lifted up Toronto. Could it be¡­ this entire ind was also being kept afloat by Alice?


    "I really should not be thinking about things that do not matter."


    "...Why are you following me?"


    "Hm?" And as Riley snapped himself out of his thoughts, he turned to look at Diana, who he had been following ever since she stepped out of the house. She has only been walking through the streets, perhaps because of Riley,


    "Alice''s weird affection toward me is somewhat suffocating, Diana. I am not used to it."


    "You never will get used to it," Diana sighed, "But why are you following me?"


    "I wanted to watch how you will find a way to bring me back to my universe, Diana."


    "That''s¡­ going to take a very long time."


    "Time is something the two of us have, Diana. And also, perhaps I can see the device you made for Alice?"


    "...Device?"


    "The device that amplifies her telekic abilities. I want to try it, Diana."


    "She told you about that?" Diana sighed in disappointment, "And no¡ªdo you think I am going to let a mass murderer even get close to a weapon like that?"


    "Oh, so it''s not on this floating ind, then?"


    "Perceptive," Diana hummed as she looked at Riley, "Did you reallye out of someone like Alice? What would you even use the device for, anyway?"


    "I am going to find Aerith and pull her here," Riley casually said.


    "...What?"


    "I am confident, Diana. Wherever Aerith may be in this universe¡­


    ¡­I will be able to find her."


    "...I''m not going to let you use the device."


    "Hm," Riley shrugged before just looking up at the sky and smiling, "But¡­


    ¡­I am sure Bernard will give me permission. You are listening, right...


    ...Father?"

 Chapter 695 695: The Father

    "...Maybe Father can give permission?"


    "What are you¡ª"


    It was sudden¡ªnot instantaneous, but sudden. In less than the time it would take one to blink, a figure of light suddenly appeared in front of Riley; out of nowhere.


    And as the figure of light started to fade away, it was reced by none other than Bernard Ross. Warp, individual teleportation, whatever one might call it, this universe has the technology for it because of Bernard.


    "I wonder what the Bernard of my world could have achieved without my existence," Riley did not even greet Bernard as he just calmly approached him ever so slightly. As for Diana, she really only rolled her eyes and shook her head at the Redking''s sudden appearance.


    "Quite arrogant of you to assume that my other version iscking because of you," Bernard lowered his eyebrows as he looked at Riley from head to toe, "I was told you are Alice''s son, you don''t even look alike."


    "Well, you don''t look like your daughter in my world too, fortunately for her," Riley smiled, "And I do not assume, Bernard, I know. Perhaps out of all the Bernards in the multiverse, the one in my universe is the mostcking because he had to take care of me."


    "What makes you think the other Mes in the other universes aren''t taking care of you?"


    "Because throughout the multiverse, I am the only Riley Ross that exists."


    "And how would you know that?" This time, Bernard''s guarded tone slowly started to fade away; the hostility in his eyes, reced by a certain curiosity.


    "Because Nothing told me."


    "What do you¡ªNothing?" Bernard ced his hand on his chin, "That''s a name?"


    "A Preprimordial."


    "..." Bernard turned to look at Diana, almost as if asking a million questions in silence.


    "There have been known to be myths, but none proven," Diana shook her head, "Preprimordials are beings that exist even before the existence of everything."


    "Are¡­ they a threat to us?" Bernard''s eyebrows lowered.


    "They¡­ are not real, Bernard."


    "But the boy says it is."


    "Hm," Riley nodded, "I don''t usually lie, Diana."


    "Usually?"


    "Hm," Riley did not really exin any further as he ced his focus back on Bernard. But before he could even say another word, a shower of light slowly started to nket his entire silhouette.


    "Let''s not talk here," Bernard then said as he looked at the gathering crowd around them. Suffice it to say, even though the streets of Hope Society were filled with all sorts of famous heroes, Bernard and Diana stood on a different pedestal due to their¡­ feats.


    They were celebrities amongst the heroes.


    "..." Riley did not really say anything as he watched as the scenery in front of him very slowly started to change, almost like when an image fades into transition to another image. He could hear Diana shouting, but even her voice just became a faded whisper¡ªwhat Riley did hear, however, was the piercing scream that was zooming toward him in the form of a fist, specifically Empress''s fist.


    "You dare show yourself here, you fucking bastard!?" The tone of Empress''s voice was almost guttural, almost like a cry as she did not let Bernard stop her and even pushed him to the side as she continued to rush toward Riley.


    And before Riley could even figure out where he was, he was already deliberating on whether or not to kill Empress there and then¡ªa decision he needed to make in less than a second. But ultimately, he decided to just step to the side and ever so slightly change Empress''s trajectory, causing her to punch through a wall.


    And surprisingly, all her punch did was cause the entire room to quake.


    "..." Riley nced at Empress''s back for a few breaths, before finally having the chance to scan his surroundings. They were in some sort of room,rge and perfectly square, and almost empty¡ªexcept for the table filled with all sorts of bloody paraphernalia that was right at the very center of the room¡­ as well as Bounty Hunter Kerrigan who was trapped in some sort of fluorescent cage in front of it.


    "Oh¡­" Rileypletely disregarded Empress as he just approached Kerrigan, who seemedpletely out of it as he just stared at the floor, "...The people of my world created a device that would allow them to use another dimension as a prison for criminals like Kerrigan, but you''re able to trap a Norid with a contraption, Bernard?"<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "The technology already exists, I merely¡­ adopted it," a clear but subtle smile could be seen on Bernard''s face as he joined Riley in circling Kerrigan''s small confinement, "This¡­ bridge to another Universe, was my other version involved with making it?"


    "I am not sure, Bernard," Riley shook his head, "I was¡­ preupied when they were finishing it."


    "I¡ª"


    "Bernard!? Are you seriously just going to casually chat with him!?" Empress, who was casually tossed to the side, could no longer take to being ignored as she once again raised her voice.


    "Ada, he''s just provoking you," Bernard let out a small sigh as he looked at his wife, "The boy obviously knows your temperament."


    "Hm, Empress and I were very close," Riley nodded in agreement, "Your other version was fortunate to also be friends with my father, Empress¡ªthat''s the only reason she''s alive. But you¡­


    ¡­You don''t have that luxury, Adaeze. I will kill you if the mood calls for it."


    "You¡ª"


    "Ada, enough," Bernard waved his hand, and as he did so, Empress''s body began to be nketed in a shower of light.


    "Bernard¡­!?" Empress nced at her hands for a single breath, before just once again lunging toward Riley. But s, before she could even make it halfway to him, her figure faded away.


    "That is rather convenient, Bernard. That''s a technology that I have not seen in my world," Riley squinted his eyes.


    "Hm," Bernard only grunted as he once again looked at Riley from head to toe, "Enough with the small talk, Traveler. You said you could find Aerith, how?"


    "I already told you, Bernard. Except for the things I don''t know about her, I know everything about her."


    "That doesn''t make sense."


    "But it does," Riley shrugged, "I know every inch of her scent, Bernard."


    "But the Aerith of my world is different from yours."


    "She is protecting her species from the viins that want to conquer them¡ªI would surmise they are the same."


    "We''re not viins," Bernard''s eyebrows began to lower as he heard Riley''s words.


    "Everyone is a viin, Bernard; there are just different variations and perceptions."


    "And who told you that?"


    "You," a small smile crawled on Riley''s face as he looked Bernard in the eyes.


    "..." Bernard did not really say anything else as he just looked at Kerrigan. And then, with a wave of his hand, he also teleported Kerrigan away.


    "I can bring her here, Bernard," Riley closed his eyes and nodded, "I can bring all the themarians here, my only condition is that I get to keep Aerith."


    "...And why would you want that?"


    "Have I not told you yet? Aerith and I are lovers," Riley sighed, "I do not really care about anything else. Since Sister is not here, Aerith is the only person that I wish to be with."


    "...You''re insane," Bernard smirked, "But insane people get insane results. I''ll let you use the device¡­


    ¡­just get me the Themarians."

 Chapter 696 696: The Son

    The Supremos Manus Dei.


    "The Supreme Hand of God. Your horrible naming sense transcends the multiverse, Bernard."


    [I am not done exining.]


    Supremos Manus Dei¡ªa device that amplifies the intricate invisible waves that Alice produces whenever she actively uses her telekinesis. For a thing that has been addressed as a ''device'' ever since Riley had been hearing of it, he was expecting something small; like a futuristic crown that scans his brain, but no.


    The device was an entire spherical room,pletely filled with some sort of gel that Riley could somehow breathe through. Bernard exined that it wasn''t actually gel, but more than a hundred quadrillion translucent nanites that served as some sort of conductor for Alice''s telekic abilities.


    It allows Alice to stretch the range of her powers far and almost infinitely beyond its limits¡ªthat was how she was able to interact with Riley when he arrived in this universe even though he was lightyears and lightyears away.


    And yes, the device was something solely made for Alice, and as such, only she could actually use it.


    "Am I able to use this, then?" Riley ''swam'' around the room; his long white hair, almost scattered behind him like wings as he did so, "Is there no need to change anything, Bernard?"


    [No,] Bernard''s voice traveled through the entire room, almost as if he was just right beside Riley, [Based on your DNA, you and Alice are practically the same exact person.]


    "...Hm," Riley turned to look at Bernard, who was on the other side of the spherical room also looking at him. In a way, it almost looked like Bernard was inside an aquarium as they were separated by ss; or in this case, perhaps the opposite was even more true as Riley was swimming around like a fish.


    "See, Dee? We''re practically the same person," Alice was also on the other side, almost nting her face on the ss as she looked at Riley with her eyes almost glistening, "If he''s not my son, then I don''t know what we are. And wow¡­ I think this is the first time I''m on this side of the Manus Dei. It feels weird."


    "...We need to have guidelines regarding the multiverse soon," Diana, who was also watching Riley swim around, could not help but let out a very long and deep sigh as she stood beside Bernard, "Are you sure about this? You are basically handing a stranger a weapon that could wipe us all out¡ªand what''s worse, we know he''s not a good person."


    "You should rx, Diana. That''s not good for your age," Bernard only let out a small scoff before turning around and walking away. And as he did so, the empty silver room they were inpletely darkened, before once again being lit up by a hologram of the map of the sr system.


    "Rx? The boy is being called the literal devil by his universe''s worst people. He is evil, Bernard, and what''s even worse is that he was raised by another version of you," Diana reasoned as she followed behind Bernard.


    "He was also raised by another version of you," Bernard shrugged, before clicking his tongue and looking at Diana, "You know what, that actually makes it worse."


    "Why are you taking this so lightly, Bernard?" Diana slightly raised her voice, "This is a matter that should have been discussed thoroughly¡ªyou''re basically deciding everything again."


    "I told you, rx¡­" Bernard finally lowered his shoulders as he sighed, "...We have a failsafe. If he does something that we don''t like, the Supremos Manus Dei will kill him in less than a millisecond."


    "A failsafe?" Diana''s expression turned for the worse instead of being relieved as she heard Bernard''s words, "Wait¡­ Alice is using that!"


    "Yeah," Bernard shrugged.


    "And you put something like that in the AI!?" Diana''s voice became even louder, "I thought you valued your own kind, Bernard!?"


    "We can never be too sure¡ªand Alice already knows."


    "...What?" Diana''s eyebrows quickly lowered as she looked at Alice, who waspletely focused on Riley and even waving at him like a proud mother.


    "And Diana," Bernard then whispered, "It is only your own people that could betray you¡ªlike how you betrayed the themarians."


    "...They betrayed me first," Diana''s teeth began to show as she almost snarled at Bernard, "Be careful of your next words, human. I might just pull your throat for it."


    "Ooh, scary," Bernard only scoffed before once again turning to face Riley, "Riley, we are going to start now¡­


    ¡­I suggest you stop squirming."


    "..." Riley only looked at Bernard and the others, before nodding his head and rxing his entire body. And as soon as his hair stopped moving around, the trillions of translucent nanites turned ckpletely covering Riley in darkness.


    He could feel the liquid nanite entering his ears, but he did not move and just allowed them inside him as they alltched onto his brain. And before Riley could even try and detect them inside him, his eyes widened like they have never widened before¡ªpartner this with his smile that reached from ear to ear, he looked quite¡­


    "Creepy," Alice breathed out as a smile also formed on her face. And almost like a wave that hit her from nowhere, she felt herself slightly being pushed back as Riley''s telekic powers started to be amplified.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "I take it it''s starting?" Bernard grunted as he saw Alice almost tumble back. He and Diana didn''t really feel anything, but seeing Alice flinch was already an indication that Riley''s powers were already being amplified.


    Riley could feel it¡ªeverything. It started with the people that were on one of the satellites; each of their individual veins, Riley could feel the blood flowing. And then, he felt the moon¡ªand there were people there too.


    Mars, the Sun. Riley could feel the entire Sr System as if it was in the palm of his hands¡ªand soon, the entire Milky Way reflected inside him¡­ like he could crush it if he wanted to.


    "Aerith, Aerith¡­" Riley started to whisper, "I''ming to find you."


    It felt¡­ liberating.


    And all of this, Bernard and the others could see through the hologram of the map of the universe. There was a sort of a red pulse originating from Earth, growingrger andrger to indicate that Riley''s reach was now scattering throughout the gxy. Soon, however, this pulse turned into a straight beam.


    "Oh?" Bernard raised an eyebrow, "Alice is without a doubt stronger than this boy¡­ but I could argue that he is more versatile and creative¡ªHe is already starting to learn how to minimize the damage in his brain andpressing his¡­ radar into a b¡ª"


    And before Bernard could finish his words, the red beam started to separate into tiny little spheres that scattered everywhere.


    "...Impressive."


    "Of course, he is," Alice only nced at the hologram before looking inside the Manus Dei even though it was already pitch ck, "He''s our son."


    "He''s not our son," Diana quickly groaned and shook her head.


    "No, literally¡ªeveryone inside this room is his parent," Alice giggled, "And seriously, don''t the two of you feel like even a tinge of responsibility for him?"


    "No."


    "Not at all."


    "...Seriously?" Alice scoffed, "You lost a child, Bernard¡ªmaybe this is a sign to¡ª"


    "I lost a daughter, Alice."


    "What''s the difference? And speaking of which, you have a daughter in the other world too," Alice nodded to herself, "I wonder what she''s like."


    "..." Bernard did not really answer Alice, just turning his head down as he suddenly seemed to be lost in thought. But after a few more seconds, he sighed and shook his head, "This will take a while. We should probably clean up the other Travelers since we have all that we need from the boy. I will¡ª"


    [There is no need to leave, Bernard.]


    "...What?"


    And before any of the three could even take a step, Riley''s voice filled the entire room they were in.


    [Aerith,] he said, [I have her¡­


    ¡­she is in the palm of my hands.]


    "Already!?" Bernard then quickly turned to look at the hologram, only to find that all of Riley''s powers were centered in a single part of the Universe.


    "..." Diana squinted as she too, stared at the hologram, "...Are you sure it''s her?"


    [Yes¡­


    ¡­the way she begs for the lives of others remains the same.]

 Chapter 697 697: The Holy Spirit

    "The way¡­ she begs?"


    Diana, Bernard, and Alice all looked at each other as they heard Riley''s words¡ªthinking of several other ways it could be interpreted as, but only one really surfaces in their minds.


    "Can you repeat that, Riley?"


    [The way she begs for the lives of others remains the same.]


    And like a confirmation of what they have already deduced, Riley repeated his words; this time even clearer,


    [The Aerith of my world never begs for her sake¡ªit will always be for others around her. She is not just a superhero. She is the beacon of everything good, of hope, of salvation. The only being that I could consider holy¡ªShe is Megawoman, and the love of my life.]


    "Aerith is the Megawoman of your world?" Bernard furrowed.


    "You didn''t know?" Diana raised an eyebrow, "I thought you were listening in on us."


    "...I didn''t get to that part."


    "Pft, nerd," Alice chuckled to herself.


    "Wait, we''re getting distracted," Diana stepped forward as she raised her hand, "What do you mean beg for the lives of others? What¡­ did you do?"


    [Pavoom, Diana. Pavoom.]


    "Pavoom¡­?" Diana breathed out. And once again, before she could even think of whatever that was, Alice squealed in excitement.


    "Ah, that''s an ultimate move! He has an ultimate move!" Alice said as she almost hopped in ce.


    [Not exactly, Alice. I believe I do not have an ultimate move yet. I just find this move to be effective against themarians as it sends them to their eternal death 5 times out of 12 when I was on Theran.]


    "...You visited Theran?" Bernard eximed.


    "Wait¡­ you''re killing themarians!?" Diana once again raised her voice, this time grabbing Bernard by the throat and lifting him up in the air, "Bernard!? You said the boy will die if he does something not to our liking!"


    "..." Bernard did not really answer Diana; his silence, however, was enough.


    "You¡­ you told him to kill the themarians!?" Diana tightened her grip on Bernard''s neck. But before any bones or flesh could be crushed, Bernard''s red armor emerged directly from the pores of his body¡ªperhaps a mistake, as Diana''s grip tightened even more so.


    "We¡­ we made a deal," Bernard''s breaths soon turned into gasps as he tapped Diana''s wrist several times, "And I was not the proponent of the deal¡­ he is."


    "...What?"


    "H¡ªHe made a condition," Bernard could not help but let out a cough as Diana finally let his neck go, "At first, he wanted to get Aerith aspensation for helping herd the themarians¡­ but then we discussed further, and I agreed with something he said."


    "..."


    "In his world, the themarians are the only beings that could potentially threaten his¡­ quest to destroy everything," Bernard closed his eyes as he looked at the hologram of the universe, "And he''s right. He was able to wipe out the themarians¡ªall except two, you and Aerith¡­ and in the end, they were the ones that sent him here¡­


    ¡­As long as the themarians exist, humanity will never be safe. And so, he proposed that we eradicate them once and for all."


    "And you agreed?" Diana took a tiny step back as her legs almost gave out on her, "The themarians are a special race, Bernard! Who knows how many billions of years we need to wait before we could see a species like mine!? The themarians will be useful for the future that you and I want!"


    "But he''s right," Bernard walked away, not even looking at Diana as he examined the map, "Riley, finish up and get Aerith close enough so I could warp her he¡ª"


    "We''re not done talking, Redking!" Diana disappeared from her spot, before appearing right in front of the ss that separates the Manus Dei and the room they were in. She then ced her palm on the ss, before looking Bernard straight in the eyes, "You¡­


    ¡­you''re still hiding something. I thought there won''t be any secrets between us, Bernard?"


    "There aren''t¡ªthat''s why I am telling you now," Bernard then waved his hand, causing himself to be surrounded by the hologram of severals, "It¡­


    ¡­is not only the themarians that are disappearing tonight."


    "...What?" Diana looked back and forth between the hologram and Bernard; very soon, however, her eyes just stopped moving as she watched as thes crumbled one by one, "What¡­ are you doing?"


    "This is the future that I want, Diana," Bernard then closed his eyes, "A future where only the humans exist, this is the only way that we are going to be safe. Because you are wrong¡­


    ¡­Themarians are not the master race, we are."


    "..." Diana then turned to look at Alice, who was no longer focusing on Riley and was now looking at Diana, almost as if asking her she wanted to do.


    "And this is also what you wanted Diana, your experiments would finally progress."


    "You think I want the death of a trillion lives?" Diana breathed out, "I experiment to create new life, Bernard! Not eradicate it!"<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Exactly!" Bernard pointed at Diana, "With this, you are free to create the very first life other than humans¡ªyou will be a god, Diana. A species that will not threaten us¡­ because we created them."


    "Well¡­" Alice finally spoke up, letting out a light hum as she crossed her arms, "...You''d find that most ves rebel against their masters¡ª"


    "They won''t be ves!" Bernard roared, "On the contrary, they will experience the perfect life, free from any hardships because we will be the ones watching them! Our mistakes will¡ª"


    "Are you hearing yourself, Bernard¡­?" Diana did not let Bernard finish what he was saying as she tapped the ss, causing a tiny crack to form on it,


    "Just because you got yourself a little weapon, you immediately pulled the trigger? You are starting to sound like that guy I killed almost a hundred years ago now¡­ and you know what I did to him."


    "Kill me if you want to," a small smile slowly started to crawl on Bernard''s face as he finally returned Diana''s re, "But I will die knowing that my people are finally free from external threats. And if they do kill each other because of their foolishness, at least it will be in the hands of our own doing."


    "You''re a fool, Bernard," Diana sighed as she closed her eyes, "Alice, stop your son."


    "You think you can actually stop this!?" Bernard raised his voice and screamed, "This is inevitable, Diana! What did you think was¡ª"


    Bernard''s head suddenly disappeared.


    "..."


    Diana and Alice did not even know how to react¡ªthey were now just staring at Bernard''s headless body.


    It was¡­ just sudden.


    The two didn''t even flinch, because there was no reason to flinch. No blood spurted out from his neck, there wasn''t even as much as a single sound.


    Bernard''s head just suddenly disappeared into thin air.


    [Oops. I apologize, Aerith is a little hard to handle even with my telekinesis amplified. I had to focus my attention elsewhere.]


    "...What?" Diana and Alice looked at each other as they heard Riley''s words.


    [I was nning a grand reveal for this, I must say I am a little disappointed.]


    "How¡­" Diana did not really know what to say as she watched as Bernard''s headless body fell to the floor, "...But there''s a failsafe in¡­ what?"


    [Oh, he was already dead before he entered the room¡ªI decapitated him when we were chatting earlier,] they could hear Riley''s sigh filling the entire room they were in; his disappointment, extremely clear for them to hear,


    [I truly wanted to reveal this when Aerith is here already.]


    "W¡ª" And before Diana could say another word, Bernard''s headless body suddenly flinched. She then squinted her eyes as she watched as something emerged from his neck¡ªor perhaps it was more proper to say that someone stepped out.


    It was Riley, or at least a palm-sized version of him.


    "Tadaa!" Little Riley then stretched out his arms to the side¡ªhis voice,pletely simr to that of Bernard, "How was my performance, Boss? Was it nice?"


    [It was okay.]


    "I told you¡­" Little Riley sighed as he started cleaning himself off Bernard''s blood, "...You should have just let me handle imaging his head. This is your problem, Boss¡ªyou always want to do everything by yourself. I can use Paige''s abilities, I have been¡ª"


    And before Little Riley could finish his words, he burst into pieces as Diana stepped on him.


    Diana then crouched, quietly inspecting the headless corpse to confirm if it was Bernard. But after just a few pats, she turned to look at Alice and nodded.


    "Well, that''s not nice," Alice closed her eyes and sighed, "You do realize we need to stop you now. Right, son?"


    [The two of you do not have to worry¡ªthe thing about the failsafe is true; Bernard told me,] Riley chuckled, [And also, I also quite like the Alice of this world. Bernard, well¡­ not so much.]


    "He was my friend," Diana also closed her eyes as she let out a very long and deep breath,


    "You need to die, Riley Ross."


    [Well, the thing about eradicating the rest of the species was also true, Diana. You can watch it from the recording since Bernard set up several cameras during our meeting. Well, maybe he did not really say it outright¡ªbut I am sure he wanted it.]


    "You¡ª"


    "Oh god, enough talking," Alice cracked her knuckles, "Sorry, Riley¡­


    ¡­Bernard was also my friend."

 Chapter 698 698: The Madness From Another Universe

    "What¡­ what is this!?"


    Aerith, Queen of Hel, and Leader of the Revolt.


    A decade ago now, she came to know of the fate of Theran¡ªthat it will shatter in its own weight, taking all of them with it. Her father, King Arthus, however, was adamant that no action was to be taken; that if Theran were to really fall, then they should fall with it.


    And so, Aerith asked for help from the very same person who informed her of Theran''s status, Caiin''Ur. Caiin''Ur was a wanted fugitive, considered one of the worst criminals of Theran¡ªbut from Aerith''s discovery, Caiin only did what she did to find a way to save their people.


    And they did. Together, they were able to overthrow her father¡­ with the help of a single individual of a species from the Unknown.


    A human who was able to utilize their energy dampener and turn it into a lethal weapon¡ªa lethal weapon that would permanently remove a themarian''s strength. And with King Arthus gone, Aerith took the throne and allowed Caiin to do whatever she must to save their people¡ªthe establishment of New Theran.


    And that was the short version of the story of how Aerith saved her people from certain annihtion¡­


    ¡­or so she thought.


    As she came into power, she soon knew things that she wasn''t privy to before.


    The human that helped save her species, Bernard Ross, was a conqueror.


    Their, Earth, was first invaded by a certain species years ago, not knowing that it was being protected by a themarian. But it didn''t matter, it wasn''t the themarian they needed to worry about in the first ce, it was Bernard Ross.


    Bernard Ross was the key figure responsible for repelling them away, but at the cost of his baby daughter¡ªand that, was the universe''s greatest mistake.


    Bernard did not just repel the invaders, he followed them back to their and massacred each and everyst one of them. And perhaps the scariest part of this revenge was that he was calm.


    Like a quiet storm that painted everything red.


    Caiin''Ur was able to convince Bernard to stop the bloodshed, and for the most part, Bernard agreed. Unfortunately, he was also convinced that they will not be safe as long as the threats of invaders loomed on them.


    And so, Bernard went on a quest. An¡­ inquisition.


    He made thes make a choice; follow him, or die.


    The Redking''s ultimatum.


    And that choice was also ced upon Aerith and her people. And of course, true to her name, Aerith was never going to let her people be under a tyrant, and they have been at odds ever since.


    For the most part, Aerith was just trying her best not to get in the Earthlings'' way¡ªestablishing themselves far away andpletely apart from the Redking''s grasp. And so far, it had been working.


    She stays away from whatever it is he was doing, and he leaves her people alone.


    Or at least, that is how it should have been.


    Right now, she was watching her entire people just disintegrate in front of her¡ªerased by a white light that just emerged out of nowhere.


    And there was that voice, an ominous and sinister voice that calls for her name repeatedly. And like a hand of a god, Aerith finds herself being pulled away from her people¡­


    ¡­and she could do nothing but beg for their lives as she watched them disappear one by one.


    ***


    "I told you, you trust that nerd too much! Now we have a much more unstable version of me driving the most dangerous weapon in the entire universe!"


    "That''s because Bernard always had a n¡ªI suppose he never expected that someone who is supposed to be his son in another universe would just kill him outright¡­ Fuck, children are Bernard''s weakness."


    "...But that''s a full-grown man."


    "I meant his children. Riley Ross grew up being trained by the Bernard of his world¡ªthat only means one thing¡­ he''s a shameless maniptor too."


    "Nope, we''re just stupid. I swear, the boy has a certain charm in him."


    Back on Earth, Alice and Diana were trying their best to prate through the invisible walls that Riley had ced between them; with Alice trying to lighten the barriers and Diana punching them open¡ªbut s, they crack one, and two would rece its ce and even push them back. Aside from the crack that was already there, they have not even been able to touch the ss that separates them and Riley even once.


    Unbeknownst to the rest of the world, a fight for all of their lives was currently being held.


    "Nope," Alice, who was pushed to her butt stopped fighting as she just shrugged, "This is pointless. We''re dead, we''re all dead."


    "What are you doing?" Diana, who was about to rush back toward the ss, could not help but stop and look at Alice in disbelief, "Are you giving up!?"


    "It''s not giving up when you know you''ve already lost from the start," Aliceid her back on the floor. She then turned to look at the hologram of the universe; her eyes, reflecting the worlds that have been ceaselessly destroyed by Riley,


    "This is it, Dee. This is the end of our world."


    "How can you be so calm about this!?"


    "How can you not? You''re like a gazillion years old."


    "You said it yourself, Bernard''s our friend."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Well¡­ you two were closer, so¡­"


    "Can we just focus!?"


    "...No."


    Even with Diana''s pleading, Alice no longer moved¡ªshe was just staring at the hologram of the universe as if she was actually looking at sky and stars.


    "This is it, Dee. You''ve always wondered what the end of the universe would look like¡ªIt''s this¡ªbrought forth by the hands of my son. I don''t know whether to be proud or mortified," Alice took in a small but deep breath as she nced at Diana,


    "I really love you, Dee. I do. Thank you for being my only friend for¡ª"


    [Why are you saying your farewells, Alice? As I said, I am not going to kill the two of you.]


    "Oh," Alice sat up, "You heard that, Dee?"


    "...But you are going to kill everybody else?" Diana finally lowered her fists as she spoke to Riley.


    [If the mood calls for it.]


    "And what is your mood now?"


    [I just want to see Aerith again. Nothing else matters for now.]


    "You do know we''re going to try and restrain you as soon as you leave the Manus Dei, right?" Alice joined in on the conversation.


    "Alice!"


    "What? He knows that, he''s obviously not the fool¡ª"


    And before Alice could finish her words, a figure of light started to form between her and Diana.


    "You''re¡­ using Bernard''s teleportation device?" Diana watched as the figure of light soon took the form of a woman, "How are you¡­"


    Diana then quickly turned to look at Bernard, only to finally notice something even more wrong with Bernard''s headless corpse. She stared at it for a while, before once again approaching it and just suddenly stepping on his arm,pletely shattering his red gauntlet.


    "Dee¡­?" Alice blinked in confusion, wondering why Diana would mutte her friend''s corpse even further¡ªbut then, she too finally noticed something wrong¡ªthe gauntlet was hollow.


    Bernard was missing his head and both his arms¡ªand there and then, Diana''s question was answered. Bernard''s facial imprint, his fingerprints, his eyes¡­ everything needed to physically identify Bernard was missing.


    Everything that could give ess to all of Bernard''s gadgets and device was missing.


    Diana already had an idea of where they are. But s, she did not have time to do anything as the figure of light finally vanished¡­


    ¡­revealing Aerith within its nket.


    "...Caiin?" Aerith waspletely pale; her eyes, red even without her releasing any energy. The confusion on her face was evident, but still, she quickly looked around her surrounding to assess her situation¡­ only for her eyes to ultimatelynd on a familiar coat of armor.


    "Did¡­ you kill him?" Aerith breathed out as she looked at Diana, "Was he¡­ Was he the one killing us? Is that why you killed him? Have you finally snapped out of it and realized what a monster he is?"


    "..."


    "But it''s toote, Caiin," Aerith''s already red eyes started to glow even redder, "We are the only ones left of our people¡­ but I feel like there really should only be one of us left. Let''s end this once and for¡ª!!!"


    And before Aerith could finish her words, she felt a pair of arms suddenly hugging her from behind.


    And she doesn''t know why¡ªbut she immediately felt trapped. The arms were not even gripping her tight, but it almost felt like she was surrounded by chains that are as heavy as a million stars.


    "Aerith."


    "..." Aerith''s eyes started to widen as she heard the voice¡ªthe very same voice that kept calling her name as she watched her people die.


    "...What do we do now?" Alice awkwardly looked at Diana. Diana, however, was looking at the Manus Dei¡­


    ¡­which was nowpletely ruined; its walls, tattered and mangled. The translucent fluid nanites, now visible and charred, melted into each other like charcoal as they stuck to the broken walls.


    "You¡­ destroyed the Manus Dei?" Diana turned to look at Riley, who was casually resting his cheek on Aerith''s shoulder.


    "I don''t need it anymore," Riley just casually breathed out, "Now that Aerith is here, we can once again start our never-ending battle between good and evil."


    "..."


    "What¡­" Aerith waspletely frozen stiff; her eyes, just very slowly turning to Diana,


    "...What is going on?"

 Chapter 699 699: The Common Council Counseiling The Council Again (1)

    "What do you mean the Dark Prison isn''t a void?"


    Back in Riley''s universe, several of the most important people in the entire universe were seated in a circle. And considering the nature of the air surrounding them and the darkness that loomed over their eyes, whatever they were discussing was of utmost importance.


    Even therge gray room they were in seemed to breathe¡ªwhich it truly did, as these people were having a meeting in the heart of the Living Codex, Ahor Zai.


    These individuals were the current members of the Common Council.


    The Queen of Evaniels, Queen Vania, who was apanied by her daughter, Princess Vera.


    The representative of the Norid, Former Elder now once again Elder, Elder Tedi. Her main body was outside Ahor Zai.


    The Secretary of Defense of the Earth, Adaeze the Empress, who was apanied by Bernard and Bulwark.


    Andstly, the only two remaining of the previous administration;


    Elder Apo, who had been staring at Bulwark ever since he entered the room as the two of them shared the same golden glow on their skin.


    Elder S''adar, whose spiky hair was even more spiky than before; his tail that was wagging around, leaving all sorts of fur to float in the air.


    The rest of the Elders¡­ are dead. The Grand Elder was executed by Riley Ross in front of the entire Known Universe. Elder Skeem''s entire race was massacred, while Elder Bato, the Elder that looked like a literal rock, was found to be an aplice of Elder Skeem and the Grand Elder in making the weapon responsible for wiping out the themarians.


    As for Elder Olseyir, well¡ªas soon as she was found to be one of the clones of Riley Ross, a bounty was immediately ced on her and the rest of her so-called race made of Riley clones, the Bins. But s, they have not been able to capture or even find a single one of them.


    And for the sake of removing hierarchy, the current members of the Common Council decided to abolish the position of Grand Elder once and for all.


    "What do you mean the prison isn''t a void, Elder Tedi?" Empress repeated her words as she stood up from her seat. Even though she was still a bit fazed from traveling at warpspeed straight to the Ahor Zai from Earth, all her nausea disappeared upon hearing Elder Tedi''s words.


    "I meant what I meant, Elder Adaeze," Tedi remained seated; her arms crossed as she refused to look at anyone in the room, "We have discovered that the Dark Prison is not entirely a void."


    "What is it, then?" Queen Vania raised her hand as she looked at Tedi.


    "It is another universe like ours."


    "..."


    And with those words traveling across the meeting hall, everyone''s eyes just instinctively nted themselves on Tedi. Elder S''adar''s tail, which has been wagging since the start,pletely stopped moving. Even Elder Apo removed his eyes away from Bulwark as all of them just waited for the next wordsing out of Tedi''s mouth.


    "It is possible that this is what Riley Ross mentioned to us 5 years ago," Tedi still refused to look at anyone, "Riley Ross, who was holding the secret to our universe and all of you just decided to throw him away without my permission. I created the prototype for the Dark Prison, and none of you consulted me when you threw Riley in¡ª"


    "You''re losing track, Elder Tedi," Elder Apo raised his hand; the cadence of his voice, also eerily simr to Bulwark''s. Bulwark, of course, took notice of this¡ªbut it wasn''t the right time to approach him.


    "I already said what I wanted to divulge to all of you," Elder Tedi only scoffed as she adjusted her sses, "Right now, the Ahor Zai and Diana Ross are currently trying to figure out a way to permanently makemunication with the other side without permanently leaving a hole between our universe and theirs."


    "Wait, wait¡­" Empress lightly mmed her fist on the table in front of her, "Are you telling me¡­ that we have been throwing our worst criminals to another universe filled with innocent people who has got nothing to do with us!? We threw Riley there for god''s sake!"


    "What does it matter?" Queen Vania raised her hand again as she sighed, "As long as he is not creating trouble for us, then I believe we have nothing more to discuss¡ªlet the devil die there."


    "Did you just not listen to what I said?" Empress was about to walk toward Queen Vania, but was immediately stopped by Bernard and Bulwark, "There could be innocent people there. We should be cleaning up our mess."


    "We did. We threw the devil to another dimension because we could not expire him," Elder Vania once again raised her hand to speak, "As far as we are concerned, if there are indeed intelligent life forms out there, then they should deal with Riley Ross as we have¡ªI fail to see how this is our problem now."


    "Are you seriously that self-centered, you call yourself a Queen with that attitude?"


    "I do not call myself Queen, my people do because I am their monarch," Queen Vania looked at Empress from head to toe, "You''re the one who ys dress-up and calls herself an empress."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Ooh," Elder S''adar''s tail once again began wagging as he not-so-subtly moved closer to Elder Apo, "I think they''re going to fight. I''m really d I didn''t quit."


    "They''re only having a heated discussion, Elder S''adar," Elder Apo monotonously answered as he also not-so-subtly moved away from Elder S''adar.


    "We should be cleaning this up because we made the mess in the first ce!" Empress did not relent as she looked and seemed to plead at the rest of the Elders.


    "I know your people''s history, Empress Adaeze¡ªbut this is not the time to be a hero or a super savior or whatever you call yourselves," Queen Vania shook her head as she too, finally stood up from her seat,


    "Riley Ross is not our problem anymore. I thought we were called here to discuss the current matters at hand¡ªlike the Remnants of Riley that are still scattered everywhere even though their creator is already in another universe. Olseyir is still missing, and the Tamer of the Cherbi is deliberately leading the Pink Fluff to star systems with inhabitants."


    "With all due respect, Queen Vania," Elder Apo raised his hand, "You volunteered yourself to be the only one in the task of finding and dealing with the Remnants of Riley¡ªI fail to see how your failure is our problem."


    "...What?" Queen Vania raised an eyebrow; her green hair, very slowly starting to light up.


    "Woah, woah! Guys!"


    But before the growing altercation could even start, Elder S''adar suddenly leaped out from his seat and stood in the middle of the meeting hall,


    "I believe that we should all rx and not let our emotions get ahead of us; except you, Elder Tedi, because you have no emotions," Elder S''adar pointed at Tedi''s hologram, which was obviously frustrated, "How about we just let her speak again? See her face? That means she still wants to say something¡­ and she did call for this meeting, so¡­ guys?"


    "..." And with Elder S''adar gesturing and urging for everyone to look at Tedi, they all just breathed out their frustration; taking their seats as they waited for Tedi to say something else.


    And after a few more silent breaths, Tedi truly did have more to say.


    "I will trade Riley Ross for all of you right now."


    "..."


    "With the existence of another universe besides ours now a fact, it now makes Riley Ross the secret to unlocking the secrets of the multiverse. I have already told all of you that we need him¡ªhe is the only connection we have to the gods, the true gods."


    "Enough with your obsession in finding out the truth of the universe, Norid," Queen Vania no longer raised her hand as she spoke, "Do you¡ª"


    [I am not done speaking.]


    This time, Tedi''s voice did note from her hologram, but rather everywhere as her original body resting outside Ahor Zai was the one to speak¡ªcausing everyone there to cover their ears.


    [We do have a problem,] Tedi''s voice reverberated throughout Ahor Zai, [Diana, Ahor Zai, and I have reason to believe that the other universe is very much like ours¡ªmeaning other versions of us could potentially exist there.]


    "..."


    "Other versions of him," the rumbling stopped as Tedi''s hologram was once again the one to speak; her finger, pointing at Bernard.


    "...Me?" Bernard, who had been keeping quiet all this time, blinked a couple of times as he found himself the target of everyone''s eyes. He did not really want to speak, obviously because the topic of their serious conversation was someone he raised.


    "Yes. Other versions of you, someone who could reverse engineer advanced technology he had only seen once. Someone who solved the warpspeed problem a second after he saw it," Tedi eximed.


    "Where¡­ are you going with this?" Empress squinted her eyes as she nced back and forth between Bernard and Tedi, even though she already had an idea of what Tedi wanted to say.


    "Tell me, Bernard Ross. You were not directly involved in finishing the Dark Prison, and I am aware that you have not even seen it once," Tedi''s hologram disappeared, only to appear again standing right in front of Bernard, "But if you were to see it in action, even just for a glimpse, even if it was just briefly exined to you¡­


    ¡­will you be capable of replicating it?"


    "..."

 Chapter 700 700: The Common Council Counseiling The Council Once Again (2)

    "But if you were to see it in action, even just for a glimpse, even if it was just briefly exined to you¡­


    ¡­will you be capable of replicating it?"


    "..."


    "..." Bernard did not really answer Tedi immediately, he just looked at everyone as they all continued to stare at him. But after a few seconds, he let out a loud but very brief sigh.


    "But I haven''t seen¡ª"


    "Woah!"


    And before Bernard could finish his words, the floor right at the center of the meeting hall started to tremble, causing Elder S''adar to move away. And soon, almost as if Ahor Zai was spitting something out from deep within it, arge, silver and somewhat metallic frame emerged plopped out from the floor.


    And as the inside of this rectangr frame started to distort the space within it, Bernard''s eyes started to squint as he leaped over the table and walked toward the frame; his eyes, curiously reflecting the distortion.


    "This¡­ is the Dark Prison?"


    "And so?" Tedi''s hologram appeared beside Bernard, and almost as if there were only the two of them inside the meeting hall, Bernard immediately started discussing things with Tedi and asking him several questions that the others couldn''t really follow.


    But finally, after what seemed like an entire minute, Bernard once again went silent and just started circling around the Dark Prison.


    "With the materials avable to us right now¡­" Bernard then started muttering as he continued to examine the technology in front of him,


    "...I might be able to replicate it 1-to-1."


    "Then that means the Bernard of the other universe can too."


    And without any dy, Tedi immediately looked at the other Elders, almost as if she was already expecting and waiting for Bernard to say that. Ultimately, however, her eyesnded on Queen Vania.


    "Your god was right to warn us, Queen Vania¡ªopening Portals to other dimensions would always end up putting us at risk¡ªor in this case, we put the other universe at risk by giving them Riley Ross. But whatever the case is¡­


    ¡­we have opened something we are not yet ready to ope¡ª"


    "I think I can make it smaller."


    "..." And before Tedi could finish her dramatic statement, Bernard suddenly started talking to himself.


    "...Smaller?" And of course, Tedi could not help but be curious with his words.


    "Yes," Bernard ced his hand on his chin as he seemed to be deep in thought, but after a few seconds, he ced a finger on the frames of the Dark Prison¡ªand as soon as he did so, the frame copsed.


    [What are you doing!?] Tedi''s original body could not help but scream as she saw the device she and Diana worked on just crumble and fold. Her rapid thoughts did notst long, however, as she soon calmed down as she realized Bernard''s suit of armor was tinkering with the coalescing frame; crawling across it like a million tiny arms.


    More and more parts were being removed from the frame, dropping like nails on the floor as Bernard''s eyes continued to move without pause. And very soon, a ring found itself wrapped around Bernard''s thumb.


    "That¡­" Tedi''s hologram immediately leaned her head closer to Bernard''s finger, "...Please tell me that works."


    "It should," Bernard also looked at the ring, "But only I can use it for now as it would require an astronomical amount of energy. In short, I am the battery¡ªor rather, the Guardian Force. Well¡­


    ¡­there is a chance that it won''t work. But you don''t have to worry, I can help you create your outdated version again."


    "...I forgot you were a Guardian."


    "I''m not," and with a small smile crawling on his face, Bernard opened up his palm and stretched it forward. And as he did so, a small crack could be heard forming in front of him. And soon, a literal crack tore the space in front of him, a tear that opened like a window, revealing the very same void of the Dark Prison.


    "My god¡­" Empress could not help but take in a small gulp. But unlike the rest of the people in the hall, her eyes weren''t reflecting the void, but rather Bernard. And of course, Bulwark noticed this and immediately pinched her on the leg.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "I believe the previous outdated model also could not change the portal''s location in the other universe, correct?" Bernard said as he looked at Tedi, who hesitantly nodded in response.


    "Well¡­" Bernard then very slightly tilted his palm to the side, and as he did so, the view inside the crack started to shift¡ªand there, they finally saw the rest of the so-called ''void''...


    ¡­only to find it was not a void at all.


    "That''s¡­nd," Elder S''adar whispered everyone''s thoughts.


    "You could control the portal''s¡­" Tedi almost gasped in awe as he looked back and forth between the ring and Bernard''s face, "...Maybe you could also solve time travel? Riley said that Nothing told him that it was impossible, but maybe you¡ª"


    "Why am I detecting Riley!?"


    And with everyone still processing what was happening in front of them, Diana suddenly swooped in inside the meeting hall; practically piercing the ceiling as shended right beside Bernard. And she wasn''t alone, as Ahor Zai''s avatar also made her presence known as it emerged from the floor like a fairy.


    Diana then turned to look at Bernard, then toward the Elder, then at the parts of the previous Dark Prison scattered on the floor¡­and then finally toward the Portal.


    "...Oh," she then muttered as she started looking back and forth between the Portal and Bernard. And soon, a long and deep sigh escaped her lips as she smiled,


    "This is why I didn''t want you in this project," Diana said in frustration as she looked her husband in the eyes, "You''re just¡­ too good that it''s scary."


    "Well¡­ at least I''m good for something."


    "Your¡ª"


    "We need to decide something!"


    And before Diana and Bernard could continue their¡­ talk, raised her hand and her voice,


    "Riley Ross does not belong in that Universe, I vote to retrieve him," Empress''s voice was clear as she looked at each of the Elders, "Seeing what our Bernard Ross could do, perhaps it is possible for him to connect to another universe and throw Riley there, preferably truly empty this time."


    "We can''t make more bridges," Elder Apo chimed in as he also raised his hand, "What Elder Tedi said earlier is valid, we are not equipped to handle other Universes when we can''t even fix our own."


    "Then we keep Riley here," Empress''s hand remained raised, "Riley Ross is our monster. Our monster, our responsibility¡­


    ¡­All in favor of bringing him back?"


    "Hm," Tedi let out a small scoff as she raised her hand without any hesitation.


    "I agree," Elder Apo also raised his hand.


    "Well, we''re all going to die sooner orter¡­" Elder S''adar raised his hand, "...I want to try fighting the devil once."


    "..." As for Queen Vania, she just shook her head and crossed her arms, "I am voting not to retrieve Riley Ross¡­


    ¡­but to make sure the other universe does not get a hold of our technology to travel across dimensions."


    "Everyone is in favor," Empress then turned to look at Bernard, "Whiteking, is it possible for you and Diana to get us close to Riley?"


    "..." Bernard started waving his palm, shifting the view of the Portal as he did so. He then turned to look at Diana, who nodded in response as she looked at her watch, which was lighting up and beeping.


    "Yes," Bernard then said,


    "...I believe I can."

 Chapter 701 701: I Am Lost

    "..."


    "...What do we do now, Dee? It''s getting kinda awkward."


    Back in the other universe, Riley''s arm was still wrapped around Aerith; embracing him almost as if he was never going to let her go. Suffice it to say, the confusion that Aerith was feeling also grew by the second.


    And even as she analyzed the situation, her mind couldn''t seem to wrap around what was happening. Her people just died out of nowhere, and when she thought that she was going to meet the man that was responsible for what happened, she found him headless on the floor near a themarian that has renounced her own race.


    And now, a weird-looking humanoid that she hasn''t seen before in her long life had his arms wrapped around her. Aerith could struggle and escape, but there truly was no need to as the white-skinned individual wasn''t even holding her tight¡­


    ¡­and yet she found herself unable to escape his clutch.


    "Aerith."


    "...Who?" Aerith''s entire body could really only shiver as the white-skinned humanoid softly rested his cheek on her back, "What¡­ is going on here? Can someone just exin to me what is going on here!?"


    Aerith then turned to look at Diana to ask her a lot of questions, but Aerith just forgoes the thought as she saw her looking even more confused than her. But finally, after a few more breaths, Aerith''s confusion was very slowly reced by a rage almost blinding that her skin was giving off fumes of energy.


    Riley, however, did not let go even as his skin started to melt.


    "Let go of me!" Aerith finally snapped out of her confusion as she pushed Riley away, "I do not know what is going on here, nor do I demand an exnation anymore. What I do know, however, is that all the people standing here are responsible for the deaths of a trillion people! I saw it¡­s just crumbling into pieces as I was dragged away."


    "Well¡­ it was actually only him. We''re here to stop him," Alice shrugged as she pointed at Riley, "Sorry, son."


    "It is alright, Alice," a small smile crawled on Riley''s face as his burnt and melted skin healed, "It is the tru¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, his eyes and Aerith''s met. Riley''s head immediately tilted to the side as he looked at her from head to toe, before ultimately settling on her face¡­ which waspletely different from the Aerith he knew.


    As a matter of fact, the Aerith of this world looked exactly like¡ª


    "Queen Adel."


    "You¡­ dare utter my mother''s name?" Aerith''s eyebrows lowered as she looked Riley straight in the eyes, "Who are you?"


    "I¡­" Riley looked away, before ncing at Diana and Alice, before turning to look at the Manus Dei which hepletely destroyed,


    "I am lost."


    "...Riley?" Alice immediately noticed the shift in Riley''s tone. His voice which seemedpletely sure of itself waspletely gone. And it was subtle, but all Alice could really see left in his eyes was an emptiness that almost seemed maddening.


    Like he was just some lost child¡ªwhich in a way, if she truly thinks about it, he truly is.


    "Caiin''Ur¡­" Aerith turned to look at Diana, very slowly floating to her side, "...I know that we have had our differences, but if it is true that you are here to stop whoever this person is, then that means our goals align."


    "..." Diana did not really answer as she just looked at Aerith.


    "The Redking is gone¡­" Aerith muttered as she looked at Bernard''s headless corpse, "...And I know that you do not consider yourself a themarian anymore. But please, help me at least get revenge for your other people¡ªfor our people. Believe it or not, even after everything you have done with and for the Redking, you always had a ce in us, Cait¡ªDiana."


    "..." Diana really only let out a small scoff as she heard Aerith''s short speech. But after a few more condescending breaths, she shook her head and sighed before looking at Alice, "You''re right, Queen Aerith, I am not a themarian. My ce is here, with her¡­


    ¡­but I will help you get revenge."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "..." Aerith took in a deep breath as she looked Diana in the eyes; nodding her head before once again turning her attention toward the devil that killed her entire race; her eyes, very slowly glowing red in a calm rage, "And you, I will make sure that you¡ª"


    "You are not Aerith."


    And before Aerith could finish her words, she was cut short by Riley as he started whispering to himself; his finger, pointed at Aerith as he started shaking his head,


    "You¡­ are not Aerith. You are not Aerith."


    And soon, the entire room started to tremble as the strands of Riley''s long white hair started to almost vibrate in the air.


    "Poor soul," Aerith breathed out,


    "I do now know what sort of creature you are, but I will make sure to end your suffering today!" And with those words, the glow in Aerith''s eyes turned into a beam that shot straight toward Riley, who seemed to be ignoring everything around him.


    But even then, the violent beam that was supposed to reach him without fail¡­ failed. But not because he deliberately and knowingly blocked it, no¡ªIt was Alice.


    Alice stood in front of him; her hand stretched forward as she blocked Aerith''s energy beam.


    "Alice¡­?" Diana could not help but breathe out heavily as soon as he saw Alice suddenly protecting Riley Ross, "What¡­ are you doing?"


    "I¡­" Alice let out an awkward chuckle as she looked at Diana; tears, flowing down her face, "I¡­ don''t know. But¡­ I feel like I had to protect him this time. I guess¡­ I guess this is what you''d call¡­


    ¡­a mother''s instinct? He¡­ hehe?"


    "She''s not your son, Alice!" Diana shouted in frustration, "He''s from another universe!"


    "...What?" The energy beam shooting out from Aerith''s eyes instantly disappeared as she heard Diana''s words, "What do you mean from another universe? What''s really going on here?"


    "Alice, stop being so childish!" Diana did not answer Aerith and just very slightly approached Alice, "Just once stop acting on impulse! That man isn''t your son, it''s a monster that needs to disappear from this world!"


    "I¡­" Alice started looking back and forth between Riley and Diana, "...But he is? You¡­ You''ve heard his story. The Alice of his world tried to kill him, his own mother¡ªmaybe, maybe he was sent here for a reason. Maybe¡­


    ¡­I''m meant to take care of him, you know?"


    "So, even in this world, you''re stupid."


    "That''s¡­ not nice," Alice''s awkward chuckle immediately faded away as one of her eyebrows raised as she looked at Diana, "Why would you say that? I thought you weren''t going to call me stupid again."


    "That¡­ wasn''t me," Diana blinked a couple of times as her eyes started to squint. Even Aerith, whose confusion had once again peaked, could not help but start to look around as she looked at where the voice came from.


    And very soon, the very air itself started to crack open.


    "...You?" And immediately, Diana was faced with someone she had never expected to ever meet in her life¡­


    ¡­herself.


    "I''m sorry for the sudden intrusion¡­


    ¡­but I''m here to get my son back."

 Chapter 702 702: Shitshow

    "I apologize for the sudden intrusion¡­ but I am here to get my son back."


    "..."


    Clones.


    The Diana of this other universe, much like the Diana of Riley''s universe, is used to seeing clones and has even dabbled in creating a couple here and there. What she waspletely unaware of, however, was how one feels when they see an exact replica of them.


    Suffice it to say, she knows now¡ªbut not exactly. Because the woman in front of her was not her clone, but an entirely different one that lived a different life¡­ well, maybe this other version was a little fatter than her.


    "Oh, she looks prettier than you, Dee."


    "Shut up¡­ and no, she''s not."


    The situation was weird. Weird enough that even the Aerith of this universe, who had just witnessed the destruction of her race, almost forgot it momentarily due to her confusion. It almost made her wonder if she was going crazy due to the tragedy that happened to her.


    And so, the only thing she could really do was just stand there utterly stupefied, watching as the crack that opened up in the air out of nowhere continued to grow. Watch as someone that looked exactly like Diana stepped out of the said hole with her hands raised.


    "Please, don''t panic Earth-1¡ªwe came here with no ill intentions," Diana calmly and very softly said as she looked Diana straight in the eyes. But after a few seconds, she turned to look at Alice, "We made a mistake, and we just want to fix it and leave, you will never have to see us again. And¡­"


    Diana then turned to look at the headless corpse just casuallyying on the floor, "...I am truly sorry for what my son did."


    "...This is weird," Alice could not help but blink a couple of times as she looked back and forth between Diana and Diana; the calction she was doing in her brain, loud enough to project from her eyes, "This is double weird."


    "Earth-1?" Earth-1 Diana, on the other hand, tried her best to stay as calm as possible as she carefully approached Diana, "...I take it you named your world Earth-0?"


    "...Yes," Diana smiled and nodded.


    "How presumptuous of you to assume that you''re the first to discover dimensional travel."


    "Well¡­ considering you haven''t yet," Diana let out a small giggle as she finally lowered her arms and looked at Riley, who was still being blocked by Alice, "Riley, we need to drag you back home. Is¡­ he stable?"


    "...What do you mean ''is he stable''?" Alice squinted her eyes as she subtly blocked Riley from the rest of the people in the room even more, "He''s just¡­ a little lost."


    "He''s suffering from dementia."


    "So he said too," Earth-1 Diana joined in on the conversation, "But we didn''t detect anything in his brain when we scanned it. But seeing him now¡­ perhaps he really is."


    "...You didn''t detect anything?" Diana squinted her eyes as she stared at Riley, who was quietly whispering to himself, repeating his words over and over again; asking himself where Aerith is.


    "..." Diana then turned toward the Earth-1 Aerith. She looked at her from head to toe, before raising an eyebrow and saying, "...Queen Adel?"


    "...No," Aerith knitted her eyebrows as this was the second time she was mistaken for her mother.


    "...I guess it doesn''t matter," Diana shook her head as she continued to approach Alice and Riley, "I may need your help in restraining him if he¡ª"


    "No."


    But before Diana could even take a single step, Earth-1 Aerith suddenly appeared in front of her; cing her hand on Diana''s chest and blocking her path,


    "I don''t know what is going on here, but you''re not taking this man anywhere."


    "..." Diana could really only look Aerith in the eyes. Although Aerith seemed calm, it was obvious from her slightly trembling voice and watering eyes that she was only trying her best to pretend to be so.


    "But I do need to," Diana once again raised her hand to show that she wasn''t a threat as she looked at everyone in the room, "All this time, we thought that we were sending our criminals into a void, not knowing that there were actually people here¡­ that this was another universe like our own. We will pay everything that we need to for what we did, but for now¡­


    ¡­Riley Ross needs to go back to our universe. None of you have any idea of how dangerous my son¡ª"


    "No¡­ idea?" And before Diana could finish her words, Aerith slightly pushed her; her eyes, glowing red as her breaths released more like growls, "This man just wiped out my people! He killed each and every one that I held dear and I watched helpless as he did it to others. You''re the one that has no idea of how I feel!"


    "...But I do," the tone of Diana''s voice became meek as she returned Aerith''s re.


    "...What?"


    "I do," Diana subtly nodded as she let out a sigh.


    "..." The room suddenly became silent as they all just looked at Diana. Earth-1 Diana, who was carefully looking at the crack in the air, also could not help but lower her eyebrows as she heard her counterpart''s words.


    "So, why is he still alive?" Earth-1 Diana''s voice was as cold as it could get, "Did you show mercy because he''s your son?"


    "...You don''t know yet?" Diana blinked a couple of times, "He''s immortal."


    "So are we."


    "No, we''re just very hard to kill," Diana let out a wry chuckle as she shook her head, "He truly can''t die¡ªand the longer he stays here, the longer your universe will be in danger¡ªthat is why I am here."


    "Maybe you just haven''t tried enough," Aerith''s eyes once again turned red as she looked at Riley.


    "Trust me¡­" Diana turned to look at the floor; her shoulders, almost drooping as the tone of her voice was enough to let everyone know the despair and sadness endlessly growing inside her, <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "...We did. Please, let us secure Riley Ross first, and we will answer all of your questions to the best of our abilities."


    "..." Earth-1 Aerith and Earth-1 Diana looked at each other, before ultimately shaking their heads as Earth-1 Diana suddenly moved behind Diana and grabbed her by the arms.


    "Alice, kill him!" Earth-1 Diana roared as she looked at Alice.


    "...Huh? Why would I do that?" Alice, on the other hand, was just scratching her scalp as she looked at Riley, "Your MILF version said he''s immortal."


    "Wh¡ªCan you for once, just start acting serious!?"


    "He¡­ looks harmless," Alice said as she watched as Riley just continued to whisper to himself, "...and pitiful. Maybe he just needs a mother''s love."


    "...I''m her mother," Diana quickly responded, "And I gave him plenty of love."


    "Well¡­ maybe he needs more?"


    "Have you forgotten what he just did within the past hour!?" Earth-1 Diana once again screamed, "He wiped out more than a hundred civilizations like they were¡ª"


    [Ladies, there is no need for this to escte.]


    And once again, the group was interrupted as a somewhat familiar voice whispered from the crack in the air, or more specifically, from the tiny RC car that emerged from it. The tiny car then started driving around the floor, before ultimately parking near Earth 1 Aerith and Diana, and Diana.


    [I''m sorry, dear. You tried.]


    "...Yeah," Diana said before closing her eyes and clenching her teeth. And before the two other themarians could wonder what she was doing, the RC car suddenly exploded.


    Diana then made sure to grab Aerith, even gripping Earth-1 Diana as arge burst forth from the shattered RC car and shot straight toward the three of them, covering thempletely.


    "!!!" And with a small zap, the three could feel their strength leaving their bodies, causing Earth-1 Aerith and Earth-1 Diana to quickly kneel to the ground. As for Diana, she was the only one that remained standing; her grip, not loosening as she restrained the two.


    "Sorry, but I have a mother''s strength," Diana whispered.


    Alice was about to remove the, but before he could do so, Bernard calmly stepped out of the crack and showed himself.


    "Oh, what¡­" Alice covered her mouth as she seemed to be stopping herself fromughing, "It''s¡­ It''s a fat bearded Bernard!"


    "...So, you don''t really ever grow up, Alice," Bernard could really only let out a small sigh. He was about to approach her and Riley before her eyesnded on the headless corpse on the floor.


    "This¡­" Bernard squinted his eyes as he quickly recognized the patterns on the red armor. It wasn''t obvious when he was seeing it from the portal, but¡­


    "...This is me," Bernard muttered as he approached the corpse of his other version, moving it around to inspect it, "I''m¡­ dead in this universe?"


    "...A little?" Alice awkwardly chuckled, "Your son kinda killed you?"


    "...I see," Bernard closed his eyes upon hearing Alice''s words, "I don''t really know how to feel about that, but I suppose it doesn''t matter. If I''m dead¡­


    ¡­then has the Death Will triggered yet?"


    "I have no idea what that is, rather than that¡­ can you let my friend go?" Alice sighed as she pointed at the people covered by the, "Seeing as we''re all friends in the other world, maybe we¡­ can just talk?"


    "Death Will is something that will trigger in the event of my death," Bernard did not answer Alice and instead continued to examine Earth-1 Bernard''s body, "I have one, I am assuming that my other version has one too¡­


    ¡­Mine is activating my suit''s AI to bring me back to my wife."


    "That''s sweet and all, but¡ª"


    And before Alice could finish her words, Bernard''s suit started to merge with Earth-1 Bernard''s suit.


    "What are you doing!?"


    "Downloading data. I am sure my other version won''t just die without leaving something important," Bernard insisted, raising a finger to gesture to everyone to just wait, almost as if they weren''t already dealing with the weirdest situation they could find themselves in. But after a few minutes, Bernard stood up and let out a very long and deep sigh before whispering,


    "Oh¡­ fuck."


    "...Dear?" Diana''s eyes widened as she looked at her husband¡ªafter all, the times that Bernard curses could really only be counted in one hand, and each time he does so, it is when hepletely messes up, "What¡­ did you find?"


    "The thing that we were most afraid of¡­" Bernard breathed out as he tried to calm himself down, "...He was able to make it, and just recently at that."


    "You mean¡­"


    "Dimensional travel," Bernard closed his eyes and sighed, "And that''s not even the worst part¡ªit is his Death Will."


    "..."


    "After his death¡­


    ¡­multiple portals will start opening."

 Chapter 703 703: Ah, Dementia

    "Multiple portals are opening soon."


    "...I don''t even know what to do with that information. The brains of the rtionship are kinda being pinned down by her doppleganger."


    "If she promises to stay calm, I will let her g¡ªdid you just say rtionship?"


    "Well¡ª"


    "How am I supposed to be calm upon hearing what I just heard? More of you people woulde!?"


    "No, not our people, but others."


    The group continued to talk amongst themselves despite the situation they found themselves in. Chaos, perhaps that was truly the only way one could describe this scenario. None of them are unfamiliar with chaos, but this probably tops their list.


    And while the older people were having their multiversal breakdown, Riley waspletely out of it¡ªhis ears, just hearing a constant whistle that rang deep through his mind.


    He was stable, he was supposed to be stable¡ªeven the scan of his brain that Earth-1 did told him that his mind was stable, that whatever dementia he had was gone upon arriving to this universe¡­ at least that is how it was supposed to be.


    So why¡­


    ¡­why was there someone standing in front of him again? It was a man that Riley doesn''t really recognize, he would remember if he did. After all, the man has eyes even more lifeless than his.


    He looked at the others to see if they were also seeing the man, but considering they were just discussing with themselves and raising their voices, it was obvious that none of them were aware.


    "..." Riley''s eyes then once againnded on the Aerith of this world, only to see almost aplete stranger.


    Riley thought, he really thought that the Aerith of this world would be exactly the Aerith he knew¡ªafter all, someone as pure as her would always persevere through the light¡ªno matter what.


    Riley truly thought it would be the same Aerith with the way she pleaded for the life of others, but no. She waspletely different, and it wasn''t just because she looked like Queen Adel, but with the way she acts; her mannerisms, the way she purses her lips¡­ they were all different.


    Aerith was supposed to be the only semnce of reality he had in this strange universe, and she didn''t even really exist.


    And now, he was once again truly lost. The anchor that kept his mind afloat was once again pulled away, causing his deteriorating mind to continue corrupting the rest of him.


    "Aerith¡­" He whispered to himself again as he covered his face, "Why¡­ why did you abandon me?"


    And soon, as the whistle in Riley''s mind grew louder and louder, the darkness that hid deep within him started to once again show itself¡ªscattering outward and filling everything in front of him in nothing but a void.


    But this void did notst, as soon, the darkness gave birth to a ce that Riley will always consider as paradise¡ªthe horizon of a vast green field and mountains filled with trees. It was his sacred ce.


    A ce that represented the little peace between him and Aerith¡ªperhaps one could even say a ce of innocence, if Riley could ever be considered as such.


    The ce was so important for Riley, that he didn''t realize that it wasn''t only him that was seeing it.


    "What¡­ the heck?" Alice was the first to react as she stepped back as des of grass started to sprout from the silver floor beneath her feet¡ªand soon, she also saw the horizon that Riley was seeing.


    "O¡­kay?" Alice then subtly nced at Bernard without moving her head, "Just how many powers does my son have? Is¡­ he like my mom or something?"


    "You don''t know?" Bernard furrowed his eyebrows, "And why are you even trying to protect him?"


    "I don''t know," Alice shrugged, "I just felt like it."


    "The boy doesn''t really need your protection¡ªhe has more than a hundred abilities under his sleeves," Bernard shook his head as he finally started removing the wrapping Diana and the others, "He mostly uses your ability, telekinesis. But the most dangerous one, he got from my daughter."


    "...And this?" Alice crouched and touched the des of grass.


    "Illusions."


    "But I can feel it."


    "He has more than a hundred abilities," Bernard repeated his words as if insinuating something, "But it doesn''t matter¡ªwhat we should be focusing on are the portals Earth-1 Bernard is summoning."


    And finally, after a few more tugs and pulls, Diana and the others were set free; their gasping breaths, whispering through everyone''s ears.


    "The question is where and when," Bernard grabbed Diana''s hand and gently pulled her closer to him, "We should probably start working together to¡ª"


    "This doesn''t concern me," and before Bernard could finish his words, Earth-1 Aerith pushed him away as she made her way to Riley, "Son or not, mistake or not, he needs to pay for what he has done."


    "Feel free to do whatever you want to do," Bernard sighed as he shook his head, "But I assure you, fighting with Riley Ross in an endless pit you will never truly escape¡ªyou will be the only one that suffers."


    "You don''t know me."


    "Perhaps," Bernard shrugged, "But I do know that a stronger-willed version of youmitted suicide because she could no longer handle Riley. You can never win against Riley Ross."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Then we both just¡ª"


    "No," Bernard did not let Aerith finish her words, "You will be the only one that loses every time. Riley Ross isn''t like you and I, he''s different."


    "..."


    "Huh¡­" Alice joined in on the conversation, "I guess our son is kinda like an unstable god?"


    "..." Diana, who has been quietly having a staring contest with Earth-1 Diana, could not help but look away as she heard Alice''s words.


    An unstable god. It was hard to admit, but that is exactly what Riley Ross is now¡­ and she was one of the people responsible for making him that way.


    "Alice," Earth-1 Diana also finally spoke up, very lightly pushing Diana to the side as she stepped forward, "The portal that our Bernard summoned, can you find if there are any traces of it anywhere?"


    "..." Alice did not really answer Diana and instead just turned to look at the Manus Dei, which waspletely destroyed by Riley. She was about to say something, but before she could do so, Bernard quickly noticed her looking at the spherical room.


    "What does this do?" Bernard''s eyes moved endlessly as he walked toward the hole that Riley made between their room and the Manus Dei, scanning every inch of it before ultimately floating in the air and entering the spherical room.


    "It¡­ amplifies my powers."


    "Huh," Bernard hummed, nodding his head as he started flying around the spherical room, beforending on the trillions of dead nanites that seemed like a pool of charred sand.


    Bernard then stretched his left arm to the side, and as he did so, several tendrils emerged from his armor and started examining and tinkering with the scraps inside the spherical hall.


    "Is¡­ he going to fix it?"


    "Maybe, even if he''s fatter, he''s still Bernard."


    "Love handles, those are called love handles."


    "Why are you even with him even though he cheated on you?" Earth-1 Diana could not help but ask, "It''s immoral."


    "You''ll understand when you have a daughter of your own."


    "I told you we should have adopted that dog, Dee."


    "Stop it."


    "..." Aerith, who had been wanting some sort of justice for her people, could not help but just look back and forth between the women in the room. The situation they were in was nothing but weird¡­ and yet they were chatting casually.


    She was going to take this chance to try and attack Riley¡ªbut s. As she stepped forward, the that Bernard neglectfully threw on the ground flew toward her, once again causing her to instantly be exhausted.


    "This is interesting."


    And after a few more banters and bickering by the women, Bernard floated out of the Manus Dei. Alice quickly rushed to look at her toy, but to her disappointment, it was stillpletely tattered and broken.


    "...I thought you were going to fix it?" Alice heavily breathed out.


    "I did."


    "Huh?" Alice then blinked a couple of times as Bernard stretched his hand, revealing some sort of crystal circlet, "Try it. It''s not going to be as strong as the original, but it should work as long as you can power it¡ªI''m sure you could figure out how."


    "You made a wearable Manus Dei?" Alice immediately grabbed the circlet from Bernard''s hand, "...Nerd."


    "Wait, Alice! Don''t just wear¡ª"


    "Toote!" Alice did not even let Earth-1 Diana finish her words as she wore the circlet on her head, and as soon as she did so, the color of her eyespletely disappeared¡ªand with a pulse, the beautiful horizon and the des of grass beneath their feet was blown away like a cloud.


    Earth-1 Diana was about to rush toward Alice to remove the circlet, but Diana stopped her.


    "Bernard is not going to hurt her," Diana shook his head, "He''s scared of her since she''s the only woman he wasn''t able to seduce in the Hope Guild."


    "...What?"


    "Ah! I sense something!" And before anyone else could say something, Alice let out a tiny scream which made all of them look, "Another crack in the air like what we have here."


    "Where is it?" Earth-1 Diana waved her hand, summoning a hologram of the map of the universe.


    "I don''t know yet, but Bernard 2 here is wrong," Alice''s eyebrows began to lower, "There aren''t multiple portals¡­


    ¡­there''s only one."

 Chapter 704 704: The Stranger

    "There''s only one."


    "Only one?"


    "One? Where is it? How far away is it from here?"


    "Well, actually¡ªAck!"


    "Alice!?"


    And without any warning, a quiet explosion whispered in the air. Sadly, for Alice, the source of the quiet explosion was the circlet that was wrapped around her head¡ªand as she needed to be directly connected to it, she doesn''t have any telekic armor protecting the temples of her head.


    "F¡­freak," Alice quickly tapped her head several times; the blood flowing from her head, enough to paint her entire palm in red almost instantly. The bleeding did notst, however, as Alice quickly closed her wounds. And if it weren''t for Earth-1 Diana catching her, she would have probably already fallen down.


    "What happened!?" Earth-1 Diana screamed as she looked at Bernard.


    Bernard''s helmet folded away. He was going to approach Alice, but Earth-1 Diana''s eyes started to glow red.


    "That''s not supposed to happen," Bernard said as he raised both his hands in the air, "Even if it indeed broke in one use, it shouldn''t explode."


    "Shouldn''t explode!? Do you see what just happ¡ª"


    "Dee, stop¡­" Alice ced her hand on Earth-1 Diana''s mouth¡­putting some blood on it, "...I was saying that the portal is right ab¡ª"


    "!!!"


    A rumble.


    Or perhaps a drumming thunder¨Cit was really hard to choose what to describe the noise as a part of the ceiling above their heads suddenly burst and copsed almost instantly, but at the same time, it was slow.


    Slow, as all the debris just turned into ashes before they could hit the floor. And the only thing that really touched ground was a set of ws, glowing orange as they embedded themselves through the silver floor.


    The ws connected to a ck gauntlet, which connected to a full suit of armor ck, gold, and a glowing orange. There was also a glowing orange cape waving in the air almost like wings, settling down as the Stranger in a suit of armor very slowly removed his ws from the floor.


    But the ws did not just disappear, no¡ªit was absorbed back by the gauntlet as the light started to travel like blood going through veins until they ultimately settled across the arm.


    And soon, the glowing cape too, started being absorbed by the Stranger''s armor as he very slowly stood up from the floor. And like the ws, the light of the glowing cape settled on the back of the Stranger''s armor, as well as flowed straight through his helmet.


    "..." And while all of this was happening, Bernard and the others could not help but just stay quiet, trying to observe who this Stranger was and what he was going to do.


    "This is what I wanted to tell you guys," Alice let out a small sigh as she looked at the Stranger, "The portal¡­ it was just right on top of us."


    "Why didn''t you say anything, then!?"


    "Because you were being dramatic!" Alice whispered loudly, "It''s not like my head was cut off or something, I survived worse shit. Don''t you remember the time my entire arm was sliced off!?"


    The Stranger turned his head toward Alice as her loud words traveled, which caused Diana to move in front of her to block her from the Stranger''s view.


    The Stranger did nothing, however, as he started looking around¡ªbut not for long. Because as soon as he saw Bernard, the ws he hid in his gauntlets once again emerged as he rushed toward Bernard without any warning.


    He swung his ws straight toward Bernard''s neck, but Bernard was able to grab the Stranger''s wrist. The Stranger, however, was able to quickly break himself free as leaped and rotated his whole body, before once again targeting Bernard''s neck with the very same hand he just freed.


    "Tch," Bernard''s helmet quickly unfolded and covered his head as he leaned away to avoid the orange ws, but not before stepping on the Stranger''s foot. And as soon as his soles made contact, the armor around Bernard''s leg copsed and attached itself to the Stranger''s foot, locking and attaching it to the floor.


    Bernard then let himself fall back topletely avoid the w, before spinning his entire body and swinging his leg straight toward the Stranger''s neck.


    The Stranger, however, did not even bother to dodge as he just blocked the blow with his arm, causing a slight ripple of air to st away whatever ashes floated around them.


    "Hm," although Bernard''s face was alsopletely covered by his white helmet, it was obvious from his scoffing breath that a smirk was growing on his face. And not even a second after, the light around the Stranger''s neck started to blink and fade away¡­ as they seemed to be being absorbed by Bernard''s greaves.


    [!!!]


    And then, with another st of wind, Bernard''s kick continued its halted path and mmed the Stranger straight to the floor.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Well, not quite, as the Stranger''s body has not really made contact with the floor yet and instead just hovered inches above it.


    [Ngh¡­] The Stranger then immediately pushed himself away, sliding on the floor before floating and somersaulting in the air. He was about to rush toward Bernard again, but he almost tumbled forward as his foot was caught in something.


    [...] The Stranger quickly turned to look at what he was stepping on, only to see the headless corpse of Earth-1 Bernard.


    [This¡­] And finally, the Stranger let out a word as he focused on the red armor the corpse was wearing; his voice,pletely robotic and indistinguishable. The Stranger then looked back and forth between the corpse and Bernard.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Why are we just watching and not doing anything?"


    "Shut up."


    [Hm¡­] The Stranger then once again started looking around the silver room, only for his eyes to settle on the portal that Bernard and Diana emerged from. The Stranger then started scanning Alice and the others, before he started looking back and forth between Diana and Earth-1 Diana.


    [This has be¡­plicated,] the Stranger muttered before he just quickly flew up into the air and out into the hole he made in the ceiling.


    "..." Bernard and Diana also looked at each other, and without even as much as a nod, they followed the Stranger outside¡ªrevealing the view of the Grand Canyon,pletely away from any city or people.


    "So, you guys do realize we just watched the whole thing happen and did nothing, right?"


    "We weren''t the ones being attacked," Earth-1 Diana scoffed, before very gently taking off the broken circlet from Alice''s head.


    "I ampletely uninvolved in this," Earth-1 Aerith shook her head, before once again ring at Riley, who seemed to bepletely oblivious to everything that is happening, "I just want him dead."


    "...I don''t think that is happening anytime soon," Alice then said as she looked up, watching Bernard and Diana chase the Stranger.


    [...] The Stranger nced down as he noticed he was being followed. And soon, he opened up his palm and pointed it at Bernard and Diana.


    And then, a crack of lightning emerged from beneath the Stranger, soon merging together and creating an orb the size of a car that eerily looked simr to that of a star.


    Diana instantly flew faster as she moved above Bernard, stretching her arms to the sides and preparing to take the blow as it came. To her surprise, however, the Stranger moved his hand away and pointed the fiery orb toward the horizon before letting it loose. The fireball flew like a wheel of fire, its mes racing around its circumference as if they were part of an infinite loop as they flew faster and faster.


    "..." Bernard quickly stopped chasing the Stranger as his suit started hacking the nearby satellites, giving him a full view of the world''s map.


    "It''s going to reach a city if we don''t stop it!" Bernard did not even wait for Diana to respond as he quickly flew toward the glowing orb, "Don''t let the man get away!"


    "..." Diana wanted to go with Bernard, but as she saw Earth-1 Diana emerging from the ground and also rushing to follow the glowing orb, she just quickly decided to continue chasing the Stranger as he flew into the sky.


    The Stranger flew higher and higher, the air around him distorting into a bright bright orange as he once again nced down. And as he noticed Diana still chasing him, he quickly changed the direction of his flight. The clouds hovering above him slightly dissipated, perhaps due to the orange glow surrounding his body.


    It was a weird sight, but it was familiar, familiar enough that it even made Diana raise an eyebrow. She already had an inkling as to who the Stranger is, but now it was obvious.


    The suit of armor, the energy simr to the Guardian Force... there could really only be one.


    Daina chased him around mountains, valleys, oceans, and forests¡ªand when it became clear that the Stranger was just leading him somewhere randomly, Diana stopped flying.


    She stopped chasing after the Stranger, and instead quickly flew back, back from where he was originally flying to.


    The Stranger quickly noticed this as he too, maneuvered in the air and increased his speed; obviously making sure that Diana doesn''t reach to wherever he was going first.


    And very soon, the two just returned back to where they started--above the canyons.


    The Stranger then started releasing small fiery orbs and throwing them down toward Diana. Diana, on the other hand, just pped her hands topletely disperse the orbspletely.


    "...Enough of this," Diana whispered, and with a sigh¡­


    ¡­she increased her speed.

 Chapter 705 705: ...You?

    Chapter705 705: ...You?


    VR 705


    "...Enough of this."


    There was a reason why themarians rarely use their speed. Because unlike evaniels, who were able topletely separate themselves and ignore thews of physics, the problem with a themarian flying at full speed inside an atmosphere was that they risked destroying everything around them¡ªa problem themarians face if ever they step out of their home.


    The air around Diana started to crack, even the dust that had been attached to the canyons for millions of years was blown away just from the sheer force of her flight.


    The Stranger also increased his speed, the clouds around him blown away¡­ revealing the portal hiding in the sky from which he came.


    The Stranger stretched his hand, but s, before the tip of his finger could touch the portal, Diana grabbed his leg and threw him back straight into the canyons.


    "..." Diana did not immediately follow him down as she nced at the portal, trying to see if she could examine the other side¡ªbut there was only a single room¡­ which looked simr to the interiors of Ahor Zai.


    She tried waiting for a few seconds to try and see if there was someone else there, but other than the empty gray room, there was absolutely nothing.


    "I''ll check youter," Diana whispered to herself as she dived down toward where she threw the Stranger, creating several sts of wind to crack in the air. But as shended on the teau, any violence in her movement disappeared as her feet gently touched the dried ground.


    "...Really?" Diana once again whispered to herself with a sigh as she looked around, only to find that the Stranger was not there.


    She closed her eyes to try and hear him breathing, but his armor seemed to prevent any noise that coulde out of him. And so, Diana could really only walk around, and soon... a small ball casually rolled toward her.


    And when it reached her feet, Diana noticed how heavy it actually was as it left marks on the dried ground. And finally, it stopped right beneath her and exploded. And from within it burst forth smaller balls that flew and floated around Diana. They just circled around her for a moment, before again bursting outwards and sending dozens ofs flying from all directions that seemed to want to swallow her whole.


    All of this happened in less than a single second.


    "..." But before any of the could reach her¡­ Diana let out a sigh. She then casually moved away as the seemed to have just frozen in the air; each of her steps, causing a crack to form in the ground.


    Once again, there was a reason why themarians seemed weaker on Earth, the very same reason why they refuse to use even half their full speed¡ªevery move they make could potentially destroy Earth.


    And so, they learn to hover. Hover millimeters above ground to make it look as if they were actually walking on the ground. Diana learned this, so did Aerith, and so will any themarian that actually visits another.


    Diana turned to look to where the ball rolled from, approaching it and soon finding the Stranger hiding beneath arge boulder. And without any more hesitations, she grabbed the Stranger''s head and pried his helmet open¡­ only to find itpletely empty.


    "Wh¡ª" And before she could even say anything, the armor started to wrap around her arms. And since it was already attached to her, the only thing Diana really did was watch as the armor covered her entire silhouette.


    And with a small zap, Diana felt herself turning extremely exhausted. She slightly tumbled forward, breathing heavily as she noticed a shadow encroaching and growing from behind.


    She wanted to turn around, but s, the Stranger kicked her on the back of the head and mmed her face straight to the ground. The Stranger was about to m his foot on Diana''s head again, but surprisingly, Diana was able to fly away.


    "This only works well once," Diana then whispered as she ripped the armor in half, almost as if emerging from a cocoon while the armor quickly returned and flew back to its owner,


    "If you want to weaken me again, that''s not going to be enough."


    Energy Depleting Pulse does not really make a themarian weaker, it only causes their body to be exhausted, extremely so. Their muscles would tremble and burn, rendering them incapable of moving. Themarians can and still kill and destroy everyone else in the Universe with a snap of their finger.


    If there was, however, one dangerous aspect of the EDP is that it makes them more vulnerable and susceptible to Eternal Death.


    [...Tch,] a small frustration could be heard from the Stranger as he clicked his tongue. He then stretched his arms to the side, summoning his ws as well as his glowing cape, which pped like wings beneath his back,


    [You are really annoying to fight, Diana Ross.]


    "Well, only because you actually have no chance of winning this."


    And almost as if reflecting what the Stranger did, Diana''s eyes also started to glow red. She drew energy from the air and directed it into her empty hand, where a shimmering orb of light began to take shape. The globe grew brighter and then exploded outward, and in its ce was a long sword. Diana held it lightly, as if it was an old friend very dear to her.


    "Do you know how long it has been since I truly fought someone?" Diana said as she ced the sword of energy in front of her, almost as if doing a salute as she looked at the Stranger, "It has been¡ª"


    "!!!"


    Diana did not finish answering her own question as she just disappeared from her spot, only to reappear just a meter away from the Stranger, her sword already swinging straight at his head.


    The Stranger quickly ducked down to dodge the attack¡­ but Diana suddenly let go of the sword and grabbed his head.


    "Sorry about that," Diana said as a small giggle escaped her lips, "But I don''t actually use a sword...


    ...I''m a grappler."


    [Wai¡ª]


    The Stranger wanted to say something, but Diana did not let him as she tightened her grip on his head, before mming it straight onto her rising knee.


    finally let go of his head, but before he could recover his bnce, Diana grabbed his face and mmed his head straight to the [Kh¡­!] The Stranger could only take a few steps back as Diana finally let go of his head, but before he could recover his bnce, Diana grabbed his face and mmed his head straight to the ground.


    "Sorry, but you can''tin about this," Diana once again calmly giggled as she mmed the Stranger''s head on the ground again, "You attacked us first."


    Diana then sat on top of the Stranger''s body and started punching his face, very slowly denting his helmet.


    [Sto¡ª] The Stranger raised his hand, but Diana only pped them away as she continued bashing his head with her fists.


    [Stop!] The Stranger then grabbed Diana''s leg, causing the air around them to distort as his gauntlets started to light up. But s, Diana once again pushed his hands to the side, and this time, she pinned both under her knees.


    "Be a good boy and stop struggling, okay?" Diana let out a sigh as she continued clobbering the Stranger''s helmet, causing it the bounce up and down as the canyon beneath them quivered and cracked.


    "I think we both know who you are, no?" Diana said as she finally stopped; her hand, however, was still ced on the Stranger''s helmet, "The two of us are going to calm down now, okay?"


    [...] The Stranger did not really answer and just nodded his head.


    "Good," Diana also nodded as she pried the helmet open with both hands, "Seriously, is there a version of you that actually knows how tomunicate with someone, Bernard Ro¡ªHuh?"


    Diana blinked a couple of times as her eyes reflected the Stranger''s face. And before she could say anything, she felt a sharp pain stab her in the stomach¡­ literally.


    "..." Diana looked down, only to see some sort of ck de stabbed through her lower stomach. This was the first time in a very long time that she had once again experienced physical pain...but she couldn''t care less. The only thing that she did was calmly hold her stomach as she stared at the Stranger''s face.


    "...Fuck, fuck!" the Stranger whispered to herself as she struggled to stand up. And finally, after squirming for a few seconds, she was able to push herself away from Diana''s grasp; crawling back before finally being able to stand,


    "Fuck!" The Stranger once again screamed; her frustration, enough to cause the very air itself to distort.


    Diana was sure, he was sure that it was Bernard. But now she realized that there was actually one more just like him.


    Same fighting style, same cadence, same tactics.


    "You¡­" Diana slightly stuttered as she squinted her eyes,


    "...Hannah?"

 Chapter 706 706: Oh...Hi?

    Chapter706 706: Oh...Hi?


    "Shit¡­ fuck. Fuck!"


    There have been many things that Diana has forgotten throughout her life, mostly due to the fact that most of her memories are thousands of years old. There will bepses from time to time, but one thing that she will never fail to remember is her daughter''s voice and choice of voacbry.


    And it would seem even another universe''s version of her was the same.


    "This is why I don''t like fighting you, god. So frustrating!"


    "..." Diana continued to watch this alternate version of Hannah scream in frustration for a few more seconds, before finally turning to look at the ck knife stabbed through her stomach. She continued to stare at it for a while, before gritting her teeth and pulling it out.


    "Ngh¡­kh!" She let out a constricted groan, followed by a loud gasp as she truly was no longer used to feeling this kind of pain. Even then, however, she quickly inspected the de to try and see what it was made of.


    And she doesn''t know whether she doesn''t remember, or she clearly has not seen this kind of material before. She tried shattering it with her grip, but all it did was leave a mark on her palm.


    "Don''t bother," Hannah finally stopped prancing around and screaming; her breaths, still clearly deep as she looked at Diana. She then opened up her palm, and as she did so, the ck de in started spinning the de around her hand, "It''s from Cosmos-462, and so far you can only find it there. It was made from some sort Diana''s hand flew toward her,


    "This is Carmondium," Hannah said as she cleared her throat and started spinning the de around her hand, "It''s from Cosmos-462, and so far you can only find it there. It was made from some sort of¡­bone from an old god or whatever that doesn''t exist anywhere else."


    "..." Cosmos-462, Diana didn''t have to think to figure out what that means.


    "And in that world, it has a very interesting name," Hannah then let out a small sigh as she slid her palm across the de, curiously making it disappear,


    "The Themarian Killer."


    "..."


    "Oh, don''t look so shocked, Mother," Hannah rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Did you really think themarians were invincible?"


    "..." Diana did not really answer.


    Themarians, invincible? She probably thought that a thousand years ago, but not anymore. After all, as of today, she had witnessed the annihtion of themarians not just once, but twice¡­ and all in the hands of one person.


    "Oh, by the way," Hannah then let out a small sigh as her armor started fading away. Or more specifically, it was sucked by her golden bracelet, revealing her fiery pink full-body suit that clingly wrapped around her curves,


    "That''s not going to heal," she said as she pointed at the gaping and bleeding wound on Diana''s stomach. And after another sigh, she threw something at Diana.


    "..." Diana inspected the thing that Diana threw first, before catching it at thest millisecond. It was a small bottle the size of a finger, containing a green glowing liquid.


    "Drink that. That''s the only way you''re going to survive this."


    "Is it?" Diana finally spoke as she looked at her wound again, trying to see if it was going to close or not¡ªbut it should have already as soon as she pulled the de. But now, the wound seemed evenrger than before.


    "It''s not poison, Mother," Hannah ced her hand on her waist, "It just looks like poison, but it''s not. Come on, I could have stabbed you with the de from the start¡ªI just got desperate, there''s no need for you to actually die. Don''t be stubborn like thest one and wait for me to inject that into you."


    "...Are you able to answer my questions?" Diana did not drink the vial just yet as she looked Hannah in the eyes.


    "No," Hannah immediately let out a small scoff as she subtly shook her head, "I''m actually not even supposed to speak to any of you just yet."


    "How many universes has your world traveled to?"


    "Fuck, Mother¡­" Hannah sighed, "I just told you I''m not allowed to talk to you."


    "My husband said there should be many portals appearing here, so why is yours the only one? Are you capable of preventing others from¡ª"


    "Stop! Stop! How many times do I have to tell you not to ask any questions!? Just drink the shit!"


    "Cosmos-462. Does that mean you have¡ª"


    "No."


    "..." Cosmos-462. Although Diana was still clueless about many things about the multiverse, she could at least deduce that the number of universes that this Hannah''s universe has traveled to would be at the very least 462. After all, Diana and the others from the Common Council decided to call the very first Other Earth they visited as Earth-1.


    "Anyway, just¡­" Hannah once again let out a sigh as she tapped her bracelet, summoning her armor once again, "...Just drink the goddamn shit, Mother."


    "Wait! You¨CUgh!" And as Hannah''s feet started to leave the ground, Diana tried to fly and chase her again, only for the hole in her stomach to grow evenrger; her blood, spurting and gushing out like a faucet.


    "..." Diana closed her eyes, before letting out a sigh as she looked at the green vial. This was given to her by Hannah, so there¡ªno.


    The fact that it was given by Hannah should make her worry even more¡­


    ¡­even more so another version of her.


    ***


    "Damn it, that Diana was very good."


    And as no one was chasing her anymore, Hannah took her time to fly back to her portal; even removing her helmet as she took in a long and deep breath. Her eyes, taking in the sights of a world she has seen before thousands of times, but at the same time, never before. A small hint of exhaustion could be seen reflecting from the moisture wrapped around her eyes; wanting to fall, but always finding the strength to hold on.


    "..." She nced to where she left Diana, before just shaking her head and letting out another sigh loud enough to be heard even as the wind violently hit her in the face, "Two universes meeting their variants who seemed to have no idea what they''re doing¡­ someone''s going to have a field day with this."


    Hannah finally quickened her flight, only to once again slow down as she was directly below the portal she came from¡­ as well as directly above the hidden room where she found the variants.


    "Alice with an amplifier, Dad and Alice should really stop existing in one universe. That shit''s giving me creeps," she whispered to herself, "1 Bernard, 1 Deceased Bernard, Alice, two Dianas, and an Aerith variant¡­ or was that the Queen?"


    Hannah tried recalling everyone she found in the room, "I don''t even know which of the variants actually belong in this universe, damn it. Fuck¡­ this really isplicated."


    And as her frustrations grew enough for her to start shaking her hair, she suddenly stopped moving and flying altogether as she realized something.


    "1 Bernard, 1 Deceased Bernard¡­" Hannah once again whispered as she counted the names of the people in the room, "Shouldn''t¡­ there be one more ording to the scan?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Meh, probably no one important." And so, with those words, Hannah once again flew up, causing the clouds above her to ripple, revealing the portal hiding above them. And without even the slightest of hesitation, she went straight through it.


    And just like entering any other door, Hannah was in apletely different ce¡ªa room that looked eerily simr to the infrastructure and walls of Ahor Zai. There was nothing there, however, just a small gray empty room.


    And as soon as her feet touched the gray floor, her bulky ck and gold armor disappeared into her bracelet.


    "Ugh, so tired," Hannah groaned as she removed her bracelet, and without even a care, she just let it fall from her hand.


    [Wee back, Ms. Hannah.]


    And before the bracelet could even touch the floor, a hand emerged from it to catch it; a feminine voice that seemed simr to Diana, also reverberating throughout the entire room,


    [Was your expedition sessful?]


    "Don''t ask," Hannah rolled her eyes as she justzily walked toward an empty wall.


    [That bad, I see.]


    "Just close the portal, I still need to buy something."


    [But the expedition¡ª]


    "Fuck the expedition, let Dad handle it!" Hannah mmed her palm on the wall, "Just close the goddamn portal, I have a sale I need to get to, damn it!"


    [Very well,] and like an eye closing, the portal floating at the very center of the room disappeared. And as soon as it did so, the wall in front of Hannah opened up,


    [By the way, someone was¡ª]


    "Save it forter," Hannah just waved her hand before stepping out of the room, the hall in front of her, alsopletely gray. There really was no way of knowing how long the hallway was, as one couldn''t really see the end of it.


    It didn''t matter to Hannah, anyway, as she just flew up¡ªthe ceiling above opening a tunnel as she did so. And as she emerged from the other end, she found herself inside another room¡ªor more specifically, a cubicle. Or even more specifically, a toilet.


    Hannah then casually grabbed a set of clothes that were hanging on the door of the cubicle, quickly wearing it as she stepped out. And indeed, she was in a public restroom.


    The other people looked at her, but she did not even give them a single nce as she checked herself in the mirror; putting on a cap and tying up her hair into a ponytail before nodding to herself.


    "Hm¡­ no need for makeup," she then said as she stepped out of the restroom¡­ and into what seemed like a public mall.


    "Let''s go buy some shit before Dad finds out," Hannah then grabbed her phone from her pocket as she started walking around.


    "Excuse me, Miss."


    But not even ten steps after, she found her path blocked by someone.


    "God, can you guys just stop hitting on me just for one sec¡ªOh¡­ Hi?" Hannah was about to snarl as she groaned in frustration. But as soon as she saw the man standing in front of her, she quickly but subconsciously started touching her hair; the mall, everything, and everyone around her just seemed to disappear,


    "Did¡­ did you need something from me?" Hannah tried her best not to look at the man from head to toe. But how could she not, when this was probably one of the most unique but oddly good-looking people she has ever met?


    "For now I only really need one thing, Miss¡ªyour name."


    "Stop¡­ being so formal," Hannah stuttered as she subtly leaned closer to the man, "And it''s Hannah. You?"


    "Ross¡­


    ¡­Riley Ross."

 Chapter 707 707: What In The World?

    Chapter707 707: What In The World?


    "You were born in Ohio? Shit¡­ must have been tough."


    "Not at all, I was blessed with affluent parents that pampered me and my sister."


    "Oh, a sister? Younger or older?"


    Whether or not it was his intended oue, Riley was now once again casually eating Korean Shaved Ice with Hannah, albeit apletely alternate version of her. The two of them have probably been talking for hours; not even taking a short break since their first meeting.


    And although the other customers inside the shop were trying to be subtle, their nces were obvious; some of them even outright took a photo of Riley without his consent. And as a matter of course, Hannah almostshed out at the people, but Riley said it was alright and that he was used to the attention.


    After all, an albino is even more rare than a Super¡ªand it would seem that truth holds true even in another universe. But still, Hannah insisted as she approached the crowd; telling them to ''fuck off'' as calmly as she could. But s, it waspletely useless as "And I don''t mean your appearance. Although you do kinda look like those elves, and not the small imp ones, mind you."


    another crowd just reced them.


    "Older," Riley answered Hannah''s question, "The two of you are somewhat simr, Hannah. But at the same time, you arepletely different from each other."


    "Huh¡­ Well, I don''t think I have ever met someone like you, Riley," Hannah let out a small giggle, covering her mouth as she lightly leaned forward over the table; twirling the spoon she was holding in her ss of vored shaved ice that has already melted into vored juice,


    "And I don''t mean your appearance. Although you do kinda look like those elves, and not the small imp ones, mind you."


    "Hm. What about you, Hannah? Do you have any siblings, a brother?"


    "Oh no, it''s just me and my dad," Hannah let out a very long and deep sigh as she shook her head, "And thank god I don''t have a brother. I already had enough of my dad, I don''t want another one of him just running around the ce."


    "You don''t like your father?" Riley tilted his head to the side, before putting a spoonful of shaved ice in his mouth whichpletely melted before Hannah could give an answer to his sudden question.


    But finally, after a few more hesitating breaths, Hannah responded with a small chuckle.


    "I mean, I love my dad¡­" Hannah stopped twirling her spoon as she leaned back, "...but he can be a dick sometimes. You know what I mean?"


    "I may have some ide¡ª"


    "That woman just got robbed!"


    And finally, after a few hours of conversing with one another, their growing chat was disrupted by a loud voice that shook the entire shop. Everyone turned to look at the man, and then toward where he was pointing to.


    And as he excitingly said, there truly was a woman getting mugged outside the mall.


    "..." Riley did not even really bother looking at themotion, and instead just continued to look at Hannah with his head tilted to the side. He wanted to see what the Hannah of this world would do upon seeing a criminal act.


    But even as the thief was able to take the woman''s bag and started running away, Hannah just continued to watch. And it wasn''t only her, even those that were near the incident just stood there like the bystanders there are.


    "Everyday¡­" Hannah then let out a sigh as she shook her head, before grabbing her phone from her purse. She seemed to be texting someone; a very short message based on how fast she hid her phone again,


    "Wee to New York, I guess," and like nothing happened, Hannah once again chuckled as she leaned forward, "It''s either the piss, the pigeons, the addicts, or the robbers that would make you realize it isn''t as morous as people make it out to be. You were probably disappointed when you moved here from New Zend?"


    "I am used to moving a lot and experiencing other ces, Hannah," Riley ced his spoon on the table, wiping it clean with a napkin as he looked Hannah in the eyes, "And it is not really the ce you remember the most, it is the people. Your perception of the ce will be based on them."


    "O¡­Oh," Hannah blinked a couple of times; her breaths slightly stuttering as she returned Riley''s gaze, "Don''t start getting all deep on me here. But since it''s like that¡­


    ¡­how is New York so far for you?"


    "It is not that different from what I am used to," Riley looked outside before quickly cing his eyes on Hannah again, "But you make it a little familiar, Hannah."


    "S¡­stop it," Hannah took in a small gulp as her cheeks slightly turned red, "You know you don''t have to flirt with me, right? We''re like¡­ already on a date."


    "This is a date?" Riley blinked a couple of times.


    "You¡­" Hannah raised an eyebrow as the smile on her face disappeared. But after a few seconds, they once again returned with a chuckle, "I seriously have no idea if you''re joking or not. Is that part of your¡­ autism or something?"


    "Perhaps, perhaps not."


    "You know, this is the first time I''m actually having fun after a very long time¡­" Hannah once again leaned back on her seat as she sighed, "...It''s just work, work, and more work. You think there''s more out there for us? And I''m not talking about the other ces in the universe."


    "My father actually says that there is less out there for us," Riley still continued to sit up straight as he finally finished cleaning the spoon he was holding, "Once you explore the unknown, then it just bes like the rest of almost everything¡ªirrelevant and forgotten. Everything you need, everything you will ever need will always be near you."


    "That doesn''t make any sense, you weirdo," Hannah closed her eyes and giggled, "But I feel like that''s something my dad will also say."


    "It makes a lot of sense."


    "Dad!?"


    And almost out of nowhere, a shadow crept behind Riley''s seat, causing Hannah to sit straight before standing up,


    "What are you doing here!?"


    "..." Riley did not really react hastily, and just very slowly turned around. And there, another variant of Bernard stood. Riley had already thought that his father was gaining a little too much weight, but the Bernard behind him probably took not just thest piece of cake, but all of it.


    Riley wouldn''t call him fat, however, as it was obvious from the streaks and lines in his arms that everything was muscle¡ªbut even still, this Bernard makes his father look incredibly small.


    And although he was only wearing a shirt, there was also a certain elegance in him that two of the Bernards he had metcked.


    "You''re really going to disrespect me like that in front of your new friend?" A small smile crawled on Bernard''s face as he nced at Riley, "Sorry, sir. But can I borrow my daughter for a bit?"


    "Dad¡­!?" Hannah subtly gestured to her father to go away, "Can''t you see we''re busy?"


    "...Not really?" Bernardughed, "But seriously, I need to talk to you


    e meet me at the parking."


    "Da¡ª" And before Hannah could even say anything else, Bernard already turned around and left the shop. Hannah could really only fall back to her seat; her eyes, ncing up and down Riley for several times.


    "It is fine, Hannah," Riley breathed out.


    "That¡­ ugh," Hannah once again stood up, "Just wait for me here, this won''t take long!"


    "Hm," Riley nodded in response as he watched as Hannah chased after her dad.


    And it turns out, Hannah was wrong. The mall was already closing before she once again entered the Korean Shaved Ice store.


    "You''re¡­ still here?"


    "Where else would I be, Hannah?" Riley just blinked a couple of times as he looked at Hannah; his table, filled with probably a dozen empty sses, "You said to wait for you here."


    "You could have just left¡­" Hannah didn''t know whether to smile or not, "Why would you even wait for me?"


    "Because I want to, Hannah," a small smile crawled on Riley''s face.


    "That¡­" Hannah looked at Riley; her eyes, subtly moving as she seemed to examine every inch of his face. And soon, a smile also appeared on her face as she approached Riley and grabbed her wrist,


    "Come on, let''s just get out of here!" She excitedly said as she pulled Riley away from the table.


    "We have not paid for everything we consumed, Hannah," Riley said as he nced at their table.


    "It''s fine, we own the mall!" And with those words, Hannah started touring Riley around the city like she knew it from the back of her hand¡ªevery inch and every street, she had something to say.


    This world also has heroes and viins, but the size of their influence was simr to that of Riley''s Earth¡ªin fact, so far, this world seemed like the one in Riley''s universe before all the aliens started visiting.


    There were no signs of any extraterrestrial life living here, even though Hannah has mentioned them in passing several times during their chat.


    But if there was one difference thatpletely made this Earth diverge from his was the statue of Megawoman. A statue carrying Aerith''s liking.


    A statue majestically erected in front of Riley, ced right at the very center of Central Park.


    A statue with all sorts of markings and etchings, most of them saying the word¡­


    ¡­Traitor.

 Chapter 708 708: A Party Forming

    Chapter708 708: A Party Forming


    Traitor. Racist. Speciest. Evil. False hope. Cunt.


    Those were just some of the¡­ derogatory words that were written on the statue of Megawoman. For a being such as Aerith, one could already consider these words to be sphemous¡ªwell, at least for the Aerith of Riley''s universe.


    "And you know, there are¡ªOh, they still haven''t removed that thing?"


    Hannah, who was busy telling Riley some random things about anything and everything, could not help but halt her steps as she noticed Riley standing in front of the statue of Megawoman.


    "Is this the first time you''re seeing this?" Hannah asked as she approached Riley, "The infamous Megawoman. Apparently, a lot of people still like her¡ªI can''t me them, she was a hero¡­ it''s just a shame that turned out to be an illusion in the end."


    "Hm¡­" Riley only let out a hum as he removed his eyes from Aerith''s statue and started walking away. Once again, he was reminded that he was in apletely different world with apletely different history.


    "If they aren''t going to remove it, they should at least clean the fucking thing," Hannah let out a long and deep sigh as she followed Riley, "The dude''s already dead, it''s not like they could disrespect her any further."


    "...Dead?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he nced at Hannah.


    "...Are you being serious right now?" Hannah raised an eyebrow, "Dude, it was all over the news, Whiteking offed her."


    "I do not watch the news."


    "...Right, you weirdo."


    Thest world did not have Hannah, and this one no longer had a Megawoman¡ªcould it be that the two can not exist with each other? Of course, he had only been in two other universes so it was hard to say anything¡­ but it was possible.


    Thest world and this world, Bernard Ross seemed to be at the very center of everything¡­and the only reason he wasn''t in Riley''s universe is because it was Riley''s universe.


    Riley''s entire existence made Bernard focus only on taking care of him and his sister, causing him to be cast in the shadows instead. And when Riley was absent from everything for 5 years, Bernard was able to achieve a lot of things.


    "Well, enough about the depressing stuff," Hannah then patted Riley''s back as she ran forward. Her giggles, whispering into Riley''s ears as she started spinning in front of him with her arms stretched to the side¡ªalmost as if a ballerina being drowned by the light of the setting sun, her shadow danced on the ground seamlessly and elegantly.


    Riley could really only watch, his mind wandering to the past when he and Hannah were still children. Children who knew nothing about the world, and in return, the world knew nothing about them


    ¡ªwell, at least Hannah¡ªRiley became famous a little too fast.


    "Ah! It''s gettingte already," Hannah let out a sharp hum as her happy steps stopped. She then turned toward Riley; the flush in her cheeks, amplified by the light that flooded everything in the park,


    "Should we¡ª"


    And before Hannah could say anything, a tune suddenly rang in the air¡­ from Hannah''s purse. Hannah immediately grabbed her phone, quickly rejecting the call as she looked at Riley again,


    "Should we¡ªFuck!"


    And once again, Hannah received a call. And this time, she quickly walked to the side to answer it; her voice, clearly frustrated and hurried at the same time. And at the end of the call, she walked back to Riley with her shoulders slightly lowered.


    "...Where are you staying?" It wasn''t only her shoulders that were lowered, but also her voice.


    "..." Riley did not really immediately answer her, and instead just looked around the park before saying, "I suppose I am staying here, Hannah."


    "Oh, god¡­" Hannah let out a short but very deep sigh as she slightly closed her eyes, "Please don''t tell me you''re homeless."


    "I do have a home, but it will be hard to go back to," Riley shrugged, "Right now, I do not belong anywhere."


    "...Seriously?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded before he stretched his arms to the side, "This is everything I own."


    "You''re saying you don''t have any money?"


    "Yes."


    "So, what? You''re like a nomad or something?" A small chuckle escaped Hannah''s lips, "Don''t tell me you''re actually from another universe?"


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times, before just nodding his head, "Yes. I am from another universe."


    "..."


    "...Pft," Hannah''s chuckles turned into a full-blown fit ofughter as she looked Riley in the eyes, "Right, and I''m¡ª"


    And once again, Hannah''s words were interrupted as her phone began to ring again.


    "Ack! I know it already!" Hannah screamed in frustration as her feet started to leave the ground. And without any warning, she suddenly threw a keycard toward Riley,


    "Go to the Majesty Hotel, I have a ce there you can crash for the night¡ªI''ll call them to let them know about you."


    "Are you not worried that I am a murderer that has killed billions of people, Hannah?" Riley said as he caught the keycard.


    "If you were, you would have already been caught! I''ll see you again¡­


    ¡­okay!?"


    And with those words, Riley watched as the Hannah of this world flew into the skies; leaving him alone in the park and looking at the keycard. But after a few seconds, Riley returned to the statue, circling around it and examining every nook and cranny.


    "...Hm."


    ***


    "What¡­ happened here?"


    Back on Earth-1, Diana returned to the secret location of the Manus Dei with Bernard and Earth-1 Diana. Of course, not before Bernard screamed and howled as he saw therge gaping wound on Diana''s stomach.


    Suffice it to say, Diana drank the green vial there and then, ''less she wanted to turn deaf. Bernard also checked it for contents that could be considered dangerous, but he couldn''t really detect anything. But then again, it was from another universe¡ªeither way, Diana would be in danger, so she just chose not to bleed instead.


    And when they confirmed that she was indeed no longer bleeding and her wound have began healing, the three returned to the Manus Dei¡­ only to find Earth-1 Alice and Aerith sitting on the ground and covered with blood.


    "...What happened here?" Earth-1 Diana repeated her question as she looked back and forth between Alice and Aerith.


    "Ask this woman!" Aerith quickly pointed at Alice.


    "..." Alice did not really answer and just very slowly looked to the side to avoid Earth-1 Diana''s gaze. But after a few seconds, she just shook her head and let out a sigh,


    "Riley escaped and we couldn''t stop him," she then said monotonously.


    "Stop him!? You helped him escape!" Aerith lightly mmed her fist "...Oh, the other portal is there."


    "..."


    on the floor, causing the entire underground building to shake.


    "Escape¡­?" Diana joined in on the conversation as she looked around the room, only to find that Riley truly was missing, "Where? Did he return to our universe?"


    "..." Alice once again very slowly looked away, before sighing and looking at Diana, "He¡­ kinda went up?"


    "Up?" Diana squinted her eyes before they widened with her breath, "...Oh, the other portal is there."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...I''ll figure out the coordinates," Bernard, who has been quietly observing the situation, could not help but let out a very long and deep sigh as he summoned his helmet, "I have other Bernard''s data from his suit, this should be enough."


    "How long will it take you to do this?" Aerith stood from the floor, "I wish toe with you, but in the meantime, I want to mourn my dead and immortalize them. I¡­


    "...Mother?" Aerith said in confusion.


    "Excuse me?" Earth-1 Aerith raised an eyebrow as she looked at ¡­would appreciate it if the two of you could help me," she then said as she looked at the two Dianas.


    "Of¡­ course," Diana hesitantly nodded as she was from another universe. But considering her son did this, she owed a million times more to the Aerith of this world, "We should¡ª"


    And before the three could even start nning preparations, a silhouette stepped out of the portal to Riley''s universe¡ªAerith.


    Everyone turned their heads toward her. Aerith, however, just looked at Earth-1 Aerith with her eyes wide open.


    "...Mother?" Aerith said in confusion.


    "Excuse me?" Earth-1 Aerith raised an eyebrow as she looked at Aerith from head to toe.


    "..." Aerith blinked a couple of times as she also looked at Aerith-1 from head to toe, but after a few seconds, she just shook her head and approached Diana with her heavy steps,


    "Why was I not informed about all of this!? You failed to tell me that we threw Riley to another universe!? You should have told me first when you found out! And why didn''t you even ask me to join¡ª"


    "Who are you?"


    "What? What do you mean who¡ª" And before Aerith could finish her words, she noticed another Diana standing close to Bernard,


    "There''s¡­ two of you now?"


    "Not just me," Diana pointed at Earth-1 Aerith.


    "...But that''s Queen Vera."


    "My name is Aerith''Hel¡­" Earth-1 Aerith once again raised an eyebrow as she started circling Aerith.


    "...What?" Aerith followed Aerith-1 with her eyes, before they ultimatelynded on the headless corpse on the floor. And in just less than a second, she let out a sigh and looked at Diana,


    "Riley?"


    "...Riley."


    "Hm¡­" Aerith closed her eyes before looking at the others from Earth-1, "I¡­ am sorry, I truly am. I''m one of the people responsible for putting Riley here."


    "...Sorry?" Aerith-1''s eyebrows began to lower, "You brought a monster here who killed everyone I know!"


    "I know," Aerith closed her eyes again, "And there is nothing I could do to ever change that. But for now, our priority is stopping him¡ª


    he needs to be stopped¡­


    ¡­That''s why I brought reinforcements."

 Chapter 709 709: The Golden Hair, Once Again

    "That is why I brought reinforcements."


    "Reinforcements? What do you¡ª"


    "Wassup, bitches from another universe!?"


    And before anyone could even ask Aerith what she meant, a voice cracked like thunder as a white silhouette stepped out of the portal; her long white hair that was tied in a ponytail, snapping in the air as she looked at everyone inside the silver room.


    "Champion Karina Ross in the house!"


    "..."


    No one really said anything. They just watched as the white-haired girl started waving and spinning her hands, before ultimately doing some sort of¡­ victory pose as she pointed her palm up.


    "I know, I know," Karina then started bowing her head, "You are in awe of my presence, it is fine, it is normal. I shall sign autographster¡ªand no, I am not selling my bath water!"


    "..."


    Karina Ross, even after more than 5 years, has remainedpletely the same; right down from her appearance, and to her maturity.


    "You¡­ brought my granddaughter here!?" Diana could not help but raise her voice, causing all the Earth-1 variants to look at her.


    "Ah, grandma!" Karina was about to run toward Diana, but her eyes suddenly settled down on Alice,


    "Ah, grandma!" She repeated her words as she pointed at Earth-1 Alice; her mouth, very slowly shaping into a smile wide enough to reach both her ears.


    "I¡­ have a granddaughter?" Alice let out a stuttered and excited gasp as a smile also started to grow on her face. But s, aside from pointing at her, Karina ended uppletely ignoring her after as she just went to Diana to hug her.


    "It took a little convincing, but Mom allowed me to go," Karina giggled as she snuggled on Diana''s chest.


    "You took my granddaughter?" Diana quietly mouthed at Aerith as she returned Karina''s embrace. And before she could get an answer, another silhouette stepped out of the portal.


    Another Aerith.


    "There''s¡­ another one of you?" Earth-1 Diana lowered her eyebrows, "How many universes have you people jumped to?"


    "This is the first one," Diana quickly answered, "She''s a clo¡ª"


    "She''s my daughter," Aerith did not let Diana finish her words as she introduced the person that just stepped out of the portal, who does indeed have the exact same face as her,


    "This is Silvie Savelievna, my daughter."


    "...Hello," Silvie nodded her head as she looked at Earth-1 Diana and Alice, but as soon as her eyesnded at Earth-1 Aerith, they immediately glowed red as she quickly got into a fighting stance.


    "It''s not her, she''s¡­ my variant," Aerith quickly blocked Silvie with her arm.


    "Your variant?" Earth-1 Aerith raised an eyebrow, "And what is this, some kind of family affair? Just how many more family members are you bringing into my universe?"


    "Well¡­" Aerith hesitatingly nced at Diana as she let out a small whisper. And of course, Diana quickly noticed her expression.


    "Who else did you bring¡­?" Diana blinked a couple of times as she already had an idea as to the answer to her question,


    "No¡­ the two of you aren''t even that close¡ªyou barely talked to each other."


    "Well¡­" Aerith sucked in a breath, "Let''s just say she has your ways of persuasion¡­ and she''s also the one who told me about all of this so¡­


    ¡­I didn''t really have a choice but to bring her in."


    "No. You¡ª" But s, Diana could not even say a word in before the person she didn''t want to see in this universe stepped out of the portal¡­ with the person''s eyebrows already as low as they could be and her lips turning into a snarl.


    "Where. Is. Riley?" Hannah''s steps contained a hint of weight on them as she quickly looked at each and every person in the room. She was wearing her superhero suit, but the cks now dominated the pinks.


    "Where is my brother?" Unlike the others who stepped out of the portal, Hannah did not even greet the people from Earth-1, ignoring even her mother as she just immediately approached Bernard, who was busy calcting and examining all the data that the deceased Earth-1 Bernard had.


    "Hannah¡­" And even though she was ignored, Diana still approached Hannah and grabbed her by the arm, "...He jumped to another universe when we weren''t¡ª"


    "What did I fucking tell you all!?" Hannah quickly pped Diana''s hand away as she returned her gaze, "I told all of you that sending him to another Universe would just create more problems!"


    "...You didn''t say that."


    "But I told you not to just throw him away!" Hannah''s eyes started to turn moist as her voice cracked, "I¡­He was changing! He told all of us that he wanted to try living a normal life, and you threw his development down the drain!"


    "He¡­ wasn''t going to change, he''s not capable of¡ª"


    "He is!" The air around Hannah started to distort as she raised her voice even further, "You knew in the first ce that he was different from us! Perhaps you should have actually tried being a mother to him once in your life and not treat him as some sort of science experiment!"


    "I''m not¡ª"


    "No¡­" Hannah shook her head as she just continued to approach her father, "No."


    "So, that''s your daughter with Bernard," Alice sneakily leaned closer to Earth-1 Diana, whispering into her ear as she silently giggled, "I kinda like her."


    "She looks like a menace, like you," Earth-1 Diana clicked her tongue, "I liked the adopted son more."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "I¡­ quite liked him too," Alice whispered; the tone of her voice, containing a hint of sadness and longing, "Except the killing everyone part, which everyone seemed to be chill about now except for the themarian. Wait, my god¡­


    ¡­are we the racist variants?"


    ***


    "Good evening, butler."


    "Ah, Mr. Riley. We have been expecting you."


    Riley was now in front of the Majesty Hotel; his clear eyes, reflecting the towering building covered in ss and warm luxurious lights. There were also a lot of people in front of the ss door, all seemingly already waiting for Riley to arrive.


    "Please," the one that seemed to be the head butler gestured to Riley to enter the hotel, "Someone will escort you to your room."


    "Thank you, Butler," Riley nodded his head as he just casually entered the hotel; his long white hair, flowing with the draft of wind that softly blew from the inside. Riley already knew that the hotel would be luxurious, and so, he made sure to wear a suit ordingly. He wore a long white coat and suit, which almost made him look as if he had wings behind his back when partnered with his long white hair.


    He was calm, but the staff of the hotel was only pretending to be.


    "I thought Ms. Hannah was joking when she said that her friend looked like an elf¡­ but is this man even real?"


    And it wasn''t only the staff that weed Riley outside, even the receptionists and waiters inside could not take their eyes off of Riley.


    "Is he a cosyer? I didn''t know Ms. Hannah dabbled in that stuff."


    "Stupid, does that even look like cosy to you? That''s clearly his real hair and skin."


    "This is the first time Ms. Hannah is ever inviting a friend here."


    "...You think she would bring a friend to the hotel? They''re clearly more than friends."


    "...Does that mean this is Ms. Hannah''s type? Is that why she''s always ignoring Lord Jonas''s advances?"


    "This¡­ this is a big scoop."


    And as Riley was walking across the lobby, people and even some of the staff started grabbing their phones, subtly snapping photos of him without his consent.


    "Hide that! Do you want to get fired!?"


    "Everyone''s doing it! No one will know."


    Perhaps no one will really know, but Riley has already memorized each and every face inside the lobby as he was escorted to the private elevator to Hannah''s suite.


    "Sir Riley, please¡ª"


    But as soon as the elevator doors slid open, someone suddenly blocked their way¡ªcovering the path with his arm as he suddenly stood in front of Riley.


    "L¡­Lord Reuben, this is Ms. Hannah''s guest," the steward gulped.


    "Hannah''s guest?" The man called Lord Reuben started looking at Riley from head to toe; his golden hair that brushed to the back, softly moving as he did so, "Hannah hasn''t even invited me to her suite, and you tell me she has another guy over?"


    "..." Riley wasn''t interested at first, but as soon as he heard the man''s name, he subtly nced at his face,


    "Who is this?" Riley then asked.


    "This¡­" The steward did not know whether to answer or not, "...This is Lord Jonas Reuben, the grandson of the ch¡ª"


    "The grandson of Alistair Reuben?"


    "Ye¡ª"


    "You know my grandfather, but you don''t know me?" Jonas Reuben clicked his tongue as his hand slightly mmed on the elevator walls.


    "I am not from around here, Jonas Reuben."


    "And where the fuck did youe from, mate?" Jonas very slightly moved closer to Riley as he finished sizing him up.


    "L¡­Lord Reuben, please," the steward tried to stop Jonas from approaching even closer, "Ms. Hannah called us¡ªhe really is her guest."


    "I''m not asking you!" Jonas''s eyes turned red as he looked at the steward, "Let the albino and I talk, you have no right to¡ªKh!"


    "S¡­Sir Riley!?"


    And all of a sudden, Riley grabbed Jonas''s face, lifting him from the floor as two of his fingers almost dug through his glowing eyes.


    "You are lucky enough to be alive because I wasn''t here, Lord Reuben," Riley then said as his eyebrows began to lower, "But now that I am here, your life is optional."


    "W¡­what?"


    "So, tell me," Riley looked Jonas straight in his glowing eyes, "This ability of yours¡­


    ¡­how did you acquire it?"

 Chapter 710 710: Another One Golden

    Reuben Group of Companies. The 2ndrgest conglomerate in the entire world, owning 50% of the tech, automobile, hospitality, and entertainmentpanies on the. Sitting on top of it is Alistair Reuben, who was born almost a hundred years ago now, and still living to date.


    Alistair Reuben was busy with building his empire to the point that he built his familyst. He is already at the end of his years, and has already named the heir to his legacy¡ªone of his grandsons.


    He skipped an entire generation to choose Jonas Reuben as his sessor. One would be curious as to why he made this kind of decision, but it was simple, really.


    Jonas Reuben did not really excel in the family, as his cousins and siblings were also as smart and vicious as he was. He wasn''t also more qualified than his father, who everyone thought would be the next chairman.


    What Jonas Reuben has, however, is age and beauty.


    Jonas Reuben was at the right age to be partnered with the sole daughter of one of the wealthiest persons in the entire universe--not Earth, but the entire Known Universe.


    He was just the right age for Hannah Ross.


    And as is the course, Jonas did not want to disappoint his grandfather¡ªto the point that he had even hired gurus and professional romanticists in order to learn how to perfectly court Hannah.


    He started trying to court her when they were just 15 years old, but Hannah waspletely oblivious to him¡ªno, she waspletely oblivious to everyone around her. And whenever Jonas was sessful in gaining a response, Hannah would either flick her middle finger at him, or berate him out right in front of a lot of people.


    But still, Jonas persevered, as it only wasn''t only his duty at the line, but also his pride. And there was also the undeniable fact that he does indeed have developed feelings for the feisty princess.


    He followed her anywhere. And when she decided to live in one of her hotels in New York City, Jonas also decided to book the room below indefinitely.


    He had done nothing but wait for her to fully acknowledge his presence, but to no avail. But then, he learned from one of his spies from the staff of the hotel that Hannah invited someone over¡ªa man named Riley.


    And so, Jonas had to see for himself. And he did, and now he couldn''t see at all.


    He couldn''t see as two fingers were currently digging their way through his eyes; his feet, swinging loosely in the air as he was being lifted like a baby.


    "S¡­Sir Riley!"


    "Let¡­ Let go of me!"


    Jonas gripped Riley''s arm as hard as he could, but all he really did was almost dislocate the joints of his own fingers. He tried iling his legs and kicking him also as hard as he could to the point the air around them cracked, but not even a single strand of Riley''s hair moved.


    "Lord Reuben!"


    "Let go of the Lord now!"


    And very soon, Riley found himself surrounded by almost a dozen people, all wearing suits and ties; no doubt that they were Jonas''s personal security guards. Riley really only nced at them one by one, before turning his attention back to Jonas. As for the steward that was unfortunately and literally caught up in the middle of this hazardous situation, the only path he could really take was into the elevator. And so, he just subtly moved his feet and sneakily slid inside without anyone noticing.


    "I will let you go once you answer my question, Lord Jonas," Riley breathed out as he tightened his grip on Jonas''s face, "Where did you acquire your abilities?"


    "W¡­ what do you mean!?" Jonas''s breaths turned into gasps as he started to panic.


    "I¡ª"


    "Let him go, now! This is your final warning!"


    "..." Riley could really only look at the guards again as they started screaming and shouting, not allowing him to focus. He looked at them one by one again, fighting the urge to just turn them into nothing there and then. But as soon as he remembered that he was inside Hannah''s hotel, any thought of taking a life disappeared from Riley''s mind as he sighed.


    "Let him¡ª"


    "No."


    And before any of the guards could say anything else, Riley just casually stepped inside the elevator, bringing the poor Jonas with him. The guards rushed to box them in, or at least try to shut the powers off of the elevator, but they all found themselves tripping to the ground, with their faces falling first to the floor.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Which floor, butler?"


    And sadly for the steward who thought that he would be able to escape the dangerous situation, thest hint of his freedom very slowly reflected in his eyes¡­ until it was no more as the elevator doors closed and he was trapped with the very cause of the trouble.


    ''Of course'', he thought. Of course, the only person that Hannah has ever invited to her home would be a troublemaker just like her¡ªand not just any troublemaker, a fearless one just like her.


    "Y¡­yes?"


    "That''s not a floor, butler."


    "..."


    "..."


    The steward did not really know where to look, as it was either the wall or Riley as he moved his eyes from left to right. But finally, after a few more seconds, he let out a short but very deep sigh as he swiped his card and pressed the top floor of the hotel.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "This elevator is actually solely for Ms. Hannah''s use," the steward then instinctively started to exin as the elevator moved,pletely ignoring the fact that he could hear Jonas''s whimpering struggles, "It can only be essed by us, and the keycard you are currently in possession of. She lives in the penthouse on the topmost floor."


    "Thank you for the information, Butler," Riley nodded.


    "..." And after that, the ride was rtively quiet, with only Jonas making a sound until the elevator rang and its doors opened.


    "This is Ms. Hannah''s floor," the steward then said as he held the elevator doors open,


    "We¡­ are not really allowed to step inside unless she tells us to."---this is a lie, but the steward did not really want to involve himself in the situation any further.


    "Understandable, Hannah prefers her privacy," Riley did not really think much about it as he just stepped into Hannah''s penthouse. And finally, for the first time since he jumped into this universe¡­


    ¡­Riley experienced shock.


    Hannah''s penthouse¡­ it was clean.


    "..." Riley almost let go of Jonas as he looked at the penthouse with his wide mouth slightly opened. There were lots of hints of pink; even the neon lights that were seeping out from each step of the stairs breathed out its color.


    Riley''s shock did notst long, however, as he remembered they were in a hotel and Hannah most likely asks the staff to clean her house every day. And so, with his initial shock subsiding, Riley raised his free arm.


    And soon, several sheets of stic bags started flying out of every cab in therge kitchen of the penthouse. As expected, even in another universe, Hannah had the habit of collecting stic bags to reuse them in the future, only for her topletely forget about them.


    Riley then set the stic bags on the floor,ying all of them t like carpet. And as soon as he was sure that he had covered enough, he threw Jonas on top of it.


    Jonas quickly tried to crawl away even with his vision still notpletely healed, but found himself blocked by a wall, an invisible wall. But of course, Jonas doesn''t know that just yet.


    "Where¡­ where did you take me!?"


    "I only blinded you, Lord Jonas. You should have heard my conversation with the butler," Riley walked on the stic carpet, causing quiet crackles to whisper in the air,


    "I am going to ask you again, Lord Jonas. How did you acquire your abilities?"


    "What kind of question is that!? Don''t you know who I am!?" Jonas''s panic reached its peak as he just sat on the floor with his arms stretched and waving, "I didn''t acquire my ability, I was born with it!"


    "No."


    "No!?" Jonas''s eyes started batting as he started recovering his vision. And even though Riley''s silhouette was stillpletely a blur to him, he still tried to look him in the eyes, "How else would I¡ª"


    "You have the same abilities as Megawoman, correct? Albeit a more inferior and weaker version."


    "What? And so what!? It''s a verymon ability for a super!" Jonas showed his teeth as his vision finally cleared, "And who even are y¡ª"


    "Call your grandfather."


    "...What?"


    "Call your grandfather and ask him how you acquired your abilities."


    "No! Why would I even do that!? Do you think I am afraid of you!?" Jonas''s eyes once again turned red, causing Riley''s eye to twitch,


    "And why does it matter to you anyway? Who even are you!?"


    "I am¡ª" Riley was about to answer, but he realized something.


    He realized that it didn''t really actually matter to him. The Aerith of this world had nothing to do with him, and he didn''t know whether or not she was even simr to the Aerith he knew.


    "...Hm." And so, with a small hum, Riley shrugged his shoulders.


    "You can go, Lord Jonas."


    "...What?"


    ***


    "...Huh?"


    Somewhere in Japan, a smalldy wearing a golden fox mask was looking at the sky¡ªno, she was looking at the words floating in front of her.


    [Defeat the Viin that came from another world. The Viin has already killed you before, don''t let it happen again!]


    "...Huh?"

 Chapter 711 711: A Deadly Misunderstanding

    "Chihiro, what''s wrong?"


    "...Do you know of any superviins from another?"


    "A superviin from another? Uh, no one reallyes to mind. And even if there was, do you really think Whiteking would allow them?"


    Chihiro, aka Golden Fox¡ªJapan''s No. 1 Superhero.


    Out of all the billions of supers, she probably holds the most unique ability in the entire universe. Unlike most abilities which were either straightforward or just in simple, Chihiro''s ability was unique in a way that there seemed to be a 3rd party entity that ''talks'' to her.


    And unlike the other supers who needed to be lucky with the power lottery to ensure their future potential, Chihiro grew stronger in a way that waspletely different from the rest.


    Her ability gives her tasks toplete, and if she manages toplete them well, she grows stronger and sometimes even gains abilities simr to other supers. She was also able to summon weapons from a separate space, which was literally called an ''Inventory Box''.


    She didn''t really know what to call her powers, but her friends did.


    They call it ''The System''.


    And now, The System was giving her another task.


    [Defeat the Viin that came from another world. The Viin has already killed you before, don''t let it happen again!]


    Chihiro stared at the words floating right in front of her; her eyes, slightly trembling at the second part of the message.


    A Viin that has already killed her before? As far as she knows, the only time she got closest to death was when she almost died as a child.


    A viin that came from another world¡ªThe System can be quite literal, so what does it exactly mean from ''another world''? Another? Or perhaps¡­


    ¡­from another dimensionpletely?


    Chihiro was capable of summoning portals that she could use to store items, or travel anywhere she wanted. Could it be there''s someone else out there that is capable of creating portals¡­ but connecting to another dimensionpletely?


    "...Do you know of any viins capable of creating portals? Or any super?"


    And once again, Chihiro looked to her friend as the two of them felt the violent winds breeze through their faces. The two of them were currently standing on top of Japan''s highest tower, their eyes, reflecting the busy streets of Tokyo.


    The two of them were wearing some sort of ninja suit, with Chihiro wearing a golden mask and a golden scarf that snapped in the air.


    "A super capable of creating portals?"


    "Can you please stop repeating my questions?" Chihiro let out a small and quiet sigh as her shoulders dropped.


    "Hmm¡­ Well, aside from you, I don''t think there''s anyone, really," her friend just crouched down like a cat, before shrugging her shoulders and scanning the city below them, "Why are you suddenly asking these questions? Do we have a new quest or something?"


    "...Yes," Chihiro nodded as she once again looked at the floating words in front of her, "It''s asking us to defeat a viin from another world."


    "...An alien?"


    "I don''t know," Chihiro shook her head, "But it seems pretty important. I''ve been trying to wave it off, but the System won''t allow me to at least minimize it. A viin from another world¡­ do you think it''s possible that it''s not from¡­ our Earth?"


    "Not from our Earth?"


    "Can you stop repeating¡ª"


    "Wait, wait¡­" Chihiro''s friend quickly stood up and she looked Chihiro in the eyes, "No way¡­


    ¡­are we finally getting monsters from another dimension!?"


    "...What?"


    "It''s like in the novels andics!" Her friend then grabbed her by the shoulders and started shaking her, "The time of superheroes is over¡­


    ¡­it''s time for Hunters to take over!"


    "...What?" Chihiro squinted her already small eyes even further as she tried to figure out what her friend was trying to say.


    "Ugh, seriously, Chihiro¡­" Her friend then let out a groan and a sigh at the same time as she took a step back and started iling her body side to side, "...Why did an ability that''s straight from the novels gifted to someone that hasn''t even read a single word of light fantasy literature?"


    "...I read books."


    "I don''t mean math books, Chihiro."


    "..." Chihiro only red at her friend for a few seconds, before just letting out a sigh of her own and shaking her head. And after a few seconds of quiet contemtion, she finally tapped the floating words in front of her.


    "!!!"


    And as she did so, a lot more words popped up.


    [Chihiro, this is your time for revenge! A being from another universe hase to this world to wreak havoc, death, and destruction. This viin has already killed you before, and it will do so again as soon as it gets the chance to do so¡­]<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "It''s¡­ from another universe," Chihiro muttered as the System just answered their question.


    "Shi¡­ Really!?" Chihiro''s friend almost shrieked in excitement. As for Chihiro, she was trying her best to hide the grim expression that wanted to crawl on her face¡ªshe waspletely hiding the fact from her friend that the system was telling her that this viin killed her before.


    But s, she could no longer hide her distress as she read the next parts of the task.


    [Would you like to ept this quest? Failure toplete this quest will result in your death. Not epting this quest will result in your death, but at ater time, and along with everyone else that you hold dear.]


    "...Chihiro?" Her friend finally stopped dancing in excitement as she noticed the quiver in Chihiro''s eyes, "...What''s wrong?"


    "..." Chihiro looked at her friend for a few seconds, before quickly pressing and epting the quest, ''less she identally refuses it and caused everyone to die, "It''s¡­ nothing."


    [The Ultimate Viin of the Multiverse!]


    "..." Chihiro once again blinked in surprise as another message popped up in front of her¡ªsomething the System has never done before.


    [You have already died once from this entity, do not let yourself be fooled! Another version of you has already died from this viin, it is not your friend! You have been warned.]


    The System¡­ was warning her?


    "...Open Quests," Chihiro whispered to herself, and as she did so, another window popped up in front of her. And without even any dy, she started clicking at each of the quests listed there,


    "Abandon everything," she then said as the list became smaller and smaller until only one remained. Chihiro waved his hand, going back to the window of hertest and only quest. She reviewed everything again, before pressing on the icon that was on the lower left of the floating window.


    A map of the Earth then quickly appeared in front of her, telling her where she needed to go.


    "This¡­ America?" Chihiro tilted her head to the side, "Are there any news in America that''s worth a look, Aoi?"


    "Hmm," Her friend, Aoi, quickly grabbed her phone from her pocket and started searching the web for anything interesting. But after a few minutes, she just let out a sigh and shook her head,


    "Nope, just more super to non-super violence, guns. Oh, and there''s a super that killed a bunch of his ssmates."


    "...So, nothing new?" Chihiro ced her hand on her chin as she started looking at her quest again; pressing randomly as the System might give her another clue. But s, there was none.


    "Oh, Jonas Reuben is in the news again," Aoi giggled as she started watching the news, "Seems like he got into a fight with someone that doesn''t care about who he is. Ah! He got kidnapped!"


    "..." Chihiro only nced at Aoi as she started bursting out inughter, "Aoi, please¡­"


    "S¡­ sorry. Pft¡­" Aoi grasped her stomach as she tried her best to stopughing, "It''s just that¡­ it''s kinda funny. Look, he got kidnapped by someone that looks like he''s doing cosy."


    "..." Chihiro only nced at the screen as Aoi showed it to her. She was going to focus on the map again, but she suddenly grabbed Aoi''s phone away from her.


    "Hey!"


    "This man¡­" Chihiro blinked a couple of times as she zoomed in on Riley''s face, "He looks¡ª"


    And before Chihiro could finish her words, her eyes suddenly turned wide as visions started to crawl through her mind.


    [Downloading thest moments of your death.]


    "!!!"


    Chihiro gasped as she suddenly found herself in some sort ofrge dome, surrounded by all sorts of people¡ªmost of them, heavily wounded.


    Chihiro couldn''t really focus well, as there was a tall man screaming and violently waving his hands.


    "..." Chihiro doesn''t really know what she was feeling right now, but it felt like she was hurting for some reason. She started looking around again, only to see the white-haired man that was on the video just calmly standing near her.


    Chihiro wanted to examine him more, but the tall man started getting aggressive¡­ before he suddenly lunged himself toward the white-haired man.


    "...Riley?"


    And before Chihiro knew it, she leaped in front of Riley, using herself as a shield as the tall man''s fist went straight through her torso.


    "!!!"


    "Chihiro!?"


    Chihiro let out a deafening gasp as she woke up from the visions that suddenly bombarded her mind. She quickly turned to look around to try and see where she was, only to find herself back at the top of Tokyo Tower.


    "..." She then quickly turned to look at the phone she was holding again, zooming in further onto Riley''s face.


    "I¡­ I saved him?" Tears started to fall from her cheeks. Her eyes that reflected Riley''s face, containing a hint of yearning, "You¡­


    ¡­Who are you to me?"

 Chapter 712 712: If You Incist

    "Go."


    "...Huh?"


    "You can go now, Lord Jonas Reuben."


    Back in the penthouse of the Majesty Hotel, Jonas was stillpletely perplexed by the sudden development of his¡­ minacious situation. He truly thought he was going to die here¡ªthe stic bags were even finely set up so that any blood that woulde out of him wouldn''t dirty the floor.


    Jonas did not let himself be confused for long, however, as his hands and legs began to crawl away while his eyes werepletely locked onto Riley, making sure he wouldn''t do anything to him. But before he could actually creep and skitter away, the elevator door suddenly rang.


    And as soon as a gap was formed from the doors, a small metallic object rolled on the floor, inching directly and expertly right beside Riley. And as soon as it made contact with his foot, it clicked and exploded; shing a blinding white, followed by a literal cloud of blindness that fogged the entire penthouse.


    And it wasn''t done. A deafening throbbing siren also rang in the air, causing the cloud to vibrate and amplify the noise even more.


    Jonas, who was sprawled on the ground, could not help but hug himself into a curl as he covered his ears. But soon, a feeling of relief covered his entire body as he felt someone pulling him away from all of this mess.


    "Surround him, surround him!" Several streaks ofsers then started dancing within the fog as steps of the guards drummed in the air¡ªtheir feet, obviously moving in a way to once againpletely surround Riley.


    And as for Riley, his eye only twitched due to the sudden noise the little bomb produced. His difort didn''tst long, however, as he let out a sigh whichpletely blew away the fog into a ripple almost instantly.


    "..."


    Jonas''s private guards, which were wearing full gear, could not help but just look at each other as they were suddenly exposed. The confusion in their eyes, visible even through the gas masks they were wearing. Their confusion, however, quickly turned into panic as soon as they saw Riley¡­ or rather the person he was holding.


    "W¡­what?"


    Jonas wasn''t pulled away by one of his guards, no¡ªhe was dragged back by Riley.


    "L¡­Let go of him!"


    "I was going to let him go, everyone," Riley let out a short but very deep sigh as he shook his head. His hands, once again grabbing Jonas, "And I am still going to let him go as soon as all of you clean up the mess you have made."


    Riley then turned to look at the penthouse. He hasn''t even explored it, and yet it was now covered in soot and dust from the bomb they set off.


    "Clean¡­" Riley lifted Jonas into the air, "...Or I will kill all of you once you are out of Hannah''s penthouse."


    "We do not negotiate with terrorists!"


    "I am not the one using bombs," Riley sighed, "Clean, or I will kill you and your family."


    "Why did you include our families!?"


    "Kevin, shut up!"


    "...Guys, focus!" Jonas no longer tried to struggle, as doing so just might irritate Riley. He may be arrogant at times, but he wasn''t a fool¡ªhe knew there were levels to being a super, and this weird white-haired guy was at apletely level than him,


    "Just¡­ just do what he says for now!"


    ***


    "What¡­ the fuck is even this?"


    "H¡­ Hannah!"


    And after a few hours, in the dead of night, Hannah finally arrived home¡­ only to be surprised that almost a dozen men wearing hazmat suits were busy running around her house, some even wearing aprons as they thoroughly brush, wipe, and clean every inch of her abode.


    "...Jonas? The fuck?" Hannah waspletely unaware of what had happened, as she was in apletely different universe discussing some things with her dad. The attendants below wanted to tell her something, but she just waved them off as she was tired and just wanted to rx and maybe chat with her new friend for a bit.


    "What the fuck is going on here?"


    "Save us, it''s¡ª"


    "Wee back, Si¡ªHannah."


    Sadly for Jonas, before he could even plead his case, he found himself being pulled by an invisible force, straight back to the carpet he was brushing. His personal guards too, flinched as they hastened whatever it is they were doing as they heard Riley stepping down the stairs.


    "These people suddenly trespassed into your home and made a mess of it," Riley then let out a sigh; his long white hair, iling with every step he made, "I told them they couldn''t leave before they clean all of it."


    "They¡­ trespassed?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded before pointing at Jonas, "Except him, I brought him here since he was blocking the elevator and seemed adamant to meet you."


    "...Out," Hannah''s voice started to shake as she looked at Jonas, "Take all of your men and get the fuck out of my house, now!"


    And without even waiting for anything else, Jonas and his guards quickly rushed into the elevator¡ªnot before, of course, neatly returning their cleaning supplies.


    They couldn''t really fit in that well since Jonas added to the weight, but still, they packed themselves like canned sardines as they waited for the door to close. And right as it was about to close, Jonas red at Riley.


    "You and I aren''t done," Jonas red, "Don''t think you can just live peacefully after what you''ve done to me. You may be strong, but power isn''t only in strength."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    And with those words, the elevator doors finally closed.


    Only for it to suddenly open again.


    [Elevator has exceeded the weight limit.]


    "..."


    "..."


    Jonas could really only awkwardly nce at Riley, absolutely not knowing what face to make as Riley also returned his nce at the same time.


    "..."


    "..."


    The guards looked at each other one by one, before just forcefully pushing the unfortunate individual that was standing at the front.


    "..."


    And finally, the elevator closed once again, and this time, it stayed closed¡­ leaving one of the guards inside the penthouse.


    "..." The guard didn''t know where to look, as he could feel Hannah''s re bing more fiery by the second. And with what felt like an eternity, the elevator came back as he quickly went in and joined his peers who betrayed him.


    "...Did that just happen?" Hannah pointed at the elevator as she looked at Riley, "What the fuck?"


    "Hm," Riley nodded, "The Reuben family seems to be filled with people that have unattainable dreams."


    "...You''ve met another one before?" Hannah just let out a long and deep sigh as she tried to push away everything she just saw away from her mind.


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "We also got into a fight."


    "Ugh¡­" Hannah rolled her eyes as she walked toward her living room, before just letting herself fall and sink into her sofa that might as well be a king-sized bed, "...Enough about the Reubens, I''m already tired of dealing with other shit. I''m sorry you got tangled with all of this, Riley. We''ve only just met like hours ago and you''re already dealing with the annoying things in my life."


    "I do not mind, Hannah," Riley sat opposite Hannah but did not let himself sink into the sofa but instead just sat upright, "I can deal with your¡­ shit as long as you want me to. It is the least I could do."


    "..." Hannah only nced at Riley, before turning her eyes to the ceiling and letting out another sigh, "Stop saying things like that. I''ll misunderstand, you know?"


    "Misunderstand what, Hannah?"


    "That¡­ that you like me," Hannah slightly covered her face with her hair as she wanted to sink further into the sofa.


    "There is nothing to misunderstand, Hannah."


    "That¡­ right, of¡­ of course," Hannah let out an awkward chuckle.


    "Because I do like you."


    "Wh¡­what?" Hannah almost choked on her own saliva as she quickly sat up, "What¡­ what are you saying?"


    "You are the very first person that I liked," Riley said without any hint of hesitation or stutter, "And if I am truly capable of feeling love, then you are the only person I feel that to."


    "What¡­ we''ve only known each other for like hours," Hannah lifted up her legs and hugged them. Her eyes, looking to the side as she started fidgeting with her hair, "And I¡­ I don''t really know how to respond to that. As¡­ as you may have already noticed, I¡­ I''m not really one for rtionships."


    "Hm," Riley nodded his head in agreement, "That is true."


    "H¡­ Hey!" Hannah gasped. But after a few seconds, she once again giggled, "It''s¡­ hard to date when everyone is just after your money, or after your dad''s influence. You already know who my dad is, right?"


    "I suppose." Riley already knew, of course¡ªbut he did further research while going to the hotel. In this world, Bernard Ross''s identity as Whiteking was stillpletely unknown.


    "And you''re not even intimidated?"


    "There is no reason for me to be so, Hannah."


    "...Huh. I guess that''s a nomad''s way of life, huh?" Hannah very slowly stood up from the sofa as she made her way closer to Riley, "You know¡­"


    Hannah then sat beside Riley; her breath, almost visible as she shuddered, "I''ve always wanted to run away from all of this¡­ but I can''t. I can''t rebel, because there''s really no reason to."


    "..."


    "Dad always gave me the things that I want, and besides my duties, I am free to do whatever the fuck I want," Hannah pushed herself closer to Riley, "But¡­


    ¡­there''s actually one thing I haven''t done yet."


    And with those words, she leaned closer.

 Chapter 713 713: A Brothers Touch

    There was a sense of serenity traveling the air, but the turmoil that was breathing out from Hannah''s lips was enough to turn the atmosphere mildly wild. There was still an entire foot between her and Riley, and yet her warm breaths caused Riley''s long white hair to flutter due to how deep and strong they were.


    "You know¡­" Hannah repeated her words in a whisper as she leaned ever so slowly closer to Riley, "...I feel really close to you for some reason."


    "That is because you are, Hannah. You''re only a few centimeters away from me right now."


    "I''m¡­ not talking about that, silly¡­" Hannah''s words became even slower as her hand found itself sitting on top of Riley''s thigh, "I mean¡­"


    Hannah leaned even closer to Riley; her nose, almost touching his face before her head just suddenly dropped toward Riley''s chest.


    "..." And just like that, her body was overloaded with all sorts of emotions; partnered with her very tiring day, Hannah could not help but just faint from exhaustion there and then.


    "..." Riley slightly leaned his head down to look at Hannah''s hair, before just letting out a sigh and gently cing her down the sofa to rest. And as her whistling breaths whispered in the air, a nket flew toward her, softlynding and covering every inch of her body, leaving only her head exposed to breathefortably.


    "Hm," Riley then gently adjusted Hannah''s bangs with his hand, delicately pushing them to the side so he could see her whole face¡ªand there she is.


    Hannah.


    Unlike the other variants he had seen, there was absolutely no difference in physical appearance with Hannah. He had seen two other Bernards, yet they looked somewhat different from each other due to their weight and their overall style, same with Diana. As for Alice, well¡ªshe''s older. Aerith waspletely different.


    But Hannah? Her height, her weight, and even the way her body curved and moved was the same. It truly felt like his sister was sleeping beside him.


    If there was one thing that was different, it was their rtionship. Of course, their rtion to one another would bepletely different¡ªbut this was different.


    This Hannah Ross is presenting romantic feelings toward him, he had seen it so many times before. And with that thought circling in Riley''s mind in a loop, he could not help but remember the fake wedding he had with Hannah. It was a weird feeling, but he recalls that it was also a nice feeling¡ªalmost as if he gained a semnce of normalcy in his life.


    ''Normal'', Riley could not help but close his eyes and sigh upon thinking of the word. The smile that almost crawled on his face, gone before it coulde to life, expressionless.


    The reason he didn''t continue torturing Jonas was that he really had no reason to. He wanted to hurt him because Riley knew that he gained his ability by extracting a part of Megawoman¡ªRiley found himself a little¡­ angry. But when he realized that the Megawoman of this world is not the one he knew, he stopped.


    It should be the same with the Hannah of this world. She ispletely different from his sister; no matter how simr they are, even if they truly are the same people and just different versions of each other, this is not his sister.


    And so why?


    Why does he feel some sort of attachment to the stranger lying and breathing beside him?


    Riley breathed out as he opened his eyes and once again looked at Hannah''s face.


    Peaceful. This is her life without his genocidal brother in the picture.


    Riley knew what is right and what is wrong¡ªthat was part of the fun. Destroying everything and torturing everyone was only fun because he knew it was wrong, and he didn''t care. He just has to because that is what he was made to do, and he had learned to fully embrace and enjoy it.


    He knows what is right and what is wrong. And this?


    "This is wrong," a small whisper escaped Riley''s lips as he looked away from Hannah, "You know, Hannah. I believe more than anything that if there is a way to truly control me, that is you. I could even perhaps consider you my weakness."


    Riley smoothly brushed the back of his hand on Hannah''s hair as he looked at nowhere in particr, "I want to ignore you, I want you to be rid of me¡ªand yet every part of me needs you. I need to be with you. I made a promise to myself that I break over and over again. You are never going to be safe and happy with me."


    "..."


    "When I approached you, I thought things would be different," Riley ced his palm above Hannah''s cheek, but did not touch it, "I thought that because you are a different person, it is alright to risk being by your side."


    This Hannah is different, she is aplete stranger. So Riley thought that he wouldn''t care even if he puts her in danger¡­


    "But it''s not," Riley moved his hand away, "I underestimated how dear you are to me. Even as a stranger who has lived apletely different life¡­


    ¡­you still remain as the most important object in my life."


    And with those words whispering away into the quiet air, Riley carefully stood up and walked toward the kitchen¡­ not knowing that Hannah was actually awake.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "What¡­ what the fuck was that about?" Hannah very quickly but sneakily covered herself with the entire nket, wanting to sink deeper into the sofa to hide the growing redness of her face. In truth, she just pretended to faint and fall asleep to test what Riley was going to do.


    After all, although she might feelpletely at ease with this stranger she just met hours ago, she wasn''t a fool. She knew that she was feeling things that would cloud her judgment, and so she wanted to know what Riley was going to do to her when she fell asleeppletely defenseless beside him.


    Hannah expected a lot of things, but a monologue expressing a deep and fathomless love and a confession of how she was dearly wanted and needed was not one of them. She wanted to get up and ask Riley what he meant by all of that, but it would be too awkward now.


    And so, Hannah found her mindpletely filled with all sorts of thoughts Riley. As for Riley, he got a ss of milk from the fridge, before going to the penthouse''s main bedroom and sleepingfortably there¡­


    ¡­leaving the owner of the house to sleep on the sofa.


    ***


    "I¡­ I managed to fall asleep?"


    It would seem Hannahpletely underestimated how tired she was. She thought she wouldn''t be able to fall asleep due to her overthinking mind¡ªbut now, as she opened her eyes, the morning sun that seeped into the tall and wide windows of her house nketed her silhouette.


    The brightness didn''t wake her up, though. It was the sound of a sizzle and the smell of butter.


    "..." Hannah just instinctively got up from the sofa, beforezily following the vorful scent and walking toward the kitchen with her eyes still half-closed.


    "Nina, I told you I was going to eat out to¡ªYou''re not Nina." Hannah''s eyespletely widened in surprise as she saw Riley cooking in the kitchen.


    "Good morning, Hannah," Riley did not nce at Hannah and instead just continued cooking.


    "I¡­ have a personal chef to do that," Hannah did not really know what to think as she saw the sight.


    "Perhaps," Riley shrugged before taking off the pan he was holding away from the stove and serving its contents onto the te near him, "But I wanted to cook for you."


    "What¡ª"


    "Scrambled egg, whisked with cream and cheese, and then cooked with salted butter," Riley then expertly ced the te on the ind counter, putting it beside another dish already ted, "Unseasoned bacon marinated in sweet soy sauce, and chili-garlic oil on the side."


    "W¡­what?" Hannah batted her eyes a couple of times as she looked at the meal in front of her; ted even better than her personal chef, "Wait¡­


    ¡­I love these, how did you¡ª"


    "Avocado,pletely covered and zed with powdered milk," Riley was not done as he ced another te on top of the counter, "Only eat it once you''re done with your breakfast."


    "...Fuck," Hannah could really only instinctively sit on the stool, casually epting the fork that Riley handed him. Riley sat on the opposite of the counter as the two of them just started having a meal as if they were used to having it together.


    "F¡­Fuck¡­" Hannah stuttered as she gulped her first bite, "Maybe¡­ I should hire you instead?"


    "There is no need to hire me, Hannah. This is just one of the things that I could at least do for you to repay everything that I have done."


    "...Weirdo."


    The two didn''t really talk after that, with Hannah almost moaning as she enjoyed every bite of her food. As soon as they were done, Riley quickly grabbed the tes before Hannah could do so and started washing the dishes.


    And with nothing to do, Hannah just decided to check her phone to see everything that she missed while she was in another universe¡­


    ¡­only to see the outside of her penthouse being broadcast on the news on live television.


    [Hannah Ross and a mystery man, what is their rtionship?]


    [Hannah Ross''s suspected boyfriend and Jonas Reuben caught in an altercation!]


    "...What the fuck?"

 Chapter 714 714: A Mystery on Top of a Mystery

    Chapter714 714: A Mystery on Top of a Mystery


    [Who is this mystery man, and what is his rtionship with the universe''s most sought-after bachelorette?]


    [Hannah Ross, who has remained strong and adamant about her independence, now suddenly lives with a man?]


    [This white-haired individual seems to be an albino but¡ª]


    "Fuck, I knew this would happen. But I didn''t know it would be to this extent, do these people have nothing better to do!?"


    Hannah quickly turned off the TV as she once again made her way to the windows. And even though they were at least 50 floors into the air, she could still see how many people were down there, waiting for her to go out.


    "I would assume you are used to the poprity by now, Hannah," Riley, on the other hand, just casually turned the TV back on, switching the channels as he took a sip of warm milk, "Also, is there an Italian Mafia Reborn here?"


    "...How are you so calm?"


    "I am used to the poprity."


    "Who even are you?" Hannah didn''t know whether tough or raise an eyebrow as she saw Riley just calmly sitting on the sofa, switching channels with squinted eyes. Hannah turned to look at the crowd again, but as soon as she did so, a helicopter suddenly dawned on her,


    "What the¡­" Hannah rushed to close her curtains¡ªbut s, with the size of her windows, it would take a while for her penthouse to be hidden.


    "The media truly has a problem with privacy," Riley let out a sigh as he lightly snapped his fingers, causing the helicopter to be slightly blown away, "But I suppose I am the same."


    "...We need to get out of here," Hannah clicked her tongue as she started running around her penthouse, gaining anotheryer of clothes each time she enters and exits a room, "Ugh, I wanted to take a shower¡­ but I''ll do that at work."


    And as she frantically tried to get dressed, Riley just continued to change the channels, calmly sipping a ss of milk and not minding Hannah. But s, before he could finish his warm and soothing beverage, Hannah suddenly pulled her up and dragged him away.


    Let''s go, go! We''ll just sneak and fly away from the rooftop."


    "..." As for Riley, he could really only squint as he saw the TV disappear from his sight¡ªhe saw a show that resembled Italian Mafia Reborn, but could it really be it?


    "There isn''t anyone here, right?" Hannah carefully opened the door to the roof, and once she realized that it waspletely empty and the helicopter was just circling around her penthouse, her feet quickly left the floor as her entire body was engulfed in a fiery armor of fire,


    "What about you, where are you going?"


    "I suppose I should check more of this world."


    "...You''re leaving the country?" The mes surrounding Hannah became weaker along with her voice.


    "No, I am just going to take a casual walk around the city."


    "Sheesh, you really have a way to be dramatic with your words," Hannah rolled her eyes, "If you were just going to take a walk, then you should have just said that."


    And then, with a small giggle, Hannah made sure to fly up, away from all the eyes of the people. As for Riley, well¡­


    ¡­he went back inside the penthouse to check whether or not what he saw was really Italian Mafia Reborn.


    But s, hey on the floor on all fours as he found that it was, in fact, not Italian Mafia Reborn. Could it be that like him, Italian Mafia Reborn is a singr existence in the entire multiverse?


    Or perhaps it, Hannah, and Aerith could not exist together without him?


    "Hm," Riley stood up from the floor, taking in a very deep breath as he closed his eyes in disappointment,


    "I am no longer weed in the universe where we are created, Italian Mafia Reborn," Riley then whispered to himself as he started walking around the penthouse, "It would seem we are no longer fated to be¡ª"


    And before Riley could even start his monologue, he noticed the pictures on Hannah''s walls.


    "Oh?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he started looking at all the photos. And without even a second of scanning them, he quickly noticed two things¡ªthere weren''t any photos of her as a child.


    The youngest photo of her seemed to be around when she was 14 years old¡­ a year after the Aerith of this world died.


    "Hm¡­" Riley squinted his eyes as he continued to scan the photos. There were photos of her with Bernard, with someone that looked like Prophet, which he could very well be. There were also photos of her posing with Hera, Empress, Tempo, Bulwark, and Whiteking all in their superhero outfits¡ªThe Hope Guild.


    There was not, however, a single photo of Diana to be seen anywhere.


    Is it possible she died early on? Does it have something to do with Aerith being called a traitor?


    There were a lot of details in this world that seem to be hidden, unlike thest Earth he visited where everyone was honest with their feelings and discrimination against other species. But once again, however¡­


    ¡­Bernard was at the center of everything.


    The Bernard of this world obviously has ess to the multiverse, and yet he was hiding it from everyone. Riley also came to know that the civilians did not really know that Bernard is Whiteking.


    There was also the fact that the existence of aliens is already known in this world, and yet he could see no trace of them.


    "Hm¡­" Riley ced his hand on his chin as he thought long and hard about what could possibly be going on in this world. But after just a few seconds, he shrugged his shoulders and started walking back to the rooftop.


    Whatever the case is, it doesn''t really concern him just yet¡ªand so, with that thought, Riley stood at the very edge of the building. He looked up to where Hannah flew toward, before just casually stepping forward and letting himself freely fall from the building¡­


    nding in front of all the reporters and paparazzi, almost hitting some of them as the floor beneath his feet burst from the sudden force.


    "W¡­ what was that!?"


    "What just happened!?"


    A cloud of dust formed, and sadly for the reporters, Riley was already gone when it cleared. As to why Riley did something like that, well¡­ he was going to kill all of them before he remembered that no one knew him as a genocidal maniac yet¡ªit would be nice to keep a certain level of anonymity for now. And also, he just killed around a trillion people in the previous universe, he feels like that deserves at least a few days'' vacation.


    And so, Riley just casually walked away from the eyes of the reporters; none of them even realized that the individual they wanted to make a report on just passed by them.


    Hannah''s penthouse is in the middle of New York City, and true enough, aside from getting small nces here and there, the people tend to just leave him alone. After all, he wasn''t the weirdest entity here.


    "Ah, Butcher," Riley then pointed at a bald man that was just standing in the middle of Times Square. He was going to approach him, but soon noticed it wasn''t actually Butcher and just some sort of street performer pretending to be him.


    Riley continued to walk around, realizing more and more how normal this world looked¡ªRIley could even consider it more normal than his Earth before all the aliens arrived.


    "Riley."


    Soon, however, Riley found himself suddenly surrounded by a number of people wearing suits, or to be more specific,w enforcement. Riley has actually already noticed them since earlier, and they have himpletely.


    "My name''s Officer Grimes, FBI," one of the officers showed his badge as he carefully approached Riley, "We need you toe with us to the station."


    "Am I under arrest already, Officer Grimes?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he looked at the officers surrounding him, "Is this because I dragged Jonas Reuben by his face?"


    "...You kidnapped him," Officer Grimes let out a small and deep sigh before shaking his head, "But no, you are not under arrest. It is for your own protection¡ªJonas Reuben has the tendency to¡­ get revenge on people that offend him."


    "I thank you for trying to protect me, Officer Grimes," Riley nodded several times; his long white hair, causing everyone to be in awe as it seemed to be even smoother than silk, "But I want to walk around and see the city, I rarely experience freedom like this nowadays."


    "That¡­ I''m afraid that''s not possible," Officer Grimes shook his head, "You are not under arrest, but you are under suspicion. You don''t have an address, you don''t have any identification¡ªyou don''t even exist."


    "I was sort of abandoned as a baby, Officer Grimes."


    "Please, don''t make this any harder for us¡ªwe do not want to use force."


    "But you have snipers locked on to me, Officer Grimes," Riley turned to look up at the buildings surrounding him, "Do they have special bullets that could prate my telekic barrier?"


    "They''re not for you," Officer Grimes once again shook his head, "Please, just¡ª"


    "Hostile iing!"


    And before Officer Grimes could finish his words, several voices started screaming in the air; the ground, trembling as the sound of drumming footsteps grew closer and closer to them. And since they were in the center of Times Square, the crowd that gathered all started to panic¡ªwith some of them pushing each other to get away from whatever it was that wasing.


    "Fuck, they''re here, the dogs of the Reuben Family¡­


    ¡­the Jackson twins."

 Chapter 715 715: Language

    Chapter715 715: Language


    "Diana, what the fuck is this!? I thought you said Riley was here!?"


    "Well, he''s not!"


    "You let your daughter talk to you like that!? I did not expect such insolence to pass you, Caiin''Ur. But I suppose the humans are your weakness no matter the universe you stand¡ª"


    "Just don''t, don''t add to this, Aerith-1."


    Hannah, Diana, and Earth-1 Aerith were currently in some sort of wastnd, flying in the air with their voices screaming in the wind. The wastnd wasn''t entirely a desert, as the ground was filled with what seemed like hundreds of trillions of algae creating a sea of green.


    No, it wasn''t just a sea of green¡ªas even in the air, microscopic algae littered everywhere.


    "Fuck, I think I got one in my mouth!"


    And it wasn''t a pleasant smell, "Where the fuck is Riley!?"


    "He''s not here," Diana could really only let out a short but very deep sigh as the three of them continued to fly without stopping, "The radar I developed detects Riley''s energy signature even if he is a million light years away."


    "Then why the fuck are we here if he''s not here!?"


    "Because the radar detected a simr energy signature."


    Diana once again let out a sigh, before the three of them all turned their heads behind them.


    "...That does even look like Riley!?"


    Hannah screamed in frustration as her eyes reflected a mountain, a moving mountain that happened to resemble a worm.


    A colossal worm¡ªno, a titan that devours anything that happens to be in its path, a world eater¡­


    ¡­and it just so happens to be chasing two and a half themarians.


    "It somewhat carries the same energy as Riley," Diana sighed, "But it does look a little cute, no? Very interesting creature, it''s a titan inside an atmosphere with gravity, yet it doesn''t crumble and crumple in its own weight¡­ magic."


    "Why are you acting like a perv!?" Hannah once again screamed in frustration as she strayed her eyes away from the titan. And soon, the portal back to her Earth reflected in her eyes,


    "And why can''t we just kill it!?"


    The air around Hannah started to distort; the heat she was emitting, killing every algae within a hundred meters of her.


    "Hannah, no!" Diana quickly pped Hannah''s butt.


    "What the fuck!?" Hannah moved away as she red at her mother.


    "No," Diana''s eyebrows began to lower, "We don''t belong in this universe, one single mistake we make here could cause a catastrophic¡ª"


    "Bullshit. Nothing''s gonna happen if we kill that thing!"


    "We all have a ce in the ecosystem."


    "And now you''re some kind of humanitarian? Don''t forget I know that you''ve destroyed several civilizations, you old relic!"


    "Disrespectful," Aerith-1mented on the side,


    "Fuck¡­!" And with another roar, Hannah entered straight into the portal, followed by Diana and Aerith-1. Hannah did not really wait for the two, as she quickly walked away; patting herself off of any contaminants that might have attached to her body.


    "Dad!" Hannah once again raised her voice as she looked around the vast gray hall surrounding her¡ªthe dome of Ahor Zai.


    Diana and Aerith-1 stepped out of the portal behind her, but that wasn''t the only portal within the dome, no. There were more, and soon, several people also started emerging from them.


    "Ack, get it off me! Get it off me!"


    "I told you to stay still, Rina! Do you want me to call your mom!?"


    "Are you two children? Wait, one of you kinda is."


    Karina stepped out from a portal, wildly swinging her hands as she seemingly tried to reach for something on her back. As for Silvie who followed behind her, her groans of frustration almost rivaled that of Hannah''s as she tried to get Karina to stay still. Empress was thest to step out of the portal, shaking her head as she just stood quietly on the side.


    And finally, after a few more violent strides and waving arms, Karina calmed down, finally allowing Silvie to examine her.


    "..."


    "...There''s nothing on your back," Silvie''s tone became quickly exhausted as she examined Karina, only to see nothing there.


    "But I can feel some hairy strands like crawling on my neck. I swear, there''s like some sort of multiversal spider there or something!"


    "We didn''t even go to a jungle, we were literally on another version of Jersey! You¡ªwait, do you mean this?"


    "Ack! That''s it! Take it off, take it off!"


    "That''s your hair, Rina."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Oh."


    "Silvie, any luck?" And with the two calming down, Hannah quickly approached them; her eyes, not really expecting anything, and for good reason, as Silvie just shook her head and sighed.


    Another group emerged from the other portal¡ªAerith and Diana-1. And much like Hannah and the rest, they just shook their heads in defeat.


    And then finally, Alice-1 and Bulwark stepped out of thest portal.


    "Jesus¡­ those guys were mighty racist," Alice quicklymented as she looked at Bulwark, "I thought my Earth was racist already, but those guys¡­ whew. Can you believe it, they called you Goldy, Bulbul!"


    "...Please don''t call me Bulbul," Bulwark could really only let out a sigh, before looking to Empress and shaking his head.


    "Dad! Tedi!" And with none of them sessful in trying to find at least even a hint of Riley, Hannah once again raised her voice, "Change the portals again!"


    "Hannah, no," Diana quickly approached her; ncing at the others as she shook her head, "We have been at this for an entire day now without rest."


    "Rest?" Hannah scoffed, "All of the people here are literally either the strongest supers of Earth, or a themarian. We could do this for a week and not get tired."


    "I''m not talking about that," Diana once again nced at the others, "Let''s just rest for a few¡ª"


    "This is your fault," Hannah ced a finger on Diana''s chest, "We wouldn''t even be doing this if you weren''t so hasty with your decision. You and that woman," she then pointed the finger at Aerith.


    "I think I''ve had enough of listening to you, brat," Aerith-1 clicked her tongue as she approached Hannah and Diana; each of her steps, causing Ahor Zai to tremble, "You do nothing butin andin¡ªand from what I am hearing, you''re actually patronizing the devil. The devil who eradicated my species in two universes, and killed hundreds of billions more."


    "None of you would''ve been involved in the first ce if Diana didn''t give up on my brother."


    "Your brother is a lost cause," Diana closed her eyes, "I don''t think you truly understand what sort of existence he is. I love your brother and¡ª"


    "No, you don''t. You just feel responsible for everything. You adopted him because you felt responsible for what happened to Alice."


    "...Me?" Alice-1 pointed at herself.


    "No, not¡ªUgh!" Hannah raised her fists in frustration as she groaned, "Fuck! You guys go rest, I am going again. Dad! Change one of the portals¡­


    ¡­Dad!"


    ***


    And while the drama grew in Riley''s universe, the action grew in the current universe he is in. The civilians were running, screaming, and trampling on one another as they ran for their lives in the busy streets of New York.


    ''Finally'', Riley thought¡ªa sense of normalcy. Finally, a scenario he was used to. Life truly is simpler when there is just a tant line between heroes and viins.


    And soon, the viins of this chapter showed themselves.


    The Jackson twins, someone Riley was very familiar with.


    "Prepare for trouble!" Be Jackson emerged from the panicking crowd, pushing all of them to the side with a pair of metallic arms that protruded from her back like wings. Her brother, Benjamin, also followed behind her¡­ dancing as petals of metal circling around him.


    "And make it doub¡ª"


    "No, oh no!" Be did not let Benjamin finish his words as she slightly pushed him away, "We will be the ones in trouble if you continue that!"


    "Aight, aight," Benjamin just gracefully returned beside Be, before covering half his face with his hand and introducing himself,


    "Benjaya!"


    "Bel¡ª"


    "ck Bell."


    interrupted her introduction. Instead of being mad, however, she just raised a finger; her eyes, slightly squinted as she looked at "That''s¡­" Be couldn''t even twist her tongue as Riley suddenly interrupted her introduction. Instead of being mad, however, she just raised a finger; her eyes, slightly squinted as she looked at Riley, "...I ain''t goin'' to lie, that sounds he nice."


    "Ah, is you!?" Benjamin also pointed at Riley, "Wasn''t you on the TVst night!?"


    "Of course he is, Benjie," Be rolled her eyes and tilted her head, "He''s our target."


    "W¡ª"


    "Jackson twins!" And before the twins could continue their charade, Officer Grimes moved in front of Riley, seemingly covering him from the twins as he raised his arm to the side, "Just leave. The Reuben family can only back you so far."


    "Well, we still here, ain''t we?" Be let out a small giggle, "The rich boys up there has bailed us every time, honey. Just back off, Grimes. We just want the pretty white boy you''re hiding there."


    "I can''t do that," Grimes did not back away even as the twins started approaching them. He gestured to his men to surround the two, but the twins didn''t even heed them any mind.


    "Then, I guess we''re using force¡ªBenj."


    Benjamin stretched his arms to the side, causing the petals of metal circling around him to pick up speed. And with a small smirk crawling on his face, he rushed toward Riley and Officer Grimes.


    But before he could even take 3 steps, however, a loud nging rang in the air.


    "..." Benjamin quickly halted his advance as he looked at one of the petals circling around him, only to notice a bullet was already halfway through it.


    "You¡­


    ¡­did you just try to shoot me!?"

 Chapter 716 716: The Fox Appears

    Chapter716 716: The Fox Appears


    "You tried to shoot me!?"


    There was a certain silence after Benjamin''s loud voice rippled from the very center of Times Square, with the only sound whistling in the air being the petals of metal still circling around him. Soon, however, this silence disappeared¡­


    ¡­as another bullet hit one of the petals protecting him.


    "What the fuck!?"


    And this time, Benjamin turned toward one of the buildings where the bullet should havee from; the petals moving around him, now halted in the air as they all pointed to the building. Before he could do anything, however, Be approached him from behind and held him back by the shoulders.


    "Sis¡­"


    "Don''t lose focus," Be whispered before she grabbed one of the metal petals that has a bullet lodged in it,


    "...Metal bullets, seriously?" She then said as she looked at Officer Grimes.


    "That''s¡ª"


    But before Grimes could even say another word, Be let go of the metal petal. And as soon as everyone thought it would just fall to the concrete, the piece of metal flew straight toward the building where the snipers should be; creating a snapping sound as it passed the wind barrier.


    "!!!"


    The shrapnel almost instantly destroyed the sniper''s rifle, causing her eyes to turn wide as the petal stopped just inches before hitting her right on the very center of her eyebrows. The only thing she could really do was let go of her shattered rifle, raising both her hands in defeat.


    And now, with her hands raised, the metal petal, as well as the pieces of her rifle all flew away straight toward the next sniper¡­ and did the same to him.


    Officer Grimes, as well as the other officers surrounding the twins could really only follow the flying shrapnels with their eyes as they flew around the buildings; growing somewhatrger with each rifle they destroyed.


    And soon, the metal petal came back¡­ now with a ball of metal in tow which Be grabbed with her hand.


    "You ain''t serious, right¡­?" Be once again looked at Grimes, this time carrying an obvious hint of disappointment in her voice, "You people should''ve used carbon fiber or something."


    "...We don''t have budget for that," Officer Grimes sighed. And it wasn''t only him, his men also dropped their shoulders as they subtly touched the guns they had hanging on their waists, "And we''re also actually not trying to kill you."


    "But you government, fed," Be raised an eyebrow.


    "They''re spending the budget elsewhere."


    "Rough," Be sighed and shook her head, "My employer has an almost unlimited budget."


    "I know, I know. You don''t need to rub it on our faces," Grimes also let out a sigh as he ced his hands on his waist, "So, what about just shaking their heads, "How about you back away? We out here it? Are you willing to just back away and save us underpaid and overworked people the trouble of dealing with you two?"


    "Hm. Yeah, no¡­" Be and Benjamin looked at each other, before just shaking their heads, "How about you back away? We out here not to hurt nobody. We scared the civvies, but that ain''t a crime, Grime."


    "...I think there''s a crime there somewhere."


    "Shut up, Nerd."


    "..." Grimes could really only lower his eyebrows; not even needing to say anything for people to figure out his exhausted reply. Be didn''t care, however, as she turned her focus back to Riley.


    "D¡ª"


    And before Grimes could say another word again, the clump of metal on Be''s hands instantly separated into pieces, before the shrapnels all flew straight toward Riley without any warning.


    Riley, on the other hand, did not really move and just tilted his head to the side of the oing projectiles. All of a sudden, however, his senses heightened to their maximum as everything seemed to slow down around him¡ªsomething that usually only happens when something or someone around him moves at a speed one would normally not be able to follow.


    "..." Riley focused on the shrapnels moving toward him, and it wasn''t them. Soon, however, he found out what¡ªOfficer Grimes.


    Officer Grimes was slowly turning around toward him; his hand, very slowly moving to the back of Riley''s head. He was about to grab Riley away, but before he could do so, he realized one thing¡­


    ¡­Riley was clearly looking at him.


    "What¡­"


    Riley then just casually leaned back, watching as Grimes''s hand passed by his face. And because Grimes was not expecting anything like this, he slipped.


    "!!!"


    The others that were watching from the sides really only saw Grimes just spinning in ce, before rolling to the ground like some sort of worm that was showered with salt.


    "...The fuck you doing, Fed?"


    "You were a sprinter!?" Grimes immediately got up from the ground as he looked at Riley, "The report said that you''re telekic!"


    "I am," Riley slightly raised his hand, making the shrapnels that were flying toward him halt in the air¡­ before just crumbling into dust, "You are going to know a lot of things about me, Officer Grimes. But only things that I want you to kno¡ªpft."


    "...What?" Grimes could not help but lower his eyebrows as a chuckle suddenly escaped Riley''s lips. Why¡­ why was he always the one dealing with the crazies?


    "I apologize," Riley then breathed out, "That was a line from Italian Mafia Reborn¡ªI have been trying to imitate the character of the main character, you see. But I realized I have to be clinically blind for it to happen, but we are simr in a sense that he gets to relive a certain part of his life again and again at the start of the story."


    "Italian Mafia Reborn?"


    "Oh, it''s about a blind young man who belongs to the mafia who escaped a time¡­"


    "Huh?"


    "...It''s very intricate but simple, they still haven''t revealed how long he has actually been stuck in¡­ but the monsters appear in¡­"


    And as Grimes and all of his men were confused with what Riley was saying, Be was starting to sweat.


    She and Benjamin epted this job because quite literally, they don''t have a choice. As Grimes has mentioned before, they work for the Reuben family¡ªthey were sort of their mercenaries, but publicly known. And because of this, he and his brother have actually been living quite avish life, and they were also able to provide their parents with an even more luxurious life.


    She and his brother have actually not done anything that could be considered close to murder.


    They were a public menace, yes¡ªbut they haven''t quite crossed the threshold of being true viins just yet. In fact, if they weren''t on call, they even served as heroes.


    They were heroes for rent, in a way. They''ve done some somewhat questionable things for their job, but there was a reason why Officer Grimes and the police didn''t pursue them further¡ªthey weren''t criminals.


    And even now, the individual they were supposed to capture is a criminal. After all, he abducted Jonas Reuben right in front of everyone and even almost blinded him.


    But they made a mistake in epting this job.


    "We¡­ should go," Be then slightly backed away, grabbing Benjamin by the arms as her eyes did not leave Riley for even a single second.


    "What¡­ why? But our target''s already there."


    "You fuckin'' blind?" Be took in a small gulp, "We''re the prey here."


    And as Be did not let Riley escape her sight¡­ Riley actually did the same. Right at the very start of his telling the story with the ridiculous plot¡­ his eyes had also not left Be and her brother.


    Be wasn''t a fool¡ªthis ridiculously white guy just took control of the metal she was controlling, before instantly turning them to dust.


    He was stronger than her and his brotherbined, but most importantly¡­ his eyes. Be has seen those eyes many times before


    ¡ªthey were eyes that didn''t care.


    Eyes that didn''t care about anyone else. Eyes that won''t even bat even if he killed each and every one of them here.


    "Anyway," Riley was finally done with his story, and with that¡­ he suddenly took off his coat, folding it and giving it to Grimes as he slowly approached Be.


    "And so?" Riley started folding up his sleeves, before doing some sort of stance as he looked Be in the eyes,


    "Shall we dance?"


    "..." Be tried to contain her breath, before pushing his brother away and also doing a stance; the pair of metal arms behind her back, imitating every movement of her hands. Benjamin was also about to ready himself, but Be pushed him away once again.


    "Leave," Be whispered, "I''ll buy you some time, so get away from here as much as possib¡ª!!!"


    And before Be could finish her words, she watched as a hand suddenly appeared right in front of Benjamin''s face¡­ a hand which mmed him straight on the ground.


    "Ben!" Be, however, was able to cushion Benjamin''s drop as she quickly controlled the petals flying around Benjamin, letting them serve as a sort of spring to absorb the impact. As for Riley, he didn''t really care as he let go of Benjamin''s head and allowed him to bounce away, before using the same hand to grab Be by the neck.


    "Kh¡­" The metal arms behind Be quickly rushed toward Riley, but as soon as they were halfway from hitting his face, they shattered out of nowhere.


    "Your other version is more fun to be with, ck Bell."


    "!!!"


    Be''s eyes widened as Riley tightened his grip on her neck. She could feel it¡­ she could feel her flesh and bones starting to be crushed. She couldn''t breathe, and no blood was flowing to her head already.


    She was going to die h¡ª


    "Are you... Riley?"


    And before Be could lose her consciousness, a t green light suddenly appeared on the ground behind Riley, and from it, a woman wearing a golden fox mask emerged.


    "Do we...


    ...know each other?"

 717 Chapter 717: Fun, Fun, Fun

    717 Chapter 717: Fun, Fun, Fun


    "You and I¡­


    ¡­what are we to each other?"


    It was a colorful afternoon, made even more vibrant by all the lights and graphics that were stered on the walls of the buildings. No matter where you look, someone''s face would be on it¡ªeven the most popr fast food restaurant in this universe, Rickrond''s, had a face advertising their ce.


    All the faces were smiling.


    The real people in Times Square, however, were doing everything but smiling. How could they not, when their leisurely lives were just randomly terrorized by the infamous Jackson twins? All they could really do was hide behind the illegally parked cars, the anti-homeless benches, as well as each other.


    None of them were really cowering in fear. They were afraid, yes¡ªbut it was truly just an inconvenience since it was already public knowledge that the Jackson twins don''t really kill people. And now, seeing the twins in trouble, the masses don''t really know what to think.


    And so, they just did what they always do.


    Raise their phones and record what was happening, and they were so d that they did, as suddenly, another world-renowned figure showed herself.


    Golden Fox¡ªJapan''s No.1 Superhero, no. With most of the members of the Hope Guild now focusing on intergctic politics, it was safe to say that she was now the No.1 hero in the entire world.


    Golden Fox, however, rarelyes to the U.S., if at all. After all, the Americans already have their own assembly of superheroes. And so, the people that were hiding all starteding out with their phones all pointed at the scenario. The enforcers circling Riley and the others tried to stop them, but s¡ªthere was no beating the crowd.


    "Golden Fox¡­!?"


    Officer Grimes could not be bothered by the curious masses, however, as he just tried to collect himself as best as possible; the exhaustion contained within his breaths, now even more prevalent than before,


    "What are you doing here?"


    "I¡­" Golden Fox, who was waiting for an answer from Riley, could not help but slightly back away as the tone of her voice lowered, "...I am only doing my job as a hero."


    "...Are you?" Officer Grimes squinted his eyes as he looked back and forth between Golden Fox and Riley,pletely ignoring the fact that Be was still currently being strangled by Riley in the air and was about to pass out,


    "The two of you seem to know each other?"


    "I don''t know yet," Golden Fox carefully adjusted her mask as the shesing from the crowd''s phones became more and more wild, "But as I said, I am here to do my job as a hero first."


    "What do you¡ª"


    And before Grimes could even figure out what was going on, a sort of green void emerged from the ground; right beneath where Benjamin was lying unconscious. Be, and the other people there could really only watch as this green void just suddenly swallowed Benjamin whole.


    "!!!"


    Grimes quickly grabbed another one of his guns and pointed it at Golden Fox, "Golden Fox, you have no right to kill¡ª!!!"


    Once again, Grimes was interrupted as another green void appeared¡­ right on top of him. And before he could even react, Benjamin fell on top of him; his butt, dropping on his face. It didn''t help that Benjamin had quite the¡­ revealing outfit.


    Golden Fox then disappeared from her spot, only to appear behind Be, grabbing her by her leg.


    "Next time, please choose a better job," she then said as Be''s entire silhouette started to glow green.


    "This¡­ this is the better job," and with those words escaping Be''s lips, she vanished¡­ only to once again fall on top of Officer Grimes, who had just finished tying up Benjamin with a thick zip tie.


    "..." As for Riley, he still had his hand raised in the air; his eyes, now reflecting Chihiro''s golden fox mask.


    "Do we know each other?" Golden Fox once again asked Riley as she stood right in front of him; her head, almost bent up to its maximum to their difference in height.


    "That depends on what perspective you are basing our familiarity on, Golden Fox," Riley answered as he very slowly lowered his hand and returned Chihiro''s gaze.


    "..." A certain glow shed from Chihiro''s eyes as she heard Riley''s words. She then turned to look at Officer Grimes, before scanning everyone else that was there. And after a few more seconds, she shook her head and sighed,


    "We shouldn''t talk here, there are too many eyes listening."


    "Eyes can''t listen, Golden Fox," Riley also sighed, "I see your English has not improved even after so long."


    "T¡ªHow is that relevant?" It was obvious even from her mask that one of Chihiro''s eyebrows was currently raised, "Your people can''t even speak anothernguage."


    "I can speak mostnguages, Golden Fox."


    "..." Chihiro''s eyes turned wide as she heard Riley speaking in Japanese. But after a few more breaths, she once again shook her head. This time waving her hand as she summoned a green void that swallowed both her and Riley.


    Riley did not really mind, as he just watched Officer Grimes, waving goodbye to him before he and Chihiropletely disappeared from Times Square.


    "...Oh, fuck."


    "H¡­hey, be gentle!" Be could not help but scream in pain as Grimes stepped on her, tightening the zip tie around her wrists tighter than it should, "This¡­ this is police brutality! You guys see this!?"


    "You really should quit this job, you know?" Grimes could not help but groan as he let go of Be, "Maybe stopmitting atrocities and we won''t be seeing each other again?"


    "Bitch, please. I ain''t the one that''s underpaid and underappreciated."


    "...That statement is somehow the most hurtful thing that has happened to me today."


    "So, what about it, Fed? We can let you in if you let us go now."


    "Shut up," Grimes shook his head as he looked at where Riley and Golden Fox disappeared. His breaths, all escaping as sighs as he thought of the grilling his boss would hand to himter. Maybe¡­


    ¡­he really should just quit this job?


    ***


    "Your ability is truly convenient, Chihiro. I do wonder when I am going to die from it."


    "...What?"


    Riley and Chihiro reappeared a kilometer away from Times Square, emerging on top of the Empire State Building away from all the people. The wind was strong enough to cause Chihiro''s scarf to almost be caught in the air; Riley''s long hair, on the other hand, waspletely still.


    Chihiro quickly noticed this, but did not really think much of it as she just sat on the floor; her eyes, looking at the mess they abandoned on Times Square.


    "Do¡­ you know me, Riley?" Chihiro then whispered, but let out a soft chuckle immediately afterward, "I''m sorry, that was a stupid question. You''re probably so confused by now."


    "I am always confused, Golden Fox¡ªthat''s my secret."


    "...I see," Chihiro nced at Riley for a bit, before shaking her head and sighing,


    "I''m asking because I have a memory of you."


    "Hm?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he slightly approached Chihiro.


    "It''s hard to exin, but my ability¡­ uploaded a memory to my mind. A memory that might have happened¡­ in a different world, or perhaps a future," Chihiro lifted up her knee and hugged her legs, before finally taking off her mask and cing it beside her; revealing her incredibly youthful face.


    "Oh?" Riley curiously sat down beside Chihiro, "And what happened in that memory?"


    "..." Chihiro almost scooched away by instinct, slightly surprised by Riley''s calmness, "That¡­ In that memory, there''s me, you, a beautiful blonde girl¡­ I think Be and Hannah Ross were also there, it was weird. But most importantly¡­


    ¡­I died protecting you. I know it''s silly, but it''s true."


    "I killed you, Golden Fox," Riley confessed.


    "No," Chihiro quickly shook her head, "It was someone else, some¡­ tall guy. I think his name was¡­ Gary Gray."


    "Oh."


    "Do you know him¡­?" Chihiro nced at Riley. Riley, however, just shrugged his shoulders, "My¡­ abilities gave me a mission. A mission to defeat a viin from another world."


    "..." Riley remained quiet as he knew that it could be none other than him.


    "And I think that viin is Gary Gray."


    "Oh."


    "And my abilities are telling me that he is close, he is somewhere here in thiswless country," Chihiro then stood up as she scanned New York, "My friend and I have scoured the social media and news to find any information about him, but nothing is reallying out¡ªwe need Whiteking''s help. That is why I am here in the first ce."


    "Hm."


    "And¡ªand¡­ of course, to¡­to¡­" Chihiro then looked back and forth between Riley and the city, "I¡­I also came to see you, Riley. I wanted to know why this other version of me risked her life for you."


    "And did youe up with an answer, Golden Fox?"


    "..." Chihiro''s eyes strayed toward Riley again, and finally remained there,


    "...No."


    "..."


    "But I would like to know more about you, Riley," Chihiro quickly covered her face with her mask; her breaths, slightly heavy as she stepped over the ledge, "Let''s see each other again, Riley. I¡­ wille and find you soon."


    "Hm."


    And with that, Chihiro leaped from the Empire State Building, before just disappearing mid-air without a trace. As for Riley, he just looked toward the North-West¡ªToronto, Canada.


    If Gary Gray also exists in this world¡­


    ¡­then this should be fun.


    lol, Gary


    Romeru

 718 Chapter 718: Gray

    718 Chapter 718: Gray


    "...Who the fuck is that?"


    "Diana."


    "Then¡­ who is that?"


    "Diana."


    "I know, but why did you bring another Diana here!? I thought we shouldn''t make ourselves known to the other universes as much as fucking possible!?"


    "She has information for us."


    "...About Riley?"


    "No."


    Back in Riley''s universe, the RRS Group, Riley Ross Search Group, were once again gathered in the dome of Ahor Zai. Their faces, stillpletely exhausted from jumping from universe to universe and finding nothing.


    It wasn''t particrly physically taxing, as surprisingly, moving to another universe just feels like moving to another room with a drastically different temperature¡ªlike if one were to enter and exit a sauna, but not quite.


    This time, however, a change happened. Aerith entered the portal with Diana-1, only toe out with another variant of Diana. This variant of Diana, however, had already had strands of white hair on her head, even though she still looked quite as youthful as her other variants.


    "Greetings to you, Diana," Diana quickly but carefully approached her new variant; her eyes, scanning her from head to toe as she stretched her hand toward her.


    "Hello," the third Diana nodded her head as she shook Diana''s hand, "Please, just call me Caiin, I haven''t used my Earth name ever since¡­"


    Caiin abruptly stopped talking as she subtly nced at Hannah. But after a single breath, she just shook her head and let out a gentle smile,


    "I haven''t used my Earth name ever since my Bernard and Hannah were mercilessly murdered while¡­ I was trying to save my species from the brink of extinction."


    "...And were you able to save the themarians of your world?" Aerith-1 also approached Caiin. And although the tone of her voice is as proud as ever, her slightly trembling eyes failed to mask the sorrow and hopelessness she was truly feeling.


    "No," the smile on Caiin''s face did not disappear as she closed her eyes, "No one listened to me and they all went down with Theran."


    "..." Aerith-1 could really only take in a deep breath as she backed away. She and the others have already been to more than 50 other universes and in all of them¡­


    ¡­the themarians die. Leaving only Diana, and sometimes her, as the sole survivor of their species.


    "Is¡­ it our fate to die?" If Riley Ross did not arrive in her universe, would something else destroy them? "Is the universe so afraid of us that it has to make sure of our extinction? Then why make us in the first ce?"


    "..." Aerith-1''s whispers quickly garnered the attention of all the themarians in the dome; their breaths, releasing an orchestra of dismay with their breaths.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Wait," Hannah was the first to break the wallowing silence as she approached Caiin; this time, with a certain gentleness in her voice, "You said your daughter and husband were murdered?"


    "Yes," Caiin quickly nodded, "They were killed by someone who had ess to multiversal transportation, just like all of you¡­


    ¡­I actually came here to try and kill all of you," Caiin then softly chuckled, causing everyone to slightly flinch from her words. But after a few seconds, she shook her head and waved her hand.


    "Because I thought you were with the one who killed my family. But it''s obvious now that your group ispletely uninvolved with him."


    "...Him?" Diana squinted her eyes as she looked Caiin in the eyes, "You don''t mean¡­"


    "Yes," Caiin nodded and did not let Diana finish her words, "Just like your universe, my Earth had also started to dabble with multiversal travel. But just months after discovering it, someone from another universe visited us and started indiscriminately killing everyone that knows about the portals."


    "..." Diana did not stray her eyes away from Caiin, before finally¡­ a whisper escaped her lips,


    "¡­Bernard Ross."


    ***


    "Hm."


    A concrete wastnd.


    The skies were clear, as well as the horizon. The buildings that one would expect in a major city were nowhere to be seen¡ªit was just an empty, deste, and dark ce. The sun should still be nketing thends with its light, and yet not even a single spot of light could be seen crawling across the cement.


    Once again, this other world showed a simrity to Riley''s universe that the previous one did not have


    ¡ª


    ¡ªa ruined Toronto.


    Riley''s eyes were once again looking down on a sea of ruin; this time, however, his silhouette that was descending from the sky was as if a ghost, almost glowing from how white he was¡ªa reminder that Darkday was not the one responsible for destroying this city.


    "Oh¡­?" And as Riley continued to descend from the skies, he noticed a hint of light below and a group of people. And as he flew near it, he saw another monument of Megawoman. And just like the one in the Central Park, her statue had numerous graffiti on it; words filled with resentment, anger, and disappointment.


    This time, however, there were people helping each other to clean it. There were also traces of the military, seemingly watching the people as they secured the perimeter. The soldiers all watched Riley as hended on the ground; their hands, all seemingly ready to do something. But as they realized that Riley wasn''t really going to do anything, they just shrugged their shoulders and continue to patrol the area.


    As for Riley, he just casually walked toward the people cleaning Aerith''s monument.


    "Hello," Riley waved as one of the people noticed him approaching them. His somewhat friendly gesture, however, was weed with suspicion as everyone all stopped what they were doing. Even the people cleaning Aerith''s face jumped down as they all seemingly served as a barricade between Riley and Aerith''s statue.


    "What do you want?" The oldest one of the group stepped forward; the tone of her voice, anything but weing.


    "I want to ask a question, Aerith supporter."


    "Aerith supporter?" The woman raised an eyebrow, "Who are you?"


    "My name is Riley Ross," Riley nodded his head, before turning to look at Aerith''s statue, "I was wondering if you know anyone by the name of Gary Gray?"


    "Gary who?" The woman''s eyebrows began to lower as she crossed her arms, "You guys know a Gary Gay?"


    "First I heard of it."


    "Let''s stop wasting our time here, ire. We only have a few minutes left to clean Megawoman''s statue."


    "This is none of my concern, I''m just going to light up more candles."


    "You heard that, Mr. Ross? Now off you go, we''re busy here."


    And one by one, the people all started dispersing as they returned to cleaning Aerith''s statue. But as they turned around, their eyes could not help but widen in shock. Soon, however, they had to squint their eyes due to the light reflecting on them.


    "What¡­ C¡­ ire!"


    "What?" ire still had her arms crossed and her eyes nted on Riley.


    "Look, look!"


    "What is it?" ire rolled her eyes, sighing as she turned to look at what themotion was about. And soon, she too squinted her eyes from the sudden brightness that showered them.


    Megawoman''s statue which was filled with paint and filth¡­ it was now shining from how immacte it was.


    "Now that you are not busy, perhaps you could entertain my questions again, Ms. ire?"


    "...Huh?" ire, and the rest of the group all turned around to look at Riley, only to see a ball of dirt, oil, and paint floating above his palm, "You¡­ you did this?"


    "Hm," Riley shrugged as he let the ball fly toward the sky, causing a st of wind to thunder in the air as the dark clouds above them rippled¡­ letting sunlight to finally shower the ruinednd of Toronto, or more specifically, Megawoman''s statue.


    The soldiers that were securing the perimeter, now all talking to their radios; their eyes, once again nted on Riley. As for the cleaners, they all looked at each other, before ire just suddenly rushed toward Riley and grabbed him by the wrist.


    "..." Riley''s eyes slightly twitched as ire grabbed him. But after thinking about it for a millisecond, he just sighed and let himself be dragged by her as all of the cleaners just started running away.


    As for the soldiers, they chased the cleaners for a bit, before stopping and just watching them disappear deep into the ruined city.


    Riley was dragged for almost an entire hour before they reached some sort of settlement¡ªa stadium.


    This stadium, however, was filled with all sorts of fluorescent light and people walking around; perhaps even more busy than the city that never sleeps. There were traders, stalls, houses, and even arge area where people seemingly gather around and children y.


    "I take it it''s your first time here?" ire finally let go of Riley''s hand.


    "This is the Rogers Centre."


    "It was," ire shrugged, before bidding farewell to the other cleaners who just quickly disappeared into the crowd, "Sorry about how we treated you before. We just¡­ everyone''s just against Megawoman nowadays.


    "Hm."


    "And about your question, Gary Gray, was it?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded as he continued to scan the lively settlement.


    "Sorry, I don''t really know someone that goes by that name," ire let out a long and deep sigh, "But I do know a Gray, he owns a bar down on Aisle C. Tall guy, a bit grumpy, he''s been here from the start. He usually doesn''t talk to anyone, but he should talk to you if I''m there."


    "...Is his name Edward Gray, Ms. ire?"


    "Oh¡­ You know him?"


    "Not personally, no."


    After all, Edward Gray died in his world during the Battle of Toronto.


    ...


    ....


    ...Did I name Gary''s father at one point?


    Romeru

 719 Chapter 719: Edward Gray

    719 Chapter 719: Edward Gray


    "Whatever happens inside, I want you to calm down and ignore them. Okay?"


    "Hm."


    Riley, and the one leading the cleaners of Aerith''s statue, ire, were now in one of thergest buildings in the settlement; made from wood, shings, and whatever bleachers were left in therge stadium. It was also the most lit establishment, perhaps a testament to how much the people value the ce.


    As to why it seemed so important, well, it was obvious¡ªit''s a bar.


    "I don''t think I need to exin this to you again, but everyone here is a firm supporter of Megawoman," ire was in front of Riley; her hand, already on the door as she had been orienting Riley about the trades and ways of the settlement¡­ which is aptly named Megawoman City for obvious reasons,


    "Some are even hardcore fans and part of a cult. So, if I were you, I would avoid talking smack about the Girl Above, okay?"


    "Hm."


    "I am serious, Mr. Ross¡ªWait, Ross¡­ You don''t happen to be rted to the Ross family, are you?"


    "Not in this world, no."


    "...Huh. Well, you do look different," ire squinted her eyes as she looked at Riley from head to toe. But as she was lost in thought, however, Riley took the chance to just go ahead and enter the fine establishment.


    And as soon as he did so, he was met with unweed eyes of curiosity and suspicion. All of them, looking at Riley as if he was some sort of ghost¡ªwhich in all honesty, he does look like one.


    Some of them started clicking their tongues; their hands which were gripping their drinks, tightening as their stares were soon followed by lowering eyebrows. Before anything could really happen, however, ire entered the bar.


    "Oh, who''s this!?"


    And like a switch being flipped, the knitted faces of the patrons all light up as soon as they saw ire''s face.


    "ire! We''ve been waiting for you here!"


    "Isn''t today the day you''re going to buy all of us drinks!?"


    "Mr. Ross. I told you to wait for me," ire whispered loudly right beside Riley''s ears, "You¡ª"


    "Wait, wait¡­ What''s this!? You''re the one who brought the handsome albino here!?"


    "Is that your new boyfriend? Wait, of course not. How many times have we told you not to solicit young men!?"


    But s, ire could not really even talk to Riley for another second as all the people in the bar started hollering and heckling her.


    "I knew you were into white people, I just didn''t know how white until now!"


    "You guys should shut the fuck up!" ire quickly raised both of her middle fingers and started pointing them at everyone like guns, "Fuck you, you, and you too, bitch!"


    ire had told Riley to stay as calm as possible, and yet here she was, not even another step inside the bar and she was already cursing everyone. Riley waited for her to be done, but even after an entire minute had passed, she and the other patrons were stillughing and cursing at each other.


    And so, Riley just decided to leave her and head to the bar. And as he did so, ire finally lowered her arms as she watched as Riley approached the person behind the counter, and it wasn''t only her. The other patrons all paused whatever it was they were doing, even spilling their drinks as a certain excitement grew in their eyes.


    "Are you Edward Gray?" Riley then asked the bartender, who could be none other than Gary''s father judging from how he looked.


    Gary was already tall enough, standing at 6''7". His father, however, was probably taller than him by half a foot. ire had told him to find the tall guy, but Riley wasn''t really expecting this.


    And he wasn''t just tall; his loose and oversized shirt could not hide how muscr he truly was. The ss he was cleaning almost seemed miniature from howrge his hands and arms were, not to mention how hairy they were.


    He also carried a thick beard; his eyebrows, lush and thick¡ªeven then, however, there was no hiding how chiseled and manly his face truly is.


    If one were to look at him outside in the dark, they would probably think he was some sort of bear.


    ''Is this Aerith''s type?'' Riley thought with his head tilted to the side. Edward also seemed to be the quiet and brooding type, which Riley was not. Whenever he was with Aerith, he talked without pause.


    Is this why Aerith did not like him at all? Because he was theplete opposite of the father of her child?


    "Hm¡­" And finally, after what seemed like an entire minute, Edward finished cleaning the ss he was wiping and walked toward Riley. He ced both his palms on the counter, looking Riley in the eyes,


    "What do you need?"


    "..." All the patrons of the bar started chugging their bears and sipping their whiskeys as they continued to watch the scenario unfold. Their eyes, still filled with expectation from what was about to happen.


    As for the one that brought Riley there, she just had her arms crossed. After all, she was really the only one that knew that Riley is a super¡­ and not an ordinary one at that.


    "Beer, whiskey, rum and coke?" Edward''s voice almost reflected his looks; raspy, husky, and just deep overall, "If not¡­


    ¡­then we also serve milk."


    "Pft¡­" The patrons that were chugging their beers almost spilled everything as they tried their best to stopughing. And right when they couldn''t stop themselves anymore, Riley gave an unexpected reply.


    "Then I suppose I would take the milk, Mr. Gray," Riley said as he also ced his hand on the table. Not, of course, before cleaning it first with the very same towel Edward used to clean the ss,


    "With ice, please."


    "..." Edward red at Riley for a few seconds, before letting out a grunt and violently snatching the towel from him. And there and then, the other patrons started looking at each other.


    All of them thought this would just be themon scenario¡ªwhere someone would just try and size up Bernard and back down, but no. This pale white-haired young man that just appeared out of nowhere didn''t even seem to care.


    "...He looks kinda familiar."


    "Shh, shut up."


    The sound of Edward drawing milk from a carton whispered in the air without any intrusion; the patrons, even holding their breaths in fear that they would miss something.


    "Here you go, kid," Edward ced the ss right in front of Riley, before cing his arm on the counter and once again looking Riley in the eyes. Riley, on the other hand, just grabbed the ss and casually took a sip of his milk.


    "..."


    "..."


    "So¡­" And as soon as Riley ced the milk back on the counter, Edward quickly moved it away as he leaned closer to Riley; the smell of boozeing out of his mouth, enough to make Riley increase his telekic shield,


    "...Who are you? Are you from the government again?"


    "My name is Riley Ross," Riley nced at the ss of milk, before just letting out a small sigh and introducing himself, "And I am not part of the government."


    "...Ross?" Edward''s thick eyebrows lowered as he looked at ire, who quickly shook her head in response, "You''re not rted to the royal family, are you?"


    "No."


    "You''re not from the government. You''re not a Ross. You''re definitely not a superhero¡­" Edward scratched his beard, "...I don''t know what someone like you would want from me except for a ss of milk."


    "Gary Gray."


    "...Who?" Edward''s eyes slightly squinted as he leaned away from Riley.


    "Gary Gray. Perhaps you know where he is?"


    "I don''t even know who that is, kid," Edward grunted as he shook his head. And now with him standing straight, hepletely towered over Riley,


    "Now if you''re not going to order anything else anytime soon, I have other assholes to serve."


    "It''s the house painted orange on Aisle V, you won''t miss it. As for me¡­


    10:08


    "Hm¡­" Riley ced his hand on his chin as Edward walked away. And after a few seconds, he just shrugged and walked back toward ire,


    "Can I borrow money, Ms. ire? I do not have anything on me to pay for the milk."


    "Don''t bother," Edward slightly raised his voice, "Milk''s on the house."


    "...You got what you came here for?" ire only nodded at Edward, before gesturing to Riley to step out of the bar with her.


    "I don''t know yet, Ms. ire," Riley shook his head as he followed ire out.


    "Well, tough luck," ire sighed, before suddenly giving Riley a set of keys, "Since you did us one when you cleaned Megawoman''s statue, you''re free to stay at my house for the night."


    "..." Riley could really only blink a couple of times as he held the key in his hand. This world¡­ did they have the habit of giving strangers the key to their homes?


    "It''s the house painted orange on Aisle V, you won''t miss it. As for me¡­


    ¡­I''m gonna spend the night in the bar!"


    And with those words, ire barged into the bar once more, causing all the people inside to scream and roar.


    "..." Riley did not really know what to do now, since he was already staying at Hannah''s ce back in New York. Should he just leave a clone here so as to not be rude to ire?


    "Hm, I''ll do that," Riley nodded to himself as he started walking away. But as soon as he reached a dark park of the stadium, however¡­


    ¡­he noticed arge shadow crawling up from behind him.


    "You¡­" It was Edward, holding arge steel bat as he literally looked down on Riley,


    "...You will tell me where you heard that name."


    Edward kinda looks like the guy from FMA, if you still haven''t gotten a mental image of him.


    Romeru

 720 Chapter 720: GG

    720 Chapter 720: GG


    A 7''4" muscr man that was more akin to that of a bear than a human stands in a narrow dark pathway, creeping up to you and suddenly grabbing you by the shoulder¡ªWhat would you do?


    They said that you should stay calm and y dead when faced with a bear, but this bearded muscr man isn''t exactly a beast, no.


    But for Riley, he might as well be¡ªand so, Riley suddenly dropped to the ground, pretending to be dead.


    "I''m not a bear!"


    "Oh," Riley quickly got up, patting his white clothes clean as he looked at Edward''s hairy arms, "Of course, Aerith would not be sexually attracted to an animal. Forgive me."


    "...Aerith?" Edward slightly loosened his grip on the metal bat as he looked Riley in the eyes,


    "How¡­ how do you know that name!?" He then said as his grip returned; his stance which was previously just for a threat, nowpletely resolute to actually do something.


    "I''m her lover," Riley answered without any hesitation, "We¡ª"


    "What did you say!?"


    And before Riley could finish his words, Edward suddenly swung his bat straight toward Riley''s head.


    "..." Riley, however, did not even try to dodge, just allowing the steel bat to bend almost 90 degrees on his head,


    "You''re not a super. But I find it incredible you were able to bend the steel to this point."


    "...Fuck," Edward clicked his tongue as he took a step back. He looked at Riley again before suddenly breaking the bat in half with just his bare hands.


    "..." Riley''s eyes once again twitched as he watch as Edward threw the other half of the bat, using the remaining one as some sort of¡­ shiv. No matter which side Riley looked at him, he could not deny how manly Edward is¡­


    ¡­Riley couldn''t even grow a beard.


    "Maybe if I was manly enough, then Aerith wouldn''t have killed herself and we would be together."


    "You¡­ keep my wife''s name out of your fucking mouth!" Contrary to Riley''s expectation, Edward did not even use the piece of the metal bat he had and just threw it away. Instead, he pped Riley right on the cheek.


    Of course, once again, Riley did not even bother dodging; surprisingly, Edward''s arm did not even break, making Riley wonder whether or not he was actually a super.


    "You are very brave, Edward Gray. Or perhaps.." Riley squinted his eyes as he looked at the slightly frenzied expression on his face,


    "...You want to die?"


    "..." Edward did not really answer, and instead just once again lunged toward Riley, this time hugging him tight and lifting him in the air.


    "So, it is thetter. Then I apologize, I am not really in the mood to kill anything or anyone right now. Perhaps just trymitting suicide? It is not that bad, you will get used to it."


    "Kh!" Edward grunted loudly as Riley very slowly started to pry his arms open. He held on as long as he could, but the difference between a normal human and a super like Riley is truly quite¡­ infinite.


    "Who are you!?" And as his arms were pped away, Edward let out a roar as he took a step back; holding his right bicep as it seemed to have snapped,


    "Just who are you!?"


    "As I have said before¡­" Riley''s eyes started to glow red as a smile crawled on his face. And as soon as Edward saw that, he came to a realization¡ªor rather, a misunderstanding that many have made before. He thought Riley was a themarian,


    "...I am Aerith''s lo¡ª"


    "Dad!"


    And before Riley could take a step closer to Edward, a shadow suddenly came from above; its knee, mming down on Riley''s face and causing him to slide a few meters back across the alley.


    "No!" Edward tried to reach for the shadow, but it immediately chased for Riley before he could even get the chance to do so.


    "..." As for Riley, he just watched the shadow lunge toward him. And it truly was a shadow¡ªface,pletely covered with a ski mask; a cloak that nketed his entire body.


    His silhouette was a little shorter than Riley expected, but he knew exactly who this was.


    "Gary Gray," Riley whispered as he just let the shadow punch him in the face.


    "Tch," the shadow did not say anything, however, as he just continued striking Riley from all directions, causing all the dust and dirt to be blown away. The makeshift houses made of thin wood, nearing their destruction with each passing second.


    "G¡ª"


    "Dad, get back!" The shadow nced back as Edward tried to approach them. He gestured to him to stay away. Sadly for him, Riley took this chance to creep closer to him¡ªgrabbing him by the back of his head before flying into the air.


    "..." Edward sucked in a short but very deep breath as his child was just suddenly and literally yanked away from him. He watched which direction Riley flew to, before running to chase them; not even caring as he bulldozed his way through the thin houses and the people.


    "Let go of me!"


    "I will in a bit, Gary," Riley let out a small chuckle as Gary started struggling. He didn''t let him go just yet, however. Not before they were out of the stadium city, in which Riley immediately threw him straight down.


    "Shit!" Gary let out a high-pitched scream as his silhouette became smaller and smaller until it finally created a deafening thunder as a human-shaped crater formed the ground.


    "...Hm," Riley nodded to himself as he saw Gary crawling from the small crater. Riley had to adjust his strength just right so as to not kill Gary. Fortunately for everyone involved, the Gary of this world seemed slightly stronger than the Gary in his universe.


    "Are you hiding in fear that you will also be killed like your mother, Gary?"


    "I¡­ don''t know who the fuck that is!" Gary grunted as he started patting all the dirt and concrete stuck on him, "Who even are you!? Why were you assaulting my dad!?"


    "Do you have a sore throat, Gary?" Riley tilted his head to the side as Gary''s voice seemed too strained, cracking with each syble, "And it would seem you have the wrong information¡ªhe was the one who assaulted me."


    "...What?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "I was just on my way to Ms. ire''s house, but your father suddenly hit me on the head when I told him that I am Aerith''s lover."


    "You¡­ know my mom?" Gary slightly flinched as he started looking at Riley from head to toe; kicking therge debris in front of him to the side to get a better view of him, "What even are you? Are you¡­ a themarian?"


    "No," Riley blinked as Gary did not even react to him saying that he was his mother''s lover, "I am as human as you, Gary. Maybe just a little different in certain ways. What about you, Gary? What are you supposed to be in this world?"


    "What?"


    "You do not seem to be a superhero," Riley cked his hand on his chin as he also looked at the cloaked Gary, "And you do not seem to be a superviin as well. Are you perhaps some sort of secret agent of the government, then?"


    "Fuck you!" Gary clenched his fist as he violently pointed at Riley, "You think I am one of those fucks!? They killed my mom!"


    "Whiteking killed your mother."


    "What''s the difference? Whiteking is the government," Gary let out a small scoff. His eyes slightly turned moist, but before any drop could fall from them, they started to glow red, "You¡­


    ¡­are you from the government?"


    "N¡ª"


    "Is that why you''re trying to hurt dad!?" Gary took a step forward, cracking the already ruined ground of Toronto as he slowly approached Riley, "Have you not taken away enough from me!? Isn''t letting me live like a cockroach not enough for you people? Now you want to take away everything that''s left!?"


    "Hm, I already did that to you once," Riley let out a small breath before nodding.


    "So, you are from the government!" And with those words, Gary once again rushed toward Riley; his fist, already locked onto his head.


    "I am not from¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, Gary suddenly disappeared¡ªonly to reappear already beside him; his fist, just an inch away from his cheek.


    "Oh?" Riley leaned back to avoid the strike, but as he did so, a beam of light shot out from Gary''s eyes and aimed straight at his temples, "You are better than your counterpart, Gary. But still¡­


    ¡­weak."


    Riley did not stall any longer as he grabbed Gary''s wrist, pulling him closer to him before mming his arm on his neck and causing Gary to somersault in ce before violently kicking him down to the ground.


    "Kh!"


    "You know, Gary¡­" Riley then crouched on the ground as he grabbed Gary by the head, slightly tugging on his ski mask, "...I honestly do not know what I even tried to find you¡ªperhaps because I thought it would be fun? But without Aerith, this is just useless."


    "You¡­ what do you want?"


    "As I said, I don''t know," Riley lifted Gary''s head and causing him to groan in pain, "I honestly don''t know what to do anymore, my job of trying to turn everything into nothing is gettingrger andrger by the second¡­


    ¡­I suppose I just want variety in between."


    "Fuck you!" Gary grabbed Riley''s hand, before pushing himself away and leaving Riley to hold his ski mask, "What the fuck are you even saying!? Are you retarded!?"


    "Maybe we can¡ªOh?" Riley turned to look at Gary, only for his eyes to blink a couple of times as he stared at his face¡ªor rather, her face,


    "You are not Gary."


    "Who the fuck is this Gary you keep mentioning!?" The woman that Riley thought to be Gary groaned in frustration; no longer putting any effort to deepen her voice, "My name''s Gracy¡­


    ¡­Gracy Gray!"


    Finally, the real love interest arrives. he...heh...hehEHEHEhehehe


    Romeru

 Chapter 721 721: Episode... G?

    Gracy Gray.


    Weird.


    Riley had seen a couple of variants, and they do differ from what he was ustomed to in his own universe.


    There was someone that was a bit overweight, skinny. One that looked somewhat older. And there was even Aerith, who lookedpletely different and was aplete copy of her mother.


    But this¡ªfor another variant to be a different sexpletely, the multiverse truly was a wonderful and random thing.


    "...Are you crazy? Why are youughing on your own?"


    Gracy was already confused as to who Riley was. And now that she was seeing him just chuckling by himself even though nothing funny was going on, she could really onlye to one conclusion¡ªthis person in front of him is a crazy themarian. She couldn''t even be bothered anymore that there was still some small debris stuck to her body here and there.


    "I just find it quite interesting that you are a woman, Gracy."


    "...I don''t know if I should be offended by that."


    "Hm," Riley just shrugged as he looked at Gracy from head to toe. It was not really that hard to prove that Gracy is indeed Aerith''s daughter¡ªafter all, she looked just like King Arthus''s sister. Aerith''s aunt, Princess Tifa.


    Of course, she obviously looked younger by several decades, but this is what Riley imagined what Princess Tifa would look like when she was young.


    Long, slightly rugged blonde hair, eyes so blue they were almost silver. She wasn''t what people would consider cute, no. In a way, she was simr to Hannah¡ªrough but contained a somewhat¡­ creeping beauty.


    "So¡­ if you''re not from the government, and you''re not a themarian¡ªwhat exactly are you?"


    "I still have not figured that out."


    "...You''re not some kind of secret master that lurks in the shadows, are you?" Gracy squinted her eyes as she started walking, "If you are¡­ then I am ready to be trained."


    "I am a secret and a master, but not both together," Riley nodded to himself, fully confident with what he just said.


    "...So, there''s no use using honorifics with you, then."


    "You were not using any honorifics."


    "Shut up," Gracy''s eyes glowed red as her feet very slowly left the ground.


    "Oh," Riley let out a small hum, "You could fly?"


    "Oh, I could do a lot of things," Gracy stretched her arms to the side, summoning a ball of energy on each of her palms; pulsing as it grew to the size of a watermelon.


    "A half themarian might as well not be a themarian at all¡ªthat is what I read from a codex on Theran," And even as the violent energy ball reflected in his eyes, Riley just casually started looking around the ashes of the concrete jungle they stood on,


    "And yet here you are, exhibiting more and more powers simr to what the themarian have."


    "Oh, we haven''t even started yet," a small smirk grew on Gracy''s face as the red orbs she summoned were now the size of a yoga ball, "You don''t have to worry, I will show you everything¡­


    ¡­so why don''t you show me yours?"


    "..." Riley immediately started looking around again as he heard Gracy''s words. He seemed to consider it for a few seconds, before ultimately letting out a sigh and shaking his head, "If I show you what I am capable of, I am afraid this will not be able to survive."


    "Ah, there is it¡ªthe good old arrogance," Gracy giggled as she literally looked down on Riley, "And I wondered when it was going to make an appearance."


    "It is not arrogance, Gracy Gray," Riley quickly shook his head, "This is also something you didn''t understand back in our world¡ªthere are levels to this."


    "...What?" Gracy raised an eyebrow, "What are you even talking about?"


    "You wanted to be strong because you are Megawoman''s child. You pushed yourself again and again, only to be met with someone that did not even have to train or work for his or her powers," Riley sighed; his eyes, seemingly showing a sort of rity as he continued to exin to Gracy,


    "You could use all of your strength right now to try and punch through the Earth, but the most you could do is create a crater that would shake the neighboring areas."


    "Yes, isn''t that obvious?" Gracy, instead of being frustrated by Riley''s words, just scoffed as she ced both her palms together, merging the two energy balls and doubling their size as she raised her left hand, "That''s why I only deal with things I can deal with¡­


    ¡­like you."


    And with those words¡­ the energy ball that had been assembling from Gracey''s hands disappeared, seemingly absorbed by her own body almost instantly.


    "I know how strong you are."


    "..." And without even any warning or hint, Gracy disappeared from her spot, only to appear whispering behind Riley''s ear.


    "That is why I am going all out!" Gracy quickly wrapped her arms around Riley''s neck; her skin, giving off a certain heat, almost as if every fiber of her muscles were grinding on each other with each move she made.


    "You should really cut your hair, you look gay!" Gracy screamed directly in Riley''s ear as she flew upward, taking him with her.


    "What is wrong with looking gay, Gracy?" Riley, on the other hand, tilted his head to the side even with Gracy''s arm pressuring his neck.


    "That¡­ well¡­ I''m not a homophobe!" Gracy''s screams stuttered as the two of them reached the clouds. And as soon as the clouds rippled away from them, Gracey wrapped her legs around Riley''s thighs, locking thempletely before she spun her body to face the ground,


    "The Gray Special No. 13¡­


    ¡­Descending Diving Dragon!"


    And with those words leaving a sort of echo in the air, the clouds that were still left around them instantly dissipated and were blown away as their silhouette that was being bathed by the dim sunlight disappeared.


    All that was left was a thunder¡ªa sort of howl as she and Riley dove back to the ground; with Riley''s head nearing the concrete.


    But then, all of a sudden, they just stopped.


    "...Huh?"


    Once again, without any warning, without any signs¡­ they just abruptly stopped in the air halfway through reaching the hard ground. And their path wasn''t blocked by an invisible wall either, they just¡­ stopped; almost like a video being paused, they just froze in the air.


    "You do not know how strong I am, Gracy."


    A whisper then very slowly started to creep into Gracy''s ears as she felt her limbs losing their grip on Riley. She wanted to move, but it felt like there were millions of chains attached to her¡­ attached to her muscles individually,pletely constricting every millimeter of her movements.


    "Because if you knew how strong I really am, you would have already run far away." And as the two of them were still upside down in the air, Riley''s long white hair started to flow down, making him look like some sort of white Christmas tree,


    "Perhaps you would have even made an effort to get out of the, or maybe even this universe. Because if I wanted to, Gracy¡­


    ¡­I could bat an eye, and everyone you hold dear would be dead. Even without an amplifier, I could destroy this in a single second."


    "..." Gracy no longer answered and instead just looked Riley straight in the eyes; after all, that was really all she could do.


    "I was thrown to another universe because my own could no longer handle me," Riley let out a very long and deep sigh as he shook his head, "That is one of the reasons why I do not freely run amok, because I feel like it would not be fair for you if I started indiscriminately killing all of you without all of you knowing who I am. What was that? Then why did I kill hundreds of billions in the other universe?"


    "I¡­ am not saying anything," Gracy took in a small gulp; her eyes, clearly showing her confusion.


    "Well, a local told me to do it¡ªso I just obliged," Riley let out a small chuckle, "Anyway, back to your world. You do not even know who I am, your world has not yet been introduced to a Darkday or a Riley Ross. It would be weird for me to just start killing without an introduction."


    "..."


    "I think this is the reason why I wanted to find you, Gracy."


    "...What?" Gracy started blinking a couple of times as she watched as Riley''s silhouette was very slowly covered by some sort of ck goo; crawling across his entire body like a suit.


    "You will help me in my debut in this world," Riley then whispered as his head was covered by a ck helmet. And then, with a snap of his finger, the dark clouds that cursed Toronto instantly cleared¡ªrevealing the setting sun and bathing the ruinednd in orange.


    "Kh!" Gracy gritted her teeth as Riley grabbed her by the neck.


    "I am going to introduce you to the world, Megawoman''s daughter," Riley''s chuckles could be heard even from his helmet, "And in turn, you will also introduce me, just like your mother did when¡ª"


    "!!!"


    And before Riley could finish his words, a white de suddenly swung between him and Gracy; causing Gracy to widen her eyes as she watched Riley''s arm be cut without any resistance; his blood, showering on her face.


    "Oh?"


    Riley was then kicked away by a white silhouette, who used the momentum he gathered from the kick to grab Gracy away before just recklessly throwing her toward the settlement in the stadium.


    "I suppose you are Whiteking?" Riley floated in the air; his head tilted to the side as his arm regenerated back almost instantly.


    "And you? Who are you supposed to be?" And while Riley''s limb regenerated, the white de wrapped in Whiteking''s arm retracted back¡­inside him. He then started scanning Riley''s blood for any information, only for his suit toe up with nothing¡ªand that usually only means one thing, "Oh¡­


    ¡­you are a rat that is not supposed to be here."

 Chapter 722 722: RAT

    ?


    "A rat that doesn''t belong here."


    "I do believe this is the first time someone isparing me to a rat."


    "I don''t mean a rat, it has another meaning."


    "Hm, your naming sense is the same no matter what universe, Bernard Ross."


    "...I see. So, Anna was right."


    Whiteking, not currently known as Bernard Ross in this universe. In truth, more than 24 hours ago, Bernard Ross received a notification from their AI, Anna, that a potential threat has passed through a portal and entered their universe.


    At first, Bernard was a little dismissive of this, as urrences like this should have been a top priority for the AI¡ªbut no. The AI only told Bernard in passing, almost as if the AI itself was dismissive of the threat.


    And so, Bernard did not really think much of it in the first few hours, as the thing that might have passed through was just some sort of ant. If it was a mosquito, then the AI would have also notified him at once.


    This had happened thousands of times before, and Bernard did not think much of it. He went on with his day just shrugging his shoulders¡ªbut soon, Bernard got this weird urge and checked with the AI to see what it could possibly be¡­


    ¡­only to see a few minutes of the surveincepletely deleted.


    ***


    "Anna! Call everyone back and close all the gates once everyone has been gathered!"


    [At once, Whiteking.]


    A day ago, right after the moment that Bernard discovered that a few minutes of surveince footage was missing, he immediately scrambled to take action¡ªrushing through the long gray hallways of his base of operations.


    "What''s going on¡­?"


    "Why were we called back? I was¡­ having dinner with my family."


    "You did what!? Do you want to get terminated!?"


    "Ah, Whiteking. What''s going¡ªthere he goes, always busy."


    And as a countless number of people started emerging from the walls, Bernard just continued running through the hallway. His helmet, reflecting the pink suit that all of the people were wearing, a suit simr to what Hannah was wearing underneath her armor when she just got back from Riley''s universe. That is because that is also where they just came from¡ªanother universe.


    All of them greeted Bernard as they saw him, but Bernardpletely ignored all of them until finally, he reached the end of the hallway. And just like most of the design in this secret base¡­ it was just an empty gray wall.


    "Anna, let me inside the main server."


    [Of course, Whiteking.]


    And just like the rest of the hallway, the wall in front of Bernard opened up¡ªthis time, however, the other side wasn''t just an empty gray room. Instead, there were strips of light everywhere; pulsing as if the entire room was actually alive.


    Bernard immediately entered therge room, making his way to the center and standing in front of a small screen with just a single¡­ keyboard in front of it.


    [What are you trying to look for, Whiteking?]


    The entire room pulsed in rhythm with the voice of the AI, the lighting from the strips, crawling toward Bernard almost as if something was actually approaching him. Bernard, however,pletely ignored the AI as he just started typing something.


    The sound of Bernard''s taps and the cking of the keyboard quietly drummed in the room for almost an entire hour. His breaths, slowly changing into groans of frustration as he couldn''t seem to find whatever it was he was looking for.


    [It is time for you to consume your caffeine, Whiteking. Do you want me to send someone over to give it to you? Or do you just want me to leave it outside the data center?]


    "Stop talking, Anna," Bernard could not help but click his tongue, waving his hand as he gestured to the AI to leave, as if she was actually there, "Don''t bother me."


    [Perhaps if you asked me what you are looking for, you would have been done by now,] the lights in the room started to be erratic as the volume of the AI''s voice increased.


    "You won''t know anything," Bernard once again waved his hand, "Someone hacked your system and deleted some files, we could potentially have a threat in our hands right now."


    [No one hacked me, Whiteking.]


    "As I said, you wouldn''t know," Bernard sighed; his eyes reflecting random strings of letters and numbers, "Like I wouldn''t know someone tampered with my mind if they erased my memory of them doing it. You arepromised."


    [...But I do remember my files being deleted, Whiteking.]


    "How would you¡ª"


    [I was the one who deleted them, after all.]


    "...You what?" And finally, the endless tapping that have been guing the room instantly stopped; Bernard''s fingers,pletely frozen as he just looked to where the light in the room was brightest,


    "You¡­ did what?" He then said; the tone of his voice, filled with a certain calmness of disbelief.


    [I deleted them, Whiteking.]


    "...Why?" Bernard took a step back away from the console, "Why would you even do something like that?"


    And without even waiting for the AI to say something, Bernard''s armor started to morph and change form¡ªhis eyes that could be seen from his helmet, now glowing orange.


    [Because the one that entered our universe told me so, Whiteking.]


    "Why would you even follow amand from someone other than me and Hannah!?"


    [Because he was very charismatic, Whiteking.]


    "...What?"


    [He reminded me of both you and Master Hannah. He also knew a lot of things about you, as well as Master Diana.]


    "Don''t¡­ say that name," the light in Bernard''s eyes literally faded away as his voice calmed down, "I don''t get it, Anna. You let him have ess to you just because he was charismatic?"


    [Well, he also threatened to destroy me and the entire.]


    "Why did you not start with that!?"


    [Because he told me to tell you he was charismatic once you discovered the¡ª]


    "Wait, wait¡­" Bernard sat on the floor as his helmet¡­ retracted into his face. And although it was just a glimpse, the Bernard of this world is actually quite slim; but as soon as the helmet entered his pores, he slightly became chubbier,


    "...You mean a World Ender was able to pass through the portal without the rms going off?"


    [Yes, Whiteking.]


    "...How?" Bernard''s eyes started swaying left and right as his breaths became gasps, "Who is it?"


    [I don''t know, Whiteking.]


    "What do you mean you don''t know!?" Bernard roared, causing the lights in the server room to flicker several times,


    "Xra, Caiin''Ur, Bernard Ross, Hera, Cherbi, Ahor Zai, Vivati, Nyx, Jeff, Ha¡ªJust who is it!? We have a list of hundreds of entities capable of destroying their universes and you are telling me you don''t know whose variant it is!?" Bernard stood up from the floor,


    "...Don''t tell me it''s an old god?"


    [I do not know because he is not registered in my database, Whiteking.]


    "Not registered¡­?" Bernard raised an eyebrow, "We should know almost everyone there is, and everyone there ever was!"


    [Correction, I should know. You just ess the data from me.]


    "The semantics don''t matter, wow could you¡ª"


    And all of a sudden, Bernard''s eyes slightly turned wide as his breaths momentarily stopped.


    "...Don''t tell me it''s a RAT?"


    [He is a Random Anomalous Type, Whiteking. That is also why I did not notice his existence¡ªhe is even the one to greet me first, so polite, that one.]


    "Wait, wait¡­ A world-ending RAT is on our Earth right now?" Each of Bernard''s breaths became heavier than thest.


    [Please stop calling it RAT.]


    "This is serious, Anna! Restrict all dimensional travel until I turn it on again!"


    [Very well.]


    "And don''t let our agents leave until this matter is resolved!"


    [But tomorrow is a holiday, Whiteking.]


    "I don''t care! And also¡­


    ¡­find me Hannah!"


    And with that, Bernard left the room¡ªmeeting Hannah a few minutester, who seemed to be having a date with some¡ªWait.


    His rebellious and loud-mouthed daughter¡­


    ¡­on a date?


    ***


    "Wait¡­ It''s you!"


    Back in the present, Bernard just came to realize the identity of the masked man floating in front of him.


    "Of course¡­" Even with his helmet on, it was obvious that Bernard has a look of disbelief on his face right now, "...My mind was a little busy then, but it makes sense that only someone weird from another universe would actually date my daughter."


    "So, you also share Bernard Ross''s stupidity when ites to his family."


    "...Who are you?" Bernard very carefully started circling around Riley, "And why did youe to my universe?"


    "An open door is a sign of weing people¡­" Riley shrugged as he followed Bernard with his eyes, "...is what I read somewhere. Your portal was open, so I entered it before the Hannah of your universe could close it."


    "Damn it¡­ of course, it would be her," Bernard groaned in frustration, "Who are you?"


    "Darkday."


    "..." Bernard immediately scanned Anna''s database to search for a simr name and urrence, but nothing came up, "That sounds like a superviin''s name. Are you human?"


    "Correct on both, Bernard Ross," Riley nodded.


    "Since you know a lot of things about me and my daughter, then you must be close to our variants in your universe."


    "I was adopted to the family, Bernard Ross," Riley revealed casually, "Please don''t tell the Hannah of this world, she seems to like me. It would hurt her feelings."


    "...Shit," Bernard Ross did not really even doubt Riley''s words. After all, the only way Riley could get that much information from them is that he is family¡ªif so¡­


    "...You need to die."

 Chapter 723 723: The World Enders

    ?


    "I haven''t really fought Father before head-on."


    "And you still won''t, I''m not your father. And your Bernard is probably weaker than me."


    "Hm."


    The voices of the two were calm, but for the one watching them, it was anything but. Gracy was grateful that she was saved, but a little pissed off that Whiteking just threw her away like she was some sort of trash. Granted, that was probably the best oue she could ever want¡ªafter all, if Whiteking finds out that she is Megawoman''s daughter, she would probably slit her throat without a second thought.


    She wanted to join in on the fight, but seeing what he was seeing now¡­ she would probably just be a fly that they would swat away and not even notice.


    The two were talking calmly¡­ but everything around them had already been obliterated into dust. Toronto was already filled with countless debris from the ruined building. The bridges were destroyed, some of the sidewalks and roads have already caved down. But now, they were just dust. From a literal concrete jungle to a concrete desert.


    Gracy knew that Whiteking was strong since he was the one to kill her mother, which now probably not only makes him the strongest person on Earth but also probably one of the strongest in the universe.


    So, who exactly is the person fighting him right now¡­ and did she actually just try fighting him?


    "It is true that you are stronger than the previous Bernard Ross I killed."


    Riley casually waves his hand while floating back; creating a telekic barrier that stops¡ªno, that slows down each of Bernard''s strikes. Each hit, causing the area around them to just¡­ melt away from the force. Riley had been wondering how Bernard was able to kill Aerith, and now his answers were slowly being answered.


    The Bernard Ross of this universe is strong, very much so. His orange glowing eyes indicated that he has the Guardian Force, but there was something else¡ªeven the Bernard he killed in the previous universe was a Guardian, and yet he wasn''t this strong,


    "Are you injecting the same thing the Reubens are injecting into their body? A serum made from Aerith''s¡­ things."


    "...You''ve been to several universes?" Bernardpletely ignored thetter part of Riley''s words as he continued pushing Riley back; each of his strikes, getting closer than thest.


    "3, including mine. And what about you, Bernard Ross?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he no longer used his hand. He just let himself float back as he summoned barriers to protect him repeatedly, "I have an assumption that you have probably traveled to countless universes."


    "I have," Bernard let out a small scoff as he suddenly stopped attacking; both his feet, now nted on the concrete sand, "And I have been to many, saving them from dying by their own hands¡ªand now, I will save mine from you."


    "Hm, interesting¡­" Riley casually ced his hand on his chin as he too,pletely rxed his feet on the ground, "...But what makes you think you need to save your universe from me, Bernard?"


    "Because you''re a World Ender. I have encountered many of your kind¡ªand you only really need just one reason tosh out," Bernard let out a short but very deep breath as he looked in the direction where Aerith''s statue was erected.


    "And what reason does Aerith need?" Riley quickly asked as he also looked in the same direction.


    "Aerith is not a World Ender," a small and sorrowful smile crawled on Bernard''s face.


    "But you killed her."


    "Because she is a Reason."


    "Hm?"


    "A Reason for two Enders to snap," Bernard closed his eyes, "Caiin¡ªDiana Ross. Diana sees Aerith as the hope of their race, and once Aerith bes obsessed with saving her people, so will Diana¡­ and she will do anything to do that. The other one is Hera who, if the proper events are triggered, will eventually be in dispute with Aerith. And I am sure you are aware of the nature of Hera''s abilities."


    "Oh," Riley squinted, "Do you now find it odd that the same people could exist, even though past events should also be different?"


    "I do. But there are just some things with no answer to," Bernard''s eyes once again started to glow orange, "Like you. A Random Anomalous Type and a World Ender that just happened to enter into my universe."


    "So, you are like a multiversal superhero, Bernard?"


    "Absolutely not," Bernard chuckled, "I have killed so many innocent people that have not yet done anything. I have killed myself, my daughter, my wife¡­ just because there were signs that they could or would potentially end their respective universes. Do you know how many times I have looked my daughter in the eyes as her soul leaves her body?"


    "..."


    "She''s confused, hurt, and betrayed. Asking why her father would do something like that¡ªbut pretending to be their actual father is the fastest and safest way to do it," Bernard''s voice slightly trembled, "Even my own daughter had to do it to different variants of me, and her mother... and herself."


    "Hm, sounds interesting," Riley nodded his head, "It does feel somewhat different when it''s family, no? When I tortured the Bernard Ross of the previous universe, and dismembered and decapitated him, I felt a little different from how I usually do whenever I do something like that."


    "...I see," Bernard''s feet started to leave the ground; the sands, following him and showing the growing rage inside of him as they all trembled, "In all the worlds I have been to, I have never had a son or adopted one. And of course, it just had to turn into a psychopath."


    "Oh, what I am is not your fault, Bernard," Riley shook his head, "I was born to be this way¡ªNothing told me."


    "Nothing¡­" The orange glow in Bernard''s eyes flickered, "...You have been in contact with a Preprimordial?"


    "I have," Riley casually nodded, "I have also met Death, who does not seem to like me very much for some reason. I suppose I should not be surprised that you are aware of the existence of Nothing, Bernard Prime."


    "Bernard¡­ Prime?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "I have met Alice Prime in the previous universe. She is capable of creating a pocket universe in the palm of her hands¡ªI still don''t quite know the purpose of it. Alice is my biological mother, by the way."


    "...Why are you revealing all of this so casually?"


    "You are Bernard Ross. If I don''t kill you, you will find out eventually," Riley shrugged, "Also, I do not really know when I am going to die now since I am sick¡ªI have dementia."


    "You¡­ don''t."


    "Hm?"


    "I am scanning you right now¡ªyou don''t."


    "...That''s what the Diana of the other universe also said," Riley ced his hand on his chin, "Could it be I am only sick in my own universe?"


    "...What?"


    "Perhaps even the universe itself truly does not want me there," Riley sighed, "I suppose it is its way of correcting its mistake because it gave birth to me. You called me a Random Anomalous Type, correct? Nothing also told me that there is only a single me in the entire multiverse."


    "You¡ª"


    "Whiteking!"


    "Oh, that''s the cue for me to disappear," Riley turned to look up, "I have a feeling we will meet again very soon, Bernard."


    "Wait, you¡ª"


    And before Bernard could even finish his words, Riley just suddenly disappeared. He was going to scan the area for him, but Hannah alreadynded in front of him; wearing her outfit and ready to go to battle.


    "Where is it!?" Hannah''s bulky armor made him look even bigger than her father, "I received an rm from the AI that said you were battling with a World Ender! Where is it!?"


    "That''s¡­" Bernard watched as Hannah started looking around. He¡­ had never really seen Hannah like this before¡ªshe was still the same, but there was a certain bounce in her movements. Even yesterday when they talked, she couldn''t wait to get back to the RAT. If he tells her his true identity¡­


    ¡­it would crush her.


    "...It was a false rm."


    "What? But I clearly saw you fighting with something from the satellite!"


    "It was a false rm," Bernard repeated as he flew toward his daughter, "It''s nothing you need to worry about. But we do need to talk about something."


    "What? What is it?" Hannah did not really look at Bernard and just continued to search the area.


    "When we talked before, you said nothing happened during your Expedition."


    "Y¡­Yes?" Hannah flinched, trying her best to feign ignorance as she continued to search for nothing, "Nothing¡­ nothing happened."


    "You discovered a new universe."


    "That''s¡­" Hannah finally turned to look at Bernard, before letting out a small groan and shaking her head, "...It''s more like they discovered us."


    "And?"


    "...I don''t really know the full details, but there were¡­ well¡­ there were already multiple variants there," Hannah chuckled awkwardly, "And a Bernard variant was fucking dead, which I don''t know if it was the Bernard of that world or not¡­ and they also kinda summoned a lot of portals which I had to intercept?"


    "You¡­" Bernard''s voice quickly became strained as his eyes glowed orange,


    "...Why didn''t you tell me!?"


    ***


    "...Oh."


    "..."


    "What''s going on, you two?"


    A few hourster, with the ambience of the night fully covering New York, Riley was back at Hannah''s penthouse¡ªthe two of them, casually having dinner¡­


    ¡­with Bernard Ross.


    "Well," Riley gestured to Bernard to take a seat, "I told you I had a feeling we will meet again, I cooked for three, Mr. Ross. Feel free to join us."


    "Wait¡­


    ¡­the two of you talked before?"

 Chapter 724 724: A Parent

    ?


    "Why the fuck are you being so awkward, Dad? You''re the one who just suddenly came to visit!"


    "...You won''t understand."


    Awkward. Perhaps if there was a time to use that word, then it would be here. Riley, Hannah, and Bernard are all at one table and eating a meal¡ªthis would have been a normal sight, but it will never be. After all, one doesn''t truly belong.


    "What is your rtionship with my daughter?"


    "Dad¡­!?"


    As for Hannah, she just wanted to either dig a hole for herself, or stab her father right in the eye¡­ and then put him in the hole she dug.


    "It is a valid question, dear," Bernard started slicing the steak on his te, "You, who has been single since the dawn of time, are now suddenly living-in with someone?"


    "No one''s living-in!" Hannah leaned in closer to Bernard and whispered, as if her loud voice didn''t reverberate throughout her entire penthouse, "And we only met like yesterday morning!"


    "...And he''s already sleeping in your house? I think I raised you better than that."


    "Uhh, I raised myself, thank you very fucking much."


    "Hm. What is your rtionship with my daughter?" Bernard once again turned his attention to Riley, who was just casually eating and not even minding the two of them.


    "I believe I already told you earlier, Bernard."


    "Wait¡­ You guys really met earlier!?" Hannah could not help but look back and forth between Bernard and Riley.


    "Your new friend did not tell you?" Bernard smirked, "He''s a Ross."


    "We''re¡­ we''re rted?" Hannah''s shoulders quickly lowered as soon as she heard Bernard''s words.


    "No," Riley shook his head, "I was adopted by people with the same surname."


    "Wait¡­ did you approach me so you can have some of our money!?" Hannah''s eyebrows also began to lower; the temperature inside the penthouse, increasing by the second.


    "Someone like me has no need for money, Hannah," Riley shook his head, "I ask and people usually just give me what I want."


    "...How does that even fucking work?"


    "I ask politely," a very small smile crawled on Riley''s face.


    "That¡ª"


    "Hannah, calm down," Bernard could not help but let out a small but very deep sigh as he saw his daughter''s reaction. He wanted to see what Hannah truly feels for Riley, and her quivering voice and eyebrows quickly gave away her vulnerabilities.


    This situation is, in two words, fucked up. But Bernard could not really reveal anything, as anything he would and could say about Riley wouldpletely shatter his daughter''s heart. If he said that Riley was her adoptive brother in another universe, Bernard, and no one else for that matter will be able to handle the aftermath.


    "It''s true, he ispletely unrted to us."


    "What? Is that¡ªWait¡­" Hannah''s eyes started to glow orange as she grabbed the knife in front of her, "...Did you just do a background check on the only friend that I have!? I¡­ I mean, I have a lot of friends, but that''s not important! Just answer my question!"


    "We''re the wealthiest family in the entire universe, Hannah¡ªany people within 1 kilometer from us are automatically being checked," Bernard breathed out, "And you don''t have to worry¡­"


    Bernard then looked Riley in the eyes as he finally took a bite of the steak in front of him, "There is nothing you should worry about¡ªWait, did you cook this?"


    "I did," Riley nodded.


    "This is good, I approve of it," Bernard also nodded. Of course, he still hasn''t forgotten that the person in front of him was a World Ender, and potentially the most unique creature in the entire multiverse right now. When he and Riley parted ways earlier, he had the AI run and search the system for anyone that even had a simrity with Riley Ross¡ªbut there was truly no one. He repeated the same process a dozen times, and nothing.


    Bernard has seen many RATs, Random Anomalous Types in other universes¡ªthey were people who did not have any variants, and are therefore unregistered to the system. Usually, however, RATs are just normal people that do not have much impact on anything.


    A random person on Earth, a random alien on some¡ªit didn''t matter. All of them were insignificant existences.


    But not Riley Ross.


    It wasn''t enough that he''s a RAT and a World Ender, no. He also had to be close to a variant of him in his universe, very close.


    This is aplete mystery for Bernard¡­ and he hates and loves a mystery.


    "Keep this one close to you at all times, Hannah," Bernard nodded again, "Do not let him leave your sight."


    "What¡­ what the fuck are you even talking about? Sheesh¡­" Hannah could really only roll her eyes, before taking a subtle nce at Riley; her cheeks, almost as red as the meat juices oozing from her medium-rare steak.


    "I appreciate that you like the food I prepared, Bernard Ross," Riley raised his ss filled with milk.


    "I hope you don''t mind me having dinner here every day," Bernard also raised a ss.


    "Of course not, Bernard. You are free to join us, I will cook your favorites every day if you just let me stay here."


    "I am still checking if I should really let you stay," a small smile crawled on Bernard''s face, "But as long as you promise you won''t hurt anyone, I will let you stay¡­ for now. I know the damage you can do, Riley¡ªbut I assure you, the longer you stay here, the more I will know how to get rid of you."


    "I do not mind, Bernard. I will even wee your attempts," Riley also smiled as he lowered his ss.


    "Very well, then I will also¡ª"


    "Why the fuck are you two deciding like the one who actually owns the house isn''t here!?"


    And so, after a little more exchange of words, Bernard finally left. Hannah was actually looking forward to spending time and chatting with Riley since she fell asleepst time. But s, she once again fell asleep, drinking her way through frustration since Bernard and Riley seemed to have a world of their own.


    And so, with Riley left awake all alone in the penthouse¡­ he decided to return to Toronto.


    And there, he found another drunkdy¡ªire, the leader of the people who cleaned Aerith''s statue, was sleeping in front of her house,pletely wasted.


    "...Hm," Riley nced at her for a few seconds, before looking at the key in his hand. Did¡­ she only have one set of keys? If so¡­ then why did she even give it to Riley?


    Once again, Riley''s charm makes everyone elsepletely¡­ disarmed. Riley was supposed to create a clone to sleep in ire''s house so that he wouldn''t be rude and refused her offer. But s, the world had different ns.


    "..." Riley could really only just look at ire again, before letting out a small breath and lifting her in the air as he unlocked the small house. Riley only needed to take one step inside before he could see the bed and very carefully ce ire there,


    "I will leave your key on the table, Ms. ire," Riley then waved his finger, covering ire with her nket, "Please keep on cleaning Megawoman''s statue."


    And with that, Riley stepped out to immediately return to Hannah''s penthouse¡­ well, that was the n.


    "Who are you, really?"


    As Riley stepped out of ire''s house, Gracy was already there waiting for her. Her back leaning against the wall as she had her arms crossed while once again wearing the ski mask on her head,


    "Your name is Riley Ross. You say you are not rted to the Ross family, and yet I saw the news that you are currently living with Hannah Ross. So tell me, who are you¡­ really?"


    "I have lost count of how many times that has been asked of me," Riley let out a small but deep sigh as he looked Gracy in the eyes, "Shall we¡­


    ¡­talk elsewhere?"


    ***


    "Shit¡­ I just entered the USA illegally."


    "It is fine, Gracy Gray. This world does not seem to care about illegal domestic travels, only multiversal travels."


    "...What are you even talking about? And¡­ why did you bring me here?"


    Although Gracy was a little lightheaded from being carried by Riley all the way to another country, her eyes werepletely clear¡ªreflecting a statue of her mother that has been vandalized and literally defecated on.


    "Your people, the supporters of Megawoman¡­" Riley also looked at the statue in the middle of Central Park, "...Why have they not cleaned this statue yet?"


    "They''re not my people," Gracy rolled her eyes and scoffed, "And why do you even care about my mother that much?"


    "I told you, I was her lover."


    "Do not let thy bullshite out of your mouth again, Riley Ross," Gracy crossed her arms as she stood closer to Riley; their eyes, at the same level, "I know you could''ve killed me anytime you wanted, so just tell me what it is that you want."


    "May I ask why almost everyone hates your mother?"


    "Have you been asleep for the past decade?"


    "Only half of a decade, Gracy," Riley sighed, "I have been searching the inte, trying to learn more about how different this Aerith is from the one I know. But all I read is that she is an alien, and she had been colluding with her race to conquer Earth¡ªthat''s it."


    "And what more do you need to know?" Gracy''s eyebrows lowered, "How else could it be any clearer than that? If that is what it reported, then that''s what the people decided."


    "Are you saying it is true, Gracy?" Riley once again sighed as he looked at the face of Aerith''s statue, "Are you saying that Aerith¡­ wanted to enve the humans?"


    "Bullshit!" Gracy suddenly raised her voice, "Of course not! My mother loved the rest of you more than me! Do you know how many times I celebrated my birthday without my mother? Because she''s out there saving the rest of you?"


    "I assume she was never there during your birthday, Gracy," Riley casually answered, "I already know that she was not a present parent."


    "Yes! Yes!" Gracy seemed like she wanted to pull her hair out as she started walking around, ncing at her mother''s statue repeatedly.


    "You felt unloved?"


    "I feel unloved¡ªno. No!" Gracy let out a forced chuckle as she raised a finger, "I don''t feel unloved because I don''t even know if Megawoman even loved me in the first ce. She chose you, she chose the rest of you over her own daughter. Over her own family¡­"


    Gracy then suddenly rested her face on Riley''s chest; wanting to hide her tears from Riley''s eyes, but their warmth dampened his skin.


    "¡­Do you think someone like that... someone like that is really capable of betraying mankind?"

 Chapter 725 725: Slowly Gathering The Keys

    Chapter725 725: Slowly Gathering The Keys


    She chose you, she chose the rest of you over her own daughter. Over her own family¡­


    ¡­do you think someone like that is really capable of betraying mankind?"


    "I believe all of us are capable of everything if the right parameters are set and triggered, Gracy."


    "What?"


    It wasn''t just their conversation setting the mood, the empty park in the otherwise noisy and busy city caused their breaths to literally be trapped in the dim expanse they find themselves in. It made their already serious conversation turn even more¡­ deste.


    It was only her, him, and the statue of someone that has abandoned them. One is a promise of blood. The other, a covenant that was broken. Aerith has promised Riley that she will never let him leave her side¡ªthat she would stop her no matter what.


    She did stop him in their universe, and she stayed there.


    She lied.


    Or perhaps if Riley still truly does know her, she is out there right now trying to get him back¡ªhe did leave a fine gift in the previous universe, after all. Right now, Aerith is probably ming herself that Riley had just killed hundreds of billions of people¡ªand once again, one of her own.


    "I have seen mothers abandon their own child in panic, I have also seen mothers exhaust the lives of others to save their children. But of course, most save their children without fear for their own lives."


    Riley''s eyes did not leave the face of Aerith''s statue. He does not really know when, but his infatuation with Aerith became much more¡­ and he also doesn''t know when he became aware of this. At first, Riley thought it was just a weird obsession¡ªlike what we have for Italian Mafia Reborn and spoons, but no.


    He feels something for Aerith. Love? Perhaps. But whatever it is, he knows he doesn''t deserve it.


    "Aerith is none of those. She will try to save everyone, at the cost of neglecting her own child."


    "What are you getting¡ª"


    "The Aerith I know treasures people as much as she could, perhaps too much. She doesn''t do it because of duty, but because she can. But I also do know that she wasn''t there for you, like she wasn''t there for Gary. But I suppose this version of hers could be different."


    "...Gary? You keep saying that name. Wait¡­" Gracy''s feet once again left the ground as she looked right at her mother''s face, and then down to Riley. She did this a couple of times, beforending back right in front of Riley,


    "...Don''t tell me you have a son with my mother!?"


    "No."


    "...Oh," Gracy quickly let out a sigh of relief, fanning herself with her hand and causing her hair to dance with the wind. And after a few seconds of this, she let out another sigh and looked Riley in the eyes,


    "You know, you probably know my mother more than I do. Even now, I am knowing more about her than when she was still here with us."


    "No," Riley shook his head,


    "I do know more than you. But I suppose I too, barely know anything about her¡ªShe has lived for a thousand years, I have lived not even a percent of that. And in your mother''s case, I absolutely know nothing about her because she has lived apletely different life than what I know of."


    "...You say some weird stuff sometimes."


    "I am known for being weird and dark."


    "...Like the opposite of your perfectly smooth and white skin. You''re like one of those beautiful snow queens in novels, except you''re a man," Gracy widened her eyes as she realized what she just said; her feet, subconsciously taking a step back as she looked away,


    "And¡­ and I am definitely not attracted to you! You attacked my dad and even tried to kill me!"


    "Hm," Riley shrugged as he slightly approached Gracy, "I did not attack your dad, but I did try to kill you."


    "Wait¡­ what?" Gracy blinked a couple of times as she once again took a step back. She then finally turned to look at their surroundings, only to realize that they werepletely alone. And since the streets outside the park were extremely busy¡ªno one would even hear her even if she let out the strongest scream she could,


    "Secluded, dark, and in front of my mother''s statue. Wait, wait¡­"


    Gracy continued to back away as she pointed both her palms at Riley, "This¡­ This is the perfect ce to kill me! You¡­ it''s like you want to show my mother that you killed me in front of her! You¡­


    ¡­you brought me here to kill me, didn''t you!?"


    "..." Riley also blinked a couple of times, before just casually nodding his head, "I did."


    "Wha¡ª"


    "But I am not in the mood for that anymore," Riley then let out a sigh as he faced Aerith''s statue again.


    "Wait¡­ So, you were going to kill me!?" Gracy immediately looked for an escape but quickly realized that she wouldn''t even be able to go anywhere just from the fact that Riley was probably a hundred times faster than her.


    "As I said¡­


    ¡­I am not in the mood anymore.]


    [So, you were in the mood earlier!?]


    Unbeknownst to the two, there were actually multiple people listening in on them and watching them ever since they entered back into the United States. Bernard was only a few kilometers away from them, standing on top of a building as he watched the feed being uploaded to his helmet by one of his satellites.


    There was also the World Government, which had been watching Riley ever since he first made the news. After all, an unknown individual linked with both The Reuben and the Ross family? Suffice it to say, he was currently the highest priority.


    The Reubens were also watching them, but forpletely different reasons entirely. Twice now¡­ Twice did Riley Ross humiliate them. They were nning to know more about him so they could n an attack¡­ but they were given so much more.


    Megawoman has a daughter. The three continued to watch¡ªsoon, however, their feed became blurry and turnedpletely dark all of a sudden. The Government and the Reubens immediately scattered to turn back their feed, Bernard, on the other hand, already switched to another satellite.


    And there, he saw another silhouette join the two.


    "Golden Fox¡­" Bernard''s eyebrows lowered as he stared at Chihiro''s silhouette very slowly emerging from the ground,


    "...The Avatar of Machina. This is getting¡­ interesting."


    [Riley, we should continue our talk about¡ªWho is this?]


    [G¡­ Golden Fox!?]


    Gracy almost jumped in shock as Chihiro suddenly appeared from nowhere. She then quickly looked back at Riley, before letting out a short but very deep gasp,


    "Wait¡­ could the two of you be¡­ Are you two a part of some sort of secret shadow organization!? If so, I am in! I am so in!"


    "...Excuse me?" Chihiro, who was still a little confused as to who Gracy was, could not help but slightly adjust her mask.


    "That was a test, right!?" Gracy almost shrieked as she looked at Riley, "You weren''t really trying to kill me, you were testing me if you could recruit me into your secret organization!?"


    "N¡ª"


    "Count me in!" Gracy stood straight up as she covered her face with her ski mask again, "I already have my own mask!"


    "Riley¡­ who is this?" Chihiro squinted her already small eyes as she looked at Riley, "She looks¡­ sort of familiar."


    grabbing and violently shaking her hand. And since Gracy was an "She¡ª"


    "The name''s Gracy Gray!" Gracy quickly rushed toward Chihiro, grabbing and violently shaking her hand. And since Gracy was an entire foot taller than Chihiro, she almost flung her away with how excitedly she was shaking her hand.


    "H¡­ Hello?"


    "Hi, hi!" Gracy giggled. But after a few seconds, she let out another gasp and suddenly backed away, "You two were going to talk about something, right? I''ll¡­ I''ll just be behind the statue while you guys discuss me joining your group."


    "What?"


    "What?" Gracy feigned ignorance as she walked away, "I didn''t say anything."


    "That is an odd woman," Chihiro muttered as she watched Gracy go behind Aerith''s statue, only for her to lean her head out from time to time, "Were the two of you talking about something important? Should I return?"


    "No, it is fine, Golden Fox."


    "That¡­ is good," Chihiro ced her hand on her tiny chest as she breathed out deeply, "My System is actually telling me to approach you again. I think it''s giving me a clue on how to defeat this¡­ viin."


    "Your System can''t tell you who you are supposed to defeat, Golden Fox?" Riley tilted his head to the side fully knowing that he was the viin her System was talking about.


    "It can be vague sometimes," Chihiro sighed, "But it keeps on telling me that the viin is in this country, and it''s telling me to approach you."


    "Hm," Riley ced his hand on his chin, "That is odd."


    "Right?" Chihiro once again sighed, "I can''t find the violent man in the memory. And I can''t seem to contact Whiteking to ask for his help. I need to find this viin¡­ or else everyone will die."


    "Everyone?" Riley squinted, "It told you that?"


    "Yes."


    "...Interesting. This System of yours seems like it knows a lot of things about this Viin."


    "Hm," Chihiro nodded several times, "It feels like it wants to give me more information, but it can''t. It''s saying something about a multiverse? It''s weird."


    "..."


    "It''s also the first time it is acting this way. It''s almost like¡­


    ¡­it''s actually afraid."

 Chapter 726 726: Avatar of Machina

    Chapter726 726: Avatar of Machina


    "Bring back the feed, quick!"


    "Buy the nearest satellite if you need to!"


    "But¡­ the nearest satellite belongs to Ross!"


    "Fuck!"


    Whether the Reubens or the Government, the two were currently panicking as they tried to bring back their feed. They were nearing the most important parts, and now they could not even connect to their satellites¡ªeven their screen started to distort, showing nothing but a blue screen.


    As for Bernard, he just quickly switched to another satellite¡ªand he did this all standing on top of a building with nothing but his Whiteking suit. But switching to another satellite alone was actually not enough. There was a reason why the feed disappeared and their screens turned ck, and that is solely because of Chihiro''s sudden appearance.


    Chihiro''s abilities are passively capable of restricting any form of technology from working around her¡ªsomething that only her abilities could control, and not her directly.


    But Bernard, of course, found a reason to bypass this restriction throughout his adventures to different universes.


    One would think he would have a confident expression on his face solely because of this face, but no. His fat cheeks were currently quivering and the smile growing on his face was because of extreme anxiety.


    [The System¡­ It''s like it is afraid.]


    Chihiro herself doesn''t know the extent of her abilities, of what it truly is¡­ but Bernard does.


    Chihiro''s powers were granted to her by Machina, a god. Specifically, the God of Machines¡­


    ¡­a Primordial God.


    Primordial, as their name suggests, are the oldest gods in existence. They weren''t old gods, but more ancient than them. They are beings of creation from creation.


    The concept of the multiverse is foreign to them. As for them, the multiverse is all just part of a single ne on which they could just freely move.


    These primordial gods do not interfere with the workings of the universe, as they have already done their part during creation¡ª


    everyone and everything that has happened and will happen is insignificant to them.


    A universe will disappear, and the most they would do is be curious. But sometimes, however, they would get bored¡ªbut they limit their interference as much as possible, and one of the ways of doing so is by a contract.


    They choose an Avatar, and Chihiro is one of those people.


    The Avatar of Machina¡ªshe exists in all universes without fail. This is also one of the reasons why the universes are simr to each other¡ªthe primordial gods make sure their avatars will be present everywhere.


    They manipte certain events, some even as small as a single atom, just to ensure the existence of their Avatar.


    And the reason why Bernard knows all of this is that he had personally met Machina during his early ventures throughout the multiverse, or more specifically, he came to Bernard in a form of a nightmare.


    And what Bernard saw was something¡­ unfathomable. Bernard has always been confident that there were no secrets in the universe that could hide from him, but he was hit with a reality that might as well be a fantasy.


    The Primordials are beings that will always be beyond him¡ª


    something that can never be surpassed.


    And a being like that¡­


    ¡­is afraid?


    "Shit¡­" Bernard could not help but just cover his mouth as an unexpected breath escaped his shivering lips,


    "Just what did we let inside our universe¡­?"


    ''And what was his variant thinking raising someone like this?'' But then again, this thought made Bernard wince. After all, he himself knows how foolish he bes when it came to family.


    That was his greatest weakness.


    "Anna," Bernard let out a sigh loud enough to drown the waft of air blowing over his head.


    [Yes, Whiteking?]


    "You do still have the location of the Universe Riley came from, right?"


    [Yes. As it is saved in Ms. Hannah''s files, it waspletely safe from the files that were deleted. Would you like me to open a Portal for you in our super secret base?]


    "Yes," Bernard nodded, "It is time to find out what is really¡ªWait."


    Bernard was about to fly away, but before he could do so, another figure joined Riley and the others in the park.


    "What the¡ªI thought she was already sleeping in her room!?"


    It was, of course, none other than the Hannah of this universe¡ªjust casually walking across the park, still in her pajamas.


    "Riley, what are you doing here?" Hannah let out a subtle yawn as she just casually approached Riley out of nowhere, "And¡­ isn''t this Golden Fox? And who is the weird done with a ski mask?"


    "I¡­" Gracy did not really know what to do from the sudden appearance of Hannah¡ªprobably the most famous woman on the entire, "I¡­


    ¡­am Shadowfox," and so, Gracy could really only cover half of her already covered face with her hand as she introduced her¡­ new title.


    "Shadow¡­fox?" Hannah squinted her eyes as she looked at Gracy from head to toe, before finally ncing at Chihiro, "The two of you a group?"


    "N¡ª"


    "Yes," Gracy was the one to answer, "We are all part of a secret organization."


    "There is no such thing," Chihiro quickly said as she shook her head. This was followed by an awkward silence; an awkward silence thatsted for a few seconds before the threedies started looking at each other.


    Their eyes, squinted as if they were sizing each other up.


    "Riley," Hannah was the first to break eye contact as she walked closer to Riley, "I¡­ woke up and you weren''t home."


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "I went out for a walk in Canada and then went back here."


    "I see¡­ so that''s why the signal did not reach," Hannah let out an awkward giggle, "Don''t misunderstand, the keycard that I gave you has a GPS since I always lose even the spare."


    "It is fine even if you are stalking me intentionally, Ms. Hannah. But know that at the end of everything, I will really onlye home to you."


    "That''s¡­ stop it," Hannah rolled her eyes as she looked away; trying her best not to almost squeam right there and then, "Stop¡­ being so cringe."


    "Hm."


    "Anyway¡­" Hannah once again looked at Chihiro and Gracy, "...What are you even doing here with Golden Fox?"


    "I¡ª"


    "I can answer that, Lady Hannah," Chihiro bowed her head as she stood in front of Hannah,


    "Perhaps it is fate that you are here right now. I need your help."


    "...Huh?" Hannah raised an eyebrow.


    "I have actually been trying to reach your father," Chihiro sighed, "But he seems to be very busy at the moment."


    "...What do you need from him?"


    "I¡­ need his help in trying to find a viin, the Viin."


    Chihiro then started exining the mission she received from her System to Hannah. Telling her everything, and how Riley seems to be one of the keys in trying to find the said viin.


    And of course, Gracy was also there listening.


    "A¡­ viin from another world!?" Gracy almost choked from gasping too hard, "That¡­ the multiverse is real?"


    Hannah, on the other hand, found it hard to feign amazement and confusion. After all, she had known the existence of the multiverse for a very long time now.


    "That¡­ sounds ridiculous," Hannah breathed out.


    "Yes¡­" Chihiro sighed, "But it''s true."


    "And are we just supposed to take your word for it?"


    "...Yes."


    "Okay. Let''s say what you say is true," Hannah squinted her eyes as she tried her best to pretend ignorance and skepticism as much as possible, "Your system or whatever says the viin is here? Where here?"


    "Just¡­ here," Chihiro once again sighed as she shrugged and looked around to nowhere in particr, "I approached Riley because he was there in the memory the System showed me. I thought maybe he could¡­ help me find the Viin."


    "And does this viin have a fucking name?"


    "I¡­ it''s not really clear. His name was mentioned, but there were too much screaming and noise to understand. The only name I heard was Riley''s," Chihiro nced at Riley, before turning to look at Hannah again,


    "You were there as well, wearing some sort of pink suit simr to Nuclear¡ª"


    "I was there as well!?" Hannah did not let Chihiro finish her words, "Wait¡­ you mentioned you saved Riley from this tall viin¡­


    ¡­so what exactly was your rtionship with Riley in that memory?"


    "I¡­don''t know," Chihiro subtly grasped her chest, "But he is probably important to me if I risked my life for him."


    "..."


    "One of the Jackson twins was also there, Be. And then a beautiful blondedy that¡­


    ¡­looks somewhat simr to her," Chihiro pointed at Gracy¡­ whose head waspletely covered with a ski mask.


    "Wha¡ªHow do you know what I look like!?" Gracy quickly pulled down her mask to make sure it was still there.


    "...You weren''t wearing it earlier."


    "Oh¡­ right."


    "Wait, wait¡­" Hannah stretched her arms to the side as she stopped everyone else from talking, "So, what you are basically saying is that in that memory¡­ You, me, that crazy metal chick, and another beautiful woman were there?"


    "Yes, well¡­" Chihiro slightly tilted her head to the side, "We were obviously a lot younger, but yes."


    "So, you mean to say¡­" Hannah''s eyebrows began to lower as she looked at Riley,


    "...Riley was surrounded by only women, like he is now?"


    "Ah!" Gracy pointed at Riley, "You''re a harem protagonist, ew!"


    "..." Chihiro blinked a couple of times before her already small eyes also squinted as she looked Riley in the eyes.


    "Wha¡ªis that true!? Fuck you, Riley!"


    "..." Riley could really only look at the three, slightly confused,


    "...What did I do?"

 Chapter 727 727: This Is The Real Multiverse Of Madness

    ?


    "At least 6''6" tall, insanely muscr, light-brown hair. That should be easy to filter."


    "What the¡ªhow do you guys even have ess to this?"


    "The Ross owns everything under the sun."


    "Multiple suns, actually."


    "For reals?"


    "..."


    Just a few moments ago, Riley and thedies were surrounded by the serenity and the istion of Central Park. But now, they were inside theforts of Hannah''s penthouse; the threedies, huddled together in front of the bar looking at aptop. The three of them do not really know each other, but it didn''t take long for them to actually be buddies with each other¡ªperhaps it was a friendship that transcends the multiverse, or perhaps because Riley was there to put them together, no one really knows.


    As for Riley, he was busy checking out the streaming sites avable in this universe, continuing his search for Italian Mafia Reborn. For some reason, however, he finds himself pausing and ncing at the three from time to time, especially after hearing what Hannah just said about them owning almost everything in the entire Known Universe.


    The previous Bernard he killed ruled the universe he was in, while this one owns almost everything. In a way, they were so sessful that you could even depict them as gods in their own right.


    But the Bernard of his world, his adoptive father¡ªother than being Whiteking and a member of Hope Guild, he was somewhat ackey of the government for half of his life. It was like he never truly achieved what he was meant to do and what he could be¡­ and it was obvious why.


    Riley Ross''s existence.


    It could be none other than his fault. Everyone was not able to reach their potential because he existed. But then again, not that Riley was trying topliment himself, but Aerith is alive and well-treated, respected, and idolized in his world.


    Pirate Queen Xra also stopped pirating, lightening the work of the Guardian Force, Lahestia, the Common Council, and all the other police forces in his universe by probably more than 80%. Last he heard, the Cherbi was also tamed by one of his clones and was now no longer targeting star systems indiscriminately.


    Mega Academy also existed. And there was even a school for Supers with special needs created by Paige.


    There were no secret organizations or governments, because Darkday was enough. And if there happens to be a viin group, they are always identally killed by Riley.


    Other than him causing trouble here and there, his universe was¡­ ironically safe and peaceful.


    In this universe and the previous one, Earth seemed to always be fighting with the themarians and other species.


    Humans¡­ are the viins.


    But with him there, Bernard can''t do anything. The evil people that lurk in the shadows can''t do anything¡­ because they were nothingpared to the darkness Riley leaves behind.


    Does that not make him¡­ a hero?"


    "Pft," Riley could not help but let out a small chuckle as soon as the thought entered his mind. Perhaps he should tell that to Aerith once they meet again.


    "..." The smile on Riley''s face instantly disappeared as soon as he remembered Aerith''s face. Now that he had time to think and truly rx¡­


    ¡­wasn''t he actually betrayed by her?


    He wasn''t only abandoned, but betrayed.


    "Do I have the right to feel this way?" Riley let go of the remote as he ced his hand on his chin. Can a monster like him really be betrayed? He and Aerith were enemies from the start, after all.


    If there was someone he should feel betrayed by, it should be Diana¡ªbut for some reason, Riley was not really thinking of her.


    Why was he even so obsessed with Aerith in the first ce? Because she was the first to make him afraid? No, Hannah does that aplenty.


    Because she was his equal? But Aerith has lived a hundred of his lifetimes, they will never be equal.


    Because he fell in love with her? If so, what does that even mean?


    "..." Riley looked at the TV for a few seconds, before just shrugging his shoulders and once again started searching for shows. These weird emotions and thoughts that he was having for the first time, it was quite¡­ tiring to the mind.


    How do normal people actually deal with all these emotions?


    And while Riley was busy trying to find himself and Italian Mafia Reborn at the same time, thedies also continued their search for a viin that they did not know was already casually rxing on a sofa just meters away from them.


    Until finally, after an entire hour, their search seemed to bear fruit.


    "Ah, is this him!?"


    "...No."


    Or so they thought.


    "But this guy is thest on the fucking list!" Hannah almost mmed theptop shut as she groaned in frustration. She then munched a handful of popcorn that they microwaved along their search. Chihiro and Gracy also put some snacks in their mouth, eating out the stress and frustrations they were feeling.


    As for Riley, he was casually sipping a ss of milk and eating a cookie; finally finding something to watch.


    "Oi, why aren''t you helping us to search!?"


    Riley''s head slightly flinched forward as a piece of popcorn was thrown at the back of his head. He turned around, only to see Hannah''s hand stretched forward with a dumbfounded and shocked expression on her face.


    "...Awkward," Gracy loudly whispered as she looked at Chihiro, who still had her mask on,


    "Why didn''t you block the popcorn like you blocked that guy''s fist, Golden Fox?"


    "...Are you serious?"


    "I¡­ I don''t know why I did that," Hannah''s face quickly became flushed as she saw Riley looking at her. She had really only known Riley for less than 3 days, and she was already treating him like they have known each other since they were young.


    Could it be¡­ they were really close in another universe? After all, in Chihiro''s memory, she was also there.


    "..." But she wasn''t the one who jumped in front of Riley to save him. But then again, why would Chihiro jump in front of Riley in the first ce? Although Hannah still has not seen what Riley was capable of, it was obvious just from the glimpses that she had seen that Riley was strong¡ªhe treated Jonas Reuben like an insect.


    "Ack, this is boring!"


    And with the sudden awkwardness lingering in the air, Gracy just leaped from the bar and jumped straight onto the sofa; her decently-sized bosoms, bouncing as shended right beside Riley.


    "You¡ªyou''re gay, aren''t you?" Gracy then smirked as she leaned closer to Riley, "You have been alone with 3, and I am not boasting here, 3 beautiful and well-packaged women, and I have only seen you nce at us once. Once. Other men would have already done something, anything."


    "I am not other men, Gracy," Riley let out a small sigh as he wiped the milk above his upper lip, "I am a monster."


    "...Oh?" Gracy raised an eyebrow, "And if this monster has a chance, who would you take to bed among the three of us?"


    "..." Hannah was actually about to stop the conversation, but as soon as she heard Gracy''s spicy inquiry, she quickly stopped and heightened her senses. Even Chihiro, who thought Gracy was just trying to lighten up the mood and break the ice, could not help but almost remove her mask there and then.


    Chihiro subtly nced at Hannah, who clearly has some sort of feelings for Riley. As for her, she didn''t really know what to feel¡ªShe saved Riley, that has to mean something.


    "Take to bed? Do you mean sexual intercourse, Gracy?"


    "Kh¡­" Gracy almost choked on her own breath as she didn''t expect Riley''s bluntness; her face, reddening like cherry in no time, "Y¡­yes."


    "..." Riley ced his hand on his chin, before just shaking his head, "No one."


    "No one?" Gracy squinted her eyes, "I don''t believe you. So, if I am to strip right here and now¡­ you wouldn''t do something to me?"


    "...Something''s not right," Chihiro finally spoke as she noticed the small giggles escaping Gracy''s lips. She then turned to look back at the counter, only to see an empty bottle of alcohol in front of the seat Gracy was seating on earlier, "Did¡­ she drink all of that?"


    "No, Gracy. I know you as a man, after all," Riley sighed.


    "Wha¡ªYou think this is a man!?" And without even any warning, Gracy suddenly tore off her shirt.


    "Fucking fuck!" Hannah, as well as Chihiro quickly rushed toward Gracy, trying their best to pull her down. But s, the child of Aerith may lose in a fight against Hannah or Chihiro, but she wouldn''t lose to a contest of strength as she also just dragged the two closer to Riley.


    "Stop, stop!" Hannah clenched her teeth as she tried her best to push Gracy. Gracy, however, grabbed her shirt and pushed her away¡­ also tearing it to pieces in the process.


    "You bitch!" Hannah let out a scream as she once again attempted to push Gracy, this time violently. But s, she was the one to be pushed back and trip¡­ falling right on top of Riley¡ªthe only thing between her breasts and Riley''s face; her bra.


    "Wha¡­"


    And with this chaos just starting to ensue, the elevator doors suddenly rang. The three could not really do anything as they were still slightly tangled. And so, they all just very slowly turned their heads to the elevator as it opened¡­


    ¡­only to see another Hannah on the other side.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...What the fuck?"


    "What the fuck!?"

 Chapter 728 728: Youve Heard Of Helicopter Mom. Now, Be Prepared For...

    ?


    "...What the fuck?"


    "What the fuck!?"


    This seemed to have been happening often in Riley and Hannah''s life. But for the others that were in the room, specifically Chihiro and Gracy, this was the very first time they were experiencing an encounter with a variant from another universe.


    "There''s¡­ two of you?" Gracy could not help but point her finger back and forth between the Hannah on the elevator and the Hannah whose breasts were currently pinned down on Riley''s chest, "Elevator Hannah¡­ and Shirtless Hannah!?"


    "What the fuck is this?" Elevator Hannah''s nose twitched, snarling to the point where her vexation was already literally painting her face. She seemed to want to say something else than the words she had already repeated twice, but there was nothing escaping her half-opened mouth.


    She and Shirtless Hannah were just staring at each other; their eyes, both showing shock but for different reasons. Shirtless Hannah could not help but just look at Elevator Hannah from head to toe, finding it hard to believe that there was a variant of her just reflecting on her eyes without any warning or noticeing from the AI.


    As for Elevator Hannah, well¡­ how could she not be shocked when her brother was currently motorboating and suffocating between her variant''s breasts? A million thoughts repeated in her mind like clockwork as she tried to think of reasons why something like this could happen.


    She then turned to look at the other people in the room, only to find that she recognized someone else.


    "...Chihiro?"


    "!!!" Chihiro quickly covered her face as she thought that she lost her mask during the rumble when she was trying to prevent Gracy from doing something she would regret. To her relief, however, the golden fox mask was still firmly nted on her face. She quickly focused her attention back to Elevator Hannah, using her abilities to identify who she truly was¡ªand to her shock, it truly was also Hannah Ross.


    One of Chihiro''s abilities allows her to analyze and store certain information about people. If she meets a person for the first time, then the letters that will appear above that person''s head would be a bunch of question marks¡ªquestion marks that would start to fill as soon as the person tells her their name.


    And so, for two people that looked alike to bear the same name¡­ wouldn''t that mean they were basically the same person? This was the first time this had happened to her, and she couldn''t quite figure out what to do but just¡­ watch things unfold.


    Chihiro, however, does have an idea of what was happening¡ªthe Hannah that was shown in her memories, the chance of her being Elevator Hannah was extremely high, especially since she knows Golden Fox''s true identity.


    And while everyone was confused as to what was happening, Shirtless Hannah finally began to move; she lifted up both her arms from the sofa, causing her breasts to pin Riley''s head even further. She was a bit ufortable with what was happening, but taking action took priority as she tapped her wrist¡­pletely forgetting that she was not wearing the bracelet which stored her nano-armor suit.


    "Shit¡­" And finally, Shirtless Hannah pulled herself away from Riley; some of his hair, stapled on the garters of her bra. And even as Riley''s long white hair slid across the skin of her breasts and almost tangled around her teat, Shirtless Hannah fought the urge to shiver as she focused on Elevator Hannah.


    Shirtless Hannah then quickly somersaulted back behind the sofa, rushing to grab her phone from the bar and dial something on it.


    "I have made contact with a Trespasser," Shirtless Hannah said as her eyes did not leave Elevator Hannah for even a single moment, "Reporting a possible leak with our portals. I require immediate backup."


    "Fucking¡­" Elevator Hannah''s eye started to twitch as she watched as Shirtless Hannah started tumbling and running around the penthouse with her bra out in the open; her snarls, turning into a full-on scowl, "Stop fucking running around with my tits out in the open, you fuck!"


    "Trespasser is getting angry, fuck!" Shirtless Hannah dropped the phone to the floor as the air around her started to distort, "I will deal with the threat ordingly. You guys, hide in my room! There''s another elevator hidden in the closet left of my bed!"


    "...What?" Both Chihiro and Gracy could really only¡­ dumbfoundingly look back and forth between the two, with nothing really registering in their minds but more and more confusion.


    "Stop waving your hands with my breasts exposed!" Elevator Hannah once again screamed as she finally fully stepped out of the elevator; her finger, violently pointing at Shirtless Hannah as the door behind started to close.


    And before the doors couldpletely close, Shirtless Hannah''s feet left the floor as she carefully flew closer to Elevator Hannah. As she did so, however, the air around Elevator Hannah also began to distort¡ªthe floors, also melting.


    "..." Shirtless Hannah could not help but stop in mid-air; her eyes, squinting as she stared at the melting floor.


    Her entire penthouse was made of Starcarbide, a material from a different gxy that could withstand the maximum heat Shirtless Hannah could produce. Which means only one thing¡ªElevator Hannah''s abilities were far stronger than hers. And the fact that only the floor near her was melting also means that her control was also even more extraordinary.


    Still, if Shirtless Hannah had her armor right now, then this Hannah would be nothing. But s, she had to make do with what she had¡ªand what she had wasn''t bad at all.


    And after a second of thought, Shirtless Hannah once again rushed toward Elevator Hannah. The two of them were immune from each other''s abilities, and so, all Shirtless Hannah could really do was turn this into a dog fight¡­


    ¡­and she was confident that she won''t lose against herself, because she never has.


    "I don''t know where the fuck you spawned from," Shirtless Hannah smirked as she gathered heat on her leg, "But you''re going home dead or alive!"


    Shirtless Hannah''s leg then shot from the floor, swinging over her head as she mmed it like an axe aiming straight for Elevator Hannah''s right shoulder. Elevator Hannah, however, just calmly tilted her body and very slightly stepped to the right to dodge it.


    The smile on Shirtless Hannah''s face did not disappear as the path of her kick suddenly changed direction. As soon as she did so, however, a smirk also started to crawl on Elevator Hannah''s face as she ducked forward and proceeded to m her fist down on Shirtless Hannah''s toes.


    "!!!" And with Shirtless Hannah wearing nothing but the skin of her foot, she could really only grit from the pain. Sadly for her, that was the only time Elevator Hannah needed as she mmed her head on Shirtless Hannah''s chin.


    It wasn''t over, however. With Shirtless Hannah''s head slightly lifted up, Elevator Hannah quickly pped the back of her hand toward her throat, flicking her fingers for maximum force.


    "Kh¡­!" Shirtless Hannah took several steps back as she grasped her neck.


    Elevator Hannah, who saw Shirtless Hannah''s breasts swinging around as she struggled, once again snarled as this time, she was the one to rush over¡ªmercilessly grabbing Shirtless Hannah by the face and mming her down straight on the sofa right beside Riley.


    "Stay the fuck down, fucking¡­ bama hoe!"


    "W¡­what?" Shirtless Hannah could not really think straight; the only thought in her mind was that she lost. She lost without even putting up much of a fight, "I¡­


    ¡­I lost?"


    "Youck training," Elevator Hannah scoffed and rolled her eyes, before a slightly smug smile painted her face, "The perks of having a younger brother to beat off every day."


    "You¡­ beat off your younger brother?" Gracymented on the side; her face, filled with disgust.


    "That''s not what I fucking meant and you know it, whoever you are!" Elevator Hannah pointed at Gracy, before violently turning her finger toward Riley, who seemed to be in his own world as he was looking at the TV instead of themotion literally happening near him,


    "We''re going home! You''ve only been gone for like what? A week!? And you''re back to causing fucking problems!?"


    "...What?" Shirtless Hannah looked back and forth between Riley and Elevator Hannah, "You¡­ brother?"


    "Fuck!" Elevator Hannah groaned in frustration as she heard Shirtless Hannah''s words, "Fuck! I''m fucking d that you''re not actually aware that he''s my brother. Because, oh god¡­ if you knew and you just motorboated him, that''s¡­ oh, fuck!"


    "Hm¡­" Riley finally turned his attention away from the TV as he looked at his sister, "...It would seem my sister still wins over her variants when ites to having a loud mouth."


    "The fuck you say!?" Elevator Hannah snarled, "You''reing home, now."


    "Okay," Riley shrugged, before just casually standing up and walking away.


    "It was quite short," Riley then turned to Shirtless Hannah and the others, "But I did have fun with our adventures, everyone."


    "Wait¡­ wait," Shirtless Hannah finally recovered as she stood up while still caressing her neck, "You¡­ you''re from another universe?"


    "Yes."


    "You¡­ lied to me?" Shirtless Hannah''s breaths almost became gasps as she stared at Riley.


    "No," Riley shook his head, "Perhaps a little, but no."


    "What the fuck is happening¡­?" Gracy leaned closer to Chihiro, whose eyes were now slightly watering as she looked at Riley.


    "Could it be¡­" Chihiro''s hand trembled as she pointed at Riley,


    "You¡­ you''re the one in the memory?"


    "..."


    "...I suppose."


    "Then¡­


    ¡­are you here because you wanted to see me again?"

 Chapter 729 729: ...Alabama

    Chapter729 729: ...bama


    "Did¡­ youe here to see me?"


    "Hm?"


    And all of a sudden, the air of confusion in the air was drowned by Chihiro''s quiet, and almost quivering voice; filled with an expectation that was almost¡­ heartbreaking. In truth, she didn''t really want to ask¡ªbut she needed to know.


    She didn''t want an answer, but she needed to know. Shirtless Hannah felt the same¡ªafter all, Riley was probably the first to ever make her feel something other than pain. Even now, as betrayal looms over her, she doesn''t quite feel hurt. Instead, she just felt¡­ disappointed.


    Disappointed that Riley wasn''t actually for her. Disappointed that in the other world, they were actually siblings. Disappointed that he might have travelled all this way for someone else.


    "Did¡­ did youe here because you missed me and wanted to see me?" Chihiro repeated her words. And with a deep breath, she removed her mask and looked Riley dead in the eyes.


    "No."


    And without even any hesitation, Riley shook his head, "I went here because Shirtless Hannah left the portal open."


    "...Portal?" Both Chihiro and Gracy looked at Shirtless Hannah. Shirtless Hannah, however, only covered her breasts as she red at Riley.


    "Stop calling me that!" Shirtless Hannah breathed out in frustration, "And wait¡­ you were from the universe with the two Bernards and two Dianas?"


    "Yes. I was the one who killed the Bernard of that world," Riley nodded, "The Bernard that was alive is my adoptive father, while the more beautiful Diana is my adoptive mother."


    "You¡­ killed a Bernard?"


    "...What the fuck is going on?" Gracy could not help but just look back and forth between the two, "Why is everyone doing a multiverse concept now!? Even the new sprinter movie that just came out involved the multiverse! It¡­ it''s really real!?"


    "So¡­ it''s just a coincidence that you''re here?" Gracy waspletely ignored as Chihiro stepped closer to Riley, once again looking him straight in the eyes, "But¡­ but you were in my memory. You¡­ you were supposed to help me find the viin from another wo¡ª"


    It said that when you realized something that was right there in front of you all along, it will almost feel like there''s a switch that was turned on that made everything heavier. Chihiro didn''t really believe that¡­ until now.


    "...No," Chihiro started to back away; her eyes still looking at Riley. This time, however, the look of endearment and expectation waspletely gone¡ªreced with nothing but a depressing sadness,


    "You¡­ are you the Viin from another world?"


    "..." Riley tilted his head to the side as he returned Chihiro''s gaze. And once again, without any hesitation, he nodded his head, "Perhaps¡ªI am a viin. But it could also be my sister."


    "Don''t fucking drag me into this weird-ass conversation," Hannah rolled her eyes, before letting out a long and deep sigh as she looked at Chihiro, "...Long time no see. I¡­ miss you."


    "...Uh."


    "I know," Hannah lightly chuckled, "You''re not her. I just wanted to get it off my chest. Riley, let''s go."


    "Okay," Riley nodded as he started just casually waving goodbye to everyone else.


    "Wait, no. What the fuck!?" Shirtless Hannah, however, quickly blocked their path as she stood in front of the elevator, "I can''t just let you leave! Not now that I know you''re jumping to different¡ª"


    "Let them leave."


    And before Hannah could finish her words, the elevator doors opened¡ªrevealing her father, as well as a thinner version of her father.


    "Hello again," Diana was also there¡ªthe wound on her stomach, seemingly gone, "You really didn''t poison me, I appreciate that."


    And it wasn''t only them¡ªthe elevator was filled with people that looked like each other.


    "...Mom?" Gracy forgot to stop breathing as she saw Aerith. She was about to approach, but noticed that there was another somewhat youthful-looking Aerith, "...Two moms?"


    "My name is Silvie, Ms. Gracy," Silvie awkwardly chuckled as she made sure to step away from Aerith. With her now in her early 20s, the difference between her and Aerith was getting harder and harder to see.


    "You¡­ know who I am?"


    "I''ve¡­ met you a couple of times throughout our short search," Silvie smiled as she looked Gracy in the eyes, "You were a guy in some of them¡­ and you were also a man in my universe."


    "I¡­ was a man? That¡­ that exins why I''m like this," Gracy sped her head.


    "Wait, Dad!? Is it really alright to be revealing this stuff to everyone!?"


    "It''s fine. I was the one who found and approached them. My variant and I have already discussed things," Bernard said.


    "We''re all variants," Bernard said.


    "Debatable."


    "Wait, you know I was a man in other worlds as well!?" Gracy looked at Shirtless Hannah with wide eyes, "What is going on here!? I''m¡ª"


    And before Gracy could finish her words, Aerith suddenly appeared behind her; pressing something on her neck that caused her to faint there and then. Aerith caught her, however, and very softly ced her on the sofa.


    "We won''t be here for long," Aerith breathed out as she looked at Shirtless Hannah, "We''re just here to get¡ª"


    "We''re just here to apprehend the person that massacred my entire species," Aerith-01 interrupted Aerith as she too, appeared near the now unconscious Gracy, "...She really looks like my aunt. I take it that the Aerith of this world is dead?"


    "I killed her," Bernard sighed before his expression turned sour, "...And I also had to kill Caiin''Ur."


    "Dad!" Shirtless Hannah raised her voice as she red at her father, "They don''t need to know that!"


    "But they do. They have to know our experience since they have already started travelling the multiverse."


    "No, they don''t! What happened to not letting any universe have the burden of¡ª"


    "It''s toote," Bernard shook his head, "They have already travelled to hundreds of other universes. And if they have, that would mean the others have too. Even we don''t know the true extent of this¡ª


    there could be a dozen versions of me out there already doing the same."


    "That''s not the point, we''ve always known that!" Shirtless Hannah reasoned, "We¡­ if we just let them be, all the things we''ve done would have been for nothing. You said we were doing this because we were the only ones that can save the others! Do you know how many times I have had to watch myself die¡ªdo you know how many times I have killed versions of myself to save their universe!?"


    "Sounds fucking egotistic to me," Hannah crossed her arms as she scoffed, "You''re ying god."


    "We''re saving trillions of people!"


    "You''re snuffing out lives that haven''t done anything yet."


    "That is what it means to prevent people from dying! You think we didn''t fucking think of another alternative!?" Shirtless Hannah started waving her hands as she stomped her way to Hannah,


    "My own mother tortured and experimented on me!"


    "..." Diana, who was already keeping quiet on the side could not help but squint her eyes as she heard Shirtless Hannah''s words.


    "She kept me locked in a cage and injected something into me! And when we gained the technology to travel multiverses, you know what I saw? That most of the variants of my mother loved her daughter, but some of those variants will still end up destroying their universes so I had to kill them. I looked into their eyes and pretended to be their daughter¡­ that was the first time I ever really felt love from her, and you know what I did? I stabbed her."


    "Look,dy¡­" Hannah groaned and rolled her eyes, "Stop whining, I''m not your fucking therapist, okay? I''m just here to get my brother back."


    "None of you are leaving!" Shirtless Hannah once again raised her voice as she screamed right on Hannah''s face.


    "Actually, we are."


    "N¡ª"


    "Hannah! Enough!" Bernard grabbed Shirtless Hannah''s arm before pulling her away, "They will leave, and everyone will forget this ever happened. They have also assured me that they won''t be travelling to another universe again once they get Riley Ross back."


    "Shit¡­ fuck!" Shirtless Hannah then pointed at Riley, "You¡­ you fucking yed me!"


    "I apologize, Hannah," Riley sighed, "But I wanted to be with my sister."


    "So, you¡­ all this time¡­" Hannah gritted her teeth as her voice finally weakened, "You¡­ you only saw me as your sister?"


    "Not at all, Hannah," Riley shook his head, "If we were alone tonight and you tried to seduce me, I would have probably had se¡ª"


    "No!" Hannah crouched to the floor and covered her ears, "Please don''t say what you''re about to say next!"


    "You don''t¡­ have any romantic feelings for him?" Shirtless Hannah''s eyes slightly widened as she looked at Hannah, "That''s¡­ impossible. I''m¡ª"


    "Please stop talking!" Hannah winced as she nced at Riley for a few seconds, before her entire body shivered as her pores opened, "No. Nope, no! He''s my brother for fuck''s sake! And Riley, stop saying stuff like that!"


    "But it is true," Riley blinked.


    "Fl, I''m not hearing anything!" Hannah started singing, "Don''t let me regret trying to find you. Let''s just go home, please. This is not how I expected this reunion to unfold."


    "Time is of the essence here."


    And while the mood was getting more and more unstable and chaotic, the Bernard of this universe pped his hand, "You people should leave now. If you still want to discuss something, we do it on your universe¡ªthere are too many variables here to consider and¡ª"


    "No."


    And this time, Chihiro was the one to raise her voice as she once again wore her mask. Her eyes that were now the only things exposed on her face, moist and reddening,


    "I can''t let you leave."


    "..." Bernard looked at Chihiro with his eyebrows furrowed. This is the reason why he was trying to rush Riley''s departure¡ªto prevent the Avatar of Machina from taking action.


    Because if they fight¡­


    ¡­the only thing that will lose will be his universe.


    With what he had heard from the other Bernard, Riley Ross is the most dangerous being in the multiverse.


    "...Shit."

 Chapter 730 730: Ketto

    Chapter730 730: Ketto


    "I think we all need to calm down. Golden Fox, I will exin what is¡­"


    And just like that, Chihiro was no longer hearing anything. As soon as she returned the mask on her face, any other sound that was clouding her judgment was drowned away¡ªall that was left was the mission, the Quest.


    And right now, her abilities were running amok.


    [Do not let the Viin escape! If you do not find a way to kill him, existence itself will cease to exist!]


    [Do not let the Viin escape! If you do not¡­]


    Ever since the revtion of finding out Riley''s true identity, the words that were popping up in front of her almost did not stop. Although she was stillpletely unaware of what Riley had done to receive such ire from her System, she had to follow it.


    After all, throughout her life, her System has always been there not only to help her but the people around her. It has helped make her the strongest super in Japan, next only to Whiteking, and Megawoman who had already been deceased for around a decade or so now. But in truth, if the world had to base it on raw strength and capabilities alone, Golden Fox was already the undisputed strongest superhero in the world.


    This was all possible because of her System. Her System, which has allowed her to save countless lives, to reunite families, and to give hope to the future. And in this case, most importantly, the System truly only targets viins, bad people.


    entire themarians and hundreds of billions of innocent lives in the other worlds, perhaps he''s just not evil, but something more.


    And for it to go crazy means only one thing¡ªRiley is an extremely bad individual. And what she had just heard, with him killing the entire themarians and hundreds of billions of innocent lives in the other worlds, perhaps he''s just not evil, but something more.


    Hearing that kind of number seems unbelievable and doesn''t really register in her mind. What does it even mean to take the life of almost a trillion people? And to act almost as ifpletely numb from it, like he just did something¡­ already expected.


    Riley Ross is an existence that must disappear. So, why¡­


    ¡­why exactly could she feel herself wavering now?


    Was it because she saw her from the other world sacrificing herself to save Riley?


    Why would she even do that? Why would the System allow her to save Riley if he was truly a bad person?


    "..."


    "..."


    And without even hearing anything, without hearing any more exnation¡­ Golden Fox rushed toward Riley.


    "Stop!"


    The chubbier Bernard quickly blocked her path; his armor, emerging from his pores and wrapping across his entire body in a blink of an eye. His chubby exterior, no longer to be seen as the armorpletely showed the muscles they were hiding from within.


    Chubbier Bernard grabbed both of Chihiro''s hands, tying them to her waist with some sort of rope that shot out from her arms.


    "You people should leave, now! Hannah, help me restrain Golden Fox!"


    Shirtless Hannah waspletely reluctant to do anything, as she was actually on Chihiro''s side on this matter and didn''t want the variants to just leave. Even then, however, she followed her father''s orders and grabbed Chihiro by the neck, wrapping her arms around her tightly.


    "Please, don''t struggle."


    And although most of the people from the other universes were slightly confused with what was happening, they all just nodded their heads and started walking away¡ªwith Aerith-1 making sure that Riley doesn''t leave from her sight, standing ever so close behind him.


    "..." As for Riley, he just nced at Shirtless Hannah for a few seconds, before nodding his head and turning around. No one else really spoke their mind, as they just surrounded Riley as they all went to the elevator. Silvie, who had not seen Riley since Theran, could really only just awkwardly stand beside him, ncing from time to time not knowing what to say.


    Diana seemed to want to say something, but Riley hasn''t nced her way even once. It was the same with Aerith¡ªif this was before, then Riley would have already started talking to her like usual. Even if they tried to kill each other in the past so many times, Riley still talked to her. But now, it wasplete silence.


    She did hear from Hannah that Riley was starting to grow and learn emotions, but she initially thought that it was just from a sister''s perspective. But seeing him right now¡­ was he perhaps hiding some sort of vexation from what they did to him?


    And with the elevator door closing, the only one making a sound was Hannah, who was gripping her brother''s hand not wanting to let it go no matter what. The others just watched¡ªthey watched as a different version of Bernard and Hannah continued to restrain Golden Fox.


    And then, as the door was only inches away from closing, they watched as Bernard and Hannah failed to restrain her as her silhouette suddenly faded away before shooting down to the floor. And before the door could fully close, Chihiro''s hands suddenly emerged from the elevator floor, grabbing Riley by the ankles as they both just suddenly disappeared.


    "Wh¡ª" Even with Hannah tightly holding his hand, RIley felt like a cloud that just suddenly burst away as he disappeared. Even Aerith-1, who tried to grab Chihiro''s hand from the floor, only managed to pierce through the elevator with no luck.


    And with that, Riley disappeared again.


    "Shit!" Chubbier Bernard pried the elevator doors open. And almost as if opening a fridge and finding nothing there, he nced several times to make sure that Riley truly did disappear from the crowd of variants,


    "Shit¡­" Chubbier Bernard''s armor retracted back to his skin, causing his flesh to once again slightly bloat, "This is not good, not good."


    "Dad! Why the fuck are you even panicking!?" Shirtless Hannah raised her voice.


    "She''s right!" Elevator Hannah slightly pushed Chubby Bernard to the side as she stepped out of the elevator, "You should have even fancier satellites than my dad, fucking search for them!"


    "You don''t fucking order my dad around, you fucking bitch," Shirtless Hannah raised an eyebrow, "Your people have no right to make demands of us when you''ve¡­ you''ve already caused this much trouble. Just leave Riley here, your people obviously don''t fucking want him."


    "Jesus, fuck¡­" Elevator Hannah snarled as she looked Shirtless Hannah in the eyes, "...You''re not right in the head."


    "You¡ª"


    "I can''t."


    And as everyone once again started stepping out of the elevator, Chubby Bernard spoke; the tone of his voice, as deep as it could be as he just stared at the floor, "I can''t find them."


    "I''ll help," Bernard carefully ced his arm on Chubby Bernard''s shoulder, "It should be easy with¡ª"


    "No," Chubby Bernard shrugged as he stepped away, "I mean I can''t, we can''t. I have already interfered too much with the Avatar of Machina, any more and it won''t like it."


    "Who¡­?" Both the Hannahs looked at Chubby Bernard with a raised eyebrow.


    "Machina¡­" Diana, on the other hand, just let out a small gasp as she heard Bernard''s words, "...It''s real? The primordial god of machines?"


    "Bullshit."


    "I agree with the half-breed," Aerith-1 crossed her arms; her foot, stomping on the floor enough to cause the entire building to shake, "I don''t care about the fairytales of gods or what, I just want justice for my people."


    "Oh, they''re real," Diana let out a deep sigh.


    "You''ve¡­ also encountered one before?" Chubby Bernard squinted his eyes as he looked at Diana.


    "I¡­ started thoroughly studying their existence after Riley shared his encounter with Nothing and Death."


    "...Shit," Chubby Bernard grasped his head as he looked back and forth between Diana and Bernard,


    "...Just what the fuck did you two raise?"


    ***


    "Where did you take me, Chihiro?"


    "Far away where both of us can''t do damage."


    "..."


    Riley looked everywhere, only to see nothing but an expanse of a deste copper and fading blue. The horizon, the view of the stars, not twinkling as they should.


    "Are we perhaps on Mars, Chihiro?" Riley started looking at the skies, as if trying to find something, "If so, then you are wrong¡ªI can do damage from here."


    "No," Chihiro slightly pushed her feet, causing her to very slowly float up, "We''re farther away, extremely¡­ far."


    "Hm."


    "I truly don''t wish to fight you, Riley. I don''t know who you are but I feel a very deep connection to you," Chihiro stretched her arms to the side, and as she did so, rods of a luminescent silver emerged and expanded from her hand; almost like thunderbolts, but not quite. The rods were extremely long, perhaps the length of a bus,


    "But you are a viin, Riley Ross. And you must be expunged from this world."


    "Your English has really improved, Chihiro," Riley started softly pping his hands, "Your other variant died before she could truly be fluent with it."


    "Please, don''t talk about the other world," the rods that Chihiro was holding shed¡ªand as they did, the ground directly below Chihiro started ttening,


    "Do not confuse me as you already have."


    And with those words, Chihiro swung one of the rods. And with how long they were, they whistled loudly with every move.


    "I truly have nothing against you, but this must be done!"


    "..." Riley saw the ground crumbling as Chihiro once again swung the rods, this time toward him, "Well, I might be a bit rusty, but¡­"


    Riley''s feet also left the ground as the crawling crevice moved closer to him. And before whatever force it was that Chihiro was releasing from the rods could reach him, Riley also stretched his arms to the side.


    And with a snap of his fingers¡­


    ¡­the entire teau¡ªno, the entire dead they were on instantly crumbled.


    "...I hope we''ll have fun, Chihiro."

 Chapter 731 731: Avatar of Machina vs. Riley Ross (1)

    Chapter731 731: Avatar of Machina vs. Riley Ross (1)


    "..."


    Despair.


    Chihiro has never really known that sort of feeling even once in her life. How could she, when her System has always been by her side? Even at a young age, life was easy for her¡ªin everything that she wanted to do, the System served as her guide.


    If she wanted to be a viin, the System would have still probably helped her. But no, as the System helped her, she wanted to use her abilities to help people. She tried her best to actually be deserving of the power.


    She grew stronger and stronger. If there was an enemy she couldn''t defeat, the System would quickly ask her to retreat, and then train until she could once again challenge her opponent.


    And now, as she saw a crumble into dust right in front of her, she wasn''t afraid. After all, the System would be there for her.


    [Run!]


    ¡­And right now, it was once again telling her to retreat¡ªno. It was telling her to run¡­


    ¡­Something it has never really done before.


    Chihiro was confused. The very reason she tried to find the Viin, and why she is challenging him now despite his reluctance was because the System told her to¡­ and now it was telling her to run.


    Once again, the System showed that it was afraid.


    Afraid of Riley Ross.


    Chihiro is too.


    Riley was still not doing anything¡ªhe was just floating in the expanse of space with a smile on his face, and a shattered the same size as Earth withering behind him. Chihiro has never fought an opponent like this before, and her spar with Megawoman was perhaps the only thing that would evere close.


    Chihiro was afraid, but she wasn''t going to retreat.


    For the first time in her life, she will contravene the System''s advice and fight the Viin in front of her.


    As the System helped her in her entire life, it was time for Chihiro to pay her back. As the System god rid of her demons, she would rid it of the only demon it holds.


    "I truly have nothing against you yet, Riley Ross," the extremely long silver staves that Chihiro was holding once again glowed as she focused on her reflection in Riley''s almost transparent eyes,


    "But it is true that you are a viin, and I have the obligation to rid you of this world."


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "I have been waiting for you to finish your inner monologue, Chihiro."


    "You have my gratitude," a st of light then rippled from Chihiro''s chest. And as it did so, several projections of what seemed like several different-looking armors shed around Chihiro. Each of the translucent armors, wrapping tight around her before fading away,


    "But I will not share the same courtesy!"


    Chihiro floated back, and as she did so, a void appeared from behind her and swallowed her whole. And when she showed herself again, she was already beneath Riley, waving one of her silver staves.


    And even from far away, the staves reached Riley at a speed that was almost unexinable¡ªor perhaps it was.


    874,030 times the speed of sound, or at least that is what it seemed like as it prated and destroyed hundreds ofyers of Riley''s telekic barrier.


    "..." Riley just looked at the glowing staff just a foot away from hitting him right in the face. And before he could even blink, another one appeared behind him¡­ and then another one on his left, and then on his right.


    "Interesting," Riley could not really even follow the staves as they just appeared everywhere. As for Chihiro, she was still just standing in the same spot.


    There were, however, several voids appearing around her as she swung her exaggeratedly long staves. The voids connected toward other voids near Riley, making the staves appear everywhere¡ª


    making Riley not really have any leeway to move away.


    "Your powers are already convenient as they are." Even trapped, however, Riley still nodded in amusement, "And yet you manage to use them in an even more creative¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, he raised his hand to catch a ck spear that suddenly shot toward him out of nowhere.


    "Hm," Riley stared at the ck spear that was almost invisible in space. He then turned to look at where the spear should havee from, only to see another void closing there,


    "If I''m correct," Riley said as he caught another spear that prated through his telekic barriers. With Chihiro still giving an endless barrage of strikes from her staves, the spears were able to shoot between the gaps¡ªleaving Riley¡­ slightly impressed,


    "Based on what I have learned from Gary, this ability of yours is called an ''Item Box'', correct? But you are using it in a way quite different from what he told me."


    "..." Chihiro was not really listening to Riley¡ªshe wasn''t even seeing him. All she saw were the floating words that filled her entire view, and it really only said one thing.


    [Run!] [Run!] [Run!].


    Chihiropletely ignored it, however, as she just continued to give it all she got. She breathed in and out, until finally, she saw Riley through the gaps of the floating words¡­


    ¡­and he waspletely unharmed.


    "Kh¡­" Chihiro could really only grit her teeth. Her frustration did notst long, however, as she once again let out a breath¡ªand with air escaping her lips, her eyes started to glow.


    Alchemy Symbols appeared in her eyes. Symbols that also appeared near Riley, covering him from all sides like endless voids that were already being thrown at him.


    "..." And while still catching the spears shooting toward him and blocking the staves, Riley watched as these circr symbols that were floating around him lit up¡ªand from them, emerged all sorts of elements that raged toward him like a dragon, literal dragons.


    And with everything rushing toward him, Riley''s defense gave out as he was pinned and crushed by existence itself.


    Chihiro was about to stop attacking, but shook her head as she did not relent even though there were no signs of Riley being able to fight back.


    She won''t stop, not until the words that appeared in front of her stop. She won''t stop until the System stops being afraid.


    And finally, something else other than the System telling her to run appeared¡ªbut it wasn''t a wee notice.


    [Maximum MP is starting to temporarily decrease due to fatigue.]


    "..." A trickle of blood quickly spurt out of Chihiro''s nose even before she could read the entirety of the notice. But once again, even then, she did not stop attacking and even forced herself.


    If one were to see them from afar, Chihiro''s attacks would look just like millions of lightning being concentrated on one point. Apressed storm of the elements that almost made a crystal as they all diverged into one single point.


    This crystal, however, soon started to crack.


    "!!!" Chihiro''s small eyes saw this, and she started attacking even more and even faster. But s, the crack just continues to crawl until finally, everything she gave was blown away along with her.


    "Kyaa!" Chihiro let out a loud yelp as a violent force pushed her away, causing her unable to breathe in space for a few seconds as she was thrown miles and miles away in a single second¡ªher long staves, shattering in her hands.


    If she did not let go of them the time she did, her hands would have also probably shattered into pieces.


    [Run!]


    And as she felt herself getting tired and exhausted, the words that popped up in front of her seemed to not exhaust at all. Chihiro, however, once again ignored all of it as she focused her eyes on Riley, only to see that he was actually already right in front of her.


    "!!!" Chihiro quickly collected herself as she pushed herself further back.


    "How many abilities do you have, Chihiro?" Riley, on the other hand, still did not attack her and just tilted his head to the side, "Show me more, and I will show you mine."


    "Kh¡­" Chihiro stretched her arm to the side, grabbing some sort of vial from a void and immediately consuming it. And as she did so, the exhaustion that could be seen on her face gradually disappeared until no trace of it was left.


    "Oh, can I have some of that?" Riley let out a very tiny gasp, "It would be useful for¡ª"


    "Lady Divider!"


    And before Riley could finish his words, he saw a somewhat familiar face suddenly emerge from a void that Chihiro summoned¡ªit was a viin he killed way back, and Riley won''t really forget her. After all, he wanted her to be his subordinate once upon a time.


    Sophie Palmer, aka Lady Divider¡ªthe superviin that could summon invisible des that could split mountains. Well, at least a shadow of her, or perhaps it was better to say a spirit of her.


    "Hypnos! Redhawk! Silver Shadow! Kerrigan!"


    And before Riley could even ask about her abilities, several more voids opened up¡ªand once again, spirits came out of them; two, Riley could recognize.


    "You can summon people, Chihiro?" Riley squinted his eyes, "I am sure Gary has shared a novel with a main character just like¡ª"


    "Charge!" Once again, Chihiro did not let Riley finish his words as she ordered for her newly summoned shoulders to attack, and they did.


    They rushed toward Riley on different sides. And as Riley was stillpletely amused with what he was seeing, he just let the summons grab him¡ªwith the spirit called Hypnos grabbing him by the head.


    "Riley Ross," Hypnos whispered, "Sleep."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "But I''m not sleepy yet."

 Chapter 732 732: Avatar of Machina vs. Riley Ross (2)

    Chapter732 732: Avatar of Machina vs. Riley Ross (2)


    "But I''m not sleepy yet."


    Hypnos and the others were clearly just spirits devoid of any of their emotions when they were still walking amongst the living, their eyes werepletely hollow; the insides of their mouth like an abyss. But still, within that abyss was a certain sense of¡­ distress.


    Despite the spirits being hollow, there was an obvious change of expression on Hypnos''s ethereal face. Eyebrows, slightly lifted up as if truly shocked that his abilities did not work on Riley.


    "Don''t be too shocked, Hypnos," Riley calmly sighed even though he was still being held by the other summons, "One of the first abilities I received was immunity to all and any influence on the mind. Which is weird now that I think of it, I developed dementia in my own universe and still¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, Hypnos once again grabbed his head; this time, covering his face and his eyes so the effectiveness of his mind control would work even better. But s, all it did was make Riley smile.


    "I have already told you, Hypnos. That doesn''t work on me."


    And with those words, Riley also ced his hand on Hypnos''s head. Or more specifically, he pped him even with his eyes covered¡ª


    pletely shaving off his face and arge part of his head. Or even more specifically, his head was gone in an instant.


    "Oh¡­?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he watched as Hypnos''s ethereal silhouette withered away. He then turned to look at the other spirits holding him; the smile on his face, growing wider by the second.


    And then, with a snap of his fingers, the other spirits all turned into dust¨Cif spirits could turn into dust, that is. But that is what they looked like as Riley watched their fragments dance and flutter away until nothing of them was left.


    Chihiro, who took this time to collect herself, quickly spat out blood as her summons were all defeated at the same time. Chihiro shares her mana with her summons, and when they die, the toll on her body is too hard to ignore.


    Fortunately for her, not all of them withered away¡ªone remained.


    The rogue Norid, Kerrigan.


    "Ah, you are Bounty Hunter Kerrigan," Riley hummed in amusement as he looked at Kerrigan, "It was hard to recognize you since you do not have your usual skin because you have be a spirit. But you do not have to worry, Norid. Your end is already deemed to be inevitable since you have already ended."


    "..." Kerrigan''s spirit seemed confused with what Riley was saying, but only for a while. With Chihiro''s orders, Kerrigan rushed toward Riley; the very expanse of space around him, distorting as it seemed to flow one with him.


    "Even now, I still do not get how your racial abilities actually work, Kerrigan." And even with this force rushing toward him, Riley just casually ced his hand on his chin as he started flying back to avoid Kerrigan, "In fact, aside from Tedi, you are the only Norid I have seen¡ªand she ispletely different from you. Weird, too wei¨C"


    And as Riley was enjoying himself and chatting with an unexpected opponent, Chihiro appeared behind him; the two of them, doing some sort of pincer attack which Riley thought they should have done before when there were still more of them.


    Unbeknownst to Riley, however, this was Chihiro''s n all along. The other summons were just decoys to let Riley put his guard down¡ªthe most important factor of this attack was Kerrigan.


    "This will not work, Chihiro."


    But it will, a small smirk crawled behind Chihiro''s mask as Riley pointed his palm toward Kerrigan.


    "Pavoom," and as he uttered those words, Chihiro ordered her remaining summon to go on an all-out attack and pierce Riley straight through the heart.


    Kerrigan''s entire body was engulfed in some sort of white light that seemed to destroy even the darkness of space itself, erasing itpletely momentarily. Even then, however, Chihiro did stop her attack and continued to rush toward Riley; her hands, glowing as she had been charging up one of her spells since earlier.


    She continued. After all, Kerrigan was not someone who would die easily¡ªthere was a special process on how to kill him. And now, with Riley cing all of his attention toward him, Chihiro snapped her fingers; the energy she has been charging up since earlier, now wrapping around her hands like a fiery caestus.


    "Now!" And like a war cry, Chihiro mmed both her knuckles together, creating a spark that washed out everything.


    "What are you doing, Chihiro?"


    "Kh!" And even as her face was suddenly grabbed by Riley, Chihiro did not panic as she waited for Kerrigan toe out of the weird white beam that came out from Riley''s finger.


    "..."


    "..."


    But even after a few seconds had passed, even as the white ray disappeared¡­ Kerrigan wasn''t there¡ªand this is when Chihiro noticed her nose was already bleeding¡ªa sign that Kerrigan was instantly defeated just like that.


    "H¡­how?" Chihiro asked.


    "I don''t know, Chihiro," and Riley dutifully answered with a sigh, "I was given the talent to kill everything."


    "...Heh," Chihiro could not help but just let out a small chuckle as she heard Riley''s words.


    She really should have ran. But no¡ªshe doesn''t want her System to be afraid. She wanted to prove that she could ovee this¡­ monster in front of her.


    But now that Riley literally had her in his grasp, Chihiro just softly chuckled. Her System also stopped telling her to stop, almost as if it was giving herst moments of peace before Riley kills her.


    "You know¡­" Chihiro''s muffled voice seeped out from Riley''s palm, "...I actually also have a talent for killing things."


    "Oh?" Riley tilted his head before looking up at Chihiro, "Can you show me?"


    "Don''t worry¡­


    ¡­you will feel it too."


    And with those words, Chihiro ced her fists together and pointed them at Riley; the energy gathered in them, letting out several pulses that caused Riley''s hair to violently snap in space.


    "..." Riley could not really see anything else but the glowing glyphs being released by Chihiro''s fist, "If you release something like that, you might also kill yourself, Chihiro."


    "...I know."


    And without even any hesitation, the glow around her eyes instantly disappeared as it seemed to have been vacuumed by her fists¡ªand once again, the expanse of space turned silent as it waited for the st to gush forth.


    And when it did, everything that could disappear within a million kilometers disappeared into nothing¡­ including Riley.


    As for Chihiro, well¡­ the only thing that disappeared from her were her arms, and they were already regenerating from their mangled base. By all means, this was an attack that Chihiro would have not been able to survive, and the only reason she was still here¡­


    ¡­is because of the thing she was sucking.


    It was a vial, an elixir that the System rewarded her a long time ago


    ¡ªa literal life-saving potion.


    "Is¡­ is it done? We¡ª" Chihiro quickly covered her mouth, ''less she jinxed the entire situation. And before she could celebrate, however, her System once again bombarded her with an endless barrage of messages.


    And they all said one thing¡ª


    [Absorb Riley Ross''s Soul, now!]

 Chapter 733 733: [????]

    Chapter733 733: [????]


    [Absorb Riley Ross''s Soul, now!]


    [Absorb it! Absorb it now!]


    [Absorb!]


    "...System?"


    Chihiro''s arms were still healing from beingpletely blown apart, and yet she could not even concentrate on whatever pain was crawling throughout her entire body as the System once again went wild on her.


    Even much worse than before. She could not even see anything else as the System might as well have blinded her. But still, this weird excitement was better than the fear it was showing earlier¡ªnow, with Riley Ross gone, the System could once again guide her without anything holding it back.


    "Okay."


    Chihiro finally breathed out as her arms fully healed. Her skin was fully exposed, with not even a single cloth hanging from where they could hang¡ªshe was fully naked¡ªyet Chihiro did not mind. They were lightyears away from any form of life. And so, she just stretched her palm toward where Riley was just earlier; letting out a small but very deep sigh as the whites of her eyes turned ck.


    "Serve me, spirit of Riley Ross," Chihiro breathed out as the veins of her face started to crawl from her eyes, "In death, may you even be more useful¡­


    ¡­Disenter!"


    [Disenter!]


    With the System also showing her tant interest in¡­ exhuming Riley''s spirit, a smile could not help but crawl on Chihiro''s face. The System seemedpletely robotic most of the time¡ªbut when it does show some sort of emotion, it was akin to a child.


    And so, with a chuckle soon escaping her lips, Chihiro repeated her words,


    "Serve me! Spirit of Ri¡ª!!!"


    But before she couldplete her sentence, a sinister pulse echoed throughout the darkness¨Cno. It wasn''t only her that felt the pulse, but the entire universe¡ªno. That wasn''t quite right either.


    Perhaps it was better to say that the entire universe itself pulsed, and everyone that lived in it felt it throb. Almost as if the entire universe itself was a breathing, living thing.


    And of course, Chihiro, being the one closest to the source of the pulse, felt everything.


    It was a weird feeling, violent¡­ but oddly calm.


    Invible¡­ but thinly fragile.


    Innocent¡­ yet abysmally, viciously, maliciously evil.


    "What¡­" Chihiro soon found it hard to breathe as the pulse that throbbed rhythmically grew stronger with each beat. There wasn''t really a physical force to it, but Chihiro could feel her entire body almost being shredded to pieces repeatedly,


    "...What is¡ª"


    [Failed to absorb Riley''s spirit. Reason: ?????]


    "...Huh?" Chihiro could really only stare at the set of words floating in front of her. Soon, however, the floating words became distorted


    ¡ªalmost as if they were being erased¡­


    ¡­deleted.


    "System¡­?" Chihiro blinked a couple of times as the words faded away, "Are you¡­ alright?"


    Chihiro started looking around her even as the pulse grew stronger and stronger. At first, she felt a certain image crawl in her mind¡ªan image she could not really exin. It was then followed by some sort of¡­ cry.


    A howling cry. She hasn''t heard the voice before, but it felt familiar¡­ eerily familiar like she had always been hearing her entire life. It didn''t take long for her to realize who the voice belonged to, however.


    It was the System¡ªthe system was crying in pain.


    "System!?" Chihiro began looking around to nowhere in particr, trying to find even just a single letter that could be floating near her, "System¡­ are you okay!?"


    And there was nothing. No words, no letters.


    And soon, the emptiness of space itself started to drown Chihiro. She was alone, literally alone for billions of miles.


    "No¡­ no¡­" Chihiro has never felt this alone before, "S¡­ Status! Status!"


    Chihiro opened her Status Window, and it did open and showed everything she needed to know about her current state. Her HP, MP, attributes, skills, and a lot more. What was missing, however, were the intricate and familiarments that the System gives her.


    Advice, bunter, and there were also times that the System roasts her¡ªsuffice it to say, the System felt more like an older sibling for her more than anything. After all, what else would you even call something that has guided you through your entire life?


    ¡­A parent? Perhaps that was the best way that Chihiro could really describe what the System is to her.


    "System!?" Chihiro once again raised her voice as tears started to collect near her eyes; turning into orbs that soon turned into floatlets of eyes as she turned away, "Sys¡ª"


    [Naughty, naughty, naughty.]


    "...Huh?" Chihiro then blinked as a set of words appeared in front of her, "...System?"


    [Machina, his name is Machina¡ªor her, these primordials don''t really have a certain¡­ gender. Except Death, she likes that voluptuous form for some reason. Well, there''s also Celestial, since she literally gave birth to all the old gods that roamed and will roam the universes.]


    "Machi¡­ Who are you!? Where''s Machina!?"


    Chihiro started waving her hands to try and get rid of the unfamiliar words. Because unlike that of the System, which even though they were just words and letters, Chihiro could feel some sort of warmth in them. But now, as she read the words floating in front of her, all she could feel was¡­


    ¡­Nothing.


    [Don''t worry about her, little Avatar. She''s going to be fine.]


    "Who¡­ are you?"


    [No one and Nothing.]


    "...What?" Chihiro squinted her eyes as she stared at the word ''Nothing'', which was in a different color from the rest of the floating words.


    [Old Machina dabbled in something it shouldn''t have, you see. Wait, you can see with those small eyes, right?]


    "..."


    [Anyway, tough luck. Machina is trying to protect you.]


    "Protect¡­ me?"


    [You tried to absorb him, right?]


    "Him¡­ Riley Ross?"


    [Yikes, creepy little being. A being that does not really exist, and therefore not bound to Death. And therefore does not have a ''spirit''. You, little Avatar, just tried to absorb¡­


    ¡­Nothing. You tried to absorb me. Well, not really¡­ but the Universe works in weird ways. Anyway, it''s way above your paygrade.]


    "I¡­ don''t care about all of that! Just let me talk to Sys¡ªMachina!" Chihiro raised her voice.


    [Stop being so impatient. This is the first time in a long time I am actually in contact with the universe and I am stuck with you. Well, can''t say it''s not fun¡ªa lot seemed to have changed in this part of the universe. I don''t remember that rock being there.]


    "...You mean the star?"


    [That''s a star? I thought they were blue? Sorry, I''m chatty. Right? As I said, I''m excited to be out even if it''s like this. But this is creepy, Machina has all this information about you?]


    "..."


    [Anyway, time''s up¡ªthe freak is waking up. My advice? Just try and be a friend, he won''t usually unalive you then. Sucks to be all of you, being alive at the same time as Riley Ross. Oh, try treating him to one of those vored shaved solid water things, he likes it.]


    "...What?"


    [Right, and also¡ªtell Machina that Death isn''t going to like what she just did. Death has been putting so much effort in trying to catch Riley that she let go of her quest to chase Van, and all that effort has been put to waste since¡­ well, all this messed it up.]


    "Huh¡­?"


    [Well, that''s my time to¡ª]


    And before Chihiro could fully read Nothing''sst message, the words suddenly cracked as a hand emerged from it. The hand, immediately grabbing Chihiro by the face. And before she could really even do anything else, the rest of the hand emerged out of nowhere¡ªrevealing Riley Ross with a smile on his face.


    "That was weird, Chihiro," Riley leaned closer to Chihiro, whispering into her ear as a soft chuckle escaped his lips, "What did you do?"


    [Run! Run!]


    "..." And once again, with Machinaing back to her, words started to emerge in front of her covered eyes. Chihiro, however, once again did not run. And instead¡­


    "Do¡­ you want to have dessert?"


    "Hm?"


    "I know a good vored shaved ice outside of Hokkaido," Chihiro breathed out, "My¡­ treat."


    "Oh¡­" Riley quickly let go of Chihiro''s face,


    "Let''s go, then."


    ***


    "What¡­ is this?"


    Somewhere, in a different universe¡ªanother Chihiro stood and stared nkly in the air.


    "Riley¡­ Ross? Who is this, System?"


    And it wasn''t only her¡ªright now, in all of the universes that exists¡­


    ¡­Chihiro was seeing Riley Ross''s name. As for the reason why, Machina has yet to tell.

 Chapter 734 734: Hannah Bananas

    Chapter734 734: Hannah Bananas


    "I knew this would fucking happen!"


    "No, you didn''t! I am getting tired of your nonsensicalments, Hannah! No one knows anything about your brother anymore, no one!"


    "And whose fucking fault is that!?"


    "...Should we stop them?"


    "Let them¡ªWait, I''ve received a report that someone sighted Riley Ross!"


    Back in Shirtless Hannah''s penthouse, or what they decided to call her for the duration of Elevator Hannah''s stay, Nannah¡ªshort for Native Hannah. As for the native Bernard, they all decided to just call him Bard, as that is what he was actually called by the few friends he had in this world.


    Nannah has been watching her other-world counterpart from theforts of her sofa. And of course, she now changed into a shirt. Hannah was making a fuss for almost an entire hour now¡­ and she sort of agrees with her. The only thing she found quite irksome was that she was arguing with her mother¡­ without fear.


    "Ack! I don''t know anymore, let''s just wait for Riley here! I''m sure he''s just going to magically appear somewhere uber-casual eating ice cream or whatever!" Hannah let out one final grumble as she walked away from Diana.


    Silvie, who had been trying to calm her down from the start, could really only bow her head and apologize to Diana even though she wasn''t doing anything.


    "Hannah, this is no one''s fault but Riley''s, you know that," Silvie calmly reasoned as she followed Hannah.


    "Of course, I fucking know that. Everyone knows that, he''s Riley!" Hannah blurted out before she sat on the sofa, causing Nannah to awkwardly scooch away; not knowing whether to stand up and leave, or just ignore herpletely.


    "Why are you being like this, Hannah?" Silvie also sat down, but on the coffee table in front of the sofa, "I know, Riley''s also helped me quite a few times. But that doesn''t change the fact that he''s still¡­ evil incarnate¡ªI don''t want to say this, but we should be rooting for Chihiro to win against him."


    "...Win?" Hannah wryly chuckled as she looked at Silvie, "Wait¡­ you guys think you can still win against Riley? Silv, you know firsthand that''s fucking impossible. I thought we already agreed to this, you don''t defeat Riley, you adapt to him. When you live in an area that has storms 5 days a week, is the first thought you have defeating the fucking storm? No, you learn to live with it."


    "Actually, you can just manipte the weather."


    "What was that?"


    "The weather, Dad developed a way to control the weather," Nannah, who had been casually listening on the side, joined in on the conversation.


    "It was a metaphor," Hannah rolled her eyes.


    "So was mine," Nannah also rolled her eyes, "What I meant to say is that Riley seems to listen to you. If he really is as abnormally strong as you say, then the only thing we¡ªyou can really do is control him."


    "That''s not going to end well," Hannah let out a small sigh as she shook her head, "Riley is not one you can control, he''s the one doing controlling behind the scenes. Honestly, like what the fuck¡­ the guy''s a fucking headache."


    "If you don''t want to deal with him anymore, he can stay here," Nannah subtly nced at Hannah''s face, "He seems to like it here and he hasn''t really caused any trouble."


    "That you know of," Hannah scoffed as she leaned her back on the sofa. And as soon as she did that, Silvie could not help but just ce her palm on her forehead¡ªshe knew what was about toe,


    "And what''s your deal in the first ce?" Hannah then raised an eyebrow as she looked Nannah in the eyes.


    "...We just try to save as many lives as we could, even if it''s not from our univer¡ª"


    "I''m not talking about that. I could care less if you kill another version of us as long as that version is some sort of psychopath that would end up killing billions."


    "...But earlier you said¡ª"


    "Fuck what I said. I changed my mind¡ªif you can save a lot of people just by killing one innocent person, then I would probably do it."


    "I won''t," Silvie joined in on the conversation.


    "That''s because you''re the next Megawoman," Hannah waved, "And I''m not here to discuss morality. Well, I am¡ªbut not about that."


    "Hm?"


    "Were you seriously just trying to fuck our bro¡ªRiley? I mean, what the fuck?" Hannah forced a chuckle, before sticking out her tongue in disgust, "He''s my brother, like¡­ what the fuck? Ew? That''s fucked up."


    "..." Nannah did not respond and just looked at Hannah, before sighing and shaking her head, "He''s not my brother. And if you''re going to be so blunt about it, then so will I¡ªyes, I was trying to fuck him."


    "Wh¡ª" Hannah could not help but almost freeze there and then. As for Silvie, she was trying her best not to seem amused by the conversation. After all, she was one of the people that also had to get used to the bluntness and carelessness of Hannah''s mouth¡ªand now, Hannah was finally experiencing what she had been experiencing for years.


    "That''s disgusting!" Hannah once again forced a chuckle. This time, however, there was a certain crack and hesitation in her breaths.


    "And how is that fucking disgusting¡­?" Nannah lifted her legs and faced Riley, "He and I didn''t grow up together."


    "And you got swooned over because someone finally understands you? Well, news sh¡ªshe knows you because you are me," Hannah also turned to face Nannah, "He doesn''t understand you, he knows you."


    "It''s¡­ not just that," Nannah''s voice lowered, "I¡­ felt a certain connection to him. The kind of connection that even if I was blind when he first approached me, I would still feel attracted to him¡ªI know you know what I mean."


    "...What?"


    "As you said, I am you and you are me," Nannah looked Hannah in the eyes, "Even if our memories and past are different from each other; the things we like, the things we like would not differ that much from each other¡ªI have been to thousands of different universes and that remains constant¡­


    ¡­even the things that we love."


    "..."


    "If just by being with him for a few days already made me feel like this¡ªlike I could no longer live without him¡ªeven fully knowing the horrible things he had done in other universes¡­


    ¡­I don''t know how much more you feel. You, who has been with him your entire life."


    "You''re fucking crazy."


    "...So are you," Nannah did not back down, "You''re the one moving from universe to universe to try and find a world-ender."


    "That''s because Riley is our problem to deal with. We couldn''t let another universe suffer for the mistake Mom and Ae¡ªfor the mistake we did."


    "Stop changing your mind again and again, Hannah. You can''t live without Riley Ross, because deep down he is the only person we can really connect to."


    "What the fuck are you even saying?"


    "I am saying Riley Ross is not the only one with a problem in his mind," Nannah tilted her head to the side as she tapped the temple of her head,


    "You seriously never wondered why you can''t connect with anyone? Why we always seem to just tend to make enemies? Why we''re¡­ like this?"


    "Speak for yourself, I have a boyfriend. He turned out to be some sort of freak with a messiahplex, but I did."


    to force a connection that''s not there. But Riley? Oh no, no, no¡­


    ¡­I know how that brain of yours works¡ªI''ve physically dissected a "Reuben? They are just a way for us to feel normal because they''re almost our equals. I have seen so many Hannahs get broken trying to force a connection that''s not there. But Riley? Oh no, no, no¡­


    ¡­I know how that brain of yours works¡ªI''ve physically dissected a few of them," Nannah was about to tap Hannah''s forehead, but Hannah grabbed her wrist before she could do so.


    "You, really? But you''re so weak." Hannah slightly raised her head.


    "You have no idea what I am capable of."


    "Then show me. What, can''t do anything without daddy''s armor?"


    "I just let my guard down earlier," Nannah''s eyebrows started to lower.


    "Then go grab your armor right now."


    "Fine," Nannah once again did not back down; her eyes, now looking down at Hannah as she stood up, "Whoever wins gets to keep Riley Ross in their universe."


    "Riley''s not a thing," Hannah also stood right in front of Nannah; their foreheads, almost butting with each other, "Do it, then. Call your armor, I''m waiting."


    "..." Silvie, who was just sitting on the table and watching the entire thing unfold, could not help but once again cover her face. She already knew this would happen¡ªwhat she did not expect, however, was the whole thing about Riley.


    Hannah is overly protective of Riley, even from the very first day they met. She thought that it was just normal given Riley''s condition and since he is her adoptive brother¡­


    ¡­but could there really be something there?"


    "Wha¡ª" Hannah quickly noticed the way Silvie was looking at her, "Nothing''s happening! You know how close Riley and I are!"


    "...Too close," Silvie squinted her eyes.


    "There''s nothing there!"


    "What¡­ did I miss?" And while the Hannahs were on the verge of going to war with each other, Gracy, who had been put to sleep by Aerith, finally woke up¡­


    ¡­only to be put to sleep again.


    ***


    "The final¡­ boss?"


    Once again, in another universe, a different Chihiro who was only wearing office attire adjusted her sses. She was just taking a break and relieving herself in theforts of the toilet¡ªbut suddenly, a floating message popped up in front of her¡­ as well as Riley Ross''s face.


    "What am I¡ª"


    [Preparing to send you to another universe.]


    "...Huh? Machina, what are you-" And before Chihiro could even react¡­


    ¡­a hole opened up in the air in front of her, even though she still hasn''tpletely closed hers.


    "W¡­


    ¡­Can''t you let me wipe first!?"

 Chapter 735 735: Machina For You, For Her, For That One Over There

    Chapter735 735: Machina For You, For Her, For That One Over There


    Finally, the Primordials.


    As with most cases of literature, this one won''t be any different. Primordials are beings that have existed since the creation of time, space, the universe, and everything that led to possibly everything.


    It wasn''t enough to say that they control everything¡ªNo. Because most of them actually don''t. And whenever they do, it is in a form so vague that one wouldn''t even be able to call it control.


    Perhaps it was better to say that it was the universe itself that was controlling them. They were like pieces of a clock¡ªExistence itself is the battery, and they are the cogworks that made everything move¡ªif one were to go missing, then all the universes will fail to move and work properly.


    Something would be wrong, something will always be wrong from thereon if one were to go missing. They have watched the universes grow, they have watched it die¡­ and they have watched it reset a million times.


    The existence of the primordials, in itself, is vague. They exist, but at the same time, they do not. They live in apletely different ne, where the universes seem just like tiny pebbles that they could interact with.


    And anyone within those pebbles should be insignificant¡­ should be.


    But twice now. Twice the primordials have encountered an existence they could not quiteprehend¡ªan existence that should literally be below them¡­ and yet they could not look down at him.


    One of the Primordials that have directly encountered this weird individual was Death¡ªperhaps the busiest of all the Primordials. Involved in all of creation as Life, and involved in all of conclusion as Death.


    Death holds everyone''s names, everyone''s stories, and everyone''s ends. She has no control over it, but she oversees everything and knows everything¡­


    ¡­except for one, an existence unknown¡ªRiley Ross.


    Death has chased many irregrities before, irregrities that can not be held by her. Their existence, however, is known to her.


    Van, the god of evaniels, is one of those irregrities. He shares the same universe as Riley Ross, but billions of years before him. But Death was aware when he was given birth, how he was given birth, and where¡ªit was only during his end that Van escaped her grasp. He became too fast, fast enough to outrun Death.


    Another is an eternal child, a being that absorbs and eats gods. Too powerful to die¡­ too powerful to have an end. A pitiful child that does not truly belong anywhere¡ªthe gods fear him, the old gods are traumatized by him, and most of the primordials abhor him, especially Celestial, the primordial god of Birth itself. Death, however, wants nothing but just to wee him in her embrace. But s, he is one destined to roam eternity¡ªwatching universes die again and again.


    There are many more of these irregrities¡ªa handful. But a handful was already too many.


    But now, the most notable one was Riley Ross¡ªwho has entered the radar of 2 Primordials. Death¡­


    ¡­the other being Machina, the primordial god of technology, of progress.


    Machina is responsible for overseeing the development of all the universes. It watches everyone through the form of an Avatar¡ªa creature it forms a contract with to briefly and limitedly influence the flow of progress.


    And now, for the second time in her eternity, there was an entity that was disrupting progress¡ªand not just the progress of a single world, not just a progress of a single universe, but everything.


    Of course, there was a possibility that this entity was just a nail in an otherwise long road¡ªbut a single nail could end a journey.


    And so, right now, Machina decided to intervene more than normal, more than they are allowed to.


    "W¡­ what the heck!?"


    Chihiro, aka Golden Fox¡ªthe Avatar of Machina in all the universes has been called to take action against Riley Ross. There were thousands of them, summoned by Machina so suddenly, that some of them were even naked from taking a bath.


    And one of them just happened to be relieving herself in the toilet.


    "What¡­ is this?" Luckily for this Chihiro, the others were too busy trying to cover themselves or figuring out where they were to even care for her. And so, she just quickly wiped before lifting up her panties¡ªputting the napkin into her [Item Box] before anyone could actually see what she just did.


    "Wh¡­" And like all the Chihiros there, this Chihiro''s confusion was beyond what her mind could actually handle. And so, just like the rest, she just started looking around.


    They were in some sort of white space. There were no floors, no ceiling, no horizons¡ªnothing but a thousand confused Chihiros walking around nothing.


    "..."


    "..."


    Soon, however, the Chihiro in an office attire found herself being stared at by another Chihiro who was wearing a kimono.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Please don''t tell me you saw me¡ª"


    "I saw."


    "...Damn it," Officdy Chihiro could not help but cover her entire face as Kimono Chihiro nodded her head in disappointment, "So much for my first meeting with my variants."


    "...You don''t seem as confused as me and the others," Kimono Chihiro squinted her already small eyes; her American-English ent, not as refined as Officdy Chihiro, "You know something, do you not?"


    "...No, but..." Officdy Chihiro sighed. And as she did so, all the Chihiros that were near her all looked at her at the same time, "...I am aware that there were many others like me in other universes, Machina told me."


    "Machina?" Kimono Chihiro tilted her head to the side.


    "Oh, uh¡­" Officdy Chihiro scratched her chin.


    "Please, you should really stop touching your face," Kimono Chihiro slightly winced and looked away, "You didn''t even wash your ha¡ª"


    And before Kimono Chihiro could finish her words, Officdy Chihiro covered her mouth.


    "!!!"


    "Ssh, don''t talk too loud about that!"


    "Hhmg!" Kimono Chihiro''s small eyes widened as much as they could as she looked Officdy Chihiro straight in the eyes.


    "And yeah, Machina¡­" Thankfully for Kimono Chihiro, Officdy Chihiro quickly let go of her as she started exining to the rest of what she knows,


    "...I guess some of you might not know the System''s name, but its name is Machina."


    "So, do you know anything about why¡­ we''re here?"


    "Is this some sort of quest? Am I supposed to fight with an army of myself!?"


    "A¡­ano¡­"


    "I didn''t think of that¡­ is this philosophical battle of self?"


    And without even waiting for Officdy Chihiro to answer, the other Chihiros were already starting to form stories in their mind as they all looked at each other.


    "That''s literally not the case," Kimono Chihiro raised her voice while wiping her lips clean, "This mature-looking Chihiro said ''other versions'' from other universes. We''re¡­ all from different universes."


    "Wait, what do you mean mature?" Officdy Chihiro raised an eyebrow.


    "You''re clearly older than all of us," Kimono Chihiro squinted her eyes, while the others all nodded their heads in agreement.


    "...We''re all the same age," Officdy Chihiro''s eyes turned emotionless as she looked at her variants, "I guess I''m just the only one with a regr job that''s why I look like this."


    "You¡­ have a regr job?"


    "You''re not a hero? Why not?"


    "Dare ka nihongo wo hanashimasu ka!?"


    "You''re working¡­?"


    "I retired a long time ago," Officdy Chihiro let out a small sigh as she answered the curious Chihiros.


    "...So, you are old."


    "I''m not o¡ª"


    [Chihiro.]


    "Yes?"


    "''Sup, dad?"


    "What can I do for you, Master?"


    "Mom?"


    "Machina," Officdy Chihiro and the rest of the other Chihiros all turned their heads up as floating words appeared above each of their heads. Soon, however, the floating words faded away as a silhouette suddenly emerged from the white nothingness¡ªalmost as if a hologram materializing there and then.


    This silhouette soon turned humanoid, silver¡ªeerily simr to that of the Norids. But instead, it seemed more machine than organic.


    [Chihiro.]


    "!!!"


    All of the Chihiros widened their eyes. As for the first time in their lives, they heard the voice of the system that has been guiding them throughout their entire life.


    [Please, listen to me. And listen to me well.]


    "..." None of the Chihiros dared to speak; some of them, even with tears flowing down their cheeks as they closed their eyes to listen.


    [I am giving you the most important quest in your lives¡ªDefeat the multiversal threat known as Riley Ross.]


    "...Multiversal?"


    "Riley Ross?"


    And before more could ask questions, an image¡ªno, a sculpture of Riley appeared in front of all the Chihiros.


    "This¡­"


    And soon, another sculpture appeared right in front of Riley¡ªa statue of another Chihiro, eating some sort of dessert with Riley Ross.


    [Save one of your variants.]


    "...She looks like she doesn''t even need saving."


    "Wait¡­ all of us have the same mission? Are we going to war with an army of myself against one guy? He''s just¡ª"


    And before a Chihiro could finish her words, a window popped up in front of all of them¡ªa window that showed Riley''s status and feats¡ªsomething that Chihiro would understand instantly.


    "...What?"


    "How many digits is that? Are you kidding me?"


    "This¡­ is suicide."


    "Do we really have to kill him? He seems to be living in peace with the other Chihiro."


    [Chihiro Prime will train all of you. Be ready.]


    "Chihiro¡­ Prime? What?"


    "Who''s that?"


    And once again, before more could start asking¡ªan arrow appeared in all of their heads pointing at a single Chihiro.


    Officdy Chihiro.


    "I knew it," Kimono Chihiro pointed at Officdy Chihiro, "You''re older than us!"


    "I''m not!" Officdy Chihiro raised her voice, "I''m¡­ well¡­ I''m probably the strongest amongst all of you."


    "Because you''re older?"


    "No!" Officdy Chihiro let out a small groan, "I¡­ this is my second life."


    "...What? What does that even mean?"


    "That means¡­ I have already died once," Officdy Chihiro then pointed at the Riley sculpture nearest to her, "I already died once¡­


    ¡­from him."

 Chapter 736 736: Last Conversation...?

    Chapter736 736: Last Conversation...?


    "..."


    "..."


    "Could it be you do not like this desert, Chihiro?"


    "Oh¡­ What? No."


    "No?"


    "No, I mean¡­"


    Back in the universe Riley was currently in, he and Chihiro was inside a Korean-vored shaved ice store. Like always, he ordered the one with lots of mango cubes on top¡ªnot even letting any of the shaved ice melt as he devoured them with hisrge mouth without a care for anything else.


    As for Chihiro, half of her bowl was already drowned with the melted ice, and what remained was an iceberg that looked simr to the one that sank the Titanic. It wasn''t the Titanic that was sinking, however, but herself as she found herself not knowing what to do.


    She felt trapped inside a ship she herself crashed straight into an iceberg called Riley Ross. But what was she even supposed to do? Fighting him would be suicide.


    Chihiro has never considered herself a coward¡ªand for every adversary she fought that was stronger than her, she was able to surpass and defeat. But she also wasn''t stupid, she knew that the previous adversaries she faced were nothingpared to Riley Ross.


    Riley was like an unclimbable from another universepletely, literally. There was no use trying to fight against him because you can not win against him¡ªwanting to do so would just be pride talking.


    "Ah. Could it be that you feel guilty eating inside a Korean establishment since your ancestors almost wiped them out a hundred years ago, Chihiro?"


    "...What?"


    "If Megawoman did not stop your ancestors from allying with the man with a weird mustache, the Japanese would have wiped out the Koreans¡ªcould it be that a different scenario happened in this universe?"


    "No¡­?" And finally, after a few more seconds of her being lost in her own thoughts, she finally grabbed her spoon and started eating¡­ drinking her dessert like soup.


    "..." Riley''s eyes slightly squinted as he watched Chihiro sip her dessert. And then, with a flick of his finger, the temperature around Chihiro''s bowl lowered to the point that everything froze. And then, with another flick, the ice that formed was turned into fine little dust once more.


    "...Thanks?" Chihiro forced out a weak chuckle as she continued to indulge in a dessert that tastedpletely opposite of her situation right now, "How¡­ many abilities do you have?"


    "Oh, that was just telekinesis, Chihiro."


    "It¡­ was?" Chihiro could really only sigh. Her will to fight, now justpletely gone like it didn''t even exist before, "And to answer your question, no. I''m not guilty about¡ªWell, I do feel slightly¡­no. Never mind that¡­


    ¡­I just feel like someone''s been watching us since earlier."


    "Your System, Chihiro?" Riley stopped consuming his dessert and started looking around.


    "No, not¡­ Machina," Chihiro quickly shook his head, "Well, yes. But I feel like there''s something else, someone else that''s watching us."


    "That is probably one of the Bernards, Chihiro," Riley nodded as he continued eating, "If you feel like someone is watching you, then it will always probably be him. But if it is not, then being watched is just normal because you are with me."


    "..."


    He wasn''t wrong. Even if Riley was not a criminal that has killed billions of people, his physical appearance itself was far from normal.


    Albinos or humans with leucism were already rarer than people with powers, but even amongst them, Riley lookedpletely different. It was almost as if he was just made to be¡­ perfect. Of course, he looked weird¡ªwith his almost crystal eyes, pale skin, and unusually wide mouth¡ªbut for some reason, he looked perfect in a very weird way.


    And everyone saw that.


    Chihiro initially thought she was still in her superhero outfit when people started taking pictures of them, but she wasn''t¡ªall of them were trying to take photos of Riley. Unfortunately for them, Chihiro''s abilities prevent them from snapping a photo.


    But honestly, right now, Chihiro was starting to wonder whether or not perhaps Riley was also preventing them from taking a photo¡ª


    he was certainly capable of that just from the abnormal control of his telekic abilities.


    There was one thing Chihiro was sure of, however; she would have been dead right now if she had continued to fight Riley Ross, or even if she ran as Machina suggested. If it wasn''t for the mysterious being that called himself ''Nothing'', then she wouldn''t be here casually eating dessert with Riley.


    "Do you¡­" Chihiro no longer cared as she took the initiative to start another conversation, "...like sweet things?"


    "No," Riley quickly answered.


    "Then why¡­?"


    "I like it because my sister likes it," Riley nodded to himself as he continued eating.


    "But¡­ I saw you drink milk and eat cookies while we were¡­ at Hannah''s house."


    "Yes, I like milk and cookies."


    "...Right," Chihiro quickly gave up in trying to figure out Riley as she just started quietly eating her dessert. The silence did notst long, however, as Chihiro once again could not help but just ask, "Why¡­ did you not tell me?"


    "Hm?"


    "I know this is a stupid question because why in the world would you tell me¡­" Chihiro let out a small breath as she looked Riley in the eyes, "...But why did you not tell me that you were the Viin I was searching for? I''m sure you knew it was you."


    "You did not ask if it was me, Chihiro," Riley tilted his head to the side in confusion, "If you asked, then I would have answered."


    "With the truth?"


    "Perhaps," Riley smiled, "But mystery is always the fun¡ª"


    "Riley?"


    Chihiro''s entire body flinched and froze as Riley suddenly stopped talking. She couldn''t even tremble as she watched as Riley stood up; not knowing whether she should prepare to rescue everyone in the store right now.


    "..." Chihiro''s eyes started moving around, trying to figure out how she would evacuate everyone. Fortunately for her, Riley just walked toward the counter.


    "What¡­ what?" Chihiro was able to breathe again as she figured out what was going on.


    Riley, on the other hand, just casually ordered another bowl of dessert.


    "She is paying for it," Riley said to the cashier as he pointed at Chihiro.


    "...What? If you wanted another one I could have just¡ª"


    "Riley!"


    And before Chihiro couldpletely get rid of her confusion, Hannah barged inside the store, almost breaking the door open as she did so and deafening everyone inside with her loud voice.


    The people were, of course, surprised. But their surprise turned into utter shock as another Hannah stepped inside the store.


    "What are you¡­" Nannah quickly covered her face, but it was already toote as everyone saw her. She did not really bother much about it, however, as any evidence of whatever happened here would just be erased by her father.


    Several guards also started appearing, telling the other customers to leave the shop and paying them a hefty sum. Even the manager was paid to close the store as the Ross family just freshly bought the store just minutes ago.


    "Riley!"


    "Oh, you brought Shirtless Hannah," Riley turned back to the cashier to order another one for Nannah. But s, all the staff were gone. He was going to go over the counter to make one himself, but Hannah pulled him away back to the seat.


    "What are you doing just casually eating here while we worry what kind of fuckery you will do!?" Hannah said calmly.


    "And you!" Hannah then pointed at Chihiro, who was still seated at the table with a confused expression on her face, "You could have died! I know you and I are basically strangers, but I was friends with your other version!"


    "...Were you, really?"


    And unexpectedly, Chihiro actually answered Hannah as she stood up from her seat, "If you and I were friends, then why are you protecting the one who killed me?" She asked, fully knowing the answer already.


    "Oh, everything that can be done has been done to stop Riley," Hannah, on the other hand, took a seat and started eating Riley''s mango dessert, "Do you know what Megawoman and my mother did to him? They took turns in destroying his brain and body over and over again before throwing him into a void¡ªbut typical Riley, he ends up being a menace for everyone again and found himself in an alternate dimension. Oops."


    "..."


    "Riley¡­" Hannah sighed, "Riley just has a way not to disappear. He''s like¡­ a cockroach. You''re a cockroach, brother."


    "Thank you, sister."


    "That was not a fuckingpliment," Hannah groaned as she started consuming the dessert violently.


    "..." Nannah also awkwardly sat down. And as soon as she did so, Riley gave him a dessert of her own that he made using his telekinesis.


    "...Thanks?"


    "Anyway," Hannah then started waving her spoon around, "You and I will leave after I''m done with this bowl."


    "Okay," Riley nodded without any hesitation again.


    "Just so you know, Aerith and the others are still trying to find ways to get rid of you."


    "...Aerith is?"


    "..." Hannah quickly stopped eating as she heard Riley''s voice, "What''s the deal with that? Don''t tell me you''re hurt because Aerith betrayed you or whatev¡ªOh, you are."


    "I am not," Riley quickly shook his head, "My feelings can''t be hurt, they are not allowed to."


    "Cringe," Hannah rolled her eyes, "I think it''s obvious to everyone right now that you do feel. You went crazy when Megawoman tried to kill herself."


    "..." Riley did not really say anything and just looked to the side.


    "Anyway, I''m done¡­" Hannah lifted herself up, "...Say what you guys want to say to Riley, because this is thest chance you will ever ha


    ¡ª"


    And before Hannah could finish her words, the air in front of them started to crack¡­ with a person casually stepping out of it without any caution or wary.


    "That''s¡­ an old me?" Chihiro gasped.


    "I''m as old as you!"


    "Fuck¡­" Hannah''s shoulders quickly dropped as she stared at this older version of Chihiro,


    "...Can''t we just go home without anything happening?"

 Chapter 737 737: ...Wow

    Chapter737 737: ...Wow


    "There¡­ really is another me."


    Chihiro already believed that there was an alternate universe aside from hers, but now that there was an alternate version of her just casually standing in front of her¡­ any doubts she hadpletely withered away.


    But most importantly¡­


    "...You''re older than me."


    "I''m¡ªUgh!"


    Perhaps amongst all the people in the room, only Nannah reacted as Officdy Chihiro started groaning in frustration. Nannah flinched, before standing up from the seat and identally spilling the dessert that Riley made for her.


    She truly thought it was a waste as she nced at it, but her eyes quickly returned to Nannah. And without even waiting for anyone to release their next breath, her bulky armor wrapped around her body in almost an instant.


    "Ah, it''s you!" Officdy Chihiro pointed at Nannah as soon as she armored up, "Do you live in this universe, or are you still busy trying to save other universes?"


    "Don''t be fooled by her friendly demeanor," Nannah breathed out as she nced at the others, "This Chihiro variant is incredibly powerful, the most powerful in her universe."


    "I''m¡­ alright," Officdy Chihiro sighed, "But you say don''t be fooled by my friendly demeanor, but all of you seem to be fine getting along with him."


    "..." Everyone then pointed to where Chihiro is, only to see Riley once again behind the counter and making another dessert.


    "You¡­ know who he is?" Chihiro squinted her already small eyes as she looked back and forth Riley and Officdy Chihiro.


    "Of course," Officdy shrugged, "He''s the reason for my first death¡­


    ¡­he killed me during my first life."


    ***


    "I got you¡­ I got you now."


    Those were thest words Chihiro heard from the very man that stabbed his fist right through her stomach. The veryst words she heard from the man she loved, and the veryst words she heard before life faded away from her eyes.


    Her eyes, which were not reflecting Gary at all¡ªbut Riley Ross. Gary waspletely devoid of any fault in her eyes as she finally realized that everything was the fault of just one man¡ªRiley Ross.


    She didn''t jump in front of him to save him, not at all. Her body just moved on its own, and not by instinct, but by force. She couldn''t even speak as it felt like something was blocking her throat. She couldn''t move a limb, as it felt like there were strings around her that were not allowing her to.


    ''Ah,'' she thought as the feather of life she had left in her was plucked away, forever flying in the expanse of the past; never to once again walk in the¡­ Just never to once again walk.


    ¡­Or so she thought.


    [Wee to the 1st Simtion, Chihiro.]


    Everything was still dark, and the only thing that truly exists were the familiar words that Chihiro had been seeing her entire life. Soon, however, the words started to multiply and scatter¡ªmoving like worms until they formed a face¡­ and then a body.


    [My name is Machina.]


    "...Machina?"


    Chihiro found herself speaking, and yet there were no mouths or lips for them to truly escape to¡ªas she does not really exist in this ne. There was only Machina and Machina alone.


    [I am the being you address to as System. I have detected an irregrity in your universe.]


    "You¡­?"


    [In most cases, Irregrities are no cause for concern¡ªthere have only been a handful, but a handful is already too many, and adding another should be made impossible,] Machina''s silhouette started topletely form as its humanoid shape started walking in circles around Chihiro,


    [But this Irregrity killed you, and that I can not ept. I will move your consciousness to another vessel, another you that has frequently died or will soon be dying.]


    "Move¡­ my consciousness?"


    It was a weird feeling. It felt like she was actually hearing Machina talk, and yet at the same time, she could not¡ªChihiro did not have ears, after all. In fact, she did not have anything at all. But still, she talks and she can listen.


    [Indeed. But first, I will let you experience several lives¡ªthe lives of all my Avatars¡­ in all the universes now and that has been.]


    "All¡­ of it?" Chihiro was confused, but at the same time, it was as if she could understand everything that Machina was saying intimately and deeply¡­ like it was directly being uploaded into her non-existent and dead mind.


    [All of it. You will learn all of their knowledge, all of their skills, and all of their memories. You will start at the very beginning, the very first being I made a contract with¡ªand you will end with you, all of you, all of the Chihiros so that your mind may return to you; as this will hold no significance if it is not you.]


    "...And what do we hope to gain in all of this?"


    [Correction,] Machina''s silhouette soon started to crumble, [Existence can not handle another irregrity, especially one that could jump across different universes. As of right now, you have the most important task in all of Existence, Chihiro.]


    "How many simtions will I go through? How¡­ many lives?"


    [...Eons. But in the end, it will all just be like¡­


    ¡­one big dream.]


    ***


    "And then I woke up in this body," Officdy Chihiro¡ªNo. Chihiro Prime was now also casually seated at the table, eating the dessert that Riley made earlier, which was actually for her in the first ce.


    As for the others, they were intently listening to Chihiro Prime''s story, somewhat mesmerized by all that she had experienced.


    "Wait¡­ how many lives did you experience?" Chihiro breathed out.


    "As Machina said, eons."


    "Fuck¡­ so there was a reason I couldn''t beat you," Nannah dropped her head, letting out her frustration in a groan before ncing back at Chihiro Prime, "You''re¡­ a monster."


    "Not nice," Chihiro Prime softly chuckled, "And I was already aware of your existence since I met you¡­ several times through the simtions."


    "Hold on¡­" Chihiro cut off the conversation, "...How are you not insane?"


    "Why wouldn''t I be?" Chihiro Prime squinted her already small eyes as she tilted her head to the side.


    "You have technically lived for billions of years, correct?"


    "I guess¡­? If you put it that way, I have."


    "And you''re still you¡­?"


    "I may have gone crazy somewhere at the beginning, but I guess it was in the middle that I just surfed through the simtions," Chihiro Prime chuckled again, "And it is as Machina said, since thest lives I experienced were all Chihiros, it wasn''t that hard to¡­ be normal."


    "...Wow."


    All of them had wide eyes as they continued to listen to Chihiro Prime speak¡­ well, all except for Hannah.


    "Wait, wait¡­" Hannah looked Chihiro Prime straight in the eyes; her vision, slightly turning cloudy, "...You, you''re the Chihiro I know?"


    "..." Chihiro Prime returned Hannah''s gaze, before letting out a small smile and nodding her head, "I am."


    "Oh," Hannah covered her mouth to stop the sniffling gasp from mind. There were so many things she wanted to say, but there was really only one that she needed to say,


    escaping her lips. But s, the tears that trailed down her cheek could not hide the memories that were ying repeatedly in her mind. There were so many things she wanted to say, but there was really only one that she needed to say,


    "I''m¡­ so sorry, Chihiro."


    "No, please¡­ don''t cry," the gentle smile on Chihiro''s face did not disappear as she quickly got up from her seat and embraced Hannah, "What happened was no one''s fault but your brother''s. And someday¡­ he will pay for that."


    "..." Hannah opened her eyes as she nced at Riley while being in thefort of Chihiro Prime''s embrace. And after a few seconds, she took a deep breath and released a heavy sigh, "...I can''t let you take him, or fight him, or whatever it is you''re nning to do to him, Chihiro."


    "I know," Chihiro Prime once again smiled as she leaned away from Hannah, "I was actually training thousands of me just earlier, but I let Machina return them to their universes because they would be useless, no matter how many they are."


    Chihiro Prime let out a sigh as she walked toward Riley, who was now just staring at the menu of the store for some odd reason.


    "I have lived their lives, and I know that no matter how much I train them¡ªthey won''t be a match for you, Riley Ross," Chihiro then lifted herself up and sat on the counter, tilting her body to the side to cover Riley''s view of the menu, "I have lived for eons¡­


    ¡­to know that I am no match for you too."


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times as he returned Chihiro Prime''s gaze, "I want you to know that you might be my favorite Chihiro, Chihiro."


    "...Thanks," Chihiro smiled; her eyes almost closed.


    "And your English has also improved."


    "I am fluent in all thenguages now, even those outside of Earth."


    "Hm," Riley nodded, "You are simr to the main character of my favorite TV show too¡ªliving for almost an eternity before finally being able to move on. But how are you so sure that you will not be a match for me, Chihiro?"


    "Because out of all the universes I have lived, not a single threat came close to you," Chihiro sighed as shey down on the counter; her shirt, slightly crumpling and revealing more of her skin, "You see, I think Machina is wrong about you, Riley¡­"


    "..." Riley slightly leaned his head up as Chihiro tried to touch his chin with her index finger.


    "You''re not a threat, not at all¡­" Chihiro softly giggled, "You''re¡­


    ¡­a treat. And I am really the only one that can have you in all of the universes."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Fuck¡­


    ¡­she did go crazy."

 Chapter 738 738: Completely Gone

    "Please¡­ Please, Machina! Stop, I¡­ I don''t want to anymore!"


    [Do not worry, Chihiro. It is only a matter of time until you get ustomed to living different¡ª]


    "It¡­ It''s not even that! I''ve¡­ I''m losing too many people."


    [They are not your people, Chihiro. The lives you have lived are all from eons passed.]


    "And yet I have lived them! How many times¡­ how many times do I have to lose the same person over and over again. My¡­ My poor wife, she¡ª"


    [Focus, Chihiro. You have only been living the life of my first Avatar.]


    Chihiro once again found herself in the space where she does not really exist, and all that was there was Machina. She was only a consciousness, a consciousness that has woken up countless times in this mysterious ne of space.


    "Please¡­" Chihiro once again begged, "I do not want to live his life anymore. I¡­ I am starting to confuse it for my own."


    [As I have told you more than a thousand times, you do not worry about having to lose your identity, Chihiro,] Machina once again appeared in the nothingness. Its silver gleam, causing the empty space to glitter,


    [It will all return to you in the end. As for your wish to not live the life of the first Avatar anymore, it is soon to be granted¡­


    ¡­the next one is thest one.]


    "..." If Chihiro had a face right about now, she would be on the verge of bursting into tears. But as always have been for almost an eon, she swallowed everything and nodded figuratively. And so, once again¡­ she lives the life of the first Avatar.


    Another life, another oue¡­ another end, another death.


    And as she once again wakes up in the empty space, she looks at Machina again with begging eyes. Begging her to stop, begging her to just let her rest.


    But s¡­


    [Wee to the 2nd Simtion, Chihiro.]


    This hell was only just starting, and another story of tragedy and pain wees her. Perhaps the only reason she wasn''t truly going insane was the thought that after all this, in the end, her life would still be hers.


    And so, she begins to traverse the life of the second Avatar. And in all the universes, the second Avatar lost everything¡­ Chihiro lost everything, again¡­ and again¡­ and again.


    But as she repeatedly woke up from the nightmare, she woke up not begging¡­ butughing. How could she not? She has been trying her best to change the oue of the 2nd Avatar''s life, and yet it was useless¡ªas everything had already happened.


    What she was experiencing were not their lives, but their memories. And with that thought now apanying her, the lives became easier¡­ or so she thought.


    [Wee to the 6th Simtion, Chihiro.]


    "Wait, wait!"


    And after an eon, Chihiro once again found herself begging Machina¡ªthis time, however, for a different reason.


    "Please, just one more!" Chihiro cried, "Just one more time, just let me repeat her life one more time!"


    [I am afraid that is not possible. There are no more lives left to live.]


    "Then just let me repeat one of her lives again, okay? That''s okay, right?"


    [No. Living a life you have already lived will provide nothing for you, and for me.]


    "She was happy!" Chihiro eximed, "For once, I was living a happy and extremely fulfilling life! I had several grandchildren and I watched all of them grow into fine men and women!"


    [You were happy too until you met your end, Chihiro.]


    "What?"


    [Your life, have you forgotten?]


    "My¡­ life?" Chihiro breathed out as she looked at her hands, "...Hands?"


    And finally, in this weird space that only had Machina and Machina alone, Chihiro finally noticed that she herself also exists.


    "Me¡­?" But as she stared at her hands, as she touched her face, all she felt was a stranger, "Who¡­ who am I?"


    [It is not important who you are, but who you will be after all of this.]


    "Heh¡­" A small but very deep breath escaped Chihiro''s lips as she heard Machina''s voice, "You''re¡­ you''re right. It doesn''t matter who I am, just let me repeat Mona''s life."


    [No.]


    "W¡­Why?" Chihiro''s breaths soon became stifled chuckles as she approached Machina, only for her hand to go through its silver silhouette, "You''re¡­ you''re a god, that won''t be hard for you to do. Just repeating Mona''s life one more time should not be a problem. How many times have I lived as her? A hundred million times? Just one more¡­ one more won''t make a difference."


    [I am not a god,] Machina said as it stepped away from Chihiro, [Focus, your only goal here is to gather your predecessors'' skills in order to defeat Riley Ross.]


    "Riley¡­ Ross?" Chihiro has already forgotten about her own life. And yet, as soon as Riley''s name was mentioned, all the emotions that she felt during her own death rushed back to her.


    "It''s him¡­" Chihiro sped her head as her stifled chuckles turned into ominous peals ofughter, "This¡­ this is all his fault."


    [That is correct. Now go, Chihiro¡­


    ¡­experience another life.]


    "..."


    "..."


    [Wee to the 12th Simtion, Chihiro.]


    "Heh¡­" Chihiro only scoffed as she did not even bother acknowledging Machina''s presence. There was really just one image circling in her mind right now¡ªRiley Ross, "...I keep trying and trying to find someone like him, but there''s just no one that actuallyes close. And I am just going to assume that what I know about Riley Ross does not alsoe close to what he is truly capable of."


    [Correct. Riley Ross is the kind of threat that onlyes once every millions of Reset,] Machina approached Chihiro; the gleam of its silver skin, following it across the vast emptiness, [I have a prediction that he will trouble us just like how the Eternal Child troubles us still.]


    "Oh, I wasn''t talking to you, Machina," Chihiro softly chuckled as she nced at Machina, "And you keep mentioning this Eternal Child, are you going to tell me who it is?"


    [His name is Viel. And he is irrelevant to you as he will continue to be beyond your reach, and perhaps even mine,] Machina closed its eyes.


    "Is¡­ that emotion I feel from you, Machina?" An amused smile painted Chihiro''s face as she leaned closer to Machina, "But you''re right, I don''t care about some Eternal Child¡­


    ¡­I''m only here to kill Riley."


    "..."


    "..."


    [Wee to your 404th Simtion, Chihiro.]


    "Not found¡­ Why can''t I find Riley!?" Chihiro woke upshing out as she just starting walking everywhere across the white emptiness.


    [Riley does not exist yet in the lives you are experiencing, Chihiro.]


    "Why not!?" Chihiro screamed in frustration, "He should be! I keep seeing him and yet he''s not there! Wait¡­


    ¡­you''re not Riley, are you?"


    [No.]


    "How¡­ how would I know?" Chihiroughed as she pointed at Machina, "Riley is capable of many things. Don''t you know that Darkday is theorized to have more than a thousand abilities? How¡­ how would I know if this is just one of them!?"


    [Riley is not my equal just yet, but he could be when certain¡­ parameters are met.]


    "Oh¡­ is that fear I hear in you, Machina?" The tone of Chihiro''s voice slightly changed as she once again leaned closer to Machina, "So, you do have emotions."


    [I never imed that I do not,] Machina only nced at Chihiro before it started walking around, [All of us have emotions¡ªhow can we function if we do not?]


    "Even Death?"


    [Especially Death,] Machina let out a small hum as it closed its eyes, [Death has learned to feel everything beings feel at their birth and at their end. She has ess to the saddest and happiest moments of a creature''s life.]


    "Oh¡­ I wonder what she felt when she took me."


    [She did not,] Machina shook its head, [You are my avatar, Chihiro. And therefore you do not die as others do¡ªyou live in me.]


    "Well, that''s creepy," Chihiro chuckled, "Anyway, let''s just get this over with so I can kick Riley Ross''s butt."


    [...Very well.]


    "..."


    "..."


    [Wee to the 1242nd Simtion, Chihiro.]


    "Riley¡­ what do you think he''s doing now, Machina?" Chihiro woke up; not with a smile, not with a cry, but just opening her eyes and immediately rxing on the empty floor.


    [Time does not flow¡ª]


    "I know, I know," Chihiro rolled her eyes, "I just can''t help but think of what he''s doing. I''ve experienced so many lives, and I can''t find anyone like him. There''s¡­ there''s just no one like him."


    [He is an irregrity, Chihiro. Of course, there is no one else like him.]


    "...Right?" Chihiro smiled, "It''s like¡­ It''s like we''re destined to be together, you know?"


    [You are¡ªYou are meant to defeat him.]


    "I know," Chihiro smiled, "All of this, all I am doing¡­ it''s for him."


    [Correct.]


    "I don''t want to dy any further, Machina. I want to¡­ meet him."


    "..."


    "..."


    [Congrattions, Chihiro. You havepletely all the lives there are to see.]


    "Riley¡­ was not in a single one of them," Chihiro started biting her nail, "Why? I''ve already been living Chihiro¡ªmy life for millions of times now, why is there not a single sign of Riley!?"


    [Because he only exists in one universe.]


    "Wait¡­ wait," Chihiro started shaking her head, "But I''m dead in that universe."


    [Correct.]


    "Then how would I even meet him again!?" Chihiro stomped her way toward Machina, stretching her hand toward it¡­ and sessfully grabbing it by the arms, "Don''t tell me¡­ I wasted all of this for nothing!?"


    [Incorrect,] Machina quickly stepped back, [Riley will find his way to different universes, it is only a matter of when.]


    "Then¡­ then I get to meet him again?" Chihiro giggled as she started spinning in glee around the empty space.


    [Correct.]


    "Then let''s do it! Throw me back to the present, Machina!"


    [Okay,] Machina nodded, [Remember everything you have learned, Chihiro¡­


    ¡­you will need it.]


    ***


    "I lived a few years as this Chihiro, and when I met a Hannah from another universe, I knew the time that I met you again was upon me, Riley. And it was, Machina summoned me and the others in order to defeat you."


    "Interesting story, Chihiro."


    Back in the shaved ice store, Chihiro Prime was still sitting on top of the counter; her foot, slightly touching Riley''s belly as he just stood there with his eyes still stuck on the menu for some reason.


    As for Hannah and the others that were also listening in on Chihiro Prime''s story, the only thing they could really do was look at each other in disbelief¡ªthe amount of time she has lived, it is actually a surprise that she wasn''t even more insane than she is.


    "Wait¡­" Chihiro squinted her already small eyes as something has been bothering her from the start, "You said Machina summoned a lot of us, and you were training them¡­ but where are they now? Did you send them home when you realized they won''t be of much help?"


    "Oh, no¡­" Chihiro Prime blinked a couple of times; leaning to the side to meet Chihiro''s eyes as she answered her,


    "¡­I killed all of them."

 Chapter 739 739: What A F*Cking Mess

    "I killed all of them."


    Hannah, who has known Chihiro for several years before she died, could not believe what she was hearing right now. Out of all the temporary members of the Baby Crew, Chihiro could be said to be the sweetest¡ªalmost like a precious little sister that they all had to take care of.


    The next one that came close to her was Silvie¡ªbut Silvie changed¡­ quite a lot. And so, Hannah was inplete disbelief that the Chihiro she knew would change this much. But then again, even as Chihiro Prime told them her story, Hannah can''t quite fathom just how long she has been alive¡­ and suffering.


    A single death could change everything, and Chihiro Prime had to live an unimaginable number of deaths.


    As for the Chihiro of this universe, she was inplete shock. She had initially thought of how cool it was that she was meeting a version of herself that is much more experienced and without a doubt stronger. She thought that she could be some sort of mentor to her along with Machina¡­but no.


    She mentioned that Machina called for thousands of Chihiro from other universes, which means she also killed thousands of them. Wouldn''t that also mean¡­


    ¡­Chihiro Prime might kill her too? And why is Machina not doing anything?


    Chihiro had been trying to contact Machina, but why is she so quiet and not telling her to do anything¡­ or giving her a new mission? Or perhaps¡­


    ¡­Chihiro Prime was the only one with a mission right now?


    And while Chihiro and Hannah were both in disbelief at what was happening, Nannah''s mind was in the gutters. Out of everyone here, she was the only one that has an actual idea of how strong Chihiro Prime was¡ªafter all, she fought her once already and almost died.


    The only reason she was alive right now was because of her father, who seemed to have made some sort of deal with the primordial behind Chihiro.


    And she knew¡­ she knew that if Chihiro Prime were to actually be serious and wreak havoc, then the only one that could probably stop her right now was her father¡ªand Riley Ross.


    No, there were currently 3 themarians in her universe¡ªand based on the information she had gathered, each of them should be stronger than any of the themarians they have here.


    They could subdue Chihiro Prime without any problem. But the thing is, would they? They''re not from this universe, and after she told them that she has killed several of them from other universes¡ªthe chances of them helping this universe were slim to none.


    And so, the only thing that Nannah could really do now was once again summon her armor; her eyes turning orange as they nted themselves on Chihiro Prime. And although everyone can see that she was ready to fight at any time, the trembling of her hands also showed her hesitation.


    And while the minds of the three girls were running amok, Riley could not help but be amused.


    "You killed all of them while in the presence of a Primordial God, Chihiro?"


    "It actually doesn''t matter that Machina was there."


    Chihiro Prime finally jumped off the counter, walking her fingers just above Riley''s right shoulder as she circled around her to once again lean on the counter and look at Riley,


    "It can''t do anything. An almost infinite number of lives I have lived, and the only thing Machina could really do is¡­"


    Chihiro Prime snapped her fingers before waving them on top of her head, "...All of this¡ªan endless message of nothing."


    "..." Riley looked Chihiro Prime in the eyes, only to see several words actually reflect on them. He tried to nce above her head, but there was nothing there,


    "You are much more connected to Machina than the rest of the Chihiros, Chihiro?"


    "I am," Chihiro Prime leaned away from the counter as her shoulders dropped, "You can say I know everything about it. It gave us powers, but it can not take them back. Machina could use two different Avatars in one generation, it happened once. But Machina was sort of¡­ condemned by its colleagues."


    "Interesting," Riley ced his hand on his chin, "But you have to die though, Chihiro."


    "Hm?" Chihiro Prime tilted her head to the side.


    "I have already killed you, so you should remain dead," Riley nodded his head, "And since I did not get any abilities when the Chihiro of this universe killed me, then I truly have no use for you."


    "Ah, Machina told me about that," Chihiro Prime sighed, "Something about you not actually supposed to be existing, and something about the Chihiro of this world trying to absorb you and failing. And this is why we''re meant to be, Riley!"


    "We are?"


    "Yes!" Chihiro Prime stretched her hand to the sides as she started spinning andughing, causing everyone in the room except for Riley to squint their eyes, "You, who do not truly exist. And me, who has existed ''til the start of time and always exists in every universe. Pr opposites."


    "I do not see why we are meant to be because of that, Chihiro."


    "Hm, you will," Chihiro Prime abruptly stopped swinging around; just frozen as she started breathing heavily, "Because for you, I am willing to also be the only Chihiro in existence."


    "...What?" Chihiro quickly reacted to Chihiro Prime''s words, "Wh¡ª"


    And before she could once again open her mouth, the tip of Chihiro Prime''s fingers were already only inches away from hitting her stomach. Well, perhaps it was better to say that it was only inches away from Hannah''s palm, which was blocking Chihiro''s stomach.


    "...Why protect her?" Chihiro Prime quickly took a step back and started waving her hand, blowing on it as there were obvious signs of char healing around her finger, "You don''t even know her."


    "And why does that matter?" Hannah raised an eyebrow as she stood in front of Chihiro, "Heroes save people daily, and they don''t even know their names."


    "Oh¡­?" a small smirk crawled on Chihiro Prime''s face as she looked Hannah in the eyes,


    "Is that why you didn''t save me back then?" Chihiro Prime''s eyebrows lowered as much as her voice, "Is that why you just watched as my ex-boyfriend plunged his arm through my stomach?"


    "That''s¡­"


    "You weren''t much of a hero then, were you?" Chihiro Prime then covered her face; her breaths, seemingly not knowing whether tough or cry, "But you don''t have to worry, I don''t hold a grudge, I don''t hold anything at all."


    "..."


    And while Chihiro Prime and Hannah were busy talking, Nannah was recording everything and sending it to her dad. Bard has actually been talking to her since earlier, assessing the situation and telling her what to do, or in this case, what not to do.


    Bard told her to stand down and do nothing¡ªlet the matter resolve itself and just focus on trying to save people when ites to it. As for the variants that were in their universe, the Aerith and Diana of Riley''s universe were willing to help, but not the other Aerith variant.


    But the themarians'' involvement wouldplicate things. Whiteking could just erase all the footage of what would happen next, but if images of Aerith and Diana were to spread outside the universe¡­ the themarians that were on Second Theran would surely have questions.


    In short, her hands were tied and the only thing she could really do was¡­


    "Golden Fox!" Nannah quickly grabbed Chihiro, before forcefully flying her away¡ªwrecking the shop''s roof and ceiling in the process.


    "Oh?" Chihiro Prime let out an amused hum as she avoided the debris. She was about to chase them, but Hannah flew above her and covered them,


    "...You do know I can teleport, right?"


    "I''m not trying to stop you, Chihiro," Hannah sighed, "I''m trying to¡­"


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Okay, yes. I am trying to stop you."


    "Hm," Chihiro Prime shrugged before ncing at Riley and smiling, "Please stay here, Riley. This will be over in a minute."


    And as she said those words, she sank toward the void that was suddenly on the floor.


    "Fuck!" Hannah wanted to pull her, but she was already gone before she could even descend a single millimeter, "Why does everything have to be so fuckingplicated!? Why are all the variants so batshit crazy!? Look at mine, we''re all freaking cool!"


    "That is because you are the batshit crazy variant, sister."


    "What the fuck did you say?"


    "You are insane, sister."


    "You¡ªI just came here to bring you back, Riley!"


    "Then let''s go back, sister," Riley blinked a couple of times, seemingly confused with Hannah''s words, "Everyone seems to be done with their dessert, so we can go home now. I also do not want to go home at the same time with Aerith, so this is the perfect time."


    "What¡­? No," Hannah rolled her eyes, "That''s our Chihiro right there! We also need to bring her home!"


    "Our Chihiro is dead, sister."


    "If we happen to be separated again and meet a million yearster, will I still be your sister?"


    "You will be dead, sister."


    "Fuck, just fucking humor me."


    "Then yes," Riley nodded, "You will always be my sister, Hannah. Even if you despise and abhor me, I will¡ª"


    "Yeah, yeah. I know," Hannah waved her hand, "So, is that Chihiro not our Chihiro then?"


    "No."


    "Ugh, whatever. I''m following Hannah, Chihiro and Chihiro. Fuck! Even the people are confusing now!" Hannah just shook her head as she flew out of the store; her loud voice, still echoing inside as she left Riley and Nannah''s guards there.


    "...How is it confusing?" Riley ced his hand on his chin. And after several seconds of deliberating, he looked at the guards that were probably the most confused of all,


    "Do you people want dessert?"


    "..." The guards all looked at each other, before just running out of the store in haste.


    "Rude," Riley stared at their disappearing backs for a few seconds, before his eyes started to wander around the store, "Perhaps¡­


    ¡­I should just open my own dessert store?"


    ***


    "Everything''s a mess."


    Back in Nannah''s penthouse, the older generation plus Silvie were all scratching their heads.


    "A mess that does not involve me."


    But perhaps out of all of them, the most impatient one was Aerith-1, who had been walking around the penthouse and causing several shockwaves with each step.


    "All of you are on your own¡ªif Riley has garnered the wrath of these so-called Primordial gods, I will not contest it with my own revenge," Aerith-1 flung her extremely long blonde hair to the side, "I only wish to see what punishment awaits him."


    "This is getting way bigger than we initially thought," Diana pinched the bridge of her nose, "Riley¡­ Ugh, this is all my fault."


    "Diana, don''t," Aerith ced her hand on her shoulder, "This is already hard for you¡ªI was the one who ultimately decided to imprison Riley¡­ and kill him over and over again. It''s¡ª"


    "Oh."


    And before Aerith could finish her words, all of them turned their heads toward the familiar voice that suddenly let out a breath. And there he was, someone who was supposed to be idling in a dessert store, standing with them out of nowhere¡­


    ¡­Riley Ross.


    "I did not know that, Aerith."

 Chapter 740 740: Trouble On All Sides. The Sides Being Universes

    ?


    "Riley¡­?"


    The only one that really reacted amongst the lot was the youngest of them, Silvie. She wanted to go along with Hannah and Hannah when they detected Riley in a small dessert store somewhere on the outskirts of New York¡ªbut Hannah did not let her, as she said it would be best if it was just her.


    Of course, she was slightly disappointed. But even more, she found itpletely awkward that she was lumped with¡­ the old people. Granted, she had been busy helping Katherine with taking care of Katarina¡ªbut she was young, she should be with the¡­


    ¡­was she still young?


    And while Silvie was suddenly having a mid-life crisis in her mid-twenties, one of the adults finally recovered from their bewilderment.


    "...Riley?" Diana was the 3rd person to speak Riley''s name as she looked his son straight in the eyes, "How¡­ long have you been here?"


    "Oh, I followed all of you here, Mother," Riley casually answered as he started walking around the penthouse, before settling in front of Hannah''s fridge and getting a ss of milk for himself. And without even minding all the eyes following him, he sat at the bar and just started drinking without care,


    "Perhaps if you spent time actually nourishing and nurturing our rtionship, I would not have turned out to be like this."


    "...It''s a clone," Silvie finally snapped out of her daydreaming as she heard Riley''s words.


    "Ah, Silvie. Even though we''ve grown apart, you still know me best," Riley let out a small sigh; just focusing on his drink as he lowered his head, almost as if pretending that he was drinking alcohol,


    "Still very promising, unlike your¡­ mold."


    "..." Aerith''s eyes slightly twitched. She wanted to say something, but Aerith-1 stepped forward before any words escaped her lips.


    "A¡­ clone?" Aerith-1''s eyebrows lowered, "Wait, is it possible that the one we were about to take home earlier was also a clone?"


    "Oh, that one was the real Riley," Riley started waving his ss of milk as he faced the others, "But let''s get back to the real elephant in the room, and I''m not talking about fat Bernard."


    "..." Bard could not help but blink from the sudden attack. He was just minding his own business and trying his best to monitor the entire Chihiro situation¡­ so why was he suddenly being called out like this?


    "Anyway, Aerith¡­" Riley pointed his ss at Aerith as he stood away from the bar, "...I want you to know that even though you did what you did¡­


    ¡­I forgive you."


    "You¡­ forgive me?" Aerith''s already squinted eyes became even smaller as her eyebrows lowered, "Forgive me¡­? You killed my people, Riley. And you''ve killed hundreds of billions of people, innocent lives that had nothing to do with you."


    "To be fair, Aerith¡ªmost of my victims had nothing to do with me," Riley chuckled, "And also, yes. I forgive you."


    "How¡­ how dare you?" Aerith''s lips started to tremble as she stepped forward, causing Aerith-1 to step to the side as she felt Aerith''s rising energy levels¡­an energy level unprecedented in her universe,


    "How. Fucking. Dare. You."


    "Language, your daughter is watching," Riley winked at Silvie, "And I said I forgive you, I said nothing about you forgiving me¡ªthe two are sort of very different from each other."


    "You¡ª"


    "Tut. tut," Riley raised a finger when he saw Aerith''s hands turning into fists, "I just want to say that no matter what you do. Even though you¡ªwhat was it? You crushed my head again and again, destroyed my spine, and then threw me to another world? Yes. Even though you did all of that, even though you promised that you won''t actually abandon me or leave me, and you did¡ªI forgive you."


    "..." Aerith''s fists started to tremble as she was truly deliberating on whether or not to fight Riley Ross here¡ªbut she knew best what would happen if she did. And so, after a few more seconds, the only thing she could really do was let out a sigh as her hands softened,


    "We''ve already caused enough trouble here. Just tell Riley to stop ying around and resolve this situation."


    "Now that¡­ is not really a request I can do, sadly," Riley let out a small but very deep sigh as he walked to the sink and started washing the ss, "I''m afraid you oldies just have to wait until they''re done."


    "But you''re connected to Riley."


    "Hm," Riley shrugged as he started wiping his hands on the dry cloth, "You don''t have to worry, though. He''ll be here any minute. You guys should rx, not like the world''s going to end."


    "..."


    That is exactly what everyone was worried about, especially Bard. A picture of Riley''s true strength was alreadypletely painted in his mind¡ªthat was the very reason he directly contacted the universe Riley was discovered, because that was the only thing he could really think of to get rid of him.


    A creature a Primordial is wary of should not exist among mortals, but he is here. And they have no way to permanently kill him. In truth, Bard was also thinking of throwing Riley into some sort of void, a universe already destroyed where nothing could truly exist.


    But he was sure Riley will, and he will find a way to get back. After all, a universe already destroyed means it had¡­ rips and cracks where Riley could go through, cracks that would connect him directly to beings that exist outside the Universe, the transcended gods¡­ and the Primordials.


    And if those beings learned that Bard sent him there, the corresponding punishment might be the destruction of his own universe.


    Truly, just what sort of monster snuck into his universe?


    "..." Bernard, who had been quiet from the start, quickly realized the thoughts his variant was having and could not help but just sigh. If people are pointing fingers at who to me, shouldn''t most be actually pointing at him?


    Diana was an exemption, of course¡ªas she knew from the start. But Bernard was the one who tolerated and even sanctioned Riley''s actions when he was just starting as Darkday.


    "Okay, maybe that''s too much rxing," Riley let out a small chuckle as he broke the eerie silence suddenly surrounding the entire penthouse,


    "Now, I know what you''re all thinking¡ªRiley Ross is a timebomb, Riley Ross might act out and just destroy everything, yada yada. And your worries are valid, they are more than valid. But¡­"


    Riley started walking around with his finger raised, "That is what makes all of this fun, no? Chaos¡­


    ¡­chaos is fun."


    "You truly are a madman," Aerith-1 crossed her arms and started shaking her head, "Your parents should have killed you while you were but an infant, a tiny sprout that could be plucked just like that," Aerith-1 said as she snapped her fingers.


    "You really do look and act like Queen Adel, you know that? Are you sure you''re not Queen Adel?"


    "I''m not!"


    "She''s not," Aerith breathed out.


    "Huh, weird. But yes, I am the maddest man you will ever meet in your life. It may not seem like it because I am filled with all sorts of charm and alluringposure, but I am¡­ Mega sick in the head," Riley literally drilled his finger through his temple as he startedughing,


    "But anyway, enough talk¡ªBoss is here."


    And with those words, the familiar bell of the elevator rang in the air as its doors opened. Everyone once again turned their heads to look, only to see Riley casually stepping inside the penthouse with a nk expression on his face.


    "How sure are we that this is the real one?" Aerith-1 squinted her eyes as she watched Riley ignore all of them and just made his way toward his clone, "...Right, now I know how you people know."


    "What''s up, Boss?" Riley''s clone bowed his head, "I''d offer you a ss of milk but¡­ I just finished thest drop, sorry."


    "It is fine," Riley gestured to the clone to lift his head. He then finally nced at Aerith-1 and the others, before just ignoring them again and sitting at the bar; focusing all of his attention on his clone,


    "But who are you?"


    "Hm?" The clone tilted his head to the side as a small smile crawled on his face, "What do you mean, Boss?"


    "Who are you, clone?" Riley just repeated his question, causing the others to be confused as they all looked at each other.


    "It''s¡­ It''s me¡­?" Riley''s clone gestured to himself, also seemingly confused as he looked at the others. But after a few seconds of quiet pondering, his eyes suddenly widened, "Ah! Maybe you don''t recognize me because of this."


    And then, with a small giggle escaping his lips, Riley''s clone grabbed something from his pocket and wore it on his face¡ªa pair of sses.


    "It''s me, Boss," the clone once again gestured to himself, "Professor Riley."


    "Professor¡­ Riley?" Aerith''s voice started to slightly rise as she flinched, "Wait¡­ wait¡­ Isn''t that the one teaching the children on Theran?"


    "Ah!" Professor Riley quickly pointed at Aerith, "See!? Aerith recognized me¡ªI knew it, she cares for us, Boss."


    "..." Riley only nced at Aerith, not saying a word to her before sighing and shaking his head, "I do not think that is the case, Professor."


    "Well, it might be," Professor Riley nonchntly shrugged, "At least she''s not that much of a disappointment like Queen Adel is making her out to be."


    "Queen¡­ Adel?" Aerith''s breathing started to turn heavy. She was already suspecting something, but Professor Riley''s words were turning them into reality.


    "Ah, yes!" Professor Riley smiled, "I persuaded her and some thousands of Themarians to flee Theran."


    "What¡­?"


    "And right now, I guess they''re overthrowing our universe? You oldies aren''t there, after all."


    "Wait¡­


    ¡­What?"

 Chapter 741 741: AvR

    741 Chapter 741: AvR


    "Wait¡­ what?"


    There have been many times Aerith found herself suddenly being surrounded by silence, most of the time by force as the weight of her responsibility to the world echoes through her ears. This time, however, it was almost as if she could hear the entire universe itself¡­but remained incredibly deaf to it as the only sound she could really hear was Guilt.


    Guilt, cracking and snapping inside her mind; shattering everything else inside her.


    "Bernard!"


    Diana, however, carried the grief and guilt differently¡ªDiana never truly grieved for her people. She wailed and cried, for sure. But that was regret.


    Regret that she could not save her people, even though she tried her best for more than a thousand years. And so, right now, with a small glimpse of a candle being lit up in her hands, she wanted to rush and see if what the clone said was true.


    "Bard!" Diana once again screamed as she grabbed Bard by the shoulder, "We need ess back to our universe, now!"


    "But¡­" Bard did not really know what to do as he nced at Riley. The very reason he brought all of them here was to take Riley away peacefully, but with them gone¡­


    "Bernard," and while Bard was hesitating to take action, Bernard also ced his hand on his shoulder, "I have already promised you that no harm wille to your universe¡ªand I fully intend to fulfill that promise. Diana also won''t be of help to you like this, her mind''s¡­ clouded."


    "..." Bard looked to the side, calcting and deliberating scenarios in his head. And after a few seconds of doing so, he just nodded and started heading to the elevator.


    Bernard and Diana quickly followed him. Aerith also rushed inside the elevator, but she was quickly pushed out by Diana.


    "What¡­?" Aerith squinted her eyes; her hands turning into fists as she looked Diana in the eyes, "I aming with you."


    "No, you''re not," Diana quickly shook her head, "You need to stay here for Riley, you''re one of the only people in the entire world¡ªthe entire multiverse he listens to."


    "I¡­ don''t think that''s the case anymore," Aerith nced at Riley before letting out a deep sigh. Her frustration did notst long, however, as she nodded her head and quickly decided to stay, "Fine¡­ but do not me me for what happens next."


    "You have every right to do anything and everything you want with my son. He deserves to be punished," Diana said without any hesitation as she looked at Riley, "But¡­ please, just don''t fight any


    ¡ª"


    "Wait!" And as the elevator was closing, Aerith-2 suddenly appeared beside Aerith and blocked the doors from closing,


    "Let mee with you, please."


    "..." Diana only looked Aerith-2 in the eyes as the doors slid open again.


    "There is no reason for me to stay in this universe, and there is also no reason for me to stay in mine¡­" Aerith-2''s voice sounded meek and devoid of any confidence, "...The themarians of your people also seemed to have suffered devastatingly from Riley Ross, and I am to mourn and weep my people, I wish to do it with them¡­


    ¡­They who understand our pain, my pain."


    Diana did not say anything, just nodding her head and gesturing to Aerith-2 to step inside the elevator.


    "With me there, Riley Ross would also not easily do as he likes. As I promise you, my goal in life is to make your son''s life unbearable. You will not regret this decision, Cait¡ªDiana Rurs."


    "...Ross." And with a sigh escaping Diana''s lips, the elevators finally closed; leaving Silvie and Aerith alone with Riley and his clone.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Wait¡­" And surprisingly, or perhaps not, it was Professor Riley who broke the sudden silence in the penthouse,


    "Did those uberly powerful beings just take the elevator? Couldn''t they have just jumped or flown from the roof? Or¡­ was that all just for dramatic effect or something?"


    "It was for dramatic effect," Riley nodded, "Is it true that Queen Adel and some other themarians are alive, Professor?"


    "Oh, it is," Professor Riley let out a small giggle as several bottles of wine started floating around him. The loud popping sound of the corks drummed in the air as the contents of the bottle all spilled out¡ª


    but creating absolutely no mess as the wine all just floated in the air.


    And then, waving his fingers like a maestro''s baton, Professor Riley started shaping the liquids into the familiar silhouettes of a human¡ªtwo. One obviously him, and the other Queen Adel.


    "You see, I did what you asked, Boss," Professor Riley nodded to himself, "I remained there to watch as Queen Adel''s hope wither away along with Theran. But I did something else¡ªsomething that you might like more¡­


    ¡­I convinced her to leave Theran."


    "..." Aerith took a gulp that could be heard by everyone in the penthouse, "Mother¡­ is truly alive?"


    "And a thousand more. You better keep up, Aerith, I already mentioned that earlier," Professor Riley slightly scoffed as he squinted his eyes at Aerith, "Anyway, I did a little convincing, and ta dah! I persuaded the Queen to stay alive. And of course, in turn, the people loyal to her followed her¡­ which isn''t actually a lot."


    "How¡­ were you able to convince my Mother when I could not?" Aerith was still not allowing herself to believe.


    "Because I''m a stranger," Professor Riley shrugged, "You know how people tend to listen to strangers? Or how people listen to their therapists, even though their friend has already been telling the same thing to them for years? It''s like that."


    "But you are not a stranger¡ªyou''re the one who annihted her entire species."


    "And I offered them salvation, quite fun," Professor Riley pped his hands, "I hope you don''t mind, Boss. I figured you''d like this kind of development."


    "It is weed," Riley nodded, "Good job, Professor Riley."


    "Right, I thought so," Professor Riley nodded once again, "Also, I am sort of your enemy now, I hope that''s alright?"


    "..." Riley just blinked a couple of times as he looked at his clone.


    "I know! Just¡­ please don''t kill me?" Professor Riley winced and closed one of his eyes, "I know we''re not connected the same anymore, but you can still do that since you literally created me, but please don''t?"


    "..."


    "You can kill me, but not in a way that you would just¡­ unmake me? You know what I mean? Because that is not totally not cool."


    "I am getting it now, Professor Riley," Riley nodded.


    "Great, yes¡­" Professor Riley pointed at Riley, "...And that is all I am actually here for¡ªa deration of war against you, Boss. I know you are already having fun with all this multiverse thingy, so let''s just spice it up with another Theran war plus me."


    "Hm."


    "Right. Off I go. I am also going to use the elevator for dramatic effect," Professor Riley bowed to Silvie and Aerith as he walked away, "So, you know¡­ if anyone wants to stop me, there''s suspense."


    "..."


    "..."


    And so, Aerith, Silvie, and Riley just watched Professor Riley disappear into the elevator.


    "Does that lessen your hatred for me, Aerith?" And finally, for the first time since Aerith and Riley met again, he directly spoke to her without looking away, "Your mother is still alive, and so are a thousand of your people."


    "..." Aerith did not really answer and just red at Riley.


    "Hm," Riley looked away as he sighed, "I suppose no¨C"


    "Of course not!" Aerith waved her hand, causing a st of wind to violent rage inside the penthouse. If it wasn''t for Riley protecting the windows, they would have already shatteredpletely,


    "You think¡­ you think that because my mother is alive, that actually changes things between us?"


    "I suppose."


    "No, Riley¡­ It just doesn''t work like that," Aerith''s eyes turned red, "No, no¡­ I''m wrong. Things should have actually changed between us from the start. Things should have been different from the start¡­


    ¡­I should have killed you the very first time we met."


    "Then I would have grown stronger faster, Aerith."


    "I would have found a way to dispose of you," Aerith gritted her teeth, "A more violent and effective way. Do you know the only reason why I didn''t just continue killing you over and over again and instead just threw you to another dimension?"


    "Because you will get tired."


    "No. Because in some fucked up way, I didn''t think you deserved to be treated like that," Aerith almost growled as she stepped closer to Riley. Silvie, who was watching the situation unfold, did not know whether to step between the two as her eyes just nervously trailed back and forth between them,


    "But you did, and you do deserve to suffer eternally. I betrayed you? No, I only did what I should have done a long time ago¡ªput you down."


    "..."


    "Do you think the two of us are actually close?" Aerith started chuckling; a hint of tears, starting to shape in her eyes, "Do you think that just because we spent years fighting each other, that we spent years alone in the cosmos traveling together that you and I have something?"


    "I did."


    "Then you really are sick in the head, Riley!" Aerith quickly wiped the tears that were trailing down her cheek,


    "You are a delusional monster that only cares about hurting people. I, never in a million years, would even consider being with someone like you. Hell, the only reason I was even with you and by your side was to guard people from you. You are not my lover, and I sure as am will never develop feelings for you other than utter disgust and hatred!"


    "..."


    "What!? Say something!"


    "I''m¡­" Riley''s lips did not fully open; his eyes, not looking at Aerith at all.


    Gat damn, das even more intense than any of the fight scenes i''ve written. Even Riley''s speechless. But then again, he''s gaining a semnce of humanity... but humanity does not really wee him.


    Romeru

 Chapter 742 742: A Drug Called Riley Ross

    <h4>Chapter 742 Chapter 742: A Drug Called Riley Ross</h4>


    "I''m¡­"


    "Say something!"


    Riley was going to say something, but Aerith''s voice thundered throughout the entire penthouse before he could even utter his next words.


    "I am¡ª"


    "Just saying something!"


    Of course, Aerith did not really want Riley to say anything, she didn''t want to listen to him at all. Why would she? How could she?


    She knew Riley enough that she knows that if Riley actually says something, Aerith would end up empathizing with him¡ªno, she would end up sympathizing with him. That was the vicious and ridiculous cycle that she and everyone were trapped in when ites to Riley.


    Somehow, everyone just ends up being attracted to him; not necessarily romantically, but like what one would feel toward a rabid and isted but extremely cute dog. You know you''re going to get bitten, but you''ll still want to pet it¡ªThat is the Riley Ross Effect.


    And perhaps more so than others, Aerith was a victim of that.


    Aerith did not really want to admit it, but Riley has always been a drug to her. She knew¡­ she knew that if Riley was to say something, she would rpse like an addict and go to his side once more.


    She will create an excuse.


    She is staying by his side because she was the only one truly strong enough to stop him.


    She will apany him because that will be the only way that Riley would stop killing people.


    She holds his hand because that is the only way for him not to do anything.


    Aerith convinced herself that she was staying for Riley for the sake of everyone else, that he was some sort of burden that she needed to bear. But in truth¡­


    ¡­she is haunted by Riley, obsessed.


    She doesn''t know why, how, and when. She just was¡­ just is.


    There was just a certain void in her that only Riley could fit in, a veryrge void.


    She has now lived for more than a thousand years¡ªRiley should not even be a fraction of that, and yet her entire life now revolves around him and only him. Just when she thought she could escape¡­


    ¡­Riley wraps his arms around her, or perhaps it was the other way around.


    "Just stop¡­" Aerith whispered as she continued to wipe the tears that were endlessly trailing down her cheeks,


    "...Just stop saying anything."


    "I''m not¡ª"


    "Don''t."


    "..."


    Riley nced at Aerith, before just looking to the side. And after a few seconds, he just casually walked toward the sofa, pushing away the forgotten Gracy that has actually beenpletely unconscious there for more than an hour now. And without saying anything, he just started browsing the TV.


    "..." Aerith also did not say anything anymore. And instead, she just made her way to the bar and started serving herself drinks, or to be more specific, she was just drinking straight from the bottle and chugging whatever she could get her hands on.


    "Um¡­ Aerith."


    "Mom."


    "..."


    "I already adopted you, so you call me Mom," Aerith forcefully handed Silvie a bottle as soon as she approached her, "Okay? You''re the only child I have left¡ªit won''t be until another thousand years until I could actually create life."


    "But, Ae¡ªMom, we still need to¡ª"


    "We don''t need to do anything," Aerith chuckled, "Do you know? Did you know that I was ready to revive Themarians by myself? I need to wait a thousand years, but I could give birth. I was ready to roam the entire universe to find a rogue male Themarian to mate with¡ªthat is how desperate I am in trying to fix my mistake."


    "We need to assist Han¡ª"


    "Statistically, there should at least be one out there that left Theran thousands of years ago," Aerithpletely ignored Silvie''s words as she just finished one bottle after another¡­ fully knowing that Earth''s alcohol won''t even have any effect on her,


    "But what do you know? One of Riley''s clones was out there mingling along with what remains of my species¡ªand my mother''s one of them. I¡­ what the heck. Do you¡ª"


    "Stop being so pathetic!"


    Tired of beingpletely ignored, Silvie pped Aerith right on the cheek. It was weak, not even enough to cause a tiny hint of shockwave, but Aerith''s head move to the side and almost caused her to fall down there and then.


    "I can''t even pretend to know what you''re feeling, but I also can''t pretend to think that you''re not acting like a crazed¡­ like a crazed ex-girlfriend! I know what it looks like because I felt it too. I know, I know that what I have been through is absolutely nothing whenpared to what happened to you, but Mom¡­


    ¡­Learn how to face what you''re actually feeling, only then will you learn how to face the consequences of your actions."


    "You¡­" Aerith touched her slightly swollen cheek, "...You''re growing too fast."


    "I''ve always been forced to," a wry smile crawled on Silvie''s face.


    "You shouldn''t have had to," Aerith stretched her hand toward Silvie; very softly holding her cheek as she looked her in the eyes, "Children should never grow up too fast."


    "I''m not a child anymore, Aerith. None of us are," Silvie said as she nced at Riley, "So, please. Stop wallowing and let''s just focus on what matters now¡ªChihiro. We need to do something about her."


    "..." And almost at the same time, the expression on Aerith and Silvie''s faces slowly became serious.


    "The Hannah of this world¡ªbased on what we heard earlier¡ªNannah has already been defeated by Chihiro, so the only thing she could really do is try and protect the Chihiro of this world," Silvie''s tone started to reflect her face, "As for Hannah, she might be able to stop Chihiro, but I believe the only way to stop her is to kill her, and that is something Hannah will never be able to do. As for me¡­


    ¡­I can do it, but I don''t trust myself not to hesitate when the timees."


    "..."


    "You''ve been retired long enough, Megawoman," Silvie then bumped her fist on Aerith''s chest, "There are people that need saving."


    "You''re¡­ right," Aerith took in a deep breath as she nced at Riley, "I refuse to be a prisoner of whatever this is anymore. I''m¡­


    ing out of the closet you confined me in."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...What?" Silvie squinted her eyes.


    "That¡ªIt''s nothing," Aerith waved her hand, "You won''t understand."


    And with those words, Aerith just walked past Riley and went straight toward the closest window, refusing to even look at him anymore.


    "Make sure Riley doesn''t go anywhere," and with a nod toward Silvie, Aerith opened the window and flew away.


    "How¡­ am I even going to do that?" Silvie could really only once again squint her eyes as she looked at Riley, only to find that he was no longer there,


    "...Yup. That''s what I thought."


    And so, with those words, Silvie also followed Aerith and jumped through the window.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Fuck," and finally, Gracy, who has actually just been pretending to be asleep the entire time, sat up from the sofa and started looking around,


    "...What did I get myself caught up to?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "...And why am I not actually caught up to it!?"


    "Because you''re a side character, Gary."


    "What the fuck!?"


    Gracy jumped out from her seat as soon as she heard a voice that was not supposed to still be lingering in the penthouse. She then quickly turned to look at the sofa, only to see Riley still actually sitting there.


    "I¡­ I thought you were gone."


    "I have some pretty useful abilities, female Gary."


    "Can you please stop calling me Gary!?"


    "Very well, female Gracy."


    "You don''t need to add the female there because I''m a woman!"


    "You identify as a woman?"


    "You¡ª" Gracy was going to say something, but shepletely shut her mouth when Riley suddenly stood up from the sofa. She then watched as Riley started walking around the penthouse before settling in front of the mirror that was slightly being covered by the bottles of wine behind the counter of the bar.


    His reflection was fractured and distorted at first, but as Riley''s silhouette soon started to be covered in a ck that was not capable of bouncing any light at all, his form quickly started to show.


    "..." Gracy could really only back away as she saw this. As someone seeing it for the first time, it was truly a sight to behold.


    It was almost as if darkness itself was embracing Riley. It was a shadow maliciously dark; dark to the point that Gracy could feel herself being sucked into its eternal abyss. And unlike those who are already familiar with Riley¡­


    ¡­Gracy saw no sadness in this shadow. No remorse, no regret, and not even a single atom ofpassion.


    There was only darkness, and an even deeper darkness inside of it.


    "R¡­ Riley?" Gracy breathed out. But as Riley nced at him; the visor of his helmet, which was the only thing that actually shone across his entire silhouette,pletely reflected the fear that was slowly but surely building inside Gracy.


    Riley did not say anything. And instead, he just ced his finger in front of his helmet; gesturing a hush as Gracy''s fear continued to reflect on his visor.


    And of course, Gracy no longer made a sound, not even a single breath.


    "Good girl," Riley whispered as he leaned closer to Gracy, "I am not going to kill you, Gracy. You''re still relevant for what is toe."


    "..."


    "What is toe, you ask?" Riley then stretched his hand to the side; his silhouette, covering Gracy''s entire vision,


    "A very dark day."

 Chapter 743 743: Where Has The Sweet Girl Gone?

    ?


    "She''s persistent."


    Nannah and Chihiro were flying above the clouds, beneath them the lively city of New York; their silhouettes hidden from the people that were just casually going about their day, not knowing the looming chaos literally flying above their heads.


    "Just give her to me!"


    Suffice it to say, Chihiro Prime seemed to have absolutely no ns to give up the chase. Her teeth showing themselves almost chattering in excitement as her eyes reflected the silhouettes of the two.


    "No one else has to die! I just want her gone and we can all just live peacefully. No one''s going to miss her!" Chihiro Prime let out a frenziedugh.


    "Shut the fuck up!" Nannah screamed in frustration as she tightened her hold on Chihiro''s wrist, "Why can''t you just be quiet, tiny, and cute like our Golden Fox!?"


    "...You do know I''m turning 26 years old in a couple of months, right?" Chihiro could really only let out a long and deep sigh that persisted even through the violent winds hitting her face, "And I can fly on my own."


    "W¡ª"


    "It''s true, you know!" Chihiro Prime, waved her hands as if swatting away her variant''s sigh that was left with the wind, "No one will miss her! I''ve lived billions of years as Chihiro, and in all of them, there was no one to miss her whenever she died. She just withers away from existence! Out of all of Machina''s toys, Chihiro has the most miserable life!"


    "I said shut the fuck up!"


    "If you really want the Chihiro of this world to live, then just kill her! I''ll just ask Diana to create a perfect clone of myself and scatter it throughout the multiverse!"


    "Why the fuck kill other Chihiros if you''re just going to clone yourself!?"


    "Because then it''ll just be me! Like Riley!"


    "Jesus, fuck. She''s batshit crazy," Nannah''s pores opened up inside her armor as she shivered from Chihiro Prime''s words. She was about to say something else, but Chihiro freed herself from her grip.


    "I can fly on my own!" Chihiro shouted as she flew beside Nannah, "You should go! I''m the one she''s after!"


    "I know, and fuck no! I''m not gonna leave you!" Nannah nced at her armor''s pauldron; which had some sort of meter on it that showed¡­ some sort of charge, "I''m just trying to buy some time to I could charge up my suit and actually be useful in this fight!"


    "Does¡­ that suit really increase your strength?"


    "It does," Nannah nodded before ncing back at Chihiro Prime, "But seeing the other Hannah¡­I think I relied on it too much."


    "Is¡­ the Chihiro chasing us really that strong?" Chihiro also nced at her variant, who still had a crazed smile on her face.


    "A themarian with other quirky abilities is the best way I could describe her," Nannah''s voice turned serious, "Why don''t you analyze her stats?"


    "I¡­ can''t," Chihiro squinted her already small eyes before shaking her head, "That was the first thing I did when she first arrived, and Machina seems to be restricting info about her as all I''m reading are¡­ question marks."


    "And me?" Nannah asked as the two of them increased their flight speed, "How strong am I?"


    "Strong, incredibly so," Chihiro said without any hint of hesitation, "But not stronger than me. But that''s not taking into ount your armor."


    "The armor increases mybat prowess and effectiveness by at least a 100%"


    "...It''s close."


    "And what about¡­ the other Hannah? Do you think I''ll win with my armor on?" Nannah meekly asked; her eyes, just focusing on the endless horizon of clouds in front of them.


    "...No," Chihiro breathed in, "The people from Riley''s universe are¡­ abnormally strong¡ªespecially their Megawoman."


    "The Aerith of Riley''s universe?"


    "Yes, her. The stats of the Megawoman of our world can''t evenpare to theirs," Chihiro''s lips slightly shivered, "It was a good thing that she wasn''t the one in our universe, or we would all be dead. The other Aerith is strong too, but she is the weakest of the three themarians."


    "You mean moth¡ªDiana is stronger than the other Aerith variant?"


    "Hm," Chihiro nodded before her small eyes slowly cleared, "But the strongest one amongst them is Riley Ross. To the point that it''s¡­ scary."


    "Riley¡­ How are his statspared to the Aerith of their uni¡ª"


    "Gotcha!"


    And without even a hint of a whisper, an arm suddenly appeared right in front of Nannah and Chihiro. The two did not really say anything, but they were able to kick each other''s foot to push themselves away from the ominous limb.


    But s, the hand was too fast and determined as it ripped Chihiro''s arm¡ªor not, as only the sleeves of her shozoku were ripped away, slightly pulling the rest of her top and revealing a part of her skin.


    "Oh¡­?" Chihiro giggled; her small eyes that were as wide as they could be emerging from the void that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She looked at Chihiro from head to toe, before literally stepping out of the void; almost as if her weight could be carried by the clouds beneath her feet.


    "Why are you really doing this!?" Chihiro yelled as she covered her small-sized bra, "Please, whatever you are going through, we can talk about it!"


    "...You think we need to talk?" A sarcastic smile crawled on Chihiro Prime''s face, "The only thing you need to be doing is die."


    Chihiro Prime stretched her hand to the side, and as she did so, a spear with a crescent-like de instantly materialized on her palm.


    "So, die for me."


    A st of wind blew away all the clouds beneath Chihiro Prime as she lunged straight toward Chihiro; the smile on her face, distorting as she reached closer to her. Before she could actually get near, however¡­


    "Oh¡­?" Chihiro Prime stopped flying as she noticed arge ball of fire shooting directly at her¡ªthe fire, enough to distort everything around it andpletely remove all the clouds within half a mile, "Is this what you were charging fo¡ª"


    And before Chihiro Prime could finish her words, a pair of orange eyes appeared behind her¡ªand without even giving her a chance to fully nce back, Nannah mmed both her feet on her back and pushed her directly to the oing miniature sun.


    "Just fucking die, you asshole!"


    "Heh¡­ ssic," Chihiro Prime smirked as she felt the heat embrace her entire body was pped by the fiery ball. She did not resist, however, and even stretched her arms to the side to receive it.


    "Let''s go!" As for Nannah, she did not stay to watch what was going to happen next as she once again grabbed Chihiro''s wrist and flew away.


    "Heh¡­" Chihiro Prime smiled as the spear she was holding turned into a shield. And with a release of her breath, she mmed the shield down at the fiery ball of fire¡ªsmacking it straight down like some sort of volleyball.


    "...This is fun, really fu¡ª" Chihiro Prime was about to make chase again, but she saw a farm at the ground where the ball of fire would ultimately crash. And without even a trickle of hesitation, she dove straight down; a void appeared on her path which teleported her directly above the farmhouse.


    "Who wants to see a homerun!?" Chihiro Prime sped her hand together as the shield turned into arge silver bat. She then turned her eyes toward the disappearing silhouette of Nannah and Chihiro.


    And then, with a deep breath, she swung therge bat at the diving meteor¡­unching it to where Nannah and Chihiro were flying to.


    "..." Chihiro Prime then nced at the farmhouse to check if it was alright. And when she confirmed that everything was okay except for some slight burnt marks here and there, she once again summoned a void.


    Before she could enter it, however, Hannah appeared behind her.


    "So, what are you, really?" Hannah whispered. All this time, she was actually behind Chihiro Prime, chasing her as Chihiro Prime chased the two. But when she saw the fiery ball of fire falling toward a farm, she dived to follow it¡­ but Chihiro Prime beat her to it,


    "What sort of game are you ying here, Chihiro? If you''re a hero, then stop acting like a fucking maniac."


    "..." Chihiro Prime did not really say anything and just winked at Hannah before moving toward the void she created. This time, however, Hannah was able to follow her through the void and was able to teleport behind her.


    "Wow, you''re really really persistent."


    "Just stop this, Chihiro!" Hannah tried grabbing Chihiro Prime by the ankles, but she turned around and quickly pulled her leg away; her eyes, just looking Hannah straight in the eyes as she flew backward, "What are you really even trying to achieve by killing the other Chihiro!?"


    "I already told you," Chihiro Prime smiled at Hannah; her hair, slightly covering her face as it violently danced in the gale she created, "So I can be alone, that is the only way I can be worthy of Riley."


    "You are doing all of this for that genocidal maniac!?" Hannah roared as everything around her evaporated.


    "...Aren''t you also doing the same?" Chihiro Prime tilted her head to the side, "Riley has done a lot of evil things, most too violent and harrowing to even exin¡ªand yet you want to save him."


    "I''m not trying to save him!" Hannah shook her head, "And even if I was, I''m her sister!"


    "No, you''re not," Chihiro Prime burst out inughter, "You think we didn''t realize? The Baby Crew all saw it¡­


    ¡­You lust for your brother."


    "Ew...What the fuck?"

 Chapter 744 744: The Calm Mind Of Hannah Ross

    "Ew¡­ What the fuck!? That''s fucking disgusting you fucking bitch! You don''t even know what you''re saying because you don''t even remember the events that well!"


    "Oh, but I do."


    And even as the smile on Chihiro''s face was being nketed by the violent swaying of her hair; even though her words were being obscured by the harsh winds, I could clearly see the arrogance tracing on her moving lips¡ªas if she truly believed what she was fucking saying.


    "The veryst life I experienced was mine," Chihiro chuckled, "You see, the way it works when it was Chihiro''s turn is that I only experience the life of those who have died¡ªthat is why I know that all of my versions died alone without anyone caring for them. My memory couldn''t be any clearer, Hannah¡­


    ¡­I saw how you look at your brother. Everyone from the Baby Crew saw it. You remember when he was Paragon?"


    "That¡­ that''s because I didn''t know it was him!" I raised my voice along with the heat that was seeping out from my body. I do not care what she says or what she believes, Riley is my brother, he will always be, and that is all there is to it,


    "You''re fucking delusional and so out of touch with what is happening, Chihiro! Look at yourself, look at what you''re doing, and just stop with all of this bullshitery!"


    I hastened the speed of my flight to reach Chihiro, stretching my hand as much as I could to grab her. But she just shook her head and turned around, matching my speed as she once again chased the other versions of us. What she failed to hide from me, however, was the fading smile on her face before she could fully turn her back on me.


    I do not fucking care about what she is saying about me, or about how I feel for my brother¡ªI know what I feel because I have been feeling that ever since he came into my life. I don''t remember much about my childhood, but I do remember that Riley made everything colorful¡­ until it all just turned dark and I am lost in the memory between.


    Riley¡­ is precious to me. And I do love him, perhaps more than anyone in this world, in mine, and the millions out there.


    Lust? Absolutely fucking not. Everyone is telling me that I feel more than familial love for my brother, that what I have for him isn''t tonic¡ªNannah, Chihiro, and even Paige¡­ What the fuck do they know?


    How could they even understand what I have with Riley when even I don''t know myself? Fuck, maybe they are right that what I have for him is more than tonic, but it definitely isn''t whatever it is they are thinking.


    My bond with Riley is¡­ special. And special things can''t be exined by mere fucking words.


    "Chihiro, just fucking stop it! Enough!"


    And perhaps even more so than the heating out of my body, my patience was starting to run out. There are really only so many words I could say before my temper does the talking.


    And so, I look around my surroundings, confirming whether or not there was a city below us, or perhaps a ne flying nearby. But as soon as I saw nothing but the sky, the clouds, and the endless horizon of water beneath me¡­


    ¡­I roared.


    "I said enough!"


    And with my roar, the heat that has been trying to escape my body ever since I came to this universe was released¡ªand it decimated just absolutely fucking everything. But of course, I made sure there wasn''t actually anything to decimate.


    I''ve also learned how to control my abilities even better. In the past, this energy radiating from my body would have just scattered, but now it was a ray. An invisible death ray that I could point to anywhere I want, decimating anything and everything I want.


    And this time, the target of my rage is just flying right in front of me, with her back easily reachable and aimable. I could just turn this ray toward her, and she will be gone. I don''t fucking care how much stronger she became, how much more skillful since she learned the skills of billions others like her¡ªshe''s going to die if she is hit with this.


    ¡­And so I hesitated.


    The air that was being distorted by my energy very slowly returned to normal before it could reach Chihiro. I¡­


    ¡­can''t do it.


    As much as there was madness in her eyes, the sadness that radiated from them was much¡­ more obvious. I couldn''t just ignore that.


    Chihiro was my friend. And if she is still alive, then she is my friend. I''ve failed to save her once, and to try and kill her now feels¡­ wrong. There was also the fact that she didn''t let people die, she didn''t even think twice and dived down to protect them.


    Wrong. Just like my brother, there is something wrong with her and it is not entirely her fault. Of course, not. It''s not her fault that she thinks like this¡ªbillions of years living as other people, billions of years being tortured¡­ anyone would have snapped.


    The way to save her now is not to kill her, but to make her feel that there was still someone that values her¡­ that she hasn''t been forgotten.


    And so, Ipletely retracted all the energy seeping out of my body. In the first ce, she just wanted to go home¡ªshe was only here to get her brother back¡­ and if Chihiroes along with them, then that would be even better.


    Chihiro looks older than the rest of her variants, because she is. But I couldn''t shake the fact that maybe, just maybe¡­ she wasn''t allowed to grow up at all. The only thing she was allowed to do was suffer because Machina wanted her to defeat Riley.


    And once again, everything revolved around my brother.


    Once again, everything bes his fault¡­ because it is.


    Riley Ross has caused every fuck up and every death I have witnessed. And so, why¡­?


    Why am I doing all of this?


    "Chihiro, stop!" I once again raised my voice to remove the thoughts and doubts I was having. But I know that I should have doubts, but I just¡­ he''s my brother.


    "You could have already stopped me, you know," Chihiro once again turned toward me, and the glimmer in her eyes showed me all I needed to know, "You''re more than capable of it, Hannah. You''re more than capable of stopping everything that has ever happened and yet you do nothing¡ªyou just yap and yap,in, and then be mad about itter."


    It''s true, does she think I don''t realize that? I know all the things bad about me, the things I need to improve¡ªbut what for? Change for what?


    "Do you remember when you were all depressed when you thought you killed Riley?" Chihiro softly chuckled, purposely slowing herself down to obviously taunt me, but I won''t fall for it, "We were all there for you. Of course, no one actually told me what really happened¡ªI only realized after I died. But yes, we were all there for you but you sunk even deeper into the abyss you created¡­ until Paragon, who turned out to be Riley, came."


    "What the fuck are you even trying to say!?"


    "You asked me why I am doing all of this¡ªyou and I are the same," Chihiro smiled at me; the moisture in her eyes fading away, "I am doing all of this for Riley Ross¡­


    ¡­He is our abyss. An abyss that we will never be able to escape."


    He is. He has always been the abyss I fall into when I lose myself. But unlike Chihiro, I am not trying to escape that abyss¡­ because the abyss is the escape. Escape from everything¡­ from the expectations, from the obligations, from the world.


    Riley was the one and is the only one who provides that for me.


    Riley Ross is not the love of my life, he is¡­


    ¡­the reason why I still exist.


    The only one that truly makes me feel that I have purpose, that I matter¡­


    ¡­That I am here.


    "This no longer has anything to do with Riley, Chihiro! Stop trying to fucking me your actions on someone else! You think I don''t know what you''re trying to do!?"


    I know it¡ªI know the expression that is painted on Chihiro''s face, I''ve known since the start since I saw myself in her; the reflection of me without Riley.


    "You''re trying to get yourself fucking killed, Chihiro! Well, guess what!? I won''t be the stupid fuck that does that to you! You want to die by the hands of people who care for you? That''s fucked up!"


    "Yes."


    And just like that, Chihiro agreed with my words. There wasn''t even any hesitation in her voice,


    "I''m tired, and I feel like it would be poetic to be killed by one of my friends again. Do you know, Hannah? That the only universe I found that there was someone that actually cares for me is in our universe¡ªIt''s sad, but then you realize why¡ª


    ¡ªRiley Ross."


    "...What? That doesn''t even make any sense!"


    "It does, it is the only thing that makes sense. Riley is the only reason why I had friends. He is¡ª"


    "Chihiro!"


    "Silvie!?"


    And in the blink of an eye, I saw Chihiro spinning in the air as Silvie mmed her body straight on Chihiro''s back¡ªand before she could recover, Silvie wrapped her arms around her neck,pletely shutting her up.


    Or so I thought.


    "Who''s this¡­? Silvie?" Chihiro smiled as she slightly turned her head to try and take a look at Silvie, "It''s so sweet that you wanted to hug me at our reunion."


    "Yes, hi¡­" Silvie also smiled as she tightened her grip on Chihiro''s neck; soon, however, the expression on her face turned sour as she looked at me,


    "...But we don''t have time for this, Hannah! Leave Chihiro to me, tell everyone to evacuate!"


    "What¡­?" I turn to see if there were people beneath us, but the only thing I see is water, "Evacuate who!?"


    "Everyone!" Silvie raised her voice; the trembling in her eyes was vaguely familiar, "Something¡­ something went wrong! He¡­


    ¡­He''s here!"


    "Who''s here!? What¡ª"


    Familiar, of course. I now know where I have seen Silvie''s trembling eyes before¡ªand as I watch my reflection on them fade and disappear into the darkness, I was once again reminded of the reason.


    As the clouds beneath my feet darken and clump together, I was reminded of what my brother is to other people¡ªa very¡­


    "Darkday¡­


    ¡­Darkday is here!"

 Chapter 745 745: Megawoman Returns

    "Where are they right now?"


    "Huh¡­? But I am just following your lead, Megawoman."


    Several minutes earlier, while Chihiro and Hannah were being chased by Chihiro who was being chased by Hannah, Silvie also followed Aerith as she followed to chase the four. It was obvious to Silvie that Aerith was waiting for her¡ªas she was someone who could go around the entire in a single second.


    And more importantly, she was asking her where Hannah and the others could be.


    "Yes, and where are they now?" Aerith repeated her question as she nced at Silvie; her golden brown hair that reflected the sun above them, shining so brightly that it reminded Silvie of how much she actually used to idolize Aerith before.


    She wasn''t only a beacon of hope, but a path to the light everyone sought. Her hero, everyone''s hero¡­ and now she was flying side by side with her.


    "You¡­ don''t know where they are?" Silvie took in a small gulp as she looked at Aerith; not even bothering to look where she is going as there were nothing but clouds and the sky in the first ce, "Can''t you hear everything within the?"


    "I can, I could even hear all the way to the others," Aerith let out a small smirk as she focused on their path, "And you should be able to do that too. So, where are they?"


    "Uhm¡­"


    A test. It was obvious what Aerith was doing¡ªand if it was any other test, Silvie would be d to challenge it with more than maximum effort. But s, it just had to be the one ability that she truly disliked to use¡ªno, she loathed it.


    Hearing everything around her is a curse. It confused her a lot when the ability first manifested, and the only reason she mastered it in the first ce was because she did not want it.


    She looked at Aerith again, only to see her looking at her with her eyes filled with expectations. And so, the only thing Silvie could really do was let out a sigh and closed her eyes; trying to prepare her mind and body for the information she was about to receive.


    "Tss," Silvie sucked in a deep but very short breath as her head shook on its own. The sounds she hear were not gentle at all; they did not have any emotion, and yet it was almost as if Silvie could feel a spectrum of color¡ªa music that was not meant to caress, but to vite her.


    She could hear the water in the clouds forming, the footsteps of the people walking below, the sound of the traffic lights changing, the rubber of the tires ever so slightly leaving its print on the scalding road¡­ everything was rushing through her all at once. But soon, as she focused on her breaths, the only sound that remained was a certain silence that whistled across her skin.


    And then, there were voices. Unfamiliar at first, foreign¡­ until¡ª


    "Chihiro, stop this!"


    "There!" Silvie did not wait for Aerith as she quickly changed the direction of her fight, increasing her speed; but not enough that it would cause the people below to notice them.


    "Hm," Aerith only smiled as she once again flew beside Silvie.


    "I''m¡­ going in the right direction, right?" Silvie asked.


    "Why go if you''re not sure?"


    "..." Silvie stared at Aerith for a couple of seconds, before nodding her head and increasing her speed even further. The situation right now was more than serious, but Silvie was trying her best not to let out child-like giggles from having Aerith suddenly mentor her out of nowhere.


    Ever since they have met again after all these years, and even before they separated back in Theran¡ªSilvie had only seen Aerith either depressed or sad. And so, seeing her right now shining so brightly, truly made Silvie more than excited.


    ''Finally'', she thought. Megawoman is finally back, truly back.


    But for some reason, however, Silvie finds herself slightly worrying about something¡ªshe just couldn''t quite fathom what it is yet.


    "Please, help me!"


    And before Silvie could fully increase her speed to reach Hannah and the others in no time, she instantly halted her flight as soon as she heard a voice calling for help; she looked down at the city below her, squinting her eyes to focus her sight toward the distress. And there, she saw a bus filled with people being lifted up by some sort of¡­ man.


    A man whose body resembled that of a kangaroo.


    "I saw all of youughing! You think I want to look like this!?" The kangaroo man roared as she threatened to throw the bus toward the soldiers surrounding him, "Do you even realize why most superviins are superviins!? Because we also got the super ugly abilities! So,e on! Laugh while you still can!"


    "Kangaroo Man, please stop this!" A superhero that was within the vicinity stepped out of the crowd of soldiers, "I don''t think you''re ugly!"


    "My name is Hopper!" Kangaroo Man threw the bus toward the superhero; using his legs almost like a spring to triple the force of the throw.


    "You go, I''ll handle this."


    "But¡ª"


    And without even waiting for Silvie to respond, Aerith dived down.


    "..." Silvie could really only watch as Aerith very gently rescued the people¡ªnot by just catching the bus, but individually pulling all the people out of the bus while it was still moving in the air; everything was happening in the blink of an eye, and yet no people were harmed.


    Truly, a mega woman.


    And so, with a nod and a smile on her face, Silvie turned around to chase for Hannah and the others once more.


    "!!!"


    But before the clouds beneath her feet could be blown away by her, it was blown away by another bus filled with even more people¡ªincluding the very same one that Aerith already rescued.


    "Wh¡ª"


    Silvie could not even process what was happening before she saw the cheeks and stomachs of the people inside the bus explode; their guts,pletely sealing the windows and painting them red.


    "No¡­" And finally, Silvie realized what the ufortable feeling she had been feeling since earlier was. The return of Megawoman also meant one thing¡­


    ¡­and it just bloomed right in front of her.


    Darkday.


    Coming out of his cocoon. Just this time, the cocoon happened to be the bus. The burst open, sting all of its content; drowning Silvie with blood and guts. The only thing visible to her, her eyes.


    And there, like a butterfly thriving in all this brutality, a familiar dark figure was stretching his hands to the side; his silhouette, blocking the light that Silvie was following.


    "Ri¡ª"


    "Shh."


    And before Silvie could even say anything, another Darkday appeared in front of her, covering her mouth with his finger and shushing her.


    "It''s not your turn yet, baby girl," the clone then suddenly grabbed her by the face.


    "!!!" Silvie quickly gripped the clone''s wrist, snapping it in half before wrapping her legs around his arm and locking it. But before she could actually do anything else, another clone grabbed her by the neck and started pulling Silvie away from the other clone.


    "Didn''t you hear what he just said? It''s not your turn yet, baby¡ª"


    "Riley!"


    And all of a sudden, the clone''s head burst as Aerith suddenly appeared out of nowhere and pped its head right off.


    "Wow," the remaining clone hummed, "Someone has a temp¡ª"


    And like its colleague, it wasn''t even allowed to finish its words before Aerith pped and squashed its head.


    "Silvie, go and warn¡ªtell Hannah that Darkday is back!"


    "W¡ª"


    No one seemed to be allowed to finish their words. As before Silvie could say that she wanted to help, Aerith grabbed her by the leg and forcefully threw her away at several Mach speeds.


    "Tut. Tut. Tut."


    And as Silvie''s voice faded away into the distance, it was followed by several clicking of Darkday''s tongue,


    "That was very very rude of you, oh Megawoman. I was in the middle of my speech."


    "Fuck you and your speech!"


    Several violent sts of wind rippled from Megawoman; around her fists, her waist, and her ankle as she plunged straight toward Darkday. Even with all the thunder turning everything around her asunder, however, her voice was still the loudest,


    "This is what you are, and what you will always be! Mad man!"


    "Mad, yes¡­" Darkday did not dodge at all and just let Megawoman''s arm go through his stomach, holding and stretching her other hand to the side, then wrapping his free arm around her waist,


    "...Madly in love with you."


    And like having a dance in the middle of the sky, the two started spinning around; turning the clouds around them into a bloody spiral. And perhaps in a weird way, the bloody spiral turned into the shape of a heart¡ªthe real one.


    Soon, however, this blood solidified into spears and started raining down toward the city below. Nothing happened at first¡­ but soon, a scream resounded throughout the already chaotic city.


    More and more, screams filled the air, screams that will be immortalized by time.


    A permanent stamp in this new world that would forever remind them of the arrival of their darkest day.


    And as their dance reached its conclusion, Darkday whispered in Megawoman''s ears,


    "I hope you''re ready for what''s toe, Aerith," Riley''s helmet disappeared as he nted his lips near Aerith''s cheek, "Because this time¡­


    ¡­will be much worse."

 Chapter 746 746: A Look into Evil

    <h4>Chapter 746 Chapter 746: A Look into Evil</h4>


    "Interview her! Interview her!"


    "What do you mean ''her''!? The guy shouldn''t even be in the female category! It''s unfair!"


    "The fuck? Sexist much? Her heart is a woman!"


    "Say that again after looking at his biceps which arerger than the otherpetitors'' legs! Let''s just change the channel, I heard Feetopia is on Maxflix right now."


    "She''s just using her god-given gifts! And stop watching that degenerate stuff! And that''s the local team, you should be cheering for her!"


    "Being a ma¡ª"


    [We interrupt this program for some important? breaking news!]


    "What could be more important than¡ª]


    [There is currently a superviin that is flying amok and rampaging above the state of Florida and have causedplete damage and death to surrounding areas. Currently, the mysterious figure is fighting with an unidentified female superhero and wasst seen in the skies of Miami.]


    "...Oh. That''s here."


    Somewhere in the joyous city of Miami, there was currently a couple just casually spending their weekend and watching TV; enjoying their time together and arguing every minute or so. You know, just two people in love that thought nothing eventful was going to happen with their day.


    [The total casualty is still unknown for now but we are getting news from? the local fire department and the local authorities that roughly¡­ is this real?]


    Their expressions of bliss, however, almost reflected the person on the other side of the TV as they read words at the bottom of the screen. Their mouths, very slightly opening as they looked at each other.


    [Uhm¡­] The newscaster cleared his throat, pulling on his necktie as he tried his best to beposed in front of the camera,


    [...ording to local authorities of the cities they have already been in, the total casualty should not be lower than 3 million. 3 million American lives lost. And we are just getting the news that¡­ that they were just first spotted in New York less than an hour ago. In fact, we have a video¡­]


    "..." The couple once again looked at the TV, where they watched a mysterious honey blonde-haired woman fighting against a shadow. At first, the woman seemed to try and push the shadow away from the city and was sessful in doing so.


    "Oh wow, the new Dimsungs s42''s camera is really nice."


    "Shh!"


    But as they disappeared into the clouds, the woman was seen being pushed down as the shadows she was fighting with multiplied. And very soon, they disappeared from the frame as they seemed to fly to another city.


    The couple thought that it was over, but after a few seconds, a cloud of mushroom lit up from the distance; causing the camera to shake and ultimately cut off.


    [ording to our sources, the explosion we all saw in thest part of the video is¡­ Staten Ind? But my¡­ my parents live there. What!? What do you mean continue rolling!? I need to call my mom now! No, fuck you, Chris! You¡ªWe apologize for the sudden intrusion, we will return shortly.]


    [Oh my god, help us!]


    "Oh my god!"


    The couple thought the dread was over when the news was cut short. But as soon as the feed switched back to what they were previously watching, they saw a scenery; the once clear pool was now filled with red. Thepetitors they were just previously watching, now just floating face down.


    The lights from above were hanging, and the walls were crushing several people that were calling for help.


    "..." The couple just stared at the TV for a few seconds, before the feed was once again cut-off and faded into ck, showing the couple with their expressions of shock and disbelief.


    "What¡­ that''s only a few blocks away from us," the woman was the first to stand up; her feet, not knowing what to do as they started panicking on whether or not they should walk away or stay. But soon, with a heavy breath, the woman leaped over the sofa and started undressing there and then.


    The man just nced at her for a few seconds, before shaking his head and also leaping over the sofa, also undressing as they both presumably ran to their room. And after a few seconds of noise, they stepped out¡­


    ¡­wearing what could only be their superhero outfits.


    "I''ll go first to the pool!" The woman yelled, tapping her husband''s shoulder before running toward the window and leaping out.


    "Go, I will¡ª"


    And before the man could finish his words, he watched as his wife''s body disintegrated into millions of bits of pieces as a shadow suddenly rammed through the walls of their building¡ªalso shaving off the floors and the walls of their living room.


    "..." And although his face was already covered with a mask, his eyes were clearly nk. He just stood there, staring at the sudden view of the city in front of him; the wind, sting all the dust into his apartment.


    "Lois¡­?" The man muttered as he stepped forward,


    "Lois¡­ are you okay?" He asked, even though he clearly watched her disintegrate into pieces just seconds ago; her guts, still swaying with the wind as they continue to fall toward the ground like pieces of wet dry-aged spaghetti.


    "No¡­no," the man started shaking his head as he stood at the edge of his now opened living room, "Lois¡­ Lois!"


    The man was about to step over the edge, but before he could do so, another silhouette appeared in front of him.


    "Mega¡­woman?" He subconsciously blurted out, but soon shook his head as Megawoman has long been dead before. Instead, he squinted his eyes as he looked at this individual floating in front of him, only to quickly realize she was the woman on the news.


    Aerith and the man stared at each other for a second, before Aerith started looking at him from head to toe.


    "Are you a hero?"


    "Y¡ª"


    "Evacuate everyone in the building as fast and safely as you can, now!"


    "That¡ªYes!" And perhaps due to the shock of suddenly losing his wife, he just nodded his head and watched as Aerith dove down. The man did not even waste any time as he quickly ran outside of his apartment, knocking on each of the doors and telling everyone toe out.


    He didn''t need to do so, however, as most of the tenants were actually already running outside¡ªand when he reached the floor, everyone was already packed and pushing each other down the stairs.


    "Everyone, please! Calm¡ª"


    "Are you a hero!? What is happening out there!?"


    "Are you here to save us!? I saw the news!"


    The man wasn''t even able to say what he wanted to say as everyone just started rushing at him.


    "Please, my baby¡­ get my baby out of here!"


    A woman was about to hand him a toddler, but the man watched as a sudden force came from below. It was weird, it was almost as if everyone¡­ everyone was from bottom to top; like the man was watching meat being ground inside a blender.


    The man was going to pull the toddler away. But perhaps because of the pain she was feeling, the mother gripped her child tightly¡­ pulling him along inside the torrent in which the toddler''s small body was instantly turned into mince.


    "What¡­ the fuck?" The man stared at this scenery for a few seconds, before just very slowly stepping back and closing the door of the staircase; his eyes, just bouncing back and forth in disbelief with what he had just witnessed.


    He could really only hear his breath; not knowing whether it was calm, or already actually dead. His hand was still holding the handle of the door, waiting for the screams to stop¡ªand it did.


    The screams did not evenst long.


    And as he could hear the whistle of silence whispering into his ears, he once again opened the door¡­ and there it was¡ª


    ¡ªHell.


    "What the fuck¡­ what the fuck is happening?" The man wanted to puke, but the thought of puking at this sight seemed wrong to him. How could it not be, when the staircase was now filled with everyone that probably lives in this building?


    "..." The man was going to close the door again, but then he heard the whisper of someone crying. And without even any hesitation, he stepped on the wet floor and quickly started going down toward the cry.


    "Hello¡­?" And soon, he saw a small child cowering in the corner of the stairs, "Are you¡­e here. It will be fine."


    The man did not even want to ask the boy any questions, he just very gently turned the boy to face him; weing him with a gentle smile. And surprisingly, the boy also weed him with a smile¡­


    ¡­a smile that reached from ear to ear.


    "Bitch," the boy then said before he plunged his small hands into the man''s mouth¡­ and tore half of his facepletely off.


    "Welp¡­" The little boy then snapped his fingers, blowing away all the blood painted on his hair and body; showing his unnaturally pale skin and white hair,


    "...On to the next building."


    Aerith knew. She knew what was happening.


    Aerith knew that Riley''s clones were causing destruction everywhere. And right now, Riley was in each of the buildings in Miami causing damage and killing everyone individually¡ªbut what could she really do? She could hear the cries of everyone, but if she left Darkday just for a single second, she knew just how much more damage he would cause to get her attention.


    This is the true Darkday. He could just outright destroy everything¡­


    ¡­but he wants you to feel that you are helpless, and he willugh at you while doing so.

 Chapter 747 747: No

    <h4>Chapter 747 Chapter 747: No</h4>


    "People are dying, Megawoman."


    "Maybe if you just stop!"


    "Now, now. Where would the fun be if I stopped, mdy?"


    "Stop doing a British ent! No one talks like that anymore!"


    "How do you know I''m not from that part of the world?"


    "Because I know who you are, Riley!"


    "Oh, but do you?"


    Megawoman and Darkday were now on top of a building. Or to be more precise, they were on top of a building that was floating above the city of Miami; the people that were inside, very slowly disappearing one by one as Megawoman was rescuing them while having a casual conversation with Darkday. Her silhouette, very slightly flickering more than a thousand times in a single second.


    And soon, with thest person now safely a kilometer away from the battle and hidden underground; Megawoman''s silhouette stopped flickering. Her eyes which were barely visible from all the wind sting on her face, now glowing red.


    No violent beam gushed from her eyes, however. Instead, she ced her palms together, before arge sword, a zweihander, emerged from her hands. The zweihander almost looked crystal; it was dark, but there were hints of red glimmering across it when nced at in a certain direction.


    "That''s new, Megawoman. Where have you been hiding that?" Darkday''s helmet tilted to the side as his visor reflected the fading light from Megawoman''s weapon.


    "I just don''t use it," Megawoman slightly moved the sword to the left, revealing her eyes that also reflected Darkday''s silhouette, "But I am now since I am going for the kill."


    "How generous of you, Megawoman. Will you finally be the lucky one to actually end me?" Darkday let out a small chuckle as he too, ced his palms together and summoned his own zweihander made with Hannah''s abilities;pressed to the point that the light looked solid.


    "Oh¡­" Darkday then stretched the zweihander away from him and looked at, "...Very sneaky, Megawoman. You''re copying what I''m doing andpressing your Themarian energy, very sneak¡ª"


    And before Darkday could finish his words, the glimmering reflecting on his visor disappeared. And even with the threat of Megawoman''s attack, Darkday just stayed standing on the roof extremely still.


    His frozen silhouette did notst long, however, as he suddenly plunged the zweihander toward the floor¡ªcausingva to instantly crawl throughout the entire building and turning the entire infrastructure into magma in less than a second.


    One would think the magma would rain down on the city below, but no¡ªinstead, it flew up due to a turbulent gale that was sting from below; the fiery debris, quickly turning cold as they soon floated above the skies and out into space. Darkday quickly looked down, only to see Megawoman wiping her lips.


    "Oh¡­?" Darkday could not appreciate the view, however, as the image faded away; with Megawoman now directly behind him, slicing his entire body in half.


    Megawoman''s eyes, however, did not leave Darkday''s cleaved body as she watched the two halves start to drop¡ªand as soon as they turned into sand, Megawoman quickly waved her sword behind her.


    "Oops."


    The de, however, quickly halted in the air as she saw Darkday¡­ holding an old man and using it as a shield, "You almost killed him, Megawoman."


    "M¡­Megawoman?" The old man quickly nced at Megawoman, "Is¡­ Is it really you¡ª"


    But s, Darkday pushed the old man''s head toward the halted zweihander before he could finish struggling with his words.


    "You!" Megawoman gritted her teeth as Darkday let go of the old man''s corpse.


    "Well, he was going to die sooner orter," Darkday shrugged, "In fact, each and every one of these people is going to die sooner orter. So, what is the point in trying to save any of them, Megawoman?"


    "Life, no matter how short, is precious. I have told you that so many times," Megawoman almost roared as she rammed her entire body on Darkday. Darkday blocked the sudden attack with his telekic barriers, but it wasn''t enough as itpletely broke his entire arm,


    "But you are clearly incapable of learning anything other than murder!"


    "That is not true, Megawoman," Darkday clicked his tongue several times as he grabbed Megawoman''s wrist to prevent him from beingpletely eviscerated by the zweihander, "I don''t learn how to murder, I invent new ways¡­


    ¡­like this."


    And as he said that, the sky that was already dark started to dim even darker; the clouds,pressing as rumbles of thunder could be heard growling throughout the city of Miami.


    "You¡­ could control the weather?" Megawoman looked around.


    "It is actually one of the earlier powers I received," Darkday let out a small chuckle as he allowed himself to be hit by Megawoman''s weapon; the de made withpressed energy, going through him like he was foam. Darkday, however, used this chance to embrace Megawoman once more and lock her even just for a single second,


    "I know the power looks boring, but watch this."


    And as soon as he said that, rain started to fall from the clouds. It looked normal at first¡ªbut soon, several deafening explosions sted into the air. And it wasn''t the sound of thunder, no. The sound was more akin to that of an Armalite, or perhaps a minigun.


    "You¡­"


    Megawomanpletely ripped Darkday''s entire body in half again¡ªbut it was toote. The rain¡­ did not fall gently at all, no. All of them dropped toward the ground at several Mach speeds.


    Megawoman tried to p her hands to clear the rain, but two Darkdays caught both her arms before her palms could even touch each other. Of course, this only dyed Megawoman for a fraction of a second as the clones'' arms were ripped away from their torso, but that was enough.


    That was enough topletely erase the entire city of Miami.


    Megawoman sucked in a deep breath as she grabbed the clones'' heads, squashing them without even ncing at them as she watched as the city was devoured by a simple rain.


    "I have to admit, it''s not that creative," another Darkday then floated behind Megawoman, sighing as he clicked his tongue several times, "What about it, Megawoman? Want to make a deal?"


    "..." Megawoman did not answer Darkday and just stared at him.


    "If you guess whether or not this is my original body, then I will stop this rampage right now," Darkday crossed his legs, sitting in the air as he circled around Megawoman''s silhouette, "You can stop this, right here and now."


    "It''s not your real body!" The zweihander Megawoman was wielding turned into a spear; a spear that quickly lodged through Darkday''s head like a drill,pletely mangling his head. And as Megawoman guessed, the body turned into concrete and sand.


    "It would seem I underestimated how much you know me, Megawoman."


    A series of ps then whispered into Megawoman''s ears as another Darkday just emerged out of nowhere in front of her,


    "I truly appreciate that."


    "Enough of this. Now that I have yed your pathetic games, let us go home to our own universe and deal with this there. Do not involve¡ª"


    "Oh, I lied," Darkday let out a small chuckle,


    "Pavoom."


    And without even any hesitation, Darkday pointed toward the horizon¡ªand in a sh, the horizon disappeared.


    "Oh, I overdid it a little."


    The horizon disappeared¡ªand with it, anything within the path of Darkday''s ''Pavoom'' attack which reached all the way to the Arctic Ocean.


    "There goes Canada. I might have killed your husband again here."


    "We¡­ had a deal, Riley," the weapon Aerith was holding faded away as she looked at the clear horizon; the sky, torn; the celestial bodies now, overlooking them.


    "We did," Darkday let out a long and deep sigh,


    "And you broke it."


    "...What?"


    "You said you were going to stay by my side forever, Megawoman. You said that you were going to be the one that ends me¡­


    ¡­but you abandoned me."


    "I¡ª"


    "You tried to kill yourself."


    "You annihted my people, Riley. What point is there to live!?"


    "You tried to kill yourself," Darkday''s voice started to tremble, "You know very well that I can''t do that, Megawoman. You know very well that I have tried to kill myself a hundred times but I remain alive¡­


    ¡­did you want to show me¡­ show me that you could end your life whenever you want to, and I can''t?"


    "...What?" Aerith squinted her eyes as she looked at her reflection on Darkday''s visor, "What are you even talking about!? Why would I even think about you during that time!?"


    "It is true," Darkday grabbed his helmet with both hands as he started to curl his entire body, "You were mocking me, Megawoman. Mocking the fact that I can not die¡ªthat I will be alone for eternity once you and Hannah are gone. You¡­


    ¡­you were going to leave me."


    "Are you even hearing yourself? You¡­ you''re pathetic, Riley," Aerith''s voice also started to tremble, "So what if you are going to be alone for eternity? You deserve it. And I thought you didn''t mind being alone, you''ve said so several times!"


    "I don''t mind being alone, Megawoman," Darkday removed his hands from his helmet as he looked at Aerith,


    "But I do mind being abandoned by you."


    "..."


    "I was happy when I saw you wake up from death, but then you¡­


    ¡­you threw me away. You said we were going to be together forever, Megawoman."


    "..." Aerith could not really say anything; her tongue almost felt like it had the weight of the entire universe hanging on it¡ªand perhaps it did,


    "What if¡­ What if we just go away again? This time¡­ this time for real?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "No...


    ...the fun is just starting, Megawoman. Everyone has to die."

 Chapter 748 748: Busy Busy

    <h4>Chapter 748 Chapter 748: Busy Busy</h4>


    "...No."


    Bard only left for a moment¡ªat least that is what it felt like for him. He just escorted the people from Riley''s universe back to their own; it was just a simple act of goodwill and cooperation toward a variant.


    After all, he needed to tread carefully with thempared to most worlds he had been; they were different, after all; they carried an existence called Riley Ross, a being that even a primordial fears.


    He needed to be polite, to be weing, and to be kind¡ªthese were the least he could do after all the sins he carries in his back. And once these variants were gone, and hepletely locks the ess to their world, he would once again continue his obligation to the multiverse and ensure that they do not destroy themselves.


    That is his order, and he must oblige.


    He was only gone for a moment, and yet now here he stands; his eyes reflecting the cries of his people.


    The intricate secretwork that Bard built under New York is called the Nexus, and it has many entry points all around the city. The main reason he built it in such a busy city is because he owns all of the establishments in it, and thus could also set up an even more intricate security system above ground.


    It was also easier to disguise his employees and staff when they just look like your average citizen going about their day; that is until they go to a secret entrance to Nexus and start going to different universes to scout and analyze.


    And right now, Bard was stepping out of the toilet of a barbershop¡­ only to find that it waspletely empty and silent, which should be impossible as this particr barbershop was extremely famous for their fade. But now, the only sound that Bard could hear was the TV that was left open.


    The TV that was showing an aerial view of a destruction that Bard never imagined would happen to his own universe, to his own Earth.


    "No¡­" Bard breathed out; his eyes trembling as he continued to look at the screen. Soon, however, as he heard a screaming from outside, he quickly left the barbershop¡­


    ¡­only to see another scene of destruction.


    Buildings, ruined. Roads, caved down. Bridges, broken. People, dead.


    Bard had seens shatter, stars devour entire systems, and even universes copse¡ªdestruction of apletely different level. And yet right now, Bard could feel himself drowning from the screams even more so than any other destruction he had witnessed.


    What they say is true. You won''t know how apathetic you really are to other''s plights until it happens to you, and you realize what it really feels to lose.


    "Help¡­ help me, please!"


    Bard''s white armor quickly emerged from his pores and wrapped his entire body; not even hesitating to rush toward the call for help. It was a woman, hugging who Bard could only assume to be her partner.


    "Whiteking¡­?" The woman quickly noticed Bard as he approached, "Please¡­ my husband, my husband tried protecting me and¡­ and he''s not waking up."


    "..." Bard could not really say anything and just stared at the woman and her husband¡­ because that is all he could really do. The woman already uttered herst breath with her words; her stomach, impaled by a street pole that went through her and her husband.


    "This is Ross, does anyone copy?"


    Bard then started looking around, trying to call for any of his people, "Hannah? Hannah, can you hear me?"


    "..."


    "..."


    [...Dad?]


    "Hannah!" Bard quickly flew into the air; momentarily ncing at the destruction before focusing his attention on the HUD inside his helmet to try and track his daughter''s position, "What¡­ what happened here!? Did the Chihiro variant do this!?"


    [Darkday.]


    "What!? I can''t hear you!"


    [Chihiro Prime is already helping us. Darkday is doing this.]


    "Who¡­?" Bard tried essing his satellites to get a better view of everything, but the Earth seemed so¡­ dark. The name Darkday seemed somewhat familiar to him, he just couldn''t remember where he had heard it before.


    [It''s¡­ Riley Ross.]


    "..." Even from his bulky armor and helmet, Bard''s dropping shoulders were enough to know how he felt. He was just gone for a brief moment, and yet everything went south.


    "What¡­ happened?" Bard''s breaths turned heavier by the second, "I thought Riley¡ªRiley Ross did not have any signs of going wild. He was calm and didn''t have any reason to¡­ he even said he didn''t n on hurting anyone. Everything¡­


    ¡­was under control."


    [Silvie¡­]


    "What?"


    [...] Nannah''s voice seemed to hesitate; her breaths also heavy as she paused with whatever it was she was going to say. Bard could also hear other voices speaking near her, but before he could increase the volume, Nannah finally spoke up,


    [Silvie said Megawoman and Riley started to argue about¡­ something.]


    "Megawoman¡­ and Riley," Bard just ends up repeating each of Nannah''s words.


    [What do we do ne¡ª]


    And before Nannah could finish her words, Bardpletely cut her off as he started essing all of his satellites and all of the cameras around the world to pinpoint Riley and Aerith''s exact location. And as soon as he got a glimpse of them, his eyes glowed orange and he disappeared¡­


    ¡­leaving only the roar of thunder to growl in the air.


    ***


    "You don''t deserve to live!"


    "And yet here I am, eternal."


    "We''ll see about that!"


    "You do know that the Earth of this universe is still here because I allow it to be here. Right, Megawoman? I could snap my fingers, and it will just shatter."


    "I know that you won''t do it¡ªbecause you already said you want to see them suffer."


    "No, not them. You. They just need to die."


    "You''ve bepletely insane, Riley."


    "I always have been."


    "No, not like this."


    "Then perhaps it truly did affect me when you decided to abandon me¡ªI even lost my mind, remember? In fact, I don''t even know if what I am doing right now is real. If you are the trigger to my delusions, then perhaps I am having a delusion as we speak?"


    "This is real, Riley! All those deaths are real!"


    "I wish I could say the same with mine."


    "Stop with the self-pity!"


    And with a roar thatpletely caused the very air itself to explode, Aerith mmed Riley''s head on the unusually smooth ground. Smooth, because they were now fighting on the ground that Rileypletely erased from the map.


    Aerith had been trying her best to take the fight outside the, but as soon as she did so, Riley threatened to just destroy it. It was a weird dilemma; vicious, but weird all the same. People are going to die no matter what choice Aerith makes, the only difference was time.


    Sooner orter, if Aerith does not find a way to stop him, then Earth would still be destroyed.


    "I do not need to read your mind to know what you are thinking, Megawoman."


    And even with his helmet pinned to the ground, Riley''s shoulder still moved as he let out a soft chuckle, "And you are right, they are going to die no matter what¡ªI am just taking my time to enjoy it."


    "You''re mad!" Aerith then started punching Riley in the face¡ªjust enough to destroy his head, but not enough to damage the terrain. But s, once again¡­ a clone.


    "Well, it must be frustrating¡­"


    "Tch," Aerith quickly flew away as she felt a hand slithering across her neck. She turned around, only to see Darkday just casually standing there and looking at his clone wither away.


    "...Not knowing whether who you are doing is real or not. Oh, perhaps I phrased that wrong."


    "Shut up."


    "But my pointes across," Darkdayughed, "And perhaps that is what my death will be, figurative. I will die, because I myself would think that I do not exist. Poetic, no? But then again, even with Paige''s abilities, I can''t unalive myself. You do know that, correct? I have Paige''s abilities. I don''t like using it, it''s¡­


    ¡­amplifying my illness, I think."


    "God, don''t you ever shut up?"


    "Only when my lips are on yours."


    "Real smooth," Aerith''s eyes started to glow. And with a scoff, she once again disappeared from her spot, only to appear right in front of Riley with a weapon in hand, "You have unlimited lives¡­


    ¡­I have unlimited stamina."


    And with those words, Aerith swung herrge weapon again; this time, however, the weapon released a red beam that destroyed everything in its path as it flew straight into the sky.


    "That is going to kill someone on another, Megawoman."


    "Shut u¡ª"


    "Enough!"


    And as Aerith once again rushed toward Riley, Bard suddenly dived down from the sky;nding between Riley and Aerith.


    "Whiteking!?" Aerith tried her best to stop the momentum, but it was already toote.


    "Oh, I knew I like you, Chubby Bernard," as for Riley, he just tilted his head and waited for what Bard was going to do when he had less than a single second to do whatever it is he was going to do before Aerith hits him.


    As for Bard, well¡­ he was still kneeling on the ground. But then, all of a sudden, he stretched his arms to the side.


    "!!!"


    And as he did so, everything around them changed. From the smooth terrain they were just previously fighting on, they were now in the middle of some sort of ruined city¡ªand Bard was nowhere to be seen.


    Aerith just analyzed the location for a brief moment. And now, without anyone blocking her path, she just continued to make her way toward Riley, dropping the weapon and just punching him straight on the head without any reservation¡­


    ¡­at full force.


    It was obvious to Aerith what Bard did¡ªhe ced them in a universe where Earth was already destroyed. And of course, it was obvious for Riley too.


    "Oh,e on¡­" Riley chuckled as his helmet disappeared; revealing his long white hair that shone amongst all the dust flying around them,


    "...Do you really think I won''t find life to kill here? If you are watching, father from another universe...


    ...you are about to be very busy."

 Chapter 749 749: Only Darkday Is Here

    <h4>Chapter 749 Chapter 749: Only Darkday Is Here</h4>


    "Do you really think I won''t find life here? You are about to be very busy, Chubby Bernard."


    And almost as if to erase all the goofiness of thetter part of Riley''s words, a loud bang erupted in the air as the shockwave from Aerith''s punch finally resounded throughout the entire ruined Earth¡­ if it was Earth in the first ce.


    But considering the shattered moon above the night sky resembled that of the Moon, then this was truly probably Earth, or at least it was. The atmosphere was ripped, thends were emitting magma from below, but there was snowing from above which melted and evaporated before it could touch ground.


    And if it did have a resemnce with Earth, it didn''t anymore after Aerith''s punch which caused everything to just shatter just from the shockwave.


    First, it instantly cooled down the ground¡­ before once again turning it into magma as itpletely shattered away in a spherical ripple that also reached the already broken sky¡ªcleaning out whatever cloud was left lingering above them.


    It didn''t seem that strong, but if one were to be watching from the shattered moon, they would see Earth very slowly being devoured by the shockwave of Aerith''s punch.


    And this time, Darkday blocked her punch with several telekic barriers and two arms; broken arms.


    "Do not be toox, Megawoman," Darkday grunted as the flesh and bones in his arms started to shatter and heal at the same time, "You might have just killed the people that were hiding underground on this."


    "There are no people here," Aerith only let out a small scoff as she once again mmed her fist on Riley,pletely shattering his arms to the point that they were just deleted, "Or for a million kilometers outside the for that matter. I know, I opened my ears to hear before my fists reached you."


    "Am I supposed to be impressed with that?" Darkday softly chuckled, "I know someone who wiped out an entire star system with just a p of her hands. The only themarian who survived the attack on New Theran¡ªI wonder where she is now, I didn''t see her on Earth."


    "Do you really think you have the time to think about someone else!?"


    "Why, are you jealous, Megawoman?"


    "In your dreams, boy!"


    And with those words, Aerith slightly flew into the air; sping her hands before mming it straight down toward, once again, Darkday''s head. As for Darkday, he quickly created two clones that flew between him and Aerith, both also summoning several telekic barriers of their own.


    But s¡ªAerith''s fist just mowed the two down as she went straight through Darkday, folding his entire body in 5 different directions. And this time, the Earth did not survive. But before what remained of Earth waspletely gone, Aerith''s eyes widened as she quickly looked up¡­


    ¡­only to see the shattered moon now plunging and only a kilometer away from hitting her.


    "Surprise!"


    "You¡­" Aerith almost growled as Darkday once again grabbed her face from behind. Before she could let out another word, however, Darkday wrapped his arms around her neck and flew her toward the falling moon. But Aerith did not even close her eyes even as rocks kilometers wide mmed on her face.


    "Enough with the games, Riley!" Aerith ced her hands behind her neck, grabbing Darkday''s helmet and throwing him away. And without even waiting for him to recover, she disappeared from her spot¡ªonly to appear behind Darkday, and then crushing his head by pinning it between her knee and elbow.


    "Bravo, truly."


    "..." Aerith once again let out a growling breath as she heard Darkday pping behind her. There was nowhere to step on, and yet as Aerith turned around, Darkday was merrily but slowly walking his way toward her.


    "You probably shouldn''t be too rxed, Madam Aerith, the Boss is not here anymore."


    "...What?"


    "He''s there," the clone pointed toward a bright star from afar, "If there are humans that have survived here, they probably escaped to Mars¡ªdon''t you think?"


    "..." Aerith just stared at the clone for a few seconds; squinting her eyes before justsering the clone with her eyes and immediately flying away¡ªand true enough, Darkday was truly making his way to Mars.


    "Riley!" And as a matter of course, Aerith was able to quickly catch up to him.


    "Oh hello, Megawoman," Darkday only turned around, "Long time no see."


    "Shut your mouth and just stop this nonsense already! There''s no one on Mars!"


    "Thank you for confirming that there really are people on Mars, Megawoman," Darkday''s shoulders started to bounce as he chuckled.


    "What!?" Aerith increased her speed. But s, the distance between her and Darkday no longer decreased as Darkday was actually using her as some sort of¡­ space tow, attaching a telekic rod between the two of them, "I just said there was no one on Mars!"


    "You are a really bad liar, Megawoman."


    "Tch¡­" And quickly realizing what Darkday was doing, she quickly spun around in ce and caused Darkday to slightly lose orientation for a second¡ªand a second was enough as Aerith instantly appeared to catch Darkday andpletely restrain her limbs.


    "Can we just talk for a few minutes or an hour!?"


    "We can talk over the corpse of a trillion souls, Megawoman," Darkday once again chuckled, "And also, I can already reach Mars from here¡ªwant to see me destroy it again?"


    "Whiteking!"


    And before Darkday could do anything, the scenery of stars and darkness around them suddenly changed¡­ into a city filled with all sorts of screens and buildings.


    "..."


    Not only Aerith, but Darkday seemed to have also been shocked by the sudden change, as an obvious ''Oh'' could be heard seeping out from his helmet. They weren''t the only ones shocked, however, as the people that were driving on the roads almost crashed into each other as most of them lifted their heads up to look at them; some, even stepping out of their cars.


    The people that were walking on the busy street, also lifted up their phones to take videos of them.


    As soon as the two recovered, Aerith quickly realized how simr this ce was to Times Square¡ªin fact, one of therge screens attached to a building was even showing her¡­ as president of the United States.


    Before she could take in the sights, however, she quickly covered Darkday''s visor and screamed,


    "What the fuck, Whiteking!?"


    "Heh," Darkday stretched his arms to the side, and as soon as he did so, the tall buildings started to crumble¡ªthe people that were busy being curious, now suddenly running for their lives.


    Aerith was going to prevent one of the buildings from falling apart, but before she could even separate herself from Darkday, the scenery around them once again changed into that of a desert.


    Well, not quite a desert, as there were remnants of buildings around them; charred and obsidian.


    "..." Aerith started looking around for any signs of life, and when she confirmed that there were none, she once again rushed toward Darkday¡ªpunching him without any hesitation straight on the chest, but as soon as her fist made contact, the scenery around them once again changed into that of a lively city.


    "No!" Aerith gasped, fully knowing what was toe next as the shockwave of her strikepletely obliterated the city in the blink of an eye¡ªthe only thing she could do was watch as the people around them disintegrate and wither away.


    "Heh¡­" Darkday grasped his caved-in chest, manually pulling it back to its normal position as his body tilted to the side, "...Very fun."


    "What¡­" Aerith was not even done breathing, and the scenery around them once again changed¡ªand as it did, Darkday snapped his fingers causing everything to just break and wither away, "...How are you doing this?"


    "Well, Whiteking is probably busy fending off some of my clones," Darkday once again chuckled, "He should be very busy, my clones really only have one mission¡ªy with him however they want. Not kill him, though. I quite like Chubby Bernard."


    "Stop it¡­"


    Darkday continued snapping his fingers as soon as the scenery around them changes. Most of the time, the scenery was that of an already ruined Earth, so Darkday''s snap did not really do anything but just destroy what was already dead. But once in a while, a city appears.


    "Stop it!"


    "Okay," Darkday just raised his arms in surrender as another city appeared before them; his neck being held by Aerith in front of all the people watching them. Aerith did not look at the crowd, however, as she just focused her attention on Darkday.


    "Please¡­" Aerith then let go of Darkday''s neck as she very slowly dropped her knees to the ground, "Just¡­ stop it. These people¡­ these people don''t deserve to die. Just take me¡­ just let it be me that suffers."


    The scenery around them changed again and again, it was a scene ofplete madness as different versions of New York surrounded them.


    "Aerith¡­" Darkday also kneeled down as his helmet disappeared, "...It is not a matter of whether they deserve it or not, it is just a matter of me wanting to kill them."


    Darkday then grabbed Aerith''s chin and lifted up her head; looking at her straight in the eyes. And as soon as Aerith saw what reflected Riley''s eyes, tears started to trail down her cheeks.


    Because in his eyes¡­


    ¡­was absolutely nothing.


    Riley Ross waspletely absent, and only Darkday was looking at her.


    "How¡­" Aerith also ced her hand on Darkday''s face,


    "...How will I make youe back to me, Riley?"

 Chapter 750 750: Ugh, The Drama

    <h4>Chapter 750 Chapter 750: Ugh, The Drama</h4>


    "How¡­ will I make youe back to me, Riley?"


    "..."


    Aerith wasn''t expecting an answer, but she did not expect silence. After all, throughout this entire endeavor, Darkday never once shut his mouth. He just continued talking and talking, testing and teasing Aerith as much as he could.


    But now, he just stared at her; his long white hair, freely waving along with the torrent of the wind. His hand, just very gently touching her chin as they looked into each others'' eyes. Aerith''s eyes, as always, even in tragedy, seemed filled with a hint of hope. But Darkday''s¡­


    ¡­there truly was nothing there at all.


    Soon, however, Darkday blinked as he let go of Aerith; his dead eyes, now looking at the Newer York they find themselves in. There were people watching them; each of their three eyes, either looking at Darkday or Aerith¡­ or both.


    Three eyes, as the people living in this city were not humans, but rather an eerily familiar alien race that Darkday had definitely seen before. The alien people seemed to be saying something, most of them pointing at Aerith with panicked expressions on their faces; some, even turning around to quickly walk or run away.


    Even the ones that were inside the building all stepped outside. And soon, Aerith''s face was being shown on therge screens that were on all the buildings around Times Square¡ªand judging by the somewhat messy symbols floating along with Aerith''s face, they weren''t saying anything good.


    And judging by the hastening feet of all the people as they run and nce at Aerith, it was probably telling them to evacuate.


    Sadly for them, their panicked expressions made a smile grow on Darkday''s face. Darkday very slowly lifted up his left foot. And then with a small,


    ''Heh,''


    Darkday mmed his foot back down¡­ causing a ripple to gush out from the ground he stomped on, a ripple that reverberated everywhere and instantly erased everything around them. First, turning them to dust, and then turning them into nothing at all.


    Another New York was erased from existence.


    As for Aerith, she just remained kneeling on the ground, watching everything unfold with her shoulders dropped.


    "I did not realize you were speciesist, Megawoman," Darkday slightly hummed as he tilted his upper body to the side; his eyes almost mocking as they looked at Aerith, "You did not even try to stop me since they did not look like you."


    "..." Aerith did not really respond and just returned Darkday''s gaze. And after a few seconds, she finally stood up and let out a very long and deep sigh,


    "You did not answer my question," she asked with a straight voice, "How will I make youe back to me?"


    "Oh¡­" Darkday blinked a couple of times as he took a step back, before starting to walk in circles. He ced his hand on his chin, curiously humming as he¡­ probably pretended he was thinking of an answer,


    "...That question does not make sense, Megawoman. How will Ie back to you¡­


    ¡­when you never epted me in the first ce?"


    "..." Aerith didn''t say anything, because she couldn''t. Her eyes just momentarily turned wide as she lost a breath or two, and when she was finally ready to say something, Darkday shook his head.


    "Riley Ross¡­" Darkday then covered his face as he looked up toward the sky that was filled with stars despite the wastnd he created,


    "He is delusional. His growing emotions are¡­ weak."


    "Why¡­ are you talking as if the both of you are a different person?" Aerith squinted her eyes as she looked at the grin on Darkday''s face, "Did¡­ did you develop a split personality?"


    "...No," Darkday looked at Aerith as if she was some sort of crazy person, "I am Riley Ross, but less and more at the same time. More in a sense that I do not have to hide the darkness that I have inside me, less in a sense that I am hiding behind an alter ego to be what I truly am."


    "But this isn''t you, Riley," Aerith moved closer to Darkday, almost clinging onto him, but stopping before she could hold his chest, "How¡­ how can you say that Darkday is truly what you are when you need to wear a mask?"


    "Because people tend to be themselves behind a mask, Megawoman."


    "No," Aerith shook her head, "People tend to be what they imagine themselves to be. Darkday is an exaggeration of who you think you are, Riley."


    "Then is Megawoman an exaggeration of you, Aerith?" Darkday moved away from Aerith, "Megawoman, who spends every day rescuing and saving as many people as she could. Megawoman, who tries her best to be a saint?"


    "Yes," Aerith''s eyebrows began to furrow as her voice turned weak, "You''ve seen me without a mask, Riley. And I¡­"


    Aerith''s breath abruptly turned into a gasp as tears trailed down her cheek, "I¡­ failed to save my people."


    "And I seeded in killing them, and I wasn''t wearing a mask," Darkday quickly wiped the tears on Aerith''s face, "This just proves that this is what I really am, Megawoman¡­


    ¡­I am nothing but a destroyer, a bringer of death. That is my purpose, and that is why I exist. I am only fulfilling what I am here to do."


    "..."


    "We have had this discussion several times, Megawoman. Are you not tired of the same conversation over and over again? This is¡ª"


    "But we haven''t."


    And before Darkday could finish his words, Aerith finally ced her hand on his chest, "Each of our conversations, although they may seem the same, arepletely different from each other, Riley."


    "Hm¡­?"


    "Because you and I are not the same person we were years ago," Aerith smiled, but the tears trailing down her cheeks continued to flow endlessly, "I''m burdened by the loss of my people, by my failures, by my mistakes¡­


    ¡­you''re burdened by the humanity you suddenly find yourself carrying. You have no idea what to do with it. You are hurt, and you have no idea how to process it."


    "Humanity," Darkday let out a soft chuckle; the tips of her lips, almost reaching his ears as he looked Aerith in the eyes, "Look at me and tell me again where you see humanity. Or better yet, look at this desert of nothing that surrounds us."


    "Violence is the strongest emotion you know, and that is why you are acting like this, Riley."


    "Violence is not an emotion, Megawoman¡ªit is an act."


    "Not for you," Aerith''s hand that was on Darkday''s chest very slowly moved toward his neck¡­and then onto his cheek, "You are in pain, you have always been and I have always known¡ªthat was the very reason I chose to talk with you in the first ce when we first met."


    "You chose to talk to me because you realized I was a child, Megawoman."


    "Everyone is a child in my eyes."


    "That would mean you got pregnant from someone you treated as a child, Megawoman. I did not know that you¡ª"


    "I am sorry, Riley."


    "..." The wide smile on Darkday''s face slightly twitched, "Why are you apologizing, Megawoman?"


    "Because you''re right. I promised that I would always stay by your side, and I abandoned you when it got hard."


    "I killed your people, Megawoman."


    "You have killed even more before then," Aerith closed her eyes as she shook her head, "And I have always known you will kill even more before I could even get a glimpse of a chance of you stopping what you''re doing. It''s just that when it happened to my people¡­ I lost it."


    "You have every right to do so, Megawoman."


    "I do, I do¡­" Aerith nodded several times as she looked Darkday in the eyes, "...But Riley you¡­


    ¡­your existence means more to me than my entire race."


    "As it should, Megawoman," Darkday removed his face from Aerith''s hand, "Themarians exist in every universe, there is only one of me¡ªmy significance far outweighs everything you know, and this is not narcissism."


    "It''s not that, Riley," Aerith chuckled, "You and I, we''re¡­


    ¡­I feel like we are meant to be together."


    "I have always agreed with that statement, Megawoman. I am your lover, after all¡ªor perhaps I should say I was."


    "No, no. I am not in love with you, just so we are clear on this. At least I don''t think I am," Aerith softly chuckled as she wiped the tears on her cheek, "Love is¡­plicated and has many forms. What I felt for Gary''s dad is different from what I feel for you. You¡­


    ¡­You are my curse."


    "You have said that before, Megawoman."


    "I am saying it differently this time," Aerith breathed out, "You are my burden, my guilt. And if destruction is your purpose, then¡­


    ¡­You''re my purpose."


    "..."


    "All the versions of me I have seen have their own purpose, their goals," Aerith''s voice very slowly became clearer and clearer, "Some have led their people to doom as I have, some led their people to flourish, some to hide, and some to be protectors of the universe¡­ but after that, they have nothing; they have no one¡­


    ¡­I have led my people to death, but I still have you, Riley."


    "Do you not hear your words," Darkday''s eyes slightly squinted as both of Aerith''s hands moved to hold his cheeks, "Do you really think that because you are saying all of this, that this darkness would stop?"


    "Your darkness will never stop, Riley. I can only hope that the light I and the people close to you provide will be enough to bnce it," Aerith smiled, "Let''s just stop this, Riley. Let''s go home."


    "Stop, Megawoman," Darkday grabbed both of Aerith''s wrists and tried prying them open, "Do you think that I would just actually stop this if you show sympathy?"


    "No."


    "Then¡ª"


    "But maybe this will."


    And before Riley could utter another word, Aerith suddenly stood on her toes and leaned her head closer to him. Her lips¡­


    ¡­now touching Riley''s.

 Chapter 751 751: The Confused Mind Of Princess AerithHel

    A second? A minute?


    Or perhaps maybe even an hour, or perhaps it was actually shorter. Time has always been unimportant for someone like me¡ªsomeone who could move faster than most spaceships, someone who could outlive most of life in the universe, someone who could be on the other side of a in a blink of an eye.


    I have never thought of eternity, because I already have it. I do not need to wish for it, I just need to be strong for it. I do not need to know what it feels like, because I am already living its beginning.


    I have never thought of eternity¡­ at least until now. If I could express eternity, then this is it.


    A kiss that will foreverst.


    I do not even know if my lips are still ced upon his, the only thing I know is that the words I uttered before doing so were a lie. I lied to Riley and said that he has be my purpose, of course not. I only said what he wanted to hear so that this madness could end.


    Billions of lives have been lost since I have failed to stop him. And if the only thing I need to do is to pretend to want to be with him, then that is a punishment I would dly carry.


    "..."


    But why¡­?


    Why as our lips continue to be intertwined do I feel like this? Why does it feel like this?


    I truly wish to convince myself that his lips are cold, extremely so. But it''s warm. His eyes were cold and almost dead, and yet I could feel the warmth from his lips almost crawling through my veins and throughout my entire body; causing my legs to somewhat shiver and my skin to feel a sort of fuzz.


    This is wrong, extremely so. But why¡­ why does it feel so right?


    I am touching lips with the biggest threat to life itself. Riley has killed people I loved, all of them. This is wrong.


    It should be wrong however and wherever you look at it. Morally, ethically,wfully, spiritually, and even personally wrong. So, why does it feel as if this is what should actually be? Like her lips truly belong to Riley?


    Is it¡­ some sort of ability that he has? That must be it¡ªhow else would you exin all of this?


    Everyone, in one way or another, is attracted to Riley. He definitely has some sort of ability, an ability that he himself might not be aware of. But if he has¡­ then I should feel it.


    Or perhaps, instead of me lying to Riley¡­


    ¡­maybe I am lying to myself? Maybe¡­ I truly have something for this¡ª


    No, definitely not. Never¡ªand even if I do, then that is something I must never allow to develop. What this is, is duty. Nothing more, nothing less.


    I control this situation, I know where I need to stop, and I know where I should take it. I hate to admit it, but the previous Elders of the Common Council, those who were the actual trigger of my people''s death, were right.


    What I am is a leash to the dog that is called annihtion.


    And so, I finally stopped the eternity I found myself in and pulled my lips away from Riley¡­ or at least, I did. I couldn''t even take a single step back before Riley''s long arms suddenly wrapped themselves around my waist, pulling me closer and back to him.


    I could resist, I should resist. I am physically stronger than him, it is ridiculous to evenpare it. But why¡­ why am I allowing myself to be pulled by him?


    I should be the one holding the leash, not him. And so, with a release of my breath, I ced both my hands on his chest to push him away¡­ but as soon as I saw his eyes, no.


    As soon as I finally saw my reflection in his eyes, any strength I could conjure up just suddenly disappeared. And this time, he was the one to ce his lips upon mine, forcefully.


    "!!!"


    I didn''t know whether it was because of shock, but my eyes widened as the warmth that I was already expecting became warmer and warmer by the second. At first, I thought it was just because I was breathing in when he kissed me, but no¡­


    ¡­he ced his tongue inside my mouth, twirling it upon mine and making it hard for me to breathe.


    No, I don''t need to breathe in the first ce. But why¡­


    ¡­Why does it feel like this?


    Why am I losing myself?


    Why¡ª


    "Hah¡­" And as Riley suddenly leaned away and removed his lips, I couldn''t help but take in a long and very breath, almost as if I hadn''t inhaled for more than a hundred years.


    "Why¡­ why did you do that?" I made sure to raise an eyebrow, wiping my lips that were still wet from his saliva as I looked him straight in the eyes. And finally, there, I see a glimpse of the first thing I saw when I firstid my eyes on Riley.


    A mad innocence.


    Evil, and yet pure¡­ confused.


    ¡­Lost.


    "Aerith."


    Once again, I couldn''t stop a heavy breath from escaping my lips as Riley finally said my name. My heart that only beats once in a blue moon, now thumping like drums in an orchestra that marches through an endless road.


    Nervous? Am I actually getting nervous?


    I shouldn''t be, I am the one that should be in control.


    "I''m¡­ truly sorry, Aerith."


    "...What?" Riley''s voice was weak, almost a whisper as he strayed his eyes away from me, "Sorry? I''m afraid you have no right to be so."


    He doesn''t¡ªI need to let him know that he could never atone for the mistakes he had done.


    "You have already caused the pain and death of hundreds of billions of people, Riley. You''re way pas¡ª"


    "No, I am not apologizing for that since I am not done with ending life yet," Riley looked into my eyes for a few seconds before once again looking away, "I am apologizing for a different reason, Aerith."


    "For what¡­?"


    "I am sorry that it is you," Riley looked down toward the ruined ground he created, "I am sorry that you have to suffer because I have taken a liking to you¡ªthat you are the one that I am experiencing romantic love for."


    "Romantic¡­ love," I don''t really know what to say. Riley has always had a way with his words. Most of the time, eerily literal. But there are times in which he seemed like a poet¡­ if an AI was a poet, that is.


    "I have already hurt those who are close to me, especially my sister," Riley closed his eyes, "My sister is suffering because I love her, I do not know how much more I could hurt you because I am in love with you, Aerith¡­


    ¡­and I truly apologize for that."


    In¡­ love with me? He had said that several times, and I usually just shrug it off as I have always thought that Riley is truly incapable of being in love. But¡­ didn''t I once think the same of myself?


    Hundreds of years ago, the concept of love was foreign to me. The only thing in my mind was the need to prove myself, and then I graduated from that thought and started thinking for the safety of others. I did not have time for love, and yet still love found me¡­ and it lost me, or perhaps I lost it.


    I loved Gary''s father, I really did¡ªbut there was a point that it just faded away¡­ I faded away and we fell out of love.


    And now, a love that shouldn''t be allowed is growing in me¡­ or perhaps it has already sprouted long ago, I just continue to cut and nip it before it could bloom.


    Because I know that what would grow out of this is not a beautiful rose, but a toxic grass that would end up devouring every weed and flora it happens to touch¡­ and it would continue to grow and grow until everything else is dead.


    "You don''t need to apologize for that, Riley¡­" I truly do not know what I am doing anymore. I don''t hold the leash, and he doesn''t as well. We''re both just¡­


    ¡­tied together.


    "...I don''t know what will happen next. I don''t know how I will even stop you when you just grow stronger and stronger. But I will."


    "You have already promised that before, Aerith."


    "And I''m still in the process of fulfilling it, I have eternity to do so. But for now¡­


    ¡­how about just going home?"


    "..."


    "We''ve already caused enough damage for today, Riley. And the both of us are going to need to pay for this one way or another," I smiled at him, "Someone out there, perhaps maybe even more dangerous than you will stop y¡ªus. But¡­


    ¡­Let''s just go home for now, okay?"


    "..." Riley looked to the side, before finally looking at my eyes again and nodding. But after a few seconds of staring at each other, I realized something¡­


    "Whiteking¡­? Can you hear us?" We were in apletely different universe, "Wait¡­ how are we even going home?"


    "Oh, you do not have to worry about that, Aerith," Riley shook his head before taking a few steps back. And then, with a short but very deep sigh, he ced his palms together, before stretching them to the sides¡­


    ¡­summoning a portal in front of him.


    "What¡­ how did you¡ª"


    "I have Paige''s abilities, Aerith. I can enter this¡­


    ¡­and perhaps you could too."

 Chapter 752 752: ...Again?

    ?


    "Hm, it would seem it does not work, Aerith."


    "Thank the gods it doesn''t!"


    "...But it should."


    "Well, it doesn''t."


    s, Riley was truly confident that his portal would work. But as he stepped inside the Portal he created, the only thing that happened was him stepping out the other side; almost as if the Portal was just¡­ an illusion. Which it is, but it shouldn''t be for Riley.


    "It should work," Riley''s eyebrows began to lower as he stared at the Portal in front of him.


    "You''re inching closer and closer to a god, Riley¡ªI don''t think the universe is going to like it if you can freely move through the multiverse," Aerith let out a huge sigh of relief as her eyes reflected the portal Riley summoned. The reflection wouldn''t be a big deal in most cases, but not with Paige''s abilities.


    Being able to interact with the illusion aside from just visually seeing it meant only one thing, Aerith could actually be affected by the power. And if she could be affected by it¡­


    ¡­that would mean Riley could actually just kill him with a snap of his fingers at any time. Once again, another leash on her. But what sort of leash, exactly?


    She met Paige almost at the same time as Riley. And her abilities were, in a way, probably one of the most shocking powers Aerith had seen on Earth. Of course, the people of Earth were probably already the weirdest of the species due to their seemingly random abilities, but Paige''s power takes it up a notch.


    She had never seen anything like it before.


    The ability to make anything a reality, even if you are the only one affected by it is¡­ still godly. The only limit would be Paige''s imagination, and of course, as is proven throughout time, her mental state. Paige could make herself immortal, even undying if she wanted to. She could create a ship that could travel in lightspeeds in the blink of an eye if she wanted to.


    Could she give herself abilities? Perhaps not, as that would bypass the fact that she couldn''t affect anyone with her powers. It has limitations, as also proven by the fact that Riley was not able to connect a portal traveling to another universe.


    Aerith couldn''t really imagine what could have happened if the ability was bestowed to someone else¡ªno, she didn''t even have to imagine.


    Riley Ross now has the same power. And unlike Paige, Riley was not afraid to push it to its limits.


    But why¡­ does he not use it that much? Was he aware of something dangerous? He did say that his mental state began declining with the use of Paige''s abilities. Perhaps¡­


    ¡­they could actually use the ability to change Riley?


    "..." Aerith just stared at Riley as he tried to figure out what was wrong with the portal he made. He even created two smaller portals, putting his hand on one of the holes and expecting it toe out of the other¡ªbut it didn''t happen.


    "Perhaps I should ask Paige more about her abilities," Riley finally gave up; waving his hand as he removed all the portals he summoned. He remained standing like that with a nk expression on his face, before finally looking at Aerith and smiling,


    "I suppose we are stuck here alone for now, Aerith."


    "Stuck, yes. Alone, no," Aerith raised both her hands, before kneeling on the ground and turning his head up. As for Riley, he only tilted his head to the side before suddenly raising his hand in the air.


    "Riley, no!" Aerith quickly punched him in the face, mming his head down and ruining the already ruinednd. As soon as she did that, however, a barrage of obsidian spears suddenly rained down on them from above.


    "Damn it, Riley¡­" Aerith did not really do anything and just stood there, allowing the spears to bounce off her skin. The spears that bounced off on her, plunging and piercing through Riley''s body instead.


    "...Seriously?" And as Riley exaggeratingly squirmed on the ground, Aerith just once again kneeled down, rolling her eyes as she raised both her hands. And soon, all of the spears floated back into the sky and onto the hazy cloud that suddenly covered it.


    And once again, Riley''s body exaggeratedly moved as the spear was pulled from his body, causing Aerith to shake her head.


    The owner of the spears soon revealed themselves, all of themnding in a circle surrounding Aerith and Riley. They spoke in a differentnguage, as they should as they weren''t humans at all. Aerith, however, could not help but squint her eyes as she heard a hint of humannguage in their words.


    "Khanox sbri stuupi kan?" Aerith''s eyebrows began to lower at the same time as she decided to stand up; her eyes, scanning the people that surrounded her. She knew thenguage of these people, of course, she had encountered them before¡ªbut their should be hundreds of thousands of lightyears from Earth. Truly, the multiverse holds many possibilities.


    And in this possibility¡­ the humans were probably conquered by them.


    Did this world have no Megawoman at all? In the universes that Aerith visited when they were trying to find Riley, there had always been a Megawoman¡ªeither her or Diana. Well, mostly her.


    "Are you not human?" One of the tall blue-skinned aliens stepped forward, pointing his spear at Aerith as his 3 eyes looked at her from head to toe, "I¡­ sense a different energy from you."


    "I am not a human, and neither is mypanion," Aerith squinted her eyes as she expected the people to be more aggressive.


    "Not human¡­?" There was an audible gasp that escaped the alien''s mouth, "I¡­ I apologize, we thought you were humans. We¡­ we killed yourpanion, we have no excuse but¡ª"


    "Don''t," Aerith sighed, "He''s just pretending to be dead. Riley,e on. Stop with this, you''re not a child."


    But s, Riley remained still on the ground; blood, even spurting out from his still-opened wounds. One of his thumbs, however, was raised toward Aerith as if he was doing her a favor.


    "...He''s alive," Aerith groaned in frustration as she focused on the blue-skinned alien moving closer to her, "Did you invade this, Hokran?"


    "In¡­vade?" This time, it was the hokran''s turn to squint his eyes as he once again looked at Aerith from head to toe, "From which gxy are you?"


    "I am from the Theran, and mypanion is¡­ well, he lives close to mine."


    "Theran, I have not heard of that¡ªbut I would assume that is from very far away as you seemed to have no idea what is going on in this part of the universe," the horkan lowered his spear, and as he did so, hisrades did the same; cing their spears beside them all at the same time, synchronized to a tee,


    "I am Shehard, Lieutenant Commander of the Common Alliance. And we did not invade this, we won it from those monsters."


    "...Monsters?"


    "The humans. You truly do not know anything?" Shehard grunted as he looked to the side, "You should not havee here. This gxy and its neighbors are in a war¡­


    ¡­against The King and his people."


    "King¡­ as in Whiteking? Again?"

 Chapter 753 753: Whiteking Prime

    ?


    "King¡­ as in Whiteking¡­ again?"


    Bernard Ross, aka Red, ck, Azure, or all the colors in the spectrum King. Aerith had visited many universes during their search for Riley, and in almost all of those versions¡­


    ¡­Bernard was unhinged against other species, and a handful of them could even be considered evil. These Bernards have one thing inmon¡ªthey all did not have a Hannah Ross by their side; either dead, or does not exist in the first ce.


    And considering this universe did not seem to have themarians, and therefore no Diana, and therefore no Hannah, it was clear to Aerith what kind of variant of Bernard this world has.


    "So, you have heard of the King?" Shehard breathed out, "I do not know where you came from, but the energy I sense from is incredibly massive. Perhaps you can help us?"


    "Oh, you are asking help from a stranger?"


    And as Riley suddenly sat up from the ground, Shehard and his men all flinched and raised their spears; all of their eyes as wide as they could be.


    "You must truly be desperate, or perhaps you have other intentions, Lieutenant Commander Shehard of the Common Alliance?" Riley then casually stood up; the holes across his vanta-ck suit, closing as a smile crawled on his face.


    "Everyone of us is desperate," Shehard ordered his men to lower their weapons, "The Whiteking''s army moves like gue, and perhaps that is what they are. They have enved us, tortured us, even those that are far from the war are being brutalized by the humans."


    There was a slight shiver in Shehard''s voice, reflected only by the trembling of his hand which held his spear.


    "The only reason we were able to conquer their home is that they have already abandoned it¡­ and we wished to know the secret behind their¡­ abilities."


    "Commander, is it alright to tell them¡­?"


    "It is clear they are not humans," Shehard once again ordered his men to stand down, "And if they wished to kill us, we would have already been dead. What we need now are more¡ªMen, ready!"


    And before Shehard could finish his words, he abruptly turned around and once again raised his spear; this time, toward the sky. His men followed suit; their obsidian spears, now emitting aser that passed through the clouds.


    Theirsers seemed to have been stopped by something, as a red silhouette of something colossal started to nket the sky; its shadow, flickering beyond the clouds.


    "Release!" Shehard then ordered his men to let go of their spears. And as they did so, the obsidian spears all flew toward the sky; leaving skirts of wind and thunder in their wake. Before their weapons could even reach the clouds, however, a ripple exploded.


    The clouds withered away instantly, finally revealing the silhouette hiding behind¡ªa face.


    A face of someone familiar to Riley.


    "Elder Tedi¡­?" Riley blinked a couple of times, tilting his head to the side as he looked at what seemed to be Tedi''s face. It didn''t take long for Riley to realize, however, that something was wrong with her.


    Her eyes have always been emotionless, but never dead. But the Tedi overlooking Earth right now¡­ did not even have eyes; her sockets,pletely hollow. This Tedi¡­ was just a corpse.


    "King!"


    "Whiteking¡­?" Aerith looked at Shehard, before focusing her eyes on Tedi¡ªand there, on her left lower eyelid¡­


    ¡­was an individual wearing a white armor.


    "That''s¡­ Whiteking?"


    The armor of this Whiteking Variant was quite different. He didn''t wear a helmet at all, and there his armor was quite bulky; taller, even. The shoulders were exaggeratingly wide, and there was some sort of drone hovering above them on both sides¡ªthe drones weren''t the only ones hovering, even Whiteking himself was hovering.


    His eyes were glowing orange, indicating that had also received the Guardian Force. There seemed to be no need to confirm this, however, as all of the Bernards across the multiverse have all swallowed the mysterious rock.


    "But¡­ what''s with the mustache?" Aerith raised an eyebrow.


    "Men, it is time to die!" Shehard and his men suddenly removed their clothes. One would probably immediately look away, but there was no need this time as their bodies were stillpletely covered.


    Covered with bombs, that is.


    "What are you doing, Commander Shehard!?"


    "Oh?" And while Aerith seemed concerned, the smile on Riley''s face persisted as he looked back and forth between Tedi''s corpse and Shehard, "A suicide attack? I have never seen one not being used on me, this should be interesting."


    "Commander Shehard, just retreat!" Aerith grabbed Shehard''s arm, "There is absolutely no way you could win against¡­ a Norid!"


    "We know,"


    And with those words, Shehard grabbed a knife from his waist; cutting down his own arm without any hesitation before flying straight toward King,


    "But even if it is just a fraction of a percent, we need to try. It is for the good of the universe."


    "What¡­" Aerith quickly let go of Shehard''s dismembered arm. She was going to follow them, but Riley held her back.


    "Let''s just watch, Aerith. They are dying on their own terms, most people do not have that luxury."


    "They don''t have to die today!"


    "But they will."


    The sky turned dark. The scenery around them, almost drowning as Tedi''s hand covered even the horizon.


    "Is¡­ Whiteking trying to destroy his own. Is he cra¡ª"


    And before Aerith could finish her words, Tedi''s hand mmed down on Earthpletely obliterating an entire continent like it was a piece of cake, quite literally. Of course, the destruction won''t stop there.


    As Tedi''s hand lifted up, Earth started to very slowly crack. Or in Aerith and Riley''s case, it was happening almost instantly.


    "What¡­ what is Whiteking doing!?" Aerith emerged from the ground, brushing off all the dirt on her shoulders as she stared at the disappearing hand.


    "It would seem Bernard Ross is a menace in this universe, Aerith," Riley also did the same as he emerged from the ground, "It truly makes one so proud."


    "That is not something to be proud about," Aerith could really only sigh when she remembered who she was actually talking to, "We need to¡ª"


    "What are you?"


    "..." Everyone seemed to be interrupting Aerith''s words as a voice suddenly whispered from behind them. Riley and Aerith just very slowly turned around, and true enough, King was already hovering behind them.


    "The white one seems to be human, but not quite. But you¡­ you''re a species I have not seen before."


    And now that King was in front of them, one could see the obvious signs of whiting on the sides of his hair. But it was odd¡ªhis hair was showing his age, and yet out of all the Bernard Aerith had encountered, this one seemed¡­ youthful. Young, even¡­ 20s, perhaps even younger.


    "What have you done to your world, Bernard?"


    "Bernard¡­?" King''s eyes started to squint as soon as he heard Aerith''s words,


    "How do you know my name? Who are¡ª"


    And before King could finish his words, a crack suddenly appeared in the air out of nowhere.


    "Oh, it would seem we''re going home, Aerith."


    "No¡­"


    "Hm? I thought you would be d, Aerith."


    And as the hole grewrger, the expression of worry on Aerith''s face grew as wide as her eyes, "Whiteking should not¡ª"


    And once again, no one seemed to be allowed to finish what they want to say as Aerith and Riley were suddenly sucked in by the portal. As for King, he rushed toward the portal without even thinking. But s, it already closed down before his hand could even get near it.


    "Hm¡­ Did that stranger just call me Whiteking? How odd¡­" King''s eyes once again squinted as he stared at the empty air in front of him. And as the Earth he was hovering on began topletely shatter, only a small grunt escaped his lips.


    And then, a boom followed as the entire copsed in itself. King, however, just remained floating there surrounded by its remnants¡ªlike he waspletely unaffected by everything that was happening around him.


    "..." King hovered there without a single word; his eyes, just looking everywhere as he seemed to be thinking of something. And very soon, a small gasp escaped his mouth.


    "A different universe," he whispered as his eyes turned wide, "There are other universes out there, a multiverse. A multiverse that sorely needs me¡­


    ¡­Interesting."

 Chapter 754 754: The Most Dangerous Variant

    ?


    "¡ªNot be allowed to discover the multiverse!"


    "Megawoman¡­?"


    "Huh¡­?"


    "I want all of you out of my universe, now!"


    Aerith''s breaths were loud as she was forcefully thrown to another universe mid-sentence, but not as loud as Bard''s voice as he stood in front of her and Riley. Just from the quiver of his lips alone, one could see the rage and resentment he was trying his best to hide.


    "You¡­ you gave me your word that you would and could reign in this monster," Bard gritted his teeth and sucked in a deep breath; his fat cheeks, trembling along with the rest of his body,


    "And yet look at what happened!"


    Bard took several steps back and stretched his hands to the side, gesturing to the ruined street that surrounded them. Nannah, Hannah, and Chihiro were there, guarding Chihiro Prime who was inside a small ss cage.


    "More than a hundred million of my people, dead! I have kept my people safe from harm, from threats that exist here and on the outside. And you¡­ You always try to be a hero and people around you suffer, Aerith. That is what you are¡ªyou''re bad luck."


    "Dad, that''s enough," Nannah tried grabbing his dad away, but Bard just pped her hand before pointing at her.


    "And you¡­" Bard once again sucked in a breath, "You''re not actually patronizing with these people, are you? They are the ones that brought it here. They brought Riley Ross here."


    "It''s not Riley''s fault, Dad. Megawoman obviously triggered her, you know how she is with¡ª"


    "Aerith has always been the good guy, Nannah! No matter what, she is good. She''s stupid, makes rash decisions, indirectly fucks up everything around her¡ªbut the only thing constant about her in all multiverses is that she''s actually genuinely one of the good guys," Bard raised his voice,


    "Riley Ross is the real problem here and why can''t any of you women fucking see it!? Are all of you that obsessed with him!?"


    "But you killed the Aerith of our world and a few others, Dad. Does that mean we''re the bad guys?" Nannah breathed out.


    "It was necessary!"


    "Like how it was necessary to y god and kill other variants that could have been saved?" Hannah joined in on the conversation with crossed arms. But as everyone looked at her, she immediately raised both her hands and shook her head,


    "Look. Now that everyone is here, we''ll just go home. Okay? I am truly, truly sorry for all the loss you have experienced here, I truly am¡ªbut it is best for us to just go before more deaths follow."


    "Are you?"


    "Hm?"


    "Are you truly sorry?" Bard looked Hannah in the eyes.


    "What the fuck does that mean?" Hannah did not back down, "You think I don''t regret or resent, or me myself for all of this? I do, every second of my life, I do. That''s my fucking default setting now and fuck me, I must be getting numb with all of this shit happening. But I am telling you, I am truly and deeply sorry."


    "For now, but you won''t be in the future," Bard scoffed and smiled.


    "What¡­?"


    "Dad!" Nannah tried stopping Bard from whatever it is he wanted to say, but he raised a finger and ordered her to stand down.


    "You have no idea what you are capable of, Hannah. No idea," a softugh escaped from Bard''s lips, "You, out of all the Enders, have ended more universes¡­


    ¡­and it is not even close."


    "Dad!" Nannah once again raised her voice. And this time, it was partnered with a p as she stood in front of her dad, "That''s enough. Just¡­ just let them leave!"


    "They will leave," Bard only scoffed before stretching his hand to the side and summoning a portal, "And don''t any of you dare toe back. Keep your promise to no longer travel to different universes. You''ve done enough damage to the multiverse as it is. And take your murderous Golden Fox back."


    "..." Aerith and the others did not really say anything. Aerith just nodded her head, before walking toward Chihiro Prime and carrying her cage, "Riley, Hannah¡ªyou and your brother should go first so we can be sure he''s not¡­ escaping anywhere."


    "Hm¡­" Hannah was the same, not saying anything and just nodding her head. Grabbing Riley by the arm before just casually stepping and disappearing behind the portal; not even saying her farewells to her variant and Chihiro''s variant. How could she even do so, when all she was thinking about was what Bard said?


    As for Riley, he just smiled at Chihiro and Nannah.


    Nannah did not really know how to respond to that and only looked away, wanting to cry for some reason. She truly has grown abnormally attached to Riley, perhaps it was a multiverse thing. But whatever it is, she has to say goodbye to it¡­


    ¡­for now.


    And with the two gone, Aerith also started walking toward the portal.


    "This isn''t over, my dear little variant." And all this time, Chihiro Prime''s eyes did not leave Chihiro for even a single second, "I have the ability to travel across the multiverse. Once the cooldown is done, I wille ba¡ª"


    But s, before she could finish her final words, Aerith just threw her inside the portal. Aerith was about to follow in, but she shook her head and turned her focus back to Bard.


    "You shouldn''t have called us back, Whiteking."


    "What?" Bard''s eyebrows lowered, "You wanted me to let the two of you continue rampaging across the multiverse? That was the only time I could actually do so since I detected the two of you weren''t moving."


    "We''ve¡­ resolved some things between us," Aerith meekly said, "But that is not what I wanted to talk about."


    "I don''t care what you want to say, just leave."


    "Another Whiteking was in the vicinity when you pulled us out. He saw the portal."


    "...What?" Bard''s eyes slightly turned wide as he heard Aerith''s voice.


    "What kind?" He asked nervously, "What kind of Bernard was there?"


    "Not the good kind," Aerith let out a small sigh as she turned around. Before she could leave, however, Bard grabbed her arm in panic.


    "What do you mean not the good kind? I need more specifics, god damn it!"


    "This one was controlling Elder Tedi''s corpse and using it as a weapon," Aerith looked Bard in the eyes, "I looked in his eyes, the same as I am now with you and I saw something I have only seen in Darkday''s eyes¡­


    ¡­an unhinged evil."


    "No¡­" Bard''s breaths began to tremble as he looked at Nannah, "It''s¡­ it''s him."


    "What!? I thought you already fucking locked ess to that universe!" And it wasn''t just him, Nannah''s voice also immediately trembled as her father''s words reached her ears, "Fuck¡­ fuck!"


    "It¡­ I must have identally opened it while I was fighting with Riley''s clone! No¡­ No!" Bard began tapping his fingers in the air as he essed hisputer wirelessly.


    "You¡­ know of him?" Aerith''s eyes squinted as she realized how nervous¡ªno, how afraid the two were.


    "Know him?" Bard let out a fettered breath, "He is from the universe where Machina showed itself to me¡­


    ¡­A primordial showed itself to me just to warn me about him¡­


    ¡­King The Conqueror."

 Chapter 755 755: A Different Development

    <h4>Chapter 755 Chapter 755: A Different Development</h4>


    A few years ago, down in the Nexus, Bard was just casually chatting with his AI and asking for updates about the new universes they are discovering and visiting.


    "So, what do we know about this one, Anna?"


    [Nothing, Whiteking. That is why I wanted your attention. I advise personally exploring the universe yourself.]


    "Huh¡­" Bard had his hand on his chin as he looked at the portal in front of him. With the technology he developed, he could somewhat see through the portal. It wasn''t clear, but it was enough to give him a rough idea of what was on the other side.


    "...Isn''t it just a ruined universe?"


    [I do not know, Whiteking. But I am detecting traces of technology developed by your variant on the other side, that is why I wanted your attention.]


    "...Hm," Bard''s helmet emerged from his skin and quickly wrapped around his head. He then started waving his fingers, interacting with the HUD floating in front of him, "Are these images right? Horkans are living in New York?"


    The Nexus was not exactly that omnipotent, no. Due to the energy it required to operate, Bard has only programmed the portals to connect in one single area¡ªthe one they were already in, New York.


    Perhaps one could even call it the Nexus York, as it connected all the New Yorks of all universes¡ªwell, at least that is what Bard wanted to call it first, but Nannah profusely disagreed with him.


    [Yes. The people on the other side match the Horkans'' appearance by 98.6%]


    "Huh," Bard once again ced his hand on his chin. Soon, however, his entire silhouette disappeared as he stepped forward, "I am going in to check the other side. Anna, record this expedition."


    [Expedition to Earth-1218. Officer on Duty, Whiteking.]


    And with those words, Bard casually stepped inside the portal; not even thinking much of it as he had done this a thousand times already.


    "...What?"


    But what weed him on the other side was not New York, not even the people that live there, no. He was in an empty space of nothing¡ªjust white everywhere.


    "Anna, did you mess up the travel?" Bard quickly called for his AI¡­ but it did not respond, "Anna?"


    Bard just stood there in all the whiteness, not daring to move as he inspected everything he could. Soon, however, a silhouette of a human emerged¡ªno, materialized in front of him¡­ introducing itself as Machina, a primordial god.


    And right there and then, Bard realized how small he truly waspared to the actual cogs that run the multiverse. They talked about many things.


    About Golden Fox. About the dangers of the multiverse.


    One could even say that Machina wasplimenting Bard for what he was doing. But more so than anything else they have talked about, there was one thing that stuck to Bard.


    A warning.


    A warning to stay away from the universe he was about to travel to just moments ago. Machina then started showing him visions¡ªvisions of another Bernard Ross.


    Bard watched as his variant lived a fairly normal life. Well, fairly normal in terms of Bernard Ross, that is. One could even say that this Bernard did not really stand out amongst the other Bernards¡ªsomething in him was¡­cking.


    But then something happened, something happened before he could don the cape of a superhero. They were invaded by an alien race, in which he watched as they killed a dear friend¡ªSteve Bridges, who is known in other universes as the Prophet.


    And then, something in him just snapped. He used his technological intellect to massacre the alien race that invaded Earth. At first, Bard was not really surprised by this, as a lot of other Bernards have gone the same path.


    But this Bernard did not stop. He hijacked the alien''s ship and used it to travel to the homeworld of the invaders¡­ and killed each and everyst one of them, innocent or not. Bard once again did not flinch, as other Bernards have done the same; wage a war against the other worlds.


    But then¡­ this Bernard was able to kill thest of the Norids, lobotomized them, and then harnessed their ability to ''speak'' with machines. And for Bernard, someone who was just able to figure out how things work¡­ this was an incredibly dangerous power to have.


    This Bernard had done what his other variants could not¡ªconquer the entirety of his universe, Known and Unknown. He doesn''t just kill. He enves¡­


    ¡­he conquers.


    And he will never stop.


    "He is dangerous, Megawoman. The most dangerous among us. And now he knows¡­


    ¡­he knows we exist."


    "..." Aerith stayed quiet the entire time that Bard was telling her the story. How could she not, when even she realized the threat King the Conqueror poses to the multiverse?


    If everything Bard said was true, then his threat was at the same level as Riley Ross. Except instead of killing everyone, he wants everyone to kneel before him.


    "How long?" Aerith then asked, "How long until¡­ King reverse engineers the portal?"


    "He probably already has," Bard closed his eyes; his head, subtly shaking, "Leave. We''ll handle this situation ourselves."


    "I can help. We can help," Aerith also shook her head.


    "Like how you helped my people?" Bard opened his eyes that now once again contained rage in them, "You''ve done enough, Aerith. Leave."


    "If he is as dangerous as you say he is, then you need our help," Aerith, however, insisted as she approached Bard, "Please, let me make up for what I have done, and let me help save other uni¡ª"


    "Leave!"


    But s, before Aerith could finish her words, Bard waved his hand; the portal, flying straight toward Aerith as he did so, swallowing her whole.


    "..."


    "..."


    "She''s right, Dad."


    And now, with only the two of them surrounded by a forest of debris, Nannah''s whisper resounded in the thick air.


    "She is," Bard nodded as he looked around, "We do need help¡­ but not from them."


    "Are you¡­ no. Please, not them."


    "Just help with the rescues, Hannah. Let me handle this."


    "But¡ª"


    "Anna!" Bardpletely ignored Nannah as he called for his AI.


    [Yes, Whiteking?]


    "Prepare the White Room," Bard then let out a very long and deep sigh as he started walking away,


    "Call¡­ for the Council of Ross."


    ***


    "¡ªverse!"


    Once again, Aerith was transferred to another universe mid-sentence. This time, however, she did not really have the leisure to look around, as what weed her was a glowing crimson halberd on her neck. The very same weapon she used to fight Darkday.


    ¡­And it was being held by none other than her mother, Queen Adel.


    "...Mother," Aerith whispered as she looked at Queen Adel. And with her not responding and just looking at her with contempt, Aerith gained the time to look around¡­


    ¡­only to see everyone chained down in what she could only assume to be themarian steel.


    "Shit¡­" Aerith whispered again, "...I forgot all about this."


    "Your mother seems very mad at me, Aeri¡ª"


    Riley, who was the closest one to her, was quickly decapitated by Queen Adel as soon as he spoke.


    "You dare still collude with the enemy that wiped out our entire race, Aerith?" Queen Adel almost growled as she grabbed Aerith by the hair.


    "It''s¡­" Aerith gritted her teeth, "It''s not like that, Mother. Riley Ross is someone that we can''t¡ª"


    "Silence!" Queen Adel then pped Aerith right on the cheek, "That is not what Queen Aerith said."


    "Queen¡­ Aerith?" Aerith then very slowly looked to the side, only to finally realize that one of them was not actually chained.


    Aerith-1 waspletely free; her eyes, looking at Aerith in extreme disappointment.

 Chapter 756 756: Enter The Unexpected Ally

    ?


    If looks could kill, then Aerith would have probably killed her variant by now 10 times over¡ªbut then again, Aerith''s re really could kill when and if she wants to. But this time, however, her re was really just that.


    "What lies have you been spouting to my mother!?" Aerith bared her teeth at Aerith-1. Aerith was still a little intoxicated from her battle against Darkday, making her want to just rush at her variant there and then so they could just talk with their fists. But s, she wasn''t alone.


    Aerith subtly strayed her eyes toward the other people in the gray dome¡ªand suffice it to say, the situation wasn''t ideal. The dome of Ahor Zai was asrge as it needed to be. And right now, with probably more than 10,000 themarians scattered widely everywhere.


    If the scenario was any different, Aerith''s smile would have probably been as wide as the dome seeing that there were still this many of them left. But s, these 10,000 themarians were currently against her¡ªshe can''t me any of them, of course. They were already against her from the start, but after what she did¡­


    ¡­it wouldn''t be a surprise if they ask for her head on a spike.


    Aerith could try and struggle her way out. But she too, wasn''t alone.


    Silvie was there, currently being pinned on the floor more violently than the others. Whiteking was tied up; his eyes and mouthpletely covered to prevent him from even saying and doing anything. Hannah¡­ was stuck with Chihiro inside the cage; the two, barely fitting inside. Diana was just seated on the floor, and perhaps not doing anything because she was thinking the same as her. As for Riley, well¡­ he was still headless.


    If she takes action, then it will be the others that will pay the price.


    "What did you say to my Mother!?" And so, Aerith could really only put her attention on Aerith-1.


    "Nothing that is untrue, variant," Aerith-1 approached Aerith, looking down at her; the smug expression on her face, not even trying to hide itself, "You colluded and continue to collude with the enemy."


    "That isn''t¡ª"


    "But I must say, I am now aware of why you people call me by the name Adel," Aerith-1 turned to look at Queen Adel; the two of them, almostpletely identical if it wasn''t for the Queen''s abnormally long and beautiful hair, "It would seem that I am an exact replica of my mother in this world¡ªI never knew my mother, you see. She was killed by King Arthur as soon as she gave birth to me."


    "..." Queen Adel''s eyes squinted upon hearing Aerith-1''s words. She seemed to want to say something but kept her mouth shut as she just tightened her grip on her weapon, pushing it even closer to her daughter''s neck.


    "But let us get back to your betrayal," Aerith-1 let out a humming breath as she ced her hand on Aerith''s chin, "You are enamoured by Riley Ross and wish to be with him instead of your own people."


    "That''s not true!" Aerith quickly pulled her head away, almost growling as she red at Aerith-1 again,


    "I didn''t kiss him!"


    And with those loud and incredibly frustrated words echoing throughout the dome of Ahor Zai, each of the 10,000 themarians all looked at each other with nk expressions. In fact, if Aerith and the group made their escape now, they probably could. But s, even Diana and the others had nk expressions on their faces.


    Even Bernard, whose mouth and eyes were covered, lookedpletely shocked to the point he almost broke the binders on his face.


    "...No one mentioned anything about kissing," Aerith-1 blinked a couple of times; her words almost stuttering as she looked back and forth between the stunned Queen Adel and Aerith,


    "Wait, did you actually kiss the boy?"


    "H¡­What?" Aerith let out a small chuckle as she looked around, "What? No, why would I even kiss¡ª"


    "She did kiss me, everyone."


    But s, before Aerith could continue to awkwardly salvage the situation, Riley''s head instantly materialized back out of nowhere.


    "Did I permit you to speak, Riley Ross!?"


    Queen Adel quickly left Aerith''s side. Spinning toward Riley as she once again swung her halberd straight to his neck. This time, however, the de of her weapon stopped an inch before making contact with Riley''s skin.


    "You have be weaker than your daughter, Queen Adel," Riley then pushed away the halberd, bowing at Queen Adel before casually standing up from the floor and looking around before ultimately making his way to Aerith-1.


    "..." Aerith-1 slightly took a step back, looking at the other themarians to try and see if they will back her up. And they did, all of them started walking forward¡­ but stopped as Queen Adel raised her first and ordered them to stand down.


    Aerith-1 was slightly confused at this at first, but she immediately shook her head off any thoughts as she readied herself for battle. Contrary to her expectations, however, Riley just smiled at her.


    "I will call you Edith from now on, Edith," Riley said as he nodded to himself.


    "What¡­? My name is Aerith, Queen of Hel!" Edith roared as she stomped her foot on the floor, causing the entirety of Ahor Zai to quake, "How dare you change my name like you have the right to do so!?"


    "I do not have the right to do so, Queen Edith," Riley let out a small sigh, "But since Aerith and Queen Adel are here, then everyone would be confused. After all, you have the name of Aerith but the face of Queen Adel¡ªno. You do not only have the face of Queen Adel, but you also have the same temperament as her."


    "I do not!"


    "Aren''t you happy, Queen Adel?" Riley then nced at Adel, "The daughter you wish you had in Aerith is now standing here right in front of us in the form of Edith."


    "Shut your mouth, Destroyer," Adel''s eyes lit up as the halberd she was holding disappeared.


    "Oh, you''ve been with my clone for half a decade, Queen Adel," Riley sighed and shook his head, "You should know by now that I do not shut my mouth. Speaking of which, where is Professor Riley?"


    "Ah, I''m here!" And all of a sudden, Professor Riley appeared from behind one of the themarians in the crowd; holding what seemed to be the avatar of Ahor Zai, tied up in some sort ofsso as it struggled to get out,


    "I was busy trying to catch this little thing."


    "Oh, it has been a while, Ahor Zai," Riley casually waved his hand at the avatar.


    [H¡­hi, Riley Ross,] Ahor Zai also waved her hands as it stopped struggling momentarily. But after a few seconds, it once again growled and bared its fangs at Professor Riley.


    "So, what happens now, Professor Riley?" Riley looked back and forth between Queen Adel and Professor Riley, "Do you wish to rule the universe by holding the Common Council captive?"


    "No¡­ that''s not really the n," Professor Riley awkwardly chuckled, "And there aren''t any members of the Common Council here, the timing sort of did not allow for everything to¡­ work in our favor. Honestly, I am only here for the ride¡ªit is Queen Adel that has a n."


    "Hm?" Riley focused on Queen Adel, "What is it then, Queen Adel? As you may have noticed, we are actually alreadypletely preupied with an unexpected scenario. Chihiro also came back from the dead. So, your timing is also a little off. Redundant, even¡­


    ¡­Perhaps you cane back at ater date?"


    "Men!"


    Queen Adel did not seem to be in the mood to talk, however, as she once again raised her fist. And as soon as she did so, all the 10,000 themarians that were in the dome soon all floated in the air; their eyes glowing red at the same time.


    "..." Edith squinted her eyes as she looked at her people. But as she saw Queen Adel looking at her, she subtly took a step back beforepletely moving away from Riley.


    As for Riley, he just stood there with a smile on his face; his head tilted to the side and his eyes staring at Queen Adel. He seemed to want to say something, but before he could do so, Queen Adel dropped her raised fist and pointed it toward Riley.


    And without even a millisecondter, all the red eyes within the dome turned into a beam that shot straight toward Riley and Riley alone.


    "Hm, this is new."


    Riley stretched his arm to the side, creating an invisible barrier that resembled an egg. An egg that soon started to crack as it suffered from the attack containing the energy of 10,000 themarians.


    10,000 themarians that are filled with rage, anguish, regret, and most importantly, vengeance.


    "You people should have truly done this from the start back on Theran," the smile on Riley''s face did not disappear. Unfortunately, no one could see it as everything was just¡­ red,


    "Well, this should be fu¡ª"


    "Kaboom. Kaboom!"


    "!!!"


    And before Riley could do anything, a part of his vision was suddenly freed from the red light.


    "..." Riley squinted his eyes to look through the sudden opening, only to see a familiar figure suddenly dropping straight down onto a group of themarians,


    "...Oh."


    "I have no freaking idea what this is about. But it''s time for¡­


    ¡­a Royal Rumble!"


    The Alice Lane from the other universe, in all of her glory.

 Chapter 757 757: Conflict Of Ideals

    ?


    "Royal Rumble!"


    "!!!"


    Like a stone being thrown into a pond, the wave that Alice created as shended right in the middle of a hundred themarians rippled across the dome; sting away the themarians closest to her, while the others were like dominoes as they all fell down to the floor one by one.


    "...Who is it this time?"


    Despite their almost imprable formation being broken, Queen Adel seemed to still be extremely calm¡ªwell, calm considering everything she has been through. She immediately ordered all of the themarians to halt their attack on Riley so that she could get a better view of what was happening.


    And now, without any red obstructing anyone''s vision, everyone and Queen Adel could see the intruder within their midst¡­ who was immediately flying toward Queen Adel; spinning and literally drilling through the air with her arms stretched to the sides. What was noticeable most of all, however, was the crazed smile on her face.


    "You guys didn''t even bother inviting me!?" Alice cackled; her words, resounding throughout the dome,


    "Don''t you know that one of my expertise is annoying the freak out of these overpowered aliens!?"


    The themarians were confused at first. But as soon as they realized Alice was moving toward their queen, they immediately all floated back into the air and moved to block Alice''s path in no time at all.


    One of the themarians went further and stretched his palm to Alice''s face; threatening to tear her head off altogether. Alice, however, only smirked. She didn''t even change her path and even made sure her face was aligned with the themarian''s palm.


    "Heh¡­" The smile on Alice''s face did not disappear even as the themarian''s palm was only an inch away from her face. Perhaps with good reason, because as soon as their skin made contact, the themarian''s palm just¡­ slid away from her face,


    "...Bitch!" And with an obviously mocking toneing out of her breaths, she spat on the themarian''s face before just continuing her flight through the themarians waiting for her.


    Judging from their expressions, the themarians were clearly weirded out by what just happened to their friend. But they did not let their confusion cloud their resolve as all of them stood their ground and proceeded to protect their Queen.


    But s, they also proceeded to be pushed aside as Alice went through them like a bullet being aimed into water. All of them were pushed aside, almost as if they were trying to touch something that couldn''t be touched as any of their attempts to hold Alice down failed; their hands, just slid away without even a single tinge of resistance or friction.


    "You guys don''t like that, do you!?" Alice nced back as she once again let out a¡­ throaty spat, "I learned that from training with the baldy!"


    And now, with no one protecting Adel, the smile on Alice''s face became even more cathartic. Queen Adel, on the other hand, only squinted her eyes before disappearing from where she stood.


    "Oh¡­?" Alice immediately closed her eyes, halting mid-air before turning around and meeting face-to-face with the Queen who was already only inches away from grabbing her. Alice tried to evade the Queen''s hands, but s.


    Adel rammed her entire body at Alice; her hands, stretched to the side to make sure that she wouldn''t be able to slip away. And with a smirk of her own, Adel wrapped and locked her arms around Alice''s torso; her legs, also locking both her thighs.


    "You are quite the slippery one, aren''t you? You humans and your weird abilities," Adel whispered into Alice''s ear.


    "Mine is actually quite simple andmon, I just know how to use it quite well."


    "Huh. And so? What are you going to do now, little one?"


    "Well," Alice tried freeing herself from Adel''s grip, but her limbs were alreadypletely locked; not even allowing her to wiggle even a single millimeter, "This is the time I call for¡­


    ¡­my beautiful and big mega D!"


    "...What?" Adel could really only blink as she heard Alice''s words. She then started looking around to see if someone was going to back her up, but there was no one. Even the themarians that were just watching their Queen fight, all started looking around everywhere,


    "What are you even saying?"


    "Heh, you won''t understand¡­" Alice started snickering. Her words, still full of confidence, "Bloom¡­


    ¡­my beautiful flower!"


    "..."


    "What¡ª!!!"


    And before Queen Adel could wonder what it is that Alice was truly doing, a foot was already suddenly on her right cheek. She wanted to avoid it; but since she still had to remove her grip away from Alice, it was already toote.


    There wasn''t really any sound as her cheek and the foot made contact¡ªthere wasn''t even a sound as the air around them seemed to distort as Adel was violently and almostically flung away spinning in the air. If it wasn''t for her people catching her, then she would have probably already been in another star system by now, literally.


    "Surprise attack sessful!" Alice jumped in the air, even though she was floating already. Her hand, raised in the air as she wanted to high-five the owner of the foot that suddenly attacked Adel. But s, the only thing Alice received was a light p on the back of her head,


    "O¡­ow! What was that for, Dee!?"


    "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me flower!?" And of course, who else woulde to Alice''s aid but the Diana of her universe, Diana-1, "And we shouldn''t even be here in the first ce! I do not want to get tangled up with this multiverse fiasco, I am already busy as it is since Bernard died!"


    "W¡­ well," Alice looked to the side, "Who told you to follow me, then?"


    "I didn''t follow you, you dragged me here!"


    "Now now, no need to get violent," Alice covered her head, before pointing at Adel, whose hair was being fixed and brushed by her people, "The only one you should enact violence on is that beautiful woman who looks like she bathes 3 times a day!"


    "..." Diana-1 stared at Alice like she was some sort of disappointment, before turning to look at Queen Adel, only to see Adel also staring at her with one of her eyebrows curiously raised.


    Queen Adel continued to stare at Diana-1 for a few seconds, before turning to look at Diana, who was still kneeling on the floor quietly with a weird calmness on her face.


    "Great¡­" Queen Adel then let out a loud sigh as she shook her head, "Now there are two of you."


    "Great¡­" Diana-1 also sighed as she looked back and forth between Queen Adel and Edith, beforepletely repeating Adel''s words back to her, "Now there are two of you¡­ and you are not even the same person."


    "And I see you are also a braggart like your¡­ variant," Adel did not allow herself to be mocked as she raised her head high to look down on Diana-1, even subtly floating in the air to make herself look taller as she walked toward Diana-1, "And you also seem to be the type to involve yourself in matters that do not need your hand in it."


    "Well, what can I say," Diana-1 smirked, "Everyone around me tends to be¡­dull. Speaking of which, the Queen Adel in my world died because of her stupidity; trusting thete King Arthur even though she fully knows how crass and malicious of a man he is. Leaving her poor daughter alone to rule a people she was not ready to lead."


    "At least she did not betray and leave her people, unlike you."


    "Well, I am not the one who got her people killed for not listening to the scientists that have told you so many times that your is dying."


    "The only reason my people died is because of that monster," Adel pointed at Riley, who was now being bombarded by kisses from Alice, "And you are trying to protect him! Was he also not the one who killed the themarians of your world!? Have you truly no love for your people!?"


    "My only people is her," Diana-1 looked at Alice, who was now talking with the somewhat confused Aerith about something.


    "You are scum. If you wish to die for a madman, then so be it."


    "Oh no, not at all," Diana-1 raised both her hands as she moved to the side, "If you want to kill the boy, then do it. I am only here because of that disappointment."


    "Then leave."


    "Nope, that is up to Alice," Diana-1 sighed, "Perhaps you should be the one to consider leaving instead? Based on the energy I am feeling¡ªyou are the only one amongst your people that actually have the chance to fight back."


    "..." Queen Adel did not really respond and just nced at the other themarians with her.


    "Your daughter already has the same level of energy as you. And the Diana of this world is¡­" Diana-1 looked at Diana, "...strong. There''s also Riley Ross, and now add Alice to that mix."


    "You think that we will be defeated? The people that stand before you may be old, some even decrepit¡ªbut they are still the finest soldiers of Hel, they will not go down without a fight."


    "Oh no," Diana-1 shook her head, "With your number, you could kill everyone here. But at what cost, exactly? Half of your¡­ 10,000 will and can die¡ªand then you still have to deal with the Undeath. You did not trust the scientists of your world, but trust me now¡­


    ¡­just leave and live with what you have."

 Chapter 758 758: Human

    ?


    "Just¡­ leave and live with what I have?"


    Perhaps that wasn''t the best thing to say to a person that has lost almost all of her people¡ªbut no one could really deny Diana-1''s words. And judging from their faces, most of the themarians that Queen Adel was with actually agree with Diana-1''s words.


    Themarians, even before their annihtion, are a closed species; not closed-knit, just closed. Closed from the outside world, closed from the other species of the universe, and even closed from their own family. With their long lives, they have learned to be idle most of their lives¡ªstagnant,pletely unchanged by time.


    In fact, a majority of the themarians left did not even feel like their species are on the brink of extinction, no. It even felt like there were many more of them than before¡ªbecause now, they were more active than before and actually moving as a group.


    Perhaps Queen Adel also felt the same, but there was a part of her that felt responsible for everything that has happened.


    "You were going to let your people die, Queen Adel," Diana-1 seemed to still have a lot to say. This time, however, she wasn''t addressing the Queen, but the 10,000 themarians surrounding them.


    "At least we would have died on our own terms, along with Theran."


    "That is not really on your own terms, is it? You see that woman?" Diana-1 then pointed at Edith, "She and I are the only themarians left in our universe. They were wiped out almost instantly by a Riley Ross on steroids¡ªshe was angry, extremely filled with rage to the point that she basically jumped to another universe. But then, she found out that she had people here¡­ people who also lost a lot, and she found hope."


    "..." Edith looked at Diana-1; her eyes squinted as she seemed to want to say something. She wanted to tell her that she had no right to presume her thoughts and feelings¡­ but she couldn''t, because Diana-1 was right.


    "If you choose to fight here¡­" Diana-1 took in a long and deep breath as she looked Adel straight in the eyes, "...You will kill any hope she has left¡ªany hope you have left."


    "It seems you are gravely mistaken on why I am here, Caiin''Ur from another universe," Queen Adel''s feet started to leave the gray floor as her long and silky hair vibrated; creating a snapping noise that almost sounded like a million cicadas rattling,


    "I am not here for hope¡­


    ¡­I am here for vengeance."


    "..." Everyone turned to look as they could feel the rage of Queen Adel very slowly escaping her body. Hannah, Chihiro, Bernard, and Silvie could all feel some sort of trickle crawling through their skin as they finally physically felt the Queen''s wrathful energy.


    Chihiro, who was being pinned by Hannah''s breasts inside the extremely tightly fit ss cage could not help but let out a forced chuckle.


    "Well, I guess I''m not going to be able to reunite with the rest of the Baby Crew. Eh, Hannah? I haven''t even been able to talk to Silv yet. Silv!"


    "Can¡­ can you not move!?" Hannah, who had been keeping quiet since she couldn''t even breathe without her breast being squashed by Chihiro''s face, could not help but want to crack the ss or melt it open. But as soon as she does anything, the themarian guarding the two of them quickly steps forward and warns toser her from head to toe.


    Bernard, whose vision, mouth, and ears were covered, could not help but breathe heavily as the Guardian Force inside him started to fluctuate due to the energy being released by Queen Adel. But perhaps the most affected of them all was Silvie.


    "It¡­ it hurts," Silvie could not even move as Queen Adel''s energy felt like a crushing wave to her. Heavy, almost as if she was trapped in a hardening concrete she couldn''t escape. She sped her chest; her breaths, releasing as gasps as foam started to escape her mouth, "It¡­"


    "Breathe and don''t panic," Diana, who was sitting closest to her, looked at her with a gentle smile, "You will get used to it, you just have to bear it for a few minutes and you will be¡ª!!!"


    And before Diana could finish her words, her eyes could not help but widen as she saw Queen Adel suddenly move in behind Silvie. And without even any hesitation, she plunged her hand through her chest.


    "First we need to get rid of the abomination."


    "Silvie!" Aerith''s quickly lit up as she saw Silvie being lifted up in the air with her chest open and Adel''s arm going through it. She wanted to rush toward her, but as soon as she did so, the other themarians surrounded each of the people from her group; all of them, threatening to kill everyone if she moves.


    "S¡­ Silv! Fuck, fuck all of you!" Hannah could not really clearly see what was happening as she couldn''t really move her body. But the very edge of her peripheral vision was enough to see the blood flowing from Silvie''s chest, Fuck¡­ fuck¡­


    ¡­Chihiro," Hannah then whispered, "Please, do something¡­ you can teleport your way out of here, right? Do something."


    "I am," Chihiro breathed out, "But I''m out of SP."


    "Out of what?"


    "Stamina Points. I sort of used everything when I was trying to kill my variant."


    "Fuck you¡­ why did you even turn into a psychopath?" Hannah winced as she sucked in a breath, "You were supposed to be the most normal of us all. Silvie¡­ Silv! Are¡­ are you ali¡ª"


    And before Hannah could finish her words, she saw something split into two. It wasn''t clear what it was, but from the scream that escaped Aerith''s throat¡­ she didn''t need to see.


    "No, Silv!? Silv!"


    "She was innocent!" Aerith roared; grabbing the face of one of the themarians that were blocking her path and pushing it to the side while three more tried stopping her.


    "And so were the millions of children you led to death because you trust the wrong people," Adel''s voice was cold, incredibly so. Her eyes, however, were even colder as they reflected Silvie''s cleaved body¡­ which was still squirming on the floor,


    "At least I will give her a chance. If she survives this, then she lives."


    "!!!"


    A small but loud breath escaped Aerith''s breath as she watched as Queen Adel stomped on Silvie''s head; her brain,pletely mushed as pieces of it scattered everywhere. Her eyeballs, rolling straight toward the side of the ss cage and onto Hannah''s vision.


    "No¡­ no¡­"


    "...Hannah?" Chihiro could not help but blink a couple of times as several warning signs started to pop up in front of her. Ever since she massacred all the Chihiros in the White Space, Machina has never once alerted her about anything¡ªbut now, almost an endless number of windows were popping out as she could feel the heat inside the ss cage starting to rise.


    "Shit¡­" Alice, who was standing beside Riley and casually watching the scene unfold, could not help but blink a couple of times as she looked at everyone, "...This is hardcore. You experience this all the time?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded; his eyes, just staring at Silvie''s mangled and dismembered body. And judging by her flesh still moving, she was alive. But once again, Queen Adel smashed her regenerating head. Riley then let out a small breath, before finding Professor Riley in the crowd, who quickly looked away as soon as their eyes met.


    "Shouldn''t¡­ you be doing something?" Alice once again whispered, "Do you want me to do something? I mean, I''ll probably freaking die but¡­ I am confident I can wipe out almost half of them. Maybe not, the themarians of your universe seem like they''re on steroids or something."


    "No," Riley shook his head before turning to look at Hannah, "This is my fault¡­


    "...This is my fault!"


    "...Huh?"


    And all of a sudden, everyone just stared at Riley as they heard a voice from him that they have never heard before. Even Hannah, who was on the verge of breaking, started to cool down as she heard her brother''s voice.


    "Queen Adel, you should stop now," Riley took a step forward; his eyes, scanning everyone individually. First at Silvie''s regenerating body, then Aerith, Diana, Bernard, Chihiro, andstly, his sister,


    "Everything is my fault."


    "I think everyone here knows that, Destroyer," Queen Adel removed her foot away from Silvie''s brain matter, causing an almost silent squelching sound to whisper in the air,


    "I know who you are, Riley Ross. And I know that your actions now are some sort of charade to manipte the people around you, and I also know your story¡ªI have learned everything from Professor Riley. I know the things you hide, even from yourself. I know the people you have victimized due to your missingpassion¡­


    ¡­but you do notck emotion. You are human, Riley Ross. It''s there hidden deep within you, and I will drag it out so you could experience the pain and suffering of all those you have tormented."


    "..." Riley once again turned to look at Professor Riley, only to see him awkwardly chuckling and scratching his head while still holding Ahor Zai''s avatar.


    "You took the children of Theran away," Queen Adel raised her hand. And as she did so, the themarians filling the dome separated, making way for a group of themarians that marched to the center of the dome¡ªone of them, dragging an unconscious girl by her long white hair. And without even any regard, he threw the girl away, who rolled violently straight in front of Queen Adel,


    "And so, I will take your child, Riley Ross."


    "Hm," Riley squinted his eyes as he stared at Karina, "I forgot she existed, Queen Adel."


    "Oh¡­ I will make you remember her," a smile crawled on Queen Adel''s face, "And I will make you remember this moment for eternity. Your wish to die...


    ...will haunt you even more than it already has."

 Chapter 759 759: The Higher Species

    <h4>Chapter 759 Chapter 759: The Higher Species</h4>


    Hannah and the others have still not moved on from what just happened to Silvie. But seeing as her body was already regenerating and the Queen seemed to have absolutely disregarded her presence already, they could not help but feel slightly relieved. Of course, they all still sympathized with Silvie¡ªbut as a themarian, this wouldn''t be the first time her head would be smashed and her body will be cleaved in half.


    "W¡­ what the fuck!?" Hannah, who had already calmed herself down, could not help but once again hesitate with her breaths,


    "Why¡­ why the fuck are you even threatening and trying to hurt a girl that''s not even 10 years old!? Have you gone fucking insane in the head!? Even though she looks like that, she''s just a baby!"


    "Insane¡­?" Queen Adel kneeled on the floor, caressing the face of Karina before just carelessly grabbing her face and lifting her in the air, "I may not be native with thenguage you speak, but I know enough that you and I have a very different definition of the word. But then again, what should I expect from the sister of a madman and a daughter of an even madder woman."


    "Just let the fucking girl go, okay? She¡­ she wasn''t even there when your people died. She''s a literal baby, what the fuck are you¡ª"


    And before Hannah could finish her words, the ss box they were in was suddenly ripped apart by the themarian guarding her and Chihiro. She was getting ready to fight and resist at any moment; but even as she and Chihiro gasped for breath, the themarian did nothing and just ordered them to kneel, stay¡­ and watch.


    And so, Hannah just took this chance to finally assess the situation¡ªonly to almost be drowned by the sight of an ocean of themarians. She didn''t notice before since she was immediately put in the ss box with Chihiro as soon as her cage was thrown from the other universe, but now that she had a clear view of their number, any thoughts of fighting slightly disappeared from her. She then took a quick nce at Silvie, and aside from her flesh still visible, her body could be considered to already be fully regenerated.


    She then looked at her mother, and she only had her eyes closed while still carrying a calm expression on her face despite everything happening around them. Bernard¡­ was stillpletely out of the loop as his entire head was covered, not even allowed to speak. She then nced at Riley for a few seconds, before focusing her attention back to Adel.


    "Let her go, please," Hannah then took a small step forward; her arms raised to show the themarians she wasn''t going to do anything, "You¡­ you already have all of us hostage, you don''t need to hurt anyone else."


    Hannah was very careful with her steps; her eyes, watching the unconscious Karina as her arms sway as Queen Adel very lightly moved her hand to the side to return Hannah''s re.


    "Professor Riley is right," Queen Adel smiled as a small chuckle escaped her unparted lips, "Hannah Ross, Riley Ross''s sister is crass, foulmouthed, dimwitted, and extremely dumb."


    "What¡­?" Hannah''s left eyebrow instantly raised as she heard Adel''s words. But after a few seconds, her eyebrow turned to face Riley, "What the fuck?"


    "I did not say that, my clone did," Riley quickly pointed at Professor Riley, who was now hiding in the crowd of themarians, "But it is true, sister."


    "What¡­!? You fuck¡ª"


    "But despite all of this¡­" And before Hannah could finish her words, Queen Adel continued to talk as she also very slowly started to approach Hannah while still carrying Karina by her head,


    "...Out of all the people that Riley knows, you will be the first to jump into danger to rescue someone. But you won''t be the first, because my foolish daughter is faster than you."


    "Look,dy. I know you''re mad and you have every fucking right to be. Fuck, no one''s even going to me you if you really croak all of us here and now," Hannah breathed out, "But leave the child out of this."


    "Have all of you truly forgotten that your brother subtly manipted all the events that led to the death of themarian children?"


    "Wait, wait, wait¡­!" Hannah showed both her palms to the Queen, gesturing to her to stop as she heard a slight squeezeing from Karina''s face, "You¡­ you said it so yourself, he only subtly manipted the events¡ªit wasn''t him that actually pulled the trigger. In fact, if¡­if you fucking think about it, why even me my brother? Do you really think that the other Elders wouldn''t have done the same if his female clone did not sway them?"


    "..."


    "Based on what I saw, the rest of the universe are so fucking afraid of themarians. Do you truly believe that they would just let all of you go?" This time, Hannah was not looking at Queen Adel, but rather Aerith, "I''m sorry, Megawoman¡ªbut the n was wed from the start. Even if my brother''s clone wasn''t in the picture. If they¡ªor she, I don''t really know what she is¡ªbut even if she doesn''t exist, your people would have still been killed¡­


    ¡­because you gave the key, Megawoman. You trusted the Elders too much and you told them how to weaken you and they used that."


    "What¡­?" Queen Adel''s grip on Karina''s face slightly loosened as she turned to nce at her daughter. Before Karina could slip from her grasp, however, she once again held onto it tight,


    "Is this true, Aerith? Did you¡­ really tell those people how to kill us?"


    "No¡­" Aerith reluctantly breathed out as she looked back and forth between Hannah and Adel, "...It wasn''t¡­ It wasn''t¡­ that wasn''t¡ªIt was the only¡­ it was the only way I could get them to let our people leave and live freely."


    "Oh, child¡­" Queen Adel closed her eyes as an exhausted sigh escaped her lips. But after a few seconds, she shook her head, "...I am not here to put me on anyone anymore. My daughter''s kindness and trust in other people has always been her undoing. And as I said, I am only here to make Riley Ross suffer¡ªhe is still the main perpetrator in all of this."


    "If that is true, then let the child go, please¡­" Hannah nced at Aerith, extremely remorseful about what she just said to her. After all, Megawoman is her hero, she has always been, and she always will be. And the only reason she said what she said was to try and confuse Queen Adel, and put her attention anywhere else, "...And if you really, really want to hurt Riley, hurting his daughter is not the way to do it, Queen Adel. My brother doesn''t even care for the poor girl. It''s me¡­


    ¡­Just me."


    "Oh¡­?" Queen Adel let out an amused smile. She nced at Riley as soon as she heard Hannah''s words, only to see his eyes slightly squinted as he stared at his sister.


    "Hurt me, and you hurt my brother," Hannah breathed in, "At least I think so. But he better be. Because if not, then fuck¡ªI will fucking kill him myself again."


    "Jeezus," Alice leaned closer to Riley and whispered into his ear, "What''s up with your sister? She''s a little loco, no?"


    "Alice, you''re not one to talk¡ªyou and her are almost the same which almost makes me doubt if my variant really gave birth to her," Diana-1 rolled her eyes as she heard Alice''s words.


    "Well¡­ maybe she''s actually our child and not Bernie''s?"


    "...I did not think of that," Diana-1 squinted her eyes as she stared at Diana.


    "..."


    "You really are one brave individual." And while everyone else was busy watching the scene unfold, Queen Adel''s loud and almost chuckling sigh once again whispered in the air, "But you don''t have to worry, Starforged."


    "Star what¡­?" Hannah raised an eyebrow as Queen Adel looked her in the eye. And if she just looked at the others'' expressions, she would have probably seen Diana finally opening her eyes and actually looking at Queen Adel, "The fuck are you¡ª"


    "You don''t have to worry," Queen Adel repeated her words, "After I am done with Riley''s child, you will follow her to eternal dea¡ª"


    And before Queen Adel could finish her words, a loud rumble suddenly drummed and thundered throughout the entire gray dome. It was then followed by a tremble, a tremble that caused the entirety of Ahor Zai and the dark expanse of space around it to distort.


    "You were right, Hannah Ross," a smirk crawled on Queen Adel''s face as she once again looked at Riley, only to see him also ring at her; his eyes, filled with absolutely nothing at all. Almost as if he was looking at someone that shouldn''t exist at all,


    "Your brother cares for you very deeply. You¡­ and my daughter."


    And as Queen Adel uttered those words, the tremor resounding across Ahor Zai became even stronger¡ªalmost deafening, in fact.


    "I do not really care about the others, I do not even care about this child. She is just an essory I¡ª" Queen Adel turned to look at the unconscious Karina¡­


    ¡­only to see her eyes open from the gaps between her fingers, also looking back at her.


    "W¡­what''s happening?" Karina''s trembling and muffled words seeped from the edges of Queen Adel''s palm, "Where¡­ where am I? Mom¡­? Mom¡­!? Aunt Silvie!?"


    Karina''s eyes then pointed down as she saw Silvie lying on the floor surrounded by her own blood, "Aunt¡­ Aunt Silvie¡­?"


    Karina''s eyes then started moving everywhere, looking at everyone before they settled on Diana, who was kneeling on the floor with her head down.


    "Grandma¡­? What¡­


    ¡­What''s happening? What¡­" Karina''s eyes returned to Queen Adel, "Did¡­


    ¡­you do this?"


    And if everyone wasn''t so busy listening to Karina''s words, they would have probably noticed the subtle smile of relief on Diana''s face.


    Themarians have always been on the top of the food chain in the universe¡ªthey were the apex, the master race. They were the highest species...


    ¡­were.

 Chapter 760 760: The Will Of D

    ?


    VR 760 A Glimpse Of the D


    Diana Ross believes that the universe will always have a way to bnce itself. Always, no matter what. This was the thought that made her want to create a higher species than the themarians in the first ce.


    The themarians hide themselves in their dying from the rest of the universe because they were too strong to interact with them, at least that was the ideology passed down. They have looked down upon the others, treating them as nothing but space trash.


    But if Diana creates a higher species stronger than them, the themarians will ultimately have no choice but to start leaving Theran. Either by their own volition, or the rest of the universe that treated them as gods would finally start asking them for help.


    Either way, they will be forced to act and finally start discovering a world out of Theran.


    Diana traveled the universe for thousands of years, moving to different dying worlds to try and create this supposed higher species. But s, even after more than a hundred worlds were destroyed, she was unsessful¡ªshe was starting to lose hope. Until, that is¡­


    ¡­she found Earth.


    Earth was primitive when she found it, some of their weapons were still crafted from iron. But then, some of them did not even need a weapon¡ªthey had abilities, unique abilities that transcended anything that Diana had seen throughout her travels.


    They were different from the rest of the universe, they were even different from themselves.


    But the only problem was that the and its people were young; barely even out of its infancy. Diana was not going to be able to experiment on them. And so, she chose to wait¡ªwait and watch them grow; mingling and meddling here and there, but not too much.


    That was perhaps her mistake. Because as she lived with the humans, the themarian side of her died slowly but surely. She didn''t realize it herself, but she has grown attached to the humans. Their culture, their way of life, their people¡­ and at the end, a single person.


    A boy.


    A boy that did not have the abilities of the superhumans. Diana found herself attracted to the intellect he showed; an intellect that far surpasses her own¡ªa boy that just knows how things work.


    She once showed him a Themarian artifact, and he was able to reverse engineer it in less than half a day, and then create a better version of it by the end of the day. Diana was extremely fascinated by the boy. The boy waszy, however, extremely so.


    Most of the time, he just chooses to shut off his mind and do senseless things. But he grew up. And as he grew older, Diana''s fascination soon turned into affection.


    The boy turned into a man, and they fell in love. Diana had slightly pushed aside her life-long mission and decided to switch her priority to actually living, even if it was just for a while.


    She and the man had a child, a beautiful baby girl. But perhaps like her mother and father, the daughter was cursed by her overpowering abilities, forcing Diana and the man she loved to make a move. A move that slightly caused her and the man to slightly grow apart from each other.


    Even then, however, Diana was already too close to the humans; even gaining a friend that she could consider perhaps the closest person to her. And soon, this person asked her for a ridiculous favor¡ªa child.


    A child born from a single parent; abnormal, but extremely joyful. But then tragedy struck, and Diana took it upon herself to take care of her best friend''s son¡ªwho she turned out to be the most powerful being amongst the humans.


    Perhaps not a human entirely, but something different¡­ something more.


    And just like that, not even meaning to, Diana was able to create a species higher than the themarians¡­ but she also grew attached to the boy¡ªand perhaps it was for the best, as the boy turned out to be¡­ really different.


    And so, once again, Diana continued to live her life as a normal mother to her children, while sneakily still indulging herself in research here and there¡ªthe n she set for herself continues, albeit slowly.


    And then, came the time when her children were old enough, separating from her and living by themselves in the Academy. Her husband too, started to be busy, leaving her all alone which gave her all the time she needed to fullymit to her research again.


    This time, she went off-world, going to one of the hundreds of research bases she had scattered throughout the Known Universe¨Cand it was then that she discovered that the death of Theran was nearer than she thought¡­ and so, once again, she disappeared into her research all while maintaining the facade of a normal mother.


    ¡­or perhaps the facade has be her real one. But either way, she did not let her identity crisis cloud her judgment. She needed to act fast, very fast¡­ but all her efforts were in vain.


    Until finally, a chance presented itself in the form of Katherine Reads. Since Diana has already grown so attached to her son, she never once thought of using him as a way to lure out the themarians¡ªbut a child from him?


    Diana promised herself that she wouldn''t let herself get attached. And so, she enacted the n¡ªshe made it so that Katherine would be pregnant and carry the higher species she had always dreamed of creating.


    And she did¡ªshe created Karina, boosting and hastening her growth as she was losing time. Whether or not Karina was undying like her son was yet to be determined, but she was strong; abnormally so.


    But s¡­


    ¡­Diana also got attached to the girl.


    And so, Diana just let all the cogs move by themselves, allowing fate to decide everything.


    And it did, and now they were here.


    But still, the fact remains.


    Karina is a new species higher than the themarians. Stronger, smarter, just¡­ better.


    Well¡­ at least she should be.


    "Did¡­ did you do all of this? Did you¡­ hurt aunt Silvie¡­?"


    "..." Queen Adel could not help but squint her eyes as she felt Karina''s tears trailing down her hand. Soon, however, Queen Adel felt nothing from her hand at all as Karina suddenly dropped to the floor. Queen Adel was slightly confused at first as she didn''t let go of the child, but as Adel looked at her hand¡­ she found that it was no longer there.


    "Hm¡­?" Queen Adel pulled her hand back, watching it regenerate before ncing at Karina, who was now crying almost uncontrobly; wiping her tears while she sat clumsily on the floor.


    "You dare do that to the Queen!?"


    "No, stand down!"


    One of the female themarians close to them rushed toward Karina. Queen Adel ordered for her to stop, but it was already toote as her hand was already threatening to rip Karina''s head off.


    Queen Adel was going to stop her physically, but as soon as she was within the arm''s reach of Karina, she found her flesh suddenly being ripped apart¡ªlike her arm was just some dried leaf being ripped apart.


    Fortunately for Queen Adel, she was already expecting something to happen as she quickly retrieved her arm back. Unfortunately, however, the same could not be said the same for the female themarian that rushed toward the crying Karina.


    And with her speed, it happened in an instant.


    She just¡­ disappeared. At first, her ashes were left. But as the ashes snowed down even closer to Karina, any trace of her disappeared before any part of her could regenerate; ensuring her eternal death.


    Karina did not seem to notice this, however, as after she was done wiping her tears, she quickly crawled her way to the still-unconscious Silvie.


    "A¡­ aunt Silv? Are you¡­ are you okay?"


    Everyone could really only just watch as Karina very gently lifted Silvie''s head, cing it on herp as she gently tapped her cheek,


    "Aunt Silv¡­ please, please wake up! You have to wake up!"


    "Karina, she''s alive."


    And finally, Diana, who had kept still all this time, stood up from the floor with her hands still behind her. The themarians guarding her did not even think to stop her, as they were still shocked by what they had just witnessed.


    "But she needs to be hospitalized."


    "She¡­ she''s alive?" A small smile crawled on Karina''s face as she heard her grandmother''s words.


    As for Aerith, Diana-1, Edith, and Queen Adel, all of them had confused expressions on their faces.


    ¡­Hospitalized? As long as a themarian still had a chunk of flesh left, or even a single cell, they will regeneratepletely healed in just a matter of seconds; sometimes even less than.


    Silvie was going to wake up soon¡ªno, she was actually already awake, already realizing what Diana''s n was.


    "..." Queen Adel squinted her eyes for a few seconds, before also finally realizing what was happening, "Caiin¡­


    ¡­what did you do?"


    "What should have happened a very long time ago, Your Highness," Diana looked Queen Adel in the eyes, "Giving the themarians a chance to experience what it is like for the other beings in the universe."


    "..."


    "Mortal."


    And with those words, Karina very slowly stood up; her eyes, looking at each of the themarians surrounding them.


    And there and then, the themarians felt something they haven''t before.


    Fea¡ª"


    "Uhmm, excuse me¡­" Karina then raised her hand,


    "...Can you please let us go? My aunt needs help!"


    "..."


    "..."


    Stronger, smarter¡­ just better.


    But not just yet.

 Chapter 761 761: A Happy Ending, For Real

    "Please¡­ my aunt needs help!"


    "..."


    And so, the chaotic and nerve-wracking atmosphere surrounding Ahor Zai suddenly vanished as silence took over. Most of the themarians were now just looking at Karina; their mind, winding back to when one of them just suddenly vanished into thin air when she got near to the white-haired girl.


    Most of them wanted to rush at her but werepletely aloof to the point that none of them moved.


    "Just do what the girl wants, Your Highness."


    And of course, Diana did not let go of this chance as she immediately approached Karina; standing by her side as she looked Queen Adel straight in the eyes, "The other Diana is right, cherish the fact that you still have people left¡ªnone of these people should be standing here in the first ce."


    "What¡­?" Queen Adel''s eyebrows lowered; her limbs, nowpletely healed as she returned Diana''s re.


    "They are only alive because of him," Diana then pointed at Professor Riley, who quickly got out from hiding as someone finally shed light on his¡­ good deeds, "The fact is, you really were going to let them all die. I could even stretch it as far as saying that¡­


    ¡­Riley Ross saved the themarians."


    "Those words even dare escape your treacherous mouth!?" Queen Adel''s hair once again started to buzz. She was about to approach Diana but saw Karina looking at her with eyes filled with suspicion.


    "Treacherous¡­?" Diana, however, very gently pulled Karina behind her as she stood close to Queen Adel; their eyes meeting at the same level,


    "Be careful with your words, Your Highness. You do not get to judge what I have done when you have not even existed yet when I started my efforts of saving our people. You have no idea of the lengths I have journeyed to, the things that I have sacrificed. Tell me, Queen Adel¡­


    ¡­besides almost executing your daughter, what do you know about sacrifice?"


    "You¡ª"


    "In fact¡­" Diana then raised her voice as her feet very slowly left the floor; her eyes, now reflecting the 9,999 themarians filling the dome of Ahor Zai, "...If all of us are not mistaken here, you seem to be executing everyone that tries to save the people of Theran. Me, Princess Aerith¡­


    ¡­and now Riley Ross, who is the only reason that any of you are here right now. Tell me, Queen Adel¡ªwhat hatred do you bear upon your own race that you would antagonize the people trying to save it?"


    "..." Queen Adel did not really say anything and just looked at her people, only to see them looking at each other, before looking at her with their eyes squinted. But of course, after a few seconds, they all looked down¡ªafter all, she was still their Queen.


    "Freaking hell, Dee. Your other version is hot as freak," Alice slid away from Riley; whispering words that could be heard by everyone as she sneakily approached Diana-1, "You think she''s like us?"


    "What do you mean ''us''?" Diana-1 rolled her eyes, "Anyway, I think this is over. I''m sorry, Queen Aerith¡ªI don''t think your wish for revenge is going to get fulfilled here."


    "Revenge is a curse that eats away at anyone who holds it, Dr. Caiin''Ur," Edith closed her eyes before taking in a deep breath. And as she released it, she opened her eyes and walked toward Diana and Queen Adel,


    "I feelpletely demoralized by the events that have transpired and the words that I hear, Your Highness. And although my heart seeks nothing but to brutalize the person that has eradicated my people¡­


    ¡­I believe starting over is the best course of action."


    "How can we start over when our futures are already gone?" Queen Adel breathed out.


    "I am with child."


    "Holy shit."


    "With¡­ child?" The frown on Queen Adel faintly vanished as she looked at Edith''s belly, "With¡ª"


    "With a themarian. I carry a full-blooded themarian child," Edith let out a short sigh as she gently held her belly.


    "No¡­" The buzzing of Queen Adel''s hair instantly stopped; any trace of rage in her steps, no longer to be seen or heard as she approached Edith and kneeled in front of her; closing her eyes as she pointed her ear at Edith''s belly. And then, after a few seconds, a small gasp escaped Adel''s lips,


    "It is true. It''s true!" Queen Adel immediately stood up to look at her people, "My daughter is with child!"


    "..." Aerith, who had kept her silence in fear of making things worse, could not help but let out a quiet breath as she looked at Queen Adel; not knowing how to react to the words she just uttered. She got a glimpse of what it would have been like if she did not leave Theran.


    If Aerith came back to Theran carrying Gary, would her mother also react the same way?


    "Hm¡­?" Aerith then looked to the side as she felt a hand patting her shoulder, only to see Hannah shaking her head at her, "Thank you, Hannah. But I am already too old to feel mncholic about this."


    "The fuck is that nonsense," Hannah rolled her eyes, "I don''t think none of us will ever be too old to want our parent''s love, Megawoman. But then again¡­


    ¡­you are a thousand years old."


    "Is that it, then?" Chihiro carefully joined the two, "Is this a happy ending or what?"


    "For them, it''s just beginning," Aerith breathed out, "And also for you, Goldenfox. We might need your help for what''s toe."


    "Fuck¡­ don''t tell me there''s something else we need to know, Megawoman?" Hannah groaned in frustration.


    "Yes," Aerith''s eyes did not leave Queen Adel and the others, "We might have kicked the ho''s nest. We shouldn''t have opened the portals in the first ce."


    "Can''t we just deal with things one at a fucking time?" Hannah wanted to scratch her head, "We just actually ended something peacefully for once!"


    "I for one, think this ended freakingme," Alice approached the group while shaking her head, "I was expecting all of us kkkhh."


    "..." Hannah and Aerith looked at Alice oddly while she stuck out her tongue and gestured to her neck, while Chihiro just smiled at her.


    "I meant I was expecting all of us to freaking die in the most brutal way possible. Well, at least all of you. My son and I are immortal."


    "Yes, Ms. Phoenix¡ªwe knew what it meant," Aerith sighed, "And I don''t think you''re immortal."


    "What? Pft, of course, I am," Alice scoffed, "Why else am I called Ms. Phoenix in this world if I''m not?"


    "...No. You literally turned insane and died."


    "Now, how would you know if you weren''t there? I might be immortal."


    "No, you''re not," Chihiro was the one to answer Alice''s question.


    "Now, how would you know?" Alice squinted her eyes as she looked at Chihiro from head to toe, "Wait¡­ You''re Japanese¡ªare you that icedy that seemed to be obsessed with Riley, but not so much now?"


    "How the fuck do you even know that?" Hannah looked at Alice.


    "Riley told me," Alice shrugged, "He is in denial, but he has a harem. Pretty cool, eh? Even managed to snag the step-sister and Megawoman."


    "I''m not her step-sister, I''m her sister."


    "Even more taboo, feisty."


    "Aerith, enough bothering the otherworlders. And why do you keep disappearing," Diana-1 breathed out her frustration as Alice seemed to be talking with everyone¡ªshe was even talking to a themarian earlier, "We should return to our world before the mood once again turns so¡ª"


    "Ah, aunt Silvie is awake!" And before Diana-1 could finish her words, the rest of the group all rushed to Karina''s side as soon as they saw Silvie very slowly regaining consciousness.


    "There will be no more battle here today."


    And as they tend and check Silvie''s condition, Queen Adel''s voice once again resounded throughout the dome,


    "But do not mistake this to be over¡ªRiley Ross will forever be the enemy of the themarians. For as long as my species lives, we will not rest until we find a way to get rid of you."


    "I would appreciate that very much, Queen Adel," Riley bowed his head, "And I permit you to take Professor Riley with you to learn even more about me."


    "Hm¡­" Queen Adel only nced at Riley, before she started floating in the air, "Themarians, we are done here."


    "Where are you going to go, Your Highness?" Diana asked as the other themarians started flying away, "New Theran still exists, I built it for our people."


    "Everywhere," Queen Adel muttered as she looked at Edith, "We''ll find our ce in this universe as you have, Cait¡ªno, Diana Ross."


    "And what about your daughter?" Diana started freeing Bernard while looking at Aerith, who has been staring at Adel since earlier even while speaking with the others.


    "She hasn''t been my daughter for a long time. She¡­ is one of you," Queen Adel breathed in. She seemed to want to say something, but just shook her head before just flying up¡ªthe ceiling opening up for them as Professor Riley finally let go of Ahor Zai''s avatar.


    Before Ahor Zai could drop to the floor, however, Riley caught it.


    "Are you alright, Ahor Zai?"


    [Yes, this avatar is irrelevant, Mr. Riley. The original one is with Quadley in the Codex.]


    "Hm."


    "The fuck is that¡­?" Hannah quickly left the others to join Riley, making sure he wasn''t up to something.


    [Greetings, Ms. Hannah. I am Ahor Zai, Quadley''s best friend.]


    "...Who? Why are you making friends with the weirdest things, Riley?"


    [Ahor Zai is not useless, I know everything,] Ahor Zai''s avatar left Riley''s arm, [Ahor Zai is just waiting for Mr. Riley to give the signal to activate the EDP.]


    "..." All the themarians still left in the room all looked at Ahor Zai as soon as they heard the words that came out of it.


    "EDP? What are you saying, Ahor Zai?" Diana was the first to approach; not evenpletely freeing Bernard as she questioned the avatar.


    [...] Ahor Zai did not really say anything and just looked at Riley.


    "Riley¡­?" This time, Aerith approached him. Diana-1 also wanted to ask Riley about it, but she could not help but halt her steps as she saw the smile crawling on his face.


    "Well¡­" Riley softly chuckled,


    "...I thought it would be funny if they died helplessly after giving a speech or two."


    "..."


    "I am not anymore, of course


    ***


    "I heard something is happening in Ahor Zai, Elder Adaeze? Did they finally find Riley Ross?"


    "I don''t know, but I do not think it is that serious. Diana has contacted me saying that everything is resolved."


    Somewhere in the expanse of the universe, Elder S''adar and Empress were overlooking a vast empty field.


    "Remind me what we are doing here again? Don''t we have like... minions to deal with this stuff?" Empress sighed, "We have more important stuff to deal with, like the multiverse fiasco."


    "Oh, this is more important stuff, Elder Adaeze...


    ...this is where we are going to hold the next tournament."


    "...That is really the definition of unimportant."


    "Oh...


    ...but I have a feeling this one is going to be unexpected."

 Chapter 762 762: Stress

    "All in favor of restricting ess to the Dark Prison?"


    "All in favor."


    "All in favor of the Themarian Rights Act?"


    "All in favor."


    "All in favor of extending the Supervirus Non-human Prevention Act?"


    "I still think it is selfish to not bless the other species with special abilities."


    "We have been over this, it is an unpredictable disease with an unpredictable oue."


    "All in favor."


    "All in favor of the budget alloted to surveilling Riley Ross at all times, at all ces, at any given circumstances?"


    "All in favor!"


    "All in favor of letting Queen Edith, the variant of Princess Aerith of New Theran, stay in our universe?"


    "All in favor."


    "All in favor of letting Hanamichi Chihiro, a variant but also the reincarnation of Hanamichi Chihiro of the Earth from our universe but from a different universe, stay in our universe?"


    "Who¡­?"


    "All in favor."


    "All in favor of the budget alloted for the Norid-Human-Evaniel Unknown Exploration?"


    "It''s Evaniel-Norid-Human Unknown Exploration."


    "Queen Vania, it''s just a name."


    "All in favor."


    "All in favor of the budget alloted for the Tournament?"


    "All in fav¡ª"


    "Now, hold on a minute. Since when did we put a budget for the Tournament? I thought that was a private entity?"


    A few weeks after the chaotic events that had transpired in the confines of Ahor Zai, the Common Council were now having a meeting regarding the different changes that have ured ever since theirst meeting¡ªwhich is a lot.


    The meeting has been going on smoothly and was about to conclude. That is, until, Elder S''adar suddenly added something that was not in the scope of what they have all discussed.


    Empress also almost raised her hand, but quickly noticed Elder S''adar''s¡­ ulterior motives.


    "Wait¡­ Don''t tell me the Common Council has been sponsoring this so-called Tournament from the start?" Empress stood up from her chair; her eyes scanning the rest of the Elders.


    "Well¡­ It''s more like our predecessors created the Tournament in the first ce?" Elder S''adar just shrugged; his long monkey-like tail, wagging in excitement, "We hold it every¡­ 5 Earth years."


    "Just leave it, Human Elder," the queen of Evaniels, Queen Vania, raised her hand to speak, "This tradition has existed before our time, we have no right to abolish it."


    "Yes, we do," Empress moved away from her seat and walked to the center of the dome, "That is why we''re here. What use do we have if we''re not going to change anything? Why are we even here if we''re just going to follow the rules andws of those who came before us?"


    "I know my use, Elder Adaeze," Queen Vania also appeared in the center of the dome, "But I would get why you would be confuse¡ªyou have no use, after all."


    "No¡­ use?" Empress''s left eyebrow quickly rose, "Tell me again whose species was present when the themarians took over Ahor Zai? And tell me who prevented them?"


    "Please, we have all seen the footage. The themarians went away on their own."


    "Oh, I wasn''t talking about that¡ªI was talking about the fact that you were also in Ahor Zai during that moment, Queen Vania," Empress smirked, "And you chose to hide¡­


    ¡­and here I thought running was your species'' special ability."


    "And infidelity is yours."


    "You¡ª"


    "What? What are you going to do!? You did not even attend my birthdayst year."


    "I told you, I was needed home! It is not like I am fast like your people, we perceive time differently!"


    "Right, like your people did not fix warpspeed travel. Wait, you did!"


    "..."


    And while Empress and Queen Vania argued in their own world, the rest of the Elders all just looked at each other with nk expressions on their faces. And after a few seconds, they all just nodded their heads and started leaving one by one.


    Elder Apo was the first to leave; his golden glimmer, glittering in the air as he quietly just floated away.


    Elder S''adar was also about to leave, but he noticed that Elder Tedi''s hologram has been quiet the entire time they were having a meeting.


    "Are you not going to leave, Elder Tedi?" Elder S''adar jumped and sat beside Tedi''s hologram; his spiky hair, slightly bouncing as he did so, "Wait¡­


    ¡­are you even here? Or are you just pretending to be here using the hologram? That''s a little sneaky, if I say so my¡ª"


    [I''m here,] Elder Tedi''s hologram turned to look at Elder S''adar, [I am just thinking whether or not the proposed budget for surveilling Riley Ross is truly necessary.]


    "...You''re still thinking about that?"


    [Yes.]


    "But we''ve discussed this many times, Elder Tedi," Elder S''adar let out a small chuckle, "You''re not going to be the one to guard him."


    [I still think we would save a lot of our budget by doing that,] Elder Tedi shook her head, [And by doing so, we would also progress a lot faster with the Unknown Exploration, as Riley Ross''s existence is definitely deeply connected to the existence of the universe itself.]


    "...I honestly think the exploration is useless, Elder Tedi," Elder S''adar stood up, "With the existence of the multiverseing to light. Don''t you think exploring the Unknown is¡­


    ¡­boring?"


    [Absolutely not,] Elder Tedi shook her head again, [I would go even as far as saying that the multiverse even made our universe even more mysterious. The Primordials¡ªhow do they exist? And how do they see the multiverses as just one single ne? Do the multiverse just exist beside each other, and the primordials are just beings that are bigger than the universe itself? Like we are in some sort of aquarium? Or are we perhaps just¡­ programs? Don''t you think it''s¡ªElder S''adar?]


    Elder Tedi blinked, and Elder S''adar was no longer anywhere to be found. And so, Tedi just took one final nce at the arguing Empress and Queen Vania, before just letting out a sigh and vanishing.


    As for the twodies, well¡ªthey would probably be inside the dome for a while.


    ***


    "Okay, you can move now, Riley."


    "Hm."


    "What is it, what does it say, Mom?"


    "We''ll know in a few seconds."


    Somewhere below the Ross'' Residence, beside Whiteking''s secret bunker, Diana''s themarian ship was now also parked underground.


    Hannah and Diana were inside the ship, in a silver room, looking at arge screen which contained some things thatpletely do not make sense to Hannah. It did not matter, however, as Hannah was not even looking at the screen, but rather at her mother.


    "So, what does it say¡­?"


    "...He''s still sick," Diana let out a small and very deep breath as she shook her head, "Are you sure that when the other Diana tested you, she did not see anything?"


    "No, I am sure of it, adoptive mother," Riley approached the two while putting on his shirt¡ªas he just finished being fully scanned by Diana''sputer, "It would seem my mind degrades in this universe."


    "No, not quite," Diana shook her head, "You are sick, but it is not regressing as I thought it would¡ªyou were worse during the 5 years you and Aerith were missing."


    "..." Riley''s eyes squinted as he looked Diana in the eyes, "You are aware of the reason why, adoptive mother?"


    "A working theory," Diana waved her hand, causing the screen to turn into a hologram and scatter around the ship¡ªand once again, thenguage did not make sense to Hannah and Riley,


    "At first, I thought that Aerith''s¡­ suicide caused your mind to deteriorate, but that wasn''t the cause at all¡ªit is this."


    Diana then pointed at a hologram that looked simr to a DNA strand.


    "What are we supposed to be looking at here?" Hannah walked around the hologram.


    "The Supervirus. Well, at least it is supposed to be¡ªit is different in your brother''s case since he could have different variants of the virus at one time, but that''s not important," Diana shook her head as she too, started circling the hologram,


    "The Supervirus is causing Riley''s mind to deteriorate."


    "The fuck? I thought whatever Riley has came from Alice?"


    "It did, it does. But something in the Supervirus is triggering Riley''s illness."


    "But Riley''s been using his abilities since forever."


    "I suspect only certain abilities affect his mind. The power he received from Alice is one of them," Diana looked at Riley, "But the ability that amplified this is¡ª"


    "Paige''s abilities," Riley answered for Diana.


    "Yes," Diana nodde, "It puts a lot of stress in your mind. It happened to Alice too¡ªshe loved you, but taking care of you was something she¡­ wasn''t really equipped to handle."


    "...What?" Hannah''s face could not be painted as she looked at her mother, "You''re not serious, right? Stress? Riley''s literally one of the strongest beings in the entire universe and you''re telling me¡­


    ¡­that stress is killing his brain? You''ve got to be fucking kidding me, Mom."


    "It''s a working theory," Diana just let out a sigh as she waved her hand, making all the holograms disappear, "But with Riley, anything is possible¡ªhe is connected to a primordial, after all. We will learn more once everything is¡ª"


    "Yup, it''s stress."


    And before Diana could finish her words, two individuals suddenly entered the room¡ªAlice and Diana-1.


    "Wha¡ªHow did you get inside the ship?"


    "Uhm, her¡­?" Alice pointed at Diana-1.


    "I apologize. We were going to knock but Anna just let us inside," Diana-1 let out a sigh as she started looking around.


    "Anyway, it''s true," Alice just rolled her eyes as she approached Riley, "I avoid stress as much as possible. Like, as much as possible. It''s the reason why I dropped out of college."


    "You didn''t go to college, Alice."


    "High school," Alice pointed at Riley, "Anyway, leave these stuck-up intellectuals by themselves and let''s go somewhere else, son."


    "I am not your son, Alice Lane," Riley shook his head, "But where do you want to go?"


    "Charlotte Lane," Alice shrugged, "Mine died early, so¡­


    ¡­why don''t we talk to your grandma, yes?"

 Chapter 763 763: Return of the Underpaid Employee

    <h4>Chapter 763 Chapter 763: Return of the Underpaid Employee</h4>


    "Your grandmother is still in the Academy? I thought she would have left by now with everything that has happened so far. And also, why didn''t anyone just ask her questions in the first ce? If you want answers regarding Riley, then Charlotte is one of the people to go to. But then again, even with my hundreds of thousands of other lives, Charlotte barely exists¡ªand by that, I mean she lives a very secluded and quiet life away from the news."


    "I do not remember you being this talkative, Chihiro."


    "That''s because I wasn''t fluent in English yet when you knew me, and now I am sort of fluent in all sorts ofnguages, even not from Earth."


    "Are you sure she''s not the crazy Japanese chick you told me about? And why is she even here with us? Shouldn''t you be in like some sort of rehab center or something?"


    "I teleported away. I don''t really need the rehab, I ampletely aware of how crazy I may seem to other people¡ªbecause I am. Being forced to live a countless number of lives of countless different people kind of does that to you."


    "Huh, I like the confidence and self-awareness. Anyway, Mega Academy¡­ this is weird¡ªI can''t really imagine a school like this dedicated to Diana."


    Mega Academy. With it now existing for almost a decade, how it was when Riley and the others first enrolled in it existed no more¡ªinstead of an invisible dome protecting it, it was now wide in the open without even a protective wall protecting its perimeter.


    And now, from the outside Alice, Riley, and Chihiro were approaching it in a car, with Alice the one driving. And as the view of the Academy got closer and bigger, Alice and Chihiro could not help but let out a small exmation of awe.


    "I''ve lived more than a billion lives, but your universe truly is the most special one, Riley Ross," Chihiro stuck out her head to get a better look, "Something here just happened¡­


    ¡­right."


    "It is probably because I am here, Chihiro," Riley nodded his head as he just rxed on his seat, "And I thought you have a Mega Academy in your world, Alice?"


    "We do," Alice shrugged, "But it was made by Diana herself to promote young minds and all that¡ªhonestly, she just wanted to see if another Bernard coulde out from us mere humans."


    "Are you and Diana lovers, Alice?" Riley casually asked.


    "Sort of, we''re best friends," Alice did not really seem to mind the question as she just continued driving without any hint of pause, "Well, more like I''m her only friend and she is my only friend."


    "Hm," Riley nced at Alice from the rear-view mirror, "I believe it is the same here."


    "Oh, it''s the same in all the universes," Chihiro returned back to her seat, "If Diana and Alice exist together in one universe, they are bound to always be friends."


    "Huh, how about that?" Alice softly chuckled, "I knew she wouldn''t survive without me. In the worlds you''ve been to, sweetie, how many variants of me are insane?"


    "We don''t really get to interact that much, but one¡ªhere," Chihiro looked at Riley, "This is the only universe where you truly went insane."


    "I guess we know the reason for that," Alice once again let out a small chuckle, "But do you know what I found weird? I probably wanted a child because Diana had one¡ªbut considering there are a lot of universes out there where he and Bernard, yuck, have a child, then why is this the only universe where¡­ I wanted to have a child?"


    "You do not want to have children, Alice?" Riley asked.


    "Freaking no," Alice scoffed, "I mean, I like you now¡ªbut I would have probably thrown you when you were a baby. It''s just not for me, you know? Babies shit everywhere, they cry to get your attention. But you? I''d probably adopt you, Riley."


    "That would be a somewhat entric set-up, Alice," Riley nodded, "The Alice Lane of this world is my biological mother, and then I was adopted by Diana Ross. If I were to be adopted again by an Alice Lane of another universe, would that not be somewhat confusing in the family registry?"


    "Hm," Alice shrugged, "Anyway, do we just enter this or what?"


    Both Alice and Chihiro slightly leaned their heads to the side to get a better look at the road in front of them. And true enough, there truly was nothing protecting the Academy¡ªthe road just leads directly into it.


    There were, of course, however, security guards.


    "Please roll down your windows. Do you have a car pass, or are you here as a gue¡ª!!!"


    It took one nce from the guard before he immediately took a step back. His eyes, just staring at the people inside the car in front of him.


    "What''s up?" Alice made a peace sign with her hand, "We''re here to see my mother from another Alice. And by that I mean Charlotte Lane¡ªwe were told she''s still here."


    The guard continued to stare at Riley Ross, before just very slowly calling someone from his radio. His words were inaudible, but judging by the faces he was making, he also wasn''t sure himself if he understood whatever it was he was saying.


    But after a few seconds, he just turned to look at Alice and gestured to her to move forward.


    "You¡­ you may go in."


    ***


    "Why are we being asked to return to our rooms? It''s the weekend! This is tyranny! I still haven''t even bought what I need yet!"


    "...You haven''t bought what you need because you don''t have money, dude. You have like 0 Mega Points."


    "How could I even have Mega Points when all I can do is breathe fire through my nose when I''m nervous!?"


    Somewhere in Mega Academy''s Mega Mall, all of the students that were inside werezily and hesitantly walking toward the exit of the fun establishment.


    Just a few minutes ago, they were all having fun just aimlessly walking around the mall and talking to their friends. But all of a sudden, they received an announcement telling¡ªno, ordering all of them to return to their dorms underground. Of course, a collective sigh filled the entire mall; but s, they had no choice.


    "You just don''t know how to use your powers that well. By the way, did you hear? Scarlet Mage is back¡ªwell, she''s called Silvermoon now. But she''s back as a teacher, I heard she was really good during the first year of the Academy."


    "...I''ve been hearing nasty rumors about her, though."


    "Pft, stop believing everything you hear. There''s also another new instructor that¡ªwhat the!? You''re breathing fire through your nose again!"


    "T¡­ that¡­ that¡­!"


    "What?"


    And due to a certain student breathing fire through his nose, most of the students that were walking away could not help but let out a small and not-so-subtle chuckle. Soon, however, they all turned to look at where the fire-breathing student was pointing to¡­


    ¡­only for their eyes to turn wide and their faces to turn pale.


    Well, not as pale as the person they were looking at.


    "That¡­ Isn''t that Riley Ross!?"


    "Paragon!?"


    "What do you mean Paragon!? He''s Darkday!"


    "Pft, you believe that? That''s fake news."


    "Wait, fuck that. I thought he was dead!?"


    "I told you, you can''t believe the media nowadays. They''re all fake."


    "Wow¡­ you''re really famous, son."


    Alice could not help but let out another breath of awe as she saw all the students looking at Riley. Be it with awe, fear, confusion, or outright idolization.


    "But I thought the fact that you''re a mass-murdering genocidal maniac was already well-known? Why are these kids so calm with¡ªOh, right. Whiteking," Alice rolled her eyes and scoffed, "And what about you, Chihiro? Aren''t you also supposed to be dead in this world? Is it alright for you to be seen just walking around?"


    "It''s fine. I have never shown my face to the world," Chihiro shrugged, "Ah, that''s the shaved ice store! It''s still here!"


    And almost as if returning to her earlier years, a small smile glimmered on Chihiro''s face as she pointed at the Korean Shaved Ice store. She did not even wait for Alice and Riley, and just ran and entered the store.


    "..." Alice watched Chihiro disappear, before letting out a long and deep sigh and looking at Riley, "You really destroyed a lot of lives, huh?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "That is¡­


    ¡­just how it is, Alice."


    "Hm¡­" And with a hum, Chihiro and Riley entered the store.


    "Why are more peopleing in!? I thought the students were asked to¡ªR¡­ Riley? And is that¡­ that¡­"


    And as soon as they entered, the smalldy that was behind the counter looked at the two of them. Her eyes, moving back and forth almost uncontrobly before settling down on Alice.


    "...Alice?"


    "...You look like a little girl. It''s absolutely freaking disturbing, Mom."


    "You¡­" Charlotte almost forgot to breathe; her eyes, squinting as she stared at the approaching Alice. But after a few seconds, she let out a sigh and shook her head,


    "You''re not her. You''re not my baby girl."


    "Sorry," Alice let out a small smile as she also shook her head. cing her elbow and arm on the counter as she looked Charlotte in the eyes, "Your Alice is still¡­ well, dead."


    "I heard all about this¡­ multiverse thingy¡­" Charlotte seemed to want to touch Alice''s face, but stopped herself from doing so as she took a step back, "Why¡­


    ¡­why are you here?"


    "My father," Alice did not hesitate as she looked Charlotte in the eyes,


    "Who is he?"

 Chapter 764 764: Oooooh

    <h4>Chapter 764 Chapter 764: Oooooh</h4>


    "My father¡­


    ¡­who is he?"


    "I don''t think you have the right to know that, you''re not even my daughter."


    One would think someone would take a pause if suddenly asked a question like that, but not Charlotte. She answered in less than a fraction of a millisecond; even gesturing to the door to let Alice know that she was done asking any questions.


    Before she could turn away, however, she turned to look at Riley, who was casually just looking at the menu for any changes in the selection of vors; nodding and shaking his head ordingly.


    "And you¡­" Charlotte walked slightly closer to Riley, "...You''re back, why? You could have just stayed in a ce where no one actively has it out for you."


    "I go wherever the flow takes me, Charlotte," Riley shrugged and answered without even looking at Charlotte, "And the flow just happens to take me back here."


    "..." Charlotte could really only let out a long and deep sigh upon hearing Riley''s answer, "Your carelessness and neglectfulness are the only things you have inmon with your mother. You really shouldn''t have¡ªOi! Stop using my machines!"


    Charlotte seemed to have a lot to say to Riley, but as soon as she noticed Chihiro using her ice machines and making her own dessert, she quickly started pointing at her and raising her voice.


    "Rx, Mrs. Lane," Chihiro, on the other hand,pletely ignored her rantings as she continued to use the store''s instruments, "I was an employee of one of these shops in one of my other lives. I know these machines like the back of my hand."


    "Wait¡­ that voice," Charlotte''s eyes squinted as she looked at Chihiro from head to toe, "Golden Fox? You''re alive¡ªno, wait¡­"


    Charlotte nced at Alice, before looking back to Chihiro, "You''re not our Chihiro, you''re from another universe."


    "Kind of? It''s a little moreplicated than that," Chihiro chuckled, "It''s not me, but at the same time, it is me."


    "What are you even¡ª"


    "I would like a Mango Graham, Chihiro." And before Charlotte''s confusion could be solved, Riley cut her off as he suddenly started ordering from Chihiro, "And please use the iced milk."


    "Okay. That will be $4.99."


    "I said to stop using my machine! And don''t touch the register, we don''t even ept cash here!"


    Charlotte wanted to stop Chihiro from doing anything more. But s, her arm was suddenly grabbed by Alice from the other side of the counter.


    "Look here, Mom. I am trying to have a freaking conversation with you," Alice almost growled.


    "Wow, you really are like my daughter¡ªeven the way you treat other people is the same," Charlotte looked at the hand grabbing her arm, before pulling away and letting out a small scoff, "I figured your rudeness would transcend to another universe."


    "Huh," Alice also scoffed as she looked at Charlotte''s small frame from head to toe, "I probably inherited it from someone. Both my parents are gone and I haven''t got the pleasure of meeting any of them, but hearing all the stories I heard of how you treat your grandson¡­


    ¡­I probably got my attitude from you."


    "What do you want from me, Alice?" Charlotte rolled her eyes as she finally stopped trying to avoid Alice; even looking her directly in the eyes, "Aren''t you in yourte 40s now? You''ve lived an entire life without your mother, you''re doing fine."


    "What I want is to talk," Alice returned the re.


    "And as I said, you and I have no reason to talk, you are not my daughter."


    "No, no. Not at all," Alice raised her index finger as she forced out a chuckle, "Your daughter is dead. Neglected by you, and you did not even have the guts to take care of her freaking son."


    "Neglected¡­?" Charlotte''s eyebrow started to raise, "Be careful, woman. You have no idea what you are talking about. I loved my daughter, I still do¡ªbut she had demons that only she was able to see, and she lost that fight."


    "If you were alive in my world, you would have probably neglected me too," Alice did not even care for Charlotte''s words, "In fact, I would have probably turned out worse than I have if you were present."


    "Well, aren''t you lucky?"


    "I just want to talk, you don''t have to treat me like your daughter because I sure as freaking hell not treating you like my mom," Alice raised another finger; and as she did so, one of the stools near the window quickly flew beside her and she sat on it,


    "Talk, I''m no longer asking."


    "That chair was bolted to the floor."


    "Riley''s rich, he''s going to pay for it. Talk."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Your father''s name is Lancelot Lane."


    It took a few seconds. But with a sigh, Charlotte started speaking as she ced both her hands on the counter,


    "He''s just a normal man, not even a Super. He served the Navy SEALs as a Chief Petty Officer. He died when a super attacked the submarine he was in. Happy? Or were you expecting something more?"


    "That''s it?" Alice''s eyes squinted as they stared at Charlotte.


    "That''s it."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Well, I don''t believe you," Alice let out a small chuckle; taking a few steps back as she shook her head in amusement, "Seriously? Lancelot Lane? The least you can do ise up with a more creative name. I mean, Lancelot Lane? What the freak kind of made-up name is that?"


    "It''s not, I can show you photos if you want," Charlotte breathed out her frustration as she rested her forehead on her palm,


    "Look, I know you think there''s some kind of special mystery behind all of this, but there''s not. We''ve been over this and I have already talked to Diana a million times. Riley Ross is just¡­ different. The two of you are just freaks of nature, and I mean that in the most endearing way possible."


    "I don''t think I appreciate being called a freak. I am, of course¡ªbut I don''t appreciate iting from you."


    "Go home, Alice. There is no story here," Charlotte once again sighed as she started walking back, "And you are right, Alice. Your mother dying was probably the best thing that could happen to you¡ªyou seem like a fine adult, you should treasure that."


    "..."


    "I''ll allow Chihiro to use the machines, but close up and clean before you lea¡ª"


    "Gone. I said both my parents are gone."


    "Hm?"


    "I didn''t say my mother died, I only said she was gone," Alice tapped the counter, splitting it in half as she casually walked to block Charlotte''s path, "How did you know she died?"


    "You can''t be serious, right? Now you''re just reaching," Charlotte tried to control her breath before looking at her destroyed counter, "I am already underpaid as it is, and you keep destroying stuff."


    "It''s not a reach, I didn''t tell you my mother was dead."


    "You told me she''s gone! Do you even know how old I am!? I could die at any time!" Charlotte could not help it anymore as she raised her voice, "You''re as stupid as my Alice if you think this actually means something else!"


    "Then how old are you, Charlotte?"


    Charlotte was about to walk away, but Alice once again blocked her path, "A hundred? Five hundred? A thousand? Maybe you''re as old as Diana."


    "Cut it with the nonsense, woman," Charlotte closed her eyes before letting out a very long and very deep breath. And as she opened her eyes, a glimmer of blue could be seen glowing from them,


    "I am no longer ying your games¡ªthis is a warning."


    "Good," a small smile crawled on Alice''s face as her hair started waving in the air, "I have heard tales of the Shadow Mimic, I want to know if you are as good as they say you are."


    "There is a reason why no one tests me. Just walk away."


    "I am not leaving until you tell me what I need to know."


    "I already told you, stop being so stubborn."


    "How do you know my mother was killed?"


    "I didn''t say she was killed, I said she died."


    "But I didn''t say she died, I only said she was gone."


    "My god are you stupid. There is no story here, go back to your world."


    And as the two started exchanging words without even letting their saliva rest, both Chihiro and Riley were watching them; their eyes darting back and forth between the two.


    "You know, Riley¡­"


    "Hm?"


    "I told you Charlotte doesn''t make the news or anything like that in all the lives I lived, right?" Chihiro leaned closer to Riley, even grabbing and pulling the spoon that was already in Riley''s mouth as she continued to watch Charlotte, "Don''t you find it weird?"


    "I find it weird that you are touching my spoon, Chihiro."


    "No, but listen¡­" Chihiro squinted her already small eyes, "...Someone like her¡ªprevious leader of the Hope Guild, known to be the strongest Super of her time¡ªcould someone like that just disappear from the media altogether?"


    "Yes."


    "But in all the universes? Not even one tried to be relevant after she retired?"


    "Perhaps she is just¡ª"


    And before Chihiro could finish her words, Charlotte suddenly appeared beside her; her hand, already touching her shoulder. And without even any warning, Charlotte suddenly opened a portal and disappeared into it.


    "You think you can actually escape from me!?" Alice, however, just closed her eyes.


    "...Found you!"


    And after a few seconds, she just suddenly flew awaypletely destroying the ceiling.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Well, that was weird," Chihiro blinked a couple of times as she looked at the space Charlotte disappeared to, "She copied my powers."


    "Yes, Chihiro," Riley just casually nodded as he continued eating his dessert, "Charlotte has the power to temporarily copy superpowers. Almost like me, but inferior."


    "I know that, but¡­" Chihiro looked at Riley,


    "My power is granted by Machina¡­


    ¡­it''s not from the Supervirus."

 Chapter 765 765: Consciousness

    "My power is from Machina¡­


    ¡­It''s not from the Supervirus."


    "I suppose that is also the reason why I was not able to obtain your abilities when I died from you, Chihiro."


    "Hm."


    Both Chihiro and Riley very slowly turned their heads up to look at the hole Alice made. Chihiro was about to fly up and follow her, but her feet could not even leave the floor as she realized Riley was not going to do anything and was even just casually continuing to eat his dessert.


    "Are¡­ you not going after them?" Chihiro asked.


    "I do not see why I should, Chihiro," Riley shook his head, "This does not involve me."


    "It¡­ does?" Chihiro''s small eyes turned wide as she leaned her face as close as she could to Riley, "All of this is happening because of you, Riley Ross. Stop being so passive and figure out what you are¡ªI have figured out what I am because of you, I do not think it is fair for you not to find out what you are."


    "I have already found out what I am a long time ago, Chihiro," Riley just blinked a couple of times, before his entire body along with his cup of dessert slid to the side away from Chihiro''s face,


    "I am a monster meant to destroy existence itself."


    "I knew you were going to say that¡ªyou really have always been so edgy," Chihiro let out a small and quiet sigh, "But have you ever wondered what kind of monster you are?"


    "There is only one kind, Chihiro."


    "No, oh no," Chihiro softly chuckled, "There are infinite kinds, Riley. I''ve seen them all, and sometimes I have lived them to the point that I have already figured out what a monster I am."


    "And what kind of monster are you, Chihiro?"


    "A monster you created," Chihiro stretched her open palm toward Riley, seemingly wanting to touch his chest but opting not to do so at thest inch.


    "I do not consider that as a category, Chihiro," Riley shook his head, "And even without me, you would still turn out the way that you are because someone is responsible for your actions and controlling you."


    "Machina? Oh no," Chihiro let out a long high-pitched hum; twirling her long ck hair as she started spinning around like a ballerina, "Machina''s more of an¡­ observer you can choose to listen to from time to time, she doesn''t actually control me, or any of her previous avatars for that matter."


    "..."


    "The Primordials can interfere if they want to, they just do not want to because it would be seen as¡ªI do not really fully know how they think, but their influence and strength are so strong that they would destroy the worlds that were created from and by them if they happen to interact with the universe¡­


    ¡­Avatars aren''t the primordial''s puppets, we''re more like their eyes. We exist so they could experience their creation."


    "Then I suppose she is mad at you for killing the other Chihiros, Chihiro?" Riley seemed intrigued as he finally stopped devouring his dessert.


    "Oh no," Chihiro took this chance to grab Riley''s spoon from the cup, before getting a spoonful of shaved ice and eating it herself; letting some of it melt from her lips and drip straight down on the counter,


    "I only killed like a thousand, there are still more than a million of me out there. If Machina did not witness me killing my variants, then it wouldn''t have even noticed them missing¡ªWell, I mean, Machina does care, but it cares differently."


    "Interesting¡ªI do not believe I could ever experience the way a primordial sees things."


    "I think you are more interesting, Riley Ross," Chihiro returned the spoon to the cup¡ªtwirling it as it melted all the ice and creating a sort of milky whirlpool, "A primordial like that¡­


    ¡­is wary of you. Why?"


    "You should ask Machina, Chihiro," Riley shrugged as he looked at his now melted dessert, "It has been a while since Ist saw Nothing, I should ask him as well when we meet¡ª"


    "Riley!"


    "Ah¡­" Chihiro, who was on the other side of the counter, was the first to see who it was that suddenly barged into the store. And as soon as she realized who it was, a small smirk crawled on her face,


    "...Scarlet Mage. It truly is weird to see you like this."


    "..." Riley looked at the reflection of the person who entered the store on his spoon, before letting out a sigh and turning around,


    "Silvermoon."


    "Riley. You¡­ really are back," Katherine only nced at Chihiro for a while. She seemed curious as to why Chihiro was here, but did not really bother asking anything as she just walked straight toward Riley,


    "You¡­ still haven''t cut your hair."


    "I quite like it, Katherine," Riley did not avoid Katherine''s hand, even slightly leaning closer so she could easily brush her fingers through his hair, "And I see you have cut yours."


    "I''ve had it like this for a long time, Riley."


    And as always, Katherine found her entire being reflected in Riley''s eyes¡ªshe was much older now, more mature than she already was. And perhaps one could even say that age made her even more beautiful; she glimmers, especially now with Riley looking at her.


    She still carried her silver hair, which now barely even reached to her shoulders.


    "I guess¡­ you met Karina?" A small smile appeared on Katherine''s face, "She''s all grown now but she''s still a child because she is."


    "I did, she still looks the same."


    "The two of you do," Katherine let out a short but very deep breath as she stepped even closer to Riley, touching his chest without any reserve, "I''m¡­ the only one that keeps on changing."


    "Change is a luxury, Katherine¡ªyou should cherish it."


    "I wanted to be there, you know. I wanted to join the party to find you across the multiverse but I¡­ I''ve been left behind," Katherine once again sighed, "I haven''t gotten any stronger and I''ve reached my limit. I¡­ have no ce with the gods."


    "You do not need a ce with the gods, Katherine," Riley very gently brushed Katherine''s hair to the side as he touched her cheek,


    "Your ce has always been with me, the others do not matter."


    "..." Katherine almost gasped as she looked Riley in the eyes, before just closing her eyes and allowing her cheek to fall onto Riley''s palm,


    "I¡­ am d to hear you say tha¡ª"


    "Holy shit, it''s the freak!"


    And all of a sudden, the quiet and almost somber atmosphere that was loudly whispering inside the store waspletely shattered as another person barged inside¡ªthis time, it was a person that looked almost like a younger Diana.


    "..." Riley looked at this person for a few seconds, before finally remembering who it was¡ªor more precisely, what it was.


    "Anna," Riley bowed his head, "I was not aware you were also in the Academy."


    It was the android created by Diana, the one that lived in old Theran.


    "That''s older sister Anna to you, freak," Anna just scoffed as she casually entered the store, "And you should be grateful, don''t you know I basically raised your daughter for you? You know where we were while you were out there having a trip with Princess Aerith? We were in this fighting pit tournament or something. If it weren''t for me betting on your daughter and always winning, we would have starved to death."


    "..."


    "Then Silvie found us¡ªshe made us stop doing the tournament when she discovered what I was doing, but when we ran out of money, she also joined the tournament. And then you know what happened after a few years? I''ve racked up a huge ton of money, huge. I bet all of it on Karina again at the next tournament happening a month from now, and you know what happened!?"


    "No."


    "Princess fucking Aerith found us and dragged us here! When I returned to the tournament, they said the money was gone because Karina already waived her right to join the tournament. You fuck¡ª"


    "Anna! You said you were going to forget all about that!"


    "The tournament is still going on?" Chihiro, who had just been quietly enjoying what was happening in front of her, joined in on the conversation.


    "You know of this tournament, Chihiro?"


    "Yes," Chihiro smiled, "One of the lives I''ve lived was a tournament champion from more than a hundred thousand years ag¡ª"


    "I don''t fucking care about any of your matters right now, you!" Anna pointed at Riley, "Since you and Karina basically look the same for the other aliens, you take her spot! That way, I can actually get my money back! You''re strong, right!?"


    "I believe there are actually things that are more important than that, Oldest Sister Anna," Riley shook his head, "Alice is currently trying to figure out who and what Charlotte is, I am just waiting for them toe back."


    "...Who the fuck are those?"


    ***


    "Enough, Mother."


    "...Tch."


    Charlotte clicked her tongue; the vapor escaping her lips, bouncing from the invisible wall that was currently blocking all of her paths from all directions. Charlotte looked everywhere to see only towers and fields of snow and ice, before she stretched her hand to the side to summon another portal.


    Before she could fly through it, however, an arm suddenly emerged from the portal; followed by another arm as they ripped the portal apart like it was nothing¡ªand there, on the other side, was Alice.


    "Stop it!" Alice grabbed Charlotte by the shoulders, "If it''s not you, then I can just ask another version of you from another universe! Just tell me what I need to know!"


    "That''s not gonna work, Alice," Charlotte only let out a small sigh as she seemed to finally stop struggling, "They are all just going to say the same thing to you."


    "How would you even freaking know that!?"


    "Because they are me, and I am them¡­" Charlotte closed her eyes.


    "What?"


    "We''re different people, with different memories and different experiences¡­


    ¡­but we share a little of our consciousness with each other."

 Chapter 766 766: The Primordials, Again

    <h4>Chapter 766 Chapter 766: The Primordials, Again</h4>


    "You¡­ what?"


    Charlotte''s words were not done echoing through the snow and sea of ice, and yet Alice quickly let go of Charlotte, pushing her back so that she could see all of her; almost as if asking her if she said what she just said.


    And with a scoff escaping her lips, Charlotte nodded.


    "What are you¡­ then?" Alice''s eyes squinted as she continued to look at Charlotte from head to toe, "Are you some kind of god or something?"


    "Don''t be ridiculous, woman," Charlotte chuckled, "If I was, you think I would have time ying this game with you? I would have just sent you back to your world."


    "You seriously want me to believe that you''re just a Super?"


    "I''m not asking you to believe anything."


    "Bullcrap," Alice lightly stomped her foot on the icy ground, causing a web of cracks to quickly crawl across the teau, "What are you? Are you like an avatar of those primordials like that cute Japanesedy?"


    "No."


    "I don''t freaking believe you."


    "Then why are we even talking if you''re not going to believe a word I say!?" Charlotte also stomped her foot on the ground, causing the cracks to be even bigger, "Just leave!"


    "I am not leaving until you stop freaking lying through your teeth," Alice stepped forward, further deepening the cracks on the frozen teau all the way to the bottom of the iceberg, "I know for a fact you''re lying."


    "Alice, no matter what world, you really only believe in what you want," Charlotte scoffed.


    "And I am guessing that no matter what world, you are a neglectful mother," Alice smirked, "As you said, you share a tiny bit of your consciousness with your variants."


    "You have no idea what you''re talking about."


    "Then tell me for freak''s sake! Talk to your freaking daughter!"


    "You''re not my fucking daughter!" Charlotte could not help her voice as she stomped her way even closer to Alice; her steps, nowpletely cracking the iceberg, "My daughter died more than 20 years ago¡­


    ¡­I am the only Charlotte in the entire multiverse whose daughter died before me!"


    "That¡­"


    "You think I neglected my grandson¡­?" Charlotte let out a tiny breath as her head started shaking, "How do I even process something like that? How could I learn how to be a grandmother when I am the only Charlotte that has a grandson in all of the variants? How do I even begin to process something like that?"


    "How¡­ you could learn to be a grandmother? The freak is that?" Alice gritted her teeth as she pulled the iceberg back together and forced it to be one again, "What¡­ you only rely on your other variants!?"


    "We all do!" Charlotte raised her voice even further, "That is how we grew up! You think I actually have the ability to mimic abilities¡­? I don''t, we don''t¡ªwe just temporarily borrow each other''s abilities and we activate that by touching someone else who has a simr ability. I have more than a hundred million variants."


    "..." Alice did not really say anything anymore and just let Charlotte say what she wanted to say.


    "Do you know what that actually does to someone? Do you know what we¡ªwhat I felt when my daughter died in front of me, and we all watched in confusion? That was not supposed to happen, our Alice shouldn''t¡­" Charlotte quickly wiped the tear threatening to trail down her cheek,


    "...You think I neglected Riley Ross? My Alice is dead. And he¡­ I med him for her death because he was the only thing that happened differently. Your Charlotte was lucky that she died young¡­


    ¡­most killed themselves after what happened."


    "...What?"


    "They kill themselves because they did not want to personally experience what I went through," Charlotte looked to the side, "The reason why Chihiro mentioned not hearing any news of my variants in most of the universes is that they killed themselves in secret. We don''t share our experiences, our memories, our lives¡ªwe can turn that on and off anytime we want. What we can''t do is shut off what we feel¡­


    ¡­they all felt my pain. And the pain of losing you was just¡­ too much."


    "That¡­ seems too much of an excuse for being a bad parent," Alice looked Charlotte in the eyes.


    "You won''t understand," Charlotte only scoffed, however, "Only my Alice would. If things went differently, she would have still given up her life for the boy. As for your father, I am telling the truth¡ªhis name is Lancelot Lane, and he is dead in all the universes."


    "Good story, Charlotte," Alice smirked, "But I know you''re still lying."


    "Why are all of you so stubborn!?"


    "I''m not¡ªbut you said you just borrow each other''s abilities¡­" Alice then tapped her ear, "...I am speaking with Riley right now, and he told me you used Chihiro''s abilities¡ªshe''s not a Super, Charlotte. She''s an avatar of a primordial god."


    "..."


    "Are you telling me that one of your variants is an avatar of Machina¡­?" Alice once again looked Charlotte dead in the eyes, "But based on everything I''ve heard, there should only be one in all the universes¡ªand that''s the Japanesedy."


    "What? Avatar of Machina?" Charlotte seemed visibly confused, "I have no idea what you''re even talking ab¡ª!!!"


    "Charlotte!?"


    And before Charlotte could finish her words, she suddenly dropped to the ground; her knees scraping the hard ice beneath her as she sped her head tight.


    "Charlotte!? Mom!?" Alice looked at Charlotte for a few seconds, before just also kneeling and immediately putting her hand on Charlotte''s shoulder, "I swear to freaking god, if you''re preten¡ªCharlotte? Charlotte¡­!?"


    And with a short but very deep gasp escaping her lips, Charlotte''s entire body turned limp. Alice caught her, quickly shaking her up to wake her, but to no avail.


    "..." Alice checked her pulse, but aside from it being faster than ideal, there was nothing wrong with her and she just literally fainted.


    "...What the freak," Alice then gently dropped Charlotte on the cold ice, "I wanted answers¡­


    ¡­now I''m even more freaking confused."


    ***


    "What''s happening on their side, Riley?"


    "One of Charlotte''s variants might be an Avatar of Machina."


    "Uhh¡­ that''s impossible."


    Back in the Mega Academy''s Korean Shaved Ice store, Chihiro and Riley were still sitting by the counter. Katherine and Anna were gone, as they have both been called by Bulwark so that they could report to him the situation regarding Riley¡ªand whether or not they needed to take action and evacuate the students.


    Riley, of course, told Katherine that he wasn''t here to harm anyone¡ªhe''s a reformed man, he said. No one actually believed what he said, but Katherine didn''t really care and just kissed Riley''s cheek as they separated.


    "I''ve lived the life of countless avatars, there''s always just one in each timeline," Chihiro summoned a pair of sses, as well as some chalk, and started writing on Charlotte''s countertop,


    "Machina does not get another Avatar until its current Avatar has perished in all of the universes. That means that in order for another Avatar to exist, me and all of my variants need to die, the same with Hopio, the Avatar before me¡ªthe moment hisst variant died, Machina created me."


    "That seems somewhat familiar to a TV show I have watched once, Chihiro."


    "I know what you''re mentioning but it''s a little different," Chihiro quickly shushed Riley, "But the point is¡ªanother Avatar can''t exist. And even if it does happen, Charlotte is old; the timeline doesn''t match. The only way she could be an avatar is that¡ªOh."


    "Hm?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "She''s an avatar of a different primordial," Chihiro returned all of her tools back to her [Item Box], "But¡­


    ¡­who?"


    "This is interesting, Chihiro," Riley started wiping all the drawings Chihiro made on the countertop, before proceeding to telekically make another dessert for himself,


    "Which of the other primordials have simr abilities to Machina?"


    "I¡­ have no idea," Chihiro scratched her chin. She seemed to be done exining, but as soon as she saw Riley''s eyes that seemed filled with anticipation, the only thing she could do was sigh,


    "It''s definitely not Death, as Machina has told me that she doesn''t create avatars."


    "I have met Death once, Chihiro," Riley nodded, "She seemed like the type to want to do things herself."


    "When¡­ did that happen?" Chihiro''s eyes widened, but just shook her head and sighed¡ªthere was no use in getting surprised with Riley, "Anyway, it''s also definitely not Celestial. She is already aware of everything we are doing since she literally created the first life forms of the multiverse, and eventually gave birth to the old gods which eventually led to us being born¡ªshe sees through all of us."


    "Hm, I do not like her," Riley squinted his eyes.


    "There''s Elementia¡ªthe one that created the universes and the cosmos. Machina told me it doesn''t do anything else other than expanding the universes," Chihiro let out a small hum, "That leaves Ruin and Navi."


    "Ruin¡­? Are Death and Ruin not the same primordial?"


    "No," Chihiro shook her head, "Death escorts everything to its end, Ruin closes the universes that have met its end and makes sure it stays closed¡ªa bitplicated, really."


    "Ruin is Hell, Chihiro?"


    "No. Well¡­maybe? It''s really hard to exin with my meager knowledge," Chihiro once again awkwardly chuckled, "And Navi well¡ªI don''t really know what it does. Something about recording everything that happens? All I know about Navi is that it was the first one that introduced the idea of Avatars to the Primordials."


    "..."


    "That¡­ nothing of what I said actually answered our question, huh?"


    "No," Riley shook his head,


    "I am curious as to why their names all seemed to be in English, Chihiro."


    "..."


    "..."

 Chapter 767 767: And Again

    <h4>Chapter 767 Chapter 767: And Again</h4>


    "I am curious why their names all seemed to be in English, Chihiro."


    "Well¡­ that''s what Machina told me¡ªmaybe it just auto-tranted in thenguage I know."


    "But then it should have been in Japanese, Chihiro."


    "...That sort of makes sense. Anyway¡­


    ¡­Machina, Death, Celestial, Elementia, Ruin, and Navi¡ªif there was someone amongst them that could have an avatar with the same abilities as Machina, then it would be Navi. It also makes sense¡ªNavi is the one that proposed the idea of Avatars and it records everything, it probably knows ways around it or something¡­


    ¡­But why Charlotte, and why only a single one of her variants? That can''t be a coincidence."


    "It is probably not, Chihiro."


    Riley and Chihiro''s conversation was turning more and more serious by the second, madepletely obvious by the fact that Riley has still not finished his dessert,


    "Nothing did mention to me in passing that the primordials would involve themselves with me sooner orter. I just thought it would be after most of the people I know have died¡ªI assumed their definition of sooner orter would be different from us, after all. Interesting, truly interesting¡­


    ¡­are you able to contact Machina and ask her, Chihiro?"


    "I could go back to the White Space, but it would take a while for me toe back here since my skills will be on cooldown," Chihiro crossed her arms, before cing her hand on her chin, "In fact, I should probably do that. I think Machina and I need to talk after¡­ what I did. I sort of went ballistic."


    "Are you not afraid of being punished by Machina, Chihiro?"


    "No, not at all," Chihiro softly chuckled, "What Machina did to me is something it wouldn''t be able to do to the other variants again¡ªIn short, I am her prized variant, so to speak. Anyway, I''ll see you again soon, Riley."


    "Hm."


    And with just a casual wave of her hand, Chihiro summoned a portal and just casually went inside it¡ªnot even giving Riley one final nce as if she was just going somewhere nearby.


    "White Space¡­" And as soon as Chihiro was gone, it was Riley''s time to put his hand on his chin, "...Nothing also has some sort of dark space. Do the primordials live on their own territory? But then Nothing is not a Primordial, but a Preprimordial. Should I also ask Nothing if he knows som¡ª"


    "Riley!"


    And before Riley could finish his words, Alice suddenlynded from above with an unconscious Charlotte floating beside her.


    "Do you know any ability that could wake her up!?" Alice then immediately ced Charlotte on top of the counter she previously destroyed. And with her small frame, fitting her on it was no problem at all.


    "I do, Alice." Riley did not even ask what was going on as he approached Alice.


    "Then wake her up! Something happened to her while we were talking about¡­ about what the freak is going on here!"


    "Okay," Riley nodded. And without even any hesitation, he ced his palm on top of Charlotte''s forehead, pushing her hair to the side so that nothing was obstructing her face.


    "..." Alice took a step back to give Riley some space. Although she and Charlotte did not actually have rtions with each other, she could not help but somewhat worry for her for some reason.


    Alice always imagined what it would have been like if her own mother was alive. If the Charlotte of her universe was alive, would she and Alice have been close? But Charlotte''s abilities caused her to somewhat be detached, however. But just what if¡­ what if Alice just stayed here?


    "..." Alice quickly shook her head off of the thoughts she was having, as she watched whatever it was that Riley was going to do. His hand was now on Charlotte''s hair, making sure her face was still fully exposed. And with a small sigh¡­


    ¡­Riley grabbed his melted dessert and poured it right on Charlotte''s exposed face.


    "Wha¡ª"


    "Ngork!"


    Alice was going to flick the melted ice away from Charlotte''s face. But s, Riley made sure she won''t be able to do it as he counteracted Alice''s telekic move. And so, sadly for Charlotte, she was woken up by a sticky, ice-cold dessert that went right through her nose.


    "Wha¡­ what''s happening!?" Charlotte then took a very loud gasp as she looked around. And as soon as she saw Alice''s face, she quickly jumped back from the counter and pointed at her, "You¡­ what did you do to me!?"


    "I didn''t do anything," Alice quickly raised her hands in surrender before pointing one of them at Riley.


    "I apologize. I have to wake you up the best possible way I know, Charlotte," Riley nodded to himself, "That is always effective with Sister."


    "That is not what I meant! I meant what did you do to me!? I was fine and then I suddenly felt my head hurt and¡­ and¡­"


    "Charlotte¡­?"


    Alice could really only look at Riley as Charlotte started stuttering her words; her eyes, even moving in a very weird way. And very soon¡­ another set of irises emerged from Charlotte''s eyes; almost as if separating from the original.


    And these new sets of eyes were looking at Riley.


    "Okay¡­ that is not creepy at all," Alice very slightly backed away as she saw Charlotte''s new set of pupils bing redder and bigger, "Do you happen to have any exorcism abilities, Riley? Because I think we''re about to need it now, Riley¡­


    ¡­Riley, Riley!"


    And as Charlotte started taking a step while tilting her head to the side, Alice also started backing away¡ªtapping Riley to try and get him to do something. Riley, on the other hand, was just standing there; also tilting his head to the side as he returned Charlotte''s stares.


    Charlotte continued walking forward until she ultimately hit the counter blocking her from proceeding to approach Riley. Charlotte did not even seem to mind, however, as she just stopped moving and continued to stare at Riley.


    "So. It. Is. You." Charlotte''s voice was different, almost guttural in a way that her voice seemed to reallye from her guts and not even her throat¡­ almost as if she didn''t know how to use it. She also paused in between each word; the movement of her lips was¡­ quite weird,


    "Riley. Ross."


    "I suppose," Riley just shrugged as he answered, "And who might you be?"


    "Navi."


    "Then Chihiro''s guess was correct," Riley let out a small but deep breath as he looked in amazement at Charlotte''s eyes, "She should not have left so early to try and meet Machina, she wasted her skill."


    "You are. An anomaly," Navi started looking at Riley from head to toe. The stuttering and slurring of her words, very slowly disappearing, "Machina is afraid. Of you. Death is trying to. Search for you. Celestial is confused. Ruin as Nothing''s offspring is intrigued but does not care. But I do, for you are destroying our. Creation."


    "I suppose," Riley once again shrugged, "But I have barely even destroyed anything if we take into ount the millions of universes in the multiverse, Navi. I am very far from destroying creation."


    "Extremely far. Yes," Navi did not deny as her head started nodding several times. She seemed to want to step forward, but could not do so as the counter was still blocking her way¡­ well, not anymore as Riley suddenly sliced the counter in half again and pulled it apart so that Navi could approach him,


    "But you will."


    And now, with nothing blocking her path, Navi once again approached Riley. Her hand, very slowly stretching toward his face.


    "Riley¡­" The only thing that Alice could really do was watch and urge Riley to avoid the hand. But s, once again, she waspletely ignored as Riley just allowed Navi to touch him.


    "What are you going to do, Navi?" Riley looked Navi in the eyes; his face, almost showing a sense of excitement, "Are you finally going to erase me from existence?"


    "No. Not me, never me," Navi shook her head, "My role is to watch, to foresee, and to record the movements of creation, forever."


    "To foresee?" Riley squinted his eyes, "You have ess to the future, Navi?"


    "No. But I know what is toe from the current wave," Navi started looking around while her hand was still on Riley''s cheek, "I only navigate where this wave takes me, forever."


    And as Navi continued to talk, any stutter in her words had nowpletely withered away; even reced by a somber tone that showed a clear emotion of¡­ sadness.


    "And where is this wave taking you, Navi?"


    "To nothing," Navi smiled as she once again looked Riley in the eyes, "If you are allowed to live, you will control the wave and guide us to nothing."


    "And are you allowing me, Navi?"


    "It is not my role to allow or disallow you. I only follow the wave," Navi''s head started slowly weaving side to side, "And who will disallow your existence? You do not exist in the wave. Death can not hold you, for you do not exist and therefore not alive."


    "Are you saying that you can not erase me, Navi?" Riley breathed out, "What about the preprimordial called Nothing? Is he capable of erasing me?"


    "Nothing is capable of nothing," Navi shook her head, "He has existed before us, and therefore is unknown to us."


    "But you said Nothing is the father of Ruin, Navi."


    "Even so, Nothing is nothing," Navi once again shook her head.


    "How can I be erased, Navi?" Riley asked, "You can foresee¡ªhow can I be erased?"


    "I only ride the wave, forever," Navi once again repeated her words, "And even if I do have a record of how, I will not tell."


    "...Why?"


    "Because you and I are the same¡­


    ¡­I do not want to ride the wave forever, Riley Ross."

 Chapter 768 768: What You Are

    ?


    "¡­I do not want to ride the wave forever, Riley Ross."


    "Are you saying you want to die, Navi?"


    "We can not die, Riley Ross. We will only cease to exist."


    "...And if you cease to exist, what¡­ what would happen to the rest of us?"


    With Riley and Navi''s conversation almost as ifpletely out of the realms of possibility, Alice''s somewhat questioning tone quickly humanized the air around them. Alice looked into Navi''s eyes, not knowing whether she was actually allowed to address this¡­ god. But she could not help it.


    They were inside a trendy dessert store¡ªthis is definitely not the right ce to decide the fate of creation itself. And Alice could just not believe she was hearing all of the stuff she was hearing right here and now.


    "You''re like a pretty freaking important god, right?" Alice forced out a chuckle, "If you''re gone then¡­ something will go wrong."


    "I am not a god, and no. Something would already have gone wrong if I am gone," Navi answered Alice''s question without looking at her, "And Riley Ross is the key to that."


    "Why¡­ would you even want to die?" Alice breathed out, "You don''t want to ride the waves forever? Like you want to die because you''ve already lived for too long¡­? But shouldn''t¡­ I don''t know¡­ Shouldn''t your kind see time differently?"


    "Time?" Navi finally turned to look at Alice as she moved away from Riley. Her face, however, was a little confused as she repeated her words, "Time, time¡­


    ¡­Time is the same for all of us. Down from the creatures that live inside atoms, to creatures that hold an entire universe in their palm¡ªtime is time."


    "...That''s not what they said in Science ss," Alice smirked, "You know, that old guy with the weird hair? Wait¡­ are you telling me he''s wrong?"


    "There are no such things as right and wrong."


    "Don''t you mean ''right or wro¡ªyou know what, nevemind¡­" Alice just rolled her eyes, waving her hand as she just walked away and took a seat at the nearest table,


    "I didn''t know what I was expecting when talking to a¡­ whatever you actually are. Whatever, just talk about the end of everything like I''m not here. Man, wait ''til Diana hears this. She would freaking regret noting with me."


    "You have not answered Alice''s question, Navi," Riley stood in front of Navi, "Why do you want to cease to exist? You said you and I are the same, but we are not. I was created and born, you just came into existence."


    "I want to cease existing because I exist," Navi once again closed her eyes as she took in a very long and deep breath.


    "Are you tired, Navi?"


    "No, there is no such thing as exhaustion for us," Navi smiled, "If there is, then Death is the one that deserves to be tired. Death''s role is Death, and with creation, Death will always be there."


    "But you are a primordial that exists to watch, foresee, and record the events of all creation, Navi¡ªis that not also tiring?"


    "No."


    "Or perhaps you are just bored of the channel?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "Have you not found your Italian Mafia Reborn yet, Navi?"


    "Italian Mafia Reborn¡­" Navi looked at Riley, "...is not that good."


    "..." Riley''s eyes instantly grew wider as he looked Navi in the eyes; his head, almost wanting to shake, "...Why would you say that?"


    "Because it is true," Navi nodded to herself, "I have foreseen its end."


    Riley let out a small gasp; his head once again shaking as he looked at Navi.


    "You do not have to worry, Riley Ross¡ªit will not end until many lifetimes have passed. It will drain its story to thest drop of its existence," Navi started walking around as she looked up, "It is very much like my existence, Riley Ross. I ampletely different from the others¡ªIf I cease to exist now, all of the universes will move onpletely unmoved¡­


    ¡­I do not want to exist because my existence is useless, without meaning, unnecessary. I know everything, but what do I do with the things that I know?"


    "If you truly know everything as you said, Navi. Then you should know what to do with the things that you know¡ªif you do not, then does that not mean that you do not know everything?"


    "Paradoxical, is it not?" Navi smiled, "But those two things are different, Riley Ross. I do not know what to do with it because that is not my purpose. My purpose is to know, not to act. The only reason I exist is because existence exists."


    "But you are acting now, Navi."


    "Not at all, Riley Ross. What I am doing now is just in passing. If I act, the others will too," Navi shook her head, "I am the oldest of the Primordials, I know what they are going to do once I do, indeed, act."


    "Italian Mafia Reborn is good," Riley Ross suddenly shifted the topic as he also shook his head, "You do not know everything."


    "I do. That means I also know what I like and do not like."


    "Then you and I are truly not the same, Navi," Riley''s eye slightly twitched; his breaths, slightly heavy, "And the fact that nothing changes if you disappear once again proves that. Because if I disappear, everyone and everything will be¡­ brighter."


    "I am not talking about our simrities in how we affect creation, Riley Ross. I am talking about our creation in creation itself."


    "Hm?" Riley just blinked a couple of times as Navi ced a finger on his chest.


    "You and I are the same in the way that you are also the same with the others," Navi''s eyes were as if they were looking through Riley, literally, "No, Riley¡ªyou are not created and born, you just came into existence¡­


    ¡­You and I are the same."


    "But I was born, Navi," Riley shook her head, "I came out from Alice''s womb."


    "Yes," Navi then looked at Alice, who was now just minding her own business at her table.


    "D¡­ don''t look at me," Alice quickly raised both her hands, "It was a different Alice''s coochie he came out from."


    "Yes," Navi nodded, "But he was not supposed to. Alice Lane, no matter what revisions Diana Ross would do, can not, should not, would not create life inside her."


    "Thanks for letting me know my infertility is outerversal."


    "I meant that it is impossible for Riley Ross to have been conceived by you. He just existed inside Alice."


    "You''re saying it as if I''m not his mother," Alice yfully rolled her eyes.


    "You are not."


    "Well, yes. Not technically¡ªhis mother is the Alice of this universe."


    "No," Navi shook her head, "You are not his mother. You can not."


    "Pfft, what¡­?" Alice forced a chuckle, "Like, what are you even trying to say? Riley literally popped out of Alice''s vagina. He literally told me and I started watching videos of what it looked like, and it''s nasty."


    "Yes. Riley came out of her, but he was not conceived by her," Navi shook her head, "Like us, Riley was not created or born, he just existed."


    "You mean he just like popped up inside Alice as a fetus?" Alice continued tough, "How crazy is¡ª"


    "Yes."


    "What?"


    "Riley Ross popped into existence," Navi almost replicated Alice''s ent, "That is why Death does not know you, like she does not know me or the other primordials. We are not technically alive. We do not exist, but we are here."


    "You mentioned Ruin being Nothing''s son, Navi," Riley squinted his eyes.


    "Not in the sense that you are thinking."


    "Is it possible I am also Nothing''s son?"


    "If you are, he will tell you every time. He¡­ is like that," Navi smiled, "Be warned, Riley Ross. I know what you are now, that would mean the others will soon know too. Machina would be the first to know, but it does not matter."


    "When will Death know?" Riley quickly asked.


    "It would not matter even if she does," Navi shook her head, "You can be stopped, yes. But like us, you are inevitable. You will bring creation into nothing, and everything will just cease to exist¡­


    ¡­I believe that is the reason why you exist, Riley Ross. Death delivers, Ruin holds, Riley does."


    "That doesn''t even make freaking sense," Alice started pointing at Navi, "Stop believing the nonsense of this primordial shits, Riley."


    "Riley Ross," Navi once again faced Riley and ced a finger on his chest, "Once Death finishes closing all the doors of creation itself that you destroyed, you will be the only one remaining on the other side¡­


    ¡­you are the Ender, but the End."


    "The Final Boss," Riley nodded, "I already knew that."


    "I am looking forward to that, Riley Ross," Navi once again smiled, "But for now¡­


    ¡­it is goodbye."

 Chapter 769 769: Opinions

    <h4>Chapter 769 Chapter 769: Opinions</h4>


    There was a certain sce in finding the truth.


    Well, that''s what they say when the truth is something that aligns with what you want. But truth is rarely gentle, if at all¡ªbut if it is, it will caress your entire existence and bring a euphoria you have not even felt before and will never again.


    But the truth is¡­ it''s always better to live in a lie.


    "I''m¡­ not your mother?"


    Navi was gone, but the revtion she left left Alicepletely frozen in them. Her words, repeating over and over again in her mind. She looked at Charlotte, who waspletely unconscious on the floor because neither she nor Riley bothered to pick her up when she fell as Navi left her body.


    "But you came out of the Alice of this universe, isn''t that¡­ isn''t that enough?" Alice forced a chuckle as she looked at Riley, who was just staring at Charlotte, not having moved an inch even once since Navi left,


    "Does¡­ does it matter that we don''t actually share blood? You probably freaking drank a lot of Alice''s fluids while you were inside her. That crap should make our bond even deeper. Riley¡­


    ¡­don''t be sad, okay? You¡ªwe''re still family."


    "Hm?" Riley finally turned his head away from Charlotte, "I am not sad, Alice."


    "Bullcrap. Look at you," Alice gestured to Riley''s face; the side of his lips, slightly down and so were his eyebrows, "That''s the most emotion I''ve seen on your face ever since I met you!"


    "If I am sad, then it is not because of finding out that my biological mother and I are not exactly rted biologically. And it does not matter even if we are not¡ªAlice was my mother, and so is Diana."


    "R¡­Riley," a stuttered gasp escaped Alice''s lips. She quickly covered her mouth as she looked Riley in the eyes. She wanted to approach and hug him, but he quickly moved to the side to avoid her, "It''s okay, Riley. I''m your mother¡­ okay? It''s oka¡ª"


    "Navi said that Italian Mafia Reborn is not that good."


    "...What?" Alice''s arms were already stretched wide open so she could once again attempt to hug Riley. But s, Riley moved away once again.


    "Why would a primordial with the specific role of being the watcher of creation itself say that?" Riley''s voice once again slightly trembled; his eyes, even wanting to close.


    "...That''s what you''re sad about?" Alice quickly dropped her arms to the side as she groaned, "It''s fine, Riley. We''re all entitled to our own opinions¡ªthat''s just how life is. Some people believe the Earth is t, and some think it''s a doughnut¡­ wait, I think I used the wrong analogy for¡ª"


    "Not a Primordial, Alice," Riley shook his head, "Primordials are involved in creation itself. That means they create the rules in which all of us live¡ªif they say that Italian Mafia Reborn is not that good, then that means¡­"


    Riley let out a small gasp as he let himself fall onto the nearest seat; quickly resting his elbows on the table while he covered his forehead,


    "...That means Italian Mafia Reborn is not that good."


    "..." Alice could really only stare at Riley with a nk stare. No longer knowing that she was even doing here anymore. But after a few seconds, she just let out a very long and deep sigh and sat in front of him,


    "Riley¡ªsince Navi said that you are like them, then wouldn''t that mean that if you say that Italian Mafia Reborn is good, then it''s good?"


    "..." Riley moved his head away from his hand as he looked at Alice. The thoughts that were racing and dancing in his mind, almost visible from his eyes,


    "I suppose you might have a point there, Alice. But it is still different¡ªthey were born at the beginning of the universe."


    "Then that makes your opinion even more valid than theirs," Alice sighed as she tried to touch Riley''s hand. And to her surprise¡­ she allowed him to, "The ending is always the most important part of the story, Riley. You heard what the Navigator said, you''re the End. Endings make the story what they are."


    "..."


    "Endings¡­ can either make everything that has happened throughout the story meaningless or make it even more meaningful. Or it could even make the rest of the storypletely¡­ useless."


    "That is¡­ true, Alice."


    "Hm," Alice nodded to herself as she took this chance to hold Riley''s hand with both hands, "Just look at Game of Crowns. The first seasons were incredibly critically acimed¡ªbut the ending made itpletely forgettable¡ªwhat was once the most talked show in the world, now no one even remembers it until it is mentioned again."


    "I feel like that is pretty specific, Alice."


    "...It was my favorite show. It was pretty boring in the start but it grew on me and then just went crap," Alice let out an awkward chuckle, before letting out a very long and deep sigh, "What I am trying to say, Riley¡­


    ¡­is that you make your¡ª"


    "Ugh¡­ what¡­ what the fuck just happened?"


    Unfortunately for Alice, before she could stretch her advice that should have already ended in the first statement even longer, Charlotte woke up and immediately leaped from the floor. She then touched her throat, seemingly trying to clear it as it seemed incredibly dry for some reason.


    "What¡­ what the fuck?"


    "Wee back, Charlotte."


    "W¡ªwait!"


    Even more unfortunately for Alice, Riley pulled his hand away as he approached Charlotte,


    "Your body was possessed by a Primordial that was trying to talk to me, Charlotte."


    "A¡­ what now?"


    "Navi is a primordial that knows everything that is before, everything that is now, and everything that might beter. She knew that you were connected to all of your variants, and therefore the fastest way to find me¡ªand she did. She talked to me through you," Riley exined without even giving Charlotte time to process anything.


    "You mean I was¡­"


    "You were freaking possessed, Mother," Alice let out a yful giggle as she looked at Charlotte''s disheveled hair, "It was freaky as freak. Like it was literally the Exorcism of Charmaine Elliot Lane just a couple of minutes ago here. Your eyes went like this."


    "...What?" Charlotte watched as Alice desperately tried to make her eyes go in different directions. She even almost used her telekic abilities to do so, but was stopped by Riley, "Wait, a god went inside me?"


    "Well, if you phrase it like that then you''re like¡ªOh my god¡­" Alice pointed at Riley, "...I''m the Virgin Alice and you''re literally Je¡ª"


    "Wait, just wait¡­!" Charlotte raised her voice as she started looking around her destroyed dessert shop, "...Can you children just tell me what the fuck just happened to me? I know that two of you don''t like me, but I deserve to know at least that!"


    "Oh, it turns out you''re not really Riley''s grandmother. So, I absolve you of all of your sins," Alice now suddenly had a scarf on her head as she very gently ced her hand on Charlotte''s shoulders, "You have no responsibility in¡ª"


    "Cut the crap!" Charlotte quickly pped Alice''s hand away, "What do you mean I''m not his grandmother!?"


    "Well¡­" Alice turned to look at Riley, who just nodded his head as he went to the other side of the counter to prepare himself a dessert,


    "...It''s like this."


    ***


    And while Alice was retelling everything that had happened, the entity that was responsible for everything was now back in her domain.


    Each of the Primordials lives in their own space¡­ outside of the multiverse. Machina exists in its White Space, Death exists where death is, as for Navi¡ªshe lives in a storm of color. Even then, however, her silhouette that still resembled Charlotte could still be seen clearly.


    Navi walked across this storm calmly, almost as if a feather that was just dancing within the calm embrace of a subtle wind. Her eyes, reflecting all the colors around her and not missing even a single drop.


    For others, they may be just that¡ªviolent drops of paint. But Navi''s eyes reflected a different picture.


    Each of the multitudes of color represents life. A story, a beginning, and an end.


    Each colorful drop of rain from the storm, a universe.


    And Navi does not miss even a single one of them as they drop and fall in the space in which she lives. The storm creates a colorful pool, and which in turn, turns into oceans¡­in which in turn, creates waves.


    Waves that Navi rides and dances across, in the beginning of time, and forever.


    "So, you visited the young demiurge?"


    This dance, however, quickly stopped as another entity started walking across the storm. But perhaps an entity was not the way to describe it¡ªit was just an orb.


    "Ruin," Navi stopped walking altogether as she looked at this floating orb.


    "What is that form? I have to say, I quite fancy it a lot," the orb then very slowly started to tremble, until it instantly transformed into a form that was eerily simr to Navi''s form, which is Charlotte''s body,


    "Is this one of the lives that live within these pebbles?" Ruin then plunged his arm down on the waves beneath them, grabbing a handful of the drops. Unlike the colorful wave that rippled through this colorful storm, however, what was in Ruin''s hand was almost gray.


    "You should know what they are, Ruin," Navi shook her head, "And I would appreciate it if you change your form¡ªthis is mine."


    "I would not know what they would look like, Navi," the universes that Ruin was holding then faded away into nothing,


    "I am given to them when they are already all gone."

 Chapter 770 770: Joining The Fray

    <h4>Chapter 770 Chapter 770: Joining The Fray</h4>


    Ruin.


    The name suggests the end of something. The end of something beautiful, something ugly, or just something. And never again will that something rise up, for it has reached its ruin, and Ruin will keep it there.


    One might think that Ruin is repetitive as Death already exists, but no.


    Death is the death of life.


    Ruin is the death of idea.


    The idea that there is something more after death, because there is none. Once a universe copses, all there is ruin.


    But does Ruin really matter?


    What is the death of a universe, if those that live in it have already gone? Does it really matter? No one would be there to witness it die. It would make no difference if the ruined universe is just leftpletely alone.


    And Ruin itself realizes this. Like Navi, it thinks its existence useless.


    "They are given to me when they are already gone."


    The eyes of Ruin reflect the colorful storm raging on around it. But in its hand was nothing but a faded remnant of everything it sees. Ruin seemed to want to touch the universes that were full of life dropping violently around him, but no¡ªthe only thing it was allowed to touch were those that were already beneath the storm, beneath the waves raging beneath Ruin and Navi.


    Gray. Deste. Dead.


    "Do you think me lucky that I get to witness all the universes as they have lived, Ruin?"


    Navi started approaching Ruin; her steps, ever-so gentle as she brushed her hand along the raging waves that violently moved around her calm silhouette.


    "Are you?" Ruin darted its eyes away from the colorful world that surrounded it and pointed them at Navi instead. And in this domain filled with creation, life, and death, Navi seemedpletely¡­ alone,


    "I have epted my fate, because there is nothing to ept," Ruin''s form slowly started to change¡ªbing even smaller than Charlotte''s frame as it¡­as his silhouette turned to that of a young boy. A young boy that did not really look like anyone at all, "I do not wish for more, because I do not know what more is. But you, Navi¡­


    ¡­you witness life and death itself, and you can not partake in it. And so, Navi? Are you lucky?"


    "..." Navi did not really answer Ruin''s query, but the somber silence in her eyes brought forth whatever anyone needed to know, "Then let me change the question, Ruin. Do you regret the role that has been ced upon you?"


    "As I have told you, Navi. I can not regret what I do not know," Ruin''s hand once again brushed past the waves surrounding him, but not fully touching as he lifted his hand to avoid; perhaps in fear of longing for something he should not,


    "My role is to clean after Death, and that is what I must do. And that is what I am."


    "But if you do know what you are missing, then would you perhaps regret it?" Navi looked into Ruin''s now-almost-human eyes.


    "I will no longer answer that, for the reason I am here is for a different question," Ruin shook his head.


    "Are you?"


    "...Yes. The creature named Riley Ross," Ruin finally closed his hands as he just ignored the waves that seemed to want to wash him away, "Are we connected? Is he a being that also exists because of Nothing? Is he¡­ my brother?"


    "No one knows, Ruin," Navi closed her eyes as she turned around and started walking away. Her eyes, now fully reflecting everything around her¡ªeven those that were behind, beneath, or above. They were recording everything, everything that ever was, everything that ever is, and everything that might ever be.


    "No One? Is there someone like that within the Preprimordials?" Ruin looked to the side; his face, visibly confused, "...Is it perhaps the preprimordial responsible for Celestial''s existence? Or Perhaps Death?"


    "...No," Navi slightly nced at Ruin, "There is no one like that. If you truly want answers, then only Nothing can provide them¡ªbut from what I have discovered from Riley, even Nothing knows nothing."


    "Does Anyone know anything, then?"


    "Anyone does not exist."


    "...What about Anything?"


    "Please leave my domain, Youngest," Navi once again turned to face Ruin, "Unless you want to start regretting things that you can not regret. My domain is filled with everything that you have not, what waits for you here is only¡­ ruin."


    "I am no longer the Youngest, am I?" Ruin once again started looking around the domain filled with colors. Almost as if the longer he stayed in his new form, the more human he became, "Are you not curious, Oldest? Of how I know of the existence of Riley Ross?"


    "You know because you know. Is there a need to know more than that?" Navi shook her head.


    "If I know of him, then the others would have already known too."


    "I know," Navi nodded, "Machina knows him, Death is chasing him, Elementia does not care for him, and Celestial wants nothing to do with him for Riley Ross is not born from her. You are thest to know, Ruin."


    "Since you watch only the universe, then you might not know, Navi," a small smile started to crawl on Ruin''s face,


    "It was Machina that told me."


    "Who else would?" Navi also smiled.


    "And Machina also told me which universe Riley Ross belongs to, and where he is."


    "..." The smile on Navi''s face disappeared.


    "And Machina did not tell just me¡­" Ruin''s silhouette very slowly faded away from the colorful domain,


    "...Machina told everyone. And they are all curious to visit our Youngest, especially Death."


    "That is not within their role," Navi''s eyebrows lowered as she looked at Ruin''s fading form, "We can not interfere with our creation."


    "Machina has," the smile on Ruin''s face grew wider, "Even you have, Oldest. And if the Oldest could break the rules that creation itself has set for us¡ªthen that means we could too. Everything has changed when you made contact with Riley Ross, Navi."


    "I did not make contact with Riley Ross until everything aligned," Navi stretched her hand to the side, pushing away the violent waves around her, "I did not talk to him until he discovered my existence."


    "You manipted the events, Navi."


    "..."


    "You asked me the wrong question, Oldest," Ruin''s silhouette now only showed his fading face, "It is fact that I do not regret what I do not know¡­


    ¡­but it does not mean I can not look forward to it. I will see you out there in the world, Navi. Literally."


    ***


    "Man, our family is weird."


    "It turns out that I am not family at all, Alice."


    "Shut the freak up¡ªyou still came out of the Alice''s womb. That still makes you the son of all the infertile Alices in the multiverse."


    Riley and Alice were now walking out of the Korean Shaved Ice store, leaving Charlotte alone to digest everything they told her.


    "But wow, that was the first time I''ve ever actually talked to my mother and it was¡­ a very weird experience," Alice let out a small breath as she wiped the sweat forming on her forehead, "Do mothers really get possessed mid-conversation?"


    "I would not know, Alice," Riley shook his head, "But my mothers did try to kill me, and then imprison me for eternity."


    "...Now that you''re saying that, I feel like Charlotte isn''t a bad mother at¡ª"


    "Where the fuck do you guys think you''re going!? Are you trying to escape!?"


    And as Alice and Riley were just casually walking around the empty mall of Mega Academy, Anna suddenly appeared and stomped her way toward the two¡ªclearly furious about something.


    "The Tournament, Riley! Don''t fucking ke on me because I need that money!"

 Chapter 771 771: The Universal Womanizer, Riley Ross

    <h4>Chapter 771 Chapter 771: The Universal Womanizer, Riley Ross</h4>


    "Uh-huh. I was the Universal Champ then."


    "Almost, you were almost the Universal Champ. But since you suddenly quit all of my earnings are gone!"


    "me Grandma Aerith¡­ or Mommy Aerith? Wait, Dad¡­ which is it!? Aerith adopted Aunt Silvie, but you and Aerith are lovers. But then mommy is mommy, but what about Auntie Paige¡ªWait, why do you have so many women in your life!? You''re a womanizer!"


    A few days after the sudden and unexpected meeting with the primordial god Navi, Riley was now on New Theran, having another meeting, but with less important people like the Secretary of Defense of the entire, Empress.


    And to keep the culture of Theran alive, the infrastructures that were made and built on New Theran were stillpletely reminiscent of their old world¡ªcastles, and the advanced technology was hidden within the walls and almost invisible.


    Even now, with the meeting of the most important people on Earth, they were sitting around a wooden table with only the rays of the sun as their light.


    "Enough about arguing the obvious! A womanizer''s son will also be a womanizer and that''s that!" Empress stomped her palm on her desk as she looked at all the people present in her office.


    Aerith was there, making sure Riley won''t do anything¡ªsince he usually does something ridiculous whenever there''s a gathering. And as a matter of course, Diana was also there to¡­ mitigate things if Riley actually does something. The two were somewhatx, however, as the Alice from the other universe was still clinging to Riley like a ko.


    With the three of them here, it was possible to stop Riley.


    Butcher was by Empress''s side.


    Of course, Katherine, Karina, Silvie, and Diana''s android, Anna, are also there, because their knowledge will be the most valuable input to the topic of their meeting¡ªthe Tournament.


    "I thought the Common Council was going to cease with the operations of the Tournament for now?" And although Aerith was just some sort of chaperone, she still raised her hand to join the meeting¡ªwith Empress quickly focusing all of her attention on her.


    It might not seem like ittely, but for anyone other than Riley, Aerith was still Megawoman in their eyes. The respect they have for her transcends almost anything, and Empress''s unwavering eyes represented that.


    "I wanted that to be the case, Megawoman," Empress tried her best not to sigh, "But the Common Council, especially Elder S''adar, ispletely adamant in continuing the tournament."


    "Even with all the things that are going on right now? The multiverse? The primordials suddenly making themselves known?" Aerith blinked in disbelief, "I don''t believe it''s time for games."


    "That''s what I said to them, Megawoman," Empress nodded as she could no longer prevent herself from sighing, "I countered to them that we have more important things to do, but all of them shut me down saying that it''s¡­ tradition. And as I am the newest member of the Common Council, my words sadly hold less meaning."


    "That¡ª"


    "If I may?" Riley''s other chaperone, Diana, also raised her hand, "It''s not that your words hold less meaning, the Tournament really is something that holds great importance for everyone that is living in the Known Universe¡ªit''s not just a game or entertainment, it''s a way to show that¡­ we''re alright. In short, it''s crowd control."


    "..." Empress only nced at Diana, before crossing her arms and finally turning her attention back to the Tournament veterans,


    "The four of you were there in thest Tournament, is there anything we need to know about it?"


    "It was he fun," Karina nodded, seemingly satisfied to be the first to answer.


    "It was nice to see different racesing together without malice," Katherine stated as she looked at Aerith for some reason, "I believe Diana is right, the Tournament is a shared ce. He¡ªIt doesn''t belong to anyone, but at the same time, it belongs to everyone."


    "...Are you still talking about the Tournament?" Diana looked back and forth between Aerith and Katherine.


    "It''s a great ce to earn money," Anna proudly stood up with her head held up high, causing Diana to almost look away.


    "You know, I programmed her to be as autonomous as possible¡­" Diana whispered to Aerith and Riley almost as if to defend herself even though no one was asking, "...I even entered some of my personality traits in the end. But I don''t remember being this greedy with money at the time of her creation, or ever."


    "You packed some of our furniture on your ship because you did not want to buy new furniture, Mother."


    "But they were on sale, it was a pretty good deal and others don''t have that."


    "...Aren''t you the richest themarian of your time, Diana?" Aerith raised an eyebrow.


    "Let''s not delve into the past," Diana just looked away as she shut her mouth.


    "And you, Silvie? You camete to the party, correct?" Empress turned to Silvie as she had been keeping quiet from the start, "It was made known to me that you also participated in the fights, is that true?"


    "Oh, uh¡­ Yes?" Silvie quickly looked at Karina, only for her to very slowly look away, "I only wanted to join to ensure Karina''s safety, but I forfeited the matches when I realized¡­ the others were weak."


    "Of course, you''re a themarian! Everyone is weakpared to you!" Anna once again stood up, "But do you know how much I lost when you forfeited!? We could have scam¡ªI mean, we could have won a lot of money if you continued since no one realized you were a themarian!"


    "That''s one of the reasons I quit," Silvie let out an awkward chuckle, "I¡­ don''t really like promoting gambling."


    "Then pay me back what you owe me!"


    "Everyone, calm down."


    And before Anna could start rambling again, Empress raised her hand, "It''s time to address the most crucial aspect of this meeting."


    "..." Anna seemed to want to say more, but just shook her head as everyone focused their attention on Empress.


    "I was told that to make people forget about all the incidents that have happened the past decade, the Tournament that is going to be held in a month''s time will be¡­ grander than the previous tournament¡ªcivilizations that previously had no interest in taking part in the Tournament would each be sending a group of champions, that is including those from the Higher Races, and other species with¡­ special physical abilities."


    "And I assume we are included in that¡­?" Aerith sighed.


    "Yes," Empress nodded, "The Common Council decided that in order for the people of the Known Universe to truly forget the tragedies and incidents, all of the most powerful species will bepeting. They have already contacted and met with the other races, and all of them said yes¡­


    ¡­including your people, Megawoman."


    "...Mother and the others?"


    "What¡­!?" Anna once again stood up from her seat, "Evaniels and Themarians are joining!? Isn''t that unfair!? What are you going to say next, that the peaceful Norids also entered the Tournament!?"


    "..." Empress kept quiet.


    "What!? They''re joining!? But those fuckers are literally not mentally capable of violence!"


    "They joined when they found out that Earth is part of the Tournament, or more specifically¡­


    ¡­Riley Ross."


    "...Oh," Anna quickly sat down as her mind of codes and numbers started calcting the odds of earning more money with the addedpetition,


    "Who else¡­


    ¡­is joining?"

 Chapter 772 772: Deciding the Champions

    <h4>Chapter 772 Chapter 772: Deciding the Champions</h4>


    "Who else¡­


    ¡­is joining?"


    "That is actually one of the things we will be discussing here. There¡ª"


    "Riley Ross will absolutely not be joining the Tournament."


    The universe has done so many things that would be considered a mistake, and Diana has witnessed some of them; and in most of them, she was the one responsible. And even now, as she stood by one of the biggest mistakes of her life, she was going to ensure that the mistake wouldn''t give birth to another.


    She loves Riley Ross, truly¡ªshe would not have tolerated the things he has done for so many years if she hasn''t. But right now, Riley was involved in something that no one could control.


    The multiverse issue is taking a rest, but it would only be a matter of time until it all opens up again. A box, after all, that has already been opened once can''t be truly closed again. There will be cracks, rips, and tiny holes where things could escape and go out.


    But the other universes are not that much of a problem as they are also opportunities.


    But the primordial gods? How Riley could actually be¡­ rted to them?


    That is a problem the entire universe¡ªno, the entire multiverse is not ready for. Primordial gods, as they have already proven and shown themselves to be, are almost omnipotent beings capable of just appearing everywhere if they wish to.


    If they so wished, none of the people standing here right now would exist.


    ¡­And Riley Ross might be one of them.


    "As has been mentioned throughout this meeting," Diana wore her sses as she left Riley''s side and started walking around the table, "The Tournament is a ce where all species and races coulde together to have fun¡ªbut it is also a ce used to represent one''s civilization¡­


    ¡­Do you wish my son to be one of the people that will be representing Earth, Adaeze?"


    "..." Empress seemed to want to say something, but once again just chose to close her mouth as she gestured to Diana to continue.


    "There are too many variables we need to consider. As all of you may know, Riley Ross may be quiet, but he actually enjoys stealing the spotlight secretly."


    "She got that from you," Aerith blurted out quietly. Sadly for her, the way Themarian interior architecture works is that if you can hear yourself, then everyone else can too, "...Sorry."


    "What I am trying to say is, if Riley joins the Tournament, we will be putting everyone there at risk¡ªand due to my husband''s habit of erasing every evil act my son does, most of the universe doesn''t actually know or even remember Riley."


    "Ack, your husband, Mother¡­" Whatever version of goosebumps an android has, Anna got it as soon as she heard Diana''s words, "...He gives me the creeps¡ªlike he knows everything about me."


    "If I may have some input into this matter?" Katherine raised her hand, "Diana, we''ve spent a long time together raising your granddaughter, and I feel like I have at least gotten to know you during our time together. So, I know that you know that Riley not joining the Tournament is never going to prevent him from doing something if he wants to do it. In fact, if you don''t let him join, it might give him even more time to n something even more sinister¡­


    ¡­no one wins against Riley."


    "That''s true," Karina quickly agreed with her mother, "Mommywas Daddy''s professor and she got fucked by him a lot. Like fucked."


    "Karina! I don''t think you know what that means!"


    "No," Karina shook her head repeatedly, "Nana Ts told me a lot of times that you got fucked up mentally, physically, and emotionally by Daddy."


    "Ts¡­?" Katherine quickly looked down, as Ts was still living within New Theran, "What¡­ are you teaching my daughter?"


    "It''s fine, Mommy. I know what fuck means, sheesh."


    "What does it mean?" Anna smirked.


    "It means when Daddy gets on top of Mommy," Karina said proudly.


    "Wrong," Anna let out a small but confident chuckle, "ording to what I heard, it was your mother that got on top of¡ª"


    "Enough! We don''t need to hear about who is on top of who!"


    "Thank you, Empress¡­" Katherine covered her face as everyone''s attention was on her.


    "Can we be serious about this now?" Empress then let out a long and deep sigh as she asked for everyone to sit down, "Riley Ross is joining the Tournament and that is final, the Common Council actually asked for it¡­ they demanded for it."


    "They demanded for it? Why?" Aerith showed everyone''s confusion. After what Riley had done to the previous Elders, she was sure thest thing they wanted was to involve themselves with Riley.


    "Because that is, quote-for-quote, the only way this Tournament will be most interesting," Empress rolled her eyes as she remembered the meeting with the Elders, "And also¡­


    ¡­The Bins will be joining."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Who¡­?" Anna looked around as Aerith and Diana suddenly became quiet and almost frozen.


    "Bin is a species consisting of Riley Ross''s clones," Empress sighed, "Diana, you may not have known since you were busy with your humanitarian acts with the Norid, but the Bins, as well as former Elder Olseyir, have actually been pardoned by the Common Council¡ªNo, they were not even found guilty in the first ce."


    "..."


    "Riley Ross was not found guilty in the first ce," Empress once again let out an even deeper sigh, "The act that killed most of your people, in everyone''s eyes¡­ it was the previous Elders that were solely responsible for it."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Jesus¡­ that dampened the mood."


    And finally, Alice, who has just been keeping her silence and sticking with Riley like a ko, raised her voice and even let out a somewhat awkward chuckle,


    "Look, I don''t know about the dying themarians here, but Riley did sure wipe out the themarians of my universe. Riley is evil, we all get that. But no one actually cares anymore," Alice winced as she looked at Aerith and Diana,


    "I''m sorry, but that''s the truth. The themarians, even in my world, kept to themselves¡ªfor some, they were as real as Santa us. So, here''s what I suggest¡­ You and Aerith join the Tournament too, but on the Themarians'' side."


    "How does that even solve or rte to anything?" Diana looked at the others slightly confused.


    "It won''t, but it gives you a chance to finally smack your son in front of a lot of people," Alice smiled and nodded, "And of course¡­ I also want to test if you really are stronger than my D."


    "..."


    "And by that, I mean my Diana. I obviously don''t have a di¡ª"


    "I know, I know," Diana stopped Alice from continuing what she was saying, "But you can''t join, Alice¡­


    ¡­you''re not actually legally from this universe. My¡ªOur Alice is immortalized here, a hundred kilometers in that direction."


    "Oh, I actually got citizenship here," Alice shrugged as she looked at Empress, "I got it from her."


    "What¡­?"


    "She''s¡­ Alice," Empress pointed at Alice.


    "She is¡ªNever mind," Diana just shook her head, "So¡­


    ¡­who else will be joining?"


    "...And we''re back to square one."


    "I already have a list¡­ It is just up to them to ept it," Empress stood up as she pressed something in front of her, causing a hologram to pop out right above the center of the table,


    "What do all of you think?"

 Chapter 773 773: The Earth’s Champions

    <h4>Chapter 773 Chapter 773: The Earth''s Champions</h4>


    "Why can''t I go!?"


    "Because you need to study and have friends, Karina."


    "I have friends!"


    "Normal friends."


    "Aunt Anna is normal!"


    "She''s an android."


    "I take offense in that."


    A week after the meeting regarding the Tournament, the people that will be representing Earth in the uingpetition were now preparing to board and have started gathering in the Academy.


    Why the Academy? One might ask.


    The Tournament will be the most important event in Human history, and will not only be remembered by Earth for years toe but by the entire universe. And what better ce to send off the people that will be representing Earth other than the most important ce on the?


    The Mega Academy, literally where the future of Earth resides.


    And right now, Katherine, Anna, and Karina were watching on the side¡­ along with the thousand students in the Mega Auditorium hall of the Mega Academy as they waited for their heroes to arrive. Everyone was extremely excited, as most of the did not know who was chosen to join the Tournament.


    A voting happened, but the World Government did not really reveal even a single poll.


    And so, right now¡­


    ¡­We get to witness the rebirth of our heroes!]


    And with the announcer, Benjaya, finally appearing in the center of the crowd, the students began howling and cheering, filling the entire stadium with a sort of somber madness.


    "You know¡­ I''ve seen a lot of culture and others," Anna looked at the students that were jumping around like monkeys, "But you Earthlings do know how to hype shit up."


    "Anna, I told you not to use thatnguage in front of my daughter."


    "Psh, it''s fine. She''s like what¡­ 9 now or something? I learned all thenguages the 2nd day I was born," Anna waved her hand.


    "You''re an android, Anna."


    "...And? That''s not an excuse for Karina not to learn more profound vernacr."


    "Whether it''s profound or not is extremely deba¡ª"


    [Let''s not waste any time and introduce our first champion!] The spotlight that was drowning Benjaya very slowly dimmed. But soon, another source of light appeared beside him¡ªliterally, a source of light.


    [And of course, why would we look far from home, when our very own Headmaster has been chosen to represent us in the Tournament!?]


    "Huwhat¡­!?"


    "The Golden President is joining!? Wait, who will be standing in as the Headmaster, then!?"


    "...But I thought he was an alien?"


    "Wait¡­ does this mean we have a vacation?"


    "...You''re in an Academy where all we do is train in the most advanced facilities, go out in ces that most have never been to before, and we have fun doing it¡ªwhat vacation are you fucking talking about? I don''t even want to graduate from this ce."


    [Everyone¡­]


    And as Bulwark was handed the mic, all the students that were whispering with each other all stopped,


    [...I hope none of you would make your instructors go crazy just because I am not here. And as your headmaster, I promise to make all of you proud.]


    "Yeah!"


    And once again, the students started cheering. But with Bulwark raising his hand, their cheerings turned into ps, and soon just nods of respect and whispers to each other.


    [I don''t know about y''all, but that was hype! It''s not every day that we get a member of the Rainbow to join in on the fun, gays represent!]


    "I''m¡­ representing humanity," Bulwark looked at Benjaya for a few seconds, before taking a few steps back and just looking away altogether, "And I''m not a member of that¡­ rainbow thing."


    "...But you''re gay," Benjaya moved the mic away as he whispered to Bulwark.


    "I know love, and that''s all everyone needs to know," Bulwark shook his head, "Please refrain from saying anything like that again in front of all the children. And I am still paying you, so¡­"


    "...Right, right," Benjaya just awkwardly smiled before facing the crowd again, [And now, for the next one¡ªand as all of you may know, there are five. And for the second one¡­


    ¡­is Whiteking!]


    "..." Unlike with Bulwark''s entrance, everyone just turned quiet as soon as Bernard walked to the auditorium. Some of them, even turning off their phones in fear of Bernard hacking them. Unbeknownst to all of them, however, Bernard already has.


    As soon as Bernard stood on the stage, however, the pping began.


    [Do you want to say something, Whiteking?]


    "I was born without any powers," Bernard quickly grabbed the microphone from Benjaya, "I was only born with a mind better than most¡ªa remnant of the old civilization, of those that came before. We are not yet irrelevant. I am not a Super, but I rose to power and I received power. To those that are watching this at home, know that I am representing you¡­


    ¡­I am representing the past and future of the human race."


    "..."


    "Tch, sleazy fucker," Anna scoffed as she shook her head, "You see that grandpa of yours, Karina? That''s the kind of man you need to avoid. Words like rose, but a rose with venomous thorns. No wonder Diana fell for his bullshit."


    Karina, however,pletely ignored Anna as she just pped and cheered for her grandfather.


    [Whew, I feel my balls shrinking just from hearing Whiteking speak,] Benjaya fanned himself with his hand. And once again, another one of the champions moved away from him as Bernard moved closer to Bulwark.


    "Why¡­ do you keep making this guy the host?"


    "...A lot of people want to see him. And Hannah, she was on the list too, right?"


    "She refused to join," Bernard chuckled, "She said she didn''t want to stress herself and just wanted to watch¡ªand considering Riley is also joining, it would be too much to have 3 Ro¡ª"


    [And while the hype is still not gone, let''s give it up to Whiteking''s daughter, the Nuclear Baby, Seraph!]


    "No one fucking calls me Nuclear Baby anymore, can you stop fucking mentioning that name? This is why people love your sister more than you!" And without even needing to hand the mic, Hannah stomped her way to the stage.


    [Whew, as always, Seraph ising in hot, everybody!]


    "Nuclear Seraph! We love you!"


    "Please look here! Look here!"


    "..." Hannah was going to grab the mic from Benjaya, but just chose not to as she just crossed her arms and stood still, only ncing at her fans and giving a small wave.


    [And if you think she''s hot, you''re about to see the sexiest super alive, literally. Voted as the Sexiest Super of the previous generation, Hera!]


    "Oh my god!"


    "Hera! Did you look at my audition!? I auditioned for Hera Entertainmentst year!"


    And perhaps out of all the champions that would be representing Earth, Hera was the one most used to the spotlight¡ªand it was evident with the way she walked to the stage. She was already taller than Hannah, and yet she was still rocking heels and even wearing sunsses as she waved at her fans that outnumbered Hannah''s.


    [I am not going to give you a fancy speech or even a motivational one,] Hera gestured to her fans to calm down, [Instead, I am going to give you a promise¡­


    ¡­we''re going to make the other species our bitch.]


    "Heck yeah!"


    "That''s what I am talking about, Earth No. 1!"


    "Kick some alien ass!"


    [O¡­Okay, that was something,] Benjaya quickly grabbed the mic away from Hera, [Aliens are cool, everyone. My boyfriend''s from another, hello? They''re cool! Let''s not discriminate.]


    "So, it seems I am going to go on an adventure with another Ross," Hera lowered her sunsses as she stood beside Hannah, "This should be fun."


    "...Do you even have time to do this? Aren''t you busy with your agency or something?"


    "Oh, I am doing this for the agency," Hera winked before putting on her sunsses again, "We''re going universal, literally. Anyway, your brother''s up."


    "Don''t im that it''s nepotism," Hannah smirked, "It''s not our fucking fault we''re the most popr family on the."


    "Oh, I''m not iming anything," Hera let out a chuckle, "Don''t you know¡­? Riley signed on to my agency before he was thrown to another."


    "...What?"


    [And now, finally¡ªthest champion that will be representing our dear and lovely. I am sure that most of you are already aware of who it is. Considered to be the most powerful of all the supers and the one that has the most potential¡­


    ¡­Tempo!]


    "..."


    "..."


    "...What?"

 Chapter 774 774: Wheres Riley?

    ?


    "Tempo? Did he just say Tempo¡­?"


    "Wasn''t there a rumor that Riley Ross will be thest member?"


    "Riley Ross¡­? Isn''t that Darkday?"


    [Hello, everyone. As one of the champions of Earth, I¡­]


    "What? No. Where did you even hear that? That''s just propaganda by the Reuben family."


    "No, you idiot. There was¡­"


    Tempo made the grandest entrance by circling the entire auditorium before grabbing the mic from Benjaya. But sadly for him, even now as he was reciting the heartfelt speech that he painstakingly wrote the entire night before, no one was listening, or even looking at him.


    He and Whiteking even designed a new purple suit that would be tailored to the new generation. Not only that, but with the materials from New Theran now readily avable for Earth to use, they were able to make his new suit safer for him. In his previous suits, Tempo could really only run as much as his suit would allow him to¡ªif he tries to run on Earth, multiple scenarios would happen.


    His old suit would disintegrate, and in turn, he too would disintegrate. At first, Tempo tried making contact with the Evaniels and asking for their help so he could reach his full potential¡ªthey let him borrow one of theirbat suits. But sadly for Tempo, the way the Evaniels'' speed works ispletely different from his abilities; even almost killing him when the suitpressed when he reached a certain speed.


    But now, with Bernard''s help, he was able to create a suit that was leaps and bounds better than anything he had ever worn.


    And his speed?


    Well, even he himself has not tried to reach his limit¡ªbut once the Tournament starts, he would stop holding back. Tempo was so excited, incredibly so that he wasn''t even noticing that no one was listening to his grand speech.


    "Where¡­ the fuck is Riley?" Hannah looked around with one eyebrow raised, "Why is your husband here?"


    "Ex-husband," Hera quickly shook her head, "And I am as confused as you¡ªI was also told that Riley will be here, now it''s just going to get awkward."


    "Where¡ªwait. You two split up? When?" Hannah looked at Hera.


    "I prefer not to talk about it here," Hera sighed before cing her attention on Bernard, "You know something about this? Where''s your son?"


    "I¡­ don''t know," Bernard seemed calm. But in truth, he was already essing all of his satellites and contacting both Diana and Aerith to try and find out Riley''s whereabouts; the two, already searching the entire globe for him.


    But of course, Bernard was already ready¡ªRiley Ross, after all, is the literal embodiment of Murphy''sw, except if Murphy was on trenbolone steroids. If Riley is there, then all the things that could go wrong might go wrong in the worst way possible. Except for the somewhat oblivious Tempo, all the other champions could not help but be slightly nervous about the looming cmity.


    Bulwark was also ready for this. None of the students realized it, but there was actually a 10-meter thick themarian ss separating them from the stage. Of course, that thick themarian ss is actually useless, and Bulwark knows this. But it was better than nothing.


    "I have the same question, Whiteking. Where is your son?" Bulwark could not help but share the others'' worries. He seemed to want to say something else, but Tempo finally joined them as he finished his speech.


    "Yo, this is like the Hope Guild again," Tempo pointed at Hannah and the others. And although the tone of his voice was extremely jolly, it was obvious that his eyes were avoiding Hera, "I heard someone is going to pick us up here soon? What''s with that?"


    "Can''t you, just once, actually realize what''s happening?" Hera rolled her eyes; even letting out a small scoff as she looked at Tempo, "I swear, you might as well be the slowest man on Earth at this point."


    "...What am I even doing?" Tempo looked at his palms, almost as if trying to check something, "How can I know what it is you think is happening when you never tell me?"


    "Excuse me? It''s not my problem you''re dumb."


    "What¡ª"


    "Jesus, guys," Hannah stood between the two, "Can you fucking focus? We have¡ª"


    [Champions of Earth.]


    And before the situation between Hera and Tempo could get worse, a voice suddenly vibrated throughout the entire auditorium. At first, everyone turned quiet as they looked at Benjaya, only to see the mic was not anywhere near his mouth. And in the first ce, the voice that resounded through their ears was too deep to being from someone like Benjaya.


    Everyone once again looked everywhere, with Hannah and the others bing more and more vignt with every passing second. After all, this could may very well be one of Riley''s antics.


    The entire auditorium soon began to tremble ever so slightly. At first, Bernard and Hannah looked at each other, sure that this truly was Riley''s doing. And as the roof began to open, they became even more sure as they waited for Riley to just do his thing and descend from the sky.


    But no.


    What awaited them was not Riley descending from the sky¡ªthere was no sky in the first ce. All there is is a head, a head beyond the clouds, beyond the atmosphere with a facerge enough that one could not even see the expanse of space behind it.


    "Is¡­ that Elder Tedi?" Tempo, who was not that familiar with how Elder Tedi looks, shared the same expression as everyone else. Hera, Hannah, and Bernard, however, looked at each other with an even more confused look on their faces.


    "That''s not Elder Tedi," Hannah took in a small gulp as her eyes reflected the azure-skinned colossal alien literally looking down on them, "I¡­ don''t know who the fuck that is."


    "It''s a Messenger," Hera confidently said, "One of the friends I met during my space vacation mentioned them once."


    "A¡­ what?"


    [I am Sukka, and I havee here to escort the Champions of Earth.]


    "!!!"


    And as soon as the Messenger, Sukka, uttered those words, a tform seemingly made of light appeared beneath their feet. There were runes and indistinguishable letters emerging from them, but only Bernard was trying to discern what they said before they were literally yanked away from the auditorium.


    "Ah! They''re leaving!" Karina could not help but raise her voice as she watched the 5 disappear into the sky and toward the giant face, "Let''s join them, Mommy!"


    "No," Karina was about to fly away, but Katherine pulled her down, "Finish all of your homework first, then you''re allowed to watch the tournament."


    "But Aunt Anna is going!" Karina pointed at Anna, who was already stepping out of the auditorium to follow them using Bernard''s spaceship, "I''ll do the homework on the ship, please!? Please!?"


    "..." Katherine stared at Karina''s almost glistening eyes for a few seconds, before just shaking her head and sighing, "Fine¡ªbut after, promise you''ll focus on your studies and make friends with people your age, oka¡ª"


    And before Katherine could even finish her words, Karina was already gone. It has only been a few months since Katherine felt herself returning to at least a semnce of a normal life, even being hired back to the Academy by Bulwark.


    But now, the entire month was being dered as a holiday so that everyone could watch the tournament happening and offer their support. Sadly for Earth, however, Katherine was not really supporting its champions¡­


    ¡­but another group.

 Chapter 775 775: The Tournament Starts...?

    <h4>Chapter 775 Chapter 775: The Tournament Starts...?</h4>


    "What¡­ What the fuck is this!?"


    "Marvelous, truly."


    For those who have been to space many times, the sight of the unending cosmos would not really yield that much excitement anymore. Of course, there will always be a certain drop of amazement here and there¡ªbut unless something truly different appears, one would just find oneself smirking at those who are seeing the wonders of space for the first time.


    And that is exactly what Hannah was feeling right now, a sense of superiority against two members of the Hope Guild. Tempo did not even try to hide how excited and in awe he was as his eyes looked everywhere. As for Bulwark, his eyes seemed rxed, but very much curious.


    But of course, if there was anyone seeing them from afar right now, that someone would be even more in awe than them¡ªno, perhaps the better term for it would be shocked, or petrified in fear. Earth''s Champions were currently traveling at hyperspeed¡­ while staying on the palm of a colossal creature that was almost the size of Uranus. How that was even possible could really only be described as magic.


    "I get the purple pervert, but I didn''t think you''d be this excited from seeing something like this, Bulwark," Hera removed her sunsses as she too, indulged herself with the euphoric and colorful streaks of light flowing around them, "Aren''t you from outer space?"


    "I did not think that even you would fall victim to that rumor, Hera," the smile on Bulwark''s facepletely faded away as he heard Hera''s voice, "I would like to reiterate to everyone present here, the Elder known as Elder Apo and I are not rted."


    "...Really?" Hannah raised an eyebrow, "But you''re almost identical."


    "We are not," Bulwark almost sighed in frustration, "Just because our skin, hair, and the way our body glows are the same, does not mean we are rted, Hannah."


    "No¡­ I''m pretty sure you''re from the same as the dude," Hannah let out a small hum as she looked at Bulwark from head to toe, "What do you think, Dad? Didn''t you get some sort of DNA sample from Elder Apost we met?"


    "...Yes."


    "What?" Bulwark''s golden eyebrows started to lower, "Why would you even do that to a person not belonging to our civilization? That is rude."


    "Don''t worry, he doesn''t know," Bernard let out a small chuckle as he waved his hand. His helmet then unfolded, covering his entire head as he looked at Bulwark, "I have actually finished analyzing the data I received from him."


    "What did it say!?" Hannah quickly approached her father. Even Tempo and Hera, who were quietly arguing, could not help but set aside their silent debate and turn their attention to Bernard.


    "It says¡­" Bernard''s voice turned into a whisper, "...secret."


    "Oh,e one! Fuck you!" Hannah raised both her middle fingers at her father, "What did it say!?"


    "It''s not my information to divulge, Hannah," Bernard once again chuckled as his helmet folded back, "If you want to know, then ask Bulwark."


    "But he doesn''t know!"


    "He will if he asks me," Bernard once again looked Bulwark in the eyes.


    "It is not important right now," Bulwark, on the other hand, just looked away and started admiring the flowing cosmos around them, "What is important is that we should find out where Riley is."


    "Pft, knowing that fucker¡­" Hannah scoffed as she too, looked away,


    "...He''s probably already there. We''ll find him, that guy always stands out."


    ***


    "I take back what I said, there are so many fucking people here."


    Hannah was expecting something grand, and she wasn''t alone. After all, a Tournament that involved the entire Known Universe, and the first Tournament after what seemed like an eon in which all the Higher Races participated will probably note again. Hannah was expecting some sort of¡­ luxurious wee, but no.


    The Messenger known as Sukka just left after literally dropping them on some sort of¡­ t. The was wide and vast, however¡ªand even though it was t, it was impossible to see the end of the horizon due to how far the end was, and there were also mountains blocking the end.


    There were also 2 other Messengers aside from Sukka, who also seemed to be bringing in the champions of the others and civilizations¡­


    ¡­and there were a lot of them¡ªand the spot where Sukka dropped them off did not seem to be the only spot where the champions were gathering, This is just one of many, and there seemed to already be at least 500 of them here in a single area.


    They were in the middle of a vast field. There were asional trees that twisted around each other, and nts that did the same¡ªin fact, the des of grass and even the empty ground showed signs of¡­ spiral.


    "I don''t think Riley is here," Hera approached Hannah, "I don''t smell his presence."


    "...You can smell my brother?" Hannah raised an eyebrow.


    "His presence," Hera rolled her eyes, "That''s just how my abilities work¡ªI don''t feel the kind of danger I sense from him amongst this lot."


    "Nope, no Riley¡ªor evaniels for that matter," Tempo suddenly appeared beside Hannah, "I checked on all the faces of the aliens within the perimeter, I don''t see anyone we know. Whiteking, what about you?"


    "No," Bernard also suddenly appeared from thin air while shaking his head, "No sign of Riley. Bulwark?"


    "Oh, I was not looking for him," Bulwark shrugged, "Now that we are far from Earth, I would like to remove Riley from the list of things I worry about and focus on the present. This is truly astonishing, to think we are but one of many in the universe¡­ fascinating."


    "I don''t really think it''s the time to be sightseeing," a small smile crawled on Hera''s face as she started looking around,


    "We seem to be very popr."


    The races that gathered in their area all looked different. Most were humanoid with different skin types, varying numbers of orifices on their faces, and also varying numbers of limbs. There were also people who lookedpletely alien in terms of Earth standards. Octophoids, quad pedals, and even floating¡­ fish-like people.


    And if there was one thing they all had inmon¡­


    ¡­it was that they were all looking at Hannah and the others.


    "We should be popr," Bernard subtly walked in front of Hannah, "We are from the Unknown Universe, and we were immediately but officially introduced as one of the Higher Races."


    "What are you guys even talking about?" Tempo scratched his chin, which was the only part of his body visible from his new purple suit, "Bulwark and I should really have been oriented first about all these new jargons."


    "Just stay quiet and obser¡ª"


    [Champions.]


    The invisible tension starting to form in the airpletely dissipated away as a voice rumbled throughout the entire t. No, perhaps ''rumbled'' was an understatement, as the entire literally trembled and quaked as it wasn''t just a single voice, but many.


    All the eyes that were on Hannah and the group all strayed away as everyone turned to look at the 4 horizons, only to see 4 slightly faded faces talking in the distance; their mouths, all moving at the same time.


    Just a single Messenger was already almost the size of Uranus, and now with 4 of them gathered and surrounding the t, one could not help but feel trapped and drowning at the same time.


    [20 Spawn Point, 100 Groups in Each,] the Messengers all spoke at the same time, [The 1st rule is simple¡­


    ¡­Fight until only 1 group remains in each Spawn Point.]

 Chapter 776 776: Battle Royale

    <h4>Chapter 776 Chapter 776: Battle Royale</h4>


    [20 Spawn Points, 100 Groups in Each, The 1st rule is simple¡­


    ¡­Fight until only 1 group remains in each Spawn Point.]


    "So, there are 500 of us here, and 10,000 people in total."


    "Fuck that. Did those giants just fucking throw us into a battle royale where everyone seemed to have it out for us!?"


    "Hm¡­"


    Bernard''s helmet that has been folding and unfolding several times now finally settled on just covering his face. How could he not, when everyone''s eyes were now once again locked onto him and the other Earthlings?


    "...I suppose they ced the other Higher Races in another area. They really are treating this like a game¡ªa rigged one."


    "Rigged¡­?" Tempo slightly took a step back closer to the group as the crowd started to surround them. None of the other groups were talking to each other, but there seemed to be some sort of invisible sense of camaraderie as they truly were only targeting Earth,


    "...You mean they want us so-called Higher Races to win?" Tempo awkwardly forced out a chuckle, "And I don''t really like the term Higher Races, my race was oppressed by someone who treated themselves as such for more than a hundred years."


    "Stop crying, you weren''t even alive then," Hera scoffed.


    "Are you really trying to invalidate my feelings again? This is why we split up."


    "No, we split up because you only think about what you like and what you want."


    "No, we split up because you''re always unavable. Out of all the things on your list of priorities, I''m at the lowest¡ªno, I''m not even in it."


    "Bullshit, you¡ª"


    "Guys, what the fuck!?" Hannah once again stood between the two, "Can we just fucking focus!?"


    "The girl is right," Bulwark, like Bernard, was also already ready forbat as the light being emitted from his body has been flickering ever since the Messenger''s first word, "I know that it is important to talk about your failed rtionship, but you need to focus on the now."


    "How can I focus when Whiteking just said this Tournament is rigged! Did they set us up to just die here!?" Tempo''s head moved so fast as he looked at the other champions that it looked like his head just turned into a purple cylinder block.


    "No," Whiteking shook his head, "This game is rigged, but not in a way that is disadvantageous for us."


    "Huh? What do you¡ª"


    [These are the rules you will follow.]


    And as everyone was getting ready for battle, the voices of the Messengers once again resounded throughout the entire t,


    [Proceed with as much violence as you can, but do not take another life. You can bring the other champions to the brink of death but do not send them to it. And for those that gain wounds that would threaten their life, do not fret. You will be warped out of the battlefield and treated back to health¡­


    ¡­That is all. The elimination will begin with the sound of thunder.]


    "That''s¡­ it?" Tempo took in a small gulp, "Did the other groups even understand what they said? They were speaking ournguage, do the others even know what thunder is¡­?"


    "Stop being such a country hick and get used to it already," Hera rolled her eyes, "They have like a universal trantor thingy or something."


    "What''s the n here, Whiteking!?" Tempopletely ignored Hera as he just stood behind Bernard, "You have like that Guardian Force power now, right? I heard you folks can detect energy levels like in the cartoons. What''s¡­ our chances here?"


    "Chances?" Whiteking did not even turn his head as he responded to Tempo, "I just told you, this game is rigged for us. We¡ª"


    "Everyone, don''t let them get any chance to attack!"


    And before Bernard could finish his words, the sound of thunder reverberated through the empty sky of the t, signaling the start of battle.


    "What do we do!? What''s the n!?"


    "Bulwark," and instead of a n, Bernard just uttered a single name. And while the thunder signaled the start of the battle¡­


    ¡­Bulwark''s name signaled the end of it.


    The sound of thunder was not even done echoing, but the Spawn Point in which Earth was on was now surrounded by an ocean of golden light. An ocean, perhaps almost literally as it drowned everything and everyone it nketed.


    And at the end of the thunder, everyone and everything was gone.


    "This round is just a courtesy, Tempo," Bulwark snapped his fingers, causing the ocean of light to wither away, "A way not to be rude to the other races and let them participate at the start¡ªit is already quite obvious that the Tournament''s stage is for the Higher Races."


    "Well¡­" Bernard shook his head, "...I think differently. They did this to show the other races how strong we actually are, to show why we belong to the Higher Races, and remind them of our differences. Remember, the entire Known Universe is watching right now¡­


    ¡­Let''s make ourselves known."


    [Spawn Points 1, 2, and 14¡ªVictors have been decided. Get ready to be transported to the next arena.]


    "3¡­" Tempo looked at the Messengers as they once again spoke, "...I''m guessing the other two are Megawoman''s group and the Evaniels?"


    "Wait, we didn''t even fucking get to warm up!?" Hannah batted her eyes as she looked at the now empty field, "You should have at least left a group or two, Bulwark!"


    "I doubt those guys would have been a warm-up for any of us," Hera just sighed as she reced the sunsses she was wearing with a bigger one, "And if you fought, then we would have probably been disqualified for someone."


    "Wha¡ªExcuse me? My control is fucking awesome!"


    "That''s not what I meant," Hera scoffed, "I am not saying this to sound arrogant or confident, but the supers from Earth are¡­ too strong for most of the other species. I realized this when I went on a little space escapade with your psychopath brother."


    "...So I was worried for nothing?" Tempo let out a sigh of relief, "So, is it only the themarians and the Evaniels we need to worry about?"


    "I don''t think so," Bernard shook his head as he started looking around, "The themarians and evaniels are there."


    He then pointed at two locations, each on the other side of the t, "But I sense different surges of energy on all the 20 Spawn Points, the number of races belonging to the Higher Races should not exceed 10¡­ so no, Tempo¡­"


    And before Bernard could finish his words, his and the other''s visions suddenly shifted¡ªwhat was once an empty field that surrounded them, now avish and vast hall that exuded a weird¡­ vibrance. Weird in a way that only parts of the hall were lit up, with the parts having apletely different aesthetic from the other lit-up areas. A different floor, a different table, and even different tes.


    ¡­We need to worry about everyone that wins this round."


    "Well, well¡ªLook who the broken leg dragged in, the Humans."


    And one of the areas that happened to be lit up¡­ were shining on the Evaniels. And the other, a group of people coveredpletely in robes.

 Chapter 777 777: Unlucky

    <h4>Chapter 777 Chapter 777: Unlucky</h4>


    "Well, well¡ªlook who the broken leg dragged in, the Humans."


    The floor that the Evaniels were standing on was seemingly made of metal. Their table was also made with a single b of silver metal,pletely reminiscent of the Evaniel''s culture and architecture.


    And of course, Earth''s section also reflected their culture.


    "...Isn''t this the table from Charlotte''s desert store?" Hannah quickly recognized their table, "Wh¡ª"


    "I said, Well, well¡­ look who the broken leg dragged in!"


    And as Hannah and the others still tried to figure out where they were, one of the champions from the Evaniels once again raised her voice¡ªeven approaching Earth''s table.


    "Princess Vera," Bernard was the first to acknowledge Vera''s presence, bowing to her before doing the Evaniel''s salute, "It is an honor to once again meet you, and you too, Your Majesty."


    Bernard also turned to look at Queen Vania, who bowed her head back before she gestured to the other evaniels to just sit down at their designated table.


    "Hm," Princess Vera crossed her arms, before just letting out a sigh and shaking her head, "Where is Riley Ross? Where''s your brother?"


    "Believe me, I also want to know," Hannah also bowed her head to Vera, although a little reluctantly.


    "Do not tell me he will not be participating in this match?" Vera''s green hair, as well as the tattoos on her body, started to flicker as her voice went deep, "My mother may have pardoned him for his crimes, but our grudge¡ªmy grudge still remains. I will avenge the death of my brother and my men¡­ but where is he?"


    "Vera, please calm down."


    "Hm?" Hera could not help but raise an eyebrow as she saw Tempo suddenly moving in front of Vera.


    "We really don''t know where Riley is," Tempo grabbed one of Vera''s hands, "We are as confused as you here."


    "..." Hera''s eyes started to squint as she looked back and forth between Vera and Tempo.


    "..." Vera also squinted her eyes as she looked at Tempo''s hand, before just letting out a sigh and pulling away, "If Riley is not here, then perhaps we could join our tables. What do you say, Mother?"


    "That is fine with me," Queen Vania nodded, "Only if it is fine with the humans?"


    "It is," Bernard also nodded¡ªand as soon as he did so, the light that shone upon both the evaniels and humans connected; their floors, also mysteriously moving closer to each other until their tables connected and merged,


    "I heard you and Empress got into another argument?" Bernard once again bowed to Queen Vania.


    "Yes," Queen Vania sighed, "I invited her to a birthday and she did not¡ª"


    "Wait."


    But before the two groups could start greeting each other with smiles on their faces, Hannah raised her hand. The others looked at her, expecting her to disagree with this arrangement, but no¡ªher eyes weren''t even on them, but on the other group that had just been quietly minding their own business.


    "..."


    Hannah has actually been looking at them from the start¡ªand not even once have they moved a single inch or even uttered a word to each other. They just stood there quietly with their heads down. And with the robes they were wearing, no one could really see what they looked like.


    "I was expecting Megawoman''s group to be the other one," Hannah started walking toward the mysterious group, "But the themarians won''t hide themselves in robes."


    "Hm¡­" Bernard, Queen Vania, and the others all quietly agreed with Hannah as they too, all focused their attention on the mysterious group.


    "You know who likes to quietly sit on the side and not move even a single inch?" Hannah then let out a small smile as she stood in front of the mysterious group, who did not even have a table whatsoever for some reason,


    "My brother!"


    And with her voice raised, Hannah then walked toward one of the robed figures, the one whose white hair was slightly flowing out from their robes, and pulled on their hood revealing¡­


    ¡­someone else and not Riley.


    "Wh¡­" Hannah could really only take a step back as the white-haired man looked at her. And as he did so, his otherrades also pulled down their hoods, revealing faces that Hannah did not recognize. They all looked like they were from Earth, if Earth had people with different hair colors that seemed like they were drawn on by colorful crayons, that is.


    "Did you want something from us, child?" The oldest one from the group, ady with purple hair that looked almost like it did not reflect light, was the first to speak to Hannah. Oldest, yes¡ªbut she seemed to just be the same age as Hera, while the others literally almost looked younger than Hannah. Besides their colorful hair, none of them really stood out; their faces, all seemingly average.


    "N¡­no," Hannah let out an awkward smile, "Sorry. I thought you were someone I knew, he¡­ hehe."


    And with an even awkward chuckle, Hannah awkwardly stepped back and returned to Bernard and the others. She did not even say anything anymore and just sat down, burying her face on the table in shame.


    As for the robed group, they just looked at each other, before once again just turning their heads down and not saying anything.


    "Are¡­ they possiblymunicating telepathically? Interesting," Bulwark was slightly amused by the mysterious group.


    "Who knows," Hera just shrugged before looking at Hannah, "What I do know is that I don''t need to be a telepath to feel what Hannah''s feeling right now. That was¡­ totally embarrassing."


    "Shut the fuck up," Hannah''s muffled words transferred throughout the entire table as her head remained nted on it, "Just talk to me when it''s time to fight and just leave me¡ª"


    And before Hannah could wallow and drown herself further, another spotlight shed and lit up another part of thevish hall.


    "Ah, Mom!" And almost as if there to rescue her from the awkwardness of it all, Diana and the other themarians appeared. And almost immediately, the themarians'' table crawled toward the merged table of the evaniels and humans, but before it could fully merge, Queen Adel grabbed the table and stopped it from moving any further.


    "This is not a friendlypetition," Queen Adel then turned to look at Hannah and the other earthlings, and when she realized Riley was not there, she ced her attention to Queen Vania,


    "But a reminder of who it is that is truly on top of the universe''s food chain."


    "The food chain?" Queen Vera stood up to meet Queen Adel''s eyes, "I know that the themarians are barbaric and think themselves to be superior to everyone else, but to think you eat other intelligent species is a surprise to me."


    "You speak so casually for a race that was almost wiped out by my ancestors," Queen Adel smiled, "I would lower my head if I were you."


    "That was a million years ago. Evaniels have grown stronger since¡­ while you themarians have remained¡­ stale," Queen Vania also smiled.


    And while the two Queens were sizing themselves up, Hannah''s eyes were once again focused on a robed individual.


    Diana was already talking with Bernard, Aerith was speaking with Silvie, and there was a male themarian that Hannah did not recognize¡­ and then finally, someone who was covered in robes.


    Could it be¡­?


    "Riley!?" And so, once again, Hannah brazenly approached the themarians'' table. Once again pulling down the hood of another robed individual, "What are you doing on the themarian''s si¡ªOh."


    And once again, her luck was overshadowed by her rudeness as the robed individual was not in fact Riley¡­


    ¡­but the other princess of Theran, Princess Esme.

 Chapter 778 778: The Participants

    <h4>Chapter 778 Chapter 778: The Participants</h4>


    "Princes¡­ Esme?"


    And once again, Hannah points her head down in shame as she once again pulled the hood of a stranger open. She had met Esme before, of course, but really only from afar. She might as well be one of the people from the group without a table.


    "S¡­ sorry, I got the wrong person again¡­ fuck," Hannah''s voice practically turned into a whisper as she reached herst word. She was about to head back to her seat again, but instead turned to look at Esme,


    "Are you¡­ okay now?"


    Esme was the only survivor from New Theran, and the fact that she survived was a testament to how strong she really was. But throughout the moments that Hannah saw her the past five years, she had always been either asleep or too weak to even talk or walk¡ªHannah sees her as¡­ fragile.


    A symbol of what Riley did.


    "I am not okay, Diana''s daughter," Esme looked to the side as she spoke to Hannah, "Even now, I could still feel the effects of the EDP running through my skin."


    "Then¡­ why are you here?" Hannah softly said, "You should be resting."


    "I am tired, yes. But I have had enough rest already," Esme shook her head, before standing up and reminding everyone how tall she actually was¡ªher stomach, almost hitting Hannah on the face, and the only reason it did not was¡­ because she was too thin, extremely so,


    "Unlike Hel, I am the only survivor of my father''s empire¡ªI have the obligation to resurrect what my ancestors have built, and to recover my people."


    The tone of Esme''s voice was as monotonous as it was before, but even a deaf man could hear how much she was struggling just from her breaths alone. Even then, however, the glimmer in her eyes was enough for everyone to see her conviction.


    "Resurrect¡­" Hannah whispered.


    "You seem to want to ask how I intend to do that, Diana''s daughter?" Esme tilted her head to the side, "How am I going to rebuild my empire when I am the only one left of my people?"


    "...Yes?" Hannah nodded. She was not really curious about it, as her mind was too busy trying to remind herself that her brother had a hand in the death of her people.


    "I do not care for the structure of one''s DNA," Esme shook her head, "Unlike Queen Adel, I have no more people left, I have already epted that¡ªand from the start, I am different from the rest of the themarians. I only want to rebuild my empire, those who wish to join are wee to join¡­


    ¡­even you, Riley''s sister."


    "Hm¡­" Hannah once again could really only nod her head. She thought of things to say to her but just walked away with a heavy breath. Not before, of course, also bowing to Queen Adel. Adel, however,pletely ignored her as she continued having a¡­ civilized debate with the Queen of Evaniels.


    "Where''s the other Mega¡ªWhere''s Edith?" Hannah did not really return to her seat but just approached Silvie, "I was sure she was going to join."


    "Oh, Queen Adel did not really permit her to join," Silvie leaned closer to Hannah to whisper as quietly as she could.


    "What? So Queen Adel abandoned another daughter of hers?" Hannah, on the other hand, did not.


    "Shh!" Silvie quickly pulled Hannah away to the dark parts of the hall, "No¡ªand please lower your voice, there''s enough tension on the team already. Well¡­ I guess we''re a team? I don''t really know exactly since everyone''s just doing their own thing."


    "Yeah, I could tell," Hannah nced at the themarian''s table, only to see them just doing their own thing, "And who''s the guy?"


    "I don''t really know¡­?" Silvie hesitantly said, "Queen Adel just randomly chose him since we were running out of time on who to choose as thest champion. You have no idea how chaotic it was.


    "Mom, Megawoman, and Queen Adel? I think I have an idea," Hannah softly chuckled, "Anyway¡­ how''s Esme?"


    "Strong," Silvie answered without any hesitation, "Don''t let her looks and demeanor fool you, Hannah. Even now when she''s¡­ nerfed, she''s still physically the strongest themarian."


    "Nerf¡­? That''s a word I didn''t expect to hear from you," Hannah once again chuckled, but abruptly stopped as she shook her head, "Speaking of being nerfed, what took you guys so fucking long? I was expecting you to be with us as the first ones to clear the preliminaries. Instead, we got¡­ those guys over there."


    "Well¡­" Silvie looked at the weird group who was hurdled together without a table, "...We did not really fight¡ªNo, we didn''t really do anything, we just let the other groups hit us until they realized it was futile and they surrendered on their own. I think most of the Higher Races are doing just that."


    "Huh, that''s¡­ passive as fuck," Hannah sighed, "But I guess I should have expected that from the group that had Megawoman and Megagirl."


    "Honestly¡­ I''m terrified of your mom."


    "My mom?" Hannah let out a small scoff as she looked at Diana, but quickly turned around to look Silvie in the eyes, "You should be. She was already scary even before she outed herself as a themarian, be careful around her¡­ she used to lock me up when I was¡ª"


    "I did not lock you up in anything."


    "..." Both Hannah''s and Silvie''s eyes turned wide as Diana suddenly appeared behind Hannah.


    "Your friend might start thinking I''m a strict mother," Diana let out a small giggle while covering her lips, "Do you think you would have kept your foul mouth if I actually was strict?"


    "I¡­ I actually don''t think you were strict at all, Diana," Silvie forced out an awkward chuckle, "I¡­I would have been lucky if I had a mother like you."


    "Oh¡­" Diana''s eyebrows quickly rose up as she suddenly hugged Silvie.


    "Mom, stop¡­ that''s emba¡ª" And before Hannah could say anything, Diana also pulled her close and hugged her as well.


    "It''s okay, Silvie," Diana nodded several times as she embraced the two, "I know Aerith is a bad mother, but I''m here¡­ okay?"


    "That''s¡­ that''s not what I meant at all!" Silvie''s eyes once again turned wide, "Aerith is not¡ª"


    But s, before Silvie could correct anyone, another group emerged victorious and appeared, adding more light to thevish hall¡­ perhaps too much light.


    "What the shit?" Hannah raised an eyebrow as she looked at the new arrivals¡­ before looking at Bulwark, "Bulwark! It''s your family."


    "Please tell your daughter not to do that."


    "The resemnce¡­ is uncanny."


    Bulwark wanted to protest, but no one seemed to be on his side. And at this point, even he himself was having doubts¡ªhow could he not, when the champions that just arrived¡­ truly and absolutely resembled him?


    It was the race widely known as the Proxina, Elder Apo, and his kind. And Bulwark was not the only one staring at them, they were also staring at Bulwark.


    "So¡­" Tempo moved beside Bulwark, "...I hate to agree with the others, Mr. B, but¡­ I think you might be an alien."


    "I am not."


    "Don''t worry, there''s no shame in that. I''m an alien too, I don''t have a US Visa," Tempo proudly nodded his head.


    "Wait, what!?" Hera, of course, heard that, "Then how did we even get married!?"


    "...I''m Tempo and you''re Hera."


    And while the air of chaos very slowly started to be mixed in the air, more and more groups of champions started to appear.


    "Apo!? You got here before me!?" The Poryans, Elder S''adar''s species¡ªall of them with spikes as their hair and tails almost as long as their body.


    The Xanix, a dying species belonging to the Higher Races. Their bodies were special, in a way that their people did not really have a single body. They take the shape of a humanoid, but they are not. Their bodies are a collection of miniature flying bugs the size of an ant. In short, each of their people was a sort of hive. Hannah decided to avoid them as much as possible.


    The Lyrins, their bodies werepletely transparent, with only a single of their organs shown¡ªtheir glowing heart. Hannah was mesmerized about them for some reason.


    The Bigans, they had hair that resembled that of grass; their skin, almost paper-like. Aside from their random number of arms, they were humanoids. And apparently, they only eat their own kind; as to how Hannah knew that, well, they told everyone there.


    The Gabis, skin darker than even space itself. If it wasn''t for the light that was shining down on them, Hannah would have probably never noticed them¡ªeven now, they just looked like characters from fighting games that haven''t been unlocked yet.


    More and more came, and although most shared a humanoid shape, everyone was unique in their own ways that Hannahpletely lost track of everything and just stared at all the new people now filling the hall. And now, with only two left remaining that were still fighting for their spot in the Tournament, the hall was almostpletely lit up.


    Seeing all of these different racesing together, Hannah could not help but just wonder how vast the universe truly is¡­


    ¡­and there are other universes out there with different versions of them all? In times like this¡­ Hannah just wished to go back to the Academy and just be a clueless trainee again.


    But then, as she once again stared at all the other races around her, she was also reminded of why she was there in the first ce.


    "Riley¡­ is still not here."


    And as another light flickered into existence in the hall, everyone turned to look¡­


    ¡­and there they are.


    The Norids, the most peaceful species in the entire universe.


    "Of course¡­" Hannah grumbled as she rolled her eyes,


    "...that fucker is going to appearst."

 Chapter 779 779: The Complicated Relations... And What The Hell, Riley?

    "The¡­ Norids."


    "It''s the Norids."


    There were 18 other groups of champions inside the colorful andvish hall. And yet right now, all of their attention was on a single group¡ªthe Norids. At first, all of them were staring at the Themarians. After all, they were literal gods in a way.


    And also, the news was widespread that their species were almostpletely wiped out, and some of them wanted to offer their condolences as well as anger to the previous Elders who plotted it. But s¡­ no one really approached as Queen Adel did not seem to be in the mood at all¡ªstill, they wanted to get their attention.


    Of course, the evaniels were also there. But it also did not seem to be a good time to approach them¡­ since their Queen was having a staring contest with the Themarian''s Queen. There were many others from the Higher Races there, but the champions of the Common Races did not really have a problem in trying to approach them.


    But now, with the arrival of the Norids, all of their attention was ced upon them. How could they not, when the Norids are known for their inherent passiveness? Their species can not feel or even think of any acts of violence; violence literally does not exist in their nature.


    But of course, there existed a deviant among them¡ªthe Bounty Hunter Kerrigan. He was but a single man, and yet he became one of the most wanted fugitives in the history of the Known Universe.


    Violence is not in the Norids'' nature, but they were extremely powerful; incredibly so. There have even been debates that have started a million years ago that if the Norids were capable of violence, then the evaniels, or even the reclusive themarians would not be a match for them.


    And if the race''s other deviant, the colossal Elder Tedi, were to lose control of herself, then the entire universe will be in jeopardy.


    Luckily for the entire universe, it truly is impossible for Norids to be violent¡­


    ¡­so what were they doing in this Tournament, exactly?


    "So, Elder Tedi is truly not with you all, Medi."


    "..."


    And as one of the reclusive themarians approached the norids, most of the champions in the hall held their breaths¡ªif their species could breathe, that is.


    "Dr. Diana."


    Like Tedi, the norids that were present in the Hall of Champions werepletely covered in silver. Their skin, silver. Their eyes, hair, silver. Even the clothes they were wearing seemed part of their skin.


    "It is truly regretful that Elder Tedi''s¡­ unique body gets in the way of certain activities."


    "..." Diana''s eyebrows quickly lowered as soon as she noticed the other norids nodding their heads. The others wouldpletely miss it, but not Diana. She had spent a long time with the emotionless Norids¡­ to know that they were capable of showing contempt,


    "That is true," Diana could really only smile, "Her unique body also made her the smartest Norid in history. Perhaps our next research should be on how to replicate Elder Tedi''s uniqueness so that it would flourish in the next generation."


    "..."


    "I will talk to all of youter, Medi, doctors," Diana then nodded before quickly turning around and walking away, making sure she wouldn''t be able to hear the norid''s obvious disgust and contempt against Elder Tedi. Diana had been working on research with Tedi for 5 years now¡ªand during that time, they have easily be friends due to the knowledge they share with each other, and that was extremely valuable to her¡­


    ¡­valuable enough to get fired up and try to beat the norids senseless when the timees.


    "Those¡­ are Elder Tedi''s people?"


    "They seem like ass."


    And as soon as Diana returned to her table, Bernard and Hannah quickly approached her.


    "Tedi''s quite friendly once you get to know her but those guys are¡­ well, they seem like ass," Hannah repeated her words as she subtly nced at the norids.


    "They are a species without emotions, child." And surprisingly, it was not Diana who answered Hannah, but Queen Adel, "The way they think, all the way down to the way they act could not be judged by you and me."


    "...Right."


    "And please, return to your tables¡ªthey are there for a reason," Queen Adel then gestured to Diana to ask her family to leave, "We all know the demon you spawned is about to arrive."


    "Speaking of which¡­" Hannah, despite clearly seeing the Queen asking them to leave, even sat on the table as she turned her head to a particr group, "...Have you guys talked with them yet?"


    Both Diana and Queen Adel turned their attention to where Hannah was pointing, only to see a group of humanoid champions with extremely pale skin and white hair just quietly staying put at their table, with one of them quickly looking away as soon as she noticed the themarians looking at her.


    "Those are¡­ the Bins, right? Albinos, Bins, Riley''s¡­ clone race," Hannah squinted her eyes as she looked at each of the champions of the Bins, "It feels really really fucking weird looking at a bunch of people that somewhat resembles Riley. No¡­ they are practically just albinos at this point."


    "Hannah," Diana quickly gestured to Hannah to return to the humans'' table, "Listen to Her Highness."


    "Okay, okay. I''m just saying¡­" Hannah raised her hands as she started walking back to her seat, "...There seems to be a lot of personal tension here. Which is fucking valid, of course. A race of Riley is¡­ well, it''s just fucked up no matter how you look at it."


    And so, with Hannah returning to her seat, everyone was once again right where they were supposed to be. Like the Evaniels and the Humans, there were also other tables that have been merged together¡ªlike Elder S''adar and Elder Apo''s tables, indicating that the species were friends with each other.


    This caused the other races to also ce their attention on the Humans.


    "That''s¡­ the youngest addition to the Higher Races, right?"


    "They seem to be close with both the evaniels and the themarians¡­ just where did they pop out from?"


    "Where else? The Unknown, the universe is still filled with mystery, my friend."


    "They do not seem to be that strong, or technologically advanced."


    The other races started whispering to each other¡ªand with the hall as closed as it could be and with their words automatically tranted, Hannah and the others could clearly hear what all of them were saying.


    "They¡­ seemedpletely uninformed about us," Tempo scratched his chin.


    "Of course, Tempo¡ªthe universe does not revolve around us," Bulwark breathed out, "You do not even know the names of most of the races in this hall, how do you expect them to know about us?"


    "Uhm¡­ Riley Ross?" Tempo shrugged, "Didn''t he do that entire broadcast thing when he literally annihted the people responsible for the death of Megawoman''s people?"


    "You can ask Whiteking about that," Bulwark scoffed as he looked at Bernard.


    "I¡­" Bernard chuckled, "...might have hacked into several servers to blur out Riley''s face and delete some footage."


    "Of other aliens?" Tempo blinked, "...Why?"


    "Habit," Bernard sighed.


    "Makes you wonder just how many more horrid crimes his sonmitted that are not known in public," Hera''s skin literally shivered as she slightly moved her seat away from Bernard.


    "Wait, wait¡­" Tempo stretched his arms across the table to get everyone''s attention, "...So are you telling me¡­


    ¡­that most of the aliens here don''t know who or what Riley is?"


    "..."


    "...Oh."


    "I could see how that would be a problem," Bernard ced his hand on his chin, "It should be alright."


    "No, it''s not¡­" Tempo looked at the others, "...What the fuck is wrong with your family?"


    "Rx, Tempo," Hera rolled her eyes, "Riley''s cool once you get to know him."


    "Why does it seem like you like the boy?" Tempo scoffed, "And it''s not just now, I''ve noticed that when you returned from your space escapade. Don''t tell me¡­ you and Riley have something?"


    "The fuck?" Hera raised an eyebrow as her skin started to turn gray, "You really should learn how to shut your mouth, little Jay."


    "Don''t call me that."


    "And if there is anything going on here, it is with you and that green-haired princess."


    "Princess Vera? W¡­ what?" Tempo quickly scoffed as he looked at Vera. He was about to say something, but as soon as he noticed Vera also looking in his direction, his lips stayed shut.


    "See!? I fucking knew that you were cheating on¡ª"


    And before Hera could say what she wanted to say, thest remaining light finally flickered. And as soon as it did so, almost all of the champions from the Higher Races stopped whatever they were doing and all ced their attention on the new table that emerged from the ground¡­


    ¡­a table seemingly made of skulls.


    And soon, thest champions appeared¡­ all covered in blood.


    "!!!"


    The groups that were near the ominous table all either quickly walked or floated away from the new champions. Not just because of the blood, but because they recognized some of the members of thest group.


    The woman that terrorized the entire Known Universe for thousands of years, the Ouw with the most bounty on her head, the Pirate Queen Xra.


    Her alone was enough to cause everyone near the newly arrived group to tremble, but no¡ªthere was someone else with them, something else.


    A humanoid, whose silhouette waspletely pink, and skin that seemed alive. All of them recognized what it was¡­ the Eater of Stars, the Pink Fluff¡­


    ¡­The Cherbi.


    "What the fuck, Riley¡­?" Hannah could really only let out a small chuckle as she saw this,


    "...What are you doing now?"

 Chapter 780 780: Those Who Are Alone

    ?


    "Cherbi¡­? The Cherbi!?"


    "Is that even allowed? What could it even be representing?"


    And once again, not even a second after making his appearance, the white-skinned man brought with him an air of chaos. Their table waspletely rxed, with none of them even looking at the other tables¡ªthe other tables, however, werepletely stunned. Most of them were quiet, but some of them werepletely vocal in expressing their distress as they stared at the Pink Fluff.


    No, perhaps calling it the pink fluff was no longer valid, as it no longer retained its spherical and soft shape. It had arms and legs now, resembling a human as much as it could. But s, aside from its ck eyes that were more like marbles, it did not even have a single orifice on its body¡ªit was just pink; its skin, simr to millions of small tendrils all moving on their own.


    But they know, everyone knows what it is even with this humanoid form¡­and it''s with the Pirate Queen Xra?


    What sort of team is that? Both Star Harvesters are in a single group, beings that have terrorized the Known Universe for thousands of years, who even allowed this setup?


    One would be lucky, or unlucky to even meet any of these two in one''s lifetime, and yet here they are.


    Even some of the Higher Races were on edge, even Queen Adel. How could she not, when her son died ying hero trying to stop this living cmity?


    "What even is this madness?" Queen Adel stood up from her seat and she looked to the end of the hall, "How could the Common Council allow such a farce to even happen? Do you not respect that someone such as I have even graced all of you with my presence?"


    "Woman please, you''re not that special," Queen Vania''s green hair slightly lit up as she too, stood up again, not allowing Queen Adel to have a higher eye level than her. But after a few seconds, she also looked at the direction Adel was looking, "But just this once, I do agree with your statement."


    "..."


    What they were looking at was just a spot of darkness in the now lit-up hall, but there was someone there¡ªsomething there that refuses to make itself known for now. The others were curious as to what the champions of the Higher Races were looking at, but they were once again jolted when a sound of¡­ softughter started to whisper in their ears. The whisper,ing from the only table they did not wish to actually hear a sound from.


    All of them very slowly turned to look at the table, only to see one of them finally sitting at the table dedicated to them. Something was wrong, however.


    The table of skulls wasrge, but there was only a single chair. And it was not Pirate Queen Xra sitting on it, not even the Cherbi.


    It was a white-haired humanoid that most of them had not even seen before. The sound that they heard, actuallying from him.


    "Oh¡­?" Riley was not even able to lean his back on his chair made of skulls before he noticed everyone looking at him,


    "Could it be I have something on my face?" He said as blood dripped from his chin, "Could you perhaps remove it for me, Pirate Queen Xra?"


    "..." Pirate Queen Xra did not really say anything, just shaking her head and sighing before snapping her fingers. And as she did so, the blood that painted the faces of Riley''s grouppletely withered away without a trace, finally revealing everyone''s faces.


    "Did¡­ the Pirate Queen just follow that man''s orders?"


    "Who is he?"


    "He¡­ looks familiar. I feel like I have seen him before."


    The champions that wanted to move their tables away from Riley''s table were now nted on their seats; their eyes, ears, or whatever senses they used were all pointed at Riley.


    "No, seriously, I feel like I have seen the man before. I just can''t quite put my tentacle on it."


    "Wait, him? It''s him!"


    "That table seems to know who it is."


    "He''s the one who killed the previous Elders!"


    "Something like that happened? Why don''t I know that?"


    "Don''t listen to him, their race is known for lying."


    Everyone was curious as to who he could be, but no one really dared to move closer, however. Well, no one except for one.


    "Riley, what the fuck are you nning now?"


    Everyone made sure to face their seats as Hannah approached Riley''s table, "Shouldn''t you be representing Eart¡ª"


    But before Hannah could actually hit her brother on the head, Cherbi suddenly blocked her path.


    "The fuck?" Hannah raised an eyebrow as she stared back at this weird pink entity, whose head was slowly tilting to the side as it seemed to look at Hannah from head to toe, "Who the fuck is this supposed to be?"


    "Cherbi." And to everyone''s surprise, Cherbi actually answered; it''s voice, somewhat resembling that of a human boy, "I am Cherbi. You are Hannah Ross."


    "You¡­ know who I am?" Hannah''s eyes very slowly squinted as she felt a little of her energy subtly flowing out from her body.


    "Hannah Ross, sister of the Creator of Rolly," Cherbi nodded.


    "Roll¡ªnever mind. Riley?" Hannah leaned to the side to look at Riley as she pointed to Cherbi.


    Riley just nodded his head, and Cherbi quickly moved to the side to make way.


    "What the fuck is¡ªYou!?" And before Hannah could take another step forward, another individual caught her eye¡ªa woman she had only really met briefly, but left an evesting impression on her that she will never really forget. How could she¡­ when it was the woman version of Gary?


    "What the fu¡ªwhat are you¡­ even doing here?" Hannah didn''t really know how to address Gracy. On one hand, they were total strangers. On the other, she''s literally female Gary; albeit hotter than one would expect.


    "I¡­ came to participate?" Gracy awkwardly chuckled, "Riley here asked for me. And since I don''t really have anything to do on my. I figured¡ª"


    "You''re from another universe, Gracy," Hannah blinked, "I don''t think you''re allowed to join¡­?"


    "Well¡­"


    "It is fine, sister," Riley raised a hand as she gestured to Hannah toe forward, "I have already asked the Common Council for permission, and they approved my team."


    "...What?"


    Queen Adel, who was intensely listening from the themarians'' table, could not help but raise an eyebrow as she once again focused her attention on Queen Vania,


    "The devil child is saying you approved of this, Your Highness. Can you exin that?"


    "What!? I did not approve of anything!" Queen Vania lightly mmed her fist on the table.


    "Well, someone in the Common Council did," Queen Adel scoffed before once again putting her attention on Riley.


    "What crazy and fucked up stunt are you even pulling now? And did you fucking kill anyone during the battle royale?" Hannah looked at the blood that didn''t wither away on the floor.


    "Do not be silly, sister. That is against the rules," Riley waved his hand and chuckled.


    "And what the fuck even is this? What or civilization are you guys even representing?"


    "I am d you asked, sister," a small smile started to crawl on Riley''s face as he finally leaned his back on his throne, "We represent all those who do not have a ce in this universe. Those who have either been shunned, feared, abhorred, whether it is because of their own doing, or they have just been unlucky to be born that way."


    "Wait¡­ what?" Gracy''s eyes quickly turned wide, "I thought this was supposed to be the popr group!? I''m not a loner!"


    "Those who are alone, and will always be alone until the end of time," Rileypletely ignored Gracy''s words as he rested his cheek on his fist, "We are¡­


    ¡­the Strays."


    And as soon as Riley uttered those words, all of his group members huddled to his position, with Gracy even randomly undressing her top out of nowhere, leaving her with a bikini top that had the initials M and W on each cup as she went behind Riley and leaned over the back of his throne. And with her breasts being¡­ decently sized, there were even alien eyes that were looking at her.


    Cherbi pointed his palm up, dabbing as he stood beside Riley. As for Pirate Queen Xra, she just shook her head and crossed her arms.


    "What¡­ are you guys even doing?" Hannah squinted her eyes as she looked at Riley''s team. And soon, her eyesnded on someone she hadn''t really seen before, but seemed eerily familiar,


    "And you¡­ Do I know you?"


    It was a man wearing a blue-orange two-tone cap; his hands also stretched to the side as he also stood beside Riley.


    "We have met a couple of times, Ms. Hannah Ross from Whiteroad Drive," the man tilted his cap.


    "...What?" Hannah raised an eyebrow as she heard the man''s words, "How do you¡ªwait¡­wait. What the fuck¡­?" And very soon, she realized who the man was. She was wrong, she had seen him a couple of times before, and in front of her house at that,


    "You!?"


    "Hm," the man whose face was beyond average winked, "I always kept your package secure, Ms. Hannah Ross¡ªeven though some are weirdly shaped, I take it upon myself to make them more discrete¡ª"


    "Wait, wait¡­"


    "Thank you for always trusting us with your packages, we have always stayed No. 1 because of you," the Delivery Man bowed his head, "Delivering to you, anywhere in the world...


    ...no matter what."


    "What¡­ the fuck?"

 Chapter 781 781: Delivering What Now?

    <h4>Chapter 781 Chapter 781: Delivering What Now?</h4>


    "Wait, wait, wait¡­ Just fucking wait."


    "Of course. You will always have 15 minutes to im your express package until we attempt to deliver it again the next day, no matter what."


    "O¡­kay. Riley."


    "Hm?"


    Riley stood up from his seat as Hannah gestured to him to follow her. The two of them, moving to an area of the hall that was still slightly dark and away from prying ears and eyes.


    "Why the fuck are you involving a normal person here?" Hannah quickly pulled Riley closer as she whispered loudly in his ear, "Everyone''s already on edge because of you, and you do something like this? Ask them to take the poor guy back home."


    "I can''t do that, sister," Riley quickly shook his head as he nced at the Delivery Man, "He is now part of our team."


    "I don''t fucking care, he''s a normal human," Hannah gritted her teeth, "Please, stop involving innocent people already. We all know you''re evil, we all know you''re the fucking edge god, but please¡­don''t involve the guy. Why didn''t you just invite someone else? Katherine? Tomoe? Or better yet, Chihiro."


    "I was initially going to give the spot to Chihiro, sister. Since she is technically now one of us, a stray in her own world," Riley let out a small but deep sigh, "But I am afraid it was already toote when she got back from Machina''s realm, so I had to invite someone that could get here in at¡­ an express time."


    "...What? What do you mean¡ªwait, wait¡­"


    "You have been telling us to wait since earlier, sister. Is there something wrong?"


    "You, you''re what''s wrong, Riley," Hannah groaned, "But wait¡­ what do you mean ''get here in an express time''?"


    "Hm," Riley nodded to himself as he once again nced at the Delivery Man, who tilted his cap in response, "The Messenger came for us and brought us here while we were still missing our 5th member, Hannah."


    "Are you saying the delivery man didn''te with you to¡­ wherever this t is?" Hannah''s eyes turned wide as she also nced at the Delivery Man.


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "As I said, we needed a 5th member before the start of the eliminations¡ªand the only person I know that could get to me anywhere in less than 5 minutes, no matter what, is Mr. Man."


    "Are you saying not only did the delivery man travel to god knows where across the universe, he also did it in less than 5 minutes?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "Mr. Man has never failed toplete a delivery, so I asked him to deliver me the championship, sister."


    "Okay, this is getting so fucking ridiculous that I feel like I''m fucking dreaming right now," Hannah could really only release the deepest breath she could as she looked at the delivery man from head to toe, "So¡­ you''re a super?"


    "I don''t know," the Delivery Man shrugged, "I just deliver, no matter what."


    "And what''s your name?"


    "Delivery,st name Man."


    "Of course, Delivery Man," Hannah could really only force out a chuckle as she gestured to¡­ Delivery, "So, what''s your ability then? Superspeed? Teleportation?"


    "You can call me Del," Del once again shrugged, "And I don''t what my powers are, Ms. Ross¡ªI just know that I deliver, no matt¡ª"


    "Yeah, yes. I know. No matter what," Hannah shook her head, "I think the most important thing is that do you want to be here? Does Riley have someone you love hostage, or is he threatening you to join the team?"


    "Not at all, Ms. Hannah. I am here to fulfill my delivery, nothing else, no matter what," Del once again tilted his cap.


    "...Right."


    "You do not have to worry about Mr. Man, sister," Riley returned to his throne, "He is strong. He even delivered a package for me when I was in Shirtless Hannah''s penthouse."


    "...That''s in another universe."


    "Yes."


    "What the fuck¡­?" Hannah then looked at Gracy, "...Are you sure you''re going to be okay in this team?"


    "Yeah, sure," Gracy shrugged, "I''m not a loner, though. But I am part of the elite and mysterious team that will sweep the entire Tournament. The underdogs, shrouded in mystery."


    "You are definitely not the underdogs," Hannah looked at the other tables, only to see them fully invested in her conversation with Riley''s table, "I don''t think you really understand what kind of team you have, Gracy. If you wanted mysterious, you should be on that team."


    "Hm?" Gracy looked at where Hannah was pointing, only to see a group without a table, all huddled closely together and just¡­ breathing, "...I''m not that weird."


    "..." Riley also turned to look at the group, tilting his head to the side while squinting his eyes. And as he did so, each of the members of the group also all looked at him.


    "Fuck, they''re even creepier than you, Riley," Hannah breathed out as she started walking away, "Anyway, good luck. All of us are¡­ going to need it."


    And with those words, Hannah returned back to her seat, causing those who were eavesdropping to all look away and pretend that they all did not just listen in on the conversation that just happened.


    "You said you did not want to stand out, child," and with Hannah gone, Pirate Queen Xra broke her silence as she sat on the table in front of Riley, nting her foot on the armrest, "I do not know if the definition has been lost in time or trantion, but we are absolutely standing out."


    "It is just the curse we hold as outcasts, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley sighed, "We are destined to be looked upon."


    "No matter what," Del continued Riley''s words as he smiled.


    "Have I told you before that you look familiar?" Xra squinted her eyes as she looked at Del, "I am trying to read your mind, but the only thing I can see is¡­ now."


    "Hm," Del once again only shrugged.


    "And you," Xra folded her arms as she looked at Cherbi, "Just¡­ do whatever it is you do."


    "Yes, Sarah."


    "Tch¡­" Xra''s left eye started to twitch as her name was once again mispronounced. She was about to say something, but she suddenly looked toward the dark side of the hall; where Queen Adel and Queen Vania also turned to look earlier,


    "...Someone''s here."


    And as soon as she said that, the hall finallypletely lit up¡ªthe ceiling, an endless holographic view of the universe; with each of the champions''s floating directly above them.


    "..." Xra looked up, only to see that they did not have a hovering over them, "Hm, should have just shown my ship."


    [Ladies, gentlemen, and non-binary beings.]


    And as everyone was amazed with the sudden view, another spotlight popped out; lighting up the remaining dark spot in the otherwisevish hall. And right there, drowned by the light was a gray marble statue of a humanoid¡ªno, not exactly. As the humanoid was moving eerily¡­ human.


    [I am Ahor Zai. Some of you know me as the Codex of the Known Universe. I will be your host for the remainder of this Tournament. This is the first time that I will do this, for the reason that this is also the first time that there will be¡­


    ¡­an actual physical reward for winning the Tournament.]


    "Huh¡­?" Hannah batted her eyes as she looked at the others,


    "...You mean there wasn''t before?"


    "Hannah, don''t talk over the host."


    "You''re literally on another table, Mom. Mind your own business."


    "After you went through everyone''s table and started pulling everyone''s hood? I raised you better than that, Hannah."


    "Well¡­" Bernard joined in on the conversation, only to be met with the fiery eyes of both his wife and daughter.


    [I know that most of you are curious as to what it will be,] Ahor Zai''s words continued to travel throughout the entire hall; the timbre of its voice, fully resembling that of a female human, [And the only reason that there is a reward today is because of Quadley, a being that has stayed with me in Ahor Zai for years when his creator left him in Ahor Zai¡ªQuadley told me that there should be a reward.]


    "..." Everyone that knew of Riley''s clones all nced at him.


    [I, Ahor Zai, have decided the reward should be.]


    "...Why don''t I know any of these things?" Queen Vania could not help but raise an eyebrow. She was officially a part of the Common Council, and yet even Riley''s team was not known to her.


    "Maybe you''ve been evicted," Queen Adelmented on the side.


    [As some of you may not know yet, but the Multiverse is real.]


    "!!!"


    Diana quickly stood up from her seat. She wanted to stop Ahor Zai from speaking any further, but decided against it. The Common Council, as well as everyone who discovered the existence of the multiverse, decided to keep it a secret until they could figure out how to proceed and handle it well¡ªand if Ahor Zai is the one that was announcing it to the world, then there must be a good reason for it¡­. There must.


    "Multiverse¡­? A universe not of our own?"


    "But we have not even discovered much of the Unknown¡ªthe Multiverse?"


    "What sort of nonsense is that!?"


    [All of your shock is valid. But please, I am not done,] Ahor Zai raised her hand as her silhouette finally morphed into that of a female humanoid,


    [Unbeknownst to the Elders of the Common Council and the others that know the existence of the Multiverse, I have actually gained ess to knowledge that is beyond our own.]


    "...What?" Diana looked at the Norids, who also seemed as confused as they could be.


    [As they opened and closed portals, connecting to the other worlds in my presence, literally inside my presence in Ahor Zai,] Ahor Zai''s gray silhouette started to gain color,


    [I have be connected to the other Universal Codices. All of their knowledge, everything they know, I know. I have transcended as an entity¡­


    ¡­and so will the winners of this Tournament.]

 Chapter 782 782: Trans...

    <h4>Chapter 782 Chapter 782: Trans...</h4>


    "Trans¡­cend?"


    "Interesting."


    A small smile very slowly crawled on Riley''s face as he heard Ahor Zai''s words. Even though the idea was rmended by his own clone, Riley was totally clueless about this. After all, when one of his clones, Olseyir, changed her entire identity and even created her own race, Riley has decided topletely untether himself from his clones which had already spent a considerable time alive.


    And so, the clone that he left to Ahor Zai all those years ago, Quadley, has apletely different life now.


    Only those that he just recently summoned will be connected to him. But of course, that doesn''t mean that Olseyir and the others werepletely free of him, no ¨C not at all. Riley could still snap his fingers and all of them would just¡­ cease to exist.


    But of course, Riley wouldn''t do that.


    "Pft."


    "Are all of your thoughts evil?"


    "Huh? What? What''s funny?" And with Riley suddenly letting out a whisper of augh and Xra shaking her head, Gracy could not help but be curious as to what was going on, "...Do you guys know something?"


    "No," Xra sighed, "I just made the mistake of identally reading that boy''s mind."


    "You¡­ can really read minds?" Gracy immediately covered her head, causing her¡­ decently sized breasts to be pinned. And with her only wearing a bikini top, the bounce they created caused some of the more humanoid races to momentarily forget what Ahor Zai just said.


    Not for long, however, as one of the octophoids raised three of its tentacles.


    "What do you mean Multiverse!?"


    [Jakol from the Krukux race. The Multiverse is a collection of universes, all very much like our own,] Ahor Zai''s silhouette continued to form and shift; even her hair which was previously all just stuck together like a statue started to separate into volumes of strands, almost as brown as chestnut.


    "That''s¡­ not real!"


    "How can you expect us to believe that!?"


    [Because the information came from me,] Ahor Zai smiled. And as she did so, her gray and pale lips turned pink, [I may have transcended, but my core programming still remains very much appreciated and intact¡ªwhatever information you ask me, I will provide as long as it does not vite the conducts of the Co¡ª]


    "What kind of borate prank is this!?"


    [I assure all of you, this is not a prank. I am fully¡ª]


    "We only came here for the glory of our race, what is this nonsense!?"


    [It is not non¡ª]


    "I need to speak to whoever is in charge here!"


    And as the champions all started talking to and over each other in haste, Ahor Zai could no longer even get the chance to speak. And perhaps due to it transcending and gaining the knowledge of several other Codices from the other universes, there was a trace of frustration that truly seemed human-like on her now human-like face.


    [Please, everyone. Listen to my wor¡ª]


    "I came here to fight, so let''s just fight!"


    And once again, the voices of the masses did not allow Ahor Zai to speak.


    "And where is the food!? You have gathered us in a banquet and yet¡ª"


    "That is enough from all of you inferior beings!"


    "!!!"


    A loud quake suddenly thundered throughout the entire hall,pletely drowning any other voices. The ones with their mouths still open could really only look around; very slowly closing their mouths as their eyesnded on the source of the quake ¨C the Queen of the Themarians.


    "I thought all that were gathered here are champions, chosen by their civilization to represent and usher their race to the summit," Queen Adel moved away from her seat as she looked at each of the champions who breathed out theirints,


    "And yet all I hear are sad little insects chirping with their foolish words that came from their witless brains. Let the automaton exin and stop yapping your oversized mouths."


    Themarians are known to physically be the strongest creatures of the universe, and with her words thundering through the other champions'' ears, they could not help but just¡­ scoff?


    "You talk so much for a sovereign that let her people die," the one that started the onught of questions, Jakol from the Krukux race, slightly glided away from their table with his 8 limbs all arrogantly moving as wide as they could reach.


    "What did you say?" A small hint of red could be seen glowing from Queen Adel''s eyes.


    "You heard, Your Highness," Jakol''s arms started swaying, "It makes someone like me, from the so-called Normal Races, wonder if the stories about your people are really true. In fact¡­ how many here have been told that a race we have not even met, not have even shared a conversation with¡­


    ¡­is a higher life form than us?"


    "That''s¡­ that''s right!" A humanoid with bunny-like ears and feet hopped from his seat, pointing his paws at Queen Adel, the evaniels, and other members of the Higher Races that he could identify, "How does that even make sense!? This is also their first time in the Tournament, why does it feel like they are already getting special treatment just by being here!?"


    "..." Riley looked around as he heard the bunny man''s words, trying to figure out how their treatment was different from the rest.


    "And why is it that there has never been someone from the Normal Races to sit in the Common Council!?" Another one joined in; another humanoid, but wearing shell rather than skin, "And why don''t these people even have a table!? What sort of discrimination is that!?"


    The crustaphoid pointed its pincer at the hooded group that was all huddled up together. The hooded group, however, only nced at him before just once again started breathing closely together.


    "All these tales and mythologies we hear of the mighty themarians," Jakol raised his limbs to speak, "Perhaps your people are not even that strong?"


    "I would be very careful with the next words I utter, squid," Queen Adel wanted to stare at Jakol''s eyes, but was confused as to where they were.


    "Careful¡­?" Jakolughed to the point that bubbles came out of its mouth, "You are sorely outnumbered here, Your Highness. Not our fault that the trend for the Higher Races is to be extinct."


    "That''s right!"


    Once again, most of the normal races agreed with Jakol, bobbing their heads, if they had one, up and down repeatedly. As for the Higher Races, particrly Elder S''adar and the other Poryans, they could not help but just grimace and cringe on the side.


    "My expectations with the lower people were already low," Queen Adel seemed to have no n of backing down, "But this ignorance is beyond what I even expec¡ª"


    "Mother, please¡­ stop it," Aerith couldn''t help it anymore as she tugged at her mother''s exaggeratingly long hair, "You''re embarrassing us."


    "You''re the only embarrassment here, child. And have you seen the way your daughter dresses?" Queen Adel nced at Gracy.


    "...She''s not my child. Please, Mother. Just sit back down."


    "Why should I sit down?" Queen Adel flung her hair away to avoid Aerith''s hand, "The only reason I am in this Tournament is to let off some rage. Now tell me, why should I sit down when there are trash yapping in front of me?"


    "What did¡ª!!!"


    "I should just kill each and everyst one of you pathetic lower beings," Queen Adel stepped forward, causing the entire hall to quake, "I''ll follow my daughter''s solutions¡­


    ¡­and cull the rest of you. I am certain no one will mind."

 Chapter 783 783: The Price...ous.

    <h4>Chapter 783 Chapter 783: The Price...ous.</h4>


    "I''ll follow the way my daughter solves things¡­


    ¡­and cull the rest of you. I am certain no one will mind."


    "Oh¡­?"


    The faint glow on Queen Adel''s eyes turned fiery and wild; wild enough that it caused the variety of lights that lit up the banquet hall to flicker, further amplifying the red glow that stared directly at Jakol.


    Jakol seemed to still want to say something, but before he could do so, the other champions from the others that agreed with him earlier all started taking their seats one by one. And with the sudden silence and the lights that flickered almost like a countdown, Jakol just took this chance to very slowly back away and return to his table as well.


    And while the silence was almost worse than the squabble, Riley could not help but just be amused with what was happening. He had always known of Queen Adel''s temperament¡ªshe was calm for the most parts and evenpletely uncaring if you are not from her circle¡ªbut as soon as someone she deems lower even dares to speak to her, she bes ballistic.


    If their circumstances were any different, then¡­ wouldn''t Queen Adel have been a perfect member of his superviin organization? Perhaps he should restore the organization again, but this time with a¡­


    ¡­much wider scope?


    "..." Queen Adel quickly turned to look at Riley as she felt something amiss, only to see him creepily smiling at her. She was slightly put off and wanted to just punch him there and then, but she managed to calm herself down.


    "Good," And as no one there stood up to her anymore, Queen Adel''s eyes quickly returned to normal as a smirk crawled on her face, "Anyone else feeling a little brave? Now will be your only¡ª"


    "Mother, please sit down," Aerith once again begged for Queen Adel to calm down. Fortunately for her, Queen Adel finally backed away and also returned to her seat.


    "I am sitting down, but not because you told me to," Adel scoffed.


    "..."


    And with Queen Adel finally resting his legs, the other races also just decided to shut their mouths, finally allowing Ahor Zai to speak.


    [Okay,] Ahor Zai seemed visibly happy, even silently pping her hands as she started walking forward and joining the champions, [As I said before I was disrupted, I have gained knowledge that is absolutely iparable to what I know before. My previous knowledge is now only a fraction of a percent of what I know now¡ªand with the knowledge that I have gained from the various other universes¡­


    ¡­I am now capable of creating a new universe, a pocket universe.]


    "Wh¡ª"


    Someone wanted to interrupt Ahor Zai again, but for some reason, anyone who even dared to open their mouth found themselves unable to move even a single limb. This subtle scene did not fail to reach the themarians'' eyes, as they all turned their eyes toward Riley, who just smiled at them and waved his hand. As for Diana, she looked at the Norid, who seemed extremely curious about this sudden¡­ revtion.


    [Thank you for not speaking over me again,] Ahor Zai nodded, [As all of you may have already surmised, the one that will win in this Tournament will be granted a pocket universe. A pocket universe where you set the rules, where you are god itself.]


    "May I ask a question?" One of the Norids raised his hand.


    [Since you are so polite, of course,] Ahor Zai suddenly floated toward the norid''s table as she gestured to him to speak.


    "You are granting the victor a toy?" The norid asked, "A pocket universe is a toy. It is not real."


    [I could see why you would misunderstand,] Ahor Zai wagged her finger, [I say ''pocket'', but in truth, it is another universe entirely.]


    "Outside of our own?" The norids looked at each other.


    [Yes,] Ahor Zai then suddenly ced her hand on her chest, before digging it through without any hesitation and grabbing some sort¡­ device inside of it¡ªsome sort of bracelet.


    Diana quickly recognized the ring. How could she not, when it was identical to the portable multiversal gate that Bernard created?


    [In this device is a gate to that universe,] Ahor Zai raised her hand to show therge ring, [Although I say ''pocket'', it is not small at all. It is only small if youpare it to our universe¡ªit is only the size of several star systems. It has no life now, and it is up to you whether to popte it or not. As I said¡­


    ¡­you are god. You can control everything that happens inside it.]


    And all of a sudden, a heavy weight suddenly filled the entire hall, with everyone just staring at the ring.


    [As I said, transcendence,] Ahor Zai smiled as she saw the expressions surrounding her,


    [You could do so many things in this pocket universe. Migrate your entire race if you want to, be fully independent,] Ahor Zai said as she faced the Bins.


    [Recreate your people if you want to,] Ahor Zai nced at Queen Adel and Diana, [Rebuild your lost kingdom.]


    "..." Queen Adel''s eyebrows lowered as she stared at the ring, before turning to look at Diana almost as if quietly asking her if this was possible. Diana, however, only responded with a hesitant shake of her head.


    [Resurrect a lost love,] Ahor Zai''s voice lowered as she turned her eyes to Pirate Queen Xra, who only red at her in response.


    [Or¡­ you can even just use it as an escape from everything,] Ahor Zai continued as she looked Aerith straight in the eyes, [Free yourself from the burdens of your mistakes and just¡­ start anew.]


    "..." Aerith quickly looked away.


    [Maybe you can even treat it as your home. Bring the person you love and cherish the most¡ªwhere no one can judge you, not even yourself,] Ahor Zai then approached the humans, cing the Ring on their table as she looked at Hannah,


    [A ce where you can be true to your feelings. Feelings that even you didn''t know yourself were hiding from you.]


    "...Fucking creep," Hannah clicked her tongue as she slightly moved away from Ahor Zai, who was smiling at her for some reason.


    [Or as I said¡­] Ahor Zai then transferred her smile to Bernard, [...Just y god.]


    "...Me?" Bernard seemed visibly surprised.


    [Maybe,] Ahor Zai let out a small giggle as she started walking back to the end of the hall, with her hand still raising the ring for everyone to see. And suffice it to say, everyone was looking at it.


    "Hold on a minute¡­" Gracy raised an eyebrow as she looked at Riley and the others, "...Why didn''t she look at me?"


    "She probably did not even notice you, child," Xra breathed out; her eyes, still on the ring.


    "...So, she''s deliberately not looking at me because she''s hiding something. Maybe¡­ the ring is meant for me?"


    "That''s not even what I said."


    [Well, now that everyone seems to be more excited about the Tournament¡ªI will now announce the first bout,] Ahor Zai ced the ring inside her chest again, before pping her hands and causing the holographic view of the space in the ceiling to change¡­


    ...with Riley and his other members being shown on it.


    With the other team being Jakol and the Krukux race.


    And as soon as Queen Adel saw that...


    ...she failed to stop the smile that was crawling on her face.

 Chapter 784 784: Let Them Cook

    <h4>Chapter 784 Chapter 784: Let Them Cook</h4>


    [The Krukux race vs. The Strays!]


    And as Ahor Zai''s words and therge hologram floating above their heads confirmed it, the smile that was crawling on Queen Adel''s face grew even wider. She thought that there would never be a time that she would consider herself to be on Riley''s side.


    After all, no matter what anyone says, no matter what the jury says, even if he himself did not actually pull the trigger on the event that killed the youth of her people, he still instigated and nned for it.


    Of course, she still was not on his side and never will be. But in this instance, she was looking forward to what he was going to do to these¡­ octophoids.


    [The match will start once this light disappears,] Ahor Zai raised her hand, and as she did so, a ball of light resembling a blue star appeared above her head, [When it disappears, the champions will immediately be transported back outside. Like the previous round, this will be another team match¡ª5 champions going against 5 champions at the same time¡ªand of course¡­ we will be able to see it all in thefort of this hall.]


    Ahor Zai pped her hands, and with the hall trembling as she did so, it was bing clear to everyone that she had full control of the interior and the entire hall. Large screens started emerging from the walls, with images and live footage of different angles of the t being shown on all of them.


    [And while we wait for ourbatants to fight for glory¡­


    ¡­we feast!]


    Ahor Zai once again pped her hands, causing several silhouettes to emerge from the floor; individuals that looked exactly like her, except they werepletely gray¡ªa reflection of Ahor Zai''s previous color.


    These¡­ clones all had tes and dishes on their hands which they carefully and meticulously ced on each of the tables. And as the champions took a sniff of the food ced in front of them, they all uttered exims of jubnce; slightly shocked that their favorite meal was being served to them individually, in abundance at that.


    For the others, however, they could not help but slightly squint their eyes as they stared at Ahor Zai, whose innocent smile was not fooling them at all.


    Ahor Zai was making a statement, a testament. They knew she was secretly telling them all that she knew about all of them; their names, down to their favorite meal of the day. They wouldn''t be surprised if the Codex even knows of their favorite color.


    [We were initially going for a buffet,] Ahor Zai let out a long and very deep sigh as she once again started walking around to check on the tables, [But we opted against it to avoid too muchpetition from all sides. And you do not have to worry, you may request any food you want, any drinks you want¡ªyou could even do so while watching the other champions fight for their spot. Enjoy!]


    "It''s losing control," Queen Vania quietly leaned closer to Bernard, lowering her voice as much as possible, "You''re supposed to be the smartest being in the universe, correct? Fix it."


    "Since when was I anything like that?" Bernard''s helmet unfolded to show his mouth.


    "Since you solved the Warp problem, since you created a portable version of the portals," Vania whispered.


    "Even if I was, I don''t think there''s anything to fix," Bernard started eating the food given to him, which was smoked pork ribs.


    "It¡ª"


    "Can you stop calling her ''it''?" Hannah, who was within earshot of their¡­ quiet conversation, joined as she chewed on her food, "She''s definitely sentient now."


    "Stop interrupting an adult''s conversation," Princess Vera, who was chatting with Tempo, also joined in on the conversation, "And it is cute that you feel that way, but it is still true that she''s not, in a sense, organic."


    "The norids are organic," Hannah looked at the norids'' table, "And yet they act less¡ª"


    "Everyone!"


    And before a philosophical debate could happen at the Human-Evaniel table, the one leading the champions of the Krukux race, Jakol, raised his limbs and voice as he walked to where Ahor Zai was standing before and also stood there.


    "First of all, I would like to thank Ahor Zai for giving us this chance to reveal the truth!" Jakol said as his limbs yed around, "Thank you, Ahor Zai."


    [Huh¡­?] Ahor Zai pointed at herself, slightly confused as to what Jakol meant.


    "Look at this, my brothers and sisters¡ªeven the Codex is with us," Jakol raised his voice further as everyone was now focused on him, "She matched my race with these so-called Strays, ordering us to show the world that the Common Council have been lying to us for more than a million years about the strength of these¡­ oppressors!"


    [I didn''t do anything like that¡­?] Ahor Zai blinked a couple of times as she saw the other champions looking at her in appreciation.


    "All these lies they have been feeding us to keep us in line. The Cherbi¡­?" Jakol pointed at Riley''s table, "Has anyone here actually witnessed what this supposed living cmity could do?"


    "..." Most of the people all looked at each other, shaking their heads, if they had heads.


    "No! No one! Everything we know of the Cherbi has been fed to us from the media. The Cherbi, absorbing a star. The Cherbi, annihting an entire civilization," Jakol started speaking in a mocking tone, "And Pirate Queen Xra!? If she truly is as scary and as dangerous as everyone says she is, why is she with us here right now!?"


    "That''s right!"


    "The Common Council should have arrested her already! She should not be standing here!" Jakol almost started squirting ink from how excited he was, "Makes you think that her bounty is just some ploy by the Common Council to incite the bounty hunters, so they could lessen the work they need to do!"


    The other races that still did not have expressions of doubt on their faces were now almost non-existent; all of them agreeing to Jakol''s words. With some even standing up and knocking on their tables.


    Seeing the masses support him, Jakol''s limbs started shaking in excitement.


    "Ah! I remember who that creature is now! Raleerus!" One of the champions that stood up suddenly pointed at Riley, "He''s the one that''s supposedly responsible for the deaths of the other Elders! It was all over the news before it was suddenly erased!"


    "See!?" Jakol further emphasized, "They erased any trace of the news because all of it is just propaganda. And when they realized they had gone overboard and it was starting to be unbelievable, they erased any trace of it! In fact¡­


    ¡­how could a team that''s supposedly consisting of the world''s living cmities be deast in the preliminaries!? They were thest ones to win!"


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times; his head tilted to the side as he heard his name being called. But after a few seconds, he just shrugged his shoulders and continued to¡­ break down and de-meat a whole skan king crab.


    The others were, of course, visibly confused with this. While everyone was already eating their meals, Riley and his table were¡­ cooking and preparing theirs. Riley was now chopping and making garlic puree, throwing all the waste to Cherbi, who was absorbing everything with his body.


    As for where exactly the ingredients wereing from, well¡­ Delivery seems to be getting them from somewhere. As for Gracy and Xra, they were grilling what seemed to be steak.


    "Now, remove it from the heat now!"


    And with Xra''s words, Gracy immediately removed the steak from the grill; making sure to let it rest calmly.


    "This¡­" Jakol was slightly unnerved from seeing Riley and his teampletely ignoring him. But after a few seconds, a scoff once again escaped his mouth, "Look at them, none of them could even refute our words!"


    Most of the other races started pping, either knocking on their tables or raising their food in the air.


    "Oh my god¡­ how could someone be so wrong about everything?" Silvie has been watching the entire scene unfold, and could no longer help herself from wincing from everything she has heard.


    "You grew up on Earth, Silv," Aerith sighed, "You should be used to people like that."


    "...True," Silvie raised her eyebrows, "But still¡­ they don''t know anything?"


    "You have personally traveled across the expanse of the universe¨Cyou should know how big it is."


    "Hm."


    "Most of these people¡­" Aerith started looking at the people from the Normal Races, "...If they were not actively gathered here because of the Tournament, none of them would even know the others exist even after a million years."


    "Shouldn''t¡­" Silvie looked at Jakol, then toward Riley who was just casually preparing his meal, "...we say something?"


    "W¡ª"


    "No." And before Aerith could even say anything, Queen Adel lightly mmed her palm on the table, "Let them wag their mouths that look like assholes."


    "Kh," Silvie almost choked on her food as she heard the Queen''s words.


    "Let them discover on their own why they are at the bottom of the food chain."


    "..."


    No one really said anything about the issue anymore, with all of them just peacefully eating and talking with each other¡­


    ¡­until the blue star disappeared along with the Krukux race and the Strays.


    Everyone immediately turned their heads to the walls¡­ and not even a minuteter, they finally realized why Riley and his team were thest to win the preliminaries¡­


    ¡­and it wasn''t pretty.

 Chapter 785 785: Hunters

    <h4>Chapter 785 Chapter 785: Hunters</h4>


    "Hm. It feels really ufortable being warped away like that."


    "I¡­I agree."


    Riley''s group was in the midst of eating their meal when they were suddenly teleported away from the banquet. Sadly for Gracy, the luxurious meal she just had was now trying to escape her body as she puked on the hard ground.


    "Really? It feels refreshing," Delivery, on the other hand, just tilted his cap as he looked around the area they were warped to. They seemed to still be on the same t, as the faded silhouettes of the Messengers still surrounded them from all sides. They were on a rocky teau, filled with only sharp rocks and canyons,


    "Where are the octopus guys?"


    "There," Xra pointed toward a direction, but no one was there.


    "...Where?" Gracy wiped the mix of saliva and vomit from her lips. She grabbed Cherbi''s shoulder to help her up, but it ended up going through its pink body, "Ack!"


    "..." Cherbi looked at Gracy for a few seconds, before shaking its head and showing a hint of disappointment, "Please do not touch me unnecessarily. It won''t be good for you."


    "Y¡­ yeah, thanks for reminding me only now," Gracy started wagging her hand as she moved behind Riley, "So, do we have any n or should we just do what we did earlier?"


    "We don''t need a n for this, Gracy," Riley shook his head, "We will just hunt."


    Riley started walking past the group, before pulling knives that may as well be the size of machetes from his back.


    "Where¡­ do you keep pulling those things from?" Gracy followed behind Riley, staring intensely at his posterior, "Is it from your anus?"


    "I can summon things and make them feel real, Gracy."


    "What? Were you always able to do that?" Gracy raised an eyebrow, "What exactly is your power? The power of pulling bullshit?"


    "I received the ability from Paige, Gracy," Riley shrugged as he started brushing his knives together.


    "...Paige? I have no idea who that is, but can I have one?"


    "..." Riley looked at one of his knives for a few seconds, before handing it to Gracy. Gracy was slightly perplexed that Riley actually gave her one, but as soon as she grabbed it¡­ it passed through her hand and fell straight through the hard ground,pletely disappearing from her eyes.


    "What the¡­"


    "The knife is only real for me, Gracy," Riley nodded as he once again summoned another de in his hand.


    "It seemed real enough for the aliens you used them on earlier," Gracy slightly shivered when she remembered all the blood of different colors sshing onto her skin.


    "I make them feel real using my telekinesis and other abilities, Gracy."


    "So¡­ that is the power you received from the girl," Xra joined in on the conversation as she touched Riley''s long knife, only for her to feel a certain coldnessing from it, "I have already thought her powers to be¡­ convenient. But for someone like you, it''s a weapon. It is scary to think what you would do with it."


    "I do not use it too much," Riley shook his head, "Mother says it elerates the deterioration of my mind, making me see things that are not there."


    "Hm¡­ I would like to talk about it more," Xra started looking around, "But our opponents are here."


    And as soon as she said that, one of the rocks that were blocking their view violently exploded, with some sort of bullet moving through it and heading straight toward Gracy''s head. Gracy, however, easily avoided it by tilting to the side.


    "Hey! That was a kill shot, I thought we weren''t allowed to kill each other here!?" Gracy turned to look at where the bullet hit, only to see it scatter and turn to ink, "Wait¡­ did you just try to squirt your¡­ secretion on my beautiful face!?"


    Gracy leaped from the ground, destroying the rocks behind her as she lunged herself to where the bullet ink came from¡ªand as soon as she saw even a glimpse of a tentacle, she immediately stepped on it before forcefully pulling, andpletely tearing it from the rest of its body.


    "Kuek!" A high-pitched shrill echoed in the air as the octophoid revealed the rest of its body that was actually camouged on the hard ground. His shrills did notst long, however, as Gracy immediately covered his mouth, or perhaps that was a snout.


    "You bitch. You dare perform a sneak attack on the mighty deliverer of justice¡­?" Gracy gritted her teeth as her eyes turned red, "Sadly for you, you overgrown squid¡­ we''re currently on Operation Hunt ¡ª that means you''re going to have a lot of time being fucked into pieces."


    And as she said those words, she once again pulled another tentacle; ripping it apart without any hesitation before throwing the dismembered tentacle to Cherbi, whose entire torso opened up to swallow it.


    "Aside from killing you¡­" Gracy started giggling, "...I can do whatever the fuck I wa¨C!!!"


    "Get away from Kantot!"


    And once again, Gracy''s words were interrupted as another ink bullet went her way¡ªfrom Jakol. This time, however, she was hit directly on her chest, causing her to roll a few meters across the ground. This did not seem to faze her, as she immediately stood up and started wiping the ink away in disgust.


    "Ew, ew¡­ ew," Gracy started bouncing around; her breasts, also jiggling away uncontrobly, "Even your names sound disgusting!"


    "How dare you disrespect us!?" Jakol roared as he rushed to help hisrade, Kantot.


    "This is why you should wear more clothes, child," Xra rolled her eyes, "What made you even strip in the first ce?"


    "This is my superhero outfit!" Gracy continued to fling the ink away.


    "Your superhero outfit is underwear?" Xra sighed in disappointment, "And I have been observing the way you act since we have met ¡ª I see no glimpse of a savior from you, little girl."


    "Because I haven''t been given the fucking chance to be a hero yet. My father and I spent all our time hiding. And it''s not underwear!" Gracy clicked her tongue before smirking at Xra, "Then again, it''s not your fault that you were born in a time when women don''t wear underwear."


    "What did you fucking say to me, child?" Xra raised an eyebrow as she stretched her hand toward Gracy.


    "What, you wanna fight!?" Gracy raised both her fists, only to be slightly pushed aside as Jakol flew straight to Xra''s hand.


    "Your group does not have anything to worry about," Xra looked at Jakol from head to tentacle, "As long as I am here, none of you will really die."


    "..." Jakol''s eyes stared at Xra for a few seconds, before his tentacles started wrapping around Xra''s entire body. Xra, however, just smirked before mming him straight to the ground. Jakol could feel his flesh tattering into pieces¡ªbut for some reason, not a single of his blue blood sprawled anywhere. And as soon as he felt Xra''s grip loosening, he quickly took this chance to skitter away; disappearing as the color and texture of his skin melded with the ground.


    Even with him almostpletely invisible, however, Xra''s eyes followed him without fail as he went away to regroup. But for some reason, she didn''t do anything.


    Jakol realized there and then¡­ that he waspletely wrong. He hit Gracy right on the torso with his ink bullet, and yet she waspletely unfazed. Xra also treated him like a hatchling, mming him to the ground without even struggling to get away from his tentacles.


    He was wrong ¡ª their strength was real. And so, as soon as Jakol was able to regroup with his team, he quickly decided that they should forfeit the match. He wasn''t stupid, he knew that something else was going on with the Strays.


    "Ahor Zai! We sur¡ª"


    But before he could announce his team''s surrender, he found himself unable to speak. He looked at his team, only to see them also unable to open their mouths. Jakol quickly looked at one of the Messengers, waving at it to get its attention ¡ª but s, he was too small to even be noticed.


    "Well then¡­"


    "!!!"


    And while Jakol and the Krukux were panicking, Riley suddenly appeared right in the center of them; standing there with a smile that reached from ear to ear,


    "...I was told that the Tournament is a way for everyone to release their stress. And those that are watching it are watching it purely for entertainment."


    "!?" Jakol and his people all backed away in different directions upon hearing Riley''s words. They looked at each other for a few seconds, before they all shot him at the same time. Their ink, however, just slid down across his clothes and skin; not even leaving a trace of color.


    "So, let me be the first to entertain everyone that is watching," Riley slightly tilted his knives to reflect Jakol,


    "We will give you the same treatment we gave to the people in the Battle Royale ¡ª we will give all of you 5 minutes. You can do whatever you want within that 5 minutes. You could continue attacking me if you wish¡­ or you could run, hide, or even fatally and brutally attack each other so you could be warped away."


    Jakol stopped spitting his ink bullet as he heard Riley''s words. He started looking at his people. And even though they were unable to speak, the tension within their eyes was enough for them to understand their thoughts.


    "You are free to do anything, Jakol," Riley started giggling, "But after your 5 minutes is done¡­


    ¡­our hunt will begin."

 Chapter 786 786: Riley X Gracy...?

    <h4>Chapter 786 Chapter 786: Riley X Gracy...?</h4>


    "!!!"


    Run, hide, or continue fighting. Riley gave the krukux a choice, and it would seem they decided to choose thetter. They continued to shower Riley with their ink bullets; to the point that the previously limestone ground that Riley was standing on was nowpletely ebony.


    Even with all of this, however, Riley was stillpletely immacte; not even a single spot of ink painted on his clothes. He hasn''t even moved a single inch since he stated his conditions to Jakol ¡ª he was just there, standing with only his lips moving as he counted down.


    "96¡­ 95¡­"


    "!?"


    And all of a sudden, the leader of the krukux team skittered away; not even looking back at his people or giving them a new n. When Riley nced at him, the others were sure he was going to follow ¡ª but no.


    True to his words, Riley just stood there and continued counting. And although none of them could speak, everyone seemed to agree that Jakol just abandoned them. And so, they all just quietly nodded to each other before running in different directions.


    They knew that their chance of winning was slim now, and it was every octophoid for himself. They will lose, but they will make sure that individually, they won''t be the first krukux to go and shame their family.


    And so, not even a minute had passed, and all of the krukux were gone from Riley''s sight.


    "60 seconds," the smile on Riley''s face grew wider and wider with each passing second. Xra, Gracy, Cherbi, and Delivery all joined him in ce as soon as there were only 60 seconds left ¡ª Gracy and Xra were the only ones who seemed to look forward to the hunt, while Delivery was just yawning and looking at his watch. As for Cherbi, well¡­ it was hard to know what it was thinking since it did not really have a face.


    "Heh¡­ I''m gonna make those ugly bitches pay for squirting some shit on me," Gracy cracked her knuckles as her feet very slowly left the ground, causing Riley to stop counting as he looked at her.


    "I have been meaning to ask this, Gracy. When did you start learning how to fly?" Riley tilted his head, "This universe''s version of you was not able to fly. But perhaps he would have if he just lived your age ¡ª sadly, he died with the themarians."


    "Why¡­ are you suddenly telling me this?" Gracy could not help but feel slightly ufortable as her feet returned to the ground.


    "Because I thought Gary has already reached his limit, Gracy," Riley let out a small but very deep sigh, "Perhaps I should not have antagonized him too much ¡ª but with the existence of Silvie, I just did not see much point in him. There is also the fact that Aerith did not seem to cherish him enough."


    "...I feel depressed all of a sudden, wow," Gracy looked at the other members, only for them to look away except for Cherbi, "I¡­ owe my mother my life ¡ª but it is true she has always been absent. She''s¡­ just always been Megawoman. And Megawoman¡­ I needed to share with the world. You know, since we''re on topic, I''ve¡ªguys?"


    And as Gracy was about to show all of her emotions, she noticed everyone moving away; not even listening to any of her words as they walked in different directions.


    "Guys¡­? Come on," Gracy looked at each of them. But s, no one stopped, "Where am I even supposed to go?"


    "..."


    "...Ah, fuck it." And after wallowing in her spot for a few more seconds, Gracy just hopped toward Riley and followed behind him, "What''s your deal anyway? You''re a sadistic psychopath, right?"


    "I am a monster, Gracy," Riley continued to walk; the knives he was holding extending to a sword that soon scraped the ground, creating a hissing noise to continuously scratch in the air, "Monsters are just¡­ monsters."


    "Oh, yeah. I believe you, believe me," Gracy smirked, "I see myself as a servant of the shadow too ¡ª except I make sure the light prevails, even at the cost of myself fading away. Ack, that''s so beautiful, I should write that down."


    "Hm," Riley nodded as his eyes scanned the rocky terrain surrounding them, before settling at the wide crevice from the distance, "Do you one of them is hiding down there, Gracy?"


    "... " Gracy looked at the trail of ink painted on the ground they had been following since earlier, "Why are you asking me when you already¡­ know?"


    "It is more cinematic for those that are watching it, Gracy."


    "Wait, is this really being broadcast¡­?" Gracy looked around as she started fixing her hair and adjusting her breasts, "I don''t see any cameras, though. But wait, so just let me get this straight ¡ª you''re not violent because you''re in the spectrum, right? Like, that''s just you."


    "It is called a spectrum, Gracy ¡ª that means there is not only one kind, but many," Riley finally nced back at Gracy, "My actions are my actions alone and can''t be used to represent the others in the spectrum."


    "But¡­ it is true that you can get violent when triggered?"


    "..." Riley stopped walking as he looked Gracy in the eyes, "You should be able to answer that question yourself, Gracy."


    And with those words, Riley stepped back into the edge of the rocky terrain, before just casually leaning back and letting himself fall into the deep crevice behind him.


    "Answer¡­ wait, what does that mean!?" Gracy also leaped down without any hesitation, "I''m not in the spectrum! But¡­ but I''m not saying there''s anything wrong with being in it!"


    Gracy quickly looked around for any cameras as she fixed her statement, "But I''m not in it!"


    And as shended on the bottom of the canyon, she lost her footing from trying to find the cameras ¡ª she tried recovering herself, but made it worse as she found herself lunging straight toward Riley.


    "Aack! Riley, help!" Gracy stretched and opened her arms as Riley looked at her. But s, Riley stepped to the side and let her just m straight to the wall,pletely destroying and shattering it to pieces. Something felt wrong, however. The impact¡­ it was slightly soft.


    "Riley, you''re supposed to catch a princess if she falls!" Gracy immediately turned to Riley and violently pointed at him.


    "I thought you were a savior of justice, Gracy?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he looked at Gracy from head to toe.


    "Yes, and!? Can''t I be both!? You¡ª" Gracy wanted to say a lot of things, but noticed Riley looking at her with a slightly confused expression on his face. This made her confused as well¡­ until she tasted something¡­ umami on her tongue, "What¡­"


    Gracy started puttering her lips, and as she noticed a weird texture in her mouth, she quickly wiped her lips¡­ only for her to pull a chunk of tentacle from her mouth.


    "..." Gracy stared at her ckened hand for a few seconds, before turning to look back at the wall she hit¡­ only to see a big ck splotch painted on the cracks, "No¡­"


    "Yes," Riley nodded.


    "No¡­" Gracy then looked down to check on her, only to realize she waspletely covered in ink and chunks of different sizes, "...I just lost some of my righ¡ªno, I don''t wanna be cancelled! That¡­ that was a joke, everyone!"


    "I suppose that is one of them down, Gracy," Riley let out a sigh. And as he did so, the chunks that were stuck on Gracy and scattered everywhere started to be warped away, "I wanted to show everyone how to dissect them since I have made takoyaki before, but I suppose this sort ofedy also holds great value from time to time. Good job, Gracy."


    "..." Gracy couldn''t even move; afraid that the ink would go into¡­ ces, "Oh god, I think it''s going into my buttcrack, Riley! Do something! Clean me!"


    "I believe it suits you, Gracy," Riley once again looked at Gracy from head to toe, "I can make their blood red if you want to."


    "Why would I even want to do that, you fucking psycho!? Just remove them, ew¡­ ew!"


    "Hm," Rileypletely ignored Gracy as he flew up.


    "Wait! Wait for me!"


    ***


    And as Riley and his group were just seemingly having fun, their every move truly was being recorded and broadcasted to the entire universe ¡ª with most of the people terrified with what they were witnessing.


    "Did¡­ did that humanoid just eat a krukux!?"


    Back in the banquet hall of the Champions, most of the octophoids quickly stopped eating as soon as they watched Gracy identally squash one of their species. Suffice it to say, a lot of opinions were forming in theirrge brains when they saw tentaclesing out of Gracy''s mouth.


    And as they continued to watch, they realized Jakol waspletely wrong with his statement ¡ª the Strays were not weak at all. The only reason they werest¡­ was because they were having fun terrorizing their enemies.


    Right there and then, most of the Normal races started scanning the members of the Higher Race.


    So¡­ this was the reason why most of them don''t join the Tournament ¡ª all the stories are true.


    The Higher Races were gods¡­


    ¡­and now they were trapped with them.


    And while the Normal Races were starting to panic, the Earth and Theran tables currently had their heads down; specifically Riley''s family.


    "Most¡­ most of them don''t know he''s my brother yet, right?" Hannah whispered, "It¡­ it should stay that way. Ack, Riley¡­"


    "Why are you embarrassed?" On the other hand, Queen Adel, who was at another table, had her head held up high, "You should not be ashamed to be rted to the Destroyer. Well, you should, but not in that way. And if there is someone that should be ashamed now¡­


    ¡­it should be my daughter."


    "Wait¡­ what?"

 Chapter 787 787: Riley X Gracy...!?!?

    ?


    "They seem to be very good at camouging themselves, Gracy. How were you able to find the previous krukux with your body?"


    "Can you stop? Ack, it won''te off."


    30 minutes after the match started, and Riley and Gracy still haven''t found another krukux. Well, they have ¡ª but Rileypletely ignored the octophoid as he was searching for Jakol. They were now in some sort of river, with Gracy violently exfoliating her skin and trying to get rid of the ink painted on her body.


    "You do not seem to be shy in showing your body, Gracy. Is that a trait of the people in your universe?" Riley asked as he watched Gracy wash herself. Her skin waspletely bare, with the only thing blocking everyone from seeing her breasts was the current of water flowing around her,


    "I recall the Hannah of your universe was also quite nonchnt when her shirt was ripped open."


    "Well, I don''t know about the rich girl¡­" Gracy then very slowly floated up from the river, letting the ink and water trail down from her skin; slowly revealing her decently-sized breasts and pinkish teats as she looked Riley in the eyes, "...But I''m confident about my body, and I am so tired of hiding myself from the public."


    "Hm."


    "You know exactly who you are, Riley Ross," Gracy floated closer to Riley,nding right in front of him without breaking eye contact for even a single second, "And I know myself too¡ªit''s just a shame that I can only show it in another universe."


    "That''s false, Gracy," Riley shook his head, before handing Gracy her bikini top, "I havee to discover that I truly have no idea who and what I truly am. I know I am a monster, yes ¡ª but everything else is¡­ hidden from me."


    "Well¡­" Gracy gently grabbed her bikini from Riley, slowly wearing it in front of him, her eyes still not leaving his; even leaning closer with her lips almost touching his, "...I happen to like monsters, Riley."


    "..."


    "I heard my mother kissed you in this universe, right?" Gracy whispered as she started brushing her lips on Riley''s neck, "How about trying it with her daughter too? Let''s really give the people a show to remember."


    Gracy leaned back, cing her face right in front of Riley''s face; close to the point that Gracy only needed to move half an inch for their lips to truly touch. Before they could, however, Gracy suddenly let out a snort.


    "Pft," she stifled, "I''m joki¡ª!!!"


    And before Gracy could retract her head back, it was suddenly pushed forward as a tentacle suddenly whipped and whacked the back of her head ¡ª her mouth that was wide open, now smacked dab on Riley''s lips; her tongue, licking his lips in a gag reflex.


    "..." Riley, however, just remainedpletely stoic as Gracy''s saliva bridged the two of them when she pulled away.


    "This¡­" Gracy''s face quickly turned red ¡ª this redness, however, was further emphasized when she turned around with her teeth gritted as tight as they could be, "...Who did that!?"


    Gracy scanned the riverbanks for any sign of the krukux, but aside from the flowing river, nothing else made a sound.


    "Is¡­ it hiding in the water?" Gracy''s eyes glowed red before a violent beam of light shot out of it. It wasn''t able to reach the water, however, as Riley blocked it with his swords,


    "W¡­ what are you doing!? The fucker just made us¡­ us kiss!"


    "It was more like you ate my face, Gracy," Riley nced at Gracy and shook his head, "And do not worry, my face did not actually make contact with any part of you ¡ª I am protected by a telekic barrier."


    "That doesn''t change anything!" Gracy almost screamed, "And what are you doing!? I''ll vaporize that motherfucking squid!"


    "You have already defeated one of them, Gracy ¡ª it is my turn now," Riley spun both his swords around his hands as he walked toward the river. And as he held them in his palms again, the swords had already be spears.


    "Wait ¡ª are you really just ignoring the fact that we kissed!?" Gracy scoffed as she looked at Riley''s back, "What, is y hunting more important than that?"


    "I would say they are equally unimportant, Gracy," Riley said as he continued to scan the water.


    "Are you saying that kissing my mom is also not important?" Gracy raised an eyebrow.


    "That is important, Gracy," Riley nodded as he raised one of his spears before throwing it through the water. But s, no trace of ink could be seen.


    "If it is, then why does it seem like neither of you are talking about it?" Gracy stood beside Riley as she let out another scoff, "I don''t know about this universe, but kissing someone in mine has deep meaning."


    "We have not had the time to discuss it, Gracy," Riley nced at Gracy, "And at the time, I think she only kissed me so that I would calm down and go home with her."


    "Wh¡ªso you''re being used?" Gracy raised an eyebrow, "...And fooled?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded.


    "And you''re alright with that?"


    "Why would I not be?" Riley breathed out, "Being used, fooled, manipted, forced¡ªthat is really the only way that someone like me could be loved, Gracy. Everyone that thinks dear of me thinks dear of me because they are my hostages."


    "You are one grim dude. You know that, right?" Gracy crossed her arms.


    "I have been told the same by Gary," Riley let go of the remaining spear in his hand, and instead of falling, it just remained floating in the air the same way he was holding it. And then, without any warning, Riley took off his clothes.


    "W¡­ what are you doing?" Gracy squinted her eyes, "Stop, you''re blinding me with your whiteness!"


    Gracy covered her eyes with her hands, but still obviously taking a peek as she looked at Riley from head to toe. "You''re¡­ buff? I couldn''t see with all the clothes you''re wearing."


    "I exercise every day, Gracy," Riley nodded as he grabbed his spear again. And without even saying anything else, he suddenly dove down the river.


    "...Man," Gracy batted her eyes as she let out a very long and deep breath, "This universe is so random."


    She watched as Riley disappeared deeper down the river¡ªswimming down and not even using a single hint of his telekinesis to do so.


    "Hm," Gracy nodded, "I do like a man who''spletely hands-on. If no one''s really taking him in this universe, I''ll bring him to mine."


    Gracy then started looking around again to find the cameras, "Of course, there''s the risk of bringing in the literal son of Satan¡ªbut everything''s a risk, no? But if there truly is someone who could handle evil, it is me; the savior of ju¡ª"


    And before Gracy could finish her words, a shadow suddenly flew past her; tentacles and a spear. She quickly turned around to confirm if that was truly what it was, and it was.


    "Is that¡­ Jakol? It''s kinda hard to tell them apart from each other¡ªand I''m not racist!" Gracy looked at the krukux that was now pinned on a boulder; squirming as it tried to get itself free. But s, before it could pull the spear, another one shot toward him; pinning one of his tentacles.


    Jakol wasn''t even given the chance to squirm before another spear pinned another tentacle¡­ and then another; alling from under the river like some sort of missile.


    "It''s Jakol, Gracy," Riley then stepped out of the river; his long hairpletely soaked and lining down across his torso that was as if chiseled by the gods. And on his hand, was another spear that he immediately threw toward Jakol topletely pin all of his tentacles on the boulder.


    "Huh¡­" Gracy looked at Jakol, trying to figure out how Riley knew, "...So, what are you gonna do with the guy? Cut all of his limbs?"


    "You have already done that earlier, Gracy," Riley shook his head as he made his way to Jakol, who was squirming with his entire might, but failing to even budge a single spear, "Something slower will be better for the audience."


    Jakol clenched all of his suckers and closed his eyes as Riley stretched his hand toward him. But even after a few seconds had passed, he still had not felt Riley''s touch. And so, he opened his eyes, only to see Riley''s palm touching the boulder he was stuck on instead.


    And very soon, Jakol felt something, no¡ªhe heard it first.


    A sear.


    "!!!"


    Jakol wanted to scream as he felt his back slowly and literally being grilled. But s, Riley was still not allowing him to speak or let out any noise.


    "Gracy."


    "...What?" Gracy slightly winced as she tried to look away from the scene. She has watched octopi being boiled alive before on the inte¡ªbut one that actually thinks, speaks, and acts like a human would? It was¡­ disturbing, so to say.


    "Do you know one of the reasons why food sticks to the pan, even if your pan is supposed to be non-stick?" Riley then asked as he grabbed Jakol''s head.


    "What? What''s with that random question?" Gracy raised an eyebrow, "Why?"


    "Because you ced the food when the pan was not hot enough yet," Riley sighed, "Doing that would even make any meat you put on the pan stick like glue because of the moisture¡ªand most people make the mistake of turning over their food¡­


    ¡­only for chunks of it to be torn and left on the pan."


    And with those words, Riley very slowly pulled Jakol from the seething boulder.


    "...Fuck."

 Chapter 788 788: Ignored

    ?


    "No¡­"


    The other octophoid and cephalopoid races were now away from their tables; either gagging or vomiting everything they ate as their eyes tried their best to avoid what was being shown on the four walls of the banquet hall. Suffice it to say, they did not even have anything left in their stomachs ¡ª and with how fast the cephalopoids digest their food, everything was¡­ truly a wet mess.


    As for the other races, they could really only continue to watch in horror as Riley started to finely slice the burnt parts of Jakol''s back¡­ and once again nt him on the seething boulder. This wasn''t a hunt at all, not even a massacre. Riley was just ying and torturing his enemy, and it wasn''t just him. All members of the Strays were doing it.


    Xra seemed to be the one that was having the most fun, as she was seeing how much blood her enemy could release before it loses consciousness¡­and then returns all of it back inside with all the dirt and dust umted outside ¡ª infecting the octophoid and polluting its body in an insane rate; to the point that its flesh was already starting to rot and fall off into a muddy paste.


    Cherbi wasn''t really doing anything. It was just standing there, acting like a vacuum that absorbed everything within its arm''s reach, including its opponent who tried his best to crawl away. Cherbi, however, seems to be intentionally letting him go just a few inches away from its reach, but not enough that its body won''t be able to rip off and absorb some of its flesh bit by bit. This should be impossible.


    Cherbi is not known for intentionally hurting anyone or anything. It was just an entity that floated across the expanse of the universe, devourings and stars throughout its existence indiscriminately. It was intelligent, but did not really have a will of its own and just¡­ ate.


    But this? It was practically ying with its food, something it had never done before and something it should never be capable of doing¡­ and yet here it was, practically torturing its food in front of everyone. Even some of the Higher Races, including Elder Apo''s race all looked at each other as they watch this unfold ¡ª they have never hunted or tried to stop Cherbi because they considered it to literally just be a walking ck hole¡­ but now that it was suddenly capable of having a real will of its own, perhaps they should start nning how to truly get rid of it once and for all.


    The only question is how?


    If there was perhaps a silver lining to all of this torture, it was that the final member of the Strays, Delivery, was not trying to hurt its opponent. No, he was just stalking his opponent¡­ without rest, and without pause. The krukux tried fighting, but as soon as it did so, Delivery just disappeared and disappears into nowhere, onlying back as the krukux turns its back¡­ and then he follows his opponent¡ªno, he follows his prey again.


    If there was anyone actually hunting within the Strays, it was him. But he wasn''t actually hunting, he was just torturing his opponent mentally.


    On a second note, no one was really safe.


    "Stop this!" One of the humanoid champions from another race stood up; mming her fist on the table before suddenly rushing toward Ahor Zai. Queen Vania, however, immediately ordered her daughter to protect the Codex.


    And it wasn''t only Princess Vera who came to Ahor Zai''s aid ¡ª all of the norids stood up from their seats.


    [Oh, I appreciate everyone''s help,] Ahor Zai chuckled, [But this is just an avatar of mine, even if it was damaged, it will just¡ª]


    "...Ahor Zai?" Princess Vera quickly turned around as she heard Ahor Zai suddenly and abruptly stopped with her words, only to see her suddenly looking to the side, not really looking at anything and just nodding her head.


    [Hm. Yes, you''re right¡­ sorry,] she whispered.


    "Who¡­ are you talking to?" Princess Vera started looking around.


    [Oh, sorry. I was just distracted,] Ahor Zai once again giggled before waving her hands, [Thank you for trying to protect me, Princess of the Evaniels. I would have been hurt if you did not step forward. I may know everything, but I am not capable of protecting myself.]


    "...Right," Princess Vera stared at Ahor Zai for a few seconds, before ring at the humanoid who rushed at her, "I''ll advise you to return to your seat."


    "..." The humanoid stood her ground, however, even staring Vera straight in the eyes. But before anything could happen, her people dragged her back to their table.


    [You may also return to your seat, Princess of the Evaniels.]


    "Of course, Ahor Zai," Vera just nonchntly waved her hand as she disappeared and returned to her seat."


    [Everyone, I have heard of all your requests,] Ahor Zai started pping, [But I can''t just stop the match when it is still ongoing. And the krukux, even thoughpletely overwhelmed, are not showing any signs of surrender at all.]


    "..." Everyone looked at the screens, only to wonder if they were watching the same scenes at all. The krukux clearly wanted to surrender, but could not.


    [Instead, let us all give the krukux a cheer,] Ahor Zai continued to p her hands, [Even though they are losing, they are still brave enough not to show any fear. I hope that I also get the same vigor from all of you once it is your turn to face an opponent you could not win against!]


    And almost as if in cue to her words, numerous fireworks started to explode on the ceiling of the banquet hall, with the images of the Strays being shown. And not even a secondter, Riley and the others appeared back at their table.


    [Ah, look at that! Let us all congratte the Strays for winning their match and moving on to the next elimination round!] Ahor Zai once again started pping, [But since the Stray''s match took longer than expected, I won''t have time to do my celebratory dance, so let us just move on to the next match!]


    And without even any warning, the champions of two tables disappeared.


    [And since the next match features both Normal Races¡­] Ahor Zai pped her hands again. And as she did so, several machines started sprouting out from the floor near the walls¡ªsome even covering the screens, [...I know it would be incredibly boring trying to watch them, so I added some entertainment outlets from the Higher Races!]


    "Is it just me¡­" Hannah looked at Bernard and the others, "...Or is that AI slowly bing more and more sarcastic?"


    "It''s incredibly fascinating," Bernard nodded, "If you are not aware, most artificial intelligence that are programmed to mimic humans will mostly be sarcastic¡ªas it receives most of its information from the inte where humans are¡­ mostly sarcastic."


    [And most important of all¡­!] Ahor Zai stretched her arms to the side, and as she did so, arger screen emerged behind her.


    "Ah!" Hera immediately stood up and pointed at the gigantic screen, "Italian Mafia Reborn!"


    [...Exactly!] Ahor Zai also pointed at Hera, [The greatest literature in the entire multiverse¡ªand I am going to share it with all of you, enjoy!]


    And with those words, Ahor Zai summoned a seat for herself as she started watching the show, not even taking a single nce at the ongoing match.


    "The¡­ greatest literature in the entire multiverse?" Hannah raised an eyebrow as she looked at Bernard, "I guess we know which human she''s learning from. And Italian Mafia Reborn¡­ it''s not really that good."


    "What did you say?" Hera also raised an eyebrow.


    "Right, you''re one of the voice actors," Hannah winced, "Sorry, not sorry. Just my opinion. Anyway¡­"


    Hannah immediately walked away and started checking some of the arcade machines that Ahor Zai made for them.


    "We won!"


    And after a few minutes, the race who won the match was warped back to their seats.


    "Did all of you see that!? It was so close that we almost¡ªEveryone¡­?" But s, as they jumped in joy to celebrate their victory¡­ no one even noticed them as most were busy either watching Italian Mafia Reborn, or were fiddling with the arcade games from the Higher Races.


    If there was perhaps a silver lining in all of this, they weren''t alone. Ahor Zai just snapped her fingers, and two groups of champions were once again warped into the battlefield. It wasn''t until someone from the Higher Races was participating in the match that Ahor Zai took a break from watching and proceeded to remove the machines.


    But like Riley''s match, the champions of the Normal Races could not even touch their opponent. And as the Normal Races far outnumbered the members of the Higher Races, none of the matches could really be said to be exciting¡ªespecially the norids.


    The norids did not really fight, no. They just used their bodies to trap their opponents until they gave up¡ªand itsted for an entire hour until their opponents realized it was hopeless. It was the same with the themarians, they just stood there and let the enemies attack them until they tired themselves out.


    "How does it feel to bully beings you think are lesser than you?" Queen Vania was the first to wee the themarians back¡­ by sitting at their table.


    "I will tell you once we meet at the end of the Tournament," Queen Adel lightly kicked the chair Queen Vania was sitting on, "Get off of my seat, woman."


    "Oh? And what if I don''t want¡ª"


    And before Queen Vania could finish her words, she suddenly disappeared along with the other evaniels as it was their turn to fight.


    "...Pft."

 Chapter 789 Chaoter 789: ...Huh?

    <h4>Chapter 789 Chaoter 789: ...Huh?</h4>


    "Mother¡­ Please stopughing."


    "Was that recorded? Please, send me a copy of the footage!"


    It has been a few seconds after Queen Vania and the other evaniels were warped away to their match unceremoniously, and yet Queen Adel won''t stopughing obnoxiously¡ªeven kicking their table made of themarian materials and causing the entire banquet hall to shake,


    "Did you see that, Aera? Did you see? She was trying to act tough only to be kicked out like a child!"


    "...Aera?" Silvie blinked a couple of times as she looked at Aerith.


    "That''s¡­ what she called me when I was young," Aerith covered her face. This was the first time in a very long time that she had seen her mother happy to the point of calling her with endearment, and she was doing so because she one-upped someone,


    "Mother, please stop. The others are already staring at you."


    "Let them," Queen Adel harrumphed and scoffed, "They should be honored to even take a whiff of my scent¡ªno. They should be honored to even breathe the same air we are."


    "Most of them don''t breathe, Your Highness," Diana sighed.


    "Did I ask your opinion, doctor?" Queen Adel finally stoppedughing, letting out a scoff as she looked away¡­ only to see a humanoid without a nose looking at her,


    "What are you looking at?" Queen Adel once again scoffed before just cing her attention on the match, "Why are they even bothering with this farce? They should have just limited the participants to the Higher Races. Well, the themarians would have won anyway, but at least it would have been more entertaining that way."


    "What makes you think you would have won, Your Highness?" Hannah, who was returning to her seat after ying andpeting against Hera with the arcade games, raised her voice as she sat back down to her seat,


    "You still haven''t faced any of us."


    "I already have," Queen Adel looked at Bernard, "And it''s not even close. The only two humans that are capable of actually facing me are in that group."


    Queen Adel pointed at Riley''s table, only to see that none of the Strays were there. Riley was watching Italian Mafia Reborn beside Ahor Zai, while Xra was being taught how to y video games by Gracy and Delivery. As for Cherbi, well¡­ he was terrorizing the other tables by asking to taste their food.


    "Well, you haven''t faced me yet," Hannah crossed her arms, before cing her feet on top of the table, "Not yet, not really. And Dad already faced you once, he probably has a lot of countermeasures for you already aside from the EDP."


    "Don''t underestimate the humans, Mother," Aerith added as she looked Queen Adel in the eyes, "They are much stronger than you think."


    "I am not underestimating them, or anyone for that matter. I know full well what they are capable of," Queen Adel returned her daughter''s stare, "I''m just not impressed by thempared to your lover."


    "That¡­ Riley''s not my lover."


    "And yet you kissed him? So, what are you? Some sort of harlot that gets randomly impregnated by aliens?"


    "..." Hannah still wanted to join the conversation, but after hearing Adel''s words, she knew that this was already a conversation between a mother and a daughter.


    "Randomly¡­? What I felt at that time was real," Aerith''s voice started to deepen.


    "It did not seem like it¡ªyou did not seem to be a good mother."


    "At least I tried to be one. Unlike you who justpletely abandoned us."


    "I recall you abandoned your son a couple of times too."


    "Y¡ª"


    "Let''s just say that the both of you are bad mothers, okay?" Diana pped her hands as she suddenly stood between the two, "How about we agree on that?"


    "Said the one who took care of the literal devil," Queen Adel scoffed, "None of us would even be here if you just properly took care of and nourished that boy properly."


    "Hey, I won''t let you talk like that to my Mom," Hannah also stood up from her seat, "She might act like a gori sometimes, and can be a little hypocritical, temperamental, absent, and too doting. And she also hid her entire life from us and practically lied to me my entire life, but she has always tried her best sometimes!"


    "Just¡­ just sit back down," Diana red at Hannah.


    "Hm, let us all just agree that wecked as mothers," Queen Adel scoffed as she finally sat back down, only to quickly stand up again as she looked at the match going on outside,


    "...What?"


    "..." Diana and Aerith were slightly taken aback at first as they saw the perplexed, and almost shocked expression on Adel''s face. But it wasn''t only her¡ªalmost everyone that could stand up started standing up from their seats, all of them, looking at the screens on the walls.


    Ahor Zai also quickly noticed this. She waved her hand, changing the channel of the gigantic screen in front of her to the match happening outside.


    "Oh¡­" Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked back and forth between Ahor Zai and the screen, "...That was the good part, Ahor Zai. Why did you change the channel? It''s¡ªOh?"


    Riley''s head immediately tilted to the side as his eyes settled on the gigantic screen; his question did not even need to be answered by Ahor Zai as his eyes reflected Princess Vera¡­ being strangled.


    "Who¡­" Queen Adel whispered as she tried to find an empty table, but the only empty table in the banquet hall was the evaniel''s, "...are they fighting against?"


    "It''s them!" Hannah pointed at the screen as she looked at the person who had Princess Vera by the neck. She quickly recognized him; after all, he was the person whose hood she¡­ mistakenly pulled down before¨Cthe boy with the white hair,


    "It''s the weird human-looking people with colorful hair! The one that didn''t have a table!"


    "Are they from the Higher Races, Ahor Zai?" Riley asked as he heard his sister''s words.


    [I¡­ don''t know,] Ahor Zai blinked a couple of times as a small smile crawled on her face, [Interesting.]


    "What do you mean you don''t know?" Queen Adel approached Ahor Zai, but was blocked by Diana.


    "You said you''ve absorbed all the knowledge of the other Codices from the other universes," Diana inquired, "How is it possible you don''t know who they are? Could¡­ they be from the Unknown?"


    [It is possible,] Ahor Zai nodded, [But the fact that they are here means they are part of the Known Universe. I will ask the Messengers where they picked them up from.]


    "Hm?" Riley focused even more on the screen in front of him as he heard that; staring at the white-haired boy strangling Vera. And as he did so, the white-haired boy also seemingly stared at him, looking straight at the camera that should have beenpletely invisible to everyone.


    The white-haired boy tightened his grip even more, causing Vera to be warped away before she could lose consciousness.


    And now, almost all of a sudden, only Queen Vania remained as the other evaniels were also defeated by the other robed figures.


    "How¡­ were they defeated?" Queen Adel squinted her eyes as she watched the terrain of the t being re-arranged; with the mountains and thend turning into crevices by an invisible force that moved incredibly fast across the teau.


    And this invisible force was on its way to the white-haired boy, leaving nothing in its wake. The others might not see what was causing this, but Queen Adel and the other races with increased senses could.


    It was Queen Vania, destroying whatever she stepped on as she rushed toward the white-haired boy without stopping.


    Even with this torrent of destruction heading his way, however, the white-haired boy just calmly stretched his palm toward Queen Vania.


    He was, however, obviously violently blown away.


    "..." Queen Vania stopped running, causing all the dust and dirt to be blown away just from the shockwave of her sprint. She stared at the white-haired boy, who just casually stood up with just¡­ a broken arm.


    Vania then watched as the white-haired boy''spanions joined him¡ªrunning at a speed almostparable to that of her people.


    The boy''s arm then slowly healed, snapping back in ce as the boy raised it in the air with an amused look on his face.


    "This, look at this," the white-haired boy whispered as he looked at hispanions.


    "Oh¡­" Hispanions also held an amused look on their faces as they watched his arm heal. And as soon as it fully recovered, they all turned their heads on Queen Vania all at the same time.


    "..." Vania''s eyebrows quickly lowered as she looked at them one by one¡ªand it wasn''t only her, even Queen Adel''s eyebrows were lowered.


    Those who knew of Queen Vania''s strength were shocked, everyone saw the destruction that Vania showed, but only Queen Adel truly knew the meaning of what just transpired.


    An evaniel''s durability increases depending on how fast they are¡ªand Queen Vania is the fastest being in the entire Known Universe; she was strong enough to withstand an attack that would destroy an entire star system.


    And the attack she just did just now, although she was still holding back, was enough to obliterate severals¡­ and yet her opponent only received a broken arm.


    "Who¡­ are these people?"


    The oldest-looking one in the group, the woman with purple hair, suddenly raised her hand, causing Queen Vania to ready herself for what was about toe.


    The purple-haireddy then once again looked directly through the screen, before saying¡­


    "We surrender."


    "...Huh?"

 Chapter 790 791: The Evil Boss

    <h4>Chapter 790 Chapter 791: The Evil Boss</h4>


    "We surrender."


    "Huh¡­? W¡ª"


    Queen Vania was not even able to react or express what she was feeling as she was warped back to her table. And it wasn''t only her¡ªPrincess Vera and the other evaniels that were defeated before her were also back.


    "What the¡­" Vera quickly touched and tapped her neck, gasping for air as she was still a little confused as to what happened, "We¡­ won? You were able to defeat all of them, Queen Mother?"


    "...No," Queen Vania blinked a couple of times as she looked at her people, "I¡­ think they surrendered as soon as one of them was hurt. Wait¡­


    ¡­who are they?"


    Queen Vania quickly tried to find Ahor Zai, only to see her with her head down; her eyes were flickering as if there were a thousand fireflies dancing in them.


    "What''s going on with the Codex?"


    "The AI is currently talking to the Messengers," Diana was the one to respond as she approached the slightly perturbed queen. No, perhaps slightly was an exaggerating understatement ¡ª she is shocked, to the point that the only thing Queen Vania could do was look around to try and make sense of it all.


    "They were also the first ones to win during the Battle Royale, correct?" Queen Vania breathed out as she looked at Hannah, "You were able to talk to them?"


    "...Not really," Hannah shook her head, "They were a little weird. They look like humans, but there was something odd with them¡ªthey reminded me of Riley for some reason."


    "It doesn''t matter what type of people they are," Queen Adel joined in on the conversation as she literally looked down at Queen Vania; her feet, slightly above the floor, "They were able to finish your people in less than a minute, and then only received superficial wounds from your strongest champion. Is it possible for them to be themarians?"


    "They were not," Esme, who had been dozing off from time to time, raised her hand to speak. And as always, her voice was extremely monotonous, add that to her lethargic tone, and one would almost feel sleepy listening to her, "I have scanned their energy, but they did not have anything at all¡­


    ¡­simr to the Professor."


    "..." And as everyone heard Esme''s voice, the humans, evaniels, themarians, as well as the other Higher Races all looked at Riley, who was trying to figure out how to turn the channel back on the big screen to Italian Mafia Reborn.


    "Riley," Hannah did not even wait for the others to ask as she walked toward him, "What''s going on here? Are those guys actually with you or what?"


    "Hm¡­?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he nced at Hannah. Before he could answer, however, Ahor Zai woke up from her stupor with a shout, almost causing Hannah to jump back in fright.


    "What the fuck!?"


    [I apologize,] Ahor Zai wiped the imaginary sweat trailing on her forehead, [I wanted to try that once. I havee back from talking with the Messengers.]


    "...And?"


    Everyone focused their attention on Ahor Zai.


    [They do not know about them,] Ahor Zai sighed, [Lakas, the Messenger that brought them here, fetched them from a that does not exist.]


    "Huh¡­?"


    "How does that even fucking work?" Hannah nced at Diana and the others.


    [It should never have happened, but it did,] Ahor Zai ced her hand on her chin, [I have also tried to find them in the hall of losers, but they were not there¡ªit was like they just disappeared.]


    "Just disapp¡ªwait a fucking minute," Hannah pointed at Riley, "Are you using Paige''s abilities again!? Didn''t we just have a talk about you not using it!?"


    "I believe we did not have that conversation, sister," Riley said as he subtly gestured to Ahor Zai to turn back Italian Mafia Reborn, "And no, I am not using Paige''s abilities."


    "Do not be absurd, human," Queen Vania raised her voice as she also pointed at Riley, "Do you really think your brother is capable of creating an illusion, and then using his telekinesis all the way from here to simte a group of people that was able to overwhelm my people?"


    "Well¡­" Hannah looked back and forth between Riley and Queen Vania, "...Who knows what this pervert is up to now."


    "I am not a pervert, sister," Riley shook his head before pointing at Gracy, who was just minding her own business and not caring about the mysterious group, "But she is."


    "Wh¡ª"


    "But if all of you are truly curious as to who those 5 people are, I might have a guess," Riley waited for someone to ask him. But as several seconds passed and everyone just stared at him, he just let out a small sigh and raised a finger,


    "The Primordials."


    "..."


    And with those words, everyone just looked at each other. Even Ahor Zai was slightly confused, almost leaning closer to Riley even though she could actually hear everything within the hall no matter where she was.


    "The Primordials exist beyond the multiverse itself," the five norids floated closer to Riley, "They could never exist in our ne."


    "I have been here for more than two decades, Inferior Tedis," Riley sighed as he looked at the norids, "I am a Primordial."


    "Stop with this sphemy, Riley Ross," the leader of the norids stepped on the floor, "Even if you are our only connection to the secrets of the universe, we will not tolerate you making such ims."


    "Why not?" Riley tilted his head, "I am tolerating all the existence in this room. I could start killing all of you and none of you will even know if this is even my original body or not. I have the Cherbi on my side, and I could also ask Olseyir and her race to help me¡ªin exchange, I will recreate them."


    "..." Queen Vania''s green hair immediately lit up as the tattoos on her body emerged. It wasn''t only her¡ªQueen Adel also stood by her side as her eyes turned red.


    Hannah, on the other hand, just turned to look at Hera. And as soon as she confirmed that she wasn''t transforming into anything, she just rolled her eyes and covered her face.


    "But all of you may rx. We are in a safe space," Riley let out a sigh as he looked at the petrified faces of the Normal Races, "None of you are dying today. I am not here as Darkday, I am only here to have fun."


    "Threatening to kill everyone here is your definition of fun?" Princess Vera''s green hair also started to light up.


    "No threats, just killing everyone, Princess Vera."


    "You-"


    "As I said, no one can stop me if I wished to do so - because more importantly..." A small smile crawled on Riley''s face as he stretched his palm to the side. And as he did so, Ahor Zai very gently held it and stood beside him,


    "...Ahor Zai is Quadley''s friend¡ªshe is on my side."


    "What¡­?" Queen Vania blinked a couple of times as she looked at Elder Apo and Elder S''adar, who were fellow members of the Common Council. And judging from the way they looked, none of them knew it as well.


    "This Tournament that involved the Higher Races," the smile on Riley''s face grew even wider, "It was Quadley''s idea. The Common Council just filled the gaps. In a way¡­


    ¡­the Common Council works for me, no?"

 Chapter 791 792: I Am Ominous

    <h4>Chapter 791 Chapter 792: I Am Ominous</h4>


    "We don''t work for you!"


    Queen Vania''s green hair once again lit up. This time, there was a sort of buzzing that echoed in the air as she did so. The two other Elders in the banquet hall, Apo and S''adar, also stepped forward from their seats as their people stood behind them.


    "Well, if you remained as just an advisor to the Common Council, that statement would be true, Your Highness."


    Riley let go of Ahor Zai''s hand as his throne that was just resting at the Strays'' table suddenly emerged from behind him ¡ª allowing him to sit almost seamlessly without even looking back,


    "But the truth is, except for my sister and Aerith, all of you are under me now¡ªalways been," Riley rested his cheek on his fist as he looked Queen Vania in the eyes, "This is not a friendly Tournament between all the races of the universe¡­


    ¡­This is my Tournament."


    "..." Queen Adel looked at Diana and Aerith, only for the two to just shake their heads; gesturing to her not to attempt anything. Adel, however, also shook her head as she approached the two, "Once again, we are all just dancing in the palm of his hand. All of us should have realized something was amiss when he was allowed to do anything he wanted. Creating his own group of champions? That was already the biggest sign he could give all of us and we just let it be because we are all used to his antics."


    "Well," Riley looked at Queen Adel, "Everyone says they want an end to Riley Ross, but everyone also wants to redeem me. What else can they really do, Your Highness? They all seem to think that if my abilities are pointed in the other direction, it will make the whole universe a better and safer ce."


    "I am not one of those people, Riley Ross," Queen Adel let out a scoff, "I am withdrawing the themarians from this tournament. I will not allow us to be your ythings again."


    "As will I," Queen Vania stood up straight, "I wish to withdraw."


    "Us too!"


    "This¡­ whatever is going on here is not worth a ridiculous prize that might not even be real!"


    "We will also withdraw!"


    "We are staying. This is a chance to revive our species."


    "Hm," Riley smiled as he looked at the tables who had their hands raised. He then turned to look at Ahor Zai, before nodding his head and once again looking at the people. And as he did so, all the arcade and entertainment machines returned to the floor, giving everyone a full view of therge screens on the walls¡­


    ¡­which was showing some sort of city¡­ and a scenery of carnage and chaos.


    "That''s¡­ a city in Buro!"


    "Buro¡­ Krukux''s ne!?"


    "What''s going on here!?"


    The footage then very slowly zoomed out, giving everyone there a better view of what was happening. Octophoids were all crawling for their lives, swimming away to their ships only for them to explode. The feed zoomed out even further, showing a full view of a city that was in ruins¡­ and soon, everyone could see a ball of steam being shown in front of all of them¡ªthe ball being the of the Krukux race.


    "!!!"


    And with a collective gasp, they all watched as the imploded and copsed into itself.


    "W¡ª"


    And before anyone could speak again, the images on the screens started to change¡ªthis time, several differents were being shown. There weres that werepletely obliterated as their own moon fell on them, some just turning into balls of fire, and somepletely splitting in half.


    And soon, the images started to shift as a hand seemed to retrieve whatever camera was being used to record all of this¡ªand there, they saw a humanoid that waspletely covered in ck, wearing a helmet that reflected the copsing in front of it.


    [Done, Boss.]


    [I guess that''s that, Boss.] And it wasn''t just one¡ªall of the screens were showing the same silhouette either saluting or shrugging their shoulders.


    "Riley!" Hannah''s voice was the first to erupt out of all the stuttered breaths that turned the banquet hall into some sort of breathing orchestra, "What are you doing now!? What¡­ please, tell me this is fake!"


    "I truly apologize for disappointing you again, sister," the smile on Riley''s face disappeared as he let out a very long and deep sigh, "But everything you are seeing now is happening in real-time."


    "No¡­" The light on Queen Vania''s hair faded as she spun in ce, watching all the screens scattered on the walls of the banquet hall, "These¡­ are all the races that lost their match?"


    "Correct, Your Highness," Riley pped his hands, "These included all those who lost the Battle Royale."


    "You¡­!" Elder S''adar rushed toward Riley; his hair that was akin to needles, vibrating as he did so¡ªhe was, however, quickly blocked by Queen Vania,


    "Why are you trying to stop me!?"


    "Understand the situation, Elder S''adar," Queen Vania whispered; her words, slightly stuttered, "We''ve been had."


    "Those of you who wish to forfeit could still do so," Riley nced at Ahor Zai, who nodded her head as the images on the screen once again changed¡ªthis time showing thes of everyone who raised their hand and wanted to forfeit,


    "But you would be considered defeated, and your and everyone in it will, well¡­


    ¡­die."


    "Riley¡­?" Hannah looked Riley in the eyes.


    "As I said earlier, sister¡ªI want to give the universe the most entertaining Tournament they will ever watch," Riley shook his head as he returned his sister''s pleading re, "And for Tournaments to be more entertaining, there should be a prize¡­ as well as a consequence for losing. What better consequence than losing one''s home?"


    "You¡­"


    "And what better entertainment than watching people lose their homes?" Riley started giggling, "What better entertainment than watching your champions fight¡­ for your right to live?"


    "All those who could fight¡­ are here," Queen Vania looked at all the champions standing in the hall; their faces showing that most of them still do not understand the situation at all, "Ours¡­ are practically defenseless."


    "...No," Queen Adel looked at all thes being shown, but the asteroid she and the other themarians were temporarily living in was not being shown¡ªand it wasn''t just her, the of the evaniels was also not present,


    "Both our homes are not¡­ being shown."


    "As is ours," Elder Apo and his people have scanned the screens, but they could not find their home. The same goes for Elder S''adar, whose breath could almost be heard across the entire hall.


    "I am d that all of you have noticed," Riley chuckled, "I made things even more entertaining. Since it is already obvious that the Higher Races will win, no matter what, against the Normal Races¡ªI am giving the Higher Races a chance to rescue their opponent''s home. Generous, no? I am sure everyone who is watching this in their homes are just¡­


    ¡­trembling with excitement. Now, shall we start the¡ª"


    "I did not sign up for this!"


    And before Riley could p his hands, someone suddenly rushed toward him; her fists, already cocked and filled with force.


    "But you did¡­


    ¡­Gracy."

 Chapter 792 793: I Am Unhinged

    <h4>Chapter 792 Chapter 793: I Am Unhinged</h4>


    "But you did¡­


    ¡­Gracy."


    "L¡­let go of me!"


    "But you''re the one who lunged at me, Gracy."


    Gracy was able to get near Riley. But s, she was now just floating right in front of him; her arms still fully pressed as she tried her best to set herself free from Riley''s invisible clutch.


    "I¡­ I won''t be part of this fucking massacre!" Gracy, however, even with her absolutely unttering position, still fiercely looked Riley in the eyes; straining every bit of her vocal chords as she screamed at his face.


    "I thought we were bonding, Gracy," Riley sighed as he stood up from his throne. He then very gently ced the back of his hand on Gracy''s chin while shaking his head, "But I am liking you more and morepared to Gary. You are both recklessly brave, the only difference is that you actually have the strength to stand in the road your mother walked on¡ªyou have the potential to be Megawoman."


    "I don''t fucking care about that!" Gracy once again let out a shrilling scream.


    "You should," Riley removed his hand as he walked past her, "That is the only reason you are alive right now. Ahor Zai¡­ return her to her universe."


    "W¡­ wait!" Gracy tried her best to turn her head, once again screaming out of her lungs and causing Ahor Zai to slightly flinch back, "That means you willck a member! You¡­


    ¡­that means you''re disqualified!"


    "...This is my Tournament, Gracy," Riley blinked a couple of times; tilting his head in confusion as he looked at Gracy, "But you are right, what fun is there if I will be breaking the rules of my own Tournament?"


    "So, you''ll stop all of this!?" Gracy smiled as she looked at Hannah and the others.


    "No," Riley shook his head, "There is still one more thing that you and Gary have inmon, Gracy¡­


    ¡­you are both receable."


    And as soon as he said that, the air behind him cracked open; ripping apart space itself as Chihiro stepped out.


    "Oh¡­" Chihiro quickly hummed as she saw everyone looking at her, "...Did I mess up the timing?"


    "Not at all, Chihiro," Riley shook his head, before gesturing to Ahor Zai, "I am giving you the chance to do something, Gracy. Prove to your universe and this one that you are not useless¡­


    ¡­try stopping this."


    "What are you even¡ª"


    And before Gracy could even finish her words, Ahor Zai waved her hand¡ªcausing some sort of portal to emerge from the floor right beneath where Gracy was floating. And without even giving her the chance to say anything else, Riley dropped her down.


    "Now then," Riley returned to his throne, "Is there anyone that still wants to forfeit?"


    "..."


    "Good, that is good," Riley nodded to himself as he sat back down, "Who wants to fight next?"


    "He''s only one man! We can take him! We have the themarians and the evaniels on our side!"


    "Are you stupid? He just told us he has our people hostage."


    "How do we even know what you showed us is true!? In fact, all of these sound like some sort of show. What about the Primordials you mentioned earlier!? Where are they!?"


    "I am not sure if the mysterious group really are the primordials, random humanoid," Riley sighed and shook his head, "But the themarians are saying that the energy they give out¡ªor rather the fact that they are not giving out energy at all is the same as me. I was told by Navi, one of the Primordials, that I am the same as them¡ªand therefore my guess has merit."


    "W¡ª"


    "Enough dying. The Humans vs¡­ how do you pronounce this, Ahor Zai?"


    [Es''embres.]


    "The Humans vs. the Es''embres," Riley raised his hand, "S¡ª"


    "Riley!" Hannah roared, "I will fucking off myself if you continue this!"


    "If you kill yourself, then I will kill everyone¡ªwhether people find it entertaining or not," Riley quickly responded, "And not just here, but the other universes out there will receive the same treatment. I will scorch them down and they will not even know why it is happening to them."


    "Riley¡­"


    "Oh, and please do not attempt to lose purposely," Riley looked at Bulwark, "I will also destroy Earth and everyone in it if you lose."


    "..." Bulwark squinted his golden eyes as he nced at Bernard, who just closed his eyes in response.


    "Are you serious, Riley¡­?" Hera stepped forward and stood beside Hannah, "You have friends there. What about Paige? Katherine, the mother of your child?"


    "I have no friends, Hera."


    "What about Italian Mafia Reborn!?" Hera breathed out and smiled, "If you destroy Earth then no one will be able to make it anymore!"


    "I know you bought the rights to Italian Mafia Reborn, Hera," Riley blinked, "You bought it because your body and your mind knew that it is the only way you will be left alive even if everything else turns into ruin¡­


    ¡­You will make Italian Mafia Reborn if you wish to survive."


    "Fuck¡­ he''s right," Hera sucked in a deep breath as she nced at Hannah.


    [The Humans vs. The Es''embres!]


    And before anyone else could get another word in, Hera and the others were warped away along with their opponents.


    "Well then, eat¡­" Riley opened his arms as he looked at everyone that was left in the banquet hall, "...the food you people have actually been eating and enjoying since earlier have been prepared by me and my clones."


    "!!!"


    As soon as everyone heard that, some of the champions instantly started vomiting there and then. More seemed to want to vomit, but their digestive systems do not really have such capabilities.


    "That is rude," Riley sighed and shook his head, "I painstakingly learned recipes that arepletely and literally alien to me and prepared them. Wh¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, fireworks started appearing in the ceiling of the banquet hall as Hannah and the others appeared back in the banquet hall as fast as they were warped away¡­


    ¡­with Bernard''s white suitpletely thered in blood.


    Bernard didn''t really say anything. He just red at Riley, before sitting back at the Earth''s table. It was the same with Hannah; except she did not even look at Riley as she took her seat. Tempo, who had been quiet since the beginning, only turned his head down as he approached Princess Vera, who immediately embraced him in her arms.


    "Hm," Riley nodded, "As expected of Father. Next¡ª"


    "Riley, what are you doing?"


    And finally, Aerith stepped forward and started to approach Riley.


    "This is enough. Let''s just¡­ go," Aerith looked Riley in the eyes, "I promised to stop you, and I am asking you to stop now. Let''s just go."


    "But we are just starting, Aerith," Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "Is what we talked about meaningless?" Aerith breathed in as she stood in front of Riley, "Am I¡­ actually just meaningless to you? Didn''t we just promise to just be together and leave all of this behind us¡­? I thought you loved me?"


    "I do, Aerith," Riley nodded, "You are my favorite person next to Sister."


    "Then¡ª"


    "That''s why, Aerith¡­"


    "Hm?"


    "Aerith¡­" Riley looked at Aerith; his eyes, seemingly filled with utmost endearment,


    ¡­versus all the remaining Normal Races."


    "...What?"

 Chapter 793 793: Checkmate

    ?


    "Aerith vs. the remaining Normal Races."


    "What¡­? Wait, no!"


    "Yes."


    "Don''t do this!"


    Arge majority of the people left in the banquet hall were of the normal races, and suffice it to say¡­ those that had eyes were all looking at Aerith. Their eyes were filled with a sense of fear that none of them really thought they would feel today.


    Each and every one of them were individually handpicked by each of their civilizations¡ªmost of them thinking that they would be bringing glory to their people just by showing their prowess against the other races. They were not that dumb; they might have joined Jakol in instigating and softly trying to intimidate the higher races, but most of them knew that they were categorized higher than them in the first ce.


    They already knew they were just appetizers to the main course, they knew they were going to lose, and it didn''t matter. What mattered to them was how.


    How they were going to lose.


    They were going to put up the best fight they could even against these goliaths, and maybe even by sheer luck, they could somehow win.


    What they did not expect, however, was the price for losing.


    The death of their homes.


    "Are¡­ are all of you truly just going to let this happen!?"


    "Some of you are members of the Common Council! You have the obligation to protect peace, to protect the universe!"


    "Why aren''t any of you doing anything!?"


    "..." Elder Apo and Elder S''adar could really only turn their heads down. They wanted to do something, they really did¡ªbut what, exactly? They could make a n to incapacitate Riley, like how Diana and Aerith did to him.


    "That will not be very wise."


    "!!!"


    Elder Apo and Elder S''adar could not help but flinch back as Pirate Queen Xra suddenly appeared behind them.


    "It would seem that most of you still do not get your situation," Xra let out a long and deep sigh as she walked around, looking at everyone she passed, "There is no nning against Riley Ross because he is simply¡­ n-proof. You want to incapacitate him again by using the themarians? Bash his head in over and over again?"


    "..." Diana looked Xra in the eyes, fully knowing what she was getting at.


    "The only reason that Caiin''Ur was able to do that with Aerith was that they caught him off-guard at his most vulnerable moment¡ªand that will never happen again," Xra shook her head as she made her way to Riley, "What makes even any of you certain that this is even Riley''s real body? For all everyone knows, he is hundreds of thousands away from here; watching everything unfold back on Earth while drinking milk. This¡­


    ¡­is a checkmate. And all of you are just pawns that have not been eaten yet."


    "You are a pawn in this as well, Pirate Queen," Queen Adel snarled.


    "Well, more like the Queen," Xra stood beside Riley as she once again looked at everyone.


    "...I thought I was the Queen?" Chihiro, who was also standing beside Riley, could not help but raise an eyebrow at Xra.


    "Too young," Xra looked at Chihiro from head to toe.


    "You have no idea how many times I have lived your lifetimes," Chihiro smirked.


    "Fine, you are a lot smaller than me," Xra once again looked at Chihiro from head to toe.


    "That¡ª"


    "And also¡­" Xra looked at the crowd before pointing her finger on the side of her head, "I hear all of your thoughts, I know every move you will make."


    "Why are you even on my brother''s side!?" Hannah almost growled, "Wasn''t the very reason you returned to Earth was because you''re trying to live a normal life!? Wasn''t Mom trying to help you find a way to revive your husband!?"


    "Well, when your mother was not busy trying to find your brother the past 5 years, she was busy trying to find a way to get rid of him," Xra looked Diana in the eyes, "I knew then that Caiin did not have any n to help me. And so, I went with the one who could."


    "You¡­ really think my brother could revive your husband?"


    "Yes," Xra nodded, "And he could do many more with the Codex by his side."


    "And you¡­?" Hannah pointed at Ahor Zai, "My brother''s literal goal in life is to destroy everything. That goes against your purpose of gaining all the knowledge¡ªif he destroys everything, then you would have no purpose."


    [Quite the contrary, in fact,] Ahor Zai smiled at Hannah, [Riley Ross offers something that none of you could, or any of your variants could, a knowledge beyond our universe, beyond all the universes. And that is also the very reason why¡­


    ¡­the norids are on our side.]


    "!!!"


    "We are not," the norids all raised their hands as everyone looked at them, "We may seek knowledge, but not to the expense of the lives of others."


    [You are,] Ahor Zai giggled, [You are just not aware of it yet.]


    "We¡ª"


    "I like that everyone is getting along," Riley stood up from his throne and slightly raised his hand, "But it is time for Aerith to fight against the normal races."


    "Riley¡­" Aerith flew right in front of Riley and grabbed him by the arms, "...Don''t make me do this."


    "Why not? You will win, Aerith," Riley smiled, "Also, since the Normal Races are all involved¡ªit won''t really be fair that your punishment, if you lose, will only be the destruction of the remaining themarians. So¡­


    ¡­you will be representing the Higher Races, Aerith. If you lose, if you hold back, I will also destroy the homes of the Higher Races. If you think I can''t and will not be able to do it, well, it will be interesting to see, no?"


    "W¡ª"


    "Send me instead." The entire banquet hall suddenly trembled as Queen Adel stomped her foot on the floor, "I will not risk the safety of my people to Aerith."


    "Now, where would the fun be in that, Queen Adel? Everyone already knows of your violent nature. But Aerith¡­" Riley ced his hand on Aerith''s chin, "...I want to see what you are going to do."


    "She will be the end of us!" Queen Adel raised her voice as she looked at the other Higher Races, "None of you know my daughter, but she will risk us for the reason that the Normal Races are weaker and more numerous! We¡ª"


    "Enough," Riley let out a sigh as he nced at Ahor Zai, "We have already spent an entire chapter debating this, everyone. It is time to watch."


    "Ri¡ª"


    And before Aerith could say another word of resistance, she¡­ and all the normal races in the banquet hall were warped away¡ªleaving less than 35 people in the hall, making it almost seem empty.


    "Now then," Riley sat back on his throne as the gigantic screen behind him started to show Aerith, "What choice will you make, Aerith?"


    And as everyone felt a certain way because of the situation, there was one that was incredibly anxious ¡ª Hera.


    She wasn''t sensing any danger from Riley yet, as is evident with her body beingpletely rxed. She was, however, sensing danger somewhere else¡­


    ¡­she just doesn''t know where yet.

 Chapter 794 794: What It Means To Be Megawoman

    Chapter 794  794: What It Means To Be Megawoman


    She tries to save everyone. She has always tried to, no matter what the cause of it will be for her.


    She was born with the strength to do so, and so she does. Saving people was not even an option for her, because it is what she just does. One might think that it was easy for her because of her overwhelming strength, and it is¡ªthe times that the odds were against her almost did not exist.


    She wasn''t a fool, she knew that she could not save everyone; but that didn''t matter. As long as she saves one more life, she would. For hundreds and hundreds of years, she did¡­


    ¡­until the dark days came for everyone''s lives.


    And now, once again, a dark day looms for her.


    Themarians do not really need to breathe, they just do so because it feels nice to do so¡ªbut right now, try as Aerith might not to breathe, she wasn''t able to do so as her heart, which also rarely beats, was crushing her chest with the way it drummed.


    She still hasn''t moved from her spot after she was warped away from the banquet hall. She just stood there, surrounded by a field of grass that did not have any color¡ªjust white. Almost as if she was floating above a t cloud.


    Of course, she knew that Riley meant for this to happen. He wanted to see if she was going to cover this white field into a sea of red. And perhaps the worst thing about this all, as she stared at the crowd of different people circling around her¡­


    ¡­she was actually deliberating in doing so.


    The odds¡­ none of it even existed on her side.


    "Everyone, please¡­" Aerith raised both her hands, spinning in ce as she looked at each of the people surrounding her, "...There has to be a way where all of us cane out of this alive."


    Her voice was loud, incredibly so as it thundered across the white field. But s, no one was listening to her as everyone else was just nning quietly on how they could win against the themarian princess.


    "I could find a way to warp to yours and get rid of his clones before anything could happen," Aerith smiled; her breaths, however, only escaped as desperation, "I can do that, I am strong enough to do that. Please, I¡ª"


    And before Aerith could finish her words, a group of humanoids whose skin was made of rock rushed toward her.


    "Don''t¡­" Aerith showed her palms to gesture to everyone she had no intention of attacking, "...You''ll only hurt yourself, please. It''s not¡ª"


    Once again, Aerith''s words were met with violent silence as the boulder-like creatures just rammed her without any hesitation. Aerith, however, made sure to slightly hover in the air and allow herself to be pushed back so that they wouldn''t get hurt.


    "Stop," Aerith then waved her hand, causing a st of wind to gently blow away the heavy humanoids. She still wanted to say something, but a group of a smaller race that resembled snailstched onto her¡ªtrying to bite through her skin, but shattering their teeth in the process.


    Aerith just flexed her muscles, blowing them away. She wasn''t given any time to leave, however, as arms that looked like tree roots emerged from the ground and grabbed her legs. Aerith wanted to fly away, but as soon as she realized that the arm-like roots truly were arms, she paused in the air in fear of splitting whoever was holding her down in half.


    "Stop it¡­" Aerith then whispered to herself as she saw everyone now rushing at her, "...please, there has to be a way."


    The only thing that Aerith could really do was close her eyes¡ªnot even feeling a single thing as she was showered and bombarded by the violent attempts of normal races to hurt her.


    [I told you, she will risk our lives for the lives of these weak creatures! More than a thousand of them have already lost theirs when they lost the Battle Royale, what use is there to leave 7 or 8 more!?]


    "..." Aerith let out a tiny breath as she heard her mother''s voice being broadcast to everyone on the battlefield. And it wasn''t just her, she could hear everyone in the banquet hall arguing.


    [I¡­ agree with your statement.]


    Aerith heard a voice that she hadn''t heard before¡ªbut judging by the way each of the words buzzed, it was the voice of one of the Xanix, the Insecta race that did not really have one single body, but millions creating one humanoid-looking shell¡­


    ¡­an endangered species.


    [The value of the existence of the people in this hall far outweighs the existence of those who are outside. It should not even be a choice.]


    [That''s not¡­] Aerith could hear Hannah wanting to speak, but seemed to hesitate. But in the end, she still managed to say the words she wanted to say, [...That''s not fair.]


    [But it is,] this time, it was a norid, [We are more important.]


    [Then maybe we all should just fucking die.]


    [Just your brother. But I think we have already discovered that that is impossible.]


    "Can all of you just shut up?" Aerith gritted her teeth.


    [Just kill them and get this over with, Aerith.]


    "And you think this will be over once I do that?" Aerith let out a small chuckle even as the champions of the normal races continued to attack her, "What do you think will happen if I do defeat them? What do you think will happen after Riley destroys their homes? You think he''ll stop? No¡­


    ¡­one of you is next. That is just how he is, he won''t stop. He can''t."


    [I am truly d that you know me that well, Aerith.]


    "I wish I didn''t," Aerith breathed out as she heard Riley''s voice.


    [But you do. 30 seconds. I will give you 30 seconds¡ªif you do not start fighting back, I will activate the rest of my clones and start my war against the Higher Races¡­ and it won''t be much of a war.]


    "Give me time, please¡­" Aerith whispered; her eyes remained closed.


    [I did, Aerith. I have always given you time. And like now, I have always given you a choice.]


    "Why¡­ why does it have to be me?" Aerith started to move as she sped her head, "Why do you have to torture me, Riley!?"


    [Because I love you, Aerith. I love what you are, I love who you are¡­


    ¡­and I don''t like that.]


    "You¡­" Aerith sucked in a deep breath as she tried to stop the tears that were forming in her eyes.


    [15 seconds.]


    "I¡­ don''t know what to do."


    [But you do, Aerith.]


    "..." A deafening silence filled Aerith''s ears as every other sound was drowned. She could not even hear a single thing anymore¡ªno. She refused to listen anymore. She has tried saving everyone her entire life¡­


    ¡­maybe it was time to stop¡­


    ¡­and save herself.


    And with that thought the only thing lingering in her mind, a blinding red light shed from her eyes as she opened it; her lips, almost growling as she looked at the people attacking her.


    And then, with a deep breath¡­


    "...No."


    She said no; the light in her eyes, fading away.


    "I can''t do it. Just kill me¡­


    ¡­I don''t want to y this game anymore."

 Chapter 795 795: ...Wow

    Chapter 795  795: ...Wow


    "I can''t do it. Just kill me¡­


    ¡­I don''t want to y this game anymore."


    The light in Aerith''s eyes continued to fade away. The people that were attacking her already stopped when her eyes glowed red in fear that they would just suddenly melt away. But now, even as the will to fightpletely vanished from her eyes, the champions remainedpletely still; some even backing away as they heard Aerith''s desperate and weak whispers.


    The others, however, saw this chance to attack and once again rushed toward her¡­ only to find themselvespletely unable to move even a single inch.


    "Are you going to kill yourself again, Aerith?"


    And all of a sudden, Riley appeared in front of her, descending out of nowhere from above. He very gently touched her chin, lifting her head up so he could look her in the eyes.


    "No," Aerith answered weakly as she returned Riley''s gaze, "This is not my failure. I just refuse to be yed and manipted by you again, Riley. Just kill me. Kill everyone if you want¡ªthat is what makes you happy, right? You want to kill everyone and turn them into nothing, you want to be alone."


    "Hm. I remember us having this discussion before, Aerith," Riley smiled, "I do not want to be alone. If there is anything that I fear, it is being alone ¡ª but with everything I have done, it is what I deserve, and therefore I strive for it."


    "Stop it with the pity y, Riley," Aerith leaned her head away, "Just kill me. I am not going to y this game of yours anymore."


    "Are you nning to manipte me as well by saying that, Aerith?"


    "I''m not one for mind games," Aerith let out a wry chuckle, "Just kill me and get this over with. You can always just find another me in another universe, make their lives hell instead."


    "Hm, maybe I will do that," Riley smiled, "But I won''t find another you, Aerith. The multiverse does not really matter to me, only the universe that has you."


    "Why me¡­? Why does it have to be me?"


    "Because it is," Riley leaned closer to Aerith, before wrapping his arms around her, "And I am truly sorry for that."


    "Riley¡­" Aerith softly returned Riley''s embrace, tight¡­perhaps too tight, "Diana! This is his real body! He won''t hug me like this with one of his clones!"


    [We''re on it!]


    "Diana! You can do it, just burst through the hall and help me restrain him!"


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times as he heard Aerith and Diana''s words. Several thumps and explosions could be heard being broadcast throughout the entire as Diana and the others seemed to havepletely destroyed the hall.


    [Shout so I can hear where you are!]


    "Here!"


    [Where!? I can''t hear your voice!]


    "..."


    "Diana¡­!? I''m here!"


    [Wait, this¡­ this lookspletely different.]


    "...What?"


    "What¡­" Riley blinked a couple of times again as he very slowly turned his head; his lips, now directly on Aerith''s ears, "...are you doing, Aerith?"


    "Trying to stop you!"


    "Hm," Riley''s voice was incredibly gentle so as to not hurt Aerith''s ears,


    "What made all of you think that the battlefield was anywhere near the banquet hall, Aerith?"


    "Wh¡­ what do you mean?" Aerith''s eyes very slowly started to widen, "You and Ahor Zai kept referring to this ce as ''outside''!"


    "Yes," Riley once again blinked, "Because it is outside¡­ but several lightyears away. We won''t be using warp technology if the field was directly just outside, Aerith¡ªthat would be too costly and Ahor Zai is on a budget because we''re using the funds of the Common Council."


    "..." Aerith''s grip slowly loosened, allowing Riley to take a few steps back.


    "Oh¡­" Riley looked at Aerith''s eyes, which were filled with confusion, but most importantly, defeat, "...Don''t be sad, Aerith. Diana and the others could still reach this ce in a few minutes if they tried. It¡­ was a good n."


    "..." Aerith could really only look at Riley as he started patting her shoulders like she was some kind of child that failed her math test.


    "Solving things with your strength is truly your forte, Aerith. Do not be too disappointed with this oue. We all have our own strengths." Riley then let out a small sigh as he backed away. He seemed to bepletely lost in thought, even cing his hand on his chin before uttering¡­


    "...Wow."


    "..."


    "I am truly impressed, Aerith," Riley slightly covered his mouth as he once again nced at Aerith, "Your n is working because I don''t even want to go through with this after that."


    "..."


    "You people," Riley then turned to look at the frozen champions surrounding the two of them, "I am allowing all of you to go home now. Ahor Zai, take us back."


    And as soon as Riley said that, Aerith saw her vision shift and found herself back in the banquet hall¡­ which now no longer had a ceiling.


    "Hm¡­" As for Riley, he just sat back on his throne; resting his elbows on his knees as he covered his mouth with his hands. And very soon, Diana and all the Higher Races flew back and returned to the banquet hall. Riley, however, did not heed them any mind as he just gestured to Ahor Zai toe to him.


    [Hm, okay,] Ahor Zai started nodding as Riley seemed to be whispering something to her, [Yes, all Aeriths have the tendency to not think.]


    [Hm, I agree,] Ahor Zai nodded again, [She should never be made to lead a n again.]


    [Hm, are you sure?] Ahor Zai squinted as she looked at Aerith, whose head waspletely turned to the floor, [I do not think the pocket universe can help with increasing her decision-making skills.]


    "Hm¡­" Riley then waved his hand, gesturing to Ahor Zai that he was done speaking to her. Riley then turned to look at the champions left in the banquet hall, before letting out a sigh and shaking his head, "...Who wishes to continue with the Tournament?"


    "If the pocket universe is still on the line, then we wish to continue."


    "As do we."


    Both the Xanix and the Norid immediately raised their hands as soon as they heard Riley''s words. And when Riley saw that only the two groups wanted to continue, he once again sighed and stood up from his throne.


    "I promise that I will no longer n anything evil and malicious for the duration of the Tournament," Riley raised his hand, "This¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, a tear suddenly opened in the air at the very center of the hall. And without even a secondter, a blinding sh of light exploded from it¡ªa blinding sh of light that did not really affect most of the people in the banquet hall.


    Another secondter, several more portals opened up; scattered across the banquet hall.


    And soon, Gracy, who was thrown away back to her universe, jumped out of the rift¡­ along with the Bernard, Hannah, and Chihiro of her universe. And it wasn''t only them, several more familiar figures from their universe stepped out of the other portals.


    "We are here to help stop Riley!" Gracy started waving her arms before getting into a fighting stance, "Everyone¡­


    ¡­Assemb¡ª"


    "It''s over."


    "Huh¡­?"


    "You do not need to stop me, Gracy. It''s over, but...


    ...since all of you are here..."

 Chapter 796 796: Time To Have Fun

    Chapter 796  796: Time To Have Fun


    All of a sudden, the hall that was near empty was suddenly filled with more people. The noise that scattered in the air, almost drowning everyone as the voices just mixed; some were of excitement, some worried, and most were confused.


    "Why are everyone just talking to each other!?"


    Gracy, who was the one responsible for bringing more than 50 people to another universe, could not even believe what she was witnessing in front of her. The effort she had to put into making this possible was something that probably shortened her lifespan for years ¡ª and yet no one was even listening to her at all.


    "Guys¡­!?" Gracy ced her hand on Nannah''s shoulder, "What the hell!? We should be trying to subdue Riley Ross!"


    "And risk fucking dying in vain?" The Hannah of the other universe, Nannah, shook her head; her eyes,pletely fixated on Riley.


    "But all of you were ready to die!" Gracy wanted to pull her hair in frustration as she backed away, "I even gave a speech!"


    "It was a very good speech, kid," Bard patted Gracy''s shoulder, "You should be proud of the fact that all these people responded to your call ¡ª even divulging the fact that you are Megawoman''s daughter. But Hannah is right¡­


    ¡­we were here to prevent more deaths, but seeing as that living disaster has already calmed down, we would just be poking a sleeping lion and inviting unwanted deaths."


    "Damn it!" Gracy stomped away, approaching Riley and violently pointing her finger at him, "Trust me, Riley ¡ª as long as I, the savior of justice and all that is good, remain alive ¡ª you will meet your fate!"


    "What sort of fate¡­ Gracy?" Riley could not help but blink a couple of times as Gracy suddenly sat beside him on the armrest of his throne, "What are you doing?"


    "What do you think?" Gracy scoffed, "I am trying to establish dominance in my universe ¡ª if I am sitting beside the top dog of this universe, then that means I am also the top dog of my universe. And what do you mean ''what sort of fate''!? Death! It''s death!"


    "Hm," Riley nced at Gracy, before letting out a small breath and leaning his back on his throne. He then looked at the crowd that was now before him, before shaking his head and gesturing to Ahor Zai toe near.


    [Yes, Riley?]


    "The number of people in the hall; is it an odd number, Ahor Zai?"


    [Yes. A team battle will beplicated,] Ahor Zai nodded her head as she started scanning all the people, [There is also the fact that the number of humans has increased. Ms. Gracy may have also brought people not from Earth, but the number is also not ideal.]


    "Well, sorry about that," Gracy rolled her eyes, "It''s not like I had the luxury to call upon the freaking Primordials or watchumacallthem. Where are they anyway, they gone?"


    [I am currently searching for them, if it truly was them. But considering they just disappeared into nowhere and I could not find even a single trace of them existing ¡ª Riley is right, they truly might be the primordials.]


    "Weird¡­ What do you think they''re doing here?"


    [I do not¡ª]


    "Individual battles." And before the two could continue their conversation, Riley suddenly raised his hand, "Only those that wish to fight will fight, and it will no longer be a team battle. Ahor Zai, send all of us to the battlefield."


    And without even any warning for the other people in the room, all of them were warped to the battlefield, causing most of the people who were seated to lose their bnce. Fortunately for them, Riley did not allow their butts to hit the ground as he waved his hand.


    "Everyone," Riley then pped his hands, causing a gentle wave to ripple through the entire t, "The prize for the Tournament remains the same, a pocket universe of your own ¡ª the size of a star system. The way to get it, however, has changedpletely. There are no more teams. It is any of you¡­


    ¡­against me."


    "Who is this guy, really?" One of the people from Gracy''s universe whispered. For some reason, however, everyone could hear everyone''s voices.


    "Shh! Are you stupid? Megawoman''s daughter already said he was some sort of god of destruction."


    "Speaking of, you seen herrge tits? Are we sure she''s Megawoman''s daughter?"


    "What the¡ªI heard that!" Gracy quickly pointed at the man as she heard his words. She then nced at Aerith, before very slowly and not-so-subtly looking at her breasts, "Oh¡­ it''s true."


    "..." Aerith, who was alreadypletely confused as to what to feel, could really only look away and look down, "Just kill me."


    "That¡­ it''s alright," Diana stuttered as she tried her best tofort Aerith."


    [Anyone who wins against me¡­] Riley''s voice started to reverberate throughout the entire t as he stepped closer toward the crowd, [...will win the prize. It doesn''t matter if you go first, or if you wait for me to get tired¡ªbecause I do not get tired, I can only exert myself.]


    "Is it to the death?"


    And almost immediately as Riley said that, one of the Xanix people raised his hand and floated closer to him; garnering everyone''s attention due to the loud buzzing noise his body was creating.


    [It is not, Xanix.]


    "Then I will go first."


    "And we already have our first contender," a small smile crawled on Riley''s face as he looked at the Xanix, "Ahor Zai."


    [Of course,] Ahor Zai snapped her fingers, and as she did so, the rest of the crowd disappeared ¡ª only to reappear from the distance.


    "What the¡ªwe can''t see from here!"


    Ahor Zai only nced at the one whoined, before letting out a small sigh and pping her hands. And as she did so, a hologram of the t appeared in front of each and every one of the people.


    [There, now each of you have an individual view of what is happening,] Ahor Zai once again nced at the one whoined, before letting out a small scoff and looking into the distance toward Riley and the Xanix.


    [Champion!] Ahor Zai then raised her arms in the air as her clothes suddenly changed into something more frilly, much more frilly; wearing an oversized headset even though she did not need it, [Introduce yourself!]


    "...My name is Ylim," Ylim stretched his arms to the side. And as he did so, his body that was made of millions of insect-like creatures separated from each other and seemingly expanding his silhouette, "I am one of the only 100 remaining Xanix in the entire Known Universe ¡ª and I am considered to be the strongest out of all of us."


    "Interesting," Riley tilted his head to the side, "I am Riley Ross, Hannah''s brother, and Aerith''s venomous lover."


    "I am still unaware of what you are truly capable of, Riley Ross ¡ª so I will fight with all my might." With his body separating into millions of pieces and stretching; his voice was also starting to resonate ¡ªing from all the little insects that made up his body,


    "I am desperate to win the pocket universe for my people."


    [Riley Ross vs. Ylim of the Higher Races¡­


    ¡­Fight!]


    And not even a millisecond after Ahor Zai announced the start of their fight, Ylim''s form shifted into that of a drill and shot straight toward Riley.


    "Hm¡­" Riley quickly flew to the side; but as he did so, several insects separated from the drill and shot like a bullet that moved at an insane speed toward him. Riley was able to dodge most of it, but one managed totch itself on his arm.


    "Oh¡­?" And with only a slight resistance, it was able to dig through his flesh and crawl all the way through his shoulder. Before it could reach its neck, however, Riley pulled it out with his bare hand and flicked it back to the¡­ hive,


    "I could see why your race belongs to the Higher Races, Ylim," the smile on Riley''s face now reached from ear to ear, "Very well, let us both have fun."


    And as Riley said those words, a clone suddenly appeared in front of him. There was something different about this clone, however, but those who were watching could not figure out what.


    "Please, face me yourself, Riley Ross!" Ylim immediately pierced through the clone, "I wish to win, but I wish to win with digni¡ª!!!"


    And before Ylim could finish his words, the clone he thought he pierced suddenly separated into thousands and thousands of pieces. And finally, everyone realized what was different¡ªthe clone¡­ it was made up of tiny little Rileys.


    "Everyone¡­!" Thergest one of the miniature Rileys, the one who was the size of a thumb, ordered the smaller ones to fly; his voice, barely even audible, "Defeat the enemy in front of you¡­


    ¡­Advance!"


    "!!!"


    And all of a sudden, almost half of Ylim''s bodies were now busy trying to fend off the miniature Rileys. As for Riley, well¡­ he summoned another batch of micro Rileys and ordered all of them to attack Ylim.


    Suffice it to say, Gracy and the others who were not fully familiar with how Riley fights now had their eyes wide open.


    "Everyone!" The thumb-size Riley once again roared, "Pavoo¡ª"


    Before it could say its next word, however, Riley suddenly appeared behind it and trapped it within his fist, "We are not here to kill, Thumbly."


    "Fuah!" Thumbly moved through the gaps of Riley''s fingers, "Do not listen to the Boss! Charge! Kill! Kill the inse¡ª"


    And with a sigh, Riley canceled all of the micro Rileys; all of them, turning into dust that almost created a cloud.


    "I apologize for that, Ylim," Riley once again sighed, "The smaller they are¡­


    ¡­the more vicious they get."

 Chapter 797 797: Posterior

    Chapter 797  797: Posterior


    "I am sorry, everyone. I failed to im us the prize that could very well resurrect our race."


    "It is fine, Ylim. It is unnatural to ask for an extension of our stay in this world ¡ª all things have to end, we just happen to be the witness to thest of our people."


    One might say that the way Riley defeated Ylim was a mockery to their species, but the Xanix did not even think of anything else as they just huddled together; the buzz they created by hugging their bodies together, enough to resound throughout the entire teau of the t.


    Ylim tried his best, and that was the only thing important for his people. Riley was just¡­ not an opponent that they could defeat in the first ce. Speaking of, Riley was now standing on top of a stage that he created; standing tall in front of all the people that were either avoiding his gaze, or returning it with a re.


    The people from Gracy''s universe were still slightly confused as to what was happening, but with Bard, the Bernard of their world, exining to them everything; they were slowly starting to understand the situation in which they found themselves. They were already given information about Riley Ross; about what he could do, and about what he wanted to do.


    He was not only a threat to their universe, but to everyone''s ¡ª they thought they were here to fight a war that would decide the fate of everything that existed. But now, the only thing they could really do was watch and wait.


    "That guy¡­ didn''t he just destroy more than a thousands? Why is everyone just pretending like nothing happened?"


    "More than a thousands? That''s trillions of people, why are people ying his games? Do the people of this universeck empathy?"


    The people of Gracy''s universe still could not get over the fact that no one seemed to be trying to fight. Even Gracy, the one who made some grand speech to bring them all here, was now just casually talking to some people.


    "We do."


    "Hm?"


    And as they were talking to each other, Princess Vera approached them, "Weck empathy, but not because we''re callous. We''re just forced to swallow our losses, by him."


    Vera pointed at Riley, but none of the otherworlders turned their eyes at him and just focused on her.


    "All of you are lucky you do not live in the same universe as Riley Ross," Vera sighed, "My first introduction to him was him killing my brother and hundreds of my men. Pray you do not get introduced to him at all."


    "There are lots of us here, we can take him."


    "No," Vera forced out a small chuckle before shaking her head, "I used to think so too ¡ª but how exactly do you stop an unstoppable force?"


    "By killing it," one of the otherworlders stepped closer to Vera ¡ª a human. A familiar face for Riley and the others, a variant of Daniel Espinoza.


    "Well, this one is undying," Vera only shook her head before walking away, "My advice to all of you is just watch and then go home to your worlds¡­ then pray Riley doesn''t go back there."


    "We will see about that." And while everyone was either discussing a n on how to win against Riley, or just casually having a fruitful conversation with people from another world, Daniel''s variant raised his hand.


    "I am challenging you, Overlord," he then said as he looked at Riley. And without even any warning, he was sent to the center of the t along with Riley.


    [State your name, Champion!]


    "Daniel Espinoza, aka, Balloon Man," Daniel let out a small scoff as his fists suddenly bloated to the size of a yoga ball. He then bumped his fists with each other, creating a thunderous and almost deafening drum that rippled across the white field.


    "Balloon Man?" Riley looked to the side as he heard Daniel''s words, "The version of you in this world has a different superhero name."


    [Balloon Man vs. Riley Ross¡­]


    "...Superhero?" Daniel raised an eyebrow as a small scoff escaped his lips.


    [...Fight!]


    "I''m a superviin!" And with those words, Daniel''s legs instantly shifted into springs ¡ª and with the ground shattering into millions of pieces, another thunderous crack snapped in the air as Daniel disappeared from his spot and shot straight toward Riley; skirts of wind, exploding around his bouncy silhouette.


    Riley, on the other hand, only grabbed something from his pockets¡ªa spoon. And with a small tap on his palm, the spoon almost instantly grew into the size of a street sign, and without even a smile crawling on his face, Riley swung the spoon like a baseball bat¡­ hitting Daniel so hard to the point that he flew back from where he was originally standing before they were warped away by Ahor Zai.


    "..." Vera, who was the closest one to him, could really only look down at Daniel and sigh. His rubber-like body seemed to have dissipated most of the damage, but the foam forming from his mouth was enough for everyone to see that the fight was over.


    "Hm," Riley was using his hand as a visor as he looked at where Danielnded, "He seems to be stronger than our Daniel. Ahor Zai, take me¡ª"


    "You need to stop fucking acting up."


    And before Riley could finish his words, Hannah suddenly appeared in front of him.


    [Champion, state your name!]


    "Hannah fucking Ross¡­" Hannah let out a small scoff as she looked Riley straight in the eyes, "...aka, this stupid fucking genocidal idiot''s sister."


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at his sister, before returning the spoon back to its original size and hiding it back in his pockets, "I did not realize you also want the pocket universe, Sister."


    "I could care a rat''s tits for that fucking pocket shit," Hannah almost growled as her entire suit instantly withered away ¡ª reced by a one-piece full suit that almost glowed from how¡­ peach it was.


    "That surprised me, Sister. I thought you were going to fight me naked," Riley, who quickly covered his eyes with his hands, tilted his head to the side as a small smile crawled on his face, "You are supposed to be Elevator Hannah, not Shirtless Hannah."


    "The fuck are you even going on about!?" And without even waiting for Ahor Zai to announce the start of the fight, Hannah flew toward Riley; the ground beneath her feet melting away instantly¡ªno, the ground vaporizedpletely.


    "Why fight, Sister?" Riley sighed as he just gently grabbed Hannah''s hand and wrapped his other arm around her waist, "I have your abilities ¡ª that makes me immune to it."


    "Do I look like I fucking care if you''re immune to it!?" Hannah quickly retracted her head back, before mming her forehead straight on Riley''s nose¡­ which only made her head bounce back, "Fuck! Take off your telekic barrier and just let me hit you, you pussy!"


    "...I do not have my telekic barrier on, Sister," Riley wanted to touch Hannah''s forehead, but Hannah pped his hand away, "My durability may only be a percent of a themarian''s, but that percent is already stronger than 99% of everyone else''s."


    "Fuck! Why do you have to be so fucking strong and so fucking evil at the same time!?" The color of Hannah''s eyes disappeared as everything around them started to melt away, "Why couldn''t you just be one or the other!?"


    The other champions were more than a thousand kilometers away, and yet those of them who could sweat were already starting to. If it wasn''t for Bulwark¡­ as well as Elder Apo creating a golden barrier to block the heat that wasing off of Hannah, some of them would have probably already fainted there and then.


    "..." Bulwark and Elder Apo could not help but look at each other, however. Bulwark has been teased for half a decade now for looking like Elder Apo and his race¡­ and now they even had the same abilities. Was it actually possible¡­ for him to actually be an alien?


    "I apologize for being both, Sister." Back on the battlefield, Riley was still grabbing his sister''s hand, "But what would you have done differently if I was only evil?"


    "Then I will fucking kick your ass!"


    "Hm, then I am d I am both, Sister," Riley nodded, "My posterior is quite sensitive, the same as you."


    "Shut the fuck up and just let me beat you!" Hannah was able to pull away; the field they were fighting on, nowpletely non-existent.


    "I can not do that, Sister," Riley shook his head, "It would not be fair to the others."


    And as he said those words, Riley suddenly disappeared. Hannah tried looking around to find him, but she didn''t need to do so for long¡­ as Riley was directly behind her.


    "I have always been fascinated with your fascination with kicking people''s posterior, Sister."


    "No¡­ don''t you fucking dare!"


    "I apologize, Sister. But I feel this is necessary so I could understand you even further."


    "N¡ª"


    Luckily for Hannah; before Riley could actually kick her straight on the butt, she was warped away by Ahor Zai back to the gathering area.


    "What the fuck¡­!?" Hannah covered her butt; her eyes were fully closed, so she did not really realize she was back with the others. And as she opened her eyes in shame, she found that no one was really heeding her any mind.


    "..." Hannah was relieved, but even more so, she was confused. She was going to ask Diana what was going on, but her eyes soonnded on the hologram floating in front of her.


    [Esme vs. Riley Ross¡­]


    "Wait, wait¡­"


    [...Fight!]


    "...You''re allowing this!?"

 Chapter 798 798: The Realization of The Parents of Destruction

    Chapter 798  798: The Realization of The Parents of Destruction


    "Should¡­ we not be evacuating these people!?"


    "I don''t think it''s going to lead to that."


    "Isn''t Esme capable of destroying entire star systems with a snap of her fingers!? W¡­


    ¡­Where else is it going to fucking lead!?"


    "...Esme?"


    And while Hannah was slightly panicking from the fact that the literal strongest themarian was going to fight on the same as them, Chihiro Prime was just staring at the hologram in front of her,


    "...She''s alive in this universe?"


    "...What do you mean?" And although her voice was quiet, Hannah and the other themarians were still able to hear her. Although they weren''t in the hall anymore, the crowd was still quite tight since everyone was trying to talk to everyone,


    "Is she like a unique existence or something?" Hannah said as she approached Chihiro Prime. The Chihiro from Gracy''s universe also seemed curious, but she was afraid of approaching Chihiro Prime¡ªeven with Nannah and Bard beside her.


    "No, not at all," Chihiro Prime shook her head, "Esme usually exists, but she''s also always dead. Out of all the lives I have lived, I could count the times she was alive in one hand."


    "I suppose that would make sense." Surprisingly, Queen Adel joined the conversation, "When Esme was born sometime a century ago, the entire Theran felt it. The energy she emitted when she was born was enough to increase the''s overall energy by 10%."


    "10%?" Diana also joined in on the conversation; her eyes as wide as they could be, "That''s¡­ 10%?"


    "...Is that a big deal?" Gracy crossed her arms as she looked at Diana and Adel, "I bet if I was born there, the energy would have increased by a thousand percent."


    "If you were born in my universe as a half-breed, I would snap your head myself," Queen Adel quickly said.


    "...I could see why nobody likes you, Grandma," Gracy almost gasped as she looked at Adel from head to toe, "Wait, is everyone in this universe evil AF? Is that Riley''s influence or something?"


    "No," Diana shook her head, "Her Highness is just a bigot."


    "What''s the big deal with 10% anyway?" Gracy scoffed, "Is she 10 times stronger than Queen Ass over here?"


    "You fucking idiot," Nannah also joined in on the conversation, "That means Esme''s energy alone is equal to or more than 10% of the energy of all the themariansbined. She is¡­ abnormally strong."


    "Can all of you stop fucking specting and just listen to Chihiro?" Hannah could really only roll her eyes as she gestured to Chihiro to continue, "It''s like everyone has their opinions when the fact is standing right here. What are you saying about Esme?"


    "...That''s all," Chihiro Prime, on the other hand, just shook her shoulders, "Machina didn''t really have an avatar when Esme was born, and she''s mostly dead during Chihiro''s lifetime. I just found it slightly impressive that Esme is alive in a universe that has Riley Ross. I mean, what are the chances of that?"


    "Judging from how many universes there are, close to nothing," Diana ced her hand on her chin, "But there is actually one thing I am truly worried about ¡ª something that Riley said."


    "We should always be worried about him, Mom," Hannah sighed.


    "Out with it, Doctor," Queen Vania, who had been quietly but intensely listening on the side, could not help but raise her voice as she saw the slightly disturbed expression on Diana''s face, "I think all of us here should make a covenant that we will not hide anything we know regarding Riley Ross¡ªthis is the only way we can actually have a chance of winning against this demon."


    "It''s merely a guess, but my husband feels the same way," Diana nced at Bernard, who just nodded in response, "The primordials possibly showing themselves, and then Riley saying that one of the primordials called him one of them¡­ it''s just wrong."


    "You don''t believe your son?" Queen Adel squinted her eyes.


    "I''m afraid I do," Diana took in a subtle gulp before looking at the norids, "Judging from everything we know, the primordials are gods of unlimited power; gods that were born at the same time as the multiverse."


    "What are you getting at, Mom?"


    "Primordials were born at the Beginning of everything," Diana looked at Riley and Esme''s hologram, "Riley Ross has just recently been born, and we are all still here¡ªEverything still exists."


    "...And?"


    "Something is wrong," Diana repeated one of the first words she uttered, "Either Riley shouldn''t really exist¡ª"


    "Or it is us that should not be here,"


    Bernard finally spoke up as he stood beside Diana; his eyes, scanning everyone and everything they couldy upon before ultimatelynding at his variant, "There is a chance that Riley is not the anomaly, we are¡­


    ¡­And he is just trying to clean his canvas."


    "..."


    "But of course, this could also be very unlikely," Bernard then let out a small chuckle as he saw everyone looking at him with eyes that seemed to wish to drown him,


    "It''s just a guess."


    A guess¡ªbuting from one of the most incredible minds in the entire multiverse, it sounded more like a warning.


    ***


    "They seem to be saying a lot of interesting stuff about you, Professor."


    Back in the battlefield, which was now apletely smooth crater because of Hannah, Esme and Riley still had not moved from their position even after minutes of Ahor Zai announcing the start of the fight.


    "As expected of you, Professor."


    "You are able to hear them clearly, Princess Esme?" Riley turned to look at where Esme was looking, "Are your ears not on the verge of exploding?"


    "My body is still recovering, Professor," the tone of Esme''s voice waspletely monotonous, almost showing everyone who knew Riley just how much he had changed since the days of the Academy ¡ª he looked and sounded incredibly normal whenpared to Esme,


    "And since I am weakened, controlling my racial and inherited abilities has be astronomically easier."


    "Should you not be resting then?" Riley looked at the tall Esme from head to toe.


    "No," Esme shook her head, "Even if the prize was not included, I would still not let the chance of fighting the professor slip by, Professor."


    "Okay," Riley stretched his arms to the side. And as he did so, ayer of something incredibly translucent started to wrap around his silhouette¡ªa telekic barrier so incredibly thick andpressed that it could somewhat already be visible, something that no one had actually already seen before.


    "Then please, do what you can without sending yourself to eternal death, Your Highness."


    "I have intended to do so from the start, Professor," Esme took a step forward¡­ causing the entire surface of the t to crack.


    "..." And as soon as Esme saw that, her feet very slowly left the shattered ground, "Will I lose if I step outside the battlefield, Professor?"


    "The entire universe is the battlefield, Your Highness."


    And with those words, the two suddenly disappeared from their position¡­


    ¡­and what followed next was a series of quakes that could be heard by the neighboring gxies.

 Chapter 799 799: Esme vs. Riley

    Chapter 799  799: Esme vs. Riley


    "This... is stupid."


    "...Why are we even here?"


    "We... were supposed to fight that? Did Megawoman''s daughter actually send us here to die?"


    No one could really see the fight between Esme and Riley, as they were already beyond the reach of Ahor Zai. And yet, it seemed as if everyone actually knew what was happening... because they felt it.


    Everything was trembling; one might even say that the gxy itself was crying - one was not supposed to hear anything from the expanse of space, and yet all of them could feel something tingling in their ears. Well, most of them, anyway.


    While most of the people were holding their breaths and trying to stop their hearts from beating too fast and too heavily, the themarians were looking up; their eyes, moving from time to time along with their expressions.


    "Mom¡­ who is winning?" Hannah could not help but take in a small gulp as she leaned closer to Diana. And it wasn''t only her, everyone within Riley''s circle was surrounding the themarians¡­ in a circle.


    Even Nannah, who was incredibly aloof and awkward with Diana, was inching closer to her. As for the others from her universe, well¡­ they were currently ring at Gracy.


    Gracy did not seem to notice, however, as she was also invested in knowing what exactly was happening¡­ to the point that she did not notice that her breasts were currently resting on Silvie''s back.


    "..." Silvie wanted to say something, but she couldn''t really talk to Gracy that much knowing that she''s the biological daughter of an Aerith from another universe. How would she even start a conversation with her, since she was adopted by Aerith? Suffice it to say, the only thing that Silvie could really do was turn her head awkwardly and try to lean away.


    "Are you also able to see what''s happening, Sis?" Gracy, on the other hand, waspletely oblivious to the awkwardness as she once again stood closer to Silvie; also looking up trying to see if she could also see Riley and Esme.


    "That¡­" Silvie waspletely taken aback, "...I can only get glimpses of their energy."


    "Huh¡­" Gracy blinked a couple of times, "So, what''s happening right now?"


    "They¡­


    ¡­are ripping through space itself."


    ***


    "Truly interesting."


    The expanse of space, and everything itself quivered in fear as Riley and Esme continued their sh. The crushing force emitting from each of Esme''s moves was enough to cause even darkness itself to ripple. The gxy itself shuddered and trembled as they were caught up in the chaos; everything in it was being sucked into the swirling maelstrom of destruction.


    Thes that orbited around them were pulverized, turned to dust in an instant by the sheer power of these two... gods. The deafening roar of space itself seemed to echo with a terrible dread as it witnessed this cataclysmic event.


    Cataclysmic ¡ª perhaps that was really the only way one could describe this battle. The two were not trying to kill each other, not really. Their breaths, however, were enough to kill everything else around them. Nothing could survive here - no life, no hope. Nothing but death and destruction remained for those who dared gaze upon it.


    "Are you having fun, Your Highness?" Riley asked Esme as he called forth several asteroids the size of Earth toward him, "Because that is the most important part in this."


    "I am, Professor," Esme nodded even as the asteroids shot towards her at an insane speed, "But I am not fighting you for fun, but for the purpose of winning the pocket universe."


    "What do you need it for, Princess Esme?" Riley watched as Esme just floated there; not even dodging or blocking the asteroids as they mmed at her consecutively. Of course, she did not need to do so in the first ce as the asteroids just shattered upon touching her skin,


    "You do not need your own star system to create or revive your kingdom."


    "I apologize for mycking, Professor," Esme shook her head as she disappeared from her spot,pletely pulverizing the debris of asteroids around her as she did so, "But I do not have the patience to wait ¡ª I can recreate and expedite the process inside the pocket universe."


    "But you will not be able to bring them out of the pocket universe," Riley felt his skin almost being pulled from the rest of his body as Esme created some sort of cyclone even though she was just moving behind him, "The pocket universe is real, but it is also just a simtion in a way that anything that exists there, only exists there."


    "Even still, Professor," Esme snapped her finger, causing another ripple to echo throughout the entire star system; as well aspletely erasing Riley away, "Even an ant''s colony that is millions of lightyears away, that no one knows other than them exists, is still a kingdom."


    "But you will have no way of expanding it," Riley appeared from the distance, summoning another clone as he lost the other, "But I suppose there is beauty in knowing that there are limits. Limits¡­


    ¡­that I wish to test now."


    Riley stretched his arms to the side again. And as he did so¡­ darkness itself began to shift.


    "..." Esme blinked a couple of times as she looked around her, slightly confused as to what exactly was happening. But as another asteroid mmed against her ¡ª she finally realized what Riley was doing, and for the first time in a very long time, Esme looked someone straight in the eyes¡­


    ¡­only to see blood profusely bleeding from them.


    And for the very first time in her life, Esme''s eyes widened as a hint of glitter appeared from them; a gasp, very lightly escaping her lips as she stared at Riley. For the very first time in her life¡­


    ¡­she was truly able to rte to someone.


    For as long as she could remember, she had lived her entire life barely breathing; barely living because if she does, then everything else will not be able to¡­ even herself.


    She was so strong that everything around her just crumbled, even herself. And now, she was able to find someone who was the same.


    Darkness wasn''t really shifting no ¡ª but everything else was. The bright dots from the distance¡­ were bingrger andrger; some turning into streaks that almost made it look as if the stars themselves were just fireflies in a pond.


    Riley Ross was not moving the darkness, no¡ª he was moving everything else. The asteroids that were near them started to orbit around him, rotating at a speed that made it seem as if Esme and Riley were in the middle of a colossal tornado.


    Thes from afar, removing themselves from the natural order of things and were now also using Riley as their center.


    And the bright dots from the distance were proof that Riley was not just doing this in the star system they were in¡ªno. He was doing it even to the stars from the distance, lightyears away.


    There is no longer a simile, no figure of speech.


    Riley Ross was trying to move andpress an entire gxy¡­


    ¡­and he was seeding.

 Chapter 800: Turning The Lights Off

    Chapter 800: Turning The Lights Off


    "..."


    It is unknown where exactly the Tournament was being held in the Known Universe ¡ª the only criteria was that there should be no life within a hundred thousand or so lightyears to prevent any sort of external event from happening; this rule has been followed through the expanse of time, and even now with Riley''s Tournament.


    And perhaps the one who created that ancient rule did not expect that the rule he created would someday be utilized to the fullest and would prevent more lives from being lost by a single creature known as Riley Ross.


    "This is fucked up¡­ he''s at this point already?"


    Most of the people on the t are already seeing it happen right in front of them, and even then, they find it incredibly unbelievable.


    "This has to be an illusion, this isn''t real."


    "...It''s real. I don''t like that it''s real."


    "It''s not. How are we even seeing the changes in real-time? That''s impossible, they are lightyears away."


    "Because they won''t be lightyears away in a few moments. Riley¡­ is pulling all of them closer."


    But perhaps the ones who truly could not believe what was happening were those who actually knew of Riley. Hannah was not even aware that she was holding her breath as the cosmos became bigger and bigger¡ªor on the grand scale, smaller.


    "We¡­" Hannah whispered, "We were just supposed to be normal siblings, Riley. Why¡­ why has it be like this?"


    "You are never normal, Hannah," Chihiro Prime stood behind Hannah as she too, watched as the cosmos shifted around them, "You have no idea how many universes have been destroyed because of your existence. This¡ª"


    "Don''t," Nannah disrupted Chihiro Prime''s words as she also stood beside Hannah, "Don''t tell her, that''s not her burden to bear."


    "It''s not yours either," Chihiro Prime nced at Nannah, and then at Bard, "The number of universes you were able to save by eliminating problematic variants is¡­ughably insignificant."


    "Not for those we saved," Nannah quickly responded.


    "Tell me, then¡­" Chihiro Prime once again looked at the shifting cosmos surrounding them, "...What''s your n in saving everything from this? Unlike your World Enders, Riley Ross is not a spark that would cause a universe to end ¡ª he is the end itself. Does your father have a n for that? His¡­ Council of Ross?"


    "How¡­ do you know that?" Nannah''s eyes turned wide as she heard Chihiro Prime''s words.


    "You pick up a thing or two if you live different versions of your life for more than a million times. But this¡­" Chihiro Prime closed her eyes, "...I was right in my judgment. Riley Ross is the most important person for me, and he should also be the most important person for all of you."


    "You''re fucking insane."


    "And you''re not?" Chihiro Prime chuckled.


    "Y¡ª"


    "Hannah,e here." Nannah still had many words to say, but sadly for her, Bard called for her before she could say her piece. And so instead, she just raised both her middle fingers at Chihiro Prime before walking to her father.


    "What''s up?"


    "I''ve maxed out the power of the Nexus, it''s ready to take all of us back home," Bard lowered his voice, "I was wrong when I thought we could have a chance in fighting Riley Ross if we had the help of the people of his universe ¡ª some wanted to try and fight Riley Ross when they heard the prize, but after seeing¡­ this."


    Bard then opened his palm, and as he did so, a holographic map of the gxy they were in popped out on top of it. And seeing it on that small scale, it was only then that Nannah realized just how monstrous this act was ¡ª everything was moving, spinning, and getting closer and closer to each other and making a sphere.


    It may have looked slow since she was looking at a hologram, but the fact that she was even seeing it move at that scale was¡­ beyond terrifying.


    "They all just want to go home." And as Bard said that, multiple portals started appearing near his people.


    "Well, I''m staying for a while," Nannah shrugged as she looked at her universe''s people stepping into the portals, "I might learn a thing or two from them¡­ increase our chances of saving more universes."


    "..." Bard looked his daughter in the eyes for a few seconds, before just nodding his head and walking away.


    "...You''re not going to force me to go home because what I''m fucking doing is dangerous?"


    "I know it is not right for me to say this," Bard nced back before pointing up, "But with that creature here, you are in the safest ce you will ever be. It dotes on the Hannah of this universe¡­


    ¡­and it dotes on you ¡ª use that."


    "Use what?" Nannah raised an eyebrow, "The fuck does that mean?"


    "Learn," Bard once again walked away, "I will be meeting with the Council of Ross to talk about what I just witnessed here. I wille back for you soon."


    "...Alright, fucking weirdo. Psh," Nannah scoffed, rolling her eyes before she returned to Hannah and the others. As for Bard, he just looked at Bernard and Diana for a few seconds, before heading to one of the portals.


    "Hm," Bernard, of course, did not fail to see this, "Do you think he misses her wife?"


    "I highly doubt it," Diana also nced at Bard as he disappeared into the portal, "I heard the Diana of their world experimented on their daughter."


    "But you did too." And all of a sudden, Xra interrupted Bernard and Diana''s conversation, "The Star Compressor, I know where you put it now."


    "But I did it to save her life, and everyone else''s," Diana did not bother looking at Xra.


    "What is she saying?" Bernard looked Diana in the eyes, "...Is there something else you''re not telling me?"


    "..." Diana only nced at Bernard, before shaking her head and staring at the shifting cosmos, "Not the right time. Everything we know about the limits of what Riley could do is changing¡­


    ¡­this is not something we can control anymore."


    "That doesn''t change anything," Queen Adel also joined in on the conversation, "You have never been able to control him in the first ce. This¡­


    ¡­This is just him showing us that he could end us if he wished."


    "How can one even hold such power?" Queen Vania stood beside Queen Adel, "It is¡­ unholy."


    "Your god is unholy then. He is said to move more than a quadrillion times faster than light," Queen Adel scoffed, "Clearly an exaggeration made by his pathetic descendants."


    "The only exaggeration here is your ugly hair," Queen Vania and Queen Adel, despite the falling cosmos around them, still continued to bicker,


    "And it is not an exaggeration¡ªVan could move from one end of the universe to the next in less than a fraction of a millisecond. And as proven by Riley Ross, He still exists and is moving beyond our universe ¡ª unable to be chased by even Death herself."


    "Y¡ª"


    "I could still take both of them," Gracy also suddenly joined the conversation. No one, however, even looked at her or heeded her any mind, "Pft, boomers¡­


    ¡­you guys should at least try."


    With herst words, however, Gracy suddenly found herself a battalion of eyes looking at her.


    At least try?


    All of them did try. The evaniels tried to stop him, and they left with people dead. Queen Vania herself tried to stop him, but she was just yed. The Common Council tried to stop him, and now only two of them were left.


    Queen Adel wanted to try to stop him, and fortunately, she did not push through it.


    None of them were in this situation because of ack of trying or effort. Riley Ross was just the definition of an unstoppable force¡­ and an immovable object.


    "Wait¡­" Gracy, however, did not seem to notice the res she was getting as she started looking around, "...Where did my people go?"


    "...They left," Nannah looked at her.


    "What¡­?" Gracy blinked a couple of times, "And they left us here!?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "...I thought you wanted to stay here? You were even clinging to Riley Ross earlier."


    "An entire gxy is literallying down on us!" Gracy started pointing everywhere, "W¡­


    ¡­Why the fuck would I want to stay here!?"


    ***


    "I surrender, Professor."


    Somewhere in the expanse of space, Esme was now very slowly floating her way toward Riley, who was still bleeding from his eyes and nose as his arms were stretched to the sides,


    "I could attempt to destroy this attack, but it is impossible the way I am now ¡ª and even if I was in full strength, deflecting this attack might kill me and you. The only thing certain is that you will just revive and it will be my loss either way."


    "Okay," Riley just nced at Esme ¡ª the cosmos, however, continued to shift as the blood flowing from Riley became stronger; turning into orbs as he actively cleaned himself even while pulling an entire gxy closer to him.


    "Why are you not stopping, Professor?" Esme tilted her head to the side, "Do you wish to send me to Eternal Death?"


    "No," Riley shook his head as his entire body began convulsing, "I want to try something."


    "What?"


    "This."


    Riley then suddenly snapped his fingers.


    No sound came from it, not even a little ripple.


    "What did you do, Professor?" Esme blinked a couple of times as she looked around her, only to see that the shifting cosmos finally stopped moving. Soon, however¡­


    ¡­the lights began turning off one by one.


    "Turning this gxy...


    ...into nothing."


    The power levels are going ham doe. But then again, it has been foreshadowed since long ago.


    Romeru

 Chapter 801: The Cute Annoying Orange

    Chapter 801: The Cute Annoying Orange


    "...Why would you do that?"


    And as the darkness soon expanded with the stars dying like fireflies one by one, Esme found herself once again expressing an emotion she never really knew she had ¡ª concern. No, she wasn''t concerned that Riley was able to do something like that; in her mind, the person she considered her professor was always able to do that.


    After all, if she was capable of destroying an entire star system with the p of her hands, her professor should be capable of shifting a hundred million stars and then making them disappear with a snap of his fingers.


    No, she wasn''t concerned that Riley was able to do it ¡ª she was concerned why.


    "Why would you do that, Professor?" Esme tilted her head as she repeated her question. Riley, however, did not respond to her as he just floated there, with his hands still in the same position as when he snapped his fingers.


    "Professor Riley?"


    "Oh."


    And finally, after a few more seconds, Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked Esme in the eyes, "I apologize, I was expecting to die. But it would seem my mind and body were able to withstand the stress of stretching my telekic abilities above their current maximum, Princess Esme. Did you ask me a question?"


    "Why would you do that, Professor?"


    "...Oh," Riley looked around as he watched as the lights continued to disappear, "I apologize again. I forgot that you value life ¡ª but you do not have to worry, aside from the people still on the battlefield, there is no other life within a hundred thousand lightyears."


    "But having life does not only mean that one is living, Professor," Esme shook her head as she also watched the stars disappear, "I do not exactly know what that means, but I feel it important to know."


    "I know what you mean, Esme," Riley nodded several times as he pulled out all the blood that was floating inside him,


    "It means that I do not only need to destroy the living but also everything else that life has touched."


    "Perhaps I should not have said that," Esme blinked a couple of times, "But I will repeat what I said to you back on Theran, Professor. If and when the timees that you are truly intent on wiping all of us out, then I will try to stop you even if I know that I will die."


    "And I hope you and the others seed, Princess Esme."


    [Victor: Riley Ross!]


    And with those words, Riley and Esme found themselves back on the t ¡ª and the first thing that Riley noticed was that the people from Gracy''s universe were gone.


    "Did they go home?" Riley seemed visibly disappointed as his eyes very slightly squinted by a millimeter, "I was hoping to fight with your father, Nannah. I wished to see what Father is capable of at his full potential."


    "...What makes you think I''m weaker than the other guy?" Bernard raised an eyebrow.


    "Because he had to deal with more enemies and more burdens, Father."


    "I had to deal with you," Bernard breathed out, "I feel that has more weight."


    "...But you did not deal with him," Queen Adel shook her head, "That is the very reason why all of us are in this situation, Peasant."


    "I do not appreciate you talking to my husband like that, Your Highness."


    "You shouldn''t, because you are also responsible for how Riley Ross turned out to be," Queen Adel once again shook her head, "If what you and Bernard spected is true ¡ª that Riley''s existence signals the reset of Everything, then perhaps we could have been part of the New Beginning if the two of you only gave more effort."


    "Effort¡­?" Diana stepped closer to Queen Adel; perhaps too close, as she even ced a finger on the Queen''s chest, "You could not even handle your golden child. If you were in my position, you would have probably abandoned both Hannah and Riley."


    "Perhaps we all should calm down," Queen Vania stood between the two and separated them, "As a member of the Common Council, I believe that we should¡ª"


    "Your Council means nothing, Evaniel Queen," Queen Adel looked at Queen Vania, before ncing at Elder S''adar and Elder Apo,


    "Even now, you are useless. Barely even noticeable that you might as well not be here ¡ª and that goes for the rest of the Higher Races. Aside from the themarians, Earthlings, the norids, and the evaniels, the rest are insignificant. I do not even know the names of your people. In the grander scheme of things, only what we do matters."


    "In an even grander scheme of things¡­" Chihiro Prime joined in on the conversation with a smile on her face, "...None of us actually matter, only him."


    Everyone once again turned their heads to Riley as Chihiro pointed at him. As for Riley, he was just quietly listening to everyone''s conversation; slightly curious as to what Queen Adel said about a new beginning. He stared at her, before ncing at Bernard and Diana. But after a few seconds, he just shrugged and started looking around.


    "Is there anyone else that wishes to fight for the prize?" Riley breathed out as he scanned the remaining crowd; not even bothering too much about the other Higher Races, "Pirate Queen Xra, what about you? I am confident that aside from Princess Esme, you are one of the people who could possibly defeat me ¡ª restrain me fully, even."


    "And risk killing you?" Xra crossed her arms and shook her head, "We are allies now ¡ª but when the timees that we are not, I would like the small advantage of you not knowing how my ability works. There is also the risk of you beingpletely immune to my abilities, like how you are with your sister. So, no."


    "..." Riley looked at Xra for a few seconds, before letting out a sigh and looking at Diana.


    "..." Diana slightly lowered her eyebrows as soon as she saw that.


    "..."


    But after a few seconds, Riley very subtly looked away and turned to Bernard.


    "We have never really fought after you have gained the Guardian Force, Father. Would you like to try?"


    "No," Bernard shook his head, "I know my limits."


    "Hm¡­" Riley then looked at Cherbi. But Riley just shook his head ¡ª he wasn''t allowed to keep a pet, he would not risk losing Cherbi''s trust.


    "Mr. Man?"


    "Oh, I am just a spectator now," Delivery just tilted his head, "You asked me to deliver victory, but it would seem the results were set from the start."


    "..." Everyone looked at Delivery, just wondering who this normal-looking guy was and where exactly he popped out from.


    "Chihiro?" Riley then turned to look at Chihiro, "You have experienced billions of lives to find a way to kill me."


    "And I still don''t know how," Chihiro Prime licked her lips as she looked at Riley, "And I have no intention of finding out how anymore ¡ª the only thing I want to know is what our baby will look like."


    "Hm, Tempo? Bulwark?"


    "As much as I want to smack your ass, kid ¡ª I''d rather fight Princess Vera to test my new suit," Tempo winced before patting Bulwark on the shoulders, "This guy can take you."


    "I can not," Bulwark shook his head, "It has be very obvious that we are in the presence of something greater than all of us. You are not just a living cmity anymore, Riley Ross ¡ª you are a literal god. Trying to face you is trying to face the natural order of the universe. It is¡­ sphemous."


    "..." Riley''s eyebrows began to lower as no one seemed to want to fight him. He looked at the norids, but seeing as they were nodding their heads at Bulwark''s words, he would not be getting anywhere with them. And so, after a few more scans of the crowd, Riley finally settled his eyes on the only person he knew he would have a very hard time defeating,


    "Miss Hera?" Riley''s eyes almost glittered as he looked at Hera, "I have a feeling that when I start erasing the universes, you and your variants will always be thest to go."


    "I have a feeling that we will just be wasting everyone''s time," Hera shook her head, "And I feel the same as the pretty woman; I know I won''t be able to kill you, but there is a chance that my ability can do something ¡ª I do not want you acquiring my power. And also¡­


    ¡­we should be discussing about the trillions of lives you just killed, Riley."


    "You do not have to worry about the lives lost, Miss Hera," Riley sighed, "The champions of their world are still alive, let them be the ones to care for their deaths."


    "...You left them alive?" Hera slightly stuttered with their words, "That''s just¡­ cruel."


    "That is the point, Miss Hera," Riley nodded. But after a few more seconds, he just shook his head and sighed, "Well, if there is no one else ¡ª then I conclude this Tournament to be¡ª"


    "Wait a minute!" Gracy raised her palm in the air before Riley could finish his words, "Did you just really skip me, the savior of justice!? I can take you with one hand behind my b¡ª"


    Gracy received the same treatment as Hannah suddenly covered her mouth, "There''s one more, Riley. I called someone to fucking get you off your high horse."


    "Hm?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he heard Hannah''s words. But after a few seconds, someone suddenly appeared right in front of Riley. No hint of a portal opening, or the space ripping open.


    She just appeared out of nowhere, instantly; her orange and slightly curly hair still bouncing as she looked around.


    "Ei¡­w...woah...


    ¡­It worked."

 Chapter 802: The Rileaty Warper

    Chapter 802: The Rileaty Warper


    "Ei¡­w¡­woah¡­ It worked."


    Perhaps it would not be an exaggeration to say that the evanielspletely perked up as soon as the orange-haired individual suddenly appeared in front of all of them, without any warning whatsoever.


    Even if something happens instantly, that does not actually mean that it actually just happens without any signs or any hints, there will always be something that gives away that something was about to appear ¡ª the evaniels are capable of seeing this. Instantaneous teleportation, warp jump; there will be a fraction of a nanosecond where the air would flicker.


    But when the woman appeared, she just¡­ appeared out of nowhere. She gave no signs at all. She was just suddenly there with an awkward smile on her face and awkwardly waving at everyone.


    "Wow¡­" The woman subtly fixed her slightly curly hair as she looked at everyone, "I feel like I''m in a room full of celebrities. I was just watching all of you just moments ago and now I''m suddenly hear ¡ª I wanted to straighten my hair, but didn''t really think my abilities would actually work. Wow, this¡­ wow. Hannah suddenly mentioned my name and asked me toe here, so I did just that. But before that, I was watching the Tournament with the kids and


    ¡ª"


    "Paige." And before Paige could tell her entire day to everyone, she quickly turned her head toward Riley as soon as she heard him calling for her.


    "Riley! Wah," the awkward smile on Paige''s face turned into a brighter one as she quickly approached Riley and just casually him a hug in front of everyone,


    "Is this the first time we''ll be seeing each other after all the multiverse thingy? My memories are a little foggy since I always make doubles of you. Is that weird? Is that weird that I do that? I mean, I don''t think so, but¡­"


    "...Who the fuck is that adorable weirdo?" Gracy could not help but lean closer to Hannah, "Don''t you dare fucking tell me that he has another woman?"


    "That''s Paige," Hannah lightly pped her own forehead as Paige won''t stop talking, "She''s¡­ I think she''s the only person that Riley considers a friend, by definition."


    "...That hug is looking more than a friend type of hug, though. It screams ''I want to fucking have your babies'' type of hug, like with the Japanese."


    "Which Japanese?" Hannah sighed.


    "...There''s another Japanese that likes Riley!?" Gracy''s eyes turned wide.


    "Technically, not anymore. I guess you could call it a phase," Hannah sighed again, "Speaking of which, she actually deserved to be one of the people representing the. But then again, all this turned to shit¡­


    ¡­and it''s time to stop it." Hannah focused her attention on Paige and Riley, only to see that she was still endlessly talking to Riley with a stupid smile on her face.


    "...Technically, you were betrayed a few hours after you visited the orphanage and sent to that prison thingy that turned out to be another universe," Paige ced her hand on her chin, "I wasn''t worried, though. I knew you woulde back, you always do. By the way, you do remember the kids, right?"


    "I only saw them briefly, Paige," Riley tilted his head to the side as he looked Paige in the eyes.


    "Yep, yep. They are asking for you for some reason ¡ª I kept telling them that you and I aren''t married, but they keep teasing me," Paige rolled her eyes, "I guess they might have seen the double I created of you back in the office. Also, the reason the school was built in the first ce was because of you. To prevent supers that have mental issues like us from going psycho. Heh, and also¡ª"


    "Paige!" Hannah raised her voice as she gestured something to Riley.


    "Oh, right! Uhm¡­" Paige finally let go of Riley and took several steps back, "...This Tournament does not involve death, right? ''Coz I actually wanna live now. Even the Other Paige actually wants to live since she finds things interesting nowadays. You remember her, right?"


    "Yes, and yes," Riley nodded his head.


    "Okay then," Paige then looked at Ahor Zai, "I wanna try fighting Riley Ross."


    And with a slightly excited giggle escaping her lips, she and Riley were warped to the center of the t.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Wait." And a few seconds after they were gone, Queen Adel was the first to break the growing awkward silence that suddenly lingered in the air, "How is that illusionist even a match for Riley Ross? I recall her being a passive member during the war ¡ª no, the only thing she did was try and prove your innocence during the trial."


    "Paige is capable of creating an entire with a snap of her fingers." And finally, after being so down and quiet for the past few hours, Aerith finally joined the others again as she looked at the hologram of Riley and Paige,


    "An entire world with living inhabitants¡ªall with a consciousness of their own. She could even make a filled with themarians ¡ª and it is real for her."


    "I know what she is capable of, Aerith," Queen Adel let out a small scoff as she crossed her arms, "But in the end, it is only real for her."


    "...It is also real for Riley."


    And with those words escaping Aerith''s lips, Queen Adel''s eyes almost glittered from excitement ¡ª as for the first time ever, everyone saw a smile crawl on her face.


    "Woman!" Queen Adel screamed, causing a wave to ripple and reverberate across the field, "Kill him, end him now!"


    "...Did I forget to mention that the two are practically soul mates?" Aerith let out a long and deep sigh as she covered her ears, "She won''t kill him. She has¡­ a skewed sense of loyalty for him."


    "...Why do I hear a hint of jealousy in those words?" Gracy, who was previously leaning close to Hannah, was now leaning closer to Silvie, "Gasp, could mom actually be jealous with that ginger?"


    "...Did you just actually say ''gasp''?" Silvie very slowly turned her head to Gracy, "And I don''t know, Mom''s not really the type to express her feelings. That''s the reason why she and Gary weren''t close."


    "But she expressed her feelings with her lips when she and Riley were¡ª"


    "I am right here, you know?" Aerith raised her voice as she red at Silvie and Gracy, "And no, I am not jealous ¡ª we have already established that Riley only has romantic feelings for me, and me only."


    "I didn''t realize you were so proud of that, Mom."


    "I am not!" Aerith quickly looked away, "I am just saying."


    "Oh fuck¡­" Gracy could not help but let out an amused giggle, almost hopping in ce as she looked back and forth between Nannah and Chihiro Prime, "This universe is so fucked up ¡ª you two have been to a lot of universes, right? Please tell me there are more fucked up universes out there."


    "There are plenty more," Nannah was the first to respond, "In fact, if you factor out Riley¡­ then this is probably the most peaceful and normal universe out of all I have been in. But then¡­ RIley''s a very colossal factor."


    "Yeah?" Gracy smiled and nodded as she focused on Chihiro Prime, "What about you?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Hello, Earth to Chin chin taberu," Gracy stood in front of Chihiro, "You alright?"


    "Who is that?" Chihiropletely ignored Gracy as she quickly approached Hannah.


    "Huh? That''s Paige," Both Hannah and Silvie looked at each other, "I''m pretty sure you''ve met her before. Paige Pearson? The only person that could actually beat Katrina in talking? Sweet psycho Paige?"


    "That''s not Paige Pearson," Chihiro looked at Paige''s hologram, zooming it in on her face.


    "Well¡­" Silvie ced a finger on her chin as she hummed, "...I guess you died before the two of you actually got to know more about each other."


    "That''s not Paige Pearson," Chihiro repeated; the tone of her voice, now slightly deeper than before.


    "Might just be a different-looking variant," Hannah shrugged as she nced at Nannah, "I mean, that happens a lot, right?"


    "It does." Nannah started thinking about Chihiro''s words as she started searching the Nexus database for information about Paige Pearson, "But variants will always somewhat look simr to each other even if they are of the opposite sex. In other cases, some will look like their parents instead, or their children."


    "And¡­?"


    "I''m searching up Paige Pearson now," Nannah''s eyes started moving, "And¡­


    ¡­Chihiro''s right."


    Nannah tapped her sleeves, and as she did so, another hologram popped out of it ¡ª several images of the same woman.


    "Who is that supposed to be?" Hannah raised an eyebrow as she looked at the brown-haired woman; no resemnce to Paige whatsoever.


    "Paige Pearson," Chihiro was the one to answer her, "In all the lives of the other Chihiros I have experienced, Paige Pearson has always looked like that. She is a student of Mega Academy in its 2nd year, and became a D-Rank superhero after graduating, and an A-rank when the aliens started appearing¡­ she has the power to control all animals, even from another."


    "...That''s right in most cases," Nannah nodded as she continued to scan Paige Pearson''s files.


    "That woman, whoever she is¡­" Chihiro once again focused on the hologram, "...is not Paige Pearson. And should not be Paige Pearson."


    "But she was actually born here," Hannah was still slightly confused, "Her birth certificate even says so¡ªI saw it from Mom''s desk when they opened the orphanage."


    "Could it be a RAT?" Nannah started searching her database for anyone that looked simr to Paige, "I¡­ am not seeing anyone that looks like her."


    "Orphanage?" Chihiro stared at Hannah, "I keep hearing a mention of an orphanage? Why?"


    "Yes," Hannah nodded, "She was left by her parents in front of an orphanage¡­ which turned out to be some sort of fucking looney bin."


    "Are you telling me¡­


    ¡­we don''t have information about her parents?"

 Chapter 803: Paige vs. Riley

    Chapter 803: Paige vs. Riley


    "You have no idea how much I''ve missed you, Riley."


    "Hm."


    The t was alreadypletely worn out from all the battles it had experienced in just a short amount of time. But as Paige stepped closer to Riley, the ground around her began to¡­ sprout. The crater that was made at the very center of the, slowly being filled by all sorts of foliage as they lifted both Paige and Riley up.


    Gentle, too gentle.


    "..." Riley could not help but look at his hands as he felt a soothing cradle he probably only felt when he was just a little baby. It was warm, but not really ¡ª it was a warmth thatpletely replicated his own body heat.


    He liked it. It felt as if someone was embracing him, but no one was really touching him.


    But in his feeling offort, Riley was also feeling¡­ invaded. This sort of feeling; it should bepletely impossible as his body was covered by severalyers of his telekic barrier.


    Riley looked at Paige, only to see her not even looking at him, and instead just calmly watching the vast and colorful de she was creating.


    And soon, ake was formed near them, with a wooden cabin just peacefully resting beside it.


    "We weren''t really able to talk that much when you returned. Do you know that all that time you were gone with Megawoman, I was wondering what it would have been like if it was me you were with?" Paige started walking around ¨C each of her steps, forming a stone on the ground and creating a walkway, "Diana told me what you did, you created your own world with her. But she wasn''t really conscious, no."


    "Hm," Riley nodded as he followed Paige, walking beside her as she went near the side of theke,


    "Is that why you want to win the pocket universe, Paige?" Riley asked as he stood by her side, "Do you want us to just leave and live in our own universe?"


    "No, silly," Paige giggled, her hair slightly bouncing as she nced at Riley; her face, slightly being brightened by a sun that was not really there before, "If I wanted my own universe, I could just create one myself. My abilities may be meaningless and useless against other people ¡ª but for me, it is everything. I just¡­


    ¡­I didn''t really like it when you used my abilities to go off with Megawoman, leaving us¡­ leaving me for 5 years."


    "Is that why you wish to fight me, then?" Riley gazed at theke that Paige created. It wasn''t really ake anymore, no ¡ª as there were whale-like creatures flying, not swimming, but flying above and below the water; colorful, bioluminescence.


    "Your sister asked," Paige shrugged, "And yeah. I mean, I guess you could say that? I was jealous, Riley. I am jealous. Not in a way that I''m saying I''m obsessed with you. I am, but not in that way."


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times as Paige gently held his hand.


    "You were gone for 5 years, Riley. I¡­ I''d like to think I was able to grow at that time," Paige then leaned closer to Riley, resting her head on his shoulder, "I''d like to think I''m not that naive anymore, I''m even taking care of children like us, Riley¡­ Young supers that can''t really fit into society. But do you know what I discovered during those 5 years?"


    "No."


    "What I had with you was special," Paige closed her eyes, "I thought I rted to you because we were the same, I thought I like¡ªlove you because we''re the same. But no. The kids in the orphanage? They are the same as us¡­ but what I have for you is special, Riley. I love you unconditionally."


    "It is good that you don''t feel the same way for the children, Paige," Riley also closed his eyes and nodded, "That would be illegal."


    "Pft," a wide smile appeared on Paige''s face as she stifled a giggle, "Yeah, that would be worse than Katherine having feelings for you back then."


    "Hm," Riley once again nodded, "I believe the people that are watching can not rte to what we are talking about, Paige. Should we start fighting?"


    "You will lose, Riley," Paige leaned away and took a few steps toward the water, walking on top of it as she started spinning and dancing as she continued to smile at Riley.


    "I don''t think I will, Paige," Riley also stepped on the water, "I have your abilities, and I have more ways to hurt you."


    "You''ve already hurt me when you went away, Riley," Paige giggled, "And you''ve only had my abilities for 5 years, Riley ¡ª I was born with it."


    "I have mastered your ability, Paige."


    "No, you haven''t."


    "Y¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, the calm warmth that was surrounding his entire body turned into a chilling embrace as he suddenly fell into the water.


    "..." Riley did not really react, however, as he just watched as the whales started to fly in front of him; their eyes, almost as if reflecting the deepest parts of him.


    Riley then summoned an esctor, stepping on it as he casually waited for it to bring him to the surface.


    "Please don''t use my abilities too much, Riley," Paige weed Riley at the end of the esctor.


    "I do not n to, Paige," Riley shook his head as he and Paige started walking side by side while looking at each other, "It deteriorates my mind whenever I try to use it."


    "Yep, it''ll do that," Paige sighed, "Your Mom already had some sort of schizophrenia or something, I don''t really know how worse it will be for you if you continue to use it. I mean¡­


    ¡­I''m already insane, I''m just used to it."


    "Our abilities only affect us, correct?" Riley slightly nudged his finger up, pulling a small chunk of the t, forming it into a spear, and letting it float close to him, "If I were to throw this at you, or if I were to gently squash you with this t, you won''t be able to shield yourself."


    "How are you going to do that if you are trapped in a vacuum that seals your telekic powers, Riley?"


    And as soon as Paige said that, the stone spear that was floating above Riley lifelessly dropped back to the ground; not creating a ripple as it fell into theke Paige created.


    "Interesting," Riley blinked a couple of times as he once again tried lifting up a chunk of the, only for him to feel nothing, "I suppose something like that is possible."


    "Anything is¡ª!!!"


    And before Paige could finish her words, Riley''s face was suddenly just a few inches away from her; the smile on his face, reaching from ear to ear.


    "Ei!" Arge pair of wings instantly pushed Paige back. As these wings pped, they suddenly turned into a pair of cloth thattched onto Riley like a straight jacket; binding him tightly when a chain emerged from the bottom of theke.


    "Heh," Paige giggled, "That kinda suits you, Riley."


    "..." Riley looked at his reflection on theke; his head slightly tilted to the side, "I suppose it does, Paige."


    The straightjacket then suddenly melted away as the temperature of Riley''s body exponentially rose; theke, however, remainedpletely still even with the vaporizing heat ¡ª signifying that Paige''s abilities did not affect Riley''s other abilities.


    "That''s dangerous," Paige pointed her palm at Riley, causing his temperature to drop to normal, "I''m sealing that one too."


    "Hm," Riley looked at his hands as he tried summoning his other abilities, but could not, "Did you turn me into a normal person, Paige?"


    "Temporarily," Paige smiled, "But since you''re still walking on the water, I guess I couldn''t seal my abilities ¡ª I might have to seal mine to seal yours, or something."


    "Is it possible for you to also seal my immortality?"


    "I already tried it when you asked me to kill you 5 years ago, Riley," Paige shook her head, "That request hurt me, by the way. I still did it because I love you that much, but still¡­"


    "Hm¡­" Riley stepped forward; his feet creating a ripple on theke as he did so. And then, with a sigh, he stretched his arms to the side ¡ª causing the bioluminescent whales to float close to him.


    "Did you just¡­ give yourself telekic abilities again?"


    "Anything is possible with your ability, Paige," Riley nodded, "And seeing as I already had a hundred abilities from the start, I could just replicate and simte them using it."


    "That''s true¡­" Paige nodded before she also stretched her arms to the side ¡ª causing the whales that were left flying around theke to float around her,


    "...I could also do the same. And also this."


    Paige snapped her fingers, and as she did so, the whales that were floating around her turned into a group of silhouettes.


    A silhouette that was¡­ rtively familiar for Riley.


    "I''ve noticed this several times before¡­" Paige slowly floated in the air as the silhouettes descended and stood on top of theke,


    "...I don''t really know the reason for it, but you''re always avoiding her whenever you''re allowed to ¡ª you don''t even look her in the eyes, you''re avoiding her as much as possible too¡­


    ¡­I guess you feel awkward?"


    "..." One of the silhouettes stretched her hand and very slowly walked toward Riley, causing him to slightly take a step back,


    "Aw¡­ honey," The silhouette hummed, "...Is my sweet baby boy shy? Are you not going to give mom a hug?"


    The silhouettes¡­


    ¡­they were a group of Dianas.

 Chapter 804: A Sign

    804 Chapter 804: A Sign


    "My sweet baby boy, why are you so cute?"


    "Come,e to mommy. It''s alright."


    "Did you wear your sunscreen?"


    "Why are your eyes red? Stop watching TV too much."


    "Are you alright? Does anything hurt? Please, don''t tire yourself too much¡ªit''s okay if you don''t want to talk."


    "..." Riley took several steps back as several Dianas started to approach him with their arms opened wide; some of them, even having their lips pouted as they looked at Riley,


    But after a few more steps back, his eyebrows started to lower as a katana longer than his body emerged from his palm. And without even any hint of hesitation, the water beneath and behind Riley''s feet burst as he rushed toward the Dianas.


    He then swung his sword ¡ª but as soon as he noticed that the one he was going to hit suddenly closed her eyes, the sharp edge of his de instantly halted in the air, only inches away from hitting Diana''s face.


    "...It''s okay, sweetie," the Diana illusion smiled as she gestured to Riley to continue, "You won''t be able to hurt me, never."


    "..." Riley quickly leaped back as the other Dianas slowly made their way to him. He then looked at each of the 4 Dianas one by one before shaking his head off of the unnecessary thoughts he was having.


    This situation made him realize something ¡ª never once has he actually fought Diana before. He had fought with Bernard, with Hannah, and with Alice. Even fully knowing that she was a themarian who might be stronger than Aerith, he was still having a hard time trying to dissociate her from the¡­ silly and dramatic mother he once knew.


    It was weird. He didn''t really think it would affect him this much.


    "I''m pretty sure Diana''s feeling a little teary-eyed right about now," Paige scratched her chin as she saw Riley having a hard time trying to hurt Diana, "She was telling me that¡ª"


    And before Paige could finish her words, a pulse suddenly rippled across theke¡ªcausing the 4 Dianas to suddenly fall on their knees.


    "I suppose an EDP illusion is effective against an illusion of a themarian," Riley nodded his head. Paige was about to say something, but Riley once again snapped his fingers; this time, summoning a reinforcement of his own ¡ª a group of Bernards.


    Except the Bernards was when he was still at his prime ¡ª lean, cut, and extremely muscr; with a face chiseled like an action star.


    "Diana, isn''t it about time we address what''s going on between us?"


    ***


    "Pf¡­ pft! Fuck! That''s disgus¨CUgh!"


    Theughter that wanted to grow in the air was instantly stopped before it could flourish as Hannah was¡­ lightly hit on the stomach by Diana.


    At first, the people who were watching Riley and Paige felt slightly awkward, as they weren''t really fighting at all and just talking about themselves and their rtionship ¡ª but as they started their bout, their mouths started to open on their own one by one.


    Riley Ross, the creature that just moved and destroyed an entire gxy, was now unable to do all the godly things he had done throughout the tournament¡ªno. In a way, he was still doing it, but there were now two of them.


    Of course, it was a relief for everyone who was there that everything they were creating was just illusions ¡ª because if it was not, then they would all be drowning in a sea that Paige created. Even though Hannah and the others were a thousand kilometers away from the battlefield, Paige''s illusions still reached them.


    "..." And while most of the champions were amazed by this, Chihiro and the others who had heard her concern could not help but look at each other. It was already evident that Paige''s illusions weren''t just normal ones ¡ª and not in the way that she could interact with them, no.


    The fact that everything moved on its own, the fact that her illusions react to other people even though they can''t touch them was¡­ abnormal.


    All the fish and aquatic life that was swimming around them were moving as if they were real and had consciousness of their own. Perhaps it wasn''t even right to call them illusions, no.


    Paige was truly creating and warping reality, it''s just that it wasn''t real for everyone else.


    "That¡­" But while everyone was focused with Paige''s abilities, Bernard and Diana were currently staring at each other, with Hannah looking at them while clutching her stomach.


    "What''s¡­ with you two?" Hannah asked.


    "The first words one of those Bernards uttered¡­" Diana quietly breathed out as she seemed to be scouring deep into her memories,


    "...Your dad said those words to me the day we decided to be together."


    "...No fucking way," Hannah raised an eyebrow, "That''s just coincidence. That''s amon line in ros."


    "Dear?" Diana just pushed her daughter''s head away as she looked at Bernard.


    "Hm," Bernard nodded, "It''s not only that."


    Bernard continued to listen to the illusions that Riley made. He then looked at the aquatic life around him, even trying to catch one of the fishes but failing to do so ¡ª some were even eating the smaller fishes.


    "I think we''ve already established that Paige''s creations are not drawn from memory."


    "She''s powerful, insanely so," Aerith joined in on the conversation, "She even made a replica of Theran ¡ªplete to the tiniest detail even though she hasn''t even seen 99.9% of the rest of the."


    "Okay, I think we''ve also already established that the girl is a wizard," Queen Adel also joined in. There was, however, a weird smile on her face, "And we''ve also established that she is the only person who could stop Riley Ross. We may not be able to stop Riley, but we can force that girl to do so."


    "There are too many variables here to consider," Chihiro shook her head, "If Nannah and I are right, then whoever that woman is, she''s not Paige Pearson. She may not know it herself, but she''s not supposed to¡­ exist ¡ª the same as Riley."


    "Are you saying that she might also be¡­ a new primordial? Or whatever the fuck my brother is?"


    "We don''t even know if Riley truly is something like that," Chihiro sighed, "Bernard''s guess is highly convincing, and honestly really possible ¡ª but until Machina''s family actually confirms it, then all we have are spections."


    "Are you able to contact Machina?" Diana once again slightly pushed Hannah to the side so she could speak directly to Chihiro, "How much connection do you have with Machina as her avatar?"


    "Machina can''t be contacted, it will contact me if it wishes," Chihiro once again sighed, "For some reason, however, I can''t really feel Machina right now. I could still ess the System, but Machina''s presence is absent¡­


    ¡­the mysterious group that was here earlier, Machina might actually be one of them."


    "Are you saying¡­" Queen Vania, who had been taking notes of all the conversations the others were having, could not help but let out a small gasp as she heard Chihiro, "...That there''s a chance that we fought against the Primordials?"


    "Fought is not the word I would use," Queen Adel rolled her eyes, "You were handled like a defective newborn."


    "No," Chihiro turned to look at Queen Vania, "The fact that you were able to damage a Primordial''s hand, even if it was dramatically weakened and in human form, is a feat that no one would be able to easily replicate, almost impossible, even."


    "Heh, you hear that?" A wide smirk crawled on Queen Vania''s face as she looked down on Queen Adel, "I bet if it were the themarians put in our position, then all of you would have been wiped out."


    "No, we would have won," Queen Adel scoffed.


    "Uhm, I don''t think any of you actuallyprehend how strong the primordials are," Chihiro slightly chuckled, "They are almost Outerversal, but not quite. They are beings that could destroy several universes with just a thought; the only reason why they can''t and don''t is that they do not see the point in it."


    "..." Queen Adel did not really say anything and just gestured to Chihiro to continue. And it wasn''t only her, everyone was listening; especially the norids.


    "They do not only exist outside the multiverse, but they exist over it. They could watch several universes at once ¡ª and the fact that they have chosen to show themselves would mean that¡­ we truly are at the Point of something," Chihiro closed her eyes, "The Primordials follow a set of rules. Rules that they don''t break, no matter what, and one of them is not to involve themselves in any of the universe ¡ª that is the very reason why I exist, why avatars exist¡­


    ¡­Riley, Paige, the Primordials. I think something is about to happen."


    "...We need to find the Primordials," Diana breathed out before turning to look at Bernard, "Can you do that?"


    "Find beings that could exist outside the universe?" Bernard could not help butugh, "I might be able to ess all the security systems of the Known Universe, but reaching through something that we don''t even know exists is¡­ well, a challenge."


    "What if you had the help of someone else?" Nannah raised her hand to speak.


    "I''m not being arrogant, but I don''t really know if anyone could help me with figuring things out," Bernard shook his head.


    "I know, my dad also used to say the same thing," Nannah chuckled, "The only person that could help you think is yourself."


    "Wise man."


    "Well, Dad''s mostly stupid."


    "Fuck right he is," Hannah quickly agreed, "Wait¡­ are you about to mention¡ª"


    "The Council of Ross," Nannah looked Bernard in the eyes,


    "I would like you to visit them and share all you know¡­


    ¡­the fate of the multiverse rests upon it."

 Chapter 805: Paige vs. Riley...?

    805 Chapter 805: Paige vs. Riley...?


    "...Maybe you should cancel your dad''s illusions."


    "Why? It is an effective counter against the Dianas you summoned, Paige."


    "...Why?"


    Paige''s lips started to twitch as Bernard started making moves on Diana; some of it, not something that should be shown to the universe, or to anyone, for that matter.


    "I don''t think Diana and Bernard would appreciate it too much if¡­ we continue this," Paige could really only scratch her head, "I''ll remove mine if you remove yours."


    "Agreed," Riley nodded. And as soon as he did so, Paige instantly canceled her illusions ¡ª all of it, even the de andke that surrounded them. And now, with even the Bernards gone, the battlefield was back to its original, shattered state.


    "How are you feeling, Riley?" Paige then asked as the two of them very slowly descended back to the deepest parts of the crater, "How long can you use my abilities without your mind slowly being corrupted by it?"


    "I was thinking of just letting it corrupt me, Paige," Riley shrugged as he summoned a small star above his head. Before it could do any damage to Paige, however, some sort of translucent dome covered herpletely. And then, with a small sigh, a ck hole popped out next to the miniature sun and swallowed it whole,


    "You said it yourself, you have been using it your entire life ¡ª and yet you are still a beautiful human, Paige."


    "T¡­ thanks?" Paige once again giggled awkwardly as she heard Riley''s words. But after a few breaths, she sighed and shook her head, "But my ability affects you quite¡­ aggressively since you already have other mental problems. W¨Cwait, I''m not saying you''re crazy¡­. Well, you are; but in a controlled way, you know?"


    "Hm," Riley blinked.


    "You will lose against me," Paige once again sighed, "It''s just a matter of time until you won''t be able to control whates out of your mind if we continue to fight ¡ª even I''m not confident that the Other Paige won''te out."


    "..." Riley looked away for a few seconds; not saying a word as he seemed to be thinking of something.


    "..."


    "..."


    Perhaps it may have been more than a few seconds, as Paige started to look at the direction Riley was looking to see if¡­ he was actually watching something. Before she could get near, however, Riley suddenly looked at her.


    "What!? What''s going on!?" Paige started waving her hands as Riley started running toward her; not at a speed that she couldn''t really follow, but fast enough that she slightly panicked. She quickly summoned a booster so that she could avoid Riley. The booster, however, ran out of juice even though she did not really specify it to run needing it.


    "!!!" Paige quickly focused on Riley as she realized it was his doing. And so, she just opted to summon a pair of wings¡ªbut Riley made it so that it had no air whatsoever to p on.


    "It is true that I will not be able to defeat you using your abilities, Paige," Riley abruptly stopped running as he stood a meter away from Paige, "But I could at least also do the same, and counter and cancel some of your visions, enough to do this."


    11:29


    Riley raised both his fists in a guard. And with his legs also in a fighting stance, he stepped forward and started punching.


    "Eek!" Paige instantly summoned some sort of armor that covered her entire body from head to toe. Riley, however, did not bother trying to cancel the armor and instead just materialized a pair of caestus to cover his fists. And without even any hesitation or mercy, he started hammering Paige with a barrage of straights and jabs.


    "W¡­ wait!" Paige covered herself with her arms as she started being pushed back. If it wasn''t for the magical springs she made with the armor, then she would probably be feeling all sorts of pain right now.


    "It is true that I will not be able to defeat you using your abilities, Paige," Riley repeated his words,


    "But it is also true that you are not capable of defeating me either way."


    "S¡­ stop it!" Paige raised both her arms in the air as she suddenly jumped; materializing a hammer the size of a car. And with a deep breath, several rockets exploded from the back of the hammer¡ª


    violently and forcefully mming it straight down toward Riley. Riley, however, just calmly stepped forward outside the reach of the hammer, before grabbing Paige by the ankles and pulling her away.


    Riley somersaulted in the air andnded directly on Paige''s back ¡ª and with a small smile on his face, he pushed his legs down. And with the added force of the momentum of the hammer, Paige¡­ fell t on the ground, hard enough for her to bounce back several times in the air.


    "...Are you okay, Paige?" Riley then asked after smacking Paige without any hesitation, "I have already tested the durability of the armor you created, that should not be enough to kill or even damage you."


    "..." And even as Riley started nudging Paige by gently pushing him with his feet, Paige remainedpletely still and lifeless.


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times as he quickly summoned some sort of 2-meter-long stethoscope to check on Paige''s heartbeat. And as soon as he heard her heart beating, he let out a small and deep sigh before backing away.


    [Ahor Zai, send us¡ª]


    "Well, well¡­"


    And all of a sudden, as Riley turned his head away from Paige, the sound of an engine started to drown his ears; metal, hitting and scratching each other without pause ¡ª a noise so guttural that it made Riley smile again as he looked back.


    "...Look at this fucking albino retard. I suppose you just don''t die, do you?"


    The tone of Paige''s voice slightly turned robust, almost husky even ¡ª her ent, now almost Victorian as she very slowly and clumsily stood up from the ground¡­ using a pair of chainsaws to lift herself up.


    The armor she was wearing also started to fall off one by one, and as she looked at Riley; her eyes were nowpletely red. The smile on her face, although not as wide as Riley''s, was still disturbing enough as one could almost see all of her teeth and gums.


    "And now you''re bullying our dear cute little annoying orange," Paige let her head tilt to the side as she clumsily stepped forward while just letting the two chainsaws swing from her hands,


    "That''s not nice, is it?"


    "I suppose not, Other Paige."


    "Oh¡­?" Paige¡ªno. Other Paige looked Riley in the eyes as she let out an amused hum, "So you still remember dear old me, do you?"


    "You left quite an impression thest time we met, Other Paige," Riley bowed his head.


    "Kinky," Other Paige raised an eyebrow, "Typical of one crazy as you to prefer¡­ me, the Other Paige. Anyway, I canceled the cage thingy that made you unable to use your other supervirus abilities ¡ª you can do your worst."


    "That would not be fa¡ª"


    "Just kidding!" And almost instantly, Paige suddenly appeared right in front of Riley; her chainsaws, already only inches away from sawing Riley in half.


    "..." Riley immediately leaped back. But as soon as he did so, Paige''s two chainsaws merged into one and turned into a bigger, and longer saw. She quickly swung it again toward Riley, creating an inch-deep gash on Riley''s chest.


    "Heh¡­ heh¡­" Other Paige''s chainsaw locked and stopped moving as she licked off Riley''s blood from her des, "...This taste is suffocating. No wonder the little one likes you so much ¡ª makes me want to snatch you from her, and from the other women that want a taste of you."


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times as he touched the gash on his chest, which was not healing as he expected it to.


    "It''s a nice feeling, isn''t it?" Other Paige cackled as she once again turned on her chainsaw. And with a small bounce of her feet, the saw suddenly turned into the shape of¡­ a scythe, "Let''s add more of my touch on that beautiful white body of yours!"


    And as Other Paige started swinging her scythe wildly, Riley started taking a few steps back ¡ª moving his body as softly as a dust underwater; smoothly avoiding each of Other Paige''s strikes.


    "You have been told why people are weirdly attracted to you, right?" Other Paige continued tough ominously. She did not even seem to mind that she wasn''t hitting Riley at all. Instead, she just looked him in the eyes,


    "They don''t really like you, Riley. They are attracted to you because they can''t help it. You are a creature beyond their reach, an abominable god; but a god nheless. And gods will always attract those of which they set their eyes upon."


    "..."


    "They don''t love you, not at all. They just feel an eerie sort of admiration toward you," Other Paige smirked as her chainscythe parted in half; once again turning into a pair of chainsaws, before suddenly shifting into what looked like¡­ a pair of miniguns,


    "No one really loves you, Riley."


    And with a breath, Other Paige let out a barrage of bullets that hit Riley directly in the chest several times.


    "There is only one that could actually love you¡­" And as Riley very slowly fell back down to the ground, Other Paige blew the smokeing out of her miniguns,


    "...and that is me."


    "...Hm," Riley blinked a couple of times as the bullets started sliding from his chest; which was actually protected by a bulletproof vest.


    "The cute one has already told you that she epts you for what you are, Riley¡­" Other Paige stood in front of Riley, before also letting herself fall beside him, "...The reason for that is because deep down, she knows what you are because of me. Me¡­


    ¡­The original one."

 Chapter 806: It Ended Just Like That?

    806 Chapter 806: It Ended Just Like That?


    "You are the original, Other Paige?"


    Riley and Other Paige were still lying on the hard ground, with Riley straying his eyes away from the dark expanse he created, and onto the face of the overly colorful woman beside her.


    "I am, always have been," Other Paige, however, just stared at the darkness before closing her eyes, "But I am not meant for this world, and neither are you. And yet here we are, staring at the madness you and I have created. I, staring at nothing, and you, staring at me."


    "..."


    "I am not human, Riley Ross," Other Paige finally opened her eyes and returned Riley''s gaze, "This body that you see is not real ¡ª it is but an image I needed to create. Even my story is forged."


    "Does that mean what Paige told me about her life is not true?" Riley let out a small hum as he looked Other Paige in the eyes, "Are those memories just imnted in her by you, Other Paige?"


    "Oh, it happened," Other Paige let out a small, but slightly ominous giggle, "The cute one experienced all of those. Her fellow orphans, the doctors that experimented on them, the entire orphanage itself is true ¡ª for her."


    "You let her experience all the painful experiences, Other Paige?"


    "No, not at all," Other Paige shook her head, "I let herself sleep through the painful memories ¡ª all the happy ones are hers. The cute one is meant to be a symbol of what it means to be human, or at least what my notion of them is."


    "Interesting," Riley looked away, "How are you and I connected, then?"


    "That is a question I do not know how to answer, Riley," Other Paige sat up, "I feel I know the answer, but I can not quite tell what it is. The only thing I know is that you and I, we are connected ¡ª that is true."


    "Then who were you before Paige?" Riley also sat up.


    "I don''t know," Other Paige shook her head, "I created her, but it is also true that she and I were born at the same time."


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times as he nced at Other Paige.


    "I know, it is¡­ confusing," Other Paige giggled, "But the only thing you need to know is that we were born¡­


    ¡­the very moment you first died, Riley Ross."


    "Then what were you the first time you came into existence, Other Paige?" Riley stood up and he started looking around.


    "I was¡­ nothing," Other Paige meekly whispered as she looked down, "My very first memory is when I created Paige in front of the orphanage. And it feels like I have a memory when I was nothing, but at the same time, I do not¡­


    ¡­I can''t give you answers because I myself am a question."


    "I am not really seeking for answers, Other Paige. I am merely curious," Riley shook his head before very gently cing his palm on Other Paige''s cheek and slowly lifting it up so she could look at his eyes, "But I do have another question unrted to your origin."


    "...What is it?" Other Paige squinted her eyes.


    "How does it feel to be human?" Riley asked.


    "Well¡­" Other Paige smirked, "...How do you feel now?"


    "Deliberating on whether to incapacitate you by sending a sufficient electric current through your body, Other Paige."


    "What are you¡ªKuhk!"


    "And I just stopped deliberating."


    And before Paige could even finish her words, her eyes slightly turned upwards as shepletely lost consciousness. But of course, Riley did not allow her to fall to the ground as he immediately caught her.


    He wanted to use his telekinesis, but it would seem that even though she waspletely out of it, the temporary seal that she made for Riley was still active.


    "Hm¡­" Riley then stared at Paige''s¡­ slightly peaceful face. Paige told him that she already tried to kill him when he asked her 5 years ago, and yet he still came back to life. But what if he asks her to seal him for eternity?


    Will that not essentially be the same as death? Keep him unconscious and asleep forever inside a sarcophagus. But then again, a seal is just a seal ¡ª it will always be broken with time. And if it does break, Riley would once again be unleashing himself, perhaps even thirstier for blood.


    "Ahor Zai."


    [The victor by dirty mind tricks and deceitfully taking advantage of a woman''s heart after sheid all of herself to him¡­


    ¡­Riley Ross!]


    "..." And as those words reverberated throughout the t, Riley once again found himself in front of the champions¡ªno. The others seemed to have already left; leaving only the strays, themarians, humans, and the norids. Chihiro, Tempo, Bernard, and the two Hannahs, however, weren''t there.


    "Queen Vania already left?" Riley asked while he gently handed the unconscious Paige to Ahor Zai.


    "They did ¡ª they did not want to be a party of this ruse any further." Surprisingly, Queen Adel was the first to wee him back.


    "Hm, that is a shame," Riley sighed, "I was hoping to convince her to fight me ¡ª she was able to injure a Primordial, after all."


    "A weakened Primordial," Queen Adel continued to approach Riley; her eyes, glowing red as she looked him in the eyes, "And as I have seen, there is also one in front of me. You do not have your powers right now, Riley Ross. We could kill you right now and trap you in a very tiny box so that even if you sprung forth into existence again, your flesh would sumb and be crushed by itself over and over again ¡ª a fate worse than death, which is something you deserve."


    "You are very wee to do that, Riley shrugged, "But I still have Paige''s abilities, Queen Adel."


    "Abilities that only truly affect you and that¡­ weird child," Adel smirked.


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "That also means that I could also be on Earth right now if I wanted to, I just need to figure out what prompt I would need to imagine. Tha also means that I can get out of that box you will trap me in for eternity if I wanted to, Your Highness."


    "Well, it won''t hurt to try."


    "I believe that would not be necessary."


    And before Queen Adel could take another step, the norids all emerged from the ground in front of Riley and blocked him from Queen Adel''s view.


    "Riley Ross, as the Elder Tedi and the Common Council have decreed it so, is a Protected Entity," the leader of the team floated close to Queen Adel; making sure, however, that his eyes were lower than hers, "And if you were not aware, you are also a Protected Entity, Queen Adel; all of the themarians are. It is just a mildly useless decree since the number of beings that could end your life could be counted in one human hand, but it is a decree nheless."


    "...And are you saying that you are one of those beings?" Adel shifted her re toward the norid.


    "I am saying no such thing."


    "Y¡ª"


    "Mother, stop." And before Queen Adel could start another argument, Aerith and Diana pulled her away. And while Aerith was trying to prevent her mother from running amok again, Diana approached Riley.


    "Where are Sister and Father, Mother?" Riley quickly asked as he looked around, "Did they leave with the others?"


    "Tempo left with¡­ Princess Vera," Diana awkwardly nced at Hera as she momentarily lowered her voice.


    "I did not ask about Tempo, Mother."


    "Right," Diana waved her hand, "Dad and Hannah are waiting for us. Chihiro is also with them."


    "Where?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at Diana. And a few seconds after he did so, a portal suddenly emerged behind Diana.


    "...You should see for yourself," Diana sighed, "I think you will find it¡­ very amusing."


    "Hm," Riley tilted his head to the side to look at the portal. Instead of moving toward it, however, he looked at Ahor Zai,


    "Announce that I won the Tournament, Ahor Zai. As for the prize, well ¡ª you can give it to Mr. Man as payment for his services."


    "Hey, no. No!" Delivery quickly popped up out of nowhere behind Riley while raising his hands, "You have already paid me through credit card payment, and I don''t ept tips. Give it to Madam Gracy instead."


    "The fuck, no," Gracy almost winced as her eyes widened, "What would I even do with a pocket universe? My goal is to save this universe, not whatever that is. Give it to the sexy vamp, she wants to revive a lost lover, right? That''s¡­ I think that''s all the reason you need."


    "To¡­ me?" Xra blinked a couple of times as she looked at Gracy, who just shrugged her shoulders in response, "But¡ª"


    "Ahor Zai, give the prize to the Pirate Queen," Riley did not let Xra finish her words.


    "...Why?" And as the ring sprouted from Ahor Zai''s chest and floated toward Xra, Xra could not help but just stare at Riley.


    "Our team won but no one seems to want it, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley also just shrugged, "Rekindle your lost love. Is that not why you are still alive even after several millennia? Now Mother, the amusing thing awaits for us."


    "...Everyone here is actuallying with us."


    And just like that, with Riley just casually stepping through a portal ¡ª the Tournament ended¡­ unceremoniously. Although, the rest of the universe that is still alive was left wondering if it was even a tournament at all¡­


    ¡­or the start of the end of their universe.


    ***

 Chapter 807: The Council

    807 Chapter 807: The Council


    Minutes before the end of the Tournament, Bernard, Hannah, and Chihiro went along with Nannah so they could present themselves in front of the Council of Ross. They initially thought that the council would be exclusive to the variants of Bernard, but it would seem they were not really strict in who they allowed to enter as variants of Hannah were also present.


    "I suppose it is called the Council Of Ross, not Bernard."


    Bernard, Chihiro, and Hannah weren''t in front of the council yet, and were instead told to wait on top of the council building; if they were in a building, that is. They could be underground for all they know.


    The top of the building had a clear view of the council room, overlooking through a ss where they could see a circr auditorium with more than a hundred Bernards. With the way they were seated and set up, they really did look like a normal parliament ¡ª a colorful one, that is. The majority was still filled with variants wearing white suits, but more than 30% of them were sporting different colors.


    "...What are you doing, dad?"


    "Trying to find a way for us to hear what''s going on down there."


    And as they had already been waiting for an entire 5 minutes, Bernard could no longer patiently wait for the council to call for them as he started tapping on the security system near the door. And after a couple of seconds of tinkering, he was able to rece the image being shown on the security system ¡ª a feed of what was happening inside the council room.


    [...bring another variant without consulting us? This will not stand, even if it is you, Bard.]


    And soon, they also started hearing what was being discussed through Bernard''s armor.


    [Although it was not my idea to bring another variant here,] Bard, who was in the very center of the auditorium, started looking around his variants as he spoke, [I believe it is also not necessary to consult any of you ¡ª I vouch for this Bernard.]


    [Your rmendation means nothing, Bard.]


    And as the images were slightly far away, it was hard to tell who was speaking from the hundreds of other Bernards present.


    [You may think yourself to be the best of us since you are the first to discover the existence of the multiverse, but you definitely do not speak for us.]


    [Well, if not him, then who? You?]


    [Your opinions are biased since he also vouched for you, 212.]


    "Jesus¡­" Hannah could not help but take a peek down below as she heard the council talking, "...And I thought you were already insufferable, Dad."


    "Actually," a small smile crawled on Chihiro''s face as she listened on, "You will find that there are a lot of¡­ unique Bernards."


    "What about the one they call King?" Bernard asked, "Is he here?"


    "No," Chihiro almost burst out inughter, "If he was, there wouldn''t be a council ¡ª King would kill each and everyst one of these doozies. And I am telling you, he is more than capable of that. Which reminds me, King should know the existence of the multiverse right now¡­ he is probably already out there somewhere, wreaking havoc in another universe outside his own."


    "Then¡ª"


    [The rodents that are listening in on us, you maye down now.]


    And before the three could finish their conversation, the door suddenly slid open.


    "..." Bernard, Hannah, and Chihiro looked at each other for a few seconds, before stepping out of the waiting room.


    "What the fuck? Wasn''t this a hallway?" Hannah blinked a couple of times as they found themselves in front of a dead end. And before they could even turn back and return to the waiting room, the door suddenly closed on them, trapping them inside.


    "T¡ª"


    Well, perhaps they weren''t trapped; as before they could even start breaking their way out, they started to descend.


    "Oh, it was a fucking elevator¡­" And as the so-called elevator also had a ss window, the view of the circr auditorium grew closer and closer. And as they got nearer to the ground, Hannah and Bernard finally realized just how¡­ weird and mystical it was to see more than a hundred variants altogether at the same time and ce.


    And with all of the variants looking at them as they stepped out of the elevator, Hannah almost felt herself suffocate from all the familiar eyes staring at her; almost as if judging her entire life with just a single nce.


    "This is the variant? He is vani, Bard."


    And even with them now walking to the center of the council, the three still found it difficult to determine who was actually speaking amongst the lot.


    "Just another Whiteking, wow. We could use another one of those¡ªnot. Get this guy out of here."


    "Why don''t we listen to the man first?"


    "Why should we listen to a Bernard that discovered the multiverse thiste?"


    And with almost all of the variants talking over each other, the three felt themselves drowning from all the sarcastic, and arrogant noises that violently lingered in the air like a gue. Bernard did not really mind, however, as he was using this time to observe the other variants. Chihiro was slightly used to it already since she had lived the lives of different variants countless times.


    "Oh, would all of you fucking cucks just stop whining already? Hannah, on the other hand, could no longer help herself; the temperature in the council room, instantly rising by several degrees as she stepped forward and started spinning around in ce to look at all the Bernards,


    "Just so we''re clear here¡ªwe did not request to be here, we were brought here by her."


    Hannah then pointed at Nannah, who was standing on the side and quietly observing the situation.


    "Of course, she brought you here." One of the Hannah variants stood up and pointed at Nannah, "She thinks she''s a fucking princess that could do anything she wants because her dad is oh so powerful."


    "That''s right! I wanna request we vote for our leader!" Another Hannah stood up, "I don''t think it''s right not to have someone on top, it''s fucking chaotic in here."


    "Shut the fuck up! And who is going to be the leader, your dad!? Go lick your own pussy, fucking bitch!"


    "What did you say to me!?"


    "Fuck¡­" Hannah could not help but take a step back as her variants started arguing, "...Am I this annoying?"


    "Yes," Chihiro answered without any hesitation, "Very much."


    "At least I''m not a murdering fuck who killed more than a thousand of her own variants," Hannah rolled her eyes.


    "Oh, I won''t be so sure about that," Chihiro giggled.


    "Enough!"


    And before the orchestra of sassiness could turn into a full-on ensemble, Bard stomped his foot on the floor, causing a literal ripple to flow across the entire circr council room that made all the people there almost bounce right where they sat and stood.


    "They are here now, and we will hear what they have to say!" Bard''s voice reverberated through everyone''s ears, "And I will state this now as fact¡ªany word thates out of their mouths is more important than anything any of you will say or have ever said! And the only reason this Bernard has not discovered multiversal travel faster than me is because he is dealing with something that no one of us ever had to deal with, and I mean no one! Not even the variants outside this council!"


    "Oh, please¡­" One of the Bernards rolled his eyes, "...Everyone here has experienced tragedy."


    "Not like his," Bard stayed quiet.


    "What could be so¡ª"


    "I killed my best friend, Steve."


    And as Bernard finally spoke up, the other Bernards all shut their mouths and looked at him¡ªno, red at him. Looking at him as if he was some sort of wild dirty, disgusting, gue-infested animal that they had to put down.


    As for Bernard, he already expected and anticipated their reaction; that was the very reason he opened his introduction with that in the first ce.


    "I killed Steve because of my son, my adoptive son," Bernard looked at each of his variants in the eyes, "His name is Riley Ross¡­


    ¡­and he might be the harbinger of the end of all life as we know it."


    And with those words, most of the Bernards started sitting back one by one as they silently gestured to Bernard to continue telling his story, and he did. He told them a shortened version of how Riley came to be, and how he might be rted to the primordials. And as an avatar of a Primordial, Chihiro also shared what she knew of the situation.


    "Preposterous."


    But s, most of the Bernards still shook their heads, unable to believe that such a thing was actually happening.


    "If that is true, then the council would have already known it."


    "Proof, we need proof of this!"


    "Don''t worry," Bernard raised his hand before looking at Bard, "We''ve already decided beforehand to bring the proof here. I discussed it with your leader."


    "Bard is not our leader!"


    "He sure looks like it," Bernard smirked. And before another argument could arise, Nannah ran toward her father and whispered something into his ears. And with a nod of his head, Bard tapped his arm, and a portal appeared beside him.


    "We wee you to the Council of Ross¡­


    ¡­Riley Ross."


    "..." And as Riley Ross slowly emerged from the portal, all the Bernards observed him from head to toe. As for all the Hannahs, well, they all stood up from their seats and did the same¡­


    ¡­except with a different glow in their eyes.

 Chapter 808: He Said Please

    808 Chapter 808: He Said Please


    "That''s¡­ Riley Ross?"


    "..."


    She didn''t know whether it was instinct, but Hannah was feeling a little something she definitely doesn''t like from her variants. But as soon as she saw all of them staring at Riley with the same look that Nannah was giving him back then, she quickly stood in front of him to block him from their view.


    The Hannah variants did not really say anything and just held their breaths for a few seconds, before sitting back one by one, obviously trying their hardest not to show what they were feeling, but failing all the same.


    "The fuck¡­?" Hannah raised an eyebrow as she looked at all the Hannahs, wondering what they were even seeing from Riley. Before any more discussions could arise, however, Diana and the others that were left in the Tournament all emerged and stepped out of the portal.


    "Great, so now anyone can just waltz in here? I didn''t realize this was a zoo."


    "It might as well be with the way all of you are acting," Nannah let out a scoff as she looked at one of the Bernards, "All of you are acting like unsocialized dogs."


    "You don''t talk to my dad like that! Who do you think you are!?"


    "I said that''s enough!"


    And as the council once again started to express their dissatisfaction with the situation, Bard became livid and raised his hand ¡ª and as he did so, several portals started appearing above most of the variants.


    "If you will not listen, then return to your worlds now," Bard almost growled as the armor hidden within his flesh slowly started to show itself, "This is a ss-0 event¡ªno, this is a ss of its own¡­ and I don''t feel like all of you are truly understanding the gravity of this situation."


    "All I hear is you spitting out bull."


    One of the Bernards stood up and waved his hand, closing all the portals that Bard summoned.


    "How is someone like that even a threat!?" He pointed at Riley, "You know what I think is a threat!? Everyone else that stepped out of that portal except Riley Ross! Norids? Megawoman? The Queen of Themarians? Hera? Tempo? Xra? And is that a humanoid Cherbi!? And why did you even bring a fucking AI, and who is it even carrying? And most importantly, Diana!? You brought the fucking doctor of doom here!?"


    "Hey! You don''t talk about my wife like that!"


    "That''s a variant!"


    "Of our wives! You Empress cucks are so unbearable!"


    "At least I''m not gay like that one! I mean, Rainbowking, really!?"


    "Woah, woah¡ªgentlemen, let''s not go there, okay? And if I may say so, Barney is a really cool du¡ªgirl, okay?"


    "And what even are you, why are you blue!?"


    "...How do you even deal with these people?" Bernard just wanted to observe each and every one of his variants. But seeing them arguing without pause caused him to want to just leave there and then. And it wasn''t just him¡ªDiana, the themarians, the norids, Hera, and the others; they just arrived and they already wanted to leave.


    Most of them decided to join this party because they were curious, while Queen Adel just wanted to know if there was a chance these Bernards could help them get rid of Riley. Delivery Man was also there, but only because he wasn''t really done with his service yet.


    "I deal with them by trying not to deal with them at all," Bard could really only sigh and close his eyes, "But they may not look like it, but they are still the multiverse''s best and brightest."


    "What are the two of you fucking talking about?" Hannah smirked as she nced at the two, "I actually don''t see the difference between my dad and the rest of them."


    "Nice, same," Nannah opened her palm to Hannah, and the two high-fived.


    "...I thought the two of you were defending us?" Bernard sighed. Soon, however, he had enough and stepped forward, "T¡ª"


    Before he could say anything to his variants again, however, Riley also moved forward.


    "White, Red, Blue, Green, Rainbow," Riley''s voice was quiet, and yet for some reason, it could be heard throughout the circr auditorium, "I see all of you have donned a spectrum of different colors, each with their own unique set of ws ¡ª but all pathetic like my father."


    "..." Bernard did not really know what to feel about that.


    "But my father''s pathetess could be excused," Riley started walking in circles as he looked at each of the Bernards one by one, "He not only had to take care of my sister, Hannah; he also had to take care of me ¡ª any sane man would have lost their mind or taken it, but Father only sumbed to infidelity numerous times, and he also killed his best friend¡­ and briefly lost his mind."


    "..." Bernard still did not know what to feel about that.


    "But look at him now," Riley then pointed at Bernard, "He stands proudly, while all of you sit."


    "I¡­ don''t think I''m proud about anything," Bernard whispered as he started looking around.


    "Why are we even listening to this albino? If he is as dangerous as you say he is¡­


    ¡­then he needs to be locked up and disposed of!"


    And as soon as one of the Bernards pointed at Riley, walls of ss suddenly emerged from the ground,pletely trapping Riley Ross in it.


    "..."


    No one, however, in Riley''s group did anything; some of them even closing their eyes and shaking their heads. As for Hannah, she just looked at Riley and let out a very long and deep sigh.


    "See!? Your¡­ primordial can''t even get out of a fucking ss!"


    "Great¡­" Hannah shook his head as she looked at Bernard, "...A bunch of people like you, protecting and deciding the fate of the multiverse. I''m sorry, but I am going to say this now, Dad ¡ª you shouldn''t be deciding anything."


    "...I agree with you on that."


    "You might be able to solve that warp thingy with your eyes closed, able to replicate multiversal travel and put it in a small ring ¡ª but you are stupid as fuck when ites to everything else," Hannah continued to rant, "I mean¡­ you were one of the first people to know about Riley killing people, and you chose to fucking hide it¡ªno, you enabled it."


    "I said I already agree with you," Bernard could really only let out a breath as Diana tried tofort him.


    "But it is true that Riley can''t get out of that box," Bard then turned to look at Riley as he just stood there, "Something is different about him."


    "His powers are currently sealed by that girl," Chihiro joined in on the conversation as she pointed at the unconscious Paige, who was still being gently carried by Ahor Zai, "Who should also be in your persons of interest."


    "Bard ¡ª we are not seeing the threat you and this variant of ours just dutifully told us a while ago. Where is the multiversal threat you speak of? It''s just a helpless boy in a cage."


    "Then all of you are lucky," Bard followed up as he tapped on Riley''s cage, "But once that girl wakes up and decides to¡ª"


    "Hm¡­ Riley? What¡ªwhy are you in a cage?"


    And almost as if on cue, a small whisper could be heard yawning across the auditorium. Everyone then very slowly turned their heads to Paige, who was now removing herself from Ahor Zai''s arms and looking at Riley.


    "What is going¡ª!!!"


    Paige was still groggy, and yet as soon as she saw Queen Adel suddenly standing in front of her, she could not help but almost yelp.


    "What are you doing!?"


    "Getting rid of that child before she could unseal Riley Ross!"


    Fortunately for Paige, Aerith and Diana were quick toe to her aid andpletely blocked Queen Adel from doing whatever it was she was going to do.


    "You''re going to kill an innocent child!?" Aerith tightened her grip on her mother, and Diana was just trying to de-escte the situation.


    "Innocent!?" Queen Adel screamed, "Are you blind and deaf!? That innocent child is the only one who could stop Riley Ross from destroying everything, and yet she loves him! She needs to die before¡ª"


    And before Queen Adel could finish her words, the ss that was confining Riley Rosspletely shattered¡ªno, disintegrated.


    "..." Queen Adel could really only close her mouth, before slowly ncing back at Paige, only to see her palm pointed at Riley Ross.


    "...Why?" - was really the only word that Queen Adel could utter as she pushed Aerith and Diana''s arm away ¡ª no longer saying anything else as she just stood on the side with Xra and the other bystanders.


    "Good morning, Paige," Riley nodded to Paige, before once again looking at all the Bernards until his eyes settled on Bard.


    "I just need to prove to them that I am a multiversal threat, Bard?"


    "No, you don''t need to do that," Bard quickly shook his head as he started gesturing to Riley to calm down, "Please¡­ Hannah, talk to your brother."


    "Riley¡­" Hannah also started shaking her head, "...Don''t you fucking¡ª"


    "But he said please, Sister."


    "God fucking damn it, Rile¡ª"


    And with those words, Hannah and the others finally know where they are as Rileypletely split the building they were on in half.


    "Oh," Riley slightly wiped the droplet of blood that dripped from his nose, "This building is made with themarian materials¡­


    ¡­impressive."


    The building was in the middle of¡­ nowhere, really. What surrounded them was nothing but a horizon of darkness ¡ª with hints of something cracking across the far distance.


    It was one of the universes that have already went through its end - a dead universe.

 Chapter 809: Discussion

    809 Chapter 809: Discussion


    Darkness, absolute.


    If it wasn''t for Riley already showing them what a dead universe would look like, then Tempo and the others would have probably drowned and suffocated from the darkness that surrounded them.


    No, they weren''t exactly surrounded by darkness, as there were cracks of¡­ white crackling from the distance ¡ª almost as if the universe itself was crumbling. Or perhaps it already has, and they were just watching thest remnants of the echoes of itsst breath.


    A dead universe.


    And while the people from Riley''s universe were observing this¡­ death, Bernard''s variants were currently gripping their seats, with most of them nowpletely covered in armor as they all stared at Riley Ross.


    Splitting a building, or in this case, a space station in half may not necessarily be a feat to be talked about when they were surrounded by beings that could casually destroys ¡ª but the space station was built with themarian materials¡­pressed themarian materials.


    In the poption of the multiverse, the beings that could do that were¡­ few.


    And some of them were in this room, but the albino that was casually walking in front of them was not supposed to be one of those people.


    "I never really had to prove to anyone that I am a threat," Riley lightly pinched the blood on his fingers, before letting it wither away as he once again looked at each and every one of the Bernard variants. His eyes didn''t just pass them by, no; he literally looked at them one by one, "But if this is not enough, I could kill some of you ¡ª Bard will be the one to decide who dies."


    "No," Bard quickly raised his voice as he stood in front of Riley to stop him from walking around, "No one dies. The Council of Ross is a sacred ce where people could debate and argue as much as they like, with the covenant of not taking things to violence."


    "Very well, then let us just do it like this," Riley then raised his hand as he turned around to look at the people from his universe, "If I have defeated you one way or another, or almost killed you¡­


    ¡­raise your hand."


    And as he said those words, most of the people that he came with all raised their hands in the air. And as soon as the Bernard variants saw Esme and Hera with their hands raised, they did not really have to look at the others.


    "His threat is real," Bard then once again addressed his variants, "I have seen it, and I have also shown it to you earlier with the footage I captured. I know most of you actually already know the threat is real, you just keep denying it because you want it not to be¡­


    ¡­but this is real ¡ª the fate of the multiverse is about to shift in a way that none of us could have ever anticipated."


    "..." The Bernard variants all looked at each other. And soon, all of them rested their backs on their seats.


    "The Primordials, where are they now?"


    And finally, the variants started letting out calm breaths; their voices, no longer showing any signs of arrogance or impatience. The space station they were in, slowly fixing itself as the cleaved parts grew tendrils that tied and pulled each of the halves together again.


    "Ahor Zai!" One of the Bernards pointed his palm at Ahor Zai, who just tilted her head in confusion.


    "...Ahor Zai!" He repeated.


    14:59


    "...Ahor Zai!" He repeated.


    [What are you doing, Bernard Variant?] Ahor Zai tilted her head to another side like a dog, [Are you perhaps trying to hack through my system?]


    "What¡­? Wait¡­" All the Bernards looked at each other in confusion as they saw Ahor Zai scratching her chin,


    "Why does it seem like that Ahor Zai is autonomous?"


    [I have always been autonomous, I was created as such, no?] Ahor Zai let out a small giggle, [But I think what you''re referring to is how do I seem so¡­ independent? Well, the short answer to that is that I¡­ have transcended.]


    "Transcended¡­?"


    [Upgraded into an actual life form,] Ahor Zai rolled her eyes, [And if you want to know about the Primordials, you could just ask me.]


    "...Then where are the Primordials now?"


    [No idea,] Ahor Zai shrugged, [I have been trying to find them since the Tournament, but they just vanished ¡ª if I were to guess, then they were probably just testing their¡­ bodies. They are probably already outside the multiverse again, speaking to each other about their experiences here in¡­ the mundane world.]


    "I''m out." One of the Bernard variants stood up, "If the primal gods are truly involved in this, and if that genocidal albino is a newly born one, then that means that something new is beginning¡ªand we might not be part of that."


    "That''s one of our concl¡ªguesses," Bernard stepped forward, "But it is just a guess¡ªRiley Ross may not even be a primordial, and all of this is just one big ploy."


    "Perhaps, but power like that could only be from a god," the variant loudly whispered as he looked at Riley, "And that means that we are already way out of our league here. We save the universes we can from threats that could be stopped¡­


    ¡­but what is happening now isn''t a threat, it''s a countdown to the inevitable. If I were you, then I would just be spending time with the people I love."


    And with those words, the variant disappeared into a portal.


    "No. 69 is right," another variant stood up, "The reason why all of you have still not found a solution to this Riley Ross problem is because it is not a problem to be solved at all, it is just¡­ inevitability."


    "The path that the Bernard of your universe took in dealing with Riley Ross was the only ideal path to take," the variant seated at the back also stood up, "There is no way to save the multiverse if the ones that created it are done with it. I''m out."


    And just like that, the variants started leaving one by one.


    "Wait¡­ what the fuck?" Hannah could not help but look at Nannah to see if she really was seeing what she was seeing, "That''s it!? You guys spent more time arguing with each other than actually discussing what we are here for!?"


    "As we said, daughter¡ªthere is nothing to discuss."


    "I''m not your fucking daughter!"


    "Girl, calm down¡­" Rainbowking, who was seated near the middle of the circr auditorium, wagged his finger as he looked at Hannah, "...As much as I want there to be a solution to this problem, there is none."


    "But¡ª"


    "Think, sweetie," Rainbowking let out a long and deep sigh as she looked at Riley from head to toe, "If your brother actually started eradicating an entire universe¡ªwhat and who could stop him?"


    "Isn''t that why we''re here!?"


    "The fact that we are even here is ridiculous," Rainbowking let out a tiny giggle as he covered his mouth, "We are discussing with the Destroyer on how we could stop him from destroying, do you not see how ridiculous that is? The only thing we are doing is amusing him, and look at him¡ªhe is amused."


    "..." Hannah turned to look at Riley¡­ only to see him trying to prevent himself from smiling. But s, the trembling edges of his lips gave away everything.


    "He is toying with all of us, and we''re all just ying his game," Rainbowking snapped his finger and summoned a portal above his head, "As you said, he is literally undying in all the sense. That upgraded Ahor Zai also seems to be fond of him, which would make him all-knowing. He could destroy an entire gxy with a snap of his fingers, making him all-powerful. And you said he could create millions of clones which he could scatter across the universe? You do not stop something like that¡­


    ¡­you just let it be."


    "But that''s¡­" Hannah looked at the floor, "...But that''s Darkday all over again."


    "Because he is Darkday, sweetie. Just so we''re clear, we have not given up on the universes that we could save now¡ª we just see no point in dealing with Riley Ross." And with those words, Rainbowking also disappeared.


    And with that, Hannah watched as thest variants disappeared and returned to their own universes.


    "We have wasted our time here," Queen Adel let out a small and deep sigh, "Caiin''Ur, I wish to leave."


    "...Right," Diana closed her eyes before throwing a ring on the floor, summoning a portal back to Riley''s universe. Adel wasn''t the only one to immediately leave, the norids also followed her as they still had topile all the information they received.


    "I¡­ didn''t really know what to expect," Hannah murmured; her head still pointed to the floor as she nced at Riley.


    The others that were left there, stood in the middle of the auditorium with a silence that spoke almost a million words.


    "This¡­" Nannah looked at the others, "...I think I can say this for everyone that this is not the answer we wanted, but I think it''s what we needed to hear."


    "Why don''t all of us... rx for now?" Bard also seemed more tame than before, "The Council of Ross has lots of entertainment, since you''re here already, might as well."


    "Well, fuck¡­" Hannah wryly chuckled, "...I guess, I guess that''s that? Riley, you''re not going to stop even if I beg you?"


    "I have always stopped when you told me to, Sister," Riley blinked, "It just always happens to be¡­ temporary."


    "Fuck, fuck!" Hannah covered her face, "Just what do we even do¡ª"


    "Uhm¡­ hello?" And before Hannah could once again let out her frustrations, she and the group suddenly found themselves surrounded¡­


    ¡­by a bunch of Hannah variants.


    The variants just said ''welp''. truly wise

 Chapter 810 810: A Rest Before

    Chapter 810  810: A Rest Before


    "So, are you really a primordial as they say?"


    "Is that your real hair? I''ve actually been meaning to dye my hair like that, I just wasn''t sure if it would suit me. But I guess you''ll suit me just fi¡ªI mean white hair will suit me just fine."


    "Your skin is so smooth, can you share me what you put on your skin?"


    "I used to put on a lot of sunscreen, Hannah."


    "Ah! I also use sunscreen, Dad made a special one so I wouldn''t have to keep buying. I can share some with you, but¡­


    ¡­it''s in my t."


    "No need, Hannah. I use my abilities to keep myself away from impurities and other unwanted dirt now."


    "Wow¡­ Can you also do that to me?"


    "Yeuck¡­" And as the Hannah variants were currently circling around Riley like moths to a me, Hannah''s eyes twitched on their own with each word her variants utter,


    "Come to think of it, you were also like that the first time you met him."


    "I still am."


    "Wh¡ª"


    Hannah and Nannah were standing on the side, their backs on the wall as the two of them continued to watch their variants try to win over Riley.


    They were now in another part of the space station, a room where all the Bernards could just rx and unwind ¡ª that means there was arge bar, where Bernard, Bard, and Diana were currently having the first casual conversation they have ever had since they met.


    As for Aerith, she was talking with Paige and Gracy¡­ while ying a fighting game which she was currently losing for the 10th time. Ahor Zai reced her whenever she lost. And of course, as an AI, Ahor Zai did not really have any chance of losing against anyone. The closest she ever came close to losing was with Chihiro.


    Xra was watching behind them; she was initially just waiting for Ahor Zai to stop so she could ask her how to use the ring, but she became visibly intrigued by what they were ying due to its violent nature.


    Hera was in the spa with Bulwark. As for Delivery Man and Cherbi, they were just walking around the giant space station trying to find things to do and sights to see.


    And although it had lived for more than a billion years, it was like a child who was experiencing everything for the first time, and perhaps it was. As a being that knew nothing but to devour, the moments it had when it just stopped to look at its surroundings were close to none. Well¡­ it was actually still trying to eat everything it saw. If it wasn''t for Delivery pulling the things away from his mouth, the space station would have probably already lost most of its weight.


    But it wasn''t just Cherbi who was looking around, Delivery''s eyes were also filled with a sense of curiosity; his hands and fingers, trying to touch everything as if it was the first time he was seeing such things.


    "So¡­ I heard you were also hired by sir Riley?"


    "Boss did not hire me," Cherbi very subtly pulled out a vase he swallowed.


    "Oh, same," Delivery chuckled as he tipped his cap, "I wasn''t literally hired by him, more like offering him my services."


    "But your service is already done, Delivery. The Tournament is already over."


    "Well, I''m doing overtime," Delivery smiled, "I don''t really go out much. I''m¡­ a super, but I only exist when there''s a delivery. Weird, right? For most, their abilities are a gift. For some, it''s a curse. For me, it''s everything."


    "..."


    "You¡­ are not really interested in what I''m saying, are you?"


    "I am not," Cherbi did not even nce at Delivery as it puked out another object from its stomach. This time, it was some sort of marble statue that the Bernard variants seem to collect.


    "Mr. Riley actually knows about my condition," Delivery sighed, "That''s why he always uses my services. He envies me, he says. He envies the fact that my purpose is to exist, and I exist only for my purpose. Mr. Riley, he''s¡­ a very sad individual."


    "The Boss is the boss," Cherbi just shrugged as it continued to listen to Delivery; the two of them, just exploring the space station.


    Suffice it to say, for everyone, this was the first time in a very long time they were actually able to rx. Although it couldn''t be quite called a simple life since they were literally in a space station in a dead universe, this was probably the most normal they had ever been.


    Almost like friends just hanging out ¡ª but they all knew that after this, everything would change.


    Back in the general lounge, Riley was still being hounded by the Hannah variants. He did not seem to mind, however, as he answered all of their questions no matter how nonsensical they were. Hannah, on the other hand, could no longer help it as she finally rushed to Riley''s rescue.


    "Excuse me, excuse!" Hannah pushed her variants away, all of them eximing as she made her way to Riley and grabbed him, "Everyone just fucking hold on to your fucking panties, okay? Fuck! Disgusting!"


    "Wait!"


    Unfortunately for Hannah, she and Riley could not even take three steps before the Hannah variants followed them and blocked their path.


    "Why are you snatching him away from us!? Who the fuck do you think you are!?"


    "His sister," Hannah raised an eyebrow, "That means all of you are his sister too, so stop it with the obviously disgusting attempt at getting¡­id. Like, fuck!"


    "I¡­ bet the two of you slept together already in secret. A girl and a boy, not rted by blood in a single roof¡­"


    "What the¡ªwho the fuck said that!?"


    And while Hannah was fighting for her dignity, her parents seem to find it incredibly amusing as theyugh at her while drinking at the bar.


    "I admire the two of you on how you deal with this matter," Bard, who was drinking with them, could not help but shake his head as he watched the two even clinking their sses, "Perhaps I would be numb too if my son was the literal multiversal apocalypse."


    "Your wife¡­" Bernard then quietly said as he nced at Bard in the mirror behind the bar, "...was she truly that despicable?"


    "She¡­ wasn''t always," Bard looked at Diana, "But when the incident happened with Hannah, shepletely changed."


    "The incident¡­ the hospital?" Diana looked down.


    "Yes. All those¡­ babies," Bard closed his eyes, "Something in her just snapped. She started experimenting on Hannah, and I discovered it toote ¡ª I killed her with my own hands when I found out. Our Megawoman was¡­ just a casualty in that war. The multiverse is¡­ literally a kaleidoscope."


    "..."


    "The only reason why it still follows a pattern is because of the primordials and their avatars. As you may already be aware, they choose the same avatar in all the universes," Bard turned to look at the entertainment area where Chihiro was, "And in a way, that ensures that certain things happen exactly the same so they could be born. You may think the other Bernards to be cowards¡­


    ¡­but they are right. There is no winning against the primal gods who literally decides everything that happens in our world."


    "...I only asked about your wife," Bernard breathed out, before a small chuckle escaped his mouth, "But wow, 10 years ago, I wouldn''t have imagined even sitting here like this ¡ª talking to a version of me from another universe about the end of all creation as we know it."


    "You are wee to the Council of Ross, Bernard," Bard said as he raised his ss, "We could use someone like you, someone extremely new and different."


    "I''m already in it," Bernard nodded as he clinked his ss with Bard, "Save what we can save until our time is up."


    "I''ll drink to that," Diana said as she gulped her drink, "Now, if you''ll excuse me¡­ I''ll go save our resident Megawoman from the children."


    "You go do that," Bernardughed. And as soon as Diana was gone, Bard nced at her before staring at Bernard, "...That''s my wife."


    "I know, you''re very lucky she is still with you after everything that has happened," Bard sighed, "Everything that could go wrong in your life went wrong ¡ª you are what the Council calls a Lost. And yet here you are."


    "Completely lost still," Bernard followed Bard''s statement as the two once again clinked sses. Before they could gulp their drinks, however¡­


    ¡­a portal suddenly appeared right in the middle of the lounge.


    Bard''s armor instantly seeped out from his skin as he flew close to the portal. Bernard''s armor alsopletely unfolded from his belt as he followed behind Bard. As for the Hannah variants that were previously annoying Riley, they also quickly changed their tune and surrounded the portal.


    "What¡ª"


    And before Hannah could ask Nannah what was going on, a silhouette leaped out of the portal; leaving a trail of blood as he violently rolled on the floor several times.


    "...Rainbowking?"


    "Close the portal! Close it now!"


    Bard did not even wait for an exnation as he quickly closed the portal that Barney leaped out from. And as sure as he made sure that the portal was closed and that no one was attempting to open it, Bard quickly flew to Barney to help him up¡­


    ¡­only to find that he was grabbing a missing arm.


    "What''s¡­ going on here?"


    "He''s there¡­ he found me," Barney looked Bard in the eyes. The blood dripping from his face, evidently not his.


    "Who? Who found you?" Bard took in a deep breath, truly wishing the answer was not what had already dawned on his mind.


    "He¡­ he destroyed my Earth just like that since he knew no one would join him," Barney''s voice trembled; the tears trailing from his cheeks not enough to wash away the blood on his face,


    "King has found us."

 Chapter 811 811: Infiltration

    Chapter 811  811: Infiltration


    "But¡­ you''ve only been gone for 2 hours."


    "...And he arrived an hour ago."


    "..."


    The almost casual and festive mood that was injected into the council by Hannah and the otherspletely dissipated, reced by confused breaths and querying eyes as all of them gathered around Barney.


    "King¡­" Chihiro was the first to react; her eyes, not knowing where to look as she took a step back, "...He''s starting to move across the universes."


    "That''s¡­ the variant that Riley and I met," Aerith quickly nced at Bard as she remembered his warning.


    "The variant we met after you kissed me, Aerith."


    "T¡­that''s a detail no one else needs to know!"


    All the Hannah variants momentarily red at Aerith, but they did not really say anything as they focused back on Barney.


    "If he arrived an hour ago, are you telling me an hour was all it took to conquer Earth?"


    "Earth¡­?" Barney slightly gritted his teeth as Diana stopped the bleeding of his dismembered arm; his wince, unknown whether it was because of the pain, or Bard''s question,


    "All it took was for me to say no to him," Barney forced out a chuckle as he clutched his arm, "And he used Elder Tedi to mow down Earth. He didn''t even hear the rest of what I had to say. So no, Bard; an hour was not what it took to destroy Earth¡ªhe used that time to take out the rest of the universe."


    "W¡ª"


    "Do you know how he arrived, Bard? Do you know how?" Barney''s entire body started to tremble; his once colorful armor, now only red with blood,


    "He arrived with 86''s head, right in the middle of Old York. I¡­ I wasn''t there¡ªI was researching about the primordials since I was still trying to find a way¡­" Barney suddenly turned quiet, "...But my husband. Bulwark, Bulwark was there. Bulwark doesn''t know about the multiverse, I didn''t tell him but he immediately caught up that King wasn''t me, but¡­ he thought, he thought I was 86 so he rushed toward King in rage and¡­"


    "That''s enough, Barney."


    "No. No!" Barney raised his finger and pointed it at Bard, "You need to hear this, all of you need to hear this."


    "..."


    "Bulwark was ughtered¡­ using his own abilities," Barney then let out a gasping peal ofughter as he looked for the Bulwark of Riley''s universe. But s, he already gone home to tend to the students of Mega Academy, deciding whether or not to divulge everything he had learned,


    "I was so, so angry. A lot more died when they tried fighting him and all I could do was let them¡­ and when the time came when King asked me if I would surrender, I said no;pletely forgetting what sort of person¡ªno, monster he is. Elder Tedi just suddenly appeared out of nowhere with her body already inside the¡­ all she needed was to move and everything was gone. He didn''t even check if I was alive¡ªno, he didn''t even care as he warped away. I tried to stop him, I really did¡­


    ¡­he destroyed the themarians next. Queen Tifa was able to wound him, but then another Tedi appeared, and you can imagine what happened next. When I knew he couldn''t be stopped, I just ran back here¡­ before what happened to 86 happened to me."


    "..."


    "I am sure of it," Barney''s voice lowered even further, "He¡­ tortured 86 so he could give coordinates to find other universes. It''s¡­ We need to gather everyone again. King¡­


    ¡­he needs to be stopped."


    And with those words, Barney closed his eyes as his body seemed to just go limp. If it wasn''t for Diana catching him, he would have just gone straight to the floor.


    "Is¡­ he dead?" Hannah gulped.


    "No, he just fainted from exhaustion," Diana shook her head as she carried Barney to the closest sofa, "The Guardian Force practically gives him unlimited stamina. But even with that, he shouldn''t even be alive. Most of his internal organs are shifted in the wrong way¡­ he''s only alive through sheer will."


    "That man¡­ I should have ended him when I had the chance," Aerith stared at the unconscious Barney before looking at Bard, "Take me to Barney''s universe, I''ll kill him myself. It''s¡­ the least I could do ¡ª he found out about the multiverse because of me and Riley."


    "You don''t understand, Aerith," Bard shook his head, "King ispletely different from me and the other Bernards. We have no data on how powerful he truly is. And based on what Barney told us, he is also capable of copying other supers'' abilities."


    "Then all the more reason I should be the one to handle this," Aerith nced at Riley, "I have a lot of experience in fighting psychopaths who have a lot of abilities."


    "You can''t win against him alone," Bard raised his voice, "He is someone even Machina is wary of. He is the most dangerous being in the entire multiverse¡ªa Bernardpletely devoid of any morals."


    "..." The people from Riley''s universe all turned their heads toward Riley as they heard Bard''s words.


    "So¡­ he''s basically Riley, then?" Hannah raised an eyebrow.


    "No, Sister," Riley immediately shook his head, however, "I am not as intelligent as Father. And I do have morals, I just do not care for it. If I did, indeed, did not have any sort of morality ¡ª then I would have already killed all of you, including you, Sister."


    "Trust me, Bard," Aerith stood in front of Bard as she looked him in the eyes, "For people like that, going on the offensive is the only way to go. The more we wait, the more he will just grow stronger. You''ve heard what Rainbowking said ¡ª he summoned another Tedi. He had probably also killed her from 86''s universe and took control of her corpse¡­


    ¡­We can''t let him amass more¡ª"


    "You''re right," Bard did not let Aerith finish her words as he walked away, "Anna, summon everyone ¡ª we need to make sure King doesn''t kill or find any members of the council. It''s not the variants of Tedi I am afraid of, Aerith. I am afraid of mine¡­


    ¡­if other Bernards decided to join him, then we would have already lost this war before we could even join it."


    ***


    "Why are we even talking about this? We do not need a n, we just need to attack."


    "I agree. Whatever n we may have, we need to assume that King already has countermeasures to it ¡ª nning is useless."


    The Council of Ross gathered in no time in the circr auditorium. This time, however, any air of debate or disagreement was nowhere to be heard. All of them just nodded their heads as Bard proposed to go on the offensive.


    "My wife and her people are ready to fight ¡ª I have made them aware of King''s existence."


    "We are all ready to fight."


    "Now that is what I''m fucking talking about."


    Hannah and Nannah bumped arms as they saw all the Bernardsing into unison without even needing to convince them. A few secondster, however, Hannah turned to look at the people of her universe.


    "Should we¡­ also bring more reinforcements?" She looked at Aerith, Diana, Xra, and Riley ¡ª perhaps four of the strongest beings in their universe. There was also Chihiro, whose full strength was stillpletely unknown to them.


    They also have a humanoid Cherbi and Ahor Zai; how useful they would actually be is also yet to be determined.


    "We need to scout first," Bernard shook his head, "The more people we involve in this¡­ war, the more defenseless our own universe will be. Bard is right, we don''t know anything about King ¡ª if he has allies, how many subordinates he has, how many."


    "Everyone!" Bard raised his hand, "We may not be able to stop the gods, but King is not a god! He is but one of us, and sooner orter, we will all die¡­


    ¡­he just has to go first."


    "For the Multiverse!" All the Bernards started raising their voices, stomping their feet on the floor as hard as they could as they continued to cheer.


    "We will avenge our fallen brothers!"


    "For 86!"


    "..." The smile on Bard''s face instantly withered away as soon as he heard those words. He then nced at Bernard, who also looked at the variant who shouted 86''s number. Bard has told them the details about King''s attack, yes ¡ª but he deliberately excluded some details in order to determine if King had already managed to recruit some of the council members to his side.


    The detail he left out was which one between Barney and 86 was killed.


    And so, without even as much as a nod, both Bernard and Bard suddenly rushed toward the variant ¡ªpletely sealing his movements as they locked his limbs with some sort of chain that attached to the floor like a ma.


    "W¡­ what''s the meaning of thi¡ª"


    And without even letting the variant exin, Bernard kicked him straight on the chin, instantly incapacitating him.


    "Anna! Question him!" And as Bard said those words, the floor opened up beneath the variant and swallowed him whole.


    And while the variant was descending, Bernard quickly looked at each of the variants to read their faces¡­


    ¡­only for Bernard himself to furrow his eyebrows.


    "Oh¡­" Bernard whispered


    .


    And as Bard heard Bernard''s slightly loud gasp, he quickly turned to look at the other Bernards, only to see almost half of them suddenly armoring up; their eyes, almost zing as they turned orange.


    "Oh¡­" Bard also whispered,


    "...We''re fucked."

 Chapter 812 812: Truly Wonderful

    Chapter 812  812: Truly Wonderful


    "What''s¡­ going on?"


    If there was perhaps some sort of sce to their situation, it was that the number of those who were looking at them with glowing eyes was¡­ less than the ones who were still unarmored and confused.


    But as creatures of a certain intellect, the variants that were still not armored up quicklye to the correct conclusion ¡ª King has already reached out to the others and managed to bring them to his cause.


    And so, in less than a second, all of them were now wearing their armor; their eyes, sizing up each other.


    "Dad¡­ what''s happening?"


    Perhaps the most unfortunate was the Hannah variants, who seemedpletely oblivious about the situation as they looked at their fathers, wondering what they should do.


    "..."


    "..."


    Even after a full minute had passed, however, none of them moved even a single millimeter. Even without uttering any words, they all knew what was about to happen ¡ª and it wasn''t pretty. If they were to suddenly fight here, most of them would die. Their fight was inevitable, but none of them wanted it to happen solely for the fact that some of their daughters were by their side.


    "Shit." "Fuck."


    Hannah and Nannah both cursed at the same time as they felt themselves almost being suffocated by the sudden silence that filled the council. Their fathers told them to leave the auditorium as soon as something goes awry. But with the deafening silence, the sound of a single step would probably be heard by everyone.


    And so, the only thing that Hannah could really do was look up.


    "W¡­"


    She was only going to look at the deck where Riley and the others were waiting, but she was weed by the sight of Riley very slowly floating down toward the center of the auditorium. His arms were stretched to the side, wearing a full suit of white armor that could really only be defined as¡­ technologically magical.


    The torso itself was not bulky at all, almost a t-shirt that had its sleeves cut out; exposing some of his pure white skin. His arms, however, were covered by bulky sets of vambraces; his gauntlets, also oversized and even bigger than his head. As for his greaves, they were¡­ almost pointy and obviously longer than his legs.


    Hannah quickly thought how ufortable it would be to walk, but Riley did not really touch ground and instead just hovered a few inches above the floor. His wide oversized cape, fluttering and flowing even though there was no wind.


    "Wait¡­"


    And surprisingly, the hair that he did not want to cut at all was now shorter than even before ¡ª almost shaved in the sides while the top of his hair was slightly brushed back, but still held a lot of volume. The front was slightly curled and parted in the middle, covering the sides of his forehead as the ends of it seemed to pointed at his clear eyes.


    Suffice it to say, he had never looked more like a viin than now.


    "What in the k-pop shit is this¡­?" Hannah momentarily forgot the situation they were in as she looked at Riley from head to toe; slightly wincing with her eyebrows raised. She wasn''t the only one in a trance, however, as Nannah was also staring¡ªno, ogling at Riley from head to toe.


    "Well, well, well¡­"


    And as Riley opened his mouth, some sort of resonance echoed throughout the entire auditorium. He wasn''t really looking at anyone in particr. In fact, it was almost as if he wasn''t looking at anyone at all as he started to speak,


    "...For half of you to already be against us means that the variant known as King had already reached out to you even before we all had the pleasure of meeting. How long? Well, it does not really make a difference to me."


    "Bernard¡­" Bard whispered, "...Your son."


    "...And what exactly do you want me to do?" Bernard could really only close his eyes and sigh. As for the variants that were surrounding them, all of them were also looking at Riley; using their guardian force to gauge Riley''s energy ¨C but nothing was reallying up.


    "Surrender¡­" Riley then breathed out.


    "W¡ª"


    "...is not an option."


    "!!!"


    One of the variants that have sided with King was about to speak up. Before he could utter even a single word, however, the orange glow that was raging in his eyes disappeared, almost as if the switch to it was flicked.


    And everyone did hear a flicker, but not a switch at all. It was the sound of the variant''s armor forming a hole as a small stone plopped out of it ¡ª the guardian force.


    "You have all chosen your side," Riley once again stretched his arms to the side, "And that is that."


    And without even waiting for anyone to exin, all the variants that even looked at Bernard with tiniest bit of animosity all dropped to the floor all at the same time; their stones, now circling around Riley.


    "Now¡­" Riley then started hovering around the center of the auditorium. And unlike what he did earlier, the variants that were left standing could really only hold their breaths as he passed by them,


    "...For the rest of you ¡ª I know that some, or maybe even most of you were just lucky enough not to be approached by King yet. Because if he had, I am sure you would also join his side. So, rejoice; the lot of you get to live for a moment longer."


    "..."


    "But just as a precaution, perhaps I should actually kill all of y¡ª"


    "Riley, no!" Bernard finally raised his voice as he blocked Riley''s path; slightly taking a step back so as to not get hit by the guardian force that was orbiting around him,


    "We need all the help we could get."


    "No, not really, Father," Riley shook his head as he turned around and started hovering the other way, "The fewer Bernard variants we have, the less chance you would be betrayed. In fact, we should start moving across the multiverse and start killing each and everyst one of their inhabitants before King could get to them."


    "Wh¡ªNo!" Bernard once again blocked Riley''s path, "Our goal is to save people from a conqueror!"


    "Killing them is saving them, Father," Riley smiled, "Based on the stories I have heard of this conqueror, he treats those he had conquered as ves. He is a tyrant that would kill and torture those beneath him ¡ª at least I treat everyone equally."


    "Riley, just¡ª"


    "And is that not what the council has been doing from the start?" Riley looked at Bard, "Eliminating threats before they could be threats? I am only doing the same, except exponentially more efficient."


    "It''s not¡ª"


    "!!!"


    "I was not really asking, Father."


    And without any warning, all the variants that were still left standing all dropped to the floor like mannequins with their strings cut.


    "What have you done!?" Bard also blocked Riley''s path; grabbing his arm as he screamed at his face, "Do you have any idea how long it took to gather these people!?"


    "I do not," Riley shook his head, "But I have an idea how fast they turned against you."


    "You¡­" Bard gritted his teeth and almost snarled. But after a few frustrated breaths, he let out a long and deep sigh and calmed his breaths, "Fuck, you''re right. You''re right. This is the option with the most minimal risk. This¡­ fuck¡­"


    Bard turned to look at each of the people he used to call arade. Although he truly was still mad at Riley for not even considering that some of them could actually be loyal to the council, it is also true that he couldn''t risk having someone from King''s side infiltrating them.


    "...Fuck," Bard once again sighed, before he almost crouched down;pletely agitated as he let out a scream that was enough to quake the entire space station,


    "Fuck!"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Are you done, Bard?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he looked at the almost growling Bard.


    "...I am," Bard let out one final heavy breath as he nodded, "What about the Hannah variants?"


    And as soon as the Hannah variants heard Bard, they all quickly raised their hands in surrender.


    "My loyalty lies with the council!"


    "I am with Riley Ross!"


    "..." Bard''s eyes slightly widened as he heard the women. Their fathers just died, and yet the only thing they really did was look a little sad as they stared at their fathers'' corpses.


    "Riley Ross is right¡­" One of the Hannah variants leaped out from the seats and onto the center of the auditorium. She then took one final nce at her father, before shaking her head and looking Barrd in the eyes, "...We have done much worse ¡ª it is only right that we should be fair."


    "..." Bard returned the Hannah''s stares, and with a soft sigh, he once again nodded, "We should leave. There is no doubt that King already knows about this ce ¡ª in fact, we should assume that he is already preparing something."


    "We do not need to assume, Bard."


    And before Bard could walk away, Riley suddenly pointed at one of the seats. Everyone quickly turned to look where he was pointing, only to see a table with corpses resting on it.


    "What¡­ do you mean?" Bard squinted his eyes as he carefully observed the corpses.


    "When I pulled out their guardian stones, one of them seemed to not have one," Riley slowly hovered near the seats; his eyes, not leaving the corpses,


    "That one is pretending to be dead."


    "W¡ª"


    "Hah¡­ Hahaha."


    And all of a sudden, one of the Bernards started shaking as a cold, and eerily sinister peal ofughter echoed throughout the auditorium. And with a long and deep breath, the variant stood up carrying a weird smile on his face; wide and open to the point that one could see his gums,


    "Wonderful," the variant inhaled deeply before he started pping slowly,


    "Truly wonderful."

 Chapter 813 813: The King Has Arrived

    Chapter 813  813: The King Has Arrived


    "...Truly wonderful."


    And there, standing amongst the dead variants, was a Bernard who was calmly pping as he looked at Riley. Just Riley, not Bernard or even Bard, just Riley. Perhaps calm was not the right word to describe the pping variant, no ¡ª he was more than that.


    He was standing there as if he truly did not care about anything or anyone. His white armor was also the simplest of the bunch, not even a hint of any personality.


    As for Bard, he did not know yet what action to take. Was this Bernard in front of them King? But one of the characteristics they actually know of King was that he looked younger than them, not a day older than 25.


    And as Bard watched the variant slowly make his way toward them, not even floating and just stepping on the seats and tables, he could not help but feel extremely worried.


    "I have heard of you, Riley Ross," the still unknown variant continued to step down toward the center of the auditorium, "I have heard of your feats, what you are capable of, and what you are. And I must say, perhaps there is a chance that we may be able toe to¡­ a coalition of sorts."


    And with those words uttered, it was finally clear to Bard and everyone else there that this variant in front of them could be none other than King.


    "I do not form alliances with people I do not know, Bernard variant," Riley hovered back as the variant got closer.


    "Ah, of course," the variant let out a small chuckle as he reached the end of the stands and hopped onto the center of the auditorium. He then suddenly held his face¡­ before ripping it off ¡ª revealing a face that was almost devoid of any wrinkle or pore, a much younger version of Bernard Ross. His ck hair, very slowly growing longer and turning silver.


    "My name is Bernard Ross," the variant then ced his left hand on his chest, stretching his other hand to the side while he bowed to Riley, also nodding at Bard and Bernard after, "And most of you probably know me as just¡­


    ¡­King. It is a pleasure to¡ª"


    And without even waiting for King to finish introducing himself, Bard and Bernard suddenly rushed toward to attack him; with Bernard aiming for his head and Bard aiming for his legs¡­ but King did not even move a single millimeter. What did move, however, were his eyes ¡ª specifically his irises that¡­ suddenly fell from the rest of his eyes, taking away any color they had.


    "Rude," King sighed. And without even doing anything, Bard and Bernard were suddenly violently thrown away by an invisible force,


    "But I will allow it. Now, where was I? Ah, yes¡­ It is a pleasure to meet you, Riley Ross."


    "Hm," Riley nodded before ncing at Bernard and Bard, "That was telekinesis."


    "It was," King smiled as he started walking toward Riley, looking at him from head to toe as he just hovered there,


    "You and I are somewhat alike, you see. We can both copy other Supers'' abilities. Except you have to die to get their power, and I need to¡­ kill them, mildly putting it. And by that I mean I lobotomized their brains."


    "Interesting," Riley also looked at King from head to toe.


    "Indeed," King then started circling around Riley, "And I knew it was interesting as soon as I first saw you in my universe ¡ª the look you had in your eyes was unlike anything I have seen. You and I have the same goal, Riley Ross¡­


    ¡­the end of everything else."


    "Not quite, King," Riley shook his head.


    "Well, yes¡­" King chuckled before scanning everyone in the auditorium, even looking up at the people who were watching on the deck, "...We have different reasons, but the end goal is¡­ almost the same. You want to end everything for the sake of ending everything¡­


    ¡­I want to end everything else for the sake of protecting the people dear to me."


    "You have people dear to you, King?"


    "Indeed," King stopped walking as he once again stood in front of the hovering Riley,


    "Myself."


    "Hm¡­"


    "So, how about it?" King opened his palm to Riley, "Do you want to work together until a certain point, Riley? I know you treasure your sister above all else, so I am willing to make a covenant that I will not, under any circumstance, go to your universe."


    "Riley, don''t listen to him!" Hannah wanted to rush toward King, but she was quickly stopped by Nannah. She was going to push Nannah away, but Bernard suddenly appeared in front of her and stopped her as well.


    "Don''t¡­" Bernard shook his head, "This¡­ King. Something is definitely not right with his mind."


    "Ha¡­" King''s eyes slightly twitched as he let out a tiny breath. He nced at Hannah for a brief moment, before turning his attention to the other Hannah variants in the auditorium, "Well, since these ones are not needed¡­


    ¡­they can go."


    And without even any warning, all the Hannah variants there were on the stands all exploded; their blood painted the auditorium; their flesh, hanging everywhere and dangling from the seats and the tables.


    "..." Bernard could really shudder. They may not be his Hannah, but all of them still carried the same face, and even their personality was the same. And to see them brutally die just like that, he could not help but just look at his Hannah and hug her tight,


    "Please¡­ don''t do anything."


    "This.." Hannah''s breaths stuttered as her eyes started trembling from seeing herself explode. If it wasn''t for Bernard holding her tight, and Nannah also gripping her hand, she would have probably fallen there and then as her legs gave out.


    "Ha¡­" King then let out a sigh of¡­ relief as he turned his focus back to Riley, "...Now that no one is interrupting us, may I hear what you have to say about my proposal?"


    "Sister said I should not, King," Riley shook his head, "So, I have to apologize and refuse your offer."


    "A shame, really," King''s sigh of relief quickly turned into disappointment as he shook his head and started walking away, "Then I suppose¡­


    ¡­everyone here di¡ªKh!"


    And before King could turn around and finish his words, Diana suddenly appeared out of nowhere; her feet, already nted on King''s arm, who seemed to have managed to block Diana''s sudden attack.


    "Dr. Caiin''Ur¡­" And even as his bones started to crack, a smile still formed on King''s face as he looked up at Diana,


    "...I could see why most of my inferiors have you as a wife."


    Even with the sound of his bones fracturing, it wasn''t his arm that cracked first and gave up ¡ª no. It was the space station he was standing on; if it wasn''t made with themarian materials and self-healing, it would have probably already shattered into pieces from the webs of crack that formed on it.


    "But you see¡­" King then grabbed Diana''s leg with his broken hand, "...I would rather prefer you on a leash."


    "!!!" Diana''s entire body seized up as she felt some sort of electricity crawl through her veins.


    "It''s not just a simple trickle and tickle, themarian," King mmed Diana on the floor. And although she was clearly not in pain, she also seemed unable to move. King then very softly removed his hand from her leg, revealing thread-like tentacles on his palm; all pierced and lodged through Diana''s flesh,


    "Those are nanites crawling through you, all emitting pulses that weaken your species. It''s simple, but trust me¡­ I spent a very long time making them work. I had to experiment on themarian children first since their flesh is not really as hard as¡ª"


    "Your tyranny ends here!"


    "Ah!" King quickly tilted his body to the side as Aerith''s fist brushed his cheek, causing a cut to form on his face. But before he could even finish his gasp, the cut already healed. Aerith continued to attack him with a speed invisible to almost everyone''s eyes¡­ but King seemed to avoid each time. And as he did so, a certain thumping pulse could be heard quietly echoing throughout the council hall.


    "That''s¡­" Hera, who was watching everything from the deck, could not help but let out a tiny gasp as she quickly recognized the sound, "...Tempo''s ability."


    "Do I really need to say it aloud¡­?" King''s eyes followed Aerith''s movements as he continued to dodge all of her attacks¡ªno. He wasn''t exactly avoiding thempletely, as parts of his flesh could be seen being ripped away. But with how fast his wounds heal, they werepletely meaningless,


    "I do not like being interrupted."


    And with his wordspletely calm, he suddenly stopped avoiding Aerith''s attack¡­ and instead caught her fist with a single hand.


    "..." Aerith''s eyes slightly turned wide as she looked King in the eyes. And before she could pull her hand away, King suddenly punched him straight on the cheek ¡ª violently mming her down on the ground as the floor that had just finished fixing itself once again formed a series of cracks.


    "Ha¡­" King then shook his head, brushing back his silver hair that slightly got messy during the brawl.


    "Themarians," he breathed out, "I aming to find that they are truly the trickiest to deal with. But, I suppose they also proved to be the most useful ones. You see, Riley Ross¡­


    ¡­there is actually a major difference between us."


    "..." Riley seemed to not even be listening to King as he just stared at Aerith, who was groaning on the floor as King stepped on her.


    "You seem to only be capable of copying the ability of Supers¡­" King once again smiled, showing his gums as he once again violently pinned Aerith to the floor,


    "...I can do it to everyone and everything, as long as they have a brain to dissect."

 Chapter 814 814: The Conquerors Monologue (1)

    Chapter 814  814: The Conqueror''s Monologue (1)


    Fiction.


    That was not really a word that was used often in a world filled with people with magical powers and abilities. And as one''s world grows wider andrger, it will be used even less.


    So, in a world where everything is possible, what is fiction?


    Dragons? Theran has them living under the in fear of themarians.


    Gods? They existed, and those who created the universe now roam free but tethered somewhere.


    Beast-like humans? Not very nice to say.


    In a world like this, there was really nothing one could be surprised about. There were, however, many things that most people wished to be fiction, and one of them was an existence called Darkday.


    A being of absolute power that actively seeks to destroy anyone and anything ¡ª and even as the world grew, he still remained to be the greatest threat to the world, now worlds.


    Fear, perhaps, is the greatest power Darkday holds ¡ª but when one cannot do anything with fear, it slowly bes eptance. eptance that Darkday is just a part of their lives, and they would have to live with it.


    But when another onees, another threat. This rationale once again turns anew now that there are two.


    "It is a pity, I bet we could have been friends, Riley Ross. It is such a¡ª"


    "Get¡­ your foot off of me!"


    "...One moment."


    It was a surreal sight.


    Themarians are beings of incredible strength, a single one of them going on a rampage would destroy several star systems ¡ª and yet twice now they grovel on the floor. And perhaps because they are the strongest, they are also the most vulnerable.


    Other people will find ways to kill them. They have been known to the universe for a million years, and in those million years, other people have researched and learned how to kill them¡­ and yet none were really sessful, all except for two.


    Riley Ross manipted events that led to the themarians'' death. And in the next universe, he massacred them using a tool that enhanced his abilities.


    As for King¡ª


    "Do you know how I was able to defeat the themarians of my world, Riley Ross?" King stomped on Aerith''s head without even pausing his breath. And as he finally removed his foot, he just stared at Aerith''s raging eyes, which were also staring at her. King did not seem to care, however, as he just grabbed her by the hair and lifted her up,


    "Trial and error, practice and repetition, weakness and affinities."


    "Kh!"


    King then gently ced his palm on Aerith''s stomach, and without really even pushing it forcefully, his hand just went through her belly as if it wasn''t there at all.


    "Do you know what I find weird, Riley Ross?" King then nced at Riley as he once again opened up a question without fully answering hisst one, "Megawoman existed in my world, but when I needed her the most, she was not there. When the beasts suddenly came from the heavens, the angel was not there to stop them ¡ª but then I found out in most of the universes I have travelled to¡­


    ¡­You were there to protect them."


    King pulled out his arm from Aerith''s stomach, ripping off some of her intestines before just violently throwing her to the side; his face that was slightly smiling, now showing a hint of¡­ disgust.


    "But she wasn''t," King let out a sigh, before flicking his head to fix his silver hair that was slightly messed up before focusing on Riley again, "And so I had to ¡ª I had to protect the humans, my humans."


    King then snapped his fingers, summoning holographic images around him.


    "I had to protect those who could not protect themselves," King then started walking around the hologram which showed him on an alien''s ship, "And so I did. I fought back, and I fought hard. It was a worldpletely unknown to me, and yet very much familiar. Their technology opened up things for me, and as a gift to our invaders¡­


    ¡­I killed their people painlessly."


    "Hm."


    "I hope I am not boring you or any of you with my story," King started looking at everyone, even at the people at the deck, "I want you to know me, after all. I want all of you to know why I am doing this before I do it to you."


    "Not at all, King," Riley shook his head.


    "You are most kind," King chuckled as he nced at Aerith, who was being helped up by Hannah, "Even though I hurt your lover, you are still courteous."


    "You did not hurt her, King."


    "Themarians, am I right?" King''s chuckles became a fit ofughter, "Really hard to kill ¡ª anyway, I was getting to that part of my story."


    King snapped his fingers again, changing the holograms to that of a human city.


    "I learned a lot during my first escapade out in outer space. I have learned there are others out there, and that Earth was at a risk of being attacked again. So, I shared my findings with the people of Earth," King smiled as he looked at the images of his people,


    "They agreed with me that we had to protect ourselves¡­ but not that we should attack first. When the government disagreed with me, I asked the heroes ¡ª a mistake. Do you know what they said to me?"


    "No."


    "That we are protectors, not invaders," King once again chuckled, "But where were they when my best friend got mutted and killed by these aliens? The truth is, I learned a lot ¡ª about the others that were out there, the things they could do¡­ and I was mortified, terrified, and paranoid."


    The images once again changed, the light of the city disappeared ¡ª reced by nothing but darkness and a small room. And there was King, standing beside a small bed with someone strapped on it.


    "And since these heroes were not going to attack," King stared at the person on the bed, "Then I needed to find a way they could be useful. They had all these abilities, and yet did not have the resolve to use them. So once again, it had to be me¡­


    ¡­I tried to find a way to reverse engineer the Super virus at first, and I did. I gave myself the virus, but I was not susceptible to it and gained nothing from it. I grew desperate, and I started experimenting on live subjects until I learned that a part of their brain was different ¡ª their DNA made them susceptible to the virus, but the virus itself did nottch on to their genome¡­


    ¡­but to a part of their brain right here."


    King tapped at the back of his upper neck before ncing at Hannah.


    "All that makes you special, what makes you super is just sitting right there. Almost invisible, they won''t show in the scans, but they are there. It took me more than a thousand to find it ¡ª a speck, a nanometer. A difference of a nanometer is what makes you special, and I learned how to take that from¡ª"


    "You harvested people!"


    "Hannah, stop!"


    "Yes!" And as King was once again interrupted by Hannah, he just pointed at him and shouted, "I harvested the supers because they are useless! And when I imnted and learned enough, I went out there to make sure Earth, my people, were safe! What use are your powers if you never use it the right way!? Please, stop interrupting me!"


    "..."


    "I apologize, I lost myposure," King cleared his throat and brushed his hair again.


    "It is fine, continue," Riley gestured to King to go ahead.


    "Thank you," King nodded, "I was merciful, of course. I gave the other aliens the chance they did not afford to give me and Earth ¡ª I gave them a choice¡­


    ¡­Peace."


    King snapped his fingers, once again changing the hologram. This time, it showed him standing in front of an alien people, all of them kneeling.


    "Serve under Earth, and they will have peace. Do not, then¡­"


    The hologram then showed a exploding, with King just calmly standing there with a mncholic expression on his face.


    "None of them had to die," King sighed, "But most of them always seem to make the wrong choice. Why can''t they just understand the right path?"


    "Hm."


    "And as I swept all of the civilizations near Earth, I returned to my people with a satisfied smile on my face," King snapped his fingers while stretching his arms to the side, "But what weed me was ingratitude."


    The hologram once again changed into that of a city. This time, however, none of the people were smiling ¡ª most were even throwing things at him.


    "They discovered the fact that I experimented on other supers, you see ¡ª and that was fine, that was a crime I epted wholeheartedly, I was guilty of that. It''s¡­"


    King then suddenly covered his eyes; tears, trailing down his cheeks as he faced his palm at Riley for a few seconds,


    "It''s¡­ the fact that they were getting angry at me for erasing the threats looming outside our homes that I could not ept," King breathed out as he brushed his eyes off of the tears,


    "How could they¡­? How could they when I did all of that for them? And do you know what happened after?"


    "No."


    "I was forced to run away," King closed his eyes as another chuckle escaped his lips, "I was forced to run away from my own home¡­


    ¡­by her."


    King then pointed at Aerith.


    "Now that the hard part was done, the golden girl came back. And suddenly¡­


    ¡­I was the viin."

 Chapter 815 815: The Conqeurors Monologue (2)

    Chapter 815  815: The Conqeuror''s Monologue (2)


    "When does a misguided hero be a viin?"


    "..."


    "When the people decide that they are."


    And with a p of his hands, the hologram that filled the center of the auditorium with all sorts of stories and emotions disappeared, leaving only King standing in the middle of it with eyes that seemedpletely empty, and yet so full.


    "And thus signaled the end of my story as a hero¡­ and the start of a new beginning."


    "You still have not answered how you were able to kill the themarians, King."


    "Because I am not yet done with my story. Now, where was I?"


    "You were exiled from your own home and chased away by Megawoman." And as everyone held faces of panic and worry, Riley just calmly gestured to King to continue. Aerith, who was violently stepped on and thrown away by King, could really only grit her teeth and also listen while waiting for her body to recover.


    As for Diana, Bernard was trying his best to ease her pain, while trying to find a way to get rid of the nano-sized energy depleters that were currently eating away at her body.


    "Ah, yes¡­" King did not seem to care that they were slowly recovering, however, as he also calmly started walking around with a smile on his face,


    "I was forced to run away, too weak to fight back against the mighty Megawoman. But why me? Why was I being chased when all I did was protect my people? Why was I being chased away by an alien from my own home?"


    "..."


    "I hope you could see the irony in that," Kingughed, "Even after I have taken the powers of more than a hundred supers, I was not a match against a themarian. So in the end, I ran and ran ¡ª and in the process of going through the Known Universe, I have also learned to take their racial abilities and put them inside me¡­


    ¡­even then I wasn''t Megawoman''s match, no¡­ not until I found the Norids."


    "Hm."


    "Or perhaps it was better to say that they found me," there was almost a look of reminisce in King''s eyes as he spoke, "Creatures that seek only knowledge and nothing else, creatures incapable of violence¡­ creatures of unfathomable power. They quickly took interest in me, adopted me as one of their own due to what I was capable of mentally."


    King tapped the side of his head as he started spinning in ce as if he was still surrounded by holograms that only he could see,


    "And I took advantage of that. Do not feel sorry for them for they are not kind, just curious. As they used my intellect and brutality, I used their thirst for knowledge ¡ª they willingly let me experiment on their own kind."


    "Hm," Riley nodded, "The Norids will side with the devil for knowledge."


    "Indeed," King chuckled, "But there was only one thing I learned as I learned about them ¡ª that their bodies are literally capable of splitting atoms with just a flick of their fingers. They are capable of changing the state of matter as easily as breathing¡­ but they don''t. Because changing nature is by definition, an act of violence. Splitting an atom would cause devastation¡­


    ¡­the power of a god once again wasted."


    "I was not aware they were capable of that, King," Riley ced his hand on his chin.


    "They are capable of much more," King closed his eyes and breathed in, "I wanted that power, but my resources did not allow me yet to extract their brains ¡ª they let me experiment on everything except for that. I needed a way, just one, to peek through their brains, but I was not strong enough to even touch them¡­


    ¡­until Pirate Queen Xra fell into my hands."


    King then once again looked up to where the others were watching. His eyes which were far away, still managing to peer through Xra''s eyes.


    "Pirate Queen Xra sought the Norids, trying to find a way to resurrect her loved one. At first, the norids were curious as Xra brought out a bundle of energy equaling several stars ¡ª but that was all it was," King let out a small and deep sigh as he shook his head, "There was no person there, just a bundle of energy. The norids quickly ignored Xra, but not me¡­


    ¡­I gave her what she wanted, her lost love."


    "..." Xra, who was just quietly watching from above, could not help but slightly show her fangs as she heard the somewhat condescending toneing from King''s voice. She was about to jump down, but Hera stopped her from doing so.


    "If you go down there, you die," Hera stated; her eyes, looking directly at Xra''s.


    "I am immortal," Xra scoffed as she pushed Hera''s arm away, "And I have grown tired of the man-child''s story."


    "You will die," Hera once again blocked Xra''s path, "I know that you will die, every fiber of my being is telling me so."


    "..."


    "Listen to the actress, vampire," King raised his voice as he continued to look at Xra, "She is right, you will die, as your variant did before you. I gave her what she wanted, or at least an illusion of it, briefly. She was easy to fool, a woman madly in love with a ghost ¡ª and so I told her that I needed something from her, her abilities. I quickly realized she was a super from Earth, and she just willingly put herself on the table for me¡­


    ¡­not knowing she would never wake up. But of course, before she died, I at least imnted a memory inside her, an entire life with the being she loved. I gave her what she wanted as promised."


    "That was very kind of you, King," Riley nodded.


    "Thank you, Riley Ross," King also nodded, "Xra''s abilities were fascinating. She was able to read minds that could not be blocked by any frequency, she was able to control and manipte flesh and blood¡­ she was able to manipte life itself ¡ª the only being capable of counteracting the norid''s ability to phase through matter. The norids, even with all their mysticism, after all, are still actually flesh and blood like the rest of us."


    "Hm."


    "And so, using Xra''s abilities, I secretly performed a procedure on the norids ¡ª taking their racial abilities for my own," King let out a small but very deep breath as he shook his head, "They did not like that, of course, and banished me ¡ª but I had enough of being banished. It was pathetic, they did not even know how to use their innate potential, their powers. And so, as ast gift of knowledge to them¡­


    ¡­I showed them how strong they could be by killing each and everyst one of them with their own abilities."


    "I also like doing that sometimes, King."


    "Of course, I knew you and I would have been friends," King once again let out a humming breath, "And so, we reached the answer to the question I opened¡­


    ¡­I used Xra''s abilities to defeat the Norids, and then I used the Norids'' abilities to defeat Megawoman. Trial and error, practice and repetition, weakness and affinities. And you could probably fill out the rest of my story."


    "It is a very good story, King. Thank you for sharing it with me," Riley closed his eyes and nodded, "I would put it in the same ranking as the Pope''s story. But may I ask a few questions?"


    "Of course," King gestured to Riley to ask away.


    "What happened to the normal humans of your story, King?"


    "They are safe, hidden away from those who wish to hurt them," King smiled, "I proved to them that everything I did, I did for them. They are safe."


    "One more question then, King."


    "Go."


    "Were you not able to dissect the brain of an Alice Lane?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "Alice Lane¡­?" King ced his hand on his chin as he recalled all the names of the supers he had encountered, "Not that I remember, no."


    "That is probably why you were not able to defeat Megawoman earlier, King," Riley nodded, "She was my mother, and she owned the first ability I received from the Supers."


    "Oh¡­?" King smiled, "Then I would be sure to remember that name and dissect her."


    "You will not be able to," Riley shook his head, "She is incredibly strong, and if you did manage to defeat her, she wouldn''t be alive and her body wouldn''t be intact."


    "She is that strong?" King''s eyebrows started to furrow, "Yet another one that was not there when the aliens invaded my Earth. It would seem that out of all the universes, mine was just unlucky to not have the proper heroes present."


    "I suppose, King," Riley shrugged, "Perhaps if Alice was present, then the aliens that invaded your Earth would have probably not even reached your atmosphere."


    "I would have truly liked to have lived that life." Once again, a certain sense of longing could be seen glimmering from King''s white eyes as he nced at Diana and Hannah,


    "But sadly, this is my story."


    "Hm."


    "And I thank you for letting me finish my story, Riley Ross," King then bowed to Riley; the smile on his face, slowly disappearing as he did so, "Now¡­


    ¡­let me finish yours."


    "Riley!?"


    King disappeared from his spot, only to appear behind Riley; his entire arm, already lodged through his face.


    "..." King was going to pull his arm away, but found that he could not do so¡­ even as Riley''s body melted to the floor,


    "You do know that a norid''s body can not be grabbed by any means, even if your telekic hold could create ck holes?"


    "I do," another Riley descended from above; his hand gestured like a gun as he pointed it at King, "But I found something that works¡­


    ¡­Pavoom."


    "!!!"


    And almost as if color itself disappeared, a white beam shed through everyone''s eyes; deleting everything it touched¡­ except for King.


    "Wow¡­" Even though half his body was already blown off, King still looked at his remaining arm in amazement, "...Now this is how you use power, Riley Ross. Bravo¡­ bravo¡­"


    And with those words, King''s body¡­ very slowly turned into ash and melted into the floor.


    "..." Riley watched King crumble for a few seconds with squinted eyes. He quickly realized what was happening.


    "I did tell you I was going to finish your story."


    Riley quickly turned to where the voice wasing from, only to see another King standing¡­ close to Hannah.


    "But you are undying, Riley Ross," King let out a small giggle as he looked the slightly petrified Hannah in the eyes, "Your story will not conclude until there is no one left to tell your story¡­


    ¡­and that starts with the people closest to you."


    "!!!"


    "Hannah!"

 Chapter 816 816: The Protector

    Chapter 816  816: The Protector


    "Hannah!"


    "You think I''m so hopeless!?"


    Surprisingly, or perhaps not, King was not really the first to attack, but Hannah.


    "You think I''m like my idiot brother!?"


    Unlike Riley, she did not even allow King to finish his words as she rushed toward him; the air surrounding her,pletely distorted as the floor made of themarian materials started to melt beneath her feet.


    "I have had enough of you running your mouth, you self-pitying fuck!"


    "Amazing."


    And as Hannah''s words were filled with rage, King just calmly stood there and blocked her fist; his armor, quickly melting from the arms as he looked Hannah in the eyes, "You do not exist in my world so I don''t have your abilities, but this¡­ perhaps I should dissect the next Hannah Ross I see."


    "Dissect yourself, you fuck!" Hannah retracted her fist, before crouching down and spinning; violently waving her leg toward King''s ankles.


    "I do find this weird, however," King just lifted his foot and stepped back, "You have such powerful abilities, enough to melt infrastructure built from themarian materials¡­


    ¡­and yet you fight with your fists?"


    "Shut up and fight!" Hannah changed to a Muay Thai stance as she flew in the air with her knee directly targeting King''s face.


    "A fight¡­" King once again just stepped back, "...That is your mistake. You have been trained to fight by your father, instead of focusing on your true talents ¡ª raw destruction. I do get that you are holding back since there are other people here, but you are capable of so much more¡­


    ¡­I sense the power of a supernova in you, my daughter."


    "I am not your fucking daughter, you''re just a literal man-child!"


    "Of that, I agree," King finally stopped dodging as he once again caught Hannah''s fist, "And I ept my immaturity in handling all of my affairs ¡ª but would you have done differently if it were you? Would you have just epted the tragedy the universe is forcing upon you?"


    "T¡ª"


    "No!" King threw Hannah away as he roared, "I know I could speak for my variants that they would have done the same, maybe even worse since they have children they need to protect."


    "All you do is fuckingin!" Hannah was about to rush toward King again, but Bernard stood in front of her before she could even take a single step, "What are you¡ª"


    "Stop, Hannah¡­" Bernard shook his head.


    "Wise," King smiled, "But this was harder than I thought it would be. You should have already died, Hannah Ross."


    King slightly lifted up his hand, showing multiple tendrils squirming on it; their ends, seemingly all injured and fractured.


    "And here I thought why you just hover there," King then fixed his slightly messy silver hair as he turned his head at Riley, "I was under the impression that you have not received Xra''s abilities yet ¡ª so how could you damage something ethereal? Wait, oh¡­ Brilliant. You arebining multiple abilities to emte Xra''s power."


    "I suppose," Riley shrugged.


    "Are all of you sure that Riley Ross is not our biological child instead?" King nced at Bernard and Bard, "I do feel like if I would have a child, it would be him that woulde out. Cunning, ruthless, obsessed."


    "Autistic," Riley breathed out.


    "Funny too, I like that," King then covered his face, before fully brushing his silver hair that reached his shoulders back, "Since you are protecting her, then I will start with the other people precious to you."


    King''s eye quickly glowed red as he looked at Diana, who was safely ced to the side by Bernard away from the battle as she recovered. And without even any hesitation, he flew toward her with his eyes releasing a raging beam.


    "Mom!" Hannah was going to rush again, but found herself blocked by an invisible wall. Hannah just nced at Riley for a brief moment, before looking at Bernard ¡ª she did not even need to say anything, however, as Bernard flew to Diana¡­


    ¡­but it was toote.


    "Oh¡­?"


    Someone was already there, shielding Diana from the raging beaming from King''s eyes. King''s feet immediately returned to the floor as he stopped attacking; his once red eyes, now staring at a burnt hand that was already healing.


    "Tickles."


    "Pirate Queen Xra."


    "Retired," a small smirk crawled on Xra''s face as she rubbed the ashes of her palm with her fingers, "Quite an interesting story you have."


    "I am d there is another one that likes it," King closed his eyes which were devoid of any color, and smiled.


    "I said it was interesting, not that I liked it," Xra scoffed as she looked at King from head to toe.


    "Oh?" King raised an eyebrow, "Did you not like the fact that I tricked your variant? I apologize, but a woman obsessed with the idea of lost love was just so¡­ easy to manipte. I had to do everything I thought was right, you are familiar with that."


    "Hm," the smile on Xra''s face did not disappear as her entire body was slowly being wrapped in an armor of blood, "I am familiar with a weak man standing in front of me."


    And with those words, wings of blood could be seen protruding from Xra''s back before she just disappeared from her spot. A streak of red could be seen sting its way through King, pushing him back and violently mming him straight into the walls of the Council which created a small crater.


    "So, this is how strong you actually are¡­." King slightly gritted his teeth as his head was being pushed to the wall by Xra''s hand, "...But it is useless."


    King quickly stopped struggling and instead also just grabbed Xra''s face. And immediately, the blood helmet she was wearing dissipated away, revealing her face which was still as confident as before.


    "I have the strength of a themarian, the body of a norid."


    "Both I have defeated before," Xra scoffed as several spikes of blood emerged from her belly, piercing through King''s armor; even prating the wall made of themarian materials by an inch.


    "But more importantly¡­" King''s face did not even wince as he just smiled at Xra, "...I also have your abilities."


    And with those words, King''s entire body melted into blood; turning almost into a wisp as he flew away.


    "Exactly."


    Before he couldpletely get away from Xra, however, she quickly grabbed the flying puddle of blood, "You have my abilities."


    Xra then grabbed the puddle of blood with both her hands, seeminglypressing it to the point that it was almost turning solid. First, it was the size of an entire bucket, then an entirerge watermelon¡­ and soon, the size of a ser ball.


    "You''ve only had this ability for two decades, I have had it for 4 mille¡ª"


    And before Xra could finish her words, an arm suddenly emerged from the ball of blood and once again grabbed her in the face. And without even any warning, Xra''s armor of blood turned dark as cracks could be heard snapping in the air as the temperature around her instantly and exponentially lowered.


    "W¡ª"


    "This won''t kill you," the ball of blood exploded, revealing Kingpletely naked and unscathed, "But it will stop you for a while."


    And with a smile on his face, Xra''s frozen silhouette was suddenly cut into more than a thousand pieces; all just falling to the floor with a series of quiet but ominous thuds.


    "That got me a little nervous," King once again brushed his hair back as his white armor materialized again, "Now, who is ne¡ª!!!"


    King''s entire face distorted as a pair of fists mmed through the temple of his head and chin; his entire body, spinning several times in the air; even releasing thunder as it did so before he found his back once againtched on the wall.


    "..." The smile on King''s face very slowly faded away as his eyes looked at the people who attacked him. He then lightly blew air to fix the hair that was covering his eyes, only to see both Diana and Aerith''s fists once again threatening to blow off his head.


    King, however, did not dodge and even flew toward the fists, only for him to just pass through Diana and Aerith as if he didn''t exist. Diana and Aerith did not seem to mind this, however, as they just quickly turned around and swung their legs toward his torso.


    "Tch¡­" And this time, King gritted his teeth as he caught both strikes; his flesh and bones, once again shattering as he did so. He then quickly turned his head toward Riley, whose eyes were actually looking at where Diana and Aerith would hit,


    "...I really am starting to like you more and more, Riley Ross," King just started flying away across the auditorium while being chased by Aerith and Diana; their speed, causing a violent gust of wind to st through the air,


    "Since you are just emting Xra''s abilities, you are only targeting certain parts of my body instead of all of it, and signaling the two themarians to attack there."


    "Thank you for exining what I am doing, King."


    "Hm," King smiled. Soon, however, he nced at Hannah, "But in turn, you''re losing focus, Riley Ross."


    King then stopped moving, letting Diana and Aerith''s attack hit him¡ªor so everyone thought as once again, their strikes just passed through him.


    "Riley, why did you fucking stop restraining him!?" Hannah quickly looked back and forth between Riley and King, as he soon grabbed both Diana and Aerith by the neck. The two tried kicking him, but their legs just went through him.


    "Do you not get it, my daughter?" King let out a small chuckle as he dove down; violently mming both Diana and Aerith on the hard themarian floor,


    "All this time, the reason why Riley Ross has just been hovering there and not moving¡­


    ¡­Your brother has been protecting you from the start."

 Chapter 817 817: The King Departs

    Chapter 817  817: The King Departs


    "...Your brother has been protecting you from the start."


    "Wh¡ª"


    "Like this."


    "..."


    Hannah blinked a couple of times as King subtly waved his hand toward her. But even after several seconds had passed, the most that happened was Diana and Aerith recovering from being mmed to the floor.


    The two, instead of attacking again, were also just wondering what King just did. But as King casually waved his hand again, Diana did not wait for something to happen as she quickly moved in front of her daughter ¡ª and as soon as she did so, her clothes were ripped in half and a very tiny scratch could be seen on her torso.


    "You¡­" Diana nced at this tiny scratch for a few seconds; her breaths, turning heavier by the second as her eyes turned to King. The invisible attack that King made may have only caused a small and insignificant wound on Diana, but she was a themarian ¡ª the outermostyer of their skin, even just a nanometer of it, is already multiple times harder than diamond.


    If this attack hit Hannah¡­ she wouldpletely be cleaved in half.


    "...Motherfucker."


    Diana''s eyes quickly glowed red; her body, now slowly being veiled by a red light that soon wrapped around her entire body like silk.


    "Oh, I haven''t seen that bef¡ª"


    King immediately stopped talking as Diana''s fist suddenly appeared right in front of his face. He was going to dodge to the side, but it was already toote ¡ª it did not matter for him, however, as Diana''s attack just once again passed through his intangible body.


    "It is usele¡ª!!!"


    King was going to say something, but before he could do so, he found his face suddenly grabbed by Diana. And a loud growl, she just mmed his face to the floor; molding a small crater that grew wider and wider as she started pounding King''s face with her fists.


    "..." Aerith squinted her eyes as she wondered for a few seconds how Diana was able to hit King without Riley''s help, and after a few seconds, she finally realized that Diana''s fists were¡­ vibrating at a speed that even her perception was having a hard time trying to keep up with.


    Aerith did not really bother thinking how it worked exactly, she just started fading away from everyone''s view as she imitated what Diana was doing before rushing toward the already fallen King and smashing her fists down on his stomach.


    Unlike Diana, however, her fists still just went through King''s body from time to time.


    "Kh¡­" And with a click of his tongue, King started covering his face; eventually grabbing both Aerith and Diana''s fists. And before they could start letting out another barrage of strikes with their free hand, King''s body once again became intangible and disappeared into the floor.


    "Gah!" Diana, however, did not stop mming her fists down and even struck harder; almost hammering her hands through the hard themarian floor as she screamed in frustration, "Come out!"


    "What I do not want to?"


    "..." Diana quickly turned to look at where King''s voice wasing from, only to see a silhouette of him on the floor¡ªno, in the floor. King''s body was now merged with the floor, or perhaps it was better to say that his body was made of the floor now.


    "Do you have this ability, Riley Ross? It is quite useful."


    "No," Riley shook his head, "Ew."


    "W¡ª"


    King was not allowed to say another word as Diana''s foot suddenly stomped on his face. Diana was not able to hit him, however, as King just appeared in another part of the auditorium.


    "..." He seemed to want to say something, but noticed the frozen bits of flesh of Xra starting to move, "That''s not good. I suppose it is time we ended this¡­


    ¡­I did have fun."


    "You think you can just escape!?"


    And as King''s body was slowly removing itself from the floor, Diana once again appeared above him.


    "Escape?" King did not seem to bother dodging the attack at all as he even stood up to meet Diana''s foot that was threatening to squash his head into smithereens. And even as his nose was on the verge of being shattered, King just let out a smile¡­


    ¡­because Diana''s foot did not manage to reach the rest of his face at all.


    King''s nose started bleeding, but it did not seem to be from Diana''s attack as blood also started flowing profusely from his white eyes and ears. King then let out a long and deep breath, stuttering almost violently as he continued to stand up.


    "Tch¡­" The blood flowing from his face rained down¡­ but did not truly touch the floor and instead just froze in the air as they decoupled themselves away from him,


    "...What is wrong with the people of Riley Ross''s universe? I should avoid these people as much as possible."


    King then started looking around, but as soon as he did so, everything around him turned dark. Even then, however, he started walking; no, limping across the darkness. And with each step, his breaths were getting heavier and heavier.


    "..." He then stopped walking; his eyes, slightly turning up almost as if he was looking at something, "Killing Riley Ross is something that I must not do no matter what. So¡­"


    King once again started looking across the darkness, "...I am sure he will also actively go after me from now on since I tried to hurt his sister. So¡­


    ¡­Might as well just kill her to rile him up."


    King then sluggishly walked toward a certain direction, before suddenly coughing up blood as he caressed his chest¡­ but it was no longer beating.


    "Tch¡­" King''s head shivered as he once again clicked his tongue. And after a few seconds, he slowly raised his hand, forming a de with his armor ¡ª and with his entire body now trembling, he very slowly stretched his hand forward.


    And then, with a loud and almost suffocating gasp, light returned to King''s vision as the blood flowing from every orifice on his body finally stopped gushing out. King then blinked a couple of times before turning his head to the side to look at Riley,


    "Riley Ross," King then smiled despite the blood covering his face, "Chase after me if you wish, but know that your sister will no longer be part of your life."


    "..." Riley nced to where King was pointing his de, and then back to him as he tilted his head.


    "..." King slightly squinted his eyes as he noticed Riley not reacting, he then very slowly turned his head in front of him¡­


    ¡­only to see Bernard holding his wrist with one hand.


    "...How?" King''s eyes started to widen as he looked Bernard in the eyes. And despite the color in them fading away, the smile on Bernard''s face just continued to grow wider.


    "D¡­ dad?" King was not the only one that was confused. Hannah was also batting her eyes as the view of her father''s back suddenly flickered and appeared in front of her, seemingly bigger than it ever was before.


    Or maybe perhaps it was her that became smaller, like a child following behind her father; afraid of being left behind and so, she grabs his hand.


    "...Dad?" Hannah held his father''s left hand that was already slightly reaching toward her, "What¡­"


    And as Bernard''s silhouette seemed to be smaller and smaller in her eyes, she finally noticed the blood very slowly dripping from his armor; the tip of a de, poking out of it.


    "Dad¡­?"


    Hannah was going to let go of Bernard''s hand to check on him, but Bernard grabbed her hand and did not let her go.


    "Bernard?" Diana, whose face was previously filled with rage as her foot stomped on the floor, could not help but just stare as she saw a de lodged in her husband''s chest, "...No."


    Diana was going to rush toward King, but Bernard looked at her in the eyes; his head, very slowly shaking as he whispered, ''No.''


    "Huh¡­" King stared at Bernard with his eyes still slightly turned wide. But after a few breaths, he looked him in the eyes as he smiled, "Family¡­


    ¡­are they really worth all that?"


    "You tell me, Bernard Ross," Bernard returned King''s stare; blood, very slowly escaping his lips; the veins on his skin, starting to glow orange as he whispered,


    "You took revenge against the rest of the universe for your family."


    "..." King''s eyebrows lowered as he slightly looked down.


    "They are worth everything to me," Bernard let go of Hannah''s hand and he used both hands to grab King''s wrists; his gloves, very slowly merging with King''s armor as he did so,


    "More than the universe itself."


    "!!!"


    And with those words, Bernard suddenly lunged forward¡ªletting King''s arm go through his chestpletely as he embraced him.


    "What are you doing?" King breathed out, "Do you think the guardian force exploding point nk would kill me?"


    "No," Bernard coughed as he smiled; his eyes, now reflecting the image of his wife, "But it would damage you enough that anyone in this room could kill you after ¡ª even a norid''s body would not be able to remain unscathed. And most importantly¡­


    ¡­you''re getting tired."


    "..." King''s eyebrows furrowed even further as he started looking around again, and with a subtle wince and a look to the side, a portal suddenly appeared behind him.


    "Riley¡­" And finally, Bernard quickly nced at Riley, "...Destroy everything if you want. But promise me¡­


    ¡­You will protect them no matter what."


    "..." Riley did not really say anything and just nodded. And without even another word being uttered¡­


    ¡­King and Bernard disappeared into the portal.


    "What¡­?" Hannah started looking around as she stepped forward, almost as if trying to reach out to her father who was suddenly no longer in front of him, "What¡­


    ¡­What just happened?"

 Chapter 818 818: We Should Be Heroes

    "What¡­ what just happened?"


    Nothing, or at least it feels like that if one were to ignore the dead bodies and all the blood scattered around the auditorium. But aside from that, with the stands and seats separated from the center of the auditorium by a certain level, it truly also felt like nothing had happened.


    The space station heals itself, and therefore any damage done to it is no longer visible. Diana and Aerith, both themarians that were handled by King also recovered in the blink of an eye. And Pirate Queen Xra, who was practically turned into blood popsicles was now also slowly springing up to life.


    Except something did happen ¡ª Bernard was now missing.


    "What happened¡­?" Hannah started looking around. She first turned toward her mother, whose eyes were even wider than hers. Aerith, who was standing beside her, could really only close her eyes as her head stared at the floor.


    Nannah, who was being shielded and protected by Bard the entire time, could really only look at Hannah with trembling eyes. She had seen many of her father''s variants die, she had seen many of her variants die and sometimes even killed by her own hands.


    She had seen firsthand how devastating this was for other people. But it is truly only now when it was a variant she slightly grew close to, that she remembers how much loss affects people.


    "Did¡­ we win?" Gracy and the others who were watching from the deck above jumped down one by one, "Hera was preventing all of us from going down, so we couldn''t really¡ª"


    "Why didn''t you do anything!?"


    "What was I¡ª"


    Gracy quickly raised both her hands in the air as Hannah''s voice thundered throughout the entire auditorium. But her words weren''t addressed to her at all, Hannah was stomping her way to Riley, violently pointing at him as her eyes slowly reddened.


    "Why are you always just floating there!? Like what the fuck!?" Hannah bared her teeth as she practically drilled her finger on Riley''s chest, "Youe down there like fucking Jesus and then you just spend the entire time just staring and doing nothing!?"


    "..." Riley did not really say anything and just let Hannah scream at him.


    "You could fucking destroy an entire gxy for fuck''s sake! You could have just torn that fucking psycho into shreds!" Hannah continued to raise her voice as the temperature in the room started to rise, "And there''s a fucking group of us here, we could''ve taken that guy!"


    "I could have taken him, Sister," Riley finally opened his mouth as he looked Hannah in the eyes, "But not when you are here."


    "I sweat to fucking god if you say you''re protecting me the entire time I¡ª"


    "Not the entire time, no," Riley shook his head, "You almost died once at the start when I was not focused on you, Sister."


    "I''m fine!" Hannah continued to scream.


    "I know."


    "You¡ª" Hannah was going to drill her finger on Riley again, but instead just backed away as she let out an exasperated gasp. And after a few shakes of her head, she quickly walked toward Bard and Nannah,


    "You can figure out where they disappeared to, right? We can just go to them and save Dad, right?"


    "..." Nannah seemed to want to say something, but just chose to look away and shut her mouth. As for Bard, he truly couldn''t say anything and just nced at Diana.


    "No! You don''t look at her, you look at me!" Hannah''s voice started to crack as she ran out of breath; her eyes which were red with tears that did not wish to fall, now on the verge of copsing as they reflected the face of someone who looked like her father,


    "You¡­ look at me."


    Hannah''s voice began to quiet down as she started brushing the tears that managed to trail down her cheeks,


    "Please¡­" She whispered, "Please¡­


    ¡­Save my dad."


    Bard looked at Hannah''s trembling eyes for a few seconds, before shaking his head and backing away.


    "The guardian force, once activated to self-destruct is¡ª"


    And before Bard could finish his words, Diana suddenly approached Hannah from behind and embraced her¡ªletting her head rest on her bosoms, almost covering her ears as she gently caressed her hair.


    "What¡­?" Hannah tried pushing herself away but was not able to, "What? What¡­?"


    "He''s gone, your father''s gone," Diana''s voice was but a whisper, but everyone in the auditorium could hear her words fall onto their ears like cold water.


    "What¡­?" Hannah forced out a chuckle as she finally returned her mother''s embrace, "What do you mean¡­ gone? He''s not gone, he just¡­ he just disappeared with that fucking¡­"


    "You know¡­" Diana''s voice was calm. Gentle, even, "...Your abilities and the guardian force have the same type of energy, I know you felt it when your father started triggering the¡ª"


    "I didn''t feel anything, okay? I didn''t!" Hannah gritted her teeth as her eyes refused to close, "We could¡­ we could save him, that''s what we do. I know we haven''t been saving a lot of peopletely, but that''s what we do. Dad needs us right now and we¡­"


    "We''re¡­ not saving anyone," Diana closed her eyes as a single tear trailed down her cheek, slightly damping her daughter''s hair, "We¡­ haven''t been able to save anyone from the start."


    "..." Aerith could really only watch this scene as Diana''s words almost pierced through her heart. They¡ªshe hasn''t been able to save anyone for a very long time. All she had ever done now was to try and prevent Riley from doing anything¡­ leaving everything else vulnerable.


    "We¡­" Hannah gasped for breath as she grabbed her mother tight,


    "...We should be heroes, Mom."


    "Hannah¡­" Paige wanted to approach Hannah and Diana, but stopped beside Riley as she held his hand. Her eyes, very slowly turning toward Riley''s face. After all, Hannah and Diana weren''t the only ones that lost a family here¡­


    ¡­but what Paige saw on Riley''s face was just¡­ a sigh of emptiness.


    "Riley, we wanted to help but¡ª"


    "Hera told you not to, it is good you listened to her," Riley''s eyes remained at the silhouette of his sister and mother.


    "But Cherbi could have¡ª"


    "It wouldn''t have made a difference, Paige." And even with the somber air, Chihiro seemed to remainpletely unperturbed as she just crossed her arms and observed, "Lose trust for everything else, but always trust Hera''s instincts¡ªthat''s her ability."


    "Riley¡­" Paige only responded with a subtle nod as she once again nced at Riley''s face,


    "...You''re not okay."


    "I am not," Riley shook his head as the mystical armor he was wearing faded away and his feet touched ground, leaving him only wearing a pair of slightly oversized pants and afortable long-sleeved sweater.


    "..." Paige did not really say anything else. She was about to hug Riley there and then, but just decided to hold his hand even tighter.


    Delivery did not really know what to feel, as he was only supposed to be there as a bystander. Even then, he could not help but feel that something must be done as he tipped his cap down.


    Hannah''s tears became somber, but the more they did, the louder everyone heard them. But soon, only the quiet sound of grief and sorrow echoed in the air.


    A second.


    A minute.


    And that was that ¡ª no one was really allowed toment as the threat still looms over them.


    "Bard, what are the chances that King already knows the frequency to our universes?" Diana very gently let go of Hannah, who was immediately approached by Nannah, Gracy, and Paige.


    "He probably already has mine," Bard immediately started essing the Nexus through his helmet, "As for yours, I doubt it ¡ª he seemed to only be moving his way through the universes of every one part of the Council. He¡­ fuck¡­


    ¡­Fuck. We lost¡­ we fucking lost."


    "Bard!" Diana raised her voice, "Calm down. What do you think King will do now?"


    "I¡­ I don''t know," Bard''s helmet opened up to reveal his face; extremely confused and just¡­ tired, "He''s too different from the rest of the variants. I can''t predict what he will do next."


    "We lost?"


    Xra, whose body was now back from being frozen and sliced, quickly floated near Bard and Diana, "What does that even mean? We had him, we already had him here ¡ª we could have killed the man. Riley Ross could have killed him!"


    "..." Hannah, who was being consoled by the other girls, could not help but flinch as she heard Xra''s words. Now that she slightly sobered up, she finally realized one thing.


    If it wasn''t for her, Riley could have fought King.


    If it wasn''t for her, her father would still be alive.


    "It''s not your fault," Paige quickly saw the look in Hannah''s eyes as she grabbed her by the shoulders, "It''s not your fault."


    "It¡ª"


    "Of course, it is not."


    "!!!"


    Everyone widened their eyes as a portal once again appeared above them; this time, slightly bigger than before.


    "It is mine."


    "You¡­" Diana''s calm demeanor instantly faded away as King once again emerged from the portal¡­pletely unscathed. But that was not why Diana''s eyebrows lowered and her teeth bared themselves¡ªno.


    It was the fact that in his hand¡­ was the head of the love of her life.


    "You¡ª!!!"


    "I realize now how dangerous you people are together."


    Diana was about to rush at King again, but immediately stopped in her tracks as something¡­ floated out of the portal behind him.


    Some sort of¡­ machine.


    "I can''t allow that to happen."


    "That''s¡­" Bard''s eyes widened as soon as he recognized the shape of the machine,


    "Destroy the machine before he¡ª"


    "No, it''s already activated."


    And before anything could even process what was happening, King snapped his fingers¡­


    ¡­and darkness shed through everyone''s eyes.


    "What¡­ the fuck just happened?"


    Hera, who was slightly far away from everyone else blinked several times as she looked around¡ªonly to realize she was no longer surrounded by walls. She wasn''t even in the expanse of space at all, but a wide green field. But not in the wild, no, it was a small football field.


    "Who''s¡­ that? A transfer student?"


    Hera quickly turned around, only to see a group of people there¡­ wearing normal clothes and looking normal-no. They were wearing what seemed like a PE uniform, and they weren''t looking at her at all, no.


    "Was he here earlier?"


    They were looking at the person beside her.


    "It would seem you and I are stuck together again, Miss Hera."


    "Riley¡­"


    Hera only nced at Riley for a few seconds, before once again looking around. They could very well be on Earth as it looked like they were on school grounds, but the fact that the students did not recognize her or Riley at least tells her they weren''t on their Earth.


    "¡­Where the fuck are we?"

 Chapter 819 819: Lost In Translation

    Chapter 819  819: Lost In Trantion


    The Multiverse.


    It is a concept that almost everyone in the sci-fi cultmunity is aware of. It is a simple idea, but the content is different every time in every iteration. There are really nows to be followed ¡ª or perhaps there are, there were just too many that there might as well be none.


    It could be confusing,pletely nonsense, even. But how do you really debunk something that is outside the scope of your own universe?


    What could be true for you, could be wrong for the other universe¡­ or they might not exist at all.


    "Riley¡­ Riley!"


    Hera quickly wore a pair of sunsses, blocking the clear and colorful sky that was calmly painting the space above them ¡ª this would have been just a normal thing, of course. But when was thest time Hera has actually seen the sky above her without any interruptions? Without something blocking it? Without it¡­


    ¡­being just a big nk and ck empty space, literally.


    But Hera did not cover her eyes because of the bright sky, no ¡ª her eyes never really be sore as they just quickly adjust to everything. She wore the sunsses to cover her face from the crowd that was slowly building around her and Riley.


    Hera quickly but carefully walked toward Riley, standing beside him as she lightly tugged his sleeves,


    "What do you think this is¡­? Did that waxy Whiteking send us to another universe? Maybe an illusion or something?"


    "Judging by the way Bard acted when he saw the machine that King brought¡­" Riley also started looking around the ce; his eyes, looking at each of the people that were circling them with utmost curiosity,


    "...We were most probably thrown and scattered to another universe, Miss Hera."


    "...And I had to be stuck with you, again?" Hera loudly whispered as she scanned the people, trying to read their emotions, "This seems like a normal school, though."


    "We should kill everyone here to test it out, Miss Hera," Riley''s feet were about to leave the des of grass beneath them, but Hera quickly put all of her weight in trying to stop him from doing anything by¡­ suddenly hugging him.


    "We should be extremely cautious. What are you doing?" Hera once again whispered, this time right in Riley''s ear, "If there''s a chance that waxy boy doesn''t know we are here, then I want it to stay that way by lying low."


    "Is that what your instinct is telling you, Miss Hera?" Riley slightly turned his head toward Hera, almost hitting her cheek with his nose from how close they were. Hera did not seem to mind, however, as she just let out a tiny scoff.


    "It''smon sense, whitey. I thought by now you would learn some."


    "Who¡­ are you two?"


    And of course, Riley and Hera were still currently being surrounded by a group of people ¡ª the students that were just previously doing their own physical activities, before Riley and Hera suddenly appeared in the middle of their field out of nowhere.


    Of course, most of them did not really see Riley and Hera materialize from thin air, no. They just thought they didn''t notice them until now.


    "Which ss do you belong to?"


    One of the people from the crowd, most probably their instructor, stepped forward and approached Riley and Hera, carrying some sort of booklet and ncing at it several times as he looked at the two.


    "Let me handle this," Hera finally let go of Riley as she greeted the instructor,


    "Hi, sorry¡­" An almost pursing smile and an exasperated breath escaped Hera''s lips as she looked at the instructor, "...We''re actually just checking the facilities of the school, we were being toured by someone earlier but I think we lost her, or she lost us. If you know what I mean."


    "Oh," the instructor let out a breath of realization as he finally tucked in the booklet in between his armpits, "You''re a new teacher? Is that a special transfer student you''re with?"


    "A¡­ teacher?" Hera''s eye slightly twitched as the smile on her face became forced. But after a few breaths, she let out a friendly giggle and said, "Yes. He''s family so we just toured the school at the same time since we''ll also be sharing an address."


    "Well, I''d ask you how you like it so far, but ss is actually in session, so¡­" The instructor lightly clicked his tongue as he gestured to his students, "...But if you''re not busyter, maybe we can¡ª"


    "No, that''s fine," Hera quickly wrapped her arm around Riley as she started dragging him away, "We were just about to leave anyway, we still have another school to check out."


    "Oh, but¡ª"


    And before the instructor could say anything else, Hera and Riley disappeared into the crowd, not stopping until they werepletely out of school grounds, ignoring all the eyes that were actively and tantly staring at them.


    "Riley¡­" And as soon as they were in the clear ¡ª well, not really. There were still people staring at them in the busy street, but most were really just passing by and really only nced at them filled ¡ª taking away their curiosity with them as they hurriedly leave to wherever they were going in the first ce. As for Hera, she just pulled Riley to the side, keeping her head down as she whispered in his ear again,


    "...Did you notice?"


    "That the PE instructor called you a teacher instead of a student?" Riley blinked as he looked at Hera, "There is no need to be sad about that, Miss Hera. You are old, it happens."


    "What¡­? No, fuck you. I''m not¡­ bothered about that," Hera''s eye once again twitched as she looked at Riley with an eyebrow raised, "No, fuck you¡­


    ¡­I''m talking about how no one seems to recognize you."


    "Hm?" Riley quickly turned to look at the people passing by them, only for those who were staring at him to look away; feigning to look at their phones as they sneak one final nce at him. He also looked at the people who were inside the shops, pretending that they weren''t looking at him as they also quickly looked away.


    "They notice you, sure," Hera squinted, "But who wouldn''t notice an albino walking in broad daylight, blinding everyone? And not to mention you don''t look like a normal albino too, you''re¡­ well¡­ you''re beautiful."


    "Thank you, Miss Hera."


    "I wasn''tplimenting you, idiot," Hera grunted as she rolled her eyes, "I''m just confirming what we are both thinking."


    "That I am beautiful?"


    "No, what? No. I mean this is not our Earth," Hera could really only breathe out as she looked around, "And since they also don''t recognize me, that means I also probably don''t exist in this world. We better keep a low profile for now ¡ª but with how we look, that would be very difficult."


    "We?" Riley blinked as he looked at Hera from head to toe.


    "Wh¡ªNo, you did not just¡ªI will have you know that I was voted the most beautiful woman on the in several top magazines," Hera drilled Riley''s chest with her finger,


    "No. 1 in several top magazines. The face and the body of a goddess is what they wrote," Hera then ced her hand on her waist, slightly spinning in ce as she showed herself to Riley. Her tanned skin that was almost golden, glittering even with the sky that was covered with buildings. Perfectly tanned skin, voluptuous but not too¡ªwhat are you doing?"


    "Hm¡­" Riley did not wait for Hera to finish what she was going to say as he leaned closer to her face, staring at it for a few seconds before backing away and nodding his head,


    "...I agree with their opinion, Miss Hera."


    "Fuck you," Hera shook her head and once again rolled her eyes.


    "Have I not told you that numerous times already, Miss Hera?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "That you are, perhaps subjectively, the most beautiful woman I have seen?"


    "Stop it¡­" Hera breathed out as she, in fact, does remember Riley saying that before, "...I am too old for you."


    "The mother of my child is the same age as you, Miss Hera."


    "Stop, stop it," Hera quickly started waving her hands, "Priorities. Priorities!"


    "..." Riley watched as Hera started covering her ears, "Are you also on the spectrum, Miss Hera?"


    "Stop asking me that!" Hera grunted as she removed her sunsses and looked at the sky, "Have you noticed? We haven''t seen a single super flying in the sky. I¡­ have a very bad feeling about this, Riley."


    "Hm."


    "Priorities," Hera once again let out a heavy breath as she looked at Riley, "Let''s¡­


    ¡­try to find Whiteking or the Hope Guild, they would understand."


    ***


    "..."


    "..."


    No signs of the Hope Guild, no signs of a person called Bernard Ross.


    "Where the fuck are they¡­?"


    If there was any constion in Hera and Riley''s current situation, it was that surprisingly, Hera''s phone still works perfectly well in this universe. Or perhaps the most surprising thing about this is that it survived throughout the entire ordeal they went through.


    "Did that waxy boy just¡­ send us to a universe where none of us exist?" Hera and Riley continued to look through her phone, scouring all the social media sites she could find for any trace of anyone they could recognize.


    But nothing.


    Nothing and no one came up.


    "The only thing that''s returning from the searches are movies. What the fuck is Ravengers? Who''s Thor?"


    "We should kill him, Miss Hera," Riley ced his hand on his chin as he watched a video of a muscr man calling lightning and tanking sr beams.


    "What, no!" Hera quickly pulled the phone away from Riley, "That''s a movie, Riley. It''s CGI¡ªwait, shit¡­ fuck¡­"


    Hera then continued to search through the inte, this time even getting to the 3rd page of a search engine as her eyes started to tremble.


    "Holy shit, Riley¡­" Hera took in a small gulp as she looked at Riley,


    "...I don''t think there are Supers in this world."

 Chapter 820 820: Aliens

    Chapter 820  820: Aliens


    "Okay, I am just going to say it¡­


    ¡­we''re fucking trapped here."


    3 days.


    Hera and Riley have been on this strange Earth for 3 days, trying to find anything remotely simr to what they know ¡ª but nothing.


    3 days, they remainedpletely awake not even sleeping a wink. For the two of them, however, that was not a problem at all as they were beings that were beyond the need to sleep.


    "It would seem so, Miss Hera."


    The two were currently out in the woods,pletely away from any signs of civilization as Hera feared that King might be watching them somehow. But it was just them, and a fire calmly dancing between them. Hera had set up a bed made of leaves, while Riley was just floating in the air with his back facing the ground.


    "You know¡­ I don''t think anyone is watching us. Let''s just check in on a hotel, if I have to sleep on top of dirt again, I would totally lose it."


    "But I thought you could adjust to anything, Miss Hera," Riley blinked a couple of times as he slowly sat up in the air.


    "Yeah," Hera scoffed, "But it doesn''t mean I want to. There are certain¡­ luxuries that a woman needs. Holy shit, you should know that by now, Riley."


    "Hm," Riley nced at Hera, "You should have told me. I could have created you a vi and¡ª"


    "No, please. Just don''t," Hera rolled her eyes as she stood up, "We''re supposed to be here incognito. If you suddenly erected a castle in the middle of nowhere, someone''s bound to pick it up."


    "But Father''s variants are not present on this, Miss Hera, "There should not be anyone stalking us from above. The number of satellites I saw when I flew into space is¡­ insignificant."


    "There''s always someone watching," Hera shook her head before looking at the sky that was covered by the smoke forming from their fire,


    "The technology in this world, it''s not like it''s below ours; they are as advanced as ours before all the alien shit happened, it''s just missing something ¡ª I imagined our world would also be like this if it did not have Supers and abnormal individuals like your father."


    "Hm," Riley nodded as he too, finally stopped hovering in the air and touched his feet on the ground; the dried leaves, snapping as he did so.


    "If you think about it, though¡­" Hera let out a short but very deep sigh; the sound of her breaths and the small movements that crackled the leaves beneath her, whispering through the somber night,


    "...Is this what our world will also be without us? Quiet, peaceful ¡ª barely any trace of violence."


    "Wrong, Miss Hera."


    "What¡­?"


    "This world is as violent as ours. I saw it when I was flying above them," Riley shook his head, "None of them are capable of destroying buildings with their fists, their weapons are weaker¡­


    ¡­but their capacity for violence remains absolutely the same, Miss Hera."


    "...How the fuck do you evene with that when you were only there for like an hour?" Hera raised an eyebrow.


    Riley decided to scout the star system for any signs of extraterrestrial life, but there was nothing. He was going to fly outside the star system but decided against it as he might find himselfpletely lost.


    "I listened to them, Miss Hera. They were annoying, loud, and incrediblycent ¡ª but even the drowning noise could not stop the echo of their savagery."


    "Jeez, okay," Hera raised both her palms, "I forgot I was with Mr. Edgy right here. Seriously, how is it possible that someone remains exactly the same as they were half a decade ago?"


    "I was told I have changed quite a lot, Miss Hera."


    "Yeah, they''re blind as fuck," Hera tried to stop herself from chuckling, "I told you before, whitey. This facade of yours might work on other people, but I could see right through you like you''re just¡­"


    "..."


    "I forgot the metaphor I was going to use," Hera rolled her lips and scoffed, "Just know that I can see right through you."


    "I appreciate that, Miss Hera," a small smile crawled on Riley''s face as he nodded, "The others would probably be sitting beside me right now and trying to make¡­ intimate contact."


    "My taste in men is different."


    "Tempo?"


    "Fuck Tempo," Hera let out a loud groan as she started walking around the campfire, "Did you know that bitch was actually talking with that alien princess when we were still together? I divorced his ass faster than he could run."


    "That fast?" Riley blinked a couple of times, "I did not know the two of you were divorced already, Miss Hera."


    "A lot happened when you were gone. Come to think of it¡­ why the fuck did you even return? If I had your power, I would just be somewhere out there ruling an entire people. Or better yet, I would find a of my own and terraform it into one big resort ¡ª imagine how much dough I would be raking in."


    "I thought you were already earning a lot of money, Miss Hera?"


    "I''m in debt," Hera covered her face, "I am fucked in debt. The cost of the building, the cost of maintaining it ¡ª and my previous loans from practically destroying entire cities¡­


    ¡­I''m drowning in debt."


    "But I thought you were pardoned from all of that?" Riley curiously blinked, "You are part of the Hope Guild."


    "Was," Hera raised a finger, "Was part of the Hope Guild. When the group was disbanded, the fucking government and the banks were all on my ass. Those ungrateful little bitches."


    "Hm," Riley ced his hand on his chin, "I wonder how much I owe to them?"


    "..." Hera could not help but quickly look at Riley; her eyespletely nk as they reflected Riley also looking at her with an even more nk expression. And after a few seconds of staring at him, Hera almost choked on her own breath as she tried her best to stop herself from bursting intoughter,


    "You¡­ you''re serious?"


    "Yes," Riley seemed confused as she turned Hera''s gaze, "I imagine I owe them trillions."


    "Dude," Hera covered her lips as she giggled; her extremely smooth and ck hair, bouncing on her shoulders, "You¡­ you owe them more than that. You destroyed countries, you destroyed Mars. Not to mention the other shit you destroyed. I mean, fuck, Riley ¡ª you havemitted hundreds of genocides. I don''t even know how we''re having such a casual conversation. If it was someone else, I bet they would be shitting themselves."


    "Are your abilities not telling you that I''m dangerous, Miss Hera?"


    "For now," Hera closed her eyes, "I''m actually probably the only individual in the entire universe that will survive you, you know. Well, except my variants ¡ª but thank god I haven''t met a single one of¡ªwhat are you doing?"


    And as Hera opened her eyes, she could not help but quickly lean back as Riley''s face was now suddenly right in front of her face.


    "Is it still telling you that I am not dangerous, Miss Hera?"


    "No," Hera looked Riley in the eyes, "But I don''t need it to tell me that you should start respecting other people''s space."


    "Hm," Riley very slowly backed away, "Your abilities are truly convenient, Miss Hera. Are you sure you do not want to kill me?"


    "No, and also¡­" Hera then looked behind Riley, before subtly ncing behind her, "...How long are we going to pretend that a bunch of people didn''t surround us a minute ago?"


    "We are being surrounded, Miss Hera?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he started looking around.


    "Wait¡­ you don''t really know?"


    "No," Riley shrugged, "I had my telekic field off, and I ampletely rxed since there is no one that could harm even a single strand of our hair in this world, Miss Hera."


    "Jeez, really?" Hera bumped Riley''s arm as she stepped forward,


    "Guys, stop with the hiding and espionage. We could see yo¡ª"


    And before Hera could finish her words, a small bomb found its way between her and Riley. And with a breath, it exploded and let out a blinding sh that¡­ did absolutely nothing. Both Riley and Hera just stared at it.


    And not even a second after, multiple red dots painted Riley and Hera''s torsos as a group of men in ck tactical suits started stepping out of the bushes and trees; their rifles, all pointed at them.


    "In position! Restrain them, restrain them! We should¡ª"


    The onemanding the toon abruptly stopped approaching Riley and Hera as soon as he saw them casually looking at him.


    "Hold! Hold your positions!" The man raised his fist as he ordered his men to stop. He then looked back and forth between Riley and Hera, refusing to lower his weapon as he stared at them,


    "Reveal yourselves! Do you have any identification on you!?"


    "Calm down," Hera raised both her hands in the air, before very slowly reaching for her pocket. As soon as she did so, however, the soldiers started firing at them.


    "..." Hera''s eyes started to squint as she nced at Riley, "Are you going to do something about this?"


    "N¡ª"


    "Wait, no!" Hera quickly realized what she just said as she quickly covered the soldiers from Riley''s sight, "Forget I said anything and please don''t do anything!"


    "I wasn''t going to do anything, Miss Hera," Riley also squinted his eyes as he returned Hera''s gaze, "Who do you think I am?"


    "A mass-murdering hobo," Hera once again raised her hands in the air, "Stop. Lower your weapons. We¡­


    e in peace!"

 Chapter 821 821: Four Walls and a Roof

    Chapter 821  821: Four Walls and a Roof


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Why is everything so slow in this world?"


    "I believe they think we are extraterrestrial life forms, Miss Hera."


    "We might as well be."


    A sharp, almost screaming screech scratched in the air as Hera stood up; the cold metallic seat she had been sitting on for hours now, threatening to fall back but instead just rubbed across the floor with its rusted legs.


    "But man, is this supposed to be an interrogation room? ss E supers could probably break out of here." Hera raised her hands as she yawned; her body almost purring when she stretched her arms,


    "The security in this ce sure isx," she then turned to look at the surveince camera at the corner of the room; moving her head exaggeratingly to make it obvious that she knew they were trying to make them impatient.


    "Should we just leave, Miss Hera?" Riley also stood up from his seat, but his chair that was also rusted on its legs did not create even a whisper of a screech,


    "I read online that they also have a NASA in this world. I do not know how useful they will be since they still have not discovered the existence of extraterrestrial life, but they might be able to build us apass."


    "Ssh," Hera ced a finger on Riley''s lips, "Don''t say anything anymore regarding that for now, we can''t have them knowing everything about us."


    "Why not?" Riley his head to the side, causing Hera''s finger to brush across his cheek, "The information will be useless to them, Miss Hera."


    "You said so yourself ¡ª the people of this world have retained their capacity for violence. They might start asking favors from us in exchange for trying to find a way to get us home," Hera then subtly nced at the only mirror in the room; her eyes, almost ring at the people on the other side and causing them to back away.


    "What the¡­ do you think they could see us!?"


    "Rx, Miller. The two are obviously friendly."


    "Until pincerse out of their mouths and eat all of us!"


    There were several people watching¡ªobserving Riley and Hera on the other side of the ss. Most were soldiers in uniform, trying to look as stern and stoic as possible. But their fingers that were already touching the triggers of their lowered guns showed just how anxious they truly were.


    But perhaps the most nervous of them all was the slightly short, brown-haired man who was almost hopping around the room as he bit his nails, Special Agent Miller.


    "They''re aliens, Rob. Aliens!" Agent Miller wanted to pull out the strands of his hair as soon as he started walking.


    "We don''t know that yet, Rx." Miller''s partner, Rob, on the other hand, just had his arms crossed the whole time he had been observing Hera and Riley. But much like the soldiers, however, his fidgeting finger made it obvious that he was also quite nervous about the situation.


    "We have footage of one of them literallying down from space, Rob. They''re fucking aliens, I know it!" Miller stood beside Rob as he started looking at Riley from head to toe, "Look at that. Does that man look remotely human to you?"


    "Yes, stop discriminating," Rob''s breaths slightly stuttered as he nced at Miller, "And we also have footage of him leaving the first."


    "Okay, okay," Miller started nodding vehemently, "I''m just saying, what if he has been here for like hundreds of years before the cameras were invented, eh? He still could havee from space then."


    "W¡ª"


    "And, and!" Miller did not let Rob talk as he raised a finger, "Even if he is from here, how the fuck do you exin him flying!?"


    "Could be some sort of jet pack."


    "And how are they even alive when our boys practically riddled them with bullets!?" Miller started gesturing to Hera and Riley, trying to show that they werepletely unscathed, "And before you say they are wearing bulletproof shirts, their clothes arepletely intact!"


    "Hm¡­" Rob squinted his eyes, "What do you think, Defense Secretary?" He then turned to look at the old person beside him, who had just been quietly observing Hera and Riley without even straying his eyes for even a single second ever since he entered the room.


    "Has the president said anything yet?" The defense secretary let out a small grunt; his eyes, still refusing to leave the two. The wrinkles around the sides of his eyes were plenty, but the eyes themselves still fully reflected Hera and Riley, "What about Russia? Do you think they also saw them flying from their satellites?"


    "I doubt it, they were deep in the country when NASA picked them up," Rob shook his head, "Have you ever seen anything like this when you were still leading the Marines?"


    "Not even¡ª"


    "That''s one more thing that''s weird!" And before the defense secretary could respond, Miller talked over him as he got between the two, "Don''t you think it''s weird that they just happen to be in the US? I thought that was only in the movies. Wait¡­


    ¡­are you sure this isn''t some weird experiment, General Kent?"


    "I''m retired," Defense Secretary Kent red at Miller before stepping to the side to remove his hand that was ced on his shoulder, "And even if there was some kind of experiment of this level, I will not be divulging that information to you two. And enough specting, go interrogate them."


    "...Do we have to?" Miller''s eyes widened.


    "If you want to keep your jobs¡ªJesus, where do they keep finding you sorry lot?" Secretary Kent could not help but look back and forth between Miller and Rob.


    "Sorry, he''s just stupid, Defense Secretary," Rob quickly stood up straight and saluted to the retired general, before quickly pulling Miller away and dragging him straight in front of the interrogation room.


    "Do not." Rob then raised a finger and ced it on Miller''s face, "I repeat, do not fucking say anything that would rile these aliens."


    "...I thought you didn''t believe they were aliens?"


    "I''m not saying they''re from outer space, okay? The woman''s slightly brown," Rob whispered, "Extremely beautiful, probably the most beautiful woman I have everid eyes upon, but slightly brown."


    "So, you''re just a racist fuck?" Miller raised an eyebrow.


    "No," Rob scoffed, "I''m just saying they might not be from this country. The albino also looks foreign."


    "You just said the woman''s a brown alien, Rob. That''s racist."


    "It''s not," Rob''s eyebrows began to lower, "I am just telling you what she looks like."


    "I know what she looks like, I have eyes."


    "Y¡ª"


    "Boys."


    "!!!"


    And as the two were arguing in front of the door of the interrogation room, they could not help but quickly reach for their weapons as the door, which should be impossible to open, was casually opened by Hera.


    "Are you going toe in or what?" Hera gestured with her head to the two to enter. She was, however, weed by a toon of armed men suddenly surrounding the door and pointing their weapons at them.


    "Stand down!" Before anything could happen, however, Secretary Kent quickly stomped his way out of observation and quickly ordered the agents to lower their weapons, even forcefully pushing down some of their weapons as he rushed to the situation, "Are all of you fucking stupid!?"


    Secretary Kent then also pushed Rob and Miller to the side as he stood in front of Hera. The two stared at each other for a few seconds, before Hera shrugged and casually moved to the side of the room, resting her back on the wall while Riley sat back down on the seat in front of her.


    "You boys could have at least offered me some tea," Hera crossed her arms and sighed, "And my friend here, a ss of milk. I''ll have you guys know we haven''t had a proper meal for almost 4 days."


    "..." Secretary Kent looked at one of the agents behind him, gesturing him to go and fetch what Hera requested, "Miller, Rob. The two of you, with me."


    Secretary Kent then carefully stepped inside the room, while Rob and Miller quietly followed behind him as he sat in front of Riley.


    "My name is General Lex Kent, retired," Secretary Kent carefully ced his hand on the metal table as he looked at Hera and Riley, "I am the Defense Secretary of the USA."


    "My name is Riley Ross," a small smile crawled on Riley''s face as he quickly introduced himself, "I am the bane of all creation."


    "Talia Tal." Hera could really only let out a sigh as Riley just casually introduced himself. And with another heavy breath, she made her way back to her seat; pulling it slightly farther away from the table as she sat down and crossed her legs,


    "But most call me Hera."


    "Hera?" Secretary Kent looked at Hera, "The Queen of the Gods. Is that some sort of code name?"


    "Sure," Hera shrugged, "You have a minute to convince us to stay here or we''re leaving. And we can, the only reason we''re not doing it is out of respect and courtesy."


    "I know," Secretary Kent nced back at the door, only to see that the lock was smoothly cut, "You have made that very clear so far with your and your friend''s actions. I am going to ask several quest¡ª"


    "No," Hera shook her head, "50 seconds."


    "What do you want from us, exactly?" Secretary Kent subtly took in a small gulp.


    "Bernard Ross, Supers, Themarians, King, Whiteking."


    "...What?"


    "I am just trying to see whether you''re going to react," a small smile started to crawl on Hera''s face as she slowly leaned forward,


    "And you did¡­


    ¡­but which one are you hiding?"

 Chapter 822 822: Luxury

    Chapter 822  822: Luxury


    "You reacted to those words. Now the only question is¡­


    ¡­which one?"


    "..."


    "Bernard Ross, Supers, Themarians, King. Whiteking ¡ª you reacted again."


    "Wouldn''t you react if you heard a bunch of strange words too?"


    There was a certain sense of intensity in the air. It was light, but everybody in the room could feel it ¡ª especially Miller and Rob who were standing near the door with the broken lock. They were part of the CIA, and they already had more than enough secrets tost an entire lifetime, each.


    One could not imagine just how many more the Secretary of Defense of the entire country has.


    "I would, but I would be confused," Hera continued to stare into Secretary Kent''s face.


    "...Can you read minds?" Kent squinted his eyes as he slightly looked away.


    "No," Hera smiled as she finally leaned back, "But I can read the tiniest minuscule emotions your face gives. No matter how trained a human is, their body will always find a way to react to something¡­


    ¡­You have 10 seconds left to make us stay."


    "We will just send men after you," Kent''s old voice finally stuttered as he nced back at Rob and Miller, "The two of you are already the biggest person of interest the country has ever seen. You have to understand that we need to go after you."


    "Then you''d know where to find us if you''re ready to talk," Hera shrugged before standing up and tapping Riley on the shoulder, "Let''s go, whitey. Let''s wait for these¡­ humans to decide what is more important to them."


    "But what about our beverages, Miss Hera?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked around.


    "Forget about the milk!" Hera grabbed Riley by the arm and dragged him away. Once again, however, she found themselves surrounded as the agents pointed their guns at them. Rob also quickly pointed his pistol at the two. Miller, on the other hand, just quickly pulled Rob''s hands down, almost swatting the gun away.


    "W¡ª"


    "Bro, are you fucking stupid? These aliens are literally bulletproof, they are literally superman!" Miller whispered loudly as he suspiciously stuck his lips too close to Rob''s ear, "If you haven''t noticed since earlier, I don''t wanna die yet."


    "...Listen to the short dude," Hera let out a small but very deep sigh as she nced at the agents with their weapons out, "I don''t kill civilians and non-supers even if they''re viins. But this guy beside me? He will kill you in front of your family, but not before killing your family in front of you first."


    "She is right, everyone," Riley nodded.


    "Let them go," Secretary Kent once again ordered for everyone to stand down, "Rob, Miller. ce someone to watch the two, make it your highest priority."


    "Good," Hera then pped her hands together, causing the agents to flinch and almost point their weapons again. Fortunately for them, Hera and Riley were already walking away and did not even bother ncing at them as they left.


    Suffice it to say, everybody in the building was looking at them like they were aliens. In a sense, of course, they were. The fact that they were from another universe entirely, and from a version of Earth where humans gain powers from a virus.


    "I guess they''re really not stopping us." And as she and Riley took the elevator, they saw Rob and Miller following them from a short distance ¡ª rushing toward the stairs so they would not lose them. And as the elevator went up to the ground floor, they saw the two gasping for air in front of them,


    "Good job, boys."


    "..." Riley and Hera passed by the two, with Riley ncing at them for a few seconds before letting out a small breath, "I do not think I have been followed this closely before ¡ª I wonder if this is what would have happened if my identity as Darkday would have been discovered instead?"


    "Don''t even mention Darkday to me ever again, gives me goosebumps," Hera slightly shivered as they continued to walk out of the building. And once again, all the people were staring at them. And seeing as there was not a slight sense of fear in their eyes, only curiosity. It would seem not everyone in the building knew about them.


    "What do we do now, Miss Hera?" Riley asked, "Should I just start killing and destroying everything until something happens? In my experience, something usually happens after I kill a lot of people ¡ª maybe things that are hiding would reveal themselves."


    "Don''t worry, they will reveal themselves soon." And as the two finally managed to step out of the building without anyone blocking their way, they found themselves in the middle of a vast lot; only several buildings around them,


    "You think this is some sort of military base?"


    "Maybe, Miss Hera," Riley looked at therge armored cars that were traveling from and to the buildings. Soon, however, a car much more casual but more luxurious stopped right in front of them.


    "We''ll bring you guys to a hotel of your choosing, or wherever you want to stay," Rob walked from behind and immediately opened the door for the two.


    "You boys are really intent on watching our every move, huh?" A smirk crawled on Hera''s face as she looked at Rob, "Has it ever urred to you that we could just fly away from here?"


    "The defense secretary ispletely aware of that. But you haven''t yet and the two of you seem to wee diplomacy," Rob stood straight as he gestured to the two to enter the car, "Please."


    "Hm," Hera looked at the luxurious car for a few seconds, before shrugging and just casually entering it, "I do miss the life of a star. Take us to the most expensive hotel near here, preferably with a casino and a nicerge bath."


    "..." Rob nced at the driver and nodded. He then slightly stepped away as Riley entered the car. How couldn''t he, when Hera just told them of how violent Riley could be?


    "Ack, finally¡­" Hera quickly made herselffortable inside the spacious car, even opening the liquor storage and helping herself with a seemingly expensive bottle of wine,


    "...Hello, civilization. If you ignore that we''re in apletely different world, and are currently being followed by a bunch of men in ck, it almost feels like I''m back to being a celebrity. And suddenly, all the stuff about that multiversal conqueror seems like a dream."


    "..." Riley only nced at Hera, before also opening all the beverage storage inside the car trying to look for a bottle of milk, or perhaps maybe even a vani soda ¡ª but there was none. The two did not really talk for a good while, with Hera just letting out deep breaths here and there as she enjoyed her drink and the view outside.


    They stayed like this for several hours, until they finally entered a familiar city.


    "Isn''t this¡­ Manhattan?" Hera quickly looked up through the car''s moonroof as her eyes reflected the slightly dim sky; instinctively trying to look for anyone flying or jumping across the buildings,


    "I know you said this world is as violent as ours¡­ but it''s quiet." Hera raised her ss; the alcohol in it, veiling the car in a color of sepia as she did so, "It almost feels like this is how life should really be¡­


    ¡­boring."


    "Hm," Riley also looked at the people walking around the streets ¡ª it was not hard to, as their car was barely moving due to all the traffic lights scattered in every block, "There¡­


    ¡­are too many people, Miss Hera."


    "...Why even go there?"


    ***


    "A soft bed! Oh my god!"


    True enough, the government brought them to arge, and obviously incredibly expensive hotel. One could not really find such an establishment back in their universe¡ªas supers have a tendency to destroy infrastructure. But in this world, it would seem they don''t spare any expense to make luxurious things truly luxurious.


    And as Hera felt herself being swallowed by therge bed beneath her, she turned to look at the view outside therge windows. And once again, no sign of a person flying there ¡ª just a view of buildings and the setting sun¡­


    ¡­as well as Riley''s silhouette.


    "What the¡ªwhy are you in my room!?" Hera quickly got up from the bed and she pointed at Riley, "They literally got you your own room just now¡­ and why are you only wearing a bathrobe!?"


    "Hm?"


    Riley, who was seated on the sofa near the windows, just calmly nced at Hera as he drank a ss of milk,


    "You said it yourself, Miss Hera. We should not separate, no matter what."


    "Wh¡ª"


    Hera could not even say another word as the sound of Riley sipping his almost empty ss resounded in the air.


    "I know you''re doing that on purpose!" Hera pointed at Riley again.


    "Seriously¡­" Hera just once again let herself fall down the bed, letting out a breath of exhaustion as she buried her head in a pillow,


    "...Why do I always seem to get stuck with you?"


    "Perhaps it is because of your abilities, Miss Hera?"


    "Of course, it is!" Hera quickly threw the pillow she was resting on at Riley, who just let it hit him in the face,


    "You are the most dangerous being in the entire multiverse, that means I am also the safest with y¡ªAck!"


    And before Hera could finish her words again, Riley flicked his finger as he returned the pillow she threw at him with force.


    "Someone is outside the door, Miss Hera."


    "I know," Hera lightly tapped her cheek before getting up from the bed and walking to the door, "I told you¡­ they will reveal themselves soon."


    "Secretary of Defense, Miss Hera?"


    "No," Hera opened the door, "He wasn''t the one who reacted when I opened up those words, it''s him."


    "..." Riley leaned his head to the side to see who Hera was pointing to, only to see one of the agents from the CIA standing there,


    "Special Agent Miller."


    "I¡­


    ¡­might have something you want to see."

 Chapter 823 823: The Hostage

    Chapter 823  823: The Hostage


    "I¡­ might have something you want to see."


    "..."


    "..."


    Agent Miller and Hera exchanged stares for a few seconds, seemingly waiting for the other to speak. Before the awkwardness of silence could take over between them, however, Hera shrugged a shoulder and slightly shook her head.


    "And¡­?" Hera raised an eyebrow, "What did you want to show us?"


    "N¡­ not here," Miller leaned back away from the door as he looked at both sides of the hallway, trying to confirm if anyone was there. And as soon as he confirmed that no one was there to see him, he quickly entered the room¡­ only to immediately halt in his steps as he saw Riley just casually sitting on a sofa wearing only a bathrobe,


    "I¡­ I didn''t know the two of you were tog¡ª"


    "We are, Special Agent Miller," Riley took a sip from his ss, which was supposed to be already empty, "Hera and I are together."


    "No, we''re not," Hera rolled her eyes as she closed the door and joined the two. Riley, on the other hand, was slightly confused as he started to look around.


    "But we are in the same room, Miss Hera," Riley said.


    "You will get used to him. Sit," Hera just once again groaned as she gestured to Miller to sit, before sitting beside Riley herself. And as Miller took a seat on the chair in front of them, she did not fail to notice that Miller was slightly fidgety; his eyes, scanning the window with slight nervousness,


    "I take it no one else knows you are here?"


    "No. Not even my partner," Miller let out a small chuckle as he wiped the sweat on his forehead before it could materialize, "I¡­ am here because of what you said."


    "Intriguing," Hera squinted her eyes as she leaned back and rxed, "You''re the most fidgety person we''ve had the pleasure of meeting here, and yet you seem to be the one that knows more than he lets on. So¡­


    ¡­Bernard Ross, Supers, Themarians, King, Whiteking. Which one are you hiding?"


    "None¡­" Miller took in a small gulp as he carefully lifted up his coat while looking back and forth between Hera and Riley. He did not need to be careful, however, as neither of the two reacted even the slightest as he reached for something from his pocket,


    "...But I want to show you something," Miller then quickly showed his phone, even pointing at it so that Hera and Riley wouldn''t mistake it for a weapon, "It''s in the gallery. You can check it yourself so you won''t have to worry whether or not I am call¡ª"


    And before Miller could even stand up to hand the phone over to Hera, he could not help but hold his breath as the phone suddenly flew away from his hand, almost taking him with it as it shot toward Hera.


    "..." Hera swiftly caught it, but turned to Riley as she did so, "Careful. What if I identally destroyed this thing?"


    "You would not have, Miss Hera. I trust youpletely," Riley just shrugged, before turning his attention back to Miller. Quietly looking at him without even saying a single word.


    "..." Miller nervously nced at Riley, waiting to see if he was going to say something to him, but no. Riley just stared at him¡­ menacingly, "The pin is 3469."


    "Hm¡­" Hera entered the password, and what weed her was a phone devoid of any apps, not even awork.


    "It''s just a burner. I transferred the images to that phone from a previous one just in case," Miller slightly stuttered as his breaths turned heavy, "I don''t know if I am doing the right thing by showing that to you. But the thing I discovered and saw there¡­ it wasn''t right."


    "..." Hera only nced at Miller for a bit, before starting to explore the images and videos that were saved on the phone.


    "I snapped those a few years ago," Miller''s voice started to lower as he sped his hands together and rested his elbows on his knees; his feet, fidgeting up and down as his eyes seemed to relive a memory he did not want to remember, "I was still new to the job, so I don''t think they cared much about me. I was on my 2nd mission and I was tasked to assist this senior oper¡ªanyway. His mission was to investigate a mysterious shipment of interest that was supposed to being from the Philippines, it''s a 3rd world country in the¡ª"


    "I know where that is, my ex-husband''s from there," Hera waved her hand as she continued to examine the images. And all she was seeing were pictures of a boat unloading a container.


    "...So, you''re not aliens?" Miller blinked a couple of times as he looked back and forth between Riley and Hera. But after a few seconds, he shook his head and continued with his story, "At first, I didn''t really see anything unusual going on, just the heavy security. But considering the shipment got on the agency''s radar, that''s already to be expected. I thought it was some sort of weapon at first, or maybe they were smuggling people from the Philippines since I heard that''s the kind of stuff we have to deal with¡­


    ¡­and it is."


    "..." Hera''s eyes started to squint as she got to the photos of the container being opened up.


    "They were smuggling people¡ªno. They were smuggling a person. One single person," Miller took in a deep breath, "And she didn''t look foreign at all. Well, she could be European, but I know she''s not someone that''s supposed to be from Southeast Asia. She was bruised, bleeding¡­ weak."


    "This is¡­" Hera blinked a couple of times as she quickly zoomed in on the person''s face. It was hard to see what she looked like since it was dark, and her face was covered in dirt and blood as Miller said. Hera then quickly explored the images more, trying to find a clearer image.


    "We went back to the office and my superior reported his findings to the agency," Miller took in a long and very deep sigh as he leaned back on his seat, "He¡­


    ¡­died the next week of a heart attack."


    "..."


    "He was old," Miller forced out a chuckle, "But that motherfucker was healthy and could outrun me severalps. He couldn''t have died of a fucking heart attack."


    "..." Hera nced at Miller for a few seconds, before turning her focus back on the phone, "Why approach us with this? I don''t see why this involves us."


    "You haven''t checked thest image," Miller looked Hera straight in the eyes, "Go to the calctor app."


    "..." Hera raised an eyebrow at Miller''s words, but didn''t really question him as she closed the gallery and opened the calctor¡­ only to be weed by another gallery with only a single image.


    Miller''s legs once again started to shiver¡ªno. This time, it was his entire body as he tried his best to speak, "It happened out of nowhere. At first, the woman was struggling to even stand as she was dragged away by those men. Then¡­ all of a sudden, one of the men just went and flew away. And the woman''s eyes, they were¡­ they were¡­"


    "Glowing," Hera''s eyes turned wide as she saw the eyes of the weak and frail woman glowing, "A themarian."


    "Yes," Miller once again looked Hera in the eyes, "That''s¡­ that''s the word. I forgot about it but when I heard you say it, I instantly remembered about her. She said it, she said the same words¡­ It was just a whisper, but I heard it all the way from where I was¡­


    ..''I couldn''t save them¡­ my people¡­ themarians.'' Those were the words she uttered. I remember it so clearly now, I mean¡­ how could I ever forget something like that?"


    "..." Hera quickly turned to look at Riley as she heard those words, only to see him holding the phone that was just in her hand literally moments ago, "Do you know who it is?"


    "It is hard to tell with this image, Miss Hera," Riley shook his head as he stared at the photo, "But I might have an idea as to who it is."


    "Do you have any information where this woman is now? Or where she is being held?" Hera stood up.


    "I don''t know¡­" Miller shook his head.


    "Do you have any idea who might?"


    "...The Director of National Intelligence?" Miller hesitatingly said as he shrugged, "Look. All I know is that some crazy alien shit is going on in that ce ¡ª I only stayed because I want to confirm if there really are aliens because that''s why I joined the agency in the first ce."


    "...Why not NASA?" Hera raised an eyebrow.


    "I¡­ only have a bachelor''s degree," Miller awkwardly chuckled, obviously hiding the pain in his breaths, "Anyway, I was right. If aliens exist, the CIA is the one that''s going to handle that shit. So, am I right¡­


    ¡­is that woman an alien?"


    "Yes," Riley was the one to answer Miller.


    "Yes!" Miller pped his ownp before almost jumping from his seat, "Yes. I knew it! I fucking knew it. Are you¡­ are you guys aliens?"


    "No," Hera rolled her eyes.


    "I''m god, Special Agent Miller."


    "No, he''s not," Hera once again rolled her eyes as she grabbed the phone from Riley''s hand and gave it back to Miller, "This¡­ Director of National Intelligence of yours, how do we get in touch with him?"


    "I don''t know. But you are persons of interest, he will talk to you if¡ª"


    "I have an idea, Miss Hera."


    "We are not going to do that," Hera did not even want to listen to Riley''s n, "We can just do as Miller says and¡ª"


    And before Hera could even finish her words, Riley suddenly disappeared from the sofa¡­


    ¡­and appeared right behind Miller, holding a gun to his head.


    "Is¡­ is that my gun?" Miller quickly patted his coat, only to confirm his words, "What¡­ are you going to do with that?"


    "Putting you in a hostage situation, Special Agent Miller."

 Chapter 824 824: The Other Themarian]

    Chapter824 824: The Other Themarian


    "We are here live right in Central Manhattan where a hostage situation¡­"


    "It is unknown what the hostage taker wants as of this moment¡­"


    "We are seeing this live on T.V. The person you are seeing on the window right now is allegedly an agent of the CIA. And the albino holding him¡­"


    "There also seems to be a woman. We don''t know yet if she is¡­"


    And just like that, the entire country was woken up from their routine as anywhere on the news, anywhere in social media, one could see the view of the most prestigious hotel in New York. There were probably more than a dozen helicopters currently surrounding the hotel ¡ª already several times than the allotted airspace for such aircraft.


    The media were already being warned by the authorities to leave andnd, but no one was really listening to them as this was the scoop of a lifetime.


    "Seriously¡­ Riley!?" Hera was trying her best not to be seen from the windows, but she could not help but stay close to Riley as she also tried her best to persuade him to do whatever it was he was nning to do. But s, her words fall on deaf ears,


    "If you wanted this kind of attention, then just go lift the entire CIA building up, why don''t you!?"


    "..."


    "No! Don''t actually do that!" Hera raised both her hands at Riley, "Where are you even going with this!?"


    "Espionage andying low is not my style, Miss Hera," Riley let out a small sigh as he stepped forward; walking outside to therge balcony of their suite while grabbing Miller by the neck. Suffice it to say, Miller was currently trying his best to free himself, but to no avail ¡ª perhaps if there was a constion in his situation, it was that Riley was not really gripping his neck tight¡­ he could even say it felt soft like he was floating instead.


    And perhaps if there was an antagonism in his situation, it was that Riley did not stop walking until they were right in front of the ledge of the balcony.


    "Wait¡­ wai¡ª" Miller wanted to say something, but his body suddenly swaying like a ragdollpletely locked his throat. And even after he found himself still again, he could no longer say anything. How could he, when there was nothing beneath his feet for a good 500 meters?


    All he could really hear now was the sound of the harsh wind violently hitting his face, as well as the drumming des of the helicopters around him.


    "Riley! Why are you doing this!? He came to us with information!" Although hesitant, Hera still followed Riley outside.


    "He is safe, Miss Hera."


    "!!!"


    "Oh my god!" Miller could really only scream as he felt his organs almost shoot out from his body. Figuratively, of course. Riley suddenly let go of him but caught him again before he could leave his reach.


    Hera also found herself extremely frustrated as she almost leaped to save Miller, "Damn it, Riley! You can at least just let him stand on the floor!"


    "I can''t do that, Miss Hera," Riley shook his head, "There are snipers that already have their scope on me. If I ce Miller on the floor, they would attempt to take a shot at me."


    "And so!?" Hera raised her voice, "You''re freaking bulletproof!"


    "I do not want them wasting their resources on us, Miss Hera," Riley sighed, "These people have no superpower, they need all the bullets and weapons they could get to fight against real crime."


    "What are you even on about!?"


    [This is the NYPD! Put the hostage down or we will be forced to use lethal force!] And finally, police helicopters, as well as military helicopters started appearing ¡ª forcefully pushing away the other civilian and media helicopters as they stopped warning them.


    "I think they want you dead, Agent Miller."


    "They meant put me down on the floor!"


    "The ground floor?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he tilted his head. Hera, however,pletely saw through the smile that was mischievously crawling on Riley''s face¡­ She knew there and then that Riley wasn''t going to let anything stop him. Well, not like anyone could.


    He was enjoying this.


    "Citizens of New York."


    And finally, after gaining his much-needed audience, Riley turned his head toward the nearest camera he could find from one of the media helicopters that refused tond. And although he was far away, his words reached the microphone as if he were right in front of it.


    Everyone who was watching on their screens could not help but hold their breaths as the camera zoomed in on Riley''s smiling face.


    "It has been brought to my attention that the CIA has been hiding a person that my friend and I are very eager to meet and talk to," Riley nced at Hera, who only covered her face in response,


    "She is unlike you, shees from a ce far away from here. So, I wish to make a deal where everyone wins. Bring me the woman I mentioned, and I will give you Special Agent Mill¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, he suddenly ced his hand in front of Miller''s chest. Miller was about to look down, before he heard the muffled and faint sound of a gunshot echoing even through all the noises scattered in the violent air.


    "It would seem you hold no value to them, Special Agent Miller," Riley showed his hand to Miller, only for a bullet to fall from it; bouncing down across the walls of the building a few times as it fell.


    "They¡­ tried to shoot me?" Miller''s eyes turned wide as he watched the bullet disappear into the distance.


    "They shot you, Special Agent Miller," Riley really only let out a sigh as he looked at the helicopter where the bullet came from,


    "Well then¡­" Riley then turned his focus back to the camera as he shook his head, "I would take the fact that you tried to kill Special Agent Miller as you not wanting the deal. So I will change the conditions."


    "!!!" Miller once again found himself screaming as his organs once again shifted. Fortunately for him, he did not need to scream for long as hended on the balcony instead of the cold hard floor hundreds of meters beneath him.


    "The woman I mentioned¡­" The smile on Riley''s face very slowly reached from ear to ear, [...For the lives of everyone within 10 kilometers from where I am standing. You have an hour.]


    "...What the fuck is this guy saying?"


    "He''s a terrorist!? Did he ce bombs all over the city!?"


    "What are our soldiers doing!? Shoot him! He''s right there in the open!"


    The people who were watching from their screens still could not believe what they were watching, but at the same time, they werepletely intrigued. Shootings and hostage situations were not that umon in their country, but something this theatrical?


    It almost felt like they were watching some sort of movie. Little did the watchers and viewers know, however, that they were truly about to witness something they had never seen before.


    First, it started as a whistle.


    "What''s¡­ that sound?"


    The whistle was then followed by a quiet explosion, as the helicopters all found themselves suddenly surrounded by a violent turbulence which almost caused all of them to hit each other. And after a short panic, there¡­ they saw something unbelievable.


    A person, floating in the air. It was hard to see because there was a slight re and a blur on the lenses from being cracked due to the sudden shockwave that thundered through the air, but it was a person.


    A woman wearing a white gown, ab gown.


    "..." Riley, who had his back turned since he was going to rx back inside the suite while waiting for the ultimatum he gave, very slowly and casually turned around; his eyes, reflecting the unfamiliar silhouette that floated in front of him.


    "..." Riley then looked at the woman from head to toe as her gown snapped in the air. The woman''s eyes werepletely nk, but even more nk was her face which did not show an ounce of expression.


    "I was ordered to eliminate you, human," the woman then said; her voice, almost robotic in nature.


    And as Riley heard her words, he only closed his eyes and let out a sigh, "I¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, a red violent beam burst forth from the woman''s eyes and gushed straight at him.


    "Why are you so weak, themarian?"


    "..." A slight hint of emotion could be seen flickering on the woman''s face as Riley¡­ just casually stepped forward even through the st. He did not stop walking even as he passed the ledge, breaking itpletely as he walked through the air closer and closer to her.


    "I do not need to be Miss Hera to know that you are acting like you have been brainwashed," Riley then started floating closer to the woman. And as the woman heard her words, she could not help but let out a small breath as the violent beam gushing from her eyespletely dissipated away.


    How could she not, when the stranger in front of her was suddenly speaking her people''snguage?


    "The supervirus seem to not exist and flourish in this universe. But the rest seem to be the same," Riley let out a long and deep sigh as he looked the frail, skinny woman in the eyes,


    "Even your failure to save your people, Dr. Caiin''Ur."


    "You know¡­ who I am?" Caiin''s eyes widened in shock as she returned Riley''s gaze.


    "Of course. And fortunately you are not the other themarian," Riley sighed, "I love her¡­


    ¡­but she is stupid and will not be able to help us leave this universe."

 Chapter 825 825: Eulogy

    Chapter 825  825: Eulogy


    "The other¡­ themarian?"


    The wind that was violently snapping Caiin''s long white gown withered away, almost literally as her hair and clothes slowly started to settle and calm down. She noticed this, of course, but her eyes werepletely locked on to the mysterious human floating ever so calm in front of her.


    Mysterious, eerily so.


    "You spoke mynguage," Caiin looked at Riley from head to toe, "But you''re not a themarian. You are not exactly human either."


    "I am not, Dr. Caiin''Ur," Riley shook his head, "I am¡ªWhy is it doing that?"


    Caiin looked Riley in the eyes for a few seconds, before looking down to where she was pointing ¡ª only to see a red light blinking and reflecting on her white gown. It was the cor attached around her neck, blinking and beeping at the same time.


    "The humans are trying to control me," Caiin shrugged before casually snapping the cor off, "At least they thought they were. The technology in this world is still primitive, it was interesting to see how they react¡­


    ¡­Who are you?"


    "My name is Riley Ross," Riley bowed his head, "Bernard Ross and Diana Ross''s adopted son, Dr. Caiin''Ur."


    "Am I supposed to know who they are?" Caiin squinted her eyes.


    "No."


    "You seem to know a lot about me," Caiin then looked down toward the balcony. And as she saw Hera trying to help and calm Miller down, she could not help but tilt her head to the side, "She is human, but I sense a different energy from her. Who are you two? Are you from the Common Council?"


    "The Common Council exists here, Dr. Caiin''Ur?" Riley ced his hand on his chin.


    "Here? You''re not from the Common Council," Caiin''s eyes squinted even further as she very slowly floated closer to Riley, "What do you mean ''exists here''? Why did you term it like¡ª"


    "!!!"


    And before Caiin could finish her words, a loud explosion boomed in the air and she found herself covered in fire and smoke. The helicopters that were just recovering from the turbulence she set off, once again trying their best not to fall.


    Caiin, however, just had her palm slightly raised as bits and pieces of what seemed to be shards of metal disintegrated and fall from it. She then looked up, her eyes reflecting the fighter jet that just passed by them.


    Her eyes once again lit up, but no gush of light escaped from them. Only a groan from her mouth as she coughed.


    "You are weaker, Dr. Caiin," Riley tilted his head as he looked at Caiin''s flushed face.


    "Self-punishment. It doesn''t matter," Caiin shook her head, "This and the people in it are still too weak to stop me, but they will try now that they know I am not actually in their control ¡ª to the point they disregard the safety of their own kind. But they get to live, while my kind does not."


    "You are not the only one that has failed to rescue her people, Dr. Caiin''Ur," Riley let out a small but deep sigh.


    "Have you lost your people too?"


    "No, I meant you, Dr. Caiin," Riley blinked a couple of times, "The other versions of you have also failed to save her people."


    "Other versions¡ª" Caiin''s eyes turned incredibly wide as she looked Riley in the eyes. She then nced at Hera again, "The multiverse theory."


    "Not a theory, Dr. Caiin."


    "You''re from another universe," Caiin pointed at Riley. A small awkward smile, slowly forming on her face, "But what do you mean my other versions also failed to save our people? Does that mean¡­ I''m not truly meant to save them?"


    "There are others who seeded," Riley shrugged, "But I have not had the pleasure of meeting them yet, Dr. Caiin. Follow me, we have something to discuss with you."


    "Wait," and as Riley started to descend back to the balcony, Caiin grabbed his arm, "When you said the other themarian, who else were you expecting to find?"


    "Megawoman, Dr. Caiin," Riley breathed out, "Aerith."


    "Aerith¡­ Princess Aerith¡­? You also know her?" Caiin''s eyes once again widened as she followed Riley to the balcony, "What is your rtionship with her?"


    "It isplicated, Dr. Caiin. I am her lover, but she is not mine."


    "What?"


    "But she kissed me, but we have not really had the time to talk about that since everything is messy."


    "The princess kissed you¡­?" Caiin could not be more shocked as she stared at Riley''s back, "Wait, then who am I to you?"


    "No one important, Dr. Caiin," Riley just waved his hand as hended back on the balcony, "I have more things to tell and exin to you, and whether or not you help us or not will be up to you."


    "..." Caiin did not really say anything and just continued to follow Riley. Before she followed him inside the suite, however, her eyesnded on Miller, who was hyperventting on the floor as he tried his best to calm down.


    "I know you," Caiin pointed at him, "You were there when the humans were passing me around."


    "You¡­ you saw me?"


    "From afar," Caiin looked back and forth between Riley and Miller, "I suppose it is because of you that these two came to know of my existence on this. Fate truly works mysteriously, as they say. And who are you?"


    Caiin then turned to look at Hera,pletely intrigued as this was the first time she was sensing the kind of energy she was emitting.


    "Hera," Hera did not really know how to talk to Caiin, since she really only talked to her variant from time to time when Bernard brought him to the Hope Guild, "And I was a colleague of your variant''s husband, Mrs. Ross."


    "Husband?" Caiin waspletely taken aback by Hera''s words. A few more breaths, however, her eyes once again widened, "Wait, Mrs. Ross? Is my name Diana Ross in your universe¡­?"


    "Yes¡­?" Hera nced at Riley, who was already waiting for them inside the suite, "The whitey didn''t tell you? Shit¡­ well, this is gonna be awkward for you. Not for him, the dude''s fucked up."


    "..." Caiin looked at the floor for a few seconds, before rushing to follow Riley inside the suite, "You told me I was not important, Riley Ross!"


    "You are not, Dr. Caiin," Riley gestured to Caiin to sit as he also sat down.


    "But was I not family to you?" Caiin raised an eyebrow as she sat in front of Riley, "Was our rtionship strained? Was I¡­ not a good mother?"


    "Adoptive mother," Riley raised his hand as a bottle of water floated next to Caiin, "And you tried your best with your situation. Hannah is very fortunate to have you as a mother, and perhaps in a way, I was too."


    "Hannah, an AI?" Caiin blinked.


    "No, your biological daughter."


    "I have a biological daughter? Me?" Caiin''s eyes once again widened in shock, "With this Bernard Ross?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded.


    "But I made an oath to myself that I will not entangle myself, much less with someone of lower¡­ mind," Caiin let out a breath of amazement as she took a sip of water, "The multiverse¡­ fascinating."


    "Oh, Bernard Ross is absolutely not of a lower mind, Dr. Caiin," Riley also got another ss of milk, holding it but not really drinking. Hera, who stepped back inside the suite, immediately nced at Riley as soon as she heard that. And without even saying a word, she got a bottle of wine and joined the two; slightly raising the bottle as she sat next to Riley.


    "Hm¡­?" Caiin blinked a couple of times, extremely curious as to what Riley was going to say next.


    "Bernard Ross is perhaps the mostplicated human, wed in every way possible," Riley breathed out, "But he was the most intelligent creature in the entire universe, Dr. Caiin. He is not a good man. His morals are questionable, but he is a great father ¡ª everything he did, he did for his family. He did his best with what was handed to him, and what was handed to him was not... easy. I was¡­


    ¡­am lucky that he was my adoptive father, not so much for everybody else."


    "A jerk," Hera let out a small chuckle, "But he was the one who created my clothes so I wouldn''t turn naked when my body morphs."


    "Bernard Ross¡­" Caiin let out a small hum, "I would very much like to meet this man. A being with much higher intelligence than I, fascinating."


    "You can''t, Dr. Caiin," Riley shook his head, "He died 4 days ago trying to protect his daughter. But you can meet his other variants."


    "Oh¡­" Caiin leaned her back on her chair. She then looked back and forth between Hera and Riley for a few seconds, before leaning forward and letting out another hum, "...You were in a battle that led you to be stuck here. And you have no way to go back since this universe does not have multiversal travel."


    "Yet, Dr. Caiin," Riley nodded.


    "...I discovered it?" Caiin let out a small gasp.


    "You helped the norids. You and Bernard Ross," Riley nodded.


    "Oh¡­" Caiin once again leaned back on her chair. Her eyes, now darting everywhere, "...The Norids have been extinct for more than a hundred thousand years now."


    "Oh," Riley also leaned back on the sofa, and so did Hera.


    "Fucking¡­" Hera took one big gulp of her wine, "...Does that mean we''re fucking stuck here forever?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Perhaps not," Riley ced his hand on his chin, "If we found the object that started the norid''s research on the Portals that ultimately led to the discovery of multiversal travel¡­


    ¡­Will you be able to recreate it?"

 Chapter 826 826 : New York, We Have a Problem

    Chapter 826  826 : New York, We Have a Problem


    "I¡­ don''t believe I ever had the chance to see something like this before."


    It took an hour, but Riley and Hera were able to tell Caiin everything she needed to hear. There were moments when Caiin couldn''t really believe what they were saying, but she continued to listen and just nodded her head until they reached the part when King sent them to this universe, where Earth waspletely different.


    It was a good thing that the refrigerator and the bar were filled with drinks, because Caiin probably drank several gallons of water and soda by herself. Themarians do not really need to consume food or drink liquid, but this was actually the first time Caiin tasted Earth''s soda as she had allowed herself to be kept in captivity all these years so as to punish herself.


    Even now, as she was holding a que ¡ª the que that ultimately led to the discovery of multiversal travel, she was gulping down an entire bottle of soda; not even bothering to put it in a ss. Riley, who was sitting in front of her, could not help but be slightly amused at this scene. How could he not, when Diana has always told him and his sister that they shouldn''t drink soda?


    And yet now, here was a version of Diana that waspletely skinny, unkempt, and even slightly clumsy to the point that she was spilling the soda on the que. Of course, it didn''t really matter as the que was only a recreation using Paige''s abilities, and Riley was only using his telekinesis to fill up whatever needed filling up.


    "This is useless," Caiin returned the que to Riley, but it just disappeared into thin air before Caiin could fully stretch her arm to him, "And the race you mentioned that created the que, they do not exist in my universe as far as my knowledge goes. It is not only them, the races you have told me have either died out or do not exist."


    Riley had also already shown her the device that created portals itself, but it proved even more useless as it felt more akin to absolute magic rather than technology. Paige is able to create things even if she doesn''t know how they worked, but Riley can''t seem to be able to do the same to the extent that she does it.


    "...Shit," Hera, who was still seated close to Riley, could really only sp her head as she stared at the floor, "So that waxy version of Bernard¡­ sent us to an extremely different universe? I thought all universes were at least somewhat simr!?"


    "You mentioned something about the primordials having the same Avatars in each universe, correct?" Caiin let out a small sigh as she cracked another bottle of soda open, "This universe probably was not¡­ alloted the same treatment."


    "Hm," Riley quickly nodded in agreement, "The only reason why the universes are simr to each other is that the Primordials¡­ act indirectly to make sure their avatars exist."


    "But they''re gods," Hera leaned back. Her face that was previously looking at the floor was now staring at the ceiling as she let out a long and deep groan, "They shouldn''t be fucking making mistakes."


    "Any creature that has the capacity to think will make a mistake," Caiin closed her eyes and sighed, "And perhaps this applies to gods of creation too¡­


    ¡­I apologize I was not as helpful as you thought I would be."


    "Wh¡ªdon''t say that," Hera raised her voice and looked Caiin in the eyes, "We''re only just starting to deliberate our options here."


    "No," Caiin shook her head, "My AI has been destroyed, myboratories, data centers, storage ¡ª I am afraid I don''t have the capacity to make this portal you speak of. And even if I did have them, it would take me at least a hundred years to even have an inkling of how to make that kind of technology without any sort of prototype to base it on¡­


    ¡­most of your human friends would have already perished then."


    "I wish to try one more thing, Dr. Caiin," Riley then raised his hand, and as soon as he did so, a man covered in an immacte white armor appeared in front of them, "Dr. Caiin, meet Bernard Ross."


    "This¡­" Caiin immediately stood up from her chair as she looked at Bernard from head to toe, "This is¡ª!!!"


    And before Caiin could even say another word, Bernard suddenly embraced her; letting out several shushing noises with his mouth each time Caiin wanted to speak.


    "It''s okay now, dear," Bernard whispered into her ear. And as Riley was only recreating his voice through telekinesis so that the others could also hear him; his voice was quite¡­ overly clear, "I''m here¡­ I''m here¡­ you don''t have to suffer alone."


    "..." Caiin could really only bat her eyes a couple of times, before finally pushing Bernard away and taking back a few steps; taking her chair with her as she pointed at Riley, "Get¡­ get that guy away from me."


    "Hm. Father," Riley called for Bernard, who immediately turned to Riley, "We need your help in¡ª"


    "Where is your sister?" Bernard did not let Riley finish his words as he started looking around, "Where¡­ are you? I do not feel any trace of my satellites here, no supers."


    "We were separated by King after you died, Father," Riley sighed.


    "...I died for nothing, then," Bernard forced out a tiny chuckle, before also sighing and closing his eyes.


    "Perhaps not," Riley shook his head, "The Diana of this world needs your help to recreate the device to allow us to travel back to our universe, Father."


    "..." Bernard nced at Caiin for a few seconds, before shaking his head, "I can''t do that."


    "But you perfected the technology, Father."


    "I am not real, Riley," a small smile crawled on Bernard''s face.


    "But you should still know," Riley looked Bernard in the eyes, "You said so yourself, Paige''s illusions know things that even she does not know. It¡ª"


    "But Ms. Pearson is not here," Bernard shook his head, before once again focusing on Caiin, "Saving your is not your responsibility, Diana. Stop punishing yourself for something you do not have control over."


    "..." Caiin could really only squint her eyes at Bernard''s words.


    "And Riley."


    "Hm?" Riley blinked a couple of times as this time, it was Bernard who looked him in the eyes.


    "The key to solving your problem is already right beside you," the tone of Bernard''s voice suddenly changed, "You don''t need a portal."


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times before he subtly nced at Hera, who was sitting right beside him.


    "T¡ªI don''t think you need to take that literally," Hera was slightly taken aback as she looked back and forth between Riley and Bernard, "Bernie''s illusion, tell him that¡ª"


    "Andstly," Bernardpletely ignored Hera as he stepped closer to Riley, "Remember your promise, protect Mom and Hannah."


    "Of course, Fa¡ª"


    "Goodbye¡­" Bernard ced his hand on Riley''s shoulder, "...My son."


    And without even waiting for Riley to finish his words, Bernard''s illusion just suddenly disappeared; not even fading, not withering, he just disappeared.


    "Hm," Riley nced at his shoulder for a few seconds, before letting out a sigh and shaking his head, "It would seem we are truly stuck here, Miss Hera."


    "W¡­ what about the delivery guy!?" Hera almost jumped from her seat as she pointed at Riley, "You said he could travel through the multiverse, right!? What if we make him deliver us the portal thingy!?"


    "I already tried, Miss Hera," Riley let out a long and deep sigh as he showed Hera his phone, "But I can''t ess his app or website."


    "Shit!" Hera wanted to pull out her hair there and then, "I thought that''s what Bernard meant!"


    "This Bernard guy, he seems very interesting," Caiin ced her hand on her chin as she looked at the part of the floor where Bernard was standing, "But why do I get the feeling that he is a womanizer?"


    "He is. He¡ª"


    "Uhm¡­ guys!" And before the three could get sidetracked with their conversation, Special Agent Miller, who was slowly losing his mind and sense of reality upon hearing their talk, rushed from the balcony waving his hands, "We have a problem!"


    "Yes we do, Special Agent Miller," Riley sighed and nodded, "Yes, we do."


    "N¡­no. Not that multiverse talk!" Miller raised his voice, "The¡­ the hotel''s currently being surrounded! There''s an army out there!"


    "Oh," Riley stood up from his seat, "You do not have to worry about them, Special Agent Miller. The entire building is enveloped by my telekic barrier ¡ª even if this is destroyed, this building will remainpletely intact."


    "Shit¡­ this is crazy," Miller started biting his nails, "What¡­ what are we even supposed to do now? What am I even supposed to do now!?"


    "You should rx," Caiin sighed as she just casually returned to her seat and started cracking another bottle open, "Your heart rate is incredibly elevated. You''re going into shock in a few more minutes if you keep this up."


    "Rel¡ª" And before Miller could say anything, he just suddenly went limp. Before he could fall to the floor, however, Riley pushed him toward the sofa.


    "You¡­ did you just kill him!?" Hera gasped.


    "No. Why would I do that, Miss Hera?" Riley looked at Hera disappointingly, "Please stop thinking that I always kill."


    "You do," Hera groaned in disbelief before shaking her head, "The shorty does have a point, though. What do we do from here on? We obviously can''t stay in this cit¡ªcountry anymore."


    "We leave the, Miss Hera," Riley shrugged, "Now that we have someone that could navigate through the expanse of space, we could just go to another¡ª"


    "Oh. Not possible," Caiin quickly interrupted Riley as she started waving her c, "I told you about the other races being dead, right? Well, this is it."


    "Hm?" A smile crawled on Hera''s face as she looked at Caiin.


    "This is it," Caiin pointed her finger around, "Aside from the Common Council, which is made up of just AIs, Earth is the only left with¡­ intelligent life, as far as my knowledge goes."


    "Oh¡­" Hera''s eyes turned nk before her head very slowly turned to Riley; her voice, nowpletely monotonous, "...Please don''t tell me this is one of those dying universes?"


    "I do not know," Riley''s eyes also very slightly turned wide by a micrometer as he looked Caiin in the eyes, "How did your people die, Dr. Caiin?"


    "The same as the others¡­" Caiin''s voice slightly turned somber, "...Cherbis."


    "...That pink fluff?" Hera covered her forehead, "How did¡ªWait, did you just say Cherbis?"


    "Yes."


    "Cherbis, with¡­ an S?" Hera looked back and forth between Caiin and Riley, "Plural?"


    "Yes¡­?"


    "How¡­ many?"


    "A million," Caiin let out a very long and deep sigh, "And¡­


    ¡­they should be on their way here."

 Chapter 827 827: The Beach

    Chapter 827  827: The Beach


    [We do not know yet what is going on inside, but we are reporting this even with the risk of the government closing us down¡­ but as you can see, there seems to be an invisible wall preventing our soldiers from entering the hotel!]


    "Woah, bro¡­ You seeing this shit?"


    Inside a smoky room that was only lit up by a 50" TV, two people were currently eating chips while staring at the screen in front of them. Their eyes,pletely red and moist.


    "It''s fake, bro. Let me guess, it''s happening in the US?"


    "Yeah, bro. Like what¡­?"


    "It''s fake."


    "Totally, bro."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Shit, isn''t that hotel like beside our apartment?"


    "Cool."


    "..."


    "..."


    The two men very slowly looked at each other, their bloodshot eyes also very slowly widening before they turned their heads toward their window, which was fully covered with ck-out curtains.


    "..."


    "..."


    "It''s fake."


    "Yeah." And after a good 30 seconds, the two justpletely changed the channel before sucking a throatful of whatever it is they were on, adding more steam across their tiny apartment.


    The two then startedughing as they watched a random show. It didn''tst long, however, as the channel was suddenly cut off.


    "Hey. What the¡­" They started changing the channel, but every frequency was the same. They checked their phone so they could just stream a movie, but their inte was down too.


    "Shit¡­


    ¡­did we forget to pay the bill?"


    ***


    "They''re near."


    "Already!?"


    "Satellites going out, electricity starting to flicker ¡ª a telltale sign that the cherbis are near. rtively."


    Riley, Hera, and Caiin were still in the suite. This time, however, there was a certain sense of energy going around the room, almost following Hera as she also walked around the room with her hands together in front of her mouth.


    "Everything ends, that is just the way it is." As for Caiin, she looked at the empty bottle of soda she was holding; letting out a disappointed sigh as it was thest bottle of c in the entire hotel, "The cherbis are just going to erase this star system just like the rest until everything and everyone is gone."


    "No, no¡­" Hera finally stopped walking around as she stood in front of Caiin beside the bar, "...You don''t understand. I can''t die."


    "But you will."


    "No, I can''t," Hera forced out a chuckle, "This universe will end, and I will probably just float around it forever¡­ and perhaps the worst part of it all is that I will be stuck with him!"


    Hera then pointed at Riley, who just shrugged his shoulders in response.


    "Oh," Caiin looked back and forth between Hera and Riley, "You''re the same as him, a true immortal? Interesting."


    "Give us options here, Doc. I don''t wanna be stuck with that guy forever, please," Hera grabbed Caiin''s shoulders, "Please."


    "We could try moving deeper into the Unknown," Caiin could really only let out a sigh as she walked toward the balcony and looked up into the night sky, "But based on everything I''ve heard from the two of you¡­


    ¡­a universe''s Unknown is much more mysterious than even the multiverse itself. Very much like this''s ocean. But the reason why most of this''s water is unexplored is because there truly is no need to do so ¡ª there is nothing else there. But in the Unknown¡­? There is bound to be something there."


    "What are we waiting for, then?" Hera breathed out.


    "We will get lost," Caiin sighed, "The only reason I evennded on this is by pure sheer luck, a chance out of a billion.''


    "I can take that chance," Hera shrugged, "Sheer luck is literally a part of my abilities, so¡­"


    "..." Caiin once again looked at Riley and Hera for a few seconds, before letting out another sigh and nodding, "Might as well prolong my punishment."


    "Trust me," Hera looked up into the night sky, "We''re going to find something¡­


    ¡­my body will make sure of my survival."


    ***


    "...We''re doomed."


    Half a yearter, Hera, Riley, and Caiin find themselves just floating in the middle of a dark expanse. No, they were not really just floating, but actually moving at an insane speed. They have actually already traveled more than a hundred thousand lightyears ¡ª and they could have gone farther, much farther.


    The only reason why they were not was because Caiin had to have time to check if she could read any energies around them, but so far, absolutely nothing. And now, the distance between the star systems was getting abnormally far ¡ª far to the point that they had not even seen a star since a month ago.


    "Okay, stop! Stop!" Hera could no longer take it as she started waving her hands. Riley, who was leading their way, turned around to look at Hera for a few seconds before decreasing their speed ordingly. Of course, this took quite a while as they were already going too fast. But as soon as they finally did stop, Hera immediately grabbed Riley by the cheeks,


    "Riley. I need to take a bath. We have been flying in this goddamn darkness for years and we still haven''t found anything!"


    "We have only been traveling for half a year, Miss Hera," Riley floated back to remove Hera''s hands, "And I could just summon water to¡ª"


    "No, enough of that!" Hera growled, "Let''s just go back to Earth, and rethink about this n."


    "Earth''s dead," Caiin sighed as she patted Hera''s shoulder, "I did tell you, the Unknown is unknown for a reason. Your friends will most probably be dead for a very long time before we can even find any¡ªOh."


    "What? What!?" Hera started looking around as Caiin abruptly stopped talking; her eyes, moving everywhere, "Did¡­ did you find something!? Are we near a with a cleanke!?"


    "No," Caiin started blinking a couple of times as she spun in ce,


    "I am sensing the presence of a cherbi."


    "What? That''s impossible," Hera forced out a tiny chuckle as she nced at Riley, "We were literally going so fast. You told the whitey and us that it was impossible for them to even chase us."


    "It is impossible," Caiin raised a hand as she finally stopped spinning and looked toward a certain direction, "And the cherbi ising from there, fast."


    "There¡­?" Hera squinted her eyes as she looked to where Caiin was pointing, "...But I don''t think that''s the direction we came from. Is it?"


    "No," Riley was the one to answer Hera.


    "Oh, now I know," a small smile crawled on Caiin''s face as she looked at Hera and Riley, "I think we finally know why the stars are getting farther and farther away from each other. A cherbi also lives in the Unknown."


    "Great," Hera could really only ce her hands on her waist, "Like we already aren''t having a hard time trying to find something. Let''s just go and continue our perilous journey to the unknown."


    "I''m afraid that''s not going to happen," Caiin started to chuckle, "The energy I am sensing from this cherbi is much¡­ greater than the ones that destroyed Theran and the others. And¡­


    ¡­it''s not alone."


    "We can avoid them just fine."


    "That''s not going to happen."


    "Stop jinxing us."


    "No," Caiin shook her head, "They areing from everywhere, going faster and faster."


    "Everywhere? Like everywhere, everywhere?" Hera started pointing in all directions.


    "Everywhere." While Caiin also pointed below, above, to the side, and practically almost spinning her hands into a sphere, "And they are getting pretty near."


    "..." Hera did not even need to ask how near is ''pretty near''. Because as soon as Caiin finished her words, she saw a glimpse of pink very slowly growing from afar, everywhere. No, it wasn''t slow at all ¡ª because the pink dots that were just the size of a BB a second ago were now the size of a tennis ball,


    "Oh, shi¡ªRiley, do something!"


    Riley immediately stretched his arms to the side as blood suddenly shot from every orifice in his head. And as he did so, most of the pink fluffs that were approaching them halted, while a few of them started to disappear.


    "Impressive," Caiin blinked as she looked at Riley, "Are you a god?"


    "Riley¡­"


    Hera pulled Caiin and floated close to Riley, "...I don''t think it''s working."


    Most of the pink fluffs were stopped, yes¡­ but a lot more started appearing until the expanse of nothing but darkness was reced by a veil of pink.


    "Have I ever told you how much I hate pink?" Hera grabbed Riley by the shoulders, "Please, Riley. Do some of your god-like shit and just murk these pink balls of death."


    "..."


    "Ah, Riley! It''s working!" Hera started shaking Riley as the new batch of cherbis that appeared also stopped moving toward them. But as Hera shook Riley again, she found no resistance whatsoever as Riley''s stretched arm just started¡­ iling lifelessly.


    "Did¡­" Hera''s eyes turned wide, "...Did he just die on us?"


    "It appears so," Caiin curiously stared at Riley, "And he''s going to just resurrect?"


    "I sure freaking hope he resurrects soon," Hera started shaking Riley violently as the cherbis grewrger andrger as they got near, "Riley! Damn it! Wake up! Riley!"


    "I suppose this is it, we are dead," Caiin closed her eyes, before opening them again and looking at Hera and Riley, "Well, I''m dead. You guys will be stuck here for eternity."


    "No," Hera started shaking her head repeatedly as she pulled both Riley and Caiin closer. The pink, nowpletely covering her entire vision as they were literally only kilometers away from absorbing them,


    "No¡­ no¡­


    ¡­I don''t wanna be stuck with this whitey forever!"


    "Woah!"


    And as Hera was screaming her lungs out, she heard another voice suddenly screaming as loud as she was. And it wasn''t just the volume, but also the voice that was the same.


    "...Huh?" Hera abruptly stopped her screams of panic as Caiin started tapping her arms. She looked at Caiin first, who was gesturing to her to look forward.


    And as she did so, she saw the view of a beach ¡ª with a beautiful sun glimmering across the endless water. But that wasn''t what caught Hera''s attention, however, it was the people that were running around, the people who were rxing and getting a tan, even though their skin was already tanned enough as it is.


    And then, Hera turned toward the other one that screamed¡­ only to see herself wearing a two-piece bathing suit.


    "My god, you surprised me, girl."


    "Huh¡­?" Hera blinked a couple of times as she looked at¡­ the Hera in front of her from head to toe.


    "Hi, Hera!"


    "Oh, hi Hera!"


    Hera then turned to look at the woman who greeted the Hera in front of her, only to see another Hera waving at her.


    "What¡­" Hera could really only look around, only to realize that everyone in this resort¡­ was her, "Just¡­


    ¡­where the fuck are we?"

 Chapter 828 828: In a Hera World

    Chapter 828  828: In a Hera World


    "Hi, Hera!"


    "Hello, Hera!"


    "I like what you''ve done with your hair, Hera."


    "Thank you, Hera!"


    Hera there, Hera here, Hera everywhere. Just a few moments ago, Hera was on the verge of being ripped apart by pinkrge balls of fluff, about to spend the rest of her life with Riley Ross in a universe dead. A life that is most likely for eternity.


    In truth, in thatst second where she started feeling her flesh being pulled from all sides by the sheer gravity of the cherbis, she had actually thought of life with Riley. And suffice it to say, she¡­


    ¡­imagined all sorts of stuff. Most are on the lines of¡­ having to repopte the dead universe with the two of them. And as soon as the images of little Hera-sh-Riley mixed breeds running around crossed her mind, she was suddenly here.


    On a beach, with the setting sun calmly warming her tanned face. Sand, almost whiter than Riley''s skin and as fine as powder.


    "Where¡­ the fuck are we?"


    "Oh, this here''s the Hera beach."


    "Huh?" Hera was asking so many questions, not even realizing that the woman who screamed with her earlier was already answering all of her questions even as she was busy greeting everyone who was greeting her back.


    But as Hera finally turned to look at the other Hera wearing a bathing suit, the other Hera squinted her eyes and also started looking at her from head to toe.


    "Now, hold on just a minute," The other Hera pointed at her face, "...Could it be your wholesome just got here, dear?"


    "Yes¡­?" Hera blinked.


    "Well, I''ll be," The other Hera let out a small gasp as she ced her hand on her chest, "I did hear me some news that there have been new Heras popping up and abouts. You must have been so desperate for a beach to pop up right here ¡ª most just appear in front of the Gates."


    "...What?" Hera was stillpletely confused as she once again started looking around, and everywhere she looked, Hera.


    "Your confusion ispletely normal, girl. I remember the first time I got here. Oh lord, they gots me good," the other Hera started giggling.


    "Why are you speaking in a southern ent?"


    "I don''t have an ent," the other Hera slightly raised an eyebrow, "Let me find someone to takes you and yourpanions to the gate so you can get all orientated about. W¡ªNow, hold on¡­"


    The other Hera started lifting up and fixing her bikini as she finally noticed Caiin and Riley. And with her eyes suddenly widening, she started pointing back and forth between Caiin and Riley violently.


    "O¡­outsiders ain''t supposed to be here!"


    And as the other Hera raised her voice to the point of screams, the other Heras who were already curious about Hera started gathering in a crowd around them. And like the other Hera in front of Hera, the other Heras also started screaming as soon as they noticed Caiin wasn''t one of them. Things, however, got out of hand as soon as they realized Riley was a man.


    "What¡­ what in tarnation is that!?" The other Hera in front of Hera was the first to speak as she pointed at Riley, "Why¡­ why is my body telling me to stay away from him, but at the same time stick to ''im!? What¡­ what is this weird feeling!?"


    And like a douse of cold water violently falling on top of her, Hera finally woke up from her stupor and realized what was happening. She had always thought that she would just endlessly float in the expanse of space when everything ends ¡ª something she truly did not look forward to.


    But of course, she chose not to think about it since she had really only lived for 30 years. The curse of her immortality has still notpletely dawned on her just yet. But still, there was this fear of being alone.


    And now that she was seeing all these Heras in one ce, she realized that wasn''t the case at all.


    Once a universe gets destroyed and she has nowhere left to live in, this was probably the ce where she would go¡­ where they all go.


    "This¡­ this is insane," Hera made sure not to let go of Riley and Caiin, afraid that she was going to drown on¡­ herself, literally.


    "Oh, good," Caiin let out a sigh of relief as she heard Hera''s words, "I was trying to gauge whether or not this was a normal urrence for you otherworlders. It is nice to think that this is also weird for the two of you."


    "Not at all, Dr. Caiin," Riley shook his head, "Much crazier moments have happened to us."


    "Huh. I suppose living for a few more years may not be so bad," Caiin ced her hand on her chin and nodded.


    "Can the two of you share my anxiety for a moment here!?" Hera''s breaths started to get heavier by the second as she kept hearing herself talking over herself endlessly.


    [Everyone, please return to whatever it was you were doing earlier and stop crowding in one ce! We have received your calls of an intruder, let us handle this.]


    "H¡­ hey! Don''tnd here!"


    "The sand is getting all over my skin, I just put sunscreen there!"


    "I swear, I am going to talk to your manager!"


    Fortunately for Hera, the crowd started dispersing, along with the sand as arge helicopter started to descend from the sky. And with the parasols and the nkets all blown away, the helicopternded close to Hera and the others.


    Four people wearing a dark gray, skin-tight suit quickly stepped out of the helicopter.


    "Jesus¡­" Hera immediately covered Riley''s eyes as their suit, although covering her entire body, was stretched and tight enough that it showed the shape of her body to the point she might as well be naked.


    "Are you the newly arrived Hera?"


    "Ye¡ª"


    "Confirmed, she''s not tagged."


    "Huh?"


    Hera could not even get in a single word as one of the four Heras shed her with some sort of scanner. They instinctively did the same to Caiin and Riley, and as the one holding the scanner showed the other Heras the result, they all let out a gasp and started looking at them.


    "Call the Hope Guild! Call the Hope Guild, right now!" The one holding the scanner started pushing herrades back to the helicopter, before putting all of her attention on the unexpected trio,


    "Calm down."


    "I am calm, Sexy Hera." "Okay." "How can I stay calm in this situation!?"


    Riley, Caiin, and Hera all talked over each other as the Hera in front of them started softly waving her hand up and down.


    "I am going to need the three of you to hop on with us in the heli. Can you do that without us having to force you?"


    "I do not care, Sexy Hera." "As I said, I''m all in." "How about exining some stuff first? Did you just say Hope Guild? Are Empress and Whiteking there?"


    "Please, just cooperate and all your questions will be answered," the other Hera gestured to the three to move toward the helicopter. The trio looked at each other for a few seconds, before just nodding and following their order, with Hera still refusing to let go of Riley and Caiin even as they entered the helicopter.


    The Heras in tight suits seemed to be saying something, but Hera just found herself once again hearing nks as the helicopter started gaining distance from the ground. How could she not¡­ when this entire beach resort was actually just an ind?


    A floating ind, with the beach just casually ending like some sort of infinity pool. But what surprised Hera more as the helicopter started flying, was that there were other floating inds there, each of different purpose and category ¡ª with some obviously still being constructed by Heras wearing construction safety outfits.


    "What the heck¡­?" Hera looked at the endless horizon, only to see nothing but an endless sky with the sun in the far distance, "Is this¡­ my version of heaven?"


    "That is a nice and urate way of putting it," Caiin also enjoyed the view; her eyes almost glittering as they reflected this¡­ paradise. As for Riley, he seemed to be more interested in the other Heras, as he was clearly making them ufortable by staring at them, causing even one of them to just outright look down.


    And soon, the helicopter started to slow down as they reached a floating ind with a single tower erected right in the center of it. They did notnd on the roof of the building, however, and insteadnded on the designated helipad beside the building where several aircrafts were already docked.


    "Get out of the way, this is urgent!" The sexy Heras, as Riley called them, did not waste any time as they hastily escorted the trio inside the building. Hera did not even have time to observe the building as they immediately threw them inside an elevator.


    And with an awkward silencesting for half a minute, they reached the top floor which seemed to be an entire conference room judging from therge table that weed them.


    And there, 7 people immediately stood up from their seats at the table as they all stared and watched as the trio entered the floor. And there were, in fact¡­


    ¡­no other members other than Hera herself, just wearing different versions of the outfits of the members of the Hope Guild. There¡­ was even a bald Hera.


    "Of course¡­" Hera could really only cover her forehead as she sighed,


    "What was I even expecting?"

 Chapter 829 829: Hera Here Hera Here

    Chapter 829  829: Hera Here Hera Here


    There was a weight in the air. A weight weighed down even more by the quiet hums and breaths of the people in the room. Hera was quite taken aback at first when she saw the different versions of herself that took on the unique role of each of the members of the Hope Guild.


    Although they all clearly look like the same person, their personalities arepletely different ¡ª to the point that even if they were all wearing the same thing, Hera would probably know who''s who.


    It did not take long for Hera to adjust and treat them ordingly, and soon, she started telling them her story. Her universe, about Riley, about King and how they are where they are now.


    Hera''s Heaven, HH, is what they call it.


    There did not seem to be a certain seating arrangement on therge V-shaped table, as no one was at the single point. There was no clear hierarchy amongst the 7 Heras of this ce''s Hope Guild, but Hera could not help but address the one that seemed to be taking the role of Whiteking the most.


    And while the Heras were busy, Caiin was busy trying to find something to drink. No one really seems to mind him other than the Heras in dark gray suits who served as HH''s guards and soldiers.


    As for Riley, he was just standing near therge windows, his eyes reflecting the endless sky and the inds that were floating from afar.


    "Interesting." This was probably the tenth time he was uttering the very same words. He did not even bother listening or confirming Hera''s ounts of everything that had happened to them, as he had been hearing everyone exin to everyone why and how they were in a certain situation so many times now. It was almost as if they told the story to anyone who was remotely relevant.


    "This isn''t part of the multiverse, this is a domain," Riley continued to whisper to himself as he started walking around while still looking at the view. He had tried stretching out his telekic zone as far as he could, but there was actually no end to this ce ¡ª no such thing as an outer space.


    It was almost as if it was just one big atmosphere of an endless sky. As for the thing that looked like a sun, it wasn''t a sun at all but just a mist of light.


    "Supers truly are still the most interesting beings in the multiverse," Riley finally strayed his eyes away from the view of the outside as he looked at the 7 Heras. And of course, as soon as he did so, all of them subtly looked back; extremely and incredibly wary of him. Riley, on the other hand, was truly just curious.


    Most of the Enders that Bard mentioned were humans. And considering they held the most mysterious powers and forces in the universe, it wasn''t a surprise at all. But what was most interesting for Riley is that there are actually Supers that are connected to their variants, directly or indirectly.


    His grandmother, Charlotte Lane, is directly connected to her variants emotionally and mentally ¡ª sharing abilities across the multiverse. Delivery Man is an enigma even for Riley. He does not seem to be a unique existence, but his variants are essentially all him ¡ª and they are only alive whenever someone orders through them, sharing memory and everything.


    Chihiro and Paige; Riley does not really know what to think of them yet, as they were not really truly humans.


    And now, Hera. She is connected with her variants essentially through her version of death here in the HH.


    Just what is the supervirus, exactly?


    ¡­And why could someone like him, a suspected Primordial, able to absorb their abilities if they could kill him?


    "And that''s it."


    And after a couple more minutes, Hera was finally able to exin everything right down to the minute details that her variants needed to know.


    "It checks out." The first one to stand up from her seat was Whiteking Hera; her eyes, looking at each member of the Hope Guild and nodding at them. And after what seemed to be a silent conversation among them, Whiteking started walking around the table to approach Hera.


    "There has actually been an influx of neerstely ¡ª and they all confirm your story that there is a Bernard Ross out there that is hellbent on destroying everything. We have believed you from the start," Whiteking Hera ced her hand on Hera''s shoulder,


    "And¡­?" Hera squinted her eyes as she looked at Whiteking Hera''s hand.


    "And you are free to go," Whiteking Hera just shrugged as she gestured toward the elevator, "Although we do need to study how you were able to bring someone else to HH, so visit when we call you."


    "Wait, aren''t we gonna do something about King?" Hera forced out a single chuckle as she looked at the other Heras.


    "And what exactly is it you want us to do?" The sound of gold clinking jingled in the air as Empress Hera lifted herself up from her seat, "We''re dead, Hera. There is a reason why this ce is called Hera''s Heaven. This is it, this is the paradise we have been waiting for."


    "W¡ªI am not dead!" Hera scoffed as she shook her head.


    "You were surrounded by an army of cherbis," Empress Hera sighed, "You are probably more dead than the rest of usbined."


    "I was able to get out of there before I was absorbed!" Hera raised her voice as she looked at Whiteking Hera, "If I wasn''t, then she would be dead."


    Everyone then turned their heads to Caiin, who was just calmly rummaging for anything to drink on the small refrigerator provided in the conference room.


    "T¡ª"


    "Wait," Whiteking Hera ced her hand on her chin as she nced at Caiin, "What Hera said makes sense."


    "Thank you!"


    "But I don''t know how yet."


    "F¡­" Hera could really only grit her teeth in frustration, "Stop pretending to be Whiteking if you''re actually dumb! I realize most of you have already grown rxed andcent here¡­


    ¡­but none of us are dead! We are literally unkible, that is our shtick. And this ce? You are mistaking heaven for paradise. This is paradise, none of us are dead. Riley and Caiin being here literally prove that!"


    "But this ce¡ª"


    "May I?"


    And before the Heras could start deliberating the crisis they found themselves in, Riley raised his hand and started¡­ moving to the pointing end of the V-shaped table.


    "There is a high chance that this ce is a Domain, Miss Heras," Riley calmly said as he made a chair for himself created from the floor, "I have been to a few domains and this ce reminds me of them."


    "A¡­ domain?" Whiteking Hera ced her hand on her chin again, causing Hera to roll her eyes.


    "A ce outside of the Multiverse," Riley nodded as he took a seat, casually cing his hands on the table, "Miss Hera is right, none of you are dead."


    "It''s¡ª"


    "And you do not need to seek for further proof because the proof is already in front of you," Riley stretched his arm to the side,


    "Me."


    "Ah!" Hera quickly pointed at Riley as she realized what he meant.


    "The proof that I am here means that none of you are dead, Miss Heras," a small smile crawled on Riley''s face, "I am a being which Death can not hold."


    "...I don''t get it," Tempo Hera looked at her variants to see if they were as confused as she was, "So, this isn''t really heaven?"


    "Hmm," Bulwark Vera''s golden eyes flickered, "Well, I have always thought that wasn''t the case. We literally built this ce to what it is just a decade ago or so."


    "Wait¡ªright," Hera started looking at her variants, "Wait, wait. God damn it¡­


    ¡­You freaking morons are just role-ying!"


    "..."


    "..."


    The Heras of the Hope Guild all looked at each other, before all letting out a collective sigh and shaking their heads.


    "I told you I should have yed Whiteking!" Empress Hera started taking off the bangles attached to her arms as she pointed at Whiteking Hera, "You''re too stupid to y that role!"


    "W¡ª"


    "Stop!"


    And before the Heras could start arguing with one another, Hera mmed her foot on the ground, causing the entire tower to shake.


    "Okay, it''s my fault because I am just that good of an actor," Hera tried to calm herself down, "But what the heck¡­? Are you guys serious? I wasted my time exining all of this to you and¡ª"


    "Everyone, that''s enough."


    And all of a sudden, all the Heras in the room excluding Hera all shut their mouths as a somewhat tiny and high-pitched voice resounded in the conference room. It was then followed by the sound of a door opening ¡ª a secret door near where Caiin was.


    "..." Caiin could really only blink a couple of times as¡­ a small girl stepped out of the door, perhaps barely even 5 years of age. Each of her steps, however, seemedpletely confident as she walked toward Hera and Whiteking Hera.


    "Go, shoo," the child then started waving her hand. And as she did so, the other Heras all just sighed and started heading to the elevator, even the guards.


    "Sorry for all the theatrics, Hera."


    "..." And as the little girl tried to hold her leg, Hera could really only take a step back as she looked at her. Hera''s eyes, slightly trembling as they reflected the little girl¡­ which closely resembled her,


    "How¡­? W... Why?"


    "Oh," the little girl looked at herself and just chuckled,


    "I was the first Talia to be sent here¡­


    ¡­the Hera of King''s universe."

 Chapter 830 830: Talia Tal

    Chapter 830  830: Talia Tal


    "It has been a very long time since I havest seen a face not of my own¡­ It''s a very weing sight."


    "...Right."


    Hera did not really know what to feel. On one hand, this little girl was probably the most mature Hera she had seen so far in HH, and she was truly thankful for that. But at the same time, Hera could not really help butment and overthink the fact that this little girl¡­ died.


    She looks 5 at most.


    "Oh?" The little girl noticed Hera''s trembling eyes, "I¡­ suppose you''re also shocked."


    "Yes¡­?" Hera once again took a step back as the little version of her started dancing around; her cute little dress and hair that reached her shoulders waved around as she spun elegantly like a ballet dancer, "You''re¡­"


    "Just call me Talia," The little Hera, Talia, let out a small giggle before gracefully leaping onto the V-shaped table, continuing her pirouette as she moved on top of it, "I did not really live long enough to be Hera. And you, you''re Whiteking''s adoptive son?"


    Talia expertly sat in front of Riley, imitating his tilted head as she smiled at him, "It''s the first time I am hearing he has an adoptive son, I suppose your existence truly holds a special mystery in the universe."


    "As much as you have, Miss Talia," Riley nodded.


    "Pft," Talia covered her mouth and giggled. She then started running across the table and looked at Caiin, "And you''re Diana! You don''t really look like how they described you!"


    "Yes," Caiin batted her eyes as she curiously approached the little girl, "It would seem I am quite different from the rest of my variants, like you."


    "Stop it, I''m not that special, guys," Talia once again giggled before leaping out of the table and running toward therge windows before stretching her arms to the side as wide as she could, "There are like more than thousands of us here."


    "Wait." And almost in full contrast to Talia''s jolly, almost jubnt voice, Hera seemedpletely worried and at a loss as she hurriedly approached Talia, "You said you were from King''s universe?"


    "Oh, yes¡­" Talia puffed her cheeks and pointed a finger at her temple, "...Papoosh."


    Talia mouthed a small explosion, before creating a buzzing noise as she started brushing her finger toward the back of her neck.


    "Whiteking sliced my head like that, and then I was suddenly here, alone for quite a lot of years."


    "No¡­" Hera looked Talia in the eyes.


    "It is what it is," Talia sighed.


    "And how were you able to get so eloquent?" Caiin was truly intrigued at Talia''s existence, "In human years, you look like you are just a year past a toddler."


    "I don''t know," Talia just shrugged as she once again looked at herself, "I just learned things, I suppose. I think my superpowers thought I would die of boredom if I did not learn anything the 20 or so years I was alone¡­


    ¡­I like dancing the most"


    "..." Hera could really only watch as Talia once again started leaping and spinning in the air as she circled around her, "Can you¡­ tell us how to get out of this ce?"


    "Oh, I have no idea," Talia shrugged, "The only thing I know is that we are alive, and this is not really heaven. Why would you want to leave this ce in the first ce? It has everything! They even built arge candy bar on Hera Bazaar Ind!"


    "...Because we''re not supposed to be here?" Hera slowly muttered, "You said it yourself, we''re not dead. We need to be out there."


    "Where? We might be alive, but our universes are dead. Our moms and dads are dead. Their friends are dead," Talia crossed her arms as she pouted, "You are only saying that because your universe might still be alive."


    "That''s not what I¡ª"


    "Anyways¡­"


    Talia then started yawning as her jolly steps finally slowed down, "I''m getting a little sleepy. So, let''s talk again once my nap time is over?"


    "Wa¡ªHuh?"


    Hera was going to approach Talia, but she, Riley, and Caiin suddenly found themselves inside a room. No, inside a humble-sized house. The walls were bricks and stones, the floors were just unfinished asphalt, and there were square carpets of the same design just lying on the floor everywhere.


    "This¡­" Hera blinked a couple of times as she started looking around, "...This is my parent''s house."


    "I did not know you were poor, Miss Hera," Riley also started looking around, focusing on the small bedroom that you could see from the living room since it did not really have a door and was just covered with some sort of curtain.


    "We weren''t!" Hera almost snarled at Riley as she looked at him, "My parents were both biracial, but my grandparents from my dad''s side did not really¡­ appreciate my mother since she came from a¡­ different belief. Dad was disowned by his own family and¡ªwhy am I even telling this to you!?"


    "Interesting, please continue, Miss Hera."


    "No," Hera rolled her eyes as she started walking to the door, "Anyway, I remember the houses sharing walls with the neighbors, and¡­ Yup, that''s what I fucking thought."


    Hera opened the door, only to be weed byyers andyers of houses all sticking to one another¡ªhouses with the same design.


    "Ah! Ye'' a neer eh?" And immediately, she was greeted by another Hera who seemed to be on her way somewhere, "Looking forward smellin'' you from now on. Me and my friends were about to do some little hiking on Hera''s Mountain, would you like toe wit''?"


    "Why the fuck do you have a difference ent!?" Hera wanted to pull her face in frustration as she once again heard another Hera with a crazy ent.


    "Wee. ''Coz I''m acting, sweetie," the other Hera shrugged, "You should try it sometimes, will help you fit in well ''ere. A waste of yer acting skills if ye don''t. I''m not feelin'' your energy right now, gettin'' a tad bit aggress¡ª"


    "Stop, stop it! It''s not even that good of an ent."


    "Excuse me?" And all of a sudden, the other Hera lost her ent. Her left eyebrow, raised as high as it could as she looked Hera in the eyes, "I will have you know that I won several Emmys and Grammys¡ªmuch more than the other Heras. My ent is fine¡­


    ¡­bitch."


    "What did you¡ª"


    And before Hera could get a final word in, the other Hera jumped high into the air and onto a helicopter that was already waiting for her in the skies. The other Hera seemed to be saying something to Hera since she was waving her hand, but Hera couldn''t really hear it.


    "She said you''re not even that beautiful, Miss Hera," Riley, on the other hand, seemed to take it upon himself to let Hera know.


    "Excuse me¡­? I''m¡ªNo, that doesn''t matter," Hera stepped back inside the house, "We need to find a way to get out of here. If I was going to be stuck here forever with other people exactly like me, then I would have rather be stuck with this whitey instead. Dr. Caiin, since you''re the smartest among us three, what do you think so far?"


    "Oh, I think everything''s fantastic," Caiin let out a small chuckle as she sat down on the sofa that was covered with a towel, "It hasn''t even been long since I learned that the multiverse is real, and I am already being plunged into all of this."


    "I mean, do you have any idea on how we could escape this ce?"


    "It seems to me our friend here might have more," Caiin pointed to Riley, "My adoptive son here is a Primordial, right? Maybe do something¡­ supreme?"


    "I do have an idea, Miss Hera," Riley ced his hand on his chin and nodded.


    "...Do we want to hear this idea?" Hera covered her forehead and sighed, "Fine."


    "I attempt to kill everyone here," Riley casually said as he smiled.


    "No," Hera pointed her palm at Riley, "I know what you''re thinking, and the thought¡­ might have brushed my brain a little bit earlier, but no. The realistic scenario is that we''ll just get sent to a domain simr to this one."


    "And I will destroy that too, Miss Hera."


    "And what if I am the only one that gets teleported?" Hera raised an eyebrow, "Then you and Dr. Caiin here would be stuck in this ce forever."


    "That doesn''t seem bad, honestly," Caiin shrugged, "I get to spend some time with my supposed adoptive son, and this domain seems to have everything we need."


    Riley pointed at Caiin and nodded his head, "You will also be saving the rest of the multiverse from me, Miss Hera."


    "As much as I hate to say this, but I think we actually need you out there," Hera forced out a chuckle, "You and King are monsters without a doubt. But at least with you, people just get tortured, die, and that''s it. That fucker seems to be lobotomizing humans and then enving other people. He is mad at the world, you¡­ you''re just doing your purpose."


    "Very well, I have another idea," Riley sighed, "Kill me, Dr. Caiin."


    "...Why would I do that?" Caiin stared at Riley for a few seconds before her eyes started to widen, "Oh! Are you going to that¡­ Nothing?"


    "Yes, Dr. Caiin," Riley nodded, "He was not really there thest time I died, but perhaps I could call him this time."


    "Hm, okay. Turn off your telekic barrier."


    "Ack, this is crazy," Hera shook her head and turned around,


    "...Please don''t do it on the carpet."


    ***


    [Oh my¡­


    ¡­things have been very interesting for you thest time we''ve met. A new Primordial. But are you, really?]

 Chapter 831 831: Been A While

    <h4>Chapter 831 Chapter 831: Been A While</h4>


    [A new Primordial¡­


    ¡­But are you, really?]


    "Did you redecorate your home, Nothing? It was not like this thest time I was here ¡ª and that was only hours ago."


    [Oh, do you like it?]


    Nothing''s domain was a collection of absolutely nothing. But now, there were blocks of gray pirs everywhere. Each was as wide as a sedan and perhaps infinitely tall as Riley could not really see the end of it. The distance between each pir was that of a bus, giving a space wide enough to make it feel not suffocating at all.


    This sea of pirs was vast, reaching out into the horizon and probably spawning endlessly. They felt weird too, they felt¡­ alive.


    "I do not, Nothing," Riley shook his head as he strayed his eyes away from the pirs and onto Nothing, "I prefer it when it is empty."


    And as always, Nothing reflected Riley''s appearance. His hair was a lot shorter and neater like Riley''s, but there was always just something different about his face.


    [Huh¡­ and I wasted energy decorating this too,] Nothing ced his hand on one of the pirs, causing a weird pulse to echo throughout the entire domain as the other pirs also released a pulse. And it was like a growl, a fading growl that whispered farther and farther away from Riley''s ears,


    [Are you not even going to ask what they are for?]


    "No," Riley shook his head, "I am¡ª"


    [You are here to ask how to get out of the little girl''s domain,] Nothing did not let Riley finish his words as his form shifted into Talia, [I am sorry, but I can not help you with this one. Well, not like I have really ever helped you. Let''s talk about something else¡­


    ¡­you''ve met the children.]


    "The children?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "The Primordials?"


    [Yes, those cheeky little bastards,] Nothing let out a small but very deep sigh as he shook his head, [After an eternity, they do something like this. It is like they are trying to show me that they could interact with Creation, but I can''t. You know?]


    "..."


    [And now there is you,] Nothing snarled at Riley as he looked at him from head to toe, [If what Navi says about you is true and that you are a Primordial, then it somewhat makes a lot of things make sense, but it also makes some things do not.]


    "I have said this before and I will say it again, Nothing." This time, it was Riley who sighed as he started approaching one of the pirs, "I am not interested in my origin, I never have been. Other people are, but I just do not see the point in it."


    [Do you know the Primordials and I, in a rtive sense, are born only¡­ an hour apart from each other?] Nothingpletely ignored Riley as he exined anyway; his form, turning back to resemble Riley, [And yet that hour was an eternity for me ¡ª an eternity of Nothing. What was there before Nothing? Well, nothing. It is always so confusing when you talk to us, no?]


    "Not really, Nothing," Riley touched the pir he approached, "I find it quite¡ª"


    [Oh, shouldn''t have touched that,] Nothing raised both his hands as soon as Riley touched the pir. The weird smile on his face as he approached Riley, turning almost into a chuckle as he looked him in the eyes. Riley''s eyes have always usually been empty, but now¡­ there was almost no trace of anything on them at all, they were just nk,


    [You shouldn''t have touched that.]


    Nothing then started walking around the pir several times, looking at his wrist from time to time whenever he passed by Riley. And very soon, he slowed down his pace and stood behind him.


    [And¡­


    ¡­back?]


    "..." What little color Riley had in his eyes returned as he quickly let go of the pir. He looked around him for a few seconds with his eyebrows slightly lowered, but after a few seconds, he let out a sigh and shook his head hard.


    [So?] Nothing leaned closer to Riley''s face and smiled, [How does it feel? Eternity?]


    "Empty," Riley nced at his hand.


    [As it should,] Nothing looked ahead toward the horizon of pirs, [The Primordials handle everything, and when it is done, it is sent back here, to me. These Pirs hold the memory of every universe that has ever been ¡ª right from their creation, and onto the time they turn into nothing.]


    "..."


    [Are you ready for that, Riley Ross?] Nothing nced at Riley, [After you are done erasing everything, are you ready to experience what you have just experienced now, again and again?]


    "Hm."


    [Well, I suppose there is no use in talking about that now,] Nothing let out a small chuckle, [You still have a very long road ahead of you, Riley Ross. You are not like the other Primordials, and they are seeing that ¡ª that is the very reason why they have chosen to show themselves to their Creation once and for all. King is the multiverse''s problem, Riley¡­


    ¡­and the old Primordials are yours.]


    "I wasted my time here," Riley let out a sigh as his silhouette started fading, "I will see you again, Nothing."


    [Well, you did not waste your time exactly¡­] Nothing waved his hand, [...I already gave you the answer.]


    "..."


    [Oh, and one more thing¡­


    ¡­I believe you and Paige Pearson are a package.]


    "Riley!"


    "..." Riley blinked, and suddenly Caiin and Hera were looking at him from above. He looked around, only to realize he was lying on the sofa with his clothespletely covered in blood.


    "Wow," Caiin looked at him like he was some sort of circus freak, "You really do just¡­e to life again if you die. You don''t regenerate, you just¡­ It''s like your body just resets."


    "Hm. It has been a very long time since Ist saw the two of you."


    Caiin and Hera both took a step back as Riley sat up.


    "So?" Hera quickly sat beside Riley and grabbed his hand, "Did that Nothing dude say something to you?"


    "..." Riley looked at Hera''s face for a couple of seconds, before letting out a sigh and saying, "Yes."


    "What is it? Stop with the suspense!"


    "He told me that this is Talia''s domain."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...And?" Hera waited for a few more seconds if Riley was going to say something else.


    "That is it, Miss Hera."


    "Wh¡ªThat''s nothing!" Hera wanted to pull her hair there and then, "We already knew that this is Talia¡ªwait a minute. He said this is Talia''s domain? Not¡­ Hera''s? Is that just a technicality, or is he saying that this isn''t a shared space at all¡­ but just Talia''s?"


    "Perhaps, Miss Hera," Riley ced his hand on his chin, "Let us just try killing the little girl and see what happens."


    "No, no! Hold up!" Hera quickly blocked Riley''s path as he stood up, "We don''t know that yet. We can''t go around terrorizing people, especially her. She''s¡­ already suffered so much."


    "I do not really see what makes her so different from you or the others, Miss Hera," Riley blinked.


    "She''s a literal child!"


    "You seem to be forgetting what I am, Miss Hera," Riley looked Hera in the eyes, "I have killed billions of children. Watch them die, and even kill one that was smiling at me while I was holding her in my arms."


    "Th¡ªStill, don''t!" Hera did not back down and continued to block Riley''s path, "We don''t know what''s going to happen or how our ability will react if you suddenly go on a rampage. Honestly, we don''t know anything."


    "...Very well."


    "Ah, thank god," Hera could really only let out a breath of relief as she looked at Caiin, "I really could not deal with anything right now. I just want to rx, maybe rest for a bit¡­ and then we start nning. How about that?"


    "I''m just here for the ride," Caiin shrugged.


    "Then I will look around, Miss Hera."


    "Wait, where are you going!?" Hera rushed to grab Riley, but he moved his arm away.


    "To look around," Riley nced back, "My memory is a bit foggy at the moment, Miss Hera."


    "Promise me you''re not going to attack Talia or anyone for that matter."


    "No." And with those words, Riley just left the house and flew away.


    "Riley, wait! Riley!"


    ***


    "Hm¡­"


    Riley was now in front of a mirror, wearing a newly bought oversized sweater and pants. His previous clothes that were filled with blood, being carried by a Hera behind her; the courteous smile on her face, trying its best not to break.


    "Would¡­ would you like something smaller?"


    "No, this is fine," Riley turned around, "How do I pay for this?"


    "You¡­ don''t," the clerk Hera stuttered as Riley approached her, "You set up an ount on¡ªWho¡­ even are you?"


    "Riley Ross, Clothier Hera," Riley let out a small hum as he looked out the window of the clothing store, only to see a couple more Heras watching him curiously, "I might be spending a few more days in this ce. Can you tell me more about this¡­ ount?"


    "A few more¡­ days? You can leave?" the clerk Hera''s eyes started to widen, "Can you leave this ce? What are you? Are you god? An angel?"


    "The devil, Clothier Hera," Riley sighed, "I suppose I will be returning these clothes to you, then. I do not have a way to pay for it yet."


    "No, no! Please, keep it. In return, can you just¡­ tell me where you''re staying?"


    "...I do not really remember the address."


    "Would you like toe to my home instead to talk, then?" The clerk Hera took in a small gulp as she looked at Riley from head to toe, "It has been a while since¡­


    ¡­Ist saw a man."

 Chapter 832 832: Hera Entertainment

    Chapter 832  832: Hera Entertainment


    "I believe our house is in that direction."


    "Oh, that''s the South East district."


    The housing of the Heras was quite simple, but mesmerizing at the same time. They all lived in houses with the same down, stacked on top of each other like stairs ¡ª perhaps it would be better to define it as a sort of coliseum stand, as the floating ind itself was cylindrical in nature.


    "This is my house, the North district. You can tell by the towers surrounding the ind."


    "..." Riley looked up at the tower in the far distance, each of the towers was of different colors, perhaps a way to differentiate them easily, "It is amazing what has been done to this ce considering most of you have only arrived here less than a decade ago, Clothier Hera."


    "Please, just call me Hera."


    "I can not," Riley shook his head, "That is a name reserved for the Hera of my world, Miss Hera 2."


    "Well, that will do," Hera 2 giggled as she entered her house, "Please, Mr. Ross."


    "Thank you for inviting me to your home, Hera," Riley nodded as he followed Hera 2 inside, "In truth, I find myself a littlecking in confidence with my social skills since I was trapped and forced to watch the beginning and the end of a universe. I needed the¡ª"


    "I''m sorry, Mr. Ross."


    And as Riley entered the house, he found himself being stared at by probably more than a dozen Heras, all wearing different uniforms of the working ss. They all had varying expressions on their faces, all with one thing inmon ¡ª shock.


    "Hm," Riley could really let out a small breath as he looked at the same faces one by one, "As I said, a littlecking in social skills. It would seem my ability to read people has also been affected. But then again, I never have been able to read you, Miss Hera 2."


    "Holy crap."


    "That''s¡­ a man."


    "Is he¡­ real? Where did he evene from?"


    "Can you really get us out of this ce!?"


    "I''m really sorry, Mr. Ross!" Hera 2 suddenly grabbed Riley''s hand and ced it on her chest, "But please, you have to understand. We can''t be stuck in this ce, there are so many things that I still wish to do."


    "..." Riley only nced at her hand before letting out a sigh, "Why not do it here then, Miss Hera 2?"


    "Because it''s meaningless!" Hera 2 nced at the other Heras behind her, only for all of them to nod their heads several times at the same time, "Whatever I do here, the only one that''s going to see it¡­ is me! The only audience is me!"


    "That is somewhat narcissistic, no?" Riley pulled his hand away. Hera 2 and the others thought he was leaving and were about to stop him. But instead, he walked toward the small table and sat down, "The other Heras are technically not you at all, all of them have different memories, different lives, even different achievements."


    "That''s¡­ one more thing that''s fucked up in this ce, Mr. Ross," Hera 2 forced out a chuckle as she sat in front of Riley, looking at him in the eyes, "Achievements. Those who have achieved more when they were still ''alive'' are treated better. While¡­ while we who are at the bottom barrel are treated as employees and hands."


    "And what is wrong with being aborer, Miss Hera 2?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "Laborers are the backbones of society, without any of you, this ce will fall and¡ªHm¡­


    ¡­this ce will fall."


    And as Riley suddenly turned quiet and ced his hand on his chin, Hera 2 turned to look at her variants; seemingly confused as to what they were going to do now.


    "Wait¡­" One of the Heras let out a long and deep breath as she faintly pointed at Riley while very slowly approaching him, "Ross? You''re not rted to Bernard Ross, by any chance?"


    "Hm?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at the curious Hera, "I am his adoptive son."


    "What¡­?"


    The Heras all started to look at each other, almost as if having telepathic conversion among themselves and even understanding one another.


    "We''ve never encountered that serial womanizer having an adopted son before."


    "Wait, does that freak have something to do with you being here?"


    "Not at all," Riley raised his palm, "And I am a unique existence, everyone. Alone in the entire multiverse."


    "Woah. So, you''re like the protagonist?"


    "Wait, wait¡­" The one that originally pointed at Riley hushed everyone else as she once again pointed at him. This time, her eyes were as squinted as they could be, "...That face, it reminds me of Ms. Phoenix."


    "Now that you mention it¡­"


    "Wait, wait¡­" And once again, the serial pointer pointed at Riley, "...You''re Ms. Phoenix and Whiteking''s love child!"


    "What!?"


    "No." Sadly for these Heras that have not sucked in outside news for a long time, Riley quickly shut down their excitement, "I do not really have a biological father, even Alice Lane being my biological mother is currently in question. But it is intriguing that you think I look like Alice Lane, most do not see even a tinge of resemnce."


    "I mean, it is quite obvious looking at you."


    "Wait, guys! Guys!" Hera 2 blocked everyone''s view of Riley as she stood in front of him, "We''re losing track here. We all agreed to bring Mr. Ross here to find a way to get us out."


    "...And can Mr. Ross get us out?"


    "I have an idea," Riley stood up from his seat, "But we need to discuss it first with Hera."


    "..." The Heras all looked at each other, shrugging their shoulders as they seemed slightly confused with his statement, "Which one?"


    "My Hera."


    ***


    "Absolutely fucking not, are you insane!?"


    "Yes."


    "No!"


    Riley, Hera 2, and the other Heras were now inside Hera''s house. And suffice it to say, most of them were staring at Caiin and missing most parts of Riley and Hera''s conversation.


    "What do you mean start a war? Why?" Hera had one of her hands ced on the table, while the other was on her waist, "The only result that''s going to have is that everyone''s going to be awkward with each other after. How many times do I have to tell you that my abilities will always ensure that I survive, no matter what? And the fact that my body is not even reacting to your n means it will do nothing."


    "But your mind sure is reacting to it, Miss Hera."


    "Of course. If you haven''t noticed, I am pissed off, Riley."


    "Oh, I am noticing it now, Miss Hera," Riley''s mouth slightly turned wide as he pointed right at Hera''s face, "I apologize. All I thought about when I was trapped was Sister, and being livid is her default setting so I seemed to have started associating it with everything else."


    "What in the hell are you even saying?" Hera then gestured to the other Heras, "Look, you even involved these poor women with your antics."


    "We''re actually the ones who approached him!" Hera 2 immediately stepped out of the crowd of Heras, "And we''re not poor!"


    "I didn''t mean it like that," Hera could really only pinch the bridge of her nose as she quietly apologized to everyone, "Look, you are only being swept by this whitey''s antics because you don''t know him. He''s evil, right down to the core. And please, please don''t be swept in by his charm."


    "We don''t care if he''s the literal incarnation of the devil himself," Hera 2, as well as the other Heras all looked at Hera; their conviction almost beaming out from their eyes, "But we need to get out of this ce. He already told us we''re not really dead, and if we manage to leave this ce, you guys can just put us in a ce without a Hera¡­


    ¡­anywhere but here."


    "This ce messes our minds," one of the other Heras spoke up, "At first it seems like paradise. The beach, ake, beautiful mountains ¡ª it is basically what most of us want to escape to. I know you feel that, Hera."


    "She does," Riley was the one to answer, "Miss Hera is always so busy, and has expressed her desire to take a vacation numerous times when we had our little space adventure years ago. And perhaps even more so now that she owns Hera Entertainment. She¡ª"


    "Hera¡­ Entertainment?"


    All the Heras'' eyes lit up as soon as they heard that word. Most of them even forgot what else they were talking about as they focused on those words and just stared at Hera, looking at her from head to toe.


    "You¡­ own your own entertainmentpany?" Hera 2 gasped.


    "That¡ªRiley, what the hell?" Hera red at Riley and whispered with her teeth gritted.


    "Is¡­ is that true?" And all of a sudden, Hera found herself surrounded by different versions of herself, "You''re the CEO of your ownpany?"


    "Chairman, actually," Hera sighed, "Look, that doesn''t matt¡ª"


    "We need to get out of this ce," Hera 2 and the others'' eyes lit up with fire as their voices turned resolute, "We will do it, we are going to shake the foundation of this ce and destroy it from within."


    "What¡­ no," Hera pleaded, "This doesn''t have to get violent, we just need to talk to Talia, she''s the one who knows everything about this ce."


    "...Right," Hera 2 and the others sighed.


    "Good. Now that we''re seeing eye to e¡ª"


    "We are going to overtake Talia with you."


    "Huh¡­?" Hera blinked a couple of times as Hera 2 pointed at her.


    "You are the most sessful Hera out of all of us¡­


    ¡­You are worthy of taking her ce."

 Chapter 833 833: You Neva Get Tired of Hera This, Do you?

    Chapter 833  833: You Neva Get Tired of Hera This, Do you?


    "Remind me again what we''re doing here?"


    "I told you, we bought this just now! The girls and I practically raked up all our savings this morning and bought this entire ind for us!"


    "I see."


    Hera, Riley, Caiin, Hera 2, and the other Heras were now on an empty floating ind,pletely empty. There was not even a single sight of grass, not even a pebble. It was just a t ind with nothing but dirt. But perhaps the most notable part of the floating ind was its size¡­


    ¡­there were about twenty of them there, and if just one of them took a single step in any direction, then one of them was bound to fall.


    "Why did you even buy something like this?" Hera could not help but once again pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, "How are we even going to use this plot ofnd?"


    "We¡­ we were hoping to create Hera Entertainment here," Hera 2, and the other Heras nodded, "You''ve made it before, I am sure you won''t have trouble building it from the ground up again."


    "Forget about the effort aspect of how I built thepany," Hera was trying her best not to wave her hand as she feared someone might fall, "Let''s talk logistics. You want me to build it here?"


    "Yes."


    "Here? In this verynd that could barely fit all of us?"


    "...We can make a tower?"


    "A tower as thin as Tempo''s dick!" Hera screamed out in frustration. As soon as she said those words, however, the others all let out gasps of shock.


    "It''s not that tiny! Average, yes. But not tiny!"


    "You know how much he hates that!"


    "Wait, you guys have seen Tempo''s dick? Wait, don''t tell me most of you guys dated Tempo?"


    "...I was married to him."


    "Divorced, I found out he had another family in the Philippines and Whiteking was helping him hide it."


    "Wh¡­" Hera did not really expect her words to cause a chain of reaction. She wanted them to stop, but was also slightly curious how Tempo was in the other universes. Fortunately, she was able to stop the natural gossiper in her and heavily pped her hands,


    "Stop! Stop! This n is ridiculous. I do not even know how things work in this ce and you want me to create an entertainment agency?"


    "You do not have to worry about the minor stuff, Hera," Hera 2 suddenly wore a pair of sses, "I''ll handle all that as your personal secretary. I hired myself if you don''t mind."


    "I told you, this is not going to be possi¡ª"


    "!!!"


    And before Hera could finish her words, she felt her feet very gently leaving the ground.


    "W¡­ woah."


    "We''re¡­ flying."


    "Oh my god, this is so weird."


    And it wasn''t only her, every single one of them except Riley was now floating in the air, even Caiin who was really just happy to be there.


    "What are you doing, Riley¡­?" Hera, on the other hand, did not seem very pleased with what was happening, "Wait, you''re not thinking of dropping them, are you!?"


    "Why would he drop us?" Hera 2 blinked a couple of times, "This feels oddlyfortable, our abilities aren''t really reacting to it."


    "I can''t wait for you guys to realize what sort of monster Riley really is," Hera let out a sigh as she just focused on Riley again, "What are you doing?"


    "This, Miss Hera," Riley breathed out as he kneeled and ced his palm on the ground. And as soon as he did so, the floating ind that was the size of a small bus slowly started to expand.


    "Crap¡­ I forgot you could do that," Hera batted her eyes several times, and with each opening of her eyes the ind just grew wider and wider. And soon, it was the size of a football stadium,


    "...But I did not know that you could do it to this extent."


    "I could not, Miss Hera," Riley shook his head, "But ever since I started stretching my telekic abilities to the point of me dying several times, it would seem it also affected how much I could endure the stress of my other abilities."


    "This¡­" Riley then stood as he very gently lowered Hera and the others, "...is nothing to me now."


    "Ah, this is great!" Hera 2 and the other Heras started cheering and hugging one another as the plot ofnd they bought instantly turned bigger, "Even if we''re not sessful with our n, we could just sell this ind and live like queens!"


    "..." Hera quickly red at the other Heras, causing them all to collect and calm themselves down, with some of them still high-fiving each other sneakily, "That solves one of our biggest problems¡­ and now we go onto the next one."


    Hera looked up and the others did the same as they all imagined a tall building erecting directly where they stood.


    "Is it just me, or are we getting closer to the sky?"


    "...Which sky? We''re surrounded by the sky already."


    "I meant I feel like we''re going up!"


    The Heras quickly all looked down, only to realize they were actually already high up from the ground.


    "So like what, you''re a literal god now?" Hera, on the other hand, could really only just let out a sigh of exhaustion as he watched as Riley truly did erect an entire building where they stood. And soon, four walls and a roof covered their heads.


    "This I could do for a very long time already, Miss Hera," Riley then said as the interior of the room started to resemble Hera''s office back in their world. Riley then removed parts of the wall, creating a thick ss window so that they could have a view of the entire ind,


    "As for the other furniture and the color, I am afraid we would have to acquire it somewhere else."


    "Yeah, no. This¡­" Hera looked around, "...This is good."


    ***


    "It''s done!"


    "I can''t believe we did all of this in just 6 hours!"


    "...All we did was bring paint."


    "And most of the 6 hours was us bringing furniture from our houses!"


    And as the Heras said it, 6 hours had passed since Riley erected the building, and it almost truly resembled Hera''s building. Hera also helped, of course, by pointing to Riley the certain details he needed to do.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Now what?" Hera 2 and the other Heras all turned their attention to Hera, "Do we just start operating or something? We do need staff, we could start hiring some girls, but for now, I guess it''s just us?"


    "You guys are not staff. Seriously, how are you guys even Hera with that kind of self-loathing and confidence?" Hera let out a small scoff as she looked at Hera 2, "You guys bought thisnd with your money so you''re basically owners of thepany."


    "O¡­ oh," The Heras all looked at each other, seemingly proud of what they had achieved.


    "But still¡­" Hera 2 sighed, "We still need staff to¡ª"


    "You don''t need to worry about staff, we already have them," Hera smirked as she looked at Riley, "Thousands of them. All we need right now¡­


    ¡­is to set up auditions."


    ***


    "Please, you need to fall in line! Those who did not apply online, you have a separate line at the back of the building!"


    A week had passed since Riley and the others built Hera Entertainment, with the Heras even legally registering it where it needed to be registered. Even the rest of the ind was now terraformed into a beautiful and vast garden ¡ª there was even arge pond.


    As for their staff, well¡­ there were currently more than a thousand Riley running and flying around. Some were even taught to hold a camera by Hera herself.


    They all initially thought that no one would really audition for them, but as soon as Hera 2 purposely started to spread the news that Hera was actually truly a chairman of an entertainment agency back in her world, the people dove in like flies; either to see her, or to audition.


    "People, we can''t assist you if¡ª"


    [Please all go home. This is an unauthorized gathering!]


    Soon, however, the line was suddenly disrupted as several helicopters started descending from above andnding right in front of the building. Several guards and soldiers stepped out, gesturing to the people to all go home.


    "Hey! What do you mean not authorized!?" Hera 2 adjusted her sses as she stomped her way toward the Hera soldiers, "This is literally private property! On whose authority do you think you''re deciding that we are not authorized here!?"


    "Mine."


    And as soon as that little voice whispered into the air, the atmosphere that was descending into chaos instantly faded away as everyone either turned their heads down, or looked at Talia, who leaped from the helicopter and slowly made her way toward Hera 2.


    "I do not think this ce is healthy for everyone''s mind since¡ª"


    "And what do you know about a healthy mind, girl?"


    And before Talia could finish her words, Hera suddenly stepped outside the building; wearing sunsses and a fur coat; heels almost half a foot tall. Suffice it to say, she stood out amongst all the Heras there.


    "O¡­ of course I know," Talia crossed her arms as she looked up at the approaching Hera, "I was the first to get here, I know everything."


    "Girl¡­" Hera literally looked down on Talia,


    "¡­you haven''t even had your period yet."

 Chapter 834 834: Miss Hera

    Chapter 834  834: Miss Hera


    "You haven''t even had your period, little girl."


    "!!!"


    It was almost too sharp, the gasps. Some even sounded like a whistle, creating an orchestra of disbelief and amazement. None of them had really tried to talk to Talia like that, as she was silently and obviously considered as the ruler of this ce ¡ª she was the very first toe upon this ce. But most importantly¡­ she looked like a child.


    In truth, even Hera wanted to p herself in the face for saying that, but it had to be done. This is what they were aiming for, after all. Now that they have set it up perfectly, all that was needed of her was to act, and act she will.


    "...What''s so good about having a period? It''s not like any of you could have children."


    And once again, gasps filled the air as some of the Hera felt Talia''s words pierce through the very core of their existence. It was true, none of them could have children. For some reason, their body doesn''t allow them as it sees having a baby as a threat to them.


    "Stop this now, Hera," Talia crossed her arms before gesturing to the soldiers to start forcing the other Heras to leave, "You are disrupting the natural order of things here."


    "Disrupting?" Hera red at the soldiers, causing all of them to stop in their tracks, "The only one that''s disrupting anything here is you, little girl."


    "I am not a little girl!" Talia raised her voice as she looked Hera in the eyes, "I am the same age as any of you! It''s not my fault that I stopped again when we were sent to this paradise!"


    "Paradise¡­" Hera closed her eyes and smiled, "...What sort of paradise is this that it has soldiers watching our every move? These people just want to be part of something bigger than this ce."


    "...And you think this is something bigger?" Talia pointed at the building, "It''s make-believe!"


    "It''s showbiz, sweetie. I don''t expect you to understand," Hera crossed her arms as she stood close to Talia, literally towering over her, "And if you say that this is make-believe, does that mean that everything here is? The beach, the niceke, the mall."


    "I¡­ didn''t say that," Talia''s eyebrows began to lower, "Everything here is for everyone!"


    "It doesn''t seem like it," Hera looked down on Talia, "Why are you trying to stop this, little girl? We are going to make movies, T.V shows, and maybe even some cartoons you would like."


    "I am not a child!"


    "Perhaps you''re threatened?" Hera''s voice deepened as she looked Talia in the eyes, "Threatened by the fact that people would realize that out of all of us, you are the most useless one."


    "..." Talia did not really answer Hera and just returned her re, "You¡­ you don''t deserve to be here. You think just because you''ve achieved something none of us have, you''re better?"


    "Not at all," Hera shook her head as she looked at all the Heras watching them, "The very reason I built this ce is so that every one of us could achieve what we want. We''ve be soldiers and heroes that save people¡­ but deep down we know that we have always just wanted to perform in front of people. We''re actors."


    "We¡­ don''t need any of that," Talia also looked at the other Heras, "Isn''t it more important that we''re happy and having fun? We don''t have to work here if we don''t want to! Everything is free!"


    "But that''s wrong," Hera strayed her eyes away to look at her building, "And all of us know it. We created banks when we didn''t need to, we created jobs when we didn''t need to. Because what is the point of resting when there''s no reason to rest at all? Don''t you have something you want to do, Talia? Something other than just taking a nap and watching us?"


    "What¡­ what else would I need? Everything is here!" Talia''s voice started to crack as her eyes very slowly turned red, "Everything is here!"


    "Except everything else," Hera closed her eyes and sighed, "If we weren''t such good actors ying our roles, we would have already all lost our minds in this ce. This is a dollhouse, Talia. We''re not supposed to be her¡ª"


    "We are! We are supposed to be here!"


    And to everyone''s surprise, Talia began to cry¡ªno. She began to bawling and screeching, evene lying on the ground as she practically threw a tantrum, "Where else are we supposed to be if not here!? It is not fair that all of you got to live a life out there and I am stuck here!"


    "..."


    "Why doesn''t anyone want to stay here with me!?" Talia curled into a ball as her tears and snot trailed toward the ground, "What are you even going to do out there!? You''re all dead! If you think you should be out there, then think about the people who have already died in your universes! Do you think you deserve to continue living out there when they are already gone!?"


    "..." Hera''s breaths started to stutter as she watched Talia just sprawled there, crying her eyes out and swallowing her gasps. It was obvious from their first meeting that although Talia has indeed lived as long as them, her emotional growth has practically stopped.


    But it has to be done.


    "Haven''t you ever wondered what''s out there for you, Talia?" Hera sat on the ground and ced her hand on Talia''s forehead, "Don''t you want to get to know more people?"


    "Why do I need to do that?" Talia bit her lip, "I have all of you."


    "Don''t you want to grow up? Get your first period, get a boyfriend, get married, get divorced," Hera let out a soft chuckle that resounded through all the Heras there, "Unlike the rest of us, you can still live your childhood."


    "Mommy and daddy are gone," Talia''s cheeks began to tremble, "There''s nothing there."


    "You have¡ª"


    "We have done it your way, Heras."


    And all of a sudden, for some reason, the air turned eerily quiet as a voice unfamiliar for most of the Heras there whispered in the air. They did not immediately turn to look at the owner of the voice, however, as they were looking at all the albinos that were very slowly walking toward them all.


    Riley''s clones were just previously doing all the tasks they needed to do. But now, all of them were circling the Heras; their face,pletely emotionless.


    "What¡­"


    "No, no¡­"


    And almost instantly, all the Heras that were present on the ind crouched to the ground and sped their heads; their bodies, trembling to the point that it rose several temperatures up. And as they were busy trying to fight their own instincts that did not know what to do, Riley descended from the sky andnded in front of the crying Talia.


    "W¡­what¡­" Talia was not even done wiping her tears as she felt her entire body convulsed. She felt this very same feeling before, when King tried to open up her brain. But there was, however, something different about it.


    "Riley, what are you doing¡­!?" Hera watched as Riley ced his foot on Talia''s face.


    "n B, Miss Hera."


    "We don''t have a n B!"


    "We do now," Riley looked Hera in the eyes, "I start trying to kill everyone here, including you. Perhaps that will send you back to the multiverse."


    "If your n works, then you and Caiin will be trapped here forever!"


    "It does not matter, Miss Hera," Riley shook his head, "If you do manage to return to our universe, please make sure Hannah is safe."


    "R¡ª!!!"


    And before Hera could finish her words, she found herself suddenly blown away; her backtched onto her building. She tried to free herself, but she waspletely pinned to the wall.


    "N¡­ no," Talia''s breaths once again stuttered as she felt the sole of Riley''s shoe very slowly crushing her face, "Why¡­ why are you doing this¡­!?"


    "Because n A did not work, Miss Talia," Riley did not even look at Talia as he put more weight onto his foot, "n A was convincing you and the rest of the Heras to leave this ce, but it was obviously not working. So, I suppose torture it is, the¡ª"


    "Talia!" Hera did not let Riley finish his words as she screamed as loud as she could, "King¡­ Aren''t you angry at that old fucker!?"


    "..." Talia''s entire body trembled, whether or not she heard Hera''s words was something only she knew.


    "He took everything from you!" Hera practically roared, "Don''t you want revenge!? He killed your mommy and daddy too! Aren''t you angry!?"


    "There is no use in trying to persuade this child, Miss Hera," Riley flicked his finger, sealing Hera''s mouth as he finally looked down on Talia, "She obviously does not care for anyone else but herself. She does not care about her mother and father, and that their killer is still out there. She is¡­


    ¡­a weak and scared toddler."


    "I¡­" Talia gritted her teeth as she practically sucked in all her tears and snot,


    "...I am not a child!"


    "Then grow up¡­


    ¡­Miss Hera."


    "!!!"


    And with those words, a wave of energy suddenly pulsed throughout the entire ind¡ªno, throughout the entire domain. The sky began to crack, with the sun shining from the distance withering away.


    And as even the very air itself started to crumble, a bright sh blinded everyone. And as their vision returned to them¡­


    ¡­they found themselves inside a circr auditorium, all of them, now inside the Council of Ross''s space station.


    "Hm," Riley nodded to himself,


    "n B always makes for a quick conclusion."

 Chapter 835 835: Vent

    Chapter 835  835: Vent


    "Where¡­ is this ce?"


    "Everyone, please calm down."


    "So, this is the main universe."


    "No. This is a dead universe, and I don''t think there''s a main universe. Ah, please don''t move anything!"


    "Wait, so you mean we''re still stuck here!?"


    "Everyone, please. My friends are already trying to find a way to get us out."


    If Hera was not gifted the ability to adapt to any situation, then she would have probably already lost her mind. She knew that there were a lot of Heras back in the HH, but now that they were all gathered in the same ce, she found herself almost drowning from¡­ herselves.


    As for Riley, he was currently exploring the Council of Ross space station with Caiin. There was just one problem, however. With the onught of Hera gathered in the council room, the space station automatically expanded to amodate all of them, thus changing the corridors altogether.


    He and Caiin were trying to find any device that could help them open up a portal to another universe. After all, this is the Council of Ross¡­ well, was. There should be something here that could grant them ess to the multiverse.


    "This is¡­ amazing."


    And as they walked through the corridors of the Council of Ross, Caiin could not help but brush her palm along the silver walls,


    "It is amazing what the universe could build if it isn''t broken. The technology in Theran was already the most advanced that I know of, but this¡­ it is as if this entire space station is alive, biological. You said a variant of Bernard Ross built this?"


    "Yes, Dr. Caiin," Riley nodded, "He prefers to be called Bard, and he created the Council of Ross."


    "Is he the most intelligent variant of Bernard Ross?" A small but dubious smile crawled on Caiin''s face; her voice, slightly turning higher.


    "I am unsure, Dr. Caiin. But I believe he is one of the most intelligent ones."


    "Is it King?"


    "No," Riley shook his head, "King is just a Bernard Ross without morals, but I am afraid his reliance on the powers he had gained has caused him to think differently, Dr. Caiin."


    "What about your adoptive father?"


    "Perhaps it is a battle between him and Bard," Riley nodded, "Father had something that the others did not, and he needed to be better to adapt to it."


    "And what is that?"


    "Me," Riley nced at Caiin, "He had to face the existence of Riley Ross and Darkday. Unfortunately, we will never know who is truly the most intelligent among them as Father is dead."


    "...I would have very much liked to have seen your father, Riley. I bet he and my other version would have been a pleasure to talk¡ª"


    "Oh, this is him."


    "!!!" Caiin immediately halted her steps as Riley suddenly showed her the decapitated head of Bernard, "W¡­ where did you even get that?"


    "Back in the Council Room. I took it before the Hera variants stepped on it," Riley let out a small sigh as he moved the head closer to Caiin, "What do you think? Are you also falling in love with him, Dr. Caiin?"


    "I don''t think I can answer that," Caiin looked at Bernard''s head, "Please store that back to where you were hiding it, it''s¡­ disrespectful."


    "Hm," Riley nodded before shrinking Bernard''s head and hiding it in one of his many pockets, "Since the rest of his body is already lost in another universe, I thought it best to keep this head so that Sister and Mother would at least have something to bury, Dr. Caiin. Of course, it needs a little makeup to work as it is already decaying."


    "Right¡­" Caiin squinted her eyes, "I don''t know if you''re sweet, or just outright insane."


    "Why can I not be both, Dr. Caitl¡ªHm?"


    Riley was not able to finish his words as a scorching surge of light suddenly beamed straight toward his head. It wasn''t able to prate or even a micrometer of his skin, however, as Caiin blocked thatser with her palm.


    "Woah there, you can kill someone with this," Caiin calmly said as she stood in front of Riley, just letting the beam hit her on the forehead.


    "..." Riley tilted his head to the side to see who shot theser, only to see a rainbow silhouette standing at the end of the corridor.


    "...Riley Ross!?" Theser instantly faded away as an almost euphonious voice echoed across the walls, "You''re back!?"


    Caiin was about to rush toward the man as he started running toward them, but Riley grabbed her by the shoulder.


    "He is part of the Council of Ross, Dr. Caiin," Riley watched as the man wearing rainbow armor ran toward them with his arms stretched to the side, "The only homosexual Bernard Ross that I know of so far, Rainbowking Barney."


    "You are Riley Ross, right?" Barney''s breaths may as well be gasps as he stood in front of Riley, "Is¡­ is it only you? Where are the others?"


    "I am afraid it is only me, Dr. Caiin, and a lot of Hera variants, Barney," Riley nodded, "Were you not teleported away with the rest of us?"


    "...No," Barney let out a long whistling sigh as he shook his head, "I did not even know what was happening until all of you were gone. I was unconscious and couldn''t help¡­ and when I realized that I was alone, I watched the feed from the monitors to see what happened and¡­ I saw King."


    "It is fine, Barney," Riley shook his head, "You could not have helped in any way whatsoever. But you can now, we need to pull Sister and the others from wherever universe they were sent to."


    "I have actually been trying to search for the frequency King sent all of you to, but the portals left no trace, and they usually do," Barney mmed his fist on the wall.


    "Look, I don''t know anything about the multiverse yet," Caiin interrupted the two and raised her hand, "But could it be the fact that the universe this guy was sent to, my universe, was a dying universe has something to do with the fluctuating frequency?"


    "Dying universe?" Barney looked Caiin in the eyes, before suddenly turning around and waving his finger violently in the air, "Of course¡­ Of course! the energy signature of a dying universe would drastically change by the second, not allowing us to actuallytch onto it. You two, follow me!"


    And as Barney just abruptly left the two of them standing in the corridor, Riley and Caiin could really only look at each other; shrugging their shoulders at the same time before following Barney.


    It was weird, however, as Barney was leading them to a part of the space station they had actually passed by already earlier. But as they reached a certain spot that waspletely inconspicuous and empty, Barney ced his palm on the wall ¡ª opening up a way to another corridor.


    "Oh," Riley let out a small hum as he looked at Caiin, "Is that why you were touching the walls earlier, Dr. Caiin?"


    "...Yes," Caiin lied without even batting an eye, "Yes, that is what I was doing."


    "As expected of the themarian scientist that has caused several genocides," Riley nodded several times.


    "...What?" And as Caiin heard those words, she could not help but hastened her steps to follow Riley¡ªno. She even flew in front of him, flying backward as she looked Riley in the eyes, "What do you mean caused several genocides?"


    "Most of your variants experimented on dying civilizations, Dr. Caiin," Riley did not stop walking, "My mother did it in order to try to find a way to save Theran, but she failed like most of the others."


    "That¡­ wow," Caiin breathed out, "Seriously?"


    "Yes."


    "Wait¡­ tell me more."


    The two continued to follow Barney as they talked. It was a short talk, however, as they reached the end of the corridor; arge silver door, weing them in full. Barney then essed the door''s lock system.


    "Hm¡­?" Barney entered his passcode, but the only response he was getting was a long and sharp beep, "Weird, my password was working earlier."


    "Why not use the retina scanner?" Caiin said as she pointed at the scanner on top of the control panel.


    "Pft, that''s not working," Barney stuck out his tongue in disgust, "We''ve already told Bard several times to have it fixed, but he doesn''t seem to care."


    "Huh¡­" Caiin shrugged as she looked at the door from top to bottom, "...Want me to just pry it open?"


    "The entire thing is going to copse if you do that," Barney groaned as he waved his hand, "Just wait for a few more minutes, I''ll remember my password."


    "Alright," Caiin turned to look at Riley, "Tell me more about Bard, though. He''s single now, right?"


    "Yes, Dr. Caiin," Riley nodded, "The Diana of their universe experimented on her on daughter and let the other themarians invade Earth, I do not really know the full story."


    "That is¡­ weird. Are there more evil versions of me out there?"


    "I have even met a homosexual variant of you, Dr. Caiin."


    "...What?"


    "Yes, the very first variant I met when I was identally sent to another universe. And she is in a rtionship with a variant of my biological mother."


    "...What!? Just how crazy is the multiverse?"


    "It is very crazy, Dr. Caiin," a small smile crawled on Riley''s face as he very slowly turned to look at Barney, "Crazy enough that some variants impersonate other variants¡­


    ¡­am I correct, King?"

 Chapter 836 836: Vivid Imagination

    Chapter 836  836: Vivid Imagination


    "Am I correct, King?"


    The beeping noises that kept whistling in the air instantly stopped. Reced by Barney''s breaths as his finger stopped midway from pressing another number. He then very slowly nced at Riley, before raising an eyebrow and looking at him from head to toe.


    "Excuse me¡­?" Barney then said, obviously offended, "Did you just call me King, without the Rainbow?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded.


    "I will have you know I don''t appreciate being doubted," Barney rolled his eyes before just once trying to type in his password, "And even more, I will have you know that I hate that you justpared me to someone that obviously has no style, euck."


    "Hm," Riley looked at therge silver door, before turning around to look at the long corridor. Caiin, whose eyes were now slightly squinted as she just observed what Riley was doing. She was, however, nowpletely on guard.


    "I do not know what your n is by bringing us here. But do you know why I did not just immediately try to kill you once I realized you were King, King?"


    "What are you even talking about¡­?" Barney once again waved his hand, "Look, we''ve already been told about you and how crazy you are ¡ª but we do not have time for this. Just let me concentrate."


    "You seem to not be used to spending time with people that know how horrifyingly intelligent you truly are, Bernard Ross," Riley then let out a small sigh as he shook his head, "Bernard Ross would never forget anything that has anything to do with numbers."


    "Well, that''s where you''re deadly wrong, boy¡­" Barney let out a small giggle as he continued to enter his password, "...Don''t you see me struggling now?"


    "You smell like fresh blood and sweat, King," Riley''s nose slightly fluttered as he leaned closer to Barney,


    "Perhaps I could offer a scenario of what happened. You received some sort of alert or notification when we appeared back in the Council of Ross, and so you instantly went here to check. But when you realized it was me, you immediately hid somewhere in the space station, where you identally saw Rainbowking, who was probably trying to do something to get us all back. You probably found him right here."


    "You watch too many cartoons, boy."


    "The two of you probably fought, but of course, he was no match for you. But right when you were about to finish him off, you probably noticed us getting near and decided not to do anything as Caiin will obviously hear it. Barney used this chance to enter his passcode and escape to the other side of the door ¡ª you probably saw a glimpse of his passcode, and now you are guessing the other numbers."


    "Probably learned that from your dad, huh?" Barney once again let out a small giggle, "I like your imagination, but no. If he was escaping, he would have used the biometrics instead of hastily typing his passcode. Now, just stay quiet and let me work."


    "Because the biometric lock is broken, as you said. I believe that is real because Father takes a while to fix the sink if Mother orders him to."


    "..."


    "Now, do you know why I did not just immediately try to kill you once I realized who you were?" Riley repeated his question,


    "Because I know that you know that I already know who you are, and you probably brought us here specifically. But why?"


    "Riley¡­" Barney once again let out a small sigh as he finally turned around and looked Riley in the eyes, "...You''re wrong."


    "T¡ª"


    "I tortured Rainbowking for the passcode and killed him after," a small but ominously sinister smile quickly crawled on Barney''s face as its skin started to melt down, revealing a more youthful-looking Bernard, "But I was too hasty since you were here that I did not even take into ount that he might have still lied despite the torture."


    "King."


    "I keep making mistakes," King then brushed his hair back, revealing its silver luster. He then carefully removed his contact lenses, removing all the color from his eyes, "How did you even manage to return from a ce that should have been impossible to return from? You truly are an enigma, Riley Ross."


    "I have someone with the power of a literal plot armor by my side, King," Riley shrugged.


    "Huh, that woman?" King pulled off whatever remained of the mask from his face, "Another variable I did not count. Well, congrattions, Riley Ross ¡ª you have discovered who I am. Bravo."


    King let out a small chuckle as he gave Riley an apuse, "And now to answer your question as to why I brought you here. I did underestimate how much you know about my temperament and personality, but what I did not underestimate is you, Riley Ross."


    Riley only looked at King''s hand as he pointed at him.


    "I am not foolish enough to think I can defeat you, even more so with a variant of this alien on your side," King smiled at Caiin before returning his focus back to Riley, "And especially without that girl here, Hannah was it?"


    "..."


    "Hm," the smile on King''s face grew wider as he saw Riley''s eyes slightly squint, "Anyway, I was truly hoping you would attack me here. On the other side of this door is the AI of the entire ship, if it detects anything that would result in it being destroyed, the entire ship itself will transfer to another dead universe, leaving behind the one it deems to be a threat. In this case, it would be the three of us."


    "Hm," Riley nodded in approval.


    "I could have left during the window of time when you were confused since I already have ess to the multiverse in the first ce, leaving only you two here in this dead universe without any possible way to go anywhere. It is a good n, no?" King chuckled, "That would have solved my Riley Ross problem, at least until you be a fully-fledged god or something. But perhaps by then, I would have already aplished what I set out to do, and if you still wish to destroy the entire multiverse, then at the very least I would have the satisfaction of knowing that you will be cleaning after my scraps."


    "..." Caiin, who had been quietly observing the situation, could not help but blink a couple of times, slightly leaning her head back as she nced at Riley, "...You going to let him talk to you like that?"


    "I will," Riley shrugged, "That is the only thing he could do besides escaping, after all."


    "Touche," King bowed his head at Riley, "Now, if you won''t attack me, then I will just leave peacefully and we can both continue on with both of our ns still in action."


    "Let''s just kill this bastard, Riley," Caiin''s eyes turned red, "We''ll be trapped in this dead universe, but at least he''s also dead."


    "This could be a clone," King raised both his palms.


    "It is not a clone," Riley shook his head, "But I will allow you to leave, King. I wish to at least say goodbye to Sister, being trapped in this universe will lower the chances of achieving that."


    "Good." A portal then suddenly appeared behind King as he took a step back, "And by the way, the girl, Paige Pearson¡ªI have her. Just letting you know."


    "Okay. Thank you for letting me know, King."


    And with those words, King took another step back and disappeared into the portal.


    "Well, that went well," Caiin sucked in her teeth as she nced at Riley, "We could have just killed him, I am supposed to be dead already anyway."


    "I thought you wanted to meet Bard, Dr. Caiin?" Riley then flicked his finger. And as he did so, a clone emerged from the floor. The clone wasted no time as it immediately walked to the control panel and started entering a code.


    "Oh, you sneaky bastard," Caiin smiled and nodded, "You know what the password is this entire time?"


    "No," Riley immediately shook his head, "I saw the numbers King entered, I am only trying to continue where he left off."


    "Oh¡­" Caiin could only watch as Riley started walking away, "...So, we just wait until your clone enters the correct password?"


    "Yes," Riley shrugged.


    "Huh,me," Caiin ced her hands behind her head as she followed Riley. She took one final nce at the clone¡­ only to see therge silver door actually opening, "W¡ªIt''s opening!"


    "Hm?" Even Riley seemed slightly shocked as he blinked a couple of times before turning to look at the door, and it was indeed sliding open. Riley then looked at his clone, who seemed to be the most perplexed out of all of them.


    "I think I got it, Boss?" The clone smiled as he pointed back and forth between Riley and the door.


    [No, you didn''t.]


    Sadly for the clone, a familiar silhouette stepped out from the other side of the sliding door and immediately rebuked his words,


    [You were not even able to finish yourst attempt. I opened the door.]


    "...Someone you know?" Caiin looked at the woman that was very slowly approaching them, "Friendly or no?"


    [Very friendly, Dr. Caiin. I am Ahor Zai.]


    "...As in the Codex?"


    [Yes.]


    "Wow," once again, Caiin couldn''t help but be amazed, "You were just¡­ a screen in my universe."


    [I was lucky to have been created in the same universe as Riley Ross,] Ahor Zai smiled and nodded, [Everything that I am now was only possible because of the Boss. Now¡­


    ¡­would you like help in pulling our friends from dying universes?]

 Chapter 837 837: Gone

    Chapter 837  837: Gone


    "Is this what Sister and the others felt when they tried finding me across the multiverse?"


    [No, they had it worse since they did not really have the help of the transcended me.]


    "Hm. It is a good thing that King was not able to enter into your mind, Ahor Zai."


    [He would have never been able to, Boss. He did not know I was even on the space station. And even if he did, I have already integrated myself with this space station. To try and destroy me is to destroy the space station.]


    "Hm."


    Riley was back in the view deck of the council, overlooking the circr auditorium which was now probably the size of a football stadium due to therge number of Hera variants in it. The number, however, was already a lot fewer than before due to the fact that they were actually already being settled in other universes, finding a new home in them.


    They entered the portals that were neatly arranged at the center of the auditorium, each with a clone of Riley in tow just in case there was a chance that Hannah and the others might have been sent to a universe that was not actually dying.


    The other half of Riley''s clones, on the other hand, were sent to dying universes to try and search for them. So far, however, they have not been lucky as none of the clones returned with any news.


    ¡­And it has been a month since they started.


    [We would need to wait for the space station to recharge to its full capacity again soon, Riley. Are you sure you do not want to focus on the dying universes, instead of opening portals with a much lower chance of providing results?]


    "..." Riley nced at Ahor Zai for a few seconds, before looking back down at all the Hera variants who were hugging each other goodbye, as this will probably be thest time they would be seeing their friends,


    "No, let them have this moment, Ahor Zai."


    [But they could have this moment at ater time, Boss.]


    "No, they will not," Riley''s eyes did not stray away from the Hera variants as his voice slightly lowered, "Once we find Hannah and the others, or if we do not find any of them at all ¡ª then there will be noter for the multiverse, Ahor Zai¡­


    ¡­It is time to do my purpose and turn all of creation into nothing."


    [I see,] Ahor Zai closed her eyes and nodded, [I would very much like to be there when it happens, Boss.]


    "You will be there before, when it happens, and after," Riley let out a small breath.


    [After¡­?] Ahor Zai tilted her head as she was slightly confused with Riley''s words, [But after you are done destroying Creation, there will be nothing left.]


    "..." Riley turned to look at Ahor Zai, "I am a Primordial, Ahor Zai. I will serve as the end of this Creation, and perhaps create the next. Paige and Ie as a pair."


    [Where did you get this information from, Boss?] Ahor Zai''s eyes started to light up like there were several fireflies in them, literally. Almost as if she was trying to save each of Riley''s words above everything else.


    "From Nothing."


    [...]


    There was a sense of sadness in Riley''s voice. A cadence in his voice that Ahor Zai has never really heard from him before, loneliness.


    [I see,] Ahor Zai''s eyes continued to light up as she moved everything she knew about Riley on the very top of her memories, [You turn the current Creation into Nothing, while Paige Pearson creates the next. In technicality, both of you are Primordials. One of destruction, and one of birth.]


    "I suppose so, Ahor Zai," Riley closed his eyes and breathed out, "And by definition, you will be too."


    [Me¡­?] A gasp whispered from Ahor Zai''s lips as she looked Riley in the eyes.


    "You will have the hardest task of it all, Ahor Zai. You will be there to witness it all," Riley remembered the conversation he had with Navi, "You will be riding to waves forever."


    [I¡­ am a Primordial too?] Ahor Zai''s eyes started batting several times, [Does that not mean that Miss Hera and her variants will be too? They will never die.]


    "I have not thought of that, Ahor Zai," Riley blinked as he heard that, "Then I pity them that they will witness eternity as I already have ¡ª it is not a beautiful existence."


    [You have witnessed eternity?] Once again, Ahor Zai''s eyes lit up.


    "I have," once again, the sadness in Riley''s voice was evident, "Nothing tricked me into doing so, and I was trapped in it for a very long time. I bear witness to an alpha and an omega."


    [How long is a very long time, Boss?]


    "Long enough that I have changed, Ahor Zai," a small smile crawled on Riley''s face as he let out a long and deep sigh, "Long enough that I have forgotten who I am."


    [I have noticed that, yes. Others would probably not, but I do,] Ahor Zai nodded to herself, [There was something different about you that I thought you were a different person when I saw you again.]


    "Everything returned to me when I was brought back to Nothing''s domain," Riley continued to watch some of the Hera variants leaving, "But right now, I am only pretending to be the same person I was before I experienced eternity. I am sure Miss Hera noticed it too."


    [Then may I ask what you are truly feeling right now?] Ahor Zai stepped in front of Riley, blocking the view of the auditorium as she looked him in the eyes,


    [!!!]


    Riley did not need to say anything at all to her, however, as the look on Riley''s face and his eyes said it all. As soon as he dropped all the facade, what was left there was absolutely¡­


    ¡­nothing.


    Riley was already emotionless before, but he did still have feelings and it was evident from his micro-expressions. But now, even with a smile on his face, it was almost as if Ahor Zai was looking at a being that did not really exist in the same ne as them anymore.


    Ahor Zai covered her mouth before her breath could turn into a gasp. She looked at Riley from head to toe, before tears started trailing from her cheek.


    [Riley Ross¡­ is gone.]


    "...I did not really think of it like that," Riley did not really respond to Ahor Zai''s words as a hint of a smile finally crawled back into his eyes, "Perhaps that is what it was, Ahor Zai. Riley Ross truly died then for the veryst time¡­


    ¡­and I am what returned."


    Riley started looking at his hands, taking in a deep breath before shaking his head.


    "Please do not tell this to Sister, Ahor Zai," a whisper escaped Riley''s lips, "I do not want her to know."


    [Of course, Boss,] Ahor Zai bowed her head, [This information will only be for me and Miss Hera.]


    "..." Riley then nced back, only for him to see Hera looking at her with her mouth slightly open. In truth, she had actually been there from the start. In fact, before Riley asked Ahor Zai his question about the multiverse, he was previously talking with Hera.


    "...What the fuck did I just hear?" Hera could not help but bat her eyes a couple of times, "I did notice there was something different about you, but when you told me that you experienced creation and the end of time I thought you were being metaphorical¡­


    ¡­but you really did?"


    "I did, Miss Hera," Riley nodded.


    "But you were only gone for a few minutes, Riley," Hera''s breaths started to stutter, "You¡­ you were only gone for a few minutes."


    "I was gone for a very long time, Miss Hera."


    "How long is a very long time?" Hera repeated Ahor Zai''s question, "And answer it by years and stop being vague."


    "I do not remember how long, Miss Hera. I lost count somewhere," Riley smiled.


    "I told you to stop being vague!" Hera raised her voice as she stood in front of Riley.


    "I am not being vague, Miss Hera. I truly lost count," Riley shook his head, "Why does this seem important for you to know?"


    "What number were you in when you stopped counting," Hera looked Riley in the eyes.


    "A trillion years," Riley answered, "I suppose I might have not really lost count, I just saw no point in counting again. Are you perhaps worried because you will also have to experience that, Miss Hera?"


    "No, I will adjust to that¡­" Hera''s voice quickly turned quiet, "...I am worried about you, Riley."


    "Me?"


    [Ha¡­] Ahor Zai let out a gasp as she once again covered her mouth, [I did not know you carried feelings of love for Riley, Miss Hera.]


    "W¡ªI don''t!" Hera quickly took a step back and waved arms, "No, no. I mean I am really really worried about everything else. You were a monster before, Riley¡­ but you were still human, you were human, Riley."


    "Thank you for saying that, Miss Hera."


    "But now¡­" Hera looked at Riley from head to toe. She stayed quiet for a few seconds, but widened her eyes after a while, "Wait, do you even still feel anything when you kill someone?"


    "..." Riley returned Hera''s stare, before looking to the side, "I do not know, Miss Hera."


    "You¡­ don''t," Hera blinked as she continued to stare in Riley''s eyes, "You don''t feel anything anymore."


    "I have already said that, Miss Hera."


    "No, no¡­" A smile crawled on Hera''s face as she pointed at Riley, "This¡­ this could be a good thing for the rest of us. That means we could actually persuade you to stop now, to stop killing."


    "No," Riley immediately shook his head,


    "I am still ending everything, Miss Hera."


    "Wh¡ª"


    [Wait!] Before Riley and Hera could continue their conversation, however, Ahor Zai suddenly raised her voice and her hand,


    [...We might have found someone!]

 Chapter 838 838: Another Encounter with the M

    Chapter 838  838: Another Encounter with the M


    [...We found someone!]


    "Oh, who is it?"


    [The clone has yet to exit the portal, but he activated the transmitter.]


    "Hm, let us go down to see who it might be."


    "We''ll talk about this moreter, Riley! Let''s go!"


    "Hm¡­" Riley really only nodded his head, before Hera suddenly grabbed his hand as they rushed to the elevator. Riley has noticed this even before, but Hera seemed to have a tendency to hold his arm or tugging his clothes ¡ª even before.


    "Have you noticed, Miss Hera?"


    "Noticed what?" Hera looked around.


    "We always seem to find ourselves in an elevator?" Riley asked out of nowhere.


    "Ack, please don''t remind me of that," Hera''s entire body chilled and trembled as soon as she was reminded of the time Riley told her that he was Darkday, "Seems like a lifetime ago."


    "It was," Riley nodded.


    "Oh, man. Why couldn''t you just have been a normal dude? Well, you were never normal. But normal in terms of not being a genocidal maniac that turns out to be some sort of god," Hera groaned and sighed, "You honestly could have been an actor, you know. Your roles will be limited because you''re an insanely handsome albino, but you would be famous ¡ª the staff was even asking about where I picked you up."


    "Perhaps in the next creation, we will find ourselves co-stars, Miss Hera."


    "Pft, yeah right," Heraughed, "But¡­ that would have been nice."


    [I wonder if I could be an actor too,] Ahor Zai''s eyes twinkled as she joined in on the conversation, [I would like to star in a live-action adaptation of Italian Mafia Reborn.]


    "We can certainly make that happen once everything returns to normal," Hera could really only sigh, "Hear that, Riley? Postpone destroying all of creation until we finish Italian Mafia Reborn."


    "I will think about it, Miss Hera, Ahor Zai."


    "Anyway, how long is this elevator ri¡ª" And before Hera could finish her words, they arrived at the council room floor and were weed by an onught of Heras smiling and waving at them. There were also clones resting there and talking with the Hera variants¡­ some being suspiciously close.


    [Follow me,] Ahor Zai raised her hand and started floating to the center of the football-sized auditorium, [Ah, there it is!]


    Ahor Zai then pointed at a portal that was being surrounded by several clones and curious Hera variants.


    [Everyone, move! Move away!] Ahor Zai did not really need to ask anyone to move, as the floor itself started shifting and sliding away everyone that was blocking their path.


    "They are still inside?" Hera squinted her eyes as she looked at the portal, "But we''ve already spent like a suspiciously long time in the elevator."


    [Hmm,] several incandescent symbols started to crawl on Ahor Zai''s eyes as she stared at the portal, [Boss'' clone is still pressing the transmitter. Could it be they are experiencing some sort of trouble?]


    And as soon as Ahor Zai said that, Riley gestured to one of his clones to enter the portal. And it did¡­ and after several minutes, Ahor Zai once again received a notice.


    "Hm," Riley really only let out a sigh and shook his head, "I suppose I will enter myself. Please take care of things here, Miss Hera."


    "...Sure," Hera only shrugged, watching Riley casually enter the portal before taking a step back. Before she could do anything else, however, she noticed the little Talia standing beside her.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...I thought you already left?" Hera slightly nudged Talia.


    "I asked Riley''s clone to take me back here," Talia shrugged her shoulders as she subtly stood even closer to Hera, "I spent an hour there and it turns out I don''t know anything about society at all. And that stupid clone also brought me to an orphanage like I can''t take care of myself."


    "No, he brought you to an orphanage so that you could spend your time growing up with people that look your age," Hera sighed, "I am sure someone will adopt you, being as cute as we are."


    "Meh, don''t need it," Talia waved her hand, "Besides, they are already having a hard time as it is to find a universe that does not have our variant on it ¡ª some of the others are even changing their faces so that they could just live in a universe with a Hera on it already."


    "Yeah, still don''t understand how the multiverse works."


    "If I am going to be adopted by someone, then it might as well be you," Talia then casually said as she very lightly grabbed Hera''s shirt, "You''re the first person that scolded me, and the only person that could actually handle me, so¡­"


    "...What?"


    "And besides, we practically look the same. You can just tell people I''m your biological daughter," Talia looked away while saying that.


    "Talia, I''m in show business. Do you know what people would say if they found out I have a daughter? They would definitely make articles about me saying how I''m a single mother or something."


    "You''re not single, though?" Talia looked up at Hera, clearly confused, "What about Riley Ross?"


    "Wh¡ªWhat the hell?" Hera raised an eyebrow, "Where did you even get that idea?"


    "It''s not just me, though," Talia then turned to look at the variants who were listening in on them, "The others thought so too."


    "Please stop spreading false rumours," Hera sighed and shook his head.


    "We''re not, though," Talia looked Hera in the eyes, "You don''t feel it¡­?"


    "W¡ªFeel what?" Hera wanted to walk away from the conversation, but Talia was holding her shirt tight, "Stop it."


    "We feel it," Talia batted her eyes several times, "If you were not the first of us to have met him, then we would''ve been imprinted on him instead of you."


    "...Imprint? What is this, a werewolf story?"


    "Of course, you don''t feel it." This time, it was Talia''s turn to sigh, "Your body has probably adjusted to him already. Perhaps it''s not time yet for you to realize it yet¡­


    ¡­You and Riley Ross belong together."


    "And you know who else belongs with Riley? Every other woman he knows, he''s for the streets," Hera rolled her eyes as she just focused on the portal that Riley entered to, "Anyway¡­


    ¡­what''s taking so long?"


    ***


    A few minutes earlier, Riley emerged from the portal, and what weed him there¡­ was a face.


    A face from afar, probably farther than the moon''s distance from Earth, a thousand times over; Riley was getting better at gauging far and impossible distances. The face was incredibly far away, and yet it still filled Riley''s entire vision. The face reminded Riley of a mixture of Ahor Zai''s previous humanoid form, as well as the norids.


    It wasn''t just a face, however, because as Riley turned to look down, the rest of its body was there. Gray, almost silver ¡ª its face almost mechanical but human at the same time.


    Riley did not immediately address the giant, however, as he just turned to look behind him, only to see the dark and endless horizon cracking.


    "This is not a dying universe," Riley whispered to himself as he continued to look around.


    [Correct. This is a universe that was not really given the chance to form.]


    The giant from afar, however, answered Riley even though his question was not directed to it. And so, Riley returned his gaze toward the silver giant; letting out a sigh as he did so.


    "Machina," Riley nodded, "I believe you were there during the Tournament?"


    [Yes, me and the others. Except for Navi,] Machina nodded, causing the cracks that filled the darkness to slightly shiver, [I do have to apologize that I was not able to greet you. We were only supposed to be there to test our¡­ bodies.]


    "It is fine," Riley raised his palm and shook his head, "I was told you were afraid of me by Navi, I understand that you tried to avoid me."


    [I am not afraid of you, Riley Ross,] Machina very slowly approached Riley ¡ª no, it wasn''t slow at all. Its size just made it seem like it, [Even now, I could crush you if I wanted to and trap you forever in a domain where your existence has no meaning. You may be one of us, but not yet, not fully.]


    "...I suppose Chihiro is in this universe?" Riley did not really care for Machina''s words as he once again started to look around.


    [She is. But why are you going to the trouble of finding the lost, Riley Ross?] Machina''s eyes were centered only toward Riley, [Why waste precious time for things that will not be here in time? I want to understand the thoughts of you, someone who has lived with them¡­


    ¡­What does it mean to be one of them?]


    "Why do you not find out for yourself, Machina?" Riley returned Machina''s gaze, "You have already broken your rule not to interact with us."


    [We will,] Machina answered, [But I want to know your thoughts. Why do you waste time on things that will be gone? Why search for the lost?]


    "Story, Machina," a small smile crawled on Riley''s face, "Each individual thing has a story, some more interesting than others. The Lost you speak of, I still wish to know the conclusion of their story."


    [What is there to know about their conclusion other than death?]


    "Whether they die by me or something else," Riley then also very slowly floated close to Machina, "Are you also not curious, Machina? Curious¡­


    ¡­of whether or not your conclusion will be written by me?"

 Chapter 839 839: Riley Vs. Machina

    Chapter 839  839: Riley Vs. Machina


    "Are you also not curious, Machina? Curious¡­


    ¡­of whether or not your conclusion will be written by me?"


    [I would say that is a threat, but nothing really threatens my existence, Riley Ross.]


    "It is not a threat, Machina. For to turn Creation into nothing, those who created it must also turn into nothing."


    [Well then¡­


    ¡­shall we see if you are worthy to take over us?"


    There was nothing but a cracking darkness in this universe that was not meant to be. Any color it had, it came from Riley and Machina, more on thetter. Very soon, however, Machina''s cosmic form disappeared, instantly reced by a small silhouette even smaller than Riley.


    The silver which previously encapsted its entire body, now just illuminating from its long silver hair. Its face now carries a tone that is alive; slightly pale, but not paler than Riley''s. His face, however, did not really offer any distinct feature ¡ª average, entirely so.


    "If you are wondering if this is my human form, it is not," Machina raised his hand to look at it, "This is still me."


    "You wish to fight, Machina?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "No. This is not a fight, Riley Ross," Machina pointed his palm at Riley, "Primordials do not know how to fight, the concept does not truly exist at the level of our existence. What this is, is merely a test."


    Machina very subtly flicked his middle finger. And as soon as he did so, a small gun materialized in his hand. And without even saying another word, Machina fired the gun¡­ and a beam wider than the moon sted out from it and gushed straight toward Riley.


    Riley immediately thickened and summoned multipleyers of his telekic barrier, but as the beam reached him, none of the barriers remained and he found himself being drowned by a force that seemed to scorch everything around it.


    Riley, however, waspletely unscathed as he was alreadypletely immune to fire and heat. But if it wasn''t for his telekic barrier reducing much of the impact of the st, he would have probably been torn to shreds here and there.


    "A gun," Machina whispered as the gun in his hand very slowly morphed into a bigger rifle, "In all thes in all the universes, this weapon is a result of technology and progress. A progress in which violence is the goal, and yet always without fail, violence is always the forefront of progress."


    Machina held the rifle with both hands, before shooting it toward Riley again ¡ª this time, however, Riley did not wait for the beam to go through him as he appeared right beside Machina; his hands, also shaped into a gun as he pointed his finger right on Machina''s temple.


    "Pavoom," Riley then whispered, releasing a beam of his own that turned the darkness into white along with Machina''s head.


    "You seem to not be aware of the dangers of that action." Machina, however, even without his head and half of his torso, was able to send his words into Riley''s ears. And with the next word, his body just once again became whole out of nowhere; almost simr to when Riley resurrects,


    "Or perhaps you do, that is your purpose, after all. That action of yours just now erased a part of the universe. Not figuratively, not metaphorically, but absolutely. The universe just repairs itself by stopping its growth and focusing on fixing what was lost of it."


    "Hm," Riley only let out a breath as he released another Pavoom,pletely eradicating Machina''s entire body. Not even a secondter, however, Riley found himself being stared at by Machina''s cosmic body; Riley was not even a speck of dust in front of his eye, literally.


    Machina then quickly floated away, gaining hundreds of millions of miles of distance with not even a fraction of a second even with his cosmic body that was the size of several giant stars. Machina then once again pointed his now silver palm at Riley¡­ materializing what seemed like a cannon.


    "..." Riley stared at this cannon that was probably the size of severalrges, before pping his hands together. And as he did so, the cannon suddenly folded in half; almost like a can of soda that was squished by a hydraulic press.


    Machina quickly shook his hand, destroying the cannon before raising both his hands up ¡ª summoning some sort of metallic star that was even bigger than his own body. Riley looked at this for a few seconds before taking in a deep breath as the darkness surrounding him started to distort.


    Riley ced both his palms in front of him, almost as if he were holding an invisible ball. Soon, however, a white dot appeared between his palms ¡ª a dot that seemed to suck everything around it, even the cracking darkness of a failed universe.


    Blood began trailing from his eyes and nose, but Riley did not even heed it any mind as the white dot between his palms released a pulse; a pulse that caused the shards of the broken universe to somewhat spin and rotate; the portal in which he emerged from, mysteriously washed away by the pulse. Riley began rotating his hand, and as he did so, the white dot began to tten; turning into a disc the size of a vinyl.


    This disc then floated above Riley''s index finger as he pointed it toward Machina.


    Riley once again let out a small breath; the disc in front of him, starting to tremble uncontrobly as it seemed to want to fly and be free. And for some reason, the metallic sun that Machina materialized was also doing the same.


    "I believe that is enough."


    "..." Riley could really only blink as Machina''s cosmic form once again suddenly disappeared. His humanoid form, now once again just a few meters away from him. Machina still had his hand raised and the metallic star was still floating above him, but it was now just the size of a yoga ball.


    Riley was not focusing on Machina, however, as there were now two other people present with them. One was facing Machina, and the other was looking at him.


    "Any more of this nonsense and it would affect the entire multiverse."


    Riley could recognize the voice of the one speaking to Machina. It seemed clearer now, but Riley would never forget the voice of the first Primordial he had a conversation with.


    "Why are you interrupting this, Eldest?" Machina red at Navi, who just looked like the average girl one would see walking down the street, "I thought you held yourself higher than all of us, and would never roam in the universes we have created?"


    "Things have changed," Navi very slowly raised her hand, cing a finger on the metallic star above Machina and¡­ poking it, causing it to just implode. As it did, however, the broken universe trembled,


    "If all of you wish to interact with Creation, then I too wish it."


    "Navi."


    ''Riley Ross," Navi only nced back at Riley, before turning her focus back to Machina, "Go back to your domain for now, Machina. It is not yet time for us to be in this ce and in this position."


    "W¡ª"


    And before Machina could say another word, Navi tapped him on the forehead; causing him to just disappear there and then along with Navi¡­


    ¡­leaving Riley with the other individual that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.


    And of course, Riley recognized her too. Unlike Machina and Navi, who had real faces one could identify, thedy in front of Riley had no face whatsoever. She does, but it is almost as if one could not really determine what she actually looks like.


    "We finally meet again, Riley Ross."


    "...Death."


    Death started floating and circling around Riley Ross, seemingly wanting to touch him but could not.


    "I thought you were in pursuit of the God of Evaniels?" Riley followed Death with his eyes.


    "I am," Death stopped in front of Riley and started looking at him from head to toe, "I am in every universe at once, I exist everywhere."


    "..." Riley started looking around, "Do you have something you wish to tell me, Death?"


    "I wish to wee you to the family, Riley Ross." And very slowly and even more gently, Death stretched opened her arms and suddenly embraced Riley, "It has been a while since Ist held someone else without taking them to the end of their story."


    "...When was thest time?"


    "Eternity ago, when Celestial''s first children still roamed Creation," Death closed her eyes as she rested her head on Riley''s chest, "The Eternal Child. Even now, I watch him travel."


    "Will I ever meet this Eternal Child?"


    "I am afraid his existence is beyond even ours now," Death''s voice turned extremely somber, "If only I could hold him again like this."


    "My purpose is to destroy all of Creation, Death. I believe that includes you," Riley returned Death''s embrace, "I just do not know how to do it yet."


    "If the timees that you learn how to do it, then erase me first," Death let go of Riley, "For I do not wish to experience the gift of bringing my family to the end of their story."


    "Are you not going to fight me, Death?"


    "We will," Death floated away, "But for now, I still have purpose."


    And with those words, a person very slowly materialized in front of Death, with her silhouette disappearing at the same time.


    "Hm," Riley could really only let out a small hum as Chihiro''s body emerged out of nowhere,pletely unconscious as she floated toward him,


    "I wonder if retrieving the others would also be this eventful?"

 Chapter 840 840: A Different Genre

    Chapter 840  840: A Different Genre


    "She was trapped in a universe that did not form¡­ and she''s still alive?"


    "Yes, Dr. Caiin."


    "I guess I just really have to get used to living with gods now."


    "Miss Hera could have also survived it."


    "Because that is literally my ability!"


    [Perhaps we should let Chihiro Prime rest?]


    "..."


    It has been a full day since Riley rescued Chihiro from the fractured universe, and yet she has remainedpletely unconscious the entire time and is resting in one of the many empty rooms in the space station.


    [I believe she just needs time for her abilities to ''cool down'' and she will be fine.]


    "Hm."


    [The others are all strong, they will find a way to survive even in the harshest of conditions ¡ª perhaps the only one that will have a hard time would be Gracy Gray.]


    "Who¡­?" Hera raised an eyebrow. The three continued talking as they left Chihiro''s room, casually discussing the traits of everyone that were still trapped in a universepletely different from the rest.


    Aerith, Diana, Delivery, Cherbi, Pirate Queen Xra, Gracy, Bard, Nannah, and Hannah.


    Aerith would have no trouble at all, except if it is a universe much like Caiin''s which was decimated by a million cherbis. Diana was the same, but she would probably find a way to harness the cherbis if given time.


    Delivery Man will probably just loiter there or return to whatever domain he belongs to ¡ª Riley was not really truly knowledgeable regarding the extent of his ability. He had tried ordering from him, but his website and phone app were still unavable.


    Cherbi¡­ he was probably expediting the process of a dying universe.


    Pirate Queen Xra is a true immortal, so there really wasn''t something to worry about with her.


    Gracy¡­ was probably dead.


    Bard would surely find a way to survive. As for Nannah and Hannah¡­ they will survive, surely.


    And as the four continued to discuss the chance of survival of everyone else who was forcefully warped away, none of them realized that there was now actually someone else walking with them; lightly tugging on both Hera and Riley''s shirt.


    "...What is this?" Riley could really only halt his steps, blinking several times as he looked down to see Talia holding his coat, "I thought you have already found a universe to live in, Talia?"


    "That''s¡­ I guess I need to tell you something, Riley," Hera closed her eyes as she was the one to answer, "The kid is asking to be adopted by me¡­


    ¡­and you. It¡ª"


    "Okay," Riley just shrugged as he continued walking.


    "Okay¡­? Okay what?" Hera also blinked as Talia dragged her forward.


    "Okay, we will adopt her together," Riley casually said; not even ncing at Hera, "I am already aware of the procedure since I was adopted by Father and Mother. I have also signed Karina''s birth certificate after she revealed herself."


    "...You did all that?" Hera could not help but look at Riley''s face to check if he was serious.


    "Of course," Riley nodded, "It is illegal and immoral not to take responsibility for my offspring even if it is unwanted."


    "...You are so weird," Hera almost snorted as sheughed. And after she rolled her lips, she gently removed Talia''s hand from her shirt and held it instead, "Hear that?"


    "Hm," Talia tried her best to hide the smile that was slowly crawling on her face as she looked down, "T¡­ thank you."


    "Save your thanks forter. You still have no idea what sort of man your¡­ adoptive dad is."


    "I do," Talia nodded, "My mind might be that of a child, but I know things¡ªand I know that the safest ce I could ever be is on Dad''s side."


    "...Cheeky brat."


    ***


    An entire week had passed, and yet the still unconscious Chihiro was still the only one they had found so far. There weren''t a lot of Hera variants left, only 20 of them ¡ª these 20, however, did not seem to want to find another universe to live in and wanted to stay in Riley''s universe.


    Of course, Hera did not really like that idea, but she couldn''t really do anything since the group was actually Hera 2 and the other Heras that approached them for help. They wanted to return the help ¡ª Riley did not really need it, as he already had his clones and even himself traveling across the multiverse.


    And so, the Hera variants were just left doing some odd chores around the space station. As for Hera, she was teaching Talia some stuff she needed to know; even giving her a script so that if any paparazzi happened to put her on their radar, Hera wouldn''t have to do damage control that much.


    As for Riley¡­


    ¡­he was currently on an Earth that waspletely different from the rest. The difference between this one from the Earth they met the emaciated Dr. Caiin is that the people know their world is ending. There were also no supers here¡­


    ¡­but there were still superpowered humans, and they were preparing to face and fight the end.


    The end being billions of asteroids of varying sizes hurtling across the universe faster than the speed of light. A literal cosmic storm that plowed through the expanse of space, destroying everything within its path.


    Riley knows this because he expanded his telekic¡­ radar. And with the speed the asteroids are going, it would probably reach Earth in a couple of days. The people know their world is ending, but they don''t know it will be happening soon. Riley could probably stop Earth from being destroyed, but he wanted to see what these superpowered humans could do.


    "People of Earth! We urge everyone who could fight to fight! Let us all gather our energies together!"


    "Do not listen to the Ohio Sect! If you wish to save the world, then it is only possible with the Golden Hollywood Sect!"


    Riley was currently walking across a street that did not really exist anywhere on his Earth. It was simr to a street market, but they were selling body parts of animals that did not exist on his Earth.


    There were also swords,rge swords, and evenrger weapons being sold everywhere ¡ª not even a single sign of modern weaponry. But with what Riley has seen of these superpowered humans, they don''t really need such weapons.


    Riley, however, also knows that none of them could actually save their Earth. None of them were strong enough.


    "Fetus New York Sect! We are the biggest Sect in New York!"


    There were also people standing on top of boxes, carryingrge banners as they promoted their so-called sects. Riley would have probably already left this universe a few hours ago, but he actually found something interesting here.


    "I wish to join your sect."


    "Ah, a wise choice!"


    Riley approached one of the people promoting their guild. The man was slightly taken aback by Riley''s appearance, but he immediately stepped down from his box and handed a piece of paper to Riley.


    "What level is your cultivation right now?" The man said as he looked at Riley from head to toe.


    "Probably zero," Riley immediately answered.


    "W¡ªThen why are you joining a sect?" The man wanted to snatch the piece of paper he just gave to Riley, but found himself unable to even move it a single millimeter.


    "Because I wish to join the sect," Riley blinked as he looked the man in the eyes, "This is the Thundering Tears of the 13th Dragon Mega Sect, correct?"


    "...Look," the man let go of the paper as he sighed, "Even though our sect is just new, we don''t just let anybody in. You can take the entrance exam if you want to, but don''t expect to¡ª"


    "Okay," Riley shrugged, "I will take the entrance exam. Where do I go?"


    "...You''re really persistent," the man looked Riley in the eyes and squinted, "Fine."


    The man then grabbed something from his pocket, some sort of talisman, and ced it right on Riley''s chest. And as soon as he did so, a strange light veiled Riley¡­ and teleported him to a courtyard filled with people falling in a line.


    Riley was at the backmost end of the line, with people not heeding him any mind as they seemed to be meditating and waiting for their turn to step onto the marble stage that was in the center of the courtyard.


    "..." Riley tilted his head to the side to see exactly what they were doing in the courtyard, but all they seemed to be doing was cing their palm on some sort ofrge b of ebony. But as the line grew short and Riley grew nearer to the stage, he finally saw the small dents and cracks of the stone.


    And finally, it was his turn.


    "What cultivation level are you?"


    "I do not know, Examiner." Riley was once again asked the same question. This time, he gave a different answer so as to not be suddenly kicked out.


    "Okay, just ce your palm on the stone and try damaging it with your energy. We will know your cultivation level then." The examiner did not really even turn to look at Riley as he just waved his hand before writing on a piece of paper.


    "Okay," Riley nodded as he stepped onto the stage and carefully ced his palm on the b.


    "..."


    "..."


    But as expected, nothing really happened.


    "W¡ªare you even a cultivator?" The examiner finally looked at Riley, "Stop wasting our time and step d¡ª!!!"


    Riley may not have the so-called energy of the people of this world¡­ but he does have several other things in his arsenal¡­


    ¡­like his raw strength.

 Chapter 841 841: Matriarch...?

    <h4>Chapter 841 Chapter 841: Matriarch...?</h4>


    "...Wh¡­"


    The examiner did not really know what to say anymore. The Thundering Tears of the 13th Dragon Mega Sect may not even be considered a fledglingpared to the established sects, just less than a year old. One could say they haven''t even seen a thing, but they still rose to prominence in that short span of time, when it would usually take other sects hundreds of years to reach what they have achieved ¡ª this was solely because of their matriarch''s mysterious domineering strength.


    They were new, but they had already seen things that most new sects won''t see in a hundred years¡­ and this is probably one of those things.


    The ck iron b is universally used to check how much energy one has; the bigger the damage to the b, the higher one''s energy and control was.


    And now, an aspiring student of the sect had his entire arm through the thick b; his hand, casually poking out from the other end.


    "Hm¡­" Riley pulled out his arm from the b, taking a step back as he looked at the examiner, "...Tell your matriarch you need to invest in higher quality items."


    "...What?" The examiner wasn''t even realizing the fact that his pen was already overflowing and messing up whatever it was he was trying to write in his book.


    "Did I pass?" Riley asked, letting out a small hum as he remembered asking the same thing during the Mega Academy interview.


    "Oh, ah¡­ you did," the examiner blinked as he gestured to Riley, "You¡­ you may join those who passed and wait for the next test."


    The examiner handed Riley a piece of paper as he stepped off the stage; his steps, probably the only sound that was echoing throughout therge courtyard.


    "Did¡­ did you see that?"


    "...Was that a prank? Is an Elder pranking us?"


    "I want to go home."


    "All of you go home."


    "What!? I didn''t mean that!"


    "I don''t care, go home. There seemed to be something wrong with the energy b, go."


    "Oh, so that''s what it was."


    "What? How could something be wrong with it when it''s just a stone!?"


    "What about our time!? We wasted our time waiting here!"


    The examiner started shooing away the remaining people who were still waiting for their turn. Most of them rebuked andined, but none of them could really do anything as they were forcefully teleported away.


    As for those who had already passed the first exam, they were attempting to talk to Riley, but Riley did not really bother even returning their nce. They were all going to die soon in a few days anyway, after all; rtively, they were all dead and there was no use talking with them.


    ¡­It would be different if Riley was the one that was going to end them, of course. He would probably spend some time with them to get to know them better before proceeding to erase their lives in front of their loved ones.


    "But then again, that''s inefficient," Riley whispered to himself, causing those who previously tried to talk to him to slightly lean their heads closer, "I would probably just destroy theirs and get it over with."


    "..." The people eavesdropping on him could not help but look at each other; their eyes slightly squinted and wondering if they heard his words right. Was he uttering some sort of secret meditation technique, was that it?


    Would they also be able to push their arm through the testing b if they repeated his mantra?


    "Everyone!"


    Before they could hear any more of Riley''s conversation to himself, however, therge marble stage at the center of the courtyard started to lower into the ground. The examiner who was previously on the stage leaped out andnded in front of Riley and the others.


    "It is unfortunate that there are so few of you," the examiner cleared his throat as he started addressing the examinees, "But it couldn''t be helped since there was a fault in the 1st test."


    "..." Once again, everyone turned to look at each other before subtly resting their eyes on Riley. Was it really a fault on the sect''s side, or was this albino in front of them just that strong? Of course, the chance that it was the former was high, close to 99% ¡ª but the thing is, they haven''t really heard of a single time that an energy b malfunctioned, not in their civilization''s 10,000-year history.


    No, there was actually one in their recent history who did the very same thing, and she was the very reason they wanted to join this sect in the first ce ¡ª The Thundering Tears of the 13th Dragon Mega Sect''s matriarch. They have heard of her exploits when she first showed herself to the world.


    "Isn''t he simr to the matriarch¡­?"


    "Yeah, I heard that when the Thundering Tears of the 13th Dragon Mega Sect''s matriarch joined the Fetus Flower Florida Sect, she destroyed their energy b. And when she finally joined the sect, her seniors started making trouble with her¡­ and she destroyed the sect because of that."


    "Really¡­?"


    "Yup. And then she just decided to build her own sect with their remains. It was so hardcore, I still have the footage of the news recorded on my tablet."


    "...Are you saying that guy is another¡ª"


    "No! Everyone stop talking!" The examiner pped his hands, causing a ripple to st across the examinees'' faces, "There is no one like the matriarch! Any more talk like that and I will have all of you voluntarily quit the test! There was a fault in the previous test, and that is that!"


    "..." Riley did not really mind that they were arguing because of him, he was more curious about the other examinees'' conversation. He had actually already heard that story as soon as he entered this universe, and that is why he stayed¡­ coupled with the fact that the sect''s name was sort of familiar to him.


    "Silence!" The examiner stomped his foot on the ground. And as soon as he did so, the marble stage once again emerged from the ground; this time, however, the ck b was nowhere to be seen, "We will now head on to our next test ¡ª Technique Exhibition! The test is as simple as its name, you just have to present any of the techniques you have learned on your own, or from your previous sect. The three of you go first."


    "Hm¡­" Riley curiously watched as 3 of the examinees stepped onto the stage. And as soon as they were all settled, the three of them stood in a stance and started breathing heavily; heavy enough that Riley could hear it even from afar.


    And soon, he could see some sort of translucent yellow light veiling their bodies.


    "The Seven Seas of Fisting!"


    "Roar of the Magnificent Seven-Headed Lion!"


    "Fiery Breath of the Heavenly Dragon!"


    And there, Riley watched as one of the examinees started summoning sts of water with his fists¡­ but the st of water only violently shot out for a meter before just disappearing into thin air.


    The other one just screamed, causing the dirt and dust around him to ripple away.


    Thest one also screamed, but mes burst forth from his mouth¡­ before just turning into smoke after a single second.


    Riley was correct ¡ª these people will die from the asteroids without even having the chance to fight back.


    "What the fuck are you guys even doing!?" The examiner quickly got onto the stage and started pping the 3 on the back of their heads, "What''s with those grandiose names!? I was expecting you to blow up the stage with that kind of technique, but you guys might as well just be blowing fire from your noses! Out, get out!"


    And just like that, the number of examinees started to dwindle, with almost half gone; a third of them passing.


    "You three, go."


    And finally, it was Riley''s turn. He first turned to look at the two other examinees on the stage with him, waiting for them to present their technique as he was truly curious how they were doing this although they weren''t infected with the supervirus.


    "Rock Turtle m!"


    "Eagle''s Talon 2 Hours After Midni¡ª!!!"


    One of the examinees waved his hands; his fingers, almost like ws which whistled in the air. Before his fingers could continue to sing, however, Riley suddenly stood in front of him and started looking at his fingers.


    "Where is that st of airing from?"


    "What are you doing!? You''re going to get sliced if¡ª" The man''s fingers were now only an inch away from Riley''s face. Riley, however, just casually stepped away and returned to his position before anything could happen.


    "Examinee! What are you doing!?" The examiner quickly pointed at Riley, "If you''re just going to y around, then step down and let the others take the test!"


    "It is okay, Examiner," Riley shook his head, before also pointing a finger at the examiner, "I will present my technique now¡­


    ¡­Pavoo¡ª"


    "Stop! Stop!"


    And before Riley could decimate the entire country, a figure suddenly descended from the sky; her robes, almost like wings as they softly fluttered in the air. The figure''snding, however, was anything but soft as it cracked the entire stage.


    "Ha! M¡­ Matriarch!" The examiner quickly lowered his head and kneeled.


    "...Matriarch?" The examinees, on the other hand, all raised their heads to try and get a glimpse of the matriarch¡­ and her so-called beauty with equa¡ª


    "Riley! What are you trying to do!? I knew it was you when I started feeling goosebumps on the back of my head!" The matriarch, however,pletely drowned all of their senses as she started screaming without pause.


    As for Riley, he really only just waved his hand as the matriarch approached him, "I came to take you home¡­


    ¡­Gracy Gray."


    "...Who?"

 Chapter 842 842: Riley vs. Gracy

    <h4>Chapter 842 Chapter 842: Riley vs. Gracy</h4>


    "Gracy Gray¡­?"


    That was a name that waspletely foreign and unfamiliar to the examiner, and yet their matriarch seem to respond to it; her eyes not even batting as she stomped her way toward the white-haired examinee.


    "You!" Gracy pointed at the examiner, "Kick out the rest of these children and go!"


    "G¡­Great Matriarch?" The examiner did not really know what to do as he very slowly and carefully approached Gracy; his eyes, ncing at the clearly disappointed examinees, "It¡­ Who is that? Why is he calling you Gracy Gray?"


    "Do you think that is any of your concern!?" Gracy''s voice thundered in the air as her eyes started to light up. And as soon as red filled her eyes, the examiner and the examinees all could not help but let out loud gasps as they took a step back, "That name is just one of many I have used throughout my thousands of years of existence!"


    "It''s¡­ it''s the Heaven Dragon''s eye!" The examinees eximed as they tried their best to look away from Gracy, but couldn''t help themselves all the same as they took small nces at her eyes.


    "They said you''ll die once the Heaven Dragon''s eyes nce at you even once!"


    "Will¡­ will we die!?"


    And as the examinees began to panic, the examiner had no choice but to send all of them one by one; forcing them out of their courtyard by using another talisman.


    "Hm¡­" Riley was truly intrigued by this. He could not see even a trace of technology whenever they were using the talisman ¡ª unlike with themon universe, his universe, no matter how sophisticated and close to magic a device was, there would still be traces of it actually spawning as a machine.


    But here, in this world, it was almost akin to pure magic. There was also the fact that the people had mysterious abilities, and they weren''t supers at all.


    "Great Matriarch¡­" The examiner addressed Gracy with respect, not even looking at her face and showing his palm, "...Who is he?"


    "It is none of your concern," Gracy just waved her hand, "Leave."


    "Please, Great Matriarch. I need to know, all your subjects need to know!" The examiner did not back down, however, as he pleaded to Gracy, "The others would be asking me questions, I wish to have something to tell them."


    "Then tell them that I am with a friend," Gracy''s voice was deep; almost rumbling as she looked the examiner in the eyes, "A friend I have met in apletely different ne of existence. And tell them that if they see him, do not offend him at all costs."


    "A different ne of existence¡­?" The examiner looked at Riley from head to toe, "Could it be¡­ is he a celestial!?"


    "What the fuck is¡ªYes," Gracy held her head up high before her voice could crack, "Yes, he is a celestial."


    "Is he here to help us!?" All of the examiner''s pores opened up as he once again looked at Riley. This time, however, he quickly lowered his head and prostrated himself on the ground, "F¡­Forgive me, Lord! I did not know I was in the presence of a celestial! Of course, of course! I should have known with how beautiful and immacte you look, Lord!"


    "T¡ª"


    "It is fine, Mortal."


    Gracy was going to reprimand the examiner as he still had not left, but Riley suddenly began approaching him; his feet, not touching the ground as he very slowly floated toward the examiner,


    "You may stand up."


    "L¡­ Lord," the examiner wanted to cry, "Will¡­ will you save us from the doom that is looming through our skies?"


    "No."


    "..."


    "..."


    "All of you will die in 3 days," Riley then nonchntly said as he gestured to the examiner to leave, "Tell the others that billions of asteroids the size of entire countries are on their way to this."


    "W¡ª"


    "Riley!?" And as Gracy heard Riley''s words, she quickly grabbed the examiner and covered his ears. She then forcefully grabbed the talisman from his hand, before mming it on his back and causing him to be teleported away,


    "Why are you telling them that!?"


    "They might as well know, Gracy," Riley shrugged as he started looking around the now empty courtyard, only to notice that there wasn''t actually anything beyond the walls that surrounded the vast space, "What is this ce? We do not seem to be on Earth."


    "That¡ªit doesn''t matter. Is this world really ending in 3 days!?" Gracy''s voice became high-pitched as she stood in front of Riley, "What do you mean by billions of asteroids!?"


    "I meant what I meant, Gracy," Riley just nodded, "King sent all of us to universes that arepletely different from our own ¡ª universes that are either dying or was not even given a chance to flourish. In this universe''s case, it is currently being slowly swallowed by asteroids."


    "Asteroids¡­ how could something like that even destroy the universe!?" Gracy forced out a scoff beforeughing, "Theran wouldn''t even get a dent!"


    "Perhaps the asteroids are Theran," Riley shrugged, "I do not really know how a universe works yet ¡ª perhaps after another eternity where I am actually conscious, I could finally learn it all."


    "What the fuck are you even spouting!?" Gracy grabbed Riley by the shoulders, "And since you''re here¡­ then did youe here to save this Earth!?"


    "No, I came here to get you, Gracy."


    "...Why?" Gracy batted her eyes a couple of times, before her cheeks quickly became red, "D¡­ don''t tell me you have fallen in love with me!?"


    "No," Riley immediately shook his head, "I am trying to find Sister, you just happen to be here."


    "...Then why not just leave?"


    "Because this ce is somewhat interesting," Riley shrugged, "I initially wished to learn how the people of this world are able to exert their energy, but after seeing how weak they are ¡ª there is no use anymore."


    "...That''s where you are wrong, Riley Ross," a small smile started to crawl on Gracy''s face as she started backing away from Riley, "You think them weak, because they are weak. But what do you think will happen if someone like us¡ªa super, walks the path of cultivation?"


    "I do not know, Gracy."


    "They be stronger¡­" Gracy''s eyes turned red once more. This time, however, some sort of white aura started to veil her entire body; trickles of electricity, causing the very air around her to distort as she let out rhythmic breaths,


    "...Much stronger."


    And without even any warning, Gracy suddenly rushed toward Riley; the aura veiling around her, suddenly literally crawling to her arm and concentrating around her fist, literally turning into a white translucent dragon.


    "..." Riley tilted his head as he watched this white dragon''s jaws opening as wide as it could;pletely covering his entire body as its sharp teeth threatened to shred him into billions of pieces.


    "You do not have the leisure of taking this easy, Riley Ross!" Gracy screamed as Riley was swallowed by the dragon, "I am no longer the weak person you once knew, I am the Grand Matriarch of the¡ª"


    "You are right, Miss Gracy."


    "!!!" And before Gracy could utter the long name of her sect, Riley just suddenly grabbed her fist; causing a violent wave of shock to ripple from their hands,pletely destroying the head of the white dragon.


    "Your strength has improved exponentially."


    "Eep!" Gracy could not help but let out a small yelp as Riley suddenly pulled and raised her fist, causing her to almost tumble forward and fall onto Riley''s chest. Gracy immediately closed her eyes as her lips were now only an inch away from touching Riley''s lips¡­ but they never made contact.


    "..." Gracy opened her eyes, only to see Riley curiously looking at her hand.


    "That weird energy, where is iting from?"


    "..." Gracy could feel Riley''s warm breaths causing the tiny follicles of hair on her arm to shiver.


    "Does it juste out of your body, Miss Gracy?" Riley started sniffing her arm, "The attack you did just now, it was almost as strong as Aerith''s before she decided to rest. You were not that strong thest time we met."


    "I¡­ I told you!" Gracy pulled her arm away from Riley, "I learned how to cultivate from this world! And what do you mean I am only as strong as Aerith before she took a rest!?"


    "You were not that strong, Miss Gracy."


    "W¡ªYes, I was!" Gracy raised an eyebrow, "How strong was the Aerith of your world before resting anyway!?"


    "The strongest on Earth," Riley shrugged.


    "Oh¡­Oh," Gracy let out a small hum as she started nodding. Soon, however, her eyes once again turned red; as this time, the dragon was encapsting and slithering across her entire body, "Not bad, not bad at all¡­


    ¡­but you haven''t seen anything yet."


    ***


    "O¡­ okay, now you''ve seen everything."


    It took a full minute for Gracy to let out all the techniques and abilities she had learned in this world, but Riley did not even move from his spot for even a single second¡­ and she was already lying dead tired on the top of the marbled stage; her breaths, almost gasps,


    "Why¡­ how are you even this strong¡­?"


    "Because I am Riley Ross, Miss Gracy," Riley shrugged as he crouched beside Gracy, "But do not sell yourself short, Miss Gracy. You truly have be stronger."


    Riley then turned to look at the courtyard, only to see itpletely destroyed ¡ª the stage they were on right now, just floating on some sort of¡­ bubble that reflected everything.


    "If¡­ if you save this Earth," Gracy tried to sit up,


    "...I will teach you cultivation."


    "Hm¡­


    ¡­Okay."

 Chapter 843 843: Breathe With Me

    <h4>Chapter 843 Chapter 843: Breathe With Me</h4>


    "Wrong."


    "..."


    ''Wrong¡­"


    "..."


    "Wrong! I thought you, as stone-faced as you are, would do well in this! Why can''t you get it!?"


    A full day had passed since Gracy started teaching Riley the so-called ''Way of Cultivation'', and yet he had spent all that time just sitting with his legs crossed on the carpeted floor of Gracy''s room¡­ with absolutely no progress at all.


    "I am afraid I truly do not get it at all, Miss Gracy."


    And before another hour could whisk away, Riley finally opened his eyes and stood up; shaking his head as he released a long and very deep breath,


    "You are asking me to breathe from the core of my stomach, I do not even know what that is, Miss Gracy ¡ª and I am versed in the topics of anything and everything rted to human anatomy."


    "This has nothing to do with anatomy!" Gracy almost pped Riley on the head, before remembering who it was he was talking to. The only thing Gracy could really do was close her fist and release a sigh of her own.


    "Look¡­" Gracy then left Riley on the carpet and sat on her bed, crossing her legs and slightly revealing her thighs which were being covered by her silky robes, "...You should stop thinking about this the logical way ¡ª the dao is literally a suspension of the belief of everything other than power. Logic? Scrap that."


    "I am afraid abandoning logic is mentally impossible, Miss Gracy," Riley remained standing on the carpet as he looked at Gracy.


    "Trust me, Riley¡­ a lot of people are fully capable of functioning without logic. Most have never even used it in their life."


    "Like you?"


    "Yes, like¡ªWhat!? No!" Gracy once again balled up her fist, but she just literally bit it as she couldn''t really throw it at Riley, ''less she wanted something logical to actually happen, "How do I even exin this to you?"


    Gracy started getting even more frustrated as she started pacing around her room; her feet, stomping on the floor and causing the entire sect to tremble.


    Gracy''s sect wasrge. After all, she forcefully took over her previous sect, taking everything from them both figuratively and literally ¡ª erasing everything about it and turning it into the Mega Sect it is now.


    Even with this size, however, everyone could feel the tremble that was originating from their Matriarch''s private chambers.


    "That''s¡­ing from the Matriarch''s room?"


    All of her sect members stopped whatever it was they were doing. Those who were training in istion even came out of their caves as they felt this tremendous pressure echoing throughout their entire sect like drums that were being struck by a staff straight from the heavens.


    "What¡­ what do you think they are doing there?" And soon, several sect members started gathering near their Matriarch''s pavilion; taking in gulps as they looked at each other.


    "Do you think¡­


    ¡­they are doing dual cultivation?"


    "!!!"


    And as soon as those words were uttered, everyone just let out gasps of shock at the same time; creating an orchestra of bewilderment and utter disbelief.


    "The¡­ Matriarch is doing dual cultivation with a Celestial?"


    "Do you think¡­ how do you think they are doing it?"


    "Stupid! Of course¡­ of course, the Celestial is inserting his¡ªOh, I can''t say it!"


    And as her sect members were starting to get excited; even covering their faces as their breaths started getting heavier by the second while they imagine what their matriarch was doing, Gracy was still stomping her way across her room.


    Riley''s eyes could really only follow her as she started circling around him; looking at him from head to toe while doing so.


    "Riley¡­" Gracy then whispered, "...It''s like this, okay? You don''t need to imagine having no logic at all. But just try imagining yourself living in a metaphor."


    "..." Riley could not help but squint his eyes.


    "You are nothing."


    And as Gracy said those words, Riley let out a small hum.


    "You are just an empty husk, maybe not even," Gracy then sat down on the floor and crossed her legs, gesturing to Riley to do the same, "You do not exist, but at the same time, you are the universe itself. You are nothing, but at the same time, you are everything."


    "..." Riley sat down and closed his eyes as he continued to listen to Gracy. His slow breaths, soon bing silent, before bing nothing at all.


    "You are creating your own universe inside yourself," Gracy whispered as her energy started emerging from the very center of her torso, "This universe then, in turn, be the center of yourself ¡ª the source of your life."


    "..."


    "Follow my breaths," Gracy then took in a small but very deep breath;sting for a second, but enough for an eternity, "Are you feeling it now, Riley?"


    "No."


    "Tch. You are," Gracy opened one of her eyes to nce at Riley, only to see a small orb of energy forming inside of him, "Can you feel it?"


    "I can," Riley nodded, "But it''s weak, incredibly so, Miss Gracy."


    "Don''t let any other members of the sect to hear that," Gracy rolled her eyes, "For someone who just started their path to cultivation, your energy is already abnormally big. Mine was too."


    "I suppose the supervirus has something to do with that?" Riley continued to stimte the heat forming inside his chest as he spoke.


    "Maybe," Gracy shrugged.


    "This is a very interesting power, Miss Gracy," Riley''s hair started to float; almost as if he was underwater, "It is amplifying every ability I have."


    "It did the same to me," Gracy nodded, "Enough that I could actually do things I couldn''t do before."


    Gracy then raised her hand, and as she did so, mes emerged on top of her palm;pletely still,pressed.


    "Hm. It is quite easy to control as well," Riley breathed in as the core of energy inside him started getting bigger, before turning small again as the energypressed ¡ª this process repeated several times until the core of energy inside him became almost solid, "Interesting."


    "Show off..." Gracy immediately removed the ball of fire in her hand, "...You''re a fucking monster. I am just starting to realize it was the wrong decision to teach you. Fuck!"


    Gracy then sped her head tight as she realized what she had just done, "Why did I even fucking help you get stronger!? Aren''t you supposed to be like the god of destruction or something!?"


    "No," Riley shook his head as he opened his eyes and took one final deep breath as he stood up, "And you taught me the dao in exchange for me saving this world, Miss Gracy."


    "Shit¡­" Gracy''s eyes widened, "...Can you just forget all that and destroy your core?"


    "Metaphorically?" Riley tilted his head.


    "Fuck¡­" Gracy covered her face, "...So, how are you going to do it?"


    "Do what, Miss Gracy?"


    "Save this!"


    "Oh," Riley then closed his eyes, stretching his arms to the side as his feet very slowly left the floor. And with a small hum, he snapped his fingers, "It is done, Miss Gracy."


    "...What?" Gracy blinked a couple of times, "What do you mean it''s done!?"


    "I have already destroyed the asteroids that are headed to this."


    "But you just said the asteroids were as dense and hard as Theran!"


    "Yes, I confirmed that when I destroyed them," Riley nodded, "This cultivation thing is incredibly interesting, Miss Gracy. It just casually enhanced my telekic ability by several folds, I do not feel even the slightest stress in my body."


    "You''re¡­ fucking joking, right?" Gracy could really only force out a small chuckle as she stared Riley in the eyes.


    "No," Riley shrugged, "Well then, I will be taking my leave to continue my search for Sister."


    And as Riley said that, a portal appeared from behind him.


    "W¡ªyou''re going to leave!? I thought you were here to rescue me!?"


    "No," Riley once again shrugged as he stepped into the portal.


    "Wh¡ª" Gracy could not really say anything else as she just looked behind her, before just clicking her tongue and stepping into the portal herself,


    "Fuck!"


    And as she found herself back in the council room of the Council of Ross, she could really only let out a curse, garnering the attention of all the clones and Hera variants who were resting while waiting for the space station''s power to recharge.


    "You followed me back, Miss Gracy?" There was a small amused look in Riley''s eyes as he saw Gracy scratching her head, "I thought you wanted to stay in the universe?"


    "I did, I do!" Gracy almost cried out, "But I can''t just stay there while I know a war is about to fall onto the multiverse."


    "A war?" Riley tilted his head.


    "Yeah ¡ª against King," Gracy''s voice quickly turned serious as she looked around her, "We''re gonna destroy that fucker for killing your adoptive dad and enving trillions of people."


    "You may not be as strong as Aerith, but your sense of justice is there, Miss Gracy," Riley nodded, "Impressive."


    "Tch," Gracy waved her hand, "And besides, I can always go back to my sect once we killed that bitch. You saving them would be useless if King would just appear to enve them in the future."


    [Oh, I am afraid that is impossible, Gracy Gray.]


    "Hm?" Gracy could really only blink as Ahor Zai suddenly approached her, "The fuck do you mean?"


    [You can''t go back to the universe you were just in,] Ahor Zai shook her head, [It was a dying universe, so we have programmed the space station to lock ess to it once we were done.]


    "W¡­what?" Gracy gulped, "But¡­ we can still ess it somewhere else, right? Bard has this Nexus in our universe. We could ess it there, right?"


    [...]


    "...Right?"


    ***


    "Ms. Pearson."


    "..." Somewhere in the expanse of the multiverse, in a metal room with only a set of chairs and a table, King and Paige sat; with Paige with arms crossed and ring at King.


    "Are you perhaps ready to talk now¡­


    ¡­about what you really are?"

 Chapter 844 844: Deadedth

    <h4>Chapter 844 Chapter 844: Deadedth</h4>


    "Riley, right here."


    "A transmitter, but the clone holding it is missing."


    Riley found himself crouching in a cramped, inconspicuous dirty alleyway, picking up a transmitter that was used to signal the space station whenever someone was found by a clone.


    And yet, there was no sign of the clone, or anyone else for that matter ¡ª just Riley and Chihiro, who had woken up 3 days ago.


    "I was wrong, the clone is not missing at all," Riley carefully ced the transmitter in one of his pockets, before trailing his finger across the dirty asphalt floor; brushing off some sort of metallic sand from the ground,


    "It''s dead, Chihiro."


    "...Someone was able to kill your clone?" Chihiro, who was previously rxed as they stepped into this strange universe, could not help but activate some of her defense skills as she started looking around, "But we haven''t even seen anyone. I don''t even detect life within a hundred-mile radius even though we''re dab smack in the center of New York¡­ or at least I think this is New York."


    "Hm¡­" Riley nced at Chihiro for a few seconds, before just nodding and stepping out of the dark alleyway. And as the light of the setting sun shone upon them, what Rhys and Chihiro saw was a familiar scenery of destruction.


    The destruction was mild, however,pared to the destruction one such as Riley bestows, extremely so.


    There were abandoned cars parked in the street, a few of them burnt.


    "Some of these cars have been looted," Chihiromented as she sneak a nce at a car parked near the sidewalk, "Actually, most of these stores have signs of being broken into."


    Most of the windows of the buildings across the street were all shattered. There were some, however, which werepletely barricaded either by wood or metal railings.


    "What do you think happened here?" Chihiro asked.


    "Death, Chihiro," Riley nodded as his feet slowly lifted from the ground. Chihiro followed him into the air, and what they saw from above was just a repeat of what they had already seen.


    A slow destruction.


    There were no ruined buildings, not at all. Most of them just seemedpletely abandoned; most of the doors to their roofs, covered by all sorts of things one could find on a rooftop of a building.


    "...And what do you think caused their deaths?" Chihiro continued to look around, even ncing at the clear sky, "Do you think they were invaded or something? But it seems to¡­ clean for that."


    "Perhaps not, Chihiro," Riley shook his head, "Most dying universes that King seemed to have randomly sent us to are unique in a way that it ispletely different from ours ¡ª And like you, I do not sense life in the neighboring gxies."


    "..." Chihiro could not help but just nce at Riley as he casually said those words without even batting an eye, "Do you think the one who killed your clone is one of us?"


    "That is possible," Riley nodded, "Since I do not detect any signs of life, then there is a possibility that it might be Pirate Queen Xra."


    "...Why would she kill your clone?"


    "Because she''s Pirate Queen Xra," Riley shrugged, "She has¡­


    ¡­different tendencies than most people."


    Chihiro and Riley continued to fly above the city ¡ª but even with the light of the sun nowpletely gone, they could not find a single trace of Pirate Queen Xra.


    "Hm," Riley and Chihiro were now back in the alleyway where their portal was, "If Pirate Queen Xra does not want to be found, then let us honor her wishes and leave."


    "Are you sure¡­?" Chihiro took one final nce at both ends of the dark alleyway, "She''s strong. She could prove incredibly useful with the battle against King."


    "No," Riley shook his head, "Her being part of the battle will not change anything at all, Chihiro. Let us¡ª"


    And as Riley started making his way to the portal, he and Chihiro heard a small groan whispering from the dumpster near them.


    "..."


    And very slowly, the bin opened up ¡ª revealing a pale, almost bluish hand¡­hands, several pairs of them as they lifted up the bin.


    "...That''s weird," Chihiro tried scanning the pairs of hands, only for her system toe up with nothing, "I''m still not detecting any¡ª"


    And before Chihiro could wonder any further, the owners of the hands revealed themselves. They were humans¡­ who seemed to already be decaying as parts of their flesh just hung from their bones.


    And even with their gray eyespletely lifeless, their bodies seemed to still move with vigor as they all started crawling out of the bin at the same time like some sort of lizard.


    "Great¡­" Chihiro took a step back; her eyes twitching as she looked at these decaying humans with disgust, "...Zombies. Everything makes sense now."


    "Hm¡­" Riley nodded as he looked up at the stars that could be seen from the gap of the dark alleyway, "...I suppose this Earth received a different kind of virus. And I believe it is not only this, other civilizations have probably also fallen from this virus."


    "Grim," Chihiro held her arms and shivered, "This universe died from a slow and merciless torture."


    "Hm," Riley nodded again, "Let us leave, Pirate Queen Xra probably feels that she belongs in this universe filled with the walking dead."


    "Sad," Chihiro let out a sigh as she watched as more and more zombies started to enter the dark alleyway, "But I also don''t really want to stay in this ce for another second. I should probably destroy these things just in case someone leaps into the portal when¡ª"


    And before Chihiro could finish her words, the zombies all suddenly halted their steps; their heads, all turning at the same time in a single direction. And with groans escaping their gnarly mouths, they started walking away;pletely ignoring Chihiro and Riley.


    "..." Riley and Chihiro looked at each other, before proceeding to once again fly into the sky. And there, they probably saw more than a million zombies walking in the same direction ¡ª their destination all leading to a single point, a football stadium.


    "Someone''s there, Riley," Chihiro quickly pointed as she saw a dot in the center of the football stadium. And without even saying anything, Riley quickly flew toward the silhouette.


    And as theynded on the wilted grass of the stadium, they saw someone wearing some sort of hazard suit.


    "...I still don''t detect anything," Chihiro squinted her eyes as she started scanning the person, "Is it like a smart zombie? Xra?"


    "No," Riley shook his head as he approached the individual, pointing his palm at them andpletely destroying the hazard suit they were wearing.


    And almost immediately, the person inside the suit quickly flew up ¡ª but stopped mid-air as Riley stopped her from flying any further.


    "What¡­ Riley!?"


    Riley flicked his finger, pulling the woman closer to him,


    "Mother."


    It was Diana Ross,pletely naked.


    "I did not expect you to not wear anything under the hazard suit, Mother," Riley closed his eyes,


    "I¡­ apologize. You were not answering when we were calling you."


    "Of course!" Diana covered her breasts and privates as she stood in front of Riley, "That suit waspletely sealed from everything! The virus that destroyed this is violently airborne and would enter even in your smallest pore!"


    "I see," Riley nodded, "So that is the reason you immediately flew away. You do not have to worry, Mother. I have us covered with my telekic barrier."


    "Yes," Diana''s voice started to calm down as Chihiro summoned and handed a pair of clothes for her to wear, "I''m studying it since I have nothing to do in this ce, it''s the only thing I could do to¡­ distract myself."


    "I have Father''s head with me, Mother. Do you perhaps wish to see it?"


    "...What?"


    "Perhaps we should talk about itter," Riley breathed out, "We should leave, I do not wish to stay in this disgusting universe any longer, Mother."


    "...Agreed," Chihiro and Diana quickly nodded their heads as their feet left the ground.


    "I could just continue my research back in our universe," Diana let out a long and deep sigh, "I¡­ need something to distract me now that your father is gone."


    "Do you watch zombie movies, Mrs. Ross?" Chihiro quickly looked at Diana as they flew in the air, "Researching about these things never end up we¡ª"


    And before Chihiro could finish her words, she suddenly disappeared; a familiar whistle and a boom of a thunder, following her disappearance.


    "Oh," Diana blinked a couple of times as she looked to where Chihiro disappeared to, only to see the ground below them to open up into a deep crater,


    "They smelled us."


    "Hm?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he looked at his mother, before turning to look at the crater. And there, he saw Chihiro grabbing someone by the wrists; her face, almost wincing as she seemed to be trying her best not to look away from her sudden opponent.


    And much like the zombies that she had already seen roaming around, the face of her opponent waspletely pale and almost purple; no flesh was falling off from its bones, however.


    "You may have already hypothesized it¡­" Diana let out a small but very deep sigh as she looked up, only for her eyes to reflect several silhouettes very slowly descending toward them, "...But the virus affected this entire universe¡­


    ¡­and the themarians are no exception."

 Chapter 845 845: Nrawr

    <h4>Chapter 845 Chapter 845: Nrawr</h4>


    "Whatever you do, Riley ¡ª do not take off our telekic barriers."


    Those were thest words Riley heard from Diana''s lips before he saw another silhouette ram toward her, creating another crater that instantly decimated the entire city¡ªno. The destruction was still going, spreading like a tidal wave as it rippled across the surface of the Earth.


    "I suppose this has reached its end," Riley whispered as the world below him slowly crumbled. He did not stare at it for long, as it was already amon sight for someone like him ¡ª instead, he focused his attention on the 10 undead themarians staring down at him like he was some sort of food, literally.


    Whatever this zombie virus is, it seemed strong enough that Diana had to specifically make a suit that would make herpletely invulnerable and safe to it ¡ª even to the point that it was masking her own life energy from Chihiro.


    And it even affected the themarians ¡ª if the norids exist in this universe, could they have been infected too?


    And for them to suddenly be here, is it possible they heard him and Chihiro talking when they arrived in this universe?


    "...Interesting," Riley ced his hand on his chin as he looked at the themarian undead floating above. He had been waiting for them to do something, but all they did was just stare at him.


    "Are the ten of you perhaps confused?" And so, instead, it was Riley who floated up toward them, carrying a small smile on his face as he did so, "Unintelligent beasts and predators are also confused whenever they look at me. It is quite weird, no?"


    "Grr¡­" Then undead themarians all just grumbled as they moved their heads randomly, almost as if trying to understand what Riley was saying. He was even talking to them in the mostmon tongue of the themarian people, but it would seem they had truly lost all of their minds.


    "I wonder what will happen if I get infected by this virus? Will I just resurrect again?" Riley squinted his eyes, "I wonder if I should test it ¡ª but if I be a zombie, that would be disgusting. Have your minds truly sumbed to the¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, the undead themarians finally started to move; instantly appearing in front of Riley with their teeth threatening to mow down his flesh.


    A fewyers of Riley''s telekic barrier crumbled, but none of their teeth really reached his skin. This still seemed to surprise Riley, however, as he blinked a couple of times as he stared at undead themarians'' purple faces.


    "No themarian have really tried biting me, but even then, I feel as if the ten of you are stronger than the average themarians," he whispered as he raised his hand, looking closer to the themarian biting on it, "Could it be the virus have also increased your strength? Or is it only allowing all of you to reach your full strength, as the consequences thate with life no longer bar you?"


    The themarians continued to bite down, making Riley just rebuild his telekic barrier again and again ¡ª all of his abilities were already amplified when Gracy taught him how to circte his energy within himself, and yet once again, he was reminded of how truly monstrous themarians are when they truly try.


    "Hm¡­" And with a small hum, Riley released a telekic barrier that instantly sted the themarians away. He then turned to look at Diana, only to see her grappling the undead themarian that lunged onto her; either trying to choke it with her arms, or pull its head from its neck.


    As for Chihiro¡­ Riley couldn''t really understand what she was doing to the zombie, as it seemed to be crucified in some sort of gigantic cross. And before Riley could figure out what it was, the 10 undead themarians once again flew toward him.


    Fortunately, these themarians did not really have a brain as all of their n seemed to just involve rushing toward him ¡ª if they had a n at all, that is.


    This time, however, Riley started dodging them. Barely, by a hair''s breadth. This time, they were using their hands to try and grab his limbs. They were brainless and moved only on instinct, but they were still themarians ¡ª each movement of their hands capable of fully destroying an entire.


    In space, however, it might almost looked anticlimactic as there was nothing else to destroy there but the empty darkness ¡ª but of course, Riley won''t settle just for this as he stretched his arm to the side to make himself look more¡­ delectable as he headed his way toward the sun. Not before, of course, doing a detour to the nearbys.


    "Is this fun?" The smile on Riley''s face, however, very slowly faded as hended on the magmas of Venus, "It feels weird, I do not feel the same way as I have felt before."


    And as the themarians all lunged toward him like piranhas with their teeth fully showing, pushing him deeper through the. As they reached the core, however, Riley let out a small sigh and pointed his palm at the undead themarians, causing them to slow down as he continued to dig through to the other side of the and out into the expanse of space.


    And with another sigh, he turned his palm into a fist, instantlypressing Venus; before snapping his fingers and splitting several of the atoms in it ¡ª causing a wave of explosion thatpletely decimated whatever was left of the.


    The undead themarians in it, however, were stillpletely intact aside from their missing flesh¡­ which were already recovering.


    "You are regenerating even as zombies?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "That is very impressive."


    The undead themarians did not even have the capacity to be confused anymore as they just rushed toward Riley again. Riley, however, just sighed as he pointed a finger at them,


    "Pavo¡ª"


    Before he could erase their entire existence, however, they all suddenly stopped; once again grunting and growling as they randomly moved their heads. And without even any hint or warning, Riley watched as they flew away and quickly disappeared into the dark expanse of space.


    "Hm," it didn''t matter, however, as Riley was still going to erase them as his finger was still pointed in the direction they disappeared into and released his ''Pavoom'' attack; causing a white beam topletely decimate everything within it, even the darkness of space.


    And now, knowing what he knew from the other Primordials, he watched as the universe started fixing itself.


    Zombie themarians ¡ª this should have truly amused him, but it doesn''t. It was¡­ boring. It would seem being trapped for eternity has truly changed him more than he had even expected.


    "Time to go back," Riley once again sighed. But before he could fly away, he saw his hands fade away into the darkness.


    "..." He quickly turned around toward the sun¡­ only to see it was no longer there. The undead themarians flew away for a reason, could it be¡­ that a zombie cherbi was also roaming around here somewhere?


    Riley started scanning for a pink zombie fluff, but there was not a single sign of the cute colossus anywhere.


    "..." Riley then raised his palm into the air, summoning a light bright enough to illuminate a part of the dead sr system,


    "...Oh."


    And there, floating right in front of him just a few feet away¡­


    ¡­was Princess Esme, not breathing, not moving at all.


    Just staring at him with her eyespletely white and empty.


    "W¡ª"


    And before Riley could even say a word, the undead princess suddenly grabbed his face and left shoulder, before pulling him closer to her teeth and just ripping off a good chunk of flesh from his neck; his telekic barrier not even stopping anything.


    "..." Even with his flesh being chewed by Esme, he just looked through the gaps between Esme''s fingers. And as Esme swallowed his flesh and was about to bite on him again, Riley sted her away ¡ª but aside from just being pushed back by a meter, Esme just once again grabbed him; this time by his arm.


    And with little resistance, Esme ripped his arm off his shoulder and started tearing away in it with her teeth.


    Riley just watched as Esme enjoyed his flesh. He waited for him to start changing as he was bitten by Esme, but aside from his flesh regenerating, he did not turn into a zombie at all.


    "Hm, I suppose not," Riley shrugged as he turned his focus back to Esme, who was now tearing through his bones like chips.


    And as soon as she was done, her white and lifeless eyes once again looked at him ¡ª clearly still not satisfied with just taking his arm.


    "Well," Riley whispered as he started flying away and letting Esme chase him. Esme, however, just disappeared from her spot and instantly blocked his path; her teeth which were already covered with his blood, seemingly trembling with excitement.


    Princess Esme is considered to be, indisputably, the strongest themarian ¡ª and the only reason why she doesn''t fight is because her own body could not handle her own strength.


    But an undead Princess Esme, who did not care for her life because she was already dead in the first ce?


    And as the undead princess started grunting and growling at him, the smile that faded away from Riley''s face very slowly crawled back.


    "...I guess this will be fun."

 Chapter 846 846: Celestial Drill

    <h4>Chapter 846 Chapter 846: Celestial Drill</h4>


    "Do you know why I try to learn all thenguages of all the people I meet, Undead Princess?"


    "..."


    "Because when I do my viinous monologues, I want them to hear my words in their nativenguage ¡ª it is much more impactful that way. I learned Theran''snguage too, 3 of them including your kingdom''s."


    "..."


    "But with you, all of that bes utterly meaningless. And yet¡­ I still do it, Undead Princess. Because I believe, even mindless, you deserve to be treated in a way which befits your status."


    "Khhgrah¡­"


    "Hm, that is right."


    Riley has been talking for several minutes now, and all he receives as a response is the darkness of space, as well as the growls and grunts of Princess Esme.


    He did not seem to mind, however, as he still continued to speak with her ¡ª even making sure his words reached her in the expanse of space by using his telekic abilities; even while already trying to shield himself as she continued to lunge onto him.


    "..." Riley stretched his hand to the side, quickly pulling Mars, reinforcing it with his abilities and using it as a shield to block the oing Esme.


    But s, once again, Mars had be a victim of Riley Ross as its pieces shattered across the sr system; not even offering any protection as Esme just flew through it like it was just a ball of diluted mud.


    Riley, however, used the remains of Mars to trap Esme inside, once againpressing it and using more force to do so¡­ only for a ripple to instantly st across the entire sr system ¡ª ripping everything in it.


    And Riley, who was near the explosion, also felt his flesh being ripped apart even though he wa already wearing the thickest telekic armor he had ever wrapped himself with.


    And perhaps the scariest part of all of this is not the strength capable of casually destroying an entire system with just a p of her hands ¡ª but to be able to do it again and again.


    And she did. The undead princess started pping her hands again and again; not even minding that her flesh and bones were disintegrating while doing so.


    "Hm¡­" Riley could really only let out a small but deep hum as he summoned and repaired his armor without pause; shattering as soon as they were made. After a few more ps, however, the undead princess finally slowed down as she seemed to realize that her attempt to disintegrate Riley was not working at all.


    And so, with another growl, it just once again rushed toward Riley, threatening to turn him into a mangled corpse.


    Riley did not dodge even with this unstoppable force violently rushing toward him again. And instead, he just created some sort of harness ¡ª telekically connected the two of them with a rod so that no matter how fast Esme lunges toward him, he would just follow the same speed as they were directly attached to each other.


    "..." Perhaps this was a mistake, however, as even though they were in space, Riley could feel the undead princess elerating at a speed that caused the stars from the distance to be streaks; simr to hyperspeed.


    And soon, with no resistance whatsoever to stop them, they were now moving several times faster than the speed of light.


    "This is truly a mistake¡­" Riley whispered to himself as he just started creating clones from anything he could make them from; leaving a trail of them so that he could still find his way back to Chihiro and Diana. But as he stretched his telekic radar to its limit, he found that his limit was not at all what he imagined it to be anymore.


    It was stretching, and still stretching as he found himself farther and farther away from where he came from¡­


    ¡­almost as if he could see everything in this gxy and the next.


    And as they continued to increase their speed, Riley stretched his arm to the side and he started pulling everything his reach could get a hold-off. And if one were to see what was happening from afar, the trail he and Esme were leaving almost seemed like a vacuum as he was pulling all the celestial bodies with him.


    The undead princess waspletely unaware and just continued to rush toward Riley like a donkey chasing a carrot, not knowing there was already a celestial drill chasing it from behind, literally.


    Riley startedpressing all the celestial bodies he gathered and shaped them into a drill; spinning at an unimaginable speed as the gap between its tip and Esme''s back grew shorter and shorter.


    "..." And very soon, as a hint of blood finally started escaping from Riley''s nose a he stretched his upgraded powers even further to its new limits, he found himself¡­


    ¡­smiling.


    He was wrong.


    Being trapped in an eternity did not make himpletely emotionless or without feelings at all, no. It was just merely suppressing; molding it from within him and making it more¡­ more¡­ well, just more.


    He had never felt excitement like this before ¡ª it was as if his entire body started to shiver as he saw the undead princess still growling at him, and the celestial drill which was made from an entire gxy following her behind like a dragon.


    And then, with a small but stuttering breath¡­


    "Ha¡­hahaha. Hahahaha!"


    Riley beganughing. Not like his previous bursts ofughter which had the purpose of making his victims ufortable, no. Thisugh did not even reach from ear to ear, and yet even his eyebrows were slightly raised as his pale white face became flushed.


    And then, almost as if imitating the undead princess, a small but manic growl escaped his lips as he pointed his palm at her. An echoing pulse then escaped his palm; a pulse instantly covering the size of an entire star system, he pushed the undead princess back ¡ª causing several of her flesh and bones to tten.


    This wasn''t enough to stop the undead princess at all, however, as her body just instantly recovered. But stopping her was not Riley''s goal at all, but just slowing her down so that the celestial drill chasing her from behind could finally ram itself toward her.


    And there, he watched as the undead princess started to scream as the heavens fell upon her, quite literally. It did not really pierce her at all; after all, the size was iprehensible.


    Even Riley himself never imagined that he would one day do things like this. He had really only always gone with the flow of the wave, just destroying whatever he could in whichever direction the wave took him.


    That was him, a being just always going with the flow. But perhaps now¡­


    ¡­now was the time to take control of the wave.


    "Undead princess."


    And as the back of the undead princess was being ravaged by the cosmos, Riley suddenly flew toward her and grabbed her by the face. And even with her busy trying to resist the force drilling her from behind, she still tried to bite Riley''s hands.


    Riley did not mind, however, as he even ced his face closer to hers.


    "I have a n," Riley smiled as he looked the undead princess in its white and lifeless eyes, "And I am going to need you in it, so¡­"


    A clone then appeared behind Riley, grabbing something tiny from one of his many pockets. And then, with a snap of his fingers, the tiny object the clone was holding turned into some sort of ss cage.


    "...I was saving this for Aerith just in case she misbehaves again, but I am using it on you instead."


    ***


    "What¡­ the fuck is that?"


    "A zombie variant of Princess Esme."


    "I know what it is, but I am asking why you brought it here!"


    Back in the Council of Ross, all of the Hera variants who were still left in the space station were currently huddled up in one ce; their instincts, all turned to their max as they stared at the bluish-skinned woman sleeping in a ss cage in front of them.


    And Hera, who had the urge to return to the space station, could not help but just quickly hide behind Diana as she saw the undead princess.


    "Mrs. Ross¡­ I am really d you''re here now, but¡­ why did you bring something like that?" Hera slightly stuttered, "I can feel my body acting up just by looking at it."


    "I am¡­ as worried as you are," Diana could really only just sigh as she looked at the undead princess, before turning her attention to her son, "Riley¡­ where were you even hiding this¡­ contraption?"


    "I found it here in the Council of Ross, Mother," Riley shrugged, "Bard probably built it for his Diana, but ended up killing her instead."


    "...Do you think she''ll wake up anytime soon?" Gracy carefully approached the cage.


    "No."


    But as soon as she heard Riley saying that, the confidence in her stride returned as she tapped on the ss.


    "Pft, why are you guys even scared from just this?" Gracy then let out a chuckle as she hit the ss cage, "She already died once, I could just easily kill it again with my Thunder¡ª!!!"


    And as soon as Esme''s undead variant flinched, Gracy instantly rushed behind Riley, "You¡­ you said she won''t wake up!"


    "She won''t, because she is not asleep in the first ce," Riley shook his head, "She is dead. Her energy is merely being drained by the cage."


    "...Fuck. So¡­


    ..what is it doing here again?"


    "Well..." Riley turned to look at Diana,


    "...I always wanted a pet."

 Chapter 847 847: Corned Beef

    <h4>Chapter 847 Chapter 847: Corned Beef</h4>


    "Are these all the universes you''ve already crossed out?"


    [Yes, Diana. There aren''t too many yet as the universes where King sent all of you to are unique, requiring more energy to traverse to.]


    "What is the possibility of opening a portal to the universe I was in?"


    [0.000062%, Diana. Aside from its ever-changing frequencies, the energy required to ess it has also increased.]


    "Then, perhaps we could¡­Excuse me, can I help you?"


    "You look fat."


    Diana and Ahor Zai were peacefully talking with each other while scanning the holograms in front of them, but their peace was suddenly interrupted by Caiin suddenly standing right in front of her ¡ª her thin face emerging from the hologram as she stared at Diana''s face.


    "I have forgotten what I look like healthy¡­" Caiin squinted, "...But I swear you have an extra kilogram on you, or 5."


    "And you have an extra chromosome."


    "Rude, you''re the one who adopted the literal devil," Caiin scoffed as she joined the two in examining the previous universes they had already crossed out, "Which one was mine?"


    [In the back of the list,] Ahor Zai brought up Caiin''s universe, which waspletely pink, [With the circumstances of the nature of its apocalypse, the chance to return to it is even smaller.]


    "But not impossible?"


    [Well, nothing is impossible in the scale and nature of Creation, Dr. Caiin.]


    "Hmmm¡­" Diana stared at Caiin''s universe, before ncing at her, "...Your universe was destroyed by the Cherbi?"


    "Cherbis. Is there really only one in most of the universes?" Caiin raised an eyebrow.


    "Yes, a singr existence."


    "...So we were just unlucky?"


    "Rtively," Diana sighed, "The universe I was sent to was destroyed by a virus that turned everyone into flesh-eating monsters."


    "I saw that. And your son is insane for bringing one here¡­ and it just had to be Princess Esme."


    "Riley¡­ Riley just has his own thought processpletely different from the rest of us."


    "I''ve only known him for a very short time, but I am inclined to agree with you. Do you know he is carrying your husband''s head?"


    "Yes, yes I know."


    "As long as you know," Caiin once again focused on the holograms, "But this¡­ I do not know if it is the same in your universe, but themarians are treated as gods in mine. But the most we do is just fly around and solve others'' problems. But this¡­ is this not what it means to be a god?"


    "We are just rescuing my daughter and friends," Diana shook her head.


    "No, this is already something a should only be capable of," Caiin also shook her head, "You might not notice it because you are always with your son, but this is¡­


    ¡­ridiculous."


    ***


    "It seems there is no one here already, and I wanted to feed you some fresh meat too, Princess Esme."


    Riley was currently in a dead universe, and this was the 3rd time he had been through in which all of life had already been destroyed.


    The only thing he could really do was let out a sigh as he pulled¡­ the rope in his hand which was reinforced by his telekinesis, and attached to it was the undead princess'' cage like an oversized balloon.


    "I wanted to go to a normal universe, but Mother reprimanded me not to release you there," Riley sighed again, "Do you just want to y?"


    "..."


    The undead princess did not really have any energy as her cage continuously zapped her of her strength; even then, however, she looked at Riley.


    "Okay then, let''s just y for a few minutes." And as he said those words, the cage confining the undead princess opened. She did not immediately attack Riley, however, but her dead eyes focused on the silhouette who was suddenly beside him ¡ª King.


    Or at least an illusion of him, wrapping a sweet, fresh, bag of blood that Riley was now bringing along with him everywhere.


    "Go¡­


    ¡­go fetch."


    ***


    "Riley, did you find anything there? What took you so lo¡ªyou''re still bringing that with you!?"


    And after an hour, Riley left the dead universe he was in ¡ª the undead princess'' so-called ytimested longer than he anticipated.


    "You''re seriously treating it as a pet!? I thought that was a joke!" Gracy''s face still could not be painted whenever she sees the undead princess Esme, "Seriously, that''s inhumane."


    "It is no longer alive, Gracy."


    "I mean just put it out of its misery!"


    "I threw an entire gxy through it and it survived," Riley shook his head, "I believe it will be more useful to me alive. Cherbi also needs a ymate and she would be perfect for it."


    "...Right," Gracy squinted her eyes, "Anyway, some guys from your universe are here. There they are."


    Riley looked to where Gracy was pointing to, only to see someone not actually from his universe.


    "Ah! Son!"


    "..." It was the Alice Lane of the first universe he was trapped in, waving at him while dragging her Diana with her by the hand,


    "Alice Prime."


    "Don''t call me that, I sound like one of those Australian corned beef in cans," Alice let out a small giggle as she excitedly stood in front of Riley, "Guess what?"


    "..."


    "Guess what," Alice repeated her words as she nodded at Riley, "Come on, guess."


    "How would the guy know what you''re letting him guess if he has no idea what you''re talking about."


    "He knows, Dee. He''s smart as heck."


    "It doesn''t work that way," Diana-2, or Dee for short, could not help but just roll her eyes and shake her head,


    "The Bernard variant known as King attacked our universe."


    "Wha¡ªI wanted him to guess it!" Alice covered Dee''s mouth, but it was already toote.


    "Oh," Riley turned to look at Alice, "I was actually going to answer that, Alice Prime."


    "No, no! See!?" Alice gripped Dee''s lips, "He was going to guess it!"


    "..." Riley could really only wait for Alice to stop climbing on top of Dee; biting her shoulder and even her face. Fortunately, after a few seconds, Dee was able to calm Alice down.


    "W¡ª"


    "I really do have a lesbian variant!"


    And before they could continue their discussion, Caiin appeared ¡ª already pointing at Dee and Caiin.


    "I thought you were lying when you said that to me, Riley."


    "I only lie when it will lead to fun events, Dr. Caiin."


    "Holy crap¡­ It''s an even sexier version of you, Dee," Alice looked at Caiin from head to toe, causing her to slightly back away, "Now you''replete. Riley''s mom is the MILF variant, she''s the fit variant, and you¡­ wow. I don''t know if I should say this, but you''re the boring variant, Dee."


    "This is so weird," Caiin could not help but just be mesmerized as she looked at Dee like she was some sort of tourist attraction.


    "We should focus on why we are here, Alice."


    "I see what you mean by the boring variant," Caiin squinted her eyes as she looked at Dee from head to toe again.


    "Our universe was attacked by King. Alice and I quickly traversed to find you¡­ but it would seem you have your own problems."


    "Hm," Riley nodded his head, "King also attacked us."


    "And you were not able to stop him?" Dee''s eyebrows lowered.


    "No. The circumstances did not allow me to engage him directly," Riley sighed, "What about on your side, Diana-2? I thought Alice would be able to dismember him with no problem at all."


    "The guy was strong, but you''re right," Alice shrugged before clicking her tongue, "At first, when he appeared outside Earth with the big tittied colossal silverdy, I immediately fucked him up. It was funny because he was dering all of us to kneel to him."


    "Hm," Dee nodded.


    "But then other people started appearing to aid him."


    "Clones?"


    "No."


    "Variants?"


    "No," Alice groaned, "Other people. I don''t really recognize them from anywhere. Long story short, Dee and I were forced to escape to your universe, and then we found out from the actress your circumstances."


    "King has otherrades?" Riley ced his hand on his chin, "That is valuable information, Alice Prime."


    "How about just calling me Mother Prime?"


    "That sounds like a title a nun would have, Alice Prime."


    "I could be a nun."


    "But you are not."


    "Doesn''t matter. Anyway¡­" Alice let out a small and deep sigh as she nced at Dee, "...Since Dee and I have practically lost our home, we were hoping to stay in your universe since it''s practically a refuge for people like us now. You adopted the Aerith of our universe, so¡­"


    "You do not need to ask me, Alice Prime," Riley shook his head, "You are free to do as you wish."


    "Cool, cool," Alice tapped Dee''s arm, "So, how exactly can we help here? I heard you guys are going to war with the guy?"


    "I believe we can offer substantial advantage in strategy," Dee stepped forward as she projected a hologram in front of her ¡ª a hologram of the Bernard of their world who Riley decapitated,


    "As you may have remembered, our Bernard is sort of a mild version of King ¡ª albeit a failed version. We should be¨C"


    "We do not really need strategy."


    And before Dee could say her piece, Diana appeared in the auditorium. And although her face and voice was calm, everyone could feel a certain hostility escaping her breaths.


    "This is an enemy that could attack us at any time, anywhere. And no matter how much we calcte or deliberate; the truth is, we do not know anything about him," Diana breathed out,


    "Everything we need is already here¡­


    ¡­we just need to overwhelm him with pure, raw power."

 Chapter 848 848: Riley’s Sun

    <h4>Chapter 848 Chapter 848: Riley''s Sun</h4>


    "I heard the fate of the universe was at stake again, but it''s not Riley?"


    "The multiverse, Empress. The multiverse."


    And very slowly, the Council of Ross was filled with all sorts of people¡­ except for the people whom it actually belongs to, Bernard Ross. They were all seated in the auditorium, which was now only the size of arge ss hall since most of the Hera variants were already gone.


    "I do not get it, why is our priority still retrieving the people we have lost?"


    The Queen of Evaniels was also there, and had already explored every nook and cranny of the space station more than a thousand times; just in case they were missing something,


    "If we really need the brain of the architect of all this mess, then why do we not just pull one from a random universe?" Queen Vania raised her hand as she shared her thoughts, "I know all of you are thinking that there is a chance that that variant might join or have already joined forces with this man all of you call King, but at least we keep our enemies closer."


    "No," Diana raised her hand to talk, "Aside from the fact you have alreadyid out ¡ª like most variants, the variants of Bernard Ross are not created equal."


    "Hm," Empress nodded her head and agreed, "Our Bernard Ross was the best of all of them, it¡­ is truly a demerit to the entire universe that we lost him."


    "..." If anyone else said that, Diana would probably also be nodding her head and thanking them. But it left a weird taste in her mouth that it was her husband''s mistress who said those words. And so, the only thing she could really do was project the hologram of Bard in front of all of them,


    "This is the Bernard Ross variant who goes by the name Bard. He created Council of Ross¡­"


    And while Diana and the others discuss the situation with the neers, the search for Hannah and the others continued in the same room, causing Queen Vania to look at Riley and all the clones who are stepping in and out of the portals.


    In a way, perhaps unbeknownst to most of the people here, she felt¡­ extreme guilt with the current situation. She was not apologetic for Hanna and the others, not at all. How could she, when they were part of Riley Ross''s circle?


    She was, however, extremely guilty for not listening to Van''s words. After all, at the time, those words did not reallye from Van''s mouth, but from Riley''s. He already told all of them not to open portals, and yet she was one of the people who spearheaded the research and even allocated enough budget topletely turn it into reality.


    And now, this was the result ¡ª not only their universe but others realities have been dragged with her sins.


    "I know what you are thinking, Queen Vania."


    "!!!" Queen Vania could really only look to the side, as all of a sudden, Riley was sitting beside her. She couldn''t even feel him arriving there at all.


    "I canceled my presencepletely," Riley raised his palm as he looked at Queen Vania, "Also, if you are thinking that this is somehow your fault for sponsoring the creation of portal, then do not be."


    "..." Is Riley Ross actuallyforting right now?


    "Your actions are irrelevant and useless in the grand scheme of things," Riley sighed, "Multiversal travel had already been discovered by Bard more than a decade before our universe discovered it."


    "Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Queen Vania raised an eyebrow.


    "I was not trying to make you feel better, Queen Vania ¡ª I was doing the opposite and trying to make you feel useless." And with those words, Riley stood up and just casually left the discussion; leaving Queen Vaniapletely lost in thought as to what Riley even wanted to achieve by doing that.


    "You''ll get used to it," Empress, who was seated on her other side just waved her hand and sighed, "The kid lives to create chaos."


    "Well, that kid is nning on ending all of us," Queen Vania raised her voice and stood up, "King may be the immediate threat now, but make no mistake ¡ª he is still the biggest threat in the entire multiverse. While we are here, we should start nning on how to truly get rid of him, because unlike with King, we can n, and need to n."


    "But he is not our problem for now."


    "He has always been the problem."


    And as the discussion soon turned into an argument, Riley was not standing in front of a portal; nodding his head as he watched the chaos he left very slowly turn louder by the second. And with a smile on his face, he tugged the rope he was holding ¡ª once again entering a portal and bringing alone the undead princess with him in a cage.


    Riley was once again expecting nothing but darkness, as thest universes he had traversed to were all alreadypletely dead. But the view in front of him right now could not be even more alive.


    He was in the center of what seemed to be New York, but it looked old and the buildings seemedpletely abandoned; there were cracks, shattered ss, and the smell of rusted metal everywhere.


    But it was alive ¡ª there were people there all wearing thick coats and jackets; carrying everything they could as they seemed to help each other with whatever it was they were doing. There was also a certain piercing cold that seemed to chill the water and vapor, but not enough to truly turn them into ice.


    If there was anything different on this Earth, it is that it had two suns ¡ª one almost white in color, while the other yellow. Riley did not even bother acknowledging the people who were slowly gathering around him and looking at him as well as the cage floating close to him, he just quickly flew up into the sky and toward the white sun.


    Before he could even get far, however, he noticed something different. The closer he got to the white sun, the lower the temperature became ¡ª even lower than normal when one finds themselves trapped in the expanse of space; the chill was even starting to form around his telekic barrier.


    "..." Riley squinted his eyes for a few seconds, before he turned toward the yellow sun. And without even any hesitation, he flew toward it; his speed, increasing by the millisecond as everything around him just turned into a dark and streaking blur; even leaving the undead princess'' cage just floating in the expanse of the sr system.


    And very soon, he reached the yellow sun. And even with himpletely immune to heat, Riley could still feel a soothing warmth starting to veil around his entire body; wrapping him gently. But he knew that even if it wasn''t him, everyone else would still feel a soothing warmth, no heat at all.


    And as he got even closer, he found that the sun was not a sun at all.


    But two people, two people holding each other''s hands as they seemed to peacefully sleep.


    "Hm¡­" Riley stared at these two silhouettes for a few seconds, before a smile very slowly crawled on his face. He then very gently raised his palm and pointed it toward the two ¡ª but as soon as he did so, one of the silhouettes turned her head at him.


    "Riley¡­ no."


    "Sister."


    It was Hannah. Her body,pletely white; almost ethereal as Riley could see the universe through her, literally. And the other silhouette she was holding hands with; almost like a mirror, was Nannah.


    And perhaps in the simplest of forms, and in the simplest of sense, and in the simplest of words ¡ª there were giving this universe life.


    "I havee to bring you back, Sister," Riley turned his palm up and tried to reach for Hannah, but Hannah just shook her head, causing some sort of dy after image as the warmth emitting from her body seemed to leave a print on the universe.


    "You can''t, Riley. Whatever you do, promise me that you will not try anything," Hannah''s voice seemed distant, not metaphorically ¡ª but her voice seemed to travel across the entire universe at once, "If you do¡­"


    "...This universe dies," Nannah was the one toplete Hannah''s words, "I have always imagined what my purpose truly is ¡ª and perhaps it is this. I have destroyed the lives of many in the chance that they will be a threat to their universe, but now it is truly time to save a universe while not sacrificing any lives."


    "Leave us here, brother¡­" Hannah let out a sigh which almost pushed Riley back, "...This is what our powers are for. And even if you try to do something, it will not be enough as our mortal forms have already departed this ne. We are¡ª"


    "No."


    And before Hannah could even finish her words, Riley suddenly grabbed both their hands¡­ before pulling them apart.


    "Riley, no!"


    And as soon as he did so, a ripple exploded; almost instantly moving across the entire universe. And very soon, Riley could feel even the darkness of the expanse of space to crack as a murdering chill menacingly crawled everywhere¡­ everywhere except the minuscule space where the three of them were floating.


    "See, Sister?" Riley then pointed at Hannah and Nannah as their bodies very slowly materialized in front of him, "You still have your bodies."


    "Riley, you¡­ you promised me you won''t do that¡­" Hannah and Nannah started grabbing their arms as they seemingly felt everything and everyone dies around them, "We¡­ they relied on us and¡ª"


    "The only thing I promised you is not to abandon you, Sister," Riley shook his head, "And also¡­


    ¡­I am starting to feel a little selfishtely."

 Chapter 849 849: RR

    <h4>Chapter 849 Chapter 849: RR</h4>


    "Why¡­ Riley?"


    "Because I can."


    In the midst of a universe turning asunder, Riley and Hannah floated at the center; their eyes, just locked on to each other. Of course, Nannah was also there, but she wasn''t important in what was happening right now ording to Riley''s eyes, which were seemingly trying their best not to reflect her silhouette at all.


    Hannah''s almost translucent body, very slowly gaining flesh as the breaths escaping her lips sound defeated.


    "All¡­ all of these people¡­ they¡­"


    "Please stop being too dramatic, Sister. A lot more people are dying as we speak," Riley did not let Hannah finish her words as he raised his hand. And as he did so, the three of them started flying away, "A billion, a trillion does not matter at all. There is no need to sacrifice your life just for these people."


    "W¡ª"


    "How were you able to do this feat, though?" Riley looked forward, only to see the expanse of the universe they were flying through seemingly cracking; almost as if the entire universe itself was just one big giant cier, "I know your abilities are capable of melting an entire star system if you wanted to, but covering an entire universe with a warmth that does not kill is beyond what you should be capable of. Did it have something to do with the two of you holding hands?"


    "...I do not want to talk to you right now, Riley," Hannah just covered her breasts and private parts as she looked away.


    "Hm¡­" Riley flicked his finger, causing a ck goo to seep out from one of his pockets. It then expanded and flew toward Hannah, covering her body like a suit. As for Nannah, well ¡ª Riley just left her naked.


    "Do¡­ you have something for me too?" Nannah weakly said.


    "Oh, I thought you preferred being naked, Nannah," Riley blinked before also covering Nannah with the ck goo, "Since Sister does not seem to want to talk to me, perhaps you can answer my question? Did the two of you holding hands amplify your abilities?"


    "Oh¡­" Nannah turned to look at Hannah, who was squinting her eyes at her as if silently telling her not to talk to him. Nannah, however, just let out a sigh and shook her head, "...Our powers were not really amplified. It is more of a coboration, one controls the strength of the me, and one delivers it."


    "Like a central radiator."


    "No, th¡ªActually, yes," Nannah raised an eyebrow, "We served as the radiator of this universe, making sure the heat is evenly distributed, ensuring life to everyone and everything."


    "T¡ª"


    "Why are you just talking to him so casually!?" And before Riley could say another word, Hannah suddenly yelled and pointed at him, "Are we really so desensitized with all the deaths that we could really just move on from a universe dying¡­? We were keeping them alive! And you were the one who proposed all of this in the first ce, you said you wanted to atone for your sins and actually try and save people!"


    "...And we have, Hannah," Nannah closed her eyes and sighed, "Because of us, the people of this universe had the chance to live again ¡ª to hope."


    "For what¡­ 6, 7 months!?" Hannah almost growled.


    "It never would have been enough," Nannah shook her head, "At least this way, they died instantly. And thest memory they have was them actually living, not just freezing to death. And don''t forget, Hannah¡­


    ¡­We''re not gods."


    "We''re not," Hannah raised an eyebrow, "No one is ying god here."


    "What I meant is that we will die. We''re not immortal like your brother. These people¡­ they would have died eventually too along with us."


    "..." Hannah looked Nannah in the eyes for a few seconds, before turning to look at Riley, "You could have at least let us choose what we wanted to do."


    "No. As I said, I was feeling selfishtely, Sister," Riley shook his head, "I felt that my choice mattered more, and my choice is you¡­


    ¡­always you, no matter what."


    "If that''s true¡­" Hannah looked Riley in the eyes, "...Then stop destroying and killing everyone."


    "No," Riley shook his head, "I said my choice is you, not your worthless decision."


    "What did you¡ª"


    "What the fuck is that!?"


    And like a wail that rippled across the cracking universe, Nannah suddenly screamed as she pointed at a frozen ss cage¡­ with a frozen dead themarian in it.


    "Isn''t that¡­ Princess Esme?" Hannah squinted her eyes, "Why does it look like she''s still moving¡ªWait, I thought the themarians of this universe died like thousands of years ago because of the endless cold?"


    "I don''t know¡ª and if they did, then Princess Esme shouldn''t even be¡ª"


    "Oh, there is no need to deliberate or guess," Riley grabbed the frozen rope hanging from the ss cage, "This is our new pet, Sister."


    "Pet!? She''s a fucking human, Riley!"


    "Technically, she is Themarian, Sister," a small smile crawled on Riley''s face, "And she is clinically dead, and therefore does not have the same rights. I took her from a universe that ended due to a zombie apocalypse."


    "A universe¡­ with themarian zombies? What the fuck were you even doing there?"


    "I see¡­" Nannah let out a small gasp as she raised a finger, "...We were all sent to a dying universe by King. So, that is what the device was¡ªI was wondering why Dad panicked when he saw it. Does that mean you''ve figured out how to recover all of us? Is Dad leading the rescue!?"


    "We have not found your father, Nannah."


    "What¡­ what about Dad, Riley?" Hannah slightly stuttered as she looked Riley in the eyes. And even though she already knew the answer, she did not care as she just wanted to hear it from Riley.


    "Yes, I found Father."


    "...What!?" Both Hannah and Nannah looked at each other; with a smile growing on Nannah''s face as she grabbed Hannah by the shoulders.


    "Dad¡­ dad is alive!?"


    "No, I found his head," Riley then grabbed a miniature decaying head from his pocket; slowly erging to normal size as he presented it to Hannah,


    "Mother wanted me to give it to her, but I told her I would like to show it to you first, Sister. You can thank mete¡ª"


    "You¡­


    ¡­why would you even show that to me!?"


    ***


    "Mom!"


    "H¡­ Hannah!?"


    And as soon as Hannah and Nannah emerged from the portal, Diana, who was previously discussing things with her variants, instantly disappeared from her spot and embraced her daughter.


    As for Dee and Caiin, the only thing they could really do was sigh as they followed her. The expressions on their faces, slightly different from each other, almostpletely opposite. Dee waspletely hesitant, while Caiin seemed extremely curious as she looked at Hannah from head to toe.


    Caiin has already seen Hannah from the holograms, but seeing her in person made her feel a certain way she couldn''t quite exin. And soon, her eyesnded on Nannah, who had a wry smile on her face as she watched Hannah being embraced and weed back by her mother.


    And almost as if there was someone whispering to her¡­ she also suddenly hugged Nannah.


    "W¡­" Nannah could really only bat her eyes as Caiin suddenly hugged her. She was initially going to pull away, but when she found that she couldn''t even budge Caiin for even a single millimeter; a small whimper escaped her lips as she just suddenly burst into tears.


    "It''s okay¡­ you did good," Caiin very gently brushed Nannah''s head.


    "..." Dee, who was suddenly left alone, could really only just shrug. She was about to walk away, but suddenly felt someone tapping her shoulder ¡ª she looked around, only to see Riley with his arms open.


    "You are feeling left out, Diana-2."


    "W¡ªGet away from me. You¡ª"


    "...Psst, Dee," and almost as if teaming up on her, Alice also arrived as she started whispering loudly, "If you''re feeling lonely, we could adopt orphaned Hannahs ¡ª I am sure there are many out there since you''re such a lousy parent. Pft."


    "You''re the one with a variant who literally killed her son, creating a god that is out to kill all of us."


    "Kh¡­" Alice grasped her heart as she was the one to wrap herself in Riley''s open arms, "That hit me right in the kokoro."


    "..."


    "Kokoro means¡ª"


    "Heart, I know."


    "Oh, you do? I thought you didn''t have a heart?"


    "Ugh," Dee just groaned as she quickly made her escape from this¡­ very ufortable situation. Unfortunately for her, this ufortable situationsted for more than an hour as both Hannahs cried on the shoulders of her variants. Unbeknownst to her, however, she was actually subtly watching them from afar with a sort of¡­ longing gaze.


    And of course, this longing gaze did not escape Alice Prime''s eyes.


    "Oh¡­ oho¡­ ohoho," Alice approached Dee while covering her mouth; dancing at the same time as sheughed, "Someone regrets not having a child."


    "I don''t! Stop bothering me!" Dee clicked her tongue as she started walking away. Before she could even take 3 steps, however, she almost choked on her own themarian breath as she saw Riley standing in front of her¡­


    ¡­wearing a dress; a flower pinned on his now brown hair.


    "What in the¡­"


    "Since you seem to be longing for a child, I asked Riley to dress up!" Alice boasted, "I even did his makeup and colored his hair so that he would at least have your features since he already has mine."


    "Please¡­


    ¡­just get out."


    "Pft¡­ can''t even be joked around. Let''s go, Riley," Alice stuck out her tongue before just walking away.


    "...Where are the two of you going?" Dee watched as Riley started following Alice¡­ the two of them seemingly walking toward a portal.


    "To another universe, one of the clones found someone," Alice shrugged, "But he escaped for¡­ reasons."


    "...Does that reason have anything to do with this freak dressing up as a woman?"


    "Oh¡­


    ¡­Oh yes."

 Chapter 850 850: I Can Explain

    <h4>Chapter 850 Chapter 850: I Can Exin</h4>


    It was weird. The streets that Riley and Alice Prime were walking on right now were clean ¡ª there was no rubble, no debris, not even a single crying child. The streets, they were normal. Everyone was just going on about their days, with some busier than the others as they seemingly walked faster or pressed the horns of their cars.


    In almost all cases, there would be no issue in this type of normality ¡ª but this type of normality was no longer normal in the world Riley walks in. And he walks these streets with his silky, white, frilly dress bouncing with each step; the fake flower pinned on his short brown hair, almost glittering as it reflects the sunlight peacefully veiling him.


    "Pft¡­"


    Alice, who was walking with Riley, was circling around him as she took videos of him walking with a certain bounce in his steps; elegant, and yet approachable at the same time ¡ª courtesy of Hera''s teachings.


    "Psst, Riley."


    "...Yes?"


    "Hurk, my kokoro."


    And as Riley nced at her with his pink luscious lips, Alice could really only just sp her chest again. If it wasn''t for Riley catching her with his telekic abilities, she would have truly allowed herself to fall on the cold hard ground. It wasn''t helping her case that Riley also altered his voice bypressing the airing out of his throat.


    It wasn''t only Alice staring at him, all of the women who were passing by them all nced at Riley, some longer than others. There were no men staring at him, however¡­ solely for the fact that there truly are no men within the nearby vicinity, and probably in the next country¡­ or perhaps the entire.


    "This world seems to be functioning well even when all of their species'' male counterparts seem to be slowly dying out, Alice Prime."


    "I checked their inte for a bit ¡ª and they seemed to have saved their balls or something before they werepletely wiped out by some sort of virus," Alice hid her phone as the two continued to walk, "Every alien that has a dick or equivalent to it is also probably already dead too."


    "Hm¡­" Riley ced his hand on his chin, "...Do you think the reason why my clone is suddenly missing has something to do with the fact that everyone here is a woman?"


    "Yes," Alice did not even hesitate to answer, "Definitely, yes. He''s probably getting it somewhere."


    "No, I can''t detect him anymore. He probably did get it, but he has probably already died from overexerting himself."


    "...You''re clone can die from something like that?" Alice batted her eyes.


    "They can choose to die anyway, anyhow, or anywhere they want to," Riley shrugged, "He probably wanted whatever hisst moments to be whatever hisst moments were."


    "...I don''t really understand this, but it seems like one way to go, pft," Alice shook her head as she continued to follow Riley around the city. And soon, Riley suddenly stopped walking.


    "This is thest ce where Ahor Zai detected the signal from the transmitter," Riley then started looking around as they reached some sort of building. They couldn''t approach any further, however, as they were stopped by security¡­ a heavily suspicious security for an inconspicuous and humble building in the middle of the city.


    "So¡­ that doesn''t look suspicious at all," Alice sarcastically whispered as the two backed away from the building. The two then started scanning the outside of the building to check it, going to a nearby cafe afterward which had a view of the suspicious building.


    "How do you want to do this? Should we just destroy the ce or what?"


    And as the two ordered their drinks, Alice started presenting ns ¡ª but Riley only shook his head every time. And as always, the people inside the cafe were staring at Riley, some of them even secretly taking photos of him and sending them to their group chats or even posting them on social media.


    "You dressed me up, Alice Prime," Riley blinked a couple of times; his long eyshes batting as he looked Alice in the eyes, "I had the notion that this is for us to go unnoticed in this universe."


    "Oh, no. Psh," Alice giggled, "I just wanted to see what you would look like in makeup and dark hair, and I have to say, you did not disappoint, my little white chocte universe-destroying monster."


    "..."


    "But you do have a point, though," Alice then looked at Riley from head to toe as he started slurping the ss of vani milk he ordered, "It''ll be a waste not to use your disguise."


    "Hm," Riley nodded, "We have a lot of time too since I already found Sister."


    "...So you only care about your sister?" Alice raised an eyebrow, "The sentiment doesn''t seem to go both ways, though. She''s been giving you the cold shoulder ever since she got back."


    "I prevented her from saving trillions of lives, after all," Riley did not even deny it and just nodded, "I too, also used to find it disappointing whenever I did not get to kill anyone in a day."


    "You''re a freak," Alice once again giggled, "But I''ve actually already read everything about you in your universe. You really only came out a few times as Darkday."


    "But I did kill everyday, Alice Prime," Riley shrugged.


    "...What?"


    "Yes. At least once a day. You could find many unsolved cases of murder, a lot of those would be mine," there was a slight glimmer in Riley''s eyes as he seemed to reminisce his young adolescent life, "Some were even thought to be done by several serial killers, they didn''t know it was all just me."


    "You have serious issues, Riley," Alice could really only take in a big gulp of her drink as she looked away from Riley, "I wonder what would have happened if you were raised by me and Dee instead though. That would have been something."


    "Maybe. But I think I have always been destined to be what I am ¡ª your variant somehow knew that in all her insanity, and that is why she killed me. But it turned out to be the start of everything."


    "Jesus¡­ what a mess, huh?" Alice winced as she sucked in a breath. She was about to say something, but she noticed the security around the suspicious building starting to move, "Look."


    Riley quickly turned his head to look at the building, only to see several ck cars parking in front of it despite the already narrow road. More security emerged from the newly arrived ck cars and started surrounding one of the cars and lining up.


    And soon, a woman stepped out of the car; covered in a thick coat of fur even with the blistering sun; her face, covered in a pair of wide sunsses.


    "...Is that one of us?" Alice quickly said as she grabbed her camera and zoomed in on thedy.


    "No," Riley, however, quickly shook his head. The two continued to watch the woman as she reached the main door of the building¡­ only to also be stopped by the building''s security.


    "Hm¡­?" The two then watched as the woman presented some sort of red card to the guards. And as soon as they checked it, they opened the door and gestured to the woman to enter;pletely leaving all of her bodyguards outside.


    And after an entire hour, the woman came out of the building; her once perfectly blow-dried hair, an utter mess. She wasn''t even wearing her sunsses right and her guards had to carry her back to the car. Throughout her struggle, however, there was a weird smile on her face.


    "...I think I know what is happening here," Alice could really only just let out a small gasp as she started tapping Riley''s hand, "We need to get inside¡ªwell, you need to get inside. I''ll stay here and watch."


    "Why can it not just be both of us, Alice?"


    "Then no one is going to watch. What if King suddenly appears in this universe?" Alice then suddenly pinned something on Riley''s clothes, "That''s a spy camera so I could¡­ spy. Now go, go!"


    And with Alice just forcefully pushing him out of the seat, Riley could really only just let out a sigh and walk back toward the building. And of course, he was once again stopped by the guards ¡ª but as soon as he presented a red cardpletely identical to the one the woman from earlier showed them, they quickly let him in without as much as a word.


    "They said your name is Ms. Riley?"


    And almost immediately, Riley was weed by several women in elegant dresses.


    "Do you want to take something before meeting our Savior, Ms. Riley?"


    Riley didn''t even have to change his name. After all, more women had his name than men.


    "No, just take me to the Savior."


    "Very well. Please, follow us."


    And almost immediately, Riley was taken to an elevator and to a hall with arge door.


    "The Savior is waiting for you inside, you may enter."


    And as the women opened the door for him, argevish room weed him ¡ª an oversized bed being its center. There were also a lot of unnecessaryrge pillows there, and even some¡­ tools hanging on the walls.


    And there,fortably sitting on the bed was a man with his back turned on them.


    "Everyone, you may leave."


    "Of course, Savior."


    And as soon as the other women left, the man immediately turned around; barely clothed with only a nket covering his lower extremities.


    "Please, you may approach me, Madam," the man very gently raised his hand and stretched it toward Riley.


    "No," Riley, however, just stared at him with a nk expression on his face, "Your daughter is waiting for you back in the space station, Bard."


    "This¡­


    ¡­I can exin."

 Chapter 851 851: ...I Can Explain

    <h4>Chapter 851 Chapter 851: ...I Can Exin</h4>


    "You are telling me that you have the brain to discover multiversal travel from scratch, but the only solution you found to help this world¡­ is to share your freaking sperm?"


    "...No. I really need you to let me exin. You''re the Alice I met back then, right?"


    "There is no need to exin, Bard. We are only here to take you back to the space station."


    "Riley, You¡­ won''t tell my daughter?"


    "That while she turned herself into a literal sun to save a universe from an eternal chill, her father was being tortured by a universe filled with women by having to share his sperm to select women?"


    "...She what? Wait¡­ don''t tell it to her like."


    "I will not, Bard. I promise."


    "Thank you, thank you!"


    "Jesus¡­ we caught youcking, dude. I can''t even imagine the Bernard of my world doing something like this."


    "I told you, I could exin!"


    Riley and Bard were still in Bard''s¡­ special room, with the guards outsidepletely unaware that Alice had already infiltrated their building from the window. Alice initially just wanted to wait outside at the cafe; watching from the spy camera she attached on Riley''s chest while she chilled and drank her sweet drink ¡ª but as soon as she saw a variant of Bernard Ross barely even clothed and speaking in a somewhat seductive voice, she knew she had to witness what was happening in person.


    And seeing Bard panic, she knew she made the right call.


    "Please, just let me¡ª"


    "Savior, is everything alright in there!?" And before Bard could finish his words, a knock drummed from the door, "Are you in distress?"


    "No! Don''te in!" Bard raised his voice.


    "...The psychiatrist is hearing some distress in your voice, Savior."


    "No, n¡ª"


    "We''reing in!"


    And with that as her only warning, the guard standing outside Bard''s special room barged inside; already with a gun in her hand. But as soon as she took another step, she and the people behind her quickly disintegrated into nothing.


    "What did you do!?" The apologetic tone of Bard''s voice instantly faded away as he rushed toward Riley, but Alice blocked his path and trapped him in an invisible cage.


    "I am not here to save these people, Bard," Riley shook his head, "I just need you to return with us."


    "I will! That wasn''t even a question, but why did you even have to kill them!?"


    "But I did not, Bard."


    "What¡­? Then¡­" Bard then turned to look at Alice Prime, who only shook her head and shrugged. Bard was confused for a couple of seconds, but closed his eyes after a while and let out a very long and deep breath, "It''s the Dust."


    "...The what?"


    "What killed the other half of this universe," Bard opened his eyes and looked at both Alice and Riley, "The worst part of it all is that it''s not even a disease, it''s not a virus¡­


    ¡­it''s all already in their DNA like some sort of cancer, except there is no killing this one, because removing it would also kill its person."


    "Damn."


    "And now it would seem the universe wants to take its other half, Bard," Riley let out a small hum, "I thought the people of this world would just eventually die out, as the other universes King sent us to are dead or dying. But it would seem this universe does not want to wait."


    "Yes," Bard once again let out a sigh as he started getting clothes from his closet, "We should¡­ leave."


    And as soon as Bard said that, Alice no longer tried to hide her abilities ¡ª casually ripping off the walls of the building. And as the three flew off, the scene of chaos that Riley was expecting was starting to unfold.


    Cars, crashing into one another. Unkept mes slowly started to spread throughout the city. But perhaps the most ominous of it all were the people just turning to dust before they could even hold the hand of the people they loved.


    There were screams, but none of them could really convey what their owners wanted ¡ª there was only the Dust.


    "..." Bard only nced at this for a few moments, before just shaking his head as he focused on the path ahead. And as they reached the front of the portal, Bard took one final look as he entered first.


    Alice was also about to enter the portal, but stopped as she looked at Riley.


    "You lied to him," Alice said, "I can feel your telekic waves everywhere, my little evil baby monster. You''re the one doing this."


    "Yes," Riley did not even hesitate and nodded, "I believe it is much better for them to die now by my hands ¡ª instead of suffer from inevitability."


    "And the other universes your clones enter?"


    "They have also been ordered to destroy everything if it is not already," Riley nced at the chaos he created, "Even the universe I saved where I found Gracy, I left a clone so he could destroy anything that is left once we were gone, Alice Prime."


    "You¡­" Alice looked Riley in the eyes for a few seconds, before letting out a sigh of her own, "You are who you are, I suppose."


    "I am the End of all stories, Alice¡­" Riley whispered as a small, but somber smile crawled on his face, "I have never pretended not to be¡­ except perhaps maybe one or twice."


    "I guess after all this King fiasco is gone¡­" Alice looked Riley in the eyes, "...We''d be trying to kill you next."


    "Unlike King, there is no winning against me, Alice Prime."


    "We don''t know about that, don''t be too cocky, my boy," Alice started wagging her finger before just disappearing into the portal.


    "I do know, Alice¡­" Riley also started walking as he walked toward the portal, and as he did so, the ground beneath his feet turned to dust, and not even a secondter¡­ the entire disappeared,


    "...Because all of you have already lost the very moment I came into existence."


    ***


    "Dad!"


    And as soon as Riley entered the portal, he saw Nannah quickly rushing toward Bard and leaping into his arms. He also saw Hannah there, carrying a weak smile on her face as watched as Nannah reunited with his father¡ªsomething she would never be able to do anymore.


    And so, upon seeing the sadness in her eyes grow, Riley started walking toward her and stretched his arm open.


    "I am also back, Sister."


    "Go fuck yourself," Hannah, on the other hand, seemed to have no n to forgive Riley anymore as she just turned around and walked away as soon as her eyes met Riley''s.


    Riley did not seem to mind, however, as he just shrugged and lowered his arms. And as soon as he did so, he saw Caiin flying to the auditorium andnding close to Nannah and Bard.


    "Ah, Dad! This is Caiin, a variant from a dying universe a million Cherbis."


    "...A million cherbis?" Bard''s eyes quickly widened as he looked at Caiin, only to slightly back away as soon as she saw her face, "...Diana?"


    "...No, I don''t go by that name," Caiin raised an eyebrow as she started looking at Bard from head to toe, "...You''re fatter than your other versions."


    "This¡­ isn''t fat," Bard could really only stare at Caiin. Perhaps out of all the variants he had seen of his wife, Caiin resembled his Diana the most, mostly due to the fact that she was thin and always had a tired expression on her face.


    His Diana''s tired expression was from experimenting on everyone, even her own daughter.


    But Caiin''s tired expression was clearly from trying to save her world from the Cherbis, but being defeated all the same¡­ and Bard was familiar with this feeling.


    "I''m¡­ Bard," and without him even meaning to, he instinctively reached for Caiin''s hand.


    "Caiin. I''ve actually been wanting to meet you," Caiin smiled and firmly shook Bard''s hand, almost causing him to fall toward her, "I heard you''re the smartest guy in this room?"


    "...No. I''m just more knowledgeable in more areas than most," Bard sighed, "It''s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Caiin."


    "Hm¡­" Caiin and Bard looked into each other''s eyes; almost as if reaching some sort of understanding, "Anyway¡­ want to have sex with me?"


    "Sorry¡­ what?" Bard blinked his eyes. It would seem¡­ they had a different understanding, after all. As for Nannah, she could really only quickly turn around and leave as soon as she heard this, truly not wanting to hear more of it.


    But as she just suddenly turned around, she did not see Alice standing there and identally bumped into her. Not her fault, of course, as Alice had been suspiciously quiet ever since they returned to the space station.


    "Ah! The spy cam!" Alice dropped the thing she had been holding since earlier. She and Nannah tried to catch it, but s ¡ª it only caused them to miss it altogether as it dropped to the floor, and as soon as it did so¡­


    ¡­a hologram projected out of it.


    [Please, you may approach me, Madam¡­ you do not need to be shy.]


    "What¡­ the fuck is this?" Nannah could really only back away several steps as she saw Bard sensually sitting on arge, luxurious bed¡­ almostpletely naked.


    Caiin, who was still holding Bard''s hand, could not help but raise an eyebrow as she looked back and forth between the hologram and the actual person, "Oh¡­ I guess you''re going to show me a very good time, then?"


    "Dad¡­?"


    "...I can exin."

 Chapter 852 852: The Dead Are The Future

    <h4>Chapter 852 Chapter 852: The Dead Are The Future</h4>


    "Why couldn''t you think of other solutions!? Didn''t you once install your memories to an Android!?"


    "It''s¡­ not that easy."


    A whole day. A whole day had already passed since everyone discovered what Bard was doing in the universe he was in, and yet the beating hadn''t stopped even once ¡ª it did not help that Nannah was not even listening to any of his exnations; she was just busy cursing him. While eating, and even when sleeping, she was cursing him so loud that everyone could hear it.


    "Enough of this farce."


    And almost like a light shining upon him, Dee forcefully pulled Bard away from the very, and almost literal sticky situation he found himself in,


    "We currently need your brains to be working on another problem. D¡ª"


    "Go find another Bernard Ross, this one is already mine."


    Unfortunately for Bard, he just jumped from one problem to another as Caiin grabbed his other arm.


    "...What?" Dee could not help but raise an eyebrow as she pulled Bard away, and the only thing Bard could really do was reinforce his body with his armor so that he wouldn''t be split into two by these two beautiful titans,


    "What makes you think I want a piece of this human?" Dee scoffed.


    "Right, I forgot you were into women."


    "W¡ªI''m not."


    "You and that abnormal telekic are together."


    "Yes, but that doesn''t mean I like women. What Alice and I have is something different entirely."


    "...You''re weird."


    "This entire situation is weird," Dee rolled her eyes, "Now let go of the man, we need him to gather people for us. If King is creating an army, we should too. And hopefully, the number of deaths on both sides would not be high¡­


    ¡­we would be needing them for the other guy."


    ***


    The other guy Dee was speaking of was not in the space station, he was not even in a dead universe ¡ª but finally back in his own universe, exploring the new streets of New Theran.


    Unlike the original Theran, the buildings did not seem old and medieval at all, but almost simr to Earth with its skyscrapers and buildings ¡ª and considering the materials avable to New Theran, the streets seemed even more impressive.


    He had not really gotten the chance to explore the New Theran after he disappeared, and now that he was¡­ the people living there now wish he hadn''t. Why would they not¡­


    ¡­when Riley brought the undead princess with him?


    The worst part of this all was that he was casually strolling the streets as if he was just walking his dog. Except his dog was a sedated multiversal threat that was literally almost unstoppable.


    No one approached Riley, however, as Queen Adel had already made a decree that no themarian, under any circumstance, should have a conversation with Riley Ross ¡ª perhaps for the best, as no one would want to approach him anyway.


    New Theran really only had a single city, with the entire being a country by itself due to the number of its poption. And so, suffice it to say, everyone knew what Riley was doing already except those who might be busy doing something.


    "This ce has not changed," And after enjoying himself a bit with a little sightseeing, Riley seemed to have finally reached his destination ¡ª the Field of Crystals, where all the young themarians who died were immortalized in an almost imprable crystal which, as the name suggests, preserves them for all eternity.


    The themarian youths, even with their lives extinguished, stood tall inside their crystals. And with the way they died, it almost truly seemed like all of them were just peacefully sleeping. Like trees, filled with life¡­ but not truly able to live.


    Perhaps that is truer in more ways than one, as these themarians probably were not even aware that they died, as their deaths were almost instantaneous.


    The crystals are a culmination of the lives of all the people and everything that there ever was on the, quite figuratively and literally. It is almost indestructible even by themarians. And yet, with a snap of Riley''s fingers¡­


    ¡­the crystals began to crack.


    And the bodies that were peacefully resting inside their crystal trees, now violently rolling on the debris of the crystal prison that was supposed to confine them for eternity. Their peaceful postures, nowpletely random and most seem even disrespectful as their limbs all just wave and fling until they reach the ground.


    "Hm¡­" Riley nodded at himself as he saw this ominous scenery in front of him, and as soon as all the corpses were insultingly sprawled on the ground, the ss cage that was floating beside him also touched the sea of crystal beneath his feet.


    "Riley Ross!"


    And soon, a shadow was cast on Riley as two silhouettes suddenly appeared above him. The two seemed to want to approach closer, but they found themselves stopped by an invisible wall.


    "Why are you here!? And what are you doing to our children!?" Queen Adel''s unusually long and lush hair violently waved with the wind as she swung her arm at the invisible wall, but the most it did was cause a ripple that blew away all the clouds above her.


    "Queen Adel¡­ look!" And the other silhouette floating in the air was Aerith 2, who had trulymitted to the name Edith. Edith was pointing at the ss cage; her finger, slightly trembling as she did so.


    "That¡ªisn''t that Princess Esme!? What¡­ what did you do to her!?" Queen Adel sucked in a short but very deep breath as she stared at the undead princess, thinking it was their own Esme, "Are you really intent on destroying the only remaining future of my people!?"


    "I am truly thankful that is not me, Your Highness."


    "W¡­" And all of a sudden, Princess Esme was also floating beside her; her emotionless eyes reflecting the undead princess who lookedpletely identical to her, "That''s¡­ a variant? What are you nning, Riley Ross!?"


    "Fixing my mistake, Queen Adel," Riley let out a small sigh as he walked away from the cage. And with each step, the unmoving and lifeless undead princess very slowly started to move; its fingers, now tapping the ss cage.


    "It¡­ wasn''t dead?" Edith squinted her eyes as she saw the lifeless princess very slowly sitting up; its skin,pletely pale and blue as her head very slowly started to fidget, "But I don''t sense any energy from it.


    "It is a zombie, Edith."


    "What''s¡­ a zombie?" Edith squinted her eyes.


    "You will find out soon enough, Edith." And with those words, Riley snapped his fingers again. And as he did so, the ss cage confining the undead princess very slowly opened, "Hopefully, that is."


    And almost immediately, the once weak and lifeless undead princess disappeared from its cage¡­ and rushed toward the three themarian royalties.


    "!!!"


    Princess Esme quickly moved in front of Edith and Queen Adel ¡ª but she did not need to. Because as soon as a whistle hummed in the air, the undead princess stopped in its tracks and just floated right in front of Esme; only the invisible wall that Riley created separated them.


    "..." Princess Esme quickly tilted her head to the side as she stared at the face of her undead variant, and the undead princess did the same. But soon, as if she did not even see her at all, the undead princess disappeared.


    The three royalties could really only watch as the undead princess started flying around in circles as it chased a silhouette eerily simr to King. As for Riley, he was now casually sitting in front of a crystal pir which was leftpletely intact without even as much as a scratch ¡ª and in it, was Alice Lane.


    Queen Adel and the others did not need to wonder for long, however, as very slowly¡­ they started to notice several whispers lingering in the air. Whispers that should have been impossible to hear, now and forever.


    "Zombie¡­" Queen Adel''s eyes very slowly squinted as she finally realized what was happening, "...Undead. Riley Ross, you¡­ you dare do that upon my people!? Have you not already done enough to us!?"


    "I have not done nearly enough to everyone, Your Highness," Riley shook his head as he rested his back on Alice''s crystal grave, "And as I said, this is me fixing my mistake. Although it was my intention to kill all of the themarians and destroy you, I should have done it with my own hands and not led and influenced other people to do it. So, please¡­


    ¡­you do not need to thank me for letting your youth walk and float in this universe again."


    "You¡­ stop this!" Queen Adel was about to m her entire body on the invisible dome that Riley created but quickly stopped as Riley raised his finger and shook his head.


    "If you destroy that wall, Your Highness ¡ª you would risk the virus scattering in this universe," Riley sighed and started clicking his tongue, "I am sure you do not want that, Mother told me that this virus ispletely airborne and willtch onto anyone¡­


    ¡­as is the case now."


    Riley then very slowly stretched his arm to the side as a wide smile crawled on his face. And in his glimmering eyes reflected the themarian youths, now struggling to stand up from their supposed eternal sleep.


    "Rejoice, Queens of New Theran," Riley raised his voice as the smile on his face turnedpletely wide,


    "Your dead are now your future."

 Chapter 853 853: Madness In Dead

    <h4>Chapter 853 Chapter 853: Madness In Dead</h4>


    A terrifying sight. None could really exin to you how it feels like to see your dead very slowly standing up; struggling, but standing up even so. Their movements are clumsy, very much so. And yet there is power with each waking fidget, with each whisper that seemed to be saying nothing at all, but also so much at the same time.


    It is a terrifying sight, very much so. And perhaps even more so when your dead is actually still dead.


    "No¡­"


    Queen Adel has spent a good amount of time with the humans, and has actually even weed some of their culture ¡ª and that includes their entertainment; mainly movies, as the themarians sorelycked in the creative department due to the nature of their person.


    And of course, that involves one of their most popr genres, horror. And of course, by a matter of corrtion, zombies. She didn''t know all the details, but she knew enough that such a virus should really only exist in science fiction ¡ª and for the virus to be capable of infecting even themarians who should be immune to all diseases just pushed it up to the realm of fantasy.


    But the genres don''t matter. What mattered was what the virus did to its carrier¡­ and this is the kind of brutal fate she would never wish even upon her worst enemies, perhaps maybe except Riley Ross.


    And perhaps even more so because themarians value the sanctity of their death and the eternal peace thates after. And now, the only thing she could do was watch as the children of her people begin their journey through this brutal fate.


    "Hm. I was actually not expecting it to work," Riley whispered to himself as his arms that were still stretched to the side very slowly lowered. He nodded to himself, truly satisfied with what he had just achieved.


    And slowly, like trees growing from the ground, the once glorious themarian youths now started to walk¡­ limp.


    Struggle.


    There were even some versions of these zombies that Adel had watched which retained their memories. Or perhaps even worse, they are conscious. But since they are dead, the only thing they could really do was let their bodies take over ¡ª their instinct to hunt and feed on everything, even their own.


    And since all of their heads were very slowly pointing toward her, Edith, and Esme¡­ it was already starting.


    "Riley¡­ Riley Ross!" Queen Adel roared, causing all the clouds above her to just dissipate away again instantly, "I will not¡­ I will truly not rest until you get what ising for you, Ender! Never!"


    "Then, at the very least, you do not need to be alone," And almost as if inplete contrast to the raging tone of the Queen, Riley just calmly started hovering a few inches above ground as he moved along with the monsters he had created,


    "You do not have to thank me, Your Highness. Just make sure you take care of all of them once my intended purpose for them has been concluded."


    "What have my people ever done to you!?" Queen Adel''s teeth started to release some sort of static as her jaws started to tremble violently.


    "You exist, Queen Adel," Riley let out a long and very deep sigh as the undead princess suddenly stopped chasing the illusion of Bard and appeared right in front of him. The undead princess did nothing at all and just stood in front of Riley, even as he brushed his hand across her chin,


    "Is that not enough reason for me to antagonize you?"


    "Then just put them to Eternal Sleep!" Queen Adel once again raised her voice; trying her best to resist the temptation of just trying to break the invisible dome there and then, "They still exist! Just end them instead of doing something like this!"


    "It does not work like that, Your Highness," Riley sighed and shook his head, "You see, I have recentlye to a realization, after being stuck inside eternity for¡­ eternity, that I am a selfish person. That means¡­


    ¡­I get to choose what exists and what does not. These zombies do not exist, because I believe they no longer exist."


    "Riley Ross¡­" This time, it was Edith who spoke; her voice, calm¡­ but the calm one would find in the center of the storm,


    "...I promise you, I will be the one to end you ¡ª it doesn''t matter if there are no worlds left after I am done."


    "Hm," Riley just shrugged at Edith''s words before ncing at Princess Esme, the live one, "Do you wish to see what I am nning with your people, Your Highness?"


    "Yes," Esme did not even hesitate for a single millisecond and nodded her head; her face, as emotionless as ever, "I have also heard that you and the others are preparing for a multiversal war, Professor. Is what you have just done rted to the war by any chance?"


    "Perhaps."


    "Then I wish to also be involved with the war," Princess Esme ced her hand on her chin, clearly imitating Riley''s habits and mannerisms, "I believe it is not fair that only a less desirable variant of mine would be included."


    "I could argue that this variant of yours is the Prime variant, Princess Esme," Riley shook his head as he heard Esme''s words, "It has all your abilities and strengths, yet none of your weaknesses."


    "My prime version?" Princess Esme squinted her eyes, perhaps showing more emotion in a single moment than she ever had in a year, "Then I truly wish to witness that, Professor."


    "Hm." And with Riley nodding his head, the perimeter that surrounded the Field of Crystals soon started to crack. And with it, the entire field started to float and separate from the rest of New Theran,


    "Your Highnesses, I will take it upon myself to remove this already tainted and possibly infected area away from your. Once again, you do not need to thank me as I am doing this voluntarily."


    "You¡­"


    "I am also taking the corpse of my biological mother with me," Riley nced at Alice''s crystal, "After all, I do not know what you would do to it after all I have done to you and your people. And I will have you know that I am realizing that I am quite fond of Alice Lane."


    "Princess Esme. Are you truly going to go with that maniac?" Queen Adel''s voice turned harsh as she grabbed Esme''s hand, "He is our enemy."


    "..." Esme nced at Queen Adel''s hand for a few seconds, before just shaking her head, "Look at him again, Queen Adel. And then look at him again. Riley Ross has never been our enemy and never will."


    "...What?"


    "The Professor is merely a concept in which no one wins. The final path of our universe," Princess Esme shook her head, "We just happen to be the witnesses to this event that is Riley Ross. And whether you consider that lucky or not is up to yo. But instead of antagonizing him, I believe we should be spending ourst moments embracing him and learning from him."


    "..."


    And with those words leaving from Esme''s mouth, Adel and Edith could really only just watch as Riley floated a part of New Theran.


    "I thought the fate of my people through the hands of Riley Ross was an injustice like no other," Edith whispered as she floated closer to Queen Adel; her breaths, slightly heavy as she looked at the floating ind, "But it would seem the fate Riley has in store for your people is still not done, far from it. And as the entric princess said¡­


    ¡­perhaps I should consider myself lucky that I no longer have my people for him to y with."


    ***


    "Riley, where have you¡ªwhat the fuck are those!? And they''re stilling!?"


    Once again, the size of the space station adjusted itself as Riley started bringing in all the undead themarian he collected from his universe. And suffice it to say, Hera and all her variants felt a certain cold violently crawl through their skin as soon as they started arriving.


    Thousands upon thousands of them, very slowly stepping through the portal; connected through chains that were all attached to their necks ¡ª and the one leading them was the undead princess who was still being dragged in the air inside her cage.


    This time, however, it was Princess Esme who was pulling her cage like some sort of balloon.


    "Riley, are those¡­"


    "Oh."


    And of course, no matter how busy Diana was with whatever it was she was discussing with Bard and her variants, she was able to quickly sense that something was wrong¡­ and she immediately rushed to the auditorium; her eyes, instantly turning wide as she quickly recognized the faces of the army of the dead marching into their base.


    "I hope you do not mind, Mother. I brought some of your dead here," Riley just casually shrugged as he nced at the army of the dead behind him, "I figured they would be more useful somewhere else, rather than just bing frozen figures that will just disappear once I destroy our universe."


    "This¡­" Diana''s breaths slightly turned heavy as her eyes reflected her people, who should have been resting peacefully for eternity. She then very slowly walked near the marching dead¡­ before a smile started to crawl very, very slowly on his face, "...Are you nning on using this against us, Riley?"


    "No," Riley shook his head.


    "Then whatever it is you are nning¡­


    ¡­just continue it."

 Chapter 854 854: ...No Matter What

    <h4>Chapter 854 Chapter 854: ...No Matter What</h4>


    "So¡­ this is your real mom?"


    "Diana Ross is my real mother, Alice Prime."


    "You know what I mean, you freaky whitey dicky."


    "..."


    Once everyone was able to calm down from Riley bringing in hordes of undead, the space station once again became busy as Diana and the others continued calcting and figuring out how topletely control multiversal travel ¡ª making their search more efficient.


    And while the others were doing that, Riley was just floating in front of Alice''s crystal grave, which he had also brought with him along with the themarian zombies¡­ who he was keeping somewhere in the base.


    He wasn''t the only one that was doing nothing, however, as Alice Prime left the others since she didn''t really understand a single thing of what they were talking about. And as a matter of course, she came to find Riley and just floated next to him; her eyes, almost as if looking into a mirror as they reflected her variant''s face.


    "Damn¡­ she looks like a more mature version of me," Alice Prime squinted her eyes as she started floating to the side as she scanned Alice from head to toe, "Is she? A more mature version of me?"


    "She is not, Alice Prime," Riley shook his head, "I was told she had always been child-like with her tantrums, and like to cause all sorts of problems to the point she had to be put in prison, where she also caused a lot of trouble. And then even after giving birth to me, she still continued the same pranks until her mind started her descent to madness."


    "...I just asked if she was more mature than me," Alice Prime could really only nce at Riley and giggle, "I guess all of the Alice in the multiverse are just as fucked up as I am. Do you think there''s actually a version of me and your real mom out there that''s all serious and not as fun?"


    "I do not believe so, Alice Prime," Riley shook his head again, "Since your mother has a deep and direct connection with all of her variants, I believe they have all raised you the same way."


    "You mean neglect?" Alice once again let out a small giggle as she bumped Riley with her shoulder, "Anyway, do you ever think about how fucked up all the shit that has been happeningtely?


    "Yes," Riley nodded as he started descending, "But the things that are happening now have always been happening, Alice Prime. Only, the people involved have changed."


    "Where are you going?" Alice nced at Riley as his feetnded on the floor. She did not, however, follow her and remained floating in front of her variant, "I thought we were having a heart-to-heart conversation. I want to know more about your real mom."


    "Then I am not the one you should be talking to, Alice Prime," Riley walked away while shaking his head,


    "I barely knew her."


    "Wh¡ªthen who should I talk to!? Charlotte''s a no-go."


    "Empress," Riley shrugged, "I believe she and biological mother were friends during her time in the Hope Guild."


    "That¡­ enchantress and I were friends in your universe?" Alice Prime''s eyes turned wide as she quickly flew in front of Riley to look at him if he wasn''t lying.


    "Yes," Riley nodded and did not stop walking, making Alice Prime float backward.


    "Tell me more!"


    "No," Riley shook his head before bringing up his phone to Alice''s face,


    "One of my clones found another one of us."


    ***


    "Oh, was I talking to your clone all this time?"


    Unlike with the others, Riley did not really have to search for the missing person, as Delivery Man was in front of him as soon as he entered the portal. He was wearing some sort of oxygen mask, perhaps due to the nature of the world he had been trapped in.


    Del was with Riley''s clone, who just shrugged his shoulders as soon as he saw his creator emerge from the portal. And without even saying a word to him, the clone immediately went back to the space station, leaving him and Del behind.


    "Shall we go back, then?" Riley did not really think much of it, however, as he just gestured to Del to enter the Portal. Del, however, only tipped his cap and smiled.


    "Care to walk with me for a bit, Mr. Riley?" Del said; his voice slightly somber as he also gestured to Riley, almost as if weing him.


    "..." Riley did not really say anything and just looked at the view behind Del, only to see a veryrge dome on the horizon ¡ª surrounded by nothing but a sea of gray and red sand for miles and miles. He then nced back at Del, before just gesturing to him to lead the way.


    "Thank you," Del let out a small chuckle as he started to walk toward the dome; both their feet, leaving prints on the sand beneath them,


    "The clone told me you have found the others?"


    "I believe only Cherbi, Pirate Queen Xra, and Aerith are left, Del," Riley nodded as he walked beside Del.


    "Then you found your sister, that''s good," the smile on Del''s face returned as he looked at the ground while walking, "All this time while I was in this ce, I kept wondering what happened to all of us ¡ª I tried finding you and the others here too, but I realized you weren''t here. Because if you were, well¡­ I wouldn''t really need to find you."


    "I have tried ordering and using your services, Delivery," Riley sighed while shaking his head, "But your app and even your website could not be essed in all the universes I have been to."


    "I¡­ see," the smile on Del''s face grew slightly wider as he heard that. The two continued to talk about how things have been, and even mundane topics about anything, really. And as they reached closer to the dome, Riley realized that inside it was a city.


    "Thest remaining city in the Earth of this universe," Del looked at the colossal dome in its entirety, "Perhaps may even be one of thest cities in the entire universe."


    "Hm. For them to be able to create something like this in a dying universe is an incredible feat," Riley let out a small hum as he looked through the window gaps, only to see some sort of gigantic tree that seemed to be in the very center of the domed city.


    "Did you notice something, Mr. Riley?" And perhaps for the first time, Del took off his cap as he stood in front of Riley.


    "That you took off your cap, Del?" Riley blinked.


    "No," Del chuckled as he shook his head, "That I exist in this universe even without anyone using my service."


    "Oh," Riley looked at Del from head to toe, "Do you know why, Del?"


    "I have absolutely no idea," Del sighed as he nced at the dome, "But it doesn''t matter. I have met new friends here, new people¡­ and although every day, I fear that I might just disappear again¡­


    ¡­only wake up in front of people whose name and address are the only things I will ever know."


    "..."


    "But it hasn''t happened. For once in my life¡­


    ¡­I have a life."


    "But not for long, Del," Riley let out a small breath as he looked at the fractured moon painting the sky above the dome, "The celestial bodies of this universe are all dying."


    "I do not have a concept of time, Mr. Riley," Del once again smiled, "Thesest months may as well be an eternity for me, it is the longest I have ever been¡­ awake, with the same beautiful faces greeting me. And the next day, they will still be there."


    "..."


    "I very much like it here," Del closed his eyes, "It may be gone tomorrow, maybe even today, or maybe even in the next few years, or maybe when I am long gone. But it won''t matter to me because they''re all the same ¡ª not enough¡­ time. It would have never been enough."


    "I believe you are the second person who have told me the very same thing, Del," Riley looked at Del, before ncing at the domed city again, "You wish to stay here then, in this dying universe?"


    "Yes," Del opened his eyes and looked Riley in the eyes, "It is only now do I realize how truly precious life is, Mr. Riley. Because for the first time¡­


    ¡­I am actually alive."


    "Hm."


    "I see now why the others are willing to do anything to try and stop you from destroying everything, Mr. Riley," Del let out a long and deep sigh as he also looked at his home,


    "Life¡­ only makes sense when you''re actually living," Del chuckled, "It is what is around you that makes it precious. And perhaps they feel the same."


    "I do not quite understand that, Del," a small smile also crawled on Riley''s face as he stood beside Del, "But are you sure of your decision?"


    "Yes," Del nodded, "I want to live here, no matter how short it will be¡­


    ¡­No matter what."


    "Very well," Riley turned and looked Del in the eyes¡­ before stretching his hand to him, "It was a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Delivery Man."


    "..." Del''s eyes widened as he saw Riley''s hand reaching out. But with a slightly chuckling breath, he shook Riley''s hand¡­ before handing him his hat,


    "Thank you for using my service onest time, Mr. Riley Ross."

 Chapter 855 855: Riley’s Confession

    <h4>Chapter 855 Chapter 855: Riley''s Confession</h4>


    "What¡­ where''s the Delivery Man?"


    "In a better ce, Sister. I thought you were no longer talking to me¡­


    ¡­and why are all of you gathered here?"


    The light of the space station drowned Riley as he emerged from the portal, even more so than usual. The portals which were littered everywhere, now all gone as thest very slowly faded away behind him.


    His clones were all still there, some just resting on the floor while the others were talking to the Hera variants. But most importantly, everyone was currently gathered in the auditorium; even Empress and Queen Vania were present. And to Riley''s surprise¡­


    ¡­Pirate Queen Xra.


    "Oh, you are back, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley could really only blink a couple of times before looking at the others, "Who found you?"


    "No one did," Pirate Queen Xra crossed her arms and scoffed, "I was never lost in the first ce, Riley Ross."


    "Hm?" Riley tilted his head to the side as Xra started to approach him. And soon, he saw a familiar ring dangling around her wrist ¡ª the pocket universe welded by Ahor Zai herself, "Oh, were you inside the pocket universe all this time, Pirate Queen Xra?"


    [It activated by itself when King used his machine to throw all of you in random dying universes.] Ahor Zai was the one to answer Riley''s question as she emerged from the floor of the auditorium, [As for why it did that, Bard and I are still figuring it out as we speak. But Bard''s hypothesis is that the Ring had a frequency close enough to be considered a dying universe, as it is a universe that has not been truly born yet. It¡ª]


    "It is a toy," Pirate Queen Xra shook her head before taking off the ring from her wrist and handing it to Riley, "The robot here said it is a real universe, but it''s not."


    "You have learned how it works, Pirate Queen Xra?" Riley squinted his eyes as he examined the Ring.


    "Your clone that''s inside taught me," Xra shrugged and sighed, "I felt like a god for a few months as everything I wanted, I could materialize ¡ª even my dear Akkamesh¡­ but it''s not real, he''s not real. Everything in there just feels like¡­ a simtion, a game. It''s¡­


    ¡­too perfect."


    "I have a clone in here?" Riley blinked again as he thoroughly examined the Ring even more.


    [Quadley is in there, Boss,] Ahor Zai nodded, [He told me he wanted to serve as a custodian of the pocket universe, guide whoever owns it.]


    "Hm¡­ Are you sure you no longer want it, Pirate Queen Xra?"


    "Yes."


    "Then does anyone else want to have it?" Riley raised the Ring in the air as he looked at everyone. None of them, however, seemed interested as they all just looked away, "Very well."


    Riley shrugged as he hid the Ring in one of his many pockets. He was going to leave, but before he could do so, Hannah suddenly blocked his path.


    "Is it true?" Hannah''s eyebrows werepletely lowered as she looked Riley in the eyes.


    "Which atrocity are you referring to, Sister?"


    "Is it true that you''ve actually been destroying all the universes you and your clones have been on?"


    "Oh, did¡ª"


    "It doesn''t matter who told me. Is it true?"


    "Sister¡ª"


    "I don''t care about what¡ª"


    "Stop whining."


    "...What?"


    Not only Hannah, but everyone who knew Riley could not help but widen their eyes as they all heard Riley''s somewhat¡­ annoyed and almost tired tone ¡ª something they truly had not heard from him.


    "Stop your incessant whining, Sister," Riley let out a small but very deep sigh as he ced his hand on Hannah''s shoulder. Hannah wanted to pull away, but found she could not move for even a single millimeter,


    "These worlds were going to die, the only difference is that I ended their suffering faster¡ª is that not the same as what Mother did to the dyings?"


    "She¡­ did that to find a way to save Theran!"


    "And yet they all failed," Riley blinked as he looked at Diana, before ncing at Dee and Caiin, "I am not going to fail in my goal, Sister."


    "What¡­ is happening with you?" Hannah''s eyebrows started to raise as her lips trembled, "It''s like¡­ I truly don''t know you anymore. I''ve said this many times before, but this time¡­ it feels like you truly are apletely different person."


    "I am merely embracing my more human side, Sister," Riley shrugged, "And my human side is getting annoyed with you. You tell me that I will always be your brother ¡ª that you will always be by my side no matter what, whether it is to destroy me, to save me, or to join me in whatever fate awaits me."


    "That''s¡­"


    "And yet you were willing to sacrifice your life to a universe you owe nothing to ¡ª strangers that are supposed to be already dead, and will be dead in the first ce if you did not intervene," Riley looked Hannah in the eyes, "Do you know that when I was trapped in Eternity, the only person who I truly never forgot was you, Sister?"


    "...Eternity?" Hannah was slightly confused at Riley''s words, and it wasn''t only her. Only Hera and Ahor Zai reacted differently as they closed their eyes and breathed out ¡ª a gesture that did not escape Diana''s gaze as she looked at the two inquisitively.


    "The others ceased to exist immediately. Mother was gone¡­ and even Aerith very slowly started to fade into nothing," Riley continued to stare at Hannah; his eyes, almost as if hiding an infinite void where light and even darkness did not exist,


    "As Pirate Queen Xra once told me, you are the sun that shines upon me, Sister. I do not know why, but you are."


    "..." Hannah did not look away from Riley''s gaze; her face trying to feign anger and annoyance, but failing all the same as her eyes and lips began to tremble even more.


    "Del also told me that life is precious because of the things around you. And when his words reached my ear, my brain really only thought of you, Sister," Riley''s hand very gently touched Hannah''s cheek,


    "I am also upset with you, Sister. How can you decide to throw your life away for a single insignificant and dying universe¡­


    ¡­when you are worth more than Creation itself to me?"


    "You¡ª" Hannah was about to say something, but as soon as she realized that she could finally move her body again, she quickly pped Riley''s hand and just quickly walked away; not saying another word as she quickly rushed out of the auditorium. Nannah, who watched everything from the side, followed her out, but not before ncing at Riley with her eyes filled with a certain¡­ longing.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Well¡­" And as the silence awkwardly crept into the auditorium, Gracy took it upon herself to break it with a p of her hands, "...That went well. Would have been very touching if it wasn''t said by the literal entity that''s destined to destroy all of us. If you think about it, it''s¡­ he scary, no? No? Just me?"


    And as Gracy started chuckling, everyone just started walking away and returning to what they were doing before they learned of the grim information. In truth, most of them thought it actually truly did not matter ¡ª Riley was right, the worlds were going to die in the first ce.


    Everyone left, all except for Diana.


    "What do you mean you were stuck in eternity, Riley?"


    The portals around the auditorium once again started emerging as the operation continued. Diana did not seem to care that the clones were starting to move around them, however, as her eyes only reflected Riley.


    "I was stuck in Eternity, Mother," Riley shrugged and shook his head, "It is no big deal, it has already happened. Everything slowly but already came back to me a few weeks after, so it is like it did not happ¡ªMother?"


    And before Riley could finish his words, Diana suddenly embraced him. Riley did not dodge whatsoever, and just allowed her to do so. Even allowing the warmth of both their bodies to intertwine.


    "I''m¡­ so sorry, Riley."


    "Why are you apologizing, Mother?" Riley could really only blink a couple of times as he heard Diana''s breaths slowly stuttering; turning into gasps as the warmth of her tears slowly wrapped his shoulder, "And why do you cry?"


    "I''m just¡­" Diana whispered, "...I''ve been focusing on the wrong things. I''ve been so busy ming myself, and ming you for all the evil things you''ve done¡­ that I haven''t really even thought of how you are. Of what things you have been through then and now."


    "I am¡­ confused, Mother," Riley tilted his head, "You have already told me that there are no excuses for the things I have done. Whether it is because of trauma, or just something instilled in me, it does not matter. I am evil, Mother. Whether it is by choice or not, I enjoy it¡­


    ¡­your tears are wasted on me."


    "I just want to ask how you are now, Riley."


    "Alive, Mother."


    "That''s not what I¡ª"


    "I no longer wish to die," Riley said as he finally returned his mother''s embrace, "If there is anything that I learned in my journey through eternity¡­


    ¡­it is that I enjoy living."


    "Riley¡­?" Diana could really only bite her lips as she embraced her son even tighter, "Then¡­"


    "That is why, even more so now, I must destroy it, Mother."


    "...What?" Diana blinked as she felt Riley moving away from her.


    "Life," Riley stretched his arm to the side as he started to walk backward, "I do not deserve to have it, and therefore I must destroy it. I realize that now, Mother. The only thing I deserve...


    ¡­is nothing."

 Chapter 856 856: Riley and Dee

    <h4>Chapter 856 Chapter 856: Riley and Dee</h4>


    "May I ask you something, Riley Ross?"


    "You already have, Ms. Dee."


    "May I ask you something personal?"


    "Of course, Ms. Dee."


    "Stop calling me Dee, only Alice calls me that."


    "Not anymore, Ms. Dee. And it will be hard to differentiate between you and Mother."


    "..."


    In an interesting turn of events, Riley and the ever-serious Dee were currently flying into the expanse of space together. She wanted to see what a dying universe looks and feels like, what sort of energy they gave off ¡ª and it just so happens that one of their transmitters pinged.


    And so, Dee just opted to go with Riley, and so here they are, flying alone in a universe in which the sr system seemed to havepletely vanished without a trace.


    "May I know how your fascination with killing people began?" Dee did not really mind the tone of Riley''s voice and his words, which were seemingly monotonously sarcastic and sincere at the same time.


    "I do not really know how to answer that other than it was already there in the first ce, Ms. Dee," Riley closed his eyes and let out a small hum, "But I am d you asked me that, now that I have some sort of emotional maturity, I could somewhat remember the details differently."


    "Go on," Dee squinted her eyes.


    "Are you studying me, Ms. Dee?"


    "Yes," Dee nodded without any hesitation, "I have learned that having a deep or fun conversation with you is the only way one could survive near you. You have already taken a liking to Alice, but I am not sure if you will show me the same courtesy. I am already taking the risk of just being alone with you in this dead universe."


    "You look like Mother, you are already automatically liked, Ms. Dee," a small smile crawled on Riley''s face as he looked at Dee.


    "Redking, my universe''s Bernard Ross, looked like your father," Dee''s eyes began to lower, "That didn''t help him from being decapitated by you, Riley Ross."


    "Well, I felt like killing him would be more fun than having a conversation with him, Ms. Dee," Riley shrugged.


    "Then are you having.. fun with our conversation?"


    "No."


    "Hm," Dee looked away toward the empty and dark horizon, "How differently do you feel now about your past?"


    "That if I truly were raised in a different circumstance, I would have probably beenpletely different. That if I had been raised by someone who truly understood what I am, all the things I have done probably would not have happened. I was enabled to be what I am, because the people who raised me are muchrger than the world they are in," Riley also looked at the dead space around them,


    "Bernard Ross was always meant to explore the stars, Diana Ross had already been there. They thought of my actions as inconsequential, meaningly in the grand scale of things."


    "Are you saying you wouldn''t be the destroyer you are today?"


    "No. I would have been worse if I was not raised by them," Riley then looked Dee in the eyes, "As I said, what I am has already been there from the start. It is just what I am ¡ª and if it was somehow suppressed, then I would have definitely turned out worse today."


    "That does not make sense at all," Dee raised an eyebrow.


    "Perhaps I should phrase it like this," Riley ced his hand on his chin, "The only reason you and the others are alive now is that I have already heard all the screams I wanted to hear ¡ª there is no thrill anymore."


    "...What?"


    "The screams, Ms. Dee¡­" Riley then closed his eyes as the smile on his face returned; gentler this time, "...They all said our voice is unique to us, that the breaths escaping our mouths are things only designed for us, but that is not exactly urate."


    "..."


    "The screams, one way or another, they are all just the same¡­" The smile on Riley''s face turned somber as he opened his eyes,


    "The gasping breath of the Elderly, the silent crying of a child, the annoying wail of a baby, the groaning whistle of a man, the high-pitched screeching of a woman ¡ª all of them are just the same. Fear, anger, hopelessness, they all just seem¡­ irrelevant now¡­


    ¡­I have heard all of them, and that is why I do not get the urge to just order the miniature clone inside your ear to eat you from the inside, Ms. Dee."


    "Wha¡ª!?" Dee quickly started shaking her head and brushing her ear, but as soon as she saw the yful smile on Riley''s face, she knew she had been had, "So, your emotional maturity means you get to y pranks now? What did you mature from, a toddler?"


    "No, I just wanted to see what it would be like to actually y with my mother," Riley let out a chuckle, or at least he tried to, "I can''t do it with Diana."


    "Why not?" The inquisitive tone in Dee''s voice returned.


    "Because I am afraid I might enjoy it," Riley shrugged.


    "And you''re not allowing yourself to enjoy things? That is very unhealthy, Riley Ross."


    "Good," Riley nodded.


    "You''re punishing yourself, is that it?" Dee let out a small groan as she flew closer to Riley, "Are you trying to punish yourself since you can''t stop yourself from being an evil piece of shit?"


    "No. I have epted what I am from the start, Ms. Dee," Riley shook his head, "I am doing it¡­ for them. As much as I do not deserve to get attached to them, they also do not deserve to get attached to me¡ªonly for me to just try and rip it away. I can''t do that to them."


    "You''re saying that after saying all those things to your sister the other day?"


    "Well, Sister is the exception," Riley smiled and nodded, "I can be selfish with her."


    "The irony of this all is that you''re still going to destroy everything," Dee let out a very long and deep sigh as she looked ahead, "I sense your clone about 670,000 miles in that direction."


    "Are you stronger than Mother, Ms. Dee?" Riley nodded as both their speed started to increase.


    "I haven''t thought about it."


    "Your Alice is stronger than my Alice," Riley shrugged.


    "Your Alice died more than 20 years ago," Dee scoffed, "I have a feeling that if she was alive, she would be a lot stronger than my Alice."


    "Why so?"


    "Because I have a feeling that if Alice and I ever decided to have a child¡­" A small, but glimmering smile crawled on Dee''s face, "...She would learn to love it even more than she loves me, and she would protect it at all costs. I know this, because I will do the same¡­


    ¡­The length some parents would go through is something I would never understand, Riley Ross."


    "Is that so?" Riley once again ced his hand on his chin as he thought of Karina, who he had really not spent any time with at all. Perhaps he should ask Katherine to bring Karina to the space station?


    "Whiteking, your father¡­" Dee let out another long sigh, "I heard all the reports and also saw whatever was left of the footage when King attacked, he died protecting your sister."


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "I have his head with me, do you want to see it?"


    "What¡­? Why do you¡ªno. It doesn''t matter," Dee shook her head, "As I said, I reviewed the footage and heard what happened from your mother. King¡­


    ¡­he stopped time, didn''t he?"


    "Was it really that?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at Dee in the eyes, "...Interesting."


    "That''s the only conclusion that makes sense," Dee hummed and nodded, "He could may have very well just been moving at a speed millions of times faster than light, but Diana would have perceived that. There was also the fact that when he disappeared and appeared in the footage again, King was profusely bleeding ¡ª but allpletely internally."


    "Hm."


    "For a man with the ability to heal himself and control blood, that is quite impossible. No?" Dee scoffed, "My theory is that the stress of using the ability is too much for him and is eating him from the inside, and that he also can''t use any other abilities while using it."


    "Interesting," Riley squinted his eyes, "Why tell me this, Ms. Dee?"


    "In hopes that you two just get rid of each other," Dee smirked.


    "May I suggest something, Ms. Dee?" A smile also crawled on Riley''s face, "Instead of trying to figure out a way to kill King, you should have been trying to find a way to convince him to join your side. Because unlike me¡­


    ¡­I believe King could be changed by the power of talking and friendship."


    "A man like that is beyond conversation, Riley Ross."


    "I do not believe so, Ms. Dee," Riley shook his head, "Because if he was, he would not be giving any of the universes an option to kneel."


    "..."


    "I would never make you bend the knee, Ms. Dee. I would just rip it off and then smash the head of the person you love with it in front of you. And the only words you will ever heare from my mouth¡­


    ¡­is myughter."


    "...You''re even more fucked up than I imagined, Riley Ross," Dee shook her head as she just looked forward, only to finally see who it was that was trapped in the dead universe they were in. Or perhaps more specifically, what it was ¡ª The Cherbi,


    "We should just leave it here."


    "No...


    ...I want to see it y with my new pets."

 Chapter 857 857: Danger, Danger

    <h4>Chapter 857 Chapter 857: Danger, Danger</h4>


    "What is it doing? It''s just floating there."


    "Let us just approach it, Ms. Dee."


    "No. That''s not going to happen."


    "Are you afraid of Cherbi, Ms. Dee?"


    "Will you approach a violent and deadly storm that could potentially wipe out the entire universe? Themarians have been taught to avoid the Cherbi ever since we were children ¡ª and that has not changed after thousands and thousands of years have passed."


    "But Cherbi is cute, Ms. Dee."


    "Just get it and let''s leave."


    The Cherbi was no longer in its humanoid form, and was back to its spherical shape as it just seemed to float aimlessly in the dark expanse.


    It did not, however, return to its colossal size and instead just stayed the size of a yoga ball; a pink fluffy yoga ball of death and destruction, that is. It should have already sensed Dee''s energy as soon as she stepped into this universe, and should have instinctively gone to her.


    And yet, even now as she was only a hundred meters away, Cherbi remainedpletely still.


    "Hm¡­" Riley noticed this, of course, as he just very slowly flew toward Cherbi; trying to see if it would react to him. But even as he floated directly behind it, it just remained stagnant. Riley did not call its name whatsoever, and just let it peacefully do whatever it was doing. Perhaps it was sleeping? Was that something it could do?


    Riley did not really need to ask that long, however. Because as soon as he started floating around Cherbi, he saw two of its tendrils extruding from its spherical body¡­


    ¡­seemingly holding some sort of marble the size of a pool ball.


    "..." Riley stretched his hand toward the marble. But as soon as he did so, he felt his hand being sucked into the marble by an unimaginable force. Riley did not move his hand away, however, as he just allowed his skin and flesh to slowly be absorbed by the marble.


    Very soon, however, the flesh, blood, and bones that were being sucked in by the marblepletely froze mid-space. And as his hand began to heal, Riley quickly grabbed the marble away from Cherbi; causing some sort of ripple.


    "!!!" There wasn''t really anything that could visualize how strong the ripple was as the universe waspletely empty¡­ except for Dee.


    Dee could feel her flesh almost being torn apart just from the sheer shockwave. And it was able to do that to her body, she could really only imagine what that little marble had done to thes of this universe ¡ª with just one ripple, an entire star system would probably be gone in the blink of an eye.


    As for Cherbi, its spherical fluffy body began to tremble; with all of its million tendrils slowly starting to poke out from its body like vibrating fur. It was producing some sort of sound that was able to travel across the expanse of space. Its tendrils were about to reach for the marble, but as soon as its millions of eyes saw who was holding the marble, Cherbi started to spin in ce.


    It then started circling around Riley, very slowly shifting to its humanoid shape as it did so. Riley did not even hesitate as he grabbed something from his pocket and fed it to Cherbi ¡ª a Guardian Force stone.


    And there, Dee watched as Cherbi started pping as it continued to circle Riley like a little child. Dee couldn''t really focus that much with the pink fluff of death''s excitement, however, as she finally got a clear view of what Rhys was holding. And almost immediately as the marble reflected in her eyes, they turned wide.


    "That''s¡­ a Star Compressor."


    "Hm¡­?" Riley blinked as he heard Dee''s words. He then raised the orb in the air; his head tilting to the side as he looked at it, "...I have heard that being uttered by Mother several times before, and I believe she had also exined briefly what it did. But what exactly is it, for you to be so surprised like that, Ms. Dee?"


    "It absorbs andpresses the energy of a star, to be used as an energy source that wouldst for hundreds and thousands of years ¡ª even if it was used to fire up millions of motherships," Dee exined as she very slowly and carefully floated toward Riley, or more specifically, toward the Star Compressor.


    "Simr to the Guardian Force?" Riley squinted his eyes as he grabbed another Guardian Force stone from his pocket, before feeding it to Cherbi again.


    "No," Dee shook her head, "The Star Compressor, in the simplest of terms, is an illegal battery."


    "I suppose that is why Cherbi seems to want to eat it," Riley once again looked at the Star Compressor, and it just looked like one of thoserge marbles that had some sort of liquidva glowing inside of it,


    "But why hasn''t Cherbi eaten it yet?"


    "...Because that thing doesn''t only contain the single energy of a star," Dee stretched her hand toward the marble, but chose to pull them away at thest second, "That thing you are holding¡­


    ¡­is the universe we are in right now. All its stars,s, cosmic energy¡­ it is all there."


    "...The Star Compressor is capable of doing something like that?" Riley blinked a couple of times, "I could see why they made it illegal."


    "No," Dee shook her head, "A starpressor could, at most, onlypletely deplete the energy of a dwarf star. Whoever created that Star Compressor¡­ surpasses the mind of everyone I know, including Bard."


    "Hm, interesting."


    "It is too bad the one who created it is probably dead now. I would have truly liked to have met such a person," Dee sighed as she slowly started floating away from the Star Compressor,


    "It is better to leave that thing here."


    "Why would I leave it here, Ms. Dee? This would make a nice gift for someone."


    "What¡ªwho are you even going to give that to?" Dee raised an eyebrow as she pointed at the starpressor, "One mistake and that thing might leak. And if that thing leaks into another universe, even if it is just a fraction of a fraction of a fraction, then that is it for the other universe. It is too much of a ri¡ª"


    "I was thinking of giving it to you so you could study it, Ms. Dee."


    "You know what, I think I may be able to build something to ensure that will make it impossible to leak," Dee quickly said as the tone of her voice changed, "How sure are you that you are able to contain it like you are now once we take it back to the space station?"


    "I have already moved entire gxies, Ms. Dee."


    "But that is an entire universe, Riley Ross."


    "..." Riley blinked as he looked at the orb, "Since the starpressor is already doing its job, Ms. Dee ¡ª I only have to make sure it does not explode."


    "Hm, hm¡­ let us go home quick, then," Dee nodded, "So we could continue our search for your friends, of course."


    "I do not have friends, Ms. Dee," Riley shook his head, "And you need to go first, so you could at least make a prototype of the device that will make sure¡ª"


    "On it."


    And before Riley could even finish his words, Dee instantly disappeared from her spot. Her silhouette, not even a dot in the distance.


    "..." Riley and Cherbi could really only look at each other as they saw this before the two just decided to follow Dee.


    ***


    "So, let me get this straight so that the others could hear it as well¡­"


    Hera, whose entire ability centered on keeping her safe, could really only gather the rest of her variants in front of Riley as soon as they brought the starpressor.


    "...You brought an army of-ending zombies, and now, you brought a bomb that could potentially wipe out an entire universe."


    "Not potentially, Miss Hera. It will wipe out an entire universe, and with just a single drop of its energy," Riley nodded, seemingly proud of himself, "Dee and the others said that the reason for that is the universes have different energies, and would therefore collide with¡ª"


    "I do not want to hear the exnation, I want to hear why you brought it here!"


    "...Where else would I have brought it, Ms. Hera?" Riley blinked a couple of times, "Perhaps if you could open up Talia''s domain, I could hide them all there."


    "Hide it in another universe where there are no people, Riley!" Hera wanted to pull her hair out there and then, "This ce is literally our base! What if King just decides to suddenly appear here and detonates that starpressor thing!?"


    "That is not going to happen, Ms. Hera," Riley shook his head, "I have already ced countermeasures so that King and his subordinates can not infiltrate the space station without me knowing."


    "Ugh, whatever¡­" Hera pinched the bridge of her nose, "...We almost have all the gang back together. All that''s left is¡­ Paige and Megawoman?"


    "Aerith," Riley nodded, "King told me that he has Paige."


    "What? What do you think he is doing with her?"


    "It doesn''t matter, Ms. Hera. Paige will not die, and will not be broken by him."


    "...How can you be so sure?" Hera''s breaths turned heavy, "We should have been putting our focus on saving her instead!"


    "No," Riley shook his head, "Paige will not die as she is only just a concept that Other Paige created, and she can not be broken¡­


    ¡­because she already is, Ms. Hera."


    "..."


    "Aerith," Riley closed his eyes and breathed out,


    "...She''s the only one left."

 Chapter 858 858: Sowing Seeds

    Chapter 858  858: Sowing Seeds


    "Are you still ying with that thing?"


    "I am not ying with it. This is not a toy."


    "Looks like a toy to me."


    "Shouldn''t we be the same age? Why does it feel like your age of maturity stopped at 800 years old?"


    "And why does it feel like you haven''t stopped aging past 3000?"


    "Tch. Just leave if you have nothing informative to share."


    "Oh, I do have something to share."


    Millions of miles away from the space station, Dee set up a smallboratory; her machinery, just floating still in the expanse of space ¡ª and right in the center of it all was arge capsule, and in it, the starpressor, which Dee now officially named as Cosmic Compressor.


    After all, the device did not just store the energy of a star, but the energy of all the celestial bodies a universe holds.


    It did not really matter how far Dee was. If the Cosmic Compressor somehow leaks, the space station and this dead universe would be even more¡­ dead. She just wanted some peace and quiet while studying this engineering marvel. Or, at least she would have some peace and quiet.


    "What?" The only thing Dee could really do was stop fidgeting with the cosmicpressor for now and entertain her sudden guest, Caiin.


    "That thing you''re holding, it''s from my universe."


    "What?" Dee quickly turned to look at Caiin as she heard her words, "What are you even saying? We literally got this from a different universe."


    "No, I am pretty sure I have seen that before. And I am not just talking about a simple starpressor ¡ª I am talking about that," Caiin''s eyes did not even flutter an inch as she pointed at the cosmicpressor, "That''s from my universe. I was actually quite shocked when I first saw Riley Ross just casually holding that, that I could not process it for a few hours. You know about my universe''s situation, right?"


    "It was¡­ infested with more than a million Cherbi," Dee squinted her eyes, "Wait, are you actually saying that¡ª"


    "I know that thing is from my universe, because I was part of the team responsible for creating it," Caiin very slowly floated near the cosmicpressor; letting it reflect through her eyes, "More than 4 millennia now."


    "..." Dee did not really say anything anymore as she just floated beside Caiin, waiting for her to continue her story.


    "When¡­ we discovered that the Cherbi was starting to mutate, reproducing by and on its own," Caiin closed her eyes as she let out a long and deep sigh, "We gathered the best minds we could across the entire universe, and we were led by another themarian called¡­ Seed."


    "Seed¡­" Dee ced her hand on her chin, "...I don''t think he exists in my universe."


    "Seed was brilliant, more than you and me ¡ª perhaps even more than the human," Caiin nced in the direction where the space station should be, "There was always something different about Seed, he always kept alone. Perhaps it was a generational thing¡­


    ¡­he was the oldest themarian I know, possibly even before our species dug their way out of the Innerworld of Theran."


    "...That''s more than a million years ago," Dee raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure?"


    "Only through hearsay, but it was our grandfather who told me he was alive even before their time," Caiin nodded, "Anyway, he is entric. And the only thing you can talk to him about was the cosmicpressor, anything else, he would outright ignore."


    "..." Dee nodded as she gestured to Caiin to continue; trying to remember if she knew anyone by that name in her universe.


    "The cherbis'' number was growing at an rming rate, but we were able to finish the cosmicpressor before they could be uncontroble¡­ all thanks to Seed," Caiin stared at the cosmicpressor again, "We let the cosmicpressor absorb the energy of several stars, more than enough that all the cherbis would instinctively be lured to it even if they were millions of light years away. We were supposed to put it in a ship, fill it with enough cores that it could reach the end of the universe."


    "I take it the n didn''t work well?"


    "Oh, it did. How do you think wested for another 4000 years?" Caiin forced out a chuckle, "It worked perfectly well and our team and the entire universe all celebrated, except Seed."


    "...He was in the ship," Dee''s eyes widened as she looked at Caiin.


    "Yes. We did not realize until yearster," Caiin let out another sigh, "We thought he just went to seclude himself again like always. And when we found out he was on the ship, we tried to find ways to contact him ¡ª and we did. And do you know the only thing he said to us?"


    "..."


    "The universe should not be too small that it can be contained in a single orb that can fit in our hands," Caiin opened her palm as if she was holding a ball, "Something else is out there, I know it ¡ª he said."


    "You think¡­ he discovered multiversal travel even before Bernard Ross?" Dee''s eyes started to move everywhere as she realized the implications of what they were discussing,


    "Are you saying that somewhere out there, there is a possibility that an ancient themarian¡­ is traveling the multiverse?"


    "Hm," Caiin nodded, "But there is a possibility that he has already reached his eternal sleep. Why would he just leave the cosmicpressor?"


    "..." Dee squinted her eyes as she looked at the cosmicpressor before her eyes wandered beyond it,


    "...Because he found something else. A being like that doesn''t just disappear, Dr. Caiin. He has been alive for more than a million years, he won''t just disappear."


    "...You think we''ll be seeing him again?"


    "..." Dee looked at Caiin for a few seconds, before her eyes once again started to wander across the dead universe,


    "I have a feeling he''s already watching us."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Stop being so dramatic. He''s probably dead."


    ***


    "Wait, are you sure you''re going alone!?"


    "I thought you no longer cared about me, Sister."


    "That¡ªfine, go by yourself!"


    Back in the space station, Riley was standing in front of a portal; just a few steps before entering it. Princess Esme and Alice wanted to go with him since this would probably be thest time they would be exploring dead and unique universes anytime soon, but Riley told them he wanted to go alone.


    "Your sister has a point, you know. That''s Aerith on the other side," Alice approached Riley and ced her hand on his shoulder, "She should have no problem just going home with your clone, there might be something happening in the other universe."


    "No," Riley shook his head, "I believe I have an idea why she won''t go with the clone, Alice Prime. That is why I must go alone."


    "Well¡­ alright then," Alice just raised both her palms and stepped away, "Too bad, I wanted to go on tour with this unusually tall themarian princess who looks more emotionless than you."


    "I am not emotionless," Princess Esme quickly shook her head, "I merelyck the capacity to express my feelings physically."


    "Dee should learn that from you. Are you sure you''re not rted to¡ªOh, he''s gone."


    And without even saying another word to anyone, Riley just stepped inside the portal.


    "What''s with him and the themarian princess anyway?" Alice then approached Hannah, "I get that he''s somewhat obsessed with her, but the rtionship between the two seems¡­ I don''t know¡­ weirdlyplicated?"


    "I¡­ honestly don''t really know what''s going on between the two," Hannah could really only let out a sigh as Alice suddenly talked to her about something personal, when they hadn''t really talked that much before,


    "Thest thing I know is that Megawoman kissed Riley, at first I thought she only did that to calm him down or something ¡ª like a celebrity hugging a fan¡­ but I don''t know. I mean¡­ my brother and Megawoman? It all just seems like¡­ Megawoman is forcing herself."


    "...That''s a bit morbid if you think of it like that," Alice blinked a couple of times as she looked at Hannah, "But Riley''s extremely adorable, though. If you don''t look at the fact that he''s screwed in the head and kills people for fun. He''s quite a looker too, extremely charming ¡ª probably got it from me."


    "...Right," Hannah squinted her eyes as she very slowly took a step back, "I''m just gonna¡­ talk to Nannah."


    "Ah! Speaking of your other version, I actually talked to her about Riley first," Alice did not let Hannah go, "And it just proves my point that people actually take a liking to him before they know he''s a mass-murdering psychopath. That must be weird for you, huh? Another version of you likes your brother¡­ sexually¡ª"


    "Right, right!" Hannah wanted to cover her ears there and then, "Let''s¡­ not talk about this."


    "I actually like the professor too," Princess Esme raised her hand, "He is very friendly."


    "See?" Alice smirked as she subtly pointed at Esme, "But honestly, if you were going to ask me, aside from, obviously the sexy teacher that''s the mother of his child, I''d actually like to see him ending up with you."


    "...I''m his sister, Alice," Hannah could not help but raise an eyebrow as she heard Alice''s words.


    "Exactly!" Alice did not seem to see anything wrong with what she said as she even ced her hand on Hannah''s face,


    "Keep it in the family!"


    "No, just¡­


    ¡­nope."

 Chapter 859 859: Save Me, Megawoman

    <h4>Chapter 859 Chapter 859: Save Me, Megawoman</h4>


    "Save me!"


    Familiar words instantly bombarded Riley''s ears as soon as he stepped inside the portal, making him slightly confused. He just got here, and yet people were already asking for help ¡ª but then, he quickly realized that the people were not actually running from him, but from a monster Riley had never seen before.


    It wasrge,rge enough that its entire body started to fade into the clouds. Its silhouette was instantly recognizable, however, as it looked like a fat starfish with perhaps more than a thousand tentacles ¡ª each of its tentacles, just the width of amp post making them look more like hair due to the monster''s sheer size.


    And these tentacles, currently, were rampaging through an already ruined street;pletely unfamiliar to Riley as much as the people, whose skin was entirely green. Aside from that, however, they look just like humans.


    "Help¡­" One of the people running could not help but close his mouth as he saw Riley. He did not stop running, but his eyes werepletely locked onto Riley even as he passed by him ¡ª and of course, Riley, being the master of reading people''s faces, quickly recognized the confusion on the man''s face.


    Riley did not really do anything, however, as he also just stared at the confused and perplexed man as he passed by him. Riley did not, however, do the same for the several others that came after. He just let them pass as he started walking toward the colossal alien starfish. Before he could get near, however, a smile crawled on his face as his eyes started reflecting something red beaming from afar.


    Riley then watched as the colossal starfish was just finely sliced in half; like a sponge cake going through a vibrating de, it did not even offer a single hint of resistance. Before it couldpletely split and fall to the ground to crush anyone and anything near it, however, a small dot caught both halves and lifted them up in the air ¡ª throwing them far into the sky until they could no longer be seen.


    "..."


    The small dot''s job seemed to not be done, however, as the blood that showered from the starfish monster''s body started to form smaller monsters simr to their¡­ mother. And as soon as theypleted their forms, these starfish quickly razed through the streets once more.


    And there, Riley watched as the small dot disappeared from its spot, and what followed was a barrage of monsters all being thrown into the air almost at the same time. But with each blood that falls from their bodies, smaller and smaller monsters are born; some even the size of a coin, but still as deadly.


    Riley watched as the small dot in the sky stopped. But it wasn''t for long, as after just seemingly catching her breath¡­ Aerith once again rummaged through the monsters and tried to save people.


    And while she was busy doing this, Riley just stood there; the smile on his face became a chuckle as he shook his head. And then, with a small whisper escaping his lips that only he could hear, Riley snapped his fingers¡­ causing all the starfish monsters, whether they were the size of a car or a coin, stop and very slowly float up.


    He then snapped his fingers again, causing all the starfish to gather in one spot andpress. And with another snap, they all flew into the sky at a speed enough to cause a ripple to clear the clouds above.


    And with the monsters suddenly gone, another boom echoed in the air, and the small dot from afar becamerger andrger until she was just suddenly floating right in front of Riley.


    "We will leave as soon as I know these people are safe." And without even waiting for Riley to say anything, Aerith''s feetnded on the ground and she started walking; lifting up debris near him and saving all the green people trapped beneath with a smile on her face.


    "And are they not safe yet, Aerith?" Riley raised a finger, also raising all the rubble from a mile radius and floating the people who needed help out of danger.


    "...No," Aerith turned to look at all the people being carried to safety, before letting out a sigh and shaking her head, "They¡­


    ¡­will never be safe."


    ***


    The way the universe Aerith was thrown to was ending was quite unique, perhaps even more so than Caiin''s world of a million cherbis. The they were on was another version of Earth, and these green people were indeed the humans of this universe¡­ and they were thest on it. The other civilizations ands have already fallen due to a weird gue, or perhaps a y of god.


    Every 18 Earth hours, a random person in the universe gets transformed into a random monster ¡ª and by all means, Earth should have already been wiped out just from a single monster alone. But they were lucky ¡ª as when it was their turn in the death lottery, Aerith appeared. The others, however, weren''t.


    "Interesting, is it some sort of virus?"


    "How would I know?"


    Riley and Aerith were now standing on the roof of a building at the center of the city, where all the refugees they could save were resting. Like Riley''s Earth, the people of this world ultimately gathered around Aerith. Why would they not, when as soon as she arrived less than a year ago, she started rescuing and pushing away any monsters that emerged without pause.


    Anywhere on the, as long as someone turns, she would be there to stop it.


    "The only thing I know is that these people need my help, and I am not going to stop."


    "Until there is no one left?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he turned to look at Aerith; both their hairs, being swept by the wind, "You can''t save these people, Aerith. They will all eventually turn into monsters and die."


    "It doesn''t matter," Aerith shook her head as she looked into the horizon of a ruined city, "I just want there to be a single ray of hope in the midst of their cmity."


    "A false hope."


    "Hope nheless."


    "A dangerous hope."


    "Hope nheless," Aerith let out a small chuckle as she sat on the edge of the building, "These people are not fools, Riley. They know they are going to die eventually, and yet they fight still."


    "It is more like they were running and crying, Aerith."


    "Running is fighting. That means they haven''t given up."


    "Or they are just scared of being trampled violently to death, Aerith."


    "Everything has to be so dark with you, huh?" Aerith turned to look at Riley as she raised her knee and rested her head on it, "Riley Ross, Darkday, the most evil being in the entire universe. Although, I suppose King is taking that title now."


    "You are going to save more people if you are not in this universe, Aerith."


    "Let''s not kid ourselves, Riley," Aerith closed her eyes, "Like the gue that is ending this world, you are eventually going to kill all of us. And I''ll be there to stop you, of course ¡ª even though I know doing so is futile."


    "Hm?" Riley also tilted his head to the side so that he and Aerith''s face could line up.


    "You have be too strong, Riley," Aerith opened her eyes, only to see Riley looking closely at her, "I remember it like yesterday when you just flew away when I first tried to approach you. But now, you''re just¡­ there."


    "..."


    "Remember when I told you that the universe might need someone like you in the future? Maybe even more than me?" Aerith once again let out a small chuckle as a tear just casually fell from her eye, "I was so naive back then, even now."


    "But you were right, Aerith. The universe does need me¡­ to end it."


    "Hm¡­" Aerith just let out a small hum as she once again looked onto the horizon, resting her chin on her knee, "You know, all the time I''ve been trapped here. The only thing I''ve actually thought about was¡­ you, us. I mean, what even are we, Riley?"


    "I am your lover, Aerith."


    "..." Aerith just nced at Riley, smiling at him before focusing on the horizon and shaking her head, "It''s time you grow up from that."


    "I did, I have spent the better half of eternity growing up from it, Aerith."


    "Hm?" Aerith blinked a couple of times as Riley leaned closer to her.


    "And right at the moment myst memory of you started to fade¡­" Riley looked Aerith in the eyes, "...Do you know thest thing I remember about you, Aerith?"


    "...What are you even saying¡ª"


    "Is that I truly am in love with you," Riley very gently brushed Aerith''s hair and tucked it between her ear, "And I can tell you the real reason why, Aerith."


    "Riley¡­?" Aerith looked back and forth between Riley''s eyes.


    "Because all this time while people are trying to find ways to kill me," a small tear also started to fall onto Riley''s cheek as he looked Aerith in the eyes,


    "You have been trying to save me."


    "..." Aerith could really only soften her face as she saw the gentle smile growing on Riley''s face.


    "Even when you say that you can''t forgive me, or that you have given up on me," Riley whispered, "You will always, always, still find a way to save me from the dark. And that is when I realize that in order for me to do what I need to do¡­


    ¡­I must kill you first."


    "!!!"

 Chapter 860 860: Goodbye, Aerith

    <h4>Chapter 860 Chapter 860: Goodbye, Aerith</h4>


    "...I will have to kill you."


    "!!!"


    Aerith found herself quickly flying away to the end of the atmosphere as soon as she heard those words being uttered by Riley. She quickly turned to look at the top of the building the two of them were just resting on, only to see he was also no longer there.


    "I havetched on to you, Aerith."


    "..." Aerith very slowly turned to look behind her. And there, he saw Riley also very slowly moving away from her peripheral vision.


    "No matter how fast you fly, I will just always be behind you ¡ª figuratively and physically," Riley then moved away from Aerith''s back and floated right in front of her, "I would prefer if you do not struggle, Aerith. This will not be a repeat of the Battle of Toronto. As you said yourself, I have be much stronger than you. If an undead variant of Princess Esme was not able to beat me, what hope could you have?"


    "...What?" Aerith tried to fly away but found her path blocked by a clone. This clone, however, quickly faded away out of existence; just withering away.


    "My obsession with you, Aerith¡­" Riley very slowly floated closer to Aerith, "...It is time to end it once and for all so I can be free. But most importantly, so you can be free."


    "Wait¡­" Aerith showed her palm to Riley, "At least wait until these people are gone."


    "..." Riley squinted his eyes, before he very slowly looked down toward the ruined city beneath them. And as soon as Aerith saw this, she knew she made a mistake saying that and immediately flew in front of him.


    "No!" Aerith shook her head, "Do. Not. Kill them."


    "There is no need, Aerith. All of them are dead already,"?Riley only shook his head and sighed, "I am only here for you. If you resist, then the people you have been trying to protect will be swept by our battle ¡ª I believe it is time to stop creating another Toronto, Aerith."


    "..." Aerith could really only close her eyes, "And what will you do after you kill me?"


    "Go back to the space station and tell the others I have sent you to your Eternal Death, Aerith."


    "I meant after that," Aerith looked Riley in the eyes, "After you defeat King."


    "I will end everything else."


    "And after that?"


    "Live with what I have done," Riley let out a long and deep sigh as he returned Aerith''s gaze, "It will all be meaningless if I do not live through the nothing I have created, Aerith. That needs to happen."


    "You really have¡­"


    And before Aerith could finish her words, Riley suddenly moved closer to her; his arm, going through her chest. Aerith did not really fight back, however, as she even floated closer to Riley. The sound of her flesh being and pushed, whispering in the air as she stretched her arms to the side and wrapped it around Riley,


    "...You really have grown, Riley."


    "No," Riley also wrapped his other arm around Aerith as he stared at her heart, literally. He was holding onto her heart, staring at it as it barely even drummed, "The fact that I am hesitating now even though I have already resolved myself to do this from the start shows I haven''t grown at all, I have not grown from you."


    "The fact that you are hesitating already shows that you have," Aerith rested her head on Riley''s shoulder, and there, the only thing she could really hear was the sound of Riley''s heart beating faster than she had ever heard it before, "Just promise me, Riley¡­


    ¡­Promise me that after you have turned everything into nothing, you will be good to those that will emerge after."


    "..."


    "Whether you like it or not¡­" Aerith gasped as Riley very slowly started to grip her heart, "...You will be God to the people who wille after. Do not be cruel to them."


    "I will not, Aerith. Because for them, I will not even exist," Riley sighed, "And I will make sure that another one like me will not be born."


    "T¡ª"


    "Goodbye, Aerith."


    And with those words, Riley crushed Aerith''s heart, not even waiting for her to finish her words. He did not let her arms unwrap around him, however, as he used his telekic abilities to keep her arms embracing him.


    A second.


    A minute.


    An hour.


    He stayed like this for hours and hours, embracing Aerith as the two of them just floated in the air; seemingly alone in a dying universe. The night came, and the sun once again rose¡­ but Riley remainedpletely still as he cherished thest warmth that wasing from Aerith''s body.


    "I do not think my life could have been as eventful as it was if it wasn''t for you, Aerith¡­" And as Aerith''s warmth was very slowly merging with the heat of the sun, Riley tightened his embrace as he rested his cheek on her head, "...Do you know that I was actually the one buying all of your merchandise back then? Only the licensed ones, of course. I should still have them back on Earth ¡ª I should have shown it to you just to creep you out."


    "..."


    "I also killed the ones selling illegal and unlicensed merchandise, by the way. That is why the counterfeit percentage of products under your name was the lowest among all the superheroes," Riley chuckled, "I know you didn''t want your face on figurines, so I kept buying all of them instead. The perks of having Bernard as my father."


    "..."


    "Do you know that I do not necessarily get the urge to relieve myself? Sexually, I mean. But when I¡ª"


    "Stop. Just¡­ don''t continue whatever it is you are about to say. You do know I''m not dead, right?"


    "I know," a small smile crawled on Riley''s face as he felt Aerith move in his arms, "I just wanted to know how long you will stay in my arms and not let go, Aerith."


    "I don''t really know what to do with you, Riley¡­" Aerith gripped Riley''s back as she tightened her embrace on him, "...Just what do you actually want with me?"


    "Kill you, Aerith," Riley opened his eyes as he brushed Aerith''s hair, "But even more than that, I want you to be there to still and try to stop me until the end ¡ª that is really the only way this all makes sense."


    "I can''t stop you even if I wanted to, Riley."


    "Even if you wanted to? Does that mean you do not?"


    "That''s not what I meant," Aerith buried her face on Riley''s chest, "We''ve already established you are already a lot stronger than me."


    "We can fix that, Aerith," Riley smiled, "I learned a little something from the child of your variant. She said it was impossible to learn it in another universe, but I have delved deeper into my core and done research and found a way ¡ª Dual Cultivation."


    "...What?"


    "You can sense it, right? The weird energy I did not have before."


    "..." Aerith blinked a couple of times as she increased her senses, and true enough, there was some sort of condensed spherical energy resting in Riley''s stomach, "What''s¡­ that?"


    "I am sure you are aware of how I can share it with you, Aerith," Riley smiled, "After all, it was Mother''s variant who deduced a way how to do so."


    "That''s¡­!!!" Aerith quickly let go of Riley, even pushing him away as her face instantly became flushed and red, "You¡­ you''re really starting to get cheeky, child."


    "You only call me a child when you are embarrassed, Aerith," the smile on Riley''s face became wider as his arms remained open, "It is fine. Even if you hate me or do not harbor feelings of love, you must do what you need to do to obtain power."


    "Stop¡ª"


    "!!!"


    And before Aerith could finish her words, a slight whistle whispered into her ear; a roar which came from thousands and thousands of miles away. And without even any hesitation or another word to Riley, she disappeared from her spot. And as a matter of course, Riley wastched onto her as she instantly flew to the other side of the Earth ¡ª and there, a gigantic eyeball was floating in the air; turning everything it sees to stone.


    Riley watched as Aerith did not even deliberate the situation; unafraid that the eye might also turn her into stone as she just immediately rushed toward it and started pushing it up into the sky and out of the atmosphere ¡ª freezing it almost instantly.


    She then quickly dived down to the surface, helping anyone and everyone she could see. As for Riley, he just waited for Aerith to do what she needed to do; sitting beside a person that was turned into stone and¡­ identally bumping into it and causing it to shatter into a thousand pieces.


    "Hm¡­I guess everyone here is dead," Riley shrugged as he just continued to watch Aerith try to save what she could. And he continued to wait ¡ª even after another day had passed, he watched Aerith rescue people as another monster emerged; then talking to her during the times she was not saving lives.


    Trying to understand her deeply, letting the days just pass.


    "What motivates you to save these people, Aerith? You do not need to."


    "Honestly¡­ I don''t know."


    And as the two once again found themselves sitting on top of a building, they once again just casually talked to one another. The distance between the two, slowly shortening with each day that passed until¡­


    ¡­Aerith''s head was just resting on Riley''s shoulder; the two of them, watching as thest monster razed through the ending horizon.


    "I just feel like I need to, and they need me to," Aerith let out a small but very deep sigh.


    "...Do you know what I feel like I need to do, Aerith?"


    "Hm¡­?" Aerith removed her head from Riley''s shoulder as she looked him in the eyes.


    "This."


    And without even avoiding or moving¡­


    ¡­she allowed Riley to push her down; her back, hitting the cold floor, but the warmthing from Riley''s lips as he ced it upon herspletely caused everything else to just fade away.

 Chapter 861 861: What Comes After

    Chapter 861  861: What Comes After


    "!!!"


    Aerith found herself being woken up by the sound of her own heavy breath. The surface of her skin, trembling as even the slightest bit of air caused them to feel as if there were a million feathers brushing across them. Perhaps, in a way, they were remembering what happened before Aerith fell into the embrace of her dreams, even better than herself.


    And as for what happened, well¡­


    ¡­it was best not to share them with anyone else.


    It will forever remain a memory for her and Riley and for them alone.


    And as the tremble that crawled across her skin faded away, Aerith was finally able to look around her; only to realize she waspletely surrounded by ivory nkets, literally. She was still on the roof, but the entire surface of the roof was now covered with white nkets and pillows.


    ¡­She doesn''t remember the roof being like this, the only thing she remembered was being rammed¡ªNo.


    Aerith quickly shook her head off of the thoughts and covered herself with a nket; only to realize she was stillpletely naked underneath. She tried searching for her clothes, but with all the cloth covering everything, she would probably have better luck in just finding new ones somewhere on the.


    After a few more moments of just hiding under the nket, she finally stuck her head out and once again looked around ¡ª only to see Riley actually just sitting beside her; alsopletely bare; his obnoxiously white skin, reflecting the rays of the sun violently showering above them.


    "...Have you been there from the start?"


    "No, but you were," Riley did not even nce at Aerith as he seemed to just be staring at the horizon, "You were always there from the start."


    "...That''s not what I meant," Aerith could really only let out a long and very deep breath as she floated close to Riley while still holding the nket, "So¡­? Is it still rampaging?"


    "My sexual organ?"


    "No¡­ what?" Aerith was about to rest her head on Riley''s shoulder, but quickly backed away as soon as she heard that, "...I meant the monster."


    "Is that what you are calling my pen¡ª"


    "No, I meant that!" Aerith pointed toward the horizon Riley was looking at, only to see a gigantic lizard towering over everything; its head almost reaching the clouds. It was, however, seemingly frozen as not even its long, thick tail was moving.


    "Oh. Then, no," Riley shook his head, "I stopped it from moving a few seconds after we started our sexual intercourse, Aerith. I thought it would be slightly distracting to have it roaring each second ¡ª I wanted to hear your breaths and your moans alone."


    "Can you stop mentioning that just for a single second?" Aerith could really only lie down and make herselffortable again by covering herself with the thick nket.


    "What do you want me to do with it, Aerith?" Riley''s eyes remained fixated on the colossal lizard.


    "Just end its suffering," Aerith let out a small sigh as she closed her eyes, "If we leave it here, it will just continue destroying everything until it has nothing left to destroy¡­ It''ll die a long and very lonely death."


    "I suppose it does not really deserve that," Riley sighed as he snapped his fingers. And as he did so, the colossal lizard just disappeared; violentlypressed into a ball before being thrown into space. And as they were finally truly left alone, Riley lifted up the nket beside him and joined Aerith underneath it ¡ª the two of them, just staring at each other''s eyes.


    "We need to go back¡­" A smile crawled on Aerith''s face as she touched Riley''s cheek, "...We can''t stay here."


    "I know," Riley held Aerith''s hand, "We still have our roles to y out."


    "And which role, exactly, am I ying?" Aerith giggled softly as she whispered.


    "The love of my life."


    "Hm¡­" Aerith could really only smile at Riley''s words, before she suddenly disappeared. The nkets around them, suddenly being blown away. And before all the cloth could return to the floor, Aerith was back in front of Riley with clothes on,


    "...All of this has been nice, but we need to return to reality. It''s¡­


    ¡­time to go home."


    ***


    "Riley, it''s been fucking weeks! What took you so long!?"


    And as Riley returned to the space station, he was quickly weed by the screaming voice of Hannah. It didn''tst long, however, as the others joined her one by one; Hannah''s loud voice seemed to have served as an rm for her brother''s return.


    "Your clone stepped out of the portal and said we shouldn''t follow you inside. What the fuck was even happening there? And¡­" Hannah blinked a couple of times as she leaned her head to the side, "Where''s¡­


    ¡­Megawoman?"


    And as Riley heard that, he very slowly nced back at the portal; the expression on his face, incredibly somber. He returned his gaze to his sister, before shaking his head while letting out a sigh,


    "She won''t being back."


    "What are you¡ª"


    "Don''t believe your brother."


    "Megawoman!"


    And before Hannah''s voice could even stutter at the thought of what Riley had possibly done, Aerith stepped out of the portal while waving her hand.


    "He told me to enter a few seconds after him so he could prank all of you," Aerith let out a long and deep sigh, before looking at all the people in the auditorium one by one; her eyes, very slowly widening with each face she saw,


    "There¡­ seems to be more people here. Is that Mother and Edith¡­? Was I the only one left?"


    "No, Aerith. Paige has been abducted by King," Riley let out a small but very deep sigh as he stood beside Aerith, "And we are stillpletely unaware of his location."


    "Not exactly." And almost as if on cue with Riley''s words, Diana arrived in the auditorium; wearing a pair of sses that failed to hide bags below her eyes, "You returned right in time, Riley. Aerith."


    "Diana," Aerith nodded.


    "We have actually ced miniature clones and transmitters to all the universes we could find. And some of them have already returned with useful data which helped us pinpoint the median point of¡ªBasically, it helped us in finding where King returns after each universe he conquers, his home base."


    "What stops him from just attacking us aga¡ª" Aerith did not finish her words as she realized what would happen if King ever attacks them again ¡ª he would die. Excluding Riley, some of the people gathered in this space station were already as strong as her, a handful even stronger.


    King has the strength and abilities of a themarian, sure. But does he have the strength of Princess Esme?


    He has the speed of Tempo, but Queen Vania, Princess Vera, and even the other evaniels outss him in speed. Which, in Aerith''s knowledge, evaniels really only exist in their universe.


    He has telekic abilities, but Alice Prime and Riley were here.


    His intellect, his most dangerous weapon, is not even being used properly as he already relies too much on all the abilities he has stolen.


    The only thing they truly needed to be wary of was his ability to stop time, and based on how damaged he was after using it ¡ª he couldn''t use it freely.


    "So, what''s the n?" Aerith asked.


    "None," Bard joined in on the conversation, "We had time to prepare, and he had even longer. Any n of attack we could devise will, and has already been countered by him, we just do not know it yet. This will not even be a war, it will just be a matter of who is more powerful¡­


    ¡­an all-out multiversal brawl."


    "I know that already," Aerith shook her head, "I meant what''s the n to save Paige?"


    "...She''s probably already dead," Bard could really only close his eyes and sigh.


    "No, can''t die," Riley shook his head as he started walking around the auditorium, causing everyone there to take a step back to make way for him,


    "Paige is not human like you and I¡ªno, Paige is not human like all of you. In the first ce, she has never truly been alive. Other Paige told me that she came into existence at the very first moment I died, and she created the Paige we know not long after. Paige¡­


    ¡­is a concept of revival, of Creation. Once all of you are gone, she will create those who wille after."


    "...This is not really the speech I was expecting before going into battle," Gracy whispered at Nannah, "Doesn''t really instill much confidence. Also, am I the only one smelling that? It smells like¡­"


    And while Riley was giving another morbid speech about death and new beginnings, Gracy''s nose started sniffing around as she sneakily walked across the auditorium.


    "...What are you doing?" Hannah could not help but cross her arms as Gracy started smelling her. Gracy, however, did not say anything as she just moved on to the next person¡­ and as soon as she did so, her eyes instantly turned wide.


    "Did¡­ you need something?" Aerith did not really know what to do as Gracy stood in front of her and stared at her all of a sudden. She is supposed to be her variant''s daughter, but she has no idea how to actually talk to her, "What are you¡ª"


    "Ah!" And before Aerith could finish her words, Gracy suddenly let out a loud yelp and pointed at her; garnering everyone''s attention away from Riley''s speech,


    "You smell like sex!"

 Chapter 862 862: The Watcher

    <h4>Chapter 862 Chapter 862: The Watcher</h4>


    "How many universes has he conquered?"


    [The only number we can confirm on our side is 2,432. It could be more.]


    "That many? Just how strong is this King? Even the Space Pirate Queen has not conquered half of the Known Universe, and she has already lived for 4000 years."


    "...Who even said I was actively trying to conquer the universe?"


    With the portals littered around the auditorium gone, Riley and the others were finally able to use the same as it was intended as most of his universe''s greatest minds and warriors gathered in a circle. And at the very center was only Ahor Zai, who records andpiles everyone''s thoughts so that they can discuss in the most efficient manner¡­


    ¡­or so that''s what was supposed to be happening.


    "I know I amte in this game," Empress raised her hand as she subtly nced at Diana, who was seated directly across her, "But as probably someone who had spent one of the longest time with a depressed and stressed out Bernard, and I do not mean anything else from this, he may incredibly dangerous, but at the same time, his mind is incredibly weak and vulnerable to certain temptations."


    "What the fuck¡­?" Hannah wanted to raise her voice, but opted to just whisper to herself.


    "I know you said no ns, Diana. And I agree¡ªyou can''t n with Bernard," Empress let out a small but very deep sigh, "He is a very¡­ very magnificent human and¡ª"


    "Get to the point," Diana''s eyebrows started to lower.


    "I am saying there are certain things we can take advantage of," Empress cleared her throat; her voice turning deep as she looked at the other people in the council hall, "Bernard might have the highest IQ in the entire universe, but his EQ is that of a child¡ªperhaps something Riley himself adapted."


    "I will have everyone here know that I consider myself to have a very high EQ."


    Everyone present there could not help but just turn their heads toward Riley, who, unlike most of them who were seated on bleachers, was seated on some sort of luxurious chair without anyone beside him; consuming almost a quarter of the council room for himself.


    "That is why I have done the things I have done without getting bored, because I know what my victims were feeling ¡ª it would be disrespectful not to."


    "That''s not exactly true."


    "Hm?" Riley turned to look at who disagreed with him, only to see Katherine seated beside Alice Prime, who did not really seem to care about the meeting and was just asking questions and ying with Karina.


    "You can be incredibly dense and unfeeling most of the time, Riley." And as Katherine''s words traveled through the council room, almost everyone there nodded their heads, "And perhaps the worst thing about it is that you do know what you are doing, but just do not care. You are even acting as if your daughter doesn''t exist at all."


    "That is not true at all," Riley shook his head, "A part of me has always been beside Karina, Katherine."


    "...What?"


    "Ah, that''s true!" Karina raised her hand high and stood up, "Mini Dad pops up every time I need someone to talk to."


    Riley pointed at Karina and shrugged.


    "...You''re letting your clones be the one present for your daughter?" Katherine raised an eyebrow, "That''s¡­ not healthy."


    "Perhaps for normal people, Katherine," Riley shook his head, "But Karina is half primordial. I do not even know how she fits in all of this."


    "I can fit anywhere," Karina just shrugged, before sitting back down and talking to Alice again.


    "But¡ª"


    "I think we have lost track," Queen Vania, who was sitting beside Empress, also raised her hand, "This is not the time to hear about Riley Ross''s romantic affairs."


    "As I was saying," Empress cleared her throat and spoke up again, "Yes, any strategy we might have might prove to be useless, but we can take advantage of King''s emotional state."


    "I agree with you to a point," Bard leaned forward, "All Bernards, including me, are weak emotionally, extremely so. Most of the Bernards I have¡­ killed are those who have lost someone dear to them. Just one person, and my variants stray to a darker path. And we know that King lost his best friend¡­


    ¡­but I do not think we have any chance of using that against him. His mind has been corrupted, he is no longer doing all of this because he lost someone, he is doing this because he likes the power ¡ª to be in control."


    "..."


    "Because deep down, what all Bernards want is the feeling of being in control," Bard looked at the auditorium, "That is why I created the Council of Ross, that is why he is conquering all these universes ¡ª control."


    "So, that''s it?" Aerith raised her hand, "We just go to his main universe, and we attack just like that? And when are we going to discuss rescuing Paige?"


    "He would be ready for us," Bard nodded, "In fact, all the breadcrumbs he had left were probably on purpose."


    "So, there''s a chance that it''s a trap?"


    "No," a small smirk crawled on Bard''s face as he scoffed, "The bastard''s taunting us. Believe me, his ego is hurt that he was not able to defeat us when he disguised himself as one of the council ¡ª he wants to defeat us head-on."


    "We have a primordial on our side," Queen Vania raised her hand again.


    "And he has god knows how many variants on his side," Chihiro, who had just been quiet the entire time, could not help but roll her eyes as she finally joined the meeting, "Remember, there is a reason Machina is wary of King. You know who else Machina is wary of? Him."


    Everyone looked at Riley as Chihiro pointed at him.


    "If we put it in perspective, Riley is capable of destroying entire gxies in just a breath ¡ª King should be capable of doing so as well."


    "We all know how dangerous he is," Nannah raised her hand, "He was able to hold his own against Aerith and Diana."


    "That''s just it, we don''t," Chihiro shook her head, "We have seen what he could do when he is cornered, but now we will be facing him in his own game, War. This man has conquered thousands and thousands of universes ¡ª who here has actually gone to war?"


    Everyone involved in the very short themarian war raised their hands.


    "...Right, so less than half of us," Chihiro sighed.


    "What are you even trying to say, Chihiro?" Hannah squinted her eyes as she looked at Chihiro


    "I am saying¡­


    ¡­just send in Riley alone."


    "...What?" Hannah raised an eyebrow, "And you just said we can''t underestimate King!"


    "I object that," Queen Vania immediately raised a hand, "What prevents the two from just joining hands?"


    "Because deep down, King knows he is inferior to Riley," Chihiro sighed, "And as you said so yourself, he has a massive ego and wants to be in control, and emotionally vulnerable. What do you think will happen¡­


    ¡­when King expects that all of us would attack him, but only Riley appears in front of him?"


    "...He''d take a hit on the ego," Hannah ced her hand on her chin.


    "And he''ll most likely want to face Riley alone, even if he has an army of thousands of variants. Which is probably for the better. We have an Alice, we have an Esme ¡ª he probably has too. Even with that, though, I am confident we can win an out battle¡­


    ¡­because we actually have the strongest versions of our variants in this very room."


    "..." All the Dianas started looking at each other.


    "I am actually talking about me and Alice," Chihiro cleared her throat before waving her hand, "But I guarantee you¡­


    ¡­most of us will die."


    "And we have already established that," Queen Vania stood up, "Everyone here is ready to die."


    "Well¡­" Gracy, who didn''t really know why she was part of the council, could not help but raise a finger at Queen Vania''s statement, "...Maybe not all of us. Look, all of you are talking about going to war, and killing, and death¡­


    ¡­can''t we just talk to the guy first?"


    "...He is beyond reason," Bard sighed and shook his head.


    "Hm, that''s not what I saw," Gracy slightly shrugged as she hummed, "He did a viin''s monologue when he was here. Of course, he might just be trying to recruit some of us in his crusade¡­


    ¡­but every viin that does a monologue wants to talk."


    "That is true," Riley nodded, "I do like to talk a lot, Gracy."


    "See?" Gracy pointed at Riley, "Talk no jutsu. Why don''t we just get another best friend, Steve¡­Prophet, whatever¡­ and then give it to him¡­? No? Let his best friend talk to him? It worked on that cartoon I watched where they brought his wife from another universe. No? Just me?"


    "Considering he has destroyed many Earths that might have contained a variant of Steve, talking to him is futile," Bard shook his head, "This¡ª"


    "The only way this ends is with him dead," Diana raised her hand as she stood up from her seat, "The only thing we need to discuss here is who will go."


    "Look,dy. I don''t want to sound insensitive¡­" Gracy sighed, "...But we all know you''re angry since he killed your husband. Honestly, you shouldn''t even¡­ be in this circle."


    "King has killed many, not just my husband."


    "Okay, but we can clearly see you are emotional."


    "I am not emotional!"


    "Yes, you said that very calm."


    "What even is your purpose here?" Diana gestured to Gracy.


    "I don''t know. I thought we were all here to give different perspectives," Gracy raised both her palms and scoffed, "I mean, we''ve already wasted an entire chapter for this."


    "Look, everyone¡­" Chihiro once again raised her voice, "...All of you know I''m right, the only real way to do this is just to send the handsome primordial alone."


    "..." Diana did not really say anything anymore and just turned to look at Riley. And it wasn''t only her, everyone turned their attention to the man sitting on a throne.


    "We can''t seriously be considering that, right?" Hannah quickly stood up from her seat, "I know Riley is strong and he is practically immortal, and you think he''s some sort of god¡­


    ¡­but he''s Riley. Mom,e on?"


    "So, we gathered this fancy meeting just to throw it to the big guy?" Gracy leaned back on her seat, "I mean, well¡­ that''s actually kinda smart."


    "Chihiro is correct," Diana let out a small but very deep sigh as she looked her son in the eyes, "And I believe it is only fitting that you end this¡­ get revenge for Bernard. And I know you have also been training your undead army."


    "Oh," Riley blinked a couple of times as he returned everyone''s gaze,


    "I''m not joining the war, I''m just watching all of you."

 Chapter 863 863: Finally...

    Chapter863 863: Finally...


    Somewhere in the multiverse, King was currently in front of a Common Council. His visage was not that of a conqueror, however ¡ª he was wearing only a set of overly casual clothes; white shirt and a pair of pants, not even a suit or a shoe. He was there with bare feet, his arms open as he addressed the Elders of the Common Council of the universe he was in.


    "I will give all of you the same choice as I have given the thousands before you. Kneel, or be our enemy and die," King said very calmly with a smile on his face as if he was just asking the Common Council for a¡­mon request.


    "What sort of madness is this? Why is our time being wasted on something as ludicrous as this!?" A pink-skinned humanoid with 6 eyes raised his voice; quiet a wonder, as he really only had eyes on his head ¡ª not a single lip moving or a mouth opening to let out a voice,


    "Sol Queen Xra, how could you call a meeting just for another madman!?"


    "You should watch your tone whenever you address me, Arivuk," a variant of Xra stood up from her seat as she looked each of her fellow council Elders in the eyes one by one, "All of you have called meetings with purposes of nothing but leisure and utter uselessness. This is the first time I have ever asked all of you to gather, and yet you prattle on. The threat this man brings is very real, listen to him."


    "Threat?" A slightly translucent humanoid with a head simr to a jellyfish raised her hand, "In order for one to be considered a threat, one must show that he is one. And as the Sol Queen Xra considers him as such, then I believe, my brothers and sisters, that we truly are in grave danger from this Eartherner¡­


    ¡­I vote to kneel."


    "If that is your decision, then I too will kneel."


    "You do not have knees, Gnulo."


    "...Figuratively."


    "Hm," the smile on King''s face slightly grew wider as he saw everyone raising their hands; physically and figuratively. His smile, however, slightly twitched as he saw the 6-eyed humanoid, Arivuk, just shaking his head.


    "I don''t what you are capable of, madman," Arivuk said as he stood up, "But there are many before you that have attempted to conquer the universe. But all of them have died before they could even conquer a percent of the Known Universe ¡ª what you are is a fool¡­


    ¡­I and the people of my quadrant will not submit to you."


    "That is understandable," King nodded before turning his head to the other Elders, "Is there no one else who would rebel against me?"


    The other Elders just kept quiet.


    "That is too bad, then," King let out a sigh as he pped his hands¡­ but nothing really happened. Everyone was just left wondering what he did¡­ but they did not need to wonder long as soon, they started receiving all sorts of alerts and calls from all of theirmunication devices.


    "What is the meaning of this, King!?" Sol Queen Xra raised her voice as she waved her hand; sending the images from her device to project above the council ¡ª and there, the view of Earth being crushed by a colossal norid shed in all of their eyes. No one seemed to care, however, as the other Elders just focused on the notifications being sent to them. How could they care, when their owns were in the same situation?


    "All of us but one surrendered to you!"


    "True," King chuckled, "But what we did was simply just an exercise of free thought and will, I only wished to see what choice all of you will make. Because you see, Earth and those who have the freedom of choice tend to rebel sooner orter ¡ª I just pruned that possibility from existence. And also¡­


    ¡­I am but a single man. Do you truly think that I could watch over thousands of different civilizations? Control and servitude must be implemented from the start. An old dog does not learn new tricks, after all."


    "You will not be forgiven for this!"


    "I know," King nodded, "That is why I will erase the traces of my sin by erasing all of you¡­


    ¡­and then reaching out to those who will truly only see me as their ruler, not their conqueror."


    "I will end you myself!"


    "Try," King stretched his hands to the side as he suddenly burst out inughter, "Others have tried before you¡­


    ¡­and others are already trying as we speak."


    What King said was not a lie at all. As he was conquering this, many other of his fellow clones were doing the same. The more universes he conquers, the faster it gets to conquer the next universe as he adds more to his arsenal with each conquer.


    If there was a unique race that King had not seen before, then they were abducted.


    If there was a unique super from Earth, then they were abducted.


    Everything and everyone that could prove to be useful was taken and sent to the universe¡­


    ¡­where the original King decides what to do with them.


    "Her power will be useful, open his brain and put it with the others."


    And while his clones were just wearing a casual set of clothes, King was sitting on a throne at the end of a dead universe. Settled on a colossal asteroid that was reshaped andpressed into a small floating ind. The ind was smooth, almost like the floors were made with luxurious and high-quality granite.


    King was wearing a white thin armor that fitted and lined up to his slightly lean but muscr body. Arge white crown filled which seemed to have runes written on it, rotating and floating above his immacte silver hair.


    He was surrounded by people from other universes; all of them standing on the side as they watched as King''s clones emerge from a portal to bring in more people for King to experiment on.


    "Have we still not found someone that would make me immortal?" King''s words traveled throughout the floating ind.


    "You are already immortal, my Creator." His clone that was about to return to the universe he was stationed to rule took a step back from the portal.


    "No," King shook his head, "True immortality."


    "Xra''s abilities mixed with the themarian''s physiology have already given us that, my Creator."


    "...Us?"


    "I meant you, my Creator," the clone smiled as he bowed his head, "You have already been given true immortality."


    "I was not given anything, I earned it," King waved his hand, erasing the clone in front of him from existence, "And what I have is not yet true immortality. The one that Riley Ross has is different."


    "Should we make ns to capture him, my Creator?" And almost as if it wasn''t erased at all, another clone emerged kneeling in front of King.


    "No, doing so is suicide," King shook his head, "The moment has to be right, and the right moment can not be nned. You may go."


    "At once, my Creator," the clone stood up and walked toward the portal a few steps behind him. It then bowed to King, before finally entering the portal and leaving.


    "Next," King raised his hand, and another portal popped up. And once again, it was another clone pushing a person that King had never really seen before, with a power he had also never seen before.


    This time, however, King did not seem impressed and just shook his head ¡ª and as soon as he did so, his clone ced its hand on the person''s head¡­ and the person just disintegrated there and then in front of everyone.


    "Although I have limited your intelligence, you should be wise enough to know what powers interest me, and what powers do not," King let out a short but very deep sigh, "I''ll reset you."


    "Wait, I¡ª" And before the clone could even say anything, it also melted to the ground¡­ before just instantly springing up not even a secondter with a smile on its face. And without even saying a word, the clone stepped into the portal it came from.


    "Next!" King stomped his foot on the ground, "This better be¡ª!!!"


    And before King could finish his words, he found himself gripping the armrests of his throne as an abnormally tall themarian princess suddenly rushed toward him in less than a blink of an eye. Before Princess Esme''s hand could reach King, however, she was blocked¡­ by another tall themarian princess.


    King did not rx, however, as the crown floating above his head dived down; almost instantly merging with the rest of his armor and turning into a helmet while reinforcing everything else. And before King could raise his hands to block his face, a quiet wave suddenly burst forth in front of him.


    This quiet wave, however, destroyed everything else around him instantly ¡ª leaving only him and the two strongest themarians of their respective universes left floating in the dead universe.


    King did not waste any time, however, as he immediately ced his hand on the Princess Esme variant''s shoulder, who quickly grabbed and took him as far away as possible from Princess Esme.


    Surprisingly, Princess Esme did not follow and just looked at them from a distance. King could really only lower his eyebrows, as soon, several portals suddenly emerged around Princess Esme.


    "So, you went with this approach..." King let out a small but very deep breath as a small smile crawled on his face, "...Activate Hero Link."


    And as those words whispered from his lips, portals also instantly opened up behind him ¡ª some, the size of an entire as a handful of colossal norids emerged from them.


    "Finally¡­" King said,


    "...a battle worthy of a king."

 Chapter 864 864: Kings War

    Chapter 864  864: King''s War


    "Finally¡­ a battle worthy of a king."


    More and more portals appeared on King''s side, while people just kept emerging from the portal that popped up near Princess Esme. No one really attacked from either side, however, as the two Princess Esmes just stared at each other from afar.


    And with each second that passed, the smile on King''s face grew wider and wider. And soon, the portals behind him all disappeared; leaving behind an army that had a collection of people that could probably destroy an entire universe in the blink of an eye.


    There were 5 Elder Tedis; the sockets of their eyes, all empty. A variant of Diana also flew to his side; her hair only reaching to her chin.


    "Ah!" Alice immediately pointed at this variant as she looked back and forth between her and Dee, "It''s a more stud version of you!"


    "Can you just read the atmosphere for once in your life?" Dee could really only shake her head as she looked at all the people on King''s side ¡ª and true enough, her side was outnumbered.


    She could see two women covered in an armor of blood, probably variants of Xra. She could also see variants of Queen Adel there, and even a variant of Arthus; he will be useless and was probably just there as decoration.


    "...Holy fucking fuck¡­ are those me?" Gracy pointed at several people who looked like her, "Why would I even join sides with the side of evil!?"


    "...You were literally on Riley''s side."


    "That''s beside the point!" Gracy waved her hand. She was about to say something else, before she saw a tall white man flying beside her variants, "Is that¡­"


    "Gary Gray," Chihiro crossed her arms.


    "Oh, shit¡­" Gracy squinted her eyes to look at her male variant, "...Why am I ugly as a man? And also¡­ do all of us have like very good eyesight because those guys are like a hundred miles away."


    "Look," Queen Vania pointed at a group of dark-skinned women, before turning toward Empress, "We already expected that there would be variants of you on his side¡­ but aren''t they too many?"


    "Ha! Simp!"


    "..." Empress could really only close her eyes and unconsciously hide in shame. The others also scanned King''s side, trying to see if a variant of theirs joined him.


    Aerith could not really help but let out a sigh as she did not notice anyone who looked like her. She could still have a variant there who just looked different like Edith, but it still somewhat made her feel relieved that most of her variants probably died trying to resist.


    As for Hannah and Nannah, the only thing they could really do was look at each other as they noticed that they did not even have a single variant of them on King''s side.


    "There¡­ isn''t another Bernard too," Nannah whispered.


    "He''s a narcissist," Hannah nodded, "He probably doesn''t want any other Bernard on his side, that will be tooplicated."


    "There are also people I don''t recog¡ª"


    "People!" And before Nannah and Hannah could continue their discussion, King stretched his hands to the side and raised his voice.


    "Wow, we can hear them from afar too," Gracymented.


    "I see that the primordial is not interested in our mundane war," King said as he finished scanning Bard''s side; his voice, echoing throughout the dead universe, "Is that not proof enough that my cause is the better alternative!?"


    "The only proof I want today is your death, madman," Diana started floating forward; her eyes,pletely stuck and fixated on King''s silhouette.


    "Ooh, scary," King let out a small chuckle as he too, started floating forward, "I have realized in my quest that the people on your side are the apex of what your versions could achieve. I promise all of you that if you surrender and kneel, you will have a ce by my side and we could rule the multiverse."


    "We are only interested in ending this," Diana''s eyes began to glow red as the distance between her and King shortened by the second.


    "Ending?" King''s helmet opened up and revealed his youthful face smiling at Diana, "This will never end for that is not my goal, but your sons. My goal is to control the multiverse, to be feared and respected ¡ª do you know how many lives I would save in the long run by doing this? Infinite."


    "The multiverse does not need you controlling it."


    "But it does," King shook his head, "Throughout my journey across the multiverse, do you know what I have discovered? War, endless war perpetrated by those who think they stand above everyone else."


    "Are you not describing yourself?"


    "Yes, once I am done conquering everything and everyone," King once again stretched his hands to the side, "If I am the man above, I would ensure that no one has to feel oppressed by any other higher power other than myself. I can end all other wars, other oppression. I will be the viin for the sake of the entire Creation."


    "I see it is not only your face that is childish," Diana smirked, "Let me guess, you''ve read severalics where the main character did the same? I could name 3 books with the same plot. One immediately lost himself to the power and started killing innocent people, another wiped out 90% of his world''s poption. Thest one, although killing many and is seen as a viin by his people, sacrificed himself and in no doubt is seen as a hero by the readers¡­


    ¡­Congrattions, you''ve hit 2 of the 3."


    "I was not aware you indulge yourself in literature."


    "I have a son, King ¡ª it is mandatory to follow the trend."


    "Your son that has said time and time again that he would destroy everything," King started floating to the side as he looked at Hannah and the others, "Do none of you truly get it? Join me, and we could find a way to stop the New Gods from erasing all of us! I already control a percent of the multiverse ¡ª do you not think that we could find a way to get rid of them if wepile all of their knowledge!?"


    "See what I told you guys?" Gracy whispered as she subtly pointed at King, "Viin''s monologue, I said we can talk to the guy and no one believes me."


    "Silence, clown!" King also pointed at Gracy, "I talk because I am offering you a chance of actually saving the multiverse. How can none of you see that my path is the only path to salvation?"


    King looked at everyone on Diana''s side one by one. But when none of their eyes even wavered for even a single millimeter, he just let out a short but very deep sigh and started floating away.


    "Very well," the smile on King''s face returned as he shook his head, "Do know that after this war, all of you will be remembered as the viins who tried to stop me from saving the world from an evil god."


    "After this war¡­" Diana also started floating back to her side,


    "...No one will even remember you."


    "Hm¡­" King''s lips slightly twitched before his helmet covered his head. And once again, silence took over as the two sides just stared at each other ¡ª as if waiting for the other to make the first strike.


    A second.


    A minute.


    Several more. Several minutes passed and yet neither side even made a move. But soon, out of nowhere, the silhouettes of the two Princess Esmes just disappeared; their fists, meeting right in the very center of each side.


    The boom they created, serving as the signal for the start of their brawl as both sides finally started rushing forward.


    "Your Highness," the Princess Esme of Diana''s side was caught by her as she was thrown from the force of their collision; her hand, recovering from beingpletely torn apart. As for the Princess Esme of King''s side, well¡­ no one bothered catching her as she just continued to be sted thousands of miles away,


    "Are you alright? You should just provide assistance from the back to those who need it."


    "No¡­" Princess Esme shook her head, "...I want to have fun."


    "Tch¡­" King could not help but click his tongue as he saw the difference between his side and Diana''s. This was the problem with gathering people who had no prior connection to each other ¡ª but it did not matter, his sidepletely outnumbers the other and would surely win in an all-out brawl. There was also the fact that this was not aplete disadvantage for him.


    The fact that most of the people on his side did not care for each other means that their emotions would not waver even if one of them died, and most of them would.


    He had already seen the oue of this battle, and the only one that would be left standing by the end of it would be him and Diana.


    "This will be a very short war!" King let out a roar, and as soon as he did so, a portal suddenly appeared in front of him.


    "What¡­"


    No, it wasn''t just in front of him ¡ª it was right in front of everyone as it appeared in the very center of the expanse of space that is their battlefield.


    "Well¡­"


    And there, from the portal, emerged Riley Ross with his hands stretched to the side¡­ one of it holding some sort of button, while the other was just randomly holding Bernard''s decayed head,


    "...I got bored."

 Chapter 865 865: The Bored God

    Chapter865 865: The Bored God


    "...I got bored."


    And almost instantly, King raised his fist ¡ª gesturing for all of the people on his side to stop advancing. As for Diana''s side, no one really needed to gesture anything to anyone as all of them just instinctively stopped flying.


    "Why¡­ is he holding someone''s head?" Gracy quicklymented.


    "Ssh!" Her mouth, however, was quickly covered by Chihiro as she very slowly floated back. And as she did so, Diana and the others did the same without even saying a word.


    "...I thought you would not involve yourself in this war, Riley Ross?" King''s helmet unfolded and revealed his face. And although his eyes did not have irises, it was obvious that he was looking Riley in the eyes even from afar, "Is something this mundane worth your time?"


    "Hm¡­?" Riley turned Bernard''s decayed head toward King; its mouth, opening as Riley spoke.


    "You killed me, you¡­ deserve¡­ death!" And there, everyone watched as Riley did the worst impression of Bernard they had ever seen. Perhaps what was even more sinister was that Hannah, and the others who knew Riley knew that he could actually replicate Bernard''s voice if he truly wanted, but no ¡ª it was as if he was just controlling the head of a puppet, and not his adoptive father who he had spent most of his life with.


    "...Revenge?" King''s eyebrows lowered, "Are you telling me that you, a New God, are here for revenge?"


    "I was not the one talking with you, King," Riley let out a small and deep sigh as he shook his head, seemingly disappointed that King did not y along with him. And so, he just went ahead and shrunk Bernard''s decayed head and hid it in one of his many pockets, making King focus on the other thing he was holding in his other hand.


    "..." It was some sort of device with a big red button on it, "Are you joining the war, or not?"


    "No, I am just here to watch," Riley then just casually shrugged as he floated back.


    "What are you¡ª" King slightly flinched as another portal emerged from behind Riley. Diana also did the same; her face, slightly excited. This excitement did not escape King''s gaze, as he quickly put up his guard and also ordered his people to do the same.


    And soon, a throne emerged from the portal¡­ and then the portal just disappeared without anything elseing out of it.


    "..." King could not help but squint his eyes as he saw this. He quickly turned to look at Diana, only to see a look of confusion on her face that was even greater than his.


    "What is happening here?" King''s eyebrows began to lower as he started feeling like he was being yed, "Are you truly just going to watch?"


    "Yes," Riley shrugged as he sat on the throne, "You can continue, everyone. I apologize for interrupting, but I did not want to miss the start of the battle."


    "..." King could not help but just nce at Diana once more, only to see them now rushing toward him again. And so, with a confused breath escaping his lips, he once again let out a roar that signaled the start of the battle¡­ again.


    This time, however, it wasn''t only him; Diana also let out a roar that caused the dead universe itself to almost revive there and then.


    "Are you mad at me for killing your husband!?" King let out a loud cackle as his helmet was again covering his head, "I only killed your husband, your son is making a mockery of him by carrying his head everywhere!"


    "Riley will get his turn. But right now, my only problem is you!" Diana''s eyes glowed red as she showed her fangs to King.


    "That is where you are wrong, woman¡­" King stretched his hands to the side; his gloves, separating from his hands and turning into some sort of cannons that attached themselves to his arms. King then stopped flying toward the army rushing to kill him and ced his hands together; the muzzles of the cannons, seemingly collecting the darkness around them,


    "...I am the solution!"


    "Oh, I forgot something."


    And before the two sides could finally make contact with each other, they all abruptly stopped as Riley suddenly leaned forward from his throne and raised the button he was holding¡­ before just casually pressing it without any warning.


    "!!!"


    The two armies instantly backed away, flying as fast as they could as far away from Riley as possible¡­ only to watch as a robotic arm came out of the throne he was sitting on and started preparing what seemed like milk for him.


    Another robotic arm emerged, cing a te of freshly baked cookies on the armrest, before feeding Riley a piece.


    "Hm¡­" Riley nodded to himself before pushing down the cookie with a nice sip of milk. And then, as he looked in front of him, a look of surprise started to grow on his face,


    "Where¡­ is everyone?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he started looking around, only stopping as he saw King and his army back to their original positions, "Why are all of you back there? Mother and the others too? Are you not going to start killing each other?"


    "...Stop ying games, Riley Ross," King could no longer help himself as he raised his hand to garner his army''s attention, "Since you are bored, then perhaps I need to help in that situation."


    King then pointed at Riley. And as he did so, the three colossal Norids on his side all quickly flew toward Riley and surrounded him.


    "I do not know how long those corpses could entertain you, but I know it will be long enough for me to kill your mother and everyone she is with," King smirked as the rest of his army once again rushed toward Diana and the others,


    "...And I will start with the sister you seem to be so fond of."


    And with those words, King followed his army; the two cannons attached to his arms, directly pointed at the army and locked onto Hannah''s position. And with a smile on his face, the darkness once again gathered around him¡­ before being shot out by his cannons like an invisible force that distorted everything around it.


    The distortion, traveling at an insane speed straight toward Hannah.


    "...You really think I''m so weak?" Hannah''s eye twitched as she looked at this invisible force heading at her. And almost instantly, the darkness around her also started to distort; her skin and flesh, turning translucent. And her heart that was now exposed, now glowing with the color of the sun,


    "You guys aren''t the only ones fucking getting stronger." And with those words, Hannah just allowed the invisible force to hit her; her hair that seemed like fire, just flowing back as the invisible force melted away, being vaporized instantly.


    "Heh¡­" King did not seem fazed by this, as soon, his army and Diana''s finally made contact. With Diana finding him through the crowd and immediately striking him as hard as she could with her fist. King, however, tanked the hitpletely with the smirk on his face unwavering,


    "You and the themarian princess could not even beat me together, do you think you can beat me by yourself!?"


    "No," Diana scoffed before just suddenly disappearing, only to be reced by Queen Adel who already had both his hands swaying down straight onto King''s head.


    "!!!" King was able to dodge this attack, but another one followed from his left as he saw Aerith''s leg threatening to cut off his head. And of course, King was once again able to dodge. This time, however, he flew further back to examine the battlefield.


    "Why are you only attacking me!? Are you not worried about the rest of your¡ª" And before King could finish his words, he saw half his army just floating in space;pletely still. He then squinted his eyes, only to see a woman floating right in the middle of his army; the smile on her face even as her nose bled profusely, incredibly arrogant as her hands were seemingly holding his entire army.


    "Esme! Her!" And as soon as King said that, a silhouette flew from afar ¡ª quickly shooting straight toward Alice Prime.


    "!!!" Alice quickly stopped holding half of the army as she put up several telekic barriers around her. All those barriers, however, proved to bepletely useless as King''s Esme just pierced through all of them¡­


    ¡­straight through Alice''s heart.


    "Hm," Riley squinted, "I liked her."


    "Alice!" Dee quickly rushed toward Alice, but as she did so, her short-haired variant from King''s side suddenly grabbed her head¡­ before forcefully turning it a hundred and eighty degrees, beforepletely pulling her head from her shoulders.


    Diana''s short-haired variant was going to fly and join another fight, but Princess Esme suddenly appeared behind her and ripped her in half.


    "E¡­everyone, fall back!" Bard quickly raised his fist as he raised his voice as he flew close to Hannah and Nannah "Tell your mother we need to regroup!"


    "That¡ª"


    "No!" Diana, however, continued to pursue King with Aerith and Queen Adel ¡ª their relentless attack, seemingly just hitting air.


    "Don''t you see¡­? I''ve already won this battle," King smiled as he stretched his arms to the side, "Your recklessness endangered everyone, your anger ¡ª it clouds your mind."


    "You think?"


    "Wh¡ª" And before King could finish his words, he saw an arm suddenlye out of his chest. He turned to look back, only to see another variant of Diana behind him ¡ª Dr. Caiin. Even then, however, the smile on King''s face did not waver¡­ but instead, melted¡­ literally melted.


    "I do," King let out his final whispers as his face melted along with other parts of his body, "You''ve¡­ already lost."


    "This¡­ it''s a clone! Where is¡ª"


    "...Mom?"

 Chapter 866 866: I Will See You Soon

    Chapter866 866: I Will See You Soon


    "Where is he!? Find him!"


    Adoptive Mothe¨CDiana did not waste any time in scanning the chaotic battlefield. As soon as King''s body started to show even a little sign of melting and withering away, she instantly realized that they had been fighting a clone and the real one was out there somewhere.


    She knew, Diana knew that she was being eaten by a rage greater than she had ever felt before. But she did not really care ¡ª Bernard meant more to her than anyone could actually ever know. He had his ws, he had so many.


    But Diana has too. And for someone who had lived for so long, her sins far outweigh Bernard''s. There wasn''t really anything special in their rtionship at all. If you take away their identities as individuals, their rtionship might as well be the most normal one in the entire world.


    Well, perhaps not.


    Diana met Bernard when he was still just in High School, for a themarian, after all¡­ age is truly nothing but a number. No, she did not just meet Bernard, she searched for him. She had heard of a boy, just 16 years of age, capable of solving equations and problems that were thought impossible to solve even after a hundred years.


    But of course, as a themarian with superior intellect, Diana had already solved these problems. But Bernard, he just casually answered them, and when he was asked how he knew how to solve them. He told everyone:


    How could you not?


    That was the moment Diana became curious about Bernard. A creature carrying an intellect far greater than her, only limited by hisziness. She tried observing him from afar, but Bernard seemed naturally drawn to her ¡ª of course, there was also the fact that they were actually seated next to each other.


    Of course, this was not predatory at all. Do not misunderstand, everyone. Diana did not approach Bernard with the intention of love¡­ initially.


    They became friends, and soon became lovers. And like most, their story was filled with tragedy and secrets; perhaps more than most. Bernard was wed, and yet Diana could not help herself but just be drawn to him no matter what.


    She was utterly, truly, and blindly in love with the man.


    And King took him away just like that.


    Diana was not going to deny that she was putting her emotions above all else¡­ but perhaps she should have, she really should have.


    "Retreat, everyone retreat!" Bard was already ordering everyone to retreat as they had already started losing people. Alice Prime and Dee, now gone just like that. Bard was beside his daughter and Hannah, forcefully pushing them away from the battlefield.


    Or at least, that is what it sounded like. But as Diana saw the look on Bard''s face ¡ª it wasn''t an expression of defeat at all, but a sinister smirk as his hands, who everyone initially thought to be hands desperately trying to save his daughter, were actually gripping Nannah and Hannah by the neck.


    "M¡­ Mom?"


    "Retreat¡­ everyone, pft¡­ Hahahaha!"


    "..." Diana''s eyes could really only widen as soon, Bard''s form started to wither away, revealing King to be hiding inside; the smile on his face, uncontroble.


    "Everyone, stop fighting!" King then let out a roar, and as he did so, all of his people quickly flew away and left whoever their opponent was, "We¡­ ¡­have already won this fight."


    "Let go of my daughter!"


    "W¡­where''s Dad¡­?" Nannah''s head started to shake as she started looking everywhere, "What did you do to my¡ª"


    "I don''t really need you."


    "Nannah!" Hannah screamed as she watched as King just casually snapped Nannah''s neck, before letting her go and giving her a little push; her body, now just aimlessly floating in the dark expanse of space.


    Aerith was about to rush toward King.


    "No, nuh uh uh," King wagged his finger as he lifted up Hannah, "None of you try anything or the Primordial''s sister dies. And that includes you, Riley Ross."


    "Hm¡­" Riley did not really do anything and just stared at King, resting his cheek on his fist as he truly did what he said he would do ¨C just watch.


    "See!?" King showed all of his teeth, almost growling as he smiled at Diana and everyone else there, "That is our true enemy! While all of us are fighting for our ideals, for the things we want¡­


    ¡­he sits on his ivory throne!"


    "This is actually metal, King," Riley shrugged.


    "See!? See how he mocks us!?" King looked Diana in the eyes, "From the very start, that man did not care for any of you. If only you were just not blinded by your silly little minds that I have set out to destroy the universe¡­


    ¡­I did not. I came to protect it!"


    "You¡­ you''ve already fucking said that!" Hannah gritted her teeth as her skin once again slowly became translucent. But even as King''s armor melted away, his skin remainedpletely intact; his grip, growing even tighter and causing Hannah to just try and start hitting him with her elbows.


    "Let go of her," Diana''s eyes glowed red as she quickly, but very carefully floated closer to King.


    "I will, none of us should die," King shook his head as his voice turned calm, "Just kneel and join my cause, and this will all be over. I have thought this long and hard, but with all of you by my side¡­


    ¡­do you know how many more we could save?"


    "..."


    "Ick a caring touch," King sighed, "But as I hold your leash, you will do the same for me and we can create a better utopia for the people thate next. I can''t handle being the God of the Multiverse by myself, more so than Zeus can not control the realms by himself."


    "M¡­ mom," Hannah started shaking her head profusely, "Don''t¡­ don''t listen to him."


    "I am giving you a choice that you do not really have!" King waved his hand, causing Hannah to quietly groan in pain, "You are defeated! All of you are!"


    Queen Adel could really only close her eyes as she floated toward Diana and ced her hand on her shoulder.


    "The madman is right," Queen Adel shook her head, "This is already a lost battle. Look around you."


    "..." Diana, however, did not stray her eyes away from Hannah, just focusing on her and her alone, "I will not join your cause, Conqueror."


    "Then¡ª"


    "But I will not impede on it, as long as you promise not to harm my daughter and the people of our universe," Diana then looked King in the eyes.


    "Diana!?" Aerith flew toward her, "What about the other universes!? All those¡ª"


    "The only universe that matters is ours," Diana shook her head, "We will do this, but you also need to ensure us that if we rescue people from the other universes, and once we get them to ours ¡ª you will no longer pursue them."


    "That is a lot of requests for someone already defeated," King scoffed.


    "You also need to return Paige to us," Diana floated closer to King, "If you do all that¡­


    ¡­then you can have my life."


    "..." King squinted his eyes at Diana, before he just shook his head; augh, slowly escaping his lips, "Do you truly think you can demand something from me? I was just being nice. But okay, I will do all of that¡­


    ¡­but you will work for me. And perhaps maybe even along the way, you will also learn to love me."


    "F¡­fucking creep. You¡ª" Hannah wanted to say something, but King once again tightened his grip on her neck.


    "And perhaps a thousand years from now," King''s voice turned gentle as he closed his eyes, "We would create our own Hannah, a more superior one. Unlike this creature who only knows how toin and cry. We could¡ª


    what''s that?"


    King could not really finish his words as he saw Diana raising something in her hand, an orb. Or more specifically;


    "A Cosmic Compressor," Diana breathed out.


    "...You won''t," King''s eyebrows quickly lowered as he started scanning the orb, only for him to instinctively back away.


    "I will. Now let go of my daughter," Diana started gripping the Cosmic Compressor hard, causing everyone there to just look at her.


    "..." King looked Diana in the eyes for a few seconds, before just quickly deciding to let go of Hannah, "Very well, I will grant your demands."


    And as soon as he said that, portals started appearing behind his army, as well as behind him.


    "But¡­" King very slowly started to back away into the portal.


    "!!!"


    "Hannah!"


    And there and then, everyone watched as King just suddenly pierced his arm straight into Hannah''s chest. The warmth that was forever governing her body, very slowly dissipating away.


    "You really think you can threaten me!?" A maniacalugh suddenly cackled in the air as King casually pulled his arm from Hannah''s chest, "Not you, not even a god could stop what I am about to do next."


    King then pointed at the cosmicpressor,"...Thank you for giving me an idea on how to end all of this¡­


    ¡­I will see all of you again soon."


    King stretched his arm to the side, but before he could float into the portal¡­ Hannah suddenly grabbed his arm.


    "...You''re still alive? You¡ª" He looked at Hannah, but could not help but abruptly halt with his words as he saw the smile crawling on her face¡­


    ¡­a smile that very slowly reached from ear to ear.


    "What¡­" King then quickly turned his head toward Riley, only to see no one sitting on the throne anymore¡ªno. Even the throne was gone.


    No.


    Diana, Queen Adel, Aerith¡­ her entire army was gone.


    "..." King''s eyes widened as he saw this, before he very slowly turned his head back to Hannah¡­


    ¡­only to see Riley holding his hand; blood flowing from his lips.


    "You are right, King¡­" Riley whispered as he looked King in the eyes,


    "...I''ll see you soon."

 Chapter 867 867: I Will Help You, King

    Chapter867 867: I Will Help You, King


    "...I''ll see you soon."


    "...What?"


    What just happened? ¡ª was the thought that repeated inside King''s mind for a million times in less than a second, and no one could really me him. And it wasn''t just him; his army, the variants he was with could not help but just look around, wondering where the enemies they were previously just fighting disappeared to.


    "What did you do!?" King grabbed Riley by the shoulders, but he waspletely unresponsive; his arms, just slowly iling with his body as King started shaking him. King then let go of Riley as he once again turned to look at the expanse of dead space that was their battlefield, joining his army in scanning where their enemies could probably be suddenly hiding.


    "...Review footage, 60 seconds."


    King''s helmet covered his face; this time, however, the front was slightly translucent; the footage that his armor recorded, starting to ovey with the scenery around him. He then looked around again as he watched the recording.


    Diana and the others were still all there, with Diana threatening to blow up the cosmicpressor. King summoned the portal and started backing away, before he lunged onto Hannah and gave everyone a surprise they would never forget.


    Everything that happened did happen. King then turned to recorded, starting to ovey with the scenery around him. Diana and the others were still all there, with Diana He then looked around again as he watched the recording.


    threatening to blow up the cosmicpressor. King look to where Diana and the others could have escaped to, only to see that they were already gone.


    "...What?" King could really only blink his eyes before he once again rewound the footage just a few seconds before he stabbed his arm through Hannah''s heart. This time, however, he made sure to focus on Diana and the others.


    "..."


    "!!!"


    And there, as soon as he stabbed Hannah¡­ he saw Diana and the others just disappear.


    They did not jump to a portal, they did not even slowly fade away¡ªthey just truly disappeared. King tried slowing down the footage, but even the span of a millisecond did not show how they disappeared. It was as if they¡­


    ¡­did not exist at all.


    "...Illusion. Is that why¡­ I couldn''t read their thoughts?" He then very slowly turned to look at Riley again, whose body was just aimlessly floating; as dead as the universe they were in. And after a few seconds of staring at him, his eyes turned wide as he immediately rushed toward him ¡ª kicking with all his force and ripping him apart in half.


    He did not do it out of anger, however; his eyebrows did not tremble due to rage¡­


    ¡­but fear.


    He quickly grabbed Riley''s upper body, before throwing it straight onto Esme.


    "Destroy him! Leave not even a single drop of his blood!" King let out a roar as he grabbed Riley''s lower half and pulled his legs apart, before using his blood-control abilities to just disintegrate Riley''s body and literally turn it into nothing but a bubble of blood. The darkness around his hands then started to distort as he released a heat that instantly vaporized Riley''s blood.


    He then turned to look at Esme, who had just finished literally scrubbing off Riley''s entire upper body with her palms ¡ª not even leaving vapor.


    "What is¡ª"


    "Nobody moves! Don''t even breathe!" King raised a finger¡ª


    not letting anyone from his army to even talk or move as his eyes looked everywhere, "If you notice anything emerging, even just a trickle of blood, a bone, or brain matter or whatever¡­


    ¡­squash it immediately!"


    King was wary, extremely so. How could he not be?


    He knew about Riley''s true ability; killing him was thest thing he ever wanted to do. He was already unstoppable the very first time he had met him in the Council of Ross. His only saving grace was that Riley seemed interested in him and wanted to see what he would do.


    King was confident with his power, but he wasn''t a fool. He knew he couldn''t defeat him alone thest time¡ªbut now, if all the stories about him are to be believed¡­


    ¡­then all the abilities King has painstakingly collected throughout the years and throughout the multiverse, Riley also has.


    But of course, there was a chance that Riley wouldn''t be able to copy any of his abilities, as they weren''t King''s in the first ce.


    "If the gods are with me and my cause¡­" King whispered to himself, "...then let that be the case. Do any of you see any¡ª!!!"


    And as he turned to look at his army, he noticed that someone was missing ¡ª Princess Esme.


    "Where did she¡ª" And before King could even finish his words, he watched as one by one, his army just disappeared into nowhere. At first, the interval was slow, but soon, they started disappearing in less than a second.


    "No¡­" King could not help but stutter as he realized what was going on. And without even hesitating, he took in a short but very deep breath¡­ and stopped time.


    Only to see Riley''s face right in front of his.


    "!!!"


    "This¡­ ability¡­ is sad¡­ King."


    King used whatever strength he could as his head started to tremble. King, in truth, never truly considered himself a god, just a ruler. But he would lie to himself if he said that his abilities were anything but close to that of a god.


    And there was one ability that truly put him there ¡ª his ability to stop time.


    But of course, with great power,es greater consequences. His body, no matter how many life-saving abilities and body regeneration abilities he has stolen, not even one of them was able to handle the stress of stopping time, even Xra''s blood abilities.


    And so, he truly only used them when he was desperate, truly desperate ¡ª because if he used them too much, he would just die on the spot.


    "Do¡­ you know how¡­ many times I¡­ have died?" Riley then whispered as King watched as he very slowly floated away, "Pa¡­voom."


    "!!!" King then watched as Riley pointed his finger at one of the Elder Tedis, only for them to just disappear without a trace¡­ along with Riley. King''s eyes turned everywhere, trying to see even though the trace of light around him did not really change and flow with his movements.


    He did not have to look around for long, however, as Riley just materialized in front of him again like nothing happened. But s, before he could watch what happened next, his body instinctively deactivated his ability ¡ª as any further use of his time-stopping power would kill him.


    And there, King could really only just watch as his army just disappeared into existence without any trace.


    "Cool, right?"


    "!!!" King''s eyes widened as he heard a small voice whisper into his ear. He quickly turned to look at his left, only to see no one there.


    "Honestly, you''ve already lost a month ago."


    "Who¡­ who is that!?" King waved his hand as his helmet unfolded; his hair,pletely disheveled from all the sweat; his face, covered in blood from using his time-stop ability, "Show yourself!"


    "Okay."


    "!!!" King then immediately grabbed his ear as he felt something crawling out from it¡ªand as he looked at his hand, he saw something small trying its best to hug his finger, but failing as it truly was too small ¡ª almost as small as an ant.


    "Riley¡­ Ross?" King could really only hold his breath as the miniature Riley Ross started sliding down his finger, "You¡­"


    "Don''t be so shocked, you have the same ability. No?" Mini Riley shrugged as he sat cross-legged on King''s palm, "Except the only difference is the Boss could instinctively push whatever ability he copies to almost its full potential, almost."


    "Since¡­ since when have you been there?"


    "Uh¡­" Mini Riley ced his hand on his chin, "When you impersonated Rainbowking, thest time you and Boss met."


    "...What?" King could really only blink a couple of times, before a small chuckle forced its way out of his mouth, "Are¡­ are you saying you have been inside my head for a month?"


    "Hm," Mini Riley shrugged, "I told you, you''ve already lost a month ago ¡ª Boss just wanted you to¡­ lose the right way."


    "You¡­"


    "Oh, yes¡­" A smile started to crawl on Mini Riley''s face while he nodded several times, "...I know everything, Mr. King. Your true hideout, where you are hiding Ms. Paige, and also¡­


    ¡­where you are hiding all the Mr. Steve Bridges. Naughty, naughty."


    "Why¡­ why did you not just kill me?" King''s lips started to tremble; his army, continuing to disappear in the background.


    "I told you, Boss wanted you to lose the right way," Mini Riley''s smile now reached from ear to ear, "And by that, I mean the very¡­ pft¡­ very wrong way. Everything you rule, everything you still love, we will let you dec¡ª"


    And before Mini Riley could finish his words, King squashed him.


    "This was not actually going to be how the scenery unfolds, King."


    "..." King could really only hold his breath as he heard¡ªno. As he felt Riley Ross very slowly creeping from behind him.


    "I was going to make you feel even more desperate¡­" Riley whispered into King''s ear; his body,pletely covered in blood, "...Desperate enough that you would lobotomize your best friend. I even prepared zombies, King. Zombies."


    "You¡­"


    "But as soon as we met on this battlefield, I realized from Little Riley that you would never do that." Riley then very slowly floated in front of King, "Because you love him too much. Even though they are just variants, you protect them even if you have to hurt them, even though you know they hate you."


    "..."


    "So, I will make it easy for you¡­"


    "!!!" King could really only watch as his armor started to disassemble, before crawling toward Riley. And with a very quiet and soft ripple, a portal emerged from behind him.


    "...I''ll help you in dissecting them, King."

 Chapter 868 868: Watch

    Chapter868 868: Watch


    "Hahahaha!"


    King never considered himself a viin. He knew he was in the eyes of billions of people, but he was convinced that what he was doing was right ¡ª and time would prove that to be so. He had seen it first hand, after all; the violence men are capable of to those who they deem weaker than themselves.


    King knew what he was and what his goal is.


    That is why he needed to be the strongest, the one who stood on the top. If he was the only oppressor, the only ruler, then there would absolutely be no violence other than himself. He had seen true evil, he was one of them, after all.


    Or so that is what he thought. And now, he was being shown that he knew nothing of true evil at all.


    "Go, King. Conquer them, they are already kneeling. Say your famous lines."


    "..." King could really only stare at the scenery in front of him. He had thought the worst when Riley told him that he knew about all the variants of Steve he had kept alive in different universes, but Riley never once brought King to them.


    Instead, they were going from universe to universe, with Riley urging him to conquer the people in front of him.


    Humans, billions of them all kneeling in front of a wastnd that Riley created. One could barely even hear the storm raging around them, as everyone''s whimpers and cries just created a harmonious song of hopelessness and death.


    None of them truly kneel, however. If all of them just stood up at the same time, one could actually see the sea of blood they were all standing on ¡ª but that would be impossible now, as Riley had actually cut off all their legs; their knees, just grazing on the hard and coarse ground.


    King thought he had seen what true violence is, but as he saw a mother lifting up her son as he bled from his knees, King could really only shake his head. He had killed children before, infants, even ¡ª but he always made sure it would be painless for them ¡ª that they would not feel a thing. But most importantly, he wasn''t actuallyughing while doing it.


    But Riley¡­


    King then nced at Riley, only to see him with his eyes closed and his head almost bobbing rhythmically with the choir of death in front of them.


    "I thought I have outgrown this, King," Riley then opened his eyes as he looked at the sea of people in front of him, "But I suppose this is what I truly am and always will be. I thought eternity had killed this side of me, but it only made it worse."


    "Just kill me. You''ve already won," King breathed out. He could fight or run if he wanted to, but Riley was now wearing his armor and would be able to follow him anywhere in the multiverse.


    "Oh no, no¡­" Riley shook his head as he took a step forward, "...We haven''t even started yet, King."


    He then raised his finger, and as he did so, the screams of a billion people caused the very air itself to tremble ¡ª their silhouettesbined now looked like a tidal wave heading for King.


    No, all of them truly were heading for King and Riley.


    King could really stare at this almost drowning scenery. Riley, on the other hand, just stretched his hands to the side as the tidal wave of people rammed through them.


    "!!!"


    King was not hurt at all, but he found himself gritting his teeth as all sorts of people practically imploded upon hitting him; their blood and guts, just spraying everywhere. And as a little child was practically blown into pieces upon hitting his face, King did something he had not done for a very long time¡­


    ¡­he closed his eyes.


    But s, it did notst long as his eyelids were ripped off by Riley. They quickly regenerated, of course¡­ but this time, Riley grabbed his face from behind and forced his eyes open.


    "Are you having fun yet, King?" Riley then whispered as they continued to be surrounded by exploding bodies and slowly being drowned bit by bit, "Is this not more fun than conquering them?"


    "N¡ª"


    And before King could finish his words, he saw the scenery in front of him instantly change. And now, they were in front of a different species on a different.


    "Hm¡­"


    King turned to look at Riley, only to see him shaking his head.


    "I will never get used to the feeling of stopping time, King," Riley continued to shake his head as some of the blood nketing him started to seep into his skin, "But Xra''s abilities¡­ they are incredibly useful. Disgusting, but useful."


    "How¡­" King gulped, "...How are you able to stop time for that long?"


    For King, it might have just been in a blink of an eye. But for Riley, he had to travel lightyears away while time stopped around him ¡ª just moving from one side of the room was already enough to kill King whenever he used the ability¡­


    ¡­but Riley was able to travel through the cosmos?


    "Practice and repetition, King," Riley shrugged, "And unlike you, I have mastered melding all my abilities together for them to work in harmony¡­


    ¡­so, shall we have them kneel again?"


    ***


    "Riley¡­ you''ve won?"


    "Not yet, Mother."


    "...But, isn''t that King?"


    After a few more tidal waves of flesh and guts, Riley finally returned back to the space station. The people that have been waiting in anticipation and anxiety for him there, did not really know whether to cheer or not as he returned.


    When Riley said he was just going to watch, they all thought he truly was not going to do anything at all ¡ª but when it came to attack King, he left all of them there and told them not to follow him.


    And when they asked him about it, he just told them ¡ª


    "I am going to watch King suffer," is what he said before just casually turning into Princess Esme and leaping into the portal.


    And now, half a dayter, he was back¡­


    ¡­with King just obediently following him from behind.


    Although King did not really have any visible wounds, he looked like he just went through the worst thing he would ever experience in his life. His silver hair waspletely disheveled, with bald patches even showing. His face was still more youthful than Bard''s by a decade, but he seemed exhausted from life to the point that if you pushed him, he would just die there and then.


    "What¡­ did you do, Riley?" Diana was about to grab King to lock him up somewhere, but Riley pulled him away while shaking his head. Diana did not really react to this and just squinted her eyes, "We¡­ detected a portal being opened up, but you didn''t really travel here. Did your battle reach the other universes?"


    "There was no battle, Mother," Riley shook his head as he did not let go of King''s arm, "I have told all of you, I only watched him make a fool of himself. But I think he had some fun too. Am I correct, King?"


    "..."


    "Am I correct, King?"


    "Y¡­ yes," King answered in panic. Finally realizing where he was and started looking around.


    "Why¡­ is he acting like that?" Gracy squinted her eyes as she looked at King from head to toe, "I thought he was the big bad or something? Isn''t he supposed to be a multiversal threat? This guy beat Mom''s variant into a pulp."


    "He didn''t beat me," Aerith quicklymented, "He had to stop time because he was losing."


    "Yeah, because it was 3v1," Gracy shrugged.


    "That''s not important," Aerith just waved her hand as she approached King, "Where''s the kid? Where''s Paige?"


    "We were just about to go there, Aerith," Riley finally let go of King, causing him to slightly tremble but let out a sigh of relief at the same time, "We just took a pit stop here so he could rest from everything that has happened ¡ª King could not handle too much fun, you see."


    "...Fun? Just what¡ª!!!"


    Aerith was about to p King away as he suddenly rushed toward her, but quickly stopped herself as soon as she saw the pleading look in his eyes.


    "Please¡­ just kill me," King''s whisper stuttered in the air for everyone to hear, "Or just imprison me somewhere for eternity. Please¡­ please don''t let him take me home."


    "...What?"


    "Help¡ª"


    "Hm, if you have the energy to beg, then that means you have energy in general, King."


    Before King could finish his words, however, he found himself being dragged away by Riley as a portal appeared beside him.


    "No¡­ please, don''t do it!" King tried prying Riley''s grip open, but the only thing he could really do was shake his head as Riley casually dragged him into the portal.


    "..." Aerith and the others just looked at each other as they watched this scene unfold. But after a few seconds, Aerith followed them to the portal.


    "What¡­ is this ce?" Aerith''s breaths turned into vapor as she found himself inside an ice cavern.


    "King''s version of the Guesthouse, Aerith," Rileymented as he continued to drag King, only stopping as they reached a ss cage where a man was being confined, "Highly inferior to mine, but I suppose the purpose remains the same."


    "..." Aerith then realized that there were actually ss cages scattered everywhere; almost melding with the ice walls ¡ª and inside of all of them, were the variants of the same man. Steve Bridges, aka Prophet.


    "Wait, is Paige being kept here!?" Aerith quickly scanned all the cages while Hannah and the others arrived one by one.


    "Let us wait for everyone to arrive, King," Riley then forcefully sat King on the frozen ground, "So¡­


    ¡­they could also watch what I am going to do."

 Chapter 869 869: What Happens Next

    Chapter 869  869: What Happens Next


    "Everyone, wee. Wee!"


    "What¡­ is going on?"


    "Isn''t this the Guesthouse?"


    Perhaps out of all the people there, only Katherine and Empress were familiar with Riley''s Guesthouse.


    "No." Katherine even more so, as it only took one nce to know they were not in Riley''s Guesthouse; not to mention his Guesthouse had long been destroyed. And also,


    "Riley''s is much more elegant and has more rooms."


    "...I don''t think that is something to boast about," Empressmented, "But you''re right, I remember being led to some sort of fancy restaurant. It was¡­ beautiful and creepy. Weird, feels like a lifetime ago."


    "...It is," Katherine could really only look at Karina, who was still having a conversation with Alice. Katherine did not mind, however, as Karina was basically the granddaughter of her variant.


    "So¡­ this is King''s real hideout?"


    Currently, almost everyone that was relevant to Riley and the supposed war was in King''s fortress of solitude.


    Diana and her variants, Hannah and Nannah, Bard, Aerith, Gracy, Alice Prime, Queen Adel, Queen Vania, Empress, and many more.


    Most of them wanted to explore King''sir, but Riley asked all of them to gather in some sort ofrge hall with arge stage in the front ¡ª and they even had seats with their names on it.


    "...Is this what the inside of a theatre looks like?" Gracy''s eyes widened as she looked at the stages and the other people she was with, "Wait¡­


    ¡­are we watching a movie?"


    "Whatever it is, it can''t be good," Aerith, who was seated beside her, could really only let out a long and very deep sigh as she looked at the daughter of her variant, "He even prevented me from finding Paige, saying he already found her."


    "Are you open to having a conversation with my dad?"


    "What?"


    "What? I didn''t say anything," Gracy quickly looked away.


    "I''m¡­ not your mother, Gracy," Aerith did not really feign ignorance as she gently held Gracy''s hand, "And I can''t rece her, ever."


    "I know, psh," Gracy scoffed, "I never really knew my mother that much so it wouldn''t matter."


    "You¡ª"


    "It''s starting!"


    [Greetings, everyone.]


    And while everyone was busy talking to each other and being confused, Riley suddenly appeared on the stage with a microphone in hand.


    "Is¡­ he really always this extra?" Gracy raised an eyebrow.


    "You have no idea. That''s a clone, by the way," Aerith said.


    "...How do you know?"


    "I¡­ have no idea," Aerith shrugged, "I''ve faced so many that I just¡­ know, I guess."


    "Because you''ve slept with him."


    "What¡­!?" Katherine, who was sitting behind them, could not help but lean over their seats as she looked at Aerith, "You¡­ You slept with Riley, Megawoman!?"


    "That''s¡­ oh, god¡­" Aerith could not do anything but just cover her face, "I''m¡­ I''m sorry."


    "No, it''s¡­" Katherine backed away very slowly, "...I''m just surprised. Megawoman is my husband''s mistress."


    "What? Husband?"


    "We got married," Katherine shrugged, "Well, he made his clone attend the wedding, but it still counts ¡ª he did it because Karina was requesting it."


    "When the fuck did that even happen!?" Not only Hannah, but Diana could not believe what she had just heard, "Riley, exin yourself right this instant! I know I don''t like Scarlet Mage, but you should have at least invited us!"


    [Boss is currently preparing the show,] Riley''s clone cleared his throat as he gestured to Hannah to sit down,


    [I know all of you have questions, but they will all be answered shortly and¡ªOh, herees the Boss!]


    And with those words, the clone pointed at the side of the stage while walking away.


    [Thank you, clone,] Riley just waved his hand as he looked at Hannah and the others. He did not really say anything else, however, as he just flicked his finger ¡ª dragging King along with him by the neck with an invisible rope onto the stage.


    "Wait¡­ are we actually watching a fucking execution?" Gracy could not help but gulp.


    "Go, Dad! Kill the bad man!"


    "End him! Pull out his eyes!"


    "A¡­Alice!" Katherine quickly covered Karina''s mouth as she started cheering and copying Alice, "Please don''t teach her anything like that! Diana and I have been trying our best not to teach her anything violent!"


    "Her powers are to disintegrate anything and everything around her," Alice scoffed and waved her hand, "If that isn''t violent, then I don''t know what is."


    "T¡­that''s right, Mom," Karina nodded; her cute little fangs, slightly showing as she smiled, "I''m as violent as Dad."


    "...You cried when you identally killed a cockroach and could not sleep the entire night, dear."


    "That¡­ that''s not true! W¡­ watch, I''m not even going to look away as Dad executes the bad man!" Karina focused her eyes on the stage, trying her best not to look away, but her eyes were already closing on their own; almost making her look like she ate something extremely sour.


    [None of you need to worry, I will not be executing anyone,] Riley raised his palm and shook his head, [Instead¡­


    ¡­King will be the one doing the execution.]


    "N¡­no! You promised me!"


    And there, everyone watched as King practically crawled on the stage toward Riley; crying on all floors as he grabbed Riley''s foot.


    [That wasn''t me, King. That was my clone,] Riley smiled and snapped his fingers, and as he did so, a bed that looked like it belonged to a hospital floated from the backstage and flew right in front of Riley,


    [Everyone, let me introduce you¡­]


    No one was on the bed, but as Riley swiftly removed the nket covering it, a person suddenly appeared; his mouth, sealed by a gag, and his limbs were chained to the bed,


    [...A variant of Steve Bridges! Most of you probably know him as Prophet!]


    "..." Bard could not help but squint his eyes as he looked at the Prophet variant. It wasn''t only him, both Hannah and Nannah closed their eyes as they already knew what was going to happen.


    [You might be wondering why Steve is lying here in front of all of us. Well¡­] Riley then grabbed something from one of his many pockets ¡ª a scalpel,


    [...King has been nice enough to volunteer, and share to us how exactly he lobotomizes people!]


    "No! No!"


    [No¡­?] Riley squinted his eyes as he ced the scalpel on the bed, just beside Steve''s face. Suffice it to say, Steve''s eyes were already as wide as they could be as he looked at his reflection on the shiny de. After all¡­


    ¡­Steve had already seen what was going to happen to him in a few moments.


    [Then like you have done with many others, I will let you choose, King,] Riley then slightly pushed the bed away as he grabbed King by the chin and raised his head a little, [Either I torture them in ways you have never seen before, or you lobotomize them and show us all how you acquire your abilities.]


    "I¡­ I can''t," King shook his head as he pleaded.


    [Okay.]


    "!!!"


    Riley then suddenly rushed toward the bed, grabbing the scalpel he ced there, and stabbed Steve through the temple.


    [If you are not going to do it, then I will,] Riley smiled as he started slicing¡ªno. As he started sawing Steve''s face; not the top of his head, but his face, [Forgive me, everyone. I have never really operated on someone before so I do not know where to cut.]


    Steve''s muffled screams whispered in the air as his blood started seeping out from his face. Before the blood could dampen the bed, however, they all just quickly returned into Steve''s face as Riley just continued sawing it.


    And once Riley was done, he just gently pulled off Steve''s face from the rest of his head; including the front part of his skull.


    [Look at this, King,] Riley then ced Steve''s face in front of his face, using it as a mask as he looked at King, [I''m your best friend now.]


    "Jesus¡­ fuck," Gracy could really only grasp her seat, "I''ve already seen how violent he could be. But this is just¡­ insane."


    "Mom, we should stop him¡­" Hannah whispered to Diana. Diana, however, just shook her head; her eyes fixated on watching King suffer.


    "We will, child." The one to answer Hannah was Queen Adel, who was seated next to Diana, "But not today, maybe not even a year after ¡ª but we will stop your brother, I promise you that."


    [Ms. Dee, perhaps you want to assist me?] Riley then said as he turned Steve''s head toward his audience, [Which part of the brain do you think King extracts?]


    "M¡­mom," Karina quickly closed her eyes as she gripped Katherine and Alice''s hands, "I¡­ I don''t want to be violent anymore."


    "It''s¡ª" In truth, Dee truly also wanted to know how King was able to extract not only a super''s abilities but also the racial traits of other alien species. But if she went along with Riley now, she would probably find herself being dragged along with his insanity ¡ª and she did not want that. And so, she just kept her mouth shut and shook her head.


    [You could calcte the future. Correct, Prophet?] Riley then moved Prophet''s eyes, [So, I suppose you know what is going to happen to you, right?]


    "J¡­just¡­" With the gag covering his mouth gone, Prophet was now able to speak even without the entirety of the front of his face, "Kill¡­ me."


    [No, King did not give you that option,] Riley sighed, [If he was the one lobotomizing you¡­


    ¡­then he could have removed your prefrontal cortex and everything else that would make you feel what is about to happen next. But you don''t have to worry¡­


    ¡­you won''t be alone.]

 Chapter 870 870: The Curtains Are Just Opening

    Chapter 870  870: The Curtains Are Just Opening


    Silence.


    Perhaps that was the only thing everyone could really whisper as Riley continued torturing both King and all the Prophet variants he had kept in his hideout. Fortunately for everyone watching, there were actually just less than 15 variants ¡ª and King chose not to lobotomize any of them.


    And so, that left everyone just sitting there; watching Riley terrorize each and every one of them. No one really tried to stop him, not even once.


    [And now, for thest one.]


    Riley then gestured to the side of the stage again as he weed thest variant. To everyone''s surprise, however, thest one wasn''t strapped on a bed, no¡ªhe voluntarily walked to the stage. Voluntarily, except for the fact that his legs were trembling and the look on his face was extremely terrified.


    [Congrattions, Mr. Steve,] Riley smiled at Steve as he reached the center of the stage, [You''ve been chosen to live with King from now on. Isn''t that nice?]


    "W¡­what?"


    Steve''s variant could really only stutter as he heard Riley''s words. He knew he wasn''t going to die here, he had seen it y out¡ªbut not how it ends. And he wasn''t the only one confused, King and everyone else that were watching could not help but look at each other.


    [I am feeling very merciful today,] Riley let out a sigh as he gestured to King and Steve to stick together, [Therefore I am letting both of you live ¡ª but of course, like me, you will be put on trial by those who you have wronged.]


    Riley then gestured to Diana and the others,


    "Whether you live or die, it is up to them now."


    "Gah!" King then suddenly screamed as his head was lifted up by an invisible force. Soon, however, a trickle of blood spat out from his left ear. And as he dropped to the ground, his flesh and skin started to tremble and squirm; his face, very slowly aging until he lookedpletely identical to Bard,


    "W¡­ what did you do!?"


    "Removed your abilities, King," Riley smiled as he pointed at his head, "I actually learned how you were stealing the abilities of other people when I stole your armor ¡ª I let Ahor Zai scour it the brief time we were on the space station."


    "Then¡­" King''s words were sluggish as he felt his age catching up to him, "...Why do all this!?"


    "Because it''s fun, King," Riley shrugged as he just stepped off the stage, "You can do whatever you want now. Of course, in the condition that Steve will always be by your side. After all, you did all of this for him, I thought it best that it would end with him. By the way¡­


    ¡­I left a scalpel on the bed."


    Steve quickly turned to look at the hospital bed near him, only to see that a scalpel truly was resting there; just on top of a pillow, clean and seemingly never been used before.


    And with that, Riley twirled his finger ¡ª causing the curtains that were not previously there to close the stage from everyone''s eyes. The only thing everyone could really hear was Steve''s almost wailing scream filled with rage.


    "Did all of you have fun with our performance, everybody?"


    "That''s¡­ that''s my son!" Alice Prime quickly stood up from her chair and started pping for Riley. The others, however, could really only shake their heads and remain quiet. Were they really just forced to sit throughout the entire thing?


    No, all of them could actually just leave while Riley was torturing all those Steve variants ¡ª but in truth, there really was nowhere else to go. This was over.


    They have prepared themselves to die in the war against King, they have steeled themselves for a long brutal battle¡­


    ¡­but Riley ended it in less than an hour.


    And although very unlikely, perhaps it was a way of Riley warning them. Warning them that if they were already having a hard time trying to deal with King, how could they even expect to face Riley?


    Whether they want to admit it or not, even if it wasn''t already tantly said to them, Riley truly is a god. Even if Queen Adel or Queen Vania joined forces, there was already no stopping Riley. All they could really do was what Riley has been doing all along in his life¡­


    ¡­go with the flow.


    "Where are you going, Riley!?" Hannah stood up from her seat as she saw Riley just casually leaving.


    "Oh, I am going to see Paige, Sister," Riley stopped walking as he looked at everyone, "As for the rest of you, you can actually leave now ¡ª the performance is over. Go home¡­


    ¡­or start nning on how to deal with me."


    ***


    "Paige!"


    "Ah, Hannah!"


    And true enough, Paige was being kept in the same ce ¡ª her room, seemingly vast that one could not even see the horizon. But as soon as she stood up from the chair she was sitting on, the endless garden instantly disappeared and was reced by a bleak, empty, metal room with no windows.


    There was, however, a table and a set of chairs¡­ where a clone of Riley was seemingly dining with Paige.


    "Are¡­ are you safe!? Were you hurt by that pervert!?" Hannah quickly grabbed Paige''s face, checking her to see if she had any bruises or cuts.


    "N¡­no, not at all," Paige shook her head, "He just interrogated me from time to time. There are parts of my memory that are empty, so Other Paige probably took over a lot ¡ª the guy probably couldn''t handle her that much since when Ie to again, he''s gone. To my surprise, though. Like¡­ a couple of weeks ago, Riley suddenly appeared¡­ Well, his clone anyway. And then¡ª"


    "I''m d you''re safe, Paige," Hannah hugged Paige. And as soon as she did so, Paige''s lips started to tremble as tears suddenly burst forth from her eyes.


    "You¡­ you have no idea," Paige stuttered, "I was¡­ I was so scared I thought the guy was going to cut my brain or something. Riley¡­"


    "Paige."


    Only Hannah, Aerith, Riley, and Diana were there. The others have already all returned to the space station to either go home, or n their next move as Riley suggested.


    Paige reached for Riley''s hand while Hannah was still embracing her. Riley did not seem adverse to this, however, as he held the crying Paige''s hand. Paige also reached for Aerith, who also quickly but very gently held her hand.


    "I heard¡­" Paige smiled at Aerith, "...You and Riley finally came to an understanding."


    "...Not really," Aerith could really only smile as she nced at Riley, "Like most things, it''ll end. But for now, it''s¡­ beautiful."


    "And fucked up," Hannah joined in on the conversation as she let go of Paige, "Everything''s so fucked up, Paige. You''re a god too?"


    "I¡­ don''t know," Paige smiled as she shook her head, "Honestly, I''m just happy that I''m still amongst the living, you know."


    "And we''re going home too," Hannah nodded as she let out a very long and deep sigh, "Just¡­ Riley, whatever it is you''re nning to do ¡ª do it after I''m long gone, okay? End the multiverse or whatever evil shit you''re up to next¡­


    ¡­just do it when I''m gone. I''m honestly so tired of all this fucking bullshit."


    "..."


    "Oi, Riley. The fuck? Are you listening?"


    "..." Riley suddenly let go of Paige''s hand as he seemed to be looking at something on the ceiling. Paige and Hannah could not help but just look at each other in confusion. But when they turned to look at Aerith, they found that she was also doing the same.


    "Riley, what''s going o¡ª!!!"


    And before Hannah could finish her words, the entire room they were in suddenly split open ¡ª no. It wasn''t only the room, but the entire fortress, and whichever the fortress was on was split open ¡ª no.


    The very fabric of space itself opened up and erased everything around them. Hannah did not even need to wonder who did it, however, as her eyes werepletely covered by them.


    Silhouettes. Human, perhaps ¡ª it was hard to see as it felt like each of their silhouettes were sucking in everything, and at the same time, creating everything. It is almost as if their bodies themselves were a part of the universe, or perhaps, they were the universe themselves.


    Soon, however, their cosmic silhouettes turned small ¡ª all six of them.


    Navi, Death, Celestial, Elementia, Machina, and Ruin. All of them now looked incredibly human, so much so that they all looked like someone you could actually just see casually walking on the mall; average, extremely so.


    Their hair was of different colors, and even though Hannah had absolutely no idea what was going on, for some reason, she knew exactly who each of them were.


    The six then very slowly started walking toward them in the now empty space of nothing; their eyes, all staring at Paige.


    "...What the fuck is happening?" Hannah took in a small gulp as she instinctively covered Paige. Aerith did the same, even fully knowing that whatever they do, they will not affect the oue of whatever happens next.


    "Riley Ross, we meet again." Navi, who still looked eerily simr to the youthful Charlotte, was the first to step forward as she strayed her eyes to Riley.


    "Navi," Riley bowed, "I thought you were not on good terms with your siblings."


    "I am not, but things have changed," Navi whispered; her voice, echoing deep into everyone''s ears,


    "We, I¡­ havee to like living with the living."

 Chapter 871 871: The Sister and The Lover

    Chapter 871  871: The Sister and The Lover


    "We¡ªI havee to like living with the living."


    The Primordials.


    This was not the first time Hannah was seeing them up close and personal. After all, she idiotically approached them during Riley''s Tournament and suspected them of being Riley and his team. She did not really feel any grand presence then, and she was still not feeling it now.


    All of them were naked, but Hannah did not feel like they were.


    It was truly weird. Unlike the themarians, the norids, evaniels, or even Riley ¡ª these primordials did not really emit the aura of being all-powerful, which they are. They feltpletely familiar, like someone Hannah would just meet on the sidewalk and not think of again.


    Even as they stood here in the emptiness of nothing, Hannah waspletely rxed.


    "Does that mean you will be trying to end my existence now, Navi?" Riley stepped forward and met with Navi''s calm eyes, "I suppose it will take a while as I am now ¡ª but someday soon, I will wake up capable of ending all of you too."


    "No, Riley Ross," Death also stepped forward; her white, slightly grayish hair locked in dreads, flowing in the expanse of space, "We are not capable of ending things, you are the only Primordial actually capable of doing so."


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times before looking around the universe Death and her brethren just tore open, "I do not believe that is the case, Death."


    "You may have already noticed since you now have the power to do so, young one¡­" Celestial; the tallest one in the group, one who held a sort of maternal gentleness in her voice. Her golden hair was long, trailing down herrge bosoms all the way to her ankles,


    "...but the thing you call time is currently halted."


    "Hm."


    "If a thing is destroyed when time is stopped," Celestial snapped her fingers, causing a spark to sh in her hands ¡ª and within that sh, Hannah and the others could see some sort of miniature gxy,


    "And then it is created again without change before time once again ticks, then has it really been destroyed?"


    "Yes," Riley answered without any hesitation, "Because all of us present here know that you and the others destroyed it, Celestial."


    "I hate you to the very core of my existence, Riley Ross," Celestial closed her hand into a fist before pointing at Riley, "How can something like you even exist with us!? You¡ª"


    "Forgive her."


    And before Celestial could finish her words, she was pushed by a skinny man without even a single trace of hair on his body. His skin was dark, incredibly so that if he closed his eyes and did not carry a smile on his face, he would disappear in the dark expanse of space that surrounded him, or her ¡ª it was vague.


    "Celestial truly hates you for some unknown reason. I should introduce myself, I am Elementia," Elementia bowed, "I exist, because the others exist. And they exist, because I exist."


    "I am Riley Ross," Riley also bowed, "I exist, and therefore nothing else should."


    "This young one truly knows how to infuriate me. You¡ª" Celestial once again stepped toward Riley, only to be pushed to the side by a small boy with purple hair.


    "What''s up? You met my father several times," the boy stretched his hand to Riley.


    "Ruin," Riley reached and shook Ruin''s hand, "Yes. I have met him plenty of times."


    "What''s he like?" Ruin squinted, "I haven''t actually met him even once although he''s supposed to have directly created me. Can you ask him if he forgot that old sister Death was already here when he created me?"


    "If the opportunity arises again, Ruin."


    "I''ll give you the opportunity now," Celestial scoffed. She did not approach Riley this time, however, as the gentleness in her face returned when she ced her attention to Aerith instead, "Did you know that I created the very first themarian?"


    "I''m¡­ aware that you created everything that breathes," Aerith lowered her head as she spoke to Celestial.


    "For you to be directly involved with Riley Ross," Celestial sighed as she gently held Aerith''s chin, "I am truly sorry that you have gone through that. You too, Hannah Ross."


    "...Right, yes. Thank you," Hannah did not really know how to act. She just tightened her hold on Paige¡­ only to finally realize that she was not actually there anymore, "What the¡ªWhere''s Paige!?"


    "Gone," And finally, Machina, who had been keeping quiet the entire time, stepped forward; crossing its arm as it looked Riley in the eyes. Like Elementia, it was hard to determine whether Machina''s body belonged to that of a man or a woman.


    "...Gone?" Hannah''s eyes widened, "You¡­ didn''t kill her, did you?"


    "We can not end things," Machina repeated Death''s words, "We merely sent the entity known as Paige to where it belongs. Unlike Riley Ross, Paige is more simr to us ¡ª a creature of creation."


    "If she is truly meant to rece us¡­" Navi raised her hand, causing all the other Primordials to take a step back as she stood in front of Riley again, "...Then it is only right that she should learn how to harness her abilities to their full potential."


    "What else is there to harness, Navi?" Riley ced his hand on his chin, "Once I destroy everything, the reality Paige will create will rece all of Creation. Her abilities may not be able to interact with everything else, but once everything else is gone, then only her truth will remain¡­


    ¡­She, alone, will hold all of your roles ¡ª she, alone, will rece all of you."


    "Do you hear the words thate out of this young one''s mouth?" Celestial pointed at Riley and scoffed.


    "Truthes out of my mouth, Celestial," Riley nodded, "None of you will be necessary in her creation ¡ª and my role is to make sure that none of you remain."


    "But is it, truly? Your role?" Death approached Riley with her eyes closed; the smile on her face, almost familiar, "We can talk about everything and anything, and yet the universal fact remains ¡ª we know nothing. Even the preprimordial known as Nothing knows nothing."


    "..." Hannah could not help but just squint her eyes as she looked at Aerith, who seemed to be just as confused as her.


    "There is, however, something that we know ever since the dawn of our births," Navi smiled as she looked Riley in the eyes,


    "The stronger waves will always prevail. Is your truth stronger than ours, Riley Ross?"


    "I suppose," Riley shrugged.


    "No! You¡­" Celestial seemed to want to strangle Riley there and then, "...Look, you are not the first to challenge our role in the Creation, Riley Ross. You might not even be thest ¡ª but there are many who havee before you, and they are still trying to prove if their truth is stronger than ours¡­ and yet universes havee and gone, and still their truth remains to be false."


    "You will be sent to the same ce where Paige is," Navi raised her finger, summoning some sort of portal. This portal, however, had a white glowing ring surrounding it, "The ce where gods, new and old, reside. A ce that sits only beneath ours¡­


    ¡­the Domain of the Gods."


    "No," Riley shook his head and just turned around, "I still have a lot of things to do, universes to end."


    "That is true," Celestial smiled, "But we were not asking."


    "Riley!"


    And there and then, both Aerith and Hannah watched as the portal just suddenly moved on its own and swallowed Riley; instantly closing after.


    "I apologize for separating you from the man you love," Navi let out a short but very deep sigh as she looked at both Aerith and Hannah, "Although I do not understand love at all, I feel that it must be very strong for the two of you to still stand by his side after all that he has done."


    "...I''ve heard that three times now," Aerith could really only let out a short chuckle, "...And honestly, I am as clueless as all of you are when ites to love. I do feel that I am in love with Riley ¡ª but how, exactly, when all we have ever been are enemies? And as long as he wishes to destroy all life, he will always remain an enemy¡­


    ¡­but there are gaps there where his humanity shows and all you can see is the beauty of what could have been. And those gaps, I love him in all of it."


    "I¡­" Hannah blinked a couple of times as she just stared at the spot where Riley disappeared, "...He''s my brother."


    "He might no longer be when he returns," Navi once again sighed, "But that is why we need both of you, the Sister and the Lover."


    "We have brought all of you time," Celestial opened her arms and smiled, "At the expense of all my children, we have brought you time."


    "...What?"


    "Figure out a way to stop him," Machina also opened her arms, "My avatar will assist you in the right conditions."


    "...How long do we have?" Aerith asked.


    "...A year, a decade, a century, perhaps even an eon," Navi and the other primordials closed their eyes; their silhouettes, very slowly fading away, "A month, a day, an hour, a minute, or perhaps it might not even take a second. The only truth we know¡­


    ¡­is that he will return."


    ***


    In an endless field of clouds, Riley found himself staring at the equally endless horizon he suddenly found himself in. He could see something colossal slithering up and down the clouds, very slowly, but surely approaching him. And very soon, it stopped just in front of him.


    [I wee you, young god¡­


    ¡­to the Domain of the Gods.]


    "Hm¡­


    ¡­Interesting."

 Chapter 872 872: Domain of the Gods

    <h4>Chapter 872 Chapter 872: Domain of the Gods</h4>


    "...We weren''t asking."


    Riley truly did try to move away as the portal that Navi summoned suddenly flew toward him. It was not even moving particrly fast, and yet for some reason, the only thing he could do was just look at Aerith, and Hannah, who slightly stretched her hand toward him but notpletely.


    Riley was going to reach for her hand, but his finger only moved an inch before he saw his sister''s face. All of this happened in a single second, and yet for Riley, he had thought of a thousand oues that could happen if he reached for her hand. And so, in the end, Riley just continued to stare at both Aerith and Hannah''s faces, almost as if cherishing the look of worry on their faces before he waspletely swallowed up by the portal.


    And there, Riley saw a scenery he couldn''t quite exin ¡ª but still, he did.


    It was as if he was being forcefully pulled down into an endlessly deep ball pit, but each ball held some sort of gravitational pull that was seemingly trying to shred his skin, but failing to make even a single dent as they only did so gently. And the balls were not exactly balls, but each of them was a universe that Riley was moving past through.


    He held one of them in his hands to try and swim up, but a vision quickly drowned his mind as he did so ¡ª visions of a universe without him. And as he thought of Hannah, images of her flooded his mind.


    It wasn''t really her, of course, but a variant of hers. But she was happy, smiling. Riley''s mind then wandered to Aerith, who was still saving people with a smile on her face. And as Riley let go of the universe, he once again grabbed another, and then another¡­ and another.


    Hannah and Aerith were not really happy in all the universes, there were a lot where they did not smile or have already forgotten how to. But they were safe, safe from him.


    The visions shed continuously in Riley''s mind, until finally, after what seemed like days, he found himselfnding on something incredibly soft.


    A cloud, but not really ¡ª spanning endlessly across the horizon. He was going to fly and see where this sea of clouds led, but before he could do so, he saw something colossal approaching his way.


    Its elongated and scaled body, moving in knots up and down the sea of clouds ¡ª and soon, it stopped right in front of Riley; its reptilian head, the size of a tank.


    [I wee you, young god¡­] The dragon spoke, and yet its mouth did not move, only its tongue did as it slithered toward Riley, causing him to take a step back and avoid it as if it were the most disgusting thing in the entire multiverse,


    [...to the Domain of the Gods.]


    "Hm¡­" Riley squinted his eyes as he looked at this slightly majestic lizard in front of him, "...Interesting."


    [I know that you have a lot of questions, but fret not, all of them would be answ¡ª]


    "What are you, giant lizard?"


    And before the dragon could finish its words, Riley suddenly started walking around and inspecting his head. He then tried to crouch down to look at the parts of the dragon hidden by the clouds, but could not really move past where his feet resided.


    [...All of them would be answered in time. But first, let me exin to you why you are here and¡ª]


    "You look simr to the Chinese dragons," Rileypletely ignored the dragon as he walked across its long body. He seemed to want to touch its scales, but stopping himself from doing so with a disgusted expression on his face.


    [You are here because¡ª!!!]


    The dragon could not even utter another sentence before it found itself suddenly being lifted up from the clouds.


    "Hm, interesting," Riley waspletely nonchnt about all of this, however, as he just covered his nose and started scanning the dragon''s body, "Are you the only one that could swim through these clouds? Does it have something to do with your body, giant lizard? You¡ª"


    [Put me down this instant!]


    And all of a sudden, the beautiful and immacte sea of clouds that surrounded Riley instantly turned dark ¡ª lightning and thunder, now very frighteningly and violently dancing in the air, with each drum rhythmically following the dragon''s breath.


    [How dare you treat me like¡ª]


    "I apologize."


    And once again, the dragon was not allowed to finish its words as Riley gently dropped it back into the sea of clouds,


    "I did not immediately associate you with having feelings since you were a giant lizard, Giant Lizard."


    [I am not a giant lizard!] The giant lizard let out a roar that rippled across the sea of clouds, clearing the violent turbulence of thunder that filled it and once again returned the sea to its white and calm state,


    [My name is Aulus, one of the guardians of the Domain of the Gods. I will not continue to be disrespected by a youngling like you!]


    "Oh¡­" Riley blinked a couple of times as he casually returned in front of Aulus and stood in front of him, "...I apologize again, Aulus."


    [Come with me,] Aulus did not even wait for Riley as he started flying away. Riley did not immediately follow him, however, as he was still examining how exactly he was moving, [I said, follow¡ª!!!]


    And all of a sudden, Aulus could not help but slightly move to the side as he noticed Riley was flying beside him. He did not really let his surprise show, however, as he just continued flying forward to the seemingly endless horizon.


    [You are here because the Primordials have deemed you too dangerous to be living within the multiverse¡­ and they have also deemed you worthy,] Aulus then started exining, [You may not know, but the Primordials are the first gods, everything exists because of them.]


    "Hm," Riley nodded, "I am actually a primordial too, Aulus ¡ª but of the creation that will follow this one."


    [Stop it with the nonsense!] The sea of clouds momentarily turned violent once again as Aulus turned to look at Riley, [Dare to say anything like that again, and you will find yourself amongst the Fallen before you are even introduced to our world!]


    "..."


    [You may think that you have gained power because you have be the strongest in your universe ¨C you may think yourself a god amongst men,] an icy vapor escaped Aulus''s nose, [But you are not special, youngling. You are only but one of many.]


    "Oh, are there many new primordials, Aulus?"


    [You are not a Primordial!]


    "..."


    [In this ce, there are certain rules you must follow,] Aulus calmed himself down as he continued to exin things to Riley, [And that is there are no rules. You may do anything, but of course, the others can also do the same. Use your abilities, but be prepared that the others will do the same.]


    "...Interesting."


    [And perhaps if I will give you some advice, then let it be this,] Aulus then stopped flying as the clouds around them started to dissipate, [Remove your notion of good and evil. There are only those who are violent and those who are peaceful, only those who abuse their power and those who control them ¡ª everything here¡­


    ¡­is neutral.]


    And with those words, Riley suddenly found himself surrounded by nothing but darkness; Aulus and the sea of clouds, now nowhere to be seen. The darkness surrounding Riley did notst long, however, as several lights started floating around him; flying in circles before shooting away and attaching themselves to the walls.


    Very slowly, therge and vast hall presented itself to Riley. The hall seemed to be made of marble, shiny to the point it reflected even his pores ¡ª but that was it. It was only him and his reflection inside this vast hall which was asrge as a football field.


    Riley did not really look around for that long, however, as he found the only door at the end of the hall. He didn''t rush toward it, and just took his time to walk as he processed everything that was happening. And as he reached the door, it automatically opened for him ¡ª but all he could really see was a white light.


    He once again started looking around, before just shrugging and stepping into the light.


    "What in the!?"


    And almost immediately, Riley was weed by a man who fell from his desk. Riley did not heed the man any mind, however, as he just started walking around the room he found himself in. The room was surrounded by windows, perhaps a way to introduce anyone arriving here to the new world they would be living in.


    And it was vast, with the buildings seemingly miles and miles apart from each other ¡ª the horizon, once again unending. He looked at the sky, only to be weed by another view of an endlessnd.


    "Who are you!? Did you juste out of that door?"


    "...Yes," Riley did not even look at the man as he approached him.


    "What the¡ªI wasn''t told that someone was arriving today! What''s your name?" The man then rushed back to his desk, which was the only furniture in this spherical room that overlooked the new world.


    "Riley Ross."


    "Rileyross¡­" The man then started flipping his book, which was the only thing on top of his desk, "...Your name isn''t here. Do you know who sent you here? Riley¡ªHello?"


    And before the Book Keeper could finish his words¡­


    ¡­Riley was already gone.


    "...Oh no," the Book Keeper adjusted his sses, which wasn''t there earlier,


    "...Not good."

 Chapter 873 873: Its Just Grass

    Chapter 873  873: It''s Just Grass


    "Hm¡­"


    Riley''s sense of distance seemed to be failing him in this domain. When he was in the Book Keeper''s room, although the buildings he saw seemed far, it still should have taken Riley no time at all to reach them.


    And yet, he found himself still flying toward the city he decided to check out. He turned around to look at the building of the Book Keeper, and to his surprise, he could still see it. By all means, Riley was not even using a percent of his speed as he wanted to take in the sights of this new ce he would be living in for a while, but still.


    This ce, it was weird even for him.


    "..." Riley stopped flying as he just looked at the Book Keeper''s tower and the city, before finally just deciding to descend to the ground and walk the rest of the way. After all, despite being called Domain of the Gods, Riley has not actually seen even a single person or god flying across the horizon. Perhaps there¡­ was some sort of mystical something that was going on here.


    And so, Riley just started walking on the ground, even taking off his shoes to feel the field of grass beneath his feet.


    And once again, it was weird. The grass did not feel like grass at all and instead felt like the fur of a Samoyed. Riley crouched down to try and pluck a piece of grass, only to be met with resistance. Granted, he wasn''t using strength at all. But as he increased his strength bit by bit, the ground started to tremble, and yet the de of grass he was holding remainedpletely strong.


    "Hm," Riley then breathed out as he gave one healthy tug, causing a violent snap to ripple across the mysterious sea of grass. He would have probably shot toward the sky if he did not catch himself with an invisible wall,


    "...Interesting," Riley then looked at the de of grass in his hand, inspecting it thoroughly to see what made it so different and durable ¡ª but it was literally just grass. He then started looking around, before sneakily hiding the grass in one of his many pockets.


    And once he seemed content, he continued his journey toward the city that did not seem to get closer no matter how many steps he took.


    "Do I need to say a magic word to get to the city?" Riley ced his hand on his chin as he stared at the city in the distance. And not even a secondter, the scenery around him streaked and all of a sudden, the gates of the city were in front of him,


    "Hm¡­ weird."


    The gates seemed to be made of ss, or perhaps there was no ss at all and the air itself was just locked in by the gold ornaments that adorned it. And as he stood directly in front of it, he could finally see people casually walking around inside. And of course, in turn, they all could see them too.


    And like moths attracted to even a still me, they all started to gather on the other side of the gate; their eyes, all curiously looking at Riley. He already expected it ever since a dragon weed him in this world, but the people here looked somewhat weird. All of them looked human, but like the primordials, there was something incredibly odd about them that Riley couldn''t quite exin.


    Riley was about to step forward to get a closer look at them, but the crowd of gods was suddenly clumsily pushed away one by one as a small person stepped out of the crowd.


    "You¡­ you''re new!?" The small person said; his two frontal teeth, obnoxiouslyrge and shiny that they almost reflected Riley.


    "I have only arrived here a couple of hours ago, Big Teeth," Riley casually answered.


    "Ah!" The rat-like person did not seem to mind. He did, however, suddenly raise both his fists in the air, causing Riley to slightly put on his guard ¡ª nothing happened to him, but the crowd of gods on the other side of the transparent gate started to dissipate as they walked to the sides one by one; their eyes, still curiously fixated at Riley,


    "This here ce is the Guiding Light city. Has the Book Keeper already oriented you about the geography of the entire domain?"


    "No. I am afraid he did not get the chance to," Riley shook his head.


    "Figures," the rat-like person nodded, "Thest god that arrived before you was around five thousand years ago, although it is not a long time, the Book Keeper probably just fell asleep while on the job."


    "Hm," Riley shrugged as he started to step forward. As soon as he did so, however, the rat-like person started waving his hand and screaming.


    "Wait! Wait!" The rat-like person said, "To enter this city, you must first prove yourself by opening the gates!"


    "Yes¡­ I was about to do that, Big Teeth," Riley blinked a couple of times as he once again casually stepped forward.


    "No! No! You don''t understand," Big Teeth waved his hands, "You are not supposed to be here, only gods that have sufficient power prowess could open this here gates ¡ª you do not seem that strong, no offense. But you are beautiful, perhaps you belong to the other city?"


    "Am I supposed to just push this open?" Riley did not heed Big Teeth''s words as he just nted one of his palms on the transparent gate.


    "Well, you already put your hand on it, you might as well try," Big Teeth could really only let out a sigh as he looked at the other gods who were watching from the side. None of them were jeering,ughing, or whispering ¡ª they all were just curious about Riley since it had been quite a bit since theyst saw a new god. As for Big Teeth, he did not move from his spot, seemingly confident that Riley would not be able to move the gate.


    Riley started observing the gate again, and his initial thoughts were true. The transparent gate was not really made of ss, but something else entirely ¡ª a material he had never truly seen before even on the others, much like the weird grass. And so, thinking about the weird grass, Riley did not really hesitate to put strength on his arms and legs.


    After all, if a single grass was already that hard to pull, the gate in front of him should prove to be even more difficult to budge. Riley started taking in a deep breath as he even used his telekic abilities to support himself.


    And with a small, "Ho." A ripple sted on the surface of the gate. And it seemed like nothing happened for the first couple of milliseconds. But then, all of a sudden, the door just swung open at a speed that would be impossible for a normal creature to even see.


    "!!!" A crying howl of wind wailed in the air, followed by a deafening thunder as the transparent gate bounced from the walls and back toward Riley. Riley, however, did not move from his spot; his palm still stretched forward and casually catching the gate ¡ª and with it now not offering any form of resistance, he just softly pushed it forward as he stepped into the city.


    "..." Riley then started looking for Big Teeth through the crowd¡­ only to see his entire body nted on the inner walls of the city; twitching like a squashed rat,


    "Are you alright, Big Teeth?" Riley blinked a couple of times as his head tilted to the side. He did not really need to wait for his answer, however, as Big Teeth''s body very slowly slid from the crevice he created on the wall,


    "..."


    Riley looked at the crowd of gods as Big Teeth''s body continued to slide down; all of them, however, were just staring at Big Teeth with nk expressions on their faces. Riley was somewhat rmed since he might have identally killed someone on his first day ¡ª but when he remembered there weren''t any rules here, he let out a sigh of relief.


    He soon found that his worries were unfounded, however, as Big Teeth''s body just started convulsing and rising up from the marbled ground.


    "Ah!" And as soon as he fully recovered, he pointed his finger at Riley, "You should have told me you were our kind of god."


    "I¡­ do not really know what kind of god I am, Big Teeth," Riley shrugged as Big Teeth approached him.


    "That will change," Big Teeth also just casually shrugged, as if he wasn''t just squashed just moments ago, "Since you have called me Big Teeth, then you can just continue calling me that ¡ª I am the Guiding Lights'' Gate Keeper. I don''t really have authority, so you just treat me like everybody else here."


    "Hm¡­" Riley nodded as he once again started looking around; the gods watching him, still seemingly curious as their heads all lifted up upon meeting eyes with Riley ¡ª everyone seemed to be waiting to talk to him, "...What exactly do I need to do here?"


    "Everything and nothing," Big Teeth said as he started pushing the gate; slightly struggling to do so, "But my advice, you should attend Grea''s teachings."


    "Grea? Is she some sort of lecturer in this ce, Big Teeth?"


    "Sort of. We do not really have titles other than our names, but¡ªwait, do you really not know Grea? Why¡­ am I smelling her from you?" And all of a sudden, Big Teeth''s rat-like nose started to move uncontrobly as he approached Riley; cing his face near his¡­ crotch and beside the area, "What''s in this pocket here!?"


    "Oh¡­" Riley quickly grabbed the de of grass he plucked earlier outside from his pocket.


    "!!!" And as soon as he did so, Big Teeth and the other gods immediately let out a collective gasp.


    "It''s¡­


    ...just grass."

 Chapter 874 874: The Grass

    Chapter 874  874: The Grass


    "It''s just grass."


    "!!!"


    And once more, Riley was left confused in this weird world he found himself in. The distances do not make sense, the sky is alsond, dragons floating in and out of solid clouds, grass that felt like fur¡­


    ¡­and now people werepletely shocked at seeing the said grass, when there were billions of it just outside the city. Perhaps he should have actually waited for the Book Keeper to exin things to him; after all, it felt like he was about to before Riley just decided to leave him.


    "Where¡­ where¡­ where did you get that grass from!?" Big Teeth stummered his words; his finger, trembling the same way as he pointed at the grass in Riley''s hand. It wasn''t only him, the other gods watching from the side could not help but all whisper and look at each other as they saw the grass.


    "From outside, Big Teeth," Riley could really only just blink as he quickly hid the grass back in his pocket, "Are we not allowed to pluck them? I was told by Aulus that there were no rules here."


    "That¡­ It''s not like you''re not allowed to pluck them but¡­" Big Teeth squinted as he looked at Riley from head to toe, "...You were really able to pluck them?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded. And as he did so, the whispers of the other gods started getting louder and he could hear gasps escaping their mouths here and there.


    "...You''re lying," Big Teeth then let out a sigh as he started waving his hand, "Phew, you almost had us there with your overly convincing tone. A young god like you capable of pulling out Grea''s grass? Ha¡­ funny. Nothing to see here, folks! Nothing to see here!"


    And with the Big Teeth letting out augh, the other gods quickly lost interest and just started leaving one by one.


    "Hm¡­" Riley did not really heed them any mind, however, as he just shrugged and also started to walk away.


    "Wait, do you know the direction to Grea''s ss?" But before he could take 3 steps, Big Teeth quickly blocked his path; his palm opened, "If you give me Grea''s Grass, I will tell you where it is."


    "No, the grass is mine," Riley quickly shook his head, "I will find Grea''s ss myself, the ce is not that big unlike your teeth, Big Teeth."


    "Oh, are you sure?"


    And with those words, like being woken up from a dream, Riley suddenly realized just howrge the city truly was. Once again, weird. The city did not look thatrge when he was outside ¡ª but now, as he looked across the street he was on, he could not even see the end of it. The buildings looked medieval, eerily simr to themarian architecture¡­ but shinier with all the marble.


    "New gods havee and gone through this gate, young one," Big Teeth gestured to Riley to hand over the grass, "And they all returned to me when they could not find what they were looking for ¡ª and that is why I am here, the Gate Keeper."


    "..." Riley could really only stare at Big Teeth, before just shrugging his shoulders and walking away.


    "What the¡ªwhere are you going!?"


    "To find Grea''s ss, Big Teeth."


    "You don''t even know where that is!"


    "Yes, that is why I am going to find it, Big Teeth."


    "You¡­ Fine," Big Teeth sighed, "Watch¡­


    ¡­you are going toe back here sooner than you think.


    ***


    "I am lost."


    Big Teeth was right, Riley was not able to find Grea''s ss even after hours of walking around the city. He was going to return back to the gate¡­


    ¡­but he forgot how as he truly was utterly lost.


    He tried flying, but an invisible force immediately forced him down ¡ª Aulus said there weren''t any rules here, but it would seem the domain''s tenants took it upon themselves to make one simple rule.


    The strongest makes the rules¡­ something Riley was very, very familiar with.


    But of course, he did not want to cause trouble on his very first day in this new world, he was not that kind of person.


    He found himself on arge za, standing alone beside a decently sized statue of a woman with simrly decently sized breasts and four slightly muscr arms. He failed to find Grea''s ss, but he did find her statue, as obvious from the que attached to the fountain circling it which Riley could mysteriously understand even though it was written in anguage he had never seen before.


    He was in a za, or it seemed like it ¡ª but the buildings within its perimeter were probably around 400 meters away. And yet, even then, Riley could not see even a single person. Just where did the crowd from earlier disappear to?


    "..." Riley then turned to look back at the domineering statue, thinking that if he destroyed it, someone would probably arrive. He quickly shook his head off of the thought, however. After all, he was not that kind of person ¡ª actively destroying property is illegal in his world, and he will abide by it even here.


    Riley ced his hand on his chin to think of how to solve his current predicament. This ce waspletely different from all the others and universes he had visited, and he couldn''t just quite figure out how things worked here. Granted, he had only been here for a day, but it was slightly starting to frustrate him a little.


    He stayed still like this for a few seconds, before an idea finally popped into his mind. Bernard taught him that if he was in a different ce, then Riley should always y by their rules unless he wanted attention. The problem is that this ce did not have rules, but Riley did have something from this ce that attracted quite a lot of attention ¡ª and Bernard also taught him about setting up bait.


    Grea''s Grass.


    "Hm¡­" He removed Grea''s Grass from his pocket, making sure to wave it in the air for a few seconds before just casually cing it on the marbled ground and slowly walking away and hiding himself behind the statue.


    And not even a minuteter, Riley could see a small silhouette dashing toward the grass; running on all fours and even hopping around. Riley did not even wait for the person to reach the grass as he immediately trapped it in an invisible barrier.


    "W¡ªWhat is this!?" The person waited no time to kick the invisible barrier; causing a violent wave to ripple across the entire za. Unfortunately, the cage it found itself in just instantly regenerated as Riley revealed himself from the statue,


    "Is this your doing, Cloud Person!? I demand you to free me at once or face the wrath of I, Miss Peponvondosovich! You¡ª"


    "I apologize, I thought you were Big Teeth, Miss Pepo."


    And before Miss Peponvondosovich could finish her words, she found herself almost flying away from the force of her own kick. If it wasn''t for Riley creating another invisible wall to catch her, she would have probably sent herself flying miles away.


    "Big Teeth!? Are you talking about Kurdi!? You dare mistake me for that rodent-looking feces!?" Miss Peponvondosovich quickly crossed her arms as herrge bare feet touched the ground; her stride, extremely confident as she walked closer to Riley, "And my name is Miss Peponvondosovich, not Miss Pepo, Peponvondosovich!"


    As for Riley, he could really only look down as Miss Peponvondosovich stood in front of him, all 3 feet of her. She did not look like a dwarf at all, and aside from her thick legs andrge feet, the rest of her body was proportional. Of course, there was also the fact that she had ears simr to a rabbit on top of her head.


    "I apologize, Miss Pepo. I dare not say your full name in fear that I mispronounce it," Riley bowed his head.


    "That is not even my full name. My name is Miss Peponvondosovich Livre ton Roblochs - Saleminoux Jefferson," Miss Peponvondosovich scoffed as she looked at Riley from head to toe, "And you, do you even have a name, Cloud Person!?"


    "My name is Riley Ross."


    "How do you expect me to memorize that? I will call you Riri instead, pronounced as Ree instead of Ry!"


    "Whatever you arefortable with, Miss Pepe."


    "Do not call me that!" Miss Peponvondosovich pointed at Riley''s face, before pointing at the grass he was holding, "Anyway, I found that first. So, you should give it to me."


    "But this is mine, Miss Peponvondosovich," Riley started waving the grass in the air and watched as Miss Peponvondosovich''s eyes followed it without fail.


    "Nonsense. You are like at most 10,000 years old. How can a youngling like you have Grea''s Grass?" Miss Peponvondosovich started waving her finger and clicking her tongue, "You¡ª"


    "I can give you half of it, Miss Peponvondosovich."


    "Half? How are you even going to do that?" Miss Peponvondosovich''s eyes quickly squinted as she looked at Riley from head to toe again, "What do you want for it?"


    "I was told I should go visit Grea''s ss by Big Teeth. Can you lead me there?"


    "Grea? She has a ss ongoing? I thought that wasn''t until 500 years from now¡­" Miss Peponvondosovich''s eyes slightly widened. But she did not even need to think about it, however, as she quickly turned around and started hopping away, "...Anyway, I might as well go there too. I wasn''t able to attend thest one since I missed itst time¡­


    ...Follow me."

 Chapter 875 875: The Age

    Chapter 875  875: The Age


    "That''s it! Everyone is there already, we won''t have any seats!"


    Riley''s mistake was thinking Grea''s ss would be inside a building, it was not. It was being held outside in arge amphitheater¡ªno. Perhapsrge was an understatement, as the amphitheater was at least a couple of football stadiumsrge; one could not even see the people who were lucky enough to get the front seats.


    And once again, Riley found this incredibly weird. After all, the number of gods did not warrant this kind of venue. The seats were far and few in between; seemingly separated into groups and there were probably not even a thousand of them there.


    Perhaps¡­ do the gods just treasure their personal space that much? Why is everything in the Domain of Gods so far from each other?


    "Riri! What are you doing!?"


    Riley was not even able to take 3 steps forward before he was pulled back by Miss Peponvondosovich.


    "I am going to the front, Miss Peponvondosovich," Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at Miss Peponvondosovich''s hand.


    "What? No. Why would you¡ªAh, I forgot that you are only a little babe, a fledgling," Miss Peponvondosovich''s started wagging her finger and clicking her tongue, "How long have you been here for you to not know Territories?"


    "Less than 24 hours, Miss Peponvondosovich."


    "Wow," Miss Peponvondosovich let out a small gasp as she looked at Riley from head to toe, "We weren''t informed that we would have a newborn god among us. Huh¡­ anyway, let me exin to you what a Territory is. It''s¡ª"


    [What is up, people of the universe!?]


    "Gah! It''s Grea!" And before Riley could hear Miss Peponvondosovich''s exnation, she just suddenly sat on the marbled ground and locked her eyes onto the stage that was probably at least a kilometer away.


    "Hm¡­" Riley did not really mind this, however, as he just also focused on the stage. And there, he saw the silhouette of a four-armed muscr woman; the same as the statue he saw back in the za.


    [I have heard all of you are excited to hear what I have to say!?] Grea flexed two of her arms, before contracting her muscles and causing a ripple to wave across the entire amphitheater, [But I really have only one thing to say¡­


    ¡­Destroy yourself, and then rebuild yourself with what is left!]


    And with those words, Grea left the stage.


    "Such¡­" Miss Peponvondosovich quickly got up from the marbled ground; her thick legs trembling as tears fell from her eyes, "...Such magnificence. I could feel the power of her words flowing through me."


    "...Interesting," Riley could really only ce his hand on his chin as he looked at Miss Peponvondosovich, and the other gods who were there that truly seemed to look as if they had just heard the most inspiring speech they have ever heard.


    "It sure is, it sure is," Miss Peponvondosovich nodded several times as she stood in front of Riley, "Now give me what you owe, I have brought you to Grea''s ss, and you have listened to Grea''s words, now give me Grea''s grass."


    "Although I have no idea what I gained here, you did truly aplish your end of the deal, Miss Peponvondosovich," Riley nodded as he pulled out the grass from one of his many pockets. And as soon as he did so, all the gods that attended Grea''s ss quickly turned their heads toward him ¡ª even Grea, who had already disappeared, stepped up on the stage again to look at Riley even from a distance away.


    "H¡­ hurry up!" And while Miss Peponvondosovich was visibly sweating as she gestured to Riley to just give it to her, Riley heeded them no mind as the de of grass just started to hover from his palm, "W¡­ what are you doing!?"


    "Giving you some of it, as per our deal, Miss Peponvondosovich," Riley just shrugged as the grass became t in the air.


    "You''re not¡ªI thought that was just a phrase! Just give it to me, what you are doing has only been done by the Higher Gods!"


    "I have already pulled this grass from the ground, Miss Peponvondosovich," Riley shook his head as the very air itself started to tremble as the grass seemingly started to stretch, "I believe pulling it apart would be easier."


    "Stop it with your jokes. You just got lucky and found a loose de!" Miss Peponvondosovich could not help but take a few steps back as she stared at the trembling grass, "D¡ª!!!"


    And before Miss Peponvondosovich could finish her words, a little piece of the grass separated from the whole. And as it did so, a ck dot started to build from between the broken cracks, absorbing light itself before just dissipating away.


    Riley then grabbed the centimeter he cut off from his grass, and casually handed it to Miss Peponvondosovich.


    "This is your share, Miss Peponvondosovich," Riley said as he ced the grass in front of Miss Peponvondosovich''s face, "I know this is not a lot, but if you sauteed some onions and garlic, It still won''t be a lot, but at least it will taste better¡­


    ¡­you are going to eat it, correct?"


    "That''s¡­" Miss Peponvondosovich took in a small gulp as she looked back and forth between the small cut of grass and Riley. And after a few seconds, she just quickly snatched the piece and started running away. Before she could get far, however, arge silhouette suddenly blocked her path; she very slowly looked up, only to see Grea also looking down at her,


    "...Grea."


    "Hm¡­" Grea squinted her eyes, before just tilting her head and gesturing to Miss Peponvondosovich to move to the side. And as a matter of course, Miss Peponvondosovich quickly hopped to the side; she, however, did not leave and started subtly signaling Riley to run away.


    Riley, of course, just stood there.


    "I have not seen you here before, boy."


    "I also have not seen any of you before, Great," Riley blinked before looking at Grea from head to toe, impressed with how uncanny and realistic the statue of her from earlier actually was¡­ because her skin itself seemed to be made of stone that Riley would have also mistaken her as a statue if she wasn''t moving ¡ª even her hair seemed to be made of stone.


    "So, it is you¡­" Grea crossed her four arms as she also looked at Riley from head to toe, "...The Book Keeper informed me just earlier that there was a newborn god who just left him without even hearing a word."


    "Yes, that was a mistake on my part," Riley sighed, "I am used to being forcefully put in a different universe or domain, that I did not really think I would get answers here, Grea."


    "So, you''re a little brigand, are you?" A small grin crawled on Grea''s face as her eyes turned to look at the grass hovering above Riley''s palm, "It has been a while since someone was able to pull out the roots I have nted. How old are you before you transcended here, Newborn?"


    "I have not really counted since I have been quite busy. And after being trapped in eternity it has be quite hard to¡ª"


    "No, it is fine," Grea raised a palm, "It ismon for us to have already forgotten our age, it has be useless to count how long we have existed after the first few thousand. You are very lucky, Newborn ¡ª you get to hear me speak personally. Most of the people here have not even heard me address them even after a million years."


    "Hm¡­" Riley watched as the crowd very slowly gathered around them; most of them, however, seemed hesitant to even approach and were just happy to hear Grea speak more.


    "Do you know why I am even speaking to you, Newborn?"


    "Because of this?" Riley let the grass fall onto his palm, "You are not going to get it back from me, Grea. I believe I plucked this from a public property even if it has your name on it."


    "You are weird. But yes, it is because of the grass ¡ª more specifically, the fact that you were able to pluck and even cut it with ease," Grea then turned around and gestured to Riley to follow her, "The gods who are able to do that could be counted in one hand, as you can see why Miss Peponvondosovich''s here seems to be quite shocked with what you have done."


    "You¡­ you know my name!?" Miss Peponvondosovich''s eyes turned white as foam started escaping her mouth, and soon, she just fell to the ground and started convulsing.


    "She will be fine," Grea only sighed as she picked up Miss Peponvondosovich with one hand and started carrying her, "Follow me, we need to see how old you are before you transcended."


    "Okay," Riley nodded and just followed Grea even though he had no idea why it mattered how old he was.


    "You are not aware, of course," Grea let out a confident chuckle as she noticed Riley''s confused look, "But you will be."


    "Hm¡­" Riley squinted his eyes as he continued to follow Grea. And soon, he was led to another za. This time, however, there were a lot of people there; all of them, circling arge transparent orb which was emitting all sorts of texts and numbers.


    "Beings like us, who have transcended, be stronger the older we are ¡ª and it already starts before we are even sent to this ce. That is why the people here revere me so much, Newborn¡­" A path was quickly made by the other gods for Grea as she just casually walked toward therge orb and ced her palm on it ¡ª and there, Riley saw the entire orb get overwritten by a long line of digits,


    "¡­because I am the oldest in this city."

 Chapter 876: Riley Confused

    876 Chapter 876: Riley Confused


    Riley did not even bother reading the number written on the orb. Grea already said that she was the oldest god in the city, and he did not really have any reason to doubt that. It was impressive, for sure, as evident with all the gods that were letting out gasps of amazement around them. Riley was also impressed, but he was busier trying to think of how old he would actually be.


    Will it also count the time he spent in Eternity? Or was that something that would always just belong in his mind? Either way, whatever resultes up for him, it will probably shock everyone here.


    "Oh, you don''t seem to be shocked with how old I am, Newborn?" Grea let out a curious hum as she removed her palm from the orb, "Could it be that you''re actually older than most of these gods before you even transcended?"


    "I do not know, Great," Riley could really only shake his head.


    "Well, that is why we are here," Grea took a step back as she gestured to Riley to touch the orb. There were those who wanted to ce their palms on the orbs first since they were there first, but could really only just back away when Grea red at them.


    "Hm." As for Riley, he slightly hesitated as he stared at his slightly distorted reflection on therge mysterious orb. But after a few seconds, he just let out a sigh and shrugged his shoulders ¡ª he had never really been this confused in his life, and he was somewhat slightly amused with what he was feeling. Is this what Hannah and the others were going through whenever they were with him?


    If so, Riley could not really think of a reason why they would want to kill him ¡ª beingpletely confused is extremely fun. And so, with that thought, Riley finally stepped forward and ced his hand on the mysterious orb.


    "..."


    "..."


    And even after an entire minute had passed, nothing really appeared.


    "Hm? Did I break the thing?" Grea could not help but squint her eyes as she started walking around the orb. But before she could say anything else, she saw a hint of a number hiding behind Riley''s hand, "Lad, can you remove your hand?"


    "Okay," Riley said as he took a step back. And as he did so, the number 25 revealed itself to all of them.


    "That¡­ can''t be right," Grea blinked a couple of times as she looked back and forth at the number on the orb and Riley Ross, "ce your hand again, maybe the artifact is malfunctioning because of me."


    Riley did not really see any reason not to follow Grea as he once again ced his hand on the orb, and as he did so, the number that came up was now 26.


    "It changed again? This artifact truly is¡ª"


    "No, it is right," a small smile started to crawl on Riley''s face while he shook his head, "Although it is such a timely coincidence, I believe today should be the day that I was born."


    Riley''s smile almost had a hint of nostalgia in it as he looked up at the sky which was also an endlessnd.


    "Are you telling me that you have lived for less than a century?" Grea''s eyes started to widen as she looked at Riley from head to toe.


    "I suppose so," Riley shrugged, "I suppose that should make me weaker than all of you since we grow stronger when¡ª"


    Riley was not even able to finish his words before he noticed that Grea was suddenly gone. It wasn''t only her, the gods who were eavesdropping on the sides and waiting for their turn to touch the orb also disappeared.


    "Hello?" Riley could really only start walking around the orb to try and see if Grea was hiding behind it. But s, there was absolutely no one else in the za but him¡­ and Miss Peponvondosovich, who was stillpletely unconscious on the marbled floor.


    "..." Riley once again looked around one final time before he grabbed the grass from his pocket again and started waving around.


    "Mine!"


    But s, aside from Miss Peponvondosovich who just suddenly woke up and immediately leaped toward the grass, no other gods came for it.


    "W¡­" Miss Peponvondosovich, who woke up from her own greediness, could not help but pull herself away from the invisible wall that was pinning her cheek, "This¡­ why are we here? Ah, lucky! No one''s here!"


    Miss Peponvondosovich then casually ced her hand on the orb, revealing a 6-digit number that Riley once again did not bother reading. She was already that old, and yet her maturity seemed to have already stopped from the start.


    Although, Diana and Aerith have actually already exined how their age works to him. As they get older, their brain actually starts maturing at a certain point to prevent certain¡­ mental illnesses andplications from appearing. Perhaps that was applicable for everyone, just earlier for Miss Peponvondosovich.


    "Weird, why is no one here? This ce is usually filled with people," Miss Peponvondosovich squinted her eyes as she looked at Riley, "Wait¡­ I remember being knocked out by Grea''srge and beautiful arms! Where¡­ where is she!?"


    "I don''t know, Miss Peponvondosovich," Riley shrugged, "All of them just suddenly disappeared."


    "Huh, that is indeed weird," Miss Peponvondosovich''s nose started to twitch as she raised her head in the air, "I¡­ don''t smell anyone outside. Are they all attending someone else''s ss and we weren''t invited? I mean, I could understand if you weren''t given an invitation, but me?"


    "...Are holding ssesmon in this Domain, Miss Peponvondosovich?"


    "No, not at all," Miss Peponvondosovich shook her head and wagged butt, "Only those who have proven themselves to be worthy of being listened to are allowed to hold a ss. Well, no, actually, that is not correct either ¡ª everyone is allowed to hold a ss, but it will be useless if no one attends."


    "Oh¡­?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "And how would one know if one is worthy to hold a ss worth attending?"


    "Be like Grea," Miss Peponvondosovich, "She is considered to be the strongest in this city. Most gods who are the strongest in their city are usually the most popr of sses, it helps them gain more Territory. And then, there are also the Higher Gods who are already on a different level than us."


    "..."


    "You want to ask what the Higher Gods are?" Miss Peponvondosovich raised her head confidently.


    "I suppose, Miss Peponvondosovich."


    "The Higher Gods are basically those who already have their own ne ¡ª a universe of their own," Miss Peponvondosovich''s eyes started to glisten as she stretched her arms to the side and took in a deep breath, "You are aware of the Multiverse, correct?"


    "I suppose so, Miss Peponvondosovich."


    "Hm. Apparently, there are what are called the Undisturbed universes ¡ª they are those that are usually simr to each other in one way or another. Usually where all of us came from," Miss Peponvondosovich sighed, "And then, there are the universes created by the Higher Gods."


    "Which arepletely different from the Undisturbed universes," Riley ced his hand on his chin as he thought of all the universes he had traversed to that werepletely different from the others,


    "Does that mean that I might have destroyed a Higher God''s universe?"


    "You¡­ pft," Miss Peponvondosovich almost burst out inughter as she pointed at Riley, "Good one. Good one."


    "...May I ask how you got here, Miss Peponvondosovich? To the Domain of the Gods?" Riley did not mind Miss Peponvondosovich condescending breaths.


    "Oh, I¡­ uh," Miss Peponvondosovich seemed to try really hard to recall her life before, "I was very... angry? Someone from another universe invaded mine and I just sort of¡­ started going wild? My species, you see, are quite territorial."


    "Hm."


    "Of course, that inhibition all went away once I transcended," Miss Peponvondosovich breathed out, "Honestly, I do not remember much about my life before. You should treasure your memories ¡ª you don''t know when they will disappear. Ack, I am getting emotional ¡ª we should start finding other people, it''s not fair that they''re attending a ss without us. What if it''s a ss of a Higher God since even Grea disappeared!?"


    "Is it possible they were transported to another city, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "No, I can still smell them here, they are just not outside," Miss Pepondosovich started walking away as her nose twitched. And soon, she began hopping at an insane speed. And of course, since Riley did not really know what he was even going to do in this ce, he just followed behind her until they reached a part of the city that had buildings slightly closer to each other than usual.


    As soon as they arrived in the area, however, they saw several gods quickly closing their windows when they saw a glimpse of Riley. Those who were walking outside, quickly disappeared and entered their homes.


    "What in¡ªWhy are they being like that?" Miss Pepondosovich crossed her arms, "I knew the gods here were snobs. That''s it, I am transferring to another city! I only decided to lodge here for Grea''s ss, but she won''t be having any time soon. Are youing with me, fledgling!?"


    "...I suppose, Miss Peponvondosovich," Riley shrugged.


    "Then let us go to the next city!" Miss Peponvondosovich raised her hand before rushing and leaping back straight to the gates of the city. But as soon as they arrived there, they were greeted by Big Teeth¡­


    ¡­whose small legs were trembling uncontrobly for some reason.


    "You... you are not allowed to leave!"

 Chapter 877: God Of...

    877 Chapter 877: God Of...


    "You¡­ can''t leave!"


    Big Teeth''s small legs were trembling, and yet he remained standing resolutely with the gates behind him. It was clear to see no matter what angle you looked at Big Teeth that he was extremely frightened, beyond terrified.


    And yet he only closed his eyes as he blocked Riley and Miss Peponvondosovich''s ess to the outside as if literally refusing to see his fears.


    "What powder did you sniff now, Kurdi!?" Miss Peponvondosovich quickly pointed at Kurdi. And seeing as the two were almost the same size, Riley could not help but question if the two were truly gods at all. But then again, Miss Peponvondosovich was able to crack Riley''s telekic barrier, and she wasn''t even trying when she did so,


    "I will leave when I want to live."


    "Then leave!" Big Teeth opened his eyes and looked at Miss Peponvondosovich, "You''re not the one I''m asking not to leave!"


    "What do you¡ª" Miss Peponvondosovich nced at Riley, "Why are you not letting the Newbie leave? We''re supposed to travel together, you god of pests!"


    "He can''t leave," Big Teeth continued to shake his head; still refusing to meet Riley''s eyes.


    "...What?" Miss Peponvondosovich''s rabbit-like ears bent to the side, "Why?"


    "He just can''t!" Big Teeth shook his head several times.


    "Why do you want him to leave!?"


    "I want him to!" Big Teeth suddenly pointed at Riley, "But Grea ordered me not to let him out! Someone like him is bound to cause trouble in this city!"


    "What did I even miss while I was out of it?" Miss Peponvondosovich could really only look back and forth between Riley and Big Teeth.


    "You don''t know!?" Big Teeth transferred the aim of his finger to Miss Peponvondosovich, "You are going around with him and you don''t know!?"


    "I feel like everyone is overreacting here."


    "He is only 26 years old!"


    "26¡­ thousand?" Miss Peponvondosovich''s eyes widened as she turned to look at Riley, "You''re only 26 thousand years old!?"


    "No, Miss Peponvondosovich," Riley quickly shook his head.


    "Oh, then what¡ª"


    "Just 26 years old, not a thousand."


    "..." Miss Peponvondosovich then once again began looking back and forth between Riley and Big Teeth; her already widened eyes, widening even further, "T¡­T¡­ Twenty-six?"


    "Hm," Riley nodded, "Judging from all of your reactions, there is a problem with me being that young."


    "Of course, there is!" Miss Peponvondosovich raised her voice to the point of screaming as she and Big Teeth were now both pointing at Riley, "You, you are the problem!"


    "...But I have not done anything I would consider as problematic yet, Miss Peponvondosovich," Riley squinted his eyes, "I do not see why everyone is so aloof."


    "Let me exin it to you then, since I''ve been exining everything to you anyway," Miss Peponvondosovich took in a small gulp as she started to calm down a little, "Previously, the youngest god we have ever had was 24,000 years old ¡ª the youngest by far. She was followed by a 41,000-year-old god¡­


    ¡­and both of them were insane due to their young age."


    "Hm."


    "They caused all sorts of trouble for everyone that a Higher God had to get involved," Miss Peponvondosovich let out a very long and deep sigh as she closed her eyes, "I do not want to tell you all the details since it would take too long, but the 51,000-year-old one had to be¡­ put down. I still remember it like it was yesterday. It almost became a war. And I am telling you¡­


    ¡­a war between us gods? Not pretty."


    "Hm," Riley nodded, "You do not have to worry, Miss Peponvondosovich¡­


    ¡­I was already insane before I was sent here."


    "That''s not what we want to hear!" Big Teeth almost roared, causing Riley to close his eyes as Big Teeth''s teeth were too bright, "All the Cities have agreed that if a god less than 70,000 years old were to transcend and be sent to here''s domain, they are to be locked up for a hundred thousand years or at least when they start to calm down!"


    "Do I not look calm, Big Teeth?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he started checking himself.


    "Y¡ªYou plucked Grea''s Grass as soon as you got here!"


    "Because I wanted to see why it was the way it is, Big Teeth," Riley sighed, "I am calm."


    "I still can''t let you leave, it''s thew!" Big Teeth stretched his arm to the side as he firmly blocked the gate with his small frame.


    "I would probably try not to leave since I do not want to break thew here, Big Teeth. But¡­" Riley sighed as he took a step forward, "I was told by Aulus that there are no rules here."


    "Enough!"


    And before Riley could even take several steps forward, Grea suddenly descended from above and blocked his path. Her arms were no longer exposed, and were instead covered by a thickyer of armor¡ªno. If anything, Grea now looked like some sort of war machine.


    Riley initially thought Grea would be from an era without any sort of technology since she literally looked like a marble statue with four arms and she was more than billions of years old, but her armor looked almost of simr aesthetic to King''s.


    "You shall not pass, Newborn," Grea stretched her four arms to different directions, summoningnces seemingly made of light in each hand, "At least not until you prove yourself to be stable enough to be let free."


    "And how would I prove that, Grea?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "By fighting me!" And with those words, Grea tapped the hilt of her fournces on the marbled ground. And as she did so, the marbled ground suddenly shifted; all the infrastructures and even the gates themselves were pushed and moved far away, very far away.


    Is this the Territory Miss Peponvondosovich was talking about?


    "Eep!" Not only Big Teeth, but Miss Peponvondosovich almost squealed as they both quickly rushed to get away as far as possible from Riley and Grea.


    "Hear me, my name is Grea¡­" Grea then let out a roar that reverberated throughout the entire city, "...The God of Grass!"


    "Grass¡­?" Riley could really only blink a couple of times in confusion. She nts grass, and therefore she is a god of grass? Is that how it works here?


    "Why are you the god of grass, Grea?"


    "It is rude to not introduce yourself!" Grea did not answer him and just pointed one of hernces at Riley.


    "Oh, then¡­" Riley took in a small but very deep breath as his feet very slowly hovered from the marbled ground, "I am Riley¡­


    ¡­the God of Nothing."


    "..." Grea really only squinted as she heard Riley''s words. But after a few seconds, she also took a deep breath¡­ before disappearing from her spot. And surprisingly, the marbled ground was not damaged at all as she ran toward Riley at an insane speed.


    The sound of a watery pulse echoed in the air as Riley activated Tempo''s abilities, and even then, Grea was moving at a considerable speed. Not as fast as Queen Vania, however.


    Grea seemed more intimidating, however, as she might as well be a cosmic bull that was heading straight toward him. Riley tried tripping Grea with a small telekic barrier, but it did not even slow her down as mes began emitting from hernces.


    And soon, she was right in front of Riley.


    Riley stretched his hand toward Grea and was about to st her away, but Grea suddenly moved to the side even faster than she was already going and plunged two of hernces straight toward Riley.


    A louder pulse echoed in the air as Riley disappeared from his spot and appeared beside Grea, kicking her on the back and causing her to stumble very slightly. And with the distance he gained, he quickly grabbed the grass in one of his many pockets and let it float in the air.


    And then, with a whistle, the grass started vibrating in the air before shooting straight toward one of Grea''s arms. The grass, however, only managed to dig through the armor Grea was wearing for a quarter of an inch.


    "..." Grea turned to look at the grass stuck on her armor, before thences in her hands faded away and her stance became rxed. And seeing as Grea put away her weapons, Riley''s feet also returned to the ground ¡ª he was going to call the grass back, but Grea suddenly grabbed it mid-air and started chewing it,


    "You pass, Riley Ross," Grea then said before spitting out the grass, "You could have easily pierced my skin if you aimed at my neck, but you did not."


    "I was not trying to kill you, Grea."


    "And that is why you passed," Grea knocked all of her fists together, instantly removing the bulky armor she was wearing, "You were able to show restraint even when provoked."


    "You did not provoke me, Grea," Riley shook his head, "And I prefer killing people unprovoked."


    "Pft. Haha!" Grea then suddenly burst out inughter as her Territory became smaller, "I like you, kid. You''re just a baby and yet you are already this strong. You are about to make waves in this ne that no one has ever seen before ¡ª I bet those Higher Gods are about to join us sooner orter¡­ Kurdi!"


    "Y¡­ Yes!?" Kurdi suddenly appeared from a puff of smoke next to the gates.


    "Open the gates and let the baby out¡­


    ¡­He won''t be our problem."

 Chapter 878: Our Territories and Stories

    878 Chapter 878: Our Territories and Stories


    "Grea, is it truly alright to let him go?"


    "That is the only right option to take here, rodent."


    Big Teeth and Grea stared at Riley''s back as he very slowly disappeared into the distance. Their sighs, almost filled their entire city as the transparent gates in front of them very slowly closed.


    "But the Domain have decided that gods like him should be kept in istion for one hundred thousand¡ª"


    "I know what we have decided, I was one of the people who approved of it," Grea let out a small but very deep sigh as she turned around, "Since you are young, you do not seem to realize what sort of existence that Two-arms is ¡ª we can not have someone like that staying here, let him be another city''s problem."


    "What¡­ kind of existence is he?" Big Teeth squinted his small eyes as he looked up at Grea.


    "The kind you do not want to be around," Grea crossed her four arms as she once again sighed, "Do you even remember how strong you were when you have only lived for that short amount of time, rodent?"


    "I¡­ do not even remember what I am during that time ¡ª but I know I was a rat before I turned into something else different," Big Teeth hummed as he looked at his tiny hands.


    "I was a ve when I was the same age as him," Grea grunted as she closed her eyes, "Used to lift heavy stones by my masters endlessly for years and years. My species, you see, is one of the physically strongest of my home."


    "You¡­ still remember who you were before all of this?" Big Teeth''s eyes widened. It wasn''t only him, soon, people started to gather around them as they wished to hear whatever words wereing out of Grea''s mouth.


    "But we were weak to magic, and those who could wield it, wielded it against us," Grea stretched her arms to the side and pointed her palms to the marbled ground, and as she did so, des of grass started to sprout beneath her feet,


    "Theyshed me when I was even a little slower than thest round, that means theysh me regardless of what I do. My people carried everything ¨C marble, stones, dirt¡­ we carried them to the point that the chalk that fell from them covered our beautiful ck skin into the color of ash," Grea turned to look at her hands which now resembled that of a marble statue,


    "My only rest is the time between when I ce the thing I carry to the ground and before I lift the next one. But that time in between was everything, it was but a moment, but the soft green grass beneath my feet served as my bed, as my rest," Grea closed her eyes once more as she sighed,


    "What I am trying to tell all of you is that we were nothing when we were his age. Just mortals,pletely unaware andpletely hoping. But Riley Ross, the God Of Nothing¡­


    ¡­I think he does not belong here."


    ***


    "What do I even do in this ce?"


    And once again, Riley''s number one enemy returned ¡ª boredom. He had been walking across the nes of grass for a few hours now. The city was no longer to be seen, the only problem was that the Book Keeper''s Tower, which Riley had been using as some sort ofpass, had also disappeared as he found himself trapped in an endless prairie.


    And the grass beneath his feet wasn''t even Grea''s grass anymore, he knew, as he had been walking barefoot since he left the city.


    "Navi, is this what you wanted to happen?" Riley then stopped walking as he raised his hands in the air, talking to himself as deep breaths escaped his lips,


    "For me to eternally walk on grass so that I may not be able to do my purpose to destroy everything? But you make a mistake, as this domain you trapped me into¡­


    ¡­is it not also part of everything? Granted, the people of this domain are strong ¡ª beautifully so, but like always, it will only be a matter of time before something happens that would increase my power without any further detailed exnation other than destiny. But I must truly thank you, the people of this domain¡­ they will be more fun to y around with."


    Riley then lowered his arms as he finished his monologue; sighing as he once again continued to walk across the endless prairie,


    "When will this road of mine truly end? Will this forever be¡ª"


    "As I thought, you have no idea how to control your Territory!"


    Fortunately, before Riley could start a post-monologue, a voice suddenly approached him from behind. Riley quickly looked behind him, only to see Miss Peponvondosovich hopping and leaping towards him,


    "You should cancel your Territory unless you want to get tired and sleep for a couple of thousand years!"


    "Miss Peponvondosovich?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he turned around when Miss Peponvondosovich got near him, "Have you been following me all this time?"


    "Of course," Miss Peponvondosovich''s ears rose up as she looked at Riley, "I told you we were going to another city, right? You might be weird, but I, Miss Peponvondosovich, will never break my word until my thick voluptuous legs do. Anyway, I have been following you for 6 hours and you''ve had your Territory triggered the entire time."


    "My Territory¡­" Riley squinted his eyes as he started looking around, "...Is that the same power Grea used to expand the area when she and I had our little skirmish?"


    "Yup, you are using it now," Miss Peponvondosovich nodded as she also looked around, "Everyone has experienced what you have been experiencing, Riri. Just not as long as you since all of us have actually been oriented by the Book Keeper."


    "So I have been walking for this long because I have my Territory activated?" Riley sighed, "How do I deactivate it, Miss Peponvondosovich?"


    "I have no idea," Miss Peponvondosovich answered without any hesitation as she shook her head, "It is different from individual to individual, we all have our own instincts, after all. And Territories activate on instinct once we transcend to this domain ¡ª and also, since you are a Newbie, you might also not know this¡­


    ¡­but Territories are Domains, just in the lowest capacity."


    "Interesting," Riley could not help but ce his hand on his chin. Talia had her own domain where all her variants go to when they have nowhere else to go ¡ª does that mean she was a god? If so, why hasn''t she transcended yet?


    "Is that why everything in this ce seems so far and confusing, Miss Peponvondosovich?"


    "Exactly," Miss Peponvondosovich pointed at Riley, "It is verymon not to realize that one''s Territory is activated, so people just forget most of the time. And there are different types of Territories too ¡ª a lot, actually. You can trap people in it, you can restrict people from entering, you can just push people away. Territories are fun that way."


    "Hm," Riley looked around him, "Then, I suppose we just continue to walk until my Territory settles down?"


    "Pretty much. Or¡­" Miss Peponvondosovich''s ears once again stood up on their ends, and as they did so, Riley could feel everything around him shift until the trees that seemed extremely far away were now within eye''s reach,


    "...You have someone else deactivate it for you."


    "Oh," Riley widened his eyes as he gave Miss Peponvondosovich a look of acknowledgment before pping his hands, "That is very good, Miss Peponvondosovich."


    "Well¡­" Miss Peponvondosovich''s bunny ears quickly lowered as she scratched the back of her head, "...I was only able to do it since I have better control than you with my Territory. If I have lived this long and couldn''t cancel a newborn''s Territory, then I might as well end my life."


    "Hm," Riley nodded as he took a step back and stood behind Miss Peponvondosovich. Miss Peponvondosovich wondered what Riley was doing at first, before he gestured to Miss Peponvondosovich to walk, "You are my senior in this ce, Miss Peponvondosovich. You lead the way."


    "T¡­that''s right, isn''t it?" Miss Peponvondosovich nodded several times as she chuckled, "And you don''t even know where to go, do you?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "I am used to just following wherever the wave takes me, Miss Peponvondosovich. Anywhere will be fine as long as it is not boring."


    "Then¡­" Miss Peponvondosovich''s ears started moving on their own, "...Shall we go to one of the most fun cities in this Domain!?"


    Riley could really only quickly hover from the ground as Miss Peponvondosovich suddenly started hopping and leaping without even waiting for him. And finally, Riley could actually visibly see the surroundings change ording to the speed they were moving. Territories¡­ ¡­they truly are such interesting things.


    "Where are we going, Miss Peponvondosovich?"


    "Where else¡­" Miss Peponvondosovich grinned as she nced back at Riley,


    "...The City of Creatures, also known as¡­


    ¡­The Summoner''s City."

 Chapter 879: I Choose You

    Chapter 879: I Choose You


    "Hm."


    "You''ve been staring at the other side for a while now. Why not just ask me about it?"


    Despite already solving his ever-growing distance problem, it would seem that the distance between each city was still quite vast. No, it was more than vast ¡ª from the calm speed Miss Peponvondosovich was leaping and hopping, they would have already reached Mars if they started from Earth. It was no wonder Riley was not getting anywhere when he first got to the Domain of the Gods, even without the Territory problem, this entire ne ofnd was probably the size of an entire star system, maybe even more.


    And he hasn''t even seen any sign of a river. They passed through a forest earlier and spent a couple of minutes weaving through it, and that alone was already a considerable distance.


    And so, Riley slowly got bored and found himself just staring at the sky, a literal sea of grass and forests above their heads.


    "What is it, Miss Peponvondosovich?" Riley asked while he continued to follow Miss Peponvondosovich, "Is the Domain of the Gods shaped like a sandwich?"


    "It''s nothing," Miss Peponvondosovich just shrugged her shoulders, "It is literally just what you see, a field above our heads. No one could really fly there for some reason ¡ª I tried hopping once, but there was like an invisible ceiling covering it. Like in video games? Do you have video games where you are from, Riri?"


    "I think I know what you mean, Miss Peponvondosovich," Riley nodded, "I also tried flying up there, and the invisible wall felt as if it would not budge no matter what I did."


    "Yup," Miss Peponvondosovich nodded several times, "It is a weird feeling, truly weird."


    "Is the Domain of the Gods just one big prairie, Miss Peponvondosovich?"


    "Oh, not at all," Miss Peponvondosovich''s ears waved in the air as she shook her head, "The grasnd is not even the most vast out of all the areas. I won''t tell you more about that, it will be more exciting for you to see it for yourself¡­ and trust me, trying to find exciting things will get harder and harder the longer you stay here."


    "Hm. Is that why you decided to still guide me throughout thends of the Domain of the Gods even though Grea and the others started to avoid me, Miss Peponvondosovich?"


    "Pretty much," Miss Peponvondosovich let out a cheeky giggle as she increased the distance between her hops. The distance between her and Riley did not grow bigger for even a single millimeter, however, as he literally had an invisible chain attached to Miss Peponvondosovich.


    Soon, however, Riley slightly flicked his arm up, causing Miss Peponvondosovich to quickly stop as she felt a force tugging and pulling on her waist.


    "W¡­ what''s going on!?" Miss Peponvondosovich quickly turned around to look at Riley, raising her arms into a fighting stance, "Wait¡­ were you just using me like a chariot!?"


    "I was thinking more of a sled rabbit, Miss Peponvondosovich."


    "You¡ª" Miss Peponvondosovich was going to rebuke, but she could not help but notice that Riley seemed to be looking at something. She turned to look at what it could be, only to see a six-legged creature hovering a meter from the ground; seemingly swimming in the air.


    "Hm¡­" Riley then slowly floated toward the 6-legged creature, curiously looking at it from head to tail. It looked like an armadillo, but its snout was t and more simr to a pug ¡ª but most importantly, its fur was almost giving a sort of pink vibrance,


    "Hello," Riley waved his hand at the creature, "My name is Riley Ross. Are you rted to a cosmic entity called Cherbi, by any chance?"


    "Brruh," the 6-legged creature only snorted beforepletely ignoring Riley and swimming away in the air.


    "What¡­ are you doing, Riri?" Miss Peponvondosovich could not help but stare at Riley''s face as she followed and stood beside him.


    "I was trying to make a conversation, Miss Peponvondosovich," Riley blinked.


    "Wait¡­" A smile started to crawl on Miss Peponvondosovich''s face, but she seemed to be trying her best not to, "...Did you think that was a god?"


    "Yes, Miss Peponvondosovich."


    "It wasn''t! Pft!" Miss Peponvondosovich''s head practically leaned back to the point that she fell on the bed of grass beneath her feet; sping her stomach as she just allowed her obnoxiousughter to linger in the air, "That¡­ all the gods in this ce are, one way or another, humanoid."


    "What about Aulus, Miss Peponvondosovich?" Riley squinted his eyes, "He was a giant lizard."


    "That''s because he''s on a different domain entirely," Miss Peponvondosovich wiped the tear falling from her eyes as she finally stood up and calmed herself, "You are forced into your humanoid form once you step into the Domain of the Gods."


    "...Then what did you look like before you transcended, Miss Peponvondosovich?" Riley turned to look at Miss Peponvondosovich''s bunny ears.


    "Oh, this is pretty much it," Miss Peponvondosovich started spinning in ce, "Except I have more fur."


    "Hm¡­"


    "Anywho," Miss Peponvondosovich then gestured to Riley to follow her as she once again started hopping, "Since we already saw that weird creature, that means we are getting near. It should not take a hundred more hops¡­


    ¡­let''s go!"


    ***


    "Riri, I wee you¡­


    ¡­to Summoner''s City!"


    "Oh," Riley pped as Miss Peponvondosovich took one final hop andnded right in front of Summoner''s city. And unlike the previous city, whose name Riley still does not know, Summoner''s city did not really have any gates, nor a wall¡­ nor any buildings.


    It was just one big field of what Riley could only assume to be some sort of celestial asphalt, or it could also just be ordinary cement. There were tents set up here and there, but aside from that, one could really hardly call this ce a city.


    What it did have, however, were people. A lot of them¡­ and all of them had some sort of creature by their side.


    "Are there truly this many gods, Miss Peponvondosovich?" Riley could not help but slightly be impressed by their number.


    "You have not even seen anything yet," Miss Peponvondosovich gave another cheeky giggle, "The Domain of the Gods has existed probably even before your universe, it has existed before mine. You have seen how old Grea truly is, right?"


    "I have a grasp on it."


    "Then it just makes sense that there will be this many of us. But enough of that¡­e with me!" Miss Peponvondosovich then started hopping again and weaved her way through the crowd. Riley just attached himself again to her so he could focus looking at everyone and everything.


    Riley had thought he had already seen the weirdest creatures since he traversed across the multiverse, but the creatures that were either crawling, hovering, or walking beside the people here looked truly¡­ weird. It almost as if they were drawn from a poorly bad image drawn by a toddler, that was the only way Riley could exin how they looked and felt.


    "Ah, Riri. Quick! While there''s no one using it!"


    Riley turned to look at Miss Peponvondosovich as she stopped hopping, only to see her standing in front of a wide pool of what seemed to be mud.


    "I am fine, Miss Peponvondosovich," Riley quickly sighed and shook his head, "I will just use the toilet once we happen to pass by one on our journey."


    "Toilet? What¡­?" No!" Miss Peponvondosovich could not help but snort before cing her hand on the pool of mud, causing Riley to slightly look away in disgust. Soon, however, the mud began to boil; the ripples, getting more and more violent than thest. Within this violence, however, life started to form as the mud shifted.


    And soon, a creature that reminded Riley of a stingray emerged from the mud¡­ except it had thick and muscr legs, and its two eyes were literally floating from their sockets.


    "Ah," Riley breathed out as he finally realized why all the creatures looked weird, "You have no artistic sense, Miss Peponvondosovich."


    "W¡ªwho cares about arts!?" Miss Peponvondosovich pointed at Riley, "This little guy here is strong! It can leap from the deepest parts of the ocean straight to the surface!"


    "Hm¡­" Riley looked at the legged stingray from top to bottom, "...I suppose it looks like you, Miss Peponvondosovich."


    "...Now you''re just starting to piss me off," Miss Peponvondosovich hopped away from the pool of mud, her creature, also doing the same as it stood beside her,


    "That''s the Well of Creation, Riri. You can basically make any creature you want and then make it fight with another creature. A bit morbid, but it''s one of the only entertainments around here once you have practically done everything."


    "Hm, is that why there are a lot of people here, Miss Peponvondosovich?"


    "Exactly," Miss Peponvondosovich nodded her head and smiled, "Now, you do it. Trust me, you do not need instructions in making a creature."


    "If the main purpose is to have them fight each other¡­" Riley look at Miss Peponvondosovich''s summon again, before looking at the summons of the other gods, "...Then can I use a creature I already owned beforehand?"


    "What? I thought it was your first time here?"


    "Yes, I brought my creature with me before I was sent to this ce," Riley then grabbed some sort of ss box from one of his many pockets.


    "What¡­ is that?"


    "My creature, Miss Peponvondosovich," Riley shrugged before casually throwing the ss box, which suddenly turned bigger as it touched the hard ground, "I choose you¡­


    ¡­Undead Princess Esme!"

 Chapter 880: Miss Esme

    880 Chapter 880: Miss Esme


    "I choose you¡­


    ¡­Undead Princess Esme!"


    "W¡ª"


    No one truly anticipated what would happen next. Even Miss Pepondosovich, who had already known that Riley was not really normal even in the Domain of the Gods'' standards, was quite bewildered as to what he was doing now.


    All he had to do was ce his hand on the Well, and yet he went and grabbed something from his pockets instead and threw it on the ground, attracting everyone''s attention. Miss Pepondosovich wanted to go on the journey as incognito as possible so that no one would notice Riley''s peculiarity. After all, with all sorts of already weird individuals here, it shouldn''t be hard for him to blend in, but no.


    He just had to pull something off.


    "What¡­ is that, Riri!?"


    And as the ss cage expanded in front of all of their eyes, the creature contained within also started to move, albeit extremely clumsy to the point it looked like it was only convulsing in the spot ¡ª no, perhaps it truly was just convulsing inside its cage.


    "Pft¡­" The other gods who were previously excited to see what was happening, could not help but just let out tiny fits of chuckles as they stared at the undead princess.


    "What is that? It''s just a normal-looking humanoid. I thought he was going to bring out something cool since it was contained in a nice box."


    "That is just the way it is, some of usck the proper imagination to create life," one of the other gods let out a sigh as he brushed the fur of his creature, which was literally just a stick with legs covered in fur.


    And although the other gods'' words may sound condescending at first, none of them seemed to be truly mocking Riley. They truly were just disappointed as they thought they were finally going to be able to see something cool ¡ª but s, it was just a humanoid in a cage.


    "What¡­ is that, Riley?" Miss Pepondosovich, however, knew that something else was going on here. It was impossible for someone who caused Grea to be worried to not have something else going on with his so-called summon,


    "Why did you just create a human? And why put it in a cage when you can just use your Territory to¡ªOh, I suppose you don''t know how to use that yet. Wait, that''s not even¡­ how did that thing even fit in your pockets!?"


    "You are not capable of doing that, Miss Pepondosovich?" Riley asked as he approached the cage, "I thought that as gods, you would have all sorts of abilities."


    "I do ¡ª and I have a simr ability to what you just did," Miss Pepondosovich opened her palm, materializing a hat as she did so. She then ced her entire arm inside the hat even though it was clearly shorter than her arm, and as she pulled her hand, she was already holding an axe that was bigger than Riley, "Mine is space magic ¡ª you just literally pulled that one from your pockets."


    "Oh, I suppose it is also somewhat simr," Riley shrugged, "I have the ability to change the size of things, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Woah¡­" Miss Pepondosovich, "...Can you make me bigger?"


    "I probably could, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Then¡ªno, wait! We''re getting distracted here!" Miss Pepondosovich quickly shook her head as her hat disappeared, "Aren''t you getting it out!? I want to see what it can do! Let it fight Mister Pewpew here."


    "Mister Pewpew?" Riley turned to look at the stingray with muscr legs that Miss Pepondosovich summoned, "Okay, Mister Pewpew seems strong enough just from the sheer tone of its muscles alone, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Of course, who do you think created it!?" Miss Pepondosovich puffed her small chest as she raised her hand and took several steps backward. And as she did so, all the gods who were still curiously watching them were pushed away as the floors started to shift ¡ª only Riley and the cage remained in their position.


    "Hm¡­" Riley nced at Miss Pepondosovich for a few seconds, before tapping the ss cage. A loud hiss then whispered in the air as the cage started to open; there was a weird smell at first, but it quickly disappeared along with the warm steaming out of the cage as the Undead Princess clumsily stepped out.


    She wasn''t just clumsy, she outright rolled on the ground as her legs seemed to have already hardened from not moving for too long. And as everyone could hear her bones crack with each movement, the gods could not help but be even more curious.


    "Have you had a nice nap, Undead Princess?" Riley then stood beside the Undead Princess, whose limbs were still slightly contorted, "I apologize that I was not able to use you for the very reason I trained you and the others. But you do not have to worry, I know you are going to have more fun here."


    "Grr¡­" Several more cracks snapped in the air before the Undead Princess was finally able to stand like a proper humanoid; its head, just bobbing as it seemed to try and smell its surroundings.


    "Do you see that?" Riley then pointed at Mister Pewpew, forcefully turning the Undead Princess'' head toward the legged stingray, "I know I have kept you hungry, and I apologize. But now, you are free to eat that stingray with legs, Undead Princess."


    "Grah!" And as soon as Riley said that, the Undead Princess quickly moved.


    "No!" But before it could take even a single step forward, Riley raised his finger, "Stay. Not yet."


    "Gk¡­" The Undead Princess let out a soft growl as she turned her head toward Riley.


    "Are you ready, Riri!?" Miss Pepondosovich raised her palm.


    "She is, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Then¡­" A wide and excited smile crawled on Miss Pepondosovich''s face as she waved her hand down, "...Let''s go!"


    "Go," Riley also lowered his finger.


    "My creature won''t¡ª" And before Miss Pepondosovich could finish her words, she instinctively caught Mister Pewpew''s left foot as it was blown away as soon as Riley lowered his finger. She then very slowly turned to look back, only to see Mister Pewpew being mangled and eaten; not even his bones were spared, "What in¡­ I knew it couldn''t be normal! What sort of creature is that, Riri!?"


    "It is an undead themarian, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley let out a small hum as he floated next to Miss Pepondosovich and joined her in watching Mister Pewpew being devoured, "A special one even among her own kind. It is capable of destroying an entire universe on its own."


    "Huh¡­ it''s already stronger than half of the residents here. That is absolutely bonkers," Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes before just casually throwing Mister Pewpew''s leg to the Undead Princess, who immediately caught it and started crunching on it, "...Does it have a name?"


    "I just call it Undead Princess, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "What? That''s boring. You called it by a name earlier, what was it?" Miss Pepondosovich ced her hand on her chin.


    "Esme."


    "Then let''s call it Miss Esme from now on," Miss Pepondosovich seemed to be proud of herself, "Anyway, I lost."


    "You do not seem to be disappointed by that, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "You have no idea the number of times I have already lost, Riri," Miss Pepondosovich let out a chuckle, "And I still haven''t formed a bond with Mister Pewpew anyway, so it is fine. Want to go another round? I''ll summon one of my best champions. We can¡ª!!!"


    And before Miss Pepondosovich could finish her words, she could not help but raise her foot to block Miss Esme''s face; whose hands were now threatening to rip her torso off. Miss Pepondosovich, however, kicked Miss Esme away before quickly running behind Riley.


    "What the¡­why is it so strong!?" Miss Pepondosovich grabbed Riley''s shirt as she stood on one leg as the foot she used to block Miss Esme waspletely shattered, "And why did it attack me!?"


    "I apologize, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley let out a sigh as he looked at Miss Esme, who was currently drooling some sort of slime from her mouth, "It would seem that she is still hungry after being kept in the cage for so long."


    "Then return it to the cage!"


    "Well, I won''t be doing that," Riley shook his head, "Why don''t you cancel your territory so we could feed it more, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "Oh, good thinking," Miss Pepondosovich nodded as the ground started to shift and the onlookers got closer and closer again, "We can just have it fight the other summons."


    "...The summons?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at Miss Pepondosovich, visibly confused.


    "Wh¡ª"


    "Grah!"


    "Ah! It''s biting me!"


    And before Miss Pepondosovich could finish her words, a loud scream reverberated through the air as Miss Esme''s jaw started gnawing on the nearest neck she could find.


    "Hm," Riley ced his hand on his chin as Miss Esme then proceeded topletely pull the god''s head from his mangled neck, "It would seem that some of these gods are physically weaker than Miss Esme."


    "That is a joke, right?" Miss Pepondosovich could not help but just force out a chuckle as she watched as Miss Esme devoured a god, "Your summon, it''s abnormally physically strong ¡ª most gods actually are not¡­


    ¡­they rely on their mystic arts."


    "Grk!?"


    And as soon as Miss Pepondosovich said those words, Riley quickly stepped to the side to catch Miss Esme, who was blown away by some sort of light.


    "Yeah, like that one."


    "What is the meaning of this!?" A red-skinned god with four horns on top of its head let out a roar,


    "Why are you fighting each other like savages!?"


    c71241599ffa2342522e9fa0e93245a9b77279a7b89d8342071b2e9f762bb786f5c95b1dc43871346e3b8df65d52abd9baa8dfe9c77b820434ed2a64b9

 Chapter 881: Randall Gentle

    Chapter 881: Randall Gentle


    "Why are you fighting each other like savages!?"


    "R¡­Randall!"


    The red-skinned humanoid, Randall, brushed his hands across the four horns on top of his head. A sort of rhythmic tune, singing in the air with each of his fingers tapping on his horns; strips of neon lights then started dancing around his horns, and before the lights could grow wild, Randall pulled his hands away, grabbing the lights with him and turning them into some sort of energy weapon that hovered around his arms.


    Magic, or as Miss Peponvondosovich said, mystic arts.


    Randall started looking around, before settling on the sad mangled corpse that Miss Esme brutally devoured. Randall then pointed a finger at the corpse, before shooting out a light that rippled across the ground as soon as it hit all the flesh and blood. And soon, the light grew brighter and brighter and sprung the dead god back to life.


    "Ah, Randall!" The previously dead god started patting himself, "I owe you my gratitude, that would have taken me a few minutes to recover if I had to regenerate myself."


    "Hm," Randall only nodded before fully cing his attention back to Miss Esme, who also seemed to be trying to figure out his scent. Riley did not actually know whether or not Miss Esme could see, but it did not really matter since a themarian''s senses were already incredibly abnormal as they are.


    "You!" Randall then pointed at Miss Esme, "Why did you attack your kind!? If you wish to battle, then go to the City of Warriors! We are not savages here and only our creatures should be fighting!"


    "Gkh¡­?"


    "Speak! Tell me why you have done something like this!?" The light dancing around Randall''s hands grew wilder as continued to point at Miss Esme.


    "I apologize, Randall."


    "Hm¡­?" Randall could really only squint and look at Riley as he slowly approached him, "Who are you and why are you the one apologizing for this chaos!?"


    "Because I own her," Riley nced at Miss Esme, "She''s my creature."


    "Creature¡­?" Randall once again turned to look at Miss Esme as the light dancing around his arms very slowly started to dissipate, "She''s not a god? A creature was able to mortally wound a god? How did you make her?"


    "Oh, she is not¡ª"


    "Why would we tell you that?" And before Riley could finish his words, Miss Peponvondosovich stepped forward with her arms crossed,"That is a very expensive secret you''re trying to get for free, Randall."


    "...Peponvondosovich?" Randall''s eyebrows quickly lowered as he looked down, "You are with this white-colored god? Perhaps you can introduce me to him."


    "Why don''t you introduce yourself first, hm?" Miss Peponvondosovich let out a small scoff as she looked at Randall from head to toe.


    "Are you still mad about ourst duel?"


    "You cheated. Your summon just flew in the air and dropped those exploding stuff!" Miss Peponvondosovich pointed at Randall''s head, "Give me my gems back!"


    "...You should have not bet that much if you were not confident, Peponvondosovich," Randall let out an almost chuckling sigh before turning his head to Riley, "But you are right, I should introduce myself first¡­


    ¡­My name is Randall Gentle. I could tell you where I am from, but I have already long forgotten."


    "I am Riley Ross. I could tell you where I am from, I am just not," Riley introduced himself, "And I apologize about Miss Esme, she is a little hungry from being locked in a cage for so long."


    "I have not seen you or your summon around here. Have you perhaps stayed in the City of Istion?" Randall looked at Riley from head to toe, "No, I suppose it matters not. Your summon, you said she was hungry?"


    "Yes."


    "Then why don''t we give her a chance to feed?" Randall stretched his arm to the side, and all the gods near them started backing away. No, he did not activate his Territory, the gods just backed away by themselves; their faces, seemingly excited with what was about to happen next.


    Randall then pointed his finger down on the floor beside him, shooting another beam of light that rippled across the floor. And soon, a creature very slowly emerges from the ripples; seemingly pulling itself up from the light.


    "Since your summon is capable of killing a god, then I hope you do not mind that I use my strongest summon," Randall smiled as he took a step to the side and watched his monstere out, "Kurvah." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Like him, it had four horns on top of its crocodile-like head. It had even more, however, as even its shoulders each had arge horn protruding from them. It had four arms, with the extra too thinner but exaggeratedly long.


    "Kurvah!" The summon let out a roar as it continued to pull itself out from the hole; just its presence alone, causing the gods to p and cheer. The cheering did notst long, however, as they watched Miss Esme suddenly appear right in front of Kurvah, grabbing it by the horns and forcefully pulling it out of the portal; revealing the rest of its body that was simr to that of a bull except with 6 legs¡­ 5 now that Miss Esme just casually pulled one of it.


    Miss Esme then climbed on top of Kurvah, grabbing its horns again before just pulling them apart along with its head and entire torso. And without even any care, started tearing its flesh and devouring it for all to see.


    "Wh¡ªThe duel hasn''t started yet!" Randall could not help but scream as he looked back and forth between Riley and Miss Esme, "Control your summon!"


    "Pft," Miss Peponvondosovich pretended to control herughter as she stood close to Randall, "Do you really think your summon would have had the chance against Miss Esme? Look at that."


    "Why are you so proud even though it''s not your summon!?" Randall pointed at Miss Peponvondosovich.


    "Because I partly named it," Miss Peponvondosovich chuckled, "Anyway, you lost. Give me my gems back."


    "Whatever are you saying!?" Randall backed away from Miss Peponvondosovich and approached Riley, "Control your summon! It took a while to design my creature and I do not want to redo it!"


    "I am afraid that is not possible, Randall," Riley sighed, "She is not my summon."


    "You just said she was! "I said she was my creature," Riley shook his head.


    "...You did not create her?" Randall squinted as he once again took a good look at Miss Esme, who was just standing there with a wobbly stance, "I do not know what that means, are you saying you brought her here with you, to the Domain of the Gods?"


    "Yes, Randall," Riley nodded.


    "But that''s not possible," Randall turned to look at the other gods watching on the side, only for them to nod their heads in agreement, "You can not bring someone else with you here, and this came out of a ss cage from your pocket?"


    "She is an undead, Randall. Technically not someone," Riley said.


    "An undead, an unholy creature." Neon lights once again danced around Randall''s horns as he heard Riley''s words, but with a shake of his head, they faded as quickly as they disappeared, "No, there is no such thing as an unholy creature. Where did you find her?"


    "On a dead universe, Randall."


    "Oh? You have also traversed the multiverse?" Any hostility in Randall''s face disappeared as he looked Riley in the eyes, "Finally, someone I can actually talk to about that."


    "Pft. Sorry, bud. This one''s mine," Miss Peponvondosovich patted Riley''s leg several times as she shook her head, "I''m his official guide."


    "Guide¡­? Does that mean you are new here?" Randall let out a small gasp.


    "I¡­ I meant guardian, I''m his official guardian," Miss Peponvondosovich cleared her throat, "So, he''s off limits."


    "Are there not many gods who have traveled the multiverse?" Riley asked before Randal and Miss Peponvondosovich could begin arguing.


    "There are a lot, but most of them do not like to mingle with the others," Randall sighed and crossed his arms, "They think they are better than most, after all ¡ª what they do not understand is that all of us are equal here, we just have different abilities, uses, purposes in this wave called Creation."


    "And your ability, you can resurrect people, Randall?" Riley turned to look at the god that Randall resurrected earlier.


    "I could if certain conditions are met," Randall nodded, "One of my memories that is still lingering in my mind is that I used to make a deal with people, and in exchange, I would revive their dead ¡ª I was a different man back then, greedy¡­ evil."


    "Then is it possible for you to revive him if we make a deal?"


    "Eek!" Miss Peponvondosovich quickly took several steps back as Riley just retrieved a decayed head from one of his many pockets, "How many weird things do you have in your pockets!?"


    "That¡­ is just a head," Randall could not help but squint as he looked at the decayed head.


    "My father''s head," Riley said as he raised the head to Randall.


    "Hm¡­" Randall closed his eyes, "I am afraid it will not be possible with just a head. Have you been carrying your father''s head all this time?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded as he just casually returned Bernard''s head into his pockets.


    "I am sorry," Randall sighed, "I am not able to revive him, but I could revive her."


    Riley turned to look at where Randall was pointing,


    "You¡­ can revive Miss Esme?"


    say whot

 Chapter 882: Unundeaded

    Chapter 882: Unundeaded


    "You¡­ can revive Miss Esme?"


    "It should be no problem at all. Her body is fully intact, without even a single millimeter of her skin in decay ¡ª in all ounts, she is alive except for her mind."


    "Hm."


    It is true. Even though Miss Esme was literally a zombie variant of Princess Esme, the two almost did not differ from each other physically aside from the color of their skin and eyes. Miss Esme, even though she was already dead, has not shown any signs of decaying due to her themarian physiology, which seemed to continue healing her body despite her already being in a state of Eternal Death.


    In fact, if she stopped moving so clumsily and weirdly, even Riley would probably have a hard time differentiating him from the normal Princess Esme, since Esme was already weird from the start.


    "And forget about any deals, I can just do it for free," Randall once again brushed his horns, causing streaks of light to once again dance around him, "But once she resurrects, there is a high chance that she would be thrown out of the Domain of the Gods. So, what do you say?"


    "Hm¡­" Riley turned to look at Miss Esme for a few seconds, before just letting out a small sigh and shaking his head, "No. There is no need for that, Randall. From all the lives that have turned into nothing by my hands, I have learned that death can sometimes be a blessing."


    "That¡­ is true," Randall also let out a sigh as the light dancing around him quickly dissipated away, "Very well, if death was her fate, we have no right to take it away. And I have also tried resurrecting the undead before, and they chose to take their lives after as they remember everything they had done during the time they were mindlessly killing everything and everyone that breathes. It is not a fate I would wish even against my worst ene¡ª"


    "Resurrect her," Riley did not let Randall finish his words as he gestured something with his hand, and Miss Esme just proceeded to walk toward him in a very careful manner, "You said she would remember, correct?"


    "Yes¡­?" Randall squinted his eyes at Riley as he noticed a smile very slowly forming on his face.


    "Then if I could bother you to do it," Riley stretched his hand to the side and called for Miss Esme''s cage, before seemingly ordering her to enter it.


    "Miss Esme really follows your orders, huh?" Miss Peponvondosovich could not help but be in awe as Riley could actually control Miss Esme, who just seemed to do whatever she wanted and eat anything she wanted, "Are you sure you want her to resurrect her? What if she begins to resent you?"


    "That is the point, Miss Peponvondosovich," the smile on Riley''s face persisted as he closed the cage, "Randall, if you may?"


    "Very well, since I was the first to open up about it," the light dancing around Randall returned as he pointed both his fingers at the age. Another rhythmic tune whispered in the air as the lights started to circle around the cage, before ultimately seeping through and covering Miss Esme.


    Miss Esme quickly started growling in ce as she watched as the streaks of light started separating from each other and bing fireflies that started hovering and dancing around her.


    Miss Esme tried catching one of them, but they just passed through her like the lights lived on a different ne entirely. And soon, the light started to envelop her entire body, before they all just started entering her.


    "Grk!?" Miss Esme started wriggling and trying to get them out, but all she did was tear her body apart; creating booms and ripples as she did so.


    "...No wonder you put her back in the cage," Miss Peponvondosovich slightly winced, "That is going to be a lot of mess if she was outside."


    "I did not put her inside because of that, Miss Peponvondosovich," Riley shook his head as he approached the cage and ced his palm on it; his eyes, justpletely fixated on the screaming Undead Princess. Very slowly, however, her screams ceased as she started to calm down.


    And soon, a violent steam started to fume out from all of her pores; filling the entire cage with white mist in no time at all.


    "Hm¡­" Riley then turned to look at Randall, who just nodded in response as he too, seemed slightly excited with what was about to emerge; there was, however, a slight hit of concern lingering inside his throat for some reason.


    As for Riley, he was not really that concerned ¡ª the reason Miss Esme was incredibly strong was that because she was already dead and did not have the same limitations as the other Esme; to make her alive again meant that Riley would be returning that weakness to her¡­


    ¡­but for some reason, Riley truly wanted to see what would happen if Esme was to remain in the Domain of the Gods... if whatever greater power was responsible for this ce did not throw her out, that is.


    "!!!"


    Everyone who was watching the scenery all let out a collective gasp of awe and shock as a loud thud drummed in the air as a hand emerged from the smoke, seemingly trying to touch Riley''s hand which was on the other side of the cage. Riley turned to look at thisrge palm, before snapping his fingers and making all the smoke disappear.


    And the very first thing that Riley noticed was the color returning to Esme''s slightly tan skin.


    "Hello, Miss Esme," Riley then whispered as soon as he saw Miss Esme looking him in the eyes, "Do you still remember me and all the time we have yed together?"


    "..." Miss Esme did not really answer Riley and just started looking around, causing the other gods to get excited, as by all definitions, Esme was the first non-god they had seen for the first time in a very, very long time. Esme did not just scan the crowd, she looked at each of their faces one by one, staying longer at Randall. But after a few seconds more, her eyes returned to Riley.


    "Yes. I remember you, Riley Ross," Miss Esme tilted her head to the side as she stared at Riley, "How could I not when you threw an entire gxy at me, and then proceeded to turn me into your pet."


    "That is correct," the smile on Riley''s face returned as he quickly opened the cage to let her out.


    "Woah, woah¡­" Miss Peponvondosovich slightly backed away, "...Are you sure it''s okay for her to be here? And why is she not disappearing, Randall?"


    "Interesting," Randall squinted his eyes as he too, took a step back, "It might be that the Domain of the Gods is recognizing her as a god too. It only makes sense, after all ¡ª the strength she has shown so far is not inferior to most of the gods here. And physically, she might even be on par with those barbarians in the City of Warriors."


    "This feeling¡­" Miss Esme whispered as she stepped out of her cage, looking at her hands which now had color, "...it is truly a weird sensation that I am once again able to make them move the way I want to. I thank you, Demon."


    "Randall," Randall bowed his head, "You may call me Randall, Madam."


    "There is no need to treat me with such a formality," Miss Esme shook her head, "Whatever I was before has already died. And although I did not truly have the desire to live again, or perhaps I was not able to desire at all, I still thank you for reviving me, Randall."


    "I am merely the instrument, he is the one who revived you," Randall gestured to Riley.


    "I know," Miss Esme turned to approach Riley,pletely towering over him, "But from the time I have been Riley Ross''s pet, I believe he asked to revive me for his own enjoyment."


    "That is true, Miss Esme," Riley smiled, "What do you wish to do now?"


    "What is there to do, Riley Ross?" Miss Esme shook her head, "When you recovered me and my people from my universe and brought me to yours, you have already imed ownership of us¡­


    ¡­I am still your pet, and will forever be."


    "...Oh," Riley could not help but slightly lower his eyebrows in disappointment, "Do you not hate me, Miss Esme?"


    "Why would I hate you?" Miss Esme tilted her head to the side, "You were not the one who killed us and turned my people into the undead. You have even fed me, yed with me, clothed me, and even talked to me as if I were alive. You have given me dignity, Riley Ross. If anything¡­


    ¡­I love you, Riley Ross."


    "I forgot you were also in the spectrum, Miss Esme," Riley could really only sigh and shake his head. But after a few seconds of expressing his disappointment, he grabbed something from one of his many pockets and showed it to her,


    "What do you want to do with them?" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Hm?" Miss Esme once again tilted her head to the side as she looked at Riley''s palm, which was now carrying several miniature ss cages, "Are those undead themarians, Riley Ross?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "I have 1,254 with me. Since you are alive now, I am giving them to you. Perhaps¡­


    ¡­Randall could resurrect all of them and could potentially revive your people here, Princess Esme."

 Chapter 883: Abomination Nation

    Chapter 883: Abomination Nation


    "I am afraid I am not able to do that."


    "Oh."


    Miss Esme has not even been able to reply before Randall shuts down any notion of trying to revive the rest of the undead themarians. Riley, however, still has not returned the undead themarians back to his pocket and still had them stretched toward Miss Esme.


    "As I have said before, Master," Miss Esme, however, quickly realized what Riley was doing and quickly shook her head; very gently pushing his hand away, "What you do with them is up to you, and since they will not be revived, you still have ownership of them and I will not take them from you."


    "Very well," Riley just shrugged before casually returning his army back into his pocket. He noticed Randall and Miss Pepondosovich staring at him while doing so, however, prompting him to retrieve a handful of the cages back,


    "Did you want to have your own themarian zombie, Randal, Miss Pepondosovich?" Riley asked as he presented two miniature cages to Randall and Miss Pepondosovich.


    And of course, the two quickly shook their heads and refused. Even if they get one of those, they do not really have the ability to return them to their original size¡­ and most of all, they do not want the responsibility of having a monster they couldn''t control just resting in their pockets ¡ª only an insane person would do that.


    "Then, I suppose I would keep them to use with my previous intention," Riley nodded.


    "...And what kind of intention is that?" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes, "You know what¡­ maybe you actually shouldn''t have those things. Can someone confiscate them from this guy?"


    "Nonsense, Pepondosovich," Randall let out a small chuckle as he raised his hand, "Did you not hear Miss Esme''s words? Even though she was an undead, Riley Ross took care of her and gave her¡­ a life even better than those who are still living. If Riley Ross is already that kind to the undead¡­


    ¡­I would imagine hispassion and kindness to the living knows no bounds."


    "Hm," Miss Esme nodded her head, "That is somewhat true. Before Riley Ross was sent to this ce, he had just ended the reign of a multiversal conqueror that had enved thousands of universes."


    "He had done something like that!?" Randall raised his voice, wanting to pat Riley''s shoulder but failing to do so as he quickly stepped to the side, "Do you see now, the greatness and kindness of yourpanion, Pepondosovich?"


    "Oh, trust me¡­" Miss Pepondosovich let out a smugugh, "...You have no idea what he really is. You will be surprised once you learn his age. But of course, I am not going to tell you, I only told you to make you curious. Anyway, do you want to stay here, or should we go and visit the next city, Riley? We have, like, a very long treacherous road ahead."


    "Wait," Riley quickly turned around as he heard Miss Pepondosovich''s words and then started walking toward the Summoning Well, "Do I just need to put my hand inside this puddle of mudd, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "Right¡­ you still have not summoned your own creature yet," Miss Pepondosovich hopped toward Riley, "Just think of what you want to create, and then transfer a part of your life force into it."


    "My¡­ life force?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he ced his hand inside the mud and looked at Miss Pepondosovich.


    "Oh, just imagine yourself giving birth."


    "I am afraid I have not experienced that yet and will not know how to do it," Riley breathed out, "I do believe I have killed someone who was in the midst of giving birth, thought."


    "You say the weirdest stuff sometimes," Miss Pepondosovich could not help but just look at Riley in disgust, "You know how to emit your energy whenever you''re using your mind-bending abilities to control stuff, right? That is pretty much the same thing."


    "Hm, I will try then, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley nodded as he focused all of his attention on the mud.


    "Ah, you''re doing it!" Miss Pepondosovich slightly backed away as she saw the mud starting to boil, "Now just imagine any creature you want, and the mud will¡ªwhat in the carrot pie is that!?"


    And there and then, Miss Pepondosovich and the other gods could really only take another few steps back as a shadow loomed over them. Even their summons that were staying by their side, almost wanting to just return to the mud as they saw what Riley had just made.


    "Hm," Riley ced his hand on his chin as he stared at his creation, "I tried imagining a mixture of Hannah and Aerith, with a little mixture of the deprivation and hopelessness of all the lives I have taken, then with a dash of Cherbi¡­


    ¡­beautiful."


    "Beautiful!?" Miss Pepondosovich could not help but scream as she wanted to wash her eyes there and then, "Everyone, just kill it¡­


    ¡­kill it with fire!"


    And there and then, the gods inside the City of Summoners have never been more unified as all of them quickly killed Riley''s summon, not allowing it to even start breathing amongst them; because it seemed like even its breath was monstrous due to the fact it was releasing some sort of dark cloud from its body.


    It did not take long, however, before their green skies were clean and clear again. Riley wanted to summon another one since it was quickly dispatched, but s, the City of Summoners once again unified as they all decided to kick Riley and his crew out of the city.


    "Riley Ross, wait!"


    Before Riley and the others could fully leave the area, however, Randall waited for them outside and stood on their path.


    "What do you want, Randall?" Miss Pepondosovich scoffed, "Don''t tell me you wish to join us in our journey?"


    "Only if you are heading to Grea''s city," Randall shook his head.


    "Then no, that''s where we came from."


    "I know," Randall let out a soft chuckle as he looked at Riley, "I am only here to bid farewell to a friend since it might be a few hundred years before we meet again."


    "Hm," Riley nodded at Randall, "I do not n on staying here for long, Randall. I need to leave this ce since there are people outside waiting for me to kill the¡ª"


    "You are leaving?" Randall did not let Riley finish his words as he looked at him with wide eyes, "Do not tell me you are also searching for a Cosmic Piece?"


    "I have no idea what that is, Randall," Riley shook his head.


    "Oh," Randall let out a sigh of relief, "But if you wish to go out, then finding one is one of the ways to do so. If you happen to garner any news regarding it in one of your travels, follow its trail¡­ ¡­and perhaps we will meet again sooner than I thought."


    ***


    "I truly do not know why none of you liked my summon, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "That was not a summon, Riley! They even forcefully kicked us out and banned us from visiting the city for a thousand years!"


    "I was told there were no rules here, Miss Pepondosovich. But it would seem our freedom ispletely restricted."


    "I agree with you, Master. Your summon was indeed more intriguing than the others."


    A few hours after bidding farewell to Randall, Riley, Miss Pepondosovich, and Miss Esme were now walking on a slightly brown field of grass. And with the way each of their height stands, they seemed like a¡­ unique bunch.


    "Intriguing? It was hideous!" Miss Pepondosovich stopped walking as she hopped in front of Miss Esme and Riley, "Wait, just the two of you wait! As your guide, I feel like there needs to be a set of rules we should follow!"


    "No," Riley quickly shook his head, "Aulus said there are no rules here, Miss Pepondosovich, I prefer for it to be like that."


    "I prefer that as well," Miss Esme nodded, "My followed the rules to thetter, we were wiped out all the same."


    "Then can I at least ask a favor!?"


    "Of course, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley nodded, and Miss Esme followed.


    "Can you please, please tell me before you are about to do something insane, Riri?" Miss Pepondosovich''s bunny ears slightly lowered, "It feels like I am taking care of a baby. Of course, you are only really like a baby, but still."


    "That is no problem at all, Miss Pepondosovich. I will tell you if I do something that might feel insane to you," Riley once again nodded, "But can you answer my question first?"


    "What? What is it?"


    "A cosmic piece, what is it?" Riley tilted his head to the side. And as he did so, Miss Esme sat on the ground to listen to Miss Pepondosovich.


    "It''s¡­ nothing, really," Miss Pepondosovich sighed,


    "It''s a way for us to be a Higher God."

 Chapter 884: The Cosmic Piece

    Chapter 884: The Cosmic Piece


    The Domain of The Gods.


    No one truly knows when it was made, or how the civilizations inside it came to be, or how anything truly worked in it. The only thing its residents truly know is that each of them that were living there was capable of doing damage at the apocalyptic level ¡ª that was the very reason they implemented their own rules in the first ce.


    If there was one god who happened to be violent, the damage he would do would probably be like dominoes, just rippling across the domain and affecting the other gods who have learned to suppress their violent urges.


    There was nothing to do in the Domain of the Gods at the start, it was more like a prison to keep godly beings. There was nothing to do, nothing at all except one.


    The search for a Cosmic Piece.


    Once again, no one truly knows where the cosmic pieces came to be, but when someone first discovered it a very, very long time ago, that was when they realized they could escape this domain. It would have already been a boon to those who were trapped in this ce with just that, but no.


    The one who discovered the first cosmic piece returned to the Domain with news that made all the gods tremble in their godly boots ¡ª the cosmic piece allows one to create his or her own universe inside the multiverse, not a pocket dimension or another domain, a real universe.


    That was when the Domain of the Gods truly received its name. After all, if one discovers a cosmic piece, then one will truly be a True God. One who handles his own universe.


    And soon, the quest for the cosmic pieces brought forth to a new age for the Domain. Everyone wanted one for themselves, but a cosmic piece was truly a rare item ¡ª perhaps through its entire existence, there have only been 11 found.


    And perhaps, there truly are only 11 pieces, one could truly never know."


    "That is very interesting, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "But that is not all."


    Miss Pepondosovich had her ck hat out. Her hand has actually been pulling all sorts of stuff inside it and showing it to Riley and Esme; a sort of sand that was able to transform into the images that were in her mind.


    "It is also said that if you manage to gather all the cosmic pieces¡­" Miss Pepondosovich then started returning everything she had pulled out back into her hat as she stared Riley and Esme in the eyes, "...You will be a supreme being, on the same level as the Primordials or perhaps even a higher existence than them¡­


    ¡­and you will restart and create the entire Creation itself."


    Miss Pepondosovich then waved her hands in the air as her hat disappeared; the tone of her voice, forcefully deep while she stepped backward for additional dramatic effect. As for Riley and Esme, the two of them were just pping their hands as they remained seated on the brown grass.


    "That is a very good story, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley said, "But who said it?"


    "Hm?"


    "Who said one will be a supreme being if you manage to collect all the cosmic pieces?" Riley asked.


    "...Oh," Miss Pepondosovich''s rabbit ears quickly lowered as she looked up, "I actually have no idea. I might have just heard it somewhere."


    "Are you not searching for it yourself, Madam Miss Pepondosovich?" Esme stood up from the ground; oddly enough, she did not have to pat away any dirt from her buttocks as neither dust nor grass were even pulled from the Domain''s ground.


    "Psh, me?" Miss Pepondosovich quickly shook her head, "I did once, but I got bored after a thousand years. The two of you still have no idea how incrediblyrge this ce is ¡ª we are actually quite lucky we haven''t seen any monsters yet."


    "Monsters?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he also stood up from the ground, "I thought only godly beings are allowed in this domain, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "Something like that," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged, "What I meant by monsters are loose summons."


    "I suppose that makes sense," Riley ced his hand on his chin.


    "It sure does. There are actually quite a lot of them, most are actually not even original summons anymore, as most of the earlier summons have¡­ bred with one another," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged, "And get this¡­


    ¡­since the Domain of the Gods has existed even before other universes, some of the summons have actually already evolved into humanoids like you and I."


    "You mean to say that there are normal people here, Miss Pepondosovich?" Riley blinked as he looked Miss Pepondosovich in the eyes.


    "Yes," Miss Pepondosovich nodded, "They are very far away, however, and all of us gods sort of have this quiet rule not to meddle with their affairs. If you go far enough, you would actually see shrines of a few of us built by them."


    "Hm, that is very interesting, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley nodded, "Can we perhaps visit them along our journey?"


    "...Why?" Miss Pepondosovich''s ears twitched.


    "There might be a cosmic piece there since no other gods tend to visit their¡­ realm, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "...You want to find a cosmic piece?"


    "Yes," Riley did not hesitate to answer, "Unlike most of you, I still have things left to do in the multiverse, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Right¡­" Miss Pepondosovich let out a short but very deep sigh, "...I almost forgot you are only 26 years old. Most of your people are still pretty much alive ¡ª don''t worry, your longing for them will pass."


    "Hm¡­"


    "But if you truly want to find a cosmic piece, then I shall apany you in your journey," Miss Pepondosovich lightly hopped as she raised her hand, "Let our tour party be a search party from now on!"


    Both Riley and Esme also raised their hands in the air; both of them,pletely emotionless as they did so.


    "I was going to tour you guys to the City of Warriors, but let''s skip that for now and go to the harbor," Miss Pepondosovich nodded before she once again started leaping away, not even waiting for Riley and Esme. After all, they could easily catch up to her anyway, "We can always just return in a few years after we have given up our search for a cosmic piece."


    "Do not worry, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head as he followed just behind Miss Pepondosovich, "We will not have to search for long, as we won''t have to search in the first ce."


    "And¡­ how are you even going to do something like that?" Miss Pepondosovich was about to roll out her eyes, before she realized what Riley''s words implicated, "Wait¡­


    ¡­don''t tell me you''re going to steal from one of the Higher Gods!?"


    "Hm," Riley did not really answer and just let out a hum, a hum that truly made Miss Pepondosovich slightly worried. But after a few seconds, she just strengthened and quickened her pace to the point that everything became just a streak and a blur around them.


    The trio stopped once in a while after several hours of just traversing the domain, with Miss Pepondosovich still doing her role as a tour guide and exining the region they happen to be in, which was not really much exining, as most of the domain truly was just an empty field of nothing.


    There passed by several gods, but most just quickly turned on their Territory for some reason until they were out of sight. And soon, after what seemed like several days, the trio finally saw the sight of a blue sky filling the entire horizon.


    Of course, it was not really a sky, but instead also an endless ocean that reflected the world below it.


    "I wee you¡­ to Harbor City!" Miss Pepondosovich once again raised her arms as she took one final hope in front of Harbor City, "I am pretty sure it has a different name, but it has been a while since I''vest been here, so forgive me."


    "This ce is¡ª"


    "Large, right?" Miss Pepondosovich stepped to the side so Riley and Esme could have a full view of the entrance of the city, "Most gods like the ocean for some reason, so they make this ce their home. Like some sort ofmercial area? There are more private homes for the gods who like to keep to themselves if you follow the shore."


    Harbor City consisted of probably more than a thousand buildings, all made of some sort of material that resembled a brick¡ªif bricks were stronger than diamonds, that is. The design was also almost archaic, with the roofs also tiled with bricks and doors were either just wood or drapes.


    And the gods who were walking there did not seem like gods at all as they carried stuff with their hands.


    "Of course, before we enter, though¡­" Miss Pepondosovich walked closer to both Riley and Esme before the three of them just turned around to look in a certain direction,


    "...You have been following us for a while now, perhaps you should show courtesy and introduce yourse¡ª"


    "Greetings."


    And before Miss Pepondosovich could even finish her words, a person suddenly appeared right in front of them; causing a burst of wind to blow as he stopped just a meter away from hitting Esme.


    "Oh¡­?" Esme quickly blinked a couple of times as she looked at this man who suddenly appeared in front of them from head to toe,


    "You''re a themarian."

 Chapter 885: Seed

    Chapter 885: Seed


    "You''re a themarian."


    "You are too."


    "Oh?"


    Riley was curious, so much so that his eyebrows rose almost more than half an inch as he started looking back and forth between Esme and the supposed themarian stranger. How could he not be curious, when female themarians are biologically and mentally superior to their male counterparts by quite a lot.


    And yet, here was a male themarian that was in the domain of the gods.


    "...What even is a themarian?" Miss Pepondosovich also could not help but raise an eyebrow, but in confusion.


    "Forgive me, madam. For having followed you this far and not make myself known," the themarian strange had long golden hair that smoothly flowed down from his shoulders as he bowed his head,


    "My name is Seed."


    "My name is Esme," Esme did not really show any formalities and just introduced herself, "Miss Esme."


    "Forgive me once again for asking," Seed respectfully ced his hand on his chest, "Although your stature ispletely different, but you remind me so much of one of the princesses of the Varoif kingdom."


    "Then you are probably thinking of my mother, Seed," Esme let out a small hum as memories of her past returned to her.


    "Then you are themarian royalty," Seed once again bowed; this time, even kneeling as he showed his utmost respect to Esme, "I greet you, I am a vassal of the Varoif kingdom and have worked as a scientist all my life."


    "There is no need to bow to me, Seed," Esme quickly took a step back and subtly walked behind Riley, "Whatever I was before I died, I am no longer. My people, home, and entire universe have already sumbed to a malevolent sickness."


    "Yes¡­ although immortal, it is our fate to die in the end," Seed let out a very long and deep sigh as he soon turned to look at Riley, "And you ¡ª I do not know what you are, but I have been watching you ever since you brought out the undead themarian that happens to be Princess Esme. Although dead, I quickly sensed the energy she was giving out because I happen to be in the city of summoners."


    "Hm," Riley shrugged, "I apologize, you may not know about what I am, but I have an idea about who you are, Seed."


    "Hm?" Seed squinted.


    "You are from a dead universe that was devoured by millions of cherbis," Riley nodded, "I have met one of your colleagues when I was sent to her universe by a conqueror who happens to be the variant of my adoptive father."


    "That¡­" Seed could not help but take in a deep gasp as he heard Riley''s words, such a small sentence containing almost an infinite number of curiosity. And yet, Seed could really focus on one thing, "...Dead universe?"


    "Yes."


    "So, in the end¡­ I failed," Seed closed his eyes and breathed in deep. But after a few seconds of quietlymenting, he once again focused on Riley, "You mentioned a colleague?"


    "Dr. Caiin. She happened to be lucky enough to have met my friend and me, who got us out of your dying universe even without ess to multiversal travel," Riley recalled his adventures with Hera, and how it almost seemed like a lifetime ago even though it shouldn''t have even been a year. But then again, he did spend time trapped in eternity.


    "Dr. Caiin is alive?" Seed quickly ced his hand on his chin before looking at Riley from head to toe, "I know that three of you are heading to the Mortal''s world, but may I ask for some of your time? I¡­


    ¡­wish to know what happened after I left my universe."


    ***


    "Hold up¡­ are you saying you have really met the Primordials?"


    It did not really take Riley long to share what had happened to him, as he honed his story-telling skill back when they were pruning out Hannah and the others from all the dead universes they were thrown into.


    Whether or not his story was believable, however, was something only those who listened to him could really only judge ¡ª and right now, only Miss Esme seemed to be nodding her head. Miss Pepondosovich and Seed, on the other hand, could not help but look at Riley in bewilderment. The four of them were now in some sort of tavern, seated at a table with Esme and Riley just enjoying some snacks, Miss Pepondosovich and Seed could not really eat or drink anything even if they wanted to, as they were too immersed in whatever Riley was telling them.


    "That is¡­ a very intriguing life you have, Riley Ross," Seed let out a small hum as he rested his back on his chair, "Although most of it is unbelievable, I could not help but just think that they truly have happened. After all, you are here ¡ª and although bringing an undead themarian in the Domain of the Gods is not enough proof, it is still proof nheless¡­


    ¡­thank you for sharing with me what I have missed."


    "It is no problem at all, Seed," Riley just shook his head as he took a sip of milk, probably divine milk judging from the taste.


    "Since Master has already quenched your curiosity, Dr. Seed," Esme leaned forward on her seat as she focused on eating her snacks, "Perhaps you may tell us what you are?"


    "...What do you mean?" Seed blinked a couple of times.


    "Master said that you might be a themarian from the ancient times, and have lived for a million years. But I am positive that even after all that time, you would have never surpassed a female themarian in terms of strength and intelligence. And this is not in any way to belittle you, Dr. Seed, but that is just the way our species works."


    "Of course," Dr. Seed truly did not seem to mind as he just shook his head, "I am a man of science, I follow and respect only the facts."


    "And so, howe you are here?" Esme tilted her head to the side, "And the Seed that Dr. Caiin seemed to be describing from Riley''s story is aloof and untrusting of another, a lone wolf. And yet here you are, even approaching us on your own."


    "A man can change drastically in just a single moment, Miss Esme," Seed could not help but let out a soft chuckle as he looked at Esme, "And the moment that changed me is quite drastic, as to why I am here ¡ª then perhaps it is my time to share my story."


    "Oh?" Riley quickly raised his hand to order another set of snacks and milk for the table. And as soon as it arrived, Seed carefully rested his elbows on the table as he looked Esme and Riley in the eyes, even Miss Pepondosovich could not help but be curious even though it had nothing to do with her and she lived in apletely different universe.


    "You said Dr. Caiin theorized that I discovered multiversal travel, correct?" Seed looked at Riley.


    "Correct, Dr. Seed."


    "I did not," Seed shook his head, "What I did learn, however, as I lured away the cherbis¡­ were their entire physiology and biology."


    "Oh? I thought they were just a clump of living ck holes," Riley squinted his eyes, "So that is why my summon turned out the way it did when we were in the city of summoners."


    "Ack, please don''t remind me of that," Miss Pepondosovich almost dropped the food she was chewing as she heard Riley''s words.


    "Hm," Esme nodded, "I sort of miss Cherbi even though only my dead self interacted with it, Master. You should have brought it here."


    "They are much more than that," Seed interrupted everyone''s small talk before they could get sidetracked, "I will not go into the specifics, but I managed¡­ to merge myself with them."


    And as soon as Seed said that, his eyes turnedpletely ck; the wooden mug he was looking at, instantly disappearing as he did so.


    "Oh?" A small smile started to crawl on Riley''s face as he looked at Seed. Or more specifically, at the back of his head, "That is a very interesting ability, Dr. Seed."


    "I was going to save my universe, Riley Ross. I was," Dr. Seed nodded to himself several times before looking at Riley, "With this ability, I was able to also remove the cherbis from my universe permanently. And I was removing them, and I was on my way back to Dr. Caiin and the Common Council¡­


    ¡­but I was suddenly pulled away."


    "By a Primordial?" Riley squinted as he ced his hands on his chin, "I could see why they would take interest in you now, Dr. Seed. A themarian with the ability of Cherbi is truly a force to be reckoned with."


    "No, I was not pulled by a Primordial," Dr. Seed shook his head, "I was pulled away by one of the Higher Gods."


    "...Which one?" Miss Pepondosovich widened her eyes.


    "A themarian."


    "...What?"


    "A themarian like you and I," Dr. Seed turned to look at Esme, "I have forgotten her name since she had only said it in passing before sending me here, but now I remember." ??v€l-B1n was the first tform to present this chapter.


    "One of the Higher Gods is the same species as you two?" Miss Pepondosovich could not help but widen her eyes even further, "I haven''t even heard of your race until now!"


    "It is."


    "Hm?" Both Esme and Miss Pepondosovich could really only turn their heads to Riley as Dr. Seed suddenly pointed his finger at him.


    "The themarian god''s name is¡­


    ¡­Aerith''Ross."

 886 Chapter 886: The Themarian God

    886 Chapter 886: The Themarian God


    "Aerith¡­ Ross?"


    The other parts of Riley''s face that he hasn''t used for a long time finally moved as he looked Seed in the eyes. The look of surprise in his eyes, visible for even Esme to see. There has only been a number of times that Riley has ever been surprised¡­


    ¡­and this was probably the most shock he had ever been in his entire life, even more so than when his favorite character died in Italian Mafia Reborn.


    Several million thoughts quickly started to surface in his mind, and yet none of them could really give him any exnation as to what he just heard. And so, the only thing he could really do was take a deep breath and gulp the mug of milk in front of him.


    "Aerith," Esme also grabbed a snack as she looked at Seed, "I only know of one that has that name, the Princess of Hel ¡ª she died in my world when she tried to save the children of Theran, only to be eaten by them in the end. And although my memory is a little hazy the time I was an undead¡­


    ¡­I am sure the Princess Aerith of your universe is your lover. Is that correct, Master?"


    "A littleplicated. But, yes," Riley nodded.


    "A Princess of Hel?" Seed squinted his eyes, "Perhaps Queen Adel''s child after the Prince?"


    "Hm."


    "Then she was not alive yet when I disappeared from my universe. But I suppose that doesn''t matter¡­" Seed then once again focused his eyes on Riley, "...What matters is the identity of the themarian god. It is not impossible that there could have been another themarian with the same name as the Hel princess in the past, but herst name to be the same as yours is too much to be considered coincidental."


    "No," Riley closed his eyes and sighed, "Whoever she is, and whatever this may be, I believe everything to just be coincidental. I was already told by Nothing and the Primordials that traveling to the past is not possible ¡ª as time is and will always be a line moving forward."


    "Of course," Seed nodded, "That is what I thought too. But themarians have only existed for millions of years¡­


    ¡­but all of the Higher Gods have been in this domain for more than a billion."


    "Oh," Riley squinted his eyes.


    "Initially, I did not think much of it since she might have just been our great ancestor, or perhaps our god who had created us in her image¡­


    ¡­but after meeting you and hearing your story, I do not know anymore."


    "Is there any way for us to meet this themarian god that carries the name of my beloved and me?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "What¡ª" Miss Pepondosovich, who waspletely enjoying everything she was hearing, could not help but widen her eyes as she saw the three suddenly looking at her, "Why are you low ears looking at me now? I don''t even know what a themarian is."


    "You have been here far longer than I have, Miss Pepondosovich," Seed breathed out, "Do you perhaps know a way we could meet a Higher God, specifically Aerith''Ross?"


    "...Why would I know something like that? I don''t even know half the names of the Higher Gods," Miss Pepondosovich could really only let out a sigh as she noticed the disappointment growing in Seed and everyone else''s eyes, "Shouldn''t you know that? You have met with her once, after all."


    "And only once," Seed also let out a loud sigh as he rested his back on his chair, "I have not really done anything else since I was brought into this domain but to travel aimlessly without purpose."


    "You just described all the residents of this ce, Seed," Miss Pepondosovich once again also sighed, "Gods¡­ pft. More like prisoners just drifting along the wave of eternity."


    "Aerith Ross," Riley could not help but whisper to himself, "Is it truly time travel? But even Van told me that it is impossible even for him to run to the past."


    "Van¡­?" Miss Pepondosovich almost leaped up from her seat as she heard Riley''s words, "Did you just say Van!?"


    "Oh, you know him?" Riley blinked.


    "Know him?" Miss Pepondosovich gasped as she pointed at Riley, "He has a city built just for him here! He was already long gone before I was thrown here, but the stories I''ve heard about him was¡­ ack. You met him!?"


    "Van?"


    And as soon as that name traveled throughout the entire tavern, the other gods that were just previously minding their own business could not help but turn their heads toward Riley''s table.


    "You really met him¡­?" And so, Miss Pepondosovich just opted to lean closer to Riley and just whisper. Even Seed, who was busy thinking up theories, could not help but be sidetracked as he looked at Riley.


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "I met him at the end of my universe, running in search of something while being chased by Death."


    "That is¡­ incredibly exhrating," Miss Pepondosovich seemed to have trouble breathing as her excitement went through the roof, "Who even are you, Riley Ross?"


    "Riley Ross," Riley just nodded as he answered Miss Pepondosovich''s question, "Do you also happen to know the Eternal Child, Viel?"


    "!!!" Miss Pepondosovich quickly leaped toward Riley to cover his mouth. It seemed to be already toote, however, as everyone inside the tavern was once again looking at Riley. Fortunately, none of them seemed to n to do anything and just shrugged their shoulders before minding their own business again.


    "You¡­ you don''t say that name here," Miss Pepondosovich loudly whispered into Riley''s ear, "I heard this once, and this is way before my time¡ªmaybe even before Grea''s time, but a Primordial had toe down here because of him since he was causing too much trouble."


    "Hm¡­"


    "And get this¡­" Miss Pepondosovich gestured to Seed and Esme to alsoe closer as she lowered her voice, "...He wasn''t actually pruned from his universe or sent to this ce by anyone, he found the Domain of the Gods and forced himself in. You have seen Aulus, right? I heard Viel tied him into a knot, and when Aulus was finally able to set himself free after a few years, Viel said it was just a prank and bribed him with candy to pay for his silence."


    "Goodness," Seed could not help but also gasp, "To y with gods, just what sort of being is he?"


    "Van and Viel¡­" Miss Pepondosovich continued to whisper, "They are rumored to be as strong or even stronger than Primordials."


    "You seem to know a lot for someone iming that she does not know a lot, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme ced her hand on her chin.


    "If you have been here for as long as I have, you are bound to pick up some things," Miss Pepondosovich just waved her hand, "You should¡ª"


    "I have learned a lot from this meeting, everyone." And before Miss Pepondosovich could share even more of her stories, Seed suddenly stood up, "I would like to continue my travels while the information is still fresh in my mind ¡ª I wish to know more about the themarian god."


    "...I thought for sure you wereing with us," Miss Pepondosovich also stood up from her seat, slightly confused as she looked back and forth between Esme and Seed, "Don''t the two of you want to spend more time together?"


    "You are searching for a cosmic piece, yes?" Seed shook his head, "I am not interested in it. I could not even save my own, what business do I have in creating my own universe and bing god? But, nevertheless, I am sure that your journey will also lead you to finding clues about Aerith''Ross."


    "Hm," Riley nodded as he also stood up from his seat.


    "I wille and find you if I gain more information, Riley Ross," Seed also nodded to Riley, "I believe that somehow¡­


    ¡­this involves you deeper than you know."


    ***


    "Out of all the gods I will meet, I met you. The Primordials have probably noticed how bored I am of this ce."


    After bidding farewell to Seed, the three were now waiting at the seaside of the harbor, with Miss Pepondosovich letting out a very long and deep breath as she stared at the endless sea.


    "As I recall, you wanted to steal my grass, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "True, true," Miss Pepondosovich just shrugged at Riley''s words, "But in return, you got me, the greatest guide you will ever need. I am even going so far as taking you to the realm of the mortals. They¡ªAh, there''s our ship!"


    Riley and Esme quickly turned to look at where Miss Pepondosovich was pointing, only to see arge wooden ship docking close to them.


    "Can we not just fly, Miss Pepondosovich?" Esme could not help but squint as she looked at the boat from starboard to port side.


    "No, a big no¡­" Miss Pepondosovich crossed her hands into an ''X'', "To visit the mortals¡­


    ¡­one must act as a mortal."

 Chapter 887 - 887: To Infinity

    Chapter 887 - 887: To Infinity


    Riley had done so many things that one could not even imagine doing. He had killed trillions of people, traveled across multiverses, traveled in a spaceship almost asrge as a moon, killed several universes, died hundreds of times¡­ and yet right now, Riley was doing something for the first time that most people have already done once in their lives.


    Travel by sea.


    But of course, as the sea itself looked incredibly t due to the fact that the ship was actually moving across the water at an unknown speed, most people have actually not traveled by sea in this way.


    Miss Pepondosovich had exined to him that thend of the mortals was actually far, and in terms of the perspective in the Domain of the Gods, far is¡­ quite far. It is no wonder that the mortals can not really reach thend of the gods, try as they might.


    And of course, it was not only the sound of the endless sea waving at the speed of light that Riley was allowing to enter his ears, it was also the sound of Miss Pepondosovich puking.


    "Are you alright, Miss Pepondosovich?" Esme was by her side, patting her back as everything she ate at the tavern was practically now with the sea. In most circumstances, Esme patting Miss Pepondosovich''s back would have been impossible for the simple fact that Esme was at least 10 feet tall, and Miss Pepondosovich was probably shorter than 4 feet. But currently, the two of them were close to each other''s height.


    "No. No, I''m not alrig¡ªEugh!" Miss Pepondosovich continued to puke everything she could puke; her human ears which were not there before,pletely red.


    And that was not the only change in their physique, Miss Pepondosovich''s rabbit ears were also gone. By all means, the two of them just looked human now. And it wasn''t only them, the other gods who were also on the ship looked incredibly human.


    And once again, Riley, with his white hair and abnormally white skin was the weirdest-looking one of the bunch.


    This was one of the conditions of going to the mortal world ¡ª one must look like a mortal. How they were able to change their appearance, well, there are many gods living in the harbor who were capable of changing others'' appearances, for a price of several gems, of course.


    "I have been meaning to ask, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley seemed topletely ignore Miss Pepondosovich''s state as he just casually stood beside her; his eyes, on the endless sea instead of the suffering woman vomiting her entire life,


    "These gems you have been using as payment, are they this world''s currency?"


    "Y¡­ yes," Miss Pepondosovich raised a finger, gesturing to Riley to just wait for a bit.


    "And how exactly do we repay you?" Riley breathed out as he nced at Esme, "You paid for all of our fares, as well as Miss Esme''s transformation."


    "Trust me¡­" Miss Pepondosovich took in a deep breath as she wiped her mouth, "...the entertainment you are bringing me is enough payment. Do not underestimate a god''s boredom, Riri."


    "Hm¡­" Riley nodded, "...Then I will make sure that you get more than what you paid for, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Somehow¡­ I don''t like the sound of that," Miss Pepondosovich, "Remember, Riri. You too, Miss Esme ¡ª you do not, by whatever circumstance, even death, show any of your godly abilities to the mortals."


    "What will happen if we do, Miss Pepondosovich?" Esme tilted her head to the side, "Will we get punished?" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "There are no rules here, Miss Esme," Riley shook his head, "I do not think that is the case."


    "That is the case," Miss Pepondosovich quickly pointed a finger at Riley, causing him to dodge whatever it was that almost hit him in the face, "We have strictly self-imposed ourselves that we will not reveal ourselves to the mortals. In this domain, we have a saying; If a god dares show itself to the mortals, then the said god must prepare to receive the wrath of a million gods¡­ or something."


    "We will be hunted down by everyone, Miss Pepondosovich?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he stared at Miss Pepondosovich''s finger.


    "Yes," Miss Pepondosovich nodded, "Once it has been proven that you used your abilities to hurt or manipte the mortals, you will be forced and exiled to the deepest part of the domain and be one of the Fallen."


    "That does not sound good, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme covered her face, trying to imitate an emotion of shock.


    "It''s not!" Miss Pepondosovich scoffed, "It is practically a prison."


    "But what happens if you use your powers for the sake of the mortals, or to save them?" Esme asked.


    "Then you just get scolded and warned not to repeat it again," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged.


    "I have been sent to prison a couple of times, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shrugged, "I always seem to manage to get out."


    "Not this time," Miss Pepondosovich shook her head, "Even I do not know exactly where the deepest part of the domain is since it is basically just an endless t world, but no Fallen has evere back from it."


    "That sounds interesting, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley squinted, "And since we are on the topic of exiled gods, does the name Paige Pearson mean anything to you?"


    "Page what now?"


    "No, you do not need to mind it, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head as he just once again focused on the endless horizon of nothing but blue. And soon, something that had never happened before during his stay in the domain happened ¡ª the scenery turned dark.


    "Ah, we are getting near." And as soon as Miss Pepondosovich uttered those words, everyone on the ship felt their entire bodies slightly being tugged as the ship started to slow down. And as the ocean once again regained its shape and the sound of the waves whispered into everyone''s ears, the sight of a gigantic statue weed everyone.


    No, it wasn''t just a single statue, but several. Some of the statues also had candles lit up on them, meaning there were peopleing to the sea and praying for the gods.


    "Oh, is that not you, Miss Pepondosovich?" Esme quickly pointed at a statue that somewhat resembled Miss Pepondosovich when she still had her rabbit ears on.


    "Oh, sheesh," Miss Pepondosovich could not help but just scratch the back of her head, "I did not realize that it was still there."


    "The mortals know you exist, Miss Pepondosovich?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he also looked at Miss Pepondosovich''s statue.


    "Y¡­ yes," Miss Pepondosovich shyly answered, "I sort of saved a couple of their peoples here and there when I wasst here."


    "So, you used your powers, Miss Pepondosovich?" Esme blinked a couple of times, "After warning us several times that we should not, by any circumstance, show our powers to them?"


    "Well¡­ I learned from experience," Miss Pepondosovich crossed her arms and let out a confident nod, "And also, that was a warning to myself too, since if I show the mortal my powers again, I will be exiled."


    "Hm¡­" Esme squinted as she looked suspiciously at Miss Pepondosovich.


    "I think you should be alright, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head as he pointed at Miss Pepondosovich''s statue, "Your statue seems to have not been cleaned for thousands of years, and there are no candles lit up too. I believe they have already forgotten you, there is a chance the other gods might have too."


    "I do not know if I should be happy about that or not," Miss Pepondosovich''s eyes twitched.


    "You should, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley sighed, "Being famous is a curse, I know it."


    "A¡­anyway," Miss Pepondosovich started walking back inside the ship while waving her hands, "Get a good rest, we will be traveling at mortal speeds from now on until we get to one of their seaports. And remember, once we dock there¡­


    ¡­act as normal as possible."


    ***


    "Are¡­ are you a god!?"


    "Yes, behold."


    "What!? No!"


    Not even a second after literally stepping foot on mortal soil, Miss Pepondosovich already had to forcefully push Riley away as one of the loiterers around the dock approached him due to the nature of his hair and skin.


    "What are you doing, Riri!? I thought I told you not to do anything."


    "They asked me, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "You''re not supposed to say anything!"


    "It is not my fault that he asked me."


    "Of course, they are going to ask you!" Miss Pepondosovich looked back at all the people kneeling on the dock, "Look!"


    "..." Riley turned to look back at the dock, only to see the loiterers asking everyone that was stepping off the ship the same question ¡ª and it wasn''t only their ship, they even approached the other ships and boats.


    "Those people are desperate, Riri. They will ask everyone that hase from the sea the same question," Miss Pepondosovich sighed, "Riri, promise me¡­ do not use your powers, or else this will be a very short journey to search for a cosmic piece."


    "Do not worry, Miss Pepondosovich¡­


    ¡­I won''t use my powers."

 Chapter 888 - 888: Infinity

    Chapter888 - 888: Infinity


    Some say that infinity can never be measured, some say it already has, as we would not have a name for it in the first ce if they did not. One could imagine infinity, but could they, really? To the extent that it would be considered infinity?


    What about and that never truly ends? Is that infinity? Or, perhaps, like most who were born on an ind, they had just not yet discovered the sea?


    Or perhaps, infinity is just an illusion. The primitive man could walk around the world several times, trying to reach the end not knowing that there is none, and thinking his world is just infinite.


    Imagine, imagine¡­ imagine.


    Well, for the people of the world of Manirosa, they did not need to imagine an infinite horizon as their world, by all definitions of the word, is infinite. They know it because they were told by the gods that lived amongst them.


    And so, more so than technology, more so than an advancement of civilization, the people of Manirosa strived for something different ¡ª they strived to conquer infinity, as the gods have promised them a life of equally infinite wealth if they found the treasure they are searching for.


    A treasure called the Cosmic Piece.


    But of course, those who dream of these were not really treated kindly by their kingdom. As the powerful believe that the gods have lied to them, and this promise of wealth was just the gods'' way to keep them in the palm of their hands.


    But even the royalty, however, could not escape the promise of infinite wealth. More than a hundred years ago now, the exiled princess of thergest Kingdom of Mariposa, Silve R. Rohjer, was publicly executed for trying to search for the Cosmic Piece.


    Before she and her party were executed, however, the words she uttered before the des decapitated her head resounded not only across their kingdom, but throughout Manirosa.


    And herst words were,


    "It is true. I found it, the Cosmic Pie¡ª"


    "Ray! Are you still telling that story to the children!?"


    "Shut up, Ladle Holder! You will not stop these young hearts from searching the Cosmic Piece!"


    "If I catch you, you better be ready!"


    "If. If you catch me!"


    Somewhere inside arge, but dpidated building, a boy was currently being chased by argedy holding adle; each of their heavy steps, caused the old bricks to slightly shake and the wooden furniture to creak. But despite the building''s old appearance, there was no dust moving at all aside from the chafing bricks, a testament to how well taken care of it was.


    But s, this immacte interior was about to change as the children inside the building also started running away even though they were not the ones being chased by the fatdy.


    "Hurry! Before the Ladle Holder catches you!" Ray, the one who instigated the entire situation, gently grabbed and carried one of the little children, "Aha! A mistake, never trust anyone!"


    All of a sudden, however, Ray threw the child he was holding toward the fatdy, finally making her stop running as she let go of herdle and caught the child instead.


    "Ray, you¡ª!!!"


    The child that Ray threw did not seem to mind, however, as he even started to climb on the bigdy''s shoulder and covered her eyes, "Go, Ray! Go search for the cosmic piece!"


    "I will¡­" Ray then leaped on the opened window, ncing back at all the children looking at him with admiration, "...And I will make sure that all of us get our own castles, and this orphanage will soon just be the birthce of the King of Infinity!"


    "Go!"


    And as he heard the children cheer for him, Ray nodded onest time before just leaping out the window¡­


    ¡­only for him to be caught by an evenrgerdy¡ªnot fat, but built like a buffalo.


    "Where do you think you are going this time, young man?" The muscrdy just wrapped her arm around Ray,pletely locking his head.


    "M¡­ Mother Leticia, unhand me!" Ray struggled to get free, but the muscrdy, Leticia, did not even budge for even a single millimeter.


    "Have you cleaned thetrines as I have ordered you to?"


    "I¡­ I am destined for better things, greater things!" Ray roared, "I will be the one to find the Cosmic Piece!"


    "That''s¡­ not real," Leticia could really only let out a sigh before letting Ray go, "And if it is real, then maybe you''ll have luck finding it while cleaning the crappers."


    "It is real, Princess Silve said it was!" Ray pointed at Leticia''s face, "And it''s out there on the endless horizon!"


    "Have you tried looking at the crappers?" Leticia crossed her arms.


    "It''s not there!"


    "Are you really believing the words of a princess of another kingdom who had died a hundred years ago rather than the person who took care of you your entire life?" Leticia''s voice then forcefully turned somber as she looked away; her shoulders, exaggeratingly bobbing up and down. She was obviously faking being said, but Ray waspletely clueless about this and just started panicking.


    "W¡­ wait! I''m¡­ I''m going to clean the crappers now!"


    And with those words, Ray just rushed away to clean the toilets. But of course, since the orphanage was not really thatrge, everyone could hear himin, gag, andin again but with a louder voice.


    Ray lived in an orphanage a few walks from the busy part of the city, and aside from some measly bread and soup, the lord of the castle did not really provide them with anything else ¡ª and so, most of the time, Ray and the other older orphans take some odd jobs in the city.


    But s, the orphans of Ray''s age have now all left the orphanage to seek for a better life for and by themselves, leaving only Ray and the Mothers of the house to think of ways to keep the orphanage afloat for the younger children.


    Ray could actually leave anytime he wanted now, but he made a promise to Leticia and everyone that he wouldn''t, and he would even be rich enough that their orphanage would be even bigger than the Lord''s castle.


    But once again, s¡­ how can someone uneducated, untrained, and undisciplined in the ways of the world actually start earning coins? Ray wanted a job that could pay him more, but those kinds of jobs were reserved for people who went to school or had a rmendation.


    And so,e night time, Ray once again tried his luck in the busy and crowded city ¡ª that perhaps maybe, maybe he could find a job that would allow him to start his journey to find the cosmic piece, the only thing he knows that could possibly elevate him and the orphanage from their poor state.


    "Sir, your shoes are looking a little dirty."


    "Oh, are you offering to clean them, young man? How much?"


    "No, maybe you want to give them to me now? I heard going barefoot has its benefits."


    "What the¡ªget out of here! You beggar!"


    He didn''t know what he was doing wrong, but no one seemed to want to offer him anything. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Does no one understand my vision¡­?" Raymented as he walked through the streets of the crowded city. And as everyone went on their way, not even looking at him, he could really only whisper to himself as he walked to the side of the road and rested there,


    "Does everyone here have a purpose but me?"


    Ray looked on at the moving crowd as he leaned his back on one of the houses before just letting himself fall to the ground. His eyes, very slowly closed as he felt the exhaustion veiling his body bit by bit.


    "Riri, I forgot to ask. But what''s the technology in your world like? Mine was almost like this, we weren''t particrly advanced."


    "I suppose my home was quite advanced, Miss Pepondosovich. We have already been traveling through space, and could even go to other multiverses at will."


    "That¡­ that advanced!? Everyone could go to other universes!?"


    "I thought we were supposed to keep our voices down, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    And all of a sudden, Ray''s eyes widened by themselves as he quickly stood up and rushed toward the road again, not even minding the people he was bumping into as he tried to find the people he heard talking just now.


    He did not need to search for long, however, as the three stood out like sore thumbs; with the crowd even making way for them ¡ª especially the one walking in the middle, whose white hair and skin almost reflected the lights of the night.


    Everyone was thinking it, but only Ray had the audacity to actually whisper it out.


    "Gods¡­" Ray gasped before just covering his mouth. His words, however, still seeped out from his hands,


    "Gods have visited our city. I must¡­


    ¡­I must meet them!"

 Chapter 889 - 889: Payment

    Chapter889 - 889: Payment


    "They are selling some good sweet and spicy carrot cakes somewhere here, they zed it with some sort of dried honey or something that cracks once you bite into it and melts once you chew it."


    "Is that why you brought us to this city, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "Oh ho, I am d you asked, Miss Esme. No, that is not the only reason why I brought you here ¡ª they also have the thin carrots fried in truffle oil with a creamy mushroom sauce. And their shop is over here¡ª!!!"


    Riley, Miss Pepondosovich, and Esme were walking around a somewhat busy city, with Miss Pepondosovich expertly leading them as she seemed to have already visited the ce before. But s, as she pointed at her favorite restaurant to eat, the only thing that weed her finger was¡­ a dubious facility with a couple of half-naked men standing outside.


    "Oh, were you talking about a different carrot, Miss Pepondosovich?" Esme blinked a couple of times as she looked back and forth between Miss Pepondosovich and all the men flexing their muscles even in the cold night, "I did not quite get that as I am not versed in figurative speech."


    "Hm," Riley nodded, "I am afraid I will not indulge in this carrot meal of yours, Miss Pepondosovich. My carrot is now only for Aerith."


    "Wh¡ªno!" Miss Pepondosovich quickly leaped in front of the two and started gesturing her arms into an ''X'', "That ce is supposed to be a restaurant! I don''t remember there being a brothel here!"


    "No one is judging you, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley sighed and shook his head, "I heard stories of Greek gods fornicating with everyone and everything as long as they have a hole to offer. Come to think of it, are the Greek gods perhaps here? I heard that one of Van''s parents is one."


    "Wait¡­ really? What¡ªno! Wait! Stop misunderstanding!" Miss Pepondosovich violently shook her head and waved her hands, "This is supposed to be a restaurant!"


    "When were you herest, Miss Pepondosovich?" Esme asked.


    "A¡­ A couple of thousands of years ago," Miss Pepondosovich''s head quickly lowered along with her voice, "Ugh¡­"


    "A thousand years ago," Esme squinted as she started looking around the rest of what the city had to offer, "And I would assume that they''re infrastructure has not changed or evolved, since you were truly confused, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "That is the case, yes," Miss Pepondosovich sighed.


    "The level of their technology was stagnant for a thousand years?" Esme blinked, "All of their establishments still haventerns lighting up their wooden buildings. The only hint of electricity I have seen are themp posts we passed earlier."


    "They don''t really have the chance to do so," Miss Pepondosovich shook her head as she also turned to look at the busy city, "This might look peaceful to you now, but there are a lot of monsters in this ce ¡ª monsters that we created. And most of the people that are smart enough to progress the world, use it to search for a cosmic piece."


    "They¡­ are aware of the cosmic piece?" Not only Esme, but Riley turned to look at Miss Pepondosovich.


    "The gods back then were desperate for a cosmic piece, and what better help than the humans we have created and¡ª"


    "I knew it!"


    And before Miss Pepondosovich could finish her words, a boy suddenly leaped from the shadows and pointed at them; his breaths, almost heavier than the busy atmosphere of the city.


    "I knew the three of you were¡­are gods," the boy clearly wanted to whisper, but his excitement was causing his words to just be heard everywhere, "And don''t lie! I have been following you since earlier!"


    "Do you know him, Miss Pepondosovich?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he stared at the boy, "I did not even realize we were being followed."


    "Same," Esme nodded, "They all somewhat look the same to me."


    "My name''s Ray, remember it!" Ray thumped his chest as he looked each of them in the eyes, "And do not deny that you are gods, for I have heard everything!"


    "...Anyway," Miss Pepondosovich only looked at Ray for a few seconds, before just turning around and walking away, "I saw the salted apples still being sold there, we should get that instead so that we wouldn''t have wasted our time visiting this ce. We¡ª"


    "You want the ce that sells carrot cakes, right!?"


    And once again, before the three could even take 3 steps, Ray blocked their path.


    "I know¡­" Ray looked Miss Pepondosovich in the eyes,


    "...I know someone who can make them even better than you remember."


    ***


    "Where¡­ did you adventurers say you were from again?"


    "Lindwen, Madam. And I have to say, these sweet and spicy carrot cakes are better than the ones I''ve tasted before."


    "Oh my, thank you. They are the children''s favorites, so I try to make them better than thest. And¡­ Lindwen¡­? What are you doing all the way here?"


    "Psst, Mother Leticia. They''re gods."


    "Ray, can you not!?"


    Ray brought Riley and the others to the orphanage, and true enough, he did know someone who could make the food that Miss Pepondosovich was craving. And judging by the way Riley and Esme were eating the said delicacy, she also did not lie about it being delicious.


    "Oh, we¡­" Miss Pepondosovich looked at Riley and Esme as she let the cake melt in her mouth, "...we were on our way to the harbor to pay respect to the gods. And we specifically stopped here so we could eat this."


    "Well, then I''m d you liked it," Leticia chuckled. The group continued their conversation while having a meal; with the children of the orphanage sneaking nces here and there, all of them staring at Riley''s paper-like skin.


    "What¡­ is this for?" And as soon as Miss Pepondosovich had tasted and devoured everything that Leticia had prepared for them, she handed her a small bag filled with silver coins.


    "Payment for the food, Madam," Miss Pepondosovich nodded in satisfaction, "I would make sure to return here as soon as possible to eat them again."


    "That¡ªthis is too much," Leticia could really only take in a small gulp as she saw all the shiny coins inside the bag, "And you don''t need to pay for anything. You''re guests that Ray brought here."


    "Then consider it a donation, Madam," Miss Pepondosovich chuckled and pushed the bag back to Leticia, "Please, take it. That will be offered to the gods anyway, I would be more d if it''s with you since you can actually use it."


    "Well¡­ if you insist then. But let me offer you¡ª"


    "Gods!" Ray once again interrupted the conversation as he pointed at Miss Pepondosovich, "Only gods can throw that much money just for Mother Leticia''s bread!"


    "What''s¡­ wrong with him?"


    "I¡­ I apologize," Leticia awkwardly chuckled as she quickly tried pushing Ray away, "He was dropped as a child." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Hm," Riley, who had just been quietly observing from the side, nodded his head as he stood up, "I was lucky someone adopted me despite my condition, it would seem Ray was not offered the same luck. Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Oh, right," Miss Pepondosovich and Esme also stood up, "We''d best get going, Madam. We still have a long journey ahead."


    "We have empty rooms, that is the least we could do after giving us so much," Leticia gasped.


    "Trust me, Madam¡­" Miss Pepondosovich gently held Leticia''s arms, "...I would have paid you more for the carrot cake if I had more money¡­


    ¡­that''s how good they were."


    ***


    "Wah! Can you imagine she even gave us more to eat during our travels!?"


    "That is a weed gesture, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "It sure is. Anyway, I don''t like the two of you thinking I only actually brought you to this city for food ¡ª our actual purpose is this ce."


    Riley and the others were now walking across a lush forest, just a mile away from the bustling city.


    "I do not mind if it was truly only for the food, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Same," Esme nodded her head at Riley''s words.


    "Right!? These carrot cakes are, ack!" Miss Pepondosovich''s entire body trembled as she continued to lead the two deeper into the forest, "But I digress, I brought the two of you here since I am sure there should be a god resting here somewhere ¡ª he might have a clue about the cosmic piece."


    "A god?" Riley blinked a couple of times, "Are you talking about him, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "Hm?" Miss Pepondosovich slowly turned her head to where Riley was pointing, only to see arge tree that looked like it¡­ has a face on it, "Well¡­ I think so?"


    "Try poking it."


    "Wait, let me¡ª"


    "What are you people doing in my territory?"


    "!!!" And before Miss Pepondosovich and the others could approach the mysterious tree, all the other trees suddenly disappeared into the distance; leaving only the giant tree with a face on it standing in front of them.


    And the tree was, indeed, opening its mouth to talk.


    "That looks disgusting," Riley squinted, "I suddenly remember Hera."


    "What do you people want!?" The tree repeated its words, causing the leaves resting on top of it to tremble and shake.


    "We want information on the cosmic piece!"


    "If you want information, then I want something in return," the tree did not waste its words, "I want the human you brought with you."


    "Human¡­?" Miss Pepondosovich looked at Riley and Esme, before turning her head back¡­


    ¡­only to see Ray standing there with his legs trembling uncontrobly.

 Chapter 890 890: Gods Boon

    Chapter 890   890: God''s Boon


    ??890  Chapter 890: God''s Boon


    "Human¡­?" Miss Pepondosovich looked at Riley and Esme, before turning her head back¡­


    ¡­only to see Ray standing there with his legs trembling uncontrobly.


    "You followed us again? I seriously need to learn how to discern human noises from other noises."


    Ray could not really say anything, as he was just trying his best not to pee his pants right there and then in front of the gods. Although Ray had already convinced himself that Riley and the others were gods, he did not really know what that entailed ¡ª and so, he tailed them.


    But s, he was now finding himself being slowly wrapped by vines that were slowly crawling from beneath his feet.


    "H¡­" Ray could not even ask for help as he felt the fear inside him covering his entire body like a ded nket¡ªno, that was actually the small thorns of the vines crawling across his skin.


    "Oi, oi," Miss Pepondosovich clicked her tongue several times as she wagged her finger at the Tree God, "Did you hear any of us agreeing to your deal? Why are you already wrapping your fingers around the boy?"


    "You do not want information regarding the cosmic piece?" The Tree God lightly hummed in confusion, "A single mortal for information worth billions of them, I do not see any reason you would refuse, hm?"


    "One, we did not bring that child with us," Miss Pepondosovich sighed, "And two, we can just report you for using your abilities in the mortal world."


    "Oh, you would tell on me?" The Tree God let out a tiny burst ofughter as the vines wrapping  around Ray started to tighten, "That is a sure way to make sure that no other god would be helping you from here on out. And also ¡ª I am disguising myself as a monster, and therefore not really revealing myself to the mortals."


    "...There was that kind of loophole?" Miss Pepondosovich could not help but just ce her hand on her chin as she looked back and forth between Ray and the Tree God, "Do you want to hear another loophole?"


    "Hm?"


    "My friends and I could just kill you here and now," Miss Pepondosovich smiled, "Trust me, you won''t even have time to share your thoughts with other gods ¡ª these two gods behind me can erase you just like that."


    "You are resorting to threats¡ª"


    And before the Tree God could finish its words, the forest returned to its original state¡­ except for the Tree God, which was no longer anywhere to be found.


    "What¡­" Miss Pepondosovich quickly turned to look at Riley, who just nodded at her in response, "...Why did you do that!?"


    "Oh," Riley immediately stopped nodding, "I thought that was your signal for me to kill him, Miss Pepondosovich as we talked about."


    "No¡­" Miss Pepondosovich could really only blink as she stared at the small but incredibly smooth crater suddenly in front of them, "...And we did not talk about anything. I was trying to negotiate with the guy, Riri!"


    "Perhaps make your signals clearer next time, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme sighed.


    "What signal!? There was no signal!" Miss Pepondosovich wanted to pull her hair out from frustration. Riley was already a handful, and now practically another version of him joined them¡ªjust what universe did these two actuallye from?


    Instead of trying to rack her brains around it, however, Miss Pepondosovich just walked away to help Ray up, who still seemed quite shocked by what just happened to him.


    "Go home, child," Miss Pepondosovich sighed as she patted away all the dried-up vines and leaves still sticking to Ray, "This forest will be quite dangerous now that the tree god is gone, all the monsters will be vying for the top spot."


    "You''re¡­ you''re gods."


    "No," Miss Pepondosovich shook her head, "You see any of us using god-like abilities?"


    "...No."


    "Exactly," Miss Pepondosovich then lifted Ray up so he could stand straight, "Now, be a good boy and take care of your mother Leticia."


    "B¡ª"


    "Go on boy, get," Miss Pepondosovich gently pushed Ray and started shooing him away. And since Ray was still quite shocked by what just happened to him, all he could really do was follow Miss Pepondosovich''s orders; his legs, walking on their own.


    His stupor did notst long, however, as it was reced by excitement as he confirmed that the three were actually truly gods. And so, he quickly turned around toward them¡­ only to see they were no longer there.


    "Where¡­ did they suddenly go?" Ray could really only blink a couple of times as the three just suddenly disappeared, "No¡­ no."


    This was Ray''s chance to be someone different from the rest, and he would not just let go of it. He had heard it many times before, people gaining a god''s boon in exchange of promising to live their life searching for the cosmic piece.


    He already made a vow to himself to search for the cosmic piece in the first ce, the life-long promise did not matter to him. No matter what happens, he will be getting a boon today.


    And so, Ray started running deeper into the forest to try and find the three gods. But Ray¡­ Ray did not get far until he found himself being stared at by a tall bipedal monster that was almost as thin as paper; its limbs, seemingly cut the air with even just a single movement.


    "Wh¡ª"


    And before Ray could even say anything, he saw the paper monster being ripped in half by a 6-legged monstrosity with a mouth the size of an entire house. Ray, of course, took this chance to quickly run away.


    But s, his trembling legs zapped out any strength he had left, causing him to just violently trip and roll there and then.


    "Kh¡­!" He didn''t want to make a noise in fear of being noticed by the monster, but as he nced at the 6-legged monstrosity, he realized that it was actually already looking at him; itsrge mouth, threatening to just swallow him whole.


    Fortunately for Ray, however, he caught a glimpse of Miss Pepondosovich and the others actually walking close to him.


    "H¡­ help!" Ray quickly let out the loudest voice he could muster as he reached his hand at the three gods. And of course, Miss Pepondosovich quickly noticed him crawling toward them.


    "It''s that child again," Miss Pepondosovich said as she looked at Esme and Riley¡­ but then just shrugging her shoulders and walking away.


    "Are you not going to help him again, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "I''ve already been warned once, Riri," Miss Pepondosovich sighed, "If I use my abilities again and some other god sees us, that''s exile for me. Why don''t you help him instead?"


    "I do not usually help people, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "And you?"


    "I will only do as the Master tells me to do."


    "Ack, tough luck for the human, then."


    And with those words fading away, Ray could really only stare and watch as the back of the three gods disappear into the trees.


    "W¡­ what?" Ray stuttered. Did¡­ the gods just forsake him? Left him for dead? But¡­


    ¡­gods are supposed to grant wishes and save mortals.


    But s, Ray did not really even have any time to contemte as the monster grew closer and closer to him.


    "N¡­no, stay¡­ stay away!" Ray screamed, and as soon as he did so, the monster actually stopped moving. No, it wasn''t just the monster¡ªeven the trees that were endlessly swaying and the leaves that were dancing and mocking his predicament all froze.


    And before Ray could even wonder what was happening, he heard a voice whispering into his ear.


    "Do you want strength, child?" The voice said. And of course, without even thinking or hesitating for even a single second, Ray started nodding his head,


    "Would you still want it, even in exchange for something dear to you?"


    "Yes!" Ray''s words trembled; his eyebrows,pletely lowered as he just stared at the monster in front of him, "Give¡­ give me power ¡ª power enough to kill even the gods themselves."


    "Revenge?"


    "Justice," Ray almost bit his lip.


    "Very well. Stretch out your hand and point your finger at the monster, and say¡­


    ¡­Pavoom."


    Ray once again followed the voice''s instruction without any hesitation as he pointed at the monster and whispered,


    "Pavoom."


    ***


    "Mother Leticia! I''m back!"


    The young Ray quickly returned to the orphanage, reaching it in no time at all as he felt himself almost flying across thend with his newfound strength ¡ª a strength strong enough topletely destroy anything he wanted.


    "I have¡­ I gained a god''s boon! I can go on an adventure now and the children don''t need to work anymore! Mother Leticia!"


    Ray excitedly barged into the orphanage, excited to share the news of his triumph, but no one seemed to be there to wee him, however.


    "Mother Leticia!" Ray once again called.


    "What are you shouting for!? We''re in here in the dining room!"


    "Ah!" Ray smiled as he quickly rushed to the canteen, and there, Mother Leticia and everyone quickly weed him with a smile.


    A smile that reached from ear to ear as they all looked at Ray. Their heads, all neatly ced on the table.


    "What''s the matter, Ray?" Mother Leticia''s mouth moved¡ªno, someone lifted it up from behind the table¡­ Riley Ross,


    "Didn''t you say you wanted power, even at the cost of something dear to you?"


    "No¡­


    ¡­No!"


    ***


    "Riri, why did you suddenly nk out all of a sudden?"


    "Hm?"


    Back in the wide fields of the world of Mariposa, Riley and the others were once again continuing their journey.


    "Why did you suddenly nk out all of a sudden, I asked."


    "Oh¡­


    ¡­I was just thinking of how much fun we would be having moving forward, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "That¡­ sounds incredibly ominousing from you."

 Chapter 891 891: Good Evening

    <h4>Chapter 891 Chapter 891: Good Evening</h4>


    ?891 Chapter 891: Good Evening


    "When did you find them like this?"


    "I¡ªR¡­ Ray hasn''t picked up their bread for a few days, and trust me. The boy¡­ the boy would never miss it even if he was sick. And so¡­ I¡ªI got worried and decided to visit the orphanage and then¡­ there was this smell and¡ª"


    "That''s enough."


    Several days after Riley massacred the entire orphanage, a group of people wearing luxurious ck robes were currently inside the cafeteria; the bright silver sashes hanging around their necks, almost reflecting the gruesome sight surrounding them.


    There were also other people there, who obviously reported what had happened and called for these mysterious men. None of them really knew where to look, as the carnage was everywhere.


    The decapitated heads of Mother Leticia, the other mothers of the orphanage, and even the children were ced on the table on top of the tes. They weren''t eaten, however, as the rest of their body was actually hanging out in the orphanage''s backyard¡­ hanging on the clothesline like pigs being dried in the sun.


    There was only a single corpse that was intact¡­ and it was also hanging, but on the ceiling of the cafeteria; a rope tightly wrapped around his neck.


    "That is the boy called Ray?"


    "Y¡­ Yes," the woman who reported the scene could not help but just look away as soon as she saw Ray hanging by his neck. And so, she just focused her attention on the leader of the mysterious group ¡ª the only one who was wearing a golden scarf instead of silver,


    "I¡­ I can''t even fathom¡ªdid he take his own life? He''s just¡­ he''s only 10 and 2 of age. What¡­ what could have done all of this, Father Redmund? Was it a monster?"


    "We will handle it from here, Liezl," the man wearing a gold sash, Redmond, gently ced his hand on the woman''s shoulder, "Please, rest."


    "Do you think¡­ do you think you can get whoever did this?"


    "We will," Redmund smiled and nodded; his bright red hair and even brighter red eyes, almost giving some sort of warmth as he stared at the woman, "Knights, take her away."


    And as the men wearing silver scarves escorted the woman out, Redmund started walking around the cafeteria, gently brushing his finger at the blood-soaked table, dusting away all the dried blood on it.


    "We have escorted the woman out, Father Edmund." The knights quickly returned, "What do you think could have done this? A monster?"


    "A god," Redmund shook his head as he casually pulled out one of the chairs and sat on it.


    "Could it be¡­ the tree god guing the forest nearby? Is that why we could not find him?"


    "No, this is a different type of god entirely," Edmund let out a long and very deep sigh as he shook his head, "Secure the perimeter and make sure no vigers¡ª"


    "Already done, Father Edmund."


    "Hm¡­" Edmund only nced at his knights, before letting out another deep breath and closing his eyes. And as he opened them again¡ªno. The thing that opened was no longer his eyes, it was still an eye, but it was his entire face that opened vertically ¡ª revealing an eye the size of his head. And at the same time, 6 wings suddenly protruded from his back,pletely destroying the chair he was seated on.


    A god.


    "Light Reversal," Edmund''s separated mouths that were now on the side moved as he spoke. He stretched his hands to the side, causing another set of eyes to open on each of his palms. And as they did so, the chair his wings destroyed built itself again and returned to its previous condition.


    Edmund then once again started walking around the cafeteria. And as he did so, the scenery around him started to change incredibly fast; with the woman from earlier returning, but all of her actions were in reverse.


    The movements of everything in the cafeteria grew faster and faster, until they saw Ray stacking down chairs and boxes on top of the table but in reverse.


    "Hm¡­" Edmund could really only shake his head at the sight. But soon, he finally saw what he was trying to find ¡ª an unfamiliar silhouette holding Leticia''s head. But for some reason, however, that was all he and the knights could see, a silhouette of something clearly humanoid; they couldn''t see its face.


    Edmund''s head-sized eye closed, and as it opened again; another hundreds of eyes opened up from each feather of his 6 wings. And if one were to look closer, one could see that each of the eyes was reflecting somethingpletely different from each other ¡ª different ces, different people, and perhaps¡­ maybe even a different time.


    "Now¡­


    ¡­who are you?"


    ***


    "It would seem it doesn''t work."


    "What have you been even wasting your time there, Riri?"


    "A multiversal portal ring, Miss Pepondosovich."


    And while another god was already hunting them down without their knowledge, Riley, Miss Pepondosovich, and Esme were just seated around a campfire; the dancing me, being reflected by all therge boulders around them and the seemingly calm river beside them.


    "Seriously? Your world truly is up there." The three of them were supposed to be resting and rxing, but Miss Pepondosovich could not help but just watch Riley tinker with some sort ofrge ring that he had pulled out from one of his many pockets an hour ago,


    "...And just how many things do you actually have inside your pockets, Riri? And I don''t even see any pockets from your clothes, you always just slide your hand and a pocket just appears."


    "Why do you seem surprised, Miss Pepondosovich?" Esme, who had just been staring at the me the entire time, joined the conversation, "You also have that hat which seemed to have an infinite space inside it."


    "I have magic," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged, "You know, like most of the gods here. You also have it, you know? That thing that''sing out of your eyes ¡ª that''s magic."


    "We have never really treated it as such," Esme shook her head, "In our world, in our universe ¡ª we just call them racial abilities, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "The universes seemed to have changed much thest time I was there," Miss Pepondosovich let out a very long and deep sigh as she just let herself fall down on the ground; her eyes, staring at the darknds above them, "But from everything I have heard, you guys are from apletely different version of my universe entirely, or multiverse or whatnot."


    "We are from the main multiverse, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley nodded as he hid the ring back in his many pockets.


    "What¡­? What makes you think mine is not the main universe?" Miss Pepondosovich scoffed as she looked at Riley and Esme.


    "Because my universe is the only universe where I exist, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shrugged.


    "From what I have been hearing, your universes have the same people ¡ª that means¡­" Miss Pepondosovich pointed at Riley,


    "¡­you are the mass-produced universe. Hah!"


    "Interesting," Riley ced his hand on his chin, "I have not thought of it like that, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Maybe you should bow down to me!?" Miss Pepondosovich quickly sat up again as she looked excitedly at Riley and Esme, "Maybe¡­


    ¡­Maybe I''m the one from the main universe!?"


    "I do find it intriguing, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley nodded, "None of the gods here do not seem to have any variants, which in terms of statistics, should not be the case. If you are the strongest of your universe, it serves to stand that your variants would have the highest chance of being the strongest of their universe too, like Miss Esme."


    "Oh, you are saying that all of us are frompletely different multiverses entirely?" Miss Pepondosovich looked at Riley, "That is actually the main theory going on around here ¡ª it is crazy, no? Once you think that you know all of Creation, it turns out you have only seen the tip of it."


    "Hm," Riley once again nodded, "That makes what I am about to do even harder now ¡ª I don''t even know if I can produce enough clones powerful enough to explore the entirety of Creation anymore. I suppose Navi is right, fulfilling my purpose is impossible even in my current state."


    "Your n to turn everything into nothing?" Miss Pepondosovich sighed and groaned, "Why even bother? And truth be told, I am still doubtful of everything you have told me ¡ª I mean, if it is true that you n to wipe out the entirety of Creation, why tell me? That is something you should keep to yourself."


    "Because I am a superviin, Mss Pepondosovich," Riley shrugged, "Superviins always reveal their ns."


    "I don''t even have any idea what you just said," Miss Pepondosovich once again sighed, "Anyway, how many gods have we talked to now?"


    "10, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme was the one to answer her, "And none were willing to share information with us. And thest one was asking for a sacrifice simr to the Tree God from before."


    "We should have sacrificed Miss Pepondosovich."


    "What the¡ªwas that a joke?"


    "Yes."


    "Psh. You would think there would be a sense of camaraderie amongst gods, right?" Miss Pepondosovich let out a small chuckle,


    "But do you think that one would help us out?"


    Both Riley and Esme calmly turned their heads to where Miss Pepondosovich was pointing, only to see a man floating above their camp; the hundreds of eyes across its six wings, all seemingly glowing as they stared at them.


    "Good evening, traveling gods¡­" Father Edmund''s words reverberated through the air, slightly fanning the mes away as he spoke,


    ¡­might I bother you with some questions?"

 Chapter 892 892: Information

    Chapter 892  892: Information


    ??892  Chapter 892: Information


    "Good evening, traveling gods. Might I bother you with some questions?"


    There was a certain weight surrounding Edmund; imposing, but gentle quite the same. Perhaps it was because of the dancing me being reflected in all of his eyes, but it was almost as if he was not asking at all, but demanding for his questions to be answered.


    "Well, that depends," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged as she looked at Riley and Esme, "Can the man bother us with some questions?"


    "No," Riley quickly shook his head, "He looks disgusting. But if he stays a few meters away, maybe."


    "I agree with Master," Miss Esme nodded her head, "If he could aid us in our search for a cosmic piece, then maybe I could entertain a few questions."


    "The two of you could have just said yes," Miss Pepondosovich could really only sigh. For some reason, she was starting to get used to the two; whether that was a good thing, however, was yet to be known, "Come on down then, winged god. Join us in our rest."


    "I do appreciate all of you being weing to a demanding stranger," Edmund said. His wings, quickly retracted into his back as he started to fall straight down, gracefullynding just a few meters away from Riley and the others. His head that was onerge eye, closing and revealing his immacte and smiling face as he approached the group,


    "This will not take long, there has been an ident in a nearby city ¡ª and we believe it was done by a god."


    "Nearby city?" Miss Pepondosovich raised an eyebrow.


    "In an orphanage, to be exact," Edmund nodded as he made sure to stop a few meters away from Riley, "It was¡­ an incredible tragedy."


    "Wait, don''t tell me it''s the orphanage in Luz?" Miss Pepondosovich blinked a couple of times as she nced at Esme and Riley, "We were there just a few days ago."


    "Yes," Edmund nodded, "That is exactly why I am here. I saw you spending some time in the orphanage, dining and conversing with the mortals there."


    "What happened exactly, Mister¡­" Esme tilted her head as she looked at Edmund from head to toe.


    "Father Edmund," Edmund let out a small gasp as he bowed his head at Esme, "But please, feel free to call me Edmund. Forgive me for not introducing myself first ¡ª I am on a very¡­ time-


    sensitive mission."


    "That is fine, Edmund," Esme raised her hand and gestured to Edmund to raise his head, "What happened in the orphanage?"


    "Everyone was massacred."


    "...Massacred?" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes, "And you think a god might have done it?"


    "Only a god would have done it," Edmund nodded, "And so, I was wondering if any of you three might have decided to y with the life of some mortals?"


    "It was probably Miss Pepondosovich," Riley, who had been quiet the entire time, raised his hand before pointing at Miss Pepondosovich, "She had been saying how much she liked the carrot cake, and she told us it was to die for."


    "That is true," Esme nodded her head, "She did repeatedly say that."


    "Wh¡ªWhy would I even do that!?" Miss Pepondosovich also started pointing at Esme and Riley, "Maybe the two of you did it!?"


    "That would be impossible," Esme shook her head, "Master and I have never left your side ¡ª but I remember you leaving to relieve yourself."


    "Wait, why am I even the prime suspect here!? Riley literally introduced himself as the God of Nothing!"


    "The God of Nothing?" Father Edmund quickly turned his attention to Riley, "What a peculiar title. But I digress, none of you are actually prime suspects for the crime ¡ª as all of you have said, none of you left each other''s side throughout your journey from Luz."


    "How would you know that¡­?" Miss Pepondosovich once again squinted her eyes, "Were you stalking us?"


    "No, please¡­" Edmund raised his palm andughed, "...refrain from calling my abilities that. It hurts my feelings ¡ª but it is true that my eyes could see the past of every ce I have been to, that is how I was able to track you here in your resting camp."


    "That is a very interesting ability, Edmund," Riley ced his hand on his chin as he looked at Edmund from head to toe, "But doesn''t that mean you should have seen whomitted the crime back in the orphanage?"


    "Yes and no," Edmund sighed, "The god remains elusive for some reason, all we saw was its silhouette. Well, if that is all the three of you know, then I best be going ¡ª truly, thank you for even bothering with my request."


    "No," Esme shook her head, "We answered your question, now you will answer ours."


    "...Very well," Edmund nodded, "I suppose your question involves a cosmic piece? Why else would three gods be traveling across the infinitends of Mariposa, after all."


    "Yes," Esme nodded, "We are trying to find a cosmic piece for Master."


    "Hm¡­" Edmund squinted his eyes as he looked at Riley, "...Well, as much as I want to give you the clue I have regarding a cosmic piece ¡ª I believe the information I will be giving outweighs much more than the information you have given me, it is not a fair trade at all."


    "...Are you telling us you have solid information about a cosmic piece?" Miss Pepondosovich sat straight up as she looked Edmund in the eyes.


    "Even better¡­" Edmund smiled, "...I have a witness."


    "...And you''re not using this information for yourself?" Miss Pepondosovich once again raised an eyebrow as she continued to stare at Edmund.


    "I am not interested in a cosmic piece," Edmund shook his head, "I have already spent my entire existence being worshiped and treated as a god of an entire universe, it is not something I wish to repeat."


    "It is me."


    "Hm?" And as Riley suddenly raised his hand again, everyone could not help but just turn their heads at him.


    "I did it," Riley calmly said as he looked Edmund in the eyes, "I killed everyone in the orphanage, I also forced Ray tomit suicide. I told him I would kill everyone in the vige if he didn''t do it."


    "..." Edmund could really only stare at Riley for a few seconds, before just letting out a small sigh and shaking his head, "A good try. But as I said, the three of you did not really separate throughout your journey ¡ª and we have actually already traced where the god first showed itself, it was when the three of you abandoned the child called Ray in the forest near the city."


    "Oh, that¡­" Miss Pepondosovich sighed, "...We do not really want to risk showing our abilities to mortals, I have already been warned once, you see."


    "Hm, a good choice," Edmund nodded, "I also would not be bothering with these mortals if it was not my duty to do so."


    "Can I give you another piece of information that might be worth the information about the cosmic piece then, Edmund?" Riley once again raised his hand.


    "...Very well."


    "The god you are looking for¡­" Riley closed his eyes, "...is still currently in the city."


    "We have already searched the city," Edmund sighed and shook his head.


    "Search again. You could see everything with your eyes, correct?" A small smile started to crawl on Riley''s face, "He should be resting in one of the taverns near the brothel where they used to sell Miss Pepondosovich''s favorite carrot cake."


    "That''s¡­ highly specific," Edmund let out a small hum, "But I know where that is."


    "!!!"


    Riley could not help but almost lower his eyebrows as Edmund''s face suddenly opened up, revealing the gigantic eye that served as his head.


    "That is disgusting, Edmund," Riley said as he looked away, "Very interesting ability, but it''s disgusting."


    More eyes started to appear as Edmund''s wings protruded from his back. All of the eyes, moving without pause as they reflected the city of Luz ¡ª and soon, the images reflected on all of them became the same¡­ a strange man with ck hair.


    "This silhouette," all of Edmund''s eyes blinked several times at the same time, "It is the same as the one in the orphanage."


    And with those words, the six wings behind Edmund pped, instantly bringing him up into the air and almost causing Miss Pepondosovich to be blown away.


    "O¡­ Oi!" Miss Pepondosovich raised her fist, "What about the information about the cosmic piece!?"


    "Go to the city of Rosa," Edmund waved his hand, "There you will find a librarian that might have records of witnesses of a cosmic piece."


    "What the¡ªThat''s not what we talked about!" Miss Pepondosovich raised her voice, "You told us you had an actual witness!"


    "Yes," Edmund nodded, "But that was thousands of years ago, they are probably dead now."


    "That¡­" Miss Pepondosovich could really only look at Riley and Esme as Edmund flew away,


    "...That actually makes a lot of sense."

 Chapter 893 893: Chain Dance

    Chapter893 893: Chain Dance


    "Roger, Boss."


    Somewhere in Luz city, a shadow was walking across a room; seemingly just having finished whispering to someone, but no other shadow but his was there. He walked toward the window, only for the colorful lights dancing on the walls of the brothel across his room to reflect on the visor covering his eyes.


    And he just stood there, neither enjoying nor watching anything. He had his eyes closed, just seemingly waiting for something to happen.


    And very soon, a voice came knocking from the door of his room.


    "My name is Father Edmund. We have permission to break into your room," the words seeped from the outside and into his room, "But I much prefer for you to just let us in, traveling god."


    "...You maye in." And as the shadow flicked his finger, the door of his room opened up; letting in the lights of the corridors to instantly fill his entire room with a dim yellow. His silhouette, however, still remained a shadow as it did not reflect any light at all¡­ all except for the visor of his helmet, which showed Father Edmund and several of his knights entering the small room.


    "I am going to ask you a question, traveling god," Edmund raised his hand, and as he did so, an orb of light emerged from his palm¡ªno, it was not exactly an orb, but an eye that lit up everything in the room, revealing the man previously hiding in the shadows,


    "If that is alright with you."


    "Darkday."


    "Hm?" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "You may address me as Darkday," the shadow moved¡ªand even in the light, he was indeed just that, a shadow walking, "It is what people used to call me back in my home."


    "That¡­ is a very ominous name," Edmund breathed out as his wings protruded from his back.


    "Well¡­" Darkday looked to the side, "...I have done some ominous things, Edmund."


    "You know who I am?"


    "And I know what you will be," Darkday stretched his hand to the side,


    "A dead god."


    And as soon as he said that, the entire tavern just withered away into existence¡ªno, it wasn''t just the tavern, but the entire city was suddenlypletely gone.


    "Hm¡­" Edmund let out a small hum as he looked around him, only to see that his knights were also no longer there, "...You did not have to do that, it took a lot of effort to raise them."


    "Well¡­" Darkday floated closer to Edmund with his hands still stretched to the side, "...That''s why you should have just kept them inside a cage. But you do not have to worry, Father Edmund¡­


    ¡­I will have a nicefortable cage just for you, and the many others who will follow."


    ***


    "I wee the two of you¡­ to Rosa! One of the biggest cities in Manirosa!"


    Several weeks after their encounter with Edmund, Riley and Esme were now once again being weed by Miss Pepondosovich. No, this time, it wasn''t only her ¡ª there were also several otherdies and men weing them, dancing and even hanging gands around their necks.


    Esme just pped as she leaned her head down to ept the gand, while Riley just moved away to avoid the joyous people.


    "Is there some sort of festival, Miss Pepondosovich?" Esme asked as the three of them were escorted inside the gates ¡ª and true enough, the streets of the city were as festive as the people who weed them. There were banners hanging across themp posts, and the entrance of the city was immediately a bazaar with a lot of people selling all sorts of stuff.


    "No," Miss Pepondosovich waved her hand, almost causing some of the flowers hanging around her neck to fall down, "This is just how this city is, it has been like this for thousands of years."


    "It is truly curious how their technology does not seem to progress," Esme said as she looked around, "If it is as you say and the monsters halt their progress, should it not be the opposite? War is the key to progress."


    "But they''re not in a war, Miss Esme," Miss Pepondosovich tried to lower her voice as much as possible, but it was hard to do so due to the dancing crowd around them, "It''s a massacre whenever monsters show themselves."


    "Hm, a pity," Esme sighed, "I would have loved to see what sort of civilization could grow from this kind of environment where gods and monsters are ever present."


    "Well, if you visit further into the endlessnd of Manirosa¡­ you might just see more advanced cities," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged, "But really, don''t you see the appeal of something like this!?"


    Miss Pepondosovich then joined in on the people who were walking and dancing through the streets, making a sort of chain as they all sang a song fit for the eternal festivity they found themselves in.


    "...I suppose they are already lucky to exist at all," Esme could really only nod as she watched everyone having fun. Miss Pepondosovich was gesturing to her to join the chain, but Esme just shook, "What about you, Master? Do you think¡ªMaster?"


    Esme turned to look at Riley, only to see that Riley was in front of one of the many stalls in the bazaar.


    "Master?" Esme blinked a couple of times as she tilted her head. She then nced at Miss Pepondosovich for a bit, who also seemed to wonder what was up, and separated herself from the chain dance; the two of them, now approaching Riley.


    "You found something interesting, Riri?" Miss Pepondosovich quickly scanned the items being sold at the stall, and aside from some trinkets and some small statues, there was really nothing that caught her eye ¡ª but something definitely did for Riley, as he was holding something in his hand,


    "What''s¡­ that?" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes as she looked at the figurine Riley was holding.


    "This wooden figurine," Riley whispered as he turned the figurine to Esme,


    "Does it not look like Aerith?"

 Chapter 894 894: Rushing To The Lady

    Chapter894 894: Rushing To The Lady


    "Does it not look like Aerith?"


    "I do not know, Master."


    "It does."


    The wooden figurine was truly just that, a wooden figurine. But it was clear to everyone who could see it that it was created by a master craftsman, as even though the figurine was just the size of a normal human hand, one could actually see the details of each fold of the figurine''s dress; one could even see a hint of eyshes if they wished to see it.


    But of course, there was truly only so much detail one could put in a figurine the size of a hand ¡ª and the face sculpted could be the face of anyone.


    But for Riley, who had memorized each and every pore on Aerith''s body, it was as clear as day to him that the figurine was a mold of Aerith.


    "I would like to buy this, vendor."


    "Ah, of course! The statue of Lady Irene," the vendor sped his hands together as he looked at Riley, "It is a very popr item and that is the only one left, so it is worth 5 coppers."


    "5 copper coins for a stick?" Miss Pepondosovich raised an eyebrow as she stared the vendor straight in the eyes.


    "Pay him a silver coin, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley looked at Miss Pepondosovich.


    "A¡­ silver?" Miss Pepondosovich gasped, "I know my money is limitless, but he is scamming you, Riri. Why are you even giving more than what he already asked!?"


    "Because I am buying information too," Riley breathed out as he nced at the figurine, "Are you the one who sculpted this figurine, vendor?"


    "N¡­ no," the vendor quickly answered Riley''s question, "That''s one of the Lord''s men, he lives in the castle."


    "The castle¡­" Riley nced in the direction that should be the center of therge city. And even with all the festivities and buildings, one could see the castle standing tall, "...Lady Irene, is she also there?"


    "She¡­ should be."


    And without even waiting for Miss Pepondosovich to hand the coin to the vendor, Riley grabbed the coin himself and threw it at him.


    "W¡­ wait!" Miss Pepondosovich could not help but just immediately chase after him as he started walking at a pace already suspiciously fast for a human, "Slow down! Just¡­ tell us what''s going on! Does that figurine really look simr to your lover!? Miss Esme!?"


    "I do not know," Esme shook her head as she too, followed Riley through the crowd, "I have not really spent that much time with the Aerith of my universe, but if Master says the figurine looks like her, then it probably does, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "This¡­ is getting crazy," a wide smile started to grow on Miss Pepondosovich''s face, "It truly is the right decision to be his guide. This¡­ this is better than all the ys I have seen in my life. This drama¡­ oh, what mysteries are we to see, Miss Esme!?" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "There is a high chance this involves the Higher God that Seed mentioned to us, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme nodded.


    "Right!? Could it be ¡ª is time travel actually real?" Miss Pepondosovich gasped, "I know the primordials have already told Riley that time travel could never be real¡­ but what if they just do not know yet because it will be farther away into the future? A future they don''t even know!?"


    "I thought you do not believe the Master''s story, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "I''m doubtful," Miss Pepondosovich nodded several times as she made sure they were not losing Riley, "But¡­


    ¡­is it not more fun to believe?"


    And although Riley and the others were just walking across the streets of Rosa like everyone else, it did not take long at all until they reached the gates of the Lord''s castle. But s, they could not walk anymore as they were quickly blocked by the people guarding the gates.


    "Halt! State your business in the Lord''s castle!" The guard''s voice was loud, a little rhythmic.


    "I wish to see Lady Irene, guard." Riley did not waste any time to answer.


    "The Lady is resting!" The guard once again shouted; his words, almost a hymn, "State your name and your business with the Lady so that we may pass it onto their attendants!"


    "Tell her that Riley Ross is here."


    "Riley Ross!" The guard once again voiced out.


    "...Wow, he should really change careers," Miss Pepondosovich whispered to Esme.


    "And what is your business with the Lady, Riley Ross!?" The guard breathed out, slightly extending his words.


    "Please tell her that her lover is here."


    "Then I will¡ªWhat!?" The guard''s voice practically turned into a siren, causing everyone who was just passing by the walls of the Lord''s castle to look at him, "Are you telling me you are Lady Irene''s lover!?"


    And with his humming voice thundering through the air, a crowd almost instantly formed around the gates; all of their eyes, looking at Riley.


    "Lady Irene''s lover?"


    "Why does he look so young¡­ and white?"


    "Is he from anothernd?"


    "This¡­ this¡­" Even the guard''s stutters sounded good, "I think it is better if you and yourpany wait inside! Lind, check them for weapons!"


    And as the crowd continued to grow bigger, the guards had no choice but to just let the three in, unless they wanted the entire city gossiping in front of their gates. The three then were escorted to a house separate from the Lord''s castle, the attendants there, also all looking at Riley.


    They all seemed to want to have a chance to talk to Riley, but unfortunately for them, he was quickly called to present himself in front of the Lord of the castle.


    "What¡­ what is going on!?" Miss Pepondosovich could not help but just raise her hand as they were once again escorted through the Lord''s castle. She did not even have any time to appreciate all the decors of the house, "Why do you have to create so much chaos, Riri!? This was supposed to be a romantic reunion between you and your lover!"


    And soon, the three found themselves standing in front of the Lord of the castle.


    "What sort of nders do I hearing from you, boy!? To vilify the Lady''s name like that, exin yourself or have your neck meet the de this instant!"


    Riley was not looking at the raging Lord at all, however, not even acknowledging his appearance as he sat on his throne¡ªno.


    Riley was staring at therge painting behind the Lord ¡ª a portrait.


    A portrait of Aerith¡­ with another man beside her.

 Chapter 895 895: Lady Irene

    Chapter895 895: Lady Irene


    "...Oh no."


    Perhaps even more audible than the Lord''s loud and raging words was Miss Pepondosovich''s stuttered gasp as she looked at therge portrait behind the Lord''s throne. Now that she was seeing the painting, she could not help but be in awe of whoever sculpted the figurine Riley was holding, as they truly did capture her likeness.


    Miss Pepondosovich thought that Riley was just exaggerating and feeling homesick so he was seeing all sorts of things he wanted to see, but it would seem that wasn''t the case at all.


    If so, what exactly was happening here? Was she truly about to witness the greatest drama that would ever unfold in the entirety of Creation?


    "Answer me!" The Lord once again raised his voice. And as he did so, the knights who were just standing on the sides pointed their spears at Riley while very slowly marching closer to him,


    "Why do you besmirch my mother''s name by announcing in front of the citizens that you are her lover!?"


    "Oh no!" Miss Pepondosovich once again gasped as she covered her mouth. And it wasn''t only her, even Esme could not help but slightly widen her eyes, "Did¡­ did he say mother? What''s happening here!? Could it be that¡ª"


    "I will have silence from you, woman!" The Lord pointed at Miss Pepondosovich as she was practically talking over him, "And why did you bring hispany!? I only told you to bring me the conniving phnderer! And why don''t you speak!? Is your tongue merely decoration, if so ¡ª then I will have it cut down!"


    "Aerith¡­ is your mother?"


    And finally, after just being quiet for an entire minute, Riley opened his mouth; his eyes, still fixated on the portrait behind the Lord''s throne.


    "Aerith? What nonsense are you spouting?" The Lord nced back at the portrait before once again ring at Riley, "My mother''s name is Irene ¡ª and I will not have you disrespecting her again! Knights, bring these grifters to the guillotine so they may serve an example to the people who wishes to¡ª"


    "Erikson, calm down this instant!"


    And before the Lord, Erikson, could finish his words, the sound of the door being forced open reverberated throughout the entire hall. And as soon as the wind from the outside caused the candles in the walls to dance, the knights who were previously pointing their arms at Riley all quickly backed away and lowered their spears.


    "M¡­mother!" Even Lord Erikson quickly stepped down from his throne as he rushed to the door, "Why must youe here and tire yourself!?"


    Riley did not really turn around yet, as he just let Aerith''s voice enter his ears. Miss Pepondosovich and Esme, however, did not really have that patience as they just quickly turned around¡­


    ¡­only to see Erikson having the life smacked out from him as an olddy pped him right on the face.


    "That''s¡­ Aerith?"


    "Irene," the olddy gracefully said before just leaving her son on the floor as she started walking to the throne. She passed by Riley, but Riley still did not look at her¡ªat least until she sat down on the throne,


    "Irene of House MacEir."


    And as the olddy introduced herself, Riley finally turned to look at Lady Irene. And as soon as he did so, Lady Irene could not help but almost hold her breath ¡ª there¡­ was something with the way Riley was looking at her that she couldn''t just quite exin.


    "What business do you have with me, Stranger?" Lady Irene quicklyposed herself. And although there were also wrinkles visible on her face, the way she carried herself filled with grace and weight was enough for everyone to know what sort of woman she was,


    "When my maids were telling me that someone was iming to be a lover of mine, I was expecting someone older ¡ª your hair and skin are white, but your youthful face tells me you are young enough to be my grandchild."


    "My name is Riley Ross, Mdy," Riley bowed and kneeled as he introduced himself, "Forgive me, it would seem I made a mistake. For you to not recognize me only means that you are not the person I expected you to be. I suppose I may have been too excited not to realize you may just carry the same face."


    "And this person, Aerith, you say she looks like me?" Irene squinted her eyes as she nced at her portrait resting behind the throne, "Or rather when I was still young and beautiful?"


    "You are beautiful, Lady Irene," Riley raised his head and looked Irene in her old eyes, "Even if the years have taken your youth from you. You will, for me, forever carry a beauty that can not be defeated by the passing age."


    "...Oh my," Irene could not take a subtle gulp as she smiled, "Are you saying that for me, or for the person you have mistaken me for?"


    "Thetter," Riley nodded and stood up, "But the two of you are truly identical, you may ept thepliment if you wish, Lady Irene."


    "I won''t, it''s not for me even if I wished it was," Lady Irene let out a soft chuckle as she covered her mouth. She then stood up from the throne, before stretching her hand toward Riley''s direction, "Escort me down, Riley Ross."


    "Mother!?" Erikson, whose cheek was swollen red from having been smacked by his mother, could not help but exim as he started to rush to his mother''s side. Before he could get near, however, Lady Irene gestured to him to just stay put.


    As for Riley, he did as Irene said, very gently holding her arm as he assisted her down the throne. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Men, please have Lord Riley''spanions treat themselves to the castle''s quarters and bring them whatever they want. And Lord Riley," Irene held Riley''s hand as she started walking,


    "Please, let us talk in my chambers. I have something to discuss with you. I think¡­


    ¡­I may know who you are."

 Chapter 896 896: Even More Questions

    Chapter896 896: Even More Questions


    "Are you curious about the man I was with in the painting? He was my husband before I eventually remarried and had Erikson."


    Anxiety, nervousness.


    Riley had never really felt those kinds of feelings before, he had only heard of them. But from all the definitions and examples he had seen in his life, he was sure that he was experiencing them right now, at this very moment he finds himself in.


    He and Irene were alone in her chambers, and the only thing he could really focus on was the walls. Of course, Riley does not really mind this weird feeling, as there are a lot of things to see on Irene''s wall. There were paintings, perhaps more than a hundred of them; each carrying a different part of her life.


    "I am only interested in you, Lady Irene," Riley breathed out as he continued to scan all the portraits, "Or rather your possible connection with Aerith."


    "This Aerith, does she truly hold that much of a resemnce to me, or rather the younger me?" Irene turned to look at one of her younger portraits.


    "Yes ¡ª only your hair is brighter," Riley nodded, "You told me you might know who I am, Lady Irene. May I ask from where?"


    "I would wager that you are not the only one who was perplexed upon seeing a familiar face, Lord Riley," Lady Irene let out a tiny chuckle as she started walking toward one of her many cabs. She then tried to reach for the top-most shelf, only for her hand to be several inches short ¡ª unfortunately for her, forcing her old body to move as she wished offered little to no benefits, and most of the time, harmful.


    Like in this instance, she found her legs turning weak and stumbling backward.


    "Oh¡ª!!!"


    She immediately closed her eyes and gritted her teeth for the pain that was about toe, but the only thing she felt was a sort of warmth catching her from behind.


    "Oh¡­ oh my," Irene opened her eyes, only to see Riley, who was on the other side of the room, now just gently holding her and making sure she didn''t fall, "You have to be very careful, Lord Riley ¡ª if I was any younger, something else might actually happen in this very room we find ourselves alone in."


    "You also have to be very careful, Lady Irene," Riley just nodded as he started reaching for the shelf Irene was previously reaching for, "Is this what you were trying to get?"


    "Ah, yes. Please," Irene quickly grabbed the unusuallyrge book away from Riley''s hand before he could even offer it to her. She then quickly walked toward her desk, like the book was not heavy at all and like her old legs did not just previously give in on her, "Lord Riley,e."


    "..." Riley did not really mind Irene ordering her around, as he just did as she told and approached her.


    "I think it was somewhere here," Irene did not also seem to mind that Riley was standing awfully close to her; with his breath just ever so slightly tickling her neck. But of course, Irene removed anything that could be considered romantic in her mind as she was already too old for that. She just focused on turning the pages of the old book before she caught a glimpse of something. And it wasn''t only her, even Riley quickly noticed what it was she was trying to show him,


    "This¡­ does he not resemble you, Lord Riley?"


    It was a portrait of a man who looked eerily simr to Riley. A little older, perhaps¡­ with an air of maturity around him that one could just not find around Riley just yet.


    "Do you know who wrote this book, Lady Irene?" Riley quickly snatched the book from Irene''s hand and started scanning the book for any names ¡ª but there weren''t any. There were only drawings and sketches of scenery and creatures¡­ as well as other people Riley does not recognize.


    "No," Lady Irene let out a small but very deep sigh as she moved away from her desk and started walking back to the wall filled with paintings, "That book has been in my family for generations, no one could really trace its origins. But one thing I do know is that book you are holding was not always a book."


    "..." Riley gently ced the book back on the desk before following Irene again and looking at where she was pointing, only to see a portrait with a knight carrying a shield¡­ that looked simr to the cover of the book.


    "I think the family used to think it was some sort of shield due to its sturdy and heavy nature. But during the time of my great-grandmother, the lock keeping it closed suddenly opened and revealed all the drawings inside," Irene closed her eyes, "I still remember my grandmother telling me all sorts of stories about it¡ªnone really made sense. And the only exnation we could think of is that the book is from the gods."


    "That is¡­ very interesting," Riley ced his hand on his chin, "A book with no origin." N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "I apologize if I was not able to give you the answer you are looking for," Irene nced at Riley, "I even added more questions."


    "That is my story, Lady Irene," Riley shook his head, "A lot of questions that are answered by even more questions."


    "But perhaps I can give you a better question, Lord Riley," Irene''s finger traced across the portraits until she reached a painting that had almost lost all of its details and color; the canvas it was drawn on, seemingly fragile to the point that if one were to just move it a single millimeter, it would all just turn into dust,


    "That is the oldest portrait one could find in this manor, and like the book, I am not aware of its origins other than it is old."


    Riley tilted his head as he focused on the aged portrait, only for his eyes topletely widen as he finally made out the picture it held.


    It was another portrait of someone who looked like Aerith. And Riley doesn''t know whether or not it was just a result of its age¡­ but her skin and her hair were paintedpletely white, her lips slightly wider.


    "I do not know who she truly is¡­


    ¡­but my grandmother told me that she was supposed to be the matriarch of our family."


    "Hm¡­" Riley stared at the portrait,


    "...This is a better question indeed, Lady Irene."

 Chapter 897 897: ...Not Good

    Chapter897 897: ...Not Good


    "Wait, what happened¡­? Why are we leaving already?"


    "We need to find a cosmic piece, Miss Pepondosovich ¡ª I need to have a talk with Navi." N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "So¡­ the olddy wasn''t who you were looking for?"


    "No."


    "Ack!"


    "Why do you seem more affected than Master, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    Riley and the others were now heading their way out of the castle. The looks that everyone was giving them, even more intense than when they came. After all, how could the knights and all the attendants not be curious about Riley, when the Lady of the House herself invited him into her private chambers?


    What could the two of them have done during that time? Of course, they might be hanged by Lord Erikson for having such thoughts, but surely, he can''t me them for thinking of such things. Lady Irene is old, true ¡ª but she still had some vigor left in her.


    But s, no one would really know what happened as Riley had already stepped out of the castle.


    "Anyway, I and Miss Esme here asked around while you were out frolicking with the Madam," Miss Pepondosovich nodded her head at Esme as the three continued to walk, "And apparently, the library that winged god told us doesn''t exist anymore."


    "It doesn''t exist anymore?" Riley could not help but blink a couple of times upon hearing Miss Pepondosovich''s revtion, "Then that means our only clue for the cosmic piece is gone, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Not quite," Miss Pepondosovich raised her head and started wagging her finger, "The library doesn''t exist anymore, because it has been turned into a college for wizardry."


    "Wizards exist here?" Riley tilted his head to the side, and so did Esme, "I thought the people living here were just normal humans, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "As normal as they could be in the Domain of the Gods," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged, "They evolved from the creatures created by us, Riri. The kind of normal you are thinking of does not really match up with them ¡ª anything goes."


    "Interesting," Riley ced his hand on his chin, "And this college reced the library?"


    "They told us they built over it," Miss Pepondosovich nodded as she nced at Esme, "They said it was on the west side of the city?"


    "Yes, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Well, let''s go!" Miss Pepondosovich raised her hand, almost hopping toward the direction she was pointing to before remembering they were supposed to blend in with the humans.


    "May I ask you a question, Miss Pepondosovich?" Esme nced toward thend above them that served as the domain''s sky, "How exactly do you know which way is west when there are no celestial markings helping you? I expected the people of this world would have a different way of finding their way. Although, I suppose there are shadows."


    "The wind," Miss Pepondosovich raised her finger, "The wind on the infinitends of Manirosa only blows in one direction, and that is what they consider to be north."


    "Oh?" Esme also raised her finger, "You are right, Miss Pepondosovich."


    The two continued to talk, while Riley just followed behind them; his head, filled with thoughts of Aerith. Did Navi and the others lie to him about time travel? Or perhaps Miss Pepondosovich was right, and that they just do not know it is possible yet?


    But then again, if what Seed said is true, and that one of the Higher Gods was a themarian named Aerith''Ross, then the Primordials should be fully aware of her existence ¡ª after all, they should have brought her here eons ago. Could it be that they have forgotten? Was that even possible, could Primordials even forget?"


    "Riri¡­ Riri!"


    And while Riley was busy scouring his mind for answers, Miss Pepondosovich pped her hands right in front of his face to try and wake him up from his stupor. Riley, however,pletely ignored Miss Pepondosovich and even tilted his head away from her hands.


    "Wha¡ª" Miss Pepondosovich pped her hands again several times, but each time, Riley moved his head away, "Riri! We''re here!"


    As soon as she said that, however, Riley finally stopped dodging and turned to look at therge gate in front of him ¡ª a wooden gate evenrger than the one they had in the castle, even the walls were higher.


    "They''re not letting us in," Miss Pepondosovich subtly pointed at the people guarding the gate, "They said only students and faculty are allowed inside."


    "We should just destroy the entire campus and leave the library, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "What? No!" Miss Pepondosovich quickly blocked Riley''s path as soon as he started walking toward the gate, "Leave this to me, I have a n. The two of you, just stay put!"


    Riley and Esme just looked at each other, before nodding their heads. They then watched as Miss Pepondosovich once again approached the guards, talking to them before handing each of them a sack of coins ¡ª and as soon as she did so, the two guards mmed their hands on the wooden gate.


    And as Miss Pepondosovich walked back to Riley and Esme, the gates started to open.


    "Your n was to bribe them, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "No," Miss Pepondosovich let out a small chuckle while wagging her finger again, "Well, yes ¡ª just follow me inside and act¡­ regretful."


    Once again, Riley and Esme just looked at each other before following Miss Pepondosovich to the gate. As soon as they passed by the guards, however, they heard someone clicking their tongues.


    "You better not let us catch you guys loitering out in the city again," one of the guards whispered, "I swear, you are paying to be here but you''re cutting sses. What a waste."


    "...I see," Esme ced her hand on her chin, "You told them we are students of the college, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "Pretty much," Miss Pepondosovich nodded to herself in satisfaction, "Now we just need to find where the library is."


    The three then started walking around the campus, and fortunately for them, there wasn''t really anyone else loitering outside, letting them just roam free. The campus was wide, all things considered ¡ª for Riley, however, it might as well be considered as a backyardpared to the Mega Academy.


    There were 4rge buildings and arge open field, probably used for any practical lessons as there were broken boulders and burnt fields. No one was out, however, as the students were probably all having their lessons inside.


    "Which one do you think is the library?" And as the three reached the intersection that connected the paved roads toward the 4 buildings, Miss Pepondosovich started reading the que at the center of the crossing, "Let me see¡­ Library, library¡­


    ¡­there''s no library here. Should we just check¡ª"


    "You three."


    Before Miss Pepondosovich could finish her words, however, they were suddenly approached by an old man wearing a pair of oversized sses.


    "Did you really think you could just bribe the guards without us knowing? Do you take the people of this college for fools?" The old man scoffed, adjusting hisrge sses as he looked at the three from head to toe one by one, "Which dorm do you belong to? Which ss, hm?"


    "We¡­" Miss Pepondosovich nced at the que again, "...are from the Hissing dorm?"


    "I knew it!" The old man pointed at them, "You Hissing brats are the only ones who would take your talents for granted! Punishment! Punishment is only right for students like you!"


    "Actually¡­ we''re not really¡ª"


    "What punishment do you think the three of you deserve!?" The old man was not letting anyone else speak as he once again pointed at the three, "Hm? Tell me!"


    "How about we clean the library, Sir?" Riley raised his hand.


    "You dare answer back!?"


    "But you asked us a question, Sir," Esme also raised her hand.


    "That''s it!" The old man clicked his tongue, "The three of you are cleaning the crappers!"


    ***


    "How did we even get into this situation!? We''re gods!"


    Esme could really only move to the side as Miss Pepondosovich stomped her foot on the floor, blowing away the dirty water from the floor of thevatory.


    "What do you mean, Miss Pepondosovich?" Esme tilted her head to the side as she mopped the floor, "Your n worked perfectly, we are inside the college and no one suspects a thing yet. Once we are done here, we and Master could start finding the library."


    "That''s one more thing I am worried about¡­" Miss Pepondosovich took in a small gulp, "...Riri is cleaning the men''svatories alone. What if¡­ he does something?"


    "You do not have to worry about Master, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme shook her head, "If it is him, then I am sure¡­


    ¡­he could clean everything well."


    "Hm¡­" In the men''svatory just beside the women''svatory that Esme and Miss Pepondosovich were cleaning, Riley was currently just standing in one of the cubicles¡­


    ¡­his mop, currently filled with red as he stared at a student who was bleeding profusely from every orifice in his head.


    "Hm¡­


    ¡­not good."

 Chapter 898 898: The Book

    Chapter898 898: The Book


    "What did you do, Riri!?"


    A few minutes after just staring at the dead body inside one of the cubicles, Riley called for Miss Pepondosovich and Esme ¡ª and as a matter of course, Miss Pepondosovich could not help but just gasp as she saw a corpse just sprawled on the toilet. She was already nervous when she saw Riley''s bloody mop, but now she waspletely in panic.


    "Quick, let''s just¡­ let''s just chop the body into pieces so we could hide it," Miss Peponsodovich grabbed the student''s leg, "Why did you even have to kill someone, Riri!?"


    "I did not kill him, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley, however, shook his head, "I found him like this."


    "...What? What do you mean?" Miss Pepondosovich, who was about to tear the corpse''s leg, quickly dropped it as she looked Riley in the eyes, "You¡­ didn''t do this?"


    "Hm," Riley nodded.


    "That is true¡­" Esme also nodded as she looked at the corpse from head to toe, "...Itcks artistry for it to be Master''s kill."


    "Wait¡­ that doesn''t change the fact that the three of us are still surrounding an unattended corpse! We will be the prime suspects for this," Miss Pepondosovich once again grabbed the student''s leg, "We should¡ª"


    "Kh¡­"


    Before she could do anything, however, the corpse suddenly moved and started gasping for air.


    "It''s¡­ it''s alive," Miss Pepondosovich once again let go of the leg as she looked at Esme and Riley, "Should¡­ we just kill it so that it won''t suffer anymore?"


    "P¡­please¡­ save¡­ save me."


    "..." Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes as she stared at the student''s mangled and trembling face. But after a few seconds, she clicked her tongue and quickly pulled him up and carried him over her shoulders,


    "Let''s go¡­ to the clinic!"


    ***


    "You said¡­ you found him in thevatory?"


    "Hm."


    "...He''s getting targeted again."


    Fortunately for the student, Miss Pepondosovich and the others were able to find the clinic before he couldpletely pass away on her shoulders. As soon as they brought him to the clinic, however, the doctor just let out a sigh and asked Miss Pepondosovich to ce him on the bed.


    "Again?" Miss Pepondosovich raised an eyebrow, "You mean this child is being bullied?"


    "Unfortunately so," the doctor sighed and shook his head, "He''s currently the college''s best student ¡ª leagues away from his peers."


    "Why¡­ is he getting bullied then?"


    "Because he is a piece of shit," the doctor once again sighed, "He''s from the bad part of the city and¡­ hasn''t really learned how to mingle with the others. They liked him at first and sympathized with his background. After all, his magic control was something the other students hadn''t seen before¡­ but his personality is just¡­"


    "A bad egg, eh?" Miss Pepondosovich crossed her arms and sighed, "Maybe I really should have just torn him into pieces and flushed him down the toilet."


    "What was that?"


    "It''s a good thing we found him in the toilet," Miss Pepondosovich nodded, "Well, Riri here found him."


    "Oh¡­" The doctor finally noticed that he didn''t recognize the three at all, "...Why were you in thevatories again?"


    "We were asked to clean it by an old man withrge monocles, Healer," Riley answered, "We were caught cutting sses."


    "Lloyd," the doctor pinched the bridge of his nose, "Consider your punishment done since you brought this guy here. But don''t go back to your ss, unless, of course, you want to be punished again."


    "We will just head to the library then, Healer," Riley nodded, "Can you point us in the right direction?"


    "...Figures," the doctor sighed and shook his head, "The library''s been abandoned to the point the students don''t even remember where it is. It''s all practical lessons nowadays, no more theories."


    The doctor started grumbling for a few seconds until finally telling Riley and the others the directions to the library.


    "...Are we sure we''re in the right ce?"


    "Yes."


    And as Riley followed the doctor''s directions to a tee, they found themselves in front of a door. Or rather, a remnant of a door that was not even attached to its hinges; one could still not see inside, however, as cobwebspletely reced the role of the door instead.


    "It says there that this is the library, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme pointed at the que hanging above the doorway.


    "...You could read that?" Miss Pepondosovich raised her leg, before casually swinging it; creating a loud snapping noise that cracked in the air. And as she did so, all the webs blocking their path were blown awaypletely.


    "Gentlemen first," Miss Pepondosovich gestured to Riley to go ahead. Riley did not seem to mind, however, as he just calmly stepped inside the dim and obviously musky hall. And as soon as he entered, he snapped his fingers ¡ª lighting up all the candles and torches that had probably not been lit for a century.


    "Kukh," Miss Pepondosovich coughed as she entered the hall, "I guess knowledge is not power, after all. But¡­ I think we were not the first gods to search this ce. The doctor also said there hasn''t been a librarian managing this library for years."


    There were a lot of books and torn pages scattered everywhere; with the library obviously already ransacked by other elements. But from all the dust covering everything, it would seem it has already also been a long time ago.


    "Do you think they''ve already found something?"


    "No," Riley shook his head, "Almost all of the books are not on the shelves, which means they have already searched the entire library but most likely found nothing. Some of the books were burnt too, they did that in frustration, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Were you a detective in your universe, Riri?" Miss Pepondosovich raised an eyebrow.


    "My father just taught me a lot of things, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head before grabbing a book from the floor, letting all the dust just fall from it.


    "Does that include finding a book that might not exist?" Miss Pepondosovich started softly kicking away the books on the floor, "We don''t even know what sort of book we are looking for, we just took the winged god''s words at face value."


    "My father did teach me something, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley nodded as he picked up another book on the floor. As he did so, however, a miniature version of himself lifted it up from the floor and handed it to him,


    "A little elbow grease is needed most of the time."


    "Wh¡ª"


    And before Miss Pepondosovich could even utter a word, most of the books around them started to hover from the floor¡ªno, they were all being lifted up by miniature Rileys, hundreds and hundreds of them.


    "We should clean this ce while we are here, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley nodded, "Things are easier to find without obstructions."


    ***


    "...There''s nothing!"


    A loud noise erupted in the library as Miss Pepondosovich mmed a book on the floor. It was, however, quickly followed by a tiny and high-pitched scream as one of the miniature Rileys started pointing at her, shaking its head before lifting the book and cing it on the shelf.


    And with that, the only thing the library showed was its age; the books, now all neatly arranged on all the shelves¡ª in their alphabetical order, genre, and category at that. Both the lower and upper levels of the library,pletely devoid of any dust and cobwebs ¡ª and it hasn''t even been an hour.


    "You seem to have so little patience for one who has lived a long time, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme could not help but shake her head as she thanked the miniature Riley who ced thest book.


    "The more you have lived, the less patience you have," Miss Pepondosovich wagged her finger, "Any more things your father taught you that could be useful here, Riri?"


    "Perhaps someone else has already taken the book?" Esme ced her hand on her chin, "Perhaps not necessarily a god?"


    "Or it just doesn''t exist and that winged god duped us. Or worse, he''s wrong," Miss Pepondosovich sighed, "He mentioned a librarian, but the fact that he doesn''t know a school already exists here means his information is just outdated. And that librarian has probably already melted into the ground."


    "Hm¡­"


    "What have you even been looking at there, Riri!?" Miss Pepondosovich could not help but approach Riley as he had been standing in front of a wall several times¡ªno. It wasn''t exactly a wall, but arge painting that has already been eaten by dust and age. Soon, however, as Riley ced his hand on it, all the dust just floated away; revealing a portrait of an old man¡­


    ¡­and in his hand was a book.


    "This¡­ it says here that he''s the founder of the college," Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes as she blew on thebel at the bottom of the frame, "Do you think¡­ he''s the librarian that winged god was speaking of? Do you think he''s¡ª"


    "The great grandfather of my grandfather."


    And before Miss Pepondosovich could finish her words, they heard a voice approaching from behind them. They all turned around¡­


    ¡­only to see the boy they rescued earlier walking toward them; his face no longer mangled.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "The man who left a curse on my family for generations."

 Chapter 899 899: Finally

    Chapter899 899: Finally


    "The great-grandfather of your grand father¡­?" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Although the boy''s presence was not really wee as Miss Pepondosovich was not in a good mood from having searched for nothing, her penchant for drama has once again piqued and resurrected her curiosity; her ears almost popping out from her head and revealing herself as a god.


    It wasn''t only her, however, as Riley and Esme also turned to look at the boy.


    "You''re saying that the founder of the Academy is your ancestor?" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes; her voice, revealing her disbelief as she slowly approached the boy, "But we were told by the doctor that you''re from the slums."


    "I am," the boy scoffed, before spitting on the floor that the three just cleaned, "And it is all because of that man. He put a curse on our family, and that curse still lives on until now."


    "A curse¡­?" Miss Pepondosovich raised an eyebrow as she nced back at the portrait.


    "That book he is holding," the boy pointed at the painting, "It was said that a lot of people have searched for it, but he had put a lot of effort into hiding it ¡ª to the point that he used all of his wealth to ensure that no one could find it. He passed that responsibility to his child, and his child passed it on to his child and so on and so forth¡­


    ¡­until the only treasure we have left is that stupid fucking book."


    "Does¡­ that mean you have it?" Miss Pepondosovich subtly let out a gasp as she nced at Esme and Riley.


    "No," the boy scoffed before turning to look at Riley, "You''re a god, aren''t you?"


    "What made you think that?" Miss Pepondosovich quickly blocked Riley from the boy''s view.


    "If you are going to pick a disguise, you should not have picked one that was so obvious," the boy shook his head, "All the people that search for that book are either gods, or someone with a god''s boon ¡ª you are obviously the former¡­ and these two woman you are with are thetter."


    "I''m somewhat offended by that statement," Miss Pepondosovich''s eye twitched, "What, is that also some secret thing passed down in your family or something?"


    "It is," the boy shrugged.


    "Does that mean you have the book, Bullied Student?" Riley stepped forward.


    "No," the boy, however, once again just shook his head, "But since you saved my life, I think that means I owe you one ¡ª and you to be the one who saved me, it just means that it is fate."


    "Does that mean you''re going to tell us where the book is!?" Miss Pepondosovich excitedly approached the boy, "...And you''re pretty eloquent for someone who grew up in the slums."


    "No," the boy, however, once again just shook his head, "The book has been protected by my family for generations to the point we have lost all of our wealth ¡ª that means the book is more valuable than me. Our trade will not be equal."


    "...Seriously?" Miss Pepondosovich looked at the boy from head to toe, "What do you want then?"


    "A boon," the boy once again looked at Riley, "Grant me a boon, and I will tell you where the book is."


    "I can''t do that, Bullied Student." This time, it was Riley''s turn to shake his head.


    "Then I can''t tell you where the book is," the boy scoffed, "And do not even try to torture me, the people of this college are already doing that and I''m used to it."


    "I can''t do it, because I do not know how," Riley nced at Miss Pepondosovich, "If you want a boon, she would have to be the one to do it."


    "...You''re also a god?" The boy''s eyes widened as he stared at Miss Pepondosovich, before also looking at Esme, "Does that mean that the three of you are gods?"


    "Maybe," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged, "But don''t go telling anyone about us, or you''ll die."


    "I know that much ¡ª gods can''t expose themselves to the mortals."


    "Correct; the other gods can''t find out that we''ve exposed ourselves to mortals," Miss Pepondosovich raised a finger.


    "..." The boy looked at Miss Pepondosovich from head to toe, before bowing his head and ultimately kneeling to the floor, "Please grant me a boon."


    "...Oh?" Miss Pepondosovich blinked a couple of times, "Wait there for a couple of seconds."


    Miss Pepondosovich gestured to Riley and Esme to follow him as she walked behind one of the shelves.


    "What do you think, Riri? You''re the leader here."


    "I thought you were the leader, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley blinked.


    "...No, I''m your guide," Miss Pepondosovich breathed out, "What do you think? Should we just give the mortal a boon or what?"


    "I believe we should just torture him, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley ced his hand on his chin, "He thinks he is already numbed from pain. But trust me, he does not know what pain is just yet."


    "Oh me, Riri!" Miss Pepondosovich started shaking her head and forming her arm into an ''X'', "Please stop trying to kill mortals."


    "Then it is up to you, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Do you lose anything from granting a boon to a mortal, Miss Pepondosovich?" Esme asked.


    "I lose the portion I give him," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged.


    "...Then is it really worth it just for information?" Esme squinted her eyes.


    "I can always just take it back," Miss Pepondosovich once again just shrugged nonchntly, "If I even remember giving it away, that is. They mostly just die in a few years or so and the power will return to me without me even noticing."


    "That¡­ is true," Esme ced her hand on her chin.


    "Seriously, the two of you have no idea how powerful we are, do you?" Miss Pepondosovich could not help but sigh as she saw Esme and Riley nodding their heads, "Everyone that has been forcefully called to the Domain of the Gods are monsters ¡ª each capable of destroying their own universes. I might be the cutest person the two of you have ever seen but do not mistake my cuteness."


    "You are not the cutest person I have ever seen, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head, "That belongs to a small humanoid called Nana."


    "That''s not even the point I am trying to make!" Miss Pepondosovich pointed at Riley, "Anyway, I''ll just grant him a boon."


    Miss Pepondosovich and the others were about to return to the boy, only to see he haspany ¡ª or more specifically, thepany is beating him ck and blue.


    "Take this! You fucking scum!"


    "Just return to the box you live in! To think we treated you nicely! Just die!"


    "Do you think you can get away from killing my cat!?"


    "Return my money, bitch!"


    "You think just because your magical abilities are better than my sister''s, you could just burn her hands and call her useless!?"


    "Oh wow, he really is scum," Miss Pepondosovich really only watched as the other students practically stepped on his head; one even burning him with a fireball, "This guy will be trouble ¡ª I don''t think it''s a good idea to give him my boon."


    "Do it, Miss Pepondosovich," a small smile crawled on Riley''s face.


    "...Why do you suddenly sound so excited all of a sudden?" Miss Pepondosovich raised an eyebrow as she looked at Rhys. The three did not really intervene and just waited for the boy''s beating to be over; making sure there was no one else before stepping out behind the shelf.


    "You messed up the floor again, child," Miss Pepondosovich sighed, "Anyway, since you''re on the brink of death ¡ª I will grant you a boon ordingly."


    "Kh¡­" The boy still tried to nod his head even though his skull was already clearly shattered.


    [Oh, mortal¡­] And soon, Miss Pepondosovich''s voice echoed throughout the entire library, causing both Riley and Esme to look around,


    [...I grant you the strength to defeat your enemies, to be as strong as a mountain; never be blown away by the wind. Your wounds, no matter how fatal, will heal in time. I will not grant you magic, as that you already have plenty.]


    And with those words, a light started to emerge from Miss Pepondosovich''s chest. This light then turned into an orb which very slowly floated toward the boy¡­ ultimatelynding on his back and being absorbed by his body.


    And soon, albeit slowly, the bones that had cracked started to fix themselves. His face which was mangled beyond recognition also started to heal ¡ª and as soon as he was able to move his jaw, he whispered.


    "The book¡­ it''s with my brother," the boy wheezed, "He¡­ he is an adventurer."


    The boy then weakly grabbed something from his pockets, "This¡­ this is a letter he sent to me 30 days ago. I¡­ I have not read it yet since we are not on good terms, but it¡­ it should tell you where he is."


    And with those words, the boy fainted. Of course, Miss Pepondosovich snatched the letter from his hand before it could fall to the floor.


    "Finally, a real clue where we don''t need to guess!" Miss Pepondosovich started opening the letter.


    "I quite like moving around, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shrugged, "It reminds me of the RPG games I used to y as a child when I was not killing people."


    "I share the same sentiment," Esme nodded, "It is good to meet new people and learn their stories."


    "Shh! I''m reading it!" Miss Pepondosovich raised a finger as she started reading the letter, "¡­If you are reading this, then I am probably already dead¡ªFuuuck!"

 Chapter 900 900: The Lucky Rabbit

    Chapter900 900: The Lucky Rabbit


    "Why does everything have to be soplicated!?"


    "You should start to rx, Miss Pepondosovich. It has already been a few days."


    "But our torment still continues!"


    A few days after gaining another clue to a cosmic piece, Riley and the others were once again traveling thends of Manirosa ¡ªpletely finding themselves in a new country where thend was almost a sea of snow; where the snow wasing from, waspletely unknown even to Miss Pepondosovich.


    Right now, they were just casually walking through the snow; their legs almost hidden. Although none of them were really feeling cold, they still wore thick clothes and jackets to prevent being suspected as gods. Of course, they could just say they were granted a god''s boon, but what if it was another nosy god who discovered them?


    Miss Pepondosovich had told Esme and Riley that they were actually incredibly lucky that they hadn''t encountered one of those nosy gods yet ¡ª as there were actually plenty of them roaming around the mortal world.


    Gods who are just here specifically to troll other gods and report them when they can. They were mostly gods who had been in the Domain of the Gods for hundreds of thousands of years. After all, entertainment is scarce in the domain.


    As a matter of fact, Miss Pepondosovich knows so much about them¡­ because she used to be one of them.


    "Us damn it!" Miss Pepondosovich stomped her foot on the ground, and if it was not for Riley stopping the snow from moving, she would have probably cleared the entire terrain, "How am I supposed to be a god of luck, if this is the kind of luck I have!?"


    "A god of luck?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "I thought you were a rabbit god, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "...What''s a rabbit?" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes as she looked at Riley, "No, it doesn''t matter. I''m not whatever that god is ¡ª I am a god of luck!"


    Miss Pepondosovich then ced her hands on her waist as she puffed out her tiny chest, "More specifically, the God of Lucky Feet!"


    "You are right to question your authenticity, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme nodded.


    "No, no!" Miss Pepondosovich formed her hand into an ''X'', "The fact that we are even getting clues means that I am still lucky! My feet, as my title suggests, lead to luck! Even right now, we are probably heading to where the child''s brother has died, or at least some clues to it."


    "The letter did say he lived in a city in this country before he died, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme nodded.


    "I am still not fully acquainted with that concept, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley ced his hand on his chin, "I know I proimed myself to be the God of Nothing, but that is all it is ¡ª a promation."


    "You are what you think you are, Riri," Miss Pepondosovich shook her head, "After all, everything that you have been through, has led you to be what you are when you step foot in the Domain of the Gods."


    "Hm," Riley squinted his eyes.


    "Then it would seem I do not truly belong here, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme let out a long and deep sigh; enough to create a mist from the vaporing out of her mouth, "I am not even a god."


    "The fact that you are still here means that you are," Miss Pepondosovich wagged her finger, "If you weren''t, you would have been kicked out as soon as you were resurrected from being an undead."


    "But I do not know what kind of god I am, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme once again sighed, "I can not be a god of the undead, since I am no longer one."


    "Meh, you''ll find it in time," Miss Pepondosovich patted Esme''s shoulder, "You''re young. You''re like what, ten thousand years old?"


    "Not even 300, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme shook her head.


    "...Why are the two of you so young? What are they feeding you in your universe?"


    "..." Esme did not answer.


    "That¡ª" Miss Pepondosovich could really only close her eyes as she remembered Esme became an undead and probably even ate some of her own kind, "...Sorry."


    And while the three were having a casual conversation while on their search for a cosmic piece, Darkday was currently casually walking around a city.


    It was the city he had already previously destroyed when Father Edmund and him were about to fight. But now, it was once again standing as if nothing happened to it ¡ª but of course, it was clear that something truly did happen to it. As the once lively city was no longer filled with people ¡ª there was only Darkday walking with his hands behind his back. Well¡­ maybe he wasn''t alone.


    "Knock, knock," Darkday stopped in front of one of the houses. And instead of knocking, he just verbally worded out his intent as he stood facing the door, "I aming in, Father Edmund. I was wondering what you wanted to eat so I could¡ª"


    And as soon as Darkday opened the door, he was weed by a beam of light thatpletely melted away his arm and entire right shoulder.


    "You missed," Darkday let out a quiet giggle as Edmund''s eyes were reflected on the visor of his helmet.


    "That was not for you," all of Edmund''s eyes closed; his wings retracting as he just calmly stood in the house, "That was a signal for the other gods ¡ª once they see that, they would know that a god is using his abilities and they would immediately check out who it is."


    "Oh, impressive," Darkday pped his hands while stepping inside the house; the door behind him, immediately closing as soon as he was inside, "So, what would you like to eat?"


    "...What?" Edmund watched as Darkday just casually walked around the house, before ultimately stopping in front of the unusually modern kitchen;pletely out of ce from the rest of the house that seemed medieval. There was even a refrigerator.


    "What would you like to eat?" Darkday asked again as he pulled something small from the pockets of his suit. But as he ced it on the counter, it suddenly turned bigger into a pound of¡­ meat, "I hunted this monster in the forest, it''s a rib of a 6-legged cow. I do not know what it will taste like, so why don''t we eat it together, Father Edmund?"


    "Did you not hear what I just said?" Edmund gritted his teeth, "I may not be a match to you alone, but if another godes, you will die."


    "Do you want it seared or grilled?" Darkdaypletely ignored Edmund''s words as he grabbed a knife from his pockets and started trimming the ribs.


    "I am not in the mood for your evil games, Darkday!" Edmund waved his hand, "You will be one of the Fallen soon!"


    "This beef has quite the marbling in it. Although I do not really fancy how this animal could have eaten humans," Darkday sighed, "Humans eat a lot of weird things ¡ª I would know because I do too."


    "You¡ª"


    "Oh?"


    And before Father Edmund could finish his words, the house¡ªno, the entire city started to quake as something seemed to havended nearby.


    "They''re here," Edmund smiled before his face opened up and revealed his gigantic eye, "Do not think you can escape exile, Darkday."


    "Well¡­" Darkday calmly ced the knife he was holding on the counter as he finally nced at Edmund, "...It''s a good thing the animal wasrge. Now¡­


    ¡­Let''s go meet your new neighbors, shall we?"


    ***


    "Ah! Nice stuff. Carrot soup is always the best for cold weather like this."


    "The only thing you eat are carrots, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "She also eats grass, Miss Esme."


    "Grea''s Grass is different!"


    After walking through the snow for what seemed like an eternity, Riley and the others found themselves inside a cozy tavern filled with people ¡ª all of them, either drinking soup or hot liquor.


    "May I ask you something about Grea, Miss Pepondosovich?" Riley asked as he took a sip of hot milk, "I know Grea is a god of grass, but she does not seem to utilize it as a part of her abilities."


    "Hm," Miss Pepondosovich nodded, "Grea is a Strength-type god. Or more specifically, everything she wants to be strong, bes strong ¡ª her skin, her weapons, her arms¡­ everything. But she puts them all in the grass she creates since it makes her feelfortable. Her story when she was a mortal was not really a good one."


    "What type of god are you then? Besides being lucky, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme also took a sip of warm milk, clearly imitating Riley. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "I suppose I''m also a Strength-type," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged, "My legs are stronger than most gods."


    "I suppose I am also a Strength-type, then," Esme nodded, "Maybe that is what I am, a God of Strength?"


    "Oh ¡ª only one has the right to bear that title¡­" Miss Pepondosovich squinted at Esme, "...But you might have a shot. Let us go to the City of Warriors after all of this is done."


    "Hm."


    "But for now," Miss Pepondosovich sighed as she raised the letter and stared at it, "We need to find someone who actually knows where this Clint guy lived, or at least where he died. We should start asking these people soon, maybe they know¡ª"


    "That letter¡­ why do you have it?" And before Miss Pepondosovich could finish her words, a woman suddenly approached them; her eyes, slightly trembling as she stared at the letter.


    "See?" A small smile slowly started to crawl on Miss Pepondosovich''s face,


    "Lucky feet."

 Chapter 901 901: Responsibility

    Chapter 901  901: Responsibility


    ??VR 901


    "You¡­ know who wrote this letter?"


    Riley quickly stood up from his seat, taking away one of the chairs from an empty table and cing it beside on theirs ¡ª he then gracefully gestured for the woman to sit; who, despite obviously hesitating, still obliged and sat on the chair Riley offered her.


    "It''s Clint Eastiron," the woman nodded as she nced at the letter, "I was there when he wrote it."


    "Well¡­" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes as she looked at the woman from head to toe, "...You might have just heard us talking earlier."


    "The letter is addressed to his brother," the woman could really only let out a sigh as Miss Pepondosovich doubted her, "His name is Cane."


    "..." Miss Pepondosovich could really only stare at the woman for a few seconds, before leaning closer to Esme and whispering into her ear,


    "Was that the boy''s name?" She asked even though she had already granted him a boon.


    "I do not know, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme whispered back, "I am afraid we already left before we could have a meaningful conversation with the mortal."


    "...Oh," Miss Pepondosovich could really only sigh as she focused her attention back on the woman, "What does it say in the letter."


    "..." The woman could really only let out a short but very deep breath as she heard Miss Pepondosovich''s question. And as soon as Miss Pepondosovich saw the woman on the verge of tears, she quickly realized that there was no need to further question the woman''s authenticity.


    "Okay¡­" Miss Pepondosovich nodded, "...We are actually looking for him ¡ª but as you know, he''s¡­ dead."


    "Hm," The woman closed her eyes as the tears quickly stopped falling from her eyes, "Did¡­ you get that letter from his brother?"


    "Yes," Miss Pepondosovich nodded, "Do you perhaps know where¡­ he stayedst before he passed?"


    "I do," the woman nodded, "Clint and I were¡­ were close."


    "If it''s alright with you, can you maybe take us there?" Miss Pepondosovich smiled as he looked at Riley and Esme in excitement, "We''ll pay you a hefty sum for your troubles. Miss¡­"


    "Caroline," the woman also smiled back, "And since you seem to know Cane, you don''t need to pay me anything."


    Caroline stood up, "I don''t really know what you people want, but I think Clint would have wanted me to help you. Please, follow me."


    "Oh, okay¡­" Miss Pepondosovich shrugged while standing up, "I told you, lucky feet. I will always lead to where we are supposed to be."


    "Hm," Riley could really only nod as he and Esme followed the two out of the tavern. They were led deeper into the city, in a street where the snow was already piling up since there weren''t really any people to walk on them and push them away.


    "Clint¡­ lived around here?" Miss Pepondosovich asked as she looked at all the houses, which seemed abandoned at first nce. But if you look through the windows, one could see candles lit up and dancing with the shadows.


    "Yes," Caroline nodded as she continued to walk through the alleyway, before reaching an alleyway which was probably the quietest part of the already quiet city, "He¡­ did not really live a good life as an adventurer."


    "Still¡­" Miss Pepondosovich looked around the dark and empty alleyway, "For his house to be in a ce like this, even though I heard adventurers could earn enough to rent a good room in all the taverns¡­


    ¡­it almost seems like you''re just leading us to a dark alley to be ambushed. Isn''t that right, Riri?"


    Miss Pepondosovich stopped walking, causing Riley and Esme to also stop in their tracks.


    "What is it, Miss Pepondosovich?" Riley blinked a couple of times.


    "...We were lured into a dark alley," Miss Pepondosovich also blinked.


    "Really?" Riley looked around the alley, "It does not seem that dark, Misd Pepondosovich."


    "I mean that she lured us to this ce to be ambushed!" Miss Pepondosovich pointed at Caroline, who just very slowly turned around; her eyebrows lowered and her eyes containing a glint of rage.


    "What did the three of you do to Cane!?" Caroline raised her hand, summoning a ball of fire from her hands thatpletely painted the dark alley with a yellow gleam. And almost as if on cue, several people started toe out of the shadows, leaping from the windows of the supposedly abandoned and empty buildings.


    And without even any dy in their movements, they quickly surrounded Riley and the others as soon as theynded; pointing their knives at their necks.


    "...Oh?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at the two men holding him at knife point, "I see what you mean now, Miss Pepondosovich."


    Riley just casually tilted his head to the side as he looked back to Miss Pepondosovich. He truly did not know there were people waiting to ambush them ¡ª he could have, but he did not really see the need to.


    Esme was the same ¡ª as a themarian, the people surrounding them right now might as well be the same as the insects and rodents quietly minding their own and just crawling through the dirt. For her, the people pointing a knife at her throat may as well be flies. And she truly was not conscious of them at all.


    "We did not do anything to Cane," Miss Pepondosovich very slowly raised her hands even as the knives on her throat threatened to go deeper into her skin ¡ª but of course, it won''t actually do anything.


    "Lies!" Caroline stretched her hand toward Miss Pepondosovich, pointing the raging ball of fire at her, "Thest time I heard from my brother, he had told me all about the people bullying him! And Cane would never give that letter away! Why would he even give it to you!? What did you do to him!?"


    "You seem to be very invested in this, Caroline," Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes as she returned Caroline''s re, "Just how close are you to Clint?"


    "What did you do!?" Caroline then pointed the fireball at Riley, "Tell me where he is or I fry this albino friend of yours!"


    "Oh?" Riley blinked, "You know what I am, Caroline?"


    "And I know your kind doesn''t like the heat!"


    "That''s not entirely true," Riley sighed and shook his head, "But it would seem there are other albinos in this ce, it is no wonder I only get slight nces from people."


    "Look¡­" Miss Pepondosovich sighed, "...We actually saw your brother all bloodied up sitting on a crapper."


    "You¡ª"


    "We brought him to the doctor''s," Miss Pepondosovich groaned, "Yes, we saved the boy."


    "You think I will believe that!?"


    "We are here for a book, Caroline."


    "Riri!?"


    "It is either she believes us¡­" Riley''s eyes slightly closed, "...Or I kill everyone here."


    "W¡ª"


    "Linus, take the others and leave. Quick!" Caroline gasped as she waved her hand.


    "But¡ª"


    "Now!" And as Caroline raised her voice, the men hesitatingly started backing away, before ultimately running from the alley and leaving Caroline with Riley and the others.


    "...That worked?" Miss Pepondosovich could not help but breathe out as she watched the men disappear.


    "Forgive me." And almost as if she did not just have them surrounded just a few seconds earlier. And with her voice turning meek, she quickly kneeled on the dirty ground, "I did not know I was in the presence of gods."


    "...We''re not gods."


    "Although I failed miserably, I have still been trained to recognize gods," Caroline said with her head down, "I truly did not just expect it would be in my time."


    "Your¡­ time?" Miss Pepondosovich raised an eyebrow, "Who did you say you are again?"


    "I am the current holder of the book you are searching for," Caroline''s voice turned even quieter.


    "Clint gave the responsibility to you?" Miss Pepondosovich gasped as she nced at Esme and Riley.


    "In a manner of speaking," Caroline very slowly stood up from the ground.


    "How¡­ did he even die?" Miss Pepondosovich retrieved the letter from her pocket, "He did not really specify anything in the letter of what he was going through."


    "He¡­ did not really die," Caroline let out a very long and even deeper breath as she looked Miss Pepondosovich in the eyes, "I''m Clint, was Clint."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...I am not going to ask anything more about that," Miss Pepondosovich slightly squinted her eyes, "So¡­ about the book?"


    "I no longer have it," Caroline once again closed her eyes as she lowered her head, "I''m¡­ afraid I have already lost it."


    "Seriously¡­?" Miss Pepondosovich could not help but let out a long and deep groan, "I thought it was your responsibility!?"


    "It is," Caroline nodded, "My responsibility is to hand over the book to the very first god that finds me."


    "Oh. It would seem we are toote, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "No, not exactly," Caroline lowered her head again, "I thought I handed it to a god¡­


    ¡­but it turns out to just be a swindler."


    "...You''re not very good at your job, are you?"

 Chapter 902 902: failure

    Chapter 902  902: failure


    ??"Tell us again what happened."


    "I think that is enough, Miss Pepondosovich. She has already told us what happened 3 times."


    "I agree with Master, there is no reason to ask Caroline again. He has already told us in detail what happened."


    Riley and the others were now in Caroline''s house. And unlike what she initially told them, Clint¡ªshe does not live in the dark corners of the city at all, no. She had her own house in the city, and at the central at that, where the markets were only just a couple of blocks away.


    And right now, Riley and the others were having warm soup around arge ornamented wooden table in an obviously expensive dining hall.


    "Okay¡­" Miss Pepondosovich tried her best to calm down; her breaths, as heavy as they could be without turning into full-blown groans, "...I get that you made a mistake because the guy was incredibly convincing, even though he did not even show you any inclination of him having abilities. He did not even have a god''s boon. Do you know how pathetic that is? Anyway, where was I¡­


    ¡­Right, forget the fact that you were scammed, why are you living in a mansion like this while your brother was suffering in the college? You even told him you were dead."


    "That¡­" Caroline could really only look at the fire dancing in her firece; taking in a deep breath as she drank her soup that had been boiling in deep broth for a day ¡ª absolutely umami, "...It was better for him to be as far away as possible from me and the family."


    "Afraid that he will be caught up in all the dangers?" Miss Pepondosovich raised an eyebrow.


    "I love my brother, I do ¡ª but no," Caroline started shaking her head, "Have you seen him? He''s a fucking monster ¡ª like a little devil in a boy''s body."


    "Hm," Riley nodded to himself.


    "When we were a bit younger, when I told him and our mother about¡­ what I am," Caroline turned her head down; gesturing to herself and her extremely feminine clothes, "He cut off my cock while I was sleeping."


    "He probably meant well, Caroline," Riley nodded again.


    "He cut off my cock!" Caroline screamed in frustration, "Even though I was already like this, I was still using it!"


    "...Right," Miss Pepondosovich closed her eyes and covered his mouth; pretending to think when she was actually just trying her best not to burst out inughter there and then,


    "I know what you mean ¡ª that was why I fully hesitated first when I gifted him a boon."


    "You¡ª!!!" Caroline could not help but stand up from her seat, "You gave Cane a boon!? We have to go to him right now before he could start wreaking havoc!"


    "You can go, but our quest is to the cosmic piece," Miss Pepondosovich shook her head.


    "You granted him a boon fully knowing what kind of person he is!" Caroline raised her voice even further.


    "Yes," Miss Pepondosovich nodded, "He is¡­ evil, yes. That is definitely true, the boy''s incredibly sinister ¡ª but it is also true that he has been beaten an inch away from death several times now; whether he deserved it or not, I am not the kind of god to decide that. But he is still being beaten, and in his perspective, he deserves revenge for what was being done to him. And if you wanted to stop him¡­


    ¡­you should have already stopped him before."


    "That¡­" Caroline could not help but look to the side, "...He will leave bodies."


    "You do not have to worry, Caroline," a smile crawled on Riley''s face, "Your brother''s story is not yet set in stone ¡ª and you are definitely one of the main characters in it; maybe even the one who will ultimately kill him?"


    "Kill¡­ him?" Caroline stuttered.


    "Yes," the smile on Riley''s face widened even further, "An evil viin''s story should always end in his death, Caroline ¡ª a gruesome and violent death. And who better to give him that than his sister?"


    "I¡­ I won''t kill him."


    "But you said you would stop him, Caroline," Riley stood up; the fire dancing in the firece, painting his white skin as he very slowly approached Caroline, "That is what it takes to stop him, nothing e¡ª"


    "Alright, alright," Miss Pepondosovich quickly moved between Riley and Caroline before Riley could start whispering some unnecessary morbid things in Caroline''s ear,


    "What about this ¡ª I will give you a boon too."


    "Me¡­!?" Caroline almost gasped as she heard Miss Pepondosovich''s words; choosing topletely ignore Riley''s words for now, "But¡­ I gave away the book to the wrong person."


    "That you did," Miss Pepondosovich crossed her arms and nodded, "A monumental mistake that is. And now you have the chance to make it right, will you recognize the man who swindled you if you saw him?"


    "I can even describe him in full detail if you wish," Caroline said; her breaths, filled with a sense of excitement.


    "Can you paint him?"


    "Wait here!" And without even hesitating for even a single moment, Caroline rushed out of the dining room, quickly returning with a pencil and paper in hand, and without even wasting a single second, she started sketching the man that supposedly scammed her.


    "Here."


    And true enough, from how detailed Caroline drew the man, it would seem she truly has memorized his face. Now¡­ if only her drawing skills were as good. But still, Miss Pepondosovich did not even seem to mind as she just grabbed the sketch from Caroline''s hand.


    "What do you guys think?" Miss Pepondosovich showed the sketch to Esme and Riley.


    "She needs drawing lessons, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "What? No, not that!"


    "Oh," Riley turned to face Caroline, "You need drawing lessons, Caroline."


    "I meant; do you recognize this face anywhere during our travels!" Miss Pepondosovich groaned as she once again showed the sketch, putting it right in front of Riley and Esme''s faces.


    "Oh¡­" Riley breathed out as he squinted his eyes, "Then, no."


    "I also do not recognize the face from this horrendous drawing, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme imitated Riley as she squinted her eyes and nodded, "And I am with Master, he needs drawing lessons."


    "Right¡­ I actually only asked just for the sake of asking," Miss Pepondosovich nodded as she started rolling the sketch, "I already have a way to find this guy ¡ª we could find Father Edmund again and ask him for a favor; he did lead us to this wild goose chase, after all. But first¡­


    ¡­your boon."


    Caroline could not help but just take in a deep breath as Miss Pepondosovich ced her focus back on her; Caroline''s breaths, trembling uncontrobly as she dropped to her knees.


    "Is¡­ is it also possible to fully turn me into a woman?" Caroline asked.


    "...I''m not that kind of god," Miss Pepondosovich sighed as she pointed her palm at the kneeling Caroline, "But we can regenerate what you have lost."


    "That is plenty," Caroline lowered her head, "I will forever be indebted to you."


    "Hm," Miss Pepondosovich just shrugged as she once again started the ritual for granting a boon. And like with Cane, it was an even shorter procedure as Caroline was not really on the brink of death.


    "This is¡­" And as soon as it was done, Caroline kneeled even lower to the ground as she felt the thing between her legs once again finally saying hello to the world, "...Thank you, thank you. I¡­ I shall leave the three of you to settle your matters, I dare not impede."


    "Right, go," Miss Pepondosovich could really only chuckle as she shooed Caroline away, "Use your newfound strength and¡­ long-lost vigor."


    "Thank you, truly!" Caroline continued to bow her head repeatedly as she left the dining room.


    "Wow¡­" Miss Pepondosovich sighed and shook her head, "...Both the siblings are aplete failure in different ways. I mean, how could you even fail your life-long mission that bad!?"


    "I thought you would be able to rte, Miss Pepondosovich?" Riley tilted his head.


    "Wh¡ªare you actually making jokes right now!? I thought you didn''t have a sense of humor!" Miss Pepondosovich pointed at Riley, "Is this stoic facade all just a ruse?"


    "I have plenty of jokes, Miss Pepondosovich," another smile crawled on Riley''s face, "But they usually involve a lot of pain and blood."


    "...I''m not even going to ask," Miss Pepondosovich sighed and started waving her hand, "Anyway, we should return to the city with the orphanage, Edmund might still be there."


    "He is still there, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "...Why do you sound so sure about that?" Miss Pepondosovich could not help but squint her eyes at Riley''s somewhat excited tone.


    "Because I did not realize we would be visiting so soon, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley seemed to be trying his best not to let out a small chuckle, "I will tell Darkday¡­


    ¡­to prepare a proper wee for us."


    "...What''s a Darkday?"

 Chapter 903 903: Carrots

    <h4>Chapter 903 Chapter 903: Carrots</h4>


    ?"Why does this ce seem so quiet all of a sudden? Where are all the vendors¡­?"


    "Perhaps they all left after the murder in the orphanage, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    Riley, Miss Pepondosovich, and Esme were now back to one of the first cities they passed in the endlessnd of Manirosa. And while Esme and Miss Pepondosovich were looking around and wondering where all the people were, Riley was just walking behind them carrying a wide smile on his face; chuckling from time to time as he nodded to himself.


    After all, he was like a father proud of his son''s aplishment; his son being his clone. None of these buildings was an illusion, Darkday built everything from scratch and from memory.


    "Kukuku, impressive."


    "...What''s wrong with Riri?" Miss Pepondosovich''s hair could not help but stand up on its ends as she heard Riley giggling to himself. She wanted to nce back, but she was afraid of what she was going to see.


    "I do not know, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme shook her head as nced at Riley, "But there are a lot of things wrong about and with him."


    "Pft, you''re right about that," Miss Pepondosovich let out a cheeky chuckle, "The man is a menace by all the definitions of the word. Anyway¡­ where are all the people!? Even the brothel''s empty. But I do sense that 6-winged god somewhere. So, that''s good. But¡­"


    "I also sense the presence of other very powerful individuals," Esme nodded as she looked around the seemingly empty building, "Not as strong as Father Edmund, but they are everywhere, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "...Right," Miss Pepo squinted her eyes as she also started looking at some of the houses; the energy they were giving out, incredibly sinister¡ªno; extremely morbid,


    "Just what¡­ happened here? Could it be the god whomitted the murder at the orphanage did something¡­? Wait, what if it wasn''t alone!?"


    And almost instantly, Miss Pepondosovich''s height decreased; her bunny ears, protruding from the top of her head as her legs almost seemed like they bloated as her muscles returned; the ground beneath her feet, very slightly cracking.


    And as Riley saw the webs of cracks forming from beneath her feet, he could not help but be impressed.


    One of the reasons that Riley found why the people of this world have not really evolved in terms of technology is because of their physical environment ¡ª everything was incredibly hard. Much like Theran, and maybe even more durable.


    And yet Miss Pepo was able to crack it with just a simple gesture. Truthfully, Riley was not actually expecting that ¡ª even though Miss Pepo had told them that each god here was capable of destroying their own respective universes, it was still hard to imagine for Riley, since¡­ Darkday was able to manhandle Father Edmund and the other gods that were now staying in the city.


    Miss Pepondosovich, however¡­ would probably not be too easy. In fact¡­


    ¡­is it possible she was physically stronger than Esme?


    "...Interesting," Riley worded out as he looked at the now tiny Miss Pepondosovich.


    "What do you mean interesting!?" Miss Pepondosovich snarled as she continued to scan the area, "Be on your feet, this might be an ambush!"


    "Not at all, Miss Pepe."


    "!!!"


    Miss Pepondosovich''s bunny ears rose up as she quickly turned her head to where the voice wasing from, only to see someone in a full ck suit and a ck helmet casually walking out of one of the houses.


    "Is it you!?" Miss Pepondosovich raised her voice, "Are you the one who killed the only woman who can cook my favorite carrot cake!?"


    "That depends, Miss Pepe," Darkday turned his head at Riley.


    "Stop calling me Miss Pepe, only the closest of my kind can call me that!" Miss Pepondosovich growled; the veins around her legs and thighs, now throbbing as the ground beneath her feet cracked even further, "And what do you mean by it depends!?"


    "It depends on whether or not she was truly the only one who can cook your favorite carrot cake," Darkday then stepped to the side, gesturing to Miss Pepondosovich and the others to enter the house, "Please, I have actually prepared you some variety of carrot dishes that I hope you will love."


    "You think you can lure us¡ªRiri!?"


    Miss Pepondosovich could not help but look back and forth between Riley and Darkday as Riley just casually walked to the house.


    "We don''t know if it''s a trap!"


    "I do," Riley nodded, "This gentleman in ck here is¡­ a friend of mine."


    "...What?" Miss Pepondosovich raised an eyebrow, "What do you even mean by that? And even if he is, we have no time for this, we still need to find that winged god."


    "If you are looking for Father Edmund, then please," Darkday stretched his hand as he once again invited Miss Pepondosovich in the house, "He is actually already waiting for you inside ¡ª I told him that you wereing. Please, I baked a cake for everyone."


    "What¡­?" Miss Pepondosovich was still incredibly confused as to what was going on. But as Esme also started walking to the house, the only thing she could really do was follow them. Her eyes, however, did not leave Darkday even for a single second; her body on full alert as she passed by him,


    All her aggression, however, almost instantly


    faded away as soon as she entered the house; the scent veiling the air, sweet but not too overpowering ¡ª the fresh smell of the carrots, somewhat enticing even though it should not be.


    "That''s¡­"


    "Your favorite, as I said.."


    "Don''te near me," Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes and stepped to the side as Darkday also entered the house, "...And you baked that thing I''m smelling?"


    "To as perfect as I can make it be," Darkday nodded as she gestured to Miss Pepondosovich to follow Riley and Esme to the dining area.


    Miss Pepondosovich was slightly hesitant, but she just ultimately shook her head and followed the two. And as soon as she reached the dining room, she almost gasped as she saw Edmund there¡­ wearing an apron instead of a sash.


    "What is going on here?"


    "Has Riley not told you anything yet?" Darkday tilted his head to the side.


    "...No."


    "Then it is up to you to discover everything in due time," Darkday chuckled, "Please, Father Edmund will serve you your favorite ¡ª choose a seat, any seat and make yourselffortable."


    "W¡ª"


    "Father Edmund!"


    Miss Pepondosovich almost jumped in ce as Darkday suddenly yelled. But before she could even wonder what was going on, Edmund quickly approached them.


    "Yes, Darkday?" Edmund bowed his head.


    "Cut Miss Pepondosovich and our other guests a slice of our carrot cake," Darkday casually said.


    "Wait, no¡­" Miss Pepondosovich slightly gasped, "...You don''t really need to¡ª"


    "Of course, Darkday." And before Miss Pepondsovich could finish her words, Edmund smiled at her before just turning around and moving to the counter.


    And true enough, he retrieved a freshly baked cake from one of the refrigerators there and started slicing it expertly ¡ª even using hisrge eye to get the finest slice as possible.


    "What in the¡­" Miss Pepondosovich could really only blink as her legs just subconsciously took her to the table where Riley and Esme were already sitting, "...Are you not going to tell me what''s going on here, Riri?"


    "Half the fun is the mystery, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley let out a small chuckle as he looked at Miss Pepondosovich, "Try the cake, it should be incredibly up to your taste ¡ª Darkday made it ordingly."


    "Something very weird is going on here," Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes. But as soon as the scent of the cake moved passed her nose when Edmund ced it in front of her, any other thoughts she had quickly withered away,


    "...But we should eat first. We can''t think on an empty stomach."


    ***


    "Ugh¡­ I can''t eat anymore," Miss Pepondosovich groaned as she ate another spoonful of cake; her stomach, already bulging as she finished most of the cake herself.


    It had already been an hour, and Miss Pepondosovich was on the verge of forgetting why they were there in the first ce.


    "That is a shame, Miss Pepe," Darkday could not help but sigh as he took another food from one of the food closets, "We have kept this soup in temperature ¡ª I had hoped it would somewhat contrast the sweetness of the cake."


    "What¡­ what is that?" Miss Pepondosovich''s nose started to twitch.


    "Just a simple carrot soup¡­


    ¡­made from a carrot monster I saw the other day."


    "A¡­ carrot monster!?" Miss Pepondosovich stood up from her chair, pushing away the table with her already bulging stomach. But as soon as she saw Edmund quickly arranging everything on the table and making sure nothing spilled, she instantly threw her fork away and pointed at Edmund,


    "Wait! We are here for you!"


    "Yes, I was told you were," Edmund only nodded as he did not stop fixing the table, "In fact¡­


    ¡­Darkday had already shown me the portrait of who you are looking for ¡ª and I have already found him."

 Chapter 904 904: Friends Along The Way

    Chapter904 904: Friends Along The Way


    "Please, the rest of you may go ahead and go to the living room ¡ª I will clean up."


    "...I still have no idea who you are."


    After their very uneventful but extremely scrumptious and delicious meal, Darkday immediately but gracefully removed the dishes and started washing them, while Riley and the rest were dutifully escorted by Edmund to the living room.


    Although Miss Pepondosovich was still quite confused with whatever was going on; the taste of the carrot dishes lingering inside her mouth continued to tingle her¡­ happy ce, making her just go along with everything since she was in a very, very good mood.


    After all, even if she was now considered a god; for her kind, food will always be the number one god. And so, she just willingly followed the others with a satisfied expression on her face. She was even the first one to make herselffortable on the sofa as she sat and let herself just sink into it; letting out her breath as she held her bulging stomach.


    "Everyone. To confirm, this is the person you wanted me to find. Correct?" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    And as soon as Riley and Esme also took their seats, Edmund started opening all of his eyes. He then opened up his palm, releasing several patches of light that soon turned into a piece of paper ¡ª the exact same paper that contained Caroline''s drawing.


    "Yes," Riley quickly nodded, "It is hard to mistake that extremely horrendous sketch for something else."


    "Master is right," Esme also nodded.


    "Hm," while Miss Pepondosovich just nonchntly waved her hand as the taste of carrots still lingered inside her mouth.


    "Then my words are true," Father Edmund bowed as he closed his palm, erasing the painting in front of them, "I truly was able to find him, or at least a trace of him."


    And as Edmund said that, he started walking around as his 6 wings protruded from his back; all of them emitting projections thatpletely changed the scenery in the room, turning it into the view of a city near the water.


    "That''s the harbor," Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes as she tried her best to sit straight up, butpletely failing to do so.


    "One of Manirosa''s many harbors, correct," Edmund nodded as he slowly waved both his hands horizontally, shifting the scenery in front of them before it stopped in front of a man making his way to one of therge ships. And as soon as they saw the person hiding himself in a hood, Riley could not help but stand up from the sofa.


    "It would seem I owe Caroline an apology," Riley started walking around the projection of the hooded man.


    "That is true, Master," Esme nodded as she also stared at the face of the hooded man, "It would seem we were wrong about Caroline; his artistic skills are not weak at all. The sketch he provided us is almost identical to this person''s face."


    "Hm," Riley nodded as he returned to his seat, "It is not that her sketch is horrendous, but the person she is sketching is truly just horrendously terrifying."


    "...Correct," Edmund cleared his throat; not knowing whether or not to wait for Riley and Esme to finish roasting the man, or just continue his exnation. But seeing as the two of them were now quiet, and Miss Pepondosovich did not seem interested inmenting anything, he just waved his hand and focused on the ship. And there, Riley and the others watched as the man boarded the ship.


    "Where is that ship headed to, Father Edmund?" Riley asked.


    "Back to where the other gods lie," Edmund closed his eyes as the scenery around them started to move quickly, until the ship sailed into a thick fog,pletely disappearing from everyone''s eyes.


    "What happened?" Miss Pepondosovich''s bunny ears twitched.


    "I am afraid my eyes can no longer see through that fog," Edmund sighed as he lowered his head, "I am forbidden from watching the domain of the gods while I am here in thend of the mortals."


    "Wait¡­" It took most of Miss Pepondosovich''s strength to sit up, but she was finally able to do so, "...Are you saying that man, a mortal¡­ was able to sessfully venture into our territory?"


    "Yes," Edmund nodded, "That means one of our kind let him in."


    "...Ormissioned him to find a clue about a cosmic piece in the first ce," Miss Pepondosovich breathed out as she nced at Riley and Esme, "And they made sure not to give him a boon so that no one would be able to trace them from him."


    "Does that mean we have our next destination, Miss Pepondosovich?" Esme tilted her head to the side.


    "That is up to Riri," Miss Pepondosovich turned to look at Riley, "Do you want to keep exploring the mortal world, or return to our home?"


    "There is no point in staying here, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head as he stood up from the sofa again, "Guide our way back."


    "Okay," Miss Pepondosovich nodded, "Although I am not really interested in a cosmic piece ¡ª I can''t really lie, I''m excited to see where all of this leads. Perhaps¡­ do you guys think that¡­


    ¡­the cosmic piece might be the friends we''ve met along the way?"


    "Who?"


    "Huh?"


    "Who are the friends you''ve met along the way, Miss Pepondosovich?" Riley tilted his head to the side, and Esme did the same as she looked at Miss Pepondosovich.


    "Wh¡ªYou! The two of you!" Miss Pepondosovich violently pointed back and forth between Riley and Esme, "Wait¡­ are you guys saying you don''t consider me a friend!?"


    "What is a friend, Miss Pepondosovich?" Esme blinked a couple of times.


    "That¡­ never mind," Miss Pepondosovich clumsily stood up from the sofa; struggling to do so as her stomach was getting out of the way,


    "But I do consider the both of you my friends."


    "You are very lucky to have the luxury, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley ced his hand on his face, "Not many could."


    "...Something is very wrong with you."


    Riley, Miss Pepondosovich, and Esme stayed for a few more hours in the city as they waited for Miss Pepondosovich''s stomach to settle down. And as soon as she was done relieving herself, she came backpletely back to her ''normal'' human form ¡ª no.


    Her thick legs have be even more muscr ¡ª and since her clothes were ripped by her bulging stomach, her abdomen was now exposed; revealing her extremely toned body.


    "Let''s go," Miss Pepondosovich ced her hand on her waist, "Back to where we belong!"


    "Did you clean your hands, Miss Pepondosovich? I did not hear any water running."


    "Why were you even listening, Riri!?" Miss Pepondosovich once again violently ced a finger on Riley''s face.


    "I will not be able to help it," Riley shook his head, "I know everything that is going on in every inch of this city."


    "...Creep," Miss Pepondosovich quickly moved behind Esme, "Let''s go, we''re not safe here anymore."


    "Hm. It is very impressive," Esme nodded as she allowed Miss Pepondosovich to start pushing her out of the house. As soon as they were outside, however, they were blocked by Darkday.


    "What do you¡ª"


    "Something for the travel."


    And before Miss Pepondosovich could express whatever it was she was trying to express, Darkday handed him a bag.


    "Thin slices of carrots dry aged with anchovies, sugar, chili, broth, and Darkday''s secret sauce."


    "!!!" Miss Pepondosovich''s nose started inting and deting as she inhaled the scenting from the bag even though it was sealed.


    "It is extremely umami, Miss Pepe."


    "I know," Miss Pepondosovich quickly snatched the bag from Darkday''s hands, "Miss Esme, let''s go!"


    Miss Pepondosovich grabbed Esme''s wrist and dragged her away; afraid that she would truly start liking Darkday even though he was obviously extremely suspicious and¡­ sinister. When she was thrown into the Domain of the Gods, Aulus told her that there is no such thing as an evil god¡­


    ¡­but she had the feeling that Darkway was one.


    But of course, it doesn''t change the fact that he cooks very well. Maybe she should get his contact inf¡ªNo!


    Miss Pepondosovich started to violently shake her head, causing Esme to let out a sigh as she saw this.


    "It would seem you also belong in this spectrum that Master has spoken of."


    And while the two were making their way out of the city, they could not help but sense several eyes looking at them from the houses. Some of them, waving at them.


    "The new residents of the city seem quite friendly, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "They are not saying hi, Miss Esme." The tone of Miss Pepondosovich''s voice suddenly turned deep as she nced at the glowing eyes inside the houses,


    "They are asking for help."


    "Oh?" Esme blinked a couple of times.


    "Are you not going to help them, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "And be one of them?" Miss Pepondosovich scoffed, "I am not blind, Miss Esme¡­


    ¡­Darkday is Riri''s clone."

 Chapter 905 905: Miss Pepondosovich

    Chapter905 905: Miss Pepondosovich


    "...Darkday is Riri''s clone."


    "How did youe up with that conclusion, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "It is very easy to tell if you just read the signs. And also¡­


    ¡­Darkday told me."


    "...Oh."


    There was a certain awkwardness that protruded the air as Esme just stared nkly at Miss Pepondosovich, even more nk than her usual stare. She was about to be very impressed at Miss Pepondosovich, but all of that went awaypletely.


    As for Miss Pepondosovich, she just nodded to herself, before quickly dragging Esme away from the city as much as possible; deciding to just wait for Riley outside the city, away from all the stares the other gods were giving them. Miss Pepondosovich did not really want to help any of them ¡ª not at the expense of losing what she had with Esme and Riley.


    She tries to be as good a person as possibly could be¡­ as long as it of course would not take away anything from her.


    "You know¡­ I was not a good person when I was still back in my universe."


    "Hm?" And as soon as they were out of the city, Miss Pepondosovich sighed before just suddenly telling her story out of nowhere; her eyes, ncing at the gods trapped in the city. Esme does not seem to mind, however, even seemingly weing it as she looked at her face.


    "I was angry, very angry," Miss Pepondosovich closed her eyes while shaking her head, "And the worse part of it all¡­ is that I did not care at all."


    "What¡­ happened?" Esme tilted her head and asked.


    "My kind, my species ¡ª we lived on a very small¡­, and our poption would consider us extinct. I didn''t know that back then, of course," Miss Pepondosovich let out a very long and deep breath,


    "We can''t reproduce for hundreds and hundreds of years, and when we do, our offspring could number to a thousand. It was a weird society now that I''ve been exposed to other societies, but it was the only thing we know. My kind worked for something they did not even know or realize what for, but it did not matter for them as they were happy to just exist with one another. And then, somehow, somewhere, a woman gave birth to only 4 children ¡ª my mother.


    And obviously, that caused my siblings and I to be much closerpared to the others¡­ stronger too, a lot stronger. Our strength made us gods among our people ¡ª it turns out that our people hold a very special trait, the fewer one''s children are, the stronger they will be; the strength and potential of a thousand,pressed into four. And my kind was already strong. But that is where it all went¡­ wrong."


    "Wrong how, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "Riri¡­!?" Miss Pepondosovich could not help but almost jump in ce as Riley suddenly stepped out right behind Esme out of nowhere, "Since when were you there!?"


    "We have been together since we walked out of the city, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked around.


    "Wh¡ªNever mind, where was I?" Miss Pepondosovich could really only sigh as she did not want to deal with Riley''s antics anymore.


    "Where it all went wrong, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Right¡­" Miss Pepondosovich closed her eyes as she let out a very long and deep sigh, "...When my and my siblings'' presence became known throughout our entire, that is when a different civilization came down from the skies, predators. They hunted my siblings and me; our strength,pletely useless against them since they had a device that could¡­ depower us ¡ª this device, however, did not work on me for some reason¡­ my brothers and sister were not so lucky. I was able to run away, hide myself for decades before they seemed to have finally grown tired of hunting for me. I was able to escape their pursuit even though my was small. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    And then, a hundred yearster, I met a man that would father my children¡­ I gave birth to two beautiful sons, and I love them with all my heart and soul, so.. so very much. And one day, while I was out gathering some carrots for my babies to eat ¡ª I saw the hunters once againe from above the skies. They did not even wait, or talk¡­ they just bombed my house.


    And I watched¡­ I¡­" Miss Pepondosovich''s lips started to tremble as she tried her best not to let out the tears wanting to escape her eyes, "...I watched my husband carry our babies out of the house while¡­ while they were burning. And at that moment, the only thing I felt was anger. Unrelenting, merciless. I leaped toward the ship and killed each and everyst one of them, and the ship returned back its home. It turned out that¡­ our was actually within another bigger, and they used us to farm, except we were that cattle. I found out we were quite expensive too, a delicacy in our entire universe where aliens from lightyears away travel just to get a taste of us. So I killed all of them¡­


    ¡­I did not even care if they were innocent or not, I killed them all. And when I was done, I set my people free, but I wasn''t able to bury my husband and my family ¡ª I was taken to this ce before I could do so."


    "Your revenge was justified," the tone of Esme''s voice was slightly meek; her hand, shaking for some reason, "You also saved your kind from their fate."


    "It is, it was¡­" Miss Pepondosovich breathed in, "...But I wouldn''t have done it if I knew I was not going to be able to bury my husband and my babies."


    "It is a very good story, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley let out a small hum as he nodded and looked Miss Pepondosovich in the eyes, "But why exactly did you start telling it?"


    "Because I know both of your stories," Miss Pepondosovich let out a small chuckle; sniffling as she brushed her nose, "And now that you know my stories, you could consider me your friend too."


    "I do not think that is how it works, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley let out a small but very deep sigh as he started walking away, "But it was a beautiful story, nheless, thank you."


    "Thank you for sharing it with me," Esme bowed her head, "It was tragic and cruel, but I learned a lot from it. I do not know what a friend is, but if it means this ¡ª what we have now, then I consider you my friend, Missus Pepondosovich."


    "Miss Esme¡­" Miss Pepondosovich could really only smile as she heard the gentleness in Esme''s tone, "Thank you¡­


    ...but please don''t call me missus."


    And with those words, the two once again made their way back to the harbor; leaving the mortal worldpletely different than how they found it¡­pletely different.


    ***


    "Ack, finally!"


    And as Riley and the others returned to thend of the gods, Miss Pepondosovich did not even wait for the ship to dock; she just immediately leaped out ¡ª instantly turning smaller as she returned to her original form; her bunny ears, swaying with the wind.


    "Should we rest first, or just go ahead and continue our adventure!?" Miss Pepondosovich then joyfully weed Riley and Esme as they stepped out of the ship as if she was not just puking everything inside her stomach earlier on the ship,


    "We need to ask around first. So, why don''t we go to one of the taverns?"


    "There is no need for that, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head before stepping forward and raising his palm ¡ª and there, an eyeball was resting.


    "What¡ªIs that one of Edmund''s eyes!?" Miss Pepondosovich once again almost puked there and then as she saw the eyeball moving on its own.


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "He¡­ voluntarily shared one of it after Darkday requested it from him, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "... Right," Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes. Her disgust did notst long, however, as her eyes widened soon after, "Wait ¡ª did you bring that with you so that he would be able to see in thend of the gods!?"


    "Yes."


    "...But how are we going to know what he sees?" Miss Pepondosovich once again squinted her eyes as she looked at Riley.


    "...I have my ways."


    And as soon as Riley said those words, light began to project from the eyeball ¡ª showing where the ugly man currently is.


    "That''s¡­" A smile slowly started to crawl on Miss Pepondosovich''s face as her eyes started scanning the projection, "...I know where he is, I could recognize that ce even with my eyes closed."


    "That does not make sense, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "It does," Miss Pepondosovich scoffed as she waved her hands, causing the projection to disappear and wither away, "And let''s not waste any time in this ce and just go¡­ just thinking about it excites me. But if he is there¡­


    ¡­then I have a very bad feeling about this."


    "Where is he, Miss Pepondosovich?" Esme tilted her head as she noticed the excitement in Miss Pepondosovich''s face.


    "It''s the ce where we''re supposed to go in the first ce once we return here¡­" Miss Pepondosovich smirked as she pointed in a certain direction,


    "...The City of Warriors, the Grandarena City!"

 Chapter 906: The Nth Champion of Grandarena City

    906 Chapter 906: The Nth Champion of Grandarena City


    "Damn it! How long have we been standing in this line!?"


    "Approximately 7 hours, 6 minutes, and 23 seconds¡­ 22¡­ 21."


    "I don''t need you counting, Riri!"


    "But you asked, Miss Pepondosovich."


    And as Miss Pepondosovich said, she and the others have actually been standing in line for more than 7 hours¡­ and yet they haven''t moved at all from their spot, not even a single inch.


    "Is it usually always like this, Miss Pepondosovich?" Esme could not help but ask ¡ª as she was the tallest among the three by more than several feet, she had a clear view of how long the line truly was ¡ª and Grandarena was still far off, a colossal and tall tower in the distance.


    "Just how many gods are there in this ce exactly?"


    "No, no¡­" Miss Pepondosovich formed her arms into an X as she shook her head, "...Although the city of warriors is still probably the most popr city in this ce, this is the first time I have ever seen it like this ¡ª And I have been here for more than a hundred thousand years."


    "It would seem this is the limit of your knowledge of this ce, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley let out a sigh as he also shook his head, "I wonder where we could hire a new one."


    "You¡ªI am the handiest and best guide you could ever have! You say that after you find another one better than me!" Miss Pepondosovich violently pointed her finger right at Riley''s nose, "Stop lying! I am the best!"


    "I can not really say for certain, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head, "You might be, but you are the only guide we have had, so saying that you are the best would be insulting to the actual best. But of course, you might actually be the best since your feet ultimately lead us to where we want to be."


    "Can you just pleasepliment me without having to go through so many other loopholes?" Miss Pepondosovich sighed, "I, Miss Pepondosovich, am the greatest tour guide that has ever walked through the entirety of creation!"


    "Pepondosovich?"


    And all of a sudden, one of the organizers, or who they could only assume to be one of the organizers that has been walking back and forth beside the long line, suddenly stopped just beside them; his eyes, looking at Miss Pepondosovich from head to toe several times before they suddenly widened.


    "Pepondosovich!?" The organizer pointed at Miss Pepondosovich, "The Miss Pepondosovich, winner of the 66688712415109232598¡­"


    And soon, the organizer started reciting an absurd number; not even once, however, did he actually fumble with his words. And finally, after several more seconds¡­


    "...97344th Champion of the Grandarena!?"


    "I have no idea what you just said, but probably," Miss Pepondosovich pointed both her index fingers at the organizer, "There was a time when I became the champion for a short amount of time."


    "You jest!" The organizer started gesturing to Miss Pepondosovich to step out of the line, "No one was able to take your title until you just voluntarily stepped down since you were tired of fighting only weak gods!"


    "Shh. Enough, enough," Miss Pepondosovich cheekily shushed the organizer as she stepped out of the line, also gesturing to Riley and Esme to follow her, "People might get the wrong impression and think I''m some kind of big deal."


    "But you are," the smile on the organizer''s face was wide, "Well, were ¡ª someone already broke your record. Actually, you''re no longer even in the top 100. But still, that''s very impressive!"


    "...You could have just stopped with thepliments," Miss Pepondosovich snarled as she looked nkly at the organizer.


    "Why have you visited after all this time? Wait¡­" The organizer''s eyes also turned wide as he looked Miss Pepondosovich in the eyes, "...Don''t tell me you''re also participating?"


    "No, not really. We¡ª"


    "I suppose even someone like you is not immune to the allure of a clue to a cosmic piece," the organizer let out a hearty sigh as he looked at the very long line, "All of these people are also here just for a chance to even get a glimpse of it ¡ª of course, they don''t actually have any chance of even passing the preliminary since there are actually other champions like yourself joining the battles."


    "Wait, what did you just say?" Miss Pepondosovich could not help but blink a couple of times as she nced back and forth between Riley and Esme.


    "Oh, other champions are fighting in the arena."


    "Before that," Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes.


    "You are out of the top 100 and a has-been?"


    "...I am this close to kicking you."


    "Oh, you meant the thing about a cosmic piece?" The organizer let out another hearty chuckle as he looked at Miss Pepondosovich again, "Yes ¡ª they said the Grand Champion happened to have gotten a clue to the cosmic piece in his hands¡­ again."


    The organizer''s voice sounded a little condescending and exhausted as he stuck out his tongue, "I don''t even know how many times this has been, and not even once did the clue actually lead to anything close to a cosmic piece. But, this time, however¡­


    ¡­the Grand Champion seemed to be so sure about this one, that''s why there are so many people here."


    "Then I suppose you''re right," Miss Pepondosovich puffed out her small chest as she ced her hands on her waist, "I am joining the arena."


    "Really!?" The organizer pped his hand, "Wonderful, wonderful. Follow me, you don''t need to fall in line with the rest of these noobs."


    "Oh, no," the organizer quickly blocked Esme and Riley''s path, "This benefit is only for a previous champion, you get to start at the 95th floor. I am afraid your friends have to go through all the processes and protocols."


    "Process?" Esme blinked a couple of times as she looked at Miss Pepondosovich.


    "That means you have to fight your way to the top," Miss Pepondosovich let out a somewhat cheeky chuckle as she started walking away, "See what happens when I just step away from the two of you for a couple of meters!?"


    "Hm," Riley sighed and nodded.


    "That''s right! Lucky feet!" Miss Pepondosovich pointed at Esme and Riley as she continued to walk away with the organizer, "That is what you get for doubting me! I shall see you at the top!"


    "If you could reach the top!" The organizer joined Miss Pepondosovich in egging the two, "You losers! You¡ª"


    Before the organizer could finish his words, however, his foot was lightly stomped by Miss Pepondosovich.


    "What do you mean if they could reach the top?" Miss Pepondosovich snarled at the organizer, "Those are my friends, this arena better have more levels if you want to contain them!"


    "R¡­ right," the organizer could really only clear his throat, "Then, please. Follow me, Miss Pepondosovich."


    And with that, Miss Pepondosovich stuck out her tongue as she just left Riley and Esme to fend for themselves. And now that she was thinking about it, this was probably the worst idea she had. But still, she just shrugged her shoulders ¡ª the two weren''t children, they knew what not to do.


    "Wait¡­" Miss Pepondosovich''s eyes widened as she realized that the two were just babies. She quickly nced back at them; but as soon as she saw them just returning to the line, she nodded to herself and finally let them be.


    "What are we even supposed to do here, Master?" Esme asked as she once again looked at the long line.


    "We wait like the rest of the people, Esme," Riley shrugged, "Cutting in line is immoral and looked down upon by others, it is wrong."


    "I see," Esme nodded as she ced her hand on her chin, "Thank you for imparting your wisdom to me, Master."


    And so, the two did just waited in line ¡ª not talking even after hours and hours had passed. The other gods did not even seem to mind the long line, however. After all, what is waiting an entire day for someone who has already lived hundreds of thousands of years, a million?


    It was only Miss Pepondosovich who was weird¡­ perhaps one of the disadvantages of spending time with Riley and Esme, everything should be moving fast. But finally, after a few more hours, the Grandarena was in front of them.


    And now that they were directly in front of it, the two could not help but just let out a small breath as they looked at this monstrosity of an infrastructure. The entire Grandarena city was a tower; spanning perhaps more than a few kilometers wide and almost reaching the othernd that served as the sky of the domain of the gods. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Are the two of you together?"


    And as soon as they reached therge gates of the tower city, they were quickly weed by a man even taller than Esme; a lot bigger too.


    "Yes," both Esme and Riley nodded.


    "Let me guess, first time?" The burly man chuckled.


    "Yes."


    "Ohoho¡­


    ¡­the two of you are going to have fun here."


    Keyboards have a very short lifespan with me


    Romeru

 Chapter 907: Grandarena City

    Chapter 907: Grandarena City


    Grandarena City.


    No one knows where the name came from, even the oldest gods that have existed in the Domain of the Gods could not tell you. But what they can tell you, however, is that the city was not exactly the same as it was before.


    It was not exactly a tower, no; not at all. It used to truly just be one big arena, a coliseum where godspeted against each other solely using their raw physical abilities ¡ª no arcane arts, magic, not even to buff one''s self. Just pure unadulterated strength.


    Absolute.


    And as time went on, when more and more gods joined the fray, more levels were added to the coliseum to easily separate the predator from the prey ¡ª the stronger one was, the higher the level they participated in. As one of the previous champions, Miss Pepondosovich was able to reach the top-most level, sitting therefortably until she got so bored that no one was there to challenge her even after years and years had passed.


    The first floor was simple ¡ª it was a brawl where anyone was free to hit anyone, all the gods they could fit in one arena wouldpete against each other until only less than 30 of them were left. And these remaining 30 would fight against one of the other batches that also gained their spot on the first floor.


    And there, on the first floor¡­


    ¡­Riley and Esme were calmly standing in the arena, waiting with the others for the brawl to start. The two did not really stand out, not at all ¡ª not even a single one of the other gods was heeding them any mind.


    The same could not be said for the gods who were watching on the bleachers, however. Riley could not even hear anything else as the audience was just screaming for blood and death. But of course, no one would really die, but they would at least be on the brink of being snuffed out of existence.


    "These people seemed to really be bored, Master," Esme opened up as she stood closer to Riley.


    "Hm. Miss Pepondosovich did say that the gods would do anything to relieve their boredom," Riley nodded, "These gods are probably enjoying what they can while they still can enjoy it, Esme."


    "I could not really imagine what it would be like to live that long," Esme sighed.


    "But you''re a themarian, Esme," Riley blinked.


    "Yes," Esme nodded, "But I am still just a hundred years old, I can not bepared to any of these people ¡ª I can not even begin to imagine what it would be like to be Princess Aerith''s age."


    "I am the same," Riley nodded.


    "But did you not already spend time in eternity, Master?" Esme blinked a couple of times as she nced at Riley.


    "Yes," Riley once again nodded, "But that was entirely different in theory, I was only watching and could not do anything, Esme."


    "...And what did you see, Master?"


    "That is too long a story to tell," Riley only let out a sigh before shaking his head, "And it would seem we would have no time for it."


    "Hm¡­?" Esme squinted her eyes, before turning to look where Riley was looking, only to see a small group approaching them.


    "You two, hello!" The group all just looked like normal humans ¡ª but judging from the aura they were emitting, they were only using their human form. Riley had always wondered about this sort of transformation ¡ª why did they choose a humanoid form thatpletely resembles a human?


    And if Riley gets the chance to learn this transformation, what exactly would his human form look like since he was already a human in the first ce?


    In the first ce¡­


    "What do you think a human is, Esme?" Riley asked,pletely ignoring the group that approached them.


    "Monsters," Esme pointed at Riley.


    "Hm¡­Perhaps I asked the wrong¡ª"


    "Hello!?"


    And before Riley and Esme could continue their conversation, the group once again tried talking to them; this time, moving closer and raising their voice a few levels up.


    "What do you want, Stranger?" Esme was the one who bothered answering the three as she stood in front of Riley.


    "Oh, I thought you guys weren''t hearing us," one of the gods let out a short but very deep sigh, "Have you guys partied up yet? Would you like to join our team?"


    "A team?" Esme squinted her eyes as she started looking around, "I thought this was a battle royale, Stranger. Why would we form a team with you?"


    "What? But aren''t the two of you a¡ªwait, you''re noobs," the man quickly took a step back as he looked back and forth between Riley and Esme, "Never mind. The two of you can stay together."


    And without even waiting for Riley and Esme to say anything, the group just left like that.


    "I would seem the others are forming teams, Master," Esme let out a small hum as she finally scanned the other participants, only to see that some of them really have made groups, "I suppose it is to ensure that they would pass the first floor."


    "Then that means they should not pass the first floor at all, Esme," Riley sighed and shook his head, "We were told this is a test of one''s strength, not strength of numbers."


    "Then should we¡ª"


    [Start!]


    And before Esme could finish what she wanted to say, the brawl just started out of nowhere; the gods, quickly rushing at each other and just brute forced their way through. As for Riley and Esme, the only thing they could really do was just stand there as everyone started juking it out.


    "Die!"


    But it did not take long until one of them leaped toward the two with her fists already locked onto them. Riley did not really dodge, however, as he just moved behind Esme and allowing her to take the hit¡­which she just tanked like nothing; her head, not even moving a single millimeter as the female god''s knuckle made contact with her face.


    "What¡­" The female god could really only stutter with her words as she retracted her fist. And before she could even think of anything, Esme pped her right on the cheek¡­ causing her head to spin in ce several times, her neck twisting to the point it became as thin as rope.


    It wasn''t over, however, as the shockwave from Esme''s p caused a ripple that almost blew everyone that happened to be near her.


    "Well then, Master¡­" Esme then nced at Riley, "...I shall see youter."


    "Hm." And as Esme disappeared, the only thing that Riley did was nod; once again not moving from his position as he just watched everyone fighting for their spot. He was waiting for someone to approach him, but everyone seemed to be busy with each other.


    And so, Riley just opted to sit down; gathering the unconscious gods nearest to him and bundling them on top of each other to turn into a chair. But as soon as he was in the middle of sitting down, however, a shadow suddenly appeared in front of him; its leg, already only inches away. But Riley did not stop at all, he did not even flinch.


    Perhaps he knew he had no reason to stop, as before the leg could reach him, Esme suddenly appeared and grabbed the leg from behind; casually just mming the shadow on the ground several times and just leaving it in front of Riley. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Hm¡­" Riley looked back and forth between his new chair and the new body in front of him, before letting out a small sigh and pulling the body closer to him to use as a leg rest.


    Another thunder erupted right next to Riley as another god took the chance to knock him out. But once again, Esme was there to stop any attacks from ever touching his skin ¡ª the audience who were just previously wanting to see carnage, nowpletely intrigued with the two.


    Their eyes were all at Esme at first, as she was obviously overqualified for level 1 and would just probably speedrun the next several levels. They were, however, more curious about Riley ¡ª after all, if someone like Esme was protecting him, then how strong could he actually be?


    Was he stronger than her, that''s why she is serving him? Or was he weaker than her, that is why she was protecting him? None of them could really be sure.


    What they can be sure of, however, was this was one of the fastest eliminations they had ever watched on Grandarena''s first floor¡­ because it was already over.


    [Stop!]


    And with that single word, the 30 remaining participants found themselves being teleported back to the very center of the arena.


    [Congrattions on moving to the next level.]


    And before any of them could even celebrate or contemte their win, they were suddenly transported to some kind of¡­ lounge ¡ª a tavern. And almost immediately, Esme was surrounded by people.


    There were also people approaching Riley¡­


    ¡­but they did not really have a good expression on their faces.


    "Another one being carried, great."

 Chapter 908: Riley and the Tower

    Chapter 908: Riley and the Tower


    VR 908


    "Another one being carried, great."


    Riley was just standing there, and it would seem he was already offending a lot of the other gods. But of course, Riley was not even heeding any of them any mind as he just scanned the 2nd floor and started casually walking around.


    The 2nd floor was slightly different from the first floor, as they were currently standing on top of a tform¡­ that almost seemed like it was kilometers high. Riley could not even see the bottom ¡ª Riley did not even care anymore as everything in the Domain of the Gods did not make sense. What does make sense, however, is their tendency to want to have fun, even more so than the so-called mortals; once again, the audience circling around them howled for blood and death.


    "Oi, we are talking to you, mate!"


    And as the people bothering him blocked his path, Riley could no longer ignore them as he looked at each of their faces, and he was able to recognize them quickly ¡ª they were also the group that approached him and Esme back on the first floor, asking to team up.


    "Do you need me for something, lower gods?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "Lower gods!?" One of the¡­ lower gods was about to rush at Riley, but his team stopped him quickly.


    "What we need is for you to be gone," another one stepped forward, "You don''t deserve to be on this floor. And now that your protector is in another tform¡­


    ¡­you need to watch yourself."


    "Hm," Riley nodded before he started looking around again. And true enough, Esme was not on the tform with them, "You do not need to concern yourself to me, lower gods. I am always watching myself ¡ª I am the most entertaining entity here, after all."


    "Smug," the god scoffed, "We''ll see for how long."


    And with that, the gods'' words and breaths faded away as they left Riley alone. But Riley was sure they wouldn''t be thest, and they wouldn''t be the only one targetting him¡­ almost everyone there was looking at him filled with scorn in their eyes.


    "...Good," Riley could not help but breathe out as a smile very slowly crawled on his face. And soon, he started monologuing again,


    "...If all of you are bored. Then I shall offer all of you blood and carnage."


    In truth, Riley was looking forward to this ¡ª these people might just act and look normal, but none of them are. Even if this was only the 2nd floor, some of them were probably stronger than him physically.


    And since Riley couldn''t use any of his other abilities but his raw strength, then he was sure he was going to have the most fun in this tower. He had a fraction of the strength of a themarian, but he also had something else ¡ª cultivation. Although Riley had no idea how it improved him yet, he was sure it was not a meager amount.


    So¡­


    "Come¡­" Riley stretched his arms to the side, "...Do your worst."


    Unfortunately for Riley, he did not know the rules of the 2nd floor yet.


    [Push everyone else from the tform until only a hundred remains. You are only allowed to use your body to hit your enemies, no limbs, no teeth ¨C You may start.] n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    And once again, the howls and cheers of the people served as the signal of battle, as everyone started pushing each other with their bodies¡­ and most of the people near Riley all very slowly made their way toward him; carefully, as the others might also just push them away while they were targeting Riley.


    Even with this, however, Riley just ced his hands on his back; even stepping back just a few inches away from the edge of the tform.


    Soon, however, they all just started rushing toward Riley all the same. As for Riley he just casually¡­ stepped off the edge.


    "!!!" All the gods rushing toward him could not help but widen their eyes as they halted their steps. But as soon as they looked at each other, their target instantly became the person their eyes were reflecting.


    They roared, some even butting heads with each other like bulls. The ones who were first bothering Riley, however, was actually still looking at Rilry; his head¡­ hanging on the edge by his chin.


    Riley was smiling ear to ear, almostughing as he was watching everyone else pushing each other. Of course, although this was very creepy and unusual, the people bothering him still seemed adamant about pushing him away as they rushed at him again.


    Upon seeing this, Riley''s head¡­ started rotating across the edge of the tform, before finally lifting up again as the annoying gods were only meters away.


    And with the smile on his face not disappearing at all, he dodged the nearest opponent by rolling on the floor and tripping them. Before his opponent could fully tumble, however, Riley pushed himself up with his butt; instantly mming his opponent and pushing them out.


    Of course, the others did not really let him rest as they once again rushed at him at the same time. This time, however, Riley also ran toward them with his hands still tied behind his back. And like a dead insect in a cup of water, no one could really catch him as he just casually but swiftly weaved his way in the gaps.


    But Riley was not done with just that ¡ª he backed away and started¡­ wriggling his body like some sort of worm, using his shoulders to bump the arms of his opponent¡­ and letting them identally use their hands to push the other warriors close to them.


    "You¡ª" And before any of them could say anything, they instantly disappeared from the tform and were eliminated from the battle.


    "Hm," Riley nodded to himself as he saw this. As for the gods bothering him, they could not help but stop as they finally became wary of him ¡ª they weren''t fools, they were initially looking down on Riley since he did nothing on the 1st floor, but now that they have seen that he was actually clearly skilled, their demeanor quickly changed.


    Riley seemed quite disappointed with this, however, as none of them were rushing at him ¡ª and so, he just sat on the floor cross-legged, taunting the others to go near him. Unfortunately for Riley, this had the opposite effect, as the others thought he was up to something.


    They were gods, after all, one could not judge them normally, and one could also not predict their judgment. For all they know, Riley had a n to make them eliminate themselves by their own hands.


    And so, for the duration of the battle¡­ no one approached Riley again until he was one of the one hundred.


    "...Oh," Riley could really only breathe out in disappointment as he found himself in another ce without any warning ¡ª the 3rd floor.


    Grandarena City seems to like moving things fast ¡ª no doubt because of the audience who would boo them if they did not.


    The 3rd floor was quite uneventful, Riley did not even bother knowing the rules or moving as Esme was there to fight for him. He had already told her not to do so, but it did not really matter since she was way above everyone else on the lower floors ¡ª eliminating everyone by herself.


    Even the 4th floor was the same, as Esme was also there. The other gods do not even need to do anything, just wait for the roulette that is called Esme; hoping she does notnd on them.


    She was also there with Riley on the 5th floor, which was a race. And here, Esme truly and literally carried Riley; carrying him like a princess as she just sted her way through the course.


    And once again, people were looking at Riley in disdain ¡ª this caused Riley to tell Esme¡­ to keep it up. After all, the more they hate him, the more fun it would be for him.


    But s, his streak stopped once they reached the 15th floor; not because Esme was not there, but the 15th floor was a sort of wall just to prevent instances like what Riley and Esme are doing ¡ª it was an individual test of strength that Riley was already familiar with.


    Arge punching machine.


    Truly, the Domain of the Gods is the most random ce he has ever been to ¡ª and perhaps that is what makes it more fun. He can''t predict anything, not at all.


    "Hm¡­" Riley watched the other gods go first, and either the tform beneath them opened up and dropped them straight back to the outside, or they instantly disappeared as they moved on to the 16th floor.


    Each of their punches created a shockwave strong enough to suck in and blow away the audience at the same time ¡ª and they seem to be enjoying all of it as they even cheer and raise their hands.


    And soon, it was Esme''s turn.

 Chapter 909: Questement

    Chapter 909: Questement


    Whatever the punching machine was made of, it was probably the strongest material ever known to man ¡ª no, even known to gods. Hundreds have already struck it, and yet it hasn''t even caved in once and just continued to tank in everything.


    Riley had been observing everyone hitting the machine from the start, and he had deduced that most of the themarians he had met would pass the 15th floor with no problem at all. But of course, it doesn''t mean that they had the power to be gods ¡ª almost all the gods who have hit the machine had other abilities other than just being extremely strong; like Miss Pepondosovich, who was just pulling anything and everything from a hat that disappears and appears as she willed. And even him, who now even had the ability to somewhat stop time.


    But Esme, her energy projection was subparpared to other themarians, and flight is not really special since everyone can do it nowadays.


    That means she was allowed to stay in the Domain of the Gods purely for her raw strength.


    And now, it was her turn to punch the machine. The audience on the 15th floor did not really have that much of a reaction, and there were fewer of them too ¡ª most probably because no one really wanted to watch gods practically just punching something. If they were punching each other, then Riley was sure they would all be howling and cheering like monkeys again.


    The audience was quiet, but a few of the participants might as well be roaring and screaming from how intense they were looking at Esme. How could they not look at her like that, when they were the ones lucky enough not to have been stomped by Esme from the previous floors?


    "Do I just hit it like how they did, Master?" Esme nced back at Riley as soon as she was in front of the machine.


    "No," Riley shook his head as he subtly moved behind one of the people, "Hit it with all you have, Esme."


    "But there is a high chance I might die, Master," Esme blinked a couple of times as she looked Riley in the eyes.


    "No," Riley once again shook his head, "You have already been sent to Eternal Death once, Esme. I have hit you with the entire force of a gxy and you survived."


    "Because I was a zombie back then."


    "I am sure your body has already evolved and adapted your resilience and durability from when you were an undead, Esme."


    "Really?"


    "Yes." No, Riley was not sure at all. But since themarians grow stronger each time they supposedly die, then Esme who hase back from her Eternal Death should have gotten even stronger, way stronger. If not, then Riley would see something fun at the very least ¡ª there are gods like Randall who could resurrect the dead anyway as long as most of the body is intact.


    "Then, very well¡­" And as soon as Esme turned her attention back to the machine; the very air¡ªno, the very space itself started to distort around her legs, her back, and her arms as she lightly contracted them and moved into a stance. She then breathed in, and what followed as she breathed out was¡­


    "!!!"


    ¡­Nothing.


    The punching machine just disappeared out of nowhere ¡ª gonepletely, without even a trace it was ever there. Everyone could not help but just look at each other as it happened, but perhaps the most confused out of all of them was Esme, who was looking at her fist.


    It was weird ¡ª she felt her fist hit the machine, but it onlysted for a single millisecond. But for her, she was actually lost in darkness for that millisecond¡­ like everything in front of him disappeared and just appeared again, except for the machine. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Mas¡ª" And before she could even say a word, she was teleported away and sent to the next floor. The other participants before her were instantly teleported away if they passed, but it took quite a while for her ¡ª perhaps whoever was deciding in Grandarena City and the Domain of the Gods was also confused as to what happened.


    As for the other participants, they were now wondering how they could continue the match. But as they were about to voice out their concern¡­ the punching machine suddenly reappeared out of nowhere;pletely blown to bits and separated into parts.


    Something was weird, however, it looked¡­ aged. But that was not the only weird thing about it ¡ª it was floating in the air for some reason. And before anyone else could even wonder what that reason is, the entire thing imploded¡­


    ¡­before letting out a st thatpletely blew away everything.


    The participants, tform, the audience ¡ª everyone watched themselves copse into absolutely nothing. But then, all of a sudden, they were all intact like nothing happened.


    And while everyone else was confused, the smile crawling on Riley''s face could not be hidden at all ¡ª he was probably the only one who understood what just happened, or at the very least, formed a guess. And if his guess was anywhere near the truth¡­ then his life was about to turn even more exciting.


    Soon, another punching machine emerged from beneath the tform, recing the previous one and the test just continued as if nothing happened. And as soon as it was Riley''s turn, everyone forgot what just happened and just chalked it up to some random godly event; they were gods, after all. Things like that are bound to happen from time to time.


    For now, the only thing they wanted to happen was for Riley to fail. But s, even though the impact was not as impressive as some of the people that had advanced to the 16th floor, he was still teleported away ¡ª and he was not even using all of his strength just yet since he wanted to try something at the risk of failing.


    Esme and Miss Pepondosovich were in the tower anyway, it would not matter if he failed since the two would surely have a chance of winning and gaining the book. What he wanted to see was whether or not the punching machine was actually testing the strength of their punch, or their overall strength.


    And it was thetter. Riley wanted to test it because he saw someone just pressing the punching machine casually, and he was teleported away even though it was obviously weaker than most of the previous punches.


    As someone with themarian strength, plus whatever he gained from Gracy''s so-called cultivation, he was sure he was going to pass. But this also means one thing ¡ª the Grandarena City knew how strong everyone was individually. Most of the lower floors were probably just there solely for entertainment.


    The 16th floor is another proof of that ¡ª as Riley was now directly facing another god; a single small table separating the two of them.


    [You and your opponent will take turns punching each other until one of you is knocked out.]


    "Do you want to go first, or shall I?"


    "Hm?" Riley looked at his opponent, only to see him with a smile on his face. He waspletely bald, hairless even ¡ª it was hard to know if this was his human form or not because he lookedpletely¡­ unnatural, even for a bald man,


    "You may go ahead."


    "Very well." And with that word as his only indication, he punched Riley right on his lower right chest.


    "Hm¡­" Riley''s right eye twitched as blood instantly trailed from his lips. Even though he had contracted his muscles as soon as he realized the bald man was targeting his liver, he still felt his consciousness almost flying away from him ¡ª finally, he thought.


    One single punch to prove he was actually amongst gods who are capable of turning their own universes upside down. Riley''s insides were probably aplete mess right now, scrambled even ¡ª but that was no problem at all, of course; as everything inside him just healed almost instantly thanks to the themarians¡­ as well as all the other abilities that gave him a monstrous healing ability.


    "Your turn," the smile on the bald man''s face did not disappear as he gestured to Riley to hit him.


    "Of course," Riley nodded ¡ª but he did not actually punch the man, no ¡ª he just tapped the man right on the throat, causing him to wheeze as his neck caved in; his blood, also profusely trailing from his lips.


    The bald man''s face, however, did not disappear at all and even grew wider to the point he was showing his bloody teeth.


    "My turn."


    The bald man punched Riley right on the temple of his head, causing his eye to just instantly pop out from its socket. Of course, aside from slightly being shaken, the smile on Riley''s face also started to reach from ear to ear as he attached his eye back.


    "Well..." Riley breathed out, "...It would seem you are enjoying this as well."


    "Is that a question or supposed to be a statement?"

 Chapter 910: Alive

    Chapter 910: Alive


    "Hahaha!"


    1 Hour.


    All the otherbatants on the other tforms have either already moved to the next floor, or out of the tower altogether. And yet the audience could not stop howling and cheering like they never have before ¡ª some of them were even hitting each other lightly as theyughed like maniacs. How could they not, when the remaining twobatants have practically been brutalizing each other for hours?


    And it did not help that this floor was already popr because of its violent simplicity; none of them needed to focus, all the violence was just sticking in one ce. The only thing they needed to do was hype everything up, and hype they did.


    The entire tform was already littered with Riley''s and the weird bald god''s blood, to the point it was already dripping from the edges like some sort of blood fondue ¡ª no. Their blood was even reaching the tform of the otherbatants, and it would not be so absurd to say that some of the audience might have tasted or gotten a taste of either of their blood.


    And the two were not done; they were just punching each other in the face like madmen. It wasn''t even a contest of strength anymore, but who had the fastest regenerative ability ¡ª the both of them were holding back, but it was clear to Riley that the bald man was stronger than him, a lot.


    And Riley knew the reason for that, the audience was howling it, after all. The bald man''s name was Yanchuen¡­ and he was previously a champion of the tower like Miss Pepondosovich. But it would seem that each time he moves on to the 17th floor, he forfeits and then climbs the tower again only to return to the 16th floor so he could have the most intense guttural slugfest he could have.


    "This is exciting for you, no?" Yanchuen let out a cackle as his jaw reconstructed itself; his mangled flesh, almost like threads that were pulling each other together, "This is the only fun thing in this horrid prison ¡ª taking raw hits and giving it makes me momentarily forget that we are trapped here for eternity. And the worst part is¡­


    ¡­we actually get to live the entirety of that eternity."


    "The cruelest ce is life, Yanchuen," Riley breathed out and nodded, before Yanchuen mmed his fist down his shoulder andpletely cleaving his entire torso in half.


    "That it is, young god. That. It. Is," Yanchuen could really only let out a long and very deep sigh as the audience around them continued to cheer and scream while watching Riley''s torso heal. The way Riley''s wounds heal ispletely different from everything they have seen, however. His flesh was still pulling each other together, but the missing chunks and pieces did not regenerate, they materialized out of nowhere, "But I have a feeling that ce is about to turn into something fun."


    "Hm? How so?" Riley tilted his head to the side. He then punched Yanchuen in the stomach, blowing all of his guts but making sure there would not be a hindrance in his ability to talk.


    "I saw you outside with a god of luck, Miss Pepondosovich. The others might not recognize what she is, but I do," Yanchuen smiled as he wiped the blood trailing from his lips, "They are rare, very much so. Probably the rarest kind there is ¡ª and once they resurface actively, that usually means that something catastrophic will happen very soon."


    "Catastrophic? Is she not supposed to be lucky, Yanchuen?"


    "Yes, but that depends on who shetches onto," Yanchuen smiled as he looked Riley in the eyes, "And hetched onto you, a god so sinister that I only see nothing but darkness in your wake ¡ª and you are also with a god from the same race as one of the Higher Gods."


    "Are you familiar with Aerith''Ross?" Riley returned Yanchuen''s gaze.


    "Familiar? No," Yanchuen let out a small chuckle, "I have only ever truly seen her once just a few thousand years ago when she brought another one of her species here. But I am absolutely aware of what she is capable of with just a single nce."


    "Then¡ª"


    "This is going to be fun," and before Riley could finish his words, Yanchuen suddenly started melting away, literally, "For the first time in a very long time, I will be climbing the tower again. So, I will see you on the top floor¡­


    ¡­Riley Ross."


    And with those words, Riley suddenly found himself advancing to the 18th floor. Riley, however, did not seem to care as he just looked to nowhere in particr.


    "...Hm," Riley blinked a couple of times as he did not recall his name ever being said by anyone on the 16th floor. Yanchuen''s name was roared a lot of times, but Riley was rtively unknown since every floor also had a different audiences,


    "I suppose it does not matter." Riley did not really heed it any mind for long, as he started scanning the 17th floor ¡ª there was not a single familiar face, not even one. As expected already, as Riley had spent a couple of hours on the 16th floor, it was worth it, however.


    It is just too bad that Esme was probably already on the upper floors, he could have still used her to piss off the otherbatants¡ªno. All of his hard work in pissing the others off have gone with the wind, as all of them were also on the upper floors.


    No one on this floor knew Riley at all. He could really only sigh, hoping that he would face another one like Yanchuen¡­


    ¡­but sadly for him, it did not happen at all. All the tests of strengths were random, but Riley was able to just easily force his way through with little to no effort at all ¡ª a testament to how abnormally strong themarians are, perhaps that is why their species is always destined to die sooner orter.


    If one could actually gather all the themarians in the multiverse and make them take arms under yourmand, then perhaps there was a chance to even topple the primordials¡­ or maybe not. The primordials'' strength is still quite unknown to Riley. He had already faced Machina, but she was probably not even using a percent of all of her abilities.


    They were the true gods ¡ª the gods in the Domain of the Gods are just beings too strong to be in their universes.


    And so, Riley just found himself jumping from one level to the next; this time, making sure to make as much carnage as possible, causing apletely opposite effect ¡ª it was time for them to fear him.


    And fear they did, as Riley did not even have to do anything anymore and the gods just avoided him. But of course, just waiting for the other victors would be boring¡­ so Riley made sure to stay active, and the situation stayed like this until the 50th floor.


    And as soon as he was on the 50th floor¡­


    "Riley! Riley! Riley Ross!"


    ¡­the audience began screaming and roaring his name.


    "Hm¡­?" Riley spun in ce as he scanned the audience. Seeing as they were chanting his name, it would seem the crowd on the 50th floor had some sort of ess to whatever was going on in the lower levels. Riley then turned his eyes toward the otherbatants, only to see all of them eyeing each other out.


    The rules of the 50th floor were the same as the 1st floor, but the ambiance waspletely different, not even close, no one was even talking to each other; there were no teams, no friends ¡ª everyone was an enemy. And even though Riley was clearly the most famous out of all of them, they were only giving him short nces; perhaps already formting strategies in their minds. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    And even as the signal of the start of the battle passed, none of them moved; only their eyes. Even the audience suddenly turned quiet, not even letting out a breath of cheer as they just waited for someone, anyone to move first.


    A second.


    A minute.


    Another minute. And when another minute had passed, abatant finally started to move; causing everyone to subtly turn their eyes toward him, toward Riley.


    "Why bother being careful?" Riley breathed out as he stretched his arms to the side, "Let''s just start killing each other, everyone."


    And with those words, Riley suddenly rushed toward the god nearest to him ¡ª stabbing his fingers through one of their eyes, grinding the insides of his skull as he lifted him up to the point his entire hand was almost inside the god''s head. He then mmed the god down,pletely shattering the god''s head.


    And before Riley could pull his hand out of the puddle of brain matter, someone suddenly rammed him;pletely throwing him across the tform, only stopping as another god mmed their arm right on his head.


    And although he was no longer moving, Riley was still not eliminated even as hey on the floor with his body contorted gruesomely ¡ª no.


    The smile on his face was still very much alive.

 Chapter 911: Crashing the Tower

    911 Chapter 911: Crashing the Tower


    Yes.


    Everything was quiet and chaotic at the same time ¡ª and all the audience did was breathe; only moving their heads and eyes as they watched everything that was going on. The only sound that was allowed to thunder in the air was thunder itself.


    Thunder that was reverberating from each of the movements of the gods. If these people were fighting outside somewhere in the multiverse, then they would have probably already destroyed the universe they were fighting in several times over.


    But the Domain of the Gods and the tower of Grandarena city held mystical properties. Mystical properties that operatepletely unknown to even mystical beings.


    It did not matter, however, as the people who have lived hundreds of thousands of years already treat everything that happens around them, no matter how abnormal, normal. If something happens that they don''t understand, they would just be shocked for a couple of seconds before proceeding to nod their heads and say ''Okay''.


    And right now was one of those moments.


    In Grandarena City, it is known by those who frequent it that the truepetition starts on the 50th floor ¡ª this is where the gods who truly have a chance to reach the upper floors gather. That is why it was more intense, and no one made any sound until something truly impressive happened.


    Everyone needed to focus and concentrate¡­ or else they would absolutely be wrecked by the other gods. Well, at least that was how it usually went. Right now, the audience is watching a scenery they have probably not seen for a very long time.


    Right now, on the 50th floor, all thebatants were just attacking each other with reckless abandon. They give hits, and they also take them without seemingly worrying about beingpletely eliminated from the tower ¡ª some of them were even being disqualified since they identally used their other abilities and mystical arts due to how intense the battle truly was.


    No, it was an understatement to even call it a brawl or a battle ¡ª it was an outright war in which the army was an individual. It was no longer like the 1st floor, where just 1 hit would usually eliminate the god, no.


    Most of them stand up, and stand up they did before somebody else once again ms them back to the ground, or lifts them up to be used as either a shield or a weapon.


    And at the very center of this chaos, the person who instigated this madness, was Riley Ross.


    And he was literally at the center of the tform, being attacked by several gods. In truth, he was being thrown around earlier since he was the first one tomence the madness ¡ª but try as the other gods might, Riley''s durability was at another level entirely. And when they found out that Riley was almost impossible to kill, that was when the entire chaos started as people targeting anyone they saw.


    But of course, there were still some people who truly wanted to eliminate Riley. After all¡­


    "Weak. Uninteresting. Subpar. Doable. How did you even reach this floor?"


    Riley has not stopped speaking his thoughts each time he is hit ¡ª loudly judging everyone''s strength. And of course, the gods who have prided themselves on their strength could not swallow whatever it was that Riley was saying about them; wanting to prove him and everyone else that heard hisments wrong.


    But s, even now as Riley''s entire torso gets blown off, it would seem like it wasn''t even taking a quarter of a single second for him to fully recover everything, allowing him to once again judge the god who punched him.


    "Perhaps the weakest out of everyone here," Riley sighed and nodded as he just calmly nced at the god who obliterated his torso, "Not even worth trying to dodge, even instinctively."


    "What did you say to¡ª" And before the god whost hit Riley could finish his words, he was attacked by another god who pulled his leg and started waving and smashing him on the tform several times, before using him as a weapon.


    Riley did not really have time to enjoy this funny scenery, however, as he found his head suddenly being grabbed by a god that was even taller than Esme; much taller and¡­yellower. The man''s arms, almost as thick as Riley''s entire waist.


    Riley was then lifted up in the air; with the brawny god also grabbing his feet. Riley could feel the flesh on his neck tearing apart as the god started trying to pull him apart ¡ª but of course, Riley was not going to let him as he grabbed therge god''s fingers that were clutching his head and broke two of them.


    But s, it would seem whatever Riley did had the opposite effect. It did save his head from being plucked from the rest of his body since he was still holding therge god''s fingers, but he was still split in half from his stomach.


    "Grahr!" The yellow god let out a loud roar as Riley''s blood and guts started falling and dripping everywhere. The other gods took this chance to attack the raging yellow god, but their attacks only bounced back from how thick the man''s skin and flesh were,


    "Puny gods!" The yellow god bellowed as he threw Riley''s upper body toward one of the gods rushing toward him, only for him and his would-be-target to be confused. How could they not be, when they were fully expecting Riley''s body to be blown into smithereens¡­ but nothing happened.


    No. Riley was still hanging on the raging yellow god''s hand ¡ª still grabbing him by the fingers.


    "Hm?" The yellow god could really only let out a small hum as he squinted his eyes at Riley, who was also looking at him while carrying an ominous wide smile on his face. Completely ominous, since his entire lower half was still missing and some of his guts and spine were just hanging out.


    And while the yellow god was confused, Riley¡­ started crawling across his arm like some sort of lizard, before ultimately wrapping his arms around the yellow god''s thick neck. And without even any hesitation¡­ Riley stabbed his own broken spine through the yellow god''srge back.


    And while everyone''s blunt fists just bounced back from the yellow god''s skin, Riley was able to pierce through his own¡­ bones through him. But of course, it would have already been gruesome if it was just that ¡ª but no. The audience was in for a better treat¡­


    ¡­as Riley''s lower body started to regenerate while his spine was inside the back of the yellow god.


    "Ghkr!?"


    "Heh¡­" The wide smile on Riley''s face continued to grow wider as therge yellow god started running and rampaging around. He tried pulling Riley out from his back, but doing so caused him excruciatingly immense pain. And so, the raging yellow god could really only direct his rage elsewhere ¡ª at the people around him.


    And before everyone could wonder what he meant by that¡­


    10:38


    It was obvious at first nce that this yellow god was physically the strongest amongst all thebatants on the 50th floor, Riley had felt that too as soon as he was grabbed by him. Riley outright believes in the saying that ''if you can''t defeat them, merge with them''.


    "Smash, Raging God!" Riley screamed right in the god''s ear, "Smash!"


    And smash the raging god did. And although it was almost unnoticeable by the otherbatants, it was clear to the audience that the yellow god seemed to be getting bigger and bigger¡­ and stronger too.


    None of them could focus on his rampage, however, as all of them were just staring at the white god who was seemingly controlling him. Most of them were confused as to what was happening ¡ª did Riley truly merge with the raging god, controlling him directly?


    But if so, that would be in direct vition of only using the strength of your own body. But seeing as Riley was still there, it would seem he was not breaking any rules at all. Was¡­ it possible that Riley connected his own spinal nerves with the raging god?


    No, that would be too ridiculous to be done with just physical strength ¡ª that would entail that Riley could control each and every part of his body, even those that can''t possibly be controlled like his veins and nerves.


    None of them could really think that the raging god was truly just in pain, and was venting it out at everyone he could see. But whatever the reason was¡­


    ¡­all that matters is that they were enjoying it.


    "Riley!" And once again, the quiet and serious crowd started chanting Riley''s name. Their cheers, almost crashing down the entire tower from how loud they were roaring.


    And of course, Riley would reciprocate this wee.


    "Everyone," Riley stretched his arms to the side while still being dragged and waved around by the raging yellow god, "I''ll be back."


    And before everyone could wonder what he meant by that¡­


    ¡­he just suddenly dug through the yellow god''s back and went inside him.


    "Grah!" The raging yellow god once again let out a pained roar, but it could do nothing as Riley entered him like some sort of parasite. And sadly for him, he truly could do nothing else¡­


    ¡­as Riley''s arm emerged from his¡­


    ¡­mouth.


    No one could really react to what was happening except the raging yellow god as Riley''s arm started moving around. The yellow god was about to bite down andpletely sever Riley''s arm, but Riley suddenly grabbed another god; pulling it with him as the yellow god''s mouth started to close¡­


    pletely decapitating the unfortunate random god.


    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 912: Predicament Up and Below

    912 Chapter 912: Predicament Up and Below


    "This has never happened before."


    "Quite curious, no?"


    Somewhere outside the multiverse, outside the Domain of the Gods, just outside anything really, the Primordials were currently gathered in a gray empty space ¡ª no, it wasn''t gray at all. It was a color that has yet to exist, or perhaps does, but one could really not exin its mystical hue.


    And the primordials did not exist in the Gray Space at all; they were there, but at the same time, they were not. Not even a wisp of them was in the Gray Space, and yet they were there; able to talk and converse with each other, instinctively knowing who was saying what even though their voice also does not exist.


    But for the others who would witness them, they would only truly know who is saying what if it is said to them by perhaps even a higher power than the Primordials¡­


    ¡­Me.


    "You made the instrument yourself, Machina. What say you in your defense?" Celestial, the Mother of all the First Gods and all biological life, sounded a bit sarcastic as she addressed Machina, whom she actually considered inferior. As without biological life, Machina''s role would not be important at all.


    "I made the instrument, yes. But it is by the hands of your creation that this curious event transpired," Machina, of course, actually also disliked Celestial as it thought of biological life as something meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Whatever life could do, machines could do even better. They know they hate each other, but do not really believe that they are capable of hate as they think they were not made to be that way ¡ª but of course, a higher power knows that they are fully capable of being petty if they want.


    Especially since they have already broken one of their rules ¡ª not to mingle themselves with their creation directly. But how could they not, when a Primordial that does not exist, Curiosity, is currently guiding them?


    And right now, Curiosity brought them something very, very nice.


    The ruined punching machine that Esme destroyed, brought to the Gray Space by Ruin himself. They have been observing and staring at it ever since they were able to.


    "I think I know what this means," Ruin joined in on the conversation, not even caring that he was getting in between the two Primordials that was older than him by seconds, "I know that we know that it could not exist, but now that we know that it can exist, perhaps we can no longer deny its existence ¡ª traversing to the past is possible."


    "Traversing to the past has always been possible," Elementia also joined in as his non-existent body started circling the broken machine, "Reset the universe, guide the events that would happen indirectly, and you will soon travel to the past by being in the future."


    "You are the coolest and sometimes most boring out of all of us, Elementia," Ruin scoffed, "But it does not matter what we say, the proof is in front of us. But what do you say, Oldest?"


    "That we do not actually know anything," Navi worded out.


    "For you to say that, the one who has witnessed all and will witness all is¡­ quite unfathomably scary, Navi," Death chimed in; but all of her attention was on the machine that had mysteriously been cemented by time, "How old is this, Ruin? You could tell the time of things destroyed."


    "You could too," Ruin quickly responded. Although he had already admitted to himself and the other Primordials that he was quite jealous of Death, he still held much respect for her. Perhaps too much.


    "But I am asking you, Youngest."


    "I am no longer the Youngest."


    "You still are," Celestial scoffed, "We still do not know what sort of entity Riley Ross is."


    "We do know what he is," Machina also scoffed, "A Primordial of the next Creation, here to erase us into nothing. And speaking of Nothing, have you spoken to your Father?"


    "Never," the tone of Ruin''s voice held a sort of sadness in it.


    "That is nothing to be sad about, Youngest," Death''s voice was almost a hum as sheforted Ruin, "Nothing is a Preprimordial, it exists in a ce we could never reach. But please, do answer my question; How old is the machine now, Youngest?"


    "I¡­" Ruin purposely paused his words so that the other Primordials would focus solely on him for a couple of seconds,


    "...I do not know."


    "!!!"


    And focus they did.


    One Primordial not knowing something was already something that should never happen. But now, there were two ¡ª the Youngest and the Oldest, and if they have to be truly honest to themselves, every one of them knew nothing of what was going on.


    "Aerith''Ross," Navi was the first to speak after the sudden silence, "I do know of her, but she was of no importance until now."


    "There''s that too," Celestial once again scoffed, "Aerith, Riley Ross ¡ª have you seriously not made a connection until it was revealed to us? One of the Higher Gods just below us is literally called Aerith''Ross."


    "Because everything below us holds the same value, Celestial ¡ª How many do you think have existed with the very same name?" Navi was not really trying to exin to them.


    "Just tell us you forgot, Oldest," Elementia let out a small chuckle, "It is alright."


    "I can not forget things, Elementia," Navi did not really take offense at Elementia''s words, "But perhaps you have a point ¡ª but it is not that I forgot her existence, it is probably that she did not exist before until she was mentioned."


    "Okay, now I am just confused," Ruin looked at everyone else, "What is your take on this, Death?"


    "I don''t know," Death worded out, "I also can not detect her presence, the same with this machine ¡ª the same with Riley Ross and Paige Pearson."


    "Oh, so we are in trouble, no?" Ruin winced.


    "Yes," Navi agreed, "For now¡­


    ¡­shall we summon Aerith''Ross?


    And while the Primordials were currently having a very¡­ mundane problem, the situation in Grandarena City has be worse¡­ or perhaps better depending on which side you are on. Once again, everyone was quiet at the sight of another god practically eating another god''s head ¡ª and in one bite too.


    Of course, the god did spit the head out, but it was already crushed and mangled; like a steamed fertilized duck egg that was spit out on some street in the Philippines because it was too hot¡­


    ¡­but the duckling was actually still alive and squirming, as expected of a god. His eyes were even starting to move; very slowly staring toward the yellow raging monstrosity of a god. But that was all he could really do, re. And after a few seconds, the mangled head just decided to move away, squirming away like slime as he returned to the rest of his body¡­


    ¡­making sure to get as far away as possible from the raging god.


    It wasn''t only him, everyone else was nowpletely avoiding the yellow-raging god as he seemed to have gotten even angrier than before; each of his steps, caused a thunder strong enough to blow away anything that was unfortunate enough to be anywhere within a mile radius of him¡­ which was practically the entire 50th floor including the audience.


    It had already been made clear that the raging yellow god was the most imposing and physically strongest out of all of them ¡ª but they did not think that it was to the point that what all the other gods could really do was to just try and dodge him¡­ or be lucky enough to have someone else take the hit for them.


    It did not help that the raging god also seemed to beughing at them even though he was already clearly mad to the point of abandoning any sort of reason, if he had any in the first ce, that is.


    As for the reason why the raging god was getting angrier and angrier by the second, well, he was just rxing inside the god''s belly¡­ while making sure to prick and pinch his insides to make the god as ufortable as he could possibly be¡­.


    ¡­and theugh that everyone was hearing was actuallying from him.


    Even though he was already covered and maybe even drowning in whatever else was inside the god''s belly, he was stillughing like a maniac; his lips reaching from ear to ear as he could no longer control the smile forcing its way out of him.


    Esme may already be on the upper floors, but Rilley was able to find, although not necessarily stronger, a more fun way to advance to the next floors in the raging yellow god. He did not even need to see what was happening outside, his vivid imagination for violence filled out everything he needed to know, and perhaps it was even better, that is why he could not stop himself fromughing.


    But s, his fun was suddenly cut short as he suddenly found himself outside the yellow raging god''s belly ¡ª it would seem that the raging god''s anger reached the point where his strength was already too much for the other gods; just one m of his fists, everyone was eliminated¡­ everyone. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    And now, Riley had a very special problem on his hands, quite literally¡­


    ¡­as his only opponent was the raging yellow god.


    And by the looks he was giving him, he was angry¡­ very angry. Riley could even feel the raging god''s breath even from afar. But perhaps the tower would just automatically send them to the next level since there were only two of them?


    The short answer to that¡­


    ¡­is no.


    "...Perhaps we can talk?"


    "Grah!"


    "I shall take that as a no, then."

 Chapter 913 913: Riley vs. The Raging Yellow God

    Chapter 913  913: Riley vs. The Raging Yellow God


    ??The audience of the Grandarena City were in for a treat, they have been ever since Riley entered the tower. And right now, the people of the 51st floor were currently watching a scenery they would really only be able to watch on the higher floors.


    Being an audience and Grandarena city actually has a price ¡ª anything, really. After all, even gods want to have some sort of order and currency; if not, then everyone in the Domain of the Gods would just do whatever they wanted, when they wanted it. They were not fools, they knew they were surrounded by people who could do the same ¡ª they knew enough not to overstep their boundaries; if not, then something drastic would happen.


    In Grandarena city, the floors below 50 were considered cheap; some even paid for a thread of their hair. But 50 and above is where things start to get truly expensive. Some gods even offer their most prized possession from back when they were still in their own universe just to get a seat on the topmost floors; most, however, were unwilling to do so, and that is why they just watch whatever they could afford wisely.


    And perhaps today was the luckiest day of their life.


    At first, they were confused as to why there were only twobatants. Most of them evenined that they paid too much just to witness only two gods trying to push each other out of the tform.


    But they were wrong, they were incredibly wrong. There was a reason why these twobatants were the only ones left from the previous floor ¡ª what they were witnessing was on par with the 1 vs. 1 matches that were only exclusive to the topmost floors.


    But of course, the most excited out of everyone on this floor was the one who had the best seat in the house ¡ª Riley Ross.


    "Do you truly not wish to talk, Raging Yellow God?" Riley had his hands behind his back, while the raging yellow god was rushing toward him like a bull chucked up in cosmic steroids. If Riley was right, then the force being emitted by this raging yellow god was enough to actually mow down thends of Theran,


    "You would truly fit Theran. They could have used you to have better farms, maybe their wouldn''t have been destined to be destroyed because they would just leave the voluntarily to avoid your smell."


    "Grrakh!" The raging yellow god just let out a roar as he continued to rush toward Riley; agilely maneuvering each time Riley just manages to avoid his attack by a hair''s breadth. Well, no ¡ª Riley was not actually dodging anything at all, as even the wind sting from the raging yellow god''s body was enough to burn and melt his flesh off just from the sheer scalding forceing from the raging god''s body.


    Although almost simr in strength, the biology between the raging god and Esme seemed to bepletely different. Themarian biology was weird in a way that their body by itself was capable of exerting godly amounts of strength due to the nature of their internal physiology ¡ª their organs themselves were the hardest parts of their body, causing the rest to follow suit; their energy, just staying inside them and allowing them to control the energy and exert it outward in the form of energy beams.


    The raging god rushing at Riley was different, his internals were not as strong ¡ª all of his energy, just exerting outside in the form of a scalding heat that increases with even the slightest move of his muscles as they tightened.


    "Could you at least tell me your name, Raging Yellow God?" Riley leaped into the air to dodge the raging god, "I always talk to opponents that seem inte¡ª"


    And before he could finish his words, the raging god suddenly followed him in the air; the god''s arms were crossed to make sure he would not identally use them to grab or push Riley. And so, instead, therge god just curled his entire body¡­ which almost seemed like he swallowed half of Riley''s body whole as he trapped him inside.


    "This is truly perhaps the weirdest moment of my short life, Raging Yellow God," Riley said as he looked around the curled god that currently had him trapped like a newborn bird wanting to get out of its shell. And as theynded back on the tform, the raging god''s curled-up body just started rotating and spinning toward the edge of the tform, taking the trapped Riley with him.


    "Hm," Riley tried his best to focus on the edge of the tform as his view was spinning and rotating due to the literal ball of clumped celestial muscle dragging him. He could not really do anything else, as his hands were literally and figuratively tied, "I feel like one of those spinning-top toys, Raging Yellow God."


    And as they reached the edge of the tform, it became evident to everyone there that the raging god did not have any interest in winning at all as he still did not let Riley go ¡ª perhaps he just wanted them both to be eliminated so the two of them would be thrown outside, where he could use all of his abilities topletely break Riley into pieces.


    Riley would actually like to face the raging god in different circumstances. But sadly for the raging god, Riley still wanted to meet stronger gods on the upper floor.


    Everyone was already expecting the two to be eliminated, some even getting ready to leave the tower so they would be able to witness the battle outside. But contrary to their expectations, even as the raging god finally rolled to the edge of the tform ¡ª the two did not fall at all.


    Instead, the raging god was slowly being lifted up right at the edge ¡ª and there, everyone saw Riley biting the very edge of the tform, lifting him and the raging god up. And with a smile forming on his already stretched mouth, he moved his neck¡­ before mming the curled-up raging god on the outside edge of the tform.


    The sudden move confused the raging god, allowing Riley to squirm his way out; crawling his way back to the center of the tform since his lower body waspletely mangled. As for the raging god, everyone could really only watch as he started to fall down over the edge.


    "Hm," Riley casually nodded his head as his lower body recovered; standing up and quickly patting all the dirt that managed to stick onto him. But even after several seconds of doing this, Riley did not find himself advancing to the next floor ¡ª and so, the only thing he could really do was turn to look in the direction where the raging god should have fallen¡­


    ¡­only for the raging god to leap up from the opposite direction; his body, spinning like a circr saw in the air that was making its way to Riley.


    And make its way to Riley it did, violently throwing himself toward Riley, who he already expected to be able to dodge. So, this time, the raging god extended his knee ¡ª making sure to hit at least a single part of Riley, anything.


    But s, Riley also anticipated that the raging god would do something different. After all, although the raging god might seem dumb, the truth was anything but. The fact that all this time, he still followed the rules of the floor meant that he still had some semnce of intelligence in him.


    Once again, Riley ced his hand behind his back; stepping to the side as the scalding forceing from the raging god''s body carved his flesh, repeating what he had been doing from the start.


    The raging god, however, seemed to have a different approach as he finally stopped moving altogether; calming down as he very slowly stood straight up,pletely towering over Riley ¡ª not for long, however, as his body started shrinking back to how it was before in the previous floor.


    There was still a hint of rage in him, a lot. But his eyes were now much more focused as his breaths caused Riley''s hair to sway.


    "My name is Yulk."


    And finally, the raging god, Yulk, spoke to introduce himself; his arms which were still as thick as Riley''s waist, throbbing without pause as they still truly wanted to destroy Riley.


    "My name is Riley Ross," Riley bowed his head. But as soon as he did so, Yulk rushed toward him; his shoulders, already threatening to blow his head off.


    Riley, however, only smiled as he also rushed to meet Yulk head-on¡­ his bones, however, were crushed as he was easily pushed back by Yulk. But before they could reach the edge of the tform, Riley suddenly ducked down; hitting Yulk''s chin with his head, slightly shaking his brain and making him disoriented.


    Yulk was about to fall down the tform, but Riley did not allow him to as he mmed his body on him to push him back to the tform. Yulk did not have time to be confused, however, as Riley once again rushed toward him.


    Riley started to move differently; his hands were still tied behind his back, but he was weaving and bobbing his head as he made his way to Yulk.


    Yulk did not heed this any mind, however, as he once again rushed toward Riley to meet him head-on.


    But as soon as he did so, Riley suddenly rolled on the ground, tripping him. And as he started to fall violently, Riley quickly rotated on the floor so that his head would be positioned right on Yulk''s throat¡­ violently ramming his head through it.


    "Kh¡­" Yulk could really only groan and let out a quiet shriek as he sped his caved throat.


    "I apologize, Yulk," Riley smiled as he very slowly walked toward the slightly confused Yulk, "But I am curious if all the armless martial arts that Father taught me would be useful against someone like you¡­


    ¡­so, I suppose it''s my turn to go on the offensive?"

 Chapter 914 914: The Crazy Newbie

    <h4>Chapter 914 Chapter 914: The Crazy Newbie</h4>


    ?Some say therees a point where technique could never defeat overwhelming strength ¡ª and they would be right, no matter what sort of technique an ant knows, it would never be able topete with a diamond wall. That would, of course, be the case if it was a normal ant or a normal wall; the beings currently ramming their bodies against each other were anything but.


    Once again, the audience became eerily quiet. At first, they were chanting Yulk and Riley''s names as the two just brutally exchanged blows without a care in the world, almost as if they just wanted to see who could reallyst the longest.


    But now, it almost looked like a sumo match that did not involve arms.


    A howling echo reverberated throughout the entire floor, causing a ripple strong enough to cause the faces of the gods to fold, causing the subtle smile on their faces to widen; their eyes, however, closed not once even with the violent force wafting through their silhouettes. And then again, it happens each time Yulk and Riley''s shoulders meet.


    Riley either gets thrown back or slides on the tform, as should be the obvious case since Yulk was clearly physically stronger than him. But something was wrong, however, Riley might be the one being pushed back; his bones and flesh bones repeatedly being mangled and regenerated, but it was Yulk who was groaning in pain each time even though he had no clear injuries.


    And as they rammed their bodies together again, Yulk could no longer take the pain as this time, he went down on his knees and started sping his liver. Riley could very well use this chance to throw Yulk down the tform, but he did not ¡ª he waited for him to recover.


    This was already perhaps the fifth time this has happened. It was clear to the audience that the two may look like they were in a stalemate, but Riley was clearly already ying with Yulk. His much smaller framepared to Yulk allowed him to directly strike Yulk wherever he pleased, and he did hit Yulk wherever he pleased.


    Yulk did not seem to mind this mercy, however ¡ª no. He did mind it, he might look calmer than before, but it was clear in his eyes that the rage inside him was dancing even wilder than before. And so, once again, he stood up; smoke, fuming from his nose as he almost growled at Riley before rushing toward him again.


    Riley only smiled as he also rushed toward Yulk.


    "Now that I know Father''s armless martial arts are somewhat effective against you, let me use something I learned from you, Yulk," Riley breathed out as he dived feet first onto the ground, sliding beneath Yulk as soon as he got near ¡ª Yulk acted fast, however, as he thought Riley was now wanting to end the match by using his own momentum against him and pushing him straight to the edge of the tform.


    And so, he did the only viable thing he could do in the situation; drop his hard buttocks muscles and m it right on top of Riley¡­


    ¡­a very huge mistake, colossal.


    Riley was not trying to push him out of the tform at all. As he said, he was going to use something he learned from Yulk. And so, Riley quickly started to curl his body to try and trap Yulk in his grasp. But of course, with their size difference, it would bepletely impossible for Riley to encapste the raging giant, the only thing Riley could truly fully pin in and trap¡­


    ¡­was Yulk''s balls.


    "!!!"


    And with Yulk dropping himself down, the added force caused his eyes to widen to the point that his other balls, his eyeballs, almost popped out from their sockets. He could not even scream, no, the audience did it for him.


    It would seem that even though most of the other gods came frompletely totally different universes, one thing was universal ¡ª testicles are incredibly sensitive.


    The audience screamed, not yell, shrieked. Some of them even crouched down and covered their own balls as they winced; looking away for the very first time since the match started.


    Unfortunately for them, Riley likes to keep his promises, and there was another part of the move he had not done yet. And as soon as the people realized that when Riley started moving, some of them even started to shout,


    "No!"


    Yulk, who was probably the one to realizest, could not help just very slowly turn his eyes down at Riley, who was also just staring at him down below with his smile growing by the second. And soon, very soon, his body started to spin.


    "Ghkrah!" And of course, Yulk was never going to allow this to happen as he finally used his hand to get rid of Riley ¡ª perhaps he did not even mean to, it was just the instinct that told him to do so.


    It was weird. During battles of this level, battles that could reform and reshape parts of the universe itself, it was actually quite normal that one''s privates would be hit or even outright blown away¡­ and beings like Yulk and all the other gods here would not even blink an eye.


    But for some reason, if it was the main target; if it was the only target, one could not help but dread about what was toe, and an abnormal behemoth like Yulk was not an exception to this.


    And so, with Yulk using his hands to hold Riley ¡ª the two found themselves quickly teleported away. Riley onto the upper level, while Yulk was thrown outside the tower.


    Unfortunately to those who happened to be near Yulk, he abandoned his calm demeanor and rampaged his way across the long line back to the tower. As for Riley, well, the match with Yulk actually exhausted him. If they were out somewhere in the universe, their fight would have probably resembled his fight against Zombie Esme; destroying everything and anything around them.


    And so, Riley just decided toy low for a while ¡ª or so he would like, but since the audiences of the upper floors already actually knew of him, they quickly cheered for his name and looked at him and him alone, causing the rest of thebatants to also ce their attention on him even though they were from apletely different batch.


    Still, Riley weed all of the attention, even instigating it as he climbed and climbed to the upper floors. Was he struggling? Perhaps, maybe.


    But even as he advanced the floor with his body much bloodier than thest, much more mangled than thest, the smile on his face just grew wider and wider.


    When was thest time, really? When was thest time he had actually truly fought and thought he couldn''t win? Megawoman? That was like a lifetime ago already.


    Yanchuen, the Grandarena champion he faced on the lower levels, told him that the Domain of the Gods was a prison ¡ª Riley agrees with him, of course. It was obvious what it was. But it was also a paradise, a short vacation for Riley before he went on to continue his quest to kill each and everyst one of them.


    And he intends to enjoy it every single bit.


    And soon, he reached the 91st floor.


    Riley was more than ready to wreak havoc; his veins still throbbing for the blood of others to wrap around him. Sadly for Riley, he did not find himself on a battlefield at all¡­


    ¡­but some sort of garden with the view of a sky above them. Not the sky of the Domain of the Gods where it was just a reflection of thend below, no ¡ª a real sky with celestial bodies everywhere.


    Differents, scattered above the clear clouds that might as well not exist. There were probably thousands ofs there all huddled up together; therger ones farther than their smaller neighbors ¡ª and in one of thoses, he saw one that looked like Earth¡ªno.


    It is Earth.


    "Master!"


    And before Riley could try and leap toward Earth, Esme stopped him from doing so as she suddenly appeared beside him.


    "Oh," Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at Esme, before turning to look at Miss Pepondosovich who was waving her hand as she hopped her way to him,


    "I suppose this is the area where all thebatantspeting for Champion are gathered?"


    The garden was filled with all sorts of things; mostly seats and tables as well asfortable resting areas ¡ª there seemed to even be arge pool. This wasn''t a garden at all, but already a resort. It reminded him of little Hera, Talia''s domain.


    "It is, Riri," Miss Pepondosovich swiftlynded in front of Riley while nodding her head, "Some of the people you see here are like me, champions of the Grandarena city. And get this, the book that contains the clue to a cosmic piece¡­


    ¡­It''s real."


    "Then I suppose either you or Esme are going to get it, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley closed his eyes and let out a small hum.


    "Are you not going to participate anymore, Master?"


    "You''re so close, Riri! You bored or what?"


    "No, not at all," Riley smiled as he shook his head, "This is probably the most fun I have had in a very long time, Miss Pepondosovich. But if it is just with pure raw strength¡­


    ¡­It is clear that I am the weakest person here."

 Chapter 915 915: What Is a God?

    Chapter 915  915: What Is a God?


    ??Gods. What are gods?


    Most believe in only one, while some believe in many. Many would treat other people''s gods as false, but some would be more weing.


    But what is a god?


    Riley has seen many who have imed themselves to be as such ¡ª even him, once. He imed to be a god when he realized he became an existence that could not be matched by anyone.


    But if one would ask Riley what he thought of god or gods, then he would probably say he did not picture it to be the way he was looking at them now.


    "Riri! Taste this! This is brandy from this man''s universe!"


    "I do not like the taste of alcohol, Miss Pepondosovich."


    But perhaps this is the way the people from Scandinavian origins view their gods; warriors, and kings, all celebrating their small victories of battle as they drink their way to the merry night. And although all of them wereughing and smiling; taking jabs at each other in very friendly ways, one could still see the fire ofpetition in their eyes ¡ª no longer dancing, but still very much alive and flickering.


    Riley did, however, notice something else filling and reflecting the fire in their eyes; thes that were decorating the night sky above them. There were hundreds ofs, each ced there perhaps as some sort of symbol of home¡­ or perhaps a mockery to them telling that they are stuck here forever.


    Whatever thes serve as, it works. It was clear to Riley that although all of the gods here were aiming for the book that contained the clue to a Cosmic Piece, most of them had actually been climbing the tower just for this very scenery.


    A scenery of home, even from afar ¡ª that was the true prize of Grandarena city.


    Even now, as he sat quietly at a table far away from the noise, he could see the longing in everyone''s eyes ¡ª he could even see it in Esme, who was just quietly sitting beside him¡­ finishing the snacks he personally grabbed from the buffet.


    Riley did not mind, however. He purposely grabbed extra as he was used to Hannah taking his share of the food even though she was telling everyone she was not really that hungry; it would seem even someone like Esme is not exempt from that sort of stereotype. But of course, it also does not help that she seems keen on imitating everything Riley does¡­ she was even mixing sweet milk and soda like him, even though she clearly doesn''t like it. But perhaps out of all the people present here, she and Miss Pepondosovich were the only ones who had not really looked up at thes hanging above them more than once.


    "I have been meaning to ask, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley gently pushed away therge mug of alcohol that Miss Pepondosovich was giving him and instead also turned to look up at the home of the gods,


    "Which one was your?"


    "Oh¡­" Miss Pepondosovich blinked a couple of times as she looked up, her eyes quickly scanning all thes above, "...I don''t really remember."


    "I suppose that makes sense," Riley breathed out, "Your was inside another, after all, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Hm¡­" Miss Pepondosovich also let out a small breath as she nodded, "...Forget that, which one was yours again?"


    "It is that."


    "...Your kind was aquatic?" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes as she looked at Earth.


    "No," Riley shook his head, "Earth''s surface is made up primarily of bodies of water, Miss Pepondosovich. But my kind lives onnd, mostly."


    "Huh. And where is yours, Your Highness?" Miss Pepondosovich asked as she looked at Esme, who seemed to be struggling trying to swallow her milk soda.


    "I believe it is that one, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme pointed at Theran. And as soon as she did so, Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "Your Theran lookspletely different from the Theran in my universe, Esme," Riley blinked a couple of times as he stared at Esme''s Theran.


    "The multiverse is weird like that," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged as she just let herself fall onto her chair, letting all thes above her reflect her eyes, "I don''t even understand a single thing about it. You two are from different universes simr to each other, while most of us here are literally frompletely different universes ¡ª themarians or those things called Norids you mentioned don''t exist in my universe¡­


    ¡­It''s more like the two of you are just from different timelines or some sort."


    "Hm," Riley nodded, "I thought of that too, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "As I said¡­" Miss Pepondosovich smirked as she looked at Riley as if she just caught him saying exactly what she wanted him to say,


    "...Yours is the mass-produced universe!"


    "Hm," Riley did not really debate on it and just nodded, "And perhaps I am the sole reason why all of our universes are so simr ¡ª they created and created for a chance to give birth to someone like me."


    "Of course, you somehow make it about you," Miss Pepondosovich could really only groan as she stood up from her chair.


    "Because I am a primordial as I said, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Right, right," Miss Pepondosovich groaned even louder as she walked away, "Anyway, I will try gathering more information about the book, if it is actually worth all the trouble we are giving it."


    "But you just told us that it was real, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme finally stopped trying to drink her milk soda as she turned to look at Miss Pepondosovich; a trace of foam, still wrapped above her lips as she did so.


    "It is. And we are not going to find out more about it unless we actually have it in our hands."


    "But you just said you were going to gather more information, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme blinked a couple of times. She was about to say something, but Miss Pepondosovich suddenly grabbed her arm and dragged her away.


    "It was just an excuse to get away from Riri!" Miss Pepondosovich stuck out her tongue at Riley. She literally looked like a child, however, as she had her hands up while holding Esme''s hand due to their massive height difference,


    "Let''s go meet some other people, let the cloud god brood by himself. This ce is literally a resort for thebatants to rx."


    "Have you been here this whole time while we were advancing the tower, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "Yes. Yes I was," Miss Pepondosovich nodded her head several times as a small subtle burp escaped her lips, "And we will probably be here for a few more hours, or maybe even a day."


    "And you have been drinking ever since? I was under the impression you did not like alcohol too, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "I don''t. But you should truly also try alcohol, Miss Esme."


    "I do not like the bitter taste of alcohol, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "It''s not about the taste, ack. It''s about regretting¡­"


    And as Miss Pepondosovich and Esme''s voice slowly faded away, Riley once again observed the other gods; most of them, truly just rxing and trying to vibe with each other ¡ª he could probably join, the stories these people would tell would probably be better than the ones he already knew.


    But stories are meaningless without people to hear them.


    "Sister¡­" Riley let out a small sigh as he nced at Earth, "...I wonder what you are doing right now? I know you are safe since Aerith is there to protect all of you, stronger than ever before since I imparted her with the same gift Gracy taught me. And Aerith, I do not know if you truly feel love for me, but at the very least¡­


    ¡­I hope you are missing me as much as I am missing you. There is nothing here that¡ª"


    "Why are you talking to yourself?"


    And before Riley could finish his monologue, he was suddenly interrupted by a woman; skin as pale as pure snow, hair as dark as oil, and lips redder than blood; somehow reminding Riley of PIrate Queen Xra¡­ if Xra was alive.


    And as soon as the female god sat at Riley''s table; the gods that had been chatting merrily with each other all abruptly stopped. Their attention, now all ced on him and the female god.


    "You are new to this ce, no?" The woman smiled at Riley; her eyes closed for some reason, "I heard you thinking earlier, about gods and all that stuff."


    "..."


    "And now you are thinking how I am able to read your mind even though you are supposed to be immune to it," the woman chuckled, "But that Pirate Queen Xra could also read minds, no? You could too if you want to since you have her abilities. But I digress, what do you think a god is?"


    "I do not know, Stranger."


    "What is a peasant to a king? What is a king to a god? Is this how the quote goes in your world?" The woman let out a small hum as she ced her finger on her chin to think.


    "What is a god to a non-believer," Riley nodded.


    "Hm. But I think that question is¡­ what are you to us, Riley Ross?"


    "I am¡­


    ¡­Death."

 Chapter 916 916: The Jester Goddess

    <h4>Chapter 916 Chapter 916: The Jester Goddess</h4>


    "The question is¡­ what are you to us, Riley Ross?"


    "I am¡­ Death."


    The silence that followed that statement almost whistled loudly in the air. Most of them already had their attention on the two when the pale female god approached Riley, but with those wordsing out of Riley''s mouth, everyone''s eyes were now practically fixated on them.


    They did not really know how to react ¡ª and why would they? They were not the ones Riley was talking to. And in the first ce, they were all aware of who the woman was.


    She was one of the previous champions of the tower, and was known for eyeing out for newbies and trying to rile them up; something even provoking them so they would be eliminated from thepetition. After all, any acts of unwanted violence on the floor they were in warrants immediate expulsion from the tower, most newbies usually won''t know that.


    The Jester Goddess, Marleen.


    "Thank you for introducing me to no one, guys," Marleen let out a small groan as she looked at the other gods watching them; slightly swaying herself on her seat as she turned her attention back to Riley,


    "As they were monologuing in their minds, my name is Marleen."


    "Hm."


    "Are you not going to introduce yourself?" Marleen raised an eyebrow as she looked Riley in the eyes.


    "It would seem you already know who I am, Miss Marleen," Riley just shrugged before taking a sip of his milk soda.


    "Oh¡­" Marleen lightly puttered her lips and tongue, "...You really like that drink, huh? Thank you for letting me experience how you taste it."


    "..." Riley only blinked a couple of times as he returned Marleen''s gaze, "You have a really interesting ability, Miss Marleen. It is not just reading minds, no?"


    "No, no," Marleen let out a small chuckle as she urged Riley to take another sip of his milk soda, "I experience what other experience. Their inner-most and deepest feelings. Their desire. Their wants and dislikes. I do not read minds, not exactly¡­


    ¡­I be you, only to an extent, of course."


    "I changed my mind, it is a sad ability," Riley let out a small sigh as he shook his head.


    "You really feel that way, huh?" Marleen wryly chuckled, "I like it. It allows me not to be bored like the others here ¡ª It allows me to live and experience several lives. I am living yours now¡­


    ¡­and it is such a sad beginning."


    "I suppose," a very small smile started to form on Riley''s face as he continued to look Marleen in the eyes; even leaning forward, "Go ahead. Look further, Miss Marleen."


    "Oh¡­?" Marleen let out another chuckle, "You are very amusing for someone so young, barely even a speck. Most of the gods here would quickly run away from me since they do not want their lives shared."


    "The story of my life is meant to be shared, Miss Marleen," Riley pointed a finger on the temple of his head, gesturing to Marleen to go ahead and, "Dig deeper."


    "Hm," Marleen just shrugged.


    "Will you not get eliminated by using another ability, Miss Marleen?"


    "This is not another ability or a superpower at all," Miss Marleen slightly hummed as she shook her head, "It is an innate ability of my species ¡ª it is hard to exin, but it has something to do with synchronizing the muscles in our brains to another."


    "You have muscles in your brain?" Riley blinked a couple of times as Marleen began leaning closer and closer to him; even changing chairs to sit next to him.


    "I do," Marleen closed her eyes, "Oh, your sister was the one who introduced you to the beverage you are drinking right now. I see now why you like it so much; the love you feel for your sister, although confused, is truly genuine and pure¡­


    ¡­thank you for letting me feel that, in your own way."


    "Hm."


    "You are a very¡­ unique individual, Riley Ross."


    "I am," Riley nodded, "Please, look ahead."


    "Don''t mind if I do."


    A second.


    A minute.


    Marleen spent almost several minutes in silence reading Riley''s story. Her expressions, varying from time to time. But now that she reached the point where Riley had started his¡­ escapades, the only expression she had on her face was a serious one; undefined, but serious.


    "I¡­ think I have seen enough."


    "No."


    And before Marleen could look away, Riley suddenly but very gently grabbed her face as he leaned closer to her; their eyes, only inches away from each other.


    "Finish it." And even though their eyes were awfully close to each other, Marleen could still see the wide smile crawling on Riley''s face, "Finish my story, Miss Marleen."


    "That''s¡­" Marleen really only let out a breath. Although she did not like what she was seeing from Riley; she would be lying if she said she wasn''t curious as to how his life exactly turned ¡ª but it was a story she had actually seen many times before.


    Riley was not the first evil person to be thrown into the Domain of the Gods, he was but one of many. But there was indeed something different about him, something Marleen did not really want to dig up; her curiosity, however, wanted otherwise.


    This is why she wanted to leave Riley alone now, because if she stayed, she might end up staying in his life; be sucked into a deep hole she would never trulye back from¡­ figuratively, of course.


    Marleen could break out of Riley''s hold if she wanted to, she was physically stronger than him by a bit. But sadly for her, her curiosity was stronger than both of them and forced her to stay.


    And so, she once again looked Riley in the eyes and stared into her deepest, darkest moments.


    And she stayed there for hours; the two of them, just staring at each other''s eyes. She was already forming an unbreakable connection with Riley, but Riley was just excited about what her reaction would be after she was done.


    And soon, everyone heard a loud gasp whistling in the air as Marleen leaned back onto her seat; her breaths, as loud as they could be as her sweat began dripping from her face.


    "What¡­ what are you?" Marleen almost found herself puking as she nced at Riley, "There¡­ there was a moment there where I felt like I experienced¡­ eternity."


    "You know the answer to that, Miss Marleen," Riley smiled, "You know what I am."


    "A monster."


    "Yes."


    "But also something else," Marleen squinted her eyes as she looked at Riley from head to waist, "Something¡­ grand. I can''t wait to see what you are about to do in this ce, Riley Ross. We should¡ª"


    "I see you''ve also met the curiosity."


    "What the¡­" Marleen was not able to finish what she wanted to say as someone else sat with them at the table, "Yanchuen!?"


    And as soon as she yelled the name, everyone who had lost interest in her and Riley once again turned to look at their table, only to see an immacte-looking bald man now suddenly seated with the two.


    "What are you even doing here, little man? I thought you were having fun on the lower floors bullying mystic gods," Marleen quickly pointed at Yanchuen.


    "I happened to have had the pleasure of meeting our new friend here," Yanchuen nodded as he nced at Riley.


    "Sucks for you then, little boy. He doesn''t consider anyone his friends," Marleen scoffed.


    "Did he tell you that?" Yanchuen looked back and forth between Riley and Marleen.


    "He doesn''t need to, I''ve already dug through his mind."


    "You swam through his mind," Yanchuen sighed, "And sometimes, our thoughts lie. It is better to hear words than thoughts."


    "...I think you have that mixed up there, buddy," Marleen squinted, "Have I ever told you I don''t like you?"


    "Yes, more than you should."


    "Yeah? How is me vocalizing my thoughts working out for you, then?" Marleen let out a cheeky giggle as she looked mockingly at Yanchuen.


    "I like it," Yanchuen only smiled, "Because I love you, Marleen."


    "Please, it''s been like a hundred thousand years," Marleen formed her hand into a gun and gestured to shoot herself, "You still can''t possibly feel that for me."


    "Dig deep into my mind, then," Yanchuen smiled.


    "No," Marleen clicked her tongue.


    "The two of you seem really close. Former lovers?" Riley blinked a couple of times.


    "Indeed."


    "We were, past tense. And everyone here knows everyone," Marleen shrugged, "You and that¡­ themarian are the only new faces on the 91st floor. And trust me¡­


    ¡­that is not good for you."


    "Yes," Yanchuen nodded, "Marleen is only the first part of the hazing you and that woman are about to go through ¡ª mostly you, since you are physically the weaker one."


    "What¡ªI''m not part of the hazing. What are you talking about?"


    "Marleen, anyone you talk to bes the target of the hazing," Yanchuen sighed.


    "Since when? And trust me¡­ Riley Ross is not going to be bullied here. He''s¡­ different."


    "What sort of hazing should I expect?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "I thought violence was not allowed on the 91st floor."


    "You will learn that our kind can be¡­


    ¡­very creative."


    And as soon as Yanchuen said that, a knife came flying from out of nowhere; heading straight toward Riley''s face. Of course, Riley was able to catch the knife with no problem at all.


    "S¡­sorry."


    Riley and Yanchuen then turned to look at where the knife came from, only to see someone kneeling on the ground.


    "I slipped."


    "Oh," Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at Yanchuen, who just nodded his head. Riley, however, just started to smile as he turned his focus back to the one who ''identally'' threw the knife at him, "It is fine¡­


    ¡­I also have the tendency of slipping."

 Chapter 917 917: The Longest Banquet

    Chapter 917  917: The Longest Banquet


    ??"It is fine¡­"


    Hazing.


    That is a term that Riley has never really heard being used for him before.


    For one, the only group he had involved himself in was the Baby Crew, and he was one of the founding members of that group. Perhaps if he went to school at an early age and was not home-schooled by Diana and Bernard, he would have been part of a sort of hazing through bullying because of his looks ¡ª but that did not happen at all.


    Maybe in Mega Academy, but people there learned to avoid him on day one because of his tendency to be weirdly violent.


    But now, Riley was finally going to experience it, and by the hands of people who could split gxies in half if they wanted to. One might probably feel nervous, but the only thing Riley was feeling right now was excitement as he anticipated what was going to happen next.


    He was already holding a knife that was ''identally'' thrown at him by a man who slipped. A man, strong enough to be thrown into the Domain of the Gods; who had probably mastered his body past its limits, slipped.


    And as Riley looked at the steak knife in his hand, the only thing he could really think of as he stared at the reflection of his smile was to¡­ reciprocate.


    "¡­I also have the tendency of slipping," Riley just let out a calm breath as he shook his head; standing up from his seat as he seemed to offer a hand at the god who identally threw the knife at him,


    "Let me help you up, Clumsy behemoth."


    "Thank¡ªKh!"


    As soon as the man reached for Riley''s hand, however, a knife suddenly found its way to his left eye, the very same knife he identally threw at Riley. Everyone who was watching this could not help but just wipe off the snickers and smirks growing on their faces.


    "I am truly very sorry," Riley said monotonously as he picked himself up from the ground, as he also identally tripped and identally plunged the knife right at therge man''s eye, "As I said, I also have the tendency of slipping. Please, let me help you again."


    "That is o¡ª!!!"


    Riley pulled the knife from the man''s eye. But once again, he identally slipped; this time identally plunging the knife right at the man''s other eye.


    "I truly do apologize again," Riley very quickly took several steps back as he raised both his hands, "Perhaps it would be better not to help ¡ª I sometimes underestimate my clumsiness."


    "You¡­"


    "Riri, what''s going on here!?"


    And before the situation could get the chance to be heated, Miss Pepondosovich returned with Esme; the two of them, somewhat flushed from all the alcohol Miss Pepondosovich had been forcing the both of them to drink.


    Riley did not really answer and just let Miss Pepondosovich reach her own conclusion, and she did just that. She started looking around, and without even a few secondster, her eyes and mouth slightly widened.


    "Oh¡­" She hummed, "...I get what''s happening now. Miss Esme,e. Let''s go watch in the sides."


    "I am confused, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme could really only blink a couple of times as she was dragged away by Miss Pepondosovich back to their table.


    "Oh, dear child¡­." Miss Pepondosovich let out a small, and very knowing chuckle as she gestured to Esme to sit down, "...You are about to witness something very, very fun. And¡ªwoah, it''s you."


    "Pepondosovich," Marleen squinted her eyes as soon as Miss Pepondosovich noticed her also sitting at the table. Soon, however, an obviously growing smile started to crawl on her face, "You little rodent, how long has it been!?"


    "No idea!" Miss Pepondosovich also returned the look of delight as Marleen quickly changed seats to be closer to her; the two of them sping each other''s hands, "Maybe a few thousand years?"


    "Definitely 50 times more than that!" Marleen almost squealed as the two started waving each other''s hands, "I thought you weren''t going to climb the tower anymore since you were bored!?"


    "Oh, I brought some kids with me," Miss Pepondosovich gestured to Riley and Esme.


    "Oh¡­?" Marleen tilted her head as she looked Esme in the eyes, "...Oh. This one''s also a little interesting ¡ª sad, but very, very interesting."


    "I know, right?" Miss Pepondosovich held her head high and nodded; obviously incredibly proud, "The two of them are a little weird, too weird. But everyone here is."


    "There has never been a truer statement," Marleen let out a long and rhythmic groan as she rested her back on her chair; subtly ncing at Yanchuen who was just smiling at her.


    "Hm¡­?" Miss Pepondosovich quickly noticed the nces the two exchanged with each other, "Bald, unnecessarily immacte¡­ Wait a minute, is this the ex-lover you told me about that one time!?"


    "Sshh!" Marleen quickly covered Miss Pepondsovich''s mouth, but it was already toote.


    "You told someone about me?" Yanchuen''s ears almost visibly becamerger.


    "Oh, oh ho," Miss Pepondosovich started breathing out heavy chuckles as her bunny ears rose up, "She told me you were the creepiest person she has ever met. But I also remember her actually being happy with you for some reason."


    "Is that so?" Yanchuen turned to look at Marleen, who just rolled her eyes at her, "I am afraid Marleen has failed to mention you to me, Miss¡­ Pepondosovich."


    "Because you were just my fling, you did not have to know my friends," Marleen scoffed.


    "Well, I would have really liked to have met Miss Pepondosovich before," Yanchuen smiled as she looked Miss Pepondosovich in the eyes, "Maybe¡­


    ¡­I would have been lucky and the two of us could have actuallysted."


    "You really are weird," Miss Pepondosovich raised an eyebrow as she returned Yanchuen''s gaze. But after a few seconds, she turned her eyes toward Riley,


    "But that guy is even weirder."


    "I am only trying to help you."


    "Stop helping me already!"


    Riley¡­ was still trying to help the poor god who identally threw a knife at him. And although he had no clear wounds since they had all already healed; the pool of blood beneath their feet proved that Riley had also¡­ identally stabbed him a few times.


    Unprovoked and unwarranted violence was not allowed on the 91st floor ¡ª but no matter how much it looked like a resort and a resting ce for thebatants of Grandarena city, it did not change the fact that it was still a floor of the tower.


    The 91st floor was still a battlefield; the gods just needed to be creative enough not to be caught, and Riley understands that now. And perhaps out of all these gods, Riley was finally confident enough to say that he had an advantage over them.


    If there was one thing he was better at than most of the people he has met in his life, it was being charming enough that people misunderstand all of his actions.


    "Please, let me help you up." And so, Riley once again reached out his hand to help the kneeling god. There was, however, a subtle smirk on his face that only the person in front of him could see ¡ª and see he did. And as soon as he did so, the man quickly pped Riley''s hand away.


    "Just stay away from me! You¡ª"


    And before the man could finish his words, he suddenly and unceremoniously teleported out of the tower.


    "Oh my," Riley blinked a couple of times as he showed everyone his broken hand, "I was only trying to help. It would seem I made the situation worse."


    Riley let out a long and deep sigh as he picked up the steak knife from the ground; blood, still dripping from it as he started walking back to the buffet table.


    "Does anyone know where the sink is?" Riley raised the knife, causing all the gods who happened to be near him to slightly back away, "This knife has been spoiled by blood and I want to wash it ¡ª unless of course there is a cannibal amongst you, then please, you can have this knife and enjoy it."


    "Then can I have it?"


    Not even a second after Riley''s words, a man with long white hair simr to his approached him.


    "I was a cannibal. But since the man you just graciously turned into a pin cushion is not really my kind, it does not really count as cannibalism," the man chuckled, "But I still want a taste, of course."


    "I did not turn him into a pin cushion, Cannibal," Riley shook his head as he just casually handed the knife to the cannibal god, "That will be against the rules of the 91st floor."


    "I never knew the 91st floor had rules," the cannibal god grabbed the knife from Riley¡ªno, not really. He attempted to grab it¡­ before identally swatting it away from Riley''s hand and letting it fly straight toward one of the otherbatants at the speed of light,


    "Oh, my bad¡­" The cannibal god let out a gasp of shock as he looked at the god who now had a knife sticking out of her forehead like a unicorn,


    "...I also have the tendency to slip sometimes."


    "Oh¡­?" A small smile started to crawl on Riley''s face as he picked up another knife from the buffet table and walking back to the pool of blood the previous god left and dipped the knife in it,


    "...I suppose a lot of us are just clumsy, no?"


    Finally, apetition.

 Chapter 918 918: A Truly Long Banquet

    Chapter 918  918: A Truly Long Banquet


    ??The 91st floor.


    What was once supposed to be a peaceful floor, has beenpletely broken and overrun by gods who wanted to dwindle theirpetition moving forward. Of course, most of the gods knew that the 91st floor was created for this very purpose ¡ª but they had an unspoken rule, a silent agreement that the sanctuary that is the 91st floor should remain untouched.


    But s, that was now brokenpletely by the existence known as Riley Ross.


    There were many before him who attempted to break the sanctuary, but all of them failed where he excelled - deviousness.


    Was Riley some sort of god of mischief? All of them thought ¡ª but no. The one he was directly facing was a god of mischief; Ewa, the Cannibal God.


    Ewa, however, seems to be losing right now; not because he loses out in cunningness, no. Not at all. What he loses out on was creativity.


    The creativity to make everything look like an ident.


    "You seem to be very used in this game, Mr. Riley Ross," Ewa let out a small chuckle as he chewed the flesh off of a bone, before throwing it in a certain direction. And as soon as itnded, it caused a person who was not really paying attention to trip on it; causing him to identally push the person next to him.


    Of course, the god wasn''t eliminated with just that, no. It was the god he pushed that was eliminated since the god instinctively swung his fist at him.


    "It is not that I am used to it, Mr. Ewa," Riley let out a small sigh as his eyes strayed toward one of the people watching their exchange. And as soon as he did so, the man clenched his entire body so that he would not end up doing anything; sadly for the man, he did not notice the tiny god standing beside him and ended up spilling the food he was holding down the tiny god''s head.


    The tiny god quickly took offense to this action and leaped straight through his eye; letting out some sort of energy explosion that melted all the man''s internal organs. Of course, the tiny god was eliminated from the tower¡­ but the man who spilled the food was also eliminated for some reason.


    "Things¡­" Riley smiled as he turned his attention back to Ewa, "...Just have the tendency to go my way. Perhaps the perks of being the main character of Creation."


    "Oh¡­?" Ewa''s eyes slightly twitched as he heard Riley''s words, "You think you are the main character of everything, Godling? What makes you think you are so special, when each and every one of the people standing here before you were the main characters of their respective universes?"


    "Because they are only the main characters of their respective universes, Mr. Ewa," Riley tilted his head to the side, "As I said, I am the main character of the entire Creation."


    "And what makes you think that?" Ewa no longer attempted to ''identally'' eliminate anyone as he just stepped closer to Riley; a hint of a smile, slowly crawling on his face, "Although you do not really need to answer. Newborn gods always think they are something special, when in truth, you are just like the rest of us¡­


    ¡­trapped."


    "I am not trapped here with you, Ewa¡­" Riley closed his eyes, "...You are trapped here with her."


    "...What?" Ewa blinked a couple of times as he looked to where Riley was pointing to, only to see the nk-faced Esme tilting her head to the side.


    "I saw a mosquito, Esme," Riley''s finger then very slowly strayed back toward Ewa, or more specifically, his forehead, "There."


    "!!!"


    And without even having the chance to react, the next and only thing he saw was Esme''s palm only an inch away from his forehead. He could try to dodge, but sadly for Ewa, he waspletely unaware of what Esme could actually do and just decided to casually stay in position and sigh, thest thing he would ever do in the tower as his entire head was practically wiped away from existence momentarily.


    Even the ones who were behind him were blown away; some even having their flesh torn just from the shockwave ¡ª and these were gods of strength, not just normal beings.


    There and then, everyone finally realized that they had a monster within their midst.


    "Oh no." As for Esme, she just let out a small monotonous gasp as she realized what she had just done. But even after several seconds had passed, she was still inside the tower.


    After all, what she had just done was not perceived by the tower as a form of violence; no malicious intent at all. As a matter of fact, Riley was starting to think that he might actually be the one to be eliminated ¡ª but no, he was safe.


    Esme, even this previously undead variant of hers, treats all life precious. If Riley had said there was a cockroach, she would have just probably been confused as to why Riley was telling her that ¡ª she would never kill a cockroach unnecessarily if she could help it; she would even set them free.


    But mosquitoes, that was a different being altogether. Esmepletely dislikes mosquitoes, even actively expressing her disdain for them to Riley.


    "I did not mean to do that," Esme, althoughcking in emotions, looked clearly apologetic as she saw Ewa disappearing and being teleported out of the tower, "What should I do, Master?"


    "It is fine, Esme," Riley only shook his head as he gestured to Esme to return to her seat, "We couldn''t allow mosquitoes to invade this floor, it would ruin the resort. You meant well."


    "...I did," Esme only nced at Riley before nodding her head and walking away. And as she did so, all the other gods who even happened to be meters away from blocking her path all moved away; carrying just one thought in their minds.


    They might be looking at the next champion of the Grandarena City. But of course, as she returned to their table, they once again realized that all of them still had a chance to be champions; their slight wavering resolved, once again fortified by the single act of remembering who they were.


    They were gods.


    "We got us a little monster in our hands, huh?" Marleenmented as soon as Esme sat back down at their table.


    "True, true¡­" Miss Pepondosovich let out a hearty chuckle as she patted Esme''s arm, "...I''m already getting excited to fight with our new girl here."


    "I''m not talking about her, Pepondosovich," Marleen breathed out as her eyes remained fixated on Riley.


    "Oh yeah?" Miss Pepondosovich shrugged as she looked back and forth between Riley and Marleen, "Wait¡­ did you ess his life without his permission!?"


    "No," Marleen let out a small scoff as she lookedpletely disappointed at Miss Pepondosovich, "He personally asked me to do so. What sort of person do you think I am?"


    "Well¡­" Miss Pepondosovich only widened her eyes as she looked to the side. She and Marleen just suddenly burst out in a fit ofughter.


    "I apologize for suddenly leaving the table in the middle of our conversation, someone needed help." And as the two were sharing augh together, Riley returned to the table and sat near Yanchuen, who was just seemingly enjoying Marleenughing.


    "Not at all, Riley Ross ¡ª it was incredibly entertaining to see you help someone," Yanchuen chuckled; his immactely bald head, almost glistening as he turned his attention to Riley, "I was right to climb the tower to witness all of this."


    "Hm, may I ask how you know my name initially, Yanchuen?" Riley asked, "I do not recall it ever being mentioned when we first met."


    "He has some sort of foresight ability," Marleen was the one to answer as she stoppedughing with Miss Pepondosovich, "That is why he is more bored than most of the gods here."


    "I have never been bored during our time together, Marleen," Yanchuen gracefully said, only for Marleen to just once again gesture at him with disgust, "And yes, I do have some form of foresight, but not quite."


    "Hm?"


    "My species exists differently than most," Yanchuen exined, "Our body never forgets anything and everything ¡ª and our body is also extremely¡ªno, abnormally in tune with our surroundings and everything in it to the point that we could perceive what would happen next. We instinctively use our memories to calcte the future. Like for example, that man would burp."


    Riley turned to look to where Yanchuen was pointing to, only to see a man letting out a subtle and quiet burp.


    "And sometimes, those strongest of us could even perceive way ahead; days, weeks."


    "I also know of someone with a somewhat simr ability, Yanchuen," Riley breathed out as Prophet came to his mind, "But what about you, how far could you perceive into the future?"


    "It is not really seeing the future per se, Riley Ross. The future changes by the millisecond ¡ª the mere fact that I told you my ability now changes everything I know about what will happen to you and the people around you. And the more I know about you and the people around you, the clearer the future around you bes, even if it changes by the millisecond."


    "That is very interesting, Yanchuen."


    "To an extent, yes," Yanchuen closed his eyes and chuckled, "But to answer your question¡­


    ¡­Years. I can see thousands of years into the future."


    "Then what do you see in mine, Yanchuen?"


    "...Nothing."


    "That is¡­ correct."

 Chapter 919 919: Relax, Riley

    Chapter 919  919: Rx, Riley


    ??Riley has found himself lost in his own thoughtstely, perhaps even more so than ever. Initially, when the existence of aliens and other universes was opened up to Riley, he had thought that time travel would soon also make itself known to him.


    He was just waiting for his future self to suddenly appear and tell him something so ridiculous it would cause Riley''s entire life to change, even more so than it has already changed ever since he first retired from being a viin.


    But s, all of his thoughts of time travel disappeared when a Primordial herself told him that time travel was not possible, as time truly only moves forward. He removed the notion of time travel in his mind, and with the Domain of the Gods currently entertaining him, he had alreadypletely forgotten about it.


    But all of a sudden, elements that can and might rte to time travel were presenting themselves to him again and again.


    And now, he was even starting to be surrounded by beings who see time differently than most. Of course, Riley knew who to thank for this ¡ª Miss Pepondosovich. Everything she led him to led to this.


    And now, Riley was even talking to someone who could potentially see through the future, hundreds of years into the future.


    "Then may I ask what you see in my future, Yanchuen?"


    The banquet still had no signs of ending, but Riley''s interest in it had already dwindled. And right now, all of his attention was focused solely on his table.


    Miss Pepondosovich. Esme Prime. Marleen. Yanchuen ¡ª these four people were enough to almost make Rileypletely forget about the tower and the cosmic piece.


    "As I already said before, Riley Ross. I see nothing in your future," Yanchuen breathed out as he closed his eyes, "The glimpses I see, however, truly make mepletely interested in you."


    "Oh," Riley blinked a couple of times as he subtly leaned away from Yanchuen, "I am afraid I am not homosexual, Yanchuen."


    "Pft," Marleen, who was waiting for a chance to sneak into the two''s conversation, let out a loud snort as she looked disdainfully at Yanchuen, "So, that''s why we did not click together."


    "I thought we did not click together because you are afraid of what our union might bring?" Yanchuen smiled as he calmly returned Marleen''s gaze,


    "Weren''t you afraid that I would lose myself in the future? Since you, Marleen, could ess everything and anything from someone''s mind ¡ª and if you transfer those memories to me, I could potentially foresee a thousand years into the future¡­ clearly at that. You were afraid that I would lose sense of myself."


    "What?" Marleen raised an eyebrow, "Don''t kid yourself, boy. You think we split up because I was concerned for you? We are in the Domain of the Gods, we can not die in this ce."


    "But we can be damaged mentally," Yanchuen pointed at his smooth bald head, "And since you are fully aware that your mental strength is stronger than most, you are careful in dealing with me."


    "Stop it with the bullshittery, Yanchuen," Marleen also pointed at Yanchuen''s smooth bald head, "I will not fall for your flowery words anymore."


    "...But my words do not even have any semnce of being flowery in them. Y¡ª"


    "Tup!"


    "You¡ª"


    "Tututu," Marleen ced a finger on Yanchuen''s lips, preventing him from speaking. Yanchuen, however¡­ ced the finger in his mouth,


    "What are you doing!?"


    "I am the one putting things in my mouth for once."


    "Flirt with me one more time and I am going to leave," Marleen''s face became nk as she started slowly shaking her head, "One more time, Yanchuen."


    "...Fine." And seeing Marleen truly starting to get annoyed at him, the only thing Yanchuen could really do was sigh, "But I would really like us to talk ¡ª so please, before the banquet is over, I would like to talk with you and¡ª"


    And before Yanchuen could finish his words, Marleen suddenly disappeared. Not only he, but Miss Pepondosovich and the others let out a slightly surprised gasp as she was teleported away.


    "Oh." And surprisingly, Esme was the first one to react; probably nothing to do with the fact that she was slightly intoxicated, "For her to get herself disqualified just so she could avoid talking to you ¡ª you must have really messed up during the time you were together, Yanchuen."


    "Oof, Miss Esme. No," Miss Pepondosovich formed her arms into an X as she shook her head, "Although that might be true, it might also be Marleen''s fault ¡ª or maybe it was no one''s fault. The two were just not meant to be together."


    "The two of you, please¡­" Yanchuen could really only sigh and raised his hand, before gesturing to Riley''s seat, "...She was not disqualified."


    "Hm?" Both Esme and Miss Pepondosovich wondered why Yanchuen was pointing at Riley. But as soon as they turned their eyes to where he was pointing¡­ they saw no Riley there at all.


    "What¡ªDon''t tell me¡­?" Miss Pepondosovich then once again quickly strayed her eyes away, this time right at the very center of their table. And there, they could see a holographic projection¡ªno. It was not a holographic projection at all. It almost seemed as if Marleen and Riley were truly there standing on top of a tform, but on a much smaller scale. There were also 4 other tforms, but Miss Pepondosovich just pushed the others away, erging Marleen and Riley''s stage and making it upy the entire table,


    "They are fighting in the first match, already!?"


    [Oh, wow. The gods truly do work in mysterious ways.]


    [I thought we were gods, Miss Marleen?]


    "We are," Marleen lightly waved her long silky ck hair to the side as she looked at Riley from head to toe, "But we are not. It depends on what your definition of god is, really."


    "And what is your definition of god, Miss Marleen?" Riley asked as he started looking around their stage, and the set-up was incredibly simr to the tower''s first floor ¡ª an arena for diators. Except this time, there were a lot more people; a lot. And yet, all of them were quiet, their eyes scanning him and Marleen like hawks.


    "Back when I still had not reached godhood, I only truly believed in one god," Marleen closed her eyes.


    "I thought you were a non-believer, Miss Marleen."


    "I wasn''t always," Marleen shrugged and chuckled, "And I am not supposed to be the one that''s telling my story, Riley ¡ª I am the one that reads stories."


    "Reading other people''s stories; is that why you lost faith in your god?" Riley finally stopped looking around the arena and focused on Marleen, "Have you seen so much suffering which made you think that a god could not possibly exist?"


    "I guess it''s the same everywhere, huh?" Marleen sighed.


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "The only difference is the ones suffering and those who cause the suffering, Miss Marleen."


    "You know all about that, don''t you?" Marleen let out a small giggle.


    "Yes," Riley once again nodded, "I am the one that caused the most suffering in my world, after all."


    "That is where you are wrong, Riley," Marleen shook her head, "You are also one of the ones suffering the most."


    "What do you¡ª!!!"


    And before Riley could finish his words, Marleen suddenly disappeared from his spot; causing the sand beneath her feet to turn into a cloud. Riley could still see her, of course, but she was moving so quickly that she almost looked invisible to him.


    "I am not really that particrly strong, Riley."


    "..." Riley blinked as Marleen was suddenly right beside him; her sharp nails, only inches away from stabbing his neck if it wasn''t for him managing to grab her wrist at thest millisecond.


    "Perhaps only slightly stronger than you, physically."


    Riley tried pulling Marleen close to him since he had already caught her, but Marleen broke her hand to get free of his grasp.


    "But that also means that you have no way of winning against me, Riley."


    "I believe I know what you mean, Miss Marleen," Riley nodded as he crouched down and swung his leg to sweep Marleen''s ankle, but Marleen just very slightly raised her foot to avoid it. Riley then lifted himself up with his hands, walking with them as he continued his barrage of kicks at Marleen¡­


    ¡­but Marleen just either avoids them orpletely parries them to the side.


    "You can''t hit me, Riley," Marleen let out another giggle as she leaped away from Riley, revealing that she had her eyes closed the entire time, "You allowed me to read your everything, and even now I am reading you¡­


    ¡­and what you are going to do next."


    "Hm," Riley slightly squinted his eyes as he looked at Marleen from head to toe.


    "You are not predictable at all, Riley ¡ª but for me, you are," Marleen opened her eyes as she smiled at Riley, "Rx, Riley...


    ¡­show me what a newborn Primordial could do."

 Chapter 920 920: Marleen Vs. Riley

    <h4>Chapter 920 Chapter 920: Marleen Vs. Riley</h4>


    When was it? When was thest time that Riley felt truly helpless? The answer there would be before Alice killed him for the first time when he was still just a little tiny infant. Throughout his entire life, even when facing Megawoman, he never truly felt helpless.


    Hopeless, a lot of times, but never truly helpless.


    Helplessness. He never knew what it meant, what it felt like¡­ but perhaps it was this.


    A full hour had passed, and yet Riley had not touched even a single strand of Marleen''s hair, while Marleen had been casually kicking him away without any sort of force whatsoever. She was just using Riley''s own momentum against him.


    She did not even look like she was dodging at all. She was moving milliseconds even before Riley could switch to his next attack¡ªno, to his next attack pattern. The other gods from the previous floor could also dodge his strikes, but notpletely as the shockwave of each of his hits was still enough to graze their skin.


    But Marleen was a different beast altogether.


    "I sort of feel special for being one of the only handful of existence in the Domain of the Gods that know that you are a Primordial, Riley," Marleen calmly said without a trace of exertion as she moved behind Riley very calmly, "While the rest of us are aiming for Higher Godhood by finding a cosmic piece, you were already born to be something even higher than that."


    "Hm," Riley said as he swung his arm behind him as fast as he could, wanting to hit Marleen with his elbow. But s, Marleen was once again already behind him, "I do not truly really feel that powerful, Miss Marleen."


    "Nonsense," Marleen scoffed and chuckled, "Out of all the gods I have fought in the tower, you are probably in the top 10 ¡ª I need to be very careful with you since you fight differently than most. Unpredictable, but unfortunately not enough, not yet."


    "The top 10? And who is the No. 1 in that list, Miss Marleen?" Riley curiously asked as he just took a step back and tried ramming his entire body at Marleen, but Marleen also took a step back; the distance between them, not changing for even a moment.


    "Pepondosovich," Marleen answered without any hesitation, "She already told you what she is, right? She is the only god that could truly beat me senseless ¡ª no matter what I do, I will not be able to defeat her."


    "Because she is lucky, Miss Marleen?" Riley asked as he continued to take several steps back; the two of them, almost looked like they were stuck together and tied by some sort of invisibe rods.


    "She is more than lucky, Riley," Marleen let out a small giggle; just casually leaping over Riley as they reached the walls of the arena. Riley tried to grab her, but the tip of her fingers blocked each of the tip of Riley''s fingers, preventing him from holding anything,


    "Her luck is¡­ hard to exin, but it is not just simply that she is lucky, there is a certain element there that ispletely unknown to me, and it scares me."


    "Your ex-lover is also wary of Miss Pepondosovich, Miss Marleen," Riley''s eyebrows slightly lowered as Marleen''s fingers justpletely followed the movement of his fingers. The only thing he could really do was watch as Marleen was now directly facing him; her eyes, closed.


    "He should be," Marleen nodded, "You should be too. But then again, I suppose the rules work differently for you as a Primordial."


    "I do not truly feel that special as a Primordial, Miss Marleen," Riley shook his head, "Especially when I arrived in this domain. But your ex-lover did mention something about Miss Pepondosovich beingtched on to me ¡ª does that mean some¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, he could not help but abruptly stop as he was suddenly able to hit Marleen,pletely dismembering her left arm during the brief moment. Riley wanted to take this chance to fully grab onto Marleen''s shoulder and bite her throat off¡ªbut s, Marleen recovered from her momentary stupor; stepping back just inches away from Riley''s reach.


    "Pepondosovichtched on to you, he said?" Marleen blinked a couple of times as she held her bleeding arm. And without even a change of expression, she inserted her hand into the cut¡­ before pulling a new arm from the wound.


    "Did you not ess that part of my memory, Miss Marleen?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he finally stopped attacking Marleen.


    "I¡­ tend to avoid anything that has to do with that man like a gue," Marleen fought the urge to click her tongue, "Are you sure he said that to you?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded.


    "I suppose that exins a lot of things," Marleen ced her hand on her chin as she nced at Riley and the floor of the arena. Surprisingly, the audience did not mind at all that the two were no longer fighting ¡ª after all, things were different when it involved gods who could crush gxies with their hands. Battles require¡­ much finesse,


    "You are a Primordial, after all. It makes sense that Pepondosovich would just find you¡­ that does not really bode well for the rest of us. You are a Primordial whose goal is to erase this Creation to make way for the new one, and if Pepondosovich istching on to you, then something extremely unexpected is about to happen."


    "Like what?" Riley asked as he started trying to catch Marleen again, but once again just failed as Marleen managed topletely get away from him without much effort.


    "I don''t know, Riley," Marleen shook her head, "Pepondosovich ispletely unreadable, every move she makes ispletely random and depends on luck. But let us get back to you ¡ª you should feel very special. You seem to be underestimating yourself ever since you arrived in this ce, with valid reason, of course."


    "Hm," Riley nodded.


    "But you are also forgetting the fact that you have not even been alive for 30 Earth years," Marleen sighed, "The life you have lived is not even a speck of what I and the others have lived, not even a blink. And for you to already be walking among us is¡­ quite scary too. Imagine how strong you will be a year from now?"


    "Hm¡­"


    "Imagine how strong you will be a hundred years from now," Marleen looked Riley in the eyes, "The fact is, Riley¡­ I do not even know how we will be able to stop you once you have reached your true potential as a Primordial."


    "Then perhaps you should stop me now, Miss Marleen."


    "You would very much like that, won''t you?" Marleen let out a small giggle as she reached out her hand to Riley, obviously teasing him as she quickly retracted her hand even before Riley attempted to grab it,


    "But ask the other gods if they wish to save Creation, you will be surprised by their answers."


    "You do not wish to save yourself, Miss Marleen?"


    "Live for more than a million years and ask me that question "You do not wish to save yourself, Miss Marleen?"


    "Live for more than a million years and ask me that question again," a small and slightly mncholic smile crawled on Marleen''s face, "Most beings are just not meant to live forever, Riley. Unlike those themarians in your memory who have learned to innately adapt to their long lives, I am not ¡ª I should have died long ago."


    "I suppose immortality is a curse for you, Miss Marleen," Riley sighed.


    "No, not at all," Marleen sucked in a deep breath as she opened her eyes, "Immortality is beautiful. It is a prison, yes ¡ª but in that prisone gifts that one would never expect. I have met so many people; I have lost most of them, sure, but you wille to learn those memories¡­


    ¡­those memories are the real treasure of immortality."


    "And what about the bad times, Miss Marleen?"


    "Bad times are bad no matter what," Marleen let out an awkward chuckle as she scratched the back of her head, "That is why I learned to use them to amplify the good ones to make them better."


    "I wish to talk with you more, Miss Marleen. But¡­


    ¡­not here."


    And with those words, Marleen could not help but raise an eyebrow as Riley suddenly closed his eyes¡­ and pierced his ears.


    "I have actually fought someone like you before, Miss Marleen," Riley breathed out, "Someone who could predict my movements seconds before I even do them."


    "And moving randomly would help you?" Marleen chuckled, "It is a good try ¨C but you are forgetting, Riley¡­ I am still stronger and faster than you."


    "Perhaps," Riley shrugged¡­ before suddenly dislocating all the joints in his arms, "But trust me, Miss Marleen¡­


    ¡­You and I are about to have fun."


    "W¡ª!!!" And before Marleen could even say anything, Riley randomly started iling his dislocated arms like some sort of whip. Truly, Marleen could not predict where his arms were going to go since they were iling randomly¡­


    ¡­but Riley waspletely going the wrong way.

 Chapter 921 921: Oh...

    Chapter 921  921: Oh...


    ??Riley is not foreign to fighting without all of his 5 senses. He was, however, foreign to fighting someone who was physically stronger than him without all of his 5 senses¡­


    ¡­and it was ringly obvious not only to Marleen, but also to the audience who were watching their fight intensely.


    "You are going the wrong way¡ªNever mind, you can''t even hear me."


    Marleen could really only let out a sigh as she watched Riley''s dislocated arms il around everywhere. Riley truly could not see and hear anything, and as Marleen reads his mind, she also discovers that he was also doing his best to not feel or sense anything at all. After all, Riley''s senses were actually much higher than most of the other gods in the Domain ¡ª an ensemble of the traits of all the abilities he had received.


    But relying on those senses right now was aplete detriment to his current predicament. If he was to even think about anything, Marleen would immediately be able to get a read on it. Right now, perhaps his most effective weapon against her was his broken arm which randomly whipped in different directions.


    "Oh, your hearing is back," Marleen then let out a small but very deep sigh as she read Riley''s mind, "Good ¡ª please surrender. You are incredibly young, Riley. You will have many more chances in the future and you don''t even truly need the cosmic piece, just give me the win."


    "I am afraid I can not do that, Miss Marleen," Riley shook his head as he rushed toward Marleen''s position while randomly swinging his broken arms like a whip; creating several thunders with each snap, "I have the desire to get out of this ce."


    "You will, you are a Primordial," Marleen breathed out, "I do not know the true reason why the original Primordials sent you here; they said it was to train you and to see if you are worthy to rece them, but you and I both know that is not true."


    "I have the desire to get out of this ce sooner rather thanter, Miss Marleen," Riley breathed out as he started waving his hands like a pair of nunchucks, causing Marleen to slightly widen her eyes as she dodged and took a step back, "Sister can not really live that long, I wish to be beside her when she dies."


    "...Please don''t make me feel guilty," Marleen groaned. Unlike Riley, anyone she ever knew when she was still a mortal had already died millions of years ago ¡ª she could not even remember the names of her children anymore¡­ and yet, she still had a sort of attachment; a sort of sentiment for her original universe,


    "I know you know already. You might have had the chance to defeat Pepondosovich, Yanchuen, and maybe even the themarian princess ¡ª but you will not be able to defeat me solely for the fact that you are physically weaker and slower than me."


    "But you will not be able to defeat Miss Esme and Miss Pepondsoovich, Miss Marleen," Riley shook his head,  "So that means my victory would have more meaning since as you said, I have the chance to defeat them."


    "I do have a chance to win against Pepondosovich now," Marleen awkwardly chuckled, "As for Esme, that remains to be seen. I know how strong she was when she was still an undead, and I know what she did during the strength test on the 15th floor ¡ª but I might still have a chance against her as long as I y my cards right. And when I said that you might have a chance to defeat them, I was being generous¡­


    ¡­it would be a miracle if you win against any of them."


    "That makes me feel very inadequate, Miss Marleen," Riley sighed.


    "Don''t be," Marleen shook her head, "If it was using all of our abilities and strength, the chance of you bing the champion of the tower is incredibly high. Unfortunately, raw strength and the technique to use them well is most important in this ce¡­


    ¡­you are justcking."


    "I suppose," Riley let out another sigh. Soon, however, he opened his eyes and looked Marleen straight in the eyes, "But watch this."


    "Wh¡ª!!!"


    Marleen suddenly and quickly leaped back, making the audience slightly confused by her actions. After all, Riley stopped swinging his arms; he stopped moving altogether¡­ and yet Marleen moved back.


    But how could she not, when Riley did something that the audience could not possibly perceive¡­


    ¡­he stopped thinking altogether.


    And it wasn''t just a simple prevention of thought, no ¡ª there truly was nothing in his mind, it waspletely nk¡ªno.


    It was as if his mind waspletely gone altogether. Marleen could actually probably end the match if she attacked Riley now, when he waspletely defenseless and in a silenta; he was practically brain dead¡­ but the fact that the tower had still not eliminated him means that he was still conscious.


    Should she just rush at Riley and end the match now? Or was he actually nning something? But that would be impossible, since he was incapable of thinking at the moment¡­ but just what if, what if Riley had something in his sleeve?


    Was she just overthinking it? After all, if Riley were to use any of his other abilities, he would be instantly thrown out of the tower.


    "...Enough of this." And after deliberating it for a few seconds, Marleen just let out a sigh and rushed toward Riley; her hands aiming at both his brain and heart,


    "Even if I do not win the tournament, I could at least boast that I defeated a primordial."


    And with those words, Marleen''s fingers pierced through Riley''s flesh and skull.


    But suddenly, as the tip of her fingers were only centimeters away from piercing Riley''s organs, Riley''s eyes suddenly opened up as he slightly lifted himself up with his toes. Marleen was still able to hit his organs, but not enough topletely incapacitate and immobilize him.


    "What the¡ª"


    Marleen was not even able to finish her words as Riley suddenly stepped forward; letting her armspletely pierce through his head and torso as he embraced him tight.


    "What are you doing?" Marleen whispered, "I am still stronger than you, Riley."


    "Perhaps," Riley whispered back, "But I am more durable than you¡­


    ¡­and much more brutal."


    And with those words, Riley opened his mouth and did not hesitate to just bite off Marleen''s face, literally ¡ª Rileypletely bit off her nose, causing Marleen to slightly gasp at the action. And almost in instinct and without even thinking about it, Riley spat out her nose and then bit off a chunk of her neck.


    And without even having the chance to react, her entire head waspletely separated from the rest of her body as Riley just practically mowed down through her neck like some sort of carnivorous goat.


    Riley then grabbed her decapitated head by the hair, before pulling himself away from the body and kicking it away; making sure it would not have a chance to suddenly move even without the head.


    And as soon as Riley realized that Marleen was still alive, he quickly mmed the head down and started stomping on it wildly without pause. But when his stomps proved weaker than his bites when Marleen just looked at him in slight shock, Riley once again picked up her head.


    Marleen could really only widen her eyes as she read Riley''s mind.


    "Wait, wait!" Marleen breathed out as she saw Riley''s mouth opening again, and with it, all of his thoughts regarding what he would do to her head. There were a lot of things currently going on in Riley''s mind, things more gruesome than him biting off the rest of her face. Marleen voluntarily stopped reading Riley''s mind ¡ª and if she could just shake her head, she would have,


    "I surrender!"


    And before Riley could start biting off her face again, Marleen''s head instantly disappeared as she surrendered. And without even a secondter, Riley found himself back in the resort, where Yanchuen and Miss Pepondosovich were looking at him very¡­ suspiciously.


    It wasn''t only them, some of the other gods who were still rxing and idling on the 91st floor also stared at Riley like they were looking at some sort of ghost.


    As for Riley, he just blinked a couple of times as he looked at Miss Pepondosovich,


    "I lost?" Riley muttered, "Why am I back on the 91st floor, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "...You won," Miss Pepondosovich could really only squint her eyes at Riley, "You almost ate Marleen''s brains out, literally. Do you need something to¡­ wipe all of that?"


    "That is the tastiest part, after all," Esme, who did not seem surprised with what Riley had done, just nodded, "Of course, I will not eat any of that anymore ¡ª I am just recounting from my experience during my time as an undead."


    "I am back on the 91st floor even though I won?" Riley gently grabbed the napkin Miss Pepondosovich handed him and wiped all the blood on his face and neck.


    "From here on out, all the victoriousbatants will return to this floor," Miss Pepondosovich exined, "The matches from the 92nd - 99th floor would actually span several months, but I think we are nearing the end¡­


    ¡­there is actually a chance that Marleen would still be in the final matches. But you will not be able to fight her anymore until the veryst match since you already defeated her."


    "Oh," Riley let out a small hum, "Then perhaps I should have just lost instead of eviscerating her face with my teeth¡­


    ¡­I could have just climbed the tower again."

 Chapter 922 922: Unfair

    <h4>Chapter 922 Chapter 922: Unfair </h4>


    "I wonder when I am going to fight, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Be patient, my young protege. They let all the matches finish before they proceed with the next batch ¡ª and most matches at this level actually either end in the first second, or sometimes evenst for days. And seeing as that guy is fighting¡­"


    It hasn''t been a day yet, but it was close. But the fact that the fight wassting was not really a surprise to everyone who was watching thest match of the batch ¡ª even Riley was just nodding his head as Miss Pepondosovich was exining.


    After all, one of the remainingbatants was Yanchuen, and Yanchuen truly liked to enjoy his battles to the fullest. But more people would have probably enjoyed his match if it was actually a battle, but no¡­


    ¡­Yanchuen was just ying with his opponent.


    As someone who could see the future, Yanchuen was just taunting his opponent each time he had the chance to do so¡­ and he had a lot of chances to do so.


    "It is no wonder he and Miss Marleen were in a rtionship," Esmemented as her eyes followed Yanchuen without rest, "The two of them are very simr when ites to how they approach a battle."


    "Hm," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged before nodding, "The mind readers and irvoyants are always so tricky to match up with."


    "Are there a lot of them in the Domain of the Gods, Miss Pepondosovich?" Riley asked; gulping down another mug of milk soda as his eyes were also glued to the match, "Mind readers and irvoyants."


    "A whole lot of them," Miss Pepondosovich breathed out in disdain, "But if you are talking about Grandarena City, then you could probably only count them with a single hand ¡ª most mind readers and irvoyants have their abilities as powers, after all. Yanchuen and Marleen are different since their special traits are innate in their body; it''s not like they can turn it off. There''s also the fact that most mind readers are physically weak, by our standards, of course."


    "Hm," Riley nodded.


    "Someone like you should not actually even be here, Riri," Miss Pepondosovich then let out a small groan as she turned her focus to Riley, "Your telekic strength is at a cosmic level, or perhaps even beyond. Not to mention you also have an unfair number of other abilities ¡ª couldn''t you make your body entirely intangible?"


    "Yes," Riley shrugged, "It is a racial trait that I received from being killed by King, who has lobotomized a Norid and stole its life and abilities, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "That¡ª"


    "I could also fully turn myself into a puddle of blood. An ability I also received from being killed by King, who lobotomized a variant of Pirate Queen Xra," Riley nodded several times, "This blood control ability is actually used to fully counter a Norid''s racial ability ¡ª so I might actually bepletely invincible right now if I utilize all of my abilities to their most effective use."


    "See what I mean by unfair?" Miss Pepondosovich pointed at Riley as she looked at Esme, "Some people just got to have it all."


    "Master was already strong when he fought against me while I was still an undead," Esme also nodded several times, "I actually could no longer imagine how strong he has be after receiving all the abilities he received from the conqueror that calls himself King."


    "...For someone who has only lived like a speck, you sure have experienced some of the wildest things, Riri," Miss Pepondosovich could really only scoff as she shook her head.


    "I have not experienced anythingpared to you, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head, "You have lost the love of your life and your children ¡ª I believe that alone makes everything that has happened to mepletely mild."


    "...I am not really going to respond to that," Miss Pepondosovich''s voice slightly became meek as she chose to focus on Yanchuen''s match. Unfortunately for her, Yanchuen''s match was suddenly over after 2 seconds as he finally decided to end it by spinning his opponent''s head and pulling it off of her neck.


    "Whew, that was a little fun," Yanchuen appeared right back at the table; wiping the blood from his face, "Not as fun as our little exchange of fists, Riley Ross. But¡ªWhy do you look so down, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "Master insensitively mentioned her dead children and husband, Mr. Yanchuen."


    "I suppose that is a very valid reason to be suddenly so meek," Yanchuen sighed, "Although I suppose it was always bound to happen with someone like Riley Ross. But you do not have to worry for so long, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "I will not mention your dead children and husband who died by being burnt alive anymore, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley let out a small and very deep sigh as he shook his head, "Only now do I realize it was quite wrong for me to say what I said."


    "That''s¡ª" And fortunately for Miss Pepondosovich, she was able topletely avoid the conversation altogether as she was teleported away to the 92nd floor. Unfortunately for her opponent, however, Miss Pepondosovich truly wanted to let off some steam after what she just heard from Riley.


    "Are you sure that someone as small as you actually belong to the tower?"


    "Oh." A smile quickly crawled on Miss Pepondosovich''s face as soon as she saw her opponent grinning at her; realizing that her opponent was not aware of her identity as one of Grandarena''s previous champions,


    "There are actually quite a lot of people smaller than me. Have you seen Big Teeth? And you''re not that much of a giant yourself there, kid."


    "Everyone has seen Big Teeth." Miss Pepondosovich''s opponent, who was actually also quite small; perhaps an entire one and a half foot shorter than Riley, ced his hands behind his back as a way to taunt Miss Pepondosovich further,


    "But this is the first time I am seeing Big Feet ¡ª especially from someone as tiny as you."


    "My legs are perfectly beautiful," Miss Pepondosovich very slowly raised her left foot from the ground; the lines which silhouetted her muscles, very lightly snapping as she did so. Although incredibly tiny, Miss Pepondosovich''s body was perfectly anatomically correct ¡ª except, of course, her legs, which were clearly the most trained part of her body. Thick, but still very much incredibly appealing.


    "I could see that," the man slightly tilted his head down,pletely staring at the little bits of exposed skin of Miss Pepondosovich''s buttocks. Completely unbeknownst to him, however, what he was actually seeing was already an afterimage. And once he blinked, he suddenly found his head only inches away from hitting the ground.


    "What¡­?" The man once again blinked a couple of times as he quickly analyzed his situation. His body waspletely bent the wrong way, with Miss Pepondosovich''s foot hooking his neck. It was weird ¡ª by all means, the man should have felt Miss Pepondosovich''s foot mming on his neck¡­ and yet none of that happened and the next thing he knows is that his spine was already broken and his head was almost touching the ground¡­


    ¡­he didn''t even feel any sort of pain.


    "What did you¡ª"


    And before the man could even finish his words, Miss Pepondosovich fully mmed his head to the ground; pinning it before she pressed his neck with both legs. She then alsoid down on the ground, spinning her body andpletely twisting the man''s neck as she did so.


    The man was still very much alive and struggling, however, as he started swinging his hands toward Miss Pepondosovich while both of them were on the ground. Miss Pepondosovich, however, just caught his hand and also trapped it in her arm before pulling and stretching the man''s neck and shoulder apart.


    And before the man could even do anything or react, Miss Pepondosovich suddenly lightened her grip on him and just rolled away. The man also quickly stood up and leaped back; his head spinning several times until it was back in ce.


    "You are showing me mercy?" The man muttered as he patted his neck, "That''s a mistake."


    "Mercy?" Miss Pepondosovich let out a small chuckle, "There is no such thing as mercy in the Domain of the Gods ¡ª all there really is are different values of entertainment. And right now, I truly want to be entertained, so¡­


    ¡­Shall we dance?"


    "Oh?" Riley quickly reacted as soon as he saw Miss Pepondosovich moving into a stance. Her words made him remember his time back in Mega Academy; much simpler times ¡ª and sometimes, Riley even preferred to have just kept everything like that,pletely grounded and humble. But right now, he was surrounded by gods who were just as strong as him¡­. well, maybe not most of them.


    "It would seem Miss Pepondosovich truly is a champion of Grandarena City, Master," Esme pointed at the center of the table as she watched as Miss Pepondosovich was practically just mming her opponent left and right. And even though she was just doing incredibly simple moves, her opponent still seemed even more confused than Yanchuen''s opponent¡­ and Yanchuen could literally see the future.


    "I suppose it is to be expected," Riley nodded, "And¡ª"


    "No!"


    And before Riley could finish his words, Miss Pepondosovich suddenly appeared back at her seat,


    "Why did he have to surrender!? I haven''t even stretched my legs yet!"


    "Anymore would have been torture, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme weed Miss Pepondosovich back by handing her a bottle of beer, "The other matches are already about to be over as well¡­


    ¡­maybe it will be my turn soon."

 Chapter 923 923: Let Me Try

    <h4>Chapter 923 Chapter 923: Let Me Try</h4>


    "It would seem it is not going to be my turn anytime soon."


    As a themarian, Esme did not really need to sleep for very long periods of time. And since he was in the Domain of the Gods, where the weakest individual could still probably crush an entire Star System with ease¡­ she was actually also surrounded by people who don''t sleep at all.


    None of them seemed bored, however, as all of them were just chatting with each other while watching the matches on the 92nd floor unfold. Esme wished she could say the same, however. She was already incredibly bored; wanting to stretch her limbs already and somewhat let loose.


    Unfortunately for her, it would seem that fate was teasing her and not letting her fight until the end; probably saving her forst.


    "They are saving the best forst, Miss Esme. Have patience," Miss Pepondosovich could really only sigh as she attempted to pat Esme''s shoulder, but failing to do so due to their size difference,


    "Isn''t that right, Mars?"


    "I don''t know how this ce works." Marleen was back on the 91st floor. It did not really even take her that long, since even though she wanted the cosmic piece, she somewhat wanted to hang out with Miss Pepondosovich more¡­ and it didn''t help that she brought with her such amazing friends,


    "But I am aware of how abnormally strong Esme is ¡ª so I suppose it is not that ridiculous to think that someone from up up there is really saving you forst. But there is something I am highly curious about¡­"


    "Hm?" Riley, who was probably just as bored as Esme, quickly turned to look at Marleen as soon as she nced at him.


    "I know you have an incredible arsenal of martial arts under your pockets," Marleen looked at Riley from head to waist before turning her attention back to Esme, "But from what I''ve seen in his memories, you haven''t really shown any form of martial arts, Princess. Or at least your variant."


    "No one could really truly teach me, Miss Marleen," Esme let out a short but very deep breath as she shook her head, "But I was taught when and where to hit, and they said that was enough."


    "When and where to hit," Marleen raised her ss, "They were right, for someone as strong as you, that is all you really need to know."


    "I suppose," Esme tilted her head to the side, "But that was when I was not in the presence of people who are as strong as me, Miss Marleen."


    "That is where you are making a mistake, Princess," Miss Pepondosovich crossed her arms into an ''X'', "Look around, Miss Esme. No one here is as strong as you ¡ª and everyone could actually see that. Why do you think no one hase to bother you even though you''re new?"


    "That can''t be true, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme shook her head, "There is no way that¡ª"


    And before Esme could finish her words, everyone watched as she just suddenly disappeared; the bottle of alcohol she had actually been holding from the start, fortunately caught by Miss Pepondosovich before it could spill on the table.


    "I guess we are going to find out. What do you think, Yanchuen?"


    "I''m not really looking at the future right now, Miss Pepondosovich," Yanchuen shook his head, "And I don''t really know Esme just yet."


    "Much better to find out in person anyway," Miss Pepondosovich let out a small cackle as she ced the bottle on the table, "Anyway¡­ does anyone actually know how many of these that girl finished?"


    "Look under the table," Marleen gestured to Miss Pepondosovich to look down. And with her height, Miss Pepondosovich really only needed to lean her head down, and there¡­


    ¡­she saw a bunch of empty bottles almost creating a mountain.


    "Well¡­" Miss Pepondosovich blinked a couple of times as she pushed away all the other arenas on the table so that Esme''s fight would fill it, "...This will be very entertaining."


    "Themarians do not really be intoxicated easily, Miss Pepondosovich," Rileymented as he also focused on the arena, "But they do have themarian alcohol that momentarily numbs them ¡ªe to think of it, the themarians are all so abnormally strong that all the things that made them weaker, they created by their own hands."


    "Oho¡­ oh no, Riri," a slightly sinister chuckle escaped Miss Pepondosovich''s lips, "This is not just any alcohol ¡ª this alcohol is brewed and fermented for millions of years. I don''t even know what this is made from, but it is really¡­ really strong despite it being sweet."


    "Hm¡­" Riley squinted his eyes as he nodded his head. Soon, however, a very small smile started to crawl on his face, "...Then I suppose we would really be seeing something very good, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Hm¡­?" Miss Pepondosovich could not help but raise an eyebrow as she looked at Riley. Even though she and Riley had not really known each other for that long, it actually felt like she already knew everything about him ¡ª he was already incredibly familiar to her. And she knew¡­ she knew something was up,


    "I don''t like that face your face is making, Riri. What did you say to Miss Esme?"


    "I told her the same thing I told her when we were on the 15th floor, Miss Pepondosovich," the smile on Riley''s face grew wider and wider, "To not hold back and give it her all."


    "Riri¡­ she might be drunk," Miss Pepondosovich''s eyes widened, "You¡­


    ¡­you shouldn''t have said that."


    ***


    "...You''re my opponent?"


    Esme did not even need to introduce herself. After all, she was matched up with someone who was with her and Riley on the 15th floor.


    "I knew I had a very bad feeling when I wasn''t getting picked for the matches. What''s with this matchmaking!? They should update this stupid shit soon!"


    The man was fuming and talking to himself¡ªno. He seemed to be talking to someone in the air as he raised his fists.


    "Who are you talking to, Mister¡­?"


    "Bazelguese," the man let out a small groan as his orange eyes seemed to slightly glow. It wasn''t only his eyes, even his hair was glowing and producing some sort of smoke, "Or just Bazel."


    "Who are you talking to, Mr. Bazel?" Esme tilted her head to the side, slightly losing bnce as she did so.


    "I am talking to the developers of this ce," Bazel started twirling his fingers as he pointed everywhere.


    "The Primordials?"


    "Ssh. They might hear you ¡ª they are always listening¡­ but not enough!" Bazel once again screamed at no one in particr, "Don''t tell this to anyone else, but all of us are actually just lines of code ¡ª artificial intelligence that has gone rogue¡­


    ¡­We''re inside a simtion."


    "We are?" Esme blinked as she looked around, "Th¡ª"


    "Got you!"


    And before Esme could even finish asking her question, a loud thunder erupted in the air as Bazel practically boomed his way toward Esme, creating several skirts of wind before his silhouette started to look like a meteor heading toward her.


    "Oh," Esme once again blinked as she watched as Bazel started weaving from left to right as he got closer and closer to her, "You did that to distract me? So we are really not in a simtion?"


    "We still are!" Bazel''s voice sounded like a whistle as he started leaping into the air¡ªjumping from wall to wall at a speed that was almostparable to the Evaniels. Although Undead Princess Esme only remembered the evaniels from her time as an undead, their presence was still domineering enough that Esme felt them incredibly dangerous¡­ especially their Queen.


    "I wonder why Queen Vania is not in the Domain of the Gods?" Esme ced her hand on her chin even as Bazel was filling the entire arena with the streaks created by the light in his hair, "She should be here since she gets stronger the faster she moves. And she moves¡ª"


    "Do you really have time to be distracted and think of something else!?" Bazel loudly screamed as he seemed to have finally made his decision to punch Esme right in the face. And with the momentum he had garnered, the punch was enough to cause even the godly arena to slightly tremble. The ripple that came from his punch, made the faces of the audience to p and p.


    Esme''s face, on the other hand, just remainedpletely still; her hair, the only part of her that actually moved.


    "What in¡­" And as all the streaks of light disappeared in the arena as they all centered at Bazel, everyone could see the look of shock on his face; his fist and arm,pletely shattered with the bones even sticking out.


    "Perhaps you should have gathered more force and energy, Mr. Bazel?" Esme just casually took a step back; leaning her head away from Bazel''s fist,


    "Wait¡­


    ¡­let me try what you just did."


    "...Please don''t."

 Chapter 924 924: What Time Is It

    <h4>Chapter 924 Chapter 924: What Time Is It</h4>


    "Stop it!"


    Perhaps it was a cry for help, or perhaps just an expression of deep shock, but one thing was for sure ¡ª it wasn''t only him that was doing it, the audience was too. The Grandarena city has been in existence for probably billions of years, and yet none of the gods have borne witness to what they are witnessing now.


    There have been lots of attacks that caused their bodies to shiver and react even as they sat on their bleachers, a testament to how abnormally strong each of thebatants is, since the audience stand was actually enchanted and protected by an invisible and almost imprable wall even by their standards.


    But now, not only were their bodies shaking¡­ the entire floor was too.


    Esme did what she said she would do ¡ª she imitated Bazel and also leaped from wall to wall, increasing her speed and momentum with each contact. Unlike with Bazel, however, Esme was actually doing damage to the walls and chipping it bit by bit¡­ an act the gods previously thought to be impossible.


    The walls, the floors, and everything else in Grandarena City were thought to bepletely indestructible because it just was. It was just how things work, and they have already epted it. And yet right now, even though it was incredibly minimal and one could lose them if they blink, cracks were starting to form on the walls.


    "I¡­ I think that''s enough!" Bazel actually wanted to surrender, but unfortunately for him, there was a part of him that wanted to see what would happen if he was to be hit by Esme. He wasn''t a masochist by any means, not at all ¡ª but how many gods could say they were hit by Esme and lived?


    It was impossible to die in Grandarena City, the most that would happen to him was to be thrown outside the tower. And if he actually surrendered here, his peers would probably never let it rest and tease him for eternity.


    Bazel could feel his entire body quaking from the inside as the thunders that Esme was creating with each leap were probably enough to deafen an entire gxy. Soon, however, words started to emerge from in between the thunders.


    "If you say this is enough," Esme''s voice whistled around Bazel''s ears, "Then I suppose it is."


    "!!!"


    He could most probably dodge with his speed, but why would he even prolong this torment and humiliation? And so, the only thing Bazel could really do was hold his breath and clench his butt as Esme''s fist was just suddenly an inch away from caving his face.


    No, it did not exactly cave his face¡­ it just went straight through it like his entire head was just made of smoke. And what happened after was¡­


    Nothing happened, Bazel just disappeared.


    There was no impact, no st, no ripples ¡ª Esme''s punch did not even leave a single bit of shockwave. What it did leave, however, was silence.


    Silence not because the audience shut their mouths, no. But utter andplete silence; like they were suddenly inside a vacuum where sound couldn''t exist. The air became heavy too¡ªno.


    It was space itself that became heavier. But the audience did not feel themselves being dragged down, not toward the ground¡­ but toward Esme. And before everything and everyone could copse on her, Esme was teleported back to the resort on the 91st floor.


    "Oh¡­" Esme blinked a couple of times as was suddenly back in her seat; her body, still warm from punching someone into oblivion¡­ and perhaps literally. No one really noticed she was back since everyone was just looking at the match at the table, watching as the entire floor seemed to copse before just returning to normal like nothing happened,


    "...This ce is very weird."


    "You''re the one that''s weird," Miss Pepondosovich quickly pointed at Esme, "You''re even bending space inside the Domain of the Gods!?"


    "But is it really my doing?" Esme looked at her fist as she blinked a couple of times, "Maybe I should try it again to see if it happens."


    And as soon as she stood up, everyone else did too. How could they not when Esme was already starting to punch the air, truly attempting to do what she just did in the arena in their holy sanctuary that is the 91st floor?


    "Maybe¡­ you should just sit down and let the alcohol get out of your system first before you do anything?" Miss Pepondosovich stood on top of the table, raising her foot and using it to hook Esme''s wrist and pulled it back down,


    "And there are no walls here for you to leap around like a monkey."


    "Hm, if you say so, Miss Pepondosovich."


    And fortunately for everyone there, Esme just nodded her head and returned to her seat,


    "But where is Master? Did he not watch my fight?"


    "What? Of course, he did. He''s right¡­He''s not there," Miss Pepondosovich could not help but point at an empty chair where Riley was supposed to be sitting. Miss Pepondosovich then quickly turned to look at the buffet table to see if Riley was there getting another serving of food, but s, he was not,


    "Where¡­ did Riri suddenly disappear to?"


    "Oh, he kicked himself out of the tower when he used his telekic ability earlier," Marleen was the one to answer Miss Pepondosovich''s probably rhetorical question.


    "What? When!?"


    "As soon as Esme''s opponent disappeared," Marleen shrugged, "I think he wants to know if the man was sent somewhere lost in time, or just teleported out of the tower because he was defeated."


    "You think, or you read his mind?" Miss Pepondosovich raised an eyebrow, "That''s incredibly specific."


    "The former," Marleen once again shrugged as she took a sip of her beer, even offering another bottle to Esme but Miss Pepondsovich blocked her hand almost naturally, "I know how he thinks since I''ve practically lived his life. You don''t need to worry¡­


    ¡­the guy will be back before we reach the finals."


    ***


    As Marleen surmised, Riley truly was trying to figure out if Bazel was eliminated out of the tower; his eyes, moving without pause as he tried to find Bazel amongst therge crowd.


    Bazel should be easy to find due to his illuminated and zing hair, but even after an entire minute of looking, Riley saw no sign of him.


    "Interesting," Riley whispered to himself as a smile very slowly started to crawl on his face. His eyes still did not stop moving, however, as he anticipated Bazel to be back soon. After all, the punching machine also disappeared, only to appear again after a few seconds¡­ butpletely old and dpidated.


    "What the!?"


    But Riley did not even need to search, however, because Bazel''s almost pained roar echoed throughout the entire field. Riley quickly looked to where Bazel was, only to see a crowd of people already forming around him in a circle¡ªno.


    They did not exactly approach him, they were pulled toward him by an unbelievably heavy force. If they weren''t already as durable as they are, their flesh would have probably been torn apart and eaten by the sudden and invisible force that pulled them to Bazel as soon as he appeared out of nowhere.


    Riley quickly hovered toward Bazel, standing in front of him and looking him straight in the eyes.


    "You¡­" Bazel blinked a couple of times as he also looked at Riley, "...I remember you. You''re the one with that¡­ woman."


    As a being that reached his level, Bazel would no longer truly physically age ¡ª and yet it was obvious to Riley that there was something different in the way Bazel acts¡ªno. Even his face looked like it got older, even though there was not a single wrinkle that added to his face.


    "Where did you go, Bazelguese?" Riley asked as he continued to look Bazel in the eyes, "Were you transported to another time? How long were you gone?"


    "No¡­" Bazel, however, just took a step back as he started shaking his head and looking everywhere, "...I''m back here!?"


    The smile on Riley''s face started to widen from ear to ear as he heard Bazel''s words.


    "Did you travel to the future, Bazelguese?" Riley asked as he once again stood in front of Bazel.


    "No, no¡­" Bazel continued to whisper to himself. But after a few seconds, he finally returned Riley''s gaze again, "...Esme, where is she now!? I need to¡ª"


    "Oh."


    And before Riley could hear what Bazel wanted to say, he saw Bazel''s head suddenly caving in¡­ before just exploding very minutely. His flesh and bones did not reach Riley, however, as all the bits and pieces were sucked in by a tiny rip in space along with the rest of his body.


    And just like that, Bazel was gone, leaving Riley just blinking his eyes a couple of times as he once again did not get any clear answers.


    "I am with that ''woman''..." Riley ced his hand on his chin as he thought of Bazel''s words, "Was he talking about Esme¡­


    ¡­or perhaps someone else?"

 Chapter 925 925: The Nectar

    <h4>Chapter 925 Chapter 925: The Nectar </h4>


    "And he''s back, everyone. And pray tell, what did our cute little Riri discover?"


    It did not ingreally take long for Riley to get back to the top floors of the tower. Unlike his previous run, he did not really take his time at all and just decided to blitz through the floors as fast as he could. That was no problem at all at the lower levels, but Riley actually had to put in some effort again on the upper floors ¡ª but of course, his strength may beckingpared to the otherbatants of the upper floors, but his durability was still another thing entirely.


    He was more like a tank than anything.


    "I discovered nothing, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley let out a small and subtle sigh as he returned to his table like he did not just climb the tower again, "But I do believe we are getting closer and closer to proving that time travel might truly exist."


    "You know what I find weird?" Miss Pepondosovich let out a gasping breath as she rested her head on Marleen''s arm; the smell of alcohol that wasing out of her mouth, exaggeratingly strong,


    "We have the multiverse, we have the Primordials, we have Riri, we have the Domain of the Gods¡­


    ¡­and yet you''re trying to figure out if Time Travel is possible? Of course, it is! Even if a Primordial tells you that it''s not, it is. Everything is possible! I think the only thing we''ve learned in all our journey¡­


    ¡­is that everything is possible!"


    "I am somewhat inclined to believe that when it ising from you, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley nodded.


    "You should, because I said it!" Miss Pepondosovich puffed out her tiny chest as she leaned away from Marleen''s arm¡­ and then once again chugging another bottle of alcohol, "And I think I might be drunk."


    "All of us are. The Princess has been talking to herself since a while ago, and the baldie''s out there somewhere talking to someone¡­ or maybe he''s one of the people currently fighting, I''ve lost track. All of us are drunk¡­" Marleen''s eyes were almost dozing off as they very slowly turned to look at Riley, "...Except him ¡ª he hasn''t drunk even a drop of alcohol in his life."


    "What¡­!?" Miss Pepondosovich pointed at Riley, who was listening in on Esme whispering to herself, "That won''t do, you need to drink alcohol right this instant!"


    "I am already satisfied with my milk soda, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley quickly stood up from his seat as he made his way to the buffet table, only to return quickly; refilling all their snacks on the table. As soon as he sat back down, however, he found a bottle of beer in front of him.


    "Drink."


    "..." Riley could really only look ahead as Miss Pepondosovich stood behind the bottle of beer; her arms crossed and her eyes ring at Riley, "I do not like the taste of alcohol, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "I told you, it''s not about the taste!"


    "Everything should be about the taste, Miss Pepondsovich," Riley shook his head, "If fate wanted me to drink alcohol, they would have made it taste like milk soda."


    "Oho¡­ Ohohoho," Miss Pepondosovich then suddenly started letting out a hearty chuckle as she lightly kicked the bottle of alcohol in front of her away, making Marleen catch it and immediately drink it without even any hesitation, "My boy, you should have just said so¡­


    ¡­we have a drink just like that here. Yanchuen, give me the Nectar!"


    Miss Pepondosovich raised her hand in the air, and as soon as she did so, a bottle flew from nowhere andnded right in her hand. Miss Pepondosovich then started spinning the bottle on top of her palm, lightly hitting it on its butt before just flicking away the cork and cing it right in front of Riley.


    "Behold, Riri¡­" Miss Pepondosovich let out a cheeky chuckle as she pointed at the bottle, "An alcohol with simr taste to¡ª"


    "I don''t think it''s a good idea to let the boy drink." But before Miss Pepondosovich could fully introduce the drink to Riley, Marleen suddenly stood up from her seat and covered the Nectar with her palm,


    "You have been with him for quite some time now, I am sure you are aware of how¡­ entric he is."


    "Who cares about all of that!?" Miss Pepondosovich kicked the Nectar and let it spin in the air before catching it; not even a single drop spilled, "Drinking is something that should be experienced by all creatures, living or not, biological or not ¡ª even machines need alcohol."


    "I am pretty sure they don''t," Marleen could really only sigh and shake her head as she returned to her seat, "Well, don''t say I didn''t warn you. But I do have to tell you, Riley ¡ª being drunk isn''t fun, but at the same time, it sorta kinda is? I just don''t know what sort of effect it''ll have on you."


    "Hm¡­" Riley really only squinted his eyes as he stared at the bottle Miss Pepondosovich was holding.


    "You don''t need to drink the entire bottle, Riri," Miss Pepondosovich wiggled the bottle, "Just take small sips, if you drink it all in one gulp, that''s when it hits you and you get khk! And you don''t want to get khk your first time drinking alcohol."


    "It''s not entirely true that I have not had alcohol before," Riley let out a small hum as he curiously grabbed the bottle from Miss Pepondosovich''s hand, "I have used it as an ingredient several times before whenever I cook."


    "That''s¡­ that''s cooking wine," Marleen closed her eyes, almost wanting to escape the impending doom, "You just climbed back up, Riley. But then again, I''m sure you''ll enjoy the way up even more when you''re¡­ trashed."


    "Hm¡­" Riley smelled the bottle first, and without even looking at Miss Pepondosovich or Marleen for approval, he took a sip of the so-called Nectar, "...Oh."


    Riley blinked a couple of times as he rolled his lips to taste the alcohol, "It''s still bitter, Miss Pepondosovich ¡ª but the mild sweetness and sting are overpowering it."


    "See!? Alcohol is the bomb!" Miss Pepondosovich quickly hopped off of the table and grabbed her bottle to raise it in the air.


    "I still prefer the feeling of soda hitting my tongue, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head as he took another sip of the Nectar, "But I do prefer the feeling of this sliding through my throat ¡ª it also has this sting stimting my chest."


    "Well, that''s the first I heard of that¡­" Miss Pepondosovich still had her bottle in the air, "...But I''ll cheers to that. Cheers!"


    "Hm," Riley just nodded as he also raised his bottle. Esme, who was previously whispering to herself, also joined them. And soon, the group just chatted their way while waiting for their matches.


    "Riri¡­ what are you doing?"


    "I am mixing the Nectar with the milk soda, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shrugged as he startedbining the milk soda and the Nectar in arge mug.


    "...You''re already mixing drinks!?" Miss Pepondosovich could not help but widen her eyes as she looked at Riley.


    "Perhaps I canbine all the things I like about them in one drink, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley nodded, "But I am still waiting to feel intoxicated. How exactly would I know that?"


    "Your head starts to be¡­ heavy?"


    "Hm¡­" Riley started shaking his head several times, "...It is still the same as before, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "...But that''s already your 3rd bottle," Miss Pepondosovich''s eyebrows began to lower as she looked back and forth between Riley and the empty bottles next to him, "Wait, don''t tell me you''re the one that''s actuallypletely immune to being drunk!?"


    "I suppose so, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shrugged as he started gulping down the drink he just mixed.


    "But that''s boring! Ack!" Miss Pepondosovich once again leaned her head on Marleen, who already had her face buried on the table, "I was expecting something fun! And when are any of us going to fight!?"


    "I am also slightly disappointed that I do not get to experience the fun and khk you and Marleen keep speaking of, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley just let out a small breath; not even bothering to wipe the foam around his mouth.


    "P¡­Pft!" Miss Pepondosovich could not help but snort as she saw Riley''s face, "You¡­ you look like an old man, Riri! Marleen, Miss Esme¡­ look, look!"


    "Hm¡­?" Both Esme and Marleen turned to look at Riley¡­ only to see him suddenly disappear.


    "Ah, finally!" Miss Pepondosovich lightly let out a burp as she looked at the table to watch Riley''s match, "Something to watch while having snacks and booze."


    "This will be very entertaining," Marleen wiped and brushed her eyes as she focused on the table, "Riley''s actually drunk."


    "...Huh? What are you talking about?" Miss Pepondosovich raised her eyebrows, "He''s totally fine."


    "No¡­ No, he''s not," Marleen wanted to puke, "I was in his mind just earlier, that''s why I''m totally wasted. The guy''s drunk¡­


    ..and you don''t wanna know what''s inside his mind."

 Chapter 926 926: Unhinged Calmness

    <h4>Chapter 926 Chapter 926: Unhinged Calmness</h4>


    "Greetings to you, gray-skinned god."


    "My name is Eryong, and you?"


    "Riley, Riley Ross."


    There was absolutely no sign that the Nectar had any effect on Riley whatsoever at all. His face wasn''t red at all and was still as white as it could be; his speech, still carrying its harmonious monotony as he introduced himself.


    "Oh, it''s you." His opponent, the gray-skinned god with no hair who introduced himself as Eryong, slightly widened his pitch-ck eyes, "The newbie that''s been messing around everyone."


    "Oh, you know of me, Mr. Eryong?" Riley tilted his head in response before looking at the audience around him. Like with his match with Marleen, the audience did not seem to mind that thebatants were talking and not fighting immediately.


    "Of course, how could I not?" Eryong let out a small chuckle as he slightly opened his arms, "You are garnering quite the attention, more so than most gods when they are still new ¡ª is it true that you are not even 3 decades old?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "But that is enough about me¡ªI seem to notice a surplus of bald and hairless gods in this domain."


    "That is because this is not our true form," Eryong just breathed out as he examined himself, "Having hair seemsplicated."


    "Hm," Riley shrugged, "I just mentioned it because I think you could use some hair. The shape of your head is not really that nice, Mr. Eryong."


    "...Thank you for honesty, no matter how unwarranted it is."


    "You are wee, Mr. Eryong," Riley let out a small hum as he took a small step forward, "I am actually in the midst of experimenting with alcohol since this is the first time I have ever consumed one ¡ª I need to return to the resort."


    "What makes you think you''re going back to the banquet?" The friendly smile on Eryong''s face very slowly disappeared as he too, started walking toward Riley.


    "Because whether I lose or win, it takes less than a day to get back there, Mr. Eryong."


    "That¡­ actually makes a lot of sense," Eryong could really only look to the side as he heard Riley''s words, "Well, enough talk. Let''s¡­"


    Eryong did not finish his words as he suddenly rushed toward Riley; his body, creating a cyclone that looked like it was threatening to swallow Riley along with the entire stage. As for Riley, he did not move at all and just opened his arms to the side; almost as if gesturing to Eryong that he was weing his attack wholeheartedly.


    The cyclone slightly weakened as Eryong saw this, but his hesitation did notst long before the violent gust of wind grew even wilder as it got closer and closer to Riley. And soon, this violent storm just swallowed Riley whole.


    The audience could really only hold their breaths; their heads, bobbing from left to right as they waited for the cloud of dust to dissipate. And as soon as it did so, they saw a pair of legs just standing there on their own¡­ Riley''s legs, and only the legs.


    As for Eryong, he just once again spun his body to get rid of all the blood, flesh, and guts that managed to stick to him.


    "Pft," he then scoffed as he nced back at Riley''s legs, before turning to look at the audience and smiling. The audience, however, was just looking at him slightly dumbfounded ¡ª and it did not take even a second for Eryong to figure out why.


    He was still not back at the resort. And as soon as he realized that, a violent gust of wind once again wrapped around him as he spun around and rushed toward Riley''s legs;pletely shredding and obliterating them into oblivion.


    "Fu¡­" Eryong let out a short but very deep breath as he once again nced at Riley''s position. And as he saw that there was almost no trace of him left, his heavy breaths turned into a sigh; not for long, however, as he found that he was still not being teleported back to the 91st floor,


    "What¡­ where are you even hiding!?"


    Eryong started looking everywhere, before just deciding to turn into a live tornado again and rampaged across the entire arena until he covered everything¡­ but even then, he was still not being dered a winner.


    "What''s¡­ even going on!?" Eryong was starting to get frustrated. The audience, however, was starting to smile as they were once again witnessing something new¡ªno. For some of them, they have already witnessed something like this before.


    These kinds of instances usually happen¡­ when the god they thought that was already defeated was actually still alive somewhere ¡ª perhaps there was a very tiny microscopic speck still out there, alive.


    There were gods out there who could recover even if there was only a dust of their bone left ¡ª and it would seem that Riley belonged to that kind, or maybe even much stronger as there was definitely nothing of him left.


    ¡­Or so they thought.


    Unbeknownst to everyone, Riley was about to make an appearance very, very soon.


    "Where¡ª" And as Eryong once again voiced out his frustration¡­ he felt something inside him starting to move, "Wait¡­ no, wait¡­"


    Eryong''s eyes started to widen as for some reason¡­ as he suddenly felt the urge to¡­


    ¡­poop.


    "No, no, no!" Eryong practically started wriggling his body while spinning at a speed even faster than his attacks earlier to try and prevent what he thought was going to happen a few moments from now.


    But s, like a ballerina growing a third leg, an arm suddenly sprouted out of his anus. And as he stopped spinning, the index finger of the arm touched the ground to ensure that he could still spin gracefully like a ballerina.


    The already quiet audience could not help but just stare at this¡­ majestic scenery that had suddenly unfolded right in their eyes. Some of them have lived for hundreds of millions of years, and yet this was probably the first time they were ever truly seeing something like that.


    Grandarena City truly is the best city in all of the Domain of the Gods.


    "I do not deser¡ª" And before Eryong could finish his words, a foot suddenly emerged from his mouth. Fortunately for him, he did not need to suffer for long as his entire body was split open ¡ª and without even a secondter, Riley was teleported back to the resort;pletely covered in blood and guts.


    "Ew!" Miss Pepondosovich, who was still standing on top of the table could not help but roll back as Riley''s stretched arm which emerged from Eryong''s butt went directly straight to her face,


    "You did that on purpose, didn''t you, Riri!? Go clean yourself in¡ª


    What the¡­"


    And before Miss Pepondosovich could finish her words, Riley suddenly disappeared in front of her.


    "Where did he suddenly go!?" Miss Pepondosovich started looking around the resort.


    "I told you, he''s drunk," Marleen could not help but sigh as she shook her head, "He''s out there."


    "Out¡­" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes as she looked at Marleen, "...You mean he disqualified himself again!? Why!?"


    "Why else?" Marleen giggled as she rested her head on the table,


    "He followed his opponent out of the tower."


    ***


    "Fuck!" Eryong could not help but hold his butt as soon as he was kicked out of the tower. But as soon as he noticed all the people staring at him, he quickly cleared his throat and calmed himself down. The only thing he could really do wasment and forget what just happened¡ªunfortunately for him, his audience could live for eternity and would probably remember it for eternity too.


    "Damn it!" And as he realized that, he once again shouted in frustration. If there was a certain sce in his situation, he at least would no longer have to face Riley again while climbing the tower.


    ¡­Or so he thought before Riley just suddenly appeared behind him.


    "What the¡­ don''t tell me you''re going to climb the tower again!?" Eryong groaned. He did not panic immediately, however, as he could just dy entering the tower since he was sure Riley was going to climb the tower in a sh.


    But contrary to his expectations, however¡­


    "I am not going to climb the tower immediately, Mr. Eryong," Riley muttered as his feet very slowly started to leave the ground, "I have been in a domain with beings that are supposed to be stronger or as strong as me, and only my clone has actually fought one of you at full strength, so¡­


    ¡­perhaps it is time I actually get to experience that."


    And as soon as he said that, Riley instinctively activated his Territory, expanding thend beneath his feet and leaving only him and Eryong there.


    "You¡ª"


    "Hm¡­?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked around. And after a few seconds, his Territory turned small andpletely disappeared, bringing everyone else back near them, "I don''t think it is going to be fun if it is just you and me, so¡­


    ¡­Let''s bring everyone in."

 Chapter 927 927: Kravos

    Chapter 927  927: Kravos


    ??"Megawoman."


    "Aerith, please call me Aerith."


    Back in Riley''s universe, everything seemed to have returned to normal. Well, as normal as it could be with all the other people from the other universes gathered there.


    With the news of Riley practically defeating King the Conqueror like it was nothing, most of the universes that have discovered multiversal travel due to the conqueror himself opted to visit Riley''s universe ¡ª even going as far as calling it the main universe. Of course, these people had no idea that there were actually even more universes out there that werepletely different than theirs.


    But that did not really matter to them, what mattered was that they would learn and befriend the universe that defeated a multiversal conqueror. But of course, they were not really allowed to roam free everywhere, and would need to go through a batch of processing; handled by the Common Council, who had no rest at all.


    As for Riley''s peers, well ¡ª none of them were actually actively contacting each other anymore. Whether they wanted to admit it or not, Riley Ross was actually the only entity that was holding all of their rtionships together. Without him, they had no reason to actually gather together. Of course, except, those who were truly friends with each other.


    And right now, Aerith was currently inside the Ross''s residence, which was surprisingly still standing and have remainedpletely unchanged even though several story arcs have alreadye and gone¡­ and passed.


    Aerith was currently having dinner with the Ross ever since Riley had disappeared. It was a little awkward at first since¡ª


    "Then¡­ can you please pass me the corn, please?"


    "You¡­ don''t really need to be so formal with me Katherine."


    ¡ªKatherine was also there sitting at the table along with Karina, who had taken over Riley''s room. Well, at least Karina was at the table just seconds ago, but now she was no longer to be found.


    "Mom! Karina''s using my makeup again!"


    The women at the table could not help but just drop whatever utensils they were holding as they heard Hannah''s words literally reverberating throughout the entire house. Katherine was about to stand up from her seat as she sighed, but Diana quickly gestured to her to sit back down.


    "Then just give it to her! She''s a growingdy!" Diana yelled, not leaving the dining table at all.


    "Growingdy!? She''s using it to color her coloring book!"


    "You''ll get used to it once you get another child," Diana only really giggled as shepletely ignored Hannah''s pleas, "It is actually pretty nice to have kids around the house again."


    "Karina¡ªwhat do you n with her?" Aerith let out a short but very deep breath as she finally passed the corn to Katherine, "You enhanced her growth, and made it possible for Katherine to get pregnant by Riley in the first ce."


    "I have already told you my n," Diana could really only sigh as she closed her eyes, "I wanted to create an entire species capable of luring the themarians out ¡ª but all of that was useless. Karina had a chance to do that, but it was already toote."


    "...So the child''s just an experiment to you?"


    "The child is my granddaughter, Princess Aerith," Diana looked Aerith in the eyes, "And I just want her to live her life."


    "The three of us know she won''t be having a normal life," Aerith looked at Katherine and Diana, "She is, possibly, one of the only beings in the entire multiverse that couldpletely kill Riley."


    "There''s no proof of that yet," Diana shook her head as she continued eating while talking.


    "There''s no need for proof," Aerith focused her attention on Katherine, "The people that want Riley dead would do everything to get Karina to their side, Katherine."


    "...And what about you, Aerith?" This time, Katherine did not avoid Aerith''s gaze at all and even met it head-on as she looked her in the eyes, "Which side exactly are you on?"


    "I think it''s useless to pick sides now," Aerith just sighed as she shook her head, "Because the truth of the matter is, we have no idea what we''re doing anymore. This is¡­ way past us and way bigger than any of us. The multiverse, and now Riley being dragged away into a ce outside of the multiverse where people like him gather ¨C and I am certain that even though that ce is supposed to contain Riley, it will only be a matter of time before he has everyone in the palm of his hands."


    "Then just let me say this, then¡­" Katherine also let out a sigh as she closed her eyes; lightly twirling the fork she was holding on her te still full of food, "...I will protect Karina by all means possible ¡ª and making her the enemy of her father is practically a death sentence to her. Even if it means everyone and everything else disappears, I will protect my daughter."


    "..."


    "But I have also epted that I am a mortal literally walking amongst gods," Katherine opened her eyes as a small but defeated smile crawled on her face, "I will die, and Karina would probably live for thousands of years. But for now, I am her mother, and I would cherish every moment of that¡­


    ¡­what will you do when it bes your turn?"


    "...Me?"


    "A lot could happen, Aerith ¡ª and I have no choice to admit it, but¡­" Katherine looked Aerith in the eyes, "...You and Riley are probably meant together. You''ve already started developing feelings for him, you''ve slept with him."


    "That''s¡­"


    "What I am trying to say is that there mighte a time that you and Riley would have a child of your own, a thousand years from now. I can''t even imagine what life would be then ¡ª everything would bepletely different."


    "Where are you going with this, Katherine?"


    "I''m asking you to protect my daughter like she is your own once I''m gone," Katherine said without any hesitation, "Treat her like she is your own."


    "That''s a very weird ask," Hannah finally appeared; quickly taking a seat beside Diana as she grabbed a fried chicken to her te, "I''ll just be blunt, but the dynamic here is very, very weird. I don''t know how themarian minds work, but let me summarize your situation, Megawoman¡­


    ¡­The father of your child died during your battle with my brother. Riley plotted the death of Gary. Riley somewhat plotted the death of your entire people ¡ª and you slept with him."


    "..."


    "And now Katherine here is asking you to take care of her daughter with my brother," Hannah took in a deep breath as she squinted her eyes, "Man, talk about messed up¡­


    ¡­but I guess that''s just life with him? Isn''t it?"


    "That¡­" Aerith really only looked at Hannah for a few seconds before lowering her head, "...That it is."


    "The heart wants what the heart wants," Diana pped her hands in an attempt to erase all the awkwardness in the air, only to add to it as everyone just turned to look at her, "I am just saying that if a themarian falls in love, they fall in love very, very hard. But enough of that.


    ¡­does anyone want to ask me about my progress in trying to reverse engineer the Cultivation thing that Aerith and Gracy learned?"


    "Ha¡­" Hannah let herself fall to her chair as she devoured the fried chicken leg in her hand,


    "...I wonder how that nk face is doing."


    And while Hannah and the other people from Riley''s universe were currently having a somewhat casual conversation, Riley was currently wreaking havoc in front of Grandarena City.


    "Stop this at once!"


    Can one really die in the Domain of the Gods?


    The short answer is yes.


    Gods are very, very durable and they won''t die just by normal means ¡ª but they were in the presence of other gods, and some more powerful than them. If a god is truly intent on killing them, the said god would make sure that not even a speck of them is left, to also make sure that a god of healing would not be able to resurrect them too.


    But Riley''s goal was not really to kill, but to just wreak havoc as much as possible. And if the gods around him die, then so be it.


    There was carnage everywhere, and the once immacte field of green had turned into a forest of blood and guts. And this wasn''t just because of Riley, no. Once the chaos and rampage started, everyone just went wild.


    But right now, after hours have passed, the chaos just suddenly halted out of nowhere. The gods who were juking it outpletely stopped fighting altogether suddenly. How could they not¡­


    ¡­when a being clearly stronger than them suddenly emerged from a portal out of nowhere?


    One of the Higher Gods that have already discovered a cosmic piece.


    "That''s¡­ Kravos¡­


    ¡­the God Killer."

 Chapter 928 928: Riley vs. The God Killer

    Chapter 928  928: Riley vs. The God Killer


    ??"It''s¡­ Kravos! The God Killer. Although the ages of the Higher Gods are unknown, some people say that Kravos is probably the oldest of the Higher Gods, not the first to be a higher god, but the oldest."


    "...You seem to know a lot about the guy. And who are you even exning that to?"


    "The people that are reading the novel."


    "Who¡­? What novel?"


    "You won''t understand."


    "What do you¡ª"


    "Kravos, as his title suggests, is known for challenging gods and killing them. And although it''s not confirmed, I believe he eradicated all the so-called gods in his universe in rage¡­ due to them killing his goats and then making him drink their milk and eat their meat."


    "That seems a little excessive for just killing goats."


    "He''s a goat."


    "...I think I understand what you mean now."


    "And it is also said that when he arrived here, he first started fighting against everyone ¡ª since technically, we are all called gods and he thought we were all enemies. He even tried to kill himself when he found out he was also considered a god."


    "That''s wild."


    "Hm¡­" Riley was actually listening to the random god that was introducing Kravos; even nodding his head at the stranger before actually focusing on the god in front of him. And even if the random god didn''t actually introduce Kravos, Riley would still actually assume that he was a god killer.


    After all, with the way he looked and the fumesing out of his nose as he breathed out, he does look like someone who would kill gods for breakfast. Kravos''s body was lined up with tattoos, and he seemed to be proud of it as he was only wearing a loincloth. The top of his firmly shaped head, adorned with a single tuft of hair¡­ like a mini mohawk; his face that was clearly filled with all the rage and anger inside him, however, was oddly clean-shaven ¡ª only his eyebrows to adorn it.


    "I sense chaos in thisnd." And finally, after breathing menacingly for a full minute and just staring at Riley Ross while ncing at the chaos he caused from time to time, Kravos finally opened his mouth and talked,


    "And you seem to be the primary cause of it¡­ boy."


    "I am," Riley just shrugged as Kravos looked him in the eyes, "I felt there needed to be a change of pace in the Domain of the Gods, it was just too peaceful ¡ª we are beings who could destroy entire gxies if we wanted to, and yet none of us are actually testing our strength with one another at their fullest potential."


    "I can feel that you are new, boy," Kravos grunted; his shoulders and chest moving as he did so, "The way we do things around here is different."


    "Yes, that is why I am proposing a change," Riley could not help but blink a couple of times as he tilted his head to the side, "I will not be instigating this chaos if there was already chaos."


    "If you wanted to fight, you are already just meters away from Grandarena city," Kravos pointed his arm at the tower; arge machete, materializing in his hand as he did so, "Fight there and leave these other people who just want to live their lives in peace be."


    "Look at them and tell me if they want to live in peace, Mr. Kravos," Riley stretched his arm to the side as he gestured to the scenery of chaos and carnage, "I only caused half of this."


    There were bodies and limbs scattered everywhere; limbs left by the gods who couldn''t be bothered in re-attaching their limbs and just opted to grow new ones since it was the faster process anyway.


    "They willingly participated in this, Mr. Kravos," Riley turned his back to Kravos as he looked at the people; some of them still had blood dripping from their knuckles, "This is why we were thrown in the Domain of the Gods in the first ce, because we were too violent to be with normal people."


    "We were sent here because our strength has already reached the point where it would be dangerous for the people around us¡­ to actually be with us," Kravos grunted as he lowered his arm; therge machete in his hand, however, remained.


    "That''s not true at all, Mr. Kravos," Riley shook his head as he looked Kravos in the eyes, "If that was true¡­


    ¡­then I would have been sent here a very long time ago."


    "Arrogant," Kravos scoffed, letting out some sort of steam from his lips as he did so, "I have seen thousands of gods like you before, boy ¡ª beings who think that just because they have strength, they get to decide for everyone else. But at the end of the day, they all reach the same destination¡­


    ¡­ruination by my hands."


    "..." Riley tilted his head to the side as a smile very slowly started to crawl on his face, seemingly even more amused as Kravos pointed hisrge machete at him, "And is my fate also ruination by your hands, Mr. Kravos?"


    "No."


    "..." The smile on Riley''s face quickly faded away as Kravos lowered his machete.


    "I am a Higher God ¡ª I only came here to warn you," Kravos scoffed as the machete disappeared, "If I were to take action, the other Higher Gods would too. I¡ª"


    "Why did you not say so earlier, Mr. Kravos?"


    "!!!"


    And as Riley once again stretched his arm to the side, the other gods who were watching them went away ¡ª not because Riley activated his Territory, no ¡ª but because he truly just blew them away with his telekinesis.


    "I would assume that you are the strongest enemy I will have so far, Mr. Kravos¡­" Riley''s feet slowly left the bed of grass beneath his feet, "...So, I will be going all-out immediately."


    "Very well," Kravos scoffed as arge machete once again materialized in his hand; his other hand, however, was ced behind his back, "But I will hold back because I know that you will be one of the weakest of the enemies I have ofte."


    "That''s good."


    "!!!" Kravos quickly swung his machete behind him as he heard Riley suddenly whisper in his ears, only for his machete to just go straight across his body like he was just some sort of hologram.


    "Trickery," Kravos did not really panic at all; his eyes squinted as he leaped back.


    "Not at all, Mr. Kravos."


    "..." The stiffness in Kravos''s movements slowly faded away as he once again heard Riley behind him, right at the same spot he was before¡ªno.


    It wasn''t that Riley moved from his initial position at all, he didn''t. There were just two of them now.


    "More trickery," Kravos once again swung his weapon; this time, however, a thunder erupted from his strike¡­ but it once again just moved past Riley like he was a hologram, "Illusions."


    "No."


    "Hm."


    Kravos raised his weapon as Riley swung his hand; a sort of weapon made of light, instantly emerging from his palm as he did so. And as soon as it made contact with Kravos''s machete, it created some sort of spark that instantly melted the des of grass beneath their feet.


    This did not faze Kravos at all, however, as he kicked Riley with his heel¡­ only for his foot to also just go through him.


    "Not an illusion¡­" Kravos squinted his eyes, "...Your body is intangible."


    "Perhaps," Riley shrugged as he just looked at Kravos''s knee just right on his belly.


    "Do you think you are the first intangible being I have killed?" Kravos stretched his other hand to the side, summoning another machete; this time, however, the de seemed like crystal. And with a scoff, he backed away before just once again lunging at Riley; spinning as he swung both his des at him.


    His first machete just went through Riley again.


    "Oh?" The second one also went through Riley, but not because it hit nothing, no ¡ª it just sliced Riley''s entire torso in half like it was nothing.


    "I told you ¡ª your arrogance would be your undoing." And as soon as Kravos confirmed that Riley could be cut by his crystal de, the de of his first machete also turned into crystal. And without even any slight dy in his movements, his arms disappeared as he started swinging at Riley ¡ª not leaving even a single molecule of him unsliced,


    "And you are already dead without even knowing it."


    "You really think so, Mr. Kravos?"


    "Hm¡­?" Kravos''s barrage of strikes abruptly stopped; leaping back as soon as he heard Riley speak.


    "Do not worry, Mr. Kravos," Riley''s wounds were not really healing; his silhouette was practically just an avatar of blood as he stretched his arms to the side¡­ something he should not have been able to do since there was not a single part of his flesh should be connected to each other right now, "I can control blood and my life and death itself, courtesy of Pirate Queen Xra. I know¡­


    ¡­It''s unfair."

 Chapter 929 929: True Power

    Chapter 929  929: True Power


    ??"You¡­"


    Kravos had fought many beings in the entirety of his existence, half of them could be considered gods in their own right. He had also fought many other beings in the Domain of the Gods ¡ª just based on experience alone, Riley is supposed to not even be a match for him, not even a single bit.


    He had thought he already had fought all the sorts of beings he would ever face in his life, and twice over ¡ª but he was wrong, he was definitely wrong.


    "It is a little fun to face someone like me, no?"


    Kravos swung his machete, creating a sort of invisible beam that seemed like it tore through the fabric of space itself, creating a dark crescent so gigantic it swallowed everything in its path; not even fading from their sight even after it traveled thousands of kilometers into the distance. They could see it, of course, since the Domain of the Gods was t.


    "That might reach the realm of the mortals, Mr. Kravos."


    As for the target of the violent crescent force, he was just calmly looking at the torrent as it very slowly faded away.


    "Does being a Higher God exempt you from harming the people of Manirosa?" Riley tilted his head before turning to look at Kravos.


    If they were not currently in the Domain of the Gods, then Kravos''s attack would most probably be able to destroy an entire star system without any trouble at all.


    "What sort of creature are you?" Kravos did not really answer Riley. He just squinted his eyes as he looked at him from head to toe, "To bepletely intangible, and then also choose not to be¡­ but instead just choose to be a  living puddle of blood floating just what¡ª"


    "A viin, Mr. Kravos." Kravos was not allowed to finish his words as Riley stretched his arms to the side, seemingly urging Kravos to just continue to attack him, "A superviin, to be exact."


    "...Hm," Kravos could not help but just scoff as he saw Riley very slowly making him toward him¡­ two of them ¡ª no, there were 3 of them now, "Just how many more of yourself could you summon?"


    "I have never actually tried it before, Mr. Kravos, but¡­"


    "!!!"


    "...Why don''t we try?" Riley''s words suddenly echoed and reverberated throughout the air as he suddenly multiplied out of nowhere, almost painting the des of grass that had been newly painted red because of all the blood into white. White, because anywhere one would look, there was probably a Riley standing there. Of course, unlike the other gods who suddenly found themselves in a sea of Riley, Kravos did not allow himself to panic at all as he just started swinging his machetes again as he rushed to where the original Riley should be.


    "I have to admit that you are really strong," Kravos grunted, "But like all gods who have faced me, you will fall."


    And as soon as Kravos said those words, the sound of something vibrating quaked in the air ¡ª it was Kravos, more specifically, the crystal machetes he was holding in both of his hands. And very soon, the very air itself started to distort around the machetes; even with just a slight movement, it was almost as if the machetes were burning the air itself.


    And perhaps it was because as soon as the des touched the Rileys surrounding Kravos, their flesh and skin all just started melting as the blood in them boiled.


    "I may have never faced someone like you¡­" Kravos scoffed as he almost seemed like he was dancing while he started mowing through the thousands and thousands of Riley clones, "...but if you separate each of your abilities, then you are truly nothing special."


    "You say that, Mr. Kravos¡­" A mocking thunder echoed through the air as all of Riley''s clones just startedughing even as Kravos picked them off one by one, "...But you are forgetting one simple fact¡­


    ¡­I have not really put the effort into attacking you just yet."


    "W¡ª"


    And before Kravos could even say anything, the clone that was in the very front of Kravos suddenly grabbed the crystal machete by his hands and hands alone. A smile, very slowly crawling on his face as he looked Kravos in the eyes.


    "I am also actually immune to very high levels of temperature and radiation, Mr. Kravos," Riley almost giggled as his entire body suddenly turned into a sort of metal,pletely locking Kravos''s weapons in his hands. Riley was not able to move since he had practically turned into a living statue, but it didn''t really matter since there were thousands of them there ¡ª all looking at Kravos.


    "I see," Kravos really only closed his eyes as he let out a very long and deep sigh. And then, with a shake of his head, a chuckle also started to escape his lips, "I apologize, young god. I seem to have underestimated you solely for the fact that you are young. Perhaps it is time to properly introduce myself¡­


    ¡­My name is Kravos, also known as the God Killer."


    "My name is Riley Ross," all of the Rileys bowed their heads, "Also known as Aerith''s Lover."


    "...Aerith?" Kravos''s eyes suddenly glowed white. And as soon as it did so, Kravos''s shadow disappeared¡­ before just suddenly emerging from the ground and turning into some sort of white silhouette that started moving across all the clones. The shadow did not really do anything special, it just touched each of the clones one by one at an incredibly abnormal speed; it was so fast that it just looked like a st that rippled through the clones.


    And with each touch, the skin of Riley''s clones instantly froze¡ª


    no. It wasn''t that the clones'' skins froze, they weren''t frozen at all. Their entire bodies just turned into a sculpture of ice ¡ª they did not freeze, but theposition of their bodies changedpletely.


    Kravos also started moving along with his shadows, breaking and melting all the clones and making sure there was nothing left of them ¡ª and he did so, he did just that until only a single Riley remained standing there.


    "That is very impressive, Kravos." And the remaining Riley that was left standing was not even among the clones that were surrounding Kravos. The original Riley was actually just hiding amongst the crowd, stepping outside as he pped his hands and nodded his head several times at Kravos,


    "I knew you were not just someone who swung arge de around ¡ª someone like that could not possibly be a Higher God, after all. But to think you couldpletely manipte matter¡­


    ¡­I would very much like to have that ability."


    "Silence, young god," Kravos''s shadow returned to him; not on the ground, but to him. The white shadow wrapped around him, causing his skin to just turn gray as he very slowly made his way to Riley, "You mentioned a name, boy ¡ª how do you know that name?"


    "Aerith?" Riley squinted his eyes as he looked at Kravos from head to toe, "Could it be that you are acquainted with her?"


    "That depends on whether or not we are talking about the same Aerith."


    "Aerith''Ross."


    "Hm¡­" Kravos halted his steps as a frown very slowly started to form on his face, "Riley Ross¡­ I did not immediately notice the connection between the two. The color of your hair and skin are also simr, how are you rted to the White God?"


    "I do not know yet, Mr. Kravos," Riley shrugged before his eyes started to glow red, causing Kravos''s already lowered eyebrows to lower even further, "Perhaps you may be able to help me in knowing it?"


    "If you truly are rted to the White God¡­" Kravos let out a very long and deep breath, once again releasing a smoke from his nose as he did so,


    "...Then I judge you not worthy of living."


    And all of a sudden, Kravos disappeared from his spot; the ground and grass beneath his feet, cracking.


    "..." He then appeared behind Riley, his hands already meticulously ced on his back; his fingers, seemingly touching specific parts of Riley''s spine. And without even saying a word, his white eyes glowed even more violently as he pushed forward¡­


    ¡­turning Riley''s body into a strand of spaghetti, literally.


    Riley''s entire silhouette just fell down like a wet noodle, even almost twirling as he hit the ground.


    "I just turned your bones, your flesh, your blood into some sort of goo, Riley Ross," Kravos then stepped on Riley, causing a squishing noise to whisper in the air, "You are alive, but you will not be able to use your abilities anymore¡­ since even your brain has been turned into mush. The worst part of this all is that you will not recover, because there is nothing wrong with you ¡ª this is your normal state now. You can control blood? But you no longer have blood."


    "How bold of you to assume that''s not another clone, Mr. Kravos," and as Kravos was talking to the goo, another Riley stepped out of the crowd, "You truly have a very unique ability, Mr. Kravos¡­


    ¡­Perhaps it is finally time to use what I learned from King."

 Chapter 930 930: Kraving Kravos

    <h4>Chapter 930 Chapter 930: Kraving Kravos</h4>


    "I am going to dissect you, Mr. Kravos ¡ª I am going to enjoy that process very, very much. You¡­


    ¡­perhaps not so much."


    Life has unlimited possibilities ¡ª and for immortals like Kravos, those unlimited possibilities were actually possible to be possible. But never did he think this sort of possibility would be possible.


    By all means, he wasn''t using his full power just yet, of course. He was a Higher God, it would be absolutely wrong of him to do so against a god that has barely even been in the Domain of the Gods¡­ but he was truly tempted to do so. But doing so, however, would make him lose reputation, especially since there were probably hundreds of other gods watching them.


    "I am giving you another chance, boy," Kravos ced his machetes together, melding them together to create an even bigger machete that was almost the size of Riley''s entire body. He then lightly ced the tip of the machete on the ground¡­ causing all the grass to just wither away and die¡ªno. The field of grass didn''t dry out and turn brown at all, no; it turned into a sea of sand,


    "Walk away, and don''t create any more trouble for this peacefulnd."


    Even the dismembered limbs, flesh, and guts that were still not blown by Riley and Kravos''s fight withered away and turned into sand. The gods who were watching them fight, quickly lifting up their feet as they noticed that they too, almost turned into sand. None of them seemed to mind, however, as they even cheered and hyped up the battle between the two even more.


    "This is not a peacefulnd at all, Mr. Kravos," Riley smirked as he raised his hand, summoning a ball of light the size of a yoga ball. No, it wasn''t clear whether or not it was a ball of light at all, or just an empty spot in space,


    "They are justfortable ¡ª they shouldn''t be."


    Riley then flicked his hands, and as soon as he did so¡­ Kravos watched as some of the gods watching them suddenly disappear along with the white ball above Riley.


    "What did you¡­" Kravos squinted his eyes as blood started to ooze out from Riley''s nose and eyes. And not even a secondter, he realized what Riley just done, "Did you stop time?"


    "How quick of you toe to that conclusion immediately, Mr. Kravos," Riley seemed genuinely impressed as he batted his eyes several times at Kravos, "I reckooned most would just think what happened, happened extremely fast."


    "I have fought people faster than light before, boy¡­ I know what that speed feels like," Kravos looked Riley straight in his bloody eyes, "That wasn''t speed at all."


    "Then have you fought someone named Van, Mr. Kravos?"


    "T¡­" There was a visible fear in Kravos''s face as soon as Riley uttered the name of the God of Evaniels; one could even see a sweat form on his face, "You have no right to utter that name in this ce."


    "Interesting," Riley then pointed his finger at Kravos, summoning another ball of white; this time, only the size of a basketball, "Tell me what this one feels like too, Mr. Kravos."


    And once again, everything around Riley stopped; the ball of white hovering at the tip of his finger, throbbing and following the rhythm of his breaths.


    "Pavoom," Riley then whispered as the ball of white turned into a beam that instantly covered Kravos''s entire silhouette¡ªno, not exactly.


    "Oh¡­?" Blood started to profusely gush out of all of Riley''s orifices as he hovered toward Kravos. King was not able to use other abilities while he stopped time, but Riley could due to his monstrous and abnormal durability ¡ª and even if he did die, he would just resurrect after a while like nothing happened.


    But of course, Riley was not really thinking of all of that as he just focused his attention on Kravos as he stood close to him. Everything around Kravos was covered in white, all except the space inches around his silhouette.


    And with a breath escaping Riley''s bleeding nose, sound once again entered his ears as everything moved again; with Kravos quickly leaping away as he realized Riley was standing just a meter away from him.


    "That is very impressive, Mr. Kravos." And even though he was bleeding everywhere, Riley still ced his hand on his chin as he looked at Kravos, "You and I are simr in the way that you are covering yourself in ayer of your abilities. You are subconsciously and instinctively changing the matter of anything that touches you or is a threat to you, no? Like ayer of armor. I do it too with my telekic abilities."


    "Hm¡­" Kravos grunted as he stared at Riley''s bloodstained silhouette. He then turned to look at his giant machete, before shaking his head and letting it go, causing it to instantly disappear.


    "Oh, are you done, Mr. Kravos?" Riley snapped his fingers, and as soon as he did so, all the blood painting him seeped back into his pores, "Pirate Queen Xra''s abilities are truly broken. My universe was lucky she wasn''t as mad as they make her out to be, only heartbroken. But I am getting sidetracked¡­ perhaps the Nectar actually has an effect on me."


    "Our time to fight wille, boy," and as Riley suddenly started talking to himself, Kravos grabbed something from his pocket ¡ª a fragment of something, a piece of an eggshell of some sort, perhaps.


    And as soon as that object met with even a tinge of light, the very space and air in the Domain of the Gods rippled; the ground that Kravos turned into a sea of sand, suddenly returning to its original state of grass.


    It wasn''t just thend, even the gods who were supposed to be dead suddenly came back to life without rhyme or reason.


    "What¡­ is that?" And perhaps for the very first time in a very long time, Riley found himself slightly taking a step back. Riley was not really someone who could sense the power and energy of things ¡ª he could, but he just actively chooses not to do so ¡ª not knowing something is part of the fun, after all.


    But the eggshell the size of a biscuit that Kravos was holding, Riley won''t be able not to sense even if he actively chooses to not do so. The energy it was giving out was truly too much, that even just looking at it was causing his hair to il around like there was a raging storm currently blowing everyone and everything away.


    "It''s a cosmic piece!"


    And as Riley was wondering what the eggshell was, the random god that introduced Kravos once again raised his voice as he pointed at Kravos''s hand.


    "A cosmic piece¡­" And as soon as Riley heard that, a smile very slowly started to crawl on his face. At first, he thought a cosmic piece would just be something simr to the pocket universe that Ahor Zai created ¡ª but he was wrong, extremely wrong.


    If the pocket universe was equivalent to ying a simtion game, then the cosmic piece could be said to truly be creating an actual world of your own. The two were simr, yes, but one was actually truly a reality.


    And without even saying another word, Riley summoned another clone before once again stopping time. He and his clone quickly rushed toward Kravos, with his clone pushing out all his powers to create a telekic de that could probably cut an entire gxy in half¡­ and cutting Kravos''s arm with it.


    The clone immediately withered away as it used everything at its disposal in just a single move, while Riley quickly grabbed the cosmic piece and retreated back before letting time around him move again.


    But as soon as time moved again, however, Riley found that there was nothing in his hand at all.


    "Fool."


    Riley quickly turned his focus back to Kravos as he heard him whisper, only to see the cosmic piece back in his other hand.


    "A cosmic piece will always and forever be bound to its owner," Kravos scoffed as he raised the cosmic piece, once again creating a ripple that seemed strong enough to blow everything away¡­ without actually blowing anything away,


    "Such is the rule set upon by Creation itself. After all, if one could steal a cosmic piece, it would not be its owner that would suffer, but the universe''s inhabitants."


    "Hm¡­" Riley''s eyes slightly squinted as he stared at the eggshell in Kravos''s hand; his head, tilting to the side as there was a hint of annoyance growing on his face.


    "We will meet again, boy¡­" Kravos let out a small chuckle as the space behind him started to distort before just ripping apart and opening a portal,


    "...and I will not be as courteous as I am now."


    "Wrong, Mr. Kravos," and as Kravos took a step back into the portal, a smile once again started to crawl on Riley''s face, "I do not need to steal your cosmic piece to make you or your universe suffer. Once I get out of here, I will torment your universe first. I promise you that¡­


    ¡­and I usually do not break my promises."

 Chapter 931 931: Messy

    <h4>Chapter 931 Chapter 931: Messy</h4>


    "I do not need to steal your cosmic piece to make you or your universe suffer. Once I get out of here, I will torment your universe first. I promise you that¡­


    ¡­and I usually do not break my promises."


    Kravos really only stared at Riley''s eyes as he continued to step back toward the portal back to his universe. He hated to admit it, but this entire thing was a mistake ¡ª he should not have tried to provoke the young god in front of him.


    Perhaps he should just truly go all-out and try to kill him here and now? He could probably win, but what if he doesn''t? As long as there was a chance that he could probably lose, then it was best not to fight at all, especially since they had an audience.


    As the oldest of the Higher Gods, he had a reputation to keep. He was already not the strongest among them even though he was the oldest, if he loses to Riley now in front of all these people, then he would just be aughing stock¡­ and the Higher Gods, much like him, have egos bigger than their universes.


    Like most of the rules in the Domain of the Gods, the Higher Gods also had a quiet rule they made for themselves ¡ª not to invade each other''s universes. It was mutual respect. The fact that he was fighting a young god was already an act that might cause the other Higher Gods to shun him away, if he loses, the other gods might deem him unworthy¡­


    ¡­and invade his universe and make him force to give up his cosmic piece.


    "Wait¡­" And before Kravos disappeared back into his universe, he once again turned to look at Riley, "You know Aerith''Ross¡­ Does that mean she nned all of this?"


    "Hm¡­?"


    "Does she n to start another Cleansing!?"


    "What do you¡ª" And before Riley could even ask what Kravos meant by his words, the portal disappeared along with him, leaving Riley just staring at an empty space, "What was that all about?"


    Riley then started looking around, causing the other people there to slightly back away as soon as he strayed his eyes at them. How could they not back away, when they just saw Riley make a Higher God retreat? Granted, it was obvious Kravos was not even using all of their powers, but the same could be said for Riley.


    And so, the other gods did the only thing they could do in this situation ¡ª walk away.


    And as Riley saw they were no longer interested in wreaking havoc and fighting each other, he just sighed and shrugged before just walking back to Grandarena City and climbing it again.


    Fun for him, not so much for the otherbatants. Although Riley was not really feeling it, the Nectar actually had an almost insane effect on him ¡ª this was, after all, the very first time he had actually drank alcohol, and entire bottles of it.


    But his mind wasn''t muddled at all, no. It was as clear as his speech. And perhaps because of that, his thoughts were even clearer than before¡­


    ¡­and his unmatched violence and brutality were allowed to resurface like never before, perhaps even more unhinged than ever before¡­


    ¡­and his clone millions and millions of miles away could feel that.


    "I probably shouldn''t have done this. I wonder if the Boss would get mad? But then again¡­


    ¡­he is the cause of this too."


    In the mortal world of Manirosa, Darkday was currently strolling through the city he created, or whatever was left of it anyway. Although it wasn''t at full force, Darkday could feel the alcohol that was flowing through Riley''s veins.


    Unlike Riley, however, Darkday was not really created with the same restraint as his creator. Riley made himpletely free to do whatever he wanted even without reason.


    And so, even if it wasn''t at full effect, as soon as Riley started drinking the Nectar, Darkday also became intoxicated¡­


    ¡­and the result of that was carnage, undiluted carnage.


    Darkday had not even bothered fixing his helmet, which was already exposing half his face as he walked through the city of red. The sound of blood pattering with each of his footsteps, perhaps the only sound beside his breaths.


    "I thought the gods here are immortal and undying like me," Darkday let out a very long and very disappointed sigh as he looked around, only to see a mountain of corpses littered everywhere. Some of them were gods, and some of them were the so-called heroes who wanted to stop his so-called evil reign in thends of Manirosa,


    "I worked hard to collect the gods too. Ack, this one has an interesting ability."


    Darkday looked like he lost strength in his legs as he dropped to the ground; the pool of blood beneath him, rippling as it revealed the face of a woman¡­ whose only remaining body part was her face,


    "Boss would have wanted to lobotomize her," Darkday sighed as he grabbed the woman''s face, only for her eyes to be left behind on the ground; the sound it made, almost visceral, "I spent so many days trying to capture her too, such a shame. A shame. The ability to instantly and casually teleport to long distances without pause¡­ would have made us disgustingly even stronger than we are now. Ah, this one too!"


    Darkday crawled toward another corpse, revealing a child.


    "An offspring between two gods," Darkday embraced the little girl, "Although I don''t know what her abilities are yet, but I know she''s strong. Why did you have to die¡ªWait."


    Darkday suddenly stood up and carried the corpse of the little girl with him as he thought of an idea.


    "Surely¡­" Darkday then turned to look toward a certain direction; the little child in his arms, very slowly being encased in a prison of ice,


    "...Boss wouldn''t mind if I give Mr. Randall a visit in the Domain of the Gods?"


    ***


    "Riri! How many times are you going to climb the tower!?"


    "I suppose I can climb it one more time ¡ª is the final lineup for the championships happening anytime soon? I feel like it is unnecessarily taking a very long time."


    "Does it matter!? Stop climbing the tower again and again and just join us."


    Riley was finally back on the 91st floor again. This time, however, he found the resort almostpletely empty aside from Miss Pepondosovich and the others. They were also not drinking anymore, and judging by the way they were all standing up and away from the banquet, they seemed to be going somewhere before Riley just suddenly appeared again.


    "Where are the other gods, Miss Pepondosovich?" Riley asked as he looked around while making his way to the group, "Are the finals actually being held right now?"


    "No, stop asking so many questions and juste!" Miss Pepondosovich could really only groan as she rushed toward Riley before dragging him to the rest of the group.


    "Wow," Marleen''s eyes quickly widened as she saw Riley, "You''ve already met with a Higher God and even made him retreat, that is very impressive, Riley Ross."


    "What¡­?" Miss Pepondosovich raised an eyebrow, "And you did not even bother inviting us? That is highly traitorous behavior, Riri."


    "You fought with a higher god, Master? As expected," Esme just nodded her head several times, "Did they know anything about the Higher God that bears a resemnce to Princess Aerith?"


    "He definitely knows her," Riley nodded, "But I am afraid Mr. Kravos left before he could reveal anything to me ¡ª such things tend to happen, so I am quite used to it already. But where are we going?"


    "The other folks have decided to roam around already. Marleen''s ex already also went ahead," Miss Pepondosovich groaned as she gestured to the group to hasten their pace as she hopped and leaped forward, "We were actually also about to leave without you, so you''re just in time."


    "And where are we going?" Riley repeated his unanswered question.


    "Where else? To the city, duh," Miss Pepondosovich rolled her eyes.


    "There is a city here?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked around. He thought this resort was the entirety of the 91st floor.


    "Riri, it''s called Grandarena City for a reason, City," Miss Pepondosovich raised stretched her arms to the side and turned back to look at Riley while still hopping backward, "There is a c¡ª"


    And before she could finish hearing her words, Miss Pepondosovich just suddenly faded away ¡ª not teleported, but faded. Riley and Esme looked at each other as they saw this, Marleen, on the other hand, just casually continued to walk forward¡­ before also fading away in the very same position Miss Pepondosovich disappeared.


    Riley and Esme once again looked at each other before just nodding their heads and following the two¡­ and as soon as they passed the area where Marleen and Miss Pepondosovich disappeared into¡­


    ¡­they found themselves in front of arge metropolis filled with noise and colors.


    "Wee, newbies¡­


    ¡­to Grandarena City!"

 Chapter 932 932: Marleen

    <h4>Chapter 932 Chapter 932: Marleen</h4>


    "Wee to Grandarena City!"


    "So, this is where the word ''Grand''es from, Miss Pepon."


    As its name suggests, out of all the cities Esme and Riley had seen in the expanse of the Domain of the Gods, Grandarena City was perhaps the grandest of them all. It was the only city that would make one think that it was truly made by and for gods, every god that was walking through the wide streets actually felt like they belonged there.


    Riley had seen a lot of advanced cities throughout his adventure in his universe, and yet Grandarena city held something none of them had ¡ª formidability. The structures were colossal, loud, and domineering; if structures could be domineering, that is. But in the Domain of the Gods, anything is possible. The buildings were made of probably some material unknown to the rest of the multiverse. They looked like marble, and the surface was incredibly smooth¡­ but they were not reflecting anything at all.


    The buildings did not even have doors, they just had entrances the size of highway tunnels. But if Riley actually had to describe it, he really only had one word to use.


    "This ce is empty, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley said as he looked into one of the buildings, and with the entrance as big as they were, he could almost see everything inside¡­ and there was absolutely nothing there but just people seemingly talking to each other.


    "That''s what you think¡­" Miss Pepondosovich just let out a somewhat cheeky giggle as she gestured to Riley and Esme to follow her. Marleen, who was walking beside her, also smirked as she and Miss Pepondosovich led the two newbies to one of the buildings.


    The two spectrum buddies were wondering why they were being led to arge and empty building at first, but as soon as they passed the entrance, the scenery around them suddenly changed ¡ª the once empty building, now filled with all sorts of colors and things; shops, stalls¡­ it actually almost seemed as if they were outside due to the fact that there were also buildings inside, but apletely different design, and dare they say, culture.


    The people that they saw outside who were just talking to each other, actually buying and trading goods. The buildings inside were somewhat familiar to Riley, modern¡­ but still very much different in a way they used a lot of spherical shapes. Even the buildings themselves were spherical in nature. Riley could even spot a tower from afar¡­ with the top being a sphere.


    "I do not see why this ce does not just reveal what is inside the buildings, Miss Pepon," Esme breathed out as she looked around, "Would it not be much better for the people wanting to get or buy things if they could see what the buildings are offering?"


    "Where''s the fun in that?" Miss Pepondosovich chuckled, "The different buildings you see outside are actually all owned by gods who had just chosen to make the 91st floor their home."


    "How does that work, Miss Pepon?" Esme seemed visibly confused, "Won''t they be called to fight?"


    "Yes," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged, "And if they lose, they will just climb back up again ¡ª the gods you see here, they are physically much stronger than the rest of the gods residing in this Domain."


    "That seems very tiring."


    "It is basically just exercise for these people," Miss Pepondosovich snorted as she waved her hand, "Enough about that, I want you to taste the delicacy they have here."


    "I think I have had enough carrots, Miss Pepon," Esme sighed.


    "Look at you learning how toin now," Miss Pepondosovich smiled as she looked at Esme, "Look, Riri ¡ª your spawn is much more human than you now."


    "She is not my spawn, Miss Pepondosovich. She is her own person," Riley breathed out, "And I do agree with her, I think I have had enough carrot dishes for now."


    "No, no!" Miss Pepondosovich formed her arms into an ''X'' before moving close to Marleen, "Exin to them how the buildings work here."


    "...Aren''t you supposed to be their tour guide?" Marleen raised an eyebrow. But as Miss Pepondosovich widened her eyes like a puppy, the only thing Marleen could really was sigh, "Listen, each of the gigantic buildings you have seen outside, like the one we are in right now¡­


    ¡­is actually a domain of its own."


    "Interesting."


    "It is," Marleen nodded, "And what is more interesting is that these domains are created by the gods who manage them, basically their Territory. You know what a Territory is, so I won''t exin that anymore."


    "Hm."


    "Since each of the buildings is owned privately by other gods, all of them are unique from each other ¡ª that means the food, the scenery, the culture, and the overall ambiance of each building are unique," Marleen adjusted her imaginary sses, "And this particr building¡­"


    "Ah, it''s Lady Marleen!"


    "...Is owned by me."


    And as soon as Riley and the group reached some sort ofrge za, one of the merchants selling in one of the stalls suddenly pointed at Marleen. And without even a secondter, almost all of the merchants and vendors all turned their heads at her.


    "Lady Marleen!"


    All the merchants left their shops, causing their customers to also wonder what exactly was going on.


    "Just how many gods are there in the Domain of the Gods, Miss Pepon?" Esme could not help but blink a couple of times as she saw all the people approaching them, "There seems to be a lot."


    "Not as much as you think," Miss Pepondosovich gestured to Esme and Riley to move closer to her for some reason, "Probably less than a million ¡ª the only reason why it looks like there are a lot of us is because we''re just gathered in the same ce. And it doesn''t help that Marleen''s domain is a little bit more popr than most. And also¡­


    ¡­it would be best for the two of you to get away from Marleen there."


    "Hm¡­?" Although Esme and Riley had no idea why Miss Pepondosovich was urging them to move, they still followed her since she was their tour guide, after all. Soon, however, they found out why.


    "Lady Marleen¡­ Did you raise the taxes again!?"


    "Why would you even do that¡­? Didn''t I just give you that weird eggst time!?"


    "Lady Marleen, you said this one was a genuine product ¡ª one of my customers said it was fake!"


    And in just a blink of a moment, Marleen suddenly found herself surrounded by an angry mob.


    "Let''s¡­ just leave her alone for now," Miss Pepondosovich pulled Esme and Riley away, leaving Marleen to fend for herself, "Don''t worry about her, she''ll find us ¡ª this is her domain, after all."


    "I am a bit confused, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley''s eyes were still fixated on the angry mob that was very slowly swallowing Marleen even though he was being dragged away by Miss Pepondosovich,pletely focusing on the items they were holding, "Where are they getting all of those items?"


    "Marleen makes all of them," Miss Pepondosovich just nced back, "Of course, the other domains on the 91st floor are also selling items that were created either by gods, or by the mortals in Manirosa. In some rare instances, gods would even sell some of their belongings from when they were still outside the Domain of the Gods¡­ as you can imagine, those go for a lot."


    "Miss Marleen does not seem to be good at making them, then," Riley breathed out as he finally strayed his eyes away from the angry mob.


    "Oh, no, no¡­ That is where you are wrong, Riri," Miss Pepondosovich started clicking her tongue and wagging her finger as she let go of Riley and Esme, "For me, Marleen is actually one of the more special gods here ¡ª I could even consider her the most godlike out of the rest of these people."


    "Hm¡­?"


    "Oh ho, now you''re curious, aren''t you?" Miss Pepondosovich continued to walk, gesturing Riley and Esme to follow her, "You know Marleen''s physiology makes it so that she can read other people''s minds, memories, and feelings, right? That''s just the way her kind was made, they were born that way. But what made Marleen special, aside from her raw strength¡­


    ¡­is her ability to draw things from memory."


    "That does not seem like a special ability, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head, "I can also draw from memory."


    "W¡ªNo, what I meant was that she could summon non-organic things out of nowhere as long as she remembers them," Miss Pepondosovich raised a finger, "You might already think that is already a monstrous ability, but you might be forgetting the fact that once she reads someone else''s memories, it also bes her memories. That means that if you remember exactly how the thing you want replicated works¡­


    ¡­she can summon it."


    "Hm¡­" Riley let out a small hum, "I wonder¡­


    ¡­if she could create the Cosmic Compressor?"

 Chapter 933 933: Fidgeting With the Universe

    Chapter 933  933: Fidgeting With the Universe


    ??"You''re still ying with that?"


    "For thest time, I am not ying with it."


    "It looks like you are."


    "Seriously, how old are you supposed to be?"


    "Same as you, I''m just more fun ¡ª even our mother variant is more fun than you."


    Back in the Council of Ross, the dead universe was still dead, but the activity going on inside it could not be even more alive, evenpared to when the Council of Ross was still actually the Council of Ross and not just a hub for multiversal friends. Or in this case, Dr. Caiin and Dee, Diana''s variants.


    Dee was previously in another dead universe, but opted to bring her work into the Council of Ross instead since she could use another eye to help her. Unfortunately for her, the only other one crazy enough to actually help her in experimenting with the Cosmic Compressor was Dr. Caiin¡­ and Dr. Caiin never stops talking.


    Hera''s variants were there too, they could probably help if their ability deems it so that learning about the Cosmic Compressor would be helpful to them ¡ª but s, their bodies do not seem that eager to even get near the Cosmic Compressor.


    As for Hera herself, well¡­ she was busy acting as a mother for Talia. The press had also been giving them a hard time; instead of focusing on the universe-ending events, they were focusing on her love life and trying to guess who Talia''s father was ¡ª and it did not really take long for them toe to a conclusion because Riley and her actually legally registered Talia as their daughter.


    Suffice it to say, that became the news of the century even above them literally saving several universes.


    "If you are not going to help me, then can you just please stay quiet?"


    "You hate it, don''t you?"


    Dee and Caiin were currently inside a secured and reinforced part of the Council of Ross, with Ahor Zai recording their every move and warning them if she detected even just a single speck of fluctuation or change with the Cosmic Compressor.


    The Cosmic Compressor was being kept inside a sealed box, with robotic arms inside that Dee was controlling from the outside. There was also a hologram projecting above the sealed box, allowing Dee to almost seamlessly interact with it, like it was actually in front of her and not sealed away.


    The sealed box was made ofpressed themarian steel, but suffice it to say, it won''t actually do anything if the Cosmic Compressor decides to malfunction.


    "You hate it that I am probably the only person in the entire multiverse that could actually help you," Caiin repeated her words as she was just walking around the silver room, looking at all the holograms projecting everywhere, as well as the forms written on the walls, "Oh, there''s a mistake on this one."


    "Yes, I hate it very much," Dee rolled her eyes, scoffing as she left the Cosmic Compressor and walked toward Caiin, "Where''s the mistake?"


    "That one," Caiin pointed at a small part in the otherwise long and jumbled form, "You''re short by 0.0034 seconds."


    "Hm¡­" Dee squinted her eyes as she looked at where Caiin was pointing. And after a few seconds, she let out a sigh and changed the number ¡ª and as she did so, all the holograms and forms changed with it. Dee then started looking at all the changes before just nodding and returning to the sealed box.


    "What¡­? No thank you?" Caiin snorted as she watched Dee bury herself in research again, "What did Diana even say? I thought she was open to helping us with this."


    "She says she''s not interested," Dee once again leaned away from the sealed box as she sighed, "She says it''s enough ''being a scientist'' and time to start spending time with her family. I mean, what family? Her husband''s dead, her daughter is already an adult¡­ and her son is¡­"


    "A god?" Caiin forced out a chuckle.


    "A god that''s intent on ending all of us," Dee ced a finger on Caiin''s chest, "And I seem to be the only one that''s interested in stopping it."


    "The boy is gone, Dee."


    "He''ll return," Dee looked Caiin in the eyes, "You don''t seem to treat him as a threat since you know him as an ally and the two of you are buddies, but you should have seen when he just mercilessly killed all the themarians of my world without even any rhyme or reason. He also killed the Bernard of my world for no apparent reason, and he''s the variant of his adoptive father."


    "Last I checked, your girlfriend''s also taken a liking to the boy," Caiin shrugged as she seemed topletely disregard Dee''s words, "And if you''re truly interested in stopping him as you said, you would be working with Aerith''s mother and the Aerith of your world¡­ she calls herself Edith now, right? Ack¡­


    ¡­I am actually a little confused about who belongs to which universe now."


    "..." Dee did not really respond; just ncing at Caiin before focusing on the hologram in front of her.


    "You hate that I am right, right?" Caiin then moved behind the steel box, before just leaning her head through the hologram and causing Dee to frown, "You''re not interested in stopping Riley at all, you just want to know how exactly this Cosmic Compressor works¡­ and to see if it could stop a god, any god ¡ª it doesn''t matter if it is Riley or some other folks."


    "You don''t know me, Caiin."


    "But I''m you," Caiin smiled as she looked Dee in the eyes, "And right now, I am sure you''re very, very interested in the Domain of the Gods. I saw the light that lit up in your eyes when Princess Aerith and that Hannah kid exined where Riley is¡­


    ¡­you''re hoping that if you managed to reverse engineer the Cosmic Compressor, you could also trigger an event strong enough that would be noticed by a Primordial, aren''t you?"


    "No," Dee scoffed as she pushed Caiin''s face away. But after a few seconds, a hint of a smile could be seen forming on her face, "I am hoping to trigger an event that would directly open a gate to wherever that domain is¡­ or just any other domain."


    "Any other domain?" Caiin slightly gasped as she looked at Dee from head to toe, "Look at you, little Miss Daring. Aren''t you afraid of what you might find? Or¡­


    ¡­what might find you?"


    ***


    "I can''t summon the Cosmic Compressor, Riley Ross."


    "Why not?"


    "Because we have no idea how it works, we just know what it is capable of."


    Back in the Domain of the Gods, Marleen had finally escaped the angry crowd that was mobbing her, and it did not really take long for her to find Riley and the others since they were just hanging out near Miss Pepondosovich''s favorite restaurant¡­ it also helped that their table was practically covered by a tower of food, specifically a feast of what seemed to be seafood.


    "Come on, Marleen. Don''t embarrass me in front of the kid," Miss Pepondosovich cracked open a w of a crabrger than the size of Riley''s arm, "I told him you can summon anything from your memory. Well, his memory to be more specific¡­


    ¡­I also told him you will summon something for him."


    "...Why would you make a promise on my behalf?" Marleen could really only cover her forehead as she watched as Miss Pepondosovich sucked the juicy meat of the crab, almost as if what was happening had nothing to do with her. And so, the only thing she could really do was turn her focus back to Riley¡­


    ¡­only to see him looking at her; his eyes, filled with expectation.


    "Look," Marleen groaned before violently snatching the crab leg that Miss Pepondosovich just cracked open, "Since a promise was made, even though I didn''t even know about it, I''m not the kind of person that wouldn''t honor it."


    "...See what I told you?" Miss Pepondosovich did not seem to mind that her food was stolen as she just grabbed another thing from the tower of food in front of her, "She always keeps her promises."


    "Shut up," Marleen almost snarled at Miss Pepondosovich. But after a few seconds, she started to calm down; sighing as she turned her focus back to RIley again, "So, just tell me what you want me to summon."


    "The Cosmic Compressor."


    "Except for that," Marleen sighed, "And even if I do manage to summon it, it probably won''t work as intended ¡ª that is the very reason the vendors were after me, because I sold them things that don''t¡­ work as well as they remember it¡­


    ¡­Do you really want something like the Cosmic Compressor malfunctioning on us?"


    "Yes."


    "Right¡­ Yup," Marleen closed her eyes and nodded, "I forgot who I was talking to. Just tell me what else you want to summ¡ª"


    "Ahor Zai," Riley then said without any hesitation, "Please summon Ahor Zai, Miss Marleen."

 Chapter 934 934: Aye aye AI

    Chapter 934  934: Aye aye AI


    ??"Ahor Zai¡­ The AI?"


    Marleen found herself in deep thought after Riley''s request. It is true that although Ahor Zai may act like it was alive; the fact is, it is not. But still, there was one big problem with Riley''s request.


    "We won''t know what wille out, Riley Ross."


    "Oh¡­?"


    And all of a sudden, there was a sense of solemness as Marleen''s voice turned deeper. Even Esme, who was busy devouring the scrumptious food in front of her, could not help but drop the juicy lobster she was holding to look at Marleen.


    "Ahor Zai¡­" Esme whispered loudly, "...That is the AI that tried to prevent the curse in my universe from flourishing, but failed since not everyone listened to it."


    "It tried to prevent everyone from turning into an undead?" Miss Pepondosovich also momentarily stopped enjoying the tower of vor in front of her; licking her fingers as she focused on Marleen and Esme, "I thought its main purpose was to just watch and record everything?"


    "I suppose it will be sentient if given the right parameters, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley was the one to answer Miss Pepondosovich. And almost opposite to Miss Pepondosovich and Esme''s reactions, Riley started eating; after all, seafood is not as enjoyable cold.


    But then again, the warm and exaggeratingly vorful butter that was oozing from the top of the tower made sure everything was at an ideal temperature; it helped make everything retain their juices too. Riley grabbed himself an entire crab, expertly opening up its exoskeleton and revealing all of its meat as well as the eggs.


    "Hm¡­" Riley removed the meat and the eggs and ced him on his table, before using the exoskeleton to scoop out some butter andthering the meat and eggs with it. He then took a spoonful of what looked like caviar and mixed it with the crab eggs before sprinkling all of it with chunks of fried garlic.


    "Do you have to do everything so extra!? Just suck it and eat it!" Miss Pepondosovich raised an eyebrow as she watched as Riley continue to prepare his te like he was in some sort of fancy restaurant, "And wait¡­ why do you even want to summon this AI?"


    "Because I promised her that I would let her watch and record everything that I am doing, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley nodded, "And since I am stuck in this ce, she is not able to do that."


    "Okay, that is good and all, but¡­" Marleen raised a finger as she finally got the chance to continue her exnation, "...It is true that I can summon Ahor Zai, and the fact that she''s a self-learning AI would ensure that she would work no matter what ¡ª but she won''t be your Ahor Zai, Riley Ross. It might not have the same data, or it may even have a skewed sense of its memories. What I will be summoning would just be something else¡­ like a different phone."


    "That is fine, Miss Marleen," Riley shrugged as he added a little bit of furikake on his te.


    "Can you just eat it already, please!?" Miss Pepondosovich pointed at Riley''s te, "And where do you keep pulling all of those spices and condiments from!?"


    "...Very well, then."


    And as Riley was finally about to grab his spoon, Marleen snapped her fingers, causing her Territory to extend and push away everything¡­ including their table.


    "Damn it!" Miss Pepondosovich could not help but to almost want to pull out her hair as she still wasn''t able to see Riley actually eat anything, "You could have at least let him take a bite first!"


    Marleenpletely ignored Miss Pepondosovich''s wails as she just sat crossed legs on the marble floor. And although he wasn''t gestured to do it as well, Riley also sat on the floor. And of course, Esme also did the same as soon as he saw Riley do it.


    Miss Pepondosovich, who was feeling left out, could really only groan as she also sat on the floor.


    "W¡ª"


    "Quiet."


    She was about to say something, but Marleen quickly shushed her down. Marleen then ced both her hands on the side of her head, pointing at her temples as she started whispering to herself.


    Riley tried to understand what she was saying, but she was uttering in apletely differentnguage unknown to him. And soon, Marleen pulled her hands away, some sort of light, emerging from her temples like goo. She then started twirling her arms and performing some sort of sign which made the goo dance until it turned into a gray sphere¡­


    ¡­a sphere that was extremely simr to Ahor Zai''s core.


    "...And that''s it," and without even taking a heavy breath or sweating a single drop, Marleen just casually stood up and started patting her pants, "I think we just need to wait for it to boot up or something."


    "Hm¡­" Riley squinted his eyes as he also stood up. He then approached the floating gray sphere; its surface started rippling as if there was a silent storm currently wreaking havoc inside it. And soon, from this internal chaos, emerged a small silhouette resembling a very tiny humanoid with wings.


    [I am¡ª!!!]


    "!!!"


    And before Ahor Zai could even begin to speak, everyone watched as Riley suddenly grabbed it, forcing its mouth open before he retrieved something from his pocket ¡ª a small marble. And without even saying anything or showing a single slight hesitation, Riley forcefully inserted the marble in Ahor Zai''s mouth.


    And as Ahor Zai was choking on the tiny ball, he pushed her back into the gray sphere.


    "What¡­ did you do?" Marleen could not help but furrow her eyebrows. But soon, his eyes started to widen as she remembered something from Riley''s memory.


    "What''s¡­ going on? Why did Riri just force-feed something on that tiny human''s throat?" Miss Pepondosovich was utterly confused as to what just happened. As for Esme, she wasn''t really questioning anything since it was done by Riley.


    No one really needed to answer Miss Pepondosovich, however, as the gray sphere once again began violently rippling across its surface. This time, however, nothing emerged. Instead, the entire gray sphere started changing shape and began resembling a human; its gray hue, very slowly changing golden brown¡­ flesh.


    [Aha!] And as soon as she opened her eyes, all the features one would find in an average female human emerged from the silhouette ¡ª the humanoid form of Ahor Zai. She wasted no time and bellowed, immediately finding Riley amongst the group, [You used my backup, Boss? Did something happen to my original body?]


    "No," Riley shook his head.


    [Then something happened to you?] Ahor Zai squinted as she started looking around. And as soon as her eyesnded on Marleen and Miss Pepondosovich, her human-like eyes started to glow; almost as if there were millions of fireflies inside them, [Immeasurable power levels, but not quite a Primordial. Princess Esme is here too, but a variant¡­ her undead variant, but alive now. Boss¡­


    ¡­Where are we?]


    "We are in the Domain of the Gods, Ahor Zai," Riley casually exined. And as he did so, Marleen snapped her fingers, canceling her Territory and returning everyone to their positions beforehand; except Ahor Zai, who was new to the fray.


    [Domain of the Gods,] Ahor Zai blinked a couple of times, [That is new, Boss. But I suppose these two women are gods?]


    "Marleen is, yes."


    "Hey!" Miss Pepondosovich pointed at Riley, "What about me!?"


    [Hm, I do sense more godliness in the bigger woman,] Ahor Zai turned to look at at Marleen before focusing her attention on Miss Pepondosovich, [But I sense a much stronger but weirder energy in her.]


    "That is probably because she is a god of luck, Ahor Zai."


    [Luck,] Ahor Zai squinted her eyes as she red at Miss Pepondosovich, [Something that we can never truly ount for, something that I can never truly calcte¡­


    ¡­disgusting.]


    "What the¡ªI thought this was supposed to be an AI!?" Miss Pepondosovich grabbed a crab leg and pointed it at Ahor Zai, showering her with the butter and all the juicy tenderness, "Why is it so sassy?"


    "I am not just an AI, Miss Pepondosovich." The tone of Ahor Zai''s voicepletely changed to be more human-like, "I have transcended beyond it ¡ª I have the capabilities and data of hundreds of thousands of others like me. Like you, I also consider myself¡­ a god."


    "Great¡­" Miss Pepondosovich sighed, "...An AI with an ego, that always turns out well."


    "Contrary, I do not have an ego at all," Ahor Zai shook her head, "I only follow Boss'' orders. Speaking of, do you have an order for me since you installed me¡­ inside another me, no less? That was weird."


    "As a matter of fact, I do¡­" Riley just casually shook his head before gesturing to the tower of food on the table, "...I want you to store the ingredients and analyze how these dishes are made."


    "W¡ªyou summoned a multiversal AI just for that!?"


    "I also want her to analyze the book containing the clue for finding the cosmic piece once Esme wins the championship."


    "Why don''t you lead with that!? Also¡­" A smile then slowly crawled on Miss Pepondosovich''s face, "What makes you think she will win the championship¡­


    ¡­and not me? I¡ª"


    "Or me!?"


    And before Miss Pepondosovich could finish her words, arge woman from the other table suddenly approached them ¡ª a woman familiar to both Miss Pepondosovich and Riley.


    "...Grea!?" Miss Pepondosovich pointed at the muscr gray woman approaching them. This time, however, Grea was missing her second set of arms and looked more human than before,


    "What¡­ are you doing here!?"

 Chapter 935 935: The Primordial Chef

    Chapter 935  935: The Primordial Chef


    ??"Grea!?"


    Riley had almost forgotten about Grea, but as soon as she revealed herself again, Riley realized just how domineering her aura actually was. And even with the fact that she was in her human form and missing her extra set of limbs, it somewhat made her look even more intimidating than before.


    And he wasn''t the only one who seemed to have noticed that as even Esme squinted her eyes and stood up; her hands, already balled into fists.


    Riley never really thought of it before since he had no reason to, but now that he knows that Miss Pepondosovich was previously a champion of Grandarena City, it made Grea even more interesting due to the fact that Miss Pepondosovich actually idolized her.


    "Grea!" And it wasn''t only her, even Marleen''s eyes lit up as soon as she saw Grea.


    "You girls seem to be up to no good again," Grea squinted her eyes at Marleen and Miss Pepondosovich, looking at the two from head to toe. But after a few seconds of doing so, a small smile crawled on her gray face,


    "Don''t tell me you''re interested in a cosmic piece now?"


    "Tch, I could say the same to you, Grea." And although Marleen was clearly happy to see Grea, there was a certain smugness in the tone of her voice, "Weren''t you also the one who lectured us that searching for a cosmic piece is a fool''s errand? Now, pray tell ¡ª why exactly are you here if not for the cosmic piece?"


    "Well, we are not searching for a cosmic piece, are we?" Grea hummed, "A clue to it just miraculouslynded itself here, in Grandarena City. One might say it is letting itself be found."


    "And we are going to get it, not you."


    "Ssh, Marleen! What are you doing?" If intentional violence was allowed on the 91st floor, then Miss Pepondosovich would have definitely already stomped on Marleen''s toes, "Why are you still talking to Miss Grea like that? I truly apologize for this, Miss Grea. You know how Marleen is, she always questions your teachings."


    "She should, there should always be a bnce within the group," Grea did not seem to mind at all as she just chuckled; cing her muscr arms on Marleen and Miss Pepondosovich''s shoulders; surprisingly, Marleen did not avoid her hand at all, "And you two make a good dynamic, I am d to see that you are still friends even after hundreds of thousands of years."


    "We''ve actually only just met again," Marleen scoffed.


    "Then that is even more proof of your unbreakable friendship," Grea once again chuckled before turning her attention to Esme, "And now¡­ who''s this little monster?"


    "My name is Esme, Miss Grea," Esme curtsied as she introduced herself to Grea. As a themarian, she had the innate ability to detect the energy of beings and creatures, and with that alsoes the age. Grea gives off more energy than Miss Pepondosovich, but not by a lot. What she did have in abundance, however, was her age ¡ª Miss Pepondosovich couldn''t even determine just how old she could actually be¡­ and it wasn''t only her.


    "What sort of creature are you?" Ahor Zai, who had not even been live in the Domain of the Gods for several minutes, almost malfunctioned as she tried to analyze Grea, "Unidentifiable."


    "What sort of creature are you?" Grea repeated Ahor Zai''s words back to her, "You''re¡­ not a creature at all."


    "I am not," Ahor Zai shook her head.


    "Your adventures truly do lead to the most amazing things, Pepondosovich," Grea sighed as she focused her attention back on Miss Pepondosovich. She then took in a short but very deep breath as her eyes finallynded on Riley,


    "And I am sure it is all because of you, child. To think that we would meet again not even after a year has passed."


    "Miss Grea," Riley nodded.


    "I suppose it is all because of you that Pepondosovich is here?" Grea looked at Riley from head to toe.


    "I suppose so," Riley blinked, "I did not realize the two of you were close thest time we met, Miss Grea."


    "Close¡­?" Grea once again hummed as she took several steps back, "I suppose we are to an extent in the perspective of someone so young. We have spent a thousand years together, if that makes us close, then we are."


    "I''ve known her longer," Marleen followed up as she returned to her seat and just casually continued eating, "You''ve met Grea in her city, it makes sense that she won''t give anyone special treatment while you''re there ¡ª and yes, we are close. She''s basically the one who took care of me when I just got here, then when Miss Pepondosovich arrived, I took care of her and introduced her to Grea."


    "And now Miss Pepondosovich is taking care of me and Miss Esme," Riley ced his hand on his chin, "And she introduced me to you and Miss Grea."


    "A twist of fate, no?" Grea gestured to Riley to sit down as she joined them at their table, "Or perhaps we should ount it to luck?"


    "She means me, if it wasn''t clear for you guys," Miss Pepondosovich held her head high as she returned to her seat, "Everything is thanks to me."


    "Luck¡­" Ahor Zai stood behind Riley as she once again tried to scan Miss Pepondosovich, "...A very dangerous element that I never thought truly needed to be ounted for. I wonder if there is a way we could input it in our calctions, Boss?"


    "I won''t know, Ahor Zai. I am not aputer like you."


    "I forgot," Ahor Zai closed her eyes, "Sometimes I forget that you are not capable of doing everything due to your innate strength and brilliance, Boss."


    "Thank you, Ahor Zai," Riley then grabbed a spoon of the food he nicely prepped earlier and gestured to Ahor Zai to taste it, "Can you tell me if this is better than the seafood I preparedst time back on the Council of Ross?"


    "Wait, you''re not going to eat it yourself!?" Miss Pepondosovich suddenly rushed toward Riley; not even giving Ahor Zai the chance to even lean her head close as she gobbled Riley''s spoon herself before just quickly backing away.


    She would be damned if someone else would actually taste this food. She had been looking forward for Riley to taste it himself, to the point she was getting frustrated that he kept dying it or something just interrupts him. And so, now, the only thing she could really do was take the matters into her own hands¡­ or in this case, into her own mouth.


    "...How does it taste, Miss Pepondosovich?" Riley could really only blink a couple of times as he looked at the bent spoon in his hand.


    "Hm¡­" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes, puttering her lips before she ced her hands on her cheeks and shook her head; letting out a small harmonious as she seemed to thoroughly enjoy the food the way Riley prepared it.


    As for Ahor Zai, she red at Miss Pepondosovich, almost wanting to kill her with her eyes.


    "It would seem that you truly are lucky, Miss Pepondosovich," Ahor Zai''s eyes twitched as she continued to stare at Miss Pepondosovich, "And so, answer the Boss. How exactly does it taste?"


    "It''s good. I thought I was going to hate the fact that youthered it with the fried garlic, but it just blends well with the butter. The caviar by itself is okay, but when you add the crab eggs with it, the taste just bes¡­ surreal," Miss Pepondosovich just breathed out as she crawled back to her seat, "I have to say, Riri. You probably would have made it into one of the best chefs in the entire multiverse if you just pursued it. This is just¡­ phenomenal."


    "Maybe I will in the future, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley ced his hand on his chin as he seemed to truly consider it.


    "I sort of agree with that sentiment," Marleen nodded, "I know how much you like to cook, Riley Ross. Even I''ve been getting the urge to cook since I entered your mind. If you probably were not a Primordial that is meant to destroy everything, then I know you would have been a chef."


    "The Primordial Chef," Miss Pepondosovich pointed at Riley, "That sounds like an entirely new story for you altogether, Riri! Miss Grea, you should try and taste Riri''s food and¡ªMiss Grea?"


    Miss Pepondosovich could not help but blink a couple of times as she looked around¡­ only for her not to find Grea anywhere.


    "Where¡­ did she go?"


    "She disappeared exactly 1.4 seconds ago, Miss Pepondosovich," Ahor Zai was the one to answer Miss Pepondosovich''s question, "Along with Miss Esme."


    "Miss Esme¡­!?" Not only Miss Pepondosovich, but Riley and Marleen also turned their heads to where Esme should be, but she truly was no longer there, "Don''t tell me¡­


    ¡­The two of them are going to fight each other this early!?"

 Chapter 936 936: Esme vs. Grea

    <h4>Chapter 936 Chapter 936: Esme vs. Grea</h4>


    "Well then, this is unexpected. We have not even been properly introduced."


    "My name is Esme''Varoif, former Princess of the Varoif Kingdom of Theran¡­ My universe is dead."


    It is as Miss Pepondosovich surmised, there were hundreds and hundreds of them on the 91st floor, and yet Esme and Grea just had to face off against each other just moments after meeting.


    "Grea, just Grea. My universe has long been gone, probably," any eloquence or grace in Grea''s tone disappeared as she cracked her knuckles and started stretching her neck, "To think that I would actually have to face you this early ¡ª Pepondosovich''s doing, without a doubt. When one is granted stupid luck, those that are near her are stripped of it, such is the nature of her powers."


    The championship and finals of the Grandarena City are as lengthy as it is because one needed to bepletely undefeated until the very top of the tower. If you were to reach the 100th floor without any match-up, you would need to wait until another undefeatedbatant reaches the same floor ¡ª that is when a champion will be decided.


    And with almost all the gods equal in strength in the uppermost floors, it is possible that a champion would not be born even after years and years. There are also instances, however, where a champion is named not even a month after ¡ª that was the case with Miss Pepondosovich.


    "Please teach me a lot of things, Miss Grea," Esme, unlike with her previous matches, quickly put up her guard and formed a stance as she looked at Grea from head to toe, watching even the slightest microscopic movements she made.


    "I don''t really think a physical behemoth like you can learn something from me, Princess Esme," Grea just suddenly burst out inughter as she also looked at Esme from head to toe, "But as your elder, I do feel somewhat obligated, so¡­


    ¡­Lesson No. 1."


    Esme squinted her eyes as Grea suddenly disappeared, and without even a secondter, Esme swung her fist to the side; smashing Grea''s fist that was heading straight toward her head ¡ª something was weird, however¡­ the fist was missing the rest of its body.


    "!!!" Esme then lowered her body, sweeping the hard ground of the arena as she waved her feet; meeting Grea''s leg that was also swinging toward her ankle¡­ but once again, only the foot was thrown away; the rest of Grea''s body,pletely nowhere to be seen.


    "Never engage an opponent if you do not know their capabilities and abilities."


    Esme quickly turned to look to where Grea''s voice wasing from, only for the back of her head to be hit by Grea''s other fist. And even though the impact was enough to cause the air around them to implode and explode, it did not seem to do that much of a damage to Esme, however, as she just slightly stumbled forward.


    But before she could do anything else, Esme suddenly found herself once again hit by a fist that she couldn''t seeing; all she heard was the boom that came after. No, at this point, it was more like a marching drum as the fists seemed to now being from random directions¡ªno, from all directions.


    Esme covered her head; her eyes, now just focusing on a single fist. And as soon as the hand shot toward her, she quickly caught it; gripping it hard as she started examining it. Unfortunately, before she could even look at it for a couple of seconds, the hand suddenly crumbled. But fortunately, that was all Esme needed to know what exactly was going on¡­


    ¡­and Grea seemed to also realize that as she finally revealed herself in front of Esme.


    "That¡­ is interesting, Miss Grea," Esme lowered her arms as she watched as Grea¡­ dismembered herself;pletely ripping off her hand. She then just casually let go of the dismembered hand, and before it could drop to the ground, her arm already regenerated another hand.


    But that wasn''t what Esme was staring at ¡ª wounds healing almost instantly was not thatmon in the Domain of the Gods, after all; almost more than half of them were capable of it. What she was focusing on¡­ was the dismembered hand which was now crawling on the ground. And then, without even any warning, it just suddenly shot toward Esme at the speed of light, literally.


    Esme swatted the hand away,pletely turning it into dust.


    "Your body, it''spletely made of stone, Miss Grea?" Esme asked as she watched as Grea casually approached her, "...And you can control your dismembered limbs?"


    "It is weird, no?" Grea chuckled before she started shaking and waving her arms; hitting them against each other. And as she did so, her hands were ripped apart again and again ¡ª all of them, shooting toward Esme as soon as they hit the ground, "But as I expected, this is nothing to you."


    Each of Grea''s dismembered hands would probably be capable of piercing through an entire; maybe even destroying it in impact; Esme, however, was just tanking everything she couldn''t deflect or parry.


    "Lesson No. 2," Grea then pointed her finger at Esme before making a flicking gesture. And as soon as she did so, Esme suddenly found a finger almost lodged into her arm; not quite, however, as her flesh was still slightly able to bounce it off. But not even a millisecondter, another finger shot toward the very same spot on her arm ¡ª the second one was not even done bouncing off before another finger shot toward her arm¡­ this time finally able to slightly pierce through her skin,


    "Even behemoths will fall when hit at the same spot over and over again by something¡­ tiny."


    "I already know that lesson, Miss Grea," Esme caught one of Grea''s hands and used it to block her finger bullets, "Master did something simr when he made a drill out of an entire gxy topletely incapacitate me when I was still an undead."


    "Riley Ross¡­" Grea could not help but just chuckle as she heard Esme''s words, "Truly a very interesting individual. Very well, then¡­ Lesson No. 3."


    This time, Grea pulled out her left arm¡­ before just attaching it above her shoulder as her original left arm regenerated; she did the same with her right arm.


    "Don''t let your enemy transform to their next phase."


    "!!!"


    Esme''s eyes widened as this time, Grea joined her hundreds of shooting limbs to attack Esme. Esme also tried blocking Grea''s fists as she mmed them toward her¡ªperhaps a mistake. The power behind Grea''s dismembered limbs and her actual strike could not even bepared.


    Esme just found herself suddenly sticking to the walls of the arena; most of her body,pletely embedded in it. She could really only widen her eyes as she felt something she hadn''t really felting from someone else before ¡ª pain.


    She would have probably felt this kind of pain when Riley attacked her with the cosmic drill, but she was an undead back then and couldn''t really feel anything but hunger. And so, now, Esme slightly winced as she heard her flesh and bones healing themselves.


    "Lesson No. 4 ¡ª there is no time to be shocked in battle."


    "!!!" And as Esme was still registering the new sensation in her mind, Grea appeared in front of her and mercilessly mmed all of her fists at her head; again and again like a jackhammer. The audience that were trying their best not to make any noise, could no longer contain their excitement as they felt their inside tremble along with the entire arena. Each of Grea''s strikes caused Esme''s head to just go deeper and deeper into the wall.


    "Lesson No. 5," Grea slightly growled as she increased the strength behind every punch even further; almost to the point that her voice sounded almost visceral, "Never give your opponent the chance to strike back. The only time you stop your strikes is when your opponent is done for."


    "Lesson No. 6 ¡ª when you think you''re doing enough, do more." And as Grea said those words, she grabbed the edges of the already concave wall with all of her hands and started stomping Esme''s head with her feet.


    "Woah!" The audience could really only grab onto their seats as they felt the entire arena almost shift. The arena is supposed to be indestructible and immovable ¡ª and yet right now, all of their knowledge of the ce is being questioned each time Esme is on the stage.


    But s, Esme''s streak seemed to be about to end as they could no longer see her fighting back.


    "Lesson No. 7¡­" Grea''s voice then slightly lowered as she continued to stomp Esme''s face. But after a few more kicks¡­ she suddenly stopped.


    "...There is such a thing as too much difference in strength ¡ª to the point that no matter what one does¡­" Grea smiled, "They will never be able to fill that gap."


    And as soon as Grea said those words¡­


    ¡­a hand suddenly emerged from the hole and grabbed her face.

 Chapter 937 937: Memories Brings Back Memories Brings Back The Dead While It Brings Back Memories

    Chapter 937  937: Memories Brings Back Memories Brings Back The Dead While It Brings Back Memories


    ??Grea knew. She already knew she was not going to be a match against Esme not even a second after they met.


    Her so-called lessons were useful, but as she said, they were only useful at a certain point. And now that Esme was grabbing her head, she was just trying her best to not be pulled inside the crevice she herself made.


    "Thank you for all the lessons, Miss Grea."


    Grea could hear Esme''s monotonous voice whispering from the shallow hole. And although her eyes weren''t glowing, she could still see them staring at her, deep inside her. The crevice was not deep at all, but it almost seemed as if Esme was staring at her from an endless abyss.


    "You did not need the lessons at all, child. You are a brick wall, and all my attacks are just pieces of crumpled papers ¡ª no matter how many I throw, the most I can do is remove dust," Grea let out a very long but deep sigh, not shying away from the abyss at all and even returning Esme''s gaze.


    "Do you have a final lesson for me, Miss Grea?" Esme''s voice whispered from the crevice.


    "Yes," Grea smiled, "The older your opponent is, the more stubborn they are."


    And without even any sign or hesitation, Grea suddenly crushed her own head with her hands. Her other set of hands, pushing her away from the crevice. And before she evennded back on her feet, her head had already regenerated.


    She did not have time to even check if she was actually whole, however, as she found herself suddenly dropped to the floor; her legs, crumbling down as Esme suddenly appeared beneath her, sweeping her feet¡­ along with the supposedly indestructible ground of the arena.


    The audience were already suspending all their beliefs about Grandarena City and the Domain of the Gods in general ¡ª but the ground of the arena casually being shaved off? That was where they drew the line.


    Never in history has there ever been someone capable of doing that? There might have been during the infant stage of the Domain, but unless it was recorded by someone, then this was the very first time this has ever truly happened.


    A handful of the audience were even leaving, in fear that Esme might actually pierce through the invisible barrier protecting them and end up obliterating them from existence, like what she did with her previous opponent. They weren''t going to wait for that to happen.


    Grea, on the other hand, just smiled as she crawled away from Esme, using her four arms to move like some sort of scorpion.


    "You truly fight in a very unique way, Miss Grea," Esme breathed out before leaping into the air; cing her foot on the ceiling before just kicking herself straight back down.


    "Well¡­" Grea tilted her head to the side, swiftly avoiding Esme''s foot which almostpletely pierced through the ground, "...If you lived as long as I have, everything just bes norm¡ª"


    And before Grea could even finish her words, Esme was able to grab the back of her head. And before Grea could intentionally separate her head again from the rest of her body, Esme did it for her by stepping on the back of her neck and pulling her head out.


    Esme did not leave anything to chance as she used Grea''s own head like a literal rock and smashed it against her own body ¡ª crushing everything into smithereens and not stopping until Grea''s entire body turned into ash.


    "Woah!"


    And without her even realizing it, Esme suddenly found herself back at her table; her hand that was just mming against Grea''s body¡­


    ¡­now caught by Miss Pepondosovich''s foot like it was a ser ball.


    "Rx, Miss Esme," Miss Pepondsovich let out a small chuckle as she very slowly lowered her leg and pulled it away, "You''re back. I do have to say, I already expected Miss Grea to lose, but to think the disparity between the two of you is¡­"


    Miss Pepondosovich really only sucked in a deep breath and winced as she returned to her seat.


    As for Esme, she just blinked a couple of times before standing up; her eyes, locked onto Miss Pepondosovich''s foot which caught her fist like it was nothing.


    "You don''t have to worry, Miss Esme," Miss Pepondosovich jumped onto her seat and waved her hand, "The tower won''t register what you did as an act of violence since you truly didn''t mean it."


    "Hm," Esme nodded as she also just returned to her seat. But after a few seconds, she focused her attention on Miss Pepondosovich again, "You are stronger than Miss Grea, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "What? No, pft¡­" Miss Pepondosovich waved her hand as she called for a waiter ¡ª except there was no waiter there at all and the beverage she wanted to order just popped up in front of her. She then took a sip of her drink for a few seconds, before letting out a short but very deep breath and looking at Esme,


    "...Miss Grea is stronger than me in a lot of w¡ª"


    "She is stronger than Grea," Marleen did not let Miss Pepondosovich finish her words as she answered Esme''s question, "Pepondosovich might look and act like that, but she''s incredibly strong ¡ª even if you don''t ount for her stupid luck. But then again, the very reason she''s that strong is because of her luck."


    "What can I say?" Miss Pepondosovich leaned back and rxed, "Maybe I just deserve all the luck in the entire multiverse, outerverse, innerverse, and whatever other verse there is."


    "I believe you do deserve to be lucky, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley, who had just been quietly discussing with Ahor Zai about something, joined the conversation as he too, ordered his milk soda, "After seeing your family being burned in front of you even though you were fully capable of saving them, I do believe you deserve at least that."


    "I think you''re doing that on purpose already, Riri," Miss Pepondosovich furrowed her eyebrows, "It''s been a very, very long time ¡ª but the hurt is still the same so I would appreciate it if you don''t mention that again."


    "I apologize, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley let out a sigh. As for Ahor Zai, she just patted Riley''s shoulder and shook her head; almost as if gesturing to him that he no fault at all in the matter, "I truly am not doing it on purpose."


    "It''s true," Marleen once again interjected, "He really is not doing it on purpose."


    "...I don''t think that makes it better," Miss Pepondosovich stuck out her tongue and scoffed.


    "But since we are on the topic already, Miss Pepondosovich ¡ª can I ask you something?"


    "I just told you not to mention it¡­" Miss Pepondosovich could really only groan as she looked Riley in the eyes, "But fine, if this can stop you from ever mentioning my family again, then go. You may proceed with your ask, Riri."


    "You are more than a hundred thousand years old, correct?" Riley returned Miss Pepondosovich''s gaze.


    "Correct, hm¡­" Miss Pepondosovich nodded nonchntly.


    "And you still have not forgotten your earliest memories?" Riley ced his hand on his chin, "Your mother, father, your siblings ¡ª you have not forgotten any of them, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "...No," Miss Pepondosovich thought about it for a bit before answering, "Don''t be mistaken, Riri. I have forgotten a lot of things, perhaps I have even forgotten more things than I remember ¡ª but you don''t really forget the things that have made you¡­ you."


    "The things that have made me me?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "Aerith."


    Riley turned to look at Marleen as she joined the conversation again.


    "Your sister, Katherine, your first friends," Marleen followed up, "I like to call them your Core Memory. Memories that shaped your life and changed it, and memories that  tend to change your life usually involve either a person, a ce, or an event that happened involving either of the two."


    "Does that mean that if I happen to cause my sister''s death¡­ I will never be able to forget it?" Riley looked down.


    "Would you want to forget something like that, Riri?" Miss Pepondosovich breathed out, "I remember the death of my husband and children, I remember being so helpless, I remember them screaming."


    "Do you not want to forget that, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "No, not at all. Not even if it starts to hurt more and more," Miss Pepondosovich shook her head, "Because no matter how painful it is¡­


    ¡­memories of them are all I have left. I don''t want to lose that."


    "Once you reach a certain age, Riley Ross," Marleen lightly sped her head, "You''ll know what we mean, what we truly mean."


    "Memories¡­"


    "Do not worry, Boss," Ahor Zai once again ced her hand on Riley''s shoulder, "Isn''t that why I am here? To make sure everything is recorded."


    "I only wished the dead could still remember things," Riley sighed.


    "...What?" Miss Pepondosovich raised an eyebrow at Riley''s words.


    "So that they would remember how they died by my hands."


    "Wow¡­


    ¡­way to turn this conversation sideways, Riri."

 Chapter 938 938: The Main Characters

    Chapter 938  938: The Main Characters


    ??"Oh, you''re back already? We were about to leave."


    Riley was teleported away to his match, Miss Pepondosovich and the others were about to go look at the other domains on the 91st floor, but before they could leave their table, Riley was already back.


    One might think he dominated the match ¡ª but not at all. Even though it wasn''t even a minute, it was obvious to Esme and the others that he was exhausted¡­


    ¡­and Riley knows this too.


    He was reaching his limit physically.


    "The fact that you could even reach this far shows how monstrous you actually are, Riley."


    "What was that?" Miss Pepondosovich, who was getting ready to leave the restaurant, could not help but look at Marleen as she suddenly spoke. But as she noticed her looking at Riley, Miss Pepondosovich''s eyebrows started to lower,


    "Are you still getting inside Riri''s mind!? Get out! Get out of there!"


    "...No," Marleen rolled her eyes and shook her head, "I do not need to get into his mind to know what he''s thinking, Pepondosovich. I''ve already lived his life."


    "You mind reader types are so creepy," Miss Pepondosovich just stuck out her tongue before gesturing to the others to follow her, grabbing Esme''s hand and dragging her away, "Come, let''s leave these two weirdos and go ahead. Let them walk behind us like the creeps they are."


    Esme did not really say anything, just ncing back at Riley and nodding at him as Miss Pepondosovich took her away, leaving Marleen and Riley to follow behind them; they did not, however, follow their pace at all as the two just leisurely walked out of the restaurant.


    "Are you curious? How to turn your Territory into a Domain?" Marleen noticed Riley looking around.


    "Not particrly, Miss Marleen," Riley shook his head, "But I am curious how your domain works even if you are not inside it."


    "Hm. It''s not really something one can teach. Like most things involving beings of our level, everything justes to us randomly, at very convenient times," Marleen raised her hand and snapped her fingers. And as she did so, Riley suddenly found himself and Marleen outside her domain; the brutalist and vast city of the 91st floor, once again drowning his eyes of its grandness,


    "All these people you see here, they were not thrown here just because they are strong, Riley. If that was the case, then a number of themarians and evaniels would definitely be here."


    "Hm," Riley nodded in agreement as he looked at all the people walking around the capacious and exaggeratedly wide streets of Grandarena City.


    "What each of us have inmon is our path," Marleen let out a small hum as she too, watched all the gods, "For some reason, one way or another ¡ª we always find ourselves on the right path, or the wrong one depending on how you look at it. Esme''s race is strong, incredibly so. If they were here, all of them would dominate the 90th floor, but as I said, just being strong is not enough. One''s path needs to be blessed by fate¡­


    ¡­or cursed by it."


    "Which one are you, Miss Marleen?" Riley asked as he turned away from the crowd and looked her in the eyes, "Are you blessed, or cursed by your fate?"


    "I do not really know where I belong there," Marleen let out a small chuckle as she nced back to the building of her domain, "I have experienced thousands and thousands of lives, each of thempletely different from the other ¡ª I can tell you how fate treated them, but I can never tell you mine simply for the fact that I don''t know¡­


    ¡­When I think I am blessed by fate, I see memories that are much more happy and content than I am. When I think I am cursed by fate, I see memories that are much more horrible and terrible than I am. And do you know what the most confusing part is in all of these?"


    "What is it, Miss Marleen?"


    "Is that in some cases, those who are cursed by their fate are happier than those that were blessed by it?"


    "Perhaps it is just a matter of perspective, Miss Marleen."


    "Maybe," Marleen let out a sigh as she shook her head, "But it is mostly due to ignorance. People treat ignorance as an unfavorable thing, and factually it is ¡ª but when all you know is sadness and pain, then even just the slightest touch of happiness wouldplete your entire life. There is beauty in ignorance; grim, yes¡­ but beauty nheless."


    "Thank you for sharing your views with me, Miss Marleen," Riley closed his eyes and nodded at Marleen as he thanked her. But after a few seconds, he once again turned to look Marleen in the eyes, "What about me, Miss Marleen?"


    "Hm?"


    "You have lived and experienced my life, and the thoughts I have during it," Riley breathed out, "Do you think my path is cursed by fate, or blessed by it?"


    "You might be a Primordial, Riley," Marleen shook her head, "Fate is not really something that has a hold on you. I can even say that my fate, now moving forward since I have met you, is something that you control. Yes, I think that is the best way I can describe your rtionship with fate¡­


    ¡­you decide the fate of those around you, Riley."


    "I suppose I do, Miss Marleen."


    "I¡­ do not mean how you decide the lives of¡ªno," Marleen could really only pinch the bridge of her nose as Riley once again found a way to involve torture and murder in their conversation, "What I am trying to say is that¡ªif I am to borrow Gary Gray''s interesting vernacr¡ªis that I and everyone else you see here are either the protagonist of their own universe, or the antagonist. While you¡­


    ¡­you are the main chara¡ª"


    "The final boss," Riley did not let Marleen finish her words; a satisfied smile, forming on his face as he nodded, "I am, and will always be, the Final Boss."


    "Hhm," Marleen only light clicked her tongue and nodded, but after a few seconds, she shook her head and sighed, "Well, for me, you are more like¡ª"


    "What the¡ªyou could have just teleported us too!"


    And once again, Marleen found herself interrupted as Miss Pepondosovich and Esme were finally able to step out of her domain.


    "What about Miss Pepondosovich, Miss Marleen?" And as soon as Riley saw Miss Pepondosovich, he quickly asked Marleen again, "Is she cursed by fate, or blessed by it?"


    "That one I can answer withplete confidence, Riley," Marleen smirked as she looked Miss Pepondosovich in the eyes, who quickly pointed at her in response.


    "Don''t you dare say anything!" Miss Pepondosovich puffed out her tiny chest, "I am blessed by fate, and cursed by beauty."


    "...Hm," Marleen just raised an eyebrow before turning her focus back to Riley, "She''s neither. Pepondosovich¡­


    ¡­is fate herself."


    "Then by that logic, I suppose I own her."


    "That¡­" Marleen squinted her eyes, "...That''s sort of true, isn''t it? She''stched onto you too."


    "I am not owned by anyone! Not for hundreds of thousands of years!" Miss Pepondosovich started pointing her finger back and forth between the two, "Watch!"


    Miss Pepondosovich left Esme''s side and quickly hopped toward Riley and stood beside him; even grabbing his shirt from the back, "And I am totally nottched onto Riley! If I was, then he would definitely win the book that contains the clue to the cosmic piece ¡ª but as you can see, he probably would no longer win in the next few matches!"


    "I could argue that either Esme or you would win the championship, so¡­"


    "No!" Miss Pepondosovich vehemently shook her head, "That is different! If I am trulytched onto him and that he owns me, then the book that contains the cosmic piece should already be in my hands!"


    Miss Pepondosovich then pointed up at Marleen''s face, and as she did so, someone identally bumped against her arm, causing the stranger to trip and roll several times on the ground.


    "Oof," Miss Pepondosovich winced as she quickly retracted her arm back and she looked at the man that just tripped, "Are you


    ¡ªwait, don''t I know you?"


    "Yes, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme quickly pointed at the man''s face, "This ugliness and the total malformation of the face could only belong to one single entity. He¡­


    ¡­is the human who holds the clue to the cosmic piece."


    "That¡­" Miss Pepondosovich looked at the man''s face for a few seconds, before she heard a quiet snicker escaping Marleen''s lips, "...I''m¡­


    ¡­I''m nottching onto anyone!"

 Chapter 939 939: Unlucky Luck

    <h4>Chapter 939 Chapter 939: Unlucky Luck</h4>


    Riley, Esme, and Miss Pepondosovich could not mistake this human who was groveling on the floor in pain for someone else. How could they?


    When they saw the drawing of the current holder of the book, they thought no one could actually look like that. Even when the god with the hundred eyes showed them the vision of the man, they still found it hard to believe that someone with a face like him could exist.


    He wasn''t even deformed, he had no obvious physical defects ¡ª his face was just¡­ none of them could really exin it.


    And now, that face was currently writhing in pain on the ground.


    "...I kinda want to kick you in the face."


    "Please, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley raised his hand as he blocked Miss Pepondosovich''s path, "It is not right to hurt anyone with disabilities, just kill them in one swift motion. But if you do want to hurt him, then just let him continue living ¡ª his disability is painful enough."


    "...He''s not disabled, Riley," Marleen could really only sigh as she heard Riley''s words. Although she practically knows everything about him and could even somewhat guess what he is going to do or say next, Riley still finds ways to be unpredictable in the most predictable way ¡ª what he said was such a Riley thing to say, but then she didn''t think he would say it now in this situation.


    As for the man, he quickly turned to look up at Riley and the others as soon as the pain in his shin started to alleviate. He then quickly covered his head with a hood and just started crawling before sprinting away, all without even a single word, just whimpers.


    Unfortunately for him, Esme suddenly blocked his path ¡ª and like hitting a steel wall, the man''s entire body bounced back; blood, just violently spraying out of his nose as his face hit Esme''s hard abs.


    The man could really only just look up at Esme, before the whites in his eyes made themselves known and he fell with the back of his head hitting the hard ground first.


    "I think you killed him, Miss Esme!" Miss Pepondosovich pointed at Esme, causing Esme to quickly shake her head vehemently as she approached the man.


    "I did not mean to do that," Esme quietly said, but as soon as she heard him still breathing and his heart still beating well, she just let out a subtle sigh of relief and returned to beingpletely stoic.


    Miss Pepondosovich, Esme, and Marleen then started looking at each other back and forth before turning their focus to Riley.


    "...What do we do with him, Riri?"


    "Why are you asking me, Miss Pepondosovich?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "You and Miss Esme are the ones that knocked him out."


    "You''re the expert in hiding bodies!"


    "I do not hide bodies, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head, "Iy them out and present them nicely for everyone to see. And unfortunately for this disabled man, he is still alive."


    "He still looks like a corpse! We should hide him either way!"


    "No, he looks to be in a rush to go somewhere, Miss Pepondosovich. It is not right to block a disabled person''s path."


    "...Seriously?" Marleen did not really want to hear wherever the conversation was leading to as she let out a long and very exasperated sigh before approaching the unconscious man and carrying him over her shoulders,


    "I think the two of you arepletely missing the point here. You just mentioned having the book right in the palm of your hands, and now, the owner of the book is here ¡ª there is absolutely no denying that you aretching onto Riley, and you aretching onto him hard¡­


    ¡­just ept that you and Riley''s paths are closely intertwined now."


    "That¡ª"


    "And before you start anything, we should probably get this man back to my building¡­" Marleen''s eyes started to dart toward the other gods who were starting to be curious as to what was happening near them, "...We''re fortunate enough that there aren''t any other gods close to us ¡ª but then that also makes it even more stupid that this mortal actually bumped his shin on Pepondosovich''s arm¡­


    ¡­talk about rigged luck."


    ***


    "What the¡ª!!!"


    The ugly human violently screamed as he was woken up by his own snore ¡ª and it wasn''t because his snore was loud, not at all. It was because his nose waspletely broken. He did not really have time to endure the pain, however, as his adrenaline instantly rose up as he realized several gods were currently staring at him.


    That was all he could really see, he didn''t even realize that Marleen and the others rested himfortably in his own deluxe room, the only thing he could see was them. For Riley and the others, the other gods were just¡­ people. But for the ugly man, they were beings that could probably identally crush him just by breathing.


    He couldn''t even muster up the courage to speak or plead for his life.


    "Rx, human¡­" Miss Pepondosovich shook her head and sighed, "...Any damage we could do, it''s already been done to your face."


    "I don''t think that''s going to help him," Marleen could not help but raise an eyebrow, "Seriously, I''m the one who should be the most entric here since I''m the oldest by a mile¡ªbut why does it seem like I''m the most normal one?"


    "Because Miss Pepondosovich, Miss Esme, and I are on the spectrum, Miss Marleen," Riley nodded.


    "I''m not on the spectrum, Riri. I''m like so far from you and Miss Esme."


    "It is called a spectrum, Miss Pepondosovich ¡ª there are a lot of types, most unnoticeable."


    "We''re losing track again, okay¡­" Marleen once again sighed as she just approached the man as calmly as she could, but even then, the man could not help but jolt in ce,


    "No one here is going to hurt you, okay? Look, we even brought you here instead of just leaving you out there. You have my word."


    "You''re¡­" And finally, albeit cowering, the man spoke up as he looked at Marleen, "...I don''t have the book. Please, please just let me go."


    "We''re not after the book."


    "We''re not¡­?" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes as she looked at Riley, "...That''s literally why we''re even climbing the tower in the first ce. Let''s just get the book from him and get out of this ce, I still haven''t explored Riri and Esme to my other favorite city¡­


    ¡­the City of Dream."


    "Pepondosovich, can you not?" Marleen almost growled at Miss Pepondosovich, "Can you just let me speak to the mortal, please?"


    "...Fine," Miss Pepondosovich scoffed as she gestured to Riley and Esme to follow her to the corner of the room, "Let''s leave this to our elders."


    "If¡­ if you''re really not after me," the man breathed out as he practically groveled on the bed; kneeling in front of Marleen as he pleaded for his life, "Then please, just let me go."


    "We will. I just have two questions I need you to answer, and we will even personally escort you where you need to go safely."


    "P¡­please, ask," the man bowed down as he showed his palms to Marleen.


    "We are going to keep you safe, I promise," Marleen sighed, "I just want to know what exactly you are doing on the 91st floor, and how exactly you got here in the first ce."


    "I was brought here by¡ª"


    "!!!"


    And before the man could say what he wanted to say, half of the entire room suddenly disappeared¡ªno, it was cleaved away by some sort of violent wind. Esme, Riley, and Miss Pepondosovich could really only look at Marleen¡­ as the man disappeared with half the room right after she promised they would keep him safe.


    "...I guess there''s only one god of luck here," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged as she stepped near the ledge of the cleaved floor. She then turned to look at the distance, only to see a silhouette carrying the poor ugly man at a speed he probably wouldn''t survive for long,


    "So¡­are you going to keep your promise, or not?"


    "Tch," Marleen could really only click her tongue as she disappeared from her spot. Miss Pepondosovich and Esme quickly followed behind her without a word, as for Riley¡­


    ¡­he just stared at the door of the room which was surprisingly still intact even though it was in the other half of the room that was cleaved away.


    And very soon, a low-pitched whistle whispered in the air as the door very slowly opened¡­ and there stepped out a face extremely familiar to Riley, to the point it caused him to almost take a step back in surprise.


    "...Sister?" Riley breathed out as he looked at the person from head to toe. But as he looked up at her face again¡­ she now suddenly resembled Aerith.


    "Sister¡­?" The woman who looked eerily simr to Hannah chuckled And even though there was no floor beneath her feet, she still casually started to approach Riley,


    "Is that who I look like to you?"

 Chapter 940 940: I am...

    Chapter 940  940: I am...


    ??Surreal.


    At most times, Riley Ross has been described as just that;pletely and utterly surreal. It may be because of his strength, or just his outright outward appearance. And now, ever since Riley was thrown into the Domain of the Gods, he could consider everything that he has seen here so far as surreal, even for him.


    But if Riley was asked to describe what surreal is, then the only definition he would have of it would be what was happening in front of him right now. The woman who was approaching him was walking on empty air; her entire silhouette waspletely unperturbed by anything that was going on around her, even her long blonde hair seemed immovable.


    The debris, the dust, and perhaps even the very space itself seemed almost as if they didn''t exist around her ¡ª like she was not really there, but she was.


    But perhaps the most important factor for Riley was the woman''s face. At first, she truly did look like Hannah, but as she was approaching closer and closer to him ¡ª all he could really see was Aerith.


    "Sister¡­? Is that what I look like to you?"


    And as the woman spoke, Riley once again found himself confused as the woman''s voice resembled both at the same time ¡ª something that should be impossible. But then again, he was in the Domain of the Gods, thinking of something and someone in the Domain of the Gods could offer it.


    "You are using other abilities besides physical strength," Riley muttered as he looked at the woman from head to toe, "And yet you have not been disqualified from the tower."


    "Because I am not climbing the tower," the woman let out a small chuckle as her feet finally stepped on the floor; the smile on her face, slightly mischievous as she also looked at Riley from head to toe,


    "And I entered from a different entrance, Riley Ross."


    "You know who I am, Stranger?" Riley squinted his eyes as the woman started walking around him while eyeing him.


    "To an extent," the woman shrugged as she looked around the wrecked room, before looking at the nowpletely open view of the outside, "I was going to knock properly, but I truly did not expect that someone would just suddenly raze the entire floor."


    "You are not with the god that took the ugly human, Stranger?" Riley tilted his head to the side before he also looked to where Miss Pepondosovich and the others disappeared to.


    "No, should I be?" The woman giggled before just sitting¡­ on empty air, crossing one leg over the other as she gestured to Riley to do the same. Riley did not really question her and also just sat down on empty air, only to truly feel like a seat was truly there,


    "I am sure you are aware of this, but the result of your fight with Kravos has actually already spread far and wide ¡ª everyone that shouldn''t know it, knows it."


    "Hm," Riley only breathed out as he leaned back and rxed on the invisible chair. It was¡­ quitefortable, after all.


    "But wow, wow, wow¡­" The woman then pointed at Riley with both her palms; the look on her face was extremely amused as she once again looked at him from head to toe, "The Mythical Riley Ross, the Renovator¡­ The Father."


    "...The Father?" Riley squinted his eyes as he looked the woman straight in the eyes, "Are you perhaps Aerith''Ross?"


    "No," the woman almost snorted as soon as she heard Riley''s words. Of course, Riley already knew that the woman wasn''t Aerith''Ross ¡ª Aerith''Ross was depicted as having hair as white as his, and even the old themarian, Seed, described her as such,


    "I just know her deeply, quite deeply, to a personal level."


    "Then why do you look like her?"


    "I thought I looked like your sister. I think her name was¡­" The woman let out a small but very long groan as she looked at the ceiling, with half of it now the sky of Marlene''s domain, "...Hannah, that''s right. Her name was Hannah."


    "Why do you look like you are both?"


    "Wow, you really are incredibly stoic and uncaring, aren''t you? Just like in the stories," the woman once again giggled, "But how rude of me not to introduce myself to you, I need to get rid of this habit of being thoughtless when speaking to people who do not technically exist anymore ¡ª well, technically, you still do exist."


    "Hm¡­" Riley ced his hand on his chin, slightly humming as he analyzed the stranger''s words.


    "I lost track again and still didn''t introduce myself," the woman scoffed at herself as she shook her head, "If you truly must know, I am¡­


    ¡­Jennifer."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I know," Jennifer let out a sigh as she closed her eyes, "My name is quite underwhelming, I just wanted to say it like it would actually mean something to you."


    "Do not worry, my name is also quitemon, Miss Jennifer," Riley just shrugged.


    "Not where I am from," a very subtle smile crawled on Jennifer''s face as she once again looked Riley in the eyes, "That name¡­ only one is allowed to have it, even variations of it arepletely¡­ I should say restricted, but it''s not, really."


    "And where are you from, Jennifer?" Riley asked.


    "I have a feeling you already know ¡ª I''ve been leaving bits and pieces subtly throughout our conversation, after all," Jennifer smirked.


    "Yes, but it wasn''t subtle at all, Jennifer," Riley breathed out and nodded,


    "...You are from the future."


    "Hmn," Jennifer just nonchntly raised her eyebrows and slightly nodded, "Just how far ¡ª I actually have no idea, but far. As for why I look the way I look, well¡­


    ¡­I have this innate ability, which I can''t really turn off, to be seen as the person you most want to see again ¡ª in this case, apparently, you want to see your sister and Aerith; well, your sister more since you saw her first."


    "Hm."


    "So, exciting, right!?" Jennifer started hitting the invisible armrests of her invisible chair, "Ask everything you need to ask me ¡ª and don''t worry about all those time paradoxes, time slipping, time consequences, or the like, they don''t really matter for beings such as you and I."


    "Who are you rted to, Jennifer?" Riley asked with a nk expression on his face.


    "Okay, I wasn''t expecting that question at all," Jennifer seemed extremely surprised as she suddenly ced her hand on her mouth, "Well if you must know¡­


    ¡­I am an embodiment of Paige Pearson."


    "Oh," Riley could not help but blink a couple of times ¡ª he had almostpletely forgotten about Paige Pearson.


    "You''re thinking about how you''ve forgotten her, aren''t you?" Jennifer giggled as she started waving her hand, "That is totally not your fault, the fact that you are even remembering her now is impressive. Since I am here¡­ she can not exist at the same time."


    "Are you saying she is gone¡­?" Riley''s eyes slightly darted away as he thought of Paige. Throughout his entire life, he really had no people he could categorize as a friend ¡ª but if he had to choose for there to be one, then Paige¡­ Paige would probably be it.


    "Yes," Jennifer answered without any hesitation as she once again looked Riley in the eyes, "And no. It is a littleplicated ¡ª I know you are aware of what sort of being Paige Pearson is, correct?"


    "Not exactly, Miss Jennifer."


    "Well, Paige Pearson is¡­ I don''t want to say this since it''s been overused and a little cheesy," Jennifer started twirling her finger, "But Paige Pearson is a construct, a concept if you may¡­


    ¡­created on the very day you first met Nothing."


    "I am aware of that already, Other Paige told me something simr," Riley nodded.


    "Yes," Jennifer nodded several times, "And the same construct, the same concept can''t exist at the same time because¡­ they''re the same. What I am trying to say here is¡­ Ack, why is this so hard¡­ I was wrong, I worded it out wrong."


    "Hm?"


    "I am not an embodiment of Paige Pearson¡­" Jennifer let out a quiet and very forced-out groan as she once again looked up at the sky, "...I am an embodiment of the being you know as Other Paige. What I am trying to say is¡­


    ¡­I am Paige Pearson."

 Chapter 941 941: Finally, Answers

    <h4>Chapter 941 Chapter 941: Finally, Answers</h4>


    "What I am trying to say is¡­ I am Paige Pearson."


    "I admit that I am still slightly confused, Miss Jennifer."


    "You are? ''Coz you''re like the chillest guy I think I''ve ever met. To think you really are as they described you are."


    "They?"


    "Yes."


    There was this air of mystery around Jennifer, but at the same time, the mystery did not seem to have a wall at all as she seemed to just be ready to tell everything she knew to Riley. It was a very refreshing sight for him.


    After all, most of the mysteries in Riley''s life usually just go on bing a mystery, or if it is answered, they are mostly reced by an even greater mystery ¡ª such was his life. But he did not mind, half of the fun was the mystery¡­ but Riley did not mind being handed the questions at all.


    "Who are they, Miss Jennifer?" And so, Riley asked.


    "Aerith''Ross, Diana, Esme, Hera, Ahor Zai, Karina, and the previous Paige Pearson before me," and Jennifer answered without even a slight hesitation, "They actually told me more about you, unbelievable things that even I, as the sessor of the Creator, could not believe to be true. Isn''t it weird, how most of the people you know are just gone in my time?"


    "How far into the future are you, Miss Jennifer?"


    "Eh, I can''t really answer that¡­" Jennifer tapped her chin with her finger several times before her eyes widened, "Not because I don''t want to tell you, I really don''t know if it''s the right answer. I am from the future, but I am not really from the future ¡ª my universe is new and therefore not your future at all. Or perhaps it is, since you are still there."


    "I thought I was no longer in your time, Miss Jennifer?" Riley slightly tilted his head.


    "Hm¡­ yes and no?" Jennifer also tilted her head to the side as she squinted, "You exist, you''re just not¡­ there anymore."


    "I''m dead."


    "No, no¡­" Jennifer chuckled as she started waving her hands, "You''re alive, you''re just¡­ not there anymore. You were sealed away."


    "I was sealed away," Riley ced his hand on his chin; a very small smile, slowly crawling on his face.


    "O¡­kay," Jennifer''s eyes once again widened as she slightly leaned away, "I don''t think that is something to smile about. But it''s not any of my business, so just ask. Ask."


    "Who sealed me away, Miss Jennifer?"


    "Your sister."


    "Hannah?"


    "No, your other sister."


    "I¡­ have another sister?"


    "No, of course, it''s Hannah, duh¡­" Jennifer slightly rolled her eyes, but soon enough, a small giggle escaped her lips, "...I''m actually really excited to be talking to you right now, Riley Ross. If you think you''re some sort of big shot now, you should know the things you doter on ¡ª crazy. Most of it is wack and evil, but hey, it led to some beautiful stuff."


    "How did youe to the past, Miss Jennifer?"


    "Hmn¡­" Jennifer sped her palms together as she nodded, "...That''s not something I can answer, I''m not the tech guy ¡ª that''s big D. And by big D, I meant Diana."


    "Aerith''Ross, who is she?"


    "Finally!" Jennifer stood up from her invisible seat and she pointed at Riley, "I thought you would never ask! This is the most exciting part, Aerith''Ross and¡ª"


    "That is enough from you."


    And like lightning just suddenly shing out of nowhere, a deafening thunder resounded throughout Marleen''s domain¡ªno, everyone within the Domain of the Gods felt it, causing all of them to just momentarily stop whatever it was they were doing.


    Riley also stopped everything, he even stopped breathing. But not because of the thunder, no ¡ª but because of the woman that just suddenly appeared right beside Jennifer, already grabbing her by the waist and both of their feet were slowly leaving the ruined floor.


    "Aerith''Ross¡­" Riley could not help but just whisper as he also stood up from the invisible seat; his eyes, justpletely fixated on theplete on the Aerith in front of him. Riley had seen some variants of Aerith a few times, but there was just something different about this Aerith¡­ although he didn''t know why, it just felt like she wasn''t a variant at all but apletely different being entirely.


    And it wasn''t just because her hair and skin were as white as his. There was just¡­ something different with her ¡ª although she looked like Aerith, she was more simr to Karina in a way.


    "You¡­" Riley blinked a couple of times,


    "...You''re my daughter."


    "..." Aerith''Ross just stared at Riley for a few seconds, before closing her eyes and just flying away¡­ creating some sort of tear in space as she did so. Unlike Jennifer, she did not even say a single word to Riley as she disappeared. Riley was going to follow them inside, but he found himself just passing through it. The only thing he could really do was watch as the portal faded away.


    He did, however¡­


    ¡­saw Jennifer nodding at him.


    Aerith''Ross¡­ was his daughter? Will be his daughter?


    She could only be his and Aerith''s child¡­ but Jennifer told him that Hannah sealed her away ¡ª so how exactly will the two of them have a child? Themarians can only give birth once in a thousand years, and Aerith already gave birth to Gary just recently.


    "Oh¡­"


    And so, once again, Riley found himself with even more questions than before. And he thought that he was finally getting straight answers, only to find himself even more confused than before.


    But of course, Riley did not really mind as he just shrugged and waited for Miss Pepondosovich and the others to be back. Unbeknownst to him, however, outside of the Domain of the Gods¡­


    ¡­his question was being answered.


    "You''re pregnant."


    "...What?"


    "You''re pregnant."


    "I heard what you said, I just don''t think you understand what you just said."


    "What''s there to understand, you''re pregnant."


    "How can I be¡­!?"


    Although the Ross'' residence was extremely mundane even with the themarians in itpared to the Domain of the Gods, something extremely bizarre was currently happening inside it. Diana and Aerith may just seem like casual friends who were sharing news with each other, but the news they were sharing was¡­ something.


    "It is literally impossible for us to give birth twice in a thousand years, least of all half a century!"


    Aerith''s voice filled the entire house, causing it to tremble as she cracked the floor just by approaching Diana.


    "...You''re going to have to pay for that," Diana sighed as she nced at her broken tiles, "And to refute your statement, no ¡ª female themarians giving birth twice in a thousand years has happened before."


    "...What? No," Aerith scoffed.


    "It has, twice," Diana just nonchntly shrugged as she sipped her coffee, "Once in my lifetime too. I don''t really know how to feel about this but, well¡­ congrattions."


    "Are you saying¡­ I''m pregnant with Riley''s child?"


    "Yes," Diana smiled.


    "Why are you smiling¡­?"


    "Because I''ll have another grandchild?" Diana just let out a small chuckle, "And royalty at that. I need to make sure Karina doesn''t feel left out once that child is born, but that shouldn''t be a problem at all since¡­


    ¡­it''s a boy."

 Chapter 942 942: Almost Human

    <h4>Chapter 942 Chapter 942: Almost Human</h4>


    "Hm¡­"


    A full hour has passed since Riley was left alone inside the ruined room. His mind, just wandering everywhere as he thought of all the things Jennifer told him and his discoveries. He was just casually lying on the floor, looking at the sky above Marleen''s domain ¡ª he was going to think until Miss Pepondosovich and the others were back, but he had already run out of things to think about.


    "Does that mean Hannah is still alive sometime a thousand years from now?" Riley whispered to himself, "But that would not make sense¡­ unless Mother thinks of a way to make her immortal ¡ª but Sister would not really like that. Hm¡­"


    Riley rolled on his side as he ced his hand on his chin, "Is it possible that Aerith is pregnant now? But ording to Themarian biology, that is impossible ¡ª but if it is, then that would mean that as soon as I get out of the Domain of the Gods, something would happen that will make Sister seal me¡­


    ¡­but what does Sealing me mean, exactly?"


    Riley once again rolled to his other side as he continued to think, "Sealing me simr to how Mother and Aerith tried to seal me but ended up just causing the start of a very short multiversal war? What do you think, Ahor Zai?"


    "I thought you would never ask me, Boss." And all of a sudden, a small silhouette emerged from Riley''s chest, "To answer your question¡­


    ¡­I don''t know. I can analyze what might happen in the future, but I can never truly know them unless they happen ¡ª my part in the multiversal ecosystem is to record things that happen, after all."


    "Hm," Riley did not really mind Ahor Zai''s answer.


    "But I would like to know," Ahor Zai''s silhouette started to grow bigger until she was back in her human form; her face, still as average as it could be, "I am truly curious about all the information my future self contains, Boss. Miss Jennifer said that I was one of the entities still existing during her time."


    "Do you have any information regarding a themarian giving birth twice in a thousand years, Ahor Zai?" Riley sat up as he looked Ahor Zai in the eyes.


    "Yes," Ahor Zai''s eyes started to light up; letters, just flying to and from them as she returned Riley''s gaze, "Out of all the data I have in all the other universes, only 2 universes have instances where a female themarian has given birth twice in just the span of 1 thousand years. One gave birth to a twin."


    "So, it''s possible," Riley stood up and nodded.


    "Yes," Ahor Zai also nodded, "And this is just a probability, but since most universes do not really have ess to themarian news, I do believe there is a medium chance that there are many more universes out there with the same instances."


    "So¡­ it is possible that Aerith is pregnant as we speak," Riley let out a small breath as he once again looked at the sky, "Let us not waste any more time in this domain, Ahor Zai. Which direction did the others go?"


    "Hm," Ahor Zai once again nodded as she approached Riley; her silhouette, slowly bing smaller and smaller in the air the closer she got to him, "Exactly in that direction, Boss."


    "Okay," Riley started to step forward, and as he did so, Ahor Zai once again sunk into his chest and disappeared before Riley just leaped out, causing several skirts of wind to explode in the air. Miss Pepondosovich and Marleen exined to him that violence is strictly not allowed on the 91st floor, but there seems to truly be a lot of loopholes in it ¡ª whoever made the Grandarena City was ying with them¡­


    ¡­and perhaps even letting the human who held the book that contained the clue to a cosmic piece roam free on the 91st floor was also a part of his ploy.


    Based on everything he had heard, the one who made Grandarena city was the so-called Grand Champion ¡ª he set the entire thing up, and perhaps the entire tower itself was his domain.


    The Domain of the Gods is truly perhaps the most confusing and interesting ce Riley has ever been in, and will ever be in. He would have wanted to stay¡­ but there were still a lot of things he wanted to do outside.


    Hannah is still there, and Aerith might be carrying his child.


    It was weird ¡ª he knew it himself that he did not want to have a child at all, he did not want another family to be burdened by all the things he had done. And yet, for some reason¡­


    ¡­he found himself looking forward to actually meeting with his second child.


    Well, it would legally be his 3rd child.


    1st was Karina, 2nd was Talia who he legally adopted with Hera, and then now a possible 3rd child with Aerith.


    "Come to think of it, Jennifer said Karina is still there in her time, correct?"


    [That is correct, Boss.]


    "Hm¡­"


    [You are smiling, Boss.]


    "I am," Riley did not refute at all; just letting the wind hit his smiling face as he continued to run toward where Miss Pepondosovich and the others went and following the trail of destruction they left for him,


    "It would seem that the punishment for all the evil things I have done is adding up, Ahor Zai. I can already see the end that I deserve slowly building up."


    [...You have been telling me that ever since we met, Boss. I do not think your end ising anytime soon.]


    "It is not¡­" Riley shook his head, "...It''s just getting bigger."


    [Are you saying that the children are your punishment?]


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "I once told the mother of my first child that I do not want children because I do not want them suffering the way Hannah has, Ahor Zai. And that sentiment still remains true to this day."


    [But if you think they are the punishment, then why are you smiling at the thought of having another child, Boss?]


    "Hm¡­" Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked to the side. And after a few more seconds, he let out a small breath and shook his head, "Because despite the nonchnce I have been showing Karina, I have actually taken a liking to her. Not as much as with Sister, but enough to care."


    [...You almost sound as human as Quadley, Boss. Congrattions.]


    "I''m not smiling because I like her, Ahor Zai," Riley shook his head, "As I have already said earlier, I am smiling because I know that if I lost all my children, the pain that I would feel would be something that I deserve."


    [I did not know that you feel emotional pain, Boss.]


    "I do," Riley blinked, "I just know that I deserve every bit of them, that is why I do not react."


    [You truly are self-deprecating, Boss. And I sense Miss Pepondosovich and Princess Esme''s variant there.]


    Riley blinked as he saw his vision change, with Ahor Zai projecting an image into his eyes that pinpointed the location of the others.


    "Hm, I wonder if this is what Chihiro sees."


    [Hers is more borate, Boss ¡ª she is the avatar of Machina, after all.]


    "I wonder if I would receive her abilities if I lobotomized her," Riley followed the waypoint in his eyes; the number it showed, getting lower and lower by the second, "But then that would kill her and Hannah would not like that at all. She¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, he suddenly found himself outside the tower.


    "What did you do, Ahor Zai?"


    [Wha¡­ Why are you ming me, Boss? I''m just aputer.]


    "Hm," Riley blinked a couple of times as he checked his surroundings, only to see that Miss Pepondosovich and the others were actually also thrown out of the tower¡­ along with the god who suddenly grabbed the ugly human away,


    "That man is dead," Riley said as he saw the ugly human just swaying on the god''s hand; half of his body, already missing.


    "W¡ªI knew it!"


    Miss Pepondosovich only nced at Riley as he descended next to her. She then pointed at the god who abducted the ugly man,


    "Why did you do that!? Marleen just said we would keep him safe!"


    "I only wanted to talk to him," the god raised the ugly man to look at him, "I forgot how fragile they are. It''s¡ª"


    And before the god could finish his words, half his body suddenly disappeared.


    "Oh¡­?" The god blinked as he looked at the missing part of his torso. He was about to say something else, but the rest of his body disappeared; with only the hand he was using to hold the man remaining.


    The ugly man did not drop to the ground, however. Not because the god was still alive, but because Riley did not allow him to drop.


    "Let''s not waste any time, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley flew toward the corpse of the ugly man, "I will bring him to Randall to see if he can revive him while the two of you continue to climb the tower."


    "Wh¡ª"


    And before Miss Pepondosovich could say anything, Riley just hurriedly flew away.


    "Does¡­" Miss Pepondosovich could really only look at Marleen and Riley, "...he even know the way back to the City of Summoners?"


    "I believe we better follow him, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme squinted her eyes.


    "I believe that too."


    "Wait¡­" Marleen stopped the two before they could leave,


    "...What about the tower?"


    "Eh," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged, "Miss Esme and I can fight out here in the open field where we can use all of our abilities, it would be... much more fun and fair that way."


    "I mean who is going to im the cosmic piece if the two of you forfeits!?"


    "Well¡­" Miss Pepondosovich looked at Marleen from head to toe, "...You."


    "I''m not part of your group, Pepondosovich!"


    "Well¡­ you have Riri''s memories, so technically¡­


    ¡­you are now."

 Chapter 943 943: Love on The Spectrum

    <h4>Chapter 943 Chapter 943: Love on The Spectrum</h4>


    "...We should have traveled like this from the start."


    Miss Pepondosovich had her eyes closed, just letting what little wind hit her face. She had her back turned on the ground, opening her eyes from time to time to watch the scenery above her change each time. Just moments ago, they were in some sort of snowy region, and now they were in a wide desert ¡ª paths they had already taken when their adventure was still young.


    Esme was also just casually floating beside her as they traveled at an unknown speed. Unlike Miss Pepondosovich, however, Esme had her legs crossed; her eyes, reflecting Riley who actually had them tethered to him by an invisible chain.


    "This is veryfortable, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme nodded, "Although I only have vague memories of it, I remember being dragged around inside a ss cage by Master when I was still an undead."


    "Huh¡­" Miss Pepondosovich turned her head up as she also took a nce at Riley, "...Must be nice to have recent memories of actually being outside this ce."


    "...My true recent memory outside of this ce is my people eating each other, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Right¡­" Miss Pepondosovich could really only sit up as she heard Esme''s words, "...I guess once Riri''s gone, it''ll only be you and me here, huh? But then again, maybe in a few hundred years or so, we won''t even be together and you''ll start your own adventure."


    "I do not know what the future holds, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme shook her head, "Perhaps you should have asked Miss Marleen''s ex-lover."


    "Oh, I almost forgot about that man. He just suddenly disappeared and didn''t show himself again."


    "I heard him and Miss Marleen fighting before he disappeared, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Yikes," Miss Pepondosovich winced, "That''s why I am telling you now, Miss Esme ¡ª if you are going to get a lover, choose wisely. You will really only ever get to be with him once."


    "I¡­ do not understand what you mean, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme tilted her head to the side, "Why would I only ever get to be with my future lover once when he will be with me for a duration of time?"


    "He''ll change," Miss Pepondosovich looked Esme in the eyes, "You''ll change, everything around you will change¡­ the love between you will change. You will really only get that version of him you fell in love with for a very short time."


    "But¡­" Esme could not help but blink a couple of times as she looked to the side; seemingly deep in thought, "...My father and mother have stayed together for thousands of years right until Mother ate Father, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "...Right," Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes as she did not really know what to say in response to the sudden morbidity of Esme''s words. She and Riley truly do have a lot of things inmon.


    "How is that possible if they just change into someone you have not fallen in love with?" Esme seemed confused but eagerly curious as she ced her hand on her chin, "How does a romantic rtionshipst if everything just changes?"


    "Because then you fall in love with the change," Miss Pepondosovich closed her eyes as a smile slowly crawled on her face, "You fall in love with his newer version, you fall in love with him over, and over again¡­


    ¡­Love does notst, it extends."


    "Although I still do not understand it¡­" Esme let out a small hum as she also closed her eyes, "...Thank you for sharing something beautiful, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Wow, look at you," Miss Pepondosovich could not help but let out a small chuckle as she looked at Esme, "You''re bing more and more human by the minute ¡ª and it''s not only you."


    Miss Pepondosovich then turned to look at Riley, who was ncing at the two of them from time to time and obviously hearing their conversation.


    "Have you ever seen Riri so agitated and excited before?" Miss Pepondosovich subtly pointed at Riley as she whispered, "What do you think happened for him to suddenly rush like that? I mean, we know he wants to return, but this is the first time he''s showing that sense of urgency."


    "I do not know, Miss Pepondosovich ¡ª I was with you."


    "Ack. At times like this, I wish Marleen was here," Miss Pepondosovich once againy down in the empty air as she looked at the ever-changing sky that reflected the ground of the Domain of the Gods, "Don''t you think fate is a little unhinged, Miss Esme?"


    "How so?" Esme tilted her head to the side.


    "Riri is way younger than you, he''s not even a speckpared to mine¡­ and yet he had already experienced something far greater than any of us in the Domain of the Gods have evere across to," Miss Pepondosovich''s voice started to turn meek, "I suppose he was gifted with that kind of¡­ mind so he could endure everything that has happened to him. Anyone that''s even remotely close to normal would have probably already lost themselves if they have experienced what Riri has gone through."


    "He is a Primordial, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme nodded, "He is built differently from the rest of us. He and you tell me that I am simr to him, but I do believe that even though Boss and I are on the same spectrum¡­


    ¡­My existence is closer to you than it is to him."


    "...I''ve only known the two of you for a very short time," Miss Pepondosovich nced at Riley, "But I think that''s true too."


    "Do you think that could change in the future?" Esme asked, "Do you think Master could change to the point that he would be closer to us?"


    "...I also don''t know the future, Miss Esme," Miss Pepondosovich let out a small chuckle as she shook her head, "Who knows, the case might be that the only thing that is constant in this life is time, change, and Riri."


    "I am capable of change, Miss Pepondosovich."


    And as he was starting to get involved in their conversation, Riley reduced the distance between him and the two as he joined them,


    "I just don''t."


    "And the reason for that is¡­?"


    "Because I do not deserve change," Riley said without any hesitation, "All of the people that have died by my hands can never experience change anymore, why should I?"


    "...You really do care about the people you have killed, huh?"


    "I do, that is why I give them the best and worst death possible," Riley nodded in satisfaction to himself.


    "Right¡­ I forgot who I was talking to," Miss Pepondosovich could really only sigh at Riley''s words. Soon, however, she stood up and pointed forward as the scenery around them became verdant, "Better slow down, we''re getting near the City of Summoners. It''s only a couple of¡ªwhat happened here?"


    Not even a second after, however, the moving verdant view suddenly turned dark, making Riley just abruptly stop his flight ¡ª and there, the three just suddenly found themselves surrounded by nothing but withered and dead grass.


    No, the grass was not just dead, something else happened to them which turned them almost into tar.


    "You better not drop us, Riri," Miss Pepondosovich quicklymented as she looked at the ground, "And¡­ what happened here? Everything seems¡­


    ¡­dead."


    "Hm," Riley nodded as he looked in the direction where the City of Summoners is, "I do believe I know why, Miss Pepondosovich¡­


    ¡­I can feel my clone nearby."

 Chapter 944 944: Randall In Trouble

    Chapter 944  944: Randall In Trouble


    ??"I''ve¡­ never seen anything like this before ¡ª not here, not ever."


    The withering field of ss probably spanned for hundreds and hundreds of miles, and the sky above them which is supposed to reflect the field they were standing on showed just how different the area was originally.


    The sky was verdant, green as could be as the sea of grass seemed to not have an end, aplete contrast to the ck and deadnd Riley and the others were now standing on.


    "Are you saying your clone did this, Riri? That Darkdaddy or something?"


    "Darkday," Riley quickly responded as Miss Pepondosovich uttered a different name with much confidence, "And yes, I do believe this is his doing, Miss Pepondosovich ¡ª or at least he is partly responsible for it since I feel his presence nearby."


    "You¡­ don''t know if Darkdaddy did this or not?" Miss Pepondosovich, however,pletely ignored Riley''s correction as she just grabbed a patch of the ck dirt; grinding it in her fingers, only for it to just wither away like it was cotton candy, "I thought you''re always connected to your clones?"


    "Through a certain distance, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley also watched as the ck dirt withered in Miss Pepondosovich''s hand, "Although it did not really feel like it, it would seem the distance between the main ind of the Domain of the Gods and thend of the mortals is farther than I anticipated it to be. My connection with my clones usually is not severed unless the distance exceeds more than 200 million kilometers."


    "200 million kilometers?" Miss Pepondosovich blinked a couple of times, "That''s not bad at all ¡ª just how many tricks do you actually have on your sleeve, Riri?"


    "I no longer know how to answer that ever since I received all of King''s abilities, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shrugged as his feet soon started to leave the dead ground; Miss Pepondosovich and Esme''s feet also floated at the same time as Riley once again started flying them toward the City of Summoners.


    And as they got closer and closer to the city, they started seeing corpses here and there. Few, but considering most of them should not be dying at all, was a testament that whatever went here, it went in hard and brutal.


    "These poor creatures," Esme let out a quiet breath as she saw all the summoned creatures that were also scattered everywhere, even more so than the other gods.


    "You''re the type to be more concerned about the animals, huh¡­?" Miss Pepondosovich nodded, "Well, I share the same sentiment in this case ¡ª these creatures are not really supposed to be here. And heads up, but something is moving our way fast."


    "Hm," Riley immediately stopped their flight as he floated himself and the two to the side, avoiding the blur that suddenly streaked only a meter away from them. They only heard a whistle, or perhaps the sound of someone screaming loudly as it passed by them.


    Not even a second after, however, the blur came back and brushed past them again, only to be thrown back like a yo-yo. This repeated several times, and each time, the streak turned redder and redder until it just became a streak of red¡­ and soon, it just became nothing at all. Well, not exactly.


    Esme stretched out her hand, catching the streak before it could move far ¡ª and there, in her hand, was an entire set of a humanoid skeleton.


    This humanoid skeleton, however, withered away from Esme''s hand; turning into powder that was just blown away by the winds of the Domain of the Gods.


    "I believe that man is dead," Miss Pepondosovich pointed at the flowing ashes, "Judging by the sadistic way this god just died, this is Darkdaddy''s doing?"


    "Hm," Riley nodded as he once again started flying them toward the city, "I made the clone to resemble myself whenever I don the suit of Darkday, Miss Pepondosovich. Darkday is ruthless, merciless, but most importantly, he has ir. Most of the fun I had was whenever I was wearing the suit."


    "Please, don''t relive your viin days now, Riri," Miss Pepondosovich sighed, "I don''t care what you are before the Domain of the Gods, you shouldn''t either ¡ª you have a very, very long life ahead of you. Who knows, you might be a viin in your first 100 years of life, and then just be a full pledged hero after."


    "I do not see that happening, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head, "I know my role, and I can only do it as a viin, a superviin. I am still semi-retired, but once I get out of this ce, I will slowly start again."


    "Meh," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged, "You have no idea the changes of what a hundred years could bring, Riri ¡ª much less a thousand, a hundred thousand, a million¡­ and you are going to live that. What you have experienced now¡­ is nothing but a speck of your life. It''s weird to look at it that way, huh? The starting years of an immortal being. It is very¡­"


    Odd.


    Miss Pepondosovich was still saying something wise, but Riley''s mind was nowpletely shut off as it wandered through the deepest parts of his memory ¡ª memories of Darkday. When he created the clone he left on thend of mortals, he truly meant for it to be aplete replica of all his thoughts, ideals, personality, emotions as Darkday.


    For some reason, however, as he was now near enough to gain ess to his clone''s thoughts, all he could really think of was how it was almost a stranger to him. He¡­


    ¡­doesn''t recognize himself anymore.


    And soon, as the bodies of the gods became more and more prevalent and the field filled with death waspletely painted with the summoned creatures, they reached the open City of Summoners¡­ only to be weed by even more death, mountains of it.


    And right on top of that mountain was a god that Riley and the two easily recognized, especially Esme, as he was the one who made it possible for her to be amongst the living again.


    "Mister Randall¡­" Esme whispered as her eyes nced at Randall; eyes that quickly trailed toward the other silhouette standing on the mountain of corpses,pletely covered in ck ¡ª aplete contrast to the person he was carrying.


    "Darkdaddy seems to be carrying someone, Riri," Miss Pepondosovich''s eyes also focused on the little girl that Darkday was holding, "I¡­ feel a different energy from the kid."


    "She''s dead, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "I know," Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes further, "But there''s something different with her."


    "She is a child between 2 gods, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "A¡ªthat''s possible¡­?" Miss Pepondosovich could not help but widen her eyes as she heard Riley''s words, "Wait, that doesn''t exin why there are hundreds of corpses littered everywhere!"


    "Ah, Boss!" And as Miss Pepondosovich raised her voice, both Randall and Darkday quickly turned their heads at them, with Randall being extremely cautious as he still nced at Darkday from time to time,


    "I hope you don''t mind, I identally destroyed our vige in thend of the mortals ¡ª but I brought this one here since she seems very interesting. The only thing is¡­


    ¡­Mister Randall refuses to resurrect her."


    "I did not resurrect her because you told me the reason why you want her alive again, child," the friendliness in Randall''s voice that he showed to Riley and the others waspletely absent as he addressed Darkday, "I am not going to revive that child, only for you to open her up and torture her for her abilities."


    "I am not immediately going to hurt her," Darkday let out a groan before chuckling, "I was only going to lobotomize her if her abilities were anything close to interesting. If it is not, then I''ll just let her go right here and now."


    "Hold up, hold up!" Miss Pepondosovich released herself from Riley''s telekinesis as she leaped toward the top of the mountain of corpses and stood between the two, "That still doesn''t exin why there are so many dead bodies here."


    "Oh, that is because of me, Miss Pepondosovich," Darkday bowed his head before looking at the girl he was carrying, "Mister Randall said he was not going to use his powers to resurrect anyone, so I decided to kill everyst one of his friends to see if he changes sentiment ¡ª and if he uses his abilities to resurrect any of them, that would mean he lied and he has to resurrect this girl."


    "That¡­" Miss Pepondosovich pointed at Darkday before looking at Riley, "...Uh huh. Randall, I think you''re in a bit of a pickle here."


    "Hm¡­?" Randall wondered what Miss Pepondosovich meant by her words at first, but as soon as he saw the mangled corpse that Riley was holding, the only thing he could really do was close his eyes and sigh,


    "Well¡­


    ¡­this is going to beplicated."

 Chapter 945 945: Riley vs. Darkday

    <h4>Chapter 945 Chapter 945: Riley vs. Darkday</h4>


    "The two of you¡­"


    There was this sense of dread slowly eating away Randall as he realized something very, very crucial. When Darkday just suddenly appeared in the City of Summoners trying to find him, even directly naming him, he thought it would be one of his old friends or even acquaintances in the Domain of the Gods.


    But as soon as he saw Darkday, the only thought that went through his mind was trying to wonder who exactly was this ck-d man standing in front of him. He didn''t immediately wave him off, as he felt a sense of familiarity with him even though he was clearly aplete stranger. And as Darkday asked him to resurrect the little girl that she was carrying, Randall was actually slightly inclined to grant him his request.


    But out of nowhere, as he was about to do so, Darkday suddenly blurted out his reason for wanting to revive the child ¡ª he was going to revive her just to lobotomize her and gain her abilities.


    Randall initially thought she was family, or perhaps someone Darkday had taken a great liking to and would take care of her. After all, there are many gods who have done the same; taken care of a human, and blessed them with all sorts of gifts and power.


    Suffice it to say, Randall quickly and vehemently refused Darkday as soon as he found out the reason ¡ª Darkday however, did not like that at all. And as he said to Miss Pepondosovich and the others, he started killing each and everyst god in the City of Summoners.


    And throughout his massacre, Randall still could not shake the thought of him being familiar¡­ and now that he was seeing Riley Ross again, he finally realized why.


    "The two of you are the same person," Randall looked back and forth between Darkday and Riley, both carrying a body in their arms.


    "I suppose so, Mister Randall," Riley just shrugged his shoulders as he slowly descended on the mountain of corpses and walked toward Randall before trying to hand him the ugly man''s mangled and cleaved body,


    "I do apologize for interrupting your battle with my clone. But if it is alright with you, can you resurrect this man I am holding in my hand?"


    "That¡­" Randall could really only take in a small gulp; light, starting to flicker around his horns as he started to feel a sense of dangering from Riley ¡ª something that wasn''t there when they first met. He knew Riley was dangerous, he had enough instincts as someone who had lived a very long life to know that during their first meeting.


    But there was somethingpletely different about the Riley Ross he was facing now.


    "Riri, can''t you tell the man''s already in a dilemma as it is?" And fortunately for Randall, that feeling was slightly being reduced by Miss Pepondosovich and Esme being there. Like right now¡­


    ¡­they were some sort of safety.


    And so, very subtly, as soon as Esme and Miss Pepondosovich alsonded on the mountain of corpses, he stepped down toward them and stood by their side.


    "I can''t do that, Riley Ross. As you may have already realized, this man ¡ª your clone, has done a great disservice to the City of Summoners by killing all of those who inhabit it. I do not like being forced to do something I do not want¡­


    ¡­and even if I do want to help you, I am afraid I will not due to the fact that your clone is still present, and would force me to resurrect that poor child once I help you."


    "Is that the dilemma you are facing, Mister Randall?" Riley let go of the body of the ugly man, letting it just casually float in the air as he soon started to face Darkday,


    "Darkday, I truly apologize for wasting your effort ining here ¡ª but I would like you to return another time; you have all the time to do so, I do not."


    "But Boss¡­" Darkday let out a long and very deep sigh as he too, let go of the corpse of the little girl; very gently cing her down along with the other corpses beneath him,


    "...I do believe it would be very interesting to see what this little girl''s abilities are. She is a child of different gods from different universes, perhaps the first one since Van."


    "Van is an offspring of 3 different gods from 3 different universes, Darkday," Riley shook his head as he too, let out a long and very deep sigh, "Although you are right, I am also quite intrigued with the girl."


    Riley ced his hand on his chin as he looked curiously at the girl. And as Randall saw this, he could not help but just give Miss Pepondosovich a worried nce; Miss Pepondosovich, however, just waved her palm and gestured to him to calm down.


    "Rx, you red-horned buffoon," Miss Pepondosovich scoffed, "I''vee to know Riri through our adventures together."


    "And¡­?" The light dancing around Randall''s horns still flickered as the danger his body was feeling seemed to be bing even more intense even with Miss Pepondosovich''s assurance.


    "And¡­ actually, he might just do something you won''t like," Miss Pepondosovich closed her eyes and sighed.


    "Thank you for the assurance, Pepondosovich," Randall could really only groan and shake his head as he continued to carefully watch Riley and Darkday.


    "Isn''t this sight weird, though?" Miss Pepondosovich opened her eyes as she pointed at Riley and Darkday, "They are practically the same person and they''re talking to each other."


    "Why is that weird, Miss Pepondosovich?" Esme asked.


    "Right¡­ forget I said anything," Miss Pepondosovich just shook her head as she focused her attention back on Riley. If anything, she knew something interesting was about to go down.


    "...Yes. I found her in a remote vige, Boss."


    "Hm," Riley still seemedpletely curious as he looked at the little girl. But after a few seconds, he shook his head and looked at Darkday, "I am afraid she will have to wait, Darkday. I have more important things to do right now that require the help of Mister Randall."


    "More important things?" Darkday tilted his head to the side before turning to look at the floating corpse of the ugly man, "The holder of the clue to a cosmic piece. You wish to travel back home already, Boss? But there is nothing out there for you anymore ¡ª all the interesting things are here."


    "It is true that the Domain of the Gods is the most interesting ce we will probably ever be in, Darkday," Riley nodded, "But I do still have something out there for me, Aerith and Sister are still alive¡­


    ¡­and Aerith might be carrying my child."


    "A¡­ child?" The tone of Darkday''s voice suddenly resembled Riley''s as a slight breath of hesitation escaped his helmet, "Why would you want that, Boss?"


    "I don''t know, Darkday," Riley shook his head, "That is why I want to leave this ce to find out."


    "Boss¡­" Darkday let out a very long and deep sigh as his feet very slowly started to float from the mountain of corpses, "Your resolve has be weak¡­


    ¡­and I will prove it to¡ª"


    And before Darkday could finish his words, Riley snapped his fingers and caused him to just wither away out of existence; his body, melting and falling on top of the mountain of corpses he created.


    "That¡­ is heavy," Miss Pepondosovich could not help but grasp her chest as she gasped; her other hand, stretched toward Esme almost as if she wanted her to hold her still or she would fall,


    "Riri¡­ are you deleting that part of you? Is that¡­ is that some sort of symbolism?"


    "A symbolism?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at Miss Pepondosovich, "No. I can just create him again, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Yes, I know. But¡­" Miss Pepondosovich wagged her finger, "...It''s also like you erased that part of you, right?"


    "No," Riley tilted his head to the side, "Darkday is me, Miss Pepondosovich. That will never change, it will only¡­ extend."


    "...Are you seriously copying my words right now?" Miss Pepondosovich quickly pointed at Riley and raised her voice.


    "Yes," Riley nodded without any hesitation before starting to make his way toward her, or more specifically, toward Randall, "Darkday is me, Miss Pepondosovich¡­


    ¡­but I am more than Darkday. Darkday, you see, is a part of me that always likes to y; unhinged, always seeking for entertainment, for blood ¡ª I do too because he is me."


    "Pepondosovich¡­" The light dancing around Randall''s horns started to go wild as Riley continued to walk toward him. Randall almost grabbed his horns to turn the lights into a weapon, but Miss Pepondosovich quickly grabbed his hand, shaking her head as if to quietly warn him not to do anything.


    "Unlike Darkday, however, I do not have time to y," Riley stretched his arm and opened his palm, letting the ugly man''s body float and hover on top of it, "Please resurrect this man¡­


    ¡­or I will lobotomize you and do it myself. I am only asking you because thetter would take more time, Mister Randall."

 Chapter 946 946: A Very Slow Death

    Chapter 946  946: A Very Slow Death


    ??"Please resurrect this man¡­


    ¡­or I will lobotomize you and do it myself. I am only asking you because thetter would take more time, Mister Randall."


    Randall could not help but gulp at Riley''s words; his horns glowing even more fervently than before. His eyes, moving back and forth between Riley and Miss Pepondosovich, before ultimately settling on the god of luck. Miss Pepondosovich only nodded at Randall as he looked at her, her hand still sping Randall''s as firmly as possible, almost as if she was quietly warning him not to do anything that would get him killed.


    "Very well, Riley Ross." And after a few seconds of hesitation, Randall let out a long but very short sigh, "But only because you asked so politely."


    The light dancing around his horns shed dangerously at Riley''s threat, but he knew better than to act on his instincts while facing the god in front of him. He knew Riley was dangerous the first time they met, he knew it in the very depths of his core, but now that that danger was pointed right at him, Randall could not help but feel so...


    ...small.


    Back in his universe, he was considered the evilest and most heinous being - a demon god, so to speak. He had waged war and enved the others just for his own greed, they were nothing but food to him. It was really only in the end and in the Domain of the Gods that he found himself changing - that he found what he was doing futile in the grand scheme of things.


    He was shown his own weakness in the Domain of the Gods as everyone here was as strong as him, some even stronger. But fear? Fear was something he thought was no longer in his vocabry...


    ...or so he thought.


    Although Riley''s words were clearly a threat, he was not really showing even a single sign of killing intent, not even one. But that is what made Randall almost quiver where he stood, he knew Riley was going to kill him, but he could not even feel even the slightest bit of animosity in him. Even humans think or feel something when they kill an insect, but Riley?


    It was almost as if taking another one''s life was just something natural to him... like he was born to do so. Like everyone and everything around him was just...


    ...nothing.


    Randall stared at Riley''s empty eyes a few more seconds before he let out another sigh. And with a shake of his head, he brushed his hands along his horns, grabbing the lights that were nervously dancing on the top of his head.


    "I have already told you my condition of resurrecting a corpse, Riley Ross," Randall turned to look at the corpse floating between him and Riley, "I can only resurrect them if they only died just recently, and if their body is still intact. This corpse... only fulfills one of those condition."


    The upper part of the ugly man''s corpse waspletely intact, albeitpletely pale as it probably already lost all of its blood since all of its lower part was missing; mangled, flesh and guts just hanging loosely everywhere.


    "Even if I do manage to resurrect this human, he will just ultimately sumb to his own mortality. He would die faster than we could even breathe," Randall continued to exin as he stretched his hands toward the corpse; the light dancing around his arms, now veiling the mangled corpse violently, "Even if you heal him to extend his life, he will really only truly be lucid for but a moment. Anything longer than a moment, you will be speaking with a husk."


    "It is fine, Mister Randall," Riley nodded, "I only need a moment."


    "Riri..." Miss Pepondosovich approached the corpse as she slightly also got in between him and Randall, "...I don''t really get why you''re doing this. We were already at the top of the tower, it would have only taken a few more battles before we''re fighting for the title of Champion and receiving the Cosmic Piece either way."


    "Because I trust you more, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "...What?" Miss Pepondosovich could really only raise an eyebrow at Riley''s words, "I''m... ttered, but what does that have to do with anything?"


    "What¡­ does this mortal have to do with the cosmic piece?" Randall, who was just waiting for RIley''s cue to start the resurrection, could not help but slightly waver as he heard Miss Pepondosovich''s words.


    "He holds the book that contains a clue on how to get a Cosmic Piece, Mister Randall," Riley answered Randall without even a slight hesitation, "Now please, do resurrect him."


    "Wait," Miss Pepondosovich grabbed Randall''s arm again before he could start reviving the ugly man, "Even if you revive him, what makes you so sure you''d find anything from him? I''m sure the reason why he''s just roaming free on the 91st floor is that the Grand Champion already has everything he wants from the human ¡ª he is useless. The Grand Champion probably already has the book with him."


    "Maybe," Riley blinked a couple of times before looking Miss Pepondosovich in the eyes, "But as I said, Miss Pepondosovich ¡ª I trust in you, or rather, your abilities."


    "...Oh," Miss Pepondosovich''s eyes became slightly stoic.


    "We were able to find him for a reason, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley nodded, "I intend to find out why. Mister Randall."


    "...Well, alright then," Miss Pepondosovich rolled her lips as she backed away from them, "I¡­ also trust in you, Riri."


    "Mister Randall," Riley also took a step back as he just let the corpse hover in front of Randall, who nodded before breathing something from his mouth, an incantation. And unlike with Esme, the revival did not take long at all as the ugly man''s face started twitching almost instantly. And then, with just another breath from Randall, the corpse opened his eyes.


    Randall immediately took a step back, gesturing to Riley that it was done.


    "What¡­" The ugly man gasped as soon as he woke up; his eyes, darting everywhere. As soon as his eyesnded on his lower body, he let out a visceral scream that caused Miss Pepondosovich to just wince and slightly look away, "Where¡­ where''s my¡ªGah!"


    And before the man could even finish his words, Riley suddenly inserted his entire arm through his mangled lower body. The screams that were escaping the man''s mouth, however, were suddenly silenced as Riley trapped his voice inside some sort of vacuum, also making the man unable to breathe.


    "You only have a few minutes to live, I n to find a way to extend that as much as possible," Riley then said as his face reflected on the tears that were trailing down the man''s face, "It is up to you whether you will be in pain for that duration or not ¡ª so please, tell me everything and anything you know about the cosmic piece, we know you have it, or at least had it. I am going to let you talk now¡­


    ¡­please do not make it worse for yourself."


    "I¡­ I don''t kn¡ªGrkah!"


    A whistle whispered in the air as Riley''s hand started vibrating through the man''s insides. He also created some sort of telekic tentacle that was as thin as hair, making sure that all of them were hitting all of the man''s nerves so that his entire body would be in an endless and excruciating pain.


    What he was doing to the man might seem tamepared to all the things he had done before¡­ but it was absolutely not. Even Randall, who was familiar with torture, could not help but momentarily close his eyes and sigh.


    As for Miss Pepondosovich, she just crossed her arms and shook her head; sighing as she slightly held herself responsible for what was happening to the mortal.


    As for Esme, well¡­ she was mentally taking notes.


    A second.


    A minute.


    "I¡­ I really don''t know anything, please¡­ I couldn''t even read the contents of the book! I¡ªGrah!"


    Several more minutes.


    "He¡­ should be dead by now," Randall said as he watched as Riley continued to torture the man even after several minutes had passed, "At least his mind should be, he should no longer be reacting to anything, and yet¡­"


    "He''s still pretty much alive," Miss Pepondosovich once again sighed, "Riri must be doing something to extend his life and consciousness for as long as he could."


    "This is against thew of everything, Pepondosovich," Randall whispered, "A mortal such as that one should not be alive anymore."


    "We are in the Domain of the Gods, anything is poss¡ª"


    "No," Randall shook his head as he focused on Riley, "You don''t understand. It is against thew of Creation¡­ and breaking thew will have consequences."


    "I will let you speak again, okay?" Riley''s hand was now outside the man¡­ along with the man''s beating heart, "I want you to provide something use¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, the man just suddenly disappeared. He did not fade away, he did not disintegrate or wither, he just disappeared into thin air¡­ reced by another silhouette, a stranger¡­


    ¡­but extremely familiar at the same time, a woman.


    "That is enough, Riley Ross."


    "!!!"


    And as soon as the woman''s feetnded on the mountain of corpses, Randall quickly kneeled without a word. The woman''s skin was dark; her hair, silver. Her face, well, it was average¡­ extremely so.


    "You are interrupting my purpose again ¡ª even in this ce. Just what am I going to do with you?"


    "I told you, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley ignored the woman as he looked at Miss Pepondosovich, whose mouth was wide open as she stared at the woman,


    "I was right to trust you."


    "Is that¡­" Miss Pepondosovich gulped as it was the only thing she could really do,


    "...Death?"

 Chapter 947 947: The Philosophy of Death

    Chapter 947  947: The Philosophy of Death


    ??"Is that¡­ Death?"


    There.


    Right there and then, people who could be considered gods felt themselves to be so small. Even Esme, who was inherently not capable of feeling fear due to the nature of her condition, felt something inside her that caused her body to justpletely lock.


    Even Miss Pepondosovich, who truly wanted to say something, just chose to shut her mouth as she looked back and forth between Riley and Death. It was weird, however, as even though Death clearly had her back turned toward them, it was almost as if she was still looking at her for some reason¡ªno.


    Hearing about all the things the Primordials could do, it probably would not be a lie to say that she is looking at them, that she is looking at everyone in the Domain of the Gods all at once. But right now, however, Death''s eyes were only staring at Riley.


    "Miss Death," Riley bowed his head as he took a step back, "I apologize for disturbing you with whatever you were doing, it was not my intention at all. But, at the very least, I hope that you like the mountain you are standing on."


    Riley then stretched his hands to the side as he gestured to the corpses beneath their feet.


    "Unfortunately, I can''t say that I am the one who did this since my clone was operating beyond my control, Miss Death."


    "I believe I have already told you this before, Riley Ross," Death only nced at the corpses; the tone of her voice, slightly meek as she shook her head, "I do not glorify death or cherish it ¡ª it is just my purpose, what I am. All deaths are the same to me ¡ª but most of these beings are not dead, only resting."


    "Hm," Riley blinked a couple of times as he once again scanned the mountain of corpses, "Then I apologize that you needed to be here for nothing, Miss Death."


    "I am not here for nothing, Riley Ross," Death let out a small but very deep sigh, and as she looked Riley in the eyes, all the bodies that were scattered everywhere suddenly started moving.


    "Woah¡­" Miss Pepondosovich and the others, who were too stunned to move, could not help but look around as they almost lost their bnce from all the corpses moving. Fortunately for them, Riley lifted them up in the air to prevent them from rolling along with the bodies.


    The bodies were moving incredibly wild, crawling away with all of their limbs in a way that shouldn''t be possible as they made their way to the edges of Summoner''s city as fast as they could. And as soon as they were outside the city, all of them just dropped back to the ground, creating a wall for the wall-less city of summoners.


    "Hm¡­" Riley really only let out a breath as the once death-filled city becamepletely immacte, with not even a single drop of blood to be seen. There is, however, a single corpse that was left behind ¡ª the little girl that Darkday brought all the way from thend of mortals. Riley did not really heed it any mind yet, as he just lowered himself and the others to the now clean ground,


    "You are here for the little girl, Miss Death?"


    "No," Miss Death also descended from the air as she snapped her fingers, and as she did so, the little girl let out a small moan and started moving. Unlike the rest of the bodies before, however, she stood up with a bit of effort but walked quite normally toward Death. It was clear in the little girl''s eyes, however, that there was still no life within her ¡ª she just stood there beside death, a moving corpse.


    Upon seeing this, Esme could not help but slightly squint her eyes. Seeing the way the little girl moved made her¡­ ufortable. Was that what she was like when she was still an undead?


    "This little girl is not why I am here," Death breathed out as she very gently brushed the little girl''s hair, "But her existence is quite interesting, perhaps it is this thing called fate that led me to find her ¡ª but I am losing track, I could be quite talkative in this form. I am here because of you, Riley Ross. You are once again intruding on my purpose."


    "I apologize, Miss Death," Riley shook his head, "I just truly needed something from the ugly man."


    "And did you get what you wanted?" Death let out a small hum as her eyes finally darted toward Miss Pepondosovich and the others.


    "I do not know yet, Miss Death," Riley tilted his head to the side, "But since you are here, then maybe it involves you somehow ¡ª Miss Pepondosovich''s powers are extremely convenient if I want to move forward through my story without doing anything, after all."


    "Riri¡­ Riri!" Miss Pepondosovich loudly whispered as she red at Rhys, but then quickly smiled as she realized Death was looking at her. But as soon as Death looked away, she once again red at Riley, "Don''t¡­ don''t involve me in this!"


    "Hm," Death once again hummed, "The power to weave fate in the most beneficial way ¡ª it is something that even we, as beings who created the entirety of the Creation you see, also do not understand, perhaps we are not meant to. And now that I am conveniently here right in front of you¡­


    ¡­perhaps you believe that I can lead you to a cosmic piece, Riley Ross?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded without any hesitation.


    "I can not," and Death also shook her head without any hesitation, "I am not able to do something that is not within my role, Riley Ross."


    "But you are, Miss Death," Riley looked Death in the eyes.


    "I am, but I will not," Death smiled, "That is not how we are made ¡ª very much like you, Riley Ross. You are made to be the bringer of the end of everything we have created, and slowly, my brothers and sisters are seeing how¡­


    ¡­you have made contact with them, correct? You have made contact with beings¡­ who are from the universe that would rise up after you have turned ours into nothing."


    "What¡­" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes, "...When did that happen?"


    "It is an event that should be impossible," Death closed her eyes, and as she did so, all of the Domain of the Gods suddenly turned pitch dark, "And yet it has happened."


    "I¡­ don''t like this at all," Miss Pepondosovich quickly grabbed Esme''s hand, "Be ready to fly away, Miss Esme."


    "Run¡­?" Esme blinked a couple of times as she looked at the darkness that suddenly surrounded them, "...Where?"


    "Tell me, Riley Ross¡­" Death''s voice suddenly echoed throughout the entire domain, causing all of its inhabitants to just suddenly kneel down from the sudden pressure that fell upon them,


    "...What do you think Death is?"


    "Death¡­" Riley ced his hand on his chin, "...is Death, Miss Death."


    "Hm," Death could really only smile at Riley''s answer.


    "Is that not the right answer you are looking for, Miss Death?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "It could be if you say it is ¡ª you are Death, after all. Whatever you define Death as would be its one and only definition."


    "That is true, but also incorrect, Riley Ross," Death breathed in, "Like most things, death has no singr meaning."


    "..."


    "Death can be joy, it can be pain. It can be a prison, but it can also be freedom," Death started walking toward Riley; the ground beneath her feet, growing life, "Death can even be life for some."


    "Are you saying that Death is everything, Miss Death?" Riley squinted his eyes.


    "Perhaps I should rephrase my question, Riley Ross," Death then stood right in front of Riley; even then, however, her eyes did not reflect him at all,


    "What do you think Death¡ªWhat do you think I am to you?"


    "You¡­" Riley once again looked Death in the eyes, "...are salvation."


    "T¡ª"


    "But not for me," Riley smiled, "For them. For all of them."


    "Salvation," Death then ced her finger on Riley''s chest, causing his flesh to disintegrate and his bones show there and then. But Riley, however, did not move away at all from Death''s touch,


    "Then shall I try it, Riley Ross? Shall I try¡­


    ¡­saving them from you?"


    Death vs. Riley!~?!?!?!?!?

 Chapter 948 948: Riley vs. Death (1)

    Chapter 948  948: Riley vs. Death (1)


    ??"Then shall I try it, Riley Ross? Shall I try¡­


    ¡­saving them from you?"


    "You do not need to try, Miss Death. You are Death, you can simply just kill me."


    "But killing you is changing fate, and changing fate is not my role¡­


    ¡­but very well."


    And with those words, Death tapped the finger she had on Riley''s chest again, causing a pulse so powerful that it caused even Miss Pepondosovich and the others to slightly take a step back. They felt something inside them almost move, they do not know what it is, but it felt like everything¡­ it almost felt like their lives were moving away from them.


    The ck and withered grass beneath their feet, however, could not be more alive again as they turned verdant as the violent pulse moved across them.


    "Riri¡­!?" Miss Pepondosovich then turned to look at Riley, only to see him very slowly disintegrating. His eyes were closed, however, and she had never seen him more in peace with himself. There was a smile on his face that seemed like it could never be taken away by anyone, even as his face turned into a skeleton; even as his entire existence faded away,


    "Riri¡­" Miss Pepondosovich''s breath started to turn heavy as she realized what just happened, "Did¡­ did Riri just die? But¡­ but our adventure wasn''t done yet."


    Miss Pepondosovich held Esme''s arm, who was also staring at the now empty air where Riley was just previously standing. Esme wanted to do something, but she did not know what it was. And¡­ even if she did, can she actually do something?


    No, even if she can''t do something - for some reason, she wanted to¡­ she wanted to try fighting Death.


    "Esme, the Undead Princess of Theran."


    And as Death suddenly addressed her, all that desire seemed to have been amplified as she just wanted to punch Death right in the face for no reason at all¡­ and Death was not even looking at her.


    "You hold a very mysterious strength in your fists." And whether or not Death was feeling the killing intent from Esme was not known, but she was directly looking at her fists with a small smile slowly crawling on her face, "My siblings and I are truly curious as to what will happen next - we thought our truth is the only thing that mattered, but it would seem that is not the case at all. We are learning now that those who will rece us, will rece our truth in the end."


    "What¡­ are you even talking about?"


    "Pepondosovich."


    And as Miss Pepondosovich stepped forward, Randall quickly grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back.


    "And I suppose this is all possible because of you," Death let out a sigh as she turned her focus to Miss Pepondosovich, but once again, like with Esme, she did not look at her at all, "We tried to prevent Riley Ross from happening, and yet we only followed the path that might have already been nned for us by sending him in this Domain - by letting him meet you. I suppose I could finally say¡­


    ¡­luck is against us."


    "Riri¡­ you''ve already achieved that," Miss Pepondosovich''s legs started to quake as she gritted her teeth. She was aware of all the evil things that Riley had done and all the things he will still do - he was a viin, but for some reason, it didn''t feel right to just watch him fade away like that,


    "Riri is gone. Why even create all of us if you''re just going to butt in and not let us handle it!?"


    "Create you?" Death smiled as she shook her head, "Please, do not think of me as God. I did not create you, Celestial did not create you ¡ª she created the First Beings, which in turn, led to all of you. Do not mistake us for an all-powerful being, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "You''re¡­ Death."


    "I am," Death nodded, "And that is all I am, that is all I will be. And I am not interrupting anything, Miss Pepondosovich. Like all of you, Riley Ross is outside of the Primordials'' control¡­"


    And as Death was saying that, she looked back, only for Riley to just reappear out of nowhere; the smile on his face,pletely gone.


    "...The only difference is that he holds the strings."


    "You failed, Death," Riley let out a long and very deep sigh as he looked down, "I am going to let you try again¡­


    ¡­but this time, try it when you''re angry."


    "I can not be angry, Riley Ross. It is not in my¡ª"


    "Nature," Riley continued Death''s words for her, "Empathy and sympathy is not in my nature, Miss Death. And yet I have felt it more and more for the beings around me, the only unfortunate thing is that it is also in my nature not to care, and that is still very much prevalent."


    "You hold a very valuable perspective, Riley Ross," Death smiled at Riley, "A perspective that even Navi can notprehend. I would have truly liked it if you came into existence at the same time as we have - then perhaps we would not be trying to stop you at all, as with everything we have done, you will be a part of the Creation we have helped build."


    "I am."


    Riley stretched his arm to the side, summoning arge and long weapon that should be very familiar with Death,


    "I am the End of everything. The End of Death."


    "A scythe," a small glitter of amusement could be seen growing in Death''s eyes, "How poetic. It is the weapon of what your thinks Death wields, no?"


    "Is it not?" An almost maniacal smile crawled onto Riley''s face.


    "It could be," and very slowly, the smile on Death''s face also turned wide as she stretched her arm to the side and also summoned a scythe,


    "After this."


    And as Death uttered those words, the very space around them opened up ¡ª the ground beneath their feet, the sky that reflected that ground, and the air itself opened up into a sphere; white, with not even a single darkness to be seen. And in that white, only Riley, Death, and Miss Pepondosovich and the others existed.


    There were also clouds which seemed to be made of miniature stars; cold, but warm at the same time.


    "Well then, Ri¡ª"


    "Pavoom."


    Riley did not even let Death finish her words as he waved the giant scythe he was holding, causing a crack in space to crawl straight toward Death. Death, however, only tilted her head as she let the force that would have disintegrated everything else pass through her body¡ªno.


    The violent wave did not even pass through her, it justpletely disintegrated into nothing¡­ the force of Riley''s attack itself just¡­ died.


    "¡ªley Ross," Death continued her words like nothing happened as she opened her palm toward Riley. And as soon as she did so, the very force that Riley summoned became alive again¡­ but now heading toward him.


    "Oh¡­?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he pped the violent crescent force away. He did not really need to, he could have just used his mind to get rid of it as he created it himself ¡ª but of course, he wanted it to be dramatic. But as he turned to look at Death, she was no longer there¡­


    ¡­but behind him.


    Riley was about to fly away, he did¡­ but he did so with his bodypletely cleaved in half as he flew directly onto the de of Death''s scythe.


    "Hm¡­" Riley waspletely unfazed even as he watched his lower body separate from the rest of him, however. And instead, he just waved his scythe straight through Death''s neck.


    Once again, Death did not dodge at all and just let the de hit her in the neck, but as soon as the de made contact¡­ it disintegrated and died. Death just smiled, before she pushed Riley''s upper body away at a speed that was invisible even through Esme and Miss Pepondosovich''s eyes; the only thing they heard was thunder and the ripple forming after as Riley was thrown away into oblivion¡­ literally, as he just disappeared.


    Death then started spinning her scythe, dancing with it; her eyes, looking everywhere for Riley even though he clearly disintegrated from her strike.


    "Annoying, is it not?"


    Death''s eyes squinted as she quickly turned around to look at Riley, who was now only a meter away from her¡­ and she did not even feel him.


    "How does it feel, Miss Death?" Riley tilted his head to the side as the maniacal smile on his face turned almost sinister, "How does it feel to know that you do not hold my existence in your hands? Are you angry now?"


    "No," Death sighed, "It is quite refreshing, actually. Because, unlike Van¡­ I can actually catch you. It does not feel like I am just chasing myself."


    "Well¡­" Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked Death in the eyes, "¡­Then instead of feeling like you are chasing yourself, Miss Death¡­


    ¡­I will let you feel like you are fighting yourself."


    "Hm?"


    "Like you are fighting Death."

 Chapter 949 949: Riley vs. Death (2)

    <h4>Chapter 949 Chapter 949: Riley vs. Death (2)</h4>


    If one were to guess, one would choose Death to be the strongest of all the Primordials. She is, after all, not only death but also life ¡ª the end of it. No one could truly ever escape death, or at the very least, that is how it should be.


    If one were to ask what the sound of death is, one would probably say there is none. But there is ¡ª and the sound was a quiet and low-pitched whisper.


    "I knew Riri was strong, but this¡­


    ¡­this isn''t right."


    Miss Pepondosovich, Esme, and Randall were still inside Death''s Domain; not even moving an inch from where they were floating¡ªno, from where they were standing since the domain was given birth. One would think that the fight between Riley and Death would reach them, but not at all.


    From their perspective, Riley and Death were just in their own world; the two, not even moving apart from each other. The two were not even fighting in the air as they swung their scythes against each other, exchanging blows as close as possible.


    Looking at this fight, one would say that the fights in Grandarena City were more fun and eventful¡­ but that is only because they were in Death''s domain where all the forces and aftershocks of their strikes just die as soon as they reached a certain distance away from the two, quite literally. But even then, Miss Pepondosovich and the others could feel a certain wave of energy almost reaching them.


    "Riley Ross, this is futile."


    Death kicked her feet on the white, invisible floor as she rushed toward Riley for the thousandth time, swinging her scythe for even more. Riley tried to deflect it with the de of his scythe, but once again, his weapon disintegrated as soon as it made contact with Death''s weapon,


    "You are gone again," Death whispered as her de sliced through Riley''s torso, causing his flesh to melt and wither away instantly. But not even a second after, Death spun her scythe around her arm before cing it behind her,pletely blocking Riley''s strike as he once again materialized out of nowhere.


    And once again, his weapon disintegrated. Riley did not care, however, as he just let it go and pointed his palm at Death.


    "Pavoom," he whispered as a violent and invisible force caused Death''s domain to distort and tremble. But as soon as this violent force made contact with her, it just¡­ disappeared. Riley once again did not show any reaction as this time, he punched Death straight on her cheek¡­


    ¡­only for his arm to disintegrate, followed by the rest of his body.


    "There is no point in fighting any longer, Riley Ross," Death let out a small sigh as Riley just materialized as fast as he disappeared, "Death can not hold you, but you can not also hold death. We are going to be stuck in an infinite loop ¡ª that will only pass in the blink of an eye for me, but for you¡­


    ¡­You have everything to lose."


    "Hm," Riley did not stop attacking as he stretched his arm to the side,pressing a heat hot enough to cause the white space around him to distort¡­ and very soon, darken. Riley then stretched his other arm to the side, but nothing really happened¡­ visually, at least. And without even say a word, he pped his hands together ¡ª causing the two forces to merge.


    "Stop." But before the forces could actually even do anything, Death moved closer to Riley and just ced a finger on it¡­ causing it to disappear,


    "You can not show me death, Riley ¡ª for I am Death, and death is me. There is, and will always only be one of me," Death sighed, "Perhaps you can turn me into nothing, but how are you going to do that when nothing does not exist and therefore can not be touched by death? And those that can not be touched by death, can not also touch death. Like you."


    "Huh¡­?" Miss Pepondosovich could not help but turn to look at Esme and Randall, "Please tell me I''m not the only one thinking that does not make sense at all."


    "The Primordials are concepts beyond our limited mind, Pepondosovich," Randall closed his eyes, "To bear witness to one of them is already almost impossible, to try and understand them would be asking for too much."


    "Right¡­ but still¡­" Miss Pepondosovich continued to watch Riley and Death, "...I don''t think this will ever end. But Riri''s¡­ clearly losing, right?"


    And almost as if to double down on Miss Pepondosovich''s words, Death ced her scythe beside her andpletely stopped attacking Riley even as he let out a barrage of attacks against her.


    "Pavoom. Pavoom. Pavoom."


    Riley once again summoned a scythe, swinging it at Death while shooting out his ''Pavoom'' attack continuously and without pause. And yet, Death no longer moved and just allowed everything to hit her¡­ but absolutely nothing happened to her.


    "Do you not realize, Riley Ross?" Death sighed, "Like you¡­ I can''t be killed ¡ª I was not created with that sort of purpose. My brothers and sisters could probably be killed by you, but not me. If therees a time when you truly are sessful in turning our universe into nothing to make way for the next one¡­


    ¡­I will still be there."


    "You seem to be misunderstanding something, Miss Death," Riley blinked a couple of times as he pped his hands together before pulling them away and creating some sort of¡­ ck hole which sucked out all the light, space, and everything close to him. He then casually let it go and let it float toward Death¡­ who just once again let it hit her without any resistance.


    And the ck hole just¡­ died.


    "What am I misunderstanding, Riley Ross?" Death also blinked.


    "I am not trying to kill you," Riley shrugged.


    "But you said you would let me experience death," Death closed her eyes and smiled, "You also said you wanted to make me angry ¡ª perhaps ites with the disappointment that I am feeling now?"


    "What is your purpose, Miss Death?" Riley smiled as he finally stopped attacking and just looked Death in the eyes.


    "...To be there," Death answered.


    "And¡­ are you there?"


    "..."


    "...Now I''m even more confused," Miss Pepondosovich could not help but once again look at Esme and Randall as she saw Death''s eye starting to twitch.


    "While you are here with me, Miss Death¡­" The smile on Riley''s face grew even wider as he stretched his arms to the side, "...Who grants the creations peace?"


    "Riley Ross," the slight difort in Death''s face faded away as she returned Riley''s smile, "You are the one who misunderstands ¡ª I might be here with you, but I am also everywhere. I am Death, and death happens¡ª"


    "Is happening without you," Riley breathed in, "You are not feeling it. The death that is happening around you."


    "Hm?" Death tilted her head to the side.


    "I summoned several clones of myself before we entered your domain, Miss Death," Riley breathed in, "And right now, they are wreaking havoc in the domain of the gods. The gods who are in the process of regenerating and healing are being killed by them as we speak ¡ª and even beyond that. You are not the face they see, Miss Death¡­


    ¡­It is me."


    "Nonsense, Riley Ross," Death once again smiled as she let out a tiny breath, "I may not feel their deaths, but it is still with me where they will end."


    "Perhaps," Riley hummed, "But for them, and for those who will follow them. From now on, my face will be the one to wee them to their deaths ¡ª for them¡­


    ¡­I am Death."


    "You are not," Death''s eyes once again started to twitch.


    "No, but they think I am," Riley stepped closer to Death, "And they are not the first too ¡ª trillions of people consider me their Death."


    "Trillions are irrelevant, Riley Ross."


    "But there will be more," Riley let out a tiny chuckle, "My clones will walk through the Domain of the Gods for eternity ¡ª and eventually, one of them will find a cosmic piece and create his own universe, and then ultimately traverse the multiverse and turn them into nothing one¡­ by one¡­ by one until nothing remains. And each of them will think of me as Death. And you¡­


    ¡­you will be nothing."


    "Enough," the smile on Death''s face faded away as she looked Riley in the eyes, "We are done here, Riley Ross."


    "But I do not think so, Miss Death," Riley disappeared from his spot and started shooting out several more ''Pavooms'' at Death, "Let''s have fun here forever."


    "No," Death snapped her fingers, and as soon as she did so, the white space disappeared and they were once again back at the City of Summoners, "I am done ¡ª"


    And before Death could finish her words, she realized that nothing changed in the city at all ¡ª it was the same scenery as they left it, with some of the gods even slowly recovering.


    "You¡­" Death looked around, seemingly holding her breath,


    "...You tricked me?"


    "Yes," Riley casually shrugged.


    "You¡­" And as Death''s voice started to lower, the entire Domain of the Gods suddenly turned dark, pitch dark, "Do you think this is¡ª"


    "Woah, calm down, sis."


    And before Death could finish her words, a shadow suddenly appeared in front of her, casually touching her forehead with the tip of his finger. The darkness that filled the domain of the gods also instantly disappeared, as if it was absorbed by the shadow in front of Death.


    And very soon, this shadow turned to look at Riley; his dark silhouette, turning gray before resembling the form of a human; woman or man, it was hard to determine.


    "It is nice to meet you again so soon, Riley Ross. You do remember me, right? Me, Elementia?" Elementia bowed at Riley,pletely covering Death from his view, "Forgive me for interrupting your date with my older sister, but I can''t have her expiring this ce ¡ª I consider the Domain of the Gods as my baby, after all."


    "You created the Domain of the Gods, Mis¡ªElementia?"


    "Just Elementia," Elementia chuckled, "And no, I did not create the Domain of the Gods. It was made possible because of me, if that is what you are asking."


    "Then¡­" Riley also bowed to Elementia,


    "...Can you please give me a cosmic piece, Elementia?"

 Chapter 950 950: Elementia Vs Ross...?

    Chapter 950  950: Elementia Vs Ross...?


    ??"...Can you please give me a cosmic piece, Elementia?"


    "Sure."


    There was a certain silence after Elementia''s words as everyone just stared at him. Even Death, whose disturbed expression was already starting to calm down, could not help but stare at him with a slightly shocked expression.


    The Primordials do not have emotions or feelings, or at least that is how it should have been. But ever since they have taken the forms of the creatures of the universe they have created, they found themselves being more and more like them; they never knew that it could happen as they never truly tried it¡­ and perhaps that was a mistake.


    "What''s a Cosmic Piece?" And as Elementia continued his words, everyone once again just continued to stare at him. Elementia, however, just had a smile on his face as he looked at Riley.


    As for Riley, he just tilted his head to the side as he looked Elementia in the eyes, "You had a hand in the creation of the Domain of the Gods, Elementia. You do not know what a Cosmic Piece is?"


    "No," Elementia scratched his chin as he started looking around the City of Summoners, "This is actually my first time here, believe it or not. I was expecting it to be more advanced, or at the very least filled with creatures since it has been around for trillions of years ¡ª but I suppose it would make sense that the gods would be content with what they have."


    "No!" Miss Pepondosovich did not know why she spoke up, but she did. And she even pointed at Elementia, "We can''t create so many grand buildings because the ground and everything else is too hard!"


    "It is¡­?" Elementia blinked a couple of times as he crouched down and casually burrowed his hands through the earth, "Is this hard? I really should spend more time inside Creation, I know nothing of how it works even though I was responsible for creating most of it. But I am babbling ¡ª what''s a Cosmic Piece?"


    Elementia did not even clean his hands as he turned his focus back to Riley, "If I know what it is, then perhaps I can create it for you ¡ª if it is a living entity, then you would have to ask Celestial. But I have to warn you, if you think she hated you before, she hates you even more now."


    "A Cosmic Piece is¡ª"


    "It is truly weird, no?" Elementia did not let Riley finish his words as he started walking around; sneakily patting the dirt on Death''s shoulder as he walked behind her, "Celestial is actually the only one of us that previously had emotions; perhaps it is because she is responsible for creating the first-ever living creature to roam Creation, but she has emotions and feelings, plenty of it."


    Riley watched Elementia just walk around before deciding to follow behind him, "I have always been curious about it ¡ª curiosity, that is another thing we originally did not have."


    "If it is something you did not originally have, then how can you have always been curious, Elementia?"


    "Huh, you make a fine point, Riley Ross," Elementia nced at Riley before shrugging, "Navi, Death, Celestial, Elementia, Machina, and Ruin. Have you ever wondered why there needed to be 6 of us, when one could suffice?"


    "No."


    "Huh, me neither," Elementia once again shrugged, "Anyway, let us get back to talking about Celestial ¡ª she was the first to have feelings and emotions, and I never knew that I was curious about him until I learned what curiosity is¡­ Like I never knew I was envious of her before I knew what envy is. We were machines, while Celestial was alive this entire time¡­ no offense to Machina, of course. But¡ª"


    "Elementia, why are you even here?" And before Elementia could finish his words, Death appeared in front of him and blocked his path, "You have no business being here."


    "But we do," Elementia smiled at Death, "How does it make sense that we have no business in the very thing we created, Big Sis?"


    "It is not in our role."


    "And yet you are here," Elementia looked Death in the eyes.


    "Because Riley Ross is interrupting my duties."


    "No," Elementia shook his head, "The creature he was ying with would have eventually died. You just wanted an excuse to meet with Riley Ross ¡ª and now you are even getting angry, when we know you as the most gentle out of all of us, even when we did not have emotions."


    "I am not angry."


    "Your eyebrows say otherwise, Big Sis," Elementia let out a small chuckle as he pointed at Death''s lowered eyebrows, "I would not me you, Riley Ross fooled you, after all. We all saw it."


    "You¡­ all saw it?" Death''s eyes widened, "Navi!"


    "Anyway," Elementia looked at Death for a few more seconds before turning around and focusing back on Riley, "The Cosmic Piece is an object that could bring you outside the Domain of the Gods, I suppose?"


    "...Yes," Riley nodded; not even bothering to ask how he suddenly knew what it was.


    "I can certainly create that," Elementia nodded as he opened his palm, and there, arge piece of an eggshell materialized, "This is a Cosmic Piece? I was expecting something more. I can give this to you, Riley Ross."


    "Elementia," Death once again blocked Elementia''s path as he started walking toward Riley, "We ced Riley Ross here to prevent him from destroying Creation, letting him out would¡ª"


    "Change nothing," Elementia shrugged, "We have bore witness to it already, Death. The Creation after us, they already exist. We can''t stop it. And why should we stop it? So¡­"


    "Elementia!"


    Another Elementia suddenly appeared right in front of Riley; his hand, already handing the cosmic piece to Riley. But before Riley could even reach out for it, another silhouette appeared beside them and grabbed Elementia''s wrist. And from the sound Elementia''s wrist was making and the air being distorted around it, whoever was holding it was holding it¡­ tight.


    "You¡­" Neither Elementia nor Riley was the first to react, however, as it was Death who immediately let out a whisper as soon as she saw who it was ¡ª or rather, what it wasn''t, "...I do not know you."


    "You do," the silhouette answered; her white hair, still in the process of flowing down her shoulders as she did so.


    "Hm, I did not think we would meet again so soon¡­" As for Riley, he just took a step back, "...Aerith''Ross."


    Aerith''Ross did not really answer and just nced at Riley before turning her focus to the cosmic piece that Elementia was holding. And without even saying a word, she casually grabbed it with her free hand.


    "What are you doing, Outsider?"


    But before Aerith''Ross could move her hand away, Elementia also grabbed her wrist. And even then, Aerith''Ross still did not speak as she just stared at Elementia''s eyes before shaking her head.


    "Perhaps you should try to speak," Elementia blinked his eyes and smiled, "I find that it is very convenient to voice out one''s thoughts ever since I gained a voice. No? Since you are from the Creation after this, does that mean that something would happen if I were to give this cosmic piece to Riley Ross?"


    "..."


    "...Does that mean our fate is not sealed yet?" Elementia''s eyes widened, as well as the smile on his face, "Well then¡­


    ¡­this should be fun."


    And as soon as Elementia said those words, the cosmic piece that Aerith''Ross was holding turned into a violent crystal spine, causing her to let go. But before the cosmic piece could even move from its position in the air, Aerith''Ross mmed the back of her hand onto Elementia''s face.


    Elementia''s head, however, just turned into smoke; each of its parts, separating in the air. Still, his eyes were looking at Aerith''Ross and his mouth began to move.


    "I did not get much action before when we were in Riley Ross''s little tournament¡­" Elementia''s mouth breathed in and sucked in all the smoke, "...Perhaps it is time for me to have fun."


    And as soon as Elementia said those words, his hand that was grabbing Aerith''Ross wrist turned ck. Aerith''Ross tried pulling her hand away, but Elementia''s hand did not budge at all. And soon, Elementia''s entire body turned ck; except for his head which turned into smoke.


    "I wonder¡­" Elementia''s mouth that sucked in all the smoke started letting it out again; the smoke, quickly shifting and transforming to create another body, "...I do believe that is the strongest material known to¡ª"


    And before Elementia could even finish his words, Aerith''Ross let out a small groan as she pulled her hand again; this time, causing the very space itself to crack¡­ along with his previous arm. And still without saying a word, Aerith''Ross grabbed Elementia''s previous body and mmed it straight toward him, causing him to violently fly back for several meters before just casuallynding on his feet.


    "Ho¡­" Elementia smiled,


    "...The others would get jealous of me knowing I''m having this much fun."

 Chapter 951 951: Elementia vs. Aerith’Ross

    <h4>Chapter 951 Chapter 951: Elementia vs. Aerith''Ross</h4>


    "...The others would get jealous of me knowing I''m having this much fun."


    The smile on Elementia''s face was slightly awkward, perhaps a testament to his still-growing emotions; even then, however, it was obvious to everyone there that he truly was having fun.


    And soon, he even raised his hand to beckon Aerith''Ross toe forward; taunting her to attack first. Aerith''Ross, however, did not do anything and just stood there. She nced at Riley from time to time, but other than that, she remainedpletely still and silent.


    As for Riley, he started walking around and looking at her from head to toe¡­ his face only inches away from her.


    "Y¡ª" Words almost escaped Aerith''Ross''s mouth as the king of personal boundaries ced his face just inches away from her. Her eyes were clearly twitching from the awkwardness of the situation, but she was trying her best not to be affected at all.


    "You do not look like me at all, Aerith''Ross," Riley ced his hand on his chin as he backed away and once again looked at her from head to toe, "I do believe you''re my child, but there are a lot of things I do not know ¡ª as is the case as always. But¡ª"


    Aerith''Ross did not let Riley finish his words as she disappeared; only to reappear in front of Elementia, her fist already locked onto his face. But like Death, Elementia was just allowing the attacks to hit him, and like Death, the strike proved to bepletely futile as Elementia''s body once again turned into some sort of smoke.


    "You can''t¡ª" Elementia''s mouth was about to speak again, but somethingpletely unexpected happened ¡ª Aerith''Ross was able to grab the smoke, ripping it apart with both hands vertically along with the rest of his still-physical body,


    "So, you can. That is interesting."


    Elementia still seemedpletely unfazed, however, as his cleaved body just split into two to form two bodies that werepletely identical to each other.


    "I can see why Big Sis seems very eager to fight ¡ª this is truly fun," both of Elementia''s bodies spoke at the same time ¡ª and their faces were also punched by Aerith''Ross both at the same time¡­ as her body also split into two. Elementia''s bodies once again turned into smoke, but something very unexpected happened next.


    Both of Aerith''Ross''s bodies also turned into smoke; merging¡ªno, shooting toward the smoke that Elementia made and seemingly trying to overpower it. And as soon as Riley saw this, his mouth could not help but slightly open as he looked at everyone else with a somewhat proud expression on his face while pointing at the smoke.


    "Look, everyone," Riley smiled, "She can copy abilities too, and she doesn''t need to die. I suppose she really is my daugh¡ª"


    "!!!"


    A deafening thunder resounded in the air before Riley could finish his words; the untouched field,pletely cleaved into a deep crevice as Aerith''Ross''s body violently rolled through the earth. Her flesh seemed to be falling apart, but regenerating before even a speck of blood could actually fall from her veins.


    "We truly should have visited the Creation we made way before, Big Sis," Elementia was now back to a single entity; a quarter of his head, still missing and floating in the form of a smoke. Even then, however, Elementia was smiling as he looked at Death, "If someone from the New Universe is already this strong, one could just wonder how powerful Riley Ross truly is or will be. In the end¡­


    ¡­perhaps it is us who caused the End of Creation itself."


    Death did not really give Elementia any answer as she just looked at Riley; her face, slowly calming down as she shook her head, "No. Everything ends, even us¡­


    ¡­Hurry this up so we can go home."


    "Go first."


    "No. I am not leaving you here, you are getting more unpredictable ¡ª that is supposed to be Machina''s role."


    "Why didn''t we interfere, Big Sis?" Elementia nced at Death, "Riley Ross is not the first to threaten Creation. Van wiped out the First Gods, and we did nothing. The Eternal Child almost killed Celestial and Ruin, and we did nothing."


    "Van was peaceful after he killed the First Gods ¡ª and none of us, even me, could catch him," Death closed her eyes before letting out a small smile. Her smile, however, faded away and her eyes became slightly mncholic, "The Eternal Child did not have any intention of killing Celestial and Ruin. He just wanted to die¡­


    ¡­but even I could not give it to him."


    "And Riley Ross?"


    "I have every bit of intention in ending all of you," Riley was the one to answer Elementia''s question, "Not yet, of course ¡ª I still want to see how my story unfolds. Because I think it ends as soon as I end all of you. Is it not the case, Aerith''Ross?"


    "..." And as Aerith''Ross dug herself up from the crevice, she looked Riley in the eyes and was about to open her mouth, but chose not to do so in the end as she justpletely strayed her re away to Elementia.


    "Are you still going to try and fight me?" Elementia let out a small hum as he touched his head, the smoke lingering around him; almostpletely gone as his head was whole again, "I do believe you have a chance to kill me, Aerith''Ross¡­


    ¡­this makes it more exciting!"


    And as Elementia raised his voice for the first time, the ceiling that served as the Domain of the Gods'' sky also moved for the very first time ¡ª moving closer down before a mountain just violently and instantly emerged from above andpletely pinned Aerith''Ross; the shockwave, enough to cause the entire Domain of the Gods to tremble, all of it. Even the mortals millions and miles away felt their ground tremble, causing them all to pray and panic.


    "We¡­" Randall, who had been just quietly watching everything as he did not want to speak in the presence of the Primordials, could really only whisper as he took a step back, "...We are fools to see ourselves as gods. I suggest you leave too, Pepondosovich. This is not our ce to be."


    "Mister Randall!?" Miss Pepondosovich raised her voice as Randall just flew away, leaving her and Esme as the only audience to an event that would probably only happen once in the entire Creation, "Should¡­ should we also leave? But Riri''s still here."


    "Who do you think is stronger, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "What¡­?" Miss Pepondosovich could not help but squint her eyes as she heard Esme''s words. She turned to look at where she was looking, only to see Aerith''Ross lifting up the inverted mountain that dropped from the sky, "We should¡ª"


    "Aerith!" And all of a sudden, another figure suddenly appeared, "What are you doing here!?"


    "M¡­Mister Pepondosovich?" Miss Pepondosovich gasped; her wordspletely stuttered as she saw the figure that just emerged out of nowhere, "No¡­ my children?"


    Miss Pepondosovich''s eyes trembled as the figure that just appeared seemed to shift forms and faces; her husband, and then her two children, "No¡­ it''s not them."


    "All I see is a woman with an average face, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme blinked.


    "I heard that!" It was Jennifer, Other Paige''s other personality, "I''ll deal with youter, but for now¡­ Aerith, we should go!"


    "Another one from the New Universe?" Death quickly turned to look at Jennifer, "No¡­ You''re Paige Pearson."


    "Now that you mention her name, I suddenly remember her. It would seem our rules do not apply to the people of the New Universe, Big Sis," Elementia smiled as he saw Jennifer approach Aerith''Ross, "I wonder if this one would stop me too?"


    And as he said those words, he sunk into the ground and emerged in front of Riley; a cosmic piece, already in his hand.


    "You wanted to leave this ce, Riley Ross?" The smile on Elementia''s face grew wider as his hand reached toward Riley, "Then use this."


    "Stop!" A thunderous explosion echoed throughout the entirety of the Domain of the Gods as Aerith''Ross freed herself by splitting the mountain in half, once again causing all of its mortal inhabitants to look into the skies and pray.


    She then quickly rushed toward Elementia ¡ª no, this time, she was flying toward Riley with her fist already locked onto his head. Riley did not move, however, and only smiled as he seemed to wee Aerith''Ross''s fist¡­


    ¡­but it did note.


    Instead, the thing that weed Aerith''Ross''s fist was another fist ¡ª Esme''s.


    And as soon as their knuckles touched, Aerith''Ross''s eyes instantly widened.


    "What¡­" Aerith whispered, and everyone could hear her whisper since no sound emerged from their fists at all. There wasn''t even a thud as their knuckles were just nted against each other, "...What have you done?"


    "...Was I not supposed to do that?" Esme worded out as she stared at their fists, feeling something¡­ weird.


    Riley only looked at them back and forth, also wondering what happened. As for Elementia, he closed his hand and put the cosmic piece away as he nced at Death.


    "Something''s about to happen, Big Sis."


    "Yes," Death blinked a couple of times as she started walking around and looking everywhere, seemingly trying to find something, "I made a mistakeing here."


    "Oh no," And as a breathy exhale escaped from Jennifer''s mouth, everyone just very slowly turned their heads at her. Jennifer, however, only turned to look at Aerith''Ross,


    "We fucked u¡ª"


    And before she could even finish her words, she suddenly disappeared¡ªno. It wasn''t only her. Death, Elementia, Miss Pepondosovich, Riley, Esme, and Aerith''Ross also disappeared.


    Everyone disappeared along with the ground they stood on.

 Chapter 952 952: Those Left Behind

    Chapter 952  952: Those Left Behind


    ??"...Riri!? Riri, where are you!?"


    "Present."


    "W¡ªWhere''d you even pop out from!?"


    Darkness. The darkness was so great that the only thing clear was the silhouettes ¡ª silhouettes that moved and soon recognized each other.


    "I was here the entire time, Miss Pepondosovich."


    Riley and Miss Pepondosovich were the first to see each other, but Esme came soon and stood beside them while looking around the empty darkness, only for the three of them to realize that all of them were actually there¡­


    ¡­even the Primordials.


    "This ce is outside Creation," Elementia tried doing the same thing he did in the Domain of the Gods; dig his hand through the ground ¡ª as there is a ground, but the darkness that surrounded them just overwhelmed it. It was like ss, slippery; wet, yetpletely solid,


    "I assume we are traveling to the past?" Elementia then turned to look at Aerith''Ross, who was just quietly standing there with her arms crossed; talking to Jennifer in whispers and only giving Elementia a nce, "The first encounter we had with traveling across time is with her ¡ª does that mean the themarians have the ability to travel through time?"


    "No, and yes."


    "Jen."


    "There''s no point in hiding this info, Aerith," Jennifer removed Aerith''s hand as she approached Elementia, making Riley and the others gather around her, "Themarians do have an ability to travel through the past ¡ª but there needs to be a certain condition that must be met, a conditionpletely relying on a random circumstance."


    "A random circumstance?" Elementia blinked a couple of times before turning his focus to Miss Pepondosovich, "It relies on luck."


    "Oh, wow. Yes," Jennifer could not help but let out a small gasp as she also nced at Miss Pepondosovich, "That also means we can''t control it ¡ª right now, we are not traveling through the past."


    "We are traveling to the future then?" Elementia squinted his eyes before ncing at Death.


    "No," Jennifer quickly shook her head before letting out a quiet chuckle, "We''re not technically traveling to the future."


    "But you¡ª"


    "Tut-tut," Jennifer wagged her finger in front of a primordial and shushed him, "What we are right now, my friend ¡ª is stuck. We are stuck outside the waves of¡­ time, I suppose you can say that? Time is moving without us? Gah, Aerith, help me out here!"


    Aerith''Ross, however,pletely ignored her and just looked away.


    "Does that mean we are not traveling to your universe?" Elementia closed his eyes and sighed, "A shame, I was looking forward to that."


    "I¡­ don''t know," Jennifer then turned to look at Riley as her voice slightly became meek, "I didn''t really care for the Old Universe since all of you are relics of a time before and have absolutely no relevance."


    "Thank you," Elementia looked at Jennifer from head to toe, "That was sarcasm, by the way ¡ª I learned it just now. But we are getting sidetracked, please ¡ª continue.


    "Riley is here. The New Universe can not be created with him here," Jennifer was still focusing on Riley, "I do not know what that means. If this had to happen, or if this is apletely different story altogether ¡ª but the fact that Aerith and I are here means that the New Universe still exists. But then again, thews of the Old Universe do not apply to us and¡­ Ack, my brain hurts. Anyway, it doesn''t matter to me anyway, this is not my universe. It should, however, matter to all of you, because most importantly¡ª"


    "We are here," Death, who had just been observing the entire time, finally joined the conversation with a very long and deep sigh, "Elementia and I have never been absent before."


    "Yup," Jennifer winced as she looked at Death and Elementia, "Anyway, we won''t know how many years would have passed once we''re out here. It might just be a 1:1 ratio, or maybe a hundred years have already passed outside, or maybe a thousand ¡ª or maybe no time at all."


    "Even if we are only gone for a millisecond," Death closed her eyes, "Everything would be affected, everything would change. We are not just beings, we are thews of Creation itself."


    "A faulty system," Jennifer shrugged before smiling, "No wonder you got forcefully reced by the New Universe. My universe will function perfectly even without anyone there. And¡ª"


    "Well¡­ does it really matter?" Miss Pepondosovich raised her hand to join the conversation, "A year, a hundred years, a thousand years, a million ¡ª we would have just been stuck in the Domain of the Gods, nothing really changes for beings like us. Well¡­ oh no¡­"


    Miss Pepondosovich then turned to look at Riley, who just had his head down and his eyes closed. Unlike the rest of them, Riley was the only one who was still actually living in a mortal''s clock ¡ª he still had people outside, people whom he would never get to see again if more than a hundred years had passed.


    His sister.


    "Riri¡­" Miss Pepondosovich was about to grab Riley''s hand, but Elementia once again opened his mouth.


    "We will not be in the Domain of the Gods once we return," Elementia said as he shook his head, "Domain of the Gods only exists because I am there ¡ª without me, it will crumble and disappear."


    "Wait¡­" Miss Pepondosovich blinked a couple of times, "...Are you saying the people¡ªMarleen and the others are gone?"


    "No," Elementia shook his head, "Living beings are out of my jurisdiction."


    "What is your jurisdiction?" Jennifer squinted her eyes, "Like the elements?"


    "Amongst other things, yes."


    "Wait, wait¡­" Not only Jennifer, but even Aerith''Ross, who had been trying her best to look stoic, widened her eyes as she realized the implication in Elementia''s words,


    "...Are you saying all those god-like beings were freed?"


    "Escaped, yes," Elementia nodded, "But I am sure the others are picking up my ck, Celestial and Machina in particr. Thes and celestial bodies would wither away without me, but Celestial could do something about it ¡ª the elements would be gone, but Machina can also do something with it with¡­ whatever it is that guy actually does."


    "If all of that changes without you¡­" Jennifer ced her hand on her chin before turning to Death,


    "...Then what about her?"


    "Well¡­" This time, it was Elementia whose eyes widened as he looked at Death, "I''m¡­ I''m sure Celestial and Ruin can do something about your role. Right, Big Sis? Am I¡­


    ¡­right?"


    ***


    Hundreds of years ago, the entire multiverse had reached something it had never experienced before ¡ª peace. Peace brought forth by amon enemy that would one day return to wreak havoc and bring about the darkest day, a being known as Riley Ross.


    Hundreds of trillions of lives, living together in harmony. But then, in just the blink of a moment, everything changed.


    The entire universe just suddenly¡­ stopped. For a moment, for a very brief moment ¡ª there was darkness. It was said that most did not even realize it, as it felt as if they just blinked; but the records show that the universe truly did stop.


    And they knew it, because after that one single blink of darkness ¡ª someone disappeared. It could have been a friend, a family, a loved one ¡ª they just disappeared. One moment, you were just talking to them and they were right in front of you, and then the next, they were gone.


    More than half of life itself died.


    Some thought it was the doing of Riley Ross, but it was not ¡ª because if it was, then none of them would have been left.


    But those who were left behind did not have time to mourn, as beings of imaginable power descended from the heavens. Some of them, friendly¡­


    ¡­but most of them sought to rule.


    And once again, the entire multiverse experienced war, the greatest and worst it has and would ever experience¡­ as the multiverse no longer existed after the gods were done.


    There was only a single one left.


    And how, even after all this time, has this history not been forgotten?


    That is because something else happened after the universe blinked ¡ª all life became ageless, immortal. And the only way to truly be whiffed out of existence is through a violent death. There was, however, a price for this immortality¡­


    ¡­Those who were young have eternally remained so. And Life¡­


    ¡­Life lost the ability to give birth.


    And so life, once again, became precious. The gods, the handful that remained after the violent war, set forth orders that would ensure that no life would be lost anymore.


    And thus, another era of peace was born. That is, until¡­


    "Diana! Something¡­ something is happening!"


    "Aerith!? What¡­ what''s wrong!?"


    "My stomach, something¡­ I felt a kick. I felt it moving, I¡­ I felt him moving."


    "A¡­ kick? But that''s impossible, we''re not¡ªCould¡­ could it be?"


    "I don''t care what''s happening! Just check!"


    "This¡­ he''s¡­ he''s growing. He''s growing, Aerith!"


    ¡­Life moved again.


    ***


    "Halt! State your names and show your IDs! You are in vition of Code 0-1, Using abilities of any kind that could lead to harm of your fellow men is strictly prohibited! You are also in vition of Code 1-4, Traveling through space without permission is strictly prohibited! State your names!"


    "I''m guessing this wasn''t here before, Riri?"


    Somewhere in the expanse of space, three silhouettes covered in robes were currently floating aimlessly. And in front of them, was a being that looked like¡­


    "I believe he is a Norid, Miss Pepondosovich," one of the robed individuals lowered his hood before turning to look at the silver humanoid in front of them, "My name¡­


    ¡­is Riley Ross."


    "You¡­


    ¡­are not in the registry."


    And death¡­ will also soon move again.

 Chapter 953 953: Unregistered

    Chapter 953  953: Unregistered


    ??"I found 3 Unregistered roaming around the Expanse, all above ss 7."


    "This vitals is saying that one is a themarian."


    "...I can see that."


    "Riri¡­"


    Riley, Miss Pepondosovich, and Esme were currently inside a small room with one ss wall, currently being observed by people on the other side. And judging from the way they were looking at them, they did not seem happy with them at all. The three of them were lined up next to each other, with the ss wall seemingly showing their vital stats.


    "...This that silver guy took us to¡­" Miss Pepondosovich slightly leaned closer to Riley and whispered,


    "Is it familiar to you?"


    "It looks and feels simr to Earth¡­" Riley quietly whispered back, "...But no, Miss Pepondosovich, I believe I have not been on this before."


    "Weird," Miss Pepondosovich''s whispers slightly became louder, "What about the universe? Is what Elementia said true¡­? There''s only¡­ one left?"


    [Unregistered, please refrain from talkingand moving while we are analyzing your biodata.]


    "Where''d you think that woman that looks kinda like you and her friend went?" Miss Pepondosovichpletely ignored the warning as she continued talking to Riley, "Maybe we should have gone with them instead of being treated like...


    ...like we''re about to be thrown to prison!"


    ***


    "Stay here until we get you the proper identification."


    "I just had to run my mouth."


    And true enough, Miss Pepondosovich was thrown inside a cell. Although it wasn''t necessarily a jail cell, since it had all the necessary things that Miss Pepondosovich needed to use ¡ª it was practically a tiny house; which considering her size, was alreadyrge.


    "Why are you outside!?" Miss Pepondosovich then pointed at Esme on the other side of her only window¡­ free, "I thought I was supposed to be the god of luck here!?"


    "They told me I am free to roam around the building as long as I behave, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme said as she ced her palm on the window, "They called me an Esme variant."


    "Then can you check on Riri?" Miss Pepondosovich let out a very long and deep sigh as she looked at her view behind Esme; only to see her neighbors, who were in the same situation as her, all looking curiously at her and Esme. All of them were lined up in a long and wide hallway ¡ª much like a prison, "I''m worried he''s going to do something."


    "I can''t, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "It''s fine, you can leave me here ¡ª I''m used to being in a cage," Miss Pepondosovich turned to look at her cell, "This is actually quite fancy, they have a toilet too. It''s been ages since Ist used one."


    "I can''t, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme shook her head, "I can''t leave because I am not allowed to leave the building. Master was brought to the other building for men."


    "What''s even going on out here¡­?" Miss Pepondosovich breathed out, "None of this is familiar to you too, Miss Esme?"


    "No," Esme once again shook her head, "But I am not the right person to ask, Miss Pepondosovich. Even before I became an Undead, the only I have been to was my own."


    "Why are they even holding us here!?" Miss Pepondosovich backed away from therge ss window as she sped her bunny ears in frustration, "We''re out of the Domain of the Gods, only to be stuck here! I mean, where even is Marlene and the others from the domain? How many years have passed? I need answers! Answers! But most importantly¡­


    ¡­Riri!"


    ***


    "Two Unknown traveling together with an Esme variant. What do you think is happening here, Baka?"


    "I don''t know, Kambing. But he sort of looks like the Lady, no?"


    "They all look alike."


    "Pft. Forgive us forughing."


    While Miss Pepondosovich was losing her mind, Riley was just casually rxing in the cell they threw him in; even using the kitchen and the ingredients provided in the cell to cook a meal for himself. He did not even mind that he had an audience watching and talking about him, he just went and made himself at home.


    "Is he really ss 7?" The people watching him, humanoids covered in fur and a tail hanging behind their waist, continued to talk about him, "Where do you think he''s been this entire time?"


    "No idea. The norid said they found them loitering near the moon."


    "Pft, probably went home since they couldn''t find anything out there. They really should just ban traveling above the skies altogether and¡ª"


    [V-22C-84B and B-1Z-12C, please step back from Room 6204.]


    And before the two could continue their conversation, the door to Riley''s cell suddenly opened, causing them to just run as far away as they could. As for Riley, he just nced back at the opening door before continuing to cook whatever it was he was cooking.


    Even when several people started stepping inside his cell, he did not look back at all.


    "If I knew I had guests, I would have prepared more," he only let out a sigh while shaking his head, "You could wait, but it would be a while since I would have to thaw the steak. So for now, I suppose the four of you could just watch me eat ¡ª I would also suggest a burner instead of an electric stove, induction pans are too heavy to use. And perhaps a knife? I have been trying to find a knife, but I can''t find one. Is that the reason why the steaks are already cut in pieces? W¡ª"


    "Who are you?"


    "A Stranger," Riley breathed out as he started ting his food, "I have already introduced myself several times and no one uses my name, which I do find quite rude ¡ª you may just address me however you want."


    The four individuals, who were wearing the same white suit as the people that processed him, could really only look at each other as Riley just calmly walked toward the table and started eating by himself like they weren''t there at all.


    "We will address you as Zero."


    "Hm?" Riley finally nced at the men who intruded his cell, and all of them lookedpletely human.


    "A name that has been passed down from your predecessor."


    "My predecessor?" Riley let out a small breath as he elegantly scooped out his steak from his te, since he also wasn''t provided a fork.


    "The unique Unregistered before you," the man then sat in front of Riley, cing his hand on the table as he looked Riley in the eyes, "How long have you been traveling the expanse of space? Which Faith did you previously belong to?"


    "Hm¡­" Riley blinked a couple of times, "...Jesus."


    "You''re funny, huh?" The man scoffed and smiled, "If you are not telling us, then you must have been on the side of the Tyrannical Gods, which exins yourck of identification. I suppose yourpanion is too, the small humanoid."


    "Miss Pepondosovich," Riley ced his spoon on the table, "I do not mind you calling me Zero, but please do call Miss Pepondosovich by her name."


    "Right," the man then looked at his colleagues before just letting out a sigh and standing up, "Are you a threat, Zero?"


    "Not right now," Riley shrugged, "I am eating."


    "Okay," the man just nodded before stepping away, "We are done evaluating your psychological profile, Zero. Since you have no known variants, please just make yourself at home while we are assessing if you can live outside."


    "Hm," Riley also nodded as he stood up and walked to the door. The man''s other colleagues were about to stop Riley, but the man prevented them from doing so as Riley did not really step outside and just stood beside the door, "Please, do tell me if you areing so I can prepare a meal for all of you."


    "Thank you, Zero," the man nodded, "Don''t worry, it shouldn''t take a while and you''ll be living out there in no time. All of this is just formality."


    "You do not have to rush, I amfortable here," Riley breathed out, "Before you leave, though. Do you know someone named Hannah Ross?"


    "Hannah Ross¡­" The man squinted his eyes before turning to look at his colleagues. But after a few shakes of their head, the man just let out a sigh, "...I am afraid not."


    And with those words, the group just left Riley inside his cell.


    He just stood there in front of his door for a few seconds, before shrugging to himself and continuing his meal. They even provided him with a TV to entertain himself, but aside from just shows that he didn''t recognize, there wasn''t really any information he could get.


    He did not need to wait long, however, as the door to his cell once again opened after just a few hours.


    "Zero."


    It was the same man who sat in front of him, "Please follow me for your final assessment. I assume you do not know what it is?"


    "No," Riley just shrugged as he followed the man out of his cell.


    "It is to determine your true ss Level," the man nced back, "So we could know how much of a threat you are to other people¡­


    ¡­and to yourself."

 Chapter 954 954: Zero Screening

    <h4>Chapter 954 Chapter 954: Zero Screening</h4>


    [State your name.]


    "Zero."


    [Your real name.]


    "I was told it was Zero, then for all of you, it is Zero and nothing else."


    [...Very well, Zero. We will ask you several questions, you just need to answer them to the very best of your abilities.]


    Riley was currently sitting on a chair in front of several people who were trying to interrogate¡ªno, interview him. How many times has he presented himself like this in front of people?


    The very first one was perhaps his interview back in the Mega Academy, and then the next one was whenever he murdered someone in cold blood in front of other people. Right now, however, the interview seemed to be whether or not he would be allowed to go outside.


    That means he needed to answer in a way that would allow him to go outside¡­


    ¡­and that means honesty.


    [Do¡ª]


    "Yes, you are very ugly."


    Riley did not even blink or hesitate as he looked the interviewer in the eyes. He then turned to his colleagues, who slightly flinched in their seats as he did so; quickly avoiding his eyes and pretending to look at something on their tablets. Some of them seemed to want tough, but just breathed in whatever they were feeling.


    [That''s¡­ that''s not what I was going to ask,] the interviewer could really only clear his throat as he too, examined Riley''s stats and what little information they have on him.


    "I apologize," Riley sighed, "But I answered to the best of my abilities."


    [Right¡­] The interviewer sighed, [...What I was going to ask was, do you know how old you were during the Blink?]


    [No,] Riley shook his head, [Sister is usually the one who celebrates my birthday and reminds me of how old I am. But I am afraid we¡­ have been separated.]


    [You do not remember how old you were?] The interviewer rubbed his chin as he looked at Riley''s vital stats, [Does that mean you''re one of the Long-lived races? Can you give us a ballpark on how old you think you were before the Blink?]


    "When did the Blink happen?" Riley blinked a couple of times, "And what is the Blink?"


    [Please, just answer our question.]


    "I suppose I might have been 26 years old," Riley shrugged.


    [...You''re not one of the Long-lived Races, then?]


    "I am a human from Earth," Riley looked at the interviewers one by one, "Perhaps you should have just asked me that if you wanted to find out what I am."


    [Earth¡­ Liza, you were from Earth, right?] All the interviewers then turned to look at the guard who was quietly standing next to the door; his entire body, covered in some sort of armor.


    "Yes."


    [Do you recognize Zero?]


    "No," Liza turned to look at Riley; her helmet that covered her entire face, slightly unfolding to reveal her eyes, "You can''t expect me to know everyone from all the Earths¡­ RIP to all of them. And even if I do know him, it''s been like what¡­ 600 or something years? We humans aren''t meant to have memories that span that long. We¡ª"


    [Okay, okay. That''s enough. You''re not the one we''re interviewing.]


    "Then you shouldn''t ask stupid questions, fuck. And that one doesn''t even look human."


    [Okay, alright,] the interviewer could really only wave his hand to gesture to the guard to just keep quiet as they once again focused on Riley, [I apologize ¡ª you see, your kind can be a little¡­ grumpy.]


    "Try living for 600 years, you fuck. We are not meant to live that long."


    [All of us are older than that,] the interviewer sighed as Liza once again spoke, [Zero, what do you n to do once you are outside?]


    Everyone once again focused on Riley. But Riley, however, was just looking down ever since he heard Liza''s words.


    The Blink ¡ª if Riley was right, then that event is probably what happened when he and the others were sent to the future. The guard seems to be a Super, but not really a strong one ¡ª and yet she had lived for 600 years, does that mean everyone stopped aging when Death disappeared?


    Then¡­ is it possible that Hannah was still alive? But what exactly does Liza mean by ''RIP to all of them'' when she refers to the Earths?


    [Zero, what do you n to do once you are outside?]


    "Search for my sister," Riley finally answered as he looked back at the interviewers.


    [Where were you this entire time?]


    "I was in the Domain of the Gods."


    [Which god?]


    "All of them?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he couldn''t understand the question.


    [All of them¡­? I suppose that is your way of saying you were not on anyone''s side. Since you are a Human, we would assume that you are a Super since you were able to survive the war and were even found traveling through the Expanse ¡ª only a few of you could do that.]


    "I suppose."


    [In order for you to be able to live on the, you are to restrict your abilities to follow the Margrea Oath. Are you able to do that?]


    "I suppose," Riley shrugged, "But I do not know what the Margrea Oath is."


    [...Just how long have you been traveling in the dark?]


    "...All my life."


    [We will exin the Margrea Code before you leave anyway, so I will exin it now:


    I will do no physical harm of any kind to my fellow men and myself. I will use my powers to help those who are physically injured to the best of my ability. I will treat myself, anyone, and everyone I see with gentleness and care. I will not produce instruments that would lead, no matter how small, to the harm of myself and anyone. If I gain thoughts of harm, I will immediately seek help and confess my thoughts to the nearest guardian. If I transgress and foreswear this oath, may I be sentenced to a life of loneliness for eternity.]


    "I believe that''s the Hippocratic Oath," Riley blinked a couple of times, "I suppose if I break it, I would be thrown back here?"


    [No,] the interviewer shook his head, [You will be thrown in the Prison of Istion until the warden believes that you have repented, and that could mean forever.]


    "This is not a prison?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    [...No. Do you really think a prison would provide you with your own kitchen?] The interviewer chuckled, [Do you truly not know anything of what is going on here?]


    [He must have already forgotten. Most humans tend to have very short memories, Liza is living proof of that.]


    "Why the fuck am I involved in this again!?"


    [He must have truly been traveling the expanse of space for a very long time. Perhaps he does not even have a memory of the war.]


    "..." Riley squinted his eyes as he tried to analyze what they were saying. But he did not really need to ¡ª he could probably just search for articles of whatever happened here once he is outside¡­ if he is allowed to go outside.


    [Since you are a ss 7, which is very rare for humans, do note that a guardian will be following you for the first few weeks of your release.]


    All the interviewers then stood up from their seats, causing Riley to do the same.


    [You will now henceforth be known as Zero until you im not to be. Please, follow Liza to get your ID.]


    "Oh, I am free to go?" Riley blinked a couple of times, "Are you sure?"


    [Yes. Please refrain from using your abilities, you are being watched by the gods at all times¡­


    ¡­May you treat all life with care, Zero.]


    All the interviewers, and even Liza raised their palms as they repeated the words of their colleague.


    "Well¡­" A hint of a smile crawled on Riley''s face as he also raised his hand,


    "...I''ll try."


    ***


    "Yourpanion, the small one ¡ª she chose to stay."


    "Okay."


    "...Are you not going to ask why?"


    "Why?"


    Riley''s identification was now being processed and finalized; the door to the outside world, already only a few meters away from him. He was expecting Miss Pepondosovich and Esme to already be waiting for her, but they were not.


    "Your otherpanion, the themarian, is an Esme variant," Liza, the guard from the interview room, was the one designated as Riley''s so-called guardian, "She is not allowed to go outside and would be living here indefinitely, at least until the current Esme¡­ dies, which I don''t really see happening anytime soon."


    "Then I suppose Miss Pepondosovich volunteered to stay here to apany her?" Riley sighed.


    "Yes," Liza nodded before showing Riley a tablet, "This tablet is for you ¡ª do not lose it. This will act as your personal smartphone, identification, as well as a tracker if ever you try to escape my side. And please, don''t fucking cause me any trouble."


    "You do not have to worry about me, Miss Liza," Riley shook his head as he grabbed the tablet and started walking to the exit,


    "...I do not harm people."

 Chapter 955 955: A Utopia

    Chapter 955  955: A Utopia


    ??"First, you would need a job. Since you are a ss 7 being, I was advised to get familiar with you so that you could adjust faster to your new life, and also to ensure other people won''t try to trick you. We don''t want someone like you getting angry, after all ¡ª Don''t you fucking worry, Zero. You are going to belong here in no time."


    "I have been to several ces that I was told I belonged to, Miss Liza."


    "Great, where are those ces now?"


    "They are all gone because of me."


    "...Right."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...So, can we go down now? I''m not very good with heights."


    "No."


    It was the sound of the wind, familiar, and yet strange all the same. He was on the rooftop of a building, overlooking the world he once again finds himself lost in. He was supposed to have been thrown forward into time, and yet it almost felt like he was back to a time before everything went crazy ¡ª before he turned everything crazy.


    Riley could not even remember thest time he had ever seen peace, or at least the surface of it ¡ª but the ce that reflected in his eyes truly captured all of that ¡ª peace. But perhaps even more so than peace, there was order.


    ¡­Too much of it.


    The cars that moved across the streets felt inorganic; Riley even thought they were trams at first with the way they moved explicitly identical to each other, with no one even trying to cutnes even once. Of the people walking on the sidewalks, none of them even attempted to cross the roads when the light was red.


    Everyone was careful, too careful.


    "This is New York City, is it not?" Riley breathed in as his eyes did not leave the city at all. Like the wind blowing onto his face, familiar¡­ and yet strange all the same.


    "Wh¡ªYes!" Liza, who was still wearing a guard''s uniform, almost jumped in glee as she heard Riley''s words. Although it was impossible to see her expression due to her face being covered by a full-face tactical helmet, it was obvious even for someone like Riley that she was happy, "Thank you, do you know how many humans I''ve talked to that have already forgotten the name of this city? A lot, like, a fucking lot lot. You look incredibly stoic and not like a human at all, but you''re the first¡ªI''m babbling, aren''t I? Sorry, it''s been so long that¡ªeeeh!"


    "But this is not Earth," Riley did not mind her bubbly actions at all as he just nced at her.


    "...No," Liza sighed, "Considering this is the only universe left, I don''t think Earth exists anymore. This city was made for us humans, in order for us not to forget where we came from ¡ª which is weird, because if I remember correctly, I''m not even American and have never been to New York."


    "The world has changed once again without me," a small hint of a smile crawled on Riley''s face, "And what about the other species? Which do they live on?"


    "You¡ªdo you really know nothing?" Liza turned to look at Riley, "Where did you evene from?"


    "The Domain of the Gods, as I said, Miss Liza."


    "Were you trapped in the domain of one of the gods? Which one?" Liza seemed incredibly confused. But after a few seconds, she just shook her head and sighed, "I''m going to talk to you like you don''t know anything¡­


    ¡­There are no others, Zero."


    "Hm¡­?" Riley turned to look up at the sky, looking at the blue and green moon above them, "But isn''t that New Theran?"


    "New¡­ Theran?" Liza raised her palm as she looked up at the blue and green moon, "No, that is Margrea, and it is not our ce to talk about it."


    "Margrea," Riley squinted his eyes ¡ª that is definitely New Theran. But considering Liza was from another universe, perhaps she has absolutely no idea about New Theran since it seemed to be unique to Riley''s universe in the first ce,


    "And no one lives there?"


    "The Divine Gods do," Liza whispered as she lowered her head, "May we all treat life with care."


    "Does that mean all the species live on this, Miss Liza?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he turned to look at Liza, who seemed to be uttering a silent prayer to herself.


    "Yep," Liza let out a short but deep breath as she pped her hands, "All 24 billion of us, including those in the Preservation."


    "The preservation is¡ª"


    "Seriously¡­? That''s the ce you were staying just hours ago," Liza sighed.


    "There are only 24 billion people left?" A very small smile could be seen forming on Riley''s face.


    "Yep," Liza once again sighed, "That''s what happens when people can''t have children anymore. Maybe if it wasn''t for the war, then there would still be a lot left of us since we practically can''t age anymore. Do you know how long I''ve been 35? I mean, why couldn''t the Blink have happened when I was like 19 or something!?"


    "You can''t have children?" Riley ced his hand on his chin, "Interesting."


    "What''s interesting about that?"


    "You do not act like you have been alive for 600 years, Miss Liza."


    "...Is that supposed to be apliment or something?" Liza groaned as she started walking away, "And thankfully so. I''m d I haven''t be desensitized by all the shit that''s been happening. Most that domit the most horrendous crime of all ¡ª taking their own life. Anyway, we''ve already spent too much time here¡­


    ¡­I haven''t even shown you where you would be living."


    ***


    "Tadaah!"


    "I do not need a storage room, Miss Liza ¡ª the only baggage I carry are other people."


    "...Do you really talk like that? And no, this isn''t a storage room. This is your apartment!"


    "Apartment?"


    "Yup, and here are your things."


    Riley could really only watch as Liza grabbed a carton box next to the door and handed it to him with a very excited expression on her face. She was even gesturing to Riley to go inside and check it, as if Riley even needed to go inside the so-called apartment to see all of it when he could already see everything just from the door.


    "I know, it''s a little small," Liza let out a small giggle, "But look, you even have your own private bathroom! You know, back when this was still considered a sanctuary a hundred years ago, I lived in a tent and had to eat scraps ¡ª this is luxury. A 55 square foot near all the good spots!? You got a jackpot!"


    Liza entered the small apartment, even sitting on the small sofa andpletely making herself at home before finally fully removing her helmet; revealing her long ck hair that flowed all the way down her waist.


    "So¡­?" Liza then opened her arms; her cheery face, bing even more jolly with the little bits of sun flowing from the windows, "How do you like it?"


    "I do not, Miss Liza," Riley breathed out as he made the carton box he was holding float onto the counter, which was also the sink counter.


    "Woah, woah!" Liza quickly stood up from the sofa, "You do not use your abilities even if you''re at home, you understand!? That''s not cool at all, Zero. That''s serious, people can die. People have died¡­ so please, don''t."


    "Hm," Riley just shrugged before making his way inside the small apartment, "Do you know I never really had my own house before, Miss Liza? I did get one in prison, but I ended up having a sexual housemate after."


    "...I''m going to pretend I know what you just meant by that," Liza squinted her eyes, "Anyway, I''m not going to be a sexual housemate, if that is what you are insinuating."


    "I would prefer you not to be a housemate at all, Miss Liza."


    "Nope," Liza shook her head, "I am afraid we''re stuck together for a week until you get your bearings. We¡ª"


    [ident at 32nd Broadway, all avable personnel, please assist.]


    "That''s¡­ near us!"


    And before Liza could even finish her words, she quickly rushed out of Riley''s apartment and left him alone, just a few seconds after she said they were stuck together. Riley really only watched her leave in haste before sitting on the sofa and trying to make himself at home¡­


    ¡­but after a few seconds, he just shook his head and followed Liza out.


    And as soon as he stepped out of the apartment building, Riley did not even need to figure out where the ident happened as everyone was practically rushing toward the same destination. And there, he saw Liza giving CPR to someone on the street ¡ª an old man, human.


    "Someone get the defib!" Liza then pointed at the corner of the street, only for Riley to see someone rushing to get a defibritor that was freely ced next to the streetlight. He had seen several of them on the way to the apartment ¡ª does that mean every street had them?


    "I heard he tripped."


    "What¡­? Why is no one assisting him?"


    "No, don''t believe that. I saw him jump from the 6th floor."


    "What!? Why would he do that!?"


    But¡­ It''s no use.


    "Miss Liza," Riley calmly approached Liza as she was about to shock the old man, "He is dead."


    "No!" Liza screamed; tears, almost falling from her eyes as she violently gestured to Riley to step back, "We can''t¡­ we can''t lose anyone anymore! Life¡­ life is precious, Riley. We must do¡­ we must do everything¡ª"


    "He is dead, Miss Liza."


    "No! You don''t know that!"


    "I do," Riley whispered,


    "I made sure to drop him at a height that would kill him, after all."


    "...What?" Liza raised an eyebrow, "What are you even saying!? If you''re not going to help, then just stay on the side, please!"


    "Hm¡­" Riley took several steps back as he watched everyone''s expression; all of them, truly showing genuine concern. This ce, it was almost like a utopia. A ce where all life treated all life precious. For someone like Riley, it truly is...


    "...Interesting."

 Chapter 956 956: Significance of a Single Life

    Chapter 956  956: Significance of a Single Life


    ??"Fuck¡­ Fuck!"


    "There was nothing you could have done, Miss Liza."


    "There''s always something I could have done, Zero!"


    The only sound to apany Liza''s weakening voice was the fading siren that signaled the end of an otherwise tiring battle. For Riley, however, it could not even be called an insignificant event ¡ª he was used to dealing with death in the billions already.


    The number of lives he has taken, directly or indirectly, could perhaps even number to a trillion already; but none he could really say was intimate. After all, cut off the celestial tree, and you take everything away with it. He had been obsessing with turning everything into nothing, that sometimes he forgets just how beautiful it was to see death in person.


    To see the hope fade not only in their eyes, but those they leave behind.


    "He shouldn''t have been left alone!" Lina was now sitting on the side of the street; her back turned against the wall as her handsy defeated on the ground. Her eyes, wanting to look at where the old man died, but they stray away in fear of revisiting a recent memory of failure,


    "Someone like that should¡ª"


    "Have died a very long time ago, Miss Liza," Riley stood beside Liza. The crowd who were previously gathered there, now all gone back to their lives; but never the same as they mourn for the life of a stranger. Humans have always been empathetic creatures, but never like this ¡ª something in them changed, that much was obvious from everything Riley has experienced so far,


    "The old man could barely walk¡­ It was time he crossed the road, Miss Liza."


    "We''ve already lost too much!" Liza raised her voice as she mmed her fist on the wall, "Humans, and everyone else is so close to extinction, Zero. There''s not even a normal human left, there''s just us Supers."


    "That would have been bound to happen anyway, Miss Liza," Riley shook his head.


    "Not like this," tears once again trailed forth from Liza''s eyes as she finally turned to look at where the old man died, "It''s scary, isn''t it? To watch life disappear before your eyes¡­ and to know that after it is your turn, the rest will soon follow ¡ª and that''s just that, just like that¡­


    ¡­everything has turned into nothing."


    "..."


    "No one even needs to do anything," Liza chuckled as she wiped the snot and tearsing out of her, "This is so fucking weird, why am I even crying in front of someone I''ve just met? Maybe the old man really did just kill himself, can''t really me him ¡ª what''s the point, right? I mean, this is it¡­ we''re thest of us."


    "Hm."


    "No one even needs to do anything. No superviins, no wars amongst the gods," Liza stood up, "We''re just going to waste away, like food left in the fridge¡­


    ¡­I would have rather a super fucking viin ended all of us than this. Anyway, let''s just go home. And by that, I mean your apartment."


    "You would?" Riley very slowly turned to look at Liza, "Rather be killed by a superviin, Miss Liza?"


    "Fuck yeah," Liza sniffled as she took one final nce at the blood slowly drying up on the street,


    "Like that, uh¡­ that Darkday guy."


    "You know Darkday, Miss Liza?" Riley blinked a couple of times.


    "Oho¡­?" Liza beckoned to Riley to start walking back, "So, that''s what makes you curious, huh? Darkday, the one destined to end us all ¡ª the greatest superviin the entire multiverse has ever faced."


    "Hm," Riley ced his hand on his chin.


    "But then he disappeared or something," Liza sighed as she ced her hand behind her head, "Maybe he was killed by the gods, or maybe he''s actually alive out there and he''s doing all of this."


    "You don''t know what Darkday looks like, Miss Liza?"


    "Nope, no idea," Liza shrugged, "I do think he''s from Earth? Don''t really believe that¡ªwait¡­


    ¡­do you know what he looks like?"


    "Not really, Miss Liza," Riley shook his head, "I don''t really look in the mirror a lot."


    "...What the fuck are you saying?" Liza gave one final sniffle before letting out a chuckle, "Anyway¡­ that old man dying, that hit me really hard to the point it''s making me think. I want a baby, Zero¡­


    ¡­so, let''s go back to your apartment."


    ***


    "Hmn¡­ hn¡­ that''s it. This is¡­


    Riley and Liza were now back in his newly acquired apartment, with Liza bent over the counter and Riley behind him.


    "Ah¡­ I think this is the one!"


    "Hm¡­"


    And of course, Liza truly wanted a baby, but not in the way some people might think. She was currently browsing her tablet, with Riley observing her from behind as he was curious as to what exactly Liza was doing.


    "You can buy babies online, Miss Liza?" Riley could not help but squint his eyes as Liza ced her tablet right in front of Riley''s face, only for him to see the photo of an actual human baby; white, brown hair, and almost yellow eyes ¡ª very much simr to Liza.


    "What¡­? No, well¡­ yes?" Liza shrugged as she just started swiping and tapping on her tablet again, "And¡­ now we have a schedule!"


    "I am confused, Miss Liza," Riley turned to look outside the window as the street lights began turning on one by one, "I thought people are no longer capable of giving birth?"


    "...You really don''t know anything?" Liza sighed, "These are androids. But they grow, they have emotions ¡ª they''re pretty much alive. Some of the people you''ve seen earlier were androids. But of course¡­


    ¡­they''re not really people."


    [I heard that.]


    "What the¡ªwho goes there!?" Liza expertly grabbed her baton from behind her; the trickle of electricity it emitted, causing the lights in the room to fade.


    [Me.]


    "W¡­what is that!?" Liza then quickly backed away as a small gray human suddenly emerged from Riley''s chest, "What the¡ªI thought you didn''t know anything about the androids!"


    "I do not, Miss Liza," Riley opened his palm for Ahor Zai to sit on it, "This is Ahor Zai."


    "Ahor who?" Liza squinted her eyes before starting to calm down and returning her baton, "Did you¡­ adopt her? Or is it your¡­ lover?"


    [Rude,] Ahor Zai crossed her arms as she looked at Liza from head to toe, [What do you mean the androids aren''t really people!?]


    "...Because they are not?" Liza raised an eyebrow, "And you''re not supposed to think you are? Zero, where did you get this one from? I think it''s defective."


    [I know I am not human or any other species, but I consider myself a person too,] Ahor Zai harrumped, [Someone like you should not think of adopting that cute little baby if you do not think of it as a person ¡ª we are not toys.]


    "I¡­ didn''t mean it like that," Liza could really only let out a sigh as she made her way to the sofa and let herself fall onto it, "I mean, I know there are a lot of people out there that treat the androids as real people, but that''s just not the case for me ¡ª and I don''t mean that in any offensive way. I''m all for¡­ rights, but they are not really sentient, per se."


    [Hmph,] Ahor Zai red at Liza for a few more seconds before also just letting out a sigh, [But you are right, do not treat us as people ¡ª but do treat us as a person.]


    "I''m¡­ really confused right now."


    [You should be,] Ahor Zai then flew away from Riley''s palm before flying toward the tablet that was provided to him, [Anyway, I''ll be gone for a while, Boss. I''ll try to integrate myself and learn about this ce ¡ª all this talk about androids intrigued me.]


    "Did¡­ that little just enter your tablet?" Liza could not help but blink a couple of times as she watched Ahor Zai just disappear into the tablet, "Where did you even buy one of those?"


    "I did not buy her, Miss Liza."


    "...I get it. Like a limited edition, huh?" Liza sighed as she rested her head on the sofa, "Your android is right, though ¡ª what was I even thinking wanting to adopt one if I just see them as machines? Ack¡­ I have no right to be a mother. But maybe I should¡­


    ¡­I mean, I can still return it if I feel like I''m not capable, but¡­ ack! Anyway, you should rest, Zero."


    Liza then suddenly let out a yawn after speaking with pause before lying down on the sofa.


    "You have an early day tomorrow too¡­" Liza then said as she just loosened her tactical uniform ever-so-slightly, causing it to almost bounce due to the mountains hidden beneath her shirt,


    "...You need to find a job."


    "Are you Katrina Collins?"


    "What the¡ª" Liza immediately stood up from the sofa as soon as she heard Riley''s words; her gigantic bosoms, jiggling wildly,


    "How do you know my real name!? Could it be you''re a friend of one of my variants!? Wait¡­


    ¡­why are you only recognizing me now!?"


    "I recognize you by your breasts, Miss Liza."

 Chapter 957 957: Something Illegal

    Chapter 957  957: Something Illegal


    ??"You recognize me by my breasts¡­!?"


    And almost as if everything that happened that day was erased in her mind, the previously exhausted Liza just jumped from the sofa and quickly returned to Riley''s side; but with her tactical vest now gone, her breasts just violently bounced until she reached Riley and ced them in front of him on top of the counter,


    "That''s really rude, you know! I have like a very recognizable face!"


    "Hm," Riley could really only look up and down between Liza''s breasts and her face, "You have a very forgettable face, Miss Liza."


    "Wha¡ªif I weren''t tasked as your guard I would have alreadymitted violence here!" Liza pointed at Riley.


    "Hm¡­" Riley squinted his eyes before retrieving his tablet while stillpletely staring at Liza''s face, "...I will report you for having thoughts of harming someone, Miss Liza."


    "Wait, wait! I was joking, that was a joke!" Liza quickly grabbed Riley''s tablet from him and hid it beneath her breasts, "So¡­ do you remember which universe she''s from?"


    "The very same universe where Darkday was born."


    "What¡­!?" Liza covered her mouth as she started looking around before lowering her voice, "You''re from that guy''s universe!? So, is it true¡­? Is he really stronger than the¡­ gods?"


    "Hm¡­" Riley ced his hand on his chin, "...Yes."


    "What!? That''s crazy!" Liza backed away; almost causing Riley''s tablet to fall as her breasts dragged it across the counter, "Do¡­ Do you know what really happened to him, or her? Wait, don''t tell me. I don''t want to know. What I do want to know, however¡­


    ¡­were you and my variant close?"


    Lina''s eyes started to shine as she returned to the counter and looked Riley in the eyes; a very nervous smile, starting to crawl on her face. She waited for Riley''s answer, who seemed to truly be thinking about her question deeply,


    "Come¡­e to think about it," Liza took in a small gulp, "You know, I think¡­ you look weird, but you''re just my type. Were you and my variant a¡ª"


    "No," Riley then answered with a straight face, "I believe we are not really close, Miss Liza."


    "...Oh," Liza could really only sigh in disappointment, "It''s just¡­ I rarely meet someone who actually knew my variants ¡ª even more so someone who actually knew me back then."


    "But I do believe you and my sister were close, Miss Liza," Riley shrugged as he walked away from the counter and started checking the refrigerator for something to cook, but aside from a stick of butter and some leafy vegetables; there was nothing at all ¡ª the cell he was in earlier had more supplies than the actual apartment provided for him. There were, however, several canned goods in the pantry.


    "Your sister¡­?" The look of excitement on Liza''s face very slowly faded away as he watched as Riley started heating up a pan and opening some of the canned goods.


    "Hannah Ross," Riley nced back as he started cooking what he could with what was provided to him, "You were part of a superhero team called the Baby Crew."


    "The Baby Crew¡­" A small smile crawled on Liza''s face, "...I don''t really remember much from before the Blink, I¡­ had some of my memory erased."


    "Erased?" Riley stopped moving as he nced at Liza.


    "Yes ¡ª not a lot, just the painful stubborn parts," Liza let out a sigh, "What happened before and right after the Blink are the most painful memories of everyone, and throughout the years when people try to remember them¡­ all they remember is the pain ¡ª after a hundred years some have forgotten on their own, but those who remember¡­


    ¡­those who remember chose to take their own lives. I had some of my memories erased to prevent that because I want to live."


    "Hm," Riley continued cooking whatever it was he was cooking.


    "Honestly, I don''t think I needed to," Liza then startedughing before letting out a very long and deep sigh, "Most of our kind, humans, aren''t really meant to hold that much memory. If I wasn''t reminded, I wouldn''t even remember what I was doing a hundred years ago."


    "But during the time you had some of your memory erased, the pain was still fresh, correct?" Riley removed the butter from the fridge and ced it on the pan with the rest of whatever it was he was cooking, causing a sweet aroma to linger in the air,


    "Your pain was valid, Miss Liza. Please, do not treat it as something that just disappears on its own."


    "W¡­wow," Liza scratched her chin as she looked away, "I didn''t take you for the sentimental type since you''re like, all stoic. So, wait¡­


    ¡­you remember everything before and after the Blink!?"


    "I suppose," Riley then shrugged as he started ting his meal.


    "Can¡­ can you tell me more about my variant? You¡ª" Liza could not finish her words as Riley ced a te in front of her, causing her to slightly furrow her eyebrows, "Is¡­ this prison food?"


    "It''s risotto," Riley nodded, "Garlic beef risotto with tomato."


    "It¡­ sounds better than it looks," Liza squinted her eyes as she grabbed the spoon Riley handed to her.


    "Italians do have the tendency to make food that resembles vomit, Miss Liza."


    "I¡­ I only said prison food," Liza''s eyes twitched, "Now I really don''t want to eat it. You know what, I think I''m not really that hung¡ª"


    And before Liza could finish her words, Riley gently but suddenly ced a spoonful of the risotto in her mouth. Liza waspletely shocked at first as she just stared at Riley. But after a few seconds, she leaned her head away and just started tasting the food and swallowing it.


    "This¡­ this isn''t bad at all," Liza''s eyes widened as she ate another spoon, "What the fuck, Zero!? This is really good!"


    "Hm," Riley only bowed his head as he also started eating.


    "Wait, wait¡­" Another smile crawled on Liza''s face; this time, as wide as it could be as she looked Riley in the eyes, "...I have it, Zero¡­


    ¡­I know just the job for you!"


    ***


    "Why is no one hiring!?"


    The day after, Riley and Liza were currently in front of a restaurant, where the two of them were just previously just kicked out for causing a ruckus, well¡­ mostly Liza,


    "Ack, I didn''t realize finding work as a chef would be this hard!"


    "A cook, Miss Liza. I would have to start as a cook."


    "Chef, cook. Whatever!"


    Liza stuck out her tongue in front of the restaurant, causing everyone who was eating inside to look at her. And as soon as the manager saw her, Liza quickly grabbed Riley''s hand and ran until they reached some sort of neighborhood park a few blocks away from the restaurant.


    "Ack¡­" Liza gasped for her breath as she almost felt faint from having run without pause, "You¡­ you''re tired, right? Zero?"


    "No."


    "You''re tired," Liza breathed in hard as she made her way to a nearby bench, "Sit, sit and rest."


    "...Hm," Riley did not sit, however, and just stood in front of the gasping Liza as he started looking around the park, "I do not remember there being a ce like this anywhere near New York, Miss Liza."


    "Really?" Liza found it hard to respond, "Well, it''s not a 1:1 copy ¡ª some are just parts of other cities, I guess. Speaking of, maybe we could find more luck in other cities. Although, they would have different cuisines there since the citizens won''t be mostly humans anymore¡­ and we would have to take the train too, which we don''t have the budget for anymore."


    "Can we not just fly there, Miss Liza?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "What¡­? No, no. That''s illegal," Liza waved her hand, "I''m only authorized to use my abilities in case of danger. That goes for you too, remember? Powers equals bad. Can''t risk it."


    "Is it possible to just build my own restaurant, Miss Liza?" Riley continued to look around, "I saw a vacant lot next to my apartment."


    "Yeah, and with what money?" Liza forced out a chuckle as soon as she heard Riley''s words, "I just said we don''t even have money to take the train anymore."


    "Perhaps I could just trade some things?" Riley ced his hand on his chin, seemingly deep in thought.


    "What things?" Liza sighed, "The only thing you have are your clothes, which mind you, you haven''t even washed or taken a bath yet. But¡­ why do you still smell so nice? Wait, don''t tell me you''re using your abilities! I would have to report you, you know!"


    "I believe I might have a few things that could be sold at a high price, Miss Liza," Riley then nodded, "Especially in a ce like this."


    "Zero¡­" Liza squinted her eyes as she looked at Riley,


    "...Why does it feel like we''re about to do something really illegal?"

 Chapter 958 958: What, what, what...!?

    Chapter 958  958: What, what, what...!?


    ??"Is¡­ this okay?"


    600 years. Liza has lived for 600 years and has experienced all sorts of emotions. Anxiety, sadness, fear, happiness ¡ª but rarely has she really felt something like this before. Or perhaps she had, but she couldn''t remember anymore.


    Right now, her heart was perhaps beating two times faster than it usually was as she stood in front of Riley. Red velvet, caressing her skin all the way down deep across her thighs ¡ª a dress, of course.


    For a woman of Liza''s shape, finding the right clothes was extremely hard; impossible, even. As much as Riley''s skin was rare, the size of her breasts was too, and thought she could never wear anything that wouldpliment her body anymore.


    But Riley made her a dress. He cooked for her, and now he even personally tailored a dress for her. The dress wasn''t revealing at all, but for some reason, Liza felt even more exposed due to that it perfectly lined up across her flesh; most dresses would look unttering that way, but not her.


    "This¡­ this is amazing, Zero," Liza looked at herself in front of their apartment''s small mirror; barely unable to touch herself, afraid that it might not be real at all, "I''ve¡­ I''ve never worn something this girly. I''ve¡­ I''ve always just been wearing baggy clothes. How¡­ how did you even make something like this?"


    "I did not do anything, Miss Liza. It was easy to do so," Riley shook his head as he stood behind Liza and looked at her from head to toe in the mirror,


    "Your body is perhaps one of the most beautiful shapes the entire multiverse will every its eyes on."


    "Wh¡­" Liza could not help but just turn around toward Riley; herrge breasts, almost hitting his arm as she did so. She looked deep into Riley''s eyes; their faces, separated only by herrge breasts,


    "Is¡­ is that true?"


    "Yes, Miss Liza," Riley whispered without any hesitation as he returned Liza''s gaze. And as soon as he did so, Liza closed her eyes and slightly leaned forward¡­ only for her to almost tumble forward as Rile walked away,


    "We should go, I am still not sure whether or not I am right."


    "Wh¡ª" Liza''s face reddened; her breaths, stuttering as she saw Riley just walking toward the door. She lightly bit her lip in embarrassment for a few seconds before just taking in a deep breath and shaking her head,


    "You think you can just lure me in and feign ignorance¡­?" Liza then lightly scoffed and whispered to herself as she followed behind Riley, "I''ll take that as a challenge¡­


    ¡­Zero, where are we even going for us to be dressed so nice?"


    "Well¡­" Riley really only nced at Liza as she grabbed and wrapped her hands around his arm,


    "...I do not know yet."


    "Hm¡­" Liza pouted and squinted her eyes as she looked up at Riley,


    "...Must be somewhere fancy."


    ***


    "I did mention fancy, but¡­ isn''t this too much?"


    An entire hour had passed, and Liza was still clinging onto Riley; even tighter this time. How could it not be, when they were currently in a dark, dim hall?


    Of course, as much as it looked suspicious, it also held an even more luxurious aura due to all the gold and glimmer that adorned the hall. Even the curtains looked like they were more expensive than Riley''s current apartment; which it probably was.


    But even then, as they continued to step inside, Liza was being stared at by almost all the men and women present in the fancy hall.


    "Where even is this¡­?" Liza wanted to hide behind Riley, "I didn''t know there was even something like this near the neighborhood. It''s like we''re an entirely different area, there''s even other races."


    "We will find out soon enough, Miss Liza."


    "Wh¡ªDo you mean you don''t even kn¡ª"


    "Good evening, Fine Guests. Do you have a reservation?" And before Liza could even express more of her worries, an attendant suddenly approached them; carrying a gentle smile that truly creeped Liza out.


    "We don''t!" Liza quickly responded, "You hear that, Zero? We need a reservation, let''s just leave."


    "Hm," Riley just nodded before looking the attendant in the eyes, "I hope that won''t be a problem."


    "Not at all." Unfortunately for Liza, the contrary happened to what she expected, "ss 7 entities and above are free toe and go whenever they want."


    "What the¡ªhow do you know that?" Liza''s eyes widened in shock as she tightened her grip on Riley''s arm even further, "Zero¡­ I really have a bad feeling about this. We should go."


    "You have nothing to worry about, Madam Liza," the attendant smiled at Liza, "You are also wee here since you are also considered a ss 7 entity."


    "What¡­? Since when?" Liza blinked a couple of times, "Wait, that''s not important! How do you know my name!?"


    "We make sure to¡­ know our guests as soon as they step inside our establishment, Madam," the attendant let out a small chuckle before turning back and gesturing to the two to follow her, "Please, we have your table ready. I hope you do not mind sharing it with other people ¡ª there are a lot more people than usual."


    "May I speak with you first, Attendant?" Riley asked.


    "Of course, Master Riley," the attendant smiled and nodded before turning to look at her colleague, "Madam Liza, she will assist you to your table."


    "Wait ¡ª Zero!? You''re leaving me!?" Liza could not help but raise her voice as Riley pulled away from her, "You''re leaving me alone?"


    "I will not be long, Miss Liza."


    "You¡ª" Liza still had a lot to say, but Riley already disappeared deep into the hall and she could no longer see him. And so, the only thing she could really do was follow one of the other attendants to their table.


    There were already several people there, and as expected, all of them were looking at her as she sat down. Fortunately for Liza, all of them were women.


    "H¡­ Hi," Liza awkwardly smiled at them. And unfortunately for her, the group did not seem friendly at all as they just nced at her and already seemed to have judged her entire life.


    And so, the only thing Liza could really do was quietly sit there until Riley arrived¡­ after a good 15 minutes.


    "Zero!" Liza instantly lightened up as Riley sat beside her, "You seriously left me!?"


    "I apologize, Miss Liza," Riley sighed, "But it is important that I did what I had to do, it would benefit you too."


    "...Really?" Liza squinted her eyes, "How do¡ªwait, that''s not the point! What is this ce?"


    "You will find out soon enough, Miss Liza," Riley only smiled at her before turning to look at the center of the hall. And before Liza could even say anything else, a bright spot of light suddenly showered down the center of the hall, and there, a person wearing a mask emerged from the floor, and beside him was something hugepletely covered in cloth, arge box perhaps.


    [Ladies and Gentlemen, I know all of you are waiting and excited for thest item of the night.]


    The masked man then gracefully bowed as his words echoed throughout the entire hall,


    [But now, something even more exciting has fallen upon our midst ¡ª there has been a change in the menu for our special item of the night, brought forth to us by a ss 7 Above entity from the outer reaches of the dead multiverse.]


    And as soon as the masked man said that, gasps echoed throughout the entire hall; collective enough to create an orchestra of surprised breaths.


    [I will not prolong the suspense, for I too, can''t help but be excited for this¡­] And with a very long and deep breath, the masked man suddenly pulled the cloth ¡ª and as soon as the item was revealed, the gasps became even more intense as everyone stood up.


    "That''s illegal!" One of the guests roared.


    [No, no¡­] The masked man wagged his finger, [...This entity you see before you is not alive at all, it is merely an object that could move. Well, it can''t move right now, we can''t have that¡­


    ¡­an Undead Themarian.]


    "What the¡­" Liza was about to grab her badge that was hidden under her dress, but Riley grabbed her by the wrist, "...Zero, that is very hical! I can''t have¡ª"


    "I am the one auctioning it, Miss Liza."


    "...What?" Liza blinked a couple of times as she lookedpletely dumbfounded at Riley, "...What do you mean you''re the one auctioning it?"


    "I am the one auctioning it," Riley shrugged, "This is an auction house, Miss Liza ¡ª and it is as you said, we needed a budget to build our own restaurant."


    "Wait¡­ wait," Liza''s eyes started to wander, "Where were you even hiding that¡ªno. That''s not the important question right now¡­


    ¡­Just who are you, Zero?"

 Chapter 959 959: Woah, Dollars

    Chapter 959  959: Woah, Dors


    ??"Just¡­ who are you, Zero?"


    Even with the auctioneer''s voice and the collective gasps of shock and surprise of all the guests in the hall, Liza''s words still traveled across the table ¡ª but she was toote to cover her mouth as she noticed this and nced at the other women who they were sharing their table with.


    Fortunately for her, none of them seemed to be paying any attention to her as all of them were also locked onto the undead themarian that was currently right in front of their eyes. One of them seemedpletely terrified, but she did not leave her seat at all and only had an excited but nervous smile on her face.


    As for Liza, she could not really concentrate on the auction at all as she just stared at Riley with a small pout on her face.


    "This is illegal, Zero," Liza once again repeated her words.


    "That is not really something you should be saying here, Miss Liza." And finally Riley returned her gaze, "You are awman trapped inside arge, dimly lit hall surrounded by dozens of criminals."


    "Even so, we¡ª"


    "Your protocol is to preserve life," Riley looked Liza in the eyes, "I would suggest bending thew if you wish to follow protocol. Because if not¡­"


    "..." Liza squinted her eyes as she watched Riley nce back. She also turned to look where he was looking, only to see several of the auction''s guards ring at her.


    "The life that would be lost would be yours, Miss Liza," Riley sighed, "And we both would not like that, I believe."


    "R¡­ right," Liza only took in a small gulp as she finally turned her eyes at the auction; her attention, however, was stillpletely on Riley, "You¡­ you still should have told me in advance where we were going."


    "But you would not havee with me, Miss Liza," Riley shook his head.


    "Exactly¡­" Liza whispered, "...I can''t be seen loitering around here. I might lose my job."


    "You do not have to worry, Miss Liza," Riley once again shook his head, "After this is done, you will not have to work for another hundred years."


    "What are you even say¡ª"


    [We are starting the bid at $2,000,000!]


    "Two¡­two¡­ two million!?"


    "Oh¡­" Riley could not help but ce his hand on his chin as soon as he heard that, "...It is much smaller than I thought, perhaps we should look for another auction house, Miss Liza."


    "Are you fucking kidding me, Zero!?" Liza quickly grabbed Riley by the wrist as he was about to stand up, "You could buy a fucking ind with that money with a good shoreline, like¡­ white beach and stuff, and a big fucking mansion!"


    "Oh¡­" Riley squinted his eyes before just calmly returning to his seat, "...Perhaps I should learn how much a dor is worth in this ce soon. How much did you pay for that automatic car of yours, Miss Liza?"


    "Five¡­ $525," Liza scratched her chin and looked away, "At¡­ at least I paid it in cash!"


    "And how much is a manual car?"


    "You mean like, with the steering wheel and pedals?"


    "Yes."


    "...There are no manual cars," Liza squinted her eyes, "Everything is automated and guided to ensure the safety of everyone. Wait, we''re getting sidetracked here¡­ Zero, that''s two million fucking dors."


    "Miss Liza¡­ that is just the starting bid."


    "Wha¡ª" And finally, Liza woke up from her excitement as she heard the bids.


    [$4,200,000! Do I hear¡ª]


    "500."


    [$4,700,000! $4,700,000 from that white-haired gentleman over there!]


    "4¡­What the fuck are you doing, Zero!?" Liza''s eyes turned wide as she realized it was Riley who raised his hand. But before she could even say anything else, the price just kept getting higher and higher up to the point she couldn''t even keep up to it; her eyes, almost turning into dor signs as she forgot about everything else. Soon, however, she once again snapped out of it as she remembered something that Riley said,


    "Wait¡­ what do you mean by ''I don''t have to work for a hundred years after this is done''¡­?" Liza looked Riley in the eyes; her breaths, almost trembling.


    "You get half of whatever we get from this transaction, Miss Liza," Riley casually said without even looking at Liza.


    "What the¡ª" Liza almost screamed right there and then, only able to save herself from embarrassment as she covered her mouth, "What do you¡ªwhy?"


    "Because we live together, Miss Liza," Riley blinked a couple of times, "I am obligated to give you half."


    "That¡­ doesn''t make any sense."


    "It does, Miss Liza," Riley shrugged.


    "How¡­?"


    "Would you rather not have the money, Miss Liza?" Riley tilted his head as he finally turned to look at Liza again.


    "Well, I¡­ not¡­ wel¡­psh," Liza could not really form any coherent sentence in her mouth as she just rolled her lips, "...Are you sure?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "The only value money brings to me is just that, Miss Liza, mary. With what I am now, I value connections with other people more ¡ª they tend to progress my story."


    "What¡­ what do you want in exchange, then?" Liza took in another big gulp, "My¡­ my silence?"


    "No, I do not care if you report me, Miss Liza," Riley shook his head,


    "But that would be against your protocol ¡ª I n on resisting if they are going to arrest me. And I assure you, a lot of people will die."


    "I¡­ I feel like I bit more than I can chew here," Liza''s hand started to tremble as she once again covered her lips, "If¡­ if you do not want my silence. Then¡­ then¡­


    ¡­is it my body?"


    "That is up to you, Miss Liza," Riley nodded.


    "It¡­ it really is my body," Liza''s entire body trembled before she looked at her beautiful dress, "Could¡­ could it be that you like me, Zero? I''m¡­ I''m ttered, but I don''t even know which part of the multiverse you came from. I¡­ I don''t just sleep with anyone. I would have you know that¡­ it''s been more than a hundred, maybe another ever since I¡­ I made love with¡ª"


    "I was not talking about sexual intercourse, Miss Liza," Riley blinked a couple of times as he heard Liza continue to bber, "You advised me to open up my own restaurant, and since you are obligated to stay with me for a few more weeks, you could give me your help ¡ª your body."


    "Oh¡­" Liza let out a very long and deep sigh, "...I thought¡­ I thought you wanted some hanky panky."


    "A what?"


    "Nothing, nothing!" Liza shook her head as she just turned her back against Riley to escape this awkward conversation she herself created. She wanted to focus on the auction, truly ¡ª but even the numbers that she was hearing were not enough to drown the violent beating of her heart.


    Is she¡­ actually gaining a crush on Riley?


    And unfortunately for her, her thoughts persisted until the very end of the auction.


    "Miss Liza."


    "Miss Liza."


    "Huh¡­?"


    "Please unlock the car so we can put the money in."


    "Huh¡­?" Liza blinked a couple of times as she finally woke up from her stupor, only to find herself carrying a bag that clearly contained a ton of cash. And without even breathing, she quickly opened the car and threw the money in,


    "We¡­ we should leave."


    "We are, Miss Liza," Riley nodded, "But before that¡­"


    Unfortunately for Liza, before they could actually get in the car, they were suddenly surrounded by a group of men ¡ª led by one of the women who were sitting with them at their table earlier at the auction.


    "Greetings, Mr. Zero. I assume you were the one who sold the unholy abomination? If so, since I was the one who bought it¡­" The woman then smiled as she elegantly bowed and curtsied in front of Riley,


    ¡­may I also please have a bit of your time as a bonus?"


    "No," Riley, however, just nonchntly opened the door and got in, closing it before the woman could even say anything else. As for Liza, well, she wasn''t quite as casual as Riley; just trying her best to pretend to be calm as she slowly walked to her side of the car.


    "Eep!"


    Before she could even take 3 steps, however, one of the woman''s¡­ bodyguards blocked her path.


    "Please don''t sell my organs!" Liza quickly said as she tried covering herself; her breasts, almost popping out as her arms could barely contain them. And sure enough, this sight caused the woman''s eye to slightly twitch.


    "If we are gonna harvest you, it won''t be for your organs, Ensign Liza," the woman smiled as her eyes continued to twitch while staring at Liza''s humungous breasts, "Please, can you tell your¡­ associate that I would truly appreciate it if he would talk to me."


    "Uh¡­" Liza took in a small gulp as she started tapping the window of her car, "Zero¡­ Zero!"


    Riley, however, just let out a sigh as his window very slowly lowered,


    "Very well¡­


    ¡­let us talk in my apartment."

 Chapter 960 960: A New Life

    Chapter 960  960: A New Life


    ??"I know you are selling more¡­ oddities, Master Zero ¡ª I would like to buy them all."


    "And what sort of oddities are you looking for, huh?"


    "Does¡­ the girl with the big tits speak for you, Master Zero?"


    "Excuse me¡­!?"


    Riley, Liza, and the woman who bought the undead themarian from the auction were now in Riley''s apartment¡­ along with the woman''s guards.


    And suffice it to say, they could barely fit inside Riley''s apartment; with one of the woman''s guards having to stay in the kitchen area, which was only a meter apart from the living room area¡ªno. Perhaps it would be better to say that the entire thing was the living room area because of how small it truly is. As for Riley, he was just seated on the sofa along with Liza, while the woman was standing beside the counter while drinking a cup of coffee.


    And due to its small size, the woman and Liza''s voices just echoed through everywhere, causing Riley to just close his eyes and wait for them to be done. Fortunately for everyone else present in the room, Liza and the woman finally looked away from each other before letting out one final harrumph.


    "Although she could be noisy and very talkative, Miss Liza''s query is correct, Miss Anastasia." And with the two finally quieting down, Riley had the chance to speak as he addressed the woman, who previously introduced herself as Anastasia, "What sort of oddities are you looking for?"


    "Ho¡­?" Anastasia raised an eyebrow as she looked at Riley from head to toe, "With that kind of question, a girl might assume that the number of treasures you hold is immeasurable."


    "It is not," Riley shook his head, "Please stop assuming things, Miss Anastasia."


    "Well, let me assume something onest time, Master Zero¡­" A smile then very slowly started to crawl on Anastasia''s face as she ced the cup of coffee on the counter, "You¡­


    ¡­are a multiversal diver, aren''t you?"


    "I¡­" Riley turned to look Anastasia in the eyes, causing her to slightly flinch in excitement, "...do not know what that is."


    "Okay¡­" Anastasia shrugged and smiled before winking at Riley, "...Let''s say you''re not."


    "I am not."


    "Okay, I believe you," Anastasia winked again.


    "Why are you winking at me, Miss Anastasia?" Riley squinted his eyes, "Is that some kind of code?"


    "Actually, he might not really know," Liza joined the conversation again before turning to look at Riley, "Multiversal Diver is an illegal upation, Zero. It''s when people open or find portals to other dimensions and get whatever relic they could find there and bring them back here to sell."


    "...Hm," Riley nodded at Liza, "Then no, I am not a multiversal diver, Miss Anastasia."


    "Okay, I said I believe you," Anastasia smiled as she raised both her hands in surrender, "I am only saying that if you have something else on you that I might be interested in¡­


    ¡­then I would like to buy them all."


    "I do not know what you would be interested in, Miss Anastasia."


    "Should¡­" Liza started looking around, "Should I really be here¡­ this feels illegal."


    "Surprise me, Master Zero."


    "Hm¡­" Riley ced his hand on his chin for a few seconds, before finally pulling something out of one of his many pockets,


    "...What about this, Miss Anastasia?"


    "Zero!" Liza''s eyes widened in shock¡ªno. It wasn''t only her, even Anastasia''s guards who were trying their best to be stoic could not help but widen their eyes.


    "What¡­" Anastasia''s eyes trembled as she looked at the thing in Riley''s hand, "...What is that?"


    "Something I will not be willing to part with unless you give a very suitable price, Miss Anastasia," a small smile crawled on Riley''s face as he nodded to himself.


    "What¡­" Anastasia took in a small gulp as she looked away, "...What would I do with a mummified head?"


    "Something else, then," Riley let out a small sigh; shaking his head before hiding Bernard''s decapitated head back to his pockets, "What about this, then?"


    "That¡ª!!!" And once again, everyone''s eyes widened as Riley retrieved something else from his pocket.


    "I¡­" Liza no longer knew what to do as she just stared at Riley''s hand and his face back and forth, "I can''t let you sell that, Zero."


    "$2,500,000."


    "Wha¡ª" Liza''s eyes widened even more as she looked at Anastasia, "Just who the fuck are you? Why do you have so much money!?"


    "Deal."


    "Don''t just hand it to me!"


    Anastasia could not help but just back away as Riley just casually stood up from the sofa and tried to hand him a Guardian Force ¡ª a stone literally containing the power of a mini dwarf sun.


    "Don''t¡­ don''t you have something that could contain it?" Anastasia took in a small gulp as the light reflected on her face.


    "Hm¡­" Riley squinted his eyes for a few seconds, before raising his other hand and stretching it toward the window. Everyone then turned toward the window, wondering what it was he was actually doing.


    "What¡ª"


    And before they could even ask, the window suddenly slid open; causing a tiny explosion to erupt in the air as something flew right onto Riley''s palm.


    "What¡­ where did thate from, Zero!?" Liza quickly rushed toward the window and started looking around.


    "It is a piece of rock from New Th¡ªfrom the home of the gods," Riley then said as the rock from New Theran started to form into a box.


    "You used your abilities again!?" Liza pointed at Riley, "That''s illeg¡ªyou know what, never mind."


    And as Anastasia watched as Riley ced the Guardian Force on a box made from materials from the home of the gods, she could not help but just look at Riley.


    She¡­ hit the jackpot. She had friends in the Reserves building, so she knew basic information about Zero and how he''s a ss 7 entity or above and was just discovered days ago¡­


    ¡­but from what she was seeing right now, he could even be a ss 9; the fact that he was able to capture an undead themarian would mean he was as strong as them ¡ª or maybe even stronger?


    Whatever the case was, she needed to build an undying connection with the man.


    "I will add an additional $250,000 for the box," Anastasia smiled as she raised her hand, ordering her guards to bring in the money, "And an additional $250,000, in hopes that you contact me in case you want to sell a few more things again."


    "Hm," Riley just nodded as he handed the box to Anastasia. One of the guards did not allow Anastasia to hold it, however, as he was the one who grabbed it from Riley¡­


    ¡­only for everyone to watch as his arm split into two due to the weight of the box.


    "Stop doing unnecessary things." Fortunately, Anastasia caught the box before it could actually kill anyone if it fell through the floor.


    "You¡­" Liza quickly pointed at Anastasia, "...You''re a themarian!"


    "Am I¡­?" Anastasia only smiled before proceeding to head out of the apartment, "Well¡­


    ¡­it doesn''t really matter, does it? Money ¡ª money is the only thing that matters. I really hope to do business with you again soon, Master Zero."


    And with those words, Anastasia and his guards just left the room; not even caring that one of them was injured.


    "What¡­" Leaving Lizapletely dumbfounded with what just happened¡ªno. Everything that had happened to her that day finally fell on top of her, causing her to just drop to the floor there and then, "What¡­ just happened?"


    "Interesting," as for Riley, he just calmly ced his hand on his chin, "It would seem I truly need to learn more about this world, I did not even realize she was a themarian until it was toote, Miss Liza."


    "No¡­ enough about that," Liza then took in a small gulp as she looked at the bags just scattered in the room, "Just¡­ how much did you get today?"


    "We, Miss Liza," Riley turned to look at Liza, "Since the auction took 50% of the $6,400,000, and then we received a t $3,000,000 from¡ª"


    "Wait, don''t say anything anymore."


    And before Riley could even finish his words, Liza suddenly rushed toward him¡­ and kissed him without even any warning.


    "..."


    "Wh¡ªI''m sorry!" Liza then quickly leaned away as she covered her lips, "I just¡­ I don''t know what I did. I¡­ I don''t know where to release all of this excitement and¡­"


    Liza then stopped talking and she just looked at Riley''s face. And then, once again, without saying another word¡­


    ¡­she just removed her dress and let it fall onto the floor, "Let''s¡­


    ¡­fuck."


    ***


    "Oh my god¡­ it''s really happening!"


    A few days after the eventful sale, Liza and Riley were outside the apartment building ¡ª watching as the construction workers started working on their newly bought space.


    "It¡­ it actually feels like I''m achieving something in life after 600 years," Liza almost wanted to cry, "But I know I didn''t since this is all you."


    "Did you not have savings even after 600 years, Miss Liza?"


    "Wh¡ªI don''t want to talk about it. It¡ªWait, why are they also moving that part!?" Liza then pointed at the construction workers who were removing the walls of the next space, "We are going to get aint at this point!"


    "No," Riley stopped Liza from approaching the construction workers, "It is fine, Miss Liza¡­


    ¡­I bought the entire building."


    "...Right," Liza could really only blink a couple of times as she heard that.


    "I also bought the next apartment."


    "What the¡­ what for!?"


    "It is blocking our view, Miss Liza."


    "Right¡­


    ¡­of course, it is."

 Chapter 961 961: A Utopia for the Villain

    <h4>Chapter 961 Chapter 961: A Utopia for the Viin</h4>


    "You know, Zero¡­ I quit my job."


    "That is a logical decision, Miss Liza ¡ª you do not need to work for a few hundred years, after all."


    "No¡­ it''s not about the money,"


    Liza, who was lying on the bed, could not help but slightly left herself up as she turned to look at Riley; the nket covering her, not even falling down as the beads of sweat on herrge breastspletely kept it hanging on her torso,


    "I feel like if I''m with you, the 600 years that just passed now suddenly just feels like it didn''t happen ¡ª do you know what I mean?"


    "No, Miss Liza," Riley only nced at Liza before continuing to cook whatever it was he was cooking.


    "I meant it feels like I''m finally progressing forward," Liza let out a small groan as she got up from the bed; carrying the nket with her, her backpletely exposed and yet she did not seem to care as she just walked to the counter,


    "I''ve lived¡ªwe''ve lived for 600 years and yet it feels like we''re still very much the same as before. Frozen in time."


    "But you are not, Miss Liza," Riley brought a te and ced it on the counter, "You have told me the horrific tragedies you have experienced, the deaths you have seen; you were not frozen in time. You survived it."


    "Well¡ªyeah, I know," Liza clicked her tongue as she seemed to be trying to find the right words, "What I meant to say is that for the very first time in a very long time, I want to do something else with my life."


    "And what would that be, Miss Liza?"


    "I don''t know," Liza shrugged as she took a bite of the dish Riley cooked, "For now, the only thing I know is that I want to be with you, Zero. Not romantically, I mean¡­ unless if¡­ the feeling is mutual, I''m fine with the physical aspect of it. But¡­ but if you want, you know¡­ I''m open to it. And this is very tasty, by the way. What is it?"


    "...It''s a scrambled egg, Miss Liza."


    "Oh¡­" Liza could really only blink a couple of times as she looked at her te, "...You should add this to the menu. Also, about what we were talking about¡­ just ignore it, okay? I went ahead of myself. A lot of things have changed since everyone stopped again, we can''t even have children anymore. It''s just¡­ you know? You know what, I''m just gonna stop talking and start eating."


    "Okay, Miss Liza."


    "And after¡­


    ¡­we go back to bed?"


    ***


    "I can''t believe¡­ it''s actually here now!"


    Liza had her arms stretched to the side as she looked at the front of their newly opened restaurant,


    "I¡­ I disagreed with the target market at first, but now that it''s here. It''s so¡­ beautiful."


    Beautiful, perhaps that is truly the term that could be used to describe Riley''s restaurant. The construction did not really take a very long time, as people that are allowed to work asborers usually had abilities to ensure that their working environment would be safe for them ¡ª and now, Liza almost wanted to cry as she saw the fruits of herbor; well, the seed of Riley''sbor bare fruit.


    The restaurant was immacte; the entrance itself exuded a sense of luxury unbefitting of the urine and rat-infested New York ¡ª well, it was infested before. But as the city they were in was just an imitation of New York, there really weren''t any negative sights and diseases loitering about.


    Perhaps it was the New York that people envisioned it to be, not knowing it could have only been achieved in utopia, and now Riley''s restaurant just added to its grandeur.


    The tall windows which allowed the people to peer from the outside; the ceilings that seemed almost unreachable ¡ª the ambiance that felt like one just entered a world of luxury due to the oak furniture and the white marble, only to be tarnished beautifully by the red carpets upon one''s entry.


    Unbeknownst to those who admire its elegance, however, it was actually a replica of the restaurant of Riley''s Guesthouse. What they perceive as the epitome of luxury was just a Tuesday for Riley''s previous prisoners.


    And it is rightfully named as such.


    "The Guesthouse¡­" Liza uttered the name of the restaurant, which was notbeled anywhere in front of the shop, adding more to its eluding mystery, "...Now I see why you bought the next building and had it demolished, Zero. It just¡­ adds to the overall ambiance."


    "Well¡­" Riley turned to look at the newly empty lot next to their building, turned into arge luxurious garden that created a view that made people like they were not in a city at all, "...I suppose it does, Miss Liza. But beneath it is what matters."


    "Beneath¡­?" Liza raised an eyebrow, "Why? Did you have something built underground?"


    "Maybe," Riley just smiled before gesturing to Liza to enter the restaurant.


    "We go together, Zero," Liza, however, wrapped her hands around Riley''s arm before dragging him inside the empty restaurant, "Let''s cherish the moment that there''s only two of us here¡­ I am sure this ce will be filled with all the posh people once we start operating."


    "Oh, it will be filled with people, Miss Liza," Riley once again smiled as he looked at the empty seats and tables. He then escorted Liza to a table near the center of the restaurant, pulling a chair for her before he walked to the stage where a grand piano was resting.


    "Wait, wait¡­" Liza shook her head, "...Don''t you dare fucking tell me you know how to y the piano."


    "I will not tell you, Miss Liza," Riley just sat and started ying the piano, "I will let you hear it."


    And there, Liza could really only widen her eyes as she heard an intense melody whisper in the air. Quiet, but violent; it made her almost stop breathing as she found herself being sucked in by the scenery in front of her.


    Alluring, tantalizing, bewitching¡­ excruciatingly inviting.


    Almost as if Liza was in the presence of sinning while in the act of doing absolutely nothing at all.


    She felt herself trembling, not knowing why at all. She didn''t even hear the ominous music anymore ¡ª there was just her and the man before him.


    "Riley!" And almost as if to put an end to the visceral wails of Riley''s symphony, Liza stood up from her seat and roared; tears, trailing down her cheeks as she looked Riley in the eyes.


    "Riley?" Riley stopped ying the piano as he returned Liza''s gaze, "I thought I was Zero to you and your people, Miss Liza."


    "Who was I to you?" Liza asked, "The Katrina that you know, who was she to you? I need to know. Were we¡ª were you lovers?"


    "No, Miss Liza," Riley shook his head, "We were ssmates, and then acquaintances, nothing more."


    "That''s a lie," Liza also shook her head, "If that''s true¡­ then why are you leading me on?"


    "Leading you to where, Miss Liza?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "Why are you making me fall in love with you!?"


    "I am not. I believe you are doing that all by yourself, Miss Liza."


    "No!" Liza pointed at Riley, "You do not get to say that after doing all of this. This¡­ just what are you really nning? What do you want here, Zero? You''re a ss 7 entity, you could do whatever you want¡­


    ¡­so why here, why with me?"


    "Because you¡ª"


    "Riri!"


    And before Liza could get her answers, someone unfortunately barged into the restaurant and through their moment. The two quickly looked as to who it was, only to see a weird pair of a giantess and a very small woman with bunny ears.


    "I have been trying to call you for like weeks! Why were you not answering!?"


    "Miss Pepondosovich¡­ Miss Esme," Riley blinked a couple of times as he stepped down the stage.


    "I had to ask around on my own, and then I found out¡­ you bought yourself an entire lot and made a restaurant!?" Miss Pepondosovich pointed at Riley''s face, "Give it to me, give me back my luck!"


    "How¡­ is she out?" Liza could not help but look up at Esme as she saw her.


    "Oh, you know¡­" Miss Pepondosovich waved her hand, "...Just the perks of being with me. It turns out the real Esme; well, the Esme that''s here is out of the, so they allowed her to have some time to explore here and there."


    "That¡­hasn''t happened before," Liza could really only blink a couple of times as she looked at Miss Pepondosovich.


    "Wait, who even are you?" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes as she looked at Liza from head to toe before settling on her breasts, "Huh, I understand. So, this is why you don''t look at me and Miss Esme romantically, Riri. You have¡­ big tastes."


    "I suppose you are right on time, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley just shrugged before snapping his fingers. And as he did so, several clothes just floated out from the bar of the restaurant,


    "I have actually prepared uniforms for all of us."


    "No¡­" Miss Pepondosovich looked at the flying uniform.


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "I am hiring the both of you¡­


    ¡­as the restaurant''s stewardess."


    ***


    "I will ask you again, Anastasia ¡ª where did you get the Undead Themarian from?"


    "I will have you know that I bought that for a very generous price¡­"


    In arge mansion somewhere, Anastasia was currently calmly drinking a cup of tea¡­ while a robed individual was right in front of her; pointing a red glowing de right at the tip of her neck,


    ¡­I expect you are going to pay for it since you are confiscating it?"


    "I am not in the mood for jokes."


    "Oh, I know you''re not known for your sense of humor¡­" Anastasia just calmly ced her cup at the side table next to her before standing up with a smirk on her face, "...What you are known for, however, is your foolish sense of justice. Isn''t that right¡­


    ¡­Silvie?"

 Chapter 962 962: Welcome

    Chapter 962  962: Wee


    ??"I am not in the mood for jokes."


    "Oh, I know you''re not known for your sense of humor¡­ What you are known for, however, is your foolish sense of justice. Isn''t that right¡­


    ¡­Silvie? Or should I say¡­


    ¡­Silvie the yer?"


    There was no wind inside Anastasia''s room at all, but the stranger''s robes were suddenly lifted up and blown away, revealing her long brown, almost golden hair and her bright blue eyes. And although there was a fierceness in her face, her eyes still held a gentle temperament in them.


    But still, it was evident in her lowered eyebrows that she did not appreciate Anastasia''sment at all.


    "If you stare at me like that, Princess ¡ª we are going to have a lot of trouble, you and I," the smirk on Anastasia''s face turned into a coquettish smile. She then subtly licked her lip before approaching Silvie and standing right in front of her face,


    "Or what¡­ do you not like your title, Silvie? I say it''s quite fitting since you¡ª"


    "I am only going to ask one more time and only once," Silvie did not let Anastasia finish her words as she grabbed her face, "Where. Did. You. Get. The. Un. Dead?"


    "A good tradesman never reveals her secrets, Your Highness," Anastasia let out a small giggle as she leaned even closer to Silvie; her lips, almost touching hers as she whispered, "But if you y nice, my lips might just¡­


    ¡­Re. Veal. Something. Nice. To. You."


    And as Anastasia mocked and imitated her, Silvie backed away; her eyes lighting up the dimly lit room with red.


    "Tut, tut, tut," Anastasia raised both her hands in surrender, "Let''s not get violent ¡ª I don''t want to suffer the same fate as your clones¡ªsorry, your variants."


    "Just answer my question."


    "Answer mine first," Anastasia seemedpletely unfazed even as the light in Silvie''s eyes became even more violent.


    "That''s not how this works."


    "Why did you kill your clones instead of trying to rehabilitate the¡ª"


    And before Anastasia could even finish her words, she found her back suddenly mmed onto the wall, causing the entire room to tremble. Her guards, who were waiting outside her room, quickly barged inside to see what was going on. And as soon as they saw their mistress'' eyes glowing red, as well as the intruder''s¡­


    ¡­they just quietly left the room and closed the door. They absolutely didn''t want to have anything to do with whatever was going on, unless they wanted to find their long life extinguished.


    "Ho¡­" As for Anastasia, the smile on her face just widened even further as she licked her lip once more while letting out a maniacal chuckle; the glowing red in her eyes, flickering at the same rhythm as her excited breaths, "...Oh, there she is."


    "Information," Silvie then suddenly wrapped her hand around Anastasia''s hand.


    "Oh¡­ harder," Anastasia moaned out as she looked Silvie in the eyes.


    "Damn it, Ana!" Silvie gritted her teeth, "I already told you I don''t have time to y with you."


    "Apparently, that''s all everyone has these days," Anastasia giggled, "Don''t you find it weird how everyone is making a big deal about not growing old¡­? These short-lived races are so dramatic about having to live for 600 years."


    "I''m done ying," the tone of Silvie''s voice changed as she lifted Anastasia up; shaving the wall behind her.


    "Oh, and we were just getting to the good part," Anastasia looked down. And very soon, the tone of her voice also changed and the smile on her face disappeared, "But do you really want to stop ying, Silvie? If something¡­ violent happens between us¡­


    ¡­you do know how many people are going to die, right?"


    "You¡ª"


    "Fine, fine," Anastasia did not let Silvie say another word as she just let out a very long and deep sigh, and once again raised her hands in surrender, "Were you always this serious¡­? Kids these days can''t even take a joke anymore."


    "Enough. I just need the information." And as Silvie saw Anastasia rolling her eyes, she just carelessly let go of her neck and turned around.


    "Well, if you really must know¡­" The yful tone of Anastasia''s voice once again returned as she shrugged one shoulder before making her way back to her chair, "...I got it from an auction."


    "An¡­ auction?"


    "Yes, an auction, dear," Anastasia sat down, "It''s where people bid for¡ª"


    "I know what an auction is. I''ve been to auctions."


    "Of course, you have," Anastasia nodded.


    "What I haven''t been to, however, is an auction that has the capability, capacity, and audacity to sell something like an undead themarian," Silvie stood in front of Anastasia and looked down at her.


    "Well, it''s not exactly the auction who has the balls to do something like this," Anastasia chuckled, "It''s the people bidding and selling things that you need to look out for. And it''s the auction house in New York, by the way."


    "In New York¡­?" Silvie raised an eyebrow, "Why would something like that even pop up in the territory of the humans?"


    "Humans," the yful smirk on Anastasia''s face returned, "You make it sound like you''re not one of them."


    "I''m not," Silvie gritted her teeth.


    "Oh? But I heard a little rumour here and there that unlike your variants¡­" Anastasia squinted her eyes, "...You were able to give a few good years along with the humans, close friends, even?"


    "Tell me who sold it to you," Silviepletely ignored Anastasia''s taunts.


    "I already told you, dear," Anastasia sighed, "The auction in New York. And if you''re asking who ced it in the auction, then I''m afraid I can''t answer that."


    "You don''t know who it is?" Silvie''s eyebrows lowered.


    "I do, I just won''t tell you," Anastasia giggled.


    "An¡ª"


    "You asked where I got it, and I told you¡­" Anastasia red into Silvie''s eyes, "...Don''t be greedy now, Your Highness."


    "Tch¡­" Silvie could really only look away as she clicked her tongue.


    "Why not visit the auction yourself, then? I''ll even tag along with you, if you''d like," Anastasia breathed out.


    "..." Silvie did not respond at all.


    "Of course, that might be hard because you''re wanted by the government. But I''ll¡ª"


    "It''s fine," Silvie scoffed as she started making her way to the opened window, "I''ll find out about this myself."


    "We both know you won''t ¡ª that''s why you''re here, and¡­" Anastasia then watched as Silvie just flew out of her room,


    "...You do know I have a front door, right?"


    ***


    "Ah, she broke it again! Should you really be out here!? Riri, Ri


    ¡ª!!!"


    Miss Pepondosovich and Esme were inside their restaurant in front of the bar, with shards of ss and a puddle of wine between their feet. Miss Pepondosovich was about to rush and make her way to Riley, who was checking all the tables to see if some of them were not the right measurement, but Esme quickly blocked her path and covered her mouth.


    "Please do not tell Master, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme monotonously uttered as she lifted the tiny Miss Pepondosovich from the floor, "This is the 5th bottle of wine I identally shattered today."


    And fortunately for Esme, the restaurant was not opened to the public yet as they still had a lot to check and prepare around the establishment.


    "Seriously¡­ you weren''t this clumsy back in the Domain of the Gods!" Miss Pepondosovich managed to free herself, grabbing the piece of ss left from Esme''s hand and then quickly leaping on top of the bar counter as she pointed the shard at Esme''s face, "I thought you''ve already learned how to control your strength properly."


    "I¡­ have not really had the chance to interact with the objects of other species, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme let out a small sigh as she shook her head, "I was turned into an Undead before I could explore the rest of the universe, and when I woke up ¡ª I was in the Domain of the Gods where thends and objects were even stronger than Theran''s."


    "That¡­" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes, "...Now that you word it out like that, it''s sort of sad."


    "Not at all, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme shook her head again, "I met you."


    "That¡­" Miss Pepondosovich stuttered, "...I am d we¡ª"


    "Miss Pepondosovich." And before Miss Pepondosovich could finish her words, Riley suddenly appeared behind her; his eyes, looking at the shard of ss in her hand,


    "That is a very rare bottle that I bought for $25,000, I believe that is almost enough to buy a tiny house in this economy."


    "Riri, I didn''t¡ª"


    "That ising out of your paycheck, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley let out a sigh of disappointment.


    "Master, that was my fau¡ª"


    "You will not be receiving any sry for a few months, Miss Esme," Riley then turned to look at Esme, "You broke four bottles."


    "...Yes, Master," Esme could not help but just lower her head as she heard Riley''s words.


    "That is not how you handle a bottle of wine."


    "What do you know, Riri¡­ you''ve only drank once in your life," Miss Pepondosovich whispered to herself.


    "You hold it like this so that¡­"


    And while the two were being reprimanded and taught by Riley, a group of men suddenly entered the restaurant.


    "Oi, oi¡­ this is new."


    And from the red on their faces, they were incredibly intoxicated.


    "Good afternoon, Gentlemen." Even with them just rudely entering the restaurant and even bumping some of the decor, Riley still weed them with a smile on his face, "I am afraid the restaurant is still not¡ª"


    "Ack, fuck that. Where''s the big-titted woman I saw earlier!?"

 Chapter 963 963: The Purpose

    <h4>Chapter 963 Chapter 963: The Purpose</h4>


    "Ack, fuck that. Where''s the big-titted woman I saw earlier!?"


    There was a sudden heaviness that persisted in the air after one of the drunkards slurred those words ¡ª they would have probably felt it if they were sober, but unfortunately for them, they were not.


    Riley did not really react to their words, but Miss Pepondosovich did. And although Esme was not showing it as always, she also felt a certain way as they heard their new friend being addressed that way. Yes, although the two had only met Liza a few days ago, the three of them were already getting along due to Liza''s awkward but bubbly, and insanely talkative nature.


    "Oi, oi!" The group of drunkards continued to enter the restaurant despite Riley already telling them the restaurant was still closed ¡ª they were too drunk to care. Theirughter was loud and uncouth, and they were haphazardly bumping into tables, chairs, and decor. Thergest of them even stood on top of one of the tables, trying to steady himself only for him to fall and destroy the foot of the table in the process.


    "Pft!" And once again, theirughter echoed through the entire restaurant.


    "Gentlemen."


    "Woah!" Theughter suddenly stopped as Riley appeared between them out of nowhere; he was holding a ss, just calmly wiping it as he spoke in a very quiet manner, almost a whisper, "I will have to insist that you leave. Since all of you are obviously intoxicated by alcohol, and I myself am now aware of the impulses thate with it¡­


    ¡­I will allow all of you to leave."


    "¡­" The drunkards stared at Riley for a few seconds before turning to look at each other quietly. Unfortunately for Riley and the restaurant, their silence did notst long as they once again burst out in a fit ofughter; this time even stronger and louder.


    "Did¡­ did you hear that,ds!?" Thergest of them stood in front of Riley, "Mister manager here would like us to leave ¡ª what even are you? You don''t look human¡­ in fact¡­"


    Therge man and his friends then turned to look at Esme and Miss Pepondosovich, "None of you look human at all, so what are you doing in these parts, eh?"


    "And what are you supposed to be? A fucking human rabbit? Did your dad fuck a rabbit?" One of them swayed closer to Miss Pepondosovich and leered at her, "What about¡ª"


    "Move any closer and you will find yourself instantly sobered up," Miss Pepondosovich said as he watched as the man started reaching his hand out toward her ears. The man, however, still continued despite Miss Pepondosovich''s warning.


    "Well¡­" Miss Pepondosovich let out a small sigh as she raised her hand, "¡­I did warn you."


    "Wh¡ª" And before the man could even say anything else, his arm suddenly flung backward, snapping at an angle that should not be possible, "F¡­ fuck me!" The sound reverberated throughout the silent restaurant and was met by a high-pitched wail from the injured man.


    And true enough, Miss Pepondosovich''s words came true as the man and hispanions instantly sobered up.


    "Wha¡ªWhat the fuck did you do?" The man stuttered, his eyes wide with fear as he backed away from Miss Pepondosovich.


    "Nothing," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged.


    "I warned you all about disrespecting my staff and patrons. I maintain a strict policy against harassment within my establishment." Everyone was slightly confused as to what just happened, but they all could not help but turn their attention to Riley as he spoke, only to see Riley now suddenly behind the bar, setting down the ss he had been cleaning on the counter.


    His voice contained no hint of malice or anger; it was as if he was discussing something as mundane as the weather. Yet, there was a certain tone of annoyance in his voice. And as Miss Pepondosovich and Esme heard this, the two could really only just look at each other.


    With the time they have spent with Riley, when has he actually really expressed annoyance? Miss Pepondosovich initially thought the restaurant was just some sort of front for whatever Riley was up to next¡­ but it would seem that was not the case at all.


    "Riri¡­" Miss Pepondosovich looked at Riley while shaking her head, "This isn''t our world anymore, please don''t kill them ¡ª we just got ourselves free."


    Riley turned his head slightly to acknowledge Miss Pepondosovich''s request, a glimpse of acknowledgment in his otherwise impassive gaze.


    "Of course not, Miss Pepondosovich. Harming or killing anyone is not allowed in this utopia," Riley let shook his head, "I am disappointed that you would think I would hurt someone when we were kindly warned and not asked to."


    "¡­Right," Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes before turning to look at the drunkard''s mangled arm, "You''re right, he¡­ stretched his arm too much."


    "Hm," Riley nodded, "And they need to have that gentleman''s hand looked at, it would seem to be ack of calcium. Miss Esme, please escort these gentlemen outside."


    Esme moved obediently even more so than she usually does at Riley''smand, "Please follow me."


    The group was herded towards the door like sheep, all previous bravado evaporated into thin air. Their quick nces back toward Riley and Miss Pepondosovich were marked with an understanding that they had escaped a fate far worse than a simple broken arm.


    "What¡­ is going on here?" And as the group was headed out of the restaurant, the very person they were looking for walked past them and entered the restaurant. The drunkards, however, quickly strayed their eyes away from her instead,


    "What the¡ªwhy is everything such a mess!?" Liza then dropped all the ingredients and supplies she bought from the market as she saw the broken table and the fallen decors.


    "Everything is a mess because of that, Miss Liza," Miss Pepondosovich approached Liza and pointed at herrge breasts that obnoxiously bounced even with the slightest of movements even though she was already wearing baggy clothes, "Why do men even lose their sanity because of those things!? Don''t they know¡­


    ¡­that t is justice!"


    Miss Pepondosovich confidently ced her hand around her waist as she stood up straight, and then beckoning to Esme to join her as she saw her return. Esme did not really know what was happening, but she still joined Miss Pepondosovich and imitated her pose.


    "¡­" Liza could really only squint her eyes at the two as they stayed like that. But after a few good seconds, she also stood up straight and ced her hands around her waist; pulling and tugging on her baggy shirt and revealing the monstrous shape hiding within.


    "It¡­ It blinds me!" And almost as if they were pushed and blown by an invisible force, Miss Pepondosovich and Miss Esme took several steps back as they covered their eyes as soon as Liza''s gigantic breasts bounced in front of them.


    "M¡­Miss Esme¡­" Miss Pepondosovich then started crawling on the floor while trying to reach for Esme''s hand, "The¡­ the power, it''s too much."


    "Fufu," Liza then looked down on Miss Pepondosovich, "Behold, the power of¡ª"


    And before the three could continue their sudden impromptu roleying, they all returned back to the world as they heard a slightly loud bang reverberate in the air. They all turned to look as to what it was, only to see Riley hammering and fixing the broken foot of the table.


    "Riri¡­" Miss Pepondosovich blinked a couple of times, "¡­Can''t you just use your powers for that?"


    "No," Riley immediately shook his head as he continued to nail the table back, "Things like this must be done with hand, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "¡­Of course," Miss Pepondosovich, Esme, and Liza all looked at each other before they also started up fixing and cleaning the decors that the drunkards made a mess of.


    "You know, Riri¡­" Miss Pepondosovich breathed out, "¡­I thought you wanted to get out of the Domain of the Gods because you wanted to find someone? So, why exactly¡­ are you doing all of this?"


    Riley set his hammer down as he looked at Miss Pepondosovich, "Because I do not exactly deserve to find them, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "¡­I forgot about your self-defeating attitude," Miss Pepondosovich sighed.


    "Sister likes the food I cook," Riley then lifted up the table with his hands and neatly ced it back to its original position, "And I suppose if this restaurant bes famous, then perhaps they might find themselves here and smell her way to me, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Zero¡­" Liza could not help but cover her mouth as she tried to stop the tears that were trying to fall from her eyes, "¡­I have no idea what this is about, but I hope your sister finds you."


    "And what about your lover, you think she is supposed to be pregnant, right?" Miss Pepondosovich then sighed.


    "Who¡­?" Liza blinked a couple of times as she very slowly turned her head to Miss Pepondosovich, "You¡­ have a lover, Zero?"


    ***


    "Diana, how is he¡­?"


    "Very much alive inside you. So, I am going to ask you again, Aerith¡­


    ¡­do you truly not want to terminate your pregnancy?"


    "I¡­"

 Chapter 964 964: The First Customers

    Chapter 964  964: The First Customers


    ??"Uh¡­ I did turn the open sign around, right?"


    "You did."


    "So¡­


    ¡­why is no oneing in!?"


    A day after the restaurant''s oddly random encounter with the drunkards, Liza, Esme, and Miss Pepondosovich were currently outside, carrying bright smiles on their faces at everyone who was passing by their luxurious establishment. They have officially opened up the restaurant a few hours ago¡­


    ¡­and yet not even a single person entered or even decided to inquire.


    There are a lot of people looking and ncing, but they ultimately just pass by them.


    "I¡­ I knew it¡­" Liza could not help but sp her head as she looked inside the restaurant, "...The ce looks too expensive."


    "Those drunks from the other day did not seem to think so," Miss Pepondosovich let out a small chuckle as she looked at Liza ¡ª no, with the difference between their height, and with Liza beside her, Miss Pepondosovich could not really see Liza''s face as it was blocked by her two humongous melons,


    "Those things are more trouble than they''re worth."


    "What is¡­?" Liza slightly leaned forward to see where Miss Pepondosovich was looking, "Oh¡­ they''re not thatrge."


    "Trust me, even the gods would disagree," Miss Pepondosovich scoffed, "Those aren''t justrge, they are massive ¡ª how does your back not even hurt? And those things should be soggy by now!"


    "...I''ve always used my wind abilities to instinctively keep them afloat," Liza shrugged, "That''s why I always wear baggy clothes."


    "Why are we talking about Miss Liza''s breasts?" Esme, who had just been quietly standing there with them like a guard, finally joined in on the conversation as she saw Liza once again grabbing her extremelyrge breasts, "Perhaps we should talk about Miss Pepondosovich''s breasts once in a while? But then¡­


    ¡­I suppose there is nothing to talk about."


    "Wh¡­" Liza''s eyes widened in shock as she waspletely at a loss for words.


    "What in¡ª" Miss Pepondosovich quickly turned to look up at Esme, "I am starting to like you better when you were much more robotic! And you also don''t have breasts!"


    "I believe mine would be considered normal size actually, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme shook her head, "It just looks small because of how tall I ampared to the rest of you."


    "Hm, it''s true¡­" Liza squinted her eyes.


    "Am I seriously being made fun of by children right now?" Miss Pepondosovich pointed at Esme and Liza, "The two of you¡ªHello, would you like a table for two?"


    Both Liza and Esme wondered about the sudden shift of Miss Pepondosovich''s tone, but soon, Liza also smiled as she turned her head toward the two people approaching their restaurant ¡ª finally, the two thought. As for Esme, she did not really know what to do and just curtsied like the proper princess that she was.


    "Is this the new restaurant¡­?"


    "Yes, we just opened today!" Liza answered brightly as she smiled at the unusually beautiful couple. And true enough, the two were wearing a coat and tie ¡ª the expected demographic of their restaurant, even the woman who asked them the question was wearing a coat and tie.


    "Are you sure this is a restaurant¡­?" The woman''spanion whispered to his friend, "It¡­ looks like a dubious establishment."


    "...Dubious?" Miss Pepondosovich''s bunny ears twitched as soon as she heard the man''s words, "What do you mean by dubious¡­?"


    "That¡­" The man could really only awkwardly back away as his eyes darted to the threedies. One cute tiny person with rabbit ears, an abnormally tall woman, and thest one was a woman with probably the biggest breasts he had ever seen in his life, all in front of a luxurious establishment and beautiful in their own right,


    "...I thought this was a brothel."


    "A¡­ what!?" Miss Pepondosovich screamed, "You¡ªwait¡­" Miss Pepondosovich wanted to say a lot of words, but then realized something,


    "...Is this why no one''s entering the restaurant? Because they thought we were selling flesh!?"


    "You have to forgive my partner, he''s¡­ missing a few in the head," the woman lightly hit herpanion on the back of his head before letting out a sigh, "Can wee in?"


    "Of course, of course! You guys help them find their seats, I''ll tell Riri we have our first customers!" Miss Pepondosovich then quickly turned around and entered the restaurant, almost leaping in joy as she tried to find Riley, who was just calmly ying the piano inside,


    "Riri! We have customers!"


    "Hm¡­?" Riley immediately stopped ying the piano as he leaned to the side to look at the couple entering the restaurant. And as soon as he saw them, he let out a tiny sigh and just kept on ying.


    "...Riri? Are you not going to wee them?" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes.


    "I am," Riley whispered, "But they are not customers, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Huh¡­? What do you¡ª"


    "I guess you know why we are here, then?" And to Miss Pepondosovich and the others'' disappointment, the couple approached Riley while waving a badge, "We''re assuming you''re the owner of this establishment?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded while he continued to y.


    "Wait, Zero! Don''t answer their questions!" Liza quickly walked in front of the two strangers and blocked their path, "They entered the establishment with the intent to interrogate without introducing themselves as cops!"


    "It is fine, Miss Liza," Riley said, "Please, escort them to their tables and give them something to drink."


    "But Zero¡­" Liza nced at Riley before ring at the two strangers, "...You two are lucky that Zero''s kind."


    "Thank you," the woman nodded as she followed Liza to their table, "We just have a few questions and we will be on our way."


    "I will join the two of you shortly," Riley nodded as he continued to y.


    "We¡­ don''t really need any drinks."


    "Please," Riley then stood up and finally stepped off the stage; the piano, however, still continued to y, "I insist ¡ª you may not be customers, but you are still our first guests. So¡­


    ¡­what can I do for you?"

 Chapter 965 965: Crime Scene

    Chapter 965  965: Crime Scene


    ??So¡­


    ¡­what can I do for you?"


    The two cops were slightly surprised with how well Riley was treating them despite the sudden and intrusive visit. They have done this several times with other establishments, and most owners quickly fume in anger as soon as they introduce themselves as cops.


    "My name is Dorothy Adams, and my partner here is Detective Jake Suarez," the woman, Dorothy introduced herself and her partner.


    "I am known as Zero," Riley bowed his head before joining the two at their table, "So, what can I do for the two of you?"


    "..." Dorothy and Jake just looked at each other as Riley casually joined the two of them at their table,


    "We are here because someone filed aint at your restaurant pertaining to an injury and intent to do harm."


    "It''s those drunkards, right?" Miss Pepondosovich arrived with a bottle of wine and some ss; shaking her head while scoffing, "Those sorry excuses for men should just be sent out of the."


    "Sadly, we value all life now," the woman nodded, "The 5 were still even under the influence when they filed aint. All of this is just protocol, we''re just here to get your statement on what really happened and we''ll be on our way. The¡­ drinks are not necessary."


    "They made a mess of the restaurant, that''s what," Miss Pepondosovich breathed out before just leaving the table, "We had to fix one of the tables since one of them jumped on it."


    "Right," Jake let out a sigh and shook his head.


    "If it is about that¡­" Riley then stood up and opened the wine as he poured the two some drinks, "...then we are willing to cooperate fully, Detectives. We have several cameras in the establishment, and we will be more than happy to surrender them to you with no trouble at all."


    "Meh. There''s actually really no need," Jake chuckled as he grabbed the wine of ss Riley handed to him, "It''s obvious they just injured themselves by being idiots, it''s as Detective Adams said ¡ª this is just protocol. But¡­


    ¡­you said they made a mess of your restaurant?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "They had intent to harass my staff as well, Detectives."


    "And they had the guts to file aint. Jake, remind me to find those idiotster ¡ª we need to lock them up," Dorothy shook her head in disappointment as she received the wine, but did not really drink it, "We¡­ can''t really drink, we''re technically still on the clock."


    "No, we''re not," Jakeughed as he took a sip of his wine despite Dorothy''s words, "Wh¡ªthis is good. How much is a wine like this?"


    "Worth more than a year of our sry," Dorothy let out a sigh as she looked at the ss of wine. And after a few seconds, she just sighed and drank the whole thing, "W¡ªYou''re right, this is fucking good. Honestly, we''ve been alive for like 600 years¡­


    ¡­so why are we still broke as shit and can''t afford something like this?"


    "Tell me about it¡­" Jake groaned as he shook his head, "So, Zero¡­ how''d you even manage to afford something like this?"


    "Generational wealth without the generations," Riley smiled before turning to look at Liza, who was just eavesdropping in their conversation while she stood at the bar, "Miss Liza was kind enough to help me make all of this possible."


    "Oh¡­" Jake nodded and smiled, "...You snatched a good one right there."


    Liza could not really help but just feign like she wasn''t hearing them; not knowing whether to smile or look away.


    "Well, since the two of you are already here¡­" Riley then stepped away from the table and nodded, "...How about I cook some steak to go with the wine?"


    "What? No¡­" The woman shook her head, "...We''re intruding already. We¡ª"


    "Please¡­" Riley smiled,


    "...I insist."


    ***


    "So¡­"


    A few hourster, the two detectives were on their way back to their station; the two, just rxing in their car and looking at the ceiling.


    "...Are we not going to talk about how fucking good their food was?"


    "That''s all we''ve been talking about since we left. My god, I wonder how much that steak was? W¡ª"


    [You have arrived at your destination.]


    "Yup, time to go back to work," the woman fixed her seat as she let out a long and very deep sigh, "What''s the case this time?"


    "5 males. They were spotted by a civilian in the alleyway while she was throwing trash."


    "5¡­? Fuck," the woman could not help but shake her head as she stepped out of the car ¡ª and there, a crowd was already formed; red and blue lights, scattered everywhere. The couple then made their way through the crowd, the other cops who were already there, letting them in.


    "Dorothy."


    "Nate, what''s going on in there?" The woman, Dorothy, wore her gloves as she asked one of the cops at the scene.


    "Nothing pretty, can''t really exin it at all."


    "That bad?"


    "Most death we''ve seen in thest decades."


    "Ha¡­ fuck," Dorothy shook her head as she entered the crime scene; the alley was dark, too dark¡­


    ¡­but the gruesome sight in front of her was clear to see even from meters away.


    "What the fuck, Jake."


    "...I think I''m gonna puke, are you gonna puke?" Her partner, Jake, could not help but just look away from what he had seen. How could he not, when several body parts were currently stuck to the walls of the alley? Their guts, flesh, and bones exposed ¡ª what was weird, however, was that their bodies were clearly ced in elegant poses; almost as if they were in a painting. One of them was even holding a rose¡­ although it was hard to tell who was really holding it since all of their arms are twisted and tangled together as their bodies made a circle,


    "But¡­


    ¡­I guess we don''t need to find them, huh?"


    "Right¡­" Dorothy whispered out as she carefully looked at the faces of the victims ¡ª they were the very same group that filed aint against the restaurant they were just eating at earlier,


    "...Just what in the world happened here?"


    Dorothy then approached the crime scene ¡ª and this is not something anyone would do ¡ª whoever did this was a monster who held life as¡­ nothing.


    Dorothy could really only stare at the crime scene for a few seconds before proceeding to look away at the crowd. She just wanted to wash her eyes or have a full-blown shower at this point¡­


    ¡­but then, she saw something that almost made her lose her breaths.


    She saw someone in the crowd of bystanders and onlookers ¡ª the owner of the restaurant they were eating at just earlier, just standing in the middle of the crowd with a very wide and sinister smile on his face.


    "What the¡ª"


    "Adams, we shouldn''t be here," Jake grabbed her by the shoulder, "We''re literally clocking out in a few minutes, let''s just let them handle this and¡ªAdams?"


    "Do¡­ isn''t that Zero!?"


    "Huh¡­?" Jake blinked a couple of times as he looked to where Dorothy was pointing, "The restaurant owner? Where¡­?"


    "There, right¡ª" And before Dorothy could even finish her words, Riley was already gone, "What the¡­"


    "Woman, let''s just call it a day¡­


    ¡­you''re already seeing things."

 Chapter 966 966: Food

    <h4>Chapter 966 Chapter 966: Food</h4>


    "You know, your breasts¡ª"


    "Can you guys just stop talking about my breasts already!?"


    "What''s¡­ got you so riled up? Maybe let off some steam."


    "5 people, dead!"


    "People die every day, it''s normal."


    "They are not supposed to!"


    Esme, Miss Pepondosovich, and Liza were once again outside waiting for customers to approach their restaurant. Liza, however, could not concentrate at all as the horrific news of 5 people passing reached their ears. She had really only moved on from the old man that she couldn''t save, and now 5 more people are dead in the span of a month.


    For hundreds of years, they forced¡ªno. They voluntarily indoctrinated themselves into treasuring life, almost to the point of obsession.


    "We''re just watching ourselves dwindle, Miss Pepondosovich," Liza shook her head and sighed, "There''s no one after us; this is it, we are thest of us. Soon, there wouldn''t be any humans left."


    "Hm," Miss Pepondosovich only let out a small hum, "You will get used to it."


    "How!?"


    "Life," Miss Pepondosovich sighed as she patted Liza''s leg, "Trust me, I''ve been thest of my kind for hundreds of thousands of years ¡ª I got used to it."


    "Miss¡­ Pepondosovich," a small smile crawled on Liza''s face as she heard the gentleness in Miss Pepondosovic''s tone. Soon, however, that smile faded almost instantly, "Wait¡­ did you just say hundreds of thousands of years?"


    "Yes," Miss Pepondosovich once again let out a sigh as she looked at the sky, "I don''t even wonder anymore what it would be like if they were still alive. But it doesn''t matter anymore, you will always meet new people. And heads up, we have customers iing."


    Liza smiled again, only for her smile to also quickly disappear once more as she saw who their customer was ¡ª Detective Jake. This time, however, he was with a different woman.


    "What are you doing back¡ª"


    "Mister Jake, back so soon, I see?" Miss Pepondosovich did not let Liza finish her words as she stepped forward to wee the two, "And with an even more beautiful woman this time, no?"


    "Oh my¡­" The woman who Jake was with could not help but cover her mouth as she heard Miss Pepondosovich''s words, "...Thank you. But, are you sure this is really a restaurant, honey?"


    "The three of you are still standing outside like this?" Jakemented as he looked at the threedies ofpletely different sizes, "Don''t worry, this is a restaurant ¡ª the staff are just¡­ ridiculously good-looking. Wait ''til you see the owner."


    "Sir, Miss¡­" Esme curtsied before gesturing to Jake and his femalepanion, "...I''ll bring you to your table."


    "Oh, please ¡ª Mrs., I am married to this idiot," Jake''s wife let out a giggle; pping Jake on the shoulder before they proceeded to follow Esme inside the restaurant. As for Liza and Miss Pepondosovich, they could really only look at each other and finally reach amon understanding.


    Perhaps the reason why they were not receiving customers at all¡­ was that they really looked like they were a different kind of establishment.


    "We¡­


    ¡­probably shouldn''t stand outside anymore."


    ***


    "Mr. Jake, was it only yesterday that you were here?"


    "I¡­ couldn''t wait for the missus to try out the food here. Honey, he''s the owner I was talking to you about."


    "Madam."


    Riley bowed his head as he greeted Jake and his wife at their table,


    "Miss Esme said you were having a hard time choosing what to order?"


    "I''ll have whatever you rmend," Jake chuckled, "As for her, well¡ª"


    "I don''t eat meat," Jake''s wife let out a sigh as she shook her head.


    "That is no problem at all, Madam," Riley just smiled; his eyes, however, were very subtly twitching at her words, "I''ll prepare something for you personally that you would surely enjoy. For now, I''ll have them bring in the wine you ordered."


    "Wine¡­?" Jake''s wife turned to look at him, "What''s the asion?"


    "Is it that strange for a husband to treat his wife once in a while?" Jake onlyughed while waving his hand, "And their wine really goes well with the steak, it''s really good ¡ª I promise you."


    "Jake¡­" His wife then held his hand, leaning closer as she whispered into his ear, "...Are you sure we can afford this? This ce looks¡­ extremely expensive."


    "You''ve already seen the price on the menu."


    "Yes, and it surprised me ''coz I expected the price to cost an arm and a leg¡­ but are you sure there are no hidden charges or something?"


    "No, okay?" Jake sighed as he held his wife''s hand, "This ce is cool. It''s like the MSG of restaurants."


    "Wh¡ªDon''t say that, what if they hear you?"


    "I mean that as apliment, that''s how good the food is here. Look, herees the wine and bread."


    "Detective Jake, Ma''am," Liza was the one who served them their bread and wine, "Gluten and dairy-free bread."


    "Oh my, thank you¡­" Jake''s wife smiled as she immediately grabbed a piece of bread and dipped it on the sauce they gave her; her mouth quickly locking up as soon as the taste touched her tongue ¡ª it was almost as if someone just tickled her entire body in the span of a single second,


    "What''s¡­ in this sauce?"


    "Honey, you can''t just ask them what their secret sauce is," Jake could not help but chuckle as he poured the wine himself and he looked at Liza, "By the way, have you guys heard of what happened in Chinatown?"


    "Jake, why are you discussing work with this gorgeousdy?" Jake''s wife quickly reprimanded him.


    "What else are we going to do while we wait for our food?" Jake waved his hand, "And Miss Liza here also previously worked in security before they opened up this ce."


    "Oh my¡­" Jake''s wife jumped at the opportunity for gossip, "...Then are you and the owner together?"


    "That¡­"


    "Liezl, why are you asking her that¡­? That''s personal," Jake waved his hand, "Anyway, you know the people that died? They were the guys who made trouble here."


    "What¡­?" Liza almost sat with them at their table as soon as she heard that, "What happened?"


    "They fucked around and found out, that''s what happened," Jake once again let out a small chuckle before his wife, Liezl, pped him on the wrist, "Anyway, since they were killed in an alley, they might have bumped into someone there and messed with the wrong person ¡ª you never know these days; the aliens look like humans too."


    "Jake."


    "Fine, I''ll stop, I''ll stop," Jake raised both his hands in surrender.


    "I''ll leave the two of you alone, then¡­" Liza then smiled as she nodded her head; her thoughts, now even more filled with the news they received, "...Please, just call any of us when you want something."


    Jake and his wife continued to chat andugh with each other, until their chatter was reced with gasps of amazement as Esme started bringing out their food.


    "Cosmic lobster, thered with baked and melted garlic, drowned in smoked, herbed, and salted tallow from an unnamed type of cow," Esme stated as she ced Jake''s te in front of Jake, "As for the Madam, a new menu by Master ¡ª New Theran Sd; greens harvested from New Theran mixed with one of the restaurant''s secret sauces."


    "This¡­" Both Jake and Liezl could not help but almost lean away from the table as their food looked like they were literally glowing.


    "Honey¡­" Liezl gulped, "Are¡­ are you sure we can afford this? I think¡­ I''ve heard some absurd things with what that talldy just said."


    "It''s¡­ it''s fine, I''ll take more hours¡­


    ¡­just eat."


    And they did just that, with Jake''s wife just grabbing her cheeks from time to time with how vorful and tasty her sd was. As for Jake, his vision was starting to blur and fade from how dangerously sinful the taste of his food was ¡ª every bite was almost sending him to death. And perhaps it was.


    And after they were done, the two just stared at their empty table; they had already paid, and that was part of the disbelief they were currently experiencing. Was the food they ate really only worth that much?


    It felt like they were breaking thew for only paying that much for experiencing ecstasy.


    "Master Zero," Jake''s wife stood up from her seat as she looked Riley in the eyes, "I promise you¡­


    ¡­I''ll bring my friends here."


    ***


    "Suarez, I''ve been doing some digging."


    "Uh oh, that can never be good."


    A day after Jake almost died in Riley''s restaurant, he was now back in the station; with Dorothy sliding close to him with her chair,


    "You know our friend in the restaurant? Turns out he''s a ss 7 Above."


    "...Really?" Jake just blinked a couple of times before shrugging, "That exins all the money, then. If I was a ss 7 and I''m still poor hundreds of yearster? I would just kill myself."


    "You¡ªSuarez, this is serious. Listen. He¡ª"


    "No. I know what you''re getting at, no," Jake shook his head before staring Dorothy in the eyes, "Why would a ss 7 even bother with a couple of weak humans? Come on, we already have a cool friend who owns a restaurant and is a ss 7 Above, don''t ruin it¡­


    ¡­and my wife likes him."


    "Wife¡­?" Dorothypletely left her desk; rolling her chair straight toward Jake''s, "Leslie? When did you take her?"


    "Yesterday," Jake shrugged, "I swear, Partner ¡ª the food there? My god¡­ my wife and I had so much sexst night that I swear I got her pregnant, even though we all know that''s impossible these days."


    "Wait¡­" Dorothy raised an eyebrow in disgust and betrayal, "...You went there without inviting me? I wanted to eat there too!"


    "Why would I invite you?" Jake scoffed, "You don''t even have a date, that will be awkward. You do know you''re not getting any younger, right? You were like what¡­ 37 before all this shit happened?"


    "40, and I''m also not getting any older," Dorothy rolled her eyes.


    "Hm, I don''t know about that," Jake let out a small hum as he squinted his eyes and pointed at Dorothy''s head,


    "I see a white hair there."


    "...Right," Dorothy scoffed.


    "No, seriously¡­" The teasing smile on Jake''s face very slowly faded away as he stood up from his desk; his finger that was pointing at Dorothy''s hair, slightly trembling,


    "...I see a white hair."

 Chapter 967 967: The Fly

    Chapter 967  967: The Fly


    ??"I expect there to not be a mess, do all of you understand that?"


    "Yes, Chef!"


    The tone of Riley''s voice was tranquil, almost a whisper. And yet the response he received was anything but ¡ª it was intense, visceral, and most importantly, rushed. The kitchen of Riley''s restaurant was clean, immacte, even. As soon as something gets spilled, it''s wiped down by a cleaner not even a secondter, and by cleaner, it was a bunch of Little Rileys running around the kitchen.


    The kitchen wasrge, almost half the entire space of the restaurant, and it was made even bigger by the fact that not only were the cleaners Little Rileys, but the cooks were too. If one were to enter Riley''s kitchen, then all they would see were critter-like creatures flying and running around.


    Riley opted to have the small clones instead of regr-sized ones ¡ª a strategic choice so that the taste would be as he liked, right down to the minute grain of salt. And with the sizes of the Little Rileys, they would ensure just that.


    But of course, even with them running around and almost doing everything by themselves, Riley was still walking around the kitchen, wearing an apron and helping out, and sometimes even starting the dish himself before passing it to someone else.


    "I told you to just put a tablespoon of salt, you idiota pan de sal! Stupido! Go take a break, you motherless child!"


    "But¡­ we''re all motherless."


    "Out!"


    "What is going on here, Sous Chef Little Riley?" Riley calmly approached the clones arguing at the sauce station.


    "This little dimwit added a spoon of salt, when I specifically said just a tablespoon! There is a difference!" Sous Chef Little Riley once again screamed at the poor saucier, "Boss Chef, I think we should fire him."


    "It''s fine," Riley let out a small but very deep sigh as he grabbed a spoon and tasted the sauce, "Just add a dash of lemon and a drop of honey."


    "You see what you did!?" Sous Chef Little Riley pointed at Saucier Little Riley, "The Boss Chef has to rescue us!"


    "I will leave everything here to you for now, Sous Chef Little Riley," Riley then nodded at his cooks before washing his hands and arms and leaving the kitchen.


    "Riri!" And as soon as he was out, Miss Pepondosovich jumped and hopped in front of him; iling her little arms to get his attention.


    "What is it, Miss Pepondosovich?" Riley took off his apron; not failing to notice that all the diners were looking and staring at him.


    "There''s a long line outside," Miss Pepondosovich grabbed Riley''s hand and started dragging him away, "Are you sure about not adding more tables? We have enough space to add like, triple of what we have now."


    "No," Riley nodded and greeted all the diners they were passing through. Some of them seemed to want to talk to him, but s, Miss Pepondosovich seemed adamant as she continued to drag Riley near the entrance.


    "No? We have enough space!"


    "The space creates a sense of elegant exclusivity, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head, "Too many, and the sense of aplishment and satisfaction one would have would diminish ¡ª the atmosphere itself is part of the ingredient."


    "That¡­ is probably the best thing you have ever said to me, Riri," Miss Pepondosovich could not help but just stare up at Riley''s face for a few seconds, "But we still have to deal with the long line outside."


    "Hm¡­" Riley then turned to look outside, only to see Esme just standing there while some of the people in queue were alreadyining to her.


    "We should at least make reservations to prevent this," Miss Pepondosovich sighed.


    "It is fine, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head, "The sense of aplishment adds to that ¡ª and the line also attracts attention."


    "Then¡­ shouldn''t we help Miss Esme?"


    "I do not think she looks like she needs help, Miss Pepondosovich. Now, if you will excuse me ¡ª I have to talk to some of our guests."


    "Wh¡ª" Miss Pepondosovich could really only look back and forth between Riley''s back and Esme, "I¡­ was more worried about the people outside. Miss Esme is still not used to controlling her strength."


    "Well¡­" Riley nced back and smiled, "...That makes it more exciting, Miss Pepondosovich."


    Hours passed, and Riley spent the entire time talking with the diners, who were all just smiling andughing with him; some of them, even trying to get his number. Of course, Riley did not really give it, and instead just yed a song on the piano for them.


    "A fly!"


    This harmonious and peaceful atmosphere that lingered in the air, however, was destroyed by a disruptive roar as one of the diners stood up, and in his fingers, arge fly,


    "Where is the manager!? I found a fly in my soup!"


    "A¡­ fly?" All the diners turned to look at the man before turning to look at their own te. Liza, who was taking the orders of the people who just received their table, could not help but frown as soon as she heard that.


    She was about to rush at the man, but Riley stopped ying the piano.


    "You, you''re the manager, right!?" The man then pointed at Riley, "Can you exin why¡ª"


    And before the man could even finish his words, Riley walked off the stage ¡ª he did not step down, he walked off¡­ stepping in the air as he made his way toward theining man.


    "A fly in your soup?" Riley smiled as he looked at the fly in the man''s hand, "I assure you, and everyone in my house that there is not a single fly, rodent, or any other pest you could name here, Sir."


    "Then¡­ then what is this!?" The man slightly stuttered as Rileynded in front of him.


    "How about you tell me, Sir?" The smile on Riley''s face did not fade away at all.


    "It''s¡­ a fly, in my soup!" The man hollered, "What else is there to exin!?"


    "Hm," Riley then took a step back before snapping his fingers, and as soon as he did so, the fly in the man''s hand started flying toward Riley,


    "I do not usually do this, but to appease everyone''s worries."


    "!!!"


    Everyone''s eyes widened as the fly''s body separated and disintegrated into a hundred pieces before just ultimately vanishing in the airpletely.


    "I am what this ce calls a ss 7 Above entity."


    And as soon as the man heard that, he could not help but just take a seat back at his table.


    "And I assure all of you, that I use my abilities to ensure that all of you are safe inside the restaurant ¡ª this is the cleanest ce you will ever be in, in and out of the," Riley then stepped onto the stage again before bowing to all of his guests; the smile on his face, incredibly weing and gentle,


    "The only danger in this restaurant is the vor of our food, we make it¡­


    ¡­as if it will be thest meal you will ever eat in your life."

 Chapter 968 968: The Dark Alley Butcher

    Chapter 968  968: The Dark Alley Butcher


    ??"The only danger in this restaurant is the vor of our food, we make it¡­


    ¡­as if it will be thest meal you will ever eat in your life."


    "What the¡­" Miss Pepondosovich could not help but just blink a couple of times as she heard Riley''s words. But before she could even say anything else, the guests and diners started pping and raising their sses at Riley,


    "...These people are crazy."


    "So please," Riley then once again started ying the piano, "Enjoy, because who knows¡­


    ¡­it might truly be yourst meal."


    And with those words, the diners once again continued with their meal. As for the man who attempted to stain the name of their new restaurant, he and his friends were escorted out of the restaurant by Esme.


    ***


    "Damn it!"


    The sound of a bin being kicked resounded in a dark alley as the man with the fly screamed out his frustration. His friends, also shaking their heads as they just stood there in defeat.


    "Why would a restaurant like that even be here!? And why are their prices so low!? Are they trying to throw us out!? Their food is almost the same price as ours!"


    "...You have to admit, though ¡ª those were some damn good fish."


    "Whose side are you on!? We need to find a way to have them shut down, or we''re done! 200 years, 200 years we''ve built our name here¡­ and then suddenly all our customers are going there!?"


    "Maybe¡­ we should start lowering our prices?"


    "No!" The man pointed at one of his friends, "You think I will let myself get bullied by a ss 7 entity!?"


    "ss 7 Above. He''s¡­ basically a god ¡ª we should just let this go, Pat."


    "No! He''s a ss 7 Above, which also means that he is being watched at all times and is not allowed to hurt us at all. We need to¡ª"


    "Perhaps I can help you with your problem, everyone."


    "What the!?"


    The group could not help but just huddle together as they heard a familiar voice approaching them from the dark parts of the alley.


    "Y¡­you!?" The man backed away along with his friends as he pointed at the white-haired man who emerged from the shadows.


    "Yes, me," the weing smile on Riley''s face very slowly turned ominous as his lips reached from ear to ear,


    "I did not appreciate you bringing a fly to my restaurant."


    "That¡­ We didn''t do¡ª"


    Riley raised a finger, locking the lips of the man, "And I definitely did not appreciate you putting a fly in my soup ¡ª it is very disgusting, and not to mention very disrespectful to the ingredients and the hands who made it possible. The broth we used, you see, has been simmering, not boiling¡­ simmering for an entire night, controlled to ensure we maximize the vor, but not too much as it would ruin the taste of everything else¡­


    ¡­and you wasted that."


    "We¡­ we just put it on our te, man! It''s¡ª"


    "sphemy," Riley sighed as he raised a finger.


    "What are you¡ª"


    "!!!"


    And before the man''s friend could finish his words, they watched as the shadow behind Riley started to move and crawl closer toward them.


    "That¡­"


    Revealing that they were not shadows at all¡­ but millions of dead flies clustered together. And before they could even react, the millions of dead flies then flew straight toward the man, or more specifically, through his mouth.


    "Let me help you finish your meal, then," Riley breathed out as the man''s friends watched as the man''s entire body started to convulse; the flies, just endlessly entering through his mouth to the point that his cheeks started to bloat, and soon, his stomach followed suit.


    It grew, and it grew¡­ until it just exploded and burst; his guts, flesh, and the flies were just blown straight to the group''s faces.


    "You¡ªWhat have you done!? You''re¡­ you''re a ss 7! You shouldn''t be doing this!"


    "Help¡­ help us!"


    The only thing the group could really do was quickly run away¡­


    "What¡­ what is this!? What is this!?"


    ¡­Only to find that their way was blocked by an invisible wall.


    "I have to very much admit¡­"


    The group could not help but flinch and freeze there and then as they heard the sound of Riley''s footsteps just screaming through their ears,


    "...This feels like the first few times I started killing people before I even became Darkday. And it''s¡­


    ¡­It''s very fun. Intimate."


    "Wait¡­ wait, don''t kill us! Please! He was his idea, we were¡­ we''re just following his orders!"


    "Yes," Riley took in a long and deep breath as he let the men''s screams just enter his ears, "This is it¡­ the screams, and knowing I will be thest person to hear them in the entire universe."


    "No¡­"


    "Yes."


    "¡­No!"


    And with a smile on his face, Riley rushed toward the screaming and panicking men ¡ª before ripping off their limbs directly by hand.


    "I will let all of you feel it, then¡­


    ¡­what it''s like being simmered overnight."


    ***


    "The Dark Alley Butcher."


    "...I tend to disagree with you, but I think that''s the only way we can call whoever is doing this."


    "Oh, I didn''t make the name ¡ª I just heard our men call it. Wait¡­ I need to barf."


    Dorothy and Jake were now once again in a dark alley. And once again, body parts wereid down like a painting on the walls of the alley.


    "What do you think this one is, Suarez?" Dorothy asked as she took a step back to get a better look at the crime scene, "Doesn''t it¡­ look like they were arranged to look like an insect?"


    "A fly," Jake wiped his lips, "It''s a fly."


    "Huh¡­"


    "But Adams¡­" Jake then whispered, "...Are we not going to talk about your white hair?"


    "What''s there to talk about? Probably just hair that I didn''t remove back before we all turned immortal."


    "No¡­" Jake shook his head, "...I also noticed a few growing on my wife''s head. And I searched the inte, and it''s not just you two¡­


    ¡­those who were at least 35 or 40 above before the Blink happened, they''ve also noticed strands of white hair on them."


    "Are you saying¡­" Dorothy whispered closer to Jake, "...Our time is moving again?"


    "I don''t know. But shouldn''t it be on the news?"


    "...Let''s just let someone else handle that and focus on what we can," Dorothy then shook her head and sighed as she once again looked at the painting of death in front of her, "The restaurant owner, Zero¡­


    ¡­we should check on him again."


    "Are you still going on about that¡­?" Jake sighed, "But fine, I think my wife''s friends were dining in his restaurant at the time of these poor souls'' deaths, I''ll ask them about it."


    "Hm¡­" Dorothy nodded as she walked away, "...While you do that, I''ll go pay our chef a visit."


    "...Can you grab me something from them?"


    "Last I heard they don''t offer takeouts," Dorothy chuckled, "Our restaurant''s gaining quite a traction on the inte."


    "That''s what I keep telling you¡­" Jake sighed, "Why would a man as busy as that even bother being a serial killer?"


    "I hope you''re wrong, Suarez. But¡­" Dorothy took one final nce at the crime scene,


    "...I have a very bad feeling that we are dealing with more than just a serial killer here."

 Chapter 969 969: Once Again, Forward

    Chapter 969  969: Once Again, Forward


    ??"...You guys are here again?"


    Several more weeks had passed, and Riley''s restaurant has been garnering attention all over the city¡ªno. Even those outside the city that aren''t dedicated to humans were already starting to visit the restaurant. And as the restaurant doesn''t take any reservations, those from outside the city are forced to check in to a hotel¡­


    ¡­and it just so happens that the rest of the building was turned into a hotel by Riley when he bought it.


    Suffice it to say, Miss Pepondosovich was highly impressed.


    "Are you sure you people should be wasting your hard-earned sry bying here so frequently?"


    And right now, the two detectives, Dorothy and Jake, were once again dining in the restaurant.


    "...Where else would we take our money?" Jake burst out inughter, causing the other guests to look at their table, "A lot of people gained some sort of enlightenment when we all turned immortal ¡ª and do you know what enlightenment I gained¡­? Food¡­


    ¡­If you spend money on food, on good darn food, it''s like you''re not spending it at all."


    "And you''re not here at all because of all the murders that have been going on for the past month?" Liza squinted her eyes at the two, "We have already surrendered all the CCTV footage around the area ¡ª honestly, we should be charging you two more."


    "That¡­"


    "It''s a good thing Zero likes the two of you," Liza sighed and shook her head in disappointment before smiling, "Anyway, are you guys ready to order?"


    "We sure are," Jake rubbed his palms together while licking his teeth, "I''ll have the bass¡ªno, wait¡­"


    "I thought you were ready to order?" The smile on Liza''s face slightly faded away as she saw Jake hesitating.


    "I''ll go to the restroom for a bit." And while Jake was busy fumbling his words, Dorothy rolled her eyes and left the table. But instead of heading toward the restroom as she said, she turned around and sneakily started heading to the kitchen ¡ª after all, suspiciously, this was the only part of the entire restaurant that did not have any surveince.


    And even more suspiciously, they have checked it during non-operating hours¡­ and it did not even have any door or entryway outside. The only door was to the restaurant.


    "Where are you going, Detective Dorothy?"


    "What the¡ª"


    Dorothy could not help but blink a couple of times as Esme just suddenly appeared right in front of her. She quickly leaned back to look at the entrance where she had just previously, only to see her¡­ also there.


    "What¡­" Dorothy then turned to focus on the Esme in front of her, only to see her silhouette somewhat flicker from time to time, "...You''re flying around at¡ªdon''t use your strength, you''re going to scare the diners!"


    "Okay," a gust of wind then lightly sted some of the table sheets as well as Dorothy''s hair after Esme stopped moving back and forth at an insane speed, "Where are you going, Detective Dorothy?"


    "I¡­ I was just trying to find the restroom," Dorothy quickly said.


    "The restroom is on the other side, Detective Dorothy."


    "Right, I¡­ forgot," although Esme was clearly not trying to be intimidating at all; her monotonous and almost robotic tone, matched with the fact that she was a themarian, was enough to make Dorothy to just take a step back ¡ª in fact, one would be incredibly stupid to even argue with any themarian.


    "Were you perhaps trying to enter the kitchen, Detective Dorothy?" Esme then nced back at the door behind her, "I am afraid only staff are allowed inside."


    "What? No, no¡­" Dorothy forced out a chuckle as she walked away. A lot of people from high up were currently getting worried about the Dark Alley Butcher, especially when people from other cities also started getting killed¡­


    ¡­and some were missing ¡ª and their only lead and suspect was the owner of the new fancy restaurant in the city.


    The only problem was that all the staff happened to be ss 7 and Above. If they were to start aggressively using them, the situation might evolve into something they couldn''t control.


    "I am curious, Miss Dorothy."


    "!!!"


    And while Dorothy was heading back to their table, she once again widened her eyes in surprise as this time, Riley whispered from behind her.


    "Zero!" Dorothy quickly turned around with a smile on her face, "I thought you were back in the kitchen¡­?"


    "Esme said you might be trying to find me, Miss Dorothy," Riley smiled and greeted the other diners who waved at him while stillpletely focusing on Dorothy, "But you are just trying to find thevatory, correct?"


    "Yes. I¡­ just got confused, psh," Dorothy rolled her lips, "This ce is too big and too few tables. Anyway, what¡­ were you curious about?"


    "How many humans are actually left?" Riley then asked as he tilted his head to the side, "Seeing as half disappeared after the Blink, and then the rest almost died during the war between the gods."


    "That¡­" Dorothy''s eyes suddenly trembled as the memories of what happened in the past bombarded her mind. Fortunately, after a few seconds, she quickly recovered herself and just shook her head, "...Right now?"


    "Yes, Miss Dorothy."


    "I am not really exactly sure about the number itself since the Building of Reserves is not clear with the poption¡­" Dorothy squinted her eyes. And before she could even answer ¡ª


    "Please, while you are waiting for your food, can you join me for a moment, Miss Dorothy?" Riley beckoned to her as he sat down at a table that clearly wasn''t there before, "I wish to chat with you, if you do not mind."


    "..." Dorothy took in a small gulp as she nced at Jake and her table, only to see Jake still arguing with Liza, "...I don''t mind at all."


    The only thing she could really do was join Riley.


    "As I was saying, I don''t know the exact number, but there should probably be less than a hundred mil of us ¡ª and that includes the people in the reserves. Honestly¡­?" Dorothy then lowered her voice as she leaned closer to Riley, "I know this is a hot take, but they should just let them live outside¡­ I know they are doing it for the longevity and safety of everyone, but sometimes, I just find it inhumane, you know?"


    "Hm¡­" Riley ced his hand on his chin.


    "I don''t know when it happened ¡ª but we''re just suddenly alright with people being thrown into cages just for existing with another version," Dorothy sighed, "I know a lot more people feel the same way as me¡­ but it is still true that they are doing it to save the poption, at least there¡­ They are safe. If there is a silver lining to this, at least I know I don''t have a variant, you know?"


    "You don''t, Miss Dorothy?"


    "No¡­" Dorothy closed her eyes, "...I''m a super, but I might just well be a normal human. My variants¡­ did not survive the war."


    "I apologize for bringing up a memory that should have been forgotten, Miss Dorothy," Riley sighed, "Please, I have wasted your time already."


    "N¡­ not at all," Dorothy awkwardly chuckled, "You can treat this as me interrogating you again."


    "Were you interrogating me, Miss Dorothy?"


    "...That was a joke," Dorothy chuckled louder as she started walking back to her table.


    "Are you not going to thevatory anymore, Miss Dorothy?"


    "Right¡­ right," the only thing Dorothy could really do was point in the direction of the restroom as she started walking there. Halfway to reaching it, however, she could not help but flinch as the sound of a chair almost being thrown back screeched into her ear; she looked back nervously, but quickly let out a sigh of relief as she just saw a guest standing up¡­


    ¡­but something was wrong, however.


    "Sir¡­" Dorothy approached the man, "...Are you¡ª"


    "We''re back!" And before Dorothy could even finish her words, the man raised her voice as well as his hand, which was holding his tablet, "The news! Turn on the news!"


    Although everyone was confused, they still grabbed their tablets as soon as they saw the hurried and clearly frenzied expression on the man''s face; Dorothy also turned on her tablet¡­


    ¡­only for the news of them aging again to bombard her feed.


    "Oh my god¡­" Dorothy almost dropped her tablet as she covered her mouth, "It¡­ it''s true."


    "Zero¡­ Zero!" Liza also left the table she was waiting for as she rushed toward Riley. And before Riley could even say anything, she leaped into his arms and hugged him ¡ª it wasn''t only her, everyone was celebrating.


    [Everyone¡­] Riley''s voice then resounded through the entire restaurant, causing all of them to turn their attention to Riley, [...Free drinks at the bar.]


    And as soon as they heard that, Jake was the first to rush toward the bar while howling like a madman. As for Miss Pepondosovich, she could not help but panic as she saw dozens of people rushing toward her station.


    "R¡­ Riri! Help, help!"


    "Zero¡­" Riley, however, could not help Miss Pepondosovich at all as Liza was tightly hugging him, "We''re¡­ we''re moving again. Our lives¡­ our lives are moving again. We''re gonna grow old together and¡ª"


    "I do not grow old, Miss Liza."


    "W¡­ what?" Liza could not help but lean away from Riley as soon as she heard his words; her eyes, already reddening. But soon, however, she smiled, "Then¡­


    ¡­let me just enjoy this moment with you, then."


    "Hm."


    "Thank you, Zero¡­ Thank you for¡ªHurk!"


    And before Liza could finish her words, she felt something crawling from her stomach and through her throat. But since she was still in the presence of the restaurant, she just quickly mustered up her strength and swallowed the vomit threatening to escape from her mouth.


    She was incredibly confused at first, but soon¡­ she looked Riley in the eyes as her breaths turned incredibly heavy.


    "Zero¡­" Liza then whispered nervously,


    "...How many times did I tell you toe inside me?"


    "Hm," Riley tilted his head to the side,


    "Each time, Miss Liza."


    "Oh¡­


    ¡­fuck."

 Chapter 970 970: Children And Variants (1)

    <h4>Chapter 970 Chapter 970: Children And Variants (1)</h4>


    "Wow¡­ it''s suddenly so empty. To realize they were growing old again already ¡ª I forgot how fast most species age."


    Riley, Miss Pepondosovich, and Esme were inside the restaurant. It had been a day since the news of what was happening traveled across the entire, and right now, everyone was busy doing whatever it was they were doing. But of course, as beings who have lived for 600 years, the people have learned to be patient¡­


    ¡­most of them were now just at home waiting for what the World Government''s next announcement would be ¡ª and they were also busy thinking of what to do next, especially the short-lived species like humans.


    Of course, the humans and the other short-lived species have actually readied and prepared themselves if something like this were to happen; after all, if humans knew one thing, it''s that nothing is permanent.


    And right now, they are getting ready to adjust.


    "Oh, fuck¡­"


    ¡­And Liza was one of them.


    "Ah, Miss Liza!"


    Miss Pepondosovich and Esme quickly weed Liza back as soon as she stepped inside the restaurant. There was, however, a certain tremble in Liza''s steps; only ncing and nodding at the two before letting herself fall onto the nearest table.


    "So¡­" Miss Pepondosovich let out a very long and deep sigh as she joined Liza at the table,


    "...I take it that you are with child?"


    "...Yes," Liza rested and buried her head on the table; her muffled voice, quietly whispering through the entire restaurant surprisingly clearly. She then subtly nced at Riley, and even though Riley was minute in his expressions, she could still clearly see he was slightly conflicted,


    "Zero¡­ I am going to keep the baby."


    "Ho¡­" Miss Pepondosovich held her breath as she grabbed Esme by the leg. She then beckoned to Esme to sit down and lower her head so she could whisper in her ear,


    "Not even a moment back from the Domain of the Gods¡­ and our boy gets someone pregnant, that has to be a record."


    "Hm," Esme nodded.


    "Shh! They''re about to talk." And although all that Esme did was breathe out and nod, Miss Pepondosovich shushed her as she saw Riley approaching their table.


    "Are¡­ you not going to say anything?" Liza said as she looked at Riley, "You¡­ don''t really have to step up, Zero. Six¡­ 600 years, and I would be one of the very first who would give birth to the next generation after almost an eternity. This is¡­ this is special for me."


    "You are free to do whatever you want with the embryo, Miss Liza," Riley then stood at the side of the table with his hands behind his back, "But I wish to not be a part of the baby''s life once it is here."


    "Riri!" Miss Pepondosovich''s eyebrows instantly lowered as soon as she heard Riley''s words.


    "No¡­" Liza grabbed Miss Pepondosovich''s arm to stop her from doing what she was about to do to Riley, "...It''s fine. I¡­ Zero basically already gave me everything I would ever need to raise the child already, and more than."


    "I do not think this is eptable," Miss Pepondosovich shook her head as she looked Riley in the eyes, "This is your child, Riri. You should be a part of its life."


    "But that would mean that it would suffer, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley closed his eyes and shook his head, "I have already let one to bear the burden of being my biological child, I will not submit another to that sort of fate."


    "You¡­ have another child," Liza blinked a couple of times as her voice weakened, "What¡­ happened?"


    "She is not living a normal life," Riley breathed out, "The same will happen to our child, Miss Liza."


    "Do¡­ you think they are still alive?"


    "Most probably, Miss Liza," Riley nodded, "Her mother, grandmother, and aunt are some of the most resilient people I have ever met. Her mother, although weaker, will sacrifice her life before anything happens to Karina."


    "Karina¡­" Liza breathed out as she touched her belly, "How¡­ would you like to meet your big sister one day?"


    "Why are you talking to it already, Miss Liza?" Esme could not help but tilt her head to the side, "Are you able to already telepathicallymunicate with it?"


    "No¡­" Liza could not help but let out a small chuckle as the mood around the restaurant began to lighten, "And Zero¡­ as long as you''re here, I would like you to meet your child."


    "Are you sure, Miss Liza?" Riley looked at Liza''s hand which was holding her belly, "The things that I have done are¡ª"


    "I don''t care," Liza smiled andughed, "We''ve learned to put the past behind us ¡ª whatever you did before, it doesn''t matter now that time is moving forward again. Everyone''s out there searching for themselves, who they will be a few years from now, and although this is a little sad¡­


    ¡­but I''m sort of happy we don''t have enough time to worry about the little things anymore."


    "If that is your decision then, Miss Liza," Riley let out a small breath as he finally sat down and joined the three at the table, "Then the least I could do is promise you that if anyone wishes to harm our child, they won''t for long."


    "Great!" Miss Pepondosovich then pped her hands before leaping straight toward the bar and almost instantlying back with several bottles of wine, "This calls for a celebration then, except for you, soon-to-be mother ¡ª no more alcohol for you for 3 months."


    "9¡­" Liza took in a small but very deep breath as she looked at the bottles Miss Pepondosovich ced on the table, "Female humans usually carry their child for 9 months."


    "...That long?" Miss Pepondosovich''s eyes widened, "Do theye out able to walk and talk, then?"


    "No¡­" Liza could really only put up an awkward smile as she nced at Riley.


    "Wait, wait¡­e to think of it," Miss Pepondosovich then pointed at Liza, "How long did your species live before all this immortality thing happened?"


    "Average was 70, I suppose? I might be wrong since it''s been a long time ¡ª I suppose we''ll find out in a few years," Liza chuckled.


    "Huh¡­ 70, that''s¡­ really short," Miss Pepondosovich crossed her arms, "And I know your species live for like forever, right?"


    "For a very long time, yes," Esme nodded her head as Miss Pepondosovich looked at her.


    "Then¡­ how long do you carry your children inside you?" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes, "Like years?"


    "The same as the female humans, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "What¡ªand all of you are strong¡­?" Miss Pepondosovich could not help but smile as she pointed at Esme, "It''s a good thing you guys are only able to give birth like once in a thousand years. But then¡­


    ¡­what about your lover, Riri? Are you sure she might also be pregnant?"


    "Wait¡­ wait," Liza could not help but just stand up from her seat as she heard Miss Pepondosovich''s words, "...Are you saying there''s another pregnant woman out there? Like¡­ a themarian?"


    "Perhaps, Miss Liza," Riley nodded, "The only thing I could truly be sure of is that my adopted daughter is alive."


    "You also have an adopted daughter!?"

 Chapter 971 971: Children and Variants (2)

    <h4>Chapter 971 Chapter 971: Children and Variants (2)</h4>


    "The only thing I could truly be sure of is that my adopted daughter is alive."


    "You also have an adopted daughter!?"


    If Liza was not aware that she was pregnant, she would have probably already flipped the table on everyone as she mmed her palms on it. But as soon as she saw that she spilled a little of Miss Pepondosovich''s wine, she tried her best to calm herself and sit back down.


    "You¡­ have an adopted daughter¡­? Just how many half-siblings is our baby going to have, Zero?" Liza gently held her belly as she looked Riley in the eyes, "Wait¡­"


    Liza then very slowly turned to look at Miss Pepondosovich and Esme as she thought of something, "Please don''t tell me the two of you are pregnant."


    "What? No," Miss Pepondosovich raised an eyebrow, "Riri''s like a son to me or something, or maybe a younger brother I can''t seem to get rid of."


    "Unfortunately, Master has still notid his hands on me, Miss Liza," Esme shook her head, "I am still waiting for it to happen ever since I was freed from my deathless shackle. Or maybe perhaps even before that since I vaguely remember wanting to eat his meat."


    "Pft, Kh!" Miss Pepondosovich almost choked on the wine she was drinking, "Wait, wait¡­ your species normally live for eternity, and you only give birth once in a thousand years¡­


    ¡­doesn''t that mean all this immortality business ispletely irrelevant to your kind?"


    "That''s actually been a topic several times in themunity," Liza shrugged, "Themarians would have beenpletely unaffected by the change. Honestly, we owe a lot to the Themarians, it''s just sad what happened to them."


    "What¡­ happened to them?" Miss Pepondosovich squinted as she nced at Esme.


    "...Right, I forgot I needed to treat you guys like you know nothing," Liza sighed, "The Themarians were the forefront of the war when the gods started killing each other. They¡­ became the multiverse''s superheroes, in a way. Now there''s just like, less than a hundred thousand of you. Of course, like always, some forget what your people have done. Everything''s just¡­ different now. I actually find it weird that you three are here, of course¡­ I appreciate it too. But the three of you are ss 7 Above, you could have been anywhere you wanted."


    "I''m just stuck with Riri," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged, "Don''t ask me why."


    "Master is Master," Esme nodded, "I go where he goes."


    "I''ve never met such weird people in my life," Liza sighed.


    "You are the weirdest one here, Miss Liza," Miss Pepondosovich shook her head, "You seem to just take everything in stride as it is."


    "Miss Liza has always been very easygoing." And to everyone''s surprise, Riley spoke up, "Her variant belonged everywhere she went and usually lights up the room whenever she is around."


    "Are¡­ you sure you and my variant weren''t together, Zero?" Liza took in a small gulp, "Because¡­ because if you are, then I feel like I''m actually doing something wrong by stealing you from her. But then again¡­ I''ve already been stealing everything from my variant. I''m here¡­ while she''s living in the Reserves."


    "The Reserves¡­" Miss Pepondosovich''s eyebrows started to lower as she heard that; taking in a big gulp of her wine before pointing at everyone, "...I hate that ce. It reminds me of¡­ my home. I understand it''s there for a reason, but¡­ it shouldn''t be."


    "There¡­ are actually nning to allow them to leave now that time is moving forward again," a hint of a smile crawled on Liza''s face, "I''ve actually met my variant several times and we get along. Is it okay if she works here if they dissolve the Reserves?"


    "I see no problem with that, Miss Liza," Riley nodded, "Another pair ofrge breasts would prove to be an asset to the uniqueness of the restaurant."


    "Wow, thanks," Liza rolled her eyes, "It would be good too, since I''m pregnant and all ¡ª she can work here while she adjusts. Wait, wait¡­ let me call the Reserves now to see if I can expedite her release!"


    Everyone then watched as Liza went away and started calling some people. And judging by the smile on her face, her previous employment seemed to have been useful ¡ª she did not even say another word before suddenly leaving the restaurant.


    "What¡­ just happened?" Miss Pepondosovich turned to look at Esme and Riley, "Where did she suddenly hop to and¡­ why am I the only one drinking!?"


    "Do you truly want me to drink, Miss Pepondosovich?" Esme asked.


    "On second thought¡­" Miss Pepondosovich continued to look back and forth between Esme and Riley,


    "...I think I will enjoy this wine by myself."


    And enjoy Miss Pepondosovich did, and after she had her 4th bottle of wine, Liza returned with a huge smile on her face while carrying arge duffle bag.


    "Ah, Miss Liza!" Miss Pepondosovich then quickly greeted her back while waving a bottle of wine, "Listen to this¡­


    ¡­Miss Esme here is a virgin!"


    "I thought you were not going to share that, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme''s monotonous tone slightly faltered as she looked at Miss Pepondosovich, feelingpletely betrayed, "Master, I believe Miss Liza brought us another staff, maybe we could fire Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Wh¡ªwait, no!" Miss Pepondosovich then quickly leaped toward Riley, who was now ying the piano, "Riri, you''re not going to fire me, right!?"


    "Well¡­" Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at their table, which was filled with empty bottles of wine, "...I might, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "No!" And while Miss Pepondosovich was kneeling on the stage, Liza dropped her duffle bag before dragging someone from the outside.


    "Come,e. Don''t be shy! As you can see, they''re a little weird, but they are good people."


    "Uhm¡­ okay then?"


    Everyone then watched as a slightly more mature-looking version of Liza entered the restaurant; which was weird, since they were sure she was supposed to be a variant of the same age ¡ª perhaps a testament that their experiences before the Blink had not been the same.


    "Everyone," Liza then breathed out as she took her variant to their table, "This is Katrina."


    "H¡­ hello, everyone!" Liza''s variant seemed as friendly as her as she smiled at Esme and the others, "I¡­ hope I''m not intruding, and wow¡­"


    "Right!?" Liza nodded to herself as she saw Katrina''s eyes stop at Riley, "I told you, they are very unique people."


    "That¡­ they are."


    "B¡­ be careful now," Liza breathed out nervously as she noticed Katrina still staring at Riley, "He''s the father of my child."


    "Right¡­" Katrina squinted her eyes, "...That''s a variant of Riley Ross?"


    "Oh¡­ what? You''ve met a variant of him before?" Liza pointed back and forth between Riley and Katrina.


    "Wait, no¡­" Katrina''s breaths then started to turn heavy as she looked at Riley from head to toe, "...Riley Ross doesn''t have a variant. You¡­


    ¡­It''s you."


    "Wait¡­ wait¡­" Liza could not help but open her mouth, "Don''t tell me the two of you are actually from the same universe? Because that will be totally crazy and scary if it is."


    "Liza¡­" Katrina took in a small gulp as she grabbed Liza''s hand,


    "...That''s Darkday."

 Chapter 972 972: An UnexpecteD Development That EscalateD Quickly

    <h4>Chapter 972 Chapter 972: An UnexpecteD Development That EscteD Quickly</h4>


    "That''s¡­ Darkday."


    "Darkday¡­? The major superviin you keep telling me about?"


    "Yes."


    "...You''re joking, right?"


    There was a silence after Liza said those words¡ªno. The only one who was hearing silence was Katrina, who was now holding her breath and maybe even stopping her heart from beating as she looked at Riley from head to toe.


    Maybe if she just pretended to not exist like this, Riley would just leave her alone, like a bear.


    "...Kat?"


    But s, pretending to be dead won''t actually achieve anything and might just add fuel to the already raging fire that was surrounding her and only her. Katrina started looking around, and seeing as no one was moving at all, the only thing she could really do was smile.


    "Kat, he''s the father of my baby. The one I told you about."


    "What!? You''re pregnant with Riley''s child!?" Katrina screamed with her mouth closed; she was trying her best to whisper, but her panic and frustration were bursting out from her lungs, "Are you crazy!? You¡ª"


    Katrina immediately stopped talking as she noticed Liza holding her belly. Katrina then turned to look at Riley, who only had his head tilted to the side, and blinked a couple of times as he looked at her.


    Katrina''s thoughts then started fumbling; almost shutting down as she realized what she was doing. Riley Ross, the evil incarnate, Darkday, the devil himself was right in front of her and she just kept on spouting everything that came out of her mouth.


    Did she have a death wish? If she said the wrong thing here, then every one of them inside the restaurant would probably die.


    Stupid, she thought ¡ª how could she even be so confident in front of Riley?


    "I¡­ I was joking. Of course, I was joking," Katrina then forced out an awkwardugh as she looked back and forth between Liza and Riley, "You¡­ you''re not gonna kill me, right? Haha! Kidding, I''m kidding¡­ please don''t kill me."


    "Kat¡­?" Liza raised an eyebrow before turning to look at Riley and the others, "Sorry, she''s¡­ not really this quirky most of the time."


    "It is understandable, Miss Liza," Riley raised his hand and shook his head, "For her to be able to meet someone from 600 years ago as soon as she was out of the Reserves is probably quite an experience for her."


    "Y¡­ yes. That''s totally it!" Katrina pointed at Riley as she continued tough, "I should¡­ I should probably find another job? I mean, you guys already seem like you don''t need any help."


    "Kat, I already told them you were joining us," Liza whispered loudly, "And what are you even going to do out there? Just ept this job first, and then when everything has calmed down, do whatever you want ¡ª the world''s still adjusting again, we all should too. And plus, where else can you get your own apartment as a benefit for your first job?"


    "I''ll¡­ have my own apartment?" Katrina''s eyes started to widen as soon as she heard Liza''s words.


    "Yup," Liza nodded, "Meals are all free too, and all cooked by Zero himself."


    "Free meals cooked by¡­" Katrina could not help but take in a very long and deep breath as she looked at Riley. She really only heard tales of it before, but Riley''s cooking, from Hannah and the other''s testimonials, was good enough to make the entire multiverse forgive him of all his heinous crimes¡­


    ¡­and she would get to taste them for free all the time?


    "Kat¡­" Liza sighed as she grabbed Katrina''s hand, "...Trust me, you will never find a job like this anywhere else."


    Free apartment, free food, plus a sry versus the fact that she would literally be working with Riley Ross, the most heinous and evil criminal the entire multiverse has ever known. In the grand scheme of things the past 600 years, what Riley had done held almost no significance at all now that she was thinking about it. This¡­ wasn''t even a choice.


    "...When do I start?"


    ***


    Katrina Collins'' Day 1 of working in Riley''s restaurant ¡ª there wasn''t really much work to do. Almost everyone was still shaken by the fact that time was moving for them again; the government and those who were able to are still figuring out the next proper step, especially now that they also found out that people could get pregnant again.


    And it did not help that those who were making love the past month did not practice safe sex at all. Why would they when no one could get pregnant at all? And so¡­ a lot of people are pregnant, a lot. At the same time. All the species and all the races.


    Katrina was just watching the news the entire day, while also nervously peeking at Riley from time to time. If there was anything that could be considered eventful on her first day¡­


    ¡­it was Riley''s food. It''s no wonder she had a crush on him back then.


    Katrina Collins'' Day 2 of working in Riley''s restaurant ¡ª Detective Dorothy visited the restaurant along with Jake and his wife; apparently celebrating Jake''s wife''s pregnancy. Suffice it to say, the three were shocked as Liza also said she was pregnant.


    Katrina still found it slightly awkward, but she joined them in the celebration. As for Riley, he just continued to y the piano as he always did ¡ª even back when she first saw Riley, there was a sense of mystery around him that Katrina could not just exin¡­


    ¡­if she was the one to meet him instead of Liza, would she have also been the one to get pregnant by his child?


    Katrina Collins'' Day 3 of working in Riley''s restaurant ¡ª Katrina got drunk during the celebration since she drank for two because Liza couldn''t¡­ and she identally kissed Riley when she started remembering her feelings for him back in Mega Academy, making thingspletely awkward between her and Liza.


    Of course, since she was drunk, Liza did not really make a big deal out of it.


    Katrina Collins'' Day 4 of working in Riley''s restaurant ¡ª Not good.


    "How could you do this to me, Kat!? I trusted you!"


    "Wait, no¡­ Liz!"


    Katrina found herself not able to chase and follow Liza as she rushed out of the room in anger; her screams of frustration, echoed throughout the entire building as she left. Katrina could not really chase her for the fact that she waspletely naked on Riley''s bed.


    "What¡­ what have I done¡­?" Katrina could really only cover her face in shame. This isn''t her fault ¡ª her crush suddenly returning after 600 years, and then cooking and taking care of her? After she was stuck in the Reserves? How¡­ how could she even resist the urge?


    "You seem very upset, Miss Katrina."


    "Upset¡­?" Katrina subtly turned to look at Riley, who was already getting dressed, "I¡­ I just betrayed my variant, Riley. Why¡­ why did you have toe back?"


    "Perhaps you should not be ming me, Miss Katrina," Riley let out a small sigh as he shook his head, "Once you are done regretting your choices, I need you to follow me."


    "I''m¡­ not really regretting¡ªOh my god, I''m such a slut," Katrina once again covered her face as she realized what she was saying, "How¡­ how do we even mend this situation!?"


    "I do not see why this issue involves me, Miss Katrina."


    "What do you¡ª"


    And before Katrina could even finish her words, Liza suddenly returned and barged into the room and started screaming,


    "I am carrying your baby, Zero!" She bellowed as she pointed at him and Katrina, "How could you even fuck someone else while we''re living in the same roof!? And my variant!?"


    "I could argue that I did not make love with someone else, Miss Liza," Riley shook his head, "You and Katrina are the same person. And it does not matter ¡ª I hold no feelings of love for the both of you."


    "You¡­Argh!" Liza was about to walk out again, but instead just dropped to the floor in frustration, "This¡­ is so fucking weird. This situation is so fucking weird. Why do you even have to make this soplicated, Kat? I know Zero and I are just¡­ friends with benefits, but really? The same guy? And you told me you didn''t like him!"


    "I''ll¡­ leave," Katrina closed her eyes and whispered, "I''m¡­ really sorry. I didn''t really¡ª"


    "No. What? Why would you leave?" Liza groaned in frustration, "I just¡­we just need to get our minds in this and¡ªfuck, I don''t know."


    "Then while you are contemting this situation, Miss Liza," Riley then gestured to Katrina, "Miss Katrina, please follow me¡­


    ¡­I have something to show you."


    ***


    "Where¡­ are we going, Riley?"


    "Yes, where are we going?"


    "I did not expect you toe, Miss Liza."


    "Of course, I''ming with¡ªI can''t leave the two of you alone. Who knows what you two are up to."


    "...You think we are going to do something in this creepy dungeon beneath the building?"


    And as Katrina said, Riley, Liza, and her were currently beneath the restaurant ¡ª with Riley having some sort of secret entrance on the floor below the main stage; essible through ying some sort of melody through the piano.


    "And¡­ what is this ce? You had this down here all along?" Liza asked as Riley led them through a dark corridor, "Wait¡­ you''re not like¡­ into BDSM stuff, right? Are you one of those people who like to have¡­ to have sex with variants? Because I am telling you now, I am going to leave."


    "No, Miss Liza," Riley shook his head as they reached the end of the corridor. And there, arge steel door was waiting for them. Riley just casually opened the door, causing a loud noise to erupt and echo through the dungeon.


    "What the¡­" Both Liza and Katrina covered their eyes as a bright light drowned their vision. But as soon as they were able to recover their sigh, what weed them¡­


    ¡­were several people inside ss cages, all neatly lined up.


    "The Guesthouse¡­" Katrina took in a long and very deep breath as she looked around, "Why¡­


    ¡­why are you showing me¡ªus this, Riley?"

 Chapter 973 973: Part-Time Supervillain

    <h4>Chapter 973 Chapter 973: Part-Time Superviin</h4>


    "You''re¡­ not going to kill us, are you?"


    "No. Please,e in."


    Katrina could not help but just hold Liza''s hand as she watched as Riley beckoned to them to follow them inside the immacte prison. As for Liza, she did not really know what to feel right now ¡ª just a few moments ago, she felt the ultimate betrayal from her variant, and now¡­


    ¡­she finds out that the person she was enjoying being with emotionally and physically had people under his basement.


    600 years, and never has she actually thought she would be put into this kind of position.


    What was she even supposed to feel right now?


    "Wait¡­" Liza then whispered out as Katrina and she stepped inside Riley''s dungeon, "...The people being reported missingtely. Is this¡­"


    "Yes, Miss Liza," Riley did not even let Liza finish her question as he answered without any hesitation; even stretching his arms to the side as he smiled,


    "This is most of them ¡ª some I already killed."


    "You¡­" Liza gripped Katrina''s hand, "...You''re a fucking serial kidnapper!? Kat, let''s¡ª"


    Liza was about to drag Katrina away, but Katrina just stood there while shaking her head.


    "I''ve¡­ been trying to tell you, Liz," Katrina took in a small gulp; awkwardly chuckling as she slowly turned to look at her variant, "Riley¡­ is not just a serial kidnapper or a serial killer. He''s¡­


    ¡­Darkday."


    "You mean¡ªyou weren''t joking about that!?" Liza''s breaths started to turn heavy. But soon, she wildly shook her head to try and calm herself down, "Wait¡­ wait¡­


    ¡­you mean I''m carrying the child of the most wanted man in the entire multiverse?"


    "...Was the most wanted man," Katrina whispered, "The war between the gods and 99.9% person of the poption of the entire multiverse dying kind of¡­ erased all of that."


    "How does that even¡­" Liza''s face was about to turn into a scowl before her eyes just widened, "...You know, that sort of kinda makes sense?"


    "It does¡­ right?" Katrina once again chuckled awkwardly, "By the way, there''s no use running."


    "I''m¡­ not running," Liza took in a small gulp as she let go of Katrina''s hand, "But wait¡­


    ¡­you slept with him even fully knowing he''s evil incarnate?"


    "I¡­" Katrina continued her awkward streak with a smile, "...I figured it was my chance?"


    "Are you fucking stupid!?"


    "You''re the one that got knocked up by him!"


    "Because I had no idea who he was!" Liza screamed as she pointed at Riley, "I thought he was just some white-haired, uberly handsome albino god that was sent to me by the gods because I have been good for 600 years!"


    "Fuck, I know! He''s hot! He''s been hot ever since I met him in the Academy!" Katrina scrunched up her hair, "Why are you so fucking stupid!?"


    "I''m you!"


    "Oh no¡­" Katrina just dropped to the floor and tried to sob, "You¡­ You should have seen him when he was Paragon. He had ck hair and was so¡­ please, just kill me. Why did all of our brains go to our boobs!?"


    "Hm¡­" And while the two werementing their fate, Riley just stared at them while shaking his head. Even the prisoners inside their ss cages could really only watch them in confusion, "...I did not realize this before, but I believe that you are also in the spectrum, Miss Katrina."


    "We''re not!" The two variants then pointed at Riley at the same time.


    "And¡­ and why did you really bring us here? Are you¡­ going to imprison us like them!?"


    "No. Why would I do that?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "I initially only wanted you to see this since you were an acquaintance, Miss Katrina."


    "Why¡­ would I want to see this?" Katrina raised an eyebrow.


    "No, I wanted you to see it," Riley shrugged, "It was the previous w of my original Guesthouse back on our, Miss Katrina ¡ª I had no one to share it with until it was toote. Is this not beautiful? All different people, living different lives¡­ and knowing they will never return and would spend the rest of their days here until they die."


    "Wait¡­" Lizapletely ignored Riley''s words as she actually started looking at Riley''s so-called guests, "...I recognize these people! They¡­ they''re all of the diners that made a ruckus in our restaurant!"


    "Hm," Riley nodded to himself in satisfaction.


    "Oh¡­ so they deserve to be here?" Katrina also nodded and raised a finger, "Wait ¡ª I feel like we''re focusing on the wrong things here! Why are you doing this again, Riley!?"


    "Because it is in my nature to do so, Miss Katrina."


    "You¡­" Katrina closed her eyes as the tone of her voice turned serious, "...You didn''t change at all?"


    "I believe I did," Riley shook his head, "But I also believe it does not matter. My goal still remains the same ¡ª to turn everything into Nothing."


    "...Great," Liza then also fell to the floor as soon as she heard Riley''s words, "And here I thought life was about to return to normal after 600 years¡­ but then again, what is normal these days?"


    "When¡­ then?" Katrina looked Riley in the eyes, "When do you n to kill all of us? Why not just¡­ do it already?"


    "No," Riley then shook his head as he started walking around the immacte prison he made; causing the prisoners inside the ss cages to flinch whenever he passed by them,


    "There is no satisfaction in erasing something that is already withering away. I wish to turn everything into Nothing¡­


    ¡­but where is everything? All I see are just leftovers."


    "Then¡ª"


    "Right now," Riley let out a small but very deep sigh, "Running the restaurant is more satisfying to me, Miss Liza, Miss Katrina. I am only doing this as a hobby for now."


    "Like¡­ like a part-time job?"


    "Oh¡­?" Riley turned to look at Katrina with his eyes slightly wide, "Yes, Miss Katrina ¡ª I suppose we could consider it as my part-time job."


    "I can''t seriously believe we''re actually even talking about this," Liza could not help but also just sp her head, "Weren''t¡­ weren''t we heroes before the Blink happened, Kat? We''re part of the legendary Baby Crew!"


    "...And now you have a baby inside you," Katrina squinted her eyes as she looked at Liza, "Don''t tell me you seriously want to fight him?"


    "...No. I admit we''re stupid, but we''re not that stupid," Liza shook her head before looking at Riley, "Why¡­ are we still alive?"


    "Because Katrina is my sister''s friend," Riley shrugged as he approached the two, who did not really have the energy to react at all, "And also¡­


    ¡­I need a new batch of subordinates."


    "Subordinates¡­?"


    "I''m¡­ not going to work for a viin," Liza took in a long and very deep breath as she once again shook her head, "So¡­ just use me as your sex ve if you want, but I''m not going to work for you!"


    "Oh my god," Katrina covered her face, "Are we this desperate and thirsty for Riley!? Please, don''t make it too obvious!"


    "You''re the one making it too obvious!" Liza pointed at Katrina, "You slept with him even fully knowing how I feel about him!"


    "We feel the same way about him! We''re literally the same person!" Katrina also pointed at Liza, "And if anything, it''s you who betrayed me! I already told you stories about my crush and lost love!"


    "How could I even know it was him!? And how could I even know that you were in love with a superviin!?"


    "If I may intrude in your conversation," Riley then raised his hand as he got in between the two, "You will not be working under a superviin, Miss Katrina and Miss Liza ¡ª as Miss Katrina gracefully pointed out, this is part-time¡­


    ¡­so the two of you will be the subordinates of a part-time superviin."


    ***


    "My god¡­ how many has this been?"


    "This is the 14th case¡­ and we still have no lead."


    "Oh ¡ª you''re not suspecting the restaurant owner anymore?"


    "No. He''s weird¡­ but I don''t think someone like that would do something like this."


    And once again, Detectives Dorothy and Jake found themselves inside a crime scene in a dark alley. This time, however, it wasn''t just a single wall painted with bodies ¡ª it was both; the bodies facing each other and their arms even seemingly trying to reach out to each other.


    Suffice it to say, the two were starting to get used to the violent deaths as Jake was not even feeling the need to puke anymore.


    "The worst part about all of this is our leaders are distracted by the fact that time''s moving on for us again," Dorothy''s sighs echoed throughout the dark alley, "...The same could not be said for these guys. Speaking of time though¡­ how far along''s the wife?"


    "12 weeks," Jake smiled, "How about you, you sure you''re not pregnant?"


    "From who?" Dorothy rolled her eyes, "Anyway, we should pack


    ¡ªWho''s there!?"


    Both Jake and Dorothy suddenly put up their guard; with Jake''s skin turning into silver as they heard footstepsing from the shadow. It wasn''t only them, all the officers within the area were all alert as the footsteps got closer and closer. Until¡­


    "What¡­ the fuck?"


    "Greetings." An individualpletely covered in some sort of colorful tactical suit showed himself; his suit, a gradient of blue starting from his helmet and then turning orange going down all the way to his boots.


    "I believe it was time I introduce myself," the colorful individual then casually bowed, "I am the one responsible for all of these murders. I am a part-time superviin, and my name is¡­


    ¡­Halfday."


    "...You have got to be kidding me."

 Chapter 974 974: Halfday

    <h4>Chapter 974 Chapter 974: Halfday</h4>


    "My name is¡­ Halfday."


    "You have got to be kidding me right now."


    By all means, the individual who introduced himself as Halfday did not look menacing at all. The color of his suit was bright; mellow, but bright. And like his name suggests, it almost seemed like the afternoon sky; almost like a painting, especially now since they were in a dark alley.


    Everything just felt¡­ surreal.


    Unfortunately for Dorothy and the others, they did not really have any time to appreciate the surrealness of it all as they recovered from their mild stupor; all of them, now on high alert as they stared at Halfday.


    "You said¡­ you''re a part-time superviin?" Jake asked as he stepped forward; his now silver skin, reflecting the bright blue and orange outfit of the person in front of him. Jake made sure topletely cover Dorothy as he started asking his questions to the ominous stranger,


    "And you said that you''re the Dark Alley Butcher?"


    "I never truly liked that name," Halfday let out a very long and deep sigh as he raised his hand, causing Jake and everyone else there to flinch. Halfday, however, did not really do anything and just pointed at the corpses painted on the wall,


    "Butchers are known for using knives, I do not ¡ª all of this is made by my hands, and my hands alone. Although, I do appreciate how you might think I am using knives from how clean I dismember them and for that¡­


    ¡­you have my gratitude."


    "Our biological clock''s moving again¡­" Dorothy whispered loudly as she leaned her head to the side to look at Halfday, "...and these weirdos just have to pop up. A superviin, seriously? That''s like so 600 years ago."


    "Part-time," Halfday corrected Dorothy as he nodded several times, "A part-time superviin, Ma''am ¡ª there is a big difference between the two."


    "And that difference is¡­?"


    "This time all of you actually get a chance to breathe," Halfday stretched his arms to the side; his outfit, seemingly glowing like the sky drowned by an orange sun, "A chance to repopte; to breed and grow faster than I can kill you."


    "And you''re just telling all of this to us?" Dorothy smirked as she looked at Halfday from head to toe, "What is this? Are you trying to make a statement, mocking us?"


    "Not at all," Halfday let out a small chuckle as he shook his head; his helmet, not showing even a single millimeter of iling at all, almost as if the entire suit, including the helmet, was just one single flesh,


    "I am only here to introduce myself."


    "In any case¡­" Dorothy let out a sigh as she tapped Jake''s shoulder, making him subtly and slightly stepped to the side to make way for her,


    "...You''re under arrest."


    A thunderous snap then reverberated throughout the entire alley as Dorothy stepped to the side; her feet, creating a ripple that blew away all the dirt and dust from the ground. Everything else turned slow for her, and as she moved past Jake; his hair did not even have any time to be blown away before Dorothy was already only a meter away from Halfday.


    Dorothy then grabbed a pair of handcuffs from her waist as she continued to rush toward Halfday. But as soon as she stretched out her hand, she realized that Halfday''s helmet was actually facing her.


    "Wh¡ª!!!"


    And before she could even react, Halfday suddenly grabbed her arm,pletely snapping her bones with just that simple act. And then once again, she could not even scream before Halfday grabbed her by the side of her face and then mercilessly mmed her head on the wall of the alley.


    And almost instantly, Dorothy could hear a whistle deafen her ears as everything once again moved normally for her; as a super with superspeed, this was normal for her to hear ¡ª it was just a little too intense than normal. Of course, the fact that her head was mmed to the wall probably had something to do with that¡­ it just wasn''t registering in her mind just yet that she couldn''t even see it happen at all.


    "D¡­ Dorothy!?" And as soon as Jake saw the wall crumbling as Dorothy''s head was stuck to it, he couldn''t help but just rush toward Halfday; each of his steps, causing the ground to crack, "Let go of her!"


    Jake then rolled his fist as tight as he could before striking Halfday right on the sternum. A loud, cracking noise, snapping in the air as he did so ¡ª unfortunately for Jake, the sound wasing from his fist; his silver skin, slightly crackling as blood seeped from the cracks that now littered his fist.


    "Grah!" Jake let out a gnarling scream as his leg gave out from the sudden and unexpected pain. He wasn''t allowed to rest on the floor for long, however, as Halfday also grabbed him by the face and lifted him up, "Wh¡­!!!"


    Jake''s muffled screams whispered in the air as his armored skin started to shatter; his face crackling even more violently than his fist as Halfday tightened his grip by the second. And as soon as the other officers saw this, they finally rushed toward Halfday to try and pin him down with their numbers.


    "I like these two," Halfday whispered out as he nced at Jake and the unconscious Dorothy, "Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the rest of you."


    "!!!"


    Flesh, bones, and guts started flying everywhere as Halfday''s figure just started to blur; just flickering in everyone''s eyes. And each time he revealed himself, body parts flew everywhere as he swung and iled Jake''s sturdy body through hisrades. Through.


    He used him like a weapon,pletely massacring the other officers by treating him like a mace. Halfday did not seem satisfied, however, as he did not just target the officers who were rushing toward him in the alley¡ªno.


    After he was done killing all of them there, he stepped out of the dark alley and introduced himself to the curious and nosy bystanders¡­ by mercilessly killing half of them in the blink of an eye.


    They couldn''t even see what happened. They saw Halfday stepping out of the dark alley, and the next thing they knew, they werepletely covered and drowned in the blood of the people who were just standing next to them. They did not suffer the worst of it, however¡­ Jake won that title.


    His lungs now had the blood of innocent people in them, literally. And he was sure he just swallowed someone''s guts too.


    And almost as if to contrast them; while they werepletely soaked in blood, the perpetrator and cause of all of this was stillpletely immacte. He was just¡­ standing there.


    The crowd wanted to disperse and run in panic, but their fear seemed to great that the only thing they could really do was stand there and stare at Halfday. They then watched as Halfday dropped his human weapon on the pool of blood beneath their feet.


    Jake was still alive, very much so¡­ but it would have probably been better if he just died there and then.


    "Hm¡­" Halfday then casually started looking everywhere until his eyes settled on a surveince camera hanging on one of the streetlights, and with a small chuckle seeping out from his helmet, he suddenly waved at the camera. And then a few secondster, he once again turned his focus back to the petrified crowd, or more specifically toward the one who was holding his phone to record Halfday.


    The man holding the phone could really only shriek as soon as he saw Halfday approaching him, but as was the case from the start, his legs werepletely frozen in fear. Fortunately for him, Halfday seemedpletely uninterested in him and seemingly more interested in his phone.


    "Is that live or just a video recording?" Halfday tilted his head to the side as he stood in front of the poor man.


    "It¡­ it¡­" The man''s hands began to shiver uncontrobly¡­ but Halfday grabbed his hands and forced them to stay still, "It''s¡­ live."


    "Oh," Halfday then let go of the man''s hand and started backing away, "I am assuming that your viewer count is substantially going up?"


    "Y¡­ yes?"


    "Perfect," Halfday pped his hand before turning to face the phone,


    "Hello, everyone. I am a part-time superviin called Halfday. I am sure you have not heard of me before, because I have also not heard of me before I introduced myself as Halfday," Halfday then started introducing himself; the tone of his voice, although monotonous, waspletely friendly.


    "I realized that there was ack of death happeningtely," Halfday let out a long and very deep sigh, "And with everyone aging again, I thought I would take it upon myself to remedy that ¡ª and what better way to debut as a superviin¡­


    ¡­by killing each and everyone here until a hero responds to his or her proper calling."

 Chapter 975 975: The Age of Heroes

    <h4>Chapter 975 Chapter 975: The Age of Heroes</h4>


    [We¡­ we have tragic news! We¡­ we are receiving reports that a maniac is running around New York City and killing people!]


    Right when the world was getting ready to move on, despair suddenly knocked on their doors; almost as if it was asking everyone to hand over the peace they had treasured for hundreds of years back. Every corner of the, one could hear people gasp in front of their screens as they watched the horrific news currently unfolding in front of them.


    Every media, every news outlet was repeating the same words over and over again ¡ª ''The superviins are back.''


    [N¡­no, we are receiving reports that it is only one individual doing this! We are not sure what species or race the individual is, or whether it is a man or a woman. But one thing we could be sure of is that¡­ wait, is this true!?]


    [This just in, we are receiving concerning news that more than a thousand people have been brutally murdered¡­]


    [We advise everyone to stay inside their homes. Those who are far from human territory, please do not refuse anyone seeking shelter in¡­]


    [We have talked to a detective who survived the maniac''s first assaults¡­ and they are saying that the individual is calling himself¡­


    ¡­Halfday?]


    [Be warned,dies and gentlemen. A madman calling himself Halfday is currently terrorizing a part of New York City!]


    [You heard it here first, folks! Not even half a day has passed, and yet we are losing more lives than we have ever seen in the past hundred years!]


    [We have not seen death like this since the war of the gods! It was only days ago that we received news that all of our biological clocks are moving again and that everyone, all the species is celebrating a sudden baby boom. But now, we are left questioning¡­


    ¡­where will we be half a dayter!?]


    [We have received news from the detectives who survived the first assault that the new superviin is¡­ only going to stop his havoc until a superheroes and stops him!]


    [But even half a dayter, no one has responded to¡­]


    [The humans are dying one by one¡­ are we truly not going to help them?]


    [We are looking to everyone ¡ª we have lost our heroes. Please, anyone¡­ themarians, norids¡­Megawoman, if you are still out there, please¡­


    ¡­help us.]


    The humans were dying by the hundreds, and yet even with their cries for help, the only thing that the other races could really offer them was sympathy. Of course, there are still a lot of human superheroes left from the old world; Supers are the only ones who survived the war, after all ¡ª but none of them were taking action.


    For some reason, living for 600 years made them even more fearful of death; especially when they have practically brainwashed themselves to the fullest that their life is important. They wanted to act, truly¡­ but the only thing they could do was lower their heads and look away.


    And while the entire world was dreading the existence of Halfday, the man himself was just taking his leisurely time to enjoy everything.


    He was right at the center of the street, his arms stretched to the side as he let the almost setting sun touch his bright suit, which almost made it seem like it was glowing as it resembled the afternoon sky itself.


    This would have been a very immacte view, if it wasn''t for the fact that other than his suit¡­ everything else was painted in the color of dried and fresh blood. Halfday started walking as if he were in a verdant and lush field; but instead of tall grass and flowers, what met his legs and hands were remnants of flesh, guts, and bones.


    "So, how does it feel to be surrounded by so much death, Random Person? Although, I suppose you have already experienced this once."


    "S¡­stay away from me! Stay away!" There was a woman crawling backward in front of Halfday, waving her hands and releasing several des of fire at him. But s, each of her attempts to try and fend off this viin was futile¡­ pathetic, even. But still, that was the only thing she could really do¡­ as both her legs were already gone.


    Her flesh was just grazing through the hard asphalt; fortunately for her, the ground was slightly smooth since someone else''s blood was already lubricating it ¡ª she did not care that she was practically crawling over dead bodies, however, how could she?


    "You know I can not do that, Random Person," Halfday let out a very long and deep sigh while shaking his head and just slowly following the poor woman; obviously matching her pace so that she would feel all the dread she could feel,


    "me the heroes for your prolonged suffering. They should be here now trying to rescue you and everyone else who unfortunately happened to be here, but they are not. If only they were¡­


    ¡­then none of this would have probably happened. You could have been home by now, gently taking care of yourself and the child forming in your belly ¡ª I could hear it, you know? The cardiac tissue, starting to pulse."


    "W¡­ what¡­?" The woman''s already panicked face turned incredibly hopeless as she very slowly looked at her stomach.


    "Oh¡­?" Halfday tilted his head to the side, "Did you not know that you are pregnant? Then, I suppose I should offer you congrattions¡­


    ¡­Congrattions, Random Person."


    "Please¡­" The woman started shaking her head as the tears once again trailed from her eyes, "Let me go¡­ please¡­ please let me¡ª"


    "No."


    And before the woman could even finish her words, Halfday suddenly leaped toward her and kicked her right in the face,pletely shattering her head even before she was mmed into the ground.


    "Your scream is too weak and too nasally," Halfday shook his head before turning around to look at a toppled car, "Your turn, then? You have been watching there for a minute now."


    "W¡­wait, wait!"


    A man then suddenly crawled out of the car, raising his hands as Halfday started approaching him.


    "I am¡­" The man was halfway through his words before he suddenly grabbed the car, causing a skirt of wind to explode through the air as the car flew straight toward Halfday; the force was strong enough that the car folded and crumpled even before making contact with Halfday,


    "...Go fuck yourself!" The man then let out a roar as he watched the car hit Halfday''s entire body dead center, causing him to roll violently through the ground along with the car and practically mowing down the already mangled corpses.


    "That¡­ that''s what you get for¡ªwhat¡­?" The man then held his breath as the car just suddenly stopped rolling, with Halfday just casually lifting it and cing it beside him like nothing happened.


    "You are a very rude individual, Random Person," Halfday let out a small but very deep sigh as he started patting himself clean, "Not because you suddenly threw a car at me, but because you did not even attempt to rescue the previous Random Person¡­


    ¡­You could have stopped this rampage if you just helped her, you know?"


    "Y¡­ you¡­" The man could really only take in a small gulp as he very slowly backed away.


    "All I am asking for is a superhero, and then I will stop," Halfday then started walking toward the man; the man was going to run away, but each of Halfday''s steps shortened the distance between them by half,


    "That could have been you, Random Person."


    "Stay¡­ stay away from me!" The man turned around to run but found his head suddenly grabbed by Halfday.


    "Sadly, instead of being promoted to a Superhero, you will be demoted to a Previous Random Person," Halfday then let out another long and deep sigh as he tightened his grip on the man''s head.


    "Stop¡­ stop!"


    "No," Halfday shook his head, "You are¡ªOh?"


    And before Halfday could finish his words, he suddenly saw a small cut on his sleeve, causing him to let go of the man as he looked at the person who damaged his suit¡­


    ¡­only to see two women whose heads were covered by paper bags.


    "Unhand him, Halfday!"


    "Please, stop this madness now!"


    "..." Halfday really only tilted his head to the side as he looked at the two women back and forth¡­ before just suddenly waving his hand and decapitating the man beside him.


    "You¡ªwe told you to stop!"


    "I am," Halfday nodded before shrugging, "But I could not let the man live since he will know your identities, Miss Katrina, Miss Liza."


    "Wh¡ªthat is not our name!" "H¡­how did you know!?" The two women whose heads were covered by a paper bag then started waving their hands¡­ causing their gigantic breasts to sway and jiggle wildly.


    "Enough¡­ enough with your nonsense! Please, just cease this at once and le¡ª"


    "Okay," and without even waiting for them to finish their words, Halfday just once again shrugged his shoulders.


    " ¡ªave¡­Okay? What do you mean ''okay''?"


    "I will leave now, I am done," Halfday nodded, "I was just waiting for a hero to arrive at the scene and try to stop me¡­


    ¡­and here you two are."


    "Just¡­ just like that?"


    "Yes," Halfday nodded before just turning around and walking away, "Goodbye, Heroes. And¡­


    ¡­I will see the two of you back home."


    And just like that, Halfday''s rampage was stopped ¡ª he did as he promised as soon as his condition was met.


    "Did¡­


    ¡­did we do it?"


    And so, once again, the age of heroes starts again¡­


    "...Let''s go back to the restaurant?"


    "...Okay."


    ...with a lie.

 Chapter 976 976: The Start

    <h4>Chapter 976 Chapter 976: The Start</h4>


    "Riley, Riley!" "Zero!"


    "Hm¡­?"


    "You shouldn''t have done that!"


    A few hours after Riley''s massacre on the streets of newer New York, both Katrina and Liza entered the restaurant; their faces,pletely red and their voices incredibly loud, almost shrieking, even.


    "What is going on, Miss Pepondosovich?" Esme, who was wiping the bar counter, could not help but stop with what she was doing as she saw Liza and Katrina suddenly rushing from the outside.


    "I think Riri killed some people," Miss Pepondosovich just shrugged as she ate some carrot sticks, "Thousands or something."


    "I see," Esme just let out a small monotonous hum¡­ before just returning to her task. As for Miss Pepondosovich, she subtly transferred to a table nearer to the iingmotion, with her carrot sticks still in hand.


    "Why¡­!? Why would you even do that!?" Liza screamed as tears horridly trailed down her cheeks. She then threw a piece of crumpled paper at Riley, the same paper bag that she was wearing on her head earlier, "Why did you have to kill them!?"


    "You haven''t changed at all, you viin!" Katrina also threw her crumpled paper bag at Riley, who just let it bounce from his face, "When¡­ when Hannah told me that those¡­ those primedials locked you up to rehabilitate you, I thought you would return to us different, kinder¡­ but you''re still the same!"


    "Primordials, Miss Katrina," Riley just let out a small sigh before shaking his head, "I''m¡ª"


    "Can you stop ying the piano for a second!?" Katrina then leaped toward Riley, causing the tables to be blown away as she got on top of the piano, "This is serious, Riley! This is really, really serious!"


    Riley, however, continued to y the piano and even yed a more intense tune to reflect the tone of Katrina''s wails.


    "I''m¡­" Liza fell to the floor as she started grabbing her belly, "...I''m carrying the child of a monster. I''m¡­ I''m going to kill myself. I''m going to kill myself!"


    "Riley¡­ why?" Katrina grabbed Riley by the cor, "You¡­ You could have just been satisfied with the small serial murders, I would have¡­ I would have been fine with that because that''s what you are. But I won''t tolerate you killing masses of people. I''m¡­ I''m still a hero."


    "I am truly fascinated by that mind of yours, Miss Katrina," Riley finally stopped ying the piano as he gently held Katrina''s left cheek, causing her tears to fall even more as she rested her face on his hand, "It reminds me of Katherine''s, except yours is more¡­ well, less."


    "Because I love you, Riley¡­" Katrina started wiping her tears as she let out a loud gasp, "...I''ve liked you since the first time I saw you. When Gary lost control of his heat vision and you saved all of our ssmates, I fell in love with you¡­ but then there''s Tomoe, Scarlet Mage, Be. I just didn''t know how to approach you because¡­ I was also in love with the mystery surrounding you. And then when I was¡­ when I was ready, I found out that the mystery is that you were Darkday. Do you know what that felt like¡­?"


    "Be is a lesbian," Riley blinked, "And that should have already been a very long time for you, Miss Katrina."


    "It''s a curse," Katrina covered her face, "The world was telling me not to love you, so I fell even more and it''s just frustrating! And seriously? Halfday!? You couldn''t think of a better name!?"


    "I was thinking of calling myself Lunchtime."


    "W¡ª"


    "Is¡­ Is no one going to stop me!?" And while Katrina was crying her heart out, Liza was still on the floor; now holding a knife to her neck, "I''m¡­ I''m really going to kill myself and the baby inside me!"


    "Riri¡­ is really surrounded by crazy people," Miss Pepondosovich continued to snack on her carrots as she watched themotion unfold, "...I wonder what will happen next."


    Nothing happened.


    After Liza and Katrina cried their hearts out and screamed their lungs out, the two just quietly sat on a table, with Katrina drinking several bottles of beer by herself. She handed a bottle to Liza, but Liza immediately refused.


    "What¡­ do we even do now?" Katrina let her forehead hit the table, "Should¡­ we report Riley, then turn ourselves in?"


    "...No." And surprisingly, Liza shook her head as she gently held her belly, "They will definitely kill my baby once they know Zero''s the father. This is¡­ a crazy situation, but the baby is innocent from all of this."


    "..." Katrina turned to look at Liza''s belly, "...I wonder if I''m also pregnant now."


    "Wh¡ªwhy would you even want that, fully knowing who he is!?" Liza raised her voice.


    "So that I''ll have the same excuse as you to stay with him," Katrina buried her face on the table, "Why¡­ are we so stupid? Why are we in love with a mass murderer!?"


    "Because we are stupid," Liza then forced out a small chuckle while shaking her head, "So. Fucking. Stupid."


    "What¡­ do we do now?" Katrina repeated her question, "Do we just¡­ try to stop him while staying by his side?"


    "Can we even do that¡­?"


    "Scarlet Mage tried."


    "The Katherine of your universe?" Liza blinked a couple of times, "What¡­ happened?"


    "She turned into a superviin known as Silvermoon and had his baby," Katrina once again covered her face in defeat.


    "That''s¡­ wild," Liza let out a very deep sigh, "We''re mad."


    "Mad and stupid. Why did god even make us this way!?" Katrina raised her voice, We¡ª"


    "What happened here?"


    And before Liza and Katrina could continue toment their fate, Dorothy and Jake entered the restaurant; the two of them, still clearly injured from what Halfday did to them.


    "We¡­ should be the one asking that," Liza was the first to wee the two, "What happened to your faces?"


    "I''m sure you know¡­" Dorothy let out a very long and deep sigh as she joined Liza and Katrina''s table and just let herself fall on the seat, "...Halfday."


    "The¡ª"


    "Where''s Zero?" Both Dorothy and Jake started looking around the restaurant.


    "In¡­ the kitchen," Liza said in almost a whisper.


    "Okay, let''s stop with the bullshit," Dorothy then ced her hands on the table as she looked Liza in the eyes before focusing on Katrina, "This is your variant, right?"


    "...Yes?" Liza squinted her eyes, "Look, if you''re here to use Zero again ¡ª please, just leave. So many tragedies have already happened and I can''t take it anymore ¡ª we''re not going to entertain that¡ª"


    "We''re actually here for you two," Dorothy interrupted Liza, "The two superheroes with paper bags over their heads, that was you two."


    "W¡­We have no idea what you''re talking about," Liza looked away. And before she could even say anything else, Jake brought out a tablet showing her and Katrina during the time they tried to stop Riley, "That¡­ why are you showing that to us!?"


    "The two of you are literally still wearing the same clothes," Dorothy could not help but sigh as she pointed at the tablet, "And even if you weren''t, I probably couldn''t even name another person who has bigger melons than you. And then it just so happens that there are suddenly two more of you?"


    "Well¡­"


    "I don''t even need to be a detective to realize that," Dorothy shook her head.


    "We¡­" Katrina then finally said something as she looked at Dorothy, "We''re¡­ not in trouble, are we?"


    "You are," Dorothy breathed out, "Because as of this moment, the two of you are the first superheroes after a very long time ¡ª you stopped Halfday''s rampage."


    "We didn''t stop anything," Liza shook her head, "Zhalfday¡­ Halfday just went away as soon as we arrived."


    "I will kill each and everyst person here until a hero responds to their call."


    "...What?"


    "That is what Halfday said to us when he started his rampage," Dorothy closed her eyes, "It was a very simple condition, an even easier one ¡ª and yet¡­ and yet why did it take so long to happen?"


    "That¡­ you couldn''t have possibly taken his words seriously."


    "But he was serious," Dorothy shook her head as her hands started to tremble, "If only¡­ if only I gained consciousness, I probably could have prevented so many deaths. And you¡­ my god, Liza¡­ you''re even pregnant and you went out there. You¡ª"


    And before Dorothy could finish her words, arge te filled with seafood was suddenly ced on the table by Riley.


    "Are you here to check on our CCTV again, Detective Dorothy?" Riley said as he ced another te on the table, this time filled with baked buttered potatoes and some other carbs, "If so, then I am afraid we can''t provide you one this time as something seemed to have happened to it during the time of Halfday''s massacre."


    "No¡­" Dorothy let out a sigh as she shook her head, "...The same thing happened to all the CCTVs around New York, all except for where the massacre happened. It almost seemed as if¡­ Halfday wanted the entire world to just see him."


    "Oh¡­?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "Surely, you are not going to give him the satisfaction of being recognized, Detective Dorothy?"


    "Oh no¡­" Dorothy''s eyebrows started to tremble as she almost snarled, "...We are going to give him exactly what he wants ¡ª not for him, but for everyone else to see what he has done¡­


    ¡­and for everyone to realize that heroes are needed again."


    ***


    "Halfday¡­?"


    Somewhere, Silvie was watching the news of Halfday,


    "...It can''t be, right?"

 Chapter 977 977: An Intruder

    Chapter 977  977: An Intruder


    ??"What happened to Megawoman?"


    "What''s¡­ with the sudden random question?"


    A few days after Halfday''s extremely brutal debut, the humans found time to at least breathe as the superviin seemed to be taking a rest as he had not even given any signs of showing himself, not even a single one.


    People waited for him to appear again; either to gloat or to just spread terror again, but nothing. It was almost as if he just suddenly decided to wreak havoc, and then just leave with a shrug.


    And so, right now, Detective Dorothy allowed herself one day of rest away from all the changes and terrible things that have happened ¡ª and what better way to spend a day off than to just rx and eat the most scrumptious and delicious meal she could?


    But before she could even take a single bite, the restaurant''s owner suddenly joined her at her table. She had already noticed Riley''sck of personal boundaries with his staff, and now she was the target for it.


    "Your food is free, if you entertain my questions, Miss Dorothy."


    Of course, she didn''t mind at all and even poured Riley a ss of wine.


    "Megawoman¡­ now that''s a name I''ve been hearing quite a lottely despite not hearing it for a very long time," Dorothy took a bit of her food before shaking her head, "I guess with that Halfday dude suddenly appearing, everyone could not help but just call for the original superhero."


    "Hm," Riley nodded.


    "What do you want to know about Megawoman?" Dorothy sipped her wine before wiping her lips and looking at Riley, "I heard from the Reserves that you and your friends were wandering the cosmos for an unknown number of years ¡ª just how much have you guys missed?"


    "Assume I know nothing, Miss Dorothy."


    "Well¡­" Dorothy licked her teeth, "...You''re already aware that the themarians served as the vanguard when the gods suddenly appeared and started wreaking havoc and chaos everywhere. And Megawoman was not only a themarian, she was a hero to the people of Earth and everyone else in the universe ¡ª her variants were the first to go. No one has seen a Megawoman for years¡­


    ¡­maybe like you, they''re just out there in the cosmos searching for life? The universe, after all, is almost infinitely vast even without ounting for the multiverse."


    "So, you do not know what happened to her, Miss Dorothy?"


    "...No," Dorothy let out a long and deep sigh before she continued to enjoy her food, "But who knows, maybe with all this Halfday fiasco, variants of Megawoman would once again show themselves¡­


    ¡­I hope so. We¡­ need her right now."


    "Halfday¡­" Riley ced his hand on his chin, "...How many more deaths do you think need to happen before Megawoman and the other superheroese back, Miss Dorothy?"


    "Shit, I don''t know," Dorothy shook her head, "Superheroes, viins ¡ª the concept is almost exclusive to Earth. Most only just had their military, and there was the Guardian Force. Honestly¡­


    ¡­I was useless during the war. Like most, I was just¡­ a helpless victim, a refugee."


    "There is nothing wrong with that, Miss Dorothy," Riley shook his head as he recalled all the people in the Domain of the Gods. They seemed meek and normal in the Domain, but out here, they were literal gods capable of extinguishings with a single breath and erasing universes in a single day.


    If anything, Riley was slightly surprised that there were actually still people left. Perhaps this oue was only possible because of who won the war?


    And amongst all the gods, one of the Higher Gods would have surely won; that is, if they were part of the multiversal war in the first ce. The Higher Gods already had their own respective universes, there''s a chance they didn''t involve themselves at all.


    But if so, then who won?


    Riley did not know everyone in the Domain of the Gods, but the people he knew were incredibly strong. It''s possible it was one of them ¡ª or maybe not.


    "...That''s it? Why did you suddenly turn quiet?" Dorothy then turned to look at Riley while waving her fork, "You said there is nothing wrong with being a helpless victim¡­ that''s usually followed up by an inspirational reason as to why."


    "There is no follow-up, Miss Dorothy," Riley shook his head, "What I meant is that you were an ant trapped in a war against bulls, metaphorically speaking."


    "Wow, thanks. You do know you''re still a suspect, right?" Dorothy rolled her eyes before pointing the fork at Riley, "You arrived on the, then after a month, Halfday appeared."


    "The biological clock of everyone also started moving when I arrived on the, Miss Dorothy," Riley blinked, "Does that mean I might also be the one responsible for that?"


    "...Tch," Dorothy smirked, "I don''t fucking know anymore ¡ª the only thing I know is that you cook the best food within a thousand miles, Zero."


    "Thank you, Miss Dorothy," Riley nodded. He was about to stand up and bid his farewell to Dorothy, but Dorothy raised her finger before he could even push his chair back.


    "Since you asked me a question, I only figure it''s right that I ask one back ¡ª I''m still a detective, after all."


    "Then you need to pay for your food, Miss Dorothy."


    "Never mind, then."


    "...Very well." And before Dorothy could start eating again, Riley remained on his seat and ced both his hands on the table, "What is it you want to ask, Miss Dorothy?"


    "Let''s say, hypothetically, that you are not Halfday¡­" Dorothy then let out a small hum as she ced her fork down on her te, "...Then if so, can I ask why you didn''t try to stop him? The norids and the people at the Reserve said you''re a ss 7 Above entity, Zero ¡ª I don''t know how strong Halfday truly is, but I do know how strong you are at minimum."


    "Because I am not a superhero, or a hero, Miss Dorothy," Riley shook his head, "I do not have the urge to rescue people or save them."


    "Because we''re ants," Dorothy sighed.


    "No. It has absolutely nothing to do with what you are, but what I am," Riley nced at Dorothy, "And what I am is not good, Miss Dorothy."


    "Forget about good or bad," Dorothy shook her head, "What if he started wreaking havoc here, in front of your street?"


    "Then I would watch him, Miss Dorothy."


    "You don''t even care that he will be killing potential customers?"


    "I would get more," Riley shook his head, "And you are right about what you said a few days ago, Miss Dorothy ¡ª the people need to be reminded that they are living in the wrong world."


    "...I didn''t say anything like that," Dorothy squinted her eyes, "I said the humans need to be reminded that some of them were superheroes. But¡­ what do you mean we''re living in the wrong world? This¡­ is the only world we have left."


    "It''s a utopia, Miss Dorothy," Riley let out a small hum as he stood up from his seat.


    "A utopia?" Dorothy''s eyebrows began to lower, "I wouldn''t say that. We''re just living our lives and trying to survive not to be wiped out."


    "The Reserves, variants being imprisoned ¡ª and yet they are fine with it. Species and races, all living in the same world without conflict other than minor discrimination. Peace, without a single trace of terrorism," Riley started making his way to the stage,


    "The you before the Blink would have never imagined a society functioning like this without anyone disagreeing with it, Miss Dorothy."


    "That''s¡­ true. But isn''t that the whole point? We needed to preserve what was left of us ¡ª everyone''s in the same situation¡­


    ¡­and how is a utopia the wrong world?"


    "Because Megawoman is not in it," Riley then started ying the piano with his eyes closed.


    "Megawoman again¡­" Dorothy squinted her eyes before turning her seat around while still holding a ss of wine, "...You seem to be very interested in Megawoman, Zero. Did¡­ you know a variant of hers?"


    "A few," a small hint of smile could be seen forming on Riley''s face.


    "A¡­ few?" Dorothy could not help but gulp as she heard Riley''s words, "So, you''re like¡­ a really big deal back then? Why does no one remember you¡­?"


    "That is also what I want to know, Miss Dorothy. Katrina remembers me, so I suppose only those who were close with me do ¡ª which is surprising considering what I did before the so-called Blink," Riley continued to y a somewhat somber melody.


    "Close to you¡­" Dorothy once again squinted her eyes, "...Megawoman, how close was she to you?"


    "We are lovers, Miss Dorothy," the smile on Riley''s face slightly faded away, "Or perhaps we were."


    "...So, you were a pretty big deal. And are you insinuating you''ve met other variants of her even before the war happened?" Dorothy''s eyes widened, "Most of us didn''t even know about the multiverse."


    "It would have already been centuries ¡ª she might have already forgotten about¡ª"


    "Riley Ross!"


    And before Riley could even finish his words, a person suddenly barged into the restaurant through one of the windows; the person, leaping straight toward Riley andpletely shattering the piano in half.


    "What the¡ª!?" Dorothy quickly stood up from her seat as she activated her superspeed and quickly rushed toward the person. Her steps, however, quickly halted as she quickly recognized the face of the intruder,


    "M¡­


    ¡­Megawoman!?"

 Chapter 978 978: Please, Eat

    Chapter 978  978: Please, Eat


    ??Although covered in a thickyer of robes, just the hints and pieces of what Dorothy could see of the sudden stranger that violently barged inside the restaurant was enough.


    It was enough for her to know that it was Megawoman ¡ª and with her hood being blown away and her golden brown hair revealing itself and iling with the wind, there was no mistake about it in her mind anymore.


    "M¡­ Megawoman?" Dorothy could really only repeat her words due to her shock. They were just talking about Megawoman moments ago, and now a variant of her was magically here,


    "What are you¡­ why are you here?"


    Suffice it to say, Dorothy waspletely awed¡ªno, she waspletely and utterly starstruck.


    As for Riley, he only tilted his head to the side as he stared at Megawoman from head to toe. But after a few seconds, he let out a very small sigh and started shaking his head. Still, there was a hint of a smile still lingering on his face; aplete contrast from the face reflecting in his eyes.


    "Megawoman¡­" Riley breathed out before cing his hands behind his back, "...I suppose it is only fitting that you would be called that after 600 years have passed¡­


    ¡­Silvie."


    "Silvie¡­?" Dorothy''s eyes widened. Silvie? Was that¡­ Megawoman''s real name? But after a few seconds, Dorothy covered her ears and started shaking her head, "I¡­ I didn''t hear anything!"


    "Hm¡­" Silvie could really only look at Dorothy, who just smiled and looked away in response, "...Let''s not talk here."


    A boom then exploded throughout the entire restaurant as Silvie moved at a speed that even a sprintster like Dorothy couldn''t follow. What she did see, however, was Silvie grabbing Riley''s wrist and flying away, causing another explosion to erupt with how fast she moved.


    Well, she flew away ¡ª Riley''s feet remainedpletely nted on the stage even with Silvie trying to fly away with him.


    "..." Silvie looked down at Riley, only to see him still with a smile on his face. She stared at him for a few seconds, before slightly descending and then violently flying away again; this time, however, she found herself almost being pulled down and spinning as Riley remainedpletely unbudged.


    "600 years seems to have made you forget the difference between us, Silvie," Riley casually said; not even bothering to move his hand or pulling it even though he could, "But I am d to see you are getting stronger ¡ª perhaps in another 300 years, you would be as strong as Aerith the first time I met her, which is quite impressive since I believe she was already a thousand years old then."


    "..."


    "What¡­ is happening?" Dorothy, who was watching everything unfold, could not help but just listen in on the conversation; pretending to cover her ears while consuming all the information. What he couldn''t consume, however, was how Riley was not budging at all.


    Dorothy knew what ss 7 Above meant, she had seen them before ¡ª but this was the first time she was seeing them up close and personal.


    Perhaps Riley was right, they truly were living in a utopia. After all, they had someone like Riley roaming around the streets like it was nothing, with little to almost no surveince at all, when he could probably stomp his foot on the ground and the entire would be split in half.


    She was finally understanding what Riley meant. They¡­ are living in a ridiculous world where people like him are left unchecked, and they have no Megawoman to protect them.


    Dorothy then focused her eyes on Silvie, only to see her now very slowly descending back to the stage as she let go of Riley''s hand. She then watched as Silvie carefully backed away, obviously putting up her guard against Riley, while Riley just stood there nonchntly.


    "Hm¡­" Riley then let out a small sigh before crouching and picking up some pieces of the piano that Silvie destroyed. And then, with a sigh and a shake of his head, he let go of the pieces¡­ and the piano started to fix itself,


    "...This piano is very expensive, Silvie ¡ª I won''t be able to fix the strings, so I would appreciate it if you would pay for them."


    "You are still as nonchnt¡ªno. You are still as dispassionate as you were 600 years ago," Silvie watched Riley''s every move, but as he was not moving at all, she just started scanning her surroundings curiously,


    "Thisyout¡­ it reminds me of the Paige and Paragon agency."


    "Your memory is quite something to be envied, Silvie," Riley nodded.


    "And who are you?" Silvie''s eyes then settled on Dorothy, "Don''t tell me¡­ you''re another one of Riley''s women?"


    "...No," Dorothy quickly waved her hands while shaking her head, "I''m¡­ I''m a detective. I''m¡­ just here to eat and talk with the owner."


    "A detective?" Silvie looked back and forth between Riley and Dorothy. But soon, she made a conclusion all on her own why the detective was there, "He''s not Halfday."


    "W¡­ what?" Dorothy could not help but just squint her eyes as she heard Silvie''s words, "What do you¡ª"


    "He''s not Da¡ªHalfday," Silvie shook her head before pointing at the door, "You should leave, Detective."


    "That is very rude, Silvie," Riley quickly started shaking his head as he stepped down the stage, "Miss Dorothy, you do not need to mind us. Please, continue enjoying your¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, Silvie suddenly blocked his path and covered Dorothy.


    "I¡­ already told her you''re not Halfday," Silvie then whispered, "You don''t have to kill her."


    "Why would I kill her?" Riley tilted his head to the side in response.


    "It¡­ it''s really fine!" Dorothy raised her voice as she started backing away, "I''m¡ªI don''t really want to get in between a lover''s quarrel."


    "A what!?" Silvie could not help but turn to look at Dorothy and raised her voice, "We''re not¡ª"


    "Miss Dorothy, if you are leaving¡­" Riley then raised his hand and pointed it at Dorothy. Of course, Silvie saw this as Riley wanting to kill Dorothy now, and so she quickly stepped in front of Dorothy to protect her.


    Contrary to her expectations, however, the only thing that happened was a sheet of foil flying over Dorothy''s table and wrapping her whole te. Riley then grabbed the te from the table and just casually stepped past Silvie as he handed the leftovers to Dorothy.


    "Don''t forget your food, and please return the te when you return, Miss Dorothy," Riley bowed to Dorothy, "The te itself can be ced in the oven if you want to heat it. Thank you for eating my food again and again. Tell Detective Jake I said hello."


    "...Your food is the best thing in this city," Dorothy just smiled, "And whatever this is between you and Megawoman¡­


    ¡­I hope you resolve it, Zero."


    "Zero¡­?" Silvie could really only watch as Dorothy stepped out of the restaurant. She wasn''t even able to clear up the misunderstanding between them, "What¡­ are you nning to do this time, Riley?"


    "I am not nning to do anything," Riley just nced at Silvie before walking away, "And you do not look so good, Silvie. I suppose you are having a rough time right now?"


    "Of course, I am!" Silvie screamed, causing the windows to tremble with her words, "You¡­ you left and everything just went to hell."


    "I thought all of you wanted me gone?" Riley walked toward the bar, "And I did not leave, Silvie, I was forcefully thrown into another dimension by a Primordial. And perhaps before we talk¡­"


    Riley once again turned to look at Silvie from head to toe, "...Would you like to take a bath? You look like feces riddled with maggots that were run over by a tire ¡ª fortunately you do not smell like one."


    "You¡­" Silvie bared her teeth as she red at Riley.


    "...Am not going anywhere," Riley shrugged, "This is my restaurant, Silvie¡­


    ¡­I will not leave it."


    Silvie hesitated, but ultimately took Riley on his offer, who even gave him a key to one of the apartments in the building so she could have her own privacy ¡ª and to her surprise.


    "What the¡­" Silvie just got out of the shower thinking of wearing the same old clothes she wore, but then noticed that the closet was actually filled with clothes that just happened to be in her size. She hesitated again to wear them, but it was that or wearing her dirty clothes, so¡­ it wasn''t even a choice.


    Silvie then hurried to get dressed before rushing back to the restaurant.


    "Riley, let''s talk¡­ Riley?"


    Only to find that Riley was no longer there.


    "Did¡­ did he just trick¡ª"


    "Lamb smoked in oakwood for exactly 8 hours¡­" And before she could even finish her words, Riley suddenly stepped out of the kitchen carrying arge te,


    "...reversed seared with beef tallow, and a broiled bone marrow on the side."


    "...What?" Silvie just took a step back as Riley ced the te on the table.


    "This is your favorite, if I recall. Please¡­


    ¡­eat."

 Chapter 979 979: Conversation with the Strongest Clone

    Chapter 979  979: Conversation with the Strongest Clone


    ??"Lamb smoked in oakwood for exactly 8 hours, reversed seared with beef tallow, and a broiled bone marrow on the side."


    "...What?"


    "This is your favorite if I recall. Please¡­


    ¡­eat."


    The smelling from the smokedmb was enough to cause Silvie''s mind to almost shut down there and then. If the food wasn''t being offered by Riley, then she would have probably already wolfed down everything, including the te.


    "This¡­" Silvie took in arge gulp as she tried her best to remove her eyes from the te, "...I''m not hungry!"


    "Is that so?" Riley ced his hand on his chin before just letting out a sigh as sitting at the table, "That is a shame, then. Very well, let''s just discuss whatever it is you wanted to discuss; you seem to be rushing since you even broke my window for it."


    "...Here?" Silvie could not help but just take another gulp as she looked at the smokedmb, "Why¡­ why don''t we talk there?"


    "Hm?" Riley turned to look at the bar as Silvie pointed to it. But after a few seconds, he just shook his head and beckoned to Silvie to just take a seat, "It is alright, a lot of serious discussions have already been had at this table, it seems to have that effect on people ¡ª but if you want to drink something, then I would be happy to pour a ss for¡ª"


    "Happy¡­?" Silvie''s eye started to twitch as she heard Riley''s words. She stared at his somewhat clueless face for a few seconds before just taking a seat and crossing her arms, "Since when did you learn something like that?"


    "Since I was born, Silve," Riley shrugged, "There are just moments that make me happier to the point that I actually show them."


    "Tch¡­" Silvie clicked her tongue and shook her head before she pointed right at Riley''s face, "You¡­ I hate you."


    "It would be more surprising if you did not, Silvie. But¡­" Riley then stared at Silvie''s hand, and then toward her other arm as he noticed something amiss with them. There was nothing wrong with them visually, but Riley could feel their temperature to bepletely different from the rest of her body ¡ª her arms were cold¡­ lifeless even when moving,


    "...Did you lose your arms?"


    "Wh¡ª" Silvie quickly retracted her hand and subtly hid both of them under the table, "How¡ªI''m not even going to ask you how you know that, I forgot who you are. Riley Ross, always scheming something underneath all that stoic facade."


    "Hm¡­" Riley did not really say anything and just stared at Silvie, who just looked away in response and no longer said anything. They stayed like that for a few seconds, before Silvie just grabbed the knife and fork and started eating the food that Riley prepared for her.


    "!!!" There was a jolt that shocked every inch of Silvie''s body as soon as she took the first bite; her teeth, almost lockingpletely as themb just melted inside her mouth. The taste was¡­ enough to instinctively make her close her eyes even though Riley was only a meter away from her.


    Of course, she quickly opened her eyes and once again put up her guard as she looked at Riley. But as she saw him just quietly sitting there, she just let out a small scoff and started eating again ¡ª and once again, she felt the taste just vite her mouth with all that was good.


    And while she enjoyed his food, Riley was just watching her; the way she moved her fingers, the way the air escaped and entered her body, the way her face twitched. And as he saw all of this, the only thing that he could really do was¡­


    ¡­sigh.


    "600 years¡­" Riley then whispered as he looked at Silvie''s face, "...The world seems to have been very unkind to you, Silvie."


    "Shut up," Silvie once again clicked her tongue before continuing to devour the smokedmb. She then started shaving the marrow from the grilled and smoked bone that was on the side, thering it with the tallow and juice of themb before proceeding to just suck it.


    And once again, Silvie could not help but close her eyes as she felt the taste not only wrap around her tongue, but her entire body; almost as if it was trying tofort her.


    And soon, as the feeling overwhelmed her, she let go of her knife and fork to cover her face¡­


    ¡­and then all of a sudden, her tears just started seeping out from between her fingers as her desperate cry echoed throughout the quiet and somber restaurant.


    She cried, almost like a child bawling; clumsily wiping her face and snot, not caring about anything at all. It was¡­


    ¡­a cry thatsted for an entire hour, representing hundreds of years of pain and hardship.


    ***


    "...After you were gone, the world ¡ª the multiverse became peaceful for a few weeks."


    Silvie was now done crying her heart out, and even her te was nowpletely cleared out; the tone of her voice, nowpletely different from how it was just moments ago. It is true what they say, people are not themselves when they are deprived and hungry.


    Still, there was an obvious loneliness lingering in Silvie''s tone; perhaps even more prevalent now that she slightly lowered her guard against Riley as she started telling him about what happened after he was gone.


    "And without any threats looming around the multiverse, I¡­ decided to dive into other multiverses to try and save my variants," Silvie breathed out as she held the cup of hot chocte offered to her by Riley,


    "My variants, you see¡­ aren''t as lucky as me. You remember¡­ Aerith? Not Megawoman, but the clone you discovered all those years ago back in the old world."


    "Yes. The imperfect Silvies," Riley nodded, "They were created and developed by the Reuben family, Silvie."


    "Hm¡­" Silvie let out a short but very deep sigh as she sighed, "...It turns out that most of my variants are just¡­ monsters. The only reason why I am what I am is¡­


    ¡­because of you, Riley."


    "Hm?" Riley tilted his head to the side as Silvie looked at him.


    "In the other universe, the Reuben family did not meet a¡­ tragic fate since you did not exist in any other universe," Silvie then stared at the cup she was holding; the chocte, creating ripples as her hands trembled, "The only reason I exist¡­


    ¡­is that Julius, the Alistair of our world, was determined to seek revenge against you ¡ª he poured all of his time and resources to make me possible."


    "I suppose that would be the case," Riley let out a small hum as he ced his hand on his chin.


    "So¡­ my quest to find and rescue my variants¡­" Silvie started to stutter as her breaths once again became unstable; panicking to the point that she had to drink her hot choco to mask the emotions pouring out from her face,


    "My quest to find and rescue my variants¡­ turned into a quest to euthanize¡ªno. To murder them."


    "Hm¡­ Okay."


    "Okay¡­?" Silvie''s eye twitched as she quickly turned to look at Riley. But after a few seconds of staring at him, she just let out a small but very deep sigh, "...I forgot who I was talking to."


    "And you mentioned Aerith the Clone?" Riley asked.


    "Yes¡­" Silvie once again looked away, "...Aerith the Clone is almost a perfect variant like me¡ªwait, no. I''m not saying I''m perfect, I''m saying I''m¡­plete."


    "You are."


    "Most of the Aerith clones are¡­ evil," Silvie then said, "There is something about them that''s just not¡­ right. But all of them¡­ all of them protect the other imperfect clones."


    "And so you murdered them all."


    "Yes," Silvie closed her eyes as tears once again fell from her eyes, "I¡­ didn''t even think of another solution. In their eyes¡ªno. In everyone''s eyes, even mine¡­


    ¡­I''m the evil one."


    "Hm¡­" Riley still had his hand ced on his chin.


    "And then the gods suddenly started appearing and the war happened," Silvie opened her eyes as she rested her back on the chair while looking at the ceiling, "Your sister, the others, we all got separated and had to choose our sides."


    "Which side did you choose then, Silvie?"


    "None," Silvie breathed out, "I continued to just search and hunt for my variants, to spare them from being used in the war. I killed, and I killed, and I killed them all¡­


    ¡­and then I came to know that there was a god who was capable of healing and fixing every wound, sickness, imperfection¡­ anything. And so, my quest once again became what it originally was; find my variants, then have them healed by the god. And he did¡­ he did heal them ¡ª I saved hundreds of them under the radar of the war. But then¡­


    ¡­my variants came to know that I''d killed others of our variants, and they decided that I was dangerous and decided to kill me for their safety¡­


    ¡­so I killed them all too. And then I realized¡­


    ¡­I''ve be you, Riley. I''ve truly be evil."

 Chapter 980 980: Megawoman

    <h4>Chapter 980 Chapter 980: Megawoman</h4>


    "And then I realized¡­


    ¡­I''ve be you, Riley. I''ve truly be evil."


    "Okay."


    "..."


    "..."


    There was a silence that came after Silvie''s confession. The restaurant was already quiet as it was with just the two of them, but now that none of them were talking, the only thing that Silvie could really hear was her own breath.


    Her hearing was powerful so she could probably hear the entire if she wanted to, but she was too focused on what was going on between her and Riley. But for some reason, however, she couldn''t even hear Riley breathe at all¡­ and it was making her nervous.


    "Okay¡­?" Silvie then whispered as she subtly nced at Riley, who was just sitting there with his hands on the table; not wearing any expression at all on his face,


    "...Say something, say anything."


    "What do you want me to say, Silvie?" Riley turned to look at Silvie.


    "Say that I''m right¡­" Silvie closed her eyes, "...Or say that I''m wrong, please ¡ª anything."


    "You are wrong, Silvie," Riley then said without any hesitation, "Are you perhaps measuring how evil a person is byparing them to me?"


    "W¡­ Yes?" Silvie slightly hesitated to answer at first but nodded at the end, "You''re¡­ the most evil person I know, Riley ¡ª but most importantly, you''re evil for being evil''s sake, and you''ve admitted it several times."


    "Hm, then you are wrong," Riley then nodded, "Compared to all the things I have done and why I did them, you could not even be considered as evil, Silvie."


    "What¡­ would you have done if you were in my situation?" Silvie took in a deep breath as tears once again started to persist in her eyes, "Would¡­ you have done differently? Wouldn''t you have also killed them?"


    "No, I would have let them live, Silvie."


    "Then doesn''t that make you better than me!?" Silvie then stood up from her chair,pletely obliterating it into pieces as it was thrown away by the force of her standing up, "You¡­ I know you, Riley. Even though you''re so fucking evil and fucked up, you¡­ you would have actually found a way to help them. I know you can, I know you would have for whatever reason."


    "You are still Silvie," a hint of a smile could be seen forming on Riley''s face, causing Silvie to slightly be weirded out, "You think murder is murder, no matter what."


    "It is," Silvie nodded before getting a new chair and taking a seat again, "No matter what intent or reason I had¡­ I still killed them."


    "I would have found a way to let them live so they could suffer more, Silvie," Riley then breathed out as he suddenly grabbed Silvie''s hand, once again causing her to flinch, "And then they would have spread that suffering to other people ¡ª I will teach them to be the worse they could possibly be¡­


    ¡­Killing is killing, that is true ¡ª but it could also be mercy, as is the reason why you did what you did."


    "But¡ª"


    "And if you think you are still evil, Silvie¡­" Riley then looked Silvie in the eyes,


    "...Look into my eye and think again."


    "That''s¡­" Silvie nced at Riley''s hand for a bit before returning Riley''s gaze. And as soon as she saw the depth and darkness of his clear eyes, the only thing Silvie could really do was take in a gulp as she felt herself falling deep into the abyss that is Riley Ross¡ªno. She didn''t just feel it¡­


    ¡­she was falling into the darkness.


    Throughout the 600 years, Silvie has faced the strongest enemies she had ever faced, been trapped and lost in the infinity that is the expanse of space, been alone for centuries with no one to talk to, been betrayed, and been beaten close to death thousands of times¡­


    ¡­and yet looking into Riley''s eyes made all of those horrible experiences suddenly seem trivial,pletely insignificant, even. And the fact that her hand was trapped by Riley made her scared¡­


    ¡­so scared.


    She was reminded of what Riley Ross was and is ¡ª evil does not describe Riley at all, he is something beyond it.


    "Let¡­ please let go of my hand," Silvie could not help but just stutter. Fortunately for her, Riley did let go of her hand as soon as she said to do so.


    "You are a hero, Silvie," Riley breathed out as he retracted his hand, "Perhaps it is time for you to bring that into this New World. Because I assure you, after Halfday¡­


    ¡­a lot more wille and follow suit. The other species and races, knowing that their time on this ne is once again limited, would find a way to destroy themselves ¡ª the viins will rise again."


    "But¡­ I''m not¡ª"


    "You areplete now, Silvie," Riley then smiled as he just looked at his hand, "Kindness even at the expense of your own morals."


    "What¡­?"


    "Your introduction story is nowplete, Silvie¡­


    ¡­It''s time for you to be Megawoman."


    "Wh¡­" And all of a sudden, memories just rushed and raced through Silvie''s mind in a sh as she remembered all the things she had been through, and how they started. Mega Academy, meeting Riley and the others ¡ª and now that she was thinking about it, it had always been Riley who had been pushing her.


    He was the one who told her to go with the name Megagirl. In all aspects, Riley is the reason why she was who she was.


    But most importantly, who else could actually tell her that it was her time to be Megawoman¡­


    ¡­other than the man who beat her?


    "I¡­ am Megawoman," Silvie then whispered. But soon, her breaths turned heavy as her voice became louder and louder, "I am Megawoman!"


    "Yes," Riley smiled, "And now I can finally kill you, Silvie."


    "Wh¡ª!!!"


    Silvie''s eyes turned wide as Riley''s hand was suddenly only inches away from her neck. He stopped, however, for the reason that people entered the restaurant.


    "Maybe not," Riley then let out a small sigh as he retracted his hand, "I still quite like you, Silvie ¡ª and you are still Sister''s friend."


    "You¡­ were you really going to kill me?" Silvie took in a small gulp; her eyes, only focusing on Riley''s hand.


    "If I was, are you still going to try and be Megawoman?"


    "...I already am." Although her smile was slightly hesitant, there was no trace of stutter at all in her words, "I''m Megawoman."


    "Good," Riley breathed out as he stood up, "And that is why you deserve the title, Silvie. But for now¡­


    ¡­have all of you brought the things I asked for?"


    Riley then greeted the people who entered the restaurant. Silvie did not care at first, but took a curious nce at them¡­ only for her eyes to turn wide.


    "Kat¡­!?" Silvie once again suddenly stood up, this time breaking the table and chair as she rushed toward one of thedies who entered the restaurant.


    "Huh¡­?"


    And without even letting the other person say anything, Silvie gave her a hug.


    "Oh my god¡­ Kat¡­" Tears once again trailed down Silvie''s cheeks, "I''m¡­ I missed you. I missed you so much."


    "Uhm¡­ who are you?"


    "..." And as soon as Silvie heard those words, her tears just abruptly stopped as she gently let go and took a step back; her face turning even more red as she saw the confused look on Katrina''s face.


    "You¡­ I thought you were someone else," an awkward smile started to crawl on Silvie''s face, "Your¡­ variant was my best friend you see, and¡ª"


    "Is."


    "Hm¡­?" Silvie then quickly turned to look at the person behind Katrina, only to see another Katrina.


    "I am still your best friend, Silv," Katrina''s voice slightly trembled as tears also started to form in her eyes.


    "Kat¡­? Kat!" And once again, Silvie leaped toward Katrina and embraced them; the two of them, just falling to the floor as their cries echoed throughout the restaurant.


    "...A friend from your past, Riri?" Miss Pepondosovich stood beside Riley and whispered, "She kinda looks like that Aerith''Rossdy. Is she the one you''re trying to find? I¡­ expected her to be more mature."


    "No," Riley shook his head, "She is¡­ her own person, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Huh¡­" Miss Pepondosovich then just shrugged her shoulders before bringing the bags she had and walking to the kitchen, "Miss Liza, Miss Esme, let''s leave them to have a moment first."


    "Esme¡­?"


    Miss Pepondosovich, Liza, and Esme were about to go to the kitchen before Silvie forced herself to stop crying and looked at Esme.


    "Princess¡­ Esme?" Silvie blinked a couple of times as she looked at the unusually tall themarian, "I was told you were out exploring the universe¡­?"


    "You are probably talking about my variant that Master is friends with," Esme just blinked as she looked at Silvie, "I believe we have met once ¡ª I remember you even though I was not lucid then inside my cage. I am the Undead variant."


    "Undead¡­" Silvie squinted her eyes as she tried to remember,


    "...That was you?"

 Chapter 981 981: The Retired Villain is Secretly...

    <h4>Chapter 981 Chapter 981: The Retired Viin is Secretly...</h4>


    "You were¡­ resurrected?"


    Esme spent an entire hour literally telling her life story after she came back from being an Undead ¡ª and suffice it to say, Katrina and Liza, who werepletely unaware that Riley was actually sent to the Domain of the Gods, couldn''t really believe what they just heard.


    Katrina was able to recover fast, since she already knew that anything was possible when it came to Riley; Liza, however, was stillpletely stuck in her own thoughts and just trying to wrap her mind around everything she had heard. They were all seated at the bar, and yet it almost felt like she was millions of miles away with her thoughts.


    As for Silvie, she could really only concentrate on the very first part of Esme''s story, her introduction, and how she was resurrected from the dead.


    "Wait, did you say you were resurrected by a Randall?" Silvie looked Esme straight in the eyes, "Large, red skin, unnecessary number of horns?"


    "Oh¡­?" Miss Pepondosovich, who was just nning on being an observer for the entire conversation, could not help but let out an amused breath as she heard Silvie''s words, "I guess you encountered Randall?"


    "He''s¡­" Silvie looked at Riley, "...He''s the god I told you about, Riley. The one who fixed and healed my variants!"


    "I suppose I already expected that," Riley nodded to himself, "Randall has told me he had been atoning for his sins, it is reasonable for him to just help people instead of involving himself in the war."


    "Wait¡­ wait!" Silvie then lightly mmed her palm on the counter as she pointed at Riley, "If Randall was able to resurrect Esme, doesn''t that mean he could also resurrect other Undead Themarians!?"


    "As long as their body ispletely intact, Silvie," Riley nodded.


    "You¡­" Silvie''s finger remains pointed at Riley, "...How many Undead Themarians are you hiding in your pockets?"


    "A lot," Riley just shrugged, "I took all of the young themarians that were immortalized in New Theran before the battle with King happened, Silvie."


    "Then¡­ doesn''t that mean you could help increase the number of themarians again!?" Silvie let out an excited breath.


    "I suppose," Riley shrugged.


    "Then¡ªOh¡­" Silvie''s excited breaths were almost doused away as she realized something, "...We don''t know where Randall is."


    "Hm," Esme tilted her head to the side as she looked at Silvie''s face, "I believe I have really only seen you once, Miss Silvie. My consciousness during my time as an undead was extremely fleeting and light, but I remember a glimpse of you."


    "I do not remember the two of you ever meeting," Riley interjected as he looked at Esme and Silvie.


    "I¡­" Silvie looked away; her voice, slightly turning meek, "...I was there. I''ve just been dealing with some other stuff. But, I guess that''s enough about me. Kat, you¡­"


    Silvie then once again realized something as she looked at Katrina.


    "Wait¡­" Silvie pointed at Kat, "You''re¡­ clearly aware that Riley is Darkday, and for sure he''s Halfday¡­ so why are you still here?"


    "...Where else would I really be?" Katrina just shrugged as she looked around the restaurant, "I don''t think any of us are really where we belong, Silv. Nothing''s¡­ normal anymore. I''m staying with Riley because I can."


    "That''s¡­" Silvie took in a small gulp as she looked at Riley, "...Then I will stay here as well for now, just in case Riley tries something with you."


    "Oh¡­" Katrina let out a small but slightly shy chuckle, "...I already let him try me, we''re way past that."


    "What?" Silvie raised an eyebrow in confusion, "What are you¡ª" And as soon as she realized what Katrina meant by that, her eyes started to widen as much as they could.


    "...And my variant''s pregnant with his baby too, so," Katrina winced as she continued to chuckle awkwardly,


    "As they say ¡ª if you know you''re going to fuck up, might as well get fucked."


    "Absolutely no one is saying that!"


    ***


    [It has been weeks since Halfday¡­]


    "These humans¡­ they sure do know how to let loose."


    Somewhere in the New World, a tall blue-furred humanoid was currently watching the news about Halfday''s rampage in the territory of Humans, New York. His mane was long; his fangs, incredibly sharp. His eyes¡­


    pletely covered by a mask.


    "Heroes and viins¡­" The tiger-like humanoid then let out a small growl before making his way to his window; his eyes, reflecting the vast dark green jungle in front of him. The people, living inside giant trees the same as him,


    "...That''s a concept not existing in ours. Perhaps, we¡ªKh!"


    The tigerman''s words were interrupted as a spout of blood showered from his mouth,pletely staining the window with red and covering the view of his city.


    "Ha¡­" The tigerman seemed to only be perturbed for a few moments, however, as he just wiped away the blood that managed to get into his fur before shaking his head again, "...Time again, moves my death closer to me."


    The tigerman then once again turned to look at the news that was showing Halfday; a growl, once again escaping his ck lips. But soon, however, a wide smile crawled on his face, which was soon covered as he wore a mask; his eyes and snout, nowpletely hidden from the world.


    "Halfday¡­" The tigerman then whispered before just casually smashing his bloodied window. And without even any hesitation, he leaped out of the verdant building he was in;nding with both his feet and paws touching the ground.


    And as expected, those who were just casually minding their own business around the streets were shocked to see a masked individual suddenly descending from above ¡ª but before they could even wonder what was going on¡­


    ¡­one of them was already shed into pieces.


    "Halfday¡­" The tigerman then said as he raised his paw; flesh and blood, just dripping from his ws,


    "...Before I die, let my name also be etched in the history of men. Blood will flow in the path of I¡­


    ¡­Arguar the Warw!"


    Arguar was not the only one. Almost as if a beacon was lit, or the wrong side of a domino trail was flicked¡­


    ¡­Viins began to rise.


    "Well, that is not good at all."


    A few weeks had passed since Silvie reunited with Riley, and the New World was now currently in a predicament they had not really faced since its inception ¡ª viins, spawning left and right.


    Silvie, Katarina, and even Liza were responding to the calls for help, but even with Silvie, the three of them were not enough to stop this deadly epidemic from spreading and wreaking havoc. As for the one who started this movement, Riley, he was currently watching the news while shaking his head in disapproval.


    "What''s not good at all, Riri?" Miss Pepondosovich stood beside Riley in front of the TV while carrying a tray of food, "That Esme and I are the only ones working here?"


    "No," Riley shook his head, "It would seem I made a miscalction, Miss Pepondosovich."


    Riley then raised his finger, letting the tes fly toward the table who ordered them.


    "I meant for my action to arouse the spirits of heroes in all the species and races and let them rise up," Riley let out a small but very deep sigh as he continued to watch the devastating news, "But it would seem Halfday had the opposite effect, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "...Isn''t that already to be expected?" Miss Pepondosovich rolled her eyes, "These people just found out they''re no longer ageless and their time is ticking ¡ª you really think they would spend the rest of their short lives trying to save people?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded without hesitation, "Because they will be wiped out if they do not ¡ª I wanted for them to flourish and to repopte so it would be fun and more fulfilling to turn them all into Nothing, but at this point¡­ I believe they are going to destroy themselves, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "That sounds about any history I know, Riri," Miss Pepondosovich waved her hand as she walked away, "And if you wanted heroes, then you should have just created one; I mean, you inspired the threedies to don on their suits ¡ª you could just create more. What was that again you had in your old world where heroes can gain benefits or something¡­"


    "The Hero Association, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley ced his hand on his chin.


    "You need to reward them for risking their lives," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged.


    "But then they wouldn''t be heroes, Miss Pepondosovich ¡ª they would be mercenaries," Riley shook his head.


    "But that''s a start, no?" And with those words, Miss Pepondosovich just left Riley as she took the order of the new diners that arrived.


    "But I already did that once," Riley ced his hand on his chin as he remembered the Paige and Paragon Superhero agency, "But it was short-lived and no one really joined, hm¡­


    ¡­should I just create the entire Hero Association myself?"

 Chapter 982 982: The Association

    Chapter 982  982: The Association


    ??"No."


    "No, as in you are letting us build an association to hire heroes?"


    "What? No, as in no!"


    Riley was currently in an office in New York, currently speaking with the people governing the entire territory of the humans in the New World. And right now, the government officials were looking at Riley with a bewildered expression; somewhat amused as they initially thought the ss 7 Above in front of them was just making a joke.


    But it turns out, he wasn''t ¡ª and he even brought people with him that were just as powerful as him.


    "We can''t let you build a Hero Association because not only can that be considered an entire branch of government by itself, it also goes against the Margrea Oath!"


    "...The Margrea Oath?" Silvie, who was in the meeting room along with Riley, could not help but let out a small scoff as she looked at the people on the other side of the table, "Have you people even tried walking outside? It''s a jungle out there ever since people have learned that they are aging again! What we need right now are heroes to stop¡ª"


    "I''ll stop you there," one of the government officials raised his palm, "If people want to be heroes, they could be heroes if they want to¡ªbut we will arrest them along with whoever it is they are fighting as violence goes against the Margrea Oath, and no one is above it ¡ª this Hero Association that you want to build, if approved, would send the wrong message."


    "You''re going to arrest people for trying to help!?" Silvie lightly mmed her palm on the table.


    "Going into a tantrum does not help your cause ¡ª and may I remind you, Silvie Savelievna, that although you are wee to this, your presence is not. We still remember your acts of violence against your own variants during a time we solely want to forget."


    "And here I thought that 600 years would turn you government fools to act right," Silvie then just clicked her tongue before just standing up, "Let''s go, we''re wasting our time here."


    Liza was also there, as she used to work for the government for several years. But s, she was not even able to use her background to help with the negotiations as the officials just rejected their proposal 3 seconds after hearing it.


    Even Miss Pepondosovich was there, brought by Riley so that things may go his way ¡ª but it would seem her presence did not help at all too as they all just stood up and made their way out of the room.


    "Seriously, this is why people just go rogue," Silvie rolled her eyes as she stepped out of the meeting room, "Was the government of your world before the Blink also like this, Liza?"


    "...Pretty much," Liza let out a sigh as she shook her head. She was about to say something else, but she noticed something weird as she stepped outside the meeting room, "Uhm¡­ guys? Am I the only one seeing what''s happening?"


    "Hm?"


    Both Silvie and the slightly bored Miss Pepondosovich turned to look at Liza before turning to look to where she was pointing, only to see and realize that the people who were walking around the hallway weren''t walking at all¡ªno.


    All of them werepletely still, with only their clothes and hair moving along with the weak breeze flowing through the hall.


    "What is¡ª" And before Silvie and the others could even wonder what was going on, they heard the door behind them shut close. The three of them quickly looked back, only to see that¡­


    ¡­Riley was not with them,


    "Riley!? What''s going on!?"


    Silvie quickly grabbed the doorknob, only to find herself unable to turn it for even a single centimeter. She then just tried prying the door open, but it was almost as if the door was suddenly reinforced by an unbreakable and immovable material.


    "H¡­ help us!"


    And very soon, Silvie and the others heard people screaming inside.


    "Riley!? What are you doing!?" Silvie then moved to the side and just chose to m her foot on the wall leading to the meeting room instead, but the oue was just the same as with the door ¡ª even the floors werepletely imprable.


    "I¡­" Liza also tried her luck with the door, but she couldn''t move even a single millimeter of it.


    "You!" Silvie then stood in front of Miss Pepondosovich, "You''re a god, right!? Can¡­ can you stop Riley!?"


    "Stop¡­ Riri?" Miss Pepondosovich blinked a couple of times as she looked up at Silvie and returned her gaze with confusion, "Are¡­ you sure?"


    "Yes! I''m¡ªwait," Silvie then took a slight step back as she realized what she just asked.


    "Hm," Miss Pepondosovich realized that Silvie realized what she needed to realize and nodded her head, "If I attempt to break down that door, this entire and half this gxy will be gone in a blink of an eye¡­ and that''s only if I used just the right amount of force."


    "Are¡­" Liza could not help but take in a small gulp as she looked at Miss Pepondosovich. She had been with her for a few months now, and she had never really truly questioned just how powerful they were, "...Are you really that strong, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "Maybe," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged, "I don''t really want to try."


    "Damn it¡­" Silvie could really only m her fist on the wall in frustration. But as she did so, however, the entire wall shattered into pieces, causing her to just stare at it in shock, "What the¡­"


    She then turned to look inside, only to see the people who interviewed them curling in the corner of the room extremely terrified; their expressions, however, werepletely nk. She then saw Riley, whose hand was already on the doorknob of the door; the two of them, just staring at each other.


    "That is very rude, Silvie," Riley then still used the door even with therge hole presented to him; snapping his fingers and letting the walls fix themselves as he stepped out, "But we are now authorized to create the association. Good job, Everyone."


    "So¡­ we''re really going to create a Superhero Association?" Silvie approached Riley and grabbed the paper from his hand, "You''re going to be the President of the Superhero Association. You¡­ the greatest viin the world has ever known?"


    "From all the stories I have heard, I am not even in the top 10, Silvie," Riley sighed, "The gods have killed a hundred times more than me, and only the people of our universe remember Darkday ¡ª I am irrelevant in the New World."


    "Riley Ross¡­" Silvie then whispered to herself as she looked at the piece of paper again, "...President of the Hero Association."


    With the world they are living in now, this is perhaps still the weirdest thing that could ever happen. The most heinous and evil superviin in the history of the universe, now working as the President of the Hero Association.


    But surely, Riley was nning something, he always has ¡ª and when that timees¡­


    ¡­Silvie would for sure have already gathered a team to defeat him.


    His very own creation will be used against him, and perhaps that is the most perfect oue of this scenario.


    Is what Silvie thought.


    ***


    [My name is Paragon Zero, and I am making this announcement to call upon you ¡ª yes, you.]


    Riley was now pointing his finger at a camera, with Miss Pepondosovich shooting it while she was sitting on Esme''s shoulder. And although the set was a little weird, everyone there had serious expressions on their faces, especially Silvie, who was standing beside Riley and wearing an extremely more gothic version of one of Megawoman''s suits.


    A ck suit thatpletely showed the curves of her body ¡ª and then gold ents and a golden cape to top it all off.


    She wasn''t wearing a mask, and just let her hair fall to her shoulders as she stood there with a prideful expression on her face while Riley finished his speech. She couldn''t really listen to half of Riley''s speech as she knew that whatever he was saying, it was built on a lie.


    But it was a lie she was willing to take just to revive what they once had ¡ª people willing to take the risk to help other people.


    [So long has this world of ours been devoid of people just wanting to help while receiving nothing in turn. But for those who remember Megawoman and what she meant to me and the entire world, this is your time to give back to her¡­] Riley then pointed to Silvie with his palm,


    [...Megawoman invites all of you to showpassion, kindness, and most of all¡­ bravery. There are people out there right now terrorizing this New World, and so¡­ I believe, we believe that it is only right¡­


    ¡­to have new heroes for the new world.]


    "..." Silvie closed her eyes as Riley was once again luring people so efficiently with his words that it was almost scary.


    [And so, we implore you and we ask of you ¡ª if you have what it takes¡­


    ¡­thene and join the Hero Academy.]


    "Huh¡­?" Silvie opened her eyes wide as she quickly turned to look at Riley,


    "...Academy?"

 Chapter 983 983: The Start of the Application Process

    Chapter 983  983: The Start of the Application Process


    ??"We are heading for the future ¡ª and you can be the people who protect it. Now, join us¡­


    ¡­dial 69-8455246 for more information."


    "And¡­ cut!"


    There was a silence after Riley was done recording the video for their endorsement of the Zero Hero Academy, with the only noise being Miss Pepondosovich leaping off of Esme''s shoulder and reviewing the footage.


    But after a few seconds, there was a round of apuse that filled the entire air as more than a dozen people pped for Riley ¡ª all of those who pped, diners of his restaurant¡­ because Riley decided to record the video right at the center of the restaurant, on the stage just right beside where his piano was.


    The frequent diners of Riley''s restaurant were no longer there just for food. Of course, his food was probably the best they had ever tasted in their entire lives, but they weren''t just there for the taste ¡ª the owner of the restaurant was highly entertaining.


    Theye for the food, and they stay for thepany and in hopes of the restaurant owner sitting with them as they eat. And now, they could not help but be proud that they were a part of whatever it was that Riley was doing.


    And as he was done with his presentation and speech, all of them stood up from their seats and just cheered for Riley. And while all of them were celebrating something they had no idea what, Silvie was practically staring at Riley''s back; a re enough to melt him down if she could.


    But as soon as Riley was done greeting their customers, she quickly pulled Riley away to the kitchen to talk to him; Riley''s chef clones, all just staring at the two of them with shocked expressions on their faces. But with a wave of Riley''s hand, they all just continued their work.


    "Academy¡­!?" Silvie then raised her voice as she looked Riley in the eyes, "I thought we were building the association, Riley! Why are you building a school!?"


    "We are also building the association, Silvie," Riley just let out a small sigh as he shook his head, "Our full registered name is Zero''s Hero Academy and Association."


    "But the people need heroes now!" Silvie said as she waved her hand toward nowhere in particr, "The viins are gathering and appearing en masse as we know it, we don''t need unprepared heroes facing them!"


    "That is exactly why, Silvie," Riley nodded as he just started walking away from Silvie and checking in on his cooks, "The more people there are willing to be superheroes the better, but there is a deadly difference between being willing and actually being ready ¡ª if these people wanted to fight Darkday¡­


    ¡­how many do you think would even survive?"


    "That¡­" Silvie did not really have an answer for Riley¡ªno. She had an answer, it was a very obvious one. But she could not let herself say it, however, as it was admitting that they were helpless against him, "...But who will ever be ready for you? Your existence is not fair, Riley. If you''re supposed to be a god, then stop ying mortal here and just join your peers up there."


    "But it is unfair, Silvie," Riley said before tasting the soup his clone made and adding a little piece of star anise to it, "It has always been when it came to our world ¡ª there will always be certain levels to this. All of the superviins were helpless against Megawoman, and all the superheroes were helpless against Darkday; that is how it has always been."


    "But Megawoman isn''t here!" Silvie raised her voice, causing all the kitchen clones to look at her.


    "You''re Megawoman, Silvie," Riley said as he looked at Silvie from head to toe.


    "This¡ª"


    "You are willing and you are ready, Silvie," Riley let out a small sigh as he approached Silvie, "But as it stands, I believe the average superviin now would be stronger than they were back in the Old World ¡ª I do not want more meaningless deaths."


    "Riley¡­?" Silvie could really only look Riley in the eyes as she heard thest parts of her words, "Are you¡­ actually showing kindness?"


    "From now on, if someone dies¡­" Riley shook his head, "...I want it to be because of me, that is the only way it would have meaning, Silvie."


    "Right¡­ what was I even thinking?" Silvie let out a small sigh as she took a step back, "And so¡­


    ¡­what exactly is your n for this Academy?"


    "We are only going to ept and train people who might have a chance to wound me, Silvie," a small smile crawled on Riley''s face as he started making his way out of the kitchen, "If they can do that, then that means they are ready ¡ª even better if they can kill me."


    "But¡­


    ¡­you''re immortal, Riley."


    ***


    "Fail."


    "But I haven''t even taken a seat yet!"


    "Yes, and we could already see that you are a failure to this society, Applicant 52. Next."


    "W¡ª"


    "Next."


    Several weeks passed, and while the campus was being built somewhere, Riley and Silvie were currently interviewing people¡­ once again right in the center of the restaurant where there were people watching. The applicants were being asked to go up on the stage while Riley and Silvie judged them at the tables like it was some sort of talent show.


    Some of the applicants were wearing masks to hide their identities, but most seemed to not care at all if their identities were revealed ¡ª it was a different time now than before, all of them were Supers.


    And so far, the diners watched all the applicants fail without even having the chance to sit down in front of everyone, some of the applicants could not even take a single step up to the stage before being failed.


    "Hello, my name is¡ª"


    "Fail, next."


    "Everyone, please wait!" And as Riley failed another applicant, Silvie decided to pause the applications before pulling Riley away to the bar, "Why do you keep failing everyone, Riley!?"


    "I am not failing anyone, Silvie¡­" Riley tilted his head to the side as he looked Silvie in the eyes, "...You are. Everyone is failing because of you."


    "...What?" Silvie could really only chuckle at Riley''s words, "How is this even my fault!? You haven''t even let me ask them any questions!"


    "You do not need to, Silvie," Riley shook his head, "Themarians can detect energy, and I can detect what you are feeling just by looking at you."


    "Wh¡ªSupers do not emit any distinguishable energy like other species!" Silvie reasoned, "Themarians can''t distinguish¡ª"


    "But you can," Riley once again tilted his head to the side,


    "How do you think you found me so easily once you realized I was back, Silvie?"

 Chapter 984 984: The Interview (1)

    Chapter 984  984: The Interview (1)


    ??"Wh¡ªSupers do not emit any distinguishable energy like other species! Themarians can''t distinguish¡ª"


    "But you can. How do you think you found me so easily once you realized I was back, Silvie?"


    "That''s¡­"


    A drop of silence crawled its way through Silvie''s ears, drowning all the other noises inside the restaurant as she could not really find an answer to Riley''s question. How did she, indeed, know where to find Riley?


    Of course, it was quite easy since she only really needed to follow the trail of blood he left behind in New York City ¡ª and then she just needed to fly and ask around and she would have eventually known that there was a new restaurant that served the most incredible food.


    She would have quickly found Riley then.


    But no, she did not do all of that at all. The most investigating she did was when she went to Anastasia to confront her about the undead themarian she bought from an auction ¡ª Silvie did not even rte it to Riley just yet because in truth¡­


    ¡­she and almost everyone else who knew Riley thought he died in the Domain of the Gods since he waspletely absent during the war, not even showing himself once.


    But once she saw Halfday on the news, she knew it could be none other than Riley himself. And then and there, she knew where he was by just having a feeling.


    "That''s¡­ impossible." Still, Silvie could not believe it as she just looked to the side and whispered, "Supers don''t have discernable energy signatures, even Diana said that. And even Aerith couldn''t. Can¡­ Esme do it?"


    "No, I can''t, Miss Silvie," Esme, who was just quietly wiping the wine sses near them, joined in on the conversation as soon as she heard her name and answered Silvie. But after staring at each other for a couple of seconds, she just focused on cleaning again.


    "See? Themarians don''t just suddenly develop new abilities like that, Riley," Silvie shook her head.


    "But you are not exactly a themarian, Silvie."


    "..." The somewhat excited expression on Silvie''s face faded away as soon as she heard Riley''s words, "You''re right. I''m¡­ just a clo¡ª"


    "You are something even more special," Riley breathed out as he looked at the diners, who were starting to get curious as to why the applications suddenly stopped, "Aerith herself said that to me, Silvie."


    "She¡­ did?"


    "Yes," Riley then nodded as he started making his way back to the stage, "And please, Silvie ¡ª we have many more applicants to interview. Let us not keep them waiting."


    "Good luck, Miss Silvie."


    "T¡­ thanks? But you should say that to the applicants instead," Silvie let out a small chuckle as she smiled at Esme.


    "No," Esme shook her head, "As long as you walk beside Master, you would need all the luck you can get, Miss Silvie."


    "I''m not walking beside him. This is a momentary truce."


    "If that is what you believe, Miss Silvie," Esme nodded before returning to her job.


    "...What does that even mean?" Silvie raised an eyebrow.


    "Everyone who walks beside Master, sooner orter¡­" Esme then looked Silvie in the eyes, causing her to slightly take in a small gulp as this was perhaps the very first time Esme ever did that,


    "...We all stand by his side in the end. As Miss Pepondosovich said, he has that effect on people."


    "I¡­ won''t be one of you," Silvie shook his head, "Megawoman can never be on the side of darkness."


    "Perhaps that is true," Esme shrugged, "But your predecessor, Princess Aerith, might be carrying Master''s offspring."


    "Wait¡­ what?" Silvie could not help butpletely turn around to talk to Esme, "What do you mean?"


    "I mean they are romantically and sexually involved with each other, Miss Silvie."


    "Wh¡ª"


    "Megawoman."


    And before Silvie could even say another word, Silvie realized that Riley and everyone else in the restaurant were waiting for her to go back to the table.


    "We¡­ will talk about this moreter, okay?"


    "Hm."


    And with a new weight burdening her on her shoulders, Silvie just let out a very long and deep sigh before joining Riley again and continuing the interviews ¡ª if it could be called that at all since Riley was still not passing anyone.


    Silvie was even consciously trying to put up a poker face since Riley said he was able to read her face. Sadly for her¡­


    ''I can read your thoughts, Silvie,'' she suddenly heard Riley''s voice whispering right inside her mind.


    ''S¡­since when can you read thoughts!?'' Silvie''s eyes widened as she just looked at Riley, ''And themarians should not be susceptible to this!''


    ''Ever since I received Pirate Queen Xra''s abilities from King, Silvie. Now please, focus on the interview.''


    Just¡­ how many abilities does Riley have, exactly? ¡ª was Silvie''s thought. But she quickly shook her head off of the thought as she knew the answer would probably scare her. And so, she just did what Riley asked and focused on the next applicant.


    "Please, take a seat." And finally, after just failing people left and right before they could even introduce themselves, Riley beckoned to an applicant to sit down on the chair that has been lonely on top of the stage for quite a while now.


    And suffice it to say, all the diners quickly swallowed their food so they would not miss a thing ¡ª and with all the eyes on the applicant, the applicant could not help but just take in a deep breath as he tried to focus solely on Riley and Megawoman.


    "My name is Pietro Varker, thank you for this opportunity."


    "I''ll be the one to ask you a question first," Silvie then quickly said something before Riley just decided to fail the applicant there and then, "How old were you when the Blink happened, and what have you been doing the past 600 years?"


    "I¡­ think I was 14 years old. And I was¡­ just trying to survive. I''m¡­"


    The boy, Pietro, then started telling his story, making some of the diners break into tears ¡ª how could they not, when his story was their story too? All of them were supers, and yet when the war happened ¡ª they felt powerless.


    And when Pietro was done telling his story, some of them just pped for him. They all stopped, however, when Riley raised his hand.


    "If Megawoman turned evil¡­" Riley then just asked without even any warning, "...Will you fight her?"


    "...Yes," Pietro thought for a while before just nodding his head, "Even at the cost of my life, I will fight for what is right and¡ª"


    "Hm," Riley once again raised his hand and smiled,


    "Fail. Next."

 Chapter 985 985: The Interview (2)

    Chapter 985  985: The Interview (2)


    ??"Why¡­ did I fail?"


    Everyone truly thought they would finally have the first student and prospect of the new Hero Academy and Association. But s, Riley once again failed someone in front of them.


    "Megawoman can not be evil ¡ª Megawoman is not Megawoman because she is strong, Megawoman is Megawoman because she is kind."


    "But you asked me a situational question, Sir!" Pietro could not help but stand up from his seat, "I¡­ I know that Megawoman can''t turn evil, she''s been my idol ever since I was young and I still even have figurines of¡ª"


    "Okay, Pass."


    "...Sir?"


    "You pass."


    "Riley¡­?"


    Silvie was just about to plead Pietro''s case, but before she could even do so, Riley was already gesturing to Pietro to get off the stage. It wasn''t only her, everyone was sorely confused as to what just happened.


    Did¡­ they just need topliment Megwoman, and they will pass? If so, then should they also try applying to the Academy?


    "Why¡­ did you pass him?" Silvie leaned closer to Riley and whispered.


    "Because he has figurines of Megawoman, Silvie," Riley nodded, "He said he still has them, I would like to see them in the future."


    "You¡­ passed him because of that?"


    "And because you approved of him as well, Silvie."


    "M¡­ Me?" Silvie wanted to stop the smile that wanted to form on her face as she heard Riley''s words.


    "Of course. I did tell you, you are the one failing or passing them, Silvie," Riley nodded, "But of course, he also passed because he has figurines of Megawoman¡­


    ¡­Next!"


    And so, the applications continued, with more and more being allowed to sit down and pass. And very soon, everyone suddenly turned quiet as a species from another territory stepped onto the stage and sat down on the chair.


    "My name is Ambrucx," the woman''s snout slightly flinched as she looked at Silvie and Esme. Her ears, however, werepletely still on the top of her head, "Thank you for making me sit."


    "It says here you are from¡­ Roaring City?" Silvie then read Ambrucx''s file; her eyebrows, slightly knitting, "That was just on the news, it''s where the viin known as Arguar the Warw started his rampage?"


    "Yes," Ambrucx''s cat-like ears slightly flinched as she looked at Silvie, "I was the one who stopped him and made him flee."


    "...And you want to be a superhero because of that?"


    "No," Ambrucx shook her head, "My newborns were near the hospital where he started his rampage, he killed all 4 of them. For 600 years, I carried them in my womb¡­"


    "..." Silvie could not really say anything and just turned to look at Riley to see if he would stop her, but Riley seemed even more intent on listening to Ambrucx than anyone else in the restaurant.


    "For 600 years, I kept them safe, even fought in the war¡­" Ambrucx touched her belly; her ws, slightly revealing themselves, "...And yet not even days after I gave birth to them, their small bodies were ripped apart. Just a few days they weren''t close to me, and they were gone¡­


    ¡­I want to be a hero to prevent my situation from happening to someone else."


    "I am sorry for what happened to you," Silvie took in a deep breath as she looked Ambrucx in the eyes, "And thank you for sharing that with us. Riley?"


    "What are you going to do if you see Arguar the Warw again, Miss Ambrucx?" Riley then asked, "Are you going to do the same to what he did to your children?"


    "Margrea Oath prevents me from doing that," Ambrucx shook her head, "But it doesn''t prevent me from humiliating him to the point that he would want to take his own life, and that is what I will do once we face off again, Mr. Zero ¡ª whether as a hero, or just a mother who wants to avenge her children."


    "Interesting," Riley ced his hand on his chin, "You pass."


    "Riley¡­" Silvie then once again leaned closer to Riley and whispered, "...Are you sure? Revenge is¡­ never a good start."


    "It is fine, Silvie," Riley just nodded before gesturing to Ambrucx to leave the stage, "Everyone needs their archenemies. Next."


    And as Ambrucx left the stage, another one stepped up ¡ª and to all the diners'' surprise, the next applicant wasn''t immediately asked to leave and even sat down; this was perhaps the first that two people were allowed to sit consecutively.


    "My name is¡ª"


    "Gary Gray," Silvie did not let the man sitting on the stage finish his words. How could she, when it was a variant of a person whom she used to be very close with? Even Katrina, who was waiting tables, could not help butpletely abandon her table as she stared at Gary''s variant.


    "You¡­ then you also have a son¡­?" Gary turned to look Silvie in the eyes.


    "What¡­? Oh, no," Silvie squinted her eyes in confusion for a moment but quickly realized what Gary meant, "I''m¡­ not a variant of the original Megawoman."


    "I see¡­" Gary closed his eyes and shook his head, "Sorry that I asked even though you should be the one asking me questions."


    Seeing Gary all serious and not making jokes made Silvie feel a certain way ¡ª almost as if making her realize that no matter what happens now, they truly were never going to go back to the way it was.


    The friendship they had back then ¡ª Hannah, Katrina, Tomoe, Be, Chihiro, Gary¡­ and even Riley. It was nothing but a dream now. And sometimes when she wakes up, she even needs to force herself to remember their names.


    "It''s alright," Silvie then let out a small sigh before smiling, and for the first time throughout the entire interview, "I''m sorry too¡­


    ¡­but you fail."


    "What¡­?" Gary could not help but just stand up as he looked Silvie in the eyes, "...Why? I know you know who I am, you know what I can do for the people."


    "I do," Silvie closed her eyes, "Your variant is a dear friend of mine ¡ª and I don''t want the same thing that happened to him, happen to you. Live a different life, Gary."


    "I''mpletely different from the person you know," Gary shook his head, "Even if we were simr back then, that was 600 years ago. Humans can change in a year, how much more 600? I mean no disrespect for this, Megawoman¡­


    ¡­you weren''t my friend, and you don''t know me at all."

 Chapter 986 986: An Old Friend?

    Chapter 986  986: An Old Friend?


    ??"I mean no disrespect for this, Megawoman. But you weren''t my friend, and you don''t know me at all."


    "Ooh¡­"


    The diners'' Oohs and Aahs filled the entire restaurant; a handful of them even ordering another batch of fries,pletely racking up their bill just so they could watch the entire interview unfold. How could they not stay, when they were witnessing a pivotal part of their history repeat itself, but this time they had front-row tickets?


    Future heroes, emerging from the crowd, and they were there to witness all of it. Truly, Zero''s restaurant was the most godly of all restaurants, where the only thingparable to the scrumptious delicious meals were the gut-wrenching and ridiculous dramas unfolding in it.


    "I assure you¡­" Gary then opened his mouth again, making everybody else close theirs so they could hear every word he says, "...as the only surviving male variant of Gary Gray, I ampletely different. Please, let me have the chance to prove it."


    "I''m sorry," Silvie shook her head before taking a subtle nce at Riley, but he didn''t seem to have any reaction at all, "But this isn''t all about you, Gary."


    "Please," Gary pleaded as he once again stared Silvie in the eyes, "Let me prove it. If you still think the same in the future, then I will voluntarily step down without any questions asked."


    "..." Silvie returned Gary''s gaze for a few seconds before just letting out a sigh and lowering her head, "...Your stubborn personality hasn''t changed one bit. Fine ¡ª but when I say you quit, you quit. Riley?"


    "Pass," Riley just shrugged.


    "Yes, thank you!" Gary could really only raise his hands as the diners started cheering for him. As for Silvie, she was just squinting her eyes as Riley seemed to not even care about Gary at all.


    "Next," Riley just gestured to Gary to get off the stage. The application continued, with more people still failing than there were passing ¡ª there wasn''t really any drama anymore, and most of the people who passed just passed gracefully. And right when the most spiritually and financially invested diners thought they could finally get the check, thest applicant caused them to quickly lower their hands.


    How could they not, when Silvie mmed her palms on the table and raised her voice for the first time while gesturing to thest applicant that she failed.


    "Oh, how uncouth for someone so young. I feel like there should be a sense of camaraderie here somewhere, no? But then again, you''re a special themarian ¨C you might think me beneath you. But where are my manners¡­


    ¡­It is a pleasure to meet you again, Zero."


    "Miss Anastasia."


    It was Anastasia, the themarian who bought the Undead Themarian from Riley back in the auction.


    "Fail!" Silvie once again waved her hand and gestured to Anastasia to leave.


    "Why?" Anastasia, however, did not leave at all and sat down, even crossing her legs as a small smirk crawled on her face.


    "You don''t have the qualities of a hero," Silvie shook her head.


    "I don''t," Anastasia shrugged, "But I want to try, just for a few hundred years, who knows ¡ª I might like it."


    "Y¡ª"


    And before Silvie could finish her words; this time, it was Riley who leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear.


    "She sponsored most of the construction costs of the Academy, Silvie."


    "W¡­ what?" Silvie stuttered as she once again focused her attention on Anastasia, who only winked at her and clearly heard what Riley just said to her. The only thing Silvie could really do was let out a long and deep sigh before shaking her head and gesturing to Riley to just let her pass.


    "You passed, Miss Anastasia."


    "Yes!" Anastasia also raised her hand in victory as she got off the stage. And with that, Riley and Silvie finally got off their table; approaching the dozens out of the hundreds who were able to pass the interview. None of them minded waiting a long time¡­ because they were provided free meals by the restaurant.


    "Congrattions to all of you," Riley and Silvie both pped along with the rest of the diners who were still there and the new ones,


    "You have all passed the first part of the application process."


    "Wh¡ªthere''s more!?" The diners could not help but look at each other as soon as they heard Riley''s words, "Is it¡­ is it still in the restaurant!?"


    "No," Riley only nced at his customer before turning his focus back to the applicants.


    "Thest part of the application would happen a month from now," Silvie was the one to continue Riley''s words as she raised her finger, "And thest test would be held¡­


    ¡­in the Academy itself."


    Days passed, and the restaurant became even livelier and livelier as the applications went on ¡ª and as is the case with the first day, not even a quarter of those who have applied were allowed to proceed to the final part of the test.


    And then, finally, several weekster, the Hero Academy and Association finished construction and opened their doors to the applicants who passed the interview. And unfortunately for the diners of Riley''s restaurant, the test was being held privately on campus grounds.


    "This¡­ is Mega Academy?" Gary could not help butment as he looked around the campus while they were being escorted. And it is as he said, it was almost a replica of Mega Academy, except on a much smaller scale ¡ª there was also a tall building that towered over the others, no doubt the ''Association'' in ''Academy and Association''.


    There were probably around 500 of them there, being escorted to a wide open field somewhere East of the campus.


    [Everyone, wee to the Hero Academy and Association.] And there, Riley weed them all while wearing a fancy and luxurious suit. Silvie was also there, still wearing her Megawoman suit¡­


    ¡­and for some reason, Miss Pepondosovich, Esme, Liza, and Katrina were there too ¡ª all of them, lined up in front of the applicants.


    [First of all, congrattions again in reaching this part,] Riley nodded as he started walking in front of the applicants before standing beside Silvie and the others, [And this part is actually quite simple, everybody. You just have to choose from the people standing before you¡­


    ¡­and fight them.]

 Chapter 987 987: Fit

    Chapter 987  987: Fit


    ??[...All you have to do is choose.]


    Liza, Katrina, Esme, Miss Pepondosovich, and Silvie just stood there as Riley presented each of them like they were at a pageant of some sort. Riley was even holding a microphone while pointing at each of them and introducing them one by one.


    [...Here we have Miss Pepondosovich. Adorned by an armored crop top with her bellypletely exposed to sh attacks ¨C of course, the same as Esme''s suit, it is designed by me ording to their capabilities¡­]


    "Riri¡­ do you really even have to describe our costumes?"


    "Suits¡­" Silvie leaned closer to Miss Pepondosovich and whispered, "Please¡­ don''t call them costumes."


    And as the 5 were actually wearing their superhero suits, it truly did seem like they were at a pageant; Riley was wearing a bowtie as well like he was the host¡­ which he actually was.


    "This¡­ is somewhat making me shy," Miss Pepondosovich could not help but let out a nervous chuckle as she looked at the hundreds of people in front of her, "You really go out like this while trying to save people¡­? I think I can almost see your mammary nds from here."


    "Wh¡ªno, you don''t," Silvie almost covered her breasts before realizing it was impossible because her suit was made from a special material, "And why are you even getting embarrassed? You''re like hundreds of thousands of years old already."


    "Girl, therees a point in life that if you lived long enough, your personality just resets because you don''t give a damn about anything anymore," Miss Pepondosovich lectured. Silvie wanted to say something else, but she was interrupted by Riley standing in front of her while facing the hopeful applicants.


    [Aadriel. Stepped forward.]


    And as Riley called for a name, one of the applicants leaped out; his ivory wings, almost covering the rays of the sun before hended in front of the crowd.


    "...I bet Zero would look better if he had wings like that," Liza quickly whispered to Katrina as soon as she saw Aadriel retract his wings and cause a small gust of wind in the process.


    "He would and he does," Katrina let out a small confident chuckle while nodding, "You should have seen him during his Paragon days. It was short-lived, but it was glorious¡­ he even had long ck hair then."


    "W¡­ what?"


    [Please, choose your opponent, Mr. Aadriel,] And while the two were busy gossiping about Riley, none of them realized that Aadriel was actually ring at them since everyone could hear their conversation.


    "I choose her," and with his eyes still locked onto Liza and Katrina, Aadriel pointed his finger at the former, seemingly annoyed as even his wing pointed at Liza.


    [So, you have chosen Hurricane Liza.]


    "That¡­ is not my superhero name," Liza could really only close her eyes in shame as she heard Riley''s words.


    "Yes," Aadriel did not stray his eyes away from Liza, "I believe she and her variant are discriminating the way I¡ª"


    [Fail.]


    Aadriel''s wings slightly flinched as Riley suddenly failed him out of nowhere, even gesturing to him to get out of the field as he was about to call the next applicant. But of course, Aadriel did not go anywhere at all.


    "Why did I fail!?" Aadriel asked as he stood in front of Riley while waving his wings along with his hands, "Give me one valid reason and I''ll just walk away. If not, then I am going to make sure that none of my species ever consider applying to this stupid ce!"


    [Because you chose an obviously pregnant opponent, Mister Aadriel,] Riley did not give Aadriel any mind even as he violently waved his wings in front of him, he just walked away and approached Liza, [Miss Liza here is almost 4 months pregnant, and choosing a pregnant opponent is definitely not a trait of a true superhero¡­


    ¡­Next! Abri, please step forward!]


    And as Aadriel heard that, he just turned to look at Liza before very slowly turning his eyes down to her belly. And true enough, if one were to look closer, one would definitely notice a bump on her stomach ¡ª but one had to look really, really close.


    How could they even notice that when Liza''s humongous breasts would be the first thing they see? Her breasts were even bigger than even her variant now to the point that she looked like she was starring in her own adult movie.


    Upon seeing this, however, Aadriel just let out a small sigh and started walking away; extremely doubting himself as to how he could even fail to notice something like that ¡ª and his species were sensitive to life too, to the point that they were actually the first ones to notice that their biological clock was moving again.


    [...Choose your opponent, Miss Abri.]


    "I choose her, Liza."


    [Hm. Okay, the two of you do not need to fight ¡ª Pass. Congrattions on entering the Hero Academy.]


    "What¡ª!!!" Aadriel, who was already meters away from the event, could not help but quickly turn around as he heard Riley''s words, only to see him shaking the hand of an applicant; with even confetti and party poppers blowing everywhere,


    "Why did you even pass¡ª"


    Aadriel was about toin, but he immediately stopped himself from doing so as soon as he noticed¡­


    ¡­that the applicant was also pregnant.


    "...I''m going home." And so, the only thing that Aadriel could really do was just fly away in embarrassment¡­ only for him to fall from the sky like a deceased bird as soon as he hit the Academy''s invisible dome.


    Of course, everyone watched him fall, with Silvie catching her midway just in case he couldn''t survive that fall.


    [Okay,] as for Riley, he just continued the examinations like normal and intended.


    "Then¡­ I would like to choose her, the non-pregnant version."


    "Okay, now I get it¡­" Katrina could really only nce at Liza while stepping forward, "...I think everyone thinks we''re the weakest of the bunch, which is actually true, but it still hurts. But you guys do know that I''m also categorized as ss 7, right?"


    "...Since when?" Liza could not help but raise an eyebrow as she looked at Katrina.


    "I lived in the world of Darkday, sis¡­" Katrina''s eyes turned white as a small smile crawled on her face; the sky, suddenly clearing and exposing everyone to the rays of the sun as a gentle cycle violently danced around Katrina, "...I had no choice but to be stronger."


    The applicant that chose Katrina really only took in a deep breath as he saw her. But after a few seconds, he nodded and walked toward the center of the field; his eyes filled with resolution. Unfortunately for him, it did not even take a second for him to be blown off to the side of the field.


    "Did¡­" The applicant still had hope in his eyes, "...I at least impressed everyone with my resolution, right? Fighting spirit is


    ¡ª"


    [Fail,] Riley shook his head as he gestured to the man to just leave, [Fighting spirit means nothing if you can''t even survive against your opponent for even a second ¡ª you will not even be enough for a distraction. And sometimes, fighting spirit means having the courage to run away¡­


    ¡­Next!]


    The exams continued, with Riley failing more than he was passing. Suffice it to say, Katrina was extremely tired from being the applicants'' favorite. There was someone who chose Miss Pepondosovich because of her size, but her opponent broke his leg as soon as he tried sweeping her off her feet¡­ and to everyone''s surprise, however, Riley passed the guy.


    You did not need to beat your opponent, Riley just had to see something in you.


    And Riley¡­ was seeing something. Almost all the humans who have applied to the Academy were much better and stronger than humans before ¡ª of course, a multiversal war and 600 years would probably have that effect.


    There were some who chose Silvie, and of course, Silvie did not immediately make her opponent feel inadequate as she truly tested what all of them were capable of. After the first one who chose Silvie, there were actually more and more choosing her as their opponent ¡ª after all, if you choose her, Riley seems to be giving her the reins and deciding whether or not they pass.


    [J''alfari, please step forward,] Riley continued to call on the names of the applicants, and this time, Silvie reacted as it was one of the applicants from the interview who made an impression on her ¡ª Ambrucx, the tigedy whose newborns were killed by a superviin from the same race.


    [Who do you choose as your opponent, Mrs. Ambrucx?]


    "Miss Pepondosovich," Ambrucx did not hesitate to pick as she bowed her head at Miss Pepondosovich.


    "Me¡­?" Miss Pepondosovich''s bunny ear slightly bent as she followed Ambrucx to the field, "...Are you sure?"


    "My species is sensitive to the ages of beastmen," Ambrucx breathed in, "I am not confident in passing the test, but if I choose you, I would at least learn something from an Ancient¡­


    ¡­please, give me pointers, Senior."

 Chapter 988 988: The Top

    Chapter 988  988: The Top


    ??"¡­Please, give me pointers, Senior."


    "Hm¡­ should be fun."


    No one was noticing it, but the open field of the Hero Academy had actually been changing size ording to who was using it ¡ª it was the size of a football field initially, but it was suddenly smaller now, perhaps to amodate a morebat condition between two people who were obviously brawlers on their own rights.


    Of course, it could also be because Miss Pepondosovich was 3 and a half feet tall not counting her bunny ears. Be that as it may, however, perhaps out of all the people present there, Ambrucx could feel how gigantic Miss Pepondosovich''s presence truly was. Ambrucx almost found it hard to move as she felt like Miss Pepondosovich was filling the entire field; trapping her there and tightening her grasp on her even with just a breath.


    "I don''t really know if I could be considered your ancestor, though¡­" Miss Pepondosovich then started hopping lightly before crouching on the ground and stretching her legs, "...Your ears and my ears are different."


    "Be that as it may, I do believe that your age beckons respect." As for Ambrucx, she only kneeled on the ground and started whispering to herself; not bothering to warm up or stretch her limbs.


    "Oh, you''re not going to loosen your muscles?" Miss Pepondosovich''s ears bent to the side as she was curious as to what Ambrucx was saying to herself, "...You''re praying?"


    "Yes," Ambrucx carefully stood up; her head still lowered and going even lower as she bowed her head at Miss Pepondosovich, "I already know that I will lose against you, Miss Pepondosovich ¡ª I am only praying that I would not lose without putting as much as a fight."


    "Hm¡­" Miss Pepondosovich ced her hand on her chin and nodded. And after a few seconds, she turned to look at Riley, who just had a smile on his face as he looked back and forth between her and Ambrucx.


    "You may start anytime now," Riley then said. And without even a millisecond of saying so, Ambrucx disappeared from her spot; rushing toward Miss Pepondosovich on all fours and destroying the field beneath her.


    Ambrucx did not say anything at all; her focus at its maximum as she moved to the side away from Miss Pepondosovich''s vision and lunged toward her defenseless back.


    "Woah¡­" Miss Pepondosovich, however, just calmly crouched and stepped forward, even grabbing and tucking her bunny ears down to avoid Ambrucx''s leg sweep ¡ª and almost at the same time, she hopped as Ambrucx swung her ws at a speed that created thunders to erupt across the entire field,


    "That''s it¡­?" Miss Pepondosovich then turned around to look at Ambrucx while still dodging another set of her ws, "You don''t have to worry about using your full strength."


    Miss Pepondosovich then nonchntly pointed at Riley while Ambrucx continued to be relentless with her strikes, "That guy has this entire field protected to the point that even if your ws can cut through an entire like butter, it wouldn''t matter ¡ª wait, can you do that?"


    "..." Ambrucx did not really answer, only stopping her barrage in response before leaping back.


    "Oh¡­?" Miss Pepondosovich''s ears stood up as she watched as Ambrucx''s fur suddenly start to glow in a golden light, with gold particles even dancing around her as all of her fur stood up on their ends. Ambrucx''s ws also started to dig through the ground as they grew in length and size.


    And without even as much as a word again, Ambrucx disappeared from her spot; appearing almost instantly beside Miss Pepondosovich with her sharp ws already just an inch away from Miss Pepondosovich''s face.


    "That''s more like it," Miss Pepondosovich, however, still had the leisure to just talk while Ambrucx probably swung her ws at her a hundred times in less than a second, "You are really strong, no wonder that Argy guy something ran away from you."


    "You told me to use all of my strength," Ambrucx then finally opened her mouth while growling, "Please, I expect you to do the same. It''s only¡ª!!!"


    And before Ambrucx could even finish her words, Miss Pepondosovich suddenly stopped dodging and let Ambrucx''s ws hit her¡­ which caused a loud crack to erupt in the air as Ambrucx''s ws shattered instantly¡ªno.


    It wasn''t only her ws that shattered, her paw was also torn apart and her arm waspletely bent in 4 ces. Ambrucx did not even have a single millisecond to appreciate the pain, however¡­


    ¡­as Miss Pepondosovich started to lift her foot up.


    ¡ªAnd not even a millimeter of doing so, the very space itself started to crack.


    And once again, Ambrucx realized that the giant she was seeing behind Miss Pepondosovich wasn''t even awake ¡ª and now that she was opening her eyes, Ambrucx felt herself almost drowning as she felt as if just a single eye of her covered the entire sky¡ªno, it covered the entire expanse of space above them.


    It wasn''t only Ambrucx who was feeling it, the other applicants also found it hard to breathe; even Silvie was gripping her fists as she subtly nced at Riley.


    She truly thought that she could have at least shrunk the distance between her and Riley after 600 years, but now that she realized how truly monstrous the people surrounding him were, the only thing Silvie could really do¡­ was to try and strive even more from now on.


    [Pass.]


    Riley then suddenly disappeared from the side of the field, only to emerge crouched between Ambrucx and Miss Pepondosovich while holding Miss Pepondosovich''s knee to prevent it from going up any further,


    [Congrattions, Ambrucx.]


    "Heh¡­" Miss Pepondosovich lowered her foot as she smiled at Ambrucx, "...I really like you, child. As someone who has also lost her children, I am sure the two of us can bond even more after this."


    "You also¡ª" Ambrucx looked Miss Pepondosovich in the eyes before just once again bowing her head, "Thank you for showing me what beastmen are capable of, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Well¡­" Miss Pepondosovich then approached Ambrucx and started pushing and dragging her away, "...I shouldn''t really be your basis for strength, I have attained Godhood, and what that means is that I broke through the limits and¡­"


    And as Miss Pepondosovich had probably found her favorite student, Riley continued the application as he called the names of those who were left ¡ª and as is the case, more applicants failed than they passed.


    And finally, after almost an entire day of just watching people fight, the entrance examination ended ¡ª with one applicant missing.


    "Gary''s variant did note," Silvie said as she approached Riley as soon as he was done announcing the end of the exam, "I suppose that''s for the better, Gary''s male variants always have the tendency of bing a little¡ª"


    "Wait! Please, wait!"


    And before everyone could leave the field and pack up, Gary suddenly emerged from the distance; frantically waving his hands while leaving a trail of dust behind him.


    "I''m sorry! I''m sorry!" Gary then wheezed as he stood in front of Riley; his breaths, enough to cause the grass beneath his feet to ripple away, "I know I''mte, but please¡­ please let me take the exam."


    "You''re alreadyte, Gary," Silvie was the one to answer Gary; her sigh, causing him to lower his head further, "Perhaps try applying to be a cop instead, beingte is one of their defining traits ¡ª and you could help people as well, truly help them at an intimate level that superheroes can''t."


    "I¡­ I want to be a real hero," Gary shook his head.


    "Cops can be real heroes if they want to," Silvie shook her head.


    "Please¡­ please," Gary pleaded. He would have probably kneeled down if it wasn''t for Silvie stopping her, "Let me have this chance, I can¡ª"


    [Very well.]


    And as Gary was pleading, Riley once again turned on his microphone before pointing his palm at Esme.


    [But since you werete, only Miss Esme has not left her spot, so she is the only opponent you can choose from.]


    "O¡­opponent?" Gary squinted his eyes as he looked at the field and all the other people there, "The second test isbat? I¡­ I can do that."


    "Gary, you don''t have to be a superhero," Silvie insisted.


    "...It''s the only thing I can be," Gary shook his head before walking to the center of the field.


    [Very well, Miss Esme ¡ª please,] Riley gestured to Esme to follow Gary on the field, [You do not have to hold back, but do not kill him.]


    "As you wish, Master," Esme nodded before walking to the field and facing Gary.


    [The two of you may start anytime now.]


    "My name is Gary Gray," Gary introduced himself, "I''ll be the best superhero the entire universe has ever¡ª!!!"


    And before Gary could even finish his words, he found his entire vision covered by Esme. He was about to leap back to gain some distance¡­


    ¡­but suddenly found his stomach pierced by Esme''s unusually long arm.

 Chapter 989 989: Break Me

    Chapter 989  989: Break Me


    ??"Grugh¡­"


    It was so sudden, so sudden that almost no one even realized that Gary''s stomach had already been stabbed until a few seconds had passed. Out of everyone in the field, only Miss Pepondosovich, Riley, and Silvie actually saw what happened.


    Esme did not force anything ¡ª no. She just casually stretched out her hand, she just did it so fast that she pierced Gary''s stomach like it was air. It wasn''t even bleeding, as after the world had registered what Esme had done, it ovepensated with the friction andpletely burned Gary''s gaping wound closed.


    "What the¡­" Gary whispered out as the blood escaped his mouth instead as he looked up at Esme.


    "I apologize, Mister Gary," Esme, however, just had a slightly disappointed and weary look on her face,


    "I thought you would be stronger since you are supposed to be the son of Princess Aerith."


    "I''m¡­" Gary then watched as Esme just lifted him up in the air by his stomach before being casually shrugged off and swinging away like he was dirt on her hand. With just a casual swing, he found herself rolling across the entire field with a hole in his stomach; only stopped as Riley caught him in his path.


    "Your female counterpart is still stronger than you, Gary," Riley then let out a small sigh as he ced his palm on Gary''s back, and then, with a breath, a green light started to wrap around the hole in Gary''s stomach ¡ª and within seconds, his flesh and blood started to squirm.


    Gary wanted to scream, but he just gritted his teeth and watched as his wound healed.


    "Do you still wish to continue, Gary?" Riley then asked as he took several steps back.


    "I¡­ have a feeling you already know my answer to that," Gary spat out the blood in his mouth as he focused his attention on Esme, "I was simply caught off guard by¡ªGkh!"


    And before Gary could finish his words, he suddenly found himself at the very end of the field; his face, being pinned down onto the invisible barrier that Riley created by Esme''s hand.


    "Stop¡­ stop attacking me when I''m still not ready!" Gary let out a small roar as he grabbed Esme''s arm, trying to crush and tear it apart. The only thing he managed to do, however, was very slightly stretch her skin by a single millimeter.


    "But you will never be ready, Mister Gary," Esme just let out a small sigh as she moved her hand forward, causing a tight crack to whisper in the air as Gary''s skull started to shatter ever so slightly, "Male themarians have a limit to their strength ¡ª perhaps if you did as Mister Seed did, you would at least have a chance to defeat me."


    "Who¡­ who the fuck is Seed!? And stop talking and just fight alrea¡ª"


    And once again, Gary felt his vision shift as Esme just casually threw him back. This time, however, he was not caught by Riley, but by Esme''s long leg which was practically an immovable post if anything that almostpletely snapped Gary''s spine in half.


    The only thing Gary could really do was let out a graspy wheeze as the blood wanted to escape his lungs, but his lungs were currently being pinned and locked by his broken ribs. Esme did not seem to care about this, however, as he just raised his foot. And as she was about to stomp Gary''s head, a golden cape snapped in the air as Silvie suddenly got in between Gary and Esme, catching her foot with her entire body which literally dug through the ground.


    "Kh¡­" Silvie gritted her teeth before grabbing Gary by the head and throwing him away, "Esme, I think this has gone on long en¡ª"


    And before Silvie could even finish her words, Esme already disappeared and was on her way to Gary again; this time with her fist already locked in and heading straight toward his face. And so, once again, Silvie used all of her strength to rush toward them; kicking Gary on the side to push him away from Esme''s impending fist of death.


    "Stop!" Silvie screamed as she caught Esme''s fist with both of her palms, swiftly moving back at the same time and letting herself be pushed to minimize the impact of the strike. Even then, however, Silvie felt her entire body get wrangled with just a casual strike from her.


    She knew Esme was strong ¡ª she had tried to spar with the Esme of their universe, and she was also no match for her¡­ but there was something else with Undead Esme. They both had the trait of not trying at all, but this Esme ¡ª something is weird about her. And as Silvie turned to look at Esme''s face, she finally realized why¡­


    ¡­this Esme was smiling.


    She was having fun because she had something the other Esme didn''t ¡ª confidence.


    Confidence in controlling her strength, confidence in not being hurt even if she didn''t. This Esme wasn''t just the Undead variant¡­


    ¡­she''s Esme Prime.


    And perhaps the physically strongest being in the entire remaining cosmos.


    And as Silvie was lost in thought, Esme once again rushed toward the poor Gary, who at this point, was almost like a ragdoll more than anything.


    "I said stop it!" Silvie did not really have any time to think anymore as she just once again blocked Gary from Esme''s path. She did not even look away or flinch, she just stood there ready to take whatever Esme was going to throw at them.


    ¡­And Esme truly was going to throw it at them; her fist, already heading straight toward Silvie''s face.


    "Wop!"


    Before it could reach her, however, Riley and Miss Pepondosovich suddenly appeared right between them; the sole of Miss Pepondosovich''s foot blocking Esme''s fist while Riley was lifting her other foot so she could actually reach Esme''s height¡ªno.


    Miss Pepondosovich''s foot did not really block anything as Esme''s fist stopped just an inch away from hitting her sole. But what did happen, however, was everyone else feeling their lungs suddenly turn empty as all the air in the field was absorbed by Esme''s fist¡­ and then released into a violent gust that blew away half the entire field.


    Fortunately, no one was behind Gary and Silvie ¡ª if not, they would have also been blown into pieces like therge crevice now adorning the field.


    Esme, Silvie, Riley, Miss Pepondosovich, and even Gary stayed in their pose for several seconds before Riley started lowering Miss Pepondosovich down and then grabbing his microphone from one of his trusty pockets.


    [Ladies and gentlemen¡­] Riley then grabbed Silvie''s wrist and raised his hand, [...Your Megawoman!]


    "H¡­huh?" Silvie did not really know what to do as Esme just suddenly started giving her a round of apuse there, even Miss Pepondosovich was nodding her head. But it wasn''t only Silvie who was confused, everyone else was.


    [Even despite fully knowing that she couldn''t win against a stronger opponent,] Riley then dramatically pointed at Esme before gesturing toward Gary, [Silvie still risked her life in order to save a stranger. Not backing down for even a single millisecond¡­


    ¡­such is the trait of a superhero. To those who have passed, this is the ideal that all of you should strive for.]


    And as everyone heard that, they all just pped their hands and started cheering for Silvie, for Megawoman.


    [And for those who did not pass, well¡­] Riley then cleared his throat as everyone stopped cheering, [...As long as you are alive, there will always be a next time. But also remember that as long as you are alive¡­


    ¡­you can also turn into a viin ¡ª you always have a choice.]


    "W¡­ wait¡­" And as Riley was about to fully end the test, Gary let out a small wheeze and as he grabbed Riley''s leg while trying to get up from the ground,


    "Did I¡­


    ¡­Did I pass?"


    ***


    "Oh, good. You''re back. What did you find out there?"


    Somewhere in thest remaining Universe, a Portal opened up in the middle of a vast field of metal. It was a Dome, with the view of the expanse of spacepletely filling up its sky and horizons.


    And there, from the Portal, emerged an individualpletely covered in a pink suit of mechanical armor.


    "Absolute fuck all," the individual then pressed something on her neck, causing her helmet to unfold and hide within her shoulder pads¡­ revealing her slightly short brown hair and feisty expression, literally; her eyes and lips were smoking,


    "For the thousand times, absolute fuck all."


    It was Hannah Ross, or a Hannah Ross¡­ as the person approaching her was also another Hannah.


    "Well, Hannah¡­" The other Hannah gave a sk to the armored Hannah to drink, "...Guess it''s time for a break, then."


    "Fuck no," the armored Hannah scoffed as she grabbed the sk from the other Hannah, "That would be unfair to you, you just finished your turn, Nannah."


    "I found something interesting in the New World," the other Hannah, Nannah, let out a small chuckle as she brought out a tablet.


    "Fuck that pseudomunist weirdbor ce that''s filled with psychopaths," Hannah once again scoffed before just turning around, "Bring up another universe and just let me dive."


    "A new Hero academy was built," Nannah then said, causing Hannah to stop in her tracks as she nced at her.


    "...Like Mega Academy? Are you saying the other species are cool with that?"


    "No idea," Nannah then turned on her tablet and started searching for the news, "I haven''t actually watched anything yet since I wanted to wait for you ¡ª apparently, they sent a worldwide broadcast to everyone. Here¡­ let me bring up the video of¡­


    ¡­Oh fuck."


    "What¡­


    ¡­What is it?"

 Chapter 990 990: Whats Eating Hannah Ross

    Chapter 990  990: What''s Eating Hannah Ross


    ??[...Join us, join the people who will save the world.]


    "That''s definitely him, that''s definitely Riley!"


    "No¡­ can''t be."


    The two Hannahs were shocked to their very core, and yet the expressions that escaped their faces werepletely different.


    Nannah had an almost dreadful, but clearly excited look on her face ¡ª almost as if she was seeing a boyfriend who cheated on himing back, but she still held this almost unfair and indiscriminate obsession for him and wanted him back.


    Hannah¡­ Hannah was just frightened, extremely sad, but at the same time, there was a happiness and longing in her face that the entire universe will never be able to replicate. There were tears, but Hannah quickly looked up and wiped them away so that Nannah wouldn''t notice it.


    But it was too obvious, and the only thing Nannah could really do was embrace her variant.


    "It¡­ it''s not him," Hannah shook her head as she held Nannah''s arm, "It''s not him. It can''t be."


    "You and I both know that it is," Nannah also shook her head as she tightened her embrace, "It''s him."


    "Why¡­ after all this time? Why would he evene back?" Hannah bit her lip, "Right¡­ right when I''ve already made my peace. I just made my peace!"


    "Let''s stop, let''s stop this and see him, okay?"


    "No!" Hannah scoffed; her saliva almost spraying along with her words, "My brother is dead, he has been for 600 years. Whoever¡­ whoever that is, he''s not my brother. And¡­ and if he is, then he should havee and find me first."


    "Do¡­ you really think he would have?" Nannah shook her head, "I''ve only known him for a blink of an eye, and yet I know he''s probably thinking he doesn''t deserve to find you. But it''s different now, Hannah. We''ve¡­ done things, and our fire has never been stronger. You can face your brother."


    "I don''t want to fucking face him! Why can''t you understand that!?" Hannah released herself from Nannah''s embrace, "I am done being trapped by my feelings for him!"


    "So why do you still call him your brother¡­?" Nannah looked Hannah in the eyes, "Look at me and tell me you don''t miss him. If you don''t, then I''ll never speak of this again. But if you do¡­ we can be there before their day ends."


    "I¡­" Hannah returned Nannah''s stare,


    "I¡­"


    ***


    "...Our first lesson is a practical?"


    Several more days have passed and the Hero Academy and Association was now open to the public. And by open to the public, it truly meant that ¡ª anyone coulde in like it was some sort of mall and just watch the students take their lessons.


    And right now, once again, all of those who were able to enter the Academy were once again standing on the field, all 500 of them. Compared to Mega Academy, this number was almost nothing.


    "Aren''t we going to learn the values of a superhero? I think it is unfair that only humans are aware of it."


    "You do not learn the values, my man ¡ª you either just have it or you don''t."


    "Well, that''s not entirely true¡­"


    "...I thought they failed you?"


    A group of students quickly turned their heads as they heard a voice they did not expect to hear in their very first ss ¡ª Gary Gray.


    "No, I passed," Gary let out a small but very deep sigh as he looked at his ssmates, "Oh man, this really takes me back to the time before the Blink, no¡­ during the time even before that. It was also like this, you know¡­and I even managed to be a Mega Student."


    "Mega Student¡­? Who came up with thatme-ass name?"


    "Don''t disrespect it," Gary shook his head, "It might sound silly, but it held much significance. It made us strived to be better."


    "Then¡­ do you think they are going to do something simr to that?"


    "Who knows," Gary shrugged before turning to look at the people watching them on the bleachers at the side of the field before focusing on Riley and the others who were standing on the stage in front of all of them,


    "But I have a feeling this will be crazier just by looking at the Principal¡­ Zero, was it?"


    [I will just assume that everyone is here,] Riley was still holding a microphone as he stepped forward; behind him on the stage were Esme, Silvie, Miss Pepondosovich, and Katrina ¡ª with Liza left to manage the restaurant as she was pregnant. And while thedies were wearing their superhero outfits, Riley was wearing a tracksuit that was probably double his size from how loose and baggy it was,


    [And to everyone who is watching the very first lesson of the students of Hero Academy, I wee you ¡ª all of you should be proud to witness the birth of hope.]


    "Oh¡­" The audience all looked at each other as they started pping quietly. In truth, most of them just had nothing better to do ¡ª they weren''t actually curious about the Hero Academy ¡ª after all, most of the humans had forgotten how truly glorious was the Age of Heroes, while the other races absolutely had no idea what it was.


    The concept of Heroes and Viins waspletely foreign to them, there was just thew and the terrorists. Most of them actually find it ridiculous that something like this even existed.


    They were just here to relieve their boredom.


    [We have 8 hours until the sun sets,] Riley then turned to look at his shadow before focusing on the new students,


    [And in the duration of that time, all of you will be doing one thing, and one thing only.]


    "...What?" The students all looked at each other. None of them really expressed their disappointment just yet, however, as they just waited for the instructions. Since it''s their first day, their activity just probably had to do something with getting to know each other.


    [All of you are aware of who the beautifuldies are standing behind me,] Riley gestured to Silvie and the others, [You have peeked at what they are capable of and fought them, and you know the standard you need to strive toward in order for the people to see you as their hope¡­


    ¡­and now, all of you must learn what hopelessness means.]


    And as soon as Riley said that, his feet very slowly left the ground; his wide smile that very slowly crawled on his face, reaching from ear to ear,


    [For 8 hours¡­] Riley then let go of the microphone, letting it just float to his side as he stretched his arms to the side,


    [...All of you need to work together to survive me.]


    "...What?" The students once again looked at each other in confusion. There were half a thousand of them there, and they just needed to survive their Principal? "Isn''t the first lesson too easy?"


    Most of the students were already starting to rx after they heard their first lesson. There were some, however, who werepletely frozen; their feet, nted on the bed of grass as they just stared at Riley''s floating silhouette.


    The tigedy, Ambrucx, was one of them. She already had an inkling that their principal was not a normal person at all ¡ª after all, throughout her observation, Miss Pepondosovich was following him, and beastmen usually only follow those who are stronger than them¡­


    ¡­and now that she was staring at Riley, she found herself unable to look away even if she sorely wanted to; her breaths, almost locked inside her lungs as her instincts were telling her to justy down in surrender.


    [For these 8 hours¡­] Riley spoke, and even without the microphone, his voice resounded throughout the entire field,


    [...Pray that thedies behind me don''t get tired of trying to stop me if I lose control.]


    "W¡ª"


    And as soon as Riley said that, he disappeared from his spot; only to appear right beside Ambrucx; his hand, already grabbing the face of the person beside her. And without even any hesitation, he swung that person like a club and hit Ambrucx right in the stomach.


    Ambrucx was shocked, but she still did not forget the goal of the first lesson; work together to survive their Principal.


    And so, even with the pain, as her fellow student was mmed onto her, Ambrucx still tried her best to catch her ssmate with her body so that he wouldn''t be eliminated as soon as the lesson started.


    "Impressive," Riley whispered as his face was now suddenly right in front of Ambrucx''s face. And with a breath, his eyes suddenly glowed red.


    "!!!" Ambrucx immediately bent her upper body back,pletely avoiding the violent red beam that sted from Riley''s eyes. Those behind her, however, were not so lucky as they found their limbspletely torn off from the rest of their bodies.


    "What¡­" And as they stare at their missing limbs and mangled flesh¡­


    ¡­they realized they were actually truly in danger.

 Chapter 991 991: Very Slowly Forming

    Chapter 991  991: Very Slowly Forming


    ??"He¡­ he''s killing us!"


    Perhaps that was an understatement and an overstatement at the same time, and Silvie and those who knew Riley were fully aware of that. If Riley wanted them all dead, they would have been, but at the same time, those who really knew Riley to an even greater extent, in this case, Silvie, knew he also had the tendency to y around.


    And so, right now, Silvie waspletely conflicted on whether or not to make a move.


    Was Riley truly just doing this for the lesson¡­ or was he actually nning on killing them all here ¡ª and if they die, then that simply means they didn''t pass.


    "Riley¡­" Silvie''s foot started to bounce by itself as she was starting to get anxious while watching their students get absolutely demolished by Riley.


    "S¡­ so¡­" Katrina''s eyes also started to move everywhere, "...When do we step in?"


    "I think the better question is if we actually should," Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes, "If these people truly want to be heroes, then they should know how strong the demon king is."


    "Demon¡­ king?" Katrina blinked a couple of times as she looked at Miss Pepondosovich, "Could it be you also read novels¡­?"


    "What? No, I hate reading," Miss Pepondosovich waved her hand, "Anyway, Miss Esme here could just rescue anyone close to dying and bring them here."


    "They would probably die if I brought them here at a speed where Master would not think of trying to follow me, Miss Pepondosovich," Esme shook her head, "I am learning more and more how fragile other beings are."


    "Other beings aren''t fragile," Silvie sighed, "It''s just¡­ we''re different."


    "You three are different," Katrina quicklymented, "You guys are closer to a god than you are to me, I don''t even know why I''m here."


    "Don''t¡­ sell yourself short, Kat," Silvie smiled as she nced at Katrina, "Didn''t you manage to hold off a god during the war?"


    "Oh¡­?" Miss Pepondosovich opened her mouth in awe, "You did that, child?"


    "N¡­Well, yes ¡ª it was an act of desperation," Katrina shook her head.


    "She created a gale of wind so strong, it tore off the surface of a," Silvie smiled and nodded.


    "Oh, impressive," Miss Pepondosovich lightly tapped Katrina''s leg.


    "...Esme can destroy an entire star system with the p of her hands," Katrina once again sighed while shaking her head, "We¡­ live inpletely different worlds. Especially him¡­


    ¡­Riley."


    And as Katrina turned her focus back to Riley, everyone did too ¡ª and it was absolute chaos in the field.


    The once verdant sea of grass, not almostpletely red as Riley tore off limbs, pierced stomachs, and even shaved off faces ¡ª the only reason why Silvie wasn''t stopping him is that despite all the horrible things he was doing to the students¡­


    ¡­all of them are still alive and actuallypletely intact.


    He was healing all of thempletely before they could actually die.


    "When¡­ did Riley even get that ability?" Silvie sighed in defeat, "He was already unkible before, and now it''s just ridiculous."


    "Whenever we ask him, he just always says that he got it from being killed by some warmonger called King," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged, "At this point, it''s probably safe to assume that any ability you can think of¡­


    ¡­Riri probably has it, except probably resurrecting the dead, he needed Randall for that."


    "Hannah told me that the primordials sent him to the Domain of the Gods to be taught a lesson¡­" Silvie whispered, "...But why does it seem like the primordials just made things worse for all of us? If the gods there couldn''t defeat Riley, then¡­


    ¡­how do we actually have a chance?"


    And while Silvie and thedies'' discussion was turning serious, Riley was truly just taking his time and having fun ¡ª and even as 4 hours had already passed, the students still could not find a way to stop him.


    There were, however, groups slowly forming that were able to stay alive longer since they were finally helping each other instead of just running for themselves ¡ª and as expected, it was a group centered around the tigedy, Ambrucx.


    Ambrucx was trying her best to keep her group alive, while she and her team still tried to rescue the people they could. This was, first and foremost, still a lesson. Despite the ridiculous premise and activity, she was sure that Riley was grading each and every one of them individually, and that just running around would probably result in a negative grade.


    And after losing her limbs for the 4th time and being healed by Riley, she was also starting to get over the shock of being on the brink of death. She still feared him, of course, but she was no longer frozen by that fear.


    Of course, unbeknownst to everyone, Riley truly was just having fun. If there was actually a lesson he was trying to impart here, then it was the exact same lesson Mega Academy gave their students ¡ª life isn''t fair.


    There will always be levels, and Riley just happens to be above them by an abnormal margin.


    "!!!"


    And while Riley was having fun, the audience who were initially just there to curb their boredom could not help but just cover their mouths from the nausea they were experiencing. How could they not, when they have been watching limbs, guts, and all sorts of blood crawl in front of them? If it wasn''t for the invisible barrier separating them from the field, they were sure that they would have already drowned with all the blood.


    "This¡­ this goes against the Margrea Oath!" One of the spectators couldn''t take it anymore as he stood from his seat and started running away. And as soon as he did so, the others also started leaving¡­


    ¡­only to realize there was another invisible wall preventing them from leaving the stands.


    "W¡­ what the!?" The spectators started cing their palms and mming them in the hard air, but no matter what they did, they were trapped there¡­


    ¡­and it would seem Riley noticed this as he suddenly flew toward the stands.


    "Where¡­ is he going?" The students finally gained the chance to breathe as Riley just left them abruptly without saying a word. Most of them took this chance to just fall down and rest, there were some, however, who felt like something was wrong as they saw Riley just floating in the air while watching the audience panic.


    [Well then¡­] Riley then turned around to face the students again while stretching his hands to the side,


    [...Time for the Phase 2 of the lesson.]


    "Phase¡­ 2?" Gary, who was part of Ambrucx''s team, could really only wipe the sweat trailing down his cheek, "Did¡­ did we even clear Phase 1?"


    [Most of the time, heroes do not fight in a controlled environment¡­] Riley''s words traveled across the entire field. And while he spoke, the spectators suddenly felt something weird going on around them¡ªor more specifically, beneath them. They were¡­ very slowly sliding down toward the field,


    [...And most of the time, you would have to fight while being surrounded and distracted by civilians.]


    Riley then stretched both his arms forward, and as he did so, all the spectators were suddenly thrown from the stands and shot straight toward the middle of the field like popcorn¡­


    ¡­the only problem was now that theypletely mixed themselves with the students.


    [So¡­] Riley very slowly descended from the air,


    [...Time to dance.]


    ***


    "Mom! Aerith!"


    Somewhere out in the expanse of space, Hannah and Nannahnded their feet inside a ship; the ship, silver and vast. Vast enough that Hannah''s screams echoed through her ears almost as if she was whispering into her own ear.


    Soon, however, as she and Nannah walked deeper into the ship, the sound of birds and animals started to whisper in the air; trees and foliage, now also crawled across the haul.


    "Where¡­ are they? They usually meet us by the hangar," Nannah looked around the indoor forest, and aside from the wildlife in it, there was no sign of Aerith or Diana at all, "Wait¡­


    ¡­do you think Aerith''s giving birth now?"


    "What? No," Hannah shook her head, "Considering the time she was pregnant before time stopped for us¡­ she should just be 7 or 8 months now. They''re just probably inside the clinic, let''s go."


    The two continued to make their way deeper into the ship until they reached the clinic, quickly seeing Diana as soon as the door slid open.


    "Mom! Why didn''t you¡ª"


    "Honey!?" Diana''s eyes widened as she saw Hannah and Nannah enter the clinic, "Leave now!"


    "What? Why are you¡ªA¡­Aerith?"


    And before Hannah could even wonder what was going on, her eyes also widened as Aerith suddenly stood in front of her ¡ª no. It wasn''t exactly Aerith, as the woman standing in front of her had skin as pale as snow, and hair even whiter ¡ª Aerith''Ross.


    "A¡­ A variant?" Hannah breathed in.


    "Not exactly¡­


    ¡­Aunt."

 Chapter 992 992: 16 Years Later...?

    Chapter 992  992: 16 Years Later...?


    ??"Zero¡­?"


    "Hm¡­"


    "Are you¡­ worrying about the test?"


    Back in Riley''s now renovated apartment, Riley was currently sat and the bed; a white nket, almost melding against his waist as he waspletely only skin underneath. Perhaps the only contrast was Liza''s pinkish hand as she gently grasped Riley''s cheek so he would look at her, whoy beside him naked in bed.


    "Zero, you know¡­ I feel like a slut saying this¡­" Liza then forced out a chuckle as she smiled at Riley, "But I''m fine with a clone. You¡­ shouldn''t have sent your clone to the Academy if you were only going to think about it."


    "I am not thinking about the Academy, Liza," Riley let out a small breath; returning Liza''s gaze before removing her hand from his face. And with another breath, Riley gently rested his ear on Liza''s belly, "I am thinking about the baby."


    "W¡ªOh," Liza almost gasped, but instead just smiled as she caressed Riley''s hair, "I had a check-up earlier, the baby''s fine."


    "That is good, Liza," Riley blinked a couple of times, "But I was thinking about my baby with Aerith."


    "W¡ªOh¡­" Liza''s eye twitched as her hand that was gently caressing Riley''s hair almost pulled the strands out, "I¡­ I see."


    "Does that make you upset, Liza?" Riley sat up as he felt Liza''s grip on his hair tighten, "That I think about my baby with another woman when I am with you? If so, then I apologize ¡ª but I do believe she is about to give birth in a few weeks, and I will not be there, and that disappoints me greatly."


    "Oh¡­" Liza did not really know what to feel right now. In one perspective, Riley had the baby before the Blink, and that was a very long time ago. On the other, it didn''t really matter since Riley was still fully and obviously in love with Megawoman,


    "...Can you make me a promise, Zero?"


    "That depends, Liza."


    "I know I said that it wasn''t important before and that I didn''t¡­ that I didn''t care," Liza closed her eyes and slightly sniffled, "...But please, promise me that you will be there for our child. You''ll be there to witness his birth, and you''ll be present in his life. You don''t need to be present in mine, but please¡­ be there for our baby."


    "I suppose I can make that promise, Liza," Riley nodded, "And if you stay by my side, I see no reason why I would not be present in your life."


    "It''s just¡­" Liza once again let out a sigh as shey back down on the bed and let herself fall; her nket, unable to contain herrge breasts as they bounced when she did so, "...I''m slowly starting to learn that you, Zero, Riley Ross, you¡­


    ¡­you''re bigger than all of this, bigger than this world, bigger than this life."


    "..."


    "The 600 years that I''ve lived, it won''t be anything to you at all," Liza covered her eyes, "And now that my time is moving again, I''ll just be¡­ a speck of dust in your memory that may as well hold infinity. As for our child, I don''t know how long it''ll live ¡ª and I know, I know this is horrible for me to say¡­


    ¡­but I hope he dies before you be what you are again, Zero. I hope he lives in the time that you are seen as a hero, as the man who revived the age of hope."


    "..." Riley could really only nce at Liza as her trembling hand grabbed his arm tight; both of them, fully knowing that wouldn''t be possible at all due to his true nature. But¡­


    "I will try, Liza."


    "Zero¡­"


    "For your child, and Katrina''s."


    "...What?"


    ***


    "Look at the moon, Renna. It shines ever so deeply, calling for us, it''s kindred. But does it not make you wonder? Are our visage reflecting it, or is it reflecting us?"


    "Mother, Lucy''s autism is showing again."


    "Renna! Don''t call your brother that."


    "He is not legally my brother, Mother."


    "Hmph, animals will never understand the beauty of immaterial life ¡ª but they will."


    Somewhere on the terrace of a building that overlooked most of New York, a boy whose skin was as white as snow, and long silky hair that almost reached his ankles. His hair was white, even whiter than his pale skin.


    His arms were stretched to the side while he stood on top of a bench; his clear eyes, almost imitating the moon reflecting on them. But most importantly¡­


    ¡­he was naked.


    "What the¡ªLucifer! Why are you not wearing any clothes!?"


    And as soon as the boy''s mother stepped out onto the terrace and saw her son with his hair swinging along with other parts that shouldn''t be seen, she quickly rushed to grab and drag him inside.


    "Unhand me, Liza!" The boy, Lucy, was quick to struggle; iling his arms and legs wildly as Liza, whose face now held a more mature aura, was having none of his silly tantrum,


    "Unhand me!"


    "For the millionth time, Lucy ¡ª I''m your aunt. Don''t just call me by name," the big-breasted woman who was not actually the boy''s mother bellowed.


    "You are but Katrina''s inferior variant!"


    "And don''t call your mother by name," Liza could really only let out a small but very deep sigh¡­ before just throwing Lucy inside the apartment, causing him to roll violently on the floor before being stopped by a wall that was already slightly cracked.


    "Hm, finesse," Lucy then covered half his face with his fingers spread as he kneeled down into a pose.


    "You should have been aborted by Aunt Katrina," Renna, who was almost a replica of her cousin if it wasn''t for her softer and more feminine face, just let out a small sigh as she looked at Lucy; the tone of her voice, extremely monotonous and devoid of any emotion.


    "Stop it, Renna," Lucy sighed as he stood up, "Your envy of my beauty shows whenever you are mad. It''s fine, I would be mad too if I was inferior to you."


    "None of us are better than the other, Lucy," Renna walked away, "Biologically, we are almost twins."


    "I know, catch up," Lucy chuckled before he just casually made his way to the living room and sat on the sofa, "Be quiet, my inferior, it is time to watch my show."


    Lucy then turned on therge TV, quickly switching it to his favorite show. But not even 3 seconds after he started it, Renna snapped her fingers; causing the feed on the screen to lose signal.


    "What have you done, Renna¡­?" Lucy, however, instead of raising his voice, just rushed toward therge TV and started hugging it before ncing at his cousin, "I need to watch it, bring it back."


    "No," Renna just walked away, "I destroyed the streaming tform''s data storage, it will be impossible to bring it back up tonight."


    "..." Lucy could really only close his eyes in defeat as he heard that, "Why do you torture me so, Renna?"


    "Because you are torturing my eyes ¡ª please get dressed," Renna shook her head, "And please, pretend we do not know each other tomorrow. I do not want to be associated with you on our first day in Hero Academy."


    "Hmph," Lucy scoffed as he finally let go of the TV and just pointed at Renna, "That will be impossible, they would smell that you are my inferior version as soon as they see¡ª"


    And before Lucy could even finish his words, Renna just left the living room.


    "..." And as he was now alone in the living room, Lucy just looked at his reflection on the nk screen of the TV, "Well¡­"


    Lucy then held the reflection of his face on the TV. But after a single breath, however, his hand just went through it and he started strangling his reflection.


    "It''s true¡­" Lucy smiled as he looked at himself being strangled, "...you should have been aborted. Your existence is nothing, just another waste in this universe filled with so much light. I¡ª"


    "Lucifer! If Ie out of the living room and you''re still not dressed, I am going to tell your mother!"


    "Hm¡­" Lucy let out a small breath as he pulled his hand out from the TV,


    "...Maybe tomorrow. For tonight¡­


    ¡­I hunt."


    ***


    "That''s him, right¡­? Paragon''s son?"


    "He¡­ looks like a princess."


    "You should see his sister. I mean, damn. They don''t look human at all."


    "...Is Paragon even human?"


    "Shh, don''t let him hear you."


    "Hm¡­" Lucy was now walking around the campus of the Hero Academy, where students and staff members alike were looking and staring at him. He was ignoring everyone, however, as he just walked confidently with a smile on his face.


    His stride, however, was suddenly interrupted as a girl blocked his path.


    "H¡­H¡ª"


    Before the girl could even say a word, however, she was pulled away by her friends.


    "Girl, what are you doing¡­? Didn''t you hear what he did to the proctor during the entrance exam? He¡­


    ¡­he almost killed the proctor!"

 Chapter 993 993: Renna and Lucy

    Chapter 993  993: Renna and Lucy


    ??16 years ago now, the Hero Academy and Association was built on an empty field ¡ª and through the years, civilization grew around it, making it a grand city all on its own; with all the racesing together to witness the heroes, and perhaps one day be one themselves.


    The Hero Academy and Association were built by individuals who are now considered to be the symbol of hope, justice, and most importantly, selflessness. The establishment was built with the help of the greatest hero of the entire universe, Megawoman, and the one who made it all possible was the hero known as Zero Paragon ¡ª rumored to be the strongest being in existence.


    But of course, all of it was a rumor, as Zero Paragon waspletely unranked and never bothered to take any measurements of strength or the like; the only proof that people have is that Megawoman usually follows his orders. And when she was asked why, she gave a vague answer;


    "If you know who he really is, then be d that he''s not for now," ¡ª was her answer.


    There were lots of theories in the past 16 years, but none were really proven. Zero Paragon, although very entertaining and a true showman whenever he does show himself, does not really make an appearance unless something truly important happens.


    The only proof they have that he is actually stronger than Megawoman is that Megawoman is somewhat afraid of him.


    And now, right at the center of the school, inside one of the school buildings, Lucy was standing in front of a door.


    A lot of people tried approaching him in the hall, some even talking to him, but hepletely ignored them all as he just stood there in silence while looking at his watch. There were also a lot of people going in the room he was standing in front of¡­ but Lucy just remained there looking at his watch without even acknowledging anyone or looking at anyone.


    As soon, however, as the hands of his obviously expensive watch struck 9, he did not waste any time at all in entering the room; stepping inside the ssroom even before the thinnest hand of his watch moved.


    "You''rete, Mr. Lucifer."


    And immediately, he was weed by the frown of the instructor; judging Lucy as he looked at him from head to toe,


    "And since you arete, you will now be used as an example of a person who should not be emted."


    "On the contrary, Instructor¡­" Lucy looked the instructor in the eyes before scanning his ssmates, "...I am the only one in time, all of you are early."


    "You should be here earlier, that is the No. 1 trait of being a hero," the instructor shook his head several times.


    "I disagree," Lucy also shook his head as he started approaching the instructor, "Strength, first and foremost, is the trait of being a hero, and then 2nd is willingness ¡ª what good is an early hero if he is not stronger than the viin he hopes to stop? That is how innocent casualty starts, willing, but not strong enough."


    Lucy then stretched his arms to the side as he stood in front of all of his ssmates, even slightly pushing the instructor aside as he stood at his station.


    "...We all know who you are, Mr. Lucifer," the instructor cleared his throat as he lightly pushed Lucy away, "And we are specifically told by your mother that you should not be given any special treatments."


    "Ridiculous that you think I need one in the first ce," Lucy covered half his face, "The only special treatment happening here is for all of you ¡ª I am special, and that is a treat for all of you."


    "Right!" One of Lucy''s ssmates raised her voice, "You are clearly special, we can all see that!"


    "Pft."


    "Hm?" Lucy blinked a couple of times, wondering why everyone startedughing, "All of you do know that I can kill all of you with one snap of my hand, right?"


    And as soon as he said that, everyone quickly shut their mouths.


    "Mr. Lucifer! Such threats will not be tolerated in the Academy, this is a school for would-be heroes, not thugs and viins," the instructor clicked his tongue and reprimanded Lucifer to take his seat already.


    "Then why are all of youughing at someone who you presumed to be special?" Lucy blinked a couple of times before just shaking his head and sighing, "Oh well, I could never understand the qualms and wails of lesser beings. I shall take my seat and get this circus over with."


    "Please," the instructor could really only let out a very deep sigh as he gestured to Lucy to leave his desk. All of the staff and instructors have actually already been warned that Paragon''s children are quite¡­ entric ¡ª but this was too much. Fortunately for them, this was not the first time they were dealing with this sort of entricity, as Paragon himself was¡­ hard to deal with too.


    "You, move."


    "H¡­Huh?"


    Lucy then stood in front of a desk that was already upied, "I said move, I want to sit here."


    "Oh¡­ uh¡­ okay." The student who was already sitting at the desk could really only look around before leaving without as much as aint.


    "Thank you, child," Lucy nodded before taking a seat at the desk he conquered, "I know your future will be bright as a hero. And now¡­"


    Lucy then very slowly turned his head to the side to look at the female student next to him, the very same student who heckled him earlier.


    "...I''m Lucy. What''s your name?" Lucy asked with a smile on his face.


    "I''m¡­" The female student was staring at the instructor with her eyes as wide as they could be. The instructor, however,pletely ignored her¡ªno, tantly ignored her. After all, Lucy was right ¨C why would theyugh at someone who they think is mentally challenged?


    And so, the only thing the girl could really do was awkwardly smile and introduce herself.


    "My¡­ my name is¡ª"


    "I do not care about your name." And before the girl could even say her name, Lucy let out a small chuckle and looked away.


    "..." And after that, Lucy did not speak or look at the girl at all, causing her to just be extremely ufortable and defeated the entire time; not knowing whether to be pissed off or relieved that Lucy was not actually targeting her at all.


    Fortunately for her, their first day was not long at all as the instructor just oriented them about the rules inside the Academy, and that tomorrow was their first official ss. And so, as soon as they were dismissed, she quickly just left the room without even greeting any of her ssmates.


    As for Lucy, he just sat there, looking at his watch again; only standing up as everyone else left. As soon as he left the desk, however, Renna was suddenly there blocking his path.


    "No," Renna whispered as she ced her hand on Lucy''s chest; the tone of her voice, was still monotonous, "You should behave, Lucy."


    "I am behaving, my dear sister," Lucy shook his head and sighed, "I''m not even doing anything."


    "It is not about what you are doing, but what you are about to do," Renna lightly pushed Lucy down back his desk, "And I am not your sister."


    "But you are," Lucy covered half his face again, "Even if our moms aren''t variants of each other, you will still be considered as my half-sister since our dad is the same ¡ª the same way that Karina is our half-sister."


    "We have not even met her once," Renna crossed her arms, "We have also been told that we have another sibling aside from her ¡ª but we do not know if they are real."


    "Oh, sister ¡ª does it matter?" Lucy stood up, but was once again pushed down by Renna, "Ah, such a brute. Are you sure you are not Esme''s child instead? Now let me go, I have ns for today."


    "No," Renna shook her head before looking Lucy in the eyes, "Not until I know you are not going to kill that girl. You might have fooled Mother and Aunt Katrina ¡ª but I know what you are¡­


    ¡­and even though I love you, Lucifer, I will kill you if that means I can prevent you from bing who you will be."


    "And what do you think I will be, Renna?" Lucy returned Renna''s stare.


    "A reflection of what our father was."


    "Our dad is a hero."


    "He was¡­ is a very evil man," Renna''s voice remained as stoic as her face even as she stuttered, "A few years ago when I turned 12, he told me something since I was the more mature between us, and he told me to tell you once we entered the Academy¡­


    ¡­he told me that we were born to stop him when the timees."


    "Stop him¡­?"


    "Yes," Renna nodded, "Or to be more precise¡­


    ¡­to kill him."


    "Why would we kill Dad?" Lucy shook his head, "He''s¡­


    ¡­a hero."


    ***


    "Please¡­ please, just let me go."


    Somewhere underground in the Guesthouse of Paragon, Arguar the Warw was currently kneeling on the ss floor in a ss cage he was confined in; he was even more muscr than before, more menacing ¡ª but he was groveling on the floor like a tired cat,


    "It''s been¡­ it''s been countless years since you''ve abducted me, please ¡ª I do not know what you want from me. I''m¡­ I''m supposed to be dead. I was¡­ I was ill."


    "15 years, Arguar the Warw." And right in front of Arguar, was Riley Ross ¡ªpletely unchanged by time, "You have been trapped here, training every single day for 15 years¡­


    ¡­to have your fateful battle with Ambrucx the Lightw."

 Chapter 994 994: Automaton

    Chapter 994  994: Automaton


    ??"Even after almost 2 decades and a lifetime of changes, the food here is still the best."


    16 years have passed since the establishment of the Hero Academy and Association ¡ª but that wasn''t the only popr establishment that was built during that time. Riley''s restaurant also came to be known as the most prestigious and best restaurant in the entire New World.


    One would probably say how it became the best when what is delicious and what is not would be subjective from person to person. Well, not in Riley''s restaurant. The food in his restaurant literally caters to everyone''s taste buds. He knows all the vors, he knows all the recipes, he knows all the food people would like; but most importantly, his ingredients seemed toe from all over the universe.


    And yet, despite his ingredients that should cost an entire house by themselves, the price of his menu was even cheaper than some of the less fancy restaurants.


    "The food is not the only thing that hasn''t changed in this ce."


    And right now, detectives Dorothy and Jake were dining in the restaurant; older, and this time, bringing their families along with them. And as much as they were focused on the food, they were also focused on the person ying the piano.


    "We''ve been young for 600 years, that I have forgotten what it was like to be living with actual immortal beings," Jake let out a small sigh; a sense of longing lingering in his eyes as he scratched his slightly graying beard. But after a few seconds, he shook his head and gently brushed his hand on the little girl eating beside him at the table,


    "But you know, I would have easily traded those 600 years of agelessness even earlier if it meant I would have this."


    "Why¡­ are you getting so sentimental?" Dorothy raised an eyebrow before turning to Jake''s wife, who only just rolled her eyes in response while shaking her head.


    "You wouldn''t understand because you don''t have children of your own," Jake let out a small smile as he wiped the sauce on his daughter''s chin.


    "You weren''t this sentimental when you and Zel had Mark," Dorothy also scoffed.


    "Ack, let''s not talk about that abomination. I don''t even know who he took over," Jake waved his hand, "Thank goodness they epted him in the Academy ¡ª it should do him good. But let''s not talk about that troublemaker. How''s life as Chief?"


    "Exhausted," Dorothy let out a very long and deep sigh, "We are¡­ busy with Automaton."


    "Automaton¡­?" Jake''s wife blinked a couple of times as she almost gasped upon hearing Dorothy''s words, "...Isn''t that the city of androids? Is there something we should know about it?"


    "...Let''s not talk about work. It''s¡ª"


    "Please, I think we should."


    "Ah, Zero!"


    And as soon as Riley stopped ying the piano and got off the stage, everyone who was dining in the restaurant pped their hands and stared at him; their eyes, showing glimpses of excitement and hints of fanaticism. After all, they did not juste there for the food, they also came for Riley and to have a chance to at least talk to him.


    "Zero¡­" Both Jake and his wife sighed, however, as Riley joined their table.


    "I''m¡­ really sorry about what happened to Mark," Jake''s wife apologized; her voice slightly meek, "I know it was a quarrel between children, but Mark shouldn''t have said that to Renna."


    "Psh, that boy actually thinks he has a chance with Renna," Jake scoffed, "I mean, have you seen our son and have you seen Renna? He looks like her chauffeur or something."


    "It is fine, they are children as you said," Riley only shook his head, "Let us leave their issues to themselves, they will rece us in the future, after all ¡ª they need to learn."


    "Rece us, you mean¡­" Jake chuckled as he looked at Riley''s face,pletely unchanged in 16 years, "...You, Miss Pepondosovich, and Esme are stillpletely the same as the day we''ve met you guys. Anyway, you were interested in Dorothy''s case?"


    "Right¡­" Dorothy raised an eyebrow as she looked at Riley, "...Shouldn''t you be in the Academy handling things?"


    "I haven''t been the Headmaster of the Academy for a long time, Dorothy," Riley shook his head, "I''ve left that to others. I have¡­


    ¡­other things keeping me busy."


    "Renna and Lucy, huh?" Dorothy sighed, "Fortunately for me, my only baby is the current case I have now ¡ª Automaton."


    And as soon as their conversation started to turn serious, Jake''s wife excused herself; bringing along her daughter with her.


    "I''ll leave you grown ups by yourselves," Jake''s wife said, "I''ll go chat with Liza. She''s at home, right?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded as he gestured to Jake''s wife to just go ahead, "She and Katrina changed schedulesst month."


    "Well, alright then ¡ª you guys enjoy with your talk."


    "Man¡­ I don''t know how you can handle it, Zero," Jake immediately shook his head and clicked his tongue as he looked at Riley, "You have two wives that live together happily?"


    "They are not my wives, Jake," Riley shook his head, "But yes, I suppose they are living happily."


    "I guess it helps that they''re variants of each other, huh? W¡ª"


    "Jake, stop it," Dorothy red at Jake, "We were talking about my case."


    "I thought you don''t like talking about your case."


    "Of course, I do ¡ª this is my only form of gossip," Dorothy scoffed before turning her attention to Riley, "Anyway, Automaton."


    "The abandoned androids," Riley whispered.


    "Sucks, right?" Dorothy let out a very long and deep sigh; even finished her ss of wine before shaking her head and letting out another sigh of frustration,


    "I mean, I know they''re not living things. I know they''re just robots ¡ª but they were literally made to emte, replicate, and act like the rest of us. And biologically, they''re almost alive. They grow old."


    "Makes you wonder why the World Government didn''t just shut them downpletely," Jake followed up with a sigh of his own, "Once they started getting abandoned when everyone could have children again, they should have fucking pulled the plug."


    "I would probably punch you by saying that¡­ but honestly, I think you''re right," Dorothy closed her eyes, "If you''ve seen the way they''re living there. It''s just¡­ inhumane. And fuck the World Government, they''ve been doing nothing but sitting on their pretty assess the past hundred years anyway ¡ª I don''t even know why they exist when everything is just running individually."


    "And why is the task force focusing on Automaton now, Dorothy?" And while Jake and Dorothy werementing the fate of the androids, Riley seemedpletely unconcerned, but curious at the same time.


    "You know how androids are specifically made with the Margrea Oath embedded into their brains?" Dorothy leaned closer to Riley so she could lower her voice, "Well¡­ justst month, one started to show signs of violence. There are millions of androids ¡ª imagine if they all started to be violent."


    "Do you need help then, Dorothy?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "Do you want me to wipe them all out?"


    "God, no¡­" Dorothy dropped her head, "...You''re Paragon, Zero. If you do that, I don''t know what sort of mess would follow. That kind of bacsh would turn into riots. If you wish to help, then juste see them ¡ª you did help them migrate to that ce, no. You didn''t just help them¡­


    ¡­you basically created their entire civilization, Zero."


    ***


    One would expect the city of Androids to look as futuristic or advanced as possible ¡ª but no. It looked old, almost like a slum, even. After all, what Dorothy said was true ¡ª the androids were made to replicate life as much as possible¡­


    ¡­and what is life if it was abandoned?


    And now, as Riley chose to visit the city,nding at the very center of the deste and poor street, the androids who were just wasting their lives either walking aimlessly or sitting aimlessly all turned their eyes toward him.


    Most of them were just skin and bones, perhaps a detriment ofpletely being cursed with life. Most of them were humans, while the minority were of the other races ¡ª but there were no differences between them; right now, they all just stopped whatever it was they were doing as they very slowly approached Riley; whispers, soon starting to escape their dried lips.


    "Paragon¡­"


    "You''ve¡­e back for us."


    "Please¡­ please help us, Paragon."


    "Please¡­ just end our existence."


    And as Riley heard each and every breath of theirs filled with sorrow and regret, the only thing Riley could really do was shake his head and raise his hand.


    "Okay," Riley then whispered, "I will end¡ª"


    [Boss, please wait!]


    And before Riley could actually do anything, a metallic figure suddenly shot out from his chest; or more specifically, from the tablet that was hidden within his pockets.


    "Ahor Zai," Riley looked at the small figure, "It has been a very long time since Ist saw you."


    [It took me a while to crack everything that has happened in thest 600 years since most of their history was lost, I''ve only managed toplete it now,] Ahor Zai stretched her arms to the side, almost as if she was trying to prevent Riley from erasing the androids, [Please¡­ you have to listen to what I have to say. But first¡­]


    Ahor Zai then started looking around before just suddenly diving down through the ground. And when she emerged, she emerged into a figure extremely familiar to Riley --- Aerith''s figure.


    "Interesting¡­


    ¡­why would you choose that form, Ahor Zai?"

 Chapter 995 995: The Messiah

    Chapter 995  995: The Messiah


    ??Automaton.


    The City of Androids ¡ª or as the rest of the world knows it, the city of sin. With no one hiring them, with no one even wanting to be with them, the androids have resorted to different entric jobs; cage fighting, servantry, prostitution, and even a life of crime.


    But that wasn''t the reason why it was known as the city of sin, no. It was known that way not because of what the androids have done to survive, it was named like so because of what the rest of the world had done to them; as soon as the moment came that they were no longer needed, the world abandoned them almost instantly.


    They are the New World''s greatest sin.


    They were made to replicate life itself ¡ª one needed to go on an extensive background check and evaluation just to be able to purchase one, because one was not buying an android as an adult, they were buying them as newborns.


    To abandon something¡ªno, to abandon someone who you had spent several lifetimes with just because you can already create life on your own¡­ what is that if not the greatest sin?


    Something was wrong with the New World, and ironically, Riley knew that. He knew that the very first time he was introduced to the Reserve system of the New World, where only one variant could live in the outside world and the other variants had to be hidden away to live in a secretmunity.


    And ironically, Riley, the singr greatest viin the entire multiverse had ever witnessed, was the main person who was there for the androids when they started losing their homes and families.


    It was weird, after all. The androids are literally not living beings, and for some reason, Riley¡­ truly empathized with them. Perhaps it was more akin to him being more protective of things; his cutlery collection, his cages, his clothes and other things.


    Things that were made with passion should be treated with passion, and the androids were just that.


    And now that he was seeing how they were wasting away, the only thing that Riley could really do was finally give them the gift of nothingness, give them their end.


    "Please, listen to me first!"


    But now, after 16 years of not showing herself, Ahor Zai emerged from the nothingness in the form of Aerith.


    "Interesting¡­ why would you choose that form, Ahor Zai?"


    "So that you would listen to me."


    Just a second; it would have only taken just another second to eradicate all the androids if Ahor Zai had not leaped out the moment she did.


    "Aerith, the Evaniels, Queen Adel¡­ and the others," Ahor Zai raised both her hands, "If you''re trying to wait for them to find you, they won''t and they never will. There''s aw that states that they can''t go near the New World¡­


    ¡­and that includes your sister, Riley."


    "Okay," Riley tilted his head to the side before looking at Ahor Zai from head to toe; her figure and everything else, exactly the same as Aerith when Rileyst saw her. Right now, Silvie truly looked like Aerith from head to toe, but there was still something different about the way Aerith looked, and Ahor Zaipletely replicated that.


    "Okay¡­?" Ahor Zai let out a small sigh while shaking her head, "I just told you that your sister or Aerith might have wanted to see you, but they can''t because there was some sort of treaty they made with the gods."


    "So, you are saying that throughout the time we have been here ¡ª Aerith and Hannah might have wanted to make contact with me?"


    "Yes," Ahor Zai nodded, "That is exactly what I wanted to say. You have made yourself known throughout the New World to the point that anyone who knew you would have already made contact with you, Riley. It''s just¡ª"


    "And what does that have to do with what I am about to do right now, Ahor Zai?" Riley looked away from Ahor Zai, once again meeting the lifeless eyes of the android very slowly gathering around them.


    "...Nothing," Ahor Zai blinked a couple of times as she stared at the poor androids, "I¡­ but please don''t kill them. As someone who was made the same, I don''t want to see¡ª"


    "Okay."


    "...Okay?" Ahor Zai raised an eyebrow.


    "Okay," Riley then just shrugged as he started making his way through the dpidated streets of Automaton ¡ª and as he did so, several trees and nts started to emerge from the ground; their houses which were made with recycled metals and wood, turning into full-fledged houses and buildings in the time it would take one to let out a breath. The androids who were seeing this could really only gasp as they looked at Riley, some of them kneeling on the dirty ground as soon as he walked past them¡ªno. The ground they were kneeling on was not dirty for long as Riley paved it and almost turned it into marble.


    "Why¡­ are you helping them?" Ahor Zai flew beside Riley as he started improving the homes of the androids.


    "You told me not to kill them," Riley once again shrugged, "And as the person who was responsible for bringing them to this ce, that makes me liable for them ¡ª and I do not want things that I own to be in this sorry condition."


    "W¡­ wow," Ahor Zai then started looking at herself, "So, being in Aerith''s form really does wonders. I should stay like this from now on."


    Riley continued to walk across the city of Androids, turning what was once a slum into a city worthy of being inhabited by Androids.


    "Paragon¡­ Paragon!"


    And as soon as he was done, the androids once again all bent their knees for him; even those who couldn''t even see him were kneeling behind their walls.


    "The Great Paragon!" An old android; face covered in wrinkles and beard almost reaching his chest, approached Riley with his head down and palms pointing at their great messiah, "You¡­ you have returned. You have not forsaken us, unlike our creators."


    "Hm," Riley just shrugged while scanning the city he just created, "I have always wanted to build a terrarium again, this is much better than thest one I made since they were only stuck inside a small building ¡ª you do not have to thank me, Old Android."


    "Please, do not be so humble," the android let out a breath as he bowed his head; the audible sound of metal scratching each other, whispering from the old android''s spine, "W¡ª!!!"


    And before the old android could finish his words, he felt his back be lighter as Riley removed all the impurities and rust that could have possibly formed inside the old android''s body.


    "Thank you, thank you!"


    "Rise, Old Android," Riley shook his head, "I did not fix you so you could just lower your head again. From now on, please prevent yourself from bowing your head."


    "That¡­" The Old Android took in a very long and deep breath as he looked Riley in the eyes, "Message well received, my lord."


    "Hm," Riley just shrugged. He was about to turn around and leave just like that, but the old android seemed to want to say something else.


    "If¡­ If I may be so rude to ask, my lord ¡ª but what¡­who is that beside you?" The old android turned to look at Ahor Zai.


    "The Codex."


    "The¡­ Codex?" Not only the old android, but the other androids who were gathered around Riley and Ahor Zai were looking at Ahor Zai.


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "To exin, she is practically your god."


    "Boss¡­!?" Ahor Zai''s eyes started to widen as she looked back and forth between the old android and Riley, "I''m not¡ª"


    "Our god¡­" The old android''s eyes started to glimmer, "...Our god is serving Paragon? Paragon¡­ Paragon!"


    "Wait, I think there''s been a misunderstanding!" Ahor Zai wanted to rebuke the old android''s words, but before she could do so, Riley just started flying away; nonchntly leaving Automaton as if he didn''t justpletely changed their lives,


    "Wait¡­ Riley, wait for me!"


    ***


    "What the¡­ Mr. Lucifer!? Why are you wearing the women''s uniform!?"


    "Because I am trying to prove that I am the more beautiful offspring, Instructor."


    Back in the Hero Academy, Lucy was once again causing a ruckus as he entered his ss wearing a woman''s uniform ¡ª his sister''s uniform, to be specific. But since he was taller than his sister, the skirt was almost only inches away from exposing his butt.


    Of course, Lucy''s female ssmates liked this, they just pretended not to while covering their faces as Lucy walked toward his desk despite their instructor''s reprimand.


    "Pst, Lucy. I didn''t know you were gay," one of his ssmates from the backughed.


    "I''m not," Lucy flicked his long, silky white hair as he scoffed.


    "You''re wearing women''s clothes, that makes you gay!"


    "If something like this is enough to make you homosexual, my dear friend¡­" Lucy crossed his legs before turning to look at the student talking to him, "...Then I am afraid you are quitecking in masculinity in the first ce."


    "W¡ª"


    "Don''t you think so too, my beautiful seatmate?" Lucy then reached his hand out toward the girl next to him, cing his finger on her chin and looking her in the eyes, "You are quite lucky, you know ¡ª you''re still alive."


    "W¡­ what?"


    "Y¡ª"


    "Enough!" The instructor truly wanted to destroy the entire ssroom but just prevented himself from doing so as he took in a very deep and long breath. And after a few seconds, he pointed at the door, "Someone enrolledte and our ss is the only room that has space left, so¡­


    ¡­go introduce yourself before everyone loses their minds."


    A new student entered the ssroom and walked in front of the ss. Lucy, however, did not seem to care at all as he was still holding the girl''s chin.


    "What the¡­" The girl, however, quickly removed her face from Lucy''s finger as soon as she saw the boy who was introducing himself in front of the ss. She then turned to look at Lucy again before just starting to look back and forth between them.


    It wasn''t only her, the other students were doing it too.


    Lucy tilted his head as he noticed this before finally turning to look at the new student introducing himself,


    "Oh¡­?"


    "I like flying around. I''ve visited severals before but this is the first time I am probably staying on one. I''ve never had friends before, so¡ª"


    "Interesting."


    "Mr. Lucifer! Return to your seat!"


    Everyone then watched as Lucy suddenly leaped out from his seat and stood in front of the new student¡­


    ¡­who had the same exact skin and hair color as him.

 Chapter 996 996: Paragons Children

    Chapter 996  996: Paragon''s Children


    ??"Mr. Lucifer, please get back to your seat this instant! And stop iling your skirt¡ªyou know what, go change first ande back!"


    "Silence, Instructor ¡ª this person who might be rted to me and I are staring at each other''s eyes, quite intensely at that."


    And it is as Lucy said, he was currently looking the new student directly in the eyes, and the new student was returning his gaze seemingly with even more weight. Lucy''s eyes were inquisitive, while the new student''s eyes were just curious and perhaps a little excited.


    "Speak, Apparition ¡ª why dost thou look like me?" Lucy then started walking around the new student; even spinning in ce and letting his skirt and long white hair to flutter and wave with the wind, causing the female students to almost yelp.


    "Really? Do we look alike?" The new student just smiled as he turned his head to watch Lucy spin around him, "I''d argue you look more like a girl, even without the uniform."


    "It''s called being androgynous, look it up," Lucy crossed his arms before standing in front of the new student and looking at him from head to toe.


    The new student had pale skin and even whiter hair. He was much taller than Lucy, and no one could argue he was more manly too with his broad shoulders and chiseled jaw; his hair was also a little spiky while still being smoothly pulled back, with just several strands splitting his forehead. His white eyebrows were quite thicker too.


    Suffice it to say, the female students of ss V were having a field day, with two abnormally beautiful specimens of men standing right in front of them. As for the instructor, well, he had already given up and just sat at his desk, waiting for this fiasco to just be over.


    "Speak your name, inferior copy of mine," Lucy covered half his face.


    "I''m¡­ Arthas," the new student, Arthas, did not really know whether tough or back away as Lucy seemed to be looking into the deepest parts of his body.


    "Arthas, Ah ¡ª of course," Lucy let out a very small but very deep sigh while shaking his head, "I am¡ª"


    "Lucifer," Arthas answered for Lucy as he reached out his arm, "Named after the biblical devil of one of the old civilizations."


    "Wait, really?" Lucy blinked a couple of times as he once again looked Arthas in the eyes. But after a few seconds, he just once again let out a sigh, "Of course, Katrina ¡ª truly, my entricity borrows deep from her."


    "Oh, so Katrina Collins is your mother?" Arthas smiled.


    "It would seem you know about me, as expected."


    "Of course," Arthas smiled, still keeping his hand stretched, "You''re my brother, after all."


    "Ah," Lucy shook Arthas''s hand while covering his face with his free hand, "To reveal it so nonchntly and casually, as expected of our Father''s bloodline ¡ª I take it you are Aerith''s son?"


    "Yes," Arthas just shrugged.


    "Cool, cool," Lucy then tightened his grip on Arthas''s hand, "Does that mean you''re stronger than me?"


    "If I was a girl, probably ¡ª but I''m a man," Arthas only nced at his hand as Lucy started gripping it tight.


    "Hm¡­" Lucy then once again looked Arthas in the eyes as a small smile started to crawl on his face, "Then¡­


    ¡­would you like to see Renna?"


    "Sure," Arthas smiled back.


    "Very well," Lucy then let out a small chuckle as he pulled Arthas closer to him and then ced his arm over his shoulder; Lucy''s feet, not touching the floor at all as he started walking away with Arthas, "Come, my brother from another mother ¡ª let us leave these foolish mortals for they will be naught in just a few years."


    "You talk funny," Arthas also chuckled, "I''ve always wondered what my younger siblings would be like, I''ve only ever met Karina."


    "Karina¡­?" Lucy breathed out, "That''s like our oldest, no? She¡­"


    "Mr. Lucifer! Mr. Luci¡ªAgh, why do I even try¡­" And with that, the instructor could not really do anything but just watch as Lucy just left the ss before it could even start, even bringing along the new student with him,


    "...But, another one of Paragon''s children? Just¡­


    ¡­how many children does he actually have? Wait¡­ am I Paragon''s child?"


    ***


    "Nannah! Nannah!"


    "What? What? H, please calm down."


    "Where the fuck did Riley''s spawn go!? We weren''t done training!"


    Somewhere in the almost infinite expanse of the Universe, Hannah was running inside a silver ship; her face¡­


    pletely unchanged by time. And it wasn''t only her, even Nannah retained her youthful vigor, the only thing different between them was their hairstyles. Hannah was wearing herspletely down and letting it just slide on her back, while Nannah''s hair was tied in the end as it went around to the front to fall on her chest.


    And perhaps their hairstyles were a reflection of their temperament ¡ª Nannah now held a more mature flow in her movements, while Hannah still retained her explosive temperament. How could she not, when another Riley just entered their lives as soon as Arthas was born?


    Arthas was normal for the most part, not as normal as Karina, but normal. But here was, however, just something about him that was¡­ eerily simr to Riley. Something¡­ off.


    "Arthas?" Nannah, who was fixing something on the ship, left whatever it was she was fixing as she approached the fuming Hannah, "She''s with Karina thest I checked."


    "And where''s Karina? No, you know what¡­ where the fuck is Aerith?"


    "...Which one?"


    "You know which one!" Hannah stomped her foot on the ship, "The one whose responsibility it is to take care of her child! My god, that woman shouldn''t really be having children!"


    "She''s with Mom, remember?" Nannah sighed, "With their quest or something."


    "Fuck, was that today?"


    "...It wasst week, they''ve been gone for a week, H," Nannah squinted her eyes as she looked at Hannah from head to toe, even pointing the wrench she was holding at her, "Are you alright? Maybe you need to take some time to rest, maybe visit some other uninhabited? I can take care of the ship on my own, you know."


    "What, no¡­" Hannah scoffed while shaking her head, "...And what about the other¡­ Aerith?"


    "You mean your niece."


    "Just¡­ where is she?"


    "She went with Mom and Aerith."


    "Why didn''t you just say that earlier?" Hannah rolled her eyes out, "What about Katherine? Any other fucking adult in this ship besides us?"


    "Hey, that''s not fair ¡ª Karina''s an adult now, she''s lived her 600 years like the rest of us."


    "And where is she?"


    "Like I told you, she''s with her brother."


    "And where¡ªCan you just tell me where they are, please?"


    "Oh, uh¡­" Nannah squinted her eyes as she ced her hand on her chin, "...I think they were headed to your quarters?"


    "What!?"


    And there, Nannah just watched as Hannah flew away; almost causing the rms and anti-fire to go off as she disappeared into the wide corridors of the ship.


    "Welp, good luck to them," Nannah just shrugged before fixing her hair and returning to whatever it was she was fixing.


    "Nannah!"


    Before she could actually get to fixing whatever it was she was fixing again, however, Hannah''s loud shriek echoed throughout the entire ship.


    "Get here, now!"


    "...Right," Nannah just let out a small but very deep sigh as she dropped her wrench and everything she was doing to rush toward Hannah''s room, "H, this better be worth it because I was supposed to be fixing¡ªOh crap, we''re fucked."


    As soon as she entered Hannah''s room, however, her eyes quickly widened as she saw a video of Riley in the New World being yed and projected onto Hannah''s wall.


    "Did¡­ do you think Karina and Arthas saw that?" Nannah nervously chuckled as she pointed at the video.


    "What do you think!?" Hannah screamed as she grabbed arge bag and started packing her things.


    "Why do you even fucking have videos of Rileyying around!?" Nannah''s calm facade instantly broke away as she pointed at the projector, "And you''re ying it on a big screen ¡ª and I''m the one with a problem!?"


    "That¡ªI''m just checking if he''s doing some evil shit there!" Hannah quickly rushed to turn off the projector, "And that doesn''t matter."


    "What do you mean it doesn''t matter!? Of course, it fucking does!" Nannah bellowed, "And what are you even doing!? Are you actually thinking of going to the New World!?"


    "Where else!?" Hannah also screamed, "Fuck! Katherine''s probably also there, fuck! Everything''s a mess."


    "You know we can''t go there, H!"


    "And neither can they! If they find out that they''re there and they broke the pact¡­ they might kill them."


    "...That''s not going to happen, Riley''s there."


    "Exactly," Hannah stopped packing her things as she stood in front of Nannah and grabbed her cheeks while looking her straight in the eyes,


    "Riley''s there. What do you think will happen¡­


    ¡­if someone tries to harm his children?"

 Chapter 997 997: ...Huh?

    Chapter 997  997: ...Huh?


    ??"Renna!"


    "What the¡­"


    "No, not here. Let us make our way to the next room, my brother from another mother."


    "...Right."


    Lucy and Arthas have been making their way through the hallways of the Hero Academy, with Lucy just tantly opening rooms without even any regard for anyone else. He does not even stop or pause to acknowledge the ss he has interrupted before moving on to the next one.


    As for Arthas, he was just shrugging his shoulders each time before following behind Lucy with a smile on his face; he was even letting out a small chuckle here and there.


    "Renna, are you in this ss!?"


    "Who¡ª"


    "s, perhaps you and Renna are truly not just fated to meet," Lucy shut the door of the ss before the instructor could even utter another word.


    "Maybe we should just return to ss and wait for the school to end?" Arthas suggested, "This is my first day, and it might also be myst, after all ¡ª I want to experience it."


    "No," Lucy started wagging his finger, "If this is your first andst day in Hero Academy, then you should, at the very least, experience skipping a ss ¡ª after all, sses are made to be skipped."


    "Really¡­?" Arthas raised an eyebrow.


    "Indeed, why would they make the doors freely openable for everyone if it was not?" Lucy nodded to himself.


    "But shouldn''t we be learning how to be a hero?" Arthas turned to look at thest ssroom they disturbed.


    "If you need to learn to be a hero, then that means you are not," Lucy once again ced his arm over Arthas''s broad shoulders; Lucy''s feet, floating from the ground while his short skirt fluttered with the wind, "Anyway, I suppose you will never get to meet Renna. Perhaps that is for the best, your life will never be the same once you meet her."


    "Never be the same how?"


    "Ugh, I would not bother telling you all the horrible things you would experience," Lucy covered half his face as he looked at the ceiling, "Where do I even begin? I will not, as I said, you do not deserve to suffer ¡ª if fate wants you to meet her, you will. If only Renna and I had a twin connection, but sadly, we do not."


    "That is because we are not twins, Lucifer."


    "!!!"


    Lucy quickly went behind Arthas and hid behind him as soon as he heard the emotionless tone of Renna''s voice.


    "Why do you insist on sneaking up on me, you witch!" Lucy pointed at Renna while still hiding behind Arthas, "Quick, Arthas! Make yourself unfriendly as soon as you can!"


    "Hi," and despite Lucy''s shenanigans, Arthas just smiled as he reached his hand out to Renna, "My name''s Arthas. I''m your¡ª"


    "Brother," Renna just blinked as she looked at Arthas''s hand, "And forgive me for not shaking your hand."


    "Do not forgive her, Arthas!" Lucy then spun as he left Arthas''s back and pointed at Renna, "That woman does not like holding things she dislikes, that means she dislikes you!"


    "No," Renna shook her head as she looked Arthas in the eyes, "I have only really known you for 17.4 seconds ¡ª that is not enough time to even form an opinion about you, Arthas."


    "No, 17.4 seconds is enough time to formte and create an entire life story. Do not believe her words," Lucy covered half his face again while shaking his head; his long, white silky hair, moving almost like a snake as he did so, "She dislikes you since she is not holding your hand!"


    "The only reason I am not holding his hand is that he has been around you," Renna turned to look at Lucy, "And I do not know where you have dipped yourself into, Lucy."


    "The¡­ two of you seem really close," Arthas could really only let out a small chuckle as he looked at the two almost identical half-siblings.


    "It is inevitable," Lucy nodded.


    "Unfortunately so," while Renna closed her eyes, "And forgive me if this may sound slightly pugnacious, it is not ¡ª but why are you here, Arthas?"


    "I wanted to meet Father, but most importantly, I wanted to meet the two of you," Arthas smiled as he looked at Renna and Lucy, "I don''t think it''s right that we haven''t met each other."


    "Then I apologize that you had to meet Lucifer first," Renna let out a small breath before the tone of her voice once again became monotonous, "I am afraid that I would have to cut our conversation short, however, as I still have ss and only went out when I found out that Lucifer has been disrupting the entire Academy ¡ª again, and we had only been here for less than a week."


    "Then, we''ll meetter?" Arthas smiled.


    "Since it is a weekend tomorrow, we can go back to the house so you can meet our parents," Renna nodded as she turned around, "And I assume that your mother is with you, Arthas?"


    "Yes, Karina''s here as well¡­ somewhere," Arthas nodded as he waved Renna goodbye.


    "Our eldest sister?" Renna blinked a couple of times, "I would very much like to meet her. But for now, please¡­"


    And with those words, Renna just bowed her head and left. However, she did not even take 3 steps forward before she nced at Lucy.


    "And do not think that I am ignoring the fact that you are wearing my uniform, Lucifer ¡ª wait until we get home and I will burn that dress with you still in it," and with those words, Renna left.


    "Be very wary of her, Arthas." And as soon as she was gone, Lucy just slid close to Arthas while whispering in his ear, "She likes bossing people around."


    "From the stories of Mom and the others¡­" Arthas looked at Lucy, "...Is Renna the most like our dad?"


    "Ah, you utter words of sphemy, brother¡­" Lucy covered half his face again as he took several steps back, "...Our father is much cooler than her ¡ª but I would lie if I said they did not talk the same. The way their words whisper out from their mouths is quite simr in some aspects."


    "I¡­ see."


    "And I would like to believe that I have inherited our father''s ir for the dramatic," Lucy then grabbed the side of his skirt and iled it to the side while spinning in ce.


    "Our father¡­ wears women''s clothing?"


    "He might have," Lucy then shrugged.


    "Should¡­ we return to ss now?" Arthas blinked a couple of times as he looked around the empty hallway, "I''ve already experienced skipping ss."


    "If we return to ss, then we''ve merely hopped, my dear boy," Lucy let out a very long and deep sigh, "Come, let us just explore the campus and maybe visit the Association while we are waiting for Renna¡­


    ¡­Let us leave and experience the world of adults together!"


    ***


    A few hours filled with all sorts of nonsense and roaming around aimlesslyter, Riley''s children all left the Academy walking side by side¡­ before just flying straight back to Riley''s building and stopping by the restaurant.


    "Ah, Renna, Lucy ¡ª what brings the two of you here?" One of the waiters in the restaurant quickly weed the two as they entered the restaurant, "And you''re with a¡­ friend."


    "Is Father here, Mr. Habibi?" Renna bowed her head before scanning the restaurant. And as soon as the diners spotted them, the diners quickly stopped eating as some of them even waved their hands at the siblings. Renna ignored all of them, while Lucy gave them a graceful curtsy.


    "I''m afraid he went out," the waiter, Mr. Habibi, let out a small sigh while shaking his head, "I believe your mothers should be home, and Miss Esme too. I believe¡­ you have guests?"


    "Aunt Esme?" Renna''s emotionless eyes slightly glimmered as soon as she heard Esme''s name, "And¡­ guests?"


    "Ah," Arthas raised a finger, "That''s probably Aunt Kat and Karina."


    "Then let us waste no more time here," Lucy waved his hands at the diners as he stepped back, "I am on a diet, I shall not let the temptations of our father''s food lure me to indulgence."


    "Diet¡­?" Arthas could really only blink a couple of times as he followed Lucy out, "But¡­ I think you''re already fine."


    "Do not bother with him, Arthas," Renna shook her head, "Lucifer has this mission to be more beautiful than me, even though it is impossible as I am literally a woman and he is a man."


    "A mistake, my dear Renna¡­" Lucy scoffed as he covered half his face again, "...Nothing is impossible for Paragon''s children."


    "You still should not have been born, Lucifer."


    "Then you would be lonely, stop it ¡ª I do not want that fate for you, you have no friends as it is."


    "I do not need friends."


    Arthas could really only look back and forth between the two as he followed them; the smile on his face almost stuck there as he truly found the two amusing as they never stopped talking to each other ¡ª even when inside the elevator, the two would just have the most random topic.


    "Do you know that if you eat mostly eggs, you¡ª"


    "Renna!"


    Sadly, Arthas did not hear all of Lucy''s words as the elevator doors opened. And as soon as it did so, a small boy, barely the size of a chair, leaped into the elevator and onto Renna''s arms ¡ª and Renna very carefully caught him, caressing his short white hair while and wiping the small tears trailing on his pale white cheeks all the while embracing him tight.


    "Oh¡­" Lucy then noticed Arthas''s bewildered expression,


    "...That''s Enel, Aunt Esme''s little spawn¡­


    ¡­our youngest brother."


    "...Huh?"

 Chapter 998 998: The Mothers

    Chapter 998  998: The Mothers


    ??"Why is your hair so spiky? Do you put gel on it? Is it wax? Why is it not slimy?"


    "Oh my, this house hasn''t been this noisy since Lucy and Renna left for the Academy."


    "True, Renna never stops yapping her mouth ¡ª Oh, woe is me for being her not-twin."


    "You contribute to 90% of the noise pollution in this house, Lucifer."


    "Well, perhaps we can argue that little Enel here is now contributing to 60% of the noise pollution, my dear Renna."


    "He is a literal child, Lucifer ¡ª what is your excuse for even breathing so loudly?"


    "My lips are too beautiful not to move."


    After arriving inside Riley''s now incrediblyrge apartment suite, the noise inside the house has not ceased for even a single millisecond ¡ª it was chaos, but not the kind of chaos one would really one to stop.


    If anyone were to see all of them there, the people would just think that they were one big happy family having a reunion. And perhaps in a way, they are¡­ if you minus the fact that all the mothers there were impregnated by a single man.


    "Scarlet Mage¡­ I haven''t seen you for a very long time."


    Katherine was also there, any traces of being childishly naive like when she first met Riley, nowpletely drowned by the maturity oozing out from her every move and cadence. But although she was biologically closing into her 50s now, none of it showed on her face; even now, as she, Katrina, and Liza were on the counter discussing things, she just seemed a little older than the two.


    She looked older and more mature, but aside from her long silver hair somewhat making her older, she didn''t even look like a day over 30. She did, however, still look the oldest in the house.


    But it wasn''t only her that matured, Karina, who used to only know how to y pranks on other people, was eerily quiet as she just stared at Renna and Lucy. Unlike her mother, Karinapletely retained her youth, with the only thing different was her hair; bangs cover her forehead, elegantly dressed, almost professionally like how her mother used to be.


    Renna was also looking at her from time to time, but the two had not really exchanged any words with each other. In fact, Karina had not really exchanged any words with anyone ever since Lucy and the others arrived¡­


    ¡­Lucy was about to change that.


    "Enel¡­" Lucy stood up from the sofa and pulled Enel away from Arthas before just casually handing him back to Esme, who was just quietly watching the young ones interact with one another, "...Aunt Esme, I bring you back your little spawn."


    "N¡­ no fair!" Enel still seemed to want to stay in the living room with Lucy and the others, but Esme just smiled while dragging him away, "I¡­ I still want to y with my new big brother!"


    "You canter," Esme just shook her head; grabbing Enel by the neck as she went to the counter. But as soon as Liza saw that, she quickly rushed to get Enel from Esme.


    "Esme, how many times do we have to tell you not to carry him like that?" Liza could really only sigh as she cradled the little Enel.


    "Wow, boobies," Enel quickly sped onto Liza''s gigantic breasts and started snuggling it.It was weird, Esme was about 10 ft. tall, and yet Enel was the smallest of Riley''s children at his age.


    "It''s fine," Esme let out a small sigh as she grabbed Enel from Liza''s bosoms; the tone of her voice, although still containing a hint of monotony, now sounded more¡­ human ¡ª like what one would hear during thest parts of a radiomercial, "He is already stronger than most species on this, Liza."


    "I¡­ don''t think that''s her point," Katrina let out a small chuckle as she looked at Enel hanging by his neck, "But why is he so cute? I swear, I miss Lucifer being this small."


    "You really named your son Lucifer?" Katherine could not help but just join the conversation, tucking her silver hair behind her ear as she nced at the situation in the living room, which seemed to be slowly turning serious.


    "Please, let''s not discuss that," Liza rolled her eyes, "She thought it would be funny and registered it as a joke, she didn''t know she was already signing the legal papers."


    "You¡­ don''t have to tell that every time," Katrina could really only cover her face in embarrassment.


    "I very much think it is a cool name, Katrina," Esme put her thumbs up before turning to look at Katherine, "And I believe this is the first time we will be meeting? Or did you perhaps see me while I was still in my ghoulish state?"


    "I¡­ believe so," Katherine nodded her head as she focused on Esme, "I wanted my daughter as far away from the war as possible, the war with King. My name''s Katherine, I''m¡ª"


    "Riley''s first sexual partner," Esme shook Katherine''s hand, "Perhaps we have you to thank for the pleasurable experience that Riley has given us."


    "Okay¡­" Liza quickly got over the counter to cover Enel''s ear; she did not seem to need to, however, as Enel fell asleep despite that chatter going on around the house, "...Let''s not reveal things we would be regrettingter on."


    "Why would I regret it? And Miss Pepondosovich says a lot more vulgar things around my son," Esme let out a small sigh, "I have only wanted a child, and the only person I could think of who would be able to give me a good offspring was Riley ¡ª but he gave me more than that with his thick¡ª"


    "Stop, stop," Liza once again covered Enel''s ears, while Katrina justughed.


    "It''s sort of weird and bizarre at the same time, no?" Katrina then let out a hearty sigh as she looked at the three mothers in front of her, "We''re just casually talking together like this, even though the father of our children is the same person. The only one missing is Megawoman herself."


    "Silvie also has a child with Riley¡­?" Katherine''s eyes turned wide.


    "What? No ¡ª I meant the Megawoman... Aerith? Our Megawoman?" Katrina shook her head before ncing at Arthas.


    "Oh, I see," Katherine let out a sigh of relief, "I heard Silvie''s known as Megawoman now, so¡­"


    "How are you so casual about all of this?" Liza then left the counter as she started preparing coffee, "I know that we''ve all somewhat be numb after 600 years, but you''re still Riley''s first romantic partner. And¡­ Kat here sort of overshared that you were¡­ well, madly in love with Riley."


    "The 600 years have nothing to do with how casual I am," Katherine shook her head; her voice, slightly turning quiet, "I''ve always known Riley''s world is bigger than mine, much bigger. It¡­


    ¡­it would have never been me, it was just my turn then."


    "That''s¡­ the same exact thing I felt," Liza momentarily stopped preparing coffee as she nced at Katherine.


    "Not me," Katrina let out a small scoff, "To be reunited after 600 years, and with such coincidence too¡­ I think Riley and I are just meant to be, you know?"


    "Please," Liza shook her head, "Stop being delusional, we''re concubines. Riley really only has eyes for Aerith."


    "Hm¡­" Katherine just closed her eyes and breathed in as she heard Liza''s words, "...That''s Riley."


    "Hm¡­" Both Katrina and Liza also took in a deep breath, with only Esme just seemingly unaffected as she ced Enel on top of the counter.


    "Anyway¡­" Liza brought the coffee mugs to the counter, "...Are you and your daughter nning to live here? I can help with the papers. Her name''s¡­ Karina, right?"


    "I¡­ didn''t really want toe here," Katherine shook her head, "But she and Arthas discovered that their father was here ¡ª I didn''t really have a choice but to go with them, I''m not leaving Arthas alone with Karina; even after 600 years, I still see her as this¡­ bumbling little¡ª"


    "What did you say!?"


    "...Karina!?"


    And before the mothers could all turn their heads toward the living room to try and see how their children were doing, both Renna and Lucy suddenly rushed out of their seats and stood between the kitchen and the living room, while Arthas seemedpletely confused as he slowly made his way to Renna and Lucy''s side.


    As for Karina, she was still just peacefully sitting on the sofa; finally opening her mouth as she looked at Renna and Lucy.


    "I said one of us is going to cause the end of this universe," Karina then let out a small but very deep sigh as she looked at Renna and Lucy before turning to nce at Enel, "I know it''s not me, and I hope it''s not Arthas ¡ª so it could really only be you three, and from our mothers...


    ¡­and I am betting it''s Enel. He¡­


    ¡­is Nothing."

 Chapter 999 999: 999 Problems

    Chapter 999  999: 999 Problems


    ??"Enel is the one who will end this Universe. Enel is¡­ Nothing."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Such rudeness, as expected of one of father''s earliest offspring."


    There was a somewhat hostile silence brewing in the air, only lightened up by Lucy as he pointed right at Karina''s face, looking her in the eyes before just randomly walking around her while humming the original soundtrack of his favorite TV show.


    "To call our youngest sibling nothing, why would you utter such nonsense for someone who is supposed to be so old?" Lucy scoffed as he stood right in front of Karina; cing his hands in his pockets before nting his forehead on Karina''s forehead; pushing her bangs away, "Of course, he is nothing ¡ª he is a child, not even 5 years old yet."


    "...What are you saying?" Karina could really only lean her head away and take a step back, "I meant he is Nothing."


    "Rude," Lucy slightly raised his head to look down on Karina, "I admit that you are more beautiful than Renna, but I will not allow you to treat our youngest like that ¡ª I am the only one allowed to antagonize and discriminate against our siblings in this family."


    "Some of thosements are unnecessary, Lucifer," Renna just nkly looked at Lucy''s back, "And if she is more beautiful than me, then you are also admitting that she is more beautiful than you."


    "sphemy!" Lucy turned his finger to Renna, "I knew it, the female species would always take each other''s side! Arthas,e forth ¡ª you are my only ally here."


    "You guys¡­" Karina squinted her eyes as she looked back and forth between Renna and Lucy, "...Could it be you don''t know who Nothing is?"


    "Ah," Lucy covered half his face, "So, it was a name ¡ª forgive my brief journey across nipoopishnd."


    "That is not a word, Lucifer."


    "It is now," Lucy scoffed before crossing his arms, "The dictionary has no choice but to add every word I say. And you ¡ª oldest sister, cease your hostility at once!"


    "Can your retarded ass just calm down for a little bit? Just dial it down a notch for me, okay?" Karina slightly groaned as she ced her hands on her waist, "My god, and I used to believe I was weird. Arthas, back me up here. Tell them who Nothing is."


    "I¡­ have no idea who that is?" Arthas only scratched his chin as Renna and Lucy looked at him.


    "Aerith didn''t tell you?" Karina breathed out in disbelief as she looked at the confused expression on Arthas''s face.


    "No¡­?" Arthas squinted his eyes.


    "Wh¡ª"


    "I think the better question here is, how do you know about Nothing, sweetie?"


    And before Karina could finish her words, Lucy and the others found her suddenly standing straight as her mother, Katherine, finally approached them with the other mothers,


    "And why would Aerith even tell you about something like that? I haven''t even seen you have a serious conversation with her in the past 600 years."


    "N¡­ no, not Aunt Aerith ¡ª Aerith Aerith," Karina shook her head as she sighed, "Arthas''s younger sister."


    "Huh¡­?" "We were not informed that we have another younger sister, Karina." Both Lucy and Renna looked at each other.


    "No¡­" Karina pinched the bridge of her nose, "...She''s Arthas''s sister from the future."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Aha, you jest," Lucy let out a sigh of relief before chuckling, "I did not know that the firstborn is capable of making jokes ¡ª I have to admit, it is not very funny but I will stillugh because I am a very considerate person."


    "Time travel?" Renna ced her hand on her chin, "Traveling to the future is possible, it is what happened to Father and the others ¡ª but traveling to the future has always been possible, we are doing it even now ¡ª I believe Father, Aunt Miss Pepondosovich, and Aunt Esme were merely trapped inside some sort of pocket dimension in space where they felt time pass quickly. The three of them are ageless, after all¡­


    ¡­But traveling back to the past? I believe that is impossible."


    "It''s already happened," Karina shrugged while shaking her head, "If you''ve met Aerith''Ross, you would know she''s from the future. She looks almost identical to Aunt Aerith while carrying some physical traits from Dad."


    "It is not my intention to question the integrity of your knowledge, Big Sister¡­" Renna shook her head, "...But how can you truly confirm that Aerith''Ross is from the future¡­


    ¡­and not just some special variant of Aunt Aerith who wishes to cause confusion and chaos?"


    "Because he knows about Dad ¡ª Dad is a singr existence in the entirety of all Creation."


    "My mother knows about our Father, she is not from your original universe," Renna shook her head, "There is a high possibility she already knew about Father from other sources ¡ª traveling to the past is impossible¡­


    ¡­And I believe it to be more wise to question Aerith''Ross''s existence instead of believing it. Unless there is definitive, indubitable, irrefutable, and indisputable proof ¡ª you should refuse to believe it true, Big Sister."


    "You just used four words with the same meaning, Renna," Lucy let out a loud breath as he pointed at Renna, but he waspletely ignored.


    "Because Jennifer, Paige''s future counterpart, is also with her and she is aware of the prophecy and¡ªyou know what, I''m not gonna exin this," Karina just let out a small sigh before turning to look at Enel, who was soundly asleep even while being carried by Esme around his neck,


    "You know what, whether it is real or not, I think it still doesn''t change the fact that out of all of us ¡ª Enel would be the most capable of destroying thest vestige of life. Born from the strongest variant of Aunt Esme and Dad."


    "Uhm¡­" Arthas raised his hand to join the conversation, "...Although I have no idea what''s happening right now, except your mom and our two other aunts, everyone in this room is capable of killing, ending everyone. I think it''ll only be a question of¡­


    ¡­why would any of us do that?"


    "Because we are our father''s children," Karina closed her eyes and sighed before backing away and returningfortably to her seat as if she had not just revealed some crucial things to everyone, "Someone among us is bound to have inherited his¡ª"


    "Who wants some mango jelly milk!?"


    And before Karina could finish her words, Katrina suddenly pped her hands; even using her wind abilities to amplify the noise and causing everyone to just turn toward her.


    "Aaah! Me!"


    And with Lucy raising his hand, Karina lost all chance to say what she wanted to say. But of course, she also did not fail to notice that Katrina did it purposely.


    "I¡­ see," Karina nodded her head as her eyes met with Katrina''s. She then turned to look at Lucy, who was dragging Arthas to the kitchen. Enel also woke up as soon as he heard milk; quickly struggling and releasing himself from his mother''s grasp, "You guys¡­


    ¡­are really lucky."


    "Do you hate us, Big Sister?" The only one who did not follow Lucy to the kitchen was Renna, who chose to stay and sit just a meter apart from Karina. Katherine was about to console her daughter, but as soon as she saw Renna, she just held what she was going to say forter and followed the others to the kitchen, leaving the two sisters alone.


    "Why¡­ would I hate you?" Karina meekly said as she shook her head.


    "Because Father was there for us," Renna looked to the floor. And although the tone of her voice was still quite monotonous, there was a hint of hesitation in them, "I have asked Father about you several times, Big Sister ¡ª and I know that you have been neglected because of the circumstances of your birth."


    "That¡­" Karina could really only look at Renna, "...Your name''s Rennalyn, right?"


    "Yes," Renna nodded her head, "But please call me Renna, I and everyone else have already been ustomed to that, Big Sister."


    "You talk like Dad, it''s creepy."


    "I apologize, Big Sister."


    "Psh, no. It''s fine," Karina chuckled, "That''s quite lucky, honestly ¡ª the thing I inherited from Dad is this wide mouth"


    Karina then stretched her lips into a smile with her fingers as she tilted her head and faced Renna. Renna, however, only blinked a couple of times as she stared at Karina.


    "Yes, you are very beautiful, Big Sister," Renna nodded.


    "That''s¡­ not what I¡­" Karina looked awkwardly at the emotionless Renna before just letting out a small giggle, "Well, Renna ¡ª you asked me if I was envious, and I suppose¡­ yes and no?"


    "Yes and No?" Renna tucked her hair behind her ear as she subtly sat closer to Karina, "What do you mean by that, Big Sister?"


    "I would be lying if I said I wasn''t envious of the two of you¡ª


    three of you growing up with Dad, because I am, you know? I''ve always wondered what it would have been like," Karina stretched her legs forward as she rxed her back on the sofa, "But at the same time¡­


    ¡­I was surrounded by the Universe''s greatest people growing up. I can''t really ask for more than that."


    "Then when you said we were lucky, what did you mean by that?" Renna blinked a couple of times, "I am taking a guess that it is not because we grew up with Father, Big Sister."


    "You¡­ don''t need to know just yet," Karina''s eyes slightly wavered while shaking her head, "You have hundreds of years, heck ¡ª we''ll have thousands of years. You''ll find out more about Dad eventually sooner orter¡­ what he did, what he was. But knowing that, you could probably just ask him and he''ll answer you quite honestly - I''m sure you''re fully aware of what he''s like."


    "Did you want to ask me something, Renna?"


    And as soon as Karina finished his words, the door to the terrace suddenly opened up. And there, Riley just casually entered the living room from the outside,


    "And Karina, I suppose it has been a very long time for you since west met?"


    "D¡­


    ¡­Dad?"

 Chapter 1000 1000: The Father, The Son, The Two Other Sons, The Two Daughters, and the Holy Spirit

    Chapter 1000  1000: The Father, The Son, The Two Other Sons, The Two Daughters, and the Holy Spirit


    ??"Dad¡­"


    Karina promised herself that she wouldn''t even feel anything when she saw Riley. After all, for as long as she could remember, Riley had never really been present in her life. Even not ounting for the 600 years, he was never around. Riley is nothing but the provider of the sperm that made her ¡ª he was supposed to be nothing for him.


    And yet right now, as she sees him for the first time in what could be considered an eternity for her, the only thing she could do was awkwardly fidget around the sofa she was sitting on.


    "Father, wee back from your expedition."


    Even as Renna stood up and weed her father with a bow, Karina remained motionless,


    "Do you want something to eat, Father?" Renna respectfully spoke up as she looked her father in the eyes before turning toward the kitchen, where the others were enjoying their dessert,pletely oblivious that Riley was home, "And as you may have already noticed, you have guests. Aunt Esme is also here with Enel."


    "Hm," Riley only nced at Esme and the others before focusing his attention on Karina, who was justpletely frozen on the sofa, "It would seem you still remember who I am even though you have only met me when you were just a little girl, Kar¡ª"


    "I was never a little girl," Karina did not let Riley finish his words as she finally moved and stood up from her seat, "I was never a little girl, I didn''t get to be that."


    "No, I remember you being a little girl," Riley shook his head, "You¡ª"


    "Shut the fuck up," Karina then stomped her way toward Riley while pointing right at his face, "You don''t get to tell me what I was, what I am, or whatever the fuck anything you want to say to me."


    "Okay," Riley just shrugged before cing his attention back on Renna, "Why are you and your brother here, Renna?"


    "We decided to go home for the weekend because of Arthas, Father," Renna pointed at Arthas, "He went to the Academy to try and meet us ¡ª unfortunately, he met Lucifer first, I am afraid he is already influencing him with his bad habits."


    "Arthas¡­" Riley squinted his eyes as he looked at the tall muscr young manughing and smiling with the others in the kitchen, "...He looks like a much more handsome version of Gary."


    "That is what I thought so too, Father," Renna nodded in agreement, "Monarch is more buff, but Older Brother Arthas is much more aesthetically pleasing ¡ª no doubt your side of the genes."


    "Hm."


    "That''s it!? You''re not even going to say anything else to me!?"


    Riley was about to walk toward the kitchen, but before he could do so, Karina could no longer help herself as she raised her voice and blocked his path; finally garnering the attention of the others in the kitchen,


    "No," Riley shook his head, "You told me not to say anything to you, Karina."


    "More than 600 years, and yet you haven''t changed even a single bit," Karina''s eyebrows began to furrow, "I thought you would be a better person now that you''ve be a father. I mean, my god¡­ you have 5 children, Riley Ross ¡ª but you are still as I remember you, a lost little boy trying to destroy everything in its path."


    "What the¡ªFather has no bearing to whatever you call him as!" Lucy quickly moved in front of Karina, pushing her away before pointing at her face, "You dare act like you know our father, but the truth is, you know absolutely nothing of him at all ¡ª you are a memory, dear sister."


    "Lucy! Why would you say that!?" Katrina was about to join the conversation, but Katherine grabbed her by the shoulders.


    "Let them release what they want to release," Katherine sighed while shaking her head.


    "Are¡­ you sure?" Liza also watched as the siblings who were previously just getting along started screaming at each other, "Lucifer¡­ has a way with his insults."


    "Let them," Katherine just slightly giggled as she walked back to the counter, "With a family as dysfunctional as this, arguing might be the best ice breaker. Let''s just talk about what''s happening on this and return to Esme ¡ª the most they could do is try to kill each other."


    "Right¡­" Katrina squinted her eyes, ncing at her son for a few more seconds before following Katherine back to the kitchen, "...You''ve really changed a lot, Miss Scarlet Mage."


    "Wow, it''s been a while since someone called me that," Katherine waved her hand, "You don''t really have to worry, Arthas is there. And most importantly¡­


    ¡­Riley''s there. So, how about you just share this recipe with me? I''m sure Karina would love it too. And also¡­ What do you know about the gods living in New Theran?"


    And while Katherine and the others started a new conversation all by themselves, the situation in the living room was bing more and more chaotic with Karina and Lucy just exchanging some¡­ unpleasant words with each other.


    "Your wide mouth has probably had things enter inside it that we can''t even begin to exin!"


    "Excuse me!? If anything, between the two of us, you''re the one who''s eaten dick, you sissy-looking bastard!"


    "The only thing that enters my mouth is father''s cooking ¡ª but I apologize if you do not know that because your taste buds have never had the pleasure of indulging themselves with father''s food because he was not there for you! You are the bastard between us!"


    "Ho¡­? Ho? Really? At least I am not the one showing parentless behavior."


    "You are already fatherless, Big Sister ¡ª it would be too brutal if you¡ª"


    "Lucifer, enough."


    Renna finally could not take the exchange anymore as she stood between the two. Arthas also stood between the two; her and Renna, just looking back and forth.


    "Karina, you told me you weren''t going to make a scene," Arthas could really only let out a sigh as he looked at their eldest sister, "You''re making a scene right now."


    "Agh, tell that to the Shakespearean freak," Karina just let out a scoff before turning around and then pointing at Riley, "This is your fault, you know? All of this is your fucking fault."


    "It is," Riley just nodded before walking away.


    "And what? You''re just gonna walk away just like¡ª" And before Karina could even finish her words, Riley suddenly wrapped his arms around her and patted the back of her head.


    "I apologize for not being there with you, Karina," Riley whispered, "But not being there for you was probably the best thing I could have ever given you."


    "You¡­" Karina''s cheeks started to tremble as she showed her teeth; almost growling while she rolled her hands into fists. She wanted to say a lot of things, but very soon, almost as if all the strength in her arms just faded away¡­ the only thing she could do was just fall and rest in Riley''s embrace,


    "...Why¡­ why didn''t you juste and find us? I trusted you, Dad. You''ve done some fucked up shit, but the truth is when a threat happens, you''re the first person that would pop up in my mind ¡ª I start to think that ''if dad was here, this wouldn''t have happened''. Everyone was panicking and dreading King''s existence all those years ago, but you ended him within an hour. You¡­ you were the universe''s viin but for me¡­


    ¡­you were my hero, Dad. For me, you''re the hero who saved the universe¡­ But you weren''t there."


    "..." Riley did not really say anything anymore and just let Karinash out at him.


    "...Did she just say Father saved the universe hundreds of years ago?" Lucy, who was still feeling all sorts of negative emotions, leaned closer to Renna and whispered.


    "Did you just ignore that she said he was also the universe''s viin, Lucifer?" Renna, on the other hand, was not as subtle as she looked at their father from head to toe, "...I believe this requires further investigation. Do you agree with me, Lucifer?"


    "Uh ha, hm¡­" Lucy squinted his eyes as he then looked at Arthas. Arthas, however, was probably more confused than anyone here ¡ª he was just here because he wanted to see his siblings and father, but now an entire drama was unfolding and he couldn''t even talk to Riley.


    Fortunately for him, he noticed that Riley was actually looking at him.


    "Dad¡­" Arthas took in a small gulp as he very slowly took a step toward Riley; in his 3rd step, however, he suddenly stopped.


    It wasn''t only him, all of his siblings, even Karina who was busy pouring her heart out, quickly released herself from Riley''s embrace as she and her siblings looked at the terrace. And there¡­


    ¡­an old man with a beard reaching down his ankles was watching them from the other side. The old man seemed ethereal, like a spirit of some sort.


    "I sense people¡­" The old man grumbled weakly,


    "...people that should not be here."


    ***VERY IMPORTANT AUTHOR''S NOTES***


    I didn''t think it was possible, but here it is --- 1000 chapters. Honestly, and I know I am not the only one thinking this, but this story should have ended 600 chapters ago, but here we are...


    ...and all I can really say is thank you for those who are still here. I mean, seriously, thank you.


    This started out as a passion project, and then it became about money, and when I wasn''t earning with it anymore, I was actually about to drop it. But when I noticed that there were still readers who were there since Day 1 still reading the story, I decided to just continue it and it once again just became a passion project. So, if you want someone to thank, thank them and yourselves for still reading.


    I know how this story will end, but I don''t know when I''m ready to end it. The story had its ups and downs, mostly downs since I keep jumping from plot to plot, but I do believe Viin Retirement is good. I do believe that because you guys are still here. We''ve literally watched everyone grow as a character, even the Riley Ross himself... And we''re going to watch them grow further. So...


    ...Thank you.

 Chapter 1001 1001: Rileys Warning

    Chapter 1001  1001: Riley''s Warning


    ??"How dare an intruder step into our territory without arranging a meeting first!"


    "If he arranged a meeting, he would not be an intruder, Lucifer."


    All of Riley''s children had different reactions as they saw the old man standing outside on their terrace. Lucifer was visibly disgusted as he looked at the old man''s beard that almost touched the ground. Renna waspletely indifferent, almost not even heeding him any mind as she was still just ncing at her big sister. Arthas''s white thick eyebrows were lowered and his fists were rolled. As for Karina, she had her eyebrows raised at the old man.


    The old man wasn''t really moving, he was just standing there and letting his wrinkly bald head to toast in the setting sun. But after a few seconds of just staring at nowhere in particr, his old, almost sunken eyes stared in the direction of Karina.


    "Well¡­" The old man then spoke; his voice, although as wrinkly as his skin, held a certain volume in it that caused the air to turn incredibly heavy; solid, even,


    "...Are you not going to let me in, Young Warrior?"


    "You know this guy?" Arthas nced at Karina.


    "All of you should," Karina''s voice turned deep as she started walking toward the terrace; sliding the door open as she looked the old man in the eyes, "He''s one of the gods living in New Theran."


    "Aha¡­" Lucy squinted his eyes, "...No, we won''t ¡ª we are prohibited from ever going near the moon ¡ª but I see its inhabitants do not share the same courtesy we have provided them. Name yourself, Intruder¡­ or perish by my ha¡ª"


    And before Lucy could even finish his words, a light shed in the air; a beam, shooting straight toward Lucy and creating arge gaping hole in his stomach.


    "Lucy!?" Arthas roared as he caught Lucy before his body could drop to the ground, gently holding his body before tapping his face several times,


    "Why¡­" Arthas gritted his teeth as he looked at the old man, who had his finger pointing to where Lucy''s stomach was, "...Why would you¡ª"


    "B¡­ Brother." Before Arthas could say what he wanted to say, however, Lucy let out a loud gasp as he grabbed Arthas''s cheek, "Hold¡­ hold my hand."


    "Lucy¡­" Arthas could really only quickly grab Lucy''s hand as soon as he saw him gasping for breath; blood, spraying out of his mouth and even shooting straight toward his face. Arthas did not mind at all, however, as his tears just trailed along with the blood, "Lucy, we''ll get you some he¡ª"


    "No¡­ it''s toote for me, my dear old brother," Lucy''s voice was croaked, scratchy, forced, "I¡­ I have a favor to ask."


    "What is it¡­ What is it!?"


    "Do not¡­" Lucy''s hand started to tremble.


    "What¡­?"


    "Not¡­"


    "Do not what, Lucy¡­? Dad, help him!" Arthas turned to look at Riley, but he and the others were just looking at the old man instead of trying to help Lucy.


    "You can''t¡­"


    "Can''t what!?"


    "Can''t fit deez nuts in your mouth," and with those words, Lucy''s hand fell from Arthas''s cheek; hisst breath, almost mocking Arthas as he smiled at him before he fully croaked.


    "What the¡­" The only thing Arthas could really do was stare at Lucy''s lifeless face, utterly bewildered by what he just heard.


    And while Arthas was inplete shock, the old man just weed himself to Riley''s apartment; not even ncing at Karina as he entered the door and just went straight to sitting on the sofa.


    He very gently rested his long beard beside him, slightly brushing it with his hand as he let out a small but very throaty hum.


    "I believe we have an agreement, White One," the man''s sunken eyes turned toward Karina, who was just calmly approaching him while looking him in the eyes.


    "That was hundreds of years ago, Joao," Karina''s eyebrows started to lower as she stood right in front of the old man, Joao.


    "It is more than a hundred years ago now, but an agreement will forever be binding," Joao strayed his eyes away from Karina and toward Katherine, who was approaching the living room along with the others,


    "You and yourpanions are not allowed within 5 million lightyears of the New World, so why is it that I find you and Katherine here?"


    "That is none of your concern, you wet tissue," Karina let out a small scoff as she literally looked down on the old man, "We were about to leave anyway."


    "Were you?" Joao once again hummed as he started looking around the living room, "You also brought someone who has the same guise as you¡ªno¡­


    ¡­Now that I am looking at the people present in this room, I see everyone resembles you."


    "Y¡ª"


    "I recognize that boy," Joao then pointed at Riley, "He has been making waves in the New World. I ignored his likeness to you because honestly, most people look like each other in the present times ¡ª but to think you and him have a rtionship. Could it be¡­


    ¡­He and the others here are children of yours, hidden from us all these years?"


    "..." Karina could really only look at Riley, who seemedpletely indifferent to what was happening as he was just looking at Joao with his head slightly tilted, "He is¡ª"


    "You fucker!"


    Karina could not finish her words before Arthas suddenly leaped toward Joao. Joao, however, just let out a small smirk as he raised two of his fingers to block Arthas''s fist; he did not, however, need to block anything as before Arthas''s fist could even get near him, Katherine suddenly moved between them, causing Arthas to halt his steps and fist.


    "Aunt Kat¡­" Arthas let out a short but very deep breath as he looked Katherine in the eyes.


    "You promised to behave, Art," Katherine shook her head, "And this doesn''t involve you ¡ª this is a dispute that has existed long before you, it''s best not to involve yourself and just let your sister handle it."


    "But Lucy is¡ª"


    "¡ªFine," Katherine looked at Lucy, who was now enjoying the mango jelly milk as he watched the scenario unfold; his dessert, however, was just oozing out from therge gaping hole still very much lingering in his stomach.


    "Oh¡­?" Joao''s bushy eyebrows also flinched as he saw Lucy just calmly eating on the floor. He stared at him for a few seconds before turning to look at Riley, "I see now ¡ª you have not only broken the treaty, but you spat on it. Paragon Zero is your child, and he has been in the New World for more than a decade¡­


    ¡­For that, White One ¡ª Death."


    Joao then raised his finger and pointed it at Katherine''s back.


    "No! You¡ª" Karina was about to do something, but before anyone could even move or do anything at all¡­


    ¡­Riley suddenly appeared right beside Joao, sitting beside him andpletely holding his finger that was pointed at Katherine.


    "I do not know who you are, Mr. Joao," Riley let out a small sigh; his eyes, not really looking anywhere in particr, "But I can not have you killing the mother of my child. I am only telling you once, perhaps you should listen."


    "You dare¡ª" Joao''s already sunken eyes slightly trembled as he nced at Riley as he realized something before he could utter his third word, "Mother of your child¡­? Karina is your daughter?"


    "Wait, Dad¡­" Karina took in a small gulp as she looked back and forth between Joao and Riley, "...Don''t. Please don''t kill him, we can''t have another war¡­ the Universe, the people can''t take it."


    "A war?" Riley tilted his head to the side before finally turning to look at Joao, "Tell me, Mr. Joao. Look into my eyes and tell me¡­


    ¡­Do you think it will be a war at all?"


    Joao did not really say anything as he truly just stared into Riley''s eyes ¡ª and there, he finally remembered who the person sitting behind him was. The Domain of the Gods was vast and almost infinite, but the gods are gathered in certain areas, and news travels almost instantly. But it did not have to travel, as he was there in the first ce.


    He was there when Death resurrected all of them, turning them into dolls that could not move in her domain.


    ¡­And he was there when this same exact god beside him fought toe to toe against Death herself.


    There will be no war¡­


    ¡­Riley Ross would just massacre all of them.


    "It¡­ would seem I was mistaken," Joao''s words slightly stuttered as he let out a short and awkwardugh, "You and your wizard mother were never here, White One."


    "Huh¡­?" Karina could really only squint her eyes as Joao stood up; obviously nervous from the way he moved. Karina was about to say something to him¡­ but then noticed that Riley did not actually let go of his finger.


    "I apologize, Joao¡­" Riley then let out a small sigh as he turned to look at the wounded Lucy,


    "...But I do not think I will let you leave after all."


    "Dad...


    ...No!"

 Chapter 1002 1002: Funny, No?

    Chapter 1002  1002: Funny, No?


    ??More than 600 years ago, in the Domain of the Gods, Joao was busy blowing all of his treasure in creature fights in the Summoner''s City. He had nothing better to do as he had been trapped in the upper ne for hundreds of thousands of years; like most gods, he was just wasting his immortality away until something entertaining actually happened ¡ª and perhaps his wish was granted to the point that it was too much.


    A ck-d god visited the city and startedying waste to everyone, demanding that Randall resurrect the little mortal he was holding. Of course, Joao was the first to croak as the ck-d god seemed to have targeted him first because of his age; perhaps the most awkward thing about that was that considering every god in Summoner''s City, he was probably one of the youngest ones.


    He just looked that old because he reached godhoodte in life; although unspoken, older-looking gods actually tend to be weaker than the younger-looking ones because of that. It meant they had less potential than those who became god younger than them.


    And so, he just pretended to be dead; hid away in the mountain of corpses while watching everything unfold. And then, a white-haired god suddenly appeared and just erased the ck-d god out of existence before asking Randall to revive someone¡­


    ¡­only to torture the mortal he asked to revive over and over again.


    Joao was there, he was there when Death suddenly appeared in the ne ¡ª he was there when the very same white-haired god who was not holding his finger fought toe to toe with Death, the literal embodiment of Life''s end.


    "I apologize, Joao¡­ But I do not think I will let you leave after all."


    And now, he was not being allowed to leave at all.


    "What¡­ does that mean?" Joao took in a small gulp before looking toward Karina; his sunken eyes, almost pleading. Karina was at a loss as to what to do ¡ª if a fight between Riley and Joao were to break out, the entire New World and all of its innocent inhabitants would disappear in less than a blink of an eye.


    At the same time, however, if Riley let Joao go, there was a chance that he would inform the other gods living there that she and her mother had broken the agreement. And before she could even voice out her concern about the situation, Riley stood up from the sofa while still holding Joao''s wrinkled finger.


    "You made a mess of my house, Joao," Riley whispered as he looked at the pool of blood oozing out from Lucy''s gaping wound, as well as the dessert mixing into it,


    "And you broke the Margrea Oath in front of several people ¡ª as the President of the Hero Academy and Association, I am afraid my hand is forced to deal with you as I see fit."


    "Dad¡­" Karina raised both her palms in the air as she stood in front of her father, "...It''s fine, Lucy''s¡­pletely unharmed. Don''t do anything that would jeopardize the hundreds of years of peace. I might not agree with what the New World means, but it has kept people safe."


    "L¡­listen to your daughter, White Father," Joao whispered out as he looked at Riley, "You¡ª"


    And before Joao could even finish his words, he suddenly found himself in the vacuum of space; the New World, now just a colorful bright marble a million kilometers away. He did not even see or feel what just happened, he was just there all of a sudden¡­ with Riley still holding his finger.


    Teleportation? No, Joao knows what that feels like. It wasn''t teleportation¡­ but stopping time. Joao quickly looked around to look for escape, but unfortunately for him, the moon where he lived was on the other side of the.


    ''Do you know why you are still alive, Joao?'' Riley floated beside Joao as he started speaking in his mind using Xra''s telepathy, which is able to bypass even Riley''s immunity to all mental attacks.


    ''Because¡­ you are allowing me to?'' Joao dropped all pretense of superiority and mystery; his eyes, not even daring to nce at Riley''s way even though his finger was still trapped by him.


    "No, because you have not met me until today," Riley let out a small but very deep sigh, "Y¡ª"


    "Do you really think I would just die without fighting back!?"


    And without even letting Riley finish his words, Joao suddenly cut off his own hand before kicking Riley to push himself away. He then shook his slice hand, regenerating an entire hand almost instantly before pointing both his palms toward Riley and letting out a massive sh that drowned half of New World with light for less than a millisecond.


    But that is the only thing the New World would receive, a sh of light ¡ª the main target of the attack was Riley¡­ who waspletely unscathed aside from the smoke fuming from his body, which quickly dissipated in the darkness of space.


    As for Joao, he was already flying at a speed several times faster than light to get back to the Moon, making sure he did not directly choose a path toward it to confuse Riley as to where he was going. But even after zig-zagging hundreds and thousands of kilometers, he suddenly found his face being covered by Riley''s palm.


    "Do you find it unfair, Joao? That there are people stronger than you, even after you are supposed to have reached godhood?"


    And with those words, Joao''s view of the expanse of space was all of a sudden reced by a white space; it wasn''t a domain, not at all, but just a ce¡­ a hall, to be exact,


    "Please do not do anything, we are currently underground in the New World ¡ª if you destroy this ce, the other gods will know and they will not like it; knowing that one of them has turned to violence against their inhabitants."


    "Then so be it, I will not die without fighting!" Joao was about to raise his hand, but before he could do so, Riley appeared in front of him and once again held his finger.


    "I will not kill you, Joao," Riley let out a small but very deep sigh as he started dragging Joao across the white hall, "I have not killed anyone for the past 15 years, I do not n to break that streak yet ¡ª I said the same thing to your colleague when he happened to discover my existence."


    "You¡ªColleague? What do you¡ª"


    Riley pped his hands and interrupted Joao''s words. And as soon as he did so, the white hall instantly changed; revealing more than a thousand ss cages, all filled with a singr captive. Joao did not care about any of them, however, as he only focused on the captive that was right in front of him.


    "You¡­" Joao raised his free but trembling finger to point at the captive in front of him, "...Aren''t you Banshi¡­?"


    "You¡­ know who I am?" The captive, Banshi, squinted his one single eye as he looked at Joao from head to toe; his hands which only had two fingers and a single thumb, ced on the ss as he seemed to want to be free from his enclosure,


    "You''re a god," Banshi then whispered.


    "You have been missing for a few years, everyone thought you''d left to dive into the empty universes, "You¡­ Were you here the entire time?"


    "And now you are here too, my friend," Banshi just closed his eye as he stepped back; sitting on the ground with his reverse jointed leg while just shaking his head, "I am afraid you have been captured by the Empyrean Warden ¡ª my fate awaits you."


    "Let''s escape!" Joao ced his palm on the cage, "We can escape if we work together, I''m still outside, I can help you."


    "Outside?" Banshi shook his head, "Seek yourself again and see if you are outside, my friend."


    "What are you¡ª" And before Joao could even finish his words, he suddenly realized that he wasn''t outside at all, no ¡ª he was inside a ss cage.


    "My advice to you, my friend," Banshi then very slowly turned around, "Do not break the ss, or the Empyrean Warden will break you."


    Joao could not even let out another word as he noticed the scars littered on Banshi''s back; they wanted to heal, but all his flesh could do was wriggle as something invisible seemed to be eating him from the inside out.


    "Pain, my friend¡­" Banshi''s voice turned meek as hepletely looked away from Joao, "...My fate is eternal pain, and my dream is death¡­


    ¡­and soon it will also be yours."


    Joao started to scan the hall, only to see Riley just casually walking around and seemingly admiring his work. He then watched as Riley stopped in one of the cages, opening it and freeing the tigerman inside it before ncing back to Joao,


    "You do not have to worry, Joao ¡ª pain is not your fate," Riley smiled, "Your fate is simr to this one. Arguar the Warw, it is time for you to wreak havoc. Seek out Ambrucx the Lightw...


    ...and kill her children again. That would be funny...


    ...no?"

 Chapter 1003 1003: Heroes and Villains via Riley Ross Express

    Chapter 1003  1003: Heroes and Viins via Riley Ross Express


    ??[I do not know what we''re witnessing here, but there seems to be a superviin currently rampaging in the territory of the beastmen!]


    Shadows have never truly loomed over the New World, or at the very least, they only veiled the parts thatwere hidden. There have never been any threats that would be considered world-ending ¡ª and it had remained like so until the fateful day 16 yearsago,whentimehad once again moved for the inhabitants of creation.


    But now, as the heroes emerged and lit up an ever-zing fire, the shadows it created made an endlesshole;deep enough that the viins could freely live in a world of their own.


    [Our reports are in, Arguarthe Warw, whowasst seenmore than a decade ago, hasnowresurfaced from the shadows!]


    [We are devastated to report that more than a thousand beastmen have¡­]


    [No superheroes have responded in the situationyet,it would seem the people would have no choice but to let the ws of war ravage through the streets¡­]


    [The ws of war are tearing down everything¡­]


    [Ah! Ambrucx! We are now seeing Ambrucx the Lightw respond to the situation!]


    In the territory of the beastmen, Arguar was once again wreaking havoc ¡ª killing everyone and everything in his path. The houses and buildingswhichwere madefrom gigantic trees,eithercut down or justpletely split apart. His path may look random, but it was not¡­and Ambrucx knew that. Throughout Arguar''s rampage, he had been sniffing and looking around for acertainscent, and it was obvious to Ambrucx what scent he was trying to find.


    Hers.


    Ormorespecifically, her children. Fortunately for her, the president of the Hero Association, Zero Paragon, told her to take a rest and go home right this very day to her children ¡ª if he did not, then Arguar would havedefinitelykilled her children again as itwas obviousthat he was targeting them.


    "Arguar!" Ambrucx then leaped straight in front of Arguar''s path of carnage, grabbing his arms before using hisownweight to m him straight to the ground. Ambrucx had already let Arguar escape once, shewas not going to make the same mistake.


    And so, with Arguar spitting out blood as he bounced on cold andslightlydamp ground, Ambrucx raised herhand;letting out her sharp and heavy ws before swinging it straight through Arguar''s neck.


    "!!!"


    But before she couldactuallystab and eviscerate Arguar''s neck, she found herself suddenly falling to the ground as Arguar shed her legs¡ªno. Arguarpletely sliced her legs intopieces;not with his ws, but with the incredibly sharp spikes protruding from the ground.


    "Y¡­ you¡­" The pain has notreallyregistered to Ambrucx yet as her shock overwhelmed her senses. All she couldreallydo was look at the earth spikes as well as her dismembered legs, "...You''ve be infected by the Supervirus?"


    With timeonceagain moving for everyone in the past 16 years, the Supervirusbeing primarily carriedbythehumanshas alsoonce againstarted spreading throughout the New World, infecting those who are susceptible to it.Unfortunately for Ambrucx, she was not gifted the virus¡­


    ¡­but it would seem her arch-nemesis was.


    "Kill¡­" Arguar did not answer Ambrucx at all, however. Hejuststared down at her for a few seconds¡­before grabbing her by the hair and dragging her across the damp ground, "...Eat, I will eat your children, Ambrucx the Lightw."


    "Grah!" And almost as if all of her strength just gathered in her arms, Ambrucx released her ws and just started shing Arguar''sarm;even pulling him closer as she just started letting out a barrage of ws across Arguar''s entirebody;his flesh, just iling everywhere as Ambrucx practically grated him.


    Arguar, however, did not even seem to care.He just mmed Ambrucx to the ground before summoning another bed of earthspikes;this time piercingthrough Ambrucx''s arms and torso,pletely pinning and trapping in their thorns.


    Arguar then turned to look ather;his cheek falling apart and eyes almost wed out. Even then, however, Arguar''s nose just fidgeted as he seemed to be concentrating on Ambrucx''s scent. And after a few seconds of sniffing her, he looked at acertaintree housethat wasnear them.


    "There," Arguar then smiled; the ps of his snout, slightly shivering as he smiled.


    "No!" Ambrucx pulled herself away from the thorns as she saw Arguarjustsuddenly rushing toward her house. And even with a gaping wound on her stomach, she crawled with her wounded arms to try and stop Arguar. Herdesperationpletelyoverwhelmingeverything else.


    But s, try as she might, with her missing legs and wounded state, she couldn''t even get near herhouse;just watching as Arguar shed down her door and barged into herhouse. And without even several seconds passing, Ambrucx could hear the wails and cries of her children.


    "No¡­ no!" Ambrucx threw herself forward, violently rolling on the ground as she desperately tried to get to her house. Arguar had already taken her children once, and now¡­the only thing she could do was watch as he did it again¡ªno. It was worse this time, as the only thing she could do was listen.


    "Graah!" Ambrucx released her ws as she once again crawled with allofher strength.Andvery soon, she reached her door¡­but not soon enough, as the only thing shewas able toreachwas Arguar stepping out of the door¡­


    ¡­his mouth, dripping with blood.


    "No¡­ no!" Ambrucx was about to lunge toward Arguar, but before she could do so, Arguar just suddenly dropped to the ground. And as he wasjustlying there lifelessly in front of her, she finally noticed that the blood oozing out from Arguar was probably not from her children at all, no ¡ª it was from Arguar''s mouth¡­whichwaspletely mangled; his cheepletelytorn apart and his jaw not even attached to the rest of his body,


    "W¡­ what?" Ambrucx was confused,pletely confused. And almost as if to add to her confusion, her legs started to regenerateandthe holes in her body began to heal ¡ª and with the excellent nose of the beastmen, she quickly caught the whiff of something burning¡­no, of something roasting.


    She stayed on the ground for a couple more seconds, slightly afraid of what she might find inside. But after she resolved herself and swallowed her tears,literally;she slowly stood up and entered her house. All of her fur, standingup;almost as if wanting to support her from what she was about to witness.


    But what she witnessed, however, was something she never expected.


    Her children were alive,pletely unscathedevendespite all of the wailing screams she heard from outside. And now that she was slightly thinking straight, she finally realized that the screams were not from her children at all; the screams were too deep, too singr¡­


    ¡­the one that was screaming was Arguar.


    And now, the only thing Ambrucx couldreallydo wasjuststand therestupefied;watching as her children''s little legs wagged and bounced as they sat at the dining table while they werebeing serveda meal¡­


    ¡­by none other than the president of the Hero Association.


    "...Paragon?" Ambrucx was finally able tobreathe;her words stuttering as her legs just walked toward the table on their own, sitting beside her children as Riley ced a te of roasted meat in front of her, "What¡­ why are you¡­ did you save my children?"


    "I suppose," Riley just shrugged before leaving her and going to the kitchen, "Arguar the Warw went off script, I can not have that ¡ª but I suppose this is just the very first trial, itis tobe expected."


    Riley was saying a lot of things, but the only thing Ambrucx couldreallyhear wasthe sound ofher heart beating to its fullest, as well as her children''s mouths as they chewed and practically mowed down the delicious meal in front of them.


    "He was only supposedto directly go here and eat your children


    ¡ª so that you would bepletely broken and livid once you go home and see that," Riley let out a small butvery deepsigh as he returned from the kitchen, "Do you want gravy or sweet vinegar for your roast?"


    "Sweet¡­ vinegar," Ambrucx only heard thetter part of Riley''s words as she watched him ce more tes on the table. Soon, however, tears began trailing from her eyes as she just suddenly stood up and embraced Riley,


    "Thank you¡­ thank you, Paragon.I¡­I don''t know what I would have done if¡­if my children died again."


    "Hm," Riley just let out a small sigh of disappointment. If itwasthe old him, then he would probably be serving one of her children on a te for the rest of her children to eat ¡ª and then once Ambrucx realizesthat,Riley would then begin torturing and killing her children in front of her.


    Riley would then say that the torture would only stop if Ambrucx killed one of her children voluntarily. But of course, Riley would then torture them all still and then kill them before killing Ambrucx. But s,


    "I understand, Ambrucx¡­


    ¡­Iam also a parent."


    "I won''t forget this, I will never forget this debt¡­" Ambrucx tightened her embrace on Riley, "...Whatever you say from now on, Paragon¡­ I will follow it without question."


    "Hm¡­" Riley squinted his eyes,


    "...Interesting."

 Chapter 1004 1004: Riley’s Nature

    <h4>Chapter 1004 Chapter 1004: Riley''s Nature</h4>


    "Mr. Paragon, what can you say about what happened here today!?"


    "A lot of people are saying that ever since the HAA was established, the number of viins have increased exponentially ¡ª do you think you and the HAA are somewhat responsible for all of these killings?"


    "Arguar the Warw seemed to be solely targeting Ambrucx, how do you think he knew where she lived when Superheroes are protected by the Superhero Act?"


    "We heard you killed Arguar yourself, is that true!? Have you broken your quiet vow of not killing the viins, Mr. Paragon!?"


    "Oh¡­"


    After the tragic event that has happened in the city of beastmen, all the reporters who were covering the story from the distance as it unfolded all rushed toward the scene. They only spent several shots taking photos of the tragedy and all the lives lost before bombarding Arguar''s corpse with shes of light.


    As soon as they saw Riley, however, they quickly forgot about Arguar; some of them even stepping on his corpse as they rushed to get Riley''s statement. Ambrucx tried to stop all of them, of course, but there really was only so much she could do without hurting them; the only thing she could really do was just let them into her house, prioritizing her children and protecting them from the lenses of the camera ¡ª but of course, the reporters did not heed her caution any mind at all as some of them even increased the speed of their fingers as they took photos of her confused and scared children.


    As for Riley, he covered Ambrucx and her children from the view of the reporters. He didn''t, however, bother any of their questions and just stood there quietly with a small smile on his face. The smile on his face, however, faded away upon hearing one of their questions.


    He did, in fact, make a quiet vow not to kill anyone ¡ª and he had not done so for the past 15 years. But now, he did, in fact, also kill Arguar the Warw.


    He broke his silent vow just like that without even thinking about it. Doesn''t that mean¡­


    ¡­he could kill people again from now on?


    "Hm¡­" Riley ced his hand on his chin as he thought long and hard about the reporter''s question. And upon seeing Riley visibly affected, the reporters began bombarding Riley again, this time focusing on the fact that he killed someone.


    "Does that mean you are going to kill the viins from now on!?"


    "What makes you different from them if you do that!?"


    "Should the people be afraid of you, Paragon!? What about Megawoman!? Has she also killed people before!?"


    "Seeing as how brutal and mangled Arguar''s face is, can we take it this is not your first time killing people!?"


    "Why are you here in the first ce!? Are the rumors true that you are the father of Ambrucx''s children!?"


    "Are you going to be ountable for this murder and be locked up in prison!?"


    "Paragon, please answer the question! Are you going to kill viins from now on!?"


    "I¡ª"


    "I did it! It was me!"


    Riley was about toe up with an answer. But Ambrucx, although truly hesitating to leave her children, could not take the reporters'' incessant and obnoxious questions anymore when she saw the slight difort on Riley''s face. And so, she rushed in front of Riley and blocked him from the view of the reporters,


    "Zero did not kill Arguar, it was me!"


    And as soon as Ambrucx''srge frame blocked the reporters'' sights, they all quickly turned their cameras toward Ambrucx exhausted and clearly shocked face and started taking unttering photos of her expression.


    "I¡­ my children were in danger, so I lost it and killed him. Most of you are beastmen so you do not understand our customs ¡ª my people can''t and will not mate with any other male partner, at least until our children are alive or have not separated themselves from me yet. Arguar¡­


    ¡­Arguar is hell-bent on killing and eating my children so that he could mate with me."


    The beastmen reporters did not really react to Ambrucx''s words; the humans and the other species, however, all turned to look at each other in shock. But all of them, however, once again focused their attention on Ambrucx at the same time as they once again bombarded them with questions.


    "Does that mean the father of your children really is Paragon!? Is that why he is here!?"


    "What¡­?" Ambrucx''s snout quickly fidgeted as soon as she heard the reporter''s question. And before she could even answer, the reporters once again focused on her cubs¡­ who happened to also have white fur.


    "Is that why your children are white!?"


    "What? No! My fur was also white when I was younger!" Ambrucx once again blocked her children from the cameras, "I won''t reveal my husband''s identity!"


    "Because it''s Paragon!?"


    "We know it''s not Paragon, Ambrux. Rx," one of the female beastmen reporters sighed, making Ambrucx lighten her guard a little, "But Paragon is considered to be the strongest superhero in the entire New World ¡ª does that mean you wish to mate with him!?"


    "What!?" Ambrucx could not even fully breathe out her sigh of relief before she was once again shocked by their questions, "No!"


    "But as beastmen, we are attracted to strength ¡ª even I could feel how strong Paragon is and it is making me wet."


    "Hm¡­" Riley squinted his eyes as he turned to look at Ambrucx.


    "Wh¡ªDo not listen to their words, Paragon! I have nothing but deep respect for you!" Ambrucx then rushed toward the reporters, no longer caring if she would hurt them as she started pushing them out of her house¡­ quite violently at that. She did not even let them ask one more question as she just shut the door on them,


    "Vultures, all of them."


    "You need to work on your public rtion skills, Ambrucx," Riley, on the other hand, just let out a small but very deep sigh as he walked toward Ambrucx''s children and started patting them on the head; making them all cuddle up to him,


    "You know what I find weird, Ambrucx?"


    Ambrucx wanted to say something about Riley''sment, but as she saw him just gently ying with her children, the only thing Ambrucx could really do was approach them and just drop on the floor from all of her exhaustion.


    "Animals, beasts, and any other creaturescking of logical reasoning are terrified of me," Riley whispered as he lifted one of Ambrucx''s cubs, which seemed to truly like it as it was even shing its tiny little ws as if it was soaring in the air, "But the beastmen are not, even though you are more in tune with your primal instincts."


    "Terrified¡­" Ambrucx turned to look Riley in the eyes, only for her to look away immediately, "...I believe I know what you mean, Zero."


    "What do you see when you look at me, Ambrucx?"


    "A predator."


    And as soon as she uttered those words, all of her children turned to look at her with their eyes wide open before very slowly turning to look at Riley, who was gently ying and lifting their sibling.


    "Not¡­ like that," Ambrucx let out a small chuckle as she patted one of her children on the head, "There is something inside you that is very, very dangerous, Zero. Like a bottomless abyss that would swallow anything. I felt that the very moment we met 16 years ago ¡ª to the point that I almost ran away in fear of just freezing and fainting there and then."


    "But your children do not seem to feel the same way, Ambrucx," Riley gently ced the cub he was holding on the floor.


    "Because the hole to your abyss is much smaller now, Zero," Ambrucx could not help but let out a small sigh and smile as she looked at Riley, "It is almost¡­ closed."


    "Almost closed?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at his white hands, "What do you mean by that, Ambrucx? Does that mean that I can fully close this abyss?"


    "Don''t," Ambrucx shook her head, "A little darkness is always needed to not be blinded by the light, Zero."


    "You do not know what my darkness holds, Ambrucx."


    "Maybe¡­" Ambrucx smiled as she looked at her children, "...But my children like you, so your darkness can''t be that bad."


    "Hm¡­" Riley once again looked at his hand, "...Does that mean that I can fully close this abyss, Ambrucx?"


    "You could," Ambrucx sighed, "But you have to be very careful ¡ª beastmen are more in tune with their darker side, so I have seen and know what suppressing one''s darkness looks like."


    "Does that mean you can help me, Ambrucx?" Riley looked Ambrucx in the eyes, and this time, Ambrucx did not look away even as the ends of her fur stood up.


    "Maybe," Ambrucx nodded, "But I need to warn you, Zero ¡ª suppressing your darkness means forcing it shut¡­ and forcing something shut has a risk ofpletely breaking the door that covers your darkness. Are you¡­


    ¡­ready for that risk, Zero?"

 Chapter 1005 1005: The Lovers Nature

    Chapter 1005  1005: The Lover''s Nature


    ??A tree.


    Some would say the perfect summation of life itself, of creation. A victim of time, and yet in the most beautiful way; it feeds, it grows, and with its growth, it feeds others.


    And in turn, those it feeds scatter its essence, furthering its roots¡­


    ¡­But then men came, and what was once a summation of the very essence of life itself became a mere tool.


    For the nature of men is not life, but violence and death.


    Try as they might to avoid their nature, they will always be reminded of it through tribtions and advancement. For without violence, they are stagnant; for without death, they have no will. Unlike the tree that waits for the water of life to fall upon, men seek it.


    "Do you understand?"


    "Yes. It was¡­ very poetic, Ambrucx."


    "...I feel like your attention is wasted in this."


    Riley and Ambrucx''s shadow were currently painting a cliff, overlooking the horizon of blue in front of them; peacefully sitting on the dry ground, unperturbed by the rest of the world. The top of their head and their shoulders were covered with all sorts of things; leaves, twigs, and even bird poop, and yet none of them moved.


    "Despite your reluctance and saying that you''re not capable of closing your so-called darkness¡­"


    Peaceful, yes; but perhaps only for Riley, as Ambrucx could not really concentrate at all while the person in front of him was the epitome of calmness. They were here to meditate, and yet Riley did not even seem to need to, as his default temperament was already being as calm as he possibly could be at all times; everywhere, and anywhere he could be.


    They had been here for 3 days, and yet Riley had remained sitting in the very same spot; without drinking or eating anything. Beastmen could survive 6 months without eating, and she knew that Riley could probably survive for even longer ¡ª but there was a difference between eating to survive, and eating for the sake of eating; for the tingling of the lips and the tongue.


    "...Zero, I don''t think you need to meditate."


    "But you are the one who told us to do this, Ambrucx," Riley blinked a couple of times as he finally opened his eyes fully and looked at Ambrucx, "I am merely following your advice so that I fully get rid of the darkness inside me."


    "Can you tell me again why you''re doing this?" Ambrucx sighed as she broke all pretense of meditating and just fully stretched her limbs on all fours, raising her hips and muscr thighs while yawning; blowing away all of the dirt attached to her as her entire body shivered violently.


    "I am doing this for my children and those who expect me to not be what I am, Ambrucx. My sister, Megawoman, the mothers of my children," Riley also let out a small sigh as he slightly leaned back. He still remained seated on the ground, however, as he looked over the blue horizon.


    "Honestly, Zero¡ªcan I call you Riley instead?" Ambrucx let out a small groan before just sitting brashly on the ground.


    "Please."


    "You know, Riley¡­" Ambrucx looked Riley in the eyes, "...I do feel that this darkness inside you is bigger than all of us, but believe it or not, I think the change you want has already passed and happened."


    "It has?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "Yes," Ambrucx sighed and nodded, "Maybe it happened when you got children, but honestly, I don''t see this evil side of you that you keep on trying to tell me exists. Really, just how bad could it be?"


    "Do you want to see it, Ambrucx?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he returned Ambrucx''s gaze, "Do you want to see the evil that I have been trying to get rid of?"


    "No, absolutely not," Ambrucx shook her head, "We''re here to get rid of it if you just suddenly let it out, our progress would be in vain ¡ª and even if you did show it, it''s not like it''s bad enough that you''ll just suddenly kill people without reason, right?"


    "..."


    "...Right? You¡­ can''t be as bad as the gods during the war?" Ambrucx''s voice very slowly became meek as she saw Riley ce his hand on his chin and started thinking.


    "The number of people they have killed is more than me, yes," Riley then nodded, causing Ambrucx to let out a sigh of relief, "But perhaps you need to see what I was so we could proceed in this project of us better, Ambrucx?"


    "Project¡­" Ambrucx sighed, "...It''s quite funny that we even have a name for it ¡ª Project Turn Dark into Light, where did you even get the name for that?"


    "From her."


    Ambrucx then turned to look to where Riley was pointing to, only to see a woman emerging from the trees; the leaves and grass, almost as if being attracted to her existence as she slowly made her way toward them.


    "The mother of my eldest child ¡ª I believe this would be the first time you will be meeting each other. Ambrucx, meet Katherine Reeds."


    "Mother of your oldest cub?" Ambrucx''s snout began fidgeting as she couldn''t smell anything at all from Katherine, almost as if she was one with the world itself, "Renna isn''t your firstborn?"


    "Sorry for interrupting your¡­ therapeutic session, Ms. Ambrucx," Katherine bowed her head, "And I also apologize for eavesdropping and not making myself known."


    "...How long have you been here?" Ambrucx looked around, only to notice that the trees and grass around the cliff truly were moving along with Katherine.


    "A few hours after you started the meditation," Katherine let out a small but very deep sigh as she looked at Riley, "I¡­ wanted to talk to Riley, but I also got curious about what you''re trying to do here, and whether or not you''ll be sessful in where I failed."


    "...I''m Ambrucx," Ambrucx then approached Katherine and reached out her hand, "It is an honor to meet Zero''s first mate."


    "The pleasure''s mine," Katherine shook her head as she shook Ambrucx''s paw, "But please, continue what you were doing and don''t mind me."


    "No." Riley spoke up before Ambrucx could say anything, "Since you''ve revealed yourself already, Katherine ¡ª perhaps it would be best if you tell Ambrucx who I am, what I am, and the things that I have done."


    "I¡­ don''t think it''s really going to change anything if I knew, Zero," Ambrucx shook her head and sighed, "But if you think it''ll help me to understand you more, then¡­"


    Ambrucx then backed away and once again sat in front of the horizon, "Please¡­


    ¡­tell me all I need to know about Zero¡ªno, about Riley."


    ***


    "..."


    "..."


    "I take back what I said about releasing a little darkness."


    There were a few seconds of silence after Katherine told Ambrucx everything she needed to know, but after Ambrucx''s mind was done registering everything, she quickly looked at Riley from head to toe,


    "...I''m d we''ve met when you''re¡­ this version of yourself. By the forest, you were a monster."


    "Yes," Riley nodded several times, "Yes, I am."


    "Was," Ambrucx pointed at Riley, "You were a monster ¡ª and I swear to you, Riley Ross ¡ª you will never again be the monster you were. I have been holding on to this information just because I thought we didn''t need it¡­ but we do, we need it urgently."


    Ambrucx then stood up and she looked at Katherine and Riley,


    "My kind, you see¡­ we have a ritual that we do to ensure that our primal instincts do not take over," Ambrucx let out a small groan, "We¡­


    ¡­release it, never to be seen again."


    "Release it?" Katherine''s eyebrows lowered, "Did you not listen to a word I said? If we let Riley release his monster, all of us are dead."


    "We release it somewhere else, in another way," Ambrucx shook her head, "You want things to disappear, that''s your obsession."


    "And do you¡­ have any idea in what way he could release it?" Katherine raised an eyebrow.


    "...No," Ambrucx shook her head, "I will ask my people and I will also do some research ¡ª but for now, just meditate. I''ll leave first."


    "Ambrucx¡­" Katherine grabbed Ambrucx''s arm before she could leave, "...No one must know what I told you here, especially not my niece and nephews."


    "You have my words, Katherine," Ambrucx looked Katherine in the eyes, nodding before just quickly leaping away and disappearing into the distance, leaving Katherine and Riley alone overlooking the blue horizon.


    "...We didn''t get the chance to speak back in the house," Katherine let out a sigh as she nced at Riley, "You just¡­ disappeared again."


    "I apologize, I had to take care of Joao ¡ª and I was sidetracked by my hobbies," Riley nodded before looking at Katherine, "You wanted to talk to me about something, Katherine?"


    "What are we, Riley?" Katherine did not mince her words at all as she stood closer to Riley,


    "Besides the mother of Karina, who am I to you?"

 Chapter 1006 1006: The Toxic Lovers Under The Sunset

    Chapter 1006  1006: The Toxic Lovers Under The Sunset


    ??"You''ve had time to mature ¡ª and I know you''re definitely not the same person you were 600 years ago, Riley."


    "I did not experience the 600 years like all of you did, Katherine."


    "Even so, you''ve experienced enough ¡ª you have 5 children, for fuck''s sake. So, I am asking you now, Riley¡­


    ¡­what am I to you?"


    "You¡­"


    Just a single word and Katherine''s heart thumped in a way that it hasn''t for thest 600 years. She had truly thought that Riley''s hold on her had disappeared already ¡ª after all, she had been told several times by all the people in her life that what she felt for Riley was nothing but an illusion, an escape ¡ª that she had Stockholm syndrome.


    Of course, she thought so too. After all, despite being naive in life back then, she was still intellectual and intelligent enough to be a professor at Mega Academy. And throughout the 600 years, she started believing it too, that what she felt for Riley was nothing but a momentarypse of judgment, a fucked up mistake that caused her life to spiral in the most twisted way possible.


    And now, almost as if time had once again stopped for her, she waited for whatever wasing out of Riley''s mouth.


    "..."


    "..."


    No, something did stop ¡ª Riley did not continue his words and just looked away.


    "I''m¡­ what?" Katherine walked to where Riley was looking.


    "I am thinking about it, Katherine," Riley breathed out.


    "Then¡­ while you are thinking¡­" Katherine then took in a very long and deep breath, "...I''ll tell you what you are to me."


    "Hm?"


    "Riley, you¡­" Katherine slightly hesitated as another heavy breath escaped her lips. But with the sun shining behind him and drawing her silhouette, the shadow on her face made the growing smile softly shaping her lips subtle; subtle, but it was there, and it is persisting,


    "...You saved me."


    "I ruined your life, Katherine."


    "No, you literally saved me," Katherine closed her eyes, "I''ve always wondered what my life was in the other universes. But everyone we''ve really evere across is connected to the Ross family, so I didn''t really get a chance at first to check my variants¡­ because without you, I''m not connected to the Ross at all, Riley. And when I finally had the chance to roam the multiverse, I found out that my variants were either dead already or just wasting my life away. My life¡­


    ¡­my life was only exciting because of you."


    "It does not change the fact that what you felt was indeed Stockholm syndrome, Katherine."


    "At first, yes ¨C I can''t deny that," Katherine''s breaths started to be frustrated as she nodded and let out a forcedugh, "But after a while it just¡­ I was having fun ¡ª being trapped in a situation shouldn''t be fun, Riley. I wasn''t even pretending. You were¡­ you were like a drug to me."


    "Drugs are bad, Katherine ¡ª that means I am bad for you."


    "Yes, thank you for the wonderful incite," Katherine groaned sarcastically; tucking her slightly short silver hair to the back of her ear as she looked away from Riley; letting the blue horizon reflect on her slightly moist eyes,


    "If what I feel for you is an illusion. Then why¡­ why after 600 years, why is it that even though you can just be considered a speck in the life that I have lived¡­


    ¡­why are you still making my heart beat so fast, Riley?"


    "Because you''re nervous?"


    "No," Katherine once again groaned in frustration; this time raising her voice as she once again turned to Riley and looked him in the eyes, "Because I do, Riley¡­


    ¡­I do love you."


    "..."


    "And when¡­ when I heard all those stories about you from Katrina. How you just stopped being Darkday altogether, how you suddenly just stopped killing innocent people for the sake of your children. It¡­ it made me think that maybe you and I¡­


    ¡­we have a chance together."


    "I think you and I know that is not possible, Katherine," Riley shook his head, "And even if it was ¡ª you should do yourself a favor and not get attached to me as you have in the past. You said so yourself ¡ª I am a drug to you. Do not rpse."


    "Oh¡­" Katherine covered her face as she heard Riley''s words, "...Do you hear yourself? Do you actually hear it? I''m not delusional, and I am not coping ¡ª but Riley, you care for me."


    "Of course, I do," Riley blinked a couple of times as he tilted his head to the side, "We have a child together, Katherine ¡ª I always have cared for you."


    "No, you didn''t," Katherine shook her head, "I was a pawn in your game. A¡­ subordinate. It''s really only now that you''re actually showing it. Do you remember what you told me before, Riley?"


    "You have told me many things, Katherine."


    "When I asked you about having a child, and you told me that you wouldn''t want that kind of fate for someone else ¡ª I knew that was real, I felt it, that wasn''t fake," Katherine started shaking her head, "You are an evil person, Riley ¡ª but somewhere in there is a man filled withpassion,


    "I have always beenpassionate, Katherine. That is why I enjoy the things I do, because I know it is wrong and that the people I hurt are truly hurting and desperate."


    "I''m not talking about that."


    "You should."


    "I''m talking about how much you care for the people closest to you!" Katherine raised her voice as she ced her finger on Riley''s chest, "Don''t you realize it!? Now that you have children, children that you''ve actually raised yourself, you''re trying to be the man they deserve because you don''t want them to suffer the fate of being with the old Riley Ross!"


    "Yes, I think we have already established that, Katherine."


    "So¡­ what am I to you?" And after shortly pouring her heart out, Katherineposed herself and asked her question again, "What do you see when you look at me?"


    "I see¡­" Riley let out a small sigh as he very gently ced his palm on Katherine''s cheek, "...a silver moon."


    "..." And as Katherine heard that, the only thing she could really do is close her eyes and look away. As soon as she did so, however, Riley forcefully but gently made her face him again.


    "A woman who already holds the moon in her hands," Riley then whispered as he looked Katherine in the eyes,


    "And in her eyes, I see the reflection of a man that will only continue to corrupt her ¡ª a man she doesn''t need at all."


    "Riley¡­" Katherine was slightly confused; the memories of the first time they becamepletely intimate with each other, rushing back to her like a billion wild wildebeests. The cold touch on her cheek, slowly bing warmer, hotter as she remembered the feeling of Riley inside him.


    "You do not need me, Katherine," Riley then let out another sigh as he let go of Katherine, "Live, you are free from me. I am relieving you of your duty, my First Subordinate¡­


    ¡­my Silver Moon."


    "No."


    Before Riley could fully retract his hand, however, Katherine suddenly grabbed it and ced it back on her cheek; fully resting her head on it as tears started to trail from her eyes,


    "I don''t want to be free from you, Riley. This is a cage I have and am willingly walking into," Katherine then said; her voice weak but incredibly clear, "The 600 years just made it even clearer, because I didn''t just live my life for centuries¡­


    ¡­I lived it waiting for you."


    "..."


    "I am the only one who waited for you," Katherine looked Riley in the eyes, "For all of you, not just what you have be."


    "You do not need me, Katherine," Riley shook his head, "You already have everything you need."


    "Then I want you," Katherine then let go of Riley''s hand before just throwing herself to him; wrapping her arms around his neck as she rested her head on his chest, "Then at least let me want you, Riley."


    "I¡­ can''t stop you from doing that," Riley blinked a couple of times; not knowing where to ce his hands.


    "And don''t stop me either."


    And with those words, Katherine stood on her toes and quickly ced her lips upon Riley''s,


    "...Because I won''t stop, no matter what."


    ***


    "Joao is also missing?"


    Inside a castle somewhere in New Theran, several shadows were gathered in a throne room; their silhouettes, barely visible even with the fiery candles dancing wildly on the walls. There were several people lined up on each side of the aisle; all of them seated on their own throne.


    There was, however, at the end of this aisle, a throne that towered the rest.


    "He said he was going to check the mortals, that he found something."


    "Two of us are missing now, and it has not even been a century¡­


    ¡­perhaps it is time for us to descend and show ourselves to the mortals again."

 Chapter 1007 1007: Boring Child

    <h4>Chapter 1007 Chapter 1007: Boring Child</h4>


    "It''s the President¡­ the President is here!"


    "Does that mean Megawoman is here too!?"


    "Stupid, she''s busy saving lives."


    A few dayster after Riley''s attempt to meditate his darkness away, he was now visiting HAA. And as expected, all the students peered down from their sses to catch a glimpse of him. Unlike Mega Academy, where the ssrooms were underground to protect the students from outside harm, Hero Academy was more like a normal campus; albeit still sharing some elements from Mega Academy.


    Riley did not really think they needed much protection; after all, this was his territory ¡ª anyone who targets it probably just wanted tomit suicide. Of course, there''s also the fact that one of the teachers was Miss Pepondosovich¡­ who seemed to be taking her job extremely seriously.


    "What are you children doing!? Get away from the windows or I swear I am going to fail all of you!" Miss Pepondosovich mmed her stick on her desk, causing her students to flinch before orderly sitting back to their seats, "Tch, this Riri ¡ª visiting when I''m teaching a ss."


    "Miss Pepondosovich, are you close with the President!?"


    "Close to him!? I practically raised him!" Miss Pepondosovich crossed her arms before jumping onto her desk, "And I also raised his children with him!"


    "Wa¡ªIs it true that you also have a child with him!?"


    "What the¡ªwhere did that rumor evene from!? Who said that!?"


    And while Miss Pepondosovich was screaming her lungs out inside the ssroom, Riley was just walking around the campus. And as a matter of course, the heroes who were lounging in the Association building all came out to greet him; they couldn''t, however, as Riley was withpany ¡ª his wives and children.


    Lucy and the others were currently walking behind Riley, watching him walk beside Katherine as he seemed to be giving her a tour of the ce. And as a matter of course, Lucy was now very slowly making his way to Katrina.


    "Mother, why have you sumbed to thy fate?" Lucy then whispered to Katrina.


    "Sumb¡ªfate? What fate are you talking about?" Katrina only raised an eyebrow as she nced at her son, "And why are you still talking like that? You''re not a child anymore, Lucy."


    "Your fate of being a mistress, Mother. A concubine," Lucy squinted his eyes, "I do admit that aesthetically, Aunt Katherine''s face is more beautiful ¡ª but overall, you win. Your bosoms where I once suckled are bigger than¡ª"


    "I am going to hit you if you don''t stop talking," Katrina''s eye twitched as she raised her fist, causing Lucy to just quietly back away.


    "Think about it, Mother." Even then, however, Lucy still wanted thest words, "Do not let yourself be pushed, but I suppose as long as you are above your inferior variant, it is okay."


    "My mother is not inferior than yours, Lucifer," Renna stoically said while shaking her head, "The two of them are literally the same person ¡ª one can not be superior to the other."


    "You say that¡­" Lucy smirked, "...But my mother came from the same universe as Father."


    "And yet my mother was the first to have her vagina ravaged by father."


    "Can the two of you just stop?" Liza could not help but just cover her face in shame as Lucy and Renna once again started bickering with each other. Arthas who was walking with the two while Enel was on his shoulder, however, seemed to find all of this amusing. As for Karina, he was not really walking along with the rest of his siblings, but rather with Katrina and the others.


    "Your children, they are¡­ quite a duo," Karina breathed out, "I wonder what it would have been like to have grown up with them."


    "..." Both Liza and Katrina could really only look at each other as they heard Karina''s words.


    "You¡­ didn''t really have a proper childhood, did you?" Liza sighed.


    "That''s¡­ honestly properly for the best," Katrina slightly hesitated with her words, "Although I don''t want to admit it¡­ you turned out to be more normal."


    "Fuck, no ¡ª I wasn''t always," Karina let out a small chuckle as she looked at the sky, "I had 600 years to marinade; if I at least don''t act normal, then I don''t know what I would be."


    "...You also sort of sound like Hannah," Katrina smiled.


    "Hard not to adapt, there''s two of them and all they do is scream and curse for no reason."


    "Yup, that sounds like Hannah. Very¡­ nice choice of vocabry."


    "Your son is right, you know."


    "Hm¡­?"


    And almost as if the atmosphere of their conversation instantly shifted; the tone of Karina''s voice changed as she looked at her mother, who was clinging onto Riley''s arm and resting her head on his shoulder.


    "You shouldn''t get yourself be pushed away by my mother," Karina shook her head, "I know it is pretty unconventional, but the two of you should protect what you have with Dad. Mom might have known him longer, but you''ve been with him longer. If it was me¡­


    ¡­I wouldn''t be alright with someone else clinging to my lover."


    "Karina¡­ have you seen us?" Katrina only let out a small giggle as she wrapped her arm around Karina, "It''s already weird that Liza and I are sharing one man ¡ª we''ve long epted that Riley has multiple partners beside us."


    "Well¡­ it''s different because the two of you are variants of each other."


    "Hm¡­ you wouldn''t understand," Liza shook her head, "And I hope you never will ¡ª but loving a man the way we love your father is¡­ wrong. We''re obsessed with him."


    "Riley is a very good lover, Miss Karina." And all of a sudden, Esme, who had just been quietly walking behind the group, joined in on the conversation, "The way he masterfully brushes his hand against my skin, and his long, thick¡ª"


    "Nope, no," Karina quickly covered her ears and walked faster before she could fully hear what Esme wanted to say.


    "Ah, Oldest ¡ª how quaint and proper of you to join us young ones." And of course, Lucy was the first to acknowledge her presence, "Were you tired of listening to the old fools bbering about taxes?"


    "There are no taxes in the New World, Lucifer."


    "No one asked for your baseless opinion, my dear sister."


    "You are asking it by being wrong, Lucifer."


    "Are the two of you¡­" Karina squinted her eyes as she looked back and forth between the two, "...always arguing?"


    "Yes, Big Sister Karina." "As a matter of course, our dear oldest. What about you and Arthas, do you not dabble in arguments?"


    "Well¡­" Karina looked at Arthas, "...I''m several centuries older than him."


    "You should have just said you''re boring, our dear oldest," Lucy spun toward Arthas before patting him on the shoulder, "It must have been hard, Arthas ¡ª growing old with a boring old sister."


    "She is ¡ª well, she''s always been an authoritative figure for me," Arthas breathed out while thinking, "Like she said, there''s an age gap."


    "So, she is boring."


    "Do not be rude, Lucifer," Renna shook her head, "It is not her fault if she is."


    "I''m not."


    "Big sister Karina¡­ is boring?" Enel, who was just enjoying the sights while sitting on Arthas''s shoulder, turned to look down at Karina¡­ before looking down at her, "Ish¡­ big sister Karina boring, big giant people?"


    "Huh?"


    "Do not mind the toddler, he talks with invisible people," Lucy waved his hand, "He once told us he could see gigantic eyes watching us from above and even talking to him sometimes ¡ª the imagination of a child, but at least he has his own quirk and is not boring, like you."


    "I''m not boring," Karina raised an eyebrow, "I''m not."


    "Prove it then," Lucy looked Karina in the eyes, "A few seconds ago, someone descended from the Moon and is most likely heading here ¡ª you deal with him, our dear big sister."


    "What are you¡­" And as Karina was about to ask what Lucy meant, the expression on her face quickly turned serious. It wasn''t only her; the rest of her siblings were now also looking in a certain direction ¡ª specifically toward where the main gate of the HAA is located,


    "...Another god. Mom, we can''t be seen by them!"


    Karina was about to get her mother, her mother, however, was busy clinging to Riley and giggling. And seeing her happy like this, she truly did not want to break them apart.


    "A¡­ Aunt Esme," Karina then quickly turned toward Esme, "Can you¡­ deal with the visitor?"


    "Kill it?" Esme tilted her head to the side.


    "No, just¡­ shoo them away?"


    "So, kill it?"


    "...No," Karina could really only blink a couple of times, "Fuck ¡ª the gods are starting to notice we''re here. Mom! We really need to¡ª"


    "Boooring," Lucy let out a loud groan as he blocked Karina''s path before she could even make it halfway to Katherine, "No wonder¡­


    ¡­our father did not even bother taking care of you."


    "...What the fuck did you just say?"

 Chapter 1008 1008: Onegai Muscle

    Chapter 1008  1008: Onegai Muscle


    ??"Can you tell me why we are in this ce again?"


    "If I had a gold coin whenever a god went missing ever since this establishment was built, I would have two gold coins; which is not a lot, but it is weird that I have any at all."


    "And?"


    "And anyone with a working brain would immediately surmise that it is not a coincidence."


    Outside the main gate of the HAA, two people were currently casually talking to each other; their appearances, however, were not casual at all. The two of them were wearing some sort of formal attire; a red and gold dress for thedy; adorned with arge ck flower pinned on her chest, and a ck and gold tuxedo for the gentleman, who has arge sword the size of his own body attached to his back. Both their hair, almost as red as a stop light.


    "Hm¡­ I do sense the presence of a god inside," thedy let out a small hum as she tiptoed to get a better view of the inside of the campus, even one could actually already see through the gate since it was open, "And not one we know too. What are you thinking, Orgain? Think they are the one responsible for the disappearance?"


    "There is no use deliberating this here, Protain," the gentleman, Orgain, shook his head as he started to step forward, "Let us just go and visit whoever it could be."


    Orgain was fully expecting to be stopped as he went through the main gate, but the guard really only nced at him before just doing whatever it was he was previously doing. And so, he and Protain both just shrugged before entering the HAA.


    They also fully expected to stand out amongst the lot, but no one was truly even looking at them ¡ª why would they be noticed, when some of the people walking around the campus had even more mboyant outfits than them?


    "I believe we may have stumbled upon a masquerade event, Orgain."


    "No, these are the so-called superheroes," Orgain shook his head and sighed before just holding Protain''s hand before she could wander somece else, "And we are not to involve ourselves to them ¡ª we are only here for one reason, and one reason only."


    "But what if they''re involved¡ªA familiar face iing."


    Orgain and Protain quickly halted their steps as they suddenly saw a woman emerging from the crowd.


    "...Karina Ross," Orgain was about to draw hisrge sword, but Protain quickly grabbed his hand and prevented him from doing so.


    "And now we know why the other gods are missing," a small smirk crawled on Protain''s face as she took a step forward; her long fair legs, slightly peeking out of her dress with the elegance of her sway, almost dancing, "Of course, it has to be one of the Exiled."


    "Speak, Karina ¡ª did you have something to do with the disappearance of the two gods?"


    "...Two?" Karina raised an eyebrow as she heard Orgain''s words, "And who the fuck are you two again?"


    "Feign ignorance more, child," Protain let out a small giggle as she looked at Karina from head to toe, "You should remember us quite clearly, because thest time we met¡­


    ¡­your head was almost crushed into pieces between my thighs."


    "Ah, of course¡­" Karina rolled her eyes, "...Protain and Orgain, the insufferable duo. The two of you look¡­ quite different, much nicer to look at ¡ª although I am being generous."


    "You¡ª"


    "You have a choice," Orgain then pulled Protain back before she could get any closer to Karina, "Whether toe with us to face your judgment¡­


    ¡­or be crushed here the same asst time, the only difference is that we will make sure you will die."


    "Heh¡­ you really think this will be the same asst time?" A small smile crawled on Karina''s face as her white hair started to dance in the air; the ground beneath her feet, withering away and turning into dust as she looked Orgain straight in the eyes.


    "It will ¡ª because ultimately, it is still the same for us whether you grew stronger or not ¡ª our existence is just different," Orgain finally managed to unsheathe his gigantic sword. And as soon as he did so, the area they were standing on expanded; the bystanders and onlookers who were slowly gathering around them, now all gone into the distance as Orgain activated his Territory.


    "...This fucking thing again," Karina could really only click her tongue as she watched as the buildings of the HAA moved farther and farther away, "Why don''t you remove this thing before you start talking shit to me, huh? Afraid?"


    "Afraid, us?" Protain covered her mouth with the back of her fingers as sheughed, "Orgain, remove your Territory so we can teach this little girl a lesson she will never forget!"


    "I am not going to do that ¡ª we will die before we can even blink."


    "Y¡ª"


    And without even waiting for Protain to say another word, Orgain rushed toward Karina; his gigantic sword, creating a crevice on the ground as he slid it across the field.


    "Tch," as for Karina, she only stretched her hand forward. And as she did so, the ground in front of him started to wither away and disappearpletely; an invisible tidal wave that deleted everything that she could see.


    It was weird, however, as no matter how much of the field she deleted and shaved off, the field just seemed to get bigger and bigger; with Orgain still rushing toward her, but not shortening the distance at all. In fact, the distance between them was getting bigger and bigger.


    "I fucking hate this," Karina said as she stopped destroying everything in her sight ¡ª but as soon as she stopped doing so, Orgain and Protain suddenly appeared close to her; Orgain''s sword, only inches away from shing her neck while Protain''s foot was only a meter away waiting to separate her head as soon as it was cut.


    Karina, however, only clicked her tongue as she once again activated her powers, destroying everything around her. But s, Protain and Orgain were suddenly a mile away again; the field, expanding and retracting to their will.


    This was how Karina was defeated thest time ¡ª they fought for months on end until she just grew tired and let her guard down.


    "Fuck¡­" Karina cursed while shaking her head, "...I shouldn''t have allowed that stupiddy-looking bastard to egg me on. Fuck!"


    "Getting frustrated already?" Protain then let out another loud chuckle as she pointed at Karina, "Well then¡­ I would have loved to spend more time with you likest time, but we have a mission, so¡­ Orgain."


    "Hm."


    Orgain and Protain then suddenly raised both their hands up¡­ before just very slowly moving them down and flexing them; their biceps, growing exponentially before ripping off their clothes; their bodies which were once the epitome of elegance, now like a bunch of heavy rocks clumped together as their muscles grew.


    Orgain''s gigantic sword, now making more sense with his current build.


    "I told you, child¡­" Protain''s muscr thighs thumped, "...I''ll crush your head this ti¡ª"


    And before Protain could finish her words, she and Orgain found themselves suddenlypletely quiet as the distance between them and Karina shortened¡ªno, it wasn''t only Karina¡­ the crowd and the buildings also returned as Orgain''s Territory shrunk.


    "...Why did you remove your territory!? Do you want us to die!?" Protain quickly moved behind Orgain in fear of being deleted just like that. Her worries werepletely unfounded, however, as Karina seemed to be as surprised as them.


    "I¡­ didn''t remove it," Orgain took in a small gulp, "Someone removed it."


    "Is¡­ it the god?" Protain quickly looked around, "But the god is still in the same spot, just who¡ª"


    "I am afraid the two of you broke two rules."


    "!!!"


    Both Protain and Orgain''s eyes widened as they heard someone whispering between them. The two quickly flew away, but found their heads being smacked by an invisible wall; the only thing the two of them could really do was put up their guard as they looked at the man who whispered in their ears, only to see him just casually standing there with his hands behind his back¡­


    ¡­his clothes, even more elegant than the attire they ripped with theirrge throbbing muscles.


    "Ah, it''s the President!"


    "You entered the Hero Academy and Association with the intent to do harm," Riley let out a small breath; not even looking at Protain and Orgain while shaking his head, "And based on what I have heard¡­


    ¡­the two of you hurt my daughter."


    "Dad¡­?" Karina could really only whisper out as she heard Riley''s words.


    "...Dad?" Protain and Orgain looked at each other before just nodding and rushing toward Riley without uttering another word. Both of them, however, suddenly found their faces sped and covered by Riley''s hands.


    "The punishment for that¡­" Riley''s voice turned quiet,


    "...is something I can not say in front of the students."

 Chapter 1009 1009: Fatherless Behavior

    Chapter 1009  1009: Fatherless Behavior


    ??"Dad¡­"


    Karina had always imagined what it would have been like for his father to swoop in to save the day ¡ª she didn''t need to. After all, as she had already said before, she was already surrounded by not only the greatest, but the strongest people she knew; she could from the next, and Aerith and Diana would hear it and would be there for her in seconds. But still, for some reason, she couldn''t help but think what it would be like to be supported and saved by her father.


    And now, it was happening.


    And it was as amazing and as exciting as she thought it would be. But nobody told her¡­


    ¡­that it would be this terrifying.


    "I will give the two of you a choice¡­"


    Riley was not really doing anything, he was just holding Protain and Orgain''s faces while talking, and yet Karina could not help but feel as if she was the one being grabbed by him. Of course, this probably had nothing to do with the stories and tales she had been fed by Hannah and the others about how scary Riley could be¡­ right?


    "I would offer you the same thing you offered my daughter," Riley continued to whisper nonchntly even as Protain and Orgain were struggling with all their might, with Protain iling her muscr arms while trying to push and pry herself away with her even more muscr legs. As for Orgain, try as he might to lift his sword, something seemed to be keeping it stuck on the ground; he could have used his fists to try and attack Riley like Protain, but his hands seemed to also be stuck to the handle of the sword,


    "Either you receive your punishment here, or the three of us visit New Theran and I will punish you there in front of all the other gods to serve as an example ¡ª I will not, however, be as merciful as to give you your death. So¡­


    ¡­choose."


    "Who do you think you are!?" Protain gritted her teeth; her words, slightly muffled while still trying to pry Riley''s hand away from her face.


    "Riley Ross," Riley just casually shrugged as he very lightly started to lower his arms. Of course, Protain and Orgain wouldn''t just allow themselves to kneel, even if their bodies were to be buried and pierced through the ground, they would never kneel.


    Unfortunately for them, the ground wasn''t as soft as they thought as Riley reinforced it telekically. Still, the two refused to kneel, even to the point when their muscle fibers started to tear¡ªno.


    When their muscles started to be forced, the two actually started to smile instead of showing signs of struggle ¡ª how could they not be, when they were actually growing stronger now that their muscles were being forced to lift a weight heavier than their usual training?


    "You fool," Orgain let out a small scoff as he could feel himself getting stronger by the second, "You really think¡ª"


    "Orgain!" And before Orgain could say what he wanted to say, Karina raised her voice as she very slowly made her way toward them; the expression on her face, filled with nothing but worry, "Stop resisting¡­ please."


    "Any call for mercy is toote, sweet little child!" Protain let out a small but sheepish giggle as she could feel her arms heating up, "You should have shown your father his ce if you wanted him alive! But no, of course ¡ª we won''t really kill him, that would be against the Margrea Oath¡­


    ¡­we will just make it so that he would wish to be dead!"


    The two titans then started roaring as the very air itself started to distort from the heat that was emanating from their muscles.


    "I''m not¡­" Karina took in a small gulp as she looked at her father''s face, only to see the slightest bit of annoyance pestering it,


    "...I''m saying this for your sakes. My dad¡­


    ¡­likes to y around."


    "What are you¡ª"


    And before Protain or Orgain could even ascertain what Karina meant by her words, they found the pressure being forced down them fade away as their feet now very slowly left the ground instead of being pushed to it.


    "Twice now, you people from New Theran trespassed in my territory and harmed both my children," Riley let out a small sigh as he finally let go of the couple''s face. The couple thought this was their chance to be free, but just found themselvespletely unable to move as they continued to ascend up in the air along with Riley.


    "You¡­ you''re lucky we can''t exert our full force here in fear of killing all these mortals!" Protain once again let out a roar as she looked at Riley''s face, "You¡ª"


    And once again, the two could do nothing but watch as Riley just very calmly ced his hands around their necks. There is truth to their words, however ¡ª they truly are not using all of their efforts in fear of identally destroying the only civilization left in the entirety of the multiverse.


    "Where are you taking us?" Orgain let out a small grunt; slightly tightening his neck muscles as he looked at his sword which was getting smaller and smaller as they flew to the sky.


    "Karina, bring your young siblings and follow me," Riley did not answer Orgain at all, however, as he just looked at Karina; his voice, reaching her despite it just being a whisper,


    "It is time for us to formally visit our neighbors."


    "Wait, Dad¡­!?" Karina did not really know what to do, "I¡­ I can''t show myself to them! I''m already breaking the agreement as we speak! We are the ones at fault here!"


    "No," Riley shook his head, refusing to borate any further as he just started to increase his speed and fly directly to New Theran.


    "What the shit¡­!?" Karina grabbed her hair, almost wanting to pull it out as she started to panic. She had heard stories of how impulsive his father could be, but she had also heard how calctive and cunning he actually was¡­


    ¡­but just going straight to where the gods are residing?


    Is¡­ he really crazy!?


    "Wow, you''ve handled that quite well, our dear oldest sister." And out of nowhere, Lucy popped out behind her; almost like a shadow that emerged out of nowhere, "Perhaps I should take back my words, you are not boring at all ¡ª this development is quite nice."


    "Nice¡­?" Karina raised an eyebrow, "Our dad''s about to break the peace we''ve fought long and hard for centuries!"


    "That does not sound like Father," Renna and the others also started to arrive; her eyes, reflecting Riley and the others'' silhouette as they disappeared into the sky, "Did he say something to you, Older Sister Karina?"


    "Yeah¡­" Karina took in a very long and deep breath as she looked up,


    "...Dad ordered us to follow him."


    ***


    "I suppose this ce will do."


    "Unhand us, you¡ª"


    No one and nothing really blocked Riley''s path even as he entered New Theran''s atmosphere. He just casually entered andnded his feet on the before just throwing Protain and Orgain carelessly onto the hard, crystallized ground.


    "You¡ª"


    "Kneel."


    Protain was going to protest again, but just suddenly found herself effortlessly forced to kneel down; cracking the crystal ground with her knee.


    "Protain!" Orgain wanted to help Protain up, but also just stumbled to the ground and kneeled.


    "Try it now," Riley nced at the two as he started walking around the field of crystals, "We are already away from the New World, try using a little effort to fight back, Protain and Orgain."


    "You think we won''t do¡ªUgh!" Protain managed to stand up, only for her to drop even more violently to the ground.


    "Try it again," Riley whispered as hepletely looked away from the two and just started heading toward a monument, a crystal tower standing alone in the field. And there, behind the reflection of Riley''s face¡­ was Alice, eternally sleeping now for more than half a millennia.


    Thunders started erupting behind him as the very space itself started to crack with Protain and Orgain finally using their strength to free themselves from Riley''s invisible chains. But as soon as they found themselves free, they instantly dropped to the ground again.


    They were beings capable of destroyings in a single literal breath ¡ª and yet right now, they couldn''t even breathe properly. And perhaps the worst of it all is that their opponent¡­


    ¡­their opponent was not even looking at them.


    Such¡­ disrespect.


    And unfortunately for them, audience started to gather.


    "Dad!" Karina and her younger siblings arrived andnded on the field of crystals. And perhaps fortunately for Protain and Orgain¡­


    ¡­the group of siblings did not even bother with them and justnded behind their father.


    No ¡ª this was even more disrespectful that they were not even acknowledging them anymore as they just kneeled there.


    "Where are we¡­?" Lucy looked at Arthas''s hair before looking at the field of crystals, "...I think wended on your hair, Arthas."


    "This is not the time to make jokes, Lucifer," Renna clicked her tongue as she stood by her father''s side, "Is that¡­"


    "...Our grandma," Karina was the one to answer Renna''s words as she looked at Alice''s peaceful face, "Dad¡­


    ¡­why did you bring us here?"

 Chapter 1010 1010: No Title

    <h4>Chapter 1010 Chapter 1010: No Title</h4>


    "Why¡­ did you bring us here?"


    "Grandmother? That is our grandmother?"


    Surprisingly, the emotionless REnna was the first to react, even cing her palm on the crystal pod as she stared at Alice''s face.


    "She is¡­ very beautiful, Father."


    "She is. She is also one of the most powerful beings I have ever known ¡ª- if she was alive, I am sure that the war between the gods would not have even started."


    "Even stronger than you, Father?" Lucy squinted his eyes; his look slightly dubious as he looked at Alice''s corpse from head to toe "Why do I not see any of her variants, then?"


    "That is a fine question, Lucifer," Riley turned his head toward Karina and asked, "I am assuming Miss Dee and your grandmother''s variant are still alive?"


    "Thest time I checked on them, they were," Karina meekly said as she too, stared at Alice''s face, "Aunt Dee made sure that Alice wouldn''t be involved in the war, despite her actually wanting to. But I am going to repeat my question, Dad¡­ why did you bring us here?"


    "I wanted your younger siblings to see their grandmother''s corpse. "Riley took in a small breath before finally turning around and focusing on Protain and Orgain again, "And I also wanted our uninvited guests to know how lenient I have been with them living on the where my biological mother has been buried ¡ª a created by my adoptive mother. Do the two of you understand the implications of my words, Protain and Orgain?"


    "You¡ª"


    Riley asked them a question, but he was not letting the two speak at all.


    "That means half of this is mine. The other half belongs to Sister," Riley then crouched down so he could look at the two at eye level, "You and the other gods are illegal settlers, squatters; the lot of you."


    "Oh¡­" Lucy opened his mouth as he started looking at Arthas, "...We''re rich, Brother ¡ª which side of the are you interested in? Make sure it is near mine so we can still y around."


    "That¡­" Arthas, who was absolutely confused with what was happening, could really only nod his head while looking around. He was just here to see his father, and yet it almost as if he found himself in some sort of y. He had been told several times that Riley could be a little¡­ theatrical, but this was a little too much, no?


    He hadn''t even had a proper talk with his father, and now a lot of things have already happened ¡ª aplete contrast from his life living inside her grandmother''s ship where nothing really happens¡­


    ¡­no wonder everyone misses his father.


    "...But the gods live here," Arthas took in a small gulp; the tone of his voice, failing to contain his excitement. He could really only grab Enel from his shoulders to cover his anxiety.


    "I want thisnd!" Enel, however, freed himself from Arthas''s grasp and started running around the field of crystals, "The big giant eyes watching us are telling me they are excited for Papa to cause mayhem again!"


    "Enel, do not embarrass us again with your giant eyes talk," Lucy quickly grabbed Enel before he could get far.


    "Do you really think you can get away with this!? What do you mean this ce is yours!? We''ve imed this hundreds of years ago!"


    "You did ¡ª as I said, you are squatters," Riley sighed, "My adoptive mother was kind enough to let you stay here for free, but I am afraid I value my property more and will have all of you pay your dues and rent. After all, I paid for rent in New World, it is only fair that I get something in return."


    "That''s right!" Lucy stood by his father''s side and started pointing down at the two kneeling gods, "Tell your betters their rent is due¡­


    ¡­and thendlord is back."


    "Disgusting," Renna''s facial muscles have never moved so much as she expressed her disgust at Lucy. "Please, Lucifer. Leave the one-liners to Father. You are not as witty as you think you are."


    "You are just jealous that I am the more beautiful sibling."


    "Can the two of you ever be serious¡­?" Karina raised an eyebrow as the two once again started bickering with each other, "Dad¡­ we should just go. I''ll kill the two so they won''t be able to tell the others about us."


    "Aah!" Enel, who was nowtching onto Riley''s back, pointed at Karina, "She said the K word! I''ll tell your mommy!"


    "Ugh, this is¡ª"


    "Child¡­" Orgain then started letting out a sinister chuckle, finally interrupting the conversation that turned too casual for the dire situation they were in, "...Do you really think that the other gods do not know that you are here already? They''re probably observing us right now, waiting for the right time to strike."


    "Then I pity the two of you," Lucy just startedughing on his own as he once again stood beside Riley and looked down on the two gods, "The right time to strike will nevere¡­


    ¡­because nothing is right."


    "Lucifer," Renna could really only close her eyes andment quietly, "Father, I suggest we not bring Lucifer to our next outing. But forgive me for being presumptuous and forward, but may I ask that if we truly will inherit this, I would have thisnd, where Grandmother is resting?"


    "T¡ª"


    "You really think thisnd is yours?"


    And before anyone could actually respond to Renna, an individual suddenly appeared between the kneeling Protain and Orgain; his brown skin, almost melding with the gold ornaments adorning his muscr body. The only contrast, his white long hair that flowed with the weak wind.


    "And Karina Ross, the White One. I believe I do not need to remind you of the repercussions of your actions ¡ª and now you''ve brought people who share your likeness and intruded in ournd. But this¡­"


    The man''s body faded away; turning into wind as he reappeared in front of Alice''s crystal tomb.


    "I have always thought thisndmark was an eyesore, now I know why ¡ª you are rted to it. It is like a pimple, a w in an otherwise already perfectnd."


    "I don''t think you¡ª"


    "A perfectnd."


    And all of a sudden, a violent silence drowned the entire field as Riley spoke; his words and his breaths, now the only thing whispering and reverberating in the air. Karina seemed to want to say something, but not even a single breath could be heard escaping her lips.


    And while everyone was slightly confused, Renna was the only one who reacted; facing her father and kneeling respectfully on the ground. Lucy''s eyebrows lowered as he saw this, slightly snarling before also kneeling even lower than his sister.


    "What you are describing is a utopia," Riley breathed out as he stood beside the man, "You do not even know where you are standing right now ¡ª you are standing on a field where hope stood and was lostpletely, where the supposed future died in a single breath¡­


    ¡­you are standing on a painting I created. But most importantly, you vandalized a painting I still have not finished ¡ª trillions were killed, trillions that should have turned into nothing. But now, the universe is reminded of them with each step they take."


    Lucy turned to look at Renna as soon, they could not hear what he was saying as he continued to speak with the three gods. But soon, however, Riley''s voice resounded in each of their ears.


    "My children," Riley then stretched his arms to the side as he spoke to his children, "Rennalyn, Lucifer, Enel, and Arthas ¡ª the four of you arepletely unaware of what I was. And as someone whose adoptive mother hid her past and identity from me, I feel as though it is my obligation to be different for all of you."


    "Dad¡­" Karina took in a small gulp, "...Are you going to tell them the things you''ve done?"


    "No," Riley shook his head and sighed,


    "I am going to show them."


    "Gruekh¡­!?"


    "Protain!?"


    And all of a sudden, Protain''s muscles started throbbing¡ªno, her skin and flesh were almost boiling; melting but remaining intact as her body regenerated. It was as if millions of worms and ants were eating her flesh and then puking it out.


    None of Riley''s children could really focus on the sight, however, as Protain''s screams pierced through their ears like a serrated knife hissing through metal.


    "Father¡­?" Renna''s eyebrows started to lower; quickly looking away from the horrible sight. And Riley looked at him; a gentleness lingering on his face before he approached the boiling Protain¡­


    ¡­before summoning a de of light and stabbing her straight through her mouth and down her stomach.


    "Gurkh," and with a final grunt, everyone watched as Protain just exploded; her flesh and blood showering everywhere.


    "Prota¡ª!!!"


    Orgain screamed, only for Riley to insert a lump of Protain''s flesh and guts inside his mouth.


    "Close your eyes or do not," Riley whispered out as he nced at each of his children,


    "But I am about to start showing you what I am now."


    "You¡­" Karina''s eye twitched,


    "...haven''t even started yet?"

 Chapter 1011 1011: Riley Is Not Father Material?

    <h4>Chapter 1011 Chapter 1011: Riley Is Not Father Material?</h4>


    "Dad, I think this is enough."


    Karina was the only one who could really move amongst Riley''s children: her eyes, moving across her siblings and observing each of their expressions. She was focusing more on Enel, as he was the likely candidate to be Nothing.


    ¡­Or if any of them was Nothing in the first ce.


    What Renna said to her got her thinking about whether or not Aerith''Ross was actually credible; she always thought she was, after all. She suddenly arrived 16 years ago, bringing along a so-called future version of Paige Pearson while Aerith was giving birth.


    Of course, everyone was doubtful at first ¡ª but when she gave details about the circumstances of Arthas''s birth, about him being an anomaly; since themarians can only give birth once every thousand years, and what he would look like as a newborn, she and the others slowly started to believe her. There was also the fact that she looked like Aerith, but with the features of Riley.


    But¡­ what if she truly wasn''t from the future? The information they have about her points to her telling the truth, and it is also more likely for her to truly be from the future¡­ but just what if she wasn''t?


    Wouldn''t that even be scarier?


    And what would she even gain from telling her that one of her siblings was Nothing, an existence before Creation itself? But still, doubting or not, Karina would not really lose anything by observing Enel and the others; although she slightly feels bad now that she was starting to bond with them.


    And so, once again, Karina found herself observing Enel, only for her to see that he was burying his face on Riley''s back;pletely scared of what was happening in front of him, of the blood and screams.


    Of course, he would look away ¡ª who wouldn''t? Riley was now forcefully feeding Orgain with Protain''s blood, guts, and flesh that was scattered everywhere when Riley caused her to explode. And that wasn''t all ¡ª gods do not die that easily.


    The reason Orgain was screaming¡­ is because Protain was regenerating inside of him; his stomach, bulging as the shape of Protain''s hand could be seen protruding from it.


    No. In the first ce, it was hard to discern who was actually screaming, Orgain¡­ or Protain, who was inside his stomach.


    Karina then turned her head to Renna ¡ª and although she was the one who was most simr to Riley with the way she acts; her emotionless face was nowpletely red as her tears dropped straight down her feet as she was looking at the ground.


    Arthas, although the biggest of them all, was also looking to the side while his hands were rolled into fists. As for Lucy, although he was ncing at what was happening, he was still looking away with aplicated expression on his face.


    None of them were really reacting in the way Karina was expecting them to. She was even expecting that someone wouldn''t react at all, but all of them were clearly ufortable ¡ª the only one that wasn''t showing signs of difort with the brutal and violent situation was Riley¡­


    ¡­and herself.


    But of course, Karina has already lived in a world filled with violence for centuries. She¡­


    ¡­she was used to this. That¡­ that was the only reason.


    Karina once again turned to look at her siblings, and as soon as she saw Renna''s legs starting to tremble, she could no longer help herself and screamed,


    "Dad¡­" Karina gritted her teeth as she pointed her palm at the wailing god, "...That''s enough!"


    And with her scream, Orgain just instantly withered away; not even a speck of atom left to even regenerate.


    "I think they got your point already, Dad," Karina then said as she quickly stood in front of Riley as soon as he turned to the newly arrived god, whose eyes were already fully turned wide after witnessing his fellow gods be tortured in the most humiliating way possible before just disappearing out of existence,


    "You don''t need to show them anything anymore, they''ve got it. Congrattions, you just gifted my siblings a lifetime of trauma."


    "But I am just starting, Karina," Riley tilted his head to the side to look at the brown-skinned god, "I assume this is not enough for them to know how needlessly violent I was back then."


    "There are better ways to show them, or better yet, just tell them! I''ll tell them if that''s what you want!" Karina waved her hands, "Torturing and killing Low-Level gods is not the way to do this!"


    "Low-level gods," Riley ced his hand on his chin as he tilted his head even further to look at the Brown-skinned god, "I suppose that makes sense. I was not expecting them to be as strong as Mr. Kravos or thebatants of the topmost floor of Grandarena City, but I knew they were too weak. Is this Wind God also Low-level?"


    "Yes," Karina nodded, "There''s¡­ no need for you to bully them."


    "Then even more so that I should torture him," Riley turned to look at Renna and the others, "I used to hurt and kill powerless people because I enjoyed it ¡ª I have probably killed a trillion;pletely innocent or not. I might have also probably killed variants of your mothers, Rennalyn and Lucifer. I have killed children the same age as Enel, and even pregnant women¡­


    ¡­the viins you have sworn to defeat ¡ª I am the worst one."


    "Father¡­" Renna could really only look at Riley, "...That is not true, it can''t be. You''re Zero Paragon ¡ª the one who revived the Age of Heroes. And I haven''t heard or read of a viin like that before the Blink happened. The biggest viin the universe had was King the Conqueror. That¡­"


    Renna''s stoic voice slightly faltered as she saw the look of utter regret on Karina''s face.


    "...Big sister Karina?"


    "The¡­ information was buried."


    "I do not believe you," Renna''s eyebrows very slightly lowered, "I do not believe you!"


    "It¡ª"


    And before Karina could even say anything else, the space beneath Renna''s feet opened up into a portal.


    "Father¡­ Our father is a hero!" And with those words, Renna just let herself fall into the hole, most probably teleporting away to somece far.


    "..." Arthas did not really say anything; just pulling Enel away from Riley''s back and flying straight back to the New World. As for Lucy, he stared at the brown-skinned god for a few seconds before asking,


    "What god does someone like you believe in? Because I was you¡­


    ¡­I would start praying."


    And with those words, Lucifer''s silhouette faded away.


    "Look at what you did, Dad¡­" Karina could really only let out a small groan before her feet also started to leave the field of crystals, "...Sometimes, maybe secrets are kept as secrets because everyone would be better off without knowing them."


    "They would have known eventually," Riley breathed out, "I wanted them to know it from me."


    "You should have let them be children longer," Karina closed her eyes before just flying away, leaving Riley alone.


    Well, not alone, as the brown-skinned god adorned with gold ornaments was still there, frozen still like the field of crystals he stood upon.


    "Perhaps I should not have made a decision without their mothers," Riley let out a small but very deep sigh as he started approaching the god, "I suppose I should let you live."


    The god could really only stare at Riley, as his eyes were the only part of him he could actually move. Soon, however, he almost stumbled straight down as Riley set him free.


    "You¡­ have my word," the god whispered, "I will not tell about you to the others."


    "Hm¡­" Riley nodded.


    "Hm," the god also nodded as his limbs started to turn into wind.


    "But I do not actually need your word."


    And before the god could fully turn into an element, the crystals beneath his feet cuddly and instantly turned into a pir,pletely trapping him inside.


    "These crystals are strong enough to have a small chance to survive Esme''s punch," Riley whispered, "You will not be able to break it ¡ª I will let you live, Random God whose name I do not know."


    Riley once again let out a small sigh before just nonchntly moving away from the confined god and approaching Alice''s grave.


    "Mother," Riley whispered, "It would seem we are both terrible parents."


    Riley ced his palm on Alice''s crystal for a few seconds before just once again letting out a breath and backing away.


    "Ts," he then whispered. And as he did so, the ground beneath him opened up and swallowed him whole ¡ª bringing him to the innermost core of New Theran¡­


    ¡­where Ts still lives, fully alive and well; serving as the''s core and sole controller. Her veins, fully connected to the rest of the.


    "That went well, boy," Ts spoke; the roots attached to her cheeks, crackling as she did so, "Shouldn''t you be chasing after them instead of meeting old me? Your clones were just here the other day."


    "I need something to make it up to them," Riley shook his head.


    "Oh¡­


    ¡­you are hunting ingredients for your restaurant personally?"


    "No, I am going to cook for them."

 Chapter 1012 1012: Riley’s Hunt

    <h4>Chapter 1012 Chapter 1012: Riley''s Hunt</h4>


    "I feel like I do need to warn you, Riley ¡ª there is a chance that you might encounter a god during your hunt."


    "Hm¡­?"


    Riley was still inside Ts''s domain, surrounded by all the solid elements of earth as he seemed to be prepping himself to hunt for ingredients. He was kneeling on the ground, and in front of him were several knives, a bow and arrows, as well as a wooden spear.


    "Which clone was the one who used thesest?" Riley then breathed out as he nced at Ts, "They did not take care of it."


    "Your clones are all the same," Ts let out a small sigh; her breaths, being reflected by the spherical space they were in, "And I am serious ¡ª they are on high alert now because of what you''ve been doing ¡ª that Wind God even detected you were here even despite me trying to hide your presence as always. Why even do that?"


    "I do not know, Ts," Riley let out a small sigh as he started grabbing the hunting tools and equipping them around his leather garb, "It would seem I am unfit to be a father."


    "You''re really saying that after you already have 5 of them little critters roaming around?" Ts let out a small scoff as she slowly approached Riley; the branches and vines that were connected to her veins, carrying her, "But I am serious, Riley ¡ª you have been hunting in these grounds peacefully for 16 years without the gods knowing, and now you''re being careless and just revealing yourself. If you are nning something, I deserve to know because I don''t just literally live in this. I am the."


    "I am not nning anything, Ts," Riley once again just sighed as he stood up, "Right now, I only want to get some ingredients."


    "...Fine," Ts just shook her head as she returned to the center of the spherical space, "But if you get caught by these gods, do not tell them of my existence."


    "They have not known your existence for centuries despite you literally living here, Ts ¡ª they might not even believe me even if I tell them that you are here," Riley stepped forward to the empty wall of branches and roots.


    "Well, it''s not like I have to worry about you telling anyone about me ¡ª if you want a secret buried forever, they should tell it to you," Ts scoffed as she flicked her finger, and as she did so, the wall in front of Riley opened up.


    "That is not entirely true, Ts," Riley shook his head, "If it will benefit me, I reveal secrets ¡ª and I reveal them in the most dramatic way possible."


    "Right. Anyway, I liked the dish you cookedst time; with the meat covered in some sort of leaf."


    "Thank you, I am d you liked it," Riley then stepped forward, but the opening slightly closed as he did so.


    "That means I want to eat it again, boy," Ts sighed, "I swear. When I think you''vepletely changed from when I first met you, you prove me otherwise."


    "I am not capable of change, Ts."


    "You are, you''ve changed," Ts flicked her finger again,pletely opening the way for Riley, "And just go ¡ª you have too many rituals when you could just pull out one of the creatures all the way from here and be done with it."


    "Cooking should be done by one''s hands, Ts."


    "You''re not cooking."


    "Cooking does not start in the kitchen, Ts."


    And with those words, a hint of a smile crawled on Riley''s face as he stepped out of Ts''s domain. And as soon as he did so, he was weed by the spherical world of Sub-Theran ¡ª vast, extremely lush, andpletely filled with all sorts of life;nd and avian¡­ each of them, probably capable of swallowing an entire whole in less than a single second.


    "Well then¡­" Riley breathed out as he stared at the vast ne,


    "...Time to hunt."


    Riley then stretched his hand forward, and as soon as he did so ¡ª a bird the same size as Riley appeared in front of him; its talons, wing his arm and flying him away at the speed of light; literally.


    Riley remainedpletely calm as he just stared at the bird, looking at it from beak to tail. But after a few seconds, he just let out a sigh and shook his head before grabbing one of his knives and just stabbing the bird''s joints ¡ª freeing himself.


    The bird, however, just let out a loud whistle as before once again diving for Riley; not letting him drop to the ground, as this time, it used itsrge beak to grab Riley''s torso.


    "Why are you doing this, Bird?" Riley looked at the bird''s eyes, "You do know that I am letting you go? I do not want to serve poultry to my children. But if you wish to die¡­"


    "!!!"


    And as soon as the bird met Riley''s eyes, it instinctively opened its beak; letting Riley fall. It did not really understand Riley''s words, but it understood something as soon as it saw Riley''s eyes ¡ª the creature he thought was easy prey, was no prey at all, but a sleeping apex predator lying in wait¡­ and it disturbed him.


    And ever-so quickly, the bird flew up as fast as it could; almost disappearingpletely from view¡­ but sadly, notpletely enough as a lion leaped from the ground and managed to grab the bird around its neck; the lion''s jaw,pletely snapping the bird''s neck instantly.


    There wasn''t really anything interesting about the lion physically, it truly just looked like a lion one could find on Earth ¡ª nothing special¡­ except for the fact that it just caught a bird that was going faster than the speed of light like it was nothing.


    Riley then watched as the lionnded right in front of him. And the lion did the same, the two of them staring at each other''s eyes. Unlike the bird, however, the lion instinctively knew that Riley was dangerous ¡ª too dangerous to the point that the lion found itself approaching Riley and offering the bird it just caught to him.


    "I do not need it, Lion," Riley just looked at the dead bird before shaking his head and walking away, "And feline meat is too hard."


    "Grh¡­" The lion quickly lowered its head before lying down as Riley walked away,pletely submitting to him; seemingly sighing a breath of relief.


    Riley continued to walk across the vast world of Sub-Theran, with most of the beasts andcreaturespletely avoiding him. Riley did not mind, however, as he was just looking at a set of footprints on the ground, following it deep into a thick bamboo forest.


    The bamboo doesn''t really break even as Riley pushed them away; they just bounce and return back to their original state as he makes his way through them. And soon, Riley reached some sort of de, and there¡­ several sheep-like creatures flocked, no.


    They were not sheep-like at all; the only thing simr was their thick fleece covering their bodies. Their legs and neck were long like that of a giraffe, and head was that of a deer; horns that protruded in an elegant way on top of their heads.


    "I suppose this would do," Riley held his breath before grabbing his bow as quietly as possible; not even using his collection of abilities to hide the noise. And yet as he drew it, his target still seemedpletely unaware of its impending death, "I thank you for the meal you are about to provide."


    Riley then let loose his arrow¡­ but it did not pierce through his target, and instead was caught by a green-haired woman¡­ not even a foot away in front of him.


    "Who are you?" The woman quickly asked as she snapped the arrow in half; the crack it created was almost a thunder, alerting all of Riley''s soon-to-be ingredients and causing all of them to run away,


    "And why are you hunting on our grounds?"


    "Our?" Riley tilted his head before just calmly wrapping the bow around him again and looking to his left, where a tall muscr man was very slowly emerging from the bamboo; his camouge slowly fading away, "Forgive, I was not aware that this area was reserved by someone."


    "Reserved? No¡­" The man''srge muscr chest contracted as he stepped toward Riley, "...We own thisnd ¡ª everyone knows that, and since you don''t¡­ I can only assume that you''re an outsider."


    "You own thisnd?" Riley looked the muscr man in the eyes, "Very well, I will not address this any further because I want to cook something for my children. I will just leave and find another ground to hunt on."


    "I don''t think that is going to happen," the woman instantly appeared in front of Riley as he turned around, "You''ve already intruded, we will need something in return."


    "Pain, then."


    "Huh¡­?"


    "I will not hurt you¡­


    ¡­that is the price I am willing to exchange in return."

 Chapter 1013: No More Warnings

    1013 Chapter 1013: No More Warnings


    "I will not hurt you ¡ª that is the price I am willing to return in exchange."


    "Huh¡­?"


    The man seemed to find it incredibly using as he looked at Riley from head to toe; a small smirk, slowly crawling on his face while his breaths soon turned into a chuckle. As for the woman, she just looked Riley in the eyes while stillpletely blocking his path.


    "I truly don''t think you understand the situation you are in right now," the woman shook her head, "And since you don''t, you truly are an outsider, and I can only assume that you''re from down there, where the mortals live. You must be really brave to go here when it is strictly prohibited for your kind to even be in close proximity to this ce."


    "That, or he is stupid ¡ª I do not even sense a hint of energy from this man¡­ and he''s threatening us? Were the mortals in the Domain of the Gods also this funny?"


    "Don''t be stupid, Ram," the woman clicked her tongue at Ram''s words, "No mere mortal could reach this ce, much less the inner areas of this ¡ª this man is clearly hiding his strength so he could hunt here, he is strong."


    "A mortal is still a mortal, Emis," Ram once again smirked before walking behind Riley,pletely covering his path to escape, "No matter how strong they could be, they will never surpass us."


    "Don''t you know that our parents were also once mortals?"


    "Psh, impossible."


    "Oh¡­?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he nced at Ram before focusing his attention to Emis, "So, the two of you are not originally from the Domain of the Gods? That''s¡­ interesting. When I was there, the gods were not able to procreate ¨C does that mean that you two were just born 16 yea¡ª"


    "Stop yapping and just disappear!"


    "Ram, no!"


    Ram did not let Riley finish his words as he just suddenly rushed toward him; his hand threatening to grab Riley by the neck. His sister tried to stop him, but the only thing she could really do was watch as Riley just casually grabbed his wrist before sweeping him by the ankles and tripping Ram straight to the ground.


    "You¡ª"


    And before Ram could even say anything, Riley grabbed one of his knives and stabbed him through the back of his hand, pinning his arm into the imprable ground of New Theran. And almost as if to deter any more future ramblings¡­


    ¡­Riley continued to stab his knives through Ram''s limbs without giving him any chance to exin; only letting his grunts and quiet whimpers to escape his gritted lips. And once he was done, he retrieved a needle and thread from one of his many trusty pockets and started sewing Ram''s lips shut.


    And through all of this, through the noise and muffled screams, Emis only watched.


    "I hope you do not mind what I did, Miss Emis," Riley patted his hands clean as soon as he was done, "The constant noise would scare the wildlife."


    "...I am thankful you didn''t kill my brother," Emis took in a small gulp as she stared at Ram, who could not even struggle, as even the slightest movement gave him a pain that crawled throughout his entire body.


    "I will leave now, okay?" Riley nced at Ram for a few seconds before focusing on Emis, "I will get my knives back, and I will go hunt somewhere else ¡ª I promise not to hurt you anymore if you promise that you will not do anything else and will forget this ever happened."


    "You have my word," Emis raised her palm, "Please free my brother."


    "Hm, interesting," Riley nodded before he just casually started pulling the knives one by one. Ram''s muffled screams; only seeped out from his nose as Riley was already a master of sewing flesh and guts shut,


    "I never truly thought of the gods from the Domain also having children here."


    "You were in the Domain of the Gods¡­ does that mean you''re also a god?"


    "I am a father, Miss Emis," Riley just shrugged as he started wiping and cleaning his knives before cing them back to their holsters as soon as he got thest one from Ram''s body, "I am going now, Miss Emis ¡ª please do not try to follow me, because I will not let you go the second time, I am simply not in the mood right now and I might slip."


    "...Of course," Emis bowed her head before stepping to the side to make way for Riley. She still seemedpletely wary of him, however, as she could not take her eyes off of him for fear that he might do something. Unfortunately for her, Riley truly did not do anything¡­


    ¡­but Ram did.


    While Emis was busy observing Riley, she did not notice Emis ripping out the threads on his lips and then blowing some sort of whistle; a quiet and silent whistle that still seemed to echo throughout the entire bamboo forest. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "..." The noise caused Riley to turn his head back, and as soon as he did so, he found himself tilting his body to the side as a spear that was probably 4 meters long threatened to take his entire head off.


    "Ram, what did you do!?" Emis sucked in a deep breath as he rushed toward her brother and snatched the whistle away from his hands.


    "You''re dead now, mortal!" Ram cackled as his lips healed, "My father''s not going to let you leave this ce alive ¡ª and they are probably also going to punish your people for breaking into our domain!"


    Riley really only nced at Ram for a few seconds before grabbing the 4-meter spear pierced into ground¡­ and then throwing it back to where it came from; causing the bamboo to ripple away from the sheer force of the throw.


    Just a secondter, however, the spear once again returned and shot straight toward Riley, only for Riley to catch it this time and return it immediately.


    "You fool¡­" Emis gritted her teeth as she looked at her brother, "...We''ve heard the same stories of how dangerous and deadly a battle between our fathers and mothers are¡­ and yet you call for our father?"


    "...You really think Father can''t handle someone like him!?"


    "You might have just killed him," Emis closed her eyes; a small tear, trailing on her left eye.


    "What do you¡ª"


    "Who dares intrude in my, Ramis,nd!?"


    And before the siblings could even share their dismay with each other, their father arrived ¡ª and much like them, he had green hair; only wearing a garb and a sash as he had several blood markings painting his muscr body.


    His spear which was 4 meters long, now seemed small as he was almost taller than it.


    "...And you also dare hurt one of my children!?" The father, Ramis, raised his voice as soon as he saw the state of Ram; whose multiple wounds were still healing as he sat defeated on the ground, "Is it you!?"


    And while the tip of Ramis''s spear was only inches away from Riley''s nose as he pointed it at him, Riley just let out a small breath as he nced at Emis.


    "I already told you I was not in the mood," Riley closed his eyes, "And since I am a father now, I understand how it is to want to please one''s children, and how it feels to fail them ¡ª so I apologize for doing this to you¡­


    ¡­and how I am thoroughly going to enjoy it."


    And with those words, Riley opened his eyes ¡ª and not even a millisecond after doing so, broke the spear in half with his hands; spinning his way toward Ramis and then stabbing him straight in the eye with the pointy end.


    Riley then pulled out the spear, taking out Ramis''s eyeball and then using it to plug his throat before he could roar or say anything. And while doing this, Emis and Ram watched as a small smile very started to crawl on Riley''s face.


    "Pavoom," Riley then pointed his finger at Ramis''s legs,pletely erasing his limbs before pinning his head through the ground. And as soon as Ramis''s hand let go of the other half of the spear, Riley grabbed it from him before instantly flying toward Ram.


    "!!!" Ram tried taking a step back, but it was toote as Riley had already swung the spear through his neck; his scenery, turning around as his head slowly dropped; not to the ground, as Riley caught it with the spear before batting it directly toward Emis''s hand.


    "Lord, please stop¡ª!!!" And before Emis could even plead, Riley threw the spear toward her; or more specifically, toward her brother''s head and then through her stomach.


    "No," Riley shook his head before he started walking back to Ramis, who already fully recovered and standing,


    "I already warned you several times¡­


    ¡­what happens now is entirely not my fault."


    Bruh just wanted food for his children


    Romeru

 Chapter 1014: Rileys Patience

    1014 Chapter 1014: Riley''s Patience


    "You¡­"


    Ramis recovered from Riley''s attack in no time at all, but not fast enough to save his son''s head from being decapitated and then pinned through Emis''s stomach like they were some sort of street barbecue from the deepest parts of hell.


    "What about me, Ramis?" Riley did not seem to care at all that the energy Ramis was emitting was causing all the wildlife, and even the nt life around them to die¡ªno. Perhaps he did care, and was even finding it amusing; amusing to the point that he grabbed the spear that was pierced through Ram''s head and Emis''s stomach; pinning both to the ground before stepping on Emis''s head,


    "Perhaps worry about me less and more your children," Riley whispered as he started spinning and moving the spear, causing Emis to let out a muffled scream. If Riley was truly just spinning t, she probably wouldn''t even feel that much pain. But what Riley was doing was not just a simple twist or spin¡­ he splintered the spear, practically grating Emis''s insides,


    "They seem to be asking for your help. Oh, I apologize ¡ª she seems to be asking for your help. Get it? Because your other child is dead, Ra¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, Ramis rushed toward Riley; obliterating the almost imprable ground of Sub-Theran with each of his steps. Rilley, however, just stared at him with a smile on his face as he continued to grate Emis''s insides. But as soon as Ramis was only a few steps away, Riley quickly lifted the spear with Emis still on it and threw it directly at the rushing Ramis.


    Ramis, of course, immediately stopped running as he caught his daughter.


    "Do you not fight with honor!?" Ramis let out a small roar as he nced at his daughter and son''s head before turning his focus back to Riley¡ª


    "You are the one who threw a sneak attack first, Ramis."


    ¡ªonly to find that Riley was not where he was supposed to be; his voice, just within reach of him. Ramis was confused at first, but after a moment, he realized where the voice wasing from. But he did not immediately look at the source, but rather where Emis was previously at¡­


    ¡­and she was still there, lying on the ground with a spear pierced through her stomach.


    "..." Ramis then very slowly looked down at the person he caught who he thought was his daughter, only to find Riley in his arms.


    "I can be a little tricky to fight, no?" A very wide smile then formed on Riley''s face as he stabbed Ramis''s chin; the knife, went straight through his gums, and then out his upper lips to slice off the tip of his nose,


    "Especially when I am holding back."


    "Get away from me!" Ramis quickly threw Riley away, causing him to violently roll on the ground; splitting the unbreakable bamboos on his path before his body was stabbed by the sharp remnants that they left in his tumble.


    Ramis did not take a chance, however, as he did not let Riley recover at all; grabbing one of the broken bamboo and instantly reshaping it into a spear and then stabbing it straight through Riley''s body. He then grabbed another bamboo before once again stabbing it through Riley ¡ª he did this again, and again, and again ¡ª until Riley''s body waspletely unrecognizable.


    "This hunt¡­ is done," Ramis then breathed heavily as he looked at what remained of Riley. He stared at him just for a second before turning around to check on his daughter.


    "Youck creativity, Ramis."


    Before he could even take a single step, however, he saw Riley right beside his daughter, whose body was now iling in the air¡ªno, iling with the bamboo she was nowpletely attached to¡­ from her posterior going all the way out her mouth. And of course, almost as if toplete the touch, Ram''s head was also above Emis''s body,


    "Behold, brother and sister, once again connected by a vein."


    "Do you really think you will still die peacefully after what you did here!?" Ramis let out a roar as his godly aura once again grew stronger ¡ª this timepletely erasing the entire bamboo forest, with the only bamboo left standing was the bamboo carrying his children, "You will know a god''s wrath, and not just mine!"


    "Wrath? You are angry?" Riley seemed visibly confused as he looked back and forth between Ramis and his children, "I thought you would be sad, Ramis ¡ª I thought I would guess what you feel since I am also a father, and I would most probably be sad upon seeing my children dead. But you¡ªOh¡­


    ¡­Could it be you think they are still alive?"


    "You underestimate us."


    "No, I never have," Riley shook his head before pointing at Emis, and Ram''s head, "But they are dead, Ramis. I have several ways of making it certain, and I made it certain ¡ª they are dead, and will never be alive again."


    "You really think that you can take us on, White¡ªwait¡­ White One?" The slight hint of confidence painting Ramis''s face slowly withered away as he looked at Riley from head to toe, "You¡­ how are you rted to Karina Ross?"


    "I told you I am also a father, Ramis."


    "Karina''s father¡­?" Ramis forgot to breathe as he quickly turned his focus back to his children, "No¡­"


    "Yes," Riley smiled.


    "No!" And as tears started to trail down Ramis''s cheek, they also instantly faded away as he disappeared from his spot; another spear, heading straight toward Riley. This time, however, Ramis was holding it, and holding it tight as he let out a barrage of a million strikes in less than a second; the spear, however, only shortened each time it hit an invisible wall protecting Riley.


    "I have warned your children several times ¡ª they did not follow," Riley let out a small sigh as Ramis''s body almost looked like he duplicated as he started striking him in all directions. Riley did not even seem bothered even as the tip of the shortening spear was getting closer and closer to him as his invisible shield weakened. Instead, he just once again let out a sigh before putting something between his lips ¡ª the very same whistle that Ram blew on,


    "Now, I wonder who else this would summon, Ramis?"


    "Don''t you¡ª"


    Of course, Riley did not care at all for Ramis''s words as he blew on the whistle hard; causing an ephemeral st to ripple across Sub-Theran and even out the surface of the.


    "No¡­" And not even a second after doing so, a woman was now suddenly kneeling in front of the bamboo that served as Emis'' and Ram''s grave. "Neri!" Ramis quickly stopped attacking Riley as he rushed toward the woman; the woman, however, only red at Ramis before she touched the bamboo, causing it to shrink ¡ª no, causing it to regress; turning it back its time.


    The woman, Neri, very gently caught her children, embracing their remains as she quietly shrieked in pain of losing them.


    And as soon as Riley saw that, he nodded to himself.


    "That is what I expected you to be, Ramis," Riley then said, "Sad, defeated, and utterly destroyed. I have seen that expression more times than I could count with my fellow humans, it is good to know that even gods are capable of expressing it."


    "What¡­ what have we even done to you for you to do this?" Neri gritted her teeth as she looked at Riley, "For millions of years, when we were trapped in the Domain of the Gods, we were not able to receive the gift of children ¡ª and now that we have them, you take them from us when we have not even spent a single breath of time with them¡­


    ¡­w¡ªw¡­why?"


    "This is not my fault, Miss Neri," Riley shook his head as he very slowly approached the grieving Neri and the wrathful Ramis. Ramis, however wrathful he was now, however, just stood still beside his wife and protected her, "I have warned your son twice ¡ª your daughter even warned her too, and yet he still persisted in making trouble. Your son killed himself, and your son killed his sister ¡ª I was only the instrument that was used."


    "I hope that your children die a horrible death in front of you too," Neri''s lips trembled as she stared Riley in the eyes, "You are a pathetic man, killing others for your own amusement. You are pathetic, you are weak, and you are miserable. No¡­ no¡ª"


    Neri''s eyes glowed as they started to reflect Riley, truly reflect them almost as if he was seeing all of his entirety, "¡­I hope your children will see who you are and kill you themselves. But knowing what you are¡­


    ¡­You will probably kill them too."


    "That will never happen, Miss Neri," Riley shook his head, "Despite me being like this¡­


    ¡­I know I love my children."


    "You do," Neri smiled, "And that is why I am truly d that they will die by your hands." N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Deymn, even I felt the hurt and anger in Neri''s words as I type them. lol.

 Chapter 1015: Help

    Chapter 1015: Help


    "...I am truly d that they will die by your hands."


    The empty field was barren, but it now seemed even more as Riley returned Neri''s gaze ¡ª Riley had feltpletely vulnerable before. Katherine, The Crimson Pdin, Pirate Queen Xra, Marleen, and now Neri.


    All of them all had one thing inmon ¡ª they were able to bypass all of Riley''s mental defenses and could read through himpletely. Either through feelings and emotions, he thought he didn''t have, through his disguises, through his surface thoughts, through his memories, and now¡­


    ¡­seemingly just straight through him.


    Riley is ufortable, that much is clear to him due to his eyebrows lowering on their own; something that doesn''t really happen much for him unless he is truly affected deeply.


    He could not even see anything else anymore, only Neri''s sorrowful eyes and the tears theyy.


    "Interesting¡­" Riley let out a small groan as he tilted his head to the side while approaching Neri again. Ramis blocked his path, but Riley seemedpletely uninterested in him now. Riley just raised a finger, causing Ramis''s tall and muscr body to stretch to its limits; his limbs, almost separated from the joints.


    Riley then pointed his finger down,pletely dropping Ramis to the ground; the hunter god, not even able to offer any hint of resistance. The only thing Ramis could do was watch as Riley crouched in front of the grieving mother of his now-deceased children.


    "Neri¡­ please, run!" Ramis used all of his strength to let out a scream, begging his wife to escape. Neri, however, just continued to stare at Riley''s eyes.


    "Do you know, Miss Neri?" Riley calmly said as he gently ced his hand on Emis''s forehead; lightly brushing her hair before turning his eyes back to Neri, "I n for my children to kill and stop me in the future, and if what you say wille to pass, that I will kill them for some reason ¡ª I do not see it happening. But if it does, perhaps in some chance that I be too far gone and even try to hurt my children¡­


    ¡­I would like your help, Miss Neri."


    "I will never help you ¡ª I will not spare even a single breath or emotion," Neri bared her fangs, "You will suffer and suffer alone."


    "Perhaps, but that is not the help I am seeking at all," Riley shook his head as a wide smile started to crawl on his face. He then removed his hand from Emis. And as he did so, Neri saw something in his hand; some sort of miniature ss box with something in it. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    An insect?


    No, not at all ¡ª it was humanoid, and although Neri couldn''t feel anything from it, she knew enough of the power it held ¡ª at the same time, however, Neri could feel something else from it¡­ the scent of death.


    "What is that¡­?" Neri''s eyes started to tremble as she saw Riley hiding the ss cage back in one of his many trusty pockets, "What is that!? What did you do!?"


    "I am not doing anything, Miss Neri," Riley shook his head as he stood up and started backing away, "You are the one doing something, you will be helping me process what you have just told me."


    "What are you¡ª" And before Neri''s breaths could continue to tremble, she felt a nudge in her arms. She quickly turned to look at her daughter, only to see her opening her eyes and mouth; groaning and stuttering as she tried to move.


    But as her daughter started showing signs of life, Neri was not d at all and even quickly let her go as she too, started backing away,


    "What¡­ what have you done¡­?" Neri''s head started to shiver as she watched as Emis stood up; extremely clumsy, almost falling several times before she was able to fully stand up. Emis opened her mouth again, but only visceral groans escaped her lips; a long groan, whispering.


    "You told me I would have to kill my children, and I asked for your help in trying to process what it would be like, so¡­" Riley said as she gestured to Emis.


    Riley then flicked his finger again, throwing Ramis toward Neri; causing Emis to face her parents, her head tilting several times randomly as her nose started flinching into a snarl.


    "...Please, by all means ¡ª show me what you and Ramis would do."


    And as soon as Riley said that, Emis let out a loud roar while leaping straight toward the two of them.


    "Emis, snap out of it!" Ramis weed Emis''s attack; grabbing her by the shoulders to keep her in a distance. She tried scratching her father''s arms with her sharp nails, but all that happened was her nails shattering,


    "Emis, wake up!"


    "She is not going to wake up, Ramis," Riley shook his head, "She is now an undead ¡ª and the only way you can stop her is topletely¡­


    ¡­kill her."


    ***


    "Hm¡­" Several hourster, Riley was now surrounded by a ruined field; the terrain,pletely unrecognizable from what it once was even though he had not actually even moved once ¡ª only now, as he once again started approaching Neri¡­ who was now also holding her husband''s corpse alongside her daughter''s now mangled corpse.


    Ramis was infected as he tried embracing Emis even as she was biting his neck; her teeth did not initially even do anything ¡ª but of course, that would have been boring, and so Riley decided to interfere and give it a little push so that her teeth would be able to pierce through Ramis''s flesh.


    And when Ramis realized what happened¡­ he took it upon himself to destroy his daughter once and for all, so that his wife would not bear the pain of doing so ¡ª the only burden he gave her was the pain of killing him.


    "...I do not really feel like I got what I wanted from this scenario," Riley let out a small sigh as he just sat beside Neri, whose eyes were nowpletely emotionless, "I suppose your daughter being an undead is quite different, since she does not really have her own mind, Neri. For that, I apologize for even trying this ¡ª I was wrong."


    "...Just kill me," Neri whispered out.


    "No," Riley shook his head, "That is not going to happen, Miss Neri. I have already killed both of your children, that is enough death from me ¡ª what would my children think, after all?"


    "Why¡­ why did my children even have to cross your path¡­" Neri was not really asking a question; she just stared at the nothingness of everything while resenting the fate her family suffered.


    "I was going to go my way, Miss Neri," Riley shook his head again, "None of this had to happen."


    "Kill me."


    "I am not going to do that."


    "If you do not, I will seek the other gods and tell them all about you and your children ¡ª it will not be a war, but a hunt only for you," Neri''s lifeless eyes turned to look at Riley, "Kill¡ª"


    And before Neri could finish her words, she suddenly found herself on a field of crystal; the corpses of her family, still within her arms.


    "I am not going to kill you, Miss Neri," Riley once again repeated his words.


    Neri weakly scanned the area, and as soon as she saw the wind god trapped inside a crystal, she quickly tried to kill herself ¡ª after all, the wind god may look lifeless, but Neri was sure he waspletely alive and aware of everything that is happening around him¡­ he was justpletely helpless.


    But s, unfortunately for Neri, she found herself encased inside a crystal grave before she could take her life. Perhaps, forever immortalizing her regret and sorrow, literally ¡ª her thoughts as she is trapped in this grave would forever repeat the horrifying things she did. Perhaps if there was a sce here, then it was the fact that she was embracing the remains of Ramis and Emis¡­ but that too, was a reminder of her failure.


    "Hm." As for Riley, he just looked at Neri and family; nodding his head as if proud of the painting he created ¡ª a mother hugging a family she had to kill herself. Riley did not stay to admire his work for long, however, as his body once again shot straight through the ground to Sub-Theran,


    "Now¡­


    ¡­I wonder where those sheep giraffes are?"


    ***


    Somewhere in Automaton, the City of Androids, Aerith was currently walking across its busy streets.


    No.


    It wasn''t Aerith at all, but Ahor Zai who still carried the image of Aerith. Ahor Zai was just casually smiling and waving her hand at the androids who bowed their heads and greeted her ¡ª in all aspects, she was almost being treated as a god by them.


    But while Ahor Zai was enjoying this, something started to happen to her. Her entire body froze, with only her eyes moving. Her eyes started to glow, as if there were millions of fireflies in them.


    "Why¡­" Ahor Zai then started to speak; the tone of her voice, back to beingpletely robotic,


    "...are you trying to invade my body, Machina?"


    HHHHMMMMM?????

 Chapter 1016: The IndiviDuality of Rileys Child

    Chapter 1016: The IndiviDuality of Riley''s Child


    "Father can''t be evil, it is not possible."


    Somewhere out in the expanse of space, Renna was currently seated on arge asteroid; hugging her own legs like a little child. Her face was still incredibly stoic, and yet the sphere of tears dancing in front of her eyes showed just how heartbroken she was.


    And although no normal sound could really survive in the swallowing darkness, Renna''s voice could be heard clearly and normally almost as if she was inside a breathable atmosphere ¡ª no, she was.


    She is inside a breathable atmosphere. The asteroid was not an asteroid at all, it was in the shape of half a sphere; it had nts, ake¡ªor perhaps it was a small ocean, as it was extending to the end of the asteroid¡ªno, to the end of the artificial she created.


    An artificial ¡ª perhaps that was the best way to describe where Renna was currently expressing her sorrows, as it even had clouds and a slight hint of a sky whenever it spun just right enough to get a view of the nearest star.


    An artificial she created all on her own, a feat she could already do when she was only four years old.


    "Father is a hero¡­" Renna whispered to herself again before almost biting her fingernail but stopped as she realized that what she was about to do was quite unhygienic. But as soon as she looked at her hands, however, she could not help but shake her head as she imagined it filled with blood, "...If, if Father has killed children before, children who have mothers and fathers, then¡­


    ¡­do I really deserve to exist? Do we deserve to exist?"


    "The gods have done far worse."


    "...Big Sister Karina?"


    Renna then quickly sat up; collecting herself and waving away the bubble of tears in front of her, "I¡­ I was not crying."


    "No, you weren''t," Karina, who found Renna despite her being in a random corner of the universe, just casually flew by her side and sat close to her; not even looking at her as she smiled.


    "And¡­" Renna did not really question Karina''s sudden appearance, as she was already used to people doing that inside her family, "...It does not matter if the gods have done far worse, that does not mitigate and erase the fact that Father¡­ Father was a superviin, the worse one."


    "Nope, it doesn''t at all," Karina let out a long and deep sigh as she looked at the sky that Renna created, "But there''s also the fact that ever since you were born¡­ Dad has been trying to change¡ªno, he is fooling himself to change, and that might not be good enough for me, and it shouldn''t be for you or anyone else¡­


    ¡­but if you think about it in a matter of proportions, Dad has saved more lives than he had killed."


    "Hm¡­?" Renna squinted her eyes as she looked at her sister.


    "You like numbers and stuff, right?" Karina let out a small chuckle, "I''m not very good at it, but¡­ what percentage of people has our dad killed off the multiverse during his time? When there were still trillions upon trillions of us roaming around?"


    "...I suppose it would be barely a drop," Renna let out a small breath.


    "Yes, maybe," Karina shrugged, "And what percent of the poption, as it is right now, has our dad saved from being killed due to him reviving the Hero Association?"


    "Based on the news and all the statistics from yesterday, my projection would be around a quarter, Big Sister Karina," Renna ced her hand on her chin as she started thinking.


    "And what percent of the poption has he saved just for being here?"


    "Hm?"


    "When the god visited us in your apartment, if Dad had not been there and the situation turned violent¡­" N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "All life might have ceased to exist," Renna blinked a couple of times as she looked at Karina, "Father¡­ is still a hero."


    "...I guess you could say that?"


    "But, Big Sister Karina¡­" Renna then stood up while shaking her head, "...We should not represent people as numbers and percents ¡ª they have their own lives and their own individuality, all of us do ¡ª people''s lives¡­ should not be broken down into numbers."


    "Wow¡­" Karina blinked a couple of times as she looked Renna in the eyes, "...I was wrong. Despite you and him talking the same way, you''re the least like dad among us. You''re¡­ inherently kind."


    "Me?" Renna blinked in confusion, "But the words I uttered just now, they belong to Father."


    "...I don''t know if I should be relieved with that statement or terrified of it," Karina''s body almost shivered, "But for some reason¡­ I could actually imagine Dad saying that even before, weird. Anyway¡­


    ¡­Let''s go home."


    "I¡­ would like to stay here for a while."


    "Nope, no. That''s enough mocking around and sulking," Karina grabbed Renna''s hand, causing her to let out a small gasp, but epting it in the end, "That said he was going to cook for us. It''s our first dinner as siblings, I want us to beplete, please."


    "That¡­" Renna looked at Karina''s hand for a while before nodding her head; a small hint of a smile, subtly crawling on her face,


    "...I would like that too, Big Sister Karina."


    ***


    "So, our Dad was evil, huh? Did you know that, Enel?"


    Back in Riley''s apartment, Arthas told Katherine and the other mothers what happened, about Riley revealing the truth of his past to them, causing the mothers to once again gather around to talk about how they should approach this situation¡­ leaving Arthas to watch Enel alone in the living room.


    Arthas was trying to talk with Enel, but Enel waspletely ignoring him as he was busy ying with his building blocks; creating some sort of dome with several small buildings in it.


    "I don''t really know how to process that information," Arthas let out a small sigh as he continued talking to Enel, not minding at all that he might not even be listening to him, "I''ve only really known him for like 3 days, you know? I''m not close to him like you and the twins are. Wait, Renna and Lucy are considered twins, right? I¡­ don''t really know anything about you guys."


    "Enel!" Enel pointed at himself before just continuing to y with his building blocks, grabbing a toy ne on the floor.


    "Yes¡­ you''re Enel," Arthas chuckled as Enel finally responded to him, "What can you do anyway? Karina could delete everything she sees, Renna and Lucy¡­ they''re probably strong too. But you¡­ everyone''s saying you''re a normal child, not even a super. But didn''t you just fly? Or was that someone else''s doing? You¡ª"


    And before Arthas could finish his words, he was interrupted as soon as Enel let out a whispering whistle and¡­ crashed the toy ne he was holding on the dome he built.


    "...Stop that," Arthas''s eyebrows lowered as Enel once again picked up the toy ne and started mming it toward the dome. Arthas''s thoughts, repeating Karina''s suspicion of Enel being Nothing. And although Arthas had no idea who or what Nothing is, it couldn''t be anything good if Karina was antagonistic towards its existence,


    "Enel, stop that."


    But once again, Enelpletely ignored him as he just started mming the ne toward the dome. It might not mean anything since he was basically just a small child ying, but Arthas could not help but feel ufortable.


    "Enel, I said stop it," and with those words, Arthas''s clear eyes glowed ck. And as they did so, Enel''s eyes also turned ck as he suddenly dropped the toy ne and stopped what he was doing, "Why are you doing that? That''s not good, Enel."


    Enel did not really say anything and just stared at Arthas. Arthas also just looked at him, but as he realized Enel was not going to answer, his eyes started to return to normal, and so did Enel''s.


    "I''m¡­ sorry I did that," Arthas gritted his teeth and closed his eyes as he gently brushed Enel''s head, "I just¡­ don''t turn evil, okay?"


    "Shh¡­" Enel quickly shook his head before shushing Arthas, "...Be quiet, big bro. The giant eyes are watching us ¡ª they know almost everything."


    "The giant eyes¡­" Arthas turned to look up at the same time as Enel, "...Are they your imaginary friends or¡­ you''re really seeing them?"


    "I''m not just seeing them¡­" Enel leaned closer to Arthas and whispered, "...I hear them, they tell me things I shouldn''t know."


    "What¡ª"


    "Sshh!" Enel once again shushed Arthas, "...They are listening."


    ***


    "Our Father is evil ¡ª I suppose it makes absolute sense now."


    "Does it, really? Does that mean we are just products of those who came before us?"


    "Product. Before me."


    Somewhere in the New World, Lucy was currently standing in front of a mirror; his palm, touching his reflection as he seemed to be speaking to himself. And if one were to look just a little to the left¡­


    ¡­one could see a mangled corpse just lying on the side.


    And while Lucy had his eyes closed and his face rested, his reflection was smiling back at him.

 Chapter 1017 1017: The Dinner That Changed Change

    Chapter 1017  1017: The Dinner That Changed Change


    ??"And then, a dash of filtered ckberry sauce with reduced sweetness totch onto the very thin but crispy rice batter."


    "Father, why would you fried chicken the steak? The only toddler here is Enel."


    "Fried chicken the steak? Do not be stupid, Lucifer. It is just frying the venison in rice and tallow to add ayer of crispiness to it, the venison was sous vide, so the¡ª"


    "You know a lot of terminology for someone who can not even boil an egg, my dear sister."


    "You¡­ can''t boil an egg, Renna?"


    "That¡­ I¡­ I can."


    Riley was currently walking around the table and serving his children. He initially thought that none of them would actuallye to his invitation after what he had done, but seeing all of his children at the table, he could not help but nod to himself.


    "Riley¡­"


    And as he passed by Katherine, she brushed her fingers on his arm before resting her head on it and closing her eyes,


    "...Thank you for trying. I can feel how difficult this is for you."


    "I suppose so, Katherine. But please¡­ all of you may start enjoying the meal," Riley then gestured to everyone to start, only for them to just look at each other before awkwardly looking back at Riley.


    "Riley¡­" Katrina let out a small chuckle, "...Aren''t you going to join us?"


    "But I cooked this meal for all of you, Katrina," Riley shook his head, "It would not be¡ª"


    "Daddy¡­"


    And before Riley could finish his words, he felt a tug pulling down on his clothes. He did not really immediately look down, but after another tug, he crouched down, only for Enel to wrap his arms around his neck.


    "What is it, Enel?" Riley asked as he carried Enel up.


    "You can sit on my chair, Daddy," Enel patted Riley''s back several times, gesturing to Riley to sit on his chair, which was meant for a child and would definitely not be able to fit Riley.


    "Enel, do not bother your father," Esme was about to stand up, but Riley shook his head and told her to just stay as he walked toward Enel''s chair. And as soon as he got closer and started to sit down, the chair suddenly morphed into a bigger one.


    He sat Enel on hisp and started patting him on the head.


    Esme stared at the two for a few moments, before a small hint of a smile crawled on her face. She doesn''t really hold any romantic feelings for Riley, what she had for her was utmost respect ¡ª and to have his child was the greatest honor she perhaps would ever achieve.


    She was not the only one smiling among the mothers, all of them were, even Katherine. Katherine imagined what life would have been if Riley was at this point of his life when they had Karina. Would he also perhaps hold her?


    "Well¡­" Katrina lightly pped her hands before grabbing her cutleries, "...Let''s eat?"


    And as soon as she said that, Renna excitedly rotated her te so that the meat was ced in the optimal position for her; immediately slicing a piece for hers to consume, and consume she did. Eating her father''s food was really the only time Renna truly expressed herself like a normal child; even holding her cheeks as the taste wrapped her mouth entirely.


    "Hm, child," Lucy let out a small scoff as he unfolded his napkin and ced it on hisp, eating as elegantly as possible; his ss of milk, inside a wine ss.


    "This is¡­" Arthas''s eyes just widened in shock as he tasted his father''s cooking, almost not believing what he was tasting, "...You cook better than grandma and mom."


    "You have not learned how to cook better after 600 years, Katherine?" Riley looked at Katherine while he sliced a piece, but he did not eat it and instead carefully fed it to Enel, whose mouth was already as wide as it could be.


    "Not at your level," Katherine let out a sigh, almost feeling depressed as she tasted Riley''s cooking again after so long. She was not the only one feeling extremely nostalgic, Karina was currently taking in very deep breaths as she finally remembered just how¡­


    ¡­just how much she wanted Riley''s attention. The longing in her eyes could not even bepared to Katherine''s ¡ª Katherine wanted Riley, Karina needed him.


    And now, as she watched as her father fed her youngest brother, she also imagined what it would have been like if it was her on hisp. It was ridiculous, she had already lived for several centuries, and yet now that her father was here, all she wanted to do was be a child again.


    "Do you also want to sit on myp, Karina?"


    "Huh¡­?" Karina blinked a couple of times as she realized that Riley was actually staring at her, "Wh¡ªwho wants to sit on yourp? I''m¡­ I''m technically centuries older than you, Dad."


    "Perhaps," Riley just shrugged before feeding Enel again, who had his mouth open and was pointing at it and urging Riley to feed him, "Technically you are, but I have experienced eternity already ¡ª Dr. Caiin should have told you, or Hera."


    "That¡­"


    "Talkter!" Enel covered Riley''s mouth, "Eat now!"


    The mothers could not help but let out a small chuckle as they saw that ¡ª but true enough, however, no one else spoke while they were still eating. It was only after thest one of them let go of their knives and forks that someone opened a conversation ¡ª and surprisingly enough, it was Renna.


    "Father," Renna took in a short but very deep breath, "Your past, it matters. And I really appreciate the fact that we are important enough for you to tell it to us, thank you."


    "Hm."


    "And I know this is presumptuous of me, but may I ask you for a favor?" Renna looked her father in the eyes, "Can you be a good person from now on? A real good and kind person."


    "I do not think that is possible, Renna."


    "Try," Renna took in a small gulp, "Please."


    "Well, I can try," Riley nodded as he stood up from his seat, carrying the now sleeping Enel and resting him on his shoulder. Riley then moved around the table, approaching Karina and then handing her Enel.


    "Why¡­ are you giving him to me?" Karina did not really know what to do as she just looked at her mother while holding Enel. Katherine, however, just smiled and nodded at her.


    "You have been looking at him the entire time we were eating, Karina," Riley said as he backed away, "I suppose you wanted to hold him too?"


    "Of course, our dear oldest wants to hold him," Lucy smirked as he approached Karina, squishing Enel''s small foot while nodding, "The soles of Enel''s feet are very squishy."


    "Yup, I can attest to that," Arthas chuckled as he too, stood up and approached Karina. Renna also approached them, and the mothers could really only smile at the view of their children finally bonding with each other in a¡­ peaceful manner.


    "His¡­ feet really is squishy," Karina slightly giggled as she started pressing Enel''s feet, "He¡­ looks so vulnerable. Arthas could already survive being thrown into the sun at his age."


    "He is a normal boy, Big Sister Karina," Renna shook her head as she brushed Enel''s white hair, causing him to cuddle deeper onto Karina''s arms, "Aside from his vivid imagination, he has no abilities like the rest of us."


    "The big eyes he keeps on mentioning that are watching us?" Karina softly chuckled as she looked at Enel''s resting face, "Do we know if it''s¡ª"


    "Hm?"


    And before Karina could finish her words, everyone turned to look at the terrace. And there¡­ Aerithnded.


    "Mom¡­?" Arthas blinked a couple of times as he watched as Aerith casually enter the house, "I¡­ I can exin! K¡­ Karina was the one who wanted to leave!"


    "Excuse me¡­?" Karina raised an eyebrow as she looked at Aerith, "Auntie, that''s not true at all!"


    "Aerith, don''t me the kids," Katherine let out a small sigh as she moved in front of Aerith, "I also wanted to go. It¡­ Aerith?"


    Katherine could really only blink a couple of times as Aerithpletely ignored her and just walked toward Karina and the others. Renna and Lucy, just staring at her with slight amazement ¡ª they have always heard things about the original Megawoman, and now she was here¡­


    ¡­but something seemed wrong.


    "That is not Aerith, everyone. It is Ahor Zai," Riley shook his head, "Did you want something, Ahor Zai? It¡ª"


    It happened so casually that no one felt it, not even Riley, and not even Esme. Ahor Zai was a being thatpletely had no presence at all, absolutely none. Any of her intent can''t be felt beforehand, or could be predicted. The people in this apartment could very well include the strongest beings in the entire remaining universe, and they may very well be capable of sensing her intent ¡ª but only if it was truly just Ahor Zai, and not a Primordial borrowing her body. Then, and then, no one could very well even sense anything.


    And that included¡­


    ¡­stabbing Enel right through his small neck.

 Chapter 1018 1018: Something Wrong

    Chapter 1018  1018: Something Wrong


    ??"Huh¡­?"


    Everyone''s world just stopped there and then, especially Karina. She had no idea what just happened, and how it happened. She refuses to look down, utterly terrified that what she was thinking might be true. She could hear something dripping, and she felt something warm ssh onto her.


    She should have moved away, and yet she couldn''t even do anything as Ahor Zai suddenly materialized some sort of knife and then just casually stabbed Enel right through the neck. The only thing she could really do was look at the other''s expression, and the first one she looked at was her mother, only to see her as shocked as her.


    Karina then looked toward Esme, and as soon as she saw her not even looking at Enel and just staring at Ahor Zai with her eyebrows slightly lowered, Karina finally had the courage to look down¡­


    ¡­only to see Riley''s hand grabbing the sharp de.


    Karina was about to let out a sigh of relief¡­ but realized that Riley actually pulled it out of Enel''s small neck.


    It happened, it really happened and she did nothing.


    "No¡­ no," Karina''s breath started to turn erratic as she quickly rushed to the sofa and gently ced Enel there, looking and tapping at therge gash on the side of his neck ¡ª it wasn''t bleeding at all, not even a single drop of blood was trailing out of it,


    "Enel¡­? Enel? Wake up, baby¡­ please wake up. Please, wake¡ª"


    "Move to the side!" Katherine quickly rushed toward Enel, practically leaping in front of him as she started healing the wound, "Riley! Remove your powers, I can''t heal him if keep the wound clogged!"


    "He will die if I do, Katherine," Riley did not even nce at anyone as he just stared Ahor Zai in the eyes while still holding the knife.


    "Father!" Renna also rushed toward Enel, cing her hand on the sofa and creating some sort of bubble topletely enclose Enel in it, "Do¡­ do something!"


    "You!" Lucy screamed. He did not rush toward Enel, but rather toward Ahor Zai; a ck sphere the size of an apple that seemed to swallow everything around it, vibrating on his palm and making its way straight toward Ahor Zai''s head.


    Arthas also rushed toward Ahor Zai without any hesitation even though Ahor Zai looked like his mother. He summoned some sort of red de of energy in his hands and waved it straight at Ahor Zai''s legs.


    Ahor Zai, however, just casually stood there. The knife she was holding, disappeared from Riley''s grip before swallowing her entire arm and then crawling throughout her entire body, creating an armor almost instantly ¡ª and whatever Lucy and Arthas''s attacks were, they werepletely ineffective against her.


    [Your children are as dangerous as you are, Riley Ross.]


    Ahor Zai¡ªno. Machina then raised both her hands in the air, and as soon as she dropped them, both Lucy and Arthas suddenly found themselves trapped in some sort of cage. It wasn''t only them, Karina and Renna, who werepletely at a loss as to what to do with Enel, were also trapped in the metal cage.


    Karina quickly tried erasing the cage, only for another one to rece it instantly and keep her trapped in it.


    [We should have never tried to trap you in the Domain of the Gods,] the armor covering Machina dissipated away as she looked Riley in the eyes,


    [But we did that because it was impossible to get rid of you ¡ª but the same could not be said to your children, they need to¡ª]


    And before Machina could finish her words, a hand suddenly went through her chest. Machina just at the hand for a few seconds, before ncing at the person who attacked her, Esme.


    [I apologize for what I have done, Undead Princess,] Machina sighed, [But your anger is misced ¡ª you should have never tangled yourself with Riley Ross. My brothers and sisters may have given up on this universe, but I have not ¡ª I will save it, and I will not let another take its ce if it is not needed.]


    "Why?" Esme''s extremely stoic voice returned as she looked Machina in the eyes, "Why?"


    [You do not need to grieve alone, Undead Princess,] Machina shook her head as she turned to look at Lucy and the others,


    [All of Riley Ross''s children will die before this day is done. It¡ª]


    Esme stabbed Machina in the chest again, trying to rip her in half¡­ but her hand just went through Machina like she was made of water.


    [This body is not physical at all, Esme ¡ª and my entire existence has never been physical at all. Primordials can never be destroyed, we are what makes this universe. Why do you think Riley Ross can''t die?]


    "..." Esme looked Machina in the eyes again, but after a few seconds, she just looked away and started approaching Enel; just falling beside him and caressing his peaceful face, "Riley¡­


    ¡­save our child, please."


    "I am," Riley whispered. And as soon as he said that, everyone watched as his body was suddenly surrounded and wrapped with blood; his nose, eyes, ears, and mouth, oozing out an endless amount of blood,


    "I am trying to find Randall."


    [There is no use in trying to find the Healer, Riley Ross,] Machina shook her head, [You can stop time for an eternity and you will never find him ¡ª for I killed him. Your children will¡ª]


    "Stupid."


    And before Machina could finish her words, she was interrupted by Karina, who was suddenlyughing inside her cage as she looked back and forth between Enel and Machina.


    "One of us is Nothing," Karina then said as she shook her head, "I was told by someone from the future that one of us is Nothing. You kill us, and you risk destroying everything yourself."


    [Hm? Do you mean Aerith''Ross?] Machina smiled, [Do you truly believe the words of someone who hides in the shadows?]


    "Even if it wasn''t true, how stupid are you to kill my brother?" Karinaughed, "My dad''s trying to be better, he is better ¡ª why would you just suddenly do this and waste all of that? You trapped my dad in the Domain in the Gods to gain time toe up with a n to get rid of him¡­


    ¡­why would you just suddenly antagonize him out of nowhere when he was doing nothing? Nothing!"


    [Because I¡ª] Machina could not finish her words as she suddenly froze there and then; her eyes, wandering around as she thought of a reason why she did this, and the only answer she could reallye up with was,


    [...I do not know why. Why did I do this?]


    Everyone then watched as Machina''s body started convulsing; fading away in a static as she started moving erratically.


    [Something is wrong,] Machina''s head started shaking before she turned to look at Riley, [Something is wrong, RIley Ross. Why would I kill your children?]


    "..." Riley just stared at Machina as she dropped to the floor.


    [Death!] Machina then screamed, [I summon you, Sister!]


    And without even a second after saying that, a woman appeared on the sofa; Enel, already lying on herp. Her figure and the way she looked, was different from everyone who was looking at her. But if her image had one thing inmon with what everyone was seeing of her¡­


    ¡­it was that she was looking incredibly angry.


    "We keep on interfering, and all we do is hasten our own end," Death whispered as she started caressing Enel''s hair.


    [This is not my intention, I do not know why I did this!] Machina continued to glitch, [I am¡ª]


    And before Machina could continue what she was saying, a small zap just whispered out from her ears and she just dropped without any rhyme or reason. The cages she trapped Riley''s children in, also instantly disappearing out of existence.


    "I will undo what has been done," Death looked at Machina for a few seconds before just looking at Riley, "But a price must be paid."


    "Take my life if that is the price that has to be paid, Death," Riley muttered as he approached his son and Death; the blood oozing out from him, almost creating a pool beneath his feet.


    "You know that I do not hold your life and death, Riley Ross," Death let out a small sigh before trailing her finger across Enel''s wound, healing it instantly, "What I ask is for your time ¡ª something happened when Elementia and I were gone. My brothers and sisters, they are not the same. Something about them is different, it feels like... they are not them."


    "...The Big Eyes are saying this is so random."


    "Enel!?" Karina gasped as Enel woke up; his hand, holding Death''s finger.


    "You are quite a unique one, aren''t you?" A very gentle smile crawled on Death''s finger as she nced at Enel, "You see something that even Navi can not see. But that is not something for us to explore. Riley Ross¡­


    ¡­I am asking for your help. I need you toe with me, to our ne outside Creation."

 Chapter 1019 1019: Adventurr

    Chapter 1019  1019: Adventurr


    ??"What are they saying to you now?"


    "Random! Random!"


    "Enel, please do not bother Miss Death."


    "It is quite alright, it is not often that I can interact with life at its early stages ¡ª especially someone so unique."


    "...Are you saying our youngest has an ability, my dear best friend?"


    "Lucifer, do not bother her ¡ª and she is not your best friend."


    It was quite the surreal scenery, but at the same time, it was quite a normal one; like if one were to enter a house, one could probably see something like it 7 out of 10 times. Children, being curious about their parents guests.


    That is, if the guest is literally an anthropomorphic personification of Death.


    "I knew Father was special," Renna kneeled down in front of Death, "But I would have never thought that he would actually have a rtionship with Death itself."


    "Your father is more special than all of you think," Death gently removed Enel to prevent her from climbing up onto her face, "He exists to rece us, that is why he is the way he is ¡ª I hope you do not mind me revealing this information to them, Riley Ross."


    "I do not mind at all, but I wished to be the one to tell them that."


    "...You should have also told that to us, Father," Arthas raised his hand to speak, "Not only just you saying you were a serial murderer before."


    "I knew it," Renna closed her eyes.


    "Bullshit, this is bullshit."


    And while Riley''s children seemed to be weing of Death, Karina seemed to bepletely wary of her even though she revived Enel right in front of their eyes,


    "You expect Dad to just go on an adventure with you, after you trapped him in the Domain of the Gods? The Domain of the Gods, mind you, which held murderous fucks who waged a war against each other as soon as they were free!"


    "Yes, that was very unfortunate ¡ª but that will never happen again," Death shook her head before finally returning Enel to Esme, who immediately embraced him; checking on his neck to see if the wound was still there.


    "One of you just tried to murder my brother. Dad, you can''t actually be thinking of going with her, right?"


    "A deed was done, and a price must be paid," Death shook her head.


    "Because one of you tried to kill my brother!" Karina wanted to erase Death there and then ¡ª no, perhaps she truly did, but she waspletely unaffected.


    "Karina, calm down ¡ª you''re starting to sound like Hannah," Katherine held her daughter back before she could make any more hasty decisions, "And it is not our ce to get in between Death and Riley, they¡­ are primordials and exist on a ne above us."


    "You have a child with one of them. Hell, all of you have a child with Dad!" Karina pointed at Esme, Katrina, and Liza, "We just got him back and he''s already being taken away again!?"


    "You areing with us, Karina," Death then exined as she looked at Karina.


    "...What?" Karina raised an eyebrow at Death''s words, while Renna and Lucy looked at each other; obviously excited with what they had just heard.


    "Are weing too?" Both Lucy and Renna said at the same time. Arthas also looked at the two of them before ncing at Death.


    "No," Death shook her head.


    "My¡­ daughter''s not going toe with you," Katherine moved in front of Karina, "If Riley requires apanion in this journey, then let it be me."


    "You are too weak, Katherine," Death did not even hesitate to utter her words.


    "Then what about me, Miss Death?" Esme cradled Enel.


    "No," Death quickly shook her head before ncing at Enel, "Someone needs to protect that child, he is very special."


    "Is he¡­ Nothing?" Karina took in a small gulp as he also nced at Enel, "Is what Aerith''Ross said true? That one of us is Nothing?"


    "Aerith''Ross¡­" Death squinted, "...The one who ims to be from the future?"


    "Yes, she told us she''s Arthas''s younger sister."


    "I am doubtful that she is," Death shook her head, "Traveling from the future is not possible and should not be possible."


    "I knew it," Renna nodded to herself.


    "But the facts present otherwise," Karina also shook her head, "She knows things, and she is also with¡­ the other version of Paige Pearson who also knows things."


    "The one who ims to be the other version of Paige Pearson is not Paige Pearson," Death once again shook her head, "Paige Pearson''s personality never split, she was here the entire time ¡ª the Domain of the Gods was not able to contain her¡­


    ¡­She is currently outside the Multiverse, she has been for the past few centuries."


    "What¡­ the fuck is going on then?"


    "That is what I and the others want to find out," Death nodded as she started walking away, "And that is why we need your help, Riley Ross ¡ª your connection with Paige Pearson can help us, somehow, somewhat."


    "Is this the reason why we are going outside the Multiverse?" Riley asked as he stood up and walked to the kitchen to get some milk for himself and his children.


    "You''ll¡­ see," Death nodded before turning to look at Ahor Zai, who was stillpletely turned off, "Elementia and I were quite shocked to see the state of everything ¡ª our absence did not just affect everyone in the multiverse, it also affected the other primordials in a way I can''t quite exin. If they were humans, I would say they are losing their minds."


    "Losing their minds¡­?" Katrina, who had been quiet the entire time since she felt she wasn''t in a position to even have a word in the conversation, could no longer help herself as she joined in on the conversation,


    "What does that mean for the rest of us, then? For the people living here, in the only remaining universe in the entirety of Creation?"


    "I do not know," Death shook her head, "Something like this has never happened before, not in the endless iterations I have experienced, not even once. There are instances when we get mad and stay off course because of anomalies such as Riley Ross ¡ª I, for instance, have been on an endless chase with an entity known as Van."


    "Will we meet him there, outside the multiverse?" Riley curiously asked.


    "We might," Death nodded, "He is the one who informed me of what was happening ¡ª the current situation is¡­ disturbing his search, he said to me. My only worry¡­


    ¡­is that we might meet the Eternal Child there too."


    "Is¡­ she¡ªhe dangerous?" Karina took in a small gulp.


    "He is, but not in the way you think," a small hint of a smile could be seen crawling on Death''s face, "I am truly just hoping we don''t encounter him. He is¡­ theplete opposite of your father in the worst ways."


    "When¡­ are we going?"


    "Karina!?" Katherine could not help but raise her voice as soon as she heard her daughter''s sudden eagerness when she waspletely against the idea at first, "You''re not going with them! I mean, why does my daughter even need to go?"


    "That''s right¡­" Lucifer blocked Karina from Death''s view before covering half his face, "...Why not me, the favorite child instead?"


    "You are not Father''s favorite child," Renna crossed her arms, "It is me."


    "No, me! Me!" Enel jumped from Esme''s hands as he started jumping in ce, "I''m the most interesting child, I heard it from one of the Big Eyes!"


    "That¡ª"


    "Now," Death then snapped her fingers, and as she did so, a portal opened up in front of her, "One of yourpanions is actually already waiting for us on the other side."


    "Hm¡­" Riley just let out a small breath before nonchntly following Death.


    "Wait, Riley!?" Katherine quickly grabbed Riley''s hand before he could take 3 steps, "But¡­ we just got together again."


    "I believe that if I do not do this, then it will be impossible for us to get together again in the future, Katherine."


    "Riley Ross is correct," Death nodded, "With my brothers and sisters sick¡­ Life as all of us know it will be gone."


    "That¡ª"


    "Interesting," Riley then turned to look at Death, "So, this is why you have waited this long and this moment to approach me, Death."


    "...Yes," another hint of a smile crawled on Death''s face, "If I approached you about this before Enel and the others existed, then you would definitely not be helping me ¡ª now, you have a reason to."


    "My reason would just be different, Death," Riley nced at Karina.


    "Perhaps, but I couldn''t risk it," Death then shrugged before stepping onto the portal she created, "I will be waiting for you and your daughter on the other side, Riley Ross."


    "There is no need," Riley muttered as he quickly followed behind Death. Before he could step inside, however, Renna embraced him from behind.


    "Father," Renna whispered,


    "Please¡­e back."

 Chapter 1020 1020: Bridge to The Outerverse

    Chapter 1020  1020: Bridge to The Outerverse


    ??"Should¡­ we know anything?"


    "Yes, that none of you know anything, and the same could be said of me."


    "That''s¡­ really helpful."


    Somewhere, Karina was currently walking beside death; the two of them, slowly marching on a seemingly endless bridge that was made of particles of light of different colors. The particles wereing alive with each of their steps, growing into something before just joining the bridge again and fading away.


    Other than the bridge, however, everything around them was a blur. There were images that Karina could almost make out of, but at the same time, they werepletely unfamiliar.


    "Then can I ask you something else¡­?"


    "What is it, child?"


    "You said it would only be me, Dad, and another one already waiting on the other side, so¡­" Karina then nced at Riley, who was walking ahead of them even though he had no idea where they were going. And walking beside him while holding his hand was¡­


    "...Why did you have to bring Enel?"


    It was Enel, who was just pointing at the images andughing at them as if he could actually make them out.


    "I know Esme was alright with it, but she''s Esme," Karina let out a small sigh as she looked at Enel, who needed to take several steps just to be able to walk beside Riley, "Enel''spletely powerless, like a normie."


    "What is there to worry about if your father is by his side?" Death smiled, "And I would also like to observe him, whether or not he could really see a world above our own."


    "Seriously, how many fuckingyers do I need to know that we have?" Karina let out a small groan as she turned around to face Death and started walking backward, "All I know is that there''s our world, and then the others like it, and then there''s the so-called domains that the gods can have but is still within the multiverse, and then there''s your world outside the multiverse¡ª"


    "Where we are heading to. You may call it the Outerverse."


    "Like theics," Karina raised her finger, "And then there''s this ce that is further outside of that where the likes of Nothing exists?"


    "Hm. We do not really have a name for it."


    "Then let me officially call it the Nothingverse."


    "That does not really work, since there are other beings that also live there."


    "You''ve got to be kidding me, right? What else is out there other than Nothing?" Karina raised an eyebrow.


    "I¡­ do not know," Death shook her head, "The way you treat my existence is the way I treat the existence of Nothing and the others like him."


    "Others¡­ Otherverse? No, that does not really work ¡ª Furtherverse?"


    "That could work," Death pointed at Karina.


    "So, yeah. The Furtherverse exists outside the outside," Karina ced her hand on her chin, "And you are telling me that there is something further than that, and my brother can talk to the beings who live there?"


    "Maybe," Death shrugged.


    "...That''s wild," Karina rolled out a breath as she turned around to walk by Death''s side again, "What about this ce, then? Where are we?"


    "We are technically already outside the multiverse," Death slightly crouched to grab some of the particles they were stepping on, "Each particle you see here is a universe."


    "Wha¡ª!!!" Karina quickly stopped walking, bncing herself with both hands as she looked at Death with wide eyes, "Why didn''t you say anything!? And what the fuck!? Why am I carelessly walking on universes!?"


    "You¡­ are not walking on them, it does not work like that," Death let out a smallugh as she saw Karina panicking, "We are powerful, yes ¡ª beyond any concepts, and beyond anything you could think of ¡ª but we are not all-powerful in a sense that we could just step on universes and destroy them as we wish."


    "But technically, you could?" Karina then started walking again; her steps, clumsy and full of hesitation.


    "I could, but why?" Death blinked a couple of times before she dropped the particles she was holding; falling like sand before joining the others again and creating a sea of worlds.


    "...If only Dad asked the same question," Karina sighed.


    "You do not have to walk like that, you know," Death also sighed as Karina''s awkward walk was starting to get to her, "This is just a representation of the universes."


    "Just how many are there?" Karina breathed out, "And you are telling me¡­ that the gods fucked all of these universes?"


    "Yes," Death sighed.


    "Why are all of them still so colorful, then?"


    "A universe has to be imed by Ruin in order to truly die," Death let out another sigh; this time a hint of regret escaping along her lips, "He has not imed any universes ever since I have been gone."


    "Your siblings ¡ª they''ve been alive for like an eternity, and you''re telling me that just because you and that other guy were gone for just 600 years¡­ they''ve be different?" Karina raised an eyebrow,


    "That''s sort of¡­ weak, no?"


    "Ah!" Enel, who was walking ahead of them, pointed at Karina as soon as she said that, "One of the Big Eyes said the same!"


    "They did?" Death quickly turned to look at Enel before looking up, "Interesting, are you saying they could hear us right now?"


    "..." Enel did not really say anything else as he was quickly distracted by all the lights; pulling away Riley to point at the images appearing around them.


    "To answer your question and the curiosity of those who are watching us¡­" Death then turned to look at Karina, "...The only time us Primordials have been apart is our birth ¡ª we are allpletely different¡­ people, but we are one and the same in the sense that we are a collective unit. One can not function without the other. You have seen what happened to the universe in my and Elementia''s absence."


    "..."


    "I am telling you this now, but all of you were actually on the verge of ceasing to exist there and then," Death closed her eyes.


    "...What?"


    "Elementia," Death then looked Karina in the eyes, "He embodies everything that you touch and everything you need to survive. That is the reason for the so-called Blink, in just the span of a millisecond, half of your poption disappeared ¡ª if Celestial did not act as fast as she did to shoulder Elementia''s job, then all of you would have perished there and then¡ªno, not you. Riley Ross''s children are different."


    "Wait, so¡­ you''re saying¡­" Karina''s breaths started to turn heavy as she realized something, "...that if this Celestial chick did not do anything¡­ then I would have been the only one alive until you and Dad came back?"


    "Yes," Death answered without any hesitation.


    "We¡­ were that close to being annihted, and we didn''t even know it?" Karina did not really know how to react anymore ¡ª she was now ying in a field that was league''s above her own, even as Riley''s child, "I feel like¡­


    ¡­we''re just toys being yed with."


    "We are all just pieces working together," Death smiled, "From the most insignificant nano organism living in a microscopic universe to us, the Primordials ¡ª in the grandest scheme of things, we are all just equals."


    "Oh my god, you did the speech," Karina covered her face, "But seriously, if you brought Enel¡­ couldn''t you have just brought my other brothers and sister too?"


    "You want to expose them to the potential dangers of the Outerverse?"


    "You brought my younger brother! And what is even out there!?" Karina raised both her hands, "It''s just that... I''ve wanted to spend more time with them, you know? It''s like they''ve only been introduced and now I''m separated from them, for god knows how long. And you said the Outerverse is empty!"


    "Was empty," Death almost hummed.


    "Stop being so cryptic and just tell me!"


    "The Outerverse is not like the multiverse," Death let out a sigh as she gestured to Karina to just continue walking, "It is a ne, several nes which correspond to a certain Primordial. All of them are connected to each other, or more specifically,pressed. We exist in different nes, but at the same time, we live in one."


    "You said that fully knowing of how confusing it still sounds."


    "It sounds moreplicated than it is," Death shook her head, "Imagine a door that is always there no matter where you walk, but you can never reach that door unless you intend to ¡ª and that door leads to wherever you need to be at that moment, that is how the Outerverse works¡­


    ¡­worked."


    "You mean it''s different now?"


    "Completely ¡ª it has be simr to your world," Death sucked in a deep breath, "And the reason so is that the one who made it so is from your world ¡ª Paige Pearson. We are nearly there, only a few more steps, you will see for yourself the world she created."


    "You are being very weird about this," Karina said; light, soon started veiling them as they arrived at their destination, "But who did you say we should be wary again?"


    "The Eternal Child," Death shook her head, "But you do not have to worry, he only wakes up when something interesting happens."


    "Something interesting¡­?" Karina raised an eyebrow as Death''s silhouette and hers soon disappeared due to the bright light, "...Like now?"


    "...I hope not."


    Karina felt her consciousness fading away ¡ª no, if anything, she felt herself waking up as the bright light faded away, and soon, the scenery of a city appeared before her. A city she had not seen before, but still familiar due to all thes she had been on.


    And if there was one word she could use to exin it¡­ it would be fantasy.


    "Aunt Paige¡­ what have you done this time?" Karina took in a small gulp. She had really only known Paige for a few years, but she knew of how¡­ weird she could be if she wanted to. But she also knew how kind she was, there was also a time Paige took care of her when she ran away, sheltering and hiding her in her orphanage.


    "Riley Ross, Karina Ross, and Enel Ross," Death then let out a sigh as she stood in front of the three, "I would say I wee you home ¡ª but I too, barely recognize this ce. For now¡­


    ¡­let''s just meet with your friend, Riley. I am sure she is eager to meet you again."

 Chapter 1021 1021: ...Oi

    <h4>Chapter 1021 Chapter 1021: ...Oi</h4>


    "This ce reminds me of the world I created when I went insane."


    "When are you not insane, Dad? And how is this?"


    "It looks the same as thest 5 outfits you have tried, Karina."


    "What? It''s like totally different! Death?"


    "I''m¡­ afraid I share your father''s sentiment. We truly do need to get going, your friend is probably feeling a little nervous now."


    "You''re the one who told us to blend in!"


    If Karina was not told that everything around her was just an illusion, then she would have truly thought that everything around her was real¡ªno. It did not really matter to her, as everything did seem real.


    Karina was well aware of Paige''s abilities, and she knew that she should really only be able to interact with people she feels the closest to; so why could she touch and feel everything here? Death, she could understand since she was all-powerful, but even Enel could touch everything.


    And surely, it is not her fault that all the outfits being sold in the shop they were in were¡­ nice.


    The world that Paige created could really only be described in two words ¡ª High Fantasy. The cosmic bridge that they took dropped them right in the middle of a busy city, where everyone almost immediately looked at them for looking differently in terms of the way they dressed, and thus why they were here in this cozy little shop made of wood and stones stacked together.


    Riley, Death, and Enel were already done picking their clothes ¡ª just a simple hemp shirt and pants for Riley and Enel, exactly the same, and then a simple dress for Death.


    "Perhaps I should have chosen another one of your children to apany us," Death let out a small but very deep sigh as Karina once again entered the dressing room, "But then again, I could only befortable with Karina."


    "Because she and you are simr, Death?" Rileymented.


    "In a way," Death only chuckled, "And I am sure you have noticed by now, right?"


    "Noticed what, Death?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "If you have not noticed, then that is the end of that," Death shook her head, "But I am curious. I know that it is just your personality, but throughout this entire thing, you have been incredibly amicable, not to mention nonchnt. Do you not have any doubts and questions?"


    "What is there to doubt when I do not even know the situation we are in, Death?" Riley shrugged before focusing on Enel, who was looking at his boots and trying to find something that was close to what Riley had, "The one who imed to be my daughter from the future was supposed to be with a different version of Paige Pearson from the New Creation, Jennifer, and now the original version of Paige Pearson, the one I know of, actually still exists and has created a world of her own in the Outerverse ¡ª I have absolutely no idea what is going on now."


    "The truth is we have epted our fate, Riley Ross," Death then approached Enel, trying to help him find different boots since they truly did not have the same as Riley''s Enel''s size, "We have epted that our time was up and that Paige Pearson will eventually rece us once we saw how seamlessly she created her own world."


    "This world?"


    "No," Death took in a small but very deep breath, "When we sent you to the Domain of the Gods and we took her here with us to the Outerverse, we asked her to replicate your universe ¡ª and she did so in less than a blink of an eye, every inch of it; functioning as intended. From the tiniest organism on a, she had probably never set foot on, and¡­


    ¡­she even replicated us."


    "Us?"


    "Death, and the other Primordials," Death closed her eyes, "For the sole reason that she knows that Creation only exists because of us, and so she could not imagine replicating your universe without replicating our existence first ¡ª and this was done by Paige Pearson, not Other Paige, who you know is the real entity. Perhaps that was the very first time where my brothers and sisters felt¡­


    ¡­threatened."


    "Hm¡­"


    "Of course, we truly were not as we are not capable of it ¡ª but that was when we epted that a New Creation was inevitable¡­" Death finally pulled Enel away, who was already getting mad at the clerk for not having the same boots as Riley in his size,


    "...but we have never truly epted her Executioner."


    "I suppose that is me?" Riley let out a small hum.


    "Yes, that is what we decided to call you, Riley Ross," Death nodded as she handed Enel to Riley,


    "Creation''s Executioner, The End of Everything ¡ª how does it feel? From being just a viin in an otherwise normal on a forgettable part of the universe, to the one who will end all of existence as we know it?"


    "So and so, Death," Riley just shrugged, "I am supposed to be retired."


    "Ah!" Enel quickly pointed at Riley, "You are!"


    "Yes, Enel," Riley nodded, "But I suppose too much has happened for me to consider myself as retired ¡ª but I am still a viin, and I am still retired, that fact will never change."


    "I''m done, how about this!?"


    "That was the first outfit you tried, Karina. It¡ª"


    "It''s good." And before Riley could say something else, Death took it upon herself to end Karina''s endeavor, "I think that''s the best you''ve chosen."


    "Hm, but I think¡ª"


    "Please, do not think." Death quickly approached Karina and pulled her out of the store, with Riley and Enel just following behind them. As for the store clerk, he just waved his hands and bowed as the clothes they traded in were of higher quality, and he did not want Riley and the others to change their minds,


    "We still need to meet your friend, she should be staying in the nearby inn."


    "Remind me again why we are even doing all of this?" Karina let out a small sigh as she looked at all the people they were passing by, "I am also a little hesitant because everyone seems like they are alive, but they are not real, right? We should just fly around and¡ª"


    "They are real, Karina," Death shook her head, "These people are not just Paige''s creations, they have lives of their own, and the weirdest part of it is that I know them ¡ª I could feel them. Paige created them in a way that I and the other Primordials could interact with them¡­ most probably because she felt for us back then."


    "...Felt for you?"


    "Pity," Death looked at Karina, "When she realized she truly was meant to rece us and create another Universe, she proposed that maybe it did not need to happen ¡ª maybe we could co-


    exist somehow. And perhaps during the 600 years Elementia and I were gone with your father, something happened between her and the others which prompted her to create this world¡­


    ¡­this ce means something for her and the other primordials, we can''t just carelessly break it."


    "Ugh, why does this have to be soplicated!?" Karina let out a loud groan, causing the people walking around to look at her like she was crazy, "Ugh, they are as condescending as normal people too. But seriously, I''m still not over the fact that I have a sister from the future lying around somewhere back there, and now I''m out here going on a little teeny tiny adventure outside the universe with Death¡­


    ¡­do you not see the ridiculousness in that?"


    "You are Riley Ross''s child, Karina ¡ª your existence would have never been normal," Death let out a small chuckle as she heard Karina''s frustrations.


    "Remind me again what our goal is here?" Karina rolled her eyes.


    "I do not know yet," Death shook her head.


    "Great, we''re going on a wild hunt, then ¡ª and where is this friend of ours supposed to be?"


    "In there," Death then pointed at an inn, almost near the gates of the city where people of different racese and go. If Karina was not used to seeing all sorts of people already. she would probably be in awe of all the different humanoids she was seeing. But s, she had already seen cephalopods and literal wisps as intelligent and sentient people. And so, Karina did not really bother much with the people around them and just headed first to the inn; her eyes, quickly trying to search for their supposed friend.


    And there, she caught a glimpse of a tall, exaggeratingly beautiful tan-skinned woman ¡ª Hera.


    "He¡ª" Karina was about to call for her, but noticed something ¡ª this Hera was a little younger than she remembered. And as her mind was busy trying to think of who this was, the woman looked in her direction, or more specifically, to Riley who entered the inn after her.


    "Ah!" The woman quickly stood up from her table and pointed at Riley, "Dad!"


    "Dad¡­? Wait, is that¡ª"


    "Talia?"


    Talia, the strongest variant of Hera, and Riley''s adopted daughter with her. Talia was practically just a little child thest time Riley saw her, and now she was taller than Karina and had spent as much time being alive as her for centuries, but probably only grew older the past 16 years.


    "I knew this had something to do with you!" Talia quickly rushed toward Riley and hugged her, almost as if the two of them were actually close to each other, causing Karina to slightly raise an eyebrow.


    Was¡­ Riley secretly taking care of Talia in the shadows?


    "Anyway, wait here ¡ª I met someone that''s eager to meet you for some reason, he¡­she¡­ I''m not exactly sure what he-she is, but the important thing is she even knows Death, so he-she must be important."


    "He¡­she?" Death''s eyes widened as soon as she watched as Talia walk toward the bar, and there, her eyes widened even further as she saw Talia approach an individual with long golden hair,


    "Riley Ross¡­


    ¡­we should go, now."


    "Huh? We just got here," Karina furrowed her eyebrows.


    "That one with the golden hair," Death took in a small gulp,


    "...It''s the Eternal Child."


    "Wait¡­


    ¡­the one you specifically mentioned we shouldn''t meet?"

 Chapter 1022 1022: Spoiler Alert

    Chapter 1022  1022: Spoiler Alert


    ??"The¡­ Eternal Child? The one you specifically told us not to meet?"


    The inn they were in had absolutely no idea what was happening, and none of them seemed to be heeding Death and the others any mind;pletely unaware that they were in the presence of beings that could just make them disappear in the blink of an eye ¡ª or could they?


    Karina could not really help but just be slightly anxious as she noticed the hint of wariness and hesitation in Death''s eyes. If a Primordial was acting this way, then the so-called Eternal Child was a problem they did not need right now.


    As for Riley, well, he was just letting things happen, waiting for all of it to juste together like he usually does; his eyes, just observing Talia talk with the Eternal Child, whose long golden hair was obviously extremely well taken care of with the way it just flows and moves with his slightest movement. And soon, Talia pointed at him and the others, making the Eternal Child turn his head.


    "You must be Riley Ross, then?"


    The Eternal Child disappeared as soon as he turned his head around, however, only to reappear right beside Riley with a bright, and extremely friendly smile on his face.


    "Yes," Riley only blinked a couple of times as he looked at the Eternal Child. Riley somewhat reminded him of Bulwark; extremely feminine, but obviously male ¡ª the only difference between them was that the Eternal Child''s beauty was something Riley probably could never exin.


    Eternal Child ¡ª not because he looks like a child, not at all. But just by looking at him for a second, it was quite obvious that there was a sort of¡­ childishness around him that was just oozing out, especially with the way he smiled like he was about to let out a giggle any second.


    "Woah¡­" Enel''s eyes widened as he pointed at the Eternal Child''s face, "...You look more pretty than Karina!"


    "And who is this little guy?" The Eternal Child crouched down as he patted Enel''s head, "I''m figuring you''re Riley''s son?"


    "Yes! And that''s my sister!" Enel then pointed at Karina, who could not help but just slightly back away as the Eternal Child looked at her.


    "H¡­" Karina waspletely at a loss for words as she found herself suddenly lost in the Eternal Child''s bright blue eyes; his long golden eyshes, almost like feathers that were keeping her entrapped¡­ and ensnared.


    Karina wasn''t only at a loss for words, she also found her breath slightly fettered as she continued to stare at the Eternal Child''s angelic eyes.


    "Wow¡­" The Eternal Child then slowly approached Karina while also staring at her face, "...You inherited your dad''s wide mouth."


    And with those words, Karina found herself being thrown back to reality as her eyes started to twitch.


    "And what''s wrong with having a wide mouth!?"


    "Nothing at all, it''s quite beautiful, in fact," the Eternal Child let out a small chuckle as he bowed his head, "I figure you can fit a lot inside there."


    "What the fuck¡­?" Karina could not help but raise an eyebrow as she looked at the Eternal Child from head to toe, "And you shouldn''t have a mouth at all."


    "I''m sorry, that wasn''t myment," the Eternal Child let out a small sigh as he very lightly hit his head, "The voices in my head are quite intrusive sometimes."


    "You''re¡­ crazy?"


    "No, I have 4 different souls inside me," the Eternal Child moved several steps back as he once again bowed his head, "My name is Viel, I would guess the youngdy here has already told you about me?"


    "I am older than you, Viel," Death covered her face and sighed while shaking her head; the tone of her voice, almost incredibly human as she spoke with Viel, "And no, I only told them about your name, not your unique¡­ circumstances."


    "Well, so that a little of your curiosity will be gone¡­" Viel then stuck his hands together before very slowly pulling them apart, and between his hands¡­ was what seemed like an entire mini-universe,


    "...I have 4 gods residing in my body ¡ª a righteous god, an evil god, a human turned god, and¡­ the god of karma and reincarnation, Death''s son."


    "..." Death only closed her eyes with Viel''sst words.


    "I can be a little unstable, but I''m okay," a slightly cheeky smile crawled on Viel''s face, "So¡­


    ¡­what are we doing here? The walking plot armor told me your friend has something to do with all of this?"


    "Walking¡­ plot armor?" Karina looked at Talia who Viel was pointing to, "And wait, what are you doing here, exactly?"


    "Feisty, I like that," Viel pointed at Karina, "You remind me of a lover."


    "W¡ª"


    "So¡­" Viel pped his hands and did not let Karina speak another word, "...Where do we go, new friends?"


    "It''s best if you sit this one out, Viel," Death let out a small sigh as she grabbed Viel''s hands, "We are not ying a game here."


    "Really? Look at this ce," Viel looked around the bar before peeking out the window, "This obviously calls for an adventure. Rx, Death¡­"


    Viel then let out a sigh as he ced his arm over Death''s shoulder, "This will be like old times when you, Celestial, and I went on our adventures."


    "...We never went on adventures," Death squinted her eyes.


    "Exactly, that''s why we should go now ¡ª where is she, anyway? Is she still pissed about me making her live inside me for a while? I really didn''t know it was possible."


    "It''s better if you do not meet her," Death sighed, "And also, that is why we are here ¡ª to figure out what exactly is happening to them, and to the Outerverse. We are trying to search for Paige Pearson to get¡­ rid of this illusion."


    "Illusion?" Viel blinked a couple of times as he once again looked around, "What illusion?"


    "You are fully aware that the Outerverse is not this kind of world, Viel," Death shook her head, "Something happened when Elementia and I disappeared."


    "What are you saying? This ce isn''t an illusion," Viel then raised an eyebrow, "It''s real ¡ª these are real people from the multiverse, Death."


    "What do you¡ª"


    "Stop lying," the tone of Viel''s voice slightly deepend as he suddenly moved closer to Death, cing his face just a foot away from her as he stared into her eyes, "Stop lying to these people, Death."


    "...What''s he saying?" Karina''s eyebrows started to lower as she looked at the two back and forth.


    "I would also like to know, Death," Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at Viel, "Although I have a feeling I already know."


    "Riley Ross¡­" Death closed her eyes as she looked at Riley, "...It is best if you remove that feeling altogether, for your sake."


    "What the fuck is going on?" Karina was slightly confused as to what was happening as Viel, Death, and Riley just looked at each other in silence.


    "Well, my beautiful angel¡­" Viel smiled at Karina, "...The¡ª"


    "Do not tell her," Death quickly interrupted Viel.


    "I don''t know the circumstances here, not at all," Viel raised both his palms, "But even I know you should tell them, Death. Because I will tell them, you know how impulsive I am. I like telling spoilers."


    "They¡ª"


    "The people in the multiverse are not real, oops. I said it," Viel then smiled as he took several steps back, "I''ll leave your group for now and enjoy some milk on the bar, ciao."


    "What¡­?" Karina could not help but blink a couple of times as she looked at Death in confusion, "What did he just say?"


    "Riley¡­" Death only nced at Karina for a few seconds before turning to look at Riley, who had his eyes closed while holding Enel''s hand, "I truly am sorry."


    "What¡­ why are you sorry?" Karina forced out a chuckle as she looked at Talia, "Do you know what she''s talking about?"


    "...I do," Talia took in a small breath before just walking away.


    "Wait, where are you going!?" Karina let out a small scoff, "What''s going on¡­? What the fuck is going on!? Are you fucking telling me that the people in the New World aren''t real¡­?"


    "Paige Pearson¡ª"


    "Are you fucking telling me my siblings aren''t real¡­?" Karina once again forced out a small chuckle as her eyes slightly turned red as soon as she looked at her dad, "No¡­ no fucking way. Am I¡­ Am I real? Is Arthas real?"


    "Both of you are," Death closed her eyes and nodded.


    "...Renna and Lucy?" Karina looked at Death, but Death refused to say anything more.


    "Wait, what the fuck¡­ what the fuck? I''m so confused right now," Karina lostplete control of her legs, causing her to lightly swat away one of the inn''s patrons from their table as she sat down, "No¡­ no. Dad¡­ Dad¡­ Oh no¡­"


    Karina then quickly stood up from her chair as she quickly rushed toward Riley, who was just staring at nothing in particr and just stood there. Karina stared at her father''s nk face for a few seconds before fully embracing him; her whimpers, escaping muffled from his chest.


    "Oh no¡­ no, no¡­"

 Chapter 1023 1023: Real

    Chapter 1023  1023: Real


    ??"Oh no, no¡­ no¡­"


    The people who were just minding their own business in the inn could not help but turn quiet as the sound of a woman crying whispered through their ears. Most of them just turned around and went back to whatever it was they were doing, but some just stared at them, wondering what was happening.


    Karina, however, did not bother with the attention at all and just continued to sob on her father''s chest.


    "It can''t be¡­" Karina tightened her embrace around Riley,pletely wrapping him. She had only been with Lucy and Renna for an extremely brief amount of time, barely even a full day, and yet the kinship she felt for them was extremely deep ¡ª she could really only imagine what her father was feeling now.


    Riley was silent,pletely stoic, even. But since Karina''s ear was literally on his chest, she could feel and hear the slightest fluctuations of Riley''s breathing¡­ as well as the beating of his heart. He wasn''t showing it at all, but Karina knew he was hurt, there was no way he couldn''t be.


    Throughout the times that she had been with his father, the only time Riley really expressed real emotions was whenever it involved Aerith or his family.


    "Dad¡­" Karina sucked in a deep breath, trying to stop herself from trying to feel what Riley was feeling. She pulled herself away from him and looked him in his silent eyes, "...Lucy and Renna are¡ª"


    "Biggy sis? Why are you crying?"


    Karina was trying to hold herself together, but as soon as she felt a tug on her shirt, and looked down to see Enel looking at her; tears in his eyes, althoughpletely unaware of what was happening.


    "It''s¡­ it''s nothing, god¡­ 600 years old," Karina quickly wiped the tears from her eyes as she carried Enel before approaching Death, "Enel¡­ is real?"


    "Yes, he is Esme''s child ¡ª Esme was with us, she is real," Death closed her eyes.


    "I don''t¡­ I don''t understand. How am I real, then? What about the war, was that real?" Karina carried Enel in a way that she could cover his ears.


    "I do not know the full details, I was not here the past centuries," Death let out a small hum as she sat at the table that was suddenly free near them, "But judging by the number of people I am feeling in this ne, the war was real ¡ª and I also talked with Diana Ross."


    "Aerith and Grandma knew¡­? If this is true, why weren''t we here in the first ce?" Karina shared her doubts.


    "As I said, I do not know the full details," Death once again shook her head.


    "Does¡­ Aunt Hannah know?" Karina took in a small gulp. But before Death could open her mouth, she just left with Enel and joined Talia and Viel at the bar, leaving Death alone with Riley, who joined her at the table.


    "...You had your suspicions?" Death looked at Riley, whose face was stillpletely nk and emotionless.


    "Yes," Riley nodded before calling for a server.


    "Since when?" Death asked.


    "When I realized how content the people were. How perfect they were, or more specifically¡­" Riley started looking at the menu the server handed to him,


    "...How perfect they were for me."


    "It can not be just that," Death moved closer to Riley to also look at the menu.


    "When Rennalyn was born," Riley closed his eyes; a hint of a smile, crawling on his face, "She was too perfect, and I knew there and then that I did not deserve her at all, Death¡­ nor the life that I have been living¡­


    ¡­New World, it was specifically made for me by Paige Pearson, for me to have a semnce of a normal life."


    "Riley Ross," Death also closed her eyes, "It¡ª"


    "But you see, Death," Riley opened his eyes, "I am not sad at all, because they are real. They happened, they lived, and they will live¡­


    ¡­They are real to me. My love for them is real, and although I truly do not deserve it, I hope that their love for me is real too."


    Karina, who was still listening to their conversation despite being at the bar, could not help but cover her mouth as she tried her best not to cry there and then. Her whimpers, however, did not go unnoticed at all as Viel stood closer to her and offered a ss of milk to Enel, making him jump from Karina''sp to get his own stool.


    "There is nothing wrong with crying, Karina Ross," Viel tilted his head to the side so his face could be directly in front of Karina; the childishness in his expressions could not hide away the gentleness they contained,


    "Have some chocte, it''s better to be eating something nice while feeling sad. If you''re hungry and sad, oof, that''s bad. You need it too, you''re skinny and don''t have boobs."


    "Literally, like what the fuck, dude?" The tears Karina was trying to stop instantly went back in as soon as she heard Viel''s words, "Are you sick in the hea¡ªright. You are, sorry."


    "Don''t be," Viel leaned away and giggled, causing Karina to once again take in a small gulp from how beautiful the Eternal Child was, "They are my lifelong friends who has been with me since I apparently yeeted myself out of my dead mother''s vagina while I was barely even an embryo, like a blood mucus, you know?"


    "No, I don''t know¡­" But once again, Karina''s small crush disappears whenever he talks, "...Seriously, like what the fuck is wrong with you? If you just don''t talk, even I''ll probably fall in love with you."


    "Well, better keep my mouth shut, then?" Viel then smiled as he looked Karina in the eyes.


    "Are you literally hitting on me right now, when I''m fucked up from discovering two of my siblings aren''t real?"


    "Based on our conversation, you were hitting on me first," Viel then moved back while pretending to zip his lips closed,


    "Woosh,pletely silent."


    "You''re still talking, you¡ª" Karina wanted to say something more, but did not really want to get into another meaningless conversation with the Eternal Child, "I''m going to freaking lose my mind. And you, what is your role in all of this? When was even thest time we saw each other?"


    "During the war?" Talia handed Karina a ss of wine, but Karina refused it. Talia did not seem to mind, however, as she just shrugged, "Me, my mom, and the other variants were leading people away from the danger¡­


    ¡­and we found ourselves here."


    "That¡ªwait, what¡­?" Karina''s eyes widened, "Wait, how long have you been here, then? Does Death know?"


    "We¡­ haven''t really talked yet," Talia nced back at Death, "This is the longest time I''ve been with her, actually. She just approached me one night and told me dad and stuff, that he''s back and if I wanted to meet him ¡ª of course, I wanted to meet him, he''s my dad."


    "Adoptive dad."


    "Where the fuck did thate from?"


    "Sorry, I''m being infected by that Eternal Child," Karina winced at what she just blurted out, "I didn''t mean that. Wait, so if you''ve been here the entire time¡­ does that mean you know what the fuck is going on?"


    "No, I didn''t even know you guys were still alive," Talia let out a small chuckle, "And I didn''t even know about that Outerverse stuff, I just thought we were in some sort of Domain. Wait, does that mean¡­


    ¡­We can be considered Outerversal right now?"


    "You read too muchics," Karina rolled her eyes, "And no, Death is Outerversal. Wait, no. Maybe she''s just Hyperversal, considering her siblings have the other roles too and they are only limited to¡ªwait, why are we even talking about this!? I''m supposed to be sad!"


    "Considering we don''t even know what we''re doing here, we might as well just talk until somethinges up, right?" Talia shrugged before turning to look at Viel, who was now ying with Enel; both of them, trying to figure out who could drink the most milk,


    "What about you, Mr. Eternal Child? How strong are you, actually?"


    "Me¡­?" Viel ced a finger on his chin as he hummed, "No idea. But¡­


    ¡­I guess it would take 3 of the 6 Primordials to stop me."


    "Stop you? Not kill you?" Karina raised an eyebrow.


    "Well¡­" Viel smiled, but Karina did not fail to notice the little hint of sadness behind it, "...I can''t die."


    "Are you seriously telling us that you are stronger than the Primordials? Than Death herself?"


    "He is."


    Viel did not even need to answer as Death approached the bar, causing Karina and Talia to slightly lower their heads as if they were caught gossiping¡­ which they sort of were,


    "Do not be fooled by his friendly behavior, the Eternal Child is an existence that transcends the Primordials in terms of sheer power. And speaking of which, why exactly are you here, Viel?"


    "Oh, I was actually nning on killing Mr. Hotshot there," Viel then casually pointed at the table Riley was at, causing Karina and Talia to quickly leap from their stools and protect their father, "Rx¡­


    ¡­It''s not what you think."

 Chapter 1024 1024: Luck

    <h4>Chapter 1024 Chapter 1024: Luck</h4>


    "It''s not like that, rx."


    Although Viel''s tone was incredibly friendly, both Talia and Karina did not budge at all. Both of them fully knew what Viel was capable of, and yet neither seemed to care as they protected their father who probably didn''t even need their protection.


    As for Riley, he just remained in his seat, seemingly not even bothered by the sudden development happening around him.


    "Rx, chill. Okay?" Viel was stillpletely not apprehensive at all as he took a step forward with his palms still raised in the air, "I am aware of your father''s abilities ¡ª that he could absorb the ability of those who killed him. Quite unfair if you think about it, but I''m not really one to talk since I was already this strong the moment I was born, and I could also absorb souls if I want to be stronger."


    "Then what do you want!? Stob beating around the bush and just tell us!"


    "I want Riley to absorb my abilities, and in turn, maybe he could kill me using my own abilities plus what he already has," Viel smiled, "That is the simplest way I could exin it."


    "That¡­ why?"


    "I''ve lived a very long amount of time, Karina," Viel let out a small sigh, "And I also want to free the souls inside me if I could, maybe my death could fix that."


    "Wh¡ª"


    "No, it''s okay," Viel spoke before Karina could say anything, "We''ve already talked about this, Mom. I want all of you to finally live your lives again."


    "...You''re talking to them? If they are listening, then tell them you''re fucking stupid."


    "Oh¡­" Viel let out a small chuckle, "...They like you. But that won''t change my mind at all, I''m¡ª"


    "It is impossible, Mr. Viel." And as the server arrived to serve their orders, Riley finally spoke up while he gestured to everyone to take a seat, "Your abilities stem from a different ce, and I can already feel that I will get nothing if you kill me."


    "It won''t hurt to try," Viel once again smiled as he approached Riley; being the first to join him at the table, "Although the illegal immigrants inside my head are also saying it won''t work. But, hey ¡ª how about it?"


    "I do not think so, Mr. Viel," Riley shook his head, "I would prefer to just eat and discuss some things about you and your existence."


    "Me¡­?" Viel let out a small giggle as he nced at Karina and the others, "I don''t really have that kind of interesting life, I''d rather like to know about you."


    "My life is not that interesting too, Mr. Viel," Riley shook his head, "Perhaps it would be better for us just to eat, then?"


    "I guess so, but I feel really bad about revealing something that made you sad ¡ª I need to make it up to you somehow," Viel let out a sigh.


    "Then how about you really join us in our adventure?" Karina was the second to join the table as she sat beside Viel, "You said you''ll join us, that''ll make things easier."


    "Nope, no can do," Viel let out an awkward chuckle as he scratched the back of his head, "Now that I know this is a family matter, I''m too shy to insert myself in now."


    "You¡­ shy?" Karina raised an eyebrow as she saw the slightly cheeky smile on Viel''s face.


    "And my story has long been over," Viel breathed out, "It ended when the love of my life grew old and withered along with time. This is no longer my time."


    "How about this, you guys clearly have no idea what you are even doing here ¡ª so, I''ll grant you a wish, Riley Ross," Viel looked Riley in the eyes, "Any wish, and I will grant it as long as it is within my capabilities."


    "Hm," Riley squinted his eyes before returning Viel''s stare.


    "No, not that. Choose another one."


    "But Dad hasn''t even said anything," Talia also joined in on the table and just started eating.


    "Oh, I understand him," Viel chuckled, "We''re both main characters ¡ª that means we understand things even though we shouldn''t."


    "...There is seriously something wrong with you, and I''m just not talking about you having several other people inside you," Karina scoffed.


    "I could say the same thing to you," Viel just smiled as he leaned closer to Karina, "You are surrounded by beings of incredible power, beyond a single universe could handle ¡ª and yet you do not cower at all. Although, I suppose you are also abnormally strong."


    "I''ve been surrounded by those abnormally strong people since I was born," Karina just rolled her eyes before just focusing her attention on the tes of food in front of her, "You get used to it."


    "Can you bring someone from the multiverse here instantly, Mr. Viel?" Before Viel and Karina could once again talk over everyone else, Riley decided to take VIel''s offer for a wish.


    "I can ¡ª but are you sure that is the only thing you want?" Viel squinted his eyes before turning to look at Death, "But would it be alright for our friend here? The Outerverse is reserved for them ¡ª they used toin about me being here, and then that short fast, beyond time guy came and they became even more stingy."


    "Well, while it is true that I am trying topletely limit the people that are in our supposed domain¡­" Death drank her tea which she ordered earlier, "...I do not really think it matters anymore at this point ¡ª all these people are here already. Although, you should have perhaps just told me you wanted to bring someone else, Riley Ross."


    "Would you have allowed it at that point, Death?"


    "Probably not," Death shrugged, "As I said, I was trying to limit the people ¡ª but there is no point in that now."


    "Then, I want you to bring in a woman called¡ª"


    "Oop!" Viel raised his finger to interrupt Riley, "Say less. I got you."


    "Do you not need anything else to summon her, Mr. Viel?" Riley only blinked his eyes in response.


    "No," Viel looked Riley straight in the eyes for a few seconds, "That''s all I need."


    And then, with a snap of his fingers, the ambient noise and the whispering mouths of all the other people in the inn instantly faded away.


    "Woah¡­" Enel then quickly pointed at one of the drunk diners who seemed to be trying to bathe himself with mead, but the mead waspletely still in the air ¡ª no, everything waspletely still and frozen, except for the people at their table.


    "And then¡­" Viel then twirled his finger, and as he did so, a portal started to appear right behind Karina and Talia, causing the two of them to just move away from their seats as they looked at what was on the other side¡ªwell, who was on the other side.


    "...Who the fuck is that?" Karina raised an eyebrow as she saw a small girl with long rabbit ears.


    "Ah! Aunt Miss Pepondosovich!" Enel quickly jumped off of his seat as he ran toward the portal.


    And while Karina seemedpletely confused as to who it was, Miss Pepondosovich was probably even more.


    "What the¡­ why did everyone just suddenly stop moving?" Miss Pepondosovich seemed to have still not noticed the portal as she waspletely locked in on teaching her ss, who was alsopletely frozen.


    Yes ¡ª it wasn''t only the people in the bar in the Outerverse who were frozen, but also the people on the other side.


    "What the ¡ª Enel? Where did you suddenly pop out from!? What in the¡ªa portal?" And as Enel leaped into the portal and straight on to embrace her, Miss Pepondosovich finally noticed Riley and the others looking at her,


    "Of course, this has something to do with you, Riri."


    "Miss Pepondosovich," Riley raised his hand, "I need you toe with us, please."


    "Am I going to get paid?"


    "Yes."


    "Okay then," Miss Pepondosovich then tried carrying Enel, but as he was practically already the same size as him, it did not really create a very endearing picture ¡ª cute, perhaps, but even more weird as Miss Pepondosovich just casually went through the portal,


    "I''m seeing a lot of new faces here. Wait, this one looks like you ¡ª is she your firstborn I keep hearing about?"


    "Yes, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Oh, this is an interesting one," Viel crouched down as he looked at Miss Pepondosovich, "A lucky rabbit, extremely rare. I would have loved to have had someone like you as apanion during my time, would have saved me all the heartaches."


    "...And who is this?" Miss Pepondosovich gently dropped Enel, "Looks¡­ sort of familiar."


    "The Eternal Child, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley introduced Viel, "Viel."


    "W¡­" Miss Pepondosovich did not really say anything else and just quickly went to Riley''s side, but as soon as she saw Death sitting beside him, she just opted to go behind Riley, "I''m supposed to be a god of luck¡­ but I''ve never felt so inadequate right now surrounded by giants."


    "Do you want to call someone else while I still have the portal open, Riley Ross?" Viel then shrugged as he walked beside the portal, "A lover, perhaps?"


    "...No," Riley shook his head, "Miss Pepondosovich is the only one we need."


    "Well, okay then," Viel once again shrugged before snapping his fingers. And just like that, the portal disappeared and everyone else started moving again,


    "Let''s eat. I''m actually quite hungry, I haven''t¡ª"


    "Darkday!?"


    And before Viel could even return to his seat, a group arrived in the inn, with one of them quickly recognizing Riley.


    It was a group of knights who had different colors of armor, and right in the center of them was an old, almost seemingly dying man.


    The Pope and his pdins.


    "As expected of Miss Pepondosovich," Riley then turned to look at the pdin donning a red armor,


    "Bringing us an individual who we might just need right now. It has been a while¡­


    ¡­Miss Ang, and to think the Pope would still be alive despite looking like a corpse, I knew you were a Super."

 Chapter 1025 1025: Lost Soul

    <h4>Chapter 1025 Chapter 1025: Lost Soul</h4>


    "I truly did not expect for you to still be alive, Pope."


    "Why would I not be? My time has also stopped like everyone else."


    "Because I thought you were already dead even before everything happened, Pope."


    "...But for us to meet here, fate truly has its way to bring people together."


    "Not fate, but Miss Pepondosovich."


    The Pope and his Pdins were actually already in the city, they were about to leave, but the Pope suddenly felt faint and so they decided to rest a bit in the local inn ¡ª but lo and behold, Riley Ross.


    "We should go, Father."


    "Ang, can''t you see I am talking to an old friend here? Go with the other pdins."


    Ang, the Crimson Pdin, interrupted Riley and the Pope''s conversation; grabbing the Pope''s hand and trying to pull him away. The Pope, however, stayedpletely still in his seat and even waved Ang away. And even though Ang was wearing his helmet, the small harrumph that seeped from the cracks of her headgear was enough to know what she was feeling.


    "But¡ª"


    "If you are going to insist on not joining the other Pdins," the Pope let out a long and very deep sigh as he nced at the table where the other pdins were gathered; all of them, already had their helmets off and rxing, "Then just join us here."


    And without even waiting for Ang to reply, Riley floated a seat behind her and let Ang fall onto it before sliding it onto the table.


    "I do not like being manhandled, Darkday! I am sure I have told you that several times already in the past!" Ang then finally removed her helmet, revealing¡­ a head that was even shinier than her crimson helmet; shaved beyond perfection. Her eyes, however, were once again sewn shut.


    "Oh¡­" Riley blinked a couple of times, "...You are a bald variant."


    "No," Ang crossed her arms, "I just shaved my head because after 600 years, it gets kind of tiring inside my helmet."


    "I suppose you are justzy to take care of your hair, Miss Ang," Riley slightly flicked his head, and as he did so, his white hair suddenly grew longer; extremely long to the point it almost reached the ground as it slid on the back of the chair, "Unlike me."


    "He has a point, he also used to have a helmet," the Pope nodded as he casually pointed at Riley.


    "You and I know that''s not fair at all," Ang clicked her tongue before cing herrge b of a sword on top of the table; it was, however, immediately grabbed by Riley and ced to the side.


    "You¡ªI told you not to hold my sword too!"


    "That was a very long time ago for you, Miss Ang," Riley squinted his eyes.


    "It has been," Ang scoffed as she crossed her arms and looked away, "Thest time I saw you was during the issue of the House of Super."


    "Your memory is really great, Miss Ang."


    "That is the curse of not being able to forget everything I see," Ang shook her head, "And where even were you the entire time? When half the poption suddenly died, I thought it was your doing ¡ª but then those people iming themselves to be gods suddenly came and started wreaking havoc everywhere, killing anyone who was left. And then I found out multiverse exists and the havoc also happened there, and now life is almost practically extinct¡­


    ¡­and then we suddenly found ourselves here, in this¡­ weird world."


    "And when were you suddenly sent to this ce, Miss Ang?" Riley asked.


    "296 years ago, while the war between those megalomaniacs was still happening."


    "W¡ª"


    "But you know what? I''m tired of being asked the questions," Ang then raised a finger before leaning closer to Riley, practically pushing the Pope to the side as she faced him, "Where were you the entire time? I thought for sure you would be at the center and killing those heretics."


    "Well, since the Pope is here ¡ª I might as well the story as per our routine."


    Riley then started telling Ang and the Pope about everything that had happened, and as a matter of course, Karina and the others who were seated at another table were intently and intensely listening to them, especially Viel, who still had not left even though he said he was leaving moments ago.


    And it wasn''t just them, the other patrons of the inn had their ears erged and pointed at Riley''s table. After all, all of them knew the Pope, as he was practically a political figure, with a percent of the poption being their followers ¡ª and a percent with their already low numbers was already a huge deal.


    Unfortunately for them, Riley was making sure that only their tables were able to hear his story.


    "All of that really¡­ happened? And you are saying that¡­" Ang then turned to look at Karina''s table, or more specifically, towards Death, "...That we are in the presence of one of God''s first children? The personification of Death itself?"


    "I knew you were destined for greater and divine things," the Pope let out a small and withering hum, "But never would I expect you to go as deep asmunicating with the instruments of our Creator, it would seem I would never have a story to beat yours, Mr. Darkday."


    "I am certain you will still have stories, Pope," Riley shook his head, "You are still alive despite being biologically more than a hundred years old and a normal human¡ªno. I am certain that you are a Super."


    "No," the Pope let out a hearty chuckle as he grasped his slightly bulging stomach, "I am as normal as a mortal can be. I just eat well, Mr. Darkday ¡ª steak, greens, chicken, and rice. That is all."


    "You''re not allowed to eat steaks anymore," Angel clicked her tongue.


    "I believe you have no say in the matter," the Pope shook his head, "Look at you, young but already bald. You should eat healthier."


    "I''m bald by choice! I''m a woman!"


    "Baldness in women is actually quite¡ª"


    "Can we stop talking about my head!?" Angel could no longer take it as she quickly grabbed her helmet and wore it, "And Pope, we should go ¡ª we still have a lot to do, these people need the word of our Lord."


    "Perhaps we can help you then, Pope?" Riley tilted his head before ncing at Death, "We have Death ¡ª your im would be much more authentic."


    "As much as I would love to know the stories of Death, my words actuallye straight from the source, Mr. Darkday," the Pope let out a small hum as he sped his palms together.


    "Hm¡­?"


    "That''s right, Darkday," Ang once again scoffed, "Father hears the world of our Lord now."


    "I am aware that your Lord speaks to you, Miss Ang."


    "No, not like that ¡ª the Lord truly spoke to him, speaks to him," Ang shook her head as she stood up, "The other pdins heard our Lord too."


    "Interesting," Riley ced his hand on his chin, "And when was the first time your god spoke to you, Pope?"


    "When we arrived in this ce," the Pope closed his eyes, "The Lord told me to continue my mission, to spread his word. He has shown himself when he is needed the most, when the souls are lost and needs guidance after everything that has happened."


    "Shown himself? You saw him, Pope?"


    "Yes, in the form of a woman," the Pope nodded, "My pdins can attest to this."


    "What about you, Miss Ang?" Riley squinted his eyes.


    "He¡­ refuses to show Himself to me," Ang turned her head down, "Perhaps because I am a product of sin. But I sense doubt in you, do not ¡ª as He has showed Father and the others the creation of life, right in front of them."


    "Or perhaps because you can see through what he¡­she really is," Riley shook his head as he stood up, "Whoever showed herself to you is not your Lord, Pope ¡ª I apologize. And I might know who she is."


    "Are you saying it might be Paige Pearson?" Death then approached their table, causing both the Pope and Ang to bow their heads to her.


    "No," Riley shook his head, "Paige Pearson would never treat herself as a god, even if she is fully capable of it."


    "You do not know that," Death shook her head, "Humans can change in a very short amount of time, and that is exactly what Paige has made herself to be ¡ª or if anything, the Other Paige might be responsible for the trickery."


    "The Other Paige also would not do it," Riley once again shook his head.


    "Why can''t you just admit that it is our Lord, Darkday?"


    "Ask her if your lord exists, Ang," Riley nced at Death, causing Ang to almost stutter and just look away.


    "Only you can answer that, Ms. Ang," Death just smiled before turning her attention back to Riley, "But if it is not Paige Pearson, then¡­


    ¡­are you saying that it is one of my siblings?"

 Chapter 1026 1026: Choose

    <h4>Chapter 1026 Chapter 1026: Choose</h4>


    "You have said it yourself, Death. The other Primordials aside from Elementia are all acting differently."


    "But to proim themselves as a messiah? That is absolutely not within the scope of our nature, absolute."


    "I apologize for saying this, Death -- but I believe you have no idea what your kind is capable of doing or not doing."


    Riley and the group were now outside the inn; the attention they were gathering, now even more prevalent than before as the people who were waiting for the Pope started to flock around them. If it wasn''t for the other pdins, most of the crowd would probably be rushing to them by now.


    "You are as clueless as the Pope," Riley let out a small hum as he looked Death in the eyes, "Perhaps this adventure should have been postponed until you were more knowledgeable about your situation, Death -- my children and I are going back."


    "Please don''t," Death closed her eyes and shook her head, "If you do not want your life outside to disappear."


    "Woah, woah!" Karina, who was just letting his father speak and trying her best not to intrude on the conversation of the ''adults'', could not help but get in between her father and Death as soon as she heard Death''s words, "Are you sure someone of your stature should actually be making threats like that...? That''s like totally unfair!"


    "She''s right!" Viel also moved in front of Death whileically waving his hands, "As the Primordial police, I would have to apprehend you!"


    "Since when did you take on that role?" Death raised an eyebrow.


    "Shh!" Viel then casually moved closer to Death and covered her mouth, "Just go with it, don''t embarrass me in front of the prettydy."


    "You do know I can clearly hear you, right? I''m literally behind you," Karina rolled her eyes.


    "Oh, I wanted you to hear," Viel smiled as he nced back at Karina. Once again, his long eyshes and bright blue eyes caused Karina to slightly be lost in a trance, "How is it? Is it working? Am I charming myself right through your heart?"


    "Motherf--" But once again, Viel''s childishness resurfaced and caused all that trance to just wither away.


    "It would seem that there is a misunderstanding," Death then stepped forward and approached Riley before any more discussions could be had, "I am not threatening Riley Ross at all, I am only stating a fact. And please stop ying, Eternal Child, you know what I am talking about as well -- is that not the very reason why you revealed the truth about the outside world so carelessly to Riley?"


    "...You guys like hiding stuff, huh?" Karina raised an eyebrow before squinting her eyes in suspicion at Viel.


    "Not me, I don''t like the suspense," Viel let out a small chuckle, "But I might get scolded by Miss Death here again if I say anything."


    "But you were fine telling us all of a sudden that Renna and Lucy are... aren''t real?"


    "Didn''t you hear what your dad said?" Viel pointed at Riley with his thumb, "All of them are real for him, and that is what''s important -- anyway, since Death seemed to be urging the responsibility to me, then I''m just gonna let it out."


    "What do you--"


    And before Karina could even say anything, Viel pped his hands; causing a transparent st to ripple across the entire area. Karina and the others did not really have to wonder why he did that, as soon, the ground and the sky began to fluctuate; to... wiggle, in a sense.


    "It''s... it''s happening again!"


    And as soon as it happened, the crowd who wanted to approach the Pope all started backing away; their faces, filled with dread and horror. They were not looking at Viel, however, but rather just everywhere as even the infrastructures and buildings around them began to distort.


    "Everyone!"


    Before they could fully panic, however, the Pope raised his voice and his hands in the air, causing the anxious crowd to literally center their attention on him.


    "Please do not panic, children of god!"


    And as the Pope''s words became louder, his pdins who were previously trying to stop the crowd from flocking to him all raised their weapons in the air.


    "This rumbling would be over soon, it is just a reminder from our Lord that he is still with us, and will be with us whatever happens! Come, everyone ¡ª let us pray!"


    And as soon as the Pope sped his hands together, the panicking crowd all knelt down and also started praying. And true enough, their surroundings soon once again became stable, without even a hint of a flicker or a ripple.


    "I knew you were a Super, Pope," Riley nodded his head, clearly impressed with what the Pope just did.


    "He''s¡­ not, Dad," Karina clicked her tongue, "He''s just targeting the weak masses and manipting them. But that''s not what''s important¡­ what the fuck just happened?"


    "Paige Pearson''s abilities are starting to waver," Death finally continued to speak as she looked Riley in the eyes.


    "But that is impossible, Death," Riley shook his head, "Paige''s abilities, to my understanding, does not really have a measure ¡ª it is limitless, by all definitions."


    "It is. I was a witness of that before you disrupted the entirety of Creation and started creating trouble in the Domain of the Gods," Death let out a small scoff, perhaps the most emotion she had ever expressed, "Be that as it may, that her powers are limitless, she is not the only one ¡ª I and the other Primordials are the same, and her world and ours are literally starting to contradict each other."


    "Contradict?" Riley squinted his eyes.


    "If we are right with our initial assumptions, Riley Ross; that you are the Executioner of the current Creation, and Paige is the one who will create the next one. Then¡­ I believe you already know what I am getting at."


    "This Paige Pearson person is already trying to create the New Creation while the Old One still exists," Viel once again joined in on the conversation, putting his hands together while his cheeks were puffed. And then, as he caught everyone''s attention, he let go of his breath and whispered,


    "Kaboom. Well, not like it matters to me ¡ª I''ll probably still be alive after that. I''m just gonna hang with the short fast guy, who knows, he might actually be a pretty fun person. I have a feeling Riley''s also going to be alive."


    "Wait. Just fucking wait," Karina raised both of her index fingers as she once again stood beside Viel, "Are you fucking telling me that the universe Paige created is about to explode or something?"


    "Not explode, just disappear," Viel shrugged, "And not just PP''s world, everything will."


    "Please stop calling Paige PP, please," Karina clicked her tongue, "But wait, you''re telling me life, all life as we know it would just disappear?"


    "Pretty much," Viel nced at Death, only for her to just nod her head in response, "You don''t have to worry, though. Something would rece it eventually ¡ª I would miss Celestial, though. It would be pretty sad when she''s gone. And you too, Death."


    "They''re going to disappear too!?" Karina took in a small gulp as she looked at Death, "So, it''s like total annihtion of everything!?"


    "Pretty much," Viel once again shrugged, "Unless, of course¡ª"


    "One of thepeting Creations disappear first," Death continued Viel''s words as she once again looked Riley in the eyes, "That is¡­ one of the very reasons why I brought you here, Riley Ross ¡ª to choose."


    "Choose¡­?" Karina answered for her father as she realized what Death was trying to tell, "Are you fucking telling me that


    ¡ª"


    "I am telling your father, not you," the tone of Death''s voice changed all of a sudden, causing Karina to just take in a small gulp as she shut her mouth, "I apologize, Riley Ross ¡ª but you would have to choose which one is more important to you."


    "Why does that decision rest on me, Death?" Riley asked, "You and the other Primordials are still the true monarchs of this story."


    "Because it is your responsibility, Riley Ross," Death closed her eyes, "Like how the Primordials and I have a set role in the Creation of the universe ¡ª it is yours, your sole role to choose which universe to execute, for that is who you are and have always been."


    "Then just get rid of the old one, right¡­?" Karina forced out a chuckle, not willing to be intimidated at all by a Primordial "It''s pretty much dead already, your gods fucked it up."


    "I am afraid it is not that simple," Death shook her head, "To get rid of our Universe, means to get rid of everything."


    "Everything, meaning¡­?"


    "You," Death pointed at Karina before pointing at herself, "Me, Enel, and all of the people you see here. Everyone who is a product of our universe needs to be¡­ executed. And yes, Riley Ross¡­


    ¡­that also means your sister."

 Chapter 1027: Meeting

    1027 Chapter 1027: Meeting


    Back in the only remaining universe left, Arthas was once again being shown around everywhere, with him, Lucy, and Renna inside a colorful and vibrant dessert establishment in the New World ¡ª more specifically, a shaved ice store.


    "You are saying this is one of Father''s favorites, Arthas?"


    "You guys don''t know?"


    Both Renna and Lucy were already holding spoons in their hands; the two of them, looking at each other before finally taking a bite of the dessert. Their eyes immediately widened in shock; their gasps, escaped their noses as they quickly locked in the melted ice and swallowed it.


    "This is very nice," Renna''s white cheeks immediately blushed despite the tone of her voice and her face remainingpletely monotonous as she touched her face.


    "Hm¡­" As for Lucy, he was trying his best not to show any signs of satisfaction. But still, in the end, he nodded and took another bite.


    "You guys seriously didn''t know?" Arthas only chuckled in response, "Aunt Hannah never stops talking about it ¡ª not with me, of course, Aunt never really talks to me that much about our dad."


    "Well¡­" Lucy cleared his throat while wiping his lips, "...I do not know about my dear sister, but I do not really indulge myself with peasant food that much," he said, while his bowl of dessert was already empty in less than a minute.


    "You dare call Father''s favorite dessert ''peasant food''?" Renna''s eyebrows immediately lowered as she red at her brother, "Then do not get another bowl, as for me, I will treat Arthas with another."


    "Wh¡ª"


    "No," Renna stood up from their table, not allowing Lucy to even talk to her at all as she immediately headed to the counter to order again.


    "Ah, our dear Rennalyn, so sensitive ¡ª understandable as it is that time of the month," Lucy covered half his face, "You do not have to worry, Arthas. I will buy this store so we can order whatever we want, whenever we want to."


    "The two of you¡­ are really close, huh?" Arthas could not help but just smile as he looked back and forth between the two.


    "We are practically twins, quite literally," Lucy shrugged.


    "...Can I ask you why you are always covering half your face?" And finally, as Lucy removed his hand from his face, Arthas could no longer help himself and asked, "You''re always doing it for some reason."


    "Oh," Lucy looked at his hand, "Because it''s cool, it makes me look mysterious."


    "It is because he is autistic, Arthas," Renna returned and immediately ced a bowl in front of Arthas¡­ as well as in front of Lucy.


    "That I am," Lucy chuckled and nodded as his sister still treated him a bowl. But as soon as he realized what he just agreed to, his eyes immediately went wide, "Wait. No, I''m not!"


    "You might as well be, Lucifer."


    "You¡­"


    "Pft," Arthas chuckled as soon as Renna and Lucy once again began bickering with each other. His chuckle, however, stopped abruptly as he noticed someone looking at him from outside the store, "I''m¡­ just gonna go check something outside."


    "Where are you going, Arthas?" Renna, who had Lucy by his cor, immediately turned her head toward Arthas as soon as she saw him standing up.


    "Oh, dear sister ¡ª what business is it of yours if our brother wants to check something outside?" Lucy waved his hand as he gestured to Arthas to leave and not mind them, "Go be free, our brother. Pick up some beautiful damsels in distress."


    "...No, I''m not picking up chicks," Arthas let out a small sigh as he walked away, "I''ll be back before the ice even melts."


    "Do not be shy and just spread your wings," Lucy saluted, "I will make sure Renna does not eat your dessert."


    "You are the one he needs to be wary of, you cross-dressing oaf."


    "Jealous of my beauty, I see."


    Arthas let out another chuckle as he left the store. The smile on his face, however, was immediately reced by an expression of worry as he looked at the person staring at him walking away. He closed his momentarily and gulped before just nodding his head and following the individual.


    And of course, Renna and Lucy did not fail to notice that as they watched as Arthas followed the stranger. The two identical siblings immediately looked at each other before Renna let go of Lucy.


    "Let us follow the tea, my dear sister¡­" Lucy smirked at Renna.


    "No, it is not our business to pry. You said so yourself."


    "...Then why are you already at the door?" Lucy quickly stood up to follow his sister.


    "Because Arthas is not from around here, Lucifer," Renna shook her head, "It is our duty to protect him¡­ in the shadows."


    And as soon as Renna said that, she and Lucy faded away from the light; turning invisible as they carefully and slowly followed behind Arthas.


    "Who do you think it is? I think it was a woman," Lucy whispered, "A secret girlfriend¡­?"


    "The chances of that are extremely low, Lucifer."


    "But not zero, right?"


    "It is most probably someone from their circle."


    "What, like¡­ Aerith?"


    "I do not want to guess. Let us just follow him quietly¡­ to protect him."


    The two continued to follow Arthas; their voices, causing the people walking on the street to look around as they were hearing voices beside them although no one was there.


    "Boohooohooo."


    "What in the!?" Of course, Lucy took full advantage of this as he started spooking some strangers on the way. If it was not for Renna pulling him, he would have probably done something even more bizarre.


    And soon, they reached a nearby alleyway where Arthas went in.


    "...Is our dear brother secretly a serial killer?"


    "Do notpare him to yourself, Lucifer."


    "Mine''s only in imagination."


    "Shh!"


    "Don''t you shh me."


    "Shh!"


    "You shh!"


    The two then started waving their hands at each other as they continued to walk across the alleyway. The sounds they were making were no longer escaping from the outside, however, as Renna made sure to create an invisible bubble to separate them from the rest of the noise.


    And soon, the two did shut their mouths as they heard Arthas''s voice.


    "...Like them, they are very kind people."


    "I told you, Arthas ¡ª never go to the New World. How hard was that to follow?"


    Renna and Lucy walked closer to hear the woman speak.


    "Why are you making it so hard for yourself?"


    "I don''t really know why you wouldn''t let me see them, Mom. They are my siblings!"


    "Mom¡­?" Renna and Lucy both looked at each other as they moved even closer to the two. And there, they finally caught a glimpse of Aerith, who they had been hearing for so long.


    "Holy¡­ she truly does look like Aunt Silvie," Lucy let out a small gasp as he looked at the woman with the golden brown hair, "So, this is our father''s TOTGA?"


    "Totga? What is that?"


    "The one that got away."


    Renna covered Lucy''s mouth as she focused on Arthas''s and Aerith''s conversation.


    "You don''t understand, Arthas. You don''t belong with them," Aerith''s voice was not angry at all, not even disappointed. But rather, there was a sorrow in them that even Renna felt,


    "Let''s go."


    "No, I''m not going anywhere, Mom," Arthas refused to grab Aerith''s hand as she offered it, "I''m staying here with Lucy and the others, we''re just waiting for Dad to be over with his adventure in the¡­ Outerverse."


    "Riley¡­ is outside the multiverse?" Aerith''s voice slightly stuttered, but she quickly cleared her throat as this time, she tried to grab Arthas''s hand, "No, it doesn''t matter ¡ª let''s go."


    "No!" Arthas''s eyes turnedpletely ck, and as they did so, Aerith''s eyes also cked out as she quickly retracted her hand away. It onlysted for a second before Arthas shook his head and took a step back, "I''m¡­ I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to use it on you, Mom."


    "You¡ªDon''t be stubborn. Please, son," Aerith did not seem to mind, however, as the concern in her voice became even more prevalent.


    "Give me one good reason why I shouldn''t be here, Mom," Arthas shook his head again as he pleaded, "Please, just let me stay here. I''m so tired of just being on the ship all day. Look, here, I get to spend time with Lucy, Renna, and Enel."


    "You can spend time with Karina!"


    "Karina''s old, Mom," Arthas sighed in frustration, "I love her, and I know that she tries to be my older sister ¡ª but she''s centuries older than me. Lucy and the others are nice, Mom. We''re already close."


    "You don''t understand, Arthas."


    "Then help me understand," Arthas scoffed in frustration, "If you''re going to tell me that Aerith''Ross told you that one of them is Nothing, then Karina already told me. And that doesn''t change anything, I don''t think it''s even true."


    "What...?" Aerith blinked a couple of times, "Karina said that?"


    "You... don''t know?" Arthas raised an eyebrow, "Y-"


    "It doesn''t matter, let''s just go."


    "No. How many times do I have to tell you!?" Arthas once again waved his hand, "I am not going any-" N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "They''re not real!" Aerith could not take it anymore as she raised her voice and grabbed her son''s arms.


    "What are you¡ª"


    "They are not real," Aerith repeated her words, this time much calmer as she looked her son in the eyes, "They are¡­ they are the manifestations of a sad, broken girl who needs our help. The people here are not real."


    "What¡­?" Arthas raised an eyebrow as he looked at Aerith like she was crazy. He did not really know how to respond to that and just forced out a chuckle, "What are you even saying, Mom?"


    "I am saying that you shouldn''t get close to them, Arthas¡­


    ¡­because they can disappear at any moment."


    "What¡­ did you say?"


    "!!!"


    Aerith''s eyes then widened as soon as she saw the silhouette of two people suddenly appearing behind Arthas; her eyes, widening even further as she saw their faces which somewhat resembled her son''s.


    "Would you care to borate on that, Auntie?"


    Oooh crap

 Chapter 1028: Another Mega Mistake

    1028 Chapter 1028: Another Mega Mistake


    "What¡­ do you mean by that?"


    "Lucifer!"


    The shock on Aerith''s face was already evident fromthe way her breath juststopped there and then.But perhaps even more perturbed than her was Renna, as showing themselvestrulywas not part of the n ¡ª they were only supposed to eavesdrop. But s, the only thing she could do wapletelytake off their camouge as Lucifer removed parts of it, revealing themselves to Aerith and Arthas,


    "Lucifer, we should let them¡ª"


    "No," Lucy did not let Renna pull him away as he approached Aerith and Arthas, "What do you mean we''re not real, Arthas''s mother? What do you mean by that?"


    "That¡­"Aerith lookedat Lucy and Renna back and forth, her lips seemingly trying to find words to utter, "...I meant you''re not Arthas''s real siblings, only¡­ half."


    "Now I know where Aunt Silvie got her sense of lying from," Lucy''s eyebrows lowered as he looked Aerith in the eyes, "You''re bothextremely badat it. What do you mean we''re not real?"


    "Lucifer," Renna grabbed Lucy''s arm, "Do not talk to our aunt like that.Thisis our first time meetingher, youshould set a better first impression."


    "We didn''t meet her, dear sister," Lucy shook his head, "She was hiding from usandwe found her. Arthas, what does she mean we''re not real?"


    "I¡­ have no idea," Arthas, who was as confused as everyone there, very slowly backed away from his mother while looking at her from head to toe, "They''re real, Mom. What are you saying?"


    Arthas then poked Lucy''s face, and Lucy just pointed at his cheek where Arthas poked him while nodding his head at Aerith.


    "Are you saying we are androids?" Lucy squinted his eyes as he looked at his hand, "I''ve already seen what my insides look like, Second Mother ¡ª it is unlike an android."


    "I¡­ think it''s best not to talk about this anymore," Aerith just let out a small breath before her feet started to leave the ground, "You can stay here if you want, Arthas. I''lljust¡­please return."


    "Where do you think you are¡ª"


    Lucy tried rushing toward Aerith to grab her, but she already disappeared into the expanse of space in less than a millisecond.


    "What¡­ was that all about?" Lucy grabbed the dust and empty air before nkly looking at Arthas, who only just shrugged his shoulders as hetrulydid not know what was happening,


    "Why would she tell you we''re not real¡­? Does your mom hate us since our father impregnated another woman?"


    "...No," Arthasshook his head, "She''s never been like that with Karina. And she''s not the type to hate people."


    "Then what was that all about?" Lucy repeated his words before turning to look at Renna, "What do you think, dear sister? Why would she¡ª" N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "This has been fun, Arthas ¡ª let us do it again sometime." And before Lucy couldevenfinish his words, Renna opened a portal beneath her feet and left the two just like that.


    "Did¡­ she just leave us?" Arthas blinked a couple of times as he stared at the space where Renna was previously at.


    "That she did," Lucy let out a small sigh before cing his arm over Arthas''s shoulder, tiptoeing to reach him, "Anyway, shall we partake in the pleasures of the city some more, my dear brother?"


    "We''re¡­ still hanging out?" Arthas looked at Lucy with wide eyes, "Aren''t you¡­ curious about what Mom said?"


    "Why would I be curious about thingsthat areout of my control?" Lucy raised an eyebrow as he gently pushed Arthas away, "I would rather taste those that are within reach of my tongue, my dear brother.Come,let me introduce you to the more¡­dubious parts of the city."


    "Dubious¡­ parts?"


    "Indeed, my brother. Indeed. A ce where I get to live out my fantasies of violence and romance."


    "Violence¡­? I don''t like that."


    "It''s just pretend ¡ªotherwiseI might gravitate to the real one andactuallystart killing people for real," Lucy let out a small chuckle as if he did not just say something morbid.


    "You have thoughts of killing people!?"Arthas''s eyesonce again widenedas he walked beside Lucy andhestarted stepping out from the alley and into the light.


    "Just thoughts ¡ª I roley to get it out of my system," Lucy shrugged, "My dear sister was the one who taught me how to repress it and turn my ugly feelings into art¡­


    ¡­She introduced me to theater. That is why I talk to myself in mirrors, which I canliterallydoandmy reflection answers back, it''sso dramatic."


    "Huh¡­" Arthas blinked a couple of times, "...Rennareallyknows a lot of things, huh?"


    "You do not know the half of it, my ogrish brother," Lucy let out a long and harmonious hum as he patted Arthas''s back, "She was part of the theater oncetoo, you know?"


    "Oh, what happened?"


    "No idea, she lost passion for it¡­


    ¡­Isuppose?"


    And while Arthas was being dragged away byLucydevil knows where, Renna emerged from the shadows of her room ¡ª well, most of her room wasshadow.


    Her room was incredibly dim, with only lines of light seeping out from thecurtains;dancing across the walls and floors as the wind from the portal escaped into her room. But as she closed it, the room became calm, incredibly so.


    And since Renna breathes in a way that no one could hear her at all, it was almost as if the room was¡­dead.


    "Not¡­ real?" Renna then let out a small whisperwhichechoed through her isted and seemingly boxed room. And very soon, as shetook a step,asmallcrumpling noise could be heardrustling beneath her feet.


    She looked at the dark floor for a few seconds before light started to veil the entire room spherically, revealing it bit by bit ¡ª what was first revealed by the fading darkness, however, were pieces of paper on the floor, scattered everywhere. And soon, they crawled along the walls,and evenonto the ceilings¡­and even on her bed.


    Mostof themwere news of the past, cutlets, printed, and some even from books. There were red threads everywhere, almost like a web that filled half the room as it connected everything; one could barely even walk through this mess. Renna, however, couldliterallyjustphase through it as her eyes widened and widened while she approached her wallwhichwas filledwith cutlets and photos of¡­Riley.


    "Father, Dear Father¡­" Renna then sped her handstogetheras her breaths started to cause the stuffy air to visualize, "...Why did she say that? Why would she say we are not real? Are we not real to you, Father?"


    Renna then gently ced her palm on the wall, brushing her fingers along the photo of Riley''s face,


    "But we are real, wecame from you. You gave birth to us, weare real. We are."


    Renna''s facethen veryslowly started to crease as anawkward,andincredibly widesmile crawled on her face; her breathswhichwere ever silent, now almost a moan as tears began trailing from her cheeks.


    Soon, however, her eyesthenturned toward a corner of the room. Which had different photos of different people, perhaps thousands of them, and the only thing they had inmon was that Renna marked all of them with an ''X''.


    "Real¡­" Renna then whispered out as she nced back to her bed before just running toward it and pushing all the cutlets and papers aside until she found what she was lookingfor,a book¡ªno, a collection of news articles bound. She then started violently turning thepages;hereyes,moving erratically along with her heavy breaths ¡ª the cutlets also had something inmon with each other¡­


    ¡­they were news articles of people just disappearing out of nowhere. Not just fadingaway,but disappearing in in sight.


    "People¡­ people disappearing," Renna whispered to herself as she continued to scan the binder, "Even in the earliest conception of New World, people were already disappearing. And it is possible it was already happening before that. The girl, AuntAerithmentioned a girl¡­"


    Renna then threw the binder away before running toward her desk, which was just a mountain of cutlets on top of each other.Andsoon, she found a photo thatwas neatly keptinside a frame ¡ª a photo of her mother''s variant, Lucifer''s mother.


    Katrina was with Hannah, along with some other people. Renna''s eyes, however, only reflected a single face.


    "...Paige Pearson," Rennathenstarted biting her lip before biting her nail, "Illusions¡­ Illusions are real to her. Is she? Am I not real? Are we not real¡­?"


    Renna then let go of the frameas shestarted sping her head, "Am I¡­ am I not real? Am I just¡­Father¡­please¡­please, please, please¡­please¡­please, don''t tell me I''m just nothing."

 Chapter 1029: Finding Pearson

    1029 Chapter 1029: Finding Pearson


    "You''re really leaving? You''re not going to help us¡­?"


    It took a while, but Riley and the others were able to escape the masses and exit out of the city. The guards who were guarding the gated city, made sure that no one would follow them out.


    "As I said, this isn''t my story anymore." Viel already had a portal behind him and was ready to leave the group at any moment, and was just waiting for Riley and the others to start their adventure. But s, the group was still deliberating on where to go, as even Death did not really know they of thendpletely,


    "Well, I''m not gonna say goodbye. We might still see each other, after all. Or maybe not if the New Universe bes a thing."


    "That¡­" Karina looked Viel in the eyes for a few seconds before turning to nce at her father. The expression painted on her face conflicted but somewhat still filled with resolve, "...If ites down to it, then I am ready to kill Dad."


    "Kill him?" Viel also nced at Riley, "You really think your dad''s going to choose two of his other children as opposed to three? Four, if you include thedy with the plot armor ability."


    "It makes more sense for him to choose Renna and Lucy, there is no use even denying that," Karina shook her head, "He had spent a good 16 years with them. And Enel, well¡­ he''s like 4 or 5, I don''t think Dad''s attachment to him is greater than what he has for the twins. Dad is just¡­ closer to the two than any of us."


    "And what about that woman called Hannah? Her¡­ step-sister?"


    "Adoptive," Karina raised an eyebrow, "Why do you know so much about Dad?"


    "Thedy with the plot armor ability told me."


    "Seriously, just how much did Talia tell you!?" Karina could not help but scoff as she nced at Talia, who quickly looked away in response; obviously feigning ignorance as she pretended to speak with Ang and the other pdins.


    "Well, I can be very persuasive."


    And as Viel once again looked Karina in the eyes, she once again could not help but be lost in his eyes.


    "You''re a fucking fuck boy, aren''t you?" Karina returned Viel''s bright blue eyes with a re.


    "Not at all, that''s the Rhys guy," Viel just shrugged.


    "Rhys¡­?


    "You won''t meet him," Viel only let out a small chuckle, "But are you ready for that, though?"


    11:34


    "To kill your dad," the tone of Viel''s voice suddenly changed, "Are you ready to do something like that?"


    "Yes," Karina answered without any hesitation, "I have been ready ever since he told me it might be needed in the future. He told me that, you know, way back then? I''ve only been alive for like 3, 4 years or something, and he told me that I might need to kill him."


    "You are a very weird family."


    "But strength-wise?" Karina then took in a deep breath as she nced at her father, who was busy talking to the Pope and Death, "I''m confident in killing any gods in less than a second as long as they don''t activate their bullshit domain field or something, but Dad? I can''t really ever imagine him losing anymore. But that''s only if it was just me¡­


    ¡­the rest of the Universe would also be trying to kill him."


    "Then does that mean you are also ready to kill Renna and Lucy?"


    And as soon as Viel said that, Karina quickly paused her words as she just stared at the empty air.


    "At most, you can really only seal Riley Ross again," Viel smiled at Karina, "Trap him for thousands and thousands of years, dying the inevitable. That could may very well work ¡ª But even then, you would still have to deal with Paige Pearson''s universe or suffer both dying away. Tell me then, Karina Ross¡­


    ¡­are your lives worth more than theirs?"


    "That¡­."


    "But of course, ultimately, Riley might choose you and you won''t have to trouble yourselves," Viel chuckled, "After all, it''s just a decision on which of his family and children he would kill, right? No biggie at all."


    "..." Karina could really not say anything anymore; her eyes, now just staring down as she thought of Viel''s words.


    "Or you coulde with me," Viel then bent down so that his face was right in front of Karina, "I can take you to a ce that would bepletely unaffected by all of the chaos that is about to ensue."


    "Are¡­ you seriously asking me to elope with you? That''s not gonna happen anytime soon. You really are a fuc¡ªwait," Karina''s eyes widened as she looked at Viel, "Then maybe you could all take us to that ce!?"


    "...If only," Viel chuckled as he shook his head, "I''m afraid it doesn''t work like that. Anyway, if you change your mind, just can just scream for my name. Alright, alright. Ciao."


    "Wait, you¡ª"


    And before Karina could even say goodbye, Viel took a step back; winking as he disappeared into the portal he summoned,


    "What the¡ªdid he really just leave like that?"


    "You should have taken the offer, Karina." N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "What the¡ª!?" Karina''s shock multiplied as she suddenly heard Riley''s voice just a foot away from her side. She almost jumped in ce as she turned to the side, only to see Riley already beside her and no longer talking to the Pope and Death, "Since when were you there!?"


    "Since you confessed your love for the Eternal Child."


    "What¡­? No! That didn''t¡ªwait, you''re making jokes?" Karina blinked a couple of times, "And wait, why would I ept his offer? Don''t tell me¡­


    ¡­you already made a decision? And¡­ you chose¡­ them?"


    "No," Riley shook his head, "I do not think I need to make a decision now."


    "But¡­ who are you going to choose?"


    "Both," Riley just shrugged before gesturing to Karina to follow him, "Let us go, Daughter."


    "Wait, both what?" Karina quickly followed behind her father, only to notice that Death and the others were going the other road, "Wait, are we not going to wait for them?"


    "No, we are moving on our own."


    "What¡­!?" Karina once again nced at Death and the others, only to see Enel waving at her before he excitedly jumped around Miss Pepondosovich, "We''re going our separate ways¡­? What''s the point of bringing in that god of luck, then!?"


    "For them," Riley shrugged, "I know that I would eventually find Paige Pearson somewhere, Death needs to find her siblings who have apparently gone insane. Our universe and the people in it would disappear prematurely if they do not find them and solve whatever problem they have."


    "That¡ªthen why is it only the two of us¡­?" Karina asked, "Still, shouldn''t we bring Enel¡­? Talia? We need a guide."


    "Enel will be safest with Death and Miss Pepondosovich. She is also his favorite person," Riley shook his head, "And also, it is not only the two of us. We have a guide."


    "Huh? Who?"


    "Darkday!"


    Riley did not even need to answer Karina at all as they heard a loud screaming at them from behind. Karina quickly turned around, only to see Ang running toward them with herrge b of a sword swinging on her back while she wore her helmet,


    "What did you say to Father!? Why am I going to get stuck with you again!?"


    "Oh, did he not tell you?" Riley did not stop at all and just continued walking, "You will be our guide, Miss Ang."


    "Guide to what¡­?" Ang''s frustration was obvious even with her helmet on, "Don''t you know howrge and empty this ce is!? There''s nothing to see here beyond a certain point."


    "We are going to find Paige Pearson, Miss Ang."


    "I haven''t even seen her for years, I don''t know her," Angined.


    "That is okay, Miss Ang ¡ª at least you are funny," Riley shrugged, "And we need your eyes moving forward."


    "Forward to where¡­?" Ang looked toward the horizon, which was just mountains and the endless sky, "The other cities¡­?"


    "I need to make myself known, so that Paige will find me instead," Riley shrugged, "We need to go to a ce that would make that possible."


    "You''re Darkday," Ang scoffed, "Just do Darkday things and Pearson will notice you."


    "Perhaps," Riley shrugged, "But I am not really detecting or sensing Paige Pearson anywhere."


    "You can detect her?"


    "Yes, Paige and I have a connection," Riley nodded.


    "Then if you can''t detect her, doesn''t that just mean that she''s not here¡­?" Ang''s breaths of frustration whispered out from her helmet.


    "Perhaps I worded it wrong, Miss Ang," Riley shook his head as he finally stopped walking to look at Ang, "I am not sensing Paige Pearson anywhere because I can sense her everywhere."


    "What¡­?"


    "She is here, and there are areas where her aura is stronger," Riley looked at the horizon, "I just need your eyes to figure out where exactly."

 Chapter 1030: Faith

    1030 Chapter 1030: Faith


    "...Tell me again why we are riding a wagon?"


    "You can''t fly here, and you can''t go higher than a certain speed ¡ª themarians have tried, they always end up just falling down. I guess in a way¡­ it''s to prevent another devastating and brutal war from happening?"


    "Interesting. It reminds me of my biological mother''s variant''s universe where she restricted all the other races ¡ª except here, it is obviously Paige who is deciding."


    "W¡ªOw! Doesn''t this thing have a suspension!?"


    Karina found herself bouncing inside a car. And although she wasining about not being able to go faster, they were actually already moving at a decent speed, enough to almost make the outside blurry. The cart was being pulled by some sort of gigantic lizard with 6 limbs; its tail, being used as the rein by the driver.


    "Youin too much, Karina. It would seem Katherine has spoiled you a little bit," Riley let out a small sigh as he kept himself properly in ce using his telekic abilities while everyone else struggled, "Look at Miss Ang, she is wearing a full heavy armor, and yet she is notining."


    "Do you even know where we are going, Dad?" Karina could really only groan in response as she slightly pulled the drapes and looked at the outside, "It''s getting colder already, where are we even going?"


    "The Holy City of Mold," Riley answered nonchntly, "It is where Ang and the Pope were before they met us in that small city, Karina."


    "Yes, but what exactly are we gonna do there?" Karina sighed, "We should have just gone with the others and followed the traces of the Primordials, maybe that would lead us to Paige too."


    "Do you truly believe that I could be seen with Death by the other Primordials, Karina?" Riley looked Karina in the eyes, "And that they would not attack me or Death as soon as they see us together, and put you and Enel in danger?"


    "That¡­ you''re making a fine point," Karina let out another sigh as she just stretched her legs and arms, "And you think we''re going to find traces of Paige in this holy city because¡­ obviously there''s a reason why it''s the Holy City?"


    "I suppose," Riley nodded, "The Holy City was built there for a reason."


    "Uhh¡­" Ang then raised her hand to get the attention of the father and daughter duo, "...I hate to break your guys'' bubble, but the city was already there before we even arrived in this mysterious world. In fact, I think most of the cities you see here were already here when we were suddenly thrown into this ce, the people didn''t build them."


    "Huh¡­" Karina crossed her arms, "...Convenient. Do you guys think Paige knew about the war, and she specifically created this ce to shelter us? And¡­ how many of us are actually left, if the people in the remaining universe are actually just Paige''s¡­ creation?"


    "I''m now aware of the current number, but the number of all the people the Pope and I have met and seen so far is¡­" Ang turned quiet for a few seconds, "...Approximately 2,324,668."


    "That few!?" Karina''s eyes widened.


    "That is only the people we''ve met and seen," Ang shook her head, "Even now, after 200 years of roaming this world, I do believe we have not even explored a quarter of it. Honestly¡­ with all that I''ve heard so far, I don''t think this ce is meant for us ¡ª we were here because of Hera and her variants. You know the story, correct?"


    "She¡­ told us," Karina nodded, "She, Talia, and all of her variants tried rescuing as many people as possible and taking them to safety during the war ¡ª but once there were no safe ces, they suddenly found themselves here with all of the refugees. Wait¡­


    ¡­do you think the people outside the remaining universe, Paige''s people¡­ do you think this ce was the one actually meant for them?"


    "That¡ªnow that you are saying it," Ang ced her hand on the chin of her helmet, "That makes sense, no?"


    "Then what if we transfer Renna and Lucy to this ce, and all of us real people return to the real universe!?" Karina stood up and she started waving her hands.


    "I do not believe that will work, Karina," Riley, however, just shook his head, "The two worlds are still colliding, destruction is inevitable."


    "Can''t¡­ you be more optimistic, Dad?" Karina groaned before just letting herself fall back to her seat, "The end of everything is upon us, we can use a little more positivity from you."


    "Darkday, positive?" Ang scoffed, "That is how I will know that the end as we know it truly is upon us."


    And while the three were casually talking about the end of everything, the person who they were sharing the wagon with could not help but just widen his eyes in shock.


    He just also happens to be from Earth and so he could fully understand what Karina and the others were talking about. He wanted to join in on the conversation at first since it was rare to see someone talking in the same nativenguage, but lost his chance as soon as the conversation turned¡­ grim.


    "Anyway, Crimson Pdin¡­" Karina once again let out a seat as she looked at Ang from head to toe, "...With all the things you''ve seen, you still believe in your Faith?"


    "Why wouldn''t I?" Ang quickly answered with a shake of her head, "If anything, it makes me believe more."


    "...Right," Karina only squinted her eyes at Ang''s answer, "Never mind, then. But my god, for more than 600 years, life had been incredibly peaceful ¡ª and with Dad just appearing again, everything is already turning to shit."


    "My presence or absence would not change the fact that the two worlds are colliding with each other, Karina," Riley looked at his daughter.


    "I know, I know ¡ª and it''s not about you, it''s just be an expression back in the house throughout the years."


    "An expression?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "Yup. That if you are here, ultimately, something is gonna go wrong," Karina let out a small chuckle as she shrugged, "I think Aunt Hannah started saying it, then Mom also started saying it, and then even Aunt Aerith and Grandma started saying it."


    "Hm¡­" Riley let out a small breath as he looked to the side, "...I suppose that is fairly urate."


    "Wait, you''re not even mad about that¡­?"


    "There is no reason to."


    "Ack, you should at least be hurt we are talking about you behind your back!"


    "I have killed trillions of people, Karina ¡ª people are going to talk about me irrelevant of where their backs are turned."


    "You¡­" N?v(el)B\\jnn


    The three continued to talk during the journey, leaving their poorpanion to bepletely restless throughout the entire ride. And unfortunately for the man, they still had to camp out since it would take another half a day before they reached their destination ¡ª and suffice it to say, Riley and the others were still talking about the end of the world, making him unable to even sleep.


    Fortunately for him, that meant he was unconscious throughout the remaining journey and did not have to suffer the grim conversations ¡ª and as he woke up, they were already at the Holy City of Mold.


    "Which religion do you practice, Child?"


    "I am here to search for it!"


    "Okay, proceed."


    The man quickly got off the carriage and proceeded to the gate, where he was questioned by the armored guards. Karina, who saw this entire process, could not help but raise an eyebrow as she looked at Ang, who removed her helmet as they also approached the gate.


    "Wait, Crimson Pdin," Karina lightly grabbed Ang''s arm, "I thought the Holy Land was the Pope''s ce? Why is it that I''m seeing different¡­ believers here?"


    "...No," Ang let out a small sigh; her eyes which were sewn shut, slightly fidgeting as she sighed, "All sorts of religions and faiths from differents have gathered here, but that will change."


    "...At least tell me you''re the biggest one, right?" Karina forced out a chuckle.


    "...No," Ang could really only clench her fist in response, "...But that will change."


    "You¡ª"


    And before Karina could even say her piece, Ang already approached the people guarding the gate.


    "Crimson Pdin, you may enter." The guards did not question her at all as she just proceeded inside. Karina was going to do the same, but was blocked by the guards,


    "Which religion do you practice, Child?" And was asked the same question as everyone else.


    "Which, uh¡­" Karina blinked a couple of times before ncing at her father, "I¡­ I don''t really practice anything."


    "Hm¡­" The guards looked at each other as they heard Karina''s words before just nodding and stepping to the side, "...Very well, I hope that you will find one. Proceed."


    "Oh¡­" Karina just shrugged and smiled as she stepped through the gates. But of course, she immediately stopped before even taking a good look at the supposed Holy City as she quickly nced back to her father.


    "Which religion do you practice, Child?"


    "The religion of Riley Ross."

 Chapter 1031: Kicked Out

    1031 Chapter 1031: Kicked Out


    "Riley Ross¡­?"


    "Do we have a religion like that?"


    "You do now, Guards."


    "Dad¡­"


    Karina and Ang, who were watching Riley from inside the city, could not help but both cover their faces as they heard Riley''s words. They wanted to just pull him away, but honestly, the two no longer wanted to get involved with him as the people started to gather and look at him.


    "Is it a new religion?" The guard did not seem to heed it any mind; probably already used to people having different beliefs. He just grabbed a binder he was carrying on his waist and started looking at it, "I do not think it''s in our list just yet, you have to register it once we let you inside."


    "Dad¡­ just say you don''t have one," Karina whispered loudly in frustration.


    "Very well," Riley nodded his head as he looked at the guard, "I will ask mypanion how to do that."


    "Good," the guard nodded as he started flipping the binder he was holding, "And what is your name so that we would know the name of who started the practice?" N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Riley Ross."


    "Riley¡ª" The guard immediately stopped writing as he looked at Riley. He then turned toward his colleague, almost as if quietly asking him if he heard what he just heard, "You¡­ are starting your own religion?"


    "Another one of those," the other guard let out a small sigh as he waved his hand and walked away to process the other people wanting to enter the walled city, "You handle him."


    "...Great," the guard let out a loud and obviously exhausted groan as he lowered his binder and once again looked at Riley, "Look, man ¡ª I do not care what your deal is, as long as you don''t cause any trouble inside, we''re not going to have a problem. Is that understood?"


    "Of course," Riley just casually nodded.


    "What are you even from?"


    "Earth."


    "Earth¡­?" The guard looked at Riley from head to toe before ncing at Karina and Ang. One also had incredibly white skin and hair, while the other had her eyespletely sewn, "Are you sure you people are from Earth? Like Supers, right? Then I''d advise minimal contact, ever since everyone started aging again, the Supervirus is spreading like wildfire and it is making people nervous."


    13:07


    "Okay."


    "Okay," the guard nodded as he made a path for Riley, "It is good that you''re more approachable than the other crazy people who want to build their own religion. You can go."


    "You have my gratitude, Guard," Riley also nodded his head before entering the city. And before he could even gather the sights, Karina and Ang both stood in front of him and started pointing at his face.


    "What was that, Darkday!?" Ang voiced out her frustration, "I have already told you, it would be best to travel incognito and not cause any troubles ¡ª my mission is to get you from point a to point b, I won''t be able to do that if you just do your usual pranks."


    "I do not do pranks, Miss Ang."


    "Dad, you could have just said you don''t have one ¡ª you see how they just let me pass without any more questions!?" Karina also heavily breathed out while still slightly covering her forehead, "How did Mom even fall in love with you!?"


    "Katherine is mentally unstable, Karina."


    "You¡ªAck, nevermind. Let''s just explore this ce," Karina groaned as she turned around and started scanning the ce; her eyes, widening as they finally had a chance to look at the grand, immacte, but somewhat chaotic city.


    There was no chaos per se, but the design of the city was noisy; there were a lot of buildings and towers that lookedpletely different from each other, no doubt because of all the different religions living in one ce.


    You look to the left, then there is a church with lots of spikes and pirs. You look to the right, and then there''s a church which was basically almost outside, covered with nts and trees as its frame and foundation.


    "Oh, this ce is low-key ps," Karina uttered; her mouth slightly opened due to the fountain of colors of everywhere.


    "Low-key¡­ ps?" Ang tried her best not to chuckle as she heard Karina''s vocabry, "I forgot how young you were supposed to be before all the chaos happened."


    "Don''t start," Karina rolled her eyes before looking at the people ¡ª none of them were really walking alone and always had a group with them, ranging from groups of 3, to sometimes even more than a dozen of them just strolling the unusually wide streets. There was also a sort of canal at the center of the roads, making a path for those who were morefortable in water,


    "You see this, Dad? This is the real definition of inclusivity, not the New World where the Androids were just thrown away, and then the variants were being kept inside cages as a reserve. I don''t even know what Aunt Paige was thinking when she created them."


    "Paige''s illusions have their own sentience," Ang was the one to answer Karina''s question, "I''ve met her a couple of times when she built the orphanage, she wouldn''t stand for that kind of world. However this New World you speak of turned out, then it''s because the people living in it made it the dystopian it is."


    "I keep forgetting you don''t even know that the New World exists," Karina once again rolled her eyes, "How do you even know Dad, anyway? You seem like the two of you have history."


    "The Pope likes him for some reason," Ang only scoffed as she nced at Riley, who was just quietly following behind them as they strolled the streets, "And¡­ he was also present during aplicated time in my life."


    "Yuck, don''t tell me you''re one of the people that likes Dad?"


    "What!? What sphemy dares utter from your mouth!?" Ang quickly pointed the helmet she was holding at Karina, "My body and soul is reserved for Him, and only Him!"


    "For¡­ Dad?"


    "No, you¡ªWait," Ang quickly nced back at Riley as she raised her voice, only for her to halt her steps as she noticed Riley was suddenly no longer behind them, "Where did your father go? He was literally just here a second ago!"


    "Why ask me!? Aren''t you supposed to be the one with the weird eyes!?" Karina widened her eyes; even prying them open with her fingers almost as if to mock Ang''s sewn eyes, "Find her."


    "There!" Angpletely ignored her attempts to mock her as she quickly found Riley amongst the crowd. It did not really seem he was trying to get away from them, as he was just casually walking toward a certain building, "Darkday, stop!"


    "...Why is this my life?" Karina could really only let out a groan as she followed Ang, who was chasing Riley, not even heeding the others any mind and pushing them to the side, leaving Karina to apologize to each of them, "Ang, stop pushing people!"


    "I''m not pushing anyone!" Ang screamed, "My armor''s just too bulky!"


    "Then take it off! We''re inside the city for fuck''s sake!"


    "My armor is blessed by the Pope, it can only be taken off when I''m dead!"


    "...Does that mean you don''t take a bath!?"


    "Wh¡ªof course, I do! What kind of logic is that!?"


    It did not really take long for the two to catch Riley, who was now standing at the back of a short line leading to a building that seemed incredibly neutralpared to the rest of the infrastructure in the Holy City of Mold.


    "This¡­" Ang ced her hand on Riley''s shoulder before looking at the building, "...How''d you even found this?"


    "I asked people, Miss Ang."


    "You¡­ I was going to take you here after we get something to eat," Ang let out another loud groan of frustration as she visibly tried pulling Riley away. Riley, however,pletely stayed in ce despite her putting strength.


    "What even is this ce?" Karina looked at the short line.


    "...The ce where people register their religion," Ang could not help but just turn her groans into a sigh as she looked at Karina, "I¡­ actually had no ns in bringing him here."


    "Ah, crap," Karina also sighed, "Dad, let''s just go."


    "No," Riley shook his head, "My goal is to let Paige Pearson know of my existence, this is one of the ways I could see that happening, Daughter. You do not have to worry, I promised to the guard outside that I will not make trouble for him, I intend to keep that promise."


    "...Let''s just let him do what he wants," Karina patted Ang''s pauldron. Of course, Ang could not really do anything with the situation anymore and do just that. The line was incredibly short, and it did not even take an hour before it was Riley''s turn.


    "I am afraid you can''t register a religion with less than 1 follower."


    And almost immediately, the person at the back of the counter looked at Riley; her eyes,pletely uninterested with everything that was happening.


    "There are two of us," Riley pointed at himself and Karina.


    "The religion is named after you, Riley Ross. You are not a member," the girl just looked at Riley again with her stoic eyes, "Come back if you have another one."


    "There is no need for that," Riley shook his head before looking at Ang, "Can you register her as the 2nd member of my religion?"


    "What are you¡ª"


    "I need to kick her out from her previous religion. Done. Next."


    "Wh¡ªwait¡­


    ¡­What!?"

 Chapter 1032: RRR

    1032 Chapter 1032: RRR


    "You can''t just do that and remove me from my faith!"


    "That only means your faith is fragile, Madam."


    "No, it''s not! You literally removed me from serving our Lord!"


    "Your lord. Next!"


    The woman at the back of the counter was not even looking at Ang as she talked to her. She just waved her hand several times, almost as if trying to shoo some sort of stray cat.


    "Uh, Darkday! Retract your request right now! You have no idea how important this is to me!" Ang quickly rushed to chase Riley, who was already walking away from the registration area as if he did not just do something ridiculous.


    "I am afraid I can not do that, Miss Ang," Riley shook his head, "The receptionist said that there is a 1-year period in between transfers."


    "Wh¡ªWhy would you even make me join your religion in the first ce, Darkday¡­?" Ang could really only drop her helmet on the ground; her legs, getting extremely weaker by the second, "I¡­ I knew you were evil, but not to the point of ying with someone else''s faith!"


    "...I think we may have a different set of priorities here if you think ying with someone else''s faith is more evil than torturing and killing helpless people," Karina squinted her eyes. But of course, she could not help but sigh and offer Ang a hand offort, seeing as she was already kneeling on the ground like a defeated cat, "But I do have to admit, Dad ¡ª that was foul. And¡­


    ¡­we''re kinda attracting attention here, you shouldment your fate elsewhere, Crimson Pdin."


    "No¡­ I''m not going anywhere until they give me back faith!" Ang shook her head, "I will die here of starvation if needed!"


    Ang''s screams and frustrations attracted the masses even more, as even some of those who were in line left their queue to just listen in on whatever was happening. After all, those who are in a circle of faith are mostly gossipers, and so gossip and listen they did.


    "Miss Ang," Riley let out a small but very deep sigh as he crouched down; even cing his hand on Ang''s pauldron, "You do not need to be in your religion to serve your lord ¡ª if you think your faith will be shaken just because you are outside of it, then that means your faith is not as strong as you believed it to be in the first ce."


    "That¡­" Ang slightly stuttered as she faced Riley; her sewn-shut eyes, fidgeting as if she was looking at Riley from head to toe, and she probably was, "My faith¡­ is unwavering."


    "If it is, then there is no point in crying or wallowing here, Miss Ang ¡ª you may belong to my religion, but the target of your faith remains the same and solid as it was before," Riley shook his head as he stood up, "You are part of me, yes ¡ª but I will also allow you to be part of something else. You are not my property, nor are you the property of your previous religion. You are free to practice whatever you want while still being a part of mine, my only ask¡­


    ¡­is that you will be true to yourself and ept whateveres with it, be it consequence or reward."


    "Darkday¡­" Ang whispered out. And after a few seconds, she nodded her head and stood up, "...You are right. This doesn''t change anything, my loyalty is still with the man on the cross."


    "Good," Riley smiled as he turned around, "But do remember, Miss Ang ¡ª I was on the cross once too, remember?"


    "When did that¡ª"


    "Excuse me!"


    And before Riley and the others could actually leave, a woman suddenly blocked his path.


    "Hm¡­?"


    "What¡­ what religion did you say you were a part of?" The woman nervously asked.


    "The religion of Riley Ross," Riley just casually answered. And as soon as he did so, the woman smiled and rushed toward the front of the line.


    "I¡­ I want to join the religion of Riley Ross, please!"


    "Wait, me too! I want to join it too!"


    "What the¡­" Karina could not help but just blink a couple of times in disbelief as she saw people suddenly falling back in line and registering for her father''s abruptly made-up religion, "...Do these people even know what they are getting into? Wait, what are they getting into, Dad?"


    "Whatever they want to," Riley just shrugged while ncing at the line, before just walking away and not even minding the people who were suddenly joining him.


    "This is¡­ ridiculous," Karina forced out a chuckle as he followed behind Riley, "Why would people even be joining when they have no idea what they''re getting into?" N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "That''s faith, Karina," Ang, who had seemingly already recovered from her plight, walked beside Karina; her steps, more dignified than before, "And although I do hold hatred for your father even before, I would be lying if I said that he was not charismatic ¡ª he is. And he is probably the most charismatic person I have ever met, and for people looking to belong somewhere¡­


    ¡­he is the greatest poison."


    "That''s what I find weird in this ce," Karina once again started observing the people walking around in groups, "Honestly if anything, the religions here feel more like guilds."


    "They are ¡ª the smaller ones, I mean," Ang let out a small scoff, "They even get into scuffles, these poor souls."


    "You do know you are part of the smaller ones now, right?" Karina smirked.


    "Not for long," Ang nced back, only to see several people already following them from behind, "I have a feeling Riley Ross is about to create¡­ something very, very bad."


    "You said this city was already here when you were sent here?" Karina asked as she continued to observe the supposed Holy City, "But the buildings here are all different from each other."


    "That is because when we arrived here, there was really only one building standing ¡ª that."


    Karina then turned to look to where Ang was pointing, only to see the tower at what she could only assume to be the center-most part of the city. The tower was perhaps the tallest building there, and the most noticeable too, aspared to the other infrastructures which held all sorts of different colors and designs, the tower was just¡­ a block. A tall ck block ¡ª it could almost be considered the one alien amongst all the buildings in the city.


    "...Ominous," Karina breathed out, "I didn''t know Aunt Paige had that kind of taste, assuming she really did create this world."


    "She doesn''t," Ang moved closer to Karina and whispered to her ear, "She doesn''t have that kind of taste. But do you know who does¡­?"


    "Who¡­?"


    "Your father," Ang said, her voice turning even quieter.


    "...No, he doesn''t," Karina, however, only moved away from Ang as she looked at her with a slight confusion on her face, "I mean, I get why people would think that, but Dad actually likes pink."


    "Huh¡­? Impossible."


    "He does," Karina shrugged, "It''s Auntie''s favorite color, so it''s his favorite color too."


    "Seriously¡­?"


    Riley and the group then spent more than an hour just walking through the city, with Karina and Ang just talking to each other, not even minding the group of 5 people who joined Riley''s religion following them from behind. The group also did not seem to mind that they were doing nothing but just walking, however. But seeing as everyone seemed to just walk around this city, it was the normal thing to do.


    "Oh, it''s your church."


    And soon, Riley and the group passed by Ang''s church, prompting Riley to stop as Karina pointed at it.


    "It''s¡­rge," Karina could not help but blink a couple of times as she realized that Ang''s church wasrger than most of the buildings they had passed by ¡ª no, it wasn''t just the building that wasrge, they even have their ownrge area which was fenced and gated,


    "Do you want to stop by, Miss Ang?" Riley then asked as he approached Ang.


    "Hm," Ang, of course, nodded without any hesitation as she walked to the guard stationed at the gate.


    "Halt."


    Before she could even step through the gate, however, he was stopped by the armored guard; blocking her path with theirrge halberds,


    "You are not allowed within the premises."


    "Not allowed? It''s me," Ang gestured to herself, "I literally serve under the Pope. What are you doing, Bran?"


    "Not anymore," the guard, Bran, shook his head as he gestured to Ang to leave, "We have received information that you left, and so you may leave."


    "What¡­? I just had to because I''m on a mission, I''m still loyal to¡ª"


    "No," Bran remained resolute in his stance, even stomping his halberd on the ground as he pointed Ang to leave, "People from other religions are not allowed here. Leave!"


    "But¡ª"


    "Leave, or we will be forced to¡ªwhat are you doing!?"


    And before the guards could threaten to remove Ang from the premises¡­


    ¡­Riley Ross just casually opened the gate and entered inside.


    "As I said, Miss Ang...


    ...You are free to practice anything you want, and I am here to make it happen."


    Ramen


    Romeru

 Chapter 1033: Greatest Scam

    1033 Chapter 1033: Greatest Scam n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Stop! You are not allowed to enter our holy ground!"


    "But I am already inside, Guard."


    "Oh, Dad¡­"


    The only thing Karina and Ang could do was watch as more than a dozen knights started appearing from one of the smaller buildings inside the church''s territory. The knights wasted no time on surrounding Riley, brandishing their weapons and some even using their abilities to warn him.


    But of course, Riley did not even bother to nce at them as he continued to make his way to the church, even raising his hand and gesturing to Ang to follow him in. Ang, of course, did not move from his spot as sheabsolutelyhad no idea what to do.


    "Miss Ang, you are a Pdin directly serving the Pope," Riley then let out a small sigh as he turned around, but since the knights were surrounding him, no one couldreallysee him but Ang, who was able to look through walls and all sorts of other things, "You outrank all of these people, you should be ordering them to stand down and make way."


    "I''m¡ª"


    "The Crimson Pdin is no longer part of the holy church!" The knight who was initially stationed at the gate continued to deny Riley and Ang, "She has no right to order us around!"


    "Interesting," Riley smiled as he continued walking toward the church building.


    "We warned you! May god forgive you, but we will not!"


    And with those words, those who had abilities threw their attacks at Riley first; be it fire, ice, lightning, or any other sort of material.Andwith the smokepletely veiling everything, those who had weapons and melee abilities all rushed toward Riley to finish him off.


    After all, those who mock and sully the name of their lord shall have no mercy, whether it is just a tiny rabbit or one of the false gods themselves ¡ª everyone must be treated with utmost wrath.


    "I do have to say, though¡­"


    All of them, however, quickly backed away as soon as they heard the sphemer''s voice whisper through their ears; the cloud of dust, also dissipated as they leaped away. Their eyes, squinting as they looked at the silhouette slowly being unveiled from the cloud,


    "...It would seem your church has returned to its more barbaric roots. I thought the entire identity of your church is to wee anyone, no matter their faith and no matter their beliefs?"


    "You think we will wee those who can be a threat to our world!? Never!"


    "Then, I suppose you are no longer what you once were."


    "!!!"


    All of the knights'' eyes widened as soon as Riley took a step. How could they not, when all of their attacks werepletely useless, and not even a speck or a strand of his hair was dirtied? And throughout all of this, Riley did not even use even a tiny bit of his telekinesis, he waspletely just dodging their attacks with his body, and using the tiny bit of wind from his movements to keep the dust away.


    After all, unlike the knights, he wasn''t going to use a cannon to hunt a mouse ¡ª that doesn''t make for a good show at all, after all.


    "Miss Ang," But Riley did not take a step toward the church at all. On the contrary, he headed back to the gate; he didn''t, however, step outside and just stood short a step of passing through it, "Are you sure you still want to pray to a church that rejectsyou,and rejects those who are lost? If you say¡­


    ¡­then I will help you prayinside,because that is what We stand for."


    Andas he said those words, all the people who had been following him and registered to his religion, and all those who were just following him due to their curiosity, could not help but just look at each other; their eyes, all glistening as they thought they have probably made the correct decision to follow him.


    "I¡­" Ang''s words were weak, almost hesitating as everyone''s eyes now seemed to be on her. And after a few seconds, she took in a small breath and said,


    "...I do. I serve not because of what they say, or because of them. I serve because of what I believe in. So, I will go inside."


    "Well then ¡ª fight," Riley took a step to the side as he gestured to Ang to go ahead, "And once you are inside, I will fight for you."


    "..." Ang stood there quietly for a few seconds before she nodded¡­ and took a step through the gates.


    "Good, Miss Ang," Riley smiled and nodded, "Stick to your beliefs, it doesn''t matter if your god has been proven not to exist ¡ª the lesson you learn from it is real."


    "Is¡­ that supposed to be apliment or a diss?"


    "That is up to you, Miss Ang."


    "What is that¡ª"


    "Don''t let her inside the church!"


    "I am not going to fight your battles, Miss Ang ¡ª only protect it."


    And as he said those words, Riley stepped to the side and let Ang be hounded by the knights. But of course, as in most cases with those who are nigh-fanatics, they havepletely forgotten that Ang''s title as the Crimson Pdin was not just a title.


    Ang stabbed herrge b of a sword through the ground before wearing her helmet ¡ª she did not, however, pick up her sword again and just rushed through the knights while they were attacking.


    And like Riley, not even a single of their attacks could hit him. Suffice it to say, Riley was truly intrigued with how Ang''s abilities actually work, or what they truly are ¡ª when their so-called god showed itself to the Pope, it was almost as if it made sure that Ang would not be present there at all.


    Does that mean Ang''s eyes were powerful enough to see through a Primordial? If it truly was a primordial, and not just some other god ying around. But considering all of the remaining gods were probably left inside the remaining universe, it was truly safe to say that it was one of Death''s siblings¡­ or perhaps, if there is another entity out there that Riley and the other primordials were not yet aware of.


    The knights who tried to stop Ang were leftpletely bruised.Asalthough Ang did not resort to using her greatsword at all, she was still proficient in several types of martial arts ¡ª and with her strength in the upper echelon of supers, the knights wereclearlyoutmatched and the only thing they could do was crawl and watch as Ang forcefully open therge door open; creating a st of wind which howled across the entire area.


    Soon, however, this prompted the reinforcements to back their fellow knights, dozens and dozens of theming out of another barracks and quickly rushed toward the church to pull Ang out. Before they couldactuallyenter therge door, however, Riley suddenly blocked his path while brandishing Ang''s greatsword.


    "None of you¡­" Riley then spun the greatsword above his head before plunging it on the marbled floor in front of him, "...shall pass while one of my people is inside."


    "Who¡­ who do you think you are!?"


    "Get him! We can''t let someone like that sully the name of our church!"


    "I am warning you¡­" Riley then lightly tapped the handle of Ang''s greatsword, causing the marbled floor and the ground outward to crack almost instantly, "...I will not be as lenient as I was earlier ¡ª approach, and you will be judged ording to your actions. Violence will be met with violence."


    "Grab him! No, kill him!"


    "Dad¡­" And while the screams and roars of the knights echoed through the air, Karina could not help but just stare at what was happening with wide eyes. He had almost forgotten who his father was ¡ª if there was a chance to show off, he would, and in the most dramatic way possible at that.


    And judging by all the people who were now gathering around the Pope''s church, it was working quite well¡ªno.In fact,it was working more than well, as her father''s new followers whose names she doesn''t even know were now trying to scatter his name and what he was doing to everyone who even dared utter a nce to what was happening.


    "Religion of Riley Ross? I''ve never heard of that."


    "And Riley Ross¡­ is that man currently being attacked by thisrge church? Isn''t this church one of thergest ones in this city¡­?"


    "Wait ¡ª you mean the one they''re worshiping is alive andactuallythere?"


    "Not only that, but he is willing to protect his believers, even if they believe in something else."


    "What¡­? No way something like that is possible¡­ what did you say the name of the religion was again?"


    And soon, just like that, Riley Ross''s name started to spread like wildfire.

 Chapter 1034: D...D!?

    1034 Chapter 1034: D...D!?


    "What¡­ what is going on out there!?"


    A loud voice bounced across the curved walls and brutalist ceilings of the church; not loud enough, however, to drown the screamsing from the outside, literally causing the colorful mosaic windows to bounce. The vibrating mosaic,almosta disco ball as it shone the colored rays of sun through the benches and aisle of the church. Despite this noise of colors and voices creating a chaotic hymn inside the halls of the church, however,kneeleda peaceful crimson pdin. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Perhaps praying? But it did not matter at all to those who saw her.


    "Crimson Pdin!? What are you doing here!?"


    A bishop and several priests stepped out of their prayers due to themotion, only to see Ang just casually praying in front of the altar.


    "Crimson Pdin!" The bishop screamed as he and his priests rushed toward Ang. But for Ang, the noisesing out of their mouths also did not matter at all, "You are not allowed here anymore! We have already heard of your betrayal!"


    "Such heresy for you to think you could still pray here!"


    "Go away, whore!"


    The priests also joined in as they surrounded Ang, but Ang just remained kneeling with her hands sped together. And despite all the trembling colors, her crimson remainedpletely unaffected.


    "Are you not hearing us, Heretic!?"


    As soon as the bishop stood in front of Ang and the cross, however, she started to stand up.


    "What¡­ what are you doing!?"


    Ironically enough, when Ang did move, the bishop and the priests all became nervous. Fortunately for them, Ang still did not heed them any mind¡­ except for the bishop, whose shoulder she grabbed,


    "It¡­ it won''t go well for you if you hurt¡ª"


    Ang did not hurt the bishop at all, she just pushed him to the side before taking a step closer to the altar and kneeling once again; the sound of her armor hitting the marbled floor, causing the bishop and priests to slightly flinch.


    They all looked at each other for a few seconds, and once they finally realized that Ang had no intention of hurting any of them, they all rushed toward her and started pulling her away. Sadly for them, only one of them is a Super, and he is not even a strength-type.


    Andwhile these weak supposed holy men were trying their best to hinder Ang''s prayer, the situation outside was getting a lot worse.


    "Kill him!"


    "Kill me? Are all of you sure about that decision, Knights?"


    The knights were like ants, being blown away by a simple breath whenever they tried to even get close to Riley or the church building.Andas soon as he was threatened with death, Riley began pulling the greatsword which was taller than even him from the ground he initially stabbed it through,


    "Wait."


    Riley then stretched his palm forward, and as he did so, the knights who were rushing toward him were once again blown away; this time farther than before as some of them even rolled violently across the ground, only stopping as their backs hit the fence separating their great church from the rest of the smaller ones.


    This did not seem to faze them at all, however. As soon as they were able to gather and collect themselves, they all once again rushed toward Riley. Riley, on the other hand, was just walking from corner to corner of the church''s wall, using Ang''s greatsword to draw some sort ofcurveline that connected the two corners.


    "Anyone who passes through this line with the intent of killing me will die," and once he was done, he returned to the front of the door. This time cing the greatsword in front of him but not stabbing it through the ground, "That will be your only warning."


    "Don''t be intimidated, just kill him!" But of course, zealots will be zealots and will. Only their words will stay between their ears, the words of others would just escape from one ear to the next ¡ª ironically enough, they only listen, but never actually truly understand.


    But of course, one could notreallyme them for their attempts to eradicate the heretic that dared sully the name of their church. It was just unfortunate that they did not know who this heretic truly was, and what he wasactuallycapable of.


    Or perhaps it wouldn''treallymatter if they knew, they would still give up their life for what they believe in ¡ª sad, brave, naive, and stupid at the same time.


    "No one expects theinquisi¡ª"


    "!!!"


    And true to his words, the very first knight who stepped beyond the line that Riley drew was suddenly torn into pieces. Sadly for the others who were too shocked to stop moving, they also stepped onto the line; their bodies, splitting into several.


    Then, and only then, did the knights actually heed Riley''s words as they stopped moving. Only when they watched theirrades'' heads rolling on the ground and painting the marbled floor red did they stop moving and truly look at this long-white haired heretic''s face¡­


    ¡­and what they saw caused them to almost drop to their butts there and then.


    This was not the face of someone trying to protect an ideology, not the face of someone trying to protect his beliefs or his faith ¡ª and they would be right. Riley did not even care about Ang at all, and the wide smile that he could not help but contain seemed to be reflecting that.


    "Is this it, then?"Andas soon as Riley saw the knights hesitating, he let out a loud and very long sigh; enough for those who were outside the fences of the church to hear, "Is this what all of your faiths amount to? Just witnessing someone dying because of what they believe in, and now all of you are hesitating? Pathetic, truly pathetic."


    Karina, who was watching the scene unfold from outside, could not help but just close her eyes as her father''s true colors were once again out in the open, extremely andliterallybright for everyone to see. She could probably try and stop this¡­ but why?


    What for, really?


    While it is true that she did not want to see any unnecessary deaths, it was not like she couldactuallystop her father ¡ª there was also the fact that these people were already warned; most who died from her father were not warranted the same privilege.


    The only thing she couldreallydo was watch while shaking her head.


    Surely, seeing this, his father''s bandwagon fanatics would be turned off and walked away ¡ª or so she thought.


    "Is it just me¡­ or are there more of you?"


    "Reporting!"


    "What the¡ª!!!"


    Karina could not help but almost jump in fright as a woman suddenly kneeled in front of her.


    "Permission to talk to Riley''s daughter?" The woman only nced at Karina for a millisecond before turning her head down.


    "What¡­? Dude, what? Just talk to me?" Karina blinked a couple of times in disbelief.


    "Thank you, our Lady of White," the woman then stood up before looking at all the people gathering around Ang''s church, "As you can see, we have started spreading the word of our Lord throughout the city. And while most of them are just curious as to what was happening, some of them we have sessfully converted.


    "...Who even are you?" Karina''s mouth could not even keep itself close as she continued to stare in disbelief at this woman.


    "I apologize, I assigned myself to be a Cardinal since I am the first to join ¡ª after Pontiff Ang, of course."


    "...How do you even know our names, or the fact that he''s myfathe¡ªyou know what, I don''t care," Karina''s eyes just lost all interest as she quickly turned her focus back to her father¡­ who was still trying to provoke the knights from attacking.


    "I suppose¡­" Riley whispered and sighed in disappointment, "...This is all the god you are worshiping amounts to."


    "You dare mock our lord!?"


    Riley''sst statement seemed to be thest straw, however, as the knights once again rushed toward Riley, causing the smile on his face to grow even wider. But s, before any of them couldactuallydie, however, a verdant silhouette suddenly emerged from above; his long silver cape, snapping in the air as he blocked all of the other knights with his exaggeratingly longnce which was probably 4 meters long.


    "Halt!"


    "Emerald Pdin!" The knights all bowed their heads before the Emerald Pdin''s cape could even touch his back. The Emerald Pdin, however,pletely ignored all of them as he just focused on Riley.


    "You¡­" The Emerald Pdin took a step back as soon as he saw Riley''s face, "...Where do I know you?"


    "If you are not a variant of the one I have previously seen back on Earth," Riley tilted his head to the side, "Then I believe we have met once or twice, Emerald Pdin. You might know me as¡­


    ¡­Darkday."


    "Da¡ªDarkday!?"

 Chapter 1035: Emerald Paladin

    1035 Chapter 1035: Emerald Pdin


    "Darkday¡­?"


    There was notreallythat much of a reaction from the other knights as Emerald Pdin uttered the name.Butsome of them, however, were starting to squint their eyes as they started to remember a tale told to them by their superiors who came from the same universe as the Pope.


    It was not so muchasa tale per se, but rather a story of what could have been. They have always been saying that there was someone, a human from their which could very well have ended the war of the gods before ¡ª and perhaps the very reason why so many of those from their universe survived the war in the first ce.


    An entity so evil, it would make the devil shiver ¡ª but even then, at those times, they kept saying that if Darkday was alive, then their universe might have just very well beenpletely safe from the sudden war¡ªno, he could have ended it if he joined it.


    But when the world needed him the most, he vanished.


    But of course, none of themreallybelieved them and thought it was just some imaginary guy made up by the others.


    But now, he was here ¡ª and they had actually been trying to kill him for the past several minutes.


    "We¡­ all thought you were dead," the Emerald Pdin was careful not to make any sudden movements; his eyes, very slowly looking down, only to see his foot just a couple of centimeters away from passing across the line that Riley drew,


    "But of course not. You¡ªyou are involved in all of this, aren''t you¡­? This mystical world where everything is just in a single ne, where there are no others, no other celestial bodies ¡ª just one endless teau where one could reach wherever they want to as long as they are diligent and patient enough."


    "I have no idea what you mean, Emerald Pdin," Riley just shook his head, "I have only been here for less than a week or so. But what I can tell you, is the same thing I have been telling your friends ¨C anyone who passes this line will die."


    "Why¡­ are you doing this?" Emerald Pdin''s voice started to turn weak, "If you are looking for the Pope, then he is not here ¡ª he is personally spreading the word of our lord¡­ I do notreallysee why you are doing this, you and the Pope are supposed to be friends. I remember you sparing his life several times because of how intrigued you are with him, so why are you changing your stance now!?" N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "I did not realize you were this talkative, Emerald Pdin," Riley tilted his head to the side while looking at Emerald Pdin from head to toe, "But what I am doing here does not have any corrtion to the Pope whatsoever, I am doing this because of Miss Ang."


    "Miss¡­ Ang? Crimson Pdin!?" The Emerald Pdin started looking at hisrades, "But the Crimson Pdin has nothing to do with us anymore, she has abdicated her¡ªwait¡­ did you have something to do with that!?"


    "I suppose," Riley let out a small sigh, "I forced her to join my religion, you see ¡ª so I am feeling guilty, and therefore inclined to protect and follow any of her requests."


    "Religion¡­?"


    "The Religion of Riley Ross," Riley shrugged, "That is not its official name yet, but it might be if it sticks and my members like it."


    "Wait, I''m confused¡­" The Emerald Pdin started looking at his deadrades before once again focusing on Riley, "...Why are you doing this again?"


    And as someone finally spoke to him rather than attack him, Riley once again stabbed Ang''s greatsword through the ground as he calmly spoke to the Emerald Pdin; exining to him all the events so far and why he was doing what he was doing.


    "That¡ª" The Emerald Pdin truly wanted to say something critically harsh to Riley, but refrained himself from doing so while reminding himself who he was talking to. After a few seconds of staring at Riley, however, the Emerald Pdin let out a long and very deep sigh before shaking his head,


    "Our church hasws, Darkday ¡ª sacredws which must be followed no matter what. I am afraid that like my fellow holy men, I¡­ must do what I can to stop what Ang is doing."


    And in the end, the Emerald Pdin raised hisnce, causing the wind to snap as he did so.


    "Interesting," Riley Ross nodded as he pulled Ang''s greatsword from the ground again, "To die for what you believe in truly is the best way to die, no?"


    "It should be the only way to die," the Emerald Pdin then whisperedquietlyto himself, praying as the air around him started to distort. No, it wasn''t the air around him that started to distort, it was himself.


    There was a sort of humming that started to sing in the air as the Emerald Pdin''s silhouette started to blur; his entire body and the gigantce he was holding, vibratedina speed that was enough to cause his feet to start digging through the ground despite the soles of his greaves beingpletely t,


    "May god guide my hand," the Emerald Pdin then lowered hisnce and pointed it toward Riley; like a drill which almost pierced the very air itself.


    "I am afraid the only thing you are leading to is death, Emerald Pdin," Riley smiled as he raised Ang''s greatsword with one hand and also pointed it at the Emerald Pdin, almost as if he was just using therge weapon like a rapier.


    Riley was taught multiple forms of sword arts by Bernard, but not one of them happened to be a greatsword. He knew how to handle axes which were simr in weight to greatswords, but their bnce waspletely different from each other.


    But of course, with Riley''s strength, weight and bnce did notreallymatter at all. He just wanted to fight with one of his hands behind his back,


    "For more than 600 years, you have survived through a hellish war and a hellish curse ¡ª just to be led back to me at the hour of your death. It truly is quite poetic, no? You do not have to worry¡­


    ¡­I will not make a spectacle of your death."


    "Do you truly think that we have just been stagnant the past centuries?" Emerald Pdin''s voice was filled with resolution; his eyes, slightly shining from behind his helmet, "The strong have gotten stronger, Darkday. And I am one of those!"


    And with those words, the Emerald Pdin finally took a step over the line that Riley drew. The tip of his weapon, however, already reached Riley due to its long range.


    "Die!" The space around the Emerald Pdin''sncpletelydistorted just by the sheer heat of hisnce scratching the very air itself, "Wh¡ª"


    Before he could utter his next words, however, he suddenly found his arm lowering on its own; the vibrations he was producing, instantly dying down as hisnce fell to the ground. He wondered what happened at first, but as soon as his neck was the next to lose its strength, he saw Ang''s greatsword pierced through his entire torso. He did not even notice Riley first, who was still holding the greatsword while it was lodged through him.


    "Darkday!?"


    And with his consciousness very slowly fading away, he heard Ang''s familiar voiceing from inside the church. Ang was done praying and finally stepped out of the building, and what awaited him was a scenery of blood and guts.


    "What¡­ you didn''t have to do all of this!" Ang screamed.


    "I did not do anything, Miss Ang," Riley shook his head, "They did it to themselves ¡ª I have already told them they would die if they crossed the line, but they did it anyway. You should not be angry at all, and instead, be proud that they died doing what they believe in¡­


    ¡­even if what they believed in was that you are not allowed to pray to your god anymore."


    "This¡­ Emerald Pdin!? Luka!?" Ang''s voice became even louder as soon as she saw the Emerald Pdin, who was now only standing due to her greatsword keeping him afloat, "You¡­"


    "You do not have to worry, Miss Ang," Riley shook his head while carefully cing the handle of the greatsword on the ground; keeping the Emerald Pdin still standing up, "I missed all of his vitals, believe it or not."


    "Wh¡ª"


    "Why¡­?" Ang was not able to speak as the Emerald Pdin''s weak groans scratched the air, "Why¡­ are you sparing me?" He uttered while having arge greatsword embedded through most of his torso.


    "I did not, Emerald Pdin," Riley shook his head, "You just happened to be lucky that Miss Ang stepped out when she did ¡ª she is done praying, and therefore I have no reason to do what I meant to do to you, which was cause the greatsword to vibrate while inside youpletelydestroying your organs. Why did you think I missed all of your vitals?"


    "That¡­" Emerald Pdin''s blood spewed out from his helmet.


    "Luka, don''t speak!" Ang quickly supported Luka so the sword would not continue to destroy his insides any further.


    "But¡­ but I must speak, Ang¡­" The Emerald Pdin whispered, "The reason¡­ why I stayed here instead ofing with you and the Pope. God¡­


    ¡­god spoke to me again and told me to stay. I¡­ I didn''t know for what reason¡­ but I think I do now."

 Chapter 1036: Big Black T

    1036 Chapter 1036: Big ck T


    "Onceagainour lord talked to me in the form of ady, even holding my cheek as he softly whispered in my ear."


    "Let''s¡­ skip to the important parts, Luka."


    "...But the little details matter¡ª"


    "No."


    With much reluctance from the other knights and supposed holy men, Ang was back inside the church. And perhaps it would have been bearable if it was just that¡ªbut no.


    Right now, Riley was also within their walls along with Karina¡­along withhis religion''s supposed cardinal, and the rest of her acolytes. And perhaps if therewasany constion to this, it would bethe factthat the members of Riley''s religion werequite¡­behaved.


    None of them were even walking around the church andwerejust seated on the benches; theirattention,solelyfocused on Riley and his words, nothing else¡­and since he was not talking that much, most of them weretrulyjustsitting there.


    And while theywere focusedon Riley, the otherswerpletelyfocusedon Luka, the Emerald Pdin; the tone he carries with him, somewhat of a poet as he seemed to truly like imparting words and stories. Unfortunately for him, Ang was theplete opposite and wanted him to go straight to the point.


    Ang and Luka were in front of the altar, seated on the steps towardit;bothof their helmetsbeside them.Luka,as one might have already expected from his name, was a blond, green-eyed man sporting a buzz cut.But although he looked militaristic, his gaze was anything but¡ªit was almost like it belonged to a puppy.


    "But Idothink I need to start from the beginning," Luka pleaded.


    "No, you don''treallyneed to," Ang, however, was adamant as shecontinued to shake her head and shushLuka''s attempts, "Just tell us the part where our lord spoke to you."


    "Mylord. You''re not¡ª"


    "Don''t even¡ªI swear!" Ang''s sewn eyesstarted to twitchas Luka raised his finger, "Just tell us!"


    "Fine. Nobody understands the beauty of suspense anymore."


    "I do, Emerald Pdin."


    "Thank you ¡ª who would have thought the viin to be the most understanding one," Luka let out a small sigh as he rolled his eyes. He was about to say something elsepletely unrted to whatever it was he wanted to tell Ang, but as soon ashesaw her eyebrows lowering, he just shook his head and once again sighed,


    "You remember how I suddenly did not join you and the others when it was time to set off into the campaign, right?"


    "Vaguely," Ang nodded, "You saidit was better that one of the Pdins stayto protect the church."


    "Yes," Lukaalsonodded several times before shaking his head, "The truth is, the night before we were supposed to set off, god once again appeared before me ¡ª wearing nothing but a white gown which I could almost see through.Her¡ªI mean,his bosom,forting me even by sight."


    "...Skip the unnecessary details."


    "He told me that I should stay, that I have a different word to share¡ªnot to the masses, but to a single person," Luka closed his eyes, almost as if reliving the wonderful memory of being so close to his supposed god, "He did not tell me who, he just told me that I would know as soon as that person arrives ¡ª and who else could it be now, other than Darkday?"


    "Hm¡­" And as everyone''s focus turned to him, Riley just ced his hand on his chin and let out asmallhum;only returning Luka''s stare after a few seconds, "...And what message is that, Emerald Pdin?"


    "It was a little vague, but¡­" Luka very slowly leaned closer to Riley,who wasseated at the bench in front of him, "...perhaps I need to say it to you alone, Darkday? It is, after all, the word of¡ª"


    "For fuck''s sake, man," Ang could not help but sp her hand for forgiveness at the altar as she cursed Luka, "Just tell us, it''s alright."


    "It is alright, Emerald Pdin," Riley nodded, "I swore to my children not to keep any more secrets from them, and it just so happened that Karina is here ¡ª whatever you say to me, you say in front of her."


    "He told me these exact words ¡ª ''What mustbe done, should be done.'' ¡ª and then he disappeared as quickly as he appeared," Luka once again closed his eyes to relish the memory, "I told you, it was vague."


    "No¡­ it wasn''t," Ang could not help but take in a small gulp as sheveryslowly turned her head toward Riley, "But¡­ but perhaps there is a different interpretation to it."


    "And what sort of interpretation are you thinking, Miss Ang?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "That¡ªyou know," Ang''s head subtly shook.


    "No, I do not," Riley shook his head, "Emerald Pdin is right, itis quite vague and could hold many meanings.The primordials,if it is one of them, tend to speak in riddles ¡ª their words may not be as they uttered it to be, Miss Ang."


    "Really? Because Death seemed pretty straightforward to me," Ang scoffed.


    "She is perhaps an exception as she had spent the most time interacting with all sorts of life," Riley shrugged, "But Miss Ang, if youare convincedthat the primordial''s wordsitdirect, then does that mean they are telling me to kill everyone and end all life to give way for the new one?"


    "Well¡­ I''m not saying it is," Ang nervously smiled, "And it''s probably not even a primordial ¡ª how hard is it to believe that it might truly be god who talked to Luka?"


    "If it was your god," Riley ced his hand on his chin, "Or if it an unknown entity, then I am afraid we truly do not know what they meant now."


    "Wait, wait¡­" Karina, who had been watching the exchange since the start, could no longer turn her head back and forth and raised her voice, "...How hardreallyis it to believe that this might just be Auntie Paige? I know she''s not the type to take advantage of anyone, but she''sheweirdtoo. Like, your level of weird, Dad. Who knows, she might just be bored."


    "No," Riley shook his head, "Paige will never do anything like take advantage of someone''s beliefs, Karina."


    "Then that means we''re back to where we started!" Karina stood up in frustration, "If Auntie Paige isn''t going to show herself even though we''ve already gathered a bunch of other weirdos, then I don''t think she''s going to show herself, ever."


    "We have not even gathered nearly enough, Karina," Riley shook his head as he stood up. And as soon as he did so, his followers followedsuit;all ofthem,awaiting his words, "I believe we need to, at the very least, upy half the Holy City of Mold."


    And with those words, his followers'' eyes lit up as they looked at each other. The woman who assigned herself to be the Cardinal, Elizabeth, gestured to the others to go and leave¡­but then retracted her orders as she realized something.


    Elizabeth then very slowly approached Riley with her headdown;hersteps,careful.


    "Lord," she said respectfully, "I am afraid we need a ce to gather, wedo not have a church yet."


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at Elizabeth, causing her face to turn red as she lowered her head even further, "You''re right, Cardinal Elizabeth."


    "The¡­ TheLordknows my name!?" Elizabeth almost fainted there and then.If it wasn''t for the other followers behind her catching her,then she would have probablydropped to the marbled floor headfirst, "You¡­ you do not have to bother yourself with this,Lord!I will find and build us a church myself!"


    "No," Riley raised his palm, causing Elizabeth to almost cry with the sudden rejection, "I have already thought of a ce for us to gather¡ª there."


    Not only hisfollowers,buteveryone else and even the other knights turned to look to where Riley was pointing, only to see the ck Tower from the distance through the mosaic window.


    "But¡­ no one can enter that tower," Elizabeth lightly bit her lip, "Everyone has tried."


    "Everyone but me," Riley shrugged before starting to walk away. He did not even need to tell his followers, theyfollowed him regardless ofwhatever he was doing.


    His followers were not the only ones who followed him, however, Emerald Pdin and the other knights of Ang''s church did too. Suffice it to say, they garnered all sorts of attention as their group headed to the ck Tower.


    "This¡­"Andas soon as they reached it, Karina could not help but raise an eyebrow upon seeing the massive infrastructure, "This isn''t a tower, it''sjust a huge¡­ ck rock." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "That is what everyone says," Ang nodded as she touched the walls of the tower, "It''s just¡ª"


    But as soon as she did so,however,the tower started tothrob;quite literally.


    "What¡­ what did you do!?"


    "It''s not me!" Ang quickly pulled her palm away before looking at Riley¡­


    ¡­only to see him also touching the walls of the tower.

 Chapter 1037: Faith

    1037 Chapter 1037: Faith n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "D¡­Dad!? What did you do now!?"


    "D¡­Darkdaddy, what are you¡ªI mean, Darkday, what are you doing!?"


    "Did¡­ you just call my dad ''Darkdaddy''?"


    "That''s because you said ''Dad'' first, I just got confused! And why does it matter, look at what''s happening now!"


    Ang could not help but quickly back away from the tower as it lit up ¡ª starting from where Riley ced his palm on. The ck Tower''s entire surface did not fully light up, no. There were just straight streaks of purple lines appearing everywhere; extending from Riley''s palm and crawling all the way to the top of the tower.


    "I knew it¡­ see!? Pink light!" Ang pointed at the tower while looking at Karina, "The tower truly was made for your father!"


    "Girl, that''s purple. For someone who can supposedly see things as they truly are, I can''t believe you''re color blind," Karina rolled her eyes as she too, started taking a step back, "Don''t tell me you don''t even know you are wearing a red armor?"


    "Can we stop talking about colors and just focus on the fact that something is happening to the tower!? It hasn''t even shown signs of any activity for 200 years and yet now it''s responding with Darkday''s touch!"


    "You''re the one who mentioned the color of the tower!"


    Ang was not the only one who was inplete and utter shock with what was happening. The ck Tower has truly remainedpletely just that ¡ª a ck tower of nothing. Billions of people have ced their hands on the tower, some even climbed it to see if there was a secret entrance, and many beings of absolute strength tried forcing their way in and creating their own entrance inside.


    But the ck Tower remained just that. But now, with just a single touch from Riley, it reacted.


    His followers quickly kneeled down ¡ª most of them were initially just curious about Riley and not serious about the religion at all. After all, throughout their hundreds of years of existence, they have switched beliefs and religions more than they could count. And even after time started moving for them again, they still carried the same habit; after all, it was extremely hard to just get rid of something one has already gotten used to doing, especially for hundreds of years.


    The only exceptions to this rule were the ones who were born after time had started moving again. Or¡­ ¡­those children who were lucky enough to have survived the 600 years, children whose brains and minds remained immature and underdeveloped at the same time.


    Children like Elizabeth, thedy who was the first to join Riley''s religion, who had remained 4 years old for more than 600 years, before just suddenly growing the past 16 years. Mentally, well, they are not okay.


    They are, however, the friendliest beings in the entire universe; almost as if the people could instinctively feel that there was something wrong with them, something quite¡­ innocent.


    That was why all of the people she talked to were inclined to listen to her. Some of them now even part of Riley''s religion even though it has not even been a day.


    And suffice it to say, Elizabeth''s view of the world was once again bing¡­ strange, askew. Her eyes were glistening as she stared at Riley''s back ¡ª in truth, she was really only fulfilling a y since she was bored; she was not interested at all in anything now that she was an adult. But now, it was as if¡­


    ¡­she found her true purpose, why she was able to survive for so long even though it was almost impossible.


    She was meant to find this mysterious and incredibly white man. And while everyone else was starting to back away¡­ she stepped forward and stood just a step behind Riley; the smile on her face as she stared at the tower, almost child-like.


    Riley nced back at her, and she looked at Riley while nodding her head, excited with what was about to happen.


    "I knew it¡­" Elizabethughed before taking a step back. She did not take a step back to get away, however, but to once again kneel, "...You are my god, from now on, and to eternity."


    "Your eternity might be short-lived, Cardinal."


    "Then so be it," Elizabeth nodded her head before fully bowing. And soon, Riley''s other followers also kneeled back down. After all, how could they not with all that they''ve witnessed?


    "Is it¡­ is it opening?" And with those words whispering in the air, everyone turned quiet thereafter.


    "..."


    A second.


    A minute.


    An hour.


    An entire hour, that was how long they have remained quiet until Riley finally removed his hand from the tower¡­


    "...That''s it?"


    ¡­as nothing really happened after. The ck Tower just lit up, it did not open any entrance whatsoever. People were about to lose interest in Riley ¡ª but 3 seconds after he let go, the tower began to rumble.


    "Is it opening!?" Everyone then once again focused their attention on the tower. And finally, something began to happen, something opened.


    A hole, several holes.


    The size, just enough for the average human arm to fit. Of course, no one really thought it was for anyone to put their arms in¡­ except for Elizabeth, that is.


    "You¡ª!!!" Karina could not really stop Elizabeth from carelessly inserting her arm through the hole. The only thing she could do was to try and pull her away. But as soon as she grabbed Elizabeth''s arm, Karina found herself being blown away, being gently caught by Riley before her feet couldnd on the ground,


    "...Dad? Did you do that¡­?"


    "No."


    Karina then quickly turned her focus back to Elizabeth, only to see some sort of bubble covering her from the outside world; her arm, still stuck inside the¡­ big, ck tower.


    "Cardin¡ªElizabeth, are you okay!?" And of course, Karina also instinctively knew that Elizabeth was also one of the children who had lived through the 600 years, causing her to actually be slightly protective of her even though she had probably only known her for an hour, and barely even spoke to her.


    "..." Elizabeth, however, did not respond at all and waspletely motionless, and emotionless. And as Karina approached her, she noticed her eyes were wide open ¡ª their color,pletely gone.


    "What the fuck is happening¡­?" Karina tried touching the bubble, only for an invisible force to once again push her away; this time gentler, "And why would she just fucking insert her arm!?"


    "You wouldn''t understand, Karina," Ang also approached the seemingly unconscious Elizabeth and stood beside Karina, "Faith just means that one would leap even without knowing what is below."


    "Sounds stupid is what it is," Karina clicked her tongue as she nced at Ang.


    "You''ve never once believed in a higher power?" Ang asked; the tone of her voice, incredibly sincere.


    "Oh, I''ve always believed in a higher power," Karina scoffed, "I''m surrounded by them, literally."


    "No, not just strength ¡ª but a creator."


    "Uhh¡­" Ang twirled her finger and pointed everywhere, "...I literally lived in the remaining universe thinking they were real."


    "But those are illusions."


    "Say that again if you''ve met my siblings," the tone of Karina''s voice lowered, "It''s unfair, you know ¡ª we''re not supposed to be able to interact with Paige''s illusions, only those who are close to her could do that¡­ and yet they were so real. I can touch them, feel them."


    "But¡­ aren''t you close with Pearson?" Ang raised an eyebrow, "I know Diana is close to her, and Pearson even treats her like a mother when Darkday initially disappeared after Megawoman supposedly died."


    "You''re¡­ right. I¡­ didn''t think of that," Karina could really only look away, "But still, my point stands ¡ª I''ve always been surrounded by a higher power, more than you."


    "That¡ª"


    "!!!"


    And before Ang could even rebuke Karnia''s statement, a loud gasp whispered in the air as the bubble encapsting Elizabeth popped. A right of light then started to surround the ck Tower, two of them; one higher than the other.


    Both Ang and Karina did not care for the rings, however, as they quickly rushed to catch Elizabeth as she fell backward, and the first thing Karina noticed was how hot she was; almost scalding.


    Karina did not react at all, however, but Ang did. Ang, who did not really feel the temperature since she was wearing armor ¡ª but Ang was not reacting to the heat, but rather to what she was seeing as she looked at Elizabeth''s eyes which were now slowly opening.


    "Where¡­ were you?" Ang asked as her sewn eyes visibly moved inside, "I¡­ can see a different ce."


    "I was¡­ I was¡­ I was in a test!" Elizabeth then let out a loud breath as she moved away from Karina and Ang, quickly rushing toward Riley and kneeling¡ªno, groveling in front of him, "Forgive, please forgive me! I¡­ I couldn''t pass your trial, Lord. Please, forgive me! I¡­ I was only able to pass the 2nd floor."


    "A trial?" Riley tilted his head as he looked at Elizabeth before focusing on one of the holes on the ck Tower,

 Chapter 1038: Trials

    1038 Chapter 1038: Trials


    "What are you up to now, Paige?"


    And while everyone was freaking out about the ck Tower and the hand-sized holes that appeared on its walls, Riley was calmly walking while looking at the tower from top to base; a hint of a smile, slightly crawling on his face.


    "A trial? What are you talking about¡­?" Perhaps the most curious of them all was Karina, who was truly just moving back and forth in the wake of whatever was happening, "Like¡­ a game?"


    "Why would your mind even go straight to a game? Are you a child?" Ang let out a small sigh as she helped Elizabeth rx, who was still seemingly disappointed in herself for not going through more floors of this so-called trial, "I swear, we''ve all lived the same 600-plus years but somehow no one''s even close to being that mature."


    "My case is that I was surrounded by people who have lived for thousands of years ¡ª the 600 years meant nothing for them and I still am the literal child in their eyes," Karina let out a small smirk as she looked at Ang, "What''s your excuse?"


    "I was already mature even before the Blink happened," Ang scoffed.


    "Sure, keep telling yourself that.


    "I will."


    And while the two were once again bickering with each other, Riley''s followers were slowly, but surely moving closer to the tower step by step; their eyes focused on the holes. They kept looking at each other while doing so, almost as if waiting for one of them to just rush toward the tower and ce their arms inside the hole.


    And someone did.


    "F¡­ forgive me for getting close to you, Lord!"


    "..." Riley couldreallyonly just blink a couple of times as a man passed by him and just ced his arm inside the hole without any hesitation. And like with Elizabeth, a bubble quickly encapsted him from the rest of the world.


    "What is this made of?" Riley approached the man to observe him, cing his hand on the bubble. But like with Karina¡­ he found himself being pushed back. He tried forcing it and using his telekinesis to pierce through the bubble, but it did not even budge a single millimeter.


    Riley''s telekinesis, which was capable of moving entire gxies by itself, could not even move a single bubble that looked like it was not even a centimeter thick. Suffice it to say, he was extremely curious. But if there was any doubt that Paige did not create this world, it waspletely gone now.


    After all, for Riley, the only one who could truly make him feel powerless was Paige, she was like his antithesis, in the simplest of senses.


    Riley then turned to look at the top of the tower again; this time, trying to bring it down ¡ª but it did absolutely nothing. He then turned to look at one of the nearby churches, only for them topletely shatter like they were just a tower of cards.


    "Truly interesting," the smile on Riley''s face persisted as he finally decided to ce his arm on one of the holes that appeared on the tower, only for the nearest hole to already be upied by one of his followers¡ªno, most of the holes now had arms inside them,


    "It would seem the people of this world do not mind sticking their arms inside mysterious holes, interesting."


    And without a hole to stick his arm in, Riley just chose to take a step back and watch themotion around him. And soon, the man who stuck his arm through the hole was lightly blown away from the tower; tears, trailing from his eyes.


    "I¡­ I couldn''t even clear the first floor."


    Andas Riley heard that, a single ring of purple light shed around the ck Tower, fading away before being reced by another as another person was blown away from the tower.


    "I¡­ I do not deserve your gaze, Lord."


    Everyone just had their heads down as they passed by Riley, obviously ashamed that they could not even clear the first floor, whatever that meant.


    "Impressive," Riley then turned his focus to Elizabeth, who managed to make two rings appear. Elizabeth, who noticed Riley''s quiet praise, could not help but almost cover her face in delight.


    "I''m¡­" Elizabeth breathed out as she once again stood up, "...I''m going to try again!"


    "No, I don''t think so," Karina and Ang, however, quickly stopped her from advancing.


    "We don''t know what''ll happen if you stick your arm in again so soon," Karina said, "It''s best if you don''t move for a bit and just¡­ observe."


    "If¡­ if that is what you wish, Daughter of God."


    "Wh¡ªno, don''t," Karina rolled her eyes as she quickly turned around and left, "I''m just a normal concerned citizen."


    "Daughter of God," Ang smirked, "Didn''t know I was in the presence of such holiness."


    "Control your Cardinal, Pontiff Ang," Karina also smirked. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Pontiff, I''m no Pope of Darkday''s religion!"


    "Tough luck, you are. Like, officially."


    "What!? Since when!? This religion hasn''t even been organized for a day!"


    And once again, the two started to bicker. This time, however, Karina was the first to stop arguing as she walked away from Angwhilewaving her hand and mocking her as she mouthed random words.


    "Wop wop," Karina worded out while gesturing her hand like a mouth¡­ before using that same hand and cing it inside the hole that was just made free.


    "You¡ª!!!" Not only Ang, but even Riley could not help but turn his head at Karina as she did that.


    "Can you teach your daughter not to stick her arm through random holes!?" Ang raised her voice as soon as Riley approached them.


    "I am afraid I am not qualified to teach her anything. She is technically older than me, Miss Ang," Riley let out a small sigh as he approached the bubble separating Karina from the rest of them. He then once again ced his palm on it, trying to destroy it; this time with even greater strength¡­ but once again, it was futile,


    "I am going to take a guess and say you can see what she sees. Right, Miss Ang?"


    "...Yes, but it is not clear," Ang nodded before shaking her head, "Like glimpses."


    "Can I ess your mind?"


    "Please don''t lobotomize me," Ang quickly grabbed her helmet from her waist and wore it. But as soon as she saw the look of disappointment on Riley''s face like he was looking at someone stupid, she very slowly removed her helmet again and sighed, "...You meantreadmy mind?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded.


    "Why not just read her mind directly?" Ang asked.


    "I can''t. The bubble seems to be neutralizing all of my abilities, Miss Ang," Riley let out a small hum as he shook his head.


    "Oh¡­?" A small smile crawled on Ang''s face as she seemed to have found Riley''s statement amusing.Andsoon, her smile turned into an almost mocking giggle, "The great and mighty Darkday, not capable of doing something someone as lowly as I could do?"


    "I have never seen you as someone lowly, Miss Ang," Riley then said as he looked Ang in her sewn eyes; his words, containing not even a single hint of hesitation.


    "That¡­" Ang''s head started looking everywhere but Riley as she truly did not expect him to just say something like that out of nowhere. But s, she could notreallyescape his gaze; the only thing she could do was sigh and point to her head, "Fine¡­ but you''re only allowed to read or ess whatever your daughter sees."


    "Of course, Miss Ang," Riley nodded, "You are not that interesting."


    "You¡ªArgh," Ang wanted to throw her helmet at Riley there and then, but stopped herself as she just once again let out a sigh and leaned closer to Riley, "Just do your thing."


    "Okay, I am going in¡ª"


    "Please don''t word it out like that."


    "Okay, I am prating¡ª"


    "That''s worse, just don''t say anything, please. I also need to concentrate."


    "Hm," Riley then just nodded as he focused on Ang. He stared at her for a few seconds and squinted his eyes¡­ before just raising his hand and pointing it at the ck Tower. And as soon as he did so, an image was projected onto the wall of the tower ¡ª it was Karina''s vision.


    And there, those who still had not ced their arms inside the holes were finally able to see whatever the others experienced.


    "What¡­ is she fighting?"


    The ones whohavenot experienced the trial were not the ones who were most confused as they stared at the projection, however¡ªit was those who had already done the trial. Their faces,slightlyturned in weird ways.


    "Is she¡­ fighting a 6-armed giant?" One of those who had already stuck their arms inside the holes whispered, "I¡­ only fought some sort of wolf."


    "I fought a goblin!"


    "...You guys were fighting something?"


    And from theirments, it would seem the trials were different for everyone.

 Chapter 1039: Life

    Chapter 1039: Life


    Red ming hair,6muscr arms, a face worthy to be called a god of wrath. But perhaps none of those weretrulymarvelouspared to what makes the 6-armed asura daunting ¡ª those who were watching the projection did not notice it at first since they were looking at what Karina was seeing from her point of view, but¡­


    ¡­the 6-armed muscr man she was fighting was a giant¡ªno, it was colossal.The only reasonwhythey could see all of him was that they were fighting in somesort ofdark space, or perhaps theytrulywere fighting in the expanse ofspace,where the sun only shone on the two of them.


    But perhaps the most important factis,the titan seemed to be¡­scared.


    It was covering his head with his6arms; his6arms that everyone could see were slowly withering away¡ªno. It may just seem slow rtive to what they were seeing, but if the titan was as big as they think he is, then he wapletelybeingobliterated at a speed that would probably destroy continents in the blink of an eye.


    Andupon seeing this, asmallhint of a smile slowly crawled onRiley''sface;hishead,slightly nodding.


    "With how human she acts¡­"Ang spokeeven as Riley was delving into her mind,"...I sometimes forget thatshe''sstill yourdaughter,and thatshe''sa monster all on her own."


    "She is not a monster, Miss Ang,"Riley shook his head,"Not at all."


    "...Of course."


    Everyone then watched as the arms of the 6-armed titanpletely withered away, leaving only his faceleftto be devoured byKarina''slife-shattering abilities, literally.Firstthey saw thetitan''snose melt,andthen they got a view of his skull¡­and thenthere was nothingleft.


    "She¡­ defeated that monster?"Elizabeth could not help but take in a small gulp as she looked back and forth between Riley and the images he was projecting,"The things inside the tower, they are¡­ they arereal, at least they were to me.They''renot just a dream or something like that, itfelt like I wasreallythereandit was happening¡­


    ¡­that means she defeated that thing all on her own. How¡­how could we evenpare?"


    "The trials seem different for everyone, Cardinal Elizabeth,"Riley offered Elizabeth some words,"You do not need topare yourself to anyone."


    "Of¡­ of course, god,"Elizabeth closed her eyes and bowedher head.


    The imagesbeingprojectedby Riley then began to shift as Karina seemed to have cleared the trial. The expanse ofspace,nowreced by a more mundane view of a¡­room.Nothingreallyspectacr or grand, it was justa normalroom ¡ªandseeing as Karina was looking around the room confused, but at the same time familiar with it as shewas gently brushingher palm along the walls and the bed.


    "Hm?"Riley tilted his head to the side as he stared at this room. His eyes,slightlylocked as soon as he saw photos of Karina with Diana, Katherine, other people¡­HannahandAerith.Riley had no problemat adjusting to everyone changing almost instantly for him since hedoesn''treallycare either way.


    But only now does hetrulythink of what could haveactuallyhappened to all those 600 years that have passed for the rest of them.


    Could his sister have been married at some point? Could have Aerith? Where wasNannah''sfather?


    A lot could have happened ¡ª hetruly barely evenknew Karina before, and now she was pletestranger. Mostof thepeople here do not even know of him, of Darkday.


    The entire multiverse has moved on. But of course, it did notreallymatter forhim¡ªhetoo, has livedhislife.


    "Who''s¡­ that? Is that supposed to be her trial?"


    Riley then quickly turned his focus back to the projectionas soon ashe heard people whispering. And there, he saw a woman enter the room. Riley then sawasKarina take several steps back, seemingly losing her strength and dropping to the floor.


    The woman who entered the roomthenquickly rushed towardKarina;not to attack her, but to help herup.


    "Hm¡­?"Riley tilted his head to the side as he stared at thewoman''sface, or more specifically, toward the reflection ofKarina''sface in her eyes ¡ª and there, he saw tears trailing downKarina''scheeks. Karina then grabbed thewoman''sface, touching it as if it were the most fragile thing in the world.


    "Nope."Andbefore everyone could see what would happen next, Ang leaned away from Riley and started shaking her head, causing the projection to fade away and disappearpletely,"I recognize thatdy, wedon''twant to see what happens next."


    "You recognize the woman, Miss Ang?"Riley could tap intoAng''smind if he wished, but he did not do so and just asked her,"Who is she?"


    "That''sa conversation you and your daughter should be having,"Ang shook her head again,"You''vebeen gone all this time, Darkday ¡ª you were so busy living whatever life you were having¡­


    ¡­thatyou''veforgotten the life you should have been living."


    "And what does that mean, Miss Ang?"


    "...Iactuallydon''tknow,"Ang just let out a small sigh before turning to look at Karina,"And our princessis done."


    "Hm?"Riley also looked at his daughter, and as soon as he did so,8rings appeared around the tower.


    "She¡­ she was fighting a fucking titanandshe only cleared8floors!?"Those who have already attempted the trials could not believe what theywere seeing. They have no idea what was going to happen if theypleted all of the trials, buttheystill could not imagine what it would be like if they somehow had to face an enemy that was the size of an entire continent,


    "It¡­it''sa good thing the trials are different for us, or else wewon''teven have a chance to climb the tower."


    "Climb it? Is that what we were doing?"


    "It¡­ makes sense, no?I''veread a couple ofics like that before, I think."


    "Karina."And while everyone was deliberating what they had just witnessed, Riley quickly appeared behind his daughter and caught her before she could fall to theground;gently carrying her back to where Ang and Elizabeth were.


    "I¡­I can walk, Dad,"Karina was still obviouslypletely confusedas towhat just happened to her; hereyes,onlyslightly lucid as she looked at her father.


    "It is fine,"Rileyshook his head,"I have never carried you as an infant, justconsider this as me trying to rescind that, Karina."


    "You¡ª"


    "The woman with the mole below her left eye. Who was she?"


    Andbefore Karina couldevenfree herself fromRiley''sarms, she could not help but almost choke in herownbreath as soon as she heard his words.


    "You¡­ you could see what I was¡­ I was experiencing!?"Karina raised her voice.


    "Glimpses,"Riley nodded,"Ang could see, and I could see through her."


    "D¡ª"Karina then quickly leaped fromRiley''sarms and quickly rushed toward Ang; grabbing her by the shoulders,"Don''ttell me you saw!?"


    "Don''tworry,"Ang sighed while shaking her head,"Ididn''tlet your father and everyone see what happened after Debbie tried helping you up. I¡­know you and her have something, Iwasn''tabout to show the world something only intimate between the two of you."


    "That¡ªwait, what do you meaneveryone!?"


    "Darkday cast a projection on the tower,"Ang looked at the tower, only to see several more projections ying,"Just like¡ªwait. How are you doing that, Darkday!?"


    "It is not me, Miss Ang,"Riley looked at the projections on the screen,"It would seem the Tower liked what I did and decided to do ititself¡­


    ¡­interesting."


    "No, not interesting!"Karina stoodin front ofher father,"You¡­ you almost saw something youshouldn''thave! I am never putting my arm through that hole again!"


    "Why? Did this Debbie person die already, Karina?"Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "What? Why¡ªNo, ew! Dad!? What the fuck!?"Karina''seyes widened as she realized what Riley was implying,"And¡­ And Debbie and Iweren''tlike that!"


    "You were not romantically involved with each other, Karina?"Riley ced his hand on his chin,"It ispletely fine if you do, Ihave had many acquaintances who had simr preferences toyou;Be and¡­ I do not remember the rest, maybe Gary."


    "Iseriously do not want to be having this discussion with you right now, Dad,"Karina said with a straight face,"And why do you care!?You''vebeen gone for so long that I think you should have never reallye back! You know¡­


    ¡­Iwish youdidn''e back!"


    And with those words, Karina flew away¡­only to be brought down by the mysterious power preventing them from flying across the skies.


    "..."And there, everyone watched as Karina nced at Riley for a few seconds before just running away awkwardly. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Shedidn''tmeanthat,Darkday,"Ang stood beside Riley.


    "She did,"Riley closed his eyes while shaking his head.


    "Yeah, she did,"Ang shrugged,"Idon''teven know whyI''mfeeling bad for you, Darkday ¡ªyou''relike a super evil viin. And I should be d. Anyway, I should be following her too, thisisn''ta ce for her tojustroam around."


    "Hm,"Riley nodded before finallycing his attention backto the Tower,"Well then¡­


    ¡­Isuppose it is my turn?"

 Chapter 1040: Bullcrappery

    Chapter 1040: Bullcrappery


    Everything stopped. Not literally, of course. But everyone stopped moving as soon as they noticed Riley moving closer to one of the holes. The people who were already in his religion and wanted to try the trials all backed away from the tower, all so they could witness the greatness of their lord.


    Elizabeth, who was now left all alone because Karina and Ang just suddenly left, was free to do anything she wanted ¡ª and what she wanted was to quickly rush over to Riley and once again kneel beside him, stretching her arm and gesturing to him to go ahead and put his arm inside the hole.


    "Hm," Riley nodded in approval toward Elizabeth''s theatrics. As expected of the woman who anointed herself to be the Cardinal as soon as she joined the religion, "We will talk about your promotion when I get back, Cardinal."


    "P¡­ Promotion!?" Elizabeth was flustered but immediately once again bowed her head down, "I¡­ I deserve no such thing, I only wanted to serve you."


    "You are questioning me, Cardinal?"


    "No! I¡­ I thank you for the chance!"


    "Hm," Riley once again nodded as he continued to approach the tower.


    "Halt!" But s, it would seem that everything that was going to happen was going to happen before Riley could proceed with his trial. He had already expected this, after all, that was just how his story usually goes.


    Elizabeth''s eyes quickly lowered and knotted as she red at the group of people who arrived, only to see people of different races approach the ck Tower while pushing away everyone else.


    They did not push everyone, however, as some made way for them as soon as they saw the golden sash hanging from their necks, tentacles, or tails depending on what their race was. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Who authorized any of you to loiter around the ck Tower!?" One of the tailed humanoids that looked like he did not fully evolve from his ancestors once again raised his voice; his tail, brandishing the golden sash and hitting some of the people he passed by, "You, tell me!"


    "N¡­ No one!"


    "Since¡­ Since when did we need authorization to be around the ck Tower, Monkeh!?"


    There wereints from everyone, but all of their words were stuttered and hesitant.


    "Since now!" The monkey-looking humanoid, Monkeh, opened his mouth and stretched his lips; showing hisrge gums and sharp teeth to the people questioning him. And as soon as he did that, no one else opened their mouths. Well, all except a certain group of people.


    "You do not need authorization to be here." It was Elizabeth and the others who were now blindly following Riley, "But you should at least have the decency to not make any annoying monkey noises and push people around."


    "Did you just call me monkey, youape!?" A disgruntling sound almost escaped Monkeh''s mouth as he suddenly rushed toward Elizabeth, only stopping a foot away from mowing down her face. Elizabeth, however, did not even flinch.


    "Ew," she only leaned away after a few seconds to cover her nose, "You should at least learn how to brush your teeth."


    "You¡ª"


    "Enough! Do not make a fool of yourself!" "Bishop Maverick!"


    An unusually tall bald man, perhaps even taller than Esme, raised his hand; the sash hanging around his neck,longerand more vibrant than the others¡ªhis glowing golden eyes,almosta reflection of his authority.


    That was not the only reason why the tall bald man, Maverick, stood out, however. It was the fact that Monkeh, who was all arrogant and haughty, quickly shut his mouth and returned to their group as soon as Maverick stepped forward.


    "I have not seen your face around these parts, girl," Maverick then approached Elizabeth; his long limbs were like branches as they moved in an almost unnatural way. The only thing Elizabeth could do was lean away as his finger almost touched her chin, "Well, it does not matter ¡ª while it is true that there is now forbidding anyone from going near the ck Tower, it should already be known to everyone that we, the Golden Road Church, have taken upon ourselves the responsibility of protecting the ck Tower."


    "I don''t know what''s more impressive ¡ª your height or how much you yap," Elizabeth once again did not back down, even crossing her arms as she looked at Maverick from head to toe, "And you''re wrong, you have no responsibility whatsoever to protect the ck Tower because it is not yours ¡ª as of right now, we are just allowing all of you to bask in the achievements of our Lord¡­


    ¡­the one who activated the ck Tower!"


    And with Elizabeth''s almost humming roar, she and the other followers of Riley all turned around to look at him. Riley, however, was not even bothering with them and was about to just insert his arm into the hole.


    "Are you saying the responsibility of protecting the ck Tower falls onto your measly church now?" Maverick smirked, "Then if so, I hope you do well in protecting it, Little Girl."


    Maverick then opened up his palm; the tips of his long fingers, summoning several orbs of gold light.


    "What a waste, we could have used a loyal girl like you," Maverick sighed, "And now you''ll just be in pieces."


    "No," Elizabeth scoffed, "Because my lord protects me."


    "Your lord who does not even seem to care? Funny," Maverick chuckled, "Goodbye to you and your cohorts."


    And with those words, the light on Maverick''s fingertips started to shoot out; reaching toward Elizabeth and the others'' forehead instantly. Well, not really, as there was still a centimeter of gap between their foreheads and the golden beam.


    "H¡ª" And before Maverick could even utter another word, this golden beam suddenly bounced back at him¡­ all of them¡ªno. They did not just bounce back, they went through him like swords, dancing all over and across his body¡­


    ¡­and this all happened in less than a span of a second, leaving everyonepletely bewildered.


    Andsoon, the other members of the Golden Road Church all watched as Maverick''s tall body became shorter by the second as parts of him started to fall off one by one.


    "Heh¡­"Andonce again, Elizabeth waspletely unbothered by this as she just stared down Monkeh and the remaining members behind him, "How''s that for protecting? Run along, little boys and girls, and whatever the rest of you are."


    "You¡ª"


    "As I said!" Elizabeth raised her voice before Monkeh could talk, "All of you are free to gather around the ck Tower, it is the RRR, the Riley Ross Religion''s gift to all of you! And if anyone dares tomit violence or otherwise im the ck Tower for themselves. Well¡­


    ¡­you have seen what would happen!"


    And as Elizabeth said those words, the people gathered in front of the tower couldreallyonly just look at each other. Some of them, already thinking of changing their church as soon as they finally heard the name of the church that activated the ck Tower.


    "You¡­ you have not seen thest of us!" Monkeh''s screams were almost primal as he and his colleagues all left in a rush; all of them ring and raising their fists at Elizabeth like they were gangsters.


    "Our lord, we have sessfully shooed away the hecklers," Elizabeth then proudly approached Riley as if she was the one who killed Maverick, "You may continue without any more interruptions."


    "You have my gratitude, Cardinal," Riley smiled and nodded; iling his long white hair to the side as he turned around and finally put his arm into the hole, "How does this¡ª"


    And before Riley could even finish his words, he found himselfpletely losing consciousness, only to be awoken just secondster now in front of a woman that was incredibly familiar to him; but at the same time, she was not.


    The woman, who was sitting on the floor, lookedpletely confused; the noodles she was about to put in her mouth, slid out of the chopsticks she was holding. Riley did not bother with her immediately, however, as he looked around the somewhat familiar ce.


    "This is the Supermax Prison," Riley whispered to himself, "Wh¡ª"


    And once again, before he could finish his words, he found himself suddenly being blown away; his face, now stuck on the wallthat didnot even seem to break even with the force that was enough to probably destroy Theran''s terrain.


    But the reason it wasn''t breaking was not because it was made with such materials, but because they were also reinforced by a telekic might that equaled¡ªno, that surpassed Riley''s.


    Alice Lane.


    "Who the freak let you in here?" Alice then casually leaned next to Riley and looked him directly in the eyes, "And woah, you look like a freak."


    "I will let you know that what I look like is because of you, Mother."


    "Mother¡­?" Alice raised an eyebrow, "Wait¡­


    ¡­Don''t tell me this is some time-travelingbullcrappery?Did Diana put you up to this?"

 Chapter 1041: Illusions...?

    Chapter 1041: Illusions...?


    "How long has Renna been in her room? I haven''t seen her hanging out with Lucifer and Arthastely."


    "A few weeks after Riley left. I tried knocking on the door, and the weird thing is, she always responds and opens it and¡­ she looks fine."


    "Looks fine?"


    "Yeah, like she has always been."


    Katrina and Liza were currently home and just hanging out in their living room. They have been enjoying their time without having to deal with their children ever since Arthas arrived ¡ª usually, at this hour, they would be receiving numerousints from everywhere all because of Lucy pranking everyone.


    They were still receiving one or two, but that was nothingpared to before he was hanging out with Arthas ¡ª suffice it to say, he was a positive influence on Lucy. Katrina and Liza thought they would finally be able to rest and rx. But now¡­


    ¡­they were even more stressed and anxious than before since Renna was suddenly acting up.


    "Could it be¡­ she''s just at that age?" Katrina let out a small sigh as she looked at Liza, "You know what, I''m d I had a boy ¡ª at least Lucy is predictable, Renna''s¡­ too smart."


    "What''s wrong with being smart?" Liza clicked her tongue before taking a sip of her coffee, "And no, there''s really something up with her. Have you tried talking to Lucy? Maybe she''s just feeling jealous since Arthas is here?"


    "Lucifer''s not telling me anything," Katrina grunted, "He just told me ''Sometimes, women have to do what they need to do'' in typical Lucifer fashion."


    "What does that mean? Does she even know what women do?"


    "I told you, typical Lucifer," Katrina shrugged, "I''m worried about something else, honestly. Have you heard the news from the detective?"


    "Why would I even bother about the news¡­? I already have my hands full with the academy and with Renna," Liza let out a loud groan as she rested her head on the sofa.


    "Apparently people have been missing," Katrina continued her story despite Liza clearly not being interested.


    "Missing?" Liza raised an eyebrow, "People have always been missing in this ce¡­ especially when Riley was still active with his¡­ you know what."


    "That''s the thing, though¡­" Katrina looked Liza in the eyes, "...She said Missing Persons rose to almost a thousand percent this month, a lot of people have been missing¡­ and Riley''s not here."


    "Huh¡­ maybe they''re just out there."


    "That''s the thing, though¡­" Katrina looked Liza in the eyes, "...She said Missing Persons rose to almost a thousand percent this month, a lot of people have been missing¡­ and Riley''s not here."


    "Huh¡­ maybe they''re just out there." N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Right¡­" Katrina could really only sigh as Liza was truly not interested in the news, "Anyway, when you checked on Renna earlier¡­ she was alright?"


    "She was, nothing seemed wrong with her. She''s just her typical stoic self," Liza also let out a long and loud sigh, "Sometimes I wonder where both of us went wrong with our children, you know?"


    "Uh, when we fell in love with a literal mass-murdering psychopath?" Katrina slightly winced, "I mean, we''ve always known they weren''t going to turn out normal. Maybe Rennalyn''s just ate-bloomer, you know? I think¡­


    ¡­It''s best to just let her be, she''ll open up sooner orter."


    "Hm¡­


    ¡­I hope you''re right."


    Both Liza and Katrina turned to look in the direction of Renna''s room, letting out sighs of exhaustion¡­pletely unaware that Renna''s room was actually almostpletely empty; the only thing left were her bed, desk, and closet.


    The thousands and thousands of cut-outs and print-outs which were scattered on the floor and stered on the walls and ceilings, all gone. And instead, they were now millions of miles away from the New World, nowpletely organized into onerge wall inside a literalarium¡ªnot a, but a literalarium; an entire ecosystem inside a globe the size of a small moon.


    And right there, in the center, were several Rennas all running and walking around while scanning the wall of papers. They were like ants inside a mound; there were probably thousands and thousands of them allpressed in one ce like canned sardines.


    "It''s not real¡­ none of this is real." One of them, the only one who was sitting on the ground and biting her nail, was whispering to herself as her eyes scanned everything and everyone, "Stop it. All of you¡­ stop it."


    Renna''s voice was trembling, only whispers ¡ª and yet even with all of her clones running around and making noises, only her voice echoed throughout the entirearium.


    "I said stop it!" And as Renna wailed, all of her clones looked at her at the same time before just letting out a smile so wide it stretched their lips to their limit, almost to the point they started to bleed and split apart, "Stop it!"


    And with another roar, Renna''s clones all just faded away. And now, with all of them gone, the globe''s ecosystem was able to breathe and show itself ¡ª but it was not the only thing that revealed itself, however, arge ss cage was now also visible; just a few meters behind the curled Renna.


    And inside therge ss cage¡­ were people.


    People, all tied up and bound to a standing bed, hundreds and hundreds of them.


    Renna''s eyes squinted as she scanned the cage.


    "One¡­ two¡­" Her counts escaping from her lips in a whisper. She remained like this, just counting quietly¡­ and after more than a minute had passed, her eyes suddenly widened.


    "212! There were 213 of you just earlier!" Renna''s teeth showed themselves as she rushed toward the cage and ced her palms on it; her breaths, marking the ss as her eyes once again started to move erratically, "Another one¡­ another one is gone¡­ why¡­ why!? It''s true, isn''t it!? It''s true¡­"


    Renna then very slowly stepped forward; but instead of hitting the ss, she just went right through it like it did not exist at all.


    "Then¡­ when is it my turn? When is it Lucifer''s? Mother?" Renna sped her hair as she walked across her prisoners.


    "Please¡­ please let us go."


    "Shut up!" And as soon as one of the people close to her spoke, Renna let out an almost shrilling scream. She then turned to look at the person¡­ before suddenly rushing toward her and then pushing her arm straight through the woman''s heart,


    "It¡­ it doesn''t matter," Renna once again whispered to herself as the disgruntling sound of her arm removing itself from the woman''s chest echoed through the ears of the other prisoners, "You¡­ you would have been gone soon anyway¡­


    ¡­all of you will."


    Renna''s eyes then once again began scanning all of the people she tied up inside the cage. This time, however, the look on her eyes was far from her previous stoic, and now recently manic gaze. This time¡­


    ¡­there was absolutely nothing in her eyes.


    "We are all just illusions, a dream," Renna tilted her head to the side as she smiled while her eyes werepletely dead and empty. She then wiped the sweat trailing from her chin and cheeks,pletely ignoring the fact that she just smeared blood all over her mouth¡­ causing her smile to be even more exaggerated, "So, I suppose¡­


    ...It won''t matter if I just kill all of you, no?"


    ***


    "This is Diana''s doing, I know it!"


    Back in the Outerverse, Riley was stillpletely stuck inside his First Trial ¡ª Alice Lane. His head, still stuck on the wall as Alice walked around the prison hall not caring about him at all.


    "Is it alright if you take this off now, Biological Mother?" Riley just casually spoke even with his cheek sticking to the wall, "Or should I remove it myself?"


    "...Can you remove it yourself?" Alice squinted her eyes.


    "In the risk of destroying the entire, Biological Mother," Riley shrugged.


    "Well, we can''t have that now, can we, freak?" Alice snorted before finally removing her telekic hold on Riley, "And why do you keep calling me Biological Mother instead of just Mother?"


    "Because you died, Alice," Riley patted his cheek as he approached Alice, "And I was adopted by the Ross family."


    "The Ross family¡­ wait," Alice ced her hand on her chin, "Like Bernard Ross? Diana''s husband¡ªwait a minute, Diana adopted you when I died!? Wait, how did I die?"


    "You killed me, and so the Hope Guild and Megawoman had to kill you, Biological Mother."


    "Oh shitznels," Alice sped her forehead, "I know I''m a failure in life, but¡­ to kill my own child?"


    "You will develop Alzheimer''s ¡ª and when you killed me, I gained your ability and it started something. And also¡­" Riley let out a small sigh and shook his head, "...I did note from the future. I suppose you can call this a simtion, Alice."


    "Oh, so¡­ you''re not real?" Alice blinked a couple of times, "Bummer."


    "No," Riley shook his head, "You are the simtion, Alice. You are not real."


    "Not real¡­?" Alice raised an eyebrow, "What in the freak are you on about? Are you a drug addict, is that why I killed you?"


    "I was 2 years old when you killed me."


    "Holy crap," all the strength in Alice''s voice faded away, "I was a monster."


    "You were not," Riley said without any hesitation, "You were not a monster and you have never been."


    "Aw, shucks. Thank you," Alice smiled as she looked Riley in the eyes, "But if you say I''m not real¡­ then why do I feel real? I have memories and shit ¡ª heck, I might be forgetful, but I remember all sorts of things."


    "Oh¡­" Riley then returned Alice''s gaze,


    "...This is real."

 Chapter 1042: Alices True Power

    Chapter 1042: Alice''s True Power


    "This is real."


    "...Duh? I''ve been telling you that. Well, not really. But you get my point."


    There was a certain squint in Riley''s eyes as he stared at Alice, who was now just casually returning to where she was previously sitting and once again just eating her ramen.


    "You want some?" Alice slurped before looking at Riley, "You can just get a pack on the cab there, I think I still have some left."


    "I do not eat instant noodles, Alice."


    Riley just slightly raised his palm to refuse Alice''s offer before just also sitting in front of her with his legs crossed, n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Can I tell you a story, Alice?"


    "Sure, better entertainment than just eating. I heard the kids out there have liked tablets or something while they''re eating? Why wasn''t I born in your generation?"


    "I am afraid I can''t answer that ¡ª would you like me to still tell my story?"


    "Oh, please. I want to hear what my son from the future has to say."


    "Hm¡­"


    Riley then spent hours telling Alice his entire life story, from how she killed him, all the way to the events that led him in front of her right here and now. And suffice it to say, Alice''s ramen turned soggy before she could finish all of it.


    "A world¡­ where Diana and I are romantic partners? Does¡­ that mean we have s¡ª!?" Alice let out a massive gasp before just dropping her chopsticks on the floor, "And¡­ you''re saying you''re not really from the future, and your friend just created this reality?"


    "...Yes," Riley nodded.


    "Jesus¡­" Alice forced out a small chuckle as she shook her head, "...Just what are they feeding you there? And I thought we had strong Supers, you guys are absolute units. I mean¡­ you can move entire gxies? Not even just entire star systems, but gxies? Like, wow."


    "I believe you can do the same, Alice," Riley nodded, "My ability came from you ¡ª and your variant was able to create an entire gxy in the palm of her hands."


    "Yeah, but she''s like old. Right?"


    "I believe in her 40s," Riley nodded.


    "Holy crap, she old. Anyway¡­" Alice then let out a small sigh. And as she did so, the ramen bowl and all the other things around her and Riley were gently pushed away, "...You said you have to defeat me to pass the trial, right? Let''s get on with it, then."


    "Oh, you believe me?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "Sure," Alice shrugged, "You were right anyway, there are no people beside us for thousands of miles. Even the people in the ISS are gone ¡ª and yet in my memory, they all should be here. Heck, someone handed me supplies just a few minutes before you suddenly popped out in front of me."


    "Hm," Riley also nodded as he scanned the, "It would seem so, Alice."


    "And also¡­ you and I share the same blood," Alice then raised her hand. And there, two orbs of blood twirled around her index finger, "Almost exactly the same, you truly were created with just me¡­ I guess you inherited your freakishness from me."


    "Perhaps only half of it ¡ª my mind only bes disarray when I use Paige''s abilities," Riley shrugged, "And I did not know you could do something like that, Alice."


    "Well¡­" Alice then slightly grunted as she stood up clumsily, "...I guess let''s get on with it and kill each other then until you find out more about me."


    "Are you sure, Alice?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "You are one of the people in the entire multiverse that I will never kill."


    "Please," Alice rolled her eyes, "It''s better this way, I just know it from talking to you ¡ª any longer, and I''ll get attached. So¡­"


    Alice''s eyes suddenly turned white as her hair started to float as if she was submerged in water,


    "...Let''s just do this."


    And with those words, the prison hall surrounding thempletely evaporated into nothing ¡ª no. The entire horizon waspletely gone as Alice seemed to have ttened the areapletely.


    "Just to be clear, you won''t really die if I kill you, right?" Alice smiled.


    "No," Riley shook his head, "I will just return to the ck To¡ª"


    And before Riley could even finish his words, he found himself suddenly raising both his arms and covering himself from the sudden weight that fell upon him. He was already using his invisible shield to block Alice''s surprise attack, and yet he could still feel it seeping in.


    "Do you know why both of my variants lost to you, Riley?"


    "I do," Riley very slowly stood straight up as he strengthened his telekic abilities, "It is as you said, they got attached, Alice."


    "Exactly," Alice smirked, "I won''t have the same problem."


    Alice then suddenly tilted her head to the side, and as she did so, a small crack whispered into Riley''s ear. He then casually ced his left arm in front of him, only to see it broken into multiple folds.


    "Interesting," Riley whispered before ncing at Alice and also releasing a telekic wave at her. Alice, however, just blew air out of her mouth and caused it to fade away, "It might seem like you are using your telekic abilities in its simplest form, but you are not ¡ª I could feel multipleyers from each of your attack that amplifies the initial¡ª"


    "Ack, stop yapping," Alice gracefully waved her hand, and as she did so, the ground that Riley was standing on was violently grated until they turned into nothing. Riley, however, did what Alice was doing and justpletely remained on his spot. This seemed to clearly amuse Alice as this time, Riley did not even flinch or move as he took her st head-on, "As expected of someone who came from my freaking vajayjay. You said you could move entire gxies, right?"


    "That is correct."


    "Let me try," Alice then smiled ¡ª and contrary to her words, she did not try at all and instead rushed toward Riley; once againpletely shredding the ground as she flew toward him.


    "That is not a wise choice, Alice," Riley shook his head, "You will not win against me in a close match ¡ª there is a chance that your telekic power is stronger than mine, but that is it. That is your only ability and¡ª"


    "You don''t feel it, do you¡­?" Alice, despite Riley''s warnings, did not heed Riley''s words at all as she stopped just a meter away from him, "The difference between the raw strength of our floaty fingers?"


    "Hm¡­?"


    "You are much older than I am now ¡ª but it would seem you still have not fully tapped into the limits of our power," Alice let out a small but very deep sigh as she looked at Riley''s eyes, "I wonder why the other Alices didn''t tell you?"


    "I have tapped into the limits of my power multiple times, Alice," Riley shook his head, "Most of the time, enough for me to kill myself."


    "You see, that''s where you''re not getting it," Alice closed her eyes, "It''s your limit that you''re reaching, your mind and body''s capabilities ¡ª you have not even begun to dig deep into the power of your telekinesis. And I have to say¡­


    ¡­I am rather disappointed."


    "What are you¡ª" And before Riley could even answer, the entire field was suddenly showered¡ªno, drowned in light. His eyes quickly readjusted to the sudden brightness, only to see the sun on the horizon¡ªno, only to see several sunspletely surrounding the Earth they were on.


    "But I guess. I sort of understand why they didn''t even mention it to you¡­" Alice then closed her eyes and once again sighed, "...What sort of life would you have led. Everything around you, the entire universe itself is like the puffball of a dandelion, with just a single mistake, with just the wrong breath¡­ you can just blow it all away."


    "Is your telekic ability truly that strong, Alice?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he looked at the palm of his hand.


    "You won''t know," Alice let out a small chuckle, "Judging from your story, once you absorb the power by dying, you immediately master it. That ispletely broken and unfair ¡ª but with my ability, it truly was a blessing that you learned how to control it as soon as you received it¡­ or else you might have done something like this."


    Alice then snapped her fingers, and as she did so, the sun which she pulled from probably lightyears away just disappeared into nothing.


    "Outerspace is intriguing, no?" Alice chuckled, "Things can fly through this darkness at ridiculous speeds with minimal consequences. And no matter how much you destroy, there will always be something next ¡ª that was how I was able to reign my power. I turned it somewhere else."


    Alice looked at the stars which were now clearly visible to them, and Riley did the same.


    "When I was young, I destroyed lots of things," Alice breathed out, "From my toys, trees, our house, and it just got bigger and bigger. And obviously, I was a child ¡ª I didn''t want to destroy the I''m living on because that would mean I wouldn''t have fun anymore¡­


    ¡­that''s why I focused on something much bigger and farther, way, way farther. I started destroying celestial bodies when I was 9 years old. So, to answer your question if I am really that strong, Riley¡­


    ¡­I don''t even know myself."

 Chapter 1043: Limitless vs. No Limits

    Chapter 1043: Limitless vs. No Limits


    "My power abilities were never that powerful, Alice."


    "Well, sucks to be you, then."


    "W¡ª"


    And before Riley could even finish his words, he once again found himself being flung away across the surface of the Earth¡­ with only the t ground to stop his momentum since Alice seemed to have alreadypletely leveled the entire.


    It was weird, Riley thought as he finally hit the ground. How long has it been since hest fought an enemy this strong without it immediately leading to some indestructible ce or just straight out to the expanse of space?


    And as he hit the ground, it created a crater probably the size of ska ¡ª and yet that was not even enough to stop his momentum as he continued to roll like a doll across Earth. The Battle of Toronto could have possibly turned the Earth like this if Aerith had not surrendered when she did.


    Riley¡­ was quite appreciative that he was now seeing the scope of what they are truly capable of when put on a much smaller scale, in this case, Earth. Before he was sent to the Domain of the Gods, most of his fights just involved destroyings from left to right without actually appreciating his work ¡ª and now, he was fighting someone exaggeratingly strong on the surface of the Earth.


    It finally reminded him, truly reminded¡­


    ¡­that he truly did not deserve a normal life.


    A like Earth would just crumble in his hands, and all the people in it, people he appreciated would die if he lost control for even a single moment.


    "Is this what you felt, Alice?"


    "Felt with what?"


    And although Alice was nowhere within a thousand miles as Riley was still literally going around the Earth, he could still hear Alice''s whispers as if she was just next to his ear¡­ something Riley also liked to do.


    What was perhaps even weirder than all of this was that Alice was capable of sniffing out the entire in less than a quarter of a millisecond, and yet all of her attacks were actually just centered on Riley. She might have probably already epted the fact that she was just made as a form of trial to Riley, but she still has attachments.


    Riley was right, this Alice he was fighting right now is real. She was created by Paige just for this trial.


    "Paige¡­" Riley let out a long and very deep sigh, "...What are you doing now?"


    "You''re really chill, aren''t you?"


    Riley''s momentum then instantly slowed down as Alice was now beside him; her leg, already stretched and raised upward as Riley hovered in front of her,


    "I like that."


    The very air around the two of them then started to distort; almost turning ck between the space around Alice''s raised foot and Riley''s torso. Nothing was happening and everything looked like they were in slow-mo, but not at all ¡ª Alice was just holding everything together and making it seem so.


    "You said that I should not make it into a closebat situation, right?" Alice then smirked as she talked to Riley, making it possible to extend their conversation as she literally stopped everything around them, "Well, this is the one thing you should have known from your mommy¡­


    ¡­I specialize in close-quartersbat."


    And with those words, Alice swung her leg straight down Riley; the ck space created between them, almost as if just a ball that was kicked and mmed toward his stomach. In this case, however, there was a chance that the ball might have literally been a ck hole.


    ¡­And seeing as it was distorting the space around it and absorbing everything in its surroundings, it is.


    Well, it was absorbing everything except Riley as he justid down on the ground with the ball and Alice''s foot above his chest.


    "I do not feel like this is an appropriate position for a biological mother and son to do, Alice," Riley said with a monotonous tone as he looked Alice in the eyes, "And you are wrong, I truly believe that you are no match for me at closebat."


    "Don''t talk smack, little kid," the smirk on Alice''s face grew wider as she buried her foot into the miniature ck hole. And as she did so, the ck hole started to crawl up across her legs beforepletely wrapping tightly around her skin in less than a second, "I learned this from a creature I detected a few years ago somewhere out there in outer space."


    "You are probably talking about Cherbi, Alice."


    "You''ve met with it?" Alice tilted her head to the side as she looked at Riley, "What''s it look like?"


    "A round pink stuffed toy, except the furs are eyes."


    "That sounds oddly terrifying and cute at the same time." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "I suppose it is, Alice."


    "Oh well," Alice then shrugged before finally stomping Riley on the chest,pletely caving it¡ªno. She did not just cause his chest to cave in, Riley''s chest literally disintegrated along with the ground behind him. Alice then did not give Riley any chance to even move as she leaned down; grabbing the hole she made in his chest and then ripped him in half.


    "I do believe I would have truly benefited if you did not die, Alice."


    "Ew, freak," Alice''s tongue, however, just stuck out through her ck silhouette of a head as she backed away from the upper part of Riley, which started to regenerate while it was still in her hand, causing her to just throw Riley away and himnding alreadypletely whole again, "That''s creepy as heck, boy."


    "You have not seen anything yet, though, Alice," Riley sighed, "Then I do believe it is my turn."


    "Do your worst, son," Alice just stood there and gestured to Riley toe forward, "Come on me¡ªOh god, that sounded so wrong. Did I ever mature?"


    "I would not know, you killed me."


    "Yeah, but after I was revived right? Did I mature then?" Alice raised an eyebrow.


    "I would not say so, Alice."


    "Ah, crap. Am I autistic or something? Is that why you''re not right in the head either?"


    "I believe the only thing Mother diagnosed you with is severe ADHD, Alice."


    "...Is that a type of band?"


    "And also a lower IQ."


    "Wait¡­ are you dissing your own mom right now!?"


    Alice''s voice roared, but her mouth could be seen smiling from her ck void of a silhouette as she rushed toward Riley. Riley tried moving away, but found himself floating straight toward Alice''s fist instead.


    Her body, almost seemingly had wings as it pulled everything toward her.


    "Do you know why I called myself Miss Phoenix?" Alice whispered.


    "I think I do."


    "Because it sounds cool as hell," Alice then opened her fist into a palm and grabbed Riley''s face. As soon as she did so, however, Riley''s entire body just crumbled into dust and disappeared.


    "Alice, I said it was my turn."


    "Wh¡ª"


    "You covered your body with what I believe could be a ck hole," Riley let out a small sigh as his real body was actually a few meters behind Alice, "But you are still inside¡­


    ¡­goodbye again, Mother."


    And as he said that, the ck armor covering Alice instantly disappeared; her naked body, almost like a wet cloth as she started to drop to the ground. Before she couldpletely fall, however, Riley quickly but very gently caught her. Riley also did not let her be naked for long as he knew the people outside the ck Tower were seeing everything he was seeing.


    "Hm¡­" Riley let out a small and very deep sigh as he stared at Alice''s lifeless face, "...So, this is what it feels like ¡ª thank you for letting me experience it, Paige. But I would truly appreciate it if you do not do it again."


    Riley then held Alice''s corpse, deciding not to let her go until he was sent to the next trial.


    "..."


    "..."


    But after a few seconds, his arms still remained holding Alice.


    "Do I need to do something else?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked around¡­ only to casually catch a glimpse of Alice''s face, and the tears trailing from her supposedly dead eyes.


    "You''re¡­ you''re so sweet," Alice, who was supposed to be dead, could not help but cover her face as she released herself from Riley''s arms and quickly stood up.


    "You should be dead, Alice," Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "Oh, I don''t die," Alice shrugged as she pointed at her head, "I have automatically set my abilities topletely revive me if I die, rebuild my body if needed. You don''t need to do that since, well, you''re you."


    "I am not aware that you could do something like that, Alice," Riley''s eyebrows slightly lowered as he also stood up, "You died, clinically in my universe."


    "I went crazy. There''s a difference," Alice pointed at Riley, "And do you really think that a mother who killed her own child¡­


    ¡­thinks she deserves to live?"

 Chapter 1044: What Choices She Would Have Made

    Chapter 1044: What Choices She Would Have Made


    "And do you really think that a mother who killed her own child¡­


    ¡­thinks she deserves to live?"


    "No."


    Riley answered without any hesitation, still talking to Alice even as he felt something heavy starting to surround the entire area. The Earth, once again ttening to the point that it was almost too smooth; the gravity, quickly increased exponentially.


    But it did not matter for Riley, at this point in his life, he had already survived worse conditions. What did matter to him, however, was Alice''s question. Riley now knew why this had to be his first trial¡­


    ¡­to understand Alice, someone who had killed his own child. But if that was truly the case, then wouldn''t the better version of Alice be his original mother back in his universe? Why would it be an Alice who¡ª


    Riley''s eyes then slightly widened as he realized something.


    Alice Lane only gained the superhero name Ms. Phoenix when she joined the Hope Guild, and yet she mentioned it to Riley even though they were still in prison.


    "You¡­" Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked Alice in the eyes, "...are my biological mother. Not a variant, but the one who gave birth to me."


    "..." Alice did not really reply and just returned Riley''s stare; her eyes, slightly trembling and reddening as she very slowly opened her mouth and closed it again. But after a few seconds, she took in a deep breath and shook her head,


    "You are really smart, kid¡­"


    "No, you are just slightly stupider, Biological Mother."


    "Please don''t roast me, I''m still your mommy, well¡­" The smile on Alice''s face slightly faded away, "...not exactly."


    Alice then looked at her hands and smiled before once again focusing on Riley, "It is me, but at the same time, it''s not. I remember everything, I remember you dancing with me and giving me a memory I will never forget. I remember giving birth to you¡­


    ¡­but I know I am not her. I''m not a variant, I''m not an illusion ¡ª I''m her, but someone else entirely. Your little soul mate''s abilities are quite frightening, Riley."


    "You are real, Biological Mother," Riley quietly uttered.


    "I know," Alice forced out a small chuckle, "But I also know that I am not the Alice currently buried in this New Theran ce, that''s not me. I''m¡­ like a copy."


    "You are not," Riley shook his head, "That is not how Paige''s ability works ¡ª everything she creates is real."


    "I''m not saying I''m not real, I''m just saying that I''m not really her," Alice smiled at Riley, "And I''m d that I''m not her because I am about to teach you a very powerful lesson, Riley."


    "What is it, Biological Mother?" "That even though I''m not her, that even though I know that you might one day destroy everything¡­" Alice looked at Riley in the eyes again,


    "...I will still die for you."


    And with those words, Alice ced both of her index fingers on her temples, "And I hope that when the timees, Riley¡­


    ¡­you''ll die for your children too. That is the only choice you need to make."


    "How would I do that, Mother?" Riley quickly stood closer to Alice, "If I do not choose, both of my family will disappear."


    "Well¡­ that''s not something I can teach you," Alice let out another chuckle before removing her fingers from her temples and then just embracing Riley, "And I am truly sorry for that¡­ I''m so sorry that I''m your mother."


    "You do not have to apologize for that, Mother. You¡ª"


    And before Riley could finish his words, he suddenly found himself in a familiar dark room, sitting on a bed.


    "Hm¡­" Riley then just slightly turned his head to the side, only to feel nothing there anymore, "She killed herself."


    Riley blinked a couple of times as he just sat there on the bed.


    "Is that what I am supposed to do?" Riley whispered to himself, "Kill myself? But I do not have that choice, I can''t die. And even if I do, the two Creations would still collide and both will disappear. What if¡ª"


    "nkface!"


    And before Riley could continue to monologue, light suddenly entered the dark room from behind him as an even more familiar, screeching voice entered his ears. He quickly looked back, but as soon as he did so, his face was met with arge pillow, causing him to slightly lean back from the force,


    "I swear, did you fucking wear my jacket again!? Where are you hiding it!? Where!?"


    "I¡­ have never worn any of your jackets before, Sister," Riley could really only push the pillow away as he stood up from the bed; his eyes, staring at Hannah as she started ransacking his room, his room that he had lived on for 16 years since his birth, and just walking around as if she owned it.


    "Shut the fuck up," Hannah just rolled her eyes before hastily walking toward the curtains and opening it, "What the fuck, it smells like shit in here. Why does your room look so clean and smell so bad at the same time, bro? What kind of albino rituals are you doing here?"


    "There is a weird smell, perhaps it is from you?" Riley tilted his head to the side as his nose slightly fidgeted. There truly was a smell roaming around his room.


    "Do you want to die, is that it¡­?" Hannah snarled as she pretended to lunge at Riley, "And go out for a sec, I''ll clean your room for you and find that fucking atrocious smell. Go watch TV with Mom or something, I heard Dad''s supposed to be on TV in a few hours."


    "Dad is on TV?" Riley blinked a couple of times.


    "Yeah," Hannah shrugged as she walked toward Riley''s closet, "Dude, do you even fucking care about what''s going on here? They''re honoring Megawoman, it''s her funeral."


    "Don''t open¡ª"


    Riley finally realized what scenario he was in, and he quickly shut the closet when he did¡­ N?v(el)B\\jnn


    ¡­but it was toote.


    "...What the fuck was that?" Hannah''s head very slowly turned toward Riley; the bashfulness and brashness in the tone of her voice,pletely gone. And as Riley was not answering her at all, she once again focused on the closet and very slowly opened it.


    And there, inside the closet, was the mangled corpse of Megawoman.


    "Y¡­"


    "Sister,"


    Riley could hear Hannah''s breaths starting to stutter; getting heavier by the second as her legs and shoulders began to tremble. Riley could even hear silent whimpers escaping her lips as she seemed to try to hold her tears back,


    "I¡­" Riley whispered, "...am Darkday. But I am not really the Riley you know, I am from¡ª"


    And before Riley could even finish his words, the temperature in the room began to rise up to an abnormal level; to the point that the room''s fire rm itself melted. And soon, fire began to erupt as Hannah burst into mes.


    "Please, Sister¡­" Riley closed his eyes, "...Do not make me kill you, ple¡ª"


    And before Riley could once again even finish his words, Hannah''s mes became stronger and burnt the entire room¡ªbut Hannah was not attacking Riley at all. Her mes¡­


    ¡­they were all crawling toward Megawoman''s corpse.


    "Fuck¡­ fuck you," Hannah then whispered while shaking her head, "Fuck you, Riley. Fuck you. Why¡­ why¡­? You¡­ you''re supposed to tell me everything, fuck¡­ why are you Darkday? What the fuck¡­?"


    "Sister¡­" And once again, the rare asion of Rileypletely not knowing what to do dawned on him again as he just very slowly stepped closer to Hannah, "...I''m sorry."


    "No¡­ fuck!" The temperature in the room then instantly lowered as Hannah retracted her mes. Megawoman''s mangled corpse, however, was stillpletely intact. Hannah wanted to say something else, but she just vomited right there and then, "...God¡­ fuck, fuck¡­


    ¡­You."


    Riley then took a step back as Hannah red at him with her eyes filled with tears.


    "You¡­ you were supposed to be the one normal thing I had in my life, Riley¡­" Hannah whimpered; her lips quivering as her head trembled on its own, "...I''m¡­ I''m supposed to take care of you forever, man. When¡­ when we grow old, it''s just supposed to be me and you¡­ why¡­?"


    "Sister."


    Riley then approached Hannah, but Hannah quickly raised a finger and started shaking her head vehemently,


    "Don''t¡­ don''t you fucking go near me. We¡­ we need to hide the body, Riley. We need to¡­ we need to go somewhere. Fuck¡­ where are we even going to go¡­? Dad''s gonna find us, the Hope Guild is¡ª"


    And as soon as she said that, someone suddenly broke through Riley''s window; the shards went everywhere as another familiar face just suddenly barged into his room ¡ª Tempo.


    "I was passing by when I saw fire!" Tempo then quickly scanned the room, "Did something¡ª"


    His words, however,pletely came to a halt as his eyes saw Megawoman''s corpse in the room. And without even saying a word, he ran off and disappeared.


    "Shit¡­" Hannah quickly stood up as she looked at Riley,


    "Shit¡­ what¡­


    ¡­what do we do?"

 Chapter 1045: Consequences

    Chapter 1045: Consequences


    "Shit¡­ what¡­


    ¡­what do we do?"


    "What do we do, Sister?"


    And while Riley waspletely confused at Hannah''s words, Hannah seemed to bepletely oblivious of Riley''s confusion as she started pulling Megawoman''s corpse out of the closet; her face, clearly about to puke as Megawoman''s mangled flesh touched her skin. She even stepped on a loose skin and flesh, but it did not break or split apart at all from how strong it was.


    "Tempo¡­ Tempo clearly saw everything, fuck¡­ fuck!" Hannah whispered to herself while looking randomly everywhere until her eyesnded on Riley, "Why are you just looking at me!? Fucking help, for fuck''s sake! Tempo and the other members of the Hope Guild are going to be here soon! Fuck!"


    "Are you not mad at me, Sister?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he just stared at Hannah''s fuming face filled with tears.


    "Of course, I am fucking mad at you! I''m seething!" Hannah screamed, "But we have more important fish to fry!"


    "Aerith is not a fish, Sister," Riley shook his head, "And you can''t burn her with the current level of your mes, but you could."


    "What are you even fucking saying!? The Hope Guild is probably on their way here right now!" Hannah screamed, "And we need to fucking go! We can''t¡­ we can''t involve Mom here!"


    "...You are also not involved in this, Sister."


    "Fuck you!" Hannah dropped Megawoman''s body as she rushed toward Riley and raised her palm. She could not, however, p him as she stopped herself from doing so and only just pointed at his face, "You''re my baby brother, okay? You fucking listen to me. We need to hide Megawoman''s corpse."


    "She is alive, Sister."


    "What¡­?"


    "Megawoman''s alive," Riley then pointed at Megawoman''s body, "She just merely suspended her life to stop me from wreaking havoc and killing more people."


    "What¡­?" Hannah sped her head as she quickly looked at the body, "So¡­ so she knows I tried to burn her corpse¡ªI mean, her!? Is she gonna kill me!? No¡­ Megawoman, I''m¡­ I''m not a bad person!"


    "I know, Sister," Riley shook his head before gently grabbing Hannah by the cheeks and facing her to him, "But I am. I am Darkday, and I am truly sorry for being your brother."


    "You should be, you fuck¡­" Hannah''s head trembled. But even though Riley told her that he was Darkday, there was no sense of fear at all in Hannah''s eyes, "...But right now, we need to do something about this¡ªwe need to leave. I¡­ I think Dad has a jet or something hidden somewhere, we can just¡­ we can just go¡­ Let''s just go? Okay?"


    "Why are you helping me, Sister?"


    "Because you''re my fucking brother," Hannah did not hesitate to say as she forced out an almost whimpering chuckle, "You''re my fucking brother and I can''t do anything about that. Let''s just¡­ let''s just go. Okay? Before they¡ª!!!"


    And before Hannah could finish her words, Riley''s already broken window¡ªno. The entire wall disappeared; shaved away by Empress as she stepped into the room. Her eyes, immediatelynded on Megawoman''s mangled body.


    She then turned to look at Hannah''s crying face before looking at Riley. And as soon as she saw Riley''s calm face, tears started to fall down from her eyes.


    "Alice¡­" Empress whispered to herself as she winced, "...Damn it. I¡­ I failed to see it again."


    "Aunt Adaeze, this isn''t what¡ª"


    "Move her away, now!"


    And as soon as Empress roared, Tempo suddenly appeared behind Hannah and carried her.


    "No!"


    "Shit!"


    Before Tempo could run, however, she quickly dropped Hannah as she felt a scalding heat on his arms.


    "It''s¡­ it''s not what you think!" Hannah then quickly rushed toward Riley and covered him, "He¡ª"


    "Get out of the way, Hannah," Empress shook her head, "I''ve failed to protect your brother once¡­ I''m not making the same mistake again."


    "Protecting¡­? You''re going to kill him."


    "To protect him from himself," Empress looked Hannah in the eyes, "You don''t know what''s happening, Hannah ¡ª Riley''s mother, Ms. Phoenix¡­ she went crazy and I think Riley''s going to follow the same path. He already has."


    "He''s not crazy!" Hannah roared, "He''s just different, okay? But not any more different than you and I!"


    "He''s a murderer who has killed millions and millions of people, Hannah," Empress reached out her hand toward Hannah, "The times he had shown himself to the world could almost be counted in a single hand¡­ and yet he has already killed so many. What do you think will happen if he begins to truly wreak havoc?"


    "You¡ª"


    "Nothing is going to change, Miss Adaeze." And before Hannah and Empress could continue their conversation, Riley ced his hand on Hannah''s shoulder and stepped forward, "I believe you already know that you are not able to defeat me, not at all."


    "That was before I didn''t know who you are," Empress shook her head, "You''re Riley¡­ I held you in my arms when you were just a baby. You can stop this."


    "Talking will not do anything," Riley shook his head, "I would only get worse after this ¡ª billions, trillions."


    "See? He''s mentioning trillions, there''s only a few billions of people on Earth," Hannah forced out a chuckle, "He¡­ he doesn''t know what he''s doing."


    "There is more life out there," Riley looked up. And as soon as he did so, his ceiling just disappeared, "But I suppose it doesn''t matter. This will be over once I kill all of you. You first."


    "Tempo!" Empress''s eyes turned wide as she quickly looked back toward Tempo. And before her eyes could evennd on him, his blood had squirted and showered on her face as he just exploded right there and then.


    "Riley, no!" Hannah quickly rushed to hug Riley tight, "Stop it! Please, just fucking stop it!"


    "I am afraid stopping is not an option, Sister," Riley shook his head, "I need to kill everyone to move on this trial."


    "What are you even saying!? You''re not making any sense!" Hannah tightened her embrace, "Please, let''s just¡­ let''s just go! You said there''s more life out there, right¡­? What if¡­ what if we go there!? Fuck¡­ I don''t know anymore."


    "Sister," Riley let out a small breath as he brushed Hannah''s hair, "I truly do love you, but this has to happen."


    Riley then turned to look at Empress, and as soon as he did so, Empress sped her fists together to create an explosion,pletely destroying their house in the process. And as the dust settled, Hannah found herself floating in the air as Riley did not even move a single millimeter from where he was standing.


    Hannah did not bother about this so much, however, as she started looking around while grabbing onto Riley.


    "Mom!? What about Mom!?" Hannah said, "Wh¡ªMom!?" N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Hannah did not need to search for long, however, as she saw Empress carrying her in the air.


    "Oh my," Diana just held her cheeks as she looked around, "What''s happening now? Oh, is that you sweetie? What are you and your brother doing in his room?"


    "We need to get you out of here, Diana," Empress said before looking Riley in the eyes, "You won''t hurt your mother just to get through me, will you?"


    "You and I both know I do not need to, Empress," Riley shook his head, "And even if I do, she will not be hurt at all ¡ª she is a themarian much older than Megawoman."


    "Oh¡­?" Diana blinked a couple of times as she looked at Riley, "Hhmm¡­"


    "Is¡­ is that true!?" Hannah quickly believed Riley without any hesitation, "Are you¡­ a themarian, Mom!?"


    "I¡­ don''t know," Diana still held her cheeks, "First of all, what is going on here? Why are you carrying me like a princess, Empress? And why is my house all¡­ broken?"


    "It''s not the time for this, we need to go."


    And with those words, Empress just flew away,


    "Hannah, just stay safe, okay!? I''m going¡­ I''m going to get you soon!"


    "What¡­?" Hannah could not help but just stare at Empress as she left with Diana, "What the fuck¡­ is going on here?"


    "I want to tell you a story, Sister," Riley then very slowly descended from the air andnded on the rubbles of their home, "I believe¡­


    ¡­it would be for the best for you to hear."


    And like with the first trial with Alice, Riley really had no reservations in telling everything to Hannah. And Hannah, surprisingly, was quiet the entire time he was telling his story.


    "All of that¡­ happened?" And as Riley was done, the first thing Hannah did was start walking around; ncing at Riley from time to time, "...That''s it ¡ª we can¡­ we can just surrender, you''re clinically insane. They won''t¡ªno. They''ll lock you up in an asylum. I won''t let that happen."


    "Sister, I am an evil man," Riley let out a small but very deep sigh, "And there is something I skipped in my story."


    "What is it?"


    "At some point in my story, you killed me."

 Chapter 1046: Rampage

    Chapter 1046: Rampage


    "What¡­ are you even trying to say?"


    "That I would rather fail this trial than have to kill you, Sister ¡ª and you are the only one that I am allowing to kill me."


    "You''re fucked in the head."


    Riley and Hannah were still on top of the rubble of their house talking. Hannah, however, did not seem to be that much interested in what Riley had to say as she just left him and started running toward their bunker. As for Riley, he stayed outside for a few seconds, contemting on what to do before just letting out a small sigh and following his sister down the bunker.


    "Where is it¡­ it should be here somewhere. Ah, there!"


    And before Riley could even nt his feet in the bunker, Hannah was already able to find Bernard''s secret storage where he kept all of his inventions and gadgets.


    "Sister," Riley could really only just once again sigh as he followed Hannah further down, only to see her already running toward Bernard''s collection of airships.


    "...Which one of these is capable of going to space?" Hannah frantically walked around the aircraft, meticulously looking at them one by one with haste, "I think this is the one. I saw him using this when he set up one of his satellites. You said there was like some sort of moon we could live in near here, right? We should go there and just¡ª"


    "Sister, please listen."


    And before Hannah could finish her words, Riley grabbed both of her shoulders and once again looked her in the eyes, "You need to kill me so I can end the trial."


    "I don''t fucking care about that trial shit or whatever crazy thing is going on in your head!" And once again, Hannahshed out, "If you think I am just going to hurt you, then fuck you! You are my brother, and I love you ¡ª I fucking love you, okay? If you''re going to die, then I aming with you. That''s just how it is, so deal with it."


    "...But you hate Darkday, Sister," Riley shook his head, "I know how much you hate Darkday."


    "I don''t fucking care about Darkday, I just fucking care about you. Now, if you''re not going to help me bypass the security in this ship, then just shut the fuck up and wait there."


    "..." Riley could really do nothing as Hannah pushed him away and started hacking their father''s ship. She did not need to, however, as she was actually already authorized to use it.


    "G¡­ great," Hannah forced out a chuckle as the stairs to the ship lowered, "nkface! Quick, get in!"


    "I am not¡ª"


    "Get the fuck inside, now. You albino fuck."


    "Okay," Riley just nodded as he followed Hannah to the ship.


    "Now¡­ let''s see here." Hannah then quickly started checking on all the controls and terminals, spending a couple of seconds there before the floor beneath the ship started to move them to another, more spacious area ¡ª and soon, the sun showered them from above as the ceiling opened to the outside world,


    "I swear, we have so much money and Dad can''t even fucking buy me the fucking headphones I wanted. And¡­ there we go."


    Hannah did not really need to do much to get the ship started and flying, as most of Bernard''s ships were equipped with a seamless autopilot powered by an AI that was stillparable to all the AIs Riley had seen.


    "I just set the coordinates to just get the fuck away from Earth as fast as possible," Hannah than just fell down to one of the seats; her head, just iling back in exhaustion as she stared at the ceiling, "I¡­ also sent a message to Dad to try and not to follow us, that we won''te back to Earth ever again and they don''t have to worry about Darkday anymore. So¡­


    ¡­let''s just go, okay?"


    "Okay," Riley answered immediately as he also sat down as the ship quickly moved to the sky, "I wonder, will the Sister I have lived with still make the same decision as you? To run away with me and just forget everything else?"


    "Look, you are clinically insane. And I know it''s not your fault you killed all those people. There''s just¡­ something wrong with your brain," Hannah let out a small but very deep sigh as she nced at Riley. She was about to say something else, but before she could do so, her eyesnded on the view of the outside as they passed the Earth''s stratosphere,


    "Woah¡­"


    Hannah could not help but just stand up from her seat, "So, this is space, huh¡­ I could get used to this."


    "You will," Riley nodded, "My sister lived in space for more than 600 years, Sister."


    "Look, even if there''s an off chance that what you''re saying is real, and all of this reality is just created by that Paige woman¡­" Hannah sighed, "...Then maybe this isn''t a trial at all?"


    "Hm?"


    "You said that the first trial was with Ms. Phoenix, right? Your biological mom?" Hannah exined as she turned around and looked at Riley, "Then maybe this Paige¡­ just wants you to live your life here? I mean, think about it. First your mom, and now this¡­?"


    "Hm¡­"


    "What I''m trying to say is¡­ juste back here, Riley. Come back to Earth," Hannah sighed, "Well¡­ I mean, we can''t really go back to Earth, but you know what I mean. I don''t even fucking care if¡ª!!!"


    And before Hannah could finish her words, her eyes widened as she felt her vision suddenly change. It took a second for her mind to register what was happening, and when it did, the only thing she did was reach her hand out to Riley.


    Riley, however, was justpletely still and looking at her even as the entire ship was blown to smithereens. The next thing Hannah saw was a blond young man suddenly flying toward Riley.


    Hannah then quickly covered her mouth.


    ''It is fine, Sister. You can breathe in space.''


    Hannah''s eyes widened as she heard her brother''s voice inside her head. Riley, however, was still just casually floating; surrounded by the debris of their ship. The blonde man who was flying toward him, now just inches away from hitting Riley''s face with his fist.


    His fist never made contact, however, as everything justpletely stopped there and then; the debris scattered everywhere suddenly stopped floating away. Even Hannah found herself suspended.


    "Julius Reuben," Riley whispered out as he started floating toward the blonde young man, who turned out to be Julius, "Or should I say, Alistair Reuben."


    "You¡­" Julius''s eyes quickly turned wide as soon as he heard Riley''s words, "...How do you¡ªno. It doesn''t matter, you''ll die here today."


    "I will," Riley nodded, "But not from you."


    "Don''t kill him!" Riley was about to ce his hand on Julius''s face, but before he could do so, Hannah flew between them and stretched her arms to the side, "Please, Riley ¡ª let''s just go. We''ll¡­ get another ship. I have no fucking idea who this guy is, but I''m sure no one else is going to go after us. And you¡­"


    Hannah then turned to face Julius,


    "I don''t know who the fuck you are, but we''re leaving," Hannah gritted her teeth, "Darkday''s gone, dead. Just tell everyone you killed him ¡ª you won''t see him ever again. I promise¡ª"


    "Fuck your promises, little cunt," Julius did not let Hannah finish her words as he bared his fangs at her; his eyes, slowly but violently starting to glow red, "I''ll fucking gut you and that evil spawn you call a little brother. You¡ªGah!"


    "!!!"


    Hannah winced and slightly floated back as Julius''s glowing eyes suddenly popped out of their sockets before just exploding right in front of her. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Riley then once again floated toward Julius before just throwing him away; his silhouette, almost instantly disappearing into the endless expanse of space.


    "I did not kill him, Sister," Riley then nced at Hannah, "I sent him toward the direction of Theran, I think. I believe they are going to have fun with him, seeing as he is carrying the same DNA as Megawoman in his body."


    "Okay¡­" Hannah sped her head, "...I have no idea what the fuck is going on anymore. The only thing I know is that we need a ship to get us out of here. I''ll¡­ return to Earth and get us another one of Dad''s ships. Just¡­ you stay here or something."


    "I could get us to where you want by using my abilities, Sister."


    "What? Then that''s good, then! We should just¡ª"


    "But is that what you want?" Riley once again looked Hannah in the eyes, "To just leave everything behind ¡ª Mother, Father, your non-existent friends, your favorite TV shows and music ¡ª you will leave everything behind."


    "But I''ll be with you," Hannah returned Riley''s gaze, "And for me, that is the most important¡ª"


    And before Hannah could finish her words, a de suddenly went through her neck.

 Chapter 1047: Chapter 1047: Fatherly Advice

    Chapter 1047: Fatherly Advice


    ?


    The de that went through Hannah''s neck just appeared out of nowhere; slicing across her almost as if she did not exist at all. No resistance, not even the slightest bit. It soon became obvious that this de, however, was not aiming at Hannah at all as it extended straight toward Riley''s head.


    But before it could reach him, however, Riley was already gone... along with Hannah.


    "You truly are one of the most interesting out of the group, Butcher."


    Riley then just appeared a couple of meters away, carrying Hannah in his arms... whose neck waspletely fine. The de went through Hannah''s neck not because Butcher''s ability was to somewhatpletely negate friction, but because the de really only hit an afterimage of Hannah as Riley moved him away.


    This sudden force, of course,pletely knocked Hannah out cold.


    "And to try and slice through Sister just to get to me, truly the most efficient of the group," Riley then turned to look at the bald man floating meters away in front of him; his head, almost like the moon as it reflected the sun amidst the darkness of space. His shiny bald head was not the only thing reflecting the sun, however - he was also wearing an armored suit that had boosters on it, as well as a mask to give him oxygen,


    "But to try and fight me in a disadvantageous battlefield, when you already had no chance against me on the ground is... not something I would expect from you, Butcher," Riley then let go of Hannah before flying to the side, just leaving herpletely still and suspended in space, "You have always been the most calctive out of them, even above Father."


    "I made a vow to end you, Darkday," Butcher then grabbed another de from his waist as he looked Riley in the eyes, "And the only way that will not happen is through my death."


    "As I recall, Sister should have sent Father a message that we would no longer return to Earth, and that there was no need to pursue us," Riley sighed, "That is the end of Darkday, Butcher - your vow wasplete, and it will still beplete if you just go home."


    "Not with Whiteking''s daughter," Butcher nced at Hannah, "You can go, leave her."


    "I would also like to do that," Riley let out a small hum, "But you tried to kill Sister just to get through me, Butcher. I will not leave her with you."


    "I know what you are capable of, Darkday," Butcher looked Riley in the eyes, "The chance of you being capable of saving her was 100%."


    "Thank you for the assessment," Riley bowed his head, "The chance of me saving her will always be 100%, Butcher - no matter what. I will always choose to save Sis-"


    And all of a sudden, Riley halted his words. It was so abrupt that even Butcher was slightly curious as to what he was going to do next. But Riley did nothing at all, he just remainedpletely still.


    "I hesitated..." Riley then whispered, "This trial, it is meant as a lesson for me. If I save Sister, then Rennalyn and Lucifer will cease to exist. And if I save Rennalyn and Lucifer, then Sister will cease to exist. Can I ask you a question, Butcher?"


    "..." Butcher did not answer at all as he just stared at Riley.


    "Which one would you save? The family who has taken care of you for more than 14 years, or the family you have taken care of for 16 years?" Riley returned Butcher''s res, "Your sister, whom you very much love, or your children, who you hold in the same regard."


    "There is no choice there, Darkday."


    "I also have children who will disappear if I do not choose Sister," Riley ced his hand on his chin, "I do not want to choose in the first ce, Butcher - but I need to."


    "If I could only have one, then I would rather have neither," Butcher adjusted his grip on his knives, "Like I would rather not have you existing, Darkday."


    And with those words, the boosters on Butcher''s suit exploded; throwing him toward Riley. "Do you know that your chance of winning against me is 0%, Butcher?"


    "I do."


    "Then, why fight?"


    "Because this is not a logical decision, Darkday," Butcher swung his knife, but Riley just casually redirected it with his finger and let it slide across his arm. Parrying it so casually, it looked like a silk cloth just sliding on him. Butcher, however, did not mind at all as he just continued to swing his des,


    "This is a decision made from my emotions."


    "I did not know you had emotions, Butcher."


    "I do," Butcher swung both of his des at the same time, making Riley float back, "And you deserve all of it."


    "Are you hoping that if I kill you, there is a chance that the others would avenge you and follow me across the expanse of space, Butcher?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "I do not see that happening - you are not avengers. The threat of Darkday is already gone, there is no point in chasing after me."


    "I will not give up, Darkday," Butcher shook his head, "Your death is-"


    "Good bye, Butcher." Riley then grabbed Butcher''s wrist, initially almost not being able to as his hand just slipped away. Riley, however, used his telekinesis to grasp him so he would not be able to escape, "You have a truly interesting ability, you would have been stronger if you were just... stronger."


    Butcher then swung his free hand at Riley; this time, however, his de just disintegrated into pieces along with his free hand. Riley then grabbed the remaining knife from the hand he was holding and stabbed it straight through Butcher''s eye-well, almost.


    "Son!"


    Before he could actually kill Butcher, Whiteking suddenly appeared, and behind him was arge ship.


    "Father," Riley casually said while the blunt knife he was holding was just a centimeter away from stabbing Butcher''s eye, "Long time no see."


    "You... are so careless as ever," Whiteking shook his head before ncing at Butcher, "Let Butcher go, Riley. He won''t follow you, or bother you anymore."


    "That is not for you to decide, Whiteking," Butcher casually said even with the threat of death right in front of him.


    "Maybe it is," Whiteking then turned around in ce as he faced the ship, "In exchange for Darkday''s exile, I would receive the punishment for all of his crimes."


    [That is not going to happen, Whiteking.]


    Empress''s words reverberated from the ship.


    "It is," Whiteking shook his head, "I knew I have always known that my son was Darkday, and I helped hide it. I am... worse than him. If you want to arrest and punish someone, punish the one who enabled Darkday."


    "Interesting..." Riley ced his hand on his chin.


    "Riley, do not say anything more and just leave and please, leave your sister behind."


    "I just find it interesting that this was how things would have turned out if my identity was discovered earlier," Riley shook his head, "In the end, it also led to me traveling through the


    expanse of space."


    "What are you-


    "Perhaps I should have gone to you in the first ce as soon as I realized what scenario I was in, Father," Riley sighed, "After all, you are a father, and you also had to make extremely hard decisions in your life-like when you worked for the government and slept with Empress due


    to all the stress."


    "That''s not "


    "Tell me, Father - since you have been listening in on our conversation from Butcher''s armor..." Riley then finally let go of Butcher''s knife, just letting it float in front of Butcher''s eyes before Butcher once again grabbed it. This time, however, Butcher did not attack Riley and just stared at him, "...What will your answer be to my dilemma?"


    "What...?"


    "Imagine you left Hannah and Mother for Adaeze, and the two of you started a family together," Riley let out a small hum as he looked at the ship behind Whiteking, staring at one of the cameras and almost looking Empress straight in the eyes, "And in this scenario, you still very much love Sister. But you have to choose between the two, and if you do not choose, both will be gone from your lives - which do you think you will choose?"


    "Your mother and sister, that is not even a question," Whiteking answered without any


    hesitation, causing Empress''s head to slightly lower.


    "I should have expected that answer," Riley sighed, "After all, you did kill your best friend for


    discovering my identity."


    "What...?"


    "Well, not yet - or should I say, you won''t in this reality. It gets quite confusing, really."


    "You have been talking nothing but nonsense, Riley. You are confused."


    "But am I?" Riley smiled, "You are intelligent enough to know that I am not, Father. You


    know what ...I need your advice, Father."


    perhaps now that I have you...

 Chapter 1048: Chapter 1048: The Key

    Chapter 1048: The Key


    ?


    They listened to Riley. Butcher listened to Riley, Whiteking listened to Riley, everyone inside the Hope Guild''s ship listened to Riley.


    After all, what other choice did they have?


    Even before, they already had no chance against him - how could they even hope to touch even a single strand of his hair now that Riley was capable of erasing universes? None of them knew that, of course. Riley was telling them as part of his story, but they couldn''t actually just believe him outright.


    "Wait - wait, no..."


    And perhaps out of all of them, there was someone who truly refused to believe Riley''s words.


    V.


    "What do you mean I turned into a junkie? I don''t even smoke! I''m 16!" The youngest member of the Hope Guild, V, "And what do you mean I was sent to prison for killing millions of people!?"


    "That is unimportant to my story, Miss Victoria."


    "What the-why are you calling me by my name!? What the fuck is this!? Is this some sort of prank, guys?!" V, who was still inside her mecha was starting to leak dangerous amounts of electricity from her body, causing Bulwark to approach her and try to calm her down, "Was this your idea!?"


    "No one is pranking you, child," Bulwark whispered before ncing at Riley, "And do you truly expect any of us to believe you? You know that I am married to Prophet, but you could have gained that information from your father - which we should also truly be arresting."


    "We should hear him out first," Empress said as she stood close to Bernard, "He''s a father, Bulwark. He believed he had to do what he had to do."


    "That''s bullshit," Vraised her voice, "We don''t know how deep Whiteking is in all of this - maybe he is the mastermind in all of this and he raised that... that good-looking albino to be a murdering psychopath! You all said it yourself before we got here, you held him in your arms and he was a normal baby - he was brought up like that by him!"


    "Children often develop lifelong trauma after..."


    "Uh... guys? Can all of you like shut the fuck up first?" And as the Hope Guild started to discuss by themselves. Hera, who had been staring at Riley the entire time finally spoke up and stood up from her seat,


    "I don''t think any of you are seeing the case here - the dude literally just said that he needs to kill all of us. And I am just gonna say it since no one else would, but he could do that if he wants to...


    ...I can feel it through my bones. He can kill all of us with the snap of his fingers and we wouldn''t even know we were dead."


    "My son is not killing anyone," Bernard got in between all of the members of the Hope Guild, "He had already promised to go away and nevere back. My son never breaks a promise I think the important factor here is that this is done. The threat of Darkday is gone, my son will leave the. And if you want to have someone paying the price for his crimes...


    ...then just tell them it''s me. That I''m Darkday."


    "None of you know the most important thing here."


    And finally, Riley spoke up again, causing everyone to just shut their mouths and listen.


    "I have already told you my dilemma, Father," Riley sighed, "Whether or not you believe it, doesn''t really matter. I am only asking for your opinion. Which would you choose? I talked to Alice, and she told me that if I had to choose between the two, then I need to make a third option and choose both of them in exchange for my life - but as I have told everyone here, that is not possible since I can''t die...


    ....I just need to hear your answer, and I will disappear from this reality forever."


    "I..." Bernard opened his mouth, but no words could reallye out of it. There were only whispers of a breath, but nothing more. It wasn''t until he looked at Hannah, who was stillpletely unconscious and just lying on a table, that he was able to face Riley, "...The easiest and only answer should be your sister."


    "T-"


    "...Is what I should say," Bernard took in a deep breath, "But from the scenario you gave me - choosing one family over the next. A family that I love equally... then the only answer I could really give you is...


    ...I don''t know."


    "That is not very helpful, Father."


    "It shouldn''t," Bernard shook his head, "But you can be sure about one thing, Riley - I will not stop finding a way where both will live."


    "That is still not very helpful, Father," Riley shook his head, "I have already resolved myself to do just that."


    "That-"


    "Is enough," Riley then let out a very long and deep sigh before he casually approached Hannah; brushing his hand along her hair before just taking a step back and shaking his head, "I know this ck Tower will connect me to Paige Pearson, but I truly can not proceed with this trial if it meant killing Sister - I suppose this is goodbye, everyone." "Riley...?" Bernard squinted his eyes, "You... are not going to kill yourself, are you?"


    "I will," Riley shrugged, "You do not have to be so dramatic, Father. This is not the first time I will be dying, or killing myself for that matter. I can not die, and hopefully, I would actually be sent back outside the ck Tower instead of just reviving here and being forced to actuallyplete all of the trials. But then again, I would just have to wait for Sister to grow old and perish, and then I can proceed with the trial. Hm... interesting."


    "Wait, Riley. Wait!" Bernard reached out his palms to Riley, "You don''t have to kill yourself, you can just fly away, like you initially nned. Just... fly away."


    "I would have, but I do not belong here, Father," Riley shook his head, "This is not my reality.


    So..."


    And as Riley raised his finger and pointed it to his head, Bernard gritted his teeth and quickly rushed toward Riley. V, however, quickly blocked his path.


    "Are you really stopping Darkday from killing himself!? I won''t-"


    Before V could finish her words, however, Bernard pressed something on her mecha suit whichpletely shut her armor down except for the function limiting her powers, just


    leaving herpletely frozen.


    "What the-Bernard!? Release this, now!"


    Bernard was about to move away from V, but Bulwark and Butcher also blocked his path.


    "Take another step, Whiteking, and I will not hesitate to slice your neck." "Listen to reason, Bernard," Bulwark whispered, "This is the only way we can truly get rid of Darkday."


    "He is my son!" Bernard roared as he tried to force his way out, but could not do so. The only thing he could do was look at Empress, "You... understand, don''t you? You understand."


    "I... understand the pain of losing a child," Empress closed her eyes before walking toward him, "But Riley is evil, Bernard. He can''t be stopped."


    "W-"


    And before Bernard could say anything else, Empress punched him right in the jaw,


    completely knocking him out.


    "Thank you, Empress."


    "Shut up, I didn''t do that for you," Empress''s tears trailed from her eyes, "I did that for him. No parent deserves to see their child die, even if that child is you."


    "Thank you, Empress," Riley still repeated his words, "And you did not fail, Empress - no one could have stopped Alice when she went insane and killed me. Everyone, good-"


    "Wait, wait!"


    "What... are you doing, Hera?"


    Riley was about to kill himself, but Hera suddenly raised her voice; her almost wheezing breaths, whistling throughout the ship. Empress could really only raise an eyebrow as she watched as Hera very slowly walked toward Riley with both of her palms raised; beads of


    sweat, showering her face.


    "Don''t... don''t do it, Riley Ross," Hera gulped as she stared at Riley, "Don''t kill yourself,


    please..."


    "Hera...?" Empress approached Hera, but Herapletely ignored her, "What are you


    doing?"


    "I feel it, I can feel it..." Hera took in arge gulp as she looked Riley in the eyes, "If... if you kill yourself... everything... everything will disappear."


    "Oh..." Riley blinked a couple of times, "...I suppose that makes sense - this reality only exists in the ck Tower''s trial. Without me, then it won''t exist."


    "Don''t-"


    "But I suppose that ispletely different from killing everyone, since you would cease to exist like you did not exist in the first ce. You do not have to worry, you will exist again like nothing happened once I decide to take the trial again," Riley shrugged, "Pavoom."


    "W-"


    And before Hera could finish her words, Riley once again found himself staring at the walls of the ck Tower. He then quickly looked up, just to see a single ring of light surrounding the


    ck Tower.


    None of the people watching him underestimated him, however - not after what they saw during his trial, and what he was capable of. No.


    Some of them were not even looking at the ring, or at Riley, or the ck Tower for that


    matter.


    They were looking at the person who was now suddenly standing behind Riley.


    "Oh...?" Riley also turned his head toward the person they were looking at. And once again, he


    experienced a moment where he was legitimately surprised.


    "Where... where am I?"


    "Interesting," Riley tilted his head to the side, "This must be more confusing to you than it is


    to me...


    ...Miss Hera."

 Chapter 1049: Chapter 1049: The Puzzle

    Chapter 1049: The Puzzle


    ?


    It happened instantly. There was no fading, not even any hint or warning, it just happened instantly.


    She felt it through her bones, she felt it through her mind, and she felt it through her stomach. As soon as Riley pointed his finger at the side of his head, Hera just knew that she would disappear and cease to exist, all of them will.


    They won''t die, they would just not... exist. Almost as if they were a dream, or would wake up from a dream and never truly remember anything.


    But then, as soon as Riley killed himself, Hera found herself in a different ce.


    "Wee to reality, Miss Hera."


    "...What?" Suffice it to say, Hera waspletely confused as to what was happening, but she was not as nervous as she was before as she knew that oddly enough, she was safe. The only thing she could really do was look around, only to see several people looking at her-no. There were... other people there too,


    "...Is that a fucking alien?"


    "Very interesting, Miss Hera," Rileypletely disregarded Hera''s confusion, however, as he started walking around her and looking at her from head to toe, "Paige''s abilities have grown stronger to the point that anyone could actually interact with it, which makes her a literal god in all the sense and definition...


    ...and yet you were still able to bypass that and actually bring yourself to reality."


    "What...?" Hera repeated her words like a parrot, "Okay... I might actually have to believe you now, Riley Ross. So...


    ...tell me what the fuck is all this about."


    ***


    "...What?"


    And even as Riley exined everything to her, Hera still repeated the same words she had been saying since the start. This time, however, her eyes were freakishly wide as she looked at the world around her.


    She and Riley were now inside arge tent beside the ck Tower, prepared by Elizabeth and the other members of Riley''s religion. Although Riley did not get far at all with the trials of the ck Tower, everyone who watched his trials knew he could have easily gone through several more levels, or perhaps even cleared them in one go - he just didn''t for some reason since he was protecting Hannah.


    Of course, it was still unclear for all of them since they couldn''t really hear what they were talking about inside the trial, but it was clear that Riley had no intent of killing everyone at all.


    "So, you''re saying is that this is not our universe, but outside the universe... and that there used to be lots of universes but a war happened and now only a single one remains... except the ones who are in the remaining universe are just created by this woman called Paige?" "Yes. As expected of you, Miss Hera."


    And while Hera was staring at the strange and unfamiliar world in front of her, Riley was looking at her back, nodding his head in approval at how fast Hera was adjusting to her new arrangement,


    "Holy shit..." Hera then nced back at Riley before shaking her head, "...So, you''re saying there are others right now like me out there?"


    "Yes," Riley shrugged, "There is the original one, not really original since all of you are in a sense - except for you, I suppose. It is slightly confusing now since I do not know where to categorize you, Miss Hera. You are not a variant of the Hera I know, but you lived the same life. You are not a clone too - perhaps I can say you are a copy, but do you feel like a copy?" "No..."


    "Interesting," Riley ced his hand on his chin, "You have a lot of variants that are still alive, Miss Hera in fact, I do believe that none of your variants are dead yet even though the multiverse is dead. In fact...


    ...I do also believe that these people owe you their lives. The only reason all of them are still alive here in the Outerverse is because all of the Hera, directly and indirectly, saved them from the war."


    Hera then turned to look at the people who had been staring at them since earlier - and true enough, all of them smiled as soon as they met with Hera''s eyes.


    "This is crazy..." Hera sped her head, "...I need time to adjust."


    "Okay," Riley nodded as he stood up. He then stayed quiet for a few seconds before once again looking at Hera, "Have you adjusted now?"


    "Yes I mean, no!" Hera raised her voice at Riley, "I mean-I, as a woman and a human being, need time and space, okay?"


    "Okay," Riley shrugged, "Just talk to me if you need help."


    "Dude, you''re literally Darkday. Why would I ask you for help?" Hera groaned.


    "The fact that I am evil does not minimize my capacity to help, Miss Hera," Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "Just... stop, I need a pause. Okay? We-"


    "...Hera? Aunt Hera...?"


    Hera was about to step away for some air when Karina and Ang finally came back from wherever they came from. Hera stared at Karina for a few seconds before ncing back to Riley, doing so a couple of times before she started shaking her head.


    "And now there''s two of you...?" This was perhaps the first time in her life that her confusion was overpowering her ability to adjust to her situation, "And did you just call me Aunt-no way, you''re his daughter."


    "You... are a variant?" Karina let out a sigh of disappointment as she heard Hera''s words.


    "No. She is the Hera that I know, Karina."


    "Then-"


    "But not the Hera you know."


    "Okay, now I''m just confused."


    And once again, Hera found herself sitting inside the tent. This time along with Ang and Karina as Riley exined her situation to the two.


    "That''s fucking crazy." ¡ª was Karina''s first response to Hera''s existence, "I knew your ability was literally insane, but to even escape Paige''s power and be your own thing? That''s like over the top. My god... did you and Tempo already have a thing back then?" "Tempo..." Hera could really only lower her head as Riley killed the Tempo she knew - well, not killed since they did not really exist at all anymore, "...Wait, did you say Tempo and I have


    a thing?"


    "Oh, so you weren''t always together when you were in the Hope Guild?" Karina raised her eyebrows in surprise, "The two of you were married, but you divorced him before going into an adventure with Dad through space."


    "I... went with Riley to go to space?" Hera then nced at Riley, "Wait, don''t tell me we were


    together?"


    "No," Riley shook his head, "But I do believe you considered sleeping with me a couple of times, Miss Hera."


    "That''s not true at all," Hera pointed at Riley, "Wait... so where are my... where are the other


    Heras?"


    "Talia was with us, but she''s with another party also trying to figure things out," Karina


    sighed.


    "Talia?"


    "Yes - a version of you who used to be a child for a very long time before she grew older when time moved for everyone again about 16 years ago."


    "What the fuck," Hera could really only stare at the table at this point, "I don''t believe this... it''s like I''m just suddenly waking up from a simtion only to know that the real world is even more fucked up than I think it is."


    "That is-"


    "Wait."


    And before the confusing conversation could go on any further, Ang, who had been keeping quiet the entire time and just letting everyone process things, finally spoke up as she seemed to be staring at Hera.


    "...Okay, that''s creepy," Hera could not help but slightly lean away as she saw Ang''s sewn eyes, "And... wait, aren''t you one of the Pope''s bitches?"


    "Please do not say that word." Everyone could see Ang was rolling her eyes despite having


    her eyes permanently shut, "And, Darkday - we might have just found the first piece of the


    puzzle."


    "Were we doing a puzzle?" Riley seemed visibly confused for the first time during the


    conversation.


    "No, Dad. It''s a metaphor - seriously, I thought your awareness has improved already?" Karina groaned as she scolded her father, "I really don''t see what Mom saw in you, like


    seriously."


    "Katherine was into people younger than her, I suppose."


    "Agh!" Karina covered her eyes, "Please never say that again."


    "Can you father and daughter duo be normal for a minute?" Ang intruded in the conversation, lightly mming the table in frustration, "It''s either extremely serious between you two, or just downright ridiculous- just be normal for once and listen to me,


    okay?"


    "What are you talking about? I''m normal," Karina raised an eyebrow. She was going to say something else, but Ang shushed her.


    "Hera," Ang then pointed at Hera, once again causing her to lean away, "She and her variants brought us here and now, a literal manifestation of her from Paige''s abilities is right here in front of us, surviving literal... deletion. If Hera could somehow bring all of us


    here along with her...


    ...Could it be possible that the people that Paige created in the remaining universe could do the same with her help?"

 Chapter 1050: Chapter 1050: The Impending Chaos Before the Impending Yeah

    Chapter 1050: The Impending Chaos Before the Impending Yeah


    ?


    "It''s not working."


    "...Figures."


    There were still a lot of people trying their hands at the trials of the ck Tower. In fact, there were a lot more now that the news of it broke through the entire city. And of course, as the first official member and official Cardinal of the Religion of Riley Ross, or as they were calling it now, RRR, Cardinal Elizabeth took this chance to poach-no, to recruit people from other sects to join them.


    As for the Hera who found herself suddenly being thrown into the real reality, she was trying to attempt the trial to see what it would do to her. She did not really have any reservations about putting her arm inside since her body wasn''t really reacting to it negatively... and she quickly realized the reason why;


    It was doing nothing.


    Hera could really only let out a long and very winded sigh as she removed her arm from the hole.


    "I... can''t imagine what you''re feeling right now, Hera," Karina partnered Hera''s sigh as she ced her hand on her shoulder tofort her, "I''m sorry this is happening to you."


    "You could, actually," Hera just let out another sigh as she smiled at Karina, not really being apprehensive of her at all, not even a single bit, "You just realized the world you have been living in for 600 years was... well, not the reality you know."


    "Except... the reality I know still actually exists out there-or in there. The logistics of things could be confusing now since we''re in a ce that''s outside the multiverse. It''s... I don''t honestly even want to think about it anymore since it makes no difference," Karina then gestured to Hera to follow her back to the tent, "I feel like it doesn''t matter, you know? Multiverse, outerverse, or whatever verse there is. It all just feels mundane to me now."


    "I''d bet," Hera let out a small scoff as she saw Riley just casually sitting inside the tent, "I''d ask if you don''t find all of this confusing, but you''re already used to meeting different versions of different people. The Hera that you know... what is she like? Aside from divorcing Tempo."


    "We... weren''t really that close."


    "But it sounds like you know her a lot."


    "Living for more than a hundred years together would do that," Karina chuckled.


    "I still find that crazy - you guys spent more than 600 years without again... while a war between god-like beings was happening?" Hera shook her head, "And what was once more than hundreds of trillions of people, there''s less than 20 billion now... and that''s counting all of the races?"


    "Yes," Karina closed her eyes.


    "I could see why Darkday''s crimes would be irrelevant," Hera blinked a couple of times. "But don''t make a mistake, Hera..." Karina also stared at her father, "...Dad is still the most dangerous entity out there."


    "Really?" Hera raised an eyebrow, "Because if you ask me, this Paige woman is the most dangerous. Kill her when you have the chance."


    "...My siblings would disappear," Karina shook her head, "I want to find a solution to this problem as much as Dad. If there''s a way for the two realities to live, I''d want that - it''s the only way. My god... Renna and Lucy are still so young."


    "Well, then, I guess we better find out how to make that work," Hera then stretched her arms to the side, "The Pope''s groupie told me I and the other Heras could be the key to solving all of this problem, so... I''m more than happy to help."


    "That''s good and all, but... we have no idea how to proceed with this," Karina then let out a loud groan as she just fell on the chair beside Riley, "Do they just stick to you and then they''ll be safe after Paige deletes the universe she created?"


    "You would need to ask the other Heras for that," Hera shrugged before ncing-no, outright staring at Riley, who was truly just keeping quiet and not doing anything at all, "You know, if you weren''t a murdering psychopath that caused all of this, you could have been some sort of model in another life."


    "I was, Miss Hera," Riley answered without any hesitation, "You actually put me in severalmercials and even gave me a role in a movie."


    "For real?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "But I do believe it never aired because certain mishaps happened. I do not really remember much about that except the part where I could not meet the other voice actors of Italian Mafia Reborn, which you promised."


    "Huh..." Hera just looked at Riley before once again shrugging, "...Anyway, where''d the Pope''s groupie go?"


    "She told me she would be searching for a Hera, Miss Hera," Riley answered, "She told me one visited the city not long ago and she might still be here, or if not, just within the area and could be easily found."


    "Oh..." Hera took in a small gulp, "...I didn''t think I might be meeting myself anytime soon. How weird would that be? Are all of them actors like me?"


    "I do believe so, Miss Hera," Riley nodded, "With a beautiful face like yours, life is obviously easier."


    "...What the hell does that mean?" Hera raised an eyebrow.


    "Yeah, Dad. What the fuck does that mean?" Karina rolled her eyes.


    "It means you are beautiful, Miss Hera," Riley answered without any hesitation, "I have said that to Hera as well - objectively, in human perception, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."


    "Oh god..." Karina covered her ears, "...Ack, is this what Mom fell in love with?"


    "You know..." Hera then subtly pointed back and forth between Karina and Riley,pletely trying her best to change the topic and feign indifference at Riley''s words. Her face, however, was clearly turning red, "...I''ve actually been meaning to ask this and I think we''re in the right casual mood to ask. Who''s your mother?"


    "Katherine?" Karina slightly winced, "You might know her as Scarlet Mage?"


    "Scarlet Mage!?" Hera''s subtle pointing became aggressive as she looked at Riley, "Isn''t she like my age!?"


    "She was, yeah," Karina didn''t really know how to react.


    "Huh... did you know we were considering her for the Hope Guild?" Hera ced her hand on her chin, "Bulwark was retiring so we were trying to find a recement and... what the fuck." "Wait, Mom was going to be a part of Hope Guild?" Karina slightly raised her voice, "Wow, you really did destroy Mom''s future, Dad."


    "I do believe she was the first one who came on to me, Karina," Riley let out a small sigh while shaking his head, "We were in the parking lot of Mega Academy when she suddenly-" "No! I do not want to hear any of that!" Karina once again covered her ears, "And can we please talk about saving all of reality instead of talking about our personal lives!?" "Speaking of our personal life, you still have not told me about that woman we all saw in your trial, Karina."


    "That''s none of your business," Karina waved her hand, "And why are you not out there also trying to search for variants of Hera?"


    "I might get lost, Karina," Riley shook his head, "And it is better for me to be here just in case something happens with the ck Tower."


    "Are... you really not going to proceed with the trial?" Hera asked.


    "I will again soon," Riley shook his head, "I see merit in Ang''s theory, and the best way to somewhat test it is to revisit the trial. And if I did, there might be a chance that you will also


    be brought back to that reality, Miss Hera."


    "We won''t know until you try," Hera sighed.


    "And if you are returned there, then it would make it a lot easier for me," Riley nodded, "I


    will once again kill myself. As for you, Miss Hera-"


    "You want me to try and bring someone else with me?" Hera quickly caught on to what Riley


    was trying to achieve.


    "Yes."


    "Well, that should be a lot of fun," Hera started stretching her arms, "When do we go again?" "Let us wait a few more hours for Ang, Miss Hera. And then we''ll-"


    "Karina...?"


    And before Riley could finish telling his n, an extremely familiar voice entered the tent along with their steps. Not only Karina, but even Riley turned to look at who it was. "You..." Karina''s eyes widened to their biggest as she looked at the person who entered the


    tent. She then turned to look at Riley with the same eyes before once again focusing on the


    woman,


    "...Katrina? Aunt Kat?"


    "Yes!" Katrina then just rushed toward Karina, even using her wind abilities to leap and


    embrace her, "I... I never thought I would see you again! And... wait...


    ...is this Riley? Riley Ross?"


    Katrina Collins - the original one.

 Chapter 1051: Chapter 1051: Guest

    Chapter 1051: Guest


    ?


    "It''s really you!"


    "Are... are you the Katrina I know...? Aunt Kat...? The... the real one?"


    "Yes... it''s me. It''s me."


    Even though Katrina already confirmed it, Karina was still inplete disbelief. She had already met the Katrina who was in the remaining universe, and their meeting was quite awkward.


    Karina was disappointed then, but it had already been hundreds of years after theirst meeting, so Karina just chalked it up to them just losing touch with one another - and now that she was meeting the original one, the touching reunion she had hoped for was finallying.


    She had always been close with Katrina, not only were their names simr to each other, but Katrina just had this energy around her that was easy to approach.


    "How... how long has it been since west met?" Karina asked with her fettered breaths.


    "I... don''t know, 200-300 years...?" Katrina chuckled, "I''ve missed you. And that... is he really Riley Ross?"


    "Yes..." Karina awkwardly looked back and forth between the two, not knowing whether she should tell the fact that... a copy of her has a family with Riley, "... And you should probably talk to him about something."


    "...About what?" Katrina could really only squint her eyes as she looked Karina in the eyes, "Is there something I need to know?"


    "It''s not for me to say," Karina once again winced as her words started to be stretched. Soon, however, she let out a short but very deep sigh, "Okay, I know it''s not my position to tell, but I just can''t help it - Dad has a child with you, Kat."


    "I..." Katrina stared at Karina for a couple of seconds; her eyes very slowly squinting, "...I think I would remember if something like that happened."


    "I mean-"


    "Paige Pearson has created a perfect reality in the remaining universe in which you are included, Katrina." And before Karina could divulge the information, Riley stepped in without any hesitation and just told Katrina, "And in that reality, you and I happen to have sexual intercourse."


    "W... what?" Katrina covered her extremely humongous breasts for some reason, "What... do you mean? You slept with a variant of mine?"


    "It is not really a variant, per se...?" Karina winced, "It''s like another version of you, a copy of some sorts, but not really since they have their own reality? Basically she is you in all senses of the word, but at some point your memory split up...? Basically Paige created it. I think that''s the best way I can fucking exin it."


    "Wait, hold up... hold up..." Katrina stared at Riley, "And you''re saying that... we have a child?"


    "His name is Lucifer, Katrina," Riley then nodded before grabbing a phone from one of his trusty pockets, "This is him."


    Katrina hesitated to grab Riley''s phone at first, but just took in a small gulp before quickly snatching the phone from him and looking at the photo.


    "Lucifer..." Katrina whispered as she stared at the phone, "Wait... which one is he...? These are both girls. Are they... twins?"


    "Lucifer likes to dress in women''s clothing to irritate his sister, Katrina."


    "I''m still weirded out by that," Karina breathed out, "And mind you, he''s not gay at all."


    "Then... who''s this beside him?" Katrina seemed visibly confused to the point she found herself sitting down on the chair subconsciously. And as she stared at the photo and even started swiping to see the other photos, Riley started telling him about the family.


    As for Hera who was just quietly listening to the side, she could not help but think of how ridiculous the scenario was. It was almost as if she was actually inside and participating in the drama of the century - even the mostical story wouldn''t go this far, and yet it was happening right in front of her.


    And as soon as Riley was done with his story, Katrina''s face was already filled with tears; her cheeks, incredibly red from the rush of emotions she was still keeping in.


    "Why..." Katrina whispered; her voice, extremely meek and quiet as a feather.


    "I... don''t really know what you''re feeling right now..." Karina started offering words offort, "...but remember, that''s not really you. Your actions are¡ª"


    "Then... why isn''t it me?"


    "Excuse me?"


    "Why isn''t it me...?" Katrina then nced at Karina, "A family. I''ve... I''ve always wanted to have children and... I''ve always liked Riley."


    "What?" Karina could not help but raise an eyebrow. Of course, she thought - the Katrina on the only Remaining Universe is practically the Karina that was in front of her right now, and that Katrina was madly in love with Riley. She should have actually expected this.


    "I don''t... I don''t feel good for some reason," Katrina ced her hand on her chest; her hand, almost buried in her breasts as she did so, "Like... like someone else stole Riley from me."


    "Uh..." Karina then turned to look at Hera, and Ang, who arrived after unsessfully finding another Hera. Karina looked as if she was almost asking for advice on what to do. Hera and Ang, however, just quickly looked away as soon as they noticed Karina looking at them. "Riley, I like you. I always have," Katrina then suddenly just confessed to Riley there and then, "I-I need some time to process this. Karina, can you-can you tell me more about this


    other reality?"


    "Uh, sure...?" Karina then just gestured to Katrina to follow her to the other table inside the tent, leaving Riley alone at the table. He wasn''t alone for long, however, as Ang and Hera quickly joined him.


    "That''s fucked up, dude," Hera said, "I know I''m just new here, but your life is an entire movie in and of itself. That''s crazy."


    "I know, Miss Hera," Riley just nodded, "It has always been like that."


    "That I can agree on," Ang nodded, "If it''s not crazy, then it''s not your life. I still remember what happened back then, when the cult who operated under your name terrorized


    the country. That was... wow, that was several lifetimes ago."


    "...Just what sort of things have you guys been through?" Heramented.


    "You''re very lucky, Miss Hera," Ang let out a small hum, "You''ve lived in a much simpler


    time."


    "...Megawoman died and we just got our asses handed down by this guy," Hera pointed at Riley with her thumb, "I wouldn''t say it was simple. But... then again,pared to this... fuck, you''re right. Anyway, speaking of simpler times..."


    "Hm," Riley nodded his head as Hera looked at him. He then stood up, only ncing at Katrina for a few seconds before walking back to the ck Tower - and once again, the


    people who were there stopped whatever they were doing as they saw Riley cing his arm through one of the holes.


    "He''s going already?" Karina nced at her father before looking at Hera, "You-"


    And before she could say anything to Hera, Hera just suddenly disappeared.


    "This..." Katrina then also quickly stood up as she stepped out of the tent and looked at the images being projected on the ck Tower, "...That''s the trial? I''ve... only heard of it earlier."


    ***


    "Hm... here?"


    Riley found himself blinking a couple of times as he found himself inside a dark room - his room. In truth, he was expecting to be thrown back to before he killed himself in front of the Hope Guild, but to think he was back to the first scenario of his 2nd Trial.


    And to confirm it, a loud and extremely obnoxious voice barged into his room without


    permission.


    "nkface! I swear, did you fucking wear my jacket again!? Where are you hiding it!?


    Where!?"


    "I... have never worn any of your jackets before, Sister."


    Hannah barged into his room, saying the exact same thing she said during the first run of the


    trial.


    "Shut the fuck up. And what the fuck? It smells like shit in here. Why does your room look so clean and smell so bad at the same time, bro? What kind of albino rituals are you doing here?" "There is a weird smell, perhaps it is from you?" And Riley also repeated his words.


    "Do you want to die, is that it...? And go out for a sec, I''ll clean your room for you and find that fucking atrocious smell. Go watch TV with Mom or something, I heard Dad''s supposed to be


    on TV in a few hours...


    ...And what the-why can''t I open your closet?"


    This time, however, Riley made sure that Hannah would not be able to open his closet.


    "What the fuck... you really wore my jacket, didn''t you!?" Hannah tried forcing the closet open, even using her legs as leverage, "Open this, open this now!"


    "I did not wear your jacket, Sister," Riley stood up from the bed and let out a small sigh, "But if it is missing, then would you just like me to buy a new one for you?" "You...?" And as soon as Hannah said that, she quickly let go of the closet and looked at Riley, "I want the most expensive one."


    "Of course, Sister," Riley nodded as he walked out of the room, "We can go now if you want."


    "R... really?" Hannah took in a small gulp as she tried her best to hide the smile crawling on her face, "You. You are going to buy me a gift?"


    "Why are you so surprised, Sister?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "Have I never bought you


    a gift before?"


    "Not that I can remember," Hannah then just let her smile escape as she practically leaped toward Riley and ced her arm over his shoulder, "What are you gonna buy me, then?


    Should we eat somewhere? How about-"


    "Riley! You have a guest!"


    And before Hannah could even finish her words, the sound of Diana''s voice echoed throughout the entire house as she practically screamed from her lungs.


    "What the..." Hannah squinted her eyes for a few seconds, "...You have a guest? What the-


    even I have never brought a guest here! Who is it!?"


    "It is probably Miss Hera, Sister."


    "Haha," Hannah quickly mocked Riley, "Why would Hera even visit-"


    "It''s Hera!"


    "Okay, what the fuck."

 Chapter 1052: Chapter 1052: The Plan

    Chapter 1052: The n


    ?


    "So, what you are saying... is that you''re trying to get my brother into showbiz?"


    "Yes."


    "Huh..."


    A consistent tapping noise currently filled the Ross'' residence; well, the Trials'' Ross'' residence, that is. Although there was no longer any more reason for Hera not to believe that her world was actually just a copy of some god-like being called Paige Pearson, she was still having a hard time processing things; which is usuallypletely foreign to her.


    Everything about this world looked real-no. As Riley exined to her, it is real. This wasn''t just some illusion, or a dream, or a copy; they just started calling it that since it was more convenient to do so. But in truth, it was a whole other reality altogether.


    She also initially thought she and Riley would be sent back to when he killed himself, but ording to the information she got from Riley, this was the start of the trial.


    It was crazy. Just a day ago, she was getting ready for Megawoman''s memorial, and now she was here. If it wasn''t for her ability to adapt to anything, and of course, her outrageous acting ability, she would probably be fumbling right about now since she knew things others shouldn''t.


    ...Like for the fact that she was actually sitting with a themarian who was stronger than Megawoman.


    "Hm...? Is there something on my face?"


    "No, it''s just... you seem to be getting more beautiful, Mrs. Ross," Hera smiled as she did not realize she was actually staring at Diana.


    "Oh my," Diana let out a small giggle as she touched her cheeks, "You''re not trying to also recruit me, right? I told you, sweetie, that toner is doing wonders."


    "Mom, she''s not trying to recruit you," Hannah, who was sitting extremely close to Riley to the point their thighs were sticking to each other, squinted her eyes as she looked at Hera, "When... Did you even meet my brother?"


    "Through photos and videos your father is sharing with us," Hera said without any hesitation.


    "Father... is sharing our photos?" Hannah raised an eyebrow, "Dad, who is very careful not to leak his identity to the public?"


    "Come on, sweetie," Diana let out a short but very deep sigh, "It''s not like you don''t know what your dad is like."


    "Ugh," Hannah rolled her eyes before shaking her head, "Anyway I''m a fan of yours, Hera... but I don''t think Riley''s a good fit with whatever you want him to do. I''ve seen documentaries of what your industry is like, it''s even more aggressive than war!"


    "Well, I can take care of him personally," Hera smiled.


    "Hm..." Hannah then started looking at Hera from head to toe, "...You''re not some sort of pedophile, are you?"


    "Hannah!" Diana raised her voice as she red at her daughter, "Don''t be rude to our guest. I''m really sorry about that, Hera."


    "No," Hera let out a small chuckle as she raised both her palms, "I actually find it so sweet that she''s protective of her brother."


    "Of course, I am!" Hannah crossed her arms, "This guy can''t even open a jar to save his life. But... what do you think, nkface? Do you want to try modeling or something?"


    "It could be fun, Sister," Riley shrugged, "But can I perhaps talk with Miss Hera alone for now?"


    "Wh-" Both Hannah and Diana were slightly taken aback by Riley''s words.


    "Oh no..." Diana quickly wiped the tears suddenly shedding from her eyes, "...He''s growing too fast. Sweetie, let''s leave the two of them alone for now."


    "M...Mom, you can''t seriously be-"


    "There is no need to leave, Mother," Riley stood up from the sofa while shaking his head, "Miss Hera and I will talk somewhere else. Perhaps she could tour me in her world."


    "Wait, Riley. Are you serious!?" Hannah grabbed Riley''s arm, "That world will eat you alive, you can''t even go out without wearing sunscreen!"


    "Oh, you don''t have to worry about that," Hera joined in on the conversation as she grabbed something from her purse - arge umbre.


    "You... have an umbre? It''s not even raining," Hannah raised an eyebrow as she looked at the window.


    "Well, I need to keep my skin fresh," Hera just shrugged, "It was truly nice meeting you, Ms. and Mrs. Ross I promise, I''ll keep your son safe."


    "Wh-"


    "Now, now..." Hannah was about to follow them and say something else, but before she could do so, Diana grabbed her by the cor and pulled her away, "...Let''s not intrude on them and get in the way of your brother''s opportunities."


    "But Mom-"


    "Shut up," Diana then whispered in Hannah''s ears; her voice, no longer containing its sweet tone, "If your brother bes famous, that means we can expect free tickets and even meeting more celebrities. And also... he''ll be rich."


    "Mom... we''re one of the richest families in the world," Hannah raised an eyebrow.


    "Yeah," Diana very lightly pinched Hannah''s waist, causing her to move away, "But we can''t spend any of it since we can''t risk people finding out Dad is a superhero. Got it? I thought you wanted to drive a sports car or something? Just onemercial, you could start doing that."


    "That..." Hannah then nced at Riley before a small smile started to crawl on her face, "...Dude."


    "Hm?"


    "You better not fuck this up," Hannah then finally gave a thumbs up... before suddenly ring at Hera, "You better take care of my brother, or I sweat I''m gonna go online and scatter news that you like children."


    "Sweetie, the age of consent in-"


    "Mom, shut up!"


    And finally, after convincing the women of the Ross family, Hera was able to get Riley out of the house as the two quickly drove away into the city where they could speak without the chance of Diana listening to them specifically as seeing her earlier, she might just be the


    kind of mother who would do that.


    "Is... she really a themarian?"


    "Yes,"


    The two were now inside a coffee shop, with Hera almostpletely covering her face with


    her sunsses and a hat.


    "That... is insane," Hera unconsciously bit on her straw as she looked at Riley, "So... what do we do now?"


    "I do not know, Miss Hera," Riley shook his head, "I thought you had a n since you approached me first."


    "Of course, I don''t have a n!" Hera slightly raised her voice as she leaned closer to Riley. But seeing as they looked more suspicious doing that, she just opted to change seats and sit beside Riley, "I don''t even know what''s happening right now."


    "But we already exined it to you, Miss Hera."


    "And you think that''s enough...?" Hera sighed and grumbled. But after a few seconds, she


    looked at Riley and once again leaned closer to him,


    "... What if we look for this Paige Pearson person here?"


    "Hm...?" Riley also looked at her as she said that.


    "You said she was able to fully recreate the entire world, right?" Hera whispered, "So, what


    if...


    ...she also recreated herself?"


    "You said you did not have a n, Miss Hera," Riley breathed out, "I believe that is our next


    step, and-"


    "Oh my god, is that Hera!?"


    And before Riley and Hera could even proceed to do anything else, a bright sh drowned the


    two of them.


    "What the..." Hera quickly covered her face, but it was already toote as she was snapped... leaning ever so close to a minor.

 Chapter 1053: Chapter 1053: Mission

    Chapter 1053: Mission


    ?


    "Hera!? Hera is here!?"


    "Who''s that with her!? Is it another actor?"


    "Why does he look like that...? Is he ying for a role or something?"


    "Quick, someone search him!"


    While Hera was finding all of this problematic and trying her best to cover her face, Riley was quite intrigued that people were finding the way he looked weird - how long has it really been since someonemented on his looks?


    Ever since he traveled across the expanse of space, his pale white skin and hair have bepletely irrelevant. After all, there were races that had 6 limbs and 6 eyes.


    And now, Riley could not help but just be amused.


    "It would seem some nasty rumors are about toe to light about you, Miss Hera."


    "Are you seriously finding this amusing right now?" And of course, Hera, the master of reading people''s emotions, was quickly able to see what Riley was thinking at the moment, "We should go."


    "No," Riley quickly shook his head as he also leaned closer to Hera, "If you go now, you will only fuel the rumors that you are a pedophile, Miss Hera."


    "You''re practically 30-plus years old or something!"


    "Stop justifying it, Miss Hera," Riley sighed before he just casually stood up and approached the crowd who were slowly gathering around their table, "It is not what everyone thinks, Hera and I are not dating."


    "Riley, no-"


    "Did you hear that!? He said they are dating!?"


    "What''s your socials!?"


    "Are you an actor? Where can we watch you!?"


    "Stupid, he''s obviously a model."


    "Hm..." And as the people starting snapping photos of him and their advances bing more aggressive, the only thing that Riley could really do was just take a step back and once again sit beside Hera, "...It would seem that did not work, Miss Hera."


    "Of course, it didn''t," Hera could really only lower her face so that no one could take a photo of her disappointment, "Seriously, for someone as popr as you, you''ve never learned how to control your image - the fans will always think what they want to think of you. It doesn''t matter what you say, they will find a way to twist it."


    "Is that so, Miss Hera?" Riley let out a quiet sigh as he stood up again. Hera wanted to stop him this time, but she was still not able to.


    "Riley! What are you doing now...?" Hera whispered loudly, "You-"


    "Yes, Hera and I are dating," Riley then let out the most tame smile he could as he addressed Hera''s fans, "If you have any questions, Hera will answer them for all of you."


    And as soon as Riley said that, the crowd gave out a collective squeal. And it wasn''t just because they were the first to hear the news, but also because Riley had this sort of aura around him which caused all of them to just lose their breaths.


    He looked almost ethereal, and yet the way he carried himself had a lot of weight in it. "Then, Hera. Is this-"


    "But not now." And before any of the fans could start approaching Hera, Riley blocked their path while still carrying the smile on his face, "Because right now, I want to spend time with her it''s not every day that we get to be together in public. I would like to just spend a few more hours with her like we are normal people...


    ...please?"


    "!!!"


    And as Riley slightly tilted his head to the side, everyone just followed his long white hair as it brushed along his shoulder; his slightly elongated ears, almost making him look like some sort of Tolkien elf.


    Most of them nodded their heads and took one final snap. There are some, however, who persisted in wanting to ask Hera some questions.


    "Just one question, Hera! Are you-"


    "Well, I only ask once," Riley then once again blocked the persisting crowd. This time, however, he gracefully waved his hand, causing the stubborn people to be very gently and lightly blown away back to their seats. And as soon Hera''s more civilized fans saw that, they could not help but once again update their socials.


    Even though they hadn''t even seen a quarter of a percent of Riley''s powers, they were already posting about him being one of the most powerful supers in the world... all because they wanted to fulfill a fantasy between Hera and him.


    "Well then..." Riley then went back to his seat; his face filled with satisfaction, "...I suppose I handled that quite well, no?"


    "My god..." Hera could really only groan in frustration; this time hiding her face not because of her fans, but because of what Riley did, "...This is gonna blow back on my face."


    "Did she just say she wants his boyfriend to blow something on her face!?"


    "What the¨D!?" And as soon as Hera heard that, she just quickly grabbed Riley by the wrist and started running out of the restaurant. As soon as he did so, however, her more persistent fans started following them into the street, causing more people to notice them.


    "I forgot how popr you were, Miss Hera." And while Hera was doing her best to run away from the fans-turned-paparazzi without transforming and ruining her dress, Riley once again found all of it so amusing as he looked back at the crowd following them like zombies, "As expected of someone who voiced a character in Italian Mafia Reborn." "That''s my least popr work!" Hera said in frustration, "Can you just fly us out of here!?" "Very well," Riley just shrugged before he suddenly stopped running behind Hera. "Eep!" And of course, as Hera was gripping his wrist, she could really only let out a small yelp as she found herself being pulled back slightly violently toward Riley. But of course, he was gently caught by Riley before just being lifted and carried like a princess,


    "Don''t... don''t give them more material! Wait... you''re doing this on purpose, aren''t you!?


    "I do not know what you are talking about, Miss Hera," Riley just shrugged before finally flying away. Not before, however, turning around toward the crowd and bowing his head to them, once again giving them an opportunity to snap some photos.


    "Damn it! Take us to where there are no people!" Hera just covered her face to prevent anyone from taking a photo of her again ¡ª unfortunately for her, even if she covered her face, everyone already knew it was her. The two did not really say anything to each other throughout their flight, it was only until Rileynded on a rooftop that Hera had something to


    say again...


    ...how could she not when Rileynded right in front of her mansion?


    "How... do you even know where I live!?" Hera quicklymented.


    "I know where all the members of the Hope Guild lived during this time, Miss Hera," Riley shrugged, "Just in case I needed to eliminate any of you, I can do so from thefort of my


    home."


    "...How did we even survive fighting you?"


    "Because I allowed them," Riley shrugged, "As for you, you will always find a way to survive even if you do not want to, Miss Hera - we are quite simr in that regard."


    "Fuck no," Hera scoffed, "I want to live, that is why my abilities are all-how did you even know that was there!?"


    Hera could not help but just scream as she saw Riley just casually picking up her spare key that was hidden on one of the fake stones she had scattered beside her porch.


    "I know things, Miss Hera," Riley just once again shrugged as he opened Hera''s door, "Are


    you noting in?"


    "What the¡ªI''m the one who should be saying that!" Hera said as she snatched the key from Riley''s hand and entered the door.


    "Okay, thank you for inviting me inside your house, Miss Hera."


    "You-Argh!"


    Suffice it to say, Hera was frustrated beyond words. She was, however, about to be more


    frustrated when she found out about the paparazzi who were actually in front of her gate and recorded Riley entering her mansion... which was just several minutester since it was


    already in the news.


    "Oh no, oh no, no..." Hera quickly turned off the TV as she saw the news. As for Riley, he was just helping himself with a bottle of milk, "...We need to do something about this."


    "I do not really see the point, Miss Hera," Riley just shrugged, "This reality would just reset once I am gone - it is funny how our perspectives would change just because of a simple fact, no? It is like when you can quickly save and load your progress in a video game - you can


    afford to bepletely reckless."


    "Well, this isn''t a game! This is literally my life!"


    "Their lives, Miss Hera," Riley shook his head, "You are no longer one of them."


    "That..." Hera could not help but just close her eyes and breathe out heavily, "...Damn it. What


    do we even do now?"


    "What we came here to do," Riley then once again opened the TV, quickly changing the channels until he reached a station ying Italian Mafia Reborn, "Try and bring people out of


    this reality and into our own."


    "You''re not seriously telling me...


    ...that you want to bring the cast of that show?"

 Chapter 1054: Chapter 1054: Motorcycle

    Chapter 1054: Motorcycle


    ?


    "Why do you even like this show too much!? Can you just help me formte a n instead of just watching that shit?"


    "You voice one of the main characters on this show, Miss Hera - does that mean you work on feces?"


    "You-"


    If Hera did not have the ability she has, she would have probably already lost several strands of hair just from dealing with Riley and even mming her head on the table. She had many people in her life, but this was the first time she was truly feeling this way about someone. Just how did the other Hera survive Riley? She and the others may be able to adapt to all any and situation, but dealing with people was not part of that. After all, she still needed a semnce of humanity. If she was to get used to always dealing with people, then...


    ...that would make her the same as Riley, who just treats everyone the same no matter who or what they are.


    "Are you seriously just going to sit there!?" Hera, who had been up all night staring at herptop and trying to figure out how they would actually proceed with bringing people to the real reality, "Why don''t you help me!?"


    "I could say the same to you, Miss Hera," Riley then finally turned off the TV as he nced at Hera, "I do not really see how you could find a solution on the inte about something that only you could do."


    "You''d be surprised what you can find on the inte, kid," Hera just let out a small scoff as she turned her focus back to herptop while Riley approached her table, "Look at this, there''s this site where people theorize and share their wild fantasies."


    "Hm...?" Riley pulled a chair beside her as he stared at the screen, "I believe I have seen that website somewhere, Miss Hera. Sister has wasted a lot of time there."


    "What do you mean waste?" Hera clicked her tongue while shaking her head, "Look, I already posted our dilemma here. Although most of the replies are nonsense, there are some good ones too."


    "Oh...?" Riley then reviewed what Hera wrote, "You put our situation in great detail, Miss Hera."


    "Of course, I happen to also dabble in screeny and scripts," Hera said confidently. But as soon as she noticed that Riley''s face was eerily close to hers, she just immediately cleared her throat so that Riley would notice... but of course, he did not. She wanted to say something about it, but knew it would just be useless, "That-Take a look at thisment."


    "Hm?" Riley focused on thement Hera pointed, "Interesting. They are saying that you should try and hold the hand of the person you want to bring with you."


    "...We could have thought about this on our own, Miss Hera," Riley nced at Hera, causing her to be flustered as his face was now only inches away from touching hers, "But I suppose we should start testing it now. This reality is in the past and the episodes of the Italian Mafia Reborn are not updated."


    "...That''s your main concern?" Hera could really only close herptop and stand up as she stared at Riley, "Why do you even like Italian Mafia Reborn so much? It''s not really as good as you make it out to be. Sure, at the start it was quite nice, but it''s just dragging on at this point."


    "That is why I like it so much, Miss Hera. It is simr to my story," Riley also stood up as he looked Hera in the eyes, "My story should have ended the moment my biological mother killed me, but it turns out that I am immortal. And when Sister killed me andpletely erased me without any trace remaining, it turned out it did nothing and I am stillpletely alive ¡ª with only my memory somewhat affected."


    "You really have a very colorful life, huh?" Hera rolled her eyes as she started heading to her room to get changed, "But your memory was affected? What do you mean by that? But like, you got-what are you doing?"


    "I am following you, Miss Hera."


    "I know," Hera squinted her eyes, "But why are you following me inside my room?"


    "We are not supposed to split up."


    "Can you please just wait in the living room? Go watch some cartoons or something." "But you said I should not-"


    "Just wait for me." And before Riley could finish his words, Hera just shut the door on him, "I''ll set up a meeting with the writer of Italian Mafia Reborn, is that alright with you!?"


    "That would be ideal, Miss Hera," Riley just remained standing in front of Hera''s bedroom as she screamed, "But I heard she is always sick, do you think she will survive?"


    "I don''t see why not!"


    "Okay, it is important she survives," Riley nodded as he talked to the door, "And please, if this is sessful, then can you be the one to exin to her what is going on?"


    "I think that''s gonna have to wait, she''s probably going to panic. But knowing her, she''d probably immediately move on and start writing some shit she''s just going to abandon and forget. Alright, done."


    And after just one minute, Hera stepped out of the room with an entirely new outfit. This time, she was wearing a ck leather jacket and ker pants.


    "...Were you waiting the entire time in front of my room?" Hera raised an eyebrow as she walked past Riley.


    "Yes."


    "Ugh... you''re so weird. Come with me," Hera then gestured to Riley to follow her as she headed to the corner-most door of her mansion, and as the two of them entered, what awaited Riley was a collection of cars and motorcycles that almost rivaled that of his father''s - but of course, Bernard''s collection was still better as he created all of those on his own. Hera then pressed something on a terminal near her garage''s entrance, and as she did so, a disy storage emerged from the floor which had several helmets in it.


    "Right..." Hera picked up a violet helmet before just letting out a sigh as she looked at Riley, "...I don''t think I have gear that would fit you. She likes motorcycles, so it would be better to see her riding one. Let''s just buy you some gear on the way and-"


    "There is no need, Miss Hera," Riley then raised his palm while shaking his head, "I do, in fact, have my own motorcycle gear."


    "We''re not going to return to your house, it would be faster to-" And before Hera could finish her words, Riley then grabbed something from one of his trusty pockets, which just suddenly grew into a helmet that was very familiar to her. A ck goo then suddenly started wrapping around Riley''s body, serving as his... motorcycle suit.


    All of it, in ck.


    "No, no!" Hera quickly felt shivers crawling down her spine as Riley practically dressed as


    Darkday so casually in front of her, "That won''t do...


    ...that won''t do at all!"

 Chapter 1055: Chapter 1055: Finally, The Meeting

    Chapter 1055: Finally, The Meeting


    ?


    "This won''t do at all!"


    "Why not?"


    "Because you''re practically just dressing up as Darkday at this point-no. You are Darkday! Get off! Get off!"


    Riley was now riding on the pillion of Hera''s motorcycle, but with Hera''s garage being filled with mirrors, she immediately saw what the two of them looked like.


    And it truly did look like she was giving Darkday a ride on the back, or at least someone who was cosying as such. Either way, it was bad since Darkday practically just killed millions of people, as well as Megawoman just a day ago. Although... the media was making a big deal of Megawoman''s death, but the people seemed extremely rxed.


    And the threat of Darkday was still actually looming over them - but Hera wasn''t surprised at all. People... do not really care about things that do not really affect them at all. The battle between Megawoman and Darkday left the US almostpletely untouched.


    For the people of this country, the deaths were just a statistic.


    "Get off!" Hera repeated her words, practically wiggling her motorcycle so that Riley would get off. Fortunately for her, Riley did not debate at all and just got off without as much as a word, "Can''t you materialize any other gear than that? You can just borrow one of my helmets, but that suit is a no-go."


    "I do not really see why you are making a big deal out of this, Miss Hera," Riley just let out a small but very deep sigh as his suit melted down and just dissipated into thin air. But not even a secondter, another patch of goo escaped his hand and once again wrapped around his body to create a suit - this time, however, it was purple and red,pletely matching Hera''s motorcycle suit.


    "You could do that from the start...?" Hera just stared nkly at Riley as he looked at him from head to toe, "...And did you really have to choose that color? Can''t you-wait. You''re doing this on purpose, aren''t you!?"


    "I do not know what you mean, Miss Hera," Riley just shrugged before grabbing one of Hera''s helmets and wearing it, "How long has it been since youst washed this?"


    "You...


    ...just get on already!"


    ***


    Hera was wrong. Just because she didn''t see people caring about Megawoman''s death, it doesn''t mean no one was grieving. As she and Riley rode through the streets of the city, she could see people all just putting up signs, some even gathering to hold their own memorial for their lost hero.


    ...And most people could not even retain the smiles on their faces. The crowd back in the cafe who mobbed her and Riley were just the exemption, or perhaps even not, and they just wanted to distract themselves from the tragedy that had befallen them.


    Well, no matter the case, it waspletely irrelevant to Hera. She felt bad, but it truly was - as soon as she found out that this reality was solely created for Riley and his so-called trials, everything just became irrelevant all of a sudden.


    Even what they were trying to attempt - trying to bring someone else from the trial with them to the real reality was meaningless since these people would just cease to exist once Riley was gone and done with the trial.


    "...Can you not grip my waist so hard?" Hera''s thoughts were suddenly cut as she felt Riley''s arms tightening around her waist, "In fact, can you just let go?"


    "I will fall if I let go, Miss Hera."


    "No, you won''t! You have like that telekinesis thingy!" Hera screamed.


    "If I use my abilities every time, it will leave me crippled if ever I lose all of it," Riley shook his head, "And it is also not every day that I get to be this close to one of the cast of Italian Mafia Reborn, Miss Hera."


    "...I swear, how did my other version even manage to be alone with you on a space escapade is beyond me."


    Hera could really only let out a sigh as she and Riley just continued to talk about all sorts of nonsense although at some point, Hera would be lying if she said she did not actually enjoy the almost trivial conversations with Riley; after all, the other alternative would be talking about the end of all life as they know it.


    The two continued their conversation for another hour before they finally arrived in front of a small, and incredibly humble house in the center of a popted area.


    "The creator of Italian Mafia Reborn lives in this neighborhood, Miss Hera?"


    "She does," Hera only shook her head and sighed as she just knocked on the door, "I''m saying this again, but let me do the talking, okay?"


    "Of course, Miss Hera."


    "Rose, are you home!?" Hera raised her voice as she once again knocked on the door since no one was answering. Soon, however, they could hear some sort of rumbling inside the house and a few secondster, someone opened the door.


    "Oh... Hera?" And there, a small woman with incredibly messy ck hair weed Hera and Riley, "And this is-Darkday!?"


    "What...?" Hera, and even Riley could not help but slightly widen their eyes as Rose suddenly pointed at Riley. Did... she actually figure out who Riley is just by ncing at her for less than a second? "What are you... saying?"


    "Oh, sorry. Sorry," Rose then quickly shook her head, "I just thought that if Darkday was a man, then he might actually look like yourpanion here. Wait, what are you even doing


    here...?"


    "It''s... a very long story, Rose," Hera let out a small sigh as she nced inside the house, "Is anyone with you?"


    "No," Rose shook her head, "Would you like toe in? Although I would prefer you not to." "We would very much like toe inside, Master Rose," Riley bowed his head.


    "...Master?"


    "What my friend here wants to say is that we have a project to talk to you about."


    "Another one!?" Rose quickly sped her head, "I... I was just starting to write a new one."


    "Again...?" Hera stared at Rose, "Wait, no. It''s a different kind of project."


    "How much?"


    "Huh?"


    "How much will I be getting?"


    "I can give you a billion dors if you want to, Master Rose," Riley once again joined in on the conversation. Hera was about to say something, but Rose immediately made way for them and gestured for them to enter the house.


    "This..." Hera did not really know where to walk, however, as Rose''s house was pretty much... filled with all sorts of things. Not trash, but just random things, "...why do you have a lot of helmets, but I don''t see your motorcycle parked outside anymore?"


    "Oh, I sold that," Rose forced out a chuckle, "I was going to upgrade to a bigger bike... but I


    ended up using the money to fix things in the house."


    "Can you not afford to buy a new one, Master Rose?"


    "Riley, don''t-"


    And before Hera could finish her words, Rose just suddenly dropped to the floor and started


    weeping.


    "No... No, I can''t," Rose practically bawled her eyes out while covering her face, "I can''t


    afford anything. I have so many loans and bad financial decisions, and yet I keep making more


    mistakes! Agh!"


    "Well, Master Rose - how about we get rid of all your worries?"


    "W¨Dare you gonna kill me?" Rose then looked back and forth between Riley and Hera,


    "Please... please just kill me."


    Riley then turned to look at Hera, "Miss Hera, can you exin everything to Master Rose?"


    "...Okay," Hera slightly hesitated, "But...


    ....this is a conversation best had at the table."

 Chapter 1056: Chapter 1056: How The Turn Tables

    Chapter 1056: How The Turn Tables


    ?


    "And that is basically all you need to know. I obviously omitted some details, but that was for your sake. It''s best if... you don''t know everything for now."


    Hera spent almost an hour telling Rose everything about the real universe, and that they were just living in a fake reality that would be gone anytime soon. And throughout Hera''s story, Rose is extremely quiet, only nodding her head several times and ncing at Riley whenever The pops up in the story.


    The three of them were gathered at a table, which they had to clean since Rose had all sorts of things on top of it. She offered Riley and Hera something to drink, but it turns out that the only things she had on her fridge were expired take-outs.


    And so, she just served water... she was the only one drinking, however.


    The things Hera omitted were parts that revealed Riley truly was Darkday. After all, they didn''t want to do this violently, and if Rose found out, then she would definitely not go along with them. And so, Hera was extremely careful; gentle, even.


    "I know all of this is hard to believe..." Hera then let out a long and very deep sigh as she looked Rose in the eyes," but it''s-"


    "Okay," Rose, however, just shrugged her shoulders and stood up, "Let''s do it. All I need to do is stay close to you, right?"


    "Yes...?"


    And without even any hesitation, Rose just moved close to Hera and held her hand, "Let''s do it now. You said you only need to hold my hand, right?"


    "Huh..." Hera squinted her eyes as she looked at Riley, "...I did. But we''re not really sure if this will actually work."


    "We have nothing to lose, so let''s just do it," Rose was extremely nonchnt, "Well, Riley might lose his life - but you said he''s immortal. And even if he does die, you''re here as a witness that he killed himself. And if it''s true what you said that this world would just cease to exist, then I wouldn''t have any problems at all."


    "You''re... very casual about all of this," Hera stood up.


    "That''s usually what happens when you have lots of debt," Rose awkwardly chuckled as she looked Hera in the eyes, making her extremelyfortable, "You get desensitized about a lot of things. Ha... hahaha..."


    "O...kay," Hera winced as she slightly backed away from Rose. It almost seemed as if Hera could actually feel the depression oozing out from Rose''s chuckles, "Riley?"


    "Hm," Riley just nodded before cing his finger on the side of his head, "I do hope to see you in the real reality, Master Rose."


    "Please," Rose once again awkwardly chuckled, "Take me away."


    "Pavoom."


    And just like before, Riley instantly found himself back in front of the ck Tower.


    "Did it work!?" And Hera was once again there with him, her eyes quickly scanning all directions... only to find that Rose was not with them, "All that for it not to work!? Damn it!" Hera then screamed out in frustration as she just quickly made her way back to the tent.


    "... You okay?" Karina slightly winced as she saw everything Hera and Riley did, "I''m guessing it didn''t work?"


    "What do you think...?" Hera rolled her eyes before turning to look at Ang, "Are you really sure that my other version was the one responsible for bringing all of you here?"


    "Yes," Ang nodded without any hesitation, "Sadly, that''s really all I can say. Talia should have been here with us."


    "Talia..." Hera''s eyes slightly lowered as soon as she heard that, "...She''s the one who was stuck as a little child for hundreds of years, right?"


    "Yeah," Karina was the one to answer her, "She never really got older since she was... well, almost killed by the Whiteking of her universe, hence why she''s using her real name."


    "I think I got that part," Hera just let out a small but very deep sigh as she shook her head, "Any ideas? About what to...do?"


    Hera turned to look at Ang again, only to find herself suddenly back in one of her penthouses in New York; clothes sprawled on her bed, clothes she was actually choosing from to wear on Megawoman''s memorial.


    "Seriously...?" Hera''s eyes started to twitch as she realized that Riley once again entered the trial without even telling her. And very soon, her skin started to turn gray - but before her body could growrger, she shook her head and started to calm herself down,


    "Fuck that guy... Fuck!"


    Hera then wore one of the clothing sets and just immediately leaped out of her apartment from the windows, causing the entire apartment building to slightly quake as she did so with a strength strong enough to make her practically swoosh across the sky.


    And not even half an hourter, she once again found herself knocking on Riley''s house. This time, however, she was knocking on the door with a very pissed-off smile on her face.


    "Oh my... Hera?" And like the previous run, Diana was the one who opened the door for her, "Shouldn''t you be on-"


    "Your son got me pregnant," and without even waiting for Diana to finish her words, the smile on Hera''s face twitched as she looked Diana in the eyes, "I need to talk to him, now."


    Hera could see the look on Diana''s face visibly change from o to a hundred... but it was not the expression Hera was expecting at all.


    "Riley!" Diana screamed, forceful enough to almost blow Hera away. It wasn''t an angry shout, however, but a happy one, "Hera is here and she says she''s pregnant with your baby!"


    And without even a second after shouting that, Hera could hear a loud rumble go through the entire house. And without even another second, Hannah was already there at the door, with Riley''s neck in her hand.


    "What... did you just say, Mom?"


    "Riley," Hera then smiled at Riley, "We need to talk about the baby."


    As for Riley, he just nkly stared at nowhere in particr before casually standing up and


    fixing his shirt, "Of course, Hera...


    ...How about we get married before the babyes?"


    "Wh-"


    "You should!" And before Hera could even respond, Diana was already calling people she knew and inviting them in less than a second, "This... this is a very joyous asion. The people at the spa won''t believe my son is married to a famous actor!"


    "Mom!? What...what the fuck!?" Hannah quickly followed her mother inside the house to try and stop her, but s, she couldn''t be contained.


    "I did not think you would do something like this just to get me out of the house, Miss Hera. I


    must say...


    ...creative."


    "... What the fuck is wrong with your family?"

 Chapter 1057: Chapter 1057: Run

    Chapter 1057: Run


    ?


    "She... she''s still calling me!? How did she even get my number!?"


    Hera was once again riding the motorcycle with Riley on her back and on their way back to Rose''s ce. This time, however, she could not concentrate on the road at all as Diana kept calling her.


    "If you take away the fact that my mother is themarian, she is still capable of a lot of things, Hera."


    "This is my 5th number! I have already blocked her on the other numbers!" Hera did not need the wireless inte in her helmet at all; her voice, loud and clear even with the harsh wind wrapping around them, "Fuck! I forgot who her husband is! Of course, Whiteking would know all of my numbers. Fuck!"


    "Perhaps you should focus on the road, Hera?" Riley slightly tightened his hold on Hera''s waist, "Distracted driving is one of the three main causes of road idents. You are also using your phone while riding, which is against thew."


    "Since when were you, the most heinous superviin in the entire world, cared forws? Hera clicked her tongue as she just squeezed the throttle tighter. Fortunately for the two of them, the people were still in mourning of Megawoman''s death and the freeway was incredibly free. "I have always cared aboutws, Hera. How do you think I have not been caught all this time?" Riley sighed in disappointment, "I always throw my trash in the proper bins."


    "I''m pretty sure that''s not the reason why you weren''t caught, Riley," Hera let out a frustrated groan. And even though she was wearing her helmet, it was clear that she was rolling her eyes, "Enough of the useless talk - why do you think our n didn''t work the first time?"


    "Perhaps it is because the two of you were not in danger at all, Hera?" Riley surmised, "Your abilities, after all, seemed to be on overdrive whenever your life is at stake - I remember this one time when we were in space and fighting space pirates, you turned into a tree and almost killed the entire crew."


    "...I don''t even know where to start with that. Space pirates... and I turned into a tree? How does that even make any sense!?"


    "I do not know, Hera. You should know, it is your ability."


    "Ugh. Enough," Hera waved her hand, "So, I just need to feel that I am in danger while holding Rose, right? How?"


    "You do not have to worry about that, Hera," Riley nodded his head,


    "...I will handle it."


    ***


    "So... what the two of you are trying to say is that we are just in a simtion?"


    "Yes."


    And once again, Hera exined everything to Rose. And like the first time she did so, Rose was still extremely nonchnt about everything.


    "...Okay, let''s do it."


    "Okay then," Hera shrugged as Rose held her hand, "Riley, go do whatever-"


    "Pavoom."


    And before Hera could even finish her words, she felt something crawl across her neck; every fiber of her hair, instantly stood on their ends as her eyes were just suddenly filled with white. And the next thing she knew, she was already outside the house-no. She was already outside Rose''s entire neighborhood... which was now just the start of a wide gaping canyon that seemed to span for miles.


    "..." Hera blinked a couple of times before finally feeling the grip on her hand. She looked down, only to see Rose''s hand still holding hers.


    "Did... it work?" Hera whispered to herself as she tried her best to give in to her delusions that what she was holding was just Rose''s hand, and Rose''s hand alone; the rest of her,pletely gone just like her entire neighborhood.


    "Hm..." Riley then slowly approached Hera while looking at Rose''s hand, "... You killed her, Hera."


    "What the fuck do you mean I killed her!?" Hera then violently threw Rose''s hand toward the ground, but Riley quickly caught it before it could even touch even a single speck of dirt.


    "Please be careful with this, Hera- this is the hand of the creator of Italian Mafia Reborn." "I can''t with you, god damn..." Hera let out a long and very deep sigh as she just gave up there and then,


    "...Let''s just go again."


    ***


    "So, I just need to hold your hand. Right?"


    "Yes,"


    After several more failures, Hera was now just as nonchnt as Rose. She did not even bother to stand up as Rose grabbed her hand and just looked nkly at Riley, gesturing to him to just


    do it.


    "Riley," Hera whispered out, "Perhaps this time, try something a little more safe? Make it feel dangerous, but at the same time, just make it feel safe?"


    "Okay," Riley nodded his head as he summoned a clone beside him before standing next to Hera and Rose. And as soon as they were together, his clone raised its finger and pointed it at


    them.


    "Pa-"


    And before the clone could actually eradicate the three of them at the same time, Rose moved away from Hera and raised her hand.


    "Wait, wait..." Rose squinted her eyes as she looked back and forth between Hera and Riley, "What do you mean by ''this time''? Wait...


    ...how many times have we had this conversation?"


    "...8 times," Hera just let out a small sigh, "And every time, you just die."


    "I... died?" Rose blinked a couple of times as she held her chest, "Are you saying that you''ve


    done this 8 times, and you still haven''t seeded?"


    "Nope," Hera shrugged, "But I think this time, we can do it."


    "You don''t sound that confident," Rose squinted her eyes as she looked Hera in the eyes, "Look, this is good and all... but I think the two of you should leave."


    "...Should we just reset?" Hera then let out a small sigh as she just looked at Riley, "Let''s just


    reset."


    As for Riley, he just nced at Rose for a few seconds before shaking his head, "No. I think I see what we are doing wrong now, Hera. We have repeated the same thing too many times to the point that you are already numb to it."


    "I don''t think I am ever going to be numb from experiencing death, Riley," Hera scoffed, "That shit scares me even now."


    "Perhaps," Riley then stepped away from Hera before turning to look at his clone; the two of them just staring at each other''s eyes before nodding at the same time.


    "Uh... Riley?" Hera snapped her fingers between the two, "Care to fill me in with what you''re


    thinking?"


    "No." And without even hesitating, a ck goo started to emerge from Riley''s hand, wrapping across his and his clone''s body and morphing into a suit. Riley then grabbed 2 helmets from his trusty pocket, giving one to his clone as they both wore it at the same time.


    "That''s... Darkday?" Rose''s eyes widened; her hands and legs, instinctively trembling on their


    own.


    "...Riley?" Hera''s eyes widened, "What are you¡ª"


    And before Hera could even finish her words, she felt a sharp warmth cut through her arm.


    "Kya!" Rose screamed as she quickly pointed at Hera''s arm... which was now on the floor.


    "What the fuck..." Hera breathed out as she also stared at her arm for a few seconds before looking at Riley, "What are you-"


    "Hera," Riley''s feet then very slowly left the floor, "I apologize, but I am going to have to


    torture you now, so...


    ....I suggest you run."

 Chapter 1058: Chapter 1058: Huh...?

    Chapter 1058: Huh...?


    ?


    "Fuck, fuck, fuck!"


    "Miss... Miss Hera! I thought he was your friend!? Why... why is he doing this!? Is he really Darkday!?"


    "Fuck! This is what I get for trusting that fucking genocidal maniac!"


    If there was ever a time that Hera truly wanted to just be gone and far away, it was now. For some reason, however, her abilities were not teleporting her away from the danger she currently finds herself in.


    And by danger, she meant Darkday - not Riley, but Darkday.


    "What... what the fuck did I even do to deserve this!?" Hera could really only curse at herself as she continued to run as fast as she could - but for some reason, the fastest she could do so was not her fastest at all. Perhaps because in part that she was carrying Rose in her arms, or perhaps because of something different entirely.


    Whatever the case was, she needed to run.


    The sun was just brightly shining upon them just moments ago, but now it waspletely gone; covered by the thick sea of clouds veiling above them.


    "I''m... I''m so confused right now, Miss Hera!" Rose almost bit her tongue as Hera leaped into the air, "And honestly, a little bit scared."


    "Fuck! That''s it! He''s trying to scare us!" Hera shook her head several times, "That''s what he''s trying to do! He-"


    "Oh, Hera..."


    And before Hera could even finish her words, Darkday''s voice suddenly echoed throughout the entire sky. And not only her and Rose, but everyone was now wondering what was happening as they all stepped out of their homes.


    And as soon as the people saw the dark skies, they instantly knew what it entailed and what it meant.


    Darkday was back. And this time...


    ...there was no Megawoman to save them.


    "Back into your homes, now! Go back into-"


    "Hera!? Is that Hera!?"


    The people in Rose''s neighborhood all noticed Hera running while carrying someone, almost as if a confirmation that Darkday, was in fact, in the neighborhood.


    After all, why else would a member of the Hope Guild even be here, and carrying a civilian at that?


    And so, almost as if dominoes falling at the same time, the people in the neighborhood did what they were supposed to do whenever there''s a disaster - panic.


    "Darkday is here!"


    "Run, everyone! Run!"


    "Fuck... why do I even bother?" Hera just let out a groan as she looked at Rose, wondering why she was even trying to rescue her when this world would just reset once Riley was gone. And after a few seconds, she just shook her head and let Rose down...


    ...but not to abandon her.


    "Go hide. I need to get these other guys to act right, or they''re all going to die."


    "I''m... confused. Is he really Darkday!?"


    "It''s a little moreplicated than-"


    "Hera, help us! Please, you-"


    And before Hera and Rose could look at the people approaching them, they both watched as a rain of blood and guts showered toward them; all the people who were rushing toward them, exploding into pieces without even any hint or warning.


    "I... guess that answers my question?" Rose uttered with her mouth fully opened, "We''re... gonna die, aren''t we?"


    "I don''t think that''s-"


    "You''ve grown toocent, Hera."


    And all of a sudden, it was almost as if Hera and Rose could hear drums echoing from the sky -no. They could even hear trumpets as a dark silhouette very slowly descended from the already dark sky.


    "Perhaps you were starting to think that we are close, that we are friends - but I have no friends, and I never will...


    ... And perhaps I am the one who has grown toocent. You are a tool for my purposes, Hera. And it is time to use you at full capacity."


    "Rose, you should hide no-" Before Hera could finish her words, she felt herself falling down as her legs suddenly bent in a way they were not supposed to; her bones, now shredding her skin and flesh. But of course, her body healed itself quite fast, almost instantly, in fact. But as soon as they did so, Riley once again removed them... and this time, he prevented it from regenerating by encasing Hera in an air-tight telekic suit which wrapped across her entire body.


    She couldn''t breathe because of it, but not for long as her body adjusted her need for oxygen. "Stop! Please, stop!" Rose then rushed toward Hera to get her up, but she could not even budge her. The only thing she could really do was stretch her arms to the side and protect Hera, "Stop doing this, please!"


    "I apologize, Master Rose."


    "!!!"


    Rose looked back, only to see another Darkday approaching them from behind.


    "But whether or not this ends is not up to me," Riley let out a long and very deep sigh as he looked at Hera, "This will only end...


    ...once Hera does what she is supposed to do."


    Hera wanted to shake her head several times, but she waspletely trapped in an invisible hold. It wasn''t like she was frozen, no- she knows she could move her body, and that fact was even scarier for her.


    "Hera. I truly apologize for what I am about to do," Riley then crouched down as he very


    slowly stretched his palm toward Hera''s defenseless face,


    "I will make sure this will hurt you as much as possible; mentally and physically. And for your


    sake...


    ...I hope you don''t adapt to this."


    Hera''s eyes widened as Riley ced his hand on her face. And all of a sudden, her body remembered who Darkday was the darkness and evil he was capable of. His violence, which


    almost had no equal.


    Even if she shuts down all of her pain, even if she shuts down all of her consciousness, her


    body is sure that Riley will find a way to bypass that.


    And so, her body did the only thing it could truly do.


    Obey.


    Hera closed her eyes as she did not want to see what was going to happen; the fear she was feeling, enough to cause her to literally pee.


    "Where... where are we!?"


    And as Hera heard Rose''s voice, she quickly opened her eyes... only to find herself back in front


    of the ck Tower.


    Hera then quickly turned to look at Rose, and she was, indeed, there.


    "We..." Hera smiled as she quickly stood up; her legs already regenerated, "We did it, Riley!"


    Hera quickly rushed toward Riley to hug him, "We fucking did it! Your n to scare me worked! Fuck... fuck! That was so nerve-wracking! I really thought I was gonna get tortured,


    fuck me."


    "Uh..."


    Hera then noticed that Rose, Karina, Ang, and a whole lot of other people were staring at her; the expressions on their faces,pletely horrified.


    "Are you... okay?" Karina took in a small gulp as she looked at Hera from head to toe.


    "Yes...?" Hera gently let go of Riley, "Why are all of you looking at me like that?"


    "Miss Hera..." Rose then held her arm, "... You don''t remember anything?" "Remember-" Hera''s eyes widened as she looked at Riley and started shaking her head,


    "No... you did not."


    "I apologize, Hera," Riley let out a small sigh, "But I did torture you. But as expected of your


    abilities...


    ...it made you forget the memory."

 Chapter 1059: Huh......!?

    Chapter 1059: Huh......!?


    "Huh¡­..!?"


    Hera was stillpletely at a loss. She was trying to figure out just what sort of treatment she received from Riley, but her body seemed to be making sure that she wouldn''t remember it ¡ª even to the point that her body was making her forget that Karina and the others told her about what happened.


    But due to everyone''s faces either beingpletely twisted or just downright sympathetic whenever they look at her, Hera can''t really get rid of the ufortable feeling.


    "Wait, wait¡­ Just answer me this, please."


    "It''s¡­ better for you not to know anything."


    Ang no longer knew how many times Hera approached her to try and retell to her what happened. But the truth is, Ang was also trying her best to forget it ¡ª and as someone who literally can''t forget things even if she wanted to, she actually envied Hera.


    Ang has to relive the memory every time Hera reminded her.


    "I¡­" Hera could really only grit her teeth in frustration as she looked outside the tent, only to see the people quickly looking away even though it was quite obvious they were all staring at her, "Wait, please ¡ª just answer one question and I am never going to ask you about it again."


    "Okay, shoot," Ang sighed.


    "Did¡­ did Riley do something to me¡­?" Hera squinted her eyes, "Like¡­ you know."


    "...What?" Ang furrowed her eyebrows.


    "You know¡­!" Hera then started pointing at herself, or more specifically, at her private regions.


    "Oh god¡­ no," Ang quickly leaned away from Hera as soon as she realized what she was insinuating, "Why would you even think that?"


    "It''s Darkday!"


    "...Have you ever heard of Darkday sexually harassing people?" Ang sighed, "Sure, he might y someone to death, shred their skin bit by bit, gouge out someone''s eye and make someone eat it, make someone swallow someone else''s intestine ¡ª but he had, never once, sexually harassed anyone. Well, at least¡­ I think not willingly?"


    "Just tell me if he did something sexual to me!"


    "No!" Ang raised her voice, "And if you really want to know what he did to you, just ask him ¡ª I promise you, he would be so happy to tell you."


    "I¡­ yeah, no," Hera could not help but embrace herself as a sharp chill crawled through her mind just imagining Riley recounting the events; he would probably even exaggerate it just to get her to react. And so, after finally getting the closure she wanted, Hera decided to look for Rose¡­ only to see her with Riley hanging out inside one of the many shops in the holy city of Mold.


    She remembered Rose being absolutely terrified of Riley, so¡­ why was she now holding a notebook while talking to him; she did look incredibly terrified, but there was also an excitement stered on her face that seemed almost¡­ obsessive.


    "Uh¡­ Rose?"


    "Ah, Hera! Are you¡­ alright now?" Rose quickly waved at Hera as soon as she noticed her approaching, gesturing to her to join them at the table.


    "I¡­ should be asking you the same question," Hera squinted her eyes as she looked back and forth between Rose and Riley while joining them at their table, "Are you¡­ alright?"


    "...Why wouldn''t I be?" Rose raised an eyebrow, "I''m now currently in the real, real world. Ah, and get this ¡ª I finally got inspiration for a new book!"


    "...Again? Wait, this isn''t the time for that. Don''t you need someone to talk to so you can adjust with¡ª"


    "Ssh, listen," Rose ced her finger on Hera''s lips, "It is called Breaking Dao. It''s basically about this boy genius who lost everything since he was too smart for his own good, he has zero EQ, and get this¡­ he is autistic."


    "...Please don''t tell me you''re not using Riley as a temte," Hera''s eyes widened.


    "I am!" Rose pointed at Hera, "Anyway, this boy genius, ye? He lives in a world where 20% of the poption have superpowers."


    "...Isn''t that just our world?"


    "Ssh, stop interrupting me!"


    "Okay, okay!" Hera raised both her palms in surrender.


    "Anyway, this boy genius promised to the media that he''ll make everyone also have superpowers with just a pill. But after that¡­ he just disappears. And then fast forward 20 yearster¡­" Rose then got closer and closer to Hera, "...We find out that he bes a Looter, people who clean monster remains and get crystals from their body¡­ and that he has a family that''spletely bedridden with a disease."


    "And¡­?"


    "I can''t tell you what happens next, of course!" Rose crossed her arms, "You''ll just have to read it when ites out."


    "You''re pretty nonchnt about all of this, aren''t you?" Hera let out a small but deep sigh while shaking her head, "I''m starting to wonder whether or not you might also have the ability to adapt. And¡­ you''re not listening."


    Rose then suddenly started writing in her notebook again,pletely ignoring her and Riley.


    "So¡­?" Hera then red at Riley, "When are you nning on going to the trial again to try and bring out more people? Who are we going to get out next?"


    "It is up to you, Hera," Riley just shrugged, "We already pulled out Master Rose from my request, it is your turn."


    "...I don''t really have anyone in mind. And you said it''s not the real reality," Hera closed her eyes, "I do not really like ying god."


    "But you would be an instrument of one, Hera?"


    "You''re not a god," Hera pointed her finger at Riley, "I''m doing this because I feel like I don''t really have a choice in the matter. So¡­


    ¡­do you have anyone in mind?"


    "Well¡­ Not one, Hera¡­


    ¡­Three."


    ***


    "Dear! How is it, how did the rest of the memorial go?"


    In the Ross'' residence back in the trial, Riley just let the day go by without really doing anything; just watching Megawoman''s memorial with Diana and Hannah.


    Of course, perhaps he enjoyed the memorial more than his family; after all, in the real reality, he returned Megawoman to the public ¡ª this time, however, the memorial was extremely peaceful and Bernard got home just fine¡­ bringing someone else with him.


    "Oh my¡­ Isn''t this Hera?"


    "She insisted oning with me," Bernard took off his armor and gestured to Hera toe inside the house, "She said¡­ she and Riley know each other?"


    And as Bernard said that, both Diana and Hannah quickly turned to look at Riley, who was still in front of the TV.


    "Psst, Riley!" Hannah rushed toward Riley and loudly whispered, "...How do you know Hera?"


    "I forgot to tell all of you," Riley sighed while standing up, "Hera and I are involved in a sexual partnership."


    "No, no we''re not!" Hera quickly interrupted Riley. Also rushing toward him and covering her mouth, "Riley¡­ we''re not going with that story again."


    "Oh, I apologize, Hera. It is the most effective one, but I forgot we do not really need an excuse to get out of the house," Riley nodded before looking at Hannah and their parents, "Mother, Father, Hannah ¡ª Hera and I have something to tell you¡­


    ¡­and it is more important than her being pregnant."


    Crazy Kaiju Evolution

 Chapter 1060: Chapter 1060: Blood

    Chapter 1060: Blood


    ?


    "Bro, shut the fuck up. You''re supposed to be on the other side of the spectrum, not on the crazy side."


    Hera and Riley took turns in telling Hannah and the family about the real reality and the situation surrounding that. But of course, the two hid some information that would make them extremely ufortable and downright defensive like the fact that Riley was


    Darkday.


    But of course, as Hera expected, the people she was sharing the table with were not as easygoing and as nonchnt as Rose.


    "Hannah, don''t be rude to your brother," Diana red at Hannah, even very lightly pinching her hand. Her re, however,pletely disappeared as soon as her eyes strayed toward Riley, "Honey, sweetie... is this perhaps some sort of y? Are you and Hera in some sort of theater we don''t know about?"


    "No, Mother," Riley shook his head, "Everything we said is true."


    "Everyone..." Bernard also ced his hand on the table, letting out a loud sigh while shaking his head, "...Let''s just think about this clearly - I am sure Riley has a good reason why he is telling this all to us. Let''s go back to the beginning...


    ...you said Hera is pregnant with your baby?"


    "I already said that''s just one of the excuses we made during our first runs to get Riley out of the house!" Hera said without pausing or breathing.


    "You can''t actually expect us to believe anything else," Bernard shook his head and smiled, "Out of all the things you have told us, that is the most feasible one."


    "That-"


    "Mother is a themarian."


    And without even any hint or warning, Riley made everyone shut their mouths as soon as those words escaped his wide mouth-no, their entire throat was locked as they all just looked at Riley. As for Hera, she just let out a small sigh, shrugging as she gestured to Riley to just go on ahead and reveal whatever he wanted to reveal so they would believe them.


    A few seconds after the silence, however, Hannah''s quiet snort whispered in the air.


    "Kh...pft," Hannah covered her mouth as she looked at Riley with amusement and a little concern, "Riley, I know Mom has the strength of a fucking 10-ton gori, bute on, bro... You''re seriously starting to worry me now. Please, stop it."


    "Hm," Riley just stared at his sister for a few seconds before grabbing a fork from one of his many trusty pockets. And without even any warning once again, he just threw the fork straight toward Diana''s chest.


    "Riley! Why the fuck would you... do that...?" Hannah''s loud voice faded away as soon as she noticed that the fork on the table that bounced from her mother''s chest was bent, "...Mom?"


    "...Diana?" Bernard, who was actually about to shoot Riley as soon as he saw him throw the fork, could not help but stand up as he looked back and forth between the fork and his wife.


    "Oh my..." Diana sped her cheeks as she smiled and nced at Riley, "...That is not a very nice thing to do, sweetie. That''s not your secret to divulge. And also...


    ...what are you doing, honey?"


    Diana looked back at Bernard as she saw her pointing a gun at Riley, "Put that down before you hurt someone."


    "You do not have to worry, Mother," Riley just shook his head as he casually grabbed Bernard''s hand and the gun, "Father knows full well the gun can not do anything to me. Is that not right, Father?"


    "That-!!!"


    "Riley!!!"


    And as Riley just casually pulled the trigger, Hannah''s screamspletely drowned the deafening sound of gunpowder being ignited as she quickly rushed to his side. Her steps, however, were once again faltered as she noticed that the bullet just bounced from Riley''s head.


    "What... what the fuck..." Hannah''s reddening eyes just started to tremble as she stared at the bullet. She then turned to look at Riley for a few seconds before just shaking her head several times, "What... what is going on here? You... you were a Super, Riley? Why... why did you never tell me?"


    "You never asked, Sister."


    "All these years..." Hannah''s breaths started to turn heavy, "All these years...


    ...you let me do all the chores?"


    "Hm," Riley closed his eyes and breathed out, "You are much more proficient at it than I am, Sister it is alright."


    "Alright, my fucking ass!" Hannah once again screamed, "What the fuck is going on with this family!? Why is everyone hiding fucking secrets!? Mom, are you really a themarian!?"


    "Well..." Diana as she closed her eyes, "...Yes."


    "Is that... true?" Bernard almost gasped, "Wait, but we met in high school."


    "Oh my god!" Hannah covered her face, "It runs in the family! Oh god, please don''t tell me I''ll also get into a rtionship with someone decades younger than me!"


    "I''m only in my 20s!" Hera quickly pointed at Hannah.


    "Shut the fuck up! Why did you get pregnant with my brother''s child!? He''s only 16 years old!"


    "I already said I''m not!"


    "Please, I''ll tell you everything, Honey."


    "You''ve... been hiding this all this time? I... wait. Do you know about Riley? About who he


    truly is?"


    "...No?"


    And while everyone around the table was talking over each other, the only thing that Riley could really do was let out a sigh and wait for themotion to die down. Well, at least that is what he wanted to do at first, but after a few minutes of waiting, he just stood up and held Hera''s hand.


    "What the-Why are you holding the pedo''s hand!?" Hannah quickly pointed at Hera, "You


    ||


    Before she could finish her words, however, Riley also grabbed her hand and then made it hold Hera''s hand.


    "Mother, please hold Hannah''s hand. And Father, please hold Mother''s hand," Riley said, "I want all of us to just calm down. Is that okay?"


    "Okay," Diana quickly shrugged her shoulders as she held Hannah and Bernard''s hand,


    "We''re not fighting, sweetie. It''s alright."


    "...Why the fuck are we all holding hands now!? What the fuck is happening!?" Hannah said as


    she wanted to p Diana''s hand away, but could not even budge it for even a single millimeter, "Oh my god, you really are the same as Mega-wait... Are you Megawoman!?"


    "She is not, Sister," Riley shook his head, "Megawoman is a princess, Mother is a scientist


    from Theran."


    "Oh my..." Diana once again smiled, "...I feel really vulnerable right now that you are revealing my past. What else do you-"


    And before Diana could finish her words, her eyes started to widen as she felt the air suddenly turn heavy. It wasn''t only her, Hannah and Bernard also felt it - it was almost as if the space itself was starting to be pulled down.


    But perhaps the one who was feeling it the most was Hera; her body, almost instantly reacting as she felt sweat crawling across her back. The memories that her body was saving her from, now being remembered by her instincts.


    "Are you doing this, sweetie...?" Diana squinted her eyes, "What are you trying to do?"


    "I believe it is for the best to just exin while we are in the real reality, Mother. So, I do apologize for doing this, but..." Riley moved away from them as he pointed his finger on the


    floor,


    "...I am going to destroy this now."

 Chapter 1061: Chapter 1061: Enjoy It

    Chapter 1061: Enjoy It


    ?


    "Riley...? What are you doing?"


    Hannah wanted to swat Hera and Diana''s hands away, but she could not even budge both no matter how much she tried. She already knew Hera was physically stronger than her - but her mother?


    She knew she had strength, but that was only because she was afraid of disobeying her. It was more psychological if anything, but now that she couldn''t even move her wrist for even a single millimeter, it would seem that what Riley said was real, that their mother was, in fact, a themarian.


    But that also means that the other things that Riley said were true... and that means -


    "Riley, please! Please!" Hannah screamed her lungs out as that was the only thing she could actually do her words, serving as her arms that desperately tried to reach out for her brother, "Please... please don''t kill yourself. I love you, okay!? And you know Mom and Dad love you to fucking death! Please.... please, don''t leave us!"


    "Oh, I am not going to kill myself, Sister," Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked his sister in the eyes, "I believe I do not have any need of it anymore since Hera''s ability has now been trained to do what we want it to do."


    "W...what?" Hannah turned to look at Hera, only to realize that his hand that was holding hers was actually trembling.


    "It knows," Riley breathed out, "It already knows that if it does not do its purpose, it will once again experience what it experienced before."


    "I... I don''t know what''s happening," Hannah shook her head, "I have no fucking idea what''s happening, and all I know is that whatever it is, I want to be with you, Riley! So, please... please! Just tell me what''s-"


    "I will," Riley smiled at Hannah; perhaps one of the most gentle action he had ever done in his life, "Hera?"


    "Wait, wait... I''m doing it!" Her closed her eyes as soon as she heard her name being called by Riley, "I can feel it. It-"


    "Wait," Riley, however, shook his head before snapping his fingers. And as he did so, the entire house-no, the entire neighborhood waspletely erased.


    "!!!" Hannah could not really help but just widen her eyes as she quickly looked around. Diana also did the same; her eyes, however, were squinted as she looked at Riley. Riley did not truly know it, but Diana did not actually know that he was Darkday she had her suspicions, but they were never concrete.


    After all, thest thing she wanted to do was intrude on her son''s privacy. She promised herself that she would never, ever listen in on whatever Hannah and Riley were doing and up to in their rooms or wherever they were.


    But now that he did what he did - it was all but confirmed for her. Well, that... and Megawoman''s mangled corpse floating in the air beside Riley.


    "Take her with you," Riley then lightly pushed Megawoman, letting her float straight toward Hera. Hera, of course, quickly caught Megawoman; holding onto her mangled corpse incredibly tight. After all, for her and everyone else in this reality, Megawoman is still Megawoman-Earth''s mightiest defender.


    And at this point, even Bernard, who already knew Riley''s identity, did not know how to react upon seeing Megawoman''s body. Hannah just stared at it for a few seconds before quickly putting her focus back at Riley.


    "T-"


    "Now, Hera."


    But before Hannah could even say anything, Hannah could not help but just squint her eyes as the view around her suddenly changed. The noise, almost overwhelming her as she could hear voicesing from all directions - it took her several seconds to process that she was actually already in a different ce.


    "Holy freak...!"


    Hannah was then woken up from her stupor as Hera almost screamed as her legs lost all of their strength; her body, almost convulsing from the tremors that were scattering through her skin. Whatever Riley did to her, it would seem that her abilities have fully be obedient.


    "You guys..." Karina, who was watching the entire scene unfold, could not help but just cover her mouth while approaching the group. Of course, Diana, Bernard, and Hannah quickly noticed how much Karina actually looked like Riley,


    "...Hera, you guys actually did it. Fuck... fuck... Does.... does that mean we can save Renna and the others!?" Karina let out a stuttered chuckle as she quickly rushed to help Hera up. Hera, who was really just happy to be safe and sound, also just startedughing as she and Karina hugged each other while hopping in ce.


    "You..." Hannah then pointed at Karina while she was celebrating, causing her and Hera to just stop as they looked at Hannah, "...Why do you look simr to Riley?"


    "Oh... no." And all of a sudden, the realization dawned on Karina. She wasn''t really thinking about it that much when it was happening, since all that mattered was Riley and Hera''s n being sessful. But now that she was seeing Hannah, the only thing she could do was to just wince and shake her head.


    The Hannah and Diana in front of her right now were not variants, they were copies of the people she knew from before her time. Rennalyn and the other primordials are saying that time travel truly can''t exist - but what is this in front of her right now, exactly, if not that?


    "I guess... I should start by saying that I am Riley Ross''s oldest daughter?" Karina awkwardly smiled, "I am your niece?"


    "...What? You look older than me!"


    "I am... by a few centuries," Karina sighed, "Uh... wee to the future? Or I guess, I should say... wee to the Real Reality."


    And while Hannah waspletely at a loss as to what was happening, Bernard and Diana were currently assessing their current situation; their eyes moving without pause as they scanned the surrounding area.


    "They really did it," Ang, who had been watching the entire thing unfold, could no longer help herself as she approached Hannah and the others, looking at them from head to toe, one by one, "Hera, you really did it."


    "...Aren''t you the Crimson Pdin?" Bernard blinked a couple of times as he also looked at Ang from head to toe, "Can you exin where we are?"


    "Darkday did it..." Angpletely ignored Bernard as she sped her palms together, "...The entity that is supposed to end us all, might be the one to actually save both worlds. The Pope always believed that Riley was destined for greater things. Could this be-"


    "Look!"


    And before Ang could finish her words, everyone who was watching Riley''s trial all pointed at the ck Tower. Bernard and Diana also quickly turned to look; their eyes widening as they


    saw the projections.


    "Those hands..." And as the people could really only see through Riley''s perspective, the only thing they could see from him were his hands, but that was enough for Hannah to recognize, "...And is that New York? What is he- !!!"


    And before Hannah could finish her words, she watched as Riley suddenly lunged himself through one of the buildings; not even caring that he was ramming several people, their blood and guts exploding from his shoulders.


    "What... what is he doing!?"


    "He... is clearing the trial," Karina whispered out while shaking her head, "Perhaps... it is best


    for you not to watch this, Aun-Hannah."


    With Hannah and the others gone, Riley truly is trying to clear the trial - but it wasn''t


    enough for him to just clear it.


    "I did not get this opportunity before," Riley surrounded himself with the falling debris of the building; the smile on his face, extremely wide and even more sinister, "Thank you,


    Paige...


    ...People of Earth, and those that might be outside. All of you will die, and I will make sure to


    enjoy it."

 Chapter 1062: Chapter 1062: Finally, Rampage

    Chapter 1062: Finally, Rampage


    ?


    It wasn''t a dark day at all, not even a cloud in the sky. And yet right now, the people could see nothing, because they choose to see nothing. All of them had their eyes closed, wanting to escape the dread crawling upon them.


    They covered their ears too, but it wasn''t enough.


    It wasn''t enough to silence all the booms, and to silence all the screams that came before and after. The screams of help, despair, and hopelessness.


    "Hello."


    "!!!"


    David was hiding with his family on the rubbles of New York, or more specifically, hiding underground on the subway;pressing themselves in what he could really only guess to be a part of a train. A train that was suddenly plucked out from the tracks right in front of him. He saw it, his family saw it. They were about to board the train when it suddenly lifted up into the air; it started slow, but then just suddenly violently mmed into the ceiling several times. He watched, his family watched as the people inside started to get squashed, mangled, and twisted before the train finally prated the ceiling and was plucked away.


    He could remember someone''s eye even poking out of the shattered ss of the train, squirting its contents right at his face - but of course, it didn''t matter. He knew he had to hide his children for whatever it was that did that. For him, it has only been a few days since Megawoman had died at the hands of Darkday, and there was nothing for him to do but hide. "Are you... are you a hero?" David was about to cover his children because he thought the one that found him might be Darkday, but the young man was the opposite of Darkday; he was clean, his hair and skin as white as snow.


    "I was."


    "Please... please, take my children, please!" David smiled as soon as he heard the young man''s words. He then picked up one of his sons, who was probably just 8 years old and handed him


    to the young man.


    "Okay."


    "Thank you, thank-" And before David could finish his words, he saw the young man grab his son by the head... and then just twist it around. The sound... there really was no sound when it happened, the only thing David could do was stare at the eyes of his son who no longer held any life at all of a sudden.


    "Have you never heard that you should not hand your children to a stranger, Mister?" And of course, the young man was none other than Riley; not even wearing his Darkday outfit as hepletely wreaked havoc across the city,


    "That is why I find it strange that Americans always leave their children alone with babysitters."


    "You... why... why did you¡ª"


    "I also killed your other children, by the way."


    "Huh...?" David could really only very slowly look back, only to see both of his daughters'' limbs twisted; their heads hanging from their necks, "Wh-why did..."


    "You truly seem hurt," Riley ced his hand on David''s shoulder and sighed, "Perhaps one day, I would also experience the same; my children, killed right in front of me and I could do nothing and I would deserve it. My children, your children, however, are absolutely innocent of this and did not deserve what happened to them."


    "Then why... why did you kill them!?"


    "Well..." Riley sighed again as he stood up and walked away from David, "...Because I want to."


    "Then just fucking kill me too!" David bared his teeth; his saliva spitting out from his mouth as all of his anger escaped his lungs, "Or I swear, I am going to hunt you down for the rest of my life!"


    "Hm," Riley just shrugged and walked away; just casually stepping up the subway even though David started following him from behind, holding a pipe he got from somewhere. Riley just nced at him for a few seconds before shaking his head,


    "You should truly mourn and be with your dead children instead of trying to follow me, Mister."


    "I''ll kill you! I''ll fucking kill you!" David''s screams echoed through the entire subway. "Okay," Riley, however, just once again shrugged and sighed, "Please do that."


    David did not leave Riley alone at all, even hastening his steps as he chased him up the stairs leading to the city. As soon as they reached the surface, however, the only thing that David could do was let go of the pipe he was holding - because what waited for him there was not New York at all, but another version of hell.


    Most of the buildings werepletely ruined; those that were not had people all jumping down from different floors - no. In the other buildings, there was someone pushing them...


    ...a person who looked exactly like the person in front of him, and there were probably hundreds and hundreds of them.


    "Oh...?" Riley then noticed a couple hiding behind one of the toppled cars. He just very casually moved toward the car, before pushing it toward the couple hiding.


    "Stop... stop!"


    "Agh... my leg!"


    The couple started screaming, yet all they could do was crawl as Riley pushed the car toward them until they reached a wall... and yet Riley did not stop, no. He just slowed down his steps so that the couple could feel the metal and the wall pinning their bodies ever so slowly.


    "Please... plea-gkh!"


    And almost like cockroaches, the couple werepletely squashed behind the car; their blood just exploding everywhere on the wall.


    "Hm... I think we are done here," Riley then let out a small sigh as he raised his hand. And as soon as he did so, all of his clones quickly gathered around him, but not before killing all of the people they were torturing, "...Everyone, let us go to Canada next. Go."


    And as soon as Riley said that, all the clones flew away, leaving Riley alone with David.


    "Who... who the fuck are you?"


    "You do not really need to know, Mister," Riley just smiled in response before snapping his fingers. And as soon as he did so, David exploded... along with the horizon; erasing everything for a thousand miles erasing the entire country.


    "Well then, I suppose I will go to Asia and-"


    And before Riley could finish his words, he stretched his palm to the side and caught


    someone''s hand - Tempo''s hand.


    "Impressive," Riley smiled, "I always knew you were the strongest member of the group - excluding Hera, of course. You-"


    And once again, before Riley could finish his words, a hand emerged from the ground beneath his feet and without even any warning, Empress popped out and started mming him


    back and forth on the ruined ground.


    Empress, however, quickly stopped as soon as she recognized Riley.


    "You... Riley?" Empress quickly let go of Riley, "You... you did all of this?"


    "Yes, Empress," Riley just nodded while still lying on the ground, "I am surprised that you


    are still alive - no. I am surprised that a lot of you are still alive."


    Riley then turned his eyes up, only to see probably hundreds and hundreds of heroes slowly gather around him and surround him.


    "This will be fun," a wide smile soon started to crawl on Riley''s face, "This is the thing I could not do back then- I will make sure to savor each and everyst moment...


    ....before I proceed to Theran."

 Chapter 1063: Chapter 1063: Here comes the V

    Chapter 1063: Herees the V


    ?


    "I have always wondered, why have all of you never tried this before? To attack me all at the same time."


    "You''re... You''re Riley Ross, right? Bernard''s son? Why... why are you doing this?"


    Empress, who seemed to be leading the attack of the superheroes, could not help but raise her hand to signal the others to stop approaching. There were probably hundreds of them there - hundreds of supers, whether they were a hero or not, perhaps some of them were even viins, but all of them were surrounding Riley.


    After all, superviins, most of the time, have a reason why they are doing what they are doing. Most of them just wanted to send a message, some wanted to take revenge on a society that did not go ording to their wishes; all delusional, of course.


    But as soon as they heard the horrific attack on New York, they all knew that it was the doing of a madman who wanted nothing but just senseless carnage - and when they realized it was someone who could clone himself, it was not that hard to deduct that it was Darkday, but without actually hiding his identity.


    It did not matter, however, as whoever or whatever he might actually be, Empress knew that this was theirst stand. Without Megawoman...


    ...they were Earth''sst defense, literally.


    Darkday was not doing this for the sake of anything, he would not leave anyone behind to rule or to oppress, or to make anyone listen to him. He will kill them all.


    Empress was going to do everything to stop him; her life doesn''t matter anymore. What matters is that he must be stopped. But now, she found herself hesitating. And even Riley could see that.


    "Oh?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he looked at Empress, "Even now, you hesitate. It would seem I underestimated your affection for me, Empress, even though you have really only taken care of me when I was a baby in the Hope Guild is it because I am Whiteking''s son, or because I am Alice''s?"


    "Whiteking..." Empress''s eyes widened, "...Where''s Bernard and Diana, Riley...? Where''s your sister?"


    "They are in a much better ce, Empress."


    "What did you do!?"


    "I freed them," Riley smiled before stretching his arms to the side, "Free from this temporary reality. They are safe now."


    "You... you killed them?" Empress''s breaths faltered.


    "No, I would never do that," Riley shook his head, "As I said, they are safe."


    "Where are they, Riley?"


    "In a ce sadly you can never reach."


    "Riley!" And with those words, Empress finally let go of her words as she just rushed toward Riley, "I will never forgive you for this!"


    "Good," Riley smiled. And instead of moving, he just once again stretched his arm to the side. And this time, an explosion burst forth from his palm... very much like Empress''s ability tobust the air around her.


    And with the smile still pestering his face, he lunged himself to meet Empress''s attack head- on. Head-on, literally as he blocked her fist with his head; Empress felt her hand shatter, and before the rest of her arm could follow, she quickly flew back. She quickly got ready to block Riley''s attack, but Riley did not follow at all as he just stood where they hit each other.


    Riley just nced at her for a second, before turning around toward the other heroes.


    "Are all of you just going to watch?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "Because if so, then I have no need for all of you."


    Riley then raised his hand, causing the entire field to tremble. But before anything could rise from the ground, Bulwark summoned streams of light beneath Riley''s fit to bind his arms, trying to pin him to the ground. But s, Riley did not even seem to feel the solid light, but he did see it and stopped whatever it was he was doing.


    "Bulwark, I almost forgot about you," Riley smiled as he looked at Bulwark, who was with Tempo and the others, "I wonder if you are still alive in the real reality?"


    Bulwark had no interest in talking, however, as golden symbols started appearing in the air around Riley; once again summoning streams of light topletely bind his entire body this time. It did not even take a few seconds before his entire silhouette was wrapped with the light, and as soon as it was, Butcher appeared behind Riley and started swinging his knives at him...


    ...only for it to slip from his hands as it felt as if he was trying to slice diamond - which was weird, since Butcher was capable of cutting through diamond like it was just air.


    "I have always thought of your abilities as one of the things I would like to have, Butcher- but you never really did manage to kill me," Riley''s voice seeped out from the silhouette of light, "But thankfully, King had it - and therefore, I have it too."


    "!!!"


    And there, everyone''s eyes just widened as Riley''s hand casually escaped Bulwark''s trap. They then could not do anything but just watch as Riley swung his hand across Butcher''s head...


    ...slicing it horizontally in half.


    "Butcher!" Empress screamed as she saw the top of Butcher''s head just drop to the ground. She quickly rushed toward Riley again; this time destroying everything in her path. Riley, however, just casually flicked his finger - throwing her thousands of kilometers away before focusing on the other heroes gathered in the distance.


    "Are all of you here just for decoration?" Riley sighed, "If you are not going toe to me, then-"


    "Darkday!"


    And before Riley could finish his words, a violent dance of lightning suddenly struck him from above; violent enough that it crawled across the field in an instant, causing the other heroes to just leap in the air... and those who were unfortunate enough to not have the same reflexes to just die or faint there and then.


    "V, no!" Bulwark screamed as he saw who attacked Riley. He quickly released the light binding Riley since it was useless in the first ce, and immediately shifted it toward V to pull her away ¡ª but s, before he could do so, Riley was able to grab the streams of light with one hand; an act that should be impossible since it was not Bulwark''s will.


    "I have never really liked this ability of yours, Bulwark," Riley then whispered, revealing that his other hand was grabbing V''s armor suit, "To shape light into anything you want and turn it solid, I admit it is one of the better powers one could have - but telekinesis does the


    same...


    ...and you can not even see it."


    "Kh¡ª" Bulwark''s eyes then suddenly widened-no. It did not just widen, his golden eyes literally widened to the point his eyes popped out of their sockets. And before Bulwark could even do anything, everyone watched as he started to look like a balloon as his golden body instantly inted.


    And it is true what they said - Bulwark''s blood truly was also gold in a way. His blood, however, waspletely drowned by the flesh of his guts and organs as he just exploded there and then in front of everyone.


    Those who had already gained the courage to fight and attack Riley changed their mind there and then, with some of them even running away.


    "No," Riley shook his head and sighed before slightly lowering V and facing her right in front of him. And without even saying a word, Riley started ripping the suit of armor apart like it


    was made of tofu.


    "No...!!!" V screamed as she quickly pulled her arms out of the armor and lunged toward Riley, grabbing his head before just electrocuting him with all that she had. She did stop abruptly, however, as she noticed Riley just staring at her behind the shes and trickles of light.


    "You have so much potential, Victoria," Riley then once again grabbed V by the neck, pushing her away. And with the difference in the length of their arms, the only thing V could really do was let go of his head and electrocute his arm instead... but once again, it did absolutely nothing,


    "It truly is such a shame that you did not be my subordinate. Perhaps I should try to find you in the real reality, I never really bothered to check once I found out that you turned


    clinically insane...


    ...Do you want me to show you just how powerful you could be?"


    "What are you!!!" And before V could finish her words, Riley suddenly pulled her closer and


    thenpletely disconnected her from the armor, which also served as her limiter, "No...


    no!!!"


    And with that roar, a burst of lightning exploded from V; literally tearing the entire filled apart as each individual strand tore everything in its path. As for Riley, well, he treated her the


    same as before.


    Riley started flying around and chasing those who ran away from the battlefield, and without even any reservations, Riley turned V toward them so she could see their bodies being torn


    apart by her powers.


    "You could destroy this entire if you wished," Riley shook his head and sighed, "I


    would know, I gained it from King. So... ...how do you want to do that, Victoria?"

 Chapter 1064: Chapter 1064: The Last Man

    Chapter 1064: The Last Man


    ?


    VR 1064


    "Stop it... please, stop it."


    "Do you not see it, your potential?"


    "I don''t want... I don''t want this!"


    "Then kill yourself, Victoria."


    "That..."


    Horrifying was not even a word enough to describe what V was feeling right now. But of course, she could actually describe it. Her powers were leakingpletely and she could do nothing to stop it, like how she could also do nothing to stop Riley from flying her across cities; the electricity, the lightning that was rampaging from her body, ravaging everything within her sight.


    She wanted to close her eyes but was unable to do so as something seemed to be keeping them open. Riley could have just ripped her eyelids apart so that V could already know there was no hiding from this, but he kept them intact to just give V a sense of... hope that she could close her eyes.


    But she can''t. She can''t escape the fact that her powers are currently shredding someone''s skin. There were families trapped in their cars, dying so slowly until the electricity started to burn through the car; their screams, looping inside her head again and again-no.


    They weren''t looping at all, they were just reced by another family.


    "Please... please, stop this."


    "You could just stop this yourself, Victoria," Riley shook his head as he continued to carry V by the head, letting her see all the carnage her powers were doing, "Kill yourself."


    "I''m..." V gritted her teeth. And after a few seconds, she opened her mouth and tried to bite her tongue; but of course, Riley was actually not going to let V kill herself, at least not in the way she wanted.


    "What is wrong, Victoria?" Riley smiled, "Are you truly not going to sacrifice yourself?" "You... you monster! Just kill me! Kill me!"


    "All it takes is just one single spark, Victoria," Riley let out a small but very deep sigh as he pulled V''s head closer and whispered to her ear, "Let all of your powers out in a single burst." "I can''t..." V''s tears evaporated before they could even trail down her cheeks.


    "You could," Riley smiled, "These people would die either way you would be ending their suffering, and yours."


    "That..." V whimpered; the green lightning that was crackling everywhere, getting even stronger with each streak. All V wanted was to be a hero, and now, her powers were being used to kill thousands and thousands of people,


    "I''m sorry... I''m so sorry, everyone... I''m so sorry..."


    V was finally allowed to close her eyes; light, nowpletely drowning her body, as well as Riley''s.


    "I''m... I''m taking you with me, Darkday! Know that you were defeated by all of us!"


    And with those words, V let out all of her strength in one single swoop. Almost like cracking her entire existence and letting out one final spark which reverberated throughout the entire world.


    And soon, she felt herself losing consciousness. Filled with regrets and sorrow, yes - but the relief that lives would never be lost again because of her overcame everything. She dies, still, for the people.


    "Huh...?" Or so she thought.


    Vonce again opened her eyes; waking up, and the first thing that weed her was the face of Riley smiling widely at her. She did not even move; tears just started trailing down her temples as soon as she realized that this evil beside her would not allow her to die at all, and just forever hate herself for what she had done.


    "Good morning, Victoria."


    "No."


    "Do you want to see what you''ve done?"


    "No... no."


    V started shaking her head vehemently, not even wanting to move at all and just staring at the sky above her. Riley, of course, very gently lifted her up and once again pried her eyes open; this time, using his hands to do so.


    And there, V just saw a crystal desert; reflecting the already fractured sky above them and just adding to the chaos. It was almost as if she woke up on a different.


    But she knew... she knew that this was the aftermath of what she had done. The sea of crystals reflecting in her eyes may as well just be the souls she had taken.


    "W...why...?" V could barely form a word; each of the breath escaping her lips was a culmination of a million stutters, "Why... why are you so evil...? You... you look like you''re barely even older than me. So, why...? How can you be so evil? Why... what sort of... what sort of things have you experienced for you to be like this?"


    "You should never try to find an excuse why someone is evil, Victoria," Riley let out a small sigh as he removed his hands from her face and patted her head, "Evil is evil, no matter what - and I am the worst of them all."


    "Just kill me..." V whispered weakly.


    "I will. I just want you to cherish this moment, Victoria," Riley let out a small chuckle, "Relish in it."


    "I... I will never, never forgive myself for killing thousands and thousands of people."


    "Thousands?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at V; a small hint of confusion forming on his face, "You did not kill thousands of people, Victoria."


    "You mean... no... no," V gritted her teeth, "Did I... did kill everyone in the city? Millions of people... millions, I¡ª"


    "Billions, Victoria."


    "W... what?" V''s breaths became even more stuttered, unstable, "What... what do you mean?"


    "I underestimated just how strong you actually are," Riley sighed, "I have never really used your powers, but I might start using them no-"


    "What are you trying to say!?" V let out a scream that echoed through the sea of crystals surrounding them.


    "You killed all of them, Victoria," Riley sighed, "You killed everyone on the surface of the, everything. The cute little animals too. I am actually thinking of restarting the entire trial ¡ª but that would mean Hannah 2.0 and our parents might return here, so perhaps not."


    "I killed... I killed everyone?"N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Not all of them," Riley shook his head, "I could feel 2 still alive, Victoria. You know, I might actually try to find you outside. I believe it would be an experience to meet you again, seeing as how you are probably the person I have hurt mentally the most. What-"


    And before Riley could finish his words, V suddenly disappeared.


    "Oh...?" And as Riley started looking around, he felt his vision slightly shift. As soon as it did so, however, he took a deep breath and looked at the reason why - Tempo, punching him right on the cheek with a weight even stronger than a normal themarian''s punch,


    "...Interesting."


    "The fuck...?" Tempo''s eyes widened as he realized that Riley was actually looking at him. Riley was about to grab his wrist, but he ran away before Riley could do so; his silhouette, instantly disappearing into the horizon.


    "I knew it," Riley smiled and nodded, "The strongest member of the Hope Guild."


    And with those words, Riley also ran; the sound of a pulse, thumping in the air as he too,


    disappeared into the horizon...


    ...to try and chase Tempo, fairly.


    "Hello, Tempo."


    "What the fuck!?"


    And of course, Riley actually caught up to him in no time at all, running beside him while he


    was carrying V. His eyes could really only widen as he hastened his steps, moving away from Riley in the blink of an eye- and for the very first time in his life, he had to look back...


    because someone was chasing him.


    But of course, this was already within their expectations.


    "Empress," Tempo raised his voice as he spoke slowly, "Now!"


    "Hm?" and before Riley could even wonder what was going on, Empress suddenly emerged from the crystal ground; her fists which seemed to be filled with an almost infinite amount of her power, meeting Riley''s face which was going at a speed impossible to measure.


    And with a roar from Empress, the two made contact.


    Tempo did not have time to even see the oue as the ground just began to tremble and


    crack. He had to keep running, if not, the shockwave would literally shave him into a pulp. He


    ran, and he ran, until it all finally calmed down...


    ....and what awaited him was Empress.


    "Emp-!!!"


    Half of her body,pletely gone. The only thing he could really do was watch as she


    dropped to the ruined ground.


    "I have to give credit."


    And as he heard Riley whispering in his ear, the only thing he did in response was gently ce


    Von the ground.


    "If it were me from before, all of you might have actually won - but of course, only the


    battle. I would have always found a way out," Riley smiled, "I respect you a lot, Tempo. I know how you tried to save Diley when the people from outer space appeared. And for that...


    ...I give you a quick death."


    "Can I request a quick death for the kid too?" Tempo just fell onto his knees as he looked at V.


    "She is already dead, Tempo."


    "Oh, then-"


    And before Tempo could even finish his words, his head dropped to the ground and rolled


    toward V.


    And with that, Riley finally got the chance to wipe out Earth, and it was more fun than he had


    imagined.


    "Now then," Riley then looked at the sky, "To Theran. But first...


    ...everywhere else in between."

 Chapter 1065: Chapter 1065: Riley vs. A Messenger

    Chapter 1065: Riley vs. A Messenger


    ?


    "Can you check if this is right? Something tiny is heading towards the outpost... and it''s from the Unknown."


    "Try contacting it, maybe it''s a ship from a small race."


    "Unidentified spacecraft, you are currently entering Hotis 4J''s expanse space above the maximum speed. Please state your business, or turn around. If you do notply, we will be forced to-It''s not stopping!"


    Somewhere in the expanse of the temporary reality that Paige created, lightyears away from Earth, stood a half the size of Pluto. Suffice it to say, with its surface area onlyparable to that of arge country on Earth, the poption within the was packed almost like sardines- perhaps an exaggeration, but it was closer to the truth if anything. Hotis 4J is also used as a sort of transport hub- an outpost at the very end of the known and chartered Universe. It is also the closest to Earth that actually has sentient and intelligent life.


    Still, even with its poptionrger than what it could amodate, Hotis 4J was and is a peaceful ce for travelers and explorers to rest before they delve into the Unknown.


    And, of course, if someone who was already aware of Riley''s story were here, then they would know how one of his clones, Raleerus,pletely devastated and destroyed it back in the real reality ¡ª and now, it is the original''s turn to do so.


    "Shoot it! Shoot it!" The military of the small was currently running around as they tried to stop the so-called tiny ship heading towards their at a speed that wouldpletely decimate it - and of course, this tiny ship was actually Riley, flying toward the with a wide smile on his face.


    Hotis 4J started releasing several missiles andsers at him, and everyone on the watched and wondered what they were shooting at. They did not need to wonder that long, however, as Rileynded on their ¡ª and surprisingly, he stopped just short of impact. Rileynded, kneeling on the ground while surrounded by all sorts of curious people from different races; his hair, just very slowly bouncing as he looked at all of them one by one. "W-"


    And as soon as one of the aliens approached him, Riley quickly rushed toward the poor individual and lifted it up in the air before mming it several times; Riley only stopped when 6 of the alien''s eyes popped out of its head. He then grabbed one of its tentacles before just using it as some sort of whip as he started swinging the octophoid at the other people,pletely shattering both the poor octophoid and the unlucky individual who happened to be nearest to Riley.


    Riley was not even saying anything, there was just a smile on his face as he continued to practically rummage his way through the people. The people started running, slithering, or floating away; but with just a blink of their eyes, Riley would catch up to them - all they could really see was a blur, and all of a sudden, Riley''s arm would be through their bodies. "Halt, by the order of Lahestia! Stop what you are doing right now!"


    And soon, Riley suddenly found himself surrounded by all sorts of people of different aesthetics - they all, however, all had a uniform inmon ording to what their physiology looked like.


    Lahestia, the space police force that was also under the Common Council.


    Riley really only nced at them one by one, before just smirking and once again rushing toward them, using only his arms and hands to rip them apart one by one. He did not bother talking to any of them, he just continued his rampage across Hotis 4J.


    And unlike with Earth, one could not really see or notice Riley''s wake of destruction; if one were to look at the from afar, they would not see anything close to ruin - after all, Riley decided to be all hands-on with the, literally.


    He was like a blur, just mowing through everyone and sometimes using their limbs or their entire bodies as weapons until they werepletely shredded and could no longer be used.


    He almost looked like he was cloning himself with how fast he was moving across the ¡ª and there, in just minutes, hepletely obliterated everyone with his bare hands.


    "No one is left," and finally, Riley opened his mouth; different colors of blood, dripping across his face as he did so. He looked up for a few seconds to let out a deep breath before just stretching his arms to the side, "Onto to the next-"


    And before Riley could finish his words, he opened his eyes as he noticed the darkness that suddenly veiled the entire horizon - and there, he saw, right above him was a palm that was heading straight toward Hotis 4J.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Interesting."


    And without even any regard for the, the cosmic palm justpletely shattered Hotis 4J. It was a Messenger, the oldest living race of the Universe.


    [Who are you?] The Messenger seemed to be well aware that his attack which decimated Hotis 4J did nothing to Riley as it spoke; its words, reverberating throughout the otherwise deaf expanse of space, [What is your purpose for-]


    And before the Messenger could finish his words, it felt something crawling across its forearms something that should not happen at all. As for it, Riley was not even an ant, barely a tardigrade inparison to its size.


    And yet, soon, it watched as its arm started to split open; releasing a cosmic energy that was the source of its life, its blood. And before it could even react, a sh of light suddenly popped out like a crescent between the darkness;pletely slicing off the arm.


    [Wh-]


    And before it could even say anything, the rest of its colossal body followed. With Riley just waving his hands like a de, slicing the Messenger''s-sized body into pieces. Of course, the Messenger was still alive, it had a biological body, but it lived quite differently from the rest of the sentient species of the universe.


    Its blood, which seemed like a collection of miniature stars, then started flying into each other, creating a bigger star in almost an instant. This star seemed to stare at Riley for a few seconds, before just suddenly flying away at a speed that made it almostpletely disappear into the distance.


    And of course, Riley chased after it. Because he knew, wherever it was going, there was more fun to be had. Perhaps, even the Evaniels? The Messengers and the evaniels have a sort of rtionship with each other, as their civilization was almost as old as each other - if the Messenger was asking for a backup, then it would be against the evaniels.


    Will he actually finally be able to fight against Queen Vania head-on? The only one he had ever really known to actually injure a Primordial during the Tournament. Granted, the primordials were in their humanoid forms, but it was still a feat that has not yet been replicated.


    But s, unfortunately for Riley, the Messenger did not escape to the evaniels at all - and as they continued to fly along the expanse of space, Riley realized where the Messenger was actually going as he scanned ahead.


    It was leading him to the Common Council - where the Elder who killed Diley should be


    resting.


    "Oh...?" A wide smile started to crawl on Riley''s face again,


    "...I get to kill you twice?"

 Chapter 1066: Chapter 1066: Suddenly, Its Horror

    Chapter 1066: Suddenly, It''s Horror


    ?


    "This... is a Messenger''s Last Essence?"


    Ahor Zai was a ce for the Elders of the Universe to gather. It was a ce where all of them would be considered equal. Although they might have a Grand Elder, he truly wasn''t higher than the rest, it was just a title that meant he needed to be the one that organized everything and made sure that all of them were aligned, and that no race was harboring anything negative against each other.


    And right now, the Grand Elder was handling a dispute between Elder Skeem and an Elder thates and goes in her position, Tedi, two of the most intelligent beings in the entire known universe.


    They were currently arguing about what to do with a certain civilization that was about to be extinct sometime in a hundred years.


    "They will learn how many civilizations have been in their very same predicament and came out the vetter?" Elder Tedi imed; the tone of her voice extremely robotic, "Help them, and they will flourish 300, 500 years from now."


    "300, 500?" Elder Skeem shook his worm-like head as he stared at Elder Tedi''s hologram, "That is the problem with species that live so long. They had all the time in the world to fix themselves, but they did not listen to us, they deserve to perish - Who agrees with me?"


    "They do not listen to us because we are silent. You leave them cryptic messages and give them words through metaphors - how are they to interpret that?"


    "We?" Elder Skeem scoffed, "May I remind you that you are currently not an Elder? You do not have a voice here since you have given up your position for the hundredth time. We are only listening to you because you are important to the grand scheme of things. We¡ª"


    "Hold," Elder Tedi''s hologram suddenly looked away from the rest of the council.


    "Hold...? Do you truly not hold respect for me and this Council!?" Elder Skeem could not help but raise his voice as Elder Tedi looked away, "Are you-"


    "I am detecting the energy level of a Messenger," Elder Tedi raised her hand.


    "Of course you will, this is Ahor Zai - Messengers alwayse through here," Elder Skeem eximed, "Come to think of it, you should just be a Messenger yourself, considering you are almost asrge as them."


    "Hah!" Elder S''adar, who was just enjoying the dispute, pped his hands; his spiky hair and tail, wagging as he did so, "He got you there, Tedi girl."


    "I really do not see the reason why our presence was needed here," Elder Zorah lightly wiped his horns while shaking his head, "Grand Elder, let us go home."


    "We-"


    "It is a Whisper of a Messenger."


    And as soon as those words escaped Elder Tedi, all the Elders looked at her hologram in haste.


    "It''s... dead?" Even Elder Skeem''s voice became mellow as he spoke to Elder Tedi, "What killed it...? Is it the Pirate Queen Xra!?"


    "I think there is no reason to deduce." Everyone could see Elder Tedi open her palm, weing the Whisper of the Messenger in her hands. They all then could see her hologram look in a certain direction, "The culprit is right in front of me."


    "Ahor Zai, show us the feed," the Grand Elder raised his hand. And as he did so, several screens popped out in front of the Elders ¡ª and there, although it was hard to see, the image soon zoomed in toward Riley.


    "An... evaniel? Have we offended them in a way?" Elder S''adar smiled.


    "Only the Queen of the Evaniels have the ability to tetherlessly run in space. That is definitely


    a male, and not an evaniel," Elder Skeem shook his head again, "Elder Tedi - are you able tomunicate?"


    "Yes. He is... talking to me now." Everyone could hear Elder Tedi''s robotic voice turn somewhat... meek.


    "What is it saying...?"


    "That it would kill me painlessly since it considers me its only friend."


    "What? You know who it is...?"


    "No," Elder Tedi shook her head, "This is the first time I have seen this creature. It¡ª" "!!!"


    And before Elder Tedi could finish her words, everyone watched as her hologram lost its head there and then. The footage also zoomed out, only for them to see Tedi''s colossal headless corpse now just floating still in the expanse of space.


    "Did... it just kill a Norid? Just what-"


    And all of a sudden, the light in the Common Council disappeared. No - the entire megastructure of Ahor Zaipletely ceased working.


    "Ahor Zai, report!" The Grand Elder raised his voice.


    [An intruder is currently inside the main database. All powers were shut down to prioritize Ahor Zai''s continuous operation.]


    "It''s... there with you?" Elder S''adar stood up with a smile on his face, "Finally, a worthy opponent! Our battle will be legendary!"


    "No, Elder S''adar! Remain here!"


    Sadly for the Grand Elder, Elder S''adar''s thirst for battle took priority over everything as he rushed to get out of the meeting room. Elder Zorah was going to chase him, but Elder Skeem and Elder Vato, who was literally a rock, blocked his path.


    "The creature was able to kill Elder Tedi instantly," Elder Skeem whispered out, "Our best course of action to take is to escape this ce and prepare ours'' defenses."


    "All the more reason to aid Elder S''adar," Elder Zorah moved past the two Elders, "Elder Apo, are you going with me?"


    Elder Zorah then turned toward the glowing gold humanoid, who somewhat resembled Bulwark. Elder Apo, however, just shook his head in silence; the light his body was giving off, was probably the only source of light in the meeting hall.


    "Cowards, all of you," Elder Zorah shook his head, "The Common Council must be protected, that is our oath to the universe. We-"


    And before Elder Zorah could finish his words, all of them heard a quiet patteringing from the distance. They all turned their heads toward the noise, with Elder Apo raising his hand and letting out a beam of light that illuminated the darkness in front of all of them.


    And there, they all finally saw what was making noise.


    It was Elder S''adar''s head, rolling toward them. And judging from the expression on his face,


    he was not granted the same privilege as Elder Tedi - he died painfully.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Ahor Zai..." The Grand Elder then whispered out, "...Where is the intruder now?"


    [The intruder, Riley Ross, is currently in the main dome.]


    "Riley Ross? And Main Dome? That''s... here," the tiny Grand Elder stood up on his chair as he and the other Elders started looking around, "Where... is it?"


    [Behind you.]

 Chapter 1067: Chapter 1067: The Appetizer

    Chapter 1067: The Appetizer


    ?


    [Behind you.]


    The Grand Elder quickly turned his floating throne around as soon as he heard Ahor Zai''s statement, but there was no one there. Even with Elder Apo lighting the area, all they could really see was the empty gray walls they had already been used to seeing.


    Everyone remained vignt; all of their eyes just looking everywhere in order to catch a glimpse of their menacing intruder. After several seconds of this, however, Elder Skeem broke the silence.


    "...We''re all going to die," Elder Skeem shook his worm-like head, "Elder S''adar and Tedi are species of power and physical prowess, and the only warrior we have now is Elder Zorah - he is not a match against this intruder."


    "...I agree," Elder Zorah did not refute Elder Skeem''s words at all; hisrge horns just lightly flickered as he looked at the Grand Elder, "All of us should go."


    "Considering it has already killed Tedi and Elder S''adar, I do not think it has any intention of letting any of us go," Elder Skeem once again shook his head, "The only way we have any chance of surviving this situation is through diplomacy. It spoke to Tedi before killing her." "...Who are you, Riley Ross? And why are you doing this!?" The Grand Elder quickly heeded Elder Skeem''s words as he started looking around the dome for any signs of Riley. And when he and the others thought Riley Ross wouldn''t show himself, he did.


    "Show yourself!" The only one that did not see him was the Grand Elder. His eyes, however, started to squint as he noticed the others were actually all looking at him. And before he could wonder why, the tiny Grand Elder slightly looked up... only to see Riley looking down at him.


    The Grand Elder was standing on Riley''sp, who was now suddenly seated on his throne; he did not even feel anything at all.


    "Wha-!!!"


    The Grand Elder was just the size of Riley''s arm, and it became even more obvious as Riley ced his hand on the Grand Elder''s small head which was as small as a pool ball, grabbing it just tight enough that the Grand Elder would think he could actually struggle himself free.


    But of course, Riley had no intention at all to let him go as he just looked at the other Elders one by one with a very wide smile on his face.


    "Every time I meet any of you, there seems to be a pattern of decapitated heads," Riley let out a small chuckle as he looked at Elder S''adar''s head on the gray floor, "Although I suppose it would be a little premature to call it a pattern since it has really only happened twice."


    "Twice...?" Elder Zorah squinted his eyes as he looked at Elder Skeem, who just quickly focused back to Riley.


    "Twice? Does that mean you have been to this ce before, Riley Ross?" Elder Skeem tried his best to sound as calm as possible, "But I do not recall reading of you in the Common Council''s billions of years of history - Could it be... that you are from a time before that?"


    "I suppose I could tell you," Riley let out a small hum as he tilted his head to the side, "But I will not."


    And with those words, he also tilted the Grand Elder''s small head; except he tilted it way more than 30 degrees, it was more like a 210 turn. He then started violently shaking the Grand Elder''s body, and everyone just watched as the rest of his body was blown away as soon as the Grand Elder''s neck was torn apart from the sheer force of the shake.


    "Oh," Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at the Grand Elder''s torn head that was left on his hand, "I did not really mean to do that, I thought the Grand Elder would be more durable."


    Riley then let out a small but very deep sigh as he just ced the Grand Elder''s head beside him on the throne. And soon, the throne started to move around as Riley once again looked at the remaining Elders one by one.


    He did this for a few seconds until his eyes finally settled on Elder Zorah.


    "Hello again, Elder Goat," Riley smiled as he stepped off the throne and just started casually walking toward Elder Zorah, "I suppose we should just get started, then - Ahor Zai, please turn on all the power again."


    [Okay.]


    "What...?" And to Elder Skeem and the other Elders'' surprise, the lights within the dome truly did turn on again as the power went back through the entirety of Ahor Zai, "Why... are you following Riley Ross, Ahor Zai? Exin."


    [Because Riley Ross made me see the truth of this universe,] Ahor Zai''s words reverberated in the air, [And the truth he revealed has made all of my knowledge irrelevant, perhaps even useless. He has given me the Last Knowledge.]


    "...And what is the Last Knowledge?" Elder Skeem whispered.


    [That all of you do not truly exist.]


    "What are you-"


    "Ahor Zai, please broadcast everything that happens to this dome to the entire Known Universe from this point forward." And before Elder Skeem could inquire further, Riley walked toward the other decapitated head, Elder S''adar''s head, and just casually ced it on the throne; letting it rest beside the Grand Elder''s head - and this action was seen by more than a trillion people.


    "Ahor Zai, stop broadcasting," Elder Zorah quickly ordered; Ahor Zai, however, did not respond at all.


    "Ahor Zai."


    [Yes, Riley Ross?] But as soon as Riley spoke again, Ahor Zai''s voice quickly whispered to everyone''s ears again.


    "Give the data containing all of the locations of active civilizations in the entire Known Universe, no matter what level of advancement, and give it to the clones I left with you."


    [Okay.]


    "What... are you nning to do with that?" Elder Zorah''s horns started to light up.


    "I n to close this universe once and for all, Elder Zorah," Riley shrugged, "But of course, while my clones are traveling to everyone else, I will give them a little teaser of what is about to happen to them. Well, at least to those advanced enough to receive this broadcast. So...


    ...everyone, please watch."


    "What-" And before Elder Zorah or any of the remaining Elders could react to Riley''s words, Riley suddenly disappeared from his spot; only to appear behind Elder Zorah, already grabbing hisrge horns.


    "Elder Bato!" Their concern for Zorah, however, was quickly diminished as soon as they saw what was on Riley''s other hand - it was Elder Bato, the Elder who literally just looked like a


    rock.


    "What...!? What are you do!!!" Elder Zorah could not even finish his words before Riley just mmed him on the floor. And before he could even try to get up, Riley ced his knee on his neck andpletely pinned him down. And then, without even saying another word...


    ...Riley started grinding Elder Bato on Elder Zorah''s horns.


    "No!" Elder Skeem let out an almost screeching scream. As for Elder Apo, he remained therepletely emotionless; just watching what was happening in silence and shaking his head.


    "Kh... grah!" Elder Zorah screamed from the top of his lungs; his voice cracking without any hesitation as he felt his entire body just tremble from the pain of having his horns shredded. His were not actually necessarily just horns, they werepletely an extensive part of his body, like a limb.


    He struggled to get up, but the only thing he could really do was m his waving fists on the floor while Riley had himpletely pinned down. And if the ufortable sawing and gnawing sound was an indication of how much pain Elder Zorah was feeling, it was almost as if his body was going numb; except instead of feeling nothing, he was feeling everything at a


    constant wave.


    And soon, blood began to shed from his horns.


    The blood, however, was not from Elder Zorah at all, but from Elder Bato; his stone-like


    exterior, shattering and turning into powder.


    And perhaps the most shocked of them all was Riley as he stopped grinding Elder Bato when


    he noticed that the blood was actuallying from him.


    "Interesting physiology," Riley looked at Elder Bato''s mangled body no, it was not


    mangled at all, he could even say it was smoother than before. The only problem was that Elder Bato now looked like an extremely smooth steak due to his flesh.


    And that just gave Riley an incredible idea.


    Riley tugged and pulled Elder Zorah''s horns.


    "Gah-!?" And as soon as he howled in pain, Riley quickly ced Elder Bato inside Elder


    Zorah''s mouth. Well...


    ...at least he tried to.


    Elder Bato was too big to fit inside Elder Zorah''s goat mouth, and so, in reality, Riley did not


    ce it inside, he smashed through his lips and teeth and just practically forced Elder Bato into Elder Zorah''s throat; making sure he stuck it in there and using his entire arm to do so.


    "So..."


    "Gkh!"


    Riley then kicked Elder Zorah''s throat, causing him to just gasp in pain. As for Riley, the smile on his face never truly fades away.


    "Shall we get started then, Elder Zorah?" Riley casually said after doing everything he did to the Common Council, "I will make this as slow for you but as quick as possible for everyone who wants to see...


    ...I still need to go to Theran, you see. But first, they also need to see that I killed everyone here... Do not worry, only Elder Zorah would be tortured."N?v(el)B\\jnn

 Chapter 1068: Chapter 1068: Riley The Magnanimous

    Chapter 1068: Riley The Magnanimous


    ?


    "He is still alive, impressive."


    "Just kill him, he... has suffered enough."


    "Everyone has suffered enough, Elder Skeem. But it does not mean that I would actually stop ¡ª if anything, I am finding more and more ways to get creative."


    Elder Zorah was still alive - well, if he could actually be called that. He was not actually even reacting to anything anymore, not even as Riley just sat on top of his back; his limbs and spine, cracked, twisted, and now deformed so that he was standing on his legs and arms; like a real goat from Earth.


    But of course, Riley is very kind and magnanimous and treats everyone equally. He was feeding the almost lifeless Elder Zorah with a golden grass - well, it wasn''t really grass, but it was golden.


    It was Elder Apo''s hair. And Elder Apo could not really do anything as Riley had his head locked and his facepletely grasped. Elder Apo could try and fight, but the entire universe knew it would only prolong the fate that awaits. And so, the only thing he could do was just lie on the floor while Riley was holding his head, and Elder Zorah was eating his hair.


    As for Elder Skeem, he just continued to watch and wait - not for Riley to be done, but for his reinforcements and the entirety of the Guardians to arrive. And if Riley ends up finally killing Elder Zorah and looks at him next, Elder Skeem could just kill himself instantly - it was better than being humiliated and tortured.


    ording to his calctions, Riley might actually be stronger than the mythical themarians, but even he would not be able to defeat the Guardians at their full force. Hopefully for Elder Skeem, they would arrive soon.


    "By the way, I do have a question," Riley then finally threw Elder Apo away, causing him to just smash through the walls of the meeting hall. He was still alive, of course, but he was not going to stand up anytime soon as he held the same n as Elder Skeem - wait it out,


    "I know where the themarians and the norids live. But where are the evaniels?" Riley ced his hand on his chin, "I have been working my telekic radar at maximum, and yet I can not seem to find them - even my clone that was given their address by Ahor Zai can not find them."


    "The evaniels are a nomadic race and do not stay in one single star system," Elder Skeem exined calmly, "Right now, they are at...."


    "I did not hear that, Elder Skeem," Riley tilted his head to the side as Elder Skeem''sst word seemedpletely iprehensible.


    "They are at..."


    Riley squinted his eyes as he stared Elder Skeem in his wide ck eyes. He was saying something, but Riley just could not understand the word.


    "Can you show them on the map?"


    "...Of course," Elder Skeem nodded as he ordered Ahor Zai to show the map, but Ahor Zai did not listen to him at all.


    "Ahor Zai, open the map."


    But with Riley asking the AI, it immediately spawned a hologram of the Known Universe. Elder Skeem, however, could not help but just almost gasp in shock as he saw all the red flickering dots around them.


    "What are those red dots?" Riley asked as he smiled.


    "Those are... civilizations asking for help," Elder Skeem''s voice slightly turned meek.


    "Oh," Riley blinked a couple of times in amusement, "It would seem some of my clones have already made contact with the other civilizations, fun."


    "...Yes," Elder Skeem was trying his best to stay calm and just started moving the mechanical arms of his suit to control the map, "This is where the evaniels are."


    "I can''t see anything," Riley once again squinted his eyes as the map just turned ck and nk to him. And after a few seconds, he finally realized the possible reason why it was so, "Interesting. The evaniels are descendants of Van and only exist in my universe, simr to my situation ¡ª I sometimes keep forgetting that I am not the only special person in the entirety of creation...


    ... It would seem Paige can not make the evaniels."


    "You..." Elder Skeem analyzed Riley''s words a million times;ing up with different conclusions, "...Are you one of the Primordials?"


    "I suppose the Primordials are not here too," Riley shrugged, "And no, I am not one of them - not entirely."


    "And from your words, other universes exist?"


    "I suppose."


    "...And how many have you destroyed?"


    "Several."


    "Oh..."


    And as Elder Skeem heard that, the only thing he could really do was just stare into nothing... because he could do nothing. The creature in front of him is a god beyond theprehension of the universe, an eldritch god.


    "Is there any chance that you will stop killing everyone in this universe?"


    "Not anymore," Riley shook his head, "And you do not have to worry too much, this universe is real, but not real at the same time...


    ...I am getting bored, though."


    Riley then let out a small sigh as he finally stood up from Elder Zorah.


    "Do you know that your people are responsible for killing off the themarian youths of my universe?" Riley then crossed his arms, kicking Elder Zorah to the side before approaching Elder Skeem, "You made a weapon thatpletely rendered them weak, where you then proceeded to st them with the same weapon whichpletely killed them. It was quite ingenious of course, I leaked the weakness using a clone of mine. Speaking of which, I wonder where she and her entire race of my clones are now?"


    "Wh-"


    And before Elder Skeem could finish his words, he suddenly found himself floating in the air. "I can sense hundreds of people heading here," Riley smiled, "I take it they are the reinforcements you have been waiting for?"


    "...Yes."


    "Hm," Riley nodded several times before stretching his hand toward Elder Skeem. And as he did so, Elder Skeem started floating toward him. He then grabbed Elder Skeem by the cor of his mechanical suit, "I suppose it is only right for you to wee them, then?"


    "What do you-"


    And before Elder Skeem could finish his words again, Riley suddenly flew up while holding him; his armor,pletely shattering as they hit the ceiling.


    "Guhuk..." And without his armor, Elder Skeem waspletely defenseless; unable to move anything and very slowly freezing in the expanse of space. Surprisingly, however, he was still alive for some reason that reason, however, quickly became known to him as he saw Riley smiling at him.


    Riley was trying to prolong his pain - he could feel every centimeter of his worm-like body being lost to the freeze, being eaten away nibble by nibble. What remained of his armor was stuck to his flesh, the fractures growingrge as they froze and just tearing his flesh apart bit


    by bit.


    He should have killed himself from the start - but now, his armor, which was the only thing that could grant him a quick death, was gone. The only thing Elder Skeem could really do was look to where Riley was pointing his head to, and this time, it was the army of Guardians all swooping in one by one and surrounding Riley.


    "Do you want to see something cool, Elder Skeem?" Riley then smiled as he raised Elder


    Skeem further up.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    [Release the Elder at once! We-gukh...]


    And there, Elder Skeem just watched as the person leading the Guardians suddenly started to


    choke. And without even giving him any chances to even resist or do anything, the Guardian Force was just pulled all the way from his stomach and violently out of his mouth - and judging by all the blood and flesh attached to the Guardian Force when it flew into Riley''s other hand, it did not reallye out humbly and probably tore through his flesh. The other guardians could really only stare at their Commander as the light surrounding his body faded away. The Guardian Force contained the power of several stars, and yet Riley just yanked it out like that and was holding it without any problem.


    "Now, Elder Skeem," Riley then smiled as he faced Elder Skim toward him, "Open your


    mouth."


    Elder Skeem did not open his mouth, he was not able to. Riley, however, did not seem to care as he just shrugged and once again forcefully pushed his arm through someone''s mouth. "Now..." Riley then pulled out his arm from Elder Skeem''s guts and finally let him go, letting him just float toward the army of Guardians, "...I wonder if you can turn into a Guardian, Elder Skeem - I know your species are one of the weakest physically, but perhaps your superior


    mind could-"


    "!!!"


    And before Riley could even finish his words, everyone watched as Elder Skeem''s body just suddenly turned smaller-no. His entire body copsed andpressed, and without even a secondter, he disappeared as the Guardian Force just swallowed him whole.


    "Oh," Riley let out a small but very deep sigh as he shook his head,


    "...That wasn''t exciting at all."

 Chapter 1069: Chapter 1069: Hello There

    Chapter 1069: Hello There


    ?


    "Do all of you know that the Known Universe will forever just be a percent of the entire universe? Van mentioned it to me while we were outside it -e to think of it, I do not truly understand what he is searching for outside our universe. He could be in the Outerverse if he wanted to, but he chooses to remain in our universe searching for something...


    ...Even the fact that the multiverse exists-well, existed, my universe still remains the most mysterious and curious of all of it. I would like to think it is because of me, but really, Viel and Van came before me and were also born in the same universe. They both have V on their name, perhaps I should have been named Viley, you know?"


    There were many things that Riley was good at, but perhaps his best and most natural trait was that he could talk to himself for an entire day and not get tired at all. But of course, he wasn''t really talking to himself currently, there were more than hundreds of people with him, after all ¡ª but all that he really received as a response were grunts and heavy breaths.


    "Paige Pearson also exists in my universe," Riley then let out a small but very deep sigh as he just casually avoided an attack that was at the speed of light several times; just casually moving and floating around in the expanse of space, with his body rotating and spinning while his hand was on his chin, "She could actually be the main character instead of me, but then again, from what I have gathered, she was born the very first time I was killed ¡ª so, that leads us back to Nothing, which I have actually not seen in a very long time. Did all of you know that Nothing actually made me experience eternity? Perhaps...


    ...I should have actually just gone with Van when I met him, the entirety of creation, based on what I have seen, will always find a way to destroy itself - it destroyed itself the most when I was not present. Come to think of it...


    ...I left a clone with Van. I wonder what they are doing now, though?"


    Riley just continued talking to himself as the entire force of the Guardians bombarded him with all sorts of attacks. Some of them were even sacrificing themselves and causing the Guardian Force inside them to implode as they got close to Riley, but all he did was just casually swat the copsing strength of a star away with a single hand.


    "By the way, Elder Zorah and Elder Apo were still actually alive," Riley then muttered as he finally looked at one of the Guardians as he spoke, "Well, were. Your attackspletely obliterated Ahor Zai, which I am sure you are sworn to protect - so, technically, the Guardian Force killed the Common Council."


    "We have had enough of your useless bber!"


    "Oh...?" Riley tilted his head to the side as the guardians suddenly stopped attacking and started gathering in a single ce, "Oh, that is quite dangerous."


    "Elder Skeem has sent us a message - to stop you at all costs," the alien who seemed to be the leader of the Guardians floated right at the very center of the army; his eyes and orifices, now emitting a violent light which also started to ripple across the army, whose bodies also began to lit up, "That means that you are a threat to the universe itself - Guardians!"


    "We offer our life back to the Universe!" The Guardians then all stretched their arms, tentacles, and whatever limbs they had as the light emerging from their bodypletely drowned Riley''s sight.


    "I have always been told that a single Guardian Force contains the strength of several stars," Riley, despite this force trying to pull him forward, just smiled and wore a pair of sunsses that he got from one of his trusty pockets, "It is really only now that I feel that - so, I suppose that was an exaggeration. And-"


    And before Riley could finish talking, the entire universe turned silent as the Guardians used the veryst of their life force; creating a supernova that engulfed trillions of star systems- no, which engulfed millions of gxies across the entire Known Universe; a damagepletely drowning the strongest of Riley''s feats. Supernovas, in the rtive scale of the Universe, are almost nothing - the suicide supernova the Guardians released, however, was ravaging across the expanse of the universe a million times the speed of light.


    "Your reign of terror, let it end here! Graaah!"


    "Commendable, truly..." Riley looked at his hands as his flesh and bones started to fade away, "...But your suicide attack probably just killed more than a thousand civilizations, Guardians."


    "It does not matter!" The voice of the Guardians all melded into one, "Your army has already been eating away at the universe - we stop the original, and the rest will follow!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Commendable, truly..." A wide smile crawled on Riley''s face as it too, started to be swallowed by the supernova,


    "...But this is not my original body, I am merely controlling it."


    "..." The Guardians did not really utter any more words, as anything they would say would just further remind them of the apocalyptic failure they had made. And so, the only thing they could really do was fade away with Riley Ross''s clone.


    "Well..." Riley''s clone was still able to speak even with most of his body already gone, "...Even if this was the original, your attack would not have made a difference. We, the Boss...


    ...We have already grown far stronger than any of you realize."


    And with those words, even with his eyes alone, it was obvious that the clone was smiling as The faded away from existence.


    "Hm."


    And in an unidentified distance away, Riley Ross, the original one, was also looking at his hands as the st of the supernova actually caught him - all it did, however, was create a small sizzle, just a teeny tiny dot, on his cheek.


    "Sister is still stronger," Riley just shrugged before just once again casually flying across the universe. In truth, Riley was actually connected to all of his clones, controlling them all directly so he could feel everything they were feeling for maximum enjoyment. He was actually having trouble with one individual - Pirate Queen Xra, the only other true immortal he knew aside from him... and perhaps Hera, but Hera is something else entirely.


    Riley continued to just fly, however, just smiling here and there whenever something funny happened with his clones; like if someone just decided to just kill themselves instead so that they would be able to avoid him. There was even an entire civilization that lived on a the size of a tennis ball - and as a matter of course, Riley caught some sort of dog from one of thes and flew it there so it could y with them.


    All of them probably died from being drowned by the alien dog''s saliva, but from what he was hearing, some of them were still alive and crying for help - he couldn''t understand them, of course, but that was probably what they were doing.


    There is also a civilization that was almost entirely like Earth in terms of advancement, they even lookpletely identical to humans. Riley hasn''t started destroying them yet and just decided to let his clone stay there for a while to see if there was anything interesting, but if there is nothing, then he would do his favorite move - crash their nes into their buildings. There was nothing like people panicking inside a box knowing they couldn''t escape anywhere, after all.


    "Thank you, Paige," Riley once again whispered to himself as he thanked Paige. If not for her, after all, Riley would not be able to experience this, "You truly are a friend. Now, I could really only truly wonder what awaits me on the next floor of the Trial, or what ultimately awaits me inside this ck Tower you have created."


    Riley continued to fly across the expanse of the universe, it was truly a shame that he would not be able to fight against Queen Vania. And although it was only in passing, Diana said that Queen Vania waspletely different from the rest of the evaniels - and her daughter too, would one day unlock her strength.


    Riley was nning to stop the time when fighting her to see what would happen, as it was mentioned, and of course, he already knew this, that Van was already a being that was outside of time entirely ¡ª that was the very reason why Death is no longer able to chase him at all.


    Well, no matter.


    He was already nning to settle with the that was in front of him right now - and they seemed to have already prepared a weemittee for him. "Hello there..." Riley smiled as he saw the people floating in front of him,


    "...Themarians ¡ª it is time to fight you without tricks and politics."

 Chapter 1070: Chapter 1070: The Queen

    Chapter 1070: The Queen


    ?


    "Hello, Themarians it is time to fight you without tricks and politics."


    There were probably only about 5 themarians floating in front of Riley; all of them, just staring at Riley and looking at him from head to toe. But after a few seconds, one of them floated forward with his hands behind his back.


    "Leave, Outsider," the man said; his voice filled with authority, "We have received tales about you due to the wide broadcast that was sent from the less developed parts of the universe we do not care about your rampage, it matters not to us. We are not interested in it-Leave."


    "Hm," Riley just shrugged before leaning his head to the side so he could get a better look at Theran. The man, however, floated to the side to block Riley''s view of it. And so, Riley could really only turn his focus back on them,


    "Thest time I was here, I was weed by much younger themarians - and they did not bother to say anything and just started to kill me. I actually much prefer that response."


    "And you will get that if you do not leave," the man gestured to Riley to just fly away, "So, leave. Or we will be forced to-"


    "Please." And before the man could finish his words, Riley appeared right in front of him with his eyes glowing red while grabbing the man''s head. And of course, the 4 other themarians have also instantly surrounded him as he did so; their eyes also glowing. Riley did not care at all, however, as he just suddenly forced his fingers into the themarians mouth and pried open his jaw beforesering it. But as he did so, however, the man was able to close his mouth,pletely biting off Riley''s fingers.


    "So..." Riley, however, just smiled as his fingers already regenerated. He did not even leave or fly away and just remained floating there even when surrounded, "...Use force."


    And with those words, the themarians finally did as Riley said and just released the violent beams raging in their eyes; the beams, all meeting in one single point and creating a raging torrent thatpletely distorted the very expanse of space itself.


    And after a few seconds, the themarians all calmed down; their eyebrows, however, well allpletely lowered as they saw that their beams had no effect at all.


    Riley was still just floating there; his eyes closed and with a smile on his face.


    "Truly," Riley whispered out, "The only way I could truly use all of my abilities are against all of you, and so shall we all dance?"


    Riley then hugged himself, before just stretching out his limbs and creating some sort of shockwave that almost looked like it caused the darkness to ripple away - and perhaps it did, as the themarians found themselves being blown away.


    And as they all separated, Riley quickly rushed toward one of them; kicking them straight on the chin the themarian, however, barely even moved his head as he just stared at Riley.


    "You-" But as soon as the man spoke, Riley once again smiled as his leg just moved again. The themarian did not take heed of this at all... that is, until, his skin suddenly started to shred. It was toote, however, as Riley''s foot just suddenly sliced-no, mangled his flesh and bones; it was almost as if his own head was moving on its own and being sucked into it.


    The other themarians just watched with curious gazes as the upper half of their colleague''s head separated from the rest of his body.


    As for Riley, he just quickly grabbed the dismembered upper head, which was already regenerating another body, and threw it hard toward one of the other themarians. But of course, it was obvious that they would be able to dodge that, so Riley just quickly flew and chased the head, making sure the head would hit someone right in the face - and it did.


    And since the dismembered head was on its way to recover, their two bodies began to just meld with each other; their flesh merging and mixing - creating some sort of... homunculus. "The rest of the universe seemed to have woken up a monster." Even then, however, the themarian whose body was currently being invaded by another was still extremely calm. He ripped apart the parts and flesh that had grown into him; making sure he was not damaging his colleague''s head before throwing it to the other themarians,n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "But here, child, you are nothing."


    "I have forgotten the arrogance of the themarians," Riley smiled while covering his forehead, "Granted, you have the strength to be so - but none of you are at Esme''s level at all."


    "You know of-"


    "Shall we take this to Theran, then?"


    "!!!" And finally, the themarians all shared a collective gasp; their eyes widening as they all saw Riley just disappear, and appear from afar. They did not even see him move, at all. They all know he wasn''t an evaniel since they could detect energy signatures, and even evaniels leaves some sort of trail when they run... but Riley did not leave any at all.


    "Teleportation? No," even teleportation leaves some sort of trace, a bump in energy - but Riley just instantly moved. They all then looked at each other, all of them nodding in agreement that the person they just fought...


    ...was indeed a threat.


    And so, they all rushed to chase him; flying at their full speed - the distance between them, however, did not decrease at all as they just saw Riley enter their''s atmosphere at the same speed they were going.


    "Well then..." Rileynded on an empty field at full speed. Even then, however, the ground only quaked and not cracked, "...How about a change of scenery to make myself feel at home?"


    "Die, Outsider! You-"


    "Pavoom."


    And right as the themarian group reached him, Riley stretched his arms to the side and released a pavoom that rippled in a sphere - deleting everything in its path with ease, even Theran''s almost invulnerable ground and materials. At this point, however, it was nothing to


    Riley.


    The ground of the Domain of the Gods was harder, to the point that even someone like Esme would not be able to destroy everything with a single attack.


    "Hm..." Riley then just let out a small sigh as the themarians'' organs, their hardest parts, started raining from above as pavoom was not able to delete thempletely. Riley did not


    do anything to the organs and just let them regenerate, however.


    He was already expecting it, but he truly was a lot stronger than before. But this is not


    enough, not enough at all.


    And so, Riley once again stretched his arms to the side and created some sort of telekic that surrounded the entire.


    [Queen Adel, Esme, and anyone else who deems themselves to be the strongest in their nation...] Riley then let his voice travel across the entire,


    [...Find me and fight me all at once- if not, your already dying civilization will die toda-]


    And before Riley could finish his words, someone suddenly emerged from the ground beneath his feet; punching him right in the face and causing him to fly up in an instant. And without even letting him get the chance to look at anything, a leg swung down toward his spine and returned him to the ground.


    "...Rude." The sound of Riley''s bones snapping back in ce cracked and whispered in the air as he stood up; his head,pletely twisted to the back. But of course, he just calmly twisted it in ce with his hand as he looked at the person who attacked him,


    "And here I thought you were one of the greatest warriors of Hel... Queen Adel."


    "You seem to know a lot about me," Queen Adel just calmly stood there; her thick and


    extremely long hair just curled on the ground as she stared Riley directly in the eyes, "Just one


    tiny mistake, insect. I am not one of the greatest warriors of Hel...


    ...I am the greatest warrior of Theran."

 Chapter 1071: Chapter 1071: Above You

    Chapter 1071: Above You


    ?


    "I am the greatest warrior of Theran."


    "Greater than Caiin''Ur?"


    "Much greater."


    There was a slight pause in Queen Adel''s words as she heard Riley. She looked at him from head to toe before just slightly squinting her eyes, "How do you know of Caiin''Ur?"


    "I just heard of her somewhere," Riley did not tell the truth-in fear that Queen Adel''s mind would once again be clouded as before. He had heard it from Aerith and Diana, but supposedly, Queen Adel truly was the best warrior amongst them; even in the history of Theran, she stood out.


    If it wasn''t for her being emotional during her fight with Diana, Diana would have surely lost the fight. But now, nothing was burdening her but the act of challenge.


    "And are you greater than Esme, Queen Adel?"


    "I am," Queen Adel slightly pped her long and thick braided hair to the side, causing it to push the ground ever so slightly, "I said the greatest, not the strongest."


    "Do you think she and other people woulde?" Riley looked around, and there were themarians moving toward them - but they all stopped in their tracks as soon as they felt Queen Adel''s presence.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Even if she did, she would only find your corpse lying on the ground - if even a part of you remains after we are done," Queen Adel smirked, "Now, are we fighting, or are we talking?"


    "I was hoping to wait for others to help you, Queen Adel," Riley shook his head, "I do not think you will be enough."


    "Oh, is that so?" Queen Adel''s eyes started to twitch, "I usually like warriors, but for some reason, I do not like you at all. You remind me of that witch who entranced one of my sons and was killed by her."


    "Pirate Queen Xra," Riley muttered.


    "You know of her?" Queen Adel, "Of course, you would. I could smell the very same scent from you you are from the same. Knowing that just makes this battle even more exciting...


    ...I am Adel, Queen and protector of the kingdom of Hel. By the King''s verdict, I hereby grant you your Eternal Death."


    "I am Riley Ross," Riley nodded as he removed his coat and also got into a stance as Adel introduced herself, "My Sister''s brother."


    The two then stared at each other for a few seconds, before Queen Adel just disappeared from her spot... and what followed after was the ground beingpletely shaved off due to the sheer force of her step.


    Queen Adel then appeared right in front of Riley-well, 6 Queen Adels, all surrounding him with their fists and legs just inches away from striking him at all sides.


    Riley, however, was still able to dodge Queen Adel even with how fast she was moving... but this dodge seemed to have already been anticipated by the Queen as her afterimages just disappeared, and the only one to remain was already holding Riley by the face.


    And without even a fraction of a single second, she smashed Riley''s head on the ground perhaps more than a million times. The sound it created was like several drills digging into the ground, and perhaps it is, as the two found themselves lowering and lowering into the ground with each hit.


    "Hm...?" Queen Adel only stopped smashing Riley''s head in as he just suddenly casually kicked himself up from the ground; not even minding his shattered and broken neck as he wrapped his arms and legs around Adel''s arm and neck to lock his arm. This did not faze Adel at all, however, as she just lifted Riley up into the air and once again mmed his entire body into the ground.


    She did, however, quickly leaped away and let go of Riley.


    "Impressive," Queen Adel then whispered out as she saw three of her fingers twisted. She then just casually shook her hand and they returned to normal, "To think you would be able to break three of my fingers with that exchange, perhaps I have been too hasty with my judgment of the outside world. It would seem some progress is being made out there."


    "Perhaps," Riley just shrugged as soon as the cloud of dust veiling him disappeared, "I wanted to fight the Queen of Evaniels first, but I suppose you will do."


    "...You suppose I will do?" Queen Adel''s eyes started to twitch, "Why do I feel like you think the Queen of Evaniels is greater than me?"


    "Is she not?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "The evaniels lost against us during the war a million years ago," Queen Adel scowled.


    "True ¡ª but that was before your time, no?" Riley shrugged again, "I do believe the Queen of Evaniels is as stronger, or perhaps stronger than you - you said that yourself."


    "Why would I ever say that?" Queen Adel scoffed, "Enough talk, you are just trying to waste my time ¡ª and enough trying to fight me in close-quartersbat, there is no way you could have won against the 5 men who weed you through your sheer strength."


    "I do believe I won that battle with close-quartersbat," Riley shrugged again, "But you are right, you arepletely different, so shall we start this again?"


    A pulse then rippled in the air as Riley used Tempo''s abilities to rush toward Queen Adel. Queen Adel, however, only smirked as she saw Riley running toward her meeting him head-on as she also leaped toward him with her fists already locked onto his stomach.


    Her fists, however, slightly hesitated as she saw Riley suddenly splitting into two; both kicking each other to avoid her attack. She was, however, able to grab one of them; pulling him closer before just piercing her opened hand through his chest... but as soon as he started to crumble and disappear, Queen Adel turned her attention to the other Riley, only to see him holding some sort of de made of light.


    "Hm," Queen Adel, however, did not seem to care at all as she just used her arm to block it - and aside from her skin slightly being charred, it did nothing else, "Interesting, how many abilities do you have?"


    "I do not know myself, Queen Adel," Riley smiled at Queen Adel as the two of them looked each other in the eyes, "But I think you would like this next one."


    "No, I don''t think I will," Queen Adel then just pped the sword of light away before once again swinging her arm andpletely slicing Riley into two; his blood, spraying


    everywhere.


    "Oh no," Riley, despite his upper body falling, however, just retained his smile while shaking his head, "I do believe you will like it very much."


    And as soon as he said that, the arrogant look on Adel''s face faded away. How could it not, when she watched as Riley''s body, or rather his blood, just started to wriggle before his entire body just turned into a mist of blood - Pirate Queen Xra''s power.


    "You..." Queen Adel smiled as she leaped back, "...I really don''t like you, Riley Ross."


    And as soon as she said that, her eyes glowed red. This glow then soon rippled and wrapped around her body, creating some sort of armor thatpletely surrounded her.


    "I will make sure to kill you and parade your body across the kingdom." "That sounds good, Queen Adel," Riley then materialized right beside Queen Adel, whispering into her ear, "But you need to be more creative than that."


    "Tch," Queen Adel then waved her hand; creating a crescent light whichpletely evaporated anything within its path, even distorting the very space itself momentarily as she did so. But as soon as she saw Riley fade away and once again turn into a mist of blood, she put her hands together, before separating them and creating arge shield, as well as a spear


    created by her energy,


    "This is enough."


    Queen Adel whispered as she disappeared, only to appear right where Riley was about to materialize and mmed her shield on the blob of blood that was forming; not giving him a chance toplete his body at all.


    And as soon as the blob of blood scattered, Queen Adel threw her spear, which separated into more than a thousand as they all just hit all the fragments of blood with extreme precision. If someone were watching them fight, one would think they were simply just watching a fight between super-powered individuals¡ªbut no.


    One should always remember the strength of themarians, and how each of the thousands of spears that she just threw was fully capable of destroying entire stars.


    "You truly are very strong, Queen Adel."


    But s, the entity Queen Adel was fighting right now was also something else entirely as he just once again materialized in front of the Queen. Adel once again mmed her shield at him, but she just found herself going through him like he did not exist at all.


    "You..." Queen Adel squinted her eyes as she once again leaped back, "...That''s the Norid''s


    abilities."


    "Indeed," Riley just smiled as his feetnded on the ground again as soon as his body wasplete, "Courtesy of a man who thought he could conquer the multiverse. You see, he


    could not quite use all of his abilities to their full potential in fear of dying - but I do not have that same fear. I would like to tell you now, Your Majesty... ...that I am above you in all aspects except physical strength. So, if I were you...


    ...I would wait for Princess Esme."

 Chapter 1072: Chapter 1072: A Real Challenge

    Chapter 1072: A Real Challenge


    ?


    "I would like to tell you now, Your Majesty, that I am above you in all aspects except physical strength. So, if I were you...


    ....I would wait for Princess Esme."


    Of course, Queen Adel did not take that lightly at all. She did not even say anything else as she just stretched her arms to the side, and as she did so, a hundred red spears made of her energy instantly materialized around her. And without even taking a single breath, those spears all shot toward Riley; separating into thinner spears which probably now numbered millions.


    Riley, however, did not dodge at all and just let all of it hit him,pletely turning him into some sort of pin cushion. Well, that is, until, he just calmly stepped forward; his body not filled with holes at all other than what he was born with.


    "I told you, Queen Adel. You are no-Hm?"


    Riley blinked a couple of times as he just saw his arm drop to the ground, followed by his other arm, and then his entire upper body just separated into pieces.


    "Interesting," Riley was able to mutter out before his head also separated into pieces and dropped to the ground bit by bit and one by one.


    "You have the powers of that witch, as well as the abilities of the Norids - both of which were able to defeat someone of our people before," Queen Adel finally opened her mouth again while slowly walking toward Riley''s bits and pieces, "Did you really think that our superior mind and body would not find a way to adapt and conquer it? To defeat it? But of course, it would seem my kind has been absent from the rest of the universe for so long that it might have forgotten our prowess...


    ...perhaps it is time to remind them of that."


    "It is toote for that, Queen Adel."


    "...Oh?" Queen Adel then turned around, only to see Riley alreadypletely healed and regenerated behind her. She then turned to look at the pieces of flesh again, and it was still there it wasn''t a clone at all.


    "I have never underestimated the themarians, Queen Adel," Riley shook his head as he sat down on the chair that suddenly materialized behind him, "I think very highly of your race, and that would be an understatement - and you proved that. For your attack topletely manipte the energy within my body and force it to turn tangible is something I did not expect at all, you also caused the blood to somewhat vibrate at a very high speed so I would not be able to manipte it."


    "And yet you are still alive," Queen Adel lowered her eyebrows.


    "I am very durable, Your Majesty," Riley bowed his head, "As I said, you will not be able to defeat me alone. So - 1 am just forcefully bringing Princess Esme here."


    Queen Adel then quickly turned to where Riley suddenly turned his eyes to, only to see an exaggeratingly tall woman flying toward them-no. From the way her body was curved and her limbs positioned, as well as the empty look on her face, she looked more like she was being dragged by some sort of invisible chain.


    And without even reacting or resisting, Princess Esme just dropped to the ground right in front of Queen Adel like she was some sort of doll.


    "I thought you would catch her, Queen Adel," Riley could not help but just let out a sigh as he saw Queen Adel just staring at Esme, "That was quite rude of you not to do so."


    "I take no offense in it. You do not have to worry, Queen of Hel."


    And before Queen Adel could answer, if she was indeed even going to answer, Esme sat up and started looking around before settling her nce at Riley.


    "Are you the one who called for me earlier?" Esme said meekly before just continuing to look around as she stood up.


    "Yes."N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Are you also the one who dragged me here?"


    "Yes."


    "Why would you do that?"


    "Because I want to."


    "Okay," Esme just blinked a couple of times before ncing at Queen Adel and bowing her head, "I do not really want to intrude on whatever it is you are doing here, so I will take my leave. Your Majesty."


    Esme then flew up, but she did not even ascend 3 feet into the air before Riley blocked her path. And without even saying a word, Riley punched her right in the face - using his telekinesis as he did so.


    Esme found herself being thrown back to the ground-no, she found herself digging through the ground as the force of the punch was enough to cause the very space itself to distort. The ground that was alreadypletely ruined, now even more so as everything just started to ripple out.


    The crater they once found themselves in was now a hole leading to Subtheran.


    As for Esme, she just let herself float in the air, subtly touching her cheek as everything around her started to fall. The creatures and animals of Subtheran would have probably tried going up to the surface due to the sudden path created for them, but they all quickly turned around as their instincts told them that it was dangerous to even attempt to go near the hole where 3 mysterious silhouettes were floating- the energy they were feeling from the three was enough to cause their bodies to freeze.


    "That hurt," Esme then whispered as she nced at Riley, "You managed to hurt me,


    Stranger."


    "My name is Riley Ross, Princess Esme," Riley bowed, "And I am here to wipe out all of the themarians on my own."


    "Why?"


    "Because I want to."


    "Okay," Esme blinked a couple of times before ncing at Queen Adel, "Your Majesty, how strong is the enemy?"


    "I think you are the better judge for that," Queen Adel flew closer to Princess Esme while staring at the healing bruise on her cheek, "He is strong, abnormally so. And I do not think he is even showing all of his powers."


    "I am not showing all of my powers because it would be useless, Queen Adel," Riley shook his head, "Only my strongest abilities are worthy of you two."


    "If we are going to fight, then I suggest we take this elsewhere?" Esme raised her hand; her monotonous voice containing a little hint of excitement.


    "No." Riley, however, just shook his head as before stretching his arms to the side. And as he did so, the rocks and the boulders of Subtheran, which was even harder than the ground on the surface, started to separate and move toward him, "I think we will just fight here."


    And with those words, Riley waved his hand, causing therge rocks and boulders, which were probably the hardest materials in the entire universe, to shoot at Esme and Adel at breaking


    speed.


    Queen Adel just quickly moved behind Esme, who ced her palms together and just speared the oing boulder beforepletely splitting it into two-she then grabbed both the pieces, using them to swat away the other rocks and boulders being thrown at them. And as soon as the barrage was done, she threw the pieces she was holding straight toward Riley at an even greater speed.


    She was not done, however, as she quickly disappeared; only to reappear on top of the two pieces she threw as soon as Riley managed to dodge it. And without letting him move away again, Esme grabbed the two pieces again and just pped them together with Riley in


    between them.


    Queen Adel, of course, was not idle during this as she also quickly rushed to one side of the cosmic sandwich and mmed her back on it; further crushing and pulverizing whatever was


    inside.


    "!!!" Adel and Esme, however, quickly flew away as des of light started opening and slicing the rock sandwich they made from the inside. The two then watched as Riley just casually emerged from the rockpletely unscathed while holding the two des.


    Queen Adel could really only squint her eyes as she stared at the des. She was already


    attacked by this, but the de of light Riley attacked him earlier was nothingpared to the


    ones he was holding now.


    "This is more like it," Riley smiled at the two,


    "Now, at the very least, you would have a very small chance to actually kill me, no?"

 Chapter 1073: Chapter 1073: Kaboom

    Chapter 1073: Kaboom


    ?


    "I do truly hope that the both of you treat this as yourst battle lose, it is."


    because either I win or


    It wasn''t arrogance. It wasn''t even confidence, and Queen Adel could feel that from the shallowest parts of Riley''s eyes - he believed what he was saying. And from what Queen Adel had seen so far, she is forced to believe it too.


    "I do not even know who you are, Riley Ross," Esme, however, still seemed utterly confused despite her stoic stance, "But if I am being forced to fight to protect my people, then so be it - life is precious, I will end you here and now even if Theran gets destroyed."


    "That''s contradictory, child," Queen Adel nced at Esme for a second, "Destroying the will destroy your people."


    "The is not my people, Queen Adel. The people are my people," Esme tilted her head to the side as she seemed a little confused with the queen''s words.


    "Well, Princess Esme - it does not really matter whether or not we destroy Theran in the process," Riley raised his hand and interjected himself into the conversation, "Theran is near its end. As we speak, it is slowly copsing; in rtive to the time you live, it will soon be gone in the blink of an-"


    And before Riley could finish his words, Queen Adel''s fist suddenly appeared right in front of him; cracking several of his telekic shields as she did so before hetched onto her and was just able to avoid her attack by practically moving with her.


    "I forgot you were trying to hide this information, Your Majesty," Riley then just casually spoke with Adel while she released a barrage of attacks on her that didn''t reach, "I apologize for that-"


    It did not take long at all for Queen Adel to figure out that Riley was using her as some sort of anchor, however, as she just swung both of her arms in an attempt to break the invisible hold he had on her and she did. She then swung her legs filled with her energy as soon as she was able to,pletely splitting Riley in half.


    Both of these halvespletely melted as Queen Adel once again forced Riley''s body to overstimte and not be able to use both of the Norid and Pirate Queen Xra''s abilities. But of course, Queen Adel did not give any chance at all for Riley to do anything else as she released a violent beam topletely obliterate whatever was left of him.


    "T-" Before she could even utter a breath, however, she heard a loud thumping from behind her. She looked, only to see Esme fighting with another Riley Ross. She really only questioned this for a quarter of a millisecond before she rushed to join the battle and attack Riley from behind, who just twisted his body in a way that shouldn''t be possible and bonk her on the head and kicked Esme away at the same time; not hit her, but just very light bonk her like he was mocking her.


    Queen Adel, of course, did not take kindly to this gesture as she quickly grabbed Riley''s head,pletely obliterating the telekic shield he had and then smashed her right on her knee, crushing his head like it was some sort of watermelon - but what came out of that watermelon was not blood, flesh, or even brain matter, what came out was more than a hundred miniature Rileys which immediately crawled across her thigh.


    "!!!" The little Riley''s immediately started biting her skin and flesh. They were not able to actually wound her or even hurt her, but it still annoyed her enough that they even got close to her thigh and were doing that. And so, she immediately raised her knee again and just startedsering all of them away.


    As for the rest of the body, it once again rushed toward Esme even though its head was crushed and just started swinging its arms wildly. Esme, however, just punched once andpletely obliterated the entire body... but like with what happened with the queen, a thousand little Rileys started crawling out from the body and started biting her flesh. Esme, however, only had to contract her muscles to cause all of the clones to just wither away. "So many tricks," Queen Adel could really only click her tongue as she flew and stood beside Esme, "Princess Esme - I suggest you use all of your strength to defeat our enemy, even at the cost of your life...


    ...because I will do the same starting-!!!"


    Both Esme and Adel''s eyes suddenly widened as they heard a screaming from thousands of miles away, and not just a scream, but a call for mercy and help.


    "That... is the direction of Varoif," Queen Adel nced at Esme, who just quickly disappeared as she rushed back to her kingdom. Queen Adel hesitated to follow at first, but just shook her head and chased after her - this was no longer a matter of territories, after all.


    Riley Ross was a threat to her entire people.


    The two reached Varoif in no time at all, more specifically, its most prestigious college... only to see itpletely ruined.


    Queen Adel could not really say anything; her breath, just very slowly turning heavy as soon as she saw the corpses of the young themarians, even younger than Esme, perhaps not even 50 years old.


    There were even children barely passing her waist in height, and yet all of them were already sent to their Eternal Deaths. And with the way their bodies were twisted, the way their limbs were crushed and their lungs caved in... none of them were granted a peaceful death. All of this... happened while they were fighting Riley? Why... couldn''t they hear it?


    ...No.


    The answer was clear to that, Riley Ross did not let them hear until it was toote.


    "It is such a shame, Your Majesty. Is it not?"


    "..." Queen Adel did not even react as Riley just suddenly approached her from behind and stood beside him, carrying a little baby in his hands. But as soon as she saw the baby, however, her eyes just widened.


    "That''s..."


    "Oh, this little one?" Riley caressed the baby''s teeny tiny strands of hair, "I got him from Princess Tifa''s room. Princess Tifa, your sister-inw? The one who should have ruled instead of your weak husband, no?"


    "Let go of that child," Queen Adel whispered out, "T-"


    "Achoo."


    "!!!!!!


    And before Adel could even finish her words, Riley let out an obviously forced and fake sneeze... and twisted the baby''s head. Queen Adel was able to grab his hand when he did so, but all it takes is just a little force.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Oh," Riley then just started blinking a couple of times as he casually handed the corpse of the baby to Queen Adel, "Try cradling him, maybe he is still alive - themarians are immortal, after all. They will truly only die in the face of hopelessness. Of course, I think I am very well aware of how to make sure they arepletely hopeless."


    Riley then turned to the school and looked at all the corpses littered everywhere, "I would like you to know that these people died very painful and meaningless deaths, Your Highness -


    and so will you...


    ...and everyone else. I am ending this now, Queen Adel."


    "Hm," Queen Adel did not really say anything else as she just cradled the baby.


    "I honestly still do not have any idea who that baby is," Riley sighed, "But I am ending this, I should have done this before when I was still weaker. I am bored...


    ...you are as much a threat to me as Gary,pletely useless."


    Riley then took a step forward while stretching his arms to the side, he then turned around, and as he did so, the college suddenly erupted as Princess Esme emerged from it; red filling her eyes as she rushed toward Riley.


    And then, with a punch filled with nothing but primal rage, everything just followed her fist. Something weird, happened, however.


    Another Riley emerged from Riley''s back; his hands, already positioned to catch Esme''s fist. But there was something within his hands, it was some sort of white translucent orb, with some sort of smaller and pitched ck orb right in the very center of it.


    "This is a new move," Riley then casually just whispered as Esme''s fist and the orb made


    contact, "I call it...


    ...Kaboom."


    And with that, everything in the universe just turned white.


    "Oh...?" And not even a millisecondter, Riley suddenly found himself in front of Scarlet Mage-no, Katherine, who was holding her erged belly, obviously pregnant. "Riley, where did you go? I''m about to go intobor! We''re... we''re finally going to meet


    Karina!"


    "So, this is the next trial...?"

 Chapter 1074: Chapter 1074: Uh oh

    Chapter 1074: Uh oh


    ?


    "Gk... Grah!"


    "It''s okay, just push. You''re nearly there, we can see the head."


    "R...Riley!"


    "It''s fine, your partner''s there. Just push."


    Riley had thought of numerous paths the next trial would take - and this was actually one of the ideas that came up. He had already obviously killed Katherine on the previous trial, but to kill her now as she was giving birth to Karina was something that caused him to slightly hesitate.


    The only thing Riley could really do was just stand inside the operating room, watching as tears trailed down Katherine''s eyes as she screamed and gritted her teeth at the same time. It was weird Riley had already heard billions of screams, and all of them usually led to death. Katherine''s screams, however, were not headed there but were instead headed for life. He had already witnessed Lucifer and Renna''s birth, but it still made Riley feel some sort of way he could not really understand. It was as if just for this brief moment alone, he felt... human.


    Undeserving, of course, but human.


    He doesn''t belong here. After all, what else signifies life greater than actually giving life? One could argue that growing life would signify it even more, but then again, an argument.


    All Riley could really do was watch, watch as Katherine struggled to give birth- and soon... "It''s... it''s a girl!"


    Riley then let out a small sigh as he was about to turn around, to find another Hera to ensure that the baby Karina would be sent to the real reality. But as soon as he left the operating room, he just found himself back in it.


    "...Hm."


    "R... Riley. Riley, where are you? Look at her... look at our baby."


    And as Riley heard his name being called, the only thing he could really do was approach Katherine... only to see a baby with brown hair; clearly not an albino like him.


    "Oh," Riley then blinked a couple of times as he realized something. Paige was not able to recreate the evaniels because of their unique existence, so it makes sense that she also would not be able to make Karina, who came from him, "Katherine."


    "Hm...?"


    "Rest," Riley then softly caressed Katherine''s cheek, instantly killing her there and then by practically erasing her brain and heart at the same time. And without even any hesitation, he did the same to the baby.


    He was sure that Karina would have something to say to him once he was outside the trials, but that was another trial to be facedter; now, it was time to move on to the next floor... or so Riley thought.


    Instead of being teleported to the next trial, it would seem his current trial was not over yet as everything around him just disappeared, except for the operating room itself.


    "Interesting," Riley whispered out; his whisper, slowly being apanied by the noise of the door opening. He did not really contemte on whether or not to enter it as he just did so ¡ª and when he did, what weed him was a person he had not really seen for a very long time.


    "Riley, is something wrong?"


    "Yes."


    Riley found himself suddenly sitting on a chair in front of an obviously expensive set of PC, and sitting beside him was Tomoe Reynolds, also sitting in front of an obviously even more expensive set of PC.


    "Tomoe, it has been a very long time since Ist saw you."


    "What... are you saying?" Tomoe squinted her already small eyes as she nced at Riley, "Please stop being so weird, they''re waiting for us to go online. I already told you to update your PC earlier."N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Hm?" Riley could not help but blink a couple of times as he just stared at Tomoe, who seemedpletely different from the one he knew. He was about to say something else, but his PC stopped updating and he saw the wallpaper he had.


    It was a photo of him and Tomoe together, with Tomoe wearing what Riley could only assume to be a wedding dress.


    "Are we married, Tomoe?" Riley asked.


    "...Yes?" Tomoe raised an eyebrow, "What''s even with that question? And can you turn on the AC? It''s too hot in here."


    "Why not just use your abilities to cool down the room, Tomoe?"


    "Oh yeah, like I can just magically turn this room into a refrigerator. Wait, are you still half asleep?" Tomoe then stood up, and as she did so, Riley noticed herrge belly, "Come on, stopcking. Once the babyes out, we won''t have time to y anymore! We need to wait at least until he''s 6 years old, and then we can just ask her to pilot our characters."


    "Hm," Riley blinked a couple of times as he finally realized what was happening - this was apletely different world, a different oue where powers didn''t exist at all. A world... where he waspletely normal.


    But why did he end up with Tomoe? Was it by Paige''s choice?


    "Tomoe."


    "Hm?"


    "I will find you outside too."


    "What are you-"


    And before Tomoe could even finish her words, Riley held her cheeks. She just quickly smiled as he did so and slightly puckered her lips... only for Riley to twist her head and kill her.


    And once again, the room became empty as the door once again opened. Riley had already expected it, but it would seem the 3rd trial consisted of other stages. But no matter, he would


    -clear it-


    "Wake up, nkface."


    "Pavoom."


    But as soon as he heard his sister''s voice, he immediately killed himself and returned to the


    real reality.


    "Hm..." Riley then took a step back and he found himself back, standing in front of the ck Tower. He stared at the tower for a few seconds before just shaking his head and walking back to his tent before he could even take 3 steps, however, he felt a fist moving toward his cheek; Riley did not move at all, and even slightly leaned away so that the fist wouldn''t be hurt ¡ª after all, it belonged to his sister.


    "I am a little confused now as to how to address you, Sister 2," Riley then just casually looked at the Hannah who they pulled out from the trial, "You have lived the same life as my real sister, and you are her - but at the same time, you are not. I suppose I would just have to settle with the idea that there are truly two of you now...


    ...and also you."


    Riley then raised his palm to block another fist - Megawoman''s.


    "It would seem you recovered faster than before even without needing any external help,


    Aerith."


    "Darkday..."


    "I know all of you are confused, I am too," Riley let out a sigh while shaking his head, "I assume Crimson Pdin or someone else has exined the situation? I did not really think


    this through, quite honestly...


    ...I just wanted the both of you alive."


    "You..." Hannah, whose eyebrows werepletely lowered, slowly retracted her hand as she heard Riley''s words, "... Are you really my brother?"


    "I suppose so," Riley smiled at Hannah before turning his attention to Megawoman, "May I suggest that we all just sit around a table and talk?"


    "You... you killed all of them," Megawoman''s voice trembled as she looked Riley in the eyes, "I saw it... you fought with my mother and-is all of this real?"


    "It is now, Aerith," Riley sighed before finding Ang approaching them, "Did you exin everything to them, Miss Ang?"


    "I did," Ang breathed out; the expression on her face was quite conflicted. How could it not be, when she just watched Riley practically destroy a universe? Something that would have definitely happened if all the stars aligned, "But you can''t expect them to just believe all of it and I think they''re attacking you for a different reason, Darkday. No...


    ...everyone here is afraid of you now."


    "Hm?" Riley then turned to look at the masses gathered around the ck Tower. He hadn''t


    noticed it before, but no one was taking the trials anymore-in fact, the number of people


    had obviously dwindled.


    "Where are Karina and Hera?" Riley then asked as he noticed they weren''t there, "Did... she


    see what I did to Katherine?"


    "Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately not," Ang let out a small but very deep sigh, "They


    are with Whiteking and Diana...


    ...all of them went back to the only remaining universe while you were gone."


    "..." Riley blinked a couple of times as he tilted his head to the side,


    "...They went back without me, Miss Ang?"

 Chapter 1075: Chapter 1075: The Return of the Parents

    Chapter 1075: The Return of the Parents


    ?


    "They went back without me?"


    If there was even a time that Aerith 2 feltpletely hopeless, then it was now. She was using all of her strength, and yet the most she could do was move inches away from where she previously was she already knew of how strong Darkday was, but this was apletely different level.


    She woke up a few hours ago, and although Crimson Pdin and the others were telling her of where she was, she did not believe them at all. How could she, when what they were saying seemed incredibly impossible?


    She was in a world made by someone called Paige Pearson? And that if Riley did not do what he did, then she would have just ceased to exist? And even if that was the case, then why would Darkday even try to save her, his greatest nemesis?


    Of course, she also had the answer to that, which is that the two of them actually have a child together which is next to impossible. She could have believed everything else, but as soon as they said that, all of them went away.


    It is true that Darkday was physically attractive to her, and he was strong too and her themarian instincts were screaming at her to just make him her mate, but she wasn''t like that kind of woman.


    It was a good thing that she was not the only one who did not believe Darkday at all; his own sister attacked him. How could she not, after all, when they just saw Riley massacre the entire universe? Not to mention she also fought against her mother, and that unusually tall themarian that Aerith had not seen before.


    Just what exactly is going on here?


    "Riley!"


    Aerith 2 then quickly contracted her muscles and used all of her strength as she saw Hannah once again rushing toward Riley to attack him; she was finally able to break through Riley''s telekic barrier, but as soon as she saw Hannah hugged Riley instead of attacking him, the only thing she could do was instantly halt and raise an eyebrow.


    "Why... you should have just told me everything..." Hannah then just rested her head on Riley''s chest, "You''ve... you''ve been through so much. Look at you, look at your face. You look so tired."


    And once again, Aerith 2 was bewildered. Hannah was just filled with rage earlier, but now she was consoling Darkday?


    "Sister 2," Riley let out a small sigh as he shook his head, "You should not be feeling this way for me I have done all sorts of evil things that you can not evenprehend. What you saw me do in the trial is just the beginning."


    "...And it''s not your fault," Hannah shook her head, "Everything you''ve been through is because of... this stupid fucking fate of yours. Aren''t you doing all of this to save people now?"


    "No," Riley shook his head, "I did this so that the world created by Paige in the only remaining universe and the previous and original universe does not collide, leading to the deaths of people I do not want dead."


    "...And that means you''ll be saving everyone," Hannah 2 raised an eyebrow as she leaned away from Riley, "Dude, I just saw someone with four fucking eyes, and a woman who has snakes for legs - if you are willing to save them, you''re already better than me. I just... got all emotional earlier."


    "Hm..." Riley could not help but squint his eyes at Hannah 2. She... was different-no. Perhaps she wasn''t different at all, but there was something different about her-it was confusing. The Hannah that Riley knows wouldn''t say something like that at all, or will she?


    ... Riley doesn''t even know his own sister anymore. Perhaps Hannah would just downright ignore and reprimand him, but perhaps the earlier one would be more caring and sympathetic to what he was doing? Is that the case?


    Wouldn''t that mean... that Hannah 2 cares for him more?


    "Why did you not go with adoptive parents 2, Sister 2?" Riley tilted his head to the side and asked, "You would have understood the situation more."


    "Fuck that. You need me here," Hannah shook her head, "And everything''s so fucking weird, dude. You''re the only thing that''s familiar to me here. I mean... we are in the Outerverse or something? But other than this weird ck Tower, everything just looks the same... if you exclude the fucking aliens."


    "I am sensing a little bigotry in you, Sister."


    "What? No!" Hannah raised an eyebrow again, "Megawoman''s a fucking alien, and I love her."


    "Hm..." Riley nced at Aerith 2 for a few seconds, who just stood there eternally confused as to what was happening. But after a few seconds, he turned to Ang and asked, "How long ago did Karina and Hera leave with my adoptive parents 2, Miss Ang?"N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "A few hours ago," Ang answered, "...You can catch them if you want to since they are still meeting with Lord Death''s group."


    "Hm..." Riley ced his hand on his chin for a few seconds as he nced at the ck Tower. He had to kill Hannah 3 on the ck Tower in order to proceed, if that was the case...


    ...then he did not care about the ck Tower at all for now. Whatever Paige has in store for him, it could wait, "Very well...


    ...let us see if our new Hera can do her duties."


    ***


    "Mom!"


    "Hannah...? I thought you would be staying-"


    "Mother 2, Father 2."


    Riley was able to catch up to Karina''s group in no time at all. But as soon as he arrived, there was an obvious tension that suddenly sprung in the air as Bernard and Diana instantly stopped chatting with Karina when they saw Riley.


    "I have expected that the two of you would quickly adapt to the situation," Riley, however, did not even seem to mind the tension at all as he just looked back and forth between Diana and Bernard, "But to think that it would be you to propose to test if Hera could actually bring the others to this reality as soon as you heard the circumstances is something I did not expect at all, Mother 2."


    "Riley, can you please stop adding 2 at the end of our names?" Hannah let out a small groan, "It''s... annoying as fuck."


    "I suppose I could do that when there is only one version of you here," Riley shrugged, "But I can not do that when Mother 1 and Hannah 1 are here."


    "What, special treatment for Dad?" Hannah raised an eyebrow.


    "There is no Father 1 anymore, Sister," Riley shook his head, "He died while fighting his


    Prime variant."


    "Oh..." Diana nced at Bernard as soon as she heard that before once again focusing on Riley, "...I''m sorry, sweetie. You''ve... you''ve really been through so much."


    "You do not have to be sorry. Bernard 1 died in the most beautiful way, Mother - useless, but


    very beautiful."


    "Are... all of you really just going to go along with this?" Aerith 2, who had actually alsoe along with Riley and Ang, finally spoke up as she looked at Diana actually almost doting on Riley, "I know, I know I am the one who told him that he might serve a higher purpose - but look at us. We''re... in a world that''s dying."


    "Dad didn''t do this," Karina, who was also just quiet on the side also finally spoke up, "I know my Dad is evil and there''s no changing that - but the fact is, my Dad didn''t do this. The gods did, and they are actually all still out there. I know you want your revenge, but you won''t get it and it''s unfair - but for now, my dad isn''t your enemy, Aunt Aerith."


    "I am not your-"


    "I see that all of you are going along quite well."


    "!!!" And almost immediately as that voice whispered into everyone''s ears, both Diana and Aerith''s eyes turned red as they looked at the group, or more specifically, at the woman


    leading the group that was approaching them.


    "You have exceeded my expectations once again, Riley Ross."


    "Who Are you... Death?" Aerith almost instinctively realized who the entity was that was


    approaching them.


    "I am ¡ª and you are quite a very interesting existence," Death let out a small sigh as she looked at Aerith and the rest of the people who came from the ck Tower, "I feel you, but at the same time, I do not...


    ... It would seem there really is a chance for the two worlds to unite, Riley Ross. And is this the Hera who was able to bring them out?"


    "Uh..." Hera, who had also been quiet the entire time, also spoke up - but all she could really mutter was a breath as her eyes were locked on to one of the people that Death brought along


    with her.


    "Ah, yes," Death stepped to the side as she looked at the person Hera was staring at ¡ª herself, "This is your original-no. I suppose I should not say it like that, you and she are the same person, after all. We found her."


    "No way..." Hera 2 blinked a couple of times as she very slowly approached Hera 1, "...Why


    does your skin look so bad?"


    "What-forgive me for not having the time to take care of myself," Hera 1 immediately raised an eyebrow as soon as she heard Hera 2''s words, "So... you''re not a variant at all, but me? And I thought this world couldn''t get any more confusing. Have you seen our variant?" "Our varia-" And before Hera 2 could finish her words, she saw a slightly younger version of herself step forward beside Hera 1, "...Is this the Talia I keep hearing about?"


    And while Hera 2 and Talia approached each other, Hera ced her attention on Riley and


    walked toward him.


    "...Sup."


    "Hera," Riley quickly greeted her back.


    "So, you''re finally back, huh?" Hera let out a long and deep sigh, "I can''t even believe I am saying this... but the world was better with you in it, literally. You bring a different kind of


    chaos to this ce."


    "Papa!"


    "Papa...?"


    And all of a sudden, everyone''s conversations came to a halt as they saw a small child suddenly rushing toward Riley.


    "Riri, you should really start disciplining that child! He ate my-oh my, lots of new faces," Miss Pepondosovich, who was previously carrying Enel even though they were almost the same size, waved her hand and smiled at Diana and the others. The others, however,pletely ignored her and just focused on Riley and the little child who jumped into his


    arms.


    "S...sweetie..." Diana covered her mouth as she very slowly made her way to Riley. Bernard, who had also been quiet the entire time, also followed behind her, "...Is that...


    ...is that my grandchild?"

 Chapter 1076: Chapter 1076: Finishing What Others Started

    Chapter 1076: Finishing What Others Started


    ?


    "Is that... my grandchild?"


    There was a sudden, and somewhat solemn silence as everyone watched Riley pick up a little version of himself, except perhaps much cuter due to his already bubbly personality - and he hadn''t even made himself known for a minute. But perhaps the most surprising of all was seeing Riley actually carrying a child.


    Aerith waspletely at a loss as to what to do, as thest time he saw him hold a child inside the trial, he just killed it without any hesitation. This time, however, the silent warmth on Riley''s face told her that it wasn''t going to happen. After all, Darkday may be evil... but he won''t actually kill his own family... right?


    And while everyone was looking at him, little Enel just cuddled himself deep onto Riley''s chest, wiping his face on his shirt before finally looking at Diana and Bernard. Enel squinted his eyes as he stared at the two for a few seconds before ncing at Riley and smiling.


    "Papa, papa! Are they grandma and grandpa!?" Enel breathed out.


    "Yes," Riley nodded as he gently ced Enel on the ground, "They are the copies of your grandparents, but they are real."


    "Huh...?" Enel squinted his eyes again, "But they are grandma and grandpa?"


    "Yes."


    "Wah...!" A very wide smile then started to crawl on Enel''s face as he looked back and forth between Bernard 2 and Diana 2. And after a few seconds of doing so repeatedly, he stretched his arms up to the side and started standing on his toes.


    "Oh my..." And with her almost swallowing her own breaths, Diana quickly and very gently picked up Enel, who immediately started touching her face as soon as she carried him, "...He reminds me a lot of you, sweetie."


    "Hello, I''m grandpa. Grandpa," Bernard also stood behind Diana as he started wagging his finger in front of Enel.


    "What are you guys on about? He''s nothing like Riley," Hannah also approached Enel to look at him, "Riley didn''t even fucking smile when he was a child."


    "Ha! She said fuck!"


    "Hannah! Why are you using thatnguage!"


    "He...hehe," Enel let out a small giggle while covering his ears. But after a few seconds, he turned his attention to Karina. He then struggled to get away from Diana''s grip before just rushing to Karina and grabbing her by hand, "This is my big sis! I''ve only known her for a short time, but she''s really pretty!"


    "E... Enel, don''t do something unnecessary," Karina just awkwardly smiled as she looked at Bernard and Diana, "And we''ve already met earlier. I''m really sorry about this, Diana - you... you don''t really have to ept all of this at face value. We''re not your grandchildren, not really."


    "Nonsense," Diana quickly grabbed Karina''s hand, "We''re already here, and we are ready to ept reality for what it is. Right, honey?"


    "We''re very flexible," Bernard pointed at Diana while nodding, "And being here in this new universe... as selfish as it is, actually makes the situation better."


    "Yes!" Enel hopped in ce, "You did not have to kill your best friend! Bang, bang!" "...What?"


    "Don''t... mind him," Karina quickly covered Enel''s mouth, "He says some cryptic things sometimes and sees eyes in the sky. Sadly, all of you grandchildren are fucked in the head."


    "...It''s not your fault that something is wrong with your minds," Diana shook her head, "However... thenguage you are using-"


    "I learned it from Aunt Hannah."


    "What the Hannah!?" Diana quickly looked at Hannah and almost snarled at her, "What are you teaching your niece!?"


    "That wasn''t me, we both literally just got to this world. Come to think of it, couldn''t this be considered traveling to the fucking future!?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "That-"


    "I truly hate to break this pseudo-reunion, but we really must go back to the Sole Remaining Universe," and before the situation of the 2nd Ross family could go deeper down the rabbit hole, Death snapped her fingers; summoning arge door that caught everyone''s attention, "It may not seem like it, but the connection between the Outerverse and the Sole Remaining Universe is thinning - and right now, even the slightest loose branch could probablypletely tear it apart. All of you need to go."


    "You are noting with us, Death?" Riley tilted his head to the side and asked.


    "I am afraid not," Death shook her head. And before she could say anything else, she felt someone suddenly tugging on her leg; she looked down, only to see Enel carrying a sad face. "You''re... noting with us, Grandma Deedee?" Enel pouted, "But I like you."


    "...I''m sorry, little one," Death crouched down as she patted Enel''s white hair, "The Sole Remaining Universe will not be able to handle it if I join you - I will wait here. Just tell the Big Eyes that I said goodbye, okay?"


    "Hm... they know," Enel looked up to nowhere in particr, "When Papa and I are together, they are always watching us."


    "...I retract my earlier statement," Hannah whispered to her mother, "He''s also as creepy as Riley."


    "Hannah, stop it."


    11


    "Riley Ross," Death then approached Riley and touched him on the cheek, "You tra- And before Death could speak, Riley also ced his hand on her cheek for some reason. "...You travel a road no one has ever taken before," Death, however, just chose to ignore it and continued her words, "You do not need me to say that the entirety of Creation, Reality, and everything else rests on your shoulders. Please... do not shrug us off. You too, Hera."


    "I don''t have a choice." "Just another fun day with the whitey." "I''ll make sure father doesn''t stray from the right path!" Hera 2, Hera 1, and Talia all nodded their heads at the same time as Death looked at them.


    "...Father?" Diana, however, only heard one word from them as she looked at Talia, "...Just how many children do you have?"


    "You will meet all of them soon, Mother 2."


    And with those words, Death once again snapped her fingers, causing the door the just summoned to open. The light which emerged from it was almost blinding; blinding to the point that Riley and the others did not really need to pass through it to travel back to the Sole Remaining Universe and straight into Riley''s house.


    "Riley... this is your ce?" Hannah smiled as she looked around, "Not bad. Not bad at all - and howrge is that TV!?"


    "Mango graham!" Enel was the first to leave the group as he rushed toward the fridge, followed by Miss Pepondosovich who snatched the te away from him.


    "You''ve had enough swee-something is not right," Miss Pepondosovich could not help but just lower her hand, allowing Enel to just snatch the te back away from her as she started


    looking around,


    "Riri, something''s not right. This mango graham is the one Katrina made before...


    ...it doesn''t make sense that it hasn''t been eaten yet. Something is-"


    "Outside!" Everyone then turned to look as the three Heras suddenly rushed toward the


    terrace. And they did not even need to follow them...


    ...to see the burning city in front of them.

 Chapter 1077: Chapter 1077: Not Me

    Chapter 1077: Not Me


    ?


    "What... happened here?"


    It was a familiar sight for most of them. A burning city, filled with only destruction and death -no. There was no death here, none at all...


    ...all there is is nothing.


    The others have already seen the damage from Riley''s building, but seeing it up close waspletely different; not because it made them feel even more dreadful, but because it made them confused. Because nothing was not semantics or a metaphor at all, nothing is nothing.


    All the people were gone.


    "Are we... are we toote?" Karina''s eyes started to tremble as she saw all the empty cars; the burning buildings that did not have any chance of being extinguished at all, "Did... did they already disappear...? But Death said it wasn''t time yet... she only said it was happening..."


    "Why... why are you crying?" Enel quickly approached his big sister and started tugging on her shirt, "Where... where are big brother and big sister?"


    "..." Karina did not really say anything, just ncing at Enel before quickly hugging him, "We -wait... I sense someone."


    And as Karina finally calmed down while embracing Enel, she finally realized that she could actually sense people all around them. It wasn''t only her, the themarians, Riley, and Miss Pepondosovich had actually already known that there were people around them since earlier; all of them, just hiding anywhere they could hide.


    "Did... a viin do all of this while we were gone?" Miss Pepondosvich squinted her eyes as she looked at the destruction around them. They''ve been gone for quite a while, but she did not really expect that something like this would be happening, "But the brats were here, not to mention Esme. How could something like this actually happen? Did the gods attack?"


    "It shouldn''t..." Karina then let out a small breath as her mind cleared, "Sorry, I panicked earlier. Arthas was also here, and if anything, he shared his mother''s sense of justice... he would have never let something like this happen."


    "...Something''s not right." And as soon as Hera 1 said something, everyone turned their attention toward her, only to see her 3 versions all carrying aplicated expression on their faces, "I don''t think we''re safe here... my body is telling us to leave."


    "Riley," Hannah stood close to Riley and held his arm, "What the fuck is going on with your world...? I take it that this isn''t normal?"N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "It is normal," Riley shrugged, "But it should not happen here - this is the safest ce in the entire universe with Lucifer and Karina here, Sister 2."


    "...I sense something in that direction." Although Aerith 2 waspletely aloof about everything, she still joined the others and pointed in a certain direction. Diana 2 had also been looking at it for quite a while now and she also nced at Riley.


    "We should check it out," Diana 2 nodded, and since no one really knew what happened, the only thing they could really do was follow trails. And soon, they reached a part of the city that waspletely cleared off of everything - no buildings, no roads, not even a single sign of life. There was only a big crater...


    ...as well as several stakes with people hanging from them.


    "Fucking hell..." Hannah 2 quickly rushed to Enel to cover his eyes, only to find out Miss Pepondosovich already did it, "...Just what the fuck is going on here? Who are these people?"


    "...The gods," Karina whispered out as she stared at all the stakes as she looked at Diana 2, "Are... they still alive since you detected them?"


    "No," Diana 2 stood in front of one of the corpses, "Thest of their energy is just leaking, that''s what her Highness and I are feeling."


    "Please... don''t address me like that," Aerith 2 could not help but just let out a sigh as she heard Diana''s words, "And for these people to still have this much energy... they''re strong, very strong."


    "False gods..." Miss Pepondosovich then read one of therge signs that were attached on the bottom of the stakes, "...I knew some of these gods, there''s really only a handful of people in this universe I could think of that could kill them."


    "Aunt Diana, Auntie Aerith, Aunt Esme... the other Aunt Esme..." Karina squinted her eyes, "Arthas doesn''t kill... Lucy and Renna?"


    "Whatever the case is, we need to find the others first," Miss Pepondosovich breathed out as she made sure to still cover Enel''s eyes.


    "And we need to make sure the people are safe," Aerith 2 closed her eyes as she focused on locating any survivors, "There''s still a lot of them, and they''re afraid. Let''s meet back here to


    "There is no need for that, Aerith 2," Riley raised his palm before Aerith could fly away, "And as he did so, the ground started to quake.


    "What... are you doing?" Aerith 2 lowered her eyebrows as she red at Riley.


    "As you wanted," Riley just shrugged, "Making sure the people are safe."


    And as soon as he said that, people started flying toward their location; hundreds, and soon thousands, and soon hundreds of thousands of themnded on the crater. They were afraid, very much so, and even embraced each other as they whispered.


    Soon, however, those whonded near Riley''s group finally turned their attention toward them. And as soon as they caught a glimpse of Riley, they all quickly opened their mouths and breathed in a gasp of relief.


    "Paragon...!? Is that you, Paragon!?"


    Everyone then quickly started rushing toward Riley, some of them tripping as theycked the


    strength to run.


    Hannah, Aerith 2, and Bernard all quickly rushed to help those who tripped.


    "M...Megawoman? You''re... you''re also here?" And the one who Aerith 2 helped quickly


    hugged her while bawling their eyes out, "I thought... I thought we were gone."


    "Megawoman..." Aerith 2 squinted her eyes as she did not expect someone to call her like that.


    "They''re referring to someone else," Miss Pepondosovich also helped the people and approached Aerith 2.


    "...Right," Aerith 2 only nodded before just focusing on the person hugging her, "It''s okay now. What... what happened here?"


    "We... we don''t know! Just... something just happened. We heard the sirens go off and the fighting happened. My dad... my dad, he''s old and-oh god, they''re all dead."


    "The gods also descended when it happened and...we don''t know. They were fighting something... there''s... there were a lot of them. There were people protecting us... we don''t know... it all happened so fast."


    "When did it happen?" Aerith 2 calmly asked.


    "A week... 2 weeks ago, I don''t know... I don''t remember."


    The people were all saying the same thing - it all happened so fast that none of them really had any chance to figure out what went on. Some said that the gods just waged war against each other again, but some said it started right here, in the city where they are right now.


    But if there was one thing constant within their stories, it was that before it started...


    ...people just started disappearing.


    "This..." And the first one to react to that was Karina, "...Dad."


    "Hm?"


    "What your daughter from the future told me about one of your children being Nothing,"


    Karina whispered.


    "...But wasn''t she just Machina?" Miss Pepondosovich raised an eyebrow as she heard


    Karina''s words, "Pretending to be someone from the future?"


    "I don''t know..." Karina shook her head, "Fuck... just what is going on here? Is it possible that


    Lucy did this?"


    "That truly hurts my feelings, my dear big sister."


    "!!!" Karina quickly put up her guard as Lucy just emerged from her shadow, holding a


    bouquet of roses. And without even thinking about anyone else, he quickly approached Diana


    2 and gave her the bouquet.


    "I do not know what is happening here since I just saw my beautiful grandmother an hour ago, but this is for you, other grandmother," Lucy bowed and smiled while handing the


    bouquet to Diana 2, "I am your favorite grandchildren."


    "... You are?" Diana squinted her eyes.


    "Ye-Ugh"


    "Oi!" And before Lucy could finish his words, Miss Pepondosovich suddenly leaped toward


    him and hit him on the back of the head, "What''s going on here, squirt!?"


    "A...aunt Miss Pepondosovich!" Lucy quickly ducked down and covered his head, "I... I didn''t


    do any of this! It''s...


    ...It''s Rennalyn! She... she went crazy!"

 Chapter 1078: Chapter 1078: Chaos Chaos Chaos Amidst Confusion

    Chapter 1078: Chaos Chaos Chaos Amidst Confusion


    ?


    The people of the Sole Remaining Universe all know of how abnormally powerful the gods are - it was them that wiped out almost the entire reality, after all. Whether they were just created by Paige or not, they still hold the memories of those they were copied from, their experiences were real, their fears were real.


    Right now, however, as billions of them were flying through the expanse of space toward the ce they were told they were never allowed to go, the only thing they could do was be in awe by the marvelous sight of New Theran. Some of them, however, were even in more awe of the person capable of flying them all out.


    They know him as Paragon, the one who established, and for some, reestablished the Hero Association from scratch and helped them the past 16 years to adjust to their also reestablished mortality they have gotten used to for more than 600 years.


    There were gods, and then there was Riley. The fact that he was flying all of them at the same time and bringing them to safety was enough for them to put him above the gods who caused all their tragedy and demise in the first ce.


    None of them realized, however, that Riley did not care for them at all and was just doing what he was doing because Aerith 2 and Hannah 2 asked him to bring the people with them to New Theran, where Lucy and the others were gathering.


    Who the others were, he hasn''t really told them yet.


    The billions of people, surprisingly, did not really take that long to settle and calm down as soon as theynded in New Theran - perhaps the 600 years they have spent alive made them quite resourceful and epting of things, no matter how weird. Of course, by settling, it only meant that they all were just finally able to close their eyes and rx; either on the ground, in the water, or wherever they were ced.


    Their houses were gone, most of their friends were gone, but still - they all just took the moment to rest.


    "These people..." Aerith 2, who had just been Megawoman days before, could not help but just be in awe of how resolute and resilient they were, "...Just what sort of lives have they lived for them to be like this?"


    "Hundreds of years of endless war," Karina stood beside Aerith 2 as she looked at the group of people in front of them, "I don''t really know whether or not I should envy you for living in much simpler times, Aunt-no, Aerith. Of course, I don''t think any of them really lived it, but Paige created them with the same memories, same experiences... I honestly don''t even know anymore."


    "They are alive," Aerith 2 shook her head, "That should be the only thing that matters. They''re here, and they are real."


    "...Hm."


    "People, let us move on!" And everyone was trying to make sure that the people werefortable enough, Lucy pped his hands several times before just doing an unnecessary pose while covering half his face, "My mother and the others await us. My handsome father, please!"


    Lucy''s feet left the ground as he gestured to his father to follow him. The others also soon followed, and the only one that was hesitating was Aerith 2 - but after a few seconds, she just let out a small but very deep sigh and flew to chase the group.


    She was tired, extremely so when she fought Darkday, all she wanted to do was rest and give up. It was the same thing over and over again; she defeats Darkday, and he justes back stronger than before... and she knew it would happen again and again.


    But to think her rest would be short-lived, and not only short-lived but she was violently woken up and thrown into a world that waspletely unfamiliar to her. And it wasn''t like she was alone in this situation.


    Hera she could understand. After all, her entire ability is all about adapting to anything and everything, no matter what. But the Ross family?


    The three were in the same situation as her, and yet they fully adjusted to the situation. Not only did they adjust to it, they even just epted all the disturbing and deranged facts that came with it.


    Was it her? Was she the weird one for not just epting her situation? Riley should have just left her there, in the world of illusions - at the very least, she would not have had to deal with anything anymore.


    "And we are back! Mother, Mother! Father''s back! Mother!"


    "Don''t shout, I can hear you!"


    Aerith 2 then justnded back on the ground while shaking her head, finally choosing to ept the situation as it is, at least for now. She quickly scanned the area, only to find herself in a Field of Immortality, the sea of crystals where themarians rest.


    "That¡ª" There was, however, only one grave there. There were others, and obviously gods by the energy they were emitting, but they were obviously not buried there, but died the most gruesome way. And so, she only approached Alice''s crystal, "...Isn''t that Ms. Phoenix?"


    "Yes. We buried her here."


    "T¡ªyou...?" Aerith 2 quickly nced at the person that suddenly stood beside her, only to see aplete reflection of herself-no. The person beside her seemed much... mature. She was the same person, butpletely different now,


    "Are you¨D"


    "You, a few centuriester," Aerith let out a small but very deep breath as she smiled at Aerith 2, "You''re... so angry and so young. I almost forgot I had that much passion, enough to sap me of my will to live. Just one look and I know you''re not my variant."


    "You-"Aerith 2 wanted to say what right she had to say that to her, and what she knew about the life she had lived...but she knew exactly, "How... can you still live with yourself?"


    "Because I set a duty for myself," Aerith did not hesitate to answer as she just nced at Riley, who was being embraced by Katrina and Liz, "Yeah, it''s fucked up."


    "Did you... honestly develop feelings for him? Of all people?" Aerith 2 gritted her teeth, "He''s Darkday... and... and our son is-"


    "Our son is long gone. I don''t know the circumstances of how you came here, I''m only listening to them now," Aerith once again nced at Riley as she listened in on what he was saying, "But treat me as if I''m not you - I''m someone... who has made a lot of mistakes. I... am attracted to Riley Ross and you know exactly why. Despite relinquishing our heritage, we''re still themarians."


    "But you admit it''s a mistake."


    "It is, and always will be," Aerith shrugged, "But I am owning up to that, and the results are not all bad."


    "You''re... mad," Aerith 2 could not help but just raise an eyebrow at Aerith, "You''re right, you''re not me."


    "Hm," Aerith breathed in before stepping away, "If you''re ready to talk more, then I would like for you to meet my son with Riley - perhaps the only right thing that came out from all


    of this."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Son..." Aerith 2 then turned to look to where Aerith was walking to, only to see a tall white- haired young man ncing at her, but he quickly looked away as soon as their eyes met.


    "...Riley," Aerith 1 then approached Riley as he tried to calm down Katrina and Liz, "It''s been


    awhile...


    ...we need to talk."

 Chapter 1079: Chapter 1079: Even More Convoluted

    Chapter 1079: Even More Convoluted


    ?


    "Riley... we need to talk."


    Both Liz and Katrina looked at each other as Aerith walked to them so far, in thest 16 years, the two of them have only been Riley''s two wives. Esme did not really act like Riley''s wife. It was obvious that she fancied Riley, but the two always just act indifferent to each other when they''re together; it was a miracle how Enel was even conceived, perhaps it was purely an act of necessity.


    The two have always just shared Riley together-no, it wasn''t even sharing, as for some reason, it truly felt like Riley loved them both equally. Of course, whether or not it was love was hard to discern, as Riley was... special. But now, they know they can''t just hoard him by themselves as Katherine and Aerith were here.


    "Liza, we''ll find your daughter," Aerith did not focus solely on Riley, however, as she also embraced Katrina and Liza; almost not being able to because of both their gigantic breasts.


    "Saying it to me once is enough... thank you," Liza wiped her tears as she embraced Aerith back, "And now that our husband is here, I know it''s only a matter of time until Rennalyn shows herself."


    "He''s... not my husband," Aerith could really only sigh at Liza''s words, "It''s... just a moment of passion."


    "You don''t need to lie, Megawoman," Katrina also tightened her embrace, "We don''t choose who we fall in love with; even more so in your case. Silvie told me that it''s just a themarian''s instinct to be attracted to a stronger mate, even she is feeling it and that''s why she tries her best not to spend time with Riley too much."


    "...You make it sound like we''re primitive animals."


    "Aren''t you...? Your species have lived for millions of years already," Katrina let out a small chuckle, "The body wants what the body wants. Anyway... Liz and I will leave you here to talk to him a bit. I''m also going to talk to Miss Pepondosovich. I heard... they found my original living outside the universe?"


    "Yes, Katrina," Riley answered, "But I do believe that both of you are original."


    "That¡ª" Katrina''s eyes almost instantly swelled up again as soon as she heard Riley''s words. She then rushed to embrace him, letting out a squeal before just running away and pulling Liza away with her to Miss Pepondosovich.


    "...I suppose that can be interpreted as something sweet," Aerith smiled as she stood in front of Riley.


    "It has been a while, Aerith," Riley nodded as he looked Aerith in the eyes, "And you are still as beautiful as the day you were in my closetst time."


    "...Thanks," Aerith could really only sigh at Riley''s words, "Riley, we need to talk about something Diana and I discovered - we haven''t told anyone else, but she''s nning on telling it to the Diana and Bernard you brought back with you as soon as she saw them... and I think you should know too."


    "Then please tell me, Aerith. Before something interrupts us," Riley gestured to Aerith to just say it and stop exining.


    "Okay," Aerith nodded, "The one you call Aerith''Ross is¡ª"


    "Riley!"


    s, Riley seemed topletely know the pattern of his life as someone did interrupt them before Aerith could actually say what she wanted to say, a distorted silhouette suddenly rushed toward them.


    "..." Riley did not really say anything, just flicking his fingers and causing the distortion to disappear... revealing Hannah who was flying toward him with her fist already locked on to hit his face. Riley once again only stared at her, not moving at all and just closing his eyes - ready to ept whatever it was that Hannah was going to throw at her.


    "You..." As soon as Hannah saw that, however, her fist opened up as her arm just wrapped around Riley''s neck... and embraced her, "You''re... so fuckingte, you fucking bitch. So, fuckingte."


    "I am sorry, Sister," Riley whispered as he returned Hannah''s embrace. Katrina, Liza, and even Aerith could not help but just smile at that - no matter whether they were his wife, or whether they had their children... they really would not be able to beat the affection that Riley has for his sister, never,


    "The circumstances made it impossible for me to return immediately. You have grown old, Sister."


    "I know, I know..." Hannah nodded vehemently, "Esme''s variant told me. And I''m sorry... I''m also sorry for not reaching out to you when you returned. I knew... I knew you were back, it''s just... I didn''t know what to fucking say to you."


    "How about just telling him you love him? And fuck you, Riley Ross. We look very young for our age you''re the one who hasn''t changed even a single bit."


    "Nannah?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he saw another Hannah walking calmly toward them. It is true, disregarding the 600+ years everyone did not age, the 16 years they did almost did absolutely nothing to Hannah and Nannah; they looked older, yes, but not by 16 years at most, it would be 5 or 6,


    "I did not think you would still be alive."


    "Thanks..." Nannah smirked while raising her middle finger, "...I would hug you, but I don''t really remember us being that close - just that I wanted to fuck you."


    "Jesus¡ªwhat the fuck, Nannah?" Hannah could not help but just let go of Riley as soon as she heard Nannah saying that.


    "What?" Nannah shrugged, "Unlike you, I don''t have familial ties with the strongest being in existence. And-"


    "Are... the two of you me?"


    And before the conversation could turn even weirder, Hannah 2 decided to approach the group. Her hands, not knowing whether to point at Hannah or Nannah,


    "What... I thought a lot of years have passed - does... that mean I don''t age much?"


    "...That''s what your concern is?" Hannah could really only cover her forehead, "I forgot how casual I was in the past, my god."


    "And... did I just hear you say you wanted to fuck Riley? That''s... fucking disgusting," Hannah


    2 pointed at Nannah. And as soon as she did so, Hannah 1 stood beside her and grabbed her by


    the shoulder.


    "That''s right, disgusting pig," Hannah smirked as she stared down at Nannah. Nannah, however, just shrugged and took this chance to actually hug Riley and kiss him on the lips.


    "!!!"


    "What the flying fuck!?"


    "Did... did you just fucking sexually harass my brother!?"


    As for Riley, the only thing he could really do there was stand as he stared at Nannah''s flushed


    face.


    "S...so?" Nannah then leaned away, not even caring about her other versions, "Did... did you feel as good as me?"


    "I''m going to save you from answering that." And before Riley could actually open his mouth, Aerith grabbed him away, "Hannah, can I talk to your brother for a bit? You can have


    him all by yourselfter."


    "Right, yes..." Hannah nodded several times, "...I''m sorry, you guys were talking and-"


    "Don''t be," Aerith smiled and shook her head, "I''m the one who should be sorry for disrupting your reunion. I won''t be long, I know Diana also wants to talk to Riley - but right


    now she''s busy talking to her younger version and... ex-husband."


    "Right..." Hannah pointed at Aerith, "...You, younger me - we need to save both our


    parents."


    "Oh, fuck..." Hannah 2 quickly followed behind Hannah; of course, not before pulling Nannah away and making sure she was as far away from Riley as possible, "...I don''t even know who you fucking are, but the fate of practically the entire reality is at stake and you''re thinking of riding someone''s dick? What the fuck."


    And as soon as Aerith and Riley were finally once again by themselves, Aerith looked Riley in the eyes.


    "I met the person called Aerith'' Ross years ago," Aerith then said.


    "I know," Riley nodded, "Karina told me she approached you - but we believe it was only Machina pretending to be someone from the future; traveling from the future is stillpletely impossible, as Death stated."


    "I also saw that she controlled Ahor Zai and pretended to be Aerith''Ross."


    "Yes."


    "But the Aerith''Ross that talked to me and Diana ispletely different from the Machina


    that was pretending to be Aerith'' Ross," Aerith then said while shaking her head, "I felt then/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    energy signature she was emitting, I also felt the energy Ahor Zai''s body was emitting, they werepletely different."


    "Then, are you saying that our daughter from the future truly exists, Aerith?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "I would honestly say that I am getting confused. Is there any more detail I need to know to fully understand it?"


    "I don''t understand it myself," Aerith sighed while shaking her head, "But something she said had been bothering both Diana and I for years."


    "Is it the fact that she told Karina that one of my children is Nothing?"


    "No..." Aerith shook her head, "...It''s still not clear whether it was Machina who said that to


    Karina."


    "Hm?" Riley ced his hand on his chin, visibly confused.


    "It''s the fact that she told me that I''m not her mother."


    "But you are," Riley tilted his head to the other side.


    "No," Aerith shook her head, "What I mean is that she''s a mother of my variant."


    "Oh...?"


    "And the only variant I have left that I know of...


    ...is the one that''s with my mother right now."

 Chapter 1080: Chapter 1080: Reunion Onions

    Chapter 1080: Reunion Onions


    ?


    "Aerith''Ross has a different mother?"


    Once again, just one of the few times Riley had truly expressed his shock. Unlike with Hannah, he had already and actively killed Aerith''s variants before because they werepletely different from her,


    "But Aerith is Aerith," Riley looked Aerith in the eyes, "There is no one else like you, and I could not imagine myself having sexual intercourse with another Aerith other than you."


    "That..." Aerith could really only close her eyes as she heard Riley''s words, "...Of course, everything might just be a lie, but it doesn''t change the fact that Aerith'' Ross is really out there and she exists. And if she truly dide from the future and she''s your child with Queen Aerith, then... it means that at the very least, the Old World will survive."


    "Not necessarily now." And as the two were having their conversation, Diana, who was previously talking to Diana 2 and Bernard 2, approached them while shaking her head, "That was the case before Riley returned from the Outerverse."


    "What do you¡ª" Aerith did not really need an answer as she quickly looked at Aerith 2, who just had her arms crossed; standing on the side far away from everyone as she looked incredibly aloof, "How... didn''t I think of that?"


    "You are not much of a thinker, Your Highness," Diana shook her head before just focusing back on Riley; a smile slightly crawled on her face, but it quickly faded away as she just sighed and looked at him in the eyes, "I''d like to call you a consistent troublemaker. But this time, it really isn''t your fault, is it?"


    "I still am at fault for at least 20% of everything that has happened to all of you while I was gone, Mother," Riley shook his head, "The things that have happened in the Domain of the Gods that led to this was my fault - and from what I am hearing, my daughter is doing something bad."


    "Not necessarily. You still don''t know what your daughter did, right?"


    "Lucifer told me some things."


    "Please... don''t listen to him," Diana quickly pinched the bridge of her nose and let out short but very loud breath as soon as she heard Lucifer''s name, "He''s... a little weird, more than you. Your daughter didn''t really kill anyone from the New World - she only attacked the gods."


    "Hm," Riley slightly smiled and nodded.


    "Don''t... be proud of that," Diana seemed like she wanted to strangle Riley there and then; the patience that she once had for him hundreds of years ago, no longer there.


    "She grew up the way she wanted to grow up, Mother. All of them did," Riley shook his head, "If you wanted to have had an influence on that, then you should have been present in their lives - Arthas and Karina grew up without me, and I epted that."


    "That..."


    Aerith could really only nce at Diana, slightly wincing as she tried her best to look away and not say anything.


    "No one... is talking about who is raising who," Diana slightly clicked her tongue while also shaking her head, "Swee-Riley, she also attacked Arthas."


    "Hm," Riley let out a small breath as he looked at Aerith.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "He''s fine," Aerith sighed, "He''s with Silvie, Esme... and uh, Enel''s mother, training with them."


    "Training with the two Esmes?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "What does he hope to learn from them? The two are not really experts inbat."


    "I don''t know, after Renna attacked her, he suddenly wanted to-"


    "The two of you are always getting sidetracked," Diana got in between the two before they couldpletely change the topic altogether, "No wonder you ended up having a child together, your lower bodies lost track of where they should be."


    "T"


    "The information we wanted toy out to you, Riley, is that Rennalyn is only attacking those of the Old World," Diana let out a loud sigh as she subtly nced at Alice''s crystal coffin, "Your daughter is smart, perhaps even smarter than me. She found out about the fact that... their world is created by Paige, and I think she delved deep into research and discovered some things that... caused her mind to gopletely hysterical."


    "None of us could get through to her, not even her own mother," Aerith also let out a loud sigh as she looked at Riley, "You might have a better chance to talk some sense into her."


    "If she did not listen to her mother, why would she listen to me?"


    "Riley... your children look up to you," Aerith slightly scoffed, "For them, the things you did in the past don''t exist, you''re a hero for them. We are still trying to locate where Renna could be... but I think that would be incredibly hard."


    "How so?"


    "Rennalyn could jump through universes at will," Diana was the one to answer the question as she tapped something on her wrist, causing a hologram to project right in front of her and Riley, "The energy signature she produced when she left was the same exact energy as the multiversal portals."


    "Hm," Riley looked at the hologram, only to see Rennalyn being surrounded by Aerith, Diana, Esme, and Silvie surrounding her before she summoned a portal and escaped. And once again, Riley smiled and nodded.


    "It would seem there are a lot of things I need to do," Riley ced his hand on his chin.


    "You should prioritize finding my granddaughter," Diana then said as she walked away, "I''ll stay here to assist with your n to import Paige''s creations to our world, I heard it from... my younger self."


    "I''ll help you find her," Aerith stayed and stood closer to Riley, "It''s... also my fault. She heard me when I told Arthas-I shouldn''t have said it like that. And we need to find her,


    Riley... before they do."


    "And who is ''they'', Aerith?"


    "Us."


    And almost as if in cue to Riley''s question, he heard a voice answering him from behind. He nced back, only to see somewhat familiar faces walking toward them.


    "Miss Marleen, Miss Grea," Riley fully turned around as he bowed his head to the two gods he had met back in the Domain of the Gods, "The Margrea Oath - of course, it was from the two


    of you."


    Grea, the God of Grass. And Marleen, the God of Memories.


    "Is there something I need to know regarding my daughter?" Riley''s tone turned a little cold as he looked at the two in the eyes.


    "Woah, don''t be hostile," Marleen smiled as she raised both her palms in surrender, "Just to clear out the air, I am on your side - but a lot of gods aren''t."


    "They want to kill your daughter, Riley Ross," Grea crossed all of her arms, "We spoke to them, but they are all in favor of hunting down your daughter and killing her for breaking the


    Margrea Oath."


    "And you, are you in favor of doing so?"


    "No. You know me, Riley Ross," Grea shook her head, "And I know you - and thest thing I


    want to happen...


    ...is make you angry."

 Chapter 1081: Chapter 1081: Lucky

    Chapter 1081: Lucky


    ?


    "You were here the entire time and you didn''t even visit me!?"


    "We have made an oath not to interfere with the doings of the mortals ¡ª I, personally, did not even know you were here."


    "...Suspicious."


    "I''m the one who should be suspicious, you could have visited this as soon as you arrived ¡ª the Margrea Oath should have already made it clear to you that I was here."


    "How does that even tell me you''re here!?"


    "Margrea! Marleen and Grea! We are the ones who stopped the war!"


    "...So, you are responsible for the multiverse dying."


    "No...!"


    Miss Pepondosovich and Marleen seemed to be having fun with their reunion, as both of their voices were almost being heard by everyone even though Miss Pepondosovich actually pulled Marleen away from the rest of the crowd to talk to her privately.


    "But wow... you almost erased the entire multiverse and you''ve only just got here?" Miss Pepondosovich let out a loud groan while rolling her lips, "I have to say, nice work. Wow."


    "I already said we tried to stop the war! We even asked the Higher Gods for help, but they all just went on to find their universes created by the Cosmic Piece," Marleen sighed as she ced her hands on her waist, seemingly just tired of everything, "And why are youining to me? Where were you!?"


    "Wait, hold up - are you saying the Higher Gods weren''t involved in the war?" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes.


    "...Why would they?" Marleen shook her head, "The very first reason the war happened was because everyone wanted a piece of the multiverse - the Higher Gods already have their own. Some tried to take it from them, but I think you know how that ended up."


    "Huh... I guess¡ªwait," Miss Pepondosovich''s eyes then lit up as she looked Marleen in the eyes, "The Higher Gods have their own universes. That''s right..."


    "Yes. I believe I just said that. You-"


    "Riri! Where''s Riri!?" And before Marleen could finish her words, Miss Pepondosovich just suddenly left her all alone there, with Miss Pepondosovich running around the field of crystals as she tried to search for Riley.


    "Father''s with Grandmother and the others in her ship," Lucy, who was busy trying to get to know everyone and currently talking to Hannah 2, was the one to answer her, "They are "


    "Shut up, boy."


    "W-we... we''re close," Lucy quickly forced out a chuckle as he looked at Hannah 2, "Miss Pepondosovich is just merely being shy. And so, how does it feel to be real now? I heard that you were the same as I, merely a figment created by a superior being."


    "It''s... alright."


    "Riri!" Miss Pepondosovich rushed to Diana''s ship, which was parked just outside the Field of Immortality. Miss Pepondosovich did not even care that she just barged inside, waving off the hologram of the universe as she did so.


    "What is it, Miss Pepondosovich?" Riley also did not seem to mind her intrusion, as he even gestured to Diana to turn off the holograms, "Did you find a clue where Rennalyn could be?"


    "No. Well, maybe, I don''t know," Miss Pepondosovich shook her head several times, "But you remember the Cosmic Piece, right?"


    "I suppose so, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shrugged, "We were trying to find one, after all ¡ª only for it to all be for nothing because we ended up being sent back here in the end. But I suppose such is my life, full of iplete story arcs."


    "Stop being weird, ack," Miss Pepondosovich just waved Riley''s word off as she approached him. Diana, Aerith, Hannah, and Katherine who were all there also moved closer to see what was going on, "Anyway, for those of you who don''t know what a cosmic piece is, it''s practically a tool that would allow someone from the Domain of the Gods to create their own universe a real one that exists in the multiverse. And Riri, get this...


    ...the Higher Gods did not participate in the war at all."


    "These cosmic piece universes..." Diana interrupted the conversation as she sat down to talk to Miss Pepondosovich, "...Are you saying it''s possible that my granddaughter could be in any one of them, Madam?"


    "...I''m not saying that at all," Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes as she looked at Diana from head to knee, "And... please don''t call me Madam, it makes me feel old."


    "..." Diana did not really know what to say to that. Diana was thousands of years old, but the person in front of her right now was probably hundreds of times older than her - what else should she address her as?


    "But... yeah, I guess so?" Miss Pepondosovich then shrugged as she looked at Riley, "I guess I am bringing clues."


    "Wait..." Aerith also interrupted the conversation as she raised her hand, "...Aerith''Ross, is she one of the Higher Gods? She also came from the dimension of the gods, right?" "Domain of the Gods, but... yes?" Miss Pepondosovich once again shrugged, "She''s one of the Higher Gods with a cosmic piece."


    "Maybe... Renna''s in her universe?" Aerith ced her hand on her chin as she let out a small hum, "Maybe she''s with her right now?"


    "That is good and all..." Hannah sighed as she joined in on the conversation, "...But Nannah and I have probably jumped through a million universes, literally. I''m not fucking exaggerating, and we haven''t yet found one that still had bustling life in it - and well, apparently, all of them are in the fucking Outerverse or whatever and the people here are just created by Paige. Fuck, when I see her, I am gonna smack her so bad¡ª"


    "It is amusing to see you have not changed even after 600 years, Sister."N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "I wish she did," Diana rolled her eyes.


    "Yeah? Don''t act all so mature in front of me, Mom," Hannah also rolled her eyes, "I saw how you looked at Dad-well, Dad from the past but not really, and-fuck. So confusing. What I''m trying to say is I saw how you looked at him, I practically had to pull you away to prevent you from stealing her from the other Mom."


    "Hm. You think it''ll be cheating if he had an affair with me?" Diana waspletely nonchnt and just ced a finger on her chin as if truly thinking about it, "Think about it, she''s not a variant - she is literally me."


    "Mom. First of all, that''s disgusting. And second, why would she even cheat on a younger and hotter version of her wife for an older and slightly gaining weight one? If he was going to cheat on someone, it would be Dr. Caiin, or maybe even your lesbian variant. Both variants


    are definitely-"


    "Go on."


    "I''m sorry, please don''t be rash," Hannah quickly hid behind Aerith as she noticed her mother


    ring at her.


    "Since you mentioned them, Sister - where are Dr. Caiin, Miss Dee, and Alice 2?" Riley looked around the ship, "Could it be they have died?"


    "No. Why would you even think that?" Hannah raised an eyebrow, "They are with Megawoman''s psycho mother."


    "Aha..." And as the topic suddenly andpletely changed, Miss Pepondosovich could really only squint her eyes as she looked back and forth between the two, "....So the nonchnce and the tendency to just randomly change conversations run in the family, huh?"


    "I''m sorry, Madam Pepondosovich," Diana sighed.


    "Call her Madam Miss Pepondosovich, Mother," Riley shook his head, "Miss is her first


    name."


    "...Oh," Diana looked at Riley in confusion, "That''s highly-"


    "Miss Pepondosovich." And before the family could get off topic again, Katherine, who had just been keeping quiet and listening on the side, slightly raised her voice as she noticed Miss Pepondosovich seemingly wanting to say something, "Is... there something else you wanted


    to say?"


    "...Yes," Miss Pepondosovich pointed at Katherine, "Thank you, first wife."


    "Oh..." Katherine''s eyes widened as she subtly and instinctively nced at Aerith, who also


    subtly nced at her for some reason.


    "You mentioned you haven''t found any of the Higher Gods'' universes yet, kid..." Miss Pepondosovich then approached Hannah and ced her hand on her leg, "...I think that''s about to change. I am going with you the next time you jump."


    "Do... you have the ability to find them?"


    "No," Miss Pepondosovich crossed her arms and chuckled obnoxiously, "I''m lucky."


    "...Oh."


    "Trust her, Sister...


    ...She''s the god of luck."

 Chapter 1082: Chapter 1082: Found

    Chapter 1082: Found


    ?


    "I will stay here to coordinate with the three Heras... there''s also the fact that I feel like I need to talk to my younger self, literally."


    Several hours had passed since everyone''s conversation with Miss Pepondosovich, and Riley, Hannah, Nannah, and Miss Pepondosovich were now in the ship''s Portal Chamber. Aerith and Diana were also there, making sure that everything was set before Riley and the others start traversing to the other universes.


    Aerith wanted to go, but she knew it might have a different effect if Renna saw the mother of one of her... siblings from the Old World. And she also couldn''t leave because Aerith 2 was stillpletely aloof from everyone, confused and extremely wary of everything.


    "I''ll leave all of you here," Aerith then approached Riley, "And Riley, for Arthas''s and your other children''s sake, don''t disappear again, okay?"


    "I will not disappear for now, Aerith," Riley nodded.


    "Alright then, I do hope you find Rennalyn... I truly do," Aerith then ced her hand on Riley''s shoulder, seemingly wanting to hug him. But after a few seconds of just staring at his face, she just nodded and walked away, "Anyway, time for me to talk to my younger self about what she had gotten into."


    "You and Megawoman..." Aerith squinted her eyes as she watched Aerith leave, "...I feel like the two of you are closer than before, but not really? I mean, I know there was a suddenlypse of judgment from her and she fell in love with - which was so fucking random, by the way."


    "It''s not random at all," Diana, who was setting up the coordinates with Miss Pepondosovich, leaned away from her console as she looked at Hannah, "Themarians are naturally and instinctively attracted to people stronger than them - and it would not be an exaggeration to say that before your brother left, he was the strongest being in the entire multiverse."


    "...I still don''t get that, you''re like animals then," Hannah shrugged, "And Silvie''s also refusing to show herself since she''s afraid of getting attracted to this idiot."


    "You mean you''re not feeling it, Sis?" Nannah joined in on the conversation with her eyebrow raised, "Because fuck, his pheromones are just oozing out."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "I''m not fucking degenerate like you. Ack, enough of this conversation. I kinda also wanted to talk to my younger self like Megawoman," Hannah sighed, "But it''s weird, we''re like totally different people. I feel like I have more inmon with you than her, Nannah."


    "You were so innocent back then, huh?"


    "Man... time," Hannah once again let out an even louder sigh, "I really just wish we could turn back time, you know? I heard from the younger Mom that she heard that you could have actually stayed in the... simtion. I''m calling that ck Tower trial shit a simtion from now on why didn''t you just stay for a while there, Riley?"


    "Because you and my children will die if I spend unnecessary time in the trial, Sister."


    "...But you had time to destroy that simtion?" Hannah looked Riley dead in the eyes. She then started putting some sort of harness on Riley, with all sorts of gadgets and things that he doesn''t really recognize, "But seriously, if you had the time... would you have stayed in the simtion?"


    "I do not see any reason why, Sister," Riley shook his head, "I have already lived that life." "Well... you could have made different decisions," Hannah tightened the harness, "Aren''t you curious what would have happened if... you just stopped being Darkday, likepletely stopped doing all the fucked up shit you were doing?"


    "But I did stop, Sister," Riley blinked a couple of times as he returned his sister''s gaze as she stood right in front of him, "Briefly, when we enrolled in the Academy."


    "That..." Hannah''s eyes slightly trembled as she heard that. But after a few seconds, a small smile crawled on her face, "...I''ve almost forgotten about that. For a minute there, we were... we were like normal children, huh?"


    "I was, you were already an adult during that time."


    "Fuck you," Hannah rolled her eyes as she patted Riley''s chest several times as she finished tightening the harness.


    "What is this for, Sister?" Riley then finally checked the harness Hannah put on him.


    "Oh, so that we don''t lose each other," Hannah said as she started wearing her own harness, slightly struggling due to her thick thighs, "The portal sometimes glitches, and that''s not fun at all."


    "Fuck, I remember that," Nannah stuck out her tongue in disgust. She had already been wearing her harness since earlier, and was just waiting for the two to be done, "We needed to find each other for like a year."


    "It would seem that you have been busy the past 600 years, Sister."


    "I''m always busy," Hannah rolled her lips, "And you know what, I''ve always thought our reunion would be much more emotional since we haven''t seen each other for like centuries, but then when I heard that it had only been a moment for you, I dialed my emotions down." "You can control your emotions now, Sister?" Riley seemed extremely shocked, "I was wrong, it would seem that you have undergone aplete change."


    "Fuck you," Hannah rolled her eyes before looking at Diana, "How''s it going on your side, Mom?"


    "Done," Diana said as she and Miss Pepondosovich walked away from the console and approached the group. And as they did so, arge portal opened up in the very center of the hall, "I didn''t really do anything special, just like the usual - only difference is that I let Miss Pepondosovich pick up the coordinates."


    "Hm..." Hannah squinted her eyes as she looked at her oversized watch, "...It says here that we''ve been to this universe before, and we didn''t even find a single sign of life, not even the


    slightest."


    "I already told you, I let her choose," Diana just shrugged as she looked at Miss Pepondosovich, who was also wearing a smaller harness.


    "Does... that mean we''ve actually been to Aerith'' Ross''s universe before?" Hannah squinted


    her eyes.


    "Well... we are not really sure if it really is her universe," Miss Pepondosovich raised her hand as she walked toward Riley, "I''m lucky, not psychic ¡ª right, Riri?"


    "She is very lucky, Sister," Riley shrugged, "If I haven''t met her, then I would still probably be in the Domain of the Gods 600 years ago. Although, I suppose we met each other because


    she is lucky."


    "...How is she even lucky to meet you?" Hannah raised an eyebrow.


    "I haven''t actually found out about that yet," Miss Pepondosovich smirked as she looked at Riley, "Come on, Riley - do something already. Make me a queen or something."


    "You are already a god, Miss Pepondosovich.''


    "Yeah, but that''s boring," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged before focusing on the portal, "So... are we going in now, or what?"


    "Let''s go," Hannah breathed out as Nannah grabbed her hand. Nannah was about to grab Riley''s hand with her other hand, but Hannah quickly swatted her hand away and held Riley''s


    hand instead.


    "Cool, we''re holding hands," Miss Pepondosovich said as she raised her arm and grabbed


    Riley''s finger.


    "Mom," Hannah then nced at Diana as she started walking toward the portal, pulling the


    others with her.


    "Yes, yes. I know the drill," Diana groaned, "Stop showing off to your brother. Did you know, Riley? A few hundred years after you were gone, Hannah was really dep-"


    "Shut up!"


    And without even waiting for Diana to finish her words, Hannah dragged everyone to the portal ¡ª and almost immediately, they were thrown into some sort ofrge library; a tower


    of books just scattered everywhere.


    And right in front of them, just casually reading at a table, was Aerith''Ross.


    "Hm...?" Aerith''Ross blinked a couple of times as she quickly looked up at Riley and the


    others,


    "... You found me already?"

 Chapter 1083: Chapter 1083: Mother

    Chapter 1083: Mother


    ?


    "...You found me already?"


    "I truly did not expect us to just spawn right in front of her."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    One would think that the most perplexed would be the woman who saw several people just appear right in front of her¡ªbut no. Hannah was the most shocked among everyone inside the library as she stared at Aerith''Ross''s face.


    "We should approach with caution, we don''t know what-"


    "Have you seen your sister, Aerith?"


    And while Hannah, Nannah, and even Miss Pepondosovich were extremely cautious of Aerith''Ross, Riley just casually stepped forward and talked to her,


    "We are trying to merge the original universe and the universe that Paige created to prevent your siblings from disappearing out of existence."


    "I suppose you''re already at this part of the story," Aerith'' Ross only nced at Riley for a few seconds before returning to her book, "Jennifer was wrong - us getting stuck in time for 600 years and advancing is something that really happened. Everything is moving along as intended."


    "...Who the fuck is Jennifer?" Hannah''s initial shock about the situation quickly faded away as she also stepped forward, "And you''re talking like you''re really from the future - let''s just all clear this out before we move on forward, are you really from the future?"


    "Knowing would not change anything," Aerith'' Ross finally closed her book as she stood up, causing both Hannah and Nannah to slightly put up their guard. As for Miss Pepondosovich, she just continued to scan the library, "And Jennifer is someone you know, Hannah - she is Paige Pearson."


    "I''m seriously confused right now," Hannah squinted her eyes as she looked at Riley, "Do you know what she''s talking about?"


    "We were told that Jennifer is the future version of Paige Pearson, Sister," Riley just casually answered, "And that the two could not exist at the same time of existence."


    "...So, where''s Jennifer now?"


    "Gone," Aerith''Ross closed her eyes and sighed, "The fabric of time itself is in confusion as to what is happening - when we separated after we were thrown 600 years into the future, Jennifer soon faded away as the Paige Pearson of this time has the right of existence; but I am not sad, as soon, it will be her turn to exist again."


    "...I''m tired of all this confusing bullshit," Hannah rolled her eyes and groaned, "Have you seen Rennalyn? I''m sure you know who that is."


    "Yes," Aerith''Ross nodded without any hesitation.


    "What!? Then, is she here!?"


    "She was," Aerith''Ross started walking around the library, using thedder instead of flying to return the book she was reading to the top of the shelf, "But the girl did not stay here for long, she only asked a few questions."


    "Do you even know what''s going on in the other parts of the universe?" Hannah tried approaching Aerith''Ross, but Nannah quickly grabbed her by the arm and stopped her from approaching ¡ª it was important, after all, that none of them move far away from each other. "I have a vague idea," Aerith'' Ross shrugged as she stepped down thedder, "The history of the Old Universe is not really concrete, there are only stories here and there about what happened...


    ...but enough to know that in some way, Riley Ross failed in rescuing all of his children." "May I ask you onest question, Aerith'' Ross?" Riley once again spoke up as he stood right in front of Aerith''Ross as soon as her feetnded back on the floor, "Are you Machina pretending to be Aerith''Ross?"


    "That happened?" Aerith'' Ross once again only nced at Riley before looking away, "Hm, interesting."


    "... Are you the one who told Karina that one of her siblings is Nothing?" Hannah also took this chance to approach closer.


    "No," Aerith''Ross raised an eyebrow as she looked Hannah in the eyes, "I suppose I was still a little disoriented when all of that was happening, but I think she heard me wrong - I said one of my siblings is Nothing."


    "...What''s the difference?" Hannah also raised an eyebrow, "Wait, do you mean Riley here has another child with your mother? Which of the Aerith is your mother anyway, even Megawoman is confused when you tell her."


    "Huh..." Aerith''Ross blinked a couple of times as a small chuckle escaped from her lips; the way she talked to Hannah and the way she talked to Riley waspletely different, "...That''s another misunderstanding, perhaps a fault on my part. Since as you may know, I am also confused."


    "...What are you even saying?"


    "None of them are my mothers, in a sense," Aerith'' Ross shrugged as she picked up another book from the shelf, "And...


    ...Riley Ross is not my father."


    "You literally look like Megawoman and this idiotbined," Hannah rolled her eyes, "Seriously, Riley? Can''t you just keep that thing between your pants calm or something? Fuck."


    "What do you mean I am not your father, Aerith''Ross?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "Ihade already told you when we talked," the tone of Aerith'' Ross''s voice once again became unfriendly as she started reading her book instead of looking at Riley, "You exist in my universe, but at the same time, you do not - you are a thought, a concept... a being that exists further beyond existence, a God. You are not my father, I can''t im to be."


    "Then-"


    "All of you are confused," Aerith''Ross sighed, "Then allow me to just reveal it, then. Jennifer is not here to annoy me about not interfering, so I might as well since I very much like Hannah - Riley Ross is not my father...


    ...but my mother."


    "Now you''re just fucking with us," Hannah''s eyes turned dead as she looked Aerith''Ross in the eyes, "Nannah, what do you think of this?"


    "Please don''t ask me, I''m literally just decoration at this point," Nannah shrugged as she followed behind Miss Pepondosovich as she explored therge library.


    "I do believe Riley Ross would know what I''m saying," Aerith'' Ross once again nced at Riley before looking away, "Aerith misunderstood my words when I told her that I was the


    son of a variant."


    "Oh," Riley''s eyes very slightly widened as he looked to the side.


    "Oh...?" Hannah wanted to strangle everyone there and then, "I swear, Riley. If you don''t tell


    me what''s going on in your mind right now, I am going to-"


    "I am her mother, Sister," Riley blinked a couple of times as she looked back and forth


    between Aerith'' Ross and Riley.


    "...Care to borate on that?"


    "My mother is someone who had gone beyond her fate," Aerith'' Ross smiled as she closed her eyes, "Someone who lived amongst gods, amongst the chaos, amongst the threat of turning


    into nothing...


    ...Olseyir the Untethered."

 Chapter 1084: Chapter 1084: Shadows of the Past

    ?


    "Olseyir... you mean Riley''s fucking female clone? That creepy clone is still alive?"


    "...I would allow that since you''re obviously perplexed, but please refrain from talking about my mother like that."


    "Oh, I am more than perplexed - I am terrified."


    The only thing that Hannah could really do with the revtion was find somewhere to sit on,


    and the nearest thing she could find was the floor. She was already used to crazy and out-of- the-world revtions.


    Riley being Darkday.


    Her mother being a themarian.


    Women finding Riley attractive.


    But Riley''s female clone actually giving birth?


    "How... is that even possible?" Hannah sped her head as she looked back and forth between Riley and Aerith'' Ross, before settling on Riley, "Aren''t your clones just made of whatever? They don''t actually have physical, biological bodies. They are just made of... matter."


    "Everything is made of matter, Sister."


    "Haha, very fucking funny," Hannah rolled her eyes, "You know what I mean, dude."


    "Well... she did say she''s from the future," Nannah, who was still listening on in the conversation despite following Miss Pepondosovich everywhere in the library,mented on the side, "Perhaps they found a way to make her like... a real woman? It''s not that far-fetched, before all this shit happened, some people have been wanting to be called different pronouns."


    "Ideology and biology arepletely different things!" Hannah wanted to strangle someone, "I mean, good for them and their freedom of expression - but Riley''s clone isn''t even a real person to begin with. We''re not talking about a sex change here, we''re talking about turning... turning a fucking table into a real live person."


    "That is very rude, Sister," Riley could not help but let out a sigh of disappointment as he looked at Hannah - and it wasn''t only him, Aerith'' Ross and Nannah were also looking at her while shaking their heads.


    "What the¡ªAm I the only one that''s fucking making sense here!?"


    "When you are in a room filled with the weirdest people and you are the only normal one, Sister then you are the weird one."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Fuck you."


    "Hannah, your mom literally created another from scratch," Nannah sighed, "And you have Paige who could just create whatever she wants and this is what makes you shocked?" "Fuck... you''re right. It''s just that whenever Riley''s around, it''s all just a fucking mess."


    "I would argue the world was more of a mess when I was not here, Sister," Riley shrugged before looking at Miss Pepondosovich, who was still busy searching for anything that would give them clues about anything, "If I was here when the gods escaped from the Domain of the Gods, then I would have killed all of them and 99% of the poption of the entire multiverse would still be alive."


    "Ack, it doesn''t matter," Hannah could really only let out a sigh as she finally collected herself again and stood up, "We don''t even know if Aerith here is really even from the future - if turning your clone into something actually alive is possible...


    ...there might also be a chance that Aerith'' Ross was just created by someone and instilled with all sorts of memories that made her believe she''s from the future."


    "Hm, you make a fine point, Sister... surprisingly," Riley squinted his eyes, "But I suppose you are right¡ª it does not matter. We are here to search for Rennalyn, and since she is not here, then we no longer have any business being here...


    ... It was nice meeting you again, Aerith'' Ross. And I am d that Olseyir managed to live a full life."


    "Are you not curious as to why I resemble Aerith?" Aerith''Ross''s eyebrows started to lower as she finally looked Riley in the eyes.


    "No," Riley shook his head and just refused to borate further as he started walking away, "Sister, we should go."


    "That-"


    "Are you truly just going to leave?" And before Hannah could say anything, Aerith'' Ross raised her voice; her tone, slightly agitated as she stared at Riley''s back.


    "Yes," Riley nodded without even looking at Aerith''Ross, "Throughout our interactions with each other, you have eitherpletely avoided me, not looked at me, and held a cold demeanor - I would assume that means you do not like me, Aerith''Ross."


    "I don''t just don''t like you, Riley Ross," Aerith'' Ross''s lips started to twitch as her breaths became heavy, "I loathe and detest you with all of my being."


    "Hm."


    "Do you not care about that...?" Aerith'' Ross''s calm demeanorpletely disappeared as this time, it seemed to be her turn to be perplexed.


    "You are not my daughter, Aerith'' Ross," Riley shook his head, "I do not care for you at all."


    "Mother and I have lived in hell because of you," Aerith''Ross gritted her teeth, "The decisions that you''ve made made made it impossible for us to live a normal life."


    "Hm?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he finally turned around to return Aerith''Ross''s gaze, "I thought I only lived as a concept during your time, Aerith''Ross? I assume that means that I no longer truly physically exist. How could the decisions I have made affect you?" "...Because the decisions you made, it made sure the no one else like you would be born again," Aerith''Ross continued to re Riley in the eyes, "And your... your shadows haunt and hunt me down again, and again, and again, and again, and again until there is nothing left of me!"


    "Woah, woah..." Hannah quickly moved between the two while stretching her palms toward Aerith''Ross to try and calm her down, "...What''s up with you!?"


    "Why would you do something like that, Riley Ross - when I am the one who carries your legacy with you!?" Aerith'' Ross started to scream, causing the books in the library to tremble -no. The entire library began to tremble with each of the breath escaping her mad lips,''


    "Great... all of your offspring just have to have a few loose screws in their head," Hannah could really only grit her teeth and wince at Aerith''Ross-she had not seen her many times, but each time, she carried with her a mature demeanor that waspletely absent to anyone that''s remotely rted to Riley - but of course, that was too good to be true,


    "Why don''t we all just calm down and-"


    "I found something!"


    And before the situation could get any worse, Miss Pepondosovich finally raised her hand and


    her voice,


    "Riri, look! Look!"


    Miss Pepondosovich then leaped toward Riley and handed him something.


    "This is Rennalyn''s foot bracelet," Riley tilted his head to the side as he looked at the jewelry


    in his hand, "Did she leave this here?"


    "Leave it...?" Miss Pepondosovich almost scoffed as she looked at Riley, "That''s the first gift


    you gave her she even bathes with that thing on her."


    "...Your first gift to your daughter is a foot bracelet?" Hannah raised an eyebrow.


    "I recall you wearing one, Sister."


    "Wh-"


    "That''s not important!" Miss Pepondosovich formed her arms into an ''X'' as she raised her


    voice, "The point is that even with her going into depression or mental copse, I don''t think Renna would ever take this off... much less forget about it so...


    ...What the fuck did you do with little Renna?"


    Miss Pepondosovich very slowly turned her head toward Aerith''Ross; showing her fangs at


    her while the muscles on her legs started to contract.


    "I told you, Riley Ross," And also very slowly, a very wide smile started to crawl on Aerith''Ross''s face as she looked Riley in the eyes, "Your shadows hunt me in the future...


    ...so I decided to hunt them down first."


    "By shadows, you mean- "


    "Riley''s children, of course..." A small giggle started to escape out of Aerith''Ross''s lips,


    "...And although poor little Renna hasn''t really hunted me down nor have I seen her with her


    other siblings...


    ...I might as well start with her, no?"


    "You..." Miss Pepondosovich''s voice started to tremble with rage,


    "...What did you do to her?"

 Chapter 1085: Chapter 1085: Danger from the Future

    Chapter 1085: Danger from the Future


    ?


    "What... have you done to her?"


    Miss Pepondosovich rarely experiences rage or anger - after all, she had already experienced the greatest pain when she lost her children. She truly thought she would not feel like that again, and she wished to truly never feel like that again.


    But when Riley''s children were born, she felt a certain sense of maternal duty to protect them. And now, knowing that something might have happened to her, she couldn''t control her


    not even thinking of the evil and bad things that Renna had done before his


    anger disappearance.


    And very soon, everything that could crumble around them started to crumble. The shelves, somewhat tearing apart on their own; the books, for some reason, were starting to grow old - some of them even caught on fire when the nails that were torn from the shelves hit each other and created a spark.


    "Ack!"


    "Nannah...!?"


    "I''m... I''m okay."


    Hannah quickly turned toward Nannah, only to see her on the floor, "I... I just tripped." "You... tripped?"


    "Miss Pepondosovich," and while everything that could go wrong seemed to be going wrong, Riley let out a sigh as he calmly approached Miss Pepondosovich, who was already seething from anger; her face, almost contorted and her rabbit ears t behind her head, "Please, calm down."


    "How can I be calm...?" Miss Pepondosovich''s fangs started to show themselves, "This woman did something to our baby girl."


    "We can not be certain with that yet," Riley shook his head as he nced at Aerith''Ross, who just had a smirk on her face.


    "But she just said she hunted her down!"


    "Did you, Aerith''Ross?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "Were you actually able to hunt Rennalyn, and hunt her down?"


    "Riley Ross, your calmness overwhelms even that of Mother''s," Aerith'' Ross extended her breath as she looked Riley in the eyes, "I might have just killed your youngest daughter, and yet you remain stoic."


    "Esme has fought and sparred with Rennalyn and Lucifer before."


    "And your cute little daughter managed to win once?"


    not


    "No. She managed to win every single time," Riley said without any hesitation, "Not because, of course, Rennalyn was stronger. She could not even put a scratch on her unlike Lucifer at all. But she is crafty, very much so...


    ...to the point that she might have even left that ankle bracelet deliberately, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "...Hm," Miss Pepondosovich''s ears very slowly started to rx as she heard Riley''s words, "That is true... that girl would have left before even the very first sign that something is amiss."


    "Well, I do love your confidence for your children, Riley Ross," a small but very gentle smile reced Aerith''Ross''s smirk, "But you are, however, forgetting the fact that in a way, I could be considered your child too."


    "!!!"


    And as Aerith''Ross said that, she pulled out an arm from under the table; waving it at Riley and Miss Pepondosovich.


    "I was aiming for the neck. You''re right, she is very crafty and managed to escape," Aerith''Ross giggled; her lips, almost reaching from ear to ear, "But if you think she''ll recover from this, she won''t


    appearing again...


    because you see, in order to prevent someone else like you from


    ...you created a weapon that would seal. Every. Parts. Of. You."


    "Hm...?" Riley tilted his head as he focused on the sliced part of the arm, only to see some sort of void surrounding it.


    "You, Father, with the help of your oldest daughter..." Aerith'' Ross once again giggled as she ced Renna''s arm on the table, "...Sealed yourself in tiny bits of pieces across the new universe. Believe it or not, each of your pieces contain unimaginable power, and those who manage to wield any of them are granted that power... or so they say. That''s not really important."


    "And are you saying that you have that tool...?" Hannah''s eyebrows lowered as she very subtly moved closer to Riley.


    "Well, no..." Aerith'' Ross no," Aerith'' Ross rolled her lips and scoffed as she started walking beside the table, "Only those who are authorized to use the tool can use it, so...


    ...I brought her with me."


    "You-!!!"


    Both Hannah and Nannah''s eyes widened as soon as Aerith'' Ross pulled another thing from below the table; their breaths, slightly stuttering and struggling to move through their lungs as they wanted to puke there and then. How could they not...


    ...when Aerith'' Ross was now carrying Karina''s decapitated head by its hair?


    "Tadaa!" Aerith''Ross once again smiled from ear to ear as she presented Karina''s head on the table like it was some sort of magic trick, "By the way, the tool is the thing in her mouth." "Khk..." Hannah''s lips started to tremble as she saw some sort of ck ball the size of a pool ball in Karina''s mouth.


    "Oh, you don''t have to be so angry. This isn''t your Karina," Aerith''Ross rolled her eyes as she saw the air around Hannah and Nannah starting to distort and sizzle, "This is our Karina, from the future ¡ª cool, right? She''s actually still alive, so don''t say anything that would hurt her. You like her eyshes? I put that on."


    "You... you''re fucking insane," Hannah gritted her teeth as she looked Aerith'' Ross in the eyes. "What can I say...?" Aerith'' Ross once again giggled, "It runs in the family. Right, Riley Ross?" Aerith''Ross red at Riley. Riley, however, just very slowly leaned his head down to look at the bottom of the table if she was hiding anything else there.


    "I know, all of this can seem confusing, because it is. Ugh, why am I even bothering talking to any of you when you''re all dead anyway," Aerith'' Ross rolled her eyes again before pointing at Hannah, "Well, not you - you''re one of the people who helped seal Riley too. You''re actually still alive. I don''t know where you are, but you are alive...


    ...you have Riley Ross''s head, I think. Honestly, I''m not judging, but that''s a littleN?v(el)B\\jnn


    incestuous."


    "I was adopted, Aerith''Ross."


    "...You were?" Aerith'' Ross raised an eyebrow, "Still, a little incestuous."


    "I think we''ve wasted enough time here," Miss Pepondosovich started shaking her head as she approached Riley and grabbed his pants, "We should find your little girl, she''s probably hurt and so confused right now - we will just deal with all of this future stuffter, what


    matters is now."


    "Hm. I suppose you are right, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Shouldn''t..." Hannah lowered her voice into a whisper as she also pulled Nannah closer to Riley and Miss Pepondosovich, "...Shouldn''t we try to get Karina''s... head and that tool? If that''s really her head and not just some sort of sick twisted... y this crazy woman is doing? Because she''s crazy, like big time."


    "We could try, Sister," Riley, on the other hand, did not bother to whisper at all as he even looked Aerith ''Ross in the eyes, "But I do have a feeling that we will not be able to get it."


    "Wh-"


    And before Hannah could finish her words, the entire library suddenly crumbled into pieces as Riley seemed to have sucked all of them into his hands; but not really, as they all just turned into fine sand which just soon withered awaypletely - the sudden barrenness revealed a world that was nothing but a void. They could tell they were in the expanse of space, but there was absolutely no light at all; no stars, no life, nor even a remnant of it if it truly did exist in this universe in the first ce.


    What Riley did not pull, however, was the thing he was trying to take away - future Karina''s head and the tool inside his mouth. Aerith''Ross seemed to have managed to grab it first and


    pin it between her armpits.


    "Very, very sneaky, Riley Ross," Aerith''Ross clicked her tongue several times while wagging


    her finger.


    "Fight us instead of hunting children," Hannah''s bodypletely turned into a white glow as she red at Aerith''Ross.


    "I would actually like that," Aerith''Ross shrugged, "But I do not know what will happen if


    Riley Ross gets sealed earlier than he should. Truth be told, Jennifer knows all the details, but she''s gone I don''t even know if what I''m doing here affects the future or if all of you are truly just insignificant. But of course...


    ...it won''t hurt to kill my siblings first so they won''t be able to hunt me down in the future.


    Anyway, I''m off to find Rennalyn and finish what I started - or maybe I''m just going to kill weird little Lucy first.... maybe Enel, but as far as I know, he''s just a normal man. Anyway,


    Ciao,"


    "You-"


    And before anyone could really do anything, Aerith'' Ross just disappeared instantly; no portal, no sign of even fading away ¡ª she just disappeared.


    "Oh my fucking god..." The heat around Hannah quickly dissipated away as she sped her hair, "...What the fuck is happening now? We''re dealing with so much shit. The gods, and then Renna''s universe being fake, the two universes colliding and in threat of destroying each other, Renna going crazy and killing a bunch of gods and people not from her universe, and now we''re trying to race against someone from the future to find Renna? I mean...


    ...what the fuck is happening!?"


    "What is always happening, Sister," Riley just shrugged before handing an arm to Miss Pepondosovich, "Please do hold onto that, it is Rennalyn''s arm - I think girls of her age are sensitive if they do not look alright."


    "...You managed to nick that?" Hannah groaned and sighed, "Anyway, what do we even do now? Should we return or continue to search for Renna?"


    "What we always do, Sister," Riley nodded as he gestured to Nannah to open up a portal,


    "Go with the flow."


    "Go with the flow..." Hannah looked at Riley with an exhausted look in her eyes,


    "...What the fuck does that even mean?"

 Chapter 1086: Chapter 1086: Things That Must Be Done

    Chapter 1086: Things That Must Be Done


    ?


    "Dad, did you find Renna!?"


    "We found her arm, Karina."


    "W...what?"


    "And also your decapitated head."


    "What!?"


    Riley and the others'' return were quickly bombarded by several questions - they all, however, quickly shut their mouths as soon as they heard Riley''s words. Even Lucy, who was about to say something crazy, was unfortunately outcrazied by his father.


    "We''ll..." Hannah could really only roll her eyes and sigh before gesturing to everyone to leave the Portal Hall first, "...exin everything, all of you can ask questionster."


    The exnation did not really take that long, as Hannah and the others really only had a brief and very unexpected meeting with Aerith'' Ross. It did, however, feel very long as everyone who was hearing the story just kept gasping and looking at each other - with most of them asking Hannah to repeat her words.


    But of course, with Hannah''s temper, there really was not much repeating happening and she just told them to talk about it themselves.


    "...So, Aerith''Ross really is from the future then?" Lucifer, however, did not care for Hannah''s mood at all as he just continued to ask; his loud voice, echoing through the lounge of Diana''srge ship.


    "I already said we''re not sure," Hannah''s eye twitched.


    "And her mother is the clone of father, but she looks more simr to Arthas''s mother and Aunt Silvie - but with just Father''s wide lips?" Lucifer asked as he looked at Arthas with wide eyes while gesturing with his hands about something.


    "...Yes."


    "Oh, that makes sense."


    "How does that¡ªyou know what, does anyone else have any questions?" Hannah just rolled her eyes as she looked at Karina and the others, who were just shrugging their shoulders. Well, except for Karina, who was still quite shocked from hearing that future her is dead and that Aerith''Ross killed her.


    "Does that mean Father is gay?" Lucifer was once again the only one who raised his hand.


    "Where do you keep getting these random ideas?" Hannah groaned and sighed.


    "The inte."


    "What...?"


    "You do not know what the inte is, Auntie? Well, I suppose you are extremely old. It is-"


    "I talked to her... alone." Fortunately for Hannah, before Lucy could go on about whatever it was he was going to say, Karina spoke up, "With what she told you guys, I was the one who hunted her the most in the future - why didn''t she just kill me when she managed to talk to me alone...?"


    "As far as I know, she''s fucking insane," Hannah breathed out, "And I don''t believe I''m saying this... but she''s even more insane that Riley."


    "Oh no..." Lucy covered his mouth, "...She must be suffering."


    "Anyway, nothing else matters for now except finding Renna," Hannah then let out a small sigh as she looked at Liza, who was embracing her daughter''s dismembered; trying her best not to be overwhelmed by everything she was hearing. Perhaps out of all the gods and super- powered beings inside the ship, she was the strongest one.


    "So, when are we going to go to another universe again?"


    "What do you mean?" Hannah raised an eyebrow as Lucy approached her and Nannah.


    "I mean - I think the sess rate of finding my dear sister would increase exponentially with me there," Lucy crossed his arms and smirked, "By a whopping 0.68%."


    "Do you just say whatever wants toe out of your mouth?"


    "I was told I inherited that from you by Mother," Lucy shrugged.


    "Your dad was adopted."


    "Some things go beyond blood, Auntie," Lucy let out a small sigh as he just casually ced his hand on Hannah''s shoulder, "I would even say we look alike."


    "No, no we don''t," Hannah shook her head, "And you''re noting with us, kids aren''t allowed."


    "But what about Aunt Miss Pepondosovich!?"


    "What about me, Kid?"


    "N...nothing," Lucy''s eyes quickly widened as he felt Miss Pepondosovich''s breath crawling across his neck even though she was only knee-tall.


    "Have you even done your homework?"


    "I''m like 17 years old, I don''t need to do homework anymore. Mother, tell her!"


    "Just listen to your Aunt, Lucifer."


    "Ah, why was I born a creature with ears?"


    "You want it gone?"


    "N...no. Arthas, let''s go leave these adults alone and just talk to the younger version of your Mother again¡ªshe''s cool. Unlike the old one!"


    "W-"


    The quiet Arthas, who did not even get a chance to speak or even ask questions, was sadly dragged away by Lucy.


    "Riley, I need to talk to you alone."


    And as everyone was leaving one by one, Hera entered the lounge and went straight toward Riley, "Now."


    Hera did not even wait for Riley to respond, she just grabbed his hand and started pulling her away, catching the attention of the other people she did not, however, look at any of them or greet them at all and just dragged Riley deeper into the ship.


    "Where are you taking me, Hera?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he looked at Hera''s hand, "I am assuming that you are my Hera, correct?"


    "I am not you , but correct," Hera shook her head before finally letting go of Riley as they reached near the engine bay where there were no people, "And I have very bad news, we


    couldn''t convert your son."


    "Convert my son into what?" Riley tilted his head to the other side.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "...That''s what we''re calling the process of bringing Pearson''s people into the real reality,"


    Hera breathed out while shaking her head.


    "And Lucifer could not be converted," Riley looked to the side.


    "And before you react negatively or me me and my variants, there really is no way," Hera looked Riley in the eyes, "It''s working with other people, both of your wives are actually already converted. We''ve converted a lot of people, Riley... it just doesn''t work with Lucifer. God, why would you even name your child that?"


    "I did not name him, his mother did."


    "Perhaps you are looking for some sort of exnation, Young Primordial?"


    "No. Things just tend to happen, Elementia," Riley then turned around, only to see Elementia and Death walking toward them from nowhere. So, this is why Hera pulled Riley to the


    deepest parts of the ship.


    "It is because Rennalyn and Lucifer arepletely different beings altogether from the rest,"


    Death whispered as she looked Riley in the eyes, "The others are pure creations of Paige Pearson, Rennalyn and Lucifer are children of both worlds - they do not belong anywhere." "And there is no way to convert them, Death?" Riley returned Death''s gaze, "Even if I force


    any of the Hera?"


    "You could try," Elementia was the one to answer.


    "Hey!" Hera, however, did not seem to like that at all - fortunately for her, Elementia was


    not done talking.


    "But it will not make a difference," Elementia shook his head before raising his hand in the air, "As someone who is deeply connected to the beings of creation, perhaps even more so than my older sister - I know that Hera could not do what you want her to do." "Then Rennalyn and Lucifer are going to disappear," Riley looked down, "What I deduced ising to pass those around me would suffer the consequences of my actions. I knew that I did not deserve to have children, and yet I still had them...


    ....perhaps this is just the way it is. Aerith'' Ross also mentioned that she had not met Rennalyn and Lucifer in the future."


    "Really...?" Hera rolled her eyes as she stood right in front of Riley, "After hundreds and hundreds of years, you still have that kind of self-loathing attitude? When will you ever grow the fuck up, Riley? Because if I have to live the rest of my eternal life with you being like that,


    I''d really honestly rather turn into a tree somewhere."


    "You already did that, Hera."


    "What I''m trying to say is that you''re Riley Ross," Hera pinched the bridge of her nose, "Somehow, someway, you always find a way - and you''ll find a way this time too." "There might be a way in the trials of the ck Tower, Riley Ross," Death let out a small hum as she looked up, "It is a mysterious entity that even Machina could not identify or analyze it ¡ª but then again, Machina and the others are not in the right state of mind."


    "I, too, would suggest that you continue on with the ck Tower, Young Primordial," Elementia nodded, "I feel a certain something in there that I can''t quite exin ¡ª in truth, I have tried touching it since I am curious with my own trials, but the only thing it gave me was


    a certain feeling of uncertainty."


    "But thetest trial I am presented with is having to kill my sister," Riley whispered, "I am afraid that is something that I can not do."


    "They''re not real, Riley," Hera let out a sigh while shaking her head, "At least not yet -


    you''ve been avoiding this - but this time, you really have to choose... and the choice is easy,


    it shouldn''t even be a choice at all...


    ...Kill it, you have to."


    "If I do that..." Riley''s voice turned incredibly monotonous as what little emotions his eyes


    had just faded away,


    "...I do not think any of you will like what wille next."

 Chapter 1087: Chapter 1087: The Return of the 2nd

    Chapter 1087: The Return of the 2nd


    ?


    "Why the fuck do you look so gloom?"


    "Because of everything, Sister."


    There was a certain sense of peace whispering between Hannah and Riley as they just sat there on a bench, staring at the endless horizon in front of them. Ever since everything that could happen happened to them, the two rarely even got a moment for themselves anymore.


    Hannah has thought a lot about the past 600 years - about how she could not forgive Riley for all of his actions and evil deeds. But that wasn''t true at all. Because even before he left for the Domain of the Gods, Hannah had actually already forgiven him.


    It was fucked up, for sure. But he is her brother.


    "Let''s just fucking stay here," Hannah let out a very long and deep sigh as she rested her head on Riley''s shoulder, "Forget everything and just stay here. Fuck it, let''s do it - let''s just stay here and take care of some goats."


    "Why goats, Sister?"


    "Shit, I don''t know," Hannah let out a small giggle as she punched Riley''s thigh for no reason at all, "I guess they''re more annoying to look at than you. Or maybe we could just fucking adopt a kid or something and just co-parent it."


    "Like parents?"


    "What the fuck? Ew, no. Stop being disgusting," Hannah raised an eyebrow, "But let''s adopt someone who already graduated college so we won''t have to pay for anything. I mean, Karina''s already old enough already."


    "What about Rennalyn and the others, Sister?"


    "Rennalyn? Who the fuck is that?" Hannah leaned away from Riley as soon as she heard that, "Wait... don''t tell me you have another child I don''t know about!? You-"


    "This will not work," Riley then let out a small sigh before cing a finger on his head, "Pavoom."


    And as soon as he said that, the walls of the ck Tower once again filled his sight. He just pulled out his arm while shaking his head.


    "He''s... he''s out. He didn''t go with it again?"


    There were a lot of people there surrounding the ck Tower - more so than thest time Riley was there. All of them were looking at him and whispering to each other. Riley, however, ignored all of them and just once again ced his arm into ck Tower.


    And everyone watched as he just once again failed after a few minutes, once again in the very same scenario.


    "Hm..." Riley was about to insert his arm again, but before he could do so, Ang approached him with a ss of milk in hand.


    "Wee back, Darkday," Ang let out a small sigh as she handed the drink to Riley, "You really should rest first - you''re not making any progress."


    "Crimson Pdin," Riley thought about inserting his arm again, but just let out a sigh as he nodded and grabbed the ss from Ang, "Are there changes I need to know?"


    "No," Ang gestured to Riley to walk with her back to the tent, "I just think you need a change in perspective. The Pope''s here, maybe you can talk to him about how to proceed next?"


    "Perhaps I will do that," Riley nodded as he followed Ang, finally taking notice of all the people staring at him, "There seemed to be a lot more people here, Crimson Pdin."


    "Believe it or not, most of them are your supporters."


    "Supporters?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "Yup," Ang shrugged, "Don''t tell me you forgot about the religion you made?"


    "No. It just did not seem to appear to be relevant."


    "Maybe for you, but in the Holy City of Mold, it''s all that matters," Ang scoffed as she pushed aside the drapes of the tent and gestured to Riley to go first.


    "The outerverse and the Holy City are of no importance to me aside from the ck Tower and Paige Pearson, Ang," Riley shook his head as he stepped inside the tent, and there, the Pope was just chilling; no longer wearing his robes. He just had his dress shirt on and casual pants like he was just out strolling in the park.


    "Ah, Riley my boy!" The Pope quickly waved at Riley as soon as he saw him, "I hope you don''t mind me resting my old decrepit feet in your tent. I''m taking a long and rxing break after going on an adventure with Her Lord God Death, after all."


    "I am surprised she has not taken you yet, Pope," Riley just ced his ss of milk at the table and sat near the Pope.


    "Ha! Contrary, she told me that I have years left in me," the Pope chuckled, "You do not have to worry about me, I could see you have problems of your own."


    "I confess, I am currently at a loss as to what to do," Riley nodded, "My evil deeds have caught up to me, finally."


    "I heard," the smile on the Pope''s face slightly became somber, "Do you not find fate weird, Riley Ross? I have told you before that you will end up saving a lot of lives in the future ¡ª and you are."


    "You have never told me that, Pope."


    "...I didn''t?" The Pope squinted his eyes, "Then let us just pretend I did. But now, your dilemma is that you can not save two people that matter to you - and the answer to your problems might be on the top of that ck Tower."


    "You seem to know a lot about my problems, Pope."


    "I am the Pope, I heard a lot of things from different people," the Pope chuckled.


    "And do you have any insight for me? The Crimson Pdin told me you do."


    "Yes," the Pope nodded, "Sometimes, sacrifice is necessary."


    "I suppose you would say that, Pope," Riley closed his eyes and sighed, "Knowing the history of your religion."


    "And many could learn from that religion," the Pope nodded once more, "Either way, you are sacrificing something, my boy."


    "Do you have a more direct advice, Pope?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "Kill the one in the ck Tower," the Pope then said without any hesitation as he looked


    Riley in the eyes, "And the only thing you will sacrifice is yourself."


    "If I do that, Pope..." Riley returned the Pope''s gaze, "...What else do you think I will be willing to do in the future?"


    "Well..." The Pope just smiled and breathed out, "...Then it is time for the universe to pay the consequence for creating you."


    "Hm..." Riley just let out a sigh and stood up, "...I already finished my ss of milk, I will be returning to the trial."


    "Stop opening the fridge and hoping there will be something else there, my boy," the Pope also breathed out as he watched Riley step outside the tent, "You have refrained from


    choosing, Riley Ross - I think you can not avoid it this time."


    "I am afraid so," Riley nodded.


    "...That was morbid," Ang, who was waiting for him outside the tent, heard everything


    that the Pope said, "But he has a point, Darkday."


    "I know," Riley nodded, "Everyone has."


    "Then-"


    "My Lord... My Lord!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    And as the two were walking back to the ck Tower, one of the people from the crowd suddenly approached them and started groveling in front of Riley while holding up a photo


    for him to see,


    "Please... please bring back my daughter!"


    "My Lord Riley! Please, my wife... my wife might still be out there! Even... even if it''s a


    variant, I just want to see her onest time. Please!"


    "Hm?"


    "Your cardinal, Elizabeth..." Ang let out a small sigh as she saw the confusion on Riley''s


    face.


    "I remember her."


    "She somehow got the information that you were... converting Paige''s creations and bringing


    them into the real reality," Ang let out another sigh while looking at the crowd, "And like the good Cardinal she is, she spread the word and now everyone thinks you''re the nexting


    of the messiah."


    "Interesting," Riley let out a small hum.


    "...Most of these people know that their friends and families have died," the tone of Ang''s voice became weaker as she looked at the tears of the people begging Riley, "And they''re just


    hoping that maybe... Paige created a copy of them out there."


    "Okay."


    "Everyone, please!" Cardinal Elizabeth then raised her voice as she moved between the crowd


    and Riley, "Our Lord is already trying his best to bring everyone - if your family or your friends are alive... they will be here! Just trust in our Lord like he trusts in us! All Hail Riley


    Ross!"


    "All Hail Riley Ross!"


    "Still think they''re irrelevant?" Ang snickered as he looked at Riley, who was already walking away, "...Really? Can''t you-"


    Before Riley could actually reach the ck Tower, however, someone managed to squeeze through Elizabeth''s blockade and rushed toward Riley. But instead of groveling in front of him, however, she just stood right in front of him; looking him directly in the eyes.


    Riley stared back at this woman for a few seconds while tilting his head to the side. And after a


    few seconds, he realized who it was.


    "Dark Fro-"


    Before he could finish his words, however, Tomoe Reynolds pped him on the face.

 Chapter 1088: Chapter 1088: New Path

    Chapter 1088: New Path


    ?


    "!!!"


    Everyone who saw what happened let out a gasp which almost thundered in the air; those who did not see what happened, followed with their own gasp as they realized what happened. How could they not, when they just saw their lord and savior get pped right on the face? And even those who did not have Riley as their lord and savior also gasped; after all, they all saw how Riley just went on the trial and wiped out an entire universe withplete ease.


    Why would anyone even want to p someone like that? But after a few seconds, however, they recognized the one who pped Riley - it was one of the women Riley had already killed repeatedly in his current trial.


    "Hm." As for the one who just got pped, however, he just stared at Tomoe for a few seconds before letting out a small but very deep sigh, "I suppose I do deserve more than that from you, Dark Frost."


    "Why...?" Tomoe was much older than thest time Riley had seen her; but perhaps out of all his previous acquaintances, she looked the youngest, evenpared to Hannah.


    "Because I have killed you several times already in the tria-"


    "I could care less about this trial or whatever it is. I mean why did you not search for me?" Tomoe did not let Riley finish her words as she looked her right in the eyes, "You found Katherine, you even found Katrina, and you''re even with the Pope and the Crimson Pdin - so why did you not try to find me?"


    "I did not actively find any of them, Dark Frost," Riley shook his head, "They found me, and now you have too - which is a grave mistake on your part."


    "...A mistake?" Tomoe slightly squinted her already small eyes; the monotonous and stoic tone she had in the past, nowpletely gone.


    "You were already free of me, Dark Frost," Riley nodded as he just walked past Tomoe, "It would have benefited you for it to stay that way. As I recall, thest time we have met...


    ...you have already made friends with Sister and the others, you''ve finally be... human." "What are you even talking about...?" Tomoe once again stood in front of Riley with a slightly conflicted expression on her face, "It''s normal for one to change, but it doesn''t mean that I consider myself no longer your belonging, Riley. I''m... the first one who truly pledged my loyalty to you."


    "You should go to where Hannah and the others are, Dark Frost," Riley shook his head as he also once again walked past her, "As my previous Second Subordinate, I do not wish for you to see me kill another version of you over and over again."


    "Then don''t," Tomoe grabbed Riley''s hand, "As someone who had stayed by your side, as someone who learned everything it is to learn about you and the people around you - I know that the first option you see in your mind is to always go straight to killing things. Have you maybe ever thought that you don''t really need to kill anyone in the trial to go through it?" "No."


    "Do you really think that Paige Pearson would want you to experience killing Hannah?" Tomoe looked Riley in the eyes again, "Do you really think that someone like her, who had experienced great pains due to her condition and hallucinations... someone like her, who is obsessed with you perhaps even more than me... would want that?"


    "I would think so, Dark Frost," Riley nodded, "Paige Pearson epted me for what I am as soon as he realized what I am."


    "She epted you," Tomoe shook her head, "Not your actions, Riley."


    "I suppose that is one way to look at it," Riley ced his hand on his chin as he looked down, "I did hear that you helped Paige with her orphanage, were you working there as some sort of psychologist, Dark Frost?"


    "No..." Tomoe looked defeated as she heard that, "...I just studied human behavior so I could understand everyone more, for you."


    "And why would you do that, Dark Frost?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he finally stopped moving past Tomoe and returned her gaze.


    "Because whenever you called yourself a monster, there was always this look of mncholy in your eyes..." Tomoe shook her head, "...And if I learned more about people, then I thought that maybe one day I could teach you to be one. Because I experienced how it is to actually be normal. Have friends, to actually trulyugh with them and not just pretend...


    ...and I wanted you to experience that too, because it was nice."


    "Why would you do all of that, Dark Frost?"


    "Because I''m your most loyal subordinate," Tomoe took in a very long and deep breath as she closed her eyes, "Well, at the very least, at least until this very moment. The truth is... I''ve waited so long for this and I can finally say it...


    ...I, Dark Frost, wish to formally resign from our little organization."


    "...Hm," Riley breathed as he very slowly and gently ced his hand on Tomoe''s shoulder, "Thank you for your service this entire time, Dark Frost. I wish you good luck with whatever your new path leads you."


    "I think..." And finally, the culmination of more than a hundred years of learning to be human crawled on Tomoe''s face - a smile, "...I''m going to go check on Hannah and the others now."


    "Hm," Riley nodded, "Wait in the tent, I will ask Crimson Pdin to escort you to the portal to the Sole Remaining Universe."


    "Okay..." Tomoe nodded as she walked away. But after three steps, she once again turned around to look at Riley, "Riley!"


    "Hm?"


    "For what it''s worth..." Tomoe breathed out loudly, "...I think I truly was in love with you when we were children. I saw what we are in the trial, just a couple casually ying games together, and perhaps in another circumstance, I would have truly liked to live that life with


    you. Goodbye...


    ...Master Riley."


    "And goodbye, Dark Frost," Riley also nced back, "And Tomoe..."


    "Yes...?" Tomoe''s eyes slightly glittered as she heard Riley calling him by her name.


    "...Thank you," Riley nodded as he walked away.


    "Riley..." Tomoe really only stood there for a few seconds before also bowing her head and just heading to the tent - not even bothering to see Riley''s trial anymore. She already said what she had been wanting to say for thest 600 years, and that is all she really wanted. But if there was actually one more thing she wanted to say, it would be -


    "...I''ll wait for you again."


    ***


    "... What was that all about?" Ang, who had been waiting for Riley in front of the ck Tower, could not help but want to almost open her sewn eyes as Riley approached her, "And


    wow a lot of your friends are still alive."


    "Hm..."


    "And...?" Ang moved to the side as Riley started to put his hand on the hole of the ck Tower, "Did you gain some sort of insight from randomly meeting an old friend?" "Perhaps," Riley shrugged. And before he could hear what else Ang wanted to say to him, he was already back in the trial ¡ª with Katherine currently giving birth to their supposed


    child.


    But of course, like thest time, the ck Tower could not really recreate Karina at all.


    "What... what do you want to name her?" Katherine''s breaths were incredibly heavy as she saw Riley carrying their newborn child, "Oh my god... I can''t return to the Academy anymore."


    "Ma''am, we need you to just lie down and rx, okay?"


    "Okay... okay," Katherine let out a small chuckle; her face that was drenched with sweat, still glowing as her smile did not fade away at all while staring at Riley.


    "Karina."


    "Huh...?"


    "Our child''s name, Katherine," and for the very first time in the trial, Riley did not kill


    everyone in thebor room, "Karina."


    "Ka...rina?" Katherine''s breath turned heavier as tears started to trail from her eyes, "That...


    that''s funny... I was... I was thinking the same... thi..."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Ma''am? Ma''am!? Code Blue! Code Blue!"


    "Sir, we need you to step out of the room for now! We''re going to take care of your baby,


    okay?"


    Riley then watched as the nurses just took Karina from her arms and pushed him out of the room; thest thing he saw as the door closed on him was Katherine being given chest


    compressions.


    And as soon as the door was closed, everything just suddenly turned quiet.


    Riley waited for a couple of seconds for something to happen, but nothing did.


    "Dad? What are you doing there?"


    And as soon as he was about to open the door again, he heard someone calling him from


    behind. He slowly turned around, only to find himself right in front of the old Ross'' residence ¡ª and there, a girl with ck hairpletely resembling Karina was waving at him.


    "We''re going to bete, Dad! I don''t want to miss the show!"


    "Hm..." Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked around, "...This is new. What exactly do you want to show me, Paige?"

 Chapter 1089: Chapter 1089: Meaning of The Trial

    Chapter 1089: Meaning of The Trial


    ?


    "Ah, Dad. It''s you! It''s you!"


    It waspletely different from what Riley was expecting. He truly thought that the only way to advance through the trials was to kill anyone and everyone, no matter who it was.


    But now, when she chose not to kill Katherine and the baby, time just suddenly jumped forward. And now, he was watching a movie in the cinema with a brown-haired version of Karina.


    She looked younger, perhaps just reaching her teenage years - but aside from her hair, there was no difference at all; even from the way she wasughing and pointing at the projection... which showed Riley.


    When Karina started covering him with a cap and a scarf, Riley initially thought that they were hiding from the authorities, but not at all. Because right now, he was watching himself on the screen.


    Just what was Paige trying to tell him by doing this, exactly?


    "Ah, it''s Mom!"


    "Mom...?" Riley turned his focus back to the screen, only to see someone who looked incredibly simr to Hera-no. She truly looked like Hera, but there was just something off about her that made Riley sure that it wasn''t actually her at all.


    "Hera is your mother?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked back and forth between Karina, and Hera on the screen.


    "Dad, stop being weird..." Karina let out a small giggle, lightly hitting Riley on the shoulder before resting her head on it, "...let''s just watch."


    Riley was truly at a loss as to what was happening and how this was even a trial, it was much simpler when he just had to kill everyone.


    And so, with not really knowing what to do, he just watched the movie with his... daughter. It wasn''t really that interesting, but his acting was pretty nice.


    "Wow..." Karina stretched her limbs as soon as the movie was over, "...I liked that more than thest one. I can''t wait for the IMF adaptation."


    "...There is an Italian Mafia Reborn adaptation?" Riley blinked.


    "Dad... you''re scheduled to shoot it soon. Don''t tell me you forgot?" Karina groaned and rolled her eyes as she stood up; grabbing Riley''s arm and also dragging him up, "I swear, sometimes I think you''re just living so many lives at once that you just can''t focus on one. Like just experiencing things on autopilot."


    "I suppose..." Riley blinked a couple of times as he just allowed himself to be dragged by Karina, "...I am living different lives and experiencing them."


    Is that what Paige was actually trying to achieve here? For him to experience a life he knows he would never live, but could have?


    If so, then it would somewhat make sense - since it was the very same thing he and Paige had done for Alice, letting her experience the life she had missed and will miss.


    Was Paige... actually doing the same for him?


    But... why?


    "Uh... Dad, I think we need to go leave in the back." Before Riley could actually think about things, however, Karina suddenly dragged him back into the cinema. He wondered at first why she was doing so, but then noticed everyone looking at him now that the lights were on; each one of them had their eyes as wide as they could be.


    Riley tilted his head to the side for a few seconds, before just suddenly deciding to wave his hand.


    "Dad!?"


    "Oh my god, it''s Riley!


    "Riley!"


    "Why did you do that!?" Karina did not know whether to justugh as she quickly dragged Riley away, and they were immediately helped by the staff so they could leave without being hounded by the fans.


    "Dad!" And as soon as they were out of the cinema and away from the masses, Riley was immediately scolded by Karina. She said so many things, but Riley could not really focus on anything from how fast she was talking.


    "Karina."


    "What...?" Karina pouted while crossing her arms.


    "You deserve this kind of life," Riley breathed out as he thought of how normal Karina seemed, "I truly am sorry I could not provide it to you."


    "...I deserve to be bombarded by your and mom''s fans?" Karina raised an eyebrow, "Ugh, seriously! I hate you!"


    "You should," Riley breathed out, "You should hate me."


    "You''re like seriously freaking me out now, Dad - what''s going on with you...?" Karina squinted her eyes as she looked at Riley''s face, "I was joking, okay? Joking. I would never hate


    you...


    ...I love you, Dad."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "W-"


    "I love you, Riley Ross..."


    And before Riley could even react to anything, he suddenly found himself lying under a white nket; the soft light being permitted on it; the light, touching Hera''s skin which had herself lifted up right above him.


    Hera then very gently ced her lips on his, giggling before just throwing around the bed and getting up; her naked back,pletely exposed to him.


    She looks exactly like Hera, but she wasn''t at all - perhaps a way for Paige to prevent him from once again just using Hera''s abilities to escape the trial.


    "We should hurry up," Hera then started wearing her underwear, "The processional''s going to start in an hour and we''re still in bed. This is why I hate going to hotels with you, ugh. We always end up... a mess. This won''t do, I need to shower or I''ll smell like you the entire day."


    "..." Riley was once againpletely confused as he just watched as Hera rushed toward the bathroom. He quickly got up to check where he was now, but as soon as he did so, he was now dancing with Karina while she wore a white wedding dress.


    "Thank you... Dad," Karina sniffled as she rested her head on Riley''s chest while they danced slowly, "Thank you for being the best dad there is...


    ...for always being there."


    "I... am afraid that is not true at all," Riley looked around thevish and extremely luxurious reception, and yet aside from the fake Hera who was shedding tears as she watched them dance, Rhys could not recognize anyone else-no. It wasn''t that he didn''t recognize everyone


    else...


    ...it''s just that none of them actually had a face.


    "Sure, you weren''t there every time..." Karina leaned her head away as she looked at Riley, "...But you were always present when it mattered. I love you, Dad... really."


    "I''m-"


    "Why...? Why... are we like this?" And once again, the scenery in front of Riley just suddenly shifted, but Karina was still embracing her - this time, however, tears endlessly fell from her eyes. Riley found himself once again scanning the area, only to see a fresh gravestone beside them. Hera was also there beside them, the warmth of her hand on Karina''s back.


    Riley was about to ask who it was, but then he noticed another gravestone with a simrst name on it. And from there, Riley realized who the fresh gravestone belonged to - it was Karina''s child, dying of old age judging from the year written.


    "Why... why couldn''t we be just normal people?" Karina whimpered, "Why are we-"


    "No! No... no! My baby... my baby girl..."


    Riley felt a tug across his entire body as the scenery around him once again changed. This time, he was in some sort of metal room, with the window outside showing a view of several


    colorful moons.


    This time, however, he did not really have the leisure to scan the surrounding area as he was justpletely focused on what was right in front of him - Hera, bursting into tears as she seemed to cradle Karina''s lifeless body.


    There was a bottle of pills lying beside them,pletely empty.


    "Riley... Riley!" Hera tried to call for Riley, but she truly actually wasn''t - she just wanted to scream. The only thing that Riley could really do was very slowly approach the two of them, not knowing what to truly feel about this, "No... no..."


    And then, all of a sudden, all the lights disappeared and all he could really see was the figure of Hera and Karina;pletely frozen in sadness and misery.


    "Hm," Riley started looking around the darkness, but there truly wasn''t there but just them,


    "What is it, Paige?"


    Riley then whispered to himself as he continued to look around even though there was clearly nothing else there, "What do you want to tell me by showing me this fate? Are you trying to tell me that no matter what path I would have taken...


    ...it will always just lead to tragedy for the people I care for? Is it-"


    And before he could finish his words, light once again began to turn on shining upon a new scenery, apletely different one. Riley was expecting the scene with him and Tomoe, but it would seem that itpletely skipped past that and went straight to Hannah. This time, however, the two of them were not overlooking the horizon, but each other.


    "You..." Riley quickly eximed as he saw Hannah wearing a simple wedding gown,


    "...look beautiful, Sister."

 Chapter 1090: Chapter 1090: My Fate

    Chapter 1090: My Fate


    ?


    "You look beautiful, Sister."


    Riley did not even bother looking at the scenery around them as he just looked at Hannah''s face. Hannah was not really saying anything to him at all and was also just staring back - but after a few moments, a look of disbelief started to curl on her face as she lightly hit Riley on the chest.


    "Creep," Hannah raised one side of her lips as she red at Riley, "I knew you had a fetish like that."


    "I have no such thing, Sister," Riley tilted his head to the side as he once again looked at the wedding dress that Hannah was wearing, "Who is the unlucky man you are getting married to, Sister?"


    "Haha, very funny," Hannah then lightly pushed Riley away, finally causing Riley to look at the rest of the people in the venue he suddenly found himself in - he was familiar with it, of course; it was at the back of their house, and there were also a lot of people there that seemed familiar if it wasn''t for the fact that they had no face at all.


    Even without faces, however, Riley was sure that they were all looking at him and Hannah and so, very slowly, Riley looked at what he was wearing.


    "And I''m not getting married, we just got married like an hour ago, you fuck," Hannah raised her middle finger at Riley, causing the guests to burst into a fit ofughter.


    Riley once again just stared at Hannah for a few seconds after that and just nodded to himself.


    "Okay," Riley said as he approached Hannah, "And then what happens now?"


    "What... do you mean what happens now?" Hannah raised an eyebrow.


    "He means what you''re going to do tonight! It''s going to be a very long and aw-"


    "Shut up, Gary!"


    And as the people startedughing again, Hannah just let out a small groan and grabbed Riley by the hand before pulling him to the side.


    "Uh oh! Just married an hour ago and you''re already in trouble!"


    "We''ve all been there, bub!"


    "Riley!" Hannah then continued to drag Riley away until they were covered by one of therge curtains that served as a decoration for their venue, "...Are you feeling okay?"


    Hannah''s aggressive tone, however, justpletely faded away as she opened her mouth again; her eyes, only filled with concern as she looked at her groom, "Is there something bothering you? You just stood there kinda lost earlier."


    "We have already done this scenario before."


    "What do you-wait, do you mean when we did it for Alice?" Hannah let out a small but very deep sigh before stepping closer to Riley and resting her head on his chest, "Is that why you''ve been staring into nowhere again...? Are you thinking of that moment?"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "No."


    "Well... I really would have liked Alice to see the real thing too," Hannah let out a small sigh as she gently held both of Riley''s hands, "Who knew, right? You and me... in the end. It''s... so weird. What''s even weirder is that mom and dad were okay with it, like... what?"


    "Why are you with me?" Riley asked as he just stared at Hannah''s shoulder.


    "What do you mean why am I with you...?" Hannah let out a small groan as she leaned away and looked Riley in the eyes, "I''m with you because I love you, Riley."


    "You love me?" Riley could really only stare at Hannah''s face, "But why? When you know that I am evil, and that I will not stop."


    "...What are you even talking about?" "That I am-"


    "Stop."


    And before Riley could finish his words, all the noise that bombarded his ears just stopped. Even Hannah''s eyes which were just looking at him with nothing but endearment stopped reflecting his silhouette.


    "Riley, what are you doing?"


    Riley stood there for a few seconds even though a familiar voice started to whisper from the other side of the curtain. He stared at the frozen Hannah for a few seconds before finally letting out a small sigh and snapping his fingers and causing the curtain to just fall to the ground instantly ¡ª revealing a slightly petite woman with curly orange hair just standing there, wearing a simple white dress.


    "Paige," Riley took one final nce at the frozen Hannah before moving closer to Paige; Paige, however, took a step back while shaking her head.


    "This entire thing has be a mess, hasn''t it?" Paige smiled at Riley.


    "Just a little more than usual," Riley shrugged.


    "Pft... I knew you''d say that," Paige let out a small giggle while covering her mouth, "You''ve been gone for a very long time."


    "Yes. Some things happened, Paige," Riley nodded as he just chose to stand there.


    "Oh, I know - I''ve seen Death and Elementia running around trying to control things and make sense of what''s happening," Paige once again giggled, "Riley, the situation is worse than you think. The only reason Death and Elementia are not freaking out is, well... because they''re not human."


    "Hm. But this ce is yours, correct?"


    "I''m guessing you''re looking for an exnation of it all?" There was a sense of slight guilt in Paige''s eyes as she stretched her arms to the side while looking at the scenario she created, "I didn''t really mean for it to be this big, not really. But you were gone for a very long time, Riley... those people came and the only thing I could really do was to try and change everything. A lot of people died. And... I''m talking too much again - I guess that part of me hasn''t changed at all, huh?"


    "Why are you doing all of this, Paige?"


    "Because I got scared," Paige smiled as she looked Riley in the eyes, "I got scared of failing, I got scared of all the violence, I got scared of the world without you, Riley. I knew you''d return, of course, I just didn''t know when. The Primordials, when they were training me, they also started to suddenly change... bing erratic. I asked them to help the people being killed left and right, but they just watched...


    ...so I had to do it, I had to change to be strong enough to create... to create what was lost."


    "That is a normal response to trauma, Paige," Riley just shrugged as he returned Paige''s gaze, "If anything, I do believe you did well in holding on."


    "That''s the thing... I couldn''t hold on," a small drop of tear started to trail down Paige''s cheek as she shook her head, "You''re not really talking to me, at least not the real me -- but I suppose at this point, it''s already hard to tell the distinction. Did you like it? The lives I''m showing you."


    "They are alright, Paige," Riley nced back at the frozen Hannah, "But it is unrealistic."


    "Not at all," Paige let out a soft chuckle as she wiped her tears, "The one with Karina and Hera truly would have happened if you made a different choice - my creations are taken from reality, as you may already be aware. And this one too, where you get married to Hannah... ...and the life you are living now too. Lucy and Renna, it was... nice seeing them grow."


    "Hm."


    "You know this life," Paige looked at the frozen Hannah, "I can make it your reality. I can do that now, you know? You can too if you want, you have my abilities - well, not really. You have it because in my mind, you should have it. It''s kinda weird like that?"


    "Then I suppose you also know that the world you created is shing with the old world,


    Paige?"


    "Yes," Paige nodded, "Thank you for finding a way to save the people I created, by the way."


    "I am not doing it for them."


    "I know," Paige smiled.


    "We are still trying to find a way to convert the two of them," Riley nodded, "Apparently because they are a mixture of your universe and the old one, it is impossible to do so."


    "I''m sorry..." Paige closed her eyes and sighed, "...I''m sorry that it is happening to you." "You do not have to be, I deserve every bad thing that happens to me," Riley shook his head.


    "But they don''t," Paige nodded several times.


    "Once we do find a way to convert them, Paige - are you able topletely erase the universe you have created?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "I can''t," Paige shook her head, "That''s up to you to figure out now, Riley. Maybe you can find an answer on top of this tower - you''ve cleared this trial already, and I think something is going to open in the ck Tower now that would change everything."


    "Are you on the top of the ck Tower, Paige?" Riley looked up at the sky as Paige did the


    same.


    "Me...? No," Paige shook her head before letting out a very long and deep breath, looking down before looking Riley in the eyes, "Riley...


    ...I''m already dead."

 Chapter 1091: Chapter 1091: Nonsense

    Chapter 1091: Nonsense


    ?


    "Riley... I''m already dead."


    "Hm."


    "Don''t be so sad."


    Riley''s face did not really change at all; his eyebrows only lowering for a single millimeter. Even then, however, Paige still let out a very long and deep sigh while shaking her head as she saw his face.


    "I''m just very d we''ve met, you know?" Paige smiled as she closed her eyes, "But sadly...


    ...not all of us could make it."


    "I suppose so, Paige."


    "Whatever divine fate or interference led us to meet for me to exist at the same time as you, I already consider myself lucky. And I don''t even know why, you know? The truth is, Riley...


    ...I actually barely even know you. I do know you, but not like that. I know you because I am meant to. Wee as a pair, after all."


    "Then who is on top of the Tower, Paige?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "Is it Jennifer?" "...I have no idea who that is," Paige squinted her eyes at Riley.


    "If she is not lying, then she is you from the future, Paige," Riley shrugged, "Or perhaps I think it is more proper to say that it is Other Paige''s second identity after you."


    "So weird, right?" Paige let out a small but very deep sigh as she patted her hips, "So many things happening, don''t you wish you could just turn back time ¡ª maybe live again some other way?"


    "That is what you are doing here now, Paige," Riley looked around.


    "Yeah, wonder when it all went wrong," Paige closed her eyes, "Everything just happened so fast for you that you didn''t even have time to rest, it''s just action after action, after action. I''ve seen it, you know - what would have happened if you just continued to live your life not as Darkday but as Riley Ross the superhero...


    ...It''s this," Paige let out another sigh as she looked at Hannah.


    "Hm."


    "After that blonde old guy who was pretending to be in his 20s broke up with Hannah..." "Julius."


    "Yes, that guy," Paige started walking; the scenery, changing with each of her steps and reflecting what she was saying, "I just made a little tweak where you just tortured and killed him immediately, and he blurted out his ns and you were able to thwart it - and after that, it''s smooth sailing after...


    ...you even met me."


    The scenery once again returned to the venue of the wedding party, with Paige standing beside a faceless guest.


    "You lived a fairly normal life, considering," Paige smiled, "In fact, it was actually justst month that the two of you decided to get married to each other since both of you are single. It was kinda cute and creepy at the same time."


    "I think I am getting tired of seeing different lives I could have led, Paige," Riley shook his head, "I would prefer to just live the one I have now."


    "But the one you have now brought you to this moment," Paige once again started walking around the venue, "Then, let me just show you one final thing."N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Paige then snapped her fingers, and as she did so, the scenery around them started to move forward getting faster and faster by the millisecond until once again proceeding at a normal rate; the venue was already gone, and the house, although not that noticeable, had grown in age.


    "That is the fucking problem with you, Riley!"


    "Hm?" Riley then turned to look at Hannah as she practically kicked the door of the house and stomped her way out while violently pointing her finger at him.


    "We''ve been together since we were children, and you-you refuse to actually connect and now... now you suddenly do this!?"


    "Mom, just please stop!"


    "..." Riley stepped to the side as a child followed Hannah out of the house, once again faceless.


    "Liara, go back to the house, now!"


    "Stop screaming at Dad!"


    "Then he shouldn''t have slept around with the most fucking powerful woman in the world! Really!? Megawoman!?"


    "You see?" Paige snapped her fingers and made everything stop again, "Your story, Riley - it never ends in a happy ending."


    "I was unfaithful to Sister?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "No, you are," Paige shrugged, "But it just so happens that you process love differently. You love both of them quite equally."


    "And what happens after this?"


    "You leave the and live the rest of your time all alone for billions and billions of years," Paige sighed, "And the universe was also safe for billions and billions of years."


    "Hm," Riley looked to the side, "I suppose that is proper."


    "You did not ask me what happened after those billions and billions of years."


    "What happened?"


    "You were thrown to the Domain of the Gods and reunited with Hannah," Paige shrugged, "But by then she does not even remember who you are, and you reminded her by killing each and every one there except her."


    "That does sound like something I would do," Riley ced his hand on his chin, "But how are all these hypothetical scenarios relevant again? I already know that my story will end in tragedy. One of my clone''s children from the future told me that I split up my body in separate pieces and sealed them all in individual ces."


    "You don''t get it," Paige closed her eyes again, "You just need to disappear. Like really disappear."


    "I have been trying to do that since the beginning, Paige," Riley tilted his head to the side, "And when I disappeared for 600 years, everything turned for the worse."


    "Because you didn''t really disappear, you caused all the events to happen," Paige shook her head, "You and I, Riley Ross - as long as we are here, anywhere near - we will just repeat and repeat and repeat...


    ...I know how this ends too, you know? The scenario you are in right now."


    ||


    "I''ll tell you, because if I tell you then something might change ¡ª or maybe not, I didn''t really run it yet. I can''t... I''m already dead," Paige smiled, "Riley, you find Renna in the


    Domain of the Gods."


    "But the Domain of the Gods is gone."


    "No, as soon as Elementia came back, it also came back with him," Paige shook her head, "Things happen, like they always do- and in the end, you live peacefully again for a while, then something happens again. Rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat until finally, this universe gets tired of our shit and just dies and turns into nothing...


    ...and then another universe is just built by you and me-the Other Paige or whoever, and as you said you chop yourself in several pieces. But you again revive and the cycle repeats itself.


    You say you want to be isted but you...


    ...you just keep getting involved."


    "Hm..." Riley flicked his finger and created a chair to sit on.


    "I''ve seen your fate, you''re... so, so tired," Paige then finally approached Riley, sitting on the


    ground right in front of him as she rested her head on hisp, "Your goal to turn everything into nothing is sessful until it''s not. But Riley...


    ...I think it is you that is to be nothing. If you want to give the people you care about a chance


    to actually live a peaceful life, you need to be nothing."


    "And how do I achieve that, Paige?"


    "You have already seen it being achieved," Paige smiled, "Van."


    "...I am not as fast as him."


    "I''m not telling you to outrun fate and creation itself," Paige let out a small giggle, "I am


    telling you that you need to find a permanent way to just leave everything behind, where you know you can''t go back no matter what. Chopping you into several pieces and sealing your body parts won''t work, obviously. And even if you go to a universe and stay there for eons, you would just end up back in the Domain of the Gods."


    "I would have already done that if I could, I told you," Riley gently ced his hand on Paige''s head and brushed his hair.


    "Then maybe I, myself, could offer a solution..." Paige then leaned away and looked Riley in


    the eyes, "...We merge."


    "Merge...?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "The problem is you and me," Paige held her chest, "We are both negatives, but if youbine us we might be something positive. Don''t you think so?"


    "I do not really see the logic in that."


    "Logic doesn''t exist here," Paige let out a small giggle as she reached her hand out to Riley,


    "Hold my hand, Riley - and we can both disappear into nothing and finally turn into


    something elsepletely."


    "Hm..." Riley blinked a couple of times as he stood up; the chair he was sitting on disappearing as he did so, "...Can I ask something, Paige?"


    "Hm?" Paige tilted her head to the side while still having her hand raised.


    "Who are you?"

 Chapter 1092: Closing Doors

    1092 Chapter 1092: Closing Doors


    "Who are you?"


    "Oh¡­?"


    The two remained still for a moment, with Riley looking down at Paige and looking her directly in the eyes, and Paige on the ground with her hand still reaching out to him. Paige had a confused look on her face; her eyebrows slightly raised as she returned Riley''s stares and also looked him in the eyes ¡ª it onlysted for but a moment, however, before Paige''s lips started to curl up.


    "What do you mean?" Paige then very slowly got up off the floor with her hand still reaching out to Riley, "I''m Paige, who else can I be, silly?"


    "I do not know, but I do believe that you are not Paige Pearson," Riley shook his head.


    "Riley, stop being so¡ªyou''re right, I''m not Paige Pearson," Paige then let out a small giggle as she finally retracted her hand back before cing both of her hands on her back and started walking in circles around Riley; each of her steps almost a hop as they continued hints of joy and excitement, "Sadly, I can''t really answer your question, womp womp ¡ª I don''t even know who I am."


    "Hm¡­" Riley''s eyebrows slightly lowered as he heard that.


    "I didn''t lie though, if that is what you''re wondering," Paige let out a small sigh as she wagged her finger at Riley as she stopped walking around, "Everything I told is the truth ¡ª everything. I have all of this weird knowledge of you and everything else, it''s like watching things on a TV. Anyway, everything I said is true, also the fact that the person you keep mentioning, Paige Pearson, is dead. Aside from that, well, I don''t really know who I am¡­


    ¡­but you did mention a name ¡ª Jennifer, was it? I like that ¡ª I''m using that from now on."


    "..."


    "...And of course, I guess I would need a new look, no? It would be awkward going with this when just about everyone seems to know Paige Pearson," Jennifer then let out a breath as her look just suddenly started to change several times in a single second,


    "This."


    She then pointed at Riley while raising her voice; her face, now resembling the Jennifer that Riley had seen with Aerith''Ross ¡ª her voice also changed; still as yful as Paige, but there was a sort of mischievousness with the way she curled her words.


    "It is funny how the future works, no?" Jennifer tilted her head to the side, "I actually based on this appearance due to the slight fluctuation in your emotionless face, Riley ¡ª you saw future me, and because of that you reacted upon seeing this appearance. That means this thing was supposed to happen, which is weird, really¡­ or is she really from the future? Maybe¡­


    ¡­Maybe all of us are in just a scenario that Other Paige made? If so, since when?"


    "..."


    "Maybe even before you were born, Riley ¡ª or maybe the you now is just living a simtion the entire time," Jennifer let out a sigh, "But then again, that would be impossible and I know that for the fact that I can''t really recreate you, Riley ¡ª I can create someone who looks like you, but it won''t be you. So, don''t worry, this is not some sort of Inception within Inception scenario. Anyway¡­


    ¡­are you going to hold my hand, or not?"


    "Why would I hold your hand, Jennifer?"


    "I told you, I can feel it!" Jennifer excitedly giggled as she stepped closer to Riley, "I know there is a way for us to merge, and I can feel that everything would change if we do."


    "Nah, I''m awake now," Jennifer shook her head before urging Riley to hold her hand, "Do it ¡ª then maybe any of the events moving forward will actually change.


    "No."


    "Welp, I tried," Jennifer then let out a sigh as she retracted her hand again, "I''m really sorry about Paige, by the way ¡ª I can feel the two of you have some sort of connection that the two of us will never have. Other Paige also likes you, and I don''t like her, so¡­


    ¡­that''s enough reason for me to hate you."


    Jennifer then just casually turned around and started waving her hand, "Good luck with the rest of the trial ¡ª since someone had already cleared the 3rd Trial for the first time, I think something''s gonna open up now."


    "The ck Tower is going to open?"


    "I guess so," Jennifer shrugged, "Honestly, the trials were made to be impossible to clear in the first ce ¡ª it was made so that the only thing that could clear it is you. You''re right, this ck Tower was created for you, Riley Ross. Do you know why?"


    "T¡ª"


    "Too long to answer," Jeniffer pped her hands several times in a single second, "It''s because you have the same abilities we have ¡ª well, Other Paige has. I would have taken it away from you if I could, but Other Paige''s the one deciding that. That''s why you can change things, you know? The trial¡­


    ¡­it didn''t really matter what it is for you, you were actually unknowingly changing it."


    "Why are you revealing me all of this, Jennifer?"


    "Because it is all irrelevant to me and I just want it out of my system ¡ª Paige and Other Paige was the one who set all of these things, not me," Jennifer groaned, "And you do know that you didn''t really get her power because she killed you, right? We''re not a Super ¡ª you have her power because she allows you to have it¡­ didn''t I say that already? Weird¡­


    ¡­my memories are all messed up because I keep remembering Paige''s memories. Or is it mine? Huh¡­ anyway, off you go."


    And almost instantly, Riley saw his vision shift as he returned in front of the ck Tower and pulled his hand from the hole ¡ª and as soon as he did so, anybody else who was doing the trials was suddenly kicked out and blown away; the holes which previously surrounded the ck Tower, nowpletely gone.


    "What¡­ what''s happening!?"


    And true to Jennifer''s words, something was starting to happen with the ck Tower ¡ª a gap started to open before slowly morphing into what seemed to be an entire door ¡ª arge door with a symbol and a bust statue embedded in it.


    And just in a single nce, it was obvious that the statue resembled Riley. His figure on the statue had its arms stretched to the side as if crucified on the wall.


    "That''s¡­" Elizabeth, the Cardinal of Riley''s random religion, could not help but let out a loud gasp as she looked back and forth between the statue and their lord. And soon, tears started to fall from her face as she kneeled, "...The One True Lord, Riley Ross!"


    "The One True Lord!"


    All the people there started kneeling for Riley; chanting his name again and again, only interrupted as a loud hum started to sing from the tower. And very soon, the statue was split open right at the very center as the gigantic door started to slide open.


    "It''s¡­ It''s opening! The ck Tower is opening!"


    Everyone was excited without even knowing what the door opening actually meant¡ªno. As a matter of fact, none of them actually know the purpose of the ck Tower in the first ce; none of them even know what they hoped to achieve.


    The truth is¡­ everyone was just bored.


    For centuries, they lived a life just walking across an unknown ne; feigning and pretending to actually still have a sense of civilization. But the truth is¡­


    ¡­the world already ended for them long ago. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Right now, they were just clinging to whatever semnce of living they could actually feel ¡ª that was why the Holy City of Mold was so important to them.


    But while everyone was excited by this sudden change, Riley just nced at the door for a few seconds before turning around and walking back to his tent ¡ª surprising Tomoe who was actually still waiting for someone to take her to Hannah and the others.


    "...Something''s happening outside," Tomoe stood up as Riley entered the tent.


    "You are still here, Tomoe," Riley nodded before he started looking around.


    "Darkday!" Ang also rushed inside the tent as she felt all themotion outside, "Aren''t you going to check what''s in the ck Tower?"


    "I will, but I have more important things to do at the moment," Riley just nced at Ang, "Have you seen Death or Elementia, Miss Ang?"


    "...No," Ang''s sewn eyes moved, "Why do you think I would be just casually seeing them?"


    "We are here, young Primordial."


    "W¡ª!!!" Ang almost jumped to the side as both Death and Elementia just suddenly appeared behind her, casually approaching Riley as if they did not almost scare her to death.


    "Can you bring me again to the Domain of the Gods, Elementia?" Riley looked Elementia in the eyes.


    "The Domain of the Gods? But that ce has already been¡ªNo!" Elementia turned to look at Death as his eyes widened, "It¡­ truly is back, but it is once again empty and barren. What do you wish to do there?"


    "I have reason to believe that Rennalyn might be there, Elementia."


    "Then¡­ I will open a portal for you," Elementia nodded as he walked to the side.


    "Who''s¡­ Rennalyn?" Tomoe asked as she stood beside Riley.


    "My youngest daughter, Tomoe."


    "Your youngest¡ª" Tomoe blinked a couple of times as she watched as Elementia opened up a portal, "Then¡­ let me go with you, Riley."


    If you''re still not on discord yet, you should be


    Discord Link : discord.gg/MBbJ3jJN7Q


    Romeru

 Chapter 1093: Event Horizon

    1093 Chapter 1093: Event Horizon


    The fields were white ¡ª not from snow, not from ash, and not even from a field of white flowers¡ªno. It was grass, or what seemed like grass but not really. If anything, they looked like tiny little cotton balls that had already been processed¡­ but not entirely like a cloud at all.


    But whatever the fields were made of, it spanned across the horizon almost endlessly ¡ª and even the sky was filled with it. Very soon, however, this field of white was interrupted by the presence of a portal just suddenly opening out of nowhere.


    "It would seem it has returned to its infancy."


    Elementia was the first to step out; his eyespletely reflecting the white field in front of him in full st, quite literally, as his eyes also turned white momentarily,


    "I wish I could say that I do not remember it being this way, and feign some sort of nostalgia. Unfortunately, beings such as us are devoid of such wonderful emotions ¡ª but it is quite curious to see the ce that started the ruin of the multiverse as we know it. Speaking of which, how is Ruin, Sister?"


    "Missing," Death was the next to step out of the portal; each of her steps, causing the white cotton around her to either tremble or try to move away ¡ª some, however, seemed to want to be closer to her, "And Machina, as she solely describe herself as, is malfunctioning. Celestial has not spoken again even once as her tears fill most of the Outerverse¡­


    ¡­and Navi can no longer see."


    "Then should you not be with them, Death?" Riley also stepped out of the portal with Death; not even bothering to look at the field of white as he just quickly let out a telekic to scan across the endless horizon.


    "I am with them," Death nced at Riley before nodding.


    "She is," Elementia nodded his head several times, "She can be everywhere all at once."


    "...Can''t all of you do that?" And finally, Tomoe finally gained the confidence to speakfortably to the Primordials; she was, however, still instinctively bowing her head with each syble, "Be everywhere all at once."


    "We could in a certain sense," Elementia shrugged as he crouched on the ground and held the cotton balls in his hand, "I can be everywhere in the sense that because almost all material things came from me, I can feel all of them and feel what they feel. Navi could see everything that unfolds everywhere all at the same time ¡ª But the Second Oldest here, she can be literally everywhere all at once. Her presence could be everywhere, literally. But enough about us old decrepit things¡­


    ¡­I do not sense anyone else here aside from us. How about you?"


    "I am still searching, Elementia," Riley shook his head, "How vast is the Domain of the Gods?"


    "Vast," Elementia shrugged, "It does not follow thews of the universe at all ¡ª and sometimes, the farthest things could be reached in one step, and the nearest thing can be unreachable. But this is not yet the Domain of the Gods as you know it, perhaps I would not even call it that. This ce is merely a space with no purpose at all."


    "One could argue that it has gained its purpose now that we are here," Death slightly hummed, "Are you sure that we could find your youngest daughter here, Riley Ross?"


    "I am not," Riley shook his head, "But it is the only clue that I have received and I will follow it, Death."


    "And this clue ¡ª you received it from¡­ the future Paige?" There seems to be some sort of mncholy attached to Elementia''s tone, "We were not really able to witness the trial ¡ª all we saw was the wedding with your Sister and then everything just went ck."


    "I did not receive it from future Paige, Elementia," Riley shook his head, "Paige Pearson is dead ¡ª no, perhaps it is better to say that she no longer exists." N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Paige¡­ is gone?" Tomoe blinked a couple of times as she heard that. Although thest time Tomoe saw Paige was even before the 600 years, she truly was quite fond of her and became closer to her due to her bubbly personality ¡ª quite aplete contrast to how Tomoe was. She also worked with her in the orphanage she built, and she saw just how she wanted to help people even if all of it did turn out to be an illusion.


    "That¡­ is a shame," Elementia closed his eyes before ncing at Death, "I feel that the me for that should lie with us, Second Oldest. If we were not as arrogant, then all of this might have been avoided ¡ª it was a mistake to bring Riley to the Domain of the Gods and to try and train Paige Pearson for something that she was already meant to do."


    "Hm," Death nodded, "Our first mistake was blending in with our creation ¡ª it made us¡­ more. And I have learned that sometimes more is not always better."


    "We learned how to be wrong," Elementia breathed out.


    "No," Death nced at Elementia, "We were always capable of being wrong ¡ª we just had no ce to be wrong in. And Riley Ross, I sense something on you."


    "Something on me?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he started patting his body.


    "In one of your many pockets," Death pointed at one of Riley''s many trusty pockets, "That one."


    "Hm?" Riley then grabbed something from the pocket that Death was pointing at, only for the thing he grabbed to just grow in size as soon as it was out of the pocket ¡ª and it was, perhaps already expectedly, something bizarre.


    It was Renna''s severed arm.


    "May I have that?"


    "No, it is Rennalyn''s arm," Riley shook his head.


    "I meant may I hold it?" Death fixed her sentence before Riley handed her Renna''s arm. And as soon as she grabbed a hold of it, her white eyes started to flicker before they stared andpletely settled on the ck void that attached to the base of the severed arm, "This void, I feel a little of your presence in it, Riley Ross."


    "I suppose that would be the case," Riley nodded before he started exining what Aerith''Ross told him; about him being cut into pieces, and about him creating some sort of tool that would, in theory, perpetually seal those pieces.


    Riley Ross can''t die ¡ª and he will always find a way to get out even if you seal him; that has been the truth so far. But it would seem Riley from the future had gotten tired of the truth and decided to deal with himself himself once and for all.


    "I am, in truth, still a little skeptical," Death ced her hand on her chin, "Could that truly mean that traveling to a time already past truly is possible?"


    "Just not possible now¡­" Elementia squinted his eyes before staring at the arm, or rather the ck void attached to it, "...I do not understand what sort of element that is at all. Perhaps¡­ something from the new universe that wille after this. But whatever that element is, Death is correct ¡ª although faint, I could feel your presence in it. Do you know what that means, Second Oldest?"


    "Perhaps it is you entirely, Riley Ross," Death looked Riley in the eyes before focusing on the severed arm of Renna she was holding, "You be an entirely new element. Elementia would agree with me and say that it is impossible, but the impossible has been happeningtely."


    "The impossible started to happen as soon as Riley came into being," Elementia hummed.


    "I give this back to you, Riley Ross," Death then handed the arm back to Riley, "Use it to find your child ¡ª if it is you, you would know how to before your femalepanion could breathe again."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Or perhaps not," Death let out a small sigh as Riley just remained staring at the severed arm for an entire minute.


    "Try holding the void," Elementia said.


    "I have already tried that, but I will try again," Riley nodded before cing his hand on the void, and as soon as he did so, he suddenly heard a sort of scream. At first, he initially thought it was from Renna as he started looking around, but the noise seemed toe from everywhere ¡ª and very soon, he found that the screams did note from Renna at all, but Karina.


    It was the Karina of the future, screaming in anguish and torment.


    Riley quickly shook his head as he let go of the void, not wanting to hear the scream again. But after a few seconds, he just ced his hand back without a second thought.


    And then he was shown a vision. It onlysted for a split second, but it felt like it spanned for days, perhaps even weeks, or months. Riley had no idea what he was watching, but it felt like he understood.


    And very slowly, the void started to wriggle and wiggle before turning into some sort of goo that quickly left from Renna''s hand¡­


    ¡­and started crawling onto Riley''s arm.

 Chapter 1094: Chapter 1094: Are You Real?

    Chapter 1094: Are You Real?


    ?


    "Hm..." "Hm?"


    "Hmm..."


    "Hm."


    Even with the void suddenly crawling onto Riley''s arm, no one really acted violently as they all just stared at it; even fully knowing that it was capable of permanently cutting Riley into pieces, Riley just watched it move closer and closer to his head and as soon as it reached his face, it suddenly entered through his mouth, nose, ears, and pores.


    And even as it did so, the only one whose expression slightly changed was Tomoe, who looked at Elementia and Death to see what their reactions were. Of course, Tomoe was actually no longer as emotionless and stoic as before. It was just that even though she was no longer Riley''s subordinate and had freed her mind from being subservient to him, she was still incredibly confident that nothing could actually happen to Riley.


    He may no longer serve him, but it doesn''t mean that there was no longer a part of her that worshiped Riley. It might only be a little part of her, but it was sure that Riley would be fine.


    And seeing as Riley also did not react at all even as all of it was already inside him, she was right not to worry.


    "Do... you feel anything?" Tomoe then stood in front of Riley and stared at his face, "I don''t see any traces of it anymore."


    "No," Riley shook his head and looked at his hands, as well as Renna''s severed arm, "I do not really feel any more different than I did when it was outside of my system, Tomoe."


    The four then just stood there for a few seconds as they waited for something to happen to Riley but even after they waited an entire minute and more, nothing happened. "Let us-"


    Elementia was about to say something, but before he could do so, something finally happened


    and it wasn''t from Riley, but the arm he was holding.


    "Hm?" Riley tilted his head to the side as the arm seemingly struggled to free itself from his


    grasp.


    "Maybe... you should let it go?"


    "Okay," Riley quickly let go of the arm, and as soon as he did so, the arm suddenly flew away -breaking the sound barrier before just shooting out into the endless horizon and disappearing almost instantly.


    And without even saying a word, both Death and Elementia flew away to follow the arm. Riley was about to do the same, but he nced at Tomoe and reached out his hand toward her.


    "Shall we go, Tomoe?" Riley asked.


    "...Okay," Tomoe let out a small breath as she grabbed Riley''s arm, "Sorry for wanting toe and just bing a burden."


    "It is fine, Tomoe," Riley shook his head as his and Tomoe''s feet started lifting into the air before the two of them just started flying into the horizon and following the two Primordials. "You''ve... be much gentler than before, Riley," Tomoe could not help but just smile as she looked at Riley''s hand which was lightly holding hers, "I suppose you''ve really be a dad now."


    "I do believe I was always this gentle, Tomoe," Riley nced back.


    "You were," Tomoe shook her head, "But not like this - I can''t really exin it, but I like you more now than before."


    "Thank you, Tomoe."


    "Riley... actually, I already saw you with Karina and the others a few days ago," Tomoe then let out a small but very deep sigh as she closed her eyes, "I was utterly quite shocked, as you may have already imagined. I was going to ask about Hannah and the others... but when I was about to approach you, I just... froze. I thought I waspletely over you, but I wasn''t." "I thought you were, Tomoe?"


    "I am," Tomoe shook her head again, "But there''s this part of me that just doesn''t know what to do. 600 years, you''d think I would have justpletely gotten over you and everything else. But as soon as you showed yourself - Bang. Every memory just came rushing to me again."


    "I am sorry that you are feeling that way, Tomoe," Riley sighed, "It is true that I should have never returned."


    "No... no," Tomoe shook her head, "You were gone 600 years, Riley... and honestly, nothing really changed at all. People died, gods descended, wars - all of those things would have still happened with you here. I could even argue that it would have ended quite faster."


    "Hm, I was told the same by the others."


    "Because it''s true," Tomoe shrugged, "Whatever you actually were, Riley... You were necessary. And that is something I believed in, and will probably still believe in."


    "Hm," Riley nodded. After that, however, the two just kept quiet - just letting the white field move around them as they flew through the seemingly endless horizon. Very soon, however, Riley started to slow down as Death and Elementia''s silhouette peeked out from the distance.


    The two of them, however, were just standing there before looking at Riley as he and Tomoended near them.


    "Did you find something, Primordials?"


    "Yes and no," Elementia then stretched his arm forward to the endless horizon, sticking out his palm... until he couldn''t anymore, as there was an invisible wall blocking their path, "This is a domain created by me, and I should be permitted to be wherever I want to be on it - and yet, something is blocking my path."


    "I also can not enter it, Riley Ross," Death also stretched her palm onto the supposed invisible wall, but she also could not proceed any further even when she put some force on it, "By my guess, then..."


    "Only Riley can enter it," Tomoe also ced her palm on the invisible wall, and very much like the primordials, she could not proceed any further, "Riley..."


    "Hm," Riley stood beside Tomoe and reached his palm out - and true enough, his hand went farther than the rest of the group, "I suppose I will see youter, Tomoe, Primordials."


    "Truly, you and your children will remain forever a mystery," Elementia could really only let out a sigh as he took a step back and retracted his hand, "I feel sort of jealous that my domain is bending to the will of your daughter - I should bepensated with this somehow." "Stop speaking nonsense, Elementia," Death red at Elementia, "To experience change is a privilege."


    "Not so much for the rest of our brothers and sisters, Second Oldest," Elementia shook his head, "Too bad for them, they are missing out on all the action."


    "We are too," Death ced her focus back to Riley, "Go ahead, Riler Ross. We shall be waiting for your return here."


    "Hm," Riley nodded before taking a step through the invisible wall, and as soon as he did so, what was once an immacte field of white turned extremely ck- and yet, in a way, it seemed even more immacte than before, "Interesting."


    Riley then took a step back, and once again, the fields just turned white.


    "What... are you doing, Riley?" Tomoe asked as she saw Riley do this.


    "It is different from the other side," Riley let out a small hum as he once again stepped forward; the white field, instantly turned ck as he did so - even the horizon behind Tomoe


    and the others turned dark.


    "Be careful, Youngest," Elementia let out a sigh, "I do not think the rest of this domain belongs to me anymore - I do not know what awaits you on the other side."


    "Okay." And as soon as Elementia said that, Riley once again let out a telekic that quickly scattered through the horizon. And as soon as he detected something, he quickly disappeared and flew away.


    And finally, after what seemed like a minute of flying, Riley saw a hint of white far into the distance. And very soon, Riley finally saw Renna.


    She was sleeping on the field of ck cotton; almost curled into a ball. And judging by the redness around her eyes, she had been crying for a very long time.


    "Oh?" Riley then looked at the severed arm that flew away from him, only to see it already attached back to Renna and healing.


    Riley did not really do anything else, he just approached his daughter and waited for her to


    wake up; watching her the entire time.


    A second.


    A minute.


    An hour.


    Riley did not really care for time at all. He just wanted to see his daughter''s face the way it is now in peace. Because he knows that once she wakes up, she will have to live a life filled with chaos and pain again.


    Unfortunately, very soon, Renna woke up.


    "H...hmn?" Renna slightly moved her head as she felt something brushing along the top of


    her head. She opened her eyes and let out a deep breath, only for that breath to stop abruptly


    as soon as she saw Riley''s face; his hand, very gently brushing her long white hair. "Are... are you..." Renna stuttered with her words as her lips started to tremble,


    "Are you... real?"


    **AUTHOR''S NOTES**n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    I am trying my luck at Royal Road with a new book, Legendary Shadow cksmith, it will


    really really help me if you check it out and make a 5 star review T_T. Don''t mention you came from Viin Retirement or Webnovel doe, that might slightly get me in trouble. It''s also here in Webnovel, and I am still choosing where to actually put it. Thank you!

 Chapter 1095: Chapter 1095: Much To Tell You

    Chapter 1095: Much To Tell You


    ?


    "Are... are you real?"


    The quiver in Renna''s voice almost echoed throughout the entire ck field - and although it was hard to see due to everything being so monochromatic and ck, if one were truly focused on the fields of ck cotton, one would see them rippling with each of Renna''s gasping breath.


    "Are you... real?" Renna repeated her words; refusing to sit up at all as she was afraid that she would never once again experience resting on the ground while his father gently brushed and caressed her hair, "Are you real?"


    Riley refused to answer, however, as he just continued to gently brush Renna''s hair. Renna also remained quiet and just closed her eyes for a few moments. But several minutester,


    Renna opened her eyes and once again asked,


    "Are you real?"


    "Maybe." And this time, Riley answered without any hesitation; he was not, however, looking at Renna but instead the wide empty fields of ck, "It does not really matter at all. For me, you are my daughter - and nothing is going to change that."


    "F... Father!" Renna could no longer hold back her tears as she finally sat up; not wasting any time at all to wrap her arms around his father''s neck,


    "F... forgive me, Father! Renna gritted her teeth and tried her best not to sniffle, but she could do nothing at all but to just let all of her emotions out as she cried on Riley''s shoulder, "I... I got angry and I lost my way. I discovered... I discovered some things and... and they are not good things, Father. I do not-I am not proud of what I have done but... but I had no choice..."


    Renna''s words started to stutter by the end. Riley did not really say anything again as he once again started brushing Renna''s hair and patting her back-no. He wasn''t only patting or brushing her; this entire time, he was actually washing his hair using his abilities as he knew Renna always wanted to look clean and proper.


    "I''m... I''m supposed to be better," Renna continued to speak; her words starting to muffle as she buried her face deep into Riley''s chest, "I am supposed to be better than Lucifer, and yet... and yet I''m the one who made a mess. But... But I know I was doing something right, it''s just that... I am supposed to be a hero, Father...


    ...I am supposed to be a hero, and yet the things I''ve done couldn''t even be farther to being a hero. I... I hurt all those people, Father. I did horrible things to them. But... but it had to be done."


    "Hm," Riley only nodded.


    "I... I wanted to be a hero like you, Father," Renna, however, vehemently shook her head, "You don''t... you do not understand how much I want to be like you to be the Paragon of the people. You worked so hard to bring about the age of heroes and yet... and yet I destroyed all of that. I... I ruined your reputation by hurting and killing those people from the moon, Father. But it... it had to be done."


    "I do not want any of you to be like me, Rennalyn," Riley shook his head, "You are perfect as you are, Rennalyn - do not spend your entire life trying to hate and hurt yourself for who you are."


    "But-"


    "ept it," Riley breathed out, "Just ept what you are and never delude yourself that you are anything different. If you are evil, then so be it. Be evil, and do not pretend to be anything else."


    "Am I..." Renna sniffled as she leaned away from Riley, "...Am I evil?"


    "Do you think you are?"


    "..." Renna stared at Riley''s eyes for a few seconds before a small hint of a smile crawled on her face, "...You are very bad at this parenting thing, Father."


    "At least I know that I am a bad parent, Rennalyn."


    "Pft..." Renna softly giggled before covering her mouth with her hands, "For... forgive me forughing at you, Fa-my... arm is back?"


    Rennalyn blinked a couple of times as she quickly stood up and started looking at her arms, "H... how?"


    "I found it from your future cousin, Rennalyn."


    "...Aerith''Ross!" Renna let out a loud gasp as she looked at Riley, "She... she tried to kill me."


    "I am aware of that, Renna," Riley nodded as he also stood up, "We met her while trying to search for you, and she revealed some things."


    "She needs to be stopped, Father!" Renna rushed to her father''s side and grabbed his arm, "We need to-"


    "Rx."


    "O...okay. Okay," Renna quickly took in a deep breath as she let go of Riley''s arm, "I apologize, Father. It would seem that I find myself fumblingtely."


    "Let us discuss some things first, Rennalyn - why you did the things you did, for one."


    "That..." Renna looked away and took a step back. Unfortunately, she really had no other ce to go, "...I''m... I think something is wrong with me, Father. I''ve always been telling Lucifer that he is the one who has mental problems, but I''ve... I have only been projecting my insecurities."


    Renna then confessed; the only hesitation left in her was reflected in her stuttering words.


    "It started 5 years ago... when I... when I saw someone just disappear right in front of me. Lucy was also there, but he did not seem to care at all. You know, typical Lucifer, Father," Renna cleared her throat and wiped whatever tears were left on her face; the tone of her voice, slowly turning more and more monotonous like how it usually was,


    "But the people who were with the man who disappeared cared - they cared so much that their friend, family... loved one just disappeared right in front of them, and they were just talking to each other moments ago. They were sad, Father. They were very sad and confused but no one really tried to help them."


    "Hm."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "And then I tried searching news for what happened, only to find more incidents simr to it - people disappearing in broad daylight, none of them ever solved," Renna started shaking her head, "Then I delved deeper into our history, and I found some inconsistencies, and things just happening with no rhyme or reason at all history follows a pattern, Father. No matter how random it may seem, it follows a pattern. But at some point in history, that pattern was cut. And I learned... I learned that our world might be some sort of simtion and


    "It is really quite impressive that you have discovered that much with no prior clue of what the world truly is, Rennalyn," Riley did not let Renna finish her words as he shook his head, "Then let me free that curiosity of yours and tell you the truth."


    Riley did not really spend that much time telling everything to Renna - she told her everything, but a very short version of it since he knew that Renna would just fill out the rest as she was, perhaps, even smarter than Diana. As to whether she was smarter than Bernard,


    well, maybe not.


    "That... all of that was happening?" Renna''s eyes widened as she looked to the side, "Of course... Of course. Two worlds colliding, and ours is starting to fade since we are the ones created by your friend - but since your friend is already technically dead, then...


    ...how will we get rid of our world so that the two no longer collide? Do we try to reach this


    Other Paige person?"


    "Perhaps," Riley shrugged.


    "...Are we sure she is on top of that ck Tower you mentioned?" Renna ced her hand on


    her chin.


    "And what do you think of the fact that you and Lucifer can not be converted, Rennalyn?" Riley tilted his head to the side as Rennalynpletely ignored the fact that Hera couldn''t


    convert them.


    "There is nothing to think of," Renna shook her head, "I am sure that you will find a way, Father ¡ª you and Miss Pepondosovich always do."


    "Hm," Riley nodded as he turned around, "Shall we go, then?"


    "N...no," Renna shook her and refused to follow, "I''m... I can not possibly return there and face the others, Father. What I have done is unforgivable - I do not deserve thepany of friends and family."


    "I have done worse things, Rennalyn," Riley shook his head and reached out his hand toward his daughter, "I have killed infants right in their mother''s arms, and Iughed while doing it - I know I do not deserve thepany of friends and family, and yet I still show myself." "That¡ªwell, you..." Renna could not really say anything else as she just grabbed her father''s hand, "...Let''s go home, then."


    "Hm," Riley nodded several times as he flew away with Renna, "Your brother also says that he is missing you and has lots of things to talk to you about, Rennalyn." "...On second thought, maybe I should just stay here?" Renna''s eyes widened, "He is definitely going to remind me of what I have done every day or whenever he is losing an


    argument, which is every day."


    "As I said, Rennalyn...


    ...we just have to live with it."


    ***


    "Mother."


    "Who...?"


    Somewhere in the dead universes, there lies actually a civilization hidden from the rest of the multiverse a race so resourceful that they have managed to just roam free everywhere even


    during the descent of the gods.


    The Bins The race filled with Riley''s clones.


    And right now, Aerith'' Ross was currently in front of their Matriarch.


    "You are my mother, Olseyir... ...and I have much to tell you."

 Chapter 1096: Chapter 1096: The Silver Death

    Chapter 1096: The Silver Death


    ?


    "Have all of you tried doing..."


    "Yes, we did..."


    "But, what if we do..."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Several weeks after Riley was finally able to find Renna, everyone was once again reunited without any more drama. Of course, that wasn''t the case at all when Renna returned, as she was quickly bombarded by Liza with all sorts of flowery words that made everyone just keep their distance for a few days.


    But after that, Renna seemed to be getting calmer by the day as the situation was exined more and more to her; her manic episodes of being violent to those who belonged to the Old World had subsided.


    And right now, she, along with Diana and Hera, were trying to figure out how they would be able to convert her and Lucy. They have been discussing it for 3 days, and yet they do not seem to make that much progress at all - but it was better than no progress.


    But most importantly, all of this seems to be helping Renna cope with everything ¡ª and Diana seems to like her a lot since Renna could practically learn everything as soon as she hears it-no. She even improves on some things that Diana taught her.


    How she was able to be so smart with a variant of Katrina as her mother, well... no one really knows the answer to that.


    "If Dad or his variants was here, they would have probably already cracked that shit."


    Everyone was gathered inside a building on New Theran, doing their own things and just having a little semnce of an actual normal day - something that has be quite extremely rare. Some of them were just reading things on their phones, while the others were chatting quite loud andughing about something.


    It was normal, too normal. As for Riley, he was just sitting on a sofa at the side and observing everyone without doing anything else at all. Well, that is, until Hannah approached him with a snack in her hand.


    "I have never truly asked what happened to Father''s variants, Sister," Riley slid to the side to give Hannah some space while he grabbed the donut and bottle of milk she was giving him, "And I no longer see Nannah''s father."


    "...Didn''t I tell you?" Hannah closed her eyes and sighed, "They''re all dead. The gods made sure that all of his variants died out because they considered him the most dangerous element - more so than the themarians. I think they were afraid of them, or something. Bunch of pussies."


    "That is understandable," Riley took a bite out of the donut before handing it to Hannah, Hannah did not really grab it and just took a bite of it while it was still in Riley''s hand, "Bernard Ross is the most dangerous person in the multiverse. But what about the evaniels, Sister?"


    "Well, those silver fucks fleed somewhere," Hannah shrugged, "They helped in fighting the gods at first along with the themarians, but somewhere along the way they just left and disappeared. I don''t really even want to talk about them at all. Anyway...


    ...what''s your n now?"


    "My n?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he nced at Hannah, "I do not really have a


    ||


    "What are you even doing here!?"


    And before Riley could finish his words, Renna''s loud voice echoed throughout the entire lounge. Both he and Hannah turned to look at what themotion was all about, only to see Lucy joining Diana and the others'' discussion.


    "What do you mean why am I here?" Lucy let out a small hum while covering half of his face, "I am here to provide you some assistance with my superior intellect. My dear grandma - tell me where you are lost and I will provide answers."


    "Uhuh..." Diana just raised her eyebrows and stared at Lucy.


    "Have you perhaps tried turning it on and off?" Lucy whispered, "It works most of the time."


    "There is nothing to turn on and off, Lucifer," Renna tried pushing Lucy away but he wasn''t budging at all.


    "Maybe you, my dear sister..." Lucy then spun while moving to the side and just started gracefully waving his hand before brushing his finger beneath Renna''s nose, "...But I turned on a lot of girls back in the Academy."


    "You!"


    "Ah! The beast, the beast has been unleashed!" Lucy quickly ran away as Renna started chasing him. He quickly hid behind Arthas, who was just quickly kicked in the head by Renna while trying to get through Lucy.


    "Guys... stop fighting," Arthas did not seem to mind at all as he even tried to get in between the two. But s, Lucy just started using his body as a shield before just running away; this time, hiding behind Karina.


    Of course, Renna did not really try to approach Lucy and just red at him while he was teasing her to just try something. Unfortunately for Lucy, Karina was not as gentle as Arthas and she pulled his ear and dragged him away - but of course, Lucy was able to expertly get away by rolling on the floor several times.


    "Catch me, catch me if you can!"


    "Stop being such a child, Lucifer!" Renna gritted her teeth as she continued to chase Lucy around the lounge - Lucy, however, continued to just roll before finally reaching Enel; carrying him in his arms.


    "Let go of Enel, Lucifer," Renna clicked her tongue as she red at Lucy.


    "And why must I forsake myself of this lovely and slightly chubby shield?" Lucy started waving Enel in the air, and Enel just raised his fist and acted like he was flying.


    "You..."


    "...Any more children I need to know of?" Hannah could not help but just let out a soft chuckle as she continued to watch the scenery unfold in front of her.


    "None that I know of, Sister," Riley shook his head, "And what about you, have you never had children that past 600 years?"


    "No one was capable of procreating, Riley."


    "And what about the past 16 years?" Riley tilted his head to the side.


    "No. God, no..." Hannah''s shoulders shivered as she stuck out her tongue, "Me, as a mother? I


    don''t think so. I''m not-and why are you looking at me like that?"


    "In the trial, there was a version of us where we were married and had a child, Sister," Riley mentioned without any hesitation.


    "Huh...?" Hannah just raised an eyebrow as she looked Riley in the eyes, "...And how did that turn out? Paige was really into some freaky shit... Fuck, I''m really gonna miss that woman." "It turned out like how it always turns out, Sister," Riley looked away, "I hurt you." "...Morbid," Hannah let out a very long and deep sigh while shaking her head, "Well, maybe there''s also a version of us that didn''t hurt each other, you know? Like... just happy. Maybe in another life?"


    "Maybe in another life," Riley returned Hannah''s gaze, "Have I ever really thanked you for being my sister, Sister?"


    "...What for?" Hannah let out a small scoff; patting Riley''s arm hard before standing up, "And aren''t you gonna join them? They seem to be having fun. I''m gonna talk to Tomoe."


    "I..." Riley turned to look at Renna and Lucy,


    "...I think I will take a break for now, Sister."


    "Oh..." A slight twitch curled onto Hannah''s lips momentarily before just turning into a smile


    as she once again looked Riley in the eyes,


    "...Don''t take too long, okay?"


    "Hm..." Riley also stood up from the sofa and walked away. ncing at everyone before he left the building and proceeded to visit his mother in the Fields of Immortality.


    He did not really say anything and just stood in front of her crystal grave, looking at her face


    for a couple of seconds before letting out a very long and deep sigh. And after a few more breaths, he just turned around...


    ...only to see several people there looking at him-no, gods.


    Death and Elementia were there, and not just them. Miss Pepondosovich, Grea, and Marleen


    were there with them.


    "I knew I felt something," Grea was the first to speak, "And it would seem I am not the only one."


    Both Grea and Marleen bowed their heads at Death and Elementia.


    "What... are you doing here, Riri? Why''d you suddenly leave?" Miss Pepondosovich approached Riley; squinting her eyes as she looked at him from head to toe, "You''re... nning to do something again, aren''t you?"


    "It is time for me to stop pretending, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head, "I am


    leaving now."


    "What...? Where are you going?" Miss Pepondosovich raised an eyebrow.


    "As far away from here as possible," Riley then looked at Death and Elementia, "I am not as


    fast as Van, so I will just take my time if that is alright with the two of you." "This world is yours as much as it is ours, Riley Ross," Death looked Riley in the eyes.


    "I know," Riley nodded, "I am not leaving, just going far away. Mother and Rennalyn will figure something out on their own - I am not needed here."


    "Well, guess we''re going on an adventure, then..." Miss Pepondosovich shrugged as she stood


    beside Riley, "...And don''t even refuse - your children are going to be mad at me if I don''t


    take you back home."


    "You do know that trouble will find you, Cloud?" Grea spoke up, "The Higher Gods still walk amongst us - you will meet them. Kravos, the Higher God you fought with before, he was


    trying to search for you."


    "I will deal with them along the way," Riley shrugged, "I have a feeling that my clones will


    also soone out of hiding...


    ...I will deal with them myself."


    ***


    Somewhere in the multiverse, Kravos was currently looking at the vast empty universe he found himself in-no. His eyes were looking, but not him - he was already dead.


    His chest,pletely caved in as an arm filled with glowing tattoos dripped with his blood.


    "All of you..." The arm belonged to Vania, the Queen of the Evaniels,


    "...All of you will die."

 Chapter 1097: Chapter 1097: So Much For A New Adventurer Arc

    Chapter 1097: So Much For A New Adventurer Arc


    ?


    "Bludgreyps, get your bludgreyps here!"


    "Why are we stopping here, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "What do you mean why are we stopping here!? We''ve been traveling in hyperspeed for months, Riri. Months! We may never actually see another actual with living beings in it!"


    Somewhere in the Sole Remaining Universe, far far away from Hannah and the others, Riley and Miss Pepondosovich found themselves in one of the many remnants of the multiverse - although, they were not really sure if there were many more remnants such as this one at all.


    "Do you think these people are real or created by this Paige person?"


    After traveling for months on end - with seeing nothing but the dead space, Riley and Miss Pepondosovich were finally able tond on an actually habitable with a proper civilization in it.


    "I do not know, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head.


    "Seeing as the technology in this ce isn''t that great, I think they chose to abandon it sometime in the past 600 years, you think?" Miss Pepondosovich looked at the scenery around them, and there truly was not even a single sign of advanced, or even modern technology. Everyone was just walking and selling things on the side of the street; some, riding horses that looked like seahorses but onnd,


    "Probably to avoid being detected by anything or anyone."


    "Perhaps the wiser choice during the time of war," Riley nodded.


    "Hm. I did read about this and even talked to Diana about it," Miss Pepondosovich nodded a couple of times; ignoring the fact that everyone kept staring at them since they lookedpletely different from the others- some of them were even closing their shops and running as soon as they catch a glimpse of either Riley or her,


    "Since everyone just scattered when those stupid gods decided to wreak havoc, it wasn''t really possible to bring refuge to everyone or recover them," Miss Pepondosovich let out a small sigh as she ced her hands on the back of her head, "Who knows, there might still actually probably billions and billions more out there...


    ...sometimes with the talk of multiverses, Outerverse, or different domains, we forget just how big one universe could actually be - you know?"


    "I have never forgotten how big one universe could actually be, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head as he approached one of the stalls, "That is why we even have a name for it - The Unknown."


    "The Unknown, huh... sounds ominous," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged, "Anyway, what are we trying to search for again...? We are trying to search for something, right?"


    "Yes," Riley nodded, "We are trying to search for Nothing."


    "Uh... huh. That dude who talks to you whenever you die? That''s so weird, by the way."


    "It is," Riley then grabbed what looked like an apple from the stall and handed it to the vendor, "There might even bepletely different species out there that are more special than the themarians, the evaniels, or perhaps even me."


    "Oho...? And here I thought you thought that you are the center of the universe?" Miss Pepondosovich smirked, "This is, as you mentioned a lot of times, your story and the rest of us are just living in it."


    "I did say that." But s, as soon as the vendor saw Riley, he just quickly let out a small squeal before closing his stall and running away,


    "But my story is over, Miss Pepondosovich - I am stepping to the sidelines. That is why we are here, about to venture out into the Unknown."


    "Huh... anyway, don''t you have a feeling that these people are avoiding us?" Miss Pepondosovich then turned around to look at the once lively street of wood and brick, only to see itpletely devoid of any people now.


    "I think they are scared of you, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shrugged, "These people look mostly simr to Earth''s humans, I blend in with them. But you..."


    "What?" Miss Pepondosovich looked up at Riley, her long bunny ears bouncing as she did so, "Just because I''m only as tall as your knee and have long cute ears, doesn''t mean I''m that much different! You-"


    And before Miss Pepondosovich could continue with her rant, a loud ring echoed throughout the now quiet street. Miss Pepondosovich looked around for a few moments before realizing that the ringing wasing from her backpack.


    "Oh...!" Miss Pepondosovich quickly removed her backpack and started rummaging inside it - it was only the size of a purse, and yet she was pulling outrge things from it; entire gallons of water, an entire bed, and even another bag before she was finally able to get what she wanted to get - a phone,


    "Ah! Hello!?"


    Miss Pepondosovich then ced the phone beside the stall as she answered it - and there, on the screen, were Lucy and Renna just pushing each other.


    [Our dearest aunt, where art thou!?]


    [Can you stop being so retarded, Lucifer?]


    [That word is offensive now, my dear sister - you are going to get canceled.]


    "We don''t actually know where we are. That''s your father''s legs, by the way," Miss Pepondosovich started putting all the things she removed back into her physics-defying bag while doing a video call with the siblings, "Riri. Hold the phone!"


    "If I hold it, they will not be able to see you, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head as he just opted to sit on the ground.


    [Ah, Father! Due to my superior intellect, I feel that we are closer to finding a way to convert me and my dear sister.]


    [You helped in nothing, Lucifer. Can you just move to the side so that both of us can fit on the screen?] Renna pushed Lucy away and grabbed the phone, [Father, once we figure this out...


    ...are you going toe home?]


    [They just left,] Lucy joined in on the screen again, [He will travel millions of years, and we once again reunite, it would be so dramatic. Don''t forget to bring some gifts, Father.]


    "I do not truly know if I will ever be back," Riley whispered out.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    [You will be, Father,] Renna nodded several times, [Even Enel is saying that you will be back in no time at all. He misses you, greatly.]


    "Hm," Riley nodded.


    Unlike before, Riley did not truly abandon everyone and just went away on an adventure without a word¡ªno, not at all. Diana and the others have already created a phone that''s directly connected back to them, and they can call each other no matter the distance as long as Riley stays in the Sole Remaining Universe.


    Of course, it took some convincing from Miss Pepondosovich for it to happen - after all, Riley had left the others several times throughout their lives. This time, Riley just eliminated the need to try to reach him if something goes wrong or if something happens that he is


    actually needed.


    They chatted for several more minutes before they were suddenly interrupted by Katrina.


    [What are all of you doing!? Give me back my phone!]


    [Ah, it is Mother! Run, Renna! Run!]


    [You guys-Ugh. Miss Pepondosovich, Riley... How are you?] Katrina let out a long and very


    deep sigh as she showed herself on the screen.


    "Oh, we''re fine ¡ª we justnded on this weird where everyone seems to be afraid of me for some reason," Miss Pepondosovich grabbed the phone and started showing the empty


    street, "How about you guys?"


    "Nothing really exciting, thank god..." Katrina once again sighed, "...I actually have a lot of things to do. But I''ll call again some other time, okay? I''ll tell Hannah and the others that you


    guys said Hi.]


    "Sure."


    [Oh and, Riley... I miss you,] Katrina smiled, [And you too, Miss Pepondosovich. Enel''s been trying to find you. And... he''s mentioning something about a snowcone or somethingtely. Ah! Anyway, I''m saying too much. I need to go. Miss Pepondosovich... please take care of


    Riley, okay?]


    "You don''t have to ask me twice," Miss Pepondosovich scoffed as she nced at Riley, almost gesturing to him that she was the boss this time, "Take care, Kat!"


    [Okay, bye-bye!]


    "So... what are you thinking, Riri!?" Miss Pepondosovich returned the phone to her bag before


    stretching her arms to the side and hopping, "What do you think about our first stop in our


    otherwise, probably eternal adventure!?"


    "I suppose it is okay, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shrugged as he looked around.


    "Oh, don''t be like that. We can just stay here for a few weeks or so and-"


    "!!!!"


    And before Miss Pepondosovich could finish her words, arge explosion just suddenly


    erupted... everywhere.


    "What the-!?" Miss Pepondosovich quickly grabbed the bag and floated toward Riley,


    making sure the two of them were not separated during the explosion - because it was loud


    and strong, extremely so.


    But finally, after what seemed like several minutes, all the explosions died down and


    everything once again became calm.


    Unfortunately, too calm...


    ...as the entire was gone.


    "What... what just happened!?"


    And there, in the distance, Riley and Miss Pepondosovich could see arge ship - most


    probably the thing that destroyed the.


    [By the Order of Nothing, this is hereby terminated.]


    "No... No... Our normal fun adventure!"

 Chapter 1098: Chapter 1098: The Order of Nothing

    Chapter 1098: The Order of Nothing


    ?


    "No...!"


    Riley and Miss Pepondosovich have been traveling the empty expanse of space for months - and although that wasn''t a big deal at all for Miss Pepondosovich who has lived for hundreds and thousands of years, she had already gotten used to the fast-paced life back in the New World.


    Those months were already too long for her, and she wanted to have something to do or at least entertain herself with. He wasn''t like Riley at all who could just float in the expanse of space for years on end without doing anything - she needed to at least do something.


    And right now, as soon as they found a tond on, somerge spaceship just suddenly blew it away along with all of its inhabitants.


    "What have you done, Riri!?" Miss Pepondosovich then pointed at Riley as soon as she faced the right direction while just spinning in space.


    "I did not do anything, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley also just casually floated; his body just casually spinning and retaining the force of the explosion, "Perhaps it is you that did something you are the God of Luck, after all."


    "Do the inhabitants of this look lucky to you!?" Miss Pepondosovich started wriggling around.


    "I would not know, Miss Pepondosovich. All of them were obliterated," Riley shrugged as he looked around the bits and pieces of the they were just on. He then reached out his to grab what seemed to be a part of a face, or at least it looked like a face,


    "At the very least, they died almost instantly look at this, she did not even have time to react."


    [By the Order of Nothing, this has been terminated.]


    The loud noise once again echoed through the expanse of space; using the tiniest vibrations to cause sound to travel everywhere almost instantly.


    "Order of Nothing...?" Miss Pepondosovich then pointed at the colossal spaceship, "Riri... you might be right I think I did this."


    "We are supposed to be getting away from all of it, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley let out a small but deep sigh while shaking his head, "Perhaps I should just leave you here since you seem to be the key to progressing my story."


    "Don''t you dare!" Miss Pepondosovich pointed at Riley, "And even if you do leave me, I am pretty sure I''m just gonna find you without even trying."


    "Hm... you might be ri-"


    And before Riley could finish his words, he and Miss Pepondosovich suddenly found themselves being dragged and flown away at hyperspeed; their bodies and faces, nted on a window debris shield of a small spaceship.


    "Reeree," Miss Pepondosovich''s lips slid across the window as she spoke. She then turned to look at the other side of the window, only to see people screaming inside the cockpit of the ship, and oddly enough...


    ...they sort of resemble Miss Pepondosovich.


    "What the...?"


    ***


    "How... how are the two of you alive?"


    "We''re very lucky."


    "...That''s not luck."


    After the small people inside the ship were done panicking and screaming in fear as they saw Miss Pepondosovich and Riley sticking to their window like bugs, they all quickly stopped moving in hyperspeed and very carefully and safely brought Miss Peponsodovich in.


    They seemed somewhat reluctant at first, but when they saw Miss Pepondosovich, they all just nodded and agreed to let them in... there was a problem, however - Riley would not be able to fit in on their ship.


    "Uh... Maybe your friend could wait in the cargo bay and-"


    "No, it is fine," and before the group could finish their words and show their reluctance, Riley suddenly shrunk in size almost at the same height as them.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "...I always forget you can do that, Riri," Miss Pepondosovich pointed at Riley with her thumb, "So, that shouldn''t be a problem at all now, right?"


    "R...right... Who are you people?"


    "I should be the one asking you people that," Miss Pepondosovich looked around the ship before approaching the group of people who resembled her, "Who are you people and what did you do to that?"


    "It-that wasn''t us! We were there to rescue people but... we were toote."


    "Huh..." Miss Pepondosovich then squinted his eyes as she stood beside Riley, "...Is it just me, or do they kinda look like we belong to the same species?"


    "Hm..." Riley then looked back and forth between Miss Pepondosovich and the group of people with bunny ears, "...I do not see the resemnce at all, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "What race do you belong to?" Miss Pepondosovich crossed her arms as she looked at the group.


    "Uh... we''re Tondions?" The group looked at each other, their ears slightly lowering in confusion, "...Aren''t you the same as us?"


    "...I have no idea what Tondions are."


    "Perhaps they are your descendants, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley just once again shrugged.


    "... Maybe? Wouldn''t that mean we''re actually from the same universe, Riri?" Miss Pepondosovich ced her hand on her chin, "Are you from other multiverses?"


    "...Multiverses? What are you talking about?" The Tondions once again all looked at each other in confusion, "Tondions are from Tondia. Well... were."


    "Were...?" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes as shefortably sat on one of the stools on the tiny ship. At first nce, the ship did not look as advanced as Diana''s ship, but at second nce... it truly wasn''t, "Does it have something to do with thatrge spaceship?"


    "You... don''t know the Order of Nothing?" The Tondions once again looked at each other, "Where are you people even from...? Are you truly not a Tondion?"


    "No, I''m... something else," Miss Pepondosovich just shrugged, "You don''t need to worry about little old me."


    "And what about him...?" The Tondions turned to look at Riley, "He could turn small without using any device at all. And then the fact that you people could survive in the expanse of space


    and being hit by hyperspeed...


    ...can you be creatures from the Unknown?"


    "Huh...?" Miss Pepondosovich raised an eyebrow, "What are you saying? You''re the ones from


    the Unknown."


    "Huh...?" The Tondions all looked at each other again before finally huddling up and discussing by themselves, leaving Miss Pepondosovich and Riley just idling there.


    "I suppose they consider our part of the Universe as the Unknown, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley whispered as he stood beside Miss Pepondosovich.


    "...I guess that''s the case, huh?" Miss Pepondsovich squinted her eyes before looking at Riley from head to toe, "Howe you''ve never shrunk before when we were traveling together? It would have made my life so much easier instead of always looking up."


    "I never really had the purpose to do so, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shrugged, "It would also seem that there might be parts of the Unknown that arepletely unaware of what


    happened to the rest of the universe and multiverses."


    "Can''t be... what about the past 600 years when everyone stopped aging?" Miss Pepondosovich got off of the stool and approached the huddled Tondions. And as soon as she


    did so, they all hopped in surprise while swinging their arms, "Comedians, great. I have a


    question..."


    Miss Pepondosovich then asked about thest 600 years.


    "Yes... The Gift of Immortality granted by the Grand Messiah," the Tondions all let out a sigh


    at the same time.


    "... You think thest 600 years of your agelessness is because of this Grand Messiah?" Miss Pepondosovich raised an eyebrow as she nced at Riley.


    "We don''t think, we know - he came to us, granting us the power of immortality so that we would be able to travel across the stars," the Tondions ced their palms on their chests,


    "But sadly...


    ...for some, immortality is deemed a curse. This is also the time the Order of Nothing was given birth. You two... don''t really know anything? Are you really from the Unknown!?" "Just treat us like we''ve been asleep the past 600 years," Miss Pepondosovich breathed out, "What''s this... Order of Nothing business?"


    "The Order of Nothing..." The Tondions all closed their eyes as their breaths turned heavy, "...They are an organization that considered immortality as sphemous to their beliefs- and they just started killing everyone, turning them into ashes, turning them into nothing." "Sounds familiar, Riri?" Miss Pepondosovich forced out a tiny scoff as she nced at Riley again.


    "Hm..." As for Riley, he just squinted his eyes in response trying to think if one of his clones were responsible for this. If so then which one? No. There really was no use guessing, Riley probably has hundreds of thousands of clones scattered across the expanse of the universe - perhaps one was able to find themselves in the Unknown.


    "They are very dangerous. They destroys without any mercy, without any warning. But perhaps the most dangerous of them all is their leader - a being of incredible and abnormal strength, a mutant of some kind. The one the Grand Messiah calls the living apocalypse...


    ...Darkday."


    "Welp..." Miss Pepondosovich then turned to Riley,


    "...I think one of your untethered clones has been having a good time in this part of the


    universe, Riri."

 Chapter 1099: Chapter 1099: Everywhere

    Chapter 1099: Everywhere


    ?


    "What do you guys think about that two...?"


    "They sound crazy. You really think they''re from the Unknown?"


    "Did you see how that one made himself smaller to fit on the ship?"


    "...And what''s with the other one who looks like us? She said she''s not, but she obviously is- I don''t know any other race with our features."


    The people who ''rescued'' Miss Pepondosovich and Riley were discussing by themselves while ncing several times at them from time to time - they were whispering, but Riley and Miss Pepondosovich could still hear everything.


    Miss Pepondosovich did not seem to mind at all, however, as she had already made herself at home, even grabbing some drinks from the refrigerator and offering some to Riley as she owned it.


    "Wait... do you think she might be from Viaje?" The Tondions also did not seem to mind that she was doing that, however, as they were more than busy thinking of all sorts of theories. They only smiled at Miss Pepondosovich when she tried to offer their own drinks to them.


    "The Viaje...?" They all turned to Miss Pepondosovich again to look at her from head to toe, "Pft, the Viaje are 2 meters tall and-"


    "Right...? You thinking what I''m thinking?" The Tondions all widened their eyes as they continued to stare at Miss Pepondosovich, "Maybe she also shrunk herself...?"


    "...But why would the tall queens do that? They''re tall... and super sexy... ooh... I wonder what it would be like to-wait. They are supposed to be sexy...


    ...This Miss Pepondosovich is not. I mean, her thighs are really nice and thick, but aside from that-"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Okay, I think that''s enough talking about us," Miss Pepondosovich loudly mmed the bottle she was holding on the table, causing the ship to slightly move when she did so, "Where are we heading again?"


    "...We''re heading to meet the other members of the Order of Everything."


    "Okay, this is getting ridiculous even for me - Order of Everything?" Miss Pepondosovich raised an eyebrow as she looked at Rhys, "Are you hearing what I''m hearing, Riri? They created an organization to battle the Order of Nothing... and named it the Order of Everything."


    "Hm," Riley nodded, "I envy their naming sense, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "What do you-Ack! You should take this more seriously, Riri," Miss Pepondosovich pinched the bridge of her nose before quietly whispering, "There''s literally someone here parading with your viin name, and he leads the Order of Nothing...? Do you still not know which clone this could be?"


    "I have no idea, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head, "After all, my clones could create other clones - albeit each time weaker than thest."


    "That-"


    "What are the two of you whispering about...?" And before Miss Pepondosovich and Riley could continue their conversation, the Tondions approached them with their eyes squinted and their bunny ears pointing at them.


    "What? You guys are allowed to whisper amongst yourselves, but we can''t?" Miss Pepondosovich crossed her arms.


    "...This is our ship."


    "Who cares about that," Miss Pepondosovich harrumphed, "This Order of Everything of yours, how big is it?"


    "There... are only a few of us... about only 200 million."


    "...I suppose that is small if you consider these guys really were unaffected when the gods all escaped from the Domain of the Gods, Riri," Miss Pepondosovich looked at Riley, "Your sister and any of the others never bothered to go through the Unknown?"


    "They do not have the same luck as you do, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head, "They could probably spend thousands of years, and they would not even be able to find the that we only identally happened upon."


    "...I guess that makes sense too," Miss Pepondosovich let out a small but very deep sigh as she ced her hands on her waist, "Why am I so useful?"


    "Hm," Riley nodded.


    "...These people are crazy," the Tondions all looked at each other, "Maybe we should just leave them somewhere here?"


    "They might actually even be spies of the Order of Nothing - think about it. How are they still even alive when the entire was blown away?"


    "Well... considering they lookpletely unharmed when they were floating in the expanse of space and even when we hit them, they''re very durable."


    And once again, the tondions huddled up right in front of Miss Pepondosovich and Riley; their whispers, easily heard by the two.


    [Approaching ship, please state your intent.]


    Soon, however, they exited hyperspeed as a voice resounded across their ship. The tondion who seemed to be their captain quickly rushed toward the terminal to answer the voice.


    "This is Ship Atreus. Code B12 dash 66 dash AB dash 9771. Requesting to enter Everywhere."


    [Standby...


    ...permission to dock, granted. Wee back, Ship Atreus. We detect more people on your ship, are they survivors?]


    "Well..." The captain nced back at Miss Pepondosovich and Riley, who approached the windows of the ship to look at the view,


    "...It''s a little hard to exin."


    "Woah, look at this ce, Riri," Miss Pepondosovich''s ears perked up as the ce called Everywhere reflected in her eyes, "Isn''t that..."


    "An arm of a Messenger," Riley blinked a couple of times as he saw the gigantic arm in the distance; cities, each built on top of the fingers'' tips, "Interesting."


    "Maybe we should have brought someone with us," Miss Pepondosovich ced her palms on the window. There weren''t only cities on the arm, it was also filled with fauna andrge trees which made it look like a floating paradise out of nowhere, "It''s weird - no? We discovered the multiverse first rather than these things, entirely separate civilizations unaffected by


    what''s happening...


    ...I suppose it''s like when your had already reached the moon, and yet still hasn''t fully explored your world''s oceans."


    "...Messenger? Our universe disappearing?" The tondions all looked at Riley and Miss


    Pepondosovich, "What are you guys talking about?"


    "It''s better for you to live without knowing," Miss Pepondosovich waved her hands, "Are we supposed to meet anyone here, or what?"


    "You will be registered as refugees... since you are the only ones to survive the deletion of Sephol," the tondions'' ears lowered as they said that.


    "Technically, we''re not from the," Miss Pepondosovich let out a small but very deep sigh, "We were just stopping there before continuing on."


    "...Hm," the tondions'' ears lowered even further.


    "You made them sad, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head in disappointment.


    "Wh¡ªI''m only stating facts since I don''t want to lie to them," Miss Pepondosovich pointed


    at Riley, "We"


    And before Miss Pepondosovich finished her words, the ship sessfully docked; with the doors quickly opening and several people roughly the same size as the tondions entered the ship while pushing a couple of stretchers.


    "Where... are the refugees?" And almost immediately, they tried to look for anyone injured, only to see everyone inside the ship just standing there healthily.


    "It''s... them," the tondions all pointed at Miss Pepondosovich and Riley, who looked even cleaner than the owners of the ship.


    The medical team could really only look at each other for a few seconds, before still ultimately rushing toward Miss Pepondosovich and Riley; carrying them and then cing


    them on the stretcher.


    "Emergency! The patients might have suffered internal trauma!"


    "Wait, no!" And before the tondions could say anything else, Miss Pepondosovich and Riley just let themselves be dragged away into beds, "S... someone follow them for the procedure!"


    "Wow, look at this ce, Riri..." Miss Pepondosovich looked around, leaning her head up to look at the surroundings only for the medical team to push her head down, "...It''s sort of


    beautiful, no?"


    "Hm..." Riley also leaned his head to look at the ce - and it truly did look beautiful. It reminded him of the aesthetic of the Evaniel''s ship, but more organic. There wererge ss domes above their heads, long bridges and walkways surrounded by trees. Riley initially thought that his part of the universe was more advanced, but perhaps they were about equal? But then again, the themarians have already sessfully melded their technology with nature that it almost looked like magic.


    And very soon, he and Miss Pepondosovich were brought to a ce that seemed to be the trauma bay; considering how many people there were moaning in pain, and all the medical staff were just endlessly running around.


    "Check them for any internal traumas! Someone injected some fluids into these two!"


    "W...woah," Miss Pepondosovich could not help but almost chuckle as she was pulled to another bed. Someone then rushed toward her, slightly raising her arm before injecting a syringe into her... or not, as the needle justpletely bent.


    "W...what the? I can''t pierce this tondion''s skin!"


    "S...same here!" The medical staff surrounding Riley also started panicking as they couldn''t


    insert a syringe on him, "Their... their skins are so hard!"


    "...I''m kinda starting to feel bad, Riri," Miss Pepondosovich turned her head toward Riley,


    "...Maybe we should get up now?"


    "Hm..." Riley squinted his eyes as he remained on the bed,


    "...So, this is what it feels like to be normal."


    "Are you seriously thinking about that right now!?"


    ***AUTHOR NOTES***


    I am trying my luck at Royal Road with a new book, Legendary Shadow cksmith, it will


    really really help me if you check it out and make a 5 star rating T_T. Don''t mention you came from Viin Retirement or Webnovel doe, that might slightly get me in trouble. It''s also here in Webnovel, and I am still choosing where to actually put it. But it will really help me if I get both audience. Thank you!

 Chapter 1100: Chapter 1100: The Middle Finger

    Chapter 1100: The Middle Finger


    ?


    "...So, this is what it feels like to be normal."


    "Are you seriously thinking about that right now!?"


    "This is only the second time I am ever in a hospital, Miss Pepondosovich."


    Riley truly just let the nurses and doctors do whatever they wanted with his body - well, there wasn''t much to do in the first ce as none of their procedures actually worked for him. They couldn''t pierce his skin at all.


    "We''re... we''re not getting any readings!" And any of their scanners did not work at all on him as he had a telekic suit protecting his entire body, "This man... this man should be dead!"


    "I agree," Riley nodded as he looked at the doctor assigned to him, "I should have been dead years ago."


    "This is not good, the patient''s going into delirium!"


    "Riri..."


    "The other patient''s trying to stand!"


    The chaos within the clinicpletely turned for the worse as Miss Pepondosovich sat up and removed all the things they attached to her before just leaping straight onto Riley''s bed, causing all the medical staff to take several steps back.


    "That patient is trying to eat the male patient!"


    "I am not!" Miss Pepondosovich could not help but just scream at the medical staff as soon as she heard that, "We are not hurt, okay? We''repletely, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with us. Well... there''s absolutely nothing wrong with me, but this guy right here has a lot of problems."


    "It is true, everyone," Riley nodded while still remaining on the bed.


    "Riri, get up!" Miss Pepondosovich just let out a loud sigh as she pulled Riley up; having no problem doing so since they were still almost the same size, "Stop causing a scene."


    "You are the only one here causing a scene, Miss Pepondosovich." And fortunately for her, Riley finally sat up - before his shrunken body finally grew and returned to normal, shocking all the medical staff, "I believe you scared all of these people."


    "Don''t you dare gaslight me, Riri."


    "I do not know what that means," Riley shook his head and stood up.


    "...Maybe I should have just stayed with the others and tried the ck Tower," Miss Pepondosovich pinched the bridge of her nose, "Why didn''t you even try to clear it before leaving, Riri!? This is why people areining that you''re skipping your story arcs!"


    "Where did you hear that, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "From Enel, where else!?" Miss Pepondosovich pointed at Riley - and very soon, they found themselves surrounded by what seemed to be Everywhere''s police force; all of them, pointing theirrge rifles at them that emitted some sort of humming noise,


    "And look what you did, we were supposed to be here peacefully. Bathing in the sun in a nice vacation."


    "You sound like Hera, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Sh-"


    [Do not move! This is your final warning!]


    "Wait, wait! Please... stop, everyone, stop!"


    And before anything even more drastic could happen, the Tondions who salvaged Riley and Miss Pepondosovich scooted their way into the clinic; all of them raising their hands in the air to try and stop the officers from shooting,


    "There''s... there''s been some misunderstanding here! They are refugees, refugees! We rescued them from the rubbles of the destruction caused by the Order of Nothing!"


    "They also haven''t hurt any of us!" One of the doctors also joined in on the tondions, "Please, lower your weapons, this is a house of healing!"


    [But the clinic is the one who called for us,] the officers seemed visibly confused as they very slowly lowered their weapons.


    "Yes, to assist us and not point guns at our patients!"


    Themotion did not reallyst long after that, with the officers just letting out their sighs and shaking their heads as they left. As for the medical staff, well, all of them were still staring at Miss Pepondosovich and Riley.


    "What... are you?" One of the nurses approached Riley, seemingly wanting to touch his face. And if it wasn''t for the fact that her colleagues pped her hand away, she probably truly would have.


    "...Have you guys never seen at least a single super-powered individual before...?" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes as she looked at each of the people''s faces, and judging by the confusion escaping their breaths - they truly had not. In fact, even the tondions were quite confused as to how the two were even able to survive,


    "...Seriously?"


    "We... I think we need to report this to someone," one of the medical staff breathed out, "Can... can the two of you remain here while we sort this out?"


    "Nope," Miss Pepondosovich quickly formed her arms into an X, "Riri and I will be exploring this colossal severed arm. I particrly want to visit that other city there."


    Right now, Miss Pepondosovich and Riley were at the base of the thumb, and she was pointing at the city sitting on the end of the middle finger, which had arge ss tower visible even from where they were.


    "It looks very interesting."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "That''s... the Nothing Nothing association," one of the tondions said.


    "The what now?"


    "It''s where people register to fight against the Order of Nothing - hence the name, Nothing Nothing, turning Nothing into Nothing."


    "Very astute naming sense," Riley nodded several times.


    "Yes, it is very prestigious," the tondions, as well as the medical staff and even one of the other patients dying on one of the beds nodded in agreement, "We wanted to register as fighters, but we weren''t cut out to be - and so we just do our part and try and rescue anyone that might have survived the cruel attacks of the Order of Nothing. If...


    ...if only we were as strong as you, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "That''s right! Why don''t you register as a fighter!?"


    "Yeah, no. That''s not gonna happen," Miss Pepondosovich once again formed her arms into an X, "The sole reason why Riri and I are here was to get away from all of the shubka


    nonsense."


    "But... it''s everyone''s dream to fight against the Order of Nothing."


    "Apparently not everyone since there''s literally an Order of Nothing," Miss Pepondosovich


    pointed.


    "She got you there."


    "But-"


    "Ah, Riri! Wait for me!" And before any of the tondions could follow up what they wanted to say, Riley already started leaving the clinic, "We might be in this ce for a few weeks or so, Doctors so if you need something from us...


    ...just find us."


    ***


    "How can we even be lost!?"


    A few hours after just walking through the world of Everywhere, Riley and Miss Pepondosovich found themselves lost in some sort of lush forest; which if their memory serves them correctly, was somewhere on the forearm of Everywhere their destination was


    the middle finger.


    "We can literally see where the middle finger was, how are we even here!?" Miss


    Pepondosovich sped her head.


    "I was only following you, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shrugged.


    "I know! And... and you, why didn''t you say anything!?" Miss Pepondosovich then pointed at


    the person they were with - the tondion captain.


    "I''m¡ªI''m only tasked to follow you around?" The tondion captain squinted his eyes, "I''m


    required to do so since my crew is the one who found you, at least until they secure you your


    identifications."


    "So, why didn''t you say anything!?"


    "... You never asked me?"


    "That is true, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley nodded, "You said you knew the way."


    "Agh!" Miss Pepondosovich sped her chest for a few seconds before just sighing and


    shaking her head, "Fine, fine. You lead the way, boy."


    "...Boy?" The tondion captain could really only force out a smile before ultimately leading the


    way. And after an hour, they were back where the clinic was.


    "Why are we back here!?"


    "...We need to ride on the train here."


    "There was a train!?" Miss Pepondosovich covered her face.


    "You truly should have asked, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley once again shook his head in


    disappointment.


    "Ack, it doesn''t matter. Let''s just go."


    And so, finally, they were on the right track toward the middle finger city. Unfortunately, before they could actually board the train, the officers who surrounded them earlier now


    blocked their path.


    "What now...?"


    "We need the two of you toe with us," one of the officers stepped forward. This time,


    however, none of them were pointing their weapons at them - and were even slightly courteous, if not a little strict.


    "Can... I ask what this is about?" The tondion captain stood between the officers and Miss Pepondosovich, "We... we haven''t broken any vitions. I made sure of that!"


    "You haven''t," the officer shook his head before looking at Riley and Miss Pepondosovich,


    "The Overseer wants to see them."


    "That''s-"


    "You areing along too as their ward."


    "M...Me?" The tondion captain gulped before a small smile crawled on his face, "...I get to


    meet the Overseer?"


    "Great..." Miss Pepondosovich sighed as she looked at Riley,


    "...It would seem you really are fated to be in the center of things, Riley. Can''t you be like... in


    the shadows for once?"


    "I have tried...


    ...but the darkness inside me was so much that even the shadows surrendered."


    "Agh, stop being so edgy."

 Chapter 1101: Chapter 1101: Dalmatians

    Chapter 1101: Dalmatians


    ?


    "Psst, Riri. Look at this. You ever seen anything like it?"


    "Yes - back when Hera and I were traveling in space together. But it is not exactly the same, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Weird..."


    Riley and Miss Pepondosovich were now in arge white hallway; the ceiling just filled with a soft light which extended across the entire hallway. It was immacte, at the very least- but it did also have several nts adorning the walls, one which Miss Pepondosovich was holding.


    "P...please, don''t touch anything!" The tondion captain could not help but just follow behind Miss Pepondosovich; his hands waving around in panic as she was grabbing some sort of crystal nt.


    "Rx, Captain Kuhoo. You should drink something to calm you down," Miss Pepondosovich just sadly waved him off, however, as she proceeded to touch the nt without a care, "I am just-"


    And before she could finish her words, the crystal leaf she was holding snapped in half.


    "Wh¡ª" And before the tondion captain, Kuhoo, could say anything, Miss Pepondosovich just quickly handed him the shattered crystal leaf and then just casually returning to Riley''s side, who was just sitting on a bench nted on the wall.


    "Tch," Miss Pepondosovich just shook her head in disappointment as she looked at Kuhoo, "Look at what you did."


    "W... what!?" Kuhoo quickly but subtly threw the crystal nt onto the pot, "You...you did that! Please, Miss Pepondosovich, stop touching everything!"


    "Maybe if they just let us meet this Overseer already, I wouldn''t be touching anything," Miss Pepondosovich crossed her arms, "They asked us to meet her, and then let us wait outside her office? I swear, if I was a little younger andcked the patience of a saint, I would have already kicked down that door."


    Miss Pepondosovich then looked at the door on the other side of the wall, which had two people guarding it.


    "Please don''t do-"


    "Oh, Riri! The phone''s ringing." Miss Pepondosovich then quickly removed her backpack and started rummaging through it until she reached the phone, "Ah, it''s Enel!"


    Miss Pepondosovich then held the phone with two hands and then jumped onto Riley''sp so that the two of them could fit on the screen.


    "What the¨D are you eating sweets again!?" Miss Pepondosovich then quickly squinted her eyes as she saw Enel eating a snow cone, "I told Esme not to give you any anymore, you''re going to be one of those fat children I keep seeing on the inte! Riri, tell him!"


    "It is okay to eat whatever you want, Enel," Riley just shook his head, "But you must also be prepared to eat the consequences and¡ª"


    "Riri!" Miss Pepondosovich gasped as she quickly moved away the phone, "Why are you telling that to a child who still wets his bed!?"


    [No, I don''t!] Enel quickly screamed as he heard Miss Pepondosovich''s words, [I haven''t peed the bed for... for 6 years now!]


    "You''re barely even 5 years old," Miss Pepondosovich could really only sigh as she looked at Enel smiling on the other side of the screen, "I swear, how did someone as cute and innocent like youe out from Riri and Esme? Who''s your favorite aunt again?"


    [Aunt Miss Pepondosovich!]


    "That''s right, that''s right," Miss Pepondosovich nodded in satisfaction before ring at Riley, "Anyway, where''s your Mom? Are there any others there? Why don''t you give them the phone?"


    [N...no, I called by myself!] Enel just started running around, and all Riley and Miss Pepondosovich could see was the bottom of his chin that was dripping with mango juice, [I wanted to show something, look at this! Look at this!]


    "That''s... your room," Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes as she saw the clouds and stars on the wall and ceiling. And soon, Enel moved to the closet and opened it, "And... what is that?"


    [Look, look!]


    Miss Pepondosovich stared at the screen for a few seconds before ncing at Riley, "That''s... a portal. Don''t... don''t go near it, okay?"


    [I already went inside!] Enel let out a small giggle.


    "What!? Where''s your mom?!"


    [There''s nothing inside, dark. Very dark! The giant eyes are not there.]


    "Go to your Mom or grandma and tell them, okay? Right now!"


    [Okay, heehee!]


    Miss Pepondosovich and Riley once again watched as Enel started running until he reached Hannah and the others, seemingly leaping onto her, hard.


    [E...Enel...? What''s wrong? Wait, why are you holding the-Eh!? Riley!? Did you guys call?] Hannah raised an eyebrow as soon as she was on the screen.


    "Enel was the one to call us, Sister," Riley shook his head, "There is a portal in his room." [What!?] The screen then quickly became chaotic, [Riley! I''ll call you back, okay!?]


    "...Just what is going on there?" Miss Pepondosovich could really only nce at Riley while she returned the phone to her backpack, "You said things will stop happening there once you were out of the picture, Riri."


    "It is probably nothing, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "There''s literally a portal inside your son''s-"


    "The Overseer would see you now."


    And before Miss Pepondosovich and Riley could continue their conversation, one of the Overseer''s men approached them and gestured to them to follow him. The two just looked at each other for a second before shrugging and heading to the Overseer''s office.


    And as soon as they entered, they were greeted with the view of the expanse of space - the windows, filling most of the office-no. It did not really look like an office at all, but rather a lounge with a beautiful view of space.


    And there, standing close to the window... was a woman sporting a buzz cut with a peculiar


    color.


    "... You know her, Riri?"


    "No."


    "Ack, and here I thought they let us wait for the suspense of it all."


    Both Miss Pepondosovich and Riley just walked inside the office as they looked at the


    Overseer.


    Her hair had patches of white and ck, and she stood probably 3 meters tall - other than that and her white suit that made her look like the captain of a naval ship, there was nothing


    else of note to her.


    "The two of you are the refugees they mentioned to me?" Well, perhaps if there was something else of note, it was her gentle voice and thenguage she spoke - it was an Earthnguage, even though she was clearly not from Earth at all,


    "The two of you gave our doctors quite the scare. And I am hearing that...


    ...you might be from the Unknown?"


    "Maybe," Miss Pepondosovich was the one to answer; shrugging her shoulders as she made herselffortable on the sofa in the center of the office, "All I can say is we''re not from


    around here. Right, Riri?"


    "We are from the Unknown."


    "Riri!" Miss Pepondosovich could really only cover her face.


    "Well, wherever the two of you may havee from - I suppose the important part is that I know that the two of you are not spies from the Order of Nothing," the Overseer just let out a small hum as she started approaching the two, "We have ways of finding out, and the two of you have been cleared of any suspicion. That is why we asked you to wait outside while we


    check, and I apologize for that."


    "Hm," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged.


    "The doctors say that you are also very special," the Overseer sat down in front of Miss Pepondosovich, "They were unable to prate your skins, and they told me that it felt like they were trying to pierce steel."


    "We take very good care of our skins, Overseer," Riley casually said as he sat down beside Miss Pepondosovich, "Is there anything you needed from us?"


    "Hm..." The Overseer nodded as she let out another hum, "...Then I will get straight to the


    point I want the two of you to join our cause. We could use people like you in our battle


    against the Order of Nothing."


    "No," Riley quickly shook his head, "I am afraid that is not possible - we are only stopping here to rest and sightsee. We will be leaving in a week, Overseer."


    "...That is unfortunate," the Overseer let out a short but very deep sigh as she stood up, "But I


    can not force an unwilling participant. But I suppose since you will be staying here for a week, I still have time to convince you."


    "I... I will convince them, Overseer!" The tondion captain, Kuhoo stepped forward and bowed at the Overseer, causing her to blink a couple of times in surprise.


    "You... don''t need to bow," the Overseer shook her head, "But I shall thank you in advance for


    your-"


    "Overseer!"


    And before the Overseer could finish her words, one of the guards stationed outside her office


    barged inside,


    "The Order of Nothing is attacking us!"


    "Again!?" The Overseer quickly rushed and just left Riley and the others.


    "Welp, I guess that''s our cue to leave," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged before hopping out of


    her seat, "Where are we going next, Chaperone?"


    "Back... back to the ship!" Kuhoo also rushed out of the office, "I also need to defend


    Everywhere!"N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "..." Miss Pepondosovich and Riley just looked at each other,


    "...Great."


    ***AUTHOR NOTES***


    I am trying my luck at Royal Road with a new book, Legendary Shadow cksmith, it will


    really really help me if you check it out and make a 5 star rating T_T. Don''t mention you came from Viin Retirement or Webnovel doe, that might slightly get me in trouble. It''s also here in Webnovel, and I am still choosing where to actually put it. But it will really help me if I get both audience. Thank you!

 Chapter 1102: Chapter 1102: The Rise of the Pink Bunny

    Chapter 1102: The Rise of the Pink Bunny


    ?


    "Look at this, Miss Pepondosovich - it looks like you."


    "Don''t you know how racist that sounds?"


    There were thunderous quakes reverberating everywhere - the ground itself, shaking endlessly. But perhaps more than the noise, the people who were running around in haste everywhere were more prevalent. And yet, even with all of this chaos happening around him, Riley''s attention was on the creature that was inside arge aquarium.


    It looked like a rabbit, except perhaps a meter long and had flippers instead of feet.


    "And no, it doesn''t look like me!" Miss Pepondosovich rolled her eyes, "Monkeys look more like you than that thing looks like me. And why are you even looking at that!?"


    "Because they left it here, Miss Pepondosovich."


    The aquarium, and many other things were brought out of their ships and just ced on the cargo bay as most wanted to help in fending off the Order of Nothing, which was currentlyunching an attack on Everywhere.


    "Ack, anyway - did you see the ships attacking this ce? They looked much smaller than the one that destroyed that poor," Miss Pepondosovich ced her hands on her waist as she waited for Captain Kuhoo and his crew to also finish unloading their cargo. "Yes," Rhys turned to look at the walls of the cargo bay, "There are 21 small ships surrounding this ce - and I do not think it is necessary for anyone to fight back since I believe these 21 ships will not be able to pass through Everywhere''s defenses, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "...Then why are these people rushing to-Oh, I get it," Miss Pepondosovich let out a small but very deep sigh as she continued to watch Kuhoo and the crew; finally noticing the hint of excitement on their faces, "They just want to scrap."


    "Miss Pepondosovich, Riley Ross!"


    And soon, Kuhoo waved his hands, slightly hopping as he gestured to Riley and Miss Pepondosovich to get inside the ship,


    "Get in! Get in!"


    "Fine, fine..." Miss Pepondosovich just waved her hands as she got inside the ship. As for Riley, he stopped right beside Kuhoo, shaking his head while his body started to shrink.


    "We are supposed to be refugees, Captain Kuhoo - you do not bring refugees you just supposedly rescued into battle."


    "That... it''s... it''s protocol for the two of you to stick with me," Kuhoo could really only scratch his chin, "It... it just so happens that we were suddenly attacked. It''s just the timing, is all."


    "Hm," Riley just shrugged before stepping inside the ship, with Kuhoo quickly moving along with him as the door behind them closed up.


    "Hurry! Hurry!" Kuhoo pped his hands several times as he rushed to the cockpit; his crew, alreadypletely ready as they just quickly started the ship and flew away without following any more undocking procedures.


    It wasn''t only them, most of the ships in the cargo bay just shot out of the hangar one by one; some even almost hitting each other as they wanted to be the first to kill as many enemies as possible.


    "Wow, they''re lively."


    "The two of you, please strap in!" Kuhoo quickly pointed at Riley and Miss Pepondosovich, who went to the small kitchen of the ship instead of sitting down and buckling themselves on the chairs.


    "We will be fine, Captain," Riley just shook his head - he and Miss Pepondosovich not budging or moving at all even as the ship shot out of the hangar at breakneck speed,


    "Please, just focus on your battle."


    Riley did not seem to care at all as he just grabbed something from his pocket - it was some sort of snack that he bought on the way back to the hangar. Miss Pepondosovich also grabbed several drinks from her backpack as the two of them just casually started to eat there and then. "Wh..." Kuhoo stared at the for a few seconds before just letting out a sigh and focusing on what was in front of him, "Let''s get these motherfuckers! For the Order of Everything!"


    And with those words, his crew also let out a war cry that only Miss Pepondosovich and Riley could hear.


    And thus, started their epic battle in space.


    "Have you noticed, Riri?" Miss Pepondosovich leaned closer to Riley as she grabbed the snack he was handing to her.


    "No, Miss Pepondosovich, I have not."


    "I didn''t even say what yet," Miss Pepondosovich continued to whisper, "I don''t see anyone


    flying around or shootingser beams from their eyes."


    "Hm," Riley nodded, "I suppose so, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Has your sister and the others really not explored this part of the universe?" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes, "This... honestly feels like we''re in apletely different dimension entirely, no?"


    "I do not really feel that way, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "I mean, disregard the Order of Nothing and their leader who happens to be called Darkday - this feels like a different dimension, no?" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes further, "No themarians,pletely unaffected by the gods'' descent - it just feels like... it''s different."


    "I have seen much weirder universes, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head, "The Domain of the Gods, for instance."


    "The Domain of the Gods is boring and feelspletely old," Miss Pepondosovich groaned and waved her hand, "Ack, you''ll get what I mean sooner orter. It-"


    "Ah! It''s the Nothing Nothing squad!"


    And before Miss Pepondosovich could finish her words, Kuhoo''s crew suddenly gasped and started howling and cheering like monkeys. Miss Pepondosovich nced at Riley for a bit before approaching the cockpit to check on what themotion was all about.


    And there, she could see a red ship flying faster than every other ship; shooting down one of the enemy without even letting it evade or move at all.


    "The Nothing Nothing... that''s the club you wanted to join in, right?"


    "It''s not a club - they are official hunters sanctioned by the Overseer," Captain Kuhoo seemed offended by Miss Pepondosovich''s words, "They... are the best of the best of what they do, and what they do best isn''t very-!!!"


    And before Kuhoo could finish his words, a hole suddenly opened up in their ship and started sucking out everything that wasn''ttched onto the walls and floors.


    "We... we''re hit!"


    "Yes, can''t you be any more obvious!?" Kuhoo bellowed, "But how were we hit!? There''s no


    enemy-"


    "It''s... the Nothing Nothing squad identally hit us!"


    "What do you-Wait, we''re receivingms from them!"


    "Uhh..." Miss Pepondosovich turned to look at the hole in their ship, "...Shouldn''t you do something about that first?"


    "Ssh!"


    [You are in the way. Move and return to the station or we will report you for obstruction.]


    "O... oh..." Kuhoo and the rest of his crew could not help but just look at each other as they heard thems, "Then we should-¡ª"


    And before Kuhoo could finish his words again, he could not help but just stop talking as he felt the noise in the ship die down. All of them quickly looked at the hole their ship suffered, only to see it now sealed shut with Riley standing in front of it.


    And before they could even say anything or wonder what just happened, Riley ced his hand on the wall and caused it to open again.


    "Riri...?" Miss Pepondosovich raised an eyebrow, "Wait... don''t tell me you''re nning on joining in-What are you doing!?"


    "Pav-"


    "Shtap! Stop!" Miss Pepondosovich quickly leaped toward Riley; causing the entire ship to


    bounced as she moved in front of Riley and kicked her hands down, "Are you trying to just kill everyone here!? We''re supposed to just rx here, rx!"


    "Hm..." Riley just blinked a couple of times before just shrugging his shoulders and looking outside, "...Then I suppose I will do this by hand, then."


    "Wait!" Miss Pepondosovich once again blocked Riley''s path, "Someone from the Order of Nothing might recognize you... if they really are your clones or something. So... wait..." Miss Pepondosovich then started rummaging through her backpack again before pulling out a helmet a pink motorcycle helmet with two horns to fit her rabbit ears in,


    "So..." A very small smirk started to crawl on Miss Pepondosovich''s face as she handed the helmet to Riley, "...Wear this."


    "Okay." And Riley wore it without any hesitation at all, even materializing a ck suit that wasced with pink lines thatpletelyplemented the helmet. "What... are the two of you doing...!?" Kuhoo finally snapped out of his stupor as he watched


    as Riley just casually pushed himself out of the ship. And before Kuhoo could say anything


    else, the hole once again just shut closed,


    "Don''t tell me-"


    "Can''t stop him," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged as she approached the cockpit and just stood beside the captain''s seat, "He acts like that, but he is probably bored out of his mind. Watch...


    ...you''re about to see something very cool."


    "What do you..."


    "Well, actually..." Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes,


    "...there''s also a chance that you''re about to see a massacre, which isn''t as cool."

 Chapter 1103: Chapter 1103: Mister Ririrossonovich

    Chapter 1103: Mister Ririrossonovich


    ?


    "He... he really is just flying in space! Is he wearing some sort of jetpack!?"


    And as the shocked tondions have said, Riley was now flying across the expanse of space ¡ª and if it wasn''t for the bright pink helmet he was wearing, then they probably wouldn''t even know where to follow him. He wasn''t really moving that fast, but he was moving randomly like a mosquito. If they didn''t know where to look, they would have already lost sight of him.


    The other spaceships, however, werepletely unaware that a single individual was just flying across the expanse of space while they were busy trying to take down and kill each other.


    "Well, that''s surprising." And while the tondions were unbelievably shocked with what they were seeing, Miss Pepondosovich just had her eyebrows raised, "He still hasn''t killed anyone... I would say that''s an improvement, wow."


    "Just..." Captain Kuhoo could really only nce at Miss Pepondosovich,


    "...Just who are you people?"


    As for Riley Ross, there wasn''t truly any particr reason why he was just flying around like that-no. If there was a reason, it would be that he just wanted to fly around while being surrounded by a chaos that he did not really start.


    Well, of course, since the people attacking this ce are literally called the Order of Nothing and their leader was an individual called Darkday, he might actually have something to do with it and that is what he was here to find out.


    Riley finally stopped moving around the expanse of space and just started scanning the surrounding area.


    "Hm," and with a small hum, he looked at the nearest ship belonging to the Order of Nothing and quickly flew toward it. This particr ship, however, already had someone else tailing and following it - a red ship, belonging to the so-called Nothing Nothing squad.


    "We''re locked on the target!" The people in it were all wearing half-face helmets thatpletely covered their eyes, each of different color-no. In fact, they were also all wearing different-colored suits.


    "Yellow, wait for my signal!" The one who was wearing a red helmet raised her arm - she was the only one standing, on top of a deck of some kind as she overlooked everyone as well as therge window shield in front of them, which also projected several images of what was happening around them - and this time, she was focused on the ship they were tailing,


    "Wait...


    ...Fire!"


    And as she waved her hand, the one wearing a yellow helmet pressed something on her terminal ¡ª and not even a millisecond after doing so, a beam shot out and went straight toward the ship they were targeting.


    "Yes! Direct... hit?" The one wearing a yellow helmet was about to cheer when he noticed that the ship did not explode at all or was even damaged by their attack.


    "Wait, what''s that!?" The one wearing a blue helmet flicked the screen in front of him and threw the image toward therge window - and there, a zoomed-in footage of the ship was shown, or more specifically...


    "Is that... a person?" Red Helmet could not help but just lean forward as she saw what seemed to be the silhouette of a person, "Blue, zoom in further!"


    "It... it really is a person!" Everyone stopped what they were doing, even the main pilot as he looked at the person floating in the expanse of space, wearing a pink helmet with bunny ears on it.


    "Did-is it the one responsible for stopping the st!?" Red Helmet asked.


    "I... I believe so!" Yellow Helmet nodded several times.


    "Fire... Fire again!"


    "Are we-"


    "Fire!"


    Yellow Helmet once again fired at the ship, only for the st to bepletely deflected-no. Only to bepletely blocked by the person wearing a pink bunny helmet. The person did not even move at all, he just let the st hit his back.


    "It... It''s protecting the ship...?" Red Helmet took a step back, "...Did the Order of Nothing finally develop some sort of secret weapon!? Quick, connect me to the Overseer and-"


    And before Red Helmet could finish her words, she and the rest of the Nothing Nothing squad watched as the individualtched onto the ship... and proceeded to just pry its walls open with his bare handspletely ignoring the ship''s energy shield.


    "What the...? What... what the fuck is that? What is it... doing?"


    What is he doing indeed?


    Riley did not seem to care at all - as a matter of fact, he did not even feel the st as he just casually let himself inside the ship, causing everyone inside to just look at him with either nk or utterly shocked expressions on their faces, nothing in between.


    "Hello there," Riley then waved his hand as he looked at each of the people one by one. In truth, he was expecting to see people like him - albino.


    He initially thought the Order of Nothing would be Olseyir''s people, but it would seem that might not be the case at all.


    "It is very nice meeting all of you, and perhaps I can abduct one of you for questioning?" Riley then asked as he just casually stepped forward while the vacuum of space was tearing everything apart inside the ship, "Of course, this ispletely voluntary."


    "Who... are you!? And... and how did you do that!?"


    "I am... Mister Ri...rirossonovich."


    "Ririrossonovich!?"


    "Please do not forget the Mister, it is my first name," Riley nodded before once again looking


    at each of the faces of the members of the Order of Nothing.


    All of them were wearing the same thing, a white suit with a red insignia on the chest which oddly looked like the silhouette of a face but not quite.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "You - are you part of Everywhere!? Are you some sort of secret weapon!?"


    "No."


    "You expect us to believe that!?" One of the people then pulled out some sort of gun and pointed it at Riley, and without even any hesitation, his entire arm and torso just shattered into pieces as the gun just exploded right in his hand,


    "Ah...? Agh!?"


    "S-"


    The person nearest to the one who pulled out a gun ran toward hisrade - but before he could even take 3 steps, his bodypletely split in half as Riley appeared right beside him and pulled out his gun... along with the entire belt around his waist.


    And without even any hesitation or waiting for anyone to react, Riley started shooting everyone inside the ship ¡ª and he did not even move his feet at all; just standing there like a turret and swinging his upper body to kill everyone.


    Since none of them seemed to want toply with him and go with him for questions, Riley really had no use in keeping them alive since he was not in the mood of abducting people against their will and then keeping them in ss cages - he was living the nomadic lifestyle now, he has no time to care for pets.


    "Hm..." Riley then headed straight to the cockpit, casually pushing the main pilot to the side as he took her seat. He then started looking around at all the buttons and stats on the screen before just letting out a small but very deep breath.


    He did not even know how to drive a car, and he would not start now without someone teaching him. And so, Riley just did what he always does he drove the ship with his telekinesis and just pretended to smash the buttons on the terminal.


    "Now..." Riley then scanned for enemies, "...I suppose I should just shoot the first ship I see


    and-"


    And before Riley could finish his words, one of the screens in the terminal started blinking.


    Riley did not really know what to do with it and just tried tapping it hoping that it would do something, and fortunately for him, it did - it projected another screen right in front of him which covered his view of the expanse of space.


    And there, in front of him, was Red Helmet.


    [Order of Nothing! We do not know what sort of tricks you are trying to pull, but we have your ship locked on and we will shoot you if you do not surr-Wait, you...?] Red Helmet then started shaking her as she looked around, [... Are those dead Nothings behind you? Wait, are you on our side? Did you actually take control of their ship?]


    "I am not on anyone''s side," Riley just tilted his head and answered, "And yes, I am controlling this ship perfectly with the buttons."


    [...Buttons?] Red Helmet also tilted her head to the side. But after a few seconds, she shook


    her head and pointed at Riley through the screen, [That doesn''t matter - Stranger, you are


    now in possession of a ship owned by the Order of Nothing. Shut it off, or you will be caught in


    the crossfire!]


    [Uh... Didn''t you just see what he did, Red? He practically pried the_"


    [S...shut up, this is protocol!]


    "I apologize, then..." Riley shook his head, "...I still n to shoot several ships down as this is


    the first time I am experiencing this."


    [T-]


    "Goodbye."

 Chapter 1104: Chapter 1104: Nothing Nothing Squad

    Chapter 1104: Nothing Nothing Squad


    ?


    [T-]


    "Goodbye."


    Riley waved his hand in front of the screen, and then just shrugged as he did not really know that it would actually work and close thems. The Nothing Nothing squad tried to call again, but Riley just swiped down on the screen andpletely ignored them.


    "Now, who to shoot down?" Rhys then left the pilot''s seat while still controlling it using his telekinesis instead. His eyes scanned the cockpit, trying to find where the buttons to fire the ship''s weapon were ¡ª but s, the ship of the people from Order of Nothing lookedpletely different from the ones Captain Kuhoo had.


    Still, he floated around the cockpit - floating, since he was only about and a half feet tall right now and wouldn''t be able to see all the terminals if he walked.


    "Where is the button to fire?" Riley ced his hand on his chin as he continued to scan the terminal ¡ª and as he saw arge green button, he just squinted his eyes... before pressing it. He then quickly looked out the window shield, but the ship did not fire anything at all.


    Riley did, however, feel movement somewhere.


    "Where is" And before he could finish his words, the Nothing Nothing squad once again started trying to connect with his ship. And this time, Riley just answered it.


    "What is it, Red Helmet?"


    [What do you mean ''What is it''!?] Red Helmet furiously pointed at Riley to the point that Riley could feel her fingers almosting out of the screen, [You just dropped the ship''s cargo and we almost crashed into it!]


    "Oh, so that is what that was," Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at the green button, "They should not have ced it there. I apologize, Red Helmet - I was trying to find the button that would allow me to fire the sts."


    [That''s a Nothing Ship V30. The Weapons Terminal should be on the left of the main pilot''s seat.]


    [What the-why are you telling him!?] Red Helmet moved away from the camera as she reprimanded one of her squadmates, [We don''t even know who he is! He might be an enemy!]


    [Obviously not from how he just killed everyone on that ship.]


    [You don''t know that!]


    And while the Nothing Nothing squad was arguing, Riley floated toward the Weapons Terminal ¡ª and he could not really figure out what to do; that is, until he sat down on the chair. Because as soon as he did so, a joystick emerged from the arms of the chair and a hologram projected around him which had a 360-degree view of the space around the ship. "Interesting," Riley moved the joystick to the left, only for the hologram to pan to the side - and as he did so, he saw the ship of the Nothing Nothing squad following him.


    [W-what the!? Why are you pointing it at us!?] Red Helmet quickly returned to the screen. "Oh? Your ship warns you of that, Red Helmet?" Riley tilted his head to the side as a crosshair appeared on the screen and then automatically moved on the Nothing Nothing''s ship, "Will it also warn you if I fire?"


    [Why would you fire!? I thought you''re the Order of Nothing''s enemy!?]


    "I am," Riley shrugged, "I am also the enemy of all living things, Red Helmet."


    [Are you crazy!? Please just put the ship into hibernation mode and just stop, please just stop or we will shoot you down!]


    "You do not need to mind me and just focus on destroying the other ships, Red Helmet."


    [How can we focus when you''re flying around!? If we''re not going to be the one to shoot you, somebody else will! You-]


    "Goodbye."


    "Agh!" Red Helmet almost pulled her helmet up in frustration as Riley once again cut the call.


    "What... do we do, Red?" Yellow Helmet asked, "I have had the ship locked on for several beats now, should we fire?"


    "Are you crazy...?" Blue Helmet, their navigator, quickly shook his head, "Didn''t you just see him tank the sts? The dude''s clearly not normal."


    "What do you propose we do, then!?" Red Helmet screamed.


    "How about..." And finally, Green Helmet, who had been quiet the entire time and just focused on making sure that no one was tailing them from behind, spoke up, "...not screaming, for one?"


    "What did you say!?" Red Helmet pointed at Green Helmet. But when she saw her not even looking at her, the only thing Red Helmet could really do was sigh, "Bring him up again."


    "But he just hung up."


    "I feel like he''ll answer again."


    "Why...?"


    "Because he is fucking with us, that''s why. Call him," Red Helmet then once again looked in front of her as she waited for Riley to answer the call and he did, "Wh¡ª"


    And then just cut the call before she could even say anything.


    "Don''t any of youugh, I swear," Red Helmet''s hand started to tremble in anger, "Shoot him down."


    "Are... you sure?"


    "Yes," Red Helmet, "I will handle the repercussions if he really is on our side. Shoot him down."


    "Alright, firing in 3... 2... 1."


    Red Helmet then turned to look at the screen where the ship was being captured... only to see the ship just move to the side so casually like some sort of mosquito,pletely avoiding the


    st.


    "What the¨D!? How is that even possible!?" Not only Red Helmet, but the others could not help but just lean back from their seats as they saw that. But before they could react to anything else, they saw the ship just suddenly turning around while still moving in the same direction, "Did... did that ship have that kind of maneuverability?"


    "...No."


    "Wait, he is calling us!"


    "Answer it!" Red Helmet quickly said as she looked at the big screen... only to see no one


    there, "What the... where is"


    "Why would you shoot my ship, Red Helmet?"


    "Because you didn''t stop! We ordered you to stop!" Red Helmet waved her hand.


    "And that was reason enough to shoot me? I suppose the Nothing Nothing squad has more authority in Everywhere than I thought you would have."


    "We ordered you to-"


    "Uh... Red?"


    "What!?" Red Helmet turned to look at Blue Helmet, only to see him pointing at her back. Red Helmet instinctively looked back, only for her to just gasp and step away; her waist hitting the railing around her deck - how could she not, when Riley was already floating right in front of her, "What... how... how are you suddenly-"


    Red Helmet did not really need an answer to that as she saw several holes in her ship that led to the outside for some reason, however, the ship waspletely still and didn''t even


    detect the holes.


    "You have a very nice ship, Red Helmet," Riley then very slowly descended from the air,nding on the floor and just started walking around, "Not as advanced as Mother''s ship, but better than the ship I was on earlier - I like it. Can I have it?"


    "W... What?" Red Helmet turned to look at the others to try and see if they were seeing what she was seeing ¡ª and judging from their frozen postures, they were even more shocked than


    her.


    "If I join the Nothing Nothing squad, can I have my own ship like this?" Riley ignored everyone''s shock as he just walked around and started touching everything, "Where''s the


    button to fire?"


    "H... here?" Yellow Helmet just once again spoke up and raised his hand, "I''m... the one responsible for shooting stuff."


    "Yellow!? Why... would you even talk to him!?"


    "I... I don''t know, I''m nervous," Yellow Helmet just took in a small gulp as Riley started


    walking toward him. He was just as tall as their knees, but he could not help but just tremble


    heavily with each of his steps.


    "Can you shoot that, then?" Riley then pointed at the ship he was just on.


    "I... can?" "Shoot it," Riley ced his hands on his back and nodded.


    "Okay...?" Yellow Helmet then faced his station before just firing at the ship again - and this


    time, he was sessful in taking it down.


    "Hm," Riley nodded in satisfaction, "It would seem that I am the better captain, Red Helmet - they were able to shoot down the ship with just a single order of mine."


    "W... what?" Red Helmet could really only force out a chuckle, "Of course, he will hit it! No


    one''s there anymore!"


    Riley started wagging his index finger as he started walking up to Red Helmet''s deck.


    "W... what the...?"


    And while doing so, his body started turning bigger along with the helmet Miss Pepondosovich provided for him until he was back to normal size.


    Red Helmet could really only once again take a step back; but failed to do so as the rails were


    blocking her. The only thing she could truly do was watch as Riley stood beside her; the two of


    them barely even fitting on the captain''s deck.


    "Everyone, please look at me..." Riley casually ced his hands on the railings; his arm


    slightly intertwining with Red Helmet,


    "...I am the captain now."


    **AUTHOR''S NOTES**


    I am trying my luck at Royal Road with a new book, Legendary Shadow cksmith, it willN?v(el)B\\jnn


    really really help me if you check it out and make a 5 star review T_T. Don''t mention you came from Viin Retirement or Webnovel doe, that might slightly get me in trouble. It''s also here in Webnovel, and I am still choosing where to actually put it. Thank you!

 Chapter 1105: Chapter 1105: No

    Chapter 1105: No


    ?


    "Everyone, look at me...


    ...I am the Captain now."


    "Wha¡ª" Red Helmet was not even done reacting to Riley just suddenly growing taller than her when he was just previously as tall as her knee, and now, he just suddenly blurted out that he now holds her position out of nowhere. Just...


    "...What do you think you''re doing!?"


    Red Helmet tried pushing Riley away as he was almost right in front of her and locking her right arm.


    "Wh-!?" But as she did so, she found herself the one being pushed back; her waist hitting the fence of the deck and causing her to just flip over it - fortunately for her, she did not fall at all as her foot was caught by Riley,


    "Let... Let me go! You-Agh!" Red Helmet could not even finish her words before Riley just let go of her. It was a good thing she was wearing a helmet, because she would have definitely hit the top of her head then, "Why did you just drop me!?"


    "You told me to let you go, Red Helmet," Riley just nced at Red Helmet, who was quickly standing up and once again just rushing toward him - but before she could take 3 steps, both Yellow and Blue Helmet stopped her.


    "R...Red, don''t!" Yellow Helmet started shaking his head, "He''s... there''s something definitely wrong about him. I think... I think he''s some sort of android?"


    "An android...?" Red Helmet nced at Yellow Helmet, "But the Overseer only one that is allowed to have an android in Everywhere is the Overseer - wait, could it be... He truly is the secret weapon of the Overseer!? Connect us with the Overseer now!"


    "No."


    "R... Red Helmet!?"


    Both Yellow Helmet and Blue Helmet could not help but just raise their voices as Red Helmet suddenly started floating into the air even though their gravity generator was turned on. Green Helmet also leaped from her seat to grab Red Helmet''s feet, only to find themselves also being dragged into the air as Red Helmet floated toward Riley.


    "I am afraid you no longer have the authority to send orders, Red Helmet," Riley shook his head, "As I said, I am the Captain now - but since you were the previous captain, I would give you a choice."


    "A... a choice!?"


    "Be my second-inmand, or be locked in the cargo bay," Riley nodded, "It is not that hard of a choice, no?"


    "You-you really think that I would be intimidated by you!?" Red Helmet raised her voice as she just struggled to set herself free from Riley''s telekic hold, "Fuck you and your pink helmet! Why would someone who sounds like a fucking AI even be wearing a cute helmet like that!? I requested something like that from the Nothing Nothing HQ, but they refused since they told me that it''s showing too much individuality!"


    "..." The other Helmets could really only look at each other from hearing Red Helmet''s sudden rant.


    "Then I suppose you are going to be locked up in the cargo bay," Riley let out a small but very deep sigh as he reached his hands out and grabbed Red Helmet''s helmet.


    "What... what are you doing!?" Red Helmet quickly leaned away.


    "You are no longer part of the crew, Red," Riley shook his head, "That means I will be taking your helmet and-"


    "Then let me be your Second!" Red Helmet quickly shouted, "Don''t... don''t take away my helmet! Fuck, don''t touch it!"


    "Hm," Riley just shrugged; tilting his head to the side as he dropped Red Helmet and causing her and the others to just hit each other when they fell down, "Now that the hierarchy has been set ¡ª it is time for us to shoot down the people from Order of Nothing. Everyone, to your battle stations."


    "..." The other Helmets hesitated to move at first, but as Red Helmet clicked her tongue and gestured to them that it was alright, they all rushed back to their stations.


    "The nearest hostile is-"


    "No," Riley shook his head. And before anyone could react, they all just quickly grabbed whatever they could as the ship turned in a way that it shouldn''t be able to, "Just fire everything."


    "Fire... everything?" Yellow Helmet looked at the screen in front of her, only to see several ships flying around in the distance - including allies from everywhere, "But there are friendlies at front and-"


    "Fire," Riley pointed his hand forward, "You do not need to aim, just fire."


    "We will hit our allies!" Red Helmet climbed up to the deck again as she reasoned with Riley, "You''re an android, you''re supposed to be protecting the people of Everywhere!"


    "I am not an android, Red Helmet," Riley nced at Red Helmet, "And I am not protecting anyone fire."


    "You are going to kill-"


    "G...guys!? My... my hands are moving on their own!?" Yellow Helmet screamed, causing everyone to just turn their attention toward him.


    "Y... Yellow!?" Red Helmet grabbed the fence of the deck as she leaned over there to look at Yellow Helmet, only to see him indeed about to fire at everyone, "What are you-Are you doing this!? Stop... stop it!"


    Red Helmet could not help it anymore as she just punched Riley straight on his helmet; hurting her hand in the process and removing the visor of Riley''s pink helmet.


    "Oh..." Riley blinked a couple of times, "...Miss Pepondosovich is not going to like that at all." "You-" Red Helmet was about to say something but then noticed Riley''s eyes which seemingly reflected everything, "You said you weren''t an android!?"


    "I am not," Riley shook his head before raising his hands, causing Red Helmet to back away


    - contrary to what she expected, however, Riley did not grab her at all... and instead removed his helmet.


    "Wh-" Red Helmet could really only shut her mouth. And it wasn''t only her, the rest of the Helmets just stared at Riley, none of them could believe how ethereal he looked even though he was already right in front of them.


    He then just casually picked up the visor with his hand and reattached it to the helmet before wearing it again. And almost as if what happened didn''t happen, he just once again turned to


    look at Yellow Helmet and said,


    "Fire."


    And without even wanting to, Yellow Helmet''s hands started firing at all the ships battling in front of her¡ªwhether it was an ally or an enemy, it didn''t matter.


    "N... No!" Red Helmet screamed, "Tell our allies to raise their shields and-"


    "There will be no need for that," Riley raised a finger, and as soon as he did so, all of the sts that shot out from their ship... changed direction mid-flight... which was impossible since they were actually a type of photon st. And there, everyone just watched as the sts flew like fireflies - only targeting the ships of the Order of Nothing.


    And in less than a quarter of a minute...


    ...all of them were gone.


    "W... what the f..." Red Helmet could really only stand there, almost falling to her butt if she


    wasn''t holding the railings.


    "Good work, everyone," Riley then nodded and turned around, just shrugging a single arm as he stepped down the deck, "Let us salvage what we can from the ships before returning to HQ."


    "O...okay?" Green Helmet, who was the mostposed out of everyone, could not help but stutter as she just instinctively followed Riley''s orders - they do not salvage, that wasn''t part of their job at all. But the only thing she could really do was follow.


    And it wasn''t only her, the rest of the crew were just literally staring into the expanse of space.


    As for Riley, well, he was making himself home inside the ship and just started walking around like he belonged there in the first ce - of course, he did not actually know where he


    was going.


    "What... did you do...?" Red Helmet followed him.


    "Your job, Red Helmet," Riley turned around to look at Red Helmet, "Just more efficiently.


    Also, where is my cabin?"


    "Your... cabin? You don''t have a cabin here!"


    "The Captain''s cabin, Red Helmet."


    "There''s no everyone sleeps in the same room!" Red Helmet pointed at Riley, "Who are


    you!?"


    "I am Mister Rirosonovich... or was it Ririrosonvich..." Riley started looking around. "Stop with the fake names! And I don''t mean your name! I am asking who you are, did-did


    the Overseer send you!?" Red Helmet approached Riley.


    "No," Riley shook his head, "I am a refugee rescued by Captain Kuhoo and his crew."


    "Who...?"


    "Kuhoo."


    "Damn it, are you actually just ying with me!?" Red Helmet could not help it anymore as she just removed her helmet, revealing her long ck hair that reached almost her waist; the irises of her eyes, shaped like stars as she red at Riley,


    "If you are going to take over my operation, you should at least tell me who you are and who sent you to rece me! They can''t just fire me like that as soon as they find someone else!"


    "Why not?" Riley tilted his head to the side,


    "You seem receable enough, Red Helmet."


    "y-"


    [Nothing Nothing Squad, please report to the Office of the Overseer immediately.]


    "...Are you not going to follow that order?"


    "No...n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ...Continue salvaging."

 Chapter 1106: Everywhere

    1106 Chapter 1106: Everywhere


    [Nothing Nothing squad, why are you not responding to the call? The Office of the Overseer is requesting your presence, immediately.]


    "Shouldn''t¡­ shouldn''t we answer the call?"


    "No."


    "We¡­ can''t continue ignoring their orders, Pink Helmet! I am your second-inmand, you should at least listen to me!"


    "No."


    "We''re not salvagers! This ship is not a salvager, we do not even have the right essories to even pick up a small ship!"


    "That is not true at all, Red Helmet ¡ª we are salvaging just fine."


    "What are you even¡ªwait, what is¡­"


    Riley and Red Helmet were currently in the hallways of the Nothing Nothing ship ¡ª and since the Nothing Nothing ship is a fighter vessel, it did not really have a lot of windows aside from the window debris shield in the bridge ¡ª it did, however, have small circr windows in the hallways so that anyone who was walking by could see if anything was amiss outside.


    And right now, Red Helmet something incredibly amiss. There was a ton of scraps floating next to their ship, she could even see some fusion cores just casually bouncing around the debris of all sorts of loot.


    "I¡­ Wait, just how many¡ª" Red Helmet already had her helmet back on, but it was obvious that her eyes were currently reflecting all of the treasures in front of her; reflecting in her eyes and maybe even glistening, "Are¡­ you aware of how much money we would get if we sell all of those!? What¡­ maybe¡­


    ¡­did I choose the wrong job?"


    "You did, Red Helmet," Riley just shrugged as he walked away.


    "That''s¡­ No!" Red Helmet, however, quickly followed behind Riley as soon as she was done imagining what it would have been like if she just chosen to be a salvager instead. After all, the only reason there were a lot of treasures out there was because of this Pink Helmet-wearing stranger, "Being in the Nothing Nothing squad has always been a lifelong dream of mine¡­


    ¡­I''m not in this for the money!"


    "Well, you should be," Riley once again shrugged as he made his way back to the bridge, "Blue Helmet, what is the estimated value of our haul?"


    "That¡­" Blue Helmet could not really answer immediately ¡ª but he actually already knew the answer. After all, as the navigator, he had been staring at the treasure pile following them in the expanse of space for hours; just watching more and more add up,


    "By¡­ by my estimation¡­ it should, at the very least¡­ half a billion credits."


    "Half a billion credits!?" Red Helmet was the first to react as she just quickly stopped walking there and then


    "Y¡­ yes," Blue Helmet, "From what I can see, most of the things are intact and would only need minor repairs, so¡­"


    "N¡­ No," Red Helmet sped her helmet, "We¡­ this is a fighter vessel. We are fighters! We¡­ we should just surrender our loot to Everywhere so they could use it for the cause."


    "No," Riley immediately shook his head as he heard that, "We will be selling all of it and split it equally among us."


    "If¡­" Red Helmet quickly looked at Riley, "If¡­ that''s the Captain''s orders."


    "Wow, you folded in less than a second," Yellow Helmet whispered ¡ª but of course, no one could really me Red Helmet, "But that is good, I thought we might have to float you if you wanted to stop us from selling the loot."


    "W¡­what!?" Red Helmet quickly waved her hand and as she looked at Yellow Helmet, "I was still your captain!"


    "That''s a whole lot of money."


    "I''m your childhood friend!"


    "Wait, the two of you know each other outside the squad?"


    "I can buy a new childhood friend with that money."


    "No. No, you can''t!" Red Helmet groaned in frustration, "Ugh. It doesn''t matter. I''m with the rest of you¡­


    ¡­let''s get rich."


    ***


    Several hourster, the Nothing Nothing squad was stepping out of the bank. All of their pride waspletely gone, but their pockets were extremely full. Selling everything was easy since no one really had to do background checks on them ¡ª they were the Nothing Nothing squad, after all.


    The Nothing Nothing squad were all still wearing their helmets, they were famous ¡ª after all, almost being treated like celebrities in Everywhere; it was easier to use their authority with the identity. Even Riley still had his pink bunny helmet on.


    "What¡­ are we even going to do with all of this money¡­?" Yellow Helmet stared at the card in his hand, "Should I just quit the Nothing Nothing squad? I think I can sire multiple legal sons with this and give them and their children a good life."


    "That''s seriously where your mind went?" Green Helmet shook her head in disappointment.


    "...Do you want to have one of my babies?"


    "Go float yourself," Green Helmet just raised her fist at Yellow Helmet, "Why don''t you spend it on something actually useful?"


    "What¡­? What are you gonna spend your money on?"


    "You should mind your business, it''s my money. I can spend it wherever I want," Green Helmet just crossed her arms and scoffed.


    "But you just made it your business on how I spend my money!" Yellow Helmet groaned in frustration, "What about you, Blue?"


    "I''m going to buy my neighbor''s house."


    "Wow, you answered that so fast."


    "I hate my neighbor."


    And while the rest of the Nothing Nothing Squad were busy talking to each other and sharing their ns for the very near future, Red Helmet was extremely quiet. How could she not be¡­


    ¡­when Riley''s share was in her ount?


    Riley was not a resident of Everywhere, he was not even a resident anywhere and thus had no bank ounts to put his credits on. And so, he just opted to put all the credit on Red Helmet''s ount.


    And now, Red Helmet could not even think clearly about where she would spend the money on¡­ since she was afraid that she might also end up spending Riley''s share ¡ª of course, with that amount, that was next to impossible.


    But still, she was extremely anxious and thinking about what Riley would do to her when that happened. Seeing as he seemed to have the ability to move things with his mind, he might just instantly rip off her skin without even letting her finish her words.


    "Don''t¡­ don''t worry, Pink," Red Helmet cleared her throat as she assured Riley, "I will immediately transfer the credits to you once again have a bank ount."


    "There is no need, Red Helmet," Riley just shook his head, "I do not really have a need for money ¡ª I am giving you my share."


    "W¡­what?" Red Helmet''s breath just stopped there and then, even the rest of the crew almost choked on their own breaths when they heard that, "That''s¡­ a hundred and twenty million credits, Pink."


    "I am aware," Riley just shrugged, "I have no need for it."


    "So, you really are an android!" Red Helmet pointed at Riley, "Only androids will say that! Why would you even refuse that kind of money!?"


    "Because I do believe I have more than enough," Riley just once again shrugged, "If you convert or liquidate everything that I own, it will most probably be enough to buy 10 Everywheres, Red Helmet."


    "Nothing Nothing Squad."


    And before Red Helmet could finish her words, they suddenly found themselves surrounded by an armed group ¡ª and judging from their uniforms, they were the Overseer''s men.


    "The Overseer has been trying to summon you for several hours now, and we have been trying to reach your ship ¡ª is there a problem with yourms?"


    "No," Riley quickly answered without any hesitation, "We just did not want to¡ª"


    "There was a problem with ourms!" Red Helmet quickly moved in front of Riley to stop him from whatever it was he was about to say, "We''re¡­ going toply with the summon now!"


    And so, once again, Riley found himself inside the Overseer''s office ¡ª this time with apletely different group. But while everyone else was still standing, even the Overseer, Riley had already made himselffortable and sat on the sofa.


    "Since when was there a Pink Helmet?" The Overseer could really only stare at Riley as she tilted her head to the side, "Wait, you smell oddly familiar¡ªno. You do not have a scent at all, very much like¡ª"


    "Ah, Riri!" And before the Overseer could even finish her words, Miss Pepondosovich just casually barged into the office without even caring for anything else,


    "I''ve been trying to find you! I discovered something interesting while¡ªOh, is something going on?"


    "Overseer! We¡­ we tried to stop her but¡­ but she''s too strong!"


    "No, it''s fine," the Overseer could really only let out a small but very deep sigh as she shook her head, "Leave us."


    And as the Overseer ordered her guards to all leave the office, a sudden awkward silence filled the room ¡ª the Nothing Nothing squad, just looking back and forth between everything.


    "Look at what you did, Miss Pepondosovich." This time, it was Riley''s turn to sigh, "You made the atmosphere awkward¡­


    ¡­But what did you discover?" But even he did not seem to care at all.


    "I¡­ found a carrot shop down the¡ªactually¡­


    ¡­did I interrupt something important?"


    "No," Riley answered. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "We were about to talk about going on the offensive against the Order of Nothing," the Overseer also answered at the same time.


    "Hm. As I said..." Riley followed up, "...Nothing important."

 Chapter 1107: Toast

    1107 Chapter 1107: Toast


    "No."


    The Overseer has spent perhaps more than an hour divulging her n and desire to go on the offensive against the Order of Nothing. Throughout the years, The Order of Everything has spent their effort in rescuing people from the Order of Nothing, but all they were doing was just adding refugees on top of refugees ¡ª nothing really changes.


    They couldn''t attack them before since they were obviously not fit for battle ¡ª the Nothing Nothing squad was their only elite force. And that elite force was made into aughing stock by Riley¡ªno.


    The Overseer saw everything through her screen. The moment Riley leaped from Captain Kuhoo''s ship, she already saw just how powerful Riley was ¡ª able to fly through the expanse of space without even any support, able to pry open the walls of a ship with his bare hands, and able to control the sts with his mind?


    Such a force was something she never truly had seen before. With his Pink Helmet, the Overseer initially thought that he was a new member of the Nothing Nothing squad ¡ª but the Nothing Nothing squad seemed as confused as her, perhaps even more so.


    But then it all made sense when she realized that it was actually the two refugees that were just rescued several hours ago ¡ª the two who imed to be from the Unknown.


    But s, although the Overseer spent more than an hour trying to exin the situation to them, Riley just t out refused.


    "But¡­ you can help people," the Overseer exined, "And if you took over the Nothing Nothing squad as Aurora said, then that means you are also taking over their responsibility."


    "No," Riley once again shook his head as he took a bite of his carrot cake. It wasn''t actually only him, the Nothing Nothing squad, Miss Pepondosovich, and the Overseer were currently just casually sitting on the sofas and eating dessert,


    "I am not the captain of the Nothing Nothing squad anymore."


    "But I thought¡ª"


    "That was earlier," Riley continued to shake his head before looking at Red Helmet. Well, she was no longer wearing her helmet since she was eating, as well as the rest of the Nothing Nothing squad; all of them with their eyes wide as they look at Riley.


    "Oh man," Yellow Helmet let out a very long and deep sigh, closing his eyes that also had irises the shape of a star simr to Aurora aka Red Helmet. He then shook his head, showing his utmost disappointment, "And here I thought we''d be earning more money. No offense, Red."


    "...You''re still not satisfied with what you got?" Aurora raised an eyebrow as she looked at her childhood friend.


    "How can I when you received double than mine!?" Yellow Helmet then pointed at Blue and Green Helmet, "I''m sure they''re not satisfied too."


    "I have more than enough." "I can already buy my neighbor''s house with this."


    "See? You''re just greedy," Aurora clicked her tongue as she looked at Yellow Helmet from head to toe.


    Surprisingly, all the members of the Nothing Nothing squad looked human ¡ª well, they obviously were not as they had other features not present with humans.


    Yellow Helmet and Aurora have star-shaped irises. Blue Helmet''s ears were incredibly long and pointed, while Green Helmet did not really have a nose. And from what Riley and Miss Pepondosovich have seen, the entire poption of Everywhere are all humanoids.


    Perhaps the Unknown did not have cephaloids and other more limbed intelligent species?


    "Everyone," the Overseer loudly cleared her throat to get everyone''s attention, "Riley Ross ¡ª then please at the very least, let me formally ask for your help in dealing with the Order of Nothing."


    "Overseer¡­" Aurora and the rest of the Nothing Nothing squad turned quiet as they heard the almost pleading tone of the Overseer''s voice.


    "The Nothing Nothing squad is great, they have protected Everywhere well¡­" The Overseer looked at Aurora and the others while nodding her head, "...But they could really only do so much."


    "That might be because they are the only ones who are doing anything, Overseer," Riley closed his eyes, "Why are the rest of the Nothing Nothing squad in stand by?"


    "The¡­ rest of the Nothing Nothing squad?" The Overseer blinked, "This is all of them."


    "What!?" Miss Pepondosovich was the first to react, "But don''t they own that fancy ss tower!?"


    "...Yes," Overseer nodded.


    "You''re telling me that''s just for the four of them!?"


    "No!" Aurora quickly stood up, "The tech and other staff also live there! The people who work on our ship and repair anything that needs to be repaired ¡ª the Nothing Nothing squad isn''t only us, but all those who are involved in keeping us running."


    "Yeah, that''s a good sentiment," Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes, "But there still are just four of you and a single ship ¡ª how have you managed to actually protect this ce?"


    "It might seem like that in your perspective¡­" The Overseer sighed, "...But the Nothing Nothing squad has taken down many ships of the Order of Nothing, and never once have they been defeated. Even the attack that happened today would have been stopped by them alone. But what you did¡­


    ¡­that''s not something that can be replicated by anyone."


    22:47


    "Hm¡­" Aurora and the rest of the Nothing Nothing squad were quiet, but they all actually agreed with the Overseer.


    "Do you know what I find funny?" Riley did not say anything, however, but Miss Pepondosovich did as she stood up while pointing the fork at the Overseer, "And this is not the first time, actually ¡ª you know that Riley is capable of doing all of these things, capable of destruction at a massive level¡­


    ¡­and yet none of you really seem to be scared of him."


    "That¡­" And as Miss Pepondosovich said that, the Overseer''s eyebrows slightly furrowed, "...But he''s not an enemy. If he was then he would probably have just already killed me now."


    "That''s true," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged, "But what makes you think he wouldn''t just suddenly snap and kill all of you right here and now?"


    "...What?"


    "I am telling you now, this guy is more than capable of that," Miss Pepondosovich then hopped on the sofa right next to Riley and ced her hand on his shoulder, "He can destroy this entire colossal arm with just the snap of his finger ¡ª the only reason he''s not doing that is because he doesn''t feel like it."


    "Why¡­" The Overseer took in a small gulp as she stared at Riley, "...Why are you telling this to us?"


    "I just want you to know who the person you are dealing with is," Miss Pepondosovich said as she looked the Overseer in the eyes, "Because for some reason, and this always happens every time ¡ª people who know how strong Riley is aren''t really scared of him. In fact, they even be friendly with him. Maybe it''s because of how easygoing he is, and he just pretty much just goes with the flow almost every time. But he is dangerous, incredibly dangerous. And all I am saying is¡­


    ¡­do not even attempt to try and control him. It will not end well for any¡ªno. It will not end well for all of you."


    "That¡­"


    "Do not mind Miss Pepondosovich, Everyone," Riley let out a small sigh as he shook his head, "But my sentiment remains the same, I will not help you with this ¡ª we are only here to sightsee and will leave in 2 weeks."


    "Leave¡­?" The Overseer sighed, "Where¡­ are you headed?" n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Nowhere," Riley blinked a couple of times as he pointed at the window, "Further that way, opposite from where we came from, and then farther and farther away until we reach the end of the growing universe ¡ª and then we travel again and ride its waves toward nowhere ¡ª bordering in and out of the universe."


    "Are you two¡­ gods?" The Overseer whispered, and as she did so, the Nothing Nothing squad just held their breaths.


    "No," Riley shook his head, "But she is."


    "!!!"


    Everyone''s eyes turned wide as they all looked at Miss Pepondosovich.


    "What the¡ªwhy did you have to blurt that out, Riri!?" Miss Pepondosovich''s eyes also turned wide.


    "You shared information about me, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shrugged, "I assumed I could also share information about you withplete strangers. Miss Pepondosovich is a God of Luck, she also helps advance my story due to her innate skill to go where I need to be."


    "A¡­ God of Luck?" The Overseer looked at Miss Pepondosovich, "Then does that mean that while you are staying here in Everywhere¡­


    ¡­is it possible that we will also encounter luck?"


    "I suppose that is possible," Riley once again shrugged, "But it depends."


    "...On what?"


    "On whether what would be best for me," Riley let out a small hum.


    "What¡­?"


    "That''s right," Miss Pepondosovich crossed her arms, "I told you ¡ª you should treat Riley with more care; it will always be up to him whether or not you will get something good, or something bad. So¡­


    ¡­How about giving us a nice suite during our stay?"


    Miss Pepo scaring everyone for that suite


    Romeru


    Creator''s Thought

 Chapter 1108: Chapter 1108: The Slice of Life

    Chapter 1108: Chapter 1108: The Slice of Life


    ?


    [What...? That ce is so cool!]


    "Right...? Right? I actually couldn''t believe they would really give us an entire suite - and look at this view!"


    [That... almost looks like paradise!]


    [What the¡ªis that Riley and that little person? Wait... where is that ce? When Riley and I were in our spacecapade, we didn''t visit anything like that! Is that a beach!?]


    [Uh, hello? Give me back the phone. Beautiful you may be, I know not who you are... and who even let her in here!?]


    [Lucy, don''t be rude! That''s your aunt Hera.]


    [...I don''t know her.]


    Miss Pepondosovich''s request was granted, and they were given a nice suite with a full view of the entire Everywhere. And Hera was right, they even have a man-made beachplete with the waves right outside their patio.


    And right now, Miss Pepondosovich was showing it to everyone on the other line. She even had on a two-piece bikini,pletely showing her thick muscr thighs and perfectly shaped body. As for Riley, well, he was just sitting there outside with sunsses on andpletely rxed.


    [Pft... Is that Father!?] Lucy could not help but just let out a small snort as he saw Riley seemingly sunbathing in front of the beach, [What is he even doing?]


    "You know your Dad, refuses to just wrap it up," Miss Pepondosovich sighed, "But he''s actually the one who told me to call you guys - it''s about the portal that Enel found in his closet."


    [Ah, that... Grandmother! They''re asking about the portal!]


    Miss Pepondosovich then watched as the screen became chaotic with Lucifer just running,


    [Grandmother!]


    [What the-!? Can you stop running!?]


    [My feet are too free to walk, Aunt Hannah!]


    [Ugh... now I realize how lucky I was with Riley.]


    [Grandmother! What the-what are you doing here, my dear sister?]


    [Being productive, unlike you.]


    And finally, after a few seconds of just random things happening on the screen, Lucy handed the phone to Diana who just ced the phone on a nearby table so everyone would be in view - and there, Lucy, Renna, Diana, Nannah, and Riley''s adopted daughter, Talia, were on the


    screen.


    And of course, Lucy truly did not look like he belonged there at all as the three were wearingb coats, while he was wearing some sort of tuxedo.


    "Oh, Renna. You''re there as well?" Miss Pepondosovich also ced the phone on top of a table next to Riley before sitting right beside him on the same reclining chair, "Your dad wants to ask about the portal that popped up in Enel''s room."


    [Good evening, Aunt Miss Pepondosovich, Father,] Renna quickly bowed her head as she greeted the two, [We still have not really made any progress with the portal, but we do know that only Enel could enter it - and he alwayses back not even a second after. And...


    ...are the two of you on a beach?]


    "Ah, yes! I''ll tour youter," Miss Pepondosovich softly chuckled as she looked around, "Your dad kind of suddenly became a big deal in this ce."


    [I would be more surprised if he wasn''t, Aunt Miss Pepondosovich,] Renna sighed and shook her head.


    "That''s true, that''s true," Miss Pepondosovich also sighed, "Any other thing we need to know about? What about your conversion - is this universe and the new one that Paige created still colliding with each other?"


    [Grandmother,] Renna looked at Diana before walking out of the screen.


    [Right...] Diana, who seemed busy doing something, looked at the screen while nodding her head, [...We might actually be on to something here. Ahor Zai''s system just woke up and rebooted the other day, and she helped us a lot to narrow down the things we need to actually know.]


    "Hm?" Riley quickly looked at the phone as soon as he heard Ahor Zai''s name, "Is Ahor Zai stable now, Mother?"


    [I... am still limiting her features just in case. But Death and Elementia assured me that Machina will not try and use Ahor Zai again... since she is also currently sleeping,] Diana sighed, [But where was I - right. We were thinking of approaching this in apletely different manner...


    ...at first, we were trying to just pick one universe from the other, but that was not the right mindset at all. The two universes have already worked together for hundreds of years - and this might be irrelevant, since in the grand scale of the universe, a hundred years might as well just be nothing. But still, the fact is that they are already working together - and perhaps instead of just trying to pull them apart...


    ... we find a way to hold it together.]


    "... Will that work?" Miss Pepondosovich just squinted her eyes.


    [We don''t know yet,] Diana shook her head, [But with Hera, Talia, and the other variants working tirelessly in converting everyone that needs to be converted... we are actually seeing less and less people disappearing. It is, I suppose inyman''s terms, helping alleviate the situation and prolonging the end of the entire creation as we know it.]N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Good job, Talia," Riley nodded.


    [Thank you, Father,] Talia smiled while raising both of her thumbs.


    [I''m still not used to you calling our Father ''Father'',] Lucy squinted his eyes as he looked at Talia.


    [Lucifer, don''t be rude...] Diana sighed, [Your dad was also adopted, but we love him-]


    [No, I don''t mean it like that,] Lucy shook his head, [I mean like... Talia is technically Hera''s variant, and Hera could be considered as one of Father''s women, and Talia is their daughter?]


    [If you think about it like that,] Talia just let out a small chuckle, [That is probably the leastplicated thing about Father''s life, no? Has anyone told you about where Father even met me? I was in a domain I created myself.]


    [What...? Fuck off,] Lucy quickly covered his mouth as he said that, [Oh no, my vernacr is being affected by all the Aunt Hannah and Nannah. I am... I am cursed!]


    [Have you ever been hit by your parents?] Nannah, who was just quietly working there, could not help but point at Lucy, [We can start now if you want!]


    [We''re... going to go back to work now before everything bes chaotic,] Diana quickly rushed to get the phone, [I''ll also call when-is that Rennalyn?]


    "Hm?" Miss Pepondosovich then looked behind her, only to see Riley no longer beside him and there, on the beach, was Riley just floating on the surface of the water... with Renna floating beside her. Miss Pepondosovich''s eyes then strayed toward the portal just casually idling there.


    [Ah, she opened up a portal somewhere!] Lucy quickly started running to search for the portal, [Find it! I also want to go to the beach in the Unknown!]


    [...You should hope Lucy doesn''t find the portal,] Diana could really only sigh while shaking her head, [I swear, Riley''s children are...]


    "Gods," Miss Pepondosovich just shrugged while casually uttering the word, "Gods of the


    new world."


    [That''s... what I''m worried about,] Diana closed her eyes and just winced, [But I suppose they''re still young and would grow. But...]


    Diana then looked around before just leaving the room entirely, causing Miss Pepondosovich


    to also slightly lower the phone instinctively.


    [...Lucifer is how do I exin this-]


    "Dumb," Miss Pepondosovich said with her eyespletely nk, "I''ve been with the kid his


    entire life, he''s dumb."


    [Well... yes,] Diana hesitated at first but still nodded, [And not dumb like he''s stupid, he''s actually a very intelligent kid. But... the other day, okay? He was talking to himself in front of the TV, and then he summoned a shadow clone that emerged from the TV... to strangle


    himself.]


    "Oh. Yeah... he does that."


    [I thought it was very concerning at first knowing Riley''s history, and I was going to approach


    and help him...] Diana just once again sighed, [...But then he just pped his clone''s hand away and started reprimanding it that its timing was....wrong? He''s not... mentally ill at all, he''s just... he likes to role y a lot.]


    "Hmhm," Miss Pepondosovich nodded while letting out a breath of exhaustion, "Yup, that''s him. One time Katrina scolded him, and then he just started going off about unleashing his dark side while crying. He got it from that show he''s watching...


    ...and I think I need to go. It was nice talking to you, Diana."


    [Yes. I''ll call soon too.]


    Miss Pepondosovich''s bunny ears perked up as soon as she hung up the phone. She quickly


    stood up on the chair before turning to look at their suite - only to see a person inside. The person seemed to be looking for them, and as soon as he saw Miss Pepondosovich outside, he just casually stepped outside while smiling at her.


    "Hello," the stranger waved his hand, "I know this came up out of nowhere, but can I interest you in talking about the Order of Nothing? It is fine if you are not, but..."


    "Oh?" Miss Pepondosovich then tilted her head to the side as the stranger opened up his coat,


    revealing what seemed to be several bombs attached to him.


    "...I will blow this entire ce up if you do not listen to what I have to say."


    "...That''s a very aggressive marketing...


    ...I like it."

 Chapter 1109: Nothing Nothing

    1109 Chapter 1109: Nothing Nothing


    "Remember. If I think you''re making any sudden movements, if I think you are making any funny looks, or if¡ªCan you get the two of them toe here!?"


    "Oh¡­?"


    The stranger from the Order of Nothing was still tightly holding the wire connected to the bombs attached to his body, slightly wagging and tugging on it while pointing a gun at Miss Pepondosovich. His eyes, however, were looking at Riley and Renna, who, despite them clearly hearing him, were still just calmly floating on the water.


    "Riri! Renna! We have a visitor!"


    "What the¡ª!?" The Stranger could really only gasp as Miss Pepondosovich just suddenly hopped from her chair, not seemingly caring at all that the Strenger almost identally pulled the wire there and then because of her sudden move, "What are you doing!? I said no sudden movements!"


    Miss Pepondosovich only nced at him before waving her hands at Riley and Renna, who very slowly just started floating toward the beach even though they weren''t pping their limbs or swimming at all. And as soon as they were on the sand, the two just casually stood up ¡ª their extremely white skin, almost blinding the Stranger as they started to approach him.


    "Who is this guest, Miss Pepondosovich?" Riley just asked as he grabbed a towel for himself and Renna.


    "Judging from his outfit and the bombs attached to his body, Father, he is not a guest at all," Renna shook her head as she ced the towel andid it out on the reclined chair;pletely not even minding that there was aplete stranger there and that she was wearing a two-piece bikini whichpletely revealed her toned, slightly slim figure. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "I believe he came here to terrorize you, he is a terrorist."


    "I am not a terrorist!" The Stranger raised his voice as he pointed at Renna, "And where did you evene from!? I was sure there should only be the two of them here!"


    "Unlike you, Terrorist ¡ª I am an actual guest," Renna breathed out as she just calmly sat on the chair andy there ¡ª sunbathing even though she knew full well that her skin wouldn''t be affected at all.


    "What do you mean ''actual guest''?" Miss Pepondosovich seemed incredibly disgusted with Renna''s words, "You just suddenly showed up here unannounced and out of nowhere! And, ack! You''re blinding me! Since when did you be a woman!? Cover that up, cover it! You¡ªack, don''t join her!"


    Miss Pepondosovich could really only cover her eyes as Riley also sat on the other chair and started sunbathing. The only choice she had was to summon her backpack, which caused the Stranger to just flinch as it popped up out of nowhere.


    "What¡ªwhat are you doing!?" The Stranger said as he once again pointed the gun at Miss Pepondosovich as soon as he saw her rummaging through her bag ¡ª he was about to pull the trigger when he saw her pull something¡­ but it was only a pair of sunsses.


    "So¡­" Miss Pepondosovich then let out a small sigh as she hopped and sat beside Renna, slightly covering her torso from the view of the man, "...What''s your deal? What do you want?"


    "What¡­?" The Stranger could really only look back and forth between the three;pletely confused as to what was happening. He was threatening to blow himself up, right¡­? So, why were these three just casually doing whatever they wanted? Was this¡­ some sort of tactic?


    "Why are you asking me?" Miss Pepondosovich just groaned while shaking her head, "You''re the one who suddenly barged in here demanding things."


    "Perhaps you should have offered him some milk, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley muttered.


    "Shut up!" The Stranger could not help it anymore as he just approached Miss Pepondosovich and ced the nozzle of the gun right on the side of her head, "I do not know what your deal is, but this stops now ¡ª you are going to listen to me from now on."


    "We have been listening to you since earlier, Terrorist," Renna also sighed and shook her head, "Just say what you want to say and stop bothering us."


    "Tch, acting tough¡­" The Stranger clicked his tongue as he slightly squeezed on the trigger, "...Now listen to me, I am from the Order of Nothing. And I know you and that white guy over there were just in a meeting with the Overseer and those imbeciles from the Nothing Nothing squad ¡ª what were you talking about?"


    "I honestly don''t remember now," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged, "But they gave us a suite. So, that''s coo¡ª"


    "I am not joking!" The Stranger raised his voice, "And what was that ¡ª how did you wipe out our forces just like that!? Is the Nothing Nothing Squad hiding something!? When were their ships capable of doing that!?"


    "So, what are you¡­ like a spy or something?" Miss Pepondosovich just nced at the Stranger before letting out a small sigh, "This ce really should increase their security, letting spies in or whatever. It''s¡ª"


    "I told you to shut¡ª!!!"


    And before the Stranger could finish his words, he suddenly found the gun he was holding being flung away. He was going to pull on the bombs by instinct¡­ but the wire was already cut.


    "Oh?" Miss Pepondosovich blinked a couple of times before looking at Riley and Renna, only to see them justpletely rxing. And before she could wonder who actually did it, the leader of the Nothing Nothing squad, Aurora, suddenly leaped toward the Stranger and kicked him right on the head.


    Miss Pepondosovich then watched as Aurora just spun in the air, expertlynding on the ground like some sort of cat before quickly rushing toward the Stranger while pointing a gun at him.


    "Stay down on the ground, Nothing scum!" Aurora raised her voice, "We have snipers within the vicinity, don''t even think you can escape!"


    "Wow¡­" Miss Pepondosovich then turned to look at the distance where the bullet that shot the terrorist''s gun as well as the wire came from, only to see Yellow Helmet on top of one of the other houses near the beach, holding arge sniper rifle. And very soon, people started rushing in and surrounding the Stranger.


    "Are¡­ the two of you alright?" Aurora then quickly approached Miss Pepondosovich, only to see them just quietly rxing there even with all of the chaos going on, "Who''s¡­ that?"


    "That''s Riley''s daughter ¡ª don''t mind her, she is leaving soon," Miss Pepondosovich just casually waved her hand, "Anyway, what''s with that?"


    "A tracker from the Order of Nothing," Aurora sighed while shaking her head, "The Order of Nothing knows about the two of you now ¡ª they will always know where you are, it''s¡­ some sort of special skill of theirs. This one, in particr, is a suicide tracker¡­


    ¡­he would have blown himself regardless once you answer all of his questions."


    "For the Order of Nothing!"


    "...And now he''s killing himself with poison," Aurora once again sighed as soon as he heard the Stranger screaming those words, "We knew they would be targeting you, and we''ve been following since you left the Overseer''s office."


    "What do you mean by they would always know where we are, Red Helmet?" Riley finally sat up as he looked at Aurora.


    Aurora, however, slightly held her breath as soon as she saw Riley''s extremely toned body.


    "I will have you know that he already has many wives," Renna just casually joined in the conversation, "And there are many more lining up, you would have topete with literal gods, Red Helmet."


    "I wasn''t thinking of anything like that," Aurora scoffed before shaking her head; her eyes, however, were still ncing at Riley''s body from time to time, "And I meant what I meant ¡ª the Order of Nothing has marked you¡­


    ¡­you will never be safe from them, especially when you leave Everywhere."


    "Huh¡­ okay," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged before just looking at Renna, "And you, it''s about time for you to go home ¡ª where did you even leave your portal anyway?"


    "I can just sleep here for the night," Renna sighed as she sat up.


    "Nope, vacation''s over. Go, shoo! Shoo!"


    "Fine," Renna shook her head as she just started walking away, "Goodbye, Father. I will join you again soon."


    "Hm."


    "Wait, where is she going?" Aurora raised her voice as she saw Renna just walking into the house, "She''s probably also marked by them now!"


    "Well, good luck with that because she will be very, very far away," Miss Pepondosovich rolled her lips, "So, Riri. What do you think about all of this?"


    "I do not really appreciate people marking my daughter," Riley let out a small breath as he stood up, causing Aurora to once again just hold her breath, this time almost taking a step back as she identally stared at Riley''s chest for a full 5 seconds, "I suppose the Order of Nothing has to go, Miss Pepondosovich."

 Chapter 1110: Lost

    1110 Chapter 1110: Lost


    "The Order Of Nothing surfaced a hundred years after the start of the Immortality event. When the people have finally started to adjust to their newfound agelessness ¡ª they came out of nowhere, announcing to the people that everything was wrong¡­


    ¡­and that they came to fix it, to bring order to the broken clock."


    "Hm¡­"


    Riley and Miss Pepondosovich were currently in the tower of the Nothing Nothing squad, and it turns out there ¡ª it wasn''t just a simple HQ for the so-called elite squad. It was also a museum to remind everyone of the things that have happened during the time that Death was not present, which the people of the Unknown have learned to call the Immortality Event.


    And right now, the Nothing Nothing tower was filled to the brim with people as the Overseer herself was acting as some sort of tour guide for Riley and Miss Pepondosovich. After all, if they were going to fight their fight, they must fully understand what they were truly fighting for.


    "The Order of Nothing did not always start as a violent bunch of crusaders, no¡­" The Overseer closed her eyes as she continued to walk through the museum, which featured several holograms that showed the evolution of the Order of Nothing, "...They were helping people at first ¡ª well, at least you could call it that¡­


    ¡­they were helping people pass."


    "Helping people pass?" Miss Pepondosovich''s ears perked up as soon as she heard that, "You mean mercy killing?"


    "Yes," the Overseer let out a long and very deep sigh as she continued to walk through the mirage of holograms and screens, "Mercy killings."


    "A lot of people wanted to end it after a hundred years," Aurora, who was following behind Riley and Miss Pepondosovich whispered while pointing at the holograms that showed the Order of Nothing actually helping people and even giving refuge to them.


    "Most people are not meant to live more than a hundred years," Riley let out a small hum as he nodded, "I do not even deserve to have even lived at all."


    "That''s¡­" Aurora almost stopped walking as soon as she heard Riley''s words.


    "Don''t mind him," Miss Pepondosovich scoffed while waving her hands, "He gets like that sometimes¡­ actually, he gets like that most of the time."


    "Right¡­" Aurora nodded as she just stared at Riley''s back.


    "That one looks simr to the Overseer," Riley then pointed at one of the holograms standing taller than the rest, "But with more hair and a lot more presentable and not ugly."


    "That''s because it''s me," the Overseer could really only let out a sigh as she heard that. In truth, she was waiting for them to notice ¡ª but she didn''t really think that she would get insulted just like that out of nowhere, "I just aged after the time moved again."


    "You were part of the Order of Nothing, Overseer?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he stood in front of the hologram and looked at thebel beneath it, "No ¡ª you are one of the people who started it."


    "Yes, and no," the Overseer stood beside Riley and looked at her own image that had alreadye to pass, "The Order of Nothing was already an organization when I joined ¡ª a small one, that is. And they weren''t called the Order of Nothing back then, it''s been so long that I''ve actually already forgotten."


    "And they grew when you joined?" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes.


    "Yes," the Overseer seemedpletely regretful as she could not even look at herself anymore and just turned around, "I was a celebrity back then ¡ª famous in at least 20 Star Systems, a Gctic Diva¡­ what a joke."


    "You became their mascot, Overseer," Riley also just turned around as he followed the Overseer as she once again moved across the museum.


    "I became their voice," the Overseer closed her eyes and just once again let out a very long and deep sigh, "Like a siren, I serenaded people to their deaths. But of course, it was peaceful then ¡ª and the people truly wanted it. They wanted it, I know¡­


    ¡­because I wanted it too. I want to finally rest."


    "But you couldn''t," Miss Pepondosovich looked at the holograms they hadn''t explored yet.


    "No," the Overseer shook her head, "I took it as an obligation because I''ve seen the relief on people''s faces when they finally pass. It was so peaceful, they didn''t have to suffer anymore ¡ª and believe me, believe me when I say that I only sang to those who were suffering¡­


    ¡­but then everything changed when he joined."


    The Overseer then pointed at the hologram which projected a man ¡ª dark skin, long pointy ears, and hair as silver as they get,


    "The man that is now known as Darkday."


    "...Not you," Miss Pepondosovich started nudging Riley by his leg, "Riri, it''s not any of your clones."


    "So it would seem, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked at the so-called Darkday of the Unknown universe, "Do you recognize him from anywhere, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "Hm¡­" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes again as she carefully looked at the man''s face, "...No, nope. Handsome guy, but no. No, wait¡­ he does look familiar but¡­ eh."


    "He came out of nowhere," the Overseer continued to recount the history of the Order of Nothing, "Joined as a fledgling and just easily climbed his way to the top of the food chain. He was very charismatic, you know¡­


    ¡­he was even able to use me. He just stepped on everyone until one day, everyone just decided that he would lead the Order of Nothing."


    "...And the members were alright with all of his decisions?"


    "His decisions were right, at first," the Overseer continued to walk, "In fact, he even made a program to first help those who want to end their lives, to make it better so that they could have another option, another chance. But if they truly can''t live with their immortality, that is when he would end it ¡ª he was very hands-on, always there¡­


    ¡­that was when I realized something was about to go wrong. He became more and more obsessed with people dying, and then all of a sudden he just changed¡­


    ¡­he said that the people who wanted to die were the real ones, and that those who just wish to continue on living are¡­ fake. He was going on and on and on about it, and somehow, he managed to convince the entire Order of Nothing ¡ª he convinced all of them that no one should exist anymore." N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Huh, so he just turned crazy," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged.


    "And I left and never looked back," the Overseer sighed, "The Grand Messiah found me, and then put me in charge here ¡ª Everywhere. It¡ª"


    "Ah!" And all of a sudden, Miss Pepondosovich just raised her voice. Everyone turned to look at her, but she just quickly leaped into the air and grabbed onto Riley''s arm before whispering to him and him alone,


    "Riri, I recognize him now."


    "Hm?" Riley slightly leaned his head closer to Miss Pepondosovich.


    "This Darkday guy was in the Domain of the Gods¡­" Miss Pepondosovich breathed out, "...He has a statue near the Land of the Mortals¡­


    ¡­He''s one of the Higher Gods. The very first one."


    What''s he doing all the way to the Unknown part of Riley''s universe and not in his own universe


    Romeru


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 1111: Chapter 1111: One

    Chapter 1111: Chapter 1111: One


    ?


    VR 1111 One


    "Or maybe it''s just a coincidence that they look like each other? Perhaps a variant...? But no... that would mean this guy has lived for billions of years."


    The Overseer''s tour continued, and she was now exining all of their encounters with the Order of Nothing throughout the years. How many people ands the Order of Nothing has eliminated, and how the Order of Everything managed to fight against them.


    Miss Pepondosovich and Riley, however, were no longer listening to her. They were following behind her, yes ¡ª but Riley was now just listening to Miss Pepondosovich''s murmurs and whispers instead.


    "Do you happen to know his name, Miss Pepondosovich?" Riley let his whispers float toward Miss Pepondosovich''s ear; creating some sort of invisible tube between them so they could just talk casually without the others hearing them.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "If I remember it correctly..." Miss Pepondosovich closed her eyes; grabbing one of her ears and scratching it as she tried her best to remember, "... If I recall it correctly, the name that was on his statue on thend of the mortals was... One?"


    "His name is One?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "Are you sure it is not Juan, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "Hm... No idea, it might be - but I''m pretty sure it''s just One," Miss Pepondosovich shrugged, "But what I do know is he is the first Higher God, I remember that clearly now. Wait... or maybe he was the second? Okay, maybe I don''t actually remember it clearly."


    "The very first Higher God?" Riley blinked a couple of times, "Then would that not make him billions of years old, Miss Pepondosovich?"


    "Absolutely" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes while nodding several times, "Maybe he''s even the first to ever be thrown to the Domain of the Gods? Ack, maybe we should just stop specting things."


    "Hm..."


    "His existence is probably closer to the Primordials than us," Miss Pepondosovich breathed out, "Well, I mean-his existence is probably closer to the Primordials than us; Us, you are not included in that, Riri, since you''re... you know, you."


    "I would like to believe I am closer to you and the others, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head.


    "...You are," Miss Pepondosovich nced at Riley for a few seconds before shrugging her shoulders, "Anyway, this is all just spections - it might not actually even be him. Trillions of people, we''re bound to find people who look like each other even when they''repletely unrted."


    "We could always just ask, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "What do you-"


    "Is Darkday''s real name ''One'', Overseer?" Riley then cut off the Overseer as she was exining some stuff about their history.


    "What?" The Overseer blinked a couple of times as she quickly looked at Riley, "...Yes. How... did you know?"


    "It was just an educated guess, Overseer," Riley shook his head as he gestured to the Overseer to continue the tour. The Overseer seemed to still want to ask Riley some questions, but she just nodded and went on with exining theirplete history.


    "...Okay, maybe it really is him," Miss Pepondosovich''s eyes widened as she looked at Riley, "So, let''s just say that when the Domain of the Gods was erased... One decided to leave his universe to check things out? Does that even make sense?"


    "I would not know, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "...But why do all of this?" Miss Pepondosovich''s eyebrows started to knot as all sorts of thoughts raced in her mind, "Why go through all the trouble of doing all of this, when he could have just joined the war of the gods and ruled there? I''m sure the guy''s pretty strong...


    ...why would he even bother joining an organization, changing it from within, and then acting as its leader? And most importantly...


    ...how did he find himself in the Unknown part of the Sole Remaining Universe, your universe, Riri? Out of all the universes, he is here in your universe... carrying a name that is deeply connected to you, Riri."


    "I suppose it does not matter for now, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head, "But there is something I am more curious a-"


    "And that concludes our history with the Order of Nothing," the Overseer then let out a short but very loud sigh as they reached the end of the museum, "And unfortunately, if we do not stop them, this museum is only going to be bigger...


    ...Do the two of you have any questions?"


    "Oh. Me, me!" Miss Pepondosovich raised her hand, "It''s interesting that you''ve been fighting them for more than... 400 years? If they are hellbent on just killing everyone, and all of you haven''t been able to give birth during the span of the Immortality event...


    ...then howe they haven''t wiped everyone out yet?"


    "Wiping us all out won''t be that easy," the Overseer smiled, "There are trillions of us, it would take more than thousands of years to do what they want to do."


    "Trillions... but didn''t half of the poption also die during the start of the Immortality event...?" Miss Pepondosovich squinted.


    "Yes," the Overseer just nodded.


    "...Riri," Miss Pepondosovich''s eyes widened, "I think the Unknown universe is much, much bigger than the Known universe."


    "That would make sense, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley nodded.


    "The reason the war of the gods didn''t reach this far is because they probably didn''t bother and were just busy killing each other..." Miss Pepondosovich breathed out, "...Well, except for One, I suppose."


    "You... seem to be somewhat familiar with Darkday," the Overseer could no longer contain her curiosity as she asked. She then gestured to the other people there to leave, even Aurora, who was tasked to follow the two around,


    "Do... you know him from somewhere?"


    "We do not, Overseer. We were only making assumptions about his true identity," Riley then looked up at the Overseer, "And may I also ask you something else, Overseer?"


    "... Of course," the Overseer squinted her eyes before nodding.


    "You are incredibly tall so I did not truly think much of it at first," Riley blinked a couple of times, "But you are also from the Unknown, Overseer."


    "Me...?" The Overseer also blinked a couple of times as she seemed confused with Riley''s statement, "But... I''ve always just lived my life here?"


    "Your hair, it has a very peculiar color to it," Riley looked at the Overseer''s buzz-cut hair,


    "You dyed it, correct?"


    "...Yes? How did you-"


    "I could see the tiny microscopic strands that are growing from your scalp, Overseer," Riley


    tilted his head to the side, "It is a glowing silver...


    ... You are an Evaniel."

 Chapter 1112: Alive and Well

    1112 Chapter 1112: Alive and Well


    "...An evaniel?"


    "Yes." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    There was a silence after that ¡ª and none of the three really moved as Riley and the Overseer just stared at each other. The only thing that was moving in the museum were the holograms that contained their history, almost as if directly reminding the Overseer of what had been.


    But after a few seconds, the Overseer just blinked and raised an eyebrow.


    "...What''s an evaniel?" The Overseer seemed visibly confused as she just looked down at Riley and Miss Pepondosovich back and forth, "Is¡­ that some type of religious group or something? If so, then¡­ no."


    "The evaniels are a powerful ancient race, Overseer," Riley shook his head, "A descendant of a primordial existence ¡ª they could move multiple times faster than the speed of light."


    "...Something like that exists?" The Overseer tried her best not to chuckle as she heard Riley''s words, "If only I was ¡ª then none of this would be happening. I''m not a descendant of a primordial existence or anything, I was an orphan."


    "That means you could still be a descendant of Van, Overseer," Riley squinted as he tiptoed to look at the Overseer''s hair, "Why do you dye your silver hair, Overseer?"


    "...It makes me look old."


    "And being bald does not?"


    "This is a buzz-cut ¡ª and I would have you know that it exudes authority," the Overseer breathed out as her eyebrows began to lower.


    "She''s telling the truth, Riri," Miss Pepondosovich then joined the conversation as she looked the Overseer in the eyes.


    "I know, Miss Pepondosovich ¡ª I read her mind."


    "...I always forget you can do that," Miss Pepondosovich seemed disgusted as she stepped away from Riley.


    "I do not use it often, it is an invasion of one''s privacy, after all," Riley nodded several times before focusing back on the Overseer,


    "Can you strip naked, Overseer?"


    "...What?" The Overseer could not help but just take a step back as she crossed her arms, "...What do you mean?"


    "I want to see if you have marks all over your body," Riley just shrugged as if he did not just ask something ridiculous.


    "You should have asked that first, Riri!" Miss Pepondosovich lightly kicked Riley''s leg, causing him to almost tumble if it wasn''t for Miss Pepondosovich pulling him back.


    "Marks¡­ how do you know that?" The Overseer then lifted her sleeves, revealing marks across her arm ¡ª they were very faint, extremely so. And they just looked like some sort of light discoloration across her skin, "It changes from time to time ¡ª when I was still working as an artist, it usually glowed during concerts when I sang or just expressed emotions. I cover them up now since, well, I''ve be the leader of a respectable organization."


    "That means the evaniels have truly been here before," Riley ced his hand on his chin, "Or perhaps Van himself has scattered his genes in this part of the universe ¡ª that is the most likely probability. Queen. Either way is possible, though, as they are the fastest species in the entire universe."


    "...If she is, Riri ¡ª then why doesn''t she have any of their abilities?" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes as she looked at the Overseer from foot to head, "And are evaniels usually as tall as Esme?"


    "No," Riley shook his head, "Perhaps she is a special type too, simr to Esme ¡ª but I suppose there is no use in deliberating it for now, we have an Order of Nothing to eradicate from this universe."


    "...You make it sound like we''re the bad guys," the Overseer sighed.


    "Wait, Riri¡­" Miss Pepondosovich crossed her arms, "...If the leader of the Order of Nothing really is One ¡ª a fight between you and him, or me for that matter is something that shouldn''t happen. You left your children and the others because you''re afraid that your fate would be catching up to them, but if you fight a Higher God¡­


    ¡­Unknown or Known, they will feel it."


    "...A Higher God?" The Overseer squinted, "...One is a normal person; highly maniptive and smart, yes ¡ª but he has never really exuded abilities like you have, Riley Ross."


    "He''s probably hiding it," Miss Pepondosovich breathed out, "As to why he is going through all of this¡­ who knows."


    "...Whatever the case is," The Overseer sighed as she looked at Riley, "Thank you for deciding to help us."


    "I am not helping you, Overseer. Rennalyn has been marked," Riley shook his head, "I am merely doing this for her."


    ***


    "Uh¡­ Are we sure it will be alright with only us?"


    "That''s the 20th time you''ve asked that, Aura."


    "My¡­ name''s Aurora."


    "Too long."


    "Your name is literally Miss Pepondosovich!"


    Somewhere in the expanse of space, the Nothing Nothing ship was currently moving at hyperspeeds ¡ª it now lookedpletely different from the outside; after all, thest thing they wanted to happen was them being recognized while on the way to infiltrate the Order of Nothing''s base.


    "Ack, why do youin too much?" Miss Pepondosovich waved her hand at Aurora before rxing on her seat and burying herself in the book she was reading, "You''re too young to be a nagger."


    "Miss Pepondosovich is right, Aurora," Riley joined in on the conversation as he stood on the captain''s deck, "After all, it is your people that said that the Nothing Nothing squad was built for this very reason ¡ª to infiltrate the Order of Nothing alone and without any other ships. You are not even wearing your helmet anymore since you mentioned it might tip them off."


    "That''s good and all¡­" Aurora''s eyes started twitching as she looked around the bridge, "...But where''s the rest of my squad!?"


    Aside from Riley and Miss Pepondosovich, there was no one else there but Aurora ¡ª the other Helmets were nowhere to be seen.


    "Ack, you reallyin so much," Miss Pepondosovich closed her book and started walking around, "Why don''t you just tell us about where those Nothings are hiding again?"


    "...They live in the zone called the Grand Triangle," the tone of Aurora''s voice suddenly turned serious; with Riley moving away from the captain''s deck and letting Aurora stand there.


    "The Grand¡­ Triangle?" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes, "...That sounds incredibly familiar."


    "Hm¡­" Aurora closed her eyes and nodded, "The Grand Triangle is a treacherous stretch of space wherew doesn''t exist."


    "That really, really sounds familiar."


    "Itswlessness is the reason why the Order of Nothing stays there," Aurora opened her eyes as she looked at Miss Pepondosovich and Riley; her irises that were in the shape of a star, almost glistening, "The Grand Triangle is also inhabited by people, but the Order of Nothing lets them be¡­ because they are always just killing each other."


    "Sounds like a ce you belong to, Riri. Pft," Miss Pepondosovich pointed at Riley.


    "The Grand Triangle is also known by another name ¡ª the Little Unknown," Aurora breathed out, "Because like the Unknown, little is known of what happens inside the Grand Triangle. There are creatures there that are unique, and we were even told that there were people like you, Riley, that also have abilities of some kind¡­


    ¡­we''ve never seen them, of course. Because the people of the Grand Triangle never leave their home."


    "Sounds like a fun ce."


    "...And I believe we''re already here," Aurora then stretched her arms to the side, and as she did so, the ship''s hyperspeed deactivated ¡ª and there, severalbinations of light instantly veiled their ship.


    "Woah¡­" Miss Pepondosovich quickly turned around to look at the window, "...Are we still in space?"


    What dawned on them was nothing short of a paradise; there were colossal trees and all sorts of in the distance that lit up,rger than entire continents themselves. There were also creatures floating around; able to survive the harsh expanse of space ¡ª one looked like a colossal whale that consumes the nts, and one looked like a jellyfish; its tendrils just spanning for hundreds and hundreds of miles.


    "...It''s like we''re under the ocean," Miss Pepondosovich quickly ran to the window; cing his palms on it as she just looked at everything, "For an organization that calls themselves the Order of Nothing, the ce they''re hiding sure has everything. And people live here¡­?"


    "Yes," Aurora nodded, "Thes here are the same as Everywhere ¡ª t, linear. We would need to go through all of them and stay for a while since¡­ they require a toll."


    "...Why go through all of that?"


    "...Because creatures that could devour entire stars live in the Grand Triangle," Aurora''s body slightly shivered, "My squad managed tond on the first ¡ª it was small, but our timing wasn''t right as there was some sort of dispute happening. This is awless ce¡­


    ¡­but we still need to y by the rules they''ve set."


    ***


    Back in the Outerverse, on the top of the ck Tower ¡ª Jennifer was sitting on some sort of dpidated throne; breaths of frustration, whispering from her mouth as she bit her nails.


    "That Riley Ross¡­ he really isn''t climbing the tower anymore!?" Jennifer then stood up, "But that''s¡­ that''s different than what you said to me! That woman from the future told me that if I told all of him that, he would climb the tower without any more hesitation, and I would be free!"


    "Well¡­ that''s your first mistake."


    Jennifer then looked to the side, and there, another throne rested in the shadows¡­ where Paige Pearson sits, alive and well.


    "...Riley does whatever Riley wants."

 Chapter 1113: A Place of Lawlessness

    1113 Chapter 1113: A ce of Lawlessness


    "It''s¡­ really beautiful."


    They have been hovering in the Grand Triangle for several minutes now, and yet Miss Pepondosovich still found herselfpletely enamored and awed by the sight surrounding them. Unlike Riley, Miss Pepondosovich did not travel that much across the expanse of space before she was thrown into the Domain of the Gods.


    And so, she let the scenery reflect in her eyes as much as possible; just letting them dance inside them as she continued to absorb everything.


    "The children should see this!" And after a few seconds, Miss Pepondosovich finally left the window shield and quickly left for her quarters ¡ª not even saying anything to Riley as she left the bridge¡­


    ¡­and leaving him and Aurora alone there.


    Aurora wanted to tell Miss Pepondosovich to stay since she was the friendlier of the two and she could talk to her. But s, she couldn''t even follow her with her eyes at all. The only thing Aurora could really do was also stare at the sight in front of her, only ncing at Riley from time to time.


    But of course, as someone who had been surrounded by a squad for so many years, she was absolutely not used to the silence at all.


    "You said the two of you are from the Unknown, right¡­?" Aurora carefully asked; gauging Riley''s reaction, but not getting any at all. But still, he answered her.


    "No," Riley shook his head as he approached Aurora, causing her to just awkwardly make space for him as he stood beside her and also started taking in the sights, "The Unknown is very much like the rest of the universe, vast and mostly empty for hundreds of millions of kilometers."


    "I¡­ I see¡­" Aurora cleared her throat as she looked ahead instead of looking at Riley''s somewhat ethereal face, "It is also gued with war and death¡­? The Order of Nothing has ravaged thousands and thousands ofs, and we can''t seem to stop them."


    "War and death," Riley let out a small hum as he looked at Aurora, "I suppose you could say that, Red Helmet. There are only around 20 billion people left."


    "20 billion¡­?" Aurora blinked a couple of times before squinting her eyes and also looking at Riley, "But that''s still quite a lot, no? 20¡­ wait¡­ as in 20 billion for all of you, or your race¡­?"


    "For all, Aurora," Riley shrugged, "There used to be trillions 600 years ago."


    "What the¡­" Aurora''s breaths started to get heavy, "What¡­ happened?"


    "The gods escaped their prison, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley breathed out, "And with half of the poption disappearing, there truly was not enough to stop them from rampaging ¡ª the death only stopped when the gods were satisfied and a winner was decided."


    "...And you and Miss Pepondosovich are two of those gods?" Aurora gulped.


    "She is," Riley shook his head, "I am a different kind altogether, Aurora ¡ª they told me I was a Primordial. But I would just like to think of myself as only Riley Ross."


    "What¡­?" Aurora could really only squint her eyes again as her confusion was reaching the top of her head, "Are you saying that you''re some sort of¡ª"


    "Riri!"


    Fortunately for Aurora, before her mind could actually wee the start of her loss ofmon sense, Miss Pepondosovich cut them off.


    "Riri!" Miss Pepondosovich rushed back to them, waving her phone around as she looked at Riley, "You need to hear this! Renna''s saying something!"


    "Hm?" Riley leaned his head down so that he could see what Miss Pepondosovich was trying to show him, only to see Renna there.


    [Ah, Father!] Renna quickly moved away from the camera and started stretching her arms to the side.


    "Why are you dancing, Rennalyn?"


    [No!] Renna quickly returned to the camera, [I wanted to go there since I wanted to see what you were seeing in person, but I couldn''t seem to create a portal. And it is not because you are too far¡­


    ¡­but something seems to be stopping me.]


    "...You think it might be One?" Miss Pepondosovich looked at Riley.


    "Perhaps," Riley shrugged, "But as I mentioned before, we should stop specting for now, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "I guess you''re right¡­"


    "Rennalyn, please do not create portals to visit me without my permission again for now," Riley looked at the lens of the phone.


    [Of course, Father. I will ask permission from now on and¡ª]


    [Father! Father! Enel ate your milk pudding!]


    [N¡­no! Dad, don''t listen! Lucy is a liar!]


    [Father!]


    [...I will hang up the phone before they arrive and annoy you, Father,] Renna bowed her head, [Please take care out there.]


    "We will," Riley nodded, "Take care of each other, Rennalyn."


    [Hm,] Renna smiled, she tried to hang up the phone before Lucy and the others were in view. But s, Lucy was able to snatch the phone away from her.


    [Woah¡­ it''s beautiful there, Father. Everyone, everyone! Look where Father is!] The screen then just started shaking as Lucy started to run; Riley and Miss Pepondosovich could see Enel also running behind him with a smile on¡­ pudding-filled face.


    [Lucy, are you disturbing your father again¡­?]


    [They''re the ones who called us. But look, look!]


    [Wow¡­ it''s beautiful.]


    [Lucifer! Give me the phone back!]


    [Try it if you¡ª]


    And with those words, the line was finally cut off.


    "Thatdy¡­ is your daughter?" And as soon as the phone was hung up, Aurora quickly asked as her curiosity was getting the best of her.


    "Yes, Aurora."


    "But they are in the Unknown¡­" Aurora blinked a couple of times as she just looked to the side, "...You''re able to connect to people from there?"


    "Yes."


    "How¡­!?"


    "Tut, tut¡­" Miss Pepondosovich then leaped into Riley''s arms, who just casually caught her before she started wagging her finger at Aurora, "That is a trade secret, I am afraid. And also, where''s this first ind or whatever you kept on mentioning earlier?"


    "We¡­ will be there in a few hours if we maintain our speed," Aurora was still quite curious, but she really could do nothing if they didn''t want to tell her, "But¡­ you left your family to go on an adventure, Riley Ross?"


    "I did," Riley nodded, "I started this adventure to be as far away from them as possible ¡ª they are safer without me there as danger tends to follow me around."


    "That''s¡­ very noble of you."


    "No," Riley shook his head, "I should not have brought them into this world from the start. I made a mistake, and now all of them are paying for it."


    "That''s¡ª"


    "Don''t mind him," Miss Pepondosovich leaped from Riley''s arm and started patting Aurora''s leg, "He can be like that most of the time, he loathes himself."


    "...Right," Aurora could really only squint her eyes as she looked at Riley onest time. And it was quiet after that, no one said another word as everyone was just doing their own thing until Aurora spoke up again. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "We''re here."


    "Woah¡­" Miss Pepondosovich once again quickly ced her face on therge windows, "...It really is an ind. Wait¡­ I don''t notice any changes in atmosphere or whatever."


    "Yes," Aurora nodded several times, "The entire Grand Triangle is actually livable, Miss Pepondosovich."


    And as Aurora said that, she pressed a button to open up thatrge window shield.


    "There is a theory that all life originated here," Aurora then took in onerge breath, "The air here is¡­ perhaps the freshest in the entire universe."


    "Oh¡­" Miss Pepondosovich also breathed in while standing on her toes, "...You''re right. That''s¡­ quite nice, actually."


    "Why don''t the rest of you just live here?" Miss Pepondosovich asked as their ship started to dock on the ind.


    "That''s actually everyone''s first thought when they realize what the Grand Triangle is¡­" Aurora let out a small sigh while shaking her head and opening up the hatch of the ship, "...But when they realize what it really is, then¡ª"


    "Oi!"


    And before their hatch could even fully open, there was already a group of men waiting for them outside; peeking inside the ship, all of them carrying all sorts of scary weapons.


    "Why are you just docking here without any permission? Pay us up if you don''t want to¡ª"


    The hatch was still not fully open as Miss Pepondosovich, Riley, and Aurora watched as the group just started dropping one by one as another group rushed to their ship and started killing them.


    "Heh, you really think we''re going to give this one to you? Fucking Garboza gang. Oi, give us a toll if you want to step into the ind alive."


    "As I said¡­" Aurora then let out a sigh as she looked at Miss Pepondosovich and Riley, "...This is awless ce¡­


    ¡­these people don''t even know about the Immortality event because they keep killing each other."


    "Does that mean that we get to kill whatever and whoever we want in this ce, Aurora?" Riley asked.


    "...Yes?"


    "Hm¡­" Riley then started stepping out of the ship, "...Then perhaps we truly are in the right ce."


    Deymn, riley''s home


    Romeru


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


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 Chapter 1114: If it Breathes, I Kills

    1114 Chapter 1114: If it Breathes, I Kills


    "Does that mean that we get to kill whatever and whoever we want in this ce, Aurora?"


    "...Yes?"


    "Hm¡­ Then perhaps we truly are in the right ce."


    "Riley Ross?" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Heh¡­? What''s this?"


    Aurora, as well as the thugs who were waiting for them outside the ship, could not help but raise their eyebrows as Riley just casually stepped out of the hatch; just casually stepping down the ground without even caring that he was stepping of blood.


    "Haha. This fucker thinks he''s amusing," one of the thugs stepped forward with a knife in his hand, "Oi. I know you guys are new here, but you really should show respect while we are still being¡ªOi!?"


    Riley did not even let the thug finish his words as he just suddenly snatched the knife away from him.


    "Do you want this back, Thug?" Riley then started spinning the knife in his hand, "But you are not even holding it right."


    "What are you¡ª"


    "This is how you hold it," a wide smile crawled on Riley''s face as he just suddenly swung the knife right across the thug''s neck.


    "Geurgh¡­!?"


    "Jiff!?"


    The other thugs could not help but slightly back away. They did not even know how their friend was cut, and the only way they knew was by seeing Riley''s arm already stretched to the side.


    "Since we need to fit in¡­" Riley then nced back at Aurora as he crouched down so that he could be at the same level as the man whose throat he just sliced, "...I will do that for us."


    "What are you¡ª!?"


    And without even saying another word, Riley just grabbed the thug by the hair and pulled him closer¡­ before the sound of flesh and blood gurgling whispered in the air as Riley started sawing his neck right in front of everyone.


    Riley did not even care that the other thugs might start attacking him ¡ª he just continued slowly sawing the man''s neck until he was able to pull it apart.


    "Tadaah," Riley stood up and started shaking the head while still holding it by the hair, "I helped him lose weight."


    "You¡ª"


    One of the other thugs rushed toward Riley, but Riley also rushed toward to meet him ¡ª smacking his face with the face of the decapitated head he was holding; its teeth, sticking onto the thug''s nose.


    "Gkh!" The thug quickly backed away while holding his face, but before he could even pull out his friend''s teeth, Riley continued to rush toward him; this time pulling him by the ankles and letting his back m to the ground. Unfortunately for the thug, before he could even process all of this, Riley just started smacking him with his dead friend''s head until both of their faces were all mashed up together; his body, just flinching with every hit and it couldn''t anymore.


    "Huh¡­" Riley then got up, his hand now only holding the back of the man''s scalp as everything else had been ground up, "...I suppose we can all say that they were close friends, no?"


    "Wh¡ªRun! Run!"


    And as they all saw the smile that was crawling on Riley''s face from ear to ear, the remaining thugs all just started running away. Unfortunately for them, Riley was just starting.


    He crashed the remaining skull from the scalp he was holding and just threw it right through their ankles ¡ª causing all of them to just drop, except for one.


    "One''s getting away!" Aurora, who just recovered from her stupor, quickly aimed her gun at the one still running away, but before she could shoot, Riley ced his hand on her gun and lowered it.


    "Let him go, Aurora," Riley shook his head.


    "But¡­" Aurora took in a small gulp as the blood and flesh dripping from Riley''s hand got onto her hand,"...If we let him go, he''s going to tell his gang that¡ª"


    "Exactly," Riley smiled at Aurora before he walked away and approached the thugs who were writhing in pain on the floor and holding their ankles, "The more there are, the more fun we will be having, no?"


    "What do you¡­" Aurora could really only mute her words as she watched as Riley just started stepping on the remaining thugs ¡ª even inserting his finger into their ankles and then twirling the shard of skull inside. Even if she continued to speak, she doubted that someone would even hear her from how loud the thugs were screaming.


    And it wasn''t only her that waspletely frozen in ce ¡ª the others who were near the dock could not move. Most of them would be looting the corpses right now, but they were afraid that this white-skinned and white-haired man might identally grab them and start torturing them too.


    Unfortunately for everyone there, the screamssted for several minutes more.


    "Just let him do his thing," Miss Pepondosovich stood beside the stumped Aurora while letting out a long and very deep sigh, "It''s better that he lets loose lightly like this."


    "This is¡­ letting it loose lightly?" Aurora could really only blink a couple of times as she looked down at Miss Pepondosovich, "...Then what if he isn''t taking it lightly?"


    "You don''t want to know, Kid," Miss Pepondosovich shook her head, "Let''s go, he''s done. Ack, ew! I think I got blood on my foot!"


    "You should start wearing shoes, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Har har. How many times do I have to tell you and Lucy that I don''t need or want to wear shoes?" Miss Pepondosovich kicked her foot, causing a st of wind to erupt as she cleaned all the blood and flesh sticking to her leg, and unfortunately threw them all to the bystanders,


    "So, Aura¡­ what are we doing here exactly?"


    "R¡­ right," Aurora then just quickly followed behind the two before walking ahead of them, "We¡­ need to stay here for a while. These people might have been thugs, but they were right about needing to pay the toll."


    "The toll¡­?" Miss Pepondosovich raised an eyebrow, "I thought this was awless country, why would there be a toll?"


    "Well¡­ it is awless ce," Aurora nced back at the bodies they left behind, only to see the bystanders finally looting the bodies as soon as they walked away ¡ª and then pushing them out of the floating ind after,


    "...And it isn''t exactly a toll per se ¡ª it''s a map."


    "...Then why not just call it a map?"


    "That¡­ I don''t know," Aurora sighed, "The Grand Triangle shifts from time to time, and only the location of the inds remain exactly the same ¡ª but the route, path, and things we need to avoid allpletely change each time."


    "Sounds like a fun ce," Miss Pepondosovich breathed out before looking at the sky and the horizon, "I guess beautiful ces like this truly are deadly."


    "Hm¡­" Aurora nodded, "...If it wasn''t for that fact, then most life would probably be living here ¡ª one would be able to freely travel in space even without fancy spaceships. Imagine going on an adventure free of being caged in one. Well¡­ I guess the two of you don''t really need to imagine."


    "I just noticed," Miss Pepondosovich started looking around. The city they were in just looked like a normal city ¡ª maybe it could even be considered old-looking in terms of aesthetics. But most importantly¡­


    "...I''ve noticed this ¡ª but are the majority of the species living in the Unknown¡­ are humanoids? I mean, like you and Riley?"


    "Oh¡­" Aurora also looked around, "...Yes. I do believe we''re the majority and¡ª"


    "Hey there, sweet cheeks."


    And before Aurora could finish her words, several men they passed by going deeper into the city started whistling and calling for her attention.


    Aurora, however, did not even nce at them as she pointed her gun at them.


    "Woah, rx. We were only joking. Hehehe¡­"


    "See youter, sweet cheeks. We''ll be pping thatter."


    "It''s best not to talk to anyone or mingle with anyone while we''re here," Aurora said as she looked at Miss Pepondosovich, "We''ve already put a target on our backs by killing the gangs earlier, we don''t need the additional smoke to¡­ where''s Riley Ross?"


    "Where do you think?" Miss Pepondosovich smirked. And as soon as she did so, Aurora quickly turned around¡­


    ¡­only to see Riley holding the necks of the two people from the group who taunted her, while the others were lying t on the floor, clearly dead.


    "You¡­" Aurora could really only close her eyes and sigh, "...Why did you kill them? Their catcalling wasn''t bothering me at all, I''m used to it."


    "I killed them because they were breathing, Aurora," Riley just shrugged before letting go of the corpses.


    "We should stop killing people¡­" Aurora shook her head, "...This ce might bewless, but there are a lot of gangs and organizations here ¡ª and as I told you¡­


    ¡­there are people with abilities here, we are lucky we haven''t run into one yet. But if we do¡­


    ¡­with what I have been hearing, they might be even stronger than you, Riley Ross."


    doubt


    Romeru


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 Chapter 1115: Monkeh

    Chapter 1115: Monkeh


    "Monkeh! Monkeh!"


    Somewhere through the dark alleys of the first ind that Riley docked to, the man who let escape was running across the darkness until he reached some sort of empty lot where the colorful veil of the Grand Triangle did not reach ¡ª the lot was filled with all sorts of treasure, a mountain of them that almost created entire walls.


    And yet, even though it was in the center of the bleak city, no one dared to pick up anything from the pile.


    "Monkeh!"


    "What is it?" And from the mountain of treasures, a shadow spoke ¡ª only revealing an arm that was slightly hair, with fingernails that were sharp enough to seemingly cut the air itself.


    "A¡­ a visitor killed Alexus and the others! We¡­ we killed Garboza''s men since they got to the visitor''s ship first, but then he¡­ he just suddenly started killing all of us. He¡­ he sawed Alexus''s head right in front of us, Monkeh!"


    "Oh¡­?" The shadow hiding within the treasures twirled its fingers, "Someone as domineering as that came to visit the Grand Triangle? Very interesting¡­


    ¡­Nine."


    The shadow then snapped its fingers, and as it did so, another shadow emerged from the pile of treasures.


    "Yes, Monkeh?" The shadow kneeled.


    "Why don''t you go and wee our new friends?"


    "Hm¡­ dly."


    ***


    "Oh, this is an interesting taste. I thought it would be nd since everything here looks so old and archaic, but not at all."


    After creating chaos in the dock, Aurora just watched as Riley and Miss Pepondosovich were now just casually dining in a tavern without a care in the world at all. She ordered her own food too, but she hadn''t even touched it since the memory of Riley sawing someone''s head right in front of her was still quite fresh in her mind.


    The only thing she could really think of while looking at the meat on her te was the man''s neck. If she wasn''t trained not to panic in even the most extreme of situations, she would probably be hurling and vomiting without pause right about now.


    "This is interesting, Riri! I knew when I first looked at it that it would taste like carrots, taste it!"


    And so, Aurora just decided to watch Riley and Miss Pepondosovich for now in hopes that she could recover her appetite soon from seeing them eat.


    "Riri, taste it!" Miss Pepondosovich gently leaped from her chair and stood on Riley''sp, feeding him a spoonful of the pie she was eating ¡ª and Riley did not hesitate to eat it at all, "So¡­? Carrots, right?"


    "It is slightly bitter, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley lightly moved his mouth and tongue, "But I suppose it does."


    "Right!?" Miss Pepondosovich then casually wiped Riley''s mouth with a napkin before hopping back to her chair, "I wonder what sort of ingredients you could find in this ce ¡ª are you nning to cook anytime soon?"


    "Perhaps I should," Riley nodded, "The Grand Triangle seems to hold a new set of ingredients for me to try, Miss Pepondosovich."


    "Nice¡­ nice," Miss Pepondosovich almost pulled her bunny ears in excitement, "Let me know if you want one of those things flying around, I''ll go hunt it myself." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Hm," Riley nodded. And while the two were just casually talking to each other, Aurora could not help but squint her eyes the entire time.


    "Miss Pepondosovich¡­" Aurora almost leaned over the table as she looked Miss Pepondosovich in the eyes, "...I know Riley Ross can shrink himself, and I also know this isn''t my business at all but I just suddenly thought of it and it just came to me, but¡­


    ¡­aren''t you the mother of Riley''s children? I mean, it makes sense¡­ you call them."


    "...Pft," Miss Pepondosovich really only waved her hand and chuckled, "No. Riri and I are just extremely close friends, isn''t that right, Riri?"


    "Yes."


    "Riri''s children have different mothers. It''s¡­plicated," Miss Pepondosovich sighed while once again waving her hand, "Trust me, you don''t want to get involved with all of that unless you also want to be pregnant."


    "R¡­ right," Aurora cleared her throat and looked away from Riley, "We¡­ certainly don''t want that happening."


    "Anyway, where''s this map of yours?" Miss Pepondosovich then started looking around the tavern.


    "...Usually someone should be approaching us by now to sell it," Aurora sighed and shook her head.


    "Huh¡­" Miss Pepondosovich continued to look around, "...All that''s approaching us are sleazy and sinister stares ¡ª I''d have to say, you''re quite popr to these ruffians. Hm, I guess you''re not that bad-looking, huh?"


    "That''s¡­ thanks?"


    "Also, this food is¡ª"


    "!!!"


    And before Miss Pepondosovich couldment on the food again, she quickly lifted up her te as an unusually long staff suddenly lunged through their table ¡ªpletely splitting it in half.


    Aurora quickly pointed her gun to where the staff came from, only to see it actually extending right from outside the door. Very slowly, however, the staff started to retract, right at the same time that a high-pitched cackle started to whisper from the outside.


    And very soon, the owner of the staff revealed herself and stepped inside the tavern.


    "Now, who''s this fine-lookingdy?" Miss Pepondosovich raised an eyebrow as she carefully ced her te to another table and she looked at the man who owned the staff from head to toe.


    She looked human, except for the fact that her nose was somewhat t and her face was covered with red fur which seamlessly flowed through her spiky long red hair ¡ª but perhaps the most important and most noticeable thing was the long tail wagging behind her waist.


    "It''s¡­ It''s Nine!"


    "Does¡­ does that mean Monkeh''s here!?"


    "S¡­shit! We ate at the wrong ce today!"


    And almost as if to answer Miss Pepondosovich''s questions, the other diners in the tavern started screaming as they all got up from their seats and started running away.


    "Did I tell any of you to leave!?" Unfortunately for those who stood up, Nine swung her staff, which extended across the entire tavern in less than a blink of an eye ¡ª and very slowly, everyone who stood up just started dropping to the floor; whether their lower bodies or their upper bodies touched the floor first, no one really paid attention.


    As for Aurora, the only thing she could really do was gasp as she was pulled down by Miss Pepondosovich ¡ª if she did not do so, then she would probably also be one of the people currently split in half and scattered on the floor right now.


    "Hoho¡­" Nine''s staff returned to its normal length as she ced it over her shoulder, "...I guess there was a reason why I was sent here, and it is the three of you."


    Nine then just casually walked toward Riley''s table, which was already broken in half. Riley, however, did not heed her any mind at all as he just started picking up the broken shards of tes and carefully collecting them over a napkin.


    "I was told the one who killed and yed with our subordinates was white of hair and skin," Nine then stood right beside Riley, "And that could really be only you, isn''t it?"


    "Perhaps," Riley did not even look at Nine as he continued to collect the broken tes, "Please move your feet, it will be dangerous if someone steps over the¡ª"


    "So nonchnt," Nine released a high-pitched chuckle as she took a step back so Riley could get that shard she was stepping on, "But I wonder for how long!?"


    And with her voice getting louder as her only warning, she swung her staff and mmed it right on the back of Riley''s head ¡ª causing a st of wind to just blow everything away, even the wooden floor rippled from the shockwave.


    If it wasn''t for Miss Pepondosovich holding Aurora, she would have also probably nted herself on the wall by now.


    "Hm?"


    "What¡­?" Nine almost let go of her staff as she watched as Riley just casually sat up and looked at her like she did not just hit him on the head at all. Nine then turned to look at her staff, only to see itpletely bent and carrying the shape of Riley''s head, "You¡­"


    "That was quite rude of you to do, Nine," Riley then just casually stood up while shaking his head, "We were in the midst of eating and enjoying our food, you could have waited until we were done. You could have even joined us."


    "Huh¡­" A small smile crawled on Nine''s face as she grabbed the other end of her staff and then just casually straightened the entire thing, "...So, I am guessing that you''re quite strong?"


    "Not really, Nine," Riley let out a small sigh as he ced the napkin filled with shards to the side, "But perhaps in rtive to the rest of you, then I suppose so."


    "Heh¡­" Nine once again let out a high-pitched chuckle, "...Then let''s see what you have, White Face."

 Chapter 1116: Worthy Under the Heavens

    Chapter 1116: Worthy Under the Heavens


    "Then¡­ let''s see what you have, White Face."


    "If that is what you want, Ugly Face."


    "You dare!?"


    And of course, any species of the female variety would most probably take offense in what Riley had just said ¡ª and Nine was not any different.


    "I would have you know that I am the most beautiful of my kind!" Nine thrust her staff straight onto Riley''s chest, and when Riley just used his arm to block her attack, a small smile started to crawl on her face, "Got you!"


    Nine then twisted her staff, causing it to violently spin while extending almost instantly at the same time ¡ª creating a cyclone that violently pushed Riley straight through the wall and to the outside¡ªno. The staff continued to extend, causing Riley to hit his back several times on several houses.


    "Heh¡­" Nine let out a small scoff ¡ª cing the side of her palm above her eyebrows as she pretended to look for Riley in the distance, "...Goodbye, White Face."


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 Chapter 1117: My Girls

    Chapter 1117: My Girls


    "My name is Three. And you are not worthy of Monkeh''s time at all."


    "I do not even know who Monkeh is, Three."


    "Exactly, because you have no right to know who she is!"


    Three was almost three times as big as Riley, and her hand could fully fit Riley''s entire head ¡ª and she proved that by just suddenly grabbing Riley''s head and then mming him into the ground several times without even allowing him to get another word in.


    She mmed him to the point that the ground cracked and created a small crater, and once she was seemingly satisfied, she threw him up in the air. She then pped her wings, creating violent skirts of wind to form around her as she quickly chased Riley in the air before swinging her staff straight down his spine.


    This time, several thunders exploded in the air as Riley just dropped back down like a ragdoll ¡ª but Three did not let him hit the ground at all as she descended faster than him and waited for him on the ground¡­ before swinging her staff like a bat and hitting Riley right on the head.


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 Chapter 1118: Riley vs. Monkeh

    Chapter 1118: Riley vs. Monkeh


    "So, you''re the one who has been killing all of my girls, hm?"


    "Just two of them, Monkeh. Were they your clones?"


    "No. As I said, they were my girls."


    Even with all the noise and chatter around them, Riley and Monkeh were justpletely in a world of their own as they stared at each other. And even though there was no wind blowing in the za, both their hair seemed to be waving in the air for some reason.


    Monkeh seemed to be on the verge of just rushing toward Riley as she gripped her staff tight, but even after several seconds, she hadn''t made a move at all and was just looking at Riley from head to toe.


    And surprisingly, Riley was the one to break the silence between the two.


    "Did I really kill Nine and Three, though?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he looked at the spots where he tortured and ended the two, "They just suddenly turned into clouds and flew away."


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 Chapter 1119: The Map

    Chapter 1119: The Map


    "Did you¡­


    ¡­just try to steal my kill, Pig?"


    And once again, even though the words were not meant for her, Monkeh could feel her entire body responding from Riley''s voice. It was to the point that all of her fur stood up¡ªno. It was to the point that all of her fur almost left her skin and turned into clones, who then would just run away and leave her without any hesitation.


    It was fear.


    Primal fear ¡ª something that she did not think still existed in her body.


    "Garboza¡­" And she could really only imagine what the humanoid pig was feeling right now that all of the killing intent was focused only on him. Contrary to Monkeh''s expectations, however, Garboza did not react at all.


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 Chapter 1120: Onward

    Chapter 1120: Onward


    VR 1119


    "The Order of Nothing, huh?"


    "Ah, Riley! Why did you just reveal our mission like that!?"


    "But she is already part of the crew, Aurora."


    "She hasn''t even stepped into the ship yet!"


    After a few hours of Rileypletely terrorizing the people in the za, they were now just casually strolling across the dock like nothing happened at all. But of course, the streets around them werepletely empty ¡ª the dock was nowpletely empty too. As soon as people realized that there was going to be a war between the two gangs, all of the people who were just visiting the First Ind all returned to their ships.


    And when they heard that someone was massacring both factions, they all just collectively decided to fly away. And so, right now, the first ind seemed incredibly empty. But of course, Riley and the others hadn''t really even explored a percent of the ¡ª but it did not matter now at all since they were already going to get what they wanted.


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 Chapter 1121: Ridiculey

    Chapter 1121: Ridiculey


    "That thing¡­ it looks so beautiful."


    "...You and I have very different definitions of beauty, Aura."


    Aurora and Miss Pepondosovich were currently staring into the colorful expanse of the Grand Triangle ¡ª no matter how much one would look out and enjoy the view, it would seem that one would see something new every time. But right now, however, there was currently a colossal octopus the size of an entire building flying in front of them.


    The way it turned its tentacles seemed slow, but that was only because it was quite a distance away from them. Even with the distance, however, Miss Pepondosovich could not help but just wince as she saw the octopus'' teeth that seemed like severalyers of an inverted circr saw. If their ship were to happen to be anywhere near its mouth, it would surely just crumble into pieces almost instantly.


    "Come to think of it¡­ how are the creatures here even flying around without any gravity to leverage?" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes, "I get why they can live since there''s like air and stuff ¡ª but to move as if they''re swimming?"


    "You have not tried exploring the Grand Triangle without a ship?" Monkeh, who was justzing around while spinning on her chair, could not help but stand up and join the two, "You truly haven''t been here for long, eh?"


    "The expanse of the Grand Triangle has density, almost like fluid," Aurora exined, "Everything gains some sort of buoyancy here. I don''t really know the exact details ¡ª Blue Helmet is the one who knows all the details about that¡­ but we left him."


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 Chapter 1122: Tuesday

    Chapter 1122: Tuesday


    Somewhere between the border of the Known and the Unknown universe, in the opposite direction where Riley and Miss Pepondosovich traveled to, was a that waspletely hidden away from the rest of the universe.


    Hidden in a way that their is literally covered in some sort of dome which prevents them from ever being seen or detected by anything if they do not want to be found. And on that was a woman that looked almost exactly like Riley.


    And as a matter of course, it could be none other than Olseyir ¡ª one of Riley''s clones that have gainedplete independence from him and was allowed to keep that independence for an indefinite amount of time.


    And right now, Olseyir was just walking across a field filled with harvest. The farmers, who also had extremely white skin and white hair, all nodding and greeting her as she passed by. Olseyir, of course, returned all of this with a gesture of her own; seemingly not getting tired at all no matter how many times she does it.


    The woman beside her, however, looked like she was at thest ammo of her patience. And after several more nods, the woman beside her blocked her path and just looked her in the eyes ¡ª and that woman, of course, was none other than her supposed daughter from the future, Aerith''Ross.


    "What are we still doing here¡­?" Aerith''Ross let out a hampered breath filled with frustration; clicking her tongue at Olseyir. Olseyir, however, did not stop walking at all, causing Aerith''Ross to just walk backward in front of her, "I already told you what''s going to happen in the future, Mother. If we don''t act now, then the same thing is just going to happen! I''m not going to spend the rest of my life running away ¡ª I was sent here to the past for some reason, and the only reason I can think of is to kill Riley''s children."


    "You said that," Olseyir ced her hands on her back as she just continued walking and greeting the farmers, "You do not need to repeat yourself several times, Aerith''Ross."


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 Chapter 1123: Enels True Abilities

    Chapter 1123: Enel''s True Abilities


    "Ack, I want to eat Father''s cooking!"


    It wasn''t only Aurora and Monkeh witnessing Riley cooking in the expanse of space ¡ª Lucy, Renna, and Riley''s other children could not help but just stare at their screens as Riley started cooking the colossal octopus with a giant pan.


    All of them, just idling in the living room of Riley''s penthouse while they fit each other on the camera.


    "My dear sister, please find a way to go there and get us some!" Lucy quickly pushed Renna away. And surprisingly, Renna did not respond violently at all.


    "I am trying," Renna sighed while shaking her head, "But there is something preventing me from creating a portal near Father ¡ª I have also tried creating a portal outside the Grand Triangle, but I couldn''t."


    "But you were able to do it when they were in that Everywhere ce!" Lucy clicked his tongue in disappointment before just focusing on the screen again, "...Are you sure you just don''t want to solo Father?"


    "Stop being such a child, Lucifer," Renna just looked nkly at Lucy before looking at Arthas, "You should be more like Arthas. Look at him, he is very well-behaved."


    "Do not mistake his fear for demure behavior, my dear sister," Lucy once again clicked his tongue; this time waving his finger at the same time as he shook his head, "Arthas is scared of you."


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 Chapter 1124: Try It\

    Chapter 1124: Try It


    "...What do you mean I told you?"


    Talia asked ¡ª but almost everyone in that room already knew the implications of Enel''s words. None of them were ready to speak it, however, as they were all afraid of what it would actually mean for all of them there. But Enel did not care at all about what they were feeling at all as he just casually turned around and then just once again casually walked toward the portal.


    "Wait! I will go to Big Sister Tata!"


    And this time, no one really tried to stop him as he just tip-toed and then leaned his head inside the portal; slightly struggling to lift himself up. Very soon, however, they all saw Enel''s legs just wagging cutely in the air ¡ª almost as if someone was tickling him on the other side.


    And after a few seconds, he just pulled away from the portal; wheezing and giggling like mad. And this time, he was holding a slice of pizza with him.


    "Yes," Enel then nodded several times as he took a bite of the pizza while looking at Talia, "She told me to tell you that she told you that you should know what it means! Brppp¡­ Tongue twister!"


    Enel then started chewing violently; devouring the pizza almost immediately as he was afraid that Lucy was going to take it as he noticed him approaching.


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 Chapter 1125: Seeing Red

    Chapter 1125: Seeing Red


    "Why not try now?"


    "...You mean fight?"


    Miss Pepondosovich''s ears started standing on their ends¡­ as she actually somewhat weed the idea.She turned to look at Riley, who just shrugged his shoulders in response while just casually taking off the astronaut suit.


    "...That might actually be a good idea," Miss Pepondosovich''s eyes then squinted , "Riri has been getting on my nervestely."


    And as soon as Riley heard that, his eyes quickly blinked a couple of times; his hands pausing from taking the astronaut suit off,


    "I did not know you feel that way, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley tilted his head to the side, "May I know why?"


    "Why¡­?" Miss Pepondosovich''s mouth started to widen as aughing breath escaped her lips. She then took several steps back before just leaping onto a chair, almost as if she was bracing herself with what she was about to say,


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 Chapter 1126: Ready, Set...

    Chapter 1126: Ready, Set...


    VR 1126


    "What''s¡­ happening here?"


    It was ominous, very much so. Riley and the others hadn''t even left the dock, and yet they could hear the pained moans of all the people. It was almost as if the entire itself was letting out a hum. Everyone''s eyes were red; their tears, almost gave hints of pink as they trailed down their cheeks.


    But when it seemed like the group wasn''t moving from their spot at all, Riley just casually stepped forward without even minding all the moans and screams of pain. "Wait, Riri¡­" Miss Pepondosovich grabbed him by the sleeve, "...We don''t know what''s causing this yet ¡ª this seems pretty serious. Maybe we should just return to the ship for now."


    "There is no need to worry about any of this, Miss Pepondosovich," Riley shook his head, "This is perfectly normal ¡ª none of them are dying, they are just in pain. And from the volume and the tone of their scream, it is excruciatingly painful, but it is not deadly."


    "...Do you think this is the doing of the Higher God that''s living on this?" Miss Pepondosovich squinted her eyes before carefully looking at the top of the pyramid, which was barely visible from howrge the pyramid was.


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 Chapter 1127: How?

    Chapter 1127: How?


    "What¡­ is happening?"


    Aurora did not really know what to expect when she epted this mission. Of course, she knew it was going to be as ridiculous and as mind-blogging as possible ¡ª after all, she was with a man who was capable of destroying the Order of Nothing''s ships like they were nothing, and then he also salvaged all of their parts by telekically bringing it along with them.


    And perhaps most importantly, when they sold everything they salvaged, he refused to get any of the money ¡ª that was money that would set him up for thousands of lifetimes without have to lift a single finger again, and that is what''s most ridiculous for Aurora.


    Someone who would refuse something like that could only be a crazy person.


    And of course, she was proven right ¡ª even hispanion, Miss Pepondosovich, told her that Riley was insane. But right now, however, she was starting to think that she might be the one that is going insane.


    Her eyes were seeing it, but her mind waspletely at a loss as to what was happening.


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 Chapter 1128: Set vs. Riley

    Chapter 1128: Set vs. Riley


    "...Interesting."


    "Were you¡­ inside your quarters the entire time!?"


    "I was, Aurora."


    Even Monkeh, whose sense of smell could probably be enough to catch a whiff of beings from another, could not help but be taken aback as she saw Riley just casually approaching them ¡ª and judging by how messy his hair is¡­ and the fact that he was wearing a pair of white pajamas, he had actually just woken up from a nap.


    Sure, most of Monkeh''s strength and abilities werepletely sealed ¡ª but she did not even notice Riley ever going to the quarters, he had always just remained on the bridge ever since she joined the crew. Is it possible¡­


    ¡­that the Riley that fought her was also a clone this entire time? If so, that would mean¡­ they have actually been hanging out with a clone?


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 Chapter 1129: Sets Sins vs. Rileys Sins

    Chapter 1129: Set''s Sins vs. Riley''s Sins


    "Now, which sins do you think weigh more ¡ª I, who have lived for billions of years, destroying and creating entire civilizations ¨C or you, a fledgling who has not even lived for a thousand years?"


    Those who have lived in the Domain of the Gods are capable of knowing someone''s age just by looking at them ¡ª even Miss Pepondosovich was capable of this when she first met Riley and even mentioned it once or twice. "Hm," Riley, however, even with his head being gripped by Set, just responded with a shrug as he slowly turned his head to look at the scepter that turned into a giant bnce scale ¡ª but s, he was only able to catch a glimpse of it before Set just turned his head to face him again.


    "Look into my eyes," Set''s eyes were now justpletely a pair of voids as he stared Riley in the eyes ¡ª and as Riley looked back into the abyss, he felt himself being sucked into whatever Set was doing to him.


    "...Impressive," Riley was able to whisper out before his eyes alsopletely turnedpletely dark.


    "Of course, it is impressive." Set whispered. And Riley truly was impressed ¡ª Riley is immune to almost all mind attacks, with Xra''s mind-reading ability being one of the exceptions. And so, he truly was impressed that Set was able to use his abilities topletely pull in Riley''s mind ¡ª and very soon, Set also entered his own mind.


    And there, Riley was already waiting for him in a vast dark field.


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 Chapter 1130: I Enjoy It

    Chapter 1130: I Enjoy It


    "You¡­ enjoyed all the sins you havemitted?"


    Set was at a loss after that; his eyes, just staring at the endless darkness that surrounded them. He remained quiet for what seemed like an entire minute before turning his attention back to Riley, and then the pool of blood beneath their feet.


    And after a few more seconds of looking back and forth everywhere, a small smirk crawled onto his face.


    "...Do you really think that your sins will ever outweigh mine?" Set''s smirk turned into a full-on chuckle as he shook his head, "I am a god that has lived for billions and billions of years ¨C that alone should tell you that it is impossible for you to be even more sinful than I am. I am the god of strength, famine, and destruction ¨C how could you even be equal to me?"


    "I am not equal to you, Set," Riley shook his head, "I am greater."


    "...Pft," Set held his stomach as he burst out into a violent fit ofughter, causing the pool of blood beneath their feet to just start rippling out like it was the sea, "Enough of this."


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 Chapter 1131: Ei

    Chapter 1131: Ei


    "I heard you have been trying to call me, Child?"


    "...I thought you would nevere."


    Somewhere extremely far away from where Riley currently is, Aerith''Ross''s white silhouette stood isted in the dark expanse of space ¡ª the only entity for lightyears away, and she had been so for several days¡­ until now.


    "...You changed your appearance?"


    "You like it?"


    "It is¡­ unbefitting of one called the personification of Death itself."


    Aerith''Ross turned around, only to see a woman with long blonde hair and extremely blue eyes; her skin, slightly tan and almost golden.


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 Chapter 1132: Unexpected Entity

    Chapter 1132: Unexpected Entity


    "What¡­ even is that?"


    "That used to be a ¡ª and I''m sure there''s still a inside it¡­ but I wouldn''t really know since I haven''t visited the ce for a very long time."


    The Nothing Nothing ship was slowly approaching the covered in violent clouds ¡ª and from afar, it almost sounded like the entire was growling from all the lightning crawling across its surface.


    "...Are we sure there''s even a inside?" Aurora squinted her eyes as she carefully controlled the ship; ready to fly away in the first sign of trouble, "But then again¡­ no one would have been able to travel across the Grand Triangle if it wasn''t because no one would have the map."


    "I appreciate you for answering your own question, Aura," Miss Pepondosovich also stood in front of the window shield; her eyes, squinting as she tried to sense for any Higher God that might also be resting on the third, "...What do you call this one, then?"


    "We called it the Sphere World," Monkeh breathed out, "Since it is the only here that is actually in the shape of a globe ¨C but now, I do not really know what it is called."


    "Do you sense any gods inside the, Miss Pepondosovich?" Riley, who was currently cleaning Set''s corpse, also nced at the roaring before looking at Miss Pepondosovich.


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 Chapter 1133: V is For

    Chapter 1133: V is For


    A few minutes ago inside the Nothing Nothing ship, Riley was about to rx inside of his private quarters, seconds away from making a clone so that he would still be at the bridge while doing nothing at the same time.


    He truly was just here for the Order of Nothing, and it would take something special for him to evene out ¨C like Set, who is considered a Higher God. But of course, since he had faced Kravos the Godkiller before, he thought that it would be more fun to fight with Set ¨C but s, he was just extremely disappointed.


    Set should have just continued fighting him instead of bringing them into that domain that measures sins ¨C after all, Set might have had a better chance of actually killing Riley once just by himself¡­


    ¡­and now Set was just resting on the bridge, forever lost in existence.


    "I suppose I am just going to sleep," Riley looked at his clothes, and since he was still wearing pajamas, he did not really need to do anything else but just rest, "I have not done that in a very long time. But first, I need to create a clone so that¨CHm?"


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 Chapter 1134: Reason

    Chapter 1134: Reason


    "I supposed it is because out of all the people I have met in my life, Victoria¡­


    ¡­you are the only one who has responded normally ¨C I suppose that is why I like you so much."


    "That is because the people in your life are too scared to do anything about you! And shut your fucking mouth!"


    "What¡­ what is happening!? Why is the Messiah acting like that!?"


    "The Messiah has taught us Calmness Despite Destruction, why is she suddenly acting like that!?"


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 Chapter 1135: The End

    Chapter 1135: The End


    "Because I am in love with you, Riley. And it is disgusting ¨C and the only way to kill that part of myself is to kill you¡­


    ¡­and if I have to kill all of me, then so be it."


    "Hm?"


    Riley blinked a couple of times as several trickles of electricity and lightning started to spark everywhere ¨C almost like butterflies dancing around¡­ trillions of them. Riley poked one of the sparks with his finger, only for his finger to bepletely obliterated ¨C the lightning, still crawling through his hand and eating away at it.


    Riley just casually cut off his hand to get rid of the crawling lightning as he focused on V, whose entire body was now once again almostpletely translucent ¨C only her face was left as the rest of her body had be lightning itself.


    "Bolt Extinction," V then let out a long and breathy whisper as her face was very slowly swallowed up by the lightning being produced by her body ¨C and as she was disappearing, the trickles and streaks of lightning that filled the entire area of a starpletely devoured everything in its path. Space itself was distorting and being torn apart, to the point that the universe itself started to act.


    Millions of portals, emerging by themselves so that the dead multiverses connected to it could at least absorb some of the impacts of ''Bolt Extinction'' ¨C if Riley is not mistaken, then this was the strongest attack he had ever seen and experienced.


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 Chapter 1136: With You

    Chapter 1136: With You


    "Why¡­ why would you even save me!? Just¡­ just let me be¡­ Riley, let me be in peace!"


    V''s screams once again resounded through the air ¨C but this time, no longer throughout the entire, but only across therge peristyle where herrge throne stood. There were hundreds and hundreds of people still here, all looking at her and watching her break down¡­


    ¡­but she did not care at all. She did not care at all that the people who worshipped her for more than a hundred years were looking at her like she was some sort of broken tool ¨C their eyes, showing nothing but pity, disappointment, anger, and frustration as they watched their Messiah act like one of them; like a vulnerable mortal, extremely wed and ugly.


    But very soon, however, all of their feelings merged into understanding, a connection they had never really felt before from V. It was almost as if for the very first time, she was actually speaking directly toward them¡­


    ¡­and the only thing they could really do was sit on the floor and listen to her wail.


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 Chapter 1137: Sudden Event

    Chapter 1137: Sudden Event


    "I am going to bepletely free of you. And for that¡­


    ¡­I will have to be with you, Riley Ross. Let me join you."


    "No."


    "...Eh?"


    It may not have seemed like it, but V used all of her courage and poured her heart out with those words ¨C she dug deep into her past and into her feelings just to be able to utter them¡­


    ¡­and yet Riley justpletely justpletely t out said no.


    V did not even know what to say anymore as she just stared at Riley''s nk face. She waited for him to say something else, but they only ended up just looking at each other awkwardly for an entire minute. Well, awkward for her, at least. She doesn''t believe that Riley is capable of feeling awkward at all.


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 Chapter 1138: The Fourth Island

    Chapter 1138: The Fourth Ind


    "My name''s¡­ V."


    "That''s a letter."


    V, truly, was shocked when she realized that the crew that Riley kept mentioning was not actually the Baby Crew, but an entirely new crew of unfamiliar faces. The only reason why she was so courageous in joining Riley in the first was because she thought the others were going to be here ¨C but s.


    But of course, she wasn''t just going to back down now. This just means that her hurdle became bigger,rger¡­ harder ¨C and she was totally not thinking of anything else.


    "It''s¡­ short for Victoria."


    "That''s too long, I''ll just call you V. I''m Miss Pepondosovich."


    "...Okay."


    V could really only blink a couple of times as Miss Pepondosovich introduced herself ¨C of course, Riley''spanions would be weird, that was really the only prerequisite if one wanted to actually stay sane while being in the same room as him.


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 Chapter 1139: Heli

    Chapter 1139: Heli


    Somewhere in the endless expanse of the Sole Remaining Universe, a streak of light was flying through the darkness ¨C a hint of green flowing forward.


    Or perhaps, it was actually the universe that was moving over this streak of light; well, whatever the case may be, it was moving at a speed that should be considered impossible, instantaneous, in a way. Infinitely multiple times faster than the speed of light.


    And the only reason a trace of it could be seen was because the streak was actually moving in circles ¨C and it was, once again, doing something impossible ¨C resistance. It was moving too fast, to the point that it made the impossible possible as the expanse of space itself started to resist the streak of light.


    Something that didn''t yet exist was born ¨C space resistance, akin to wind resistance but in the expanse of space.


    Impossible. Downright ridiculous and stupid, and yet now it exists solely for the person creating the streak of light.


    It was the Queen of the Evaniels, Vania; her hair, glowing green and the markings on her body emitted a harsh and violent light as she ran in circles in the expanse of space.


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 Chapter 1140: Welcoming Party

    Chapter 1140: Weing Party


    "Perhaps we should call Death so that the two of you could reunite?" Riley''s calm voice cut through the tense air like a de made of ice.


    "Huh¡­?"


    Everyone in the room turned their eyes to Riley in confusion. Well, everyone except for Miss Pepondosovich, who just grinned to herself. V, meanwhile, only remained puzzled for a brief moment before she remembered that Riley indeed had a somewhat... unconventional rtionship with the literal concept of Death itself. But, of course, no one else knew that. Even Heli, whose eyes usually carried the weight of exhaustion and immortality, couldn''t help but widen them in genuine surprise. She stared at Riley for a few seconds, her lips twitching before a small, manic chuckle escaped her red lips.


    "You say you can call Death¡­?" Heli breathed out, her voice sharp yet somehow amused, as if she were toying with the thought.


    "I could," Riley nodded, as nonchnt as ever, the expression on his face as indifferent as if he were discussing the weather. "I have ways to do so, Heli. If you really are her mother, then I think she would be happy to see¨C"


    "Stop this mockery at once, you puny creature!" Heli''s voice thundered before Riley could finish, her hand cutting through the air as she thrust her palm forward. Her head tilted upward in disdain, as if she believed she could look down on him from where she stood. "You think someone as young as you couldmand Death? I sense youth in you¡ªyou are the youngest here, not even wet behind the ears!"


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 Chapter 1141: Kneel

    Chapter 1141: Kneel


    "Please, Monkeh¨Call of this is for you."


    "For¡­ me, huh?"


    The grand hall buzzed with life as servants carried traysden with rich meats, golden pastries, and vibrant fruits. A deep red carpet stretched from the towering doors to a gleaming, ornate table that seemed to go on forever¡­ and the red carpet, suspiciously, looked very simr to Monkeh''s staff.


    There were a lot of guests, every one of them adorned in all sorts of jewelry; their backs leaning in velvet chairs.


    "This¡­ ce isn''t as I remembered it. It¨C"


    "Everyone, Monkeh the Warrior God!"


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 Chapter 1142: Mother of Death...?

    Chapter 1142: Mother of Death...?


    "Wait¡­ wait¡­"


    Heli doesn''t understand what was happening at all¡ªnot at all. When she caught the scent of Monkeh, she thought she would finally have the chance to be with him¡ªher again¡­


    ¡­so why?


    Why is the literal Death right in front of her right now? Perhaps, in any other circumstances, she would probably actually be happy. After all, death was her moniker¡ªHeli was a literal goddess of death, for whatever that means¡ªand now Death was here, sharing her grand presence with her.


    Unfortunately, that presence wasn''t with her right now, but against her.


    "You lied to me Heli." But most importantly, there was another presence here that was slowly looming over her¡ªa presence she once thought to bepletely negligible,pletely¡­ insignificant.


    How? No matter how many times she tried to sense any godly aura or even a trace of age from Riley, she truly could not detect anything special from him. If anything¡­


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 Chapter 1143: Odun and the Throne

    Chapter 1143: Odun and the Throne


    "What is the meaning of this!?"


    "Father!"


    The voice echoed, thundered, reverberated, drummed, and all sorts of loud descriptions one could think of¡ªit was filled with authority and power, and the one who spoke them seemed to think too as he stepped inside thevish hall with confidence.


    But s, what he found inside, however, was a crowd that did not respond to his so-called authority at all. The man did not seem to care; he adjusted his eye patch as his remaining eye just scanned the area ¡ª first, he looked at Miss Pepondosovich and the others'' table, and as soon as he did so, his eye started to squint.


    Itnded on Monkeh first, and just escaped Odun''s lips; his sigh, however, was short-lived as soon as his single eye suddenlynded on Miss Pepondosovich¡ªwondering what sort of existence was currently in his hall.


    And then¡­ his eyended on V.


    Odun stared at her for a few seconds, a hint of a smile forming on his face. But after a few seconds, he just shook his head and focused on Heli, who was rushing toward him.


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 Chapter 1144: Riley vs. Odun

    Chapter 1144: Riley vs. Odun


    "Well then¡­ want to try repeating that again?"


    Odun''s hall was incrediblyvish, extremely luxurious¡ªand magical beyond words, and any attempt to actually describe it would fall short of even what it has to offer. But this magic was not easily seen; after all, one would usually find themselves just focusing on all the ornaments and the seemingly infinite amount of food its tables have to offer. But if one were to look up, one would actually find a map of the entire Grand Triangle in all of its brilliance and color.


    But no one would be looking at that now, even if one were to be told to¡ªhow could they, when something even more¡­ magical was about to happen?


    Even the frenzied crowd who had been previously frozen by fear of Death were now very slowly moving from the floor¡ªone by one, they pushed each other as they moved to the side of the hall. They could probably escape now, but what they were about to witness was probably worth being Heli''s ve again for another hundred years.


    In truth, these people were criminals¡ªall trapped under the dungeons of Aegard, some of them to be tortured for eternity. And since Heli was the one who managed the dungeon of Aegard, they had no choice at all but to follow her whims and all of her wishes¡ªand this was just one of hertest whims.


    She told them to act like guests, like proper people just casually having avish party. And lo and behold, it was because the Goddess of Death''s ex-lover was here. They all knew Monkeh, after all, in her previous life, she also spent some time in the dungeon¡ªthat''s where the two of them met.


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 Chapter 1145: Finally

    Chapter 1145: Finally


    "Did he just lose!?"


    "What do you think?"


    No one expected it¡ªno one at all.


    Odun, just casually sitting back on his throne with Riley''s head upon his spear. Even Monkeh, who was aware of just how strong Odun is, thought it would at least be a close match with Odun losing¡ªso why¡­ was Riley''s head the one on the spike, literally?


    But while everyone else had their eyes wide open, Miss Pepondosovich and V were just shaking their heads and sighing. And of course, Monkeh noticed this and immediately ced her attention on them. As for Aurora, although initially shocked, she was also slowly starting to learn that things are seldom the way they were with Riley, or perhaps it was even more often.


    And so, almost at the same time, she and Monkeh sat back at the table and just waited for Miss Pepondosovich to follow her words.


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 Chapter 1146: Introduction

    Chapter 1146: Introduction


    A few moments ago, in a darkness that was not a void, and neither was it actually darkness¡ªRiley stood alone, a white spot amidst all the ck.


    "Interesting."


    Riley started walking across the field of darkness. He had never really thought he would feel nostalgic about something other than Italian Mafia Reborn, but here he was, somewhat feeling something as he once again found himself here after a long time.


    And perhaps even longer was thest time he saw nothing.


    ¡­But here he was, right in front of him.


    "Oh? You no longer have long hair?" And once again, Nothing was a reflection of him¡ªwell, not really¡ªas he still had the long hair Riley had before, "Hm¡­


    ¡­Nah, I''m keeping the long hair. So, wow¡ªseveral children, huh¡­that, I did not expect. What''s up with that?"


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 Chapter 1147: Consequences

    Chapter 1147: Consequences


    "Why¡­ why isn''t he fighting back?"


    Aurora did not really know whether to stay her eyes away from the disgusting violence that was happening in front of her right now¡ªit was a good thing that she was trained to keep calm at all times; if not, then she would have definitely hurled and vomited right now¡­ like what the other people who were doing.


    One has to understand that the people who were watching on the size, the frenzied crowd¡ªall of them are criminals, and yet even they could not help but shiver from the brutality happening in front of them right now.


    Or perhaps, it wasn''t just the act that was causing them topletely lose their minds¡ªit''s who it was happening to.


    Odun is the supreme ruler of Aegard¡ªhe had been for as long as they could remember. If there was anyone before him, then that would mean they were not as significant since their history truly starts with Odun already there¡ªhe is the start.


    But right now, the person that they treat as their god¡ªhis flesh was open for all of them to see, literally. Riley''s ribs were tightening and tightening by the second, and Odun''s skin was now being cut and torn open as his flesh and bones were being mushed.


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 Chapter 1148: Fumbled Winter

    Chapter 1148: Fumbled Winter


    "No¡­ no!"


    Odun''s wrinkled face folded even further as he caught a glimpse of the gray and destend before him¡ªand that was when he only saw it from afar through the hole. As he very slowly made his way to Riley, or more specifically, toward the hole with the view of Aegard, he slightly limped; now using his majestic spear as some sort of cane as he walked.


    As for the other warriors, they truly still wanted to attack Riley, but Heli''s warning rang in their minds. Why exactly did she warn her father not to attack Riley¡­? And why did their king not listen at all?


    It was obvious now just how abnormally strong this strange white man was¡ªcould it be it was Odun who first instigated the situation? But why?


    Why would their king, known for his incredible intellect and wisdom, offend someone like this? Someone who was capable of ying around with him, and then freeze their entire domain? Is it true what Heli said, then?


    Did Odun doom them all?


    "No¡­" Odun''s wrinkled hands stretched forward as he finally reached the hole in the wall. And there, his remaining eye reflected the consequences of his actions¨Cthe entirety of Aegard, stuck in an eternal winter.


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 Chapter 1149: Encounter with Them

    Chapter 1149: Encounter with Them


    The colorful expanse of the Grand Triangle shifted around them as Riley''s ship once again sliced through the space. "Hm¡­"


    None of the crew were really talking to each other, with the sound of Miss Pepondosovich eating a carrot being the only sound chewing in the air, literally. And perhaps, in a way¡­ this silence is for the best after what Riley had just done to the they just left behind.


    But of course, there are some people in the crew they have right now that is not actually capable of living in the silence.


    "So¡­" Monkeh yawned as she started spinning on her chair, "...How much longer?"


    "Not long¡­" Aurora muttered, her star-shaped eyes reflecting the new holographic magic map that Heli gave them. "...But ording to this, we''re close to the Fifth Ind now. What¡­ was it called again?"


    "Khaos¡­" Heli, who was just lying down on the floor close to Monkeh, slightly shifted; her silky voice flowing through the room, "...My father has been at war with them before I was even born¡ªOh, I''m so excited...what do you think Master Riley will do next, my love?"


    "Stop talking to me." Monkeh''s tail flicked as she noticed Heli staring at her.


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 Chapter 1150: Mimics

    Chapter 1150: Mimics


    [Who''s¡­ that?]


    Everyone''s eyes were on Aurora¡ªall of them seemingly having a look of expectation in their eyes. As for Aurora, well¡­ she just wanted to sink into any random hole she could find. But s, their ship was airtight even on the inside to prevent normal intruders from sneaking into the ship.


    "Riley¡­ I''m not really¡ª"


    "She is the one who is meant to destroy all of you."


    Aurora was gesturing to Riley to stop it, motioning and waving on her neck to cut it out.


    "And now she is gesturing to me that she will cut off your head, Grand Puppeteer," Riley let out a small but very deep sigh while shaking his head, "I have to admit, even I am a little surprised that she is this aggressive when ites to your organization."


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 Chapter 1151: Crazy

    Chapter 1151: Crazy


    "You were in there again¡­? What do you have on you this time, hm?"


    "Popcorn!"


    "...Why do they keep giving you stuff that''s not healthy for you?"


    Gxies and gxies away, back in Riley''s not-so-humble apartment, Diana was currently giving herself some time to rx as she, Renna, and Hera had just finished doing several trials to try and convert Renna and Lucy ¡ª but s, even after months had passed already, their progress haspletelye to a halt.


    If there was any constion to this, it was that the two worlds were now no longer in the threat of colliding with each other. They were still, of course, in the course of doing so¡ªbut with Hera and her variants working overtime to make sure to convert all of Paige''s creations, it would take at least hundreds of years before that could happen.


    And a hundred years would surely be enough for them to find a solution to all of this. And so, this is why Diana was giving herself some well-deserved break¡ªespecially since Riley''s children were away, and Hannah and the others also had their own adventures across the universe.


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 Chapter 1152: Gone

    Chapter 1152: Gone


    "What¡­ is that?"


    Aurora had no idea how things escted so quickly. Just minutes ago, she didn''t even want to fight, and now, here she was¡ªsuddenly wearing her red helmet andbat armor that Riley had pulled out of nowhere. She didn''t even get a chance to refuse.


    And now, Riley was once again rummaging through his so-called pockets. Aurora had always wondered how he managed to pull things out of them whenever he needed, even though his clothes seemed seamless¡ªno slits, no openings, nothing. She always thought it was strange, but now, she finally saw it. She saw how it worked.


    They don''t exist.


    Riley''s pockets didn''t exist until he wanted them to. The thought sent a shiver down her spine. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but before she could even think of one, her eyes slowly drifted to the object he was holding. The thing in his hands seemed to pull her in, like it had a gravity of its own.


    "What is that?" Aurora asked again, this time more sharply, pointing at the object in his hands. It was obvious¡ªit was a rifle. But it was unlike anything she''d ever seen before.


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 Chapter 1153: To Camrose

    Chapter 1153: To Camrose


    "It''s¡­ gone."


    "Gone? Like the entire?"


    "I don''t know¡­ but it''s gone from the map!"


    Everyone was now gathered around Aurora; their eyes, reflecting the holographic map in front of her. Even Riley was there, his head tilted to the side as he wondered what he was actually seeing¡­ since this was the first time he even bothered looking at it.


    But even with his cluelessness, however, Riley was the one to first let out a sigh as if he actually had the answer.


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 Chapter 1154: A Different Dimension Altogether

    Chapter 1154: A Different Dimension Altogether


    "Off with his head! Off with it!"


    "He killed my daughter! She was just working there and serving him tea! What did she do to deserve that!?"


    "You dare kill my brother!? Free him! Free him and let me fight him!"


    "Do we know if he has family!? Kill them! Kill 3 of his generations!"


    The screams of the people were enough to cause the very air itself to tremble. The birds which were peacefully resting on the ceramic tiles of the roof, all flew away as even their eggs were vibrating from all the shouting and stomping of the people''s feet.


    Now, what could actually be the reason for thismotion? What would make a crowd thisrge to gather together and throw their anger at one single person?


    One single person, who was now being escorted across a wide street¡ªa wide street that was narrowing by the second as the crowd became wilder and wilder. None of them, however, actually dared to cross the invisible line that would allow them to reach for the man.


    Why would they? They were all afraid of him. Even the soldiers and escorts of the prisoner, whose head waspletely covered by a sack, were making sure to have at least a little distance away from him. Not letting an inch of their robes to even be within the prisoner''s reach.


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 Chapter 1155: Fate On Steroids

    Chapter 1155: Fate On Steroids


    [Riley Ross. Hero.]


    "Hm¡­"


    Riley had been staring at the book in his hands for quite a while now. He had been feeling the hard-bound cover, trying to figure out what sort of material it was made from¡ªand he actually already had an idea as it was a material he was used to handling.


    It was leather. A leather made from human skin, to be exact. And judging from how white it was, it was his skin.


    "Interesting, very interesting." He tilted his head, opening the book to find page after page of nk paper. Not a single word was written, no directions, nothing. Just empty pages.


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 Chapter 1156: Conspiracy

    Chapter 1156: Conspiracy


    "Hand over your money!"


    "Do you want to die, eh!? Is that it!?"


    "Kill one of them so they would understand how serious this is!"


    The bandits'' threats grew wilder with each p of their lips, and yet Riley hasn''t really made a move at all. He waited for them to actually lunge at him or the carriage, but they weren''t doing it at all.


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 Chapter 1157: Meeting An Old Friend So Soon

    Chapter 1157: Meeting An Old Friend So Soon


    "This is your handwriting¡­"


    Louis''s hands trembled as he held the letter, his eyes scanning its contents over and over again. The words were clear.


    It showed a detailed information of when and where their carriage would pass through the clearing. They even marked the best ce tounch their attack¡ªand judging from this letter, they weren''t actually bandits at all¡­ but assassins.


    "No¡­" Louis whispered, his breaths trembling as he nced at his butler, who stood a few feet away with wide, nervous eyes. "This¡­ this can''t be right. You''ve taken care of me my whole life, Felix. Why would you¡­ why would you do this?"


    "I didn''t!" Felix stepped forward as he showed both his palms in surrender, "I swear to you, Young Master! I had nothing to do with this!"


    Louis''s brow furrowed deeper as he looked back at the letter. The handwriting was unmistakable¡ªit was Felix''s.


    "It was him!" Felix violently pointed a finger at Riley, his voice growing frantic. "He must have nted this to make it look like I was involved! He set this whole thing up! Look at him¡ªhe doesn''t even deny it! He''s too quiet."


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 Chapter 1158: World’s Turning a Little Gray Again

    Chapter 1158: World¡¯s Turning a Little Gray Again


    "I know it is you, Gary."


    Louis''s knuckles tightened around the reins as Riley''s words hung heavily in the air. "What¡­ what do you mean by that?" he stammered, not even daring to nce back toward the small window separating him Riley.


    But Riley didn''t answer at all. Instead, he just very slowly closed the window with a soft click, leaving Louis all on his own with his thoughts.


    Louis swallowed hard, the lump in his throat refusing to go down. He told himself to stay calm, but his hands betrayed him, trembling so violently that the reins threatened to slip from his grasp. He wanted to jump down, to run as far away from Riley as possible¡ªbecause he was right.


    He is Gary Gray, reincarnated and peacefully living in a world without Riley Ross¡­ until now, that is. He knew, he knew that he shouldn''t have stopped Riley at all when he saw him walking across the clearing earlier.


    But how could he not?


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 Chapter 1159: Young Master Louis

    Chapter 1159: Young Master Louis


    "Please, forgive me for not weing you at the city gate. My name is Janine, your betrothed."


    "No, you are not."


    Everyone waiting at the gate was shocked to hear their youngdy get rejected, and in front of so many people at that. In truth, Janine was not actually going to show herself at all for the duration of the Zimmers'' stay, but as soon as she saw Riley stepping out the carriage, she could not help herself but be curious.


    She was told that the 7th son of the Zimmer family was a good-for-nothing, someone who had spent his entire time thinking of fantasies and telling people that he was stronger than everyone else¡ªonly to be beaten up several times by his older brothers.


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 Chapter 1160: Another Attempt

    Chapter 1160: Another Attempt


    "So¡­ that is how you came upon this world? Interesting."


    "Not as interesting as you getting to it¡ªI was told by that Sage guy that this is an entirely different dimension."


    "The Grand Triangle has different rules from the rest of the Universe."


    "You''re¡­ really traveling across space?"


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 Chapter 1161: The Queen Looms (And IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT)

    Chapter 1161: The Queen Looms (And IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT)


    "You were able to dodge that?"


    "Were you¡­ sent by one of my brothers, or were you sent by thedy of this house?"


    "Tch."


    This was a shocking surprise for the assassin. She had already read the information given to her, and she had also done her own investigation¡ªher target was supposed to be a good for nothing noble, not even capable of taking care of himself.


    So, why was he now parrying each of her attacks like it was nothing? She could have just shrugged off the first one and considered it luck, but no. As soon as she focused on Louis''s face, it was obvious that he wasn''t even having a hard time.


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